It was by luck that everyone happened be to free the next day, though they were a little alarmed in the beginning as my messaged sounded urgent. I didn't explain much, other than saying everything was fine but they all had to follow me somewhere. They were wary but trusted that I would only gather them all like this if it was important, and so agreed to follow along. I had the elves drop us off, at the same spot as the day before. And then led everyone to the unassuming townhouse, that hid the London Sanctum.
"This is where you wanted to bring everyone?" asked a skeptic Mr. Granger.
"Hush, dear. He wouldn't bother all these people for nothing." Mrs. Granger, immediately, scolded her husband.
"It's probably charmed to look like an ordinary house, it's probably much different on the inside." Hermione explained to her father in a quieter voice.
"It certainly is different on the inside, but it's not a charm that hides the real building." I corrected Hermione's explanation. I'd made sure to mention in Hermione's letter to bring her parent as well, and for Neville, his grandmother to be present as well. But she was preoccupied, so couldn't be here.
"Now before we go in; Mr. & Mrs. Granger, can you please tell us all, how you felt finding out about the magical world?" I asked them suddenly.
"Oh…it was quite the shock at first, to learn that a whole society of magical people have been hiding from everyone, for all this time." Mrs. Granger said after a little pause because of my unexpected question.
"Yes, I remember having to pinch myself a couple of times, walking through Digon Alley-" followed Mr. Granger.
"Diagon Alley, dear." Interrupted Mrs. Granger, correcting her husband's gaffe, with a pat on his shoulder.
"Right Diagon Alley. I remember the first time we went, we spent hours in each store, there was much to learn in every little aspect of the magical world. Unfortunately, we couldn't get far, our lack of magic hindering our progress." He said in a daze. The ones who knew Hermione couldn't help but let out a giggle. It was obvious where Hermione got her inquisitive and studious nature from.
"Perfect, thank you. I just wanted the rest of them to know that whatever they'll be feeling very soon, is completely normal, and have you to talk to. If they need help coping with their world view shattering." I said after I was able to stop giggling. Or more like, was forced to by an elbow from Hermione, Neville had received one as well.
"What do you mean Harry?" Asked a very confused Sirius, voicing the same question on everyone's mind. I could tell from the expression on their faces.
"Well Sirius, I mean that you're going to have to give the title of World's Greatest Prankster up." I said with mocking humor in my voice.
"Blasphemous! There is not a-
-single person alive that is better-
-than a Marauder, especially
The One and Only Padfoot. You should-
-know that, Harry!" voiced out the Twins in support of their hero. They had managed to make it without any of the other Weasley members joining along. And had thus spent the entire time talking to Sirius in hushed tones, so as to not interrupt the group.
"No? How about the people who were able to get the entire wizarding world to believe they were the only magic users in existence?" I asked rhetorically, I knew they wouldn't have an answer to that. And they didn't, they just responded with a confused expression, as did everyone else. Without explaining any further, I spun around and knocked on the door…
From that day onward, the months passed by so quickly, that I before I knew it, I found myself sitting on the Hogwarts train, as it made its way back to London, after the end of the 2nd year. I was sitting alone in the compartment, Neville and Hermione had gone ahead of me to Kamar-Taj using their Sling Rings. I told them I wanted stop by the store we were opening in Diagon Alley. It would be on opening day that I would end up telling them, that they had reserved shares in the business for being the initial ones, along with me, to come up with the idea.
Sitting alone in the compartment as I thought back on the last few months, so much had changed in just a short time, that it astonished me. Even though, I was the catalyst of all the changes. Starting with Neville and Hermione who had gone ahead to Kamar-Taj, had come very far in their training of the Mystic Arts.
In Neville's case, I think he had taken to the Mystic Arts like a fish to water. Despite, all the encouraging Hermione and I gave him, and all the improvements he has made in his wizarding magic; there remained a part of him that was afraid and reluctant to use that magic. Most likely because of the way his parents ended up after Bellatrix's torture, he may have, unknowingly, developed an instinctual fear of wizarding magic. And so, when he learned of a form of magic completely different to the one that hurt his parents, he became completely enamoured with it. Dare I say, even surpassing the love he has for Herbology.
