Angel's Light
Chapter 12
AN: Hello all and welcome back. As always thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. This chapter is actually a lot bigger than I planned on it being but I found that I kept adding extra detail to things or I had to go back and add a line here or there. I actually meant to have this out over a week ago but I'm glad that I took my time on this one as it came out in a way that I like. That said the poll is now closed and this will be a harem story though I've decided Harry won't be the only one with one. Also don't expect to see some cannon Harry Potter pairings as I honestly don't like them because they make no sense to me. That said here is the new chapter.
Start Now:
The morning of September 1st found the residents of Potter Manor all up and moving as they went about their final checks before departure. For Harry there wasn't much to do at all, most of his packing had been done earlier in the week. His new multi-compartment trunk had come in handy, his spare clothes, school clothes and school supplies had all been neatly and easily packed away. The trunk had also been able to contain several other objects including his Nimbus. Thanks to some clever application of runes the trunk despite how much it contained weighed no more than if a regular trunk had only been half-full. Because of the extra time that he had on his hands he'd decided to sleep in for an extra hour before getting up. It was after his morning shower as he was dressing that his mind began to wander to a conversation that had happened nearly two weeks prior.
Flashback
The evening found he and his dad, in his James Potter form, taking a trip around the property so he could get a last look around. As they walked they spoke on several subjects and one of the subjects that had come up was that of his dad's girlfriend Jane Foster. By this point he'd met her a handful of times and would admit he'd taken a bit of a liking to her. The first time they'd met had been at Avengers Tower a few days after the Dursley's trial, and their meeting had been an awkward one. That hadn't really been anyone's fault as all three of them were dealing with new information that changed their circumstances. The second meeting however had gone much better, they'd thrown an End of Summer barbeque at the Manor and Jane was one of the people who attended. This time their meeting had gone much better and they were able to get to know each other a bit.
He however hadn't been the only one to have an interesting conversation. Hermione had looked to be in heaven when she found herself involved in a conversation with Jane, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. The Weasley twins had found themselves in conversation with their hero's the three Marauders along with Tony Stark where the subject of pranking was the central topic. After that he'd lost track of the conversations because Ron and Oliver had pulled him away for an impromptu game of Quidditch. While he could have said no the opportunity to go against Charlie Weasley was something, he hadn't been able to pass up. He'd been teamed with Alicia, Susan and Daphne as Chasers, Oliver as Keeper, George and Dean Thomas as beaters. They'd gone up against Charlie as seeker, Angelina, Ginny and Katie as Chasers, Fred and Ernie McMillion as Beaters and Ron as Keeper.
It had been a fun game with him and Charlie acting more as a pair of extra chasers for the most part at least until the snitch had made its appearance upon which point the two of them had engaged in one of the best seeker duels he had ever been a part of. In the end he'd been able to catch the snitch using a corkscrew maneuver to get around Charlie and snatch the snitch just before he could grab hold of it. Following the game had been lunch and watching the witches and wizards that had never been part of a barbeque before had been an eye opener. The reactions from everyone when they learned that he and Piper had done much of the cooking between them had been enjoyable as well. Truthfully, he had done most of the meat on his own which included the pork ribs, beef brisket, burgers, hot dogs, links and chicken. Piper had been the one to bake the ham though, ham oddly enough was something that the Dursley's had avoided even before Hagrid had gifted Dudley with the pig tail, as such he'd watched so he could learn to do it himself later.
Piper had also done the catfish, Cole slaw, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, potato salad and had even baked what she called red lobster style cheese biscuits. Mipsy the house elf in charge of the kitchen had prepared grilled salmon, baked beans, fried zucchini, corn on the cob, the chips or fries as American's called them. Of course, everything that Mipsy didn't make she was insistent that they teach her how. As far as fruits were concerned green grapes and watermelon had been the order of the day and there were number of different pies that Phoebe had bought for the occasion. Overall the event had been a success and was something that he was thinking about doing every year going forward, there was strong encouragement to do so not the least of which had been in Luna's Quibbler article.
"How did Jane handle the whole Harem thing?" questioned Harry causing his father to chuckle.
"It's something she wasn't expecting but it wasn't the worst reaction I've seen before." Said the man.
"I noticed Aunt Prue pulled her to the side that day." Said Harry.
"Just giving her some things to think on, I think. It wouldn't be the first time." Said James causing Harry to raise an eyebrow.
"Prue has been with me for a while. Jane wouldn't be the first one she'd given advice to. Said James.
"Just how many…" started Harry before trailing off and shaking his head.
"Not as many as you'd think with as long as I've been around. Why the interest?"
"Sharpclaw said I have the option to have multiple wives and Padfoot and Moony both thought it would be a good idea." Said Harry after a few moments.
"Politically I can see why they would say that. Personally, however I'll tell you it's not easy. Just having one relationship that works is something that requires constant work. For a relationship like mine to work it requires even more to maintain and a level of comfort and knowledge of self that not many people have. Each relationship has to be maintained on its own individually, yet the relationship of the whole is also important to maintain." Said James.
"I see." Said the boy.
"For now, don't worry about it. It was mostly formality both your grandfather and I had the option as well."
"Really."
"Don't underestimate the Goblin's. They've known for some time that we could claim the Gryffindor lordship. By claiming the lordship we'd have to claim the Gryffindor vault which would then require someone to manage it."
"What about the whole Goblin friend thing?" questioned the boy which got a laugh out of his father.
"That one is trickier. On the one hand it says that you've earned the respect of the goblin nation and as such that they are prepared to offer you premium services, things even most of the richer clients don't get. On the other hand, it says they expect more from you than they would most of those who cross the threshold. There is a certain level of respect you are expected to show and that will be shown to you. They will also take more interest in your business dealings. They will give you some time after you take control of the vaults and they will expect you to make profit and not just spend money. Should you prove incapable financially it will cause you to lose face with the Nation and you would revert back to your former status." Explained James.
"So, no pressure then." Said Harry
A few minutes later they came to a stop at the edge of a pier overlooking a pond. Taking a seat with his feet dangling over the water the father motioned for the boy to do the same. For a few moments they were simply silent taking in the view before a flurry of orbs surrounded James and his form was replaced with that of Thor's. Harry took a moment to regard him simply do to the fact he still found the fact that this was his father hard to believe. He had grown in height so that he was probably now around 7 feet in height, and his appearance had bulked up a bit as well. While not as large as bodybuilder he was covered in compacted muscles least from what he could see of his arms. His blond hair was long enough to fall past his shoulders though some draped over the front and he had a full beard that was neatly trimmed close to the face. His eyes had become electric blue and were filled with an emotion that Harry couldn't quite identify. He wore a set of armor which was sleeveless with a black top covered in silver plates. He wore blue pants with black boots while his arms were covered in chainmail while his forearms added had red wristbands covered with silver arm bracers
"Tell me boy, what do you know of me? What has your history taught you prior to my return two years ago?" questioned the god, his deep voice somehow softened as he asked the question.
"You're among the strongest of the Aesir Gods in Norse Mythology and the God of thunder, strength and fertility. Your wife is Sif who is the goddess of grain from which you have a daughter Thrud. You have two sons Magni and Modi. Oh, they also say you have a belt that doubles your strength." Said Harry.
"So, all that you know is from prior to the last Ragnorak." Mused Thor quietly giving Harry pause.
"That's the end of days, right?" questioned Harry
"Essentially yes, so it seems that all this world knows is from before our rebirths. In time you shall learn all that you need to know about Asgard, the Nine Realms and your place within them. For now, just know that you are both my Heir and first born and your mother was my first wife. Sif and I while not married now, will undoubtably do so in the future as Sif is one of the forms currently taken by Hinata to whom I married as Naruto." Stated Thor.
"Really, I was hoping for that. Sakura was too abusive for my taste." Said Harry causing Thor to chuckle lightly.
"As Thor I am the God of Storms, Strength and Fertility. Megingjord, the belt you mentioned does not double my abilities, it restricts them. As such when I wear it, I am about half as powerful as I normally am. As such this time through it serves more as a training aid. As Gods however we can be callous, so much so that you would be hard pressed to differentiate us from monsters. I say this so that you know to keep yourself level. Should you delve too deep into that abyss you will not even know the person you are becoming." Said Thor.
