After Fon's departure, it was only another week until they needed to be in Belfast for his exam results. Due to the addition of the magical exams, Harry had been told to wait to choose his trinket because it would take the Examiners the customary three weeks to evaluate his results, (as some of his testing had been things like Transfigurations that were technically OWL level and graded on sustainability, but Harry didn't know that).
So Harry and Skull continued to meander through Ireland and Northern Ireland, soaking up the culture and generally doing as they pleased, but Fon's parting message about revealing himself to the other Arcobaleno weighed heavily in the back of Harry's mind.
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Harry stared at his results, bemused. "Are these, er- accurate?"
The Goblin chuffed, and the Examiners chuckled, "Yes, Mr. Potter, they're accurate." The Goblin representing his nonmagical results replied throatily, "You're flourishing under your current educational structure- highly unorthodox or not- but you need some help in your upper maths and sciences. You passed your Primary exit exams flawlessly, as expected. You also managed to pass the GCSE requirements for your Social Studies, Geography, and Foreign Language portions- quite an accomplishment for one your age."
Harry's brow furrowed, "They weren't that hard." He muttered.
That only served to amuse the Goblin more, "Maybe not for one such as you who is traveling the world, but it is still quite an accomplishment."
At the Goblin's nod, one of the ICW Examiners spoke up, "On the magical side of things, you were quite impressive as well! You cleared the Potions Theory for your year-level at Hogwarts quite nicely- which is more than I can say for the actual Hogwarts students- unfortunately; your lack of practical application cuts this grade to barely passing. You earned your IOWC- or International Ordinary Wizarding Certification, which is the International OWL standard, and more comparable to a Hogwarts NEWT than a Hogwarts OWL- in Astronomy, Ancient Magical History, Modern Magical History, Spell Theory, Charms, Inanimate Transfiguration, and Runic History."
Harry beamed at them, happy that his hard work had paid off, "But why am I so advanced? Not that I'm not happy, but I'm not even doing anything special!"
The other Examiner spoke up, "You seem to ask questions, and your tutor helps you search for answers. Instead of being stifled in a classroom and having facts shoved down your throat, you're learning because you want to- and that makes a world of difference. Your willpower also contributes, of course- look at your upper maths and science grades! However, you poured yourself into learning Spell Theory because you were interested in wand movements and why we used Latin for spells, and you poured yourself into History because your tutor refused to let you learn the Runic languages until you understood the history behind them- these motivations make you want to learn and turn boring facts into interesting information."
"It is also reflected in your nonmagical studies, as these areas mirrored the areas you scored highly in," the Goblin contributed, "Young ones learn better when they are interested."
Examiner Number One took over the conversation, "There are some drawbacks to your style. You have zero practical Potions and Herbology experience, and Arithmancy is going to be difficult for you if you don't enjoy or understand mathematics. Magical Creatures and Beings you scored highly in theory, but once again your practical experience levels your grade to barely passing. So you might need an additional tutor who has previously studied these subjects at some point. You also refuse to do any Animate Transfigurations, so that will preclude you from ever getting full marks in that subject."
"Having said that," The Goblin once again interjected, "You did far better than Steward Grapplehook projected, as you scored more than three IOWCs, which makes you a young adult in the eye of Gringotts Bank, not to mention you've fulfilled half the graduation requirements required for your nonmagical Secondary Education. Grapplehook told me to offer you your mother's diaries, even though they are supposed to be sealed with everything else that was in the cottage the night Voldemort came after your family."
For a moment, Harry couldn't breathe and he accidentally clutched Skull so tightly that the purple-haired baby squeaked in protest. "I thought that the Unspeakables sealed the cottage and the Ministry marked it a 'National Treasure'." He said, a somewhat bitter smile tugging at his mouth.
The Goblin leaned forward and gave Harry a toothy grin that was anything but reassuring, "Wizards see what they want."
Harry's lips curled into a warmer grin and he replied, "If that's the case, please give Grapplehook my regards. A half percent of the overall profits for the year- a quarter for him and a quarter for Gringotts- for every room that is conquered without question."
