The Keeper of the Keys
At this, eyes turned to Hagrid, and Harry, Hermione and Ron couldn't help but share a grin with the half giant. Cassandra caught the looks and raised an eyebrow.
"So. Hagrid's the keeper of the keys, I'm guessing." She said. Alabaster rolled his eyes.
"Such a tricky deduction to make, not that everyone looked at him at the title." He muttered, and snorted when Cassandra blew a raspberry at him in retaliation.
BOOM. They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake.
"Where's the cannon?" he said stupidly.
Eyes were rolled at this. Honestly, even the most pureblooded of wizards knew what a cannon was, and there was no way anyone could get a cannon close enough to a tiny shack on a tiny rock in the middle of the sea to cause damage.
Not like they would even need a canon to break the thing. A sharp tap could probably knock it down, judging by the description they had been given in the previous chapter.
There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands
This time the muggleborns and muggle raised half bloods in the room did gasp in horror, explaining to their friends what, exactly, a rifle was and what it did. This just caused yells of outrage. Cassandra blinked a few times.
"Getting guns in England is different than it is in America, then?" She asked. "Like, I know people sell them online and at...like, flea markets and stuff. You only have to be eighteen and have a license to buy a rifle in America."
"You have to have a licence but also a good reason for having one." Hermione pursed her lips, suddenly very very worried. "It was probably purchased illegally. No, wait, definitely purchased illegally. Gun control here is very, very strict."
"Gods, I wish it was strict in America." Topher muttered, rubbing his forearm nervously. School shootings were...surprisingly common. He knew that some kids had done it as young as thirteen, and it was terrifying. It made him feel ill.
- now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them.
"Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you - I'm armed!"
"So is everyone." As if to demonstrate this fact, George stretched his arms out in front of him. "See?"
"If you are missing an arm...wait, no, then you still are." Fahra frowned slightly. "If you're missing both arms then you're not."
"Prosthetic arms, though." Topher pointed out, glad to change the subject from shooting to something as silly as what classed as being armed. "Like the Winter Soldier."
"The Winter Soldier is a trained assassin and therefore does not count." Fahra retorted. "Like, could a normal person with a prosthetic arm use said arm to hurt someone?"
"They could just throw the prosthetic at someone." Alabaster suggested, and Topher snorted loudly. "And the Winter Soldier should count he still has a fucking prosthetic arm."
"Who the hell is the Winter Soldier?" A very confused older Gryffindor asked.
"A comic book character." Fahra answered. "Portrayed by an actor called Sebastian Stan."
"Sebastian Stan is very attractive." Alabaster said. "I have a thing for brunettes. Also, arms. Like, not prosthetics but...oh, you know what I mean."
"I would be offended, but honestly, I totally get it." Topher admitted.
There was a pause. Then -
SMASH!
The word was read, as though the sound of something smashing was played behind it, causing a few people to jump in alarm. That was unexpected, alright, but it made sense. It was a spell, after all, and sound effects just made the whole thing more immersive. It was more so the fact the boom was not accompanied by a noise that startled them more. Maybe it was only on certain words that the sound appeared?
The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor.
"Slightly over dramatic there." Seamus shook his head a little, and Hagrid managed a little sheepish grin. Maybe it was, but it was storming outside. He'd rather not be outside for longer than necessary.
A giant of a man was standing in the doorway…. you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair.
Eyes turned to Hagrid at that, and the description earned a low, impressed whistle from Theo. "Yeah, that's accurate."
"I'm looking forward to the descriptions, not gonna lie." Fahra said. "It's even better because I won't get one, meaning that I cannot be insulted in a roundabout way."
"Unless when glimpses of our past are read out and you're described." Alabaster pointed out. Fahra's nose wrinkled.
"That's worrying." She said, and Lee snorted in amusement.
The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. ...
"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey..."
Snorts of laughter were heard, far too amused. So casual, so...Hagrid of him, to be so nonchalant after possibly scaring the Dursleys and (less glee at the thought) Harry terribly. Honestly, the fact that the Dursleys already hated and feared magic hadn't crossed their minds, that maybe this would transfer over to Harry.
Well, except for a few, and Severus unconsciously gripped his left arm, his sleeve covering a damning mark.
He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear.
"Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger.
"This is great." Fred was grinning a little. "Finally, someone telling the Dursley's how it is."
"Oh, you will love it later when Hagrid finds out they didn't tell me about being a wizard." Harry sighed in fond remembrance. "That? That was...something else. I'd never seen Uncle Vernon look so horrified in his entire life."
Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother,... saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile.
Harry, very wisely in his opinion, decided not to mention that felt like the first time someone had ever been happy to see him. Just him, just Harry, and not as some...some saviour. Hagrid hadn't referred to him as The Boy Who Lived at least during their introduction, which was what most people had done. Hadn't revered him, never truly had.
It was a rarity, only a few people had never thought of the famous baby before the boy sat in front of them. A sad fact, a truth, and sometimes it made Harry want to scream. He was more than the child who hadn't fallen to Voldemort's wand - he was Harry, just Harry.
"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mom's eyes."
"Not exactly like James." Remus commented. "Your lips are slightly fuller, and James had a chipped tooth from where he got hit by a bludger during a Quidditch match. You're also smaller than he was."
"I'm not that small!" Harry protested, at which Ron snorted.
"Hate to break it to you, mate, but Ginny's surpassing you in height." Ron said, and Ginny gave a tiny, triumphant fist pump at the indignant noise that escaped Harry's throat. "You're the smallest in our year, bar the girls, and even some of them are taller than you."
