Chapter Four:

"Uh, what just happened?" Ron asked. No one had spoken for at least five minutes and everyone turned to look at Ron. "I mean, was that supposed to happen?"

Taylor sighed. It was probably time she came clean with her housemates. She locked eyes with Professor Dumbledore and he nodded.

"It would seem, Mr. Weasley, that you are not aware of Taylor's lineage," Professor Dumbledore said. "And that is not surprising, not many are. However, that story if for Taylor to tell when there is time, and now there is none. In light of the current situation, we need to get Taylor and her siblings out of here as soon as possible. There is a possible threat if her identity if found out and now that she has been orphaned that threat becomes greater."

Professor Dumbledore sent them all upstairs to pack their trunks for the next two weeks as well as the following school year. Taylor hurried her sisters and brother along, but did not mention the death that was changing all their lives.

Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall were waiting in the kitchen for the students as they walked into the room.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley, Miss Granger, and Mr. Weasley will all be returning to headquarters, along with Miss Swikeman and her siblings," Professor Dumbledore said.

Paul opened his mouth to protest but Professor Dumbledore held up his hand to stop him.

"I know you wish to be by Taylor's side, Paul," Professor Dumbledore said. "And I have made arrangements with your mother. You need to Floo home first and pack your things before returning to Taylor's side."

Paul nodded and departed through the green flames.

"Now, if the eight of you would take a hold of this key ring, it will transport you to Headquarters."

Taylor took hold of the ring and felt a pull behind her navel and was pulled through space and distance, landing on a stone floor. As she stood up, she looked around and saw that she was in a kitchen in wherever Headquarters was.

"Where are we?" Taylor asked.

"Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix," Harry replied. "This is the House of Black."

"Black?" Taylor asked. "Like Sirius Black?"

Harry nodded and a shadow of sadness passed across his face. "Long story."

"Oh Harry!" a woman's voice cried as she came running into the kitchen. Taylor recognized her as Ron and Ginny's mother; she was the same woman she had seen the day before in Diagon Alley. "And Ron, oh Ginny and Hermione!" She pulled the four teens into a massive hug. "When everything started to go wrong I pulled out my portkey, but you four were blown away from me as I activated it. Thank goodness you wrote us Ginny, or we'd have do idea where to start looking." She hugged her daughter again, closing her eyes.

"We're fine, Mum," Ginny said. "Taylor got us out okay."

At the mention of Taylor, Mrs. Weasley's eyes snapped to the dark haired girl in front of her and made for her, engulfing her in a bear like hug.

"I can't ever repay you for what you've done," Mrs. Weasley said. "I am so sorry for your loss and I want you to know that if there is anything you need, how large or small, you can come to me. Thank you for the bottom of my heart for saving them from those horrible madmen."

"Er, no problem," Taylor replied a little stunned by Mrs. Weasley's affection.

"Mum, let the girl breathe," Ron said and his mother slowly let Taylor go.

"Well, are you all hungry?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "Dinner should be ready in an hour, why don't you go get Taylor settled."

Taylor glanced at her twin sisters and brother, who were still in shock, and then to Professor Dumbledore.

"To answer your question, Taylor, no, they are not going to stay," Professor Dumbledore said. "It is clearly stated that their guardian is a living relative. I shall be escorting them to the Ministry where the relative is meeting us."

Taylor nodded; she knew his much was going to be true.

"Guardian?" Michelle asked.

"Professor Dumbledore will explain what's going on," Taylor said and gave each of them a hug before they disappeared with Professor Dumbledore.

Taylor looked at the confused and curious faces of her housemates and she sighed.

"I'll explain to what's going on after I take all this upstairs," Taylor said. "And after Paul gets here."

The two girls nodded and led her up the stairs, settling her into a room adjacent to Hermione and Ginny's. When Taylor returned to the kitchen Paul was coming out of the fire place. He gave her a hug before taking his own things up the stairs to a room.

The six teens sat down in a drawing room, but no one said anything. Everyone but Paul looked at her expectantly but when no one said anything, Harry spoke up.

"This was my godfather's house," Harry said. "He died at the end of last term and left me this house, among other things. He was killed by his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange."

Taylor looked up at Harry. "Was that what happened at the Ministry?"

"Yeah," he replied nodding. "I went there to protect Sirius and Sirius went there to protect me. Somehow I made it out alive and he didn't." She remembered Harry passing out in their History of Magic O.W.L., and then he and his friend disappeared.

"There were rumors everywhere," Taylor replied. "It was really frightening to not know what was going on."

"Yeah, well, I'm hoping to have a less eventful year," Harry replied and Taylor laughed.

"Yeah, I can tell you now that's not going happen," Taylor said. "Not after what happened today."

