Chapter Eighteen

Harry sat in the public seats with the majority of his family. Only Narcissa was on the other side with the Sacred Twenty-Eight. They would have taken their seats, but they had to be recognized by the Ministry before they could, and that had to happen during the session.

There had been much discussion on how to get the Founders into the Wizengamot hall without causing a scene before they wanted to. In the end, they'd been transfigured and disillusioned and sat behind the Black family, waiting their turn. Dumbledore had graciously edited the list so that they'd come at the beginning instead of in alphabetic order as they usually did.

Before House matters came law review, which was truthfully just very boring. Umbridge had, unfortunately, been recovered from the forest and was currently proposing a new bill to restrict centaur land even more. Despite Harry's anger towards the beings - or Beasts, as the Ministry classified them - he knew the ministry was entirely unfair to them. They were being hurt for absolutely no reason. The ministry wouldn't even have records of the attack during the Founders time and as far as he was aware, there were no other attacks.

"Now, we will move onto House matters," Dumbledore announced, looking over at him and Sirius with what he could only imagine was slight disdain. "First on the agenda is something rather… unusual. I implore you all to remain calm while we sort this out."

"Just get to it, man," someone on the Ministry wall called out. Dumbledore's calm smile didn't waver as he moved his wand through the air, the wills and official documents of the Founders' enlarging so they could all read it.

"Helga Hufflepuff, Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin have all traveled through time and are here with us today."

Harry wasn't surprised by the shouting. Many people were looking around in suspicion, trying to spot them while others were accusing Dumbledore of lying.

"As these documents clearly state," he called, using his wand to be heard over the crowd. "They made the conscious decision to come to our time after an incident with a time turner sent Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley to the past."

More shouting and Harry was definitely getting a headache, which wasn't good considering that it was only their first announcement.

Harry turned when he felt the people behind him stand and saw they'd already removed the spells. They gathered attention rather quickly as they stood tall and walked together down to the floor. He could feel wariness from his father and didn't blame him - the political climate of his time was tense, and they would only serve to make things worse for the moment.

"Albus," Salazar said smoothly. "Please perform the core identification charm so they might regain their composure."

Dumbledore obliged, waving his wand silently at each of them. Above them, their names glimmered in the air, confirming their identities. With that done, Rowena looked out at the crowd.

"We understand you all have questions," she assured them. "The largest of which being, why are we here? I can tell you truthfully that it is because we feared not only for our future students but for the future itself. When we discovered a way to send Harry, Ron, and Hermione home, we decided to join them in hopes of saving their futures."

"There is, of course, more," Dumbledore told the room, this time obviously irritated. "While in the past, Harry Potter was magically and legally adopted by Salazar Slytherin. He is now his son and sole heir. Furthermore, the half-blood Tom Riddle, also known as the Dark Lord Voldemort, has no claim to the Slytherin line."

That last sentence was a shock to most for many reasons. For one, very few knew Voldemort's real name, and for another, Voldemort was supposed to be the pureblood heir of Slytherin, something that had easily garnered a third of his supporters. Now… it was Harry, and Slytherin himself was there to confirm it.

"Surely the adoption wasn't legal," Avery called, looking frustrated. "For a wizard to be adopted in our modern society, there must be a magical adoption overseen by a Ministry employee."

"Fortunately for them, the adoption was sealed by a coven of seven witches."

All the noise stopped.

"Dumbledore, covens haven't existed for centuries," someone called.

Salazar looked at the man in shock. "Yes, it- it was centuries ago. Have you been listening?"

"Surely this isn't legal," Umbridge called. She'd been seething from her seat for the past few minutes and, apparently, was unable to hold it in any longer. "Potter is no Slytherin!"

"I believe I disagree," Salazar said, narrowing her eyes at him. "And you tortured my son."

That sent shivers through many people, the cold look in his eyes and the calm tone with which he spoke.