"I'm just waiting for my growth spurt." Harry sniffed, and Topher's eyes twinkled.
"Sounds like a certain child of Hecate I know." He commented, gaze drifting to Fahra, who responded with a rude gesture.
"Being small is great. Means people don't expect it when you kick their shins." Cassandra pointed out, once more proving herself to not be all sunshine and rainbows.
Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise.
"I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!"
"Does he really think that will work?" Terry raised an eyebrow. Padma shrugged a shoulder.
"I think he's grown so used to being the biggest person in the room that it hasn't occurred to him that Hagrid is actually a half giant."
"Also he's an idiot." Michael added, earning snorts from his classmates.
"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant; ..., bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room.
"Well. That's one way to solve that problem." Hermione said, blinking slightly at that. "Not what I was expecting, honestly, but at least no one got hurt."
"Except for Uncle Vernon's pride." Harry added.
"Not like we really care about that loss." Ron said dryly.
Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on.
"How a man as large as he is can make a noise as high pitched as that, I will never know." Harry said. "Still haven't figured it out, to be honest."
"Sometimes, I remember my dad earned the title 'Lord of mice'," Cassandra began. "I hate the fact we're comparing possibly the worst person I have ever read about to a mouse. Like, purely on my dad's behalf."
"I thought you weren't on good terms with your parents?" Parvati said. "At least, the godly ones...Merlin, that felt weird to say."
"My dad's sorta different. I mean, when I was...not on good terms, it's because of other factors." Cassandra commented. "I sometimes get dreams. Not the prophetic ones but he visits me sometimes. Not often, but sometimes."
"Anyway - Harry," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, "a very happy birthday to yeh. ... Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it in green icing.
"First birthday cake I remember having." Harry stated, and fortunately no growls were heard, though a lot of the room managed to cast Hagrid a grateful look.
Remus was remembering Harry's first birthday, which...had been a complete mess, considering the time, but it was one of the last happy memories he had of James and Lily. Harry had smashed a handful of cake into...into his face, and had started a food fight when, after James laughed, got his own face full of cake. It had been carefree, a port in a storm, all of them laughing. Even Lily, though she sighed exasperatedly when looking at the state of the room after.
Happier times. Times Remus missed.
Times, if he were lucky, he may get to experience again, only they were all older now, and the absence of his four friends was jarring.
Harry looked up at the giant. He meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was, "Who are you?"
A few snorts came at that, even as Hermione rolled her eyes and let out and exasperated, yet fond, 'manners'.
"I'm so sorry that the giant that had just come into the hut in the middle of a storm and proceeded to give me a birthday cake made me lose my ability to form coherent and polite sentences." Harry retorted, and Hermione blushed slightly. He had a point, she had to admit.
The giant chuckled.
"True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."
He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm.
"Ouch." Dean winced slightly and Hagrid looked slightly ashamed.
"Sorry abou' that." He managed and Harry waved him off without a care.
"No problem." He said. Sure, it was slightly overwhelming at the time, but that was Hagrid for you. Sometimes he just wasn't aware of his own strength, but much like his overly friendly dog, wouldn't hurt anyone unless they absolutely deserved it.
"What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind."
A few teachers heaved out heavy, exhausted sighs as Hagrid blushed to the roots of his hair.
His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shriveled chip bags in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace;... Harry felt the warmth wash over him as though he'd sunk into a hot bath.
"Oh, fire. That's surprisingly normal." Alabaster said, voice thick with relief. "I can do that."
"Yeah. With sulphur." Fahra stated. "Looks like Hagrid didn't need a rock, Al. One up on you."
"Look, wizards don't make sense. Your magic confuses me. My magic works by taking the potential energy from one thing and converting it into another form." Alabaster said, unaware that this was drawing a lot of interest from eager minds. "Some of my stuff requires a focus because I need to convert literal atoms into a different form. It's easier if I have chunks of stuff that has potential to become another form. Sulphur works best for fire because it is used to make gunpowder. These guys wave a wand and say a few words and bam, they have fire. It doesn't make sense conjuration wise."
"They're converting the atoms in the air. Like carbon dioxide and stuff." Fahra argued. "They use a focus constantly unlike you. It's why they don't need the big stuff - it's very precise. Not necessarily as powerful, but they probably have the fine control that you don't get when you convert your rock into fire."
"So we don't need a wand, then?" Bill asked, unabashedly fascinated by the talk.
"For your fiddly stuff, probably." Alabaster admitted. "I need to use a focus for finer details, but as long as you can convert potential energy into something active, probably not. I mean, your accidental magic is all wandless. It's uncontrollable purely because you're working with tiny pieces of potential with none of the fine tuning you get with a wand. At least, I feel like that makes more sense. I don't know enough about how your magic works in comparison to mine. Also why your foci are bits of wood, whereas mine is precious stone. It's...honestly really interesting but also very confusing."
The giant sat back down on the sofa, ... a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig from before starting to make tea.
There were a few exasperated noises from the adults, but considering this had happened two years ago, they couldn't really scold Hagrid for drinking. Besides, the liquid was just described as amber - it could have been alcohol, yes, but butterbeer had the same colouration. Alabaster, meanwhile, looked impressed.
"Ok, that sounds like each pocket is literally a pocket dimension which is something I hadn't considered trying. Enchanting clothes is...more so Jas' area."
"D'you think that Hecate might bring more people in?" Cassandra asked. "I miss Jas."
"Probably hit them a bit too close to home, some of this." Alabaster pointed out and Hermione had to intervene.
"Who's Jas?"
