Ok so a good response overall so far to the rewrite, though a few have pointed out the mistakes. I understand that it was constructive criticism and even where people are coming from. However, and I know I have told people this in several AN's in several of my fic's, I am Dyslexic.

I can read over a chapter a hundred times and will still miss things that are easy for others to see. I rely heavily on spellchecker but it can only do so much, and sometimes when it gives you several different but similar word I can't tell the difference between them and pick the wrong one.

It's not that I didn't take the time to read through and check my chapters, it's just that I can't see most of the mistakes even when I do.

But anyway.

This chapter is where it will start have more changes, and I am sure you will see what they are in the first half of this chapter. I hope you like what I did, as I thought it would fit better with the Harry in this fic.

Enjoy:)

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Disclaimer: I own nothing :(

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Beta: alexis. metoyer. 1

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Chapter 2- Grimoire

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Like most of the other shops in Diagon Alley, Ollivander's looked small and dingy on the outside, though Harry was quickly picking up on the fact that most were bigger on the inside than should be possible. The windows were covered in a thin layer of dust and grime that blocked out almost all light from the outside, and the sign above the door was old and faded.

McGonagall stayed outside again as he went in.

As he stepped inside Harry was hit by the smell of various kinds of wood and oil. A few rays of light that creeped through the windows showed the air was thick with dust, the only other light source being a small oil lamp resting on the counter. Behind the counter were shelves stacked with thousands of small boxes, some cardboard and others wooden. There were no labels on any of them though, so Harry wasn't sure how anyone would be able to tell the difference between one and another.

"Caw!"

He didn't understand why or how, but for some reason the moment Poe let out a squawk Harry understood the warning she was giving him. In response, he turned to see that there was a man standing behind him in the shadows. He seemed to be a very old man- though Harry couldn't begin to guess at his exact age- with shoulder length, wiry grey hair and a wrinkled face. His hands were bony and covered in small scars and fresh scratches that showed he worked a lot with his hands. His eyes were an almost milky blue that made Harry wonder if the man was actually blind.

However, it was proven he wasn't when his eyes moved from Poe and then to Harry's face before flicking up to his covered scar.

"A smart bird you have there, Mr. Potter. She will be a good familiar to you in the years to come, I am sure," he said in an airy voice with a small easy smile on his face.

Deciding to put the familiar comment to the back of his mind for the moment, Harry narrowed his eyes at the man who he assumed was the 'famous wand maker', as McGonagall had referred to him. .

"You know who I am then?" asked Harry.

The man merely chuckled as he walked past him to move to the other side of the counter.

"I remember every wand and Magical Focus I have ever sold Mr. Potter, including your own parents. I have been expecting you for many years now…" Ollivander replied while his eyes started moving over the boxes behind him.

Interesting, so the old man claimed to remember every wand he had ever sold. If that was true, it was an impressive feat. Wait…he didn't just say wands did he? He said wand and Magical Focus…were there other things that you could use to channel magic besides a wand?

Another thought to look up later; he would surely be busy for at least a few days after this.

"I see…I guess there is little point in pleasantries then. I am sure you understand why I am here. However, I do not know the process involved in choosing a wand," Harry said. His own eyes had already started moving over the many boxes again. There had to be thousands of them.

"Ah! Well then, first let me explain something to you that is very important, Mr. Potter. You do not choose your wand; the wand chooses you."

Ollivander's statement got a raised eyebrow from Harry as he walked closer to the old man and leaned on the surprisingly dust free counter.

"I see. Would you mind explaining that to me a little more?"

The man gave him a calculating look for a moment, before a small smile crossed his old lips.

"Normally, when one as young as you asks me that question I would merely say that the reason is unknown since many do not understand the complexity of Magical Foci; however, I have a feeling you are different than most. Take wands for example. Every wand has its own personal magical signature, almost like a personality. For a wizard to be able to use a wand, their own magic must be a close enough match with that of the wand, or the magic will not be as effective."

Throughout the explanation Harry had been nodding his head, his mind filing it away for closer consideration later. There was just one thing that kept jumping out at Harry, something that his mind needed to know or it would be another itch in the back of his head.

"You said, 'wands for example', and have used the words 'Magical Focus' several times since I walked into this shop. Are there other ways to channel magic than with a wand?"

