Fic- A Shade in the Night
"We'll come back for him, Flower, but we need to think of his safety." A voice was heard.
"I know, James, I know, but I carried him for nine months and bonded with him. It's impossible for me to just let him go like this." Another voice replied, this one distinctly female and clearly upset.
"I understand, Lily-luv, but with the Dork Lard causing a fuss, we need to think of our child and heir's safety before anything else."
Some sniffles were heard. "I'm so sorry, dearie. Mummy loves you, please be assured of that."
"Come on, Lils. We need to go. Dumbledore is right, this is best." The male spoke.
"As if that fucking poofter knows a thing about raising children! He's a Headmaster that spends a majority of his time in his office, or he's occupied by his two other government positions. He doesn't know anything about raising children! Frankly, your hero worship of him is annoying at times and worrying at others. Is Potter not an Ancient and Noble House, or is it a fucking vassal to Minor House Dumbledore?" The woman snapped.
"Alright, Lily. I get it, but Prongslet needs to stay here regardless. It's safer for him here. Let's finish this war, then we'll come back for him. I swear it."
"Fine. This isn't a goodbye, Harry-dear. You won't stay here long, this I swear. You, Harrison James Potter, are my pride and joy."
He was a quiet boy.
His parents had left him at a high class orphanage with his his first and last name changed to Harry James, completely taking Potter out of it. He assumed it was to further protect him. He kept to himself, and rarely spoke. He didn't play with the other children, deciding to read books instead.
He knew that he wasn't going to be staying at that place long, his mother had promised.
He chose to keep that fact to himself though because, he didn't want the other children to be jealous.
As he grew older he started to grow more worried.
He often dreamed of the night his parents had left him at this place. He had went to the orphanage library and looked up what war was.
As he researched the topic more, his unease grew. It could be likely that his parents were dead.
That realization had shocked him into the blank state of mind he was currently in.
"... rry... arry... HARRY!"
Snapping his head up, he looked into the concerned eyes of one his caretakers. His quiet and reclusive nature was the cause of the constant worry of the caretakers.
"Are you alright, Harry? I've been calling you for a while." She asked softly.
He was sitting on a large rock outside while the other kids played in the playground in front of him.
"Yes, I'm fine. I was just thinking about my parents."
"... alright then. There is a woman here to meet with you, if you feel up to it." The caretaker said as she placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Sure. I've never had visitors before." He replied as he got off the stone to follow the caretaker.
They made it to the visiting room where some kids who weren't orphans, visited their friends, or adults talking to the child they were about to adopt.
Sitting on one of the tables was an older woman wearing a black business suit with a skirt and a black shirt. The tie was multicolored and it looked as if it was shifting its colors. She also wore a black shoal.
She had several rings on each finger, as well as multiple earrings. Her black hair with silver strands is tied into a tight bun, and she wore small round glasses that rested at the tip of her nose while her sharp eyes scrutinized him, all the while shifting colors like her tie is doing. She was all in all a beautiful woman.
"I'll leave you two to discuss things." The caretaker said before she turned and left.
As Harry sat across from her, he noticed her move her finger around briefly, then she began to speak. "Hello, Mr. James. My name is Angélique Lucienne Flamel, and I am Headmistress of the oldest and highest ranked magical school in the world, Ambrosius Academy of the Arcane. I am here today to personally invite you to study in our halls to learn how to control your magic."
"Are you saying magic is real?" Harry asked in both excitement and skepticism.
"You haven't noticed? It been quiet since we've begun speaking, even though the room is basically filled with people. I used a small silencing spell to make sure we aren't overheard."
Harry took a look around and realized she was right. Even though the room is filled with people speaking at a moderate level, there was no sound. Harry was astounded.
"Tell me, Mr. James, have you noticed anything strange happening around you?" The beautiful woman asked.
Harry was hesitant. One of the other kids had comic books, and the hero kept his powers a secret, so when Harry discovered the things he could do, he kept it secret.
