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batsutousaiTitle: The Creators
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
batsutousai
Beta: The amazing, the beautiful,tsuki_no_suzu!
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Susan/Neville, Ron/Krum, Hermione/Bill, Sarah/??, Harry/NO ONE, DAMMIT!
Warnings: Mentions of child-abuse, anti-Muggle sentiments, mentions of murder and rape, anti-Dumbledore
Summary: 'When their Creators return, their world shall be remade.' Four children hold the fate of the Wizarding World in their un-tried hands.
Disclaim Her: 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 Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
A/N: I've spent about two days telling this idea to piss off, but it's bound and determined to write itself. Dammit.
Oh, and give me a little slack for one tiny thing? I know Ron's eyes are blue and Hermione's are brown, but it worked better in my mind the other way around. Honest.
Also, I know what Susan Bones looks like in the movies, but I'm sorta making her my own for this fic. Especially since Jo never specifies in the books. XD
-0-0-
Prophecy's Children
-0-0-
It was a quiet day in September when the Grangers' daughter was born. Bright blue eyes with a lifetime of intelligence blinked open at her mother when she was allowed to hold the child and the two Grangers cooed over how smart the child would be. Certainly the girl would be brilliant. Perhaps she would, one day, even surpass her parents, who were dentists. Perhaps, one day, she would be so much more.
Indeed, Hermione Jean Granger was meant for things her parents could only guess at, for Hermione had once lived another life, where she was called Rowena, and she remembered that life.
-0-
Chill winds danced through the Bones Manor walls when the first child was born. A girl, much to the surprise of her parents. Eyes yellow as her mother's hair, the girl radiated a calm that her parents had never seen before in a child. Certainly not a newborn! She was certain to be an odd child, her parents thought.
And Susan Marie Bones was quite the oddity in her quiet and soothing manner, though that was due to her past life, that of a woman named Helga who spent her life healing wounds brought about by more than just swords and spells.
-0-
The Weasley family had always been a large one, and their sixth son was welcomed into it on a pleasant day in March. Much like his five other brothers, he came into the world screaming for all he was worth, though he calmed down once handed to his mother. As brown eyes flickered around the room and its occupants, he was introduced to his new family and met with brilliant smiles and mischievous grins.
Ronald Bilius Weasley swore to always cherish his family, because he remembered when he went by the name of Godric and didn't have one.
-0-
With a prophecy already looming over his head, the Potter's only child was born in secrecy. Bright green eyes took in the strained faces of his parents, godfather and the mediwitch and closed in regret.
It wasn't the first time Harry James Potter had seen such strain, and his life as a man named Salazar had taught him that the first sign was never the last.
-0-
On an almost happy night in October, the world came crashing down and the Wizarding World entered a new era which a boy of prophecy had created.
And, together with three others, that same boy planned to change it again.
-0-0-
Home
-0-0-
Hermione Granger had always known she would be going to Hogwarts. When the owl had come, she'd taken the letter like it was an everyday occurrence and sat down to read the list of supplies she'd need. When her Muggle parents asked her what had just happened, Hermione blushed and set her letter to the side to explain the Wizarding World to them. Wisely, she left out how she knew everything she did, but since all her knowledge was from the medieval era, she couldn't explain the modern era to her parents.
A trip to Diagon Alley for her wand, piles of books and a newspaper subscription plus a month added together to catch Hermione up on the millennium worth of history she'd missed. When her parents and she got to the Hogwarts Express, she felt certain that she could handle this new world with little pause.
It was by chance, really, that Hermione came across the very compartment that Susan Bones was hiding in before an empty one. When the two saw one another through the glass of the closed door, they froze, then Hermione threw the door open and hurried over to give Susan a hug, whispering, "Helga," into straight black hair.
Susan hugged Hermione back desperately. "Oh, Row, it's been so long..." she said sadly into bushy brown hair. The two drew apart to speak when Hermione's father cleared his throat from the doorway.
Hermione blushed and faced her parents nervously. "Mum, Dad, this is my good friend–"
"Susan," Susan stepped in smoothly. "Susan Bones. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Hermione's parents traded smiles. "It's nice to see that Hermione won't be without friends at this new school," Hermione's mother commented with a bright smile.
"Of course she won't," Susan replied easily with a gentle smile.
With a few more words of chatter and a bit of huffing and puffing on Hermione's father's part, Hermione's trunk was up out of the way and her parents were off to return home.
With a relieved sigh, Hermione settled into the seat next to Susan. "Goodness. It's wonderful to see you again, Helga. Do you think we'll meet up with Ric and Sal before we get to the school?"
Susan smiled. "Oh, I hope so. It just wouldn't be the same if we returned to the castle separated." She paused thoughtfully for a moment, then added, "And please try not to start a fight with Sal the moment you see him?"
Hermione grimaced. "I'll try, but I can't promise anything. You know how he gets under my skin."
"Well, yes. But he gets under all of our skin, Row. You just have to learn to let it go."
Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and commented, "The moment he starts spouting his anti-Muggle nonsense, I'm going to hex him."
Susan rolled her eyes. "So you're a Muggleborn?"
"Yes." Hermione sighed. "He's going to throw a fit, won't he?"
"I honestly cannot answer that," Susan said with infinite patience. "I hope that the modern era has mellowed him out some, but you know how stubborn he can be."
"Do I ever," Hermione agreed, then shook her head. "What about you?"
"Ah..." Susan winced. "Pureblood. My father is one of those high-up, all-mighty pureblood elitists that rule the Ministry. Mother isn't quite as bad, but she's up there too. My Aunt Amelia is much better; she's Head of the DMLE, but not even she can get Father to see the other side of things."
"So now you're the one who'll have to pretend you don't know us because of your family."
"I refuse to let the opinions of my parents dictate who I'm friends with," Susan replied with a frown. "Anyway, if my parents knew you were a Founder, they would hardly care how pure your blood was or how high up in the Ministry your family was."
"Oh dear. How did you survive them?"
Susan smiled. "Practise."
Hermione laughed at that.
-0-0-0-
Harry Potter could not have been happier to get away from his Muggle family. He wondered if there was any way to get permission to spend his summers at Hogwarts. He knew they had once allowed students to spend all their holidays at the school if a student didn't want to go home. Considering who he was to the witches and wizards of this era, he could probably manage to get the Headmaster to let him stay, even if they didn't usually allow students to spend the summer any more.
Harry was careful to neither sneer at any of the Muggles in the station or brush against them if he could. In his mind, he could hear Rowena's angry words at his dislike of the non-magical humans of the world, but he squashed the voice. Rowena simply couldn't understand. No matter where he was, he found Muggles worth dabbling in the Dark Arts. First the rape and murder of his angelic little sister, now the Dursleys. Fate must really love fucking him over.
Ahead of him, he heard a voice talking about Muggles and made an effort to catch up. When he saw the family of redheads, he almost crashed into a nearby sign. "Godric..." he breathed before narrowing his eyes and moving quickly to intercept the party, which had stopped in front of a wall. "Ex–Excuse me?" Harry said in a false nervous voice as one of the older red-headed boys disappeared into the wall.
The kindly woman who had been herding the flock of redheads turned to him with a gentle smile. "Yes, dear?" she said as Ronald Weasley turned as well and his mouth dropped open in shock.
Harry barely kept in a snicker at his old friend's floored look. "I'm not certain how to get onto the platform for the train, see..." he said, still sounding nervous and even a bit embarrassed.
"Oh, poor dear," the woman said. "Well, it's very simple. All you have to do is go through this wall and the platform's on the other side. Here, watch as Fred goes through. Fred, dear." She waved at the only boy left besides Ronald and Harry. The boy went through with a grin. "Would you like to try now, dear?" the woman asked Harry.
"Yes, thank you," Harry murmured politely, then took his turn through the barrier.