His love became even more exacerbated after it gave him, his parents back. A few days after I introduced everyone to Kamar-Taj, I took Neville to see the Ancient One. While everyone else was busy taking their first steps as a sorcerer, I was hoping to give Neville the chance to be with his parents again. He was surprised that I knew of his parents' current state when I mentioned it to the Ancient One, the shock was evident on his face. I asked if it was possible that his parents' Astral Forms could still be strong enough to be removed from their bodies. Neville, had become mute as the conversation between the Ancient One and I went on. He didn't want to interrupt what could be the first real chance in years he, or his grandmother, had at reviving his parents. We talked about how long they had been possibly held under the torture curse, how long its been since, the treatments they could have received and where they currently are.
That conversation led to Augusta Longbottom, Neville's grandmother, making her first visit to Kamar-Taj. Whatever shock she must have been feeling at discovering another magical society was subdued by the possibility of seeing her son and daughter-in-law revived. When your grandson appears in your living room, after coming through a golden teleporting archway, past all your strongest wards, you tend to believe the people with him might have a lot of power, enough to believe what they tell you. To further assure, her and Neville, I had the Ancient One project my Astral Form out, for them to see. It caught the attention of the others as well, and they too joined what became a brief lesson on Astral Forms and Soul magic. Since I hadn't brought up Voldemort's piece that was inside me as an example, she understood not to bring it up either.
She explained that getting Frank and Alice's Astral Form projections out their bodies will be possible, if they are still alive. But to bring their minds back to where they can function may not. It can only be confirmed once she has a chance to work her magic on them, so to speak. It was something she had attempted a few times before. Apparently, the use of the Unforgivable Curses may be taboo in the European Countries, but it wasn't such in other parts of the world. So, she had come across a few individuals that had their minds destroyed by the Cruciatus Curse . Though usually they were non-magic folk, victims of cruel and power-hungry wizards and witches, like Voldemort but ones that were caught early into their reign of terror. She didn't provide too many details on when and who, but enough to give Neville and Mrs. Longbottom hope, that they hadn't had in years. And so, within two days, Frank and Alice Longbottom, had been brought to Kamar Taj.
Before pushing their Astral Forms out, this time the Ancient One with the help of the Protectors of the Sanctums, drew out a large circle made of symbols I recognized as many of the Runic language symbols of the Mystic arts. It was conjured to form under the bodies of Frank and Alice, giving them an ethereal reddish, orange glow. Instead of forcefully pushing onto their bodies with her palms, the Ancient One gently laid them on their chest and then closed her eyes in concentration. 9 seconds later, she raised her palms and as she did, the Astral Forms of Frank and Alice came along. They were very faint in the beginning, but they were still recognizable. I saw Neville barely restrain himself, to give the sorcerers their time to work. Soon the spells they had cast in the circle came alive and the colour on Frank's and Alice's faces became more pronounced as they slowly opened their eyes.
"Where-Where am I?" muttered out Frank Longbottom.
"Honey, is that you?" the Astral form of Alice Longbottom, asked looking towards her husband once she opened her eyes.
"Mom! Dad!" Neville, who couldn't take anymore of staying silent, blurted out.
Both Frank and Alice look bewildered at the unknown boy calling them his parents, but after they properly looked him, they realized who it was. The moment the realization came to them was evident to everyone, as both their faces morphed to shocked horror. Reckoning that it was quickly becoming a private moment for just the Longbottom family, the rest of us left the infirmary of Kamar-Taj. Leaving just the Ancient One, the Protectors, and the Longbottom family in the room.
"That was a very thoughtful thing you did for Neville, Harry. I'm very proud of you." Sirius said with pride in his voice, once we were all in the courtyard.
"That was just the first step, Sirius. You heard the Ancient One, that was the easier step." I said solemnly.
