Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Survival of the fittest	By : Sasunarufan13 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 18502 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 9
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter nor profit from it. Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling

Chapter List
- 12
- 13
- 14
Author's note: First of, I want to apologize for taking a month to update this. I know I said I'd update once a month at least, but it seems that my schoolwork likes to drag me under and doesn't want to release me from its sticky grip =_=
Now, originally this chapter wasn't supposed to get cut into two parts. But the chapter is turning out to be quite long, so I decided to cut it into two to make the reading easier and to give you something to read while I work on the second part.
I'll try to have the next chapter out as soon as possible.
Warnings: eh, nothing special in this chapter to be honest. Just the building up to the discovery of the first Master of the Elements

Chapter 13: Godric Gryffindor Part 1
27th of November
The day after the disastrous Quidditch match Draco and Harry had taken to staying inside Harry's quarters. The day before during lunch, McGonagall had announced that Quidditch would be discontinued for the entire school year and like predicted, the students didn't react well to that. Even with the Headmistress' explanation that it was to avoid more accidents like the one that had occurred during the match, the students weren't placated and had been pissed off that their favourite sport got banned.
The rest of the day the whole castle had been swallowed up by a pool of frustration and anger and at least nine students had been sent to the Infirmary first and then to their Head's office in that order to receive their punishment of attacking other students.
Considering the Slytherins were still regarded warily at best and hostile at worst by the other Houses, Harry had thought it best to stay in his room for the rest of the weekend, to give the rest of the school the time to cool off. Even though he could defend himself well and was using the protection charms around his stomach every time he went outside his rooms, he didn't want to risk getting hit by a spell. So he and Draco were cooped up in his quarters – not that they minded much.
"Yes! I'm finally done with that essay for Care of Magical Creatures!" Harry exclaimed and groaned when he stretched his arms. For the past three hours he had been working diligently at his three foot long essay about the Nundu, a giant animal that looked similar to a leopard. Fortunately for the students, Hagrid had decided that trying to import a real Nundu was too risky, considering it took more than a hundred wizards to subdue the dangerous animal and had ordered them to write an essay about the habitat and ways that the Nundu could be subdued aside from Stunning spells.
Draco looked up from his own essay of Healing. "I'm surprised Hagrid actually gives you homework," he remarked casually and Harry threw him a glance.
"Occasionally he does, but that's only when it concerns animals that he either can't find or are too dangerous to import," he replied and rolled up the parchment after the ink had dried up, putting it next to his essay for Defence against the Dark Arts and Curses.
He saw Draco opening his mouth and anticipating the sharp, cynical retort, he shook his head and said, "Don't."
"You don't even know what I was going to say!" Draco protested petulantly.
Harry stood up and after stretching his back, he made his way across the room, sitting down on the couch next to Draco, who had pushed his essay further away on the table.
"I've known you since I was eleven, Draco – it doesn't take a genius to imagine what you were going to say," he retorted drily.
Draco rolled his eyes. "You have to admit that that oa – Hagrid's opinion about what's dangerous and what's not is shrewd," he shot back, clumsily covering up his half formed insult.
Harry grimaced, knowing that the blond was right. "All right, so he gets a bit enthusiastic sometimes," he muttered and shrugged.
"A bit," Draco snorted. He shook his head and glanced at Harry's stomach. "How's the morning sickness by the way?"
"Well, it's easing up a bit," Harry replied. "Not that I complain."
Draco sighed. "Well, you're three months pregnant now – we really need to do the first check-up."
"Yeah, but who's going to help us?" Harry frowned, biting his lower lip. "I don't want to go to the Infirmary, but going to Saint Mungos is even more risky."
"No other option than to contact mother," Draco murmured and grabbed a blank sheet of parchment. "She'll probably be able to help us."
Harry watched passively how Draco started writing the letter to his mother, requesting her help. He shifted a bit, crossing his legs and wondered what the first check-up would entail. The baby was still very small, so they couldn't identify the gender yet. But check-ups consisted of more than only checking the gender, right?
