Chapter Nine – Earth

When Harry landed, it appeared to be nighttime and he was in the middle of some huge stones standing on their end in a circle around him, some were broken and scattered. As he looked around thinking that he needed to find some civilization and see what day and year it was, not to mention what planet, he heard a soft crack behind him. Turning quickly he saw an old man with a long white beard, dressed in purple robes with moons and stars moving about in curious patterns.

They just stood there and stared at each other for a few seconds seeming to size each other up, wondering if there was going to be a confrontation. Then the old man asked a question.

"Harry? Are you…Harry Potter? You look like you might be."

"I…haven't…used…that language in a very long time but it's coming back to me…I think. Give me just a second…."

Harry thought for a second then looked back at the old man.

"Yes, I'm Harry Potter. May I ask your name sir?"

"You most certainly can, my boy. I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A school, I might add, you would have attended starting at age 11 had you not left when you were 6."

"A school for magic?"

"Yes, because you are a wizard and a bit more than that. You are what we consider a Time Mage, Harry. The word mage is simply a witch or a wizard but signifies one more powerful than the average magic user. The word time indicates you have power over it. I'm guessing you have already figured that out?"

"Yes."

"Splendid!"

"Were you the one who called me here?"

"Yes, Harry. I was the one."

"How?"

"I looked for years after you left for any way possible to bring you back. I could tell you left by accident and wanted to help you. I finally found an old reference in a thousand year old manuscript. There was a Time Mage back then as well and a spell, along with a ritual, was invented that could go out and contact the Time Mage no matter where or when they were."

"So you used that spell?"

"Yes, the first time I did I was not sure it worked, but then I studied it for almost a year after that seeking ways to make it better. So when I tried it again I was hoping to make it more powerful and give the feeling of where it was coming from so you would hopefully realize it was from Earth."

"Well, that seemed to work. I had been studying for years trying to figure out how to get back but what I did by accident only told me I was capable but not how to do it, especially since I had no idea where or when I needed to go."

"I am glad it worked Harry."

"Since you apparently know who I am Headmaster Dumbledore, may I ask about my past, my family, my roots? Do I have any family here I need to reacquaint myself with? I seem to recall an aunt, uncle, and cousin I would rather not get to know again."

"I am sorry Harry but you do not. I was very good friends with your parents but they were both killed when you were just 15 months old. That is why you were placed with your mother's sister and her family. Unfortunately, no one knew or even suspected that they would abuse you like they did. By the time I realized what was happening you were already gone and I could not find you."

"I do remember their treatment. I believe I was told my parents died in a car crash."

"They did not. They were murdered Harry by a very Dark wizard. However, before we go any further, why don't you come with me to Hogwarts where we can discuss all this in private and comfort? There is much I need to share with you and I hope you can share with me where you have been and what you have been up to."

"I suppose I could tell you a few things. How are we getting there?"

"I trust you know how to apparate?"

"Apparate? I've never heard that word."

"When I apparate to Hogwarts I will instantly appear in front of the gates to the school. I simply picture the destination in my mind, determine that I really want to go there, and then with plenty of deliberation, I go. It's called the 3 D's of Apparition."

"Oh, I see. I figured that out on my own willing myself to do it more than anything else. I always called it teleportation."

"I believe that word fits. The magic world simply has a lot of terms used exclusively by us. If you will take hold of my arm, I will guide us there the first time. You should be able to get there on your own after that."

Dumbledore held out his arm, which Harry took lightly before feeling a squeezing sensation as they disappeared from Stonehenge and appeared before some large metal gates with the Hogwarts emblem decorating it. There was a rather large castle in the distance.

"Please call me Albus, Harry," Dumbledore said as they passed through the gates and headed toward the castle. "I suspect we will spend a good bit of time together as we discus everything we need to go over."

"Thank you, Albus. It will be my pleasure."

Dumbledore showed Harry the Hogwarts grounds as best he could in the dark as they walked up to the castle but promised he would get a chance to see it better in the morning. He explained that it was summer so no students would be around, just a few of the professors.

The castle was interesting. The characters in the paintings that lined the walls moved, some of the ones asleep even snored, and the empty suits of armor would salute or come to attention as the Headmaster walked past. The stairs above them appeared to be moving. Fascinating.

They finally made it to a winding staircase guarded by a stone gargoyle who promptly moved aside when Albus said "pumpkin pastries." Harry followed him up to his office where many instruments were glowing, whistling, or spinning. Some even emitted tiny tendrils of smoke and there appeared to be an old worn out hat that moved on its own, sitting on the top shelf. The strangest thing was the winged creature sitting on a perch in the corner. It trilled something as they entered the office.

