Disclaimer – None of this belongs to me really. I am just playing for my own amusement and hopefully that of others. Credit for the characters goes to JK Rowling. Credit for the inspiration goes to countless others too – Jbern, zArkham, fake a smile, whydoyouneedtoknow, kb0, kassien, Landstradd, s'tarkan, Vulkan…honestly the list is huge if anything I write entertains people half as much as they have me I'll be happy.
About Story – As you may spot this is the second version of this story. Last time I started with a decent idea and rushed it leaving massive holes in my wake. I'm trying to write this one slower and actually think about what I'm putting down so updates maybe slow but hopefully they won't go ape for about 3 days then stop for almost a year, on the bright side though I have got married in that time, great for me, neither here nor there for you but thought you might like to know.
As for this story, it has a pairing and it isn't Harry/Rowena. Apologies to those enjoying the last version but frankly there is too much pressure to write as well as LordAnarchy666 and his Harry Potter and the Root of All Evil with that pairing and I'm just not that confident in my writing abilities to compete.
The eyes were open but he wasn't seeing.
The feet were walking but he had no idea of their destination.
His entire being was given over to the contemplation of the words which had apparently determined the course of his life.
The one with the power to vanquish the- Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies … and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not … and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives … the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies.
It was a death sentence. He was going to die and in doing so doom the world to darkness. Worse yet, due to the delightful manipulations of the so-called Leader of the Light, he was going to die without ever truly living. Even in his state of unawareness he snorted at the thought. At least that part of the prophecy was true.
What kind of life had he actually had?
Treated like a Malfoy house elf from as early as he could remember, alternately a saviour or a pariah from the age of eleven, famous with no idea how to deal with such status, scorned with impunity by students and teachers alike. His life wasn't a life. The prophecy was right. It was surviving and even that only barely.
And now? Now he was the only hope for the world. But how could he possibly hope to win. All he had succeeded in doing tonight was getting his friends injured and his godfather killed.
A fresh wave of panic and nausea hit him. Sirius was dead. Dead because of him. The only one who ever looked out for him and him alone. Sure there was Remus but he had left him alone till third year and had barely spoken to Harry since. The Weasley's had enough to deal with with their own children without him adding to their worries. His friends had their own problems, they were just kids. They shouldn't have to deal with this. Sure he was too but his life had been mapped out before he was born. His life was destined to be like this, what right did he have to bring anyone else into it.
He collapsed against the wall falling to the floor. Tears that had been aching for release since his godfathers death finally streamed forth.
If he had spared a thought for where he was he might have been surprised to see the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy opposite him but instead all of Harry's attention was on the fact that he was truly destined to be alone.
To lead a wretched life.
To die.
Tears flowed more freely as he swayed back and forth. Why? Why him? Why could he not have anything good in his life? Even just some help along the way? Someone to actually look out for him. To put him first. To give him a fighting chance.
His next backward sway didn't hit a wall. Instead he continued backwards and overbalanced. The tears stopped abruptly in the momentary shock of his current location, sprawled out on his back, his upper body in an unknown room.
Confused he got to his feet, wiping his face on his sleeve as he did and looked about and see his location. He was surprised to find himself entering a very cosy room, the pale sandstone walls flickering, reflecting the deep orange of fire which glowed in the well-stocked grate. A deep, thick patterned rug was in front of the fire and opposite a comfortable looking sofa. Most disturbing though was the armchair opposite him, perpendicular to the fire, as sat on it was a regal looking woman. She sat, almost like royalty on a throne, her black hair falling long and thick down her back as surveyed him with hard, intelligent eyes.
"Well Mr Potter, that was not the introduction I was expecting." The woman quipped, the playful comment somewhat at odds with her appearance and shocking Harry out of his confusion.
"Who are you?" he asked warily, trying to subtly draw his wand. No one had ever been waiting for him in the Room of Requirement before.
A wry smile graced the strangers face. "So untrusting Harry?" she asked with a smirk. "Come in, close the door and sit down and I'll tell you. You have your wand out and as you can see" she held up her hands, "I am unarmed."
