Summary…Just days after the DOM a mysterious letter arrives and Harry is faced with a decision. Reject the offer and continue on the path Dumbledore has set for him or forge a new one and challenge every opinion ever forced on him.
SLASH. Creature fic, new school, Grey/Powerful Harry… Oh if anything warning worthy develops I will put the warning in the authors note. I'll also try to highlight it in the text. K?
A/N…Right as stated in the summary this is SLASH so i would hope that anyone whose got to this point has got that by now, so remember if you don't like it don't read it.
I just have to say i am amazed at the response i've gotten so far for this story. 75 alerts, 16 favs and 25 reviews. I think thats brilliant for a first chapter. Sorry I havent mentioned anybody here, i'm going to try and reply to everyones review directly instead of in the chapter. The only time i'll put a reply in the chapter is when it addresses something that I think needs explaining.
Pairing news...So far i have had several votes for some canon males and even a few for oc's. Its still wide open thought one person is in front by one vote so at the moment he's the favorite. At the moment i'm not sure whether i'll just use the one with the most votes or whether i'll create a poll a bit further into the story when i've introduced some oc's. Anyway keep nominating and now onto the chapter.
p.s. I'm sorry about the short chapter last time but no matter what i do i cant seem to write longer prologues. I actually think this one is my longest so far. But the chapters will definitely be getting longer from this point onwards.
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Mysteria
Chapter One
Harry Potter received another letter from the school a couple of days into the summer holidays. This one telling him how pleased they were that he had accepted his place. It also included a load of information and a list of possible subjects for him to choose between. He had until the day he left to decide what he wanted to take. As the school was quite exclusive a Professor would be calling for him and taking him shopping for his supplies before apparating him to the school.
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER BUT INSTINCT IS SURVIVAL
For New Students
Students should note that Mysteria offers a wide variety of courses. Baring the subjects listed as two year courses all subjects can be taken at anytime during the three year period.
Learning occurs throughout the year, including the dates considered school holidays by other facilities. All students will remain on school grounds at all times. Holidays will be given to any and all deserving students. This is necessary as at this moment in your life your magic is more malleable and your mind is still able to retain information with any modicum of efficiency. It is usually at this point that all decisions on the future will be made whether conscious or subconscious. That is why we like to provide a wide variety of choice.
It is preferable for students to choose the subjects they want to study now. By forming a plan the school can better organise your situation, although Second year and Third year subjects may be changed within reason. There are several subjects that can only be taken after a basic knowledge in another subject has been achieved, so arrange your lessons accordingly. Other subjects require some evidence of talent which will be tested for prior to lessons.
All students should be aware that the lengths of courses are dependent on the student's skill and not usually upon a fixed time table. In most cases courses do last their allotted time but some students may find that they learn at a more accelerated rate and the course may run shorter for them because of this. Please note that those who fail to complete the course by the end of the designated time will not graduate the class.
All learning will be based on the methods that the individual responds best to. In some cases there will be classes of less than ten and in others, one on one instruction.
To anybody who wishes to complain about our methods know this, Mysteria does not coddle you. If you wish for an easy life then remain where you are.
All students should be prepared to be picked up at eight o'clock on the morning of August the 1st.
For Returning Students (2nd years) and Final Years (3rd years)
Second years your subjects will be the same as those agreed on in your first year. If you wish to change or remove a subject from your list please reply to this letter immediately and a decision will be made upon your reasoning, i.e. a change in career goals or new found knowledge preventing the study of a particular subject.
Third years, that which is written above is also applicable to you. At the end of third year it is possible that one or more of you may be offered a two year Apprenticeship. At the end of the year your Mentor will inform you of any possible offers.
It is wise to remember though that even if you have a love or talent for a subject that still may not be enough to guarantee you an apprenticeship. Masters are very selective over their choices and most do not take on apprentices at all. It is also wise to note that in some cases apprenticeships may last longer than two years. This often happens in the higher disciplines, especially if the apprentice struggles with the material. The pace the Master sets and the rate at which the apprentice learns may affect the amount of time necessary for study. Acceptance should not be made on the assumption that in two years it will all be over and you will have gained another qualification. It does not work that way.
Students that are accepted into Apprenticeships no longer have the option of choice; their life is from then on decided by their Master. For that period of your life nothing will be studied that is not approved by your Master. If you have received an offer then be objective in your decision, ask the Master for any details that they may give you about the subject in question. Do not leap into the decision as once you accept it is done.
Many of the orders to which the Master's belong do not allow their secrets out to just anyone. If you decide to stop learning or can no longer be taught the subject then all knowledge will be removed from your mind and you will have nothing to show for that time of your life. Some orders will even demand that the Apprentice is killed rather than risk exposure to their techniques. Think very carefully on this before setting it as a goal.
