Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2007 22:34:58 -0700 (PDT) From: Jayson Vascardi <jcvascardi@yahoo.com> Subject: Return of the Heirs - Chapter 20 Harry Potter and the Return of the Heirs By J.C. Vascardi * * * Disclaimer: All characters and places featured in this story that relate to Harry Potter are the property of J.K. Rowling, various publishers, and Warner Brothers. I am not profiting from this story and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The only things about this story that I own are the storylines, places and characters that are not in the books. * * * Chapter Twenty * * * "Corelian, you old fool, you always did have a flair for the dramatic," Valen said. "Although, I wish you hadn't chosen now to display that, because these people are at war and you probably just scared them all half to death!" "Professor Lasinius, do you know these people?" Dumbledore asked as he came up to the group. "Yes, sir, I know them," Valen said. "This is my sister and my overly dramatic brother-in-law." "You must be Albus Dumbledore," Corelian said. "Yes, I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts and you are?" "Oh where are my manners?" Corelian asked. "Corelian Anilus Laitannen, Supreme Lord of the Circle of Atlantis at your service. And this is my wife, Lady Asheera Liana Lasinius-Laitannen." "You're from Atlantis?" Dumbledore asked. "Yes," Corelian confirmed. "Contrary to popular belief, the Kingdom of Atlantis was not destroyed when it sank beneath the ocean. My ancestors sank the kingdom on purpose, to hide it from prying Muggle eyes." "Am I to assume that Professor Lasinius is Atlantean as well?" Dumbledore asked. "Yes, I am," confirmed Valen as he quickly spun a full three hundred and sixty degrees and the glamour charms that had been hiding his true appearance vanished. Valen's hair grew about a foot and turned from black to blond, as his blue eyes turned green and his ears reformed to form sharp points. The rest of the room gasped at their Professor's transformation, having never guessed for a second that he had been using glamour charms. "Is there someplace that we can talk?" Corelian asked. "Of course," Dumbledore said. "Follow me." Corelian nodded as he and his wife followed Dumbledore out of the room. Corelian exchanged a glance with Valen as he left, who nodded, knowing what he was supposed to do. * * * Arriving in Dumbledore's office, Dumbledore took a seat behind his desk and conjured chairs for his guests. He was still a little too shell-shocked by their unexpected appearance to make the normal offer of tea or lemon drops. "So, why has Professor Lasinius been teaching here in disguise?" Professor Dumbledore asked, as his guests sat down. "That's quite simple, really," answered Corelian. "He was here on my request." "And what was the purpose of that request?" Dumbledore prodded. "To keep an eye on my step-son," Asheera answered, speaking for the first time. "Your step-son is a student, here?" Dumbledore asked. "Yes, my son is indeed a student here," answered Corelian. "His name is Kyrian Corelian Laitannen." "There is no student by that name that I'm aware of." "Well, of course, you wouldn't know him by his Atlantean name," Corelian elaborated. "Then by what name would I know him by?" Dumbledore asked. "I believe you know my son as Ryan Cole Cromwell," Corelian answered. "You're my father?" a voice asked from the doorway and Corelian stood to see Ryan standing there, along with Valen and Justin. "Yes, Ryan, I am your father," replied Corelian. * * * "This has certainly been an eventful night," Bill said as he sat down outside on the terrace with Matthew and Oliver. "Yes, it has been," agreed Oliver. "And now it seems you've been dumped Bill." "Well, Valen and I are only friends," Bill said. "So, I'm not going to hold it against him that he ran out of here but I just wonder why he took Ryan and Justin with him." Oliver nodded and then looking at Matthew, he noticed the strange look on his fiance's face. Cupping Matthew's cheek, he asked, "Is something wrong, Matt?" "No, nothing is wrong," said Matthew as he smiled at Oliver. "I just can't believe he's come back after all these years." "Who are you talking about?" Bill asked. "Corelian Laitannen," Matthew answered. "You know him?" Oliver asked. "Yes, I know him," Matthew confirmed. "I haven't seen him since shortly after Ryan was born. I was only four at the time, but I still remember Corelian. I should probably contact my father. He'll want to know that Corelian is back." "Matt, honey, who is Corelian?" Oliver asked. "He's Ryan's father," Matthew revealed. "He was madly in love with my Aunt Alexandra and they were going to be married. I was supposed to be the ring bearer in the wedding. Then Aunt Alexandra had Ryan two weeks before the wedding and died. Within a week, Corelian had left him in the care of my grandparents and had gone back to Atlantis." "So he just left his newborn son?" Bill asked. "I don't think he had a choice in the matter," Matthew answered. "I don't know all of the details, but all I remember