AN: One more chapter, just one more chapter, and I'll finally be able to get into the meat of the story, rather than nibbling on the bread and butter this beginning is. Damn, this scene setting is taking its time, isn't it? Anyway, after this chapter, I'm going to focus some on my other story, Reinforced Chamber, and get a few chapters of that out and about, so don't be surprised if this goes quiet for a little while.
Beta'd by: NIX'S WARDEN
Chapter 05 – Sunday Morning
Harry, now standing on his feet, looked at the book that had been knocked from his hands, and then back to Draco Malfoy. He looked back at the book again, before once more looking at the little brat before him. The superior smirk on the pretentious 'dragon's' face was almost a challenge, asking him 'What are you going to do?' Unfortunately for Draco, Harry was simply out of his league.
SMACK!
The Slytherin common room, not the loudest of places normally – and it had gotten even quieter when Draco had approached Harry – was now silent. Not one person was even making an attempt at trying to look inconspicuous, and a few were blinking dumbly at the corner of the room.
Draco had been launched, with quite some force – from a human point of view at least – into the dungeon wall. Now, normally, this would have gotten a reaction out of the other Slytherins, what with 'Harry Potter' attacking someone, and that was exactly the problem.
As far as they could tell, Harry had not even made a move to attack Malfoy.
What the Slytherins weren't aware of, however, was that Harry needed neither incantation or even gesture to cast spells any longer. So, while from their point of view Draco had 'mysteriously' been launched into a wall, Harry and those who knew him were fully aware that it was the product of Harry's 'telekinesis'.
Shrugging, Harry scooped his book back up and sat down again. After briefly checking the book for damage – though how Malfoy would damage a book that Harry had heavily enchanted to prevent it being destroyed was anyone's guess – he sat back down and returned to reading it.
Draco, looking a bit dazed and ruffled, with his hair and robes messed up in the impact, staggered about for a moment. Once he'd shaken off his disorientation, and stars stopped spinning around his head, he looked around himself, face red with both embarrassment and anger.
He marched over to Harry once more, correctly believing it was him that had caused him to hit the wall, until he was stood in front of him. He opened his mouth, ready to explain just how things worked in Slytherin and what both of their positions in the house were, when-
SMACK!
Now Draco was sent flying off to the opposite side of the common room and collided with the wall there this time. Unfortunately for Draco, that wall was further away than the other one was, so it had taken greater force to make sure he made the distance.
Oh well.
The Slytherins remained silent as Draco staggered around again, this time he was a little bruised and he had a small cut on his head above his left eye. Crabbe and Goyle, who had followed Draco across the room, looked at each other dumbly, before grabbing one of Draco's arms each to keep him in place.
A few people were glancing around, trying to work out who had cast those spells and come to the aid of Harry Potter. Whoever it was must have been fairly powerful to banish something the weight of a human clear across the common room, and rather skilled to do it silently and without waving a wand, both of which would have made it clear who the caster was.
No one. None of the Slytherins could pin down who was helping Potter. Oh, there were some students who had their wands out, but there was nothing strange about that. Some were doing what was left of their summer homework in the common room, others were just getting back into the swing of things after two months holiday. Still, there were no suspects in regards to who was helping the dimensionally displaced boy.
Not a single one realised that it was Harry himself casting the spells. After all, Harry had not even drawn his wand! He had spoken no incantation, and he had not even pointed towards Malfoy with a finger, or looked at him after the first time the ferret had been sent flying, at least, as far as anyone could tell what with that blindfold in the way.
By this point, Draco had once again gotten a hold of himself, and stalked towards Harry with his wand out. His cheeks were splotchy with red, not a very good look, especially on someone so pale – though not as pale as Harry, whose skin tone was literally a pale, shimmering silver. The tip of Draco's wand glowed a dark purple colour and he opened his mouth to cast a spe-
SMACK!
This time, instead of being thrown to either side, Malfoy was banished directly backwards. His house-mates watched as he sailed over their heads to, once again, impact against the wall. There were a few muffled sniggers from various areas of the room, Draco's current predicament doing nothing positive for his standing within the house of snakes.
Next time, Draco wasn't even given the chance to snap out of his daze, he was sent flying as soon as he regained his feet, no matter how unsteady he was. The blonde boy started bouncing off everything, walls, floor, ceiling, furniture, like some kind of demented pinball.
Harry had cushioned things, a little... okay, just enough to ensure that ferret boy wasn't permanently damaged. He didn't want to break his newest stress toy after all, even if he did have... other ways to release stress, what with Alt and V/V there, as well as Tamamo and Illya. At least three of them were willing to help him with stress, Illya was a bit of an unknown, as she did tease and flirt, but hadn't shown signs of commitment.
It was just as Harry had gotten to his feet, to head off to the dormitory, that Severus Snape entered the room. His robes billowed out dramatically behind him – due to a spell of his own creation, but don't tell anybody that! - and his hair so greasy with potion fumes that it was probably a solid mass.
