Revisited 29.12.2021: Fixed some typos and made a few sentences smoother. Here chapters finally get a bit better, but they could still use a complete rewrite. Not that I have time for that so I hope some fixes and changes will be enough for now. Also now, Harry has a better reason to trust Charlus, it will be mentioned in the next chapter from Harry's PoV. Though it was already foreshadowed in the first chapter after I reworked it.

Chapter 5. To move forward.

The days after Harry's first fight quickly went by and for once the young boy was happy with his life. He finally knew that there was something special about him. He was no longer a normal, boring human, but a member of a race that was created to protect the realm of Earth against threats that no one else could handle.

It took Harry a lot of time to accept those facts, but most of the kids his age would love to be able to do magic. After all, every fictional story at least mentioned the mysterious force and now Harry was a part of such story.

Of course, thanks to his visions, Harry recognized that unlike all of those stories he read, his situation wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. He would be fighting against enemies that could kill him. The teachers in his dreams said many times that their lives were dangerous and you never knew when your time would come. Even though Harry was young, he knew it to be true. After all, Rigna was defeated a long time ago and she was a powerful Goddess.

That was another thing that Harry wanted to know. How did his predecessor die?

His dreams didn't give him an answer. Sometimes he thought that maybe it would be better if he didn't know how the only person to show him kindness was killed, but the young boy was curious.

What he would do with such information? That he didn't know.

Sighing, Harry banished those thoughts from his mind. He didn't need such distractions during his training. There were many things that he needed to practice and he couldn't waste his precious time. The summer was coming to an end and Harry didn't know if he would have enough time to train during the school year.

After Odin finally showed them how to discover their elemental affinities, Harry really wanted to at least gain some mastery over the skill and he managed to accomplish it after almost a week of trying.

[Elemental masteries unlocked. Like traits, those abilities have their own tab in the skill menu and are ranked with the E-S System.

You can't obtain elemental masteries that you aren't attuned to, but it doesn't mean that you won't be capable of learning the magic that requires other elements.]

[Darkness Mastery (Passive/Active) Rank: E-

The natural ability to use the True element of Darkness. Many others claim that they can use Darkness, but it is only an imitation of its true power. A higher rank of this mastery will let you control bigger amounts of Darkness, lower the costs to use this element, and unlock more special moves. Other skills can help with mastering this ability. NOTICE: Magical focus might help with controlling bigger amounts of the element.

Minimum Cost: 100 Power/min | Gets higher with a bigger amount of Darkness used at the same time.

Current special moves:]

Like one of his perks said, Harry was naturally attuned to Darkness and Ice element. Both descriptions of the skills were the same so Harry was at least glad for those small mercies, especially with all the skills he was getting lately.

What surprised him was the fact, that just like with the traits, elemental skills had rank instead of mastery. The system didn't give him an answer when Harry asked, but the young boy had his own idea of why it worked like that. After all, traits were abilities that were closely related to Harry's being, so maybe the elements worked the same as they were his natural affinities.

It was Harry's only idea and even if he was wrong, he didn't really care. He was curious, but it wasn't something that would make his life harder. Besides he had other skills that worked like the previous ones.

[Demonology (Passive) Mastery: Novice

Your current knowledge about demons. The higher your mastery, the faster you will be able to spot a demon's weaknesses and use them. This skill makes you attack against Demons stronger thanks to your race.

Current effects: Quicker identifications of low-ranked demons.]

A very simple skill that Harry gained after a few lessons on some low-ranked demons. He didn't get many chances to test it out in battle, but Harry was sure it would be useful in the future. Especially when he encountered a higher-ranked demon.

[Reinforcment (Active) Mastery: Novice

This form of magic allows the user to increase their physical attributes. It is an art of magic that can never be truly mastered and there is always something that you can improve on. A higher mastery of this skill will provide more power for reinforcement and unlock more applications for this art. NOTICE: Cost and effect can change without a rank up of mastery.

Cost: 150 Power/min

Current effects: 5% bonus to physical attributes upon use]

This was the last skill Harry learned from his visions. To be honest, Harry expected it to be a bit stronger, after all, Odin talked about it for so many lessons that even Harry was excited. Only for said excitement to die after he gained the skill. It was pretty weak and took a lot of Power to use. Harry could barely hold it for two minutes and even then he was dead tired after such action.

That was the reason why Harry decided to stop practicing this skill almost completely. After all, he couldn't come back to his relatives almost asleep every day. He still had chores to do and there was no reason to make his 'family' mad at him. He could wait a bit until he had more Power to train this skill. There was no reason to rush his Akiari education as he was still younger than the students he saw in his dreams. He was already ahead of them in everything apart from weapon training.

Unfortunately, he couldn't do much about this. His dreams only showed him bits of the moves he needed to learn and his gaming system didn't provide him with any knowledge when his 'Sword mastery' was at the novice rank. The young boy really hoped that it would change when it advanced to the next level. Otherwise, he would need to find another way to learn how to fight.

