'Thoughts'
"Speech"
~Parseltongue~
Etymology of new spells I make up will be present at the end of the chapters they are first used in. If not, please review and let me know.
WARNING: If you have trouble with topics related to heartbreak, betrayal, and suicide, read at your own discretion. Remember to respect the rating and all themes that fall under its purview.
Chapter 4: A Fever Dream
After the three exited Gringotts, they decided to explore Diagon Alley a bit longer. Just as they walked away, they noticed a very large man – about eleven-and-a-half feet tall and extremely stocky in terms of his build. He could possibly be a beast in terms of his abilities in physical combat, if he lost some fat and trained more. The man noticed them, and gave a joyous smile as he beelined towards them.
The twins' alertness increased. They had to be prepared in case this man had any less than friendly intentions. Even if they were quite literally in the middle of Diagon Alley, apparition was still possible and they were not going to risk getting themselves into danger. The man's smile faltered a little, as he realized these kids must have been a bit intimidated by him – understandable as he was basically a stranger to them.
"Relax, would yeh? I'm friendly. My name is Hagrid. I'm the Keeper o' the keys an' grounds at Hogwarts. I used ter know yer parents, Harry, Vera. The last time I saw yeh both, yeh were so small! Just big enough ter fit in each o' my hands!" Hagrid said, gesturing to his trashcan-lid-sized hands.
"Oh, is that right? Well, it is nice to meet you, Hagrid." Harry said, holding out a hand for Hagrid to shake, which the giant man took. His grip was surprisingly gentle for a man so large.
"However, as much as we would love to chat with you, you have caught us at a busy time." Vera said, gesturing to the supplies the trio had bought.
"As you can see, we are busy shopping for our first year at Hogwarts." Harry said.
"Perhaps we can meet when we all make it there?", Vera suggested. Hagrid let out a booming laugh.
"I like yeh both. Yeh remin' me o' the Weasley twins – wha' with yer twin talk an' all tha'. Anyway, I guess yer righ'. I got some business ter do meself in Gringotts. Dumbledore's orders! Real secret stuff, I tell yeh. I gotta bring summat ter Hogwarts ter keep it safe. Gringotts is pretty safe, but I reckon there is no place safer than Hogwarts." Hagrid said, puffing out his chest in pride.
The twins were instantly disappointed in this man. He had to be the worst at keeping secrets. He could have just said that he had business in Gringotts and left it at that, but nooo, instead, he blabs out the fact that he is doing a secret mission very unsubtly in the middle of Diagon Alley. He definitely seemed like a caring and well-meaning man, but the twins would never trust him with their secrets. Hell, if he made an Unbreakable Vow to keep something a secret, he would probably die in a week, give or take a few days.
"I see…however, you really should be careful and check where you are and who you are talking to before speaking about that kind of stuff." Harry advised, causing Hagrid to look slightly ashamed.
"Shouldn't'a told yer that." he muttered.
"Yes, you shouldn't have. But don't worry. We won't tell anyone. Just be careful before blurting out sensitive information in the future" Vera said.
"Yeah, sorry abou' tha'. Listen…er…I really would appreciate it if yeh keep my slip-up from Dumbledore. I've already been treadin' on thin ice since I got expelled from Hogwarts. Dumbledore convinced them to le' me stay on the grounds. Great man, Dumbledore." Hagrid said, saying the last part to himself as his eyes shone in admiration.
"We will, Mr. Hagrid. Now, I suppose you can contact us at Hogwarts when you would like to meet. Perhaps we can talk about our parents and you can tell us about them then. See you." Harry said.
"Lookin' forward ter it. An' call me Hagrid. See yeh, Harry, Vera, Dursley." Hagrid waved, saying "Dursley" with mild distaste.
"Actually, sir, it's Evans now. Aaron Laurence Evans. We will tell you what happened once we meet again." Aaron said, speaking up to a stranger for the first time.
Hagrid's expression brightened considerably at that. "Alrigh' then, Evans. See yeh later." Hagrid waved off, before continuing on his way to Gringotts. The trio shook away their thoughts on the strange man before continuing on their way.
Vera noticed that Harry was subtly avoiding her gaze. He was also not speaking as much with her as he usually would, and Vera decided to bring it up later when they were alone. Harry noticed that Vera was aware of the shift in his demeanor, and while the three of them were eating sundaes at Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlor, he excused himself, telling the other two that he was going to try and find new books in Knockturn Alley.
"Shit…she is suspicious. What should I tell her?" Harry hissed quietly, walking through Knockturn Alley in his disguised form. His mind was preoccupied with Vera's suspicions, but he wasn't about to make the huge mistake of letting people see the Harry Potter walking into the shadiest place in magical Britain.
Harry knew there was something up with his scar ever since he started practicing occlumency. A major part of learning the art involved mental and spiritual awareness – knowing every little detail about your mind and soul.
FLASHBACK
Harry was exploring the crevices of his mindscape, when he felt something that was just…wrong. "The fuck is that?" he muttered, following the repugnant feeling in his gut. He made his way to a wall that was covered in splotches of an inky black substance, arranged in a spiderweb pattern. The appearance of the substance reminded Harry of ferrofluid – a strange magnetic liquid he read about and experimented with. However, the magic he sensed from the liquid on the wall made him light-headed and nauseated.
In a moment of incautiousness, spurred by his disorientation, he raised a hand to touch the liquid. Suddenly, he was sucked into a body that was not his own. He looked around to see wizards and witches dressed in black clothes kneeling towards him.
"My dear followers, we are now living in a time wherein our victory is assured. No one but Albus Dumbledore has a chance of rising against our dominion over magical Britain. We had plans to expand our scope to outside of these lands. We were to spread our message and establish our dominion over the rest of magical Europe, and later, the rest of the world. We were then to wipe out the muggles, to ensure that as the future generations came, only magic would survive. Few generations later, we were to see an age wherein only pureblood wizards and witches remained, preserving the traditions and customs of old.
However, I have been enlightened of something troubling. It has been prophesized that last month, a child had been born with the power to vanquish me. It is rather sad that such a young and innocent magical child has to die, but in order for our conquest to take place, such sacrifices must be made. It is my personal belief that the child being referred to is one of the two Potter twins. Wormtail has informed me that this child had been hidden by way of the Fidelius Charm, so I shall track down the Secret Keeper and see to the neutralization of these threats myself.