"Child of Aphrodite." Topher said. "Bad foster experience, still sort of getting over it - court trials and such. If Hecate was going to bring more people in from the future, it would be a later thing. They would definitely not be as chill as Al has been regarding...this."
"I feel like the foster system in America is...very bad." Regulus said delicately, and Cassandra shrugged.
"Not really? I mean, Jas and I are just really unlucky because of the demigod thing, but I'm pretty sure our bad experiences aren't universal."
Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage. ... fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages
Ron let out an uncomfortable noise. "I'm hungry."
"Oh honestly Ron." Hermione rolled her eyes, begrudgingly fond. Of course her friend thought with his stomach.
"We'll have a break after the next chapter." Dumbledore assured, much to Ron's relief. It must nearly be lunchtime, right? Breakfast felt like it had been ages ago. "Maybe Mister Torrington can give his demonstration then?"
"Yeah, whatever." Alabaster shrugged. "I don't need any materials for pocket dimensions. Other stuff I will not be able to do on the fly…maybe prestidigitation. Not much else."
"Prestidigitation?" Hermione asked, curious.
"Just small tricks." Alabaster said, glancing around the room. "See that candle? I can snuff it out from here. Relight it too. No wand required. I can cause noise or clean up dirt. Little things, mind. Not necessarily as useful as pocket dimensions but still."
"I love the fact you got most of your spells from D&D." Fahra teased lightly and Alabaster shrugged.
"Works, doesn't it?"
from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley."
The giant chuckled darkly.
The thought of Hagrid doing anything darkly seemed bewildering for most of the room. He always seemed so...friendly. Kind. The only times he hadn't been so were when he was blamed for the attacks last year (and subsequently was found innocent of all attacks relating to the chamber) and recently with the inquest against one of his hippogriffs.
"Yer great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry."
Poppy muttered something irritably under her breath - about poor health and dietary measures. Nothing drastic, as suddenly reducing someone's caloric intake could do more damage than help, but Merlin something had to be done about that boy's weight, and soon, before it became a serious health problem.
He passed the sausages to Harry, who was so hungry ... "I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are."
"Somehow, despite having just been broken in by a giant who proceeded to tie solid metal into a knot, you manage to have manners." Topher's voice was amused. "Cassandra sprayed us in the face with cleaning product, after saying 'try me, assholes'. She was six at the time."
"Pretty cool for a six year old." Lee said and Cassandra grinned.
"I have always been pretty cool." She stated, ignoring the shared eyeroll between Fahra and Alabaster.
The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts - yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course.
"And at this point, things got pretty crazy." Harry decided. "Considering the fact that I was supposed to be told about my heritage, which didn't. You know. Happen."
"Bet Hagrid didn't like that." Fred said to Angelina, who snorted.
"Only a fool would take that bet, Weasley."
"Er - no," said Harry.
Hagrid looked shocked.
"Sorry," Harry said quickly.
"The 'apologise for something you didn't know was wrong'. A classic." Theo muttered. It was a tactic he used all too often - his father had never hit him...at least yet, but the verbal barbs cut deep. Better to just apologise when he got that look in his eye, instead of risk the verbal hits becoming physical. Blaise gave his friend a concerned look, soon joined by most of the other third year Slytherins.
"Are you...ok?" Blaise asked, and Theo just managed to not laugh slightly hysterically.
"I'm never ok." He deadpanned, and was relieved when Pansy rolled her eyes, glad she thought he was just being overdramatic. He wasn't sure if everyone bought it, but the narration had picked back up, much to his relief.
"Sorry ?" barked Hagrid, ... Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learned it all?"
"I thought my parents were just normal people." Harry paused slightly. "Or, well, worse than normal people."
"I'm so glad we're surprise adopting you." Alabaster said and Regulus laughed.
"Is that what we're calling kidnapping now?"
"I mean, it sounds more legal when you call it surprise adoption." Tonks said, grinning a little. "Friendly reminder, kidnapping is still a criminal offence."
"Yeah but if Harry comes willingly, technically it doesn't count." Alabaster retorted.
"All what?" asked Harry.
..."that this boy - this boy! - knows nothin' abou' - about ANYTHING?"
"And that's going to come off wrong." Bill sounded amused. "I can see the offended look on your face in my mind's eye."
"Yeah, I took it to mean I knew absolutely nothing." Harry sounded miffed by this, even though it had been cleared up two years ago. Over two years ago. Whatever. "My marks weren't that bad."
Harry thought this was going a bit far...
"I know some things," he said. "I can, you know, do math and stuff."
"Didn't Cassandra say the exact same thing a couple of chapters ago?" Ron asked, finding that extremely amusing. "Careful, Harry can be contagious. Next thing you know, you'll be getting into trouble at Hogwarts, and it's just downhill from there."
"Eh, there are worse people to be like." Cassandra shrugged a shoulder. "I mean, I could be like Al, and then where would we be?"
"Why are you picking on me, specifically?" Alabaster asked. "What have I ever done to you?"
"You just make it easy." Cassandra offered a dazzling smile. "S'nothing personal."
But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About our world, I mean. ...
Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.
Fahra and Alabaster glanced at each other again and Topher sighed.
"No."
"We didn't say anything." The two argued simultaneously.
"You were thinking it. No."
"But babe -"
"No."
"DURSLEY!" he boomed.
...
"What? My - my mom and dad weren't famous, were they?"
"Asks about his parents before himself, huh?" Terrence glanced at Adrian who was looking thoughtful. "He doesn't sound like the arrogant kid Malfoy paints him out to be."
