Harry spent the entire week working diligently on making an exact copy of him. It was an exhausting process giving the clone a copy of his memories and habits that others had seen. There was also the issue of the clone replying to letters in a way that represented him. If anything was off then people would start to sneak around. That was the last thing he needed considering the circumstances.
Meaning that he would need to use his two-way mailbox as the clone couldn't handle something complex yet. Replying to letters in a way that resembled him was too much to ask. The two-way mailbox was a rather expensive thing that was possible to buy from the Goblins. The group was very reluctant to share their secrets or sell products that were helpful to them. Something that had to do with their Warrior like culture most likely. Aside from making his clone, Harry noticed his cousin observing him these past few days.
There was no hostile intent, rather Dudley seemed more curious than anything. He even watched as Harry constructed the clone, he only left the door open to show he held no fear of them. It was a sign to show his aunt and uncle that things had become exactly like before. Today he was taking a break with his body leaning against the door. He wasn't arrogant enough to leave the door open when he was having a moment of weakness. Such an action would only bring foolishness that wasn't accepted at the Academy.
Hearing footsteps come up the stairs and stop at his door Harry tensed. He knew it was cousin because of his scent and the way he walked or rather waddled. There was a pause in the air before Dudley spoke. His voice was soft, unsure, and even seemed to shake a bit much to his surprise,
"Harry…" Harry lifted his head a bit wondering what Dudley was going to do. He took another deep breath, "Can you tell me what's happening in your world? Mom never talks about Aunt Lily and whenever she does it's mostly about the things she did. From the things, she says it seems that Aunt Lily was very smart. I mean transforming a teacup into a living animal, making something float, they seem pretty cool. Of course, I won't ever let my parents hear me say that." He added quickly causing a soft smile to appear on Harry's lips.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I want to learn about the Wizarding World from you. Not from someone who is bitter over something they don't have. My teacher said that there is more to one side of a story and I'm putting that to use." he finished lamely. Harry took in the words his cousin, hardly believing what he said. Thinking over what to say Harry spoke just as Dudley was about to leave,
"Colorful... it's the first thing that would come to your mind, after a while the second word would be dark. While magic does many wonderful things it also does bad. That's the first lesson we're taught about the weapon we wield in our blood. The Academy... Is different from Hogwarts, I'm sure you know that. The thing that you don't know is how different the Academy is to Hogwarts. While Hogwarts help the students and sugarcoat what the world is really like. The Academy leaves no illusions, they can't. The students can't reach their full potential that way, and the Academy demands it.
You need to become the best if you want to live. That's a rule that isn't stated, but the sooner you learn it the better. If you can't defend yourself from students that would do anything to make sure you get kicked out of the school. Some of them would even kill you in your sleep. I spent many nights at the library learning all that I could for my own protection.
Murders, death, betrayal and many other things is common there. The more jaded, and darker the student the more they can survive." I explained softly my mind recalling some incidents that were painful. That was a time before I met my friends.
"How did you even survive?" He asked me shakily. A bittersweet smile appeared on my lips.
"Your parents Dudley, because of how I was treated I was able to live. I guess the darker side your parents made of me actually became of use. I should thank them." A let out a mocking laugh.
"Darker side?" Dudley questioned. I took in a deep breath,
"I have blood on my hands, Dudley. Ever since the second month, I started at the Academy I've had blood on my hands. It was in self-defence." the two words came out of my mouth as if spat.
"A student attacked me and I fought back. I hit a bit too hard and the guy's neck snapped. I didn't mean to... Back then I didn't have control over my strength. There wasn't any blood thankfully, but the eyes were empty." I said my voice becoming hoarse as my body shook.
"What scared me the most was that I enjoyed it. The creature side of me was satisfied and..." My voice choked.
"You're very lucky Dudley to be who you are. I never had that reassurance and look what I became. I never asked to be like this, never..." I didn't hear Dudley speak as he walked away too deep into old memories.