"Yes, I am back Fawkes. I have brought with me a long lost friend named Harry Potter. Harry, this is my familiar Fawkes. He is a phoenix. They are very intelligent and are capable of many wonderful things."

Harry walked over to the bird and rubbed his finger on the side of its head. Fawkes enjoyed the attention from Harry.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Fawkes."

Fawkes trilled his greeting in return.

"Ah, I see you have made a knew friend Fawkes. You rarely are that social to strangers so you must see something in him that you like."

Fawkes warbled something back.

"No, I do not have a problem with it Fawkes. I like him too."

Dumbledore turned back to Harry once he finished petting Fawkes.

"Have a seat Harry," he said indicating a chair in front of his desk. "Can I get you something to drink? A snack? Lemon drop?" He indicated a bowl of hard candy on his desk.

"Something to drink would be nice, Albus."

"Yes, I could go for some tea as well and perhaps some biscuits. Pippy?"

Suddenly a small, strange looking creature appeared next to Dumbledore. It looked a little like one of the old Jedi masters that sat on the Council. It bowed to Dumbledore.

"What can Pippy do for you Headmaster?"

"Some tea and biscuits for myself and my guest please, if you don't mind."

"No problem, Headmaster. Pippy will be right back."

Harry was about to ask what exactly Pippy was when she appeared again with a solid silver tray fully laden with a teapot, cups, and all the fixings. There was also a plate of fresh and still warm biscuits that looked delicious. She left immediately.

"Albus, what exactly is Pippy?

"Pippy is a house elf. They are timid, hardworking creatures that aim to please. They prefer to work rather than play. They long to serve so we do our best not to treat them poorly. Unfortunately, there are several wizards out there who mistreat their elves. That is tragic. However, Hogwarts employs quite a few to handle all the day-to-day needs, especially when the castle is full of kids. They provide wonderfully cooked meals and keep the place clean."

"Interesting."

"The tea and biscuits Pippy brought are quite delicious so help yourself to as much as you want. Here is your cup of tea. The sugar and cream are right here if you need any of that."

"I'm not sure what I might need so I will see if I like it first," Harry said taking a sip of his tea. "It's been many years since I've had any tea."

"We English like our tea. Since you are a native Englishman, I believe you will find it satisfactory."

"It does taste good and I like it as is." Harry then tried a biscuit.

"Shall we get started so we can get past the important stuff for now and then get some rest? We can finish up tomorrow. Then tomorrow or the next day we will need to get you familiar with the Wizarding world and let you claim your inheritance at Gringotts. That way you will have proper finances to do what you need to do. I believe you also have a residence or two you can claim should you desire."

"Inheritance?"

"Yes, Harry. The Potters are a very old wizarding family and were well off. Since you are the last of the Potter's you have inherited everything. In fact, here is your key to your student vault at Gringotts."

Dumbledore reached into a drawer and pulled out a small golden key that he handed over to Harry.

"This key goes to a small vault at Gringotts, our wizarding bank that was meant for you to use while you attended Hogwarts. Once you reached the age of 17 then you would be allowed to access the Potter family vault."

"Why 17?"

"17 is the age you are considered an adult in the wizarding world."

"Ah."

"Now before we cover the important stuff, let me first apologize to you. It is my sad admission to make that I was the one who placed you with the Dursleys. I had good reasons but after what they did to you, I am ashamed that I did not check up on you. I hope you can forgive me…."

oOo

After quite a bit of discussion that lasted until after three am, Dumbledore took Harry to some guest quarters for the night and instructed him to ask for Cassie should he need anything. He was also told that Cassie could bring him to the Great Hall for breakfast if Dumbledore did not come by before then to take him.

From Dumbledore, Harry learned about wands, his family, their friends, and how Peter Pettigrew had betrayed them to the Dark Lord. He also learned about Voldemort, the Dark Wizard himself. It wasn't until Dumbledore revealed the prophecy to him that Harry started to put things together about the reasons for Dumbledore's efforts to locate him and bring him back.

The interesting thing was that Voldemort used some very Dark Magic to keep him from fully dying when his Killing Curse rebounded back onto himself at the time he tried to kill Harry. It was Dumbledore's firm belief that he would not be able to accomplish that same feat again due to that piece of magic only allowing itself to be used once per person. Therefore, instead he spent most of his time since he returned finding ways to increase his power and physical resilience so he will be even harder to kill.

