Leaving it all Behind
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter except a copy of the books. No, the honour belongs to Ms JK Rowling. Nor do I own the game series of Final Fantasy. Squaresoft does, less I be mistaken.
Summary: Harry knew about the horcruxes when he is faced with betrayal. Fleeing, he enters a new school. If he has to die then he will drag the SOB Voldemort with him. Facing death, Harry leaves it all behind. HPxOMC AU!4567!
Inspiration: Go read Bloody Skies by Toki Mirage. It is simply brilliant! And Miranda Flairgold! Geniuses I tell thee! I bow to them and Ms Rowling! Some magic is inspired by the Final Fantasy games.
Beta-d by: Skyflyte12, 23/5/10
Thank her! She is awesome!
Note 1: Okay, what is up with this? I got like ten reviews and like 120 story alerts. I'm flattered but I would love to know what you think about the story and how to improve my writing technique. I write on impulse and nothing in this story is planned. Feedback is loved! And this is one Hell of a long chapter! 13000 words! Don't I deserve it?
Note 2: To those that did review, thank you! I am so happy that everyone liked the idea of the story! And yes, Harry will be the 'bottom' but not totally submissive. He will hold his own but sometimes, when you're strong all the time, it's nice to have someone hold you and protect you. One does not have to be strong all the time.
Note 3: I hope everyone likes how I changed Harry's appearance. I love his eyes but they are too obvious so I draw attention away from the green. Harry is not supposed to look like Harry; only if you know it's him will you see the similarities. His hair, as I see it, is a cross between Sephiroth from Final Fantasy 7 and Riku from Kingdom Hearts. * Drool. *
Note 4: Last one I swear! Okay, when Harry looks like Harry I will call him Harry. If Harry looks like his alter form I will call him Salus. Harry is OCish as he is basically shoving all his emotions aside to deal with later. In the fact he will be doing things he didn't think of before. And there is lot of random craziness; mostly based off things that happened to me. I always said if I had to know I was dying with no hope, I would live life with no more regrets. So that's what Harry's doing. Yes, I do have morbid thoughts...
Chapter 1
"Make me a Soldier, Lord.
By all of man's hopes and fears"
-WN Hodgson
The days blurred for Harry as he lived in his chambers in the heart of Hogwarts. He eagerly awaited the response from Shakti. It was his only option. On a brighter note, it gave him time to prepare for the entrance tests he would have to take if Shakti took him. If they didn't, then he would need all the knowledge he could get to defeat the snake-faced bastard anyway.
"Harry?" came the quiet voice from behind him, causing him to jump slightly. Turning, Harry smiled at the figure of Helga. The blonde woman was a gentle spirit.
…Unless you provoke her temper, like Salazar does. Then she becomes a demon that even Lucifer himself would listen to.
Harry frowned as he took in her sad and apprehensive expression. In her hand she held a letter and Harry's heart skipped a beat.
"Harry, after you read the letter from Shakti, I must tell you of the results from the tests we did on your bonds." She said, her eyes serious and slightly mournful. Harry sighed and nodded. With a look like that it couldn't be good news. But he was Harry-bloody-Potter; of course nothing ever goes right for him. Fate's a bitch.
Taking the letter, Harry peeled back the seal, and felt his magic tingle in response to the recognition spell. He grinned. This was definitely the school for him. Paranoid and magic focused. Sitting back down at his desk, Harry sent a silent prayer up to whatever high order fucked up his life.
'You owe me one so let this happen!'
~0~0~0~
Mr S. Moriens,
As Headmaster, I hereby give my permission for you, as the Keeper of the Four Founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, to take the entrance exams for Shakti, School of Power on the 17th of September 10AM, Earth date and time. Should you still desire to enter Shakti, return the acceptance letter herein and further information will be provided.
Looking forward for your correspondence,
Xeroz Killiante
Headmaster and Holder of the Wards, Shakti.
~0~0~0~
Harry stared. His brain finally connected the dots. He had permission to take the tests! He whooped and jumped in excitement. This was a whole new start! This was-
"Harry," Helga's voice interrupted his happy dance. Harry turned to see her smile as he smiled sheepishly.
"We need to talk."
~0~0~0~
To: Headmaster X. Killiante
I, Salus Moriens, accept the offer to undertake the entrance testing of Shakti. I understand that any and all injuries, life threatening or not, even death, is the responsibility of myself alone.
I've chosen to follow the "Warriors Path" as my course unit.
Looking forward to meeting you,
S. Moriens.
~0~0~0~
For the following weeks Harry studied up on the subjects that the entrance test would be based on. He was rather late in joining and would be entered in the levels he performed. For Harry, that meant he would have to catch up in certain subjects he wished to take, which were Defence, Transfiguration, Potions (thank Salazar) and Charms. He had to pick up Offense (dark magic), Healing, Runes, Death Magic, Blood magic and Summoning. He would need to test to see of he had an affinity for the last three subjects, but he thought that it would be best to be prepared ether way. The only problem was that he was still struggling with the bloody Mind Arts; he just couldn't shield his mind! He also couldn't organise it, not to mention that he had difficulty finding the damn thing in the first place!
That had been good for a laugh. He had literally lost his mind...
But the conversation with Helga replayed in his mind. Harry swallowed and forced away that feeling. His fists clenched.
They had sealed his fate. Their ritual had worked. His Bonds, despite everything that the Founders were trying, were weak. Helga's still voice echoed in his ears:
"Harry, I would say that you have three, maybe four years at the most before the bonds break completely. I'm truly sorry."
Three years until his death. Three years, no matter what magic he used or how often he used it. Three fucking years, no matter what he tries, he would die. Well, unless a fucking miracle came along – un-bloody-likely, considering.
To the darkened room, emerald eyes blazed. "Three years and Voldemort is being dragged to Hell. If I have to go down, I'm taking him down with me," he swore.
~0~0~0~
Rowena's astral projection floated into the room that the Founders had given Harry. Looking around, she saw that the room was filled with many books on different subjects, most of them from her private collection and the restricted section of the Hogwarts' Library. Some, she knew, Harry had outsourced through his goblin friends.
Rowena found it truly strange how much those little green warriors liked the emerald eyed boy. In fact, during the past week, they had offered the services of their healers. Now that was an honour. Harry had an appointment with said healers tomorrow. Rowena hummed to herself as she looked around for the black-haired wizard.
She paused. There was no black-haired wizard in the room. But there was a ... silver haired boy?
"Harry?" she asked attentively. Even his magic seemed different. It had a wild edge to it.
Emerald-sapphire eyes met hers. They were very similar to Harry's, but there was a ring of blue on the outer edge of his iris. The blue faded into shocking green, the contrast being eerily beautiful. His silver hair was straight and long with wispy ends but, looking closely, she could see tones of blue in it with the ends dipped in dark blue, drawing attention away from the green in his eyes and putting emphasis on the blue outer edges. His face was refined, with just a hint of sharpness. The boy didn't look like Harry unless you knew his original identity. He was stunning, but by no means would he be mistaken for a girl. His body build was slender and more muscled than what his original body had been. And taller. More of the average height for his age.
"Well technically, it's Salus, Rowena," he replied with a smirk. Pink lips were stretched. His lips weren't pouty or thin or red. Just normal lips. Rowena stared. He raised an eyebrow back at her.
"You know you could have made yourself into the perfect male being using that potion," was all she said bluntly.
Harry, er, Salus sighed. "That is not the point. I have no interest in that," he said, a light blush covering his cheeks. Between Cedric who died, Cho who confused him and Ginny who scared him with her obsession, he had no desire to pursue anything like that. Especially now... "I just wanted to look different but not give up my heritage."
Rowena merely smirked as she nodded. "You took on the Black Family's blue eyes. I daresay that your build is more of the Potter family, although I do wonder why you didn't grow into that."