However, I shall not allow for the child being referred to in the prophecy to elude me on the off-chance that I am mistaken. I command you all to go on a reconnaissance mission – find other magical children born on the cusp of August, who were born to those who have defied me in the past. You are all dismissed." Harry said.
'Why would I say that…' Harry thought, before it suddenly hit him. This was Voldemort. He was in Voldemort's body. But this had to be in the past, so a memory? But in the pensieve, one would always see memories from the third person point of view. How could Harry see the memory from the Dark Lord's perspective?
Harry forced himself out of the memory and returned to his mindscape, feeling violated after the incident. This was dark magic. Some of the darkest he had ever seen. He wasn't sure if even he or Vera would try replicating something like this.
This was the day that Harry found out that the incident with the Dark Lord using the Killing Curse on him triggered something – something Harry wasn't sure he wanted to find out about. He imagined how Vera would feel about him if she found this out – that he was tainted by the Dark Lord's residue. Harry vehemently hated the idea of keeping secrets from his sister, but Vera surely wouldn't accept him if he had a piece of the Dark Lord attached to him. Hence, he decided that he wouldn't tell her. He would figure out how to get rid of this thing on his own.
END FLASHBACK – BACK TO PRESENT
Harry had made absolutely no progress thus far with dealing with the Dark Lord's taint on him. He went to several bookstores in Knockturn Alley, but he still couldn't find it.
Harry sometimes wondered who it was in control. He questioned whether actions like learning the Dark Arts and killing his Uncle Vernon were his own choices, or his choices after some silent coercion by the Dark Lord.
Harry just irrationally hoped that his sister wouldn't question him on his behavior. He simply couldn't lie to her if she asked a specific question. However, he still knew that a questioning was inevitable. He just prayed to Mother Magic for Vera to not reject him once she found out this secret that he was keeping from her.
Wanting to take his mind off the situation, he continued to browse Knockturn Alley, and he did find some interesting books in a bookstore that Borgin had recommended, which he informed only his most interesting customers about. The store was very exclusive, and was run by a friend of Borgin, who would only accept customers carrying Borgin's business card.
"Necromancy: Communication, Alteration, and Reanimation", "Magical Conduits – An Overview of Wandlore", "Nature Magic: Plants, Toxins, and Medicinal Herbs", and "Mind Arts: Theories on Telepathic Conversation" were some of the more intriguing purchases.
Harry had already pored through all of the current books from his and Vera's library – even the muggle ones – to see if they could find the faintest allusion to whatever the Dark Lord left inside him. It was when he moved on to the Grimoires of the Potter and Black Houses that he finally found some hints. The contamination was a remnant of powerful soul magic. Both Grimoires basically told Harry this same thing using different words.
However, the art itself was so dark that there were notes on how the contributors to the Grimoire vehemently refused to give a more detailed explanation. Since then, Harry searched several places in Knockturn Alley to try and find something about soul magic, but he only learned about the powerful light spell used to combat Dementors – the Patronus Charm, and Fiendfyre – enchanted sentient flames that could even turn on the caster if they don't have the will to control it.
He obviously did intend to learn both these charms later on, as the Patronus Charm tended to be very draining, and the Fiendfyre curse was too dangerous to attempt without learning a way to extinguish it first. However, they were not yet a priority. Harry mentally berated himself for not checking his IMPA and IMRA at Gringotts again. It would be nice to know if he could handle producing a Patronus yet, but the topic had slipped his mind, what with how worried he was about his contamination problem.
He went back to the ice-cream parlor after placing the books in his and Vera's trunk, mentally preparing himself for the confrontation he would have with Vera later. Snape found the trio about half an hour before it was time to collect the wands. First, they went to collect their robes from Madam Malkin's, and were very impressed by the sleek, regal, pitch-black color of the clothes. The standard set was a dull black that was not very impressive.
As they exited the shop, Snape spoke to them. "You know, I have done some thinking, and I think it would be better for you three to buy wands from Ollivander's as well. The headmaster, as well as many of the other professors, can tell when a student uses a wand that does not contain the Trace. Don't let him know about your true wands. Instead, use your Ollivander wands for classes and practice in secret with your Woodcroft wands." he said.
"Now I understand why you're the head of Slytherin House, Professor." Vera said with a sly grin.
Snape's lips slightly twitched upwards, before he continued to speak. "Yes. Anyways, besides that, get an owl. I don't think you'd want to be dependent on someone else's owl to communicate with your contacts." Snape said.
"An excellent suggestion, Professor. We were planning on getting one anyway." Harry said.
"Don't patronize me, Mr. Potter." Snape said with a warning glare.
"Sorry, sir. Force of habit. It won't happen again." Harry said, and Snape nodded stiffly.
The four walked into Ollivander's but found the shop empty. They extended their senses a little, and felt a man standing behind the door.
"You can come out from behind the door, Mr. Ollivander." Vera sighed. Really, did this man think they would fall for a silly jump scare?
"Ah, caught me now, have you? I have been expecting you all for quite some time now. Saved getting a wand for last, eh? Well, I always say it's good to save the best for last." Ollivander said with a merry chuckle.
'That's why we will be visiting Gaius's shop last' Harry thought with amusement.
Suddenly, three measuring tapes sprung out from under Ollivander's desk and started taking their measurements. "I still remember your parents' wands, Mr. Potter, Ms. Potter – or is it Black now?" Ollivander said with amusement. "Your mother left my shop with a willow wand – ten-and-a-quarter inches – with its core being the heartstring of an Antipodean Opaleye. It was light and swishy – excellent for charms, hexes, and curses.
Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand – eleven inches – with its core being the tail hair of a rather aggressive Unicorn, famous for impaling those who approached it with its horn, that was found in Northern Ireland. Convincing it to part with a hair was rather troublesome, but I knew that the recipient of such a wand would be someone special. The wand was ridged and slightly pliable – which improved the wielder's knack for transfiguration. Well of course, although I say he favored this wand, it is really the wand who chooses the wizard." Ollivander rambled absently.
Meanwhile, the twins and Aaron were feeling very violated by the measuring tapes. Why the fuck would Ollivander need to know the length of their butt-cracks? They all shifted uncomfortable, until Ollivander called the measuring tapes off. "That'll do." he said.
