First I want to apologize for how long it's taken to post this chapter. I've been so busy with work that I haven't even had a chance to sit in front of a computer for a few weeks.

There has also been some talk about the way the Potter's are portrayed. Even in the books they were pretty one dimensional, and only discussed in passing. You also have to leave time for the characters to develop as well. The reason that the Potter's aren't universally hated is because they're basically politicians. They only let the public see one image of them, but it will be discussed more in further chapters.

I also think that I gave the wrong impression about how I take reviews. I don't have any problem with getting bad reviews. I only take issue when the reviewer doesn't offer anything constructive. Basically saying something sucks and not offering anything beyond that.

The Chronicles of Merlin: The Return

Chapter Six

August 20th, The Burrow, Weasley living room…

"Ginny what exactly do you know about Harry's family?" Hermione asked carefully. It wasn't everyday that someone's hero fell from their pedestal.

"Well they treat Harry pretty badly, except for Glory right?" Ginny asked, not sure where this conversation was heading.

"Ginny I truly hate to be the one to tell you this, but I think you'll want to know before you go to Hogwarts." Harry said. If Ginny had to know about the way his family treated him, he wanted to be the one to tell her.

"What is it?" Ginny asked. She had never seen Harry this… uncomfortable.

"Glory isn't the hero you think she is. It's true that she beat Voldemort but no one is sure how. I hate to be the one to tell you this but it's made her arrogant, and cruel to anyone she feels is beneath her. I doubt very much that she wants to be your friend." Harry sighed, he could almost feel Ginny's heart break at the revelation.

"No! You're lying." Ginny shouted after a long moment of silence and stormed out of the room. "You're just jealous of her!"

"Maybe I shouldn't have told her." Harry said with a sigh.

"No Harry, you did the right thing. It's better that she finds out from you now, rather than from Glory later." Hermione disagreed.

"True, but it doesn't make it any easier."

"Just give her some time. I'm sure that she's going to come around eventually." Hermione hoped. The last thing Harry needed was someone else that hated him.

"I hope so." Harry said. "I think I'm going to get some sleep Hermione. It's been a long day. I'll see you in the morning?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. I think I'm going to get some sleep myself." Hermione agreed.

August 27th, the Burrow, the garden…

Harry sat outside in the garden thinking. Ginny had been giving him the cold shoulder for the entire week, and her family had been beside themselves. It was only at Harry's insistence that they did not force her to apologize. He felt that an apology wouldn't mean anything if it was forced.

"Are you still feeling bad about Ginny?" Ron asked as he sat down beside him.

"I told her that her hero was nothing but liar and a fake. How would you feel if someone told you that?" Harry asked.

"Good point." Ron conceded. "I guess it isn't really a comfort to hear us tell you that she's going to get over it eventually."

"Not as little as you might think. It's nice to know that you all care." Harry said with a ghost of a smile.

"Of course we care Harry. You may not realize it now but you have a way of changing people. We're all better people for having known you." Ron complemented with complete sincerity.

"He's right Harry." Hermione said as sat down beside them. She had picked up the last part of the conversation, and had seen Harry's blush. "And I know that Ginny will see things the way they really are when she meets your sister."

"Maybe you're right. Ginny is pretty observant. I just hope that the fact that Glory's her hero doesn't cloud her judgment." Harry said as he thought about all the people that only knew Glory's name and considered her their hero.

"You know I've always wondered something." Draco said as he sat down beside them. "Who is your hero Harry?"

"Where did that come from?" Harry asked.

"Well we've been talking about hero for the entire week, you know all of ours so who's your hero Harry?" Draco asked, while he stared at Harry along with Ron and Hermione.

"Well he isn't anyone famous, but he's what I think a hero should be." Harry said as he thought about the question.

"Well don't keep us in suspense mate. Who is it?" Ron asked.

"His name is Paul Wilkins." Harry said to the confused look of his friends.

"I've never heard of him." Draco said.

"No, I don't imagine you would. He's only famous to people he saved.

I was reading a newspaper a couple of years ago. A bridge collapsed after an earthquake in Edinburgh. There was a school bus trapped inside with twenty children. Fire fighters and rescue workers were all over the city, there was no one free to go the bridge, and everyone around was too afraid for their own lives to help.

Paul ran in, didn't even hesitate even though the bridge could collapse at any moment. He pried open the back door which was smashed in pretty bad and started pulling out the kids. They were all unconscious from the debris falling on the bus, and it tipping over.

He never stopped, never wavered, not to take a break, not even when chunks of cement started falling all around him in the after shocks. He just kept going back in until the last person was out of that bus." Harry's voice was thick with emotion as he remembered the story.

"I remember reading about that too." Hermione said. "Didn't a piece of cement land on his back when he was pulling the driver out?" Hermione barely remember the article. Time and the fact that it didn't happen to her dulled the memory.

"It did, he was paralyzed from the neck down." Harry confirmed. "It was the first time that I left Potter Manor. Harry said, deliberately not referring to it as his home.

