Dragon Rose

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Thanks to Kei and Sandra for their betaing Job....

Enjoy.

Chapter Six

Harry was slightly amused as both Severus and Mr. Malfoy came to stand shoulder to shoulder, directly behind him. Both had their wands out and were scanning the area, looking for any threat as Harry stepped forward into the Inner Chamber. Surprisingly enough, the thought of having Lucius Malfoy standing behind him with his wand out did not put Harry on his guard like it should have, but instead gave him an oddly comforting feeling.

The others in the group ranged themselves out behind the two Dark Wizards, and had their wands out as well, which caused Slyth to hiss in amusement. {They do realize that it's not a human threat they need to worry about, as they are the only humans in the room? Not to mention the fact that, as you are coming down to see the Four Founders, you are all safe from harm, and that if anything was down here that could harm you, we would protect you all.}

Harry snorted in amusement and shook his head. {Nope don't think they noticed. But then, I think the only ones who expect an attack from below would be the two directly behind me, even without the proof in the Outer Chambers,} Harry replied. {That and the fact that nothing is really known about the Founders today, well, you can understand why they are nervous, I'm sure,} he added thoughtfully.

“Harry my boy, what are the two of you discussing?” the Headmaster asked, curiosity coloring his voice, cutting off Slyth's answer.

Harry blinked his eyes as he turned around, and looked at the Headmaster in the space left between the two Dark Wizards, before smiling slyly. “Oh, nothing much Headmaster. We were just discussing how blind some humans can be when it comes to being attacked. Slyth was just saying that he wondered if any of you realized that you are the only humans in the room that would be attacking, and then pointed out that anything else will be attacking from low to the ground.”

“And we leave the saving of the world in the hands of a bunch of nitwits.” Mr. Malfoy snorted softly as he watched the others hastily search the ground. “And what did you tell your little friend in return?”

“That more than likely only the two of you even realized that the greater threat came from the ground, even with the evidence from the Outer Chambers. As it is, we are all under the protection of the Founders, and nothing will harm us while we are down here.” Harry directed the first part of this statement to Malfoy Sr., before directing the last part to the others. “You can put away your wands; I'm not sure insulting the Founders would be a good idea,” he pointed out.

Dumbledore, Sprout, Flitwick, and McGonagall put away their wands, and were soon followed by the twins, although the three Slytherins kept theirs out. In response to Harry's pointed look at Severus' wand, he received a sneered, “I'm sure that, although the other three Founders may feel insulted, you must admit that Salazar Slytherin would feel insulted if we put them away.”

'Must be a Slytherin thing,' Harry thought before shrugging. “Can't say I didn't warn you if this turns out bad,” he answered before continuing on into the tunnel leading down into the actual Chambers, with the others following close behind.

The group followed the tunnel even further under ground before it started to rise again slightly before leveling out. Their progress was halted by a heavy oak door that was bolted into the wall, carved with all four of the house symbols, the main one being a giant snake. As the group approached, the snake slowly opened its eyes and studied them all for a moment, before speaking. {Only with the Blood of all four Founders may you pass this door,} came the rasping hiss and, before Harry could reply it continued, {Only in this way may those secrets inside remain away from prying eyes,} it finished before closing its eyes and remaining still once again.

Harry's eyed the door in disgust before turning and stalking away from it, cursing under his breath. Turning his back on everyone, he started to pace as he thought through the problem.

“Kitten, what's the problem?” Morgan asked him softly.

:Nothing, absolutely nothing. I just have to admit that I'm the only one who can open that door to people I really don't know that I can trust. So like I said nothing is fucking wrong,: Harry snarled at her.

“It can't be that bad Kitten,” Gali said out loud.

“Of course it can.”

“Who do you trust to know this?” Morgan asked.

:The two of you and your father,: Harry said in their minds.

“I guess that is a problem then, huh?”

“I've already said that.”

“What did the Snake say?”

:Only the blood of all four Founders could open the door, so that all the secrets behind that door would remain that way.:

:So you not only have to keep the fact that you have their blood flowing through you, but you are also unsure if you can trust everyone here enough to let them into that room as well,: Morgan summarized.

“I thought that was obvious,” Harry snarled.

“Would the three of you explain the problem to everyone, speaking one at a time? The three of you sound worse then the Weasley twins,” McGonagall asked tightly.

“NO!” came from all three at the same time.

