Sensing Magic
by Teddylonglong
Please refer to chapter 1 for my disclaimer and warnings. Thank you.
When school commenced again at the beginning of September, Harry once again became very busy. Remus was now instructing him in primary school knowledge, as Miranda had gone back to teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts. Harry did not really mind, as both his godparents were not only outright nice but also fantastic teachers, and Lucy and Teddy adored them.
He also had Healing lessons with Misty, Herb studies with Cicero, and on his own request, Poppy allowed him to assist her in the hospital wing between the last afternoon class and dinner each day. He mostly only watched the healer's doing together with Lucy and Teddy, however, sometimes, he was even allowed to heal one or the other student's injuries using his unique healing magic. Most of these cases resulted from Quidditch accidents and involved complicated bone fractures, for which the students otherwise would have had to take the Skelegrow potion, which according to Poppy was extremely unpleasant.
"If it was not for you, I'd have had to send the girl to St. Mungo's," the healer told him one day, after he had healed a fifth-year's Quidditch injuries. "You're doing a wonderful job here."
After dinner, Harry insisted to join the twins in the Potions classroom, where they assisted his adoptive father and at the same time studied for the Potions NEWT. To his chagrin, Severus always instructed him to return home at nine o'clock at the latest, while the twins were still allowed to work on their special project. As curious as Harry was about this project, not only his father but also the twins were tight-lipped and insisted to keep it a secret.
"What matters more…"
"… is that you're going to destroy our future image…"
"… as the youngest Potions masters of all times."
Harry shook his head at the twins' antics. "I don't even know if I'm going to go as far as the Potions mastery."
Severus let out an uncharacteristic scoff. "So, are you going to brew first-year potions during your Potions classes next year then?"
"No." Harry was outright shocked at the idea.
"Well, if I need to make you brew more advanced potions during these times, you can as well brew those that are necessary for the mastery. I will, of course, consider your schedule and will have you brew concoctions, which can easily be put under stasis charms and continued in the evenings. If you wish to become a healer in the future, which would be advisable considering your unique talent, it will be an advantage for you if you're a potions master and allowed to administer potions if the necessity arises."
"All right." Harry nodded in understanding. 'First, I'll have to get through the NEWT though,' he thought; however, decided to remain quiet for the time being.
When Harry and Lucy returned home in the evenings, Regina was already back from the muggle university, where she was teaching something like Natural Sciences, and Harry thoroughly enjoyed spending some time with his adoptive mother, before he was sent to bed.
HP
Harry was outright shocked, when Marvolo contacted him on a Sunday evening at the end of September.
'Oh Merlin, I completely forgot to speak with him about the ritual. I'm not a good friend,' he thought, horrified.
'Marvolo, the elves can probably help you get a corporate body,' he urgently thought to his friend.
To his surprise, Marvolo returned a small chuckle. 'Corporeal Harry, not corporate. What do I have to do?'
'First of all, they can do it on Halloween.'
'Samhain,' Marvolo lightly corrected him.
'Yes, that. But the problem is that we need to get you to the Isle of Elves. Bandhu asked if you would be willing to have him put you into an orb to take you there.'
'If he explains the details of the ritual to me in advance, I'll probably be willing to accept his methods, provided that I won't be able to get there by myself.'
'You won't.'
'Well then, as he is an elf if I understood you correctly, he should be able to come to me. Can you ask him to come to the old Riddle manor in Little Hangleton?'
'I'll ask him, but I suppose that he can do that. He is one of the elder elves, which means one of the leaders of the elves.'
'Please inform me of his response.'
'I'll do that,' Harry promised, wondering if he had to write to Bandhu or if he could simply contact him through telepathy. He pondered if he should ask Misty or Cicero for an advice; however, recalling how Cicero had fretted about the matter, when he had asked Bandhu in the first place, he quickly dismissed the idea.
'Bandhu?' he sent his thought to the elder elf. 'Can you hear me?'
'Harry! Now that's a surprise,' came the instant response. 'How are things?'
'I have spoken with Marvolo,' Harry informed him and relayed the request that Bandhu should visit the spirit at Riddle manor to tell him about the ritual.
To his relief, Bandhu immediately agreed. 'I shall do that; however, he should be prepared that I will ask him several questions to determine if he is worth bringing him back. We will not help someone who goes around killing elves and people left and right.'
'Thank you, Bandhu.' Somehow, Harry felt relieved that Bandhu was going to check on Marvolo and build his own opinion instead of relying on him, considering that he had never met Marvolo in person and still did not have much experience in the magical world. He quickly informed Marvolo that the elder elf would visit sometime during the following weekend to talk to him.
HP
Unbeknownst to Harry, Severus realised in shock that the Dark Mark on his left arm, which had been dormant and barely visible for almost nine years, suddenly began to darken again. The changes were subtle and if Severus was not so observing, he probably would not have noticed anything.
To his mild annoyance, Regina was equally observing and asked several times what was wrong, before he finally admitted to her what was bothering him.
