Welcome, one and all, to the third installment in this series...
HP: Freedom's Path
Now, I would like to establish a few things before this story can begin. First, this series will be told mainly through the eyes of Marcus Williams (and occasionally other characters), just so that there is no confusion. Secondly, updates will go up according to how much progress I make with the next story. That way, I always have content to give for you all to hopefully enjoy. Lastly, please feel free to leave a review at any time throughout this story and other future stories, as I'm always looking to better myself as a writer. Oh, and before I forget...
Disclaimer: I absolutely, positively, have no ownership of Harry Potter. I do, however, have all ownership of the OC's that are in this series.
Now, here we go, straight into...
Chapter 1: One Bizarre Event
Enjoy!
In the country of Great Britain, in the countryside of Cambridge, stretching and getting ready for his early morning workout in his parent's backyard was a soon to be 13 year old white-haired boy by the name of Marcus Williams.
There were a few things about Marcus Williams that separated him from the other boys and girls his age. He didn't like to convey his emotions, he was unusually adamant about pushing himself in every aspect, and he was a wizard.
There were not too many people, magic folk or otherwise, who had a childhood quite like his. It was pretty normal, at least up until his fifth birthday. Marcus couldn't recall a lot of it, but what he could recall was that the Dark Prince mercilessly attacked him, as a way of getting back at his parents. The attack was responsible for two things: One, that it left a horrendous looking scar on his torso in the shape of a crown with an X centered in said crown, signafying that the Dark Prince marked him as a future murder victim. Two, that he had to deal with having white hair.
Marcus didn't know why, but after that day, he no longer had the red hair that he enjoyed having, but instead had to go through everyday life having pure white hair, whiter than falling snow. It left him at the mercy of countless bullies and teasing growing up, and it eventually caused him to believe that he was better off not showing any emotion at all. He went through most of his childhood carrying that mindset up until his family moved to the U.K. from the States and started attending Hogwarts.
The first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy was everything Marcus was told and more. The castle was full of possibilites and wonders, as well as its fair share of secrets.
Himself and his three closest friends, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, eventually found out that Hogwarts was safeguarding the Sorcerer's Stone, a powerful object capable of turning any metal into gold and creating the Elixer of Life. This same stone was coveted by Voldemort, who wanted to have a body again. Luckily, though, himself and Harry were able to get through all of the enchantments guarding the Stone with assistance from Ron and Hermione and stop Voldemort, who shared the same body as Quirrell in order to get possession of the stone.
But, his first year at Hogwarts paled in comparison to his second year.
Throughout his second year, terror and fear plagued the castle as Muggle-born witches and wizards were getting petrified and no one knew what was going on. And it didn't help any that Harry's ability of speaking Parseltongue inadvertently put him in a tight spot with the majority of the school students. There was a lot of work involved, but Marcus eventually was able to figure out the three things needed to stop the terror: Who was responsible for the attacks, the monster committing the attacks, and where the entrance to the mysterious Chamber of Secrets was located.
The monster he figured out first, for better or worse: It was a Basilisk, capable of killing victims merely by sight, and then the serpent's fast-acting venom if not by sight. He then figured out that Tom Riddle, otherwise known as Voldemort, was possessing Ron's sister, Ginny Weasley, via his fifty year old diary so that he could go through with attacking Muggle-borns. Lastly, he figured out that the entrance was located in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and that someone needed to speak to it in Parseltongue in order for it to be revealed.
Marcus couldn't help but recall every moment of his time down in the Chamber of Secrets, how absolutely terrifying it initially was to go up against the Basilisk, the things he did to distract the King of Serpents from Harry, and the rush of relief when Harry and himself managed to put an end to it all. He knew a good portion of that event's results was luck, but he also had his rigorous training to attribute to his survival. That, and doing his training in the Room of Requirement.
Marcus was lucky enough to have stumbled upon the Room of Requirement during his first year at Hogwarts, a room that catered to the needs of the person inside it. Since that point, Marcus utilized it to the best of his abilities, the results of which helped him master the Disillusionment Charm and becoming an Animagus.
Marcus, despite being in the middle of his workout, couldn't help but smirk as he recalled the moment he became an Animagus, a witch or wizard capable of shifting into an animal. He had worked for a year and a half studying the vastly different animals, their anatomies, how they moved, how they thought differently from humans. It was by far the most difficult magical challenge he faced, even with the help of the Room of Requirement. The fact that his Animagus form was a barbary lion made it all that much better.
