Disclaimer: I do not in any way shape or form own the world of Harry Potter
A/N: I'm back with another chapter.
This one is another set up chapter, expanding upon a couple of the ideas shown last chapter. It is also the first incursion into the wizarding world outside of the Malfoy Manor.
Enjoy!
Chapter 3: Age of Activation
By the time Harry was eleven, he had matured a lot, no longer prone to childish outbursts. He held himself like a true pureblood, but had practiced, perfected even, the art of appearing as the Guardian of the Light the public expected him to be. And oh, how he shall exploit that weakness. Privately, he had grown cold, and calculating. He had spent his years absorbing information, preparing himself for his takeover. He was now incredibly intelligent, wise beyond his years, and with a quick wit. Harry's education had increased further, his language repertoire now expanding to include German, Russian and Spanish. He was also secure in advanced magical theory, and particularly eloquent. He was in a very advantageous position, his head brimming with knowledge and malice, yet appearing innocent and noble.
He had been waiting for this day for quite some time. Two weeks ago had been his Birthday, but as usual it had been delayed to be celebrated with Draco, just as both boys preferred. They acted just as real siblings did, fighting occasionally, but very good friends nonetheless. This Birthday, however, had been different, for he had to have drunk a potion, delaying his Age of Activation.
'The Age of Activation,' Lucius had explained, 'Is when your practical magic first comes in. This is when you can use a wand, and where Gifts can come in.' Here Harry and Draco had been particularly interested. They had awaited this for years, ever since their introduction to Magical Inheritance. 'As such, we will go to Diagon Alley on Draco's Birthday, when you shall both undergo Activation, and get your first wand. While there, we will purchase items for Hogwarts, and stop off at the Gringotts branch within the ministry, for the Pureblood Registration of Gifts, where we will discover any Full Gifts you may possess. We will return next year, after possible 'Half-Gifts' may have been activated.'
And today was the day. After the customary exchanging of cards from family members - not friends, for that is where school comes in for Purebloods - and the receiving of gifts and money. But now, they were in the Leaky Cauldron, the famous pub containing the entrance to Diagon Alley, the high street of Londinium, or magical London. Lucius walked up to the brick wall with his cane, which Harry knew contained his wand, and tapped on the centre brick. Before his very eyes, the wall folded in upon itself, vanishing.
Ahead lay the wonders of Diagon Alley. Away from the magical Restaurants and casual Clothes Shops that the two boys had frequented, the Alley was magical, and different. Shops for school clothes were among the less interesting, but among it lay a Bookstore, a Potions Store, and even a Quidditch store. Finally managing to be pulled from the beautiful racing brooms, the two boys wishing that first years were indeed not banned from quidditch, the Malfoy family made its first stop: Ollivander's.
A true Pureblood, Ollivander's was a kind and noble man, granting those with prior knowledge a discount, for they needed far less assistance. And so the two boys browsed, opportunity not available to their lesser kin, searching for a wand that matched. Draco found his quickly, a beautiful pale wand, made from Pine, with a unicorn hair for a core. Harry took much longer, for most felt dull, and empty. He must have been there for about an hour, creeping into the ducker, less perused shelves, before finally finding a reaction. He knew it was right.
Bringing it back to Mr Ollivander, his feeling was definitely confirmed. 'This wand,' the elderly man said, 'is constructed of Pine, a wood with strong connotation of purity. The core, however, is the hair of a Skin-changer, a human-like trickster, a shapeshifter.' Fitting, Harry noted. An appearance of purity, and a core of lies. Just like his plan.
Most of the trip round the Alley was pretty tiresome for the two boys, the payment of dull school books, the fitting of clothes, the stocking of potion ingredients. And they didn't even get to visit Quality Quidditch Supplies! And they had the new Nimbus 2000. It was so unfair, the two boys agreed.
That did it, Harry thought. No matter what, I am getting on that team. Who cares what the rules say.
This musing was ended efficiently, with the announcement of heading to the Ministry. This meant one thing - they were going to discover possible gifts! The two boys were giddy with excitement, making their way to the branch of Gringotts inside the Ministry. It was not so grand as Gringotts itself, simply a tidy office inhabited by a single goblin.
