Chapter Three

"Who is he?" a young boy's voice asked. There were several whispers in the background.

"Out of my way!" This voice was more mature, older and commanding.

Harry groaned, trying to sit up.

"Lay back down boy." Hands pushing him down onto the ground followed the male voice. Harry gave a shout of pain as his chest started burning like it was on fire. With a gargantuan effort, he opened his eyes. It was morning. The small amount of sunlight burned his eyes a little.

At first, all he could see were many blurs but then, when his eyes had adjusted, those blurs took the form of boys, around the age of eleven, crowding around him.

"Are you alright?" Harry's attention was diverted from the boys to the man leaning over him. Harry stared at him. He couldn't recall seeing him at Hogwarts.

The man had hair as black as a raven's wing, tied back in a neat ponytail and cool blue eyes that never missed a detail. He was slim and tall, probably as tall as Dumbledore

"Are you alright?" the man restated.

"I'm fine," muttered Harry, trying to sit up again. He winced a little but managed it this time.

The man, who was watching him like a hawk, did not miss the wince.

"Alfred," he called a little boy with sandy hair and speckled green eyes forward. With a boy standing on his own, Harry noticed they were wearing tunics of black with silver and green trimmings. Slytherin students, Harry mused with a grimace, but there aren't classes today. Or maybe it's Monday. No, they wouldn't have classes this deep in the Forest; even Hagrid has more sense than that. And why the fancy dress?

"Go and fetch Lady Hufflepuff, this stranger's injured." The boy bobbed his head and ran off. "The rest of you," the man continued, "class is dismissed, return to the Common Room." The boys reluctantly departed with curious glances at Harry. They all seemed to know where they were going.

"Hufflepuff? Hufflepuff?" Harry echoed in disbelief.

The man glanced at him. "You have heard of her then."

"Heard of her? Of course I have, but how Earth are you going to fetch her when she's been dead for thousands of years?" Harry babbled.

The man looked at him like he was mad. "She is very much alive and what is this Earth you speak of?"

Harry gaped at him openly.

"W-who are you?" Harry asked finally.

"I am Lord Slytherin," The man said with an upturning of his lips.

Harry almost fainted. "Salazar Slytherin?"

Lord Slytherin nodded, watching him speculatively.

"That's not possible, you've been dead for thousands of years!"

"I assure you I'm not," Slytherin said patiently.

Harry actually fainted this time.

The touch of cold hands on his face lurched Harry into consciousness. He was in an airy room, lying on a bed. Looking down he saw that his chest was bandaged and his shirt off.

"Be still," said a gentle voice. Three people surrounded him, one of them being Slytherin and the other two being women. He had his suspicions about who the women were. Harry examined the others as they examined him. They were all quite good looking. Of the two women, one had golden hair and smiley eyes. The other one reminded him of Professor McGonagall, except younger with dark hair and piercing blue eyes.

"You have the most curious eyes, such a lovely green," the golden haired woman commented.

Harry blushed. "Thanks," he muttered.

"Pardon me," said Slytherin cordially. "Lady Hufflepuff and Lady Ravenclaw."

Ravenclaw must have seen the look on Harry's face, because she smiled and started speaking.

"You seem to have travelled a long way, but we don't even know your name."

Harry hesitated, wondering if his name would have effects in the future.

"No, your name would hardly affect the future, seeing as we don't know who you are, or will be." This came from Ravenclaw.

How did she—? Harry thought, before narrowing his eyes."You used Legillemency on me!"

She sighed, her blue eyed void of all emotion, but her arms crossing defensively. "You are in our school, and it's our job to make sure that the students are protected."

"What else did you see?" Harry asked, his mind racing with all sorts of memories. The more he tried to suppress them, the more they came to the forefront of his mind.

"Nothing, I delved no further," Ravenclaw said clearly, her voice hitching with the merest sign of regret. Harry believed her.

"My name is Harry Potter," Harry said hesitatingly.

Slytherin frowned, the snake Founder had been watching with developing interest.

"Potter-Potter, I think Godric had a students called Louis Potter he graduated two years ago, could he be related to you?"

"Possibly," Harry said shortly. After all this manwas the cause of the war. Him and his pure blood supremacy and Voldemort.

"What year did you come from?" Hufflepuff asked.

"1996," Harry replied cautiously. Slytherin drew a sharp breath.

"Well you certainly have come far," Ravenclaw mused. "There must be a purpose to your journey."

Harry shook his head. "I have no idea why I'm here."

"Could you perhaps explain the circumstances you were in which you arrived? Did you eat something, drink something or had a spell cast upon you?" Hufflepuff queried.

"No, no and sort of."

"Sort of?" Slytherin asked.

"Well I-" Harry blushed, now that he remembered his attitude earlier. "I was a bit – angry – and I might have insulted some centaurs, I think they did a weird sort of spell on me. Only without wands."

Slytherin sneered. "You insulted centaurs? That was idiotic of you, boy."

"Yes it certainly was," Ravenclaw said sharply. "And what was the cause of this anger? I doubt it was the centaurs, they are most agreeable creatures."

"Agreeable creatures?" Harry repeated incredulously, shifting to a better, cross-legged position on the bed. "They tried to banish me from the Forbidden Forest. Said it belonged to them."

"It does," Hufflepuff said. "That was one of the conditions the castle was built with. The centaurs were in the Forest long before Hogwarts existed."

Harry's face burned with shame and he stumbled to give the Founders an explanation. "But that can't be—we all thought—never mind." He stuttered helplessly. The centaurs had been telling the truth?

"You thought wrong, obviously," Ravenclaw said.

"Why were you angry?" Hufflepuff asked softly.

A reminder of his anger had his fists clenching, green eyes burning with a passion that, Hufflepuff, alarmed, knew he was too young to have.

"They want me to save them," Harry bit out.

"And who are they?" Slytherin asked impatiently, "Give us complete answers boy."

"Everyone. They want me to save them from a horror they don't want to face. Yet they expect me to!" Harry said angrily, stomach clenching at the thought of going near his parents' murderer.

"Calm down, young one," Hufflepuff said.

Harry took a deep breath, heaving all his mixed up emotions into the small, corked bottle he kept at the bottom of his heart. He looked at the Founders in chagrin; this was not how he would have imagined meeting them.