Heir's of Hogwarts

"Thank you," The woman said. Another golden light shot out of the Hat, this time towards the trio. The light enveloped them from head to toe for a long moment before fading away. When his vision cleared, Harry realized that their robes had changed. They were of a much finer material; Hermione's blue and bronze, Neville's red and gold, and Harry's split right down the middle, Gryffindor red and gold on one side and Slytherin green and silver on the other.

"I present to you Lady Hermione, Countess Ravenclaw; Lord Neville, Earl Gryffindor; and Lord Potter, Lord Slytherin!" The Hat declared.

As stunned, sporadic applause came from the students in the Great Hall, Harry's robes shifted again. They became fully Slytherin, with the Slytherin crest upon the right side of his chest. Another crest appeared beside it, the same size, while the Gryffindor crest appeared beneath it, much smaller.

"The smaller size means that you're the heir," Neville whispered "And the other large one is the Potter crest." Glancing at the others, Harry saw that their own crests had appeared on their robes, just like his Slytherin one. Neville had a large Gryffindor one and a small one that Harry assumed was the Longbottom crest. Hermione had just the Ravenclaw one.

"Now, my Lords and Lady, I come to the reason I have sought you out," the Hat's female voice continued. "I need your help."

"Our help?" Hermione squeaked.

"Yes. Do you give me permission to protect the students within me?"

Harry glanced at his fellows, who nodded; that seemed a reasonable and logical request. "Yes."

"Do you give me permission to adjust the wards as needed, until you can take charge of them yourselves?"

The trio shared another nod. "Yes," Neville answered this time.

There was a flash of light again, this one from the ceiling and bright enough that everyone in the Hall shielded their eyes. When the light faded, the students and faculty looked around, blinking furiously.

Harry saw that three teachers from the Head Table were gone, as was the Headmaster. There was also a commotion at the Slytherin table, though he didn't know enough to say why.

"What just happened?" One of the teachers asked.

"Where is the Headmaster?" Mcgonagall demanded.

"And Snape and Quirell?" Another asked.

"Filch is missing too!"

All eyes turned to the trio standing beside the Sorting Hat. Thankfully, in Harry's mind, it answered for them. "All will be explained in due time. For now, know that the school is once again safe. I would suggest eating your dinners."

Food appeared on all of the tables, and Harry was suddenly struck by a horrible idea. He had to go sit with the Slytherins now, didn't he? He squeezed Neville's hand tighter, not wanting to be on his own right now. To his immense relief, a moment later a new, small table popped into existence beside him. There were three chairs, with the Sorting Hat's stool taking up the fourth position around the table.

"Sit, please," the Hat said. "I have much to tell you, but you should eat. You will need your strength tonight."

Timidly, the trio separated enough to take their seats. Though he barely knew them and never mind that they were only sitting a foot away from him, Harry still found himself missing the solid presence of Neville and Hermione at his side, hand in hand. Still, the sight and smell of food did remind Harry that he was starving, and he quickly tucked in.

"I am sorry to have sprung that on you, but I needed your help," said the Hat's female voice, which Harry had decided must be Hogwarts. "I had been searching for a way to protect the students for the last several years, but I was blocked through all of the normal ways. This year was even worse, and I was in a deep despair. You have no idea how relieved I was when you three arrived. I could finally have help!"

"Couldn't you ask the Headmaster for help?" Hermione asked.

"Normally I would, but he was part of the problem!" Hogwarts replied bitterly. "The Headmaster was ignoring the needs of the students, and actively working against their safety."

"Where is he now?" Harry asked.

"In the dungeons with the others," Hogwarts replied. "They are each in their own cell, with special wards to keep them from escaping."

"You can't keep them locked up!" Hermione exclaimed.

"I do not intend to." Hogwarts replied. "Once you are ready, you will call the Magical Law Enforcement to come here and take them into custody. I will explain what has happened, but you three need to evoke your power to ensure that justice is served."

"What power do we have?" Harry asked. "I'm just Harry. I didn't even know I was a wizard a month ago."

Neville and Hermione both frowned at that, but it was Hogwarts who replied. "As Lord Potter, you are one of the richest and most powerful people in the Wizarding World. The Potters are one of the oldest families, and have held their seat in the Lords section of the Wizengamot since it's formation. You are among the top ten percent richest families, and, when your parents were alive, the Potters were one of the most politically connected families. That power has ebbed in the last ten years, since the death of your father, but you have the power to make the name great again."

"But that is just as Lord Potter. You are also now an Earl, Just Harry. The Earldoms of Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff were granted by the Kings of England and Scotland many centuries ago. They are the four highest ranked Lords in the Wizarding World - the only families to be granted an Earldom. They are also the only four wizarding ranks recognized by the non-magical government."

"As Lord Slytherin, you are an Earl in her Majesty's service. You may serve in her House of Lords. You are the Highest ranking member of the Wizengamot. The four Founders' houses are the four richest families in all of Wizarding Britain. They are among the top ten in Europe. Harry, You have more power and wealth than any other person in the United Kingdom, save your two fellow Heirs, and you would give the top wizards in Europe a run for their money."