Scion of Sorcery: The Avenger of Hogwarts
Disclaimer/Plot/Author's Notes: SEE FIRST CHAPTER
Dedication: I'd like to dedicate this story to everyone who enjoyed the original version of this story: my recommended reads are Trickshot, Reborn, Raven, Widow's Vengeance and Wands and Claws by JustBored21, Man of Iron, Child of Magic and Child of Iron, Goblet of Fire by Zathara001, Master Potter of Kamar-Taj by Ryuko monogatari, Child of the Storm and Ghosts of the Past by Nimbus Llewelyn, Harry Potter: Wizard of Kamar-Taj by Trace Carter, The Rise of the Last Potter by HPfanfictioner66, Harry Potter and the Lightning Lord and Saviour of Magic by Colt01, Knight Errant and Harry Potter and the Shadow of the Demon by ArlyssTolero, Harry Potter The Protector of Magic by TigerSwarm9122, Two Sides to Every Galleon by GJWickham and Magical Origins by Dante 2K-25
Key Pairings: Harry/Daphne; Stephen/Christine;
Other Pairings: Tony/Pepper; Thor/Jane; Others TBD
Normal Speech
'Thoughts'
'Mental Speech'
/Parseltongue/
Review Answers:
Bkerrmom1: I appreciate your kind words: I hope you like this chapter as much, especially since I've brought an event from the original forwards a bit;
Nina0116: Yes, and let's just say it'll happen at the time where, apparently, the nightmare became a friend with the guy she basically spent the next seven years beating up, shrieking at and leading down a path that he didn't want or need;
A-gods-flame: Ha, I love how you're keeping track of the 'swear jar' from some chapters ago;
Darth Void Sage of the Force: Yeah, funny you should mention Loki: why? Well, let's just say someone's going to get a nasty dose of reality with a little help from him soon enough; who? How? When? Keep reading to find out…
"Whatever…the point is: Severus Snape, this will be your one and only warning: if I find out you had anything to do with the events leading to my Mother and my adoptive Father's death, I will make you suffer in such a way, you'll wish you'd never even seen me again, let alone deluded yourself into thinking I am anything like James Potter."
Here, he smiled as he added, "Because I'm not…I'm worse!"
Chapter 7: A Friend in Need
After the short, but sweet Potions lesson, with Slytherin down so many points, it was nothing short of miraculous anyone got out of there alive, and yet, many of the students in Gryffindor couldn't stop talking about the impossible fact that the so-called neutral, professional known as the Head of Slytherin, aka the dangerous, intimidating dungeon bat of Hogwarts, had been broken by one of his own.
Of course, there were certain members of Gryffindor – Granger, who else? – who disliked Harry's attitude towards a teacher and encouraged, if not demanded that he be punished, stating it was lucky he wasn't expelled!
However, as had become the status quo, mostly thanks to said emerald-eyed scion, nobody bothered to listen to the brown-haired blowhard.
Instead, Neville, along with Dean, listened as many of their Housemates applauded the stones on Harry; as a result, more or less 99% of Gryffindor also agreed that Harry's presence in their House would be gladly welcomed.
This was especially true of Ron Weasley, who told Neville, "Hey, Longbottom: next time you see Strange, you tell him he's more than welcome with us. Anyone that can show up Snape and those slimy snakes and get away with it deserves to be an honorary Gryffindor."
However, unlike Dean and the others who applauded Harry's moxie and his willingness to incite chaos in the Dark House, Neville was only cheering for his friend on the outside.
Inside, he was worried.
While the general consensus of everyone else in the Potions class had been to question how Harry had done…whatever he'd done in the class, and while many others also wondered about the odd way that Harry had vanished along with Snape before reappearing just as suddenly, Neville also felt something different because of the worry that wormed away at his guts.
Afterwards, when Harry had returned, delivered his quip and then walked out of the Potions Classroom, following whatever events had taken place between his disappearance and reappearance with the Potions Master, only Neville had seen what could only be described as a dark, foreboding look in the usually-bright, cheeky, fun-filled look in his friend's green eyes.