Almost as soon as he was through, Ronald swept through behind him. "You great prat!" Ronald called, then descended upon Harry with a 'manly' hug.
Harry smirked at his friend. "You should have seen the look on your face, Ric. You looked like Row had just said she hated Muggleborns."
Ronald rolled his eyes. "In your dreams. Speaking of Row, have you seen her or Helga yet?"
Harry frowned and motioned that they should continue on towards the train. "No, but I've been stuck in the Muggle world..."
"Ha-ha!"
Harry gave Ronald a withering look. "Don't look so pleased. I've more reasons to hate them, now."
Ronald grimaced. "Bloody hell, Sal. Give it a rest, would you?"
Before Harry could respond to that, twin redheads popped out of the train door they were approaching. "Need help getting those on?" they asked as one.
Ronald narrowed his eyes at the two. "And let you hex my trunk? Not in this lifetime," he retorted. When he saw Harry's curious look, he said, "My brothers, Fred and George."
"Ah." Harry smiled at them. "Well, you can certainly handle my trunk if you want; it's already hexed."
"Paranoid bastard," Ronald muttered, to which Harry replied with a smirk.
"Ah, why not."
"It's not like you'll be able to handle it yourself," the twins commented, eyeing Harry's slight frame.
Scowling, Harry helped Ronald pick his trunk up and the four stumbled into the train and started down a corridor to look for a compartment.
As luck would have it, the four boys came across the compartment Hermione and Susan were chatting in before they came across an empty one, so Ronald slid the door open and jokingly said, "Fancy meeting you here."
"Ric! And Sal!" Hermione said, then hurried forward to hug Ronald and smile over his shoulder at Harry. "Well, come in!"
Together, the three Weasleys and the mostly useless Harry got the trunks up on the luggage racks, then the three Weasleys left to say good-bye to their mother and sister.
Harry settled into a seat across from Susan with a groan. "Well, how have you two been?" he asked with a wan smile.
Susan and Hermione traded worried looks and Susan said, "Sal, why are you so small?"
Harry eyed Hermione warily, then muttered, "My Muggle relatives."
Hermione started puffing up to start an argument so Susan quickly said, "What happened, Sal? Let him talk, Row."
Hermione shook her head. "Why should I? He's obviously just going to speak poorly of them again."
"Row, you don't know that," Susan tried.
"I do! I've known Sal for thirty-two years and all he ever has to say about Muggles is horrible things!"
Harry crossed his arms over his chest and sneered. "I had a most excellent primary school teacher, I'll have you know. She was a Muggle and I liked her fine."
Hermione stared at Harry like he'd grown another head and Susan sighed. "There, see? Sal doesn't only complain."
"And what did this teacher do to win your unending support?" Hermione snapped once she'd regained control of her vocal cords.
"She put my cousin in time-out for giving me a bloody nose," Harry snapped. "And she was the only person in that entire school who cared enough to even attempt to protect me from him. And then she got fired."
"Oh dear..." Susan murmured as Hermione stared at Harry in shock again.
Ronald chose that moment to walk back into the compartment. He took one look at the three of them, then fell into the seat next to Harry with a groan. "Can't you two go five minutes without fighting?"
"The topic of Muggles was brought up," Harry said coldly by way of explanation.
Ronald groaned again and thumped his head on the back of his seat a couple of times. "Wonderful. And what did we decide?"
"That I never seem to come across the right Muggles," Harry quipped, then sneered at Hermione. "And Rowena always meets the right ones."
"That's not true!" Hermione said quickly. "All of the kids in my primary school hated me because I was smarter than them!"
"Poor little Rowena," Harry mocked.
"Shut up, Salazar!"
"Hey!" Ronald jumped between the two when Hermione got to her feet, wand out. "Stop it! This is no place for one of your spats!"
Susan sighed and reached over to pluck Hermione's wand from her hand. Seeing her, Ronald did the same to Harry, then settled back into his seat to let Susan take over, "Godric's right. This is no place for one of your fights. There are children on this train who have never used a wand before, and I doubt anyone else knows enough to protect themselves if you start firing spells. Why don't you calm down and talk about everything."
Harry and Hermione traded glares.
Susan sighed again and Ronald rolled his eyes. "So, Helga, how's life been treating you?"
Susan smiled. "Well enough. My parents are a bit self-important, but we get along fairly well. You?"
"Ah, my family's poor as a pureblood family can be, but we get on good. Got any siblings?"
"One, yes. My little brother. He's five years younger than us. And you?"
"Five elder brothers, one little sister." Ronald turned to Hermione. "Row? How about you?"
Hermione crossed her arms defensively and shot the quietly frowning Harry a look. "I'm an only child. My parents are dentists."
"What's that?" Ronald asked curiously.
Hermione frowned. "How to put this in our terms?"
"They're healers that specialise in teeth," Harry offered quietly, still frowning.
"Ah," Ronald said. "And you, Sal?"
Harry shrugged. "I live with my Muggle relatives as their house-elf."
Ronald froze while Susan and Hermione looked like they didn't want to believe their friend. Ronald cleared his throat. "Um, Sal?"
In response, Harry lifted his fringe, revealing the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. "My aunt and uncle think my parents got what they deserved," he added after a long moment of shocked silence.
Ronald let out a heavy breath. "You really do meet up with the worst Muggles, don't you?"
Harry's only response was a sneer.
Susan cleared her throat carefully. "Well, then. Uhm..."
Hermione cut in with, "So are we going to have to tie you up to keep you from following in your heir's steps?"
"Only if you don't want me killing him," Harry replied coldly.
Hermione looked surprised. "But he's as anti-Muggle as you!"
"Yes," Harry agreed. "And if he hadn't killed my parents, I wouldn't have been living with abusive Muggles."
"Ah, point," Ronald murmured with a wince.
Susan tugged on a lock of her hair. "Well, then. How does it feel to be going back to Hogwarts after all this time away?"
"Very weird," Ronald said quickly, looking glad to have an opening for a subject that wasn't Muggle-related. "I mean, I've been living in a magical house and all, but nothing's quite the same as Hogwarts!"
"Imagine how much it's changed!" Hermione added, happy to move on from the previous subject.
"I can't wait," Susan agreed, smiling. "How about you, Sal?"
Harry shrugged. "I'm just glad to be out of that house."
"Oh, come on, Sal," Ronald said, smiling.
"We get to be students at the school we created!" Hermione added excitedly.
"It'll be different than being an apprentice," Harry allowed grudgingly.
"And imagine," Susan said, "we get to be students in our own Houses!"
"But should we really be in our own Houses?" Hermione said with a thoughtful frown on her face. "I mean, yes, we'd be playing to our strengths..."
"It would be nice to see things the way each other sees things," Ronald agreed with a nod. "Row and Sal could switch Houses, while Helga and I do the same."
"No," said Harry. "Ric, loyalty is almost as much your strength as courage. And being in the House of knowledge would be too much of a home for me, as well. Perhaps, we should each go to the House which has the traits we most lack."
"So, I would probably go into Row's House?" Ronald said, scrunching his nose in distaste.
"It would be for the best," Harry agreed.
"That means you'll have to live with the weak-willed loyal kids," Hermione said mockingly, referring to what Salazar had once called Helga's House.
"Yes, but you'll be forced to spend seven years with Muggle haters," Harry snapped back, eyes flashing.
"You're never getting your wands back," Ronald muttered under his breath.
"Oh, dear..." Susan murmured, looking uncertain. "Does that mean I have to try and be brave?"
The four friends blinked at each other for a moment, then burst out laughing and the ridiculous idea of someone being afraid of being courageous.
"You'll be fine, Helga," Hermione said with a smile. She then hugged Susan while Ron and Harry rolled their eyes, each thinking, 'Girls'.
A knock came on the door to their cabin and Ron, who was closest, pushed it open to reveal a sandy-haired boy. "Have an-any of you s-seen a t-toad?" the boy asked, shaking faintly.
