CHAPTER TWO: THE HEIR OF HUFFLEPUFF
~~~
"What did Harry mean by 'he's back'?" Minerva McGonagall asked as she and Albus Dumbledore walked back to their rooms. "Was he talking about Voldemort?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "I don't think so," he said. Voldemort had been 'back' for quite some time and was in hiding somewhere.
"Then who?" She hated not having an answer, and even more so when the welfare of her students was at stake.
He had an idea, but it was ludicrous. "I don't know for certain," he said. "All I know is that something about Gryffindor's sword helped ease his pain, and that could mean a number of things." It certainly didn't have to mean... No. That was impossible.
Minerva caught on to what he was hinting at, and a horrified look crossed her face. "Do you mean... but how is that possible?"
"I never said it was, Minerva."
"Then what could it be, Albus?" she said. Slowly but surely, her worry was breaking down her control. "The last time Harry faced Voldemort, he said something about a grand master plan. What if this is it?"
"I think you're overreacting."
"Overreacting?" Minerva repeated. By now, she was bordering on hysteria. "A student of my house endures suffering so great it could be mistaken for the Cruciatus Curse, and the only thing that can stop it is calling upon the name of the one wizard the ancestor of his enemy feared! Yes, Albus, I think I AM overreacting!"
Dumbledore stopped walking and put his hand on her shoulder, causing her to stop as well. She covered her face with her hands and stepped away from him. She hated anyone seeing her in an emotional moment, even her closest friend.
He placed a hand on her back. She was trembling. The incident was disturbing her more than she had let on initially. "What are we going to do?" she asked. Her voice was shaking as much as her body. She turned back toward him. Her face was full of concern and just a hint of fear.
Dumbledore wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. Eventually, her shaking stopped. "I have an idea," he said. "It's not much, but it's somewhere to start."
"What is it?"
"We should go to Nicolas Flamel."
"Nicolas Flamel?" Minerva repeated. "Albus, I know he's a great wizard, but what could he possibly do in this situation?"
"If Gryffindor and Slytherin are somehow connected to this, he'll be able to offer a better explanation that anyone else in the world," Dumbledore answered. "No one knows more about the Hogwarts Four than he does."
"What makes him such an expert?"
"His grandmother was Helga Hufflepuff."
~~~
Dumbledore sent an owl to Nicolas Flamel first thing in the morning. Flamel sent his reply that afternoon. He was more than willing to help in any way that he could. Dumbledore then owled Flamel with a message saying that he and Minerva would come to him the next afternoon.
Harry hadn't gotten much better. Gryffindor's sword had to be close by at all times or his head would start throbbing again. He also had a dream from which he woke up screaming. The dream had been a recreation of his experience in the Chamber of Secrets his second year. However, instead of pulling Godric Gryffindor's sword out of the Sorting Hat, Harry pulled out his head. Then Tom Riddle, the Basilisk, and the statue of Salazar Slytherin began laughing. Harry couldn't go to sleep after that because every time he closed his eyes, he saw Gryffindor's head and heard evil laughter in Parseltongue. Madam Pomfrey insisted on relocating him to the hospital wing.
~~~
Nicolas Flamel and his wife, Perenelle, lived ina cottage on a small plot of land outside Devon. The late November air was crisp and cool as Hogwarts's headmaster and deputy headmistress walked up the stone path leading to the front door. A light rain began to fall, but a simple charm kept them dry. They reached the door, and Dumbledore knocked. It was answered by a dark green house-elf with big brown eyes. "Master Dumbledore! Mistress McGonagall!" the elf exclaimed. "Please come in! Master and Mistress Flamel have been expecting you."
The elf led them into the den, where Perenelle Flamel was sitting on a couch upholstered with red velvet. She rose when her two visitors entered the room and gave them a weary smile. Their supply of Elixir of Life had run out about two years ago, and it wouldn't be long before age caught up to her husband and herself and mortality claimed them. "Good to see you, Professors," she said. "Nicolas should be along in a minute."
"No, he's here now," came a voice from behind.
