Harry Potter: Chronicles of the Sorcerer Supreme
Disclaimer/Plot/Challenge Information/Author's Notes: SEE FIRST CHAPTER
Recommended Reads: Lily's Plan by sheltie, Fate's Gambit and FG2: The Trio Hit Hogwarts by RobSt, Trickshot, Silver King and Wands and Claws by JustBored21, Soul Scars by Rtnwriter, The Rise of the Last Potter by HPfanfictioner66, Child of the Storm, Ghosts of the Past and The Phoenix and the Serpent by Nimbus Llewelyn, A Harmonious Beginning by SeventhChordHarmony, The Harmony Bond by brigrove, H J Potter by SM wane, Adventures in Magick by PseudonymousEntity and The Last Casualties by muggledad
Key Pairing: Lunar Harmony
Other Pairings: Daniel/Emma; Sirius/Amelia; Xenophilius/Pandora; Others TBD
Normal Speech
'Thoughts'
'Mental Speech'
/Parseltongue/
Review Answers:
Tomas30903: I know it's strange – no puns intended – but something about Elisabeth Olsen just matched my idea for Lily in this story: and, while I agree she could be this story's Scarlet Witch, the idea of the challenge is for Harry to be the magical equivalent of whatever hero the writer chooses – in this case, in case it's not yet clear, Doctor Stephen Strange;
Jostanos: As much as I would LOVE to go down that road, sadly, that's not the case;
God of crossovers: No, that's just a symbol: the hero I chose is Doctor Strange;
Alix33: She's going to do so much more than that…and not just before her son is set to go to Hogwarts either;
"Y-Y-Yes," stammered the woman, watching as Lily stroked Harry's messy black hair between her fingers, the now-six-year-old boy – as Lily had to remind herself, even as she held onto him – sobbing profusely against her shoulder while the woman added, "I…I think that would be wise: would you mind if I called my husband and asked him to come home? I know he has a few questions too."
"Take as long as you need, Mrs Granger," replied Amelia, who knew the name of the woman and the people living at this address because of the help from Surrey Police, her eyes filled with mutual agreement and delight as she stepped into the house, the tearfully-reunited Potters at her side.
"I can promise you the truth and the fact that, what we have to tell you is a long story."
BOOK 1: A Mother's Love
Chapter 3: The Harmony of Family
She didn't say it aloud, but at first, when Lily had originally approached the home of the Granger Family – whom the records stated had not only adopted Harry, but been fast-tracked due to special circumstances, from what they saw at the Police Station – intent on seeing what, exactly, had become of her only son, she'd been a little worried about how he might react to seeing her again after so long.
Would he hate her for being away from him for so long?
Or would he perhaps have forgotten her, since he was only a baby at the time?
Would he even want her to look after him again after how much time had passed since she'd last told him that she loved him?
She was even a little afraid that isolation from a world of magic might have made Harry a little reclusive and turned him into what many Muggle doctors and experts would call a problem child because of his inability to socialise with others his age, or, indeed, any person at all.
However, out of everything that she'd been expecting, and worried about, when she thought about how and what she might see when she saw her little boy once again, the last thing Lily had expected was for her child to, almost-literally, fly into her arms, hug her in an almost anaconda-like vice grip as he held onto her for all she was worth and confess to her that he'd never stopped believing in the hope that she was still alive.
Even when Mrs Granger – or Emma as she introduced herself to Lily and Amelia – led them into what looked like a comfortable, warm, loving, homey, family-rich environment of a home, Lily tried not to show too many tears as she noticed Harry practically fixing himself onto her hip, his head resting against her shoulder as she carried him inside.
As she walked into the house, Lily also didn't need to look around the home to know that Harry had lived a nice, happy life with the Granger Family.
And yet, at the same time, she was relieved to notice that he was so warm and loving to her despite the five-year absence between them seeing each other again.