All right, he didn't exactly know whether or not anyone else had seen it, but the point was that Neville had done and he was worried.
No…more than that…he was scared for Harry, since Sirius himself had always talked about how scary it was to cross Harry's Mother, Lily, because she had a fiery temper that matched the redness of her hair.
More than that, Neville was scared because the look was one that he'd never expected to see on the face of any child. Because when he'd seen the look, Neville had seen a glare that seemed to suggest Harry wanted to either hurt someone badly.
Or, worse case scenario, he wanted to kill them!
And so, despite the whispers of delight that filled Gryffindor House, as well as the questions, speculations, theories and suspicions about the Rogue Slytherin's actions and abilities, Neville couldn't help but split from the crowd, his heart filled with a single purpose.
To find Harry and do something.
All right, so he didn't know what he was going to do, exactly, but he felt like he had to do something to try and help his friend come back from this dark pit of his soul.
Potter…Strange…it didn't matter to Neville Longbottom.
At the end of the day, Neville had been as close as a brother to Harry when they were toddlers together in the families.
Now, even with Harry's right to join the Gryffindors set in proverbial stone after winning their little bet, it was time Neville started honouring that.
But first, he had to try and find him…
Scion
"Can you believe him?"
"Who in Merlin's name does he think he is?"
"How did he wind up one of us if he's more one of those Mudblood-loving blood traitors?"
"Don't say that word!"
"Why? He's not here; probably gone off somewhere to be alone, licking his wound like the dog he is!"
From where she was sat in the Slytherin Common Room, Daphne's ears picked up the one-sided whispers and many pointed arguments, all of which were centred around the young serpent who'd done the impossible.
Gotten Slytherin into trouble with Professor Snape, but for what reason, no-one knew…well, no-one but Daphne, but she was keeping quiet with her knowledge. After all, it wasn't her secret to share and, even if it was, Harry had made it perfectly clear that the only thing he was as a Potter was in adopted-family name, not to mention a potential heir and adoptive bloodline. Everything else that he was, inside and out, was 100% Harry Strange and, no matter who tried to suggest otherwise or what the argument may be, he wasn't going to change that for anything.
At least, that's what Daphne knew enough to believe that Harry was a man of his word, but after what had happened in the Potions Class, she was actually a bit unnerved about what Harry was going to do.
Like a few other snakes, Daphne was curious about Professor Snape's question to Harry, but that was before Harry summarised the question, explaining it in a way and using a format for his answer that would have looked pretty damn good on a NEWT-level theory question test.
The realisation of the connection between this random, impossible question and Harry's late Mother, the events of that ill-fated night and the suspicions that arose because of it had left Daphne feeling curious, but also uneasy, even sick inside, but it also left her with a question.
Did Professor Snape have anything to do with Lily Potter's death?
If so, what and why?
All right, Slytherin House was meant to be the 'House of the Dark' according to so many bigots out there, but still: to be responsible for the death of another for reasons you didn't want others to know about.
Why else would Snape look so horrified that Harry caught the hidden meaning?
And then there was whatever the young sorcerer had done to vanish and reappear as he had done, using that weird gold ring-thing, his stance when he returned much different from when he'd left.
This was something else that Daphne had noticed: the Harry who returned was very different to the one who'd left.
The one that came back from the other side of that weird ring-thing was tense, unyielding and frighteningly-apathetic for an eleven-year-old boy: his glare had this scary level of emotionless, merciless intent that it made Daphne think about what she'd read about the glare of creatures that resulted in magical effects, such as Gorgons, Basilisks and other such creatures of magic.
Then he'd made a passing remark to that interfering bint, Granger – whom even Daphne was starting to get sick of having to listen to, every time Harry was trying to be…well…himself – and walked out, but when Daphne had watched him walk past her seat, she'd seen something else that she hadn't seen in Harry before.
And that thing was fear.
Fear of what, she didn't know, but the fear was there, hidden enough for anyone else to miss it, but not a Slytherin who'd learned to read emotions and show none in return without good reason.
