Chapter 23 – Merlin House

Harry sighed – How did they know about that? “More or less yes, but I don’t want people to know!”

“All right, they won’t know,” Remus added, “you know, we have a charm to make people’s hair green, and we thought maybe you could change everybody’s hair green in Hogsmeade – just the hair of everyone we meet. But it has to be with wandless magic so as not to be detected. Could you do that?”

He sighed again. “You know, I’ve slept a lot, but I’m still tired. I can try anyway, but I can’t promise anything. What is the spell? And how can I counter it?”

James laughed. “The spell is ‘Capillus veridis’ and you can counter it with ‘Finite Incantatum’.”

Harry looked at Sirius and imagined his hair to be pink; as soon as he sent a little magic to strengthen his transfiguration wish, Sirius’ hair turned pink.

Harry grinned. “I don’t need a spell; I can do it with wish magic. So you want me to turn everyone’s hair green. Students as well?”

“Of course,” Lily said and giggled.

“All right.” While they were in Hogsmeade, Harry was very busy. He changed everyone’s hair just by using wish magic, but he felt his magic reserves weaken, and when they arrived back at Hogwarts, he was so tired that he went straight to bed and missed an exciting dinner with about 80 percent of the older students from third year upwards with green hair. The Marauders were still laughing when the Hogwarts Quidditch teams met the next morning for their first Quidditch practise. They could well laugh – they hadn’t been scolded by Pomfrey about depleting their magic for the sake of a joke as Harry had.

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Nearly half the school had arrived at the Quidditch pitch, when it was time for the Hogwarts Quidditch teams to practise. Everyone used the changing rooms of their respective Houses, and the teams met on the pitch. Harry placed the starting team on one side, the reserve team on his other side, glanced at the first team and sent some magic to dye their hair neon green; afterwards he repeated the same with the reserve team and their hair had turned neon orange. Then he addressed the two teams. “Welcome to our first practise. Don’t think about the colours of your hair; it has nothing to do with your Houses or anything else, but is just for distinguishing team mate and opponent during the practise. As many people are watching, even spies for the teachers, who will be our opponents in three weeks time, we won’t show anything special today, but just play a Quidditch game with our starting team against the reserve team. Go on, and – needless to say – I want a nice, clean game!” With that, he finally released the Snitch.

He caught the Snitch after only 15 minutes and released it again immediately for another game. This time it took him a little more than an hour to catch it, and he released it a third time. However, either the reserve seeker was waking up or Harry was tired, anyway it was getting difficult, but Harry managed to catch the Snitch after nearly two hours.

“All right, everyone; thanks for a nice, friendly game. We’ll meet again next Sunday, and I hope that everyone watching us today will be getting tired of watching Quidditch every Sunday morning, otherwise I feel forced to change our practise time to an unknown time on an unknown day very early in the morning. Try to practise a lot with your House team and remember we have only practise twice before our match against the teachers, which we have to win of course!”

-----

When they headed off to the changing rooms, Severus asked Harry, “Are we resuming our Potions tutoring on Sundays as well?”

They already had resumed their lessons together with Lily on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday evenings, and Harry was a bit astonished by the question. “Of course, why not? Or don’t you want to?”

“Of course I want to; I just didn’t know if you were too busy.”

“No, I’d love to.”

After lunch, they headed to the Potions classroom. “Is there anything special you want us to brew Harry?” Severus inquired.

Harry only shrugged, before he said, “I don’t mind, you certainly have something you want to brew haven’t you?”

“I have several Healing Potions to make for Madam Pomfrey. Will you assist me? Alternatively, maybe you can try something on your own, for example this Headache Potion. This is quite easy.”

“All right, then I will try to brew it.”

Severus watched all the time what Harry was doing but didn’t have to correct him at all; after nearly two hours a perfect Potion was simmering in Harry’s cauldron.

“Now, leave it for exactly five minutes; then you can bottle it in the small glass phials over there,” Severus instructed and Harry obliged. Severus sighed. “Pomfrey has asked me to do some research for her. She wants a kind of strengthening Potion for you, because your immune system is so weak and you get ill every second week. However, I’m still at the beginning of my research. For this, I’d like to have some blood from you too; would you be willing to give me some?”

“Of course, help yourself,” Harry answered and grinned. He didn’t know what Severus intended to do, but he trusted him completely.

Severus fetched four small phials and a knife and held the knife towards Harry. “Are you going to do it yourself or shall I do it?”

“You do it please,” Harry said unsurely.

