DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter and its universe belong to JK Rowling or whichever company really has its legal rights. I just fool around with its universe and characters.

A/N FAQ:

I wanna thank my awesome brother for acting as my Alpha


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The wandering path of a Battlemage

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CHAPTER 003

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Harry and Minerva had quickly arrived at Luggy-Luggity-Lugage, where he had decided to buy a money pouch, enchanted to store more gold than he would ever need, along with a featherlight charm and an anti-summon cluster of runes etched on it; a scholar bag, enchanted for extra space, featherlight charm and a quick-finding cluster of runes, designed to summon the desired item whenever you reached into the bag; finally they got a trunk enchanted to the size of a small basement, a featherlight charm and a shrinking cluster of runes activated with a tap of the wand. He had managed to bargain a price of 900 galleons for all of it, which was a little steep until you considered that he would only have to buy it once throughout the school.

Once they already had somewhere to store the necessary shopping, they decided to hit the bookstore at Flourish and Blotts. They got everything he would need as well as two books that caught his eye: Illusory Illusions and Mind Magic's. He also spotted a couple of books such as Harry Potter: The Dragon Slayer and Harry Potter: A Voyage To Atlantis, which he took as well. He was intrigued by wizarding fiction and it should be fun to read the wild adventures of a fictional character named like him. Minerva seemed reluctant to let him take them, but finally agreed and said she would explain him later. The total cost was 100 galleons, of which 25 were for the fiction novels.

'Bloody expensive! Those novels better be worth it' -Harry thought as he paid for all of it.

After placing all the books in his scholar satchel, they headed to the Potage's Cauldron Shop to get his cauldron and other required tools for the Potions class.


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"Minerva, is there any difference between the regular set of tools and the silver plated set? Are they worth it?"

"They should be so, although they will be of little help to your grades"

'Huh... that's oddly cynical from her' -Harry thought.

"The silver plated set will actually behave as inert with your ingredients, whereas a regular set could cause unexpected results" -Mr. Potage clarified- "Especially if you don't religiously clean them"

Harry decided that he would pay the 10 extra galleons rather than have random shit going wrong through any of his potions, better safe than sorry. He paid the shopkeeper his 60 galleons for the whole equipment and stored everything in his trunk.

They headed next to Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment to get his set of crystal phials, the telescope and the set of brass scales. Luckily, it turned out to be cheaper than everything else so far, just 14 galleons.

Their next stop was Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, where they obviously went looking for clothing. Harry acquired two sets of black school robes made of silk and the required winter coat. He decided to seize the chance as he finally had some money of his own to buy innerwear of his own size, a jean, a couple of shirts and two hoodies, one black and another one blue. He couldn't describe how good it felt to finally have new clothing of his own size. He actually changed inside the shop and asked if they could burn his old transfigured rags. For the sake of convenience, Minerva transfigured his new clothes into robes as well in order to maintain a low profile. He paid 120 galleons for all of it and stashed his new clothing in his trunk.

All there was left to do now was to check if he could find one of the allowed pets to his liking, and then they would finally be able to get some lunch. They decided it would be better for him to get an owl, as it would allow him to send post whenever he needed while been away from school. They visited a shop called Magical Menagerie, but Harry said that he wanted to check the Eeylops Owl Emporium before picking one. He was actually looking for an owl or any other animal he could feel he could feel a click with, as he supposed it would be his companion for a long time and he would have to take proper care of it. So he would much rather pick a pet he could feel a connection to it than simply one for its fancy colours.

When he was finally about to give up, he caught sight of a snowy owl with green eyes staring straight at him. He felt fascinated by it as soon as their eyes met. He got closer and both inspected each other.

"I wouldn't get too close to that one" the shop clerk warned him "We've had her for over a year now and she has drawn blood from every customer that tried to pet her so far"

Harry reached with his hand and the snowy owl fluffed her feathers up as a warning. But he didn't care anyway.

He began scratching her in the back of her head. "I want her. This is definitely my o-OUCH! The bitch pecked me!" -he exclaimed while rubbing the back of his hand.

"I am sorry sir. Let me help you find another one. This one certainly won't do."

"What? Why? I said I wanted her" -Harry said once again scratching the snowy owl's neck once again despite her protests.

"Absolutely, this wa- Wait, you still want it?"