His entry was somewhat spoiled when he was forced to duck, his godson flying over his head and off the entrance to the Slytherin common room. Fortunately, for Draco at least, the entrance had closed and he bounced off it, rather than going through it and rebounding off things throughout the entire school.
xxxxx
Severus Snape got to his feet as gracefully as he could. Drawing his wand, he slashed it towards Draco intending to cancel whatever spells had been cast on him. He raised an eyebrow in surprise when Draco did indeed stop flying around... well, after careening into a sofa that is. He could tell, his spell had been ineffective in negating what had been done to Draco, so either whatever had been cast on him had ran out at quite the convenient moment, or it had been cancelled.
His cold, dark eyes swept across the room. This event with Draco was new, and Slytherin house knew not to mess with Draco too badly. Snape was his godfather after all, as well as their head of house, so the heir of Malfoy had a lot of freedom, freedom that others didn't have.
His gaze locked onto the newest... variable within his house. Yes, it would make sense that the culprit be that boy. None of the first years would have the knowledge or skill to do so, not until third year at the least, but Potter was both older, as well as someone who had not been a snake in his previous world, if the information he'd gathered was correct that was.
His lip curled in distaste. The original Potter boy had been bad enough. He had been charismatic, intelligent, popular, and so much more, even if he was rather full of himself. However... he'd had Lily's eyes. Lily, who was not dead, who had not been killed, and who had spurned him for James 'fucking' Potter of all people!
Perhaps... perhaps it would have been better for Lily to have died that Halloween night, for Severus Snape's mental health and stress at least. Knowing that she lived, in spite of his mistake, and she'd even gone on to have two more children with that smug arsehole Potter, twin daughters, drove him mad.
He still desired her, fantasized about her... Hell, he masturbated over her at night. He had gone so far as to consider creating a golem in her image simply to ease the pain and loss he felt. Golem creation, however, was not something he knew how to do, and it was an art considered lost to modern wizards anyway.
He had not known what to think when Harry Potter died. On one hand, it was a clone of his most despised nemesis, the eyes aside, who had achieved more than his father had, become even more 'perfect', and had also inherited his father's distaste for Snape himself.
On the other hand, he was a child of Lily, and he had her damnable eyes! He had been her first child, her only male child. He had, as much as Severus wanted to deny it, a hell of a lot of potential as well, pulling in top marks in all of his classes, coming in the top three usually.
Severus' thoughts strayed for a moment, away from the male Potter and towards the females. Lily was truly a beauty, and she had passed that down to her daughters. If he was a man who would lose control of himself, Snape would have licked his lips at the thought of the delectable twin Potter girls.
Two years below Harry Potter, Rose and Blake Potter, were like their mother had been at school. Lily had been the radiant beauty that everyone had a crush on, whether they'd admit it or not, and that included both blood purists and a number of females too.
Despite only being thirteen, almost fourteen, years old, the pair of them were already gorgeous enough to outshine many grown women who used numerous potions, spells, and other means of making themselves more attractive. If Severus could not have Lily, then he would gladly accept the pair of them as a consolation prize, though having all three together...
Severus was snapped out of his fantasies of dominating the three Potter females. The air in the Slytherin common room seemed heavier for some reason, and it was like a great weight had been placed on his shoulders. The shadows deepened, becoming darker, the fire and candles that lit the dungeons flickered without a breeze.
Domination? Bending another to your whims? Compensating for all the time you spend on your knees, are you?
Snape's eyes widened slightly and flickered around, searching for where that quiet, yet oh so dangerous voice had come from. He saw nothing, and there was no one stood nearby, despite the fact the voice had been whispered directly into his ears- no, directly into his mind, as if bypassing all physical means of transferring sound.
No? Are you a sub instead? Rather than dominating others, do you want to be dominated yourself?
Snape's eyes focused on Potter, the purple-haired version in front of himself. His lips hadn't moved, so he was not the one speaking, and Legilimency required eye contact, something Potter obviously didn't have with that blindfold obstructing his eyes.
You must have a lot of experience. How often do you bend the knee? To the Dark Lord, to Albus Dumbledore.
An image flashed in front of Snape's face. An endless black void as the background, twisting around, dragging everything into it. In front of that, impossibly, was a throne-like chair, crafted from black marble, and sprawled across the arms was Potter. Not the purple-haired version in front of him, but the one he was familiar, yet different... older.
Ah, you see me now, do you? Tell me, Severus Snape, have you ever looked into the Abyss?
The Potter on the throne tilted his head to the side, and Snape got a good look at his eyes, his vivid yellow eyes. A shark-like grin, filled with far too many teeth, far too many incredibly sharp and pointy teeth, split Potter's face in two. A moment later, the corners of his mouth further separated, splitting Potter's face into an ear to ear grin, that horrifying smile reaching half-way around his head.
The Abyss looks back, you know. It stares into your heart, and it's whispering to me now, telling me about your darkness.
Time seemed frozen. Snape could not look away from this yellow-eyed Potter, no matter how much he might want to. Streams of dark shadows seemed to gather around the boy, like fog or mist, but with a mind, a purpose. Slowly, Potter was obscured, hidden from view, and Snape was left with the echoing words in his mind.
Good and Evil is subjective. However, you must always be wary of your judge. Question is, who will judge you?
xxxxx
Harry had been rather curious about this world's Severus Snape. However, it was almost instantly obvious that he would not be getting along with this version of the man. His opinions and view of him were jaded, obscured by the Harry Potter he already knew.