Ollivander's cloudy eyes seemed to almost light up with approval as a smirk crossed his lips.

"Very good, Mr. Potter! Not many pick up on the hints I like to slip in!" Ollivander bent down under the counter as he continued his explanation, with Harry actually listening very carefully to everything he was saying.

"There are several different kinds of Magical Focus, each with different aspects and effects that make them different; different advantages, disadvantages, temperaments. Wands are the most versatile Magical focus and most reliable…easiest to use for the masses," he stood back up and placed two more items on the table.

The first was a long wooden staff cut from a rough piece of wood. It was approximately 6 feet long, the wood itself being light brown but with dark brown markings carved into it. The second item was a large, black, leather-bound book. The cover was blank and the pages were made from expensive but old looking parchment. There was also part of a chain attached to the spine, five links that clinked slightly as it was placed on the table. It also had metal fixings on the outside of the book and along the spine where the chain was connected.

Letting out a slight groan as he stood up straight, a hand on his lower back, Ollivander placed his touched the staff but didn't pick it up.

"Willow, 6 foot 3 1/2 inches, with a core made from powdered Hungarian Horntail Bones," Ollivander stated. He paused and looked up from the staff at Harry. "A Hungarian Horntail is a breed of dragon," he added as an afterthought.

"Magic Staffs are an old, but still useful medium for channelling magic. They simply lack the…flexibility that a wand has. They are made to channel large amounts of power in a single burst to add more kick to spells, but are more limited in what you can use with them. This is why they are not as popular as a Wand which can cast almost any spell and is limited only by the user's knowledge. Very few people use staffs anymore, although a few Aurors have been known to carry them as a secondary weapon to complement their Wands. After all, a Wand can only channel so much magic at a time, but a Staff can release a shockwave of pure magic," Ollivander explained.

It made sense to Harry why Staffs weren't as widely used, if what Ollivander said was true. In more Muggle terms, a wand is a Swish Army Knife, while a Staff would be a Machete. Nodding his understanding, Harry turned his eyes to the book, blinking in slight surprise when he felt a slight tug in his stomach pulling him towards it.

Harry didn't even look up as Ollivander moved to place his hand on the cover.

"Then we have this, a form of focus most have all but forgotten. A Grimoire…also known as a Book of Shadows. Made from the hide of an Ironbelly Dragon and sewn together with Unicorn Tail Hair, with the metal being a mixture of Cold Iron and Silver. Capable of channelling more magic then a staff, and more flexible in the variety of spells it can be used to cast. A Grimoire is, in my own humble opinion, the best magical focus that can be used. Ironic considering my profession and field of expertise, but as a person that has spent his life learning about and perfecting Magical Foci, I would be remiss to deny the truth," there was a tone of reverence in his voice as his fingers lightly brushed over the cover.

Harry still couldn't take his eyes off of the book, and the feeling in his stomach was getting stronger, urging him to reach out and touch the book. "If what you say is true, then why are Wands more commonly used?" asked Harry.

Unseen by Harry since his eyes were still fixed on the book, Ollivander got a slightly bitter look on his face, a frown replacing the slight smile that had been there a moment ago.

"In one word…Laziness, Mr. Potter. As I told you before, each Magical Focus has its advantages and disadvantages. A Grimoire requires the user to have an understanding of both Arithmancy and Written Magic, also known as Runes. To use any spell the user of the Grimoire must write down the spell in a Magic Language, along with the Arithmetic Formula of the spell, something that most Witches and Wizards simply do not have the patience or skill for. Why take the time to learn how and why a spell works when a Wand will do most of the heavy lifting for you?" Ollivander asked in a cold tone. With a shake of his head he finally looked up from the Grimoire.

Only to pause when he saw the look on Harry's face, a small smile growing to cover his lips.

"Mr. Potter…do you want to know how a Witch or Wizard activates a Grimoire and how it works?" asked Ollivander.

Harry gave a slight nod of his head.

The smile came back full force as Ollivander pushed the book towards him.

"While not commonly used in these more modern times, and also more subject to restrictions, they use a form of Blood Magic to bind themselves to their owner. A drop of blood on the chain, and if the Grimoire accepts you as its user…well, we will know. Once a Grimoire accepts an owner it can only be used by that one person, and only opened by the user or someone they have given permission to read it." Ollivander moved the chain from the spine to lay on top of the book for Harry to examine. He also made a point of placing a needle on the counter next to it.

