Chapter 10 – Walking and Learning
Harry walked off feeling a little sad at leaving the Lofts, but also happy to be out travelling again, his pack a bit heavier with fresh food that the Lofts has insisted he take with him. He was a bit thankful for the fresh fruit and vegetables, and the frozen meat would last him a day or three as long as he placed a freezing or cooling charm on it.
Harry immediately headed for the woods away from the road, feeling strangely at home in the deep forest.
As he walked he practised various spells that he had read in his books, occasionally firing a spell off into the forest or putting up a shield as he walked through some brush.
The results were oddly surprising, most shields let through physical objects while only a few, requiring more power could stop physical objects.
Harry recalled something from primary school, or it could have been some science program on TV back at the Dursley's. Harry shuddered thinking of his so called 'relatives', calming himself as he looked around the forest, Harry could hear the wind sweep through the large trees, the birds flitter from the high tree tops, he could almost imagine spreading his own wings and joining them.
"Whoa…wings, where the flying fuck did that come from?" Harry stopped looking around before drawing his attention back to another shield.
"Metaphors that's what I'm doing talking in metaphors, talking to myself, it's all good. Slightly odd, but all good."
-/
Harry had made camp by a small river by nightfall, reading by campfire rather than a Lumos everything felt more natural, not as magic educed. He felt better here than he ever had even at Hogwarts, Harry pondered again wondering if this feeling was because of the removal of all the tracking spells or because of his surroundings. Thinking on that while he searched Syltherin's book and his other books on the effects of tracking spells and charms and the protection against them.
The defence was wildly simple, some detection spells cast on oneself and a finite incantatem would deal with the a majority of them as long as you knew they were there to detect in the first place. If they were more powerful and he didn't want to involve another he would have to channel his magic through his wand whilst thinking an incantation, which would force the tracking spell to reveal itself as a rune on a wall or other solid object, it couldn't be parchment, it had to be something solid. Then you would have to look up the counter rune or counter charm for the tracking charm or spell. What Zanack had done was the easy way, a simple search and transfer.
Harry sat back thinking on this and then noticed a few 'Notes' at the bottom.
Note: Most low level charms can be placed without the person / creature / object knowing.
Note: High level charms the charmed must either give permission or be unconscious to be charmed.
Shit.
How many times have I been unconscious while I've been at Hogwarts and woken up to find Dumbles there?
Too many times to count.
"Shit." Harry sat back against the log staring at the fire. He'd not started swearing until he'd began to work with Will who swore like a sailor when Sophie wasn't around, actually even when the were around their language was colourful at best.
Harry looked up at the stars, and then down at the astronomy tome, which seemed to have bits of divination dropped in it here and there.
Looking from the book to the sky every so often.
"Mars is comes into dominance very soon, the dogstar has moved beyond, the lunar cycle begins a new. Hmmm."
Yet another thing of note.
Harry again looked to the sky pointing his wand up and then twirled it in a careful corkscrew to the ground, it was a movement to determine the wether, at the end the corkscrew shone different colours for the different predicted weather, Harry did it while he was sitting so it would only be good for the next 10 hours or so. Gold meant sun which obviously only worked during the day, blue swirl meant windy but not much else, grey swirls meant hard winds to rain, black and white swirls not unlike grey was rain, the rest were other colours determining snow, or more violent weather.
It was magic, but a bit of science as when casting it you had to use your own knowledge of how the weather worked as such it was a spell that sat somewhere in between magic science and divination and was created by a wizard who lived in the non magic world, according to the not too old book.
It turned it was going to be a wet and stormy night, Harry quickly set up his tent as he began to taste the metallic edge of the storm in the air.
The forest, Harry thought to himself should keep back the brunt of the storm
-/
Grimmauld Place was also feeling the brunt of the storm which was beginning to hit Harry's tent, although Harry's tent was a much more protected from the wind than Grimmauld.
The Order's secret headquarters seemed to be rebelling against it's occupants as the storm began to rage up.
All the windows and doors had flown open, letting in great gusts of wind all the while an Order meeting was attempting to be conducted.
"Albus is there any word from Harry?" Molly shouted above the wind.
Albus shook his head whilst waving a wand at the doors they blew shut and everyone sighed in relief as the noise of the wind was cut out, before the doors to the kitchen and the back garden blew open forcing the doors to entrance to blow open. Throwing a bit more magic at the doors Albus managed to shut and lock them, however as he was casting a locking charm he failed to notice the wind pick up and throw a moaning Kreacher, with considerable force into the doors which Dumbledore had just locked.
