Chapter Ten

It took Harry two full days before he was released from Helga's care, and another week before Salazar had finished fussing over him. Godric, however, was not quite done.

"You could have been killed!" The man told him again. "If you'd stepped in front of that flame-,"

"Athair would have saved me and your students would have a fun story," Harry grumbled as he took another sip of his drink, which only made him miss pumpkin juice and coffee.

"Or Sal could've been too late and you'd die!" Godric huffed. He'd pulled Harry away from the Gryffindor table, where the boy had tried to sit to talk to his friends, and taken him to the staff table for another lecture. The rest of his family sent the teenager pitying looks, and the other professors just looked amused or disinterested. Students also seemed to find his plight funny if the way they looked up at his argument with his uncle said anything.

"Tell me, Uncle Godric, in the entire time you've known my father, has he ever been too slow?" Harry wondered, not even bothering to look up at Gryffindor's stumped face. "Look, I was careful. I didn't even step in the line of fire, you know. I stayed back and shot in the general direction of the spell. I even made sure not to hit you or Athair."

"You should not have been so near danger," Godric tried slowly.

"Yeah, okay, and what about those first years?" Harry asked pointedly, finally looking up and raising an eyebrow.

"They were out of the way and they have never been hurt!"

"Except…"

"…it was once, and it was not bad."

"Uncle Godric, I'm fine."

"Do not ever do it again," the man said firmly. Harry nodded, crossing his fingers, and agreed. "Good. Now, how about we get to dueling early today? I would like to teach you some crowd containment spells before class begins."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Harry most definitely did not like their runes professor. He only worked part time, when Rowena or Salazar were not available, but he seemed to do his best to grate on Harry's nerves.

It was barely a month after classes began that the professor had officially decided he didn't like Harry either, only a short time after he'd finally realized the relationship between the Founders and Harry.

"Are you listening, boy?" Professor Alvarah snapped. Harry's eyes shot to the man, and he fought off a frown.

"Yes, Professor," he promised, flinching slightly. He'd become a wonderful liar, but the Professor was having none of it.

"If you do not wish to be in this class, boy, then just leave," Alvarah hissed. Harry attempted to suppress another flinch but didn't manage. "I will not be keeping you here."

"I'll be staying, thanks," Harry replied coolly.

"Fine. Then pay attention, or you will be visiting the weapons room to do some cleaning." Harry didn't reply to the threat, and the professor only sneered at him before he got back to teaching. He paid enough attention to the rest of the class, and it was at the end when he'd finally relaxed when the man yelled again. "Boy!"

Harry took a deep breath and let his head snap to the professor. "Do not call me that. I don't care who you think you are. Professor or not, you do not have permission to treat me with such disrespect. I may be a child, but I am respectful and smart and you have decided to pick on me for no real reason!" With a glance around the room, Harry sighed inwardly and stood. "I'll be leaving then. Have a good day, Professor."

With that, Harry stood and made his way out of the room, even as he ignored the gentle whispers of comfort from Hogwarts.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Why?" Salazar asked gently as he took a seat next to Harry. The teenager had made his way quickly to the rooms he shared with Ron and Hermione and had dropped himself on the couch, waiting for someone to come to him – he knew it wouldn't be long.

"He wouldn't stop."

"Stop what, Harry?" Salazar kept his tone soft as he asked. He'd been given a story, of course, by Alvarah, but he didn't trust the man and he never had. He suspected that the distaste for Harry stemmed from that, but he had no proof.

"He- provoking me."

"Why did you let him?" the man questioned. "You know Occlumency – you know how to calm yourself."

"Because it's not anything we've put shields up for!" Harry snapped. "I told you I didn't want to work on the Dursley's yet."

Salazar paused. What could that man have done that roused memories of them?

"Did- Harry, did he…"

"He didn't hurt me, no," Harry murmured, his eyes dark. "Just… a word. It's a stupid word."

