Author's Note: I felt bad it took me longer than I thought to write this chapter, so this is much longer than usual! I hope you enjoy it and it's not too long. I'll explain more at the end of the chapter on why this took me longer to get out since I don't want to spoil anything. That said, I hope you enjoy all the twists and turns this chapter takes, especially in regards to Jack. I decided to show what everyone was up to, so hopefully the constantly changing views isn't too irritating.
Reviews:
KijoKuroi: Yeah, it really is annoying how oblivious all the adults are in HP sometimes, just because it would make the plot more interesting. Hopefully my addressing these things doesn't put a damper on the story. If Jack was a Guardian, he probably would feel comfortable talking to North, but you have to remember that at this point Jack doesn't really know North. If you've read Child of Spring, then you would know that Jack and the Guardians send each other gifts back and forth, but that's about it. The only Guardian Jack has any regular contact with is Sandy, and even that's not too reliable. Plus Jack has been on his own for so long that he might not even feel comfortable bringing his problems to anyone. :(
M.v.j.M.: I'm glad you're enjoying it.
Silversun XD: You will find out when you read this chapter!
SimpleWriter44: Clearly I wait until it's the most inconvenient time for you via my psychic powers and then I post to distract you. Muwahaha! ) I'm glad you're enjoying it though.
Crossover Junkie: I'm not offended. I've read a few crossovers that did that and while I did enjoy them, I feel like it's been done a hundred times. Plus I agree that Seasonal magic is different from wizard magic. Jack has his staff, but that doesn't mean he can use it to channel magic spells all of a sudden. And I feel like wizarding wands, although made of special wood, wouldn't work for Jack's special brand of magic. In fact, I'm pretty sure something terrible would happen if he even tried. Besides, this will make what I want to do with Jack even more challenging. :)
Chapter Fourteen: Jack's Mission
Jack wiped his eyes with his hoodie sleeve as he thought about Wind's plan. Wind made it sound so simple, but Jack only knew of a few places to find wizards at. He knew of the magical schools, of course, but other than that..
Not to mention he didn't even know where this Lockhart person was. Or even who he was. The Daily Prophet article mentioned that Gilderoy Lockhart was a famous author but that was about it. It didn't mention where he lived or anything, which meant that Jack had to do some research.
But where could he go to find out about a wizard in particular?
Jack knew that wizards liked to wear normal things like robes and cloaks[1], but he knew that sometimes they tried (very unsuccessfully) to blend in with the more modern non-magical population. He remembered one time he laughed himself silly when he spotted a man wearing a golfing shirt with a kilt while walking down a street.
Grinning a bit at the memory of all the strange looks the wizard had been getting from passersby, Jack remembered where he happened to see a large amount of strangely dressed people. In fact, he'd noticed something strange when he'd flown over the area, but at the time had chalked it up to 'Wizards!' and hurried out of there before they noticed him.
Jack carefully stood up on the tree branch and held his staff out.
"Wind!" he called out. "Let's go to London!"
"So remember - " George Weasley said to Lillian with a grin.
"- A favor now for a favor later," Fred finished for his twin.
Lillian rolled her eyes at this since they'd been saying things like that the entire walk to the castle. They had reached the Entrance Hall and were headed to the entrance to the dungeons when they were surprised to come across Harry.
"Harry!" Fred exclaimed.
"We thought - " George started.
" - You were in the hospital wing," Lee finished with a grin at the irritated look Fred shot him.
Harry turned red at this and muttered something about just needing a potion. The twins exchanged a look at that, but neither commented further on it, much to Harry's relief.
"Well, we just have to return the munchkin here to Professor Snape," Fred said.
"And then we'll join you at the tower," George added on.
"Hey!" Lillian exclaimed with a frown at being called a munchkin.
Fred merely grinned at that and ruffled Lillian's curls, much to her disgust. She grumbled a bit and tried to fix her hair while shooting Fred a dirty look.
"Oh.. ah.." Harry said awkwardly. "Actually, I was going to go to the Owlery."
He didn't want to say so out loud, but he wanted to see if he could get Hedwig to at least acknowledge him again.[2] The last time he had sent a letter to Mr. Lupin, she had given him a look of deep disgust and turned her back to him when he had asked her to send a letter for him. Harry had been rather disappointed to have to use a school owl, and Hedwig had seemed to take it as a personal insult that he'd dare to use any other bird.
"Suit - "
" - yourself!" the twins cheerfully said to Harry as they and Lee took Lillian downstairs.
"Bye!" Lillian called out to Harry as they descended down the stairs.
Harry merely sighed and headed off in the direction of the Owlery.
Gilderoy sat alone at his desk in his office as he tried to do some work for his classes, but his mind kept wandering back to Lillian distractedly. Professor Snape was only supposed to have Lillian for that one night while he gave Harry his detention and Professor Snape had her for practically the whole next day!
..Not that he was complaining or anything.
Well, alright, perhaps not the entire day. It wasn't even lunchtime yet.
But still! It was rude not to return her immediately in the morning.
He twirled a quill absently as he frowned, thinking about how now his outfit wouldn't be in sync with Lillian's. He quite liked their matching outfits. His frown deepened when he realized that eventually Professor Snape would keep Lillian forever, and then what would he do?
He had agreed to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts this year, but now without Lillian, he couldn't help but wonder if he should continue on with it. It would be torture to have to watch Lillian be taken care of by someone else.
Maybe after this year, he would take up his travels again. Lillian made him feel strange about his previous choices in his book writing, but really, what else was he to do? While he did win Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award five times, that wasn't exactly great for a job application.
He really did like his writing, but doing any of his earlier ideas about children's stories or a book about Lillian would be too bittersweet. He didn't think he could go through with it anymore.
Gilderoy glanced at his fireplace as though wishing he could will Severus to call him via the floo, but his fireplace remained silent. With another sigh, he returned to his papers and wished for the first time that he had never volunteered to be a temporary guardian.
While Jack was on his way to London, the Guardians were all gathering for their monthly meeting. They had started getting together more frequently once they started being a little more involved in Jack and Lillian's lives in sending them gifts for the holidays[3], and it made them all a little closer because of it.
Sandy had been one of the first to arrive and was currently perched on North's couch in the globe room, sipping a mug of eggnog. He paused in his drinking, however, when a very melancholy wish came to him. He frowned a little when he heard it, the wisher seemed so sad. He could tell that it wasn't a child's wish, however, and he had no way of knowing precisely whose wish it was.
He shrugged to himself and continued to sip his drink as Bunny stomped into the globe room, grumbling about the cold again.
"Don't know why ya won't let me use my tunnels in here!" Bunny shot North a look as he stomped in. "It's freezin' outside!"
"Ah, Bunny," North said jovially. "I do not like tunnels in my floor! You always leave flower behind, it is not good for wood floor."
Bunny merely rolled his eyes at that and took a seat close to the fire as he got rid of the last of his shivers.
