Chapter Four: Of Defense and Neighbors:
After that first shocking class that Alvin did he decided to so something far more gentle and kind to show what one could do with defense arts off the battlefield as it were. He had gone over the basics of defense spells with all years in that first double lesson, in the first half of it in fact. The second half he decided to show the class what Americans most notably progressive Americans did with magic as America was a true melting pot of ideas and cultures and every immigrant who came over contributed some wonderful tradition or the like to that melting pot. Magic was no exception, some would say this made American mages (this is the term used by the progressives as many magical societies that had immigrated used different terms for magical users) the most powerful on the planet. That was not true as Alvin well knew, but it did make for a society that was very flexible. Alvin himself was average and would deny he was anything but (even if his wife said he was the best out there).
He found himself that afternoon with half the fifth years, a quarter from each house, some days he loved his contract, and this was one of those times. The headmaster had wanted the Slytherins and Gryffindors together, but Alvin knew there would be problems and so he got what he wanted by pointing out his contract, even Severus, fuming mad was impressed, angry as a wet cat but still impressed, though he did threaten to kill Alvin in graphic and horrible ways. Alvin responded by threatening him with sending Mary after him. That got the dour potions master to back down, though not in public, in public he was perfectly awful to Alvin getting the students to think he was going to kill Alvin. What they never saw was that these two were friendly if not friends in private. So now Alvin stood before a class with an impressive bunch of teens. Harry Potter was seated front and center looking at him with a look of distrust and a look in his eyes he had never seen on a child, what was called in the military a thousand yard stare. It was the look of one who had seen war and lived it and at that moment Alvin believed the kid and what had happened and felt for him.
Class went well, it seemed they had learned some things, he was not happy most could not do a shield charm and he wondered why they were not started in the first year preparing for a Patronus Charm. He heard from so many adults here that it was difficult and they could not do it, well of course they could not, one had to spend a few years preparing at the least as it was a charm that required full spirit mind and body to do properly. That Harry Potter could do one so young with what passed for training here, well he was a powerhouse and would always find magic easy. Which could lead him to the dark arts, power did not make him bad, but Alvin had read where a powerful mage could go one way or another, he had powerful friends around him, in fact he was impressed by the power he could feel of these children, clearly this generation was marked for great things. He had not felt this same power in the states, and it was not coming from the purebloods only, it was coming from what they called half-blood and muggle born. It was clear someone or several someone's perhaps were prophecy children, which was rare, prophecies as he had learned almost always were self-fulfilling, but he was not sure that was the case here.
After the first half of the lesson he had the children sit and rest, he had put them through their paces with a training dummy that tested each teen to see what level they were at. Many were very good, one could be good, he had the power but something was holding young Neville Longbottom back, he would have a word with his head of house to have him checked out. Harry Potter was slightly overpowered but nothing compared Seamus Finnegan who, like many Irish he met was quite the power but needed to tone that down a bit, his explosions were from pure power and he would have to help him with that. Su Li was impressive if he said so himself, she had a blend of style he had not seen since he came here. He was impressed as she used both Western and Eastern magic to good use. He had a feeling if he was not in the class she would not dare do this, but she had seen what he could do and his blended style and knew it was safe for her to use it here. Now he had the teens seated with cups of cocoa and cookies to gain back the energy they had lost (unlike non-magical people magicals could consume far more sugar and food than non-magicals though even then there was a limit).
"You guys did well today, some of you are natural powerhouses and need to learn to tone down your spells." Alvin said.
"Sorry professor." Seamus said smiling and blushing.
"It's okay, everyone knows the Irish are very powerful and just need to focus." Alvin said smiling.
"Erin go Bragh." Seamus said bravely.
"Eh you Irish, always the best aren't you!" Ron said grinning at Seamus, (unlike the muggle world the magical worlds of England and Ireland got alone very well and had for a long time, even in times of war), "figures it would be you!"
"Okay guys, settle down." Alvin said, "all of you are very powerful, I don't just say that but can feel it. Reach out with your senses, can you feel it?"
"I can." Hermione said, "how come we could not before?"
"You have been studying the books I gave you, cool, magic is far more than spells and potions, it is part of you and all around you. You are now able to feel what that is and are right were you should be."
"But that is not normally taught until NEWTs." Neville squeaked.