"Absolutely, I can sense she has a fighting spirit and I am certain we will get a long, right?" -he said while looking at the owl as if he were asking a confirmation. For which he only got another peck on his hand.

"Harry, are you sure you want an owl that is already fighting you?" -Minerva asked trying to dissuade him- "Adapting to Hogwarts is already hard as it is and I believe it would better suit you a… friendlier companion"

"Nope, I'm taking her… Hedwig! Yes, I'm taking Hedwig" -Harry said while said owl gave him a look of annoyance at such name- "Besides, I can tell she is tired of being cooped up in here and is eager stretch her wings, right girl?"

Hedwig lowered her head as in deep thought. She finally looked up and stretched her wings, as if she were reluctantly accepting the offer.

"Alright, if you are determined to with your choice, I'm sure that we can offer you a hefty discount for liberating us from this little troublemaker" -said the clerk, to which he received a warning look from Hedwig- "or… we can charge you full for your wonderful feathery new friend" -he corrected nervously, as Hedwig seemed to sharpen her talons- "And maybe we could offer you a free of charge, premium, indoor bird housing and a bag of our best owl treats" -said the clerk as he began tip toeing away- "Two bags! Definitely two bags of our finest treats! Let me get all your stuff" -he finally pleaded while cowering away as Hedwig, being released by Harry, started flying after him.

"I couldn't have found a better pet for myself!"

"Indeed... I fear I might regret allowing this, once you two arrive at the castle" -Minerva commented exasperatedly.

After some friendly threats, as Harry agreed to call Hedwig's farewell, they paid the whole 90 galleons for Hedwig and stashed the bird housing on his trunk. Once outside, Minerva told Harry to instruct Hedwig to fly back home and that she would be able to find it on her own.

Having that settled, Minerva suggested they go to the Fairy Tavern, where they could have a quiet chat alongside some lunch.

************************(Minerva)**********************

Minerva had had her fair share of muggleborns to introduce to the wizarding world throughout her career as professor and Deputy Headmistress; therefore she knew when things weren't great at home. She had had to take rather a drastic involvement many times before, as it was common to find muggle parents that didn't know how to react to their first magical child or outright rejected it and tried horrendous ways to fix them. Thus, she was certain that it would be for the best to have a quiet and private boot for her lunch with him, as she was sure of having picked some of the worst of those indicators.

Once seated, she ordered some light lunch for herself and told Harry to order whatever he wished without restraint, to which he surprised her by ordering two different courses and three desserts that he said he would like to try. She decided to go for small talk until Mavis the innkeeper brought their order and ease into possibly harsher topics once they were done with their meal.

"Harry, I'm not scolding or criticizing you for your big appetite, but are you sure you will be able to handle all that food?" -Minerva asked in the gentlest of voices she could muster.

"Yes, I'll need it to hold out until Thursday…" -he blurted out without really meaning to if his face was of any indication.

'What could he mean by that?' -Minerva pondered to herself- 'Oh crap… Hogwarts begins on Thursday. So much for easing into the sensitive stuff…' "Why are you worried about having to hold on until Hogwarts?"

Harry didn't respond, instead he looked down at his fork as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Ok… we can get back to that later I guess." -Minerva said softly, she knew from previous experiences that it wouldn't help to push into that sort of things right from the start, she would have to work her way to it- "So… what do you know about magic and the wizarding world? What have your family being able to inform you? So I can explain to you whatever else you may want to know"

"Umm… nothing really. If it hadn't been for the owl's odd behaviour, I would have thought Hogwarts was some sort of cruel joke."

"What do you mean by nothing?" -Minerva was starting to feel alarmed- "What about your parents? And your hidden scar? It took me a while to realize, but you've been using a rather strong glamour charm to hide it as I can't even see through it. So you must've known of magic and your family has certainly managed to provide you some enchanted object to do so."

Harry pulled his quartz necklace from inside his robes and showed it to her. "I found this on the ground when I was younger. You see, I was very lonely back then... and somehow I managed to figure out how to perform a minor illusion over a deck of cards by pure chance. I kind of experimented by myself since then, though I never really knew what was going on." -He explained and reluctantly continued- "As for my parents… They said my father was an alcoholic who abandoned my mother shortly after she became pregnant. And she had supposedly died during labour due to her drug abuse. In fact, I didn't even know my real name until I joined primary school. Before that I was never called anything but freak or boy, and I only got disabused of the idea when the teacher got angry at me for ignoring him and gave me detention."

