AN: And another chapter out already. The next one should cover the first day of lessons as well as the Wizengamot meeting, or at least part of it. Any suggestions on how I should play that out are welcome, and I look forward to hearing your opinions on the matter. Now, for last chapter, I bet some of you forgot about Helena, eh? Well so did Harry, what with the whole 'chamber of secrets' thing that was going on, and it came back to bite him on the ass. Yes, a ghost just blackmailed Harry, you got that right, and no, Harry was not going to try and use necromantic invocations against her to try and threaten and/or destroy her, because that would bring down a lot of suspicion on him, even if she didn't manage to get away and make good on her threats, because he was the last person that's interacted with her for decades suspicion would immediately be on him. It would be so not a good thing if people thought he could use 'Dark Arts' that would harm or kill a ghost.
Beta'd by: NIX'S WARDEN
Chapter 12 – Deep Thoughts and Philosophical Discourse
Harry paused before the Headmaster's door, his wand slipping out of his sleeve and into his hand. Loki gave him a curious look, but he seemed to have some idea of what Harry was thinking, and was thus unsurprised when Harry gave a murmured 'Homenum Revelio' and a twitch of his wand.
"There are three people inside." Harry told them, though he didn't elaborate. All that spell did was tell you how many living humans were in an area, not anything about them.
"Dumbledore, Lily, and James?" Isis asked, to which Harry only shook his head.
"I don't know, but we're about to find out." He sighed, before activating his Combat Equipment and knocking on the door.
"Ah, Harry, please come in." Dumbledore's voice came through the door.
Harry did so, his familiars right behind him. Once inside, his eyes flickered around the room for a moment in confusion. He couldn't see the other two people that had registered to his spell, and there wasn't even the tell-tale distortion in the air that would have told him they'd used a disillusionment charm.
"Something the matter, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, having noticed the wandering eyes.
"Nothing much, but I could have sworn you weren't alone in here." He replied.
Dumbledore smiled lightly. "Ah, you're spell a moment ago?" He chuckled. "Unfortunately for you, I have many strange and wonderful artefacts in this room with me. It's troublesome, but some of them react to spells in weird ways, and with the way a revealing charm scans an area, one or more of them will have thrown it off in some way."
Dumbledore then looked Harry up and down, mentally noting the unusual and somewhat elaborate attire he was wearing. Of course, Dumbledore had never seen Harry's Combat Equipment before, so he wouldn't know that what Harry had on was technically magically created armour.
"Thank you for telling me that, headmaster, I hadn't known that." Harry frowned, wondering why that had been left out of the book he'd read. "Anyway, you called for me?"
"Ah, I did, didn't I?" Dumbledore smiled at Harry. "Now, I had been meaning to ask about a few things, but an occurrence at breakfast made the number of questions I wish to ask rise. Shall we start with that? What were you doing at breakfast that needed so much mana?"
Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I don't really know what happened there, it was a surprise to me as well. It felt like something grabbed roughly onto my magic and pulled at it hard, leaving me rather tired afterwards."
That was a partial truth. He did know what had caused the surge in mana – namely whatever the binding between him and Helena had caused – but he had not expected it to pull that much mana, and tiet, out of him, so he was being completely honest there.
Dumbledore didn't speak, levelling a somewhat flat look Harry's way. Both of them knew that wasn't the full story, Harry because he was part of what happened, and Dumbledore because of the privacy, misdirection, and illusion charms that had been put up. After all, if he wasn't doing anything, then why would there be a need to make it look like he wasn't doing anything?
After several minutes of silence, which Harry easily ignored by mentally conversing with Reinforce and her opinions regarding what Dumbledore had implied, as well as why else he would wish to speak with Harry – and they had a good idea what that might be about.
Dumbledore sighed, realising he wasn't going to get any further elaboration. "I wish you would trust me, Harry, I only mean the best for everyone." Harry didn't respond to that, simply waiting for what else Dumbledore wanted to say to him.
"Now, Harry, you're parents told me a... rather disturbing story the other day." The Headmaster told him. "I was wondering if it was at all possible to have this story confirmed or denied."