Dumbledore and Minerva turned around. Flamel was standing behind them, hsi emerald green eyes sparkling brightly. "Good to see you, Albus," he said, embracing his longtime friend.
"Same to you, Nicolas," Dumbledore returned. He was surprised at how much weaker Flamel's grip had gotten since the last time they had seen each other, about six months ago. His body was clearly feeling the effects of the rapid aging that had befallen him since he stopped taking the Elixir of Life.
Flamel smiled warmly at Minerva. "And you, too, Professor McGonagall. I wish we could take the time to get to know each other. Albus speaks of you often, and has a rather high opinion of you."
"He does, does he?" Minerva asked, casting her superior a suspicious look.
"Come in and sit down," Perenelle said, motioning to a couch identical to the one she had been sitting in directly across a mahogany coffee table from its twin.
"Shall I fetch some tea, Mistress Flamel?" the house-elf asked.
"Yes, please," said Perenelle. "Thank you, Buckle."
Flamel sat down next to his wife. Their visitors seated themselves in the couch across from them. Buckle returned to the room with four cups of tea. "So, Albus," Flamel said, "what was it you wanted to discuss?"
Dumbledore took a sip of his tea, and then set the cup and saucer down on the table. "I'm sure you are both familiar with the story of a Hogwarts student named Harry Potter," he said, and the Flamels nodded. "Because of what happened when he was one year old and various incidents since then, along with his own natural powers, he is very perceptive dark magic. Two nights ago, the scar on his forehead began hurting. It hurts him when danger is nearby, and although this has happened before, it has never been this bad. He woke up half of the Gryffindor tower with his cries, and his friends had to send for Professor McGonagall and myself."
Flamel nodded in understanding. "Interesting. Go on."
"I've never seen him suffer as much as he did that night," Dumbledore continued. "If I didn't know any better, I would have thought someone used the Cruciatus Curse on him."
"Intense suffering," Flamel said thoughtfully. "And what ended it?"
"The only thing that could stop his pain," Minerva said, "was calling upon the name of Gryffindor and having Gryffindor's sword in his hand."
Flamel had been taking a sip of tea at the time Minerva spoke, and he was so surprised that he started choking. Perenelle had to slap him on the back to get him breathing again. "Gryffindor?" he repeated when he was able to.
"Yes, Gryffindor," Minerva confirmed. "What could it mean?"
"It can only mean one thing, Professor," Flamel replied. "Harry's enemy, Lord Voldemort, is the last remaining descendent of Salazar Slytherin. Slytherin's enemy was Godric Gryffindor. That's why calling upon the name of Gryffindor stopped his pain, and that's what caused it in the first place: Salazar Slytherin is back."
For almost a full minute, Dumbledore, Minerva, and Perenelle were too shocked to speak. Even Buckle ceased to move. Finally, Minerva broke the silence. "How is that possible?" she asked in a trembling voice.
"There is a spell that can be used to bring back someone who has long since left this world, but it is so difficult and dangerous that I have never heard of it actually being performed," Flamel said. "Only a very powerful, very reckless wizard who has nothing to lose would dare attempt it."
Dumbledore nodded. That sounded like Voldemort, all right.
"So Voldemort has brought Salazar Slytherin back to life?" Minerva asked.
"It would appear so, Professor McGonagall," Flamel replied. "I can think of o other reason why young Potter would suffer in such a way that you have described."
"What options do we have, Nicolas?" Dumbledore asked.
Flamel shook his head sadly. "Not many, I'm afraid. Salazar Slytherin is the most powerful wizard who ever lived. The only ones strong enough to overpower him were..." He stopped talking as an idea came to him, and a twinkle of excitement appeared in his green eyes.
Dumbledore caught the look. "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"
"Probably," Flamel replied with a smile. "Come to my study."
~~~
While Flamel and Dumbledore sat at a table and poured through an ancient spellbook, Minerva studied a large portait that hung over the fireplace in the study. It was of a man, a woman, and three children. Minerva knew at once who the woman was - Flamel's grandmother, Helga Hufflepuff. The man had to be her husband, Daniel Flamel, Nicolas's grandfather. One of the children, a boy, looked exactly like his parents - blonde hair and green eyes. Minerva concluded that it must be Robert, Nicolas's father. The other two were twin girls that looked nothing like the rest of the family. Both of them looked several years older than Robert and had dark brown hair and blue eyes. Could they possibly be related to anyone else in that portrait?