“Excuse me? As your Head of House…”

“As my former Head of House, you have no claim over me or my actions, or have you forgotten that I was kicked out of Gryffindor?” Harry cut her off. “I do not have to explain anything to you, or anyone else I do not trust. As there is only one here that holds my complete trust other than the twins, you can see my problem,” he continued coldly.

“Harry My Boy, I know that I do not have your complete trust, but everyone here would be willing to help you. You do not have to go this alone,” the Headmaster said quietly, as he came to stand before the young man, and placed a hand on his shoulders.

Harry sighed and dropped his head. :Tell your father I really need his advice at the moment,: he said quietly in his mind as he sunk down the wall to sit on the floor.

The twins nodded their understanding and pulled their father aside and cast a quick silencing charm around them as they informed him of what was going on. It only took a few minutes for them to explain, and it took only seconds after that for Severus to join Harry on the floor, and cast his own silencing spell. “Would you care to explain to me what's going through your mind at the moment?” he asked softly.

Harry sighed and rested his head against the wall. “I’m confused more than anything. What that snake said is forcing me to deal with a few things that I really don't want to deal with at the moment. Matters of trust. I know I can trust you and the twins, but I don't know Professors Flitwick and Sprout well enough to trust them. McGonagall has almost lost my trust completely, especially when she tried to hide the actions of the rest of her House. Then there is Lucius and Draco Malfoy, and doesn't that bring up oh so many more issues.”

Severus sighed and also leaned against the wall, “Filius and Pomona always stood up for you during meetings. Every time something else happened, they were always thinking of ways to help you, even if nothing was used. Instead they tried to make your time in their classes as easy and stress-free as possible. Minerva has always defended you. No matter what you did, she was there trying to protect you. This recent behavior has to do with a lot of grief at the moment, I believe. The Malfoys I can understand you not trusting with their past treatment of you. I can tell you that the twins do trust Draco with their lives, as I trust Lucius with mine.”

Harry opened his eyes and looked up at Severus, trying his best to read the dark eyes in front of him. Nodding his head in understanding, he closed his eyes again. “Thank you.”

Severus sighed and reached out to gently touch Harry's arm. “I can't tell you who to trust Harry. But I do know that you can trust Albus.”

Harry sighed deeply before dropping his forehead against the Potion Masters shoulder and nodding wearily. That was all Severus needed to drop the spell and ask the Headmaster to join them. “Harry, you need to trust him with this. We all know he made mistakes when it came to you, but he's trying to make up for it. Tell him what's happening,” Severus whispered in his ear as the Headmaster sat in front of them and cast his own silencing spell.

Glancing up into the dark eyes for reassurance, Harry turned slightly to look at the Headmaster, and from him to the others. “Only the Blood of the Four Founders can get past that door. It was warded that way so that their secrets remained safe,” Harry told Dumbledore softly.

“I see.” After a few minutes of thought he continued, “The way that I see it, we have a few options available to us. We can go back out and find the Heirs of the Four Founders and come back, or you can decide which House you want to go into.”

“The decision that the Hat was trying to make was not on which House to put me into, but on whether or not I needed to be in a House at all. I think that the Hat has something else it wants to show me while we are down here, but that's only a feeling I have. The only decision that needs to be made is whether or not we can trust the others with both the knowledge of who the Founders’ Heir is, but also with the knowledge of the secrets behind that door,” Harry told them.

“Explain!” Severus half snapped.

“I can open the door on my own. I just don't know if that knowledge should be given to the others. I don't know who to trust anymore,” Harry admitted.

“And that's what you were arguing with the twins about,” Albus stated knowingly.

“I wouldn't call it arguing,” Harry muttered.

“Would it help if I told you they are all members of the Order?” Albus asked.

“You mean the bunch who were supposed to protect me over the past few summers?”

“I can see why you are reluctant to trust them. But if you don't start trusting some of them, you are going to end up so very alone.”

“I trust Severus and the twins.”

“Yes and I'm extremely happy that you have found that trust in the three of them, but you need to open yourself up to trust others around you,” Albus said softly.

Harry closed his eyes against the pain that started to well up in his heart, and the tears that wanted to fall. “I did trust others,” he said softly before taking an uneven breath as he tried to push all the emotions away, and carefully hid behind his masks once again. “I really don't want to discuss this here and now,” he said. His voice trembled softly with suppressed emotion. “For now, I guess I will just have to ask them to give me their Oaths that nothing is said beyond those who are here.”

