Voices were whispering all around him. He struggled to open his eyes, it felt as if he was under thousands of gallons of water. Blinking his eyes, he slowly pulled himself up. The whispers stopped, but his every movement was still sluggish. He swept his gaze across the area around him and found the room rather bare of anything except the chair he was set on, and a group of another four chairs across from him. All the chairs were occupied, he sat up straighter when he locked eyes with the figures staring at him.
"Who are you?" Harry asked. He figured bluntness was the best way to address this strange situation. He was sure that he was just in Gringotts, surrounded by goblins, and in immense pain from the ritual.
"We are a few of your ancestors." Spoke a small woman, getting to her feet. "You underwent a ritual to unlock all of your powers. You are going to be receiving multiple titles, one former family head from each family you are heir to will appear to you during this ritual. Each family will also grant you access to a gift that runs in their bloodline. We were chosen to be the first you meet." Harry stared at her while his mind worked through what she said. He finally settled on just going with the flow, Magic after all always seemed to have something else up her sleeve that he never knew about.
"Ok, then who are you, why am I inheriting your titles, and what gifts are you giving me?" The woman stepped forward and knelt before his chair, taking his hand in hers.
"My name is Helga Hufflepuff, you are heir to my title, vault, and bloodline through your mother." Harry opened his mouth but paused at the look she sent him, and closed it again. "Your mother is not a Muggleborn as you believe. I placed a spell on my bloodline so that only those with the proper mindset and open heart would be able to inherit my magic. This sadly cursed many of my line to lives as squibs. Your mother was the first in 5 generations to have the pure heart and mind to unlock her magic again."
Shock ran through his system, and anything he thought of to say seemed very insignificant in comparison to the revelation he just heard. As his mind whirled one of the other figures approached him as well. It was another female, taller than Hufflepuff but her face was no less sincere, and she had just as much affection in her eyes. Though the women seemed very different in physical appearance at first glance, as she came closer Harry's sharp eyes saw more and more similarities. Her eyes showed the same world weariness, but also the love that he saw reflected in Helga's. She had the same creases and wrinkles around her eyes and mouth, showing she had the same amount of worry and happiness in her life. He held his tongue and she knelt in front of his chair and took his other hand.
"My name is Rowena Ravenclaw, young one. As my cousin just explained about her cursed bloodline I will explain mine. I only had one daughter during my lifetime, and sadly she passed away before she could take up the title as my heir. I did the next best thing I could to ensure that my bloodline and beliefs continued. With Helga's permission I blood adopted her son and placed my own spell to restrict the activation of inheritance. I wanted to make sure that any heir of mine would share my fascination with knowledge of any kind, as well as passion to SHARE that knowledge."
Harry stood up and started pacing. This was too much, way too much. How was all this possible? He knew magic could do some crazy things, but he never expected anything like THIS! And he hadn't even talked to the two men that were patiently waiting on the other side of the room. Gripping his hair in frustration he whirled around to stare at them. Was it possible they were the other two Founders? He raised an eyebrow and stepped closer, staring them both in the eye. The taller of the two stepped forward, he had dark hair and eyes almost the same shade of green as his own.
"Hello, young heir, as you may have guessed my name is Salazar Slytherin. Unlike the monstrosity of a man that claims to be my heir, you are my TRUE heir. In our prime Helga and I fell in love. We married shortly after the opening of Hogwarts. Unlike either Helga or Rowena the only restriction I placed on my bloodline was for my heir to be a Parselmouth, and to have pure intentions towards using that ability. Tom Riddle has perverted my name and befouled the talent of Parseltongue. Speaking to snakes is not a talent to be feared, for snakes have an abundance of knowledge to share with any who know their language. And the magic of the language itself can be harnessed to vastly improve spell power as well as spell work. You are labeled as my true heir for your pure heart, you will not abuse the power of ParselMagic unlike Tom." Before Harry could open his mouth, the other man stepped forward and bowed.