'Ah, Messrs Malfoys,' the goblin said with a toothy grin. 'Here for your appointment?'
'Yes,' Lucius replied coolly, 'And I will not be paying any extra Knut, you hear me Fangnot?'
The goblin wavered for a second, before resuming his previous grin. 'Of course, sir. Now, boys, if you would take your time to read the plaque - it lists any possible Gifts you may possess, what they do and their legal restrictions, if applicable.' The goblin gestured towards a large stone slab, engraved with the aforementioned information.
'But first, a simple disclaimer. All Gifts are rare and admirable, and so the rarities shown do not have much impact. I shall explain them, nonetheless. 'Noble' Gifts are the weakest and most common, and 'Ancient' Gifts are far rarer, and quite a deal stronger. The rarest and strongest, however are the 'Regal', or familial Gifts. Found only in the five Regal lines, they are incredibly rare, some even mythical, with astounding strength and potential.'
The five Regal lines were the descendants of the five children of the Great Arthur Pendragon: Ambrosius, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. The latter four obviously being the founders, the Elder brother was Merlin Emrys Ambrosius, who through his natural Gift became a friend of his childhood father, becoming a loyal companion and advisor. In fact, he was actually named after his future self, which was quite the paradox. For a while, even, there were two Merlins present, before the younger Merlin managed to find himself in the past.
The two Malfoy boys turned their heads towards the plaque, absorbing the knowledge it contained. It read as follows:
The Great Inventory of Gifts
Noble Gifts:
Seers (Those who can glimpse through time past, present or future)
Disillusionists (Those who can pass under an inattentive eye)
Phasers (Those who can pass through solid objects)
Lingomagus (A sorcerer who can naturally speak any non-magical language)
Flight (Forbidden From Quidditch)
Occlumagus (A sorcerer who is immune to Compulsion Charms, Legilimens, Telepathy, Veritaserum etc. They have near perfect memory. A sufficiently powerful Occlumagus can create false thoughts for others to see, and construct a Mind Palace.) (Forbidden from Department of Mysteries except under Oath)
Ancient Gifts:
Hypermagus (Those with heightened senses of sight and hearing)
Lateralshifters (Those able to teleport without a wand, through wards)
Firebenders (Those with control over the element of Fire)
Earthbenders (Those with control over the element of Earth)
Airbenders (Those with control over the element of Air) (Forbidden from Quidditch)
Waterbenders (Those with control over the element of Water) (Forbidden from Aquatic Sports)
Natural Born Animagus (A sorcerer who can naturally change into a single non-magical animal whenever they choose)
Metamorphmagus (A sorcerer who can change their appearance at will)
Legilimens (Those who can breach the minds of others; mind readers) (Closely monitored Gift)
Vapour Travel (The ability to dissolve into a vapour and travel large distances in that form)
Dragonwhisperer (A sorcerer who can converse in the language of the dragons, Dragontounge.)
Veela (Those with unnatural beauty and emotional attraction/manipulation)
Telepath (One who can talk to others in their minds)
Necromancer (One who summon and control the dead)
Umbrakinesis (The ability to control the darkness, both tangible and immaterial)
Regal Gifts:
Temporalmagus/Time Lord (Those who can traverse the dimension of time and send objects and beings through time) (Of The Family Ambrosius)
Animorphmagus (A sorcerer who can morph into any non-magical animal, and any magical animal that they have at some point in time ingested an untainted remnant) (Of The Family Gryffindor)
Parseltongue (A sorcerer who can converse in both the language of the snakes and Dragontounge. A sufficiently powerful Parseltongue can force serpentine creatures to obey command given in their language) (Of The Family Slytherin)
Psychometry (The ability to gain knowledge associated with an object containing the trace of magic with a single touch) (Of The Family Ravenclaw)
Omnibender (Those who have control over the four magical elements, Fire, Earth, Water and Air) (Of the Family Hufflepuff) (Forbidden from Quidditch and Aquatic Sports)
'Whoa,' Draco could be heard to say. There was an extraordinary range of Gifts, many which the two boys had never heard of. He nudged Harry. 'Lets hope I don't get one that bans me from Quidditch - my plans would be ruined!' Harry nodded too. The two boys wondered if they would get anything, hoping for a glamorous Gift, powerful and rare. The two knew of the Malfoys' vague relation to the long lost Ravenclaw family, so it was possible they might inherit. Then again, that Gift had not been seen in centuries, so it was very unlikely. Harry secretly hoped he was an Occlumagus - that would really help with his plans. As long as he did not need a job at the Department of Mysteries, he would never have to declare it, for no-one, except family members and the goblins, were entitled to know which Gifts you held.
