Title :
Dragon's Heart, Griffin's MindSummary :
Harry goes to Hogwarts to follow a special training and learn more about his past.Disclaimer :
The plot is mine, all the rest belongs to J. K. Rowling.Authors Notes :
Yay, another chapter up and running.Many thanks to all those who enjoyed the story and who take the time to read it. There are also those who take the additionnal time to leave a review. I don't think I've had as many reviews in one go as I have had for chapter 10. Thanks to them : Phoenix of Light, john (There might be romance, but not a Harry/Ginny ship, I'm afraid. There are already so many well-written Harry/Ginny stories out there that are worth reading.), fallendruid (He won't know until he tries, will he ;) ), shdurrani, Net4, Corrie (For me, it's James that descends from the Griffin. The Potters were known as being a long-lasting pureblood family, and to a select few as being descendants of Godric Gryffindor, whose name goes with the animal he descends from. That's the idea for this story anyways.), brion, blackunicorn, Fair Lady Ravenclaw (see next paragraph), (blank), angelangie, griffin (for your first 2 questions, see next paragraph. As to the third, who knows. I consider that they get their powers when a certain situation arises, and the situation is different according to the being/erson/creature. So it could be anytime.), Xirleb70, Animagiman (next chapter could be out in about a weeks time), wqahq, chochang913 (I did a search on www.behindthename.com, for names with 'dragon' or 'battle' in them, with a slight preferance for Nordic names. A few names sounded good, so I used them. That's also how I got Albus Dumbledores middle names in my other story, 'Hikmat' meaning 'Wisdom' and 'Winfred' meaning 'friend of peace'.), (blank) and Illustrious Sorrow.
Concerning chapter 10, I forgot to precice that Harrys' second tatoo is indeed a GRIFFIN, and him griffin name is indeed written in GRIFONIC runes. I forgot to make the point clear on the first posting. Chapter 10 has therefore been corrected and updated. Thanks to Fair Lady Ravenclaw and griffin for having pointed it out.
As a final note, all comments, flames, words of encouragement, and anything else, are welcome. I'm glad too see many people are enjoying the story, which is basically the reason why I wrote it in the first place.
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Dragon's Heart, Griffin's Mind : Chapter 11
The next morning, Bill gave Harry back the 4 amulets Harry had chosen from the dig. He had checked them for curses and the like, and was sure they were clean. After a big breakfast, they spent the morning just walking around, whether in the muggle or magical part of town. Harry bought a few souveniers for his friends, and before he knew it, it was time to leave They went back to Bills place, and Harry finished packing everything away in his trunk, shrunk it and placing it in his pocket. He stuck the dragons weapons in his pocket, and joined Bill in the fireplace.
"Well, it was nice having you over," Bill said.
"Thanks for arranging the meeting. It meant a lot." Harry said in all earnest.
"Don't mention it. We should do it again some day. If you ever want to come over, just send an owl."
"Thanks for the offer. Well, I best be off." With that, Harry took some floo powder from the pot over the chimney, threw it into the burning flames and stepped in, shouting "Hogwarts Headmasters Office" before dissappearing in a whoosh of green flames …
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Harry managed to catch himself before he fell out of the fireplace that stood in Albus Dumbledores office. He stepped out, ducking his head to avoid painfully hitting the ledge.
"Ah, Harry. Good to see you well. You had a good trip ?"
Harry looked up to see Dumbledore smiling at him, his metallic box of lemon drops in his hand. Harry smiled as he brushed the soot of him. It wouldn't be very good if he shook himself of here, sending soot everywhere.
"It went very well professor, thank you," Harry answered, flicking the last speck of soot off his arm.
"And these tatoos, where did you get them from ?"
"Well, I got the dragon tatoo in Romania and the griffin one in Eygpt. Fascinating places, both of them."
"And the runes on your forearms ?" Dumbledore asked, offering Harry a sweet from the box. Harry took one and popped it in his mouth.
