Revisited 29.12.2021: Standard fixes. You know the drill.

Chapter 7. The hidden truths

"Welcome to your new home Harry," Charlus said, spreading his arms. "Before the war, it was one of the most beautiful manors in England but after the attack on me and my wife, it was reduced to ruins... When I woke up, I just wanted to sell the land and forget about this place. Thankfully I realized that if I rebuild the manor then it could become one of the safest places in Britain due to the external magic around here."

Harry took a look at the medium-sized two-story building with a bit of awe. It certainly was quite beautiful even if the boy could see some places where the building was still not finished. Harry didn't recognize what material was used to build the manor, but it was similar to some of the cobblestone buildings he read about in a book.

"Do we really need so much protection?" Harry asked as he got a feel of the magic around the manor. There were a lot of different spells around the building that Harry recognized as some sort of wards. Unfortunately, that was all he could found out about them. Odin only mentioned some facts about warding.

"Unfortunately we do," Charlus sighed. "I already told you some bits about the wizarding war that plagued Britain before and after my coma. What I didn't mention, was how it ended and why it was so hard to end."

"It has something to do with our family, doesn't it?" Harry muttered. Of course, him being part of an almost extinct race couldn't be the last surprise in his life. Maybe it had something to do with the man who killed his mother.

"Yes it does," the older Potter stated. "Come inside. I can explain everything while we eat. I don't know about you lad, but I am starving."

Harry smiled and nodded. It was obvious that this subject was hard on the older man so Harry wouldn't push him to spill everything instantly. He lived in the darkness for so long that another few minutes couldn't hurt him.

Charlus relaxed a bit and led Harry through the entrance doors.

To be honest Harry expected the manor to be dark and gloomy. After all, on the outside, it didn't really scream modern and fun, but to Harry's surprise, everything inside was quite modern-ish. Enchanted lights floated above their heads, while the interior was furnished with furniture found in houses of rich citizens. Only electronic equipment was missing but Charlus already explained that muggle equipment and magic didn't mix well.

"Mipsy!" Charlus called out as they sat down by the table in the dining room. A second later a small green creature with bat-like ears appeared next to his grandfather. "Please prepare a quick dinner for us. We had a long day and even longer conversation ahead of us."

The small creature nodded and disappeared with a silent pop.

"What was that?" Harry asked in astonishment, still looking at the spot where the creature was standing a second ago.

"This Harry was a House-elf," Charlus replied with a chuckle. "They are magical beings that serve wizarding families since the old ages. They love work and possess their own powerful magic."

Harry wasn't too sure if he liked the description. "So they are some kind of slaves?"

Charlus sighed and his smile disappeared. "While I would really love to say no, I can't. By all means, House-elves need to listen to their master's every command, and unfortunately, some wizards overuse this power. Nothing can be done about this, but at least any House-elf in my household will be treated fairly. "

Harry nodded in understanding even if the subject was still bugging him a bit.

A moment later a nice dinner appeared on the table and both Potters quickly dug in. It really was a long day and Harry was even more hungry after the training he had done today.

"I think that it would be a good time for me to start explaining," Charlus said as he placed his plate to the side. "You need to understand that the magical world is a very dangerous place. And I am not talking only about the last war. No, everyone who joins our world will sooner or later get exposed to the less beautiful parts of magic. Dangerous magical creatures that walk around the world, monsters of the various pantheons that still remain, and last but not least, Demons."

Harry's gaze instantly flicked to his grandfather when he spoke about monsters and demons. "Demons? Monsters?"

Charlus nodded. "Deadly creatures that walk in the midst of mortals under the guise of magic. While monsters mostly tend to leave the wizarding world alone as they prefer to hunt demigods, Demons don't care about their targets as long as they can gain power from their actions. Wizards and witches learned how to avoid and fight those creatures, but when you travel outside the safety of magical wards, you risk an encounter with those things. "

Harry remained silent while he thought about those new facts. He already knew about monsters and magical creatures from his Akiari lessons, he also knew about the veil over the eyes of mundane people that hid most of those creatures and monsters from them. It was the work of both ancient Akiari and some of the gods to save people who didn't have a place in the supernatural world.

It rarely worked on Demons, but thankfully they didn't really hunt creatures that didn't have any power in them. Unless of course a demon just wanted to have some fun. Harry already saw some news on TV about unexplainable slaughters of small groups of humans or animals. Sometimes it was a miracle that those events didn't reveal the existence of the supernatural. Though Harry suspected that some organizations took care of such occurrences.

"I know that it is a lot to take in. After all, it is not every day you find out that gods and demons exist," Charlus said with a chuckle.

Harry shook his head before Charlus could go on another monologue that wouldn't really explain anything new to him. "I understand, but I want to know about our family's connection to the war."

Charlus frowned, but he began explaining the war nonetheless. He told Harry how Voldemort and his followers, the Death Eaters, began to terrorize magical Britain. And he explained how Voldemort's followers came from many groups, be it magical creatures or even some of the highly trained Demon Hunters.

