Fundamental Gneisto
"Dragaf the Ugly, head goblin of the Bloody Rebellion in 1254, launched an array of personal attacks against the families of the League Against Treacherous Creatures, within the newly formed Office for Creature Control circa 1222 in the Ministry of Magic. The attacks included trespassing, vandalism, and ward contamination. It was with the first burglary in 1256 that the Ministry of Magic responded with heavy taxes on…"
Harry's brain simply refused to listen to the dead professor's droning any longer. He was barely suppressing the attractive thought of going to the kitchens, his most recent discovery, and dipping his head into a large pot of hot oil.
History of Magic remained after the month since his Sorting one of his most hated classes and was competing with Defense Against the Dark Arts for the number one spot. The banshee teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts had a definite dislike for him. Draco assumed that had to do with Harry continuously pointing out the faultiness of her logic that only teaching theory would prepare them for the fight against Voldemort's forces. He received a week of detention with Snape for his comment on where she could shove her wand since she had no intention of using it in a battle. Harry assumed the latter to be the source of her scorn.
Transfiguration with the unnaturally stern McGonagall definitively was tied for the top spot. Harry still could not understand what he had done to anger the woman, but he showed his dislike of her treatment with passive aggressiveness and excellent work in her class. Next to Umbridge, McGonagall took more points away from Harry than any other professor he had classes with. Luckily for Harry, Snape and his dwarfed professor of Charms rewarded him and other Slytherins considerably for work in their classes as compensation for the dents Umbitch and McSucksonballs put in the Slytherin point hourglass.
As he dazed off his fingers fiddled with the note that he received from Headmaster Dumbledore before his Double History lesson requesting his presence in his office after dinner. Harry planned to let the old man have it, but he knew that it was futile. Narcissa was working on the Board of Governors, but, with Harry being the only student being mistreated by McGonagall and the board's refusal to respond to the case of one student, Harry was not expecting any mountains to be moved. Narcissa told him per Floo call not to attend the meeting with the headmaster as she would take care of it.
Wow, this table is comfortable. I wonder if they charmed it. Harry noted mentally, being lulled by Binns' voice into a wonderful slumber.
Harry, you're salivating. Harry jumped and knocked a book off of his desk as Draco's voice and laughter suddenly rang in his head.
"Is anything the matter, Mr. Trotter?" Professor Binns droned more insulted at being interrupted than worried about his student.
The splattered outbreak of laughter here and there in the class made Harry's face go red slightly. He quickly wiped his face.
"Not at all, Professor Bor- ah Binns. I was just so curious as to why the Ministry burned the huts of the Dragonlord clan if it was the Bloodclaw clan." Harry said with a slight yawn.
"Of course, Mr. Lotter. I believe that exact same topic interested your father as well."
Harry started at the sudden mention of his father. It wasn't the first time that a professor mentioned his father. His first interaction with Snape was the first of many. McGonagall noted his father's talent for Transfiguration often, as an example of how the apple fell far from the tree, although he was arguably already within the Top 10 of the class.
"Oh, is that so?" Harry said slightly heated, sensing a possible insult to himself and his father. "And what did my grandfather think of the Dragonlord clan- Bloodclaw clan confusion between of the Massacre of 1267? I'm sure he found it riveting as well."
Draco's peal of laughter on his far right was easily identifiable from the others. As they did not need to sit next to one another in order to communicate, Draco took to sitting with his close acquaintances within his house and Harry with Neville.
I'm so getting you back for this, Dray, mark my words. The blonde stopped laughing immediately.
"Unfortunately, Mr. Potter, your grandfather was homeschooled by your great-grandfather, with whom I worked and researched, so I do not know exactly his views on the confusion. He surely would have been just as enthralled by this material as you and your father. Intellectual curiosity runs in your blood." The ghost said with a nod of acknowledgement. "You all would do well to learn from Mr. Potts. Ten points to Slytherin."
Harry glanced over to Draco, a few seats over, and smiled mischievously as the class gasped in unison. Binns ignored the noise and continued with his lecture.
Draco sat mouth agape.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Why is everyone shocked? It doesn't surprise me that Binns is old enough to know my great-grandfather personally."
"No one, not even Hermione Granger the Brain, has managed to get points from Binns in their time at Hogwarts since his death," said Neville from Harry's right pointing at the bushy haired girl a few rows over, who was furiously scribbling down the professor's lecture word for word while occasionally glaring at Harry over her shoulder. She does know that everything he says is in the book he posthumously published right? He asked Draco, who shrugged noncommittally and went back to doodling.
