The Rise & Fall of Harry Potter
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Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all of its characters solely belong to JK Rowling. I own nothing except for the plot and anything that you do not recognize. No profit is being made from writing this piece of fiction either.
A/N: Much thanks to all my reviewers. I really appreciate all your comments and suggestions. There is one thing I must clear up though. I am sort of planning to rewrite the entire series, except it won't be as long. I would probably not go into too much detail about Harry's school lessons (unless those I have already planned for to contribute to the plot), or him doing his everyday business like going to the lavatory. But, certain major events in the canon would remain, for example the face-off with Quirrel in First Year, and the Triwizard Tournament in the forth. There will, however, be different outcomes, so be warned. :P
To respond to anheru17's question, I admit I had planned for Harry to be in Slytherin. One of the main points being I plan to let him be close to Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davis, both of whom are Slytherins. But anheru17 brought up a good point, so if you readers really do not want him in the House of the serpents, I might change some plans.
Just to clear this up one more time, Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davis are in Harry's year. They took their OWLS the same year as he did.
I'm terribly sorry for the slow update. I had to prepare for my end of term examinations, which ended on Monday. I should be able to update faster now.
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Chapter 3: Stranger In An Unholy Land
In the distant moors of Derbyshire, a loud 'Pop' signified the arrival of a duo- One was a small bespectacled boy whose frame did not do justice to his age, the other a tall respectable man. The boy otherwise known as Harry Potter, vanquisher of the great Lord Voldemort, gasped as he regained his bearings and took in his new location. Just three hours ago, he had been sitting by a vandalized wall in a dark back-alley in the middle of cosmopolitan London. Now, he was standing on top of a gentle rolling hill, lush greenery all around him, with a view of the surrounding landscape that stretched for as far as he could see in all directions.
"Greengrass Manor is not situated here, on top of a hill in the middle of wilderness for no reason", came Alpheus' voice in perfect recital mode, "The Manor was constructed in 1885, during the era of the Dark Lord Helderon, who lead a band of Mudbloods to try to overthrow pureblood dominance. We were one of the numerous pureblooded families targeted by Helderon's followers. The strategic location of the manor enabled us to spot attacks being organized and carried out for miles."
"But can't intruders just uh, Appyriate into the Manor?", the confused looking Harry asked.
"It's Apparate, and are you completely daft," the noble snapped at him, "What did I say about wards? No one, except those of our line, or those recognized as guests, can Apparate into Greengrass Manor and the half-mile radius of grounds surrounding it."
He better not be a waste of my time. Goodness knows how much I despise people who can't seem to use their brains.
"Since you have not been keyed into the wards yet, this also means that we would have to trek half a mile to reach the grounds", he added, this time pointing at a low dark shape looming in the distance.
So they walked. Harry could tell that it was not an enjoyable experience for the man, seeing the look of disgust on his face as he stepped into a puddle.
He, on the other hand, wished the walk would stretch as long as possible. Harry simply could not fight back the nervousness that had been building up in him.
Will they accept me? This question kept popping up in his mind, try as he might to clear it.
Continued walking they did, and soon Greengrass Manor came into sight. It was designed Greek-style, built almost completely from expensive marble. Its front and sides were flanked by colonnades and pillars, adding to its mighty appearance.
"The Manor was redesigned by our late Father. He was interested in Greek architecture, and had the manor styled after the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens, which fitted his name, seeing as Father was named after the Greek god of fire and the forge. Greengrass Manor was built magically, and thus the building's interior is bigger than it looks", Mr. Greengrass explained.
Situated in front of the Manor was a large, expansive well-kept garden, reminiscent of those often found around French palaces. Harry could easily tell from Mr. Greengrass' attire that the family was well-off, but he never expected them to be this rich. The formal garden was like a bastion of prestige and wealth, with its carefully trimmed lawns and hedges cut to form complex patterns.
In the middle of it stood a fountain which shot water that twisted in the air to form an intricate 'G', before falling back into its base.
But the boy noticed an odd sight- four or five tall, grey stone pillars spread out proportionately so that they surrounded the Manor grounds. Normally, this shouldn't be anything strange, if not for the fact that there were a lot of strange figures and hieroglyphs carved onto the stone, each alternating between glowing blue, and green.
Alpheus saw what had captured his attention, smirked and answered his silent question, "Ah, I see you have noticed the spelled limestone pillars. Minerals and stones are very good absorbers of magic. These pillars enable us to cast more protective charms and, of course, wards, to cover the grounds. The runes you see on the pillars code for the tertiary wards that protect the Manor."
