Hi, I just want to start with addressing the fact that some of the characters seem a little flat, or one dimensional. I actually agree with that point, and in the next few chapters I hope to develop the characters a little more.
I also wanted to acknowledge the fact that I definitely do need a beta reader, and that I do like to get reviews that challenge the story and point out inconsistencies, most of what actually bugs me is the way that people go about doing it, there are ways to do it without being insulting. I personally think that silentinquisition wrote a really great review. He/she made some valid points about how the story could be improved without making it insulting, so thanks for the really great review silentinquisition.
On a side note for anyone that's wondering Paul Wilkins is not a real person, it's mostly just something that I made up for the story.
Also to address the point about why the Potter's can still take money out of Harry's vault even though he was disowned is basically it was an incomplete ritual. The part that the Potter's did was basically saying that Harry is basically denied the Potter title and anything related to it. When Harry becomes of age he has to do the same thing.
The Chronicles of Merlin: The Return
Part Seven
September 2nd, Hogwarts, The Great Hall…
Ginny had just come down to breakfast with Harry and the rest of her house mates when she had met up with her brothers.
A part of her had been dreading this meeting. Every Weasley ended up in Gryffindor, and she was the only exception in over a hundred years.
Fred, George, and Ron seemed happy though, not a trace of anger on their faces.
"How do you liking Hufflepuff so far?" Fred asked with a smile.
"You're not mad that I'm not in Gryffindor?" Ginny asked.
"What, are you kidding?" Ron asked. "They're just houses. You'll always be our sister." The fact was the thought had never crossed his mind.
"We were actually coming to congratulate you." George said. "Do you know how many students here would give up their right arm to be in the same house as Harry?"
Harry blushed almost immediately at the compliment. "That isn't exactly true guys," Harry tried to say.
"You're just too humble for your own good Harry." Fred laughed. "There are a lot of people here that respect you."
"Some even more than Glory." George added.
"If you're going to unite the houses like Ron says then you've got our support." Fred finished.
September 2nd, Hogwarts, Potion's Classroom…
Professor Snape entered the potion's classroom moments before class started and walked to the front.
"Well, I'm surprised that most of you are actually made it into second year." He said as he glared at the Hufflepuff side of the room, taking time to stare specifically at Harry. "Most probably coasting off the accomplishments of our more gifted students," he said as he then stared at the Slytherin's.
The whole idea was a little absurd because with Harry's help his house had become some of the best potion brewers in the school for their year.
"Potter," Snape said, starting to dig into Harry again. "What is the proper way to prepare mandrake root for brewing?"
"Actually professor, I am no longer a Potter." Harry said evenly. "For now I only have a first name."
"Wait. That would mean…" Snape trailed off as he realized what happened.
"Yes, my family has disowned me." Harry replied. He had decided that it would probably be better to get this all out in the open, rather than allow the rumors and half truths to spread around the school.
"Why?" Snape asked, completely forgetting about the class. His whole view about Harry Potter, no, just Harry now had been shattered.
"I didn't live up to their expectations, and I suspect that they wanted Glory to have the rights of the heir rather than me." Harry answered again.
"They would disown Merlin incarnate all so you wouldn't have the rights of the heir?" Snape asked with no small amount of skepticism in his voice.
"With all due respect professor, there is very little that you know about me, or my standing with my former family. You have already formed your opinion of me long before you even met me."
"And what opinion is that?" Snape asked. He would be dammed if he would be lectured by a child, Merlin incarnate or not.
"The same opinion as my father, that I am nothing. That I only coast off the popularity of my sister, and that both you and him will do everything in your power to show the world that I am the fraud you think I am." Harry said, laying out everything in the open.
"I am nothing like you father boy." Snape said hotly. He would be dammed if he was called the same as James Potter.
"You are," Harry denied. "In you hatred of me, you are one and the same, and I used to believe it as well." Harry admitted. "Last year everyone knew the image I had of myself. I allowed you and everyone that I knew push me around. This year I will push back."
"Is that a threat Mr. Potter?" Snape asked evenly. The boy had done it again! Snape had never felt more insulted in his life. How dare this boy preach to him?
