Hello my lovely readers! I am so sorry for the hiatus. I had no intentions of taking a break however back in June I was hospitalized with gall stones and pancreatitis. Physically I recovered well within a month however my mental health took a turn for the worst and I lost all motivation to write. Now, many months later I'm finally in a good place again. This episode will be extra long to make up for waiting so long. I hope you enjoy!
Review Responses
FreakLover22: Thank you for your continued comments! Writing Dumbledore was harder than I thought it would be, but in the end I think I got it decent. As for Snape picking him up, in the rules of this challenge Snape must be on Harry's side. Harry is such a volatile character in my version so I wanted to destroy Snape's view of a mini James early on. Also competent fudge is fun to write. Finally, the house burning down was a direct result of harry killing the Dursley's, Petunia specifically. Rather then the wards breaking they self destructed in a magical inferno, fueled by Harry's rage and hatred for the Dursleys. the malevolent entity that now haunts the lot is a poltergeist created from the residual energy of the wards destruction
James Birdsong: I'm glad your still enjoying this, I hope this chapter stands up to your expectations, I'm a bit rusty.
SkylarHollow: thanks for the comment too!
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Batman the Animated Series
Harry and Arreti, along with all the other first year horned serpents, stared at the beautiful common room. The room was circular, like the tower it resided in. A lush black carpet covered the floor and a paler grey color coated the walls. Two floor to ceiling bookcases, set in the very walls of the room, sat at either side of the room. Elegant wooden doors had been carved out of the center of each book case, which the elder students explained led to the dorms. A fireplace stood at the other end of the room, flames crackling merrily within. Wooden furniture with grey padding littered the room, the armchairs pulled close together in random groups while the couches had been arranged neatly around the fire place. Various tables also dotted the room, some between the furniture, others placed at random spots, seemingly unused. Finally the group began to split up, females heading to the left door and males to the right. harry waved at Arreti, and said goodnight. She did the same and then they both followed the masses through their respective doors. To their astonishment, behind the doors lay elevators, rather than the stairs they'd been expecting.
An older student with fluffy dark brown hair chuckled "Its a shock at first, but our wizarding community has kept up with our no-maj counterparts. They are very inventive."
Harry smiled "I know they are, my adoptive parents are no-maj."
The older boy nodded "What's your name freshie?"
Harry responded, already bored of saying it. "Harry Potter, but I prefer Harry Napier-Quinzel."
The older boy typed something into a keypad, then pressed a button on the elevator after everyone had gotten in. Then he turned back to harry
"I'm Adam Granger, third year." Harry stuck out his hand
"Son of the professor I presume?" Adam nodded as he shook Harry's hand. Shortly after, the door opened to the first year rooms and Harry waved goodbye to Adam. Harry and the six other first year boys left the elevator and entered a hallway with seven doors, three along either side and one at the end. Each door had a plaque with a name, Harry's was the farthest door. He walked into his bedroom, got into some pajamas and promptly fell asleep.
The next morning Harry awoke to weak sunlight streaming in through the window he hadn't bothered to close the night before. It was early, barely five am. Harry was used to getting up at weird hours so he decided to go for a run instead of getting more sleep. Dragging back the heavy covers he got up and dressed in some comfortable shorts and a tank top, the years of good exercise and healthier eating had given him a lean but powerful physique. He put his regular clothes in his bag along with his school supplies and donned his robe before leaving his room. He entered the elevator and typed in the word "commons", then pressed the button that started the elevator. A short while later he entered the common room only to stop in surprise when he saw his only friend, Arreti, sitting in one of the chairs, half asleep.
He walked up to her and sat in a chair beside her. "Arreti? he said quietly, shaking her shoulder gently. Her eyes opened and instinctively her arm came up in a defensive posture that was hauntingly familiar to Harry. His features morphed into a look of horror, he suddenly understood why she was so desperate to escape her fathers clutches. He felt responsible for her, knowing they'd one day be married, and that feeling only grew as he put the pieces together. Arreti's face had paled, she knew he'd figured it out.