A small grin grew on Harry's face from Neville's statement. His first accomplishment of his academic career, he couldn't wait to write Marner about it.
He looked through his eyelashes over at the Longbottom heir, his godbrother. It had been difficult to squeeze that fact out of the boy, and even more difficult for his House to accept the unusual union. They still glare at us both. According to Neville, it did not matter as the popular members of the house had deemed him an outsider since his first year.
Harry had taken it upon himself to still sit at both the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables throughout the day. This, unsurprisingly, led to apparently heated debates at the Head table as well as in the Gryffindor common, according to Neville.
No one had physically or verbally attacked Harry, so it did not matter to him. Neville also seemed rather unscratched. Draco, though slightly apprehensive and jealous of the non-bond origin of Harry's friendship with Neville, he was slowly coming to terms with it.
Harry, can't you distract him again… My head can't take this droning anymore. Draco moaned mentally. Harry saw him slouched over his desk in such unmannered gesture that his mother would have destroyed him.
The clock on the wall showed that there was still 25 minutes left of the course. An idea popped into Harry's head. He grinned at Draco before raising his hand.
"Although the dark Dragonlord Foulbreath, disposed of his seven brothers and father- yes, Mr. Patter?"
The class turned their attention to Harry and, those, who had been previously asleep, stirred.
"I'm just curious sir. Foulbreath did not kill his sisters or the wives of his brothers. I know this because several of them sought refuge in within this very building." He saw that many of his classmates did not know this information, due to the looks of astonishment on their faces.
"That is quite correct Mr. Platter. Five points to Slytherin." There was a rumble from the Gryffindor side of the room and a small cheer from the Slytherin side. Draco gave him a large, loud pat on the back.
"As Mr. Plotter mentioned, Foulbreath did not dispose of the female members of his clan. Only the males were destroyed. He considered the male elements of the clan to be the sole threats to his power. Many of the female fled the clan in 1321 and sought asylum here at Hogwarts. Three taught on staff, one of whom is the direct ancestor of Professor Flitwick, I believe." The ghost seemed to ponder this fact for a moment.
There was a small outburst of amazement in the classroom at the idea of goblins once teaching at Hogwarts and also that their beloved professor descended from one of them.
Harry raised his hand again, wanting to get to core of his intentions.
The mysterious book Fundamental Gneisto opened to him yesterday, and, though it no longer spoke to him, it provided him with random information to which Harry now had questions. Harry spent all night reading the unabridged version of the Hogwarts Charter from 842 and its subsequent amendments, its history, long-standing dueling procedures and the ways of the Ancient and Noble families, all provided by the mysterious book.
"Yes, I do believe it was his great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother Aresidi. Ah, Mr. Otter, you are quite curious today. Yes, I believe we have time for one last question." The ghost seemed genuinely pleased.
"Would the presence of goblins on campus have anything to do with the 1325 amendment to the Hogwarts charter, that allowed for magical beings to join the faculty?" Harry pressed leaning forward. He already knew the answer but found it necessary for the ghost to answer this question before Harry could ask his final.
"Yes, it was most definitely the reason for it." The professor said energetically, unknowingly explaining his own current employment. "The amendment to allow magical beings to attend Hogwarts would, however, come much later in-."
"1443, yes." Harry answered slowly as he contemplated. "Professor, is there any reason why the founding of Hogwarts or the Hogwarts charter are not listed on any of your syllabi for the first to seventh year history curriculum?"
The class seemed to notice that sometime of importance was taken place. The class seemed to hold its breath. The very air had gone still.
The ghost professor sighed and shook his head. "In all of my years teaching, not once was this question posed by a student. It is quite unfortunate that Headmaster Dumbledore removed the Hogwarts charter from its spot on the curriculum in 1952 as he assumed his current position as Headmaster. You would have to inquire personally to learn why the Headmaster deemed it necessary." He unknowingly gave a very theatrical pause before continuing. "It does my heart good to hear that students pursue extracurricular research, that will be another ten points for S-."
"But professor!" The bushy haired Granger inquired suddenly, purposely cutting the professor's point philanthropy short. She continued as if ignorant of the glares from her Slytherin classmates. "The charter is also not mentioned in Hogwarts, A History. Certainly the Headmaster didn't think it necessary if it was not mentioned in the book." She said with an all-knowing smirk in Harry's direction.