Salus winced. "I didn't have the best of childhoods, Rowena. Is there something I can help you with?"
Rowena shook her head; black curls shifting with the motion. Despite everything, the boy was still an enigma to them. He trusted, but only to an extent. Then again, he had had his trust broken so many times...
"I came to see how you are faring with your studies. Those two brutes just like fooling around and Helga is somewhat of a worrywart, so I came to offer my help," Rowena said with a faint smile.
Salus smiled at her tiredly. He had really stepped up his game. If it hadn't been for the gift from the Four, he doubted he would have managed. "I'm good with Transfiguration and Salazar drilled Potions into me to such a degree that Snape would have a heart attack upon seeing my level of skill. In Defence, I'm just expanding my knowledge. And Helga has been helping me with Charms and Healing. I've read all that I can with Blood and Death magic but Hogwarts doesn't offer anything to help me learn that, so I'm going to ask the Goblins for help. There's almost nothing I can find on Summoning, but that's an elective so I'm good. I was actually going to ask you to help me with Runes, though."
Rowena sighed as she joined him at his desk. It was going to be a long night, seeing as Salus had never taken Runes as a subject before.
~0~0~0~
Harry walked into Gringotts as Salus. He grinned at the new found freedom that being anonymous brought, although he raised an eyebrow when he was stopped by ministry officials looking pompous in red robes.
"Name and business?" the stout man asked in a bored tone.
"Moriens. Salus Moriens. I'm visiting the bank." Harry replied in a 'well duh' tone of voice. The ministry official sneered at him.
"Well, Mr Moriens. If you would walk through the scanner..."
Harry frowned but shrugged. This would be an interesting test of the potion. The Four had tried to prove that he was Harry while being Salus, using every spell and potion that they could think of. They had failed. Salus walked through the device and nothing happened.
The official frowned but waved him off. Harry had to ask; "Why are you scanning people, anyway?"
The official looked at him like he was an idiot. "We are searching for the fugitive Harry Potter. He has been charged with treason and needs to be brought in for the safety of Magical Britain."
Harry nodded before walking towards a free teller. The goblins did not look happy by this turn of events.
"Greetings, warrior and defender, I'm here to see Bloodknife, son if Lastsword," he told the goblin at the counter quietly. The goblin in question merely nodded, though his eyes showed how shocked he was, and gestured Harry to follow him. Another goblin took the first's place, and Harry followed him deeper into the bank than he had ever been before, passing several high security doors and armed guards along the way. Finally they stopped and entered a room.
Stepping into the room, white assaulted Harry and he grimaced. Hospital Room. He hated the colour white. Did no one ever realise that too much white might actually drive someone to insanity? Huh, now there's a thought. Stick Voldemort in a white room and let him kill himself. Why couldn't the room be a nice blue? Hell, he would even settle for cream!
Harry was pulled out of his mental mumblings by the entrance of Bloodknife who grinned at him. Harry grinned back, throwing back his hood, eliciting a look of appraisal from the goblin.
"Nice new look, Mi'lord," was all the little green man said. Harry smirked, "Think it hides me well enough?"
The goblin nodded as he rolled his eyes, "Come along, Lord Moriens. Stop stalling. It won't get you out of your appointment with the Healer."
Harry chuckled but followed reluctantly, leaving a shocked, low-ranking goblin by the door.
'Was a human just joking with Bloodknife?' Swordsmith wondered as he watched the ill-matched pair walk away. '…And did Bloodknife just joke back? I must be drunk...'
Meanwhile Harry had discovered that while Madam Pomphrey may have been strict and a nightmare, she had nothing on goblin healers. Or at least, she had nothing on Healer Killjoy. Yes, Healer Killjoy. Harry had to bite his lip as he wondered if the goblin knew what his name meant in the muggle world.
But he was a killjoy. He took one look at Harry before promptly asking Harry to drop the disguise so that he could take a look at the damage. Harry quickly shifted into his natural form, eyeing the vicious look the healer held. Bloodknife said that he was the best so Harry had requested him. Now, he was having second thoughts.
Killjoy sighed as he took in the short, thin stature of the human in front of him. He knew that that human was one Lord Harry James Potter-Black, Heir of Hogwarts. The young man was too pale and too small and yet, as a healer, he could feel the young Lord's power pressing against a barrier, bursting to get free. Killjoy frowned.
"Well," Killjoy finally said as he turned to Bloodknife, "the only thing that went right is the fact that the piece of Riddle's soul was destroyed. The rest I can work with, hopefully."
Harry gulped as the two goblins chuckled. Their laughter raised the hair on the back of Harry's neck.
~0~0~0~
Eighteen hours later, Harry was allowed out of the bank with the condition that her return for another appointment in two days time. He had been poked, prodded and gotten more potions stuffed down his throat than he cared to remember. He may never regain his poor taste buds.
The harsh years under the Dursley's 'tender' care had been mostly undone. Any injuries and scars he'd sported had been removed, and the few breaks in his bones had been re-broken and properly set. Thank Merlin that he had been asleep for those. Although Harry would still need to take nutrient and various other potions to correct his growth to what it should have been he would now grow, only not nearly as much as he would have naturally. Even so, Harry would take what he could get.
And the fantastic part of the Fallis Potionta was that any growth would be represented in his alternative form as well. He might actually reach 6 feet!
But it seemed that some good had come out of his... upbringing. Harry's magic, it seemed, had developed an instinctive defence over the years. It was apparently how he survived despite the beatings and the lack of food. It was also why he found DADA so easy and how, when he really needed to master a complicated spell (eg. the Patronus), he managed to do so despite his age and bound magic. And that was also why he found it more difficult to do some spells as he had little fine control over said magic.
Killjoy had called it a rare case of 'Instinctive Magic'. That, and the Fallis Potentia potion had caused some unexpected changes and side-affects. The potion was brewed using Wild Magic. In essence, Harry's magic saw that as a way to defend itself and had absorbed the Wild magic, enhancing its instinctive properties. This explained his sudden aptitude for Healing Magic and the Dark Arts.
What that all meant was that subconsciously, Harry was always protecting himself and his magic was reacting to that one wish. It was also why, though Harry could do wandless magic, he couldn't master the mind arts. The normal approach towards mastering the Art would never work for him. He did not have the absolute control over his magic that most wizards had over theirs, and would never achieve it.
Flooing back to Hogwarts, Harry collapsed into bed and sighed in pleasure at the soft mattress. The feeling was simply luxurious. Lying limp, Harry merely opened his one eye when he heard a throat cleared.
"Lo Ro," was all he said as he lay there. Rowena rolled her eyes and waited expectantly.
"Yes, I went to the healer. Yes he helped me. I'm going back in two days time for one last check up and to pick up my potions. And yes, you guys were right about my magic being bound."
Rowena sighed and stroked his forehead before gesturing to the bed. Harry found himself changed and under the covers as the room dimmed. He sighed his thanks as he burrowed under the covers, hiding from the world for the night.
His powers had been bound when he was a child. It was not an uncommon practise to do so for a powerful wizarding child; there was always a chance of the magic hurting its charge or hurting the people around the babe. But the bindings were strengthened and increased when he had been placed at the Dursleys. Maybe understandable, as he was going to have to live in the Muggle world and keep the secret of magic among them.
But his powers had been bound again in his first and third years at Hogwarts. And Madam Pomphrey, as a Healer, would have recognised it as soon as she examined him. Just like Killjoy had known.
Dumbledore betrayed him. That Harry had understood and come to terms with. The betrayal was bitter as Dumbledore had pretended to care and now Harry had proof that he never did. Those bindings had Dumbledore's magical signature all over them.