"No, I'm afraid not," Susan said kindly as she pulled from Hermione's grasp. "Did you lose one?"
The boy nodded. "He was given to me by my uncle."
"What's his name?" Harry asked, standing coolly.
"T-Trevor," the boy said, shaking slightly.
Harry frowned at the boy briefly before shaking his head and holding out his hand to Ronald. "Ric, my wand."
Ronald rolled his eyes and reluctantly handed the stick of holly over. "What are you going to do?"
Harry sighed and turned back to the boy in the doorway. "You're Neville Longbottom?"
"Y-yes!" the boy said, surprised.
"I'm Harry. Our parents were friends," Harry said, then waved his wand, saying, "Accio Trevor."
"Harry Potter?" Neville squeaked just before a brown creature zoomed into Harry's hand. "Trevor!"
"Yes," Harry agreed to both, handing the toad over. "Whatever happened to your parents? I don't know much after my imprisonment."
"Imprisonment?!" Hermione replied, displeased.
"Th-they're in St. Mungo's," Neville said quietly. "The Lestranges Crucioed them."
Harry's eyes softened as the other three behind him gasped. "You have my condolences."
Neville nodded, hugging his toad to his chest. "Thank you. For Trevor."
"You're welcome," Harry replied, then glanced over his shoulder. "Would you like to join us, or...?"
Neville peeked over Harry's shoulder at the rest of the room. "Uhm, well..."
"You're welcome to sit with us, Neville," Susan said. "I'm Susan Bones, by the way."
"Hermione Granger," Hermione offered with a bright smile.
"Ron Weasley," Ronald said, nimbly plucking Harry's wand from his fingers again.
"Ric..." Harry said warningly, turning to glare at his friend.
Ronald smiled winningly. "You'll get this back at the Sorting. I don't trust you not to attack Row again."
Harry and Hermione eyed each other while their other two friends rolled their eyes.
"Please, ignore those two and come in," Susan offered to Neville, who was still standing in the door and clutching at his toad.
Neville offered a wavering smile. "Th-thanks, but I think I'll g-go back to my own compartment," he decided, then turned and left them.
"You scared the poor kid off," Ronald informed Harry and Hermione.
Hermione stuck her nose in the air haughtily in response to that.
Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head. "We can't run around Hogwarts calling each other by our real names, you know."
"I guess you're right..." Ronald murmured, eyeing his three friends. "People will think we're mad if we call each other the names of the Founders."
"Oh... Well, I'm Susan at home," Susan said, blushing faintly. "Goodness, this will take some getting used to..."
"Right, Ron's what everyone in my family calls me," Ronald said, nodding.
"Hermione," Hermione said. "Although, knowing you lot, it'll be shortened by the time we get to the school."
"I'm fond of 'Mione, I think," Ronald decided, trying to look thoughtful.
"I'm beginning to wonder if we'll actually manage to last a year in each others' Houses," Harry commented drily. "I'm called any number of names at home, most not fit for current company, but my birth name was Harry."
"Oh, yes, Sa– er, Harry, sorry, has a point," Susan commented. "I don't think my Puffs will survive seven years with him."
"And my snakes will probably kill 'Mione in her sleep," Harry agreed darkly. "No offence, 'Mione."
Hermione cringed at the reminder that she was a Muggle-born and considering spending seven years in a House that would happily lynch her. "None taken. Perhaps we could consider being placed in each others' Houses for only the first year?"
"And then what?" Ronald asked. "Go to our proper Houses?"
Harry shook his head, eyes bright with a plot. "We could keep switching Houses. Each try and see what the others see. And in our fourth year, we can return to our own Houses with a better understanding of the others."
"That almost sounded like an idea I would have had," Susan commented, yellow eyes dancing.
Harry sneered at her.
"Oh, stop it." Ronald shook his head. "I think it's a fine idea. But how will we decide which House to go to next?"
"The one we're next least likely to be in?" Susan suggested.
"So, I'd be Ravenclaw, then Slytherin, then Hufflepuff?" Ronald asked, brown eyes bright.
"Ooh, and I'd be Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor," Hermione declared, practically bouncing in her seat.
"I suppose anyone that fights with Sal so much must be more brave than loyal," Susan said with a sad sigh. "That makes me a Gryffindor, then a Ravenclaw and then a Slytherin?"
"And I must be a Hufflepuff, a Gryffindor and a Ravenclaw," Harry agreed. "Lovely. I always wanted to live with a bunch of headstrong idiots."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Ronald decided.
Harry grinned evilly.
"Oiy! Don't go too hard on them, yeah?" Ronald begged. "I mean, I'm sure enough of them can give as good as they take – like my brothers – but that's no reason to go about tormenting the rest of them."
"I'd be more worried about the Hufflepuffs," Susan said, chewing on her lower lip. "Oh, Harry, please don't do any harm to my children?"
Harry rolled his eyes. "Like I'm really going to wreck mayhem on your Houses. It may be fun at the time, but I'm not suicidal – the lot of you would make sure I never heard the end of it."
"Hm, retribution. Has promises," Ronald mused.
Susan giggled while Hermione and Harry rolled their eyes.
A knock came at the door and Ronald, who was closer, opened it. A cheerful woman stood there with a cart of snacks. "Anything off the trolley, dears?"
"Oh, I wish..." Ronald whispered, looking hopefully at the cart.
Harry pulled out his moneybag and shook the contents out into his hand in tandem with Susan. The two traded knowing looks, then held the money out and said, "A bit of everything, I think."
Once the woman left, the group happily dug into their hoard, Ronald cheerfully splitting the sandwich his mother had packed him. The four were laughing and trading chocolate frog cards when the door opened with a bang and a smug blond boy looked in. "Word's out that Harry Potter's on the train. I hear that's you," he said, looking pointedly at Harry.
Harry cocked his head to one side, then sneered. "And who might you be, boy?"
The boy stuck his nose up importantly. "I'm Draco Malfoy." He eyed Ronald with obvious distaste. "And you must be a Weasley." He turned back to Harry, completely ignoring Ronald's rising temper and the narrowing eyes of Hermione and Susan. "You'll soon find, Potter, that some wizarding families aren't as good as others. I can help you there."
Harry smiled and put a gentle hand on Ronald's shoulder to keep him from standing and attacking the blond. "While I appreciate your concern, Draco, I believe I've found myself enough variety to last a while. But I'm sure we'll see each other in Slytherin. Until then, if you don't mind, I'm rather enjoying mingling. I'm sure you understand the need to feel superior," he finished, nodding to the two thugs behind the boy.
Draco sneered. "Very well, Potter. Perhaps, if you make it into Slytherin, we might... discuss this more." He shot Ron one last disgusted look before spinning and walking off.
"Slimy little..."
"Ronald," Hermione said warningly.
"Bad blood, then?" Harry inquired, amused.
"The Weasley/Malfoy feud has been going on since not long after our deaths," Susan offered with an equally amused smile. "I wasn't aware you planned on adding to it, though, Ron."
Ronald huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "His dad regularly threatens my dad at the Ministry. It's hard not to become part of the problem when the problem is in your home."
Harry grimaced and laid a gentle hand on Ronald's shoulder. "I know," he said softly.
Ronald smiled at him. "Yeah."
"Oh! And who are you?" Susan said suddenly. Everyone turned to see that she was holding a rat in her hands.
Ronald groaned. "Scabbers."
Harry narrowed his eyes and, before Ronald could take his rat back, snatched the rat from Susan and squeezed it. "You rotten traitor. You sold them out, didn't you?"
"Salazar!" Hermione cried, while Ronald tried to grab his pet back. "No!"
"Sal, give him back!" Ronald tried, desperately grabbing for the rat who's eyes were popping slightly. "He's my pet!"