"Headmaster, aside from the recent upheaval, my only memory of my 'parents' is more than a decade old, so I could hardly tell you about something they believe. Also, as I'm sure you know, I have been removed from the 'Potter' family and can no longer claim that as my name or any relation to the family. I'm a 'Ritter' now, and always will be." Harry said, his voice soft as he told the older man that. It still hurt that his 'family' just threw him away like that, even if there wasn't even a 'relationship' to speak of.
"I see." Dumbledore said, more to himself than to Harry. "And how do you feel about that?"
"That's a rather personal question, headmaster." Harry frowned at the man's nosiness. "It's none of your business, but... it's not nice. I know that, since they abandoned me as a child, I shouldn't really expect to be smothered with love, but they are still my birth parents, the only ones I shall ever have."
Dumbledore bowed his head. "I know, James and Lily made a terrible mistake, and now you are suffering for it. I hope, however, that you can look past this and perhaps a brighter future can be found. I wouldn't count yourself an outcast of the family yet, James has always been hotheaded, and he probably acted without thinking. Please, for their sake and your own, don't take your anger out on them or anyone else."
Harry's frown deepened. "Are you asking me... not to seek 'revenge' against them?" He asked. "That's... Headmaster, I have no intention of starting anything, but if they do something to me, I will retaliate. I refuse to let other people walk all over me, I'm not a doormat."
Dumbledore didn't look too happy at that response. "Harry, retaliating will only make things worse. An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind, and someone needs to stand above the squabbles and end the cycle of hatred. The best thing would be to let things go, not escalate them."
"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind?" Harry shook his head. "If that was so, then everyone would be equal in darkness, no? As for ending the 'cycle of hatred'... I think that will only work if everyone wants it to end. It's no use not fighting back, because if someone gets away with something unpunished, they will only do it again. Human nature will see to that."
Loki leaned forward at this point, inserting himself into the conversation. "Headmaster, I believe we've gotten somewhat off track here. You said you wished to ask Harry a few questions, yes? In that case, if you're asking as headmaster, then you should really restrict them to ones about Harry's academics and his actions while in the castle."
Dumbledore sighed. "Very well, I have but two things left to ask. Firstly, Madam Pomfrey wishes to know whether you intend to take the healer's oath, and whether you wish to be her assistant this year in the hospital wing. If so, it will be more paperwork I have to fill out."
"I don't intend to take the oath." Harry replied. "The standard one is very restrictive in my opinion, and I know that not taking it would prevent me from ever becoming a full healer, but that's my decision. I would be willing to be Madam Pomfrey's assistant though, in some of my free time."
Dumbledore nodded his head and made a note of Harry's answer. "Now, secondly, since you did so well on the extra exams Professors Babbling and Vector put you forward for, it has been decided that you should be given this." Dumbledore handed over a list on parchment. "That is all of the examinations that the Department of Education put on twice a year. If you feel that you are capable of self study in a subject, then we can put your name forward for the exams. It will cost you ten galleons per exam for every one that Hogwarts does not host. Please give me an answer by the first of next month of which ones, if any, you wish to take."
"Thank you, headmaster. Is that everything?" Harry asked.
"It is, you may go now." Dumbledore responded.
Harry bid a last farewell to Dumbledore, before he left the office. His three familiars stood at his back, concealing him from the headmaster's sight.
xxxxx
A few minutes later, Harry and company slipped into an unoccupied classroom. The first thing he did after shutting the door, was open the window. From outside, a dozen small insects flew in and crawled up Harry's sleeves and into the expanded pockets concealed there.
Loki gave Harry a look. "He was lying, wasn't he? There were two other people in there with him, I noticed the coloured smoke from one of his trinkets seemed to touch something solid."
Harry nodded his head. "Yes, there were two people under invisibility cloaks there with their wands pointed at me. One I recognised as Alastor Moody, known as Mad Eye, but I didn't recognise the other one. It was a large, coloured man, looking to be in his early thirties, with a single gold hoop earring in his left ear."
Loki nodded his head, filing the description away. He'd find out who the man was soon enough, there weren't many coloured witches and wizards in Britain, and the earring was a useful identifying mark.