"No Professor it is no threat. I am not one for violence, but neither will I stand by and do nothing against your verbal assaults. You know as well as I do that my house boasted some of the highest scores in potions last year that the school has seen in a long time. I will supersede you and even Dumbledore and go straight to the board of governors if you ever call any student a fool, a dunderhead, or any other derogatory comment again. As a teacher it is your duty to help us, not punish us for learning, or knowing the material ahead of time." Harry said, never feeling more confident. No one in the room had even considered to interrupt him, only looking at him with undivided attention. "This extends to the entire school." He added as an afterthought. "If you are unfair to any student I will know about. I believe that my name may have some weight with them."
Everyone knew that Harry wasn't talking about the Potter name, but Merlin, the father of magic.
"We will be talking about this with the headmaster." Snape said as he shot a glare at Harry. None of his Slytherin's had even come to his aide during all of that. They all just listened quietly to Harry. If Snape didn't know any better he would have thought it respect.
"My aim is not to insult you professor." Harry said as he realized that it may have sounded a little insulting to him. "Our moment of peace is very close to coming to an end. If we are to survive it we must stand together like never before. I can guarantee you that it will be nothing like even you have felt before Professor. I feel it in my soul." Harry said.
For the rest of potions class it was relatively quiet. No one spoke out of turn, no one insulted another. It was as if they had all been seriously considering what Harry had to say.
"You will meet me in the headmaster's office tonight after dinner." Snape said as he glared at Harry before dismissing the class.
September 2nd, Hogwarts, Potion's Classroom…
It was the third period of the day, potions with the Hufflepuff and Slytherin first years. It was also the beginning of Glory's first potions class. Glory had made fast friends with the Patili twins, who now followed her around very closely.
Snape again swept into the classroom with his sneer in place and gave the same first year speech that he had last year, and stopped again at the name Potter.
"Well if it isn't our other celebrity." Snape said with a sneer as he decided to test just how much Glory new about potions.
"I'm not the other celebrity," Glory said hotly. "Harry isn't anything but a fake. I've known him my entire life. He was a looser then and an even bigger looser now!"
"Well tell me then Potter, what's the proper way to brew a wolf's bane potion?" Snape asked with a sneer. It was a very difficult potion to brew. He was confident that Glory wouldn't know how to brew it.
"I can't be bothered with such trivial things." Glory said dismissively.
"That will be 30 points from Gryffindor sneered, "And a week's worth of detention." The girl definitely needed to be taken down a few pegs. Even her father hadn't been quit that arrogant.
"Do you know who I am?" Glory asked in shock. How dare this… this… overgrown bat try to punish her?
"I know very well who you are, and you're nothing more than spoiled brat, just like your father." Snape shouted in anger.
"How dare you!" Glory shot back. "I am the heir of Gryffindor, I will not suffer your detention, and furthermore I award Gryffindor 30 points for putting up with the shear stupidity of such a poor excuse for a man."
"This will not stand!" Snape roared. "The headmasters will hear of this." He promised.
For the rest of the class both Snape, and Glory glared at each other angrily. Neither one was able to one up the other, only cause a great amount of anxiety for the people around them.
September 3rd, Dumbledore's office… "I'm telling you Albus, the boy was almost unbearable. With his sister here he will be even worse." Snape said. The boy had become too willful this year, and has no respect for his elders.
"What could he have done to get you this riled?" Albus asked, playing the old grandfather role to a tee.
"He interrupted my lesson, questioned my teaching methods, and even threatened to go over my head to board of governors. With Malfoy in his pocket there's no telling the damage he could do." Snape said in an irate tone, as he presented his own edited version of events.
Albus was saved from commenting by a soft knock at the door. "Please come in Mr. Potter." Albus asked.
"Headmaster, Professor," Harry greeted respectfully as he entered.
Harry was soon met by Fawkes, who trilled happily as he landed on his shoulder.
"Hello as well Fawkes." Harry said with a smile. "It has been some time since we saw each other last."
"You know Fawkes?" Dumbledore asked with mild curiosity. As far as he recalled the boy had never met Fawkes.
"Not in this life," Harry said as he sat down. "What did you wish to see me about?" He changed the subject.
"Professor Snape tells me that you've been giving him some trouble in class." Albus said, wondering if what Snape was saying was true. Harry had been polite and respectful ever since he entered.
"No headmaster. I merely informed Professor Snape about my standing with my former family, and what I thought of his teaching methods." Harry informed him.
"What do you mean former family?" Albus asked, completely forgetting about Snape's grievance.
"The Potter family has disowned me. I believe it is because they want Glory to have the rights of the heir." Harry answered.
