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. HBP spoliers, but I think most people will have read that by now, so just in case.
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 though 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.
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Mysteria
Chapter Two
Harry Potter awoke the next morning, early if he was any judge, to the insistent tap tap tapping on his window pane. Putting his hand to his head and rubbing it, he looked beneath it and saw a small but vicious looking bird watching him impatiently from what must have been a torrential down pour.
Wincing both in sympathy for the bird and himself he hobbled over to the window, threw it open and had an armful of wet bird blown in by the wind. Putting what he now realised to be a giant Raven down; its talons scrabbling a bit on the smooth wood of the dresser, Harry Potter closed the window. By the time he turned around the Raven was no longer a Raven but a very wet and indignant man. He was tall, easily as tall as Snape, he had pale skin, but more opalescent than ghastly. His eyes were a hazel brown and his hair was dyed a deep blood red. He wore a gold piercing in his right ear, a kind of twisted hoop. He had a little bit of hair on his upper lip, Harry didn't know whether it was supposed to be a moustache or he'd just missed it when shaving.
The man was looking at him angrily, he was definitely intimidating. I wonder what subject he teaches. Harry thought. Probably Blood Magic or Potions, likely potions as it was probably a prerequisite for the job to have an intimidating teacher.
"You were told in your letter to be ready for eight am; I am assuming you cannot follow simple instructions." The man snapped, reminding Harry forcibly of Snape.
"Well, excuse me sir, but I did just go through my inheritance last night. If I kept you out in the rain for a few minutes I am sorry, but it seemed my body needed to recover."
The angry expression dissolved from the man's face immediately.
"You went through the change!" he said incredulously, with a slight dumbfounded look that was definitely un-Snape like. "How are you walking?"
"Er what?" Harry asked completely confused.
The man chuckled slightly. And gestured for Harry to take a seat at the desk since it was directly behind him. After muttering the incantation for a quick drying charm he also sat down but on Harry's bed so that he and Harry could be face to face.
"The night of a wizard's inheritance or their sixteenth birthday is a rite of passage, magically speaking. At this time part of the wizard's full magical potential is unlocked in preparation for the larger release on the eighteenth. This in itself is extremely painful. But add to this the fact that the magic housed within the body needs a flawless host until fully settled, then the pain can reach unmanageable heights. The magic already existing in the body seeks to heal the body of any weaknesses, injuries or impurities while the new magic is unlocked. When this is done hormones trigger the release of the magic, which is like a tidal wave spreading through the body hitting all of the points at which the healing was done. As it was not a controlled healing done by somebody already trained but by instinctive magic, the healed areas are still tender and the magic pressure causes continual shock waves until the new magic is settled enough to bring the body back under control. So by rights you shouldn't even be talking to me right now. Not only is it painful but physically draining as well."
Harry just stared at him, his own dumbfounded expression making its appearance now.
"But…"
"You should be deep in an exhausted sleep right now and if forced to wake like in this case you should be in severe pain and complaining about it like any normal person. Unless you have led an extremely sheltered and pampered life and had no injuries to heal…" he glanced around the room. "Judging by this, that is not the case, so then you have led a pain filled life that has systematically lessened your responses to any type of pain over the years. To you what you would be feeling is only a slight physical discomfort."
Though not phrased as such Harry took that last sentence as a question. "Er yeh, it's nothing, just a light ache."
The man nodded. "I thought so. I had wondered why I was sent to you Mr Potter. I thought one of my colleagues who are so much more powerful than I, would be given the honour. It appears we had a similar life you and me." He smiled then and held out his hand, Harry took it. "It may not be much to you, but what you have endured will lessen in time. The hold they have had on you is broken from this point onwards. The school is your guardian now; we release guardianship at the end of your eighteenth year. From there you go where you will. I consider it a privilege to be tutoring you in these years Mr Potter. I am Silay, Curse Master and I look forward to mentoring you into Manhood." He shook his hand.
"Mentoring me?" Harry asked. Fighting not to grin, the man's own was infectious.