"I should be okay then right, I mean I'm not a god." Said Harry.
"Did you not once say the same thing in regard to you being a wizard?" questioned Thor
"But...but..." stuttered out a stunned Harry.
"Fret not boy. I did not tell you this to cause worry. In the past it has been shown that trying to hide this information can have consequences on one's child. I tell you this so that you know of the true nature of the God's. Your life until now has been different. Just keep being yourself and trust that if you stray other's will be there to put you back on the path."
Flashback End:
The next morning with the conversation weighing heavily on his mind he had sought out his aunt Prue who gave him a bit more context about this. Apparently due to the way that most gods were initially created, drunken revelry, there inhibitions were lowered significantly, and it affected their personalities upon their creation. Humility was turned down; pride was turned up and depending upon alternating factors they could be benevolent, tyrannical or so far removed that they may not even exist as far as humanity was concerned. There was also the fact that their emotions were enhanced and as such ran much deeper than humans could even fathom. At the end of the day that's what it came down to emotion, he would just have to try not to be overwhelmed with any negative ones.
Shaking that train of thought away he took a moment to check himself over in the mirror. He wore a pair of black jeans, a black t-shirt with the picture of Iron Man on the front and to finish it all up he wore a pair of low top black and gold Nike Zoom Kobe VII Elite's. Satisfied with his look he grabbed a solid black letterman's jacket from his closet which he proceeded to slip on along with a black cap with the Avenger's 'A' in gold. The cap and jacket were additions that he had added at the direction of the Black Widow herself. He had spent a weekend in Avengers Tower, and it was during a talk with her where she had taught him a way to walk in plain sight even with his newly elevated celebrity. Technically speaking considering his method of travel he shouldn't have to try to hide himself but considering where they were going, he was doing it more so that he wouldn't be bothered than for any other reason.
Leaving his room, he soon found himself on the ground floor on the terrace where he met his family for breakfast. In this instance it was only a small group in attendance consisting of Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Prue, his dad in James Potter form, Padfoot, and Moony. He'd said his goodbye's to Victor, Henry, Coop, Wyatt and Chris the previous night. Coop being a cupid had told him he'd try to see him off but reasoned he could be busy so may not make it. Leo meanwhile had guaranteed him that he would make it and had only left for an early meeting with the other Elders earlier in the morning. Taking his seat, he'd only barely settled in when the plates began appearing courtesy of Mipsy and the group began to tuck in.
The trip to King's Cross Station was a quick one as it was just an orb away. They appeared in the apparition area of Platform 9 3/4 which in this case was nearly empty upon their arrival. Both Sirius and James had known this would be the case as no one liked to apparate while carrying luggage. While many could do so, no parent would do that wide bringing their children by side-along as the chance of splinching rose dramatically in such cases. Because of this the apparition area was usually only used by the family members who traveled alone to see a child off, or when they departed the station. Most people when travelling with kids arrived either by Floo or came through the muggle side, at least in times past. Today however saw a new way of arrival, these being four glowing white portals in the shape of doorways from which people where emerging from at a steady rate.
Looking around Harry found that their decision to leave a bit early seemed to come in handy as there was already a bit of crowd, and while not as bad as it was going to be he'd hate to try getting through it any later. Still he had only barely managed to get his bearings when they were approached by the familiar form of Mr. Giles. Like always the man was impeccably well dressed, today wearing a two-piece navy blue suit, a white dress shirt with a red tie and a pair of black leather oxford shoes. Greetings were exchanged quickly thought he could see his aunts except for Prue were all still uncomfortable with their new titles as Ladies of the Peerage.
"I take it everything has gone smoothly." Stated Sirius
"Indeed. We managed to get everything settled with no one the wiser. As of now the Queen will be making the announcement Monday morning." Said Mr. Giles getting understanding nods all around.
"Now then as a bit of a heads up. There will be a small team of auror's stationed in the castle and another stationed in Hogsmeade going forward." Stated the man.
"Like school security?" questioned Paige.
"Exactly. After receiving more thorough details of your exploits at Hogwarts the last two years and what things had been like under Dumbledore her majesty felt it was a needed measure." Said Mr. Giles looking at Harry.
"Well it will get no complaints from me either way. After first year I felt like that was needed anyway, at least in the castle." Said Harry.
"Hogsmeade used to have an Auror Office, it was one of the shut down when Fudge began slashing the DMLE budget." Said James.
"Well we've vetted every member on staff old and new. All of them check out. The Hogwarts elves will also scan all luggage for a number of illegal items such as things carrying dark magic which will be forwarded to the auror's on site." Said Mr. Giles.
"So, no more cursed diaries." Said Piper.
"Exactly. Her majesty was not pleased with the rather lax security standards the castle was under."
This was as far as they got as the conversation was brought to a halt by the approach of Hermione, Zatanna and their respect parental units. The girls were greeted by hugs all around while the adults settled for handshakes by all, except for Mrs. Granger who pulled Harry in for a hug.
"Where's Hedwig?" questioned Hermione spotting the lack of cage with his luggage
"She wanted to fly up this time." Said Harry
"Alright let's get you guys loaded into a compartment." Said Sirius spotting the growing crowd.
"Yeah, it's getting a bit crowded, you can talk with us after we get you guys a good spot."
With that said from James the two cast a couple of featherweight charms on the trunks and soon had Harry, Hermione and Zatanna following along. They found a compartment quick enough however before they kids could enter the adults produced a pair of wands and set about with some rather complicated looking motions. Before the eyes of the kids the space lengthened growing from a rather small compartment that could fit four people until it had twelve seats available. The seats had transformed and instead of being hard leather they looked to be made of some kind of soft cloth material that were a soft brown color with a number of the seats lining the wall and two at each end all of which were adorned with the Hogwarts crest.
The wall behind the seats had been transformed just a bit to enlarge the window and every few feet was a portion that could be moved to open or close that particular portion. The luggage racks that had been above the seats where now proper storage containers like what could be found on a plane within which the trunks were quickly floated and stored within. The floor had also undergone a bit of a change as instead of being hard wood it was now covered in a soft grey and white carpet. All in all, the place looked quite inviting and while it could sit twelve people there was enough room on the floor where more could be seated, and they would all still be comfortable.
Making her way inside with her pet carrier in hand Hermione placed it on one of the seats before opening it which had an orange ball of fur soon coming out. The figure that emerged was a very big, bandy-legged, ginger-colored cat with a squashed head and a face that looked like it had run into a brick wall. It had a bottle-brush-like tail and yellow eyes. The creature was called Crookshanks and was Hermione's new familiar, that she'd purchased the day they'd gone to get their school shopping done. The lady at the shop had described him as something of a terror yet he'd settled into Hermione's arms as soon as she came near and always seemed rather mellow. He was half-kneazle which one could tell due to his size which was much bigger than a regular cat and his intelligence.
"Crooks we're going to step out for a bit. Don't let anyone steal our compartment." Said Hermione causing the cat to tilt its head before sitting back in what he guessed was a guard position facing the door.
"Before we step out Harry take a seat, any one." Said Sirius causing the boy to shrug before he did so about two spaces from Crook in the center of the room.
"Now press the armrest of your seat with your wand." Said the man. Going along with him Harry did so only for the seat to set itself in a reclining position.
"Nice." Said the boy as he settled into the seat.
"The longer you hold your wand to it the more it reclines until it maxes out. To fold it back in it's the same process." Said Sirius resulting in him holding the wand to the seat and causing it to take its standard position.
"Tap the armrest once with your wand." Doing so more eagerly this time had him jump slightly before he settled back into it.
"You made them into massage chairs!" Said the boy in shock
"Yup. One tap turns it on and off. One quick tap turns on the back massagers, two quick taps however will do the back and legs." Explained Sirius
"How come I didn't feel them when I first sat down?" questioned Harry.
"Because the seat would feel lumpy then. So, I buried them a little deeper, when you turn it on however they raise into position." Explained Sirius.
From her position Hermione was nearly vibrating in place and was clearly trying her best to hold back the barrage of questions that were dying to come out. In all honesty Harry hadn't seen her looking that excited by a display of magic since first year.
