Harry Potter and the Power to Learn

Chapter 1: It Begins

Harry had been home from Hogwarts for only a week, and his nightmares were still quite strong. He had not slept well in the last two weeks since the final task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. The memory of Cedric Diggory's meaningless death continued to haunt him, and repeatedly interrupted his sleep. He had received only two letters from his friends, and they seemed to be together where ever they were.

"They must be having a great time." He grumbled to himself. "Why do I have to stay here when everyone else gets to have fun? It all feels so unfair."

"That is a certainty," came a soft reply from the shadows. Harry spun and drew his wand, as he stared at the corner of his bedroom, where the voice had come from. "Not bad reflexes," was the quiet assessment. "Perhaps we can help prepare you for what is to come, human."

The strangest individual, Harry had yet encountered, stepped out of the shadows and stood in front of him. It was about his height, was dark-skinned, had silver-white hair, and violet coloured eyes. It looked at his wand for a moment, and then returned its eyes to his face before saying, "Are you going to hex me, or perhaps you think yourself capable of casting the dreaded killing curse." The being chuckled and continued, "You are a powerful wizard, young one, but you are not yet that powerful."

"Wh- Who or what are you?" was Harry's very articulate reply. As he did Hedwig flew into the room and settled on his shoulder. Her glare made it obvious that she trusted this person about as far as she could throw him, if that much.

Their combined scepticism was met with a chuckle, "My name is Elronic, and I am someone who can help you prepare for the weight destiny has placed on your shoulders. One that you are only now beginning to feel." The being, for Harry wondered if he should call it a person, stood waiting for his next question, or comment. However, the owl continued to glare, as if she was saying, is that all you have to say?

"She does have a point," said the person with a quiet chuckle, "I should properly introduce myself. My name of Elronic, I am a Druas, a kind of elfkin. I am here at the instruction of the High Council of Magics, and will be one of your teachers this summer."

Harry and Hedwig shared a quick glance that said to each other, who does this guy think he is fooling?

"Why should I believe you?" was Harry's quick reply.

"Simple, if I had been sent to kill you; you would have already been dead."

"But the wards on this house..." Harry began.

"Only protect you from harm by wizards, not from any other peoples. Whether they be Muggle or magical," came the simple explanation.

Harry was shocked at first, but then, he considered all that had happened to him here at Privet Drive; it made sense that he could be harmed by this person that stood before him. "But that means that Voldemort could send anything he wants to attack me, and I would be basically defenceless. Unless I preformed magic outside of school. I could get in a lot of trouble for that."

"That is a most pathetic way for the Wizarding world to teach young magicals if you ask me."

"I must say, I agree. But who or what is this High Magic councillors, and what right do they have to teach me anything?"

Elronic stood for a few seconds, startled at the sheer impudence and audacity of this human child. In his over five hundred years of life, he had never heard anyone dare to utter such questions. Finally after the shock had worn off, he saw the caution for what it was.

"What do they teach you in that school of yours, young wizard? Have they not covered the history of the magical races with you?" At Harry's questioning look, Elronic heaved a sigh and began a short explanation. "Very well, we have limited time, so I must be brief."

"Approximately twelve thousand years ago, as you reckon time, there existed a city called Atlantis. The rulers of this city were a family of human mages composed of seven sets of twins. They became decadent and lazy, and began to delve into the dark arts. They succumbed to the lust for power and started to battle each other for the right to call himself the Lord of all Magic.

"Finally one emerged as the master over his brothers, and became the dominant Dark Lord. However, while they were battling amongst themselves, many other magical beings saw the destruction and chaos that the brothers were causing, and so they formed a council of war in order to prepare to stop those who had fallen so far to the dark. This council was composed of representatives from all of the magical races; dwarves, gnomes, elves, elfkin, centaurs, humans, and many others.

"The war they fought was horrific and was the end of many civilizations which existed at that time. Atlantis herself was sunk into the deep by the powerful magics called upon by both sides. Human civilization has only begun to recover its former glory, and at this time it needs protection from a new dark threat. One which sees you as its greatest danger. The surviving members of the war council knew this day would come, so they established the High Council of Magics. A group composed of the descendants of those who fought the first Dark Lord. And charged them with preparing the champion of the side of light for the task before him or her."

"But why me? Why am I the one you say needs to be trained...?"

"Because you carry the mark of the council," The elfkin said while gesturing to Harry's lightning-bolt shaped scar. "That is the mark the High Council has waited and searched for, for almost twelve millennia. And it can only be carried by the one chosen of magic and light to be the champion against the darkness."