So, while most of the House slandered Harry, apparently-thinking they were safe with him not there, and questioned what he had done and why he'd done it, Daphne remained seated on the chair in front of the fireplace, her eyes filled with a mixture of emotions, none of which actually showed themselves on her face.
Instead, she felt them in her heart and, perhaps for the first time since meeting him, Daphne felt like she could finally understand why Harry chose to be Strange instead of Potter. As Potter, he was a target who would be under the watch of everyone in Hogwarts, which meant he wouldn't have a chance to feel what he did this time around.
But as Harry Strange, he could show them he knew how to play the game, how to be in the crosshairs of his enemies, but out of it at the same time.
As Harry Strange, he could be someone who you looked at because you wondered what he was going to do next and, when you weren't looking, he could be who he wanted to be, do what he wanted to do, and you'd accept that because, unless you were his friend, you left him well enough alone.
Unless your name was Hermione Granger and you had an insatiably-annoying habit of sticking your wand where it didn't belong.
And, as was clear from his actions and his choice of personal rebellion, Harry had no friends in Slytherin, not even Daphne.
Right now, she was a peer at best; an outsider in the comfort zone of the young sorcerer, which meant that, like everyone else, he wanted her to leave him alone in his isolation. As a potential friend, Daphne knew that would be the right thing to do, but still, she couldn't help but feel a glimmer of pain and hope stirring in her chest as she hoped her friend was going to be all right.
Turning her head towards the passageway that led to the dormitories, Daphne saw Draco, Blaise and a few other Slytherin boys leave the passage.
As they passed her, however, Draco looked in her direction and, for a moment, Daphne thought she saw a look of puzzlement on the face of the infamous Malfoy Heir that soon masked itself behind a look of neutrality, but it was enough for Daphne to know what the look meant.
Harry wasn't in the dormitories.
So, where was he?
Once again, Daphne felt herself turn cold with fear and dread as she wondered about her friend's state of mind: would he be all right?
Would he come back?
And, most-importantly, who would come back when he did?
Scion
"ALBUS! IT'S ABOUT TIME! YOU…YOU HAVE TO HELP ME! YOU HAVE TO PUNISH THAT LYING, TWO-FACED, LITTLE…"
"Quiet."
Even though she had a duty of care to tend to the insanely-disoriented, clumsy and, often-times, vomiting Professor Severus Snape, even Madam Pomfrey had to make herself scarce when she heard the Headmaster cut off Snape's tirade, without so much as raising his voice, a hand, or even showing any indication that he was going to indulge Severus' demands.
She knew it, even if the alarmed, nauseous and paler-than-usual-looking Snape didn't.
The Potions Master was in serious trouble.
While Poppy left the insufferable man-child to whatever fate awaited him, Dumbledore stepped closer to Severus' bed, though not before the Potions Master retched and vomited again. As he did so, he was dimly aware of Dumbledore casting several powerful privacy charms, as well as anti-eavesdropping wards, around the bed, before he drew the curtain around them for good measure.
Once he was done, Dumbledore did Snape a favour, by vanishing the sick he'd thrown up, before the old man looked to his Potions Master.
"What did I tell you?"
"You don't understand…look…look what he did to me! I…I can barely stand…hold my wand…I can't even use the bathroom without Poppy animating the chamber pot…and I swear she's enjoying it! Albus, you have to get…"
"I said quiet," said Dumbledore, emphasising the last word with a flicker of magic that would have definitely terrified anyone else, but Snape merely flinched, before he retched again, turning green with sickness as he vomited into the pot once more.
"I…I can't…stop…vomiting! Albus: you must…"
"Severus, if I must tell you to be silent one more time, I take a page out of the book of an old, sadly-dear-departed friend and former student of mine to silence you," warned Dumbledore, the usual twinkle in his eyes now more like the crackle of lightning present in the gaze of a certain Thunder God fully-empowered, as he watched Snape's eyes glaze over before he sank into his pillows, holding his head with a shaking hand as he looked up at Dumbledore.
