A/N Wow! I, ah, did not expect so many follows/favorites... I opened my email the day after I'd posted the first chapter, and holy moly there were so many notifications! I was sooooo happy! Thank you all for showing me so much support! Updates will most likely slow down, because I need to study for midterms, which are this Thursday... Fun stuff! Especially when I have AP Chem first... IMMA DIE! jk I'll survive.
Here's another chapter, featuring the dungeon bat, Professor Snape, who's a lot more neutral towards Harry, just letting y'all know.
Beta'ed by the awesome ImpracticalDemon!
Enjoy and don't forget to leave a review!
As it was only the beginning of August, Dumbledore and McGonagall agreed to let Kazoku, who had decided to adopt his birth name for the time being, stay at Hogwarts until the start of the school year. The two were obviously curious as to where Harry had been for the past ten years, but the boy refused to tell them. It was not relevant.
However, seeing that the school was currently uninhabited, Dumbledore decided to introduce Harry to Hogwarts' head house elf, who would be in charge of the boy's well being until September.
"This is Tutti, the head of all of Hogwarts' house elves," Dumbledore said, gesturing at the small creature. "As Minerva and I are both quite busy over the summer, we unfortunately cannot accompany you during your stay here. Tutti will oversee your affairs and make sure that you comfortable and cared for."
Harry nodded, peering at the creature in curiosity. "Thank you very much, Headmaster. I apologize for being a bother."
The man shook his head. "Oh no, you are not a bother, Mr. Potter. I am very glad that you are here, safe and unharmed. I'm sorry I cannot stay to give you a tour of this magnificent school, but I must go. The minister seems to have trouble with a decision, again. Also, a staff member will arrive here some time near September to take you to Diagon Alley to buy your school supplies."
Harry indicated that he understood, and the old man bid him farewell before leaving the school.
"Should Master Harry desire a tour of Hogwarts, Tutti would be thrilled to give you one," the elf informed Harry, looking up at the wizard with bulbous eyes.
Harry nodded. "Yes please."
The house elf's small, round face split into a cheery smile. "Follow Tutti then!" The little elf turned right from the entrance of the school, and started walking. "This is one of the main hallways of Hogwarts and it leads towards the Great Hall, which is where all meals are held, along with any school-wide activities."
They entered a large hall almost a quarter of the size of Grimoire Heart's airship. Harry's eyes widened. "Wow," he breathed out in wonder and awe. The hall was majestic, stone walls polished and the ceiling's design was beautiful, taking on nature's form. It was empty, and Harry had never felt so small just standing there. "It's beautiful."
Tutti nodded happily. "Tutti thinks so too!"
"On the main floor, there is the Great Hall, the library, the entrance to the school, and the Headmaster's office," the elf told Harry, as they exited the majestic room and came across a set of staircases that could be seen zigzagging up and down almost endlessly. "There are seven floors above the main one, and two floors below it." The creature looked at Harry expectantly.
"I would like to see the floors below this one," Harry told Tutti politely, a bit overwhelmed. This was a huge castle!
"Then Tutti shall show you the dungeons," the little elf said resolutely. "The level closest to the main one is where the Potions classes are held, along with Professor Snape, the Potions professor's office. The lowest level is where the Slytherin House dormitories are."
The lower levels were darker, as there were no windows, but the flickering torches lit the hallways adequately.
"Now, the first floor above the main level is where the Transfiguration, Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts classes are held. There are plenty of other classrooms, but they are unused. The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is Professor Quirrell, Professor Flitwick teaches Charms and Professor McGonagall teaches Transfiguration. Their offices are also on this floor. Also, there are four sets of bathrooms scattered along here.
"The second floor is where the Gryffindor Tower is located, and there are many empty classrooms that can be used by a student, though most never do for some reason. The third floor is mostly never used. The fourth contains the Ravenclaw dormitories, and the History of Magic, Divination and Muggle Studies classrooms. Arithmancy and Ancient Runes classrooms are found on the fifth floor, along with their respective professors' offices. The Hufflepuff Tower is located on the sixth floor. And lastly, the seventh floor is unused save for the Astronomy Tower that is on the East wing of the castle."