"He's an Animagus named Peter Pettigrew, actually," Harry said in a voice that was slowly calming as he relaxed his hold on the rat a bit. "He was my family's Secret Keeper, and he sold us out to my Heir. Then he framed my godfather, who is now rotting in Azkaban." Next to him, Ronald had frozen in horror.
Susan took out her wand and pointed it at the rat. "May I?" she asked the two boys. When both nodded, she said, "Animagi Revealo!"
The rat glowed a sickly brown, as did the four children, who had all been Animagi in their former lives, an ability which had, clearly, been passed on.
"How are you sure he's this Pettigrew?" Ronald asked in a whisper as Susan quickly cast a body-bind on the rat.
Harry bared his teeth at the rat. "I've seen him transform," he said. "And his smell..."
The other three traded understanding looks; Salazar Slytherin had been a snake, and the serpent's ability to smell things by tasting them had been one Salazar himself had developed in his human form.
"Okay," Susan decided, gently prying Harry's fingers away from the rat so she could take it. "We'll give him to one of the professors when we get to the school, Sal. For right now, let's pretend he's not here, okay?"
Ronald let out a nervous laugh as soon as Susan had put Pettigrew in a pocket. "How the hell are we planning to explain this?"
The four children traded worried looks. "I have no idea," Hermione whispered.
-0-0-0-
As soon as they exited from the train, the four friends ran to where Hagrid, who Harry had met previously, was calling all the first years over.
"Hagrid!" Harry called, coming to a stop at the half-giant's side.
Hagrid grinned down at him. "Alright there, Harry?"
"No!" Harry declared, waving Susan over. "Hagrid, we found Peter Pettigrew on the train!"
Hagrid looked at the two children oddly, as Ronald and Hermione were standing back. " 'Arry," he told the boy, "Peter Pettigrew is dead. Died ten years ago. E'eryone knows that."
"But, Hagrid!" Harry tried, but Hagrid had already turned back to the other first years and was making sure they were all there.
Susan rested a gentle hand on Harry's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Sal," she whispered.
"We'll give him to the Headmaster," Hermione said firmly. "He's Head of the Wizengamot."
"I hate being a child," Harry hissed, green eyes glowing angrily.
"I know," Ronald agreed. "Come on. Let's go see Hogwarts." He nodded to where Hagrid was leading the other first years down a dark path.
The four Founders quietly followed the half-giant. Ahead of them, they could hear the sounds of awe. When they finally caught sight of the castle, all four had to stop. They grabbed each others' hands and just stared.
"We're home," Susan whispered.
Almost as if on cue, the wards brushed the four children and immediately flared, lighting up the path the other students were following and the Black Lake. Hogwarts happily welcomed her creators home and begged them to hurry to her, so she could welcome them properly.
"Don't fall behind, now!" Hagrid called back to the four, who were still standing and staring at the castle.
"Come on," Harry said tightly, feeling tears gather in the corners of his eyes. "Let's go meet her."
Together, the four walked over to the waiting boats. Once they were in, the fleet took off towards the castle.
Once they stepped onto the worn stones of the castle docks, the four Founders had to again stop and let Hogwarts' magic brush against them and wrap around them soothingly. Harry felt bruises from the past month fade to nothing while the sense of home filled him. Ron felt as if his mother had wrapped him in one of her wonderful hugs, safe and warm. Susan felt as though she'd returned to the past, where the other Founders were her family and protected her from those who meant them all harm. Hermione felt as if she'd walked into an ancient library, knowledge waiting for her to find it.
Hagrid coughed and the four were shaken from the castle's soothing hold. They all shot him glares, but continued forward to where McGonagall was leading the rest of their year mates into the castle proper.
'There will be time,' Hogwarts seemed to say. 'I'm not going anywhere.'
The four smiled at the irony of that statement and let themselves be led to the room where first years were to wait to be Sorted.
They were quickly led into the Great Hall and stood together to wait for Susan to be called to the Hat. When she was, she walked up to it calmly and let it be placed upon her head.
'Helga!' the Hat practically cried. 'Oh, my, it's wonderful to see you again. And the other three are here too? Wonderful. Oh! You wish to be place in each others' Houses?'
'And trade between them for a few years, if you please,' Susan requested with a smile.
'Difficult. It's never been done before, certainly, but with you four...' the Hat seemed to smile, then shouted, "GRYFFINDOR! WITH A RESORTING NEXT YEAR!"
The Hall fell completely silent and everyone turned to stare at Susan, who removed the Hat and smiled at it fondly.
Dumbledore stood and cleared his throat. "This is new. Hat?"
The Hat turned to face the Headmaster, still in Susan's hands. "She asked," it said.
Susan laughed at that and left the Hat with a last fond pat, then skipped over to where the Gryffindors were staring at her in shock.
After a long moment, McGonagall went back to calling names. Everyone seemed to be calming down when Hermione was called. She walked calmly up to the Hat and gently set it on her head. 'Hello, Hat. How have you been, these past thousand years?'
'Oh, well enough, considering I'm just fabric,' the Hat replied happily. 'And it's an absolute delight to have you four back, you know. This world could do with a bit of stir.'
'We intend to stir them, without a doubt. Don't you worry, old friend.'
'Oh, I don't,' the Hat said with relish. "SLYTHERIN! WITH A RESORTING NEXT YEAR!"
Once again, the Hall was stunned into silence. Hermione simply kissed the old hat on the top of its pointed tip, then walked over to the Slytherin table, ignoring the nasty looks she was receiving from Salazar's snakes.
McGonagall recovered much faster the second time and hurried down the list until she reached Harry. The boy walked up to the Hat and stopped a few steps away, disgusted by the whispers. The Hat's brim widened with a knowing smile and declared, "HUFFLEPUFF! WITH A RESORTING NEXT YEAR!"
"Thank you," Harry told the Hat, then turned and walked over to the staring Hufflepuff table, smirking at a laughing Ronald on his way.
After McGonagall had, once again, regained her voice, she called out the next student. The Sorting was, again, normal. And then Ronald was called.
Ronald walked up to the Hat and set it on his head with a grin. 'Oh, this feels so right. I wonder if I could keep you? These silly student caps are so...'
'Not me?' the Hat responded happily. 'I know. I suppose we can ask Albus.'
'Mmmm... He won't say no, you think?'
'Only way to know is to ask, Godric,' the Hat reminded his creator. "RAVENCLAW! WITH A RESORTING NEXT YEAR! Hey, Headmaster? When I'm done Sorting the last boy, could I spend some time with Ronald?"
The Headmaster just stared at the Hat for a long moment, like the rest of the Hall. When the Hat coughed, the Headmaster finally said, "I don't see why not."
"Wicked," Ronald said. "I'll see you in two ticks," he told the Hat, then set it back on the stool – where it waited for Blaise Zabini to be called up – and walked over to the curious gazes of the Ravenclaws.
Once Zabini had been Sorted to Slytherin, McGonagall brought the Hat over the Ronald and warned him to take very good care of it. Ronald solemnly agreed, then put the Hat on his head, where they spent the entire dinner chatting about Sorting greasy-haired students and large families.
When Dumbledore dismissed the students, the four Founders silently agreed to approach the man in the morning about Pettigrew, then followed the Prefects to their new rooms. They fell asleep in the comforts of soft beds, embraced by Hogwarts.
-0-0-0-0-0-
A/N: Goodness! That was a long chapter! But it was fun to write, once I got past a few tight spots.
I hope everyone enjoys this fic. It'll probably take time to update – certainly not an every-week fic, like I intend Broken and Wand and Dagger to be – but the chapters will likely be all the longer for it.
Cheers!