"Sadly, history disagrees with you, Ms. Granger," Harry said brightly. "The current reprint of Hogwarts, A History is the tenth revision to the original, and the only without a full chapter covering the Charter."
"Mr. Potter, is correct." The professor said emphatically. "I know as I worked on this revision in 1955 where the chapter was scratched from the manuscript without warning by the Headmaster, who edited a final version of the manuscript. Discussions on reentering it were rendered impossible…" The normally monotone professor ended on an uncustomary, very morose note.
The bell rang, signaling the end of class and startling a few students. Though there was a rustle a moment outside the door, not one chair in the room was moved. No one stirred with conspiracy theories in that air.
"But that's preposterous! You make it sound as if information was willingly behind withheld." Granger shouted, in full disbelief. She seemed to make it a personal offense that something considered historically important was withheld from her. "It must be a lie."
The floating professor turned to Granger sternly. "Though I encourage critique on my words, work and ways, I wholeheartedly rebuke disrespect toward professors. Five points from Gryffindor. Oh and the ten points to Slytherin for Mr. Patter's extracurricular research still apply. Now hurry along to your next classes." The professor then turned and floated through the wall.
Draco looked as Harry with something akin to pride, jealousy, and mirth dancing in his eyes. "You would be the first person to receive points from Binns, more than 20 points in one class, and also dethrone the mudblood from her spotless points streak!" He said loudly as everyone packed to go to their next class. Several of their Slytherin classmates also offered their congratulations.
"Now now Draco, you know my mother was muggleborn. I could take that offensive term as an insult and challenge you to a duel." Harry half-joked. He did not like derogatory terms that people did not earn themselves from misdeeds. No one can control how they are born.
Neville gave a wave and Harry returned it as he finished packing his books.
When he looked up, Draco had a slight blush. "Sorry about that. It's a hard habit to break." They continued on to the common room ignoring the whispering and eyes that followed them.
Their exchange and Harry's history lesson remained the talk of the school for the rest of the day.
Harry took it upon himself to extend an olive branch to the bushy-haired girl at dinner, explaining to her that he did not mean to insult her intentionally or unintentionally. Before she could respond, a gangly, red-haired boy from their class year shouted from further down the table, "Oy, Potter. Why don't you hang out with the other snakes and leave the rejects of our house alone!"
Harry looked to the Head table to see the Headmaster in deep conversation with Flitwick and the stern McGonagall watching the proceedings at her table with slight disinterest, but more importantly at Harry in slight disgust.
Is there a reason why she allows charges within her own house to be abused by fellow house members? Harry asked Draco.
I don't know. Who knows what twisted logic the Gryffindors have. Weasel or Ronald Weasley of the formerly noble House of Weasley, supposedly saved the mud-ggleborn from some peril first year and his sister from something similar our second year. He's the unchallenged head of the Gryffindorks.
A bully… Granger tilted her head down to avoid showing her tears. Harry felt his pulse rise just as his anger did.
Pulling a snarky page out of Snape's book, Harry addressed the table. "Hopefully, someone of better birth could explain to Ronald Weasley of the formerly noble House of Weasley what happens to people who insult the honor of a Head of an Ancient and Noble Family." Harry mused loudly causing his magic to expand around him and carry his voice throughout the hall. "Similarly, perhaps someone of authority could respond to the blatant interhouse bullying?" He asked looking directly at his Head of House.
"Ten points from Gryffindor for insulting your fellow housemates." Snape snarled from the Head table.
"Professor Snape! I do believe the management of my house is my responsibility." Professor McGonagall said rising indignantly from her chair.
Professor Snape refused to bat her an eye. "As per your first request Lord Potter, a letter on the Head of the Weasley house should suffice."
"You slimy snake!" Ronald Weasley growled launching himself from his seat. "How dare you belittle my family and throw your haughty lineage around! You-." Harry told Draco to start composing the letter as soon as he was free.
"Ten more points from Gryffindor for insulting a fellow student and detention for not being able to control your temper!" Harry could not have asked for more.
The look on McGonagall's face was acidic. She looked as should she wanted no more than to slap both Harry and Snape, but she resigned some of her dignity by setting back. Doing nothing as usual.
"Thanks." The bushy-haired girl said tearfully. "It was much worse my first year, but they left me alone as I single-handedly won the House Cup by academic merit three years in a row." She said proudly.
Harry gave her a tentative smile. He knew how hard it could be being the new kid on the block. "This is Neville," he said brightly, pointing to the sandy-haired teenager next to him who was staring at him open-mouthed.