After trekking through the entire castle, Harry found himself on the third floor. "Is this where my quarters are?"
"Master Harry is correct!" Tutti confirmed. He led Harry over to a painting of a black-maned lion standing next to a coiled up black mamba. "This is where your rooms are. You can set any password right now."
Harry blinked at the painting. "Fiore," he said softly.
The door swung open and they entered. "Woah," Harry exclaimed in delight. Instead of the bedroom he was expecting, the headmaster had prepared an entire suite for him. There was a living room, a study, a bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom. "This is really nice!"
"Tutti is glad Master Harry likes his rooms! Headmaster Dumbledore told Tutti that Master Harry does not have his things with him, so Tutti will provide Master Harry with a catalogue of clothing that he should need. Then Tutti will go retrieve those things for Master Harry," the elf explained to Harry, producing a folded over piece of paper from his uniform and handing it to him.
Harry took the catalogue, and blinked when he unfolded it. There was certainly a large variety of clothing. After checking off a good amount, he handed it back to the elf. "Thanks, Tutti. I'll be heading to the library now."
"Dinner will be ready at 6:30 in your rooms, Master Harry."
*line break*
There were quite a few things he needed to do before school started.
First was to find out if transdimensional travel was possible in this world. If it was, figure out how it worked so he could get back to Earthland as soon as possible. If not… Harry would have to find a way to do so himself. And he would. He didn't like to think about the other possibility, where he might lose his family forever.
Harry looked around the large library. "Tutti!" he called out.
A quiet pop! sounded near him and the little elf appeared. "What does Master Harry need?"
"Is there a way for me find books without scouring the entire library?" That would be very time consuming and tedious, and Harry was not patient.
"Oh yes, there is a spell that will let you call books of a specific subject over using your voice," Tutti nodded. "It's not used during the school year because there are too many students talking about other things that the spell sometimes becomes confused. But Tutti will activate it for Master Harry." The little elf snapped his fingers and muttered a quick spell.
"Thanks, Tutti! Could you also retrieve some notebooks and pens?" Harry said gratefully. That would definitely save him a lot of time.
"Master Harry wants Muggle stationary… Tutti shall do that!" With another two pops, the little creature returned with a package of about ten notebooks and a box of black pens.
"Thanks, Tutti. You can go do whatever you need to now."
Tutti bowed before apparating elsewhere.
Harry's green eyes gleamed. The entire library was at his disposal, and according to Dumbledore, it was an extensive one. He tore open the packaging, and laid out the notebooks on a table. "History of the British Wizarding World," he enunciated clearly.
Almost immediately, books of all sizes began flying at him, landing in one neat stack on the table. Harry clapped his hands in delight. "How wonderful! Let's see… Types of magic."
"English and Japanese dictionaries." According to Dumbledore, the language he was speaking was Japanese, and though the translation spell would help with his oral communication, it would not help him with reading or writing.
Harry made a face. He would have to first learn the English language in its entirety. How tedious.
He sat down, ready to start learning English. "Requip: Gale-Force Glasses!" When he was with Jellal, Meredy and Ultear, they often visited old libraries to research Zeref, his Books and the Curse of Ankhseram. Since time was valuable, they had illegally obtained four pairs of Gale-Force Glasses to speed up their reading.
"Master Harry!"
Harry jumped almost a foot into the air. "Tutti! You scared me!"
The little elf was looking at Harry reproachfully. "Master Harry, it is 7 o'clock! Dinner is waiting!"
Blinking in surprise, Harry rubbed at his sore eyes. He had been reading for almost four hours straight, finishing a few simpler level English books with the help of his dictionary, and halfway through a large textbook on the overview of the history of the Wizarding World.
"Yeah, I should eat something," Harry agreed. He gathered up his notebooks and pens, depositing them into a bag Tutti provided him. Before they left, he quickly grabbed the book he was currently reading, intending to finish it before the day ended.
