Harry Potter and the Return of the Heirs
By J.C. Vascardi

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Disclaimer: All characters and places featured in this story that relate to Harry Potter are the property of J.K. Rowling, various publishers, and Warner Brothers. No money is being made on this story and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The only things about this story that I own are the storylines, places and characters that are not featured in the books.

Feedback can be sent to JCVascardi@yahoo.com. I will respond to all emails I receive, but in order to insure that I receive your feedback, please make sure you put 'Heirs' in the email subject line. If you don't, there's a very real chance that your email will not make it past my spam filters and into my inbox.

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Chapter Fourteen

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Arriving in the Ravenclaw hallway, Ryan and Justin led Matt and Oliver down the hall and past the entrance to Ravenclaw Tower. Ryan then abruptly stopped in front of a blank stretch of wall and said, "Matt, when you lose, give Justin half of those galleons. Oliver, I want good seats, as close to the Puddlemere hoops as possible."

"You're not going to win though," Oliver said. "I mean, there's nothing here except a blank wall."

"Prepare to eat your words," Justin said as Ryan reached up to the wall and traced the letters `R.F.R' on one of the bricks. The three letters immediately started glowing bright blue and the now familiar blue line emerged from the top of the `F' to trace the shape of a door. Matthew and Oliver just stood there with shocked expressions as the door opened and Ryan said, "Welcome to the private quarters of Rowena Fiona Ravenclaw, Matthew and Oliver. Please come in."

Ryan and Justin entered Rowena's quarters, followed by their totally shocked professors. As the door closed behind the group, Matt and Oliver stood in the center of the room, totally speechless. They had been so sure that Ryan was kidding and now they didn't know what to say.

"Hello boys," Rowena said. "Who have you brought with you?"

Matt and Oliver whirled around at the sound of the voice and their jaws dropped open at the sight of Rowena's portrait.

"My cousin and his fiancé, Rowena," Ryan answered. "Allow me to present Professor Matthew Cromwell and Professor Oliver Wood, the music and art professors, respectively."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Rowena said before noticing their expressions and asked, "Is there something wrong with them?"

"They're just speechless," Justin answered with a grin. "They were positive that Ryan was telling tales about being your heir and now when faced with undeniable proof they don't know what to say."

Rowena nodded and said, "Well, Matthew, Oliver, please snap out of it. As you can see Ryan is my heir and as unbelievable as that may be to you, standing there with your mouths open and not saying anything isn't going to change it."

"How is it that Ryan is your heir?" Matthew asked. "I don't understand how it's possible."

"Well, Matt, it's really quite simple," Ryan said. "Since finding out, I've done some more research and it turns out that our tenth-great-grandfather, Thornton Cromnvell married Fiona Ravenclaw in 1497 and they had one son, Edmund Cromnvell, from whom we are both descended. Fiona Ravenclaw was Rowena's eleventh-great-granddaughter, making us Rowena's twenty-third-great-grandsons."

"Wow," Matthew said. "So, I'm your heir, too?"

"Technically, yes," Rowena answered. "However, Ryan is my recognized heir, since he's the one who found my quarters. As my recognized heir, this room will only respond to him, unless he gives it permission to respond to you."

"Well, of course he'll give his favorite cousin permission."

"Matt, I'm you're only cousin, well, if you don't count our second-cousin, Draco, anyway."

"Details, details," Matt muttered with a grin. "So are you going to give me permission?"

"I'll think about it," Ryan said.

"You'll think about it?"

"Yes, Matt, I'll think about it," Ryan replied. "Just be glad that I didn't say no right away."

"If it makes you feel any better, Matt," Justin said, "he hasn't given me permission either and I'm his boyfriend."

* * *

Later the next day at dinner in the Great Hall, Dumbledore stood and called for silence.

"Attention students," Dumbledore said. "At this time I would like to announce a Halloween Ball for all fifth year and older students here in the Great Hall on Halloween night, following the feast. It is my hope that a night of frivolity will help to take everyone's minds off of current events. Rather than costumes, the Heads of House and I have decided that this will be a formal event. Those of you in first through fourth years don't feel left out as your Heads of House will make arrangements for smaller parties in your house common rooms."