Severus gave him a small smile, took the knife, made a small cut in Harry’s arm, and held the wound over one of the phials, so that Harry’s blood flowed straight into the phial. He repeated it with the other phials until they were full and healed the cut on Harry’s arm with a wave of his wand. Harry suddenly felt a little dizzy. Severus noticed this and handed Harry a chocolate frog. “Here eat this. I’m sorry, I must have taken too much blood at one time. Are you all right?” Harry nodded. “Now, Harry, do you feel well enough to go to dinner?” Harry nodded and got up slowly. “Then let’s go.”

-----

At dinner, James asked Harry, “When are we going to go on a night trip for you-know-what? I have seen something interesting the other day…”

Harry shrugged. At the mument, he didn’t want to explore anything. “Not tonight, but any other night will be fine.”

“So tomorrow it will be. Where and when will we meet?”

“My problem is that I can’t get away until Pomfrey is in bed. She always looks in on me once more before she goes to bed, which is mostly at about midnight, but sometimes earlier or later. It’s difficult.”

“All right. Then we’ll wait in our common room and you can flash over there as soon as you can, and… wait… you could go and get Lily and Severus before you come.”

“Yes, I’ll flash to Lily and Sev’s common room and flash the three of us to you.”

It was nearly 1 o’clock, when Harry finally heard Pomfrey entering her private rooms. He transformed immediately and flashed over to Lily and Severus. “Hi Harry, you are quite late. Is everything okay?” Severus asked apprehensively.

“Yes, sorry, Pomfrey didn’t go to her private rooms until now; some first years seem to have tried to hex themselves and kept her busy for the whole evening. Where’s Lily?”

“She went to bed, and I promised to wake her.” Severus went over to the door of Lily’s room and called her. “Harry’s here Lily, are you coming with us?”

Two minutes later Lily emerged from her room and Harry said, “All right, grab my tail feathers. Hi Lily…” He transformed back to Icicle.

In the Gryffindor common room, the other three Marauders were already waiting impatiently. “Harry is a lazybones! Probably he has just fallen asleep!” Harry heard Sirius ranting when he flashed into the common room.

“Maybe you should go and get your mouth washed Sirius. I’m not a lazybones; I’ve told you before that I didn’t know when I could escape from my room!”

“It’s all right Harry, you know Sirius, he is always like this, but he doesn’t mean it; anyway the biggest lazybones here is Sirius himself, and believe me he knows it.” James tried to calm Harry who was really getting upset by Sirius’ accusations.

Harry sent a grateful smile in James’ direction and asked, “Where are we going to go, and how do you want to go? Shall I flash us somewhere?”

James pulled the map out of his pocket. “Look here, this passage seems to lead to some part of the castle which is not used (anymore?); maybe you flash us to the furthest point here on the map and we can have a look?”

“All right” said Harry and transformed again.

-----

Harry flashed them to where James had pointed on the map, but flashing five people was so tiring that he stayed in his form and went to sit on Lily’s shoulder for a few minutes. He noticed everyone’s astonished glances but he couldn’t care less and tried to talk to Lily – as her animagus form was an owl, maybe she’d understand him. #Lily, can you hear me?#

“Why, yes Harry, I can understand you,” was the surprised answer.

#Do you mind carrying me like this for a few minutes? Flashing five people was so tiring that I don’t have the power to transform back at the mument.#

“It’s fine Harry, no problem. I don’t mind at all.”

“What is he saying?” James asked.

‘Oops, can I maybe hear a bit of jealousy in his voice?’ Harry thought.

“He asked me if I mind him sitting on my shoulder being carried, because he used too much magic carrying all of us.”

“Oops, are you all right Harry?” James asked worriedly and Harry nodded in his direction.

“All right,” James added. “Here just behind us is the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room. I suggest that we try to go in this direction and see where it leads. This part of the castle seems not to be used at all.”

“I can see that,” Sirius said. “Look how dusty it is! Does anybody know a spell to get rid of the dust?”

Remus took his wand in his hand, pointed at the dust and said, “Scourgify. Are you a first year Sirius?”

Severus smirked and said, “Thank you Remus. Now let’s go!” They walked along a long aisle, passed in front of two or three classrooms on the right side, while there were windows leading to the Forbidden Forest on the left side.

“Look” James said excitedly, “Here is a door with a portrait of a phoenix like our door to Gryffindor with the portrait of the fat lady, just that here is not a person to talk to on the door at all. Let’s see if we can go past it.”