Cautiously, Harry closed the door before moving forward and seating himself at the edge of the sofa, as far away from the woman as possible. Her grin grew wider.
"There. Now were both comfortable." She began, looking more amused by the second. "You were outside of the Room of Requirement Harry, and it opened. Logically that means you must have been thinking of something. So, what were you thinking of?"
He was silent only for a moment, the rollercoaster of emotion and need to unburden himself overcoming his natural suspicion. "I'm not sure. I guess that I need help. I've got this job to do you see. Only I can do it but I don't know how and it would be …bad if I couldn't do it. I can't drag anyone else into it but I guess, just once, I wanted someone to look after me you know? To help me. To think of me rather than the job I have to do." He sighed unsure of where that little rant had come from.
The woman looked at him with a warm but calculating smile. "Well there is your answer. You were outside of the Room of Requirement asking for help in this 'task', the room opened and you found me here therefore logically – I must be here to help you."
Harry was unsure how far he could trust the Room of Requirement, though it had never let him down, but he couldn't fault the woman's reasoning. Without noticing he settled slightly more comfortably.
"I am a physical manifestation of Hogwarts. In this case, in the guise of Rowena Ravenclaw and I am here to give you the help you need."
Harry face turned sceptical "Really? Not to be rude but your either long dead or a building I'm not entirely sure how much help I can get from you."
"I am a building, Mr Potter, with access to a phenomenal amount of magical energy and the physical manifestation of one of the most intelligent witches to have ever lived. In actuality, I know of numerous ways to help you." Seeing his scepticism remained she continued. "I know everything that takes place within these walls Harry, I am well aware of your problem.
"I could perhaps, provide books filled with obscure magics" A vast array of full bookshelves appeared behind her stretching off into the distance. "one of which might lead to his downfall. Maybe I could use the insight I gained into Tom Riddle's mind as a student to predict possible methods for his defeat. Or possibly, possibly I could give you the time you need to train away from the hassle and pressure associated with being the Boy-Who-Lived."
Harry was alarmed by this "How?" a hint of suspicion creeping into his voice.
"Off the top of my head I could perhaps slow down time in this room to give you time to train, though your sustenance might be a problem and the continued drain on my magic might reflect on the power in the wards. I could give you a time turner, allowing you to repeat hours and days and weeks and housing you here, though of course the inherent issues with time turners make that option less appealing."
"Like the time paradoxes and ripping holes in causality and things." Harry nodded, on familiar ground from his third year.
To Harry's utter amazement Rowena snorted. "No. None of that nonsense. I'm talking about health issues. You should know very well after your escapade in third year that the things don't cause paradoxes or causality problems or any other such rubbish. Use your own brain for once. Don't parrot what others tell you."
"But Hermione said-"
"I know well what Miss Granger said and the fact that it was her who said it makes it no less wrong. Miss Granger has much knowledge and little wisdom, you would do well to learn the difference."
Harry gaped at the derogatory assessment of his best friend by the Founder. In a night of large surprises this was by no means the smallest.
Seeing the state of the young man before her Hogwarts decided to explain herself. "Harry, while Miss Granger is undoubtedly intelligent, she is by no means as sensible, as wise or as logical as she believes, or perhaps more importantly as she encourages others to believe."
Dragging himself out of his stupor Harry attempted to defend his friend. "But she's the smartest witch of the age everyone says so!"
Looking at him carefully Hogwarts answered as if she knew exactly how much the answer would shake Harry's belief system. "Miss Granger…Hermione, has an extremely high work ethic married to an excellent memory along with very fast recall. However she also has a huge inferiority complex and far too great a respect for authority, be it an adult or in written form."
Hogwarts sighed and her voice became much more stern. "Since arriving at Hogwarts, her social skills, which frankly were absolutely appalling, have vastly improved. However, her inferiority complex has led to a constant need to feel validated and has, on numerous occasions, led her to putting yourself and Mr Weasley down in order to increase her perceived necessity with her peers. While this tendency has decreased from its peak following the third year broom incident, it is still present and has most certainly hindered your own magical development."
