Chapter 12:
The news of Harry's attempted arrest filled the newspapers the next morning. Most of the wizarding world was in an uproar and called for the minister to resign, and the other smaller part labeled Harry Potter a dangerous wizard that needed to be caught. Harry didn't hear from Fred Weasley since he sent him on a mission to spy on Fudge.
After having breakfast, Harry changed into robes and shape-shifted to look like Albus Dumbledore. He Apparated to the edge of the Apparation wards put by the real Albus Dumbledore on the Burrow and knocked. Mrs. Weasley opened the door and welcomed him in. Harry extended his awareness and found out, like he assumed, that Fudge had some Aurors watching the Burrow in case he visits. He waved his wand and erected privacy wards. Then he put silencing and confusing charms on the doors and windows so that if someone was watching or listening, he won't understand nor see what they were talking about or whom Mrs. Weasley is talking to. He turned to Mrs. Weasley's confused face and shifted back to his original form. Before being able to say 'Hello', he found himself in a rib-breaking hug from Molly Weasley. Returning the hug, he was ushered to the kitchen and a cup of tea was in front of him.
"How are you, Harry dear?" Asked Mrs. Weasley warmly.
"Living," answered Harry with a sigh. He was tired of fighting and running all his life. He wanted to kill Voldemort and live a normal life, but he knew that he wasn't ready to fight him yet.
"It will be over soon. You will be able to live your childhood son." Said Mrs. Weasley warmly. "Leave the fighting to Dumbledore, he is a great and powerful wizard and will be able to defeat Voldemort."
Harry's eyes darkened and he felt a familiar Aura enter the house; it was Albus Dumbledore under an invisibility spell. He turned his head back to Mrs. Weasley while wondering why Dumbledore was here.
"It's too late for me to have a childhood, Mrs. Weasley." Replied Harry. "It was taken from me when Voldemort killed my parents. It was taken from me when I was sent to the Dursleys to be their house-elf. It was taken from me again when Sirius was killed in the Department of Mysteries last June. So I'm sorry but it's too late for me to back out from this fight."
By the end of Harry's speech, tears were spilling down Harry's face. Dumbledore decided to make an appearance and made a pop with his wand while canceling the invisibility, as though he just Apparated to the house. He was welcomed by Mrs. Weasley, who made him tea.
"Thank you Molly." Said Dumbledore warmly and turned to Harry "May I talk to you in private? We have some things to discuss."
After thanking Mrs. Weasley for the tea and promising to visit her again, Harry grabbed Dumbledore's shoulder and Apparated them to his house.
They appeared in the garden and sat down on a couch conjured by Harry as soon as he arrived. Dumbledore was about to speak when Harry suddenly stood up and walked away to the edge of the forest. Something appeared from where Harry was standing and it shocked Dumbledore. It was a huge midnight black basilisk and it was looking to Harry in the eye. As far as Dumbledore knew, basilisks do not follow orders of any parselmouth but its own master and basilisks pride themselves in being the king of snakes. Also onlya basilisk's master could look to it in theeye and not die.Harry nodded then walked into the forest after the huge snake. A few minutes Harry returned with an envelope with the ministry seal on it.
"Sorry about that, there was an owl trying to enter here to find me but it stopped at the edge of the wards." Explained Harry as if it was a regular thing that happens everyday. Such strong wards, which Dumbledore assumed, isn't the only wards cast, are very complex and requires at least a very powerful sorcerer to cast it.
"Harry, if I may ask, who owned this house?" Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eyes. He was glad that Harry was safe from Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
"It's my house, headmaster." Harry replied with a smirk. He saw the confusion on the face of his grandfather and mentally smiled. It was really a good feeling to play Dumbledore's game with him. Dumbledore knew Harry's assets and he knew he wasn't in any one of them.
"Who built it Harry? And who cast these wards?" Asked Dumbledore curiously. No one Dumbledore knew is powerful enough to cast these wards except him, Nicolas Flammel and Voldemort. And Dumbledore knew Flammel couldn't have cast these wards as he was on a vacation in Hawaii, and Voldemort won't cast these wards for Harry.