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`Oh great, a dance,' Harry thought. `Just what I need: another opportunity to look like an idiot. I need dancing lessons, just in case I actually manage to find a date. With what I now know, I guess I could even ask a guy to be my date and nobody would think anything of it. Not like I have many prospects in that department though.'

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`Just lovely,' Draco thought, `a dance, which Pansy will undoubtedly use as a way of trying to get into my pants again. Honestly, what part of `I'm gay' doesn't she understand? Oh Merlin, Harry looks so hot. In a perfect world, I'd be going with him, but then again, in a perfect world, my mother would still be alive and we wouldn't be at war with a psychotic bastard. Why does life have to be so bloody unfair?'

* * *

`Poor Draco,' Blaise thought as he looked between Draco and Pansy. `Her mind is already working out a new plan for getting into his pants and using this dance to do it. I'm sure she already thinks it a given that Draco will ask her to be his date. Regardless of the fact that Draco told her he's gay last year.'

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`Hmm, as much as it pains me to say, Dumbledore has actually had a good idea.' Pansy thought. `I'll look so good on Draco's arm. I'll dress up in my best dress, fix up my hair, and I'll wear some of that special perfume I bought in Paris over the summer. He keeps claiming that he's gay, but I know he's just playing hard to get. We're destined to be together and I intend to make sure we are.'

* * *

`Hmm, well, if I do go to the dance, at least I already have a date,' Ron thought to himself as he smiled at Hermione, who smiled back. `Thank Merlin for the inheritance from Sirius, because now I can actually buy some respectable dress robes that won't make me a laughing stock.'

* * *

`Oh Ron,' Hermione thought. `I'm sure he thinks it a given that I'll be going to the dance with him. Of course, what he doesn't know, is that's still very much up in the air depending on whether or not he's willing to start talking to Harry again. This silence between them has gone on quite long enough if you ask me and I intend to a put a stop to it.'

* * *

`Hmm, I wonder what he'd say if I asked him to be my date,' Nick thought as he looked up at Bill sitting at the staff table. `We are technically an item now, but we've only been together a day. Not sure if he's ready for the whole school to know he's dating a student, even if he can't get in trouble because of that extremely convenient clause to the `No Student/Teacher Relationships' rule. I really wish I knew who came up with that clause, because I'd really like to thank them.'

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Looking down at the Slytherin table, Bill did his best to hide his smile as he thought, `How did I manage to land myself such a gorgeous boyfriend? We've only been together a day and I'm already feeling happier than I have in a long time. I'm sure he's thinking about asking me to go to the dance with him. I'm thinking about it too, to be honest, but I'm not sure. Halloween is only a little over two weeks from now. I don't know if it's such a good idea for Nick and me to make our relationship public knowledge when it's so young. Despite not being against the rules, there will still be people who aren't happy about it.'

* * *

`Hmm, I wonder what Justin would think about going together,' Ryan thought from his seat at the Ravenclaw table. `I know that he's out to his housemates in his year, but I'm not sure if he's ready to be out to the whole school. For that matter, I'm not sure I am, even if it is accepted.'

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`Oh Ryan looks so cute when he's thinking,' Justin thought as he grinned from ear to ear. `I'm as sure as I've ever been about anything in my life that he's the one, so I hope he'll agree to go to the dance with me. Now that I know that the Wizarding World doesn't care about same-sex pairings, I'm ready for the whole world to know I'm with Ryan. Well, at least the Wizarding World. My parents are a different story because I know they'll be furious. Probably best to wait until I'm legal before I tell them because I'm sure they'll disown me.'

* * *

Later that afternoon in the sixth-year Ravenclaw boys' dorm, Ryan was at a loss. He had come up to his room to get his Charms book from his trunk, and when he did, he realized that the small book of invisibility charms that his grandmother had given him was missing. He searched through his trunk, twice, and was unable to find it. Not understanding what could have happened, he quickly checked the small shelf above the headboard of his four-poster with no luck, before searching through the drawer of his bedside table, again, with no luck.