Ollivander first started testing Harry's affinity with each of the wands he selected based on the measurements. Ten minutes and thirty-five wands later, Ollivander was impressed to see that Harry had matched with the twin wand of Lord Voldemort – Holly, Fawkes's Phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple – would have a knack for performing powerful magic.
After Harry was Vera's turn. She took even longer she was tested with sixty-two wands before finding a match. Red oak, Lernaean Hydra heartstring, twelve inches, unyielding – good for fast-paced spell-work and duelling.
Aaron was fitted with the right wand instantly – a rarity in Ollivander's shop. Larch, tail hair from a Unicorn foal on the cusp of maturity, nine-and-three-quarter inches, sturdy – good for defensive spell-work.
The twins had to admit – if they had not known about Woodcroft's they would be seriously enamored with Ollivander's knowledge of wand lore. Credit had to be given where it was good, after all. They all bought dragonhide wand holsters for their wands as well, before going to Eeylops Owl Emporium to buy an owl. The twins ended up buying a snowy owl for themselves, and a tawny owl for Aaron. The twins named their owl Hedwig – an interesting name that they had come across in A History of Magic. They even imagined the mentioned person to be owlish in appearance. Aaron named his owl Tulip – continuing his maternal family's tradition of using floral names.
The trio, plus Snape, then went back to Knockturn Alley, the twins remembering to disguise themselves. When they entered Woodcroft's, they saw Gaius setting three massive wooden slabs on his work table. Each of their dimensions were about twenty inches times five inches times five inches.
Harry's slab was recognizable, as it a contrast between the near-black color of blackthorn and the near-white color of aspen. Vera's slab was a combination of the light-reddish color of cherry wood and the dark, earthy auburn color of walnut wood. Aaron's slab was a fine-grained, light English willow.
"Ah, yes, my Lord, my Lady. I see that you both have returned with your company. Right on time, might I add. My Lady, if you would be so kind as to step up here so that I can finish up your wand first?" Gaius asked.
Vera stepped to the work table. "Your hand, my Lady." Gaius said, extending his own. Vera presented her hand to him, as he took it, held it to his face and violently sniffed it. Harry was about to step up, but Snape held him back.
"Don't be alarmed, my Lord, my Lady. To finish your wands, I need to feel your magic for myself." Gaius said, as he levitated Vera's slab with his wand – a stick that was just as gnarly as all of Gaius's features and other possessions – and used his free hand to help guide the magic that he forced into and around the slab. The outer wood slowly burned and whittled away, and the different woods entwined and bonded. After he was done, a majestic twelve-inch wand, whose shape reminded those present of a coiled snake, remained. Gaius applied a layer of diamond-hard polish to the wand, and added Fire-Proofing and Unbreakable charms to it.
"I hope I don't need to explain to you that despite my charm work, potent magical forces of destruction like Basilisk venom, dragon fire, Fiendfyre, and the Unforgivable curses will damage your wand?" Gaius asked, hopeful that he did not need to explain this in more detail – it was rather tiresome to do so.
"Yes, Gaius. We did learn about these things." Harry said, as Vera took the wand presented to her and Harry stepped up to the work table. Gaius nodded, before repeating the process with Harry. Midway through Harry's wand crafting, Gaius summoned a large bone – which seemed to have come from some mammalian creature – and forced it to bond with the rest of the materials in Harry's slab. The finished product was quite intimidating and dangerous looking.
The handle was made of bone, the black and white woods had bonded to such a degree that the wand seemed to be made of only one wood type with tendrils of black and white coursing through it. The wood was ridged and was shaped to form a slender and pointy wand of fifteen inches. However, there were several bulges that disturbed the continuity of the wand wood from the handle to the tip. The bone handle was fused so well with the rest of the wand, that it seemed to be a part of the wand, rather than a fitted handle.
"Very nice…" Harry said, turning the wand in his hands. Snape was a little pale on seeing the resemblance between Harry's wand and the Dark Lord's, but he refrained from saying anything.
"Yes…the shape reminds me of a different wand that I myself had the pleasure of using a few centuries ago. Unfortunately, I lost its allegiance. There was never a wand that even I made at the time that could serve me quite as well as that one." Gaius said wistfully.
Snape paled even more…the Elder Wand – could it be real? He had to ask Dumbledore about this. Luckily, he made no vow to withhold Gaius's secrets. He could avoid bringing the Potter twins up if he said he was in Knockturn Alley to look for some rare potion ingredients.
"Interesting. So, how powerful is my wand, Gaius?" Harry asked softly, his mannerisms matching the Dark Lord's a bit too much for Snape's comfort.
At Harry's question, Gaius let out a low chuckle. It really did sound quite disturbing. "Wands have no power of their own, my Lord. That is a very common misconception. The wielder of the wand is always the source of power for the wand. Yours and your sister's potentials are so high that you both need two woods and cores to channel such power without the wand breaking. Wands are only conduits – focuses for your magic. The power of your spells will increase greatly with a wand's help, as it is much easier to focus magic through your wands." Gaius said with a small smirk.
Gaius was confident that it was only he who knew the secret of the Elder Wand. It would offer its complete allegiance to its current master, but the power it could dish out was limited to the power of the wielder. When Antioch Peverell asked for a wand that would never lose him a duel, death took his wording very seriously. He gifted him a wand that would be his ultimate ally – never failing to serve him as well as possible. This way, it wouldn't be the wand's fault if he lost a duel, but his own instead.
When another witch or wizard popped up that was simply more powerful than the current wielder of the Elder Wand, they would win against the Elder Wand wielder in a duel due to simply being better than them. Claims by people that the Elder Wand could never lose a duel were laughable. Imagine a first-year who barely knows how to wave a wand defeating the likes of Albus Dumbledore just because they possessed the Elder Wand.
"Our potentials? Gringotts said nothing of this measurement." Harry said in confusion.
"That is because measuring magical potential would yield the most imprecise results. It is one of the reasons why wand lore still has so many unknowns involved." Gaius said.
"That's intriguing. What can you tell all of us about our magical potentials?" Harry asked.