"Take the moment to enjoy the small victory, Harry. Regardless of whether she can get them fully recovered, you allowed Neville a chance to have some time with his parents. That's already an amazing feat to accomplish." Sirius reassured my worries, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.
Eventually the Ancient One and the Protectors came out, explaining that while there was still more to be done, in regards to getting Frank and Alice's minds in working order, they were stable enough for now. She had been able to put their Astral Forms back in their body after undoing some of the damage to their minds. But they would need to let them rest before making another attempt to repair more damage. I was told that the Longbottoms wanted to see me, first and foremost.
When I got the room where Frank and Alice were staying in, I could hear the Longbottoms laughing and chatting together. I stayed on the horizon, giving the family a bit more alone time. Eventually, I made my way in, to the delight of the entire Longbottom family. As soon as I was completely inside, Neville ran up to me and give me a hug, a very big and tight hug. Had to tell him to take it easy, as it was getting hard to breath. He quickly let go, scratching the back of his head, to the amusement of everyone else in the room. I then looked to Frank and Alice Longbottom, and I could definitely see the similarities between Neville and his parents. As I was examining them, I could tell, they were examining me, searching for the similarities they saw in me and the friends they had lost, in James and Lily.
"Hello, Harry!" Frank and Alice said together once they studied me enough.
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom." I said respectfully.
"Oh, please none of that. Call us Frank and Alice, after everything you did to get us back to our son. You deserve to call us that." Frank insisted right after.
"I didn't do much. Neville is my friend and-" this time Augusta Longbottom interrupted me with a hand on my shoulder.
"Nonsense! If it wasn't for you asking, then none of this would be possible. I don't know if you knew this but your parents had named Alice as your godmother." Augusta stated firmly. Even though I did know that, I still gave a surprised expression. Alice confirmed Augusta's statement with a nod when I looked towards her.
Our conversations, eventually, moved to how Neville and I grew up over the years. I didn't mention my time with the Dursleys as I didn't want to upset them right now, they had just woken up after years in a coma. Did not want to upset them, so quickly. They were quite impressed with Neville and I when we told them our grades for the first year. Augusta made sure to mention how much help Hermione and I had provided Neville. Apparently, he had been unrelenting towards the praise he gave us at home.
Very soon, Sirius had also been called in as well. It was a bittersweet moment for the three old friends. I could see it on all three faces; lamenting the fact that James and Lily were not here. Speaking of old friends reuniting, we still had not been able to hear anything of Remus. Whose absence was noted and asked about, though neither Sirius or I had answers to give them. And the lack of an acceptable answer, greatly angered Frank and Alice, as they felt Remus should have been here. They weren't as close to him, as they were with James and Lily but because of the war with Voldemort, they had become close enough. To learn that he hadn't even reached out when Sirius was released was what really upset them. As even though Sirius looked and acted a lot better than his initial release, the people that knew him well would be able to see the cracks in his demeanor, the effects of Azkaban still visible. Frank and Alice had noticed it right away, though they hadn't commented on it. I picked it up from my viewpoint as an adult who understood the many ways adults will try to hide their troubles from the children, and he did try to hide it from me.
For the entire second term of the year, every other weekend, Augusta would have Neville pulled out of Hogwarts so he could visit Frank and Alice. They had many years to make up for and Frank and Alice wanted to spend as much time with their son, as possible. Neville's regular absence over the weekends, allowed Hermione and I, to become closer as friends, as I kept her company on the weekends that Neville would be gone. Previously, I spent most of the weekends adventuring around by myself.
Hermione had also become besotted with learning the Mystic Arts, though she made sure it did not affect her Hogwarts education, in any way. It wasn't in her nature to leave anything halfway so she had taken it upon herself to became an expert of both forms of magic. She was particularly interested in the similarities of the two magic forms and the ways they differed from each other. Mostly because she wanted to know why one form of magic disrupted and destroyed electronics, while other did not. To be fair, I was very curious about that fact as well. So I made sure to keep myself updated on Hermione's progress and help her however I could, on that front.