"I am Godric Gryffindor youngling. My story is not so long or confusing as the others, your connection to me is simply by regular means. The Potters are a direct descendant of my bloodline, our families merged many centuries ago in marriage. Which explains my name being the only that appeared to the goblins. Until you had undergone this ritual I was the only you could lay claim to. But now that you ARE here, you can claim each of our lines."
Harry collapsed back into his chair and put his head in his hands. His mind was whirling. So much had happened in the past few hours and he needed a minute to think things through. First, Dumbledore is a manipulating ass. Second, his powers and inheritances had been blocked from him by said ass. Third, he had undergone a ritual to cleanse himself of all blocks and spells. Fourth, he was now in the presence of the Founders because he is apparently the heir to all four of them. Looking between his fingers he saw Helga and Rowena still crouched before him. Godric and Salazar were standing only a few paces behind them, and all had looks of concern on their faces.
"Alright, so now that I am here and know how I can lay claim to your family lines. Why exactly am I here? Surely there was some other way to inform me of this without creating all this?" He swept his arm around, indicating the room they were all in.
"Yes, there are other ways this could have been done. The reason we are taking this approach is BECAUSE of the ritual you just underwent. Having so many of your powers and magic blocked severely crippled your magical core. But it also had the effect of making it larger. With your magic fighting to be released each time you cast a spell, and only so much actually being used to power the spell, your core has significantly increased in size trying to compensate. The strain of it all being released took a huge toll on your core and body. In order to insure your survival, the excess magic had to be directed to a specific task. A large portion was used to correct your physical...condition. And the rest was used to help develop and hone your talents and the magical gifts we will each bestow upon you."
He stared at Rowena for a full minute after her explanation. Suddenly he really wanted a mirror, if all his body had been repaired he wanted to know what he looked like. As if answering to his thoughts a full-length mirror appeared before him. He stood and stepped closer, eyes eagerly taking in his new and improved form. He was taller, was the first thing he noticed, followed by his hair and eye color. Harry spent a few minutes just staring at his eyes. There was a silver ring that circled the green and golden flecks were dispersed throughout the green irises. They were very mesmerizing. When he finally tore his eyes away from, well his eyes, he took in the lean muscles that now lined his body. THIS is what he should have looked like he thought with a smile. He turned to look back at his ancestors and smiled at them.
"I feel so much better, almost free. This is what I should have been like from the beginning. I shouldn't have had to go through all this to be what I was supposed to have been from the start." He shook his head and took a seat on the couch that had appeared. The Founders took various seats around him. "So, what are these talents and gifts that you all gave to me?" This time Godric leaned forward first.
"From my bloodline you inherited the elemental ability of fire. I will bestow you with the basic knowledge of the ability, but you must train and hone your own skills. Fire is fierce and raging but it is also life and all that breathes. I also grant you the ability of sword fight. I know that you were granted the use of my sword two years ago. Take back the sword that is yours by blood and right, it does not deserve to be mounted on that traitor's wall. It is yours to claim and wield once more. My last gift is that of Runes. Runes can be used for many things, spells, rituals, warding and almost anything else you can think of. I gift you the knowledge of Runes both those known today, and those lost in time. The knowledge of how each Rune acts and reacts both by itself and combined with others. You will be able to use this knowledge in many ways. But do not take this knowledge lightly, Runes are very dangerous things to play with. You will need to explore your knowledge before attempting to use them. Take my gifts and be well youngling. Many paths lay before you and you must learn to follow your heart, and never lose your courage my little lion." Godric slowly retreated, while Helga stepped forward to take his place.
