Harry woke up the next morning after arriving back to the manor. He had decided to take the first day of his summer break off and so his morning was a little late than usual as he slept through his morning exercise hour.

Looking out the window he saw it was a beautiful day when his eyes went over to the locker. Out of habit he got off and opened it and saw the book was glowing. After weeks there was finally a new instruction or probably a set of them for him. He opened it up and was surprised to see just one small line written there. As he looked at it he figured it was some sort of a location.

"Gairloch and Loch na Draing, north-west highlands, Scotland - birch wood - alone," Harry read and wondered what the book meant by it. After he had acquired his lordship and got free from his relatives the book had gone all tricky and filled with riddles, giving him instructions which Harry needed to figure out first what they were before following them. "What are you telling me?" he murmured looking at the line before placing the book back in the locker.

He came downstairs ten minutes later and saw Temmie had already served him breakfast. Remus was reading the morning paper which Harry wondered why. The Prophet was mostly filed with rubbish. He had asked Remus once and the werewolf had told him that it was a nice source of entertainment. Harry couldn't agree more.

"Morning, Harry," Remus said.

"Morning, Remus," Harry said as he sat down and began having his breakfast. "Say, do you know anything about Gairloch?"

"The tourist spot in Scotland?" Remus asked looking up from the paper. "Why do you ask?"

'So it's a tourist spot,' Harry thought. "Nothing," he said. "I was wondering maybe, you know, I could really use a vacation of sort."

Remus looked at him for a while before folding the paper and putting it on the table. "We can definitely take a trip if that's that you want," he said. "I hear there's also a magical village called Loch a Druing which is famous for its scrolls."

"Scrolls?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Remus said. "They say these scrolls hold recorded events which took place in the era of Merlin, the first wizard ever. Nothing much is known about that era. How did you come up with that place, though?" he asked.

"Just read it somewhere and thought it sounded fun to visit," Harry said. "I mean Scottish Highlands is a beautiful place to visit, don't you agree?"

"That I do," said Remus. "So, when do you plan to go?"

"How about tomorrow?" Harry said. "We can also ask Sirius if he wants to come."

"Yeah, I am sure he's got all bored up attending to all the house businesses of House Black ever since he took over as Lord Black," Remus said. "Do you want anyone else to join?"

"I can't think of anyone else," Harry said. "I could call Hermione but she won't be coming until the near end of the break so I've got no one else on my mind."

"So it's just the three of us, if Sirius agrees," Remus said.

"Great," Harry said with a smile as he thought what the book meant for him by going to that place. He couldn't ignore that the instruction said 'alone' which meant he needed to visit the particular place alone. He also noticed that the book mentioned the place as Loch na Draing while Remus called it Loch a Druing. He wondered why but it seemed he would find out once he was there.

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Molly entered the kitchen and saw her daughter already working on breakfast. With a large family to feed Molly was quite early in teaching her daughter about everything there was to learn about working in the kitchen. As she saw her work through making the breakfast she couldn't help but smile. Her daughter will be starting Hogwarts from the coming term and so she needed to teach her a few more things before the summer break came to an end.

"Good, Ginny," she said walking up to her and seeing the dishes her daughter had made. A practice in run for something even greater, Molly was sure her daughter would brew a good batch of love potion once she had left for Hogwarts.

The commotion distracted the two as Molly sighed. Fred and George were at it again – pranking their youngest brother. Honestly, Ron deserved even more punishment than just being pranked by the twins. He had ruined things for her. While she also blamed Dumbledore, too, but Ron was the one who was supposed to befriend the Potter brat. Instead he went ahead and made an enemy of him.

It was bad enough that her son was not Potter's friend but that brat had went ahead and made friends with a mudblood witch whose mindset Molly was sure could ruin her plans for the boy. Mudbloods had a very bad habit of using their muggle logic when it came to understanding the magical society. That Granger girl could be a problem. Perhaps there was still enough time for her to teach Ginny another potion to brew.