is a message arriving from Atlantis, ordering Corelian to return immediately and to leave Ryan in England." "Hmm," Oliver said. "Well, should we go and contact your father?" "Yeah, we should," answered Matthew. "I'm not sure where he might be though right now. What with all the Death Eater attacks recently, I imagine he hasn't been spending very much time at the house." "Well, you could always send him an owl," Bill said. "It'll take a little bit longer, but the owl will definitely find him." "Good idea, Bill," Matthew said as he stood up. "I'm going to go up to the Owlery. You two stay here and have fun at the Ball, I'll be back soon." * * * "Where have you been all these years?" Ryan asked. "Why were you never around when I was growing up?" "Valid questions," Corelian answered, as he waved his hand and conjured three more chairs. "If you'll have a seat, I will do my best to explain." Ryan, his hand clamped tightly by Justin's, walked silently over to one of the chairs and sat down. "First off, would you mind if I called you by your proper name or do you prefer Ryan?" Looking at the man who identified himself as his father, Ryan asked, "What do you mean my proper name?" "Ah, I take it you didn't hear that part of the conversation," Corelian responded. "Your grandparents changed your name when I left you in their care sixteen years ago. Your name at birth, however, was Kyrian Corelian Laitannen." "Kyrian," Ryan repeated, trying to get used to the sound of it. "Well, I guess if you want to call me that, you can, though I'm much more used to Ryan." "Well, if you prefer Ryan, then Ryan it shall be," Corelian answered with a smile as he sat back down. "I loved your mother, Ryan. I loved her very much. We were to be married, but then two weeks before the wedding, you were born and she suffered complications and died. I had every intention of staying in England and raising you myself, but what a person intends to do and what they actually do are often very different things." "So, why did you leave?" Ryan asked. "Why did you leave me with my grandparents? They were great and all, but I've always wondered what was wrong with me that you didn't want me." "Nothing is wrong with you, Ryan," Corelian answered immediately. "You mustn't think that I left because I didn't want you, because I did. You were all I had left of your mother and I cherished you more then I can say, but the choice of staying was not mine to make." "I don't understand." "Yes, I'm sure you don't," Corelian answered. "To make a long story short, I was ordered to return to Atlantis and to leave you behind. Failure to comply with that order would have resulted in my ex-communication from Atlantean society, which would have meant that I would be stripped of my powers, Obliviated so that I couldn't reveal any Atlantean secrets, and forbidden to ever see or talk to any member of my family in Atlantis ever again." "So you chose to go back to Atlantis?" Ryan asked. "Why? I wouldn't have cared if you didn't have your powers. I would just have been glad to have you around." "Ryan, it's not that simple," answered Corelian. "What sets Atlanteans apart from humans, other then our pointed ears, is the fact that we are extremely long-lived. We actually have some Elven blood, which is the cause of our pointed ears and our long life spans. However, if I had stayed, I would have had my powers stripped, by having my magical core removed. Without my magical core, I would have begun to age and while I could probably have held on a few years, I would most likely have been dead by the time you were five." "I don't understand," Ryan said. "Our magical core is what provides us with the ability to sustain our lives past that of our human magical counterparts," Corelian answered. "I realize that I don't look old, but I am actually older than Professor Dumbledore. Without my magical core, though, I would be bound by the same lifespan of human witches and wizards, and no human witch or wizard, even Merlin himself, has ever lived to be as old as I am now." "Exactly how old are you?" Justin asked. "As of this past March," Corelian answered, "I am 296 years old. That's ancient by human standards, but actually quite young by Atlantean standards, considering that most Atlanteans live an average of 750 plus years." "Why did it take so long for you to come back?" Ryan asked. "I mean, you returned to Atlantis to avoid dying and all that, I get that. But why did it take sixteen years for you to come back?" "Perhaps it would be best if instead of telling you, I showed you," Corelian said before turning to Professor Dumbledore and asking, "Do you, by any chance, have a Pensieve?" "Yes, I do," answered Dumbledore as he stood from his desk and collected the item from the cabinet where he kept it. Placing it on his desk, Dumbledore took a moment to empty his own memories from it, before he sat down and nodded to Corelian. Corelian smiled, stood up, and placed his finger on his temple. After a few seconds, he pulled his finger away and a long strand of silvery material followed it and fell