"That is preposterous!" Umbridge tried, though Sirius got to his feet.

"Cut the shit, Umbridge. You tortured my godson and you tried to give him Veritaserum against his will!"

"Are either of you pressing charges?" Dumbledore asked, trying to get to the point. Salazar and Sirius both answered at the same time.

"Yes."

Dumbledore let out a sigh, his eyes shifting to Tonks. "Nymphadora, if you wouldn't mind escorting Dolores out of the chambers."

"Sure thing," Tonks said, though her hair flashed green with annoyance. She really did hate her first name. Dumbledore treating her as if he were in charge of her didn't help, either.

The chamber was put on short recess while Tonks did her job and rushed back down. In the meantime, more questions were asked to the Founders in a more relaxed manner, and less accusatory. When the girl returned, Dumbledore brought them back to the agenda.

"Well, I suppose the only thing left is that they're all returning to their seats," Dumbledore announced, waving the Founders over to the House side of the Wizengamot. The four walked over and took their places, and Harry tapped his foot while he waited for his old headmaster to move on. "Next on the agenda is the Black family. Sirius Black has been cleared of all charges by our former minister and has taken up Lordship of the House of Black. Congratulations, Lord Black."

"Albus," Sirius said, nodding at the man as he, too, took his seat on the other side of the room, leaving the seat to Harry's left empty.

"There have been many changes to the House of Black. I am pleased to announce that Andromeda Tonks has been welcomed back, as well as her husband, Ted Tonks, and her daughter, Nymphadora Tonks."

There was a small smattering of applause before it quieted down and Dumbledore moved on. "Lord Black has also dissolved the marriage contract between Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black on the grounds that Lucius violated the contract. This was done in his absence as he was killed during a battle in the Department of Mysteries. Narcissa's son, Draco, will be taking the name Black and shedding his Malfoy identity.

"Furthermore…" Dumbledore paused, reading the next item with a disapproving frown. "Sirius, my boy, this is very extreme."

"Respectfully, Albus, I don't give a shit what you think."

Dumbledore shook his head and looked up. "Lord Black has called Judgement on Bellatrix Lestrange and her husband, Rodolphus Lestrange. The Black family magic took their magic and they were announced dead this morning."

Whispers broke out and Harry understood. He'd gathered that it wasn't a very widely used ritual, but Sirius had deemed it necessary and after hearing their crimes, he couldn't help but agree.

Harry also understood the implications of the act. By Sirius not only disowning Bellatrix but also calling Judgement, it placed the House firmly far away from the Dark, but more than that, it showed that he would not tolerate any member of his House siding with the Dark. Harry knew they wouldn't be joining Dumbledore on the side of the Light but rather sitting in the middle with the so-called fence sitters like the Greengrasses or the Longbottoms.

"The vaults of Bellatrix Lestrange have been transferred to Lady Longbottom as reparations for the damage Bellatrix and her husband did to the Longbottom heir and his wife. Does Lady Longbottom accept these reparations?"

"I do accept," Augusta confirmed, standing for a moment. Dumbledore nodded at her and she took her seat again.

"Lord Black has also given a total of two hundred thousand galleons to Andromeda Tonks as reparations for an attack she suffered in March of 1973 by the hands of her sister, Bellatrix. Mrs. Tonks, do you accept?"

Andromeda nodded firmly, staying in her seat. "I do accept."

Harry was confused by that. He didn't understand why the ministry should be involved in such a transaction, but he figured it had to do with the reparations from the first war, something Remus had told him were few and far between. He guessed that the ministry still kept track of who was owed and that since the Black family took care of their own, the Ministry no longer had to pay.

"Sirius Black plans to soon adopt Hermione Granger into the House of Black at her muggle parents' request. She will be a daughter of the House and considered to be pureblood."

