Chapter 18: Quidditch and Founders
For the next couple of weeks, after the event in Dumbledore's office, Indigo avoided Harry and while he knew it shouldn't agitate him it did.
He didn't like not having her attention.
He focused all his energies on training for the last match of the season against Ravenclaw. He knew one way or another Indigo would have to acknowledge him on the pitch.
He'd seen her play against Hufflepuff and had to say she was nearly as good as Draco which had surprised him.
Never, up until that year, had he thought she had any interest in Quidditch. He knew Granger definitely didn't but even the bushy haired Mudblood had come out of the dusty library to cheer on her friend.
He stood on the pitch with his team at his flanks on the day of the match.
He looked straight past the Ravenclaw captain and towards Indigo.
Her face showed nothing but her eyes were determined.
"Captains shake hands," Madam Hooch ordered.
Harry smirked and looked at Davis.
The captain was obviously nervous but there was a determined glint in his eye.
With Gryffindor out of the season Ravenclaw had really shown their worth.
Hadrian wasn't worried though.
Slytherins were better no questions asked.
He shook Davis' hand and grinded the Ravenclaw's bones as he did.
The wince on Davis' face was reward enough.
The teams were in the air instantly.
Harry had chosen Crabbe and Goyle as beaters.
The two gorilla like boys, despite not having much in the upstairs department could take orders and had a very mean and actuate swing.
Pucey snatched the Quaffle from the air before any of the Ravenclaws could move and Harry smirked.
The game was definitely in the bag.
Indigo deflected the Quaffle again and wiped her hair out of her eyes.
Slytherin were definitely on point, the Ravenclaw chasers could hardly get a feel of the quaffle and when they did Draco saved the goals like they were child's play.
The score was 80-0 and Indigo knew if it came down to the seekers Ravenclaw definitely didn't stand a chance. Hadrian had never missed the snitch and Cho's technique was to mark the other seeker rather than do her own work.
She watched Hadrian and Cho dive and felt her stomach knot.
The two seekers continued to dive and as Hadrian pulled up sharply, Cho crashed harshly into the ground.
Hadrian didn't even glance at the fallen and hurt seeker as he chased the snitch.
The game was over moments later.
Indigo didn't understand how Hadrian could just shrug off someone else's worth. Had that been her diving against Cho no matter how much she wanted to win she wouldn't have had to at least glance back to make sure the girl was ok.
Hadrian just continued on as if Cho was a mere insect.
Shaking her head she wondered what made her special enough to hold his attention.
Harry watched as Umbridge threw yet another rage at the stone gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office.
After the initial hunt around the castle for the Headmaster the office had sealed itself off against Umbridge and Fudge.
Harry had witnessed now and again on the Deviant Map that Dumbledore returned to his office every now and again. Using the maps observation charm he watched as Dumbledore collected books or wrote letters and such things.
It was on one of these instances that Harry realised how Dumbledore knew near enough everything.
The man used the portraits.
Harry cursed himself, the thought of never actually thinking of that as a possibility seemed ludicrous to him.
He'd instantly hunted around the Slytherin common room and dorms for any portraits that could report back to Dumbledore.
Thankfully he found none.
As he watched Dumbledore disappear from his office once again he made a spur of the moment decision.
He pulled up his hood and cast an obscuring charm on his face.
"Ashanti," he called.
The bird appeared instantly and Harry smiled slightly.
The phoenix was as loyal as ever.
"I need you to take me to Dumbledore's office, girl, but we can't be seen by the portraits, can you do that?" he murmured to her.
She bobbed her head and let out a thrill before hopping up onto his shoulder.
Casting a Disillusionment Charm on himself and on Ashanti he allowed her to flame them into Dumbledore's office.
He felt the warmth of the flames but was surprised that Ashanti had managed to keep the flames invisible.
Knowing it would be risky to look around while the portraits were awake he sent a sleeping charm at the frames.
Each and every portrait fell asleep.
Acting quickly he headed over to the desk.
He sensed wards around it and with a careful hand he managed to dismantle them all without tripping any alarms.
He needed to find something, anything, that could help Neville.
It was pretty much just a waiting game as to when Neville was lured away but maybe Harry could find something to help keep Neville alive.
It was a desperate urge.
Harry didn't hold many people on the same level as him and he definitely didn't care for anyone below him. Neville, however, was one of those people that he would risk absolutely anything for. He was one of the rare few that Harry truly cared for.
