Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or original plotline. Now excuse me while I go weep in the corner. *Shuffles away quietly.*
A/N: This was written for round 4 of the International Wizarding Schools Championship Forum. Word count is: 1,830
School: Ilvermorny
Theme: Divination
Prompt: Snowing [Weather]
Year: 2
Harry walked around the grounds of Hogwarts, his mind in a daze and his steps slightly off balance. He hasn't fallen over yet, but he did end up stumbling a few times as his mind wasn't quite with the present.
It was the middle of December, just a couple days before break, and snow was on the ground as well as falling in tiny clumps of snowflakes from the sky. The snow wasn't coming down hard enough for visibility to be bad, but it did make the muggle Christmas song Harry used hear when he was younger, 'Walking in a Winter Wonderland,' pop randomly into his otherwise dazed head.
Harry didn't know how long he was walking around but he did come out of his daze slightly when he approached the Black Lake; he didn't fancy a swim in the middle of winter, thanks. He stood at the edge and gazed out across the lake, not caring about the snow covering the ground under his feet, or the snow falling around him, or the chill that was biting the parts of his face his scarf wasn't completely covering.
Everything started with something simple. But, then again, most shocking things start off with something simple, don't they? And, when dealing with Harry Potter, things never remain simple, no matter the intention.
It all started with a potions book. Not the ones they were using for sixth year potions, nor the one Harry used; the one belonging to 'The Half-Blood Prince'. No, it all started with a book Hermione had taken from the Library. Seemingly innocent at the time, its worn cover doing much to convince onlookers that it was a harmless old book detailing potions used in the mid-1800s.
Hermione had gotten it to look up information to use in an essay Professor Slughorn said would give them extra credit. Of course, Hermione doesn't need the extra credit but, being the bookworm she is, she decided to do it anyway.
With Jack Frost nipping at his nose, the conversation that changed everything floated to the forefront of Harry's mind.
~Flashback~
You guys wouldn't believe what I found!" Hermione said excitedly as she hurried over to stand next to Harry and Ron. Both of them were sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace in the Gryffindor Common Room trying to warm up, having just came from Quidditch Practice.
Ron looked at her suspiciously. "Do I want to know?" he asked hesitantly.
Hermione threw him a look. "It's nothing bad Ronald," she scolded him. Her earlier excitement returned. "But it's really cool!"
She shoved the book she got from the library at Harry, her finger holding a page down. "Harry, look at the bottom section!"
Harry accepted the book from her and opened to the page she was indicating. He glanced at the bottom of the page as she said, and couldn't keep from his eyes from widening. "Whoa," he said, awe clear in his voice. "Is this for real?"
Hermione nodded eagerly, her bushy brown hair flying behind her. Ron looked between both of them, confusion clearly written upon his face. "Wait, what's going on? And why does something in a book make even Harry be impressed?" he asked.
Hermione glared at him. "What's that suppose to mean?" she said with hands on her hips, eyes glaring down at the suddenly wary redhead.
Knowing how those two can argue for hours, Harry hurriedly jumped into the conversation. "It's an Inheritance Potion."
"Inheritance Potion? What's that?"
"It's exactly what it sounds like," Hermione answered him. "It's a potion that allows someone to trace their lineage." She took the book from Harry and looked it over. "It says that it was used to determine the ancestry of people who didn't know their family name. Also, back in those days, a lot of people were claiming to be related to wealthy Pureblood families to gain access to their money. This potion helped prove family bloodlines and discredit false accusations."
"Okay, I admit, that does sound cool," Ron admitted. "But, how come we don't know about this? Shouldn't we learn about in class?"
"Yeah," Harry agreed. "This is actually something I wouldn't mind learning."
"I actually don't know," Hermione said, her brow furrowed. "I think the goblins have something like this at Gringotts to determine if you have access to a vault but, I'm not sure why we don't learn about it here in class."
Ron sighed and slumped back into the couch. "Well that sucks," he grumbled, his face turning to look out one of the windows at the snowfall. "I wouldn't mind making that one."
"Wait," Hermione said slowly, "why don't we?"
Harry looked at her in shock. "What?"
"Think about it," she said, her earlier excitement coming back with a vengeance. "We could make it like we did the Polyjuice Potion in second year in Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom! I could get the ingredients for us and brew it!"
Ron grinned. "Sure, this actually sounds interesting."
"Harry?" Hermione looked over at him. "Are you in?"
Harry's grin was eager. "Absolutely!"
~End Flashback~
A particularly large gust of wind that shoved a flurry of snowflakes into his face snapped Harry out of his memories.
The snow had started falling a little harder while he was lost in the past. Cold seeped into his clothes but he wasn't ready to go back inside. Not yet.