"I'm sorry for what you had to go through cousin. I'm sorry for being a part of the reason. If it is any help I don't think you are a waste of space or a monster." Dudley Dursley became a changed person that day as he listened to the sobs coming out of his cousin's body. Maybe the power of magic wasn't worth all that you had to go through for it.
By the end of the week, Harry had finished the necessary preparations. He was worn from the long process along with feeling rather famished. He hadn't left his room needing the clone to be as fast as possible. The only exception was bathroom breaks making his relatives rather uneasy. Acting in such a way meant trouble for them in the past. It brought some pleasure to Harry, seeing the looks his relatives had given him. At one point in his life he had those same looks, but no longer. He grew stronger from what he was before, he was better now.
Harry didn't care what his aunt or uncle thought, there was no love lost between. Although Dudley's attitude towards him had been improving strangely enough. Harry didn't do anything to him and only gave a small nod to him when he passed by.
Standing up Harry stretched his stiff muscles with several pops being heard. Sighing Harry opened his trunk once more, fingers diving into the secret compartment. A small vial containing blue liquid was before him uncorking the vial he gulped down the drink. Giving a small grimace at the revolting taste that he had become accustomed to out of necessity. If anyone were to look at his eyes then they would have seen them change cyan for a moment.
Hedwig flew, giving a greeting hoot to Harry as she landed on her wooden perch. Harry came over with a smile, scratching her plumage and giving her a treat. She deserved the pampering with the large trip he made her do. Once she satisfied with the attention she received she let go of the letter she carried. Smiling he picked it up, eyes shining at the black and gold lettering at the front. It felt a bit heavier than last time, strangely enough.
Mr Knight-Potter
No. 4 Privet Dr.
Seventh-year student
There was no return address as Harry brushed his fingers against the words. At the top right corner, a crest was seen. Two dragons twining around the shield. On the shield were a smaller dragon with both wings raised and a gem on its belly. Through the middle, a sword went through and at the very bottom was the motto Nuite Evielle. Despite the Academy being in Russia, the Academy held a French motto. It was in honour of the man who made the academy with his friend, though his name had been lost through time.
Turning over the letter Harry opened the flap and brought out the folded paper. The letter wasn't done with a quill, but rather printed. It was also on high-quality paper instead of something like parchment, a sign of wealth as his Uncle would say. To Harry, it should how important this letter and the other six he received was.
Luderra Academy of the Night
Headmaster Viscardi Tenebris
Dear Mr Knight-Potter,
We congratulate you on entering your seventh year at Luderra. It is with the highest honour that we award you the title of Prinz. There are only four people who gain the title of Prinz upon their Seventh year and less that can keep it.
As a Prinz, you are to set an example among the population and to future exchange students coming to the school. It is your duty to prevent any mishaps and deaths during the school year. Your new uniform will be made after the exam. With a clear display of your new rank, we hope you do not abuse this gift.
Enclosed in the letter is your supply list along with the ticket for your travel to the Academy. Any special arrangements will be discussed upon your arrival.
Congratulations,
Have a sleepless night,
Mrs Salvatore
Taking out the second sheet Harry looked over the list. Certain items caused him to raise an eyebrow. The number of supplies needed had increased, he didn't know if it was because he was entering seventh year. Shrugging his shoulders he tilted the envelope and a badge came out.
The Prinz badge had a dragon opening its wings skywards on the front. The background was metal circles that were mostly blocked by the dragon. The eyes held a gem that glowed, showing the status as Prinz.
The last group of Prinz's graduated last year and now that I've been chosen a lot more people will challenge me. The privileges that come with the title are certainly going to be helpful for me. I'll have to increase my study load, nothing wrong with being overly prepared or cautious. It's better to be with the whole nature of the Academy. Hopefully, the others had also gotten the badge or else we'd have to make some adjustments for our plan... He shook his head, now wasn't the time for him to such kind of thoughts. Putting the letter and badge back to the envelope he turned to Hedwig, a grin on his face,
"We can finally leave this place, Hedwig. That means you can go back to your original form now. I'll meet you at the academy as usual okay?" Harry spoke; Hedwig chirped a reply as the glamour fell away.
