I do not own anything, except my own storyline and OC's, Just FYI.
When he woke up, he'd discovered his wings missing. Panicking for just a moment, until he realised he could still feel them, sort of, they just weren't there, physically. As if they were in another dimension. WHen he focused on them coming back, they launched outwards and destroyed the hanging, to loud clangs, a cringe and some pain.
When he willed them to disappear once more, they did, and he quickly repaired the entire thing. Checking the time and noting it was after breakfast, he decided to get it over with and head to Dumbledore's office. The guardian just stepped aside, and he walked up the steps, called upon to enter before he knocked. Frowning, he sat on the seat as the Headmaster looked upon him with curiosity.
'Mr Potter, I was unaware you would wield your wings, and why you wouldn't self-isolate until they appeared.' While there was genuine empathy, a bit of disappointment had seeped into his voice.
'Sorry, sir, but I had completely forgotten about the advice I had been given until the very last second, which was far too late. If I had known, I would have hid in my dorm. Though, I am curious why you knew about them.' Harry asked, whilst glaring lightly at the fact he was not reminded.
'Your father went through the same thing, remember? He had to explain why he missed an entire day of classes. I did not remind you, because I assumed it had already happened. And, before you leave, I will say you should probably get a handle on the rumours. A great many think you are some sort of angel.' His grin belied his amusement, and all the boy could do was give him a withering gaze.
Leaving the way he had come, the Ravenclaw headed off to Defense, where his class was about to begin. He had already missed Potions, and Uncle Severus would not be happy. Making another professor angry on his first day of term was not a goal he had.
The minute he entered, whispers began, with awed stares being thrown. He ignored them all; fickle people were not his sort. Trip had saved him a seat, and Susan Bones was behind him. His uncomfortableness only grew when the thirteen year old, whose bust was already growing quite significantly, spent her time staring at his arse. Daphne glared at the girl, but he was completely unaware, trying to focus on the door Lupin would supposedly enter from.
'Hello, Class!' Speak of the devil and he shall cometh. 'Today, we don't need our books, just our wands. Now, follow me!' The entire class sighed in relief as they dropped their bags and began walking out of the classroom with him, as Harry flicked his out. While still a bit wary of this teacher, as the last one was a poof who retired from professor life because 'Students refuse to listen to me despite my opinion being held high world-round, and I wish to continue writing my memoirs.' and the other one had Voldemort in the back of his head, trying to kill him. While Professor Smedry wasn't bad, he seemed a bit odd. Breaking things everywhere, though it didn't happen too often, the man still seemed far too clumsy with important items. SUpposedly, if the story was true, he'd also broken a chicken. Strange.
They walked into a larger classroom, with all the desks vanished and the chairs pulled to the side. In the center was a large, ordinary cabinet, which confused Harry. There were few creatures that could live in these types of objects, and Boggarts, as well as Gnomes were the two most prevalent. Gnomes were easy to deal with, a good throw would knock one out, but a Boggart was much more difficult, since they took the shape of one's fear.
When he thought about it, he really couldn't come up with anything. There was plenty that scared him a bit, but nothing was especially frightening. While he wasn't especially religious, he did know there was an afterlife, and those who denied it were idiots. I mean seriously, there are Ghosts everywhere, who could tell you it existed! Muggles had good reason, there was no evidence for them so realistically the ones who didn't believe in it were logical, though he'd seen plenty of both religious and smart people, so it didn't really matter.
Getting back to the matter at hand, Lupin finished his lecture before calling upon Trip, who said he didn't really know what his biggest fear was either. Susan Bones said it might be rejection, while Terry Boot thought it might be Voldemort. Tuning them back out, he focused on starting a conversation with Daphne, until the ragged professor told them to get into a line to begin Boggart practice. He was near the start, with Liz and Anthony Goldstein in front of him.
Liz was afraid of loss, as her surroundings and everyone she loves disappeared, but she cast the spell and suddenly everyone appeared again, dressed in bright red velvet clothes. She laughed at them all and went to sit down as Goldstein began. His greatest fear was clowns, as a gigantic one appeared, and even Harry felt a slight shiver up his spine at the sight. When the counter was used, it turned completely pink, tied up with Goldstein beating into it, laughing as it disappeared back into the cabinet.