As with Neville, Hermione's love of the Mystic Arts could also be partially attributed to her parents. They were initially hesitant thinking they too would have to be responsible for fighting against any threats to our dimension. But the Ancient One confirmed to them, that learning the Mystic Arts did not force them to become sorcerers of Kamar Taj. That there were others before them, who ultimately chose to leave Kamar Taj, even after completing their training. Hearing that had helped them become more at ease with it. Though from the start they had during the winter break, it didn't seem like they would have a lot of luck with the Mystic Arts and being able to actually perform most of the spells. They didn't care too much about that, much like Hermione, they were just happy at being able to learn about another hidden society. Though they did say, the one thing that they really wanted to learn, was how to use a Sling Ring. Mr. Granger joked that it would help him beat the regular traffic, too bad he didn't know how worse it was going to get. Hopefully, they were able to get them to work, if that was the one thing the Grangers wanted to hang their hats on.
Of course, Hermione and Neville weren't the only students in Hogwarts, besides me of course, who were practising in the Mystic Arts. Hermione, Neville and I, vividly, remember the vicious grins that were fixed on the twins faces, when they realized that they wouldn't be tracked by the ministry when using the Mystic Arts. The three of us shuddered, and prayed silently, for all the poor students and professors at Hogwarts. They had no idea what was coming for them.
Now whereas the younger wizards were more accepting of the Mystic Arts, it still took the adults sometime to properly come to terms with the fact that having magic didn't make them as unique as they previously thought. Especially Sirius, who kept trying to get the sorcerers to use his wand to perform some wizard magic with it. He kept thinking that they were just wizards who didn't know it yet. But every time he handed someone a wand, nothing happened, no matter how many times they flicked it around.
If someone was a wizard, even if they used a wand not suited them, they would still be able to get something to happen. It took Sirius' theory to fail about a dozen times before he came to fully accept things. I thought the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj would be offended by him, but instead found his disbelief hilarious. Though, that was probably because Sirius remained respectful about it. He didn't look down on the Mystic Arts, rather just thought the sorcerers would appreciate knowing they had a magical core as well.
One reason they struggled to accept the change was because if it was difficult for me to change my perspective in using magic, it was that much more difficult for the adults. After a lifetime of using magic in one particular method, it took more time for them to make the same steps in the Mystic Arts that the younger wizards were making during the winter break.
Dora had found herself, caught in the middle of the two groups. In some ways, she faced the same difficulties that Sirius, Andromeda and Ted faced but she was able to overcome them faster than the rest of the adults. Although she had confessed to me that she was slowly becoming disillusioned with the wizarding world as she spent more and more time at Kamar-Taj. Such that, she wasn't sure she wanted to be an Auror anymore, instead maybe becoming a full time Master of the Mystic Arts. To ease her growing tensions, I reminded her that she still had plenty of time to decide what she wanted to do as it would still take time for her to complete both her Auror and Mystic Arts training. Even if she chose not to become an Auror, the training she gets from Moody would prove to beneficial regardless of the occupation she ended up going with. And it wasn't like choosing one, forced her to completely close the door on the other option. Neither the wizarding world nor Kamar-Taj was going to force her to choose, well at least not in the case of Kamar-Taj. For the wizarding world, it would be their ignorance that ensured their consent.
Now even though the adults had a more challenging road ahead of them, I was sure that as the second year of Hogwarts came to a close, they had all surpassed the progress Hermione, Neville, the twins and I made during that same time span. This was because they had much more time available to dedicate to the Mystic Arts, as we still had to allocate significant time to complete Hogwart's work and attend the classes. Even though we could use the Sling Rings to get to Kamar-Taj, we couldn't do it often, lest we draw suspicion. To help in that regard, I had also decided to introduce the Room of Requirements to Hermione, Neville, the twins and one; Luna Lovegood.