Instead of a snowy owl that the Wizarding World knew her, she became a gorgeous Paragon Falcon. There were a few grey feathers on her plumage along with the ends of her wings. He watched as his friend flew away before getting ready to leave. Going to his trunk Harry opened the secret compartment once more. He had to thank the maker of the trunk due to his circumstances. The secret compartment prevented him from becoming malnourished or weak. A thing that would've surely happened with how his relatives treated him. He took out several items of clothing that looked very different from what he was wearing.
When done changing his clothes Harry stood in front of the mirror. He wore dark colours despite summer coming full force in Britain, not that he would be sweating. The rather wide use of the cooling charm prevented that from occurring. He slipped on his black trench coat on top of his navy blue sleeveless sweater. Combat boots with his chained covered baggy pants tucked in.
He tied the coat belt around his waist before slipping on a necklace that shined under the light. The tingling sensation of heavy enchantments washed over him. It was used to keep unwanted or prying eyes away from his form. The perfect way for him to slip under the Order's guard. Not that they expected him to have such a thing, but as Moody said "Constant Vigilance!"
Using a comb that was charmed to take out all tangles and straighten the hair, Harry swept his hair to the side. Giving a little glare to the stubborn strands that decided to stick up. Combing it any further made it only become spikes, sighing he placed the comb in his pocket. His hair was not something he'd ever win a battle in. Slipping on his fingerless gloves, he took his trunk and headed downstairs.
The Dursleys were having dinner when Harry came down. He observed how the house seemed to be not as clean. The china pieces no longer shined, and there was a small layer of dust on everything. He entered, enjoying how his "family" became tense just by his presence.
"I'll be leaving now; the clone will stay in the room most of the time. On certain days it will go out to the park. I suggest you to not try anything since the clone holds the same strength as mine." Harry spoke. Seeing how Petunia was becoming brave from the way she pursed her lips Harry smiled. This caused Petunia to become pale with fear gleaming in her eyes. Without any farewells, except a nod to his cousin, Harry walked out the door. Maybe in a few years, he and Dudley would have the relationship he always wanted...
To reach the bus station he had to walk a few blocks, using Surrey's bus stop wasn't possible what with his 'guards'. They were pathetic in his opinion, easy to spot and avoid. If Voldemort's forces invaded the place he knew that it would be easy picking for them. Luckily if such a thing happened, Voldemort wouldn't be able to capture him. The clone was given orders to dispel once there was negative magic in the air.
He garnered a few odd looks for his trunk, several of them becoming interested. Harry felt a brief flash of irritation at them, he hated people who couldn't mind their own business. Giving them all a look that had most of them look away he took the transfer ticket and made himself comfortable. His mind drifting once more to the future, unknown to everyone except Luna. His stance on the war was much more complicated than one would expect.
The Ministry's way of handling things didn't give him much desire to be on their side. He was content with having Voldemort have his way with them. Of course, his friends being the only exception to that rule. Unfortunately, there was more to it than that, he had to fight, but not for the reasons everyone thought.
There's a low chance that the Ministry would fix their system even if they win the war. An even smaller percentage of them changing the way they do things. For the past few years, they have been making more enemies than allies. It's no surprise why the Dark gain so many followers. Their goal is to preserve the culture of the old. With more Muggleborns introduced to the world, the culture is forced to change. Only because they didn't like how things were, and didn't take the time to understand why exactly.
The light side wishes to expose the Wizarding World to the Muggles. They ignored events of the past, saying that things had changed. They remain ignorant fearing anything different. How Muggles have become more deadly compared to the past. Both sides have grim ends with the magical world being at great risk. They are selfish reasons as well, not taking into account of the whole world and just themselves. Harry thought as the bus went on the highway.