The old house elf hit the doors with loud splat, the elf's neck and several other bones breaking in the process. With that the hurricane like wind promptly dissipated just leaving the gusty breeze.
Everyone was looking at Dumbledore in shock as he calmly walked over to the kitchen doors and locked them with strong magic just as he did the others.
Everyone in the Order was still looking at the little house elf's blood slowly pooling on the floor.
"No Molly, there hasn't been any word from Harry. I have even asked Fawkes to take many letters to him Fawkes has simply refused. Severus is there any word from Voldemort." Severus turned from the dead elf and made a worse face at the order at the mention of Harry's name.
"There hasn't been much. The Dark Lord is still re-thinking his actions since Potter's stunt at the Department of Mysteries. He has however assigned many within the inner circle to…what was it, ah yes 'create fear and terror in the muggle pigs'." Snape said almost relishing the idea, practically enjoying the looks of worry and disgust from the Order.
"How poetic." Moody muttered his magical eye spinning around to stare at Snape.
"And of Harry?" Albus whispered.
"The Dark Lord grows annoyed that he cannot reach Potter. What of Potter's friends, they would run to him for anything?" Snape leaned back in his chair casting a look at Remus.
"Mr Weasly and Miss Granger know nothing. Of Mr Potter's location, or indeed even that of his owl."
"What if someone has captured him and taken him hostage, he's just a young boy…" Molly wailed as she did whenever the topic of Harry's whereabouts came up.
"Harry can look after himself." Remus had been regretting coming to the meeting ever since he arrived, he thought to himself looking around at Tonks and Moody that they had obviously been tricked into coming as well.
"Why are we here Dumbledore, you said there was important life or death information to discuss." Moody said staring at the Headmaster his magical eye staring the same direction.
"Ah yes, I had wanted to ask if you had had any contact with Harry since we last spoke." Albus twinkled at the three, it was Tonks who felt the tingling in her mind first.
"Albus you wouldn't be trying to get at information in my head would you?" Tonks said as sweetly as possible, that gained glares from Remus and Moody directed at Dumbledore.
"Of course not." Albus smiled around the room.
"There's obviously nothing to be said here, I think I'll be leaving." As Moody pushed open the door connecting to the entry room, the wind that was trying to enter the house promptly stopped all the doors to the outside slammed shut. As the Order members started to file out they heard Dumbledore's voice.
"…the untimely death of Kreacher and as there is no controller of the Black Estate I shall be taking over of ownership of Grimmauld Place." Albus almost grinned he had taken care of the notice of Black's will a while ago.
"I'm afraid you won't be Dumbledore." Two voices in unison called out across the room making most of the order spin around and stare at the two paintings, one which had just materialised facing them.
"Phineas, what…"
Remus, Moody and Tonks weren't sure who to stare at Dumbledore or the two paintings. Dumbledore looked surprised bordering on angry.
"Am I doing here? Hello Ludmilla, time to accept the truth." Phineas softened as he spoke to Mrs Black.
"Phineas, with Kreacher gone, my darling Kreacher, yes but everything must be honoured as is the Black way." She signed
"As I said with Kreacher dead, I may take control here." Albus said as he walked up towards the paintings.
"Not by Sirius's will. With the Lord of the estate not here, which is probably best, control of this house and others within the estate falls to…"
"The Wolf." Mrs Black interrupted.
"Yes thank you Ludmilla. As I was saying as Lord Harry James Potter, who is also Lord Harry James Black Potter as sole holder of the Black estate is not yet 16 as decreed by Sirius Orion Black's will emancipated his protector is Mr Remus J. Lupin. Mr Lupin whilst protector you control anything that happens in Grimmauld Place, you cannot sign, give or do anything that may be against Lord Black Potter's wishes. Any former claims to being Harry James Potter's protector are now void." Phineas grinned from his painting.
"Albus I think it's time for you to leave." Remus said from a corner of the room.
"But Remus we still have Order business to attend to."
"You can stay as long as you tell me why A; No one knew about you being Harry's protector and B; actually Phineas you may know this one. How did Harry find out about Sirius's will. No don't answer that." Remus stopped the painting before thinking "Phineas, to the best of you knowledge was an owl sent informing Harry of Sirius's will and did an owl reach Harry relatives house? Just yes or no."
