Harry Potter and the Divinity Beyond Might and Magic
Chapter Seven
Master of Wizardry
Albus Dumbledore was the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and was not very happy with one Harry James Potter. The… toe-rag was always up to no good, sneaking off and doing his own thing, even with Death Eaters on the loose. Death Eaters weren't clever enough to leave Harry alone if they spotted him, and Harry was not opposed to blowing them up, or some other much less nice thing in his efforts to capture them, in which case he didn't care whether they were still alive when he finally did apprehend them.
He had to wonder about those Death Eaters though. Maybe, he should think about adding in some common sense classes into the Hogwarts curriculum? It was incredibly strange. They feared and cowered from Voldemort and even shy away from starting trouble with Albus, but they still charged after Harry who could shatter their skulls with one strike, and that was when he wasn't using outward signs of magic.
Albus had seen Harry punch someone. That was enough to make Albus weary of getting too close, and the Death Eaters considered the 'Great' Albus Dumbledore a threat. Albus had asked his spy in amongst the Death Eaters about it. Apparently, Voldemort had numbers over intellect when it came to his forces. It was likely they couldn't come to terms with someone so young being so much more powerful and gifted than them.
"Maybe I should just let, Harry deal with them?" he questioned thoughtfully as he arrived outside of the grounds of a fairly large British farm with a frown. "That's strange… this whole farm has a pretty expensive looking ward around it."
In truth, Albus wasn't that good when it came to wards, and he likely wouldn't have noticed this one if it hadn't sprung him back from where he aimed for the front door. Harry, for all his troublemaking did seem to care about security it seemed. However, Albus wished Harry hadn't put this ward up as he now had to walk up to the quant farmhouse cottage.
It had started out like a nice normal day for the old head teacher, but then he arrived at Harry's aunt and uncles to speak to Harry about his plans to go into Diagon Alley to do his school shopping, and meet up with the Weasley's later this afternoon. But when Albus got there and knocked on the door, Harry's uncle had taken his time with his verbal assault, and Albus didn't know there were that many cuss words before. Though, he did wonder how one man could house so much hate for a people he had barely had any contact with. Albus guessed it was Petunia Dursley telling the whale of the man half-truths and lies about their people, still jealous that she had no magical powers or something silly like that.
However, once the giant man had finished trying to give himself a heart attack, Albus was told that Harry wasn't even there and that he had left a few nights back. Albus had internally groaned as Harry could have wondered off anywhere, he wanted; he was rich, powerful, gifted, and clever. Harry could be anywhere.
However, Albus was proven wrong when Vernon Dursley set him straight with some more rage filled expletives. Apparently, Harry left with a normal girl and her freak loving family, and started mumbling angrily about freaks, (meaning magic people), mixing with normal people (meaning muggles).
Albus really didn't like that kind of attitude. It was like the way Death Eaters and purists spoke about muggles, and kind of ridiculous. To him relationships between muggles and wizards didn't matter, and were likely beneficial in the long run as there were quite low numbers of magical's like them that a dip outside of the blood pool would only be good. However, ultimately, all that really mattered was that both parties cared for one another, faults and all. Though, he knew most of the wizarding community would disagree with his sentimentality on that front, especially if it involved 'their' saviour. Sometimes he wondered why he bothered. They preached all this tolerance only until it no longer suited their needs.
Albus sighed tiredly and asked what the bloated man meant before he gave himself a seizure. Vernon said – well, Vernon yelled that Harry had some normal girl from Vernon's son's school all over him – then called her a slut. Albus had to suppress the instinct to roll his eyes in exasperation at the over exaggeration. Albus could almost laugh, and barely managed to suppress his humour. It wasn't the fact Harry was with a muggle, which wasn't all that funny. It was the fact it was someone from Vernon's son's school that seemed to antagonize the brute most. It was nice that Harry had obviously decided that a muggle girl was just as worthy as a witch, but he could only hope that Ginevra didn't murder her. Then, Albus knew like any one that Harry was extremely loyal and would never do anything to hurt her or anyone emotionally like that, and he had plenty of female friends, as boys and girls could be friends together without it meaning anything.
Albus took a deep breath before he asked for the girl's name, which was spat out with disgust. After the brutish man hissed that; he added that the girl and her family knew that Harry was a 'freak' (wizard).
Amanda Creevey. Albus nodded in thought as he knew where the Creevey's lived. He had been the teacher who dealt with Colin Creevey's initiation into the Magical World. That would explain how the girl and her muggle family knew about magic if they had sons/brothers in Hogwarts.
That was how Albus ended up bouncing off the wards, and walking up the long drive. It was a nice day, so it wasn't too much bother. He just had to give Harry a piece of his mind, and likely have Harry tell him where to shove off. He thought about turning around and going home, but he was much too tenacious.
