The Apprentice
Chapter 4
Summary: Finally, after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, Harry asks (demands) Dumbledore to train him for his inevitable battle against the Dark Lord.
Mupmup123: Thanks!
Guest: Thanks!
OverLordRevan: Daphne was raised to be the Lady of the House of Greengrass and during that time and her time she had created a cold personality and new to keep her emotions under check. This is why her reaction was underwhelming. And Thanks!
ShadowKnight000: Thank You!
Romedov: Harry had to be a member of the Light Faction because of his roots, the Potters were in the Light Faction and so were the Black during the time of Arcturus Black, Harry's grandfather's brother-in-law and best friend. During Arcturus's time the Grindelwald War was going on and together Charlus and Arcturus battled Grindelwald. After Arcturus's death Sirius's mother shifted the Black Family to the Dark Faction. Even though she was not the Lady of the House of Black. Arcturus made Sirius is the Lord, but as it was thought that Sirius was disowned, she was able to move the Black Family. Also, the Peverell family were also a Light Family.
Gladiusx: I try to avoid bashing, in general I do not like bashing very much. Of course, there will be a little bashing as it can't be that Ron is left out with Harry being with Daphne and Ginny feeling jealous. Agreed there was no actual build in Harry's and Ginny's relationship. We see in the movies and books that Harry is mad rich and I had to do that can't make Harry poor now can I? Thanks!
FrostyTheDopeMan: Yes, Dumbledore will be strict with Harry's studies and Harry will see the Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, Defeater of Grindelwald instead of the kind grandfather. Changed to Harry.
Fishcake147: I already stated in Chapter 2 that the first few chapters will be the same with little to no changes. It's not plagiarism if I took permission. It's your choose to read the story I didn't force you can leave if you want. My story will be very different Harry will be powerful and will be trained by 2 other very powerful wizards other than Dumbledore.
Ghordil: Thanks! If you are asking if Daphne will manipulate Harry, she will. Or try to. Harry will see through it and then when she realizes her attempts are futile, she will start to actually build a relationship with him.
X
Splash!
Harry awoke suddenly, his face and clothes entirely soaked with water. Confused and extremely annoyed, he sat up quickly and pointed his wand at a figure standing beside the bed.
"Morning, Potter. It's about time you got up. We've got lots to do," growled the figure next to him.
Harry rubbed the water out of his eyes. Next to the bed stood Alastor Moody with a sick grin on his face.
"Ugh," Harry moaned. He turned and looked out the window. "It's still dark out," he complained. "What time is it?"
"Time to start your training," Moody said. "Albus told me to not cut you any slack. I am more than happy to oblige."
Harry groaned again and fell back into his bed. No sooner had his head hit the pillow than he was once again blasted by a stream of water.
Jumping out of bed, he saw Moody had his wand extended. drops of water still dripping from it. Shaking his head in annoyance, he stood up and looked at Moody.
"What do you want me to do, sir?" he growled.
"Put on some athletic shorts, a shirt, and some running shoes, then meet me in the common room. You have 2 minutes!" he Moody.
Hurriedly, Harry ran to his trunk and put on his clothes and hustled down to the common room.
"You made it by 2 seconds," Moody said when he arrived. "Very close. You don't want to know what happens when you're late," he said menacingly. "Follow me."
Without any explanation, he turned and walked out of the common room. Shaking his head in exasperation, Harry followed him. They descended Gryffindor Tower and walked through the main courtyard until they were standing in front of the Black Lake.
"I want two laps around the lake, as fast as you can. And I will know if you're giving less than 100%," Moody said suddenly. "Go!"
Harry hesitated, not wanting to run such a long distance. Suddenly, he jumped in pain as he was hit in the butt by a stinging hex. Needing no more encouragement, he took off at a fast jog.
As he circled the lake for the first time, he felt pretty well. He was breathing steadily but was maintaining a relatively fast pace. However, as he finished the first lap, he began to cramp up. Consequently, he began to slow down. As he passed Moody, however, he was hit with several more stinging hexes.
"No slowing down!" shouted Moody. With a grimace, Harry sped back up to his previous pace. The next several minutes were very painful for Harry, as he struggled to make it around the lake for a second time. Finally, he reached the end of the run. He collapsed to his knees near Moody, struggling for breath.