~Bats ^.^x
Chapters:
Pro - Prophecy's Children / 1 - Home ||| 2 - Socially Acceptable ||| 3 - Touch the Sunrise
4 - Tomorrow Will Come ||| 5 - Fallen Star ||| 6 - A Dream Will Come True When It Will
7 - The Deepest River ||| 8 - Question of Honour ||| 9 - Hanging By a Thread
10 - Never As it Seems ||| 11 - Long Road
Incomplete
Author:
batsutousaiBeta: The amazing, the beautiful,
tsuki_no_suzu!Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Susan/Neville, Ron/Krum, Hermione/Bill, Sarah/??, Harry/NO ONE, DAMMIT!
Warnings: Mentions of child-abuse, anti-Muggle sentiments, mentions of murder and rape, anti-Dumbledore
Summary: 'When their Creators return, their world shall be remade.' Four children hold the fate of the Wizarding World in their un-tried hands.
Disclaim Her: 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 Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
A/N: I've spent about two days telling this idea to piss off, but it's bound and determined to write itself. Dammit.
Oh, and give me a little slack for one tiny thing? I know Ron's eyes are blue and Hermione's are brown, but it worked better in my mind the other way around. Honest.
Also, I know what Susan Bones looks like in the movies, but I'm sorta making her my own for this fic. Especially since Jo never specifies in the books. XD
Prophecy's Children
-0-0-
It was a quiet day in September when the Grangers' daughter was born. Bright blue eyes with a lifetime of intelligence blinked open at her mother when she was allowed to hold the child and the two Grangers cooed over how smart the child would be. Certainly the girl would be brilliant. Perhaps she would, one day, even surpass her parents, who were dentists. Perhaps, one day, she would be so much more.
Indeed, Hermione Jean Granger was meant for things her parents could only guess at, for Hermione had once lived another life, where she was called Rowena, and she remembered that life.
Chill winds danced through the Bones Manor walls when the first child was born. A girl, much to the surprise of her parents. Eyes yellow as her mother's hair, the girl radiated a calm that her parents had never seen before in a child. Certainly not a newborn! She was certain to be an odd child, her parents thought.
And Susan Marie Bones was quite the oddity in her quiet and soothing manner, though that was due to her past life, that of a woman named Helga who spent her life healing wounds brought about by more than just swords and spells.
The Weasley family had always been a large one, and their sixth son was welcomed into it on a pleasant day in March. Much like his five other brothers, he came into the world screaming for all he was worth, though he calmed down once handed to his mother. As brown eyes flickered around the room and its occupants, he was introduced to his new family and met with brilliant smiles and mischievous grins.
Ronald Bilius Weasley swore to always cherish his family, because he remembered when he went by the name of Godric and didn't have one.
With a prophecy already looming over his head, the Potter's only child was born in secrecy. Bright green eyes took in the strained faces of his parents, godfather and the mediwitch and closed in regret.
It wasn't the first time Harry James Potter had seen such strain, and his life as a man named Salazar had taught him that the first sign was never the last.
On an almost happy night in October, the world came crashing down and the Wizarding World entered a new era which a boy of prophecy had created.
And, together with three others, that same boy planned to change it again.
Home
-0-0-
Hermione Granger had always known she would be going to Hogwarts. When the owl had come, she'd taken the letter like it was an everyday occurrence and sat down to read the list of supplies she'd need. When her Muggle parents asked her what had just happened, Hermione blushed and set her letter to the side to explain the Wizarding World to them. Wisely, she left out how she knew everything she did, but since all her knowledge was from the medieval era, she couldn't explain the modern era to her parents.
A trip to Diagon Alley for her wand, piles of books and a newspaper subscription plus a month added together to catch Hermione up on the millennium worth of history she'd missed. When her parents and she got to the Hogwarts Express, she felt certain that she could handle this new world with little pause.
It was by chance, really, that Hermione came across the very compartment that Susan Bones was hiding in before an empty one. When the two saw one another through the glass of the closed door, they froze, then Hermione threw the door open and hurried over to give Susan a hug, whispering, "Helga," into straight black hair.
Susan hugged Hermione back desperately. "Oh, Row, it's been so long..." she said sadly into bushy brown hair. The two drew apart to speak when Hermione's father cleared his throat from the doorway.
Hermione blushed and faced her parents nervously. "Mum, Dad, this is my good friend–"
"Susan," Susan stepped in smoothly. "Susan Bones. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Hermione's parents traded smiles. "It's nice to see that Hermione won't be without friends at this new school," Hermione's mother commented with a bright smile.
"Of course she won't," Susan replied easily with a gentle smile.
With a few more words of chatter and a bit of huffing and puffing on Hermione's father's part, Hermione's trunk was up out of the way and her parents were off to return home.
With a relieved sigh, Hermione settled into the seat next to Susan. "Goodness. It's wonderful to see you again, Helga. Do you think we'll meet up with Ric and Sal before we get to the school?"
Susan smiled. "Oh, I hope so. It just wouldn't be the same if we returned to the castle separated." She paused thoughtfully for a moment, then added, "And please try not to start a fight with Sal the moment you see him?"
Hermione grimaced. "I'll try, but I can't promise anything. You know how he gets under my skin."
"Well, yes. But he gets under all of our skin, Row. You just have to learn to let it go."
Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and commented, "The moment he starts spouting his anti-Muggle nonsense, I'm going to hex him."
Susan rolled her eyes. "So you're a Muggleborn?"
"Yes." Hermione sighed. "He's going to throw a fit, won't he?"
"I honestly cannot answer that," Susan said with infinite patience. "I hope that the modern era has mellowed him out some, but you know how stubborn he can be."
"Do I ever," Hermione agreed, then shook her head. "What about you?"
"Ah..." Susan winced. "Pureblood. My father is one of those high-up, all-mighty pureblood elitists that rule the Ministry. Mother isn't quite as bad, but she's up there too. My Aunt Amelia is much better; she's Head of the DMLE, but not even she can get Father to see the other side of things."
"So now you're the one who'll have to pretend you don't know us because of your family."
"I refuse to let the opinions of my parents dictate who I'm friends with," Susan replied with a frown. "Anyway, if my parents knew you were a Founder, they would hardly care how pure your blood was or how high up in the Ministry your family was."
"Oh dear. How did you survive them?"
Susan smiled. "Practise."
Hermione laughed at that.
Harry Potter could not have been happier to get away from his Muggle family. He wondered if there was any way to get permission to spend his summers at Hogwarts. He knew they had once allowed students to spend all their holidays at the school if a student didn't want to go home. Considering who he was to the witches and wizards of this era, he could probably manage to get the Headmaster to let him stay, even if they didn't usually allow students to spend the summer any more.
Harry was careful to neither sneer at any of the Muggles in the station or brush against them if he could. In his mind, he could hear Rowena's angry words at his dislike of the non-magical humans of the world, but he squashed the voice. Rowena simply couldn't understand. No matter where he was, he found Muggles worth dabbling in the Dark Arts. First the rape and murder of his angelic little sister, now the Dursleys. Fate must really love fucking him over.
Ahead of him, he heard a voice talking about Muggles and made an effort to catch up. When he saw the family of redheads, he almost crashed into a nearby sign. "Godric..." he breathed before narrowing his eyes and moving quickly to intercept the party, which had stopped in front of a wall. "Ex–Excuse me?" Harry said in a false nervous voice as one of the older red-headed boys disappeared into the wall.
The kindly woman who had been herding the flock of redheads turned to him with a gentle smile. "Yes, dear?" she said as Ronald Weasley turned as well and his mouth dropped open in shock.
Harry barely kept in a snicker at his old friend's floored look. "I'm not certain how to get onto the platform for the train, see..." he said, still sounding nervous and even a bit embarrassed.
"Oh, poor dear," the woman said. "Well, it's very simple. All you have to do is go through this wall and the platform's on the other side. Here, watch as Fred goes through. Fred, dear." She waved at the only boy left besides Ronald and Harry. The boy went through with a grin. "Would you like to try now, dear?" the woman asked Harry.
"Yes, thank you," Harry murmured politely, then took his turn through the barrier.
