Chapter 21
Harry spent some time playing Quidditch with his friends in the indoor pitch at Headquarters, while still thinking about the argument Snape and Splikvin had earlier. It bugged him that Snape blew up like that, he'd never seen the potions master that angry, even after Harry had looked in his pensive. Tallon pondered it for the rest of the day, coming up with absolutely no answers.
After leaving Headquarters, he went home and found the Founders out of their portraits. He updated them on current events, and practiced with them for a while. That night was a full moon, and so Tallon went to bed very late.
The next day though, it was clear Voldemort did not want to give anyone in the Order some rest. A midnight attack had happened, one that Harry hadn't known about due to his leaving his pendant on his bed when he transformed, and early the next morning, Voldemort attacked again.
Several screams of pain rang out through The Hideaway, tearing Harry into wakefulness. He scrambled out of bed, and found the source: the four founders.
"What's wrong?" he shouted, looking at Salazar, the only one who seemed able to fight down screams.
"Hogwarts," the founder replied through tightly clenched teeth, "Wards…we are tied to them."
Harry understood in a flash, "Hand tight, I'll go see what's happening." He turned to leave but Salazar stopped him with a hiss.
"Go to the Chamber," Slytherin told him, "My wards… begin… there… Godric's…in Headmaster's office….Helga's….in Room of Requirement…and Rowena's in…Astronomy Tower." Salazar's voice was growing tighter, gruffer; his face turned grey with pain, but he wasn't finished. "Use the four spells…they are keyed into…heart of the castle…got it?"
Harry nodded, "Hang on, all of you." The founder nodded stiffly, gritting his teeth, and Harry teleported to Hogwarts.
The castle shuddered, though not physically. Harry could feel the pressure building on it, Hogwarts itself was in pain. He shoved the distracting pain aside, and made his way to the Chamber of Secrets. He hissed the password, and went down as a phoenix. He couldn't suppress a shudder as the memories of second year returned. He forced himself to think of the task at hand, and searched for a place to insert the spell.
He quickly inspected each statue and column in the Chamber, but found nothing that hinted at the right direction. Then, he remembered where the basilisk had come from and hissed: "Speak to me Salazar Slytherin, noblest of the Founders four." The statue opened its mouth, and Harry clambered in. It turned out to be a very old study, covered with dust, green, silver, and mahogany. Bookshelves were empty, the scrolls that had been there either gone or rotted beyond use. A worn desk sported several quills and dried bottles of ink, a circular passage that most likely led to the basilisk's den was in the wall to the left. However, it was at the back of the room that Harry found what he sought.
A pedestal, wrought of silver and emeralds, was placed in a small cove that was shadowed; it had a thing opening, and Harry knew just what to put in there. "Salithren Excalibera," he said, and the sword appeared in his hand. Smoothly, Tallon inserted the sword into the stone, and a blast of emerald green light filled the room, twisting and compacting into the shape of a snake. It coiled up before the pedestal, its tongue flickering out at Harry. After several long moments, the serpent ward inclined its head before unleashing an inner hiss that sounded within Harry's very soul. He felt something inside him responded, but not with nearly the same amount of sly cunning that the serpent's tone had.
Harry, knowing his task was done, left Salazar's study and became a phoenix once more. He flew rapidly up through where he had come, and soared through the castle, wincing as the castle shuddered again. He could feel the evil tainting it, working its way towards the center of the protections. But he could also feel a strong presence, fighting back, and he knew that was the Founders.
A quick glance outside showed him Dumbledore and several other Order members and Hogwarts professors fighting Death Eaters. He wanted to help them, but the wards had to come first. Harry became human as he reached the Room of Requirement. He paced three times before the door thinking, I need Helga's room, the home of her wards.
The door changed to a solid gold one, with a badger pressed into it. Harry pushed it open, and found an room made of white marble, with flecks of gold in the stone. Four pillars formed a square in the center of the room, they were seamlessly joined with both the floor and the now-domed ceiling. "Hufflenza Domec," Harry said, the golden spell grew around him, expanding until it came in contact with the columns. When it did, the spell vanished, and the columns were glowing with yellow light. In the center between the columns, a badger made of yellow light, and that came up to Tallon's hip, appeared. It looked at him for a moment, the nodded and shook itself. Harry could feel comforting warmth spread within and around him, emitting from the badger and again, a bit from himself.
After this, Harry left once more, this time transforming into a werewolf for greater speed and agility. He raced through the corridors, making his way from the floor he was on, to the floor which the Headmaster's office was—and where Godric's wards began.
The portraits were cringing in pain, some crying out; they could feel it too. The stairs even trembled under the pressure which Voldemort was mercilessly applying to the wards. But Hogwarts did not give up. Harry could sense Voldemort's mild surprise at being so forcefully opposed, but he pushed harder, it felt like red-hot iron stakes were being stabbed into Hogwarts over and over again, and everything within the castle was feeling it. Harry cringed when he saw Peeves on the ground, wincing; even the irritable poltergeist didn't deserve pain like this.
