The Inbetween – By Slytherin's Dragon
A/N: I don't own Harry Potter. I don't own Harry Potter. I don't own Harry Potter. – Damn Umbridge and her blood quill.
Chapter XI – First Lessons
It was still dark when Harry set off for his second day of training. There was hardly anyone out on the streets of the usually bustling Diagon Alley but the lack of company didn't faze him as he walked silently down the street that led to the notorious Knockturn Alley. The raindrops rolled off his cloak which he had waterproofed with a water-repelling charm.
He stifled a yawn. Goddamn it, why so early!
It took him fifteen minutes to reach the familiar shop. Knowing that the wards were keyed to him, Harry pushed the old creaky door open and stepped onto a faded rug inside. He walked up the old steps and entered into Ivan's living quarters.
It was deserted.
The fire in the fireplace still burned merrily, but Harry knew that Ivan kept the fire alive all the time. The only thing that was remarkable was the porcelain flowerpot that sat innocently on the middle of the dining table. There was a scrap of parchment beside it.
Portkey for HG or HP, whatever he prefers.
It was written in Ivan's strange but flowering handwriting. He reached out for the flowerpot in the middle of the table and felt a familiar tug at his torso. Remembering to kick his legs out at the last second – a method to ensure that he landed upright – he found himself standing in a grassy clearing surrounded by a foreign species of tree that he did not recognize. Unlike the dreary London climate that he had just left, it was bright and sunny. Harry deduced that he was no longer in Britain anymore, judging by the clear change in time zone. Sensing that there was no one around, he lied down on the soft, sweet grass.
"Enjoying yourself, aren't you?" Harry was startled by a voice he did not recognize.
Harry sat up so quickly that he felt disoriented. A few seconds later, he found himself looking at a Chinese woman, who was slightly taller than him. Her long raven coloured hair was braided behind her with an emerald ribbon. Her eyes were a shade of dull grey, but the black and green robes she wore made her look imposing. She was barefoot.
Despite her Asian appearance, she spoke English like a Northeastern American.
"Are you supposed to teach me?" Harry was completely baffled.
She laughed. "So that's what he called it, didn't he, Harry?"
Harry nodded.
The woman went on, "I heard you play with fire, Harry – very flashy – however... I play with..." She swept her arm in front of her, and the earth beneath their feet warped into a curved, hardened barrier.
"Earth," Harry finished. He looked in awe at the structure that the woman had created so effortlessly. He gently pressed his fingers against the firm wall.
"But that's not what I am here to teach you, unless you've been gifted with the power of the Earth." The woman went on.
Harry shook his head and admitted, "No, I cannot move the particles of the Earth as easily as you could. I would have to use my raw magic to shape the Earth."
He had begun to realize that the woman had never actually looked at him during their entire conversation, "You are blind, aren't you?"
Harry mentally slapped himself for asking.
"Physically, yes – but with magic, no," The woman didn't seem offended at all.
"You see with magic." Harry said, "I can sweep my surroundings with magic and see as well. But, where am I and who are you?"
"Where you are, is not important. I am Toph Lin, the Earth mage. But I see what Ivan meant." Toph looked curiously at Harry.
"What did he mean?"
"You concentrate on streams of magic, don't you? There's another way to channel your magic core which opens the door to innumerable possibilities in this world. Sit down." The Earth mage sat down, Indian fashion.
Harry, who was still in the dark, followed suit.
"Find your magical reservoir. When you do, let it expand and encompass your entire body. This is where the difficulty lies."
Harry found his core instantaneously – and he in a way, kind of understood what Toph meant. Usually, he would channel energies with one pathway, such as causing the energy to flow from his center, to his shoulder, to his arm and through his palm. It allowed him more control, than the method Toph proposed.
"Don't think so much, Harry. Unless your brain can handle infinite pathways, " Toph added.
Harry groaned as this was starting to sound like those Calculus textbooks with their infinities of infinities.
Slowly, he allowed his energy to radiate throughout his entire body. He did his best to squash the urge to channel it into one stream which the rest of his body was screaming to do. He had to repeat this thrice, as before most of the energy could reach the external world, his instincts would take over and redirect everything back to his dominant arm – which was how he usually did wandless magic.
On his third attempt, Harry had a revelation. This time, he managed to fight his mind and immerse his entire body in his core's energy. He took all the energy that radiated from body surfaces pointing down towards the ground and pushed. It took him five seconds before he realized that he was floating in the air.
