A/N: Nothing is mine....
Chapter 3: The Founders Four
The tunnel that Harry followed the goblin down was even narrower and darker than the last one. He felt a chill run through his bones as he felt the echoes of someone who had been here before he was. Namely one Tom Riddle.
Eventually the tunnel began to widen and Harry felt the floor begin to slope downwards at an increasing angle. He wouldn't call it a staircase per se, but he did notice a certain descent. He felt the air cool around him. They must be descending far deep underground. He tried to glance ahead to see anything, but the torchlight from Orlock didn't extend very far in front of him and the only sounds Harry could hear were the sounds of their own feet as they trudged down the path.
After several minutes in the dark the tunnel opened to a large chamber, essentially a larger version of the antechamber from which they had come. It was about double the size though, and there were ornate gold statues in all four corners, one for each of the Founders. Harry entered the room, and turned back to the goblin who tossed him a small dagger. "You'll need that," he said as he turned to walk back up the tunnel.
"Wait...where are you going," Harry called back, almost frantic.
"It is not my place to witness this ritual. When it is over you will be transported back to my office rest assured." At that the goblin left the room, and a stone slab slid down, blocking the only discernible exit. Harry stared at the slab for a moment, trying to will it to move. He didn't think he'd be facing this alone. He turned and saw a small light having been lit in the middle of the room. Taking a deep breath and bringing up all of his courage, he walked forward into the light. He stepped on a large compass shape and was almost instantly frozen in place. His mind went blank and he stood in awe as the whole room lit up, sparkling in gold and gems. It was a far cry from the dark and dreary place it had been a moment ago.
Harry stared forward and watched out of the corner of his eyes as two of the statues came out of the corner towards him. He guessed that the other two were doing the same. The two in front of him appeared to be Gryffindor on the left and Slytherin on the right, though he couldn't be completely certain. They stopped a few inches from the large compass shape and remained in position, when in front of him a large white door opened. He felt the cool rush of air coming out of the doorway as it opened, but the white light behind it was quickly covered by a large silhouette. From out of the door came a large gargoyle, sliding along the floor and coming to a stop. It's hands were cradled together in almost a praying motion, but it's face and diamond studded eyes were staring straight into Harry's.
"Who comes forward to seek the ancestral lines," a deep bellowing voice came out from the direction of the gargoyle, though it filled the entire room. Harry gazed around in wonder for a moment before snapping back to reality.
"I-I do," he managed to stammer out.
"State your name and the basis for your claim," the voice returned, still as forceful as ever. Harry suddenly looked down at his hand and saw the ring sitting on his finger. Ancestral knowledge seemed to be coming from nowhere but the back of his mind, and he wasn't as afraid as before.
"I am Harry Potter," he began, speaking with more confidence this time, "Son of James Potter. I am the Rightful Lord to the House of Potter, the House of Black, the House of Seldon, the House of Warrens and the House of Draven. I am the rightful heir to the ancestral line of Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw & Helga Hufflepuff." The confidence left Harry almost as quickly as it had arrived, and suddenly he didn't quite know what to do with himself. Another gaze at his ring brought his mind back as the disembodied voice considered this.
"Very well," the voice of the guardian returned, "we shall proceed with the tests of ascension. First, we must test your blood." At this the gargoyle's front paws lifted forward and Harry noticed for the first time that it was holding a small bowl. Harry found then that he could move again, and he instinctively knew what to do. Holding the dagger that Orlock had given him a few minutes earlier. He held his hand over the bowl and sliced his palm, letting some of his blood flow freely into it. A few moments later the the bowl glowed red, followed by a green, and finally a deep hue of blue, before the blood simply disappeared. Harry felt a warmth in his hand and saw that the cut had been healed.
"Your blood is indeed pure," the voice returned, "Now we shall test your magic." Harry looked around and saw the four statues of the founders were moving, their right hands rising up. He noticed in each of them was a thin stick of wood, varying in length. Their wands no doubt. Each wand pointed directly at him. He quickly rushed to get his own wand out and put up a shield, but found that he was once again frozen. He closed his eyes and waited for whatever was about to happen.
