Chapter Eleven
When classes began again on the third of January, after a break to visit family, Hogwarts had another few new students in their midst, which the Founders explained was because some of them could not make it until later because of their work at home.
It was the first day back during Runes – with Professor Ravenclaw since Harry flat out refused to be taught by anyone but her or his father – that they met the odd student with the eyes that penetrated a person in the most confusing way.
"Does- does he remind you of…?" Ron trailed off, staring blatantly at the blonde-haired boy sitting across the room.
"He looks sort of like-,"
"But he can't be, right?" Harry wondered. Hermione took a deep breath in before shrugging.
"Her family is a part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight," she explained. "And the circle was only made a few decades ago at the most."
"So, he's…?"
"Merlin's bloody balls!" Ron laughed with wide eyes. "That's Luna's ancestor!"
"I do hope they are not bloody," the boy they were discussing said with a disturbed frown. "I imagine that would be extremely uncomfortable, yes?"
"What?" Harry blinked. Hermione looked the boy over closer, and her hand flew to her mouth to stifle a giggle when she, apparently, came to a sudden realization.
"My- well, I suppose it is probably quite rude to be discussing them, to begin with."
"Harry," Hermione laughed. "This is Emrys."
The boy's gaze floated to her and he gave her a sweet smile. "Hello."
"Emrys?" Harry wondered.
"Merlin," Ron gasped.
"What?"
"No, Harry, I mean, it's Merlin," Ron said, nodding at the blonde boy in front of them.
"You- oh!" Harry's eyes widened drastically. "You're Merlin?"
"Well, yes, but I do prefer Emrys as Hermione called me," he informed them.
"You know my name?" She asked with an excited smile.
"Oh, yes. I know everything," he explained seriously. The trio paused.
"Everything," Ron repeated.
"Yes. Would you like an example?"
"Please," Harry said, resisting rolling his eyes.
"Alright, Harry "Boy-Who-Lived" Potter-Slytherin. You traveled back in time to find your family and do what you have already done," Emrys glanced at Hermione and tilted his head. "You find Luna fascinating and love the idea of her creatures, but you have not seen proof and so you disagree with her. Do not worry. You will come to know her better in due time." He gave Ron a grin. "And you certainly do love using my name and body parts to curse to gain your parents' attention because you are the youngest boy and not even that holds their attention because their youngest child is a girl and she has their attention now."
"…bloody hell."
"Did you really doubt him, Ronald?"
"I mean, no, but meeting him…"
"I am known in your time," Emrys said. It wasn't a question, but more a phrase as if he'd just read it from a book. "How lovely."
"He's Luna's ancestor," Harry hissed in Parseltongue, his shock picking his language instead of him.
"What?" Ron asked, blinking at him in confusion. "Mate, you're speaking snake again."
"Sorry," Harry shook himself. "That's the second time this past week that I've done that."
"That's odd," Hermione frowned. "I wonder if it has to do with your bond, or-," she stopped herself as the familiar cold sense of dread overcame her.
"He will be fine," Emrys whispered to her. "Professor Slytherin was wrong – love can do the impossible."
"How did you…?" the girl blinked at him, hope hiding behind her eyes.
"I know everything," the boy shrugged and made his way back to his seat as Professor Ravenclaw began the lesson.
"Oh, he is so Luna's ancestor."
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"It's… weird," Ron commented as the trio ate. "I always pictured him as this old guy with a staff and beard."
"Maybe in his future, Ron, but he wasn't born old," Hermione shook her head fondly.
"I know that. I just meant it's how all the stories show him," Ron grumbled.
Harry, however, wasn't paying attention. He was sitting up very straight and had his eyes closed in a near-meditative state as he spoke with Hogwarts.
You said you can't see the future.
Not in the ways you wish I could and not too far into the future – not your original time.
It's just… Hogwarts, Ron had another vision.
You will die.
Yeah.
All will be well.
…I'm pretty sure it won't be if I die.
It will, My Protector. You will be fine.
But I'll die.
Yes.
Death is a bit more permanent than you're making it sound.
For most.
Are you saying I'll die… and then come back?
I am merely saying that, in the end, you will be fine.
Okay… and what about my father?
He will be fine as well, as long as you get to him right when you wake.
And if I don't?
Then he will not be.
Right. So… Checklist for that day, yeah? One – die. Two – wake up. Three – remember Athair so he doesn't stay dead.
Remember to take care of my students.
Oh yeah, that too. Right. Doesn't seem too overwhelming.