"... yes." He answered quietly. If this woman had powers too, then he should be able to share his secret.
"Can you tell me what it is that happened?" Flamel asked.
"... whenever I can't reach something, all I have to do is focus a little and it comes to my hands. There was one time when I was running from some mean boys chasing me. I was hiding and they almost found me, but I felt a weird tugging in my stomach and I ended up on the roof. There was a time when one of the caretakers was yelling at me and her hair turned blue. She got fired." Harry explained. The more he spoke, the more comfortable he got.
'Summoning things to himself without the use of a magical foci at this age? Quite impressive. I'm not sure what teleportation he used, but it didn't sound like apparation. Turning someone's hair color into something different isn't really that surprising. It would seem the young James will be quite the mage in the future. No wonder the Gem chose him.' Flamel realized she was staring. "Pardon me, dear child. I was lost in thought. What you told me is exactly the kinds of things magical people like us are able to do. So what do you say, Mr. James? Will you attend our academy? Just so you know, you'll have to leave this place and live at the school until you graduate."
"I have a question, before I decide." Harry said softly.
"Of course, Mr. James." Flamel encouraged.
"Is there a war still going on in Europe?"
Flamel was taken back a bit, but answered nonetheless. "No, Mr. James. The war ended almost two years ago."
"I see. Then I'll join your school. There's nothing left for me here." Harry said sadly. If the war was over for that long, and his parents haven't gotten him, then clearly they were dead.
"Good morning, Mr. James. My name is Aldon, and I will be assisting you today."
Harry looked up to the tall man with long ears. He wore an expensive looking suit with a coat that had the crest of the Academy on the breast pocket. He also had bright blue eyes, long blonde hair tied in a ponytail, a bushy mustache, and a pair of glasses.
"Ah, I see you've taken notice of my ears." Harry looked away quickly, an embarrassed blush on his face. "Now now, no need to be embarrassed. You're new to all things magical, so it's quite alright. I am a part of a magical race called High Elves. I won't give you any details because, that's a part of the things you will learn at the Academy. Now come along. We must stop at the bank to see if you have any accounts. If you don't, then the Academy will provide all that you need."
Harry took hold of Aldon's offered hand and felt himself in his bedroom in one moment, and in an alleyway the next.
"What was that?" He asked, taking in his new surroundings.
"That, dear boy, is called shifting. If you are willing to learn, I wouldn't mind teaching you in the future." Aldon said.
He led Harry out the alleyway, and waited patiently for Harry's awestruck gaze to calm a bit before continuing.
"What is this place?" Harry asked breathlessly.
"This place is named Diagon Alley. It is one of the magical shopping areas found in Europe. That..." He pointed to the large building named Gringotts. "... is our first stop today, but only one of two stops here."
"We won't be shopping for my school things here? Hey! What happened to your ears?" Harry finally looked at Aldon to notice that his ears were shrunk to look like normal ears.
"Oh, you've noticed? I put a small glamour on them, so that we won't get anymore attention then necessary. To answer your first question, no, we will not be shopping here. This country's magical government claims many magical arts and knowledge as 'dark' magic." Aldon responded.
"Why would they do that?" Harry queried.
"It's because they couldn't perform it. The British Magical Government is run solely by purebloods, meaning they've had a majority of magicals in their family dating back centuries. The purebloods, wanting to keep the blood 'pure', more often then not, participate in incest. Meaning they marry their cousins, and in some extreme cases, their siblings. This has led to magically weaker wizards and witches. In some cases, children without magic were born. They insultingly called them squibs. Now, unable to accept blame for their lacking magical talent, those in power chose to state that different branches of magic were dark, and outlaw them. They say anyone who has the magical power to do such magic, they must have done illegal rituals to do so." Aldon shook his head.
"That's... dumb." Harry stated.
"Even at 8 years of age, it seems you're more intelligent than a majority of magical Britain." Aldon replied, only half joking.
