Plot summary: When Harry goes to Gringotts for the first time, he has a surprise meeting with the Prophesier and Goblin King, who offers him the opportunity to get the training he will need to insure the continuation of the magical world for both wizards and magical creatures. The catch? He will be in a time bubble, and he won't be going to Hogwarts as a student, but a warrior. HP/SS (when Harry is of age) non-canon compliant. There will be a large time skip.
Warnings: Dom!Harry, Sub!Severus, magical contracts, powerful!Harry, Smart!Harry, Order of the Phoenix, MA rating (unedited versions will be on AO3 when we get to that)
A Safe Place
Chapter One: You're a Savior, Harry
Harry Potter was a perfectly average little boy, thank you very much. Below average if you asked his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, but of course, why ever would you ask those poor excuses for muggles anything. Harry was a little short and skinny for his age, just shy of eleven, and perhaps a little too soft spoken, but he was very kind and for the most part stayed out of trouble. He didn't have any friends because his cousin Dudley didn't take kindly to people playing with Harry, but he didn't know to be bothered by that. Harry felt like something was missing from him, something big, but he didn't think it was the friends, or his parents, or even a bedroom. He knew it was something more a part of him than any of that could ever be, he just didn't know what it was quite yet.
The answer came right at the strike of his eleventh birthday. His relatives and himself were in a stone shack of all things on a little island in the middle of a big storm because his Uncle had gone a little mad about the owls that were trying to deliver Harry a letter. Harry was very curious about this letter, of course, but he couldn't imagine what could be so important to send a mass of Owls to Number Four. Surely these people knew they could just call, right?
But right at the strike of his eleventh birthday, a big bang sounded through the shack, followed by the door swinging open to reveal a very large man— and that is how Harry Potter found out that he was not a perfectly average little boy after all, but he was actually a wizard, and Harry thought that might just be big enough.
—
Gringotts was a very large building, and Harry couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed already. He had gotten so much attention at the Leaky Cauldron, and Harry wasn't so big on attention. It had him on edge. That's why when they made their way to the door to the carts only to be stopped by a firm grasp around his arm, he shouted loud enough for every goblin head to turn his way. The goblin who had grabbed his arm, however, didn't react much at all but to slowly blink his opaque eyes at him.
"Um… sorry," Harry said shakily. "But can you please let go? Do you need something?"
The goblin seemed to take in a very large breath before speaking in a voice that was both very quiet and very loud in the marble hall.
"The one with the power to defeat the darkness has come," it said. "Fire of Leo, Aries, and Sagittarius, a great courage from within. A Master of truth, of man, of magick. Cancer Mercury, a home. Untapped and Untrained he will falter, settling like stones. With the gift of time and crutch of Capricorn, a great Triumph awaits."
Harry stared at the goblin, confused and not a little bit fearful. The goblin blinked again, this time very quickly, and took another large breath of air.
"Young lion," it said in a floating voice, "you must meet with King Ragnuk."
"Well, Harry," Hagrid grunted, clasping him on the shoulder, "Didn't know you'd get ter meet tha' Goblin King, now didja? Dumbledore'll be right sad he missed this'n."
The Goblin King didn't look much different than the other Goblins, other than the rich velvets he was swathed in. Griphook, the goblin who had been escorting them, looked positively excited (if goblins could look excited) to be brought in on this unplanned adventure. He stood proud as he recited the prophesy the other goblin had delivered to King Ragnuk, while the king listened very intently. There was a long pause after the delivery before the King turned to the goblin on his right.
"Fetch me Mister Harry Potter's magical guardian, an inheritance parchment, and Awrine."
The goblin moved immediately to the exit as Griphook gasped, "Awrine" under his breath in awe.
"Excuse me, Mister King Ragnuk sir," Harry spoke, and the goblin looked at him almost amused.
"Yes Mister Harry Potter?"
Harry's cheeks reddened.
"Um… just Harry is fine."
"Alright, yes Harry?"
"What exactly is going on? Am I in some sort of trouble?"
Hagrid kept his hand on Harry's shoulder, but he didn't seem to know what to say either based on the befuddled look on his face. Just then, the door opened to reveal a very tall old man escorted by two worker goblins. The man was wearing a long purple robe with moons and stars on it, and a tall pointed hat that matched. His twinkling eyes immediately settled on Harry, and Harry felt himself relax a little.
"King Ragnuk," he greeted with a small bow before coming over to where Hagrid and Harry were standing. "Hagrid, Harry."
"Hello," Harry said.
"I am Albus Dumbledore," he told him. "Headmaster of Hogwarts and also conveniently your magical guardian."
He smiled a little bit.
"First day in the Wizarding World and you're already having an adventure."
Harry smiled a little bit back and shrugged.
"I don't usually do a lot of adventuring," he said.
Dumbledore nodded.
"I have a feeling you're going to have a much more interesting time here than you had at home, my boy. Now, King Ragnuk, what may I do for you?"
The king cleared his throat.
"Well, Supreme Mugwump, it seems your young Harry is prophesied to save the world," he told him. "If he agrees and you give consent, I am offering training. He will be with Master Awrine, in the warp dome."
Dumbledore eyes lost there knowing twinkle, looking down at Harry with wide eyes.
"You're going to offer young Harry training under your warriors? Within the dome?"
King Ragnuk tilted his head in supplication.
"I believe he is the chosen. We will gift this wizard time and mastery. If Awrine believes he is capable, we will teach him."
Albus looked a little sad then.
"He is just a boy," he said, looking into Harry's green eyes. "What of love and life?"
Griphook snarled slightly, but Ragnuk bowed his head and closed his eyes.
"He will not be isolated," Ragnuk told him. "But yes— this is his choice to make."
Harry looked back and forth.
"Save the world?" he choked out. "But I'm— I'm just Harry!"
King Ragnuk shook his head.
"You will not be just Harry. You will be much greater than that."
And Harry felt it. The click. A sudden feeling of right in his chest that made him nod his head too.
"Okay," he told them, looking directly into Ragnuk's eyes. He didn't fully know what he was agreeing too yet, but then again, he didn't know what Hogwarts was either, and he wasn't going to be at his relatives for a long while by the sound of it.
"How long is this training thing?"
Ragnuk smiled, showing all of his teeth.
"Oh Harry, for you, time is going to be moving much differently."
Harry furrowed his brows before he asked his next question.
"And where? I mean where will I be going, if not Hogwarts?"
"I cannot tell you truly, for safety reasons, but you'll be in a school of sorts. A safe place."
Harry nodded again.
"I won't go back to the Dursley's?"
Dumbledore frowned.
"Your muggle relatives will likely not see you again until you are a bit older, I imagine."
Harry looked down at his taped together shoes and huffed, not really understanding without nearly enough details but knowing enough to say, "Yeah okay. I'll do it."
TBC
Upcoming: An explanation of how the dome works and what this was for Harry will follow a big time skip next chapter. xx