A Hogwarts Intervention

Chapter 13: Happy Founders

When Harry fell both Severus and Voldemort stopped holding back even as they stood over their little mate protecting him. The twins quickly joined them and took on an air of grim determination when they saw Harry was down. Instant darkness powder launched as long distance grenades were quickly put to use alongside the instant swamps to entrap, blind, and conquer the rest of the school. With the team up of the two veteran master duelists to the current generation of prank masters the rest of the school quickly fell to their assaults, ending the battle by pure force of arms.

Harry woke to the moaning of the rest of the great hall. The first thing he saw when he peeled open his eyes was Severus leaning over him to check that he was alright. He could see/sense Voldemort and the twins standing guard behind Severus. Seeing his imp of a mate awake Severus quickly helped him sit up and checked him again only to find nothing more than a few bumps and bruises.

"Don't scare me like that!" Severus scolded as he crushed Harry into his chest with a worried hug.

"Ulf! Did we win?" Harry asked somewhat groggily, still feeling fairly exhausted.

"Yes, imp, we won," Voldemort answered with a snort of amusement. A moment later a glow came from the stone floor as the school reversed all of the lingering magic from the battle, returning everyone and everything to normal.

"Woohoo! That was fantastic!" Godric crowed, practically dancing a jig in their portrait before Slytherin finally bonked him over the head. This earned a laugh from most of the school.

"Battleblood," Salazar said in mock exasperation as he shook his head mournfully over Godric's antics.

"What do you think? Should we try it now?" Rowena asked Helga as they eyed the school thoughtfully.

"Lets," Helga agreed with an evil smirk that sent shivers down everyone's spine.

The four founders did something inside their portrait that no one could clearly see. The effect was instantaneous as everyone felt a ripping sensation of something being pulled free from deep inside them. The magical siphon that Dumbledore had installed quickly fell away, immediately followed by a full breaking of the remaining link between Dumbledore and the castle. The castle let out a deep groan followed quickly by a happy hum as magical light panels throughout the school returned to life, lighting the building almost as well as muggle LEDs and florescent light bulbs. The next thing the founders did was step out of their portraits to stand proudly in front of the school in magical flesh and blood.

"Did we know you could do that?" Harry asked wonderingly, earning laughter from all four founders.

"No, you didn't but you've all more than earned the reward we promised you. Tonight there will be a feast of food and sweets of all kinds! We will all sleep together here in the great hall. If you can talk a teacher into supervising I bet you could also play tag or hide and seek or pick-up Quidditch," Godric boomed with a deep belly laugh.

"I have a question... I just remembered that Hogwarts seemed to heal his... bits and pieces but you made us do that ritual before the battle anyway... why?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"It was both a back-up and because they weren't sealed into place or even properly back where they belonged. The school found a way to strengthen the link between your Tom and the trinkets when you left your suite. This stabilized him for the most part and gave him back most of his features but they weren't quite permanent yet. The ritual fixed that and put everything back into place. I don't think you quite realized that his features had been slowly slipping back to his other look until you three properly did that ritual with the extra safety precautions," Rowena explained as Helga quickly checked the three of them over.

"You were right Ro, the battle increased their bond and finished healing those pieces we were worried about into place. There's no more danger of them breaking free though it does ban him from using that particular ritual ever again," Helga said in a sweetly dangerous tone that told the three she was serious.

"Yes ma'am," Voldemort reluctantly agreed. "Thank you for your help."

"What does that even mean?" one of the teachers muttered.

"It means that I'm not an insane Dark Lord anymore, bent on the ridiculous destruction and death that afflicted my ideals since Dumbledore tricked me into performing a dangerous ritual at age 16. A ritual that had... nasty side effects. As long as Potter and Snape stay alive and within a certain distance of me I won't go off on another killing spree while trying to conquer the world," Voldemort said dryly. It took a few moments for most of the staff and students to figure out what he was going on about and set to gaping at him in shock.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Revealing the Headmaster's shameful actions Tom? Whatever shall I do with you?" Salazar said with obvious amusement and laughing eyes.

"I'm not Tom," Voldemort said mulishly.

"Yes, dear, you are. The new identity is permanent and you are Tom Myridden, Heir of Salazar Slytherin. You can still use that ridiculous moniker Vol de mort, flight from death, but we're family," Helga said with a gentle smile and fond shake of the head. Voldemort sulked even as he scooped Harry up from his seat on the stone cold floor, snagged Severus' arm and headed for their quarters in an obvious huff, dragging a spluttering potions master the entire way.

"Be back for the feast and sleep over! Everyone has an hour to change, get cleaned up, and pick what they want to bring with them from the dorms for the sleep over in the great hall! We will combine the sleep over with the feast," Godric announced, with a playful laugh aimed at the retreating Heirs of Hogwarts.