"What is going to happen during the first check-up?" Harry asked when he saw Draco finishing up his letter.
"Hm?" Draco glanced at him surprised. "You don't know?"
Harry shrugged, his eyes gazing down at the carpet, while his fingers began to tug at the small, thin threads that made up the couch. "I've never known a pregnant woman before, so …" he trailed off.
"Well," Draco started thoughtfully. "The check-up is to make sure that the baby is growing as it should and your vitals and that of the baby will be checked as well. Depending on the results, you can get more potions prescribed if it's deemed necessary."
"Oh Merlin, not more potions," Harry groaned, scowling at the ground.
Draco ignored his interruption and continued serenely, "And they'll probably check your magic levels as well."
Harry looked up curiously. "My magic levels? Why?"
"You know how the baby is feeding of your nutrition?"
Harry nodded, feeling confused as to what this had to do with his magic.
"Well, the same goes for your magic. The baby not only needs part of your nutrition to grow, but part of your magic as well. The baby also needs the magic of the other father to grow, so it's always recommended that both parents stay close to each other. So they'll check your magic levels to make sure that everything is balanced and that not too many magic goes to the baby or too little."
"What happens if the other parent isn't close enough?"
Draco looked gravely. "Then there is a possibility that the pregnancy will get terminated, because of the great imbalance of magic in the baby," he answered softly.
"What?" Harry stared at him shocked and his hand flew out to cover his stomach almost automatically.
"But you don't have to worry about that, Harry," Draco hurried to reassure him. "Parents can easily be apart for weeks before the situation starts to get bad. They would have to be apart for months to land in such a dire situation."
Harry swallowed, his mouth dry. "I didn't know that," he whispered. "I thought that it would be like a woman's pregnancy. None of the books said it could be so dangerous."
"That's because those books were written by people who have lived their whole life in the Wizarding World – they assume that everyone knows about this fact," Draco replied calmly and turned around to face him completely, taking Harry's hands in his own. "Hey, no freaking out, all right? Nothing is going to happen with our baby. The check-up is just a formality, that's all."
"Sorry," Harry smiled ruefully. "I don't know why I started to panic so quickly. It's not like you and I are separated for long."
Draco smiled crookedly. "I think that your, eh, father instinct is making itself known."
Harry looked at him questioningly and Draco elaborated, "Because you're the one carrying the baby, you'll worry more easily when it comes to the safety of the baby. It's natural."
"I could do without the panicking, though," Harry muttered darkly and Draco chuckled, kissing him on his lips.
They broke apart when they heard the painting open and Remus appeared in the living room, raising his eyebrow when he saw them sitting on the couch with their homework spread out around them.
"Remus," Harry said surprised. "What are you doing here?"
Remus smiled thinly and the look in his eyes sharpened, making both boys sit up in wary. "I'm sorry for disturbing your study session, but I need you both and your pets to come with me."
"Why?" Draco frowned.
"Salazar told Sirius, Severus, Lucius and I something very interesting and you need to hear it as well," Remus replied, his gaze flickering from them to Ruby and Mara when they slunk out of the bedroom, Sapphire sitting sleepily on top of Mara's back. Garin slithered from underneath the couch, and slid across Harry's body until his body was draped across his waist with his head right next to Harry's ear.
"My father is here?" Draco asked perplexed.
Remus nodded. "He stayed the night after he got informed about the Quidditch match," he murmured and turned around.
"Oh." Draco blinked. "Do I need to pick up Rowen as well?"
"No need," Mara informed him drily. "Rowen is on his way."
When they exited Harry's quarters, the sound of flapping wings reached their ears and they turned their heads, seeing Rowen flying towards them, his eyes glittering eerily in the candle light.
Rowen landed carefully on Mara's back and cocked his head. "Is it time?"
The question seemed to be directed at the animals and not their masters, even though the three men could hear Rowen through their mental link.