Salazar considered his options before speaking, slightly hesitantly. "Would you like to put shields up over those memories now?"

Harry paused. He knew his father was asking so he wouldn't need to explain, and he was grateful. So, with a silent nod, they began.

They fell into a preppy living room, the size of the room they were just in. With a quick look, Salazar realized Harry looked to be no more than two years old.

"Boy!" A booming voice called as a large, whale-like man stomped into the living room. Harry flinched visibly and stood, showing Salazar his clothing. He had on a greyish-white shirt that was much too large for the thin boy, and a pair of pants that were also too large, being held up by a rope. "Did you finish dusting?"

"I tried, Uncle Vernon," Harry said with a frown. "but I can't reach some of it."

The large man let out an angry grunt as he padded over to Harry and lifted his arm, easily knocking Harry halfway across the room. The boy curled into a small ball on the ground and seemed to be sniffling in pain. "Finish it!" Vernon screamed before muttering angrily under his breath and making his way back into the kitchen.

The pair fell out of the memory, and Salazar stood and paced over to the fireplace, his hands in fists at his side. That… whale had hit his son, and he had been, what, two?

"I was five," Harry answered slowly, Salazar's thoughts having been loud enough to sound through their bond. "I'm usually small for my age. Not lately, I guess."

"Because you have been well fed," Salazar hissed. Harry stayed silent at that while Salazar forced himself to calm down. "Would you like to continue?"

"Some other time," Harry muttered moodily. "I just want to take a nap before class later."

"Okay," the man said hesitantly. "Just tap the bond if you need me."

"Okay."

Giving his son another glance and frown, Salazar walked out. He knew he'd only made things worse by losing his temper.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Harry," Hermione said hesitantly. "I just wondered if you wanted to talk about- er-,"

"About class?" He asked bitterly. She shook her head vigorously.

"No, not that. Well… sort of," she shrugged slightly and cast another warming charm. The pair were outside by the lake, watching students run from classes. "It's just… Well, you've been losing your temper a lot, and I was, well, I was wondering if something was wrong."

"Right," he replied in a bitter tone. "That."

"So, there is something wrong?"

"'Mione, do you know what a Horcrux is?" He asked. The dark look in her eyes told her that she didn't want to know, but she had to ask. It was Harry, after all. So, she shook her head and tilted it to show interest.

The explanation was quick, and while she normally would've wanted more details, the bookworm gladly filed away the information she was given and didn't ask more. "So, you brought them up because…?"

"Because," he said slowly, glancing back toward the castle. "when they did the check-up, they found something in my scar." He paused to let her catch up. "'Mione, it was a Horcrux. Voldemort made me a Horcrux."

"He- no!" She yelled, surprising him into looking at her. She had a few tears in her eyes and was staring at him as if he were about to explode. "You can't!"

"I am," he replied bitterly, though he was more than a little worried. "Why is it such a big deal? I mean, I know I'm a little moody, but everyone is looking for a way to remove it."

"Harry… I've done research on souls and soul magic. I don't know much about this, but… look, the soul grows as your magic does. It's like with accidental magic. The older your soul is, the less of it you'll have. So, to take a piece from your soul… well, I suppose it's why Voldemort was so cruel, in a way. His soul probably acted as a last line of defense, and when that was gone…"

"Unforgivables for everyone," Harry finished, frowning. "Okay, so Voldemort's angrier than normal. So?"

"So," she said slowly. "It is extremely hard to touch a soul at all. To remove it must be even harder! So, you've got a soul stuck in your head, making you angry, and it's nearly impossible to remove!"

"Okay," he frowned, beginning to get nervous. "Nearly impossible, not completely. Right?"

"I don't know," she sighed, slumping against the tree again. "I'd have to ask Professor Ravenclaw."

"So it's a bit worse than I assumed," he summarized. Hermione nodded sadly and took his hand, more for her comfort than for his.

