Chapter Eighteen – Down with the so call Light Wizard
Chapter Nineteen- Down With the so-called Light Wizard. Part 1
(Same Morning Hermione's Body is found)
Word of what happened to Hermione spread like fiendfyre. Students gathered outside of the infirmary to get a glimpse of her body. Madam Pomfrey worked feverishly to save what is left of Hermione's body. However, the prognosis looks bleak. Warming and monitoring charms were placed to keep a close eye on her vitals. Nutrition potions that Madam Pomfrey will manually feed her daily by Muggle means intravenously. No one knew what had caused this, or how it happened. Students and professors feared that another basilisk got into the school once more, and this was second year happening all over again. The Headmaster was busy trying to discourage students from informing their parents of what was going on.
While a few students tried to see what was going on in the infirmary, elsewhere in the Castle students were attempting to get into the Great Hall the doors would not open. No matter what they tried or what strength of magic used, the doors to the Great Hall would not open. Even Albus Dumbledore, the powerful Lord of the light, could not get the doors to open.
"Albus, what are we going to do?" asked a worried Minerva.
Dumbledore looked resigned, with the stress of this morning and now Hogwarts refuses to obey his command, "It would seem the castle is being very stubborn this morning." He says sadly. "I will call for the elves to set up out here so that the students are able to eat."
Minerva sighed and nods her head, "I will have to agree with you, Albus," she turns to the gathering crowd and tries to assess what will need to be done. "Winky!" Minerva calls out and expects the elf to appear at once. When Winky did not appear, her brows furrowed in worry.
Perhaps Winky has started drinking again. Wondered Minerva.
With a stronger, voice Minerva calls for Ama another house elf a few more times. When neither elf shows Minera's worry became dreaded fear.
This is not good if the elves are not coming when we call.
Minerva turns back to Albus and sees him staring at the throngs of students the look on his face gave her more cause to worry.
Albus is anxious about something it is evidenced by the way his fingers are gripped tightly around his beard.
Minerva follows Albus's gaze and that is when the students parted like the red sea. Four students were walking up to where she and Albus stood; Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Neville Longbottom and Blaise Zabini. They were dressed in the finest robes and most expensive robes she has ever laid her eyes on.
They were all in black and not the traditional school robes; sleeveless and made of form fitting leather. Underneath, they wore button down shirts, the colors of Hogwarts house. Potter wore green with silver snake cufflinks, Malfoy in a complimentary yellow shirt and black cufflinks that look like a badger. Neville Longbottom, who is almost unrecognizable, wore a scarlet shirt and lion gold cufflinks, and Zabini wore a blue shirt with bronze eagle cufflinks. Minerva cast her eyes up and down each man, yes, that is what they were men. She cannot call them boys anymore because standing in front of her are men. Other than their clothes there was something different about them. Then it hits her; the emblem on their robes. Potter and Longbottom had two while Malfoy and Zabini had one. All four looked more confident and comfortable in their skin. Minerva had a feeling in the pit of her stomach something unexpected is about to happen.
It surprised everyone when Longbottom walked over to the doors and opened the doorways to the Great Hall with small travail.
How… Wh… The castle listened to him? Minerva thinks in surprise.
Before either the teachers or students could walk inside, Potter and the rest followed in after Longbottom. When they walked inside, the Great Hall looked completely different. The banner for each house was the same; however, the tables were noticeably different. The head table had six chairs, behind four chairs stood a house elf, dressed in a shirt and black trousers. The tablecloth had the colors of each Hogwarts house. The four young men walked up to the table, taking a seat. Potter sat in front of the symbol representing Slytherin, Longbottom in front of Gryffindor, Zabini in front of Ravenclaw and the big shocker Malfoy in front of Hufflepuff.
The school was at a standstill waiting to see what will happen next. No one said a word or moved a muscle you could hear a pin drop. Minerva was so enthralled by what was happening. She did not see who was standing behind her. The gasped from the students and teachers alerted Minerva that someone new entered the Great Hall. Twirling around, Minerva came face to face with Lucius Malfoy.
What could a member of the board of governors be doing here morning? Did the news of what happened to Hermione Granger reach his ears already?
Minerva felt as if her morning was spilling out of control. Albus walks over to the Lucius Malfoy and addresses him with a courteous smile that did not reach his eyes, "Lord Malfoy, it is a pleasure to see you this morning. How can I be of assistance to you?"
Minerva watches the interaction and the tension between both men filled with dislike could not be missed.
"At the moment Headmaster, nothing," Lucius drawls. "However, I will need to speak with you about dark magic being conducted on school grounds severely injuring a student putting her in a coma." Lucius walks away without waiting for Albus to respond, making his way over to the head table first greeting Potter whispering something in his ear. Then to his son before taking the empty seat beside him. Minerva could not fathom what was happening before her eyes. The Headmaster was speechless, or so she thought.
"Harry my boy, what is the meaning of this?" Albus asks.
Potter ignores the Headmaster and continues to speak with the young Mr. Malfoy.
"Harry Potter, you will answer me this instant!" Albus demands.
Potter sets his gaze on her the smoldering fire that was there while speaking with the Headmaster is now calming flame. Since the beginning of the year she has noticed a change in both Longbottom and Potter. They radiate confidence; also their grades are much better than the previous years. It would be sufficient to say that both Potter and Longbottom have surpassed even Ms. Granger.
"Deputy Headmistress, would like to join us for breakfast? There are a few things Neville and I need to discuss with you."
Minerva was surprised as was Albus. Potter dismissed the older man as if he was not there. "I would love to Mr. Potter," She answers. "But first I need you to answer one question for me."
Potter raises an eyebrow so smoothly it would make Severus Snape master of snark proud.
Speaking of Severus, where is he?
As the Head of Slytherin house and a professor along with all that has happened this morning, Minerva expected Severus to be front and center ready to reprimand Potter on his current attitude. This is not something he would miss.
"My dear Lady," Potter says, pulling Minerva from her thought and search of the potion's master. "I already know what you want to ask."