Reinforce materialised next to Harry, a worried frown on her face. "Those questions Dumbledore was asking though... he seemed more concerned with your attitude than whether you were some sort of undead thing, didn't he? I wonder why that's what he focused on."
Isis snorted. "It's so obvious even I can see it. Remember that the Potters think that Harry is Voldemort? Dumbledore's questions meant to ascertain whether or not Harry truly is possessed by his soul, or even a fragment of it. Not an invalid concern, what with the horcruxes who knows where, and we don't know how many of those he did end up making, just that he planned to make six."
Loki agreed with her. "The two hidden people were likely there to help subdue you if it did appear that you were Riddle, though I'm unsure whether they've thought up a way to deal with us familiars as well. They may have found a spell or something for animagi or transfigured animals that could possibly react badly to us."
Harry and Reinforce let out simultaneous sighs.
"That's something we're still unsure of." Reinforce commented, with Harry nodding in agreement.
"We don't fully know how Terran Magic will affect Belkan and Mid-Childan magic, or vice versa. The styles and applications of it are simply too different from one another, and there's no guarantee that a Barrier Jacket or similar defense will stand up to the higher end Terran combat spells, like blasting curses, organ liquefying spells, and the other nasty stuff that Death Eaters tend to use, the ones that are meant to overpower or pierce Terran shield spells." Harry continued.
"The 'best' solution then is to not get hit." Loki shrugged. "Hell, even the dreaded killing curse won't do a thing unless you actually hit someone with it, and you can summon or levitate something into its path. Harry's Beelzebub swarm would be able to soak up I don't know how many spells before they're destroyed. Those golems are robust and are meant for taking magical damage, even generating a very slight AMF to make it harder for magic to destroy them."
"Loki, the best solution is always to avoid being hit." Harry rolled his eyes. "That doesn't mean you won't be hit though, no matter how good at dodging you are. It only takes one lucky hit to turn the tide of a battle around, as I'm sure even Professor Binns could tell you. In addition to that, there are spells that simply cause an effect without a small 'blast' of magic, like the levitation charm."
"True." Loki admitted. "And of course you can't defend yourself too well if taken by surprised or ambushed."
"Enough of that for now." Reinforce stepped in before Harry said something else. "The only thing we can do is prepare for every eventuality we can. Now, shall we get back to our rooms? I'm sure we can all find something to do before supper, no?"
Isis was the first one to respond. "I'm going to be borrowing Loki, if that's alright, and while you're in lesson too, Harry. I really need to work on my combat skills, and given how often you and Loki spar, you're both far ahead of me in that regard."
Harry agreed with the, currently serious, Isis. "Snape did suggest that it might be a better idea if I don't drag you all to every single one of my lessons with me this year. Bast and Reinforce should be enough, and we can work something out if she wants to spar with you while I'm in lesson once in a while. Is that okay with everyone?"
Loki and Isis both gave verbal agreements, Bast nodded her head, and Reinforce smiled at Harry.
"Right then, let's go back to our rooms. I want to work on my latest designs, and I might also craft a scale model if I'm happy with it." Harry said, before heading off to Ravenclaw tower, Bast following him, while Isis and Loki headed off to do some training, and Reinforce returned herself to inside of Harry's body.
xxxxx
Just before Harry entered the Ravenclaw Head Boy's suite that he was using, primarily to keep his female familiars out of the boy's dormitory, Harry stopped as he found the wall next to the door reforming into another door, out of which stepped an older, female Ravenclaw.
Harry recognised her, she was Penelope Clearwater, this year's Head Girl if he remembered right. The Head Boy was, unless he was mistaken, Percy Weasley of Gryffindor, a pompous boy, but he meant well, and he was a rather rule-oriented individual. Penelope, on the other hand, was a lot more relaxed, though she wouldn't stand for anyone being bullied, and was always willing to help people out, whether they were her house mates or not.
"Oh, Harry!" Penelope said in surprise when she saw him. "I'd forgotten you were using the Head Boy's rooms, but this does give me a good opportunity to talk to you about something."
"What is it you need?" Harry asked curiously.
"It's in regards to that study club thing you have going." She told him. "I was wondering if you were still doing it this year, and whether you are willing to open it up to the older years."