As Emma led Amelia and Lily into the living room, the green eyes of the young witch widened when she noticed that her thoughts about her son living a happy life were proven true. Strewn across many of the walls around the room, as well as settled within a glass display case, were a wide selection of photographs that showed Emma and Harry, along with a young girl who seemed to be the same age as Harry with messy brown hair and bright, excitable brown eyes, as well as a man with dark hair and cool, observant brown eyes that seemed to be forever-filled with delight and contentment in each of the pictures.
When Emma caught Lily eyeing the photos with a mixture of warmth and emotional struggling, since she was looking at her baby boy's bright and cheeky grin, as well as even more evidence of the warm, family environment he currently lived in, she smiled softly as she explained, "That's my husband, Daniel, and our daughter, Hermione: I'm sorry he isn't here to meet you just yet. Unfortunately, he's currently on his day at the surgery and Hermione's…actually, now I think about it, where is she, Harry?"
"Upstairs," said Harry, although he kept his head on his Mum's shoulder as he added, "She was getting dressed for trick-or-treating tonight when Mummy and this lady came to the door."
"Trick or treating?" asked Amelia, looking to Lily, who just smiled in response.
"You'll have to excuse Amelia," said Lily, her voice laced with a hint of warning towards the Head of the DMLE as she explained, "She's never had to take her niece out since she spends so much time at home with friends."
Here, she then directed her words towards Amelia as she told her, "It's a funny little thing kids do, Amie, with their parents and/or guardians as chaperones: every Halloween, they dress up in costume and go out around the neighbourhood where friends and neighbours offer them sweets and treats. I think it all started on some old belief about sweets keeping away evil spirits on this night of the year."
"The spirit of Samhain from old Pagan beliefs, that's right," answered Emma, earning a wide-eyed look from Amelia while the female Granger let out a soft laugh as she asked Lily, "Are you a bit of a book-lover too, Mrs Potter?"
"Lily, please, and yes," answered Lily, placing a soft kiss against Harry's brow as she added, "You might say that I know my knowledge when it comes to the lore. So, I see that Harry decided to go out and about as a little magician, did he?"
"And Hermione too," laughed Emma, unaware of the curious look from Amelia and Lily as she told them, "Oh, sorry, it's just, every year since we adopted Harry, the two of them have always gone as the exact same topics for their costumes: last year, Harry was Peter Pan and Hermione was Tinkerbell: the year before that, I don't understand how they even knew the look, but…he was Sherlock Holmes and she was Dr Watson. Actually, do you know what? I think I've got the pictures here somewhere."
"Let's…save that for afterwards," suggested Lily, noticing Amelia's expression becoming even more confused by the names of the infamous Muggle heroes of fiction whom Lily had grown up with.
At the same time, there was a question that Lily couldn't help but ask, "How long have you had Harry in your care, Mrs Granger?"
"Emma," corrected Emma, taking a seat on one of the armchairs while Lily sank down onto the settee, Harry now perched comfortably on her lap as the dark-haired lady went on, "And, actually, it'll be four years July just gone, but, even today, I confess: it was an unusual day."
"How do you mean?" asked Amelia, standing by the door while she kept her eyes on the room, a small part of her feeling like there was something that they were overlooking, but she couldn't quite place it.
"Well," replied Emma, before she looked to Harry as she asked, "Um…listen, do you want to go and ask Hermione to join us, Harry? I think it'd be nice for her to meet your Mummy at last."
"Okay Emma," said Harry, his voice laced with an air of sadness that Lily caught onto.
At the same time, she also noticed Emma's expression change with a look of solemn disappointment before it became a look of acceptance as she remembered whom it was that she was speaking to about things better-left-unsaid around vulnerable ears.
As the young boy in the wizard's outfit left the room, Emma cleared her throat before she looked back to Lily as she added, "Sorry about that: it's just…well…we've had a bit of a chore learning that Harry doesn't like it when we have to tell people about…about how we found him."
"Found?" asked Lily, a feeling of familiar horror and dread rising in her chest as her face paled while she trembled slightly as she asked, "W-w-what do you…ahem, sorry; I mean, what do you mean by that, Emma?"