Is that sarcasm, My Protector?
I would never.
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"Are you certain they're ready?" Godric asked, looking nervously down at the little, powerful witch in front of him.
"They are prepared for a multitude of injuries... They have been prepped for as many knife wounds as we possibly could and they know their way around the potions. They will be fine."
"You are still worried."
"We are all worried," she replied quietly. "We are putting the school and its students in their hands on the assumption that we are… unavailable. It would be foolish not to worry."
"We still have no way of knowing when it'll happen. It could be tomorrow or in two years," Godric sighed and rubbed his forehead tiredly.
"We should get hot chocolate and bring it back to the office. The children are there and we'll be discussing the research on sending them home," Helga said quietly, shifting the subject.
Godric agreed easily and the pair quickly made their way to the kitchens and asked for the drinks before heading back up to their office to meet with their little family.
"Please!" They heard Ron say, sounding rather hopeful.
"We won't be reckless," Hermione promised. "I could probably do it alone, but…"
"But we can't," Harry added. "Sirius and the Marauders did it when they were younger than us."
"Maybe, but they did it for a friend. A good cause," Salazar told him, his tone even and giving nothing away. Godric raised an eyebrow at Rowena, though she ignored it.
"Yeah, and this is a good cause, too!" Ron insisted. "We're serious."
Harry snorted. "No, Sirius is serious."
"Honestly, Harry!" Hermione huffed. "We're in the past and you still make that awful joke."
"He's not here to make it himself," was the boy's only reply, shrugging as if it were obvious.
"We are serious," Hermione promised them, shooting Harry a glare before he could speak up again. "And it might help. There's no way to know when we might need it."
"Alright, need what?" Godric interrupted, amused.
"They would like us to teach them to become Animagi," Rowena told the pair as they sat at their desks. The trio were placed between Salazar and Rowena desks, and they were perfectly at home there with Harry sitting on his father's desk.
"Wonderful idea!" Godric grinned. He winced when Helga slapped his arm lightly. "Er- I mean, only if they are careful and do it for the right reasons."
"We promise to be careful and we won't train unless at least one of you is there," Harry said, glancing between his father and the other Founders.
"I suppose," Salazar sighed. "but you will each be paired with one of us, like with Occlumency… which should actually speed up the process if you apply it. The meditation is often the hardest part of the training."
"Thank you!" Harry gave them his Marauder grin and absentmindedly scratched his scar.
"We promise we won't let you down," Ron said with a firm nod and happy smile.
"Thank you," Hermione said, smiling sweetly at each of them. The seven sat and spoke for a while, drinking the hot chocolates an elf brought them, before finally reaching the matter none of them wanted to touch on.
"Have you found anything?" Harry questioned, looking at Rowena with a blank face.
"Hermione's knowledge of the workings of Time-Turners has been useful, but it is not enough. I believe that, with time, I may be able to… recreate the Sands of Time and face them forward, but it will take me a while."
"How long do you think it'll take?" The question was quiet and careful, and none of them were sure if they actually wanted to know the answer.
Rowena hesitated. "At least a year. Maybe two. I cannot be sure."
"Oh."
"We're… we'll be here for at least a… year?" Ron whispered in confusion. "But… we can't be…"
"I am sorry, Ronald," Rowena said honestly. "But we simply do not have enough information. I promise I will do my best."
"And I'll help as much as I can," Hermione said, offering Ron a shaky smile. "We'll get home."
"You will see your family again," Godric promised.
"Yeah," Ron shrugged quietly and sat down as they moved onto other subjects, though his mind stayed on Ginny and the twins and his family.
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"It wasn't that bad," Harry said, resisting the urge to laugh.
"A chair, Harry!" Hermione screeched, her face read and curls falling angrily around her face. "A chair."
"It was an accident," he promised.
"How do you mess up that bad?"
"…I wasn't paying attention?"
"Exactly!" She screamed, poking his chest.
"'Mione, I said I'm sorry," he sighed, giving her his best puppy dog eyes, which she promptly ignored.
"You're usually wonderful! What in Godric's name happened?"
"That is slightly rude," Godric mumbled to Helena, who just grinned at watched her friends argue.
"I lost focus," Harry told her, shifting slightly.
"Why?"
"…I was talking to Hogwarts."
Hermione fell silent as she processed his words, and Harry glanced over at Ron, who looked very much like he wanted to laugh. Hard.
"You were talking to Hogwarts."
"Yeah, she wanted to tell me that someone had entered the grounds," he shrugged.