"What you need, young one, is in the bottom draw,"
Harry looked up startled and was surprised to see Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff and Salazar Slytherin in a tall portrait to the side of the desk.
In the portrait, Hufflepuff was sat in a chair in front of where Gryffindor was standing and on the other side of a small circular coffee table Ravenclaw was sat in a chair in front of Slytherin.
Harry was pretty sure the portrait hadn't been there before and he was pretty sure, even if it had been there and his charm had missed it, that the portrait still shouldn't be able to see him.
"The bottom draw?"
Rowena inclined her head.
Harry sat down in the Headmaster's seat and cast a diagnostic charm at the draw.
It was humming with wards and curses.
"The letter opener will help you boy. It's a Dumbledore heirloom and Albus' DNA and magic has touched it enough that you will be permitted to open the draw using it without triggering the curses," Salazar stated gruffly.
Cautiously Harry plucked up the silver letter opener and expertly picked the lock on the draw with it.
The draw opened easily and using the letter opener he pulled the fabric within the draw out.
"An invisibility cloak," he murmured when he noticed his hand and the letter opener vanish.
"Not just an invisibility cloak, dear boy, thee invisibility cloak. The only one of its kind and if I'm not mistaken it is rightfully yours," Helga stated softly.
"Mine?" Harry asked baffled.
"I can tell one of my own from a mile off, as can these three, no matter what charms are cast to disguise them," Rowena announced. "If you are a heir of mine then that cloak is rightfully yours. It was cut from the rarest creature and is the only invisibility cloak in existence that will truly last forever,"
"I'm not your heir and I'm especially not all of yours heir. Tom Riddle, or rather Lord Voldemort, is the one true last heir to the house of Slytherin and I thought the Smiths were Lady Hufflepuff's last descendents," Harry said shaking his head.
All four of the founders in the portrait smirked.
"When you learn the truth boy, you will come back and we will give you answers. Know this though, we do not lie and we will only show for our own direct blood," Salazar stated firmly. "You are our heir, you are our only true heir left,"
"I need something to keep my friend safe and alive. Dumbledore has put him in danger and I need something to aid him. Is there anything in here that may help with that? It's why I came," Harry said deciding to think on their words at a later date.
"The only way your friend will survive is if Dumbledore encloses what he knows in the boy. It is our belief that it is Dumbledore's intention, if he can get the boy to swap houses, to teach him about what he needs to know during his sixth year," Helga sighed shaking her head.
"Hogwarts needs a new Head and you, my child, will help that become reality," Rowena said strongly.
Harry was completely baffled.
He knew the Malfoy ancestry right back to France, he knew there was no way he was the heir to the founders. Especially since Draco was the older twin.
Biding them good bye, after restoring the wards and removing the sleep spell on the portraits, Harry had Ashanti take him back to his dorm.
Draco was sat in bed reading while the other two were fast asleep.
Harry cancelled the spells around him and cast a silencing ward around his and Draco's beds.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Blaise and Neville but first he needed to get all the facts.
He filled Draco in and watched as his brother floundered over what the founders had told Harry.
Over the next few weeks as the Exams approached the castle fell to chaos.
The Weasley twins pranked Umbridge nearly twenty four seven and when they weren't pranking her they were letting off pranks around the castle.
Someone was letting Nifflers into Umbridge's office which lead to her dramatic firing of Hagrid during the Astronomy OWL.
Blaise had been particularly happy over that due to the fact McGonagall had been stunned by no less than three people at the same time, which meant she was no longer teaching.
The whole castle was in uproar over it but anyone who spoke out against Umbridge or the Ministry found themselves in detention.
Harry and the other Slytherins who were thought to be Umbridge's student army were having the time of their lives as they actively managed to cause chaos and havoc freely without been punished for it.
It had been a happy day when the Deviants had realised Gryffindor had no more house points left.
It was after their last exam, the History of Magic OWL, that their happy days causing the Gryffindors, and other houses grief, fell apart.
AN: Well that was Chapter 18 :) Hope everyone enjoyed :D
cocobyrd87 - Hahaha Dumbledore is definately out of his league when it comes to the Deviants :) To underestimate and assume something about someone is to damn yourself and that definately applies to him :)
Dragons-Twilight1992 - More here and more to come :)