Before they could continue, there was a surge in the crowd directed to one area. To keep Harry from being overrun, Aldon floated him up to his shoulders. This had the effect of giving Harry the perfect view of what got the crowd so excited.
It was his parents! Both alive, and both looking happy. Harry was elated to see them, until he saw what they were carrying.
His father held a boy that looked to be around 3 years old, while his mother carried a girl that looked around 1.
Harry's happy mood crashed and burned immediately, something inside him broke.
'They didn't die. They just didn't want me. Fine. If they don't want me, then I don't want them.'
"Aldon? Can we go?" Harry asked quietly.
Aldon somehow heard him clearly. "Certainly, dear boy."
They made their way to the bank quietly after that, Harry still being carried. Aldon took him off his shoulders before they climbed the stairs and entered the bank. The guards made Harry nervous despite their size.
As he walked in, Harry saw the tellers properly. They are short and fair-skinned, and he noticed they all have very long fingers, dome-shaped heads as well as pointed noses, and pointed ears. Some had dark, slanted eyes.
As they waited for an open teller, Harry discreetly asked what race the tellers belonged to. "Oh! They are goblins. They are a warrior race, but their brawn is overshadowed by their intellect. Goblins are extremely clever and over the years have dealt with wizardkind effectively. They are still subservient in the minds of most wizards, but they have established themselves as a vital part of wizarding society. The goblins run Gringotts, the wizarding bank, therefore, they control the wizarding economy to a large extent. The Gnomes of Switzerland are the other bankers of the Magical World that I know of. Goblins are extremely clever and more than able to stand up to wizards. The fact that the British wizarding population treats them so poorly is evidence of the severe injustice built into it's culture."
By the time Aldon finished his detailed explanation, they were able to see an open teller.
"How may Gringotts aide you today?" The teller asked, almost politely. He saw the crest on the adult's jacket.
"Yes, good morrow. We need an inheritance test done for the young Harry James beside me. If he doesn't have a family vault waiting for him, then please let me know. We at Ambrosius Academy would open a new account at that time." Aldon instructed.
"Please follow me Mr. James. We'll go straight to a free account manager." The goblin hopped off his area, and came out a small door under the counter.
As Harry began to follow him, he noticed Aldon wasn't following. He gave him a questioning look. "This is family businese, Mr. James. I cannot follow. Go on. Pip pip."
Although hesitant, he went after the goblin who was politely waiting for him to follow.
They went through a double door that also had goblin guards who opened the door for them.
Walking through a hallway filled with mostly closed doors, the goblin led Harry to the first door that was open.
"We have child here needing to receive an Inheritance Test." The goblin spoke to the one behind the desk as he led Harry inside.
Not saying a word, the one behind the desk pulled out a parchment and a blade while the goblin that led him here left and closed the door behind him.
"You will need to prick yourself deep enough to drop a bit blood on the parchment. Do not fear about pain. There are runes on the blade that numbs the location of the cut and it will heal right after dropping some blood." The goblin assured.
They usually wouldn't volunteer this much information because they enjoy seeing the fear and apprehension on arrogant wizards and witches faces, but they draw the line for children.
Harry, now calm in the knowledge that it wouldn't hurt, cut a decent wound on his thumb. Using his index finger, he pushed out several drops on blood onto the parchment and watched in fascination as his cut healed.
"Magic is amazing." He breathed.
The goblin was silent as he watched Harry's blood spread all over the parchment forming words.
NAME: Harrison James
FATHER: James Charlus Potter
MOTHER: Lillian Rose Potter née Evans
DATE OF BIRTH: 25th of November 1975
CURRENT HOUSE: (DISOWNED)
ELIGIBLE HOUSES: Nightshade, Gryffindor, Peverall
'I was… disowned?' Harry thought.
"Ah. It would seem that you were disowned. I apologize for that. It does seem that you're eligible for other Houses." The goblin said.
