Harry Potter and the Peverell Legacy
Book Two of the Heritage Series
Chapter Ten
First Day Explanations
That night in the common room had been uneasy for Harry. Most of the Gryffindors had been discussing the revelation that Sirius Black was Headmaster of the school. Harry had been able to catch a large proportion of conversation before they had become aware of him standing by the portrait hole and they had stopped speaking immediately.
He had glared at them all as he crossed the common room, and many of them had the decency to look sheepish. He left them talking about how a Lord of the Black family could be headmaster again after the last one, and how could an escaped convict who had knifed a portrait and held a knife to a Gryffindor could be a good influence on the school. He had even heard one female third year question Sirius' allegiance to Voldemort. That girl had received a very hard look from him but he didn't say a word, he knew that Sirius' actions would stop all talk.
The boys dormitory was quiet when he made his way up. Three of the beds had their curtains pulled but Neville was still awake reading a book by lamplight.
"Ron would have waiting up for you but he fell asleep against the bed post." Neville said. "I think most of us who created the patronus escort are exhausted."
Harry couldn't disagree as he himself was slightly tired, "Why are you still up?"
"Catching up with some reading." Neville said but he closed the book, "and making sure that you came back."
Harry was about to reply when something caught the lamplight on Neville's hand and he realised that it was bronze with brownish stone.
"You have your heir ring." Harry pointed out surprised, "You weren't wearing it earlier."
Neville looked at it was confusion. "I know, I am not comfortable wearing it. I prefer to wear it around my neck. I think it too heavy a burden."
Harry didn't answer him immediately and from his trunk pulled his pyjamas and pulled them on slowly. "When did your gran give it to you?" he asked.
"We had a big dinner second day we were back from school." Neville said. "The whole family was there and she presented me with the ring. She was crying and said she was so proud of me."
"What is the problem?" Harry asked. He knew that his friend had always wanted his gran's pride and approval.
"It doesn't matter." Neville said. He pulled the ring off his finger and attached it to the leather thong around his neck then pulled his curtains and settled in for the night.
Harry stared at Neville's bed for a long moment and he couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with his friend but he decided to leave him be. Neville would talk when he wanted to, and if he was honest with himself he needed to sleep.
Harry managed to crawl his way up to his pillow but sleep took him within moments of his head touching it.
Morning came around too fast for Harry and he was awoken by Ron.
"Harry you need to get up, we will miss breakfast." he said pulling open his curtains.
With a sigh Harry got out of bed and had a quick shower and dressed in his school robes. Ron and Hermione were waiting for him at the bottom of the staircase.
"It's unlike you to lay in Harry." Hermione said looking at him with concern. "Where did you go after dinner?"
"I went for a walk." Harry said shrugging. "I didn't want to listen to everyone talking about Sirius."
"I got sick of Lavender and Parvati talking about him." Hermione said with a shudder. "He should be careful, they were talking about how they wouldn't mind smoothing his rough edges. They planned to use some of the Wonder Witch products from the twins."
"You missed McLaggan talking about how Sirius was only here to add to the Black family reputation and to bolster his own political career." Ron said. "He is also convinced that Sirius is here to steal from the Hogwarts archives."
"Why would Sirius want anything from the archives?" Harry asked. "What are the archives anyway; I have only ever heard vague reference to them."
"Well according to Hogwarts: A history." Ron said in an uncanny imitation of Hermione but he burst out laughing at the dirty look Hermione shot him.
"I will have you know that it is not mentioned in that book." she said in a snooty voice "At least not a current version, I found a chapter on it in an outdated edition in the Black library. The archives are somewhere in the castle where the school's records are kept from everything from its construction and renovation notes, budgets, student and staff records and its secrets, it is also where many hundreds of artefacts are located."
"Why would there be such things in an archive?" Ron asked. "It sounds like a library."
"Well, its reputed to contain magical artefacts that were donated to the school for study." Hermione said. "I don't know what they contain but I am sure it is worth a fortune."
