Harry stood there gaping like a fish out of water. Was it due to the fact he and Salazar Slytherin of all people had the same eyes, indicating the same lineage or the fact that he was in front of the live portraits of two founders of Hogwarts or just the fact that they knew his name, he didn't know.
Admittedly he was very famous in the wizarding world but he could not fathom how two portraits, of the Hogwarts founders no less, who had been in a closed off chamber knew of him.
" Are you going to stand there gaping like a moron? It's quiet rude you know" Slytherin spoke after a moment or two.
"Oh Sal, cut the boy some slack. The poor dear is probably shocked seeing us. Afterall we are the founders of his school." Helga Hufflepuff spoke for the first time.
"Err... Yes my name is Harry Potter. But you already knew that." He added sheepishly. "But how do you know my name? You are two are portraits in a chamber unknown to all except me." Harry continued.
He had to control his emotions of shock at his situation. He was talking to two founders of Hogwarts! Two who were on the opposite side of the spectrum according to history. Salazar was a bigot of the highest order and a dark wizard while Helga Hufflepuff was a kind lady who had accepted everyone with open arms. He had no confidence in the subject of history that had been recorded. as far as he knew, what was written in them had a high chance of being wrong and sometimes it was downright speculation presented as history in the wizarding world. His own history was all speculation since the night of Halloween in 1981. Books said that Harry as a baby had done obscure accidental magic to rebound the killing curse. His childhood according to many books was spent in a castle. Some said he had been sent away to train with the best of wizards. Everything but the truth.
He was hailed a hero in his first year and a villain and the heir of Slytherin this year. Currently he had just chalked up his and Slytherin's eyes being same as a mere coincidence. After all, many people had the same eye colour, didn't they. And this similarity between them was barely noticeable.
"OH! I can definitely see the family resemblance between you and him, Sal. You both have the same manner of speaking. Even your eyes are the same"
Or maybe not.
Harry shook his head, " I can't be related to him. My father had no Slytherin blood in him, I checked and my mother is a muggleborn"
"Child you speak parseltounge, an ability I tied to my bloodline. You and I have the same eyes if you look look closely. You are my descendant. You say your mother was a muggleborn right? She must have been a squib descendant of mine. Most muggleborns are descendants from a squib, child." Salazar said.
" Don't you dislike all muggleborns? " Harry asked hesitantly.
Salazar scowled, " Someday I am going to kill the idiot who started this ridiculous rumor. I never disliked muggleborns! I disliked muggles! Those were vile disgusting creatures. I wanted to provide a safe haven to muggleborns here at Hogwarts by taking them away from their parents as soon as they showed signs of magic! I never wanted to kill muggleborns! Just wait till I get my hands on the one who started this ridiculousness ruining my image and legacy. I will rip him from limb to limb with my bare hands!"
"You are a portrait. You can't even touch anyone, let alone rip someone apart from limb to limb." Harry sassed. The moment Salazar had scowled, Harry was prepared for the views he held about the founders to be ripped apart.
" Then I will find a way. I am Salazar Slytherin after all."
"Shush now Salazar. Harry here is right. Calm yourself!" Helga chided.
"You still have not answered my question. How do you know my name?" Harry questioned curiously.
" We created our portraits in such a way that we are connected to each and every portrait in Hogwarts. We know all they ever hear or see. Several portraits are even connected to their other portraits outside the castle. We know most things that go around the world. We also make house elves get us books and newspapers from the library when no one is looking. We know much more about the world than most people who are alive, as we have eyes everywhere and ears everywhere else, all around the globe." Helga explained.
" Yes, portraits and house-elves make excellent spies." Salazar added.
Harry felt his eyes widen. This way, both of them knew essentially everything. There were thousands of portraits in Hogwarts and it had the largest number of house elves in whole Europe. What kind of information and secrets they would know, Harry could only fathom.
"Yes, I see you understood what I am talking about." Salazar grinned at him.
