Another semester of her time at Alfea College for Fairies had now passed and Roxy was now packing up her things to return home.
Her Gardenia home, that is.
She felt as if she was starting to forget her non-magical or as Harry would say, her 'Muggle' upbringing) a bit too much. While magic was now a daily part of her life and always would be, she did appreciate some things done the non-magical way.
Like cooking.
Cooking done the non-magical way always tasted better in her opinion. Perhaps the use of magic on food items influenced the taste...
She shook her head to clear it as Artu barked.
"Ah. Sorry there, Artu. Just let my mind wander off a bit..." Roxy threw in a last dress and a pair of sandals into her suitcase before shutting and sealing it.
"Can you believe it, Artu? Another semester of my time at Alfea gone already. The next thing you know, I'll be graduating!" the animal fairy exclaimed.
Artu barked. "The time really has gone by quickly, hasn't it?"
"I'll say!" Rainer's voice piped in from the doorway. "Seems like we were just wimpy little Freshlings just the other day and now we're the ones flying above the Freshlings, looking down at them with the scorn they deserve!"
Roxy and even Artu looked at her, weirded out.
"What?" Rainer shrugged. "You know it's true..."
"Rainer, your witch is showing..." Roxy snorted.
"Ah, but Roxy. You should know that fairies can be just as mean and spiteful sometimes. And some witches are the nicest people you'll ever meet..." Rainer finally strode into the room to collect an item she had forgotten- her favourite maroon beret.
"I would not have said a word." Roxy commented as she watched the other fairy fix it atop her curls. "I would have just let you leave it here..."
"See? Fairies can be mean! Exhibit A..." Rainer gestured to Roxy in a rather flamboyant way. "...you!"
"Oh shut up..." Roxy rolled her eyes.
"Going to see your boyfriend this break or is he coming to see you?" Rainer quizzed.
Roxy rolled her eyes.
"And that... is... none of your business..." Roxy hoisted her backpack from her chair and slung it around her back. "Why don't you go quiz Athena this much about hers? Or better yet, why don't you go get your own?"
"In time, Roxy. In time." Rainer waved her off. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a shuttle to go catch back to Andros. Ahumai and Masika Del Mar don't like to be kept waiting. Toodles!"
Rainer practically bounced out the door.
"And to think," Roxy shook her head as she hooked Artu's leash onto his collar. "I used to think that Krystal and Athena were the crazy ones..."
Harry packed up the last of his things and shut his trunk before shrinking it wandlessly.
He picked up the now Rubix Cube-sized trunk and after admiring it for a moment, put it into his backpack and slung it over his shoulder.
"Small steps, Harry. You're doing well with the less powerful spells without a wand..." he smiled to himself. "You'll be able to progress with some more powerful ones soon..."
"Keep telling yourself that, Harry. I still love you anyway." Hedwig hooted from inside her cage, ready for the impending inter-realm journey.
"Bloody smartarse bird..." Harry grumbled.
"You know you love me anyway!"
Harry sighed.
There really were days he really regretted letting Roxy spell Hedwig so that she could talk...
"Come on, you. We're taking a trip to Isis. The place that we're going to there, there's nice gardens and trees for you to perch in and I'm sure they'd be able to spare all the bacon and toast you want." Harry picked up the cage.
"No rats?"
Harry shuddered. "No, Hedwig. Where we're ending up isn't likely to have rats swarming the place."
"What a pity."
Harry face-palmed.
"Welcome back to Isis, Harry." Garnet stood outside the door of his manor waiting for Harry, who strode up the path to the door after stepping through a portal he'd made after stopping in Magix City to do a bit of Christmas shopping.
"Thank you, Garnet. Glad to be back." Harry smiled slightly as he shook the older man's hand.
Hedwig, whom he'd released from her cage as soon as they stepped out the portal soared above them and then perched herself on Harry's outstretched right arm.