into the awaiting Pensieve. Corelian gestured for Ryan and Justin to come over and view the memory he had just extracted. Hesitating for a second, Ryan and Justin stood, reached out their hands, touched the silvery liquid, and soon found themselves transported out of Dumbledore's office and into Corelian's memory. "Asheera, dear, could you go and be Ryan and Justin's guide?" Corelian asked. "I'd rather not relive that painful memory at the moment." Asheera nodded, stood, and soon disappeared from the room as she entered Corelian's memory. * * * Ryan and Justin materialized in a large and opulent room. It looked very much like the throne room of a castle and it was, in fact, just that. Sitting in a huge silver throne on a raised platform at one end of the room was a man dressed in royal purple robes with a silver crown on his head. "That is the former King of Atlantis," Asheera said as she materialized behind Ryan and Justin. "His Majesty King Tyriand Isulus Rivarendell; he died in August of this year, and his son, Erevan, assumed the throne." The three of them watched as King Tyriand sat upon his throne, looking as if he was patiently waiting for something to happen. Soon enough, the doors of the throne room opened and Corelian walked into the room. Ryan and Justin could see that Corelian did not look the slightest bit pleased as he bowed to his King. "Ah, Corelian, it's good to see you," King Tyriand said. "I wish I could say the same, Your Majesty," Corelian said. "I know you are angry with me right now," King Tyriand said. "But you will get over that." "I don't think so, Your Majesty," Corelian said. "The woman I love, the woman I intended to marry, just died giving me a son. And instead of being where I belong, with my newborn son, I'm here." "You belong here in Atlantis!" King Tyriand exclaimed. "You do not, however, belong in England with your bastard half-breed son." "I realize that my son was born out of wedlock," Corelian said. "But that does not mean that I love him any less or that I will stand here and listen to you calling him a bastard." "You have no choice!" King Tyriand yelled. "I am the King of Atlantis; the all-powerful ruler of all things Atlantean. If I say that you will stand here and listen to me calling your son a bastard, then you will do it. My word is law!" "Yes, Your Majesty," Corelian said and it was obvious that he was trying desperately to hold his anger in check and not attack the man sitting on the throne. "As long as I draw breath," King Tyriand said, "you will never see that filthy half-breed bastard of yours ever again. You will remain here in Atlantis where you belong and you will banish all thoughts of your bastard from your head." "You can make me stay here, Your Majesty," Corelian said. "You can even make me never see my son again, but you cannot ask me to forget about him. He may not be a pureblood Atlantean, but he is still my flesh and blood and I will not forget him." "Fine, if you want to think about him, you may do so," King Tyriand said. Just then, the doors of the throne room opened and another man ran into the room. Asheera leaned down and whispered to Ryan and Justin, "That's Prince Erevan, now His Majesty King Erevan." "Father, I've come to ask you to please allow Corelian to return to England." "You are wasting your time, son of mine," King Tyriand said. "Corelian will stay here in Atlantis." "Then, please, at least allow his son to come here," Prince Erevan said. "Never will I allow a half-breed bastard to set foot in Atlantis!" King Tyriand roared. "If you want Corelian's bastard son to come here, Erevan, it will be over my cold, dead body!" "Father, please, listen to reason," Prince Erevan said. "Corelian is family. How can you treat him this way?" "Erevan, just because you married Calliara Laitannen does not mean that I am going to give her brother Corelian any special treatment," King Tyriand explained. "The law is the law, and the law clearly states that no half-breeds are allowed in Atlantis. The law also clearly states that Atlanteans who are first in line to positions in the Circle cannot live anywhere but Atlantis for any period longer than a year and a half. So, I am sorry, Erevan, but Corelian will stay here and his bastard son will stay in England. Nothing that either of you say will change my mind, so you might as well stop wasting your breath and get out of my sight." "Father, please," Prince Erevan began. "I SAID GO!" King Tyriand yelled at the top of his lungs. "Yes, Your Majesty," Prince Erevan said with a bow and left the room, followed by Corelian. Ryan, Justin, and Asheera followed them out of the room. "I'm sorry, Corelian, I tried." "I know, Erevan, I know." "I swear to you Corelian," Prince Erevan said, "as soon as I'm King, I will get you back to England with your son." "Thank you, Erevan," Corelian said. "I only hope that when that happens, my son will be able to forgive me for my absence from his life." * * * Ryan, Justin, and Asheera appeared back in Professor Dumbledore's office. Nobody said a word as Ryan stood there silently for