"How though?" questioned Harry taking pity on her.
"Now that is the question. That's NEWT level transfiguration if not a bit beyond so you'll just have to wait to try it out yourselves." Said Sirius.
"Step inside and close the door you two." Said James causing the girls to do as told.
As soon as the door was closed the noise from the outside had gone completely silent. Not only that but the interior wall of the cabin had become transparent allowing them to see into the corridor beyond. They could still see the wall and the door easily enough however it looked as if it was all made of glass now.
"It's been a long time since I've seen that one in use." Said Sirius after a moment.
"That one was your mother's." started James staring at the wall right alongside Sirius and causing Harry to pause.
"Lily was always good with her charms and had figured this one out by third year despite it being an OWL level spell. It's called the Mirror Door, usually it has sound, but she was able to tweak it to cancel that out as well. You'll find a book containing the directions along with a number of other spells and potion recipes in your trunk." Said James turning to face him while Harry made a mental note to find it tonight.
With that all done the group stepped out of the compartment and off the train to rejoin the rest of the group. They had only barely settled into position when the Longbottom's made their approach with Frank and Neville on the arm of their respect mother. As the approached Harry wondered absently how people were going to take this more confident version of Neville. Upon reaching them Alice broke from Neville and Harry soon found himself engulfed in the arms of his godmother an embrace he returned with an equal measure, upon release he was passed to Augusta who soon had him in a hug of her own, then Frank was there with a firm handshake and some ruffling of his now curly black hair and finally he got a brotherly hug from Neville. The greetings from with the Longbottom's were only barely over when Luna came skipping over to them with a bright smile on her face while her dad followed along with her trunk. Luna of course had a hug for everyone before she doubled back and took a place between Harry and Neville linking her arms with theirs.
"How was your trip?" questioned Alice after the greeting had been exchanged.
Xeno had taken Luna to a magical enclosure in Australia. The enclosure was something like a zoo only the animals were pretty much left to their own devices in their own habitats. From what he had learned these places tended to be quite large and the only difference between the enclosure and the wild was that none of them were preyed on. He didn't really see the difference between that and a Zoo but had been assured there is one.
"It was wonderful." Said Luna dreamily.
Xeno said smiled before passing over a picture. The picture showed Luna with a big smile on her face as she was nuzzling a baby fox. The creature itself had dark blue fur with a grey underbelly and jaw. It had light blue circles on its hind legs, one small and a larger one around the knee. Its forelegs were similar only it held a single circle near the top of the leg while it had a ring going around the portion of the leg closer to its paws. Atop its head was another marking this one in the shape of a crescent moon and it had a fluffy tail that had a pair of rings circling it. Of course, being a Wizarding picture, it couldn't remain still, and the fox was soon twisting in her grip and licking her face causing her to giggle before the picture reset and started over.
"It's so cute." Said Zatanna a sentiment shared by Hermione judging by her face
"I know it a fox, but what is it?" questioned Harry.
"It's called a Lunar Fox
"Well I wonder how that got here." Stated James shocking everyone.
"What's wrong with it?" questioned Alice.
"Nothing wrong so much as surprising. It's just that this breed is from Alfheim, the home of the Light Elves. I'm just surprised that there are any in this realm. Though in hindsight I suppose I shouldn't be." Said James.
"I'm guessing there are other magical creatures found in other realms." Stated Paige.
"Many now that I think of it." Said James.
"Alright I hate to say it but it's time." Said Piper getting the group to stop.
"You guys all have your mirrors right?" questioned Remus getting assurances from all that they did.
During the barbeque Remus had presented the group with communication mirrors that he'd made. He had presented them as gifts for Harry, Hermione, Luna, Neville, Zatanna, Susan, Hanna, Daphne, Astoria, Tracy and the Weasley's. Not only did the kids get them but the parents had all gotten them too so that they could keep in touch. Once they had learned how they worked based off a brief demonstration he had created an instant demand for more from other's in attendance, especially when they figured out they had no range limit and could even work in other realms. Even Tony Stark had been impressed especially when he discovered that the mirrors had been created while the Marauder's had still been in school. Amelia Bones had immediately seen a usage for them and in her role as head of the DMLE had stated that she would order some for her Auror teams once Remus was available to make more.
"You boys look after your sister." Said Frank causing both Neville and Harry to nod.
"We will." Said the two as one.
That had been another discovery. That Luna was the shared god sister between them. While Harry's godmother was Alice, Neville's godfather was James and his godmother was Pandora Lovegood. Luna's godmother had been Harry's mother and her godfather was Frank. Unfortunately, all three had been robbed of that connection due to the actions of Death Eater's for a long time. Now that they knew however they had taken every opportunity to forge their bond and all of them had grown from it. Luna had especially benefited as not only was Frank a prominent force in her life now, but Alice, Prue, Paige, Piper and Phoebe were all helping to support her. He knew that she and Prue had quite a few sessions between them and while he had no idea what they covered he could see it had obviously benefited the girl.
"Luna remember what we talked about." Said Frank turning to his goddaughter.
"I will, I promise." Said the girl breaking from between Harry and Neville in order to give the older man a hug.
"Hermione, if you have any issues don't hesitate to contact us." Said Sirius getting a nod from the girl
That had been another surprise. Hermione had gone for her inheritance testing at Gringotts and come out with loads of news. As it turns out both of her parents were squibs her mother was actually a descendant of the House of Black, in her case descending from Iola Black. Iola from what they managed to learn had been disowned for marrying a muggle but had already been so disenfranchised that she had taken a potion that bound her powers. None of her children or descendants had displayed any magic after that until Hermione was born. Her father however descended from the House of Dagworth-Granger, which was an old Wizarding House at the Ancient level. The House had left Britain while Grindelwald was on the rise and had moved to America. Her test had also revealed that through the Dagworth-Granger line she descended from Rowena Ravenclaw but was part of a secondary cadet branch and as such was not in line to inherit that title.
The biggest discovery however was that she also descended from Morgan Le Fey and had been discovered to be her magical heir. That had been a huge revelation as none had thought she had a living descendant and it had also changed everything they knew about the witch. To make a long story short Morgan had been character assassinated after her death for being a powerful sorceress and thus a woman, being half fae and choosing Arthur over King Mark. Despite dying in the 6th century however her legacy still lived on as part of Hogwarts as Merlin had apparently summoned her from the beyond to aid in the training of Salazar and Rowena. The story of Morgan once it had been released had set the entire Wizarding World on its heels.
Regardless after this Sirius had brought Hermione into the House of Black. Sirius had reached out to the Head of House Dagworth-Granger and both had agreed to take charge of her protection. Hermione was now considered a dual citizen and a member of both houses. Thankfully Hermione already had a solid relationship with her dad's part of the family, so nothing was really changing on that front. As far as the regular world was concerned having another known descendant of Arthur around was a boon and having it known that Arthur himself practiced polygamy had something of an effect on its acceptance from what he had heard. Harry's thoughts on the matter were brought to a halt as he was soon pulled into a hug by Phoebe which began the round of good-bye.
"Remember what we talked about." Whispered Norah Granger before pulling away from her now blushing daughter.
As he broke away from his own hug this time from his godmother Harry frowned when he felt his mirror vibrating and removing it from his pants pocket activated it to show the face of Daphne Greengrass.
"Where are you guys?" questioned the girl immediately.
"Hello to you too Daphne. We've got a compartment towards the rear of the middle carriage. We're just saying our goodbye's." said Harry.
"Okay Tracy, Astoria and I are at the front of the train right now." Said the girl.
"Come to us. Our compartment has been enlarged to fit twelve, so bring Susan and Hannah with you if you spot them." Said Harry.
"Okay, we'll be there soon." Said the girl before the mirror went blank.
"Have you heard from Ron?" questioned Neville frowning.
"No, but the Weasley's always run late for the Express. It's something of a tradition at this point." Said Harry with a shrug as he slipped the mirror into his pocket before stepping into a hug from his father.
"I'll contact you as soon as I know something. Or you can contact me if you need anything or just want to talk." Said James pulling back so that he could look his son in the eyes.