"Exactly what I said," replied Emma, noticing Amelia closing the door behind her while she went on, "It was the last day in July, four years ago…"
"Harry's second birthday," said Amelia, a note of terror and disbelief lacing those words, while Emma nodded softly as she continued her story.
"Yes…anyway, my husband and I were visiting some friends who used to live in Little Whinging, but, for some weird reason, they soon made plans to move away. Anyway, on our way out of the town, Hermione suddenly started crying and, when we asked her what was wrong, she just pointed to this dark alleyway between Wisteria Walk and Privet Drive."
Horror turned into fury as Lily clenched her fists, her eyes filled with awed wonder as she listened to Emma explain her point to them, "We went to see what it was that could have made her cry and that…that's when we found him: he was lying in this disgusting pile of garbage, his small body covered in what looked like blood and a bad bump to the head that looked like it had nearly fractured his skull."
"Oh, sweet Merlin!" gasped Amelia, earning a curious look from Emma before she cleared her throat as she added, "Sorry…force of habit."
"N-no, it's…it's okay," said Emma, her voice edged by an air of curiosity as she continued, "Anyway, we took the infant to a hospital and, because we weren't family, we had to wait for the police and social services to get to us. We also called and asked our friends if they knew of a boy that matched this description, but it was Hermione who said it: she said, and I quote, word-for-word: his name is Harry Potter."
"How did she know?" asked Amelia, earning a soft laugh from Emma as she shook her head.
"Hermione's always had this way of knowing more than other kids her own age," explained Emma, unaware of the knowing look that flashed across Lily's face as she continued, "Her teachers at school think she's on her way to being a genius: she reads at a level most teenagers can and, weirdly, she always seems to know what people are talking about, even if they try and dumb it down for the sake of a child."
"That sounds familiar," remarked Lily, her voice low while she swallowed hard as she asked, "So what did you do when you knew his name?"
"We found out where he'd come from and, after agreeing to testify about the boy's injuries, we found the…the monsters responsible," said Emma, clenching her fists while a fresh tear rolled down her cheeks as she explained, "They…they were his…his family and, when questioned about why they'd done it, they…they said that innocent little boy had killed his Uncle with some sort of freakishness, they called it."
As Lily's eyes widened in horror, Emma wiped her eyes as she went on, "But…but the official report said Vernon Dursley had died of a heart attack due to poor health issues. There was also evidence of blood on his hands that the witch who was meant to look after Harry said was what the little monster deserved for being a freak. I mean, she didn't even care that she'd thrown him out into the street to die!"
Before Lily or Amelia could say another word, they both gasped when a familiar dark-haired missile flew right past them, wrapping his arms around Emma's neck while he told her, "Don't be sad: you helped me; it wasn't your fault, Emma. Please don't be mad for them; they were bad people."
As Amelia – who was surprised at how quickly the child had moved into the room, turned to close the door again – she stopped dead in her tracks, while Lily's eyes widened as she found herself staring at someone that, if it wasn't for the brown hair and the bright shade of chocolate-brown in her eyes, might have passed for her when she was a little girl.
The young girl was dressed in a cartoon witch outfit that was complete with a Muggle version of a magic wand and a plastic black cat and conical hat on her head, not to mention the broomstick; however, it was her air of impressive power and presence that brought Lily's attention to her.
At the same time, Emma shushed the dark-haired form of Harry Potter as she told him, "I…I'm sorry, Harry-sweetie: I try not to, but…they were your family and…and after what they did to you…"
"But I have a new family now," argued Harry, lifting himself off of Emma before he walked over to Lily, taking her hand as he added, "And my Mum's back now too: so, everything's going to be a-okay again."
"You're Harry's Mama?" asked Hermione, a mixture of shock and disbelief in her words.
Lily couldn't help but notice that the girl had a light-hearted voice that seemed to show an ever-present air of knowledge that really caught Lily's attention, especially when Harry let go of her and, walking over to Hermione, he took her hand and led her back to the settee where Lily nodded while Hermione asked, "So…so Harry was right? You…you didn't die?"
"No, sweetie," answered Lily.