"The mirror." Harry said quietly.
"What mirror?" Hermione asked.
"The mirror." Harry said, "The mirror from first year, oh I can't remember what it was called, but Dumbledore made it seem that the mirror that he placed the stone inside had been at Hogwarts for years."
"Oh that mirror." Ron said. "Well that thing was ancient and powerful."
"So, you think it came from the archives." Hermione said, "Perhaps it was but Sirius wouldn't just steal from there."
"Where are they anyway?" Ron said.
"They are not on the map," Harry said thinking of the map his father had created. "but I suppose they might have never found it like the chamber."
"It is said that the archives were created by the founders and it was their personal repository of knowledge." Hermione said. "I would guess that only the Head and Deputy know where they are."
"Why do you think that Sirius took the Job Harry?" Ron asked.
"To keep an eye on me more." Harry replied using the excuse that he thought they would believe and took a seat at the Gryffindor table. "But I plan to get it out of him."
He started to eat when the post arrived and it was quiet a parliament that was flapping above their heads, letters and papers were soaring down in front of the students.
Hermione had a copy of The Prophet in front of her and the headline was a picture of Sirius storming into the ministry atrium wearing the robes of Lord Black and his face was his lordly mask.
LORD BLACK
HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS SCHOOL
Former Azkaban resident and escaped fugitive to Lord of an Ancient family, political leader, adoptive father and now Headmaster to one of the three most prominent schools of magic.
It has possibly been one of the only secrets that Hogwarts School has been able to keep in the last two hundred years but we at the Prophet believe that Headmaster Black will do well. He was a reputed Hit Wizard before the events that led to his mistaken incarceration and Hogwarts School is a target to the Death Eaters and He Who Must Not Be Named.
Minister for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour has voiced his concerns. "Sirius Black's appointment was a shock to the ministry. The Governors, some of whom are in the employ of the ministry, were unable to speak of the appointment as they were bound to secrecy for security reasons."
"I am apprehensive of having a man like Black sitting in the Headmasters chair. Dumbledore had his faults but he has protected the school for decades. Black is not a teacher, he was a fighter and now a politician. How can a man like that shape the minds of the next generation?"
The Prophet has been inundated by owls from concerned relatives of current students. We at the Prophet will withhold opinion on Headmaster Black. He has only held that seat for a night and nothing had yet gone wrong but the last Black headmaster was the most unpopular the school has ever seen.
For more information on Headmaster Phineas Black turn to page eleven.
Harry turned his nose up at the paper. Whilst it could be said that the Prophet was not pushing that Sirius would not make a bad headmaster, they were also not saying he would be a good one. As both he and Sirius owned a large portion they were being careful but he still felt that Sirius was portrayed in a negative light.
"It could have been worse Harry," Hermione said. "But you know, the Prophet exists to sell itself. If it didn't you would not get much money from your investment."
"I know that," Harry said. "But I happen to agree with them."
"What?" said a very shocked Hermione. "Don't you think he will do a good job?"
"He will do good job at protecting the school but he is not a professor. I don't know why he took the position, especially as I thought it would have gone to McGonagall. I mean she has been deputy for years."
"But –" Hermione began but she couldn't continue as Professor McGonagall was walking up to them with their class schedules.
"Miss Granger," she said looking through the last remaining cards. "Cleared for all of your options. I was very pleased with you results. You had the highest scores across the entire year."
Hermione flushed bright red at the compliment and she looked down at her timetable.
"I will see you later, I have Arithmancy first period." she said and she rushed off leaving them.
"Black-Potter you are also cleared for all of the subjects that you applied for. I was most impressed with your score in transfiguration. You should know that your Potion grade has been called into question by Professor Snape, he believed that you may have cheated." She said with an annoyed look at the potions master. "I have faith in your potioneering abilities, so please show Severus that you did not cheat."
"Thank you professor." Harry replied awkwardly. He shot his own look at the potion master and wondered why he said that having seen his abilities.