Potter stands from his chair, then takes out his wand casting a Sonorus "Good Morning all." He begins and stops when the doors to the Great Hall opens and in walks Severus.
Minerva watches in amazement when Severus does not stop in his stride and makes his way to the head table taking his seat beside Lord Lucius Malfoy.
Thank you, for joining us this morning, Professor." Potter says to Severus, the Sonorus still in place and the room gasps at the cheekiness in Potter's tone.
Minerva expected a reprimand and is shocked when Severus chuckles before replying. "You are welcomed Mr. Potter. Now carry on with your announcement."
"Harry, my boy, what is this?" Albus says.
"Thank you, Professor Snape." Potter ignores the Headmaster, "I know that you are all wondering what is going on. Let me first introduce myself. You all know me as Harry Potter, however; as of now I am Duke Slytherin, the heir to the houses of Salazar Slytherin and Helga Hufflepuff." He turned to Longbottom, "Sitting beside me is my brother and friend Duke Gryffindor Heir to the houses of Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw."
At Potter's announcement, Minerva was flabbergasted as apparently are the room full of students. She cast her eyes on the Headmaster to see him go stiff as a board at the announcement. Did Albus know?
Potter, I mean Duke Slytherin continued.
"It seems," He turned to look straight in the direction of the Headmaster, "There are those who have stolen from me, and kept important information from me, all for their belief of the greater good." Potter's voice did not waiver as he continued to speak to his audience."
I also know what you all are thinking that Salazar Slytherin was a dark wizard, and practiced dark arts, and also hated Muggles and Muggle born." His eyes never left the Headmaster.
Well, you were all mislead, the only thing Salazar Slytherin was guilty of doing was loving our world and doing everything within his power both with his body and magic, to protect our world. Starting today, there are going to be changes to courses that are taught in this prestigious school that my and Neville's many greats, grandparents built. And to clear up any misconceptions Voldemort is not and will never be the Heir of Slytherin."
Minerva did not know what to say, standing before her was not was not a boy, but a man who knew what he wanted. The world as she knew it was about to change and she prayed to Merlin it is for the better.
To say that Harry was happy was an understatement. Seeing the unpleasant look at his announcement on the Headmaster's face was utterly priceless.
If Albus Dumbledore only knew what I have in store for him, he would run to the farthest cave and hide there for the rest of his wrinkly old life.
But Harry was now starting to understand the way the Headmaster thinks. Albus Dumbledore is an egotistical bastard who is out for himself. Walking into the Great Hall with his mate and family was only the beginning of what is to come. Last night while Draco was asleep, he went to speak to Salazar, and enlisted his help for the next phase of killing the old fool. For the rest of the night, Harry and Salazar worked on the potion he needed. It just so happened that Salazar's had everything they needed for that particular poison.
After the potion was complete last night Harry sent his personal house elves into the Headmaster's office and switched out his lemon drops for the special poisoned ones. With the distraction and stress of what happened to Hermione, Harry knows the Headmaster has already had a few of the poisoned lemon drops. The poison is subtle and will take effect over time. Each time he eats on a lemon drop, baby snake eggs latch onto parts of his body, they will only hatch whenever he tells a lie about or to Harry. It was an ingenious idea if he did say so himself. Dumbledore will die slowly without Harry even touching him. The side effects were minimal, the only thing that Dumbledore will experience is a stomach ache and minor headaches that could be attributed as the stress being the Headmaster of Hogwarts.
"Harry my boy," Dumbledore begins.
Harry bristled at being called Dumbledore's anything. "Again, Headmaster!" Harry yells, with the Sonorus still cast Harry's voice was loud and deafening in the Great Hall.
"As I said before, I am not your fucking boy! Have you become daft in your old age?" Harry can feel heat coursing through his body as his anger elevates.
He could see the shock on the Headmaster's face, he would laugh, but that would give up the rest of the game. It would be so easy to dismiss and fire the man, but Harry wanted to watch as he slowly died, only in his final breath will he know that it was he who made it all possible. He turned to look at Professor McGonagall.
"Deputy Headmistress, I thank you for accepting my breakfast invitation, there are a few things Neville and I need to discuss with you and Professor Snape. The Deputy Headmistress nodded her head, but, Harry can still see that she was in utter shock at what was going on.
Harry takes his seat, ignoring the murmurings of the students. Harry ordered his breakfast, served by his personal elf and after taking a sip of his pumpkin juice, he was puzzled again how different it tastes from what is normally served from the regular Hogwarts kitchen. Setting his juice down, he looked up noticing that the hall was silent. Professor McGonagall was seated beside Lucius with Severus between them all three conversing, while Dumbledore was demoted to the lower tables with the rest of the professors. Harry can feel the angry radiating from them Headmaster and smiled, taking another sip of his drink before taking a bite of his meal. Harry moaned at the delicious morsel.
Harry turns to Draco and gets his attention. "Draco, love, I have been meaning to ask you. Does the food that our personal elves serve taste different from what is normally served from the Hogwarts kitchen?"
Draco seemed perplexed for a few seconds before responding, "Now that I think about it, yes, the fruits taste fresh and the veggies more crisp, almost as if they were picked from the garden, then cooked right away, not tainted with magic." At the word tainted Harry gasped stood quickly.
"Everyone stop eating!" he yells. Silverware clatters off the plates crashing to the floor immediately. Harry walks away from them, head table and goes over to the Gryffindor table. He stops behind Dean and calls for Severus, who gets up, walks over to Harry. The elder Malfoy also follows Severus without being asked.
"What is it Harry?" Lucius, rather than Severus questioned.
"I have a feeling that the food we have been eating is laced with some sort of potion." Would you both mind testing my theory for me?" Lucius waved his wand over Dean's plate and Severus does the same over Seamus's both chanting a spell Harry has never heard before. The plates begin to glow purple the louder they chanted. And Harry could not hold back his gasp of surprise.