For now, he could only practice with what he already knew. And even if it wasn't much, Harry felt himself getting better with every day of practice. At least after his first fight with the demons, Harry gained a special move for his sword mastery called 'Sneak Attack' that with a small use of Power let the user strike faster and even pass through enemy armor. It was a pretty basic skill, but useful nonetheless.

All of this led Harry to his current situation as he was trying to practice some of the beginner moves that he saw in his dreams. In his right hand, he held the Sword of Night, while his left hand tried to manipulate a small ball of Darkness.

It was a simple exercise that helped Harry train a few of his skills and his basic attributes at the same time. He would always begin with this before continuing with some elemental practice. It wasn't much, but the ten-year-old didn't really know what else he could do.

Unfortunately, Harry's training was again interrupted when he heard a branch snap some distance behind him. The boy instantly dismissed the ball of darkness and turned around with his sword hidden behind his back.

There he finally saw the person who interrupted his training. It was an older man, but Harry couldn't really guess how old he was. He was tall, maybe around six feet. He had graying dark brown hair with matching eyes. And taking under consideration what the man saw, his widened eyes were pretty understandable.

For a second Harry thought that he was discovered by some random non-magical person, but the next single word that the man uttered changed everything.

"Harry?"

Charlus cursed himself mentally. Of course, he had to react like a complete idiot. Not that anyone could blame him. His bluntness was completely understandable, because how could he expect this. Wandless magic! If that wasn't enough to explain his reaction, then the sword the boy was hiding should be enough of a reason.

How in the gods' name did the boy even acquire a sword?

No, that's not the time to think about that, I need to confirm if it really is Harry, Charlus thought as he finally banished those thoughts and focused on the boy in front of him.

Charlus' reaction definitely put the boy on the defensive and he couldn't blame the boy. He was an unknown and the kid probably thought that he could be in some kind of trouble.

"Calm down lad, I came here because I felt someone using magic in the forest. My name is Charlus Potter... Now could you tell me what are you doing here?" Charlus asked softly. He didn't really know how to go about this situation. He hoped that the boy would at least talk to him. Mentioning the bit about magic should at least relax the lad a bit.

"Potter?" the young boy asked obviously confused. Charlus couldn't blame him, after all, it wasn't every day that you meet someone who had the same last name as you and knew about magic. "How do you know my name?"

Charlus expected this question and wasn't surprised when the boy completely ignored his inquiry.

"Yes, my last name is Potter. As to how I know your name . . . Well, there is no easy way to say it, but if I am right, then you are my family Harry," straight to the point. Charlus wasn't someone to beat around the bush and it would be better if they could get this over with faster. He just hoped that Harry wouldn't panic.

Thankfully the boy didn't, but a heavy frown appeared on his face. "Family? I don't have any apart from my uncle and aunt. Who are you really?"

If the situation wasn't that serious, then Charlus would laugh at the intimidating tone that Harry was trying to use. The boy really tried to act more mature than he appeared. Though taking into consideration that just a minute ago he was training with a sword, it was somewhat understandable. It was also probably the only reason why Harry was still talking to a complete stranger.

"I know that it is very hard to believe, but I am really a part of your family. To be precise, I am your grandfather," if Dorea was here, she would have scolded him for his bluntness. She was always annoyed by this part of his personality.

Harry shook his head, a scowl forming on his face. "I don't believe you! If you were my grandfather, then I wouldn't be living with my relatives!"

Alright, maybe it wasn't the best way to deal with this situation. Gods it had been so long since I had to deal with kids that young. Charlus groaned.

"Let me explain lad," Charlus pleaded. "Just give me a few minutes and I will tell you anything you want. Can you do that?"

Harry was still looking like he wanted to run away as fast as he could but after a moment he gave a shallow nod. Charlus sighed and took out his wand, waving it a few times. Instantly two simple chairs appeared in the clearing.

Sitting down in one of the chairs Charlus grinned when he saw Harry's opened mouth. "Sit down Harry. It should be more comfortable than standing all the time."

The boy hesitantly sat down on the other chair, even testing it a few times to see if it really was real. "You really can use magic. Are you a member of the wizarding world?" Harry asked before freezing for a second.

Charlus ignored this weird reaction and answered, "So you know about it... I was told that you had no knowledge about our world and yet I just saw you using magic, so I should have probably expected that. Now before you ask any more questions let me explain why I wasn't there when you needed me."

Charlus took a deep breath before continuing. "There was an incident a few years before you were born that put me in a coma. Healers didn't expect me to ever wake up, but somehow I did a few weeks ago. I was told that most of my family was dead... There wasn't much that could lift my spirits after that, but then my trusted friend told me about you. Harry Potter, my grandson, and the only alive member of our family. Hearing this I knew that I just couldn't give up. I had a grandson that needed me. I know that it took some time, but please give me a chance."

Silence fell upon the forest clearing as Chalrus finished his explanation. The elder Potter decided to give Harry a moment to process all the information. It wasn't every day that you find out something so life-changing.