There was a tournament held at the school during what would have been Harry's fourth year where the winner was tricked and taken away by portkey then used in a ritual that returned Voldemort to a new body. The student was named Cedric Diggory and he was killed after his blood was used in the ritual. It took a few days to find his body. The Triwizard trophy was found lying right next to him in an old cemetery where the ritual obviously took place.

Since then Voldemort's Death Eaters were wreaking havoc all over Magical and Muggle Britain, sewing terror as far and wide as they could. The Ministry of Magic was too slow to believe Voldemort had returned so by the time they could no longer deny it, the Ministry had been weakened by infiltration and the murder of some key Ministry officials.

The Ministry wasn't completely lost yet but it was getting close.

The next morning, after Harry was brought up to speed about the current affairs and he shared with Dumbledore some of his own experiences, they decided it was time to head over to Gringotts to get Harry settled as the last Potter so he could have full access to his accounts.

Dumbledore took Harry by floo travel this time, straight from his office. They landed in The Leaky Cauldron where several people recognized Dumbledore and gave suspicious looks toward Harry in his unusual black outfit as they walked out the back door and stood in front of a brick wall. Dumbledore pulled out his wand and tapped on the bricks in a certain order, showing Harry as he went. When he was done, the bricks separated into an entryway.

They both walked through and into what Dumbledore announced as Diagon Alley. He pointed out a few shops along the way as they walked steadily toward a large white building, which was the bank. Dumbledore explained about the goblins who ran the bank and made sure Harry knew how they liked to be treated.

They found a teller that didn't have a line and walked up.

"Professor Dumbledore, how can Gringotts help you today?" asked the goblin.

"We have two orders of business to take care of. First, may I present Harry James Potter? He has returned from his travels and will need to see his account manager about access to all the Potter vaults. He already has his key to his student vault."

"Very well. I will call Kurlig, Mr. Potter's account manager, and he should be here shortly. How else may I help you?"

"While Harry is tending to his business I simply need to run down to my own vault for some business of my own."

"Very well. Griphook?"

A short goblin stepped up.

"Take Professor Dumbledore to his vault Griphook."

"This way sir," said Griphook as he motioned for Dumbledore to follow.

About 5 seconds after they left another goblin stepped up and looked to the teller goblin.

"Kurlig your long lost Potter heir has returned. He needs access to his vaults. I will let you handle it from here."

Kurlig nodded at the other goblin and turned to Harry.

"Mr. Potter, what a pleasure it is to finally meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine," Harry said with a bow.

"I have been the Potter account manager for many decades. I knew your parents and your grandparents before you. Come with me and we will get you sorted."

Harry followed the goblin back to the offices until he came to his own, led Harry inside, and had him sit down before he sat behind his desk.

"Tell me Mr. Potter –"

"Just Harry, please Kurlig."

"Thank you, Harry. Can you tell me your age?"

"I am 22 years of age."

"Interesting, since by Earth standards you should only be 16."

"Benefits of being a Time Mage I suppose. Trust me I have lived every bit of those 22 years, just not all of them on this planet. I have been on several planets to be exact."

"And, I'm sure you have many stories you could tell, but at this time I suppose we should get down to business."

Kurlig reached into his desk and pulled out a solid black quill, which he laid on the desk in front of Harry. Next, he pulled out some parchment and placed it in front of Harry as well.

"For verification purposes, Harry, I need you to sign your name on this parchment using the provided Blood Quill. It will sign your name in blood and fill in your family ancestry from there. You should only feel a slight prickling sensation on the back of your hand when you use it. Sign on the line provided at the top, please."

Harry nodded and picked up the Blood Quill, eyeing it carefully. Then with a flourish, he signed his name as best he could in English, being the first time he ever had to sign his name that way. It was a bit messy but it apparently did the trick since the parchment began filling in all kinds of information. It even clearly showed his full name of Harry James Potter, his proper age of 22, and that he was a Time Mage.

After his information was compete, the parchment filled up with Potters on one side and Evans on the other. After it went back a ways on the Potter side, the name Peverell began to show up. Kurlig did not look like that was any surprise to him.

When it finally completed filling in, Kurlig picked up the long document and looked it over carefully.

"Very good, Harry. Everything seems to be in order. You are definitely Harry James Potter and you are 22 years of age even though you were born 16 years ago. It is duly noted that you are a Time Mage, which explains the difference in your age. This document provides proof of your lineage and establishes your standing as the last Potter heir."