Harry felt Hermione's head shoot up, and he looked over at her. She had wide eyes, and he didn't blame her. She didn't know, and neither did he. His eyes slipped over to Salazar's and he wondered if he would be a pureblood now as well, and if so, why Dumbledore hadn't mentioned it? Perhaps it was less of a big deal since he was a half-blood.

"And for our last piece of Black news, Lord Sirius Black has named his heir to be Hermione Granger. She has accepted."

Harry gripped her hand and watched her stand and move to Sirius's side to take her place in the heir seat. They weren't often used, but each of the Twenty-Eight had one.

"Moving on," Dumbledore said, looking out at the crowd. "I must once again implore you to remain calm. I am stepping down as headmaster from Hogwarts and will be replaced by Helga Hufflepuff, Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. Furthermore, they are dissolving the board of trustees and will take full control of the school."

"They can't do that!"

"The school is privately owned," Dumbledore sighed, looking just as frustrated as every member of the now dissolved board. "They left it to Harry, Hermione, and Ron in their wills, and it was passed back over to them yesterday morning at Gringott's. We only had the board until the time we could find their wills and hand it to the rightful owners. Now that they're here, we are no longer needed for the function of the school."

"We have donated hundreds of thousands of galleons to that school," Nott said in anger, getting to his feet to stare at the Founders. "Even setting up scholarships for mud- muggleborns. You cannot ignore the things we've done for this school and would continue to do."

"Considering the fact that you just tried to call children seeking an education by that despicable word," Helga said with an intimidating glare. "We do not want your money. Please sit back down."

"But on that matter," Godric said with a frown, looking around. "Why do you need so much money for the school? And scholarships? Do the students not attend for free?"

"There are certain expenses to running the school," Dumbledore explained. "Including teachers' salary, the cost of things like food and books. They pay a small tuition to attend."

"That is why we left our fortune to the support of the school," Rowena narrowed her eyes at them. "It would take very little to ensure the things you listed are taken care of. What did you use our money for? What in the name of the gods requires such money?"

"There are things that you would not understand about our world today," Yaxley told her with a glare. Her gaze snapped to the man but it was Salazar that spoke next.

"Magical education is more than a fundamental right," he declared. "It is a necessity. Refusing students a magical education on the grounds that they cannot afford it risks only that they will become an Obscurus for lack of a way to channel their power. It puts them and everyone around them at risk. It is why we seek to teach everyone we can, despite their blood status or family. It is why muggleborn students are so important - they need to be helped because if they are not, they will lose control of the magic that no one around them understands."

"What about your Chamber of Secrets?" Augusta asked him suspiciously. "Wasn't that meant to kill all muggleborn kids?"

Harry could see the regret and pain in Salazar's eyes that appeared every time he was reminded of his tarnished House and reputation.

"Our Chamber and the Basilisk within were always only meant to protect our school. It was the actions of a cruel man that twisted her to his will to attack innocent children. A man that, may I remind you, is not my descendant."

"What, so you like muggleborns?" Daniel Greengrass asked him. Harry knew that the man, like his daughters, was not prejudiced. Salazar, however, did not.

"No," he said tersely. "As I have just stated, they are in need of our help, something I've spent my life trying to provide. I do not know how my House got so… twisted, but I assure you all, it will change."

"If we are done with this for now," Dumbledore said, catching everyone's attention after Salazar's sharp and sincere words. "We have more to discuss. Lady Longbottom has officially named her grandson, Neville Longbottom, as her new heir. He is not here with us today, but the ritual was done yesterday."

"Neville will attend next month's meeting," Augusta added.

"And the last item on our agenda. Harry Potter has taken up Lordship of the House of Potter. While unusual for someone underage, it is still allowed. He will be joining us every month now."

Finally, Harry stood from his seat and went over to the Potter seat. When he sat, he felt a shimmer of magic fall over him, something Narcissa had warned him of the day before after the family meeting. It was an old spell on the seats that ensured that only the Lord or Heir of a family could sit in them and cast votes. Anyone else would be thrown down to the floor to find different seats.