"That 'study club' wasn't exactly an arranged thing, it just sort of 'happened'." Harry replied. "However, I will still go there and be available for anyone who wants to ask me a question or two. I don't mind who asks me, so long as they are at least polite."
"Then you won't mind if a few notices are put up pointing people in towards the room you use?" Penelope asked.
"Go ahead." Harry responded. "It's set aside for quiet study, so it might as well be used for such."
"Thank you, Harry." Penelope chirped cheerily, before heading towards the exit.
Harry, in turn, entered the Head Boy's suite. Once inside, and the door had been shut behind him and Bast, Reinforce once again materialised. Harry himself took a seat, once again taking out the designs for his new golem, and continued trying to figure out how best to pull it off. Reinforce went into Harry's trunk and pulled out a fantasy novel to read, and then laid down to do just that. Bast also went into Harry's trunk, but instead of a book, she pulled out some knitting needles and wool, before attempting to work out how to knit a scarf.
So far, she wasn't having much success.
Harry and Reinforce warily eyed the, in their opinion, disaster waiting to happen. Neither of them had forgotten the last time Bast had been left to her own devices, and nor had they forgotten the monstrosity that the cat-girl had created. Seriously, no matter what you do to it, wool isn't supposed to be able to survive a hit from an S+ class aimed bombardment spell!
Harry's attention was brought back to his designs as he sketched out several rune arrays that he might possibly use for his next golems. While it was actually rather easy putting something together that would work, it was by far more difficult getting something that was both effective and energy efficient.
Then there was the fact that runes needed to be balanced if used in groups. A single rune by itself was stable, but pairing runes up made it less so, and then adding more runes to a single array made it more and more difficult to balance. That was why the vast majority of complex runic arrays were made up of numerous, smaller runic arrays that accomplished one portion of what the final one did.
Reinforce's gaze shifted from Bast to Harry as she heard him begin to mutter to himself under his breath, something about 'elemental alignment', 'transmission mediums', and 'conflicting processes'. A smile crept across her face, as she could feel clearly across their link just how deep into 'thinking mode' Harry already was.
That was one thing she admitted to herself that she liked about Harry. It is said that some people are 'thinkers' and that others are 'doers', but she found Harry to be a happy medium between the two. True, he sometimes thought too much about something, and his 'strategies' could be rather outrageous at times, but he always had a goal in mind when he tried to accomplish something, and come hell or high water, he would find a solution.
Reinforce's cheeks reddened as she thought of Harry's attractive qualities. Since Harry's birthday, when she, Isis, and Harry had decided to try and work out a relationship together, things hadn't actually changed all that much honestly. Yes, they went on what could be considered 'dates', a few times to see a movie, walk along a beach, go shopping, or something equally mundane that couples were expected to do.
That didn't feel right though. It was something that couples were expected to do, and while they were at least somewhat enjoyable, it wasn't things like that which Reinforce desired. Right now, simply watching Harry as he lost himself in designing something, seemed far better than any of those dates the two had been on.
Reinforce's thoughts turned to Isis, and how this was actually a three person relationship. The unicorn familiar and Reinforce had spent some time in each other's company without Harry, as if this relationship was to work, everyone needed to commit to it.
Things had been very awkward at first, especially for Reinforce, but also for Isis. The equine's loud and outgoing nature was Reinforce's complete opposite, so it had been difficult finding common ground, aside from Harry of course. Without question they respected each other, Reinforce for Isis' healing skills, powerful barriers, and confidence, and Isis for Rein's immense reserves of power, the incredible spells she could cast, as well as her ability to calm down arguments and cool tempers.
The first 'date' between Isis and Reinforce that they had both enjoyed had been, of all things, bowling. After that, they found several activities they could both appreciate, such as pool, swimming, cycling, and a few movies that they could agree on.
In all honesty, she still wasn't sure what to think of a polygamous relationship, and she dreaded to think how much more difficult it would be if their relationship grew to include others. That would be even more difficult given that there would already be bonds established that would make things awkward for the new person.