Draco went first, gripping the blade of the ceremonial dagger, allowing his blood to drip onto the enchanted paper. It quickly soaked in, flowing along the lines etched on. It quickly went past the point marked Void - Draco had a gift! The two boys watched in anticipation, watching the lines of blood slowly etch towards the point marked Finite. They then handed it to the goblin, to be interpreted.
'Well young Master Malfoy,' Fangnot said. 'You are quite the Gifted young lad. You have a total of four magical Gifts, with a few hidden 'Potential' Gifts, to be revealed next year. Well, I can reveal that you are the possessor of the following Gifts:' Here he paused to increase the tension. 'Seer, Lingomagus, Firebender and Vapour Travel. Congratulations, Master Malfoy.' The young boy was jumping in glee, though not particularly to do with his Gifts. 'I can still do Quidditch!' he cheered.
It was now Harry's turn, and he did much the same process. It slowed near Void, but moved past, slowly etching through several points, eventually making its way to Finite. Again, he passed it to the goblin to be read.
'My oh my,' the goblin said at last. 'You are an unprecedented case, young Master Potter-Malfoy. You have a total of eight Gifts, and several more to come next year. What makes it more astounding, however, is that one is a Regal Gift!' Harry looked at his Father, and then his Mother, and then Draco. All were astounded, open mouthed in shock. Carrying on regardless, the goblin announced his results, not pausing this time (for it was now completely unnecessary due to the rarity of the situation).
'You, young Master, are a Dissilusionist, Phaser, Lingomagus, Occumagus, Hypermagus, Metamorphmagus, Telepath and Animorphmagus.' Harry's mouth dropped further at this list. They were all so useful to his plan! And he had more coming! 'If Mister Malfoy should allow it, the goblins would like to research the connection of the young Lord to the Regal House of Gryffindor, to place his position of inheritance.' Lucius nodded his head in agreement. 'Well,' Fangnot said. 'I suppose this meeting is adjourned.'
In the following few weeks, the two boys were focused on learning their Gifts. Draco was taught Vapour Travel from Lucius, who possessed the Gift also, and Firebending from Narcissa, who while not a Bender held some affinity with the element of Fire. Draco's other Gift of Lingomagism was purely instinctual, and thus could not be taught, and Seeing was such a woolly skill that it could not be studied.
Draco was soon able to summon small orbs of fire, but was unable to mould them, or use them in any overly practical way. His vapour travel was also developing well, though he could only stay in vapour form for ten minutes at maximum.
Harry, on the other hand, had many tutors come. He had a tutor called Flint (a family friend) for Disillusionism and Telepathy, and another family friend named Derrick for Phasing.
Disillusionism came easily to Harry, and he was soon stalking the manor under cover of shadows, randomly bursting out to shock Draco, as part of a self introduced training exercise.
Telepathy was far more difficult, and he was only able to place simple thoughts into other people's heads, and they were not disguised, either. At a high enough level, a Telepath was nearly inseparable from a Legilimens.
Phasing was another Gift he had trouble with. He could manage passing a limb through the dining table, but not yet something thicker, like a wall, or through the floor. He was also incapable of phasing the rest of his body, and thus found himself in several awkward positions while practicing.
One of Draco's favourites was the time he managed to get all his limbs through the table, but not back. Harry was stuck lying there for quite some time, face slumped against the table, before Lucius found him, and apparated him out. Oh yes, Draco had taken several photos of that event.