Tooth was the last to arrive as she sat by Sandy on the couch. She smiled at one of her fairies that had tagged along, as the fairy settled down on her shoulder.[4]
"Tooth, glad you could make it!" North said jovially as he waved at an elf who was holding a tray full of goodies. "Cookie? Eggnog?"
Tooth frowned a little in disapproval at that.
"All that sugar is terrible for your teeth!" she exclaimed.
"And yet, no cavities," North said with a friendly smile. Then he clapped his hands together after everyone got settled. "Now is time for business! Tooth? How is teeth?"
North almost instantly regretted asking this, as within less than five minutes later they all had glazed looks on their faces as Tooth happily rambled on about the many teeth her fairies brought her, stopping here and there to give orders to the few fairies that had come along, although the one that was perched comfortably on her shoulder nodded happily at all of Tooth's rambles.
North absently took a cookie from the tray an elf was still holding and took a bite out of it, not noticing the elf had been secretly licking some of the frosting off of some of them, much to Sandy's amusement.
"Alright!" Bunny finally snapped a few minutes later, his patience at listening about teeth finally disappearing.
Before he could say anything else, North cut in as Tooth gave Bunny a scolding look for being so rude.
"Sandy? How are dreams?"
Sandy let loose a flurry of golden symbols, indicating that they were going fine. He suddenly remembered the flying car and told everyone all about it, much to their amusement.
Bunny, however, didn't seem to find it as funny as the others and neither did the fairy, who ruffled her feathers in agitation as she remembered almost being hit by said car.
"Wizards!" Bunny spat. "Think they know everythin'. They're the reason most of their kids don't believe in us."
"Da," North agreed, his smile fading. "I have hard time delivering my gifts because of their magic around some houses."
"You deliver gifts to them?" Tooth blinked in surprise.
"You do not collect their teeth?" North asked her in just as much surprise.
Tooth flushed since she hadn't been out in the field for so long.
"It's like you said, my fairies can't get past the magic on their houses," Tooth said defensively.
Sandy nodded in agreement as golden symbols appeared above his head, saying he had a hard time spreading his dreams because of this.
Bunny sighed, not even bothering to mention the difficulty he had with his eggs since most wizarding children didn't even know to look for them.
His gaze fell on the globe of believers, as he noticed a dim blue light zipping across the globe yet again.[5]
North saw where Bunny was looking and shook his head sadly.
"Blue light has been moving all over for few days," North said sadly, as he too, noticed how dim it was. "Is still big mystery. I have no idea what it is."
Bunny eyed the globe but didn't spot what he was looking for as his frown deepened in worry.
"What about the other one?" Bunny asked, his tone serious.
"Is gone," North said, his tone infinitely sad. "It vanished a few weeks ago.[6]"
Tooth's hands flew up to cover her mouth in horror, her eyes going wide.
"No," she gasped. "Did.. Did they..?"
North sighed deeply, his tone full of regret.
"Is impossible to tell if they stopped believing.. Or worse."
The Guardians all looked somber at that, as they remembered that the two blue lights were often seen side by side. Now one was missing and the other one looked so dim..
Sandy snapped out of his sad reverie as he waved his hand for attention and a barrage of golden symbols appeared above his head.
Bunny was the first to notice since Tooth was still staring at the globe in shock.
"What do ya mean you haven't seen Jack and Lillian in weeks?!" Bunny demanded.
"What?" Tooth asked faintly as she tore her gaze away from the globe to stare at Sandy.
"Maybe they are in other parts of world?" North suggested hesitantly.
Bunny snorted at that.
"When Sandy's been seein' 'em every few weeks for the past few years? 'Sides, it's September! What could they be doin'?"
Sandy shook his head, as Bunny seemed to have forgotten that it was Spring in the Southern Hemisphere at the moment. He was about to remind Bunny, but the other Guardians were all too busy sharing sad looks, as they realized how little they still knew of Jack and Lillian, and now the two blue lights.
Two child spirits and two.. well - they didn't actually know what the blue lights were, but presumably, they were children as well - were missing!
"Should we look for them?" Tooth suggested feebly.
North shook his head as he looked defeated.
"We do not even know where to begin."
Sandy started to raise his hand, but Bunny spoke before he could put in his two cents.
Bunny straightened up as he thought of the other Seasonals.
"I have an idea," he told the others.
Intrigued, Sandy quickly lowered his hand and decided to see what Bunny's idea was first.
Jack had reached London in record time as Wind knew how desperate he was to find Lillian as quickly as possible.
He slowed down quite a bit as Jack told Wind to take him to a particularly busy area with a lot of shops.
"Where is it," Jack muttered to himself as he scanned the buildings below.
It wasn't long before he spotted it - a network of strange alleyways tucked in between the more modern buildings. Jack could see the buildings in the alleys looked much older and that a lot of the people walking around wore robes or very old fashioned clothes.
"Wind, I have to go down there and not be seen[7]," Jack said hastily, feeling a pang as for once he didn't want anyone to notice him.
Jack flew downward as he noticed he was headed toward a smaller side alley off the main busy one, but he hardly had time to notice this before with a loud SMACK Jack hit some sort of invisible shield and was bounced backward by it.[8]
Jack nearly lost his grip on his staff as he groaned and shook his head, feeling disoriented. He rubbed his nose and glared down at the alley.
"How am I supposed to get in there?!" he grumbled in agitation.
Wind, ever helpful, whipped Jack around and flew him to where the network of alleyways seemed to begin at. Surprised, Jack found himself landing in front of a dingy old building with a sign out front that said The Leaky Cauldron.
He rolled his eyes when he saw the sign, but then glanced around uneasily to see if anyone had noticed his arrival. His moment of standing in the middle of the sidewalk cost him, as several people walked right through him.
Jack clutched his chest as that horrible empty feeling seemed to stab him in the heart. Feeling shaken, he hurried into the pub without a backward glance.
As Jack entered, Wind was kind enough to not venture inside with him, so he didn't draw a lot of attention to himself. The pub was fairly full with it being a weekend, and it honestly saw all sorts, so that a very pale, teenage boy, even one with white hair and holding a rather old-looking staff didn't draw that much attention. The various wizards, witches, and odd hag were much too busy with either their meals or companions to pay the boy much mind.
Jack paused just long enough to glance around and he spotted a group of wizards arriving via the fireplace. They called out a cheery hello to Tom, the bartender, before they walked off with purpose. Jack had absolutely no idea where they were going, but as he wanted to stop standing around and looking like an out-of-place idiot, he quickly followed after them, keeping his footsteps quiet.
He glanced down at his feet and for the first time in a very long time, noticed his lack of shoes and how it might appear to others. As the Spirit of Winter, he was basically immune to the cold, but he could see how strange it would look. He sighed as he also thought about his hair and staff and decided it was one more thing to add to the rapidly growing list of what would stand out about himself.