"Do you think you'll find her?" questioned Harry softly.
"I know I will. The shade you talked about was simply a spiritual imprint. It was why who you had once become had been able to summon my own shade as well, yet here I am. Lily left such an imprint on you, it is in fact the basis of your protection and shielded you from the influence of Riddle's shade." Said James quietly getting a nod.
"Her knowledge and magic, that did not stay on this plane. If they were watching the Valkyrie may have intercepted her but if not then I have a very good idea about where that went." Finished the man.
"Be careful." Said Harry hugging him once more.
"I will, and I will return before long. Now off with you, there is mischief to be made." Said James with a smile getting one from Harry before he and the rest of the group retreated onto the train.
"So, what will you do now?" questioned Alice turning to James.
"I will return to Asgard and update my parents. From their I will travel to Nidavellir, then to Valhalla. Should I not find Lily in Valhalla I will need to seek out one of my sisters." Said James before his form changed to that of Thor's.
"What's Nidavellir?" questioned Piper.
"It is a space station which circles around a neutron star. It is where the Dwarves, the greatest blacksmiths in the Nine Realms do their forging and there is something there I need." Stated Thor.
Meanwhile in the city of Olympus the Greek Gods were amid another meeting. For the first time outside of a solstice session in centuries all the major Gods of Olympus were in attendance. The meeting was a tense one as it was the first of its kind since the last meeting in which The Sorcerer Supreme and the Prince of Asgard had been present. With the news that 'The Crooked One' otherwise known as Kronos and the other Titans were now making moves none of them felt they were in a situation that could be ignored. Not only that but there was also the fact that 'The Mist' the veil that hid their world from the eyes of the mortals was thinning was also a major issue. Of course, with this being the Olympian God's no meeting could be had without it giving way to a petty argument. This was currently the case and in this instance it was not just one argument but multiple happening simultaneously.
The only ones silent at this moment were Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, the three brothers and most powerful of the Gods. Normally in a situation like this you would see all three of them up in arms and at each other's throats. That however had not happened as both Poseidon and Hades had been silent ever since entering the room and had still yet to break their silence. This in turn had unnerved Zeus and had caused him to be silent in order to observe them. Of course, what he didn't know was that Hades who had simply been brooding had stopped doing that and was now warily watching Poseidon as well. Finally, Poseidon whose eyes had been simply watching the council in boredom shifted as his sight moved to the door just in time for it to be opened. As it opened three figures made their way inside all of them garbed in robes of the darkest black with hoods drawn over their heads. At their appearance all conversation stopped as the group of God's watched their approach all nervous with the exception of Poseidon.
"Thank you for coming." Stated Poseidon softly though it still cut through the silence of the room.
"Your inquiry was intriguing." Stated one of the figures causing nearly everyone else to reflexively shudder.
"Yet you were correct. Things are happening that were not meant to happen. Destiny is in flux and many paths are now open." Stated another.
"The Asgardian's warning rang true. A great and terrible darkness approaches, and if nothing is done we will all cease to be." Stated the last.
"What can we do?" questioned Athena.
"The Titans are but the beginning. The Hero of Olympus can get you through it. But what comes after has changed. The Sage, The Earth Mother's greatest champion has returned and with him he brings peace with her." Stated the first.
"Still in the battles to come you will need not just hero's but warriors. Olympus must be strengthened, it's army made ready and the fracture must be healed." Stated the second.
"War approaches and thus War must be found." Stated the third.
"I don't understand. Ares and I we represent War, do we not?" questioned Athena.
"You are strategy and he is chaos. The soldier must be found and return to the fold." Said the first bringing a stunned silence on the entire room.
Back on the Express things had been going rather smoothly. Harry's group had been joined by Daphne, Susan, Hannah, Tracy and Astoria just as they had stepped onto the train. Of course, the four had stepped off quickly to speak but had hopped right back onto the train. The Weasley's had been true to form and had rushed across the platform and onto the train just as it had been ready to depart. As it was the final two spots in their compartment had been taken by Ron and Ginny. Thankfully Mr. Weasley had spent quite a lot of time at home over the summer and had managed to correct some of the damage his wife's biases had caused. Learning that he had relatives that were in Slytherin had really taken the air out of Ron's sails.
As it was they'd been going for nearly four hours judging by his watch which meant they were nearing the halfway point. Of course, being in the middle of the train they'd had several visitors come through in that time frame as well. In that time several of the N.E.W.T level students had come through and after getting a look at their compartment had gone back to their own compartments, no doubt to make their own adjustments. There had also been the tradition visit from Draco. This visit however had been different from all others as it had been as cordial as they could make it. This was due to a Black Family meeting, the same one in which Hermione's heritage had been announced. With Draco abandoning the Malfoy family name, Hermione being recognized as a member of said family and Harry as the heir presumptive Sirius had wanted to make sure they understood where they all stood with each other and that there was a level of acceptable behavior that he was expecting.
Of course, Harry also had the whole 'Son of Thor' thing going for him as well and no one really knew just what kind of power that would bring to bear. Other people that had come through had been Harry's teammates, Penelope Clearwater, Percy Weasley, Blaise Zabini and a number of other Gryffindor's. Aside from the time he'd left to use the facilities Harry had only left the compartment once and had been accompanied by Neville, Hermione, Susan, Daphne and Penelope. Thankfully by that point Ron had stepped out to go visit with Dean and Seamus. The six of them had gone to one of the rear compartments to visit with the occupants within. They hadn't been there long just long enough for Harry the occupants to his friends. Penelope and Hermione had been mind-blown but had recovered admirably.
That had been about two hours ago and now Harry was once more in his compartment where they had been joined by Lavender, Padma and Parvati. While the girls were occupying themselves with conversation Harry and Neville had been absorbed in a pair of novels. All conversation came to a halt however as the train suddenly came to a jerking stop and the lights suddenly all died. As he felt the temperature drop Harry closed his eyes and took in a few breaths before opening his eyes and placing his book down. The temperature had dropped quickly even in their charmed compartment as you could see your breath in the air.
"What's going on?" questioned Astoria worry evident in her tone as she being to shiver.
"Everyone quiet." Said Harry bringing all attention to himself.
"Get away from the door, as close to the walls as you can." Finished the boy which resulted in Luna, Ginny and Astoria to scramble up from the floor to the far walls.
As the temperature dropped even further and the windows iced over the group could spy the shadow of something floating through the hall. Flicking his wrist Harry soon had his wand gripped in hand and aimed straight at the door, but down so that it was held on the side of his leg. With the memories of his future self in his mind Harry had been preparing for this despite hoping it wouldn't be needed. As the creature stopped they could all only watch as a bony hand made a motion and the door pulled itself open exposing them all to its presence. Harry fought back the urge to shiver however as the creature focused on him and advanced his response was automatic.
"Expecto Patronum!" exclaimed the boy whipping his wand up from his side and into a spiraling motion.
Immediately a bright light shot out from the wand which quickly took on the form of a stag covering the distance between Harry and its target quickly and pushing it out of the door. As it stepped out of the door the stag stopped and pulses of light began shoot outwards from its form in all directions. From their positions within the room the group of kids could only look on in shock and awe as the creatures began to flee from the light and thus away from the train.
"You guys okay." Questioned Harry turning back towards his friends with the stag fading from existence a few moments later.
"Harry w-what was that?" questioned Hermione.
"Questions later. Susan contact your aunt and tell her the train was attacked by dementors." Stated Harry moving over to his backpack and pulling out several chocolate bars.
"T-those were d-dementors?!" exclaimed the redhead in shock.
"Yeah." Said Harry shivering as the adrenaline began fading from his system.
Turning away from his bag he'd barely taken a step before a pair of blondes slammed into him and he found himself wrapped in the arms of Luna and Astoria both of whom were still shivering and on the verge of tears.
"Hey, it's okay they're gone, and they won't be coming back." Said Harry
He spoke softly yet at the same time remained on task handing a bar to Neville and the rest to Hermione to pass down. Still as much as he wanted to Harry knew he couldn't just stay and comfort the two girls. Thankfully the sniffling soon stopped as the two ate the chocolate and quick looks to Daphne and Neville he was soon relieved of the budding witches. Thankfully in that time Susan had already made the call to her aunt so he knew the aurors were either already on the way or would be soon.