Gaius pulled out a tea cup from a cabinet. It was about a hundred milliliters in volume. "Take a look at this teacup. The brim of this cup is the magical potential for any average wizard or witch. Those of our community who never train and simply sink into lives of politics and paperwork tend to fit into this category. This is the maximum level that they can ever get to. A wizard or witch can only increase this attribute before they reach magical maturity – which generally takes place between the ages of twenty and twenty-five." Gaius said.
Gaius pulled out a large goblet next. It was about triple the volume of the teacup. "This goblet is the next level of potential. Think of Aurors, Death Eaters, and Hit Wizards and Witches. They fall under this category." Gaius said, before putting the goblet back and replacing it with a large ale tankard. It was about thrice the volume of the goblet.
"This ale tankard is the level after the goblet. Top-class Aurors like Mad-Eye Moody and the Dark Lord's deadliest Death Eaters – the likes of Bellatrix Lestrange, Antonin Dolohov, Augustus Rookwood, and the man standing behind you, Severus Snape, fall under this category. I myself am a part of this category as well. Most of the Hogwarts Professors also fall under this category." Gaius said. He now put the ale tankard back and replaced it with a jug. This jug was about four times the volume of the tankard.
"This jug is the level after the tankard. The likes of Albus Dumbledore, the Dark Lord, Gellert Grindelwald, and Nicolas Flamel fall under this category." Gaius said, as he replaced the jug with a wooden pail – the kind that would be used to fetch water from a well. It was about four times the volume of the jug.
"Contrary to popular belief, it is entirely possible to cross the likes of those I previously mentioned in terms of the power you can wield. This pail represents the level of the likes of the Hogwarts Founding Four, Herpo the Foul, Paracelsus, Asian War Lords, and the Extermination Squad of Mantralaya Gurukul fall under this category." Gaius said. Harry thought he was done, but Gaius pulled out another container – a forty-liter metal drum that was almost as tall as he was. Harry wondered how Gaius was able to fit such a thing in a cabinet, before remembering that he was in a magical world. Harry was about to help Gaius lift it – he didn't want to let the ancient man die from lifting something too heavy. However, Gaius had no trouble at all. It seemed that he was augmenting his strength with magic.
"This drum, my Lord, is the highest known level of magical potential. Those who fall under such a category can conquer the world and dismantle it by mere whims and fancies. Merlin, Morgana, and Mordred are the only known sorcerers capable of magic befitting such a category. And, after getting a good reading on you two, I have realized that there are now two more to add to that list. Your current potential is about the halfway mark of this drum." Gaius said excitedly. Everyone except Gaius's jaws were hanging open at this point – all of them in awe and a little fearful of the fact that the twins could one day wield such power.
"Even better," Gaius continued, his grin bordering on being psychotic with how wide it was. Gaius took out the goblet, filled it with water, and poured it into the drum. The water level was barely a few millimeters above the bottom. "This is the level you are at right now – before even starting Hogwarts. I advise you to learn and practice as much magic as possible – perhaps utilize the aid of a few rituals as well – and increase your magical capacities. Who knows? You might even be able to push your potential all the way to the level of Merlin and Morgana. You must try harder than ever. I look forward to hearing more about you in the future." Gaius said eagerly, causing four jaws to gape open once more.
"That was…informative…even a little scary, Gaius. I assure you; we will try our level best to reach and surpass your expectations of us. Now, with that aside, why did you attach a bone to my wand?" Harry asked.
"Your cores tend to act against each other, which would drastically limit your ability to use your wand well. A Thunderbird is basically a Phoenix of the lightning element, and I'm sure you know how Phoenixes and Basilisks feel about each other. The Nundu bone that I used to craft the handle of your wand is the only item I have that is powerful enough to bind the cores together." Gaius explained.
Harry nodded before stepping back to allow Aaron to step to the work table. Aaron asked about his magical potential as well, and it was at the ale tankard level so far. Aaron was pleased that he would be powerful. He didn't mind not being able to reach the level of his cousins, as such power would put a huge weight on his shoulders. Once Gaius repeated the wand crafting process with Aaron's slab, Aaron was left with an elegantly designed, slightly thicker wand of eleven-and-a-half inches that he quite liked.
"Now, some last things I must tell you about your wands: My Lord, your wand is blackthorn and aspen, with cores of a Basilisk scale and a Thunderbird feather. It is fifteen inches long, robust, and unrelenting. It seems to like the idea of beating your future enemies into submission and proving its master's superiority. This applies both in terms of your performance in school and in combat. Your wand will go to any lengths to make it known that you are a cut above the rest of your peers at Hogwarts.
Next, my Lady, your wand is cherry and walnut, with cores of a Chimaera mane hair and a shard of the stinger of a Manticore. It is twelve inches long, mildly flexible, and adventurous. It seems to respond best to creativity and resourceful use of magic. It seems to like an unconventional and highly intelligent master. Your wand's attribute of desiring to prove your skill and intellect matches that of your brother's wand.
Next, your cousin, Aaron. Your wand is willow, with the core of a shard of a Re'em's horn. It is eleven-and-a-half inches long, sturdy, and benevolent. Your wand will serve you well and support you as you deal with your insecurities, but it will truly become your ally once you overcome that struggle. Once you do so, you will notice a massive improvement in terms of your wand's ability to respond to your desires. Initially, your wand will not be able to help you perform darker magics, as people with too many insecurities tend to often take refuge under the comforting and addictive nature of such magics. However, once you become one with yourself and gain some more confidence, your wand will trust your judgement." Gaius said.
"Thank you for all the work you have done to create our wands, Gaius." Vera said, handing the rest of the payment to Gaius.
"No problem, my Lady. It was my pleasure. However, I do have one request. I am well aware of the fact that I am quite old, and I will pass away in another two decades or so. If you ever learn about wand lore, and gain enough of an understanding of it to experiment with wand making, please meet me in my shop again. I will teach you everything I know and have you both continue my work. There is no one else that I have met so far who I would want as a successor more than I want you and your twin. On the chance that I die before you make your decision, I shall leave my memories in my pensieve. My house is under a Fidelius Charm, so if you want to visit it, here is the Secret. Don't show it to anyone but yourselves." Gaius said, handing them an envelope.
Harry and Vera stammered out a "thank you", nearly drooling at the chance to gain so much knowledge, before they, along with Aaron and Snape, left the shop. They did purchase holsters for these wands as well before leaving, though. They intended to hide their secret wands in their sleeves, while keeping their Ollivander wands in the holsters attached to their hips.