As she looked into Hermione's eyes, however, another gasp escaped her lips while, at the same time, she saw Amelia giving her a look, which she returned with a nod before, looking back to an awestruck Hermione, she asked, "So, from what your Mummy tells me, it sounds like I have you to thank for helping my son find a home, am I? Well thank you, Hermione Granger: you must have felt something very special to be able to find him when you'd never met him before."
"It was her magic, Mummy!" exclaimed Harry, but while Lily nodded in agreement, Emma laughed softly while she shook her head.
"I'm sorry," explained the Granger matriarch, her voice laced with amusement as she told them, "Ever since they were brought together, Harry's always called Hermione's specialness her magic, but really, my husband and I put it down to the two of them being as close as siblings and…"
"Um…Emma," said Lily, cutting her off as she turned to the other lady, her green eyes filled with a sense of calm as well as déjà vu from her own childhood: how she'd had a special bond of near-siblinghood with another young boy with incredible potential and how Petunia had said she was a freak, but it was her own parents, Merlin rest their souls, who saw her for the gifted witch she was.
Even as she thought about it, Lily wondered how Severus had taken the news of her near-death experience and how he might take the news that she was still alive.
She knew, even though he'd tried to hide it, she knew that the man still cared for her despite The Incident and she also knew that something had happened to put him at great risk for the sake of Albus and the old gang, but she hadn't seen him since before they went into hiding.
Pushing the thought aside for a moment, Lily coughed as she asked, "Please don't think I'm trying to insult your intelligence, Emma, but what would you say to me…to Amelia and I if…if we told you that what Harry's talking about isn't just kids' stuff?"
Given the strong mind of the brunette and her belief that Harry was just making up kid stories, Lily actually expected Emma to take the route of her sister and insult Lily, Harry, Amelia and even the possibility that her daughter was like them.
However, to her surprise, the brunette just smiled as she asked, "Do you mean to say that…that magic is…is real?"
"Yes," said Amelia, indicating Hermione as she added, "And your daughter has it, Mrs…Emma: Lily and I both felt it when she walked into the room and, if you look closely, you'll also notice the strong magical presence that surrounds her and Harry."
"Meaning?" asked Emma, her eyes looking to her daughter before she looked to the older ladies, both of whom shared an awkward look before Lily cleared her throat and, returning her attention to Emma, she asked her a question of her own;
"What do you know about soul bonds?"
Supreme
"Girls! Harry, I'm home!"
The sound of a jovial, warm-hearted male voice had Lily, Amelia and Emma looking up from the books that they'd been reading through as they'd waited for the return of Emma's husband, Daniel.
Harry and Hermione, meanwhile, had retreated to their bedroom – which, given what they'd noticed, Lily and Amelia weren't surprised to discover that they shared despite being opposing genders – to finish getting ready for their trick-or-treating when the lock turned in the door and Dr Daniel Granger returned home.
Within the time it took for the man to remove his shoes, hang up his coat and make his way into the kitchen to prepare a drink, Harry and Hermione raced downstairs, the latter hugging her Father while Harry smiled and extended a hand like a little gentleman, though not before Daniel laughed and pulled the boy into his lean, but athletically-toned embrace, tousling his hair as he laughed fondly, actually kissing the boy's crown in greeting.
"Oh, Harry," laughed Daniel, letting go of his adoptive son while he admired the boy's choice of costume, "How many times have I told you that you don't have to be as polite with Emma and I anymore?"
"At least once more each day, Uncle Danny, as always," replied Harry cheekily, earning a soft laugh from the dark-haired man, while Lily – who was out of sight as she watched and listened to the welcoming sound of her child's happiness – also felt a tear roll down her cheek at the way Harry called this man Uncle Danny.
Harry, on the other hand, didn't seem to be done with Uncle Danny as he then added, "Besides, there's someone you have to meet: come and see!"
Before Daniel could protest, he found his free hand being taken by the young boy as he was led into the living room.
