Disclaimer: I do not own HP
A/N: I actually worked on the last part of this chapter during a live stream. I have live streams on Wednesdays and Sunday. Make sure to check out my tumblr: ethrildragon, for more information.
Reminder that this story is updated every Monday.
Edit: Someone pointed out that at this point Dumbledore wouldn't really be at a "grandfatherly" age. I disagree. He was born in 1881 so by now he'd be in his 60's. The average live expectancy in the 1940's was in the late 60's. Even accounting for the 'magical' aspect of aging (as in anyone with magic live a hell of a lot longer) he'd still look aged. With graying hair and wrinkles. Especially since Dumbledore is under a lot of stress with the war.
In conclusion: I stand by how I describe Dumbledore.
Reaching Through Time
Chapter 23: First Step
"Sir Leighleas?"
After talking for a little while, mostly to kill time in the Room, Tom and Harry made their way to the Hospital wing for the second time that day. Alf on the other hand decided to go back to the Common Room of their dorm to give Abraxas an update on what was going on.
The problem they were now facing was that Sir Leighleas was not in the patient room nor was he answering to his name being called out.
Tom shrugged a bit when Harry looked to him in confusion.
"Do you think he's already down for dinner?" Harry asked as they wandered farther into the hospital wing towards the door to Sir Leighleas' office.
Again Tom shrugged. He had no idea where the mediwizard was, but they needed a plausible excuse for not visiting Dumbledore.
"Sir Leighleas?" Harry called out as he knocked on the mediwizard's office door. The moment his hand came into contact with the door Harry felt some sort of subtle shielding spell meant to keep people out.
Harry pressed his hand flat against the door and frowned at it. Why would the mediwizard lock his office and put up a shield to keep people out? The mediwizard was supposed to be available at all times in case of an emergency.
"I don't like this." Harry murmured a little. The magic under his hands felt like little sparks of electricity, which was what Sir Leighleas' magic always felt like. "Maybe he's in trouble?"
With the dampening spell on, Harry was having a hard time looking past the shield spell to figure out if Sir Leighleas was alright.
"Should we-"
Before Harry could even finish the question the door was yanked open and Harry fell forward a little. His hand landed on Sir Leighleas' chest. The mediwizard raised a brow at Harry making the young Slytherin flush, stammer an apologize, and pull back.
"Can I help you gentlemen?"
There was a privacy screen spell directly behind Sir Leighleas, but Harry could see two blurry shapes through the screen.
Sir Leighleas glanced from Harry to the screen behind him. "Is something wrong?" He asked as he blocked the shapes from Harry's view.
"Oh, uh," Harry blinked and rubbed at his head. "I was light headed earlier."
"The dampening spell might be a little too strong." Tom offered up when Harry stumbled over his answer.
With a sigh Sir Leighleas closed the door to his office and ushered Harry over to one of the cots. "Let me take a look." He pulled out his wand and lightly waved it over Harry, frowning a little as he did so. "I suppose the spell could be a bit too strong." He didn't actually see anything wrong with the dampening spell, but he'd cater to Harry if the boy really was uncomfortable.
Sir Leighleas muttered under his breath for a moment and slowly weakened the dampening spell. He only stopped when he heard Harry sigh softly.
"If you have any more trouble please come back." The mediwizard told both Harry and Tom before turning to hurry back to his office.
"Sir Leighleas?"
The man almost sighed in irritation, but he turned his head to look back at Harry.
"Thank you sir."
That softened the mediwizard's expression and he nodded. "I'm almost done with this meeting. If you would like to wait I can accompany you to dinner."
Both boys seemed relieved with this offer, although Tom was harder to read, so Sir Leighleas left them alone for the time being.
It only took a few more minutes before the door to Sir Leighleas' office opened and the mediwizard came back out. Behind him was an older woman whose dark brown hair had been pulled back into a tight bun. She wore official looking formal robes and was carrying a satchel on one shoulder.
"Myrtle?" Harry jumped off of the cot he had been sitting on when the young Ravenclaw student came out last from Sir Leighleas' office.
"Oh. Hi Harry." Myrtle smiled ever so slightly and she rubbed at her red puffy eyes.
The strange woman and Sir Leighleas went off to the side to speak quietly with each other for a moment while Harry went over to Myrtle worriedly.
"Are you ok Myrtle?"
For a moment Myrtle was silent before she shrugged. "She just wanted to know more about my dad." She whispered softly so that the adults wouldn't really hear.
'The interviews!' Tom thought quickly as he looked over to the woman. Now that he was looking at her more closely he recognized the ministry robes. He should have remembered that the interviews would still be going on.