He also found out something very interesting about being an Animagus. Before the end of the second school year, he found that the powers of an Animagus was not trackable under the Trace, a rather annoying spell put on underage magic folk that alerted magical governmental officials if anyone underage was using magic. All he had to do was make sure that no one was around to see him shift and he wouldn't have to worry.
As Marcus finished his workout, walking back into the house and making his way to the shower, Marcus wanted two things to accomplish this summer, apart from getting in better physical shape. One: He wanted to work on making his vision enhancement stronger. He learned one thing from all those times the Basilisk's presence forced his eyes to activate on their own: That what he was currently capable of doing with his vision what not the limit of his capabilities. Two: To refine his Quiddtich Skills and get ready for this year's run at the Quidditch Cup.
If there had to be one thing he didn't like about his second year at Hogwarts, it was the fact that he didn't get to play in as many Quidditch matches as he liked. The first and only match was not the best, and that was factoring in the rogue bludger that was gunning only for Harry, and the rest of the matches were cancelled because of the attacks.
Since coming back home for the summer, he was looking forward to going to the U.S. All-Star's youth Quidditch Camp. But, as he got out of the shower, dried off, got dressed, and went to his desk, he re-read the letter he received from Percival Braxton, Captain of the U.S. All-Stars:
Marcus,
Under normal circumstances, this would be the letter inviting you to our Quidditch Camp. However, I'm sorry to say that there won't be a Quidditch Camp this summer. All of our concentration is currently going towards training for the upcoming World Cup tournament, and we hope that you understand. Don't ever hesitate to ask anyone on the team for help or advice, Marcus! We're always eager to help a growing Quidditch player!
Signed,
Percival Braxton, Captain of the U.S. All-Stars Quidditch Team
Marcus sighed. He more than understood where they were coming from: The World Cup was the biggest thing in the world of Quidditch, and this was the first time in fifty years that the U.S. Team had a legitimate shot at winning it all. So, it made more than enough sense that they would put all their efforts into giving them the best shot at it.
He was definitely looking foward to going to the Weasley's for the rest of the summer and spending time with Ron and, no doubt, Harry. But, this thought was interuppted when Archie came through his bedroom window, carrying a few letters.
"Oh, hey, Archie!" said Marcus. "I see my friends have been keeping you busy. Sorry about that. Here, let's get those letter untied from your leg, then you can rest."
Once he untied the three letters attached to his owl's leg, Archie made his way to his stand in the corner of the room and went to sleep.
"Let's see what his letter contains," said Marcus, as he opened the first envelope and out came a Daily Prophet clipping.
He was confused until he read:
MINISTRY OF MAGIC EMPLOYEE
SCOOPS GRAND PRIZE
Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misue of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic, has won the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw.
A delighted Mr. Weasley told the Daily Prophet, "We will be spending the gold on a summer holiday in Egypt, where our eldest son, Bill, works as a curse breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank."
The Weasley family will be spending a month in Egypt, returning for the start of the new school year at Hogwarts, which five of the Weasley children currently attend.
He then opened up the letter:
Dear Marcus,
Can you believe it?! Dad won the Daily Prophet draw! It's absolutely wicked. All of us are currently packing, trying to get everything around for the trip. I'm really excited to see what Egypt is like.
You'll have to let me know how you're holding up, Marcus. Don't worry, I'll get you something from Egypt, something really good for your birthday. Mum and Dad are planning on coming back a week before term starts, to go up to London and buy my new wand and our new books. If you can, you should come then! Hope to see you at Diagon Alley, Marcus!
Ron
Marcus had mixed feeling from Ron's letter. On one hand, he was really happy for the Weasleys. If there was anyone who deserved to get a whopping pile of Galleons, it was definitely them. And going to Egypt was not something that came by everyday.
On the other hand, this meant that going to the Weasleys for the summer was no longer an option. It was certainly something he wasn't counting on, and now he would have to shift his plans accordingly.
He then opened up his next letter and recognized the handwriting at once:
Dear Marcus,
I hope that you're doing well and that you've already completed your holiday homework.
