Chapter 7 - Gone With The Wind

Like every creature, you can know when you are in the presence of danger. You have an unswerving, internal guardian that stands ready to warn you of dangers and guides you through risky situations. Dogs are vaunted for their intuition, but humans have a better intuitive ability shaped by their higher intelligence. A dog has total trust in their intuition, whereas humans have forgotten to rely on their instincts preferring their intelligence. However, the problem with your intelligence is that it is a double-edged sword. Intelligence should be driven by your instincts, not against them.

"What's this?! It looks like something a cow would eat! I want some beef!" complained Dudley crinkling his nose.

"Oh, my sweet pumpkin! I know this looks gross, but believe me, it tastes good. Remember what your doctor said – you have to eat some green vegetables if you want to grow up and become like your dad," said Aunt Petunia in a sugary voice.

"Dudley, look at me! I am eating it, aren't I?"

Dudley made a whiny noise and refused to budge. Harry noticed this from the corner of his eyes, but his main attention was on his dog.

"Sit! Spock, sit!"

The dog looked at the messy haired boy curiously before turning his attention to the bowl of food in his hands.

"No Spock, sit!" Harry clicked his fingers as a cue before moving the bowl of food behind his back.

The dog made a whiny noise before sitting down with a hopeful look on his face.

"Good boy! Now shake hands, shake hands!" Harry said clipping his fingers once more.

The dog had his right paw in the air before Harry had even uttered the words. Harry laughed and laid the food bowl next to his chair, which was happily attacked by Spock.

The book, "Training Your Dog – As Simple as Casting a Lumos", mentioned using Lumos as a behavior marker for training a dog, but Harry believed that clipping his fingers ought to work just as well. The principle was quite simple yet quite insightful.

Whenever the dog does something that you want to train, for ex. sits on the floor, create a positive association with the action.

Simple right. One would only perform actions that they believe to be beneficial. But, how would you tell a dog, an alien species to us, that sitting is beneficial? You need to understand each other's actions and behavior for that. You could keep praising them for the action whenever they do it, but that will not work. The dogs are an alien species to us. Most of the time they like us so much that everything we do is a "thumbs up" to them. So, the system of praising and scolding will not work properly with them. These do not create strong enough associations in their mind to propel a change in behavior and actions.

We are intelligent enough to realize subtle clues that describe an action or behavior to be beneficial. Dogs are different, simpler creatures. There is only one thing that dogs usually like more than yourself, food. The stomach is the gateway to manipulate their minds.

It took Spock a few repeats to realize that Harry was not giving him treats for free. Harry could literally see the wheels turning in Spock's mind when he sat down purposefully with the sole intention of getting treats. The next step was to maintain the positive association without having to rely on treats. You wouldn't want your dog to obey you just in the presence of treats.

Passing the positive association from the satiating rewards to something worthless is quite simple. The mind is very easy to fool. Once it believes something and once the behavior is established, positive results are not necessary for its continuation. The mind internalizes the belief and moves on to other things, examining them through the lens of all of its previous beliefs. It doesn't care to analyze whether that belief is still useful.

The next few repeats had Harry clicking his fingers after Spock sat followed by a diminishing reward of treats. Harry saw astonished as something as rubbish as a click of his fingers slowly replaced the satisfaction of tasty treats. Spock was soon wagging his tail when he heard the sound of clicked fingers and was dashing to sit in front of Harry without the expectation of rewards. Harry was not quite sure how he felt about that.

Now, all you need to do is to teach them our language.

Just as he associated the sound of his clicked fingers with the satisfaction of tasty treats, he added another behavior marker, the word "sit", followed by the click. After another dozen or so attempts, Spock was sitting when he said "sit" without the need for any click or treats. Still, Harry gave him some treats after he followed his commands three times in a row. Spock now thought that sitting when Harry said "sit" was very good and sometimes got him treats.