Albus and Severus shared a look of concern, but carefully hid it so the others did not see it. “For now that is all I ask, Harry,” Albus said instead of the many things he wanted to say, knowing it was the wrong place and time to go any further with the conversation. Breaking the silencing charm, he carefully stood from his uncomfortable position on the floor and with a small smile commented, “I'm getting too old to sit on stone floors. I do believe that I'll leave that to you youngsters.”

Severus snorted softly as he also stood. “Then why do I feel twice my age after sitting there for a few minutes?” he remarked softly as he helped Harry to stand as well.

“Its times like these that make me wonder if the two of you have the stamina to keep up with us at times.” Harry smirked as he dusted off his robes as much as possible, his masks once more firmly in place.

As Albus walked a way with a twinkle in his eyes, Severus growled softly in Harry's ear. “Try me Harry, I promise that you'll regret those words,” causing Harry to look up at him with wide eyes, before he blushed bright red. With a small chuckle, Severus turned away from the young man and joined the others, smugly waiting for Harry to join them over by the door.

Harry continued to stare at the Potions Master as he tried to wipe his mind of the images that comment pulled up, and set his mind once again at the task at hand, but not even seeing everyone waiting on him helped, so he did the one thing he could think of. :Distract me… please… your father… evil man…: he stammered to the twins.

Galahad and Morgan looked from Harry bright red face to their father's smug smirk, before breaking down in laughter. :Aw, did he say something you liked?: Gali snorted in amusement.

Morgan tried to bring herself under control, but one look at Harry's face set her off again. It took a few tries before she managed to a reply: :The Dark Lord in a bright pink tutu,: before she started to laugh again.

Malfoy Sr. arched a brow at Severus, his mind working furiously at everything he had seen and heard that day before coming to the only logical conclusion and drawling out, “My my, Severus, what ever did you say to young Mr. Potter to get that reaction from the three of them?” putting only slight emphasis on the word 'young'.

Instead of answering Severus just leaned back against the wall and watched his children in amusement for a moment and then shifted his eyes slightly in order to watch Harry also. He did so just in time to see Harry's shudder of revulsion and see the disgust in his eyes. For a moment he felt hurt well up in his heart, but Harry's next words calmed that feeling.

“Thank you for that image, Morgan. I don't think I'll ever get the sight of Voldemort wearing a bright pink tutu out of my head.”

Everyone else also shuddered as Morgan got her breath back. “You’re very welcome Kitten, but you can't really blame me, as you gave very short notice.”

“Yeah yeah yeah, whatever,” he muttered as he walked back to the group. Turning serious he continued, “I am of two minds about trusting you all with this information, but, as it has been pointed out to me, I am going to need to trust you all to some extent. In order to get this done and get out of here sometime today, I'm going to need you to all vow on your magic that nothing is said to anyone other than those here, and especially not in a place where you may be overheard. The information you will learn today may be just the thing that Tom Riddle will need to destroy us all.”

“Surely it cannot be that bad?” Professor Flitwick asked, only to be answered with four heads nodding that yes it was. “Alright then, in that case, I Filius Flitwick, give Harry Potter an Oath on my Magic that nothing I hear or see today will be found out by any means by another being. I also hereby Vow that I will do everything possible to help Mr. Potter in any way that is available to me, so mote it be.” As soon as the last words left his mouth, a deep blue haze surrounded him, before moving towards Harry, and absorbing into his skin, showing all that the Oath was given in good faith, and had been accepted.

One by one the others made the same Oath, the only difference being the color of the spell themselves, as their own aura was made available for all to see for that single instant in time. As the last Oath was made and accepted, Harry had to catch himself from staggering under the power that each Oath gave him, as a small part of everyone’s magic joined with his.

Catching his breath after a moment, Harry walked over to the door, and ran a nervous hand through his always messy hair. He still did not think even with the others’ Oaths that this was a good idea, but knew that Severus and Dumbledore were both correct, and with a last look in Severus' direction, took a deep breath and hissed at the snake guarding the door. {In which way would you like the Blood of the Founders?}

A slight grinding sound echoed in the chamber as the snake once more came alive {I will need to Taste it,} came the reply.

{Then it is my blood you need to Taste.}

The snake became even more animated as it raised his head to take a closer look at Harry. {In that case, young Heir, place your hand on the door amongst my coils so that I may Taste and judge your blood,} came the hissed instructions as it watched Harry carefully.