Finally looking up from the Grimoire, Harry felt the corners of his lips lifting slightly in a small smile, and without a word pricked the end of his thumb with the needle. A drop of blood collected on it before falling onto the chain.

The effect was instantaneous.

The moment his blood touched the chain, the metal started to glow white. Even the metal fixings started to glow. The book snapped open and the pages started to move as if caught in a wind, each page starting to glow faintly as they moved before it stopped in the middle.

Without warning, the chain started to grow, new links appearing out of nowhere and floating upwards. The chain struck like a snake, shooting towards Harry's left hand and coiling around it tightly as it continued to glow and grow longer. Within seconds it had coiled around Harry's arm up to his shoulder before it finally stopped. Poe gave an indignant caw as she was forced from her perch, taking a new one on the counter.

The chain formed a hook around his shoulder before tightening to an almost painful degree before fusing together.

The Grimoire finally stopped glowing a moment later, but the pages never lost the glow completely and still seemed to hum with power.

It was a moment later that Harry realised he was panting and exhausted, sweat pouring down his face as he leaned against the counter for support. Poe returned to her perch on his shoulder, shifting slightly so she wasn't touching the chain now wrapped around his arm and shoulder.

Shaking the dizziness from his head, Harry looked up into the amused face of Ollivander, who was just placing a small box on the counter as he smiled at Harry.

"Well, it seems congratulations are in order Mr. Potter. I had a feeling when I saw the way you were looking at it while in its dormant state, and I am very happy to see I was right," Ollivander said, his smile still in place as he opened the box.

It was turned to face away from him, so Harry didn't know what was in it, but at the moment he was more interested in the Grimoire now chained to his arm.

Holding said arm out towards the old Wand Maker and making it rattle slightly, Harry raised an eyebrow and spoke in a bland tone that was slightly at odds with his still tired expression.

"Is there a way to get this off? Because life is going to be very difficult for me if I can't shower or change clothes," Harry asked.

Without looking up from his box, Ollivander absently pointed to the base of the chain where it connected to the book, "Simply pull lightly where the chain connects with the spine and it will vanish while you do your…business, Mr. Potter." He continued to look through his box before finally looking up.

"I will be needing a tail feather from your friend there, Mr. Potter, providing she is willing to supply one…"

Following the man's eyes Harry saw Poe eyeing the Wand Maker suspiciously, shifting in a way that her tail was as far away from Ollivander as possible. "Why?" asked Harry.

Ollivander simply lifted one of his eyebrows before pulling several things out from the box and placing them on the table. "Mr. Potter, you are now the owner of a Grimoire…a book. In order to use it, you need something to write in it with. Now, as this is no ordinary book you cannot be expected to write in it with an ordinary quill. I asked for a feather from…Poe, I believe you called her, because it is more personal and therefore will be more affective."

Harry could now see that Ollivander had taken out several different strips of wood and several different kinds of metal shaped like the tip of a Fountain pen.

Taking a moment to think it over Harry gave a small nod before turning to look at Poe, who turned away from him. He continued to stare until she started to fidget and shift weight between her feet, before finally letting out another caw and seeming to give in. A moment later she had reached around and used her beak to pull out one of her tail feathers and dropped it into Harry's waiting hand.

Harry handed the feather to Ollivander, who quickly pulled out a monocle with a blue lens and held it to his right eye. The old Wand Maker spent almost a minute looking over every inch of the feather before flipping the monocle over to show a pink lens and starting his examination over again.

This continued for several minutes, the lens changing to a different colour each time he turned it.

Finally, Ollivander put the monocle away and turned his attention to the different pieces of wood, humming to himself as he put several pieces back after holding them up next to the feather. He did this until there were only three pieces left and placed them in front of Harry.

"If you would please choose one, Mr. Potter," asked Ollivander as he motioned to the wood.

Giving a shrug, Harry picked up one of the sticks at random and held it out to Ollivander. Instead of looking offended, the old Wand Maker took the wood with a smile and put the other two away before turning to look at the different pen tips.

