Author: Lucinda
Rated safe if you could read the earlier Harry Potter books.
General/non-ship story -There is no significant romance for any character of student age, or any significant mention of romance for any current Hogwarts faculty.
I hold no legal rights to the characters, specific names, quidditch or locations from the Harry Potter novels and/or movies.
Follows History of Wands, set in Harry's 3rd year.
HoS..HoS..HoS..
Things at Hogwarts had continued much as they tended to do. Quidditch had inspired a flurry of House spirit as well as inflaming the competitive desires of the Quidditch team captains. Couples had started dating, fought, and split up, often moving on to date others. Rumors spread about who was dating whom, this Ravenclaw would overdose on potions to calm nerves or go without sleep or clear one's thoughts, that one was supposed to be cheating, this person or that one could cut a deal to purchase essays guaranteed to get a passing or even impressive grade, this Quidditch player was being scouted… Someone had broken a lock on Professor Snape's potion ingredient cabinet. Someone had left blood when traps on a student's trunk to prevent theft proved quite effective – no, blood and a severed finger – blood and finger bones – a whole severed hand. This student was trading chocolate frog cards. That one was selling potions for sleeping, for nerves, for alertness, for better skin, softer hair…
After the problem of hippogriffs not mixing well with Malfoys in Care of magical Creatures – and Harry kept wondering why Malfoy was even in that class, it wasn't as if he liked animals – they'd studied flobberworms. Then they'd moved to the more interesting kneazles – slightly larger cats that didn't make those allergic to normal cats sneeze, and were supposed to be very intelligent. Harry suspected Crookshanks had some kneazle in his ancestry. After a week on kneazles, they'd moved to krups, which looked remarkably like bouncy little terriers, and Hagrid had even arranged for a litter of puppies who still had their forked tails to be brought in for the class to examine. Several people had nearly been licked into adopting a puppy during that week, cooing and fussing over the energetic pups. Hagrid promised there were no mind-altering properties to krup slobber, just the normal reaction of kids to cute and friendly little critters.
There was another note in the same spidery green ink on the History of Magic classroom door. Yet again, it was vague, promising only things of history and interest instead of naptime to those who wished to go to the room across the hall from the regular classroom.
This time Harry didn't need Hermione to drag him across the hall. Last time it had been interesting, even if the stranger had been mysterious and ominous and maybe not human. Harry still had his replica magic whapping staff, and had started working on making his own. He'd gathered several of Hedwig's feathers, as well as one from Buckbeak. A few thin strips of the shed basilisk skin from the entry hall to the Chamber of Secrets, which he'd explored a little before asking if Dobby could clean the place any. Dobby had looked so delighted that it had given Harry goose-bumps. A smaller room off the main hall of the Chamber, hidden behind the first shed skin, held the crumbling remains of a small bed, a desk, and what might have been a shelf or a rack. There had also been a small area, more of an alcove than a room, with a basin of remarkably fresh water and a dark hole with no visible bottom. He'd also found a solid length of oak to make the base of his whapping staff. Maybe he could carve some things on it – owls and lightning and snakes, perhaps. If nothing else, it would be his very own solid stick to hit problems about the head with until they went away.
He still didn't know who or what the strange person who'd dropped in to talk about magic sticks was, or if he could be trusted. Harry was just sure whatever he had to say would be interesting. If it went like last time, there would be several new topics for research.
This time, Harry spotted the lean brown man lurking in the corner. Once again, the stranger was clad in the brown robe with the large diamond pattern, which reminded Harry of the scales of a very large snake. Again, he had on the sunglasses, causing Harry to wonder if he'd really seen snake-eyes or if he'd imagined them with the help of the robe and his own nerves. No wand was visible, though he hadn't seemed to need one before. Harry hadn't been able to forget his words about magic sticks making it easier to do magic, not making it possible. He'd been trying to do magic without a wand, and had managed on various days to light a candle – though not extinguish it, change his grey shirt to faded blue, mend a small rip in a pair of trousers, and twice prevent an inkwell from spilling when it toppled from the table. He'd also given himself a dozen headaches trying to do wandless magic. It seemed easier when he visualized what he wanted to happen instead of focusing on the words and gestures he learned in his other classes.
Nobody else seemed to notice the brown man, though everyone found a desk and took out parchment and quills.
"A pleasant afternoon to you, young students," the man's voice still held traces of a hiss and an accent Harry couldn't identify. "I am pleased some of you wish to learn."