"Ah, well done." Toph complimented. Harry reflected that the physics of levitation was very similar to the physics of rocket boosters in the Muggle world.
Unfortunately, the old urge returned stronger than ever, and Harry felt pain when his ass collided with the hard ground.
Bloody hell, there's going to be a nasty bruise down there tomorrow.
"Hey, Neville! Wait up!" Blaise broke away from the pack of first year Slytherins trudging their way to their first class.
Neville stopped – letting Dean and Seamus continue their way down to the dungeons without him.
"Be my partner for Potions? Ol' Snape won't pick on you so much if you do." Blaise asked his friend with a wide grin on his face.
Neville grinned back, "I would have said yes regardless."
"You've also got to be my partner for Herbology! We have that together too, and I am crap with plants." Blaise continued onwards.
"Deal then, you protect me from your lovely Head of House, and I will teach you the art of greenery." Neville proposed. They were walking down the stairs now, and both boys kept an eye out for missing stairs or other strange phenomena.
"Great!" Blaise agreed with a rather happy air.
The two of them walked into the Potions classroom, following Seamus, Dean, Lavender, Pavarti, Emily and Kaitlyn – all the Gryffindors – while the rest of the Slytherins followed behind.
Blaise and Neville picked a coveted workbench at the back of the room, nearest to the ingredients cabinet. They noted that Draco was sitting with Pansy sat at one of the benches at the front row, along with the Gryffindor girls. Henry and Daphne took the table beside them, while Tracey and Millicent took the table in front of them.
"You are Neville right?" Daphne asked the blond boy, "I've heard a lot about you from Blaise over here. Got to congratulate you for giving our Drakie-poo over there a little knock on the noggin – he really needed it." She whispered the rest of her words, "Honestly, he really needs to grow up."
Neville blushed, while Blaise answered on behalf of his friend, "Oh stop embarrassing Neville, Daphne."
"Shush, he's coming," Henry pressed a finger to his lips in warning.
Sure enough, Professor Severus Snape glided effortlessly towards his desk at the front, his robes billowing elegantly behind him.
"Is there a charm for that?" Henry whispered to Daphne, forcing Blaise and Neville, who were within hearing range, to almost suffocate with internal laughter. Daphne almost swallowed the wrong way.
The professor started by taking the registry while Neville and Blaise had started writing notes to each other using a piece of Blaise's parchment.
You know, I think he actually does use a charm for that.
It defies all known laws of Physics!
I totally concur. I say, why don't we also conduct Operation – Billowing Snape as well?
That's the best idea yet!
And then, at the end of seventh year, walk into his class with the same charm applied to our robes. In fact, we will teach to Henry (i.e. guy sitting beside Daphne) too, he will get a kick out of it.
We are horrible students. Merlin, he's been talking for past few minutes – pay attention Blaise!
At this point, the Potions master had reached the latter half of his speech for first years, "I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you to bottle fame, brew glory and even stopper death – if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."
After Snape had finished, a dramatic silence had fallen in the room.
"Longbottom! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Snape sniped suddenly out of nowhere.
The Draught of Living Death
"The Draught of Living Death, sir." Neville frowned at Blaise afterwards.
I knew that! You didn't have to write it!
Hey, I am doing the "protecting" that was part of our deal!
Snape looked surprised that the Gryffindor knew the answer, in fact, his eyes widened when he realized that said Gryffindor was sitting amicably with a bunch of Slytherins at the back of the room. His lips curled and he redirected his ire at Seamus Finnigan,"Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"
Stone taken from the stomach of a goat, that's what a bezoar is.
Yes, Neville, you are correct.
"I don't know, sir." Seamus replied back, unsure.
Snape snapped, "Didn't think you'd come to class without reading, eh, Finnigan? A point from Gryffindor."
Merlin, already down in negative land. Neville wrote.
Blaise gave his friend a pitying look.
After a few more questions, more points docked from Gryffindors and a quick lecture on the Boil-Cure Potion, Snape waved his wand at the board in front of the classroom, and the recipe for the topic of the lecture came up.
"You will now brew the Boil-Cure Potion, in pairs, at your tables. You have one hour. Begin."
Neville accioed his shrunken cauldron from his bag and returned it to its normal size, while Blaise went to the ingredient cupboard, with a neatly written list of the amounts and stuff that they needed. Blaise had written down the list after they had received their timetables at breakfast in anticipation of Potions.