Albus was startled as he paused near the house as he let his eyes scan the rose bush under a main window as he spied the 'bug' – well the dark fairy sitting on the window ledge watching him with suspicion. He almost forgot about that fairy issue Harry supposedly had, but the spell was no doubt over, it seemed the fairy's might have moved in. He couldn't care less as long as they behaved themselves and stayed out of sight of anyone out of the loop. Though, most people when they saw anything magical got twisted around by the universe and their own minds knowing (unconsciously) they would likely be better off coming up with some sort of normal excuse for what they saw, as long as it wasn't ridiculously obviously unavoidably magically magical.
Sighing, Albus shooed the fairy with his hands, but she just looked at him as if he was not right in the head, and he couldn't blame her as he was a good several metres away, and couldn't properly shoo her from there, so he gave up caring and turned to the front door and finally wrapped his knuckles against the wood to get an occupants attention.
"Okay, I'll bite; what do you want?!"
Albus startled as he turned and there he was. Harry Potter. He was wearing mostly light colours with some beige cargo trousers, and a white shirt with the cuffs rolled up slightly half way up his powerful looking forearms, and the top and bottom buttons undone. Harry wore a brown leather belt and had brown walking boots as well as a brown cuff on his left wrist with a silver coloured watch attached.
Harry seemed like he had quite the growth spirt, and strength and energy seemed to gleam within those jewel green eyes, but Albus couldn't sense any actual power; Harry always hid that. Albus had felt Harry project his power once, and that was not something he wanted to feel any time soon, especially as Harry seemed to have gotten stronger over the summer holiday.
Smiling, Albus nodded to the boy, "Mr. Potter," he said with a sheepish smile before he noticed the stunning looking young brown-haired girl in the breezy blue summer dress holding loosely onto Harry's left arm. "And you must be, Miss. Creevey," he said while a grandfatherly smile while she blushed and looked uncertain as she was confused, and likely out of the loop a little here.
"Nobody else is in, and I have a trip to Diagon Alley, so hurry up," Harry said while rolling his eyes. "You're lucky I sensed your arse hit the wards or we would have been gone by now. You could have walked a bit faster at least?"
"Well, I'm glad you seem to be doing okay, Harry," Albus quickly said as he wasn't sure what else he could say as Harry screwed with his day by not being where he was expected. Though, looking around, Harry no doubt had more fun with the Creevey's.
"You came all this way to tell me you're happy I'm doing okay?" Harry asked in mild amusement this time, and Albus felt a blush encroaching his cheeks. "I'm doing great, but you seem to be bored out of your mind if you have nothing better to do."
"Well, no, Harry," he replied while feeling flustered. "I went looking for you at the Dursley's, and you weren't there. I came to talk about arrangements for your trip, but it seems you've already dealt with that?"
"Well, yeah," Harry agreed. "Ginny and the others will be expecting us in about…" he paused and looked at his watch. "Twenty minutes, so make this quick Professor, we don't have forever."
"I see," Albus said before he rushed on. "But since you have not stayed your full term at the Dursley's you'll have to return after your trip until school starts."
Harry sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. "No. Nope. Na-ah. Not going to happen. If you think they're so great, you go and live with them? I'm done with that rubbish. Anyway; they don't want me there and I don't want to be there so I don't see any problem."
"B-but Harry, you're only safe while you are…" the old man began but cut himself short as Harry rose and amused eyebrow. "Err… okay, so the Death Eaters are only safe while you're there…"
Harry rolled his eyes while Amanda looked like she wasn't sure whether she should laugh or not. "Look, Professor," Harry said as if he was talking to someone exceptionally slow. "I don't set out to kill anyone. I would honestly rather them run away screaming in terror and never bother anyone again, but they don't. They come at me and put innocent people in danger, and then I would be putting more people in danger if I didn't stop them violently. It's much harder to fix some shattered bones over waking someone from a stunning charm, so they stay down. If someone dies from their injuries; they should have thought about that before they went out to hurt people. Being a piece of shit does have consequences, Professor Dumbledore, and maybe they'll eventually get that through their thick skulls."
"They haven't yet," Albus found himself mumbling under his breath. Harry snorted as he heard, so Albus quickly continued before he lost any more of his flow. "You should see reason Harry. With Voldemort on the loose," he began, completely ignoring mention of Death Eaters as they were proving to not be a threat. "You won't be safe anywhere else," said Albus starting to worry that he wasn't making any sense to himself anymore.
Albus knew he couldn't force Harry to return; honestly, he thought that Harry could beat him in an upfront duel as Albus had slowed down in his old age and Harry was getting stronger. Not only that, but he would lose any trust Harry had in him if he tried, and Harry could potentially up and leave the UK and go to school elsewhere. It also didn't hurt that the Dursley's would prefer Harry didn't go back to live with them. Harry had too many other options that he had no need for the Dursley's and Albus was sure he only went back this year to appease him, so he wouldn't do it again; Harry could be more stubborn than anyone Albus knew.