Seeing that, finally, the man seemed to get the message, Dumbledore's lips twitched in amusement before he became cool-toned and stone-faced once again as he asked, "Now, again, I ask you, Severus: what did I tell you? This very morning, before you and I sat down to breakfast, what did I tell you concerning young Harry?"
"He lied!"
"What did I tell you?"
"He's used Dark Magic on me!"
"And you would have done…what? Cast Flipendo on him when you drew your wand?" asked Dumbledore, earning a look from Snape that could have put a petulant child to shame, while the pout might as well have come from Hagrid, with how big it looked, as Dumbledore asked again. "Now, for the third and final time, Professor Severus Snape: what…did…I…tell…you?"
He didn't raise his voice.
That was the worst thing that Severus noticed as he looked up at Dumbledore, and saw what he saw before him.
The fury of the Headmaster, Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump and even the Head and Commander-in-Chief of the Order of the Phoenix.
A fury that nobody wanted to meet, least of all in the school, and, as Severus looked into the electrifyingly-bright blue eyes, he felt like a mere first-year being punished for a crime that – in his sad little mind – he didn't commit.
Even so, lying and disobeying were not options.
Lowering his eyes, trying to keep what little was left in his stomach after Potter's cowardly assault – and he was a Potter, no matter what lies the fetid little bastard spewed – Severus swallowed hard as he answered in his normal clenched-teeth, heavily-constipated tone of voice.
"You…you told…advised…"
"Told."
"Told," said Severus, again feeling like a first-year in trouble before the rage and fury of Albus Dumbledore, "Told me to…to be…civil with…with Potter…"
"Actually, from what I have seen, it is Strange, not Potter," argued Dumbledore, again keeping his voice neutral and scary to hear as he continued addressing his colleague. "A fact I am certain he himself tried to convince you of before you decided to not only single him out in front of his peers, but also use a question with an underlying factor that, quite frankly, given whom has not only raised him, but trained him, I am not surprised he saw through faster than most other NEWT-level students who'd be asked such a question."
"Obviously, he cheated!"
"Did he?" asked Dumbledore, folding his arms as he looked down at Snape with a foreboding air that seemed to chill the very air around him, making the situation much worse for Snape, as he asked, "And how, exactly, did he cheat? Did he know you were going to ask such a pointless question that almost nobody could have answered? Or did he wield a Time Turner and travel back from his NEWT years with the answer? Or is it entirely possible, Professor Snape that, instead of cheating, Harry simply used all that was available to him, such as his family connection to the Sorcerer Supreme himself, to study and become the prodigy that even Minerva reluctantly admits she might have been wrong to question?"
"He's a Potter!"
"And Mister Malfoy is Lucius' son and Bellatrix Lestrange's nephew, so, does that mean I should recommend to Amelia that the Dementors be sent here because, as Chief Warlock, for the sake of my students' safety, I decide that, because I hear the name of Malfoy, I think he should either be a soulless vessel or a corpse?" asked Dumbledore, earning a horrified look from Snape, which was soon accompanied by another vomiting fit.
"My, Severus; I always imagined you'd have a stronger stomach," drawled Dumbledore, lowering his arms again as he explained, "Now, as you said, I told you to be civil, neutral and professional towards young Harry, not simply because he is Lily's son, but because, as the Son of Earth's Most-Powerful Sorcerer, bar none, you were risking tickling not a sleeping dragon, but a whole reserve of sleeping dragons all at once."
"I…I asked him…a…a question!" hissed Severus, sweat now forming on his brow as he snarled, "What is so difficult for you to understand that…"
"What is difficult, Professor Snape," replied Dumbledore, his voice now tinged by a hint of rage as he asked, "Is the question of what you must have been thinking when you not only took points from your House after Harry answered your question correctly, but then, despite his somewhat-sharp tongue and sharper wit in how he asked it of you, you instead go off the deep end because he points out the hidden message in your question. Then, you also claim he should not return to your class and, despite your authority as a professor, you…you draw your wand on him…when every student there will attest that you cast a wandless spell to throw open your door. So, tell me, Professor, what possibly possessed you to act in a very unprofessional manner towards a prodigy in your art? And, if you can manage it, old friend, perhaps you might answer me without using the words, he is a Potter, or he must have cheated, would you, my boy?"