My family decided to go to France for the holidays, and I'm really excited. Getting the chance to learn a different culture is just a great experience to have! And, speaking of which, did you see that Ron's family is going to go to Egypt? I must admit, I feel jealous - the ancient Egyptian wizards were fascinating!
Ron told me that they were going to be in London in the last week of the holidays. Hopefully, you'll be able to come as well as Harry. If you aren't, I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express on September first!
Love from Hermione
Marcus couldn't believe it. First, Ron was going to Egypt, then Hermione going to France?! He couldn't believe his circumstances, but then remembered about Harry's own circumstances and thanked his stars he wasn't in that situation. Granted, he'd gone to the places Ron and Hermione were going to go to before now, but he also never stayed at home for the entire summer holiday before now, either.
He then opened up the last letter and couldn't help but smirk:
Marcus,
How are you doing so far? I imagine that you're keeping yourself busy with workouts and Quidditch training. Don't forget to have some fun too!
I've been following the training and diet plan you gave me right down to the exact details, and my parents keep telling me how much I've improved from when I left for Hogwarts. They wanted to know my secret, but I wasn't about to tell them. I would have to answer too many wierd questions otherwise.
Let me know how you're doing, Marcus, and when you're planning to go to Diagon Alley to buy your school supplies. I hope to see you then.
Lorelei Flamel
Marcus remembered the events involving Lorelei Flamel quite well.
He first saw her on the train ride to Hogwarts and was scared out of his wits because she looked exactly like the girl he saw in the Mirror of Erised, an absolutely foul pane of enchanted glass that showed the person standing directly in front of it their strongest desires. He had the satisfaction of shattering the mirror to pieces, but seeing Lorelei made him believe that the Mirror was trying to take revenge on him by haunting him, which was a ridiculous line of reasoning in hindsight. They eventually came to be friends when Lorelei discovered the Room of Requirement with Marcus in it, and from that moment on, not only did she become his friend, but she also became his training partner.
Marcus put all the letters in one of the drawers of his desk and wondered what he was going to do. He already completed all of his summer homework, and he wasn't going to do Quidditch practice until later that day. He then came up with a rather good idea: Go to the nearby forest and spend some time in his Animagus form, as Leo.
He waited for his parents to leave for work, then made his way to the forest.
It was a decent sized forest, only located about two miles away from the house. It was thick enough so that no one could spot anything from any distance, but not thick enough for it be unnavigatable. Once he reached the forest, he checked to make sure no one was withing seeing distance, then shifted into Leo.
While he was in his Animagus form, he was able to use his Negative Vision, a vision that, as his Mom explained it, was the top-tier of vision enhancement available to those that had the power to do so. There was no color with this vision, as everything around him was inverted. However, this didn't take anything away. Rather, he was able to spot every detail he was able to see.
As he started to move around, going by tree after tree, he wondered how he was going to make the most out of being in his Animagus form today. Finally, after ten minutes of going through the forest, he saw his chance.
He saw a pack of wolves, around seven or eight of them, and they were all facing away from his current position, looking as if they were about to strike. He couldn't see what the wolves were concentrating on, but it didn't matter to him: He just wanted to fight the wolves.
He gave off a warning roar, to let them know of his presence, to see if they would get scared. The wolves immediately turned their heads in his direction. He then approached him, to let them who they were going to deal with if they were going to attack.
A few of the wolves were starting to back away, but the wolf centered in the pack barked a few times at them, and they stood their ground. This was the Alpha wolf, the leader of the pack and the toughest, and he was that way for a reason. He wanted to fight this wolf, to see how great of a challenge this wolf would be.
The other wolves made a half-circle around him and the Alpha wolf, and his opponent made the first move by trying to go for the bottom of his neck.
He responded by swiping at the wolf with his right paw, which went across the wolf's face and sent the wolf sprawling in the area behind it. The wolf got up and growled, but was a little more cautious now that he got a taste of his opponent's power.
The wolf tried a different approach by attacking him from the side, but he saw it coming and decided to stop dragging the fight. He pinned the wolf down by his left paw and held down its struggling head with the other paw. After that, he gripped his teeth around the wolf's neck and forced his head upward, snapping the wolf's neck.
He let go and, when the other wolves saw what had happened to their leader, ran off in the complete opposite direction.