Blaise came back with an armful of ingredients and between the two of them, divided up the labour. Blaise weighed his dried nettles with his scale, while Neville was dutifully crushing fangs. The two of them had brewed numerous potions together back at Harry's flat, and could pretty much communicate by body language alone. They were stewing their slugs when a violent hissing sound filled the air.
"Bloody Merlin, I put in the porcupine quills too early, Tracey!" Millicent freaked, watching in horror as Tracey's cauldron began to melt and drip over the floor, while the quick thinking Tracey pulled her friend up on her stool before too much damage was done – she was spotting a few boils.
Neville and Blaise, being right behind the accident, scrambled up on top of their stools as soon as Millicent mentioned the quills. Hannah had made that mistake during her first attempt back at Harry's and none of them wanted a second experience.
"Evanesco!" The Potions Master vanished the mess with a flick of his wand, "Davis, take Bulstrode to the Hospital Wing. You, Longbottom, why didn't you stop her! Five points from Gryffindor!"
If all the glares from the Gryffindors were arrows, the Potions master would have resembled a pin cushion.
"Git," Blaise whispered to Neville when Snape returned to prowling around the front of the room, "We, Slytherins, blow up the place, and good old Snape here will still find a way to pin the blame on a Gryffindor."
Remus J. Lupin found himself waiting nervously for his new student by sitting on one of Ivan's armchairs. Ever since James and Lily's deaths, he had been out doing odd jobs – no one wanted to employ a werewolf – and spending much of his time wallowing in self-pity. However, the mysterious Russian-Asianic Ivan had approached his shabby house and offered him a job. The pay was incredibly generous, with the added promise of the best Wolfsbane Potion provided monthly prior to his painful transformations.
The conditions were simple – that he teaches Ivan's ward all he knew – while swearing an oath to never reveal to anyone the identity of his student or the nature of his work. This wasn't a problem, since Remus was a master Occlumens and that almost anything was better than the life he had been living for the past years.
Suddenly, a young boy spun into the room. Remus logically deduced that the boy had travelled via Portkey, and got up from the squishy armchair to greet his new student. His keen werewolf sight picked up on the boy's features – noting the silver lock that fell gracefully on the boy's forehead, how skinny the boy was, and the greenness of the boy's eyes – the eyes looked familiar to Remus, but he couldn't place where.
The boy's scent was unfamiliar, yet there was a familiar undertone.
Remus sighed, before walking in front of the boy. "I am Remus Lupin, I will be your Defence Tutor, as appointed by your guardian, Ivan."
"Hello, Remus." Harry looked at the man wearing tattered robes. He noted that the man looked exhausted, and looked rather older than he ought to be.
Remus, where did I hear that name before?
"My name is Harry." The boy extended his hand.
Remus froze in shock. Harry. Bloody Merlin, James' son. Lily's eyes...
Harry was totally baffled when Remus ran forward and gave him a hug.
"You are James' son." Remus said in a hoarse, low voice, "Harry James Potter. We didn't know where Dumbledore had you hidden away for so long."
Harry suddenly had his own insight, remembering that day when one Severus Snape had been sticking his hooked nose where it didn't belong, "You are Moony!"
"You... you... remember me?" Remus was shocked, "I was your Uncle Moony before they were killed."
"No, I saw it from someone's mind." Harry confessed, albeit reluctantly.
Remus looked slightly crestfallen, but changed the topic, "Where did Dumbledore hide you?"
Harry sighed, "It's not a pleasant story, Remus."
"Merlin, please don't tell me – he left you at Petunia's!" Remus exclaimed.
Harry's emotionless expression told him everything.
"Dumbledore... How did you end up here?"
"That's also a long story..." Harry's stomach growled.
"Here, sit." Remus walked over to the dining table and pulled a chair out for Harry, before seating himself across from Harry's chair.
Remus waved his wand and summoned a basket. He removed sandwiches, fruit, a jug of pumpkin juice and a plateful of chocolate brownies. He tapped his wand on the various food items to remove the Stasis charm that kept the items fresh.
"Ivan left me this for lunch." Remus explained.
Harry looked appreciatively at the spread, before digging in.
After he had eaten his fill, as did Remus, Harry waved his arm over all the cutlery and plates and the items neatly packaged themselves in the basket. He swept his other arm over the table, and vanished all the remaining detritus.
Remus' jaw dropped at the display of wandless magic.