"I noticed the name Peverell started showing up on the Potter side after a bit. Is that name significant?"

"Yes, indeed, Harry. The Potters go back a very long way, but given they are direct descendants of Ignotus Peverell, it makes their family line one of the very oldest in magical history. The Peverells go back practically to the beginnings of magic and even Merlin himself. The Peverells and Merlin were contemporaries, after all."

"I'm afraid since I accidentally left when I was six years old and just returned recently, that I have much to learn about my family and magical history. I will endeavor to do so as quickly as I can."

"I will be happy to answer any questions I can should you feel the need to ask Harry."

"Thank you, Kurlig. That's very kind."

Kurlig went over all the Potter holdings with Harry, which mainly consisted of two vaults and two residences with land. He pointed out that portkeys to the two houses were in the family vault.

"Shall I take you to your vaults now Harry?"

"Yes, please."

Harry followed Kurlig to a small cart on rails where they both hopped in. The cart travelled at incredible speeds along the track for a little ways until it stopped in front of a vault numbered 687. Kurlig took the lantern and placed it next to the vault door.

"Your key, please Harry."

Harry took his small gold key out of his pocket and handed it to Kurlig. Kurlig used the key to unlock the vault and opened the door for Harry.

"Harry, this is your personal vault that was setup by your parents to fund your time at school, pay for supplies, books, etc. The amount stays at 200,000 galleons and any funds withdrawn are replenished from the Potter Family Vault."

"Is there anything in there besides coins?"

"No, just galleons. Are you ready to see the family vault?"

"Yes."

Kurlig locked up the small vault and handed the key back to Harry. They then climbed back into the cart and travelled way down underground until they finally arrived at a large alcove with two large doors. Kurlig instructed Harry to touch one of the doors to open the vault.

The doors took a half-second to respond but they opened together, revealing vast riches beyond them. As Harry understood it now, instead of credits or even pounds, the Wizarding World used different currency that consisted of galleons, sickles, and knuts. According to what he was seeing in the vault, it mainly consisted of galleons. Although, there were other items evident as well.

Harry wasn't interested in all the family history items at the moment. He had been so removed from all of it for so long that it was going to take some time for this strange world and his past to catch up. He was more interested in the Potter properties so he would have a private place to stay while here.

The portkeys located in the vault went to the two properties the Potters owned. The first one was Potter Place, a large manor that had been in the family for nearly a thousand years. The second was the Godric's Hollow house, where Harry's parents were killed and he was orphaned.

The house in Godric's Hollow was damaged but it could be restored if he so desired. Potter Place was in good condition since the Potter elves were still around and kept it maintained. Sure enough, the portkeys, when he located them, were in the form of large keys clearly labeled with the names of the places.

Harry picked them up and placed them in his pocket. Kurlig recommended using a special bag that would hold as much as Harry wanted to carry so he could take plenty of galleons with him for shopping. Harry complied and loaded up the bag, not making even the smallest dent in the pile of coins.

When his business was completed with Kurlig, Harry left and found Dumbledore waiting for him in the lobby of Gringotts. He made sure Harry had money on him then took him around to different shops in Diagon Alley, showing him items he may need. First, he took him to Ollivander's Wand Shop and suggested he get a wand since there were some specialized spells that could only be done with a wand. Not wanting to hinder himself in any way, Harry decided to purchase a wand.

Ollivander took a long while trying to find one that would work. They had a close fit with a holly wand that contained a phoenix feather from Fawkes, but it was not close enough. They suspected it was going to take a special wand to match with Harry's power and unique abilities. Eventually, Ollivander gave up on his ready supply and took Harry in the back to his shop where he kept all the woods and cores.

He had Harry hold his hand over all the woods and cores but even then, there was no complete match. He did discover a strong affinity for Snakewood, but no core was acceptable. Snakewood was Ollivander's most expensive wood, one of the hardest, and definitely the rarest. Of all the woods he had, that one was in very short supply.

"Mr. Potter, I am sorry to say that in all my years of business I have never ran into this problem before. It is rare that I have to custom make a wand but if I do, that always works, at least until now. I am deeply sorry for this."

Ollivander had explained all the wand cores he used when he had Harry feel to see which one responded. Taking note of dragon heartstring, Harry remembered how he felt when fighting the rancors, how they were resistant to magic. He wondered if a heartstring from one of those would work. He also wondered if there were other cores and even woods from other planets that could be harvested for making wands.