Harry took another deep breath before placing his hand on the door. He watched in awe tinged in a little fear as the coils of the snake came alive and wrapped around his arm. Trying to flex his fingers he found that he could not do so. Yanking on his arm also did nothing but hurt his shoulder, and as he felt something sharp pierce his arm in the same spot Wormtail did a few years before, what was left of his rational mind disappeared and panic took over, as a sob escaped his throat before he could choke it back.

~~~~

Morgan and Galahad had a bad feeling the moment the snake coiled around Harry's arm that something was really wrong. Moments later, the feeling was confirmed as they almost fell with the force of their bond mate’s panic as it slammed down the mind link. Instantly the twins went into action, one trying to reach through the bond to Harry, and the other trying to beat back the panic so that all three of them could function.

Wrapping his arms around Morgan, Galahad pulled his mind desperately away from Harry, and turned pleading eyes on his father. “Papa, please, he needs help… please… help him,” he moaned as both twins lost the battle against Harry's mind and collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

~~~~

Draco was the first to react, and leaped from his spot against the wall to the twins’ side, running his fingers over both of their pulse points; he was relieved to feel a strong pulse. Sitting himself so he was touching both twins, with Morgan’s head settled in his lap, he placed his finger tips against her temples and followed his own link with Morgan down into her mind and started searching for the link between the twins and Harry, hoping to shield their minds enough for them to function.

What he found was pure chaos, the link between the three of them, fluctuating dangerously as, from what he could see, Harry tried to destroy it subconsciously in a bid to protect the twins. Growling deep in his throat he grabbed at Harry's end of the link and held tight, using his own magic to keep the panic-stricken boy from severing it completely. Sending a snarled, 'Hurt her Scarhead, and I'll have your head mounted on my wall by the end of the night,' through the link, Draco was gratefully when the pressure eased off slightly.