He wondered though when he and Harry would be called in for a meeting. Even though they'd been adopted they had still suffered under the care of muggles. Their testimonies would be useful towards the laws that their father wanted to put into place.
"Are we all ready for dinner?" Sir Leighleas asked once the woman was gone.
Myrtle was still a little shaky from her interview with the ministry woman, but the group made it down to dinner without any problems.
The moment they walked into the great hall though Harry felt an oppressing surge of murky magic. Someone was angry. Angry enough that even with the dampening spell Harry could feel how it riled up the person's magic.
It didn't take a genius to figure out who it was as Tom looked up sharply at the staff table and spotted Dumbledore glaring at them.
"If you would be open to it," Tom's gaze shifted from Dumbledore to Sir Leighleas. The man wasn't looking at Tom, but at Dumbledore. "I think we should have a talk. The three of us." With that the mediwizard's eyes flickered to Harry and then to Tom.
A subtle nod was all it took from Tom before Sir Leighleas walked away.
"Tom...I'm not feeling well."
"Focus on me Harry." Tom whispered as he gently led the younger Slytherin to their table. He flared out his magic in order to wrap Harry in a protective cocoon. It seemed to help as Harry relaxed in his seat between Tom and Abraxas.
It took a few more minutes before Harry was stable enough to join in with the conversations around him. Eileen did her best to restrain Orion from being obnoxious, but there was only so much the Prince girl could do.
"I wonder what's going on with the interviews?"
Tom was only partially paying attention to the younger students at that point.
"No idea. I mean no one even knows who's being interviewed at this point."
Gossip was being spread among the students quietly and swiftly. As the students talked about the interviews, several students seemed to flinch and pull away. It was easy for Tom to notice, but the majority of the students didn't.
The ones that were avoiding the topic of choice were the muggle born students and a few half-bloods as well.
"I saw Rachel earlier. She looked really upset."
"I don't think she was interviewed. Grindelwald attacked Brussels. Rachels grandparents live there."
That little piece of information caught and held Tom's attention. The psychopathic dark wizard hadn't attacked anyone in almost a year, so why now? The only reason Tom could think for the dark wizard attacking Brussels had to do with the muggle war.
Thankfully Harry didn't seem to notice people talking about the most recent attack as he was engrossed with his conversation with Eileen about the previous week of school he had missed.
"You sure your alright?" Orion asked when Harry seemed to weave a little when the food for dinner appeared.
"Sir Leighleas determined that Harry is allergic to acromantula venom." Tom interjected so Harry could have a little extra time to focus again. "It strained his core."
"I'm fine." Harry said quickly once the wave of dizziness had passed. "So what did Rupert do in potions?"
The trio went back to talking about the most recent incident in potions where their Gryffindor friend had blown up his cauldron without Harry there to keep an eye on him.
The rest of dinner went by without incident. Sir Leighleas was at the Slytherin table and escorting both Tom and Harry out of the Great hall within minutes of the last of the food vanishing.
"Hadrian my boy."
Tom was immensely relieved that the mediwizard was with them. Dumbledore had hurried over to intercept them out in the hall.
"I'm sorry for not coming by your office sir," Harry said quickly as he took Tom's hand so he could better focus on his friend's magic instead of the dark murkiness that was Dumbledore. "I felt ill and had to return to the hospital wing."
"Which is why we are going there now." Sir Leighleas said tightly. His lips were thin lines and his eyes were narrowed as he watched the transfiguration professor as if he were some dangerous animal. "I need to run a few more tests on Mr. Malfoy before he retires for the evening."
Dumbledore smiled thinly and the twinkling in his eyes were gone. "I'm sure you could spare the poor boy a few minutes. He must be tired of all your tests and I really do need to speak with him."
Sir Leighleas sighed and subtly placed himself between Dumbledore and the two boys. "It is my job to ensure the health of each and every student in this school. Mr. Malfoy had a serious reaction to the acromantula venom and he has just barely healed enough to return to school."
The tension between the two men was almost palpable as they stared each other down. "You will have time tomorrow to speak with Mr. Malfoy. Good evening."
With that Sir Leighleas spun around and ushered the two Slytherin students away from Dumbledore quickly.
"Sir Leighleas?" Harry was cut off when the mediwizard held a finger up to his lips to indicate silence. It wasn't until they made it into the Hospital wing that Harry attempted to speak again.
Sir Leighleas shook his head and went into his office, motioning for Harry and Tom to follow him. Once all three of them were safely in Sir Leighleas' office, the mediwizard waved his wand to cast several privacy spells, silencing spells, and warning charms just in case someone were to come into the hospital wing.