Harry shrugged, "I might as well show you what I can do."
"That is impressive, especially given your age. Most wizards and witches aren't capable of performing wandless feats of this caliber."
Harry shrugged his shoulders again.
Remus sighed. Harry was so reserved and humble for a child his age.
What in Merlin did the Dursleys do to Harry?
"I guess, I might as well, tell you what happened." Harry interrupted Remus' train of thought, "I think you have a right to know what happened after my parents' death."
Remus leaned closer, his elbows propped on the table.
So Harry told his father's former best friend, the hell he went through at the Dursleys, his rather dramatic escape with his magical familiar, his adventures at Diagon Alley, and the friends and allies that he met. He told Remus how he met Ivan, his decision to not to go to Hogwarts, and his suspicions about the great Albus Dumbledore.
At the end of Harry's tale, Remus remained silent. Harry could tell the man was busy thinking about what happened. He didn't dare attempt Occlumency on Remus – he had feeling that Ivan had chosen Remus for his skill, as well as his connection to Harry's father to be his tutor.
"I see why Ivan made me swear the Wizard's Oath, now." Remus finally spoke after twenty minutes of quiet reflection, "It makes sense. I can't believe Dumbledore would do such a thing but nevertheless – he did it. I just want you to know, Harry... that I will be on your side, always. It's too late to rectify what has already been done – but I will do my best."
His head was bowed.
Harry could see all the grey that streaked Remus' longish brown hair.
"Thank you, Moony." A vestige of a genuine smile appeared on Harry's face.
Remus brightened at the use of the nickname.
After Potions, Blaise and Neville made their way to the Great Hall for lunch. They were able to finish their potion first without any serious mishaps and Snape had kept his mouth shut when Blaise and Neville turned in their product. Both of them did however give a disgusted look at Snape when he started complimenting on Draco's stewed slugs rather loudly shortly after Millicent's porcupine incident.
The Hall was almost deserted, since Neville and Blaise had left early from class, so the pair of them decided to sit at the Ravenclaw table – since they figured it would be the place where they would get the least dirty looks.
"Hey, Neville, Blaise!" Hermione and Hannah waved towards them.
Neville and Blaise turned around to wave at the two girls. They took the two seats across the boys, and sat down.
"So, why the Ravenclaw table?" Hermione asked them curiously.
Blaise explained, "Gryffindors hate Slytherins, and Slytherins hate Gryffindors, so according to our logic, this place is probably the best place to sit together."
"Hey, maybe we can promote inter-house unity if we choose a different table to sit at for every meal!" Hannah exclaimed.
Hermione brightened, "Yeah! That's an excellent idea, Hannah!"
"So, how was Transfiguration?" Blaise asked them.
"Professor McGonagall is a good teacher," Hermione reflected, "Even though we already knew how to do the Transfiguration, she did say some things that were new for me."
Hannah smiled, "Of course, we pretended we couldn't get our matches to turn into needles the first few times we tried."
Hermione nodded, "We figured that it was a better idea if we have to pretend to struggle a bit."
"Yeah, Grey's method of visualizing Transfiguration was very helpful." Neville added, "Even dunderheads at Transfiguration like me, can get it with that!"
All four had agreed to refer to Harry as Grey while at Hogwarts.
"Oh Neville, you sell yourself short." Hermione sighed.
"How was Potions with our favourite Professor?" Hannah asked the guys with wry humor.
"Well, Snape hates Gryffindors. That's for sure." Neville replied.
The pair told them about the melting cauldron incident and how Snape deducted five points from Neville as a result.
"That's not fair at all!" Hermione grumbled.
Hannah nodded, "I don't look forward to Potions with Mr. Greasy and Hooked Nosed."
"Don't worry." Blaise reassured them, "Just get it done and ignore what he says that isn't important."
Neville nodded.
"What potion did you guys brew?" Hannah asked.
Blaise answered, "The first one in the book."
"Your favourite one – with the boils." Neville made a face.
"It's alright, Hannah, you won't melt the cauldron twice with the same potion." Blaise said reassuringly, "Plus, that was the only potion you messed up in the first-year book, too."
As they were talking, the Great Hall began to fill up with people. The other Ravenclaws around them looked at the odd group at their table curiously but didn't comment. The Hall gradually became silent when the Headmaster stood up from his seat from the High Table and cleared his voice.
"I have a special announcement for you all. Due to unforeseen circumstances, one of our First Years was not Sorted yesterday. But he is now here and we will proceed to sort him now."