Minerva was horrified. He was shedding tears as he opened up to her and shared some of his misery. She was heartbroken to hear the monstrous lie they had told him about one of the bravest familes in the last century, his very own family- 'And they were their family as well! How could they have done such a thing?!' -She had been present the day Albus dropped him off. She had scouted the family for the whole day and had known it was less than the ideal environment. But Albus had argued that they were his family. That he would be better away from his fame to be, that he would be protected and nurtured by the love his relatives. She had had no real say in the matter- 'Those monsters didn't even bother to teach him his name… I should have stood my ground against Albus back then...'

"They never even mentioned magic… but I guess… I guess that would be why they've been calling me a freak all along…" -he trailed off- "My rel- The Dursleys always looked at my scar with animosity, and I've never known why. When I discovered I could perform illusions, I figured I would be able to hide it and things would finally look up, but…"

And what about his natural talent for magic. She had heard before of magical children performing magic beyond their capabilities when under stress, but his control and ability to sustain such a powerful glamour over the whole morning…- 'Third year students have problem performing it with wands. Instead, he's actually doing it for who knows how long every day with merely a secondary focus! And even aware of it, I can't manage to see through it!'

After that, Minerva wasn't able to push Harry to recount her any more of his life with the Dursleys. It wasn't that she didn't care, but she knew some memories were too painful to remember, especially if brought back all at once. She would help him get through this, no matter the cost. She owed so much to the Potters; the wizarding world owed them as much. But more importantly, she owed it to her old friend. She would help and protect Harry as fiercely as Dorea would have, were she still alive.

They finished their lunch with Minerva telling him the major aspects about his real parents, to which he was eager to listen. She suggested going for some ice cream once they were done, as she was still livid inside and afraid to do something she would regret if she were to confront the Dursleys after what she had learned.


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"I FUCKING TOLD YOU SO!" -Minerva barged into the headmaster's office- "14 years ago I told you they weren't an adequate family! But Merlin forbids the day Albus Dumbledore may be wrong!"

"Minerva! Calm down and explain what are you talking about" -Dumbledore cut her in.

"Don't you dare to Minerva me! Because this time you've messed it up and big time!"

"Oh dear… could you at least elaborate what is it about"

"Today was my introduction day with Harry Potter!" -Minerva stared at Dumbledore as he gulped with a cold sweat- "He was one of the sweetest boys I've had the chance to introduce to the wizarding world and seems a natural for magic"

"Wait, if you say he already is a natural, how come he needed introduc-"

"Because one could say that he nearly became the first Obscurial in the last hundred years!" -to this raging statement from Minerva, Dumbledore at least had the decency of being aghast- "I am most certain that he has been emotionally abused as well as enslaved for as much of his life as he can remember! They most certainly made sure of repressing any sign of magic coming from him. And I wouldn't be surprised if we ever find out it has been worst"

"Now now Minerva, I can assure you it haven't been as bad as you seem to believe"

"How can you assure me such a thing when it's been 14 years since the last time you saw the boy!?" -Minerva carefully scrutinized Dumbledore's face- "You… you've been keeping an eye on that house… YOU HAVE KNOWN ALL ALONG WHAT HAS BEEN GOING ON INSIDE THAT HOUSE AND CHOSE TO IGNORE IT! EXPLAIN TO ME THIS BLOODY INSTANT WHY SHOULDN'T I SHOW YOU WHY I HAVE EARNED MY BATTLEMAGE RANK IN TRANSFIGURATION!" -Mt McGonagall had officially erupted and was spitting hellfire.

"I've had an agent nearby all along tha-"

"Who!?"

"Mrs. Figgs, a squib I've known for a lifetime" -Dumbledore knew this wasn't the moment for withholding information from Minerva if he was to somehow de-escalate things- "She moved in next door within the week we left Harry with his relatives and has been keeping me updated on his wellbeing. She-"

"WELLBEING?! HOW THICK HAVE YOU BECOME WITH AGE ALBUS?! HAVE YOU NOT HEARD ME SAYING HE WAS JUST ONE STEP FROM BECOMING AN OBSCURIAL?! WE SHOULD SKIN HER ALIVE AND CALL IT A PEELING IF THAT IS HER IDEA OF WELLBEING! WHY ON EARTH IS HE STILL LIVING IN THAT PRISON?!"