"It seems you are correct, Mr. Potter." Severus concludes. "I think it would be prudent to test one person's plate from each house to be sure."
During this Harry noticed Draco, Neville and Blaise had gotten up and walked over to one student from each house. Severus stands in the center of the Great Hall and loudly starts to chant the spell as Lucius, Harry and the rest waves their wands concentrating on the spell and chant. The students and professors were again amazed at the display of magic and power coming from the men.
Soon each plate began to glow a different color words floated above the plates showing that the meals were laced with some sort of potion just as Harry suspected. Hate not only for their fellow students, but for themselves as well, ignorance of others in pain, recklessness and naiveté. Harry could not believe what he was seeing. He turned in a slow circle and see's the same shocked look on the other's face.
How did this happen? No wonder the Slytherin's and Gryffindor's hate each other. And the Ravenclaw's and Hufflepuffs ignore others around them. How long has this been going on?
Then Harry thought back to all he knew about his father and the relationship between his father and Severus, the pranks they pulled. Severus, almost dying because his father used Remus, and Harry began to see red. In anger Harry rushed over to the Headmaster not caring for decorum or respect grabbing Dumbledore by the shirt collar screaming in his face.
"You fucking bastard, you, and your manipulations and all for what!"
Dumbledore starts to chuckle before it becomes full blown laughter, caused Harry to release the Headmaster and back way. Dumbledore's laughter echo's in the Great Hall and possibly the hallways of the Castle. His look also began to change, no longer does he resemble the elderly grandfather. Dumbledore's eyes no longer twinkled, and that made Harry angrier.
"Finally figured it out did you, Potter, it took me years to come up with the potions. If it weren't for you lot and the many others over the years, I would not be able to do this."
As he says the words, Dumbledore completed his change from an elderly old man to a younger version of himself, and no one saw that coming. He was slender and fit his hair was longer and blonder with a hint of red. He looked nothing like the presence he portrayed for years.
"For years I have been feeding off the hate of the students." Dumbledore stand and stretched his limbs, then walks around Harry "I know you're wondering how I did it, so I'm going to tell you, no use keeping it a secret now."
He walks over to Lucius and looked him up and down, "Do you know that before I became the Transfiguration professor all the houses got along, it made me sick." Dumbledore sighs and shakes in disgust. "I know what you're thinking Malfoy you too Severus," He said looking between both men.
"How much I remind you of the Dark Lord," Dumbledore says shrugging his shoulders. "And you may be right in some sense. After all, we were both parentless. He lived in an orphanage and me, well, you know the history, my father was sent to Azkaban, and well his mother went crazy. See the connection, maybe that is the reason why I was drawn to him in the first place."
Harry held his breath at the implication. Does that mean what I think he is implying?
"When I met Gellert," Dumbledore continues, glossing over his words. "He was so handsome, smart and charismatic. At one point, I thought we both wanted the same thing, but I wanted to be the only one with the ultimate power, so I killed him, I loved him, but I loved power more."
Harry looked around, all the students were transfixed; teachers sat in astonishment. No one seemed to be able to move. He turns to face Dumbledore to observe him walk over to Draco. Harry froze when he raised his hands and touches Draco's face.
"When I was a boy I hated death, I hated the fact that beauty had to die. Who wouldn't want to live forever? I purposely befriended Nicholas in school, I saw his desire for immortality, and encouraged his research and watched as he tirelessly created the elixir of life. I would have killed him long ago, but he continues to this day refuse to give me the ingredients not even when I threatened the life of his beloved wife." The smile on Dumbledore's face sent dread to the pit of Harry's gut. "Little did I realize, I did not need his cursed elixir. All I needed to stay as young as I am now was a few potions and encourage students to hate rather than love and acceptance."
Dumbledore turns away from Draco then stands before Neville. "Your cowardliness and your fears." He whispers staring at Neville which had the gauging in his stomach worsening. Harry felt frozen in place and was unsure of what to do.
"Get away from them," Harry demanded, he did not yell, but the danger in his tone made Dumbledore turn to stare at him. "Your quarrel is with me, old man, not them."
Dumbledore simply stared at Harry and did not address Harry's words. "Ah, I seemed to have gotten a bit sidetracked," Dumbledore tsked. "I was talking about my earlier years as the transfiguration teacher. I met another student, he was bright, he reminded me of Gellert, and his thirst for power was what drew me to him. His hate for muggles and muggleborns told me everything I needed to know about him. Which is why I enlisted him onto my side." Dumbledore brags.
"He was so gullible to believe he was the heir of Slytherin, and I used that to my advantage. I saw how when he spoke others listened; I made him the face of the dark side. You may know him as Tom Marvolo Riddle, Voldemort or the bloody Dark Lord." Dumbledore shakes his head and chuckles, "Had I known he would have created those damn Horcruxes, I would have killed him long ago, but fancied himself-." Dumbledore stops himself from whatever else he was about to reveal. "I think I will keep that part to myself, I don't want to give everything away too quickly."
"Why stop now old man?" Harry asked. "Why give us anything?" He bellows.
Dumbledore sighs and shakes his head, "You disappoint me, Potter."
"The feeling is mutual." Harry exclaims.
"You are as foolish as your father, I never understood what Evan's saw in him."
"Do not talk about my parents!" Harry screamed. The cool, calm demeanor he had earlier long since disappeared the moment Dumbledore revealed his true appearance.
"I guess you don't want to know who really killed your parents, then." Dumbledore taunts.
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Draco yelled, finally speaking for the first time.
"Voldemort did not kill your parents." Dumbledore replies. Harry gasped, as did everyone around him.
"Oh, he did incapacitate them, and gave you the mark on your forehead when he tried to kill you. But the one to say the killing curse was me." Dumbledore beams.
