The Potter Cartouche
DISCLAIMER! This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy. Looking forward to the next movie! Yeah for Fanfiction – a great place to stretch your imagination and enjoy someone else's creativity too!
Harry's stay at the Leaky Cauldron in August 1993 gives him a chance to explore magical subjects and read books without interference from adults or peers' opinions for the first time. He changes elective to Runes for his third year. And there's a crazy convict after him. This changes his life and prospects. No ships. Bash! Bash!
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Prologue:Harry Potter stood over the unconscious form of the man who claimed to be his godfather. The presence of the horde of Dementors descending on them crept into his soul and left him feeling cold and lost. But then he remembered seeing this scene from the other side of the lake just an hour ago.
'I thought it was my dad, but it was me. I cast the Patronus,' he remembered.
Aloud he said, "I cast the Patronus! It was me that drove them away!"
Lifting his wand in his right hand and wrapping his left hand bearing his rune ring around the first hand, he smiled, remembering the look on Dobby's face when he flooded the room of requirement, the other successes with his runes, laughing with his quidditch teammates, and learning with the other students this year.
"Expecto Patronum!" Harry yelled, willing every jewel of magical power at his disposal into the spell. Prongs exploded like a shell from a muggle cannon from the end of his wand. The Patronus leapt forward and attacked the Dementors. The young wizard stared as the figure galloped away – Prongs was huge, corporeal, and raging mad that Dementors dared to threaten his wizard again. In just a moment, Prongs barrelled into the crowd of black cowls and ripped them to shreds with antlers and hooves. The Dementors turned to flee, but Prongs chased them, stamping several as others met their end on the points of his sharp antlers.
Unexpectedly, Harry saw a fireball streak across the sky toward the slaughter of Dementors and join the fray, setting Dementors at the front of the fleeing horde aflame and turning back others for them to fly directly into the antlers of Prongs again.
"Hehehe…" Harry giggled, feeling lightheaded from casting so much magic and watching Prongs kill Dementors, and then Fawkes, the headmaster's phoenix, joined the battle.
Harry sat on the ground and called out, "Dobby."
*& END SCENE &*
Chapter 1. On the Hogwarts ExpressWhile staying at the Leaky Cauldron for the last three weeks of August 1993, Harry Potter found the opportunity to explore different subjects and read books without any interference from adults or the opinion of his peers for the first time. While checking out other magical subjects, Harry discovered 'runes' and was intrigued by the notion of symbols grouped together that created magic. With a growing fascination, Harry sent a note to Professor McGonagall to change his electives, but she never acknowledged.
Reading ahead in the runes textbooks for years 3-4-5, Harry found the rules for runes restrictive with warnings against mixing the different alphabets to avoid catastrophic results. And he read the requirements for carving a cartouche, the ancient Egyptian symbol that allows runes to be grouped together for repeated activation as a 'runic array'.
Arriving at Kings Cross Station early (Harry deserted the Weasleys and Granger at the Leaky Cauldron when they delayed their departure because Ginevra lost her books for transfiguration and charms), Harry bypassed the compartment where a wizard slept on one seat and found an empty compartment in the next car. Appearing only just before the train left the station, Ron and Hermione found him and fussed that it was dangerous to be alone on the train. The Express barely left the station before Harry's two best friends began their conversation (a.k.a. lecture) to discourage Harry Potter's interest in runes.
"Mate, runes are too much work. How about a game of chess instead of talking 'bout Ancient Egyptians?" Ron suggested. "Saw enough sand in Egypt this summer. Say, did you get the charms essay done? Hermione's is 34 inches and too long to figure out."
Potter ignored Ron's comments, so Hermione took a stab at discouraging their friend from exploring runes.
"Harry, runes are too hard for you. How could you think you'd carve them properly? You don't have the patience for that delicate work. How could you ever memorise all the different symbols in the different runic alphabets?" asked Hermione as she attempted to take Harry's textbooks on runes. He had already purchased the books for the next three years and read through each of them.
Grabbing back the books that the girl appropriated, Harry said, "Leave my books alone!"
"You won't need these," she assured the boy-who-lived while he opened his new book bag.
"I wrote to McGonagall and changed my electives to runes and arithmancy," Harry announced.
Hermione rolled her eyes and fussed, "Harry Potter! These books will only confuse you. I'll give them to the professor…."
"That makes you a thief!" Harry declared as he hid the textbooks in the book bag.
"What did you call me?" demanded an incensed Hermione Granger. "How dare you?"
Sitting back in his seat, Ron was reminded of his mother for a moment, but he still said, "Blimey mate, you set her off now."
Harry shoved his book bag into the corner of his seat, sat beside it, pulled out his wand that he pointed at Hermione and announced, "I am warning you, Granger, stay away from my books. Stay away from me, or I'll hex you into next week."
"Mate, you can't be using magic to push someone through time," warned Ron.
"It's a muggle expression, Ron," Hermione said. "Besides, Harry won't be able to do that kind of magic. Professor Dumbledore believes Harry is a mediocre wizard without many prospects."