"Too slow!" exclaimed Moody. "How do you expect to defeat Voldemort if you can barely run around the lake twice?" he taunted. Harry did not take the bait though. He was too exhausted.
"On your hands and knees," shouted Moody once more. He reminded Harry of a drill sergeant in a Muggle military.
Groaning, Harry got on his hands and knees.
"Start doing pushups!" Moody ordered.
"How many?" Harry asked.
"Until you can't do any more," said Moody simply.
Groaning, Harry began his set of pushups. Even with his Quidditch training, it was difficult. After about 30 pushups, his arms began to shake. Several pushups later, his arms gave out, and he fell to the ground. He just lay there, too tired to get up.
"Pathetic!" shouted Moody. "I expect at least 45 tomorrow! Now get on your back and start doing sit-ups until you can't do anymore!"
Harry groaned, but obeyed. Two hundred sit-ups later, he lay on his back, staring at the rising sun. His entire body was in pain. Moody stood next to him, chuckling.
"Go shower and get changed. Headmaster wants to see you in the Great Hall in 30 minutes."
Nodding, he slowly got to his feet and gingerly walked back to the castle.
Thirty minutes later, he trudged into the Great Hall. He had showered and dressed, but his whole body still ached. He saw the headmaster sitting at one of the house tables. Harry strode up and sat across from the headmaster.
"Ah, Harry!" said Dumbledore happily. "How has your morning been thus far?"
"Refreshing," said Harry simply. He did not want to give Dumbledore the satisfaction of seeing him in pain.
"Fantastic!" he replied. "Eat up! The elves have provided your nutrient potion, so don't forget to take that as well."
Harry nodded and began to dish up. He had worked up quite the appetite during the workout.
As he ate, Dumbledore began to give him instructions.
"Every day, I expect you wake up at 6:00 for a workout with Alastor," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "Those workouts will improve your physical strength and quickness, which will be invaluable in combat. In addition, it should help to strengthen your magical core and increase the potency of your magic. After breakfast, you will study Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, and Potions with Professors Babbling, Vector, and Snape, respectively, for an hour each. After that, you will have a brief lunch break, followed by hour and a half session in Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Moody."
Harry nodded in understanding.
"You will then have dinner with me. After dinner, you will either have lessons with me or time for Occlumency, any assignments given to you by the professors, and self-study. Am I understood?" Dumbledore said.
Harry nodded once more.
"Sir after looking at the Black Family I can tell, there are only two other current members of House Black: Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy. Narcissa has all of her assets in Malfoy vaults. However, it seems that Bellatrix has continued to use her Black family trust vault as her personal vault, even after her marriage." Said Harry.
"That is excellent news," exclaimed Dumbledore. "Because it is a Black vault, you should still have access."
Harry nodded. "Yes, I am planning on withdrawing everything from her accounts and placing it in another Black vault, before disowning her and Narcissa."
Dumbledore nodded in approval. "That should limit the resources that Voldemort has access to."
Harry continued. "In addition, I discovered something interesting. It appears that Nymphadora Tonks is actually a pureblood as well. It appears that her father, Theodore Tonks, is actually a pureblood from an American family. I believe that Andromeda told her family that he was a Muggle in order to get herself disowned and thereby ineligible to fulfil a marriage contract."
Dumbledore chuckled. "How intriguing," he muttered.
X
After getting lost many times and using the Marauders Map Harry, finally arrived at Professor Babblings classroom. He entered to find Professor Babbling seated at her desk at the front of the classroom.
"Ah, Mr. Potter, do come in," Professor Babbling said when she noticed Harry. "Take a seat," she said, motioning to a desk in front of her own, where Harry promptly sat down.
"The headmaster has asked that I give you a crash course in Runes. Undoubtedly, now that you are Dumbledore's apprentice, he wishes you to be well-versed in all aspects of magic. Runes are one of the most important aspects of magic, especially in modern times. Unfortunately, you decided to not take Ancient Runes as one of your electives. However, we will strive to correct that error promptly," she began.
"Now, tell me, what do you know about runes?" she asked.
Harry thought for a second before responding. "Runes are magical symbols that can cause different reactions," he said, proud of his answer.