"We did have a new student arrive earlier," Helga piped in.
"…so someone entered the grounds and Hogwarts tells you about it?" Hermione blinked.
"Yeah, er-,"
"Harry," Salazar cut in. "Did you happen to explain what happened on the first night of school?"
"Er- no?"
"Harry," Hermione whispered, her tone dangerously level. "What happened that could allow you to speak to Hogwarts and turn me into a chair?"
"…blood wards?" He winced. "Accidental, I mean. We didn't mean to, but Uncle Godric was-,"
"Do not blame this on me," Godric huffed. "It was your wand that made the lass angry, not mine."
"Er- right, well, he was blowing up the common room and we-,"
"We?" Hermione raised an eyebrow and Harry winced. He'd never really realized how scary she could be until then.
"Athair and I, we both cast different spells and the blood hit the floor-,"
"Blood?"
"Erm. Aariah accidentally scratched me, so it scratched Athair, too," Harry frowned as he let his thoughts wander on what that could mean, but he shook himself quickly and continued to explain. "But the blood and the spells and our bond made connections with the school and… well, I can talk to her now."
"Her?"
"Hogwarts is a girl."
I am a female. Not a girl or woman, since I am eternal.
You're eternal?
Yes.
"…female," he corrected.
"So, you and Professor Slytherin tried to stop Professor Gryffindor from blowing up the common room, and your cut arm dripped some blood, so your bond and magic connected you to the school. And then today, she was talking to you and distracted you, which caused you to turn me into a chair," she summarized, waiting for him to correct her. When he just nodded dumbly, she sat back in her seat and closed her eyes. "Boys."
"Well," Godric grinned. "at least we know Harry is more advanced in his transfiguration than we suspected!"
"…Yeah."
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"If we're late to class, your dad's gonna kill us," Ron groaned. "I can't die here. Mum would kill me!"
"You can't die twice, Ronald," Hermione sighed. Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure? Have you asked the ghosts? Or what if you become a poltergeist? I'm pretty sure they can at least be banished."
"I'm not sure you can become a poltergeist, mate," Ron frowned. "Don't they just… become?"
Both boys looked at Hermione, who sighed dramatically.
"A poltergeist, or 'noisy ghost' in German, is a ghost whose main goal is to torment and cause mayhem and destruction."
"So they are made from people?"
"Yes, they are."
"See?" Harry said, grinning. "You can die twice. Poltergeists can be banished or something, just like ghosts!"
"That's not dying, Harry!" Hermione rolled her eyes as they turned the corner and blinked. "Uh, do you two know where we are?"
The boys looked around and frowned.
"No," Harry sighed. "Where's the Map? Maybe we can find a passage to get to class on time."
"I left it with Professor Ravenclaw in her office. She wanted to look at it, remember?"
"Why don't we just summon it, then?" Ron wondered, looking around.
"Because she has wards around her office that prevent that sort of thing," the girl sighed. "It's a good idea in theory, but…"
"Okay, well, why don't we just go back the way we came?" Harry asked, turning around. "It's gone!"
His friends both followed suit and gasped when they saw that the corridor they came from was, in fact, missing.
"How is that possible?" Hermione wondered aloud.
"Maybe it's like the moving staircases," Ron suggested.
"Maybe," Harry sighed. "How about we keep going? We're near the west entrance, right? We should reach something familiar eventually."
His friends shrugged, having no better ideas, and they kept moving.
"Professor Slytherin's going to give us that look, isn't he?" Ron moped as they walked and Harry rolled his eyes.
"I don't understand why you guys are so worried. Just explain the situation in a way he'll accept and we'll be fine."
"Harry," Hermione said with a small smile. "You're being such a… Slytherin."
"Oh, well that's good, then," Harry grinned. "I'd almost forgotten who adopted me."
"Oh, don't be so sarcastic," she shook her head fondly but fell quiet as they reached a large, stainless steel door.
"'Mione-,"
"No," she agreed. "It shouldn't be here."
"How…?" Ron blinked at it and reached out to touch it, but Harry caught his arm.
"Not until we know it's not a trick."
"How do we do that?" Ron asked him, somewhat annoyed.
"Your magic, Ronald," Hermione sighed and raised her wand. She flashed it over the door and frowned. "That's… odd. It won't let me run any spells on it."
"Maybe you're using the wrong ones?" Harry suggested.
"Harry, can't you just use your connection with Hogwarts to ask us how to get out of here?"