several minutes, before he flung his arms around Corelian and buried his face in the older man's shoulder, as he began crying. Corelian wrapped his arms around Ryan and held him, doing his best to comfort his son. Justin hated seeing his boyfriend cry, but the fact that these were not tears of sadness, but tears of happiness, was consoling to him. Justin stepped forward, placed a hand lightly on Ryan's back, and began to rub it around in circles. Corelian noticed the gesture and smiled at Justin, happy that his son had found the kind of love that he had always hoped he'd find. As the hug ended, Ryan looked at Corelian and said, "I forgive you for not being there for me. I saw in the memory that you really wanted to be and that the only reason you weren't was because Tyriand forced you to stay." "I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've dreamt of hearing those words, Ryan. You've never left my thoughts over the last sixteen years and I'll always feel bad that I wasn't there for you, but I'm glad that you understand why I wasn't." "King Tyriand said that as long as he lived, no half-breed would ever be allowed to go to Atlantis," Justin said. "Does that mean that Ryan will never be allowed to see it?" "He'll be able to," Asheera answered. "King Erevan has thrown out all of his father's xenophobic laws. Some Atlanteans may still hold the same beliefs that King Tyriand did, but they can't do anything about it. No Atlantean is stupid enough to go against the King, and even if they were, they certainly wouldn't be stupid enough to go against the King, the Queen, and the Circle." As everyone sat back down, Dumbledore asked the question that was running through both Ryan and Justin's minds, "What exactly is the Circle?" Valen answered. "The Circle is a group of nine witches and wizards, who act as the defenders and guardians of Atlantis. In Atlantis, magic is split into nine distinct spheres of study: the elemental spheres of Air, Water, Earth, and Fire, plus the Order, Chaos, Life, and Death spheres. The ninth sphere, Cosmos, encompasses everything the others don't. "Every one thousand years, nine new witches and wizards are chosen and trained to master one of the nine spheres. They use the powers of their sphere to protect not only Atlantis, but to also guard one of the nine ancient artifacts created by Poseidon, the God of the Seas and the Patron Deity of Atlantis." At this point, Asheera took over. "The Kingdom of Atlantis was not always underwater. At one time our continent was just like all the others above water, with one distinct difference: the entire continent of Atlantis was much like your village of Hogsmeade with witches and wizards as the only residents. However, as time passed, it became increasingly harder to protect Atlantis from Muggles as they began to develop ways of sailing across the oceans and landing on our shores, trying to claim this new world as they saw it for themselves. The other magical communities of the world were very small and it was easy to hide them from Muggle view, but it would have taken an enormous amount of magic to hide an entire continent and keep it hidden forever. "So, our ancestors about five thousand years ago prayed to Poseidon for help and he agreed to help us. Poseidon sank the entire continent of Atlantis and created nine artifacts of power that would generate sufficient shielding to protect us from the crushing pressures that exist at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean." "So can Atlanteans breathe underwater like the merpeople?" Justin asked. "No, we can't," Corelian answered. "While it is true that we Atlanteans do live underwater, we don't actually live in water. The nine shield artifacts shield our world from the water and create an artificial atmosphere very similar to that of the surface world. We have air to breathe, clouds in the sky, and even weather like rain, snow, and hurricanes. The only difference is that it is never what most people would consider daytime in Atlantis. Being under the ocean, we don't have access to the moon, the stars, or the sun, so magic creates all of the light and heat that we need." "You introduced yourself as the Supreme Lord of the Circle," Dumbledore said. "Yes, that's because I am the current Master of the Cosmos sphere," Corelian revealed. "A position I inherited from my father ten years ago when he died. He was still quite young by Atlantean standards, but despite our long life spans, we are still, nonetheless, mortal. It is the main difference between us and our Elven ancestors, who like the Gods of Olympus, are immortal." "So, who are the other members of the Circle?" Ryan asked. "You wouldn't know most of them, Ryan," Corelian answered, "despite the fact that you are related either by blood or marriage to all of them. The nine Lords and Ladies of the Circle are currently all members of two of the oldest and most prominent Atlantean houses, the Laitannen and Lasinius families, in addition, of course, to Atlantis' royal family, the Rivarendells." "So, are you a member of the circle, Professor?" Justin