Harry sat there flabbergasted, thoroughly shaken by the revelation while subconsciously thankful it was great enough to take his mind away from more pressing matters.
Everything that was said was true of course but that didn't make the discussion any easier for Harry to process. He could see exactly what Hogwarts was talking about, on some level he supposed he'd always known it, it was just difficult to think of Hermione as having flaws. He knew he did, he was moody, lazy to a certain extent, and had his own significant inferiority complex. Ron certainly did, he was lazier, had jealousy issues and had a massive inferiority complex of his own. He snorted. Maybe that was why they were drawn together, they all felt inferior.
Shaking his head free of his thoughts he turned back to his companion who was look at him with concern. He smiled weakly. "So I guess she was never going to be Ravenclaw then."
He was answered with a wry smile "If she knew how to deal with people she could have been the perfect Hufflepuff being phenomenally loyal and incredibly hardworking, if she let herself that is, she is also phenomenally headstrong and her bullheadedness and bravery make her more than adequate for Gryffindor." There was a moment of silence.
"Harry I don't want you to think bad of her. My aim is to encourage you to realise you are more than capable of thinking for yourself and those around you, despite their seeming wisdom are not infallible. Besides, regardless of your personal history you are now perfectly capable of testing your intellectual limits without fear of repercussions."
The shame of Harry's past caused him flush and to drop his head, he knew he had been forced to repress his intelligence throughout his early years and to a large extent it had been engrained in him. Not that he was or could be a genius by any extent of the imagination but years of not being allowed to work to his full capacity had left him almost physically incapable of doing his best.
He was startled when moments later his head was lifted by Rowena who was kneeling before him. "We all have our demons Harry. Rowena did. Godric did…Salazar certainly did. What we must do is do our best to overcome them. You have done an admirable job making friends, trying to learn social skills, going against your upbringing. You just need to go further. The Dursleys have no hold on you anymore and I can provide you with the time and…support…necessary for you to shake the last of their influence."
"How? That won't happen with a time turner?"
"No Harry. It won't. But what I can do is send you back in time to a suitable teacher. Or set of teachers."
The silence following this statement stretched on as a shocked Harry contemplated the possibilities.
"Who would be teaching me?" Despite his night and its inherent stress, Harry was struggling to stop the excitement from creeping into his otherwise wary voice.
Rowena smiled knowingly at his tone "That depends almost entirely on you. To make that decision I need to tell you some things about your family and you need to make a very important decision. It will take some time. In the meantime I have to ask Harry, are you certain this is the route you wish to take? By necessity this will take years of your life. You will be a very different person when you return. Older, more mature, with a significantly different personality. Your friends will still be the same. You will no longer relate to them. Effectively, making this decision in the affirmative will cause the breakup of your current friendships."
He lost himself in thought as the minutes passed, this was a wonderful opportunity, but it would result in the loss of his best friends. Rowena was right, nothing would be the same afterwards, and he could well be old enough to be their parents next time he met them. But it was a wonderful opportunity, maybe the best hope for winning. If it meant him sacrificing their friendship so that they didn't have to sacrifice themselves then he really couldn't be that selfish. After all the prophecy meant he had to face Voldemort, if he could protect them by separating himself from them and doing it alone he would. His mind made up he nodded at Rowena resolutely. "I want to go back."
"In that case we need to discuss potential destinations, but first we can use the power of Hogwarts for something else. It is within the power of this school to send you back with every single belonging of yours within the castle."
"So I get my Firebolt back?" interrupted Harry excitedly
"Yes you do, though that really isn't the point I'm trying to make. Harry how much do you know about what happened in Godric's Hollow, after that Halloween of course."
"Umm…nothing really."
"I thought as much, Harry, the house has been turned into a monument by the Ministry. Actually they have effectively unlawfully seized your property and you should probably do something about it. But aside from that, the attack and the subsequent backlash caused the wards to fail and left the house wide open to looters. In order to prevent the loss of your belongings, as no one could access your vaults and wards couldn't be placed on the property without the owners approval, approval you were obviously unable to give at the time, Professor Dumbledore brought all the valuables here. Most notably all your family books."
