OLD MAGIC

A/N: Complete redo of chapter 2 and 3

Chapter 3: Harry's Training

Time passed with no sign of Harry Potter or Peter Pettigrew. The Order of the Phoenix never stopped their search but it wasn't priority as the death eaters were making sure they were all kept busy trying to save wizarding kind from their depredations.

Hogwarts went on as usual, though Dumbledore was more pensive than normal. He was known to go off wandering throughout the summer months, searching for Harry Potter while Sirius hunted Pettigrew. Neither was successful and the years passed. No word of the Dark Lord was heard either, though his workings through his death eaters was clearly visible.

The inhabitants of the local community and London blithely went about their days believing that sniveling Ministry of Magic, Cornelius Fudge's assertion that Voldemort was dead and they had nothing to worry about. The order knew otherwise but were shouted down and shunned.

It didn't matter. They continued their vigilance regardless and dealt with the things the minister did his best to ignore.

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In a certain cottage on the other side of the Forbidden Forest, little Harry Potter was enjoying a glorious and happy childhood.

Good to his word, little Farley, now twelve years old and more than six feet tall, spent a great deal of time playing and protecting the greatest hope of wizard kind. They enjoyed each others company and grew to be great friends.

Today he was going to teach six year old Harry how to fish.

"Here now, you can't be squeamish about using a worm, Harry. It's what attracts the fish, don't you see?" Farley said, patiently as he expertly hooked a worm.

"Ewww. That's just gross," Harry spatted in disgust as he stared at the dangling worm on his line.

Farley just sighed and shook his head. "Stop holding it in the air and put the line in the water, ya silly bugger."

Sticking his tongue out at his companion, Harry did as he was told.

For more than twenty minutes, they held their lines in the water, catching nothing. Harry fidgeted. "I'm bored. They aren't biting, Farley," he complained.

"Fishing isn't something you can do quickly, Harry. It takes time and patience...something you have to learn," Farley said placidly.

Harry huffed and was about to make another complaint when something grabbed his line. So surprised was he, he automatically gripped the pole and was instantly dragged out into the lake.

Farley shouted in alarm, dropped his pole, and dove in after the child. His cry brought help but he was already under the water, frantically searching for Harry. He had just spotted the flailing form when something snatched Harry and whisked him away.

His heart nearly stopping, Farley swam as fast as he could after the swiftly moving creature. But when he managed to get close enough, he saw it was a mermaid. It had Harry firmly wrapped in its arms and was taking him to the surface.

Relieved, the little giant followed, arriving at the shore just after the mermaid. A centaur was standing on the shore and reached down as the mermaid shot the boy, spluttering and gasping, upward to him.

Farley gave the mermaid a formal gesture that meant thank you to their kind when it turned to leave. It nodded then vanished into the murky deep once more. The young giant heaved himself out of the water and hurried to Belize's side to see if Harry was alright.

"No worries, Farley," the centaur murmured in his deep voice, cradling the child close to his chest and beginning to walk toward the cottage. "He's just scared and wet."

Harry clung to the centaur's rough, hairy chest and whimpered. His body was cold and he hated all the water that had gone up his nose and mouth. He spluttered and coughed to be rid of it.

"Whist now! What happened to the wee bairn?" Agatha Hagrid demanded, coming out of the cottage to see what the commotion was about. Belize approached her and handed over the sopping child..

"I was teaching Harry to fish, Gran, but something managed ta pull him inta the water. A mermaid rescued him faster than I could, even though I did try to get him meself," Farley told her, earnestly.

"I'm sure you did, Farley. Did you thank the mermaid?"

"Yes, Gran."

"Good boy, I'm proud of ye." She gave Farley a kiss on the cheek then turned to Harry in her arms. "Well, now lad, let's get you into some dry clothes and have a cup of herbal tea to prevent a nasty cold from grabbing hold," she said. She paused long enough to address the centaur. "Thank you for responding so swiftly to ma grandson's call, Belize."

The centaur nodded. "I am glad I was near to hear it, Miz Aggie. Perhaps, young Harry should be taught how to swim so none will worry so about him near the lake?"

"A good thought and one I had planned to have done for when he was a wee older but seems he must learn now. Thank ye and good day."

"Good day." Belize took off for the forest where he'd been chopping wood.

Cooing soft words of comfort to Harry, Agatha whisked the child into the cottage and to his small room she had made up for him. Quickly and efficiently, she stripped the boy of his wet clothing and took him to the bathroom.