"You are on the right track, but ultimately incorrect," replied Professor Babbling. "Runes are symbols, but they are inherently magical. Runes are written languages that describe magical phenomena," she explained. "The symbols that we call runes do have specific arithmetic properties that can produce specific outcomes, as I am sure you will discover with Professor Vector. However, the runes themselves are not automatically magical. They must be imbued with magical energy in order for them to have any effect. Imagine a Muggle with a wand. They can speak the incantations for any spell, but without any magical power, nothing happens. It is the same with runes. If we do not put any magical energy into the runes, nothing happens. In fact, Muggles have actually incorporated many runes into their mundane alphabets. Without magic, however, the runes are mere lines on the paper."
Harry nodded and began diligently taking notes on the parchment that he had brought.
"Runes are one of the most used branches of magic today," continued the professor. "Because they can store magical energy, runes can operate for extremely long periods of time, as long as they have enough magic powering them. Contrast that with magic done with a wand, which lasts for much shorter periods of time, because the witch or wizard does not keep fueling the charm, Transfiguration or spell. For that reason, runes are extremely practical."
"Many different systems and languages of runes exist, including ancient Egyptian, ancient Norse, and our own Latin system. Those are the three main languages we will cover. As you progress in your studies, you will learn new runic languages, such as Greek, Russian, and numerous eastern languages."
Harry nodded, completely understanding what the teacher was saying.
"Today, we will be covering the Latin runic alphabet, which is the most commonly used alphabet in magical Britain," said Babbling. She waved her wand and levitated a large banner into the air until it stuck against the wall. It was covered with different runes and runic clusters.
For the next 30 minutes, Babbling pointed to each rune and explained the meaning and effect of each rune. To his surprise, many of the runes actually existed in the English alphabet, although they had very different meanings.
After they had covered the entire Latin runic alphabet, it seemed like a lightbulb had gone off in Harry's mind.
"Professor, if I combined the X, K, and A runes, would that cause an object to levitate and then stop at a certain height?" he asked.
Professor Babbling looked at him in surprise. "Very good!" she exclaimed. "That is exactly what would happen. You would have to add other runes to specify the height, but yes. You are picking this up very quickly!"
She then proceeded to quiz him on the meaning of specific rune clusters. Harry had to think about it for a second, but after thinking, the answer always came. It was as Dumbledore had theorized – due to the absorption of the soul fragment, he would learn new information very quickly. It felt like Harry had already learned about these runes as a child and had forgotten but was now remembering what he had forgotten.
By the end of the lesson, Professor Babbling was very impressed. She gave him an assignment to complete that night to identify a series of complicated rune clusters.
Thanking the professor, Harry hustled out of the room and towards the Arithmancy classroom. When he arrived, Professor Vector was seated near the door, waiting for him. She was an attractive witch in her early 30's with dark, black hair. However, she was known for her strict demeanor. Many students at Hogwarts referred to her as a "younger McGonagall."
"You are here," she said as Harry entered the room. "Sit down, we have much to cover."
Not arguing, Harry sat down, pulled out his quill and parchment, and waited for her to begin.
"Many people believe that Arithmancy is the study of magical numbers, a magical form of Muggle mathematics. That is false. While Arithmancy does involve magical numbers, it is much more than that. Arithmancy is the study of magical properties," she explained.
"Magical properties of what?" Harry inquired.
"Everything," she answered simply. "Runes, potion ingredients, magical plants, wands, and even spells. The laws of Arithmancy determine why certain spells require certain wand movements in order to function and why certain runes cause certain reactions. For that reason, Arithmancy is an essential element in runes, warding, and spell creation."
For the next hour, Harry listened as she explained basic magical theory – what magic is, how it moves and flows, and how it interacts with matter. Harry found it fascinating – he wondered why he hadn't learned this years ago.
"Magical theory is the foundation for all Arithmancy," she concluded at the end of the lesson. "A solid understanding of magical theory will help you in your spell work as well, especially Charms and Transfiguration. We will continue with magical theory tomorrow. Tonight, I want you to read the two chapters in the textbook about magical theory in the branch of Transfiguration."