"What did happen today?" Hermione asked, her curiosity finally getting the best of her.

Taylor sighed and felt Paul squeeze her hand in support.

"A long time ago," Taylor began. "Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw placed a charm on their next of kin. However this charm acts more like a curse. When a descendant of one of those founders died, all that remained in that linage heard a horrible noise. It went away after a few days, but if an heir died and there was a horrible noise in your ears and a pain behind your eyes that hurt too much for you to see, you knew your time as the last heir had come. Once you were able to accept that it was your time and place, the pain would go away.

"Leopoldina Trelawney made a prophecy right after Salazar Slytherin departed from the school. Her prophecy led Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw to place these charms on their descendents," Taylor stopped talking because Hermione looked like she was going to burst if she couldn't ask a question. "Yes, Hermione?"

"What did the prophecy say?"

"Nothing that made sense at the time," Taylor replied. "The original wording has been lost over the past thousand years. But it basically said that when Slytherin's heir threatens the school and its students, the last heirs of the remaining three founders will serve as a protection to the school and to the one who will ultimately destroy the heir of Slytherin. The last heirs of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw will all begin school twenty one months before the final protection is needed, and never before."

"And the three heirs?" Hermione asked. "Do you know who they are?"

"The Ravenclaw heir is Stephanie Fawcett; she's a sixth year Ravenclaw. The Hufflepuff heir is Liam Summers, he's a seventh year Hufflepuff," Taylor replied. "And then the Gryffindor heir is me."

"You?" Harry asked.

"Yes. Me, Taylor Swikeman, sixth year Gryffindor," Taylor said. "I am the heir of Godric Gryffindor, on my mum's side."

"But how can you be the last heir if you have siblings?" Hermione asked.

"Michelle, Ashley and Peter are my step-siblings," Taylor replied. "I am the only child that my mother had. My dad died during the first war with Voldemort, and my mum remarried when I was six. My step father was widowed with three kids and together we made a little family."

"What happened to your step dad?" Ginny asked.

"He died," Taylor replied. "He was a good friend of my mum's at school and she seemed much happier after they got married. But he was an Auror also, and he died six years ago. Mum had adoptive custody over Michelle, Ashley and Peter, so they stayed with us."

"So let me get this straight," Ron said. "You and these two other students are descendents of three of the four founding wizards and witches, and twenty one months from September we're supposed to have a huge battle that needs your protection?"

"Basically," Taylor replied. "Stephanie Fawcett has been orphaned for at least six or seven years, she lives with her aunt and uncle from her dad's side. Her Ravenclaw comes from her mother. And Liam Summers' dad died a couple years ago. He's been emancipated for the past two years. I guess we were all waiting on my mum to go so that I would be the last Gryffindor heir, and the last heir of the three to become the last heir in their lineage. And in twenty one months time from the first of September, Hogwarts and the one who takes down Voldemort will need our protection."

"That would be me," Harry said and his friends looked at him, surprised.

"Harry, what?" Hermione asked.

"The prophecy that Voldemort was after in the Department of Mysteries," Harry replied. "I know what it said."

"But it was smashed," Hermione said.

"But Dumbledore was the one the prophecy was originally told to, and he told me what it said. The exact wording of the prophecy was the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…."

No one moved. Hermione's face had gone white, Ron looked like he was about to throw up, and Ginny had tears in her eyes. Taylor, however, looked at Harry and smiled.

"I somehow knew it was you that would take him down," Taylor said. "If anyone can do it, Harry, its you. And now you know that you'll have Liam, Stephanie and I protecting the school and you."

"I guess you've already done that a bit," Harry replied. "Protecting me, I mean."

"But I don't know if that has to do with the prophecy or not," Taylor said. "I mean, I don't think I was the last Gryffindor heir yet, and I didn't know you would be the one to end Voldemort."

"But doesn't it bother you?" Harry asked. "I mean, having your life dictated by some prophecy?"

Taylor shrugged. "I've known it was coming since I could remember. But it's only a little bit of our lives, Harry. After your prophecy is fulfilled, and my prophecy is fulfilled, we will still have our lives."

"But I have to murder Voldemort," Harry spat. "How can I live with knowing I have to kill someone? I tried to use Cruciatus Curse on Bellatrix at the Ministry after she killed Sirius. How does that make you feel? Any of you? Knowing that I tried an Unforgivable?"

"It's actually comforting," Ginny replied. "I mean, you tried, but you didn't do it. You couldn't. There wasn't enough hatred or evilness in you to be able to do the spell."

"But I tried."

"Oh, Harry," Hermione said. "It doesn't matter to us that you tried, and even if you had succeeded, it wouldn't have mattered. We know what's in your heart, and I'm not surprised you weren't able to do the spell. You're not evil, you're not dark. You don't have that kind of magic in you. The sorting hat put you into Gryffindor remember?"