A small smirk coming onto his lip as he remembered recent events. It was ironic that the Light side considered them so great and noble. They were the most manipulative when compared to the Dark. At least the Dark faction was more upfront with their intentions. They didn't sugar coat their reasons, unlike the Light who tried to find every excuse. Now you all must find it strange with how Harry was willing to side with Dark since they have killed his parents.
Harry's reason, what others would call a coping mechanism, was that his parents were in the middle of a war. They knew of the chances of them dying were great, especially with his mother being a Muggleborn. Harry hated them for continuing to be in the war when they had a child to take care of. He could hate them with feeling no guilt as he never had the chance to learn of them. Because of their poor decisions, he could easily ignore any familial bonds he had.
Still tired from using so much magic in a short amount of time Harry decided to take a nap. He needed to be aware and rested for the Academy exam. I'm happy to be going back to the Academy, despite going back every summer I still have my friends. They know the real me, the one without secrets and obligations to the world. Harry thought lastly before falling asleep with a smile upon his face.
~Nuit Evielle~
Miles away in Little Hangleton the dark side was having a meeting on plans for the future. Riddle Manor had gone through renovations only possible with the help of magic. The overgrown lawn had a desperate trim and neat rows of fauna along the road leading to the entrance. All of these changes were unseen by anyone not keyed to the wards. To the unseen eye, the Manor was still in a disastrous state. The only difference being the ominous aura that now laid over the place.
The Dark Lord watched as his inner circle discussed in hushed whispers. They were all in his office that had bookshelves covering the walls. Most muggle works thrown out with the help of his house elf. In their place were tomes from the Slytherin vault he acquired a few decades back. Comfy chairs were placed around with a desk at the end used for paperwork.
He was able to bring back his most faithful with some planning and spell crafting. The Ministry was oblivious to the break out until two weeks have passed. By then his followers' tracks were covered and none was suspicious of his spy. The rescued were under intensive care by Narcissa Malfoy.
"We need to expand our allies while the Ministry is oblivious to our Lord's return!" Dolhov exclaimed to Lucius. The two were sitting close to the fireplace with comfy leather sofas and a glass of wine in their hands.
"I agree with you, but once the Ministry becomes aware of our Lord's return what use would the creatures be? They'd be watched far too closely due to past war actions. They're too much of risk for us to take at the moment!" He countered. This discussion between the two had been going on for a while with the others watching them on the side. Tom sighed, as he finished a set of paperwork, that brought the attention of his followers towards him.
"A better solution that would help our side would be for us to gain allies that would be able to help us throughout the war. This does not mean that we should avoid the creatures; the Ministry has made enemies of them giving us the advantage.
As Lucius have said, the creatures would not be able to help us as much after the Ministry knows of us; they will be kept under close watch at that point. I suggest that we go after this generation of wizards." He proposed after taking a sip of his champagne.
"That would be extremely difficult for us to do my lord. Slytherin does not have the best reputation at the moment because of the Ministry along with Dumbledore. Maybe if we use some of the allies that have children in other houses we would be able to expand our influence." Nott added. Tom's mind worked at high speeds thinking on the best course of action. I would need to do some research to see if the idea is possible. If I accomplish this then the war has become easier for us to win. He thought.
"Leave me; I need to do some research that is crucial to the war." He spoke, all of his followers quickly left the room with the doors closed behind them. Placing his glass on the table Tom got up and went to his personal library that was guarded by some nasty spells.
His personal collection held more of the obscure subjects that required one to have a very large core for some of the things to be done. There was also the fact that most of the books were rare to find or even translate. The books were placed here for their protection against his more foolish followers.
Heading to the section of Transfiguration Tom skimmed the titles while taking several books out of the shelf. Several trips to the shelves and table were made before he had all the relevant books. Taking a deep breath Tom got ready for the long research session that was in front of him. If you want something to be done then you need to do it yourself. He thought as he read human transfiguration.
~Nuit Evielle~
Luna Lovegood was known to be a strange person to others, because of this she was bullied greatly in her house, with not one person doing anything. After all who would want to go against Cho Chang and her group of friends?