"Why, I did." Replied Harry with a grin. Dumbledore had no idea that Harry already unlocked his powers and is a high mage, or that he was taken to the past to be trained by his old mentor Leo. Also Leo found Athena after Dumbledore left when he finished his training, so he didn't know that Harry's phoenix was Leo's. Athena had bonded to Harry after they returned to the present along with Isis, his snake. Leo told Harry that his grandfather could see auras like Hermione, so he taught the Order of Shadows how to mask it with spells and charms. And Hermione, being a natural Aura Reader learned to mask it at will. Harry was taught by Salazar to tune down his aura to an average teen-age wizard. It helped to make your opponent underestimate you if he thinks you're a weak wizard or he is more powerful than you. Harry was brought back to the present when Dumbledore asked the question which uncovered the truth for him.
"Building houses is illegal if you do not own the land Harry, and this land isn't written in your assets left to you by the Black or the Potter families. How did you get this land and make it unplottable and had many wards cast on it when you didn't withdraw any money from Gringotts this past summer that could buy a land?" Dumbledore asked regarding Harry with a stare. He had his suspicion about what Harry went through but he had to make sure. When Dumbledore was still training with Leo a long time ago, Leo wanted to sell a piece of land that was left to him by his father. He didn't need it and it was made unplottable by Leo's father. Until Dumbledore left to the present, Leo didn't sell the land. But that would mean that Harry was trained by Leo and unlocked his dormant powers. He left for a day, which was the same amount of time Dumbledore had disappeared for. Harry was looking at Dumbledore with an amused expression and it turned into a smile when a dawning look crossed Dumbledore's face before it turned into a full smile. Harry knew that Dumbledore would eventually figure it out.
"It took you long enough Grandfather." Said Harry with a genuine smile.
"Why didn't you tell me, Harry?" Replied Dumbledore, slightly hurt. He thought that after the incident in the Department of Mysteries, Harry didn't trust him at all. He knew Sirius's death affected Harry strongly, and it would take a while to earn Harry's trust back.
"I had to train my friends before I could tell you anything, grandfather. I was going to tell you after I got back from the NEWTs exams and then I was distracted when I discovered that you're my grandfather along with.." Harry stopped talking when he realized that Dumbledore didn't know that Tom Riddle was his mother's father.
"Along with whom, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, confusion written on his face. He always thought that Lily was a muggle born witch, and he never thought of the possibility of her father being a wizard. He saw Harry's eyes darken and hate fill them and feared what the answer. He didn't reply but stood up and entered the house, motioning for Dumbledore to follow. They went to the study were Harry had the family tree on the wall next to the door. He looked and his eyes filled with warmth when he saw his and his fiancée's names. But fury filled his eyes when he looked at the name on the opposite side.
Tom Marvolo Riddle.
He looked around but found that Harry already left the room. He sent a glare at the name of his ex-student and the now so-called Dark Lord, as if waiting for the name to burn. He left to look for Harry and found him in the kitchen and a bottle of butterbeer next to him. He motioned for Dumbledore to sit down and made tea for him. Finishing the butterbeer, he refocused his eyes on Dumbledore and turned to face him. Being a mind reader, Harry read the recent thoughts of Dumbledore and answered the question on his mind. He usually had this ability off, as it could cause him a headache at Hogwarts with all the students around him and he knew Dumbledore didn't have this ability. The question that Dumbledore was thinking was the same one that Hermione asked him. 'Why Voldemort would marry a muggle.'
"She was a pureblood witch, the Evans line is descendant from the sister of Rowena Ravenclaw. But after Tom Riddle decided to be Voldemort, he told her in hope of making her a Dark Queen next to him, but she refused and was going to tell you. But he killed her, not knowing that she knew about his plans the night before and sent their children away to her cousin and his wife. Then she memory charmed him while he was asleep and wiped his memories of his daughters, and she didn't have a chance to Owl you as he told her just after they woke up in the morning." Harry explained tonelessly.