"Yes." He said releasing Harry's hand and regarding him through remarkably perceptive eyes. He wasn't old, maybe thirty, maybe younger. "At the academy every student answers to a mentor. As there are Professors for every subject there are over forty five teachers. We also employ others of good natures as mentors, teaching assistants and the like. There are also some extra Professors who work on a part time basis; these are employed only when a subject is needed for a specific creature. Making the number of staff over seventy in total, close to ninety I believe. Each of them looks after just one student. Well, unless they have an Apprentice then they have two but in most cases the student in question becomes their Mentor's Apprentice at the end of their third year."
"Oh ok." Harry said feeling rather overwhelmed. They didn't get that sort of attention in Hogwarts, he wasn't sure yet whether it was a good idea but Silay seemed ok.
"Right then, well first things first. Have you decided what subjects you are taking yet?"
Harry showed him his list. Silay smiled approvingly. "Very well, good choices. I am glad you will be taking my subject. I find it quite fascinating and am sure you will also. I think the intricacies will appeal to you. And you want to take Duelling and Survival Skills as well I see. Good, now do you have any questions?"
"Yes, I was wondering about the Special Studies?"
"Ah yes, it's a good course to take if it interests you. The ones listed were just some of the options as there are sometimes individual traits in a person that might need to be trained. In your case the Parcel-Magic isn't a necessary course, it isn't life or death but to a vampire Muggle Studies might be a necessity, as they need to blend in with their societies to hunt. If you really do wish to learn them then it may be necessary to give up some of your spare time during holidays as due to your rather full schedule there is no other spot open to you. If you really want to learn then we don't see why you can't give up a little of your spare time. Though you have to remain at school during holidays you will still have weeks of free time, you can give a little of it up. They do offer some things for you to do of course and you don't even get homework. You may not get the same length holidays as you did at your other school but it is still lengthy. It's up to you whether you take the extra lessons offered or not. After all you will be staying at the school year round and can always take them in a later year."
"Ok, um we don't even get homework?"
Silay grinned. "Not during the holidays no, it's supposed to be a holiday so why should you work."
Harry did grin this time, how could he not, no homework in the holidays! Hhhmmm, he wondered if they still had to do duelling in the holidays?
"You are expected to keep up with your learning independently though. Speaking for myself as a teacher any student who forgets what they've learned after a break will be treated to an intensive catch up."
Harry grinned, understanding the hint Silay was sending him.
"Very good." Silay said as he finished jotting Harry's subjects down on a list that Harry hadn't even noticed he was making until now, with his other hand he handed Harry back his original copy. At Harry's enquiring glance Silay smirked as he rolled up his parchment. "Subterfuge, immensely useful, you'll learn that in Survival skills."
"Survival Skills really?"
"Oh yes, it's just another form of surviving isn't it. Acting inconspicuous, making yourself seem unimportant and unthreatening. It makes people overlook a lot, believe me."
"Wow." He liked the sound of his new school even more.
"Ok so we've finished with our subjects list. I must say you're quite sensible, so many people think if they run themselves ragged now they can have an easy year next year. But they always find they should have spaced out their lessons a little more. It's easy to get killed if you're exhausted. Then again some people don't take any of the extra subjects believing that they take enough with the mandatory subjects which in my opinion is a waste of a good opportunity." He smirked a little evilly. "And it definitely puts them at a disadvantage..."
Okay, Harry was starting to believe that it was definitely better to be called a 'Know It All' or 'Teacher's Pet' at this school than end up dead. Hermione would probably do well, then again having your head stuck in a book all day might get you killed as easily as being unprepared.
"Now there is the matter of familiars…"
"They are allowed aren't they?" Harry asked interrupting.
"They are yes, but they need to be registered. So that if there are any problems we know who to come to so that we can get it sorted out. Your familiar is your responsibility, no one else's."
"Well there's Hedwig, my Snowy Owl." He said pointing to the curious owl watching them from her perch.
"I've seen her, she really is quite exquisite. Any others?" He asked again making a note on his parchment.
"Others, you mean I can have more than one?"
"Of course, no more than three though."
"Well I haven't got any others at the moment, but I have always wanted a snake. I can speak parseltongue you see and I'd like something that can talk to me back."
"Understandable, I have to send off all of this information no later than twelve, so if you want we can try to find you a snake familiar when we go shopping. You may find you have an affinity with many creatures now and the choice of whom to accept may be difficult."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked a little curious.