Everyone turned away from the Headmaster to watch Professor McGonagall bring the four-footed stool and the patchy Sorting Hat back into the Hall.
"Weasley, Ronald." Minerva called out.
An awkward boy, with the trademark Weasley red-hair and freckles entered the Hall. He walked over to the Hat and placed it on his head.
There was a brief moment, before the Hat called out, "GRYFFINDOR!"
There was a lot of clapping and cheering from the Gryffindor table as Ronald joined them, while everyone else from the other three tables were speculating about what possibly could have happened to cause the youngest Weasley boy to miss the train.
After Harry and Remus' talk at Ivan's flat, tutor and student walked to Harry's place, as Ivan had no room set up for more active activities. Remus was impressed with the extensive wards that Harry had set up at his place, and smiled when Harry keyed him in the wards system. Harry took him to the "Practice" room, which had been the place where Neville, Hermione, Hannah and Blaise as well as himself had practiced innumerable spells on each other. With help from his friends, they had charmed two more rooms into existence that were connected to the "Practice" room – one being a Potions laboratory, and the other, a luxurious and spacious room for studying during the past summer.
"Before we begin," Remus started, after giving the room a nod of approval, "We will perform the Deletrius spell on our wands at the end of each lesson. You know what that means, Harry?"
Harry nodded, he had read about it in a Wizarding law book some time ago, "In case Prior Incantato is ever cast on our wands, the spells we perform prior to the Deletrius will not be detected."
"Well said." Remus smiled.
"Wait, so that means we are..." Harry mused.
"Yes, going to use magic outlawed by the current Ministry." Remus finished Harry's thought.
Harry scratched his head, "How do you cast the Deletrius spell? It's not in any book I've read."
"Harry." Remus began to laugh, "If that spell was available to the public, every wizard and witch would use it, and illegal magic would be very hard to detect."
"Then, how do you know?" Harry asked.
Remus winked roguishly, "Ah, allow an old man to keep some secrets."
"So, what are we going to do today?" Harry changed the subject.
Remus grinned, "This - Imperio."
Harry didn't notice until too late that Remus had summoned his own wand from his holster, located somewhere in his robes. He was bewildered when the curse hit him, but that shock quickly wore off when he felt his worries drift away and the most wonderful feeling of contentedness engulfed his entire body.
Tap your feet.
The command came, and Harry found himself doing some form of a tap dance, while still engulfed in this wondrous, rather freeing sensation. It seemed ironic, that the victim of the Imperius felt so free, yet so trapped.
Stop. Cartwheel.
Why? Harry found his brain talking back to Remus' voice in his head.
Cartwheel forward – do it now! The inner voice became more demanding, insistent.
No. Harry found himself mentally fighting back.
Now! The demand was the most forceful, yet.
The result was that Harry did a rather half-hearted cartwheel which left him in a heap on the ground. Harry winced when he got up, realizing that he had fallen on the same spot that he had injured earlier back in the day with Toph.
"That's more like it." Remus grinned Marauder style.
"How did you know I could resist it?" Harry asked, curiously – he remembered reading that there were few people capable of throwing the curse off.
"Ah, people who are proficient with Occlumens generally have the willpower and focus to throw the curse off. Ivan rather insisted that you learn how to neutralize the Imperius as soon as possible."
Harry made a mental note to teach his companions how to throw off the Imperius as soon as possible.
"Now, again – Imperio."
Harry groaned before the comfortable sensation of the Imperius took over.
Neville and Hannah made their way to dinner after an abysmally boring History of Magic lecture by the ghostly Professor Binns. Neville had resorted to starting his Potions essay on the properties of porcupine quills, while Hannah had doodled accurate sketches of their fellow classmates for the past hour of class since both had lost the willpower to pay attention. This was the case for all the other Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors in the stuffy classroom, and gossip was exchanged by both Houses – the most popular being increasingly implausible reasons why Ronald Weasley showed up the day after the Sorting.
Ronald Weasley was not-too-pleased with his newfound "celebrity" status at Hogwarts. In the past two classes that Neville had – History with the Hufflepuffs and Charms with the Ravenclaws – there had been whispers and discreet fingers being pointed at the lone Ronald Weasley – even by some of the Gryffindor girls. As a result, he had been a rather foul and surly mood ever since he had shown up at lunch and everyone kept a wide berth from his rather prickly company.