"I impart to you the elemental ability of earth. As with Godric's gift you will need to train with this power, but you will instinctively know the basics of how to use the earth to your advantage. Earth is powerful and grounding, but also strong and stoic. Make sure to exercise this skill to reach new heights. I also grant you the natural ability to use a staff. The staff is a unique weapon that not all can adapt to using. You will not have the struggles many do when learning the art-form of the staff, it will come to you as easily as flying. My magical gift to you is that of Empathy. With Empathy you not only can feel the emotions and intentions of those around you but also of animals as well. You will not be able to speak to them the way you do me, but you will be able to read how they are feeling and what their intentions are as well. That will allow you to 'communicate' with them in a way. Animals will be able to tell you have this gift and will know that you have the capability to help them and sympathize with them. Use this gift wisely, emotions and intentions will sometimes seem to be totally opposite in a person. You will instinctively know how to use this ability, but you must learn how to interpret what you feel. My greatest piece of advice to you is always trust your heart and your gut when using your Empathy to read someone. Stay loyal and kind my little badger." Salazar knelt before him as Helga too, backed off.
"From me you receive the elemental power of water. Water is swift and powerful, but also healing and soothing. Spend as much time exploring each side of the spectrum in your new ability. I am gifting you the prodigy skills for daggers and how to use them. Daggers are easily hidden and swiftly used, whether thrown or used stealthily they are an ideal weapon to have. I also grant you the knowledge of how to properly use regular spells as ParselMagic, as well as a few spells that are strictly in Parseltongue. You will need to get over your aversion to the language and become comfortable speaking the new spells. Use this to your advantage, your opponent will not be able to know or counter your spell work if they don't know what spell you used. But do not forget that Tom Riddle is the exception to this magic. Stay cunning my little snake." As Salazar joined the others and Rowena took her place in front of him, Harry felt as if his brain was about to explode. The influx of knowledge that each of them had imparted to him was overwhelming. He was very close to blacking out from the mental strain.
Rowena placed a dainty hand on his forehead and he closed his eyes in relief. Her hands were cool and felt so good. When she took her hand back his eyes popped open in shock, his headache was gone! She smiled at him gently when he threw her a bewildered look.
"My magical gift to you is Occlumency, the art of organizing and protecting your mind. With the ability to organize your mind all the knowledge you have just been granted can be easily categorized and stored away to be called on when needed. You can also treat any new knowledge the same way. For now, I have done a rough organization for you. As soon as you can you will need to meditate and do your own sorting process. Everything will be much easier when you have placed it exactly where you want it. And you can place your own defenses around your mind. Just remember a wall isn't always the best solution, vary your defenses and be creative. It IS your mind after all. I am also granting you all my skills of the bow. A bow and arrows can be extremely useful both in mid and long-range attacks. You will need to train hard to hone this skill to perfection. This combined with the skills the others gave you will help you have the advantage in any weapons fight. And finally, my elemental gift to you is of the Air. Air is free and happy, but it can also be ferocious and raging. Be very careful in your use of any of the elements. Each can be used in a positive and negative way, you must keep the balance between them all or risk losing your control. Always keep your wits about you, my little raven."
She bent down and kissed his forehead, right over his faded scar. As they all had spoken, Harry sat back and let his thoughts run wild. He was slowly coming to terms with everything. His anger at Dumbledore had been buried under a myriad of other emotions. Too much was happening too quickly. He suddenly felt very tired and wanted nothing more than to curl up on the couch. He looked at the figures still standing in front of him and they all had sad looks on their faces. He tilted his head curiously as they stepped forward as a group. Harry was gathered up into a bone crushing hug by the four. The warmth that radiated through him caused a smile to spread on his face as he closed his eyes.
After a few moments he pulled away to stare up at them.
"I have so many questions for you guys." He started, a million of them swirling through his mind. Rowena smiled down at him and released her hold.
"We only have a limited amount of time with you, little raven. You may ask us two each, but then we must sadly depart. You have to move on to your next ancestor." A pout crossed his face as Harry tried to snuggle back into their arms. They all happily embraced him once more.