"We also know all about your adventures! Taking down a troll, stopping that dark lord claiming to be Salazar's descendant and killing Salazar's basilisk." Helga said.
Harry suddenly remembered that he had killed Salazar's basilisk just yesterday.
"Err... Sir I apologize for killing your basilisk. I tried to negotiate but it didn't listen. So I had to kill her." Harry said wringing his hands.
"And I am glad that you did. Basilisk are not meant to live for so long. Bessie was more than 1700 years old. Basilisk don't live beyond 900. And usually grow only thirty meters in length. Bessie grew 60 meters long! I am pretty sure that her mind had long snapped due to loneliness and isolation. Further Tom Riddle" he spat the name, "used several mind controlling compulsions and the imperious on her to further his own means! Her broken mind couldn't handle it, and she became a puppet. The queen of serpents became a mindless slave. I thank you for putting my Familiar out of her misery Harry." He finished.
"Oh! In that case you are welcome. Now can you kindly explain what is this ring the sorting hat gave me? What is the gift of Hogwarts?"
Helga nodded and looked at Salazar. He nodded in ascent. Helga began," Sit down, we have a story to tell you if you wish to understand the answer to your question completely." Harry Compiled. "In 38BCE Hogwarts was founded by me, Salazar, Rowena and Godric. It had taken a total of 14 years to both erect this castle and fortify it before we could start teaching. Salazar had the idea of a safe haven for all magical children where they could stay safe and learn magic in 56BCE. He was regarded as an excellent orator, a potioneer and a master of obscure magical arts like mind magic, rituals etc. He consulted Rowena Ravenclaw who was regarded as an excellent scholar and enchantress during the time and lived only a few villages away from Salazar."
"We travelled far and wide offering knowledge and aid in exchange for gold. We also learnt a lot during our travel and from each other. We needed gold to buy the materials, workers and the land. After a year and half of traveling, we were residing in a village, the modern-day Wales. That was when a man named Godric Gryffindor approached us. He was a battle mage, and excellent at the art of transfiguration. He was a descendant of a Noble house and thus had a lot of gold. He had heard of our goals and wished to fund the school and teach young minds. He became our biggest benefactor for founding Hogwarts. But at that time even all the gold his family had combined with what we had earned on our travel was not enough to actually make a safe haven for hundreds of wizards and witches in Britain. So we travelled further, now with Godric with us we made much more. We also spread the word of our goals. Generous witches and wizards gave us donations. During this time, Rowena began working on a project she named the Book of Admittance which she said would note the names of all young witches and wizards when they showed the first sign of magic. It was the longest project she ever undertook and admittedly her second greatest invention. She took a five years to make it. It was 8 or 9 months since Godric had joined us, we were resting in the outskirts of a village when some muggle king's army returning from a conquest decided to attack us after they saw our wands." Salazar said scowling at the memory.
"Godric, Rowena and I stood side by side and faced the army of around a thousand muggles hell bent on killing us because we were 'devil spawns'. Rowena shielded while Godric and I started attacking them. Godric proved why he was regarded as one of the best Battle Mages to be ever born. With each spell he killed around a dozen of those men. I rained down curses and hexes taking down the men one by one. For fifteen minutes we fought, without stopping, but then an arrow struck Rowena in her chest. Godric yelled at me to apparate away with her telling he would take care of the army. I apparated a distance away from the battle field. I started to heal Rowena the best I could but it was beyond my capabilities to heal a poisoned arrow that had struck her near her heart immediately, atleast. If I had time I could have healed her with my parselmagic and potions, but she didn't have that. I saw Godric unleashed cursed hell flames as we called it or if you prefer, fiendfyre." Harry's eyes widened, " Isn't that dark magic? And why didn't you apparate out as soon as you saw them coming?" he blurted before he could stop himself.