The grin turned terrifying, "Of course, young warrior."
(The ICW Examiners privately resolved to bring popcorn to the next round of tests.)
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Harry and Skull worked their way down the other side of Northern Ireland and then Ireland proper, as they gave the Goblins another three weeks to reclaim everything from the cottage in Godric's Hollow.
As usual, Viper popped in and out a few times, and they all sprawled out on the deck of the ship, (they should really get around to naming it someday), and watched movies.
Then one day Viper brought a Disney movie and Harry and Skull were hooked.
(Viper had laughed at them after that and proceeded to charge Skull in glasses of perfectly-made strawberry milk and bullied Harry into cooking for her. Well, in her mind, really she just asked and Harry leapt up and practically danced towards the kitchen.)
So it was lessons, philanthropy, and adventuring by day. Then at night it was lessons, movies, and laughter over food as they laid on the deck of the ship and talked towards the stars until they fell asleep, only to wake up and start the process all over again.
Harry stirred and opened his eyes, readjusting Skull, (who was snoring on his chest), and Viper, (who was tucked against his side), slightly as he sleepily blinked at the lightening sky.
This is worth it. He mused as he faded back to unconsciousness with a smile. These moments like this, they're worth knowing I'm going to die young.
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When the Goblins of Gringotts are allowed to go to war, they go to war. Harry mused as he and Skull watched the last of the Godric's Hollow 'booty' be stowed below deck.
Well, if Harry ever needed something plundered, he knew who he'd call.
Even if they were rather expensive.
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Going through the things that had been in his earliest home had been- bittersweet. He hadn't touched his mother's journals yet, (apparently the Potter Family Magic had protected them and that was why they hadn't been taken by the Unspeakables), but some of the other things he'd worked through.
He'd kept a trio of stuffed animals- a stag, a wolf, and a dog- and donated the rest of the items from his nursery to an orphanage Wexford as they came back down from Dublin. A lot of the other things that he wouldn't be needing and had no other value other than them belonging to his parents also made their way to various places in Wales as Harry and Skull began to gear up for their trip across the Atlantic.
Harry kept things he could use- like the kitchen utensils, and furniture, and some of his parents clothes, and jewelry- but he didn't want to be selfish and keep something just because he could when someone else could legitimately use it, so many things were parted with as long as they didn't break the Statute.
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It was nearing November and Skull and Harry were nearly ready to make their first long voyage over open water.
It was just over 5500 nautical miles from the Strait of Gibraltar to the Panama Strait, which would put them in the open waters for about eleven and a half days at full speed, and assuming everything went smoothly.
It was the journey across the Pacific Ocean that was the issue, as they were going to be traveling in winter, and the weather changes from the continents would be playing havoc with the ocean's patterns. The magic would keep them oriented and relatively safe, but their trip could take upwards to two months depending on how much speed they could use and how much the wards would need to charge, as the Pacific Ocean was very much a wild, untamed entity.
(The Atlantic Ocean was too, but there were sizable, grouped landmasses to break her up by contrast.)
So, just in case they were stuck at sea for months, boy Harry and Skull wanted to make sure that they had plenty of supplies.
(Also, Viper was sort of being a mother hen about it to them. Not that they'd event think that in her presence, but she was, as they'd be out of range for her Mist teleportation and her Flame phone.)
So, after sailing the English Channel and riding the River Thames, they anchored just off of Westminster Pier, and made their way into London for some shopping.
First off was food, as the storage areas had preservation charms and runic formulas on them that would basically keep the food in stasis once the doors to the cabinets were sealed. Harry and Skull hadn't really 'stocked up' yet, as they'd been taking enough day trips that there hadn't truly been the need to. They would need to visit several markets over the next few days to avoid attracting too much attention, but they'd manage.
Water was another issue that Viper had been being insistent about. While there were charms and things in place that pulled water from the air via spells, Viper wanted them to have bottled water on hand.
So, they bought bottled water.
