Godric's Gift
A/N: Let me take a moment and apologize and thank all readers who found this story before 1/14/23. Far too many spelling and grammar errors. In my zeal to post chapters, I decided not to proofread. For that, I am sorry. Hopefully, you will get a more finished product from here on out; there may still be some mistakes, but hopefully fewer! If you are a beta and want to help me, I would love the help!
An Eventful Weekend
A dull, rhythmic pounding was the first thing Harry noticed as he regained consciousness. Slowly, Harry opened his eyes and tried to find his bearings. He grasped the obelisk and used it to lift himself to his feet. His eyes seeing the stone he touched moments? Hours? Ago he did not know. The stone had changed; its milky white color was gone, filled instead with brilliant emerald. Harry's observation was interrupted by a soft voice.
"You have suffered much, child," Godric said.
Harry turned around and saw a faint tear roll from Godric's eye into his silvery blonde mustache. His facial features were neutral, the tear being the only evidence of emotion on the face of the portrait.
"You saw what I saw," Harry stated.
"I did," Godric responded.
Silence fell between them, sending Harry into his thoughts. He did not know how to respond. He had never told anyone about his treatment at the Dursleys. He had locked those memories away, deep in the cupboard of his mind.
"You need say nothing to me about the abuse you faced at the hands of your relatives. You have treated them far better than they deserve, and I honor you for that. As time goes on, we will deal with the bitterness, anger, and feelings of self-loathing produced by those experiences; for now, know that you have done remarkably well in terrible circumstances." Godric finished with a warm smile breaking across his face.
Harry nodded, relieved he would not be pressed on the matter, feeling a small sense of pride well within him.
"Sir, why is the stone green?." Harry asked, changing the subject.
"The stone is now filled with your magic; I suppose emerald is your color," Godric replied. You are now the master of this room and, by extension, many of the defensive enchantments and wards of the castle. The Lookout is the command and control center of Hogwarts and is thus imbibed with many useful features now available to you. They will be quite helpful for the purposes of your training. Godric stated.
"Like what, sir? Harry asked.
"First, do you see that dial on the wall?" Godric asked, gesturing at the panel Harry thought looked like a muggle thermostat.
"Yes," Harry replied, walking towards it.
"It is a time warp; it distorts the flow of time in this room relative to the rest of the castle and beyond. It can be set from normal speed down to one twenty-fourth speed. At full power, the warp will grant you a full day for each hour that passes outside. The magic, however, is not unlimited; warping time that drastically for extended periods of time will drain the ambient magic in the room, which will then require several weeks to replenish. Moderate warps, however, can be done regularly without issue."
Harry was amazed, thrilled at the opportunity; he had dramatically improved his class performance by managing his time well, and now having more even could be a game changer.
"Brilliant," Harry replied. "What else can the room do?"
"That table over there, Godric said, "Is a map of Hogwarts containing every magical signature in the castle and grounds. It also keeps a short record of their movements, allowing you to rewind their steps for about an hour." Godric said proudly.
Harry's eyes lit up as he approached the massive table; it was as if a marauders map had been expanded and stretched, but Harry noticed something else: ghosts, portraits, and suits of armor were also listed. Even Fang, Hagrid's dog, came up on the tablemap.
"If the time warp is activated, will everyone just move super slowly?" Harry asked.
"Precisely, it's quite advantageous to coordinate a defensive response when your command room is moving twenty times faster than the attackers," Godric replied. "Which brings to the wards. You are now the master of several of the castle's defenses; the suits of armor will answer your commands. You can direct them from here, he said, gesturing towards the map. Every suit of armor is listed on the map. Tap one and direct it, and it will go where you tell it to; you may also give them direct commands when they are in earshot. Finally, you have the authority to apparate within the castle. You cannot apparate into or out of the castle grounds. But, within the castle and grounds, you may apparate freely."
"Shame. I don't know how and I'm pretty sure it's illegal until I'm 17," Harry responded.
"One of those statements is a problem we must remedy quickly," Godric replied simply. "But that can keep till later."