"This is my owl, Hedwig. Hedwig, this is Garnet De L'Or. He's the father of those two children I helped out a few weeks ago, when I had to go off on that assignment out in the mountains..." Harry gestured to the man.
Hedwig hooted, then spoke. "Good to meet you, Garnet."
Garnet raised an eyebrow. "I see you allowed your girlfriend to give your owl the gift of speech..."
"Yes. And sometimes I really regret it." Harry looked the owl right in the eye. "She can make a lot of rather cheeky remarks at times..."
"Ah, well... If she doesn't want to remain in her perch in your room while you both are here, she's welcome to the grounds. No rats around, I'm afraid." Garnet smiled.
"I told you so..." Harry told the bird, who merely hooted haughtily at him.
"Your bird has quite the personality..." Garnet remarked.
"She always has; even before she could talk..." Harry smiled.
"And such a beautiful bird. Tell me; is it common practice where you are from to own owls?" Garnet gestured for Harry to follow him as they walked and talked.
"Harry! Hello!"
Amethyst and Jasper ran towards him as soon as he stepped in the house, but stopped short at the sight of the snowy owl perched on his shoulder.
"Ooh! Such a gorgeous bird!" Amethyst cooed.
"For real! What kind of owl is.. he... or is it a she?" Jasper asked.
"She is a Snowy Owl." Harry corrected. "Don't get it wrong. She hates it when you get that mixed up. She does take kindly to your compliments though."
"How do you know?" the children asked in unison.
"Just look at her; preening her feathers proudly. She's putting on a show for you lot..." Harry smiled.
"What's her name?" Topaz asked, having just entered the room.
"Her name is Hedwig. I found the name in one of my Hogwarts textbooks and I thought it fitted her."
"May I touch her?" Topaz asked. "I used to keep birds when I was young. Perhaps I should again though I think I'd never be able to find one as beautiful as yours..."
Hedwig took off, only scratching his shoulder slightly and headed for Topaz, landing on her outstretched arm.
"She decided for herself..." Harry shrugged.
"Hedwig is a good judge of character then." Garnet smiled.
"Bloody right I am..." Hedwig preened her feathers a bit more.
Topaz, Amethyst and Jasper didn't bat an eye at the fact that the owl was talking.
"You must have some interesting stories of life as an owl. Come, tell me some things..." Topaz walked off with the bird now perched on her shoulders.
"Like I said, Topaz really loves birds. Maybe I should consider getting her some for her next birthday..." Garnet mused.
He shook himself out of it.
"Amethyst, Jasper, follow your mother... and Hedwig. Harry and I have some important things to discuss." Garnet put a hand on Harry's shoulder and gave his children a look that left no room for arguments.
The two ran off without question.
"Now, about the purpose of your visit..." Garnet led him off.
"It will happen tomorrow night." Garnet began explaining to him as he led Harry into his study and locked the door behind them with a quick spell.
"Some of my relatives will be there, as well as my wife. We've not quite decided whether or not we will allow Amethyst and Jasper to be present, but I'm inclined to say yes. I will be the one to start the chain of events that will allow you to access it as I am the current head of the family."
Garnet motioned for Harry to sit in an armchair next to the desk and he did so, with Garnet taking the plush office chair away from its place at the rather large desk and turned it to face the Earthling teen.
"And these events are...?" Harry raised an eyebrow.
"First of all it must be done at night. Specifically, it must begin at the witching hour."
"Midnight?" Harry queried.
"Precisely. It seems as if Earthling magic has more in common with the magic here than I previously thought..." Garnet nodded.
"Then my mother and I will place the book in a circle drawn with magic chalk. The kind of chalk one normally uses for drawing binding/summoning circles, certain runes, etc. The ritual must be done with two people who are either born into my family or helped to produce new blood for the family- in other words, anyone who married into and had a child that is biologically theirs for my family."
Harry nodded. So far, he was understanding.