"You will never go back there!" He vowed sparks of his magic flying around them.
Arreti relaxed, she knew he would keep that promise. "thank you Ry, I owe you so much."
Harry quirked an eyebrow "Ry?"
Arreti smiled and shrugged lightly "I like it."
Harry shook his head "Fair enough. also, Ari you don't owe me anything."
Arreti grinned and hugged him. After a moment she drew back and took in his attire "What are you doing up so early anyway?"
Harry laughed and replied "I was going to go for a run, my parents have an active interest in exercise so I'm used to it."
Arreti seemed thoughtful for a moment and then brightened. "I'll join you." she said while getting up. "wait for me!" she called over her shoulder as she vanished into the girls dorm. a few minutes later she reappeared, dressed in leggings, a t-shirt, and running shoes. Harry stood and together the pair walked to the schools track. They set their bags in the locker rooms and proceeded to have a race. Harry won and by the time they stopped both were grinning ear to ear and panting.
"We should do this every morning!" Arreti stated, wiping off sweat with the towel she'd packed.
Harry nodded "it wouldn't do any good to learn magic but get lazy with my exercises." They parted ways, each headed to shower and get ready for breakfast. They met up again at the great hall and sat down at the table closest to the doors. Harry stared at the walls again, the words he'd heard before his sorting ringing through his ears.
"Hey Ari, what does the great hall look like to you?"
she looked at him curiously before replying "flagstone flooring and some kind of dark wood wall panels."
harry nodded "fascinating, I wonder how they do that."
"do what?" she said quizzically
"make the room look different for everyone." he responded stabbing a sausage with his fork. Arreti nodded an returned to her own meal.
A few minutes later Adam sat down across from Harry and Arreti "morning freshies! Your up early." he chirped while serving his own breakfast.
"Ari and I went for an early morning run, I like to get my blood pumping in the mornings" Harry explained. "Also why do you call us freshies?" Harry continued, looking up from his breakfast this time.
Adam laughed "its a term for new students. first and second years are dubbed freshman, third and fourth are sophomore, fifth and sixth are junior and seventh is senior. the school adopted the terms from the no-maj version of schooling which they call high school. of course you probably know this, being raised in the no-maj world and all."
harry shook his head "I was homeschooled alongside my adoptive siblings, the schools in Gotham didn't like my idea of fun..." he said with a slightly twisted smile
Adam glanced at harry "your from Gotham? Know any superheroes or villain's?" He jokingly asked.
harry stopped dead a strange smile lifting the corners of his mouth "you wouldn't believe me even if I did." he said lowly, a dangerous glint lighting up his green eyes. Adam was reminded of the killing curses vivid green light as he stared at the younger boy. silence fell after that, eventually professor granger began handing out class schedules. when harry got his he looked at it in excitement
Monday:
6:00-7:00 Breakfast: Great Hall, Ground Floor
7:00-11:00 Magical Theory: Room 4, Second Story`
11:00-12:00 Lunch: Great Hall, Ground Floor
12:00-4:00 Transfiguration: Room 5, Second Story
4:00-5:00 Dinner: Great Hall, Ground Floor
5:00-9:00 Astronomy: Observation Platform, Central Tower
Tuesday
6:00-7:00 Breakfast: Great Hall, Ground Floor
7:00-11:00 Potions: Room 2, Basement
11:00-12:00 Lunch: Great Hall, Ground Floor
12:00-4:00 Herbology: Green House 1, The Green
4:00-5:00 Dinner: Great Hall, Ground Floor
5:00-9:00 Dueling: Room 1, Basement
Wednesday
6:00-7:00 Breakfast: Great Hall
7:00-11:00 Zoology: Paddock 1, The Green
11:00-12:00 Lunch: Great Hall, Ground Floor
12:00-4:00 History: Room 6, Second Story
4:00-5:00 Dinner: Great Hall
5:00-9:00 Seers Assessment: Room 10, Central Tower
Thursday:
6:00-7:00 Breakfast: Great Hall, Ground Floor
7:00-11:00 Flying Lessons: Quidditch Pitch, The Green
11:00-12:00 Lunch: Great Hall, Ground Floor
12:00-4:00 Quidditch Assessment: Quidditch Pitch, The Green
4:00-5:00 Dinner: Great Hall, Ground Floor
5:00-9:00 Hand to Hand combat: Room 3, Second Story
Friday
6:00-7:00 Breakfast: Great Hall, Ground Floor