Silay gave him an odd look. "Um have you not looked in the mirror this morning?"
"No I didn't have time, why?"
"Then maybe you should."
Harry sighed. "I've become a creature haven't I? If anything odd can happen it will always happen to me."
"Don't worry, it's not really noticeable; it's just that I'm trained to notice these things."
Harry ran over to the mirror, for the first time realising he was wearing nothing but a pair of sleeping pants, but ignored it. He'd been sat there for a good half an hour, being self-conscious now would just be a waste of time.
He looked in the jagged piece of broken mirror hung on his wall and stared at the reflection there.
He had changed, he knew that he could but he hadn't expected something so drastic. When they said that a creature blood could surface they never mentioned how startling the new features would be.
He was still Harry, he could just about see it. But it was like his perception was altered and it had been. He wasn't wearing his glasses and he could see perfectly. Before if he'd gotten this close to the mirror he would have seen every pore and imperfection in his skin. Now he saw nothing of the kind, if he didn't know he was still flesh he would swear his face was now sculpted from marble like Bernini's masterpieces or Michelangelo's David. Harry smiled, staring at a photograph of the latter statue's anatomy had made him realise a few things about himself last year. He wondered how the world would take it.
His skin had always had a golden hue to it, but he'd lost that now. He was a male snow white; there was no other way to describe what he was seeing. His skin was as pale as snow. If he didn't know better he would have sworn the Dursleys had come into his room last night and poured a load of flour on his face. But he didn't look sickly with it though.
His hair was darker too, he realised. No longer the blacky-brown colour it had been, no now it was pure black, darker than shadow. His eyes were different too, he didn't know if it was the lack of glasses or the creature blood, but they appeared brighter, less murky. The emerald colour more startling, almost dark and evergreen but not so dark the pupil could not be distinguished from the iris. Their shape was different also, that he knew, almond-shaped like his Mother's and Remus' instead of regular like his Dad's. He still had his Father's hair though, it was still all over the place, but it looked smoother and in better condition than he had ever seen it. It felt like velvet when he touched it. It was still a mop, but definitely better, he was toying with the idea of getting a hair lengthening potion and having it styled in Diagon Alley. That was of course if Silay would let him, after all he didn't know what time they had to be at the school for.
He thought for a moment, while his look was more exotic than a human's it wasn't necessarily magical. He knew one thing though; when he finished school he was going somewhere unbearably hot to get a tan. It was way too weird, suddenly being as pale as death.
He took another close look at his face. His features were finer, he'd lost the round boyish face he'd had, he looked more like his Mother than his Dad but he still had his Father's nose. Something that he was glad of, it would have been way too weird if he suddenly had his Mother's nose. It still wasn't totally magical though. Then Harry noticed the thick silver stripes that ran diagonally from both his hips across his ribs to just under his pecks.
"What the hell are they?"
"Signs of what you are." Came his teachers reply. "The ones from your hip run around your waist and continue a little bit further upwards to form a sort of uneven v. Then you have another two stripes above them, placed directly over your shoulder blades." Harry twisted his arm to try and feel out his back.
"What am I?" he asked turning away from the mirror.
"Something unnamed."
"Unnamed?"
"Yes, so few have ever been seen that it was concluded they were aberrations not full magical creatures. So they were never named in the Wizarding World, amongst others of the species they have a name but they do not tell it to us. Regulated like the Werewolves to being less than human but Other enough to be note worthy. We at the Academy know different of course. There is another like you there, who can explain much more. For now all I can say is that the stripes are where your wings come from. They are protective membranes that cover the place where your wings spring from, the first time is painful but after that it's not. The membrane magically reforms each time the wings are redrawn into the body. From the outside they are tougher though, easily breakable on the inside but you could be stabbed with a knife and the membrane wouldn't break from the outside. Though the wings have the appearance and feel of flesh they are in fact magical constructs. That is why they are drawn in and out of the body; the creatures magic creates them and then powers them. A human could create spells to make him fly but he could never use his magic in such a way. It's almost purely instinctual. If you want them out, think like a bird." After a slight pause he carried on as though Harry hadn't made what he believed to be a questioning sound.