I had stupidly forgotten about the bullying she would face as I was too occupied with the Horcruxes. But when I saw her name on the Map, roaming around the halls after curfew, I remembered all about it. That exact moment, I had one of the elves take her back to her room and get all of her stuff back as well, using help from some of the Hogwarts' elves. The next day, I made sure to put the fear of God on the ones responsible to guarantee they never bullied her again. She became part of the group very quickly, being a fellow outcast helped her seamlessly integrate with everyone. When we introduced the Mystic Arts to her, it ended up solidifying her beliefs in the mysterious creatures she always talked about, saying that they couldn't be found easily as they were probably hiding using sorcery rather than wizardry.
My life had changed quite a bit as well, after spending most of the winter break at Kamar-Taj. The biggest transformation came towards the end of the first week. After everything the Ancient One had done for the Longbottoms, my trust in her had grown quite a bit. And so, when we were alone in her personal courtyard, I showed her the Wand of Watoomb in its true form. I had intended to inquire if she had heard anything about other identical wands beings discovered throughout history. I figured she would be the best person to help me track any of the other Wands' of Watoomb that may have made it to Earth. I knew I made the right decision when I saw her recognize the wand but I never expected her to then open a portal without any warnings. Before I could ask her anything, she went inside and then came back in less than 5 seconds. When she returned, I was stunned; she was holding one of the other Wands' of Watoomb. Instead of using her words, she guided me to take it with her eyes and an encouraging smile on her face. Without saying anything either, I took it from her with my left hand, my right hand holding onto my wand.
As soon as I had it completely grasped in my left hand, I felt a suction force coming from both wands. They started merging together, as soon as I let go of them. And once the two wands completely became one, I felt a burst of power originate from my magical core. Brought on by the new upgraded wand, my magical core was getting bigger and denser. I immediately sat down, closed my eyes and meditated on my increasing core. As I focused on it, I forced the rate at which it increased to slow down, significantly. I was going to increase it at a snail's pace so I was intimately aware of each ounce of my magic after going through such a drastic change. Instinctively, I knew each wand I found would push my power to a whole different level, which made controlling the pace a lot harder. It was difficult not to get excited at that thought, but I couldn't allow myself that outburst.
To help keep up with the increasing amounts of magic so that the pace was still in my control, I started working through the wind and fire magic I had been practising before. Previously, I had never been able to use both elements at the same time. But now, there was more than enough magic for me to burn off. In the end, it took me well past the night and into the following morning. It was only after the sun had risen at Kamar-Taj; did I open my eyes with a content smile on my face. In the middle of the night I had begun practising with the water element as well, increasing my repertoire yet again.
"I knew the wand would be suited for you, but not to that extent. The increase in your magic levels is unbelievable." Commented the Ancient One, when she saw that I was awake and aware of my surroundings again.
"And to think there are still 4 others for me to find" I commented offhand.
"Unfortunately, we only had the one. The only reason I gave it to you without hesitation was that we had that wand for many years now and countless sorcerers had tried using it but to no luck. Seeing you with another identical wand gave me hope that you would be the one. I had not expected to see the day when that wand found an owner and yet again, you surprised me Harry Potter," she said with joyful surprise in her voice. From there we went on to talk about how I got the first wand and how I knew everything about the wands. I had to lie and say that the knowledge came to me after I formed a connection with my original wand. In terms of looks, the wand had not changed at all, after it's change. The only thing I could say, was that it looked even more mesmerizing now.
One interesting aspect about my wand I learned was, that it could get jealous or some semblance of jealousy. As when I was learning how to use the Sling Ring along with everyone else, my wand flew out on its own and created my own version of a dimensional gateway. Whereas the gateway from a Sling Ring was golden coloured, the one created from my wand was a deep green, identical to the colour of my eyes. That was also the day, everyone learned of my unique wand. Seeing it in its true form had left all the wizards dazed for some time. They had never seen or heard of such a wand before. Even though my wand demonstrated that I didn't need a Sling Ring, I still made sure I was able to use one; in case of emergencies. But I don't think I'd ever end up actually using it, my wand felt much more powerful in its ability to create gateways for me.