"Get real old man," Harry said with a chuckle, and starling him and Amanda. "Stop trying to convince yourself-."
"But Harry," Albus quickly interrupted desperately. "You-you don't want to go down a dark path, do you?"
Harry groaned and showed the first sign of anger. "You're all idiots. If you're all too chicken shit to destroy the bastard and his murdering torturing minions; that's your issue, but I sure as hell ain't wasting my life hiding under a rock from those wastes of flesh… those dregs of humanity. Why should I or anyone else hide and waste our lives when we could be putting this scum down and living our lives to their fullest."
"What? What are you saying? Be reasonable. It's for your own good, and-." The old man protested uncertainly as Harry glared at him in pity. "I have to keep you safe."
"Safe? Is that what you call it?" Harry asked sarcastically. Albus winced at the accusatory tone. "I call it a bloody prison. You never had to leave me with those things. Leaving me with them could have made me into something like Voldemort. Maybe even worse as I would have had you and Voldemort to blame together."
"What do you mean?" asked Albus, gulping. Harry's eyes blazed with cool annoyance.
"Well let's start and end with day one after my parents were murdered," he began with a scowl. "You take me from my parent's home and dump me on a doorstep in the middle of the night. This is flecking England for one, and the first of November, I could have frozen to death-!"
"I used a warming charm," Albus tried to defend himself.
"Did you use a charm to stop me waking up and wandering away?" Harry asked neatly and Albus grimaced as that hadn't crossed his mind. "In fact, did you even think about getting me some medical attention?" he asked, startling Albus further. "I mean, I was hit in the face by the killing curse?" he asked and Albus winced as that had never crossed his mind either. "But okay, lets forget about that," Harry continued coolly. "But something else. You know, I can hate the Dursley's, but I can't hate them for resenting my presence in their home – in their lives. You didn't even ask them if they wanted me. You just forced me on them without a thought for anybody else's feelings. But as long as I'm safe screw what is right, let's do what is easy?"
Albus winced at those words, his words being thrown back in his face, and opened his mouth to defend himself. "B-but that was right Harry; they are your only remaining family," he said as that was sounding weak while looking into this boy's eyes. He had long given up trying to read his student, Harry would know, and his mind was like a vault more worthy than any in Gringotts Wizarding Bank, so they could only speak together.
Harry scoffed at the mere notion. "Family are those who love you unconditionally, blood or not, blood does not make them family. No. It was easy to leave me there because of these 'protections'," he said using air quotes. "You should know I can see these blood wards and they are atrocious to the point some of your students could do better. They are a bond of blood. They need affection. Love. Positive emotions towards each other for them to even work, but you didn't do them right anyway, so it's a moot point, blood magic and wards are not your forte, Professor. It was just easier for you to leave me there than really look out for me."
Albus grimaced as he knew those were sounding more on key. "B-but, Harry; you have to understand-."
"Plus," Harry interrupted as he continued. "I'm sure you knew how I was treated like crap. For fucks sake, Professor, my Hogwarts letter was addressed to the cupboard under the stairs," he growled here and Amanda tensed up against Harry with wide hazel eyes full of horror before those eyes turned to glaring at the old man. "I hadn't even had a friend until I met Hagrid, someone you should not have sent to collect me for my first trip to Diagon Alley. You've kept me blind from a lot of truths the other non-magic born children learn during their orientation into the wizarding world that day. You don't seem to practice what you preach old man," he concluded in pity. "You've always said people have a choice of doing what is right over what is easy. And that you will always do the right thing. Well I say you are a liar."
Then with that, Harry and Amanda swished away in a splash of blue light, and they had gone. Albus could only sigh in confused frustration.
to be continued...
Bored crimson eyes glared from his high-backed cushioned chair. He sneered down at the fat quivering mass in the corner of his large dark hall as he twirled his wand around his long pale bony fingers. The expression he wore on his pale lips was indifferent and if you dared to look into his eyes, you would see he wasn't completely home right then as he was concentrating deeply on his thoughts.
You see. Other than coming up with new ways to make the cowering bundle of flesh in the corner suffer (otherwise known as Wormtail or Peter) Voldemort was trying to come up with some other way to alleviate his growing boredom. He had shaken off the thought of muggle-hunting as that lost its appeal years ago. It was just not fun because the muggles couldn't fight back. In addition to that, he didn't need to send his Death Eaters for capture or death if Potter found out and went Death Eater hunting.
