Harry Potter and the Rocky Mountain school of Magic ch15
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the rights to Harry Potter and I'm not her.
As Harry walked to the front of the room he pondered what to say. He hadn't written a speech, he hardly knew what he wanted at the moment.
Casting a Sonorous on himself he addressed the students and faculty. "Everyone, I need to make an announcement. Two days ago I received notification that my commission as a Battle mage had been reactivated. I am going to be leaving the school for at least one year, possibly more."
The eruption of protests warmed his heart. He waited a few moments before raising his hand for quiet.
"Thank you. I don't want to leave anymore than you'd like me to but I have a duty. Remember, one should always keep their promises and I promised the ICW my service when they trained me. I can't give you any details about my upcoming mission but it will be a unique learning opportunity. Tomorrow the board of governors will be here to announce who will be your new temporary Headmaster. Ms. Page has already agreed to host Christmas on the island for me and my Godson Teddy and his family will be hosting the students that stay in my home over the summer. I will be leaving the school in the morning. Professor Flitwick has agreed to host my clubs. For those of you graduating this year, your letters of reference can be picked up from the school secretary starting this evening. I'm sorry I won't be able to see you graduate. I hope that each of you will leave this school and do great things but more so I hope you find joy in your magic and your lives. I have done my very best to ensure that you are prepared for whatever comes next. For our sixth years, next year is your time to shine. I hope to be able to see you graduate. I am proud of all of my students."
Harry had to stop and wipe his eyes.
"I'm going to miss each of you." Harry finished emotionally and cancelled the Sonorous.
000
Over the course of the evening while Harry packed up his office, the students came to say goodbye. Many had cried and Harry had joined a few.
000
When Harry had made it home the following morning he was emotionally wrung out and physically exhausted. He hadn't been able to sleep a wink. He still had plenty to do but right now he was kneeling beside his wife's grave.
"What we dreaded finally happened. I've been called back. This one is going to be long and dangerous. I'm not sure when I'll be back. I'm going to go visit the kids for a few days before I have to go. I love you."
000
"Winky, the mission I'm being sent on may break our bond, would you like to solidify the bond with James just in case?"
"Can't Winky come with master Harry?" The old elf asked.
"It's possible but I'd have to transfigure you into an object. The magic being used to send me away is calculated for only one person."
Winky stared at Harry for a few moments. "Winky agrees. My Winky go visit with Dobry before we's leave?"
Harry gave his elf a smile. "Yes, while your there could you let James and Inid know I will be visiting in a few days? Please."
"Winky wills." The elf said before popping away.
000
Catching his daughter in bed with her boyfriend had been the highlight of Harry's week. Adult she may be but the shades of pink her face turned, he hadn't seen since they'd had The Talk when she was twelve. Markus had been no better. The poor man must have thought Harry was about to kill him. He'd been quick with the excuses to leave the apartment.
Sophie was an adult and a healer, she knew the risks and how to prevent any problems. Harry stayed out of his children's sex lives, he didn't want them poking their noses into his. No one needs to know their parent's kinks.
"So what brings you by, Dad? Don't you have classes?" Sophie said still pink cheeked.
"The ICW has reactivated my commission. I'm leaving on a mission in a few days. I won't be able to contact you and I don't know how long I'll be away." Harry ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "This has the potential to be a dangerous one." Harry fished a wad of parchment from inside his jacket. "This is a copy of my Will. You and James will get about 40% of my assets each. James will get Potter manor, though one of the guest houses will be yours and you'll share ownership of the island. There are provisions for Teddy and the other godchildren, as well as some of my students."
"Dad, I… I." She was speechless and her eyes filled with tears.
Pulling her into a tight hug, Harry assured his daughter. "It's just in case, I have no intention of dying. I had to update my will after your mother passed. If the worst is to happen, know that I love you and I'm with your mother again."
"I love you too dad." Sophie said softly.
Harry pulled back from the hug with a smile. "Now, why don't you go get yourself cleaned up and we'll go get some ice cream."
"Dad, It's nine in the morning." She admonished.
"The best part of being an adult is that you can have ice cream for breakfast if you want to." Harry said with his signature cheeky smile.
000
Inid had the waddle only a heavily pregnant woman had. At eight months along she was as big as a house, not that Harry was stupid enough to say so.
"How are you and the babies doing?"
"The babies are fine. I suspect that they will be circus performers when they are older, judging by how they like to bounce on my bladder."
"James enjoyed doing that to Katie too. We thought he might be a martial artist by how often he kicked his mother." Harry said with a grin. "Speaking of James, is he home?"
"No, he had to go into the shop. He had a meeting with a client but said you could floo over when you got here."
"Well before I take my leave, I brought something for you and the children." Taking out a package and resizing it, he whispered. "That one is for Kenneth, it's a power wheels. I thought letting him drive himself while you pushed the stroller would make it a bit easier. I enchanted it for stability but I'm sure James will have some other ideas for it."
Inid smiled. "Thank you."
"For the twins, I have these." He said handing over two envelopes. "They are 10000G savings bonds. By the time they come of age, they should be worth enough to pay for university."
"Wow, but why?" Inid asked giving him a suspicious look.
"I have a mission. I'm just making sure that all my ducks are in a row, just in case."