"The last thing I want to give you is over there by the sparring field," Godric said, gesturing towards the open area with training dummies and rows of weapons.
"That first stand, you'll see two arm holsters, a darker and a lighter one," Godric said.
Harry walked over and found them as he said. The Lighter holster was made of ebony scales of dragonhide; it had a flat opening the width of a blade opened at its top. The lighter one was also of scales but had a circular opening the diameter of a wand.
"One of them is my sword's holster; the other is to hold your wand. I don't want to see you without either of them ever again. A repeat of this summer must not happen. Soon enough, we will get you a backup wand, but that can hold for now." Godric finished.
"Thank you, sir, the sword though, isn't that a bit much?" Harry asked sheepishly.
"My dear Harry, once you know what my sword can do, you'll likely reconsider," Godric said, smiling. "For now, strap them on and grab my sword from behind the obelisk. There will be no need to shrink the blade. Simply tap the hilt to the inside of the holder, and it will store itself. Flick your wrist, and the blade will fly out into your hand." Godric said.
"What if I grab it too early? Won't it cut my hand?" Harry asked.
"The blade knows its master; it will not cut you, and it will want to be caught; you will find it easier than you think. However, we'll practice to get the timing down in days to come," Godric said.
Harry removed the sword from the alcove in the obelisk where it rested. As he wrapped his fingers around the handle, a rush of energy flew into his arm, making him feel like he had drunk an extra potent pepper-up potion.
"Whoa," Harry said as he looked at the sword. The blade remained mostly unchanged, the only difference being a translucent shimmer surrounding it.
"The sword is goblin forged; time it right, it will block just about any curse, it will also cut through any shield magic or otherwise, and if I'm not mistaken, it is now imbibed with basilisk venom. Which will likely kill just about anyone you cut with it." Godric said, leading Harry to shudder.
"Do not unsheathe it unless you are ready to use it. It is not a toy." Godric finished seriously.
"Yes, sir," Harry replied, stowing the blade in the magical holster on his left forearm. Harry shuddered, feeling a warmth radiating from the holster. He still felt somewhat ridiculous carrying a sword, but a few years in the magical world taught him to roll with it.
"The wand holster works the same way," Godric said. The affinity you've built with your wand will make it nigh-on impossible to drop when you deploy it.
Harry secured the holster to his right forearm, wishing he had acquired something like this ages ago; it could have saved him a broken eyesocket.
"What now, sir?" Harry said.
"Now, you go to dinner and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, I will put you to the test and see what you are made of; then, your training will truly begin. This Triwizard Tournament is perfectly timed as the castle will be distracted by it making your frequent trips here go unnoticed." Godric said.
Harry nodded excitingly but was still somewhat confused by everything.
"Speak your mind, Harry," Godric said kindly.
"I just, why are you training me? I get that the magic woke you up and everything, but why? Why? Why are you doing all of this? Why me?"
Godric paused before answering, seemingly weighing his words. "There are many powers in this world, Harry, not all of them can be fully known. You are a child of destiny; it is a burden you did not ask for but one you undoubtedly carry. I wish to prepare you for the coming darkness. I believe I am meant to, by what higher magic or design I do not know, but long ago, I let go of the burden of having to understand every mystery." Godric finished.
Harry nodded, perhaps more confused than before but strangely comforted.
oOOOo
The mood of the Great Hall was abrasive to Harry as he entered in; the shouts of excitement and murmurs about the next day's selection ceremony forced him from his pensive mood, leaving him feeling unsettled. He shook the quiet from his mind and made his way over to Ron, who was helping himself to a reasonable amount of food and eating it quite politely.
"Where've you been, mate? I was looking for you this afternoon. Spend all day with your Veela?" He asked with a wry smile
"Afraid not, we spent most of the morning together; but I was Sorting out some business in the afternoon; I'll tell you about it later." He finished with a knowing glance. Harry decided to tell Ron and Hermione about his encounter with Godric; they had both been with him through everything, and he could trust their discretion with this; he also wanted to tell Sirius but needed to wait until he could speak to the man face to face.