But Madam Pomphrey… she was a healer and Harry had trusted her. He felt sick thinking about how his healer could stand by and let this be done to him. He had always thought that she had morals and believed in them; she was a healer and she took the vows. But she had allowed his magic to be bound.
Magic that had tried to break free during the ritual. Most of it had broken the bindings to fight off the ritual's magic and Harry had not had access to all of his magic before today. For once, he felt complete as his heart pumped. His skin tingled and his magic stirred as it explored his surrounds like a curious child. Harry smiled into the pillow as his magic washed the room and mingled with the ancient force that was Hogwarts.
But if Harry had been able to access all of his magical potential during the ritual, would probably be fine right now. His bonds wouldn't be breaking and he wouldn't have a time limit.
Pushing the thoughts out of his head, Harry drifted into a restless slumber...
~0~0~0~
"Salazar," Harry said suddenly as the astral projection entered the room, "I need your help."
The green eyed black haired wizard nodded and made his way to the desk his young charge was using.
"How may I be of service? I am fairly sure that you are more than ready for your potions test," he replied.
Harry sighed as he turned to face the man, "I need to master occlumency, and I figured out why your way wasn't working."
Salazar sighed and nodded for him to continue, "The healer said that my magic has developed into 'Instinctive Magic' which was enhanced by the Fallis potion. I couldn't do it before, but maybe there is another way to hide my mind?"
Salazar stared at the boy. "Instinctive magic?"
Harry nodded, and bit his lower lip.
"We can work with that, if it is strong enough," Salazar. With that they began to work on Harry's mind defences.
~0~0~0~
Time passed rather quickly and Harry's nerves were shot by the time September 16th rolled around. The school had been opened on the 1st of September and Harry had felt a pang of sadness when he realised that he hadn't been in the Great Hall for the Opening Feast. He also discovered that the security of the school had been stepped up.
Salazar had charmed the one wall in Harry's chambers to be able to show him what was happening around the castle. Harry had sat on his bed with a bucket of popcorn resting on his lap and watched the Sorting as the Founders kept him company. They had great fun yelling out what house each first year would be sorted into before the Hat could call it out, and throwing popcorn at the image of Dumbledore.
Though, it was Dumbledore's speech that had made him see red. The old man had stated that Harry was dangerous and obviously going dark as he had fled from the 'war efforts'. It was surprisingly Draco Malfoy whom snorted and said rather loudly that he too would run if the side that he had been helping decided that he should be killed for having too much power.
That landed him detention and Slytherin in negative points. The Snake house shrugged it off and merely agreed with Malfoy as Blaise Zabini added that, "Maybe Potter had some Slytherin in him after all. It was right smart to get out when he did."
And there went another fifty points. Malfoy snorted.
"Well, when the so called good guys turn on one of their own you wonder why no one wants to support them," Parkinson threw in as she smirked defiantly up at the head table. Many of the professors looked away uncomfortably.
That cost them two Hundred points, a month of detention, and questioning by Aurors about being on the dark side. Harry had laughed his arse off and Salazar had a proud glint of light in his eyes. Even if they did it just to rub salt in old wounds.
~0~0~0~
With Hogwarts already in term, Harry made his way to Diagon Alley as Salus. He had one last item to get: a wand. He had mastered wandless (bloody founders were cruel taskmasters) magic by now, but it was always a good idea to keep that under wraps just in case. Plus, he would just feel better if he had a wand on hand.
He moved quickly through the alley and the scanners at the entrance. Feeling curious eyes on him, Salus slipped into the book store and browsed. He picked up a handful of books, paid and left. Walking across the street, Salus let out a subtle pulse of magic to sense if anyone was still staring or following him. He found no one as he entered the apothecary. Again, he merely browsed and picked up replacements for what little ingredients he had used.
Pulling on a dark blue cloak over his muggle jeans and shirt, Salus made his way to the only wand supplier in Britain: Ollivanders. Quickly and quietly he entered the store and waited. Ollivander stepped out of the shadows.
"And you are...?" he asked, face polite but eyes narrowed.
"Salus Moriens. I will be attending Shakti and I need a focus."
Ollivander stared at him and Salus squashed the urge to shuffle his feet and stare at the ground.
"Very well," Ollivander said, and gestured to follow him, "As a Shakti student you will need a custom wand."
They entered the back room and Salus stared at the amount of raw materials lined up in rows on the shelves. Woods, stones, hairs, liquids, solids... Everything you could ever need to make any wand.
"Normal wands made are just wands that feel right and are compatible with the larger populations. You, however, will need a focused wand that is bonded to you alone. As such, I want you to browse my ingredients and find what calls to you. The outcome depends on the materials you choose and the amount of them. You may end up with a wand, a staff, or even a gem focus; there are many possible mediums, one of which will be more suited to you. You may finish with one focus or more." Ollivander explained.
Salus nodded and moved down the aisles, picking what called to him. He found that if an object called to him, he couldn't walk away without it nor could be pick any other item until he picked up the one that was calling. His magic was reacting to the ambient magic in the objects.
Finishing, he laid the items on the table in front of Ollivander. Three types of woods, all dark. Two vials of substances that looked like a venom and blood. All up, he ended up with one hair, one heartstring in a jar, and a handful of these strange black gem stones that were no bigger than half an inch in diameter.
Ollivander stared at the objects before grumbling. "Bloody Shakti students never pick the easy stuff..."
Salus raised an eyebrow.
"Mr Moriens. You have enough items for two wands. I daresay that it is quite a combination you have chosen. Return in two hours and they will be ready."
And Salus was promptly kicked out. He stared at the door, not quite sure of what had just happened. Ollivander had always been a little bit batty, but it was a well known fact that wand makers safeguarded their family's techniques with their life. But the man didn't even tell him what he had chosen. As a wand maker, Ollivander was bound by the oaths of his trade to never reveal what his wand was made of to anyone else. Unless the customer allows it or the oaths break due to the actions of the customer themselves.
Shrugging, Salus exited Diagon Alley quickly and made for muggle London. He was taking quite the chance by trusting Ollivander. There was little doubt in Salus' mind that the old man would figure out, if he didn't know already, whom Salus really was. But wand makers were always neutral in war.
Walking through the Leaky Cauldron, Salus slipped his cloak off and shrunk it. Slipping it into his pocket, Salus stepped out into muggle London and decided to do some shopping. Robes were good and all but nothing beat a pair of nice jeans.
Walking through the streets garnered him a few weird looks but he brushed them off. His hair would do that to most normal people. He had to suppress a snort. He wasn't normal.
Walking past a shop, Harry paused and stared. It was called 'Gothika' and sold black clothing. Lots of black clothing and leather. Salus eyed it for a moment before shrugging and entering.
'Why not?' he thought to himself with a grin as he entered the store and eyed the clothing. Walking around, he grabbed a few pairs of baggy-but-not-falling-off black cargos and ripped jeans. He also picked up a pair that had a dragon spray painted on before he hovered by the leather rack. Feeling daring, he picked up a few pairs of those before hitting the changing rooms.
Finally discovering his size and finding the appropriate pants, Salus dumped the clothing by the counter. The girl looked up startled before glaring at him. He just smirked cheekily.
"Sorry. I'll leave these here while I check out some other things," Salus said. The girl rolled her eyes and nodded before returning to her magazine. "Sure. Whatever."
Salus shrugged her off and eyed some shirts. Picking a couple, mainly ones with rude comments on the front, he tried them on. Taking his sizes, he made his way to the counter to find the girl being chewed out by someone who must have been her boss.
"I apologise for her behaviour," the man turned around, speaking to Salus who dropped his arm load of clothes on the counter, "She doesn't work here and is just covering for my sick employee."
Salus grinned at the black haired, brown eyed man dressed in leather. He looked to be in his early twenties and the look actually suited him. "No problem. I prefer shopping like this actually."