"That, I'm afraid, I will not tell you what it says."
"Not a problem. Sirius will be pleased to know that you're back. Do you want me to call him ?"
"No thanks. I'll find him."
"Very well, Harry. Bring your things back to your common room. The password hasn't changed since your departure, since there wasn't one to begin with. It will be set up as of next week." With a final nod, Harry left the office, leaving Dumbledore to finish whatever it was that he had been doing …
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The next couple of days went by smoothly. Sirius wasn't ecstatic that Harry had had the tatoos done, but finally warmed to the idea. Besides, he had to admit, they were both beautifully well done. He also admitted to having a dog tatoo on his right shoulder blade. He showed Harry. It looked just like the large shaggy dog that Sirius became when he took his animagus form.
The next day was spent with Remus and Sirius, with Harrys extra DADA lessons. Now that he was back, they wanted to continue the lessons. Harry wasn't against that, but thought that Sirius just wanted an excuse to curse him for getting the tatoos without his permission. Harry didn't cross any of the other teachers except at meal times. They would politely ask Harry if the trip had gone well, but no more, unlike Sirius who had asked for a step-by-step account of everything that had happened. They spend a couple of hours the afternoon dueling and learning some interesting duel and prank curses. But all work and no play makes Jack, or in this case Harry, a very dull boy. So they also flew for a couple of hours, using just the quaffle and bludgers. Harry got hit by a bludger he hadn't noticed, but didn't take any damage other than a very slight bruise.
The evening, Harry continued to read the books he had gotten from Eygpt. He thought of asking Dumbledore about going to Diagon Alley to get a few more books. That reminded him of his wish to drop Divination for Ancient Runes. He would talk to Dumbledore about it tomorrow …
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The next day started off bright and sunny. Harry got up relatively early, at about eight o' clock, dressed, and went down to the great hall for some breakfast. Once he was there, he saw Sirius (who was glaring at Snape), Remus, Minerva, Snape (who was glaring at Sirius) and Dumbledore. After the 'Good morning,'s and 'sleep well ?'s, Harry sat down and started to fill his plate with food. He spoke for a bit with Sirius, asking him what HE had done during Harrys' absence, the minor mission he had undertaken for Dumbledore.
Once breakfast was over, he went over to Dumbledore.
"Professor Dumbledore ?"
"Yes Harry, what could I do for you ?"
"I wanted to ask if it was possible to drop Divination for the study of Ancient Runes ?"
"So late in the course, Harry ?" Harry nodded. "Well, it should be possible, if you feel capable of catching up 2 years work in what's left of the summer holidays, it should pose no problem. You will have to get a couple of extra books …"
"I could go to Diagon Alley this morning professor. Sirius could accompany me, if necessary," he said with a hopefull look on his face.
"Very well Harry. Be back for lunch, that's all I ask."
"Very well, headmaster. Thank you …" He turned around to Sirius. "Can we meet in fifteen minutes outside the stone gargoyle ? I need to get into some robes …" Sirius nodded, and Harry rushed to the Gryffindor common room to change before heading towards the headmasters office.
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Harry had a good time in Diagon Alley. He always did. It was one of the places he felt completely at home. Of course, Harry belonged in the wizarding world. It felt right. Harry walked down the street, attracting a few stares from the others, but not too many since it was relatively common to see the odd strange person around. After all, hags and half-giants also came. So what was one 2-meter tall person so strange.
Harry went straight to Flourish and Blotts. He crossed several classmates of his, none of whom recognized him till he said who he was. Neville looked almost scared of him, while the Parvati twins blushed crimson. Once inside the bookstore, he went straight for the 'Language' section, where he found several books on ancient runes. He took 2 beginners books, plus some more advanced. After paying, he went to the ice cream parlor where he enjoyed an ice-cream sundae and Sirius some chocolate ice-cream. He didn't see either Ron or Hermione, but guessed this was because they had already come to get their surplies, would come by soon. Passing 'Quidditch Quality Supplies', he saw a new broom that hadn't been there on his last visit a few days ago. It was the 'MoonClimber', apparently as quick as the firebolt but more reliable.