After I got my new wand, I felt more comfortable sharing with the Ancient One, all I knew about the Horcruxes. I didn't want to, but I lied saying that I knew of them because I got part of Voldemort's memories from his accidental Horcrux. And that over the years, I had done quite a lot of research to figure out which items he had made into possible Horcruxes and where he may have kept them. I had Sebas retrieve the destroyed Horcruxes as proof of my claims. Though, I don't think she doubted me, at any point. I apologized for not telling her right away, but explained that I felt that getting rid of the rest of them was my own personal responsibility. But I realized that I needed to get over myself and take the help wherever I could get it. The Ancient One, however, understood the sense of responsibility I felt, since I had so much taken away from me, by Voldemort. As such, she decided to teach me how to retrieve the remaining Horcruxes, by myself. She taught me how to create gateways into the Mirror Dimension, a dimension where Sorcerers could practise more advanced and dangerous spells without causing any harm to the real world. It was essentially like creating a virtual copy of the real world that you could control. It was also possible to forcefully bring someone or something to the Mirror Dimension. It was with this in mind, that the Ancient One had me learn how to use the Mirror Dimension. Now usually, a sorcerer needed a Sling Ring to be able to go in and out of the Mirror Dimension but my wand also had the ability. Something the Ancient One and I discovered while we were training.
I made sure to spend enough time during the second term to master every aspect of the Mirror Dimension. Going in and out of it, seamlessly, along with being able to bring other objects and people with me. The last two Horcruxes were going to be retrieved solely because of my mastery over the Mirror Dimension. For the Hufflepuff Cup, I would take it out of the Lestrange Vault by bringing it into the Mirror Dimension. As for Gaunt's Ring, I would also take it while under the cover of the Mirror Dimension. I didn't want anyone to know I had been there. Just to make sure, Voldemort had no clue that someone had taken it.
When the train arrived at the Station in London, for the first time ever, I joined the rest of the students getting off the train. I didn't have any luggage however, sending it ahead of me via Tipsy. I made my way to Diagon Alley, right away, didn't stop for anyone. When I made it near the Leaky Cauldron, I pulled into a discreet alley and entered the Mirror Dimension. Just to be safe, I put on my "alter-ego" to ensure nobody would recognize me, if I somehow got removed from the Mirror Dimension.
I made it past all the patrons of the bar, into Diagon Alley. I was a little nervous about whether or not goblins had any measures in place for sorcerers, but it was for naught. I was able to walk right into the bank without anybody raising any alarms. I didn't know where the vault was so I followed some goblins for a few minutes. But then I mentally slapped myself on the head. I had forgotten about one of the new abilities of my wand; creating gateways to wherever I wanted. Immediately, calling my wand to my hand, I created a portal right into the Lestrange Vault. The goblins were completely unaware of the portal, even when some of them passed right through it, the benefits of the Mirror Dimension on full display.
The Lestrange Vault was completely crammed with objects and coins. If I didn't have my Magic Perception spell, I would have had to spend hours looking for the Cup. But with it activated, I found it almost instantly; the Horcrux's dark magic was too distinct. As soon as I got close to it, I pulled it into the Mirror Dimension with me and then opened a portal to take me to the Manor. I had Kreacher take the cup and destroy it with one of the Basilisk's fangs we kept on hand. He definitely took pleasure in destroying one of the last remaining Horcruxes. Without exchanging any more words with him, I entered the Mirror Dimension once more. This time I created a portal to Little Hangleton and walked through it, as soon as it appeared. I activated my detection spell right away and though I didn't pick up on the Horcrux's familiar signature, I did find a spot heavily concentrated in magic. When I approached the location, it became obvious that it was the ruined Gaunt family's shack. The reason I couldn't detect the Horcrux was because it was hidden behind the enchantments of the shack. However, being in the Mirror Dimension allowed me to pass through them easily and it was only then that my detection spell picked up the last Horcrux. It was hidden underneath one of the floorboards of the shack, inside a golden box. After pulling it into my Mirror Dimension, I opened up another portal back to the manor. This time I made sure Kreacher kept the ring completely separate from the others. I knew the Resurrection Stone was inside the Gaunt's Ring, but I didn't dare to open it. I didn't know if Lady Death was an actual entity in this universe but I wasn't going to risk angering her by hording all of her namesakes.