He started walking around the lake, keeping his head down so none of the falling snow couldn't get into his eyes.
Hermione had gotten the ingredients and brewed the potion in Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom like she said she would. When it was close to being finished, she filled three small vials with the potion and told them that they had to add a drop of their blood to complete it. When they added their blood to their own vials, they waited ten minutes before Hermione announced it should be complete.
After they had cleaned up the bathroom, leaving no sign of what they did behind, they had hurried back to the common room and Hermione produced three separate parchments.
"You pour the potion onto the parchment," Hermione had said. "It takes care of the rest."
They did as she said.
As Harry walked around the lake, he can remember how his life had dramatically shifted by something that was supposed to be fun.
He remembers watches the potion spread out along the paper.
He remembers seeing how the potion spelled out his name.
He remembers the lines that spread outwards from his name, spelling the names of his parents, and then his grandparents, and then his great-grandparents, and so on.
He remembers looking at the names, awe circling through him as he recognized several last names - including Black.
And then Ron came over to look at his and everything shattered.
~Flashback~
"Bloody hell!"
Harry jumped as Ron's loud voice sounded right next to him. "Geez Ron," he muttered as he rubbed his ear. "Why don't you try shouting louder? I don't think the students in the Great Hall heard you."
Ron didn't answer him, his wide eyes trained on something on the parchment in front of Harry.
Harry frowned at him. "Ron?" he asked, waving a hand in front of his face.
Hermione had walked over by then. "Harry, what's going on?" she asked. "Is he okay?"
He shook his head. "I dunno," he answered. He grabbed Ron by the shoulder. "Oi, Ron. Mate, are you okay."
Ron them muttered something that was too low for Hermione or Harry to hear.
"What?"
Ron turned his head and looked at Harry with wide eyes. "You're related to the Peverells?" he asked, his voice slightly shaky.
"Huh?" Harry looked back at the parchment to see what Ron was looking at. After a moment he found a name.
Iolanthe Potter (nee Peverell). Daughter of a man named Angus Peverell and a woman named Agatha Black. The man, Angus Peverell, was the son of a man named Ignotus Peverell who had two other brothers; Antioch and Cadmus Peverell.
Harry looked back up at Ron. "I guess I am," he said in uncertainty. "Why? What's the matter?"
Ron looked between him and Hermione. "Bloody hell," he said weakly. "I keep forgetting you guys don't know that much about wizarding families."
"Ron, what's going on?" Hermione said worriedly. "Why is Harry being related to the Peverell family a bad thing?"
"It's not bad, it's just…" Ron's voice trailed off before he took a breath. "Guys, the Peverell family was one of the most powerful and richest wizarding families in the world. They were a Medieval Royal Family."
Harry and Hermione both sucked in startled breaths. "What?" Hermione asked in a small voice.
"They...they were a pureblood royal family that apparently died out generations ago," Ron said, a bewildered look still on his face. "Everyone thought that there weren't any surviving members left."
"Wait," Hermione said, slowly turning to look at Harry. "Then...that means-"
"Yeah," Ron interrupted as he turned to look at Harry too.
Harry looked at both of them, shock still running throughout his body.
"Harry... you're a lost prince of the Peverells."
~End Flashback~
Harry opened the eyes he doesn't remember closing and stared at the steadily falling snow around him, the memory fading to the back of his mind. The wind was blowing more snowflakes into his face and he welcomed the distraction.
After finding out that Harry was a Peverell Prince, Ron insisted on telling McGonagall, who insisted on telling Dumbledore. Somewhere along the way, the rest of the school found out as well.
To Harry, it was like being back in his first year again. Everyone stared at him as he walked by, whispering things to the people closest to them. Even the Slytherins were giving him awed looks whenever they saw him. Malfoy was torn between looking disbelieving, awed, and annoyed whenever he walked by. All the teachers stared at him too, whether he was in their classroom or in the Great Hall with everyone else.
The last straw for Harry was his friends. Ron didn't seem to know how to treat him anymore and Hermione kept bombarding him with 'interesting facts' about the Peverell Family.
Harry couldn't take it anymore. After classes were over that day, he went straight back to the common room, ignoring Ron and Hermione's calls of his name, grabbed his winter gear, and headed outside. He needed to get away for a while.
And now, as Harry walked around the Black Lake that contained freezing cold waters, icy wind grabbing at his cloak, and snowflakes catching into his eyelashes, all he wants is for everything to go back to how they were; even though he's a Peverell Prince.
"I'm Harry," he whispered to the falling snow. "I'm not a prince. I'm just...Harry."
He has to go in soon before people start looking for him or the cold becomes too unbearable. But for now, he'll remain outside, next to the Black Lake, where the falling snow keeps him from feeling the dread of having to go back inside and facing everyone.
~END~