"Is that a recent development?" She looked at him in utmost concern.
"Yes. I noticed it first at the beginning of the month, and since then, it has even become darker. It's still only grey, but I'm afraid that the Dark Lord is not only alive but growing stronger."
"Should we tell the headmaster about it?" Regina cast him a concerned look.
Severus nodded in determination. "Let's do that. There is something else in this context that I'd like to discuss with you and, provided that you agree, with Albus."
Regina smiled, giving him a questioning look.
Severus let out a deep sigh. "I'm sorry, Regina. Perhaps, I am simply over-protective of you and our baby, but I fear that you'll be in grave danger if he returns. All the signs are there with the rapidly darkening Dark Mark. I'm afraid that he will at least try and even might be able to free his followers from Azkaban, among them your brothers and sister-in-law. These three are extremely dangerous, and I can imagine that they won't take it well that their younger Squib sister has taken over the ladyship of the family. They will come after you and our baby as the heir or heiress."
Regina nodded, slowly, wearing a grave expression that matched his own. "Harry is my heir in the first place," she then recalled.
"Well, that's true, and he will be in danger as well, but still… I suggest that you take over some position at Hogwarts. In the worst case, you could teach the Muggle Studies classes. However, I'd like to try convincing the headmaster to set up a new subject. It could be a combination of muggle and magical research, where you could continue your own field of study. There are several options. It could, for example, be a subject that would allow students to attend a muggle university, for which they would not be qualified with just their NEWTs. I believe that the content of the class would be your own decision."
Seeing Regina stare at him with a combination of surprise and hope, he smiled. "I don't know if Albus will agree to this idea. Of course, Harry as the owner of Hogwarts could overrule any of his decisions; however, he is only ten, and I don't want to burden him with a fight against the headmaster."
"Definitely not." Regina's voice was firm and reminded him of a tiger standing in front of her cub. "Thank you for trying to protect me. I appreciate it. Let's try to convince the headmaster. He owes you for warning him about the possibility of the Dark Lord's return in any case." She smiled, before she reached out and pulled his hand over to her growing belly.
Severus' eyes widened in surprise, as he felt what seemed to be a huge wave run from one side to the other. "What is the baby doing?"
Regina shrugged. "Something like flip-flops I suppose."
"Doesn't it hurt?"
"Not at all," Regina reassured him, smiling in apparent happiness.
'I will do everything to keep her and our children safe,' Severus resolved, feeling happier than he had ever felt before.
HP
On Sunday morning after breakfast, when the small family was spending some quiet time in their living room, Harry managed to shock his parents.
He was quietly playing on the Suikan, after his parents had encouraged him that they would like to hear him play for a while.
All of a sudden, he felt that his unborn sibling moved in the rhythm of the song he played. 'He seems to like the music,' he thought, feeling very happy at the idea. 'My little brother,' he thought in delight.
"Do you already have a name for the baby?" he enquired, once the song was over.
"No," Regina replied, sighing.
"I think that perhaps you could name him Felix. Remus told me that Felix means luck, and he is very lucky to be born into a family that already loves him so much."
"He?" Severus looked up from his Potions Monthly. "Are you sure that it's a boy?"
Harry nodded. "Yes, I can feel his magic, and he seems to like music," he said, matter-of-factly, surprised when Lucy showed him the image of his parents, who stared at him in apparent shock.
"Well Harry, thanks for telling us something that we did not know yet." Regina smiled. "I believe that Felix would be a wonderful name, don't you think so, Sev?"
"I agree, and it make sense for the big brother to choose the name of his sibling."
"As to Harry's statement that he seems to like music, I agree. He was doing his flip-flops in the rhythm of the music, while you were playing."
"I think Teddy is going to be a big brother, too," Harry said, thoughtfully. "I'm not sure if Misty and Cicero are aware of it yet though. Teddy sure isn't."
"Please do not tell them." Severus sounded alert, causing Harry to chuckle.
"I am not so stupid," he replied, indignantly. 'Should I not have told them that Felix is a boy?' he thought to Lucy, who turned around and eagerly licked his face in confirmation that he had done the right thing.
HP
Harry could not wait for Halloween to come. He could feel that Marvolo seemed extremely excited, and his mind friend contacted him a few times to inform him about his meetings with Bandhu. In fact, the elder elf had visited him twice, the first time to hear about his story and the second time to discuss the planned ritual.
'I really hope that it's going to work,' Marvolo thought to him one evening. 'I'm just not sure what age I wish to become.'
'Can you choose your age?' Harry asked in disbelief.
'Considering that I'm going to get a new body, yes. My life was screwed up from when I was about fifteen, but I don't want to attend Hogwarts again, so maybe twenty?'
'I'm going to be a student at Hogwarts next year. We could attend school together.'
'I am sure that would be fun; on the other hand, I already knew everything that is taught at Hogwarts.'