Reinforce's eyes once again slid to Bast. How would she cope if the cat-girl wanted a piece of Harry? Hell, what if Loki somehow got added into this thing, or even both of them? They would live as long as Harry and herself would, what with being bound to them as they were, so how would their relationships and dynamics change and develop decades from now, or even centuries?
Loki was already setting himself up as a flirtatious playboy. Was that a natural part of his character? Was it a defence mechanism due to knowing, or at least suspecting, how difficult it would be for him to form and develop relationships with, and she didn't like using this word, 'mortals'? Could it even be a hybrid of the two?
Bast was the quiet, stoic one of the group. She had established herself as their only front-line style fighter, though she had quite a way to go to learn enough and be effective enough to really pull it off. Still, no matter how blank a mask someone wears, there's still a person beneath that. Did Bast have feelings for Harry? Isis? Loki? Herself? Did she, or would she, like someone outside of their group? If so, how would she handle it, and how hard would it be on her?
Reinforce kept her inner thoughts to herself as much as she could, not wanting them to spill over to Harry, but that didn't stop her from thinking about things.
xxxxx
Elsewhere in the castle, inside the Chamber of Secrets in fact, Loki was putting Isis through her paces.
WHACK!
Isis held back a whimper of pain as the flat side of Loki's device hit her ribs. Her body hurt, she was covered in bruises, and every movement made her entire body ache.
She could really do with a Harry break right then.
"You're device is a staff, it has range. Use it!" Loki barked at the equine familiar. "And don't stand still! Keep moving, make me actually have to try and hit you. Failing that, have a shield spell read to take the hit for you, you're a healer and barrier specialist, aren't you?"
"I can't call up a shield fast enough!" Isis retorted, though it was more like a whine.
"Then get faster." Loki told her. "I did, Harry did, and so can you. You've neglected combat practise so you're behind us. Now, make up the difference, push yourself hard, because we're not going to slack off waiting for you."
Isis swallowed the acidic comment that was on her tongue, she knew that Loki was right, even if he was being a dick about it.
Loki could read her easily though, the look in her eye was enough to convey what she wanted to say.
"Think of this as motivation." Loki snapped at her. "If you don't get better, you get hurt. It's how me and Harry fight, and you asked to go through the same thing. You want to be stronger, for Harry. You want to be better, for Harry. You want to be more capable, for HARRY!"
"I know!" Isis couldn't stop herself yelling back at the raven familiar. "I know, dammit! I'm the weakest combatant on the team! It's my job, as the medic, to keep people going, but what good is that going to be if I'm the first one taken out! I am weak!"
Loki could have responded in many ways. He could have told her that she wasn't weak, comforting her. He could have harshly criticized her, telling her – correctly – that she would be stronger if she trained more. He could have done many things, but in the end, he chose to remain silent.
Loki agreed with her, she was weak, and Loki would not have that weakness become something that one of Harry's enemies could exploit. At least she had been the one to ask him for help getting stronger, goodness knows how difficult she would have been if he'd been the driving force behind it.
Isis gritted her teeth together, before putting her long, slender, and currently very bruised legs underneath herself. She launched herself straight at Loki, who casually went to block her telegraphed attack, but before she landed the blow, she twisted herself to the side, and kicked off from the ground to attack Loki from a slightly different angle.
Her staff managed to slide past the surprised Loki's guard and strike his shoulder. Whether accidentally or on purpose, Isis actually managed to strike a nerve cluster, causing Loki's hand and arm to spasm, dropping the blade he held in that hand, which she immediately kicked away from him.
Unfortunately for Isis, though, Loki's device was capable of splitting into two blades, which it currently was, the second of which was held in his other hand. It was brought down on Isis when Loki regained his awareness after being surprised, and he pivoted on one foot, striking at the unicorn's overextended arm.
Isis managed to not cry out in pain at the hit, though there were tears in her eyes.
"Enough for now." Loki said. "I'm both surprised and impressed that you managed to at least partially disarm me, even if I wasn't giving you my full attention. That's good, you should take advantage of any opening or opportunity you can. There's nothing 'fair' about any fight, all that matters is that we come out alive afterwards, so fight dirty."