Draco was not sure what exactly happened next, but a power surge knocked him off his mental feet, and he had just enough power left to stand between Harry and the twins and put up a shield to protect all of their minds from shattering, before he too saw nothing but black.

~~~~

Severus Snape almost reacted as fast as his Godson. With a glance he took in what the blond teen was doing, before reaching out to Harry. Wrapping one hand around his waist and the other around the arm being held tight by the wooden snake, he started whispering words of comfort, trying to break through the panic. His touch he knew would do one of two things, calm the teen or break him. He really had no idea what exactly the young man in his arms was reacting to, but he would do everything in his power to keep Harry safe.

It seemed like an eternity passed before he felt Harry reacting to his constant stream of soothing babble, and relaxed his arm around the teens waist, only to have Harry lean against him more fully. He also felt the jolt of surprise that ran through Harry's body, and knew instinctively that Draco had somehow managed to reach Harry's mind. The relief that washed through him was quickly replaced with surprised horror, as a jolt of power raced through Harry's body and exploded around them in a shower of bright light, throwing everyone in the chamber to the ground. His last thought before the world went black was a desperate wish that all four teens linked together remained whole.

~~hp~~

Draco woke slowly, but refused to open his eyes, knowing that it would cause the pain in his head to increase if he did so. 'Potter, I'm gonna kill you,' he whimpered in his mind.

:With the way I feel at the moment, I'll gladly let you, Ferret,: came the whispered reply.

With a startled mental yelp which caused all four teens to moan in pain, Draco opened his eyes slightly and turned his head to where he sensed the Boy-Who-Lived lay. :What the fuck is going on?: he growled

:Settle down, Dragon. As soon as we relieve the pain in our heads, we'll figure it out. There's no sense growling at anyone until then,: Galahad cut in, with Morgan murmuring her agreement softly.

Gentle hands raised Draco's head, and the mouth of a potions bottle was placed against his mouth. Tipping his head back slightly, he allowed the potion to flow down his throat before he was allowed to lie back once more. A sigh of relief escaped him as the pain disappeared, echoed by three other identical sighs. Opening his eyes he meet the concerned gaze of his Father and Godfather and gave them a slight nod of acknowledgment, and watched as the concern turn to relief as he gently pushed himself up to a sitting position and looked around in amazement at the room he found himself in, before his eyes settled on four separate portraits along the wall.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, Mr. Potter, Miss Annerson, Mr. Annerson and Mr. Malfoy. You had the adults with you most concerned,” a warm voice said softly from the portrait of the blond woman.

“You did indeed. We, too, were concerned. If we would have known that the four of you were mind linked, we would have proceeded in a different manner,” rejoined the stunning dark haired woman on the left of the blond.

Harry's eyes opened wide in astonishment as he looked at the four portraits, before he focused on dark man dressed totally in green. {Salazar Slytherin,} he said lapsing into Parseltongue.

{Indeed, young Heir,} came the reply in the same language, before he switched to English. “Welcome to the Chamber of the Founders. It's been many years since we have had visitors,” Slytherin said to everyone.

“That's because it was your bright idea to make sure no one but a Parselmouth could reach us,” said the last of the four.

“Hush Godric, you agreed to the security as well as the rest of us,” the blond scolded.

“Could the two of you not argue in front of our guest, Helga? It's awfully rude,” the woman who could only be Rowena Ravenclaw asked softly.

Helga blushed slightly in embarrassment. “Of course, Ro. My apologies to all of you. Like Sal said, it's been a long time, and I'm afraid that I've become too accustomed to just having the four of us here.”

Lucius, seeing that the four Heads of House and the Headmaster were still in shock of being in the presence of the Hogwarts Four, took it upon himself to answer. “Your apologies, kind as they are, are not required, Milady,” he replied smoothly. “As we were all occupied with the health of the children when we arrived, please allow me to make introductions,” he continued and waited for the acknowledgment to continue. When he received it, he started with the Headmaster. “This gentleman is Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster and Master of Defense against the Dark Arts and Transfigurations. This lady by his side is Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and Mistress of Transfigurations as well as Head of Gryffindor. This is Filius Flitwick, Master of Charms and Head of Ravenclaw. This lady is Pomona Sprout, Mistress of Herbology and Head of Hufflepuff. To my left, Severus Snape, Potions Master and Head of Slytherin. I am Lord Lucius Malfoy and this is my son Draco. The twins are Morgan-Ann and Galahad Annerson-Snape, and last but certainty not least Harry Potter, The Boy-Who-Lived and the apparently your Heir,” he finished, motioning to each person in turn.

“Distinguished guests, all of you. As you may have guessed, I am Helga Hufflepuff, the others are Rowena Ravenclaw, Godric Gryffindor, and Salazar Slytherin.” Each, as named, acknowledged their name with a nod of the head. When Helga was done, she once more turned to Lucius, seeing that the others were still not going to be able to answer any questions. “Lord Malfoy, why have you all come to us?”

Harry, finally coming to his senses, stood up and walked over to Malfoy Sr. on unsteady feet, and was extremely thankful to the older man for the arm he held out to help keep Harry balanced. “I'm afraid that they all came down because of me, My Lady. There was a problem with the sorting of one of the students and the Sorting Hat requested that I bring it down here to you,” he answered, standing firm as all four sets of eyes settled on him.

“My old hat, had a problem with sorting a student? That should not be possible,” Godric said in surprise.