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When Daphne and her sister came downstairs for breakfast they did not expect any company other than that of their parents. Her blood ran cold when she saw Theo and his father Alexander Nott sitting in the living hall talking to her parents.

Theo looked at her and Daphne stepped forward Astoria when he eyed her with a nasty look.

"Ah, look who's here," Alex Nott said seeing Daphne and Astoria in the living hall standing by the stairs. "How are you Daphne?" he asked. She didn't reply but glared at him. "And you, little Astoria?"

"I'm good, Mr Nott," Astoria replied quietly before Daphne put a hand on her shoulder protectively. She looked at her parents who were looking back at her with fake smiles. She sighed mentally as she prepared herself before smiling and looking at Nott senior.

"I'm fine, too, Mr Nott," she replied. "How did you come by so early if I may ask?"

"Oh, Theo insisted on meeting you," Alex said. "Why don't you go ahead and join the girls, Theo while we adults talk?" he said looking at his son who grinned before eyeing the two girls as he stood up.

Daphne looked at her parents before following Theo to the dining table where their house elf had set up the breakfast. She turned to look at her parents and realized she couldn't hear their discussion with Alex. It seemed they were using a privacy charm although it wasn't hard for her to guess why the Notts were here early in the morning.

"Why don't you tell me about what happened on the train, Daphne?" Theo said once they all sat at the dining table.

"What do you mean" she asked innocently.

"That you attacked me when I went to see you?" he asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Daphne said. "I was with Tracey the whole time. You never once came to see me, Theo. Are you sure you're alright?"

Theo looked a little confused as Daphne smiled inwardly. The fact that he seemed to appear confused instead of just seeing through her lies made Daphne wonder what spell Potter had used other than simply petrifying Theo as he seemed not so sure about his allegations of her attacking him back in the express yesterday. "Anyways," he said looking at her, "you know why we are here, don't you?"

"I can take a guess," she said sounding all bored. Theo frowned.

"Right now my father is proposing a betrothal between us to your parents," he said proudly. Daphne wondered what was there to feel proud of as she looked at the smug look on his face. "It's about time you stopped dreaming about your boy Draco because he's dead."

"Who ever said I dreamt about Malfoy?" she said.

"Why wouldn't you?" Theo said. "His family had one of the highest seats in the dark noble family circle but now with him and his family gone we Notts are on the top. You sure you don't want to be called Lady Nott when you meet people?"

"You must be quite happy that your competition is no longer there only because he died in an explosion," Daphne said casually. "Are you sure you would've been able to compete with Draco, though, if he was still alive?"

Theo frowned as he looked at her. "Well, he's not anymore so why don't we focus on what's in front of us right now?"

"Poor little Nott," she said sounding dramatically pitiful, "you really think you've got a chance with me?"

"If not with you then your sister at least," he said looking at Astoria who was sitting a few chairs far from them eating her breakfast and talking with their house elf who was her best friend after Daphne in the house. "I can tell she will love everything that I will give to her as a Nott…even…"

"You should be careful choosing the next words, Nott," Daphne said looking at him with a flat expression. Theo wondered what she meant when he felt something wrap around his legs and spread them apart. "All I have to do is cast this one simple spell and you will never be able to continue your family line again. You are still a naïve eleven year old boy and the way you talk speaks about how petty you are. Everybody in Slytherin knows that you have got no talent or skill of your own. You are one of the worst students of our entire year. At least Draco had the knowledge and bravery to prove his words one way or another but with you it's all about who your father is now, isn't it?"

Theo's face turned red in anger and embarrassment as he sat there, his legs apart under the table as Daphne's spell tightened the grip on his legs which now hurt. "You will regret this," he said.

"Let me tell you what I have, Nott," Daphne said. "In terms of betrothals there's a huge pile of them for me and my sister which was sent to us by many renowned families of which I can choose anyone and the next morning we will be married. Money-wise your house isn't at the top. There are many other houses that are wealthier than yours and what do you think will happen if I marry into one of those houses? My dowry amount will only add to their financial power pushing yours even lower than it already is and then your father will lose that spot which you are so boastful of and then I wonder what the rest of the Slytherins will do when they come to know that your father is no longer at the top. Even you know they are all pissed at you seeing how you've behaved so arrogantly with them after Draco's death."