Knowing that everyone with him was fine he quickly fished his mirror out of his pocket and called Percy, who now that his head was out of his ass was a much more tolerable and dependable person. As he expected Percy had been sharing his cabin with Penny and both were quick to get moving promising to find the Head Boy and Prefects and get them all moving. That done he closed the call and immediately called the twins who had were in with the rest of the team along with Ollie's girlfriend. He spoke with them briefly explaining that Ginny was with him and was fine but that they would need to check up on Ron and make sure he stayed put wherever he was.
That call done he turned back to the occupants of his own compartment to find all eyes were on him. Eyeing his friends, he was not surprised to find them all still shivering, and he wasn't sure if it was just the cold or the lingering effects of the dementor but guessed it was a combination of both.
"Dobby." He spoke softly and in moments his friend was present.
"How can Dobby help the Great Harry Potter sir?" asked the excitable house elf.
"Can you get our friends some hot chocolate Dobs?" requested the boy.
Turning to the group and finding them all shivering Dobby answered in the affirmative before popping away. He returned nearly a minute later with a platter of cubs for everyone which his friends were quick to accept.
"I'll be right back." Said the boy once all had taken a drink and were starting to relax, only to shake his head softly when Hermione stood up.
"Not this time Mione, just try and warm up." Said the boy.
Hermione remained standing for only a few moments more before sitting back down and shooting him a look that demanded answers later. Stepping out of the compartment and closing the door behind him Harry took a couple of steps before stopping and pressing his back to the wall, his shoulders slumping as he began shivering himself. Thankfully Dobby had brought the Styrofoam cups with the drinkable lid so even though he was shivering he was able to bring it to his lips without worrying about spilling anything. He stayed there for only a few what might have been a few minutes eyes closed as he let the tension bleed out of him and the drink warm his body. Fishing his mirror out of his pocket once more.
"Padfoot." He spoke softly activating the mirror that remained clear for a few moments before the grinning face of his godfather popped up.
"Hey Prongslet, how's the trip going?" greeted the man.
"The train was boarded by dementors." Said Harry killing the jovial mood and replacing it was a very serious one.
"Is everyone okay?" questioned Sirius.
"I don't know yet. I managed to cast my patronus when it started approaching me and they left the train while it was pulsing. Percy and Penny are gathering the prefects and the Head Boy and then will see what they can do. Susie called for her aunt a few minutes ago so I know the auror's are on the way. Meanwhile the train's lost power and everyone is freezing." Reported Harry cold air visible coming from his mouth as if to prove his point.
"Where are you now, I can tell you're not in the compartment." Said Sirius.
"Hallway. I need to check up on our new friends." Answered Harry.
"Right. You do that, I'll contact Amy auror's are still understaffed so she should have no problem with Moony and I coming to help out." Said Sirius.
"Thanks. Can you check on Draco when you get here? I know as heir I should have but he doesn't have a mirror and I only just left my own compartment." Said Harry.
"Yeah, don't worry. We've got it from here."
"Thanks Padfoot, Prongslet out."
Closing the call and slipping the mirror back into his pocket once more Harry took another drink before pushing himself off the wall. As he was walking to the back of the car he passed several compartments as he went until finally he reached his destination. Knocking twice to announce himself he pulled the door open and found himself under the scrutiny of several people in the center of which were the shivering forms of Princes William and Harry.
Amelia Bones was furious. It had taken nearly seven minutes for the full team of first responders to get to the Hogwarts Express. Seven, that was five minutes too long and in that time several of the children could have died. As it was only two of the on duty auror's had responded in the appropriate time frame those being Nymphadora Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt. What made it worse was that Tonks come running from the loo and had still made it within two minutes whereas those at their desks had not reached the site until five more minutes had passed! What made it even worse was that Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were on the scene before most of her auror's had made it. Neither one of them had been pleased and the new Lord Black was in an extremely foul mood because of it.
As if that wasn't bad enough the trolley witch and the conductor of the Express had both been kissed and several others, these students had nearly shared that fate. Thankfully the students were fine for the most part with few injuries to speak of with only a few bruises to speak of. The only serious injury amongst the students had been to one of the Ravenclaw prefects who had apparently been standing to start his rounds when the train had stopped he'd been pitched forward and slammed his head on the wall. Thankfully he would be fine as Shacklebolt had thought to summon the emergency team from St. Mungo's before he left.
Still those damned things should have never even boarded the Express. Due to the still low number of qualified auror's she knew they were using them to track Pettigrew but nowhere in that mandate were they approved to even stop let alone board the Express. Thankfully as Head of the DMLE and without Fudge to get in her way she was able to get answers and quickly as she knew only someone in control of the dementor operations would have been able to cause this mess. One conversation later and she'd had the full story without the need for any threats or interrogation. That of course led her to where she was now in front of the Minister's office which she was soon entering.
"What do you have?" questioned the Minister.
Over the last few months Amelia had been forced to re-evaluate her impression of the man. Peter Fawley had joined the Ministry during the war much like she had, however he like Arthur Weasley had recognized what the Ministry was becoming and rather than tie himself into a worse position had gone to the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes and like Arthur had been pretty much left alone. As such he hadn't been tied down by anywhere near the number of oaths that someone in what was considered a more important office was placed under. As such he had set about restructuring the Ministry over the summer and several positions had been changed as a result.
"2 people, the conductor and the trolley witch were Kissed, several students were nearly Kissed and one concussion. All of them have been evac'd off the train to St. Mungo's. From there the students will be taken to the Hogwarts infirmary by a Hogwarts staff member." Said Amelia.
"Merlin, I didn't even know those things could even board the train. What's next people's homes." Said the man leaning back in his chair.
"They can't. Dementors can't enter places unless given permission to do so." Said Amelia.
"Like vampires." Said the minister relaxing slightly.
"Yes but even more restrictive even public places like taverns they need permission to enter. That works for the express as well." Revealed Amelia.
"Are you telling me someone granted those things access to the train?" questioned the man a foreboding glint entering his eye.
"Exactly and I know who." Said Amelia.
"Take them, I want them charged with the assault of every person on that train, the murders of those Kissed, attempted murder of those nearly Kissed and as many counts of attempted Line Assassination as we can manage." Said the Minister.
"Line Assassination?" questioned Amelia, that was a very serious charge.
"Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom, the Greengrass sisters and your niece were all on that train for a start. Those are just the Most Ancient and Most Noble houses. How many other heirs were on there, how many lines could have been wiped out if those things had managed to do as they pleased?" questioned the man.
"When put that way I think we can swing it. You know how the Wizengamont feels about that charge." Said Amelia.
"Exactly. Plus it grants the usage of veritiserum without any of the red tape." said Peter calming himself a bit.
"So whose getting the Order of Merlin award for this one?" questioned the man after a few moments of silence.
"Heir Potter apparently." Said the woman.
"You're kidding." Said the man in surprise.
"Nope, he cast it in full view of my niece, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, both Greengrass sisters, Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger and one of the Patil sisters, fully corporeal as well" Said Amelia.
"He's what 13, that's amazing. There are full grown adults who can't even get a shield off that charm." Said Peter.
"True enough. That's a new record, before him the youngest on record was 14 and that was by young auror Tonks." Said Amelia.
"Is that why you put her under Moody?" questioned the man.
"I wasn't letting power like that go to waste. I recruited her before she even sat her O.W.L.S and put her with Moody right after she graduated the Academy." Said the woman.
"I heard rumors about that girl, even down in AC, but no one knew why she had your personal attention." Said the man.
"Word of warning, that girl is going to sit my desk one day." Revealed Amelia.
"Not for a while yet. In the meantime I want you running point on this perpetrator." Said the Minister.
"I'll handle the arrest, but I'll have to recuse myself from the interrogation. Since Susan was on the train that's an angle of attack against me if I do it. I'll observe it but I'll have Scrimgeour handle the interrogation. As Head of the Auror Office that should be enough." Said Amelia.
"Get it done. In the meanwhile I'll try and figure out a way to spin this with the media and contact the Headmistress to see if they need anything." Said the man.