He really hoped he could find out about this Lockhart guy and get out of there quickly. The thought of being around what was essentially so many armed magical beings that could apparently erase all his memories with some spell made him nervous. Still, Jack couldn't help but gape when the group of wizards he was following made the archway to Diagon Alley appear in the alleyway behind the pub.
Then Jack closed his mouth and repressed a snort.
Wizards were such show-offs.
Jack quickly threw his hood over his head to try and not look suspicious out in Diagon Alley. He drew a few curious glances, but really, no one could be bothered with the odd shoeless boy as they were all far too busy with their shopping. Jack was glad at their lack of concern but was kind of wondering how callous someone could be to ignore what was obviously not an adult out all by himself without shoes.
Jack just mentally shrugged and chalked it up to it being Wizards, as did most of the other spirits and sprites. Perhaps it was unfair of them to judge an entire population on the actions of the few ignorant ones, but honestly they were magical beings themselves, and through the centuries they had grown apart from and completely stopped believing in the spirits and sprites.
Jack hadn't been around to witness the wizards who had believed in them, but from what he had observed throughout his lonely years as a spirit, he could tell that wizards didn't think much of those outside their own little world and that a lot of them were kinda, well.. gits.
The word that popped into his head made him grin a bit and it also made him want to adopt a ridiculous British accent, but he remembered that people could see and hear him and for once in his life thought better of it. He could save all of that for when he found Lillian.
..If he found her.
No.
He would find her!
Strengthening his resolve, Jack scanned the shops as he wandered down the alley and stopped when he saw Flourish and Blotts. From the name alone he might not have stopped since to him it sounded like a store that sold parchment and writing supplies. But the large display of magical books in the window made him grin in relief and he quickly hurried inside.
Only to have him tossed back outside just as fast.
"Were you raised in a barn?!" the shopkeeper shouted at Jack. "No shoes, no service! Wear proper attire if you want to do business here!"
Jack flinched at the loud bang of the door slamming shut behind him, which cut off the shopkeeper's continued mutterings. He also heard some passersby laugh at his predicament and he almost turned purple in embarrassment as he flushed in shame. He had fallen to the ground when the shopkeeper threw him out, and he quickly gathered up his staff as he went to get up, but was surprised by the hand suddenly appearing in his line of sight.
"Oh you poor dear!" a kind voice said as Jack looked at the hand, and then up to the red-haired matronly witch that was gazing at him in concern. "Are you alright?"
"Fine," Jack muttered, still quite red as he accepted the hand and was helped to his feet. It felt so strange to him to have this random witch be able to offer him her hand and for him to grab it as though it was nothing.
He had grown used to the occasional hug from Sandy over the years and of course with Lillian being very affectionate and even a pat now and then from Pitch, but now he had gone months without any of that (as Sandy was very busy, Pitch was very busy and Lillian was missing), and this simple gesture made it very hard for him to control his emotions.
The witch seemed to notice his troubled expression and it only heightened her sense of worry for this strange boy.
"Where are your parents?" she asked Jack gently.
Jack's heart clenched at that since he never had parents. He would never have parents. His only family was in tatters and his Lillian.. had forgotten him. He paused for a moment too long, but he managed to shove the emotions aside as he blinked back tears.
"My.. guardians.. are.. um.." Jack hedged, as he tried to think up a plausible lie.
The witch shook her head at the boy with a small smile.
"Did you sneak out?" she asked him, voice still gentle, but now with a hint of amusement and motherly scolding. She didn't ask about the boy's obvious distress since she didn't want to embarrass the poor thing even more than he already was.
Jack's sheepish look was all the witch needed to see and she sighed.
"I really ought to send you straight back home young man," the woman said a little sternly to him. She wondered suddenly what would happen if someone found one of her children out like this when they weren't supposed to be. She hoped that a kind person would direct them home.
Jack's eyes widened and he rapidly shook his head. He hadn't even been here five minutes and he was already failing at this sneaking around thing!
"No!" Jack said a little too loudly and too quickly. At the woman's shocked look, Jack softened his tone. "Please.. I have something I need to do."
The woman sighed once more and eyed Jack again. She knew that some wizards let children younger than this boy run around in the Alley on their own, and she supposed it wasn't really her place to interfere.
"Alright," she finally relented. "But is there anything you need help with?"
Jack instantly brightened as he remembered the Daily Prophet article. Maybe this lady heard of that Lockhart guy!
"Actually," Jack said as he nervously held onto his staff, fiddling around with it a little. "Have you heard of a guy named Gilder.. uh.. Gild.. something.. Lockhart?"
The witch chuckled at the boy's stumbling over the famous wizard's name.
"Everyone knows who he is!" she exclaimed. "He's done all sorts of wonderful things and has his own set of books out."
Jack flashed her a brilliant smile at that.
"Do you know where he is?!" he asked her eagerly, not even stopping to think it might be a little strange of him to be sort of fangirling over this guy or that his questions might seem a little stalkerish.
The witch laughed again and patted Jack on the shoulder. Her smile slipped a few notches when Jack flinched a little at the touch, but she pretended not to notice.
"You really should read the Prophet more often, dear. He's currently teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts."
"Great!" Jack exclaimed enthusiastically, as he knew exactly where that was and had been there several times in the past. He knew the grounds particularly well and it would be a piece of cake to fly in at night without being noticed. Jack then realized he hadn't introduced himself and how rude that was. The thought of Pitch's disappointment in that caused his smile to fade, but he quickly hitched it back up. "I'm Jack by the way."
"Molly Weasley," the witch said with another smile. "And it's lovely to meet you, but I really must get on with my shopping. If you need any more help, I'll just be over there."
Molly gestured at a shop where quills and parchment could be purchased. At Jack's nod, she quickly departed.
Jack almost laughed to himself how easy that had been, when a huge problem suddenly presented itself and he felt the urge to facepalm.
Lillian was in a castle full of wizards who would all be able to see him, and she had no idea who he was. Even if he did manage to kidnap her, she would be frightened and he had absolutely no idea how to get her memories back. His original plan had been to just barge in, steal her away and figure things out from there. But he clearly couldn't do that now.
He was pretty sure if he tried, the wizards would cast numerous spells at him that would be pretty unpleasant and he didn't really want to find out what they could be.
Speaking of wizards, Jack noticed he was kind of standing out, so he went along with the crowd as he thought of what he could do.
What if..
He shook his head to get rid of that thought. That thought would be crazy! Pitch would've yelled at him just for thinking it, let alone actually doing it.
But..
He had to get Lillian back.
Could he really do it though?
Pretend to be -
His thoughts abruptly came to a halt at the strange voice that called out to him angrily.
"YOU!"
Jack's head snapped up from where he had been staring at the ground as he unintentionally followed a group of wizards. As he finally took in his surroundings, he realized he was in front of a large snowy white building, and a goblin that had clearly been guarding the door was pointing at him while glaring menacingly.
All Jack could do was smile a little nervously in response.
"You, ah.. you're still mad about that?" he asked the irate goblin.