Ron nodded in agreement, trusting his friend.
"So, who all has entered the tournament so far?" Harry asked curiously.
"Couple of gits from Slytherin, Roger Davies from Ravenclaw, Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet from Gryffindor, ohh, and that pretty git from Hufflepuff Diggory." Ron finished.
"Angelina and Alicia, excellent I hope one of them gets it!" Harry responded, thinking fondly of his quidditch teammates.
Outside of Ron and Hermione, the members of the quidditch team were the people Harry spent the most time with. Katie, Angelina, and Alicia were his self-appointed older sisters, and Fred and George were brothers in all but blood. Katie was probably the strongest magically of all of them, with a tongue as sharp as her spellwork. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were lucky she was not of age yet. Angelina could be downright scary when she put her mind to something; if the tournament could be won by persistence and tenacity, no doubt, Angelina would be chosen. Alicia gave Harry some pause, though; she was the quiet one of the three, less crude than Katie and less forceful than Angelina. She was as fierce a competitor as any but had a protectiveness and gentleness that Harry found endearing. He would love for either of them to be chosen.
"Hope it's a Gryffindor," Harry responded cheerfully.
"Me too," Ron agreed.
"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked.
"Well, since she isn't with you, I'd bet a sickle or two she's in the library." Ron finished, dabbing his mouth with his napkin and calmly siping his pumpkin juice.
Harry nodded, and the pair fell into a comfortable silence. Harry looked around for Fleur without success. In fact, he did not see any of the students from Beauxbaton or Durmstrang. Apparently, they decided to take their dinners in their respective living areas this evening. Harry wondered if he would be allowed in the Beauxbaton's carriage. Perhaps Fleur could show him some more French cuisine. Smiling, Harry finished his dinner and left the table, heading for bed.
"Leaving already?" Ron asked.
"Yeah, I'm exhausted." Harry replied.
"Didn't you have something to tell me?" Ron replied somewhat sadly.
"Ohh yeah, sorry mate, I'll tell you soon; I can barely keep my eyes open right now." Harry finished taking his leave. Moments later, he collapsed in his four-poster bed and immediately fell asleep.
The following morning, Harry awoke excitedly, dressed, strapped on his holsters, and headed up to the ninth floor. The tapestry revealed the door handle to him as he approached, and he opened it and stepped inside.
"Good Morning, Harry," Godric said, beaming, a fine day to get started!"
Harry, while excited, could not quite match the energy of the chipper portrait leading him to ask:
"Do portraits get tired?"
"An interesting question," Godric mused, "what do you think?"
Harry rolled his eyes; Dumbledore, apparently, was not the only one who amused himself by answering questions with questions. Nevertheless, Harry replied.
"Well, sleep repairs the body, something you lack. So, unless the magic that enchants your portrait recharges periodically, I imagine you don't need to sleep."
"Excellently reasoned," Godric replied, "you are correct; I have no need for sleep; however old habits die hard, so I often choose to, shall we say, dose for a bit each night as a way to mark off the days. But, I must say, as riveting as a discussion about my existence may be, I do believe we should get started." Godric finished.
Harry nodded, awaiting further instruction.
"Go to the time panel, and set it to two-thirds speed, this may take a long time, and it would not do for you to miss tonight's feast. Speaking of food, did you bring any?" Godric asked.
Harry shook his head, forgetting about food in his excitement to begin training.
"Ahh, Harry, I must insist then that you head down to the Great Hall, you will need your full strength for today, and once we begin, I do not believe we will finish until the selection feast," Godric said.
Harry nodded and raced down to the Great Hall; it was early, so he saw no one on his way into the Hall. That is until he almost collided with Mad-Eye Moody.
"Good morning, professor; sorry to almost run into you there," Harry said sheepishly.
"Not a problem, boy; ole Mad Eye's always on his toes. The ex Auror said, regaining his composure. "And peg, I suppose, bahaha" Moody barked. "What are you up so early for anyways?
"Er, Dueling practice, " Harry said, not quite dishonestly.