Harry wondered if there was a bit of sarcasm – only some of the students at the magic school wanted to learn. Maybe he was over-thinking things. Several others jumped, including Ron and Hermione.
"Do you intend to teach us more about the history of magic sticks today, sir?" one of the Slytherins asked, with only a slight hint of distress at the term 'magic sticks' being applied to wands. Harry had wanted a chance to see what his name looked like on paper, it always sounded like 'knot' – but was that like a knot in thread, or as in 'not in my house'? Or maybe something completely different.
"Perhaps the history of some laws?" suggested Susan Bones.
"How to make Dementors go away," muttered Su Li of Ravenclaw.
"I fear today's topic is a bit less immediately useful and more about social structures and interactions," he shook his head. "Though Professors Lupin or Flitwick can teach you a spell to force back Dementors. Ask one of them about the Patronus charm."
Several students made curious noises.
"Today I shall talk about magical lineage, and the fascination with tracing ancestry. I feel it necessary to observe that not all nations place quite the same emphasis on heritage as many European nations. Many Asian nations focus more on accomplishment and honor than unbroken possession of magic. And many nations consider what Britain calls magical creature heritage to be a sign of good fortune or divine favor," he was definitely smirking.
Harry suspected that if this man had ever been a Hogwarts student, he'd have been a Slytherin. He could tell there would be research into foreign lineages and what they considered important as well as a flurry of looking into what benefits might be from not wholly human ancestry. And this man in the robes that reminded Harry of snake-skin wanted them to do that research. He wanted… Harry wondered if he had a specific direction he wanted them to go or if he just wanted to shake them from their comfortable familiar ways of accepting without question. Hermione would probably know a fancier way to say that, and he suspected he'd hear about it later.
"For those of you who may not have heard the terminology, lineage and ancestry both refer to your family. Your parents, and their parents, and their parents back many generations. A relative in your preceding lineage – such as your father, grandfather, or great grandmother – become ancestors upon their death, and may also be called forefathers, progenitors, precursors, or antecedents. You are already their descendants, as a result of being born. While your aunt or uncle appears on a detailed family tree, they are not counted as a precursor unless your family tree bears more of a resemblance to a vine. Your parents become your ancestors, not their siblings or cousins unless they are also your antecedents," that trace of a smirk widened at some of the dismayed faces students made at the idea of their parents also being their aunts or uncles.
"The ability to trace one's family through generations of magical predecessors had been valued as long as magical Britain had been magical Britain. Closely related has been value on being able to claim descent from someone impressive. There were always fads, trends, or crazes in what was considered impressive. Well, there were fads regarding many things, fashion and the languages preferred by the wealthy and powerful among them. There was a time when corsetry enhanced by illusions were quite popular – all the slimming without the loss of breathing! Certain foods fall in and out of popularity, colors come in and out of style, jousting was replaced by steeple-chasing and aerial races which were replaced by quidditch." The man began a slow pace across the room, hands clasped behind his back.
"During what later came to be known as the Founder's Era, named for the founding of Hogwarts School, many considered it fashionable and impressive to be able to trace one's heritage back to Imperial Rome while others sought to trace to the magical druids of the native Celtic peoples. For some, the divide between 'light' and 'dark' families was explained by whether they felt Roman or Celtic ancestry was better, and the less said about the savage Viking ancestry - the fur clad newcomers! - of some houses the better." He paused, and offered, "Several of the influential advisors and war-wizards of the time were of Viking, or Nordic, origin. Their abilities were respected, even if their ancestry did not impress."
"In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, it was fashionable to be able to claim descent from the royal mages of the court of Charlemagne, or the mages who had led the Norman Invasion. Many families 'uncovered proof' of such heritage, while others accused the new proof of being fabricated. Sometimes it was, and often proof was vouched for by the golden handshake more than registries of birth and marriage. The Lupin clan, a collection of families who had been among the front of the Norman Invasion, snorted at the idea of such ancestry becoming impressive. They knew full well that their own ancestors had led the charge not out of national pride or superior bloodlines but out of the desire to gain property and wealth and influence in a new country. After all, gaining property and power in newly conquered lands was an old tradition, used by the Romans, the Saxons, and the Vikings by that time." He paused a moment before adding, "Yes, your current Defense professor is descended from those Lupins, though you'd have to ask him how much of his heritage he's studied. They had quite the reputation as battle-mages a few centuries ago."