Harry shook his head with a frown. "I haven't been able to talk to her all day, or I'd have done it when we first got lost."
"Something is wrong…" Hermione frowned at the door. "Something is very, very wrong."
"We have to go in," Ron said after a minute. "We can't just stand here. The way out is missing and at least we might know what's going on if we go in."
Hermione paused, eyes wide. "You don't… you don't think it's your vision, do you?"
Her friends' heads shot up, and Ron hesitated. "I don't know. Maybe we should cast the spell, just in case."
"I suppose," Harry sighed.
The three stood in a small circle and got to work reluctantly, doing their best to focus on the ritual and not the extremely out of place door next to them.
When they'd finished, the three took a step forward together, each placing a hand on the door to open it.
It happened in a moment that lasted an eternity. They were sucked into the door as if they were being pulled apart, cell by cell and placed on the other side. It was a pain worse than they'd ever felt before and none of them could stay conscious for it. Shock took over, and the trio passed out cold as they landed on a hard, damp floor.
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"Mmm-ne?" Harry groaned. He couldn't move, and he wasn't sure if he was tied up or if he was paralyzed, or both. "Mione?"
"Harry?" He heard his friend gasp. If he could've sagged in relief, he would've.
"Ron?" He checked next.
"'m here," he heard Ron groan.
"Where are we?" Harry hissed. "I can't move.
"I don't know," Hermione replied quietly. "It's dark and damp and there are more students. Probably all of them."
"I can't really see either," the raven-haired boy admitted. "I think my glasses are missing."
"We're chained up," Ron informed him. "All of us are, you're like… in the middle."
"Very helpful, Ron," Hermione snapped. "He means you're in the middle of the room and separated from the rest of us, but only to show that you're… I don't know, important?"
"He is the child of a Founder," a deep voice informed them. Harry couldn't move or see, so the only way he knew what was happening was from his friends.
"M-Magorian?" Hermione gasped. "What are you doing?"
"Magorian?" Harry said, confused. "The centaur?"
"You know of me?" he asked, amused by their confusion.
"You- you're the leader of the Centaurs," Ron informed him.
"Ronald!" Hermione hissed angrily.
"I am? Wonderful," Harry could hear the centaur's smirk.
"What are you doing this for? What are you doing in general, actually?" Harry asked him. He couldn't speak to Hogwarts and however they'd blinded him had made it impossible to see his magic or his bond with his dad.
"We are taking back what was and should be ours!" The centaur boomed. Harry heard him move closer and could easily tell he'd moved in front of him. "Your kind have driven us from our home and refuse to give it back!"
"Are you sure about that?" Hermione asked softly. "They've taken the castle and grounds. Have you asked to share, or to talk about it?"
"It was ours!" He snapped at her. "They took it!"
"She gave herself to them," Harry corrected. "She told me that she picked them."
"What are you talking about, boy?"
"Hogwarts – the castle. She allowed them to settle here. She likes them. She likes the students and the teachers. She likes the magic and the safety."
"That is ludicrous!" Magorian sniffed. "It is a castle."
"You are a Seer of sorts – surely you can tell. She's alive," Harry told him.
"It is unimportant," the centaur decided. "We will take it back."
"And what about us?" Hermione whispered. Harry wished he could comfort her. She sounded so scared.
"Ah, yes," the centaur seemed to be grinning now, and Harry felt a chill run down his spine. "We will dispose of you, of course."
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"Are we sure this is safe?" Helga wondered, glancing around. They were in the forest. The centaurs had, after years, finally asked to meet. They'd tried multiple times to ask the creatures what they wanted and needed and offer their assistance, but they'd always been somewhat hostile. They'd stopped when a student had been hurt.
"They have suggested a temporary truce and claimed that the stars showed a danger to the both of us," Salazar sighed. "I believe it is important to meet them. It may be what Ron has been seeing in his dreams."
"I do not have a wonderful feeling about this," Godric admitted. "If it is a trap?"
"That is why we left Helena and Théo in the office," Rowena said firmly. "I only wish we had found Hermione, Harry, and Ron."
"Well," Helga sighed. "Let us go. They will be waiting."
The four pushed ahead again, making their way toward the forest. It wasn't until they were deep into it that they heard anything, and when they did, it sounded rushed and panicked. They watched as a centaur – Firenze, they believed – ran toward them, looking somewhat horrified.
"Turn back!" He instructed them. "Turn back and find your children! They are in terrible danger… I am so very sorry. So sorry."
And then he ran off.
It only took the four a split second to turn and run.
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