asked as he looked over at Professor Lasinius. "Gods, no," Valen said quickly. "I'm much too young and carefree to take on such a responsibility." "How old are you, if you don't mind my asking, Professor?" Ryan asked. "I'm 126," Valen answered. "That's young?" Justin asked. "Yes, Justin, at least by Atlantean standards it is," Valen said with a grin. "In fact, it may shock you to hear this, but the age of majority in Atlantis is 120 years. That may seem like an awfully long time to wait to become an adult, but considering how long lived we are, it just wouldn't be appropriate to say that one was an adult at such a young age like 17." "Moving back to the topic of the Circle," Corelian said, "there is one other member of the Circle here; my beautiful wife, Lady Asheera, who is Mistress of the Sphere of Life." "So, if you two are a part of this Circle," Dumbledore said, "does your presence here leave Atlantis and the shield artifacts you mentioned undefended?" "No, it doesn't," Asheera answered. "His Majesty King Erevan's son and daughter-in-law are temporarily filling our positions in the Circle. It is common for members of the royal family to master all the spheres, in case the need arises for a temporary replacement or if a member of the Circle should die without an heir to inherit their position before their family's 1000 year appointment ends." "Does that mean that I will one day be a member of the Circle?" Ryan asked. "No, Ryan, you won't be," Corelian answered. "The Laitannen family's appointment to the Cosmos sphere ends in 2001. So even if I were to die before then, you can't be Master of the Cosmos sphere because while you are my eldest and only child, you're too young. You would have to reach your 120th year before you could ever become a member of the Circle." * * * It was a major relief for Harry and Hermione that Ron had not caused any scenes. They had both been sure that he would be angry when he found out that they had attended the Ball together, but thus far, they hadn't heard anything from him. Of course, the reason that Ron hadn't reacted badly to it was because he didn't know. Since Hermione dumped him, there had been little on Ron's mind except getting revenge on a certain blond Slytherin. So, instead of going to the Ball, Ron hid and waited for everyone to go downstairs before he helped himself to Harry's invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map. Using the two of them, Ron had no problems reaching the library undetected. It was not his favorite place to be, but Ron was determined to find a way to get back at Malfoy, so he decided it best to sneak into the Restricted Section to read up on some particularly nasty curses from one of the Dark Arts books kept there. Ron had just about given up hope of finding anything, when a smile spread across his face as he read a spell from the book in front of him, and he whispered, "Perfect." * * * Two hours later, Corelian, Asheera, Valen, Ryan, Justin, and Dumbledore exited his office and went back to the Great Hall for the Ball. Dumbledore had lied to the other professors when he said that he had charmed the entrance of the Great Hall to transport all who crossed the threshold to the Room of Requirement. The truth was that it was the Great Hall with the same magic employed by the Room of Requirement cast upon it. Ryan had been right in his thought that Rowena and Helga had something to do with the decorations, for the two founders had indeed gone to visit Professor Dumbledore and taught him the spells they used to create the Room of Requirement. So, Hogwarts Castle now had two Rooms of Requirement, although only Professor Dumbledore, Rowena, and Helga knew that. Dumbledore decided to keep the fact a secret under the Fidelius, as he believed that having a second Room of Requirement in a more centrally located location would prove to be a useful advantage if the war with Voldemort ever reached Hogwarts itself. The Ball lasted well into the night, before finally dying down at about midnight. As the last of the stragglers left the room, only a handful of people remained, all of who knew that Ryan was Rowena's heir. "So, I suppose I'll have to have guest quarters setup for you two?" Dumbledore asked, as he looked at Corelian and Asheera. "That would be most kind of you, Professor," Asheera said. "Yes, kind, but unnecessary, Professor," Ryan said and upon the questioning look from the Headmaster, he elaborated, "My father and step-mother can stay in one of the empty bedrooms in Rowena's quarters. She has about twenty guest rooms, so there's plenty of room and it's very private since I am in sole control of who can and cannot enter the room." "Valen told us that you found out about being Rowena's heir," Corelian said. "So, tell me, have you figured out who the other heirs are yet?" Justin looked at Corelian and noticed the look on his face, which led him to believe that Corelian already knew who all the heirs were, a fact which he soon voiced. "You've caught me, Justin," Corelian said with a grin. "The truth of the matter is that