Chapter 10 - Explanation and Questions

Hogwarts Castle, Somewhere in the Scottish Highlands

November 22nd, 1992, 9:04 PM

"Let's start with why I am here. Today, at approximately 1:30 PM, I received the summons from the castle. The summons is an action initiated by a council of trusted individuals when they see that something within the castle needs immediate action and the current Headmaster and/or Board of Governors are not doing their jobs well enough."

Erik is looking at the students, observing their reactions.

"The main reason for my summons this time was the attacks that occurred on All Hallows Eve, and yesterday. What many of you don't know is that the Headmaster decided not to start an official investigation on the attacks knowing that this is not the first time that they occur in recent history."

Some students had wide eyes at that. Erik soon continued.

"Knowing of his decision, the council decided that it was not a good idea to play with the students' lives, so they summoned my wife and me to solve the problem. I will now tell you what we had done until now, and what we will be doing in the sequence."

Erik made a short pause in his speech when some students started to murmur with their neighbors. He waited until they ceased to talk and continued.

"We suspended the actual Headmaster for his breach in the school chart. We awakened the petrified victims. And just now, as some you must have felt, we reactivated the main wards of the castle. This means that some actions that some of you would probably get away with will get automatically reported to the nearest two members of the staff and in most extreme cases forcefully stopped. Examples of this actions are harassment, magical assault, physical assault, sexual assault, between others behaviours that are not seen as proper for a school student. This means that any non-authorized person will be stopped the moment that they enter the castle's grounds and our Groundskeeper will be warned of the presence and location of the visitor, just like the Headmaster, his Deputy, and the Head of the Houses. This means that any person that enters the grounds of the castle with a malicious artifact will be identified. This means that any person that sends malicious mail to a student or staff member will be directly forwarded to a secure room for later analysis and if necessary criminal investigation."

The students, again, started to murmur with their neighbor. Erik noticed that while most were happy with his news, some were not. Those were sitting at Slytherin's table. Erik continued to watch them talk, waiting for them to stop. They did, and he continued.

"While some of you seemed to not have liked my actions, I could care less for what you do or don't like. My obligation is with all students, and not with an unique individual. If you can't understand that, then you will be invited to search for another place to finish your magical education. Hogwarts is not the only magical school in Europe anymore."

This time the students didn't talk. Most of them were too shocked after understanding the meaning of his words.

"Good, it seems that my message reached you all. Now I will be talking about what will be done in the following. During the reactivation of the wards, some issues were identified within the castle. Following the school charter, the Auror were called to help address it. The first thing that will be done when they arrive will be the cleaning of the dormitories and common rooms for all houses. While it is happening, the students and the staff will be here, in the Great Hall. After the cleaning, the students will be escorted by the staff back to each common room, where it will be sealed until tomorrow morning, at 8 AM. This means that classes for tomorrow are canceled."

A dozen or more students were happy with that news. Erik imagined that they must not be the smarter ones.

"I think that with this we addressed the most important stuff. Now, it seems that we have some time to kill before the good Aurors arrive, so how about some questions? Hands up if you want to ask one."

And a lot of hands were up instantly. Erik chuckled at their eagerness.

"Ok, since there's a lot of people, let's do a round-robin, meaning one question per house then we restart. Let's start from my left, Sir Nicholas, could you, please, choose a student from Gryffindor? If you are the chosen, before your question, please, state your name."

Sir Nicholas gace Erik a bow.

"Certainly. Lord Ravenclaw."

And he started to float above the Gryffindor's table, looking at all the students that had their hands up, including one with a bush of brown hair in her head that was literally bouncing in her seat. After some suspense he chose a third year girl, stooping in her front and pointing at her.

"You. Name and question."

Sir Nicholas said, and the other students lowered their hands.

"Hi. Katie Bell, third year. Lord Ravenclaw, if you are truly 1010 years old, are you immortal?"

At her question, the entire population of the Great Hall looked at Erik, waiting anxiously for his answer. He chuckled at the question, and knowing how to answer it, like many times he had already done, he did.

"Yes Ms. Bell, I'm really 1010 years old. I was born on the 31st day of October of the year 982. And no, I'm not immortal. Very few beings can be said to be truly immortal in this world, and I'm not one of them. What I am is ageless. Meaning that I don't age. More specifically, my body will not age beyond its peak form. And that's why I am 1010 years old and look no older than 25. Good question, one that I always receive. Next one, Friar Tuck, if you please?"

The students from Hufflepuff put their hands up. And Fat Friar, with his ever jolly persona, floated a little above the Hufflepuff's table and pointed to a student, choosing him for the next question.

"Mr. Diggory."

"Yes! Cedric Diggory, fifth year, Lord Ravenclaw, what was your house while studying in Hogwarts?"

The students put their hands down, and Mr. Diggory asked. Erik laughed at the question a little, and answered it smiling.

"My first year here in the castle was the first year where the Sorting Hat was used for sorting the students. The hat said that I would do well in any house, but ended up picking the one with the trait that I more strongly believed in, and still believe. Let me give you a hint about which one: you can achieve anything you want with hard work."

The students from Hufflepuff's table started to wildly cheer at that. How could they not? Lord Ravenclaw was from Hufflepuff! Their own house! Erik was grinning at them, and waited for the cheers to die down. Then he continued.

"My wife, Lady Ravenclaw, was from Ravenclaw, while my other two wives didn't frequent Hogwarts. Joan, the armored beauty, attended Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, and they don't have a house system there. Leona, the blonde beauty, didn't attend any known magical school. For the next question, Helena, please?"