"Then comes the 'dark magic' part that most light sided beings get squeamish at." Garnet rolled his eyes. "Blood Magic."
"How much blood is needed for this?" Harry asked.
"You are not bothered by the prospect?" Garnet raised an eyebrow.
"No. I've had plenty experience with dark magic before- though I haven't actually done much of it myself." Harry shrugged. "Most of it was some downright evil stuff performed on me... but this is different. You're doing this to help me. It's not the evil sort of dark magic you're doing..."
"I'm glad you understand the difference between the two. Now, to answer your earlier question, about... the equivalent of a quarter cup of blood. It may leave you feeling a bit offset, but not enough to truly bother you. No, the magic itself will do that..." Garnet chuckled.
"Should I be concerned?" Harry's tone was slightly worried.
"Relax. We wouldn't hurt you." Garnet chuckled again. "At least on purpose..."
Harry scowled.
"Now, this is what else is going to happen..." Garnet ignored Harry's changing expressions as he explained the ritual in great detail.
Harry got out of bed the next night and glanced out of the window.
The moon shone brightly and stars dotted the sky, making for a rather well-lit night.
The window was open and a light breeze ruffled the long, floor length curtains as he got up and walked over to it to have a better look outside.
Hedwig's perch- a couple feet away from the window, was unoccupied, as the snowy owl had taken to the night sky a few hours earlier and had not yet returned.
"Instinct of an owl, I suppose," Harry thought. "Even when she's fed all the bacon, toast, owl treats and all manner of nice things that one could give an owl, she still insists on hunting for rodents..."
He had a view of the expansive estate , which in his opinion, was one of the most beautiful place he'd seen in his relatively short life.
Several types of trees including some that bore fruits and other things he couldn't quite identify; flower gardens, a pond, an outdoor pool... it seemed like something straight out of the pages of a luxury magazine.
As a child, he never thought he'd find himself in a place like this. Sure it wasn't his, but he was a welcome guest here. Sure it paled in comparison to the discoveries he made about magic and other worlds in just a little over a year, but still.
Harry glanced up at the wall and saw the white-framed circular clock with sapphires embedded around it.
11:17 PM.
"Time to get ready then." Harry thought. "It simply wouldn't do to be late..."
Harry drew the robed they'd given him around himself.
It was forest green and hooded, with a star-shaped ruby clasp, framed by gold.
A nice enough robe, all told.
Likely expensive too...
"You must be Harry Potter." Harry heard an unfamiliar female's voice behind him as he reached the bottom of the rather large staircase.
Turning around, he saw an older woman with short, greying light brown hair and hazel eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness wearing a similar robe to his, except it was navy blue and a black gem shaped in a circle and framed in silver acted as its clasp.
"I am." Harry nodded.
"You're the wizard that helped rescue my grandchildren from those scum." She looked him up and down as Harry realised who she must be- obviously their grandmother.
"I'm afraid I don't know who you are exactly. I assume you're Garnet's mother?" Harry queried.
"Kalesta Orville, née Magnus. Never forget the name." she spoke curtly. "Now let us go. We have somewhere to be."
She motioned for him to follow her.
The woman led him outdoors and they walked in silence.
They walked through a cluster of trees and came upon a clearing where there was less tree cover overhead and the moon shone through, illuminating a few cloaked figures already present.
"Welcome to our Grove, Harry." Garnet's voice came from under a black cloak with a sapphire and gold clasp as that figure moved forward. "Shall we begin?"
Harry looked around, not recognising most of the people under the hooded cloaks, save for Topaz, Amethyst and Jasper, standing together nearest to the entrance to the Grove.
"We shall..." Harry spoke calmly.
"Good."
Garnet outstretched his hand and suddenly, a silver staff with several runes carved up and down it with a sphere made of diamond half encased in silver attached to one end appeared in the outstretched hand.
He waved it and a large, thick book, bound with black leather appeared in his other outstretched hand.