"This specific ward drains any intruder of their core magic, or as Muggles call it, life-force. Core magic is what keeps living things alive. Yes, even Muggles have a core of magic deep inside them, although unlike wizards or squibs, they do not have the slightest bit of magical reserves. Squibs have magical reserves that are too minute for them to utilize any abilities, though it does enable them to sense magic and other magical creatures. But I am straying off the topic. The ingenuity of this particular ward lies in that the victim would probably not notice its effects until he is too weak to escape. He usually ends up dead; a suitable punishment for someone daring enough to intrude Greengrass Manor. The victim's core magic is then used to empower the wards, increasing their efficiency. And this is merely one of our tertiary wards", he finished, a satisfied smile on his face.
"Come on now", Mr. Greengrass ordered, walking towards one of the pillars.
Harry hesitated for a while, but quickly followed, just in time to see Alpheus' left hand on the pillar, while he pointed his wand at the pillar and muttered incomprehensible words.
"Place your left hand on the pillar. It will recognize your magical signature, and key you in as a guest."
Harry did as told, though albeit cautiously. He could feel the near tangible power of the wards flowing into him, sensing every fiber of his being. It was as though the wards were scanning to see if he was a danger.
Strange; it's as though the wards are some kind of magical creatures stalking me out.
Alpheus' blue eyes flashed as he remembered a warning that had always been instructed to all guests, "I would advise against having negative thoughts towards the family and the estate while you are still a guest. Wards are sentient, and they can sense if a guest plans to do harm to the family. When detected, the unfortunate guest will be, dealt with accordingly."
With a scowl at Harry's dawdling, he hurried, "We must hurry. There is still the Ties-of-Kin Ritual to be completed. After three hours, the wards will turn against any guests in the Manor. It is a safety precaution that has been implemented since the Manor was first constructed."
The wards will what? What does he mean, turn against the guests?
The next moments passed as a blur as Mr. Greengrass yanked him through the grounds, and into the manor, without letting him stop for rest, or for a look at his new habitations.
Harry only caught glimpses of the Manor's tastefully furnished interior- a large, formal hall lined with identical shining mirrors all around, a grand ballroom with its crystal chandeliers, and such a large number of rooms that more or less formed a maze which he thought he could get lost in.
He was then hurried up a winding spiral stairway into a large chamber. The chamber did not possess much furnishing, and had no windows to allow entry of sunlight, instead dimly lit by candles strategically placed to give it an ethereal, spiritual like atmosphere.
What kind of ritual is to be performed? I don't like the feel of this.
Whatever fabric the candles were laid on had been colored blood-red, with the emitting glow of the flame projecting the same color throughout the room, adding to its unholy feel. At the front of the chamber, there was a gigantic tapestry showing every member of the Greengrass family, from the very first generation during the Roman times, to the Middle Ages, and on to now, where there are currently 65 living descendents, of which only about 13 were British, as far as Harry could tell.
At the very top of the family tree was a shield bearing what Harry thought had to be the family crest- A hand grasping a diamond encrusted, blood-stained sword pointing, reaching towards the stars, with twin identical snakes at its flanks, coiled up and prepared to strike.
Below the crest were words imprinted in a cursive script: La Fin Justifie Les Moyens
"That would be the Greengrass family motto. It means 'The ends justify the means'. Every single member of the family has lived by this motto. We did not achieve our current standing as one of the richest of the purebloods by a fluke. Hard work maybe a factor, but it is our scheming, our treachery, most importantly our cunningness that made us who we are today", explained the man, his eyes glowing with reverence as he stared at the tapestry.
Harry secretly agreed with the motto. The ends do justify the means. He thought that it does not matter how honorable one was, if he did not achieve success. Why else would the other Muggles not aid him when he was beaten and abused? He had always been exceptionally polite to them.
Cut it out Harry! Stop- It does not pay to do good, it does not pay, it does not pay at all!
"Are you alright?"
Harry slowly opened his eyes, nodding shakily.
"It is time we began the ritual. Every new addition to the family takes this ritual when he or she is capable of sound thought and speech. Spouses also take the same ritual when they marry into the family. It is quite simple, really. You make a slit on your thumb with this, and kneel over there. Follow my instructions next", he said, handing Harry a dagger with an elegantly carved hilt, and gesturing towards the padded mat in front of the tapestry.
He felt curious, but did as told. Harry kept silent even as he drew the cold blade of the dagger across his thumb, blood slowly dripping from the cut.