"Shouldn't you play nice with the Seeker who bri - I mean, generously donated your broom to the team when he got in?" Terrence asked. He was still a little bitter that the third year had bribed his way into the Seeker spot. Sure, Malfoy was good, but Terrence had that spot for a couple of years before he had been kicked off the team. Adrian smirked a little.
"I'm the best Chaser we've got. Flint kicks me off, then we'll stand no chance of winning this year. He'll just have to suck it up."
"Yeh don' know... yeh don' know... " ...
"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!"
"Good luck trying to stop him." Alicia snorted, rolling her eyes. "I mean, we know he did, but I can't believe Dursley thought that telling Hagrid not to tell Harry anything would actually work."
"Because he isn't all that intelligent, Alicia." Katie said. "If he were, well, we wouldn't want to punch him."
A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.
...
"Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Harry - yer a wizard."
"Right to the point there, Hagrid." Dean said, voice very amused. Hagrid looked suspiciously red under his beard. What could he say, other than sometimes cutting straight to the point was the best way to broach the topic? It wasn't like he usually got sent to collect students from Muggle families - it was usually one of the heads of houses, although Severus definitely avoided dealing with it as much as possible. It was a good thing he did, really, as the Slytherin probably didn't give off the best first impression.
There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.
"I'm a what ?" gasped Harry.
"Brilliant reaction. Almost exactly the same as when someone out of the blue tells you magic is real and also the Greek gods are alive." Fahra said. Alabaster rolled his eyes.
"Look, you knew the first part." He stated. "I just gave an explanation as to why it existed."
"Didn't give us the same courtesy." Topher gestured between him and Cassandra.
"Ok, first off, you just sort of joined us on our trip across America, so you had to get the explanation and you believed me right off. That's all on you." Alabaster prodded Topher in the sternum with his forefinger, and definitely did not blush as Topher captured his hand and pressed a kiss to the pad of the outstretched finger. "Secondly, Cassandra's foster mother had just turned into a monster and tried to kill her, so I didn't really need to ease her into it."
"He makes a good point there." Cassandra admitted, ignoring Mrs Weasley's horrified mouthing of the word 'kill'. "Once a person turns into something with scales, you're happy for any explanation as to why."
"A wizard, o' course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good 'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be?
"Parents don't necessarily mean that their kid is going to be anything like them." Neville sounded a bit self deprecating there. "I mean, look at Hermione. Brightest witch in her year, or at the very least up at the top, and her parents are Muggles."
"It sounds like you're beating yourself up there, Neville." Hermione commented, though she had blushed at the compliment of her abilities, pleased. "You're the best at herbology in our year, and your charm work isn't anything to turn your nose up at."
"You'd be a dab hand at potions, too, if not for the teacher." Alabaster said flippantly, flashing a slightly feral grin when Snape glared at him. It meant he missed Neville's shocked expression, but also the slight flush that graced his face.
An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter."
Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to Mr. H. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea.
Alabaster once again muttered something vaguely insulting regarding the self addressing nature of the letters. Surprisingly accurate as they were, a clever piece of magic he would have to look up sometime in the future, he was infuriated that no one would check the addresses to make sure nothing was amiss.
He wondered if any letters had been addressed to kids on the streets, other kids shoved away in closets, other cases of neglect and abuse that had simply gone unnoticed because no one read an envelope. It made him feel uncomfortably sick.
He pulled out the letter and read:
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
"What's a Mugwump?" Was a question not just reserved to the demigods. It seemed a lot of wizards, mostly Muggleborns and Halfbloods, also had no clue what a Mugwump was.
"Mugwumps are members of the International Confederation of Wizards - a lot like the United Nations." Kingsley explained. "Dumbledore is the Supreme Mugwump, as he is the head of it."
Dear Mr. Potter,
...
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Topher let out a low whistle. "Cutting it close there, aren't we?" He said, voice amused despite himself. "Couldn't have sent someone after the first hundred letters failed?"
"Yeah, we might not have been in the middle of nowhere then." Harry agreed. "Vernon might not have gone completely crazy."
Yours sincerely,
..."What does it mean, they await my owl?"
"Gallopin' Gorgons,
All four demigods winced in unison at that word.
"Are you going to do that anytime a Greek monster is mentioned?" Hermione asked.
"Probably." Cassandra managed. "But we stayed in...a particular statue garden."
"The statues were very lifelike. Almost like the subjects had been turned to stone." Fahra added, shuddering. Hermione frowned.
"You mean Med -"
"Don't say the name!" All four snapped together and Ron blinked.
"I suddenly understand why Harry hates the whole Voldemort thing." He said, stammering slightly over the name. "But, I mean, can they actually track you down if you say their name?"
"Let's not find out." Alabaster said.
that reminds me," said Hagrid,... he pulled an owl - a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl - a long quill, and a roll of parchment.
"The pocket dimension pockets are definitely a thing." Alabaster said, having been shaken out of his paranoia regarding the gorgons due to Hagrid pulling out an owl from a pocket. A fucking owl.
"Was the owl alright? Why was it in your pocket?" Cassandra asked before Luna could.
"It's a breed better suited fer small spaces." Hagrid explained. "Can usually be found in drain pipes, actually. It prefers flyin' durin' daylight hours."
"Al -"
"No. Cassie, we're not getting an owl."
"You have your magical bat." Cassandra pouted.
"I have a familiar." Alabaster corrected. "A spirit I summoned that doesn't require the care and attention an owl needs. We're not getting an owl."
With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Harry could read upside down:
A few teachers were amazed that Harry could read the writing upside down. Hagrid wasn't illiterate - far from it, he could have easily passed his Hogwarts exams if he hadn't been expelled - but his handwriting was not the easiest to read, and add in the fact he was scribbling the note down and Harry could read it upside down...well.