The goblin replied by baring his pointy teeth at Jack, who gulped.
Molly Weasley's thoughts drifted from the strange pale boy she saw in Diagon Alley to her eldest and youngest sons at Hogwarts as she entered a small shop[9]for buying ink, quill, and parchment. Her boys hadn't been at Hogwarts for very long before she received numerous owls from Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Professor Lockhart and even Professor Snape.
Molly couldn't help but frown at the particularly snarky paragraph she remembered in Professor Snape's letter:
While your son is particularly inept at potions even with a properly working wand, he is even more so with his current broken one. He has taken to relying on his table-mates for controlling the temperature of his potions for him since his own wand is clearly not up to the task. I believe the last time he tried to do so, he accidentally transfigured his potion into what appeared to be pudding. I urge you to take the boy to get a new wand, or at least if not a new one, then a family one that is a decent fit.
Percy had also written with news of Ron's wand and that apparently Ron seemed to be getting assigned extra work because of it. Ron had finally admitted as much to Percy when Percy had commented on Ron's being extra studious that year when he had spotted Ron several times in the common room working on various essays. Molly hadn't been particularly happy to hear that Ron being studious wasn't a normal thing - and apparently, the teachers had been assigning her son extra work without contacting her.
It had, after all, been a week into the year and she was just now hearing of this broken wand? It made her cheeks flush in anger and almost made her want to send Ron another howler because of it, but Percy had kindly pointed out that may have been why Ron wasn't eager to share the news of his wand with her.
She paused in her perusal of parchment (Percy had pointed out Ron's inadequate writing supplies and how he would need a lot more parchment if this extra work were to continue) to consider who in the family could give her poor Ronnie a wand. There was Ron's Uncle Bilius that had passed on Arthur's side of the family[10].. She hadn't heard what became of his wand, but perhaps it would be a good fit?
She bit her lip as she studied the prices of various rolls of parchment.
The truth was, they simply couldn't afford a new wand for Ron. Especially not with Arthur in trouble at the Ministry and probably facing a fine. As she selected a few rolls of parchment, Molly Weasley wondered what she was going to do.
Percy, however, already knew precisely what to do about Ron's wand situation. He hadn't been impressed when he learned his younger brother was using a spellotaped wand that was behaving extremely erratically and had told Ron off for it. To his irritation, Ron had completely dismissed him.
Percy had then asked Ron what their mum would think about all this and Ron had replied that he always knew Percy was a tattle-tale. Percy was indignant! It was dangerous to use a broken wand. Ron would be lucky if it didn't blow up in his or his classmates' faces one day. He also couldn't believe his professors hadn't done anything about it.
Percy had thought about going straight to Professor McGonagall about the matter, but instead, he wrote to their mother about the situation. She really ought to know. He knew that their finances were less than ideal for purchasing a new wand though - he winced as he remembered his mother sweeping the last of their savings into her purse at their family vault - which was why he had written a letter to both Charlie and Bill. If anyone could talk Ron into seeing sense and help out with the purchase of a new wand, it would be them.
So Percy had written them each a letter and was now in the Owlery, watching his own owl, Hermes, leave with a school owl. He was surprised when Harry turned up. He hadn't heard anything of what happened to Harry outside the school earlier, and therefore didn't pepper Harry with inquiries to Harry's health, much to Harry's relief.
"Have a letter to send?" Percy kindly asked him with a smile.
Harry shook his head as he turned a little red in embarrassment. He had thought Percy was going to say something about what happened to him on the Quidditch Pitch earlier, but Percy hadn't been there and obviously hadn't run into any of his siblings yet, thankfully. The last thing he wanted was Percy of all people being a mother hen. It was already weird with the Weasley twins loading up his plate at every meal.
"I wanted to.." Harry trailed off hesitantly. Ron scoffed at Harry's worry over Hedwig's anger. Would Percy think he was being stupid about it as well?
"To?" Percy politely inquired.
Harry gestured at his own Hedwig, who had turned so that her tail was facing them.
"Hedwig's mad at me," Harry admitted as he found his shoes interesting. "I wanted to see if she'd.. um.. accept an apology."
"Why is she mad at you?" Percy asked interestedly. He knew it was unusual to have an owl hold a grudge against their owner.
Harry looked even more awkward at that.
"My Aunt and Uncle.. ah.. they don't like owls much," Harry said more to his shoes. "They wouldn't let me let her out of her cage in the summer."
He decided not to mention the padlock or the bars on his window anyway. The twins had already told Mrs. Weasley and she didn't even do anything. It sort of reminded him of the time he told his primary school teacher proudly about how cool his room was (he didn't know it was unusual to sleep under the stairs at the time) and she had snapped at him about making up stories.
"That's animal abuse!" Percy frowned at that. "She's mad at you about that?"
"Well.." Harry hedged. "Then at the train station, when Ron and I crashed into the barrier - "
"Wait, wait, wait," Percy interrupted. "You CRASHED into the barrier?!"
Harry looked up in surprise at that.
"Yes?" he half-asked, half-stated. "You didn't hear?"
"I only heard about you two flying the car to Hogwarts," Percy shook his head. "Why did you crash? I've never heard of the barrier closing! No wonder Mum and Dad were so worried."
"I don't know," Harry shrugged, "But anyway when we crashed Hedwig's cage sort of fell off the trolley and she rolled around."
Percy winced at that.
"Ouch, poor Hedwig," he commiserated. "So she's mad at you about all that?"
"She's also mad about the car crashing into that tree that hits back," Harry said with a sigh. "The car got mad that it was getting beat up and kicked us all out. Hedwig's cage sort of went flying and she burst out of it and flew off."
"I can see why she's giving you the silent treatment then," Percy said with a nod as he tried not to show that he was reeling about hearing that apparently, their family car was sentient, "that's a lot for one owl to endure. She's probably feeling very poorly treated after all that."
"I tried saying sorry to her," Harry told Percy with a tinge of desperation to his tone. "But she won't even look at me! She can't.. she can't stay mad forever, can she?" his voice kept getting smaller as he went on. "She was.. she was my first friend."
The last part had been uttered so quietly that Percy almost missed it.
Almost.
Percy's mind reeled at the implications. Had Harry really never had any friends before? Why would his mail owl even be considered a friend in the first place? At most, they were considered pets! But not an actual friend. This was highly unusual.
His astounded look softened as he looked at Harry. The boy looked so miserable at the thought of his owl being so angry at him.
"I think I have just the thing," Percy told Harry, as he decided not to comment on the friend thing.
Harry looked up quickly with a spark of hope in his eyes.
"Y-you do?" he asked. He had half expected Percy to scoff at him about Hedwig like Ron had, but instead, Percy was offering to help! Harry had never thought much of Percy before. Percy was often very pompous and Harry tried to avoid Percy as much as possible normally.
"Here," Percy said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a few owl treats. "That should fix her up."
He handed them over to Harry, whose smile lit up his face.