"You will be taking an oath to the family."
Drawing his wand, Alpheus pointed it in the direction of the boy's bleeding thumb.
"Do you swear your everlasting fealty to the noble line of Greengrass?"
Huh?
Harry looked to Alpheus for direction, who gave an imperceptible nod.
"Y-yes", he responded, though in a slight hesitant voice.
"Agnosco", Alpheus muttered, while jabbing his wand in the direction of Harry's raised hand. The wand glowed red for a moment, before fading.
"Do you swear to do your outmost for the family be it in times of need or not?"
"Yes." Harry's voice was increased in strength.
They are willing to take me in. I will of course do my part for the family.
Alpheus repeated the wand movement. "Do you swear to dedicate your life to helping the family scale to greater heights?"
"Yes."
"Do you swear never to turn on the family, or your life and magic would be forfeit?"
"Yes."
"Lastly, do you swear your outmost obedience to the family heads?"
"Yes."
"I, Alpheus Trajanus Greengrass, Head of the Main branch of House Greengrass, accept your vows, and hereby declare you a member of the line."
The family crest began to shimmer, as a new name was added to the tree: Harry James Potter-Greengrass.
"Arise, son of Greengrass", he completed, stretching out a hand to Harry.
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Harry could not describe what he was feeling right now. It was like, completion and belonging. It was after all, the very first time he was accepted into a family. While his true parents may have truly loved him, he had no memories of them, and they were dead; nothing could be done to change that fact. As for the Dursleys, Harry did not really want to even think of them.
He had been led to his new room by Mr. Greengrass, or should he now say, his father. His new room exceeded all expectations, literally.
I won't lie. I was looking forward to, you know, grand, royal-like rooms that I had read about in Muggle fairytales. What can I say? It was what anyone else would have expected, considering the rest of the Manor looked like it had been cut out from a palace.
It was thus truly a shock when Alpheus had ushered him into a large but empty room, utterly devoid of any furnishings.
He looked at his father with a puzzled expression. Said man rolled his crystal-like blue eyes, brushing his black hair back in frustration.
"I should have remembered", he grumbled, "You being raised by Muggles."
"Look, whatever furnishings you desire, even how you want the room to be designed, simply concentrate hard and picture them in your mind. This room, like the rest, is charmed. The room will do the work from there. But bear in mind, the room's charms would only alter furnishings and design; nothing else."
"I will not disturb you for now, but come down to the Hall of Mirrors in four hours' time."
Alpheus turned to the signet ring worn on his index finger; all family members would have one crafted the moment they came of age. His was studded with a large emerald, and made of platinum, which signified his status in the family. Ordinary members wore silver rings. The designated heir, his son Julius, would receive one made of gold when he turned 18.
He lightly touched the emerald with his wand, watching it glow, before enunciating clearly, "As Head of the family, I request that all members from the Main branch of Greengrass Line be here at the ancestral estate by seven. Let this be noted", before exiting the room.
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Four hours later saw Harry sitting in one of the high-backed plushy chairs in the Hall of Mirrors. In front of him was a long rectangular table, which Harry presumed doubled as a conference table as well as a dining one. The Hall was cavernous; Harry reckoned it could sit at least a hundred occupants. It was also aptly named, for almost every inch of the walls was paned with identical mirrors. It was a rather unnerving experience, seeing the numerous virtual images of him reflected on the walls.
Mr. Greengrass, no, Father, was standing in the middle of the Hall, awaiting the arrival of the other family members. Harry's ears were soon assaulted by a myriad of whip-like 'Cracks' and 'Pops' as they suddenly appeared the moment he thought of them.
Harry sighed. Speak of an angel and hear the rustle of its wings. He supposed he should try his best to give them a good impression, but if they really could not stand the sight of him, well, Harry could only do what he had done so far in his life- try his best to adapt.
But he could not help but feel disturbed as he noticed at least a dozen new faces staring at him with varying expressions, ranging from the curious, to the calculative, to the sneers, and unexpectedly, to the outright hostile.
One of them, a tall, beautiful lady stepped forwards to Mr. Greengrass, giving him a hug, while softly muttering, "You ought to have came with me and the children on the trip. Why the sudden recall, for that matter?"
She turned to stare at him for a moment, maintaining a neutral expression on her face, which probably looked the least unfriendly, and softened. Her pale blonde hair was flowed down to her waist like a curtain of silk, and she had sea-green eyes that seemed to sparkle. But Harry knew better than to trust her outright- despite her angelic, kindly looks, she had eyes that flashed with an innate cunning.