He turned and waved a finger at them as he continued, "It wasn't until the fifteenth century that it first became widely fashionable to claim descent from one of the four founders of Hogwarts, and when those four began to be referred to as Founders with a capital letter. Claims of descent cropped up all over magical Britain, with a few claiming not only to be descended from, but also to be the rightful heir of a Founder. Among those were the Gaunt family, claiming to be the rightful and true heirs of Salazar Slytherin; the Clearwaters, the Ogdens and the Harringtons each claiming to be the proper heirs of Rowena Ravenclaw; the Diggorys, the Prewitts, the Crawmonts and the Yaxleys claiming to be heirs of Helga Hufflepuff; and Potter, Glenwood, and Bell all claiming a close connection to Gryffindor. There were actually two locations where families named Gryffindor dwelled – Dover and a small town called Godric's Hollow, which was rumored to be the final resting place of Godric Gryffindor himself. Factual documentation from a thousand years ago is difficult to find, and the languages used have changed enough that not everyone can properly decipher what writings have been preserved."
"Others claimed to be not heirs by blood but by chains of tradition. Among those was the Head of the Hufflepuff dorm at Hogwarts, also traditionally named the Captain of the Castle Militia. Their duties used to include training every member of the House of Badgers in the ways of archery and axes, and maintaining custody of an impressive silvery battle-axe said to have belonged to Helga Hufflepuff herself. The axes used by the Regiment for the Dispatch of Dangerous Creatures were patterned after that noteworthy axe, though they could not match the runework or the variety of magical abilities credited to the weapon. Some began whispering that the Order of Mysteries were the heirs of Ravenclaw by virtue of research and apprenticeship, though those individuals didn't offer many words on the matter. Members of what was once the Order of Mysteries and is now the Department of Mysteries are often referred to as Unspeakables, and rumors linking them to the research of Ravenclaw persist to this very day," his tone hinted at laughter.
"Excuse me, sir, but isn't it the Department for the Disposal of Dangerous Magical Creatures?" Hermione asked, the capitals audible in her voice.
"Miss Granger," he began, voice taking on an almost silky hiss that kept anyone from asking when or how he'd learned her name. "When the group responsible for eliminating creatures deemed to be dangerous to magical humans began, it was not in quite the same format or title as the group holds now. There have been many administrative and organizational changes as well as adjustments to the scope of their responsibilities. At the time, it was considered an option for young wizards to give service to their monarch through this duty, even if it was also one of the leading causes of injuries, scars, and death for young wizards. Sometimes the dispatch in question would be called relocation today, in that the dangerous creature was moved away from magical dwellings rather than being killed. Some were bound into service, expanding traditions of security trolls, bound House Elves, and starting a brief trend towards using souls to empower enchanted objects. The use for empowering by souls was banned as too dark nearly a century later. The name has been changed dozens of times, the structure and chain of command almost as many. Regardless of the changes in name, those individuals continue using special axes, and many are drawn from the extended Lupin clan. There are also now more than a few Weasleys, as that family is quite numerous."
Several people chuckled at that, as everyone knew there were a lot of Weasleys. There were probably Weasleys in every magical trade. Unless it was a trade for women only – no Weasley daughter for generations. Harry wondered why, it didn't make sense from what he remembered in primary school about inheritance.
"In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as Europe became more aware of and interested in the Americas, also referred to as the New World, or sometimes as the Colonies, interest in the Founders waned. Being able to claim a connection to the great explorers and innovators became the next new trend. Claims of descent from great alchemists were quite popular, and many noble families produced documents claiming a kinship to Nicholas Flamel. More foolish individuals then followed a claim of kinship by pressing for possession of his goods and research. For those of you who don't recognize the name, Nicholas Flamel is famous for being the only alchemist to present plausible proof of possessing a Philosophers Stone, and at that time was not only still alive but in excellent health. Shortly after the coronation of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, Nicolas and his wife Perenelle left the public eye, claiming they wished to retire to the countryside for their remaining years." He paused before once again offering the sly comment, "Once again there were many accusations of false documents and golden handshakes to make some of those questions go away."
"You make it sound like bribery and corruption are the normal way of things working," frowned Susan Bones. "But we are a nation of laws, right?"