"He…he threatened me…"
"By asking you, in front of witnesses, about why you were asking a question that only a very small number of first-years could have known? By asking you about the hidden floriography-based message concerning the hidden properties of asphodel and wormwood? If you ask me, Severus…actually, you don't have to ask me because you and I both know that yours and Lily's mentor would have awarded Harry points for seeing the hidden message. Hell, he might have even given him a privilege for such a clear-cut answer…"
"But he is a…"
A flick of Dumbledore's wand saw Snape muzzled, courtesy of a non-verbal Oscausi Hex, earning an alarmed look from Severus as he felt more bile rise up in his throat.
Dumbledore, meanwhile, pointed his wand at the man's sealed mouth as he told him, "Now, to save us both a headache and worse in your case, I will remove the hex. But not before you hear me, Severus Tobias Snape: now, I am going to have a meeting with Harry this afternoon and, if my theory is correct, I will also be having a special guest join us in our meeting. So, for the sake of neutrality and his peers in Gryffindor and Slytherin, I will try and convince him to make peace with you. However, and, be warned, Severus, this is your only warning, but if I ever hear you acting in an unprofessional manner again, be it with Harry or any student outside of Slytherin House, you will face the consequences."
While Dumbledore unsealed Snape's mouth, which was the cue for another vomit-rocket to be launched, the Headmaster smiled as he looked to the window of the Hospital Wing, unsealing the privacy wardings as he did so.
"After all, I imagine Horace would pay a king's ransom ten-times over to be given the chance to teach the Son and Heir of the Sorcerer Supreme."
"YYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"What in Merlin's name?" asked Poppy, earning a fond smile from Dumbledore as he walked out to meet her.
"No need for alarm, Poppy; I imagine it is just the excitement of a young man having found a reason to smile again…"
Scion
Several Minutes Earlier
Even returning to his dormitory and reuniting with Mana hadn't been able to help lift Harry's spirits.
He was angry…and not just normal kid-angry either; instead, if it were possible, Harry suddenly imagined himself shifting into an uncontrollable, beyond-pissed-off version of The Hulk with how angry he was.
He couldn't stay inside; he knew that much.
So, instead, with Mana by his side, Harry walked out onto the grounds, earning a cry of delight from Mana as she nuzzled him before, looking up at him, the thunderbird asked, 'Thank you for this, little one. Can't we stay out here and enjoy the light? It's been a while since I spread my wings and the fresh air may do you some good too.'
"I'm sorry, girl," replied Harry, petting Mana on one of her wings as they walked across the bridge before, heaving a sigh, Harry explained, "I just refuse to believe that anyone who might have had something to do with Mum's death could ever feel regret for that death. And, worse, what if I'm right? What if Snape is somehow responsible? Does that mean I…I have to put up with him and just smile and wag my tail?"
'I wish I had the answer,' replied Mana, nuzzling Harry's hand before she let out a low cry of supportive emotion as she explained, 'But, and this is not meant to sound in any way compensating, but think of it this way: if you hadn't been left alone, you would not have been raised by your Father, or bonded with me.'
Even though he took some small offence from such a painful reminder of what he'd lost and found because of the Brits' so-called Dark Lord, Harry couldn't resist smiling as he knew that his familiar was just trying to help.
On top of that, he knew her earlier question was both a distraction for his emotional turmoil and, at the same time, he knew Mana longed for the freedom of the skies and the open environment around them, especially after being kept in his dorm for the better part of the week.
"No offence taken, girl," said Harry, bending down as he kissed Mana on the top of her feathered head before, as he petted her feathers softly, Harry hummed thoughtfully as he asked, "Tell you what? Why don't we go and pay Hagrid a visit? Remember? He said he'd like to get to see you again and I think he'd appreciate seeing you fly; plus, like you said before, he's kind of nice and, as weird as it sounds, I could use someone around me who isn't going to dictate anything to me, but might serve as a nice distraction from my…my dilemma."