"You have a free period now Harrison, perhaps you should speak to the headmaster. The password is 'Marauder' I am sure you both have things you need to discuss." She added handing Neville his timetable. "Mr Longbottom I received your owl over the summer and I am willing to allow you to continue with transfiguration on a probationary basis. If I feel you cannot keep up I will have no choice to have you leave."
"I understand Professor but I will be able to keep up." Neville said happily, "My grandmother hired me a tutor for the summer."
"Very well Longbottom. I noticed your improvement last year. Your overall grade was an Acceptable but you were not far off the next grade. Your practical score was high enough; we just need to improve your theory."
"Thank you again Professor." Neville said and he left to follow Hermione for Arithmancy.
"Weasley, you are cleared for your subjects, other than potions. Professor Snape refuses to take any student under an Outstanding and neither myself nor the headmaster were able to convince him to lower the grade." She said handing his timetable over. "You have a lighter schedule than your friends but I trust that you will find something productive to do?"
"Yes Professor." Ron said glumly but the moment she walked away he looked over the moon. "Have you seen the number of free periods that I now have? I can practice my Quidditch during those hours."
"That's great Ron, I would practice with you now but I need to have a rather stern conversation with my adoptive father." Harry said in a resigned voice. He received an understanding look from Ron and he left him to finish his breakfast.
The walk to the Headmasters office was one of the longest that Harry had ever taken. His feet had walked him along the least direct path but he inevitably stood before the griffin that guarded the office.
"Marauder." he said to the statue and on command it began to revolve upwards. Harry stepped onto the steps and faced the oak front door then knocked before walking in.
The Office that he had found intriguing and odd was completely different.
It was a mess. The large collection of strange and delicate instruments Dumbledore had on display had mostly been placed in boxes. The cabinets around the room were all open and their contents littered the floor and was also in the process of being boxed. The headmasters' private library was empty and almost all the books were stacked in the centre of the room on the floor.
"Sorry about the mess, but I have to go through it all to find out what is here" Said a voice from above and Harry saw that Sirius was reaching books on a high shelf, "Albus lived a long life and collected a great number of odds and ends and did not catalogue them, and his organisation of the library was not one of his greatest accomplishments."
Harry raised a questioning eyebrow but he was beaten to his tongue by the voice of Albus Dumbledore which made Harry whip round and look at his portrait. He looked like had always had: white bearded, ancient, half-moon spectacles covering his bright blue eyes.
"Sirius, I have already apologised, I did not think to catalogue my many devices and artefacts, but my library was organised perfectly, I knew where every book was, but I admit that I did not include that knowledge in this portrait."
"That is all well and good Albus but every library needs order. I may not be a scholar but I at least need to know where the books a Headmaster needs are." Sirius said as he made his way to his chair. "Take a seat Harry." he paused looking at the desk and gestured for Harry to join him in the library on the reading chairs. "I think I owe you an explanation."
"You think?" Harry said sarcastically as his irritation getting the better of him.
Sirius looked slightly sheepish. "I guess I deserve that but you should know this has been planned since your incursion into the Department of Mysteries." He began frowning and fiddling with his hands. "Albus did not want Minerva to take over as Headmistress, he wouldn't explain his reasons and he never did, but he convinced her to allow another to take the position after his death. It was I that he chose and I am still not even entirely sure why I must admit."
"So, this is why you had all of those meetings in the school after we returned from the DOM?" Harry asked thinking back to the end of the previous school year, "You were getting ready to take over the school."
Sirius laughed. "Yes, although not entirely. I admit I didn't agree straight away as I have never wanted a job here, but Albus convinced, and then began to set up everything that was needed for me to take his position. However, it almost came to not, the Governors met just after his death and some were trying to close the school. Albus had guessed this might happen and had told me to make a back up plan and so I did."
"So why did you agree to be Headmaster?"
"Albus had so many arguments to make me take the position, one of course was that I could keep a closer eye on you, but also continue training you to fight." Sirius said honestly, "However he told me that he needed me in the school for now, there have been whispers from the Death Eaters, they want this school. Voldemort wants this school to be the jewel in his crown."
