Cap Nº 3: Settling in.

Screams. The cruciatus curse. Pain. They were torturing him. Evil. They were killing him. Suffer. The Avada Kedabra. The nightmare of all. Death.

'Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhggg!' he woke up screaming, tears running down his cheeks, just two hours after being left in the room.

What had been that dream. Was it real. Was it Voldemort trying to scare him. If he was, he had done a very good job. He was shaken from the feeling of death and pain that the dream had brought. It was horrible.

While in is thought the door of the room where he was swung open and his father and mother entered, wands at the ready, looking around the room for danger, and then looking at Harry with worried faces.

'What happened, son?' asked his mother, walking to the bed and sitting at his right as he moved away a little for giving her space, though it wasn't necessary. As his father went to sit at his left, Harry observed the room in amazement. He couldn't believe he was laying in such a fancy bed in such a fancy bedroom.

It wasn't a dream, he thought. My parents are here, with me.

But none of the happiness of this last thought was shown in his expression. The dream was still fresh in his mind and all the fear still in his heart and soul.

'Harry, what is it?' asked Lily a bit more urgently as her son didn't answer at the first call, and scared by the haunted look in his eyes.

Harry hesitated a little, but he knew he had to tell them. He had told them about his connection with Voldemort, so it wasn't something bran new. He looked at his mother then at his father, then he told them about his dream. It had been as if he was in nowhere, and images of torture and murder flashed trough his dream-self mind. When he was finished his mother had him in a tight embrace, while stroking his hair softly, soothing the pain and fear. His father ruffled his hair softly and then started rubbing his arms in a calming way. They stayed that way for a couple of minutes, until James suggested that they went to sleep. But as his mother stood up, Harry stopped her from leaving by holding her sleeve. Lily smiled softly at him and said 'I won't leave you alone, dear.' She then sat on his bed next to him as he smiled thankfully. She looked at her husband and nodded to the door, smiling. He returned the smile and nodded before leaving the room. Harry moved to his left, leaving enough space for his mother to lay. She stood up and moved the covers away before laying in the bed next to her son. She smiled brightly at him and enveloped him with her arms pressing him against her chest. The rest of the night and half the day Harry and his mother slept peacefully together.

Harry woke up the next afternoon, finding that he was, again, in that luxurious room. Yes, second time he woke here. This is true! My parents are alive! He thought overjoyed. He then looked down at himself and found that he was dressed in a deep blue silk pajama. He smiled and looked around. He went to the sitting place and was fascinated by the beauty and perfect craftsmanship of the center table and beauty and perfection of the couches. Then he went to the desk and was as amazed or more by the shapes carved in the wood and as he realized it was a single peace of wood shaped to be a table, not separated parts. He went then to the doors at the right of the bed and open the nearer to it. It happened to be a walk-in-closet. It had from the most elegant robes to the most common Muggle clothes in it. He then opened the other door that happened to be a bathroom that left in shame the prefects' baths at Hogwarts. He yelped overjoyed at the sight and started pouring of all essences and oils and waters in the tub. It was quickly filled and he undressed himself and then jumped in the pool. He stayed there for an hour or two, until he was as wrinkled as a raisin. He then went back to the wardrobe and chose some black trousers, white t-shirt and black trainers, and took also a black hoody that he tied around his neck. He left the room, but noted a little problem. He didn't know the place. Then he remembered that at least the outside was the same as Hogwarts, just smaller. He turned left (his only option) and started walking down the hall. After wandering around he finally found a set of staircases and started descending. He recognized this as the main stairs as they went down in a spiral way. He went down two stories and he reached the first floor. He looked around and recognized the hall his father had lead them trough the last night. He started walking until he heard some footsteps. A moment later his mother was in front of him smiling brightly.

'So you finally decided to wake up' she said smirking, to which Harrychuckled merrily. 'Come on. We are having lunch by now, and you haven't eaten very well, I noticed. So we'll have to start by taking care of that,' and she turned around and stared walking again, this time followed by her son.

They walked through some corridor, turning left and right a couple of times till they reached a large larch door. Her mother opened it and they entered a dining hall. As he entered, Harry's jaw dropped in amazement. The table was of larch as all the castle wooden parts seemed to be. It was for twenty or thirty people, Harry estimated. Portraits of landscapes and magical and non-magical animals hanged from the walls as did a beautiful crystal wall candelabra every ten feet. Two more huge crystal lamps hanged from the ceiling with thirty candles each. His father was sitting at the head of the table at the other end of the room, on a larch chair a little fancier than the others. To more seats were served at both sides of his father. His mother motioned him to the right side of the table and he walk to sit next to his father, a dazed by the overwhelming beauty of the place.