The man smiled, relieved before glaring at the girl. She merely rolled her eyes and muttered before jumping off her chair, grabbing her jacket and leaving.
The man shook his head. He turned to Salus once again and offered a hand, "Auron, I own Gothika."
Accepting the hand, Salus replied, "Salus. Just passing by and felt daring."
There was a low chuckle from Auron and a cheeky reply, "You should. It would look hot on you. Awesome colour by the way."
"Huh?" Salus asked, confused as he looked up from her perusal of the jewellery.
"Your hair. Where did you get it done?" Auron asked as he walked behind the counter.
"A friend did it," Salus replied absentmindedly as he fingered his left ear and eyed the earrings.
Inwardly he winced at what Rowena's reaction would be if he came back with a piercing or two. But it was his life and he was trying something new. Why the hell not?
"Do you do piercings?" Salus asked as he met the amused brown eyes of Auron.
"Sure. We do it in the back," the man replied.
Salus grinned in response, "Well..."
Salus left the store with a grin as he cast a mild healing charm on his left ear that now had two new holes in it and the one in his tongue. Auron had...convinced Salus to get one in a most unusual manner.
Walking towards an Italian restaurant on the corner of the street, Salus suppressed a blush.
Flashback
Salus had just gotten his ear pierced twice and it wasn't as bad as he thought it would have been. Then again, he had been tortured by old Moldy Snake so it figured that he would have a high pain threshold. Not forgetting his time with the Dursleys, either.
"You know, Salus," Auron said, staring at him, "you should really get a tongue ring."
"A tongue ring?" Salus murmured as he thought it over.
"Yeah. It would look bloody hot on you and any lovers you have will love it," Auron said with a wink. "Especially male ones."
"And how did you come to that conclusion?" Salus demanded with a light blush. Was he that obvious?
"The moment I realised you were checking me out while I was check you out," Auron replied with a flirtatious grin.
Salus huffed and made to stand up from the chair.
"You sure you don't want a tongue ring?" Auron asked, with a small grin as a flash on silver appeared and disappeared while he was talking.
Salus shook his head, "What's so good about them?"
Auron grinned as he walked over, "Glad you asked," he said. A hand cupped Salus' chin and the other sneaked around his waist. Before Salus could actually comprehend what was happening, Auron's lips were pressing against Salus' demanding entrance.
Feeling his mouth invaded by the hot tongue, Salus suppressed a shiver as a cool touch stroked his mouth on a smooth surface.
It clicked against teeth and taunted Salus, even as he flushed under Auron's ministrations. Pulling away, Salus was dazed but he felt hot air brush past his ear.
"Now imagine that on your cock."
End Flashback.
Nothing had happened afterwards and Salus walked away with his shopping and an invite to go out. He had told Auron that he was leaving the country for schooling and Auron had replied that if he ever wanted a fun night out, he should call.
Grabbing a light lunch and casting another healing charm, Salus made his way to the Leaky Cauldron. Once inside, he shrunk his packages and pulled on his cloak. Entering Diagon Alley, he passed through the scanner one more time and made his way back to Ollivanders.
Entering, Salus was met with a grinning Ollivander who gave him two boxes and wand holsters. Slipping on the holsters, Salus curiously opened the first box. Inside laid a red wand with a black wooden handle framed by an intricate design. In the design lay the black stones, hardly glittering in the light. The wand settled in his right hand, and giving it a wave set off a light display in the shop.
"Blood wood represents innocent blood spilt and a strong line. The darker wood is actually a conduit used by Shamans for Wild magic. The black stones are from the Demon Realm supposedly, and are called Kajan gems meaning Fate gems. They act as amplifiers. The core is, strangely enough, a unicorn hair in griffin blood. Both wands are twelve inches."
Salus stared at the wand. It felt better suited to him and to his magic than anything he had ever felt. Slipping it into his holster, he opened the second box. This wand was a replica of the other except it was grey with the black overlay. Picking it up, there was another rush of warmth and another light show.
"Ash wood, meaning rebirth. Rarely used as it reacts viciously with most magic. Again, the dark wood used with the Kajan gems. This core is very rare. Basilisk venom with a heartstring from a dying Phoenix. Very rare."
Salus stared at the wand before sheathing it as well and asking, "How much?"
Ollivander beckoned him to the counter and handed him a slip. Salus raised an eyebrow but paid the ridiculous amount with his Gringotts card.
"I have a feeling that you will prosper at Shakti, young Lord Potter. You were meant for great things. The wand chooses the Wizard. And you are a warrior wronged by those you cared most about. Your wands represent your balance," Ollivander said with a smile. Salus jumped back in shock and his wand was in his hand not a heartbeat later.
Ollivander shook his head, "I am on your side for they should never have tried to take your right to life away from you. I do hope you enjoy your time there as much as I did; know that Shakti always protects Shakti."
Salus nodded jerkily as he glanced at the door. "Good afternoon, Mr Ollivander."
"Good day Mr. Moriens and thank you for your patronage."
And the door closed and the sign turned from 'Open' to 'Closed."
Salus quickly apparated directly into his chambers, not willing to tempt fate. Landing in his room, he winced and realised that he would have to face Rowena now...
~0~0~0~
Apart from Rowena throwing a fit and Helga calmly arguing Harry's side, nothing else happened. Harry holed himself up and studied like never before. By the sixteenth, he was having a mental breakdown.
Helga was trying to soothe the boy while Godric and Salazar looked on, amused. Harry was going frantic as he worried over whether he had covered everything that was needed for the entrance exam. It had been difficult to find resources as the Ministry had banned most of the subjects as they were 'dark and dangerous.'
But for everything that he had been able to get his hands on, Harry had studied and memorised it with the help of the founder's knowledge. But not even their knowledge was infallible. The founders did not know much about Summoning or the last rites used in blood and death magic.
And still, it changed nothing. Harry continued fretting until Godric growled and hit him across the head.
"Now shut up," Godric growled as he glared at Harry who rubbed his head sheepishly, "You'll be fine."
Harry nodded but still gulped as his stomach fluttered with nerves. He looked at his trunk, mentally going over everything that he had packed. Glancing around the room, he wondered if he had left anything behind.
The four watched Harry in silence. The young man had grown on them. Not only as they watched from afar through the years, but more so when they were in close proximity with him. He had a unique flare to him… a vibrant yet jaded aura, which drew people to want to know him. He may try to hide in the background, but they knew that he would always be unsuccessful in that endeavour.
Harry finally turned to the Four Founders. It would be the last time in a long while that he would see them; Harry would not return to Hogwarts until the time came to kill old Voldy.
"I guess," Harry said quietly, "that this is goodbye."
Helga gave Harry a teary smile before launching herself at him. Rowena merely rolled her eyes at the scene but parted ways her way. She merely nodded and handed him a box as she pulled Helga away.
Godric and Salazar then pounced. Harry found himself suffering through a bear hug and a noogie at the same time, struggling to breathe. Rowena sighed as she pulled them off Harry too.
"Children, behave." Rowena said dryly. Harry gasped as he steadied himself. He stared at the box in his hand before looking at Rowena.
"It's a gift from Helga and I," Rowena said as she nudged Salazar. Salazar elbowed Godric. Godric looked confused for a moment before he pulled out a box and handed it to Harry.
"And one from the two of us," Salazar said.
"Thank you," Harry said as he set down the box and opened the one box from Rowena and Helga.
Peering into the box, Harry gasped as his eyes widened. Inside was a single silver teardrop earring and a silver thin circlet. The earring itself was a small diamond stud and a sapphire drop. The circlet was silver with gold inlays and looked vaguely familiar.
"It's very beautiful..." Harry said as he eyed the earring with interest. It wouldn't suit Harry but it may suit Salus. The circlet though was a bit much.