"Professor, we know that what Gaius said about us is not covered in the vow we asked you to make, but we would really appreciate it if you keep it to yourself." Harry said pleadingly.
"I wasn't planning on telling anyone anyway. With your popularity, no one would believe me, and I can't tell anyone who it was that said all that about you, as it would result in me explaining that you both went to Knockturn Alley, which would cause me to break my oath." Snape grumbled.
"Thanks, Professor." Vera chirped, causing Snape to sneer at her.
"Right. Anyway, see that you three peruse your school books meticulously. If you come to my class unprepared, be warned – I do not tolerate teaching dunderheads. I say this especially to you, Mr. Evans. Due to your association with Mr. and Ms. Potter, I have certain expectations from you. Do not disappoint me." Snape said, causing them to nod.
"One more thing. I will tell you the story I will be telling Dumbledore. I need you to allow me to tell him this partially fabricated version of the events that took place in your life. I am also telling you so that if he asks you about it, our stories will match." Snape said. As they nodded, Snape told them the story and they agreed to let him tell this version to Dumbledore. Snape then held out an arm to Side-Along-Apparate the three back to Little Whinging Play Park.
He told them that they had to get to Platform Nine-And-Three-Quarters on King's Cross by eleven a.m. to board the Hogwarts Express. Before any of them could ask how, Snape disapparated. Truthfully, Dumbledore had expressly told the man not to tell the twins how to get to the correct platform. He intended to send the Weasleys to help the twins to get to the platform, in order to establish a contact between the two parties. The Weasleys were a powerful Light family that could guide the twins well and instill morals and family values in them. These would be very important for them to understand, in order for them to realize the stakes when they finally faced Lord Voldemort.
Once the trio reached home and organized their new possessions, Aaron ran to his mother excitedly, telling her how he changed his name to the one she wanted, and eagerly showing her his new stuff. Petunia was shocked at the name change at first, and even a little angry that he did it without her consent, but she cooled down and admitted that she liked his new name. It would take time to get used to calling his that, but it was much better than "Dudley". Naming a child such a thing was more than enough to file a case for child abuse, in Petunia's humble opinion.
MEANWHILE, AT HOGWARTS
"Ah, I see you're back, Severus. Please, have a lemon drop. How did you find the twins? And Mr. Dursley as well?" Dumbledore asked pleasantly.
"They all looked quite hale and hearty, Albus. However, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to call the muggle-born 'Mr. Dursley' anymore. He has changed his name at Gringotts to 'Aaron Laurence Evans'." Snape said, ignoring the proffered lemon drops.
"This is an interesting development. Surely his parents wouldn't have agreed to this. How did this happen?" Dumbledore asked curiously.
"His mother consented to it, Albus. It was what she wanted to name him in the first place. We didn't have to worry about her walrus of a husband. He tried to attack his son on finding out he was magical, and Mr. Evans killed him with an outburst of accidental magic." Snape lied through his teeth.
"I see. It is rather unfortunate that the boy had to undergo the pain of taking a life so early on in his life. But I can't say that there was another option. I hope that the twins, Mr. Evans, and dear Petunia are alright after such an ordeal." Dumbledore half asked.
"They are, Albus, they have had a few days to get over Vernon's death. Petunia cremated him herself and buried his ashes in the garden so as to avoid suspicion." Snape said.
"I see. I hoped that Vernon would slowly get over his hatred for magic and redeem himself, but unfortunately, he was not given a chance to do so." Dumbledore said sadly, causing his familiar, Fawkes, to croon sympathetically.
"I still maintain that not everyone can be redeemed, Albus. Some filth exists in this world – they are among the lowest of the low. Vernon tried to steal the innocence of Ms. Potter when she was eight, and she had avoided such a fate only when Petunia knocked him out with a cooking pan." Snape half-lied. Harry and Vera did allow him to tell Dumbledore about their treatment by the Dursleys, but not about their training and skill in magic.
"You mean he…" Dumbledore started to ask with dread filling his voice.
"Yes, Albus, he tried to do exactly what you think he tried." Snape said firmly.
"He was intoxicated. If he wasn't, surely he –" Dumbledore started to speculate before Snape interrupted him.
"You are too pure and idealistic for your own good, Albus – always seeking to see the best in people. You and I both know that intoxication amplifies preexisting desires. In other words, Vernon wouldn't have tried what he did if he didn't subconsciously want it to some degree." Snape said.
Dumbledore looked properly reprimanded. He was perfectly aware of the flaw that Snape pointed out. The reason he was like this was because of his own past. He could have very well been a Dark Lord, ruling the world and subjugating muggles as he and his lover Grindelwald wanted. It was only the unfortunate death of his dear sister Ariana that made him see his mistakes and guided him to the light.
Since then, he never lost hope in people who he saw as redeemable, as he had been lucky enough to redeem himself. He deeply regretted what this mentality led to inaction and the rule of another Dark Lord. Had he been firmer with Tom during his youth, Tom could have been a symbol of good. He could have been a role model for the younger generations. However, even Dumbledore drew the line when it came to Tom.
Anyone evil and deranged enough to experiment with dark soul magic was irredeemable. Even Grindelwald knew the importance of a complete soul and never even toyed with the idea of splitting his to achieve immortality. Dumbledore had no proof that Tom had done what he thought he had done, but he was willing to bet on it. The changes were very noticeable. But still, as Tom's teacher, Dumbledore felt responsible for his fall to the Dark side and it always weighed on his old heart.
"Fine, Severus. In this case, I believe you would be right. I still wish that the emotional damage that such an action must have done to Mr. Evans could have been avoided – perhaps with closer observation by myself and Mrs. Figg – but I suppose we should move on. What were the three like, Severus? Personality-wise?" Dumbledore asked.
"I dare say I quite liked the twins. Very curious and enamored by magic. They seem to be quite powerful and want to learn as much as possible about their gifts. Their cousin is also quite excited to learn magic and is just as enamored as the twins. If you want to know more about their general personalities, the twins are both very astute and observant, never blindly trusting anyone. They are also very shrewd and adventurous. They are determined to prove themselves to be capable at Hogwarts, and they have taken to our world like fish to water.