He felt Salazar's scrutinizing stare on himself. Finally he sighted spoke again, "Child, there is no such thing as light and dark magic. Magic is magic. Nothing more, nothing less. People are the ones who are good and bad. Magic is all about intent. Tell me what do you define the so called 'dark magic' as."
"Dark magic is a branch of magic that is used to harm or kill another witch or wizard" Harry recited verbatim from his first year DADA book as had learnt. Quirrellmort was a terrible teacher, but the book was atleast good unlike Lockhart's books which were as useless as their author.
"See! The very definition of dark magic is flawed. Tell me will you consider the levitation charm dark magic?" Harry shook his head. " What if I levitated a huge rock and dropped it on you? Will you consider it dark magic then?" Salazar asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No."
"But wasn't it used to harm or kill another witch or wizard? As far as I am aware dropping a big rock on a person will harm or kill him or her, depending on the weight of the rock."
Harry was already wide eyed. His most basic views on magic were changing! He just nodded dumbly.
"Harry magic is all about intent. It can be used to harm, heal, protect, and several other things. Magic is magic neither dark nor light in itself. Think of it as a knife in the most mundane term. Like a knife can be used to make food, do gardening, ensure safety of a person and even murder. Similarly magic can be used in a plethora of ways. It depends on the wielder what he or she chooses to do with it. A killing curse can be used to murder in cold blood or it can be used to put down a dark wizard, and by a dark wizard I mean a wizard who uses magic to harm and kill others for enjoyment, who would have otherwise killed you and your friends and family." Harry listened with rapt attention. His views on magic had forever changed. He now understood that a person could be light or dark depending on what he or she did. But magic was neither. It just was. Comparing magic to a knife was actually an wonderful way of understanding this concept. A knife could be used to ham others like criminals in the muggle world did, or used to protect oneself from assault, or just used for household stuff. Magic was the same.
Harry nodded, " Thank you sir, ma'am for explaining me. I got what you are saying. Now why didn't you apparate out and chose to confront them?" Harry looked expectantly at Salazar.
"Oh! no sir and ma'am stuff. Call us by our names. Don't use formalities. Also you must know, the minister of magic, Thorfe Weasley in 1123 introduced this term, and banned its use. This was because of the rise of the dark lord Albercomb who used magic for destructive purposes killing a lot of witches and wizards. So as to deter another dark lord from rising at the time magic started to be regulated. If anyone used 'Dark magic' they were put in prison. This caused innumerable spells to be lost in time. Very few families have some of these spells documented. Most were lost, and the ones who had it became a part of their family grimoire. You both didn't let me complete what I was saying so I had to add it now."
'So one of Ron's ancestor banned this dark magic, well as per what the government at the time described it as. Interesting.' Harry thought to himself.
"Now for your second question, At that time, if a magical person apparated away, a skill very few knew, a manhunt would be launched by muggle monarchs to kill them citing they were the devil themselves as they could teleport. We couldn't leave a single muggle or else we would become hunted. As long as they didn't know who did it, we were safe. The soldiers had seen our faces, we couldn't leave them alive. Obliviating charm was not invented until several decades later." Harry was unsure how to react. They had killed a thousand muggles just so that they won't be hunted. Given they could have ran away but spending a whole life in fear for your life just because some people did not like the ability you have? He didn't know what was worse, he could not decide who was wrong. The muggles who lived at that time were vile and disgusting, anyone who burned another person at stake and gave them gruesome death just because they have an ability the world didn't like, but killing a thousand people to save your own hide was equally bad. He decided that what was done was done. It was centuries ago. He didn't live then and did not know what they went through. So he decided to just take it as another history lesson, nothing more, nothing less. "Please continue your story, Salazar." He requested.
"Yes, yes." Salazar said, "Let me now continue the story. So... Rowena was injured. I decided to apparate to our next destination. We had heard about an excellent healer residing there." Salazar smiled. "And that was when we first met Helga Hufflepuff. She was an excellent healer, renowned in a lot of nearby towns for her ability." Helga blushed in her portrait.
