Chapter Four: Moving Along:
Harry was happy, it was his first time going to Hogsmeade and he felt he had finally turned a corner. He had started his electives and in addition to taking ancient Runes he was taking healing as well. One could not become a healer in the world of magic if they were evil and this was proof he was moving in the right direction in life. Plus he was head of two noble and ancient houses, had taken family oaths which had been registered and now was headed to The Three Broomsticks where Madam Rosemerta ran a clean and safe inn and pub. It like all of Hogsmeade had grown and was now housed in a four story building. Hogsmeade was now nearing it's middle ages population and this was due to the pureblood war.
Harry went with Fred and George and Lee Jordan joined them as did Cho Chang, they were all third years and were friends. Cho fancied Cedric and he her but they had not decided on dating yet. That would come in time as Cedric was working on his OWLs now he was a fifth year. Harry liked the town, it felt so medieval though it was built out of very modern materials. It was put together with magic but the materials were very real as magic would break down over time and then were was your house or castle or manor house? The town came up to the gates of Hogwarts as it once had long before but there were parks in the town now to make it nicer and greener.
"So after the Three Broomsticks where to next?" Fred asked.
"Yes, what wonders should we explore?" George added.
"I say Honeydukes." Harry said, "professor Snape was kind and helpful and I know he likes dark chocolate nightmares."
"Do they really give nightmares?" Cho asked shivering slightly.
"No." Lee said, "but they are shaped like ghouls but taste really good, bitter though so don't get that if you like your chocolate over sugared."
"You like that American kind don't you?" Harry asked, "its still so sweet, and I like the darker stuff over candied cherries, cuts the bitter and brings out the cherries."
"Why is Snape so nice to you?" Fred asked.
"Yes, it seems odd." George added.
"My father saved his life, got a life debt then my grandfather got it transferred to him as he was head of house, he took Snape in as a son and Black too."
"Why didn't Snape take you in?" Lee asked.
"He could not, he is not blood family and is not my godfather either." Harry replied, "a life debt does mean he could raise me, but he has done what he can. My godfather is damaged, I am still hurt he wants nothing to do with me but what my father did in his betrayal, I am going to give him time and space. He is not a bad man at all."
"Still he is your godfather." Fred said.
"He should have raised you, it is sad he chose not to." George added.
"I know but I will give him space and time." Harry said, "I had a good up brining after I got away from my aunt and uncle. The old nuns were so sweet and loving, nothing like the cruel ones who ran other homes, they wanted us and loved us."
There were other questions, questions of other friends kept away from Harry. His isolation in the muggle world, and so on. But Harry was happy and healthy now and the ministry who had to have a hand in that isolation was no longer able to keep him isolated. No longer could they call him evil when he was training to be a healer and had made several oaths against evil and dark magic. No. Harry Potter was becoming more like his grandfather, in fact he was more like his grandfather than his own father. Many people were seeing that and they respected the young wizard for how he was turning out.
"Ah butterbeer, this never grows old." Fred said.
"No," George added, "perks of having older brothers who care, Percy come have a pint with us, bring Penny with you!"
"I would rather have refined company than be with you two." Percy replied coldly.
"I think he remembers the noodle prank dear brother." Fred said.
"Yes, I do think he does, but he forgets we were covered in them too." George added.
"Come, sit with us, they will not do anything." Harry said, "they got me too, and they have to celebrate their birthday soon too."
"Oh joy." Percy said.
He did join them and found that Fred and George were (mostly) sorry for what they had done. Still Percy was more relaxed around Fred and George as something had happened that Harry only knew the bare details of before any of them were in Hogwarts. Percy helped the twins and Harry out and saw Harry as a younger brother along with Ron. Ron had become friends with Hermione and Delphi and Neville was in that group too, the four were becoming if not terrors outright pranksters that were giving Fred and George a run for there money. Harry was sure that Neville at least snuck to Hogsmeade to get things and Snape was having fits at times as he could not prove that the "golden boy" could do anything like what he was doing.