"Yes to both Mr Lupin."
"But Harry never received an owl…. Dumbledore, everyone in the order please leave." All of the order looked between Remus and Dumbledore then to each other before apparating away. Dumbledore and Snape remained, Tonks and Moody stayed by Remus's side.
"Remus you must understand that I did not know anything of this." Dumbledore was still twinkling at the trio.
"Wol… Mr Lupin." Mrs Black chocked from her painting.
"Yes Mrs Black."
"There is a little know fact about the Black family, whilst we do not have any ghosts in our properties, there is one member we can call on. Phineas…"
"Yes Lu. Peeves!" Phineas disappeared whilst yelling at the top of his voice.
A poltergeist poured out of Phineas's painting grinning.
"Peeves please escort Mr Dumbledore and Mr Snape off a property of the Ancient and most noble house of Black."
Peeves nodded before wrapping large arms around the two teachers and pushed them towards the open door before floating back in shutting the door.
"Thank you Peeves, you may return to Hogwarts." Peeves nodded.
"Thank you Post-Mother, Post-Father." He said sadly before disappearing.
The trio even Moody was speechless.
"It is a little known fact that Peeves is related to the Blacks. He was the youngest son many millennia ago when Hogwarts had been open less than 100 years, he was playing a practical joke but tripped and fell to his death. If you have ever met the delightful Bellatrix you would see the resemblance." Phineas chuckled.
"The house is now yours. I requested two house elves to come to assist you until Harry returns. They seem to hold Harry in great respect.
"Why have you dropped all the Lord Black Potter stuff now?" Tonks asked inquisitively couldn't help herself.
"Nymphadora, that was just to annoy Dumbledore." Phineas said earnestly, Mrs Black cackled disconcertedly in the background.
Two pops appeared behind them.
"Mr Lupin sir. Mr Phineas asked Winky and Dobby to come now that evil Kreacher has died."
"Dobby you don't…" Lupin started to say.
"Mr Lupin, Dobby and Winky both want to serve Harry or friend of Harry." Dobby smiled as did Winky.
"Well come on Lupin. Give em an order." Phineas prompted.
"Umm, could you clean up and arrange three bedrooms for myself and my friends?" Lupin said unsurely.
"We will most definitely do that Mr Lupin sir, Winky shall also start on dinner for Mr Lupin and Mr Lupin's friends." Winky announced before popping away, and then popping back.
"Mr Lupin, should Winky clean away evil Kreacher?"
"Yes Winky, please." Lupin whispered.
"Well Remus you're Harry's protector, better you than Dumbledore." Moody grumbled before sitting himself down next to Phineas's portrait.
"Why was Kreacher dying such a big thing?" Lupin whispered to himself.
"That my friend is a very good question." Moody leant back on his chair looking from the doors where Kreacher's body had laid.
"An obscure family the Blacks, with obscure and interesting rules to fall back on, I'm sure Ludmilla has a better idea about it than my humble self, she after all enacted it."
Phineas looked around at the three occupants and chuckled silently to himself, Mad Eye Moody, a cousin of the Blacks and a werewolf the protector of the mighty Lord to two great houses. How many Blacks would be turning in their graves? How many of the outcasts would be laughing. Phineas despite himself laughed out loud.
"What is it Phineas?" Grumbled Mrs Black who had toned down decidedly now that there was only three, or five of them in the house.
"Look around, I'm sure even you can appreciate the irony of who we have in a house of the ancient and most noble Black, and who now would stand at its head if he were here." Phineas laughed again. "I shall depart for now, I must look in and see how much of a fit Dumbledore is in. Farewell, call out if necessary, Lupin as Harry's protector you have many rights inside this house and without."
"So what's this family rule?" Tonks said as she tripped up the stairs.
"I'll save you the trouble of killing yourself on the stairs and come down to Phinea's painting. Much as I hate to leave my own beautiful portrait I don't want to have to stare at a corpse for all of time." Mrs Black grumbled.
"Wolf, you asked a question about the Black household, as bound by ancient law I must answer it." Lupin fell into a chair at this news.
"Don't call me Wolf, or I'll tear you up when there's a full moon." Remus stared angrily at the painting.
"Fine, Lupin. 'Why was Kreacher dying such a big thing?' the question you asked. The last of the Black family alive were; Regulas and Sirius and myself before I died. Kreacher who had been owned by our family was bound to out family."
"And he was part of the Blacks in some direct way." Tonks butted in grinning.