Apprentices will receive their instructions from their Masters during the initiation day. Apprentices should also be aware that it is possible for a Master to allow an Apprentice to take further classes in other subjects if it does not interfere with their own teachings.
Just remember to ask first.
List of Subjects
All Year's Mandatory Subjects
Transfiguration,
Charms,
Defence Against the Dark Arts,
Potions,
The Dark Arts,
Herbology,
Healing,
Natural Magic,
(All years please note that all of the above subjects are three year courses, with the exception of Natural Magic which is only taken during first year).
Optional Courses
Blood Magic
Curses (Invention of) (2 year course)
Rituals,
Defensive Magic,
Offensive Magic, (1) (Can only be taken once Defensive Magic has been completed)
Runes,
Wizarding and Muggle Culture
Creature Behaviour (humanoid and animal),
Essence/Spirit Magic (1)
Elemental Magic/Control, (1)
Transformations, (1)
Spell Casting (via wand, thought, gesture, will), (2 year course)
Arithmancy,
Astronomy,
Spell Crafting, (2 year course) (Prior study of Runes or concurrent study of Runes is necessary)
Numerology,
Domestic Spells,
Creatures in Wizarding Society,
History of Magic,
Sex Magic, (Please note: Can only be taken in third year)
Conjuring, (1)
Necromancy, (1) (2 year course) (Some experience of Blood Magic and Rituals is essential)
Druidism,
Divination/Speech via Astral Plains, (1)
Special Studies (Flight, Aura Reading, Invisibility, Parcel-Magic, ETC...)
Transportation via will, (apparition, shadows or spiritual),
Magical Creature Breeding,
Celtic Magic,
Wizarding International Cultures,
Wizarding Politics,
Pureblood Etiquette,
Occlumency and Legilimency, (1)
Strategy,
Magical Portrait Making
Soul Magic,
Wand Creation,
(1)...these subjects are dependent on the ability being present in the students themselves. This will be tested for prior to lessons.
Students should also note that instruction in both Duelling and Survival Skills is available at any time. The student is subject to the will of the instructor and may be required for extra training. Please note, if you quit the instruction you will not be accepted back. The Duelling and Survival Skills course takes place in the morning prior to breakfast and in the afternoon proceeding lessons but prior to dinner. Extra lessons may be given in free periods upon request.
All students should also take into account that only the Mandatory courses offered (Baring Natural Magic and The Dark Arts) have final qualifications recognised by the British Ministry of Magic, I.e. NEWTs, Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests.
Yours
Daran Costara
Deputy Headmaster
Mysteria Academy
He finished the scroll; the school definitely gave a lot more information out than Hogwarts did. He didn't know if he'd actually be able to remember it all.
If he understood it right, in first year they would be taking eight mandatory subjects. But in second and third year they would only take seven. So if that was the case it would make more sense to take more new subjects in his second and third years than in his first. He got out a roll of parchment and listed all the courses he was interested in before setting out to assign them to one of the three years of schooling. He did agree with the Deputy Head's idea of getting everyone's basic course ideas for all three years now, it probably saved the teachers a whole lot of work. Especially with some of the teachers having to teach Apprentices as well as students.
There were over twenty subjects that he wanted to take!
But he couldn't take all of them he'd die of exhaustion. So he thinned the list out a little more. For some reason he didn't find thinning out the list to be all that hard. Whenever he read a name he seemed to know instinctively whether to place it on his to do list or on the reject list. Weird.
In the end he decided on taking six extra subjects his first and third years but seven in his second. It was a lot but he'd rather learn everything he could in his three years than go home with just the knowledge he would have gained at Hogwarts. Besides he may not be able to take some of the subjects due to not having the gift. He glanced over the parchment again, just to make sure he hadn't made a mistake with his selections...