Inid sighed and sat down on the couch. "Is it that dangerous?"
"It's got the potential to be, but I should be okay. Back when I used to do this work Katie had instructions on what to do if I didn't come home. Now, I'm making sure the kids know. Giving them copies of my Will just in case. I'm going to miss the twins' birth." Harry said, shaking his head.
"Anyway, I have a gift for you too. You won't be able to really enjoy it for a year or so but…" he said as he resized three cases of elf made wine. "Katie always said that the two things that made staying home with the kids bearable was Winky and wine." Harry finished.
Inid smiled. "Katie was a wise woman."
000
Bell's Enchanting had changed quite a bit since Harry had last been here. Where the shop used to be a cluttered mess, now examples of enchanted goods sat neatly on the shelves on the right hand side of the store. A desk held a binder full of pamphlets describing different products available for custom orders and a row of seats sat at the back of the sales floor for those wanting a private consultation. Harry often wondered where James got his organizational skills from as neither Katie nor himself had been particularly good at it.
The meeting with James had gone the same as it had with Sophie, without the initial embarrassment. Harry could tell that James was upset that his father was going away at such an important time for him, but there was nothing Harry could do.
James had taken his copy of Harry's Will and locked it in his desk without looking at it. With a brief hug He'd wished his father good luck and returned to his work.
000
Harry spent the following day shipping and packing for his trip. He'd gone ahead and purchased everything he'd need to build a commercial Smithy. He'd bought a huge supply of modern steel and metal scrap. He'd moved the entire Potter library into two of the bedrooms of his forward base. He'd stocked up on spices knowing that a thousand years ago, if you could find them, they'd be worth ten times their weight in gold.
He'd removed all but a few guns from his armory not wanting to accidentally introduce automatic weapons into the timeline 900 years early. He swapped his Glock with a steel framed pistol with wooden grips. Trying to explain his polymer framed guns would be a pain if they were ever seen. He went for wood and stainless steel firearms only. Having very few of them, he had an M-14, 2 shotguns, a Ruger 10-22, a couple of 1911's and revolvers.
He had visited Coutts bank while in England and purchased eight bars of gold and silver. If for any reason he needed more purchased a number of books about the history of mining. If need be he'd portkey to the Fraser Valley and summon gold from the river.
When he was curtain he had everything he might need and a few comforts he knew he'd want. He'd called Winky and transfigured her into a elf figurine and placed her on the mantle before shrinking and stowing the forward base.
000
"Commander Potter. In order for you to survive your journey back, we will need to ritually deage you. This will return your body to what it was when you were twenty five. The only way to travel forward in time is to live it. We will provide you with a capsule and potions that will keep you alive but in a magically induced coma, until you have arrived at your proper time, Which is one year from today. You will only have ten years to complete your mission, otherwise you will be visibly aged upon your return. The capsule and potions can only slow the aging process so much. Just so you are aware, this process will not extend your life expectancy. In fact, however much time you spend living in the past will be taken from the end of your life. Do you understand the risks sir?"
"Yes." Harry said simply.
"The ritual is said to be extremely painful and it will prevent you from losing consciousness throughout the ritual. We can not give you a potion or cast any charms on you without causing the ritual to fail. The pain is the cost of this ritual. Do you still agree to participate?"
Harry gulped but nodded "Yes, I agree."
"Then please strip and perform a cleansing upon yourself. I assume that you know how?"
"Yes, it's a requirement for a Mastery in Dark arts."
"Good, I'll let you get on with it. When you are done, go through the door on the left. Lay down in the center of the pentacle, be careful not to disturb the salt around the ritual circle. We will begin as soon as you are in position."
When O'Rourke left, Harry did as instructed only hesitating slightly as he removed his wedding ring. He used the Elder wand to perform the cleansing, finding it to be the best for fighting dark magic. Dark magic had an addictive quality, the cleansing was to remove the taint from your magic so as to not tempt the user. It was possible to use Dark magic sparingly without a cleansing but without sufficient willpower, soon a practitioner would eventually become addicted. Once the addiction took hold madness would follow. The kindest, most gentle soul could justify any act of cruelty once addicted and never feel an ounce of remorse.
000
Pain was too gentle a word for what the deaging ritual caused. It was equal to or greater than the pain of the torture curse. The ritual seemed to go on for hours but in reality it had only taken about forty minutes.
Harry had walked shakily out of the ritual room, thankful for the potions phials lined up beside his clothing. He had taken the first three before he'd even sat down. Then gulped down the other two before dressing himself. He had fifteen minutes to recover and collect his belongings while the ritual room was cleansed and reset for the time travel ritual that would send him on his way.
000
They'd warned him that he'd feel sickly upon his arrival in the past. Sickly. Really? He thought he may have just vomited out everything he had ever eaten. Now he had an international portkey to look forward to.
He'd made a portkey to the mountains outside Hogsmead, near the cave Sirius had once stayed in. He'd stay in the cave until he felt up to snuff and was able to recon the village.
000
A/N: Well that's it for book one. I haven't got a title for book two yet but it'll likely be something along the lines of Harry Potter and the Lost Generation. The first chapter should be up in a week, though it could be delayed a bit because of Mother's Day and my birthday being next week. So I'll be visiting my Mum and her WiFi sucks.
Thanks for reading.