Theo gulped when he thought things the way Daphne had just said. "You will be making a mistake not marrying me, Greengrass!" he snarled before gasping in pain as the grip around his leg sonly tightened. He could feel his legs becoming numb already.

"Why would I?" she said. "Why will I marry you when I've got better offers from bigger, wealthier families than yours? I think that you are forgetting the fact that we hold the upper hand here and not you or your father. Why do you think he's been talking to my parents with such humbleness? He knows he's got no saying in the matter apart from simply requesting that my parents accept this betrothal between us. That way he will get a portion of my family's wealth but that will only happen if my parents accept his offer, that is and that, as you may well know, depends entirely on me. Oh, and the same goes for my sister."

Theo glared at her when he heard his father call him. Daphne cancelled the spell as she stood up and smiled at him innocently. He pressed his lips in anger before standing up. He almost fell as his legs had become numb due to the restraints. Taking the support of the table he stood there for a moment before he could walk a bit properly as he joined his father by the fireplace.

"Well, I hope we will be hearing from you soon," Alex Nott said with a smile. Helena and Matthias nodded as Theo left with his father.

"I couldn't help but notice Theo limp," Helena said looking at her eldest daughter. "Was that your doing, Daphne?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied innocently. "Come, Astoria, we'll play in the garden."

Astoria came running to her, clutching her hand as the two sisters headed outside to enjoy the beautiful day while Helena and Matthias watched. "I wonder what she did to him," Matthias asked referring to Theo's limp.

"I don't think she will tell you," Helena said. "Would you like some cookies? I was planning to bake some."

"I would love some, honey," Matthias said as she kissed him before heading towards the kitchen. Matthias looked at the betrothal contract Alexander had given him before he tore it to pieces and put it in the fire and then decided to join his daughters outside. It was a beautiful day. It would be a shame to waste it by being inside.

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"Sirius isn't coming?" Harry asked.

"No," Remus said. "He already planned a vacation with Amelia and Susan. Guess it's just you and me, then."

"Is there something I don't know about my godfather, Remus?" Harry asked raising a brow.

Remus sighed as he smiled. "Your godfather had a reputation back when we were still students at Hogwarts."

"What kind of reputation?" asked Harry.

"The kind where he was what all the ladies talked about," Remus said. "Ever since we began our fourth year your godfather became a womanizer."

"I am intrigued," Harry said as he stopped his packing and looked at Remus with more curiosity. "So where does Susan's aunt come into all of this?"

"If Sirius was the womanizer than Amelia was what one would call a seductress but only in the best of terms. Unlike your godfather who was more straightforward and had numerous, ahem, physical relationships with many of the girls Amelia used her wittiness, beauty and sort-of innocence to get what she wanted from the boys," Remus said remembering the good old times. "They threw themselves at her and she knew how to take an advantage from that. If you could see it for yourself," he said smiling, "you wouldn't believe that it was the same Amelia today as she was back when we were at Hogwarts."

"Some details would be helpful," Harry said with a smirk.

"Amelia was just as free-willed and of wild spirit like Sirius if not more," Remus said. "It was surprising that she had been sorted into Ravenclaw as she wasn't at all like her other house mates. She was more Gryffindor than any other if I am being blunt. When we started at Hogwarts as students your father knew about her because the Bones and Potters were allies and that is how we all got to know her. For a womanizer like Sirius she was someone he had never experienced before and by that I mean…"

"He developed feelings for her," Harry said interrupting him.

Remus nodded. "It wasn't all quick, you know," he said. "While those two had quite some…flings happening between them it was Sirius who fell for her first. I think he's trying to re-light it now and I think Amelia only wants him to."

"And Susan would be perfect for him to learn some more responsibility," Harry said with a smirk.

