Chapter Six

"Are you sure?" Godric asked, looking pale. Ron nodded quietly. He felt sick. It was three in the morning after he'd had his dream. He'd woken up and gone straight to his Head of House, who had personally experienced visions. "Then…" he sighed. "I suppose we will adjust your training."

"Why?" Ron asked quietly. "Couldn't this just be a nightmare?"

"I do not believe so. I believe you have the Sight."

"The- I can't!"

Godric blinked. "Why not?"

"Well… I'm not…" he paused, trying to explain why he couldn't be.

"Because Harry is the 'Chosen One' and Hermione is very smart?"

"Well… yeah," Ron nodded.

"That does not mean that you cannot have the Sight. Just because they have something special, does not mean that you cannot have something special as well," the man said seriously. Ron lowered his gaze, but the Founder's words struck him hard.

"So… the training?"

"Yes," Godric sighed. "We will try some more diverse ways of training you, as well as setting up last resort situations."

"What do you mean?"

"I… am not sure yet." Godric sighed and stood. "Do you think you can sleep again?"

Ron shrugged. "Probably."

"Then go. Sleep more. I will send an elf for you and your friends for breakfast," Godric promised. Ron nodded slowly and stood. "Everything will be alright. I am sure of it."

"Thank you," the boy sighed. "I wasn't really sure who to go to, you know. Usually Harry, Hermione, and I just talk to each other about everything, but you guys seem pretty competent, so…" he coughed quietly. "Thanks."

Godric's lips twitched slightly and he nodded. Ron made his way back to his rooms quickly after that, zoning back into his thoughts as he went. Godric sighed once he was gone and rubbed his face gently. Whatever was going to happen, it didn't look good, and Godric had a feeling none of them would be getting much sleep until it happened.

He considered waking his friends and informing them of Ron's dream, but ultimately decided against it. They all needed some sleep, and he could inform them of this development before the children arrived for breakfast.

With a small sigh, Godric made his way back to his rooms and settled in for a few more hours of sleep – if it decided to come.

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"Missus!" A squeaky voice called. Hermione frowned, her eyes still closed. That voice sounded familiar. "Missus! It is time for breakfast!" Biting her lip, the girl thought hard.

"An elf!" She mumbled, shooting up. Her eyes opened and she looked around to find an elf tugging at the blankets at the end of her bed. "I am so sorry. Thank you for waking me up! What's your name?"

The little thing grinned happily up at her. "It is no problem, Missus. I am Flicky."

"Thank you, Flicky," she said again, bowing her head. "I'm Hermione."

"Hello Missus Hermione," the elf smiled warmly. "I must wake your friends now."

"Oh, no," she waved him off politely. "I'll wake them. I've done it before."

"It is no problem," the elf promised her with wide eyes.

"That's okay," she said firmly. "I wanted to talk to them anyway."

"Alright!" The elf stood and jumped off her bed. "I will be heading back to the kitchens now."

Hermione watched the cute little creature skip out of the rooms with a small smile. He seemed happy and taken care of – he was wearing a new toga and shoes, and had a hat on to keep his ears warm. Shaking her thoughts away, Hermione stood and dressed quickly in the muggle clothes she'd brought with her. She had left some for the boys as well. They'd be wearing those clothes until the Founders could get their measurements to the elves to make them some period appropriate clothing.

She hurried to the boys' area and woke Ron first, sending a light stinging hex at him, and then went to Harry, where she hit him with a spray of cold water. She learned in the summer before their fourth year that being gentle was never the way to go.

When everyone was up and had stopped complaining at her, they met in the sitting room that connected their rooms. Ron told them about his dream and what Godric had said, and they left for breakfast with heavy hearts and, for Hermione, a very busy mind.

When they arrived at the Great Hall, they found Helena sitting with a man they all recognized, though they knew him as a ghost. It was beginning to get disconcerting, seeing people they knew dead. When they saw him, Hermione grabbed her friends' arms and pulled them back out of the Hall immediately.

"That's the Bloody Baron!" She exclaimed. "Sitting… with the Grey Lady."

"Time travel is really… odd," Harry commented quietly.

"That's the ghost of Slytherin House?" Ron asked, shaking his head. "Who are we gonna see next? Nearly Headless Nick?"

"Probably not," Hermione said slowly. "Considering he doesn't die for another three hundred or so years."

"Sarcasm, Mione," Ron said, rolling his eyes.