"She saved Rowena's life and cured her. I stayed with her until she stabilized and then went back to Godric. He was near the site where the battle had happened rummaging through trunks. The trunks were filled with gold. Enough gold to build a small township with all wards possible and still have some left over. We were set. Before we left, we included Helga in our plans. Our haven would need a healer atleast! She was the youngest of us all. As Helga said before it took us fourteen long years to start the school. We also made it possible for the setting up the village of Hogsmeade, the only exclusive magical settlement in whole Britain. Parents and older students started residing there and set up their families. We had set up what we aimed for. Our biggest regret was that we couldn't just take kids who showed magic from muggles as soon as first accidental magic happened. It may have resulted in exposing the haven to the filthy creatures. Anyways, the school flourished for the next four decades. We all now had our own families, I was married to a fellow teacher who we had hired for teaching with us, after my fling with Rowena had failed and we broke up, still remaining as friends instead of lovers. I had a son and a daughter. My son was a fairly powerful wizard, though not as strong as us four founders, while my daughter was unfortunately a squib. Godric had a wife and a daughter my son's age. Rowena had a little daughter, who was unfortunately a bastard child. She was not the best of mother but did her best and loved her daughter more than anything. We will come back to her later. Helga also had twins, a son and daughter. The painting you may have seen outside was the painted a few days before tragedy struck. Godric and his family had gone to another village for a tour whe-where..." Salazar's voice wavered and tears flowed down his eyes in grief.
So Helga took over "Where tragedy struck. Godric had briefly gone to the river, leaving his wife and daughter in the village. Someone, somehow had got to know that they were witches. Godric's wife was pregnant with her second child, five months along and could not apparate. His daughter was fifteen and had not learnt it yet. The muggles cornered and killed both of them, burning them at stake." Tears were flowing freely down everyone's cheeks. "When Godric came to know this he set out for revenge destroying everything in his rage and grief. He was- He was extremely emotional and- and not at his best. He was struck down with an arrow to the neck. He immediately died. His ghost lingered and came to us informing what had happened. Salazar immediately set out to destroy the villagers."
"I burnt the damn village to ground including the neighboring settlements. Not a single brick remained. Godric didn't pass on till he saw the ashes of the village."
"I am sorry." Harry croaked.
Salazar and Helga waved it off. "That was when Rowena decided that we all should leave a legacy. She enchanted Godric's prized sword, one he got as a gift from the goblins as a gift for protecting them before he had joined us. Yes the same one you pulled from the hat. It could only be pulled by a person who embodied all traits Godric prided himself on. Bravery in the face of danger, courage and most importantly, doing what is right instead of what is easy. It will now come to you whenever you call it. Rowena made a room on the fifth floor, which could change into anything the person required and open to all. She called it the room of requirement, an highly impressive piece of magic, her greatest infact. We both decided to leave something more. Something that would aid a person who was worthy, a person who embodied the values of all four of us prized to become more. Aid him or her better the world. Aid the person to become greater than he or she already was. Essentially now we are going to teach you too. We had created the sorting hat when we founded the school, first it was only used to sort students, an artifact capable of using mind magic to look into a person's character and sort him or her. But then we decided to enhance it. We gave it a personality and left the decision to it to judge who would be worthy of Godric's sword and the Secrets of our chamber." Helga finished.
He was going to learn personally from the founders!
"And what are these rings? And why was there a basilisk? and such a big space outside." Asked harry curiously.
"As a key to the main secrets, us, we created four enchanted rings, all entrusted to the sorting hat. We may not have been as good as Rowena but we were still skilled enough to create these. It is made of an alloy of gold and platinum, enchanted to work as a portkey straight to the chamber if you say the Hogwarts motto. It will also enable the wearer to apparate regardless of the anti apparation wards put in Hogwarts. As for the second question, if the wards were ever attacked the basilisk was supposed to wake up and protect the school. Each founder made something special to fortify the school. Rowena made the wards around Hogwarts, I put the Basilisk, Godric animated the hundreds of sets of armors we had looted after the battle we told you about earlier to act as soldiers in case of an attack. And Helga made pacts with several creatures in the forbidden forest and the Black lake."