"Miss Bones, this nation is supposed to work by law, rather than the belief in a king with divine empowerment, ancestry, or blessing. Justice, protection, and opportunity are supposed to be available to all, with as much equality as differing levels of skill, knowledge and effort will permit. But we all know that isn't quite true, don't we?" His voice had taken on more of the hissing tone. "Who hasn't heard rumors of people bribing their way out of trouble, or buying a bit of legislation into existence? People gain positions in the ministry by family connections rather than skill, and gold discreetly passed to the authoritative hands can make so many awkward questions fade away into whispers and rumors. Judgments made by favors owed or old grudges rather than evidence…"
Harry shivered, remembering the whispers about Draco's father being a Death Eater who'd pled the Imperius. Hearing how a lot of Death Eaters from wealthy families pled the Imperius curse, various favored causes of political figures received generous donations, or there were private conferences, and then they were released without questioning. How Lucius Malfoy managed to convince Fudge to throw Hagrid in Azkaban to be seen doing something – never mind no evidence, no trial, not even a proper arrest. The way the Dursleys talked to their good friends on the school board and Dudley's bad grades weren't obstacles, and nobody was willing to help little delinquent Potter.
He wasn't the only student who shivered or looked dismayed at these words.
"Does that mean interest in being descended from one of the Founders went away?" asked a Hufflepuff.
Harry frowned, trying to remember more about the boy. Ernie McMill-something. Harry remembered he'd been quite pleased to be sorted into Hufflepuff, something about family and tradition and… Oh. There'd been something about being a true-born Hufflepuff. Did that mean Ernie was kin to Helga Hufflepuff, perhaps a descendant? Or that his family believed they were, at any rate. Harry had picked up on the way the man who hadn't introduced himself had explained people in the past buying an officially accepted kinship to the fashionably important dead people. Say one man buys the acceptance of fiction, his son suspects it was bought but doesn't say anything, the first man's grandson has no idea, and by the time the next generation is born, they can't imagine the claim not being there. And maybe a few more generations and it's forgotten.
"Such interest in historical personages never completely vanishes. It faded, becoming a mild interest to those who were not certain of their own descent from the Founders or those who were particularly interested in what secrets and abilities the Founders' Blood might carry. Rumors have painted Ravenclaw as a True Seer, Slytherin as a Parseltongue, and Godric as either a griffin or phoenix animagus or perhaps having a bonded phoenix. In the early centuries of Hogwarts, Hufflepuff was rumored to have been a berserker, now she's widely believed to have been a great gardener or healer."
The smirk returned, and the man added, "After the attacks fifty years ago with rumors of the Chamber of Secrets being opened and the connected idea that it could only be done by the true heir of Slytherin, a group of people were tasked to track the Founders' bloodlines. Efforts were made to determine where they really came from, and if they left kin behind them in their travels. More efforts with more enthusiasm were made to identify their descendants. But with all the time and falsification of records, destruction of records, and allegations of fraud, it has been slow going. I also suspect identifying the individuals with the closest line of inheritance will be a good deal harder than merely identifying distant kinship."
"Is there an inheritance?" Blaise Zabini asked, his tone surprised. "I would have thought any valuables to be long gone."
"Mmmm, at the very least is the prestige of being able to claim with Ministry support to be the rightful and legal heir. Each had personal signet rings which are kept in the Hogwarts Headmaster's office. There are supposed to be some remaining personal effects, and it has been accepted as a fact for centuries that Godric had a very impressive sword while Ravenclaw and Slytherin had substantial research material."
Harry decided that he really needed to learn more about the other people in his year. He was sure he'd heard something or other about Zabini's mother being widowed multiple times. He should learn more than last names and what color their ties were. They couldn't all be as easy to mentally sort as Malfoy. After the basilisk, Dumbledore had claimed the sword was the one once belonging to Godric Gryffindor, a sword Dumbledore also insisted only a true Gryffindor could summon. He wondered if the Headmaster had been speaking of the ideals of the Hogwarts House Gryffindor, or if he meant blood descent. Potter had been one of the families named as claiming a connection to Gryffindor, after all…
Why had nobody spoken to him about his family's past before? Not even something as simple as where his parents had grown up?
Harry didn't bother to identify who asked the next question. "So you're saying there are living heirs, living relatives of the Founders?"
"They were humans, not mushrooms. They had parents, siblings, cousins… and yes, quite a few children. There are many people now living who could trace back to a point of intersection with the lineages of at least one of the Founders. Perhaps as direct descendants, perhaps as mutual descendants of a common ancestor further back. Given the time between now and then, there could be quite a few who trace kinship to more than one magical person of historical interest," the man shook his head, a soft hiss about family lines and branches and silly wizards mating within a family.
"Sir, where did the four Founders come from?" Hermione asked.