'Oh well, that would be boring for you then.' 'It's true. Marvolo just knows everything,' Harry thought, knowing that his mind friend always had an answer for him, no matter what the question was.
'Exactly.'
'My parents and their friends are around thirty I think.' Harry shrugged.
'Did you tell your father about me?'
'No. Should I?'
He could feel his friend's hesitation. 'It doesn't really matter. I will contact him once I am back. Then I will explain everything to him… and to you of course. You of all people need an explanation, considering that you don't seem to have understood much of what I told you concerning the curse.'
'Not really,' Harry admitted. At that time, he had not dared interrupting the older wizard, as Marvolo had seemed to be happy to just talk about what was bothering him. 'Will we meet in person then?'
'I hope so. Perhaps, you and your father can visit me together.' Marvolo remained quiet for a moment, before he added, 'It might be that your father won't believe me and will forbid you to meet me though. In that case, we'll have to remain mind friends, until I'll be able to convince him otherwise or you'll be able to get away from Hogwarts for a while.'
'Too bad that I can't come to the Isle of Elves for the ritual, but the elves are amazing, and I hope that everything will go well. Please contact me, as soon as it's over. I'll be waiting.'
Bandhu had informed him that the ritual was going to take place at the Execution Moor, which was the elves' equivalent to Azkaban, where the elves took their criminals. According to Anastasia, even stranded muggles had met their fate there on a few occasions. Therefore, Harry was not allowed to come; however, the elder elf had promised that he would take Marvolo back into the human world right after the ritual.
'I shall contact you right away, and if I manage to gain a human form, I owe you and Bandhu a life debt. Now, take care, Harry, and I'll talk to you on Samhain or at least as soon as I can.'
'Bye Marvolo. Good luck.'
'What in the world is a life debt?' Harry wondered. Never before had he heard about such a concept.
HP
During the Halloween feast in the Great Hall, Harry enjoyed himself together with the twins and their Slytherin housemates. From time to time, he wondered when Marvolo was going to contact him, regretting that he had not asked Bandhu at what time the ritual was going to begin and how long it would take.
It was only late that night, when he was already asleep, that outright happiness flooded his mind.
'Marvolo?' he thought, lazily.
'Yes, I'm back, Thank you so much, Harry. I will never forget what you've done for me.'
'You're welcome,' Harry thought back, already drifting back to sleep.
HP
Early the following morning, Lucy woke Harry up, when she returned from the herb garden, where she always went early to release herself.
'Your parents are already sitting in the living room. I think it's time to get up.'
Harry let out a deep yawn. He quickly readied himself for the day, before he joined his parents. To his surprise, they remained seated, and Harry unsurely hovered in front of his favourite spot on the sofa, gently playing with Lucy's ears.
"Harry, please sit down for a moment. There's something that I need to tell you about."
Severus' voice was firm, and Harry obediently sat down on the sofa, smiling, when Lucy let herself fall into the spot next to him with a small thud.
"The Dark Lord seems to be back." Severus' voice was grave.
'The Dark Lord?' Harry wondered. 'Isn't that just a different name for Voldemort, who is Marvolo now?'
"Marvolo? I know. Bandhu did a ritual for him, so that he could get a corporeal body again." Harry smiled at his parents; however, his smile quickly faltered at Severus' expression.
"The elves helped him come back, and you knew all about it and did not tell us?" Severus all but shouted in apparent horror. "Your mother and I do everything to keep you and the baby safe, and you ally yourself with the Dark Lord of all people?"
Harry had never seen his father so angry and instinctively made himself and Lucy invisible, before he popped them away without second thought.
HP
Regina let out a deep sigh. "Severus, don't make yourself so upset. I am sure that this is some kind of misunderstanding. Harry wouldn't do anything to endanger any of us."
She carefully approached the sofa, only to realise that Harry and Lucy were gone. "They aren't here."
Severus let out a deep sigh. "Cicero."
It took almost a minute, before the elf popped up. "Please excuse my tardiness. What can I do for you, Professors?"
"Have you seen Harry?"
Cicero nodded. "Yes, he and Lucy are with Misty and Teddy."
Regina inwardly sighed in relief. 'He would never do anything to endanger us. It must be a misunderstanding, and Severus should have questioned him before lashing out at the child in anger.'
"Cicero, do you know anything about a resurrection ceremony, which the elves performed last night to bring the Dark Lord back to life?"
Cicero nodded. "Yes sir. However…" He interrupted himself, just when Regina stared at Severus in shock, as he let out a small cry of pain, grabbing his left arm.
"It has begun. He's calling me," he hissed in obvious pain, summoned black robes from the bedroom, before he brushed a light kiss onto her forehead and strode towards the door.
"I'll be back as soon as I can. Regina, can you please inform the headmaster that I've been summoned? Cicero, please keep Regina and Harry safe whatever happens." An instant later, he was gone.
tbc...
Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. I appreciate it very much, and my muse really needs the feedback. Thank you.