The gargoyle leapt aside as Harry approached, its face stonier than usual. Harry took the steps three at a time, skidding to a stop before he crashed head-long into the firm wooden door.
After becoming human, Harry began to search for the place to put Godric's shield. His heart twisted when he saw Fawkes burst into flames, becoming a younger version—it wasn't even time for his Burning Day. 'Do you know where the heart of the wards are?' Tallon asked.
Fawkes' reply was weak, 'I fear not…only the founders and their heir can find it…hurry Tallon.'
Harry mentally cursed Voldemort a hundred times over as Fawkes lapped into unconsciousness. He frantically searched for something that would fit a shield. Where would I put a shield? He wondered, then remembered that some people put their family crests above their door. He glanced up, and sure enough, there was a golden nail hanging above it, along with two golden prongs about a foot and a half beneath it. Harry said, "Godera Contego," and the shield appeared. He levitated it up, and gently placed it where it belonged. A flash of ruby light bathed the room, and turned into a lion. It reared back and let out a ferocious roar, and Harry felt his soul answer, louder than it had to the other two wards.
Three down and one to go, Harry thought, transforming into a phoenix. He felt Voldemort's urgency, and anger at the increasing strength of the wards; the Dark Lord shoved brutally against Hogwarts and its defenses. I won't have time, Harry thought, I won't have time to get there!
'Fire-fly' Fawkes' weak voice answered.
Harry turned and saw the other phoenix open his eyes, 'How?' Harry asked.
'Let yourself become fire, become light.' The phoenix answered wearily, 'Find the fire in your soul, and let it consume you.'
Harry took a deep breath, ruffling his feathers slightly to relax. He brought to mind his elemental lessons; he called up the sound of fire which he had listened for, the feel of its heat, the brightness it brought. He let the feeling spread within him, and suddenly felt very light. A sudden burst of energy exploded within him, and the next thing Tallon knew, he was sitting in phoenix form in the Astronomy Tower.
Becoming human again, Harry searched while transforming his wand into the staff. Its blue runes pulsed, and Harry felt something pull him to the left. He moved in that direction, then stopped: something didn't feel right. He probed the area that called to him with a bit of his magic, and felt darkness try to swallow it. Harry grimaced, Voldemort definitely didn't want him putting it in the right spot. He shoved the distracting pulses of camouflaged darkness away, concentrating on the staff itself. He sensed a sharpness in it, and searched for something that matched. After a few minutes, he sensed something above him that had the exact same feeling, only more dormant, as if waiting for something.
Harry flew up there as a phoenix, with the staff grasped tightly in his talons, and found the heart of Rowena's wards: the weather vane. He landed on the roof, and turned into a human once more. Calmly the winds that thrashed around him so high up off the ground, Harry saw that the copper weather vane was thick, thick enough for the staff. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the top of the weather vane had a crack around it, but a perfect one. Harry gently pried the top off, and found a hole suited to the staff's size. He gently inserted the staff, nearly toppling backwards when the blast of cerulean blue light followed. Like the other wards, it took the shape of the founder's mascot: a raven. It flared its wings, releasing sharp energy, full of ancient knowledge, quick wit, and the feeling Harry knew he got when looking up at the boundless heavens above.
Tallon whooped when the darkness of Voldemort was forced back by the four creatures that were the wards. A combination of the four colors spread out, leaving no inch of the castle untouched. They melded together, keeping their own color but merging perfectly with each other.
The Death Eaters that were fighting below were shoved backwards hundreds of yards with a ferocious blast from Hogwarts, until they were consumed by the Forbidden Forest.
The wards pulsed in warning, until Voldemort himself retreated completely, vanishing altogether from the school grounds. Harry could hear Hogwarts itself celebrating, the Founders' emotions ran through him. He could feel Helga's happiness that the school was safe, Godric's playfulness at a fight, Rowena's satisfaction that everything was back to normal, and Salazar's smugness that he'd won. Harry grinned after sensing the last emotion; only a Slytherin, he thought dryly.
Too right you are, Salazar replied haughtily. Harry laughed from his perch high above the rest of the school; it carried through every corridor, every classroom, every dungeon, and, unknown to him, became part of the wards themselves.
"What's going on now?" Harry asked. He was standing in the Great Hall, where the other teachers and Order members had gathered.
"We've decided to place some extra protections on Hogwarts," Remus told him, still looking a bit tired from the previous nights' adventure, "Well, Dumbledore did anyway."
Harry didn't think that they would need extra wards, but said nothing. He noticed that a few new people appeared as some of the others left, but he didn't really understand why. "What kind of protections exactly?" he asked quietly.
"Blood magic," Dumbledore told him cheerfully, "Or rather, blood bonds."
Then Harry caught on, "You mean like parent and kid, brothers, sisters, friends, that sort of thing?"
Dumbledore smiled, "Exactly, but there are a few others as well; we are actually almost ready." They waited until a few more people arrived, the last being Splikvin; she looked slightly nervous, but hid it quickly before anyone could really notice.