"An interesting choice, Mr. Potter. Elder wood is not often used for Magical Focus because of its connection to Death through an old Wizard Fairy tale. Many consider it a bad omen, bad luck." Ollivander said as he put several tips back into the box before moving the remaining two towards Harry.

Again without really looking, Harry took the one on the left and passed it to Ollivander. He put the other away and looked at what Harry had chosen. "Pure silver…an interesting combination." Ollivander said more to himself than Harry as he started fiddling with the different pieces he was left with.

Five minutes later Ollivander held out the complete pen for Harry to look over. The wooden shaft was about four inches long and coated in a dark varnish. The silver tip added an extra inch while Poe's feather was attached to the end. The moment it touched his skin Harry felt a slight shock run up his arm, passing through his chest, down his other hand, and into his Grimoire through the chain.

There was another glow as the two magical items connected but it faded quickly.

Giving a nod, Ollivander put everything back under the counter before turning his attention back to Harry. Before saying anything Ollivander took a piece of parchment and wrote something on it before passing it to Harry.

"Well, I think that is everything. That parchment has the names of several books you will need to buy so you can use your Grimoire. They can be found at Flourish and Blotts. All that is left for us to do now is settle my payment. I hope you understand that it will not be cheap…"

Harry simplygave a shrug and took his money pouch from his waist, waiting for Ollivander to say his prices.

"The Grimoire is 23 Galleons and 13 Sickles, and the Pen is anther 7 Galleons and 2 Sickles. All together that makes the total bill at 30 Galleons and 15 sickles, but I am willing to make it an even 30 Galleons for the excitement," said Ollivander with a wink at the end.

Not really caring considering that he still had a vault full of money at Gringotts, Harry took out the needed coins and stacked them on the counter. Ollivander didn't even bother to count. With his business done, Harry closed the Grimoire and was about to leave when he noticed that the cover had changed.

Where it had been blank before there was now a sliver crest inlayed into the leather in the form of a skeletal winged horse. Under the horse was a triangle with a circle inside it and a line cutting through both down the middle, almost looking like an eye. The last thing he noticed were several words written in Latin, and while not a language he was fluent in, Harry was able to translate it.

The basic translation was 'The Last Enemy is Death'.

Frowning slightly, Harry pointed to the Crest and showed it to Ollivander. "What is this? It wasn't there before."

The old Wand Maker's eyes widened slightly before they seemed to fill with comprehension. A smile crossed his lips yet again.

"That Mr…Potter, is something you will need to discover for yourself. Though I am sure to be looking out for news of your exploits after today. I am sure I will be hearing great things of you…many great things," said Ollivander, and he turned away and disappeared between the shelves of Wands that he had never even had Harry try.

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The look on McGonagall's face when Harry left Ollivander's with a Grimoire tucked under his arm and the chain wrapped around to his shoulder had been slightly amusing. Her insistence that he go back and get a Wand instead was less so, and eventually Harry had been forced to ignore her for several minutes before she gave up and left. She made sure to tell him to meet her in the bar of The Leaky Cauldron on September 1st to be taken to the Train.

Giving a shrug after she had left, Harry had simply returned to his room at the Bar. After putting his newly bought things down he fell onto the bed with a sigh. He was still tired after bonding with the Grimoire, and had fallen asleep within seconds of his head hitting the pillow.

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When Harry awoke the next day, the first thing he did was take a shower. Like Ollivander had said, the chain had disappeared after he tapped it where it connected with the spine; though oddly enough, he could still feel the chains even though they weren't there.

Another odd thing was that the moment he was dressed again the chains reappeared without any prompting from Harry. It wasn't a big deal, so he ignored it for the time being. With Poe on his shoulder Harry had set off back into Diagon Alley, asking Tom the Bartender to open the archway for him.

Harry's first stop had been to buy a better Trunk then the one he had bought with McGonagall, taking his time before picking out what the storeowner called a Class 5 Trunk. It had seven separate room sized compartments, each with their own key, and Harry had paid extra to have them all furnished.

Harry then made his way to Flourish and Blotts and spent the rest of the day picking out books. After finding the books Ollivander had told him he would need, Harry took his time looking over every book in the store and putting the ones he found interesting aside for later.