Harry nodded as he packed up his belongings. He rushed out the door, determined not to be late for the lesson he was most dreading – Potions. He arrived in the dungeons with a minute to spare. Composing himself, he knocked on the door. He heard a snarky voice instructing him to come in. He opened the door, walked to the front row, and sat down.
Snape sat at his desk, eyeing his most hated student.
"You are here because the headmaster asked me to teach you, not because I want to," began Snape as he sneered at Harry. "He is convinced that you have somehow changed from earlier in the school year. While I doubt that, I expect nothing short of excellence from you. Up to this point, you have displayed nothing but ineptitude for the subject of Potions. However, I expect that to change. I will not have a repeat of our Occlumency lessons."
Harry nodded, while clearing his mind. He was determined to succeed, and he did not want his emotions distracting him.
Snape nodded in approval as he noticed Harry clearing his mind. "Today you will be preparing the Pepper Up Potion, something that you have done in the past. However, as you prepare the potion, you are to explain to me why you are completing each step, and how the ingredients react to one another.
Harry nodded, surprised at the change in Snape's teaching method. He went to the ingredients cabinet and gathered the ingredients he would need.
Over the next hour, he prepared the potion. Snape constantly badgered him with questions, asking about everything from the properties of the ingredients to the method of preparing them. He struggled in the beginning. He had never really studied or understood the theory behind Potions. He had just followed the instructions that Snape put on the board.
After a few wrong answers, Harry began to pick up understand a little bit better. Towards the end of the lesson, he had even discovered better ways to prepare the ingredients, such as crushing a bean instead of dicing it.
To his shock, the final product was exactly like the recipe described. Even Snape looked somewhat shocked.
"Acceptable," he sneered. "But acceptable is not enough for Dumbledore's celebrity apprentice. I expect better tomorrow. Tonight, read the first five chapters of 1001 Magical Ingredients. It is clear that you lack basic understanding of common potion ingredients and theory. It is no wonder you have failed so spectacularly thus far."
Harry just sat there, taking the criticism. He would not allow himself to take the bait.
"You are dismissed," Snape said. Eagerly, Harry grabbed his things and shuffled out the door. He headed back to the Great Hall, starving for another meal. He found Dumbledore there waiting for him.
"How were your lessons?" Dumbledore inquired when Harry sat down.
"Interesting," Harry admitted. "I wish I would have taken Ancient Runes and Arithmancy back in third year. They really help to explain a lot of questions I have always had about magic."
"And how was Potions with Professor Snape?" the headmaster asked.
"It actually went well," confessed Harry. "I learned a lot. But I also learned exactly what I don't know. I know what I need to study now."
"Very good," Dumbledore said. He pulled a letter out of his robes and placed it on the table in front of Harry. "We have something of importance to discuss."
Harry picked up the letter and scanned it over.
Lord Potter Black,
We have recently been notified regarding the activation of a marriage contract between yourself and our eldest daughter, Daphne Alexis. We would like to invite you for dinner at Greengrass Manor, two weeks from today at 6 o'clock in the evening, in order for you and Daphne to be become acquainted. Kindly RSVP via owl. We look forward to meeting you.
Best,
Lord Jonathan Greengrass
Lady Anastasia Greengrass
After reading the letter, Harry looked up at Dumbledore.
"At least I have two weeks to prepare," he said, chuckling.
"Indeed. However, there is much to learn and prepare in those two weeks. You must thoroughly understand the history of the Greengrass family and its political stance before then," said Dumbledore.
The pair continued eating, with Dumbledore quizzing Harry on what he had learned throughout the meal. When they finished, Harry headed up to the Transfiguration classroom for his lesson with Professor McGonagall.
"Welcome, Mr. Potter," said the professor with a stern smile. "First, I would like to congratulate you on your recent apprenticeship with Headmaster Dumbledore."
"Thank you, Professor," Harry said, nodding his head in thanks.
"Now, onto Transfiguration," said McGonagall. "Up until now, you have shown talent for Transfiguration, but not as much as I had originally hoped," she admitted. "I believe you have not been achieving your true potential. The headmaster has attempted to convince me that you have undergone some significant changes with your magic, and that he expects that you will be much more successful now. I have yet to be convinced."