It was not as if the pranks were evil or hurtful, they were funny. Singing armor, multi-colored streamers appearing in the great hall. Toys coming to life and dancing down the halls. Books reciting their knowledge when one opened them. Oh and gifts of milk and fish to try so hard to bribe Mrs. Norris. Then there was the movie room that had been set up that had to be shut down, not because movies were not allowed at Hogwarts but because they were playing during classes. A new movie room had sprung up and now movies only played on the weekends, only the movie room was not a proper room, it was the great hall, during meals. Mostly Star Wars but recently the Princess Bride was the favored movie.
"So Delphi is having fun, good clean fun, I wonder if Polly had a hand in that?" Fred asked.
"Yes, she seems the type to well, we saw what she can do." George added.
"True that." Harry said, "oh and here comes trouble."
The three looked to see madam Umbridge here striding to them. Harry disliked her, she was dark and evil and if not for people like the old and new lord Black, she would have had a lot of things outlawed. The wealth that had been James's not the Potter wealth she had taken and Harry was wondering if it had been used for good after all. If she wanted to pick a fight with him, well she was going to find out she had picked on the wrong wizard. Harry had his oaths registered and they had ended up in the Daily Prophet by his permission two years prior. Delphi had allowed her oaths to be printed as well, in fact nearly everyone third year and younger had taken the same oaths. They were dangerous but these ones were the most tainted by the war with one of the darkest wizards ever to walk the earth.
"Ah Mr. Potter." Umbridge said.
"Lord Potter." Harry replied, "Madam Umbridge is it? Or is it lady Umbridge, forgive me I do not know."
"Lord Potter, Madam Umbridge will do." Umbridge said sweetly, "why are you consorting with the dark?"
"Whatever do you mean?" Harry asked, "who is dark around me?"
"Delphi Lestrange." Umbridge said.
"Oh she is not dark, she made the oaths, those cannot be broken, no she is a true Lestrange before the name was tainted with evil and bigotry." Harry said, "she will bring honor back to that name."
"I see, her parents."
"Look, I cannot answer for her, you should speak to her yourself." Harry said
"You should, she is nice, and I would not be a friend of anyone who was dark." Cedric said walking up, "you know how we Diggory are."
"Yes, well good day." Umbridge said.
She left as Amos Diggory was far more connected than she was. Plus he and Primrose had raised not only Cedric but now had two surprise children at four years of age now, a girl and boy. That and the Diggory family while very competitive was a fully light sided family that had been freedom fighters in the past. They were and good family and Umbridge knew when to back off. At least with that. Harry ordered lunch and forgot all about the bigoted and racist under-secretary and turned to pay attention to the beef stew and good bread served to him along with another mug of butter beer.
Harry was having a great time with his classes, most were easy enough but the hardest was healing. He was currently pleased he knew from memory every bone in the human body, this was much harder than learning where the various organs in the body were. Now that he knew the bones and such, it was time to move on to learning the other systems of the body. Which is why he was having a difficult time now. He had just learned all about his own body, that of a healthy human male and that was not too bad but learning all about the human female body made him want to go buy chocolate or something for every woman out there. He looked at the diagrams and pictures of women giving birth and put down the book and looked up at madam Pomfrey.
"You can go through all this, to bring life into the world?" Harry asked.
"Yes, and you can't be a midwife in the magical world, I can see you would like to, but women's magic is different than men's and needs women there in birth, it's not like the muggle world at all."
"What can I do to er help pregnant witches then?" Harry asked.
"Be there for them and lettuce, lots of lettuce. Works almost as good as chocolate but it must be leaf lettuce only." Pomfrey replied, "now you know the bones in the body and the organs and human reproduction systems. "
"Okay." Harry replied.
He was the only one in the classes for healing right now. The last students had tested out and were on to their masteries. This was not uncommon for those who wanted to go into medicine to finish their healing NEWT early and start their mastery. If they got really good in ten years they could try for a doctorate and if they gained that they would go from master healer to doctor. Most who tried for doctorate took at least three times to pass the test then had five more years of training, a bit more rigorous than the muggle system but it saved lives and indeed a magical doctor knew just as much about the muggle diseases and the like they could work for a hospital themselves. Harry wanted to become a doctor, he loved being able to heal others and so set to fixing the broken bone that was visible.