"Thank you!" Harry gushed to Percy.
Percy was a little taken aback at just how grateful Harry was at his help. He had no way of knowing that Harry was used to the fact that hardly anyone older than him cared enough to help him with his problems and therefore didn't expect it. Not to mention that Harry wasn't used to people so offhandedly giving him things.
So Percy was a little perplexed as Harry rushed over to the owls and tried to persuade Hedwig to come down from her perch.
"Please Hedwig?" Harry wheedled. "I have treats for you."
Hedwig's head turned at that and she glanced at Harry with one of her large, amber eyes. Harry held up the treats with wide, pleading emerald eyes in return.
There was a long pause in which Harry held his breath, but then Hedwig turned back around and flew down to Harry, landing on his arm. She helped herself to the treats and had them eaten in a few seconds.
Harry gently stroked her soft, snowy feathers.
"I'm really sorry, Hedwig," he said softly to her. "I didn't mean for all those things to happen to you."
Hedwig turned her head to look at Harry with her large eyes. She fluttered up to his shoulder and gently nipped his ear affectionately.
Harry couldn't help but laugh a little at that as her feathers tickled him.
"H-Hedwig!"
Percy smiled a little sadly at the exchange and then his smile disappeared as he thought of what Harry had said about his relatives mistreating his owl. What would happen when Harry went back there? It really wasn't any of his business, but he couldn't stand the thought of anyone abusing any animal, especially one as beautiful as Hedwig.
So while Harry was busy chatting away to Hedwig, Percy slipped out of the Owlery and thought of what he should do. Obviously, he should inform someone - but who?
Colin had rushed off on his own after he, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had all entered the castle not long after Professor Snape and Harry, babbling excitedly about getting his film developed in the special potion.
Ron had shaken his head at that but didn't bother asking Colin about who his contacts were for that. He didn't really care anyway.
Now it was a while later and they were all gathered in Gryffindor tower as Hermione was worried that they hadn't been able to find Harry in the hospital wing and that Madam Pomfrey hadn't even heard that Harry should have been in there!
"I tell you, Snape's probably chopping Harry up right now!" Ron said as Hermione shot him a look.
"Of course he's not! He's a professor," Hermione explained exasperatedly for the millionth time.
"Then where is Harry?" Ginny finally spoke up from her seat. She had taken Harry's usual chair by the fire.
"I don't know," Hermione sighed. "I hope he's alright."
"Professor!" Fred cheerfully called out once they reached Professor Snape's office. Lillian had helpfully explained to them that was where the entrance to Professor Snape's quarters was.
"We have - " George continued,
" - the squirt!" Lee finished with another grin at Fred, who scowled.
"Quit stealing our bit!" Fred complained to Lee.
Lee smirked at him as Professor Snape emerged from his quarters.
"It took you long enough," Snape grumbled at them.
"She took - " Fred said,
" - a roundabout way," George finished.
Professor Snape pinched the bridge of his nose at the twinspeak and tried to stave off a headache that was forming, not noticing the look of relief Lillian had at not being told on.
"What's the deal with the flowers anyway? Sir?" Lee asked. "Following flowers makes no sense."
Professor Snape sighed but dropped his hand from his nose.
"It seems that Lillian has a rather unique form of accidental magic," he explained to the trio. "Now if you don't mind.."
The twins and Lee bid Professor Snape goodbye, as Lillian crossed her arms and looked up at Professor Snape with a small frown.
"I'm supposed to be back with Gilderoy, you know," she informed him. "You promised."
Professor Snape frowned right back at her.
"First of all, young lady, I said I would look after you as a favor to him so he could supervise his detention. And second - if I were you, I'd change that attitude before you regret it."
Children these days! Had they no respect for their elders?
Professor Snape ignored the niggling feeling that perhaps Lillian wasn't just a child - she thought she was at the moment, so he would treat her as such until it was definitively proved one way or the other.
Lillian's pout became more pronounced at that and her emerald eyes darkened as her anger spiked.
"You said that I would stay the night and now it's not night anymore," she needlessly pointed out, practically glaring at Professor Snape.
Professor Snape hid a wince at her stormy emerald eyes, as he remembered that look all too well on another pair of emerald eyes, eyes that held betrayal and hurt -
Ruthlessly, Professor Snape shoved the memory into the back of his mind.
Stop it, he told himself harshly, It's in the past.
"I am aware," Professor Snape ground out, his voice tight with repressed emotion.
Lillian looked surprised at his response, unaware that she'd upset him so. She was starting to regret being so sassy about it and was thinking that she might've hurt his feelings. It wasn't that she didn't want to spend any time with Professor Snape, it was just that she knew it wouldn't be too long before she couldn't stay with Gilderoy anymore and -
"If it's such a burden being in my presence, then go," Professor Snape dismissed her with a look.
Shocked, Lillian wanted to protest that wasn't what she meant at all, but before she could muster up the right words, she heard the slamming of a door and realized she was standing alone in Professor Snape's office. She stared at the door to Professor Snape's quarters for a long moment, but Professor Snape did not reappear.
Feeling dejected and more than a little abandoned, Lillian turned and quietly left the office.
"I only wanted a little more time," Lillian whispered softly to herself as she wiped the back of her hand across her eyes.
Why couldn't she ever seem to do anything right?
Jack's eyes darted nervously around the inside of the snowy white building as he was ushered inside by the menacing-looking goblin that had spoken to him at the door. The few wizards that were occupied hardly paid the strange boy any notice, thankfully.
Jack's relief at that was very short-lived, however, when he was ushered off the main area of the bank and before he knew it, he was standing in front of a very ornate wooden door.
The goblin behind Jack spoke to another goblin that was standing to the side of the door in a strange language Jack didn't understand, but he certainly understood the answering growl and dark look thrown his way. Jack held his staff close to himself as he wondered if he could use Wind to make a hasty getaway. Before he could decide what to do, the goblin outside the door had knocked on the door and soon Jack was being prodded in the back with something rather sharp to go inside.
There was a goblin inside what could only be an office, seated behind a desk sitting on a leather chair.[8] The goblin fixed its steely gaze upon Jack when he entered and Jack clutched his staff tighter to himself.
"So," the goblin behind the desk said to him in icy tones. "The Snow Thrower has decided to come to Gringotts."
"I wasn't aiming for the goblin!" Jack cried out hastily.
The goblin behind the desk steepled his long fingers and glared at Jack with a gaze that made even him feel cold.
"The goblin in question assured us that you laughed when you hit him with not one, but several snowballs," the goblin informed him firmly.
Jack took a step back from the desk as his mind raced. He had a hazy recollection of aiming a snowball at something and accidentally hitting a goblin instead. He could vaguely recall laughing at the cursing goblin and throwing several more at him and he wasn't quite sure, but the word 'half-pint' might have been thrown around.
Jack wanted to facepalm at that, but that was over a hundred years ago at least! That was way before he had met Lillian and was friendly with Pitch. It was at a time when he would do almost anything for even a little attention.