Harry nodded and cleared his mind once again as he prepared for the lesson.
McGonagall continued. "To start, you will be completing every Transfiguration that you have learned over the last five years in my class, starting with this," she said as she placed a matchstick on his desk. Harry smiled as he remembered his first Transfiguration in which he had attempted to change a matchstick into a desk.
Harry quickly transfigured the matchstick and moved onto the next Transfiguration. One by one, he completed each one, moving from simple to complex inanimate objects to animate Transfigurations. He was surprised to see how easy he was completing each task.
Even Transfigurations that he had struggled with a few months earlier now seemed simple to him. Finally, they reached the end of the Transfigurations that he had already learned.
"Well, it seems as if you did inherit your father's talent for Transfiguration after all," exclaimed McGonagall in shock after he finished. "The headmaster was correct. Whatever happened to you recently did affect your magic. But not only your magic – your concentration too!"
The stern witch seemed to be very excited at seeing Harry's success.
"Very well," she began. "There are a few more Transfigurations that I would like you to complete."
She gave him a list of several more complicated inanimate-to-animate Transfigurations. He had never attempted these Transfigurations before. However, before each attempt, he took a deep breath, cleared his mind, and brought up the basic Occlumency shields he had been working on. Each time, he was able to complete the Transfiguration without any difficulty.
"Fantastic!" exclaimed McGonagall in glee.
"What, Professor?" asked Harry.
"You just completed every single Transfiguration from the sixth-year curriculum," revealed McGonagall.
Harry's eyes widened in shock. It was just another example of his latent abilities from the soul fragment coming to light.
McGonagall glanced at her watch. "We are out of time, it appears," she said. "I will think more tonight on how to proceed in our lessons. However, I think that we can move onto conjurations now. Very well done," she concluded.
Harry thanked her for her time and headed towards the Charms classroom for his lesson with Professor Flitwick.
His lesson with Flitwick went almost exactly the same as his Transfiguration lesson. Flitwick had Harry perform every single charm that he had learned from first year through fifth year. Just as before, Harry passed with flying colors.
Then, they moved onto the sixth-year curriculum. Flitwick would demonstrate the incantation and wand movement for each charm, after which Harry would perform each charm on his first try.
"Stupendous!" the half-goblin declared at the end. "Absolutely stupendous! You are definitely your mother's son," he declared, echoing McGonagall's earlier words. "Over the rest of the summer, we will focus on expanding your already growing repertoire of Charms. However, we will also focus on applying Charms to dueling and combat. I was a dueling champion in my younger years, and I believe that I can teach you a thing or two."
"That sounds fantastic," Harry said. With a wave, he left and headed to his last lesson of the day, Defense Against the Dark Arts with Moody.
As he arrived, he saw the door open, so he decided to walk in. After a few steps into the classroom, he saw a bolt of red light coming at him from his left side. He threw himself to the side as the bolt passed within centimeters of him. Three more spells came hurtling towards him. He managed to dodge the first two, but the first impacted him square on the chest. He fell to the ground, unconscious.
He awoke to a grinning Moody standing over him.
"Constant vigilance!" Moody shouted. "First lesson: know how to dodge!"
Harry shook his head at Moody's unconventional teaching methods.
"Now get up boy!" Moody barked. "You've got more dodging to do!" He motioned towards the other side of the classroom, where three dummies stood.
"These are the same dummies that we use in Auror training," Moody explained. "They will be shooting low-powered stinging hexes at you while you dodge them. Now move!" he shouted. Just then, the dummies began firing spells. Harry began dodging as best as he could, but he managed to be hit by several.
"Proper stance!" Moody shouted from the sideline. "Stand at a 90-degree angle to your opponent – shoulder towards him! Give him the smallest target possible!"
Harry followed Moody's advice and was able to be hit by less hexes.
"Wand foot slightly in front of the other! Legs slightly bent!" Moody instructed. "When you dodge, move as little as possible. Just enough to avoid the spell. Don't want to lose your center of balance!"
Harry tried to apply Moody's advice. After what seemed like forever, Harry was able to avoid every single one of the hexes for several minutes. Finally, Moody shut off the dummies.