"Yes. Just… keep me updated, alright? I'll ask Professor Ravenclaw later and tell Ron what's going on while you're in class," she promised. Harry gave her a grateful smile and the two lapsed back into a comfortable, albeit slightly nervous silence.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Hogwarts… you showed Neville the Room of Requirement.

I did? How nice.

You really don't know the future?

I truly do not.

Then how did you know I'd be coming? That I'd be- what'd you call me?

My Protector? Because your magic is as ingrained into me as your father and uncle and their friends.

So… I don't think I understand.

Well, the Founders, as you call them, made me, in a sense. I was here before them, though. They took me and built me back up until I was beautiful once more. They brought students for me to protect and for them to teach, and so we both do so to the best of our abilities. You, however, are what protects me.

So… you protect the students and I protect you?

In the simplest of terms, yes. Your magic is tied to mine and mine to yours and yours to your fathers.

What does that mean, exactly?

That, I believe, is up to you and your family. The future, just like the past, is not yet set in stone.

You're really cryptic.

Thank you.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"How do you like it here?" Helena asked quietly as she and Hermione walked to the library together.

"It's… it's different but definitely not bad," Hermione said. "I'm learning so much that they never even consider teaching in the future."

"Really?" the other girl asked in surprise. "Like what?"

"Healing, for one," Hermione sighed and nodded at the frown on Helena's face. "I'm not sure why they've gotten rid of it, only that it's gone."

"So, until now…"

"We've had no training," Hermione confirmed. "It's why we had such issues until before school."

"I see," the girl said with a deep frown. "Hermione… when we first met, I heard you talking."

Hermione blinked as she tried to remember what they had been talking about. When the memory came, she stopped walking. "Oh."

"Yes. You referred to me as the 'Grey Lady?'"

"I- yes, we did."

"Why?"

"Helena, I'm not sure I should tell you," Hermione sighed.

"Hermione, I doubt there is anything that can stop Lady Time's plans," the girl said thoughtfully. "Whatever you tell me, I will not try to stop it."

The bushy-haired girl thought for a moment before speaking slowly. "You are the Grey Lady – the ghost of Ravenclaw. You don't talk to students often, though I've seen you talking to my friend Luna."

"Oh? And why would I speak with Luna?"

"Likely because she's the most honest person I've met," Hermione suggested. "And she needs a friend, most especially in her first three years. She's very smart when you listen and very insightful, even if she seems… loony."

"She does seem like someone whose company I would enjoy," Helena agreed thoughtfully as they began walking again. "Would it do any good to ask you why you referred to Théophile as the 'Bloody Baron?'"

"No," Hermione shrugged. "All I know is that he was always nice to Ron and Harry and I, even though he's the ghost of Slytherin, who has only been seen talking to Slytherins."

"How rude of him," Helena sniffed.

"It's history," Hermione corrected. "And it can't change. We don't know what changes could prevent us from coming here."

"We would not want that," Helena said softly and honestly as they finished their pleasant walk into the Great Hall.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"I had another one," Ron said as he slammed his way into Harry's room. "Harry, wake up, I had another one!"

"Wha?" Harry mumbled, shoving his head further into his pillow.

Ron flicked his wand in a hurry, flinging his best friend's blankets and pillows off of the bed and then once more, lighting the lamps. "Harry!"

"Wha? What? Ron?" Harry blinked and pulled himself up, his eyes on his panicked looking friend. "What's wrong?"

"I had another one! Another dream!"

"The- like with the- the… thing?" Harry asked smartly. Ron nodded vigorously and Harry sighed and closed his eyes. He focused on the gold and green line leading out of the door and tugged on it hard, letting his worry seep through.

When he was done, he opened his eyes and waved at his bed. "Go on, sit. I'll get us some tea." Ron did as he was told and sat, and Harry left the room to their small living area where he called an elf for tea and waited for it to get back. Before the elf returned, however, he heard a shout from his room and rushed back over.