"We can speak safely now." The man said with a long tired sigh as he slipped his wand away in his arm holster. "You seem to have attracted the attention of a very...troubling wizard." Sir Leighleas waved a hand towards the couch that was off to one side of his office.
"What do you know of Dumbledore?" Tom asked sharply as he and Harry took the invitation and sat down.
With another tired sigh Sir Leighleas rubbed at his eyes and sat down heavily in a plush wing-back chair across from the couch.
"I know he is powerful. I know he likes to collect strong muggle born and half-blood students." Sir Leighleas told them slowly. "And I know he is not the kind man he portrays himself to be."
Tom's eyes narrowed as he thought about what the mediwizard had told them as well as what it meant for the man to talk to them.
When neither boy offered to speak up Sir Leighleas continued. "Dumbledore is not to be trusted. Witches and wizard that have stood against him in the past have had the tendency to either vanish...or go insane." He told them warily.
"I've also come across a rather troubling pattern after reading my predecessors journals." Sir Leighleas waved a hand slowly and a single book floated from a large and full bookshelf to his outstretched hand. "Students that have been in trouble with Dumbledore have been in more accidents then any other students."
Tom took the journal that the mediwizard passed to him. "Why are you telling us this?"
"Because I can tell that neither of you trust Dumbledore. I've noticed how you avoid him when not in your classes." He leaned forward to prop his elbows up against his knees so he could press his chin into his grasped hands. "Hadrian has already had two accidents. Both life threatening."
Up until then Tom had never considered the attacks on Harry to be connected. Now though his mind was working fast and he was already remembering little things that had happened so far during the year to Harry.
"You're both extremely intelligent and powerful. Dumbledore doesn't know the extent of your strength, but it doesn't take a genius to realize he knows young Mr. Malfoy is special."
Harry shifted closer to Tom and he was flushed in embarrassment. "I'm not that special." He murmured quietly.
Sir Leighleas watched Harry for a moment. There was a sadness in the man's eyes as he took in both boys.
Softly, with slow and careful movements, Sir Leighleas stood up and went to Harry. He crouched down on one knee and took Harry's hands in both of his own. "We both know that's not true." He waited until he was sure he had all of Harry's attention before continuing. "You are extremely sensitive to the magic around you. You can literally see magic. That's a very uncommon gift."
"You're not a seer, but you have prophetic dreams." Sir Leighleas held up a hand to stop Harry's denial. "Your mother told me. She thought it prudent I know about your medical history."
"You know he's powerful. What are you going to do about it?" Tom asked with a snarl. He hated how close Sir Leighleas was and he hated that the man was touching Harry.
Seeing how upset Tom was getting, Sir Leighleas stood back up and went back to his seat. "I'm going to offer to train Hadrian." His statement was simple and straight to the point. "I do not have the level of sensitivity that Hadrian possesses, but I do have the same prophetic dream ability. Through meditation and training Hadrian can learn to control it."
"I can also train Hadrian to mask his magic so people like Dumbledore will not learn just how strong he really is." Sir Leighleas frowned a little then. "As Hadrian's magic grows he will become a magnet for powerful magical creatures. Even weak wizards and witches will be drawn to him."
"What do you want in return?" No one just offered help out of the blue like this and it left Tom feeling extremely suspicious of the mediwizard.
"Your suspicious nature is good." Sir Leighleas didn't take offense at all to Tom's glare. "One day in the future you both will learn something that could put all of us in danger." He met Tom's glare calmly. "All I ask is that when that day comes, you give me the chance to explain myself."
"That's all?"
"Yes."
Harry tugged at Tom's sleeve to get his attention. "I-I think we should agree." There was fear there, deep in Harry's eyes and Tom knew it was because of Dumbledore. "If Sir Leighleas is right..."
There was only so much Tom could do to protect Harry. If the mediwizard was right about how Harry's magic would start attracting people and creatures then they would need all the help they could get.
"Fine. But either myself or Abraxas will be here whenever you train."
"I accept those terms." The tension in the man's shoulders left him and Sir Leighleas leaned back in his seat in relief. "I can also teach you both some dueling techniques and healing magic. Something tells me you'll need to know both."
Tom couldn't exactly turn that offer down, not when he had promised to teach Harry how to duel.
"Before we agree to anything else," Tom stood up slowly. It felt like the conversation was coming to a close. "What shade is your core."
Sir Leighleas tilted his head at that question. It was definitely not one he had been expecting. "I imagine you know the spell." He stayed seated even as the older Slytherin pulled out his wand. "See for yourself."