The door was in fact closed, and Harry tried to talk to the Phoenix on the portrait. #Hello. Are you living here alone in this part of the castle?#

#Yes. Where do you come from? I have never seen a phoenix here apart from Fawkes.#

#My name is Icicle; I’m an Animagus; when I’m not in my phoenix form, I am a Gryffindor student. By the way, what are you guarding here? May we go in?#

#I am guarding Merlin House. Nobody has come here for a few hundred years; it’s really a pity.#

# Merlin House? Is it a Hogwarts House like Gryffindor or Slytherin?#

#Yes. Rowena Ravenclaw, who married the grandson of Merlin, founded it and somehow thought, Merlin should have a House here as well. But some time about 500 years ago, this knowledge was lost for some reason, and since then Merlin House has not been used anymore. I’m waiting for someone to come and put Merlin House back into action to do my job again.#

While Harry was talking to the phoenix, Lily told the other Marauders what he was talking about. For some reason she could understand the phoenix as well as Harry in his phoenix form.

#Does Dumbledore know about you?#

#No; sometimes I visit other portraits, but he has never seen me. I have seen Fawkes, but he hasn’t seen me either.#

#But if you talked to Dumbledore he could help you to revive Merlin House!#

#I want you and Dumbledore to help me. You are both descendants of Merlin and should be able to revive my House.#

#All right. I will come alone or with Dumbledore during the day to talk to you. At the mument, I’m exploring the castle together with my friends. Do you think you could let us in, so that we can have a look at your House?#

#Of course, and come again soon!#

#Thank you.#

The portrait opened and they entered a room like their own common room. In fact, it was very similar to the Gryffindor common room with a large fireplace, many dusty tables, sofas and chairs, and there were two stairs going up to other rooms, probably dormitories like in Gryffindor. James, Sirius, Remus and Severus each took a parchment and started to draw different parts of the area on their own copy of the map.

Harry trilled to Lily, #Lily would you mind talking to the phoenix some more?#

“No Harry, of course not.” She went out of the Merlin House entrance door.

#Sorry to bother you again.#

#You are not bothering me at all, I’m very happy that you finally came!#

#I have some more questions. What kind of students were sorted into your House?#

#Mostly students who would have fitted into more than one House at Hogwarts, mostly very open minded students.#

#And why do you think the Sorting Hat never told anyone about Merlin House?#

#That I don’t know.#

Harry was still sitting on Lily’s shoulder talking to the portrait, when the others came out of Merlin House.

“We have everything on the map. I think we should head back, it’s nearly half past four, and we still could get two hours sleep,” Remus suggested and the others nodded approvingly.

“Harry, are you able to flash us back, or shall we walk?” Severus asked and looked straight into his eyes.

#Lily, can you please tell him that I’m fine and can flash them back, no problem.#

“He says he is fine…” Severus snorted, “…and that he can flash us back,” Lily translated for Harry, who flashed them back straight to the Gryffindor common room

#Do you and Severus want to go back immediately?# he asked Lily then.

“Shall we go back to our rooms Severus?”

“Yes please, but we can walk as well.”

Harry shook his head and turned his tail to Lily and Severus for them to each grab a tail feather. In a flash of ice, they were gone and arrived in the Head Boy/Head Girl apartment. Before Harry went on to his own room, he trilled, #I am sorry, Lily, for clinging to you for the whole time. Please tell Severus I’m sorry I can’t talk to him tonight, and I wish both of you a good night, although there is not much left of it.#

She translated for Severus who told Harry, “Rest well Harry, I will come and look for you in the morning before breakfast. Good night.”

When Pomfrey noticed that Harry made no effort to get up in time and went to his room to wake him up, he was fast asleep in his phoenix form, huddled under the blankets on his bed. She called and tried to wake him but to no avail. Half an hour later, when Severus came to collect Harry for breakfast, he was still asleep, but began to slowly wake up when Severus started to pet him carefully.

“Harry, you have to wake up, we’ll be late for classes.” Harry opened an eye and shook his head. “You don’t want to go to classes?” Harry nodded. “Are you ill?” Harry shook his head. “Are you tired?” Harry nodded. “Can you change back now?” Harry shook his head. “You cannot change?” Harry nodded. “Are you too tired?” Harry nodded again.

“What is wrong with him? Why is he so tired?” Pomfrey asked impatiently.

“Yesterday he has flashed James, Sirius, Remus, Lily and me all together to a far away part of the castle and back, and he probably has used too much magic in order to do this. I don’t know why he changed back during the night, maybe he thought he would feel better in his phoenix form, but now he is too tired to change back.” Harry nodded in agreement. “Could we just let him sleep until he is better?” Severus asked and Harry nodded, but Pomfrey shook her head.

“We should ask Minerva to change him back and give him a Pepper-up Potion, so that he’ll be better soon.” Harry shook his head, but Pomfrey insisted, “Severus, when you go down to breakfast, please tell Minerva about it and ask her to come here after breakfast; she will have to change him back.” Harry shook his head vehemently and flashed away.

Severus inwardly grinned and said, “Oh my, is he getting in trouble again…”

Pomfrey sighed. “Alright, don’t tell Minerva anything at the mument, otherwise she will worry too much about him; he will have to answer to me when he returns!”