Repairing bones with magic went back a thousand years, it was not easy to do and before potions could help but that came with side effects that the spell did not. Healing with spells lessoned any side effects and potions such as skeligrow were used to help with rickets, bone loss and bone weakness as a last resort. Harry had learned that magical healing had kept pace with muggle and it was muggles who found penicillin, up to that point magicals had though that the blue powder they used was magic, until they looked under a microscope and saw the truth. Now advances in medicine were being made on both sides, sadly there was no cure for cancer found as of yet nor for a whole host of other ailments that could effect magicals just as much as muggles.
The school year went on and Harry loved his time in Hogwarts more and more. He had so many people who not only looked up to him but respected him. They saw Harry Potter not his parents and he was grateful for that. He was Harry just Harry and he wanted help others and that was what he was going to do. He had enjoyed finding out that Delphi had made friends and that she too was liked for being a happy girl and a prankster. Her "little jokes" were a delight to most accept for Malfoy but then he had it coming and he did look good with green hair that one time. Served him right for trying to destroy her potion in class, he got detention and a week later green hair.
Dumbledore was happy to see that Delphi was doing so well, he knew who's daughter she had been, but now her blood would show only that of house Lestrange and Black. Tom did not deserve a daughter or any child, he was a wicked evil man who delighted in hurting others. Delphi was not like that, she was happy, healthy and it was a surprise she had ended up in Gryffindor. Nagini was stretched out before the fire as she was warming up and she looked up as Dumbledore walked over to take a seat in an armchair near her. They were old friends and she was glad to be here now. Somehow she now could speak in human language and was grateful for that. Though it was odd to see a snake speak as she did.
"So how is our young Lestrange?" Dumbledore asked her.
"She is happy, truly none harm her." Nagini said, "she cares and will be a fine lady."
"I agree, I tried to work with Tom, perhaps I was a bit harsh with him." Dumbledore said sadly.
"Perhaps he could have chosen a different path, but he did not." Nagini replied, "he chose evil none did for him. He grew up poor but so many did, he grew up rough but he was cared for, he was a bully and liked to hurt others."
"I know, I tried to set him straight, it did not work." Dumbledore said, "I wish I knew how I could have reached him."
"You could not, he chose his path long ago, and yes most children do not but he had, do not blame yourself." Nagini said, "you were at war and even if not you were not his head of house, and no I do not blame Slughorn. Now there are more children that are turning out good."
"Yes, there are." Dumbledore replied smiling, "anything I can get you?"
"No but there is a large snake sleeping in a chamber far below." Nagini said, "king of serpents, no, no an unnatural thing, claiming to be king of snakes."
"Oh, can we be rid of it?" Dumbledore asked.
"Only if it means harm." Nagini replied.
At that moment Severus entered the anti-chamber with a potion. Before Delphi had found Nagini, or was it the other way around? Nagini was starting to go insane, being with Delphi had slowed that down but just. Severus was brewing potions to help her, he had not found a cure for her but she could speak in human languages again and was gaining her sanity. Severus had found a cure for werewolves and thought his work on that could help her. She tasted the potion with her tongue and let him gently put a tube down her throat. Then he carefully put the potion into her and once done he sat cross-legged on the floor by her.
"This might help, it might not." Severus said.
"Even so, you have done so much." Nagini replied.
She shuttered and then it seemed she would change to her human form and for a moment she did. But then she was back trapped in her snake form. Yet that small change meant Severus was onto something and that a full cure was possible. He would work on his new potion as much as he had time for. Nagini curled up and went to sleep, for once feeling hope that she had not for so very long.
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So there you have it, Harry is training to be a healer, Delphi likes to prank and Nagini might be close to being cured. Severus is a good guy here, but that is due to him going through betrayal and other things as well. He hates the dark lord Voldemort and his followers too.
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