“I believe the reason is more on the fact that this student does not want to be sorted into any House, then what House to put him in,” Harry answered.

Rowena watched the young man like an eagle would her prey. Noticing how pale he still was as well as how tight he held onto the arm of the older wizard, she decided to take matters into her own hands. With a wave of her hand enough seating for all of the living glimmered into view. “Please have a seat. There is no need for any of us to stand,” she said, while directing a small sofa right behind the Heir and his Protector.

Lucius directed Harry to sit in the middle of the seat and took his place beside him, knowing that Severus would take the other side. When everyone was sitting comfortably, the group turned their attention back to the Founders.

“Good, now that we have that taken care of, we can get down to business. Who exactly is that old hat having troubles placing?”

Here Albus spoke up. “I think in order to understand why the Hat is having trouble with this student you will need some back ground information. Six years ago, the Hat first had problems with this same student. It seems that there where two houses that would have suited him fine. Due to prejudice propaganda that the young man heard, he begged the Hat not to place him Slytherin, so he was placed in Gryffindor. Over the past five years, he was often hailed as the ultimate Gryffindor, along with two of his greatest friends. This past summer, his friends and their family were killed by Lord Voldemort, who claims to be the Heir of Slytherin, and is trying to bend the Wizarding world to its knees. In the aftermath, those in Gryffindor Tower have placed the blame directly on this young man’s shoulders and have denied him entrance into the tower, and it was the wish of all that he be removed from that House. When the Hat tried to make a decision on where to place him this time, the sorting proved to be difficult indeed, especially since the young man in question would rather not be placed in any house at all.”

The Founders stared at the group before them in shock for a few minutes before Slytherin started to hiss in anger {I knew that there where problems amongst the Houses, but to be this cowardly…} Getting up and pacing behind his chair he continued to hiss, his words no longer making sense to any who could understand Parseltongue.

“Salazar, you need to calm down and repeat what you just said,” Godric said in exasperation.

“Um, Lord Gryffindor, you really don't know what he's saying about the group of cowardly lions taking residence in your Tower,” Harry said with a snicker.

Godric stared at Harry and then at Salazar before nodding his head in agreement. “You're right, I don't want to understand what he's saying, as I would more then likely agree with him, and then I would never hear the end of it,” he said with a glare at the current Head of Gryffindor. “Now tell us, who is the student in question?” he demanded of the living.

“Harry Potter,” Albus said.

This brought Slytherin back to himself as he stared at Harry before snarling a few more well chosen words in Parseltongue that had Harry blushing in embarrassment. When he once more brought himself under control, he sat down in his chair, and started talking. “The House Ghosts keep us informed of what goes on in the Castle. We have heard much about how at the age of 15 months Mr. Potter survived the killing curse and exactly what has been down to him in the years he was a student here. Having his own House turn on him is almost an act of treason. Having most of those living in the Castle turn on anyone, for any reason is in itself another act of treason. The punishment for these types of crimes is expulsion from this castle and they never will be allowed to return again. This includes any of the Professors,” he told them all in a cold voice. “This is the Law sat down by us, the Founders when the school was still new. And this Law exists to this day.”

As his words sank in, the Professors blanched. Not even the Headmaster had remembered this Law, and as a whole everyone but three were exempt from this law: Harry, being the victim, and the twins, being new and already extremely loyal to their new-found friend.

Harry felt the men on either side of him stiffen with concern, and reached out to grab hold of both of them. “Lord Slytherin, it is also written that the choice of whether to remove those from the school remains in the hands of the victim, correct?”

Slytherin and Harry's eyes locked. “Yes my Heir, you are correct.”

“Then there is nothing more to say on this subject. I refuse to allow anyone to be removed from the sanctuary of these walls. To do so would be a crime with a deserved punishment equal to one worse than death itself, for it is written that premeditated murder within these walls is met with a half life, a life of being struck down by the actual fires of hell itself,” Harry pointed out. “Besides, it was a hypothetical situation. As long as there were at least five people in each house plus three professors who did not turn their backs, then that Law could not be invoked,” Harry added calmly, much to everyone’s surprise.

{I see Rowena gave you a working knowledge of the Law,} Slytherin hissed in disgust.

{Actually I do believe that part came from you,} Harry replied.

{Using my own words against me Little Snake?}

{Of course Lord. I have a reputation of being a cheeky brat to live up to!} Harry said with a smirk.

Slytherin throw his hands up into the air, before turning on Rowena. “That Child takes more after you, Fair Raven, then any one else,” he said in disgust.

Rowena raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side. “And, if I may ask, Sal, how did you come to that conclusion?”

With a sneer directed at Harry he replied, “Because he is nothing more than a cheeky little brat!”

“Ah, in that case, young Raven, you have my congratulations. Not many can affect his Royal Snakeness in that way,” she replied with a mischievous smile, amongst the laughter from almost everyone in the room.

Harry returned her smile with one that matched. “I've had a lot of practice when it comes to getting on the nerves of Slytherins. It's a hobby I've perfected over the years,” Harry told her.

“Indeed,” both Severus and Lucius intoned, causing even more laughter.