"The main chamber outside is specially made underground so in case of a natural calamity or attack, students could come down here. Also you can practice high level battle magic outside. It is made to withstand any magical attack. I am also pretty sure that the chamber can withstand a point blank muggle nuclear bomb as it is warded to that level and each wall has been carved with insanely strengthening runes! You can unleash fiendfyre in there and nothing will be damaged. It is quite literally the safest place in Hogwarts." Salazar explained.
"But can't the chamber be accessed by only a paselmouth?" Harry questioned.
"There are other ways to the chamber, you will find a map in the desk. And house elves would have led them down here. The study you saw outside was made in such a case for teachers to work in. Tom riddle learnt a lot from the books out there, but it is like a glass in front of a bucket for what we have here."
"Merlin! this is all just... wow. Who were the other two the sorting hat mentioned that were judged worthy before me?"
Salazar and Helga grinned. "Why? They were Myrddin Emrys and Morgana of house Fae. Now you know them as Merlin and Morgana Ley Fae!" Helga said.
Harry felt a big shock for the... he didn't even know how many times he had been shocked in the whole day. First he was judged equal to an honor Merlin received. MERLIN! The dude was like a legend among legends in the wizarding world. His mother's words rang in his head, 'If you train and apply yourself I am sure you will surpass them all'. Then there was the fact he was going to be taught by Salazar and Helga, something he hadn't even thought in his wildest dreams. And then there was Morgana Le... Wait a damn minute!
"Wasn't Morgana Ley Fae a dark witch. Like the Most powerful dark lady of all time!?" Harry blurted out. He was already mentally preparing himself to hear how Morgana was an extremely good person and history was corrupted. It would not be the first his views had been completely shattered about a topic, be it the founders history or magic.
"Yes, history regards her as a dark witch because she planned to make it so. It started when Merlin was first chosen as worthy when he attended Hogwarts in the 350CE. He was sorted in the Slytherin house. At the start of his fourth year he saved a bunch of children who had foolishly ventured into the forbidden forest at great personal risk. When he arrived, he was already an exceptional student. He trained under our tutelage and became what he is today. His greatest achievement, the setting up of a magical government and the statute of secrecy was concocted in this very chamber. Long story short, For setting up the magical government he needed the permission of the then King of Britain, king Arthur. He became a close advisor to him and a very good friend as Merlin was older than him. But king Arthur needed a strong incentive to approve the statute and a magical government." Helga said
"It was the 410CE when we had taken Morgana as our second apprentice. Myrddin had come back with this problem during the time Morgana was in her seventh year, in Ravenclaw. We were worried that witches and wizards would always need to hide if Myrddin failed. King Arthur was so far the only king highly receptive of witches and wizards. We didn't know if such a golden opportunity would present itself again. That was when Morgana suggested the plan that she become a dark lady, and then Merlin would 'kill' her in an epic duel, well pretend to kill her, cementing himself completely with king Arthur. He would suggest him that if there was a statute of secrecy and a magical government, a rise like morgana would have been dealt with much more effectively. Myrddin would have subtly influenced the ascent if needed by legilimency, if needed. The imperious curse wasn't invented yet, during the time. So Once King Arthur was firm, it would have become much easier to convince the knights of the Round Table Conference. So we and Merlin trained Morgana for next 6 to 8 years, she became a pseudo daughter to Merlin, and became a great duelist. And everything fell in place half a decade later. The magical government and the statute of secrecy was founded. A huge ritual was done at stone-hedge to make muggles forget about witches and wizards and make them disbelieving of magic forever. And with the help of several prominent families, namely Albertos, Black, Bones, Greengrass, Longbottom, Potter, Selwyn. These are the Most Noble and Most Ancient houses with a permanent seat on the Wizengamot currently. Thus they secured much more freedom for witches and wizards." Salazar finished dramatically.