"The circlet is actually my Tiara transfigured. It amplifies mental and magical powers. I would actually recommend you wear it," Rowena said with a knowing smile.
"The gems in the earring can store magic energy as an emergency source," Helga added.
"Open ours!" Godric cut in, piquing Harry's curiosity. He opened the second box to find a long necklace with the Hogwarts crest as the pendent.
"It's an emergency portkey, it recognises you as our chosen heir, and more protection wards and spells than should be possible have been embedded into it." Salazar added as Harry slipped the necklace over his head.
"Thank you," Harry said sincerely with a smile as he gripped the boxes. "Thank you for everything."
Rowena shook her head, "We choose you as our heir. Giving you some extra protection is the least we could do."
Harry smiled, closed his eyes, and willed himself to change into his other form. The sensation was weird but thankfully, not painful. His skin shrivelled and regrew and the tingling sensation spread throughout his core and body. Like a pebble in a pond, the ripples created the waves of change before settling.
Salus stood in the room and stretched. He had grown slightly, his height reaching 5'8, much to his joy. Silver-blue hair with dark blue ends swung around his head as his hair reached shoulders. Salus quickly slipped the earring on and pulled out his other earring from his pocket to put into the hole on the upper part of his ear. The circlet was put on as well but he covered with a conjured blue, black and silver bandana. Ignoring Rowena's glare, he slipped in his tongue ring as well. She didn't have too much of a problem with the earrings but hated his tongue ring. Salus bit back the urge to stick his tongue out at her. He might not get it back, knowing the witch.
"It is almost time." Helga said quietly to Harry; "You stay safe and take care of yourself, you hear?"
Harry nodded before he shrunk and summoned his trunk. The trunk was a multi-compartment trunk. It was custom ordered and new, like everything else. Harry discovered he had more money than he could care for, especially after inheriting the titles of Lord Potter and Black on top of his title as the Heir of Hogwarts. Doing the Heir Blood Tests, Harry discovered that some families had stated in their Last Wills that their family fortune be left to the Hero that Killed Voldemort in the First War. So, Harry had also inherited into a dozen minor family's fortunes.
Gripping the portkey, he turned to them; "Thank you for helping me kill Harry Potter. But, I thank you all more so for raising Salus Moriens." Harry met their eyes. "This is not goodbye."
Strangely enough, it was Godric whom answered with a strong voice and a glint in his eyes, "We will see you again."
"My Power. Mere Shakti."
And away he went, leaving the four astral projections alone in the hallowed halls of Hogwarts.
~0~0~0~
Salus fell on his arse when the portkey landed. But that did not distract him from the sheer awe he felt as he gazed upon the school for the first time. The building itself was built into the side of a mountain. It was designed to look like a cross between a palace and a castle, and Salus could only guess how far into the mountain it went. The grounds spread out, and Salus stared. Forests, rivers and lakes stretched out in front of him almost as far as the eye could see.
"Mr. Moriens?" Questioned a soft voice from behind him. Salus whipped around at the voice, magic already gathering. He stopped and stared.
"Er, yes?" Salus asked as he stared at the man. The stranger had onyx black hair that reached just below his shoulder blades and vivid purple eyes. He was tall; taller than himself. Salus could not stop his eyes from wandering over the man's body. He was muscular but not overly bulging; just slightly more pronounced than average. But he carried himself like someone who would choose books over fighting.
"This way," he gestured and Salus fought down the blush that was rising. The stranger walked with a grace and strength that Salus envied.
Salus followed him silently into the school, gazing at the intricate hallways. The architecture was otherworldly along with the decor. It was strangely beautiful.
They finally stopped at a door and entered the room. It was a normal classroom with three other people waiting for them.
"Mr. Moriens. I am Xeroz Killiante. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. You are the first student that the Founding Four have ever decided to send to our school."
The headmaster was tall and slender, his appearance deceptively suggesting that he was weak. But Salus could almost taste the magic in the air and feel the pulses of magic emanating from the silver-haired man's aura. Behind glasses, blue eyes stared at him with a curious look.
"It is an honour, Headmaster," Salus said shortly, his voice a touch deeper than what it used to be. "And I insist that you call me Salus."
"Then, shall we get going, Mr Salus?" Xeroz asked, "These are Professor Arya Jullian of Runes and Professor Darian Litiso of Healing. And, if he didn't introduce himself, Professor Vaan Alcander of Summons. He led you here."
Professor Jullian was a brunette lady that reminded Salus of Helga when he met her baby blue eyes. She smiled at him encouragingly and by all means appeared human. But Salus knew better than that. Shakti was famous for allowing students of any species or race as long as they had the power and aptitude to keep up. And late transfers weren't all that uncommon. Headmaster Xeroz had informed him that most students only joined after their third year of formal magical education as they would be killed off if they entered earlier. Killing was frowned upon, but if there was no evidence and if the student couldn't defend themselves properly, no one was going to look into it. Any alliances and revenge quests happening within the student body would stay within the student body.
Xeroz had warned him. Salus swallowed and nodded. First was the test of his power levels, and then the Theory tests, followed by the Practical tests. Xeroz merely produced a white orb, much like a crystal ball, from his pocket and offered it to Salus.
Salus stared at him and raised an eyebrow. He learnt his lesson back in second year about trusting magical objects. The stupid goblet of fire only reinforced his perspective of ask first before touching.
"It will read your power levels using Shakti's measure. If you have enough power it will emit a gold glow. The brighter the better. It will glow red if you don't have the necessary magical core. You only need to touch it," Litiso said. Now this man was the meaning of tall, blond and beautiful. With his height and presence he excluded a charisma that all but demanded attention, and he had short blond hair, high cheek bones, a muscled body and jade green eyes on top of that.
"Fair enough," Salus replied before taking the crystal in his hands. The ball went from room temperature to scorching hot before dropping to freezing cold in his hands. Salus almost dropped the ball in surprise as the group of professors chuckled at his reaction.
The orb glowed white before changing into a golden glow that increased in its intensity. But for Salus, as he stared into the light, it was a myriad of colours hidden in the gold. Each more intense than the last. Swirling and melding together, like a small sun in his hands. It was a physical representation of his magic. Salus was enchanted, completely forgetting the presence of the others. Therefore, he missed the slightly shocked expressions that passed over their faces.
A clearing of a throat drew Salus out of his daze and he blushed slightly, pink dusting his cheeks. The four adults were staring at him with schooled expressions.
"You certainly have enough power," Xeroz said amused and with a clear interest in his eyes, "But, now you have to take the theory tests. I will leave you in my colleagues' capable hands. I hope to see you as a student here Mr Salus Moriens."
With that he gave a nod to everyone before he swept from the room. He had a commanding presence despite his frail visage.
"Mr. Moriens," Jullian said, commanding their attention, "You will be taking the Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Defence, Offense, Runes and Healing theory tests. You are expected to know Occlumency. Testing for the subjects of Death magic, Blood magic and Summons will take place afterwards."
She gestured to a table and chair that stood in the middle of the room. There was a booklet and a pen on it. Salus sat down and glanced at the wad of paper.
"You have an hour for each subject. Every three hours you will be given a half hour break. Unfortunately, you cannot read or ask for help, the break is only to give you a chance to relax. You may begin when you are ready."
And so it began. Most of it seemed far easier than Salus had been expecting. Sheepishly, Salus imagined what Rowena would say if he admitted that she was right. She may have been the sane one of the founders, but she could boast as well as Salazar or Godric.
The easier subjects had been the ones that he'd taken at Hogwarts. Despite the school being controlled and restricted by the Ministry Guidelines and Regulations, it had taught a fairly high standard of the core subjects. So Charms, DADA and Transfiguration had been easy.