As soon as he saw Emma sitting with Amelia and Lily, however, his delight turned into surprise as Harry, running back to Lily's side, smiled like a kid in a candy store on Christmas Morning as he told him, "This is my Mummy, Uncle Danny: she's alive, just like I always said!"
"Your…your Mummy?" asked Daniel, earning an excitable nod from Harry while Lily politely inclined her head to him.
Putting a calm hand on her son's shoulder to try and ease his excitement, Lily then rose and, walking to Daniel, she offered a hand to him.
"It's nice to meet you, Mr Granger," said Lily, watching as Daniel inspected the offered hand before finally accepting it, though not without receiving a confirming-slash-warning look from Emma as she sensed his doubts and questions. "I am Lily Potter, formerly Lily Evans, and I want to thank you for taking such good care of my son: also, this other lady with me is Madam Amelia Bones and…well…I know this might be hard to believe, but there's something about your daughter, my son and, indeed, their very futures that we need to discuss."
"Oh?" asked Daniel, watching as Hermione perched herself on the arm of the chair where Harry was sitting, earning a soft laugh from the older man before his somewhat-curious demeanour returned as he asked, "And what might that be, Mrs Potter?"
"Lily, please," replied the redhead, moving to sit on the seat closest to her son while Emma moved from the same chair where Harry was now sitting to join her husband, almost as though she was expecting some sort of trouble from what she'd already been told, but now, it was time for the fuller explanation since Daniel was home.
"Daniel," said the dark-haired man, before he looked again to the two kids as he asked, "And what is it that you have to tell me?"
"First, let me ask you a question," answered Lily, watching as Emma moved Daniel to the spare chair, Amelia now sitting on the settee with Lily while Emma stood between her husband and the others in the room.
When Daniel gestured for her to continue, Lily cleared her throat as she asked him, "Do you believe in magic?"
"Magic?" asked Daniel, looking now to Harry, who seemed to be rocking back and forth in anticipation and what looked like hope in his bright green eyes; as he returned his attention to Lily, Daniel then noticed that she had the same colour eyes as Harry, though hers were nowhere near as bright or empowering in their glare.
"That's right," said Lily, breaking the silence while she, like Emma, prepared for the possibility of an outburst from the man.
After all, not everyone was as understanding of the differences between Muggles and magicals as her parents had been.
Just look at her vile bitch of a sister if you wanted a good enough example.
And Lily wasn't done with her by a long shot either, but, for now, she had a son to watch over and an explanation to give.
"If you mean like the street magicians and illusionists on TV, then…" Daniel began.
However, he was cut off when Lily, looking to Amelia for allowance, earned a nod from her close friend before she drew a wand of her own from her pocket and, flicking it once, she conjured several large bouquets of flowers, each one a different type of flower than the other.
While Daniel stared in disbelief and wonder, Lily smiled softly as she told him, "I mean magic, Daniel!"
"What? How did…where did…" Daniel began, but before he could finish, he found a fresh tumbler of whiskey being pushed into his hand courtesy of his wife, whom he was surprised to see looked less shocked and calmer than he was.
"I needed this when they showed me, so you're all right to have it this one time," said Emma, watching as Dan drained the tumbler before returning the glass to her.
As she took it from him, Emma took a very deep breath as she asked, "You remember all those times where Harry talked about Hermione's magic helping her find him and help her out whenever she needed it?"
"Y-Y-Yes," stammered Daniel, looking to his daughter, who also seemed to be calm despite the nigh-impossible feat that had just occurred.
"Well, as it turns out, he wasn't just kidding around," added Emma, indicating their daughter as well as Harry, Lily and Amelia as she told him, "Our little Hermione is a witch, Daniel, like Lily and Amelia: and Harry…"
"Is what? A wizard?" asked Daniel, earning another nod from Emma while he looked over to Harry, who blushed in response before he lowered his head as though he feared he was going to be shouted at by Daniel.
Maybe it was because of the fact that Lily herself was sitting in the room next to her son. or maybe it was because Emma was within arm's reach of his face if he dared to do such a thing – she'd always been protective of Harry and, like Hermione, she had never let herself or Daniel raise a hand to Harry or yell at him without good reason – but Daniel didn't raise his voice.