The war definitely wasn't easy on the country with people dying left and right, demons running amok as Hunters didn't have enough people to hunt them. And then there was the attack on Potter Manor where Charlus lost his wife. Harry could see how hard it was for him to talk about the day he lost so much.

Thankfully Charlus managed to gather his emotions under control and finally explained what happened during the unfortunate day when Harry's life changed forever. The young boy knew that Charlus still omitted some of the details, but Harry was fine with that. He finally knew who killed his parents and if it wasn't for the fact the Dark Lord was dead, then Harry wouldn't stop searching for him until he was. Of course, that was after he became stronger.

The only thing that made Harry almost groan in frustration was the fact that the wizarding world called him the-boy-who-lived for surviving the unblockable Killing curse. Harry of course knew that there wasn't anything special about him before the night, so it definitely wasn't him who stopped the curse. It had to be either his parents or the combination of his soul with two powerful beings.

After that Charlus stopped talking and admitted that he was tired so he showed Harry to his new room.

The young boy finally realized something and as his grandfather was leaving the room, Harry quickly used 'observe'.

[Charlus Potter, the Broken One (Rank: D)

Race: Wizard

Power: 12520 (Recovering: 37%)

Charlus Potter is the last acting Head of House Potter. After losing his wife in Death Eather's attack and being put in a coma, most believed him dead. Upon waking up, only his grandson's existence kept him going forward. It will take time for him to recover from both the coma and losing his family.]

I should have done that sooner, Harry groaned as Charlus left his room. Even though he didn't trust 'observe' completely, it at least gave him another proof that Charlus was telling the truth. The boy even felt a bit guilty for doubting the man. At least tomorrow Harry would get his final evidence. Charlus promised it and the young Akiari was really beginning to trust him.

Besides it also proved that his grandfather would be pretty powerful when he recovered.

At first, Alya was really excited about this day.

A few weeks ago, one of the guardians in the Children's Home, announced that they would be going on a little trip. They would still remain in London, but a visit to Zoo, and a few other tourist attractions, was already planned.

Alya really couldn't wait for the day of the trip to come. After all, she spent almost all of her short life in the Children's Home... Expect from going to school and back. If it wasn't for her dreams then the young girl would have probably tried to sneak away earlier.

Thankfully the trip finally satisfied her need to get out or at least it would have if it wasn't for the strange things she saw on the trip.

In the beginning, she was having so much fun. They visited the London Eye where she had a bird's eye view of her city. It was wonderful and even though Alya didn't really like heights she still enjoyed the experience.

After a few other stops, they finally arrived at the destination that the little girl was the most excited for.

The Zoo.

After all who wouldn't want a chance to meet all of the animals that Alya previously saw in her textbooks. It was a dream come true for the little girl and she planned to use this privilege to meet as many animals as she could. Unfortunately, her excitement didn't last for long, and instead, it turned to fear.

She really didn't know how it happened, but at one moment she was looking at a pair of beautiful lions and suddenly the two animals transformed into creatures from nightmares right in front of her eyes.

The monsters were at least twice as big as the lions and possessed bodies more similar to dogs. They had pitch black fur and razor-sharp teeth. Still, their most unnerving trait was the eyes.

The glowing blood-red orbs were watching her with so much hatred that Alya almost immediately ran away to find the rest of her group. It was the scariest thing she ever saw. Even now, when they were walking back to the Children's Home, Alya still could remember the glare piercing her soul.

Unfortunately, the day didn't get any better when she noticed an almost run-down building. It had a sign with its name above the entrance, but Alya was too far to read it. Of course, the state of the building wasn't a problem for the girl, but the people in weird clothing that were entering it and the fact that no one else was even looking at them definitely was.

Confused and even more scared by the weirdness of it all, Alya decided to go to one of the adults who was guarding them during the trip. "Sir, why are those people entering a run-down building?"

The middle-aged director of her Home looked in the direction that she was pointing and frowned. "What people Alya? There is no one there, just an old building that's going to be destroyed soon. Now go back to the rest of the group, soon we will be back."

Alya blinked a few times. He can't see them! She screamed internally as she looked back at the entrance of the building. People were walking in all the time and the director just ignored them. Even now she spotted a black-hired boy near the entrance that was looking straight at her...

Oh no.

Alya quickly averted her gaze and went to hide in the midst of her group. She had enough of this weirdness, maybe there really was something wrong with her...

That was weird, Harry thought as he looked at the strange black-haired girl in the distance. Obviously she wasn't normal as she could see the entrance to the pub, but she also didn't know what she saw if her reaction was anything to go by. Thankfully Harry managed to use 'observe' before she disappeared so he at least knew who and what she was.

[Alya Black (Rank: F)

Race: Demigoddess/Witch (Ascension 0% - Locked)

Power: 300

Alya Black is the daughter of ? and ?. Currently, she lives in one of London's Children's Home. Due to the weird things happening around her, Alya thinks that there is something wrong with her.]

Demigoddess and a witch, that's new.

Even though Charlus told him about demigods, Harry didn't expect to meet one today. Also for someone who didn't know about the supernatural world, the girl had a lot of power, definitely a bit more than Harry had when he received the System. Something to think about later.