Neville and Hannah joined Blaise and Hermione at the Slytherin Table. They had all agreed that they will rotate tables at every meal. Draco, who was about to say something derogatory about the newcomers, was immediately silenced by glares from Blaise, Henry and Daphne, while Pansy pretended that there was a foul stench in the air. A few of the older Slytherins made some snide comments about first years unable to find their own table, but the four Slytherins were able to hold their ground. It also helped that Blaise, Henry and Daphne came from well-respected families.
The meal soon appeared, and they all dug in.
"History of Magic's got to be the most useless class out of the lot." Neville complained, as he helped himself to some roasted chicken and potatoes.
Daphne nodded, "You guys had History too? We had it after lunch with the Ravenclaws – I finished my Potions essay there, Tracey fell asleep and Henry kept complaining to Blaise about the quality of education. Blaise eventually nodded off too."
"Yeah, it's just getting lousy." Henry stabbed his fork rather viciously into his potato, "Only five more years of Binns."
"That's five years too long, if you ask me." Hannah frowned, "We would have died of boredom by then."
"Hear, hear." Hermione said, much to the astonishment of her friends.
"But Hermione," Blaise exclaimed, with a rather teasing tone, "I saw you following along with everything our most fascinating Professor was saying."
"Blaise!" Hermione groaned, "That was before you joined Tracey in Lala-land!"
"Lala-what?" Henry jerked his attention from his chicken leg to the conversation.
"Muggle-speak for out of touch with reality, Henry," Hermione explained.
Henry smiled, "Muggles have such quaint sayings, eh?"
"But seriously," Neville continued, "I can't stand having to sit in that class for five more years!" His statement was met by a chorus of agreements.
"Hmm... I wonder." Henry stroked his chin.
"What?" Tracey looked curiously at her fellow Slytherin.
"Yeah, what, Henry?" Daphne egged him on.
"My dad sits on the Board of Governors of Hogwarts," Henry began to say.
Neville's eyes had a glint in them, "We could replace him!"
"Merlin, that's an idea!" Millicent leapt from her conversation with Pansy to the other side. Pansy looked incredibly annoyed.
"We need to do some research though," Henry frowned, "My dad likes it when people outline exactly what they want done and how to go about it."
"We'll help!" Daphne and Tracey immediately jumped aboard, "In fact, Tracey and I will go to the Library right after dinner."
"Me too!" Millicent waved her free hand at them, "Old Binns wouldn't even know what hit him!"
"Umm, Milly? You do realize he's a ghost, right?"
Hannah, Blaise, Neville, Hermione – Hey guys – Grey here. I am exhausted so I am just going to write you all at the same time. Thanks for passing on the Weasley bit – I will do my own research regarding them on my end – but please keep your eyes and ears open. Re. The Sealed Corridor – do what you think you can – but don't do anything that I wouldn't do.
I've met two of my tutors today – one a mysterious mage by the name of Toph Lin and another named Moony. I managed to levitate today – but that resulted in a painful bruise and Moony trained me to resist the Imperius. I plan to teach you guys when you get back from Hogwarts, so for the time being – stay away from Dark Wizards! (I am joking, but still... you guys get what I mean.)
May Lady Luck be with you,
-Grey
Albus Dumbledore was frantic.
Immediately after he dismissed his students from the Welcome Feast, he had combed through the Hogwarts Book of Students, and there was no mention, anywhere, of Harry James Potter to be found. He contacted several other Wizarding schools in Europe this morning – including Durmstrang Institute and Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. He had gotten the responses later on in the day, in which they had replied in the negative.
He had also, made the trip to the Burrow, where he had a talk with his most loyal supporter – Molly Weasley regarding the events yesterday. Molly confirmed his fears that Harry didn't show up at all at King's Cross; therefore, putting all his future plans on hold.
Molly had been extremely disappointed that her youngest son wouldn't become the best friend of Harry Potter, nor would her daughter have the potential to end up as Mrs. Potter, of the Most Courageous and Noble House of Potter. He had reassured her that there was still a chance that his plans could still come to fruition – and to give him time to track the boy down.
He had taken Ronald with him back to Hogwarts, and had him Sorted. The boy had been extremely sullen that he had missed his first day of Hogwarts.
Ah, such is youth.
A/N: Based our Earth Mage's character based on Toph from Avatar: The Last Air Bender – because she's cool. :) Our Slytherins have a plot of their own and Snape is Snape.
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