Chapter 46: He wasn’t the only one

Since Rick had brought Lily back home late, Rose had insisted that he spend the night in the guest room. He didn’t want to impose and reminded her that he could just aparate back to London (it was far away but he was sure he could do it) but she heard none of it. Furthermore they wouldn’t let the couple go to bed without having a late dinner. It was a good opportunity for Rick to speak with Luke about Star Wars. The fact the man shared his name with the hero alone made him want to see the movie even more which from what Rick and his daughter said was the best movie they had ever seen. Rick commented that he would definitely bring his parents to see it.

Of course, Lily being the hopelessly young woman in love that she was had sneak into her boyfriend’s room during the night to spoon. There was no way she was spending the night alone in her bed when she could experience his love and warmth by staying in his.

To his surprise, Lily had convinced her parents to let her go back with him to Potter Manor while he was taking a shower. It was almost August and she wanted to go back to her ‘potion apprenticeship’ as she called it. She packed all her stuff in her school trunk and shrunk it to the point it could be put in her jeans pocket. After a firm handshake with Luke and a hug from Rose, the couple went to the garden and aparated to Manchester. They took the Knight Bus to London - something that Rick facepalmed for not having thought about on his way to Cokeworth - and made a detour to Diagon Alley. They bought all their school supplies which at this point only really amounted to potions ingredients, alchemy ingredients, parchments and quills.

To satisfy his curious mind, Rick egged on Lily to take an inheritance test. She had refused at first, it was way too expensive in her opinion and would be useless. The counter argument he offered her was that he was the one paying and he wanted to pamper his girlfriend. When he pointed out it could be another proof of muggle-borns being descendants of squibs she began to falter then agreed. He had asked the goblin to go back up 30 generations which in years was around seven hundred. Lily nearly stopped everything when she realized it was three thousand galleons in total.

But Rick had been firm. “That’s my money, Lily and I do what I want with it.”

The results had been unexpected and quite shocking. So much they were still dazed when they got back to the manor. Not even Dorea’s enthusiasm at seeing her son and future daughter-in-law could dissipate their shock.

“What’s wrong?” the Lady of the house said as they sat down on the couch silently. After a few moments it was Rick who spoke.

“I paid for an inheritance test for Lily.”

“And from your faces I guess you found out she had magical ancestry?”

“You don’t know the half of it.”

“Well spill it! It’s obvious she’s related to a house. Which is-”

“Gryffindor.”

Lily had been the one who spoke this time. Her eyes, unfocused, too busy dealing with the news. Dorea’s eyebrows rose so high they disappeared under her bang.

“...Gryffindor? As in-”

“Godric Gryffindor, the founder. Lily is his descendant somehow. We knew that his line continued up until the 15th century but it was supposed to be extinct. It turns out it didn’t. There was a squib line. It branched over time and reunited with her parents.”

“...”

“That’s not all. The Gryffindor’s vault has been sealed since there was no magicals left in the family but now with Lily…”

Dorea’s eyes widened in realization. A sealed vault could only be opened on the order of its owner. A magical owner. A bit differently a family vault, regardless of the family status and title, could only be unsealed by the head of the family. As such…

“You’re… Lady Gryffindor?!”

Both Lily and Rick nodded slowly. The news hadn’t quite sunk yet for them.

“The goblins… They want me to take the Lord- Ladyship. There isn’t much gold in the vault, mainly books and artefacts.”

“There is enough for them to want it unsealed again.” His remark contradicted Lily’s statement a bit. A few hundred galleons was nothing to scoff at. There was at least two years of money worth if Lily had an entry level job at the Ministry.

Rick took Lily to their bedroom and they laid there on the bed. It took a few hours for the redhead to get around the revelation.

“I’m a bloody Gryffindor.” she whispered.

“No wonder you went there instead of Ravenclaw.” Rick tried to joke. “I wonder if the sorting hat knew somehow? Wait, does that mean it belongs to you?”

“No. Unlike the Ravenclaw diadem, Godric gifted his hat to the school.”

“Too bad. It would have been nice to talk with it. I remember him being kind of cool but a bit snarky.”They stayed that way for a bit more then got up. Not because they wanted to move but hunger made itself known. He found the sound Lily’s stomach made cute and was wise enough to not comment on it.

“Are congratulations in order?” asked Charlus when he saw the couple entering the dining room. Dorea had briefed him of the latest discovery.

“I suppose. I never particularly cared if I was the descendant of a magical or not. But being the Lady of my House… It’s… different. Do I… Do I have some duties or…”

“Only regarding your house and by that I mean your family, not the one in Hogwarts. Since the Gryffindors were extinct before the creation of the Wizengamot, they don’t have a seat. The name does carry a lot of weight however. Many people would think you have access to old powerful magic and lots of money.” It wasn’t Charlus Potter who spoke but Lord Potter of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter.