"Something's wrong Harry?" Charlus asked when he noticed that his grandson stopped without a reason.

"Nothing," he answered swiftly. "I thought I saw someone familiar."

Charlus obviously accepted the lie and motioned him to follow. "Now remember to stick close to me. You are famous, but no one really expects Harry Potter to appear in the wizarding world almost a year early. Besides you look a lot different from what people think."

Harry nodded and slowly followed his grandfather through the entrance. The Leaky Cauldron was mostly dark and shabby. It had a bar and a number of tables in the corners. Thankfully it was really early in the morning so only a few people were inside.

Charlus didn't waste any time guiding Harry to the backroom where the entrance to Diagon Alley was stationed. With a few instructions for the future on how to dispel the barrier, both Potters emerged in the magical Diagon Alley.

It definitely was a beautiful place, everything in the Alley was mostly made out of cobblestone and wood, but Harry saw a few buildings that had a more modern design. Like in the Leaky Cauldron, people in the Alley mostly wore robes or coats. It definitely was weird for Harry as he was quite used to normal clothing. Besides he would probably go with the same clothing theme as his grandfather, at least it wouldn't be as problematic as robes in a fight.

"Charlus, why did the barman call you Lord Potter?" Harry finally asked as he remembered the confusing greeting his grandfather had in the pub.

"It is a bit complicated and I hoped that we could save this conversation for a later date," Charlus said after a long sigh. "But as you already asked then I can at least explain it a bit...

I already told you about the different blood statuses and this subject is highly related. You see, the oldest wizarding families could be called 'Noble'. Of course, that's not an official title, but some of the Purebloods families like to use it too often. Those few Houses were given hereditary seats on the Wizengamot, which I will explain later, and the title of Lord for the Heads of family. Thankfully people stopped using it about sixty years ago. But as you heard, some individuals still like to employ it."

"Does that mean that our family is special?" Harry asked curiously.

"Not really," Charlus answered with a laugh. "Yes we have money, yes we have a long history, but I wouldn't call us special. Even with our one vote at Wizengamot, we can't do much. There are just too many votes overall. That was why I always stayed out of politics. It is a can of worms I don't want to open."

Harry again nodded even it didn't explain everything. He only understood that while his family got some privileges, they were not that important in current times.

Shrugging, Harry banished those thoughts out of his head and looked at the shops around him. He really wanted to visit some of those and browse through their products. This was his first true day in the wizarding world and Harry was barely stopping himself from running off.

"Here we are," Charlus stated as he led Harry into a snow-white, multistoried marble building. It certainly was the most beautiful building in the Alley and Harry couldn't stop himself from staring in awe.

They went inside and passed what Charlus explained were goblins. They certainly were interesting creatures and if it wasn't for Charlus' description of them before their trip, then Harry was sure that he would have been staring.

Thankfully he didn't and soon they entered a vast marble hall with a large number of counters that were manned by goblins. His grandfather quickly approached one of them. "Excuse me, I am here to meet with Ranlast."

The goblin took one look at the older Potter and quickly called another goblin. "Riptide will lead you to the meeting room."

Charlus nodded in thanks and followed the new goblin with Harry right behind him. They walked through a few corridors before Riptide finally opened a door for them. Following his grandfather, Harry walked into the quite plain room.

"Charlus Potter and Harry Potter, like always on time. Please sit," spoke another goblin that was sitting behind a large working desk.

"You know me Ranlast, I am a man of my word. Now please let's get straight to the point. We still have a lot to do today," the elder Potter spoke as he sat down on one of the free chairs.

"Excellent, that's why you are one of the few humans I like," the goblin then took out two empty parchments and placed them on the desk. "You know the procedure."

Charlus nodded, "Of course." He then addressed his grandson, "Harry, those are heavily enchanted artifacts that after adding a few drops of blood will display every important information about you, including family ties. Do you understand why are we doing this?"

Harry understood, but he was worried that those artifacts would show that he wasn't a human. Unfortunately, he couldn't turn back now so he just nodded.

Charlus gave him a smile and with a quick wave of his wand, a few drops of his grandfather's blood fell on the first parchment.

Charlus Fleamont Potter

Race: Magi

Family: Dorea Potter (wife), James Potter (son), Lily Potter (daughter-in-law), Harry Potter (grandson)...

The enchanted parchment showed a lot more information, but it wasn't important for Harry. He already gained his confirmation of Charlus' identity. Now he was worried that it would show his true race. Unfortunately, it was too late to do anything and when the older Potter asked for his hand, Harry complied and let the blood drop on the paper. As the parchment began to fill itself, he knew that his secret was definitely out.

Harry James Potter

Race: Hybrid of Divine Akiari and unknown

Family: Lily Potter (mother), James Potter (father), Sirius Black (sworn godfather), Charlus Potter (grandfather)...

"Impossible," the goblin stated, eyes wide and Harry knew that this situation went from bad to worse really quickly.

Yes, my luck is definitely good...

Have a good day/night.