Finally, it was his turn. He would finally see the deepest, darkest fear that was buried in his mind, finally face what haunted him most, even if he was unsure of what it was. Carefully, the professor opened the door to allow the Boggart to take shape. Giving an encouraging smile, the man stepped back. So the Ravenclaw's attention was solely on the object in front of him.
Suddenly, a mass of swirling matter appeared, and everyone looked confused until it began to coalesce into something. The first part that appeared was a gloved left hand, then the right appeared holding a wand. Harry shivered. He knew that wand. His eyes widened as a head appeared, covered with a hood. He stepped back. The figure almost seemed to step out of the mass, growing as it reached its full height, head bowed. Everyone was stunned, looking at what it was as he tripped and fell backwards, landing flat on his arse and palms, fear clouding rational though. It looked up, and everyone gasped.
It was the being he had dueled in his mind, back for revenge. Nothing took that thought from his mind. Their wand raised, until it paused, pensive. His fear grew as they reached for their mask, which he noticed resembled that of Darth Nihilus from Star Wars, though with extra designs. His breath hitched as it was slowly removed, and he gasped in horror at the sight.
Himself.
An older, more mature one, like that from the mirror, but it was definitely him, Harry. Hadrian Poterimus, a Dark Lord. Everyone was stunned as his fright merely grew, and every student took notice, realising he needed help, paralyzed with fear.
It wasn't possible. He wouldn't do that. Become that. He refused. And yet… it was clearly him. Possibly from the future.
Suddenly, Lupin jumped in front of it and for a split second it was a full moon, before it became a balloon running out of air, bringing down the tension, but never completely erasing it. Most looked at Harry in pity, helping him up, some in fear and a few grinned, as if it was some sort of secret weakness they could take advantage of. The entire atmosphere had gone completely, and the Professor ended the lesson there, giving them all an essay on Boggarts and their abilities. He nodded numbly and grabbed his bag, bolting to lunch.
By the time the meal was over everybody knew what happened in the class and what his greatest fear was. To some, it simply confirmed that he was the Heir of Slytherin and evil, for others, they merely recognized that he was afraid of actually becoming evil. He was just shivering as he kept going back to it, and when it came time for the next class, he walked to Hagrid's hut quite slowly.
While he was certainly excited for it, his mood was subdued the whole way there, not even Daphne, Liz, Trip, Draconus, Ronald and Hermione combined helped. Tom had simply sat quietly during the afternoon, recognizing his need to process everything but still giving quiet support. But for now, Harry looked up, putting a smirk on his face as Hagrid's first ever class would begin. With having completed his NEWTS with some assistance from Dumbledore and studying heavily under Newt Scamander, the half-giant felt confident it would work out. And Harry made sure it was safe before agreeing to participate.
When they reached the wood hut, reminding him of the Norberta incident, he looked around a bit warily until he spotted some tables a ways away. Meanwhile, Hagrid came out of his hut stomping, at least to him, with Fang alongside. His booming voice echoed throughout the grounds, excitement prevalent. Harry just gave a comforting yet confident look.
'Alrigh' class, I' go' a good treat for you lot! Come o'er to these tables, and there's a surprise awaitin'!' His grin was magnificent as everyone moved towards it. On each one were little green walking plants, clutching sticks in their tiny hands. Harry recognised them as Bowtruckles.
'These 'll be your new par'ners and if you want, you can keep 'em! But that'll have to wait until after the class. For now, we're learnin' about these, Bowtruckles! If you all do good o'er the year, I'll bring in a special surprise. But you need to show yourselves capable of responsibility and respect. To do this, you each will be watching o'er one bowtruckle a pair. If you don' feel you can do this, tell me now and I'll arrange a different assignment for you.' Nobody did, so he continued.
'Open your books, and the first person to do so gets 10 points.' He winked at Harry, who stroked the back and flipped open to the needed page.
'Ten to Ravenclaw! Now, 'ese things love bugs, so if you got a fly infes'ation, many order a few. The issue is, they die soon af'er, 'cause they belong in their normal trees. Now, you can keep one as a pet successfully, bu' it requires a bon'. Go 'round and find one that wants to bon' with ya, and if none do, I go' another assignment for ya.' Everyone looked around, and eventually Harry, along with Liz, Trip and Draconus, found a Bowtrukle that bonded to them, with his being especially cuddly and affectionate, even refusing to stay when the Ravenclaw put him back down.