Harry looked startled at this information. He couldn't blame Dumbledore of course, not for this, though why he couldn't tell him of his property more recently he didn't know. "Just how many books are there?"
"Enough. I think there about six thousand." Rowena smiled "They focus largely on Runes, Transfiguration and a little bit of Arithmancy with a few of Charms books thrown in, including some fairly rare ones too courtesy of your mother, along with a few Potions books."
"What about Defence? If I'm going to train to defend myself I need to know that most of all." Harry exclaimed.
"That can be sorted out rather easily. With the unfortunate death of your godfather you now own Grimmauld Place and the Black Library, I can send House Elves to pack it up momentarily if you agree."
Harry nodded absentmindedly, thoughts of Sirius he had managed to suppress since the conversation started beating down on his consciousness.
Sighing Rowena out her hand to Harrys forehead and within seconds his eyes closed and he was in a deep sleep and she laid him down on the sofa.
When Harry awoke he was surprised by his location until events of the previous day returned with a vengeance.
"Harry." Momentary shock at the voice was replaced with an apologetic look at the thought he had passed out mid conversation.
"It's okay Harry. I put you to sleep. You needed it. I also took the edge off your grief with a calming draft, you need to deal with your issues as soon as possible but we do not yet have the time for that unfortunately. That said, I was able to slow down time outside this room so mere seconds have passed real-time for the seven hours of sleep you have had."
"Now we have a matter of some importance to discuss, namely when and where you will go. There are a number of factors to consider; do you want to develop the most personally, magically or intellectually. To heal your inner demons most efficiently, gain as much knowledge as possible, as much skill as possible or as much power as possible? Then there is what you will learn. What to specialize in, what are currently best at, take a chance on your family history and specialize in what have historically been Potter specialties?"
Harry's head was swimming with barely considered possibilities. "Err…what do you mean by growing personally, magically or intellectually?"
"I mean should you go to the place you are likely to get the most support so that you can become a well-rounded person and get over any issues you may have, the drawback with this of course is that your growth in terms of magical power, skill or knowledge may be stunted. Or should you go to wherever you will learn the most magic? The problem obviously being that knowing and using magic are two different things and you may not be able to deal with your issues as one might wish. Similarly you could try and gain the most skill in utilising magic or become the most powerful you can be, though of course similar drawbacks are inherent in both those paths. All of these factors must be considered.
"You could, for example, go back to before the Black Death, before much knowledge passed by word of mouth was lost. You could go back and learn from Nicolas Flamel. You could even, though I would not recommend it, go back and learn from some of your ancestors." Harry stilled "Of course wherever you go you will become more powerful, more skilled, more knowledgeable and at least have a chance to deal with your issues. The only real proviso you have is that you must have a way of getting back to the present day, the simplest being to use this room again, so going back no further than the Founders era is not recommended."
The silenced stretched on for minutes only to be interrupted by a veritable army of house elves loaded with what appeared to be thousands of books.
Taking in the sight of all the books distractedly Harry sighed "I think I need a bit of a combination. Where I can grow in knowledge and skill while trying to deal with my issues." He paused. "I know I repress a lot of my emotions but I think the way I've been brought up means I need to deal with these things myself, possibly with a little help every now and again. I'm quite independent or I think I need to be and while a little help dealing with problems would be nice, I think just somewhere I can deal with them in my own time and at my own pace without fear of any sort of scorn or slander."
Rowena just nodded, refusing to comment.
"You said something about Potter specialties? I mean I know I'm best at Defence and I should probably concentrate on that but-"
At that Rowena felt compelled to interrupt "Harry" she said quietly "could you please do something for me?" she continued at his confused nod "I want you to think, really think. What is the most impressive magic you have EVER seen. Think hard."
He took a few moments to answer. "It's close between McGonagall's Animagus transformation, Fred and George's portable swamp and the Great Hall ceiling. Then maybe the duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort. Why?"