Though, most of his Death Eaters loved muggle-hunting still, probably because they couldn't fight back as he realised quite a few of his followers were wimps. The only reason they had never fallen to the aurors was because of either greater numbers or the aurors just believing they must be powerful because they were the mighty Dark Lord's men, so they were too afraid to fight all out and lose their lives because of overestimation. It's quite pathetic, and boring. Though, the Death Eaters were starting to come around to not bothering the muggles, as they were getting it through their idiot brains that yes, Dumbledore was an idiot and let them be, Potter was not and would not, and when Potter had some Aurors at his call they were a lot more efficient, and a lot more willing to brake bones and take lives.
Voldemort scoffed at the stupidity and cowardice of the ministry. It took a fifteen-year-old commanding their Aurors for them to do anything right. If they didn't keep electing greedy little pricks into office, perhaps Voldemort wouldn't have such a foot hold over everybody, and fights would last longer and be more entertaining like during the battle in Hogsmeade. It was fun but it wasn't getting them any closer to controlling the Ministry. Though, that battle did weed out all of his (well, a large swarf of his) weak men and get rid of them for him.
It was kind of doing him a favour.
Most of his Death Eaters were disgraces of wizards, hygienically challenged, and mentally unbalanced, and they believed they were somehow superior to anyone else. Then they giggle like twats while doing some fucked up things in their spare time? Or the fact they cowered before him and literally kiss his feet. He bet he could get them to kiss hiss arse if he ordered them too. He let out a soft chuckle as he realised, he could get them to wipe his arse clean with their bare hands if he wanted them to touch him, which he certainly didn't.
He arched an eyebrow when the door suddenly opened and in stalked the greasy haired Potions Professor, Severus Snape. Voldemort wondered whether Snape had heard of the invention known to all as shampoo. He internally shrugged as he was suspicious that Snape left his hair like that to bother people. At least Snape wasn't one of the many cowards he had to see on a daily basis. Even though the younger man of course feared him. He at least had the guts to betray him every single day and lie to his face.
Voldemort was very much aware that Severus was a traitor and was fully working for the Order of the Phoenix, but didn't much care; he was sure Severus knew that he knew, but it was all about the game. It made things more interesting when your enemy knew what you were up to. In addition, Snape's company was much preferred to idiots like Lucius Malfoy whose head was so far up his own arse, smelling those, 'flower scented' farts of his that all he did was complain about stuff Voldemort didn't give a crap about.
In fact, truth be told Voldemort would rather the company of Dumbledore or Potter; at least they had the guts to stand up to him and say his name. Even if he did want the honour of killing the meddling fools. If he had to hear Lucius complaining about how Potter continually out shines his prat of a son one more time he's going to de-throne them with the removal of their tiny little knobs. If the Malfoy heir had any brains, he would just stay well clear of Potter and the matter would be closed, end of story as he knew Potter wouldn't give the younger Malfoy the time of day. Though, Voldemort realised he wasn't practicing what he thought, but didn't much care.
In truth, he wanted Potter and Dumbledore to continue getting in his way. Being an evil villain would be awfully depressing without the heroes interfering with his plans, which was one reason why he kept Severus around. Though the man did like to complain about Potter a little too much. Trying to compare the boy to his father, but even Voldemort could see that Harry Potter and James Potter only share physical traits. Damn hatred can blind even the smartest of Wizards. Ah well, it's not his problem.
"What is it Severus?" he finally spoke in a bored hiss as he lazily looked down to where Snape now knelt in a respectful bow. "So, you have any news on Potter or Dumbledore?" he asked hopefully. Maybe his boredom shall come to an end today for the time being.
Snape looked up, made eye contact, and only gave a small flinch but kept contact. "Not much My Lord. Potter is just being his normal troublesome self. As for Dumbledore, I have no news. However, I have news of the minister. It seems Fudge is out of his mind, and is making some very harsh judgements in the wake of the way he handled our attack on Hogsmeade… but nobody in their right mind will re-elect him, so no matter what happens that fool will be gone."
"I see," he replied with a nod, "yes, his term will be ending soon either way, so he is over for his corruption," he said a little unhappy that he couldn't go and have a much-needed battle with one of his favourite enemies. "Continue," he added gesturing his 'subordinate' to carry on with his report hoping that it would at least amuse him to hear what the idiot Minister was up to now while awaiting his hearing.
Severus nodded as he began calmly relaying his report while Voldemort listened on in bemused amusement. "He has been making some very questionable choices as of late. He's desperate. He's been spending money too… or trying to, but Potter has a lot of sway, nobody can be sure the Ministers deeds are going to go punished or unpunished; we can only wait and see what happens. Fudge likely has dirt on others and could take them down with him, but more than likely a last resort as it would incriminate him more."
"Oh, this was good," Voldemort mumbled to himself thoughtfully. "That idiot, Minister has no-idea what he has gotten himself into."
Ah well, who cared anymore? Voldemort would just sit back and watch from afar for a while, and begin a new elaborate scheme to capture and kill Potter or Dumbledore at a later date because this looked like it was going to be too good to interfere with just yet.