After eating a rich dinner of shepherd's pie with a salad for a side dish, Harry retired to his bedroom, flopping onto the bed and opening the large textbook.
"Master Harry should be resting soon," Tutti advised, looking slightly disapproving at how much Harry was studying. "Master Harry has already studied for four hours."
"I just need to finish this, so tomorrow I can start narrowing down the things I really need to know," Harry answered, flipping through the pages rapidly thanks to the Gale-Force Glasses.
Tutti pursed his lips, but apparated away, taking the empty dishes with him.
When Harry finished the book, titled Overview of Wizarding Britain, he closed both the book and the notebook in which he had been taking notes on. There were still some phrases that escaped his understanding, but after consulting a few books on grammar and vocabulary, he was able to get the overall message of the book. "Ack, my eyes," he groaned, attempting to soothe his tired eyes. "I should go to sleep."
He stumbled to the bathroom and brushed his teeth.
Only then, when his brain was not working overdrive to absorb as much information as he could and he was alone, did Harry fully realize his situation.
He might never see Ultear, Meredy and Jellal again.
Harry breathed in deeply, trying to stave off his panic and terror at the thought, but now that he wasn't busy reading, the thought plagued his mind constantly.
He let out a small whimper, curling up on the full sized bed, tears leaking out of his closed eyes. "Ultear-nee-san," he cried softly. "Meredy-nee-chan… Jellal…"
He screamed into his pillow, trying to stop his chest from hurting so badly. Was this what Jellal felt when he thought of Erza, the Fairy Tail member that had died when Acnologia attacked? Was this what Ultear felt when she remembered Gray and her mother?
His magic rose up in response to his distress, shaking the room. Harry paid no attention to the rattling furniture, preferring to press his face into the pillow and wish with all his heart that this was just a dream.
"Master Harry! Master Harry, what are you doing?" Tutti shrieked in alarm, popping into the room. "Master Harry, please calm down!"
Harry peered at the elf with red rimmed eyes and heaving breaths. "I'm sorry, Tutti," he whispered, clutching the sheets of the bed in agony. "I… I just… I miss my family!" he wailed, sobbing anew.
Tutti looked at Harry with a gentle look. "Master Harry needn't be so sad," the little elf said softly. "If Master Harry tries, Tutti believes he will be able to find his family again."
Harry tilted his head slightly at that, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself. "You're right," he said at last, eyes gleaming with a newfound determination. "It won't do for me to wallow in self-pity. I need to find a way to get back to my family."
*line break*
For the next two weeks, Harry pored over books on all sorts of things: the rise and reign of Voldemort, the history of Dumbledore, World War II and Grindelwald, British Wizarding customs, the Ministry of Magic, the Wizengamot, and Dark, Light and Ancient magicks.
It was clear that transdimensional travel was not a magic that had been discovered, but Harry refused to let that get his hopes down. No one else had the same motivations as he did. He was going to find a way to travel between dimensions because of his love for his family. He would do anything for them.
*line break*
"Master Harry! Professor Snape is arriving in ten minutes to take you to Diagon Alley to buy your school supplies," Tutti informed the boy fondly. While Harry was abnormally mature and self-disciplined for an eleven year old, he still had moments where his age shown through.
However, it was clear that the boy would need a new support system to replace his lost family; otherwise, his delicately put together composure would fall apart.
"Oh, alright! I'll get ready," Harry called back to his caretaker. "Is it casual or formal?"
"Casual, Master Harry! But not too casual; Professor Snape is going to be your teacher here," the elf responded.
"Right!" Harry flipped through his closet, picking out a dark green button up shirt and a pair of black slacks. He grabbed his messenger bag that had an extension charm placed on it, courtesy of Tutti.
When Professor Snape, a dark haired man with a large nose and a scowl, arrived, Harry bowed at the waist, as he read it was custom to do so when addressing someone of higher authority. "Professor Snape, I am grateful that you are here to bring me to Diagon Alley."