“I don’t know anything about that.” Lily answered. “I would have to check the family vault to know.”

“What matters is for you to have the lordship, or in your case ladyship, ring. To prove you are who you say you are.”

“If you can’t put it on then you’re either not a Gryffindor or the magic in the ring doesn’t recognize you as the head of house.” Dorea added. “That’s how Charlus knew without any doubts that Corvus was our son when he put his heirship ring.”

“Wait! You weren’t sure I was?!”

“Oh, I knew. Your mother is just teasing. She said you were so you were as far as I was concerned. The ring was just a formality. And it’s not like something bad would have happened to you. You’d have been stunned, that’s all.”

“What do you mean by that?” the question came out from Lily with a very worried tone.

“Well, some families, like the Black put some nasty curses on their rings. The kind that you’d wish the curse would have just killed you on the spot.”

“MOM!”

“Everything will be fine! If the inheritance test says you’re a Gryffindor then you’re  more likely than not a Gryffindor.”Despite Dorea’s words of reassurance Lily was still worried. She was until she put the ladyship ring on her finger easily the next day. The knot in her stomach dissolved and she let out a relieved sigh. When she asked for the unsealing of the vault and to see it, she took Rick with him. He had protested at first - reluctantly - because it was something really personal and he felt like he was intruding even though he wanted to go.

“There isn’t a single thing I do not share with you or won’t share with you. It includes this.” She had told him with the brightest smile he loved so much. Of course, like every time she brought it out there was nothing Rick wouldn’t do for her.

The vault was very deep - being Number 17 explained it - and they had to experience a ten minute cart ride to reach it. Rick had loved every moment of it and surprisingly, Lily too. She had confessed that it wasn’t heights she was scared of but riding a broomstick. In her opinion it was too unsafe to be used as a means of locomotion.

The content of the vault was as expected. A small pile of gold to the side and most of the space being taken by furniture. Trunks here and there, a shelf with thick old books, tapisserie in red and gold colors. The one thing that caught their attention the most was a painting of Godric Gryffindor himself. He was standing on a grass field under a cloudless blue sky. He wore a dark red robe and a sword at his hip.

“You have the same hair color. Now that I think about it, I never saw anyone else with it among all the redheads I’ve met. I wonder if it’s a family trait.”

“It is, young man.”

“Ahh!” / “Jesus!”

Both Lily and Rick jumped in fright when a sudden deep voice came from the painting. To be more accurate from Godric himself.

“Hm. ‘Tis good to behold one of mine own blood again.” The founder was looking at Lily with a pleased smile with the same bright green eyes. “How long hath it been?”

Recuperating from the fright of their lives, Lily was the one to answer the man.

“It’s 1977 A.D. , sir.”

“... Five centuries? They did leave me there for all this time?”

“I don’t know who’s ‘they’ but I’m pretty sure no one visited because only squibs were left. I’m the first magical descendant in your family since 1503 to be accurate.”

“Ti’s that so? I deem Rowena and Salazar were right. Magic dwelleth in the blood at a deeper level than we did know.”

“Both my parents are muggles but from different branches of a squib line. We think that I got lucky with magic. My sister is certainly not a witch.”

Godric waved his hand dismissively. “It mattereth not. I count myself fortunate that mine lineage doth still thrive, magical or no. But I would not lie; thy being a witch doth bring me joy.”

“No offense, sir but… You’re not the first portrait of… you we met. Another one is on Hogwarts' seventh floor, hiding a secret short cut from the Grand Staircase to the Entrance Hall.”

“Yea. A memento of my time at Hogwarts. Yet I am different. I did infuse a piece of myself, mine very own magic, into this one as it was wrought. While the other portrait is older, 'tis but a basic reproduction of mine essence with its limits. I am Gofric Gryffindor, more or less, with all his memories and experiences which the other doth lack.”

Rick and Lily looked at each other in contemplation. They had talked to the other portrait before but quickly found out he didn’t have any deep magical knowledge, nor did he know any secret about Hogwarts.

“Where is the Hufflepuff common room located?” questioned Rick.

“In the cellar. Thou accessest it by tapping a tune upon a false barrel of wine.”

“Merlin, you’re really him.” Lily's whisper was not low enough to not be caught by the two men.

“I am.”

“This… is a lot to take in. Yesterday morning I was just a muggle-born and now I’m the Lady of house Gryffindor talking with its founder.”

Godric laughed loudly at his descendant’s reaction.

“I have so many questions!”

“Ask away, my lady.” The founder was more than happy to answer them from the enthusiastic face he had. After five hundred years of solitude it was understandable.