"I've had my reasons! Now please Minerva, calm down and allow me to explain." -Dumbledore angrily replied, already getting tired of being dressed down- "It all relates to that fateful night of Halloween. I had known that Lily had been researching in the Black's library previous to their hiding. As soon as I heard that Harry had survived, I knew she must have found something so I went to check. What I found was disturbing, but certainly powerful." -Dumbledore recounted, as Minerva had finally calmed down and was keen to know what had happened- "She had been researching rituals, and apparently found what she needed in blood rituals. Lily was able to design a blood ritual as a trap against Voldemort, one capable of harnessing her love for Harry. Willingly sacrificing her life, she granted Harry the complete protection from Voldemort. It was her love for her son, for Harry, that shielded him against Voldemort's evil."

"And what does that have to do with forcing Harry to endure such terrible environment?" -Minerva asked rather harshly, as she knew he would gloss over details and other important information if he had any respite to plan ahead.

"As I was saying" -Dumbledore began anew, with an annoyed look to being prompted to carry on without being able to organize his thoughts- "This was a powerful magic capable of protecting Harry from Voldemort. With some necessary adjustments I was able to bound this protection to a set of blood wards around the Dursleys property. They would hide Harry from Voldemort's remaining followers and, in the eventuality that he was ever found, would hold them off."

"WHAT?! HOW COULD YOU EVEN CONSIDER SUCH A FOOLISH PLAN! A BOY THAT YOUNG WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED BY THE BLOOD WARD'S DRAINAGE IF THEY WERE EVER STORMED!"

"Minerva, stop interrupting me" -to which he received a fuming stare from said witch- "I had also set a wider ward that would detect and notify me of any magical being with ill intent towards Harry. I've carried ever since a portkey to his house in case he ever needed help"

"Albus… why was it set to detect magical beings with ill intent instead of the ill intent towards the child itself?" -Minerva asked with fuming suspicion.

Dumbledore gulped- "Well… because that one proved to set many false alarms over the years. It was getting hard, having to leave so many meetings just because he was being excitedly disciplined. So I was eventually forced to reconfigure them as such."

"Then why, pray tell, was he left there if you had firsthand knowledge that he was at the very least being emotionally abused?! How can you Merlin's be damned justify that?!"

"Because the blood wards weren't supported only by Harry's magic, but also by Lily's protection. Thus, it had to be sustained by the love and blood bond between Harry and Petunia."

"LOVE?! Are you telling me that his safety relies on love?! And you even expect them to be holding up after all I've just said?!" -Minerva was boggled, she was sure he had finally lost his sanity to his age.

"They are currently working Minerva, you can see for yourself. That device is linked to them and shows their current strength, as well as it would warn us should they ever be under attack" -Dumbledore said as he pointed to a device on the corner of his office. It was a silver spinning contraption that half-heartedly rotated over its own axis.

"Ha! I can see how very much loved he is with that thing" -Minerva mocked him.

"I know it could be a lot better. But so far it has done its job keeping him hidden from Voldemort's more active followers. It has certainly helped him avoid being constantly disturbed by attempts of murder."

"He could have still been protected with a magical family, actually capable of loving him. They could have all remained under a simple Fidelius if needed be"

"Yes, but he would have had to carry with the burden of his fame from a much younger age. Fame built upon the death of his parents. He would have turned out to be a fame-struck child instead of the sweet boy you've told me he has become"

Minerva was oddly suspicious of why he had sounded rather self-assured with the later of his reasons. "Oh the irony... he bought two of his supposed adventures earlier today as he had no idea of who he is to the wizarding world. He was quite shocked when I broke it down to him over ice cream"

"What do you mean? How come he didn't realize with everyone fawning over him? Did nobody recognize him?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out" -Minerva said feeling smugly of finally holding one over him- "I better leave as there is still much to be done before the students arrive on Thursday. But rest assured that we will be discussing his future family as I won't allow Dorea's grandchild to be kept living in such an abusive environment" -She declared before leaving the headmaster's office, as he stayed behind and wanting for more information about their trip to Diagon Alley.


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