"Look," Jack said desperately, "I'm sorry you're still mad about something that happened over a hundred years ago. I'm not the same as I was then. I know it wasn't very nice and I really shouldn't have laughed."
The goblin behind the desk muttered darkly at that and Jack could swear he heard the word 'half-pint.' He was in so much trouble!
"You guys know about wizards, right?" Jack rushed on. "I need a way to blend in with them and not look out of place."
The goblin behind the desk paused in his muttering and leveled his gaze over at Jack once more. His eyes took on a more calculating look and his pointed teeth began to show in a malicious grin. This sounded most profitable.
"Assuming we even help you, what could a mere child offer Gringotts?" the goblin sneered.
"I'm a Seasonal," Jack said hurriedly. "I have a lot of powers. I could.. uh.. give you ice that never melts! You could make really great stuff with it. Or.. um.."
"Yes?" the goblin prompted, ignoring Jack's ramblings.
"I'm a child of Mother Nature," Jack said as he tried to draw himself up and look a little more imposing. "I'm the Spirit of Winter. I'll give you a favor redeemable by me at any time you choose. Anything you want, as long as I don't have to hurt anyone. Anything."
Pitch was going to kill him if he ever heard of Jack giving such an open-ended offer to a goblin. But Jack was completely desperate. He wasn't sure how else he could go through with his plan since he didn't want to resort to stealing and he would keep getting thrown out of the shops here for not having proper attire.
"Anything?" the goblin queried.
Jack nodded hastily in return.
The grin spread on the goblin's face, making him look more menacing than ever, but Jack held his ground and tried not to look intimidated.
"And all you require is a way to look more wizardly?" the goblin said in disdain.
"I just need to look more human," Jack clarified. "I also need shoes and some spending money, and a way to hide my staff and make it blend in with wizards."
"In exchange for one favor from you?" the goblin didn't sound impressed at this.
"More than one," Jack said as desperation tinged his voice again.
"I'd say that all that would garner several," the goblin agreed.
Jack nodded in reply.
"You will sign a contract," the goblin told Jack. "Non-breakable and our terms are ironclad. If you go back on your word, we will take our payment in the form of your head being removed from your person."
Jack gulped at that and shakily nodded.
"Sounds.. sounds good," Jack said in a wobbly voice that was a little higher than normal.
The goblin opened a drawer in his desk and withdrew a long roll of parchment. For several moments, all that could be heard was the sound of a quill scratching as the goblin drew up the contract.
Jack was distracted from his nervous fidgeting when the scratching of the quill stopped and the goblin slid the contract across the desk along with an ornate silver dagger.
"Slice your palm and trickle blood on the line at the bottom," the goblin ordered as he gestured to where the blood should fall.
Jack tried to gulp, but his throat had gone incredibly dry. Slicing himself like that made this deal sound that much more sinister. He looked from the dagger to the contract apprehensively, but he couldn't think of how else he was going to go ahead with his plan. Feeling a pit of dread forming, he gently leaned his staff against the desk and picked up the dagger.
He tried not to notice how the dagger trembled as he brought the tip to his palm. He winced as he sliced his palm in the center with the dagger. He set the dagger back down on the desk and held his palm over the line on the contract, as he watched his blood drip steadily down onto the contract, each drop sealing his fate.
His eyes widened as he heard the goblin begin to chant in the strange language, the words sounding harsh and as sharp as the dagger. As the chanting continued, the contract began to glow and the drops of blood on the line changed to form into what was clearly Jack's signature.
Jack was wondering why he couldn't just sign the contract normally when his palm began to burn and he hissed in pain. He clutched at his hand with the other and brought it closer to his chest as though to protect it, as his cut burned. He squeezed his eyes shut as the glowing contract grew brighter and the burning feeling in his palm increased.
The chanting reached a crescendo and then as suddenly as it began, it was over. Jack cautiously opened his eyes and pulled his hand away from where he had been cradling it protectively against his chest.
What he saw when he opened his palm took his breath away and he stared at it in horror.
"The symbol of Gringotts[11]," the goblin answered Jack's unasked question, his voice sounding more sinister than ever. "You belong to Gringotts now."
That jerked Jack out of his horrified stupor and he turned wide eyes on the goblin with the shark-like grin that was still seated behind the desk.
"Wh-what?" Jack's voice came out very faint.
He hurriedly snatched up the contract and saw at the top was the very same symbol that was now burned into the palm of his hand: a set of scales with crossed swords behind it, and a tall axe standing upright in the middle of the swords.
Jack looked at the terms of the contract more closely and noticed that he was to pay the goblins immediately with two large blocks of ice that would never melt and that he owed several favors to the goblins, to be called on whenever and wherever they saw fit. Jack noted with dismay that the number of favors wasn't specified and that there was no time limit set to the contract.
"Our symbol will remain burned into you until your debt is fully repaid," the goblin informed Jack.
"This doesn't even say what my full debt is!" Jack protested. "How much is 'several favors?!'"
The shark-like grin on the goblin's face grew as his eyes glittered maliciously.
"You agreed to those terms, didn't you?" the goblin more stated than asked. "You said you would do anything to get what you wanted and until we deem your debt paid, you will belong to us, Seasonal."
Jack stared from the contract to his palm, never feeling more trapped than he ever had than in this moment.
What had he done?
"Now I need your staff," the goblin stated, his tone becoming more business-like.
"What?!" Jack squeaked as he snatched his staff from where it had been leaning against the desk and held it protectively close.
The goblin tsked impatiently at the boy's antics and leveled a look at him.
"You did state your desire to disguise it from the wizards. As stated, the contract is ironclad, the terms already set. Give me the staff," the goblin said to Jack.
Before Jack could protest any further, the staff was rudely wrenched from his grasp by the other goblin who had yet to leave and handed over to the goblin that was still seated behind the desk.
Jack tensed as he heard the goblin behind the desk begin to chant and cried out when the goblin ran a sharp claw down the center of the staff, carving something small and intricate into the wood.
The small symbol the goblin carved in the staff glowed brightly for a moment and then the glow faded.
Jack rubbed his chest as a part of him now felt.. wrong. It felt like the goblin had carved something directly onto his soul and he didn't like the feeling. He hadn't wanted any of this! He only wanted a way to blend in with the wizards and for his staff to not be so obvious. He didn't ask for his staff to be damaged like that or for himself to be branded like a goblin's slave!
The staff was soon shoved roughly back into his hands and Jack hastily examined the symbol that had been carved onto his staff. Thankfully, it was at least small and not very noticeable. Jack suddenly noticed that he felt slightly drained and he frowned as he stared at his staff. Besides the symbol that was there, it didn't look any different at all.
"When a wizard or witch gazes at that staff, it will appear to be a magic wand," the goblin behind the desk explained. "The symbol carved upon the staff is a word in gobbledygook that means 'conceal.'"