Mr. Evans seems to be incredibly faithful to the twins and they are somewhat of a role-model for him. He is very dissimilar to the twins, as he blindly trusts them and always turns to them first for advice before anyone else. He seems to be willing to do anything if the twins instructed him to – much like Hagrid's relationship with you." Snape remarked.
"I see. I can't deny that this troubles me a little, as Voldemort himself came to Hogwarts feeling similar to how the twins were, but I do concede that this is most probably just me being paranoid. I observe similar personalities and feelings among most muggle-born and muggle-raised students. Have you noticed any troubling patterns that need to be corrected?" Dumbledore asked.
Oh, if only Dumbledore knew. Snape was certain that Dumbledore would find out the truth someday, but the thought of his reaction almost made Snape let out a chuckle. "None that I can think of, Albus." Snape said stiffly.
"Good, good. Now, Severus, last term, Argus had confiscated a rather interesting creation of the Weasley twins. They had enchanted a set of Gobstones to spew out bird droppings rather than the usual stinksap when a player loses a round. They had trouble deciding whether to name their creation 'Shitestones' or 'Gobshites', but ultimately decided to go with the latter. I had Argus hand them over to me, anticipating that they would be rather entertaining to play with. Care to join me for a game?" Dumbledore asked with a twinkle in his eye.
Snape sighed. Dumbledore's eccentricities sometimes made him wonder whether he would be saner if he was still a Death Eater.
BACK AT THE DURSLEY RESIDENCE, #4, PRIVET DRIVE
"Harry, would you please join me in our trunk?" Vera asked evenly.
Harry sighed as his stomach turned unpleasantly. The dreaded discussion was coming. However, it could no longer be avoided, so Harry had to suck it up and follow her, which he did.
"Sure, Vera, let's go." Harry said with a resigned sigh, following her into the trunk. Once they closed the trunk, Vera spoke.
"Harry, I suppose you know what I want to ask you about." Vera said expectantly.
With a deep, shaky breath, Harry explained everything he knew about the residue the Dark Lord had left in his scar. Vera patiently listened, though Harry could sense her rising anger.
"I see. And you didn't tell me any of this immediately. Why? I thought we made it a point to not keep anything from each other." Vera said.
"I…" Harry started to say, scratching the nape of his neck nervously. Vera's expression changed to one of shock.
"Y-You thought I would abandon you, didn't you?" she asked, hoping for this to not be true. However, Harry's lack of answer told her everything.
"You really did think I wouldn't help you and just run away from you." she said, distraught that Harry didn't even trust her to stick with him when he needed her.
"I LOVE YOU, YOU IDIOT! YOU GORMLESS BASTARD! I would do anything, anything if it means helping you or making you feel better! And you have the gall to spit on my devotion to you! How dare you!" Vera screamed, slapping a shocked Harry's face with all her strength with every sentence.
Harry spat out a little blood from his mouth, before responding. "V-Vera, I –", he started to say, but Vera punched him in the nose, breaking it.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP! Just get out of my sight! I will never trust you again!" Vera said furiously, before bursting into tears and running to her room. She shut the door and warded her room to prevent Harry from coming in.
"…What have I done?" Harry thought in horror. He ran after his sister and knocked repeatedly on the door, paying little mind to the blood dripping out of his broken nose.
"Vera! Please! Let me in! I won't keep anything from you again! I swear it!" Harry said, pounding on the door desperately.
"Go away! I will never forgive you for this!" Vera said from inside her room.
"Please! I need you! I can't live without you! I love you too!" Harry wailed, tears flowing freely from his eyes.
"Shut up! You have no right to tell me that after what you did! If you don't get out of her now, I will hex you to pieces, Hadrian Jameson Potter!" Vera shouted.
Harry slowly picked himself up. Sure, he and Vera had their occasional arguments. More often than not, during these arguments, one of them, if not both, would get angry. However, Vera had never called Harry by his full name before. It sounded cold, like she hated him.
He tentatively walked to his room, before crashing into his bed and bawling his eyes out, berating himself for fucking things up. He should have trusted her, like how he had been doing since before he could remember. Now, his and Vera's relationship would never be the same again. He slowly cried himself to sleep.
The next day, both Harry and Vera woke up with a high fever. They did get sick once in a while, but their temperature rarely went above 100°F due to their magic-enhanced immunity. However, this time, it went up to 104°F.
Harry went to the kitchen to make some green tea with honey, so that he could feel a bit better. He told his aunt and cousin that sometimes, when he and Vera were too busy with their projects, they would eat inside the trunk itself rather than coming out to eat meals, so Petunia hod given them some groceries that they could keep in their fridge and pantry. He saw Vera just finishing up, and decided to make some light conversation. "You too, huh?" Harry asked as he started boiling some water. Vera simply glared at him before flipping her hair and walking away.
Harry was mentally kicking himself for making her even more angry. Of course, she wouldn't cool down in only a day, especially after falling sick. He should have been more patient – where did his Slytherin side run off to?
A week had passed with Harry trying his best to make things right with his sister, and Vera ignoring him. One night, Harry had decided to do something stupid.
"It's not worth living without her. I fucked up and now she hates me for it." Harry said, filling his bathtub with ice-cold water. He threw off his clothes, climbed in, slit both his wrists with a knife, and willed himself to stay awake for as long as possible as blood slowly seeped into the bathwater. He had to feel the pain of the mistakes he made, if they managed to make the one person his life revolved around turn away from him. Vera had recently even sent Hedwig to order another model of their trunk for herself.
It was no secret that she no longer wanted to be with him. He was alone now – with no-one to care for him, nothing to look forward to, and no more purpose to his life. What would be the point of accomplishing feats with his magic if he couldn't share such moments and achievements with Vera? What would be the point of helping revolutionize magic if Vera did not work with him or share his joy?
These were his thoughts as he slowly drifted into unconsciousness. "See you, mum, dad."
Meanwhile, Vera was wondering why her brother had not come out to have his dinner. She had not seen any evidence of him cooking something for himself prior to her arrival into the kitchen, but thought that he just didn't feel up to it.
Truthfully, it was killing her to do this to Harry, but he had to understand how she felt when the only light in her life implied that he did not trust her enough to depend on her. Every moment she spent caring for him, patching him up when the Dursleys beat him up too bad, training with him, and sharing the joys of pushing the boundaries of what was possible with magic felt like it had been chewed up and spat out into the dirt.