With a silent wave of his wand Tom cast the detection spell he had learned years ago so he could find out what his and Harry's cores were. A brilliant white aura surrounded the mediwizard with a few darker specks here and there.
"You're a light wizard then." Tom ended the spell and put his wand away. Tom had cast the spell quite a few times, but only one other person had had such a bright white aura and that had been Harry. Tom didn't completely trust the mediwizard, but he at least was a little more convinced that the man could teach Harry a few things.
"For the most part. I've had to cast a few dark spells now and then."
"Then there isn't much you could teach me. More core is completely dark." Although tom could cast light spells, he had always been better with dark and grey magic.
Sir Leighleas chuckled softly and shook his head a little. "There are quite a few dark healing spells I could teach you. And it never hurts to know things outside of your shade." For a moment the man smirked darkly. "People always underestimate you when they think you'll stick to what works best for your magical core."
The mediwizard shook himself from his thoughts and cast a wandless tempus. "I think enough time has passed. I doubt Dumbledore will be waiting for you outside of the hospital wing." Sir Leighleas frowned for a moment before standing up and going over to a door to one side of his office. "Wait here. I have something for you both."
It took a few minutes, but Sir Leighleas returned with a small box in his hands. "Here. These charms will block mind magic. Dumbledore is an accomplished legilimens and if he hasn't already done so I believe he will try to sneak into your minds soon."
The charms were simple silver discs with runes etched into the metal. Each one was hung on a thin silver chain that was long enough to stay hidden under a person's shirt.
Tom eyed the charms for a moment before sighing and taking two from the handful that were inside the box.
"I promise you the only magic attached to the charms are for blocking mind magic." Sir Leighleas looked at the one that was now hanging around Harry's neck. "Although...I could add a dampening spell to Hadrian's charm. That way it wont mess with Hadrian's magic and it'll give me more time to find a better solution to Hadrian's sensitivity."
In the end the dampening spell that had been on Harry was transferred to the charm and then the two Slytherins were on their way out of the Hospital wing. Just as Sir Leighleas had predicted, the two did not run into Professor Dumbledore and they made it safely to the Slythern dorms.
"Go ahead and head to bed Harry." Tom murmured once they portrait to the common room closed. "I can tell you're exhausted."
And he really was. Harry hadn't had to constantly refocus himself this much since he had first arrived at Hogwarts and the constant strain of having so much magic around him was starting to wear on him. The dampening charm was helping, but there was only so much it could do to help Harry.
"See you in the morning Tom."
For the next few days both Tom and Harry were extra careful about avoiding Dumbledore. The Transfiguration professor did his best to try and corner Harry, but each and every time it almost happened Harry would be pulled away by his friends or would become ill. The illness wasn't faked, much to Tom's displeasure, since the dampening charm could only do so much to block out Dumbledore's slimy magic from harry.
It wasn't just Orion, Eileen, and Rupert who were helping to protect Harry while in class. Other students from other houses that Harry had befriended during the Samhain party were now acutely aware of Harry's avoidance of Professor Dumbledore.
And they rallied behind Harry even if they had no idea why the young Slytherin wanted to stay away from the smiling blue eyed professor.
Three days later Harry received a quick note in his transfiguration class from Sir Leighleas. The mediwizard had found a possible solution to Harry's sensitivity; beyond the training he had promised.
"Mr. Malfoy?"
Harry looked up sharply before slipping the note into his bag. "Sir Leighleas wishes to see me."
For a moment Dumbledore didn't want to release the young Slytherin. He had so few opportunities to be around the boy. If he did detain him though then the mediwizard was sure to go to Dippet with a complaint.
"Be sure to have your essay done by next class Mr. Malfoy." With that Dumbledore released Harry from class with a small wave of his hand.
As quickly as he could, without drawing too much attention, Harry left the classroom.
Transfiguration had turned into Harry's least favorite class and he was actually starting to struggle. Harry knew the material, there was no doubt about that, and he could cast the spells asked without problems, but he often found himself getting dizzy and disoriented the longer the class wore on.
Harry hadn't been the only one to receive a note from Sir Leighleas. When he arrived at the Hospital wing, Tom was already there speaking with the mediwizard quietly.
"Thank you for coming so promptly Hadrian." Sir Leighleas looked relieved as the younger boy joined them. "Follow me."
Just as he had done several days ago, Sir Leighleas quickly cast several protective spells on his office once they were inside.
"How have you been Hadrian?" Sir Leighleas asked once they were all seated with tea and biscuits on the low table between them.
Harry took a moment to organize his thoughts before answering. "I've been alright." His words were slow and measured. "Things only really get bad during transfiguration."
They all knew what that meant.