"You'll see. Alright, with the obvious exception of the duel, do any parts of the magic mentioned come under Defence?"
"Err…No actually, not really, though an Animagus transformation could be useful I guess."
"And when you first heard about magic was your first thought about how good it could be to fight with magic?"
"No, though I did think of hexing Dudley."
Rowena gave a wry smile in response. "Harry, unfortunately you have never been able to fully give yourself over to being the best at magic you can possibly be. A combination of the teachers you've had and the situations you've encountered have led to a significant leaning towards Defence. While that's understandable it may well behove you to use this time to explore all the other aspects of yourself and your magic."
Though nodding along Rowena could tell Harry wasn't really taking in what she was saying so she tried a different tack. "Harry, the duel you saw between the Headmaster and Tom was exceptional yes?"
Harry nodded with slightly more conviction. "Well how many hexes and curses did the Headmaster use?"
The question stumped him a bit; the bit he really remembered was the animation and elemental manipulation. "I'm not sure"
Rowena smiled, "There was a significant proportion of Transfiguration and Charms wasn't there." She asked rhetorically. "Professor Flitwick is a duelling champion and a Charms master, the Headmaster is clearly a powerful and gifted duellist and a master of Transfiguration. They are excellent duellists because of their mastery of various areas of magic not because they concentrate on hexes. If you are better at Charms it's just as easy to cast a water charm followed by a freezing charm as it is an Incarcerous, the effect is the same and it affects a wider area allowing you to be less accurate. What you should be aiming for first and foremost is proficiency with all aspects of magic, from there you start to think about how to defend yourself. Actually if you look up the original Hogwarts study guides the purpose of Defence training is actually to teach discipline in using magic and not hexes or curses.
"It may well end up of course that you have an affinity for hexes and curses or shields or some other aspect of fighting using magic, however a thorough and balanced approach to your studies, perhaps with a leaning towards things that interest you rather than things you are forced to learn would stand you in good stead. Then, if it does turn out that Defence truly is your forte, you will still have a thorough grounding in practical magic to fall back on."
Taking a moment to let her comments sink in, Rowena paused. "Harry, you asked about the Potter specialities, or affinities to give them their more correct term. Traditionally Potters are not fighters, they are adept at Earth based magic, you come from a long line of craftsmen and women Harry, sculptors and artisans, sometimes with magic, sometimes without so the Potter library largely focuses on Runes and Transfiguration. Due to the uses of Runes in Warding and Enchanting a few interesting and obscure Charms, Defence and Arithmancy tomes are also in the library.
"But of course we must take into account your mother, and she was gifted across the board she was not noticeably more adept at Defence than anything else, in fact her own affinities were for Charms and Potions. While historically the Evans affinities have obviously not been around as long, only the single generation, they make up half of your 'magical identity' for lack of a better term and neither half is especially noted as Defence prodigies, not that they were not gifted, they defied Mr Riddle after all." Hogwarts was silent for a moment as she let the young man have a moment to understand her words.
"Really we are forced to ask the question again is Defence actually your best subject or has your time in the magical world simply led you to focus your talents in that direction?"
Harry sat in stunned silence. Why had no one ever spoken to him of this before? Transfiguration was in his blood. He knew his Dad was good but apparently all Potters were. Runes and Arithmancy? Where had that come from? More importantly why didn't he know?
Then there was the bit about what he had actually wanted when he first joined the magical world. It wasn't fighting. It was things like the ceiling of the Great Hall or becoming an animagus, or even just making things move without touching them. He was excited by practical magic and somewhere along the way he had been forced to focus on life or death situations.
"I think" he started cautiously "I'd like to focus on getting as much skill with magic as possible. I know I'll never be as powerful as Voldemort but if I have time to train I could be more skilful.