"I had to meet him, of course it was about a month after everything happened and I actually got to talk to him. I asked him if he regretted it, knowing what would happen to him. Do you know what he told me?" Harry asked, with a smile on his face now.

Harry's friends just shook their heads. They were captivated by his story.

"He said that if he could go back in time and do it all over again he would do everything exactly the same way, because to the people he saved it meant everything.

I wanted to help him so much after what he told me. I guess it's what triggered my healing powers. Before I even knew what I was doing I fixed his body. The doctor's called it a miracle, and Paul has kept my secret ever since." Harry finished his story.

"Did you ever see him again?" Hermione asked with a few stray tears in her eyes.

"Yes, we write letters, and I visit him every now and them. He's probably the greatest example of a human being I have ever met." Harry said with complete sincerity.

"What's he doing now?" Ron asked.

"He's a inspirational speaker. He talks to people with debilitating, and incurable injuries. He shows them that they're still worthy of living." Harry remembered all the people that had given up on living, that had changed their minds after speaking with Paul.

"Leave it to Harry to find the noblest hero out of all of us." Draco joked. "I've always wondered how you turned out the way you did with parents like yours, but now it's starting to become more obvious."

"Harry, I heard your story." Ginny said quietly as she opened the back door and stepped outside, speaking to him for the first time in a week.

"Ginny, you're speaking to me again?" Harry asked hopefully.

"I'm sorry about the way I acted Harry, but I just can't believe that Glory could act that way." Ginny said adamantly.

"We don't have to agree on everything Ginny." Harry said diplomatically. "Do you want to just put it behind us for now and deal with it when it happens?"

"I'd like that Harry." Ginny said as she gave him a hug. She had hated being mad at Harry for the whole week, especially after she saw how bad Harry had felt about the whole thing.

September 1st, King's Cross Station, Platform 9 ¾ …

Harry had just walked onto the platform to come face to face with his parents. "Mother, Father," he greeted as he tried to walk past them.

"Hold on a minute boy." James said with a sneer. "I want you to know that you're officially cut off. We will not pay for anything of yours anymore." James was still mad about Merlin's vault, and knowing now that he could only remove 25000 galleons per month, which was almost nothing considering Harry's current wealth, and his monthly earnings. He no longer had any reason to hide his distaste for his son.

"I already know. I received the letter concerning my school fees. I have taken care of everything." Harry said happy that for once his parents could not ruin his day.

"There's more, you are no longer welcomed in our family. The next time we meet it will be as strangers." Lily said, with equal malice. Her stance was hurt somewhat by the fact that they would still continue to take money from Merlin's vault.

"Then there is nothing left between us." Harry said. A part of him was happy that his parents would not be part of his life anymore. He wasn't even surprised that it happened, but he still felt hurt that they could still treat him this way.

Harry boarded the Hogwarts Express and quickly found the compartment his friends were in. Also with them was Ginny, who decided to stick with them until she met some of her year mates.

"Hi guys." Harry said as he sat down.

No sooner had Harry sat down that the compartment door opened, revealing Glory Potter.

Glory was starting to look more like her mother every day. She was almost a carbon copy of her actually. There were only a couple of differences though. She had her father's unruly hair, and a slight roundness to her body that could change very quickly from baby fat to pudgy if she wasn't careful.

She must have been eating candy for most of the summer, Harry though idly. Glory always ate candy when she was angry or annoyed.

Glory stepped in arrogantly with a sneer on her face. "So this is the kind of riff raff that can stand to spend anytime around you."

Ginny felt a little hurt about being called riff raff but decided to chalk it up to Glory just being nervous. She stood up to introduce herself with a smile on her face, her hand outstretched.

"Don't bother." Glory said as she turned her nose up at Ginny's hand of friendship and introduction. "Hand me down robes, freckles, red hair, you have to be a Weasley. Your family must have starved for months to pay for Hogwarts." She said with a cold laugh.

Ginny's smile evaporated as her hand dropped to her side with a look of shock on her face. "What did I ever do to you?" Ginny asked, not sure why she was receiving such harsh treatment.

"You sully the name of all pure bloods, consorting with such mud bloods." Glory glared at Hermione.

"That's enough Glory." Harry warned as he shot to his feet, followed by Ron and Draco. "Mother and father aren't here for you to run to."

"Shut up!" Glory shouted. "You think you're so powerful don't you? Well I know you're a fake so stop pretending. Mom and dad aren't even your parents anymore. They disowned you a week ago." Glory said triumphantly.

"They told me before I boarded the train." Harry confirmed, ignoring the looks of shock on Ron and Draco's faces.

"You must be Draco Malfoy." Glory said as a smile formed on her lips as she walked up to him. "As you know some wizarding families are better than others. I can help you there. Together we could be great." She said as she extended her hand.

Draco just looked at her hand for a moment before speaking. "I am more than capable of choosing my own friends." Draco said in a frosty voice. "And I have a feeling our definitions of better families greatly differ."

"That was a mistake Malfoy." Glory said as she withdrew her hand and stormed out of the compartment and slammed the door.