It seemed that Salus had a knack for Healing magic. Instinctively, Salus' magic knew how to react and heal almost anything, and with some studying under Helga, Harry breezed through it.
Runes, the Dark Arts and Potions gave Salus trouble. He was not that good at it, and he had crammed for those subjects together, but none the less Salus persevered and was confident that he had achieved at least fourth year levels in those tests.
So five hours later Salus was stretching as he waited to be tested for the three additional courses. The 'Warriors Path' was a course that extended from the basic all-round knowledge and into a battle focused graduation. It was a common course, but one of many that Shakti offered. Salus would be taking majors in Charms, Defence, offense, Runes and his three chosen courses. He would be minoring in Potions, Transfiguration and Healing.
"You're quite the enigma, Mr Moriens," Professor Jullian said as she sent the paper away with a tap. It seemed that wandless magic was the norm for Shakti and he inwardly thanked Merlin that he'd mastered his magic. "A human is rare at Shakti, not to mention one as powerful as yourself. But to have the Founders Heir, and at a time like this, is peculiar."
Salus narrowed his eyes, "They felt that after what the British Ministry and Dumbledore did to Potter it would not be safe for me to remain in Hogwarts. That my power would be exploited before I was fully and properly trained. They offered me a chance at a new start and a higher level. I took it. i don't think I would be here if events had not led me, Professor Jullian." He replied smartly.
Jullian gave a chuckle and a nod. "You will be tested by the teacher of the subjects now. Wait here." And she left.
Salus didn't have to wait long as the moment after she left Professor Litiso entered and gave him an easy smile.
"Mr. Moriens, Professor Faeli is unable to test you for Death Magic so I will in his stead."
"Er, sure," Salus said shrugging. He was unsure how they would test his magic for the affinity.
Litiso chuckled, "Don't look so nervous! All you've got to do is touch this stone. If it turns black then you have the death magic."
Salus gave a relieved sigh and took the proffered blue stone. It was the size of his fist and warm. A black cloud formed in the centre before expanding to cover the entire surface of the stone.
Salus looked at the stone and at Litiso. The green eyed man grinned, "Okay, you're in!" he took back the stone and left the room, "See you in class!"
Salus stood there bemused. Someone must have given that man chocolate or drugs. He couldn't be that perky all the time...
Feeling a new magic enter the room, Salus whipped around, wand in hand, only to be met with a raised eyebrow from the professor he recognised as Alcander stepping out of the shadows.
"I'll be testing your affinity for Summoning," he said as he walked towards Salus. Salus squashed down the urge to back away as the man approached him like a predator. He merely nodded and held his ground.
"You must open your magic to me. I will send just a touch of MSP and see how your magic reacts. If it's okay, I will transfer a Summon to you and if it accepts you, you may enter my class. I warn you. There are only four others that have been accepted this year." The purpled eyed man said, eyes locking with emerald-blue.
"MSP?" Salus asked, not recognising the term.
"Magical Summoning Power. Your magic changes to form this type of energy."
Alcander offered his hands. Salus hesitated a moment before placing his palms on the male teacher's. Breathing deeply, Salus released his hold on his magic, letting it wash over him and the classroom before focusing it onto his palms.
Vaan Alcander had said nothing as he watched the student release his magic. The boy did not seem to know just how much power he wielded. That, or he didn't care. Feeling the familiar tingle of a foreign magic on his palm, he pushed just a tendril of MSP. He was shocked to find the student's magic take the power, copy it and multiply it.
Alcander decided to open his Aeon Shiva to Moriens, only to find Moriens copying the link and forming his own with the Ice Aeon. Frowning, he pulled away.
Salus blinked at him owlishly.
"Have you," Alcander asked icily, "trained in the Summoning arts before? Who trained you, Mage?"
Salus stared at the man before shaking his head. "No one. I'd never even heard of it until I applied here and the most information I could find in the Human Realm were vague texts."
"So you have no idea what you just did?" Alcander asked slowly.
"Shit," Salus said, pulling his hands away, "did my magic do something?"
"Your magic?" Alcander asked, curious. This student was interesting.
"My magic has developed an instinctive defence. It usually only affects healing and defensive magic..." Salus explain sheepishly. He was worried. What the hell just happened so that the soft spoken teacher turned ice cold towards him?
Alcander thought about it and hummed. "You magic replicated what I did. However, if it is a defence mechanism, that would make sense. Though, you will have to have a full check up by Professor Litiso." The man nodded to himself before giving Salus a small smile to calm down the panicking boy.
"Search your core for a foreign, slumbering entity," Alcander instructed as he sat down on one of the desks and motioned for Salus to join him.
Salus threw a look at the door before sitting down and searching for his core. He had a lot of practice with that. To master his mind, he had mastered his magic first. An unusual method but it worked for him. Feeling his core, and the fraying bonds, he found an icy presence.
Alcander watched the boy in front of him with growing interest. He had a lot of potential if he mastered his instinctive magic. He nodded to Auriel as she watched from the door.
"Ice," Salus murmured before raising his head. Alcander smiled and nodded.
"Shiva, the Aeon of Ice. Aeons are entities that represent an element. The lowest level summons are called Materia, formless beings of basic elements. The next level is the GFs, or Guardian Forces; beings with tangible forms that are stronger than Materias. The highest level is the Aeons; Godlike magical representations of the elements." Alcander explained slowly and effectively. Salus nodded and his eyes widened when he realised that he had an Aeon.
"Now," Alcander said, "I want you to calm your mind and try and to bring forth Shiva. Find the MSP and channel it towards her power."
Salus plunged into his core again and searched for the MSP. He couldn't find it. After some more searching, he murmured.
"Professor Alcander, I can't find the MSP."
Alcander sighed, "The MSP won't feel foreign as it is your magic, just in a different form. But, if you can't find it, it's not a problem. It's something you learn in your first year of the subject."
Salus sighed as he pulled away from his core. a moment before he pulled out completely, Salus sent a tendril of magic towards Shiva, checking she was still there. Magic imploded through Salus' core as Shiva awoke.
Feeling the drain of his magic and the disappearance of Shiva from his core, Salus opened his eyes to see Shiva standing in front of him.
She was tall, a ridiculous seven feet. She was blue and had long blue hair, her skin was covered in ice patterns and she wore a female's warrior outfit.
Seeing no enemy, she turned her gaze to the two mortals.
"Dear Kali," Alcander murmured as he watched Shiva approach Salus.
Salus gulped as the Lady of Ice walked towards him. She gave him a hard look before nodding. And with that she faded.
There was silence. Salus turned to Alcander, shocked. "I don't know how I did that. I just touched it with my magic!"
More silence.
"Mr Moriens," Alcander said, already calm and collected, "you will be in my class, even if you only attend Shakti for Summoning."
Salus nodded dumbly, feeling drained.
"Mr Moriens," Alcander said, the tone of his voice warmer than it had been the whole afternoon. Looking up, Salus' breath caught in his throat and he stared at the gorgeous smile on his teacher's face. "My students call me Professor Vaan."
And with that, he was gone with the shadows.
"You're quite a surprise, Mr Moriens," the voice form the door came, causing him to jump. He had forgotten someone had entered. "Professor Auriel Setos of Blood magic."
Salus' jaw dropped. 'Oh Hell,' he thought as he stared at the woman. She had black hair that fell in a mass of controlled curls and stunning hazel-green eyes framed by long lashes. And her body... 'I just might be bi. At this rate I'm going to end up with a complex if the teachers are this hot. What about the students?'
She laughed at his expression before Salus blushed and stammered out apologies.
"I'm a veela. I'm used to the reactions. Now, Mr Moriens, I believe you wish to take Blood Magic. All I need you to do is place a drop of your blood on this parchment. It will give you a Blood Magic level. You need at least a five to enter my class. The highest being 20. The average ranges from nine to twelve."