"What happened to Morgana?" Harry asked.
"She lived an happy life as a Runes teacher at Hogwarts after she changed her name, she also became the first head of the DMLE, in 440CE under Oliver Evershine's government.(*)" Helga answered with pride in her voice for her former student's achievement.
"And what was that part about my family?" Harry questioned. He wished to know more about his family history. Hagrid had told him that he would be able to access the family vault when he came of age where he could find all about his family history as he had kept asking questions about it.
"Randalf Potter was your ancestor, who aided Myrddin in forming the government and the ministry of magic. The Potter's have a permanent seat on the Wizengamot with 7 votes like the other Most Ancient and Most Noble Houses. A big part of the Wizengamot is the sacred 28, 28 families who have contributed vastly to betterment of magic. It consists of 7 Most Ancient and Most Noble Houses with seven votes each; 7 Most Ancient and Noble Houses with 3 votes each; 7 Ancient and Most Noble Houses with 3 votes each; and 7 Ancient and Noble Houses with a single vote each. The current criteria for the title of an ancient house is 300 years in Britain, while for most ancient it is 1000 years. These seats on the Wizengamot may change families if in case a family is absent for a century with no known living members or has fallen from grace. An excellent example would be the Toothhill family, the Dagworth-Granger family, Cephalopos family who all went extinct in recent times primarily due to the two wizarding wars. The Weasley family and the Tillyman family fell in disgrace and lost their seats on the Wizengamot."
The Weasley family falling into disgrace was something he had heard about, after he had asked about it to Fred and George. Malfoy had called them blood-traitors and he had asked what he had meant by it.
"I have a friend named Hermione Granger, is it possible that she is related to the Dagworth-Grangers?"
"She maybe... She would need to take a blood heritage test at Gringotts. If she turns out to be one, she may even receive a vault. But the test is pricey and most don't bother to do it. Same with the abilities test." Helga replied.
"Ability test?"
"Ability test is a test which shows the special abilities a person may possess. Like metamorphamagus: the ability to change ones appearance at will; Paselmouth: you are one; Elemental: Ability to control a particular element without a wand and have better grasp at it then other wizards, Myrddin was a wind elemental while your headmaster is a fire elemental, Salazar was a water elemental. Another ability is a battle mage: It dials the persons senses during a battle to eleven(Heightens it to an insane level); Mage sight: The ability to see magic; Magic sense: Ability to feel magic in the nature. etc." Helga elaborated.
"Some of these abilities like mage sight and mage sense may be developed by powerful wizards, like your headmaster has. Sometimes rituals may give one abilities if done correctly."
"Helga, you said that an elemental can control a particular element without a wand. So are you saying it is impossible to do wandless magic."
"Wandless magic is possible. But it requires much more magic, intent and focus. And one can only do charms as it only relies on intent and focus. Transfiguration, curses, hexes, jinxes are impossible without a wand except for a person who has the arch-mage ability. Which is super-rare. Morgana was one of the only five people in history who had it. It is simply the ability to do magic without a wand without the extra effort and limitations. In other words an arch-mage can do wand-magic without the need of a wand. One may argue that accidental magic is wandless magic, but the fact is it requires much more magic than doing the same thing with a wand. example will be if you require x amount of magic to levitate a 1 kg weight ten meters above a ground wandlessly, you could have lifted about 49kg to 169 kg with the wand depending on the intent and focus of a person. You will understand it precisely when you learn Arithmancy. Since the magic required is much higher, high level charms like apparation is not possible without a wand." Helga explained.
Harry took in a deep breath and blurted, "I may be an arch-mage, I think." Salazar and Helga raised an eyebrow. "When I was fighting Riddle yesterday, I summoned his diary wandlessly as he had my wand and stabbed it. And.."