"You will have four wings, like a butterfly in arrangement, the top two feathered like a birds the bottom two with two long feathers and a thin leathery membrane between the two. The top wings which are for power are long and thin, much like a birds in shape. The bottom wings though are shorter, about half the length of the dominant wings. The submissive wings have the appearance of a dragons'. The area closest to the body is bare of the leathery membrane and only starts halfway down the frame where the first feather is. The leathery membrane then stretches in a diamond shape to the second feather. The bottom feather being longer than the top…"
By then Harry's head was spinning. "Dominant and Submissive wings? What the hell does that mean?"
"Yes, the top wings are the dominants the bottom submissive as their role is secondary. When both are stretched to their full span it gives the appearance of a single wing. The primary use of the sub wings are to aid in manoeuvrability and lift, which is difficult due to the size and weight of your body. The tail helps with…"
"I HAVE A TAIL!" Harry exclaimed, turning around trying to get a look at his arse. Until the last point Harry had been thinking that Silay sounded like he was reciting from a textbook, so he'd just tried to listen to him and take it all in but he couldn't let that last one pass by without a comment.
Silay chuckled, "Yes, but like the wings it remains behind the protective membrane until needed or called."
"So I have another one of these…" he said fingering one of the raised stripes. "...directly above my arse?"
The man smiled. "You will have yes."
"Crap. Is there anything else I need to know?" he asked sarcastically.
"Only the rest of what I was about to tell you before you interrupted. The tail helps with manoeuvrability. Silver stripes…" he began pointing to Harry's ribs. "Indicate that you can be a submissive. No don't interrupt. If you noticed my words I said that you 'can' be a submissive. All this means in your species is that you are capable of bearing children if you submit to another. The terms dominant and submissive are only used in reference to this creature when they have mated or are mating. Unlike other creatures the sub does not submit to the dom all the time, only in the bedroom and by choice. As far as we have been able to tell being a sub in this species is different than being a sub in another. The sub is encouraged to challenge the dominant to keep them on their toes instead of obeying. While the sub is pregnant…yes pregnant, would my repeating of it help it to sink in? No? Good, because of this they must give up their defence to their dominant as defending themselves could harm their young. During this time the dominant nourishes and protects his chosen mate."
"Does that mean I'll only ever be able to be with one person?" Harry asked sadly.
"No Harry. This is not like Veela or Vampire societies or any other for that matter. This creature is quite unique. The only thing I will say is that the strength of your partner will be a factor in whether or not you conceive children. If the mate you pick isn't one of your own kind then you will be unable to get them pregnant. Even a female. And whether or not you get pregnant will depend on whether you feel confident in the others ability to protect you. It doesn't matter if you are always submissive to him or he to you. What matters is physical and magical strength. So if you want children be sure to take your creature instincts into account."
Harry nodded. 'So I can't get a woman pregnant unless she's one of my kind but can I get a male pregnant if he's another creature?"
"No. I'm afraid you'd have to bear the young in that case Harry."
"But would I have to get pregnant by a male of my species?"
"No the only factor is whether or not the other male can protect you.'
Harry nodded again to show he understood. But that didn't mean he liked it or that his head wasn't still spinning.
"Now Harry I think it's time that you go get a shower and get dressed. It's nearing nine o' clock now, so we can go to the shops. We don't have to be at the school until late this afternoon. This gives us time to get your school supplies and go anywhere else you want to, have a last visit with your friends' maybe. Although you can't actually tell them you're leaving. Oh don't look at me like I'm not speaking English I'll explain it fully later. But for now know you won't be seeing your friends for three years at a minimum and because of the nature of our protections you cannot write to them, they can't even know that you are gone. No don't interrupt I can't tell you about that now. The Headmistress will tell you when she meets with you tomorrow. Floo conversations are not allowed either as they can be easily traced. You should hurry with that shower; after all we have to get the necessary items for all your courses, for each year."
With that he gestured for Harry to move. After a minute in which he just stared Harry grabbed some clothes and headed to the bathroom. He wrinkled his nose; hopefully there would be enough time to go clothes shopping too.
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So what did you think of Silay?