Jack shook his head, as he wanted to protest the means of which that was accomplished, but he knew that the goblin would only sneer at him for his own stupidity. He realized now that he should have read the contract first before agreeing to anything.
"Why does it make me feel weird?" Jack asked as he still felt that slight draining feeling.
"The spell is achieved through goblin magic but is powered through your staff, which is in turn powered through you. As long as it remains, it will draw a small amount of power from you," the goblin smirked at Jack.
"Wait.. as long as it remains?" Jack shot an accusatory look at the goblin. He wasn't getting branded for nothing!
"You didn't state how long you wanted you or your staff to 'blend in,'" the goblin retorted. "I could have made it so that the spell only lasted a few moments if I wanted."
At Jack's suddenly horrified look, the goblin chuckled.
"Consider this fair warning, young Seasonal," the goblin grinned. "We take our contracts very literally. Fortunately for you, I decided the spell will remain until I decide to remove it. The rest of our terms will be completed once you have made your ice."
"Right," Jack mumbled as he concentrated and waved his staff at an empty part of the office. One large block of ice slowly formed, followed by another. Jack swayed a little on his feet as he remembered suddenly how tired he was before all this had happened. Now he made two big blocks of never-melting ice, which even creating a small amount used a significant portion of energy, and now he had this spell placed on his staff would be constantly draining him.
Great.
Jack planted his staff on the ground and leaned heavily on it while making the move look nonchalant. If he didn't look so tired, it might even have been believable.
"Now the rest of our terms," the goblin behind the desk snapped his fingers and the goblin that had snatched Jack's staff away immediately retreated from the office.
Several minutes later there was a knock as the goblin returned and entered the office. He was carrying a wooden box with the symbol of Gringotts carved onto the lid and a pair of boots that looked like they had seen better days.
Jack stared at the box in confusion as it was placed on the desk. The goblin behind the desk leaned forward and opened the lid for Jack, revealing a beautiful silvery pendant on a delicate chain.
"Goblin enchanted," the goblin behind the desk proudly declared. "Originally it was going to be sold to the more gullible and incapable wizards, but for you, it will do. As long as you wear it, you'll look more human. If a wizard wore it, they wouldn't see much of a difference. Perhaps a different hair and eye color. I believe it will have an interesting effect on a Seasonal."
Jack saw that the pendant was shaped like a small coat of arms, but was blank. Obviously, that part was to be filled in once the wizard had purchased it. With trembling fingers, Jack reached out and took the pendant from the box. He fumbled with the chain for a few minutes as he struggled to put it on while trying to hold his staff, but eventually, he somehow managed it.
The delicate chain was long enough to be tucked into any shirt Jack wore and not be that visible. Once it was on, Jack didn't feel any different at all. He turned his confused gaze on the goblin behind the desk, who rolled its eyes.
The goblin gestured to a large mirror that was in the corner of the office and Jack stepped in front of it, using his staff to help keep himself upright as he still felt likely to keel over at any moment. He was way beyond exhausted now.
As Jack stepped in front of the mirror he gasped as he saw he no longer looked deathly pale anymore. His cheeks now had a healthy pink glow that hadn't been there before. He was still pale, but now it was more the pallor of someone who didn't go outside much combined with all the recent stress Jack had just been through. Then his gaze wandered up to his still very white hair and he clenched his fists.
"All you did was change my coloring!" Jack tried not to shout as he whirled around to face the goblin behind the desk. "My hair's still white!"
"I believe white is a normal human hair color, isn't it?" the goblin drawled in a bored tone.
"Yeah, for old people, not teens!" Jack retorted. "How is this helping me to blend in! How?!"
The goblin pointed a long finger at the contract and Jack felt his heart sink.
"It clearly states in paragraph three, Article B that you desired nothing more than to 'appear more human.' This can be interpreted in a number of ways, which I have chosen to mean that you wanted to appear more alive and less like a Seasonal. It does not specify what hair or eye color you desired and if you've paid any attention to the wizards at all, a number of them do sport white hair."
Jack ran a hand through his hair in exasperation as he realized just how horrible this deal was. The goblins barely gave him what he wanted, while he had to give them everything.
"In addition," the goblin continued, "Since you failed to state the length of the concealment, the necklace is considered on loan from Gringotts and is in no way, shape or form considered yours. We retain the right to reclaim our property at any given time."
"I don't have a choice, do I," Jack muttered bitterly. He was really starting to hate goblins.
"Your signature on the contract states that you agree to our terms," the goblin smirked at Jack. He reached into another drawer and withdrew a medium-sized pouch filled with Gringotts coins and set it next to the boots. "Now take the rest of your things and leave this building. Gringotts thanks you for your service."
Jack hastily snatched the incredibly worn-looking boots and stuffed them onto his feet and grabbed the pouch as he placed it in his hoodie pocket. Without another word he left the office and hoped that he never had to visit this horrible place ever again.
It was with an immense amount of relief that Jack was finally able to leave Gringotts and move on to the other parts of his plan.
He knew for Lillian, this would all be worth it, but he still couldn't help but feel he definitely got the short end of the stick.
While Jack was busy selling off small parts of his soul to the goblins, Harry was having fun chatting away to Hedwig still as the day wore on. He had told Hedwig all about the Quidditch pitch incident and about Professor Snape and of course all the happenings of that week since Hedwig had really missed out on a lot when she hadn't been speaking to him.
"Oh!" Harry exclaimed as he pulled the somewhat crumpled letter from Remus Lupin out his pocket. "And Mr. Lupin wrote to me again."
Harry eagerly began to read the letter while Hedwig looked curiously at it as she continued to sit on Harry's shoulder. A smile grew on Harry's face as read Mr. Lupin's reply, who had been astounded that hardly anyone shared stories of Harry's parents with him. Now that was quickly being rectified as Harry read about some of the pranks that his father pulled with his school friends.
The sound of Harry's laughter rang through the Owelry as the afternoon dwindled away.
Dinner that night was rather normal, Harry noted, if that included his being peppered by anxious inquiries from his friends (Ron, in particular, had been appalled that Snape had given Harry tea and kept asking Harry if he felt ill) and Professor Snape glaring at his meal as though it had personally affronted him.
Harry saw that Lillian was once again in her special chair that was attached to the table by Professor Lockhart. Harry was a little puzzled as to why Professor Lockhart looked a little depressed and Lillian kept shooting guilty looks over at Professor Snape, but he was soon distracted by Ron as he exasperatedly told him once more that he definitely hadn't been poisoned.
It wouldn't be until the next day that anyone would realize that anything unusual had happened in the night as rumors circulated amongst the students about a boy that had been found outside of Hogwarts' gates.
[1] Since Jack started off his life as a Seasonal in a cloak, he considers them to be normal wear. Especially since Pitch still wears one and if you've read Child of Spring at all, you'd know Pitch has Lillian wear them as well.