Harry had then taught him to shake hands using just the clipping of his fingers and then associating the words "shake hands" with the action. Spock now thought the sound of clicking meant he had done something good.

In a week, Harry had trained Spock to sit, shake hands, lie down and jump. Imagining new ways of train Spock became Harry's favorite way to pass his time.

"Jesus Christ! Just give the dog his food, will you? Why's he gotta do a trick first? You don't have to do crap before you eat," Uncle Vernon complained narrowing his eyes.

"Sorry Uncle Vernon. But the book mentioned this as the best way to train a dog and to make them more docile. Otherwise, he would get spoiled like… um, me, and won't listen when he grows up."

"I am telling you, that mutt is going to bite your hands off when he grows up. He doesn't even let anyone pet him! And what about his vaccines? Do your people even know about that?"

"He's not going to bite when he's older! It's just a phase he is going through now. As soon as his teeth get fully developed he will stop," Harry said ignoring his second question. What his uncle said was true, and Harry was quite worried about it. He would have to ask Professor McGonagall about that.

"And don't call him "good boy" every time he looks at you. He will begin to think that his name is "good boy"," Uncle Vernon said chuckling at his own joke.

"And you just had to buy a Dalmatian, didn't you? Didn't Marge use to tell us how she hated them? And Spock? Really? Wasn't he a character from some stupid American crap?"

Harry sighed. His uncle was on a role today. "Dalmatians are very clever and loyal, and they look so cool. Why wouldn't anyone like them?" Harry said shaking his head. He ignored the second question. He didn't want to tell them that he liked a character named "Spock" after playing one of Dudley's computer games.

"They look like they belong to a circus," he laughed again at his joke.

Harry ignored him again, and proceeded to eat his food, thinking silently, as the other three focused on Dudley.

It's been four days since his eventful birthday. His late-night confrontation with Uncle Vernon went without much trouble. His uncle had behaved more cordially than he ever would have thought, which for him was a grunt and a low-key warning not to make any more noise. Harry had a suspicion that it was due to the alien bird that had visited him because the next morning his uncle was back to his usual bothersome behavior. He guessed it didn't help that he had suddenly appeared out of the blue in the middle of the living room scaring Dudley. His invisibility cloak and the Mokeskin pouch were truly the most remarkable gifts anyone could have got. The invisibility cloak was actually his heritage, but he felt indebted to the kind stranger for giving him something of his parents. His invisibility cloak, his father's look, and his mother's eyes were the only things that he had of his parents, and he didn't know he had them prior to this month. The second letter from Lyanna was a surprise, but a welcome one nonetheless.

Harry,

Quite impressive, isn't it? They are extremely difficult to find, you know. But I have many important contacts at the ministry and you deserved one of those.

I admit though that I had a slightly ulterior motive in getting you that gift. If you would open your Mokeskin pouch again and say, Lockhart, you'd find a Chocolate Frog card.

You must be wondering what this is. It's a portkey, one that will take you to my house in Tinworth. I want you to come and visit me. The ministry doesn't actually allow us to study the poltergeists we have captured, and due to their rarity, you can't easily find one yourself. I desire to inspect your ring and am also excited to have a nice dinner with you this Sunday. Due to the covert nature of this request, I would appreciate if you don't tell anyone about this.

If you decide to visit, go to some blocks away from your house in the evening, and say "boy who lived".

Looking forward to meeting you again!

Lyanna

Harry had read the letter with furrowed brows. When he opened the Mokeskin pouch and said "Lockhart", a maroon colored card had jumped into his hands with the same photo as Harry's book on one side and an inscription on the other side which said – "Gilderoy Lockhart is a celebrated author with several ingenious works to his name."

She sure likes him. Harry also wondered about this request. This really came out of the blue. And what she was asking him to do was against the ministry rules. Well, it wasn't as if it would hurt anyone, or I don't want to meet her, or have anything else to do.