Marcus gave off a victory roar before he shifted back to normal.
He looked upon the dead wolf and said, "Well, I guess it wasn't much of a fight. I was able to see his moves before he actually made them." He then turned his head to the left and spat as he continued, "But, I'll definitely have to brush my teeth and wash my mouth out now. The taste of wolf fur is disgusting."
He didn't take two steps in the direction of the house when he heard a voice say, "Oh, thank you so much!"
Caught by surprise, he whipped around, his vision enhanced, and found the last thing he expected to see: A house-elf.
"What the - what's a house-elf like you doing going through these woods?" he asked it.
"Blinky thought cutting through the forest would be the quickest way to the next village, sir," said the house-elf. "But, Blinky didn't notice the wolves until it was too late, sir."
"Okay, so the house-elf's name is Blinky," thought Marcus. "And why didn't you use your magic to scare the wolves away?"
"Blinky is not allowed to use magic while Blinky doesn't have a master to serve, sir," said Blinky. "That's why Blinky wanted to go to the next village as soon as possible, to find someone to serve."
"Oh, I see," said Marcus.
"And then -" the house-elf started to say, but then he took a closer look at Marcus and gasped, "You are the great Marcus Williams!" The house-elf ran next to him and shook his right hand and continued, "Blinky's life has been saved by the great Marcus Williams! Oh, sir, Blinky is in your debt!"
Marcus felt a little uneasy as he gently let go of the house-elf's hands and said, "Look, don't worry about it. Just make sure you get through this forest safely and to wherever it is you're going."
He tried to walk away when the house-elf said, "Wait, sir! Blinky has an idea! Why don't Blinky serve you, to pay back the debt Blinky owes to you, sir!"
Marcus looked back at the house-elf and said quickly, "No, no, no, no, no! I don't think that's a good idea! You really should try to find someone else!"
"Please, sir!" the house-elf begged, getting on his knees in front of Marcus. "Blinky owes you his life, sir! The least Blinky can do for you, sir, is to serve you until Blinky can't serve you no more."
Marcus looked down at the elf. His blue-eyes were watering at the edges, his floppy ears were drooping, and he just looked so sad. He felt so sorry for the house-elf and, even though he didn't even notice the house-elf before, he did save his life. Despite his better judgement, he sighed and said, "Fine. Okay, you win. How do we make this...er...official?"
"Blinky only needs your writing hand, sir," said Blinky, who looked much happier than he did a moment ago.
Marcus reluctantly stuck out his left hand and Blinky grabbed it gently with both of his hands and closed his eyes.
Marcus wasn't sure what the house-elf was doing until he saw Blinky being surrounded by a light blue aura, which started to make his way to him. Marcus then saw the light blue arua pass over his arm, proceeding to the rest of his body. Once the light blue aura surrounded his body and the house-elf, the aura sunk into his body and he started to feel weird, like his being was getting tied to the house-elf.
The feeling then went away as Blinky let go of his left hand, opened his eyes, and said, "It is done, Master."
"Oh, great," thought Marcus. "I come into these woods to spend some time in my Animagus form, and now I'll be coming back to the house with my own house-elf. What are the odds?"
He looked at the house elf and said, "Now, you obviously saw me using my Animagus powers. You cannot tell anyone about the fact that I am an Animagus and, if you feel like you're about to, you need to immediately come up with something different and believable, understand?"
"Yes, Master," said Blinky.
Marcus sighed as he said mostly to himself, "Mom and Dad shouldn't be home until later tonight. Hopefully, they won't notice." He looked at Blinky and said, "Come, Blinky, we're going back to my parent's house."
During his walk back, he didn't know how exactly to go about this situation he was in. He didn't exactly get the best first impression of an ideal house-elf owner, and he wasn't sure what the house-elf's skills were or what kind of ettiquette was practiced when having a house-elf.
Once they got back inside the house, he took Blinky to the living room and said, "All right, Blinky, what is it that you can do?"
"Blinky can do everything that Master needs done," said Blinky. "Blinky's last family made sure that Blinky was able to do everything without making mistakes."
"That's pretty vague," thought Marcus. He then said, "Okay, I'll show you around and tell you exactly how things work around here and how I work."
Marcus then spent the next two hours explaining everything the house-elf needed to ensure that he could do the jobs that comes with being a house-elf.