The girl smiled at the two of them. Like a light switch, the girl turned to Harry with such seriousness that he felt his now coiled magic pulse apprehensively. "So what else do you know about the charter? I couldn't find any books on it in the library…" She said casting an accusatory glance towards the Headmaster, as if personally offended by the lack of information.
"I thought you would never ask!" Harry said beginning an hour-long monologue on the Hogwarts Charter peppered by questions from both Neville and Hermione.
As he went to the room he shared with Draco before curfew, Harry undid the wards that he erected around his trunk. He was not worried about Draco's reaction to the books, as he was sure the blonde would be amused. He was worried about the Headmaster and others who might have access to his room. Luckily, warding magic was the first magic Harry managed to pick up. Movement of the wand was unnecessary as warding magic was a derivative of runic magic, and necessitated drawing and powering runes. Harry did most of them with his fingers and blood.
He pulled out the book that made him the talk of the day and opened it slowly. He gasped.
The chapters were divided as they had been the night before. The same type topics were present, however the focus of the material had changed. Instead of holding chapters of books explaining what the Hogwarts Charter was, the origins and reasons for the traditional Wizarding dueling, and the histories and ways of the Ancient and Noble Families, the book held more detailed works on critiques on the Charter (one of which was written by Dumbledore in the 1950s), dueling styles and useful curses, and how the ways of the Ancient and Noble Families transferred to wizard politic and the Wizengamot.
Harry sighed contently, but he admitted to being troubled by the book. Did it show what he wanted to read or know? Or did it somehow know what he needed to know? How much of a survival guide was it?
Shaking those questions out of his head, Harry settled into his bed with the magically expanded and complied book in his hands.
Draco returned to the room unbeknown to Harry. "Why are you reading Muggle Classics Clarified?" The blonde asked startling Harry immensely. "You grew up in the muggle world and read tons of books, according to the memories of yours I still have access to."
Harry's eyes grew as his mind scrambled to find an answer. Draco merely rolled his eyes and began to get ready for bed.
Harry breathed a sigh of utter relief as the blonde went off to the bathroom adjacent to their bedroom.
Of course the book would be able to hide itself. Harry looked at the book in amazement. He wondered what would happen if he told someone about the book. Only time will tell.
The weekend arrived and departed far too quickly in Harry's opinion. He spent most of his time learning wizard's chess from Draco or helping Neville with his pet botanical projects in the damp greenhouses. Harry learned quickly that plants with teeth have an insatiable thirst for human blood. One particularly vicious plant even gestured for Harry to come back for a second go at him.
His book was his constant companion when he was not around others. He stuck to his chamber or to the kitchens. He decided to go to the library for some change of scenery on Monday following a torturous double Transfiguration lesson with McGonagall.
"She really has it in for you, Potter." The Weasley in his grade said grinning as class was dismissed.
Harry smiled at him pleasantly. "It's because I've killed." There were gasps from the eavesdroppers. The redhead paled. "It's hard for someone as noble as the professor to accept a person with my history."
"Y-you Dark-." Harry cut the accusation off with a wave of his hand.
"I am no such thing, churl of the formerly Noble house of Weasley. I did what I needed to survive."
"Is there a problem here, boys?" The stern voice of Professor McGonagall asked from behind Harry.
Harry turned to her and gave a dismissive and curt bow of the head. "Not at all, Professor. Enjoy the rest of your day."
Before she could respond, Harry was already halfway down the hallway. It's time to destroy the weasel.
By the end of the last class before dinnertime, however, Harry had surprisingly put Ronald Weasley out of his mind. He gave a quick wave to Draco and Neville as he passed them in the hall but did not follow them or the rest of the students heading towards the Great Hall for dinner. He had decided to take his dinner in the kitchens with a good book, with hisgood book.
The dungeons, which the Slytherins called their abode, were scarily silent except for Harry's own footsteps. He hated the dark and the silence, both of which reminded him of his previous confinement. Harry mentioned to Marner that he had been plagued with nightmares for several days following his arrival, to which the man offered to send Harry immediately to a therapist.
The worry wart.
Harry stopped abruptly as a chill went over him. His ears picked up a rustle of clothing and a few voices up ahead. He created one of his balls of light and had it dance in the corridor in front of him. As he crept forward apprehensively, the brief contemplation of how he would go about creating the ball of light with his wand fluttered through his head before disappearing as a small, muffled scream of anger forced him to rush forward.
"Hurry up! I wanted to get dinner when we are done with the slag." A voice said from around a corner. Harry her a muffled scream again, this time
"We should have silenced her!"