"I think I've figured out a way to adjust the dampening spell. You'll be able to manually adjust how strong it is and the spell will not block out Tom's magic."
It was the best solution Sir Leighleas could come up with while he trained Harry how to meditate and control his sensitivity without the help of a spell or charm.
"The only problem with it is that the spell needs to be anchored with blood." The older man sighed softly and shook his head. "It can stay attached to the charm at least."
The prospect of using blood in a spell didn't sit right with Tom, but he knew that blood could make a spell stronger or give the caster more control. So long as the person who's blood was being used was also the one to cast the spell.
Tom was not about to give the mediwizard control over his Harry.
"You'll teach us both the dampening spell. Once we both know it well enough we will proceed with anchoring the spell using Harry's blood."
"It'll be your blood as well." Sir Leighleas said quickly. "The use of your blood will make it so that the spell does not block your magic signature from Hadrian. It'll also allow you some control over the spell."
Using two blood sources could be dangerous; especially if someone else got their hands on the charm. More protections would need to be put into place to ensure that the charms would be safe from anyone else.
When Sir Leighleas was given the go ahead from Tom he began working with the two Slytherins. Tom mastered the dampening spell quickly while Harry took a couple hours before he was able to cast the spell wandlessly.
Sir Leighleas had insisted that the two boys know how to use the spell well enough to be able to cast it without a wand. It was a safety measure that Tom agreed with.
Once he was sure the boys could cast the spell safely and efficiently, he began the next step. The mediwizard pulled out a silver bowl that could fit in his cupped hands and set it between the three of them. Sir Leighleas then handed Tom a silver athame to draw their blood.
"Once we have the blood I'll start the ritual. I'll have to drop the dampening spell quickly and you both will have to cast it together on Hadrian's charm."
The instructions were simple, but they all knew what might happen when the dampening charm on Harry was dropped. The magic of Hogwarts, or even the magic from Sir Leighleas while he was working on the ritual, could overwhelm the young Slytherin. He could faint, like he had days ago when he had first returned to Hogwarts.
"Just focus on me Harry." Tom whispered as he pressed the athame to the palm of his hand. Ruby red blood dripped from Tom's clenched hand into the silver bowl. Each drop hit the bowl with a soft tinging sound.
Harry nodded shakily and took the dagger from Tom. He trusted Sir Leighleas that this would work; Tom wouldn't do this if he was thought something would go wrong.
The cut Harry made on his hand was thin and he watched mesmerized as his blood pooled in his cupped hand.
"Harry?"
Harry shook himself a little and tipped his hand over so his blood could join the red liquid already in the bowl.
"Alright. Ready?" Sir Leighleas asked, his words almost a whisper as he focused his magic into the bowl.
With a swift move Tom grabbed Harry's charm from around his neck and broke the silver chain. As soon as the charm was in the bowl, sinking into the thick red liquid, Sir Leighleas cancelled the dampening spell.
Instantly Harry felt the powerful magic around him rise up. He felt like he was drowning in the sea of Hogwarts magic that was constantly in the air.
"Focus."
The word was like a life preserver thrown to him. Harry latched onto it, onto the magic that was so very Tom, and quickly wrapped himself up in the dark magic as if it were a thick protective blanket.
Harry's vision returned to him. The swimming colors that made up the school's magic were still around him, but they weren't blinding him like they had been.
Sir Leighleas was mumbling the ritual spell swiftly and the blood in the silver bowl was bubbling as if it were bowling. Harry could see the white of Sir Leighleas' magic as it covered the bowl.
"Cast the spell." The mediwizard hissed out as he held onto the ritual long enough for the boys to finish.
Harry's voice trembled a little, but both he and Tom spoke in unison. As they finished casting the dampening spell the ritual hit its peak and the blood was quickly absorbed into the charm.
With a sigh of relief Sir Leighleas set the silver bowl down and pulled the charm out. The silver chain was fixed and the silver charm gave off an odd glow.
"You'll be able to adjust the strength of the dampening spell whenever you want now." Sir Leighleas told Harry as he handed the charm over. "Tom will be able to as well."
Both Tom and Harry tested the spell a few times to get used to it. No matter how strong they made the dampening spell though, Tom's magic continued to stay around Harry.
"You'll still need training Hadrian." Sir Leighleas reminded the young Slytherin. "It is always best to rely on your own skills rather than on a spell or charm."
They'd spent so long learning the dampening spell and then casting the ritual magic to anchor the spell to the charm that most of their classes had ended. There was still time before dinner so it was decided between them that they would have their first lesson in meditation.
Special Thanks to: Louise to, Maurey, and Deb