"It's great to see you again, Diana. So, how was Italy?"
Behind her were two kids, one was a boy of about eleven. With no great surprise, he was taller and of a greater build than Harry. He inherited what was probably his mother's blonde hair, which was suavely combed, and had his father's blue eyes, which were currently staring hard at Harry. The other was a younger girl, though still at least a year older than him. She, on the other hand, received her father's black hair, which went down to her shoulders, straight and luminous. The girl also possessed her mother's green eyes.
"What is that vagrant doing here?", a voice boomed.
It belonged to a well-built man who had the stature of a formal dueler. As with the man standing beside him, both had long black hair tied back and similar blue eyes. Their poise was also strikingly alike; both brothers were tense and had their backs arched a little, hands seemingly wandering near their robe pockets, as though preparing to draw their wands. The one who spoke was alternating between scowling at Harry and at Alpheus. Harry could not make out the faces of those standing further behind.
"Kindly tell us that we have been mistaken, and had not been recalled hundred of miles away just to see some skinny boy that you have taken in to satisfy your ever-changing desires. Is Diana here just not good enough, or do you really bat for the other team?", the other man now spoke, smirking at Alpheus.
Harry half-expected his adoptive father to blow his top, but the man simply smiled, drawling, "Nice to see Demetrius, that you have acquired a sense of humor in the few months that we had not met. Why, you were always the brooding one, moody enough to blacken a clear sky. But that is not the point. Take your seats, people, and I shall explain."
When everyone had been seated, Alpheus began to speak again. "The purpose of the today's meeting is to announce the newest addition to our family line", he said, while gesturing at Harry. There was an outburst of muttering at this news. An elderly man, with white hair and a neat gray beard, though coupled with the unmistakable aristocratic look, spoke up calmly, "Alpheus, the initiation of a new member into the family lines is a big matter. The decision should not have been hastily made. You ought to have discussed it with us before arriving at a conclusion."
"Hastily made, this decision is not. And in case you forget, Uncle Bacchus, I do have the authority to initiate him into the family without reference to the other members. Anyway, please meet Harry Potter."
The muttering had now increased in tenacity and volume. "What is Harry Potter doing here? Shouldn't he be with those Muggles he call his relatives? And why does he look so bruised, not to mention underfed?" The speaker was now Alpheus' wife, Diana, surveying Harry with an almost concerned expression.
"The boy had been abused by his relatives. To cut a long story short, I decided he would make a valuable addition to the Greengrass ranks, and wrested custody of him from Dumbledore and his cronies."
"Woe betide the state of House Greengrass. Now we are even serving as charity, taking in young orphan boys. What would be next, offering bread and cakes to poor Muggles?", sneered a brunette.
"There is no need to be snide, Lucille", as Alpheus began to show first signs of anger.
"I did not call this meeting to seek your opinion on this decision. The meeting is merely to inform you, of the outcome. Harry will be my adoptive son", he growled, glaring at the others, "Personally, I have no wish to hear your incessant tittering."
"Have you yourself questioned the wisdom of fostering the boy? I fail to see how he could, as you said, be a valuable addition to the family. Perhaps you think having the Boy-Who-Lived as a Greengrass would provide the family with a good-luck charm or talisman?" The other woman, sitting beside Demetrius, shook her head of curly brown hair and leered at Harry. "I doubt it."
"I must say that Helen has a point. It will be years before the youngling would be able to contribute to this family. And we do not know for sure if he will actually be able to do so", agreed Bacchus.
"Oh, but I have plans for him already. Demetrius, would you kindly repeat the third oath of the Greengrass Code for everyone else?"
Harry watched, engaged, as the argument amongst the other members slowly grew. Father sure was having a hard time trying to defend him.
But for reasons yet unknown, his inner voice once again spoke up.
Demetrius glowered at his older brother, but grudgingly recited, "To dedicate your life to helping the family scale to greater heights."
"Scale to greater heights indeed. And have we done so? Our family has been stagnating down the years. Not in terms of wealth, but influence; Power!"
"If you still remember, without the last-ditch efforts of Father, we would have lost one of our three seats on the Wizengamot. Is that still not a sign of decline?"
"Nowadays, when a Black strolls into view, everyone immediately listens up; when the name, 'Malfoy', comes up, people fall over their knees to fawn on them. Even the Notts, Averys, Rosiers, Wilkes', Parkinsons and Lestranges gain more recognition than us. It is as though we Greengrass' have been forgotten; shelved and condemned to oblivion."