That could have been broken however, The Black Winged Lord of Nightmares was not one who could easily be defined, and those who tried to fit him in a category would quickly find he didn't fit it. So, in true Harry fashion, he dug deeper, curious about the source of the enmity.
Most would probably consider it invasive, a breach of someone's privacy, but what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them, at least insofar as Harry's dive into Snape's soul was concerned. It wasn't like Harry was going to shout what he found to the world, so what was the issue?
What he'd found, well, it had disappointed Harry somewhat. Because Lily had not died on Halloween, Snape had not been able to let go of his attachment to her at all. In fact, his obsession, had grown. Thus he had an even more extreme reaction to the 'James-Potter-miniature-with-Lily's-eyes' when he'd turned up for Hogwarts in first year, and his resentment and disgust with 'Harry Potter' grew.
His obsession with Lily, as bad as it already was, had extended to her two teenage daughters as well. Now, Harry actually had nothing against people with large age gaps dating - he would be a hypocrite if he did - and he had nothing against multiple partner relationship – again, hypocrite – but what Harry was most definitely against was force being used.
Yes, certain people had their 'kinks', and Tamamo had described, in full detail, some of the things she would love Harry do to her, and Liz's were easily even worse than that. That was okay, that was consent and a kink. What was not okay, was forcing the relationship in the first place, and those were the thoughts that constantly lurked in the back of Severus Snape's mind.
He had plans, viable ones, to kill off James Potter and end up with Lily Evans (Snape refused to think of her as Mrs Potter in his mind) in his arms, along with her twin daughters. Both parts of that arrangement could be orchestrated by Snape, and while Harry did not think this version a true Slytherin, he had plenty enough cunning to pull it off.
Killing James Potter was the easy part. There were a myriad of different potions that were nigh undetectable that caused death, and so many more that altered behaviour, making him more reckless, more daring, and all it takes is one mistake and that would be it.
After that, Lily would need comfort, and those same behaviour-modifying potions would ensure she came to him, her first friend, for that comfort. It would take time, months, or even years, but as long as he didn't rush things no one would suspect a thing, and he would have his Lily. After that, the twin girls wouldn't be difficult to convert.
Shadow of the Heart, Harry's impulsiveness, decided to act then, and Harry allowed him to do as he wished. That someone would use potions to force a relationship, if it could be called that, was something utterly reprehensible in Harry's eyes. It was one of the few things he felt strongly enough to act upon.
Harry was the only one aware of why Snape froze in place as he did. He watched Shadow of the Heart's mental confrontation with Snape, and then when it was over, he turned around and headed off to the Slytherin fifth year's boy's dormitory. V/V and Alt followed him, as did his Servants.
When he arrived, he found what was to be his bed. After checking it for eavesdropping and other similar spells, and removing all those he could find, he began to erect defences on and around it. Bounded fields went up, wards were added, Divine Authority and power was imbued into the whole thing and the ground on which it stood, until it was more of a fortress than Hogwarts could ever be.
With the curtains around the bed closed, and protected in such a way that even a Caster class Servant would find it rather difficult to get through them, he slipped onto the bed, followed by Alt, V/V, the two Lens, Holly, and his three Servants currently with him.
Now, with all of those people on a single bed, even a decently large four poster, might make it a bit crowded. However, one, none of them particularly cared and were perfectly happy to curl up together, and two, Harry had already used an internal expansion charm to make the bed – inside the curtains at least – about twelve feet square. With numerous conjured duvets and pillows, it would prove to be a most comfortable place to sleep, and that's what they did.
The nine of them decided to give the day the middle finger and sleep until tomorrow.
xxxxx
Harry was, of course, the first to awaken. He didn't actually need to sleep, just like he didn't actually need to eat, but that didn't stop him enjoying a nap every now and then. It was restful, allowing his conscious mind to fall inactive, and it refreshed him mentally, even if it did nothing for him physically.
He looked around at all of the sleeping females, and their choices of nightwear. Only V/V and Tamamo slept nude, whereas Alt and Illya wore lacy underwear, with everyone else wearing more modest garments. Whereas most males would at least blush at their choice of attire, Harry had seen more, seeing as Stheno and Euryale often chose to sleep nude and he had shared a bed with them for six years.
Harry's own body was suddenly covered by shadows, and when they disappeared, he was fully dressed. He removed himself from the pile, making sure not to disturb any of them, and slipped out from between the curtains once he made sure that all of the other Slytherin males were asleep.
He pulled up short a moment later, before letting out a quiet chuckle. His next steps were echoed four times over as Tyrant, Serial Phantasm, Dream or Destruction, and Shadow of the Heart all materialised around him. They all exchanged greetings, but remained quiet as they walked through the corridors, not meeting anyone along the way.
They left the Slytherin common room, and headed out into the dungeons. Navigating with ease due to Structural Analysis telling him the arrangement of the corridors, they soon found themselves in the Entrance Hall. Approaching the doors, they all turned immaterial for an instant, phasing through both the solid material of the door as well as the magic keeping it shut.
The sharp and chilly morning air brought a small grin to Harry's face. Dream or Destruction started playing about, like a child her physical age would. Tyrant looked off towards the forest and mountain, itching to get into a fight with the local fauna, and some of the more aggressive flora as well. Shadow of the Heart put his hands behind his head, relaxing in the breeze, though his gaze did drift towards the Quidditch pitch, he was an adrenaline junkie of a different sort after all.