"I have also heard that from – a source." Harry said evasively.
"I am aware that you have friends in the House of Snakes, and they would know," Sirius said thoughtfully. "I took the position as I knew that I could protect the school. I would never say I can do it better than Minerva for she is a formidable woman. But I have a strong voice in the Ministry which I can use to benefit the school, but I am also not stuck in the mind set of a teacher which I think will help."
"The school needs a firm hand, as the war outside these walls will slowly make its way in but not before I prepare. And that was part of Albus' plan, Minerva agreed too which is good as I will be using her a lot in her position as Deputy. I also have to keep a check on Snape, he is still employed by the school and I cannot sack him because of a Magical Contract that Albus had drawn up two years ago to ensure Voldemort did not make him leave and to allow Snape to remain our spy."
Sirius smiled grimly and Harry knew that as much as Sirius wanted Snape gone, he knew better than to act rashly. "I do not trust him or like him, but he has his uses."
"I am sure staff meetings are interesting." Harry said off-handedly.
"Oh, they are. I treat him neutrally and he basically spits venom at me with as little words as possible. Minerva and Fillius find it most amusing for Snape and me to be in the same room speaking to each other without insulting each other."
"Harry, I know this has been a shock for you, especially as I didn't tell you, but I didn't want to after what I put you through in Bulgaria." Sirius explained. "I know that you will enjoy this year. With the Triwizard Exchange in place you will learn a great deal of new magic and it will be interesting."
"I am looking forward to going to Durmstrang and Beauxbatons but my more pressing concern is what your being here means for my school life." Harry said. "It's awkward. Didn't you see the Prophet this morning?"
Sirius smirked. "I saw that and I can assure you I do not need anything from the archives. Dumbledore's books are –"
"So, you are looking for knowledge of the school!" Harry exclaimed.
Sirius paused for a long moment looking at all the books and his gaze fell on a wooden box engraved with runes. The moment Harry's eyes fell on it he began to feel power seeping from the box and he felt himself drawn to it.
"What is in that box?" Harry asked unable to take his eyes off it.
"Something that I need the Hogwarts libraries to identify; our Libraries are too vast and if I am honest I do not think we have the book that I need." Sirius said. "Or at least I cannot find it, it is also the reason I travelled to Egypt but I couldn't find what I wanted either."
"What is inside it?" Harry asked placing his hand onto the lid and the magic on the lid flared hot and he could feel a something pulse at him so he pulled his hand back.
"Something that was discovered in the Black Vaults." Sirius said with a look of annoyance. "The Goblins discovered its contents and told me in no certain terms that they were to be removed from their premises but they wouldn't tell me what it was."
"So you brought it here!" Harry exclaimed in horror. "To a castle filled with children!"
"These will never hurt the students here. That box is warded and enchanted using the most powerful protections I can cast." Sirius said. "I will add to the enchantments later today. It will not be able to be removed from this office."
"Will you show me what it is?" Harry asked wondering what was so bad that the Goblins wouldn't allow it in their vaults.
"Not yet." Sirius replied. "I couldn't even if I wanted to. It is sealed and will only open with the power of the moon, just one of the protection charms I cast."
Sirius then got up quickly, "I just remembered, I found something for you from Albus." He walked over to what was now his desk and looked under all the papers until he withdrew a simple parchment envelope that was sealed with wax.
Harry took it with a great deal or surprise and noticed the seal was red with an imprint of a phoenix and had Dumbledores numerous initials. The seal glowed when he touched it and it unsealed.
The front read:
Harrison James Black-Potter
He opened it and found a short note,
Harry,
I once told you that help would always be given at Hogwarts to those that asked for it and I stick by this statement. Perhaps you will know a place where things that are invisible can easily be blind and find the help you need.
Albus
Harry frowned, it didn't make a lot of sense and wasn't very helpful either. Although he had a vague recollection of Dumbledore saying something like that to him before but he wasn't sure what it meant.