"Helga Hufflepuff was Nordic, from a small settlement in what is now Norway. She was a younger and rather willful daughter of a large family, and after yet another argument with her family she left home to find her own place, by force if need be. We know little more than claims Rowena was of Roman-descent near the Scottish border, with a reputation as a gifted Seer and healer, and a rather protective raven as a familiar. Godric Gryffindor was of British-Saxon heritage, from near Cornwall, trained as a battle-mage. His earlier time is fairly well documented for someone who wasn't nobility, and the closest modern comparison would be a duelist for hire. Salazar Slytherin was from an extensive family meandering in and out of Wales. Why he parted ways from his family and ended up joining together with the others is rather poorly documented, and has been attributed in various sources to seeking money, avoiding an enemy, avoiding a woman, seeking a woman, insatiable curiosity, a spell gone wrong, and in one source, the words of a seer. There are those who hope the committee researching the Founders will produce more information on their current living kin," he sounded quite amused.
"Shouldn't that sort of thing be recorded somewhere?" Ernie the Hufflepuff sounded quite offended.
"It likely was, once upon a time," their temporary Professor agreed. "But if it hasn't survived, is currently lost, or can no longer be read, then writing it down doesn't help much. Oral histories can easily be altered or lost."
"How big are these alterations?" asked Susan Bones.
"Did you know that the Bones family used to be known for their powerful necromancers?" he asked, a grin on his face as he looked at Susan. "They also created and sold skeletal guardians for a number of families. The branch of necromancy fell out of favor and then the Ministry decided to outlaw it, and the Bones family stopped being known for their necromancers. Has your family told you about that part, or was it altered out of the official version?"
"Necromancy? That… would be quite the alteration in family history…" Susan whispered.
"The Lovegood family used to be very determined about dispensing ritual magic to cause multi generational effects on certain individuals or family lines. A Lovegood spell was cast concerning the Potter hair, resulting in the recognizable bird's nests they now sport. At least Potter men don't tend towards baldness. Another Lovegood spell was cast on a young Entwhistle, and now every one of his descendants can whistle as well as a bird," he gave a small shrug, arms going wide. "I leave it to all of you to decide if those were blessings or curses. Another gave the descendants of Oloptyr protection from the winter, and while they may take on a bluish tone in winter, they feel no chill and suffer no ill effects. They did gain a reputation of being jotun-kin."
Harry found himself wondering if someone had asked for a blessing on the Potter heir as in next in line for family holdings and received one for the growth of their scalp such that they'd never go bald. Then he wondered if the Weasley family had been spelled to have many strong sons…
"But then what about muggle-born?" Hermione's frustration was evident.
"Most muggle-born believe they have no magical heritage. Most are wrong," the man turned to look at her. "Some of the magical families feel that a child born without sufficient and noticeable magic is not worthy of their family name. Historically, the more generous of them arranged either a new name or a marriage into one of the magically weak families, those who would either attend a magical trade school or the hedge-witches who learn by apprenticeship and family tradition. Some simply cast them out to find their own place, in later centuries often obliviating them as well as sending them away, and not always waiting until they were eleven or so. How many of those who are called muggle-borns can find someone in their ancestry who was a foundling? Perhaps the result of a night made fuzzy by alcohol?"
Harry mentally added 'or compulsion charms, or attacks obliviated with surprise reminders months later.' He'd heard enough about what sort of things Death Eaters thought 'fun' and others dismissed as 'mere muggle-baiting' to suspect that more than a few muggle-born were really half-bloods. Not that he thought it mattered much.
"Does the magic come back then?" asked Zabini.
"It is actually quite common for the descendants of someone declared a squib to show magic strong enough for training in the so-called proper schools. Sometimes their children, sometimes their grandchildren, and other times so many generations down that all knowledge of their heritage, if any remained in the squib, have been lost." The man shrugged before adding, "The earliest times only asked if a person had magic, not how many of their forefathers had it as well."
"So the old families are better? They have a gift for certain types of magic?" asked Ernie.
"The old families have a good deal of information already on hand, and can start training their children earlier," he countered. "As for an aptitude, sometimes yes. In the same way musicians who marry other musicians tend to produce musical children, if someone good with transfiguration produces a child with another person good with transfiguration, their child is also likely to be good at transfiguring. They'll likely do poorly at something else in compensation."
Harry was left with a long list of questions. He also wanted to learn more about the Potters and Evans lines. Where did they live, what did they do for careers? Did he have living relatives, even if they were distant, on the Evans side other than aunt Petunia and Dudley? Had James Potter been good at transfiguration as his own gift, or part of a family tradition of excellence in transfiguration?