Serial Phantasm stuck fairly close to Harry's side. Harry didn't mind at all, the draining effect of her presence was easily countered by the Third True Magic restoring his reserves every time even a fraction of his prana was drained. Besides, Serial Phantasm was a part of himself, so why would he be uncomfortable with her?
Both Harry and Serial tilted their heads up and back when they felt someone's eyes upon them. They gave the headmaster a cheery wave, slightly surprised to see Dumbledore up so early in the morning. For his part, Dumbledore had frozen in shock at seeing his dimensionally-kidnapped 'visitor' in the presence of four unknowns, and with bone white hair instead of vibrant purple as well...
His eyes followed the small group as they headed off towards the lake and disappeared behind a small copse of trees.
He hurried out of his office and down to the ground floor, Severus' report of the previous night prominent in his thoughts.
xxxxx
"Nothing." Harry sighed, looking into the Forbidden Forest. "There's power here, and plenty of it, but there's no sapience to it, no intelligence. I guess this just confirms it, there is no Equivalent of Holly or Elestia in this world."
Serial, with her arm around Harry, patted his shoulder. "There, there. We were aware that different worlds, even ones with the same origins, would have differences in their natural laws. We were lucky that our world allowed for the existence of such beings, as you have been blessed by their company."
Harry sighed again. "Yeah, I guess so, though that still doesn't stop it being somewhat depressing finding no alternates for them. I'll just have to make do with having the one currently residing within my Soul World, and she seems happy enough there."
Turning around, Harry began walking back to the castle. Serial Phantasm didn't remove her arm from his shoulders, and thus continued to walk at his side. Her eyes followed Dream or Destruction as she swam around in the Black Lake, a wide, shark-like grin on her face.
Harry's eyes flickered over to a grumbling Tyrant. He sighed. "If you really want to fight someone that badly, you have my permission to leave here and seek out an opponent. My only condition is that you don't harm innocents, and you are well aware of my definition of innocents."
"Really?" Tyrant perked up.
"Just go." Harry waved her off, amused at how his 'Aggression' moved so fast she left a fading after-image behind.
"Are you sure that was a wise thing to do?" Shadow of the Heart asked a chuckling Harry. "I mean, I am your 'Impulsiveness', and even I'm concerned about unleashing her on the world."
"She'll be fine." Harry shrugged. "If she takes too much damage, her essence will simply return to me, or I can cancel her manifestation myself. As for the rest of the world... there's been worse disasters than Tyrant before, and she's not a complete idiot."
Shadow, who was leaning against a boulder smirked at that. "Yeah, not a complete idiot, but definitely no genius either. Hell, she cou- Who's there?" Shadow cut himself off, and he, Serial, Dream, and Harry all turned to look towards where they'd detected a source of prana, and not a small one either.
"Oh? Me? I'm just a young woman sleeping off a hangover, nothing suspicious about that at all." A female voice singsonged, getting a deadpan look Harry and Shadow. Serial Phantasm maintained a neutral expression, and Dream or Destruction dismissed her and went back to enjoying her swim.
"Even if I wasn't already aware of who you were, that sort of reply is kind of set up to make you seem suspicious." Harry replied in a bland tone. "On top of that, as I'm sure you're aware, you can't just 'casually' end up near this particular lake, what with the magically inhabited forest, the magical school, and, oh, the magical wards that prevent ordinary people from getting here."
Harry looked over the woman sat in the shade of a tree. She appeared to be in her early to late twenties to early thirties and she had a... well, she had a large bust and wide hips, which with her narrow waist, gave her a rather voluptuous hourglass figure.
She was wearing a dark blue, almost black, Chinese style dress which went down to just above her knees, and stockings which disappeared underneath the 'skirt' part of the dress. She had fairly ordinary black shoes on which looked comfortable, yet fairly smart as well. Her dark, wavy hair reached her mid-back, with bangs that framed her face, and drew attention to her cute, button nose and her wine red eyes.
"May I have the pleasure of knowing what you are doing here, Sumire the water bottle, twenty-first Dead Apostle Ancestor?" Harry asked, his eyes flickering to the bottle in her hand, and his nose twitched at the scent of alcohol.
"Hmm, let me think about it." Sumire taps her chin with a finger. "Perhaps it might have something to do with, I don't know, maybe the surge of power I felt all the way from Australia?" She asks sarcastically. "A burst of power far greater than any number of wizards, or even magi are capable of, like something I would expect from a sorcerer of Zelretch's calibre maybe?"
Harry cocks his head to the side in confusion. True, when he'd arrived in this world he'd let his control of his power slip slightly, but it had all been focused downwards into the earth beneath his fee- "You felt that, all the way in Australia?" He asked, wondering if the pulse had managed to travel, literally, all the way through the planet.
"Well, that and Rose suddenly started having a fit. I'd just gotten her loosened up with a few shots, and I was going for a cocktail, when she suddenly flipped her lid." Sumire added.
"Rose... Rose..." Harry mulled that name over in his mind for a moment. "Ah, Rose Prophecy? The seer amongst the Ancestors?" He'd only met her once, but Harry remembered her being something of an odd woman, stick thin with incredibly sharp scarlet red eyes.