The man looked at him down the line of his nose. "It is certainly refreshing to see a Potter with proper mannerisms," the man sniffed.
Harry blinked, slightly hurt by the backhanded compliment. Despite not knowing his parents, he still loved them for loving him, and clearly this man had a problem with either his mother or his father. "Do you know my parents?" he asked levelly, trying to grasp the situation before lashing out.
Snape stared at Harry with his dark black eyes. "Yes. I did."
"I assume you dislike them, based on what you had just said," Harry replied, eyes cold. "I would like to think, however, I am my own person."
"I do not doubt you are," Snape acknowledged coolly.
The professor apparated the two to Diagon Alley, resulting in some nausea on Harry's part. "The Headmaster informed me that you have already visited Gringotts and retrieved some money."
"Yes, sir. I have the money with me," Harry confirmed politely.
"Alright, we'll go to get your robes first," Snape instructed, leading the boy to Madam Malkin's.
They entered the busy store, and an employee rushed over to address them. "For Hogwarts, sir?" the young man asked, slightly nervously as he seemed to recognize Snape.
"That is correct, Mr. Flannagan," the professor said curtly, further elevating the young man's anxiety. "I hope you do not waste my time."
Harry pitied the poor guy; Snape could be terrifying.
The young man nodded hastily. "Ah, follow me please." He led Harry over to a vacant room with a stool in the middle of it and racks of clothing lining the walls. "Alright, just throw this over your clothes, and hop on the stool."
When Harry's head emerged from the long robes with his hair tousled, the young man gave a quiet gasp. "You're Harry Potter?"
Harry gave the man a look. "Yes, I am."
"I'm sorry, I just… You-Know-Who killed my father, and when you defeated him…" the man trailed off, but Harry had gotten the gist.
The boy smiled gently and cautiously. "I'm glad I was able to help."
The older male smiled back. "I'm Taylor Flannagan by the way. It's been two years since I attended Hogwarts. You'll love it. It's amazing and the teachers are all great. Well, except for Binns…"
"Isn't he the History of Magic professor?" Harry asked.
Taylor nodded. "Yeah, you would think that that class would be the most interesting, but Binns is a ghost. And all he ever drones on about are the Goblin Wars. It's pretty interesting at first, but gets old pretty quickly."
"The other professors aren't like that, right?" Harry asked, worried. He would need a state-of-the-art education if he wanted to find out how to travel back home.
"Oh, definitely not. Well, I wouldn't know about Defense Against the Dark Arts," the man mused as he adjusted the robes to fit Harry better.
Blinking in confusion, Harry inquired, "Why?"
"Rumor is that You-Know-Who placed a curse on the position, so no teacher ever lasts more than a year as the DADA professor," Taylor informed Harry. "And it's true. For all seven years, I had seven different professors, and let me tell you, the quality of them just kept going down. But it makes sense, because who would want to take a job when you might die because of it?"
Harry's eyebrows shot up. "Die?"
"There's always something that happens to the professor to make them unable to teach the next year. For my second year professor, he somehow came into contact with a deadly parasite and died right before the school year ended," Taylor said, shuddering in the memory of the half eaten man.
"Oh." That didn't sound… good.
Taylor nodded sympathetically. "But besides them, Professors Flitwick, McGonagall and Snape are great. Snape's a bit strict and scary, but he's good at what he does."
"What about the electives?" At least the three of the five core course professors were competent, but Harry was very much disappointed.
"Arithmancy and Ancient Runes are difficult, but the professors are great as well. The Care of Magical Creatures… is… dangerous," Taylor said slowly, as if he were trying to find a better word to describe the class. "There are many magical creatures in this world, and some should not be approached."
Harry mentally crossed out Care of Magical Creatures in his mind. He had no desire to die before finding a way back home. "How's Divination?"
"I didn't take Divination, but I know for a fact that Trelawney is a fraud," Taylor said bluntly. "She's predicted, rather inaccurately, the deaths of ten students so far. She just loves the drama it creates."
Harry made a face. "I guess Care and Divination are not for me then."