Dumbledore gave a few words before ending the session, much to Harry's relief. It was a long one and while he'd wanted to pay attention, he'd hated it.

And as much as he wanted to go home, there was more to do.

"Harry," Salazar said, appearing at his side as everyone began filing out. "You did well."

"I hated it," he admitted. "Dumbledore definitely doesn't seem happy, either."

"He can tell the power is shifting," Rowena told him as they made their way over to the rest of the Black family with Sirius and Hermione. Godric and Helga had gone straight over and were greeting the family. The Founders hadn't met them yet as they didn't want to explain any more than necessary, and they still had the majority of Hogwarts to tell.

"It's true," Andromeda agreed. "And I didn't like his little exhibit of power."

"What was that?" Harry asked with a frown. Dumbledore hadn't looked happy, but what had he done exactly? He had no power to change anything as they were all House affairs.

"When he asked Mini Tonks to arrest Umbridge," Sirius explained, ruffling his already messy hair. "He should have asked the guards, but he was pointing out that he was still her superior- if not her boss, but in the Order. Which, by the way, we're all leaving. They can keep Grimmauld Place for all I care."

"How will we know what they know?" Tonks frowned.

"You're literally an auror," Sirius pointed out. "Plus, we don't really need to know what they know. We need to focus on the bigger picture instead of individual fights as of now."

"I was wondering," Draco said quietly to Sirius. He'd observed silently the entire time, sitting awkwardly with the Tonks'. "If you would be willing to grant asylum to two of my friends."

"Sure, kid. Who?"

"Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini."

Sirius screwed up his face. "Elora Zabini is a piece of work. Poor kid. They can come stay with us in the Manor. Have they already joined Voldypants?"

"Not yet, but Theo and I were meant to over the summer," Draco explained, cringing at his nickname for Voldemort.

"Well, you can let them know when you get back to school. For now, we have a toad to prosecute."

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After filling out the reports and formally pressing charges against Umbridge, the large group snuck out of the Ministry via the Minister's floo. The Minister had been a hard role to fill so quickly, and they'd suggested giving the position to Rufus Scrimgeour, but Sirius had sweet-talked Amelia Bones into applying, and they'd managed to avoid the very rat-like man.

While most of them went back to Black Manor, Harry, Sirius, and Salazar made their way to Potter Manor, which was under a Death Fidelius.

"Oh, I don't want to do that again," Harry complained when Sirius tried to hand him a knife. "Can't you do it? Didn't they adopt you?"

"Sure, but it has to be the Lord of the House. We were lucky the ring was in their vaults, pup, or we wouldn't be able to get in here at all. Besides, it only has to be a single drop. Just a prick, I promise."

"Fine," he muttered, grabbing the knife. He pressed it against his finger until a few drops of blood pooled up and then flipped the hand over and let it fall to the ground where it hit the wards. The wards lit up blue, becoming visible for a moment, and he felt their magic shift into his command.

For a sixteen-year-old kid, that felt like a lot of power.

He pressed again, stepping past the wards where he finally caught a glimpse of his ancestral home. It was a very large brick house, Manor, with a garden out front that was… surprisingly well managed. In fact, for no one having been there in fifteen years, it was extremely well taken care of. The lawn was manicured and the flowers were pristine.

"Oh, well, I'd wondered," Sirius grinned. "Miffy!"

An elf popped in with wide eyes and she tugged at her ears before tossing herself up into Sirius's arms. "Master Sirius has come home!"

"There there, Miffy," he said, stroking her small back. "I'm glad you're still here."

"And you brought my Master Harry Potter-Slytherin!"

"You know his name?"

"Mistress Dorea knows all," Miffy said knowingly. "Mistress Dorea made the old, mean Black man spy on Dumbledore and then tell her. Mistress Dorea has been waiting for you, yes she has."

"Oh, Merlin," Sirius shook his head. "Even in death, that woman is scary as ever."