"Can't argue with you there," Remus said as a look of content came on his face. "You know, I…we never thought of him or your father as people who would ever be able to take responsibility of something…like being a parent. When Lily became pregnant with you your dad gave his all to learn about what it was like to become a father because for him, too, it was scary to think that he was going to be responsible for a life, nonetheless a child…his child. When you were born he freaked out when Lily tried to give you to him to hold. We were all worried that he might fail to become a responsible parent. But then he did and while it was Sirius who didn't let him lose his fun side it was your mother who made him equally responsible for you. He was the best father there ever was."

"I know," Harry said with a sad smile. "My parents sacrificed their lives for me. If that doesn't show how much they cared for me then I don't know what does."

Remus looked at him. "I know they both would be so proud of the man you have become today, Harry. Never let anyone tell you otherwise."

Harry nodded wiping a tear from his eye before picking up the small bag in which he had all his stuff. "Shall we go then?" he said looking at Remus who nodded as they apparated away.

They both arrived at what seemed like a very close replica of Diagon Alley. Remus told him almost all magical marketplaces looked similar.

"Welcome to Loch a Druing, Harry," Remus said. "This is the town square of the village and whatever you need, you will find here. Why don't you go ahead and explore while I find us a room to say?"

Harry liked that idea as Remus left to where he saw some inns while Harry went ahead looking around. This place was bustling and even livelier than Diagon Alley or Hogsmead. There were various shops selling items ranging from brooms to pets to clothes to candies and sweets to potions and many more. Harry walked over to a broom shop and looked at the display of some of the most expensive and recent broom models. He had only ridden a broom in Madam Hooch's class and from what he could tell it was easy for him. Hooch had even suggested he tried for a position in the Gryffindor team this coming year. Harry had shrugged that thought aside though as he wasn't interested in Quidditch at all. It was a fun game to watch but he didn't want to get himself associated too much by playing it, especially for a team which in this case would be the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

He entered the shop and saw there were quite a number of customers, mostly boys and of course most of them were talking about Quidditch and their favorite teams and which player used which type of broom.

Harry didn't know much about the brooms except for the fact that there were basically two kinds – one which was all about speed and how fast it could fly. It was also harder to control and not to mention a lot dangerous. The other kind was what Harry had heard the chasers in a Quidditch match used. This kind of broom was a lot easier to control and was mostly about flying with much ease and less focus. It wasn't fast but was definitely appropriate for someone who wanted to learn how to fly a broom properly.

Harry had quite a collection of brooms back at the manor but they were all on the brink of breaking apart. Most of them had rotten away as the preservation charms on them faded with time so Harry thought about buying one and polish his hands learning to fly during this summer break.

So he bought one, a Cleansweep model 3 which the shop owner told him was great for someone looking to learn how to fly a broom. Harry was also tempted to buy the Thunderbolt IV, the most current and fastest broom in production but then decided not to. He might buy one once he had learnt to properly fly. He knew brooms served well when escaping life threatening scenarios especially one where a person was being attacked by a barrage of spells and he couldn't apparate away or use a portkey. In such situations a broom was very helpful to evade from the incoming attacks.

As he came out of the shop Remus returned after booking them a room. "You bought a broom?" he asked as he saw Harry exit the shop with one in his hand. "You know, your father was a seeker for Gryffindor when he was a student. Won the house eleven matches."

"I thought I would learn to fly properly during this break," Harry said. "This isn't the fastest but it's definitely easy to learn."

"A good choice for a beginner's broom," Remus said. "Many don't see it like that, though. Then want their very first broom to be the fastest and, hence, end up not being able to learn flying properly. Would you like to eat something?"

"I think I will discover some more shops," Harry said. "You go on ahead."

Remus nodded before leaving him by himself alone once more. Harry shrunk the broom and put it in his pocket before moving on to discover the place. However, he had another thought in mind as he saw an auror and walked up to him.

"Excuse me, auror," Harry said as the auror looked at him.

"Is there something I can help you with, kid?" the auror said looking at him.

"Do you know where Gairloch is?" Harry asked.