In succession, each wand fired a small spell at him that merely swirled around him for a few moments and then disappated. When this had been completed, the arms of the statues lowered back down and Harry was free to move again. He didn't know if he had passed or not, didn't really know what had just happened. He tried to remember what Orlock had said, but his mind was going blank.
"Your magic is indeed pure," the voice returned. "You have been judged worthy to face the Founders Four. May Merlin watch over you." At that the gargoyle withdrew from whence it had came, and Harry found himself standing in blackness once more. Torches began to light up all around him, and he heard shifting noises. He could see the founder's statues swinging to the left at a 45 degree angle so that the statue of Godric Gryffindor stood in front of him. Harry shook his head and removed his glasses, trying to gain some insight as to what was happening. The world was spinning, and there was a loud ringing in his ears. He felt his throat jam up and gasped out the air. He couldn't breath. The air was leaving him. Dropping to one knee he tried to cough and force air back into his lungs by gasping, but it didn't work. Swirls of color spun around him as he collapsed down to his hands and knees, and finally blacked out on the floor.
/ - / - / - /
Harry didn't know how long he was out, but he was readily apparent of two things. First, based on the cool damp air still surrounding him, he had not been transported back to Orlock's office like the goblin said he would. Only if he had been judged unworthy, Harry corrected himself. The second thing he realized was that his body did not ache at all.
Standing up, Harry rubbed his eyes and replaced his glasses. He shook his mess of a head and kept his eyes shut for a moment longer. He had a strange sensation in the back of his mind. He suddenly got the notion....he was no longer alone.
"Took him long enough," came a snide voice to his left. Harry turned and was floored by what he saw. Standing there in translucent glory was Salazar Slytherin. His face was long and thin, and his eyes a deep seeded green a few shades darker than Harry's. He was glad in a forest green robe with silver and purple trimming, the hood lifted over his head partially casting a shadow over his eyes, as much as a shadow could ever fall over a ghost. "What are you gawking at boy," Slytherin snapped at Harry, causing Harry to back away a bit in fear.
"Leave the boy alone," came a more reassuring voice from behind him, directly across from Slytherin. Harry turned around again and saw the lady Hufflepuff. She was slightly heavy set with golden hair tied in style similar to that of a certain transfigurations professor Harry knew. Her mouth was drawn with a smile, and her cheeks seemed to actually be rosy. These were unlike ghosts he had seen before.
"For we are not ghosts," came another female voice to his right. Harry turned again and found Rowena Ravenclaw standing there, taller than the other two. Her face shone with more beauty, but seemed to hide a mind of keen intelligence. Her eyes were bright, open, and a deep blue, and they oddly brought calm to Harry.
"We are merely memories, preserved in statues," came the deep voice from before. Harry turned to the position he had been facing before and laid eyes on the tallest of the bunch, one Godric Gryffindor. His short auburn hair was lined with gray streaks throughout, and a beard hung down to his chin. He was clad in armor while the other three were in robes, and a makeshift sword hung from a scabbard on his belt. Harry stared at all four of them, not knowing what to say.
"You....you...." he stammered, pointing at them in succession. Helga laughed at this.
"Yes, we get that reaction a lot. We are the Founders Four. And you are Harry James Potter, Lord of the House of Warrens and heir to my ancestral line."
"You are also Lord of the House of Seldon," came Rowena's voice, calm as ever, "and heir to my ancestral line."
"You indeed are the Lord of the House of Potter," Godric chimed in, his face partially beaming downward at his living descendant, "and heir to my ancestral line."
"It would appear that by sheer luck," Salazar sneered, "that you are the Lord of the House of Draven, and my rightful heir." Harry gazed up at the ancient wizard, and had a question on his lips. He didn't know if he dared to ask the founder a question.
"Speak up boy," the man yelled, apparently not enjoying the gawking.
"Well sir, I thought that Tom Riddle was your heir?" There was a silence as Slytherin considered the question. Slytherin's face twisted slightly as he made his reply...surprisingly in parseltongue.