By the time he had finished there were thousands of books piled up next to the checkout counter. A bemused shop girl slowly made her way through them and added up the cost while Harry had his nose in a book about something called Occlumency. After reading the basic description, he had decided it was a very important skill to learn before he did anything else. He did not like the idea of being unprotected against someone reading his mind.

After being handed a temporarily expanded and lightened bag with his newly bought books inside, Harry had once again returned to his room and spent the next few hours organising his books in the Library his new Trunk had. There was still space for more books, too, but it was a start and might take him a year to get through them all. That is, if he took his time while doing schoolwork.

The day after that had been spent buying most of the stock at the Apothecary and storing it into the room in his Trunk fitted to act as a 'Stasis Room'. This was followed by another trip to buy more Potions equipment.

Harry then spent the day after that wondering around Diagon Alley and looking through the different shops, including several Second Hand and Antique shops for things of interest. He had found several different Magical Items that he would later study, and had stored them in another of his Trunk rooms.

After that Harry basically spent the next few weeks reading, practising potions, and learning enough to understand how to write spells into his Grimoire. He never actually cast any of the spells, but he wanted to at least have a few stored up and ready for when he started Hogwarts.

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Harry spent the week leading up to September 1st organising his new trunk to be sure he was ready. As it stood, the different uses for magic were proving to be an interesting distraction from his usual boredom; although it didn't seem to be any more of a challenge for him than any other subject he tried.

He took to Occlumency with surprising ease. Apparently his mind was already organised for the most part, so it gave him a head start on building his defences in his mind. All of the books he read suggested imagining something from the real world around his mind, like a wall or a building to keep people out.

Harry decided to go one step further; instead of a building or a wall, he was slowly building an actual maze in his mind, one that constantly changed paths and moved. He then split his memories and knowledge, which were in the form of books, into different parts behind hidden doors that only he could see. A large collection of his more depressing memories he put in the centre of the maze to act as bait for anyone trying to invade his thoughts. He was also planning on adding something the books referred to as 'Guardians' which were mental constructs that acted like living creatures to guard his mind. Unfortunately, that was a more advanced skill and would take him another month at least to start.

Another downside for Harry was the side effect of sharpening and focusing his mind even more than it used to be. This just made things even easier and, therefore, more boring. If he wasn't more worried about someone trying to get in his head, Harry wouldn't have bothered learning Occlumency at all.

He had put learning German aside for a while as he learned the different Runes and Magical Languages, and he had already learned the basics for three different sets. He also bought a carving kit for when he was ready to start writing in or on something other than his Grimoire. Harry was hoping to be able to start on making his own broom by the end of the year, but it would depend on how much he needed to do while at school.

Maybe it would slow him down a little…although, based on what he had read of the first few years of books, Harry doubted it. He had already memorized the first two years of books and had gotten through almost half of the third- at least for the core subjects.

It was getting close to the time he was supposed to meet McGonagall at the pub with several 'Muggleborn' kids that needed help getting to the platform for the train they would be taking to Hogwarts. Harry packed everything but his Standard Book of Spells Grade Three away into his trunk.

With one hand pulling the magically lightened trunk, the other holding the book in front of his face, and his Grimoire under his arm, he started to head down to wait in the Leaky Cauldron. Poe had already left for Hogwarts and was going to meet him when he arrived.

The pub was free of its usual crowd of old and drunk Wizards and Witches, and Harry could have sworn it smelled better than usual too. It seemed that Tom was pulling out all the stops for the new Muggleborn kids that were meeting there. Said hunchback was currently in the process of handing a bottle of what Harry had learned was called Pumpkin juice to a blonde boy standing next to the bar with his parents.

Harry quietly made his way to a table in the corner of the room away from most of the other people so he could read his book in silence. It was actually working right up until someone walked over and decided to take the seat next to him. Harry decided to just try and ignore them in the hopes the person would leave.

Unfortunately, it didn't work since the bushy haired girl turned to him and started talking.

"I'm Hermione Granger. Are your parents at work too? Mine dropped me off to wait for Professor McGonagall, but I'll see them again at Christmas, so I guess its ok," said the now identified Hermione as Harry continued to try and ignore her in favour of reading his book.

Several minutes passed when Harry let out a sigh as her eyes continued to stare at him. He didn't even glance at her but said flatly, "Harry…" He hoped his tone would be enough to get her to leave. Again, it wasn't.

