Many thanks to Erris and ladywatertiger for your reviews. Much appreciated! I hope you like the story as it continues.
A big shoutout to Spring Raine, ladysavay and ILikeComps for being the first to review on this story!
Thank you all for encouraging this work.
And on that note, knowing that I do not own even a lightening bolt scar *sigh*, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
Chapter 9 – White Trees and Kettled Fish
After her pit-stop at Gringott's, Hedwig made her way to the home of the Ministry of Magic's DMLE Head, Amelia Bones. Arriving a little past 8 p.m., she pecked on the window of the kitchen, where Amelia was cooking dinner for her niece and herself. The witch's head came up sharply but she made no move towards the window. Hedwig held up her leg and the Gringott's seal on the envelope came into view. Nodding, Amelia opened the window with a wave of her wand, set out some food and water for the owl and took the letter from her.
Having performed the regular security and tampering checks on it, she opened the envelope, only to have another fall out of it along with a letter. What caused her mouth to fall open in shock was the letter from Lord Harry Potter.
A vast field spread out before him, dotted with apple groves and cherry bowers. But what interested him most were the fairies. A variety of the little humanoid creatures were flying over the lush green carpet and among the trees, playing in the sun, which made their translucent wings flash with every color of the rainbow. They soon noticed the presence of the human in their playfield and Harry was surrounded by the flash and flutter of their wings as they jostled each other for a space around him. They seemed as fascinated by him as he was by them.
The fairies tugged at his hands pulling him towards a river that he hadn't seen due to a roll in the land. As he sat down, his new friends started bringing him gifts. Apples, cherries, bramble berries, daisy chains, wild strawberries, reed baskets, and many other little things made their way to him until he was dwarfed by the sheer amount of fruits before him. They all seemed to be waiting for something, so he plucked an apple off the pile and bit into the succulent flesh. A high-pitched giggle met his years and the fairies all laughed. Harry couldn't help but join them.
This mood might have continued but for a sudden low throbbing wail. It seemed to come from beyond the apple grove and caused a lot of fright among the fairies. They screamed and flew off, disappearing in a matter of moments. Above him, Harry noticed that the sky grew dark and the clouds roiled in a fierce dance all their own. The wail was repeated. Harry rose to investigate, walking around the grove to find a patch of bramble and thorn. Searching the bramble in the decreasing light, he found himself looking at the most emaciated bird he had ever seen. It looked like a greenish-black vulture, and yet looked like no vulture he had ever seen. It let out its wailing cry again.
And the heavens opened. Rain came down in torrential sheets of silver, turning the land silver around him. It was then that he saw it. A faint glow, hanging off an apple tree in the heart of the grove. Curious, he headed towards it. He entered the grove and crossed the younger trees with their lighter trunks, but when he tried to get further, he couldn't; an invisible barrier seemed to impede his progress. Absentmindedly, he raised his hand and took a bite from the apple… and surged ahead. He took a bite every time he was stopped until he had both finished the apple and reached the base of the central tree.
There, right near the heart of the trunk, was the glowing apple. Two little grey owlets with sharp beaks and yellow eyes watched him approach. Harry circled the smooth trunk of the tree and saw no way that he could climb up. Thinking only of the apple, the placed his right hand on the trunk.
A surge of magical energy surrounded him and the tree with the raw elemental energies of the still raging storm being pulled down into the vortex. The trunk grew white around his hand and like fire it spread up and down the tree till the magic of the storm mixed with Harry's own magic turned the tree a bright white. It glowed and shone brighter than the sun.
The Augurey wailed again and this time the two owlets hooted in reply. Overhead, the storm dissipated in moments and Harry fell to his knees before the tree, exhausted but enlightened. He understood. The apple was simply a beacon. It was this tree that was the repository of magic for the House of Evans. If he had not picked the apple from the gifts given to him, he would not have been able to enter the grove and take up Lordship of Evans House by allowing the Guardian Tree to recognize him. Coming wearily to his feet, the new Lord Evans smiled, patted the Tree and vanished in a blaze of light.
"Madam,
We have never been formally introduced, though your niece Susan is in my year at Hogwarts. Allow me, therefore, to introduce myself. I am Lord Harry James Potter, popularly known as the Boy-Who-Lived. A classmate with whom I am not on good terms likes to say that I am the Boy-Who-Will-Not-Die. I am proud of neither achievement, in so far that these monikers have brought me notoriety and fame that I did not ask for.
However, seeing as I am undoubtedly the Boy-Who-Lived 15 years ago and who has continued to survive again and again over the past 4 years of Hogwarts from various versions or servants of Voldemort, for once today, I will make use of my apparent celebrity status in the Wizarding world.
You may well wonder why, if that were the case, is this letter in your hands instead of the Minister's. The answer is simple. I want to see justice done and a wrong righted. The Minister is less than cordial towards me now since I have had the temerity to shake up his safe little bubble of non-responsibility. Regardless, he is not the person who can get this job done. You, Madam, can.
I refer now to the case of one Lord Sirius Orion Black. I would like to request you to reopen the case and investigate it again. Before you decide that I am an upstart young Prince who is trying to flatter or browbeat his way into some sort of prank, allow me to say just one thing. Sirius Black is my Godfather. I am sure Madam, that you would realize the weight of those words. Yes, his magical oath would not allow it. Which means that we have to search in another direction. I can give you that direction.
If the Goblins have agreed to my request, there should be another envelope accompanying this letter. I will let that letter do the rest of my explanations for me. There is information inside that envelope that will open your eyes to the degree of deception that is rampant within the Ministry and elsewhere.
Should you require any explanations or other aid, or indeed if you should wish to contact me at all, just say the name 'Dobby' and my personal House-elf will be available at once.
In the meantime, Madam, I remain only your niece's classmate and fellow student.
Yours truly,
Lord Harry Potter (Head of House Potter)"
While a shocked Amelia Bones tore open the second envelope to find a copy of James Potter's Will to read a damning testimony from a dead man and an eye-opener for the rest of the world, Harry explored his new Manor, overjoyed to find that it had a cavernous, fully-stocked, well-ventilated potions lab on the second floor, with its own Potions-specific library, portraits of famous Potions Masters who were more than happy to start teaching him on the spot, and self adjusting equipment that catered to heat, light and almost all extraneous variables during Potion-making.
There was also a set of rooms set aside for the use of Runes and Charms practice respectively, which also had subject specific libraries and helpful portraits. But it was on the first floor that he found portraits of his mother, his maternal grandparents and other members of the Evans Family. There he was acquainted with not only the truth behind the Evans' Pureblood history, but also a very special friend; a rare blue-green phoenix with a white plume, called Destiny. Harry sat there for hours, talking to his mother, learning from her while the sun went down in the world outside. The parting, when it came, was bitter-sweet.
With Destiny riding on his shoulder (he was soon to discover that she would be inseparable from him), he returned to the entrance hall to notify Lord Robert of his departure. Nodding to the proud man, Harry apparated to his rooms in Kensington Halls. He gave Destiny the third letter, and waited for her to flame away. Changing into comfortable casuals, he plopped down on his bed and threw himself back into the soft pillows. Dinner could wait; it had been a long day.
Will have to cut it short here and move on to the next chapter. 'Cause honestly, I'm feeling s little tired too. Did you like it? R & R as always! :)