"You said you could prove that I am your grandson," Harry finally said quietly. "Now would be the perfect time to do that."

Charlus smiled lightly, the boy was at least willing to listen but wanted to be sure before trusting him. That was good and Charlus hoped that what he would do next, would be enough.

"That I did," he said, reaching into his coat and taking out a few documents. "Those are documents signed by both Gringotts and the ministry. You will find there everything you need."

Harry quickly took the papers and carefully read through them. The boy really didn't want to miss a thing and Charlus could respect that. It wasn't often that you saw a child be so serious.

Finally, Harry's gaze went back to his. "Even if those documents are saying the truth, how do I know that you aren't some imposter?"

That was surprisingly a good point that Charlus didn't expect a child to make. Normally no one would even ask a question like that when presented with documents like this. After all, unlike muggle documents, those couldn't be forged. Magic protected them from such things and no one was mad enough to forge goblin documents.

That presented Charlus with a small problem that could really mess up his plan. He really hoped that his last idea would convince the boy, even if it wasn't anything special.

"I don't know if what I have here is going to be enough, but I hope that it will at least help a bit," Charlus said as he removed another few items from his coat.

This time instead of some official documents, Charlus gave the boy three pictures that both he and Dumbledore found. The first one was a simple picture of James, Charlus, and Dorea that was made after his son finished Hogwarts. It was the only picture provided by the elder Potter.

Charlus could see that Harry was almost completely mesmerized by them and he couldn't really blame him. After all, the second picture showed Harry as a baby with both Lily and James when they were visiting Charlus in St. Mungos. He was really grateful that his son still visited him when he was in a coma. And finally, the last picture showed only his son and Lily with one-year-old Harry.

What surprised Charlus were the few tears that began to fall from Harry's eyes. While having pictures of your family was nice, it was almost like the boy never saw his parents before and yet still somehow recognized them. It was very confusing as Charlus thought that his relatives at least provided him with some pictures of his mother. He would need to ask the boy about it later.

"It might not be the best proof, but I don't really know how I could make you believe me without going to Gringotts or the ministry," Charlus began, but his explanation was stopped by a mumble coming from Harry.

"I believe you."

Such simple words but they made Charlus happier than anything in the last few weeks. Those pictures must have made a bigger impact on the boy than Charlus could ever expect.

"I believe you," he said one more time. "But what do you expect me to do? I never had any family apart from my relatives and you are still mostly a stranger to me."

The boy sounded miserable and Charlus felt quite guilty for putting a young boy in such situation. It was something that needed to be done, but it didn't make it any easier.

"You don't need to do anything if you don't want to Harry," Charlus said as he crouched before the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I just want you to give me a chance to let me know you. And maybe if you will feel like it in the future, you can come to live with me in the wizarding world."

Harry's downward gaze immediately flickered to Charlus when he uttered the last sentence. Even if the boy didn't say anything in the beginning, Charlus could see the hidden hopeful gaze. It made the elder Potter wonder what really was going on in the Dursley household.

"I can go with you? Away from my relatives?" this time Charlus could clearly hear the hopeful tone and he now knew that there was no way he was leaving Harry in the muggle world.

"Of course Harry," Charlus said giving a soft squeeze to the boy's shoulder. "You are my grandson and I will do anything for you. If you want to come with me then nothing will stop me."

The boy instantly dashed forward and hugged the older man. Charlus froze for a moment before he hugged the boy back. How the hell did he go from guarded to fully trusting in a few minutes? He and Dumbledore were going to have a really long talk.

When they finally let go of each other and went back to their seats, Charlus asked, "Harry, I need you to tell me why do you want to get away from your relatives so much."

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat before sighing softly. "They might be my relatives, but they are not my family," he gritted out. "I don't know the full reason, but ever since I could remember, they hated me. They always made sure that I knew it, be it through chores or some light punishments if they thought I did something wrong. I am also pretty sure that they hate anything that is related to magic."

Anger flared in Charlus when he heard this, of course, Harry couldn't have a normal life in the muggle world. Now the elder Potter was sure that there was no way in hell that Harry was staying with Dursleys for even one day longer.

"I understand lad, and let me tell you I am going to have a very serious talk with your relatives," he spat the last word like it was acid. "If you really want I can take you away from them even today and they won't be able to do a thing about it."

The bright smile that Harry gave him in return was all the answer he needed, but he still enjoyed the next hug quick hug, and the quick "Thank you." Now there was only one thing left that Charlus still wanted to ask his grandson. It might not be that important but it was still bugging the hell out of him. After that, he would finally let the boy ask his questions.

"Harry?" Charlus said slowly to get the boy's attention. "Where did your sword disappear and why do you even have it?"

The young boy instantly froze, before looking back at him with the most innocent expression that Charlus saw in a long time, "What sword?"

The elder Potter could only palm his face in frustration. I can already feel the headache coming.