"Controlled accidental magic, you were desperate and in a life threatening situation." Salazar interrupted.
"I apparated to my school's roof top when I was seven, when my cousin and his friends were chasing me." Harry completed shooting Salazar a glare for interrupting him.
"Pardon!?"
"I apparated to my school's roof top when I was seven, when my cousin and his friends were chasing me." Harry replied calmly.
"Take a book from the shelf and show me a levitation charm using your wand."
Harry compiled.
"wingardium leviosa" The book rose a meter high from the table.
"Now without the wand."
"wingardium leviosa" nothing happened. Harry frowned. He remembered how he had willed himself to get away from his cousin. how he had willed the book in his hand. Intent was after all the most important aspect of magic.
He willed the book to levitate.
"See I told..." Salazar stopped in mid sentence as the book rose up in the air.
Harry smirked, Salazar gaped and Helga cheered.
"Take an ink bottle cap and transfigure it into a quill. If you do it, you are definitely an Arch-mage." Salazar conceded. "Scribillifors" Harry intoned willing it to change into a quill. It did. Helga cheered and harry pumped a fist into the air. Salazar just smiled.
Salazar ordered him to convert it back and cap the ink bottle so that it didn't dry. "Reverto" Harry again did it wandlessly again. "Good, but you should keep this a secret. We all know Tom Riddle and his death eaters are after you. It will be your ace. Don't show this to anyone. Keep using a wand. Even Morgana never used solely wandless magic during duels, She used a wand in one hand and wandless magic from the other. You will find her journal on the fifth shelf." Salazar advised.
Harry nodded. "Sir, since yesterday, after my confrontation with the basilisk, my wand is feeling off."
"What do you mean?"
"My wand doesn't feel the same. It feels as if its somewhat resisting me. Today I tried to use Hermione's wand. It felt even worse."
Salazar nodded, "That's because something in you changed. Your personality or your goal or perhaps even your magic as you got exposed to the two most potent liquids in the world, Basilisk venom and Phoenix tears." Salazar shrugged. "I will advise you to get a new wand as soon as possible. Keep your current wand as a secondary wand." He advised.
"We should make him do the magic purification and connection ritual first don't you think? Remember my wand length changed after I did it. And he can do it anytime as planetary position has no effect on it." Helga said.
"You make a good point Helga. Harry, before you get a new wand, we will do a ritual that will purify your magic from foreign presences and increase your connection to it."
Harry gulped. Rituals were considered extremely dark by the ministry. But he just had learnt that there is no light and dark magic, only intent. And how could a purifying ritual be dark? Also if he couldn't trust two Hogwarts founders and Merlin's teachers, then who could he? He nodded in consent.
"Are you willing to do it tomorrow? It is extremely easy. You just have to draw a star and put some runes here and there." Helga questioned.
Harry again nodded. Suddenly he remembered he had to meet Hermione in the library!
"Tempus" It had been almost five hours since he had arrived!
"Shite!" He exclaimed.
"Language dear, what happened?" Helga chided. "I was supposed to go back four hours ago. My friend was waiting for me in the library. Now its past dinnertime!"
"Calm down. No need to worry. Check the fourth drawer in the desk. It has a time turner. How much time has passed since you arrived?"
"four hours forty minutes approximately."
"Then go back five hours. Five complete turns of the time turner should do it. We are anyways going to use it for your training. That was how both Myrddin and Morgana did it." Helga said.
Harry sighted in relief. His stomach rumbled.
"Go to the kitchens to have a snack. You have to hide from yourself and must not be seen. The kitchen is on the ground floor, behind a painting of a fruit bowl. You have to tickle the pear to get in." Helga said
"Tickle the pear?" Harry asked incredulously.
Helga blushed and Salazar laughed. "Just go!"
Harry shrugged and did as told. A new chapter in his life had begun and he was going to make the most of it.