7:00-11:00 Charms: Room 7, Second Story
11:00-12:00 Lunch: Great Hall, Ground Floor
12:00-4:00 Math: Room 8, Second Story
4:00-5:00 Dinner: Great Hall, Ground Floor
5:00-9:00 Runes Theory: Room 9, Second Story
Saturday
6:00-7:00 Breakfast: Great Hall. Ground Floor
7:00-11:00 No-Maj Sports (optional): Sports Fields, The Green
11:00-12:00 Lunch: Great Hall, Ground Floor
12:00-4:00 Free Period
4:00-5:00 Dinner: Great Hall, Ground Floor
5:00-9:00 Free Period
Sunday
6:00-7:00 Breakfast: Great Hall, Ground Floor
7:00-11:00 No-Maj Sports (optional): Sports Fields, The Green
11:00-12:00 Lunch: Great Hall, Ground Floor
12:00-4:00 Free Period
4:00-5:00 Dinner: Great Hall, Ground Floor
5:00-9:00 Free Period
A map was conveniently printed on he back of he schedule, although the classrooms were pretty easy to find. Harry flipped between the schedule and the map, memorizing todays route. Too excited to wait any longer Harry bade Adam farewell and left, Arreti right behind him.
The inseparable pair were among the first outside the classroom so they leaned against the wall and talked about nothing in particular until professor granger finally opened the door
"Harry!" he said brightly "How are you liking the school so far?"
"Its amazing!" Harry said enthusiastically. the professor smiled and beckoned the students in. the room was pretty large with dozens of tables that could seat two students each placed strategically through the room, ensuring each student had a clear view of the professor. Harry and Arreti quickly claimed one of the desks in the front row and sat patiently as the rest of the class filtered in and got settled. finally the last first year walked through the door, which shut loudly behind them. nearly everyone jumped, with the exception of harry, Arreti and the sandy blonde haired boy that harry recalled was named Michael. Harry's attention was puled to the front of the classroom as professor granger began to speak
"welcome, first years to your first ever magic lesson!" here in magical theory you will earn everything from applications of magic to core classifications. the latter, core classifications will be the first lecture. Please take notes as this is possibly the most important thing you will learn here."
he paused then, waiting for the rustling of parchment and quills to cease before continuing.
"the core, or the epicenter of our being, is the house of our magic. it is often referred to as mother magic's blessing, as it is she who gave us our powers in the first place. the core is fairly easy to understand, we are all born with a set core size, this determines how much magic we can expend before we tire and need to recharge. the core can also expand under set circumstances including but not limited to, direct exposure to raw magic, magic theft and even something as simple as eating well and getting good exercise. raw magic is hard to come by these days and magic theft is considered illegal in most magical communities so the easiest way is to keep in good shape, this is why we have a gym and two running tracks. every witch and wizard is born as a blank slate, not dark, light or grey as other communities would have you believe. this change happens as we grow and learn, to quote the no-maj community this is a perfect example of the nature vs. nurture debate. in this equation magic is nature, intent is nurture. those raised around all things light tend to become light magic welding witches and wizards. The same goes for dark and grey as well. however every now and then a child raised in dark turns out light and vice versa. grey witches and wizards are the ones who use both light spells and dark spells, this is the most common type of magic wielder as almost all of us have used a dark spell at least once. however, in other communities, dark magic is regulated or even outright banned, in a futile attempt to stop those with terrible intentions." the lecture continued in a similar manner for a half hour. the professor then handed out a list of spells "for the rest of the class period please read the passages for each spell, next lesson we will be attempting these spells. and so the students read, the only sounds in the room being the occasional rustle of pages and someone tapping on their desk.
finally the bell rang and everyone began leaving for lunch. harry and Arreti bade the professor goodbye and headed out as well.