"That's a muggle tourist spot on the shores of Loch Gairloch in Wester Ross, kid," the auror said. "It's a bit far from here."

"Would you happen to know where I can find a map for that place?" Harry asked.

The auror showed him a shop of books and other stationary items from where Harry bought a map for the place. Magical maps worked similar to the muggle GPS, only better and more accurate. Harry saw that the place the book had mentioned was about ten miles from where he was staying with Remus. Fortunately, his broom that he had bought would get him there faster as Harry still didn't know how to apparate and because he hadn't seen the place he couldn't make a portkey for it.

He placed the map in his pocket before joining Remus for a light snack.

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Grindelwald apparated in the darkness of the night and immediately the smell of death and rotten flesh filled his nostrils. Instead of using a bubblehead charm he took in a long breath, breathing in the foul smell before sighing and looking around. At the moment he was in the port village of Nova Scotia and he could see the village's condition because of its presence around the place. The condition and the smell of death had Grindelwald confirm that he was at the right place.

Grindelwald had grasped its presence here when he was at Azkaban last year. He wasn't going to let it slip this time. It had before but not this time as he grinned baring all his teeth in the darkness of the night.

He said something in what seemed to be ancient folklore when a scream in the distance grabbed his attention. With lightning speed he was gone towards the sound's source as the stench only increased. It meant he was heading in the right direction as he increased his pace, crossing tens of miles in seconds as an orange fiery aura started emitting out of his body, covering him in the form of what looked like an animal.

He left the port village far behind him and crossing a series of hills he finally entered the dense forest and as he went deeper and deeper he could find more and more skeletons and dead and decaying remains of the people it had captured over its time at this place. The torn clothes, the snatched hair and some half-eaten bodies that filled the air with a smell of rot had forced all animals but the scavengers out of the forest.

There were crows feasting on the remains of the dead while attacking each other for protecting the food. As Grindelwald crossed the distance his senses told him he was near.

A minute later he stopped as he stared right into its eyes or its eye sockets on the skull. Its lower body and legs were that of a fawn with large hooves. Its abdomen and hands were that of a human but unnaturally skinny and long as if it was starving for weeks but Grindelwald knew it wasn't as he had seen the bodies on his way here.

Its head comprised of a rotting skull of a reindeer with sharp horns on either side of its ears. It was a wendigo.

The creature looked at him while stepping one of its hooves onto a man's chest who was unconscious and bleeding. It was this man who had screamed a few minutes ago as Grindelwald looked at him. He was still alive but barely as it had already lost a lot of blood. The wendigo stood close to fifteen foot in its height and towered well above Grindelwald. It let out a screeching neighing cry warning Grindelwald from approaching any further.

"I suppose you sense the danger I pose to you," Grindelwald said with a grin. "That is good. You are certainly enjoying your time here, I see. Were those people delicious?"

The wendigo screeched again before stepping over the man and in the process crushed its chest as its hoof dug into his body breaking the ribs as it charged at Grindelwald whose aura suddenly glowed even brighter as he dodged the attack with grace and blinding speed.

"I acknowledge your speed," he said. "But you must join me. I will have it no other way."

The wendigo charged head-on at Grindelwald with the obvious intent to kill and landed a deadly slash which hit its target as Grindelwald smiled. His clothes were torn and there was a deep gash on his face and the front of his body from where blood was flowing like anything but then he closed his eyes and the gash healed in no time.

The wendigo looked a bit surprised as Grindelwald's aura flared even wildly as it started to take its form. From what looked like a dog before the aura now shaped itself more into a fox. "You recognize this?" Grindelwald said looking at the wendigo which took a step back. "I'll take that as a yes. Why don't I make you meet your friends again?"

As if lightning had struck a powerful blow from Grindelwald hit the wendigo which sent it flying into the forest even deeper. Grindelwald didn't stand still as he went after it faster than before and caught it before the wendigo could receive a fatal blow by hitting its head in the mountain where it was heading from Grindelwald's attack.