"Do please be quiet child." Mrs Black screeched at Tonks reminding all present of her previous antics.
"As you were saying." Moody prompted.
"As I was saying…Kreacher was bound to the family, as Reguals died Sirius was the last of the head of the Blacks and he was in prison. Kreacher was left in this house and was bound by an obscure law. As apart from Sirius Kreacher was the last remaining faithful to the Black family, this afforded him status as a Black family member, Kreacher wasn't aware or it, but it stopped anyone from trying to take the Black Household. When Sirius returned Kreacher still had a degree of manipulative control, he had gone senile." Mrs Black said sadly.
"But why was Kreacher's death such a good thing for Dumbledore?" Lupin asked again.
"Because, Dumbledore must have assumed that my son hadn't made a will, or if he did it wouldn't reach his intended."
"Harry." The trio breathed.
"Yes. Mr Potter obviously got the will."
"So following that theory, Dumbledore thought he had all bases covered. He must have taken the opportunity to kill Kreacher in a 'harmless' way. Therefore not knowing Sirius had made a will out leaving Harry everything he wanted to jump in and take it all." Tonks jumped up and started pacing, Lupin and Moody staring at her.
"There is a mind in there. You obviously got the clumsiness from the muggle." Mrs Black harrumphed.
"Dumbledore certainly has got sneaky." Moody said rising and walking off in direction of the kitchens.
"Perhaps that's why Harry did a runner." Tonks also got up, squeezing Remus's shoulder as she followed Moody.
Remus rose slowly before turning to the portrait.
"Thank you Mrs Black, you have confirmed a lot for me. If Dumbledore or anyone in the Order arrives, could you inform me or the others please." Lupin said sadly before turning to go.
"Yes Mr Lupin."
-/
Harry woke up feeling a little tired having been up since quite early reading, the storm seeing fit to keep him awake. He had been reading about apparating, one of the more illegal books in his collection by far one of the more chilling and interesting. Chilling in that what could happen if he get it wrong, but interesting with all the different variations.
According to this and another book you could apparate an object without you yourself apparating with it. The power came through your wand but you neither held it nor said an incantation you simply thought about it, pictured where you wanted to appear and then you were there.
There were other forms like coordinate apparition where you used coordinates to form an apparition point, but this was a more newer theory as wizards of the past did not divide the world into Degrees Minutes and Seconds. The one out of a good many pages in an old book describing differing kinds of apparition was one that didn't even have a name, but Harry thought of it as knowing apparition, you could take any object, you reached out feeling with all your senses, you magic included until you understood it, until you knew it and then you apparated while touching or holding the object and it lead you to it's origin. Harry wasn't sure what use that could be, but perhaps in the future.
But knowing all this isn't going to help unless I can do it.
Harry had been wary of trying any apparition because of the fear of splinching. But also he didn't want to become reliant on magic forms of travel like anything else it would make him complacent.
As he cooked up some breakfast he thought on the apparition, all the theories swimming around in his head. He had done a Hermione and read everything before jumping in the deep end and doing it, there was no one to save him if he splinched himself out here, although it was possible to undo a splinch yourself, it was just painful and complicated.
But Harry reasoned Of course you can un-splinch yourself, someone obviously had to come up with it in the first place.
Harry had been walking for a few hours, still in the forest he stopped to look around, there was a length that was clear, possibly a couple of hundred meters.
"Just the place."
Taking off his backpack and putting it on the ground he starred for a moment at an area about 300 meters away, he didn't close his eyes he just imagined being there, wanting to be there. There was a thunderclap like a tree being felled. Harry spun around looking for the tree, before his eyes widened and he saw he was 300 meters away from his pack.
He spent much of an hour practising before he got a bit bored, he walked for another few hours, before coming to another clearing. There were some low lying bushes which could have been apple trees. Breaking off a branch he decided to try his knowledge apparation. Harry left a water bottle but took his pack with him. "Just in case."
Concentrating on the branch not even facing where it had come from, but simple concentrating on everything about it, running his fingers over it, he disappeared with a small pop, attributed to his newly developed apparitition skills. He landed a bit too close to the bush nearly crushing half of it.
As Harry made camp that night whilst practising some Occlumency techniques he decided that like everything else it needed to be practised but it wasn't something he wanted to rely on.
He preferred walking, even running, or flying.
But apparition…It takes some of the fun out of it, even if Fred and George liked popping in and out of a situation. Harry though happily to himself.