Just before lunch, Harry went back to Hogwarts. Bringing his books back to his dorm, he went down to lunch, where he saw professors Mcgonagall and Dumbledore.
"Ah, Harry. Your morning went well ?"
"Very well, professor, thank you," harry said, sitting down.
"Now, Harry, there was something I wanted to discuss with you. Today, if you remember, we will be recieving the new student from Canada. She will be arriving on the Hogwarts Express. The train arrives at 6 o' clock. With the carriage ride, she should arrive at the main entrance at about ten past six. Would you be able to greet her and bring her up to my office. The password is, as you know, 'chocolate frogs'. I am quite fond of them, after all. Anyway, her name is Sarah Winslow. She is around your age. Will it be a problem ?"
"Not at all, professor." Harry said between bites.
"Good. Thank you, Harry."
The rest of the meal passed pleasently by, with idle chit-chat between everyone present. After lunch, Harry decided to get ahead in his Ancient Runes, and started to read from the beginners books. He learned from Dumbledore the ciricculum, and started on the first runes learnt. He advanced quickly, however, and soon had no trouble with it whatsoever. He moved on, and by half past five, he mastered the first 3 runes in the school curicculum.
He noticed that it was almost time for him to go and greet the new student. Getting up, he went into his dorm and removed his robes. He found it much more comfortable in just normal jeans and sleeveless t-shirt, since the day was quite warm. He found robes to be slightly constrictive, prefering more freedom of mouvement.
Heading slowly down, he arrived in front of the main entrance at fives minutes to six. The air was warm, so he didn't mind having to wait. He sat down on the steps, thinking about the different events that had taken place during his holidays : the extra training, the transformation, whether volontary or no, visiting the dragons, visiting the griffins, … It was a lot to take in.
Time moved slowly forward as Harry continued to ponder the different events. He was eventually brought out of his thoughts by the noise of a carriage. Looking up, he saw one of the schools horseless carriages heading towards him. Since it was head on, he couldn't see who was inside it but there was no doubt that it was the new student. He just wanted to get a glimpse before having to talk to her. Standing up, he prepared himself to greet her. He was actually quite nervous, and he hadn't even seen her yet.
The carriage arrived and stopped. The door opened. Out stepped a tall, beautiful girl. No, young woman, Harry corrected himself. She looked to be only slightly shorter than Sirius (who stood at 6 foot (1m82) tall). She had wavy-blond hair that cascaded to the middle of her back, ocean-blue eyes, and a tanned complexion. She had a number of small scars on the left of her neck, that went down into her shirt. She was dressed in a tight pair of jeans that hung to her (curvy-in-all-the-right-places) figure and a plain white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, contrasting sharply with her tan. Seeing Harry, she smiled, making Harrys nervousness fly away. Stepping forward, he held out his hand.
"Hello, and welcome to Hogwarts."
"Hello," she said. Her voice wasn't very high-pitched, but was rather husky and warm, and without the Canadian accent Harry was expecting. She shook Harrys hand rather firmly.
"Do you have any luggage ?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, my trunk's in the carriage. Could you help me, it's rather heavy …" she said while she gave a brief glance at Harrys' arms, but not oogling. Harry stepped forward, grabbed the (battered) trunks handles, and pulled the trunk out of the carriage. She wasn't kidding when she said it was heavy. It made him wonder how she got it here in the first place.
Hauling the trunk onto his shoulder, he said, "the headmaster asked me to bring you to his office. If you would follow me …" With that, he started off, with Sarah following.
"Are you a teacher ?" she asked. Harry stumbled, catching himself just before he fell over. Turning around to look at her with wide eyes, he starts to laugh. "Erm, are you okay ?" she asks, rather nervous. She only just arrived and she already made someone go into hysterics.
