The book on the Founders had been a sensation. Many people had bought the book out of sheer curiosity as they wanted to know what was so different in the book from what they knew of the Founders. But when they started reading, only then did they realise how they had been targeting the wrong man for more than a thousand years.
Most were astounded how caring Salazar Slytherin was, as described by Godric Gryffindor himself! There was also an outpouring of sympathy for Godric and Salazar as they realised that the Muggles had essentially destroyed their families. When they read Salazar's letter to his descendants, people were shocked, as here was proof that Harry Potter was indeed the descendant of the Founder. The boy's eyes and those of his deceased mother had always been unique and how else would he have gained access to the letter if he wasn't the heir? Blood magic could not be faked.
The final impact was Harry's words in the book, describing how the four witches and wizards had died. This had very much destabilised the preconceptions people had about the Founders and the stereotypes of the four Houses. How could Hufflepuffs be called duffers when the founder herself chose the path of a warrior when needed? It showed that while Rowena was extremely intelligent, she too was prone to heartbreak and died in misery. Salazar Slytherin, while cunning and ambitious, wasn't evil. He used those traits of his to survive but he too was prone to make rash decisions. Godric's story proved that being a warrior wasn't always the best, as you're scarred for life. The book would have an enormous impact on the students of Hogwarts for generations to come, and the four Houses would, over time, be united, just as the Founders intended.
There was also another change in the minds of the general population. They remembered again how much they had suffered at the hands of Muggles. This book was proof that they had been very intolerant against anything magical. The fact that they had pushed Godric to such a level that he wiped out an entire village of Muggles was staggering. Very few felt sorry for those dead Muggles; they had brought it upon themselves and their punishment was just.
Hogwarts itself was a mess. Every time they entered Hogwarts, students of the other two schools could see students and teachers alike holding the book on the Founders, the white cover quite distinctive. Harry had noticed Dumbledore giving him speculative looks, but the Headmaster had surprisingly not called him for a meeting. He had expected it because the book clearly mentioned Voldemort's ancestry and also about the bloodline of Lily Evans. Harry had also tried to bring down the stigma attached to Parseltongue by supplying the true history of the language. Parseltongue was considered a very sacred language in Magical India where it originated, and it had spread throughout the world thousands of years ago. It was because of Herpo the Foul that the language of the serpents gained a negative stigma in Europe and Voldemort hadn't helped matters at all.
The winter session of the Wizengamot had proceeded smoothly, in Harry's opinion. He had revealed his position as Lord Slytherin to the Wizengamot but it hadn't been as bad as Harry had expected. The book had certainly taken care of any horrible reactions which the declaration would have caused. Some of the traditionalists who Harry knew were former Death Eaters questioned his claim, saying that it was fake. They were proven wrong by a unique test for family magic, confirmed both by the Department of Mysteries and Gringotts. They were certainly not happy, but they had no choice but to accept it. Harry had forwarded the documents to the Wizengamot Administration Services which made Lord Cyrus Greengrass the proxy for the Most Ancient and Noble House of Slytherin.
At Hogwarts, many had been quite surprised by Harry's position as Lord Slytherin. Severus Snape had not even reacted to the news, but his response was more subtle. Even though the more direct insults had reduced since Harry had threatened the man at the beginning of last year, his snide remarks had not stopped. This time though, he completely ignored Harry in Potions class. Most of the Slytherins were happy because Harry was a regular at the Slytherin table and it also helped that Harry got along best with the Slytherins as compared to the other Houses. Some did not like it, not wanting to believe that the Dark Lord was not the Heir of Slytherin as he claimed, but there was nothing they could do. Harry wore the Slytherin family ring and his declaration had been verified.
The Hufflepuffs were smug in their knowledge that their Founder had stepped up to the role of a warrior when the situation dictated it, defeating a dark wizard and saving Hogwarts in the process.
The Ravenclaws were very united in their sympathy for both Rowena and Helena - after the latter had revealed herself and explained what had happened a thousand years ago.
The Gryffindors were divided. On one hand, the book showed how amazing Godric had truly been, proving to be a source of inspiration for many, but on the other hand, the fact that their Founder had slaughtered an entire village of Muggles after the said Muggles had brutally killed his wife and severely injured his daughter had been - not pleasant to read. Hermione Granger had been slack-jawed because everything she had believed in about Godric and Salazar had been proven false. Godric's hate and disgust of Muggles were quite clearly expressed in the book.
All in all, Harry was quite happy with it all. He had released Godric's journal to the masses and had claimed his position as Lord Slytherin without any bloodshed.
Hundreds of miles away, Lord Voldemort was seething.
....
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