Dumbledore sat on his chair, putting together what he just heard from his grandson. Finding out that you had relatives alive was a shocking discovery, especially when both your relatives are Albus Dumbledore, most powerful leader of the light beside Harry, and the other is the most powerful Dark Lord in the history of magic and wars. Hate filled Dumbledore for the first time since Grindelwald kidnapped his fiancée, hate which was directed towards the person who killed his son, daughter in law and tried to kill his only grandson. First, he did not expect that Leo would summon Harry a year before he should have. He expected him at least to be seventeen when he went through the training to defeat Voldemort. A cough brought him back to the present and he refocused his attention on Harry again.
"What did you want to talk to me about, grandfather?" Asked Harry.
"Ah, yes. The Order of the Phoenix's objective now is to capture Bellatrix Lestrange alive, to prove your innocence." Replied Dumbledore. "I also wanted to ask how your training during the summer went, but obviously Leo tested you. How did you do in the tournament Harry?" Dumbledore remembered his own tournament like it was yesterday. He won the tournament undefeated, but after strong challenges and duels.
"I won." Replied Harry. "But Hermione was a tough challenge in the final duel." After Harry finished his sentence, he realized that he hadn't told him that Hermione also was trained in the past. At Dumbledore's shocked face, he knew that he had to explain.
"Hermione was trained by a high sorceress called Lena, while I was trained by Leo, we met in the final duel and I won. She is still sore that I managed to win." Said Harry with a grin. Hermione was still annoyed whenever he mentioned their duel in the past. Although she still loved to read a lot, she learned to enjoy her life outside her books. Harry had taken her out to dinner during the time where the Order of Shadows was training. But she still annoyed him when she recites anything like a textbook.
"Can you tell me what's your class and powers?" Asked Dumbledore curiously, his eyes twinkling brightly. He was happy that Harry and Hermione could take care of themselves. Yet he was sad that his grandson didn't have the childhood he should have had.
"That's for me to know, and you to wonder about." Replied Harry with a grin "The only thing I'm going to tell you is that I am a high mage." After finishing the sentence, Harry was laughing extremely hard and was holding his sides while tears were spilling from his eyes. A sight he never thought possible or that he would see in his lifetime was that Albus Dumbledore, wizard extraordinaire, Headmaster of Hogwarts and leader of the esteemed Order of the Phoenix, fell off his chair with his jaw dropping to the floor. Harry prided himself in being one of the few people in the world that could still shock his headmaster. After regaining his composure, Dumbledore sat back on his chair with a huge smile on his face. He was now certain that Harry had the power to defeat Voldemort. He himself was a high sorcerer, though only Moody and Minerva McGonagall knew that. Some books wrote that both Voldemort and he were sorcerers, and others wrote that they were both mages. But he was a high sorcerer and Voldemort was a high sorcerer. After many rituals and dark transformations, he was at a magical level of a mage. Voldemort was afraid of Dumbledore for a reason. Since he didn't know the prophecy, he was afraid that Dumbledore could defeat him or subdue him. Also he was not sure if Dumbledore was a mage or a high sorcerer. But he knew that Dumbledore was powerful enough to at least keep him at bay for the time being, as Voldemort was no fool. By the time Dumbledore was brought to the present from his imaginations, Harry was sitting on his chair with an amused look on his face.
"And Hermione?" Asked Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eyes full force. His fears were subdued when he knew of Harry's class of magic. A high mage was considered a myth among the mages, and Dumbledore suspected that being a high mage was the result of the power transfer when Voldemort tried to kill Harry as a child.
"That's for her to tell you if she wants or not, headmaster." Said Harry. "And also, do not try Legilimency on her. It won't work since she is trained in Occlumency and Legilimency as I am." Harry knew that Dumbledore had large capacity for curiosity and hated to be in the dark as did Harry.
"Can I check your progress then, Harry?" Asked Dumbledore. "Just to make sure that you could hold yourself with Voldemort." Harry grinned mysteriously and motioned for him to go on. But just before he attempted Legilimency, Harry said, "I'm just warning you, it will be painful."
Dumbledore ignored Harry's warning and gathered his energy. Looking in Harry's piercing green eyes, he involuntary shuddered but muttered "Legilimens."