"Here true, but we don't like being sneaked up on in the states, so we teach our children this earlier." Alvin said, "Skinwalkers are a real problem, before that the Scourers, which is why Ilvermorny is so isolationist and it would be unkind to force them to change. But let's not talk about that today do you have any questions?"
"I do sir." Hermione said, "you know about magic all over the world?"
"A little, mostly defense."
"Well I was wondering, I saw a cartoon called Totoro before I came to Hogwarts, sir is that real?"
"Yes, Totoro is real."
This got the children's attention, many had heard of the gentle furred being called Totoro from Japan, how only children could see him and only those in great need. He had been born from the ashes of WWII on a nation betrayed by their own military leaders who went against the wishes of their own Emperor (who had wanted to liberate not enslave the rest of Asia) and caused untold suffering on the noble Japanese people. The tears of children and others caused this creature to be formed and it went around Japan to help out when and where he could. That a muggle might have seen him as a child (or dreamed of it) should not surprise any, after all Totoro was not exactly magical but something else. Alvin got out a box at this time and put it on his desk while the teens talked of this gentle creature.
"So what about the cat bus?" Su asked.
"Very real, there are four of them." Alvin said, "I have a friend who used one, far better than the Knight Bus, no offence…"
"None take it, we don't like it either." Anthony Goldstein said getting laughs.
"Yes our buses are just as bad." Alvin said, "we are trying to replace them with the cat bus but so far no luck. Anyway I have something here for you guys if you need it."
Here he took out what looked like a lacquered black egg-shaped wooden carving with Chinese writing in vivid purple. Su Li looked at it in shock, she knew what this was very well. In China only the wealthiest could afford such a thing, and it was made of pure black Jade. Yet this was not, it was wood, reaching out with her senses she could feel that it had as much power as her grandfathers but how was that? Black Jade made these and Han Purple in the Chinese runes, how could wood work as well as it was now? Alvin handed the egg-like nightmare ball around the class and Su held it in wonder, she was right, it was wood, and unlike the black jade this had power to the very core and in fact, it almost felt like a wand but not quite.
"Su can you tell us what this is?" Alvin asked her.
"A Nightmare Sphere sir." Su said, "but how, in China they are made of Jade and only the most wealthy can afford it, how can this be?"
"That is the question for the day isn't it?" Blaise asked a keen look on his dark face, "I bet even Smith here can't tell you, and he knows everything."
"You…" Zacharias Smith started to say but was cut off by Alvin answering the question.
"They are mass produced, machines charged with magic carve them, native tribes then add the feathers and the like to the interior and Americans with Chinese Ancestry add the paint, runes and lacquer and it's put in a special kiln carved in runes to dry for seven days. This brings the cost down to one galleon." Alvin said. "Though the Brennan Alchemy Company Magical has donated two hundred for use here at Hogwarts and will, if needed donate more."
"Why would they donate them?" Ron asked.
"Business, you get to try out a great product, BAC M gets advertisement out of it and your parents see how they work and will want one for themselves."
"Brilliant." Ron said, "I had not thought if it that way but that makes since."
Alvin looked around the room, somehow being here made the dark lord Voldemort more real. He had grown up in a peaceful loving family in a peaceful prosperous country. Aside from the skinwalkers and petty thieves, magical America was a peaceful place. One could walk out alone at night even in some places. It was a great place to live, the only thing that marred this was the dark lord in England who was laying waste to that great land. It had ended when a Potter (who else but a Potter, they got into all sorts of stuff after all) had somehow survived the killing curse. It was a miracle the boy survived, anyone who said it was magic, well he had a bridge to sell them in Brooklyn.
"So is everything mass produced?" Seamus asked. "Even your brooms?"
"We import our brooms from here." Alvin replied, "I have a really good Nimbus 2000 though I would love to get my hands on a Firebolt, but man those are expensive! No England makes the best brooms in all the world."
"You like Quidditch?" Ron asked.
"Yes I do, its awesome, can't play it at all but really like my team. The Denver Mother Load. That is one great team, won the national championship two years running and was in the world cup as the national team."
"Oh that was your team?" Seamus said trying to look innocent, "mate you did not even give us a challenge!"
"I knew that was coming." Alvin said with a smile, "well your team did well this year, I am not upset we lost to the winners of the World Cup."
"Yea we took out Bulgaria." Seamus said puffing out his chest.
"Yea but Krum caught the snitch." Harry said.
"Well yea but Lynch had some problems." Seamus said. "Not when he played the Americans though!"