"Both are easy classes if you want an easy class, but yeah, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes are probably the most useful," Taylor agreed.
"What about Alchemy or the Ancient Arts?" Harry inquired curiously.
Taylor peered at the younger boy with surprise. "Those two were taken off of Hogwarts' curriculum years ago by the Ministry. Alchemy is pretty dangerous, since a student once accidentally transformed their legs into a block of gold. But the Ministry spewed some crap about the Ancient Arts being too 'dark' or something." Clearly he did not approve of what the Ministry had done.
Harry pursed his lips in dismay. Was Hogwarts truly a prestigious school then?
"Well, I'm done. You'd better go up to the front to pay, before Professor Snape loses his patience," Taylor said conspiratorially. "I'll send your robes up to the front."
"Right, thanks!" Harry shed the adjusted robe and handed them to Taylor.
Taylor waved him goodbye. "Have fun at Hogwarts! You can owl me anytime for help if you ever need it!"
Harry smiled at him as he left the room and went to pay for his stuff. Professor Snape was waiting in the lobby, holding a bag of books. "Are those the textbooks needed for my first year, sir?" Harry inquired politely.
Snape nodded. "That is correct, along with your Potions supplies."
"Could we go to the bookstore again after shopping for everything else?" Harry asked, wanting to buy some new books to read.
"If there is time," Snape acquiesced. "Now, we should go buy your wand."
Harry's eyes lit up. He had always been fascinated by Holder magic, but its limitations were too great for Ultear to ever let him depend on it. "Do all wizards use wands?"
"Yes."
"Is it necessary to have a wand to perform magic?" Harry pressed. Everything he'd read about required the use of a wand, no matter how little. For example, runes only required a wand to activate them, but for spell casting, it seemed that wands were imperative.
"For most wizards. There are some, like the Headmaster, that are powerful enough to perform some simpler spells wandlessly," Snape answered.
They walked up to a quaint little shop at the corner of the Alley. It had a mysterious sort of feel to it, and the magic around it was so thick that Harry felt a bit light-headed.
"Ah, Professor Snape! How wonderful to see you again," the old man at the counter greeted. His eyes fell upon Harry. "Ah, Mr. Potter. I have been waiting for your arrival here." There was a faraway look in his eyes. "I still can remember your parents coming in here to buy their wands."
"Yes, yes, Mr. Ollivander," Snape cut in, looking impatient.
Ollivander smiled. "Alright then. Mr. Potter, which hand is your wand hand?"
Harry held out his right arm, remembering that wizards called their dominant hands their 'wand' hands. A measuring tape flew up to meet his arm, measuring the length, width and height of it.
Taking his eyes off of the measuring tape, Harry blinked at Ollivander, who was looking through a mess of long, thin boxes.
"Alright, that's enough," Ollivander said absentmindedly. The measuring tape that had been measuring the width of Harry's nostrils dropped to the ground. "Here! Ten inches, dragon heartstring and applewood! Give it a wave."
Harry took it into his hands and waved it. Nothing happened. "Uh…"
Ollivander snatched it out of his hands. "Here: thirteen inches, unicorn hair and beech."
The wand gave one pathetic spark before fizzling out.
"Thirteen inches, phoenix feather and cypress."
There was a bigger spark, but Harry still felt no connection to it.
Twenty minutes later, Snape was standing near the entrance of the store with an impatient, yet curious, scowl. Ollivander, on the other hand, was practically leaping with delight. "Such a tricky customer! Maybe… oh yes… that would work nicely, I believe." He disappeared into the back of his store, and he could be heard rummaging through boxes.
"Here, Mr. Potter. Thirteen inches, dragon heartstring and a combination of yew and ebony," Ollivander said softly, eyes gleaming with excitement.
Snape straightened, gazing at the wand Ollivander was about to hand Harry Potter. The moment it touched the boy's hand, blinding white sparks shot out of the wand and the room warmed considerably.
Harry grinned widely, unaware of the hidden meanings behind his wand components. "Woah! That was so cool!"