"If possible I'd like to be in an environment where I can deal with my problems safely and in my own time, and where I can be taught practical magic focussing on the Potter affinities like Runes and possibly Enchanting. If it turns out I'm best at Defence then I still have all the Black books to learn from and really almost all wanded magic is Charms so getting as much practical experience with that as possible is bound to help anyway. I reckon I might be okay at Potions but frankly, Snape has put me right off it so I don't mind not concentrating on that so much. If I can get some good tutoring in Transfiguration that would be excellent but of the two Charms covers more so if it's a choice I'd prefer to cover that."
Not giving any indication of her thoughts on his decision Rowena responded "So to be clear, you wish to go back to gain as much magical skill as possible, in a supportive environment but one in which you are encouraged to be independent. Your primary focus you wish to be on the practical application of magic. Given your history with Potions and Potions teachers this means a leaning towards Charms as they have the most practical uses, and Runes due to the Potters historical affinity for them."
Harry just nodded at the assessment.
"In that case I believe it would be best to send you back to the year 932AD and the area around Glen Coe in the Scottish Highlands to study with the Enchantress Leola Ravenclaw and her Spell Crafter and Magic Theorist daughter Rowena."
A gobsmacked Harry looked at Rowena with awe as she sat there with a wry, knowing smile. "So I'll learn from you and your Mum?"
"Not me no, the real Rowena and more importantly her mother Leola."
"Why you two? Why not Godric? Or Helga? Or the Flamels?"
"Godric is, was sorry, a Transfiguration master with a gift for battle magic and physical pursuits. However, he has little to no experience with Runes or Charms or many other magics in point of fact. Being of noble birth he and Salazar were taught little of the more practical aspects of magic beyond the specific family secrets. Salazar, as you might have guessed given his parselmouth gift, was a master of dealing with various magical creatures, the ability to talk to snakes carrying over to an affinity for a range of animals. He was also a master of a variety of battle magic far beyond anything even Godric knew. In conjunction with the fact that both were highborn making it difficult for you to manufacture at a suitable cover story for your arrival and presence in their life, your time would be used more wisely away from them. As for Helga there are a number of reasons as to why Helga couldn't teach you. Among other things though she had a natural ability with some Charms and was a natural warder, she had little knowledge of Runes, her predominant skill was with Potions and it was almost entirely self-taught. Rowena's mother on the other hand was a Rune master and Charms enthusiast while Rowena's father" Harry was shocked at the way she almost spat the word "gifted her with a thirst for the theoretical application of magic. Between the pair of them your knowledge, understanding and skill with using magic should increase exponentially."
"And what about dealing with my problems. And why is it pretty obvious I was going to go back to you and the time of the Founders?"
"To answer the second question first, you were always going to go back to a point in time where, at some point, you could use the Room of Requirement to return and given that the Founders were so intimately involved in my creation I naturally know more of what they could teach you." Harry nodded that was understandable. "Had you wanted to learn more about Potions or Transfiguration or any other subject I may well have sent you to be among the earliest students or as you say, the Flamel's. As it is Leola will be by far the best to teach you Runes and Charms and introduce you to the art of Enchantments.
"As for your personal growth" she paused looking slightly pained. "The time you will be sent back to is rather difficult one for the family you will join so you should be able to deal with your problems together. Leola and Rowena were of noble birth but had just been kicked out of the family home. There was an attempted rape of Rowena by one of her uncles. Leola intervened and her husband kicked her out rather than support her against one of his allies. To muddy the waters even further, Leola's father, Rowena's grandfather refused to stand up for her either. Rowena's father did all he could to show his disgust and kicked them out of the family home and disowned Rowena, forcing her and her mother to take a new name.
"The family have many problems of their own to deal with leaving you time and space to deal with yours. However if you do get through to them, which will take time due in no small part to their former station, they will understand some of your pain.
"At this point in time, the pair are borderline destitute, being put up by the kindness of two of Rowena's uncles on her father's side who themselves were kicked out of the family for being squibs. Gerhalt had managed to steal enough money from the family to pay for his own apprenticeship as a smith and is just starting out on his own. Hector on the other hand tried his hand at carpentry and despite his natural gift for it preferred his time in the woods, tending the trees and animals as well as hunting game.