McGonagall watched the proceedings, her eyes cold, before she turned back to the matter at hand. “I do believe, Ladies and Gentlemen, that we should get back on track. We do have a school to run,” she said, her voice stern.

“Quite right, Minerva,” Albus said calmly before turning back to the Founders. “How do we proceed with young Harry?”

:I really wish the lot of them would quit with the 'young' part. I've never been a child, and I don't like being treated as one,: Harry snarled in the minds of Draco and the twins, causing the twins to giggle and Draco to snort with laughter

“Is there a problem Mr. Potter?” McGonagall asked.

“No Ma'am,” Harry said out loud. :Just the fact that you seem to have a stick shoved up your…: He trailed off mentally.

:Kitten!!: the twins exclaimed in shock as Draco stared at him in disbelief.

“Alright, I do have a couple questions for the four of you,” Harry said to the Founders. “The first of which would be, just what happened outside that door? I felt like someone had washed me in liquid fire,” Harry told them all.

“Tell me about it. It felt like something exploded in your mind, and the backlash came flowing through me, and into the twins” Draco added.

“We were already unconscious, so I don't remember exactly what happened, but I do remember a lot of light and heat flowing over us. I'm not sure our minds would have survived if Draco hadn't thrown up a shield,” Gali also added, Morgan nodding her agreement beside him.

Rowena looked at the four of them thoughtfully before replying. “That was a spell that we added to that door to ensure that only our true Heir could get in. The 'liquid fire' you all felt was the unlocking off Harry's true power, and a lot of knowledge that we gave him. I just never suspected that you three would be caught up in the Awakening,” she told them.

Severus cleared his throat softly gaining Rowena's attention. “Four. I was holding him at the time. That snake sent Harry into a panic attack and I was doing my best to bring him out of it when the power surge hit.”

The Founders exchanged a long look before turning back to the others. “We are honestly not sure what will happen to the four of you,” Salazar said with a small nod towards Severus. “The best that we can do is wait and see what's going to happen now.”

The news brought silence to group for a few minutes as they allowed this information to sink in. Draco was the one that broke the silence. “We already have a side effect” he said quietly. “When Potter's panic attack caused the twins’ collapse, I used the Bond I have with Morgan to enter her mind, and searched for the connection between the three of them. When I felt it start to break I grabbed hold and kept it together for as long as I could. It was then that the power surge came. I've been hearing the Prat-That-Lived in my head ever since,” he told them.

:Yeah, like I'm thrilled to have you in my mind either Ferret,: Harry replied mentally, although he said nothing out loud, only dropping his head into his hands.

“Anything to add Mr. Potter?” Helga prodded.

“Why me?” he asked, already knowing that no one had the answer to his question, so he continued. “Never mind answering that. There are two things more I would like to ask, before we need to go back to the main part of the castle. One, what are we going to do about what House I am going into?”

It was Godric that answered, “As the Heir to all of us, you are above the House system. The only one who you can answer to is the Headmaster. And that's only if you break any of the major rules.”

This caused all six adults to groan, although it was Severus who commented. “Like that's going to be any different then any other year. He's broken more rules in his time here then anyone else I know off. The only thing keeping him in check was the lost of points to his House.”

“Actually that's not true,” Harry told them quietly. “The only thing that stopped me from doing anything really dangerous was Hermione. She was the voice of reason amongst the three of us,” he finished, before turning and buried his head in Severus shoulder as he started to shake.

Ignoring everyone else around them, Severus pulled Harry into his lap and wrapped his arms around him, once more speaking to him words of comfort as Harry tried his best to keep his grief at bay for a little while longer. When Severus looked up, he met the twinkle in the Headmaster’s gaze and the disapproval in McGonagall's. His glare clearly told her to keep her thoughts to herself while Harry was around to hear them. “Harry, what was your second question?” he asked softly.

“Can we take them out of here? It would be a lot easier if we didn't have to come down here to talk to them,” he murmured. Severus looked up and repeated the question, knowing the no one else heard it the first time.

The other founders look to Salazar for the answer. {As our Heir you can order this room to move closer to your own. You already have the knowledge to do so since we gave it to you with that power transfer. There are many things in here that may be of help to you, but don't reveal it to anyone you doubt your trust in. You cannot remove these portraits from this room. But there are smaller ones in that small chest under Rowena that you may give to the Headmaster. Keep the chest with you, though; you never know when it's going to come in use.}

Harry nodded his head in understanding and unwrapped Severus' arms from around his waist. Walking over to the indicated chest Harry attempted to open it, only to have it refuse. Casting a glance over his shoulder at the original Snake, he raised an eyebrow. “Would you, My Lord, be kind enough to tell me how exactly I'm to open this box?” he asked mockingly

“And here I thought you were our Heir,” Salazar mocked back. “I'm sure you remember how to open up the Snake’s Lair. Just adapt it to fit your needs.”

“Oh of course, if that's all that’s really needed,” Harry snorted before turning back to the small chest and studying it intently. It took him a moment before he was able to distinguish the pattern carved in the chest but when he did, he almost laughed. Smothering the sound, he placed his fingers so they touched each of the animals representing the Houses, and felt the tiny pins prick his fingers. {In the name of the four Founders of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I command you to open,} he hissed, and watched with a small smile as the box opened.