After that it was mostly odds and ends- like toiletries and such- but they also needed to get books and stuff for Harry's schooling, which brought up their riskiest venture: Diagon Alley.
Unlike Gringotts- which had locations in major cities all over the world- witches and wizards were a dwindling population, despite their amazing powers, and Diagon Alley was the only magical shopping district that Harry technically had permission to visit.
Restricting underage witches and wizards from being able to enter foreign shopping districts was an old practice that barely post-dated Hogwarts. Adults were allowed to roam freely between magical enclaves, but children were often coerced into doing the dirty work of extremists- magical and nonmagical. When the Statue had been invoked, one of the tenants had been that unless a child held dual magical citizenship, (which rarely ever happened), only the country of the child's birth or adoption, (which would require a magical contract and the appointing of a Magical Guardian), would be able to serve the child's magical retail needs until they came of age and could defend themselves properly. It was meant to protect the hidden shopping districts and the children both- you couldn't give away a secret you didn't know, and once the extremists realized this, childhood fatalities decreased exponentially.
So, since they needed new material for Harry to study, Diagon Alley was their only option.
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Verde tapped his fingers on the table and tried to pull together the full picture before he did something Reborn-ish and jumped to conclusions.
Fact: Skull missed last year's meeting, supposedly because he was doing business for Viper.
Fact: Viper had been pulled aside by an abnormally agitated Fon during the recess and immediately after the meeting concluded.
Fact: Skull had been caught by Verde's surveillance equipment several times in the company of a black-haired boy with green eyes and glasses, approximately between the ages of eleven and thirteen, but Verde hadn't been interested in that fact until he'd caught glimpse of footage from Ireland from a few weeks after the meeting that included Fon.
Hypothesis: Skull had found their Sky, and deeming him too young to be introduced to the more volatile members of the Arcobaleno, Skull had told Viper, who had chosen to cover for them- which meant that there was something special about this boy other than him just having the Pacifier. Fon was best at reading Viper's moods, so Verde wasn't particularly surprised that the martial artist had caught on, but it did surprise the Lightning Arcobaleno that Fon hadn't announced Viper's deception, which meant that whatever reason she'd given him had been deemed sufficient.
Verde pushed down the pang he felt at being overlooked by yet another Sky, (Reborn had always been Luce's favorite), and tried to focus on the footage of Skull and the black-haired boy.
Only for them to disappear into thin air. No flames or anything. Just thin air.
The Lightning Arcobaleno blinked, re-watched the footage slower, and then blinked again. It was like those other annoying glitches that happened sometimes- the ones that weren't really glitches but no one would listen to him about-
Verde glanced at the timestamp on the footage and hopped off his custom-made chair.
Skull had some explaining to do.
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Skull and Harry were sitting in a café plotting their assault on Diagon Alley when Hedwig suddenly spun her head and hooted calmly.
There was a baby with dark green hair and deep greenish-purple eyes walking towards them, an alligator meandering around his ankles.
Harry leaned over smiled as the baby came closer to them, "Hello! You must be the Lightning Arcobaleno Pacifier holder! I'm Harry, the holder of the Sky Pacifier, and his is my Animal Partner, Hedwig." He said cheerfully, "Are you a scientist? Would you like to have lunch with us?" he asked interestedly.
Verde blinked slowly, and ignored Skull's snickering in the background, "Hello. I am Verde, the Lightning Arcobaleno. My Animal Partner is Keiman. I am a scientist, and only if you agree to answer my questions."
The boy's green eyes sharpened, "I'll answer to the best of my ability, Verde- you're wearing a lab coat does that make you a Doctor?- and we were just getting ready to order."
"Just Verde is fine," Verde answered, amused despite himself, as he hopped up and took a seat next to Skull, "What do you mean 'to the best of your ability.'"
"Well, you know how the Mafia has Omertá, right?" Harry asked, getting an impatient nod, "Well, there's another world, and they have their own version of it." At Verde's dumbfounded look the boy cocked his head to the side thoughtfully, "Though I suppose that as the holder of the Sky Pacifier, I should have the right to tell you guys. Don't you think so, Skull?"