Harry spent the next two days like this, reading practising, doing some streaking and other 'muggle' exercises out of the military journal that Justin had left, if appeared to be some sort of training manual. It seemed to help.
It was on the third day he came up a road and saw a name from the whiskey meeting. It was a larger house and distillery than the Lofts, the McDouglass operation was obviously larger. But Harry remembered they were happy to put him up and show him the ropes for a few days.
As he walked up to the door he hoped he looked presentable.
It was Mr McDouglass who opened the door.
"Hello, Mr McDouglass I'm not sure if you remember me…"
"Of course lad, I remember you, you asked me if you could drop in and learn, Will told me you might be coming our way. Please come in…"
Harry had spent the next 4 days with Horatio and his with Polly, learning everything about the whiskey process and spent a good deal of time with Horatio learning the different types of whiskey from the area, he was he told Harry a bit of a collector when it came to whiskey. He had said after his time in the war he wanted to settle down and enjoy the finer things.
Horatio had asked a similar question to Peter McDonald except he went straight to the point with "Who are you fighting?" Harry hadn't been taken aback, it seemed that anyone who had fought in a war developed instincts.
Harry hadn't said much, just that it was something he had been pushed into, that he was in now and that too many people who he cared about had died, he had too many too loose, he wanted it over, but on his own terms. Horatio had nodded.
"I've just got to grab something, Harry ran off to his room that he was staying in and retrieved his bottle of Firewhiskey, hopping Horatio wouldn't enquire about the size or where it came from. As Harry returned to Horatio's 'drinking room' Harry grabbed two clean glasses.
"This Horatio." Harry held up the bottle. "is something a couple of friends of mine gave me. I thought as you have shown me all this you might like a taste." Horatio's eyes lit up seeing a whiskey he had never seen ever before.
Harry poured an amount that was neither large nor small into the glass and set the bottle down.
"Yes I know it's a large bottle, but they have odd senses of humour my friends. I would advise caution though Horatio, it can have interesting effects." Harry said taking his own glass before sitting down opposite Horatio.
He was simply swirling the contents of the glass around, watching it change colour in the firelight.
"It looks different, different to most." Horatio pondered and looked at Harry, Harry took a sip watching him. It was almost the same experience as back at Privet Drive. His newly developed senses tasted the different parts of the fire whiskey, there was certainly something magical about it, the way it flicked across your tongue and down into your stomach, the serene way it swirled in the glass. But then again some of the whiskey's that Horatio had shown him were like that in different way. Firewhiskey made you feel like you could snap your fingers on fire, it vibrated through your skin. Harry was starting to worry what Horatio might think.
Horatio shrugged when he saw Harry take his sip. His eyes widened when he took a small gulp.
It was as though his hands were being warmed by the drink in his hands despite the coolness of the glass. Harry took a final gulp and sunk into the chair watching Horatio. He like Harry was feeling warmed by the drink.
"That Harry has to be one of the most interesting drinks I've had, it's not quite whiskey, not really brandy although it certainly has a lot in common with both. I don't suppose you'd let me see the bottle?" Horatio said looking hopeful.
"Sorry Horatio, I can't but maybe in the future I'll come back with a bottle for you, along with some others from as far a field as this humble spirit."
"Very well. Your are a man of secrets I trust that." Horatio nodded to Harry.
"I wanted to say thank you for everything, and that I'll probably be off tomorrow sometime, it that is ok. I feel that I should keep going, I…" Harry trailed off.
"I understand lad, you want to keep exploring, find out some things, not wanting to be tied down." He caught Harry's odd look. "Body language lad, things like that say a lot about a person. Here…" He got up and went to his shelf and picked up a large old book, it bore the name McDouglass on the spine. "My grandmother wrote this with my grandfather, it's on body language and the like, may help you with your war and trust."
"I can't…"
"You said you'd come back in the future, when you come bring it back, I've used it and memorised it completely, someone else should get some use from it."
"Thank you. And I will return it no matter what…" Harry said a little too coldly, it made Horatio stare at him for a few too many seconds.
The next day Harry was back on the road aiming for a small village that Polly had talked about. It was at least two maybe three days walk. Harry didn't mind one bit, he could feel the wind in the air and felt like he could do this forever, but in the back of his mind he knew he couldn't.
"But damn well I'm going to enjoy it for as long as possible." Harry said as he climbed up a small hill and into a forest.