Almost as soon as he was through, Ronald swept through behind him. "You great prat!" Ronald called, then descended upon Harry with a 'manly' hug.
Harry smirked at his friend. "You should have seen the look on your face, Ric. You looked like Row had just said she hated Muggleborns."
Ronald rolled his eyes. "In your dreams. Speaking of Row, have you seen her or Helga yet?"
Harry frowned and motioned that they should continue on towards the train. "No, but I've been stuck in the Muggle world..."
"Ha-ha!"
Harry gave Ronald a withering look. "Don't look so pleased. I've more reasons to hate them, now."
Ronald grimaced. "Bloody hell, Sal. Give it a rest, would you?"
Before Harry could respond to that, twin redheads popped out of the train door they were approaching. "Need help getting those on?" they asked as one.
Ronald narrowed his eyes at the two. "And let you hex my trunk? Not in this lifetime," he retorted. When he saw Harry's curious look, he said, "My brothers, Fred and George."
"Ah." Harry smiled at them. "Well, you can certainly handle my trunk if you want; it's already hexed."
"Paranoid bastard," Ronald muttered, to which Harry replied with a smirk.
"Ah, why not."
"It's not like you'll be able to handle it yourself," the twins commented, eyeing Harry's slight frame.
Scowling, Harry helped Ronald pick his trunk up and the four stumbled into the train and started down a corridor to look for a compartment.
As luck would have it, the four boys came across the compartment Hermione and Susan were chatting in before they came across an empty one, so Ronald slid the door open and jokingly said, "Fancy meeting you here."
"Ric! And Sal!" Hermione said, then hurried forward to hug Ronald and smile over his shoulder at Harry. "Well, come in!"
Together, the three Weasleys and the mostly useless Harry got the trunks up on the luggage racks, then the three Weasleys left to say good-bye to their mother and sister.
Harry settled into a seat across from Susan with a groan. "Well, how have you two been?" he asked with a wan smile.
Susan and Hermione traded worried looks and Susan said, "Sal, why are you so small?"
Harry eyed Hermione warily, then muttered, "My Muggle relatives."
Hermione started puffing up to start an argument so Susan quickly said, "What happened, Sal? Let him talk, Row."
Hermione shook her head. "Why should I? He's obviously just going to speak poorly of them again."
"Row, you don't know that," Susan tried.
"I do! I've known Sal for thirty-two years and all he ever has to say about Muggles is horrible things!"
Harry crossed his arms over his chest and sneered. "I had a most excellent primary school teacher, I'll have you know. She was a Muggle and I liked her fine."
Hermione stared at Harry like he'd grown another head and Susan sighed. "There, see? Sal doesn't only complain."
"And what did this teacher do to win your unending support?" Hermione snapped once she'd regained control of her vocal cords.
"She put my cousin in time-out for giving me a bloody nose," Harry snapped. "And she was the only person in that entire school who cared enough to even attempt to protect me from him. And then she got fired."
"Oh dear..." Susan murmured as Hermione stared at Harry in shock again.
Ronald chose that moment to walk back into the compartment. He took one look at the three of them, then fell into the seat next to Harry with a groan. "Can't you two go five minutes without fighting?"
"The topic of Muggles was brought up," Harry said coldly by way of explanation.
Ronald groaned again and thumped his head on the back of his seat a couple of times. "Wonderful. And what did we decide?"
"That I never seem to come across the right Muggles," Harry quipped, then sneered at Hermione. "And Rowena always meets the right ones."
"That's not true!" Hermione said quickly. "All of the kids in my primary school hated me because I was smarter than them!"
"Poor little Rowena," Harry mocked.
"Shut up, Salazar!"
"Hey!" Ronald jumped between the two when Hermione got to her feet, wand out. "Stop it! This is no place for one of your spats!"
Susan sighed and reached over to pluck Hermione's wand from her hand. Seeing her, Ronald did the same to Harry, then settled back into his seat to let Susan take over, "Godric's right. This is no place for one of your fights. There are children on this train who have never used a wand before, and I doubt anyone else knows enough to protect themselves if you start firing spells. Why don't you calm down and talk about everything."
Harry and Hermione traded glares.
Susan sighed again and Ronald rolled his eyes. "So, Helga, how's life been treating you?"
Susan smiled. "Well enough. My parents are a bit self-important, but we get along fairly well. You?"
"Ah, my family's poor as a pureblood family can be, but we get on good. Got any siblings?"
"One, yes. My little brother. He's five years younger than us. And you?"
"Five elder brothers, one little sister." Ronald turned to Hermione. "Row? How about you?"
Hermione crossed her arms defensively and shot the quietly frowning Harry a look. "I'm an only child. My parents are dentists."
"What's that?" Ronald asked curiously.
Hermione frowned. "How to put this in our terms?"
"They're healers that specialise in teeth," Harry offered quietly, still frowning.
"Ah," Ronald said. "And you, Sal?"
Harry shrugged. "I live with my Muggle relatives as their house-elf."
Ronald froze while Susan and Hermione looked like they didn't want to believe their friend. Ronald cleared his throat. "Um, Sal?"
In response, Harry lifted his fringe, revealing the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. "My aunt and uncle think my parents got what they deserved," he added after a long moment of shocked silence.
Ronald let out a heavy breath. "You really do meet up with the worst Muggles, don't you?"
Harry's only response was a sneer.
Susan cleared her throat carefully. "Well, then. Uhm..."
Hermione cut in with, "So are we going to have to tie you up to keep you from following in your heir's steps?"
"Only if you don't want me killing him," Harry replied coldly.
Hermione looked surprised. "But he's as anti-Muggle as you!"
"Yes," Harry agreed. "And if he hadn't killed my parents, I wouldn't have been living with abusive Muggles."
"Ah, point," Ronald murmured with a wince.
Susan tugged on a lock of her hair. "Well, then. How does it feel to be going back to Hogwarts after all this time away?"
"Very weird," Ronald said quickly, looking glad to have an opening for a subject that wasn't Muggle-related. "I mean, I've been living in a magical house and all, but nothing's quite the same as Hogwarts!"
"Imagine how much it's changed!" Hermione added, happy to move on from the previous subject.
"I can't wait," Susan agreed, smiling. "How about you, Sal?"
Harry shrugged. "I'm just glad to be out of that house."
"Oh, come on, Sal," Ronald said, smiling.
"We get to be students at the school we created!" Hermione added excitedly.
"It'll be different than being an apprentice," Harry allowed grudgingly.
"And imagine," Susan said, "we get to be students in our own Houses!"
"But should we really be in our own Houses?" Hermione said with a thoughtful frown on her face. "I mean, yes, we'd be playing to our strengths..."
"It would be nice to see things the way each other sees things," Ronald agreed with a nod. "Row and Sal could switch Houses, while Helga and I do the same."
"No," said Harry. "Ric, loyalty is almost as much your strength as courage. And being in the House of knowledge would be too much of a home for me, as well. Perhaps, we should each go to the House which has the traits we most lack."
"So, I would probably go into Row's House?" Ronald said, scrunching his nose in distaste.
"It would be for the best," Harry agreed.
"That means you'll have to live with the weak-willed loyal kids," Hermione said mockingly, referring to what Salazar had once called Helga's House.
"Yes, but you'll be forced to spend seven years with Muggle haters," Harry snapped back, eyes flashing.
"You're never getting your wands back," Ronald muttered under his breath.
"Oh, dear..." Susan murmured, looking uncertain. "Does that mean I have to try and be brave?"
The four friends blinked at each other for a moment, then burst out laughing and the ridiculous idea of someone being afraid of being courageous.
"You'll be fine, Helga," Hermione said with a smile. She then hugged Susan while Ron and Harry rolled their eyes, each thinking, 'Girls'.
A knock came on the door to their cabin and Ron, who was closest, pushed it open to reveal a sandy-haired boy. "Have an-any of you s-seen a t-toad?" the boy asked, shaking faintly.