Valen, Asheera, and I do know the identities of all four of the heirs." "How do you know?" Ryan asked. "The `Tome of the Founders' hasn't been fully restored yet and the names of the other heirs are still unreadable." "Just because the original book is in Rowena's library," Asheera revealed, "doesn't mean that other copies don't exist." "You mean?" Dumbledore asked. "Yes, Headmaster," Valen confirmed, "there is a second copy of the `Tome of the Founders' written by Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff themselves over 1000 years ago in the Royal Library of Atlantis." "Actually, it's not in the Royal Library," Corelian said with a grin as he reached into an inner pocket of his robes, pulled out an extremely small book and waved his hand over it, causing it to enlarge to it's proper size. "How did you ever get Lady Ayala do let you take that book out of the library?" Valen asked. "I know my sister and how much of a stickler for the rules she is. There's no way she'd allow you to take a book in the Reference section out of the building, let alone off the continent." Noticing the clueless looks on all the faces of the room's non-Atlanteans, Asheera said, "Valen is referring to his sister, Lady Ayala Lasinius-Rivarendell. She's married to King Erevan's younger brother, Lord Anon. In addition to being the Mistress of the Fire Sphere, she is also the librarian of the Royal Library." "As for how I got her to release the book," Corelian said, "it wasn't easy, but Calliara came to my aid. She told Ayala that her husband had requested that the book be released into my care and Ayala isn't about to go against the King, no matter how protective she might be of the books in the library." "And does Erevan know that he made such a request?" Valen asked, knowing his brother-in-law very well. "Well, no, he doesn't," Corelian admitted, "but I'm sure my sister will find a way to curb her husband's anger if he finds out." "Not to sound impatient or anything," Hermione said. "But could we please see the book so that we can finally find out who the Heirs of Slytherin and Gryffindor are?" "Ah, so, I take it you already know that the Heir of Hufflepuff is one Zacharias Ethan Smith," Asheera stated. "Yes, that would be me," Zacharias spoke up. "I found out a few days ago and I'm still in shock to be honest." "Well, the other two heirs are in this room," Corelian said. "I'm really rather surprised that you haven't thought of this, but it would be extremely easy to find out who the Heir of Slytherin is. All you would have had to do is determine who, other then Mr. Potter, can speak Parseltongue." "We did think about that," Harry said, "but seeing as how we didn't have any clue which of the more then one-thousand students in this school might be the Heir we thought it a bit unpractical. Plus, Rowena said that only Slytherin's male heirs could speak Parseltongue and we don't know if the other heirs are male or female." "They're all male," Corelian said, as he looked at the male students in the room, who consisted of Ryan, Zacharias, Harry, Draco, Nicolas, and Justin. "Oh Corelian, honey, will you just open the damn book and let them see for themselves already?" Asheera said. "Stop torturing them." "Yes, dear," Corelian said as he waved his hand, conjured a bookstand, and then carefully placed the book on it, before opening it. Everyone in the room gathered around the book and peered at the writing on the page. * * * Written in bright blue ink on the right page was the following: EDMUND WILLIAM CROMWELL, born 29-04-1898, died 10-07-1975, age 77 WILLIAM CHARLES CROMWELL, born 10-06-1924, died 23-11-1990, age 66 CHARLES MATTHEW CROMWELL, born 30-07-1954, age 42 ALEXANDRA FIONA CROMWELL, born 09-03-1956, died 21-04-1980, age 24 MATTHEW WILLIAM CROMWELL, born 21-01-1976, age 20 KYRIAN CORELIAN LAITANNEN, born 21-04-1980, age 16 Written in dark black ink on the left page: BARNABAS EPHRAIM SMITH, born 29-10-1837, died 05-11-1917, age 80 HEPZIBAH ESTHER SMITH, 03-03-1839, died 21-06-1944, age 105 EPHRAIM ZEBULON SMITH, born 12-04-1871, died 14-04-1971, age 100 ZEBULON JEREMIAH SMITH, born 18-01-1893, died 10-06-1979, age 86 JEREMIAH ISAIAH SMITH, born 19-08-1921, died 10-06-1979, age 58 ISAIAH ZACHARIAS SMITH, born 23-10-1947, age 49 HANNAH ELSPETH SMITH, born 14-06-1949, age 47 CEDRIC JEREMIAH DIGGORY, born 17-09-1977, died 24-06-1995, age 17 ZACHARIAS ETHAN SMITH, born 17-09-1979, age 16 * * * "That's nice and all," Ryan said as he looked at his father, "but we already knew that." Corelian smiled as he patted his son on the shoulder and turned the page, revealing more names that had previously been unreadable. * * * Written in green ink on the right page, were the following names: MARVOLO MORFIN GAUNT, born 03-09-1868, died 18-09-1925, age 57 MORFIN MARVOLO GAUNT, born 12-03-1895, died 31-10-1950, age 55 MEROPE MORFINA GAUNT, born 20-01-1906, died 31-12-1926, age 20 ARIANA MEROPE RIDDLE, born 23-06-1925, age 71 TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE, born 31-12-1926, age 16 JEAN-LUC PHILLIPE BYRNE, born 13-12-1959, age 