United Against All Odds | Harry Potter AU

Chapter 20

Harry stood awestruck, turning to his guardian to see a smirk playing on her lips.
"You're not the only surprising one, Harry." She said. Harry smiled, winking once at Minerva, almost so quickly that she didn't see. Minerva led Harry through the vault. Unlike the Ravenclaw vault, which was filled the the brim with books and tomes, the Gryffindor vault contained masses of weapons, from bows and arrow, to swords and daggers.

Minerva dragged Harry away from the swords, the the section containing the smaller knives and daggers. She pulled down a dagger pierced with emeralds, and another with sapphires.

"These are for you Harry, I know you may think you are too young, however Wizards rely on magic too much, so being competent in physical combat will be much better for you." Harry nodded his thanks, barely able to say a word. He had never had as much done for him by anyone, no one had shown him as much care or kindness towards him, no adult anyway. He lent into his Auntie Minerva, feeling her arm cuddle him closer.

"So about these heirs, Aunt Minerva, do you know who any of the others are? And why are there five heirs instead of just four?" Minerva smiled.
"I know of one of the others, bar myself, yourself, and... He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, as I'm sure you have guessed. Miss Bones' late grandfather, William Bones, was one of my best friends when I was a child. He came up to me when we were children, and told me he had been told that his best friend was the heir of Gryffindor, while he was the Heir of Hufflepuff. I couldn't believe my ears. He was my best friend till his death, in the war against Grindlewald. Our rivalry on the quidditch pitch would be the talk of the school for weeks afterwards, he being a hufflepuff beater, and me a gryffindor chaser. I'm not ashamed to say he managed to get me a few times! I only wish his parents had been more accepting of him, they forced him to marry when he was 21, even though he was... well he didn't fancy women put it that way. He vowed to me that day that he would never treat his children the way that his parents treated him. I am losing focus here." Harry has seen MInerva looking off into the distance. her eyes glossed over. She shook herself off, continuing. "Since Edgar has also passed, the heirship would have passed down to their only child, Susan. Well... they had another daughter, Little Diana but... they were all killed by Death Eaters while Susan was being cared for by Amelia." Harry nodded. Susan was like him, losing her parents at such a young age, and her sister, who must've only been a baby.

"So thats four of the five known.. only one left to find. Speaking of which, who is the fifth family, and why is there a fifth family?" Minerva smirked.

"Although the four founders were the main four families at the time, the one other main family at the time was the family headed by Merlin, although his real name is Myrddin Wyllt, the family name was renamed after Merlin, since he was such a prominent member of the Wizarding World, and did so much for our society, that the Goblins renamed the family after him.
He was very well respected by the Goblins." Harry nodded, wondering what it'd be like if they actually had a good history of magic teacher... if only.

"I'm guessing you don't know who this mysterious person is then? Do you remember what the letter you got said?"

Smiling, Minerva replied, "Godric was not always one for... beating around the bush shall we say. He gave me the houses of each of the heirs that, as he said, I would work most closely with. One was you, Harry, an Eagle in Snakes clothing, One was Susan, or I guess William at the time, a badge in their true self and one was Voldemort, a man who came so close to becoming a true snake, reducing himself to that which may not be considered human." Her thoughts briefly tracked back to her conversation with Dumbledore at the end of last term. The word 'Horcrux' still shivered in her mind. Harry was too young and innocent for that now, so she shook herself down, locking those thoughts to a corner of her mind. "The final was said to be the leader of the group, the one who would unite them all. He's a Gryffindor - you could see the pride almost glowing through the page." Harry nodded thoughtfully, then clicked his fingers. "Neville. He's the only Gryffindor I get along with, he could defintiely be a natural leader if he gained some confidence, he's a Gryffindor and I won't hesitate to say he's beginning to seem like a brother to me." Minerva nodded.

"I believe when we return home we should invite them round. A cup of tea, perhaps?"

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A slightly shorter, almost filler chapter but I hope you enjoyed. And lots more backstory to these characters. I think writing characters is one of my favourite parts of writing.

Speaking of which, would anyone want to see an original book I've been writing? I've got the idea but I don't know if anyone would actually want to see it. Leave your thoughts here -->

Song lyrics:

"But of all the strange, strange creatures
In the air, at sea, on land,
Oh, my girl, my girl, my precious girl,
I love you, you understand."
      ~Love don't Roam, Murray Gold, Doctor Who