Harry certainly made it clear how apologetic he was about this disaster, and she could picture herself being worried about trusting Harry with such a horrible secret if she had been in his shoes, but it still really hurt. She decided that she didn't really feel up to eating dinner after these thoughts flowed through her mind, and she left to sleep on her troubles, with the company of her familiar Levi. This had become rather common for her these days. Levi was able to comfort her when she was feeling down
As she slept, Vera experienced a vivid dream. She felt much older – like an adult in their late twenties. She was with Harry, both working on a new magical theory. A child about her current had burst through the door to their laboratory, running to hug her excitedly. "Mom! I got my Hogwarts letter!" the child said excitedly.
The boy seemed to be a combination of both herself and Harry. He had jet-black hair, dark amber eyes, and aristocratic features. He was tall and athletic for his age, something he inherited from Harry. How come she was only seeing hers and Harry's features on this child. Wait…could it be?
She looked in shock as Harry turned to the boy. "Very good, son. I'm very happy for you! You will find a very nice surprise the day you reach Hogwarts." Harry said playfully.
Son? Harry and her had a son? She knew she loved Harry, but was it really going to end up like that? And weren't inbred children supposed to be really fucked up? This child seemed quite normal – extraordinary, even. Vera really had to reevaluate her feelings for her brother.
Vera suddenly woke up in cold sweat as the dream ended. She checked the time to see that it was midnight. Five hours had passed since she went to bed. She saw Levi curled around her arm, sleeping peacefully. He half-opened his eyes to see Vera looking at him.
~What happened, mommy?~ the Occamy asked drowsily.
~Nothing, sweetheart. Mommy just had a strange dream.~ Vera reassured.
~What was the dream about, mommy?~ Levi asked.
~In the dream, mommy and daddy were married and had a child.~ Vera explained.
~Mommy loves daddy? I knew it! Mommy and daddy sitting on a tree, K-I-S-S-I –~ Levi teased
~Enough!~ Vera interrupted with a furious blush adorning her face.
~Mommy's face is red. That means it's true.~ Levi said
~Go back to sleep, sweetheart.~ Vera sighed. She really loved that Occamy – like he was her actual child. Vera really pitied Harry for not having a familiar. If Vera was in Harry's place during this tough time in their relationship, she probably would have committed suicide by now.
Wait a minute. Harry had not come for dinner. His magic felt weaker than normal when she was in the kitchen Vera suddenly jumped off the bed, scaring Levi. ~Mommy! You scared me!~ Levi exclaimed.
~I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I really need to check on daddy.~ Vera said, fumbling her way to the door.
~Can Levi come?~ the Occamy asked, as Vera undid the wards.
~Not this time, sweetheart. Stay in bed.~ Vera said, bolting out of the door.
~Okay, mommy.~ Levi said sadly.
As Vera rushed to Harry's room, she smelt blood. 'Oh no, no, no, no…' she thought continuously as she ran.
After a simple Unlocking Charm on his door, she entered and saw that he wasn't in his room. After unlocking his bathroom, she shrieked in horror. Harry was lying in the tub, nude, and the water was a deep red in color.
He looked absolutely horrible. His hair was disheveled and had a few white strands from all the stress he had been going through. There were bags under his eyes, and when she pulled one eyelid open, his eyes did not have their usual brilliance. They were like marbles now. Vera put a hand on Harry's chest, and was relieved to find that his heart was still beating – albeit faintly. Vera quickly levitated him out of the tub, and saw that he had slit his wrists.
"Shit, shit, shit, shit…" Vera kept saying to herself as she patted him dry and healed the cuts on his wrists. Harry was looking extremely pale. He had clearly lost a lot of blood. She placed him on his bed and ran to the potion room, scrambling to prepare a Blood-Replenishing Potion. In two hours, she rushed back to Harry's room and sat him up by resting his head on the bed frame. She forced him to drink the potion, making his mouth and throat mimic the swallowing motion to ensure he drank the potion.
During this time, Harry had wet himself and the bed, as his kidneys filtered out the excess water in his blood. She didn't know how much potion to give Harry, and she had prepared two liters, so she went all in and made Harry drink every last drop of it. This was harmless, as excess Blood-Replenishing Potion was just assimilated into nutrients by the body. Vera felt her heart jump as Harry suddenly coughed and drew in a rattling breath. Taking a closer look at him, she noticed symptoms of hypothermia as well.
"Why, Harry?" she said to herself as tears flowed down her cheeks. She shakily cast a few warming charms on him as his eyes sprung to life.
"Mum?" Harry asked, squinting at Vera. "I did it! I'm finally dead! I can finally be with people who care about me! Thank you for coming to see me, mom." Harry said deliriously, giving Vera a hug.
This only caused Vera to cry harder as she slid Harry's glasses onto his eyes. "Vera…it's you." Harry said in a monotone voice, as the look in his eyes turned hard. "Why would you save me?"
"I l-love you." Vera stuttered out.
"I wish I could believe that. You hate me. You're just giving me hope that someone in this world actually cares about me before you take it away again." Harry said brokenly.
"N-No! I really love you, Harry! I-I want you. I need you." Vera whimpered out.
"How am I supposed to believe you? How do I know you won't hurt me again?" Harry asked coldly.
Vera leaned toward his face and kissed his lips – slowly and lovingly. Harry tasted the saltiness of her tears, realizing the she must have been crying for a while. But suddenly, Harry pulled away.
"What are you doing?" Harry asked, surprised at Vera's actions.
"My shields are down. Look at my memories with your legilimency." Vera invited.
Harry did as she asked, seeing the last seven days from Vera's perspective. He now truly realized the extent of the pain he caused Vera because of his decision to keep his secret from her, and actually admit that he didn't expect her to stick with him if she found out. He saw her dream – where she and him were married and with a child. That confused him. His studies on eugenics and the results of it taught him that inbred children tend to be fucked up. This child looked perfectly healthy and sane. However, he decided to file that away for later. Harry felt Vera's dread when she realized what he must have done and saw the state she found him in. 'Ouch…that had to be disturbing.' he thought with a wince.