Once he did that, he said, "Now, I want you to dust the beverage bottles in the basement. Make sure that not one of them has a speck of dust, all right?"
"Yes, Master," said Blinky.
He then looked at the pillow case the house-elf was wearing and said, "But, first, make sure to clean what you're wearing."
Blinky bowed before disappearing with a crack, and Marcus said, "Well, now it's time for some self Quidditch practice."
He changed into his workout clothes and got his Nimbus 2001 when he heard a familiar voice saying, "Marcus, we're home!"
"What?!" Marcus thought, panicking. "Mom and Dad weren't supposed to be home for another two hours!"
Marcus bolted out of his room and down the stairs to find his Mom and Dad, hanging up their cloaks near the front door.
"Mom! Dad!" said Marcus. "What are you guys doing home early?"
"Fudge sent us home early as a reward," Michael stated. "He said that we should enjoy the rest of the day to spend time with you since being able to drop British Wizarding crimes 15% from last year."
"How generous of Fudge to do that," thought Marcus with irritation.
He didn't take one step towards them when his Dad took a quick look around and said, "Is there someone else here?"
Marcus quickly replied, "Now, what would make you ask such a question like that?"
"Because the air feels different around here," responded his Mom.
"Honestly, guys, there's no one else here," said Marcus, who was starting to get a little nervous. "Geez, the two of you are still in Auror mode. Why don't the two of you just crash on the couch, and I'll make dinner? I'm sure I can whip up some grilled steaks and sauced vegetables."
"All right, Marcus, what are you hiding?" Michael asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Marcus a little too quickly.
"You only mention our favorite dish when you want to divert our attention from the matter at hand," Michael stated. "Now, spill it, or your Mom and I will turn this house upside down."
"Crap," thought Marcus, who knew that he had miserably failed to hide his secret from his parents. They only made that particular threat when they wanted to back him into a corner.
Marcus sighed and said in a loud voice, "Blinky!"
Marcus heard a crack next to him and Blinky said, "Yes, Master?"
Marcus looked nervously at his parents and gulped at what he was seeing: His mother's lips grew very thin, looking very much like Professor McGonagall, while his father looked at him with such steely eyes that it made him cower.
"Marcus," said his Mom. "Who's this?"
"Funny you should ask," said Marcus in a nervous tone. "This is - um - Blinky. He's - uh -"
"Blinky is the master's new house-elf serving under him, sir and ma'am," Blinky finished, bowing to them, causing Marcus to facepalm himself.
"Marcus Michael Williams, explain yourself this instant," said Michael, his tone making Marcus shiver in fear.
Marcus quickly explained the event in the nearby forest, replacing what he did in his Animagus form with things he "did" in his normal form.
"So, you went into the woods to battle the wild, and you walk back out with a house-elf," stated his Mom.
"More or less," Marcus squeaked.
His father took a few deep breaths before saying, "Brynn, it's not like this happened a week ago. And, from the sound of things, he probably didn't even notice the house-elf until the wolves retreated. I think we can cut him some slack for once."
Brynn sighed before looking to Blinky said, "So, Blinky, how is your master treating you?"
"Master is treating Blinky with more kindness that Blinky expected, ma'am," said Blinky. "Master is a little unorthodox, but Blinky is learning to adjust."
Marcus then saw his mom looking at him, saying, "If your Dad and I find out that you mistreat Blinky even once, clothes will be given to him straightaway."
"Yes, Mom," said Marcus, who otherwise felt relieved. He didn't get punished, like he thought he would.
"Oh, son," said his father. "I like my steak medium-rare."
"Of course, father," said Marcus, who knew he wasn't going to get out of making their favorite dish. "Blinky, I'll need your assistance in the kitchen."
"Of course, Master," said Blinky, who followed right behind Marcus.
And, as Marcus was cooking dinner, he thought to himself, "Not even my third year of school, and I already have a weird experience under my belt. What else could possibly happen?"
And here ends the first chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Like I mentioned before, please feel free to post a review, as any input will be greatly appreciated! Unfortunately, I do have a lot of important things happening right now, so I'm not exactly sure how soon the next update will be. I will do my best to make sure it's not a month or some ridiculous time like that. Thank you for taking the time to read my series and keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path!