"No, I'm afraid not," Susan said kindly as she pulled from Hermione's grasp. "Did you lose one?"
The boy nodded. "He was given to me by my uncle."
"What's his name?" Harry asked, standing coolly.
"T-Trevor," the boy said, shaking slightly.
Harry frowned at the boy briefly before shaking his head and holding out his hand to Ronald. "Ric, my wand."
Ronald rolled his eyes and reluctantly handed the stick of holly over. "What are you going to do?"
Harry sighed and turned back to the boy in the doorway. "You're Neville Longbottom?"
"Y-yes!" the boy said, surprised.
"I'm Harry. Our parents were friends," Harry said, then waved his wand, saying, "Accio Trevor."
"Harry Potter?" Neville squeaked just before a brown creature zoomed into Harry's hand. "Trevor!"
"Yes," Harry agreed to both, handing the toad over. "Whatever happened to your parents? I don't know much after my imprisonment."
"Imprisonment?!" Hermione replied, displeased.
"Th-they're in St. Mungo's," Neville said quietly. "The Lestranges Crucioed them."
Harry's eyes softened as the other three behind him gasped. "You have my condolences."
Neville nodded, hugging his toad to his chest. "Thank you. For Trevor."
"You're welcome," Harry replied, then glanced over his shoulder. "Would you like to join us, or...?"
Neville peeked over Harry's shoulder at the rest of the room. "Uhm, well..."
"You're welcome to sit with us, Neville," Susan said. "I'm Susan Bones, by the way."
"Hermione Granger," Hermione offered with a bright smile.
"Ron Weasley," Ronald said, nimbly plucking Harry's wand from his fingers again.
"Ric..." Harry said warningly, turning to glare at his friend.
Ronald smiled winningly. "You'll get this back at the Sorting. I don't trust you not to attack Row again."
Harry and Hermione eyed each other while their other two friends rolled their eyes.
"Please, ignore those two and come in," Susan offered to Neville, who was still standing in the door and clutching at his toad.
Neville offered a wavering smile. "Th-thanks, but I think I'll g-go back to my own compartment," he decided, then turned and left them.
"You scared the poor kid off," Ronald informed Harry and Hermione.
Hermione stuck her nose in the air haughtily in response to that.
Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head. "We can't run around Hogwarts calling each other by our real names, you know."
"I guess you're right..." Ronald murmured, eyeing his three friends. "People will think we're mad if we call each other the names of the Founders."
"Oh... Well, I'm Susan at home," Susan said, blushing faintly. "Goodness, this will take some getting used to..."
"Right, Ron's what everyone in my family calls me," Ronald said, nodding.
"Hermione," Hermione said. "Although, knowing you lot, it'll be shortened by the time we get to the school."
"I'm fond of 'Mione, I think," Ronald decided, trying to look thoughtful.
"I'm beginning to wonder if we'll actually manage to last a year in each others' Houses," Harry commented drily. "I'm called any number of names at home, most not fit for current company, but my birth name was Harry."
"Oh, yes, Sa– er, Harry, sorry, has a point," Susan commented. "I don't think my Puffs will survive seven years with him."
"And my snakes will probably kill 'Mione in her sleep," Harry agreed darkly. "No offence, 'Mione."
Hermione cringed at the reminder that she was a Muggle-born and considering spending seven years in a House that would happily lynch her. "None taken. Perhaps we could consider being placed in each others' Houses for only the first year?"
"And then what?" Ronald asked. "Go to our proper Houses?"
Harry shook his head, eyes bright with a plot. "We could keep switching Houses. Each try and see what the others see. And in our fourth year, we can return to our own Houses with a better understanding of the others."
"That almost sounded like an idea I would have had," Susan commented, yellow eyes dancing.
Harry sneered at her.
"Oh, stop it." Ronald shook his head. "I think it's a fine idea. But how will we decide which House to go to next?"
"The one we're next least likely to be in?" Susan suggested.
"So, I'd be Ravenclaw, then Slytherin, then Hufflepuff?" Ronald asked, brown eyes bright.
"Ooh, and I'd be Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor," Hermione declared, practically bouncing in her seat.
"I suppose anyone that fights with Sal so much must be more brave than loyal," Susan said with a sad sigh. "That makes me a Gryffindor, then a Ravenclaw and then a Slytherin?"
"And I must be a Hufflepuff, a Gryffindor and a Ravenclaw," Harry agreed. "Lovely. I always wanted to live with a bunch of headstrong idiots."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Ronald decided.
Harry grinned evilly.
"Oiy! Don't go too hard on them, yeah?" Ronald begged. "I mean, I'm sure enough of them can give as good as they take – like my brothers – but that's no reason to go about tormenting the rest of them."
"I'd be more worried about the Hufflepuffs," Susan said, chewing on her lower lip. "Oh, Harry, please don't do any harm to my children?"
Harry rolled his eyes. "Like I'm really going to wreck mayhem on your Houses. It may be fun at the time, but I'm not suicidal – the lot of you would make sure I never heard the end of it."
"Hm, retribution. Has promises," Ronald mused.
Susan giggled while Hermione and Harry rolled their eyes.
A knock came at the door and Ronald, who was closer, opened it. A cheerful woman stood there with a cart of snacks. "Anything off the trolley, dears?"
"Oh, I wish..." Ronald whispered, looking hopefully at the cart.
Harry pulled out his moneybag and shook the contents out into his hand in tandem with Susan. The two traded knowing looks, then held the money out and said, "A bit of everything, I think."
Once the woman left, the group happily dug into their hoard, Ronald cheerfully splitting the sandwich his mother had packed him. The four were laughing and trading chocolate frog cards when the door opened with a bang and a smug blond boy looked in. "Word's out that Harry Potter's on the train. I hear that's you," he said, looking pointedly at Harry.
Harry cocked his head to one side, then sneered. "And who might you be, boy?"
The boy stuck his nose up importantly. "I'm Draco Malfoy." He eyed Ronald with obvious distaste. "And you must be a Weasley." He turned back to Harry, completely ignoring Ronald's rising temper and the narrowing eyes of Hermione and Susan. "You'll soon find, Potter, that some wizarding families aren't as good as others. I can help you there."
Harry smiled and put a gentle hand on Ronald's shoulder to keep him from standing and attacking the blond. "While I appreciate your concern, Draco, I believe I've found myself enough variety to last a while. But I'm sure we'll see each other in Slytherin. Until then, if you don't mind, I'm rather enjoying mingling. I'm sure you understand the need to feel superior," he finished, nodding to the two thugs behind the boy.
Draco sneered. "Very well, Potter. Perhaps, if you make it into Slytherin, we might... discuss this more." He shot Ron one last disgusted look before spinning and walking off.
"Slimy little..."
"Ronald," Hermione said warningly.
"Bad blood, then?" Harry inquired, amused.
"The Weasley/Malfoy feud has been going on since not long after our deaths," Susan offered with an equally amused smile. "I wasn't aware you planned on adding to it, though, Ron."
Ronald huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "His dad regularly threatens my dad at the Ministry. It's hard not to become part of the problem when the problem is in your home."
Harry grimaced and laid a gentle hand on Ronald's shoulder. "I know," he said softly.
Ronald smiled at him. "Yeah."
"Oh! And who are you?" Susan said suddenly. Everyone turned to see that she was holding a rat in her hands.
Ronald groaned. "Scabbers."
Harry narrowed his eyes and, before Ronald could take his rat back, snatched the rat from Susan and squeezed it. "You rotten traitor. You sold them out, didn't you?"
"Salazar!" Hermione cried, while Ronald tried to grab his pet back. "No!"
"Sal, give him back!" Ronald tried, desperately grabbing for the rat who's eyes were popping slightly. "He's my pet!"