Once Harry exited the memories, he hugged Vera. "I'm so sorry. I was so lost in my own misery that I didn't even stop to consider how my actions would have affected you if things ended differently." Harry said tearfully. "Alright – an eye for an eye – I will let you look into my mind and see the whole thing from my perspective now." Harry said, lowering his occlumency shields.
Vera nodded and entered his mind, feeling Harry's fear of Vera finding out about the piece of the Dark Lord in his scar, his dread of telling her about it, the grief he felt after losing her and having no one to support him, how that feeling evolved into betrayal. She saw that his mind had become so warped by grief that he thought she had used his secrecy as an excuse to distance herself from him after he told her his secret that he had hid from her. She then saw the thoughts that flowed through his mind right before he attempted suicide. That was the breaking point.
Vera quietly exited his mind, before taking her wand and pointed it at herself. Before Harry could stop her, she screamed, "Crucio!"
Such was her self-loathing at this moment that the curse actually worked. She shrieked for several seconds as she continued to hold the curse. Snapping out of his dazed state, Harry jumped off the bed and quickly performed a wandless disarming charm on his twin. Vera breathed raggedly.
"I deserved that." she said, her body twitching from the exposure to the Cruciatus Curse.
"What the fuck, Vera! Don't torture yourself again, or I'll destroy your wand! I mean it! It is my fault that all this happened. Torture me instead!" Harry yelled, causing Vera to shake her head tearfully.
"Also…on a more positive note…I love you too. I still do, after everything. I'm sorry for losing hope." Harry said, holding her up and pressing his lips to hers.
Vera's eyes widened before her expression softened and she grabbed his face and kissed him back. She opened her mouth, granting access to Harry's tongue, which he gladly accepted. After they made out for a few minutes, they reluctantly pulled away from each other.
"That was…" Vera started to say, but Harry cut her off.
"Where is my wand?" he asked, as Vera pulled it our of her pocket and handed it to him. "Expecto Patronum." Harry said, waving his wand.
A bright white beast had emerged from the tip of his wand – a Basilisk. Harry wondered what it was with him and Basilisks. Even his wand had a Basilisk scale core. But he wasn't complaining. The feeling of finally creating a Patronus was amazing. He had assumed he was failing and only producing white mist because he was not powerful enough to perform the Patronus Charm yet. However, after kissing Vera, everything just clicked.
"Amazing…" Vera said, simultaneously finishing her previous statement and complimenting Harry's spell.
"Listen…Vera…I know that our first kiss was not how we imagined it to be, but I wanted you to know that it was the best moment of my life so far." Harry said with a slightly giddy expression on his face.
"I feel the same way…" Vera said, embracing Harry.
"Why don't we get cleaned up and get to your bed? We'll clean up mine tomorrow." Harry suggested, causing Vera to nod. They both stripped naked before heading to Vera's bathroom. They were both used to seeing each other naked, so it was no big deal. They were only on the onset of puberty as well, so they did not appreciate each other's bodies as much as they would later do in the future.
After bathing together, Harry summoned a fresh pair of clothes from his room and Vera changed into new nightclothes. As they entered Vera's bedroom, Levi was waiting patiently for them.
~Mommy! You're back! And you brought daddy with you too!~ Levi said excitedly.
~Yes, sweetheart, mommy is back. Do you mind if daddy sleeps with us too?~ Vera asked.
~Daddy can sleep with mommy. Levi can go while daddy and mommy do naughty-naughty things.~ Levi said with a mischievous smirk – or at least whatever passed for a smirk for an Occamy.
~Levi! Enough!~ Vera said, appalled, as Harry chuckled.
~We're still too young to think of all that, Levi.~ Harry explained.
~What is this about master doing naughty things with mistress?~ some of Harry's snakes asked, poking their heads into the room.
Harry sighed. It seemed that it as going to be a while before they got to sleep. After a few hours of explaining what had happened to the animals and a lot of emotional tensions, the new couple went to sleep in each other's arms.
The twins' health improved dramatically after they reconciled with each other. They cleaned the mess caused by Harry's suicide attempt up, and decided to never talk about it again. Both Harry and Vera vowed to never keep secrets from each other and never hold grudges against each other. They resolved to use legilimency to understand each other's points of view whenever they fought in the future, so as to avoid further estrangement from each other.
They explained their absence to their aunt and cousin by lying to them that they were studying their wands and working on creating incantations for their spells. They felt bad for lying to them, but it couldn't be helped. The two were not trustworthy enough yet.
Time passed, as slowly, September 1st approached. For some reason, Petunia did not remember how to get on to Platform Nine-And-Three-Quarters, despite seeing Lily do that every year she attended Hogwarts. She must have been obliviated, the twins reasoned.
When the day finally arrived, the twins packed up their things, took Aaron, and apparated to the Leaky Cauldron at 10:30 a.m. They then used the fireplace to Floo to Platform Nine-And-Three-Quarters. Luckily, the barman, Tom, had told them that this was possible, so they did not need to waste time worrying about how to get to the platform. They quickly dusted their robes, using magic to make themselves look immaculate.
The twins walked elegantly towards the waiting train, Aaron following behind them. They saw Draco boarding the train, as he caught their eyes, gave them a respectful nod, and hurried to join his friends. The twins saw two people who could only be Draco's parents eying them curiously. The trio then boarded the train, and settled into an empty compartment. It was time to see if Hogwarts really matched its hype.
End of Chapter 4
(A/N: Hey readers, I know I will get flamed a lot for making Harry "weak-minded" enough to attempt suicide. However, let me explain this decision to you all – hear me out before going ham in the reviews. In the original story, Harry doesn't give up because he is used to the Dursleys' treatment of him. It is all he ever knew, until Hogwarts gave him something to look forward to. In this story, Vera abandoning Harry resulted in the first time when Harry was truly alone. While he trusts Dudley (Aaron) a little, and Petunia even less, he cannot really talk to them about his feelings. He had snakes, but talking to thirty immature animals that don't understand the situation would obviously not work. Harry did not have a familiar either, so he could only entrust his thoughts and feelings to himself. This is why Harry chooses escapism as a solution to his problems. I am not saying this was the right thing to do, and if any of you have ever struggled with such thoughts, there are several sources you can turn to for help. However, one can sympathize with Harry's decision after the one constant that his life revolved around essentially abandoned him.)