First year
Mandatory
1. Transfiguration,
2. Charms,
3. Defence Against the Dark Arts,
4. Potions,
5. The Dark Arts,
6. Herbology,
7. Healing,
8. Natural Magic
Optional
1. Blood Magic,
2. Invention of Curses,
3. Rituals,
4. Spell Casting,
5. Transportation via will (apparition, shadows or spiritual),
6. Occlumency and Legilimency.
Second year
Mandatory
1. Transfiguration,
2. Charms,
3. Defence Against the Dark Arts,
4. Potions,
5. The Dark Arts,
6. Herbology,
7. Healing,
Optional
1. Necromancy
2. Invention of Curses,
3. Runes,
4. Spell Casting,
5. Spell Crafting,
6. Essence/Spirit Magic,
7. Defensive Magic,
Third year
Mandatory
1. Transfiguration,
2. Charms,
3. Defence Against the Dark Arts,
4. Potions,
5. The Dark Arts,
6. Herbology,
7. Healing,
Optional
1. Necromancy
2. Sex Magic,
3. Spell Crafting
4. Transformations.
5. Elemental Magic/Control,
6. Offensive Magic,
Harry James Potter
So with the eight mandatory courses Harry was taking a total of fourteen subjects in his first year. He was taking: Blood Magic, Invention of Curses, Rituals, Spell Casting, Transportation and Occlumency and Legilimency. He didn't really want to take Occlumency and Legilimency but he wasn't stupid enough not to take it. He may not like it but refusing to learn it had cost Sirius his life. No one else would die because he couldn't learn something. He was going to work hard and master everything he could. He'd already started re-reading his school books from his last five years at school. He was intending to finish revising them before he got to his new school. He didn't want to feel like an idiot in a school that seemed to be harder than Hogwarts. He'd also decided to sign up for Dueling and Survival Skills, it seemed stupid not to.
He knew he'd picked a lot of subjects, but he was fairly confident that he could do it. What with the assurances that learning would be suited to the individual's own strengths. He also hadn't missed the bit about intrinsic time spells in the first letter and wondered whether that would help him with his learning.
He had wanted to take transformations as one of the subjects covered was animagus transformations but had decided against taking it in his first year; the Marauders had shown that he could learn it on his own if he wanted to. So if he didn't complete it by the end of his third year he could always carry on studying. The only subject that he hadn't really wanted to take was Rituals, but it seemed if he wanted to take Necromancy in second year he had to take that now. Then again he could drop it if he didn't have Necromancy talent. But if not he only had to put up with it for a year.
He'd also thought that he might take Special Studies but was unsure at the moment. He wanted to ask the teacher who came for him about it first. He wanted to know whether all of the subjects listed were taken or just the ones a student wanted to learn. If so he definitely wanted to take Parcel-Magi.
Flight, Invisibility and Aura Reading sounded cool though so he might take them as well but he wasn't too fussed. So that was a possible, especially if he had to drop one or more of his choices.
Either way it had taken him a few days to come to his final decision. The only thing that was stopping him from taking more courses was the fact that it certainly would kill him if he did. One thing he wasn't interested in taking was Divination, he'd had enough Divination to last him a life time. But he was curious about the Speech via Astral Plains that seemed to go with it. What was that exactly?
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It would be his birthday in ten minutes, he would be sixteen. The age at which a wizard/witch is supposed to be given an increase in magic and any extra little gifts the family tree might contain. The power boost was supposed to be in preparation for the coming of age at eighteen when a person's true power level was unlocked. Why it was eighteen and not seventeen he didn't know, it just was.
He had already looked up his family in the Wizarding Genealogy book Hermione was always raving about. The Potter family being pureblood had at some point or other bred with several magical creature races, some unknown and some known. As with any pureblood family there were hints of Demon and Veela bloods, as well as Vampires and Werewolves (although the last was classified as an affliction, not as a full blooded creature, which was really stupid in his opinion as Werewolves could breed if they weren't regulated).
The unknown ones were more difficult. There were cases of family members sprouting whip-like tails when in a rage or singing in beautiful unearthly voices. Other problems were the inbreeding of the purebloods. Whilst his Father had married a muggleborn, the entire family beyond that had only married into other pureblood families. This created problems because he could have inherited any of their creature bloods or genetic quirks.
Who knew?
Either way it would be his birthday in a moment and he was expecting a lot of pain. Ron had gone through his and had said it was like being hit with a two foot tall bludger. At a minute before twelve he got into bed, mentally trying to prepare himself for the pain.
The clock struck midnight and nothing happened. He was a little surprised but not too worried as delayed reactions were quite common. He was sat on his bed looking out the open window, waiting for the usual birthday owls to arrive. They came through the window one by one and waited patiently for him to remove their burdens before flying out the window again or in Hedwig's case to her perch for a sleep. The one exception to this was of course, Pig or Pigwidgeon, Ron's owl who had a quite excitable temperament and was flying around Harry's head like a drunken tennis ball. Harry was of course sane enough to know that a drunken tennis ball wasn't even slightly possible but the description fit the minute owl perfectly.
He had just put all of his presents and letters on the bedside table for him to open in the morning when the first twinges of pain started. He quickly closed the window and got into bed. After that first initial twinge he felt nothing else for a good five minutes.
His confusion quickly gave way to a look of absolute agony. Thankfully this didn't last long before he blissfully blacked out. In fact in reality it was barely more than a second but it lasted longer to Harry.
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