"Yeah, that's the one." Sumire gave him a look over, looking incredibly coherent for someone who spends pretty much all of her time in a state of perpetual drunkenness. "So... care to tell me who you are and why you're here? I don't recognise you, and you are particularly distinctive, not to mention not human."
Harry's lip twitched slightly. "Oh, are you saying you know all non-humans?"
"Of course not." Sumire shot back. "However, the feeling I get from being around you... it's incredibly distinctive, not something I've ever felt before, though there's parts of it I feel I should recognise..." Her eyes shot wide after a moment. "Zelretch... That Aozaki girl who loves explosions... and something else, part Japanese and part Greek, though it's all covered by something else."
Harry let out a low whistle. "How did you get all that?"
Sumire smirked slightly at Harry. "You're hiding your aura, so I can't read that, even if I'm not very skilled at that anyway. However, I've met and seen people before, and the 'big' ones all have this... thing that sort of rubs off on people if you spend enough time around them."
Harry idly wondered if Sumire had a minor talent in divination at that. "Really? If that's the case, I'm surprised that there's a 'presence' on me that you've missed, given how much time I spend around a certain individual."
"If you're talking about Altrouge, then there's little point me pointing that out when I can sense her presence up at the castle." Sumire dryly replied. "Though what she's doing here when I'm certain she's currently in South America I have no cl-."
Harry raised an eyebrow as Sumire sighed and palmed her face.
"Zelretch." She said. "I felt his presence around you and I didn't instantly realise you're not from this world. Damn, maybe I am drinking too much if it's fucking with my brain that badly." Sumire gave him an amused look from between her fingers. "Did he drop you here for his entertainment? I must say, this particular prank from him seems... lacking."
Harry chuckled. "No, Gramps wasn't the one to drop me here." The Ancestor's eyes widened at his casual address of Zelretch, and Harry considered chatting with her a while, telling her his little story. "Tell me, do you recognise the name 'Harry Potter'?" He asked her.
Sumire's eyes glittered with some form of emotion there, perhaps amusement or interest. "Yeah, I do, even saw the kid once. Wizards make some of the best alcohol around, and they're crap at recognising the nature of others so it's rather easy to get into their pubs for a few drinks. It was while I was in one once, the Leaky Cauldron I think it was, when I caught a glimpse of him. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I have a little story to tell..." Harry began.
xxxxx
Dumbledore panted lightly as he finally reached the large double doors that were the entrance to the school. Seriously, how fricken' large did a school need to be to cater to the educational needs of all of the magical children of Great Britain? Currently there were only three hundred or so, but even before Tom had killed off so many, Hogwarts only ever really had about a thousand or so students. Did that many kids really need a magically expanded seven floor castle with added towers and below ground levels?
It didn't help that the school seemed to be actively working against him either. The stairs were in exactly the wrong arrangement to get him down to the Entrance Hall quickly, trick stairs seemed to be popping up all over the place, and doors seemed to have randomly swapped themselves around too.
He sighed, it would have been so much quicker if Fawkes had just taken him down, but the blazing turkey had been having a nap and refused to flame the wizard down. Not to mention that Dumbledore was sure the phoenix was snickering at him for some reason.
What that Dumbledore did not know was that, since Holly had wrested control of Hogwarts castle, it really was acting against him. While she'd done nothing overt – to make it look like Dumbledore was still in control, and she played along when he did things using the wards – the truth was that Dumbledore did not know he was no longer as in control as he liked to be. He did know, however, that Harry seemed to have found a way to avoid the wards, as none of them registered him or his companions on them.
Dumbledore pushed at the front doors, and then stopped in confusion when they didn't open. He took another look and found them to be sealed, like they were at night. How the bloody heck had Harry Potter gotten out of the castle when it was sealed up?
A tap of his wand – and the Elder wand in his hand seemed to have been acting... off ever since he'd done the summoning – unlocked the door and removed the magical seals. As the locks clicked open, and the bars retreated into the walls, Dumbledore contemplated Harry's possible, if not probable, connection to the four people he'd just seen him with.
That 'Serial Phantasm' woman, what was she? He already doubted she was human, but there was a whole host of beings that were humanoid, and powerful as well, which weren't human, and he had the sneaking suspicion that she wouldn't be that easily classified.
Then there were the three others he'd seen with Harry; the green-haired little girl, another one obviously not-human, the white-haired one with a sword, and Dumbledore had gotten chills up his spine when his eyes had landed on her odd sword, and the strangest of all, the black-haired male.
Dumbledore, when he'd first caught sight of that one, had almost had a heart attack. The young man, appearing around seventeen years old, looked just like James and Harry Potter, the latter being a near clone of the former, eye colour aside. Again, it was eye colour which separated this individual from those two, aside from age of course, for it had looked like them, but he had caught a glimpse of his eyes, his yellow eyes.
Once the door was finally open, Dumbledore looked around the grounds to see if he could see Harry and his companions, but he found that they were nowhere in sight. He headed in the direction that he'd seen them go, towards the lake, in hopes of getting some answers.