"Yes, a Master of the Elements has made his decision," Ruby answered and yawned.
"Master of the Elements?" Harry repeated with a frown. "What are you talking about?"
Mara snorted and started to make her way to Snape's quarters. "You'll find out soon enough what we're talking about."
Harry pursed his lips in annoyance, but followed Mara, clearly having no other choice.

Sirius looked up from his place on the couch when they entered the living room and narrowed his eyes when the animals came into view.
Sapphire meowed in greeting and jumped on the couch, purring while she kneaded one of the thin pillows.
"Are your quarters big enough for all of us?" Sirius questioned with a raised eyebrow.
Snape smiled thinly and responded in a poisonous tone, "Dogs should stay outside, so if you feel cramped, you can always leave, mutt."
Sirius threw him a dark glare and opened his mouth to deliver a venomous retort, but Remus shook his head sharply.
"Not now, Sirius. Harry and Draco need to hear Salazar's plan," he sighed and beckoned the boys to sit on a transfigured couch, considering all the other available seating furniture were already occupied.
"Salazar's plan?" Draco repeated suspiciously and glanced at the portrait, who smiled serenely back.
Mara snorted and laid down on the rug between the couches and armchairs. Rowen snapped his beak in irritation, because his grip on Mara's back became unsteady when she started lying down. He ruffled his feathers in agitation and squeaked in warning until Mara stilled with a huff.
Ruby rolled his eyes and laid down next to Mara, both their tails brushing against one another and shooting off little sparks every time the flames touched.
Garin slid off Harry's shoulders and curled up on Ruby's back, looking like a bumpy, round pillow.
"What is this plan?" Harry furrowed his eyebrows, not understanding what was going on. The older men seemed tense, yet at the same time looked determined to do something.
"Have your pets informed you about their origin?" Salazar asked, placing his right leg over the other one.
"Origin? I assume you're not talking about their original home," Draco remarked, his eyes narrowed.
Salazar chuckled and shook his head. "No, I'm talking about their name – the name which is very well known in legends. Legends, Mister Malfoy, which you should have heard of before."
"About which legends are you …"
"The legend of the Elemental Creatures and the Masters of the Elements, Draco,' Lucius clarified, casting an intense look at the animals, who returned a blank stare.
Draco's breath stilled from surprise. "But those are just legends! Rumours based on stories from the time of Merlin!"
"Obviously they weren't just merely rumours," Snape remarked drily. "The proof is lying on my carpet and hanging on the wall."
"What are you all talking about?" Harry asked bewildered, having the feeling he was missing out quite a bit.
"I assume you are not familiar with the legends of our world, Mister Potter?" Salazar remarked, not looking surprised at all.
Bemused, Harry shook his head. From what he had heard so far, it seemed that his and Draco's pets and Salazar were connected somehow with this particular legend of the Elemental Creatures. But what on earth was this legend about?
"In short, the Elemental Creatures were said to have immense power and each one of them was bonded to an element of the earth – that's why they are called the Elemental Creatures. There is only one of them – as long as the current Creature is alive, no other Creatures will be born. In that aspect, they are related to the Phoenix," Draco started to explain, a distant look in his eyes. "Legends say that if the time came for the Creatures to die, they each built a nest and then disappeared in their own element; the Creature of Fire would disappear in a giant flame, the Creature of Water would be swept away with water, the Creature of Air would be taken up by a strong wind and the Creature of Earth would get buried. From their ashes, a new Creature would be born."
"And, eh, what do these Elemental Creatures do? Do they stay in a certain place or …" Harry trailed off, slowly starting to realize where this story was going to.
Draco blinked and looked at him. "They are elusive beings – the last semi-official record states that they were seen by Merlin's side, which led to researchers of that legend concluding that they were drawn to people with incredible power – more powerful than other people and whose amount of power nearly reached that of the Elemental Creatures. You can imagine of course why only stories are told about these Creatures."
"Yeah, I can see that," Harry muttered and looked at his pets warily. "But what does that have to do with these Masters of the Elements?"