The cover was covered in symbols he couldn't decipher and with the way the book was bound, he could discern no possible way to actually open the tome.
"This is it. There are many layers of protection on the book itself, all based on intent. If an unauthorised person somehow got their hands on that book, it all ranges from stinging hexes to them not having any hands at all and even beyond that..." Garnet's chuckle was slightly sinister with those words. "Never mind the spells on its hiding place and the fact that I am the only one who can summon it directly from aforementioned hiding place..."
He waved the staff and an ivory column rose from the ground in precisely the middle of the Grove.
Walking forward, he rested the book on the column and Harry moved to stand opposite the other man, on the other side of the column.
Reaching out towards Garnet's now outreached staff, Harry's fingers connected with it.
It was as if he was glued to it by some form of electric current and it barely stung him as he felt the sensation of blood leaving his palm.
Harry watched as the diamond sphere turned from its original colour to a blood red.
Garnet pulled back the staff and with a crackle of powerful magical energy felt by all present, runes began to form themselves in a circle on the ground around the column that the grimoire sat atop.
A ray of moonlight shone in directly on the column and as it did, the runes changed from their original grey to blood red as the diamond sphere on Garnet's staff appeared to empty.
Blood red streaks of light rose up from each rune and covered the book as well as Harry and as it did, Harry felt as if a foreign body of energy was calling out to him; urging him to accept it into himself.
"Accept it, Harry..." Garnet's voice sounded as if it was in the far distance, instead of just a few metres away from him. "That's the call of the grimoire's family magic inviting you to join it..."
Harry focused on the feeling and as he did, he felt as if a whole new rush of energy entered him, surging through his body the power of it making him close his eyes as he fell to his knees.
When he opened his eyes and looked up, it was to see Garnet offering him a helping hand, which he graciously accepted.
"Take it and have a look, Harry. It accepted you..." the older man smiled as he lifted the book and handed it to Harry.
"I must say that your acceptance was much more dignified than a certain daughter-in-law's..." Kalesta chuckled.
"Only because I'd just given birth to Amethyst a few days prior." Topaz retorted, removing the hood of her cream-coloured robe. "I hadn't even recovered from that, so how was I supposed to be dealing with a powerful magical ritual so soon after childbirth?!"
"Mother, I now you love needling people, but now is not the time." Garnet spoke firmly. "Besides, I do remember Father telling me about the time that you were added to the roster so to speak, so you have no real argument to stand on."
Amethyst, Jasper and a few of the other figures present chuckled.
Harry had been mostly tuning them out as he took the grimoire he'd been offered.
He felt the magic of it as soon as it touched his hands and with just a thought, it opened for him.
Some of the words within were in other languages he couldn't understand, but many things were spelt out in simple English.
So many different spells, charms and recipes for potions he'd never heard of... and that was just the first few pages of the book...
"I didn't earn my knighthood for nothing." Garnet smiled at him, seeing his fascinated expression as he looked through the grimoire. "Some of those things in there are the result of my own discoveries. Very little of what is inside is public knowledge, however. You are a part of a limited group of people who can learn these things..."
Harry nodded in acknowledgement.
More spells he had access to... That certainly wouldn't hinder him in his quest to defeat Voldemort.
Then he realised something.
He had the backing of both a powerful fairy family and a powerful witch family, both because he'd earned their trust, but somehow he did it without even really trying to or expecting any kind of reward out of it.
Both had vowed to help in whatever way they could.
Harry felt just a bit more confident now.
Voldemort wouldn't know what hit him when the time came for their final showdown.
All he had to do was work hard (and smart) with every resource and boon given to him and not let down his guard simply because things seemed to be going well for him now.
So Harry has some pretty powerful backers now from the two major alignments in the Magical Dimension. Will it make things easier for him now? You'll just have to wait and see...
Review, folks! Leave your likes, dislikes, concerns and random observations!