What he found was not what he was expecting.
xxxxx
"My turn!" Sumire yipped, taking a swig of her drink. "There was this one time, I think it was about three hundred years ago, when Ortenrosse tried to establish his 'dominance' over us all. I mean, yeah, he kind of acts as the representative of the ancestors overall, but he doesn't really have much power to back it up. Altrouge, if she really got into the political side of things would wipe the floor with him, not to mention her sides got all the best of us, Primate Murder being a prime example."
Harry snorted. "I can imagine, there's not much that can match up to Primy."
"Primy?" Sumire raised an eyebrow.
Harry shrugged. "I took her for walks, played fetch, and whatever else with her. Really, Primate Murder's nothing but an overgrown puppy when it comes down to it." He paused. "An overgrown puppy with the ability to instantly kill anything human merely by thinking about it, but a puppy all the same."
Sumire remained silent and gave him a blank look for a few moments before she recollected herself. "Anyway, back to my story. It was somewhere on the coast, don't ask me where as I was too drunk to remember, and Ortenrosse was trying to throw his weight around as the 'oldest and most loyal of Brunestud's servants', when out of nowhere, it just so hap-"
She cut off as both she and Harry felt another presence nearby, though obviously they used different methods of detection. Harry was able to recognise who it was immediately and sighed, he'd thought that Dumbledore would wait until later and ambush him with questions. Searching him out like this was a rather aggressive move from the old man.
Harry rapped a finger against the bottle of alcohol in Sumire's hand, a few runes etching themselves on the bottom of it, getting a quizzical look from the vampire sat in front of him. "Unbreakable and Automatic Refilling charms anchored with runes. Just channel a small amount of prana into the array and it will fill itself up again with whatever liquids inside." He explained.
"Thanks." Sumire responded. "Wizard spells are rather cool, I've never really interacted with those isolationists much though, their alcohol aside." She paused. "Actually, I've not interacted with Magi much either, as the sticks up their asses don't 'allow' them to drink too freely."
"Yeah, I know." Harry didn't turn to look at her, instead choosing to activate some of the 'enhancements' he'd transferred to his eyes, looking through the tree and right at Dumbledore as he headed in their general direction. "Perhaps we should postpone story time, we seem to have an interloper."
"I'll catch up with you some other time. I must say, it's been... interesting meeting you." Sumire waves at Harry, before disappearing, proving herself the only Dead Apostle capable of teleportation. Harry was about to stand up and approach Dumbledore when she suddenly reappeared.
"Oh, I forgot to say this earlier, but Rose wasn't just mumbling about you the other day. She said some other stuff as well, and though it's not to clear in my head, I think there's a reason to watch out while you're here, and I'm not referring to that Voldemort pipsqueak either." She told him, before disappearing again.
Harry got to his feet, frowning in thought. He barely noticed Dream or Destruction returning to him, turning his bone white hair into a pale grey. He noticed it a little more when Shadow of the Heart returned as well, darkening his hair to another shade of grey, yet still not giving it any colour. However, he did notice Serial Phantasm's hand on his shoulder, squeezing it with another strength to turn granite into dust.
"Something on your mind?" She asked.
Harry snorted. "We are one being, Serial, I'm pretty sure you know what's on my mind."
"You are still the Origin, and thus the greatest of us." Serial argued. "I still believe you should speak your thoughts aloud though, it may help you with whatever is plaguing your mind, and if I am not trust-worthy to hear you out, then there are none that are."
Harry shook his head and smiled slightly. "I'm just thinking, Seri. Given what Sumire said regarding how Rose Prophecy is acting, I'm getting the feeling there's something Fate wasn't telling us about this world, something she hopes we can solve for her."
"Whatever happens, know that you will always have us." Serial informed him, returning to inside of him, making his hair gain some colour, even if it looked washed out what with Tyrant still out and about.
"Yeah, I know that." Harry muttered under his breath, before turning towards where he could detect Dumbledore wandering around.
xxxxx
"Looking for something, headmaster?" A soft as velvet voice made Dumbledore almost jump out of his skin.
"H-Harry, my boy, there you are." Dumbledore had one hand to his chest over his heart, feeling as if it had just punched a whole through his ribcage. How had someone as... visible as Harry was manage to sneak up right behind him when the only cover was directly in front of him and there was nothing but open space behind?
"Where are your companions? I saw you out here with a few people I didn't recognise, and I was worried that they were going to try and do something with you?" Dumbledore asked.
"Companions, headmaster? I'm just as alone now as I was when I left the castle. I went for a walk around the lake and into the fringes of the forest. I apologise, but I find it quite calming to see nature as it is. With how little sleep I require at night, it's rather common for me to be wandering around, as I simply could not remain doing nothing in bed." Harry shrugged.
Dumbledore frowned. He did not feel as if he was being lied to, but he also clearly remembered the four individuals that he'd seen Harry with out of the window, one of them had even waved at him along with Harry, that 'Serial Phantasm' that the alternate Sirius Black also seemed to know.
"Why won't you work with me on this, Harry? Why are you purposefully working against me?" Dumbledore asked. "Every time you lie or hide something from me, you are taking away from my ability to protect people, innocents who have done nothing wrong. If this keeps up, you would be indirectly responsible for the deaths of many good people. Do you want that, is fighting me like this worth their lives?"