Harry felt as if he could not breathe, he felt hot and then cold. Of all the betrayal Dumbledore has done killing his parents was the worse. "The night your parents died Tom, and I had a fight on what we should do about you. I was the only one that knew what the prophecy entailed, he did not. And, just like Gellert before him I planned on killing him. Only difference Tom wanted power, I wanted power, money and prestige. The Wizarding world are filled such idiots, they actually believe a poor orphan boy who fancied himself the Slytherin heir was the only one pulling the strings." Dumbledore's lips curls in disgust. "And your parents, well they were just casualties of a duel between Tom and myself." He said unashamed.
"I do regret one thing," He says to Harry. "I should have killed you when I had the chance, but it is not too late now."
Dumbledore raises his wand to utter a curse, but Harry was quicker coming back to himself.
"Expelliarmus, Stupefy," Yells Harry.
Dumbledore's wand flew out of his hand, and he froze on the spot. In an instant, moving as one entity, Lucius and Severus was on either side of Dumbledore holding his forearms to make sure that he would not try to get away. Yet, that did not deter Dumbledore, he struggled with Lucius and Severus, who kept a strong hold on his arm. Harry summoned Dumbledore's wand and instantly felt the magic accept him as the new owner.
"Lady of Hogwarts I need your aid." At that moment, she presented herself.
"What is it you require, my Heir?" She bowed head respectfully. The students and professors were quiet the whole time.
"Bind his magic and send him to the dungeons under the castle, to await the Aurors." Harry stepped closer to Dumbledore, "I know, you thought you would reveal some of your secrets and then quickly disappear. Granted, I was afraid it would happen as well. But know this Dumbledore, you will die in Azkaban just like your father did," Harry amends with a cold look in his eyes. "If I don't kill you first."
Dumbledore smirks as if he has already won, then calls "Fawkes, come to me, my pet." However, when Fawkes did not show worry seeped into his face.
"You've lost old man, you no longer have dominion here." Harry gloats in Dumbledore's face.
To help prove Harry's point, "Fawkes." Yells Neville. Fawkes flashes into the hall and settled onto his shoulder. "You see, Dumbledore, you cannot escape. As Harry said. You've lost." Affirms Neville.
Dumbledore's eyes showed his surprise at Neville's new found confidence, but quickly masked it.
"Well, it seems little, Longbottom finally grew some balls, and crawled out from his grannies knickers". Neville's reply was to caress Fawkes' fire red feathers. Dumbledore turned his gaze to Harry, still standing in front of him. "You, have not seen the last of me, boy, do you think Tom was the only one I had under my control? You will find I am not so easily killed."
Harry scoffs, "Your threats mean nothing to me, Dumbledore."
Harry gets ready to instruct Lady Hogwarts to send Dumbledore to the dungeons when the next uttered words stops him. "My threats might not scare you boy, but I can't say the same for your Dogfather." Those closet to Harry knows the Dogfather reference could only mean one person. Sirius!
Harry gasping as did the other members closest to him, "What the fuck are you talking about?" he yells at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore cackles, literally cackled and his eyes looked crazed, "Poor, poor little misguided Harry Potter. I love the look of surprise on your face right now."
Harry could not take it anymore, he grabbed Dumbledore by the lapels of his robes, then raising a fist punching the old man square in his jaw. The force sent Dumbledore, Severus and Lucius back a bit. But they did not relinquish their hold on him. Grabbing Dumbledore lapels again. "What about Sirius, tell me?" he said through clenched teeth. Harry gets ready to hit him once more, but something or someone stayed his hand. "Tell me you bastard," He demands. "Everyone knows Sirius fell through the veil I saw it with my own eyes."
Again Dumbledore began to cackle like the mad-hatter this only enraged Harry more, he pulled his hand back and cracked Dumbledore again in the face this time nothing stopped him from hitting the old man. Harry kept hitting Dumbledore, but did not stop even when his hands began to hurt. Severus and Lucius released Dumbledore's arms, stepping away. Both Harry and Dumbledore fell to the ground. But Harry did not let up on his punches, until someone pulled him off Dumbledore. And that is when Harry was able to see the damage he did to Dumbledore's face. Harry felt nothing, no guilt or shame not even redemption.
"Get him away from me," Harry pants. "Because when I get free I will slaughter the fucking bastard."
Neville turns Lady Hogwarts, and nod his head. She closed her eyes and in a flash they were both gone from the still, quiet hall. No one knew what to do or say at the revelations, and at Harry's performance. To know that Dumbledore and the Dark Lord were working together was not only a shock but also a big blow to the light side.
As muggles say, the shit has hit the magical fan.
No one moved, or said a word for what seemed like an eternity. Harry pulled himself together. He walked over to Draco, who eagerly pulled him into to his arms. "I am so sorry, Love," he whispered into Harry's ears. "I wish I could take away your pain right now."
"Why Draco?" He felt like bawling his eyes out right now. "Why is it always me? Fate is a wicked bitch." He buried his face into Draco's chest seeking comfort and solace.
"Harry, I don't know why fate chose you to fuck with, but know this, I will not let fate or anyone else tear us apart. I will always be here to protect you and to fight right beside you." Harry lifted his head from Draco's chest to see his face; all he saw was sincerity, and something else he was not ready to name. Someone behind them cleared their throat when they pulled apart Severus was standing behind them.
"I hate to break up this moment, but we have more important things to attend to." He waved his hand to show the still shocked and silent Great Hall.
"Shit you're right, I completely forgot about our audience. Is there a way we could keep this a secret for now? I know I said I would call the Aurors for Dumbledore, but now that he mentioned Siri, I can't turn him over yet."
"I agree it appears from this little display the Headmaster has more secrets. And, I for one would like to find out what exactly they are before the ministry gets a hold of him," commented Lucius.
"Does anyone have any suggestions on what we should do now?" asked Draco.
"You know Harry, the power to heal what has been done to the students lies within in the walls of the school." This came from Luna, who Harry just realized was not seated at the Ravenclaw table. He did not remember if she was even in the Great Hall this whole time. When he looked away from Luna, he saw the twins standing behind her.
"What do you mean, Luna?" Neville asked.
She smiled, "As her Heirs all you need to do is ask her for her help."
