The Harry Potter Universe belongs to one JK Rowling. The Harry Dresden Universe belongs to one Jim Butcher. I'm just borrowing them for fun and entertainment and won't make any money from said stories. So please... don't sue me!

"Do it again Harry! This time you have to focus on what you want to do!" Harry runs his fingers through his hair in obvious frustration.

"Sir, I can do this easily with my wand." Apparently, Harry realized too late that this was the wrong thought to express aloud.

"Oh for all the Gods in this world! Magic is not about this stick waving hocus pocus! It's focus, drive and the intent to bend or break the limits of Nature Herself with the power you were given!"

The teacher in all his glory grabs Harry's hand, "See the stick in your hand? It's a dead tree and animal parts... a crutch! You don't need it for every little spell! It's nothing but something to aid you in wielding your magic, not the key that allows you to use it!"

"That's this..." Ebenezer thumps Harry's head.

"And this!" He thumps Harry's chest where his heart was still beating loudly.

Harry winced as he rubbed his chest, "What about your staff sir? I've seen you use it every time you spelled me or Hermione."

Ebenezer let loose with a smirk that promised pain, "I want my enemies to underestimate me. Let me show you what I can do without this staff."

He struck the staff into the ground, or so Harry thought until he saw the staff was actually floating inches above it. Ebenezer took three steps to the left and motioned at Harry, "Attack me!"

Harry lowered his wand in confusion, "What? Sir, I -"

"Potter, if you don't attack me in three seconds I'm going to make sure you won't be able to train for a few days while Miss Granger gets an extensive lesson in medicinal magics. Got it?"

Harry raised his wand, spell on his lips, "Stupef-"

The earth shook. A giant rock speared up from the ground launching the young student into the air. He landed hard on his back and quickly rolled to one side to avoid the rock from crushing him. Dust exploded from the rock's lumbering fall, blocking his view. Thinking he was safe for a second from an obscured view, Harry jumped to his feet and launched a few silent stunners hoping to hit his attacker.

"You're gonna have to try harder young'n if you want to win." Ebenezer flicked a finger launching three stones at his student. He dodged the first, the second missed him by a hair's breadth. The third was on target, striking Harry in the chest. Another flick of his finger, Harry saw the column of light from the sky way too late.

Hermione gasped in horror when the column of light struck Harry to the ground, "Sir! I think he's had enough!"

Ebenezer walked to his student and looked him over. A hand on his student's forehead and a push of arcane energy revived him.

Harry blinked and let the world come into focus. He found Hermione kneeling over him looking quite a fright and Ebenezer smirking, "Did you learn you lesson Harry?"

Harry smiled and slowly sat up. He waited for his body to report any serious damage before answering, "Yes sir. I have to admit that I've never seen anything like that before. Are you going to teach us that?"

Ebenezer reached out and helped his student to his feet, "Yes son I will. But you have to understand that there's more to magic that what you would normally learn in Hogwarts. Hogwarts is a fine school, but it's only a school for children and young adults."

Both Harry and Hermione nodded at their trainer's statement. Ebenezer waited another moment before coming to a decision, "Albus was a good man. He somewhat understood what awesome powers we could wield with a thought, but even his scope of magic was limited. You both know the history of Grindelwald and his eventual downfall at the wand of Albus Dumbledore?"

Again Harry and Hermione nodded, wondering where their teacher was heading, "What you don't know is that Grindelwald was weakened by the time Albus caught up with his enemy. Grindelwald was working with the Nazis, we all know that. Hitler's well known obsession with the occult as mundanes call it was not an accident."

Ebenezer walked to a shaded tree and with a push of energy, made three flat rocks rise from the ground. He sat on one with a sigh and gestured for his students to do the same, "Hitler's people had found a copy of the Necronomicon and immediately sent it to Grindelwald."

Hermione paled at that thought. While Hogwarts' library was found wanting in the darker aspects of magic, she did find a book that mentioned the Necronomicon:

To those that seek this knowledge be damned...

To those that read this knowledge are damned...

"Grindelwald made use of the forbidden knowledge and summoned an Outsider in Russia. The ritual to summon the Outsider took the sacrifice of six powerful magic users... half of his closest followers. He channeled so much energy that it nearly killed him. After the summoning he and his remaining followers fled back to Germany, sneaking through the NeverNever. It was only days later when Albus caught up with him and the famous battle took place."

Harry was shocked at the revelation, "He... He was weakened?"

Ebenezer nodded, "Yes he was. You can't channel that much arcane energy without exacting a price. We now know Grindelwald's magical reserves were nearly empty. That should tell you how powerful he really was. At full strength he would have slaughtered Albus. Anyway, while everyone was celebrating the defeat of Grindelwald, I and my team were fighting the demon and its minions in Russia. The result of the battle left me as the lone survivor. The battle was near a portal into the Outer Gates where the Old Ones or the Outsiders as we call them are locked away. The magic of the Outsider twisted time and space itself. Everything was so warped that the explosion that sealed the Outsider away forever was moved in time to nearly 35 years in the past. The mundanes called it the Tunguska Event."

Hermione's brain froze at the story, "Wait, are you telling us that the expulsion of the Outsider resulted in an explosion that took place 35 years before its defeat? How could you possibly know that?"

Ebenezer chuckled at the shocked look of his student, "Well we didn't know it at the time, but the Gatekeeper told the Council at the next session. He is the guardian of Time and the Outer Gates. He ensures the enforcement of the Sixth and Seventh Laws. Even if Grindelwald was only captured rather than killed, he would have been declared Warlock and executed for violating the Seventh Law of Magic."

Harry was in awe of his teacher, but still had a question in mind, "Sir that's quite a story, but I don't understand what it has to do with our lesson?"

"Oh," Ebenezer smiled and called his staff to him, "I used a staff to stop the Outsider. I preach that we shouldn't allow a focus to become the sole way we can wield magic. Sometimes, it's needed. Like when forcing an Outsider back to its plane. Although I have to admit, it had to be a minor Outsider. Otherwise, the world would be a far darker place than it already is."

Harry slowly studied the staff in Ebenezer's hand, "You used this staff to lock an Outsider away from our plane"

"No Harry, I have another staff for those situations," Ebenezer's tone left no mistake, that was the end of the conversation.

Hermione shivered at the thought of the "minor" Outsider releasing its fellows and create some twisted version of Hell on Earth. Not to mention apparently the rest of the world's perception of Albus Dumbledore. What did Ebenezer say?

"...even his scope of magic was limited." How would young first year muggle-borns react to stories of magic so awesome and yet terrifying? Most would probably run away scared.

Ebenezer stood up and focused on Harry, "You two stay out here and practice without the wands. I'm gonna whip us up some lunch."

The End

AN: This may or may not be a part of a larger AU story I've been mulling around in my head. I have another one shot that is related to this possible larger story that I'll post eventually. Oh. This is my first attempt at fan fiction. Any suggestions on grammar, structure, story or just plain old flames are welcome as I had plenty of fun thinking this up and writing it.