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, possibility of Mpreg but will maybe take a vote on it…
Oh if anything else 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 and eventual DH spoliers, but I think most people will have read that by now, so just in case. Will mention Mpreg but it isnt likely it will actually happen in the story. Could do but i doubt it.
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... OK I thought I'd give an update on the pairing. At the moment Remus is in front, followed by Oc's in general and then Bill and Charlie.
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 Five
They arrived on a hillside, in the distance could be seen a great lake. Silay who was still holding Remus pointed.
"The lake is where the school is. You have to get there before seven or the doors will forever be closed to you."
Harry looked at him aghast. "You never mentioned that earlier."
He smirked. "No, we're not allowed to. Its tradition set down by the Founder of this school as unbreakable. Another test of weeding out the unworthy. Much like the no holidays trick. Out of the fifty students invited, probably less than forty will make it inside the door before it closes, probably only thirty. Every new student has inhibitor magic placed on them, so that they cannot see or gain help from their fellows. Injured or dead students may become visible but in those cases its best to leave the living ones alone as they've angered the Headmistress in some way. The removal of the spells signal that the students is from then on fair game. Even if they survive and manage to get inside the school the school will seek to hurt them more than others. It's meant as a deterrent and is an extreme form of punishment, it makes their survival harder. The Founder of this school gave the school its own personality but it was darker than he wanted so he had to inhibit it. Calfora will remove a student's protection if they deserve it. So don't help them, this is a solitary test. We have already tested your commitment, twice in fact. The no holidays test, and the last goodbye for three years. We will let you contact family via floo and letters."
"Why aren't we allowed to visit?" Harry asked, deciding that he needed to know the answer.
"The Founder believed that thoughts of a life at home distracted students from the purpose of learning and so discouraged it. This practice is still in force now. But I suggest I tell you all this later. You only have an hour and a half in which to make it to the school."
"Am I allowed to use a broom?"
"You are only allowed to take your wand with you. And summoning charms are inhibited because it would allow you to use something other than your wand and natural assets."
"So where is the school On an island in the lake?" he asked jokingly.
"Yes."
"Ah. Right then." Harry said, a little surprised. The lake wasn't big enough to have an island large enough to support a school. He felt like slapping a hand to his forehead, magic of course. Merlin he was an idiot.
"Good luck Harry."
Harry nodded. "Take care of Remus for me." Harry said before he set off walking.
Silay watched him for a moment before gathering together Harry's things and hugging the man Remus close, he then apparated away. This was a test of resourcefulness and quick thinking as much as strength. Without these traits graduation would be impossible. The boy would do well.
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Harry thought he had been walking for an hour, but in reality it had probably only been half of that. He just wanted to make it to the top of this hill, that particular thought had been his goal for the last ten minutes. Once he was at the top he would rest and think.
He finally reached the top of the hill and stared, it hardly seemed like he'd gone any distance at all. Looking at his watch it was nearly six o clock. He sat down heavily to think, absently stroking Silvera who had slithered out of his robes to take a look. Silay had taken Hedwig and Mir.
He had finally decided on a name for his cat while he was walking up the last hill. It was the name of the Witch who had invented the Wolfsbane potion but surely the sex of his name wouldn't matter to a cat.
Harry sat and thought, he didn't know whether to try flying with his wings but he didn't even know how to bring them out yet, let alone fly. He'd had a rough guess that it would take him twice as long to run as it would to fly. But there was a chance he would tire easily if he flew. He didn't want to rely on that completely, he couldn't summon a broom…could he transfigure one? Hhhmmm, he wasn't bad at transfiguration, he'd gotten much better over the last year and they said that when you received your full potential, subjects often became easier. He thought for a minute and took out his wand. Aiming it at a twig on the ground, he made it lengthen and thicken, but after he had done that he paused stumped. He had no idea what the spell was to animate a broom.
He sat back defeated. But then something else came to him. He couldn't transfigure a broom but he had done animals to objects and back. But on second thought he didn't think any of the spells he had learnt would help him here. The stick needed to fly.
He thought about what Silay had said, about him having an affinity with animals. He thought about trying to call one, like a horse. He tried but it didn't work. He thought about transfiguration, turning something into a horse, or even himself. But he didn't trust his abilities that far.
This left him with the first thing he'd considered, flying. But first he had to get his wings out. He tried standing and arching his back, feeling like a complete idiot, he tried willing them out, he tried jumping up and down trying to simulate flight, but none of them worked. He sighed.
He turned his attention to a bird that was nearby. He knew some birds dived off things to get height, but he didn't want to try that. He may be reckless but he wasn't suicidal. He watched the little bird on the hedge and noticed how its legs were almost constantly bent. Getting an idea he picked up Silvera and wrapped her tightly around his neck.
"Master?" She asked a little uncertainly.
"I'm going to try flying."
And without giving her chance to say anything further Harry crouched down and placed one hand upon the ground. Almost instinctively his spine arched, pushing his shoulders high. And then he leapt. He knew he'd done it the moment his feet left the floor. His wings unfurled from the guards, pushing through the little silver membranes.