The purple haired baby snorted, "I'm surprised Verde doesn't know, to be honest." Skull took on a sly look, "Besides, Verde always pays his debts, and telling him something of this magnitude would give you more than enough credit to have him come with us and make him tutor you, 'cause I'm not trying to teach you science anymore."
Harry spluttered indignantly, "Excuse me? I'm not that bad-"
"Another hidden society?" Verde broke in finally, "Another whole world hidden from me?" Verde sounded on the precipice of a breakdown.
Harry reached out a hand and laid it gently next to Verde's own- close enough for the other to feel the warmth emanating from Harry's skin, but not close enough to actually be touching, "Yeah, it's pretty crazy. But Skull and I were planning on going to get books and stuff for my schooling later on today, and we're sailing to China via the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, which would give you plenty of time to explore this information. I really do need a science tutor, too! You wanna come with us?"
Verde's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and theories and memories, but as his eyes locked onto steady green, something long frozen in his soul began to thaw, and slowly the words filtered through the chaos of his mind and he managed to understand them. "Come with you." He repeated somewhat dazedly, "For how long."
"We're not sure, couple of months, no more than four. Should be in China by the time Spring is in full swing, depends on the conditions we run into along the way." Skull replied from off to the side.
"Sailing across the Pacific Ocean this time of year is madness." Verde pointed out reasonably, trying to find his mental footing.
Which was all for naught as Harry pulled out a stick and with a mischievous twinkle in his eye asked in a conspiratorial whisper, "Do you believe in magic, Verde?"
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Verde, Skull and Harry found out quickly, was an evil taskmaster.
On the plus side, Harry did get a science tutor, and Verde could help with Harry's math.
Back to Verde's taskmaster-ness, Diagon Alley did not go the way Harry and Skull had planned at all. Verde called some of his minions to take rounds of samples back to his lab, which meant that they had to brave the Alley multiple times.
On the plus side, Verde supplied the disguises, which made things a lot easier.
On the downside, Verde was a perfectionist who wanted to know nothing less than everything, and the Lightning Arcobaleno seemed to thrive off of Harry's questions.
(It was quite amusing for Skull, who had always seen Verde as aloof and condescending, to see the other Arcobaleno be so child-like in his enthusiasm. Skull would admit that Harry just tended to have that effect on people- the Arcobaleno in particular- and that the baby Sky was slowly inching his way towards physical contact with Verde, consciously or not.
Viper was more amused than anything when he'd called her, and was fairly resigned to sharing their Sky with the others at this point.
Still, watching Verde and Harry huddle over a textbook together and toss theories back and forth was bizarre in the best sort of way. Verde would go off on tangents, and Harry would obviously be lost by the techno-babble, but he'd be rapturously following Verde's speech, and then he'd ask questions about what he had understood, and those things seemed to mean more to Verde than the Lightning Arcobaleno realized he let show.
Skull was starting to understand what Fon was trying to say, but that didn't mean that he was ready to share their baby Sky with Reborn-sempai and Colonnello yet.)
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By the time they set sail, it was nearly December and Harry had insisted that they have a small Christmas dinner together.
When they finally departed from England, Viper was with them and they- Harry, Verde, Viper, and Skull- sat on the magically-warmed deck eating the dinner Harry had made as the ship glided through the water based on the pre-planned coordinates that Verde had programmed into the navigational charms. The night sky had been clear, and the conversation had flowed, and when it was all over Harry had begged Skull to perform his favorite poem, and the Cloud Arcobaleno had once again folded to Harry's 'puppy eyes'.
(In later years, when his sickness would get to him, this would be one of his favorite memories to remember. The only thing that would have made that night perfect would have been if the others had been with them.)
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Learning from someone as smart as Verde should probably make the student feel stupid or inadequate, but Harry just felt lucky.
Verde was really smart.
There were moments when he and Skull sort of butted heads, but it was usually just them rubbing each other the wrong way, and it would only take a moment for Harry to sort them out, so their voyage had been pretty fun.