"W-what does that mean?" Harry asked a bit confused, but scared of the implications.
"Magically and legally speaking, you are no longer a Potter. You may join the other Houses listed below."
"How…" Harry swallowed. "How do I do that?"
The goblin wrote on a piece of paper for a bit, then handed it to Harry. "Channel magic into your hand and put it in the air, then recite what is written on that paper."
Harry read through the paper, then stuck his hand in the air. Channeling what he knew to be magic into his hand, he made his oath. "I, Harrison James, disowned heir of the Ancient and Noble House Potter, hereby call on magic to allow me to claim my position as Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Nightshade. So mote it be."
Expecting what happens next, the goblin had his eyes closed as a massive flash appeared.
Immediately, Harry felt changes in his body. He couldn't explain it, but he felt something inside him shift. It wasn't painful, nor did it give him any discomfort, but he felt it nonetheless.
Feeling a weight on his hand, Harry looked at it and found a ring on it. The ring was black with a glowing purple line that went around the whole band and connected to a glowing purple gem. Two figures of ravens made of the same materials of the band were layer across the gem, securing it.
Unknown to him, his eyes, which used to be a sparkling emerald, has become amethyst with emerald flecks.
"Now, I'm able to direct you towards your family's account manager. Please follow me."
Harry walked through the the large and heavy looking vault door and looked at the massive piles of gold looking coins. There were multiple trunks, and bags that were over filled with gold. There were rows of old looking books that must've remained intact through the use of magic.
"Wow." Harry couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"The Nightshade family was one of the wealthiest in all of Europe. All of the Lords of the House were notoriously frugal, but enjoyed occasionally splurging with their spouses." A gravely voice explained. This was Senior Account Manager Goldtooth, the goblin who manages the Nightshade vault.
"What does frugal mean?"
"A lot of people would say being frugal is the same as being cheap. That is an incorrect comparison. Being cheap is about spending less, while being frugal is about prioritizing your spending so that you can have more of the things you really care about."
"Thank you."
He picked up an empty looking pouch and took a handful of galleons and dropped them into the pouch. To his surprise, there weren't any clinks when he dropped them.
Reaching in, his surprise grew when he could fit his whole arm into the pouch.
Seeing his shock, Goldtooth explained what the item was. "That is a bottomless pouch. If you think of the amount you want to take out of the pouch, it will come out."
Harry did so, and calmed down. Then he began stuffing as much gold as he could into the pouch.
He then looked around a bit more and took notice of a portrait of a handsome man. The name at the bottom read Damian Nightshade.
'I should change my name a bit.'
When Harry finally came out, he found Aldon sitting on a bench reading a book. He took notice of Harry as he approached. "Oh? Have you finished? What family are you a part of?"
Harry showed him his ring. "I am now Harrison Damian Nightshade, Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Nightshade. There's quite the sum of money in the vault."
"Oh my! I do recall the Nightshades. I was friends with one a couple centuries ago. They were all naturally proficient with a wand, it was truly impressive. Come along, lad. We must purchase a wand for you now."
By the time they stepped back outside, the massive crowd dispersed and the Alley went back to it's usual rush.
Aldon seemed to sense how much Harry enjoyed sitting on his shoulders, so he did so again on there way to purchase Harry's wand.
"Here we are, young chap. Ollivander's Wand Shop."
The shop was narrow and shabby with peeling gold letters over the door of the shop read: Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.
The shop's display consisted of a wand laying on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.
The shop was empty except for a single, spindly chair in the corner. Thousands of narrow boxes containing wands were piled right up to the ceiling of the tiny shop, and the whole place had a thin layer of dust about it.
As Harry continued to take in his surroundings, Aldon spoke up. "Garrick, old chap, can we please not do the mysterious and slightly barmy act right now? I'd like to get the proper wand for this young Lord as soon as possible."