"Lose something, Ryan?"

A bit startled by the sudden voice, Ryan saw his dorm mate, Kevin Entwhistle, and said, "Oh, hi Kevin. Yes, I'm missing a book."

"Textbook?"

"No, it was a gift from my late grandmother," Ryan said. "A small volume of invisibility charms."

"Well, where did you last see it?" Kevin asked.

"That's the strange part," Ryan answered, "because I could have sworn the last time I saw it was two nights ago when I locked it in my trunk."

"I take it that it's not there now?"

"No, it isn't," Ryan confirmed. "I can't find it anywhere."

"Could someone have stolen it, you think?"

"Who would do that, though?" Ryan asked. "I mean the only people who are in here on a regular basis are you, Stephen, Terry, Michael, Anthony, and me."

"Hmm, well, have you checked to see if anyone's tampered with your trunk?"

"Well, no, I didn't," Ryan said. "I guess I should check though."

Kevin nodded, as Ryan pulled out his wand, pointed it at his trunk, and cast a charm to determine if anyone other than him had cast any charms on it recently. If someone had, the charm would cause the trunk to turn blue, otherwise nothing would happen. When nothing happened, Ryan said, "Hmm, well, nobody tampered with my trunk. Or if they did they must have used a charm which was too powerful to be detected by the charm I just cast, which I think pretty much rules out anyone in our year."

"Yeah and everyone younger," Kevin said. "I'm not sure if even the seventh years would know a charm strong enough to not be detected by the charm you just used."

"Oh well, I'm not going to worry about it right now," Ryan said.

"Have you tried summoning it?" Kevin asked rather off-handedly after a few minutes.

"Your mind is in the gutter thinking about Stephen again, isn't it?"

Kevin blushed a bit at the mention of his boyfriend, Stephen Cornfoot, and said, "What makes you think that?"

"Kevin, we're Ravenclaws. You should know better then to ask if I've tried summoning it, because for the summoning charm to work one has to have at least a general idea where the item being summoned is. Seeing as how I have no idea where it is, I haven't tried summoning it."

"Oh, yeah, that's right," Kevin said with a sheepish look on his face.

"You and Stephen have a hot date tonight?"

"All our dates are hot," Kevin answered.

"Well, at least you two remember to use silencing charms," Ryan commented. "Unlike a certain two professors I know."

"Hmm?" Kevin asked, obviously having been lost in his thoughts about Stephen again. "Oh, um, you mean Professor Cromwell and Professor Wood?"

"No, Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick," Ryan replied sarcastically, as Kevin's mouth dropped open. "Of course I mean Professor Cromwell and Professor Wood!"

"Oh, damn, mate," Kevin said. "You sure know how to ruin a guy's daydreams. Now, I have a bloody mental picture of McGonagall and Flitwick going at it. Eeww, that's so gross."

Ryan just laughed, and asked, "Want me to Obliviate the last few seconds of your memory?"

"Ah, don't bother," Kevin said with a grin. "I'll just go find Stephen. I'm sure he can take my mind off of that unpleasant mental image."

"I'm sure he can," Ryan said as he grabbed his Charms book. "Have fun, Kevin, I'm off to the library to do my Charms homework."

* * *

Later that evening, well past midnight, Valen Lasinius stood in his quarters. Normally, he would not be awake at this hour, but he had the feeling that his contact would soon be getting in touch with him through the mirror, and he knew it would be a good idea to be awake when they did. Sure enough, the mirror soon glowed brightly for a second, before a face appeared in the mirror, although, it wasn't the face that Valen expected.

"Valen, are you there?"

Shaking his head and coming to his senses, he replied, "Yes, I'm here, Mistress."

"Valen Jorian Lasinius," the woman said, "why on Earth are you still wearing those glamour charms at this hour?"

"I apologize, Mistress," Valen said as he waved his hand over his face, which caused subtle but distinct changes to his appearance. His shoulder-length black hair grew about a foot longer and turned platinum blond and his blue eyes turned green.