"Yeah, I'm fine. No, I'm not a teacher," Harry said with a broad smile, continued to make his way towards Dumbledores office.
"Gameskeeper ?" Harry shook his head. "You can't be a student …"
"Why not ?" he asked, as they continued on their way.
"Because, well, becasue you're too big," she said.
"Sorry to proove you wrong, but I'm only a fifth year student," he said with a grin. Said grin broadened as he saw her eyes widen.
"You're only a fifth year ? Are they all like you ?"
"Nope, I'm the only one. But I'm not like the others …"
"Oh, I haven't even introduced myself. My name is Sarah Winslow."
"Harry Potter."
"You're pulling my leg. You look nothing like Harry Potter," she said.
"Sorry again, but I am, truly, Harry Potter. I had something of a growth spurt during the holidays."
"No kidding. What did you do, take engorgement charms everyday ?" she said. Harry could tell just by talking to her that he liked her.
"I wish, it would have been less painful," he joked back. They continued their small talk as they made their way to Dumbledores office. Harry thought about Sarah. First, despite being from Canada, she didn't have any accent. She had the scars on her neck, and hadn't had any magical teaching from any school. And there was something else : she smelt differently. Not the 'I-haven't-washed-for-a-month' smell, but she smelled like … like … Remus Lupin. The pieces fell into place. She was a werewolf. That explained it all. It also explained why she had been able to bring such a heavy trunk, it was thanks to her enhanced strength. 'Well …', Harry decided '…werewolf or not, it doesn't change a thing. I'll do the most I can to make her feel welcome. After all, I'm not entirely human myself …'
Once they arrived at the stone gargoyle, Harry gave the password and it moved asside. Harry lead the way up the circular stairs, knocked on the door, and entered. Dumbledor was there, seated behind his desk reading some papers.
"Ah, Harry, good, good, right on time." Standing up, he beckonned them both in. Harry put her trunk next to the door, rubbing his shoulder where it was been. Dumbledore indicated the 2 seats and invited them both to be seated. "Sarah, how are you since I came over to see you ?"
"I'm fine, thank you. And thank you again for giving the opportunity to come over."
"It's nothing child. You could say it's my duty. Now, I believe Harry here has talked to you a bit about the school." They nodded. It had been one of the many points they had spoken about on the way up : the houses, the teachers, and the lessons. "Now, you will be placed in the fifth year. I thought you would be placed in the sixth year, but I made a mistake when taking note of your date of birth. You will have to choose which additionnal courses you will be taking."
"Well, back in Canada, I was good with animals. So, Care of Magical Creatures. Erm, what other courses are there ?"
It was Harry that answered. "There's Muggle Studies, Arithmancy, Divination, and Ancient Runes. I used to have Divination, but the way the teacher teaches it …" he was about to continue when he noticed that Dumbleodre had covered his ears and was humming. "Well, let's just say I dropped it and will be starting Ancient Runes," he finished. Dumbledore stopped humming and took his hands off his ears.
"And I think I'll take Ancient Runes," she said, smiling.
"Very well. Now, normally students are sorted during the great feast which takes place beginning of september. But if you would prefer, we could have it here …" She started to nod, so Dumbledore stood and removed the hat from its stand. Making his way around the table, he dropped it onto her head. After 2 minutes, the rim opened and the hat called "GRYFFINDOR !". Harry released the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.
"Yes, yes, good, good. The best choice for you, I must agree. And seeing Harrys reaction, it would seem he agrees also." Harry blushed slightly at this, and Sarah gave him a small smile. Now, Harry, could you give miss Winslow a tour of the castle. We will arange for her school supplies during dinner."