"Here it is," Flamel said as he and Dumbledore located the spell they were looking for. "Acotta Leiondar, the resurrection spell. Quite possibly the most difficult and dangerous spell known to the wizarding world."
"'Acotta Leiondar'?" Minerva repeated, stepping away from the portait and joining the two men at the table. "What does that mean?"
"It's from Antelenic, the ancient language of wizards," Flamel explained. "Roughly translated, it means 'live again'."
Minerva knew very little about Antelenic. She didn't know much more than that it was a very difficult language and died out shortly before the fall of the Persian Empire. Only the most powerful and dangerous spells in existence had Antelenic words in them.
Flamel skimmed over the ingredients list and said, "Yes, Albus, I think the three of us just might be able to do this. Some of these ingredients may be hard to find, though."
"Which ones?" asked Dumbledore.
"Blood of a descendent and something that belonged to the person being resurrected," Flamel answered. "Helga Hufflepuff will be easy. It is my understanding that her wand is in a trophy case in the Hufflepuff common room, and I am her last living descendent. However, I'm not so sure about Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw."
"Why is that?" asked Dumbledore. "Did either one of them have children?"
"No one is certain," Flamel replied. "Ravenclaw was supposed to marry someone, but no one knows who. And Gryffindor..." He shook his head sadly. "Both of them are rather tragic figures, I'm afraid. My grandmother died twenty years before I was born, so I never heard anything first-hand, but my father would often tell me stories she told to him and my aunts, whom you probably noticed in that portait, Professor McGonagall. Gryffindor was battling a dark wizard by the name of Kedelor. Kedelor used the Killing Curse on him. Ravenclaw died a week later. Some say Kedelor killed her, others say she died of a broken heart, and still others believe she killed herself. What is known for certain, though, is that she and Gryffindor were the very best of friends, not unlike you two, Professors."
Minerva walked back over to the portrait and studied it carefully. "The two girls in this portrait, are they your aunts?"
Flamel nodded. "Yes. Their names are Christine and Julianne."
"Flamel?"
He nodded again.
"They don't look a thing like your father and grandparents."
"I'm not surprised," Flamel said. "My grandfather found them in an abandoned hut outside of what is now Edinburgh not long after they were born."
"Flamel, do you know exactly what Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw looked like?"
"Yes," Flamel answered. "Both were very tall. Gryffindor was over seven feet tall, and Ravenclaw was just a few inches shorter. Gryffindor had blonde hair and blue eyes. Ravenclaw had black hair and brown eyes."
"When did Gryffindor die?"
Flamel had no idea where she was going with this, but answered the question anyway. "August eighth, 1264."
"And Ravenclaw died on August fifteenth, 1263," Minerva said. "When did your grandfather find Christine and Julianne?"
Now he was starting to understand. "August sixteenth, 1264. They were just hours old."
"There you have it," said Minerva. "The reason Christine and Julianne have dark hair is because they inherited it from their mother, Rowena Ravenclaw."
"But the eyes," Dumbledore said, stepping up to Minerva. "Ravenclaw had brown eyes, a dominant trait. These girls have blue eyes, which is a recessive gene." Both of them knew enough about genetics to know that.
"Godric Gryffindor had blue eyes, Albus," Minerva said. "He was a homozygeous recessive. She was probably a heterozygeous dominant. If that's the case, then their children would have a one in two chance of having blue eyes. Christine and Julianne have dark hair and blue eyes. Ravenclaw had dark hair. Gryffindor had blue eyes. His death destroyed her. Isn't it obvious? Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw were involved in some way, marriage or otherwise, and the twin girls Daniel Flamel found were their children, who were orphaned after their mother died, most likely giving birth or shortly after. Find the descendents of the girls and you'll find the descendents of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw."
Flamel looked at Dumbledore. "She's good."