"Is she always that charming?" Hermione asked sarcastically, not noticing the lost looks in her friend's eyes. "What is it?" She asked after a long silence.

"Harry's family disowned him Hermione." Ron said, as if to explain everything.

"So what if they did? Harry's better off without them anyway." Hermione said, not fully grasping the situation.

"You don't understand Hermione. When a wizarding family disowns someone they can no longer even you the same last name. Harry isn't a Potter anymore. Any rites of passage, family heirlooms, or keepsakes that he would have received as first born would bypass him, and go to Glory." Draco explained.

"That isn't entirely true." Harry interrupted. "I doubt very much that they will stop withdrawing money from Merlin's vault. Legally I have to disown them as well, and that will not be possible since I'm underage."

"That isn't fair!" Ron said. His outrage was obvious to everyone in the compartment.

"Life rarely is." Harry pointed out.

"I still don't get it. Harry the riches person in the world right now. Why would he need them or their name?" Hermione asked annoyed that she didn't know the answers to a lot of the things that were happening.

"The Potter's are decedents of Godirc Gryffindor. Now that he is no longer recognized as a descendent Glory will be able to exercise her rights as the heir." Ron explained.

"What rights does she have? I don't remember Harry every exercising any right?" Hermione asked, her thirst for knowledge rearing its head.

"I chose not to exercise them." Harry said speaking for the first time since the discussion started. "Glory will be on roughly the same level as head girl, able to take or give house points, and detentions. She's going to do everything she can to make things difficult for us, in uniting the houses, and finding out how to free Altia."

"Uniting the houses?" Ron asked. "Since when were we doing that?" Harry had never mentioned it the entire summer.

"I can feel it, something's coming. It's very old and also very familiar. We have all thought that it had died years ago, but it still lives, waiting for the right moment to strike." Harry tried to explain, but it was hard to put into words.

"Do you know who it is?" Hermione asked in alarm. "Maybe Dumbledore can help us."

"No." Harry immediately vetoed the idea. "The headmaster can not be trusted completely, he will either dismiss out concerns outright or coerce Glory into facing it, and she is nowhere near ready for such and undertaking." Harry explained.

"Alright we'll do it your way." Ron agreed. "I just hope you know what you're doing."

September 1st, Hogwarts, the great hall…

The hat had already sung its song for they year and had almost finished the sorting. All that were left were Ginny and Glory.

Ginny was called first and she placed the hat on her head nervously.

"Well another Weasley, I didn't think I would be sorting another so soon." The hat spoke into Ginny's head.

"Plenty of talent I see, and not a stranger to courage. Where shall I place you?"

"Anywhere is fine I have friends in all four houses." Ginny said as she smiled at Harry.

"Ah, a friend of Merlin incarnate, you are indeed blessed, you could learn a great deal from him, better be Hufflepuff!" The hat shouted.

Ginny immediately ran to the Hufflepuff table and sat down beside Harry, who had moved to the side to give her room, as her new house cheered for her.

When the clapping subsided a hush fell over the great hall as the hat was placed on Glory's head.

The hat had only touched Glory for a split second before the hat bellowed "Slytherin!"

No one was more shocked by the new than Glory who stared at the hat dumbly for a minute, before going into all too familiar rage. "That hat's lying! There's no way that I could go to Slytherin. Make it choose again." She demanded.

The headmaster quickly walked to Glory and they began to speak in hushed tones for a few minutes, with Glory's exclamations every now and then.

"May I have your attention please?" Dumbledore said, bring the chatter of the students about what had happened to and end.

"There is a perfectly rational explanation for Glory Potter's sorting. The dark magic he-who-must-not-be-named used when he had tried to kill her still remains in her scar, which has confused the sorting hat no doubt. Glory will of course be joining Gryffindor." Dumbledore said as the students began to clap uncertainly. The hat had always chosen what house you were sorted into. This was the first time in history that the hat's decision was not adhered to.

Glory quickly walked to the Gryffindor table and sat down.

Dumbledore then began the start of term announcements. "The forbidden forest is just that forbidden, and the corridor on the third floor is also out of bounds for anyone that dos not wish to die a grizzly death. Also consult Mr. Filch for the list of bands items which I believe has just reached 500."

Soon after Dumbledore finished the feast appeared on the table and everyone began to tuck in.

"I can't believe that Dumbledore changed the decision of the sorting hat." Ginny said with a frown. "I really don't think that it was just her scar."

"It was not." Harry agreed. "Dumbledore can't dictate Glory's actions as well as he could if she were in Slytherin."

"Why would he want to do that?" Ginny asked. "He has been grooming Glory as his weapon since she defeated Voldemort. He sees us all as only chess pieces in the game of life, and himself as the chess master."

"Why would he be grooming Glory and not you? You're Merlin Incarnate." Ginny asked.

"He did not know I was Merlin incarnate until the end of last school term. He is probably still trying to figure out how to manipulate me, possibly through you or anyone else I know." Harry revealed. While everyone else was blinded by all of his accomplishments Harry had a way of seeing right through the images that others projected and saw the real person, and Dumbledore was dangerous.

To Be Continued…