Harry nodded and turned to Sarah, who was looking at Harry. "Come on, I'll show you around." He got up and walked to the door, picked up her trunk and placing it on his shoulder before leaving the office, followed by Sarah. Dumbledore just watched them leave with a smile on his face …
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Harry had a great time just showing Sarah around. They spent the entire time talking as Harry showed her where the common room was (depositing her trunk in the fifth-year girls dorms), where the classrooms were, the greenhouses, the great hall, and the quidditch pitch. She said she flew some, but didn't have her own broom. Harry said he would arrange for them to have access to the shed, so that they could at least fly about in their free time. They also learnt a lot about each other, and found that they had quite a lot in common.
At dinner time, Harry asked Sarah to led the way to the great hall, which she managed. The only people there other than themselves were Remus, Sirius, Mcgonagall and Dumbledore. Harry suposed that not many teachers stayed at Hogwarts during the holidays.
"Harry, Sarah, please join us," Dumbledore called as they entered the hall. When they reached the head table, Dumbledore continued, "Sarah, this is professor Mcgonagall. She is your head of house, and teaches Transfiguration. On this side are Remus and Sirius, friends of Harry." Harry smiled at them. Remus smiled back, while Sirius gave him a wink while his eyes flicked from Harry to Sarah and back. Harry just rolled his eyes at this.
They both sat down and started to et. They both heaped large quantities of food on their plates and started to eat through the whole lot. Minerva was quite surprised at Sarah. Harry was quite amused that she could actually be bigger than most of the boys in her year.
"Now, Sarah, you will have to go to Diagon Alley to get your supplies." She nodded, since her mouth was full. Harry had told her all about Diagon Alley, the many different shops that were there. She was looking forward to going. "Do you think it will be okay to go with Harry ?" She gave this some thought before nodding again, since her mouth was still full. "good, that's settled then. I will give you the list of books and other equipement you will need tomorrow morning before you leave."
The meal passed calmly by. Harry spoke with Sirius, while Remus shared some whispered words with Sarah. Once the meal was finished, Remus, Sirius, Harry and Sarah made their way to the gryffindor common room. Sarah excused herself, saying that she was tired out from the journey and wanted to go to bed. The 3 others bade her good night as she went up the stairs leading to the girls dorms. Once she was in her room, the 3 males sat down in front of the fire and talked for an hour. Sirius kept making remarks along the lines of 'You fancy her, don't you Harry ?' while Harry tried to stay neutral. Sirius tired out, and said he was going to bed. Since the dorms were empty, he was sleeping with Harry and Remus in the fifth-year boys dorm. He bid them good night and went upstairs, leaving Harry and Remus alone before the fire. Harry looked silently into the fire, while Remus studied Harrys face.
"Come on Harry, out with it. There's something you want to ask. I can sense it."
Harry looked over, and nodded. "She's a werewolf, isn't she ?" he asked. Remus sighed, and nodded. "I thought so."
"How did you guess ?" Remus asked.
"Several hints that Dumbledore dropped, such as her lack of formal education. Add that with her lacking a Canadian accent, the scars on her neck, and the fact she smells like you, it all adds up," Harry said, as matter-of-factly as possible. Remus looked at him.
"Her … her smell ?"
Harry nodded. Both you and her share some sort of canine smell. Don't worry, no one else will smell it. I can barely smell it, and I've got heightened senses, remember, on my dads side." Remus nodded. "The question now is : how do I help her without her becoming suspicious ?" Harry asked, still looking into the fire.
"For a start, don't confront her about it. Wait for her to tell you. If you ask her outright, it's likely she'll shy away, even if you say you've got good intentions. Second, don't try and be sneeky about helping her, especially if you intend to help her financially. I don't think she'll appreciate it, from the talks I've had with her. Just be her friend. And be yourself, Harry. You have inherited your mothers compassion, Harry. Let it shine through, don't force it through." Harry nodded. Remus' words made sense.
"I'm tired. I'll see you tomorow ?"
"Of course, Harry. I'll stay down a few more minutes, but I'll be up shortly. Good night, Harry."