Mana knew he meant fear, but she remained ever-supportive, not to mention pleased with his choice; letting out a screech of agreement, Mana spread her wings and took off into the skies, leaving Harry by the edge of the Stone Circle.
But not for long.
Moments later, to Harry's surprise, he watched as his winged friend suddenly swooped down and released a stream of lightning from her body that seemed to envelop her like an elemental cocoon. As shocking – no puns intended – as that was, the surprises continued as, when it faded, Harry was awestruck, stunned and beyond amazed to notice how Mana was much bigger now: if he had to guess, she looked like she was more like the size of a well-bred adult thunderbird.
As if that wasn't enough, however, Harry barely had a moment to admire his friend's new form before he let out a cry of surprise as Mana grabbed him in her talons and picked him up off the ground. As Harry cried out in shock, fear and a hint of worry – since he didn't want Mana to drop him and leave him as a smear on the ground – he felt a great swell of emotional support, personal strength and reassurance fill his mind, helping to banish his fears, replacing them with feelings of awe and wonder as Mana suddenly turned him around, using her talons to somehow, quite-literally, flip him onto her back, his hands wrapped securely, but gently around the feathers of her neckline.
'Hold on, little one,' said Mana, letting out another cry as she flew off in the direction of the Forbidden Forest, her six beautiful-looking wings now crackling with magical lightning while her body moved quickly, but smoothly over the tops of the trees. As they flew together, Harry straightened himself up, a part of him filled with more awe at the sight of Hogwarts from the air, the Great Lake, the Forest and even the towers of the mighty citadel looking so much more enchanting in the light of the September sun.
As he straightened up, Harry spread his arms before he let out a laugh and a whoop of delight, earning a cry of similar affection and delight from Mana as she beat her wings, giving them more height.
"YYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! This…this is amazing!" cried Harry, lowering one hand to his familiar's feathery head as he asked, "But since when can you shift your size like that? I never knew you could do that before."
'I don't actually know; I acquired the gift when your birth Mother's magical gift became yours on your eleventh birthday, little one,' explained Mana, earning a gasp of wonder from Harry as the voice of his familiar filled his thoughts. 'I wanted to surprise you with it and, given your worries of your inevitable meeting with your family's former friend, as well as your honorary sibling's Father, I thought this would cheer you up.'
"You were right," whispered Harry, petting Mana's feathers as he asked, "I…I feel so…so free! So happy…so…so re-energized; thank you! Do you…um…what I mean is, can we fly together more often?"
'Whenever you need it, little one,' replied Mana before Harry laughed as the thunderbird's body shone with lightning that filled the sky with an atmosphere similar to a fireworks display, the explosions of light and energy around them adding to the wonder of the moment.
Finally, as Mana flew back towards the ground, Harry saw they'd gained a bit of an audience, including one very awed, breathless half-giant, whom Mana flew down towards before she banked out, using her talons to land gracefully on the ground in front of Hagrid and a large black boarhound, who barked happily as he saw newcomers to his den.
"Great Merlin's beard!" gasped Hagrid, a tear of wonder and awe forming in his oddly-bright, beetle-black eyes as he whispered, "I can' believe it! Yer friend flies beau'ifully, Mr Strange."
'Thank you,' said Mana, Harry repeating the remark for Hagrid's sake before he bent down and petted the boarhound, who proceeded to give Harry a tongue bath, much to the amusement of both Hagrid and Harry.
Cleaning the slobber from his face and clothes with a whisper of his magic, Harry looked to Hagrid before he added, "Technically, you did this when you complimented her before, sir, but…you just made a friend for life. And it's Harry to you, Mr Hagrid; sorry for the shock, but I remember you asking me if you could see Mana again and, well, we had time to kill, so…"
"Jus' Hagrid's fine, 'Arry," said Hagrid, his different, heavily-accented way of speaking actually surprising Harry, but he didn't let it change his thoughts of the large man's kindness or his sense of friendship. "And thank yeh fer lettin' me see 'er again; seeing her fly like that is a real 'onour."