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Harry flashed directly up to Fawkes’ perch in Dumbledore’s Office.

“Oh my, that’s a surprise! Good morning Harry.”

#Hi Icicle, glad to see you#

#Hello Headmaster, hi Fawkes, is it all right to disturb you for a mument?#

“Of course, Harry, you are always welcome. How are you on this fine morning?”

#Fine Granddad, but I have something I would like to talk about with both of you.#

“All right Harry; why don’t you transform back and have breakfast with me?”

#Sorry, Granddad, I have a slight problem and can’t change back at the mument.#

“What kind of problem?”

#It’s nothing. Yesterday I have flashed five people together, twice, and that took too much power out of me, so I just can’t change back, but otherwise I’m fine.#

#Five people at one time? Are you crazy? I never flash more than three or occasionally four people, and I am used to it!#

#Yes Fawkes; now I know better. Anyway, what I wanted to talk about is something else. Yesterday I went to explore the castle with James, Sirius, Remus, Severus and Lily. We passed Ravenclaw tower and went straight on until we came to a portrait of a phoenix. Do you know the portrait Granddad?#

“No, my dear boy.”

#And do you know what it is guarding? It is guarding Merlin House!#

“Merlin House?”

#Yes. Hogwarts has another House.# He told Fawkes and his Grandfather what the phoenix had told him and said, #Granddad we should try to revive this House, it would be just right for me I suppose. Why don’t you ask the Sorting Hat about the House; he should know everything.#

Dumbledore talked to the Sorting Hat for a few minutes and Harry was listening intently. The Sorting Hat knew of course of the House but was charmed not to talk about it until asked. Now as Dumbledore had specifically asked him about it, he was able to tell everything he knew. He recalled, that Rowena Ravenclaw when she founded Merlin House, had put a charm on the House. Therefore, only an heir of Merlin could be the Head of Merlin House, and at a time when there were no teachers at Hogwarts who were heirs of Merlin they hadn’t been able to use the House at all for several hundred years.

Suddenly Harry thought of something. #Granddad, could you please ask him for me, if he would place me there if the House was active?#

“Oh my, you are asking questions Mr. Potter/Pane/whatever. Oh yes, I would sort you into Merlin House – it was specially founded for people like you!” the Hat answered straight to Harry.

“All right, Harry, let’s walk over there. You can sit on my shoulder if you don’t mind. Fawkes, are you coming too?”

#Of course, I want to speak to the phoenix portrait as well.#

#Thank you, Granddad. I’m sorry to have to bother you. But…um… in fact, um… nobody should see me. Could you put a notice-me-not charm on me please?#

Dumbledore laughed. “All right my boy, but why would that be?”

#Um… in fact… Pomfrey wanted Granny to come and transfigure me back in order to feed me Potions and I just flashed away, because I want to transform back as soon as I can and not be transfigured back by someone else.#

“But don’t you think Poppy’s Potions would help you to feel better?”

#Yes, maybe, but… she’d keep me again and I don’t want that, I didn’t want her to know at all, and I didn’t want the attention anyway.#

Dumbledore sighed. “Maybe one of these days you will be awarded the Order of Merlin for getting yourself into trouble… Anyway, let’s go.” Together with Fawkes, they visited the phoenix – who told them his name was Tori – and inspected Merlin House. After their return to the Headmaster’s Office, Dumbledore told Harry, “I have to talk to Minerva first and then to the other colleagues in order to get their approval. Afterwards I need this issue to be discussed in front of the Board of Governors, which will not be a problem, because with the Death of the Death Eaters all troublemakers are gone. After everything is approved, we can make plans on how to revive the House from the coming summer onwards. Probably now, as I know about the House, lots of information about it can be found in the library; I suppose the books were charmed in the same way as the Sorting Hat not to tell or show anything about Merlin’s House unless the Headmaster knew of it. So if you are interested, maybe you could go and try to research a little about the House of our ancestors.”

#Of course, Granddad, I would love to do some research about it. Do you think I could be re-sorted?#

Dumbledore laughed. “Let’s wait and see.” His face turned stern. “But first we have to consider how to get you out of the trouble you are obviously in. What should we do?”

#I’ll just flash back into my room and rest for a while, and hopefully I’ll be able to transform back later, but Pomfrey is going to kill me anyway, so it doesn’t really matter. My problem is that I can’t talk to anyone except you, Lily and Fawkes.#

“Lily understands you?”

#Yes, she does, definitely,# Harry trilled.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Harry looked at Fawkes terrified, trilled something that Dumbledore couldn’t catch so fast, and in a flash of ice he was gone.