"On his deathbed, Father instructed me to regain the glory and enormous power we once held a hundred years ago at all costs. He reminded me of our motto, 'The ends justify the means'. I will not sit back and watch as our family name slowly fades into nothingness."
"However, I will not be so naïve to say that having the young Potter as a son of Greengrass would propel us back to fame and glory. But he will be useful nonetheless. You must admit that the Potter heir's fame overshadows even that of most of the pureblood families. In case you forgot, almost every single Wizarding newspaper worldwide had focused on the disappearance of the Boy-Who-Lived for the past 3 days. Nobody then cared when the Malfoys acquired a new mansion in Wiltshire. Hell, most journalists even ignored Fudge's decision to cut back the ranks of the Aurors to scrounge for more information on the lad. Can you not say that our fame would be given a big boost?"
"I am certain that he would only be more useful to us as he grows up. As for power, if we cannot gain it by legal means, than we must certainly wrest it by force. Our late Father has many links in the Ministry, particularly the Department of Mysteries. The boy's magic is an anomaly- his magical potential is reasonable for a grown wizard, but far too large and concentrated for a child. Yes… Our Father has confided in me a lot about the boy. Our chance to power may have arrived, and I plan to make the most out of it."
Harry shook his head and sighed. He knew Father probably had not decided to take him in on the basis of goodwill. So he was trying to make use of him. But it was expected anyway. What made him bristle was the way Alpheus could talk outright about him, as though he, Harry was nonexistent at the meeting.
What made him angrier was how some of the other Greengrass' were looking down on him. They had sneered at him and seemingly dismissed him as useless on first sight.
I would show them. One day, I would have them open their eyes to see what a mistake they had made by underestimating me.
"I have already everything planned out. You need not worry about that. My decision is final- Harry Potter will be my second son, and I will take him under my wing. He will be apprenticed to me, training and studying before he leaves for Hogwarts when he is eleven. Even after that, I will continue to groom him into one who would bring glory to the name of Greengrass. That is all you need to know."
Most of those present turned to Bacchus, who shook his head and said, "We cannot challenge his decision". The elderly man stared at Harry, and asked, "Has he gone through the ritual?"
"Obviously"
Alpheus finally turned to Harry for the first time since he started speaking. "Harry, I would like to meet my wife and your foster mother, Diana." She gave him a slight nod. "Your foster siblings, Julius and Elaine", pointing to the boy and girl he had noticed before. Both were speaking in hushed tones, and Harry did not have to be a genius to deduce who was the topic of their discussion.
"Next, this is my elder brother Sejanus and his wife, Lucille. They have two sons, Raymond and Tiberius, aged nine and ten respectively" Both husband and wife did not bother to hide their contempt, openly scowling at him.
"Over there is Demetrius, his wife Helen and their daughter Daphne. She is of the same age as you."
Their daughter had long dark-brown hair tied into a ponytail. Her blue eyes gazed at Harry, before giving him a tentative smile. Harry nodded in response. She could make a fine friend.
"Lastly, we have Uncle Bacchus, the sage of the family." Harry did not know if his last comment was meant to be sarcastic or not.
"If nobody has any questions, then this meeting is dismissed. Harry, I would like to follow me. We have much to clear up.
I must say, this chapter was hell to complete. I apologize if it was too boring (Personally, that's what I thought). The other chapters should be better.This chapter title was inspired byprobably the best 'Parallel-Universe' fic of similar name by serpant-sorcerer(Which was just updated recently!).
Greengrass Manor is merely the ancestral estate; the family owns other properties besides that.
Next two chapters will dwell on Harry's life in the Manor, including, of course, his training.
Any comments?; Any suggestions? Please Review!
Lastly, due to a point that a reader brought up, I thought it best to find out others' opinions on Harry's house placing. The original intended house was Slytherin, and would probably stay that way unless a lot of readers want it to change.
Should Harry be placed in Slytherin? If not, which House should it be? (Reasons given would be encouraged)
Next, I was reading some fics, and noticed many had a common flaw- Authors would write about Harry having an Animagus form simply for the sake of having one. I do not see how it helped him out in future, or why he achieved that particular form (most of the time it's a phoenix; I wonder why?). I had originally wanted to make Harry an Animagus, but now I question the decision.
Should Harry be an Animagus? How would it help him?
That's all for now, I guess. I will try my best to get the next chapter uploaded in a week's time.
Lucullus