37 NICOLAS PHILLIPE DELANEY, born 10-09-1979, age 17 * * * "I am Slytherin's heir?" Nicolas asked, obviously shocked. "If you are 17-year-old Nicolas Phillipe Delaney," Asheera answered, "then, yes, you are the heir of Salazar Slytherin." "I don't understand how this is possible," Nicolas said. "I mean, my father's name is there, but my grandparents' names aren't." "Actually, they are," Asheera said. "Your grandmother is listed, Nicolas, only, she's listed by her name at birth and not her adopted name." "You mean that Ariana Merope Riddle is my grandmother?" "Yes, Nicolas," Valen confirmed. "Ariana Merope Riddle and Professor Angelique Josette Byrne are one in the same." "But my grandmother wasn't born on the 23rd of June," Nicolas said. "Her birthday is the 18th of July." "Yes, well, it isn't unheard of for people to adopt a child and then celebrate the day they adopted the child as the child's birthday, instead of their actual birthday," Asheera said. "My grandmother would have told me if she was adopted," Nicolas said. "You know, there is a very easy way to solve this," Valen said. "Mr. Potter?" Harry looked at Professor Lasinius for a moment, not understanding what the professor wanted him to do, but then he understood. "Can you understand what I'm saying, Nicolas?" Harry asked. "Of course, I can understand what you're saying, Harry," Nicolas answered in English, not even realizing that Harry had not spoken in English. "Nick, Harry just spoke to you in Parseltongue," Ryan said. "If you could understand it, then that means you must be Slytherin's heir, because only Slytherin's male heirs can speak Parseltongue." "Well, how can Harry speak it then?" Nicolas asked. "It's a long story," Harry said. "The short version is that Voldemort transferred some of his powers to me the night he killed my parents, including his ability to speak Parseltongue." "So, I'm dating the Heir of Slytherin?" Bill asked suddenly, without thinking. "Oh my family is going to love this." "Dating the Heir of Slytherin?" Dumbledore asked a twinkle in his eye. "Oops," Bill said as he covered his mouth with the palm of his hand. "Yes, Professor," Nicolas said as he looked at the Headmaster. "Bill and I are together. We've been dating for a few weeks now." Dumbledore nodded and said, "Well, normally, I'd have to be angry with you two, considering it's against the rules for professors to date the students. But, as I'm sure you already know, it's not if the student is 17 and you are, Mr. Delaney. My only question is why didn't you two come to the dance together tonight if you are indeed a couple?" "We discussed that," Bill said, "and we weren't ready for the whole school, let alone the whole Wizarding World, to know that we were together. Up until now, only a select few of Nick's friends knew that we were together. I haven't told anyone in my family yet and Nick hasn't told his grandmother, either." "This must be a mistake," Hermione said as she read over the list of names a third time. "It says that Tom Marvolo Riddle is only sixteen years old. That's impossible." "Miss Granger," Valen said. "Nothing is impossible; improbable maybe, but not impossible." "The book doesn't lie," Rowena said and everyone turned to see Rowena and Helga looking down from the large framed landscape hanging above the fireplace. "If the book says that he is only sixteen, then he is only sixteen." "How is that possible though?" Hermione asked. "How can a person born in 1926 be only 16 in 1996?" "Oh, there are ways, Miss Granger," Helga said. "Yes, there are definitely ways," Rowena confirmed. "One that springs to mind is a little known Dark Arts version of the Time Suspension charm. It is essentially a prison charm, which allows a wizard to cast the Time Suspension charm on a prisoner, using the prisoner's magical core to sustain the spell. The constant draw on their core will keep the prisoner weak both magically and physically, so that the prisoner won't be able to fight against the person who imprisoned them. The spell allows the caster or anyone in the caster's service to interact with the prisoner and as a side effect, would prevent the prisoner from aging as long as the spell is on them." "Not even the most powerful wizard in the world could stand to have a spell that drew power from their cores active for such a long period of time, let alone a sixteen year old wizard." "You are right, of course, Albus," Helga said. "However, if the jailer has been giving the prisoner regular doses of a powerful magical restorative draft, it might be possible for the prisoner to survive indefinitely." * * * "Wake up you little wretch," Voldemort shouted as he entered the room where his teenage prisoner has been held for over half a century. "I said wake up! Crucio!" Bone-melting pain coursing through one's body is most certainly not a pleasant way to awaken in the morning and Voldemort laughed as his teenage prisoner jolted awake and screamed as best as his parched throat would allow. Lifting the spell, Voldemort continued to laugh cruelly as his prisoner swung his legs off