Salus blushed and nodded, "Sure."
The paper was placed on the desk and Salus pricked his finger using magic and healed it with a minor charm.
The blood multiplied till it read out:
Salus HJP Moriens Blood Magic Level : 10.
**Note: Small affinity for Wild Magic and Instinctive Magic.
Salus read it and grinned.
"Well," Setos said with a small grin, "I will hopefully see you in class. Now, we are wanted in the Headmaster's office. Follow me."
Exiting the room, Salus once again found himself being led through winding corridors. They ascended two flights of stairs. This time, Salus saw students. Walking through the hallways, the crowds parted for Setos and Salus could feel many curious eyes on him.
"Classes only start next week, on Monday, but most students come early to hand in work and settle in. The library is usually packed as the books cannot be taken out. The time difference between your realm and this dimensional fold is almost a month. Right now we are still in August," Setos explained as they approached the office.
Knocking, they entered and Headmaster Killiante looked up from his paper work and smiled at them.
"Mr Moriens," he said, "you are just full of surprises. Your theory is impeccable and, pending your practicals, you may enter sixth year for Runes, Offense and Defence. Fifth year for your electives. And seventh year for Charms, Healing, Potions and Transfigurations. After the seventh year, there is a two year specialisation course offered for the subjects passed. Professor Setos will take you to the guest rooms for the night and I will see you in the morning, 9am sharp for your practicals."
Salus grinned. That was the easy part.
~0~0~0~
Two days later, Salus was grinning to himself as be warded his room using one of his books. After multiple wards, he added a Fidelius Charm to the inside of his rooms. It took more power and a few attempts, but it finally worked. That meant that people knew where his door was but when they opened it they would find it empty unless they knew the secret.
His room wasn't huge but neither was it tiny. He had moved in the day he passed the practicals and received his timetable from the Headmaster, whom had predicted correctly which classes he was qualified to enter.
There was a small lounge and a kitchenette when you entered. Salus had done the lounge in dark blue and needed furniture. His kitchen was beige and light green and needed supplies and appliances.
There were two doors from there: his bedroom that was done in black and silver, and a bathroom that was done in white and grey. But his whole 'room' was empty.
The headmaster had said that one of the senior students would be over before lunch to take him to the shopping bazaar in the Kashmiri District, which was where he could buy all of the required school supplies.
Salus was brought out of his thoughts as he heard a knock on his door. Opening it, he was met with liquid silver eyes that didn't seem to be focused on anything and instead stared through him. Salus stumbled back in surprise.
"Er," he said as he stared at the being. It turned out to be a girl with long black hair, fine features and freaky silver eyes. She was pretty, once you got over the eyes. She looked human but Salus spied long black claws for nails.
She sighed and looked at him. He was only slightly taller than her. "You're Salus Moriens?"
Salus nodded as he stared at her.
"I'm Anya Valsura, your guide for today and I'm guessing the Headmaster didn't mention what I am to you?" she said.
Salus blushed, "Sorry. No he didn't and you just... shocked me."
Anya gave him a smile that only served to enhance her features. "The eyes bug people but it comes with being a seer. So are you going to let me in or what?"
Salus shuffled in the door way before reaching into his pocket and handing her a piece of paper. Curious, Anya accepted it and read: Salus Morien's room is found at 803 North Wing.
The paper ignited itself and he pulled her into the room and shut the door. Anya stared at the door with a mildly impressed look on her face.
"Seer?" Salus asked finally, a tinge of apprehension in his voice.
"Yes," Anya said, turning towards him, "I'm doing my last year of specializing in Death Magic and Healing. I already have a mastery in my seer abilities."
Salus gulped, feeling uncomfortable. "Warriors Path. Electives are fifth year subjects.
"You don't like seers," Anya said, realisation alighting her eyes.
Salus shook his head, "Bad run in. Just, don't make any prophecies."
Anya laughed, "You and me both. Most prophecies are self-fulfilling anyway."
Salus gave a laugh of relief and nodded. "Just let me grab my wallet and we can go."
~0~0~0~
Anya apparated them to the bazaar which was basically an open market with stalls under tents that crowded the street. As they walked through the crowd, she explained that Shakti was in its own dimension, set apart from the Earth Realm, the Indra Realm, the Vala Realm ect... because of this, shop owners gathered here two weeks before Shakti began to sell their goods. After this, any student who wanted anything would have to go to the different realms.
"While you're at it, if you've got the money to spare, you should get a book on the politics and customs of the other races. You don't want to be killed for insulting someone when you were trying to be polite."
Salus nodded as he tried to keep up. Anya pushed through the crowd swiftly and they soon arrived at a quiet stall that had armour on the outside.
"The list says battle uniform but I recommend getting armour. You're human and you will be going up against vamps, Weres and the like. Strong you may be, but you're not immortal," Anya said as she entered.
"Hello," the shopkeeper greeted them, "Valsura!"
"Martice," Anya replied with a small smile, "I have a new student here for the usual and you are the best."
Casual observation was all it took to determine that the man was blatantly not-human. He had horns growing out of his skull and black tattoos on his skin. Cat eyes stared back at him, and Salus also spotted a tail.
"Martice, at your service," he said with a smile.
"Salus," he replied with a smile, "Battle robes and armour."
With that, a flurry of movement started. Salus was ushered onto a stool and stood while Martice took measurements with a tape measure.
"You're from the Earth realm so you don't know much," Anya said from her seat as she read a book, causing Salus to turn his head. "At Shakti, you have no friends. You have allies that do favours in exchange for something. Friends mean that they will do it for free, which is very rare. Most races belong to groups. Try not to piss anyone off to the point that they kill you. Killing is frowned upon but if no one finds out its fine. Don't get caught. The most common students are vampires, veela, werecats, werewolves and hybrids. You also get the odd handful of elves, fae, incubi, succubi and sprites. Humans, demons and Draconis are rare. Unless someone offers to tell you what they are, don't ask. Though you will learn how to tell. And yes, the Vampires will try to drink your blood, seeing that you are one of the few human students."
"Thanks, Anya. But does that mean that you're here because you owed someone a favour?" Salus asked as he was being pinned up.
"Got it in one, Human," Anya said, eyes dancing in amusement, "Keep on your toes. Shakti is nothing like you have ever experienced."
"What would you like your robe and armour to be made of?" Martice asked.
Salus looked thoughtful, "Magic resistant and can hold up against Vampire strength. But Flexible. What do you have?"
Martice stood up as he waved over an assistant with a book. "Within those requirements? Basilisk, dragon, zenra skin and well, I just got a small shipment of rakasha hide."
"Which one is the best?" Salus asked.
Anya replied, "Rakasha hide. My armour is that. Thin, barely noticeable and flexible while strong. But it's expensive, basilisk is the next best option."
"What is a Rakasha?" Salus asked Anya whom rolled her eyes.
"Demoni beast skin."
"Do my armour in Rakasha and one robe in basilisk," Salus told Martice as he stepped down from the stool.
Martice raised an eyebrow before saying, "Basilisk is 400 zeons a meter and rakasha is 1000."
"Zeon is 1.5 to a galleon, Salus," Anya added.
"That's fine," Salus replied. With as much as he had, he could afford to buy it. He could, if he wanted, to but one for everyday of the week.
"Okay," Anya said, looking at him with calculating eyes, "pay half now and we will be back in five hours."
They left the store and made their way to a stand to grab some lunch. Salus laughed as Anya ordered them hamburgers and they ate it quickly.
"Okay," she said, "Books, then Potions, then equipment. There is no uniform so do you need to get clothes?"
Salus grinned, "Nope, but I'm not opposed to browsing if we have time."