The compartment grew quiet, and Ron left to find someone to talk to him. After staring at Hermione for a long time, Harry took out a muggle notebook and a biro with blue ink to write down some questions. Pretending to ignore her 'best friend', Hermione leafed through her arithmancy textbook and kept glancing over to Harry. In the quiet, Neville Longbottom joined them, and Harry helped the other Gryffindor get his trunk up into the rack. While Harry was out of his seat, Hermione summoned Harry's book bag, opened the top, and searched for the textbooks on runes.
"Harry…where did you get this bag?" she asked, growing confused because she could not 'find' anything in it.
"They're my books, Granger! Give me back my bag, or I'll tell Percy you're a thief, just like Ron."
"Ron's not a thief, Harry!" Hermione argued.
"Give my bookbag back to me!"
"Not until you agree to hand over the textbooks you don't need," smirked Hermione.
"Granger, you're going to get in trouble stealing Harry's book bag," Neville told the girl.
Rolling her eyes, Hermione said, "I am not stealing Harry's bag. I'm helping him,"
Harry frowned and replied in a louder voice, "No. You're rifling through my belongings without permission and trying to take books bought with my money. That's theft."
Glaring at the two boys, Hermione closed the top of the book bag and threw it back. Harry caught it with his left hand, his wand still in his right hand and pointed at the girl. Huffing in frustration, Hermione gathered her bag and wand before she stomped out of the compartment.
While it was just the two boys, Neville closed, locked the door, and asked, "Harry, can you put up a notice-me-not spell?"
"We're not supposed to learn that until the fourth year," replied Potter.
"Yeah, right…" Neville said. "Just put up the spell, please."
Once the powerful spell was cast, Neville withdrew a long envelope from his robes and said, "Heir Potter, House Longbottom offers you the following information freely without obligation."
"Uh…Thanks…" Harry began to say but noticed that Neville winced hearing his reply.
Thinking quickly, Harry started again, "As Heir Potter, I thank House Longbottom for this information."
He thought for another second and added, "Heir Longbottom is an honest wizard who represents his family – uh – house well."
Sighing with relief, Neville replied, "That was pretty good. We need to find more time for more lessons this year."
Waving his hand, Harry joked, "Heir Longbottom, with the news of a mass murderer coming after me at Hogwarts, there will be lots of private time to talk about etiquette and manners. I have to shake off Ron and Hermione more."
Outside in the hallway, someone was yelling, "Where is Harry?"
Before a prefect arrived to cancel the spell and give Harry detention, the boy-who-lived stuffed the envelope from Neville into a hidden pocket in his robes and ended the spell with a casual 'finite'. At the same time, Neville took out a herbology textbook. The door was shoved open, and Ron and his sister Ginevra tumbled into the compartment, arguing about manners.
"Hey Neville, you got the transfiguration essay done? Can I borrow yours… to check against mine?" Ron asked.
"Hello Harry," sputtered Ginevra.
"Miss Weasley," Harry replied without looking at the girl.
"Harry, can I sit beside you?"
"No, Miss Weasley," the boy replied quickly.
"Why not?" she whined.
'I wish they'd leave me alone. Three weeks at the Leaky were heavenly because I could think and read!' Harry thought before deciding to reply to Ginevra with the most juvenile answer he could think of, "Because girls have cooties."
Ron and Neville snorted in amusement, but the second-year girl turned Weasley red and exploded. While screeching like a banshee, Ginny drew her wand and cast her infamous jinx. For some reason, the jinx bounced off Harry and struck Ron, who screamed bloody murder and leapt on Harry.
"You bloody mudblood!" Ron shouted before he shuddered and expelled the first slimly slug from his mouth. The magical creature fell onto the floor and slimed its way underneath the seat into the darkness there. More slugs followed as Harry and Neville twisted Ron around aimed his mouth toward Ginevra, who ran screaming from the compartment after one slug landed on her robes and slimed its way toward her mouth.
"What the blazes is going on?" asked Percy Weasley from the door of the compartment, his wand busy as he dispelled the jinx on Ron, banished the slugs, and cleaned his sister's robes.
"Harry said I had cooties, so I jinxed him," Ginny told her brother though her tears vanished the moment the head boy turned his attention on the boy-who-lived. Smirking while Percy lectured Harry, Ginny didn't notice the look Harry was giving her.
"That'll be five points from Gryffindor for being mean to a girl," Percy said at the end.
"Mr Weasley," said Neville in an even tone of voice.
"Yeah, Longbottom?"
In a formal, pureblood tone, Neville corrected the older boy, "Heir Longbottom, Mr Weasley."
The muscles in Percy's face grew tighter for a moment before he dipped his head and replied, "Yes, Heir Longbottom. "
"What penalties are you assigning to Mr Ron Weasley and Miss Ginevra Weasley for attacking Heir Potter?"
Now, Percy's face turned pale, remembering who Neville's grandmother was and the words she might have with his father about this encounter, and worse, what she might say next summer when he applied for positions at the ministry.
"What? We didn't attack him!" Ron shouted.
"Shut it, Ron!" Percy demanded. "Ten points from Gryffindor for attacking another student on the Hogwarts Express."