So Luna resigned herself from not having other friends other than Ginny Weasley who was distancing herself over the years. Then third year happened with the Triwizard Tournament.
She watched as Harry Potter became isolated from the school when it was obvious that he didn't want to partake in the tournament. None of them noticed how Harry didn't care about their opinion and that he was fine with being by himself despite the fact that Hermione Granger was beside him.
Luna noticed that Harry would sneak off studying much more advanced subjects than his year. He would go into empty classrooms and practice his magic, with precision compared to an Auror. One day as she went into the Forbidden Forest she found Harry already feeding the Thestrals.
"I know that you have been watching me." He spoke as he brushed his fingers against the Thestral's snout.
"I already knew, I was just waiting for us to meet." She replied back. The two watched the Thestrals in compatible silence. After that Harry would spend time with her though they mostly stood by each other in silence.
During their fifth meeting, this time they were in a secluded part of the library reading whatever caught their attention, Luna asked him a question. Harry was studying a book of runes that explained the similarities between the Runes of different languages.
"Are you going to head back to the Academy after this year?" Harry tensed up before relaxing,
"How do you know about the Academy? I have never spoken of it." He was not worried about her telling anyone.
"The Wrackspurts whisper things to me, they're usually unimportant, other times they help me." She replied. Harry became even more relaxed after her explanation.
"You have Fae blood in your family." Harry said, it wasn't an accusation, rather a statement.
"My mother was a half-blood and went to the Academy, she told me as much as possible, since I have gotten her ability." Her voice was soft showing the sadness she felt for the death of her mother.
Harry placed a sound ward over the table. The ward made no sound escape the area but allowed them to hear anyone coming near.
The rest of the time was spent with Harry asking Luna all types of questions. Luna answered them truthfully, understanding that Harry was testing her knowledge. In the end, Harry was impressed by how much she knew but filled in the little holes through things he had learned from his friends. He even promised to contact them so she could ask them questions that were either private or he had no knowledge of.
Luna's mood was the highest it had ever been since coming to Hogwarts. Seen by others humming to herself as she skipped down the halls. Her bullies were ready to ruin her mood but stopped under Harry's glare. To Luna, her third year at Hogwarts was the best out of all of them and she would never change her opinion over the years.
~Nuit Evielle~
The residences of Hogwarts were surprised when Harry went to the Yule Ball with Loony Lovegood who was wearing a beautiful silver dress with sapphire jewellery. She was the envy of many girls that night especially with seeing how great of a dancer Harry was.
Ron became jealous since both his friends were enjoying their time at the ball. The twins luckily stopped their younger brother from saying or doing something that would make him lose his friends forever.
Hermione was surprised at the large changes her friend had gone through, to the point of being sceptical. When she was able to have a dance with him she tried to get some answers. The conversation didn't go as well as she thought it would.
"Harry, have you been hiding something from Ron and me?" She asked when Viktor and Harry switched partners. Harry sighed, he hoped that his friend wouldn't question him, but he was Harry Potter. Nothing went to plan for him; maybe it was the Potter line curse?
"Hermione you can't expect me to tell you everything about myself. I'm sure that there are some things you don't tell me and I never push you for answers." Harry replied. Hermione blushed, embarrassed by how she worded her question,
"But Harry this type of change isn't natural! Are you alright? I understand that you're under a lot of pressure with the tournament and everything-" she rambled.
"Hermione," Harry interrupted her, "Take a breather. I'm fine, while I am worried about the tournament I have already prepared for the second task. I'm also excused from this year's exams so I really don't have pressure on me. I'm just annoyed with how the school has been treating me, but it's nothing new." He explained.
"Also the secrets I have are too important and dangerous for me to tell you. I don't want you to be in danger or anything." Harry said right before the two boys changed partners once more. Hermione was left pondering over her friend's words while feeling a bit disappointed.
Harry seemed to be becoming more distant to her and the thought of losing her first friend terrified her. Harry, I hope one day you will be able to tell me your secret. Hermione thought as she looked at her friend who was smiling at his partner.