A few wondered if he could make out Poppy's notes - it seemed that horrendous writing from doctors carried over into the wizarding world, and Madame Pomphrey had the worst penmanship that McGonagall had ever seen - and she taught eleven year olds.
Dear Professor Dumbledore,
Given Harry his letter.
Taking him to buy his things tomorrow.
Weather's horrible. Hope you're well.
Hagrid
Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone.
"It is for wizards. And your fellytones are weird." Ron wrinkled his nose.
"Telephone honestly the narration just said that." Hermione sighed. "And it helps if you don't yell down it."
"I know that now." Ron retorted. "Still weird."
Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly.
...
"He's not going," he said.
"That's not gonna work out well for you." Dean said. "Considering he's here now and causing chaos."
"This year has been surprisingly relaxed." Harry said. "But then again, it hasn't been Christmas yet."
"I feel like we're not discussing the dementors around the school because that isn't normal." Hermione said.
"...Dementors." Alabaster deadpanned. "Actually I don't want to know. I'll find out later."
"Probably for the best." Regulus said.
Hagrid grunted.
"I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him," he said.
"A what?" said Harry, interested.
"A Muggle," said Hagrid, "it's what we call nonmagic folk like them. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on."
"Muggle is sounding like a slur." Fahra said. "I've heard enough slurs to last a lifetime. Let's just call them mundane and be done with it."
"Who called you a slur?" Alabaster's voice had gone sharp. "I need to kill them."
"If I can't kill your dad, you can't kill people who told me to go back to where I was born." Fahra rolled her eyes. "And I'm fucking half Filipino, half American, I mean, come on…"
"Oof, yeah, that's a mood." Topher said. "I'm a US citizen, but apparently I have dark skin and speak Spanish fluently, I'm obviously an immigrant. I've never even been to Mexico."
"Wait, how can you be half American and half Filipino when the gods don't have a nationality? Did you just ignore the godly gene?" Percy asked.
"I mean, they did a good job with ignoring us, so yeah." Fahra shrugged. "Technically they don't have DNA, so...it's easier to just ignore it."
"We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed!"
Regulus grit his teeth at that. They were Muggles, mundane, whatever term they were using, so they didn't know the ramifications of stamping down magic. The destruction it could cause. The obvious abuse that Harry had suffered was horrifying, sickening, and these...these sorry excuses for guardians were lucky they hadn't broken him so much that they had died from it.
Regulus thought he was done with anger, with poisonous thoughts swarming in his mind, but for a second he wanted to tear the Dursleys limb from limb. And, despite everything they had done to a child, it made him very afraid.
"You knew ?" said Harry. "You knew I'm a - a wizard?"
"Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. ...But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!"
"She was their daughter, of course they were proud of her!" Molly sounded outraged. "Not because she was a witch, but because she was happy and doing well in her studies. Everyone should be proud of their children's accomplishments, magical or not."
"Tell that to my father." Alabaster said, and was momentarily stunned at the anger in Molly's eyes.
"If I knew where to find him, I would." Molly told him. "And I assure you, one day you will do something amazing, and so many people will be proud of you."
"...Oh." Alabaster's voice caught in his throat at that, and no, he was not going to cry.
She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years.
...she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!"
"That's how you found out?" Remus' voice had gone very quiet, almost deadly. It was a scary thing, as usually the man was calm and cheerful, pleasant even when deducting points and handing out detentions. This? This was something none of the students had heard before and it was terrifying.
"Yes." Harry's voice was wary, but Remus only let out a shaky breath, running a hand through grey streaked hair.
"I should have been there." He breathed, his voice cracking. "You shouldn't have found out like that. I…"
"It's alright." Harry said. "I...don't know why you weren't there but you must have had a good reason, right?"
"Still." Remus wanted to hit himself. It didn't matter that he was a werewolf, he still could have done something. He could have worked something out.
It felt like everything that had happened to Harry at the Dursleys was his fault, and he hated himself for it.
Harry had gone very white. As soon as he found his voice he said, "Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!"
"CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter?
"Pretty fucking easily." Topher muttered, but didn't elaborate. He would still dream about it, sometimes - the cut on his forehead, blood on his hands, sticky and warm, scratches from glass. His mother looking broken.
The hospital, his uncle cradling him as they both cried.
It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!"
... I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh - but someone's gotta - yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'."
"Imagine Harry showing up and wondering why everyone knew his name." Fred said.
"I mean, it was still weird." Harry stated. "I didn't have to introduce myself because they look at my head, see the scar and proceed to automatically call me by name."
"Bet us showing up and having no clue who you were was a nice change." Fahra said and Harry nodded emphatically.
"The best kind of change."
He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys.
"Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh - mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it..."
...
"Well - I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."
"I'm assuming in this case, saying the name gives it less power." Topher suggested. "Mind games. If you can say his name casually, it gives him less power. Makes him less awe inspiring - not the good awe, obviously. The psychological ramifications of fearing his name makes it all the more dangerous if he ever comes back."
"You-know-who is dead." That had been the first thing Cornelius Fudge had said, and it immediately painted him out as a fucking annoying ass in Alabaster's opinion - though he didn't like people in positions of power in general.
"Considering how often he's been mentioned and that there are seven books to get through, I think we can assume he's not." Alabaster said back. "And that kind of talk nearly got the gods killed. Just a reminder."
"Why not?"
...
"Could you write it down?" Harry suggested.
"A good suggestion." Remus hummed. "Also, start off small and eventually the fear of saying Voldemort outright would eventually go."