Harry thought about what Luna said. She did not speak in riddles like she used to, so what was it she was trying to say. It was like a light bulb went off in his head. "Neville, I got it, stand beside me."
Neville walked over to him, "All we have to do his touch her and ask her to make them forget. The only ones shielded from it will be our inner circle." Harry did not include Professor McGonagall in their inner circle; as of now he did not know if she could be trusted. He went to one knee placing his still bloody palm flat on the ground. "Ok Nev, here is what we are going to do. Concentrate and ask the Lady to clear their minds and bodies of the potions in the food. I am guessing with her magical core tied to ours as her heirs, and we can also heal their minds of all the hate and discontent."
Neville nodded his head. "I'm with you, Harry."
He copied Harry, kneeling down on one knee, placing his palm flat on the floor. The both took deep breaths then closed their eyes. They concentrated on the magic that would help them bind to Hogwarts. They drowned out everyone and everything around them, so much that they did not feel when Draco and Blaise touched their shoulders, lending them their own magic to the healing process.
Lucius and Severus looked at each other thinking the same thing. This was not going to work. All of a sudden a gold, green, red and blue began to swirl around Harry, and then Neville and by extension Blaise and Draco. From the four boys the color shot to the walls of the Great Hall, then the floors and soon each student and faculty. Each person started to glow. Both men stood transfixed, watching as the student and faculty of Hogwarts became cleansed of whatever Dumbledore had done to them.
To be born with magic and use it every day was astonishing in itself but to see things you never thought possible done is both amazing and beautiful. Each man was so caught up in their own thoughts that they jumped when the doors to the Great Hall opened, Harry and Neville got up from their position and walked out of the doors with their mates not far behind and separated. Lucius and Severus followed to see what they were doing, and Severus felt that it was his job to protect them at this moment, and he knew that Lucius felt the same. They ended going in different directions but was still in eyes sight of each other. Lucius followed Harry and Draco while he followed Blaise and Neville.
Magic was still swirling around them, the colors only becoming more vibrant. Both men stopped in front of a wall, putting their hands on the wall in front of them then repeated simultaneously.
"We the Heir of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin, swear to protect you from all who intend to use you for their own gain, to protect you from war and destruction. We are your sword and your shield. We will mend what was broken, serve, protect, heal and educate all who walk your halls. This we swear on our magic, so mote it be."
When they finished their vow, the ground of Hogwarts began to shake violently as if experiencing an earthquake. Again, the elder wizards grabbed onto any sturdy surface they could find. Screams were heard coming from the Great Hall, as students tried to run for safety, but no one ran from the room. It took all of Severus's courage not to run and duck for cover himself. He expected bricks, pictures and anything that was not bolted to the ground to crash down around him. Yet, even with the shaking and the moving, the pictures on the walls remained unmoved, and no bricks came crashing down on his head. The Heirs of Hogwarts remained unmoved as far as Lucius and Severus could see. They were the only ones that were not in a panic. Whatever was happening magically, they were still in complete control of their bodies. It had seemed like forever before the ground stopped shaking, and the Heirs stopped glowing.
The walls of Hogwarts continued to glow with life. It was as if suddenly the castle was brand new. The castle was majestic before but now there were no words to describe how magnificent she looked now. Severus walked over to Blaise and Neville, noticing that Neville's glamour had dropped. It seemed they had used too much of their magic repairing the damage to the castle to keep the glamour in place. Blaise looked pale, and before Severus could say anything about his appearance, he fainted. Neville caught him before his body could hit the floor.
"Tell Harry we will meet later, I must attend to my mate. My Lady if you please."
Blaise and Neville disappeared in an instant before Severus could say anything. The doors to the Great Hall banged open, and Minerva came rushing out. She had a parchment in her hands. "Severus, we have a problem, I just received a message from the Ministry it seems Hogwarts has disappeared. And another thing I cannot find Albus anywhere, and what in Merlin was that shaking?"
Severus held on to his Slytherin mask, what did the heirs do to the castle to make it invisible to others? He also, ignored her question and just held out his hand. "Let me have the message Minerva, I will take it to the right person." She looked at him speculatively.
"Shouldn't Albus be the one to see this, after all he is the Headmaster?"
"My dear Minerva, Albus Dumbledore is no longer the Headmaster of Hogwarts. It seems you have forgotten the Heirs have claimed their birth right, I am now the Ambassador of Hogwarts; it was a position appointed to me by the Heirs." Severus was lying through his teeth, but there was no need to let her know that.
She looked taken back, and he knew that the memories of those in the Great Hall had been altered but the memory of Harry and the others entering and claiming they were the Heirs remained. He stretched his hand out for her to hand him the message. "I will see to it that the Heirs attend to this at once." With that he turned and walked away to find Lucius, his robes billowing in his wake.
HP*DM*HP*DM*HP*DM*HP*DM*HP*DM*HP*DM*HP*DM*HP*DM*HP*DM*HP*DM*
He was afraid he did not know what he was going to do, years of planning with the Headmaster was now all for naught. He was not the smart one in the group; his sister and his girlfriend were. Ron knew he was just the muscle. He would have to continue to play the game until he knew what to do.
He was worried about Hermione; she did not look so well. Her skin was pale, and her lips were blue. He knew she was still alive, and there was a spell monitoring the beating of her heart. The Headmaster said her soul left her body but how?
He was on his way back from the infirmary when the castle began to shake. The display of magic he saw from Harry, Malfoy, Neville, and Zabini was amazing, he heard the words they repeated, felt the ground under his feet shake and saw the glow that came from their bodies. It was a bit unsettling for him to witness first hand. Ron hid away when he saw that they were healing the castle, and he may not be the smart one, but he figured out that they were the Heirs of Hogwarts. After seeing such display of magic coming from Harry and Neville, could one of them be the cause of why Hermione is in the infirmary? He thought about what he just said, and came to the conclusion that Harry was not that clever, powerful yes but not smart enough to think of removing someone's soul.