'Not used to your own social level?' asked his father teasingly, though Harry noticed seriousness in his eyes, but he just answered smiling. He sat and noticed that even though the place looked so elegant, the table was set in a very common stile. They started eating in silence until his father talked again. 'Harry, would you tell us about this last summer? Last night you fell asleep before you could.' Harry nodded in answer and started telling the story.

This last summer had been really tough. From Sirius death to the nightmares with Voldemort, the ministry event, and the visions, he was really in a bad state. The depression within Sirius death had stopped him from eating and sleeping as did the nightmares and visions. As he told this, he had stopped eating as hunger had left him. His mother stood up and rounding the table behind his father and went to hug him from his back. 'Shhh, my boy. It's OK' his mother whispered in his ear soothingly.

'I'll teach you Occlumency' his father said in a decisive tone.

'You can?' Harry asked his eyes shining eagerly.

'Yes, obviously' answered his father smiling. 'And don't worry, I won't teach you as Snivellus did. It really is easy. You just have to find the way.'

'What I think is the priority is Harry's health' her mother interrupted. 'We could use a Nutritional Potion. I know it isn't healthy, but just once a week it'll be OK. For the rest, you'll have to start eating better' she said this last sentence looking directly in his eyes. 'You'll stop blaming yourself of Sirius death and we'll have to start your training.' At this point Harry stared at her in confusion. 'I think we have to tell you the whole story from the beginning.'

'Harry, we told you last night that the Potters and the Gryffindors are the same,' started his father. 'We also told you that we came from an elven family. Well, it happens that is not only from an ancient couple of elves who's son married a wizard, but also many of her ('cause it was a she-half-elf) descendants, married other elves, and one of them was my father, and his mother was also an elf. That means that I'm something like a three-quarters-elf,' he said moving some of his shoulder-length hair behind his ear showing the characteristic elven pointed ears. 'Now, you are a half or a bit less elven. That gives you a very long life, though not immortal, most of their power, which are mostly healing ones, and their natural martial fighting skills. Now, from your mother's side. She is, really a Muggle born, but she was born with a very special ability. She is what's called a Shadowmancer. Shadowmency is a kind of magic that has even more control over the shadow element than the shadow elementals. And by the way, elementals are a kind of magic folks that can control one or more elements. Back to Shadowmancers, the ability is inherited as magic, so that means you're a Shadowmancer too. The facts that we're in a war and what the prophecy Dumbledore heard says, tells that we have to train you. And also the fact that if you don't learn how to use your powers to full strength it could be dangerous for others and for yourself. And I also think that you'd like to now how to use this special powers you have,' ended his father smiling brightly.

Harry barely noticed his father and mother smiling at him as he sat there in shock with his mouth slightly open staring at some point in the wall far behind his mother's left. He sat there for a minute until he was able to go back to reality and smile wide and mischievously.

As Lily noted the smile on her son's face, hers faded as she recognized that smile from James when he was ready for a prank. 'Oh, he inherit that smile from you' she groaned.

'So, you said that there was a Malfoy in your same year' James said in a casual tone to his son, as if he hadn't heard Lily's words, as his smile widened and turned malicious.

'Yes,' answered Harry in the same casual tone.

'Well, we have to start your training, so we have to schedule this,' said his father beaming.

'I want to start with Occlumency. If there something I don't want is having to continue having more classes than needed with Snape,' Harry interrupted his father.

'Good. We could leave Occlumency for the time after lunch when you're fully awaken. Then I think your mother could teach you Shadowmency after supper as at that times shadows are longer. It isn't good to teach Occlumency for longer than an hour so between the end of that class and supper I could teach you to use your elven power. And for normal magic and non-magic skills we could leave the morning,' ended his father in a decisive tone.

'Yeah, it sounds good,' said his mother.

'I only have one problem' started Harry receiving questioning looks from his parents. 'I don't know the castle,' he ended smiling sheepishly.

'Well that's for you to discover, but I'll give you a start,' said his father.' The first floor is for halls of all kinds and the kitchen, the second and third are for bedrooms and the froth for training rooms (my Hogwarts has seven stories without counting the towers). I'll only tell you that there are five towers. There are two stories of dungeon, held alchemy laboratories, store rooms and dark arts training rooms, also ritual rooms. But that's only one half of the dungeons. And I don't mean one story, but the half of the underground. The other half is an inner Quidditch pitch used in winter' he ended beaming at him.

'We have a Quidditch pitch?' Harry asked nearly shouting.

'Obviously,' said his father. 'What did you think? No Potter can live without Quidditch. And we also have a professional sized one out side at the back of the castle.

'I want to test that one before any training starts,' Harry demanded to his father who beamed madly at him as he stood up and motioned him to follow him.