"Accio Cloak!" Hermione called, and a moment later an invisibility cloak flew to her hands revealing Professor Snape standing in the hallway.
"Help me, you don't understand…" Snape began, but had to stop as the spells started flying.
Ron immediately cast a stunning spell of his own while Harry shot a reductor curse at the ground in front of him. Snape dodged the stunner easily but had to hastily erect a shield to protect himself from the rock fragments. Hermione cast a disarming charm of her own at the same time Ron cast his second stunner. Harry shot a fast moving percussion hex to break the shield. Again Snape easily dodged but instead of another shield he sent a trip jinx at the three teens.
Harry easily jumped over the low flying line of magic while the other two shielded against it. "Two can play that game, Accio Boots!"
Given that there was nothing to dodge; Snape went down flat on his back as his feet were yanked from under him. Twenty years experience as a Death Eater however meant that though he was down he was by no means out. A vicious cutting curse flashed from his wand and Harry had to dodge. The tailing edge of it still managed to slice a wicked gash in his cheek. Hermione cast a binding spell to wrap the potions professor in ropes, but it only managed to grab his legs as Snape rolled away. Another cutting curse freed him and went rocketing towards Ron who fell flat on his face trying to dodge.
Harry had just about enough of this nonsense. A person ought to be safe from attack in his own school. "Accio Testicles!" He called, pointing towards his opponent.
Snape let out an incredibly loud and girly scream as sensitive parts of his anatomy tried to answer Harry's call. Hermione took pity upon him and stunned him while Ron winced and placed a body bind on the man.
"Harry, what did he do to deserve that?" Ron asked. "I know he cursed you when your back was turned, insulted you for the last five years, and just made you bleed, but that was just plain mean!"
"I really don't see what was so wrong with it. It made the Professor stop fighting." Hermione observed. "What's more important is why was he attacking Harry in the first place? And why did he expect us to help?"
"You wouldn't understand Hermione, it's a guy thing. I don't know what he was trying to pull, but I'm going to find out. Lets take him to Dumbledore and get some answers." Harry began rifling through Snape's pockets looking for a second wand or any portkeys. Tucked into his belt, Harry found a small bottle of a colorless, perfectly clear liquid with a dropper. Looking over his shoulder he saw that Ron and Hermione were arguing about whether or not it was ok to attack a professor if he shot first, so he quickly pocketed the potion he suspected to be Veritaserum. Snape had threatened to use it on him before, and it appeared to be the same bottle.
Harry tossed Ron Snape's wand and the second wand he had found in the professor's boot before levitating the professor and pushing him before them through the halls. Ron and Hermione trailed behind him as they walked through the deserted halls around the Headmaster's office. Coming to the guardian statue Ron and Hermione began listing sweets trying to get the password but Harry held up his hand to stop them. He pointed his wand at the gargoyle and gathered his magical strength, fueled by righteous anger and stress. "Move."
Both his friends and the gargoyle leapt out of the way given his tone. Harry maneuvered Snape's floating body up the stairs and banged his fist quite hard against the door at the top.
"Come in Severus." Dumbledore called. "Did you get Potter?"
"No he didn't," Harry answered, pushing the door open. "Is there anything you'd like to explain Professor?"
Hermione looked shocked and deeply betrayed when they pushed Snape into the room. Professor Snape they could understand, it was no secret he hated Harry and they all knew he was a Death Eater, but Dumbledore was supposed to be good.
Dumbledore didn't even flinch as they took seats in front of the desk and Harry put Snape on a nearby couch. "Harry, so good to see you got my message. I just sent Severus to look for you."
"Just what were your instructions, precisely?" Harry asked without sounding too angry. "I think something got misinterpreted along the line because Snape attacked me when my back was turned, and from under an invisibility cloak."
Hermione tossed the cloak onto the desk as proof. "And he even tried to convince us to help him attack Harry."