"Where's Harry?" Salazar asked hurriedly as Ron stared with wide eyes. "Ron, where-,"

"I'm right here, please calm down," Harry muttered, rubbing his eyes gently. "It's Ron that needs the help."

Once the man had looked Harry over and assured himself the teenager was fine, he turned his attention to the redhead in the room. "Ron?"

"I- I had another dream," he said shakily. "I'm not really sure… I don't understand what it was."

"Just slow down," Salazar coached, his voice gentle. A confused elf knocked hesitantly at the door and wandered in with the tea, and Salazar gave it to the nervous redhead. "start at the beginning. What did you see?"

"I- well, it was dark. I'm not really sure where I was. There was something sticky on my hands and clothes and in my hair. I was- I was holding Hermione up and she was awake, but she was bloody and… I looked for Harry, but… I don't- Harry, I'm sorry…"

"It's alright," Salazar soothed, though he looked a little nervous now himself. Harry sat next to his friend and guided his tea to his mouth. The redhead took another minute before speaking again, but he kept his head low and Harry got the feeling he was crying silently.

"There was a black… thing leaking from his forehead and… we weren't moving, we were just there, but there weren't any other students anymore and…"

"Is that all you remember?" Harry wondered. Ron hesitated before nodding hurriedly, and Salazar frowned.

"Ron, whatever else there is, it's alright to tell us," the man promised. The boy hesitated again before looking at Harry.

"I'm sorry. I don't- maybe we can prevent it."

"Ron, what happened?" Harry prodded. Ron looked down again.

"When we got outside, the Founders were there, but they were… standing over someone, and…" he glanced at Salazar now. "I'm sorry… it was you."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Hermione had been filled in before breakfast as well as the Founders, and everyone noticed the two groups looking particularly grim. The thought of Harry and Salazar dying made everyone a tad anxious, and it was rubbing off.

It wasn't long before Helena was filled in on things as well, and she'd pulled Ron and Hermione away so that Harry could talk to Salazar.

It was almost two weeks before everyone had managed to put thoughts of the horrific vision aside and get back to daily life.

"I was wondering," Hermione said softly as she helped Salazar sort through his new order of potions ingredients he'd received. "if perhaps you could explain the… way Helena and Professor Ravenclaw communicate?"

"Oh," Salazar blinked and turned to her in surprise. "I have not thought of that in a while."

"Helena said it was some sort of… of soul magic," she prompted as she put the lizard tongue away.

"I suppose," he allowed. "it is a connection of souls to be opened by a motion. Helena and Rowena tap their wands to either open or accept the opening of the connection. It can be ended by tapping it once more."

"That's brilliant," Hermione breathed. "And it's undetectable?"

"Yes, much like a true soul connection."

"Like the one you and Harry have?"

Salazar blinked at her. "Yes, like ours. He told you?"

"He tells me everything, and Ron too, if he can," she admitted with a sheepish shrug. "Which, uh, brings me to the next reason I wanted to talk to you."

"Yes?"

"Er- Harry told me you were looking for a way to remove the Horcrux," she said slowly. She saw the stone mask he used while teaching fall, hiding away any and all emotion, and she held back a wince. "Sorry, it's just… I wanted to help."

"I apologize, Hermione, but this is not research I can allow you to help with," he told her firmly. "I assure you, I have it handled."

"But sir, I've done a little reading on souls in general. Not as much as I'd have liked, but I was warned not to read too much from that book and… From what I've read, souls are nearly impossible to even touch, and mixed with dark magic… sir, I'm just not sure that's possible."

"It is," he told her shortly. She watched him for a silent minute before reaching a terrifying realization and correcting her original statement.

"I'm not sure it's possible to remove it without killing him," she said quietly, so quiet that he nearly didn't hear her, but he knew what she was going to say even if he hadn't heard it.

Salazar stayed quiet for a few agonizing moments while he thought. It was only when his mask fell that she realized he'd come to some sort of conclusion.