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, she's very good."
~~~
"What did Harry mean by 'he's back'?" Minerva McGonagall asked as she and Albus Dumbledore walked back to their rooms. "Was he talking about Voldemort?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "I don't think so," he said. Voldemort had been 'back' for quite some time and was in hiding somewhere.
"Then who?" She hated not having an answer, and even more so when the welfare of her students was at stake.
He had an idea, but it was ludicrous. "I don't know for certain," he said. "All I know is that something about Gryffindor's sword helped ease his pain, and that could mean a number of things." It certainly didn't have to mean... No. That was impossible.
Minerva caught on to what he was hinting at, and a horrified look crossed her face. "Do you mean... but how is that possible?"
"I never said it was, Minerva."
"Then what could it be, Albus?" she said. Slowly but surely, her worry was breaking down her control. "The last time Harry faced Voldemort, he said something about a grand master plan. What if this is it?"
"I think you're overreacting."
"Overreacting?" Minerva repeated. By now, she was bordering on hysteria. "A student of my house endures suffering so great it could be mistaken for the Cruciatus Curse, and the only thing that can stop it is calling upon the name of the one wizard the ancestor of his enemy feared! Yes, Albus, I think I AM overreacting!"
Dumbledore stopped walking and put his hand on her shoulder, causing her to stop as well. She covered her face with her hands and stepped away from him. She hated anyone seeing her in an emotional moment, even her closest friend.
He placed a hand on her back. She was trembling. The incident was disturbing her more than she had let on initially. "What are we going to do?" she asked. Her voice was shaking as much as her body. She turned back toward him. Her face was full of concern and just a hint of fear.
Dumbledore wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. Eventually, her shaking stopped. "I have an idea," he said. "It's not much, but it's somewhere to start."
"What is it?"
"We should go to Nicolas Flamel."
"Nicolas Flamel?" Minerva repeated. "Albus, I know he's a great wizard, but what could he possibly do in this situation?"
"If Gryffindor and Slytherin are somehow connected to this, he'll be able to offer a better explanation that anyone else in the world," Dumbledore answered. "No one knows more about the Hogwarts Four than he does."
"What makes him such an expert?"
"His grandmother was Helga Hufflepuff."
~~~
Dumbledore sent an owl to Nicolas Flamel first thing in the morning. Flamel sent his reply that afternoon. He was more than willing to help in any way that he could. Dumbledore then owled Flamel with a message saying that he and Minerva would come to him the next afternoon.
Harry hadn't gotten much better. Gryffindor's sword had to be close by at all times or his head would start throbbing again. He also had a dream from which he woke up screaming. The dream had been a recreation of his experience in the Chamber of Secrets his second year. However, instead of pulling Godric Gryffindor's sword out of the Sorting Hat, Harry pulled out his head. Then Tom Riddle, the Basilisk, and the statue of Salazar Slytherin began laughing. Harry couldn't go to sleep after that because every time he closed his eyes, he saw Gryffindor's head and heard evil laughter in Parseltongue. Madam Pomfrey insisted on relocating him to the hospital wing.
~~~
Nicolas Flamel and his wife, Perenelle, lived ina cottage on a small plot of land outside Devon. The late November air was crisp and cool as Hogwarts's headmaster and deputy headmistress walked up the stone path leading to the front door. A light rain began to fall, but a simple charm kept them dry. They reached the door, and Dumbledore knocked. It was answered by a dark green house-elf with big brown eyes. "Master Dumbledore! Mistress McGonagall!" the elf exclaimed. "Please come in! Master and Mistress Flamel have been expecting you."
The elf led them into the den, where Perenelle Flamel was sitting on a couch upholstered with red velvet. She rose when her two visitors entered the room and gave them a weary smile. Their supply of Elixir of Life had run out about two years ago, and it wouldn't be long before age caught up to her husband and herself and mortality claimed them. "Good to see you, Professors," she said. "Nicolas should be along in a minute."
"No, he's here now," came a voice from behind.
Dumbledore and Minerva turned around. Flamel was standing behind them, hsi emerald green eyes sparkling brightly. "Good to see you, Albus," he said, embracing his longtime friend.