“I…Can I take you home? I have so many we will be here for hours.”

“I mayhap be more than a portrait, yet a portrait I am, nonetheless. Shouldst thou desire to take me from this darkened abode, then do so.”

“Mom, is going to faint. Gryffindor himself at home. I’m sure the Slytherin in her will react.”

Godric was now curious. “Was she sorted, or is she of the lineage of Salazar?”

“Sorted. She was born a Black though and they tend to marry only purebloods so maybe? Their whole family had been sorted in Slytherin with one recent exception.”

“I’m taking you home, sir.”

“Thou needest not address me as sir, fair maiden. I am thy ancestor; no formality need dwell betwixt us. Which doth remind me, prithee, what is thy name?”

“Lily Jean Evans, si- I mean… What should I call you?”

“Considering our kinship, “grandfather” would suffice, yet, if it doth not sit well with thee, “Godric” shall do.”

“Grandfather it is.”

She took the whole portrait and stuffed it into her small bag.

“I think he’s the most precious thing here.”

Lily agreed with Rick but still looked at the books on the shelves. Most of them were old tomes about transfiguration and battle magic. Something which didn’t interest her much. That was why she left them here and would pick them up another time.

The trunks were full of old robes, trinkets, broken trinkets and jewelry. Rick was pretty sure that the jewelry alone was worth more than the pile of galleons at the entrance of the vault.

Once Lily had enough, they left the vault and went back to the surface. Rick made a small detour to Quality Quidditch to buy some polish for his broom and they apparated away to land in front of Potter Manor. Tipsy was called and asked to tell his parents to meet in the living room.

“Is that…”

“Good morrow, mine lady, mine lord. I thank thee for welcoming me into thy household. I am Godric Gryffindor; a pleasure it is to make thy acquaintance.”

Both Potter’s jaws dropped to the ground when the founder introduced himself.

“He’s the real deal. With memories and everything. Not just a magical portrait.” Rick pointed out.

From there lots of questions were asked to the man regarding Hogwarts, he didn’t share them all however as he considered finding some of the secrets something like an adventure.

“Do you and Helga have a special room like Rowena and Salazar?” inquired Rick.

“Thou hast discovered Rowena's room of requirement—her greatest accomplishment in magic. In my opinion? It is far greater than the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall or her diadem. I know not of Salazar having wrought a room; as for Helga and I, we did indeed construct one, aye”

“What are you talking about? / “Slytherin had a room?”

Both Dorea and Lily interjected when they heard that part of the conversation. They looked at each other and it was clear they knew something the other didn’t. Rick answered his mother’s question first.

“On the seventh floor of the Astronomy Tower, in front of the tapisserie of Barnaby the bard is the entrance of Rowena's room. You need to walk in front of the wall three times while thinking of something you need. The door appears and gives you everything that you need. Lily, Marlene and I had been using the room for studying in peace among other things. A dummy to practice spells or duels? Just think of it. A potion lab? Same. It’s also there that the elves put all the lost and forgotten items from students and teachers alike. That’s how I got enough money to pay for my inheritance test. Imagine a room as big as a quidditch pitch. I sold some of the things which didn’t have an owner anymore.”

“ As I have stated, Rowena's most splendid feat of magic. Now, wouldst thou mind sharing with me the tale of Salazar's own?”

“There are two, actually. One is his scriptorium and the other is the Chamber of Secrets. The latter is deep undergr-”

“Hold on! You found THE Chamber of Secrets?”

Lily couldn’t believe her ears. As far as she knew it was a myth. And Rick apparently found it and didn't tell her about it. She was not happy with that revelation.

“Remember Winter break in our second year? The whole 250 points I got? Well, that’s because I found both and helped in taking care of what was inside.”

“Taking care of - There was really a beast?”

“A sixty foot long basilisk.” answered Charlus while his wife was scowling at the memory.

Lily gasped at how outrageous that was and dangerous. Godric’s reaction had not been much better.

"That knave! A basilisk, thou sayest?! Right beneath the castle, dost thou speak?! Did he truly wish to proceed with the slaying of the muggle-borns?!"

“And you confronted it?!” Lily was incensed by her boyfriend’s recklessness. Gryffindor indeed.

“Oh, no. I showed it to Professor Dumbledore, McGonagall and Flitwick. I let them deal with it.”

“But you went after them.”

If he didn’t know better, Rick would have thought his mother was trying to get him in trouble with Lily. Trying and succeeding. His girlfriend was scowling too now.

“We’re going to talk about this later.”

That was a promise she made to him and he knew he wouldn’t like the time spent on that conversation. They talked some more with Godric and at his request put him in a well lit room of the manor. Having spent at least five centuries in the dark of the Gryffindor family vault, that was understandable.