Lingomagism was again instinctual, as was Hypermagism (though it wasn't for all - many had to spend a long time restricting their senses), and Occlumagism was mainly passive - the only thing he had to work on was constructing his mind palace, the labyrinth in which he would defend his mind and organise his memories. He was going with a dark fortress for the design: dark and foreboding, dissuading intruders, and also an effective defence.
Metamorphmagism, however, was extremely rare, and so he had a friend on his adopted Mother's side, and blood Father's, called Nymphadora Tonks. She was a fifth year, and Harry found her the most helpful, having remembered being the first metamorphmagus born in over three centuries. Under her tuition, he was soon a master at changing his hair, and beginning to work on more interesting changes - height, facial features and so on. He still had several issues, such as being able to hold more difficult changes, and occasionally getting stuck in a shifted form, but he was becoming quite skilled with the Gift.
The problem, however, was Animorphmagism. Many believed it to be purely mythical, none being born since the grandson of Godric Gryffindor himself, in late Arthurian England. As a result, he was forced to suffer both natural born and artificial animagi, neither of which particularly helpful. The best he was currently capable of was a simple morphing of his teeth into serpentine fangs, or canine jaws. He was assured he would quickly improve, but he still felt dejected - he was a failure at his best gift.
Further work was put into his Animorphmagism than simply training, with the Malfoy's trading side being put to use. As explained slightly on the plaque, to morph into a magical animal required an untainted remnant of said animal being ingested. The problem, however, was the acquisition of said remnants. While magical parts were easy enough to get, traded meat, potions ingredients and commercial remnants would not work - they were all tainted by the treatment and preparation for their respective uses. As such, no remnants were able to be found.
Harry did, however, have access to one mythical animal - Wyverns. Lucius, and many of his ancestors, reared Wyverns, with the primary trade of the family being the trade of the majestic, serpentine beasts.
Like their larger kin, dragons, Wyverns breathed fire, and like all magical fires, it left a remnant - Dragonash. The name was a misnomer, for while Dragons were the most notable producer of the product, there were many more.
This was irrelevant, however, as it fulfilled the requirement for an untainted Remnant. As a result, Harry went out in a Dragonskin suit with his Father to the Wyvern enclosure, and collected some of the emerald tinted ash.
That evening, he sprinkled it over his dinner like seasoning, ingesting the remnant. It wasn't particularly nice tasting, but it paled in comparison with the idea of becoming a Wyvern.
This, however, became another source of woe, for Harry was again unable to take on any semblance of the beast. The closest he had got was when he covered up a few embers, trying to take on the form of a White-lipped Pit Viper.
Even then, that was by fluke - he was not trying to call it up, and he completely failed at the viper. All he managed was a paling of his skin, with a slight green tint, and two abnormally long teeth, though not quite fangs. He would focus on the viper, he decided, as he thought it would be easier to become other animals once he had mastered one.
He did receive some news that lifted his spirits - as well as being heir of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter, and scion of the Noble House of Malfoy, the goblins discovered he was also heir to the Regal House of Gryffindor, set to inherit at the Age of Maturity, descended through the Peverell Family, a direct ancestor of the Potters.
The goblins seemed to hint at some other possible house, but Lucius refused to pay their ridiculously extortionate prices. They would investigate further nearing his Maturation itself.
But the thing that truly broke his bad mood, however, was the day he had been waiting for. The day he left for Hogwarts.
A/N: That's right, people. Harry is going to Hogwarts in the next chapter!
So, in this chapter, I have outlined a major plot point in this fic, the idea of 'Gifts'. This will be a recurring idea, and this chapter is basically used as a dictionary for the various Gifts.
Just to make it clear, the '-bender' abilities have nothing to do with Avatar, it is just an accurate description of the abilities. No, I do not like any Anime or Pseudo-anime, and will not be writing any fics involving it.
The plot really begins next chapter.
Next chapter on Monday!
Review please, for reviews help me to grow as an author.