"Same to you, Nicolas," Dumbledore returned. He was surprised at how much weaker Flamel's grip had gotten since the last time they had seen each other, about six months ago. His body was clearly feeling the effects of the rapid aging that had befallen him since he stopped taking the Elixir of Life.
Flamel smiled warmly at Minerva. "And you, too, Professor McGonagall. I wish we could take the time to get to know each other. Albus speaks of you often, and has a rather high opinion of you."
"He does, does he?" Minerva asked, casting her superior a suspicious look.
"Come in and sit down," Perenelle said, motioning to a couch identical to the one she had been sitting in directly across a mahogany coffee table from its twin.
"Shall I fetch some tea, Mistress Flamel?" the house-elf asked.
"Yes, please," said Perenelle. "Thank you, Buckle."
Flamel sat down next to his wife. Their visitors seated themselves in the couch across from them. Buckle returned to the room with four cups of tea. "So, Albus," Flamel said, "what was it you wanted to discuss?"
Dumbledore took a sip of his tea, and then set the cup and saucer down on the table. "I'm sure you are both familiar with the story of a Hogwarts student named Harry Potter," he said, and the Flamels nodded. "Because of what happened when he was one year old and various incidents since then, along with his own natural powers, he is very perceptive dark magic. Two nights ago, the scar on his forehead began hurting. It hurts him when danger is nearby, and although this has happened before, it has never been this bad. He woke up half of the Gryffindor tower with his cries, and his friends had to send for Professor McGonagall and myself."
Flamel nodded in understanding. "Interesting. Go on."
"I've never seen him suffer as much as he did that night," Dumbledore continued. "If I didn't know any better, I would have thought someone used the Cruciatus Curse on him."
"Intense suffering," Flamel said thoughtfully. "And what ended it?"
"The only thing that could stop his pain," Minerva said, "was calling upon the name of Gryffindor and having Gryffindor's sword in his hand."
Flamel had been taking a sip of tea at the time Minerva spoke, and he was so surprised that he started choking. Perenelle had to slap him on the back to get him breathing again. "Gryffindor?" he repeated when he was able to.
"Yes, Gryffindor," Minerva confirmed. "What could it mean?"
"It can only mean one thing, Professor," Flamel replied. "Harry's enemy, Lord Voldemort, is the last remaining descendent of Salazar Slytherin. Slytherin's enemy was Godric Gryffindor. That's why calling upon the name of Gryffindor stopped his pain, and that's what caused it in the first place: Salazar Slytherin is back."
For almost a full minute, Dumbledore, Minerva, and Perenelle were too shocked to speak. Even Buckle ceased to move. Finally, Minerva broke the silence. "How is that possible?" she asked in a trembling voice.
"There is a spell that can be used to bring back someone who has long since left this world, but it is so difficult and dangerous that I have never heard of it actually being performed," Flamel said. "Only a very powerful, very reckless wizard who has nothing to lose would dare attempt it."
Dumbledore nodded. That sounded like Voldemort, all right.
"So Voldemort has brought Salazar Slytherin back to life?" Minerva asked.
"It would appear so, Professor McGonagall," Flamel replied. "I can think of o other reason why young Potter would suffer in such a way that you have described."
"What options do we have, Nicolas?" Dumbledore asked.
Flamel shook his head sadly. "Not many, I'm afraid. Salazar Slytherin is the most powerful wizard who ever lived. The only ones strong enough to overpower him were..." He stopped talking as an idea came to him, and a twinkle of excitement appeared in his green eyes.
Dumbledore caught the look. "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"
"Probably," Flamel replied with a smile. "Come to my study."
~~~
While Flamel and Dumbledore sat at a table and poured through an ancient spellbook, Minerva studied a large portait that hung over the fireplace in the study. It was of a man, a woman, and three children. Minerva knew at once who the woman was - Flamel's grandmother, Helga Hufflepuff. The man had to be her husband, Daniel Flamel, Nicolas's grandfather. One of the children, a boy, looked exactly like his parents - blonde hair and green eyes. Minerva concluded that it must be Robert, Nicolas's father. The other two were twin girls that looked nothing like the rest of the family. Both of them looked several years older than Robert and had dark brown hair and blue eyes. Could they possibly be related to anyone else in that portrait?