the bed, placed his feet on the floor and turned his head to look at him. With a flick of his wand, the boy found himself flying through the air, finally coming to a stop with a sickening crunch as he was thrown face first against a nearby wall. "Oh I do so enjoy torturing you, boy," Voldemort said, as the boy collected himself and curled up against the wall. "Causing you pain has definitely been a highlight of the last 54 years." "54 years?" the boy croaked out, obviously shocked by that statement. "Yes, boy, you have been my prisoner for 54 years," Voldemort confirmed. "Ever since you were a student at Hogwarts and you tried to thwart my plans to rule the world. I was certainly not going to allow a pathetic sixteen-year-old whelp to thwart me, so I imprisoned you and assumed your identity. It really was quite a coincidence that your name just so happened to spell my name, if you rearranged the letters." Raising his wand in the air, Voldemort spelled out his prisoner's name. TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE And then with a flick of his wand, the boy watched as the letters of his name rearranged in midair. I AM LORD VOLDEMORT "People fear the name of Lord Voldemort, boy," Voldemort said. "They fear it so much that they refuse to even say it. They refer to me as You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. And of course, several people, your old Transfiguration professor Albus Dumbledore for example, believes that we are the same person. He feels responsible I'm sure. Feeling like he somehow let you down, since you became the most powerful Dark Lord of the century, ten times more powerful than Grindenwald could have ever dreamed of being. Of course, he'll never know the truth. He'll never know that the student at his school all those years ago and the Dark Lord he now fights against are not the same entity." "You are a monster," Tom whispered. "Oh I know I am," Voldemort said. "At any rate, I'm winning the war. It's only a matter of time before the Light falls, the Dark will rule for eternity, and I will finally get what I've wanted all these years! I will rule not only Earth, but under my guidance it will become the Tenth Hell, deepest of the Hells, and I will therefore be Lord and Master of all the Hells. That my boy is power beyond that which you can imagine and nobody will be able to stop me." "Light will prevail," Tom said. "It may appear to disappear, but it can never be banished completely." "That's what you think, boy," Voldemort said, as he again conjured a whip and began to lash the sixteen-year-old boy in front of him. The difference this time being that Voldemort conjured the whip so that it would be alight with magical fire, so in addition to slicing Tom's skin open, it was also searing it. Tom screamed in pain and as much as he didn't want to, he soon found himself begging for mercy. Voldemort stopped his assault and banished the whip, as Tom began crying, his tears stinging his wounded and burned flesh. Voldemort simply laughed as a house-elf entered the room to clean and dress Tom's new wounds and swept from the room, cackling like a madman. * * * Back in the Great Hall of Hogwarts, Dumbledore, Ryan, Zacharias, Nicolas, Bill, Hermione, Justin, Harry, Draco, Susan, Matthew, Oliver, Corelian, Asheera, and Valen stood around the stand now holding the Atlantean copy of the `Tome of the Founders', with Rowena and Helga looking down from the frame above the fireplace. "How could Tom Riddle possibly be held prisoner all these years?" Harry asked. "He's Voldemort and that's who we're at war with." "I didn't say that he was a prisoner, Harry," Rowena said. "I was just presenting a possible explanation for how someone could remain sixteen years old for such a long time." "Well, let's worry about Tom Riddle later," Draco said. "Who is Gryffindor's heir?" "You are standing next to him, Mr. Malfoy," Corelian answered. "You mean?" "Yes, Mr. Malfoy, I do mean him," Corelian said as he waved his hand and the page of the book turned to reveal more names, all of them written in deep red. NATALIE MAUREEN POTTER, born 09-02-1870, died 09-05-1943, age 73 NATHAN MATTHEW POTTER, born 09-02-1870, died 10-06-1979, age 109 JONATHAN JAMES POTTER, born 17-08-1892, died 12-06-1979, age 87 JAMES NATHAN POTTER, born 25-12-1960, died 31-10-1981, age 21 AARIK JAMES POTTER, born 31-07-1980, age 16 "Who is Aarik Potter?" Harry asked. "Notice the date of birth, Mr. Potter?" Corelian said. "That's my birthday," Harry said. "And James Potter is your father correct?" Asheera asked. "Yes, he was, but again, who is Aarik?" Harry asked. "You are Aarik James Potter," Valen said as he pointed at Harry. "I have no idea how you came to be known as Harry James Potter, but I'm sure there is probably someone, somewhere who would know the answer to that." "If it's true," Harry said, "and my name actually is Aarik Potter, then that means that I'm Gryffindor's heir." "Indeed, it does, Mr. Potter," Corelian said. * * * To be continued... Your thoughts on the chapter would be greatly appreciated, so please review!