"He's an Animagus named Peter Pettigrew, actually," Harry said in a voice that was slowly calming as he relaxed his hold on the rat a bit. "He was my family's Secret Keeper, and he sold us out to my Heir. Then he framed my godfather, who is now rotting in Azkaban." Next to him, Ronald had frozen in horror.
Susan took out her wand and pointed it at the rat. "May I?" she asked the two boys. When both nodded, she said, "Animagi Revealo!"
The rat glowed a sickly brown, as did the four children, who had all been Animagi in their former lives, an ability which had, clearly, been passed on.
"How are you sure he's this Pettigrew?" Ronald asked in a whisper as Susan quickly cast a body-bind on the rat.
Harry bared his teeth at the rat. "I've seen him transform," he said. "And his smell..."
The other three traded understanding looks; Salazar Slytherin had been a snake, and the serpent's ability to smell things by tasting them had been one Salazar himself had developed in his human form.
"Okay," Susan decided, gently prying Harry's fingers away from the rat so she could take it. "We'll give him to one of the professors when we get to the school, Sal. For right now, let's pretend he's not here, okay?"
Ronald let out a nervous laugh as soon as Susan had put Pettigrew in a pocket. "How the hell are we planning to explain this?"
The four children traded worried looks. "I have no idea," Hermione whispered.
As soon as they exited from the train, the four friends ran to where Hagrid, who Harry had met previously, was calling all the first years over.
"Hagrid!" Harry called, coming to a stop at the half-giant's side.
Hagrid grinned down at him. "Alright there, Harry?"
"No!" Harry declared, waving Susan over. "Hagrid, we found Peter Pettigrew on the train!"
Hagrid looked at the two children oddly, as Ronald and Hermione were standing back. " 'Arry," he told the boy, "Peter Pettigrew is dead. Died ten years ago. E'eryone knows that."
"But, Hagrid!" Harry tried, but Hagrid had already turned back to the other first years and was making sure they were all there.
Susan rested a gentle hand on Harry's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Sal," she whispered.
"We'll give him to the Headmaster," Hermione said firmly. "He's Head of the Wizengamot."
"I hate being a child," Harry hissed, green eyes glowing angrily.
"I know," Ronald agreed. "Come on. Let's go see Hogwarts." He nodded to where Hagrid was leading the other first years down a dark path.
The four Founders quietly followed the half-giant. Ahead of them, they could hear the sounds of awe. When they finally caught sight of the castle, all four had to stop. They grabbed each others' hands and just stared.
"We're home," Susan whispered.
Almost as if on cue, the wards brushed the four children and immediately flared, lighting up the path the other students were following and the Black Lake. Hogwarts happily welcomed her creators home and begged them to hurry to her, so she could welcome them properly.
"Don't fall behind, now!" Hagrid called back to the four, who were still standing and staring at the castle.
"Come on," Harry said tightly, feeling tears gather in the corners of his eyes. "Let's go meet her."
Together, the four walked over to the waiting boats. Once they were in, the fleet took off towards the castle.
Once they stepped onto the worn stones of the castle docks, the four Founders had to again stop and let Hogwarts' magic brush against them and wrap around them soothingly. Harry felt bruises from the past month fade to nothing while the sense of home filled him. Ron felt as if his mother had wrapped him in one of her wonderful hugs, safe and warm. Susan felt as though she'd returned to the past, where the other Founders were her family and protected her from those who meant them all harm. Hermione felt as if she'd walked into an ancient library, knowledge waiting for her to find it.
Hagrid coughed and the four were shaken from the castle's soothing hold. They all shot him glares, but continued forward to where McGonagall was leading the rest of their year mates into the castle proper.
'There will be time,' Hogwarts seemed to say. 'I'm not going anywhere.'
The four smiled at the irony of that statement and let themselves be led to the room where first years were to wait to be Sorted.
They were quickly led into the Great Hall and stood together to wait for Susan to be called to the Hat. When she was, she walked up to it calmly and let it be placed upon her head.
'Helga!' the Hat practically cried. 'Oh, my, it's wonderful to see you again. And the other three are here too? Wonderful. Oh! You wish to be place in each others' Houses?'
'And trade between them for a few years, if you please,' Susan requested with a smile.
'Difficult. It's never been done before, certainly, but with you four...' the Hat seemed to smile, then shouted, "GRYFFINDOR! WITH A RESORTING NEXT YEAR!"
The Hall fell completely silent and everyone turned to stare at Susan, who removed the Hat and smiled at it fondly.
Dumbledore stood and cleared his throat. "This is new. Hat?"
The Hat turned to face the Headmaster, still in Susan's hands. "She asked," it said.
Susan laughed at that and left the Hat with a last fond pat, then skipped over to where the Gryffindors were staring at her in shock.
After a long moment, McGonagall went back to calling names. Everyone seemed to be calming down when Hermione was called. She walked calmly up to the Hat and gently set it on her head. 'Hello, Hat. How have you been, these past thousand years?'
'Oh, well enough, considering I'm just fabric,' the Hat replied happily. 'And it's an absolute delight to have you four back, you know. This world could do with a bit of stir.'
'We intend to stir them, without a doubt. Don't you worry, old friend.'
'Oh, I don't,' the Hat said with relish. "SLYTHERIN! WITH A RESORTING NEXT YEAR!"
Once again, the Hall was stunned into silence. Hermione simply kissed the old hat on the top of its pointed tip, then walked over to the Slytherin table, ignoring the nasty looks she was receiving from Salazar's snakes.
McGonagall recovered much faster the second time and hurried down the list until she reached Harry. The boy walked up to the Hat and stopped a few steps away, disgusted by the whispers. The Hat's brim widened with a knowing smile and declared, "HUFFLEPUFF! WITH A RESORTING NEXT YEAR!"
"Thank you," Harry told the Hat, then turned and walked over to the staring Hufflepuff table, smirking at a laughing Ronald on his way.
After McGonagall had, once again, regained her voice, she called out the next student. The Sorting was, again, normal. And then Ronald was called.
Ronald walked up to the Hat and set it on his head with a grin. 'Oh, this feels so right. I wonder if I could keep you? These silly student caps are so...'
'Not me?' the Hat responded happily. 'I know. I suppose we can ask Albus.'
'Mmmm... He won't say no, you think?'
'Only way to know is to ask, Godric,' the Hat reminded his creator. "RAVENCLAW! WITH A RESORTING NEXT YEAR! Hey, Headmaster? When I'm done Sorting the last boy, could I spend some time with Ronald?"
The Headmaster just stared at the Hat for a long moment, like the rest of the Hall. When the Hat coughed, the Headmaster finally said, "I don't see why not."
"Wicked," Ronald said. "I'll see you in two ticks," he told the Hat, then set it back on the stool – where it waited for Blaise Zabini to be called up – and walked over to the curious gazes of the Ravenclaws.
Once Zabini had been Sorted to Slytherin, McGonagall brought the Hat over the Ronald and warned him to take very good care of it. Ronald solemnly agreed, then put the Hat on his head, where they spent the entire dinner chatting about Sorting greasy-haired students and large families.
When Dumbledore dismissed the students, the four Founders silently agreed to approach the man in the morning about Pettigrew, then followed the Prefects to their new rooms. They fell asleep in the comforts of soft beds, embraced by Hogwarts.
A/N: Goodness! That was a long chapter! But it was fun to write, once I got past a few tight spots.
I hope everyone enjoys this fic. It'll probably take time to update – certainly not an every-week fic, like I intend Broken and Wand and Dagger to be – but the chapters will likely be all the longer for it.
Cheers!
~Bats ^.^x
4 - Tomorrow Will Come ||| 5 - Fallen Star ||| 6 - A Dream Will Come True When It Will
7 - The Deepest River ||| 8 - Question of Honour ||| 9 - Hanging By a Thread
10 - Never As it Seems ||| 11 - Long Road
Incomplete
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