Without even moving from her seat, Helena immediately said, not even giving enough time for the rest of the table to raise their hands.

"Ms. Lovegood."

"Luna Lovegood, first year. Where can I find a Crumple-Horned snorkack?"

Erik laughs, but not because it's a funny question. He laughs because it's a different one, and one that he had never received.

"Small pig-like creature, with a hairy purple body and small crumpled horn on its head?"

Luna, with her adorable face and big eyes nods her head at the description of the elusive creature.

"Search for them in cold green plains. Places that most of the year are covered with snow, but have green lush grass when not. I suggest Greenland, or Siberia, and to bring a lot of onions."

Ms. Lovegood had quickly taken a parchment and a quill from her robes and started to take notes. Looking at the enthusiasm of the little girl, Erik asked the next question.

"Baron, if you please, choose a student."

Hands went up in the Slytherin's table, and the Bloody Baron floated above it. Not taking much time, the Baron stopped in front of a student and pointed at her.

"Name and question."

Hands were put down and the girl spoke.

"Good evening, Lord Ravenclaw, I'm Tracey Davies, second year. How did you become the owner and Lord of Hogwarts?"

"Very good question, Ms Davies. How can I own Hogwarts if I'm only Lord Ravenclaw? Let's separate it into four parts, shall we? One for each founder. First we have Ravenclaw. Selena and Helena were Rowena's only heirs. I married Selena, the eldest of the twins and became Lord Ravenclaw with the blessing of Rowena, and after Helena's untimely demise, Selena inherited her part of the castle. Second, we have Hufflepuff. Contrary to the claim of many, Helga had no children of her own blood, and because she saw Rowena's daughter as hers, and being godmother of both girls, she left all of her possessions to them when she passed. Third we have Gryffindor. I don't want to talk bad about Godric, but the man was a womanizer. I can safely say that at least half of the students here have him as an ancestor. And I'm not kidding, Godric had a lot of children, most of them bastards, and with no claim to anything. His only daughter married into the Peverell family, and when Godric died, she received his lands and possessions with two exceptions, his part of Hogwarts and his sword. You see Ms Davies, Godric believed that only the one capable of finding and wielding his sword, would be worthy of the castle. And he stipulated in his last will exactly that."

Erik finished it by extending his left arm diagonally to his body, closing his left hand in a grip. The moment that the hand was closed, a silvery long sword materialized on it. Erik changed the grip in the sword and slowly showed it to the Great Hall. The sword was beautiful. Finely crafted with blood red rubies in its guard and pommel as decoration. But the most prominent detail was the word written in Olde English on the side of the blade that read GRYFFINDOR.

"As you can see, I found and can wield Gryffindor's sword."

The student's eyes were glazed by the legendary blade. The staff were not far from it too. Erik let go of the blade, the students and staff watched as the sword was dropping to the ground, but as suddenly as it appeared, it disappeared in thin air before hitting the ground.

"And fourth, we have Slytherin. Salazar had one male heir, that he disowned just years after he finished his magic education, and quoting the man, himself, 'the little bastard is a power hungry bigot of a disappointment', and so, is his last will, he reaffirmed the disown of his son, and left all his possessions to his goddaughter, Selena Sally Ravenclaw, his only true heir. Any other that claims that is a liar."

That seemed to agitate some older students from Slytherins. One of them even yelled.

"You are the liar!"

"Really? What reasons do I have to lie to any of you? Selena, dear, if you please."

Erik answered the accusation and invited Selena up to his side. Selena stood at Erik's right side and with a smile directed to the old student, moved her right arm diagonally, mirroring the action that Erik had early realized. And when she closed her hand in a grabbing motion, the sword that appeared was not Gryffindor's one, but it was similar. Slowly she pointed the sword to the old student, but changed it's grip, dropping the sword perpendicularly to the ground, and showing its details to the students. Similarly, it was an equally finely crafted silvery long sword. Differently, it had brilliant green emeralds on its guard and pommel as decoration, and the word written in Olde English on the side of the blade read SLYTHERIN. The students were looking at the sword with wide eyes. It was not known that Salazar had a sword too. After a minute of showing the sword's details, she too let it go, and before the sword could hit the ground, it disappeared in thin air. Selena with the silence acompaining her, went back to her chair at Ravenclaw's table. And after she sat, she said in a low voice that reached everyone's ears in the Great Hall.

"Next time that you accuse a Lord of being a liar in his castle, be prepared to present proof or you will get a declaration of feud against your family."

The Great Hall continued in total silence. Selena's word seemed to make the temperature in the place drop ten degrees. The student that vocalized the accusation was whiter than a sheet. The ones that agreed with him but didn't vocalize were a little less white.

Before Erik could continue with the questions, the silence in the Great Hall was broken by the sound of footsteps on the stone floor. Seconds after, Professors McGonagall and Sprout entered the Great Hall with an entourage of nine robed wizards. Six of them, three women and three men, were wearing red robes. The other three couldn't have their gender identified, because they were wearing gray robes and had their heads hidden under the cloaks. The external help had arrived. Six aurors, and three Unspeakables.

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a/n: Slytherin's sword was never mentioned in canon works, but it makes sense that he had one. First because of the time. A man's and Lord's main weapon was his sword. Godric had one. Makes sense that Salazar would have one too. Makes even more sense if you take into account the rivalry that the two had. 'Godric got a goblin sword, and he is bragging about it. I will get one for me too!'