"Don't think I'll ever be able to say the name." Regulus admitted.
"That's because you died...Merlin, that is weird to say." Remus blinked a few times. "We thought he'd killed you, but you were with him. I imagine he didn't take it well if you didn't revere him."
"Nah - can't spell it. All right - Voldemort." Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this - this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers.
"Oh it was probably longer than twenty years." Fahra stated. "If he became as big a threat as he sounds, he was definitely planning this for longer than you think."
"That's not at all a terrifying thought." Tonks muttered, earning a quiet snort from Charlie.
Got 'em, too - some were afraid, ... Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches... terrible things happened.
"That sounds so lonely." Luna frowned slightly. "Having friends makes you stronger."
"Safer to not care." Regulus muttered. "Caring puts you in danger."
"Caring isn't a weakness." Topher stated. "It gives you something to live for, if nothing else. And that's pretty powerful."
He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him ...Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway.
"Thank Merlin for that." Minerva murmured. "Imagine You-Know...Voldemort…being able to mould the minds of future witches and wizards."
"After a while it would become...normal." Filius shuddered. "A terrifying thought."
"Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew.
Severus managed to not snarl at the comment. James Potter, the man who had made his life a living hell, a good man? No. He was a bully. It may be bad to speak ill of the dead, but Severus was still bitter over it.
Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day!... too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side.
"Maybe he had nothing that would convince them to?" Cassandra suggested. "That's how he got lots of his followers. Our dark lord, I mean. Promised respect and recognition and lots of things. Convinced a lot of kids to follow him. Maybe Voldemort tried the same but just...nothing made it worth it. It's harder to convince people who have close friends and family and bonds. People who have the things he could have offered them."
"Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em... You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' - an'-"
Harry winced. It didn't get any easier, did it? Hearing about his parents dying. One day maybe it would become less of an ordeal. He wasn't sure if that was a relief, or a worry. That one day he wouldn't feel like he was getting punched in the gut when it was brought up.
Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn.
...No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age - the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts
Susan leaned into Hannah's side at that, squeezing her eyes shut. She didn't remember her parents, only knew about them from photos and stories, but that wasn't the same as growing up with them. She couldn't bring herself to look at her aunt, but knew that she would be just as upset as she was.
Molly was refusing to cry. Oh Merlin, she wanted to, but she refused to. She missed her older brothers every day, saw them in the mischievous grins of her own twins, but she wasn't going to cry. She'd shed enough tears, and Fabian and Gideon wouldn't want her to cry. They would want her to smile, want her to laugh.
Regulus glanced up at the head table, eyes locking with Severus' for a second, before the potion master nodded slightly. An acknowledgement - yes, he knew when they'd died, heard the news, just as Regulus had heard about Marlene, about the Prewett twins. Regulus had been - and it still made him shudder to acknowledge it - dead when the Bones' had died, but it still hit him surprisingly hard to hear.
- an' you was only a baby, an' you lived."
"So this Lord Vol-au-vent -"
"Er, Voldemort." Harry corrected, even as a few hesitant laughs rose at Alabaster's version of the name.
"Tomato, tomahto." Alabaster waved his hand airily. "Point is, I'm still not used to using names casually, so Lord Vol-au-vent is sticking. So, I don't get how you survived still. Like, it makes no sense - if he killed these people, who definitely would've had wards up, why did something go wrong when it came to you? They would have had exactly the same wards up, yeah?"
"They had an extra - Fidelius Charm." Remus piped up. "Wasn't much good in the end - not when the person who knew the location...well."
"So why did he not manage to kill you?" Alabaster mused. "I know dark lords, and evil villains. They won't hesitate to kill someone if it means they'll get what they want. Something stumped him, something more than the usual wards. It's...maddening."
"You have no idea what?" Harry asked, reminding himself of what Dumbledore had told him at the end of first year, which seemed like a flimsy excuse. Tons of parents died for their kids - what made him so special?
"Not yet." Alabaster admitted. "I am going to be reading so much. I hate not knowing things."
Something very painful was going on in Harry's mind. ... remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a high, cold, cruel laugh.
Shivers came from just about everyone.
"Him laughing was never a good thing." Regulus murmured, arms coming up to wrap around himself without his consent. "Usually someone had died, or a raid had gone well or...well, he got a perverse joy out of...seeing my cousin use the cruciatus on those who had done something...displeasing."
"Torture." Alabaster murmured. "It's derived from latin. She...she would torture people. And he enjoyed watching it?" His eyes flickered over to Neville, who looked close to almost throwing up. Not him personally, Alabaster concluded, but someone he was close to. Family.
"Not as much as she enjoyed doing it." Regulus said. "Especially on her little cousin. Just enough to cause nerve damage." He trailed off, staring into the middle distance. "The fucking Black family. No wonder so many people hated us. I hated them, too, after a while."
"...Nerve damage?" Alabaster was aware his voice had gone very monotone and Regulus merely held out his hands. They shook slightly, constant little tremors.
"Sometimes it...gets really bad. Painful." He said. "Used to have difficulty even moving. Had to down pain potions to be able to get out of bed. Apparently, it won't stop, unless some miracle happens. I'm not expecting that, but you know…" Regulus shrugged. "I cope."
"Usually damaged nerves can be fixed." Cassandra said. "It's tricky, but my brother's done it before. My brother's reattached limbs before. Unfortunately he's not here, but I could try and contact my dad if you want?"
"Don't worry about it." Regulus offered her a tiny smile. "If you want to, feel free to, but...we have bigger issues than my pain."
Hagrid was watching him sadly.
...
"Load of old tosh,"
"I feel stupid but tosh?" Cassandra asked.