He stayed hidden and watched as Snape walked away, and his head of house returned to the Great Hall. He looked around to make sure that no one would see him and then walked into the Great Hall spotting his sister, and made his way to her side. He looked around the hall to see if anyone was shocked and talking about what he had just witnessed. Everyone seemed to be fine. The only thing they talked about was the fact that the ground had been shaking, but not about the fact that Harry and the other three were glowing. No one else must have seen them. Ron wondered what they had done?
"Ron, where have you been?" She asked.
Sitting down beside her, "Hey Gin, I was in the infirmary visiting Mione." She got a sad look on her face.
"Is she getting any better?" She whispered.
"No, she looks the same. I don't know what happened to her, Gin. The last thing I knew we were supposed to meet up. We spent practically the whole weekend looking for Potter and could not find him anywhere…."
She gasped, "Ron, did you hear Harry and Neville are the Heirs of Hogwarts. They were in here a few minutes ago. The only thing I remember is that we could not get into the Great Hall for breakfast. Harry, Neville, Malfoy and Zabini came in and then Neville opened the doors with no problem. Harry told us they were the Heirs of Hogwarts and some shit about Salazar Slytherin not being the evil git we were made to believe. Then the castle was shaking as if there was an earthquake, you should have seen it. Everyone was expecting the walls to give away and start crashing down on our heads, so we hid under the table, but nothing happened."
"What!" He yelled, "What did he mean by, that of course he was evil." He completely ignored everything his sister said, only focusing on the fact that Salazar Slytherin was not as evil as they thought or what he just witnessed outside the hall. He also noticed that students from different houses sat with each other. For instance, Daphne Greengrass's younger sister Astoria, who was sorted into Slytherin, was sitting at the Gryffindor table talking amicably with a fellow Gryffindor within her year as if they have been friends since the cradle. It was perplexing, considering that just yesterday Astoria was ready to hex the other girl for looking at her the wrong way if he remembered correctly.
"I don't know Ron; all I know is that something is not right. One minute we were having breakfast; Astoria was ready to hex the other girl for looking at her the wrong way the next castle started to shake. And, you know what else is crazy, I could have swear the Headmaster was here when we started eating, and now he is not here, I don't remember seeing him get up from where he was sitting."
At that, Ron lifted his eyes to the head table and noticed that it was not where it usually was. Again he was baffled, what the hell happened while he was in the infirmary?
Just as he was about to say something to Ginny about the Greengrass girl, Snape stepped up to the podium to get the students attention. "A few minutes ago, the castle went under a transition. The Heirs of Hogwarts caused the shaking that we experienced. It was their way of helping Hogwarts protect herself from the coming war. As unexpected as it was, they are tremendously grateful that no one was hurt. The Headmaster has resigned from his post, and the position of Headmaster is no longer needed. The Heirs of Hogwarts has decided to name me Ambassador of Hogwarts." There were collective gasps at Snape's announcement "Also because they felt everyone would be a bit shaken up, there will be no class for the next two days. And with that you are all dismissed." He silently stepped down from the podium.
The whole Great Hall cheered at his announcement that they had the next two days off. It seems everyone had forgotten what had just occurred. Ron did not forget. He had to find the Headmaster, and he had no idea where to begin his search. Maybe he would sneak into his office and catch him before he leaves. He got up from the table, "Gin comes with me," taking his sister with him, pulling her out of the Great Hall walking as fast he could, and he searched for an empty classroom. Once they were inside, he warded the door and began to pace.
"Gin, we need to go to Professor Dumbledore. Something is not right. He would not leave his post without telling us."
She looked at him as if this is the first time she had thought about it. "You're right Ron, with all that we planned. Harry killing Voldemort, marrying me, Dumbledore claiming fame and riches, placing his people into the ministry and soon taking over the Wizarding World after he kills Harry himself." She stops. "Unless he decided to change his plans without telling us, he wouldn't do that would he?"
"I don't know Gin. But if he did that and left us high and dry then we are in deep shit," he told her worriedly.
"Maybe we should write to Mom. She will know what to do."
"I hope so Gin, I really hope so."
Tom Marvolo Riddle also known to the Wizarding World as Lord Voldemort, sat in his office. His serpentine glamour was not in place. Instead, sat a handsome man who was in his early fifties but could pass for a twenty-one-year-old. He was utterly confused, his most trusted Death Eaters, Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix LeStrange, were missing. All his plans and schemes seemed to be falling through the cracks. He might have the Wizarding World afraid to speak his name that things were not going according to his plan. He would like to blame the brat Harry Potter, but he knew it was all Albus's fault. How could he have been so blind and so stupid to fall for his tricks, he blamed it all on his youth and naïveté. Albus took advantage of the fact that he knew nothing about being a wizard, the fact that he craved love and used it to get what he wanted. By the time he found out all about what Albus had planned, it was already too late. He had already fallen in love with the man, and the fact that Albus didn't love him back only made him hurt more. He remembered the night he told him those three words.
He was in his last year of Hogwarts; he knew that the next year Albus would be the Headmaster of the school. He did not want to leave his lover's side; they had made plans to take over the Wizarding World together. He had already gathered the majority of the richest and most influential families as his followers. Albus had shown his appreciation to Tom for all his hard work each and every time he would gain the confidence of another influential family. They believed him when he told them he was the Heir to Slytherin because he could speak to snakes. Who was he to tell them that he was not Slytherin's Heir? To this day, they believe that he is Salazar Slytherin Heir. No other wizard as far as they knew could speak the forbidden language but Salazar Slytherin himself. That was all the proof they had needed. Albus was going to give him the position of DADA professor. Tom did not care if they ruled the world or not, all he wanted was to be beside his lover.
He was happy at one point in his life. He knew his magic was dark. He was proficient in dark spells; you could say he was a master. They had just made passionate love when he was lying safe and securely in the arms of the man he thought loved him.