Ron didn't have anything to add, but his facial expression clearly showed where his loyalties lay. Dumbledore calmly picked up the cloak and stored it away in a draw before turning back to his students. "I merely asked Severus to escort you to my office for a talk. I didn't know he would attempt such measures to bring you here, but now that you are here I have something to discuss with you privately so if your friends do not mind…"
"No." Harry told him. "I'd really prefer that they stayed. I'm going to tell them everything anyway, and right now I don't exactly trust the man who ordered me attacked. So why don't you just go ahead and speak your piece?"
Dumbledore became much sterner before continuing, "Alright then Mr. Potter, if that is who you really are, I wanted you here because of what happened at the ministry. You exhibited several skills that have never been taught here at Hogwarts, and the ease with which you apparently repelled the Dark Lord gives me pause."
Harry mentally reached out to shake his master's presence awake. 'The Headmaster is suspicious of us' he thought while out loud he answered, "Just what are you trying to imply?"
'Evade him,' Raistlin commanded. 'Consider this a test. A dark wizard does not involve himself unless there is something to be gained. You stand to lose if he is suspicious, so you must assuage his fears and pretend that nothing is out of the ordinary.'
"Stop pretending Tom, leave this boy alone! There is nothing to be gained by this masquerade." Ron and Hermione recoiled in horror at the possibility that Harry was being possessed.
"I am not possessed Headmaster, and I am surprised you think I might be. Tell me professor, if Voldemort was in my body during the fight, then who was in his? We both saw him try to kill me, and even cast the killing curse repeatedly." Harry tried to point out the logical impossibility.
"Maybe so, but there is still the matter of your impressive display of magic. Do you have some convenient and quick answer for that?" Dumbledore pressed.
"Headmaster, you were the one who told me the prophecy in the first place. 'But he shall have a power the Dark Lord knows not. And either must die at the hands of the other for neither can live while the other survives.' You were the one who told me I have a strange and unknown power, and now you question me about how it's done? What part of strange and unknown did you not understand when you explained this to me?" Harry asked with some heat. He then turned to his friends. "That's right by the way, it's him or me in the end. Don't you hate divination?"
"Well… I…" Dumbledore was at a loss for words. He wasn't coming out on top of this encounter and that worried him. "I am very concerned about you Harry."
"That's no excuse to be rude. If you were worried about me being possessed or turning dark you should have just asked. Besides, do you honestly think Hermione would let me begin practicing dark magic and still associate with me? And that's assuming she doesn't run straight to a professor to report it at the first sign of trouble. I am in no danger Professor." Harry rose to his feet while Hermione blushingly nodded.
Harry walked over to Snape's bound and unconscious form. Harry quickly woke him up, but left the bindings in place. Motioning to Ron, Harry retrieved his wands and held them in front of Snape's eyes. "Never attack an opponent when his back is turned. The next time you so much as look at me funny I will make you wish I would hurry up and kill you." Harry snapped both wands in one movement and let the pieces fall onto Snape's chest.
The three friends swept themselves out of the Headmaster's office even angrier than they had entered.
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The train ride back to London was not too remarkable. Draco Malfoy tried to harass Harry and his friends, but Harry couldn't even draw his wand before Malfoy and his goons fell in a hail of curses. At the station Moody, Tonks, and Mr. Weasley threatened his uncle before they were allowed to leave. Harry let the Order watch him get into the car and drive away from the station before he spoke to his uncle.
"Uncle Vernon, If you drop me off at the nearest tube station, you'll never see me again." Harry told him.
"You ungrateful little brat, why did you make me come all the way up here if you were not coming back? I had better things to do today, and there is a tube station right there in Kings Cross."
"I didn't know I wouldn't be returning until yesterday morning and had no way to inform you without using that unnatural mail of ours. If it's any consolation, those Freaks back at the train station will be very upset with me."