"Hermione, who do you care for most in this world?"

"In this one?" She asked. He nodded silently. "Harry and Ron… and then you four and Helena and perhaps Théo."

"I asked who you cared for most," he told her, and she sighed.

"Harry. He's a brother – he's my brother. Blood or not, I would do anything for him."

"And that, Hermione, is why you are asking me a question you know the answer to. Because you know I care about him too and that I hate the answer just as much, if not more than you do. Because you believe that love can drive someone harder than anything else. Hermione, would you like to know the one thing I have learned that I still have yet to come to terms with?"

She nodded silently as tears began to form in her eyes. She could see the blatant pain on Salazar's face and felt her gut twist painfully.

"Love, however much of it you may possess, cannot accomplish the impossible."

At those words, a sob tore from the girl's chest and the tears began to pour. Salazar looked at her in slight surprise. He'd truly thought that she would be too stubborn to cry in front of him, but he was glad to see he was wrong. He had just told her that her brother would have to die for a madman to be stopped, after all.

And so, Salazar wrapped an arm around the teenage girl and allowed her to cry into his chest as she truly understood what the Horcrux in Harry meant.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"She's avoiding me," Ron muttered with slumped shoulders. Harry frowned.

"I'm pretty sure she's avoiding me."

"Harry, I'm the one that had the vision, she must be avoiding me," Ron insisted.

"I'm the one that died in that vision, it's probably me," Harry denied.

"You are both stupid, hmm?" Helena rolled her eyes. "She is a person- a human being. She can be avoiding everyone because she is having a hard time."

"But she's Hermione," Ron frowned. "She'd tell us."

Helena gave him a look like she couldn't tell if he was serious before sighing exasperatedly when she realized he was. "Are all boys in your time so thick?"

And with that, the girl stood and left the Hall to find Hermione.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"What did you do to annoy her?" Aariah asked, laughing slightly as Helena gave Harry a cool look while passing him in the hall.

"Ah. Ron said something a bit… senseless about Hermione, and she's not happy with either of us. Not sure why she's annoyed with me, as I didn't say it…"

"Maybe, but you are Ron's best friend, yes?"

"Yeah?"

"That is why, then."

"That's… but that makes no sense!" Harry blinked at the laughing girl.

"Apparently neither did what your friend said."

"Girls," Harry grimaced. "You're all so confusing."

"No," Aariah shrugged. "We only follow different logic than you. If you understood that, you would likely understand why Helena will be giving you the cold shoulder for the rest of the day."

"This is too much work," Harry shook his head as they arrived at Dueling. Godric caught his eye and tilted his head curiously, to which Harry just frowned and mouthed "girls" at him before taking his spot.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

By the time the normal Christmas holidays rolled around, they'd all settled into a routine and the three had each made their own friends. Hermione spent plenty of time with Helena, and Ron spent his spare time that he didn't spend with Harry or Hermione with Théophile. Harry spent his spare time with Aariah.

Harry had realized that he, apparently, had the same aptitude for Transfiguration that James Potter had, as well as one for Potions that his mother had – when he had a proper teacher, that was.

Hermione was brilliant at Healing and had decided to attempt to read every book on it that she possibly could, and there were plenty.

Ron was a seer, that much they knew. Godric had begun teaching him how to tell when he would have one and how to disconnect his emotions when they came, and more that Ron had never imagined would be a part of Seeing.

They were also becoming wonderful duelists. They regularly trained with the Founders and had begun truly trying to best each other.

Salazar had paired with Godric to find some sort of last-ditch effort for the trio to use to protect the school, and they'd finally managed to find something and teach it to them to the best of their abilities, though it was hard when they couldn't practice it without being hurt badly.

By the time Christmas came around, however, the trio were all feeling somewhat better. They'd already learned plenty and had made friends, and they had begun planning to keep Harry out of Dumbledore's grasp when they got back.

All in all, they deemed it a good term.

OoOoOoOoOoOo