-FLASHBACK-
"Albus," he lifted his head from the man's chest and then peppered it with kisses. "There is something that I need to tell you," he said, looking into those beautiful blue eyes of his lover "I love you."
Albus did not say anything to him; he just stared at him for what seemed like a long time. "Tom, when we started this I told you to keep your emotions out of it."
"I know that Albus, I tried not to develop any feeling for you but…"
Albus cut him off "We are only partners in business and yes sometimes we will sleep together when the occasion presents itself. But do keep your love to yourself, I do not want it or need it, all I want from you is your magic and what you can do for me nothing else."
Tom was so hurt; he did not know what to do. The man he loved just told him that he did not love him, how could he have been so blind as to think he could be loved. He would not cry; he refused to let Albus see how hurt he was. Slowly, he got up from the bed and got dressed. He heard Albus sigh behind him.
"Oh don't be so sore, you knew I would not and could not love you. You, Tom, are unlovable. Your magic is too dark for anyone to love you. Come back to bed, I am not done fucking you yet."
His words cut through Tom's heart like a knife, how could he not see it? He knew Albus was a cruel man. There were times he would say or do things to show how powerful he was yet he had never said such hateful words to him. Tom steeled himself and turned to see the man he loved still lying in the same spot. He was glorious, his skin tanned as if he had laid in the sun all day, his muscles that went on for days, his eyes still blue as the sea smiling up at him even after the words he just uttered. Tom knew wizards aged slower than muggles, but he has always wondered how Albus remained to do young. Whenever he asked, Albus changed the subject.
It scared him that one day he would die or grow old, and his lover would remain young, which was why in secret he started researching how to stay immortal. Albus stretched out his hand for Tom to come back beside him. But he shook his head no; Tom needed time to think to get away. Tom backed from him, "Don't run from me Tom, you will not like what will happen if I catch you." He did not care; he needed to get as far away from this man as possible. He needed to pull himself together.
"How could you?"
"How could I what, tell you the truth rather than let you believe that I love you. I love no one but power and prestige, Tom."
"What of our plans, the things you promised me?" I felt like a fool.
"Yes, I have made promises to you, and I have planned for things to happen in the Wizarding World with you by my side. But in all of those promises and plans, did I ever say that we have a future together as lovers?" My answer must have been written all over my face. He smiled; it was an evil smile that only I got to see. At one point I thought it made him look Machiavellian and powerful when it was directed at someone else but now, when it was directed at me I felt nothing but disgust. "Oh let me guess, you thought because I fucked you that you were special. I will admit you are beautiful, and I enjoy seeing you writhe under my touch but know this Tom, you are not the only one I take to my bed, and my dear boy, you won't be the last."
-END FLASHBACK-
That was the night Tom realized love was a useless emotion, it made you weak and gave others the right to use it to hurt you. After leaving Dumbledore's room, he went to the Chambers of Secret. It was his place of solitude. Everyone heard of Salazar Slytherin's hidden room, but no one knew how to find it or get inside it. It was in that room that he removed the first piece of his soul, putting it in the diary. He kept his distance from Albus after that, only corresponding through owls. He further investigated his family and found out who his father was. He felt nothing for the man when he killed him and put the blame on his uncle.
After graduating from Hogwarts, he went back expecting Albus to fulfill his promise by giving him the position of DADA professor. He should have guessed that Albus would go back on his word, yet he was still foolish enough to believe the man would keep his word. When he was refused the position, he cursed it; no one will hold the positions for more than a year. From then on he made plans to cut ties from Dumbledore. He dug deeper into the dark arts and his campaign against muggles. He pleaded with the ICW and the Wizengamot that to keep the magical world hidden from the muggles, they needed to separate the muggleborns and half bloods from their world. His aim was for a better, stronger, and more powerful world. He was opposed from all sides.
His biggest challenger was Albus, who publicly opposed him at every turn. He did not know what his reasons were for going against him because that was their plan all along: separation. For witches and wizards to practice magic how they saw fit, no matter the spell. Whenever he would start to feel any kind of hurt over the losing or the man he loved, he would remove more of his soul. Tom did not realize that he was being driven to insanity. He didn't notice that the more pieces he removed, the less sane he became or that he no longer looked like a man that women and men desired, all he wanted was not to feel.
He gathered more followers as the years went, traveled the magical continent to learn all he could about magic, not just dark magic but light and grey. The more that people refused to side with him, the more bloodthirsty he became in killing those that stood in his way. It was sometime after when one of his followers, Severus, came to him and told him of a prophecy he had heard that pertained to a child killing him. From that moment on, Tom kidnapped and killed all mothers that were newly pregnant or in their sixth month. He did not care if they were carrying a boy or girl; they had to die.
The only newborn children and parents he left alive were those of his followers. When Peter the rat came to him and told him that James and Lily Potter and the Longbottom's both had a baby boy about 18 months ago, and he went stark raving mad. How had he missed those two during his vast search? To learn that Severus was once close to the Potter woman and did not tell him that she was with the child made him even angrier. The only thing that saved his Potion's Master was the fact that he had not spoken to the Potter woman since before they graduated from Hogwarts. He should have found it odd when Severus begged him to spare the woman when he set out to kill the child and mother.
But in his excitement of possibly finding the prophesied child, he ignored whatever his gut was telling him and went to the address that Peter gave him. When he got to the Potter's home that night, he watched in the shadows as mother and father played with the child. He had no plans to kill them that night knowing where they were was all that mattered, let them enjoy the little time they had together as a family. He had plans to make. Maybe he could change destiny, kill the father, take the child and raise him to be his assassin after all that is a Dark Lord without the perfect killing machine? His plans changed when he saw Albus at their door, and he watched as he entered the house without knocking. The family was not surprised to see him. What was his game thought Tom, Albus knew this was the child that is supposed to kill him, he was showing signs of aging yet something was not right. Wanting to find out the answer, he came out from his hiding place, blast the door open, and stunned the mother and father. That night was somewhat of a blur; he remembered that he and Albus argued, threw hexes and spells at each other, a couple of Avada kavadas were thrown. The mother and father died with the mother begging for her son's life.