Instead, he cleared his throat and, looking back to Lily and Amelia, he asked them, "How…how can you be so sure?"
"Because Harry told us," said Lily, sharing a wary look with Emma, but when she nodded in a confirming response, the redhead went on, "And because Amelia and I, as magic users, can sense magic within any witch or wizard in our immediate vicinity. As neither you nor Emma possesses any magic inside you, this makes Hermione what our world calls a Muggle-born witch: she has no magical parentage to speak of."
"Muggle is the magical word for people like us," added Emma, earning an oh of understanding from her husband, "But there's a reason Harry knows it too, Daniel and, trust me, if you think that was a shock, you haven't heard anything yet."
"Why?" asked Daniel, watching as Amelia drew a wand of her own and conjured several small glasses of drink for everyone, one of which was pressed into Daniel's hands before Lily answered him;
"Harry and Hermione are soulmates, Daniel: that is to say that their fates, hearts and magic are bound to each other!"
Quick as a flash, Daniel drained his glass once again, earning a laugh from Harry while Hermione suddenly looked worried; as soon as he was sure that he was still awake and hearing this, Daniel looked to Lily before he asked, "So…are you saying that these…that my kids are…are going to be in love one day?"
"A long time from now, I assure you, Daniel," replied Amelia, although she laughed along with Dan and Emma when Harry pulled a face that one might expect from a boy hearing that he was going to be in love one day, which turned into a protesting laugh when Hermione, deciding to play along, then kissed him on the cheek, making him cry out in disgust as he wiped girl-drool from his cheek.
Once everyone had stopped laughing at the adorable sight of the two dear friends being so open, but also classic-minded about this, Amelia cleared her throat, taking a drink from her glass as she explained, "But yes: that is the long-story-short of it. One day, Hermione will be Harry's wife and the future Lady Potter, the current title of which belongs to Lily here, despite the unfortunate death of her husband, Lord James Charles Potter: until the day that Harry is eligible to take control of his title and everything that comes with it, Lily maintains her Lady status until the day that Harry and Hermione are…"
"I get the picture," said Daniel, looking now to Harry before, to the young boy's surprise, his adoptive Father smiled as he asked, "How come you never told us about your magic, Harry?"
"I can answer that one," replied Lily, watching as Hermione cutely covered Harry's ears with her hands, as though she feared what was going to be said would upset her soulmate, before Lily pressed on in a softer voice, "My sister, Petunia Dursley, was the woman that left him in the state that you found him in when he was little. If I had to guess, from what I heard from Emma, I'd say Harry's magic reacted out of fear, which is what witches and wizards call Accidental Magic, and, as a result, it did the first thing it could to protect him."
"I killed him…" whispered Harry sadly, earning a shocked look from Emma while Hermione rounded on him.
"No, you didn't!" exclaimed the brunette, her protective side showing itself while Lily and Amelia smiled as they saw Hermione hold Harry in her arms, her head resting against his shoulder as she told him, "You're not bad, Harry: you're the nicest, sweetest boy I've ever known. It wasn't your fault that your…your magic did that to save you; he…they shouldn't have been so mean to you!"
"As odd as it is for me to admit this, Hermione's correct," said Amelia, earning a curious look from Daniel.
Harry, meanwhile, felt a flash of inspiration that made him wonder if he'd ever get tired of hearing people say that about his Hermione.
Amelia, meanwhile, continued, "You see, Mr Granger…excuse me, Daniel…"
She corrected herself as Daniel opened his mouth to do the same thing before she went on, "My role in the world of magic is one that works with our nation's government and departments of justice, more-commonly known as the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. One of our primary duties in this department is to monitor young witches and wizards until they reach an age where they can go out into the world and, hopefully, be trusted with their magic. However…"
Here, she looked to Lily, who seemed to be holding in an emotional storm of her own while Amelia, taking a deep breath, quickly continued, "For reasons that I hope to discover in time, our tracers seemed to miss the Accidental Magic that would have been registered on the night in question; not only that, but before today, I wasn't even aware that a magical person was living in Crawley to begin with."