"But, how...?" Harry began only to be cut off.

"Now Harry Potter, we must go quickly because you have much to learn. And it must all be done before the first of September so you can return to you regular schooling."

"What about my school trunk and such things? What will...?" Harry began to ask. The response he received was Elronic waving his hand and all of Harry's things neatly packing themselves away in his trunk.

"Umm... okay, do I take it with me...?"

"No, it would be better if there were someone you can send that to?"

"My friends Ron and Hermione; however, I'm not sure where they are."

After a moment's pause, the Druas said, "I can't say where they are, but they are with your godfather."

"How do you know that?" Harry wondered.

"That is one of the things you will be taught. It is complex, but the basic explanation is that I can detect their magical signatures within your own aura; I was able to find them by seeking those same signatures. Now we must be quick."

Before Harry could ask another question, a flash of fire announced the arrival of what was obviously a phoenix; however, it was almost entirely black in colouring. It landed on the Elronic's shoulder and waited. "Ifuego here will take your belongings to your friends. Is there anything else?" he asked Harry.

"Um... I should let my godfather know, so he won't worry about me." He quickly found a crumpled piece of parchment. An ink pen lay on the desk where Harry had been doodling in order to take his mind off his horrible memories. He used it to write a quick note:

Snuffles,

I have to leave for the summer. I will tell you what I can, later. Please see to it, that my school things are purchased, and that my trunk gets to King's Cross on September first. I will see you then... If not before.

Also, please look after Hedwig. I don't want her worrying about me.

Harry

P.S. tell my "friends" they need to spend more time writing letters and less time snogging. Have a camera ready when you do, so you can show me their expressions.

Thinking quickly, he included a message for Dumbledore:

Professor Dumbledore,

I will be back before school starts; I Can't say more than that.

Please keep my not being at Privet Drive a secret. If Tom thinks I am here, he may not cause as much trouble as he might otherwise.

See you when I can...

Harry Potter

He rolled the parchment and attached it to his trunk. Then he turned to the phoenix, and said, "Thank you for delivering this for me. Please get it safely to Sirius Black." The bird nodded and took wing. It grabbed the trunk and with a flash of fire disappeared. He then turned to Hedwig, who had waited patiently, and said, "I need you to go and look after Sirius for me. You know he can't stay out of trouble."

Elronic then addressed himself to Hedwig, "I am aware of your task as his protector, but I can't take you back as I can him. His friends may need your keen eye to help them avoid danger this summer. Be quick and sure in all you do, And I swear by all that is magic, and even my life, that I will return him to your care before his school train leaves for his next school year." A blue aura surrounded Elronic signifying he had taken a magical oath.

The owl glared at him for a minute before looking at Harry and back again. Her clicking beak made her unhappiness obvious. "Yes, I know," the Druas said. "But the early return of that thing, Tom Riddle, has left the council with no other choice. His training has to begin sooner than planned. The bindings placed on him after that thing's attack on him as a infant have begun to weaken, and he will need to be away from here when they fail."

Then to Harry he said, "All of that will be explained to you in the morning. You need some rest, or your magical core will suffer. That is why we must hurry."

Thinking quickly, Harry said, "I should probably send notes to Ron and Hermione. They tend to worry even if they don't always show it. I'll need you to deliver them also, Hedwig." Understanding she was still reluctant, he continued, "I don't know why, but he seems trustworthy. I believe I should go with him."

Grabbing two pieces of parchment still laying on the desk, and without further comment, Harry wrote on the first:

Ron,

Not sure when I'll see you this summer, remember to get your summer work done, or Hermione will never let you hear the end of it.

Everything here is okay

Harry

Then he used the second and wrote:

Hermione,

Be sure to pester Ron about his summer work as much as possible. I'm not sure when I will see you this summer. But will definitely see you on the train, Sept 1.

Have fun and enjoy the holidays.

Harry

He turned to Hedwig, as he rolled them tightly and wrote the recipient's name on each of them, and said, "I need you to deliver these for me also. Please." This seemed to satisfy Hedwig, and she jumped to Harry's shoulder and after a quick affectionate, nip on his ear, took flight back out the window, bound toward wherever she was going.

Elronic turned back to Harry and said, "Well young lightening lord, shall we begin your summer of learning?"

"I guess so..." Harry looked around his room, when he remembered one last thing. "The wards around the house. I have to stay here to recharge them."

"They are already charged. It takes only one twenty-four hour period of your presence here to recharge them. Now we need to go quickly, no more questions until we reach our destination." He held out his hand and told Harry, "Grip it." He then led him into the shadow in the corner of the room. And both vanished.