"I see." Albus said thinly, a look that promised he would find out more about it later. "But getting back to the original subject, it is not your place to question the teaching methods of a professor, Merlin incarnate or not."
"Professor Snape has insulted and belittled his last student professor." Harry said firmly. "If you continue to support him in the face of all that he has done, I will be forced to report you as well to the board of governors for condoning his actions." He could not allow himself to be swayed by either of them.
"This is exactly what I'm talking about!" Snape nearly shouted. "Just like his father no respect for authority."
"I am not the problem professor." Harry stated. "You are."
"There he goes again, disrespectful just like his father." Snape added with a sneer.
"It would not matter if James Potter was my father or not. You are a bigot professor." Harry said flatly. "You have always found someone or something to hate. You've been doing it so long you don't remember when you started, or even what your life would be like if you stopped hating. It has gotten to the point where hate is the only thing you have, and that's no way to live a life.
It's time to step out of the shadows and rejoin the rest of the world. It is not quite the scary place you believe it to be."
There it was, all laid out. All of Snape's fears, everything he thought he guarded from everyone else. It figured that Harry would be the one to point it out.
Snape gave one final glance to Harry and Albus before he stormed out of the office. He didn't know what to say or even how to react to Harry's revelation.
The door opened a moment later showing the smug face of Glory Potter quickly dissolving into anger as she saw Harry. "What is HE doing here?" She demanded as she glared at Harry.
"I was speaking with the headmaster and professor Snape." Harry replied without the malice and anger of his sister.
"I'm supposed to be talking to him about Snape's attitude." Glory bit out. "GET OUT!"
Harry rolled his eyes slightly at Glory's tantrum. "Headmaster, Fawkes." He waved as he left.
Harry noticed with some amusement that no matter how hard Glory tried Fawkes wouldn't go anywhere near her as he left.
September 3rd, Hogwarts, The Great Hall…
"Did you hear?" Draco asked as he sat down beside Harry, Hermione, and Ron.
"Hear about what?" Ron asked curiously as he took a bite of his eggs.
Draco held out a copy of the Daily Prophet in front of them.
Harry took the paper from him and began to skim that article. "Gringolts was robbed, fortunately the vault's contents had already been removed shortly before the break in. What is supposedly the safest place in all of England?" Harry asked his friends.
"Hogwarts," Ron, Draco, and Hermione all responded at once.
"Exactly," Harry agreed "and the third floor corridor is out of bounds this year."
"What do you think it is?" Hermione asked.
"I'm not sure, but I'm sensing a highly powerful magic object somewhere in the school, I just can't figure out where exactly." Harry admitted. It had been in the back of his mind as soon as he set foot in Hogwarts.
"You can sense magical objects?" Draco asked. It wasn't everyday someone was just able to sense magical objects. It was considered a lost art.
"Why can't you figure out where exactly?" Ron asked curiously.
"Hogwarts itself is a highly powerful magic object." Harry explained. "It causes interference."
Snape fumed as he looked over at Harry talking to all hid friends. He had started out at Hogwarts the same way, and had believed that Harry would end up following the same path as him, friendless and alone.
He was wrong however. Harry seemed to have no problem with making friends. There were very few people in the school that would speak a single word against him.
What really infuriated Snape though was the fact that it wasn't even because he was Merlin Incarnate. They all genuinely respected him for who he was. Deep down inside he knew that Harry wasn't anything like his family, but he would be dammed before he admitted it to anyone else.
Harry had become everything that he had wished to be, and he was to put in plainly jealous. Why should that boy be able to command so much respect? It was he that risked life and limb as a double agent.
Albus looked over at Snape, then Harry and he could guess what Snape was thinking. He had been thinking about the boy himself. Harry becoming Merlin had come out of nowhere, upsetting all his carefully laid out plans. The boy wasn't supposed to be anything special.
Albus was confident though, that eventually he would win the boy over. He was too kind hearted and trusting. Although they were admirable qualities to have, he could be easily manipulated by them. Perhaps if he played his card right he could replace Glory as his protégé. The girl had become too arrogant and hard to control.
Perhaps it was a bad idea to let her know of her accomplishments so early in life. It had gone to her head, and lord knows her parents didn't do anything to deflate her ego.
The boy already commanded a great deal of respect, and was making powerful allies almost every day. Soon he would be difficult to influence so Albus had to make his move soon. Perhaps if he gave him some miniscule, unimportant fact about what was to happen in the coming year he could win him over.