"I'm getting to that," Draco smiled faintly. "The Masters of the Elements are very powerful wizards and witches, who have a bond with the elements of nature. Even after their deaths, they keep their title. The link between these Masters and the Elemental Creatures is simple: either they have a bond with the Creatures or they have been in contact with them." He threw Salazar a half exasperated glance and continued, "There are a couple of known Masters: Merlin, Morgana, Circe and it was rumoured that the Four Founders were Masters as well." The blond snorted and looked at his father shrewdly. "I'm guessing that particular rumour is an actual fact?"
Lucius nodded. "Yes, Salazar confirmed it today."
Harry mulled over the information he had been given. So, the Founders were the Masters of the Elements and apparently his and Draco's pets were unique animals called Elemental Creatures.
He blinked and rubbed thoughtfully over his forehead. Well, he had known that his pets couldn't possibly be normal. But to hear they were unique creatures …
Shaking his head, he felt a spike of annoyance shooting through his body. His pets had been with him for nearly two years now and yet had never cared to mention that particular fact. How many other things had they kept silent about? What reason did they have to keep quiet about it?
"Is there a reason why you never mentioned this to us?" Harry asked irritated and scowled.
Mara looked up and replied flatly, "You never asked."
"Of course; because everyone always asks their pets whether or not they are special," he muttered darkly and Sirius snorted amused.
"But what does this have to do with whatever Salazar has planned?" Draco frowned and absentmindedly reached out with one arm to hug Harry against his side.
"Before we can explain the plan, we have to ask first whether you have heard of Binding rituals?" Remus asked and shifted a bit on his seat.
"Is that a ritual meant to bind someone's magic, so it can't be used anymore?" Harry replied idly and blinked when the others looked at him in astonishment. "What?" he asked rather defensively.
"How do you know that?" Sirius questioned surprised. "Binding rituals aren't in the curriculum of Hogwarts."
"Oh." Harry licked his lips and moved restlessly on the couch. "Last year when Draco and I had lessons in Dark Curses, I read a paragraph about Binding rituals in one of those books."
"And I have heard about them, because my great grandfather was saying that some … people were better off without magic," Draco added and a disturbed look crossed his face momentarily before his expression smoothed over.
Harry caught a glimpse of the dark look and squeezed Draco's thigh, receiving a terse smile as response.
Lucius seemed to mutter something along the lines of "Should have Silenced him like I intended to,", but Remus continued in a slightly louder voice, "At least we don't have to explain what such a ritual entails; that makes it a bit easier," he smiled weakly.
"You see, we had thought about using a Binding ritual on Dumbledore to defeat him," Sirius said, taking over the explanation. "But we had the problem of not being strong enough to subdue the old bastard while we perform the ritual." He scowled and huffed, but continued in a strained voice, "So Salazar told us about the plain where he and the other Masters, together with your pets, would loan us their power while we'll perform the ritual."
"Would their power be enough to bind the coot for the rest of his life?" Draco asked, cocking his head to the right.
Salazar chuckled amused. "Have no fear – our powers combined will be more than enough to ensure that Dumbledore won't ever pose a threat again." His teeth glinted ominously when he smiled.
"So we need the rest of the Founders if we want to succeed with this plan," Harry said slowly. "You were placed in an unused hallway, so could the rest of the Founders be found in other unused places in Hogwarts?"
"That's where a problem rises," Snape muttered, grimacing.
"A problem?" Harry echoed bemused, feeling resignation starting to settle in his body. Of course it wouldn't be easy to even start putting the plan together – they didn't have that much luck.
"My comrades cannot be found in this castle anymore. It seems that Dumbledore managed to take them away when Hogwarts was fighting off the Giants of the North," Salazar answered darkly and even with him being merely a painting, Harry could feel him radiating a murderous aura, making him shiver in apprehension.
"So we have a good plan, but not all participants," Draco said flatly. "Marvellous."