Dumbledore was somewhat surprised when Harry responded by laughing. "Headmaster, trying to guilt trip me into becoming your tool isn't going to work. I am not responsible for any potential deaths, I am not attacking anyone after all, and I have no reason to try and stop them, I'm neither an Auror or a Hit Wizard." He paused. "Headmaster, what do you know about the Kaleidoscope, about the multi-verse?" He asked.
Dumbledore frowned. "The Kaleidoscope is the name a certain Magus gives his magic, and it allows him to view and travel between various different realities, many of which are vastly different from this one. How is that relevant to the current topic?"
"The multi-verse is everything and anything. It is infinite, filled with endless possibilities. In this world, and an infinite number of others, you are headmaster of Hogwarts, but in an infinite number of other realities, you are a librarian, you are a mercenary, a ministry worker, a vampire, a female prostitute, a ninja, and even a carpenter. There are an infinite number of worlds in which Voldemort won the war, in which 'Harry Potter' was never born, where there is a different boy or girl who lived. This world is but a drop in an endless ocean, so what makes this one so special that I 'must' put the effort in to 'save' it?" Harry shook his head, a small, twisted smile on his face.
Dumbledore froze in place for a moment, before registering what Harry had just said. "My dear boy, do you honestly not care? If Voldemort is not stopped then the entirety of Britain will fall under his power, and he will not step there. He will slaughter all of your friends, all of your family-"
"What friends? What family?" Harry interrupted him. "Just because someone looks and acts like someone I may or may not know doesn't mean they are that person. The Lily and James Potter you know are not my parents, more like a reflection in a distorted mirror. If you think I'm emotionally invested with them, simply due to who they are in this world, you are sadly mistaken."
Dumbledore missed a step and stumbled forwards. When he regained his footing, he looked back at Harry with possibly the most pitying look ever on his face. "My dear boy, how unfortunate that you know nothing of love, the most powerful force of a-"
"Woah, hold up. What are you talking about, 'knowing nothing about love?' You think that because I'm not tripping over myself to save you all I have no love? The people here are like photographs to me, they exist, they look like the people I may know, heck, they may even act the same, but one is not the other. Don't try and force me to replace my own family and friends for these people, or you will regret it." Harry spat that last bit out, lacing his voice with Angra Mainyu's curses, before stalking past the suddenly frozen headmaster.
xxxxx
Harry entered the castle, and then headed towards the Great Hall. He paused when he saw people beginning to enter for breakfast. He hadn't been out that long, had he? Added to that, it was a Sunday, so why would people be getting up so early in the morning? He was a weird one that liked the sharp morning air, but humans in general liked to sleep in, didn't they?
His eyes flickered around the hall for a moment, taking note that V/V and Altrouge weren't present. The pair were probably still asleep, along with Holly, and if they wanted to sleep in then that was their prerogative. They would awaken when they did, and that was that.
There was some murmuring around the room when they noticed Harry enter the hall – with his hair, even faded due to Tyrant being out and about, he easily drew attention. It didn't help that he was supernaturally attractive, and almost every boy in the room was wondering about their sexual orientation at the sight of him – and that murmuring only grew when Harry decided to take a seat at the Gryffindor table, next to Hermione, who he saw had the books he'd given her open on the table next to her plate.
"Find what you're looking for yet?" He asked, slipping into the seat next to her.
Hermione jumped, not having noticed Harry's approach. "Sort of." She said when she'd calmed down. "I've found how to imbue magic into things, the book mentions that certain materials are better than others at conducting and/or storing a magical charge, but there's something here I've never heard of before, 'elemental affinities'."
"Well that's pretty simple, it's merely a reference to which element or elements you have the highest compatibility with. Certain elements line up with certain branches of magic. Transfiguration, for example, lines up with the 'Earth' element. Well, rather than 'Earth', it might be better to say that the element 'has to do with the physical form'." Harry explained. "Mcgonagall, if I'm right, has an earth element."
"That is true, Mr. Potter." Mcgonagall said. Since Hermione, and therefore Harry, were sat at the end of the table closest to the teachers, Mcgonagall, whose chair was directly in front of the Gryffindor table, clearly heard them speaking, they hadn't been whispering after all. "Those with the 'Earth' element tend to have large reserves of magic, as it is the element that is most difficult to work with."
"Really?" Hermione asked.
Harry shrugged. "Earth is a physical element, it is hard and stubborn. Water, an element that is closely tied to potions and the like, is a lot less stubborn and flows more freely. This, however, means you must be more subtle when using it, more in control, as the slightest change can have major effects on it."
"So, earth is stubborn, and water is subtle. There's four elements right? So what are air and fire like?" Hermione asked.
Harry chuckled. "There are actually five basic elements: Water, Earth, Air, Fire, and Ether. Water is subtle, yet easily changed. Earth is rigid and solid, but it also requires more force. Air is a flighty element, difficult to pin down, but has a wide range of benefits to those capable of mastering it. Fire is the most neutral of the elements, sin-"
"Neutral? I would have thought fire was the most aggressive element? And what's 'Ether' anyway? That do-" Hermione cut Harry off, before quickly trailing off as she felt the weight of Harry's disapproval on her shoulders. She shuddered slightly and shrunk in on herself, a tiny hint of malevolence making her withdraw like a prey animal that could neither fight nor run.