Grindelwald grabbed it by its horns. The wendigo was unconscious as he put his hand on its chest and closed his eyes, his aura dying own. "Sorbererous!" he said as the wendigo's body shined brightly before it was absorbed by Grindelwald. Once he had absorbed it all he opened his eyes and sighed. "Now, let's see what you are made of," he said looking at his right palm which started to take shape of that of a wendigo's. His nails turned into foot-long claws as he stuck a tree, slicing it clean. He then retracted his claws and then punched another tree which caused it not only to get uprooted but thrown away into the forest. He smiled. "Yeah, this will do," he said before disappearing from the place.

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Harry woke up and saw Remus was sound asleep. He checked the time and saw it was one in the morning. He carefully got up and quickly applied a series of silencing charms on himself. He then went ahead and rubbed the pillow and the blanket all over his body so as to deceive Remus' heightened sense of smell into thinking that he was still in the room.

Remus had once told him that because he was a werewolf all his senses were many times sharper than normal humans which means he could hear even the faintest of the sounds, see anything even in the dark and smell anything even in his sleep. So Harry wasn't taking a chance.

Once he was sure he had made enough preparations to not get caught he left the room with his invisibility cloak, the map he'd bought that day, his new broom and the untraceable wand.

He came out on the streets and except for a few shops many were closed and there was an eerie silence covering the night. He looked at the map before memorizing where he needed to go as he mounted on his broom and flew off towards the shores of Loch Gairloch. Even though it was his first time riding a broom at that height and for that distance he got the hang of it in a few minutes. It was a little hard to maintain balance but fortunately the Cleansweep was designed keeping beginner flyers in mind.

Half an hour later Harry descended down to what looked like a small beach. The auror had told him that the place was on a shore. A quick look on the map confirmed that he was at the right spot. All he needed to do was to look for this birch wood by which he thought the book meant a birch tree because that would be a lot easier than simply finding birch wood which could be anything from a furniture to a light post to…the list was endless.

He sat on his broom and hovered high in order to see if there was any forest nearby and there was, a couple miles towards the back of the town, into the highlands. So Harry flew in that direction. He flew high looking at the tree lines trying to find trees with thin leaves and pale white branches and barks. That would be a start. A few minutes later he saw the trees had changed and so he descended down and saw these were the birch trees.

He hit the ground, got off the broom and took out the map. "Okay, now what?" he said to himself as he took out the book. He opened it and saw there was no new instruction. He sighed. "You wouldn't tell me why you wanted me to come here?" he said looking at it when he heard something on his right. He immediately came on his guard, quickly placing the book in his magically secured small pouch and had a spell ready as he looked around. It was a moonless night so it was already hard to see anything and inside the forest that had become almost impossible.

Harry knew casting a lumos would only give out his own location and he didn't know what was out here.

Another sound of someone running fell into Harry's ears as he turned around. His heart rate had increased and his body was shaking a bit. He could tell he was sweating from the trickle down the side of his face from his forehead. Had he made a mistake coming here, he thought when he saw a shadow.

It was only for a moment and Harry thought whether it was his fear playing tricks on him as the shadow was rather huge. If Harry could guess he would say that it was at least fifty to sixty foot high and it looked like a lion. It could be a magical creature but his knowledge on those was still that of a novice so he didn't know what kind of a creature it was when he heard an ear shattering roar that shook him to his core.

Harry fell on the ground from fear as his legs felt weak. His heart was beating so fast he could hear its beating. Out of desperation of saving his life and the fear that had engulfed into him Harry cast a lumos charm. Uncontrolled and amplified due to his fear it glowed bright, lighting up a huge portion of the forest and Harry saw, before losing consciousness, a huge pair of red eyes staring down right into his very soul.

He heard screams, pain and anger before he felt as if he was being chocked…like there was no air around him anymore. His vision became blurry as he saw those eyes approaching him and then he heard a low growl.

He felt as if he had imploded before losing consciousness and falling on the forest floor. The wand fell from his hand as the lumos charm broke off filling the entire place back with the darkness of the night.

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Thanks for reading…