"Ah much better," the woman said. "Now, I'm sure you must be wondering why I'm contacting you. His Supreme Lordship is busy with important matters of state and asked me to contact you for an update on his behalf."

"Of course, Mistress," Valen said. "There isn't much to report since I made my last report, but there have been a few developments."

"What kind of developments, Valen?"

"Well, he has told his cousin Matthew about being Ravenclaw's heir now. Matthew didn't believe him at first and I heard something about Matthew owing him ten galleons. I'm guessing it was a bet on whether or not he actually was Ravenclaw's heir."

"So, does anyone other than Matthew and the group of friends you already informed us of know?"

"Only one person," Valen said, "Matthew's fiancé, Oliver Wood."

The woman in the mirror nodded before asking, "Anything else?"

"Dumbledore announced a ball at dinner tonight," Valen said. "A formal event for the fifth, sixth and seventh year students after the Halloween feast."

"Ah, I do so love a good ball," the woman said. "Perhaps it's time that his Supreme Lordship and I come to Hogwarts."

"I'd have to agree," Valen said. "The books in Ravenclaw's library aren't readable yet, but, the Mass-Book Restoration charm was cast and I'm thinking they will be in early November."

"I'm sure you're looking forward to our visit, Valen," the woman said. "I imagine you can't enjoy wearing those glamour charms."

"No, Mistress, I do not," Valen said. "Of course, it is necessary, none the less."

"Well, some of them yes," the woman agreed. "However, I still fail to see the necessity of changing your hair and eye colors. I'm sure there are plenty of people at Hogwarts with blond hair and green eyes."

"Yes, Mistress," Valen said with a grin. "His Supreme Lordship thought that if I was going to change my appearance though, that I might as well go all the way and make myself look completely different. Though to be honest, it isn't the glamour charms that I really dislike."

"What is it that you dislike then?"

"Using that infernal stick of wood these people at Hogwarts call a wand," Valen answered. "I realize that they aren't as magically advanced as our society, but I can't believe that they haven't realized that their infernal wands are actually limiting their powers."

"I suspect there are a few, most likely in the wizarding government, who do realize that," the woman said. "They don't, however, want that knowledge to get out because they don't have the ability to trace magic that isn't performed with a wand."

"Well, that's not entirely true, actually," Valen said. "As requested, I performed background checks on all of his new friends here at Hogwarts. One of them, a sixth-year Gryffindor named Harry Potter, was sent a warning letter in his second year for casting a Floating Charm, which was illegal since he's underage and he did it outside of school. I did some further checking though and it turns out it was actually a house-elf named Dobby who cast the charm."

"Oh dear lord," the woman said. "So they have limited capabilities when it comes to detecting wandless magic. Obviously, it is nowhere near advanced enough though, if they can't tell the difference between a house-elf's magic and a human's magic."

Valen nodded to the woman in the mirror before he asked, "So, will you and his Supreme Lordship be attending the Halloween Ball?"

"Yes, Valen, I think we will," the woman answered. "So, just get through the next couple of weeks and then his Supreme Lordship and I will come to Hogwarts and you can stop using the glamour charms and that infernal stick of wood."

"Oh thank the entire pantheon!" Valen exclaimed.

The woman in the mirror laughed and said, "At least those glamour charms haven't changed you, Valen. You always could make me laugh."

"Well, what are brothers for?"

"You mean other than annoying their sisters to no end?"

"Hey! I resent that remark."

"Oh, I'm only kidding, Valen," the woman said with a grin. "Honestly, baby brother, you would think you'd be able to tell when I'm kidding after all these years."

"I'm afraid that's a skill I've never quite mastered," Valen answered. "Of course, I expect his Supreme Lordship hasn't quite mastered it either."

"Well, that's true," the woman confirmed. "But, I have to keep him on his toes, don't I? Anyway, I will go now and let you get some sleep, Valen. I'll see you in two weeks at the Halloween Ball."

"I look forward to it, Mistress," Valen said with a bow. The woman in the mirror disappeared, and Valen got ready for bed.

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To be continued...

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