Harry bounded around the corner and felt his magic strike before his mind finished observing the disgusting scene in front of him. Two male students wearing Gryffindor colors were tossed like dolls into a wall and away from an unclothed and bound blonde girl on the floor.
Harry quickly set to taking off his robe to give to her. She shook a bit and flinched as Harry's hands touched her shoulders, albeit gently.
Those bastards! He felt a sudden wind rip through the room as his magic poured out, looking for those responsible for such a horrendous act. When his restless magic did not attack anything, Harry turned and noted with angry disappointment that the two culprits had vanished.
"I know this perhaps a dumb question, but are you okay?" He withdrew his hands after his robe was more securely wrapped around her exposed body. Hers was nowhere in sight.
Her response was muffled. Harry wanted to kick himself! He did not know how to undo the enchantments that were put on her; he did not even know what they were. He decided not to ask Draco for his help with the spells as he wanted to respect the girl's privacy. His wand, being completely useless, was left in his pocket. Thinking quickly, he called up his magic to remove any foreign magic upon her person.
The girl, free of her bindings, sat up slowly. Harry gave her a bit of space and tried to calm himself down. His magic pulsed angrily inside of him and around them.
"Thank you for saving me, Harry Potter." Harry jumped at the sound of her voice. It carried a dreamily, sweet lulling effect. It reminded Harry of chimes that spoke nothing of the horrid act that nearly befell her. "I knew you would come."
Harry felt a slight chill crawl down his spine. "What do you mean?"
She tilted her pale and blonde head to the side as if confused that he did not know the answer himself. "Of course I knew. Didn't you?"
Harry forced himself to swallow his angry retort to her curious question. What a strange girl.
"Of course. Should I take you to the hospital wing? Did they… hurt you?"
Surprising him exponentially, the girl sprung up from the floor, as if she hadn't a care in the world and as if this were a common occurrence. He watched her pluck three wands from the corner and put two away in her – his pocket. One of them she placed behind her ear as one would with a pencil.
"They did not penetrate me." Harry winced slightly at her sudden bluntness. "They never are able to since the wicklenay protect me."
Harry joined her in standing. "What are wicklenays?"
She shook her head. "Wicklenay, no 's' for plural." Before Harry could even register his mistake, she plowed on. "They are small, protective creatures. They choose a family and protect them until the family discharges them through harm or neglect." She paused as if noting something that she might have forgotten. "They might be related to the Brownies of Scotland, but no research has been done to prove that."
Harry could only nod.
She turned and made her way out of the small dark alcove. Harry tried to focus on the severity of the matter at hand, and not how comical his much larger robe looked on her. It made her look like a figure Harry had seen on the telly as child. Some sort of dark lord in Star Wars.
After walking a few minutes with her in absolutely aggravating silence, Harry exploded. "How can you be so indifferent right now? Those bastards nearly raped you-."
She turned to him so quickly that Harry took a few steps backwards.
"Nearly is the correct wording." She said slowly.
"It doesn't matter if they managed to or not, the intent was there!" Harry nearly growled.
She sighed and surprisingly took both of his larger hands into her extremely soft ones. "Both of them are of higher Pureblood birth than myself. I am neither the first nor the last to be touched by their hands. Nor will I be the only one unable to publically take action against them." She said softly.
The torches on the wall flickered as Harry struggled to grapple with the meaning behind her words and control the unknown emotions raging through him.
"Why the hell are there so many Ancient and Noble laws and procedures if you can't use any to receive simple justice?"
She shrugged. "They were created by those in power to maintain power."
"I'm going to destroy them." Harry said, and at her confused expression he continued, "I, Harry James Potter, do swear on my magic to defend the honor of-." He blinked as he blanked on her name.
"Luna Lovegood." She supplied with a smile.
"Right – I, Harry James Potter, do swear on my magic to defend the honor of Luna Lovegood. So smote it be." The magic tension around Harry was palpable as the vow – Harry wasn't sure which one exactly – was magically sealed.
He suddenly found the arms of the blonde wrapped around his torso. He was stunned to see small tears glittering in corners of her eyes.
"Thank you, Harry Potter." She said before turning swiftly away, leaving him feeling oddly cold suddenly. "You may keep the knickers in your pocket."
She retreated, looking quite majestic in his long robe.
With a deep blush, Harry confirmed the current location of her underwear to be his pocket. He turned after a few moments and continued on his way to his room, planning his revenge on Luna's behalf.
What an odd girl.