"As far as the media is concerned tell them the truth. You want to prosecute them anyway, so you don't need a spin. You might want to contact the Headmistress before them though." Said Amelia standing to her feet.
"Good call. The last thing I want is her cross with me." Said the man before getting up and moving to the Floo.
As she left the room and closed the door behind her all pleasantness evaporated and the grin that split her lips had those she passed slumping in relief when she didn't single them out and kept going.
In the end it had taken 30 minutes to get the train moving again. For Harry he had spent that time in the Princes compartment. While there he had called for Dobby once again to supply the hot chocolate for the group. He had also learned that even though they were new students they'd all already been to Hogwarts and been sorted. William for instance had been sorted into Ravenclaw as a 5th year while Harry had sorted into Hufflepuff. As someone who had experienced Hogwarts before he had advised both to seek friendships outside of their respective houses as for some reason the houses tended to isolate themselves. Once he was sure they were all fine he made his departure and returned to his own compartment.
Of course upon entering and taking his seat he was immediately grilled on the spell he had used. After a brief description of the Patronus Charm and its uses all of them requested he teach it to them. He hadn't even really considered it before telling them he'd try teaching it to them, however he did warn them about the level of difficulty and the power requirements before he agreed. It was just after this when Sirius and Remus came in apparently both had been on the train for a while and had been helping the auror's out with the investigation. He revealed that Draco was fine he'd been shivering from the cold like everyone else but had otherwise been perfectly fine. An auror and a healer had both come through in that 30-minute window as well, the auror for their statements and the healer obviously to make sure they were all okay. After the two of them left Sirius and Remus did as well informing them they'd be on the train the rest of the way to the castle but would be more towards the front. They had only barely closed the door being the two of them when it was opened again only this time it was Ron who entered.
Thankfully the train had already been started within that timeframe allowing the heating charms to power up once more much to the relief of the students. Finally however the train began moving and they were once more on their way to the school. Placing his seat in the reclining setting Harry soon found himself drifting off. He was awoken a few hours later and told they were about half an hour away from the castle before he, Ron and Neville were promptly kicked out so the girls could change. It was only as the doors opened sometime later and the girls walked out that he realized Lavender and Parvati were no longer there, but he shrugged it off as he stepped back into the compartment. It took the three of them only a few minutes to change before they opened the doors and allowed the girls back in.
For a moment the two groups stood eyeing each other. He, Neville and Ron were all dressed in dark blue slacks, white dress shirts with secured with their Gryffindor ties over which they all wore their pullover V-neck sweaters. Ron wore what leather shoes while he and Neville were both wearing dragon-hide boots. The girls were all dressed similarly in dark blue skirts with white shirts secured with their own house ties. Over this they wore the black house robes which of course meant the only difference were the interior colors, red for Gryffindor, yellow for Hufflepuff, green for Slytherin and blue for Ravenclaw. Still he would admit if only to himself he was glad that they'd left the robes open as he could see that the girls amongst his year were beginning to mature.
"I guess it's not bad, seems kind of bland though." Said Tracey breaking the silence.
"What?" questioned Ron.
"The uniforms Ron." Said Zatanna who looked good in Ravenclaw blue.
"Just one last thing." Said Harry getting the groups attention. Moving over to his trunk he began digging through it before he pulled out a plastic shopping bag.
"I don't know why these aren't included as part of the uniform honestly I think everyone should have them." Said Harry before he handed out what appeared to be leather straps to the group apart from Hermione and Neville but made sure to start with Luna.
"You bought us wand holsters!" exclaimed Daphne in surprise.
"Neville and I did. Hermione helped us pick them out though." Said Harry.
"Seriously! Thank you!" exclaimed Tracy
As she said this she pulled a surprised Neville into a hug which caused him to blush. Soon there were hugs all around except for Ron who kept his thanks verbal. After the hugs which left both Neville and Harry blushing hotly Hermione explained that she'd picked thigh holsters for the girls like she wore while Ron had gotten the waist holster. Of course being created with magic the bands had only needed to be closed before the band fixed itself to the appropriate size of the wearer. They were also charmed so that only the wearer could remove the wand once it was in place, they couldn't even be summoned once they were secured. The holster also came with several protective enhancements so you couldn't break it while it was sheathed. Another enchantment was a notice-me-not enchantment which would make it so no one could see the holster which Hermione quickly demonstrated causing her own holster to fade in and out of view.
As it was they had only barely gotten a handle on the holsters when the train came to a stop. Soon enough they found themselves stepping off the train and onto the Hogsmeade station. The platform was incredibly full and much more crowded than anything Harry had experienced here before but with the increased number of students that was to be expected. He looked around for Sirius and Remus but found no sign of them, the only adult he saw aside from the auror's was Hagrid who as usual was on hand to welcome the first years. As they approached the carriages Luna, Ginny and Astoria all rode together while Neville went with Hannah and Zatanna, Ron was with Susan and Tracy leaving Harry with Daphne and Hermione. Looking at the two girls seated across from him, Harry could only sigh as his head tilted back to rest against the cushion.
"So now that you've got me alone, what do you want to talk about?" questioned Harry.
"What aren't you telling us Harry?" questioned Hermione
"I'm heir to six house's Hermione, there is a lot I'm not telling anyone." Said Harry.
"Okay, let's get more specific, how did you know about the dementors?" questioned Daphne causing Harry to tilt his head and regard her.
"Don't try and dodge this. You knew those things were coming, you were acting shifty clearly nervous and kept glancing at your watch for nearly an hour." Said Daphne
"I'm not trying to dodge. I had already decided to tell Hermione everything, her loyalty is beyond question and she deserves to know. I was debating telling you for a while, I trust you, but I know you like to play the background. If I bring you this far in it means you'd be in my inner circle, there's no hiding from that. I don't know how things will go for you in Slytherin with you that exposed." Said Harry.
"Actually, your inner circle is exactly where I want to be. You're the true Heir of Slytherin there is no debating that fact. As the heir of two founders you'll be practically running this place with even a little effort, I'll be perfectly safe." Said Daphne.
"Fine, I'll tell both of you, tomorrow. I'll call you in the morning and tell you where to meet us." Said Harry.
"I'll await your call then." Said Daphne.
There was also a bit of discussion regarding the Head Boy who had refused to leave his compartment in the immediate aftermath of the dementor's appearance. In fact the boy hadn't done so until after they had reached the station leaving patrolling of the train to Penny and the Prefects. Unfortunately for the Head Boy this news had not stayed on the train as Harry hadn't even hesitated before calling McGonagall about this. That was one person who would soon find himself stripped of that coveted position. After that conversation tapered out the talk for the rest of the journey was much less serious mostly consisting of what classes they were looking forward to and speculations on who could be teaching those classes. Active Magic for instance was a new one and something that all three of them were interested in. Soon enough however the conversation came to a halt as the carriage came to a stop and they could disembark.
Stepping out of the carriage Harry offered each of the girls a hand as they emerged and stepped out as well. Moving up the stairs Harry soon had his arm linked with Luna's as they awaited the rest of the group. Neville was the next to emerge offering a hand to Hannah and Zatanna when he did as well. Finally came the last of their group Ron emerging first and offering a hand to Susan and Tracey. Harry was just thankful that Ron had listened and done so. He and Neville had gone to the Burrow earlier in the week and sat Ron down with Arthur and Molly where they explained that they would be trying to do some damage control for Ron's image in the castle. Since it was well known that Ron had been under some serious potions in the prior years any change in the way he operated would be seen as the result of him not being under the potions.
Ron hadn't seen the point until Neville had pointed out how no one really wanted to be around him due to his attitude and the fact that not even his own sister wanted to be around him when he ate spoke volumes. While Ron still didn't seem to get it Molly had been horrified which was what Harry had been counting on. Harry however had played on Molly's biggest weakness, as Ron hadn't developed it yet, to get an agreement, informing him that as a sixth son he could be available to just about any witch in the castle and he could even marry an heiress down the line who needed line continuation if he didn't mind marrying into their house. Of course, this was all contingent on him being seen as worthy of such things as just being Harry's friend couldn't get him that. Once they'd returned to Longbottom Hall and informed Alice, Augusta and Frank of what he'd done Augusta had congratulated him on his rather Slytherin maneuver and stated that his grandmother Dorea would have approved.