Isis didn't reply except to nod her head, before she began to heal her injuries. She didn't want Harry to see her like this, bruised and battered, so regardless of any 'fantasies' she may have about him rubbing creams into her naked body, she'd handle this herself.
As she healed herself up, Isis glanced towards Loki, her brow furrowing in thought. As much as he put on an act of a somewhat lecherous, easygoing guy, and that act was actually part of his personality, she had known that he had a harder side to him, a vicious ruthlessness and cold apathy that only rarely made itself known.
That was one of the reasons she'd specifically asked Loki to help train her.
Oh, she knew that power-wise, both Reinforce and Harry were leagues beyond Loki, but neither of them would have been as effective as Loki, for that was what Loki was, effective, efficient. His methods might seem cruel, and they certainly felt that way, but Isis knew that he would get the best results possible out of her.
Isis got to her feet, wincing slightly as she felt phantom pains from her recent injuries wrack her body. She then began to walk, her first few steps slightly shaky, before she managed to pull herself together and at least look relatively intact and whole.
Loki waited for her silently, and when she was finally ready to go, he was the one to cast the Dimensional Transfer spell that teleported them to an empty classroom in the school above. They both exited the room and began to head towards Ravenclaw tower.
Along the way, as was usual, both of them got appreciative looks from the students. Loki was stared at because of his fine features and tasteful attire, and Isis gained many looks due to her impressive figure, beauty, and rather skimpy clothing. They both, however, ignored these looks completely.
At least, Isis ignored the lustful looks directed at her. Loki made a mental note of who was giving them what sort of looks. Like Isis, he mostly ignored the ones looking at them with desire. He did, however, make sure he remembered who was giving them more baleful looks or glares, and which had a curious or calculating look about them.
The two familiars made their way rapidly through the castle, though they didn't hurry. It didn't take them long to arrive at the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room, answer a riddle, and then approach the Head Boy's suite. However, surprisingly enough, someone stopped them before they reached Harry.
Loki looked at the boy stood in front of him, a fifth year by the look of him. Loki didn't know his name off the top of his head, so it wasn't likely that he was a pureblood or half-blood, as the raven familiar had made sure to memorise all of those with important family members, which was actually a lot easier in the wizarding world than the muggle one.
"Yes?" He asked, looking curiously at the boy.
"Eh... well, I was just hoping you could answer some questions for me." The kid stumbled over his words, quite obviously nervous. "You see, there's some weird rumours going around, and... and I've been meaning to ask since you two turned up two years ago... well, what are you?"
"I'm a familiar." Loki told him. "A wizard can create a familiar bond with any other being, but it takes a powerful wizard to bond with a more powerful creature or plant. Sometimes these bonds are formed accidentally, with favoured pets or the like. Sometimes these bonds are formed purposefully, with the wizard gaining a companion and the familiar receiving several minor abilities, such as increased intelligence, an extended lifespan, or even small magical things for the really powerful wizards."
Isis decided to add on to what Loki was saying, which was essentially the definition of a Terran familiar, not a Mid-Childan style one. "Harry is massively powerful, ridiculously so, and its likely that this caused us to... mutate?... a little more than was expected. Also, when Harry was trying to save my life, he was pushing nearly all of his mana into me, and all of that power is going to do something, sooo this happened, I guess."
"Is Potter really that powerful?" Someone else in the room asked sceptically.
Isis nodded. "Ask Flitwick or someone if they have a Merlin Orb you can borrow some time, that'll tell you exactly how powerful someone is. Now, if you'll excuse us?"
The boy stood aside and let Isis and Loki past and into the Head Boy suite.
As the door shut behind them, they heard a murmur of voices behind them begin to ask each other questions, from something as simple as 'what is a Merlin Orb?' to other's like 'I wonder how much power it really takes to make a familiar like them, or is there a spell that's more efficient?', to ones such as 'I wonder what I should have for breakfast tomorrow?'
Isis and Loki stopped listening when the door shut, both of them wanting to see Harry and the others.
It was only the first day back, but they had a lot to plan and prepare for. Not to mention they were all worried about the upcoming Wizengamot session on Sunday.
It was only three days away, and whatever happened there would have a big impact on their choices and actions.