"Why does everyone think that Salazar is evil? You don't seem to be fighting with them all right now, and you certainly don't give me the same disgusting feeling I get when I'm around Voldemort. I thought you fought against them about Muggleborns joining Hogwarts and then you just disappeared from history." Salazar heaved a deep sigh before answering.
"You must understand little snake, I was not against Muggleborns receiving schooling. I was against their parents gaining access to Hogwarts. Back then most children would not leave their parent's side until they were of age to wed. Parents were often asking to visit our students during the year. Some Muggle parents were not receptacle to the idea of magic. This alone caused many issues to be raised and kept many students out of the school. Those children left in their parent's care, did not survive much longer than a few months. Many of the adults seemed to think they could infiltrate Hogwarts and there were whispers of an attack to be launched. So I proposed to ban all parent visits to the school and only allow the children to return home for important holidays. This did not fair well with either circle of magical and Muggle parents. Eventually I was forced to vacate my place in the school or we would have been forced to close, as all the parents were refusing to allow the students to attend without being able to check on them. In order to appease them and keep the school's doors open, I agreed to back out of my position and left to my ancestral home."
Tears welled up in Harry's eyes at the tale. This man was pushed from his own school and was forced to abandon his friends, just to keep their dream alive. He hugged Salazar just a bit tighter and rested his head on his shoulder.
"Then why did you leave a Basilisk under the school?" Suddenly he was pushed and arms-length away, and examined intently.
"You found her? You found my Serena? She's still alive? How is she? Has she been well cared for?"
"Errr, I ran across her when I was twelve. Voldemort was controlling her, he was sicking her on the Muggleborns in the castle. I heard her in the pipes all throughout the year. Horrible hissing about killing and blood. When he took my friend's sister into the Chamber I followed. She attacked me on his command." He paused, and stared at the ground in shame. "I had no choice." Salazar placed a hand under his chin and pushed his head up to look in his eyes.
"It's ok my little snake. I honestly did not expect her to have survived a thousand years shut up in the castle. My heirs were supposed to take care of her. Serena was to be a last defense if anyone with hostile intentions ever made it into the castle. With the pipe-work she had quick access to all parts of the castle. She was meant to be a protector for all the children. It angers me that she was twisted into doing the exact opposite, but she is better off now. If she were in her right mind she would be appalled to know she had caused any harm to a child. I am thankful that you ended her misery little one. Never regret saving her from that mad-man." Harry nodded forcefully and threw himself into Salazar's arms once more. Sobs wracked his frame as he was overcome with relief that Salazar was not mad at him. So used was he to everyone attacking him over the smallest of things, he was not sure what to expect after telling the man he had killed Serena. After a few minutes to calm himself Harry turned to peer at the others, still within Salazar's arms.
"Did any of you leave a creature to protect the castle? Why haven't we heard of them?" Each of the Founders shared a look, before Godric spoke first.
"I had a griffin and a phoenix that accompanied me, I left them behind to watch over the castle as well. But I am not sure if either of them are still there. If no one knows of them, it is highly possibly they were left unattended. I shudder to think of the fate they may have met."
"There was a squid left in my stead, to protect the waters of the castle and to assist any students straying too far into those waters. There should have been ample nourishment to keep him alive. Have you heard no tales of my friend?" Helga asked, concern crossing her face. His eyes widened.
"Oh yes, the giant squid is still in the lake. I never would have thought him to be that old! He helped one of my friend's brother back into his boat when they were crossing their first night at Hogwarts. We don't see much of him, but he waves every now and then to a few of us." She smiled down at him when he finished speaking.
"I am glad he is still well, but giant squid? He must have really grown since last I saw him!" They shared a laugh before Rowena cleared her throat.
"I did not have an animal companion like my friends. In my stead, I enchanted all of the suits of armor, and statues to awaken at the first sign of hostile intent outside the wards. They will slumber unless needed, although you might have caught a few of them taking a quick stretch." She winked at him, laughing at the blush that crossed his face as he closed his mouth from asking that very question. After a moment he furrowed his brow.