"Do not speak to me of that close-minded fool," Salazar hissed. He gazed down at Harry, seeming to dare him to reply.
"I did not mean to offend," Harry returned in the same language. Salazar's eyebrow cocked at this.
"Interesting," came the calm voice of Ravenclaw. "I sense that there are many levels to your character young Lord." She closed her eyes and Harry felt as if he was being stripped bare. It was similar to when Snape had used legilimency on him, but different. Rather than the violated feelings that Snape brought forward, Harry felt at peace as he could sense Ravenclaw reading his thoughts and memories. "He has been through much for one so young," she stated, not opening her eyes, "and yet there is a good mind here despite his difficulties." She frowned as she pushed forward, "And there is more...one who has dampened his power considerably. It hinders his natural ability." She opened her eyes and stopped her probing, dwelling on her own thoughts for a moment. Harry still felt the probing however, and quickly turned to see the other three doing similar movements.
"He is loyal," Helga simply stated with a smile, "almost to a fault. He cares for his friends more deeply than anything, and would do anything for them."
"Yet he is blind in his loyalty," Salazar retorted with a frown, "He is faithful to those who have chained him and shuns those who could help him...but why?"
"It is not for the reasons you think Salazar," came Gryffindor to his defense. "He has been tormented from a young age, he is fiercely loyal to those who show him any type of affection. This is through no fault of his own." This argument only brought a slight perhaps from Slytherin's lips.
"His courage runs deep," Gryffindor continued, making his own assessment. "He has faced danger and he has faced it alone. When no one else believed him he stood firm and stayed by his ideals, loyal and true." Harry knew they had been talking about the events of the previous year when no one had believed him about Voldemort.
"He feels the pain of loss," came Rowena's soothing sounds. "He feels it deeply. His parents were taken from him long ago...and more he has cared for have died."
"He blames himself," Helga said, a frown on her face, "It is not his fault. No doubt more of his upbringing."
"We should judge him on the merits of his own character, not on the flaws of his protectors and guardians," Gryffindor argued. "And his character is the strongest we have seen in 900 years by far."
Slytherin remained silent for a few moments before opening his eyes and staring right at Harry's scar, "He is marked by he who sought my heritage and failed. It is a mark that has governed his destiny and still to this day seeps his power." He paused a moment and closed his eyes, "There is a cunning here he has been afraid to tap into because of the machinations of others. He has allowed himself to be manipulated." Harry rose to defend himself, his mind stripped bare and raw emotion showing through, when a laugh arose from Gryffindor.
"Courage indeed! He would curse you if he had the ability Salazar." Harry looked at Slytherin, a glint in his eye and almost detected a hint of respect coming from the darker wizard.
"He recognizes, deep down in his heart, even if he has not admitted it to himself, that there is more to the world than the light and dark. He knows there are shades of gray. He himself is a shade of gray." Finally the four were silent, and Harry looked at them all as they one by one opened their eyes and stared at him.
"We have judged your character. Your spirit. We are ready to render our verdicts, Helga, if you will begin." Harry turned to the shorter Hufflepuff and gazed into her brown eyes. It was oddly calming to him.
"Your warm heart and strength of character have joyed me greatly. I, Helga Hufflepuff, do hereby judge you as worthy to accept my ancestral line." Harry's eyes went wide and the notion. He had passed at least one of the Founder's tests....he turned to Ravenclaw who kept her eyes fixed on him.
"He has much to learn but his potential is far too great to ignore," she said, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "I Rowena Ravenclaw, do hereby judge you as worthy to accept my ancestral line." Harry smiled again, his mind swimming with possibilities. He turned to Slytherin, not expecting much.
"Saving the boy's lack of confidence in his own ability and strength," Salazar began, "I cannot find a flaw with him. Certainly not like the last one's to come before us. I, Salazar Slytherin, do hereby judge you as worthy to accept my ancestral line." Harry was bowled over by the admission, and mentally chuckled at what Hermione would say. Finally, he turned to Gryffindor...