"It's a riddle and I don't understand it."
"Would you like me to help?" Sirius offered looking at it with interest.
"You wouldn't be able to. He is referring to instances he has said things to me and I will need to try and remember where it was." Harry said in an annoyed voice but he spun around and looked at the portrait of the previous headmaster. "And I don't suppose that you can help."
"Alas my dear boy. That is not something that I have any knowledge of, it seems that I forgot a great deal of things to add to this imprint." He said smiling and Harry saw that his portraits eyes still sparkled.
"Or you are just keeping your secrets beyond the grave Headmaster." Harry said in a resigned voice. "Or if I know you at all you will have the knowledge but there will be requirements to unlock it."
Dumbledore smiled and closed his eyes and seemed to drift off to sleep.
"Annoying isn't he?" Sirius said joining him. "Only Albus would have such an irritating portrait."
"I need to go; I do not want to be late for my lesson with Professor Flitwick." Harry said sheepishly. "Even if you are headmaster."
"True." Sirius said returning to his mountain of books. "And if I hear you are not in detention this week I may be slightly disappointed."
Harry couldn't help but laugh as he left the room. He managed to get to Flitwick's lesson on the second floor with time to spare but he found Ron walking up the staircase.
"Where have you been?" Harry asked surprised to see him. "You haven't been in the Great Hall all this time?"
"Yeah I have but I was reading up on something." Ron said looking around. "I had wanted to be an auror but I didn't get the grades to do potions, so I was looking through the potions book."
"I didn't think you had the book?" Harry asked. "You knew you didn't have the grade."
"I didn't, it's yours." Ron said smiling. "You left it at the table this morning."
"Are you trying to teach yourself?"
"Thinking about it. They don't seem that hard, I just need a place to brew." Ron said begrudgingly. "Without a teacher, I might be able to do better but without Snape watching it can only be an improvement."
"Well I was thinking of practicing myself a couple of evenings a week. This year is all about working out how to brew independently and learning to brew with directions that can be changed anyway." Harry said as they took their seats. "The potions in the book have not actually been updated for the last hundred years for that reason. A true potioneer should be able to adapt a potion and see the faults."
"You were doing that last year!" Ron exclaimed looking annoyed. "How can I go against you!"
Harry chuckled at his friend. "My mum opened my eyes to it early but if we had a teacher who didn't despise amateurs we would have been taught it."
"What should I learn first?" Ron asked. "I suck at potions, I can't even prepare ingredients correctly."
"Well last year you started to learn more about the ingredients, didn't you?" Harry asked. At Ron's nod, he continued. "Well keep going with that. It helps with brewing but you need to think of what ingredients do to a potion and what effects it gives or counters. After that you need patience."
"Well I am screwed then." Ron said laughing loudly but was interrupted by the rest of the class arriving.
"What's funny?" Hermione asked sitting next to them.
"Ron has no patience apparently." Harry said smirking. "Did you know that?"
"Well I never knew that!" Hermione said and she pulled out her book. "You should see the essay that Professor Vector assigned us. It is one of the largest we have been assigned and we only have a week to complete it!"
"Take your seats please." Came the squeaky voice of Professor Flitwick who climbed up on his chair and pile of books. After he called the register he looked out at them all happily. "This year we will be starting to cast using non-verbal spells. Can anybody tell me what a non-verbal spell is?"
Hermione's well-trained arm and hand shot into the air but it was also followed by Harry's slower raise.
"Mr Black-Potter?"
"A non-verbal spell is magic that is cast using only wand movement and a directed thought with no use of verbal incantations." Harry said. "To use such a spell, you must mentally command the incantation and your thoughts will direct the magic out of the wand."
"Precisely." Flitwick said beaming happily. "An accurate and detailed answer, fifteen points to Gryffindor. Who can tell me the advantages of a Non-verbal spell? Miss Granger?"