"You can offer a number of things for their services, both for teaching you, and as a lodger; money, access to the books you brought back and tutoring in Transfiguration and Defence. Since you would also be imposing on Gerhalt and Hector it might also be a good idea to offer some time to work with them in the forge or in the woods. Such endeavours would certainly help you physically. I also know that the pair would be able to teach you weapon handling if you cultivate a good relationship with them.
"Perhaps the best thing you could do though, using the Potter books you might well be able to use their historic affinity for stonework to branch into masonry and build them a home."
A glimmer of suspicion was growing within Harry. "It seems like they are getting rather a lot just for my being there. Let's see you suggest money, knowledge, labour and a new home. I get knowledge. That doesn't seem like the greatest trade to me. Are you sure you're not 'looking out for one of your own' and taking advantage of me?"
He was answered by an amused snort. "Harry, with very few exceptions, everyone is looking to get something from someone else. Salazar was very right in that regard. But looking logically about what the Ravenclaw's get. Firstly money; you're taking money back anyway, the value of the galleon is much greater then, you can give some to the Ravenclaw's put some in the bank, leave it till you get back here and collect 1000 years of interest, the whole scheme won't cost you anything but will make you a fortune instead. Secondly knowledge; you will be taught by the foremost Enchanter and Magical Theorist in the world, in exchange you can offer access to a reasonably sized private library and what, if you don't learn quickly, will be the Defence and Transfiguration knowledge of a slightly above average fifth year student. Thirdly labour; the physical labour with Gerhalt and Hector will almost certainly improve your physique and conditioning and in exchange for your help you may well get weapons training, besides the adage healthy body healthy mind can be extended to include healthy magic. Exercise is a necessity for any magic user. In terms of building the house you are going to attempt to learn Potter magics anyway, the project will require significant practical use of Charms, Runes and Arithmancy and, if you are found to be capable of it, Transmutation, it will do you good to have something to aim for and to put your practical skills to good use. Besides where exactly do you think you are going to live and work during your stay? The house will be your home too."
Somewhat sheepishly now Harry looked at Rowena. "I guess that's pretty fair then"
"Indeed"
"What was that about learning Transfiguration and Defence quickly?"
"In the time you will go back to Harry there are a number of … issues, issues which will only resolve themselves with the founding of Hogwarts and the standardisation of a magical curriculum. For example, Transfiguration is a secret known only to certain families. Many of course have tried to copy it, some have even succeeded but most pay it little regard, for the simple fact that, compared to Charms, or even Curses, Jinxes and Hexes, changing one thing into another is an extremely small branch of magic. That of course overlooks the huge variety of things that one could do with such magic. At the founding of Hogwarts Godric went against his family and taught the subject to the masses, knowing full well, from Rowena's observations, that it is the most effective way to teach certain aspects of practical magic.
"Offensive and Defensive magic on the other hand had long been held up as a male only subject. The example of Morgana Le Fay used as an illustration that women are easily corrupted by such magic and it should remain a strictly male area. As such, neither of the Ravenclaw females know any Transfiguration or Defensive magic and so you can offer to teach them. While you have a little experience teaching Defence and provided you continue to read up on the subject there is no reason to believe that you would not be able to teach the pair the subject adequately, unfortunately the same cannot be said of your abilities in Transfiguration. As previously discussed this is in no small part due to both your upbringing and the need for you to focus on Defence. Your practical Transfiguration skills are certainly inadequate for the task of teaching two of such prodigious intellect as Leola and Rowena Ravenclaw. I would highly recommend you read two passages from different books, the first on the nature of spellcasting in the book Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling and the second an old Hogwarts prospectus from the 1300's which is in the Black library. They will tell you much about the nature of magic, and what you need to do in order to improve your skills. Following this you would do well to concentrate on relearning much of your previous teachings before you begin to teach Transfiguration."
Unsure quite what to make of the frank and somewhat disparaging appraisal of his current level Harry sat in silence.