An hour later, clean and dressed in warmer clothes, Harry hugged a mug of tea as he sat before the roaring fire while guardian made bread in the kitchen behind him. Farley had put away the fishing gear while Harry was being tended to and was now sitting beside him with his own cup of tea.

"Well, Harry, that was some adventure. It isn't everyday one is rescued by a mermaid," he said, amused.

Harry grimaced. "Some adventure...I would have wanted the fish instead."

Farley laughed. "Well, next time you just might get it but you'll have to learn to pull back when the line tugs or you'll be swimming again with them instead of catching them."

A small fist punched the giant in the shoulder, but Farley barely noticed the blow, he just continued to grin while Harry huffed in annoyance then smiled as he saw the humor in it all. He looked forward to swimming lessons. He didn't want to remain on the shore all his life.

Sighing, the soothing tea warming him up nicely, Harry contemplated his warm home. He vaguely remembered another place and a beautiful face. When he mentioned this to Gran, she told him gently that he was remembering his mother's face and his former home. She told him his parents had died when he a year old and he'd been brought here to be cared for.

It saddened him that his parents were no more. He had asked what happened but Gran shook her head and said, "when you are older, my lamb, I'll tell you what you need to know. All you need to remember now is how much they loved you."

He sighed in annoyance this time. That was what he heard a lot lately...wait until you are older...when was that he wondered. It was maddening. But he didn't let it bother him for long. In the way of a young child, such things didn't hold their attention long before something new distracted them.

When Farley suggested a game of exploding snaps, he eagerly agreed, slipping to the floor before the fire and enjoying the next hour or so being in his friend's company.

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"Be still, Harry," Firenze scolded the boy.

"Sorry."

Firenze, the centaur, nodded, sighing inside. Harry was a good boy but he was given to fidgeting a lot and these lessons were important. He had been tasked with teaching the young wizard on the history and descriptions of all the magical creatures as well as astrology and divination. The boy was a good student but it was hard for such a young child to hold their attention on such subjects for too long a period. He decided another hour should do it for today.

"Harry, I want you to list all the constellations then we'll be done for the day."

Harry smiled happily at the prospect of leaving, so crunched up face in concentration and began rattling off what was asked. Though he hated tests and some of the more tedious subjects like divination, Harry actually enjoyed listening to Firenze's lessons, especially when they went on nature hikes to actually meet the various magical creatures he'd been told about that inhabited the woods.

His favorites were:

Unicorns that allowed him to ride their backs and took him to really cool places within the forbidden forest.

Hippocampus, the half horse/half mermaid that would give him and Farley rides around the lake and beneath it once he'd learned to swim as well as the merfolk that taught him how to swim and fish.

Hippogriffs, especially Thiralon and his family, who along with his mate, would take him and Hagrid to see the wizarding world from the air so he would be familiar with the geography of the land he lived on.

Thestrals, the weird looking, carnivorous flying creatures, invisible to all except those who have seen death, and who were very gentle, would take Hagrid and him over muggle territories as part of his world history/geography lessons.

Kneazles, a cat-like creature, semi-intelligent, who could detect whether a person was dangerous or not. One had become his companion after he'd fixed its injuries when he found it in the forest. It could always be seen at his side like a small shadow. He named it Wine, meaning friend in old English.

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Harry had many teachers of different species educating him on all the subjects they felt he needed to know to be able to face his fate with the proper protection and knowledge.

His other centaur teachers were: Ronan, who taught him how to hunt and what the dangers were in the forest to be alert to and avoid and Magorian, the leader of the centaurs, who taught him the laws of the old world and the ones imposed by the wizards.

The present laws governing magical creatures offended Harry who would argue passionately with Magorian that something should be done about the blatant unfairness of the laws as written. Magorian would agree but insisted he learn what the laws imposed by the wizards were rather than argue about changing them. Perhaps one day he might be the one that does that but for now he needed to be aware of how things were done at this moment and not be concerned about how unfair they were.

Harry had stoutly declared that he would see the laws abolished. Magorian could only smile privately at the little human's spunk. He wished Harry good luck with his goal, perhaps, Gods willing, he would succeed and they would finally be free.

Agatha Hagrid besides being his surrogate mother, was Harry's teacher on Herbology, some medical training, potions, cooking, sewing, and basic housekeeping.

He loved being by her side, her gentle voice guiding his little hands as they kneaded bread or guided him on the proper way to harvest herbs, what each herb was used for, and how to prepare them. She was infinitely patient with him which helped him learn faster and, of course, there was Farley who was by his side as often as his chores and own lessons let him, teaching the simple things about just being a kid.