Lucius regarded him calmly. "That is why our main objective for now will be searching for the three other Masters and retrieve them."
Draco raised an eyebrow and looked sceptically. "That is obvious, but where on earth are we going to search? I very much doubt that Dumbledore has left behind a list with the locations," he snorted.
"With that attitude, you won't find them, no," Snape barked and his godson was sufficiently cowed, knowing better than to push his luck.
"But Draco has a point," Harry remarked. "Where are we going to search? We have no clue as to where to start searching and we can't narrow down the possible locations without at least one clue."
The other men scowled lightly, but couldn't argue with that. How would they start searching without even one clue as to where to start? The stakes were high, yet their chances were not looking good.
"If I may make a suggestion?" Salazar broke through the broody silence.
Everybody looked at him expectantly.
"Knowing the old man, he probably would have hidden my comrades in places with a lot of magic – that would make it easy to hide their presence," Salazar mused. "I'd suggest you start compiling a list of old places filled with a lot of magic and which are isolated. And places he could be familiar with. Those places are the best option for now."
Sirius nodded slowly, his eyes looking distant while his fingers tapped on the arm of his chair. "That makes sense," he murmured thoughtfully. "It would certainly give us a place to start."
"That is settled then," Lucius said abruptly. "We will compile a list of possible locations and we'll discuss that list next week."
"All right." Harry nodded.
Old, isolated, magic filled locations, huh? Hopefully the library would be helpful.
"Don't let anyone else know about this, understood?" Snape said sharply.
Harry rolled his eyes and huffed. "We're not stupid," he muttered and threw the older man a glare when he had the audacity to snort.
"Is there anything else that we need to talk about?" Draco asked.
Remus shook his head. "No, you can go back."
They said their goodbyes and left, together with their pets, back to Harry's quarters.
"Well, that was an interesting talk," Harry murmured and sank down on the couch, staring thoughtfully at the crackling fire.
Ruby yawned and curled up in front of the fireplace, Mara joining him, while Garin slithered underneath the couch and Sapphire jumped on the furniture and demanded to be petted. Rowan had gone back to the Owelry.
Draco frowned and sat next to his lover. "Yes, it was. It isn't going to be easy to compile a list of such places," he mused and Harry leant against him, putting one arm around Draco's waist.
"Do you think the library could offer some information?"
The blond heaved a sigh. "I don't know; it's worth a try of course. But we'll probably have to search in the back of the library to find books about a subject like that. It's not like students have a need for that kind of information."
Harry bit his lip. "It makes me wonder why Dumbledore removed the other three Founders. I mean why leave Salazar in the castle, but take the others away? That doesn't make any sense."
Draco shifted a bit, which caused Harry's head to land on his chest, making him look up at the blond.
"Well, what if he just wanted to separate them and he only knew four places?" Draco said slowly and his hand started to absentmindedly caress Harry's stomach over his shirt. "It couldn't have been easy to take the Founders off the wall, even with Hogwarts distracted. So what if he assumed it would be easier to leave one Founder in the school, but without any contact to the wall or with other portraits and hide the other three somewhere else?"
Harry furrowed his eyebrows, thinking it over. "That is a possibility," he muttered after a short moment of silence. "It's not going to be easy to find those places."
Draco snorted. "When has anything ever been easy when it is connected with you?" he asked rhetorically and chuckled softly when Harry smacked his arm in retaliation.
"Shut up," Harry huffed and slightly pouted.
Silence covered them like a blanket and they stayed in that position for a long time; Harry drawing circles on Draco's arm while Draco's hand caressed his stomach.
When the clock announced it was three p.m. Harry stretched and sat up with a groan. "Guess it's time we start on our homework again," he muttered and stood up.
Draco groaned in dismay. "Guess we don't have a choice," he murmured and pulled one of his books towards him while Harry made his way over to his homework.
He had just started reading a text for his Charms homework and was about to take notes when a hissed curse startled him. "What's wrong?"