"A practitioner of non-verbal magic has an advantage over a non-practitioner in a duel. At the moment of casting they have only a few seconds advantage as a person wouldn't know what spell they cast until it was cast and speeding towards them." Hermione answered. "Non-verbal casting can also allow for faster casting and easier chains of spells."
"Well done Miss Granger." Flitwick beamed. "Take fifteen points too. Today we will start with the first spell we learnt in this class and work up from there so take out your wands quickly and remember 'swish and flick'."
The class laughed at the professor's comment, remembering their lessons from first year. Harry didn't attempt the spell straight away as he looked around the class and watched as many students began to look like they had a bad case of constipation as they strained to make the spell work. Ron was squinting hard and his brow was furrowed but his quill was stubbornly not moving.
"Oh see here everyone!" Professor Flitwick said. "Miss Granger has done it!"
Hermione blushed as she levitated her quill easily.
"Remember Ron its Levi-O-sa not Levi-o-SA" Hermione said looking at Ron and a ghost of a smile was on her lips but Ron ended up letting out a great breath and laugh as his concentration was spent.
"No troll here to help you master the spell again Ron." Harry muttered and he flicked his wand into his hand and with thought 'Wingardium leviosa!' and with the swish and flick his own feather flew upwards.
"Show offs." Ron muttered but he attempted the spell again and it worked but when he gave out a cry of shock that it had worked it dropped.
"Mr Weasley has just discovered a downside to a continuous spell." Flitwick called out, "Concentration is key for such spells. It is easier to get distracted when casting non-verbally, try again."
They spent another twenty minutes attempting the spell and eventually Lavender and Parvati were the only others who couldn't cast it. They moved on to a freezing charm from second year, third year's cheering charm and they started on the fourth-year summoning charm which Harry had been the first to manage having once done it already subconsciously last year and shield charms from fifth.
"Well that will do." Professor Flitwick said smiling. "The higher the complexity of charm the harder it is to cast but it is also to easier to cast spells that you are more familiar with."
The bell rang signalling the end of the class.
"For homework today, I will only assign you to practice your charm work non-verbally." He said dusting off his hands. "A word to the wise, non-verbal spells will be expected across all magical classes so perhaps you should practice other spells."
Their next class had been the hardest that they had that day. After a free period they had gone to transfiguration where Professor McGonagall had lectured them on the complexity of NEWT transfigurations and the dangers of human transfigurations which they would be starting the following week. They began a new spell to transform an inanimate object into a larger mammal; they were starting with a block of wood into a cat.
It was one of the hardest transfigurations Harry had attempted, both he and Hermione had managed to transfigure the wood into a cats body, with random parts fully feline but had both failed to make its head real. Ron on the other hand had made a cat figurine that could meow but mainly hissed in a pained way.
Defensive Application with Professor Lupin had been fun; he had them beginning with nonverbal duelling using only simple hexes and curses. Remus had them paired Gryffindor and Slytherin and it had been going well until Harry found himself paired with Draco.
It had been an interesting time to be partnered with him and they had been able to trade spells between the two of them straight away. Harry had been startled to learn that Draco was very good at nonverbal casting and had to double the power of the basic shield charm and resort to more powerful shield charms as his first had wavered slightly when impacted by the spells. Harry gave an annoyed growl at Draco for the use of more powerful spells and attempted to repay him in kind but the power of his magic wasn't as strong nonverbally as it was usually and Draco seemed to have been practicing more.
Remus had given them a rather harsh dressing-down for the over exertion of magic and had given them warnings for future classes. Harry didn't mind too much, he had only been defending himself, but he knew that Remus was right since his shields had not been as fortified and he could have been hurt.
Hermione and Daphne had done well enough together. Both had been able to cast the spells but it had been obvious Daphne was better which had put Hermione in a bad mood. Ron had been partnered with Crabbe and had sworn that he had managed to send a nonverbal stunner at him but he had not been affected by it and had only smirked.
Harry and Hermione were sceptical on that. They had both agreed without Ron hearing that it was possible that his own spell had not had the power to stun and that was how Crabbe had stayed standing.