When I knew all the Horcruxes that existed currently had been destroyed, I took a deep breathe in and then let it out. Figuratively, closing the chapters of my life that were dedicated to finding and destroying the Horcruxes. I was now one night away from completely putting Voldemort behind me. Unfortunately, I don't remember where, in Albania, Voldemort was hiding and taking refuge. I could only wait until fourth year came around, and for the confrontation between him and I would occur. Although, with Pettigrew in Azkaban, I didn't know if Voldemort would be able to manipulate the events of the tournament; I had to wait to find out if canon was going to play out the same during the fourth year.
After wrapping up everything with the Horcruxes, I had one of the elves drop me off at our store in Diagon Alley. The opening day was heavily anticipated, with many people already having pre-ordered the games. Sirius and I had given them to everyone for Christmas and they had been a huge hit. Though the reaction was more subdued, as everyone was still mesmerized, primarily, by the Mystic Arts. The lack of reaction was compensated by everyone at Hogwarts. I made sure to take the games with me for the second term, inviting many numbers of students and professors to try them out. There were well received and I had multiple pre-orders on the very first day, mostly from the muggle-born and half-blood students. I did make sure to inform those students, to not mention the likeness the games had to their counterparts in the normal world. All of them understood why it was necessary for me to point that out.
For the actual store in Diagon Alley, I made sure to convince Sirius to let me design it. The reason being that I wanted to have it designed like the board game cafés/bars, I remembered from my old life. As such, the store was constructed to be two levels, with the 1st level designated solely for purchasing the actual games. And the second floor would be where people could sit in and play them, while enjoying all the meals and drinks we offered. We made sure that all the employees we hired would be muggle-born or half-blood wizards that couldn't find work in the wizarding world. As our business expanded, we were hoping to slowly monopolize the entire labour force that consisted of all the scorned muggle-born and half-bloods. As for our store sign, it was a giant M with a tiny lowercase letter I, adjoining it. It was charmed such that it looked like "M.", from afar and "Mi", from close by.
After making sure the preparations were coming along as planned, I had one of the elves take me back to the Manor. It would only be a stop over so I could create a portal to the London Sanctum. I didn't want the employees, accidentally, seeing me create a portal. I also didn't want the elves taking me to the Sanctum directly. When I had them try it before, they complained of feeling a little queasy after. But it was still stunning to learn that even the enchantments that Agamotto himself had set couldn't stop the elves. It begged to ponder what the elves actually were? Were they descendants of some alien species? That question would have been ridiculous a few months ago but now it could explain quite a bit.
When I arrived at the Sanctum, Sirius was waiting for me as planned. We were going to buy plane tickets for New York City as I'd convinced Sirius of the market that was available to us if we just got the United States. I had asked around and there wasn't a single international country that capitalized on the idea we had stumbled on, back in first year. And so, with my knowledge of the economic power New York and in effect United States held, I knew we had to start our business there right away. With the reception we had received in the few short months of the second term, we were confident that our games would work in the Unites States as well; with a version that was specific to their landmarks, of course. Before we left, Sirius had confirmed that they were known to be the most progressive magical country. Though it didn't mean the blood supremacists didn't exist there either.
We were purposefully going to take the plane to the United States, though Sirius did complain quite a bit, about that. He had heard enough about plane rides to not want to suffer, for all those hours. I had to teach him all about the increasing surveillance power that the normal world already has and will have in the next few years. And I had been right too many times for him to question me, especially on muggle related matters, as it were.
As for why I insisted on taking the plane; I wanted it on paper that Harry James Potter-Black and Sirius Orion Black, have left Britain for good. We were only going to be buying one-way tickets, using our teleportation methods to make the trip back here. He still wasn't completely sold on the idea so I had to guarantee the most comfortable ride possibly. He looked skeptical that it was possible, but I told him to let me do all the talking when we got to the travel agency.