Maybe some of those dry records could be useful for these questions…
….
The Daily Prophet arrived at breakfast four days after the strange lesson on family histories, a shocking headline proclaiming "Heir of Slytherin Identified!" Below the headline was a picture of Rubeus Hagrid.
For several moments, the only sounds were the barest traces of owls' wings through the air, with the soft sounds of hoots and coughs and the occasional bark from the birds themselves. Then sounds everywhere, with sputters and gasps and choking sounds from people who'd been eating or drinking. Shouts and denials were heard, and at least one shout of 'suck it, Death Eaters!'
Harry caught up a copy of the Prophet before it could land on the platter of eggs. He had to read this article, even if he didn't trust the Prophet. The combination of Heir of Slytherin and Hagrid's picture seemed too weird. He wondered how they'd found proof, and just what sort of 'proof' had been used.
The article described documents concerning two marriages for Salazar Slytherin, one before the founding of Hogwarts which had produced a son and a daughter, and a second which had produced three daughters. There had also been two children widely believed – even by Godric Gryffindor – to have been Salazar's illegitimate children, despite Salazar's denials. The illegitimate children had been called Jacob and Mariel the Gaunt, and had eventually settled near Sussex, having been educated at Hogwarts. The eventual Gaunt family – and Tom Marvolo Riddle - had been descended from them. There had been two branches of the family for at least the first two centuries, before they had merged into a single line of descent. Ick.
But legal inheritance went predominantly through the male line. Salazar's son had only had a single surviving son, with several following generations each with only one son surviving to marry, though there were often daughters. In the late fourteen hundreds, there had been a second son living to adulthood, though he'd been held prisoner by enemies for some time. Claudius was ever after known as 'Claudius the Haggard', a name which had followed Claudius' descendants, morphing eventually into the family name Hagrid. This made it easier to separate his line from his brother Marcus of Slytherin, and the last of Marcus' known male-line descendants had perished in a round of smallpox a few centuries later. The Hagrids had been a magical family of decent standing, warriors and trainers of beasts, handlers of magical hounds and horses and birds, as well as the occasional dragon-tamer. By the coronation of Queen Victoria, the Hagrid family had also dwindled, leaving an uncle serving in the Welsh Dragon reserve who never married, a sister who moved to the Caribbean, and one who married and gave Britain the next generation in the form of two children, a daughter named Livia who later married Jonathan Potter, and a son named Alerio. Alerio later chose an incredibly unconventional bride, the giantess Fridwulfa, who gave birth to a son named Rubeus…
So while there might be quite a few descendants of Slytherin, the legal heir was Rubeus Hagrid, a half giant. If the Gaunts even traced to Salazar, they were descended from bastards – a fitting ancestry for Tom who became Voldemort who became the boogie-man who's name must never be used.
Harry was sure that somewhere, the insubstantial wraith of Voldemort was having an insubstantial hissy fit. More substantial Death Eaters were probably reacting in a very similar way, especially considering that it was obvious Hagrid wasn't entirely human. Even if nobody was willing to flat out admit it, perhaps because of his giant crossbow, one easily wider than most students were tall. Hermione had said she'd seen one like it in a museum once, labeled as a ballista. She'd then added that ballista's were normally mounted on walls to repel besieging enemy forces.
Harry wondered if he was related to this Jonathan Potter, which would make Hagrid some sort of cousin, though he felt more like either a vastly bigger brother or maybe a sort of fun uncle. It would be nice to have a few more magical relatives, especially if he could stay with Hagrid over the summer instead of going to the Dursley home.
Then Harry saw the best part of the article and started laughing. According to one old book, Salazar Slytherin had once kept a little green snake he'd called Blinkin. Once Blinkin had grown a bit older, Slytherin had moved the snake somewhere safer from careless students, a secret place where his poor little snake wouldn't be trampled.
Blinkin was an old way of calling something Blinky.
Salazar's little green snake had been a basilisk.
Salazar's basilisk had been named Blinkin.
Hagrid's love of 'poor little critters' was a natural part of his Slytherin heritage. He really was the heir to Slytherin, and Salazar would probably have wanted a pet dragon, or pet man-eating spiders. Or maybe a giant three headed dog… named Fluffy…
Some of the closer students edged further away from Harry. Nobody asked what was so funny, though apparently there were vastly entertaining expressions on quite a few people.
End Pottery Shard: Heir of Slytherin.