He turned his wand to the crying child to silence him, forgetting his plan to take and raise the child for his own use; he yelled the killing curse. When the flash of green disappeared, he expected to see the soulless eyes of the child staring back at him; instead something went horribly wrong, and his body died that night. He did not know that he had transferred the seventh piece of his soul into the child. He travelled the world without a body thinking about his mistakes. The fact that he let love rule everything that he did was one of his biggest mistakes. When he returned, his only goal was killing Albus and the Boy Who Lived. Albus would feel his wrath for using him as if he was nothing but trash, for stepping on his heart and then discarding it as if it was worthless.
The world might see Dumbledore as the grandfatherly figure he wants them to see, but Tom knows that Dumbledore is evil to his magical core. If only enough he was sane enough that night to remember his plan for the boy because killing the boy now was his only objective. Tom had also found out the rest of the prophecy. He knew it had nothing to do with love because love had no place in his heart or his life. Call him foolish for using the world to get his revenge on all those who hurt him but they were right about one thing, he was unlovable. He wished his mother was alive so he could kill her all over again. Her foolish stand on love started all of this. Living and growing up with muggles, his hate for them only served to open the door to Dumbledore, who broke his heart. When he came back this time, he made sure that his heart was firmly locked away. Only his anger and hate would drive his need to take over the world. Yes, he will kill the Potter boy and all who stand with him but the sweetest kill of all will be Albus Dumbledore.
There was a knock at his door, placing his glamour back in place. "Enter." It was Parkinson, on any day he could stand to be in the man's presence but on a day like today after visiting memory lane, he was not in the mood. He watched as Parkinson walked in and went to his knees, waiting for Tom to speak. "Rise." He got to his feet and started pacing.
"My Lord, something… I cannot believe it myself! It is just not possible, but I saw it with my own eyes…."
"You will stop your blabbering and tell me what it is you wish to say or I will Curcio and not stop until you are no longer breathing."
That stopped Parkinson mid pace. He took a deep breath, "My apology, my Lord. It is just I planned on visiting my daughter today at Hogwarts. It was my plan to speak with the Malfoy boy on his intentions toward my daughter. I got to where the wards for the school are to find Hogwarts disappearing right before my eyes."
Now Tom was a reasonable man, as the Dark Lord he kept his emotions in check when he is in front of his followers but today with his emotions already on the cusp of breaking. He knew he surprised Parkinson when he jumped up then yelled, "WHAT THE FUCK…HOW CAN A CASTLE GO MISSING…HAVE YOU BEEN DRINKING AGAIN!"
"No, my Lord, I have not had a drop of spirits since your return my Lord. I do not understand, one minute it was there in sight and then another it was gone."
Tom stared at Parkinson, and he did not know whether he believed him or not. "Show me." He walked closer to the man, looked in his eyes them and whispered "Legilimence." He was then pulled into the man's mind. Tom saw it all, and he saw Parkinson reach the wards then look at the majestic castle only for it to disappear in a blink of an eye. He was shocked beyond belief. "Who would be powerful enough to make the castle disappear?" He wondered out loud.
Back at the castle Harry and Draco were resting comfortable in their room, and they had exerted a lot of power this morning protecting the castle. It was not something that was planned by either of them. They only wanted the students and teachers to forget what they heard. It was as if Blaise, Harry, Neville and Draco were of one mind and body for just that moment in time. The words they spoke came from their hearts, the castle was their home and theirs to protect. Draco opened his eyes to notice he was in his room; he was not sure how he got there. Harry was lying beside him cuddled into his side. Draco reached for Harry and drew him closer. He needed him to be near; he could feel a shift coming, he wanted to cover his mate, protect him from all of the big bad that was out there in the world. He already had the plan to get revenge on Harry's muggle family; they need to pay for all the hurt they caused him. Just from talking with Harry, he knew the best way to make them hurt without casting a single spell. Their greed would be there downfall; he would enlist his father for help. As the dominant in the relationship it was his job to protect his mate and avenge any wrong that was done to him. After he was done with Harry's Muggle family, he would set his sights on those Weasels, especially the Weaselet bitch. He would not ask for any help dealing with those traitors, and he smiled thinking this was something he very much wanted to deal with personally.
Change to Draco could not think of his mate suffering from the hurt they had caused. He pulled Harry tighter into his arms; he did not want to lose this. Draco loved the feeling of having his mate in his arms, or the thought that one day they will have kits. Speaking of kits, he needed to broach the subject of taking the relationship to the next level. Harry would soon go through the mating heat and Draco knows he will not be able to resist him. The fact that they were not bonded as of yet would only make Harry that much more irresistible. Usually most Veelas when they found their life mate would bond within 48 hours, this way when the submissive mate goes through their mating heat it would not matter if they were to conceive or not. The time frame between findings their Veela mate and their first heat cycle is three months, by his estimation from the time he first kissed Harry to today their three-month time period is almost up. Placing a kiss to Harry's forehead making sure that he was still resting, Draco slowly slipped from the bed, putting on a dressing gown and exited the room as silently as possible.
He needed to talk with his father. It is time he went shopping for bonding rings. Draco wanted a matching set for them both to feel claimed by the other. He knew he was doing this backwards, but he needed to speak with Severus and Lupin about bonding with Harry, maybe they could also talk/torture that bastard Dumbledore and find out what he did with Harry's godfather. Hopefully, they could find him before they bonding ceremony. He prayed to every deity he could think of hoping that Dumbledore was not lying about Sirius because he cannot see his Harry hurt anymore. Bringing his mind back to his original plan of action, he wanted to do this right; so speaking with Harry's current guardians was his top priority after buying a pair of rings that is. Being with Harry was the most important thing in his life at this moment; everything else will be put on hold. He hoped he would get their permission and be able to start planning the bonding ceremony tonight. By this time next week, Harry would become Harrison Jamison Potter-Malfoy!