"I forgot to give the letter I'd written to my mother to my father. He was here and I could have given it to him, because that would have been quicker than owl post," Draco replied and smacked his forehead, glaring at the offending letter in question, as if it was its fault that the blond had forgotten about it.
Harry snorted amused, not used to Draco doing such an unMalfoy thing like smacking his forehead. "Well, go on then. Maybe if you're quick, you can still catch him. Otherwise you have to go up to the Owelry."
A heavy, frustrated sigh escaped Draco's mouth, but he picked up the letter and quickly left the room, while Harry chuckled softly before he sobered up and started on his homework.

"Do you have something?"
Classes were over for today and both boys could be found in the library, seated on a table far from the other ones, giving them a sense of privacy while they were surrounded by piles of thick, old books; Madam Pince threw them suspicious looks whenever she passed them on her quest to reorganize the entire library, but as long as they didn't damage her precious tomes, she didn't say anything.
Draco snorted and threw his quill down, rubbing distractedly over his hand. "Not much. I thought about Stonehenge, considering there is a lot of magical residue in the stones and I even wrote down the Black and the Malfoy Manor – though I suppose that was a waste of ink, because I seriously doubt Dumbledore managed to enter those manors undetected." He glanced at the dark haired boy sitting across from him. "Do you have anything?"
Harry shook regretfully his head. "I don't know much about magical places and these books don't provide much information. I thought about adding Gringotts to the list, but would Dumbledore put the paintings there?"
"No; it's useless to add that one to the list," Draco replied calmly. "Even if Dumbledore had been planning on putting the paintings there, the goblins wouldn't have accepted them."
Harry furrowed his eyebrows and looked at the blond quizzically. "Why not? I thought goblins didn't ask questions when it came to stuff being deposited in the vaults?"
"Usually they don't question it, no." Draco shook his head and brushed his hair out of his face. "But even they have certain restrictions – like items belonging to the Founders. They won't accept any item that belonged to the Founders – even a painting – because they don't want to risk Hogwarts getting mad."
Harry blinked and asked bemused, "Why and how would Hogwarts get mad at the goblins? I mean, it's a castle – it can't move or throw curses."
Grey eyes looked at him incredulously. "Are you serious?"
"What?" Harry asked and narrowed his eyes, not liking the condescending tone he heard.
"Hogwarts contains so much magic that she would easily be able to attack Gringotts if she wanted to, by just throwing a mass of pure magic at them," Draco explained, casting a wary look at the walls. "The Founders are connected to Hogwarts – hell, they built her after all – so she wouldn't like it if their items were hidden away in the Gringotts' vaults."
"So the Founders didn't have vaults then?" Harry asked perplexed.
"Oh, they did have them and I assume they deposited items in those vaults, but that's just it. If the Founders deposited their own items, Hogwarts wouldn't consider it a problem, because it's the Founder's decision. However someone else putting a Founder's item in their own vault, would be considered stealing by Hogwarts." Draco shrugged and took up his quill again. "The goblins have never been stupid – they are not about to risk their lives or their bank just for someone stupid enough to try and deposit a Founder's item."
"Oh." Harry blinked and stared down at his own parchment. After hearing Draco's explanation, he realized how little he still knew about the Wizarding World; would there ever come a time when he had finally learnt all what he need to know about this world? Or would he continue to be baffled and had to have things explained to him, because he hadn't been raised in this world?
"Well, either way, Gringotts can be removed from the list."
Harry nodded and resigned himself to browsing through another old, dusty book.
A shadow fell over their table and when they looked up, they saw Luna standing there, gazing at them with large, blue eyes while she was holding a small, black raven chick in her hands.
Harry wondered how on earth she had managed to pass Pince with the chick in her hands.
"Luna, what are you doing with that bird?" he asked curiously and cocked his head.
She smiled softly and petted the small head carefully, the bird letting out a shrill squeak. "The Nargels pushed him out of his nest," she murmured. "It can't fly yet, so I'm taking care of it."