"Hi, how can I help you Mr.-" the manager of the agency said to Sirius and I, as we sat down in front of the only available desk in the store; also the only desk in the store.
"Black. It's Mr. Black. And we would like two first-class tickets from-" I responded, though I knew she was asking the question to Sirius, most likely. I had to stop when she looked amused, probably thought I was joking as her attention was still mostly on Sirius. And knowing him, he would have the stupidest grin on his face, making the manager believe he was in on the joke.
"I'm serious." I stated firmly for her.
"Okay young man, enough games. I don't have time to play around all day." She said sternly.
I responded by raising my eyebrows at her while taking a glance behind us, to illustrate the lack of other customers.
"Easy there Harry, be nice." Sirius played peacekeeper before the manager said something to someone who was a child in his and her view.
"I don't know Sirius; I think she's judging us." I said mock seriously. Though the manager, it seemed took it completely serious.
"I am doing no such thing." She tried to explain herself.
"Yes, you are. You think we're joking about the first-class tickets because we look poor to you." Sirius spoke up before I could say anything further.
"Poor! Do we look poor to you woman?" Sirius asked loudly, playing along perfectly, not missing a beat.
"No, sir! I—I only." She tried to stammer out but couldn't. She was prejudging us based on what we were wearing so I didn't feel bad about messing with her. Granted we weren't wearing the most sophisticated clothes, but still decent looking.
"Get us whatever my son asks for." Sirius stated firmly this time. And the manager could only nod in agreement.
"Can we please get two first-class tickets to New York; any airline will do? What accommodations will we receive and what is the price?" I inquired as even I didn't know what was possible. I never rode first-class in my old life.
"Well the price would depend on the accommodations you would like. The full first-class price, so to speak, would be 1500 pounds. You would get a private car service to the airport, access to the private lounge at the terminal, sitting in the first-class section of the plane and access to the bar, of course. And you will, also, be given designated security lanes so you won't have to wait in any lines." She explained all the numerous benefits available to us.
"Perfect!" It was Sirius who answered, loving the sound of the pampered service. I'm sure the manager probably thought I was the spoilt one, asking for first-class service as a child. But in reality, I would be okay with flying economy, I'd done it plenty of times. But the adult-child sitting next to me, would probably end up using his Sling Ring, 30 minutes into the flight.
After booking the flight, we immediately left for the Manor, Sirius offering to use his Sling Ring. I think out of all the adults, Dora and him were in love with the rings the most, as they were the ones that hated the feeling of Apparition more than the others. We packed a small carry on, each, we could take with us; to not draw any suspicions. And once that was finished, we left for Kamar-Taj and joining the Tonks and the Longbottoms in their training.
Frank and Alice had come along very well in the past few months, physically at least. Mentally, they were still adjusting as they couldn't get themselves to cast with their wands, yet. Like Neville, they too had developed a fear of wizard magic. And so, with even more fervor than Neville, consumed the Mystic Arts as a means of escape. The Ancient One said she would ensure they slowly faced the challenges they were trying to shield away from. But considering the number of years they had been suffering, she thought it best, that they had time to devote completely away from that part of their life, at least for a little while. It was similar with Sirius as well; the time he was spending at Kamar-Taj was finally helping him make further progress, in his mental health. The cracks in his demeanor that could previously be noticed by any adult, were slowly being healed
Hermione and her parents were back home packing, they were still going to be taking their trip to France for the summer. As just like Sirius and I, they could come back to Kamar-Taj whenever they wanted. Though Hermione's parents couldn't get their portals completely formed yet, they were both stuck on semi-formed oval-shaped portals, too small and unstable for anything to go through. But they were still content with their speed, whereas I would have ripped my hair out by now. But then again, they didn't need their rings to work anytime soon, with Hermione readily offering her transportation services until they could master it. The Tonks, the Longbottoms, Luna and the twins would be staying at Kamar-Taj for the whole summer, though with the Sling Rings, it didn't really matter where anyone stayed. I noted that in this universe the Weasley family never won the trip to Egypt.