He found himself in what looked like a room with a wet floor. He tried to hit the solid wall in front of him and was awarded by an electric shock through his body. He gathered a lot of energy and slammed as violent as he could. But only a scratch was on the wall and the most powerful electric shock he experienced in his life followed it. He had a huge headache and was on the verge of passing out when he felt himself being pushed gently from Harry's mind. A smiling Harry's face was in front of him with three vials of potions. One was a pain reducing potion and a headache-reducing potion. He drank both of them and his headache lessened a lot. Harry gave him the third one, which was a pepper up potion. He sent a grateful look to Harry then drank it then leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes for a few moments. He then opened them and sent Harry a mock glare, but his twinkling eyes betrayed him. Harry returned the look with an 'I told you so' one. Dumbledore chuckled and shook his head as if clearing it.
"I pity Tom if he tries to invade your mind." Said Dumbledore cheerfully. "But how did you do that Harry? I'm certain that Leo did not teach me that when I was learning Occlumency from him." Dumbledore always liked to learn new things. He rarely found anything new to him and it always excited him when he learned anything new. He sometimes envied the younger people who do not know many things and still have got things to discover. He also didn't know everything in magic but rarely anyone discovers any new magic these days. It's always a potion for something silly or a spell for household, which was useful but not something impossible to be made or new to magic.
"You wouldn't have learned it, since I discovered it while he was teaching me Occlumency." Explained Harry.
"Are you an Elemental, Grandfather?" Harry knew he was going to tell him another of his power but he was not going to tell him a lot, since the less anyone knew, the less the opportunity Voldemort could possibly know. He knew that his Grandfather would not tell Voldemort but he needed the element of surprise when he is face to face with him.
"Now, that would be telling, Harry." Said Dumbledore, he then realized something.
"You're an elemental." Dumbledore stated. Seeing Harry's nod he continued "a lightning elemental." Again he saw Harry's nod accompanied with a smile.
"That's a powerful element Harry, be careful with it. And yes I'm a fire elemental and an air elemental." Said Dumbledore with a smile.
"That's perfect!" Exclaimed Harry.
"Now envision yourself in front of the wall surrounding your mind." Seeing Dumbledore close his eyes, he continued,
"Latch into your power of fire and imagine a wall of fire surrounding the wall of your mind. Then latch into your power of air but don't let go of the fire thread. After grabbing the thread, tie it around the thread of fire but don't let go yet. The two threads of energy should now be in your total control, now solidify the air around the wall. That's great, now tie the threads of energy to the ground in front of the wall and solidify the air on the ground and envision the air covering the ground as if you are standing on a cloud. Now is the last part, Imagine yourself standing with a wand in your hand while shouting "texo navitas mentis", and imagine the threads being one complete thread and disappearing to the ground. That's it, you can open your eyes now." Explained Harry a thorough explanation and was sure of the success when Dumbledore opened his eyes, it was glowing for a second then it was back to the twinkling.
"Thank you Harry. It was a fantastic experience, but may I ask how you acquired the water that you shocked me with in your mind?" Asked Dumbledore. Harry had recently found out that he could make water in his mind, but what puzzled him that he was not water elemental. When he was training with Leo, he only put the lightning. Sometime when he was meditating when he returned to the present, he found a thread that was of a water element. But as hard as he tried, he could never use it in his real life like he used the Fire and Lightning. There seemed to be something missing and he didn't know what it was.
"I still do not know how I use the water element in my mind grandfather, since I'm not water elemental. I try hard to summon it to my will, but it seems like something is blocking it or preventing me form using it." Explained Harry, still confused about where the element came from. He's been trying for weeks to find a solution and didn't resort to asking Hermione yet. 'Hermione!' thought Harry. 'She's a water elemental'. Dumbledore seemed to think along the same lines and asked.
"Harry, is Miss Granger a water elemental?" Harry knew that, for him to know what's going on, he must tell his grandfather a few secrets of him and Hermione. But just to make sure that Hermione do not kill him, he asked her telepathically and she gave him her consent, but asked him about the reason. They had agreed earlier that no one would know about their powers until the war when they defeat Voldemort, since it was not necessary. 'I'm trying to find something about combining it with Occlumency'. He had taught only Hermione, Blaise and Neville how to occlude their minds and combining elements with it.