Harry would even pester Verde into taking breaks with Skull and him, having the scientist suit up and paint bed sheets or Harry would drag Verde up to the upper deck and point out things and ask questions about them, which would get the scientist talking and teaching.
Ask about that cool colored patch of water? Get a full science lesson about what was happening to the organisms at the cellular level and why and what factors affect such a thing.
Point out that small cloud on the horizon? Learn about weather patterns and clouds and how gravity and the ocean and the Earth's magnetic poles affect such things.
It was awesome that Verde knew so many cool things, and Harry always made sure to tell him, too.
Even Skull would stop and listen to some of the random lessons and ask his own questions.
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They passed through the Panama Strait, (or the Panama Canal, if you prefer), easily, and were in the Pacific Ocean before the end of the second week of December.
Unfortunately- or fortunately as they really had nowhere to be and were enjoying themselves- the weather turned against them soon after and they ended up having to take things slowly, and not at all several times.
Verde was ecstatic to be able to see so many weather phenomenon up close and personally, especially pleased when his Flame-devices were able to record data as they hadn't fried around the high concentration of magic.
They made a slow crawl across the Pacific and ended up a little further south than they planned, as they came across the tip of the Northern Mariana Islands, when they'd been aiming for Taiwan. Overall, it wasn't that far off considering how many storms they'd weathered, so they'd simply corrected their course and moved on.
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It was March when they docked in Xiamen, China.
Skull having called Viper once they'd gotten in range of the Flame-towers, meant that Fon had called Skull with instructions shortly thereafter, with instructions on where to go and how far to lower the wards.
Fon was also ridiculously pleased to see Verde with them.
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Verde, having been away from his labs for almost five months, was itching to get back to them.
Harry insisted that they see the Lightning Arcobaleno and Kieman off at the airport, and fussed at the scientist about proper sleeping habits and eating decent meals.
Fon and Skull wisely stayed back.
"You'll be alright, won't you? And I can still call if I have questions with my homework, right?" Harry babbled from where he was knelt down to be closer to Verde's eye level as he fussed with the green-haired baby's lab coat. "and I won't call too much 'cause I know you'll be busy but-"
"Harry." Verde said patiently.
"-but I don't want you to forget me either and-" The Sky continued to babble quickly, seemingly not hearing Verde.
"Harry."
Harry's mouth snapped shut and he peeked up at Verde with teary green eyes.
Verde felt his chest seize and his mouth went dry as that something that had started to unthaw all those months ago blossomed into full-on warmth.
This…..
This was what having a Sky was supposed to feel like. He realized suddenly, with that crystal-clear clarity that he usually solved complicated formulae or so-called unsolvable puzzles. This is the home and warmth and freedom that having a Sky is supposed to feel like.
Heady from his realization, he physical contact with Harry for the first time, "I won't forget," He mumbled to the boy, who had automatically wrapped his warm arms around Verde, "Because not all who wander are lost, ne?"
Verde could feel Harry smiling into his hair as wet drops splashed down onto him, "Yeah," Harry said thickly, "Just don't forget to wander back every once in a while, alright."
"Always, I have to make sure that idiot Skull doesn't teach you all the wrong types of sedimentary rock."
"That was one time!" Skull yelled. "Who cares about rocks, anyways!"
Harry laughed brightly, (and that was the only reason why Verde wasn't going to fry Skull to a crisp), and Verde pulled back, "Promise me you'll take care of yourself?" Harry ordered.
"I promise." Verde swore solemnly.
"Alright then." Harry said reluctantly as he slowly drew away and stood up, "Make sure you call us when you land safely."
Verde rolled his eyes this time, "Yes, mother."
Harry gave him a cheeky grin, "I will take you over my knee, young man!" He accentuated his statement with an exaggerated finger waggle.
The Lightning Arcobaleno laughed and turned around and walked away.
It was nice, Verde mused as he watched Harry scoop up Skull and turn around to watch the plane take off, waving wildly when the Sky saw Verde by the window, To know that you have a home to go home to.
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