"That makes two of us," mumbled Daniel, earning a soft smile from Emma before he looked back to Harry as he added, "And Hermione's right too, Harry: like Miss Bones…sorry, Amelia said, it was an accident. You couldn't control what happened. I've watched you grow up these past four years now and, if you can't believe them, then believe me when I say that you haven't got a bad bone in your entire body."
Harry blushed while, unseen by the kids, Amelia shared a look with Lily that was returned with an expression of warning and a shake of the head.
However, Emma did notice the look and, as she looked from Lily to Harry, she cleared her throat as she asked, "Why don't you two go and get your bags ready for trick-or-treating? We can all go once we've finished talking."
While Hermione left with an excitable nature to her movements, she almost had to drag Harry out of the room, much to the awwws and amusement of the grownups.
Once the door was closed, however, and Emma was certain that neither child would hear them, she turned back to Lily as she asked, "What are you trying to keep hidden from him, Lily? I saw the look Amelia gave you when Daniel told Harry he wasn't evil, so what is it?"
Lifting her eyes to meet the stern, but curious glare of the Granger matriarch, Lily cleared her throat as she told Emma, "Before…before the act of magic that forced me to lose my son for five years, I…my late husband and I were expecting a second child."
Emma's eyes widened while Daniel, seeing the look in the redhead's eyes as well as the way that she'd said were, bit his lower lip before, as much as he didn't want to do what he did, he charged ahead as he asked her, "You…I take it…and I'm sorry for being so blunt, but…you lost the child?"
"During surgery to stabilise my magical core, according to Amelia," answered Lily, earning a horrified look from Emma as she went on, "Now, I'm not saying Harry was responsible for it, you understand, but according to the healers, my body was fighting some second source of magic that seemed to be strengthening and weakening me at the same time."
Here, Lily clenched her fists as she remembered Amelia describing the events to her while they were waiting for the police to locate the information on Harry, her eyes hardening in their sockets as she went on, "When the healers noticed I was pregnant, they had a terrible choice to make: allow the magic to continue waging war on my body, which could have killed us both or…or do what they did do and…and remove my uterus along with my unborn daughter."
"No…"
Every head in the room suddenly turned to the door as a soft, terrified whisper filled their ears.
While Emma cursed herself for not making sure that she had really sent the kids to get ready, the others looked on in horror as six-year-old Harry James Potter stood there, trembling furiously, his green eyes as wide as saucers while tears rolled down his cheeks.
"Harry…" Lily began, but before she could get another word out, Daniel and Emma gasped as more or less every one of their light bulbs exploded overhead, showering the hallway and living room in glass; at the same time, a powerful magical aura started to glow around Harry's body, its form stretching out in a familiar shape that Lily recalled from the night that her son's magic had protected her from Voldemort.
"What's happening to him?" asked Emma, a mixture of fear and surprise in her voice, as she watched while Amelia cast several powerful shields between them and the enraged young boy.
"That's the other thing I've been wanting to talk about!" cried Lily, getting to her feet as the magic continued to grow in the air around them, "Ever since he was born…no, even before then, Harry's magic has been one of the strongest forces recorded in the world of magic! He was so powerful that he could actually perform magical feats even while I was carrying him inside my stomach!"
"My…my sister!" cried Harry, his eyes crinkling while his lower lip trembled in sorrow and fear as he gasped in alarm, "I…I killed her!"
"He killed her?" asked Daniel, before his eyes widened as the penny dropped, "Are you trying to tell me Harry was the second source?"
"I wanted to save them!" screamed Harry, his magic pushing objects away from him while, at the same time, more glass shattered, this time in the lights up the stairs. "I wanted Mama safe…I wanted my sister safe…I…I didn't want…"
"Harry!" cried another voice, surprising Daniel and Emma as they saw Hermione suddenly appear at his side, her hands holding his head against hers as she gasped, "Please…it wasn't you! It was something else…not you, not my Harry! You're not bad, Harry James Potter: you're good! You're…you're like Doctor Strange!"