Ollivander peered at Harry with apprehension. Snape had stepped closer, eyes wide and mind reeling with what had just happened. "Very curious, Mr. Potter," Ollivander said finally, after a long moment of silence.
Harry blinked. "Is there something wrong?"
"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter," the old man said slowly.
"And…?" Harry urged, trying not to be rude, but feeling quite disconcerted with the intensity of the two men's stares.
"The man who gave you your scar had a thirteen inch wand as well, and it was made out of yew. But not just from any yew tree. Your wands share the wood from the same tree," Ollivander revealed.
"...oh," Harry whispered, shocked. "What does that mean?" he asked urgently, looking at the wandmaker. "What does that mean?"
"It means that you will be destined for greatness, Mr. Potter. Thirteen inches is quite long for a wand, indicating adaptability and willingness to change. Yew represents power, life and death, and possibly the fierce protection of others. It is quite handy for combative magics. Ebony is as well, along with a penchant for Transfiguration. It also means unyielding in one's pursuit of their goals." Ollivander appraised Harry. "You have potential for greatness. You can change the world, Mr. Potter. It only depends on you for how you change it."
Harry stared back at the old man, mulling over his words. He could change this world, but Harry didn't want this world. He wanted Earthland. He wanted his family.
"That'll be fifteen galleons, Mr. Potter," Ollivander said suddenly, as if just remembering that he was supposed to sell the wand rather than just give it away.
Handing over the right amount of money, Harry left the store dazedly with Snape. The older man was silent, a curious expression on his face, as he led the boy to Flourish and Blotts.
Harry wandered around the bookstore, distracting himself with the books. He stopped, peering closer to a book named Ancient Arts and Their Impact on the World. That would be an interesting read, he presumed, and picked up the book. He was skimming the first chapter when he accidentally bumped into a tall, redheaded boy. "Oh, I'm sorry!" he apologized, looking up.
"That's fine! Just make sure to keep your head out of a book when walking," the boy added, grinning. "It'll probably hurt more if you walked into a wall than a person."
Harry flushed slightly, and smiled back. "Yeah, that's some sound advice."
The boy laughed. "First year, I presume?"
"Yeah, how'd you know?" Harry asked, slightly aware that he was metaphorically walking into a trap.
"Cause of your height. You're short," the boy jibed, face full of good natured mirth.
Harry made an annoyed sound, pouting. "I'm not short! I am of average height, you know! You're just too tall!"
Before the redhead could say anything more, a similar voice called out from the entrance of the store, "Hey, George, we're leaving soon!"
The boy, George, straightened. "Ah, I must take my departure now," he said dramatically, bowing and saluting Harry. "See you at Hogwarts!"
Harry smiled after him, waving. "See you!"
"I see you have met one of the infamous Weasley twins," Snape drawled, walking towards Harry. "What books have you picked out?"
"Just two: Ancient Arts and Their Impact on the World, and Numbers and Their Meanings," Harry replied, gesturing to the two books held under his arm.
"That's all?" the professor asked, before leading Harry to the counter.
"30 Galleons, please," the woman at the counter said after taking a look at the two books.
Harry dutifully pulled out his wallet and handed over 30 Galleons. "Thank you!" he called out as they left the store.
The professor apparated them back to Hogwarts. "At the Headmaster's request, another staff member will be taking you to Platform 9 ¾ on September 1st."
"Okay!" Harry nodded. It would draw quite a bit of attention if people knew he was staying at Hogwarts over the summer, and clearly the Headmaster wanted him to socialize with his soon-to-be peers. "Goodbye, Professor! Thank you!"
The man inclined his head in acknowledgement before leaving.
So how is it? Did Harry learn English way too quickly? I wasn't too happy that I'd made language into an impairment, but with his Gale-Force Reading Glasses, he'd be able to retain knowledge a lot faster. Of course, he still doesn't know very complicated English and consults his dictionary and other books for help when he needs it.
Also, how was Snape? I'm not very good at writing him... He's such a complicated character!
Please review!