"If you didn't interupt me, I would have told you." Harry's voice was blank and neutral now, an audible hint of his reprimand towards Hermione. "Anyway, fire is neutral because it does not care what it burns, friend or foe, good or bad, all are consumed by it. Fire is the easiest element to conjure, but not one to use recklessly. Ether, you could say, is energy. It is the simplest of all of the elements, but the one most used, and ties into all others. All spells use up energy, so it could be said it is the most 'unaligned' element, which is different from fire's neutrality."
"S-so those are the five elements then?" Hermione stuttered her question slightly.
"The five standard ones at least." Harry replied. "There are those with non-standard elements out there. I have a friend who has 'sword' as an element, and I knew someone who had 'heat' as an element as opposed to fire. Then there was that guy whose element was 'light', and another who had 'thunder'."
"So we each have one element that makes certain branches of magic easier for us?" Hermione questioned.
"Or harder." Harry told her. "For example, Mcgonagall's earth element makes subtle things, like potions, more difficult for her. Not impossible, but she'd have to put in more effort to get the same result as someone who didn't have an opposing element to water."
"Very true." Mcgonagall nodded. "While my grade in potions was more than adequate, I had to study very hard to get it. Transfiguration, on the other hand, was an absolute breeze for me, and I only needed to do minimal work to get good results."
"You can also have multiple elements, though that is pretty rare. That's also the most major difference between Magi and Wizards, cultures aside of course." Harry continued, surprising those who were listening in. "Witches and Wizards are capable of every spell within their magic system, the elemental bit only means some parts come easier than others. Magi, on the other hand, are limited quite a bit by their elements, but possess far more power than even a group of strong wizards."
"So a magus core is very different to a wizards?" Hermione asked.
Harry snorted. "Magi do not have cores, Granger. Instead, their system of magic uses 'magic circuits'. The only 'cores' that Magi might have are things like the dragon core that was implanted into King Arthur, allowing for effective use of prana burst skills and the like."
"Dragon core? What's one of those, it sounds rath-" Hermione began to ask another question, before a shadow fell over them. Looking up, she and Harry saw Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle standing 'menacingly' over them.
"Something you need?" Harry asked casually, not intimidated in the slightest.
"I'm just observing the 'hero' that Dumbledore said would 'save' us all. You're even more pathetic than the dead one, and I never thought I'd ever say that. You're mingling with the wrong crowd, and if you keep doing so you'll end up just like the other you. How does it feel to be a fake, a replacement?" Malfoy asked.
Harry chuckled. "A hero? Me? That is... rather laughable. I would not deny that I'm capable of fulfilling the role, but I have no particular desire to. As for the company I keep, well, that is my own choice, not yours. If I am to die, it will not be because of that ridiculous 'Dark Lord' of yours. There are far more worthy opponents that I could face, but it seems I've been demoted to taking out the trash. What a pity. When I was being summoned, I kind of hoped for something more exciting, but I guess this will have to do for now."
Malfoy was not pleased with the calm way Harry acted, and his ire only grew as Harry continued talking. By the end of it, he was nearly bursting, having understood the underlying message in Harry's speech: 'You're not worth my time, you're too low on the food chain, and so is your 'lord. Now go away, you've wasted enough of my time as it is'.
"Oh, so you'd say that you're skilled?" Harry nodded. "Then I suppose you wouldn't be against a little one-on-one Patronus battle this afternoon during the club, would you?"
Harry shrugged. "One-on-one? Are you sure you wish to face me like that? I don't think I can handicap myself that badly to make it a level playing field." Harry was amused by how Malfoy twitched at that. "Regardless, whatever forces you bring to bear against me, I will face them, and I will crush them."
"Agreed." Malfoy near spat before stalking off back towards the Slytherin table.
Turning back to the table, Harry saw he was getting some looks from those who'd watched the little altercation between him and Malfoy. "What?" He asked.
"As disappointed as I am that you're not in my house any longer, I think I see why the Sorting Hat put you in Slytherin." Mcgonagall commented.
Harry shrugged. "Any longer? I was sorted into Hufflepuff last time around." He then turned to Hermione. "Now, what's this club blondie was talking about?"
"Ah, within days of You-Know-Who's return at the end of last year, the dementors defected to his side." Hermione said. "With the last two weeks of the school year, Professor Flitwick put a daily 'club' on to try and teach people the 'Patronus' charm. He said that, starting this year, he would have us make our patronuses fight, so we could learn to maintain them better. Malfoy must have gotten some training over the holidays, as he could only make an indistinct shape at the end of last year, though that was one of the best efforts."
"Huh." Harry cocked his head to one side. "Well, my patronus is definitely corporeal, and rather solid actually." That last bit was muttered under his breath. "The club takes place somewhere with space doesn't it?"
"The Great Hall." Hermione replied. "Why?"
"My patronus is rather large, and rather distinctive too, but I guess you'll see that later, won't you?" Harry told her.
Neither Hermione, or any of the people listening in felt comfortable when Harry began chuckling under his breath. Word soon spread of Draco Malfoy's challenge, and the turn out for the club that evening would include almost the entire school, all of them curious about Harry Potter's patronus.