"What?" screamed Ginevra. "I'll tell mother!"
"Ten points deduction each! And if either of you says another word, there'll be detention tomorrow night with Snape!" growled Percy.
Ron and his sister frowned but remained silent as Percy herded them out of the compartment. Looking back at the two wizards on the seat, Percy bobbed his head and did not frown.
"What was that?" asked Harry after he used his wandless magic to close the door again.
Neville explained, "Mr Percy Weasley is a good student, and he is ambitious. According to my grandmother, he wants to get a job at the ministry next year after he graduates. He's worried that if he upsets me, I'll complain to my grandmother, and she'll blackball him next July."
"Wait…I think Percy's smart and knows everything. Why would he want to go to work at the ministry?"
Neville shrugged and said, "Heir Potter, perhaps sometime this year you can find a quiet moment with Head Boy Percival Weasley and discuss his ambitions with him."
"Don't make it sound icky, Nev," Harry replied. "I'm just curious why anyone would go to work there and limit themselves."
"There aren't many career choices in Magical Britain," Neville said. "Once a pureblood gets a position in the ministry, they can move up, receive bribes, influence decisions and collect more bribes…Minister Fudge lives in manor house far above the Fudge family's position."
In the peace that reigned in the compartment for the next hour, Harry reviewed the discussion with Neville and promised himself that he would talk with Percy sometime this month or later in the year about working at the ministry. And he would read the sheet of information shared by Neville – it would be something from Lady Longbottom regarding Harry's place as Heir Potter. During several visits to Harry's room at the Leaky Cauldron, Lady Longbottom and Neville talked with Harry about clothes, language, and manners. While these discussions were not as interesting as runes, Harry did pay attention and ask questions.
However, today, his mind was interested in runes and how they interacted. He wondered, 'How do you sequence them so they don't go off all at once?'
As the trip continued and the lady with the snack cart came by, Harry purchased a large number of chocolate frogs and other treats that would last a long time. He offered a frog to Neville, but the other boy declined, and Harry stuffed everything into his book bag.
Neville observed this and asked, "Expandable charms?"
"And lots of protections. Ron ain't stealing my galleons or underwear this year," Harry said.
After two more hours, Harry looked up from his book as the train slowed down and the air around them grew cold. The train came to a complete stop, the outside windows frosted over, and the interior windows frosted over.
With their wands drawn, Harry and Neville pulled down the trunks from the overhead and blocked the door. They used sticking charms to fasten the pile of four trunks to the door and each other. The bottom trunk they also stuck to the floor. Something dark stood outside the compartment for almost two minutes, moaning and rattling the door that was stuck to the trunks that were glued to the floor. Then something bright and white slammed into the dark thing making it shriek and flee.
Neville held Harry back when the boy stepped forward to investigate. They remained in their seats until the train began moving and the coldness vanished from the September afternoon. Then they removed the charms that kept the trunks glued to the door, the floor, and each other. Moving the trunks back into the overhead, they just returned to their seats when the door opened, and a rough-looking wizard stood there and asked, "Are you boys okay?"
"Yes, sir," Harry replied. Before he could ask more, the man handed them each some chocolate and moved on to the next compartment.
Hermione wandered back into the compartment after a while. Her voice strained, she asked, "Did you see the Dementors?"
"Dementors?" asked Neville.
Harry asked, "On the train? Is that what those things were?"
Overcoming her dark mood, the witch explained, "Yes, I read all about them in Modern Magical British Law and Order. They're the guards at Azkaban. Dementors were a magical construct of some mad wizard, and they are powered by sucking the good thoughts out of the minds of people around them."
The young witch shuddered when she added, "And they are used to execute wizards and witches too by sucking out your soul through your mouth."
"Ugh," Harry replied. "Why were they on the train?"
"They were looking for Sirius Black, that mass murderer who escaped from Azkaban."
"Oh, you mean the one who is after me?" asked Harry, staring at the witch.
She shuffled her feet a bit and then replied, "Well, yes."
"Wow…Then it's going to be another dangerous year around me, Hermione. Remember, in our first year; a possessed DADA professor tried to kill me. Then the last year, we were pursued through the castle every night by a giant basilisk," Harry said. "Yeah, another dangerous year."
"Hush, Harry," Hermione said. "Neville doesn't know all this."
The two boys exchanged looks but fell silent and returned to their books. Once the train reached the station in Hogsmeade, they climbed down from the train and watched the firsties being hurried off to the boats. The rough-looking wizard herded the students from the back of the train toward the carriages to move them to the castle. Harry noticed that tears were streaming down the face of Hannah Abbot and a few other of the Puffs, but he didn't know any of them well enough to make inquiries. Before the sorting and the feast could begin, rumours flew around the Great Hall. Harry noticed that Ron was silent and pale-faced while Percy, Ginny, and the twins were quiet but not as pale.
"The dementors found a compartment of Hufflepuffs and kissed them," Angela Spinnet told the third-year Gryffindor students.
"Kissed them? On the Hogwarts Express?" asked Hermione, her voice rising in pitch. "How did the headmaster allow that to happen?"
++***++ End of Chapter ++***++