Harry heard an annoyed huff behind him. Turning around, Harry saw an old man with pale silvery eyes and white skin. Then the old man waved his hand over his face, and a youthful man appeared. Harry's eyes were immediately drawn to his ears.
"Aldon! Must you take my fun away?" The man huffed again.
"Sorry, my friend, but we are on a schedule. He'll need a personal wand, not one of your premade ones." Aldon explained.
After sending another irritated glance at Aldon, Garrick looked at Harry. "Follow me, young Lord, and we'll begin."
As Harry followed the man, he had to ask. "Are you a High Elf as well?"
Sparing the boy a glance, Garrick responded. "Yes, I am. I've been running this shop for over two millennia."
"That's amazing!" Harry exclaimed.
Garrick had a small smile as he directed Harry.
"Now, you see all of those blocks of wood lined up? I need you to pass your hand over all of them, and whichever wood your hand feels warm on, pick it up. Make sure you touch all of them, just in case more than one wood would feel warm."
Harry did so, and the first few reactions were weak, even non-existent, before his hand passed over a wood a deep black in colour which gave him a sharp warmth that prickled at his palm.
"Blackthorn, a wood suited to fighters."
Harry continued until he came to one of the final samples that was near white in colour, and instead of the warmth he had got from the Blackthorn he felt an intense cold spread across his palm, yet it did not feel freezing and it did not numb his skin. When he pointed to it the elf stared in silent contemplation for a moment.
"Yew, a powerful wood reputed to give the power over life and death." He whispered before waving his hand towards the cabinet and telling him to repeat the process.
He ended up with shimmering white feather and a long black hair, which caused the elf to stare at him again.
"Phoenix feather; a symbol of life and rebirth and the hair of a thestral; a symbol of death. What you have are seen as one of lightest creatures and one of the darkest. Most would see them as complete opposites – Light and dark, life and death – but they are not. If anything they are two sides of the same coin, and only a select few have those as cores in their wands." Pointing to the cabinet in the corner that contained countless jewels and gemstones, he continued. "Gemstones are used only in the most powerful and most complex wands that will have many different components. Yours will have four – The Blackthorn, the Yew, the phoenix feather and the thestral hair. Each component has little magic of its own, instead it influences and shapes your magic when you channel it through the wand, much like looking through a coloured lens. The stone will help contain the magic and fuse each aspect into a focused burst - a spell."
After a few moments of searching Harry felt a strong sense of calm from a small purple stone that glinted in the low light, its colour eerily similar to that of his eyes. Ollivander explained it was a amethyst, a gem that was said to provide power and influence before he shooed him and Aldon out so that he could combine the wand.
Seeing that it was close to lunch time, Aldon treated Harry to lunch in London. While they ate, Harry took that opportunity to ask Aldon as much as he could about the Academy. After sating both his hunger and his curiosity, Harry and Aldon returned to Ollivander for his wand.
"Ah, good. Just in time. I finished your foci. Here you are, and that'll be 50 galleons because, I made it from scratch, and newly made wands come with a wand holster that grows with you."
When he laid eyes on it, Harry immediately decided that he would pay whatever sum the old wandcrafter wanted. Simply put, it was a masterpiece. The Blackthorn and the Yew swirled and twisted against each other in a battle of light and dark that neither had won, while the amethyst was pressed into the butt of the wand. When he picked it up there was a blinding light as the gemstone glowed, and Harry felt his magic surging around his body and down his arm as the beautiful song of the phoenix and the haunting cry of the thestral filled the air. To anyone else one of those would have hurt as if a physical blow, but to Harry they both felt right. The wand was about thirteen inches and completely rigid – he thought it was perfect.
Harry took out his pouch, and payed the appropriate amount without complaint. As he and Aldon were leaving, Ollivander gave him some parting words. "Thank you for your service, young Lord. It's been over a millenia since the last Umbra Walker came from Magical Britain."
Harry didn't understand what Ollivander meant by that, but he was still distracted by his wand to even consider the words spoken to him.