Harry walked through the halls of Ilvermorny, a huge smile plastered on his face. He'd just had his first ever magic lesson! Sure it was mostly a lecture on the basics of magic but it was still information he hadn't known. Arreti walked at his side, already studying her meticulous notes. they entered the great hall and scanned the tables for Adam. Harry and Arreti had agreed together to adhere to the suggestion to make friends in all houses so harry was also searching for prospective allies. His gaze landed on the black haired boy he'd seen looking at him after the feast last night. coincidentally Adam was sitting across from the boy, engaged in what looked like a heated debate. harry and Arreti walked confidently over to Adam. harry and Arreti called their greetings to Adam who stopped talking long enough to return said greeting. "hey freshies." he said with a smile "this is Icarus Peverell, Pukwudgies resident conspiracy theorist. Adam gestured to the black haired boy he'd been arguing with. Icarus's lip curled "Just because you don't believe in the deathly hallows doesn't make them a conspiracy theory!" Harry stuck out his hand "I'm..." he began when Icarus cut him off "Harry Potter, better known as Harry Napier-Quinzel." He then smirked "Your parents are cool kid. Harry did not like the fact that this stranger seemed to know way to much about him. "How do you know about my parents Peverell?" Icarus smirked at harry " your the son of the famed auror James Potter and the brightest witch of her age lily Potter nee Evans. your known as the boy who lived in Britain and your blood parents sacrificed themselves to save you. however your better known in America as harry Napier-Quinzel, son of Harleen Quinzel and Jack Napier, the infamous king and queen of Gotham , making you the Heir of Gotham."
"You still didn't answer my question Peverell, how do you know all this." harry said dangerously, his magic threatening to escape the confines of its "box" "I read, and I lived in Gotham for a short while a few summers back. some of the stories I heard about the self proclaimed Gotham royalty were...fascinating." he said dismissively. if it weren't for the fact that his eyes glittered with mirth harry might've unleashed his magic regardless of the consequences. in the end his curiosity of this individual overcame his hostility. grumpily the eleven year old sat down, Arreti right beside him. "so Napier, how'd you like your first class?" Adam said, pointedly ignoring the conversation he so obviously heard given his curious glances at harry. "it was interesting, I think ill enjoy the classes where we cast spells the most but learning why we have magic and how it works is just as good." he said brightly as he served himself lunch from the myriad of dishes on the table." Adam nodded "the active classes are always the best, my favorite is runes. I'm going to be a teachers aid this year for the class." he announced proudly " teachers assistant?" harry echoed curiously "it basically means I help students who are struggling since I'm the top of my year, third years and up are assessed and the best are offered the position."
"so why didn't professor granger have any assistants?" he asked curiously
"dad has refused to have assistants every year since he became a teacher. no one really knows why." Adam responded. harry nodded and returned to his food. silence blanketed their section of the table for a while before Adam popped off with a question
"Icarus, were you being serious when you said that Napier is the heir of Gotham?" harry tensed, he'd had every intention of keeping his adopted title secret, at least for his first year. many eyes turned at that question, clearly a good portion of the students had heard of him.
"he is absolutely correct Adam, my adopted parents are the infamous Joker and Harley Quinn, notorious villains and I am their heir, a villain in training if you will." he said lowly his eyes gleaming that vivid green once more.
"does this bother you?" he whispered, magic sparking along his hands.