He had been in high spirits throughout the week after that. His days were far less boring now since Spock had arrived. All his crazy antics have grown on him. It brought a smile to his face every time he saw the puppy growling at his toys, or trying to destroy those toys, or barking at the chair, or trying to get on Harry's bed, or whining when Harry won't lift him to his bed. He shuddered to think what would happen when he would get big enough to jump on his bed – most probably, he would have to say goodbye to quality sleep time.

The rest of his time was spent reading. And what a reading it was. His previous magic book already assumed that he was familiar with all forms of magic, so he wasn't able to glean as much understanding as he wanted to have. But now, he was thoroughly immersed in the world they described. From Transfiguration, which required precise control over your imagination and control of magic, to Charms, where one thrived by the finesse of their magic, to Defense against the dark arts, where once mindfulness of potential dangers combined with their skill in spells was vital, to Herbology, which described a whole new world of magical plants, each with their own purpose and extensive applications, to Potions, a subtle art which wanted for patience, planning, knowledge of magical ingredients and intuition. He thought it would have been better if they had prescribed a book which explained magical ingredients and their properties in a better way. He should probably look for something like that in the school library.

He had also taken to read Hogwarts, a History. It was fascinating to read its History. How the four founders came together to create a school that would teach magic to everyone, not just the pureblood students who had the luxury of previously learning it from their families. It was the onset of the emergence of something akin to a structure in the magical world… or rather segregation of the magical world. Hogwarts' influence grew, the magical world got more connected and soon other organizations were created to handle the rapidly increasing diversity in the world in the form of a whole new culture. Where previously wands, magical items, and all other magical things were limited to a select few wizards with contacts, after Hogwarts' establishment, their demand started increasing, resulting in the rise of new shops and magical areas. Magical beings started living closer to each other and apart from their muggle counterparts in magical homes. This sudden upsurge in magical activity necessitated the need for regulation and governance. Soon… or a long time later, after a hundred years of Hogwarts foundation Ministry of Magic was established, and soon… or a long time thereafter Gringotts was opened.

He also loved to imagine all the things described in it about Hogwarts. Vast enchanted ceilings, revolving staircases, the Forbidden forest; his mind spun with all the wonderful things described in it. There was even a poltergeist that roamed at Hogwarts, pranking students and even teachers. Students were advised to stay away from him.

Harry laughed suddenly, prompting the Dursleys to shoot him alarmed looks, as he recalled an amusing and slightly terrifying incident mentioned in the book. In 1876, the then Hogwarts caretaker devised an elaborate trap to remove Peeves from the castle. He placed several enticing weapons (for Peeves) – several crossbows, a blunderbuss, which he didn't know what it was, some swords, and a cannon, at a location in Hogwarts which was conveyed secretly to Peeves. The plan was to drop a vast enchanted bell jar, reinforced by various Containment Charms, over the poltergeist once he was in place. Naturally, it didn't go according to plan as several students were seen running for their lives from a poltergeist who had somehow acquired weapons of mass destruction. The Castle had to be evacuated for three days as Peeves amused himself by firing randomly and threatening the students with death. The Headmistress of the day was forced to sign a contract with Peeves so that he relinquished the weapons in exchange for additional privileges – a once-weekly swim in the boys' toilets on the ground floor, first choice on stale bread from the kitchens for throwing purposes, and a new custom-made hat.

His attention was brought back to the room due to the movement near his chair. Spock was playing with his food bowl again.

"Come on, Spock. Let's go to our room," Harry said as he finished his lunch and placed the dishes in the sink.

Harry climbed up a few stairs and looked back. Spock was still looking at the stairs warily. Two weeks and he still wasn't used to them. Harry knew that if he climbed a bit further, Spock will follow him. But giving a small mercy, Harry picked him up, which he accepted eagerly. At the top of the stairs, Harry tried to put him down, but seeing a protest, he relented and carried him up to the room.