While the rest of the class were taken over to see Flobberworms and would spend the rest of the semester on it, which made Harry incredibly glad he'd gotten one to bond with, including the others. Liz though, seemed more interested in the tree her bowtruckle had come from, which was supposed to be yew. When he questioned her why it was so special, she repeated Ollivander word by word. When he just seemed confused, she tried again.
'Yew is a notoriously hard wand wood to get, as they are typically born from an owner of such a wand sprouting and protecting the grave. But this one isn't, and I doubt even my Grandfather knows of it. I wanted to take a bit, as my own is yew, and craft something out of it. With a special connection by the very thing I channel my magic through, it should prove especially useful. If I may, what is yours made of?' She said, peering at him curiously.
'Ahhh… Vine and Aspen.' Her stare unnerved him.
'You shouldn't give such details out so freely, but alright. I am going to make you a new one, with Aspen as the wood, and Thestral tail hair. Yes, that will do quite nicely…' She began muttering to herself as he blinked, wondering how in the hell Trip withstood her. Magic was a wonderful and mysterious thing.
Eventually, class was coming to an end, and while Harry intended to leave his Bowtruckle with Hagrid to visit and feed occasionally, they clearly had other plans. When attempting to peel it off, their grasp only became stronger, and he idly wondered if they were part Hulk, as he'd seen in the American comics Dudley had bought.
"Get off of me, you bloody tree! I can't keep you, I've got too many animals with me as it is!' At this point none of them were pets, each a companion filling a different role. Gracie the voice of reason, Erebus for comfort, Nyx aloof yet amusing and followed him everywhere, small enough no one paid too much attention, and Hediwg was his dear Phoenix, who also provided an incredible level of emotional support. The bowtruckle was stubborn though, and in the end he gave up, to Hagrid's amusement.
'Look 'em up in the book, Harry, when they bond it's for life. They die with their chosen as well, typically breeding before doing so.' Looking into what he said, the information proved the man right, and he groaned before dropping the little wanker into his breast pocket, who squealed in joy as they began walking. As they did so, he thought of a name.
Liz named her Life, Trip gave him the name Stewart, or Stew, and Draconus's Bowtruckle was called Nut, in reference to his wand. It was difficult, as Vine seemed a bit too odd, and Aspen didn't sound right. When he asked for information on the two, Liz was right there and ready to tell.
'Vine is for those who have secrets, whose personality has many hidden depths that, when the original is broken, shows the real you. My family uses it because the Druids considered anything similar to a tree, in that it had a strong, woody stem, as good for a wand. The owners of Vine wands are typically quite ambitious and seek their goal, constantly surprising anyone who thinks they know them. They're typically a bit more sensitive to their new owner.' She said matter-of-factly, not unlike Hermione and academics.
'Aspen wand, as my Grandfather loves to say, is perfect for revolutionaries. It matches with Vine so well because those who wield it can be incredibly ambitious with their goals, almost always producing masterful duelists. Fltiwick's own is an Aspen wand. Those who wield it can be quite stubborn, and it's reputed that those who have Black Aspen, which is wrought out of an incident in the creation process, creates warlocks of such exceptional talent, that with the exception of only one, the user of them proves famous. Sheev Palpatine, for instance, had one, Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor, Dumbledore's original, even Percival and Marvolo.' She looked at him deeply, and he was slightly put-off.
'Who's the one?' It was Trip.
'Why, it's Harry, of course. Though I will admit his talents are quite prodigious, I imagine they will outshine the Boy-Who-Lived title soon enough. She only listed the qualities matching him specifically, or at least him in the future, even if she didn't know it. And trust me, that one will go back to zero soon enough.' Luna had skipped up, with an ethereal feeling to her voice, which made everyone shiver.
'Well, thank you Luna. I'm not sure i'm happy you're right, or deeply disturbed.'
—-
Harry was terribly bored. Everything was proving to be incredibly monotonous, and was killing his brain cells. First, he got up, then dressed, completed his morning ablutions, and went to his classes, half-paid attention as he designed what he hoped his lightsaber would appear when, if he was lucky, would manage to make one. While not a genius, he was still exceptionally intelligent, and keeping the base model simple would certainly help. He could expand on it later.