"It's British slang so you probably won't know it." Hermione said. "It's like...nonsense. Rubbish."
"Have you ever read about a man so horrible you want to throw him into the sun?" Fahra asked, voice considering. "Is there a spell for that?"
"Probably." George answered and Topher let out a sigh of someone who was long suffering.
"We've discussed how murder isn't the answer, Fahra."
"No. It's a question and the answer is yes." She retorted, which earned loud snorts of amusement and another put upon sigh from the son of Dionysus.
said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. ..."I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured
Flinches came at that, along with angry growls and hisses. Alabaster had looked particularly stricken by the word cured, and Topher had sucked in a sharp breath. Words ringing in his head. Thinking like that, she's sick, we can cure it...
- and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdoes, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion
People like that are wrong, vile, and the world would be better with them gone… Topher reached over to grab Alabaster's hand, his breath shaky, and his boyfriend gave him a worried look. Topher tried for a smile, but it must have been more like a grimace, as Alabaster frowned in response.
- asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types - just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end-"
"You know I can't condone murder," Topher's voice had taken on an absent edge which Alabaster immediately knew spelled trouble, and he squeezed the hand still clutching his. "But if the Dursleys happen to meet their end - in a way that cannot be traced back to the culprits, of course, or even just a tragic accident - I was definitely nowhere near Privet Drive when it happened."
"Of course not." That was from Percy, surprising just about everyone. "You were at The Burrow, helping me sort through job forms."
"Obviously." Topher agreed, and Fred and George exchanged looks. Who knew their brother had it in him?
But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. ...
"But what happened to Vol-, sorry - I mean, You-Know-Who?"
"The early days, when Harry didn't say the name." Ron sighed, feigning wistfulness. "Didn't last very long."
"I'll call Voldemort his moniker when he does something to fucking deserve it." Harry said, and Molly just sighed at his language. "Al, can I steal Lord Vol-au-Vent, for when he probably comes back? It'll probably piss him off."
"Go for it." Alabaster grinned.
"Oh gods it's a mini him." Fahra whispered, snickering when Alabaster flipped her the bird in retaliation.
"Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see... he was gettin' more an' more powerful - why'd he go?
"Oh, a mystery. Great. Awesome." Alabaster sighed. "I reiterate - so. Much. Fucking. Reading."
"I'll see if I can get into Grimmauld Place." Regulus decided. "You'll love the library - just...check with me first. Some of the books there have some pretty nasty hexes on them."
"You have become one of my favourite people." Alabaster declared. "Unlimited access to knowledge of magic that is probably not entirely legal? Yes."
"That's concerning." Bill frowned.
"Listen, how are you supposed to protect yourself from the bad stuff if you don't learn about it?" Alabaster said. "Just don't use it personally unless absolutely necessary and you're good. But coddling people from the dark stuff? That doesn't help anyone. Makes them sitting ducks. You gotta learn all you can to keep yourself safe."
"Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion... Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back.
Alabaster got very twitchy at that. "They thought Kro...he was dead. Tossed into Tartarus, but when enough people followed him…"
"He came back." Fahra finished. "Shit, this feels like deja vu."
"Who…?" Harry trailed off, only to have Alabaster shake his head violently.
"Can't say it. I did...horrible things in his name. And his name has power. Not like the whole fear of the name increases fear of the thing - speaking his name actually gave him power. Literally."
"You were...on the wrong side." Regulus deduced, and shuddered at the bitter laugh Alabaster let out.
"There wasn't a right side." He retorted. "I was on the losing side, that's all."
"Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on…. A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be?
"Anyone can be. Most people have a little potential at the very least. It's whether they can access it or not that determines whether they can alter matter or not." Alabaster shrugged. "You happen to be able to access that well inside you. How could you not be a wizard?"
"It's the self deprecation." Harry said, sounding unbearably cheeky. Alabaster shot him a look.
"You're the most insufferable child I've ever met." He decided, and Harry stuck his tongue out in response.
He'd spent his life being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon;...how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football?
"Doesn't work like that, kid." Regulus sounded ridiculously fond, ignoring the comments on Harry's treatment because the rest of the hall seemed angry enough. "Unfortunately. Especially if you have no clue how you're doing magic. Some purebloods and wizard raised halfbloods have a tiny bit of control of accidental magic, but most of the time it's...well, accidental."
"Hagrid," he said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard."
...Hadn't he set a boa constrictor on him?
"Ugh, don't remind me." Cassandra shuddered. Harry winced a little - she was not going to take second year well at all. He doubted that anyone would take second year well - hell, sometimes he still woke up in a cold sweat when remembering the Chamber. Remembering the tooth stuck in his arm, the poison burning him from the inside out. The spectre. All of it.
Reliving that...it was going to suck.
Harry looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at him.
"See?" said Hagrid. "Harry Potter, not a wizard - you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts."
Harry let out a noise of complaint. "Wish I wasn't. It's so annoying, especially when I was a first year and was being ogled like an animal in a zoo. Then something happens and the entire school turns on you like you're the cause of their whole problem. I'm just one person." A few teachers exchanged concerned looks at that - seemed they hadn't noticed, then. Some of the students flinched, too.
But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight.
"Haven't I told you he's not going?" he hissed. "He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and he needs all sorts of rubbish - spell books and wands and-"
"This man…" Cedric shook his head, the scowl looking out of place on his usually cheerful face. "How Harry puts up with him, I don't know."
"Possibly his super power." One of his yearmates suggested. "Aside from, you know, the whole magic thing. And surviving the killing curse."
"If he wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop him," ...