Well, now I have four hours to kill, he thought before picking up Hogwarts, a History from the shelf. He had been very careful with where he kept his books since the incident with his Magical Theory book, or what was left of it after Spock was finished with it.

Harry was walking down the streets towards the spot where he entered the Knight Bus. He had put Spock in his trunk along with his toys and some treats. He was eagerly waiting to meet Lyanna. He had many questions for her regarding his books and also wanted to see some of the spells at work. Harry once again cursed his incapability to do magic. A wizard told not to do magic. What a joke. It was like prohibiting a lion to hunt. He was made to do magic.

"Harry! Where are you going?" A voice called, which he quickly recognized as that of Mrs. Figg.

Doesn't that woman have anything else to do? Harry thought bitterly. Every time he went out for a walk, this woman would appear to harass him, and sometimes even to join him. Had the Dursleys put her up to me?

"Oh, hello, Mrs. Figg. I am just going out to get some toys for my dog at the pet store," Harry replied hoping she'd leave him alone.

"Really. I have never been to this pet store. Do you mind if I join you?" Mrs. Figg said with a slight close-lipped smile stroking Tibby, her white cat in her hands.

"Sorry, I would prefer if you don't. I want to prove to my aunt that I can handle the responsibility of owning a dog. If you'd come with me, it would kind of… defeat the, um, purpose," Harry said looking at her hopefully.

"Hmm, that's alright dear. I guess, I'd visit that shop sometimes later," Mrs. Figg said as she walked away.

With that, a triumphant little boy continued on his undertaking. Reaching his destination, he took the card from his pocket a little apprehensively. Harry felt a chill as he looked at the card, feeling a disquieting ringing in his skin. Attributing it to his bad experiences with magical travel, he forced himself to say the keyword – "boy who lived", not noticing a white lithe cat watching him closely.

Instantly, Harry felt an immense push forward, and he was lifted off the ground at tremendous speed. A swirl of colors, wind howling in his ears, his eyes popping before he closed them. And as suddenly it was over, as he fell face first into the damp soil.

Harry stood up gingerly and looked around. The ominous feeling that started after he took the card was rising. Rows of tombstones stood left and right amidst the whistling wind. It didn't look like anyone lived near it. There was a dark silhouette of a ruin at some distance, and a big house could be seen on a hill nearby. Harry knew this wasn't Tinworth.

He heard rather than saw two people coming towards him in the rising darkness. His spirit soared when he recognized one of them as Lyanna.

"Lyanna," Harry said loudly, "where are we?"

She said nothing as they came nearer. Harry looked into her eyes and felt a deep unease at seeing the glossy and hollow look in them. He felt an urge to run and hide. The man was tall and bald. He was holding a small bundle of robes in his hands, which looked like a snake coiled up into a ball.

He was suddenly having trouble breathing and noticed that a pain was rising in his head as they came nearer.

"Petrificus Totalus!" the man shouted pointing his wand at him.

Harry dropped to the floor as all feelings in his body vanished into nothingness.

"H-Harry," he heard Lyanna uttering his name.

There was a shrill laugh. "We meet again, Harry Potter," said the same shrill voice which seemed to ring throughout the graveyard bringing with it a torrent of pain in his scar.

A/N: This was a hard chapter to write. Mostly because many important things that happen don't make the page. Like, how Lyanna got herself in this position, their plan to send the portkey through the wards, etc. Hope you liked it! I know some of you might not like the decision to introduce Voldemort so early, and would have wanted to see how this Harry performs at Hogwarts. But considering the differences from the cannon - here Harry is introduced a month earlier to the wizarding world with two witnesses who were ministry employees, it is likely that Voldemort might change his long convoluted plan to somehow infiltrate Hogwarts under Dumbledore's nose and steal the Philosopher's stone amidst all the protection they could offer. Additionally, I know this hasn't been done much in the fandom, and I like the challenge it poses.