"She be seeing you now," the elf said. Before Sirius could stop her, she grabbed him by the ear and Apparated them out of there.

Harry looked up to his father and blinked. "What just… what?"

Salazar let out a laugh. "It seems your grandmother has been keeping tabs on you, Harry. Perhaps you should go see her."

"I'd rather not… interrupt," Harry said, screwing up his face. "Maybe we can explore a little first."

Salazar nodded and the pair made their way into the house. Harry marveled at the sight when he stepped inside. There was a large foyer with beautiful but small pieces adorning the tables. It was likely just for show as he assumed that most used the floo, like in normal wizarding houses, but he appreciated the sight nonetheless.

To his right was a pair of large, golden doors and, curious, he opened them. Before him was a large ballroom with golden art all over the walls. The room felt joyous as if only happy events could ever be held there and it made him smile. At the end of the ballroom was a set of doors that he could see led to a patio with many chairs sprinkled over the small lawn for stargazing.

He closed the doors behind him and turned to the left where he found a large study with sliding doors. There were a few bookshelves as well as a couch and table and a desk at the end of the room. The books didn't seem to be for show, either. Some of them had cracked spines and faded covers, and it made him happy to think that someone like Hermione would deeply enjoy the space.

The stairs in the middle of the foyer caught his attention next, and he made his way up them. Salazar was quiet the entire time, content to let him explore the place on his own, something that he greatly appreciated. He wanted his father there for it, of course, but it wasn't something they needed to discuss.

On the second floor, he found the hall to the left held a set of six bedrooms. Most of them seemed to be guest rooms and weren't personalized, though two of them were. One held bright red and golden colored walls and had posters of women in bikinis and motorcycles on the walls. There were also pieces of what looked like homework littered all over the room, and after taking a glance at the name, he confirmed his guess that he was in Sirius's bedroom.

"By the gods, what is this woman wearing?" Salazar gasped. Harry let out a laugh.

"It's called a bikini. It's for swimming in. Muggles wear them, mostly. I'd imagine Sirius just enjoyed looking at it."

Salazar looked vaguely scandalized, a fact that only made Harry laugh harder. He hadn't given himself much time to consider the things that would be different from the two times, the things that the Founders would have to learn or get used to. Modern fashion was definitely one of those things.

They moved onto the next room and Harry stared out at all of the books littered on the bed and table and bookshelves and guessed that it was Remus's room. He wasn't all that surprised that they both had their own bedrooms with the way Sirius had once described their relationships with his grandparents.

When they climbed the stairs to the third floor, they found themselves in a large suite that held a small living room, a master bathroom, a room with a few bookshelves, and a master bedroom. He had to guess it had belonged to his grandparents. He moved on, content to look for now but really go through things later. There was a lot to take in and he wanted to see it all.

The fourth floor held what he knew was his father's bedroom. It was another suite, but smaller. A bedroom, bathroom, closet, and sitting area. There were Quidditch things scattered all over the room, including a broom that had been snapped in half. He smiled softly, remembering his own broken broom.

"This is where I'd have grown up," Harry whispered, looking around the room. His father was at his side, and he took a deep breath. "If there had been no war. If there had been no prophecy and my grandparents had lived. Sirius told me my parents only moved to Godric's Hollow because my dad thought it was too painful to be here after my grandparents were killed. So if the war had never happened, I'd have grown up here. With my dad and my mom and my grandparents and probably Sirius and maybe Remus. A real family."

"We can live here now," Salazar offered gently. "If that is what you want."

"I don't… I don't think so," Harry said after considering the offer. "Maybe one day, but not now. Besides, it's too big for just us."

"Let me know," Salazar requested. Harry nodded a little and glanced around once. He certainly wanted to visit, he wanted to spend time there often enough that someday, he could call it home, but for the moment, he was content just staying in the castle with the Founders as they'd planned.

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