"What book are you reading? I already read most of the books on the list we were given; after all, it never hurts to read ahead."

The tone in her voice when she said she was reading ahead was clearly a mix of smugness and self-importance, though why she would feel that way for only reading a few chapters ahead was beyond him. Unfortunately, it was also clear the girl had no intention of leaving him alone, so with a sigh Harry lowered his book slightly to look at her over the top of it.

Hermione had blue eyes to go with the bush hair and slightly too large front teeth that gave her a chipmunk appearance. She was also already dressed in her black school robes, though without the stupid little hat.

"Why are talking to me when it is clear I am trying to read my bloody book in peace?" asked Harry.

The sight of her shocked face was almost enough to make him chuckle, which was followed by an even funnier look of righteous anger.

"You shouldn't say words like that! And I only came over because you were all on your own and I wanted to be nice." said Hermione with a frown.

Harry rolled his eyes as he turned back to his book.

"No,you didn't. You wanted to come over and try and brag about reading ahead to the only other person your age reading a book. Though why you feel that reading a few chapters ahead is anything worth bragging about, I do not understand. Now if you will shut the fuck up and leave me alone, I'm still trying to read," Harry said absently.

Instead of leaving Hermione only seemed to get angrier at him. She grabbed the book from his hands, standing up and stepping away so he couldn't take it back. "You think you're so smart, but you're only half way through the book!" she shouted, drawing the attention of several other people waiting in the pub.

Harry leveled a bored look at her, "Look again, I'm reading two years ahead. Now give me my book back." He held out his hand expectantly.

His words seemed to take the wind out of her sails, and Harry gave her enough time to look at the cover and confirm what he said was true before snatching the book back. He had hoped that would be the end of it and she would leave him alone, but a moment later Harry was disappointed. Instead, Hermione retook the seat next to him but with a more subdued attitude.

"I'm sorry…" she said quietly. It was silent for about another minute as she waited for him to respond, before carrying on talking again. "I just wanted to impress you…you were reading so I thought maybe we would have something in common, I don't really have any friends."

"Based on the fact one of the first things you did was attempt to boast, I am not surprised…" said Harry as he turned the page.

"I said I was sorry.".

"Yes, I heard you the first time," he said as he turned another page without looking up.

"You're supposed to say you're sorry back," her voice started to regain its strength.

"Why would I apologise when I am not sorry for anything I have said?" asked Harry. "Not only would it be a lie, but it would also be insulting to both of us.".

For a moment Harry thought she was going to start arguing with him again, but after taking several deep breaths, Hermione pulled out a book of her own that Harry recognised as Hogwarts: A History.

After that, they both fell into silence as they read their respective books. Several minutes later, McGonagall walked out of the fireplace with a burst of green flames, and without breaking her stride moved to the middle of the room. As she called for everyone's attention, Harry also took note of the rope in her hands, but didn't think much of it.

"Good morning everyone. As you are all aware from my visits to each of you, I am Professor McGonagall. In order to get to the platform, I will be taking the children straight from this room by use of a magic called a 'Portkey', so I will give everyone five minutes to say goodbye before gathering around me. When you do, I will ask you to take a firm hold of a part of this rope in one hand, while keeping the other on your trunks. I will warn you all that Portkey's are not the most comfortable experience, but are the easiest for a group of our size."

With no one to say goodbye too, both Harry and Hermione moved to stand with McGonagall and took hold of the rope.

XXX

So Harry has a Grimoire instead of a Wand, I hope you all like it. I thought why not an out of the ordinary Magical Focus for an out have for the ordinary Wizard. I actually got the idea from watching the Harry Potter Movies and noticing that Moody used a Staff at one point to send out a shockwave instead of a Wand, which got me thinking about alternative Magical Focus'.

And what would be better for a genius then an overly complicated alternative to a Wand that most don't have the brains or the patients to use?

I will say that Harry will not be the only one to use a Grimoire thought the fic, but others will use them more as a secondary to a Wand unlike Harry. I am sure people will be able to guess at least one other person Harry will meet that will have a Grimoire.

Don't expect all updates to be this quick, I have a jumping put to build off of with the old chapters so they are speeding things up for the moment.

Anyway let me know what you think of the chapter :)