[2] Harry and Hedwig obviously have a special bond in the books and Harry gets upset about Hedwig being mad at him, but then he does absolutely nothing to fix this. Hedwig obviously isn't just any ordinary old owl and Harry cherishes her. I get that J.K. Rowling probably didn't want to include Harry going off and making up with her in the book, but it kind of bothered me, so I decided to change that in my story.
[3] This is a Child of Spring reference. In the beginning parts Jack, Lillian, and the Guardians reach a point where the Guardians send Jack and Lillian gifts for Christmas, etc. I just put this note here in case you found that strange.
[4] That's Baby Tooth, but she hasn't been named yet.
[5] Another Child of Spring reference. There's a big mystery in that fic over what the blue lights are, but this is a minor detail in this story. The two lights are obviously Jack and Lillian. They are both considered children because Lillian started off as a child and will never grow up, while Jack became the Spirit of Winter before he became an adult and is therefore considered a child still. The lights are blue to signify the fact that they are spirits, but the Guardians in this fic don't have any clue what they mean just yet.
[6] Lillian's light vanished off the globe because of all the magical wards around Hogwarts. I'd imagine they'd interfere with even the mechanics of the globe and would cause it to not show her light properly.
[7] If I haven't explained in earlier chapters why wizards can see/touch the spirits, it will be properly explained later on in the fic. For now just chalk it up to magic.
[8] A wizard did it. No really - I figure that the magical people would be paranoid enough to ward Diagon Alley (as well as other places) to high hell so that only those who enter the Alley via specific methods could get in. Those trying to get in another way would be repelled by a force field of sorts. This means that you'd only get access to the Alley if you went through the entrance behind The Leaky Cauldron, flooed or apparated in. It wouldn't stop Death Eaters or other bad wizards getting in, but it would stop anything else.
[9] I googled this and even looked in my copy of Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone to see if this particular shop in Diagon Alley even existed. It does, it just never gets named. There's a store in Hogsmeade that gets named, but the one in Diagon Alley never does. I didn't feel it was important enough to name, so I just left it to be an anonymous little shop.
[10] I googled this too, and it never gets stated on whose side of the family that Bilius is on, so I totally made this up.
[11] I looked up as much as I could about the goblins of HP and not a whole lot is said about them as a whole. There is no mention of heirarchy or even what the leader of Gringotts is called. I looked up symbols for the Gringotts goblins in google images, but it just looked like a bunch of fanmade stuff. So I made up my own. I purposely made the goblin behind the desk as ambiguous as possible, since I didn't want to name him. I read a fic once that referred to the goblins as the Goblin Nation and called the leader the Director of Gringotts. I thought I'd seen that in a few different fics, so that lead me to an extensive google search to see if any of that was true. They called the Director Ragnok, and while Ragnok is apparently a named goblin in HP, he isn't the leader of the goblins. And while Griphook is also a fan favorite to be the Potters' account manager, in the wiki he's just listed as the goblin that runs the carts. While I'm striving to be accurate to canon, I also want to throw in my own touches. So the parts I have with the goblins are all things I made up.
Author's Note: Whew! I hope you guys don't mind all the little notes I threw up there. I figure if you hate it enough, you can just skip over it. For those that like to read those things, then you can see my thoughts on various little parts in the chapter.
If you're wondering what took me so long to get this chapter out, it was the part with Jack and the goblins that really tripped me up. Jack needed a way to disguise himself for his plan (that we have yet to see) to work, but I wanted to have it be something more unique. Normally in the few Guardians/HP crossovers that I've read Jack and the Guardians will get a potion of some sort that will make them look human. Or else Jack will just be himself and nobody will question it. You'll recall that in the movie that Jack is deathly pale with WHITE HAIR. It really bothers me when nobody questions this! I mean, really? In those stories Jack normally gets this mystery potion from either the Man in the Moon, North, or Dumbledore. While I do agree that Dumbledore does seem to know quite a bit about things other people normally wouldn't, I feel it's a bit too convenient that he happens to have a magical potion that will make Jack and the Guardians (especially Bunny!) look human.
So I decided early on that Jack couldn't use a potion to disguise himself. I also decided that Jack couldn't use any wizard magic to disguise himself either, since he wanted to avoid any unwanted attention and asking some wizard to help would definitely raise some red flags. Jack can't pull off his plan all by himself - he clearly needs outside help to make this all work. Even if he got the proper attire somehow, he'd still look more like a corpse than anything and that in itself would draw suspicion. I wanted to do something that (hopefully) isn't done that often - use the goblins. I've seen in some HP fics where Harry will charm the goblins by treating them with respect and since he is Harry, he always does the impossible and it just works for him.
Jack isn't like that. I wanted him to get help from the goblins, but I also wanted to show the totally ruthless and cunning side that the goblins seem to have in the books. I realize how very stupid it was of Jack to sign a contract he hadn't read, especially on such vague terms and I was really on the fence about having Jack do that. But then you'll remember that Jack's been all alone for years with hardly any normal social interactions. I feel like his negotiating skills would be practically non-existent and he's desperate enough to agree to just about anything. Plus he's a more leap before you look kind of guy.
As for Jack's staff, in other crossover fics I've seen Jack use his wand to cast HP spells, in one fic his staff was shrunk to wand size and it magically works, and he's often given a special wand that will be icy/look like an icicle and he can use it because magic. I decided right away that my Jack wouldn't get or be able to do any of that. He needed a way to be able to use his staff while it not looking like his staff, but how? Then I remembered that it's vaguely referenced about goblins being able to take care of themselves against wizards and having their own powers and the Wiki/Google confirmed that goblins have their own brand of magic, so there you go.
And before anyone says anything, no, Jack WILL NOT be using his disguised staff to cast spells!
I hope you guys understand my reasoning about the goblins (sorry for the extra long notes about it) and aren't too upset at what I did to Jack there. If you are, please don't flame me? :(
I also hope you don't mind that I threw the bit with Molly Weasley in there. Even though it's really important in the book that Ron have his broken wand at the end, it always kind of bothered me that the teachers never said anything to anyone about Ron using a very dangerously broken wand. I mean the thing actually blew up in Lockhart's face! Since my Lockhart isn't such an bastard, I decided it would be nice if Ron didn't have such a nightmare year with a broken wand.
I also threw the parts with Percy in, since I feel like Percy is an underappreciated character. I feel like he's only included sometimes just to annoy Harry and his friends, especially in this book. Percy is still Ron's brother and he still cares. So I wanted Percy to be seen doing something nice for a change and for us to see other parts of his character. I feel like he's pretty one-dimensional sometimes in the books and that we don't really get to see enough of him to see how his character really grows in the end. I admit I'm a little hazy on HBP/Deathly Hallows since I haven't read them in forever, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong there.
I'm as eager for the next chapter to come out as you guys, so I'll be working on that throughout the week and hopefully it will be out soon! As always if you have any comments/concerns/suggestions feel free to let me know! Thanks very much to all those who follow/fave this story as well.