With one downward beat of his wings he was away. Dimly he realised his tail was out too and that none of his clothes ripped but he saved his questions for later. He knew with this being his first flight he would tire easily, it was obvious. He also knew that a lot of birds spent their time gliding and he knew if he got high enough he should be able to do that too.
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"I told you the boy was smart Mistress." Silay said to the pale skinned, red haired woman beside him. Amika Calfora, known mainly as Calfora gazed at the picture of the young man making his way to their school.
"Yes he is. Not many so newly tuned to their powers could master their new appendages so well. He will fly far, if what you say is true about the boy's home-life. He will ignore the pain for a great while. He might even be the first one here this year."
"How are the others doing Mistress" One of the other teachers asked. Calfora waved her hand over the giant seeing web before them, the spider that had created it off hunting. She smiled after homing in on one of their shyest recruits.
"Neville Longbottom is doing surprisingly well." She added to the silence. Kire Halford, the Blood Magic tutor sighed happily, he was Neville's Mentor.
"Will he be here before the door closes?" he asked.
"Yes." She answered simply. Already turning to another student. "Hhhhmmm now this one may have trouble with the lake." She mused aloud.
"Who Mistress?" they asked her for she was the only one who could look into the web and see sense.
"The young fire caller, Melaisa."
"Understandable with her power." Her Mentor said defensively. Calfora smiled, Ah they grow attached so easily.
"I didn't say it wasn't Siva and I ask you to remember that you do not care for them, until they make it here. Disappointment and resentment are not good qualities in teachers who must still teach."
Chastened Siva bowed her head in submission. "Yes Mistress I apologise, I was out of order."
"Yes you were." Calfora agreed. "Now this one I doubt he will make it at all. His arrogance blinds him to the dangers."
This time no one spoke, not asking her for a name. Of those not to make it she never spoke. It was hard enough to know the child you had chaperoned for the day may be turned away at the door. It was even harder knowing the child might have died. All of the teachers were in agreement that they didn't want names in this case, as without the names of the dead they could continue to believe that their students were alive somewhere just not at the school.
"Mistress." One timidly spoke. "Have any reached the first defences yet?"
"No." she changed the view in the web so that it made a wider sweep. "Mr Potter draws close. We shall see now if he's as arrogant as our friend claims."
Not once while she was speaking did her eyes stray from the web, she opened herself to it more, ready to relay the events to her staff as they happened.
"He should be feeling it now…"
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Harry had been trying to calm Silvera down since he took off. She didn't like flying at all and was currently hiding her head in his robes. But he wasn't worrying about her now. He was growing more and more dejected with each wing beat, the beats slowing down as he tried to clear his head of the thoughts there. The voice in his head was sweet and comforting.
"Turn back, turn back now."
"You have done well, there is nothing to be ashamed of."
"Life here isn't for you and there's nothing wrong with that."
"Turn back little one."
The voice in his head was soothing, feminine almost motherly but somehow he knew it could turn vicious. In his head a name came to him breaking the enchantment. Calfora!
He shook himself, Calfora, he knew that name. The Headmistress. It was a mind game, testing him trying to force him to give up.
He wouldn't give up. Even as he said that he shivered, his thoughts turning darker.
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"He has passed the first line. He has reached the Dementors." No one said anything, they knew the tactics of the schools pack of Dementors very well. They would try to overwhelm him swooping in for his memories, driving him lower and lower. Weakening him, staying above him until he reached the lake where he would be easy prey for the inferi.
Silay looked a little grim, he took the threat seriously, but he wasn't worried. Harry could do it, he knew it.
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Harry recognised the cold almost hopeless feeling before he saw them. The Dementors were descending from out of the sky to surround him as they had done before, hundreds of them. Deciding that tiring himself out was preferable to having his soul sucked out, he dived suddenly almost straight down. Instinctively landing in a crouch, timing it so his wings were half closed as his feet touched the ground; he snapped them shut a moment later.
He had landed on a small hillock, he was very close to the lake now, a minutes flying time away he guessed. He took out his wand, trying to decide what memory to use.
He waited until they were all pretty close before casting Expecto Patronum.
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"Oh my." Calfora whispered.
"What is it Mistress?" Silay asked, anxious for his charge.
"What power he has." She said, her eyes still glued to the web. "You will have your hands full with this one Silay."
"The Dementors did not stop him?" One of the teachers asked.
"Stop him." Calfora smirked. "They didn't even phase him."
"He doesn't even need to face the inferi now does he?" Silay asked smiling.
"No he doesn't. He is already flying high above the lake again. He will be onto the third line of defence soon."
"The island will let him pass though, if he's got this far." Kire said. "Only those worthy enough make it to our door."
"Yes. Our numbers will not be high this year." Calfora stated.
Everyone was silent at her proclamation. No one wanted to think that their student might not make it.
"How many have we lost?" the question was one they were all asking silently.
"Three have died and two will get no further than where they are now. Four more will not make it to our doors. The others turned away. Twenty six will remain to be taught."
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