Adams eyes widened "its not that it bothers me, i just wasn't expecting to meet a villain at school this year." he said quickly. the gleam faded from Harry's eyes, his magic receding as well
"touché Adam, I had no intentions of revealing myself this year anyway." he glared at Icarus for a second who stared back, unfazed by the show of power they'd just witnessed from this eleven year old child. still wound up harry decided to abandon his lunch "I'm gonna go to the gym until class begins." he whispered to Arreti who nodded "ill stay here and keep an eye on Peverell." harry smiled gratefully and he left. finding the gym was easy thanks to the map, frustrated at being outed he made sure e was alone before letting his magic loose. it whipped around him in waves so strong it would have suffocated anyone who came near. harry noticed that without his normal mayhem he was often on edge, his magic feeling like it was overflowing at all times making him jittery. his magic lessened, the sudden burst taking up quite a bit of energy. he reeled it back in, the feelings of frustration still evident. deciding to actually work out he headed to a set of weights. by the time the next class was due to start harry was covered in sheen of sweat and felt calmer. quickly changing back out of his workout gear he rushed to the next class. Arreti was already there, once again having claimed a front desk. harry dropped into the chair next to her and puled out some parchment and a quill. once again the doors shut with a bang when the final student had arrived. the only difference was less people jumped this time, having expected it after the morning class a tall witch stood at the front of the class " for those of you who haven't met me yet i am professor Greyson, he transfiguration teacher. this year my teachers assistants are, Lyden Winchester, Andi Delacruz, Skyla Sloan, Lucia Bonner and Kaiden Wilkerson. the six of us will be available the entire class period for anyone having difficulty. now I could stand up here and lecture you on the various things you'll learn in my class but I prefer to do things my way." with that statement the five assistants began handing out a piece of parchment with a list of ten or so things on it
"this is a list of the transfiguration pieces we will be attempting today. you will read the excerpt for each transformation and then attempt the spell until you succeed, then move onto the next. if you finish this list before the period is over you may go to dinner early. similarly, if you do not finish the list you will continue with it next time I see you. you are to never practice new spells outside these classrooms. additionally, spellcasting is allowed in the corridors but if you are caught casting things you shouldn't, that privilege will be revoked." the professor smiled briefly and began circling the room, watching as the students read and practiced each transfiguration piece.
Harry breezed through the class within the first hour, so instead he helped Arreti, who was finding it significantly harder.
"I just don't get how this came so easy to you!" she complained lowly
"highly advanced magic, remember?" harry said with a small smile
"oh yeah." she said sulkily "can you teach that to others?"
harry shrugged "id never been around other magic users until school. so i don't know." she filed that information away for later and focused on her work. finally, an hour before class ended she finished the last transfiguration on the list. happily the pair walked out o the classroom. dinner passed in the same manner as breakfast had and soon our duo was headed to their first astronomy class. the observatory was located in the central tower and was a room with walls comprised entirely of glass. dozens of telescope's dotted the room and the central portion was dominated by a large holographic model of the galaxy. a middle-aged witch with silvery hair stood facing away from the door at the other end of the room. "welcome!" she said in a voice like silk as she turned to face the awed students. "my name is Nashira Gould and this, is the observatory, the apex of our astrology department. here you will be taught the mysteries and meanings of the stars. Like many of the late night classes, this class is non-compulsory after first year. As such, starting next lesson the elder students will be joining the class." Professor Gould smiled and turned to the glass wall once more "For now however meet this years teacher assistants. Cecily Henson, Dorian Sylvir, Gareth Hester, Analia Terrell and Faith Shaw " the five assistants, who'd been clustered around a telescope until that moment, waved at the first years, bright smiles shining on their faces. professor Gould clapped her hands and walked over to the largest telescope. "everyone pair up and grab a telescope. assistants, hand out the charts." Arreti grabbed the closet telescope and the two moved closer to the glass walls of the room. "its such a beautiful place to be at night." harry said with a small smile. Arreti nodded her agreement as she looked over the assignment. the duo diligently mapped each star and planet visible in the vast expanse of inky blackness. when the class was over they sleepily headed back to the common room. "today was a good day." Harry stated with a yawn "we should get some sleep" Arreti pointed out, fighting back a yawn of her own. the two said goodnight and headed for their respective rooms. Inside his room harry didn't even bother to get into pajamas, he simply flopped on his fluffy, oversized, four poster bed and was asleep instantly.
authors note
In case the schedule was unclear Magical Theory is the American equivalent of Defense Against the Darks Arts. Zoology for Care of Magical Creatures, Runes Theory for Runes (first years aren't allowed to make runes yet, just study them.) and Math for Arithmancy.