"Did you guys ever notice how… nice the Bloody Baron was to us?" Harry asked quietly. "I never thought about it much, since ghosts are weird, but…"

"But he knew us!" Hermione gasped. "Which means… Harry, I think your guess was right. We were always supposed to come here."

"Maybe we should tell Ravenclaw," Harry suggested as Ron poked his head around the corner, peeking a look at the Hall, where Helena and the Slytherin ghost were having a lively debate about the moral aspect of using Unicorn horn.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," Hermione agreed, nodding. "I'll tell her after breakfast when we're alone."

"Er, guys," Ron said in a whisper.

"Yeah?"

"Maybe we should go in," he suggested.

"Why?" Harry blinked.

"Uh, well… they've noticed us, and the Baron is kinda staring," he muttered. Hermione narrowed her eyes, but she nodded. Adjusting the strap of her beaded bag, which was hanging off of her shoulder and wrapped around her body, she stepped forward, making her way into the Hall.

Once inside, she offered them both a genuine smile. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Helena replied, returning her smile. "Théo, this is the girl I was telling you of, and her friends. Hermione, Harry, Ron, this is Théophile, a friend of the family. He stayed at the castle for the summer to work on his potion making."

"Hello," Hermione gave him a warm smile and bowed her head, the boys following her lead. "It is wonderful to meet you."

"And you," Théo grinned. "It is not often we get new students that join in the middle of the summer."

"It is the summer," Harry pointed out. "I don't expect you would."

Helena gave him an amused look before sitting back down and waving for them to sit as well. Hermione and Harry sat on either side of the girl, while Ron sat across from them with Théo.

"You join us late," the Baron said. "Is all well?"

The trio shared a look and Harry shrugged. "We had a long day yesterday and overslept."

"I see."

"Théo," Helena said, gaining his attention again. "What did you say about daisy root and powdered bicorn horn in an aging potion?"

He considered the idea and replied, and the two slipped back into their previous discussion, thanks to a very kind Helena. The trio shared a look and nodded. They'd focus on eating for the moment and talk later when they could.

It was only when they'd just finished their meals and had begun a nice discussion about the particular enchantments placed on brooms (which Hermione assured the boys were already enchanted to fly by now) when the Founders graced them with their presence.

"We apologize," Helga said, nodding at them. "for not eating with all of you, and especially for missing the introductions."

Salazar eyed his student and the boy he was soon to adopt and seemed pleased that they were conversing in a friendly manner before he took over. "We had manners to discuss and the elves brought us breakfast when it seemed we were going to be a while."

"That's fine," Hermione assured them with a smile.

"Is everything alright?" Ron asked, frowning at Godric. Harry and Hermione both nodded very slightly and looked at the Founders as well. The four shared a hesitant look.

"We will be speeding up your training," Godric said slowly. "And it will be much harder than it was before."

Harry bit back a sarcastic comment and pushed down the annoyance. He and Ron had both had some difficulties – him with concentration and Ron with the spellwork, though he knew Ron's casting had gotten better later in the day.

"Should we-," Hermione frowned and very carefully didn't look back at Helena and Théophile. "Maybe we should go talk in the training room?"

"That is an excellent idea," Rowena smiled at her, nodding before she turned to her daughter and her friend. "We will be busy for most of the day. If there is anything you need, tell Elsy and she will find us."

"Yes, Mama," Helena nodded. She turned to her new friends and smiled warmly. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Hermione grinned back. She liked Helena quite a bit, and was glad to feel the same friendliness from the girl. "We'll catch up with you at dinner, hopefully."

"And remember not to let your wrist twist," Théo nodded at Harry, who made a mental note of it and gave him his Marauder grin. They'd spoken briefly of dueling, and Théo had suggested a few corrections for him.

Soon, the group of seven made their way from the Great Hall and found themselves by the east exit where the training rooms were. They settled into the seats placed around the room to talk, and all of them looked grave by the time they got there.

"We do believe that Ron's dream was a prediction," Rowena said to break the ice. Ron paled quickly, and Hermione placed a hand on his back to comfort him. "We do not know when it is to come true, but one thing is obvious – it is during school."

"We had quite a few questions, but one stuck out," Godric told them. "Why weren't we there to protect you?"

Hermione's eyes widened as she realized. "You- you can't be-,"

"It is a possibility," Helga said sadly. "We would and will protect this school and its students with our lives."