"Here it is," Flamel said as he and Dumbledore located the spell they were looking for. "Acotta Leiondar, the resurrection spell. Quite possibly the most difficult and dangerous spell known to the wizarding world."
"'Acotta Leiondar'?" Minerva repeated, stepping away from the portait and joining the two men at the table. "What does that mean?"
"It's from Antelenic, the ancient language of wizards," Flamel explained. "Roughly translated, it means 'live again'."
Minerva knew very little about Antelenic. She didn't know much more than that it was a very difficult language and died out shortly before the fall of the Persian Empire. Only the most powerful and dangerous spells in existence had Antelenic words in them.
Flamel skimmed over the ingredients list and said, "Yes, Albus, I think the three of us just might be able to do this. Some of these ingredients may be hard to find, though."
"Which ones?" asked Dumbledore.
"Blood of a descendent and something that belonged to the person being resurrected," Flamel answered. "Helga Hufflepuff will be easy. It is my understanding that her wand is in a trophy case in the Hufflepuff common room, and I am her last living descendent. However, I'm not so sure about Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw."
"Why is that?" asked Dumbledore. "Did either one of them have children?"
"No one is certain," Flamel replied. "Ravenclaw was supposed to marry someone, but no one knows who. And Gryffindor..." He shook his head sadly. "Both of them are rather tragic figures, I'm afraid. My grandmother died twenty years before I was born, so I never heard anything first-hand, but my father would often tell me stories she told to him and my aunts, whom you probably noticed in that portait, Professor McGonagall. Gryffindor was battling a dark wizard by the name of Kedelor. Kedelor used the Killing Curse on him. Ravenclaw died a week later. Some say Kedelor killed her, others say she died of a broken heart, and still others believe she killed herself. What is known for certain, though, is that she and Gryffindor were the very best of friends, not unlike you two, Professors."
Minerva walked back over to the portrait and studied it carefully. "The two girls in this portrait, are they your aunts?"
Flamel nodded. "Yes. Their names are Christine and Julianne."
"Flamel?"
He nodded again.
"They don't look a thing like your father and grandparents."
"I'm not surprised," Flamel said. "My grandfather found them in an abandoned hut outside of what is now Edinburgh not long after they were born."
"Flamel, do you know exactly what Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw looked like?"
"Yes," Flamel answered. "Both were very tall. Gryffindor was over seven feet tall, and Ravenclaw was just a few inches shorter. Gryffindor had blonde hair and blue eyes. Ravenclaw had black hair and brown eyes."
"When did Gryffindor die?"
Flamel had no idea where she was going with this, but answered the question anyway. "August eighth, 1264."
"And Ravenclaw died on August fifteenth, 1263," Minerva said. "When did your grandfather find Christine and Julianne?"
Now he was starting to understand. "August sixteenth, 1264. They were just hours old."
"There you have it," said Minerva. "The reason Christine and Julianne have dark hair is because they inherited it from their mother, Rowena Ravenclaw."
"But the eyes," Dumbledore said, stepping up to Minerva. "Ravenclaw had brown eyes, a dominant trait. These girls have blue eyes, which is a recessive gene." Both of them knew enough about genetics to know that.
"Godric Gryffindor had blue eyes, Albus," Minerva said. "He was a homozygeous recessive. She was probably a heterozygeous dominant. If that's the case, then their children would have a one in two chance of having blue eyes. Christine and Julianne have dark hair and blue eyes. Ravenclaw had dark hair. Gryffindor had blue eyes. His death destroyed her. Isn't it obvious? Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw were involved in some way, marriage or otherwise, and the twin girls Daniel Flamel found were their children, who were orphaned after their mother died, most likely giving birth or shortly after. Find the descendents of the girls and you'll find the descendents of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw."
Flamel looked at Dumbledore. "She's good."
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, she's very good."