Shaking the thought away he turned his attention away from Ron and back to the present. With the group all together they passed through the doors of the castle and were soon entering into the Great Hall where they would all have to go their separate ways. While the group split up after entering Neville and Harry escorted Luna over to the Ravenclaw table where they found Penny already seated the she looked a bit spaced out. Moving passed her they soon found Padma who created some space for Luna.
"Remember if any of this lot gives you any trouble you let us know." Said Neville pulling Luna into a hug, words and actions that did not go unnoticed with the Claws.
"I'll remember." Said the girl as she broke away.
"Good, I've already got the Weasley Twins agreement to help us out with anything we need." Said Harry causing more than a few eyes to widen.
"Hey, did you two just threaten to set the Weasley Twins on my house?" questioned Penny in shock approaching them quickly.
"Well apparently Luna's had some bullying issues last year and you know how I feel about bullies Penny." Said Harry shrugging.
"Theft as well, we had to get the House Elves to retrieve her things." Said Neville causing more than a few people to frown none more so than Penny.
"Luna why didn't you come to me?" questioned the Head Girl.
"I didn't know you then, you could have been in on it. I know a couple of the other prefects knew what was happening." Said Luna with a shrug.
"Really now. You and I will be having a talk with Professor Flitwick after the feast." Said Penny pulling the girl into a one-armed hug.
"I'll handle it guys don't worry." Said Penny turning to the boys
"Honestly I hope so. Using the twins was the least worrisome. If our dads have to come here over this, they'll be in some real trouble then." Said Neville before turning to leave.
"Oh I have a job lined up for you after you graduate, so come see me about that some time. No rush though." Said Harry.
"Job?" questioned Penny.
"Yeah, I'll tell you about it later. I just didn't want Sirius to try and get you before I could." Said Harry laughing before turning away.
When they made to the Gryffindor table neither of the two boys were surprised to see that Hermione had saved them some spots. Taking his seat Harry looked around and found Ron and Ginny talking with Oliver so turned away. A nudge from Hermione had him looking towards her only to follow her gaze to find a few familiar faces sitting at the head table which had been hugely expanded. Neville had also seen this and turned a confused look his way. Before any of them could speak on it though the doors of the Great Hall were pushed open to admit Professor Sinistra and the first years.
"Hey Hermione, is it just me or does Professor Sinistra look like Scary Spice?" questioned Harry.
"You see it too! I thought it was just me!" said Hermione.
The sorting itself was a long one, yet it they knew it would be as the number of first years were almost triple that of his own sorting. He knew last years had been larger than his own as well however he had missed it as he and Ron had been busy meeting the Whomping Willow at the time. The divide was rough, but he knew that Hufflepuff had gotten the most new students with Gryffindor, Slytherin and Ravenclaw following though he had no idea who of the three had gotten the most. At this point Professor Sinistra moved to near the hat and stool only for it to stop her.
"Normally this is where I would depart but today is a special occasion." Said the Sorting Hat getting a quite muttering from the more experienced Hogwarts students."
"Penelope Clearwater, Hannah Abbot and Harry Potter come forward." Called the hat. Confused the three did just that coming to stand at the front of the hall around the hat.
"As you passed the gates Hogwarts reached out to the three of you and was rebuffed. She will try again now, and you must let the connection happen." Said the hat quietly.
"Is that what that was. After my last two years I've grown wary and the dementors coming on the train didn't help." Said Harry
"Why hasn't she tried to connect with us before. Why now?" questioned Penny.
"Before you did not know who you are. Now you do and this is your right." Explained the hat getting looks of dawning understanding on the three students.
"I see you understand now. Now let's try again." Said the hat.
Suddenly Harry felt something, a touch against his magic feather light but insistent. Before on the carriage he had felt it and brushed it off but this time he allowed it through. Suddenly he was aware of so much as his senses seemed to suddenly expand massively before they dulled back to normal levels.
"Hogwarts has added you to the wards. As you are all students you do not have control, that remains with the Headmistress. However, unlike others you have special permissions you can now travel through the wards via teleportation and can even create portkeys. I would advise however that you keep this knowledge to yourselves for the time being. As you sleep you will gain further knowledge about the castle, knowledge that has been lost to all but myself until now." Explained the hat quietly getting understanding mutters from the three.
"Now stand tall and present yourselves." Said the hat getting the three to move aside and stand where the student body could see them all.
"Students for the first time in nearly 700 years our halls are being graced with the Heirs of the Founders! They have come before now but always as individuals, never in the same timeframe, and never as friends." Said the hat causing excited muttering to break out amongst the students.
"I present to you Ms. Hannah Abbot, Heiress Hufflepuff, Ms. Penelope Clearwater Heiress Ravenclaw and Mr. Harry Potter, Heir Gryffindor and Heir Slytherin! The Heirs of the Founders!" exclaimed the hat for a moment there was silence from the students before there was an eruption of cheering
As he made his way back to his seat Harry wondered why people were reacting in such a way for him. He understood why they would react for Hannah and Penny after all the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff lines had been rumored to have died out. However everyone had already known he descended from Gryffindor from the founders. It was only when he posed the question to Hermione that he understood as she pointed out that only his friends new that he was the heir to both founders. They'd known he descended from them sure, but many could say the same and the heirs were said to have special power of the school, so much so than the place was never safer than when an heir was in attendance. With that knowledge and with the events of just the previous year in his mind Harry could understand why the distinction would be important. His thoughts on that matter were broken as a silence overcame to student body and he looked up to find Headmistress McGonagall stood from her seat to address the students.
"Good evening students. I know you've had a trying day so I will try to get through these announcements as quickly as I can." Said the woman looking around the room once before she continued.
"For those of you who do not know me I am Professor McGonagall and I am the Headmistress here at Hogwarts. For our NEWT level students those being 6th and 7th year students I will also be one of the Transfiguration Professors you may have. Now then I want to take this moment to inform you that no student was seriously harmed by the dementors today. Those students who were evacuated from the train are already here in the Hospital Wing and I have been assured they will be released in the morning."
Looking around he could see many people relax upon this news and the subtle tension that had been among just his group had fallen away. He knew that outside of those that had been petrified last year only he had been so close to dying before. Hermione of course had dealt to deal with the troll in first year as well, but the brush with the basilisk had been an even closer thing.
"Now with that being said let us eat." Exclaimed the woman.
With that and a motion from the Headmistress the silence was broken on the students. Unlike before when the food would simply appear on the tables, they were now presented with menus which meant they could order what they really wanted. Looking through it he decided that he would have a steak tonight and ordered a porterhouse with mashed potatoes and green beans. To go with that instead of a salad he ordered the clam chowder and a half dozen cheddar biscuits. He was all set to order pumpkin juice to go with his food until he found the drink portion of the menu and that idea died a violent death when he found sodas listed and he quickly ordered a sprite. Thankfully he didn't have long of a wait as house elf magic made cooking a simple chore and he had his soup within five minutes and his full meal within fifteen. Beside him Hermione had gotten Shrimp Alfredo, Neville had gotten ribs and Ron had gotten a chicken and rib combination dish. By the time the meal finished the Hogwarts students were full and now somewhat energetic and thus in high spirits. Seeing this the Headmistress stood from her seat once more and called for silence.
"Now that we have eaten, I have some announcements to make, the first of which is that our Hospital Wing has undergone some staffing changes. Madam Pomfrey is still the Matron of the ward however we have added some new faces as well. First Dr. Sybil Millard who comes to us by way of the Seven Saints Clinic in the States. Dr. Millard is also one of our many Hogwarts Alumni hailing from Hufflepuff and having experienced the wider world outside of our borders has gracefully accepted to come and aid us in improving ourselves. Not only will she by helping Madam Pomfrey in the ward but she will be working with you more directly as a physical training instructor.