"I do not mean to discourage you Harry. You, like a number of others, have it in you to be among the greatest magic users to have graced these halls but your past has given you much to overcome and the onus is entirely on you to do so."
Doing his best to take in her advice Harry slowly steeled himself for the next few minutes and the impact they would ultimately have on his life.
"Right, before I go is there any other advice you can give me? Oh and exactly how am I going to transport all of these books?"
"The books and other belongings can go in a trunk" A beautiful dark mahogany trunk appeared with dark metallic fastenings and five circles of the same dark metal in a row on its front. "The trunk has five compartments. The first being perfect for clothing, the second for various odds and ends, at the moment that includes your broom as well as various photos and such. The third and fourth are the Potter and Black libraries respectively and the fifth…the fifth contains the basilisk corpse. It is yours by right and if will be of great use if you follow the path of the enchanter, alternatively it is worth a fortune if properly sold. The compartments are bonded to your blood and magical signature, just place your thumb against one of the five plates for whichever compartment you require.
"As for advice I would recommend that you write a number of books. A diary of your time would help you to both understand and deal with your problems. It would also help acclimatise to the time period and might well prove an interesting historical document. I would also recommend writing books for various magics you come across both the ones you successfully cast, and the ones you come across during your research that you do not wish to forget before you can learn them.
"I would also strongly advise you to open up to Leola Ravenclaw and do whatever it takes to get her on your side. She is a strong and determined woman, she is also very proud and it will not be easy to sway her. However, she can also be very compassionate when the mood takes her, your story will gain her sympathy just tell her all of it." She looked pointedly at him.
"Finally, I wish to give you an important gift," she held up a chain and pendant made from the same metal as the trunk fastenings and a purple pearl. "This amulet and the five like it, are in your case, they interpret the intention behind words, whether in spoken or written form, allowing you to communicate with any sentient creature and read and understand any written work."
She handed it to Harry who held it with reverence. "It is of course priceless. But unfortunately necessary if you are to communicate with your hosts."
"H-how did you get it?" his voice was almost a whisper as he was struggling to come to terms with the power he could feel emanating from the pendant.
"The six of them were actually in the Potter house. From what I can tell, they are rather ancient family heirlooms of yours."
"So I actually really own these things?"
"You do yes. One of your non-Potter ancestors was himself an enchanter of some note."
Realising there was little left to say he put on the pendant and tucked it beneath his shirt. "Right, what do I have to do?"
The room adapted again and an odd sunken area appeared at the behind Rowena's armchair. At its centre was a chalk circle surrounded by a plethora of Runes. Harry had never taken Runes so had few points comparison but he had never seen an array so complex. As he dragged the trunk over to the circle he could feel the magic in the atmosphere in the same way he could feel it rolling off the pendant. Obviously the magic didn't feel the same but it seemed to be a similar level of power. Harry wasn't sure whether he was surprised by how powerful the pendant was as it required the same power as a ritual to send him back over 1000 years or whether to be concerned the ritual required the same level of power as an amulet which allowed him to talk to any person or magical creature in the world. To have that much magic involved was definitely cause for concern, one minor error with that much magic would certainly kill him, that said, it wouldn't be at the hands of Voldemort so he probably wouldn't die. Maybe there was an advantage to the prophecy after all.
Settling himself in the centre of the circle he looked again at the manifestation of Rowena who was observing him a warm smile. It looked oddly out of place on her face but the effect was to turn the regal woman from strikingly beautiful to an object of awe.
"Good luck Harry Potter. I will not say make your parents proud, as you owe it to yourself and yourself alone to be the best you can be."
With her words the magic in the air seemed to dissipate but Harry could see that instead it was going into charging the runic circle. The white chalk was beginning to glow. Seconds past and the circle was now an ethereal blue, he could feel both the magic and heat from the runes as the charged gathered. The blue glow was getting darker before with a flash and a cry of pain Harry found himself thrown to the ground from his position by his trunk, the smell of burnt leaves meeting him on the way down. He briefly observed he appeared to be in a deeply forested area but by the point he had gathered in this information, he felt the cold sharp threat of metal at his throat.