Dumbledore cleared his throat, "We will be setting several protections today, they are all blood bond protections, and here they are: brother and sister, sisters, brothers, parent and child, teacher and pupil, spouses, and friend and friend. Everything clear?"
There was an echo of 'yes', 'yup' and 'got it' throughout the hall. Dumbledore continued, "Do you all know which role you will play?" They nodded, except Harry.
"Sorry Sir," he said, "But I don't."
"Oh yes, my apologies. Would you please do the pupil and teacher?" asked Dumbledore.
Harry blinked, "Sure, I guess."
Dumbledore nodded, "Very good, let's begin."
The group separated into groups, the largest consisting of those who would supply the power, they included: Dumbledore, McGonagall, Dung, Professors Vector, Trelawney, Madame Pomfrey, Dedalus Diggle, Kingsley, Moody, and Tonks. The rest of them divided into to lines, each facing the person they would be doing the magic with. Harry found himself standing opposite of a cheerily smiling Flitwick. Harry observed the other pairs: Mrs. Weasley and Bill, Mr. Weasley and Charlie, Fred and George, Remus and Sirius, Madame Hooch and a man he didn't recognize, Professor Sprout and a woman who looked similar, and, lastly, Snape and Splikvin.
The power-suppliers formed a ring around the pairs, and began to quietly chant the spell. Harry felt their magic rise into the air, and hover around the first pair: Remus and Sirius. "From friend to friend," Remus said, opening a small cut on his palm and holding it out to Sirius, "Always beside each other, always with each other."
Sirius cut his hand in a similar manner and pressed it to Remus', "From friend to friend, always getting into trouble together, and always getting out of it together." They smiled as others chuckled, and a soft red glow surrounded them, then vanished into the very stones of the castle.
Then it was Sprout's turn, she opened a small cut as well. "From sister to sister," she said with a smile, "Eternally united with one another, and eternally annoying each other."
Sprout's sister pressed her cut hand to her partner and said, "From sister to sister, eternally united against little brothers, and eternally laughing with each other." A bright golden glow flowed around them.
Madame Hooch began the next part. "From wife to husband, always joined through love and life." She said with a rare smile.
The man replied with a smile of his own, "From husband to wife, always joined through laughter and misery." A new, pearly-white glow sprang into the air, beginning from their hands.
Then it was Harry's and Flitwick's turn. Flitwick opened a small cut on his hand and said, "From teacher to pupil, constantly together through arguments and thoughts."
Harry used his own dagger to make a slit in his palm, which he pressed to Flitwick's. "From pupil to teacher, constantly together through lessons and corrections." As he finished his words, Tallon felt a sharp warmth flow through him, filled with energy from the others. It swirled around inside him in a mildly painful way, but it was a good painful, like when he lost a tooth. If swirled for a moment before flowing out, mingling with the energy that came from Flitwick; Harry was strongly reminded of the first time he'd gripped his original wand. A purple light came out of their hands, and then gently floated into the castle.
Harry was left slightly breathless and tired as he listened to the others. "From mother to son," Mrs. Weasley began, "Always together through worries and pride."
Bill pressed his cut palm to his mothers and said, "From son to mother, always together through annoyance and happiness." Another red light formed, this one lighter than others.
"From Father to son," began Mr. Weasley, "Eternally joined by strength and ideas."
Charlie replied, "From son to father, eternally joined by faith and courage." A soft blue light flowed out of them.
Then it was the twins' turn. Fred solemnly cut his palm and offered it to his brother. "From brother to brother," he began with mock-formality, "Constantly united by jokes and mischief."
George replied in the same 'formal' way, managing to keep a straight face, "From brother to brother, constantly united by pranks and boundless ideas for trouble." The others chuckled while an extremely bright orange glow exploded from the mischief makers.
Then the last pair stepped forward. Snape cut his palm, "From brother to sister, forever bound by blood and honor." He said, holding out his hand.
Splikvin cut her own and pressed it to Snape's. "From sister to brother, forever bound by hope and trust." She finished softly. Harry didn't miss the small, apologetic smile she gave her twin, and the tiniest one Snape gave in return as the bright emerald light, similar in magnitude to Fred and George's, lit up.
All the lights that had come from the bonders came into view, bringing the entire castle to a vibrating liveliness. Harry could feel Hogwarts thrumming with new energy, the stones seemed more polished than before, and the grass outside greener. He smiled, maybe extra protection wasn't such a badidea after all…
Coming Up:
International Members
Happy Birthday To Me!
School-Time Memories
Maybe the Mirror does Show the Future
Then:
Breaking the News
Review Response:
MinorMistake99: Yes, Lily's protection did last on Harry, after all, it's only Voldemort who has Harry's blood, and that only means that he can touch Harry, that perhaps part of the protection transferred to him as well.
(A/N: Wow, thank you VERY much for reviewing! I'm glad you have not been disappointed. Thanks again for all your questions, comments, and ideas towards the story; keep it up and good luck in your own writing! A.S.Leif)