After classes, he worked on his wandless magic, having gotten halfway in his transfigurations. Considering it was nearing November, he wasn't exactly feeling confident. The Quidditch match was tomorrow, and they'd be playing against Slytherin. Tom, who'd managed the Seeker spot, wasn't feeling especially confident in his chances, but played arrogant in front of others, bragging about how he was going to win, much to Harry's amusement. He'd yet to lose a match, and had no intention of doing so now, even against his friend and with Dementors around the school.
After practicing his magic, he typically had a quidditch practice, which lasted ages as Roger Davies, who'd taken up captain of the team, had been attempting to be as fanatic as Oliver Wood, who had to back out of the match because their last seeker had graduated and were looking for a new one. Harry thought Ginny Weasley might do well, but he wasn't about to say anything. The twins were hard enough on their own, and been the main reason Gryffindor won the last two years, despite their seeker being absolutely dreadful. Following quidditch, he practiced flying with his newest wings for half an hour.
Then he wandered around the corridors, looking under carpets and around portraits as he sought out crystals to use. While he hadn't found a single one, and was beginning to lose hope, his confidence had only wavered slightly as he spent at least an hour every night, planning on finally attempting the Chamber of Secrets soon. But before that, he would ask Dobby.
After searching for more crystals, he spent 2 hours studying in the library with his friends, who had begun seeing him less and less. His excuse had always been he had some extra lesson, which while true on saturdays and sundays, was not so useful during the week. His isolation had begun to make him feel a bit odd, so he resolved to let Tom in on the secret of the crystals, and they'd begin hunting them together.
Right now he was stuck with McGonagall lecturing on a subject he'd already learned. It was about Merlinites, and magic. Honestly, sometimes the connotations magic shared with star wars were incredible, until he always thought back on the incredible differences between the two, with the only real similarity somewhat being made up of the Force and Magic itself though he supposed it was always possible star wars were based on legends of ancient wizards who'd mastered wandless magic.
'Merlinites are the measurement used in how much magic a body can hold, and the basic unit for magic itself. For example, your magical power is how many tens of merlinites are in each cell, with the higher amount meaning the more your body can channel and use when casting a spell. They all secrete the low levels produced by your core, thus tainting the magic pulled in by them.' Harry rolled his eyes, choosing to focus on his book, one that told of the legends of Harry Potter, laughing at all the fictitious things said of his childhood, ignorant to the stern professors calm walk towards him.
'They can be found in the air as well, in every single object and animal that has any magical element whatsoever. While Muggles lack magic completely, a rare few, typically descended from squibs, might have one or two a cell, as well as a magical core that produces no magic. These are the ones that may breed with squibs and-very rarely- a wizard, though typically that one must be very weak.' Now she had descended upon the boy, who remained entirely oblivious.
'Should such talent be wasted by, oh say, not paying attention.' McGonagall said dangerously, and his friends tried to catch his attention. 'Then you may very well find that these creatures dislike being ignored, and may very well backfire when you need them most. One point from Ravenclaw, Mr Potter.' Harry finally looked up, and gulped at the glare he received. Deciding quickly, he shut the book and paid attention the rest of class, despite the fact he knew it all. Never hurt to ensure, even if this was merely theory, and the more recent science proved merlinites we almost certainly fake, and it was connected to the soul like Dumbledore had stated.
Next was History of Magic, and now he finally got a chance to sleep. Pulling his pillow out of his bag, which he'd charmed extra comfy, the door swung open and he sat beside Tom, planning on informing him of his quest before napping. But of course, a wrench was thrown into his plans as Binns spoke of the one thing that really interested him, Magical Religion.
While he'd heard a few words thrown around, even used a couple, he hadn't quite understood it, and few books spoke of them. The one book dedicated to it in the library always seemed to be checked out. He knew there was an afterlife, supposedly called Heaven, there was a King Magic, Lady of Rationality and Lord of Foresight, with the Greek Gods possibly influencing them. So he quickly whispered as fast as he could to his friend before the lecture, pulling out his notes.
'Psst, Tom!'
'What, Harry?'
'You know how i've been wandering around in the afternoon?' He slid open to a fresh page with his ink and quill ready.