"She appreciates the compliment, Hagrid…we both do," laughed Harry, now stroking the boarhound behind his black ears as he asked, "And who's this lovable lump of fur? He seems to like her just as much as you do."
"'E's Fang and 'e's 'armless," said Hagrid, looking from Harry to his pet as he added, "'E jus' like ter lick people ter death, but e's about as 'armful as me hat; anyway, would you like ter come in fer some tea? I've made a pot."
"Thank you," replied Harry, before he laughed at Hagrid's expression as Mana used her Lightning Shift to change back to her 'normal' size, which she used to follow Harry into the large man's home, both of them knowing that, in a strange way, they'd made two new friends that day.
One not so human and one who was just a big ball of slobber and fur, yet both of them were welcome additions to the life of the young Sorcerer…
Scion
The time spent at Hagrid's was as fun as it was interesting, especially when Harry noticed a strange report about some stupid idiot who'd tried to break into Gringotts, only to fail as it looked like nothing had been taken.
One of the highlights, however, was getting to taste Hagrid's cooking as he offered rock cakes that were so hard, Harry suspected only someone like Hulk could actually eat them; however, to Hagrid's surprise, Harry didn't just bite into them, he actually ate four of them while offering some to Mana, who politely ate two, using their hard shells to sharpen her claws and beak before eating them.
When Hagrid asked Harry how they'd done it when anyone else who'd tried them usually wound up breaking their teeth or even discarding them later, Harry laughed as he admitted, "One thing I've learned in my short life is that, with magic, anything's possible, Hagrid; even biting into a tasty, if not diamond-hard rock cake."
To Harry's surprise, it was nearly dark by the time Harry and Mana left Hagrid's hut, both of them promising to return while, to Harry's relief, Hagrid told him that Mana was welcome to stay with the half-giant anytime she wanted to fly without having to return to the Slytherin dungeons.
To Harry's bewilderment, Hagrid didn't even seem troubled by the fact that he was a Slytherin, much less that he bore a strong resemblance to the boy he wasn't; if Hagrid even knew, let alone suspected that Harry was who others said he was, he didn't show it and, instead, he chose to respect Harry for the boy he was and not the boy he was meant to be.
As Harry and Mana made their way up to the Great Hall for the evening feast – though Harry wasn't that hungry after enjoying Hagrid's rock cakes and tea along with a jar of homemade fudge that, like his cakes, seemed too hard for normal people, but Harry once again softened it up with a whisper of his magic – the young sorcerer looked back for a brief moment as the faint sound of a flute reached his ears from the hut, the tune just as eerie, but warming to the ears as the man himself had been to Harry's spirit.
'I've said it before and I'll say it again,' commented Mana, earning a smile from Harry as she told him, 'I like him.'
"Me too, girl," said Harry.
As he walked towards the doors of the Great Hall, however, the young boy stopped dead in his tracks as he slapped his forehead, "Oh…crap!"
'What?'
"We were meant to meet the Headmaster this afternoon," said Harry.
Suddenly, Harry heard a soft chuckle, which made him look down, while Mana spread her wings and bowed as the Junior Supreme found himself greeted by Professor Flitwick, who looked up at Harry with a mixture of fondness and amused interest.
"Albus had a feeling your change in emotions would distract you, Mr Strange; fortunately, he had me wait here to greet you and your friend here. If you would kindly follow me, both of you, I'll take you to the office."
Thanking the Head of Ravenclaw for his assistance, Harry turned and walked towards the Headmaster's Office.
As they neared the large and – in Harry's opinion – enchanting-looking phoenix statue, however, Harry's expression became a mixture of shock and unease when he saw that him and Professor Flitwick weren't alone.
There, standing before the statue, was Professor Dumbledore, but he wasn't alone.
Doctor Strange himself was standing there, the sight of the Sorcerer Supreme in all his glory making Filius gasp in amazement as he bowed respectfully, "Sorcerer Supreme: in my clan's name, I greet thee."