Rubeus Hagrid, when he was able to be there from his job as Hogwarts Keeper of the Keys and Grounds, as well as the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, would teach him animal husbandry, tanning, capturing creatures to help them when injured and caring for the various non-intelligent livestock they kept around the cottage. He was also his guide to the world of wizards, with Harry disguised with fairy glamour, stronger than the wizarding form, to take him to Diagon Alley. Harry adored Hagrid and would follow him willingly everywhere and listen closely to everything the half giant had to tell him. He thought of the man as his adoptive father.

The Hagrid's muggle friend Darian Langston, volunteered to indoctrinate Harry in the strange and modern world of the muggles. He figured the most effective way to do this was to enroll him in a primary school for a year.

So when Harry turned nine, he was sent to a school in Darbury, a fairly large city in England where he wouldn't be scrutinized too closely as being a bit odd and where he would be around a large group of children from various walks of life. It was also where modern technology had a good foothold unlike some of the smaller villages.

Darian rented a little cottage in the area and used that as the address for the enrollment and where Harry could bring friends and interact more. It turned out to be the most exciting year of his life as well as his most disturbing.

Seeing all the marvels muggle kind used in lieu of magic was a culture shock for Harry but being young, he picked it up faster than an older person would. So he learned to use a computer, CD player, TV, Ipods, cell phones, microwaves, modern stoves, washer and dryers, cars, and many other modern devices.

What was less fun and more scary were the parts of muggle life that showed him how cruel, destructive, and dangerous they could be to themselves and to the magical world if they'd known about them.

Though he had learned he was very wealthy, Harry had seen what money could turn wizards and muggles alike into and wanted no part of it so very rarely used his money at all. He learned of war and the weapons used to wage it; the abuse laid on mates and children; the sad fates of the drunk, drug abuser, destitute, homeless, street walker, and mentally defective; the uselessness and destructive nature of gangs; the dishonesty of the governments meant to protect the people; and diseases with no cures or those untreated due to no money. Such things happened in wizarding society, he learned, but were more hidden than in the more media-driven muggle society where privacy wasn't honored.

It was heartrending, disturbing, demoralizing, and sometimes made him so furious he couldn't thing straight...lessons. He wished with all his heart that he could change things for the better for all mankind.

Hagrid smiled at this passionate desire, pleased the boy felt things so deeply but he told Harry, gently but firmly, that God gave mankind the right of choice...a very precious gift. The fact that many continued to choose the wrong path mattered not...it was still their choice to make.

It was a hard lesson for Harry to accept but that was normal for the young. Only time would make him see how important this right was and that he could not fix everything he saw wrong no matter how much he wanted to.

Besides all the academic and life lessons he was being taught, physical fitness and fighting abilities were also instilled in him despite how young he was. What his life was prophesied to be meant he needed to know as much as possible on how to defend and protect himself from harm.

Toward that end, the Centaurs taught him how to use bow and arrows as well as knives. The Fae taught him sword fighting and hand to hand. Darian, his muggle instructor, sent him to learn karate and street fighting as well as how to use as many types of guns his small arms and hands were capable of holding and using. This part scared him the most at first until he became more at ease with their use but he would never like using them.

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In Harry's tenth year, Hagrid felt the boy needed a special teacher to train him on how to protect his mind from invasion, something it was prone to since he was old enough to realize what the nightmares he suffered were about. The forest dwellers did their best to shield him but the boy needed to know how to do this himself before going to Hogwarts.

So toward that end, Hagrid went and talked with the most skilled person he knew in the field of mind control. The problem was convincing the man to do it. After a long and difficult discussion, Hagrid finally got the stubborn man to agree to do the task. The half-giant had told him that the future of all magical creatures rested on this little boys shoulders and that he would benefit from what he did now if the boy survived to adulthood and beat the prophecy hanging over him.

So in March Harry was given his final and most important lesson to date and being taught by the most unlikely of teachers. Harry faced his newest teacher with a puzzled look on his face. Their lessons would be conducted in a place that was deep in the forest at an ancient meeting site for the centaurs. Magorian's people would insure the pair's safety during the lessons.

The man was very lean and tall with black, stringy hair that came to his shoulders, dark, black eyes stared with piercing intensity, and had a dour expression on his face. He wore black robes that fanned around him like a bat when he moved. His voice was deep and his speech measured and precise.

"My name is Professor Snape and I have been asked to teach you how to guard your mind."