"But Voldemort was inside the castle my first year, and dementors surrounded it and were on the grounds themselves half the time. How did they not activate? Why did the wards, enchantments, and creatures not react?"
"I believe that the wards have been tampered with greatly. Over time it's possible some have faded in power, and others have been layered over top them. You must find the ward stone within the Heart of Hogwarts. You MUST restore the wards to their former glory, or I am afraid they will soon fall. If a fiend such at that made his way inside the castle, they are greatly compromised. Whether it was done by neglect, or by intent is the question that remains to be answered." Rowena's soft voice was laced with worry and anger. He could tell that this was something that would need to be addressed immediately. With a solemn nod and serious eyes that conveyed his promise Harry turned to the others, realizing that she had answered two of the questions already.
"What about the Forbidden Forest? Being in close proximity to such dangerous creatures does not alert the wards? Or do they encompass the forest as well?"
"Forbidden? There should be no dangers anywhere near the children that is expressly Forbidden!" Godric's loud voice boomed with rage. "The forest near the castle was once filled with a myriad of creatures. Centaurs, unicorns and fairies. Drakes, nymphs, and Gryphs."
"As far as I know, the only creatures within the forest are centaurs, acromantula, and unicorns. I don't even know what those others are."
"This is grave indeed. The nearby forest used to be well populated with many various creatures. Many students used to spend most of their time visiting with them. It pains me greatly to image the state of it now. My little lion, I know you have much else to do, but will you help to restore the forest? It was once my own safe haven, and that of many others. The wards should extend around the forest's edge as well, but who knows to what end they have met. You must repair them at once! The forest is half of the grounds, without the alliances with the creatures that call it home, and without the wards themselves, Hogwarts is very vulnerable."
Again Harry quickly agreed to right this terrible wrong that has befallen their precious school. Already he was laying plans in the back of his mind. Who he could speak to, how he could get their assistance, and where he could look for the Heart. While this was processing in the back of his mind, he turned half of his attention to his ancestors. There was one more question remaining, and it took him a few moments to decide on which to ask.
"Why did you divide the school into dorms the way you did? Between biased teachers and students, the points awarded to everyone are hardly fair at all. There are also many conflicts in and out of Hogwarts that have started just based on which house someone is in."
"Originally we only took a few students each, we were the only teachers so we each took a handful and handled their education ourselves. They rarely were instructed by any of the others. As we received more and more applications and the student body swelled, we had to come up with some way of keeping up with them. Each group was assigned to the teacher who's personality closely matched their own. This was done in order to keep confrontations between them and us to a minimum. As we hired new teachers, more students came, and the situation was well out of hand. The sorting and dorms were only meant to help us kept track of a set amount of students, those that we could understand and assist the most. The classes quickly became mixed, but the dorms were kept separate in order for the children to feel more comfortable around those that thought and felt the same way. There were no points awarded to each group difinitely but rather to each person. They were friendly competitions to be the best in the House and the best in the school overall. We would have NEVER pitted the children against each other as a whole. That is simply preposterous!" Helga was beside herself with fury. It was simply atrocious to cause such strife where it was not needed! Especially among children! It took a fair amount of time for the others to calm her. When they finally did, Harry was slowly drifting off, still nestled in Salazar's arms. The information overload was finally getting to him. His mind and body were shutting down.
He was laid on a newly materialized couch and given a soft kiss from each. He whimpered, knowing they were leaving him, but to fatigued to open his eyes. Just as he was drifting off he felt a swirl of freezing cold air. He curled tightly up on the couch, shivering at the absence of warmth. Suddenly, he felt someone sit next to him and a hand brushed through his hair. Too exhausted to rouse himself, he shifted closer to the new heat. The new comer spoke softly as his consciousness faded.
"Rest now beag amháin, I will be here when you wake." His fog-filled mind remembered Helga saying she and the others were only the first he was to meet. Then all was black.