"Good riddance to you then. Finally you can go bother someone else with your freakishness, but I'll warn you. Once you step foot out of this car, you will never be welcome in my home again. You leave now and no amount of begging, even from the bloody Queen herself, will make me take you back. You are no relative of ours and there is no place for you in our home." His uncle gave Harry a stern glare through the rearview mirror.
After a few blocks, the car rolled to a stop and Harry heard the boot pop open. Harry got out of the car without a word of goodbye and grabbed his trunk from the boot. As soon as Harry slammed the lid, Vernon sped off back into traffic. Harry was immensely grateful that he had the forethought to cast a feather-light charm on his trunk before stepping off the train and back into the world where his magic was forbidden. He hoisted the trunk and Hedwig's cage and turned to find out where he was exactly. Spotting the sign, Harry almost doubled over laughing. He was at Mornington Crescent, and if the wireless was to be believed he could literally get anywhere in the world from this point. He idly wondered if there wasn't some Wizarding travel center hidden somewhere in the station. If there wasn't, there should be.
Foregoing the mythical travel rules heard on the radio, Harry paid the fare and waited for the train to show up. The Northern Line, he was pleased to discover, ran not only through Mornington Crescent, but also Kings Cross and had a station on Charing Cross Road not far from the Leaky Cauldron which was his eventual destination. The train came along right on schedule and he soon found himself a bare block and a half from the Cauldron. He dropped his trunk and Hedwig at the Cauldron and hurried off to take care of business in the alley before everyone closed for the day.
The first stop was Gringotts Bank. Harry filled three sacks with galleons and set them near the door so he could examine a few of the heirlooms stashed in the back of the vault. In the summer before his third year he had been surprised to find that money was not the only thing in his vault. There was a small box of the family jewelry that he ignored, a few portraits who were too old or obscure to be featured in the home, a small set of magical arms and armor, and the cabinet that contained the most important business papers like stock certificates and the deed to the family home. Harry searched for the papers to his parents house, but all the deed said was "Potter Family Home, Godrics Hollow, Scotland." There was no address listed, and no further hint of where it was.
"Excuse me Griphook," Harry stuck his head back out of the vault and addressed the goblin who brought him down. "I'm having a bit of trouble here. I don't suppose you could tell me where in the world Godrics Hollow is? The deed to the property doesn't say."
"My name is Grapnold, not Griphook!" The goblin yelled at him. "We are a bank not a travel service. Buy a map if you need to know where something is. Now hurry up, time is money and I won't waste anymore on you."
Harry obediently grabbed his bags of money from beside the door and took the cart back to the surface. He flipped a galleon over his shoulder as an apology for the mistake before walking out of the bank.
It turned out that the trip to the apothecary was not nearly as bad as Harry was expecting. For all the list of herbs, ingredients, and supplies was long most of the items were fairly cheap and in good supply. He picked up everything he could and made it out only spending about twenty galleons, and headed for the jewelers. The sales clerk was very understanding when he explained he needed unset gems for a magical experiment along with the rest of his order. Harry picked out four small diamonds, three rubies, four strings of black pearls, a man's ring with a small emerald, three pendants in various styles, and a large block of uncut jade. The tally came to just over fifteen hundred galleons, a price Harry balked at and the clerk shuddered in joy for her commission.
Harry looked at his watch and saw that he only had a few more minutes before the shops closed so he hurried off to Flourish and Blot's for a searchable atlas of the British Isles and Ireland and a book on apparition theory and practice. His master had agreed to provide transportation for a few days, but he stressed that Harry would have to get by on his own very quickly.
Sitting down outside Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, Harry sipped a butterbeer and opened the atlas. Searches for Godrics Hollow as a city, town, or village all turned up no results when set to search both magical and muggle maps. Likewise no results came up when he searched for it as a subdivision of a larger town. It was only after he searched for landmarks that he had any success. Located in the mountains to the northwest of the Forbidden Forest, there was a bowl shaped valley with a small lake under a waterfall. Only a few miles away, there was a small muggle village just across the mountain. The location was close enough to Hogsmeade and Hogwarts that they were only a short broom flight or apparition jump away, but the Forest and mountains hid it rather well from everyone. Harry pushed himself to the background and let his master take over as they studied the map and surrounding area.