"What are you talking about?" Ron frowned. Harry was silent and staring at his hands, so Hermione was forced to answer him.

"They mean that they would never let this happen, Ron," she whispered. "Not while they're- while they're alive. Not while they could stop it."

It took him a few seconds to understand, and he only looked sick when he understood. Harry was still and silent, and he almost looked like a very life-like statue. Ron rubbed his face with his hands, thinking back to his dream.

"We were wearing clothes from this time," he said quietly. "So couldn't we just never wear clothes from this time? Wouldn't it not come true?"

"No, I don't think so," Hermione said. "If we're to assume that prophecies are true, then I believe this would be a self-fulfilling prophecy. It would force a situation in which we had to be wearing clothing from this period, and the prophecy would happen then."

"Damn," Ron swore under his breath.

"We can train you," Godric told them gently. "But the issue is, we don't know when it'll happen. So, because of that, we will be rushing it. Working much harder than we had hoped to have to work you."

"And we will be teaching at least healing and dueling at the same time," Helga added shortly. "If students will be harmed, then we must have you able to heal them."

"I will be training you in some more unorthodox ways of defending yourself and others," Salazar told them quietly. "None of these are dark magic, but some are less light and more… neutral. If you are uncomfortable with learning those things, tell me and I will not force you, though I do believe it will be helpful."

"Okay," Hermione agreed nervously.

"Is that all?" Harry asked shortly. Salazar and Godric shared a look and shook their heads.

"We will be teaching all of you Occlumency-,"

"I already know," Hermione frowned. "When Professor Snape started teaching Harry, I decided to try to learn so that I could help him."

"Hm," Rowena tilted her head, considering the options. "Then you and I will work on Legilimency."

"Yes, anyways," Salazar said, gaining the boys' attention once more. "We will be working on from that, Harry, Helga and I will be giving you a full check up."

"A- what?" Harry blinked at him, momentarily forgetting his very serious job of professional brooding. "Why?"

"Because," Helga frowned, staring at his scar, which she could just barely see from his ruffled fringe hanging to the side. "there is something wrong with your scar."

"I- well, I'm…" he shot Hermione a desperate look and she caught on quick, her correct guess at his panic saving him.

"Harry's never had a check-up in the Wizarding World before," she explained before frowning. "Come to think of it, neither have I."

"Really?" Rowena blinked at her. "Then we'll get one for you, too… actually, for all of you, just to be safe."

Harry gave his friend a very thankful and very relieved smile. He wasn't sure he could handle Salazar – or anyone else, for that matter – finding out about the Dursley's, at least not yet, and if they knew he'd never had any sort of check-up before, they'd know something was wrong. He still had to handle the check-up itself, but at least one crisis had been avoided.

"Is there anything else?" Hermione asked politely, smiling warily at her teachers. The four shared a thoughtful look before shaking their heads.

"Why don't we get the check-ups out of the way, and then we'll start with wandless and silent shields?" Helga suggested. With weary nods, the seven of them set out for the hospital wing to begin their long day.

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"A broken wrist when you were six?" Rowena raised an eyebrow. Hermione blushed and gave her a sheepish smile.

"I was being chased by the boy down the street, and he tripped me."

"Ah, and you fell on your wrist?"

"Er- no… I got up and hit his arm," she laughed nervously. "That was before I learned to use words. Turns out, I like that option much better."

"I see," the woman said, shaking her head with a fond smile. "It looks like that is the only broken bone you have ever had, yes?" When Hermione nodded her head, she moved on. "You have got a good diet, maybe a little low on iron. You do not sleep much, do you?"

"Not really," she shrugged. "I study a lot."

"School should not take away from your sleep," the Founder frowned.

"Er- it doesn't, not really. Harry and Ron are fine. I just like reading a lot."

"I see," Rowena grinned. "As do I. My friends used to joke that the only way I would put down a book were if someone lit it on fire."

Hermione was slightly horrified at the thought and made a mental note to make sure the twins never got such an idea. She wouldn't put it past them to light her bookcase on fire just to see what she'd do.

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"You may very well be one of the healthiest students I have ever examined," Godric grinned as Ron stood. The spell wore off quick enough, and he was free to go. "Might want to go wait. Your friends aren't done yet."

Ron looked slightly pale as he glanced at the curtain Harry was behind. "Probably, yeah."

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"What will it do?"