"It tried to put me into Slytherin," Harry replied.

"But it put you into Gryffindor," Hermione repeated.

"Besides, mate," Ron said. "You won't be murdering Voldemort. Murder is a word used when its innocent people dying for no reason. Voldemort murders. You'll be… saving… us all. If you can stop Voldemort from murdering, then it's not a bad thing that you have to destroy him. You aren't like him, Harry."

"So, you mean it doesn't bother you, any of you of what I have to do?" Harry asked.

"Harry, you're stuck with us," Ginny replied. "We wouldn't let you go to the Ministry alone; we won't let you do any of this alone."

"Don't ever think that you are alone, Harry," Taylor said. "You know you have my protection, as well as Liam's and Stephanie's. And I know this goes for all three of us when I say that even if there was no prophecy tying us to you, we would still be behind you."

"Thank you," Harry said. "Though, I don't really know the other two heirs, I appreciate it."

"Well, I think they are going to come and stay with us here," Taylor replied. "It's another precautionary move. All three heirs need to be together to protect Voldemort's adversary. Sorry, Harry, but you'll soon have three fulltime body guards, now that the prophecy seems to be set into motion. I'm sure you'll have all your classes with at least one of us."

"What about Quidditch?" Harry asked.

"I'm not sure about Quidditch," Taylor replied.

"Can you fly?" Ron asked. "I mean, I've heard that Godric Gryffindor was an excellent flyer."

"I can fly," Taylor replied.

"Then you should try out for the team," Ron said. "We need to fill three Chaser spots this year, and as I'm sure that Ginny will clench one of those, that leaves two spots unfilled."

"I've never thought about trying out for the Quidditch team," Taylor replied.

"But Taylor," Paul said and she turned to look at him. "Now you know that you're the last heir. Before you didn't and you didn't want to take any chances making yourself known."

"Yeah, but Paul, there's still a chance that it could leak out who I am," Taylor replied. "I mean, my family lineage has been kept secret for hundreds of years before now. I don't know if I want to risk that secrecy."

"Taylor," Harry said and she turned her gaze on him. "I learned something from my godfather before he died. He was cooped up here in this house but he always tried to keep a positive look on things. I learned that if you don't have a life to live for then you don't have a reason to fight. You said yourself we'd have lives after Voldemort and after the prophecies, so why deny yourself something you love? If you like to fly, and you're good at it, then I don't see a reason why you shouldn't try out."

"Let me think about it," Taylor replied. "I still have to get used to the fact that I am the last Gryffindor heir, that you lot know about it and that this is all really happening. Before it was just one of those things that was going to happen, and Paul has been the only one I've ever told until now. So give me some time, okay?"

Ron and Harry nodded but Hermione looked like she had more questions.

"Is there something else, Hermione?" Taylor asked.

"I know you've given us so much already," Hermione said. "But I honestly can't help it."

Taylor laughed at her dorm mate's endless quest for answers. "Ask away, Hermione."

"Earlier, Professor Dumbledore said that Professor McGonagall was to be your guardian?"

"She is my father's great aunt," Taylor replied. "And now the only living relative I have."

"And Dumbledore seemed to know you, Paul," Hermione said. "I mean, I'm used to Harry being on a more personal level with the headmaster, but I've never seen him be as personable with another student."

"That is because he is my great great uncle," Paul replied. "His sister was my great great grandmother. I just got back from visiting her actually."

"We might slip up," Taylor said. "Generally around other students and definitely at school we call them Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall. But Paul and I have known them all our lives, so to me Professor McGonagall is just Aunt Minnie, and to Paul, Professor Dumbledore is just Uncle Albus."

"I had no idea you two were related to them," Hermione said and Paul laughed.

"Then we've done a pretty good job at hiding it all these years," Paul replied.

"I had no idea," Harry said.

"Me neither. Ginny replied.

"Well, let's just put that in the stack of stuff to not go telling everyone about," Paul said. "I don't want to think that we get special favors or anything. Especially with my appointment of Head Boy, I'd like to keep my connections with the headmaster out the public knowledge."

"We would never say anything," Hermione said and Harry, Ron and Ginny nodded in agreement.

From somewhere below they heard Mrs. Weasley's voice calling for dinner. Taylor looked at her watch, not realizing that they had been talking for over an hour. As the other teens filed out of the room, Taylor and Paul stayed behind.

"Make me feel better, Paul," Taylor said and his put his arms around her.

"Hows this?" he asked.

"You know what I mean," Taylor said. "Make this dull pain go away."

"All right, all right," Paul said and put his hand over her heart and closed his eyes.

And as Paul performed his magic, the knot of pain that had developed since learning of her mother's death slowly began to fade away.