"No that game was painful, but we will be back next time." Alvin said smiling.
The students warmed up to him now, though America was not known for having internationally strong Quidditch teams, they made up for that in fantastic security (which if it had been used this last World Cup things might have been very different), great food and entertainment. Though there were some nations that would not let them in, in mass, (well if they were not part of the Ilvermorny communities that is). Magical England was one such nation, and Alvin was lucky to be teaching at all. He saw the papers and how they attacked him, the lawsuits he had filed should stop that shortly as he would not put up with slander on his wife at all, and clearly the magical Breckenridge family was not well liked here. The rest of the class was spent taking about all sorts of things, Alvin felt the children needed that and so he allowed it. He had run them ragged earlier and they needed the rest now. Later, well later there would be less resting and more work, but not today. Finally the class was over and everyone moved to leave.
"Harry stay a moment." Alvin called, at the look from the teen, "you are not in trouble, but I got something for you."
"Go guys, I will be fine." Harry said sending his friends on and standing before Alvin.
"You need this." Alvin said handing him a Nightmare ball, "I can see it. You are not sleeping, and I think it's affecting your classes. Meditation can only go so far and I am sure you are doing well on organizing your mind."
"I am sir, sir I am really trying, but the nightmares will not go away, I must be weak." Harry said.
"Harry you are far from weak, look at me." Alvin said getting the green-eyed teen to look at him in the eye, "I have seen greater men and women than you succumb by now, you are very strong, you can cast a Patronus, a full Patronus at your age and with very little training. You will be fine and this will help."
"Thank you sir." Harry said taking the sphere, "I will use it, I promise."
"That is all I can ask for, do you have another class or is this the last?"
"The last sir, so I don't need a note." Harry said.
"Good, oh and I will be handing these out to others as well, as promised, and you are far from alone Harry, and you are strong, don't doubt that."
Harry did not say a word but left and Alvin stared after him. The boy had a destiny and now he was here he wanted to help, but knew his teaching was all the help he could give. His contract gave him broad scope of teaching but no room to get involved in the war that was brewing here. He waved his wand and the classroom was cleared and almost ready for teaching the next day. The house elves would come in and clean the rest, for him to do so would insult them and that he would not do. House elves loved to work and he knew that well first hand. Finally done he headed out to spend some time with his family before he went to dinner in the great hall. One thing he was grateful for, he still had no homework to grade and even when he did he had a grading quill (yes it was cheating of sorts or gaming the system). He felt his first classes went very well and hoped the rest of the year went as well.
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Yes I used Totoro in this story, just watched it in fact (for the forth time) and love it. So I included it here. Before anyone says Alvin is living in a super-powered society, yea, well America is a superpower so there is that. :) But seriously he is average, and his magic is powerful because it is a blend of lots of different traditions from all over the world. Most nations would stick with one way of doing things, but America has never had one way of doing things, ever. We are a true melting pot (multi-cultural does not describe America as we are far more than that) we bring the best of the old world, do our best to throw out the worst traits and share the best. Which is why you can have a place like Chino-Bandito, a blend of Chinese and Mexican food in one restaurant that works. Seriously you ever get to Phoenix they have this insane place that serves that great food.
Okay, need to focus here, so Black Jade is real, and Jade is super hard to carve, for the magic to work in it one craftsman has to work on it and one only. So a higher price, so once more a blend of old and new ways and you get something that helps remove nightmares. The inside of the small egg-shaped device are three dream catchers in miniature. The paint used for the ruins is Han Purple (look it up, it's cool) and very real. No America does not have the market on cool here, I made England the capital of broom making, remember in the stories how JKR showed even the international teams in the World Cup had Firebolts? How Firebolts were made in England? So in my story all high quality brooms for the world over are made in England and exported all over the world.
Alvin is acting on the very little bit he knows. He was told Voldemort is back, that is all he knows. He does not know who is a spy or anything, though he can tell what Harry has been through. His teaching style is a blend of Western and Eastern ways of thinking too (American is this way too, at least where I live). He knows something happened to Harry but not fully what, I mean if you really looked at Harry you would see that not all was right with him as I am sure he had the "thousand yard stare" many of our troops end up with after fighting. He knows too that Harry would not come out and ask for one either, he had to give it to him. He is not reading minds, not at all, but body language and emotions, something even a muggle could do.
Anyway, do review please!