"Yes, she is water elemental. But what does that have to do with it?" Asked Harry curiously and confused. Dumbledore seemed to smile and Harry suspected he knew something about it. He stood up and turned to Harry.
"I need to get a book from my personal library in my office. Is it safe to Apparate from here?" Asked Dumbledore and was awarded with a negative response. Harry summoned Athena through their bond and she appeared in a flash of flames.
"Athena, will you please take the professor to his office and wait for him to come back again with you?" Asked Harry politely; even though he knew that Athena would do it. They grew fond of each other since they met in Leo's time and more so when they bonded after Harry returned to the present. The phoenix seemed to nod and rubbed her face in Harry's neck affectionately then flied to Dumbledore shoulder who rubbed the back of her head. They disappeared in a flash of flames leaving Harry to think about the water element. Harry went into the house and continued working on the present that he would give Hermione as a Christmas present. After about twenty minutes of working, Harry went out to the garden when he felt Athena pass the wards she was keyed to around the house with Dumbledore. He was holding a very old book in his hands that didn't have a title. He was smiling as if he discovered a new magic. He gave Harry the book, which was opened on a specific page and sat down while Harry was reading the book. It read.
Soul mates bond:
Soul mates, when joined the first time in physical affection, they complete a part of the soul mate bond which allows both soul mates to project their thoughts to each other and sometimes feel each other's emotions. Sometimes if the bond is powerful enough, the soul mates could use a small part of each other's power partially, until they complete the bond by a certain ritual. By completing the ritual, they could use each other's power easily. It's rare for the soul mates to be both powerful and rarely soul mates ever find their mates in their life.
Harry sat down after reading the passage in shock. 'Hermione was his soul mate?' It was something that he did not expect at all, even after a million years. He felt a flood of love, acceptance and possessiveness.
'You knew?' Yelled Harry through their telepathic link.
"Yes Harry, I knew." Said Hermione, Apparating behind him. She nodded to Dumbledore and turned back to Harry "And you don't have to shout in my head. You had to find out and accept the bond yourself. I didn't want to make it another burden that you have to love me." By now, tears were spilling down Hermione's face. He sensed love and fear of rejection flooding from her that it made his head spin. In a flash he had his arms around her and his lips on hers. He let his love, possessiveness, desire and acceptance flood back through their link, which made Hermione relax in his embrace. Neither noticed Dumbledore pulling out his wand nor the rune that was cast around them on the floor. They were in a world where only they existed. Dumbledore took the opportunity and chanted the ritual to complete the bond. Wind grew around them and power built inside them and it was like a dam that broke. Both their true Auras were visible and Dumbledore was in awe. He had never seen anything that beautiful before. Their love was pure and their power was awe-inspiring and like nothing he ever witnessed before. The ritual was sealed when both finished the kiss and Harry muttered with a huge smile "I love you, Hermione. Your love is a gift, never a burden".
"I love you too, Harry." Replied Hermione with a huge smile and her face was practically glowing with happiness. They noticed right then that Dumbledore was standing with a wand out and a tear on his beard, and rune surrounding them on the floor. They sat down in the garden and Hermione made tea for them.
"Grandfather, I need you to teach me modern magic." Said Harry. "All I know is ancient magic. It is powerful but I need to know what I'm up against when I meet Voldemort. He is well versed in modern magic, especially the dark arts." Dumbledore nodded his head in understanding and stood up.
"I will come here every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night to train you in modern magic until we prove your innocence and then we will continue it at Hogwarts. Miss Granger is doing a great job in teaching the students but as I told you before the feast, she lacks your experience." Hermione blushed at the compliment from Dumbledore and Harry nodded his head. Harry vowed to himself to avenge Sirius by killing Lestrange but not until she proves his innocence. Dumbledore hugged Harry goodbye and left while Hermione stayed the night with him. The next day was going to be Christmas night and Hermione had no work. Harry stayed the night working on her gift and went to bed when he finally finished it. He climbed in the bed next to Hermione and slept peacefully in Hermione's arms basking in her love and warmth, his Newt letter forgotton beside him.