A curious look passed over Moody's grizzled face as he responded, "good boy, constant vigilance, what everyone needs, especially you."
Harry balked at his comment but quickly got over it. Making his way to the Gryffindor table, Harry scarfed down a quick breakfast and stuffed several pieces of toast in a napkin for good measure. With that, he returned to the ninth floor.
"Congratulations, you've passed the agility test." Godric laughed as Harry re-entered The Lookout.
"Really?" Harry asked.
"No, but you did make it back quite fast," Godric replied.
"What exactly will we be doing today?" Harry asked, placing the extra pieces of toast on a desk over by the bookshelves.
"I need to know what you know about magic before I train you. So, I will test you in all your subjects, and we shall see what you know. Then, you will duel several of the training dummies in the sparring field. They are enchanted to send spells at varying speeds; unfortunately, they can only cast stinging hexes, so they cannot simulate a true duel, but it's a good place to start. So, are you ready to begin?"
oOOOo
What seemed like an eternity later, Harry dragged himself to the feast. He was utterly exhausted from the tests Godric had put him through. Godric asked him questions about every branch of magic Harry had studied, even Divination; Harry was incredibly glad he had been reviewing his subjects and applying himself in school for the last few months he would have been embarrassed otherwise. Godric was reasonably pleased with Harry's transfiguration and charms progress; his defense casting was "exemplary," but his understanding of the theoretical portion was "incredibly lacking." His Herbology was "adequate," and his divination was "dreadful." Harry was proud of his showing in Runes and Arithmancy, as Godric was quite pleased with Harry's foundation in both subjects. Apparently, they were essential for understanding ritualistic enhancement and spell creation, something Godric said they would be "cautiously pursuing."
The theory testing had taken about ten hours, making Harry glad he had grabbed the pieces of toast. After a thirty-minute nap, he began dueling portion of his exam. Calling to mind all of the footwork drills he had practiced from Flitwick's book, Harry performed well against the training dummies. The drills allowed him to dodge into body positions capable of accurately firing back spells. Godric was pleased by the work but woefully disappointed in Harry's "diminutive repertoire of offensive dueling spells." He demanded that Harry read up on offensive magic in his spare time, sending him to the bookshelves as they finished.
Utterly spent, Harry trudged to the Great Hall as the feast was winding down. Luckily the Treacle Tart was not quite exhausted, and he was able to get a few slices.
"Harry, where have you been all day?" Hermione and Ron asked together.
"Training," Harry replied, "Look, I'll tell you more after the feast."
They nodded, both looking somewhat exasperated with him.
"Ahh, it appears as if the Goblet is ready," Dumbledore announced, hushing the audience.
A great billow of red flame shot up, and a small piece of parchment fluttered into the aged headmaster's hand.
"The Durmstrang Champion is Victor Krum."
Applause burst from the hall as Krum rose and went to Dumbledore. He was then directed to an antechamber adjacent to the Great Hall. As he left, another plume of flame, this one sapphire blue, erupted from the goblet.
"The Beauxbatons Champion is Miss Fleur Delacour," Dumbledore read.
Applause burst from the hall, more subdued than the applause for Krum; Harry joined in enthusiastically. For a brief moment, Fleur caught Harry's eye and beamed a full smile at him. She, too, exited and went into the antechamber.
A moment later, yellow flame erupted from the Goblet, and Dumbledore snatched another piece of paper.
The Hogwarts Champion is Mr. Cedric Diggory. Applause as loud as Krums filled the chamber; Harry was sad for his quidditch teammates but believed Cedric to be a good enough guy.
"Excellent, now the tournament is well and truly on its way. I am sure you all will support your champio"–
Dumbeldore stopped mid-sentence as the Goblet lit up once again, only this time it was a deep black flame; another piece of parchment flew into the air, and Dumbledore dutifully caught it. Upon reading it, the headmaster sighed deeply and, in a pained voice, cried out,
"Harry Potter."
oOOOo
A/N Now we are cooking with gas! Tune in next time for everyone's reaction! Leave a review; they keep me going!