Anya laughed, "I've got a feeling life's going to be interesting now that you're around."
"You have no idea," Salus slash Harry the trouble magnet muttered.
With that they went to the store Anya recommended to buy the course books and some extras. Along the way, there were many small stalls of odds and ends, and more than once Salus found himself buying trinkets.
Walking out of the third apothecary, Anya found herself dragged in the opposite direction of the equipment store. Salus pulled her along as he headed for a furniture stall. Entering, they found that it was larger on the inside as a sales lady met them. She had wings.
Salus shook himself and smiled at her. "Yes, I'll take one of those and one of those." With that he pointed at two dark blue leather couches and a sleek wooden desk. The Sprite quickly shrunk the items and sent them to the check out. Walking through the store, Salus quickly picked up a chair, a coffee table and two bookshelves while he was at it.
He also grabbed the kitchen appliances he needed. Anya, by then, had joined in the fun and insisted on picking out his sheets after finding out the colour scheme for his bedroom and bathroom.
After paying and getting everything he had brought shrunken down and packed away, they left the store.
Picking out the equipment, Salus eyed the weapons on display. "Do I?" he asked, gesturing towards the swords.
"No. They will come to one of your lessons this year when you start Offense and Defence weapons. Though you will need that knife on the end for blood magic. Grab it, will you?" Anya replied.
All the shopping was done with almost two hours to spare. With that, they headed back towards the clothing section of the bazaar and browsed through the stalls.
Salus found some interesting designs, and some made him blush at the lack of material. Although he did end up getting some Elvin styled robes and Sprite-styled boots. Anya disappeared for a short while earlier with a squeal of glee. Salus was afraid to ask.
Considering what his guide was wearing, he found quite a few stalls full of 'muggle' clothing. Browsing through, Salus only ended up buying a long leather jacket, a few silk shirts and some jewellery, though he did end up picking out a shirt for Anya as a way to thank her for helping him get the proper supplies. It was bright pink and said in black: "I See you dying if you piss me off."
Anya once again magically appeared in the stall he was in and he looked at her suspiciously. She merely rolled her eyes and smirked.
"You done?" she asked as she pulled him from the stall without waiting for an answer. "If we don't hurry we will be caught in the rain storm."
Salus glanced at the sky and saw it was bright and clear. 'Well,' he thought to himself, 'she is a seer and Shakti isn't a school to let frauds in.'
They picked up and paid for the armour and robes and Anya received a package before they left. Apparating, they landed outside Salus' door.
"Thank you, for the advice and for showing me around. Here," Salus said with a smile and handed her over the wrapped up shirt.
Anya smiled and accepted it. Saying a quiet thank you she handed him a piece of paper.
"My PDA address so you can message me. You got one when they gave you your timetable," she said.
Salus raised an eyebrow and had to ask, "You said that friends didn't existed at Shakti."
Anya laughed and stared at him with those eyes, driving shivers down his spine. "You're going to create quite a stir. I want to be around to see it. See you around, Salus."
And she walked away.
"Don't do prophecies my arse. If that wasn't a prophecy I'll eat my shoe..." Salus grumbled to himself as he entered his rooms. He had a lot of reading to do in under a week.
~0~0~0~
The day before classes actually started, Salus found himself stalling outside of the Shakti Clinic. He hovered by the door and had devised a grand total of two hundred and thirty two reasons for why he shouldn't enter.
"You may enter, Mr Moriens," Professor Litiso said from the doorway. He watched on amused as Salus jumped and looked sheepishly at him.
"I have this aversion to clinics," Salus said quietly. That got Litiso to frown, "Why?"
The poor professor's mind was racing through psychological reasons and trauma that could lead to such an aversion...
"They tend to like me," Salus replied, now openly glaring at the door.
If Litiso could face plant he would have. This student was just weird, but it had been Vann that had requested a check up. Protective over his students he may be, but that man was not paranoid. Vann Alcander was the sort to chuck the student in the deep end and force them to swim for their lives.
"Get inside Moriens and I'll make this as painless as possible," Litiso said.
Salus sighed and entered. Surprisingly the room was not fully white. He stopped and stared. There were streaks of yellow, orange and green in a strange yet peaceful mix. It was actually nice.
"Moriens?" came the questioning voice and Salus shook off his surprise and walked to the bed. He sat down like a good patient and waited. "Call me Salus."
Litiso smiled and stood in front of him, "You may have past records but I would prefer to start from scratch, just in case this Clinic takes a likening to you."
Salus just sighed and let the man get one with what he had to do. Half an hour later he was staring at a baffled Healer.
"What?" the Healer murmured as he read his records, "How is this possible? Your readings are contradictory. Recent healing but no physical signs. Trauma but no scars. Unstable bonds but calm magic? What on Vala?"
Salus sighed and bit his lip. "If you give me a healer's oath, I'll explain everything."
Litiso took his hand and gave the oath, a golden beam of light connecting them. No names were used as most students didn't attend under their real or full names and titles.
"I took a Fallis Potentia potion to create this form. All the damage my original form had sustained has been heal by Goblin Healers," Salus said, pulling a file from his bag and handing it over to Litiso whom opened it eagerly.
On the first page he froze. Casting powerful privacy wards and silencing spells, he finally said, "Harry Potter?"
Salus sighed and nodded. Litiso went back to the file, blue eyes quickly absorbing the information like a thirsty man in need of water. Finally he closed the file and looked at his student, head titled to one side.
Blond hair cascaded down the side of his face as he stared at Salus with breathtaking blue eyes. "You're bonds are breaking."
Salus nodded. "There's nothing I can do. Not even being changed will save me. To change the bonds are changed, resulting in the new bonds breaking down as well. I've tried to repair and reinforce them, but it didn't work."
Litiso nodded, "The Four Founders of Hogwarts, considering you are their heir. And the instinctive magic?"
Salus looked at the ground and went quiet for a moment. Images and memories of his years under the tender care of the Dursleys replayed. The cupboard. Never having enough to eat. Harsh words. And then the slow threats of harm and the 'accidents' that started happening. Aunt Petunia 'mistakenly' pressing his arm down on the hot stove. Dudley's beatings and the encouragement and rewards he received for it. And then Vernon and his belt that whipped his back till it bled. Broken bones and silent tears.
"I," Salus said thickly, refusing to meet his teacher's eyes, "didn't have the best of childhoods. I've been told that it's only because of my magic that I'm alive."
Litiso swallowed. He suspected as much, but for his magic to react defensively like that and evolve into an uncontrolled wandless magic was something else. He had never heard of anything like that before.
"I'll keep a record but I recommend you speak to Professor Vaan. He was the one to request your check up. It may to be the reason for your aptitude with Summoning," he said as he smiled.
'Damn this school and the hot teachers,' Salus mentally grumbled as he nodded and made for the door. The Clinic may have been comfortable but he would rather not spend time there if he had the choice not to.
"Mr. Salus," Litiso voice came just before he reached the door and Salus cursed, "I would like to inform the headmaster but as your healer I need your permission. He may have resources I could use to repair your bonds."
Salus froze at the door for a moment before he shook his head, "I would rather you keep this between the two of us. Less dangerous that way."
Salus made his way to his room. 'A way to save me,' he thought bitterly, 'I don't think that such a way exists. Bonds are formed when a person is born. There is no way to be reborn; not like a phoenix.'
Closing the door to his room, Salus reached for his book 'Politics and Customs for Shakti Students.'
'I won't live on false hope.'
~0~0~0~
Notes: Headmaster Xeroz looks like Ukitake Jyuushiro from Bleach; frail but kick ass. As for names, I'm making most of them up as to what sounds nice to me. Same for the wand materials!
Love me and leave a review!
It's one in the morning when I finally finished and this took me four days!
BHz.