Joining them in the hospital wing is Dr. Prudence Uzumaki who also comes to us by way of the Seven Saints Clinic and is a practicing Mind Healer. Seeing a Mind Healer does not mean you are crazy just that there are things you may want help coming to terms with be they trauma from fear inducing incidents or trouble elsewhere. As a healthy mind is one of the integral pieces to not just using magic but our health overall her presence is a great help for us. That said if you should have any issues whether that be stress from exams or any more serious issue do not hesitate to see her and know that anything you share with her will be held in confidence and will not be shared with anyone."
As the Headmistress had been speaking his aunt Prue and Dr. Millard had been standing until she finished with their introductions at which point, they took their seats. As they sat they were greeted by a welcoming applause though none was louder than the Hufflepuff table which was to be expected. When they sat a few more people were motioned to stand one of whom Harry was surprised to find was his godfather Sirius Black.
"Our next new appointments round out our Transfiguration department. Our entry level teachers for 1st and 2nd years are Professors Kayla Durham and Vincent Erickson. Our OWL level teachers for 3rd through 5th years our Professors Andrea Reynolds and Lord Sirius Black who will also be taking over as Head of Gryffindor House. Finally joining me in teaching our NEWT level students will be Professor Westley Davenport."
As McGonagall introduced them each of them raised a hand in greeting and Harry found that he wasn't the only one interested in the number of new professors. Before there had only been the one Professor for each subject but McGonagall had needed to change that just for the number of students present not to mention the fact that she had decided to keep teaching herself. As they sat and the next group stood Harry found himself looking upon yet another familiar face in the form of Remus Lupin.
"Next is our Defense department. Entry level defense will be taken up by Professors Daniel Hamilton and John Hawkins. Our OWL level teachers are Professors Remus Lupin and Kerry Richardson and teaching our NEWT level students will be Professors Dominique Hunter and Earnest Parlow." Said the woman causing each of them to raise a hand in greeting.
While most of the names Harry personally didn't recognize outside of Remus the last was a big one. Earnest Parlow was a multi-time champion on the International Dueling Circuit and had only recently retired about a year ago. His hiring had Professor Flitwick's fingerprints all over it, simply for the fact that everyone knew that Flitwick was also a multiple champion in the Circuit. He apparently wasn't the only one to recognize this as an excited muttering had picked up amongst the students. It seemed the Headmistress was determined to make DADA the class that everyone had always expected it to be. When they were seated, and the next group stood Harry realized this was the Charms group as Flitwick stood as part of it.
"Now for Charms teaching our entry level students will be Professors Warren Cowen and Juanita Weston. Teaching our OWL level students are Professors Filius Flitwick who is our returning Charms Master and Amber McRannall and teaching our NEWT students are Professors Fredrick Riley and Amari McKnight"
At this Harry could only look on with wide eyes and he wasn't the only one as that was two more champion level duelist added to the staff. Those were huge hiring's so bit in fact that he was surprised that none of this had leaked out to the news before. He had no doubt that it would now though, not with Luna in attendance the Quibbler would have the scoop on this one. As it was he could only look on in shock when this group sat and the next stood up.
"Now for our Potions teachers. Our entry level teachers will be Professors Narcissa Black and Curtis Maxwell. At OWL level we have Professors Darrel Nisbet and Elisabeth Cunningham. Finally we have our NEWT level teachers Professors Noah Pinkerton and Horace Slughorn."
Of them all the only name he recognized outside of Narcissa's was Slughorn. He knew the man had been the Potions Professor here prior to the war after which he'd gone into hiding and Snape had been allowed to take over. He knew none of the adults in his life had liked the man they'd nicknamed 'The Slug' but would admit that he knew his stuff when it came to potions. As it was he was surprised McGonagall had brought him back as I would have been nothing to just put a new name in that spot to go with all the others. So deep was he in his thoughts that he missed the presentation of the History and Herbology departments.
"That's it for the Core Magical Classes. As you can all see there are still many teachers to introduce. Those remaining I will introduce to you in the morning in the place of the morning announcements."
After being dismissed the students began leaving the Great Hall and for Harry the conversation was light as none of them wanted to discuss anything heavy at this point or at least he didn't. Still there were a few speculative comments regarding who would be teaching some of the other subjects and what classes would be like going forward. Hermione was excited about history for some reason, he knew it had something to do with the teacher for the class but didn't have the energy to figure it out at that point. As they reached the Gryffindor Tower and the Fat Lady was given the password, they moved inside only to stop short seeing Sirius already waiting for them in the common room.
"Alright everyone come in and close the door. I've got a quick announcement to make and then I'll let you get some rest." Said the man causing the crowd to move inside though none moved to sit.
"Firstly, as the new Head of Gryffindor I wanted to introduce myself. I'm Lord Sirius Black, the Head of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. For you guys for the most part that wont matter and you can just call me Professor Black. If any of you have any problems or need to find me for whatever reason during the day hours, I'm taking over Professor McGonagall's old office. If you need me at any other point my room is in the tower on the third-floor upstairs." Said man causing a bit of muttering from the kids.
"Now going forward your rooms are now going to be downstairs. As Head of House I get to decide how we use the tower and I felt like you guys could use a bit more room especially after speaking with a few of you over the summer." Said the man smirking when he saw he had the groups attention.
"Instead of the small dorms you all now have suites. You have this setup as not everyone likes louder environments working on their homework so you can now do so in the suite. Now like before the dorms are separated by year group so 7th years are at the bottom. Now I had the suites made as small as possible but if your year has odd numbers one suite will have more units than others."
With that said he dismissed the group though Ron and Percy were asked to stay behind. Harry as tired as he was couldn't be bothered to hang back and instead followed the rest of the group as they descended the stairs. Exiting the stairwell on the third floor they found themselves entering a smaller common room. While it had a couch and chairs it lacked the fireplace the main common room had. Looking around the common room they discovered two more doors each of which had a list of names marked on them. Harry noticed that one had the names of the original Hogwarts students and the other had a list of names for the transfer students.
Following his group through the door they found themselves in a short corridor of which only four doors were present. The first two doors they came across were the suites as each door had a list of names on it. The door on the left had D. Thomas, L. Brown, S. Finnegan, R. Weasley and K. Everdeen. The door on the right had H. Potter, H. Granger, N. Longbottom and P. Patil which meant for the first time since coming to Hogwarts Parvati and Lavender would be separated. The two doors at the end of the hall were revealed to be bathrooms, girls on the left and boys on the right after Seamus had gone down to check.
"Wait so the dorms are co-ed now?" questioned Parvati in shock.
"I doubt it's the way your thinking. Most likely we all either have separate rooms or its one room for girls and one for boys." Said Hermione.
"You know she's most likely right." Said Kellah with a shrug.
Kellah Everdeen was the only one of their year mates that hadn't been around over the summer. That had in no way been a slight however as she had gone on vacation with her family and she'd spent the summer in Samoa. While she appeared to be a black girl, she took pride in her mixed heritage being half Black and half Samoan. Her dad had apparently been a wrestler back in the day and had met her mom on the Indy circuit. She said while her mom hadn't been a wrestler, her family the Anoa'i family was famous for it.
Shaking the thought away and deciding he'd have to do something to make her a part of the larger group over the summer Harry proceeded to open the door to his suite and found an even smaller common room inside which consisted of a pair of couches and a single chair with a couple boxes of lap tables stacked atop the center table. On each side of the room was a door on which their names were once again marked. Hermione had been proven right yet again as the boys were on the left and the girls on the right. Hermione chose just that moment to yawn and looking at the time Harry found it was half past nine and decided to wish the girls a good night.
Entering his room, he found both boys would still be able to enjoy four poster beds only they were now of a larger size. Their trunks were at the foot of each bed and like always their spare uniforms were already hung up in the wardrobes while the rest of their clothes were neatly folded and placed in the pair of dressers. Also, a nice surprise was that the room itself was already quite warm and he soon found a vent in the wall which was letting the heat in to circulate. Changing his clothes rather quickly and leaving his clothes on the floor for Dobby to see to Harry was soon nestled into his bed and with the comfort given was soon asleep.
AN: That's it the chapters over. This one was a very Harry-centric chapter and as such I gave it a bit more detail for things. I also did a bit of set-up for later chapters. Anyway thanks for reading and please review. Till next time, LATER