"Just review your previous injuries, such as broken bones or brain damage of any sort, or organ damage, that sort of thing," Salazar said with a shrug as he pulled his wand out. It was hard to miss the way the boy paled. "Harry?"

"I'm- I'm not sure this is a good idea," he said quickly, glancing at the curtain and back at the man. "It's not really important, right? We could just look at my scar."

"Well," Salazar sighed. "normally I would say you are correct, but if it is Dark magic, I will need to scan your body to see if it has been affected. Besides," the man resisted the urge to narrow his eyes. "from the way you reacted, it seems you have something to hide in your medical history."

"I don't!" The boy denied hotly. "I just don't see the point in doing this, when-,"

"The point, Harry, is to make sure you are safe and healthy. That is and always will be the point," Salazar said slowly, pinning the boy with a harsh gaze. "If I find out that you are not or previously were not safe or healthy, I will blame no one but the person or people that caused you to be that way."

"I-," Harry grimaced. "I just don't… Please don't freak out."

"I will not 'freak out,'" Salazar promised honestly. "I can handle more than it seems you think."

"I… Alright."

With Harry's consent, Salazar raised his wand and cast the spell, and his previous injuries filled out on a piece of parchment placed on the table next to him. Harry felt his gut twist as the parchment began to fill. Each injury listed felt like a punch, and Harry was feeling sick by the time the long list had finished, starting from Halloween night of 1981 all the way until his near-death experience in coming back in time.

There was a long stretch of silence that seemed to last hours, but Harry figured it had only been a few minutes by the time Salazar spoke. "Harry-,"

"I don't see them much," he promised. "I'm at school most of the year, and then I only spend a week or two with them before going to the Weasley's, or going to see Sirius and Lupin."

"A minute with them is too much," Salazar snapped, eyes full of a barely restrained fire. Harry recoiled in shock. He knew the venom wasn't meant for him, but it surprised him, the amount of anger Salazar now held for people he'd never even met, just from an admittedly long list of injuries. "Who put you with them?"

Harry hesitated, and that was enough of an answer for the Founder.

"Do not tell me it was Dumbledore," he hissed. Harry shrugged lamely. "That man has had much too much interference in your life. I truly doubt that Sirius was the only person able to take you in when your parents died."

"Well…" Harry shrugged. "When we came back here, we found out that my mom was best friend's with Neville's mom, so she was probably next in line, but she's… not available."

"This is ridiculous!" Salazar fumed. Harry frowned as he felt the air around them crackle with magic. "You should never have been placed with those despicable muggles! You are obviously not safe there, and yet that man forces you to return every year?"

"Well," Harry said slowly. "He did mention something about blood wards. I have to go there a week every year, or the blood wards fall and I'm not protected, and neither are they."

"They don't deserve protection!" The man yelled. "And blood wards, bah! I am certain that, had you been adopted by a magical family, they could have created blood wards just as strong, if not stronger, to protect you!"

"Dumbledore seemed pretty sure of himself…"

"Harry," Salazar said, suddenly speaking very low and very slow. "Never believe anyone based on only their word. Always ask for proof. Always argue the point and always be sure that there is no other option if you do not like the one offered."

"I- I'm not sure I could argue Dumbledore," the teen admitted. "He's… Dumbledore."

"You say that as if he is some sort of god," Salazar huffed. "He is no god. He is a wizard. Powerful maybe, but he is no god."

"I- Alright," Harry nodded. "I'll do what I can."

"And you will not be going back to those muggles," Salazar told him firmly. Harry hesitated before nodding.

"I won't," he promised.

With a satisfied and grim nod, Salazar finished the exam. When he was done with the general exam, he opened the curtain and waved Helga inside.

It took them almost an hour before they were finished, and Harry immediately knew there was something wrong when they were done. "What is it?"

"There is… something inside your scar," Helga told him with a frustrated frown. "We did try to remove it, but I believe it is alive."

"It's alive?" Harry screeched, his voice a couple of octaves higher than normal. Salazar nodded shortly.

"It is dark magic, too. It's pressing on your brain, so it may be causing you to have some mood swings. I will be doing research, but we do not know what exactly it is," he explained, annoyance lacing his tone.

"Okay," Harry nodded slowly.

"But for now," Helga forced a smile on her face. "We shall train."

Harry pushed his thoughts away and nodded in agreement. They had a lot to learn and barely two months to learn it. After that, they could be attacked at any point, and they would have to be ready.

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