"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon.
"That isn't going to end well." Pomona muttered to Filius, who could only nod his agreement. One thing almost everyone knew was how much Hagrid respected Albus, and insulting the man in front of him was asking for a tongue lashing at the very least.
But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head, "NEVER - " he thundered, " - INSULT - ALBUS - DUMBLEDORE - IN - FRONT - OF - ME!"
...When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers.
Dead silence for a beat, before laughter erupted from the students.
"Oh, Hagrid, don't torment the kid." Remus was laughing, but managed to sound somewhat disappointed. "He's a bully, but he's still a kid."
"I'm working on transmogrification." Alabaster said.
"Please don't turn Dudley into an actual pig." Topher asked.
"Nah, I was thinking of the uncle. A walrus, maybe." Alabaster retorted, and grinned when Topher's only response was a sigh and a begrudgingly fond eye roll, which was Topher talk for 'oh fine then'.
Uncle Vernon roared. ...Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."
Snorts resounded around the hall at that. Some were reminded of Harry's earlier description of Dudley - a pig in a wig - and therefore found that comment extremely amusing. It was a nice change from the early seriousness of the chapter.
He cast a sideways look at Harry under his bushy eyebrows.
...
"Oh, well - I was at Hogwarts meself but I - er - got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth.
Alabaster frowned at that. "If you're expelled, you aren't allowed to use your magic? That's...really shitty."
"Language." Topher chided halfheartedly. "But yeah. That sounds pretty shitty."
"I can't imagine what that must be like." Regulus shuddered a little. "Magic is a part of me. If I weren't able to use it again because of something that happened during my schooling…"
"Apart from the 'following a genocidal maniac' thing." Fahra said, ignoring Alabaster's silent gestures to shut up. Fortunately, Regulus only laughed at that.
"I was pretty good at hiding the fact I had joined him. Worst decision ever made, yes, but it's better to laugh about it than mope, I think."
"Got that right." Cassandra agreed. Alabaster remained silent. He had wallowed in misery after the whole second war thing. He wished he could laugh about it, like Regulus, but he still dreamed of children and dead eyes - how could one move on from that? Forget the blood on their hands?
In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. ...
"It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that."
Alabaster perked up immediately. "You have shops? With books of spells and magic components?"
"Yes." Arthur tilted his head a little. "Diagon Alley is the biggest one in London. There are other places, of course - the second best one is probably Knockturn Alley, though it is less reputable. Dark artefacts, usually less than legal things, are sold down there."
"But you sell like...gemstones and stuff, right?" Alabaster asked. "I'm running low on obsidian. Also herbs - mistletoe and sage are usually easy to come by but if everything I need was sold in one space that would be so convenient. I actually should get some charcoal and incense and a mix of herbs, now I'm thinking about it. And a brass brazier…"
"You're getting very excited." Katie grinned. "Almost like Oliver when it comes to Quidditch. Why do you need the last few things?"
"For my familiar." Alabaster explained. "I need to summon them and that's what requires it. Mix the ingredients together, stick 'em in the brass brazier, set them alight and it summons a spirit of some form. I have one, but every time I want to summon it anew I need to perform that spell."
"Seems a lot more complex than our spells." Hermione hummed. "Though, I suppose potions are similar in a way. Though we don't summon spirits through that."
"We grow sage on the windowsill at home." Ron said. "I thought spell components would be expensive - you keep talking about precious stones."
"They're important for the more difficult spells, I guess. Something to do with the amount of potential energy needed to convert it. Some require barely anything - feathers are used a lot, mostly feather fall in my case. As previously stated, mistletoe is useful, and sand too. Simple things. But then some particularly complex spells require more expensive ingredients. Diamonds and their dust are useful for warding, for example, and gold dust is good for some gravity stuff, though some may say it's like...locking something in a set time, I guess?" Alabaster shrugged. "Usually, if you can relate it to something in folklore it can be used as a spell component - sand can put people to sleep, because of the sandman lore, or whatever. It's...tricky to explain."
"If you want, after this book, I can see if I can get into the old Black house at Grimmauld Place?" Regulus offered again. "I know you want to raid the library, but I'm sure there are some jewels you can wrestle off their chains in my mother's room. She won't be needing them, and I sure won't be wearing them."
"Have I mentioned you're one of my favourites? Because you are." Alabaster beamed. "I will never say no to free stuff I can cast spells with."
He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry.
"You can kip under that," he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' doormice in one o' the pockets."
"That appears to be it." Albus said after the narrator paused. "One more, then we'll eat, I think."
"The next one should be Diagon Alley." Harry said. "Finally, the magical world."
"I'm looking forward to this." Fahra was bouncing a little with excitement. "Finally, a look at magic outside of world shattering events and the walls of this school. This will be good!"
XoooX
Original chapter: 3688
Comments: 7691
Completed (before editing): 11379
Do you ever remember that Remus, Sirius and Severus were in their thirties during Harry's time at Hogwarts and get very sad? Like currently in the time period this is set? They're thirty three and that hurts me. Especially when I remember how they were younger than me now when the first war ended like ow?
Get them therapy. Actually, no, get every character in HP FUCKING THERAPY.
Am I going to get them therapy at some point during this?
Probably.
In other news I have joined a DnD group which is taking up time but now the exposition is done hopefully chapters will be quicker. Exposition in books is a bitch.
There's less comments in this one, mostly because of said exposition. Everyone but the demigods knows the story, so less commentary from the school. But lots of explanation on how Alabaster thinks magic works. I'm taking a leaf out of DnD, can you tell?
Anyway, until next time! - Jazz xx