"Oh great, that's all I need; another Thor who speaks like we're in Shakespearean times," said Stephen, earning a soft laugh from Harry as he walked forwards and embraced his Father warmly and proudly.
"Well, you know what my favourite Uncle…well, one of them, would say to that, Dad: Doth Mother know, you weareth her drapes?" drawled Harry, earning an amused laugh from Stephen while, to Harry's surprise, but also relief, Filius chuckled at the remark.
As Stephen tousled his son's hair, the Sorcerer Supreme looked to Filius as he added, "And please, Master Flitwick: for an old friend of the kindest, bravest witch I knew, it's just Stephen. And, in her name, I want to thank you for helping Harry be more…himself here at Hogwarts, despite the protests and arguments of many of your peers."
"Please, Stephen, if I am on a first-name basis with the Sorcerer Supreme, then so are you with me, sir; so, it is just Filius, and no thanks are necessary. I loved Lily like a daughter and I am honoured and prouder than I can say to be able to teach her son…though, sometimes, I confess; he is more likely to be the teacher before too long."
"Not until he's a teenager," said Stephen, earning a gasp from Harry, while the Sorcerer Supreme looked down at his son as he added, "And, on that note, I should ask you: are you all right, Son? Albus has been filling me in on the details of…of what happened."
"I…I think so," admitted Harry, giving a curt nod to Dumbledore, who returned it in kindness, while Harry also noticed Filius leaving them alone, even as he explained, "I just…I wish I hadn't let my emotions get the better of me with Snape: you always warned me of the dangers of my power."
"Yes, but given the fact he might have had even a small part to play in Lily's death, I'd say your anger was justifiable, son," explained Stephen, kneeling down so that he could look into Harry's eyes as he added, "I'm just proud of you for not letting anger consume you to the point where you ignored your basic instincts: getting out of Dodge was a good move, as was how you restrained yourself with what you did to him, but, even so, I have received Albus' permission to take you home after our meeting…and on that note…"
Here, he turned to Dumbledore, who actually seemed surprised by Stephen's change in demeanour as the dark-haired sorcerer addressed him with a mixture of caution and warning as he explained, "From now on, I'd like a little more warning if you are demanding that my son come and meet you face-to-face, Supreme Mugwump. While I appreciate you filling in the blanks, I must ask it, regardless: other than the fact you're his Headmaster, what do you want with him anyway?"
"Just to talk, nothing more," replied Albus, his eyes filled with a glint of amusement as he then asked, "Given you know my title, dear boy, I can also guess that you and Harry have had encounters with my friend Rameses: how is he?"
"He says you still owe him for the Uluru Incident, but other than that, he's fine with you being you," answered Stephen, earning a scoff of amused thoughts from Dumbledore before the sorcerer asked, "And don't call me your boy; I am neither yours nor a boy, Albus Dumbledore…now, I'll ask you again, old man, what do you want with my son?"
For a moment, Dumbledore looked a little pensive, even wary as he considered his response before, finally, he took a breath as he asked, "Shall we adjourn to my office, Stephen? I think our conversation might go smoother in comfier surroundings."
"Fine," agreed Stephen, snapping his fingers before, to Dumbledore's surprise, the phoenix statue sprang to life, rising up and forming the stairway that led up to Dumbledore's chambers, which Stephen then indicated as he looked back to an amazed-looking Dumbledore.
"Lead the way, Headmaster…"
Chapter 7 and, oh boy, talk about a meeting of the minds and a clash of the titans, but what will Harry and Stephen have to say with regards to Dumbledore's 'advice' concerning the future?
Also, will Harry actually be able to ignore doubt, fear and dread, in favour of being – insert shudder here – civil with Snivellus Snape, even though the guy's a bigger bigot and hypocrite than a certain man with the initials JJJ?
Keep Reading to Find Out
Next Chapter: Stephen learns a dark truth about Harry's past, which opens the floodgates of his future; unfortunately, the Sorcerer Supreme isn't the only all-powerful being whom is about to learn some grim secrets…
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