"I must say this is a surprise," the Scottish man spoke with a heavy accent, "I never thought we'd see the day when someone like you would grace our presence. I, Godric Gryffindor, do hereby judge you as worthy to accept my ancestral line." Harry smiled and saw the room light up for the first time since he had awoken. Alternating colors of flames appeared in the room, varying from green, to red, to blue, to yellow, and back again in quick succession.
"Harry James Potter," Gryffindor continued, "son of James Winston Potter, Lord of the Houses of Black, Potter, Warrens, Seldon & Draven, you have been judged worthy to receive the ancestral lines of all the Founders Four. As a result, when you go forth from this place you will received our signet rings and bear all the power they carry."
"You can circumvent the governors of Hogwarts," Helga chimed in, and Harry's eyes widened at this.
"You can help shape wizarding law for years to come," Salazar joined in.
"And you can protect those you care about," Rowena added.
"In addition," Godric continued, "You shall be bestowed with ten gifts in total: Two from each of us and two from us collectively." He looked at Hufflepuff, a gesture followed by Harry, who smiled at the elder woman.
"To you my heir I grant you the power of Charms. Many of the Charms you already know were invented or perfected by my line, and when you receive my gift you will be able to cast them effortlessly. I also give you the gift of tongues. You already speak Salazar's language, but with my language you will speak the ancient tongues of the goblins, the tongues of the elves long since departed from this world, and many other races."
"To you my heir," Ravenclaw began, "I grant you the gift of runic magic. It is a lost art in your time, and those who practice it barely scratch the surface of its power. I grant you the understanding of its power and its consequences. Further, I grant you the gift of control, over your mind and emotions. You shall leave this place fully trained in the mind arts that I invented."
"To you my heir," Slytherin continued, more than a hint of joy in his voice at the mayhem this was likely to cause, "I grant the knowledge of potion-making. As with Lady Hufflepuff and Charms, I and my line are the creators of many of the potions that exist today. Secondly, I grant you the knowledge of curses and their counters. They are viewed by many as so called dark arts....but I know you shall use them to dispense true justice, not merely fight a pointless war."
"And to you my heir," Gryffindor finished, "I grant you the knowledge of Transfiguration, including the ability to become an Animagus. Your father had this ability when he faced me some years ago and were it not for his close-mindedness, I might have considered granting him a similar gift. Finally I grant you the gift years of neglect has denied you, that of a sound body to match your sound mind. When you leave this place your flaws will be erased. Which leads us to our collective gifts." He paused and raised his wand, a gesture followed by the others, leaving Harry a bit dumbfounded and awestruck.
"For to long has your soul labored under the weight of these curses. Some were placed there to dampen your powers. Others were placed there to block your memories. One was even placed there to terrify others at your mere presence. And the one granted to you by the one you know as Voldemort seeps away at your strength and may one day threaten your very life. We shall lift these curses forever more, and set you free from their burden. Furthermore, you shall have access to all of our remaining worldly possessions that the goblins have stored for us. No doubt many of them have left their care these many centuries, but you will know them and what they can be used for, when the time is right. Now, Harry James Potter, Heir of the Founders, do you accept these gifts."
"I do," Harry said, muttering the only words he could.
"Very well...so mote it be." The four founders began to chant in a druidic language that Harry didn't understand, but the words rang through his ears, shaking him to his very magical core.
Suddenly Harry was wracked by a great pain as he felt the weight of fifteen years of curses being lifted from his spirit one by one. Knowledge flooded his mind, and he swore he could feel his physical body change slightly at the surge of power. Magic swirled around his soul, penetrating every fiber of his being, and pain slowly gave way to a semblance of calm. Harry felt himself being levitated off the ground, supported by the essence of his new powers. After what seemed like a lifetime of power surging through him, he felt himself sink back down onto the floor, his mind shutting down, and blackness overtook him.
A/N: This is not a typical super!Harry destroys everything in his path story. There is still some vulnerability here as Harry adjusts to his new powers and deals with the rest of the world. It's also going to be a long story, and Dumbles will probably be more evil than I would normally have him but such is life in my crazy brain.
Please review, I greatly appreciate the positive response this story has generated thus far.