'Yeah…' His friend had already placed down his pillow, having gone over this, and too tired from AStronomy that night.
'Well, I've been looking for some special crystals, and could use your help.'
'Well, why are they important?'
'I can't say, it's just lonely looking by myself, and could use an extra hand.' Binns had taken his place at his lectern, and was about to speak. He stared pleadingly at Tom.
'I suppose, meet you outside the Great Hall at four.' He said, still sceptical, Harry nodded and looked towards the professor.
'Magical Religion is a topic of much secrecy among the wizarding world, and I've been given special permission to teach it this class, so you best pay attention.' His monotonous tone put most to sleep, he didn't even look up to check. 'Some of the most prominent you will know, The King of Magic, The Lady of Rationality, and Lord of Foresight. The Irony is each one was originally the Roman gods Jupiter, Minerva and Neptune, before Magicals split off and looked towards a different light. The irony being held in that the Greek god Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Athena, Demeter, and Hera all make a notable appearance in Magical religious texts.'
'While Apollo and Artemis appear as well, they are relatively minor. But none make quite as distinct an impact as the main three, which are all heralded as those of Creation, each one creating one aspect of life, then taking on their roles held in the title.' He cleared his throat, which Harry had never heard him do, but supposed he was typically passed out by now. 'The King of Magic created, obviously, Magic, Rationality crafted bodies, and Foresight added details, with the latter two working together to create genes, which would pass on the necessary traits for these details and magic itself.'
'Many believe that it was the King himself who made muggles, extracting genes necessary for magic to exist in several children, allowing them to breed much easier than magicals, but also preventing them access to this life-giving force. Others believe it was a freak accident, when a magical drank the wrong combination of potions that altered his DNA, creating more. In the end, nobody really knows.' Harry was feeling more awake than ever as he wrote them down, surpassing even Hermione In notes.
'The chain of command in magical religion goes as follows: King of Magic, Lady of Rationality, Lord of Forethought, Poseidon, Hera, Zeus, Hades, Athena, Demeter. Some choose to worship a particular God more than others, but in the end the almighty is always the King of Magic. The rest of the Greek and Roman Gods, seperate in our own culture, all make an appearance, each representing a pureblood family. Eventually, when a Muggleborn has raised their children and if their name lives on for two generations, their descendant officially becomes a half-blood, thus choosing a God for their name, then in three more it is officially a pureblood house.' He paused, and looked at his most attentive student in several generations directly.
'This has most recently occurred in Mr Potter's own, with Miss Evans, his mother. But as there has been a severe decline in new houses as Muggleborns are decreasing and choosing to marry into already present families, it's amount of happenings have become rather rare lately. Some purebloods though, have chosen to set out and create a name for themselves, should their family have too many children, such as the weasley's, thus creating another method for more houses to appear, and many expect some of their children to break off and create a new house.' He moved on, tus decreasing Harry's interest. Really, it was quite simple, but as he was curious, he raised his hand.
'Yes, Mr Potter?'
'If I may sir, what are the Gods for the more prominent houses?' Binns looked surprised at the question, before sorting through his notes, letting out a loud ahh, and began reading them off, which Harry quickly scrawled down.
'The Shadeslayer family, as the first, has the King watching over them, and their cadet branches hold the next two, Peverell the Lady, Emrys the Lord.' When Harry didn't look satisfied, he continued.
'The Potermius family is represented by Poseidon, Black by Hera, Gryffindor by Zeus, Bones by Hades, then in the main chain of command it proceeds Longbottom, Fawley, with Slytherin represented by Hecate, the next highest goddess.' He finished and moved back to his lecture, but Hermione interrupted him.
'Why is Gryffindor before Slytherin, and wouldn't Slytherin be higher? It was a champion of Blood Purity, so I would have thought it one of the oldest.' Her bossy tone clearly intoning she thought herself right.
'Yes well, they are still very old, in the top ten, but Gryffindor is far older, being a cadet branch of the Poterimus, which would mean, if the main line has died out, the responsibility of that line falls upon whomever own the line that birthed it, rather than the most recent cut-off, unlike ancient muggle lords. So, if they have, Mr Potter here would be the future Lord Gryffindor.' He immediately returned to the lecture, dropping that bomb on everyone as Harry hesitantly smiled, and simply focused on trying to sleep once more.
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