"That's nice of you," Harry smiled and ignored Draco's baffled look. Even after all this time, his lover still didn't know how to act around Luna.
She blinked and leant over the table, her eyes sliding across the titles of the books and both boys tensed up. Even though Harry trusted her, he didn't know whether he could trust her with information as sensitive as this was.
Her blue eyes studied the books and then turned towards them, giving them an intense look that made Harry feel as if she was looking right into his soul.
The tense moment was broken when she started humming and straightened her back again.
"You know," she started dreamily while she raised the raven chick higher up in the air. "No matter how old people become, they always have a place in their heart for their home. There will always be something in their heart that tells them to return to the place where their life started. Moving forwards is good – but sometimes, going back is better." She threw them a mysterious smile. "After all, no matter what happens, you can't break your ties with your family."
She bowed, smiled brightly and then skipped away, her blonde, braided hair swishing back and forth on her back.
"What on earth was she talking about?" Draco asked flabbergasted, staring shocked at the disappearing girl.
Harry, however, frowned and stared at the first book on the pile nearest to him. Luna had been acting mysterious and cryptic like always – but usually she had a good reason for that. She was dreamy, yes; was not like anyone else, no; but she wasn't stupid either. She had her own view on the world and it had become obvious long ago to Harry that she knew more than most people.
What had she been talking about? About family. About not being able to cut ties with them and about how people needed to go back sometimes instead of going forwards.
What did she mean with that? Return to the place where life started …
Could it be that … No, that would be too farfetched, right? There was no way Dumbledore would have been able to … But they had trusted him, so he could have easily gained access …
His hand shot out and grabbed the nearest tome and he flipped it open, his finger gliding across the index page, looking for the name he knew had to be in there.
"Harry?"
He ignored Draco's questioning gaze and continued looking through the index. He knew he had seen it somewhere in this book. He had quickly gone through the text, having thought it couldn't have been an option. But taking into account Luna's cryptic message, that place suddenly seemed far more reliable to contain a painting.
Letting out a soft, but triumphantly noise, Harry quickly flipped the pages until he landed on the needed chapter.
"Harry, what are you looking up?"
Harry raised a finger in the air to silence the other one and murmured, "Hush, Draco; I'll let you know in a minute what I've found."
Draco huffed, but returned his attention to his own book, though he kept shooting furtive glances at Harry, who was now completely immersed in the text.
'The Potter family – sometimes mockingly referred to as the Light family by their enemies, because of their preference for Light magic – is one of the oldest Pureblood lines that have survived the various wars plaguing the Wizarding World.
Like every other Pureblood family, the Potters pride themselves on having a famous, powerful ancestor who started the line. The Potter family is the only family that can state with absolute certainty that they are descendants of Godric Gryffindor, one of the Four Founders of Hogwarts and a Master of the Elements.
Other families have tried to lay claim on Gryffindor's name and heritage (including objects like the Sword, the Sorting Hat, vaults with books and gold, other objects which can be found in Potter Manor, etc.), yet only the Potters have proven to possess Gryffindor's blood.
Godric Gryffindor's heritage includes: the Sword (forged by the Wise Dragon and the Head Goblin); the Sorting Hat; the first of the Deathly Hallows, being the Invisibility Cloak (this is only a rumour, as nobody can state whether these Deathly Hallows really exist); the wand, made of …'
Harry stopped reading, his eyes staring blankly at the old, yellowed page.
Could the possibility of Gryffindor's painting being located in his family's manor be true? If they would visit the manor, would they find one of the missing Founders?
"All right, I believe I've waited long enough now," Draco interrupted his thought process annoyed. "What have you been reading?"
Harry licked his lips and spent a moment gathering his thoughts before he turned to face Draco and he replied softly, "Luna wasn't sprouting random things just now."
"Could have fooled me," Draco sneered derisively.
Aside from a reprimanding look, Harry ignored the blond's comment and continued, "She was giving us a hint where we can find the first Founder."