"Night Remus," he said as he walked up the stairs, leaving Remus alone looking into the flames of the fire …
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The following morning, Harry got up quite late, at around 9 o' clock. He was the only one still asleep, since both Sirius' and Remus' beds were empty. He got up, dressed, and went down into the common room. It was empty, except for one person sitting in an easy chair in front of the fire.
"Sarah ?"
She jumped slightly and looked around. Seeing it was Harry, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Good morning Harry. Sleep well ?"
"Yes, thanks, yourself ?"
She nodded with a big smile on her face. "It's the first time I've slept in a four-poster bed. It's quite impressive. The whole castle is really," she said, her excitement clear.
"Yeah, it was like that when I first arrived. A scrawny little boy."
"It's hard to imagine you were ever small and scrawny …"
"I've got the photos to proove it. But first things first : breakfast."
She nodded enthusiastically. "I didn't want to go down alone. I was afraid of getting lost, especially since there aren't many people around to help."
"There's always the ghosts, they never leave. Took me a week before I made my way down from here to the great hall without getting lost. We were actually quite proud of that achievement," Harry said, remembering the day." Anyway, let's get going. The sooner we've finished, the sooner we can go to Diagon Alley."
She nodded, although with slightly less enthusiasm compared to yesterday. Harry wondered why, but didn't let it show as they walked down …
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After breakfast, they flooed from the headmasters office to the Leaky Cauldron. Tom, who had finally recognized Harry, greeted them both as they left through the back entrance. Sarah was amazed at the moving wall, and just gazed open mouthed at the road that stretched before her. Harry wondered how long she would have stayed like that if he hadn't brought her out of her rêverie. She had some Canadian muggle money as well as wizarding currency, and she wanted to change her Canadian into Galleons, sickles and knuts. After making sure she would be okay to change her money, Harry went down to his vault to get a bit of money, in case there was something he wanted to buy, and to have some money for their trips to Hogsmead. Coming out of Gringotts, he saw her waiting for him.
"Okay Sarah, ready to rumble ?"
"Yeah, I was just looking at everything. It's really amazing here."
"Yeah, it is. What do you want to start with ?"
So off they went. They first had to go to the Apothecary to buy some of the supplies for that years potions. Next came Flourish and Blotts. Harry noticed she bought her books second hand, except for the newer books that wouldn't be in the second-hand section. She also needed some school robes, since she was still wearing muggle clothes. Harry managed to buy for her some light-blue dress robes, saying it was a welcoming present so that she couldn't refuse. She already had a wand, so there was no need for her to buy another one. Harry wanted to get a Wand Maintenance kit, so they braved Olivanders for one. Last came the animals.
"Do you have an owl ?" Harry asked.
"No, unfortunately. I wish I did."
"Come on then, let me buy you one."
"No. You already got me the dress robes. I don't want charity." She said rather firmly and started to walk away. Harry grabbed her arm.
"Let me tell you a story." She stopped and turned around, before giving a small nod. "I didn't know I was a wizard when I was a kid. The muggle family I was living with hated magic with a passion, and hoped that by not mentionning it, I would lose it. On the day of my eleventh birthday, I was visited by Hagrid, who I later learnt was the gameskeeper at Hogwarts. He explained to me about my parents and all the wizarding world. He brought me here that day. I can remember it, I was trying to look everywhere at the same time." Sarah chuckled at this." Anyway, after I had bought everything that was on the school list, he gave me my first ever birthday present : an owl."
"And what does that have to do with anything ?"
"They say the best way to give thanks for a gift is to do likewise. He bought me an owl. I want to buy you an owl," Harry explained. He looked into her eyes, and slowly, she nodded. Harry gave a sigh of relief and they went into the shop. They emerged 10 minutes later carrying a magnificent hawk-owl that Sarah named "Rogue".
With that taken care of, they had an ice cream before heading back to Hogwarts with all of Sarahs' school belongings and the owl through the fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron, heading towards Dumbledores office at great speeds …
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