"Harry, why are the headmaster and Snape staring at you?" Hermione asked.
"Snape is upset because I told him that I would report him to the board of governors if he ever belittled another student." Harry replied.
"Why should he be that angry? I am sure that the board of governors will be fair." Hermione asked.
"Fair?" Draco asked as he burst out laughing. The very idea was hilarious. "My father is on the board of Governors. The last thing it will be is fair."
"But your father is on the light side. He wouldn't do that." Hermione said.
"No my father is on Harry's side, and still a Slytherin. Nothing is ever going to change that. If Snape goes to the board of governors he's going to be crucified, and he knows it. What else does he have except impotent rage?"
"It shouldn't be that way." Hermione defended. "The board of governors should be impartial."
"It doesn't really matter Hermione." Ron added his own opinion. "If Snape is fair to every student at Hogwarts then he won't have to worry about the board of governors being fair to him."
Hermione just sighed, she had to admit that Ron had a point. As long as one party was fair, it didn't really matter if the other was. "Well what about the headmaster then?"
"The headmaster is a powerful man Hermione." Harry began. "He is the kind of person that will try to control the outcome of every possible situation. To him I am a wild card. All his carefully laid plans have effectively been blown out of the water, and he is trying to regain as much control of the situation as possible. It's possible that he will try to recruit me, as well as anyone I associate with."
"So how do you want to do this Harry?" Ron asked. He was raised to always trust Dumbledore, but he would believe his friend before a man he had barely spoken with in his entire time at Hogwarts.
"I honestly don't know Ron, but whatever that magical object is inside the school it's probably related to what he's planning." Harry thought.
September 3rd, Hogwarts, Huffelpuff common room…
Ginny stormed into the common room. She couldn't believe what Glory Potter had done. She had shoved her during flying lessons and she nearly cracked her head on the ground because of it. If that wasn't enough she had challenged her to a wizarding duel. Worse still, she had accepted. She didn't even know any spells yet.
"Is something wrong Ginny?" Harry asked. He noticed that Ginny seemed a little tightly wound as soon as she came into the common room.
"Harry!" Ginny seized the opportunity. If anyone could help her Harry could. He was easily the smartest person in the school, maybe the entire wizarding world. "I need you to teach me how to duel."
"What?" Harry asked as he stared at her blankly for a moment. Since when did Ginny want to know how to duel?
"Glory challenged me to a wizarding duel, and I said yes. I just don't know any spells. Can you teach me some of the ones you know?" Ginny said anxiously.
"Glory challenged you to a wizarding duel?" Harry asked, as far as he knew Glory didn't know any spells either.
"Yes, and it's tonight at midnight." Ginny said impatiently.
"Ginny, Glory doesn't know any spells either, much less have the magical power necessary to cast anything harmful." Harry said as he tried to ease her concerns.
"Maybe someone from Gryfindorr taught her. Harry I can't just go into this duel without knowing anything." Ginny pleaded.
"Alright," Harry conceded. Glory hadn't shown any real interest growing up to learn spells, but it was possible. She was somehow able to defeat Voldemort.
"Great, what can we learn first?" Ginny asked "maybe, how to turn her into a toad, or maybe a slug." Ginny suggested. "Is there a spell to make her gain a hundred pounds?"
"Slow down Ginny." Harry smiled. She was enthusiastic he had to give her that. "Those are all really advanced spells, and way beyond what you can learn in a couple of hours."
"What can I learn then?" Ginny asked as her attitude deflated.
"This is a good one." Harry said as he raised his want towards the fire place. "Stupefy." He said as a red beam of light shot out of his wand and hit the stone above the fire place.
"It didn't do anything." Ginny said. There wasn't even a mark on the wall.
"It safely knocks out your opponent." Harry clarified.
This is a duel Harry!" Ginny tried to explain. "I don't need to learn something safe. I need you to show me a spell that's going to help me win."
"Ginny I don't even think Glory will show up. This is all more than likely a plan to get you caught, and even if she does go it will only be to take house points away from you." Harry explained. He didn't really think that anything good would come from meeting Glory.
"I have to go Harry." Ginny pleaded. "I gave my word, this is a wizarding duel." She explained.
"Alright," Harry sighed. He could tell how much this meant to Ginny. "If this is a wizarding duel then you have to have a second. I'll teach you the stupefy spell, and if anything happens I will be your second." Harry promised.
"Thank you Harry." Ginny said as she happily hugged him.
To be continued…