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"So after Riddle's spirit was destroyed you convinced the basilisk to carry me and Luna to the castle entrance."
Harry watched as his leg began to reform, Professor McGonagall had agreed to perform the transfiguration herself.
To take his mind off the way the silver puddle was growing into a new leg he had decided to catch up with Jasper (who was feeling lonely having no one to talk to for over a month).
"And what of the basilisk now?"
Jasper, who was curled in a coil on his stomach, lifted his head "The ancient one is free in the great forest that surrounds the castle. Like for its first master, it will guard the grounds. She informed me she is indebted to you. The shadow boy came to her many seasons ago and cast a binding spell on her bending her will to his."
"Excellent." Harry grinned.
"Mister Potter!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed looking up from her wand "Will you please stop talking to that snake while I am doing this, it is very disconcerting for me."
Harry winked at Jasper and let the snake slither away to hunt.
He smiled innocently at the transfiguration teacher.
The leg began to mould into shape. With a final wave of her wand the process was complete.
"It will function as normal; you will feel what it feels and so forth. But it is like real silver it will not bleed and any damage will remain until re-transfigured."
"Wonderful." Harry jumped out as bed and tested his new leg. It was holding him up as the other but felt weird, running his finger along the calf it felt so unlike skin, more like solid porcelain, completely hairless.
"Who do I make the bill out too? Deputy Headmistress."
She laughed and waved him off.
"The pleasure was all mine."
Harry chuckled and ran off to find Nym.
It felt both peculiar and interesting at the same time.
He could feel what the leg felt, and see the leg itself, but ultimately he couldn't feel the leg.
It was like a void of air was attached to his calf. The feeling of his muggle style pants and shoes tantalisingly uncomfortable on this new silver limb.
He jumped pushing off with the leg and soared nearly two meters into the air landing perfectly several meters along the hall.
"Wow, I'm spring heeled jack."
"Wotcha Harry I'd say" Nym commented having walked in mid-flight "I gather that's the new appendage."
Harry pulled his trouser leg up to his knee revealing the silver skin.
"I heard they used to use gold in fillings but that thing there is ridiculous" she winked walking over to get a closer look.
"Feels weird." He commented tapping the foot.
"I would bet, it weigh much?"
"That's the thing it may look like silver but it weighs nothing. I'd be happier if it did." He pointed, tapping the leg "When I stand on it I sense the weight of my body applying pressure to it but when I hold it straight out all I can sense is the weight of my pants and shoe dangling in the air."
Nym ran her hand along the calf. "Whoa that feels so odd."
"You're telling me."
"I can see your magical aura extends into like it does on your other leg..." indicating her eye patch "but when I scan you it just shows up as a blank space surrounded by the light of your aura. No blood, bone etc. Just thin air."
Harry nodded rolling his trouser leg back down "Feels like that."
"So once again your birthday is coming up." Changing the subject.
"Yes yes and I'm sorry I missed yours."
Nym grinned wickedly "Weird Sisters totally made up for it. They were so awesome I got all their autographs and Donaghan Tremlett the bass player totally hit on me."
Harry sighed as Nym went into girly-girl mode.
"Then Myron went and dedicated 'Do the Hippogriff' to me."
"And I bet the earnings I sent you also helped." Harry smirked.
Nym spun and hugged him hard, lifting him off the ground and kissing him deeply.
"Diamonds ARE a girl's best friend after all." She put him down and pinched his cheek "You are going to go far my boy. At nearly fourteen you already have mastered the secret way of Present-Fu. Sort of like Kung-Fu only of gift giving."
Harry rolled his eyes and walked into the kitchen "How about you surprise me this year."
"Nope" she grinned "we made the deal I get your sweet sixteen and you have to sort out ideas for the two in between."
"I already know what you hope to do on my sixteenth but will there be enough of me left at the rate I'm going." Waving at the leg.
"Considering what I just saw your leg do I had been thinking just now… and wondered if the bite had actually been just a bit higher and to the right as you suggested the other night, what a reattached appendage in that area would do to little old me."
Harry stifled a shudder and flicked Nym in the nose as she bent down to poke her tongue out at him.
"Fine never been to a circus, saw an ad for one once on the telly."
"Oh I never have been myself." Perking up once again.
"So you have never partaken in the heavenly goodness that is watching clowns and animals and acrobats..."
"No, guess we will partake together."
They both laughed and went out to enjoy the day.
Training with Moody took on a whole new edge after the basilisk incident.
He had sought out a few friends in the department of magical animal control to loan out a few of their more dangerous acquisitions.
Chimeras and mindless rage beasts. Creatures from the pit or imagination.
Harry was explained how to effectively confront them before being made to do so.
The creatures were not harmed, the goal of the training was to disable not kill or maim.
Nym joined them but her involvement usually derailed into her hurling rather large and extremely painful balls of static electricity or such at his head.
"Well it's my only opportunity I get to teach you to dodge better!" She shouted, throwing a ball of superheated plasma at his head "Maybe next time you won't go all GRYFFINDOR and get yourself killed!"
Having survived training (and his girlfriend) it was time for more training of a different sort.
Pure-blood etiquette classes had resumed with Andy and Harry had learned the finer points of polite conversation.
Persuasive speaking, bending the audience to a specific point of view without actually declaring your own intentions.
Ted also explained how the Wizengamot, wizarding Britain's high court of law, worked. When Harry turned seventeen (generally once you complete your OWL's in fifth year your at the right age) he would be able to vote, at the moment the seats were in trust to the chairperson aka Dumbledore.
But he would get full control once he came of age.
"What does being a Duke actually mean?" Harry asked looking at the Potter family tree.
"It's an older title than most and rarely employed. Only two can truly hold claim to it. The Potters as a descendant of Pervell Family and the Gaunts descendant of Salazar Slytherin. The Smith family claim to be direct descendants of Helga Hufflepuff but have failed to provide proof or submit to a blood test and as such use the title in title only."
"But what does it mean?" Harry pushed.
"Nothing, it implies that the person is the closest to magical royalty. Older families hold more seats in the Wizengamot, titles like duke, duchess hold sway that way."
"So Neville is the next Earl of Longbottom?"
"Yes, when he too turns seventeen he will come into control of his family. His Grandmother is not a Longbottom as she married into the family. She acts as regent until Neville comes of age."
"Then why do I not have a regent over me until I too come of age?"
Ted looked at him "Your godfather is in prison, your magical guardian is Dumbledore who has essentially released you to your own devices. Your a special case but it's not an uncommon situation. Many children have become lords of their houses at earlier ages than yourself it's just usually they have other family members to take over and guide them."
"Why can I not take control of things now? Why am I so hamstrung because of this of age crap?"
"You cannot legally marry until you are at least seventeen, you cannot access your vaults until of age either. Most likely your parents didn't expect this to happen, both dead at the same time, their allies and friends similarly. Had you gone into the custody of your godfather or another family you would be in a completely different situation than you are now. They would have defended you, protected you under their own name. As it is your stuck."
Harry nodded "What do I learn next?"
Over the course of the summer it was lesson after lesson, an assortment of tutors, everything and anything Hogwarts could not or would not teach, he was taught.