Suddenly, to Lily's amusement as well as Emma's, Harry's enraged state seemed to become much calmer the longer that Hermione held onto him.
At the same time, Daniel watched in awe as Amelia repaired the damage that had been done before, looking to her Muggle-born companion and their Muggle companions, she asked in a soft whisper.
"Dr Who?"
Now it was Daniel's turn to laugh while Lily shook her head as she told Amelia, "In the Muggle world, there are comic books, sort of like stories told in pictures with very little text: a bit like the Tales of Beedle the Bard, but in storyboard form. Anyway, one of these comics is made by a company called Marvel and one of their characters is a powerful sorcerer known as Doctor Strange, the Sor…"
"The Sorcerer Supreme," finished Harry, his voice edged by tearful emotions as he looked into Hermione's warm brown eyes, seeing her smile back at him as he asked, "You…do you really think I'm like him, Mia?"
"I do," said Hermione, hugging her bonded and her honorary brother, again earning a round of cute, appreciative-looking smiles, and even tears from Emma and Lily, before the brunette told him, "That's who you really are: Harry James Potter, the Sorcerer Supreme!"
"Catchy," chuckled Daniel.
However, as he saw the questioning look in Lily's eyes when Harry addressed his daughter, Daniel smiled as he told her, "For as long as we've known and loved him, Harry has always called Hermione Mia: in fact, I think that the only time he calls her Hermione is when he's talking about her."
"The name just stuck after that," continued Emma, wiping a tear from her eyes as she moved to stand in a place that Harry could see her, "Harry, look at me."
Turning to face the woman that had helped raise him, Harry sniffed once as Emma kneeled down, her eyes now level with his as she said, "I don't know what happened that night and I don't want to know; you say you were trying to protect your Mummy, I believe you. You say you didn't mean it to have the bad effect it did, I believe you, but what I refuse to believe, flat-out, is that you are a bad person, even as a wizard."
"I'm sorry I never told you, sweetheart," added Lily, earning a sad look from her son as she told him, "But you…you'd just gotten me back and…and you were so happy that…that I was scared for you. But I promise, I swear to you that I will never keep anything from you ever again."
"None of us will, son," added Daniel, earning a small smile from Harry before, to the delight of the Grangers, he ran to Lily, hugging his arms around her as he sobbed against her clothes.
"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…" whimpered the young boy, earning a shushing motion from his Mother as she ran her hands through his dark hair, which only helped further soothe his fears and his pain.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Harry," Lily told him, lifting him up so that she could look into his eyes as she added, "If there's one lesson you can learn from this, it's the one I realised had to be learned: magic always has a price, no matter your intentions."
Running a finger against Harry's cheek, Lily cleaned his tears away as she told him, "I know you were trying to do good, but even with all of your super-special magic, not even the…the Sorcerer Supreme can do everything without there being consequences somewhere along the road."
Harry let out a small giggle as Lily's hand suddenly found his belly.
As she tickled him, earning more laughs from her son, the redhead placed a soft kiss against Harry's forehead as she added, "I thought I'd never see you again, sweetheart, but here we are. And I promise you, one day, you will be that strong and able to control it so that you know the costs and the risks all the way."
"Promise?" asked Harry, holding up his pinkie finger while he looked into his Mother's eyes.
Linking her finger with his, Lily kissed his cheek as she answered, "I promise…my little Sorcerer Supreme!"
Chapter 3 and, aww: talk about a real family, and then some: Lily has met the people who put the light back into the darkness of her baby's upbringing, but what about those who still remain?
Also, with a cutesy, but damn scary title now added to his list of accolades, can Harry find it within himself, with help from his family, and his soulmate, to become the Sorcerer Supreme of Hogwarts?
Keep Reading to Find Out
Next Chapter: Lily can't wait a second longer: there are messages to be sent, questions to be answered and justice to be dealt out;
Please Read and Review
AN: Portrayals of characters introduced in this chapter
Daniel Granger: Nathan Fillion