"A hint?" Draco repeated sceptically, but seemed intrigued all the same.
"Yes." Harry nodded and tapped on the page talking about the Potters. "When she talked about the necessity of going back and not being able to cut ties with the family, she was saying we need to go to Potter Manor – the place where my life started." He shoved the book to Draco, pointing at the paragraph mentioning Gryffindor. "Look, it says here that the Potters are heirs to Gryffindor – what if Dumbledore put Godric's painting in the Potter Manor?" Without realizing it, he started talking quicker in his excitement over his discovery. The more he thought about it, the more plausible it started to sound.
"All the requirements fit! It is an old place; filled with old magic; being a manor, it's most likely secluded and Dumbledore is most likely familiar with it. It all fits!"
Draco raised his eyes to look at him after reading quickly through the text and frowned, looking doubtful. "Harry, are you certain we can trust Lovegood? Her cryptic comment could have meant anything or nothing at all. There is a reason why the students nicknamed her Loony, you know."
But Harry was shaking his head and replied, "She isn't crazy, Draco. I trust her with my life and I trust her on this. Besides," he said, lowering his voice, casting a wary glance around him to make certain nobody was listening in on their conversation. "One of her cryptic messages already turned out to be true."
"What are you talking about?" Draco asked perplexed.
"The blanket she gave for my birthday – that's a baby blanket. Remember the card that came with it?" Harry's hand dipped down briefly to touch his stomach. "She knew I would get pregnant, Draco – that's why she sent that blanket."
Draco scowled and hissed. "Couldn't she have warned us with a clear message instead of that cryptic one?"
"Luna doesn't act like the rest of us," Harry reminded him and arched an eyebrow. "Besides, would we have believed her if she had told us I can get pregnant?"
Draco grumbled and looked put out, but didn't retort.
"So what do you think? Should we check out Potter Manor?"
Draco sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "I guess this is our best option so far. At least we have some kind of proof to back up our idea." He stared broodingly at the book. "Do you know where the manor is located?"
Harry chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Eh, I don't know to be honest. The Will never gave me the exact location."
Draco threw him an exasperated look and opened his mouth, but was cut off by Pince.
"The library is about to close," she snapped and stalked to the next table, urging the students there to leave.
Both boys grimaced and hurriedly packed their bags, directing the books to their places with magic as soon as they were certain Pince wasn't near to scold them about their 'vulgar treatment' of her books.
Mara and Ruby were brushing against their hips with every step they took while they made their way back to the dungeons, neatly avoiding the traps that Peeves had set up.
They had just arrived in the entrance hall when Draco's owl swooped through an open window and landed on Draco's shoulder, holding out his leg while he softly hooted a greeting.
"Good evening, boy, what do you have for me?" Draco murmured surprised and relieved the bird from his burden. "It's from my mother," he said surprised when he glanced at the name.
"Probably her answer," Harry muttered. "Let's read it in my room."
Draco nodded and put the letter in his pocket. He petted the owl's head and said apologetically, "Sorry, boy, but I don't have any treats with me now. If you'll come back tomorrow during breakfast, I'll give you some bacon."
His owl hooted in apparent agreement and after nipping his finger lovingly, he flew away to his spot in the Owelry, while the boys continued their way to the dungeons.

AN2: So yes, not much happened in this chapter, but well, it's necessary for the plot. Please leave a review behind with your thoughts!
People who still want to vote on the poll on my fanfiction profile regarding the baby's gender can still do that - I'll probably end up closing the poll somewhere around the end of December.
Next chapter: Godric Gryffindor Part 2
Before our little group departs to Potter Manor, Harry and Draco follow Narcissa's advice and ask help of the one person they can trust with their baby for the first check-up.

Arriving at Potter Manor, the group soon finds out that finding Gryffindor won't be as easy as just searching through the entire manor ...
See you all in the next chapter!
Cuddles
Melissa
- 12
- 13
- 14
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Survival of the fittest