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Without a sound Harry and his master landed in Godrics Hollow and inspected their new home. The Hollow itself was barely under a kilometer in diameter and almost perfectly round. The area was lightly wooded with native trees and seemed to have a preponderance of songbirds. Behind a low ridge, Harry could see the Forbidden Forest, and presumable he would see Hogwarts from the top of that ridge. In the north east quarter a small spring tumbled over a twenty meter cliff into the small pond. What was once a comfortable looking house sat on the edge of the pond, fifteen years of neglect and natural weather had wreaked havoc on his family's home. From his view point he could see that the roof had been blasted out from an enormous whole on the second floor.
Approaching the house Harry damned the Dursleys for never coming here. His family's history and heirlooms left exposed to the elements for fifteen years because they hated his parents and refused to salvage their belongings. The front door was splinters and a few inches of board that clung to the hinges. Lichen and mold had creeped into the front parlor and throughout the first floor. It was obvious that at some point animals had been in the house and in each of the open rooms. Most of the rooms were a total write off, and the second floor contained rot and water damage in addition to the mold and mildew that pervaded the home. The family library on the first floor was still closed when Harry tried to force the door. The door's handle was frozen, or perhaps locked, so Harry put his shoulder into it and the door split just after the latch mechanism and swung free. The library was comparatively intact. There were obvious leaks in the ceiling and the carpet still destroyed, but the charms on the bookcases to repel paper eating insects had apparently held. Many of the books were water damaged, but it was possible that some of them could be saved.
The best room for Harry's immediate needs was the basement. Through some strange, and probably magical, part of the home's design, the cellar was dry and whole. The spider webs were horrendous but Harry knew how to deal with them. Spider webs and cobwebs were not only gossamer and sticky, but also highly flammable. Harry pulled a Zippo lighter and his cologne from his trunk. With a spritz and a WHOOSH, a wave of flames spread across the cellar as the webs caught and burned in an instant.
Holding up a rough torch of a piece of the front door wrapped in one of Dudley's old shirts with a little cologne for an easy light, Harry explored the basement. There were a few trunks that had survived, and Harry looked forward to exploring those later. For now he had somewhere dry and after he collected some dead wood, it was warm too. In time, magic could be used to fix most things. He would never recover the priceless history of the home, but with a little elbow grease and diligence he could have a home of his own. He vowed to visit the muggle village across the mountain in the morning for food and supplies, but for tonight it was enough to be on his own for the first time in his life.
00000
When Raistlin woke up that evening for his turn to use the body, he looked around and quickly decided that this state of affairs was unacceptable. While he had been a mercenary for several years and lived off the land in that time, an abandoned and run down home was no place for a magical laboratory. He was pleased that Harry had made an effort to purchase everything on his list and taken steps to get his own transportation and living space, and so decided to begin the magic lessons early. They would deal with the living situation later.
After casting a spell on Harry to allow him to read his journals, Raistlin began his instruction on how to read magical notations and what the spells meant. "The first spell you will be learning is one to prevent others from using divining powers against you. Divination is far from an art used solely for discovering the future. It can also be used to tell you the present, and what people are doing. You have told me that the government seeks to keep track of wizards by monitoring the use of magic across the kingdom. This is an example of divination being used to tell someone what is happening and where. Once you have mastered this, you will be required to take a more active role in your lessons. The second spell you will learn is the one I have just cast on you to allow you to read my spell books. Magic is a language of its own and once you learn it you will be crafting your own spell book for your studies. A wizard must write his own spell books, and he is the only one who will be able to read them without the use of this spell. Now, examine the diagram beneath this spell and listen to me closely as I explain how this details your somatic movements…"