"Acceptable," growled Moody as Harry turned to face him. "Dodging is one of the foundations of combat and dueling. If you don't know how to dodge, you will waste energy on shields and counter curses. In combat and dueling, energy is the name of the game. Often, if two opponents are evenly matched, it is who runs out of energy, both physical and magical, that loses the fight."
"Tomorrow, I expect better," warned Moody, gesturing towards the dummies. "Today I left the dummies on easy mode. Tomorrow, we will turn it up a notch," he said with a grisly smile.
Harry unconsciously rubbed the parts of his body where he had been repeatedly hit with stinging hexes. He was not looking forward to being hit again.
With those parting words, Moody turned around and limped back to his office. Accustomed to Moody's quirky personality, Harry recognized the dismissal and left the classroom. He headed down to the Great Hall for dinner with Dumbledore, where he was once again peppered with questions about what he had learned.
Finally, he headed back to Gryffindor Tower, mentally, physically, and magically exhausted. When he arrived at the common room, he collapsed onto the couch, ready to relax. Just when he was ready to doze off, he remembered all of the assignments he had to complete before lessons the following day. Groaning, he pulled himself off the couch and dragged himself to a table, where he began reading the numerous chapters assigned to him.
Hours later, he finally finished. He had learned a lot about runes, magical theory, and potion theory, but he had hardly been able to keep his eyes open towards the end. He closed the final textbook with a sigh as he remembered one last assignment he had to complete: occlumency.
He sat back in his chair, closed his eyes, and cleared his mind of all thoughts and emotions. In his mind, he also imagined himself bringing up walls around himself. Those walls represented basic Occlumency shields. They were the first baby steps to creating an airtight defense, but he was happy with his progress so far. After several minutes practicing bringing up his shields, he headed up to his dormitory, exhausted. He had survived his first day of training but was excited for the next day. When he finally lay down on his bed, he was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
X
Miles away, a blonde Slytherin lay in her bed, unable to fall asleep. She had been tossing and turning for over an hour, with no success. She had too much on her mind to sleep. Rather, she had one person in particular on her mind: her future husband, Harry Potter Black.
Ever since she had learned about the existence of the marriage contract, her thoughts had been dominated by Harry. She wanted to know who he was, who he wanted to become, what his plans for the future were, and what his plans for her were. Most importantly, she wanted to know how he would fit into her own plans.
Daphne Greengrass had always had a plan for her life. Born the eldest daughter of the Greengrass family, she had been raised to one day take over the family business. For centuries, the Greengrass family had run a very lucrative Potions ingredients business. Many of the rarest potion's ingredients were grown only by the Greengrass family, leading to very high profits for the business.
Daphne had always planned to take over the business, but she wanted more than that. She was extremely intelligent and wanted to take advantage of that. She had plans to become a Potions mistress by earning her mastery in Potions soon after graduating from Hogwarts, which would allow her to expand and grow the family business. Ultimately, however, she planned to take her father's seat on the Wizengamot. With her family's increased wealth, she hoped to make a name for herself in the political arena and perhaps, one day, even become Minister of Magic.
This marriage contract, however, threw all of her plans into question. Harry Potter was a huge variable in her plans. From what she had seen at Hogwarts, he seemed to be an average teenage boy with a habit of getting into trouble. He also had a penchant for staying in the spotlight, whether he intended to or not. Her greatest fear was that she would always remain in his shadow. Instead of being known as Daphne Greengrass, she would merely be known as Harry Potter's wife.
She hoped that the marriage would turn out well. It was a foolish dream, but she also wondered if she could ever grow to love Potter. If that was not the case and it became a loveless marriage, she hoped to be able to use his influence to further her own career.
Now, she needed to find out everything she could about him. She knew was now the lord of House Potter and House Black, meaning that he was extremely wealthy. She knew he spent most of his time with Weasley and Granger, and that he was a talented Seeker. Outside of that, she had only heard rumors. She had heard rumors about the disappearance of Quirrell, of Harry's adventure in the Chamber of Secrets, and his secret organization, Dumbledore's Army. She needed to separate fact from fiction, however.
Her father had invited Harry for dinner in two weeks' time. She was anxious, yet excited, to finally speak with him. Until then, she needed to do some digging into who her future husband really was…