The Boy-King of Infinity
Disclaimer/Plot/Challenge Information/Author's Note: SEE FIRST CHAPTER
Recommended Reads: Raven, Magical Spider, Bonded, Widow's Vengeance, Wands and Claws and Reborn by JustBored21, Harry Potts and the Infinity Stones by samhaine, Master Potter of Kamar-Taj and He's definitely got the stones for it by Ryuko monogatari, Child of the Storm, Ghosts of the Past and The Phoenix and the Serpent by Nimbus Llewelyn, The War of Titans by PerseusPeverell092, A Fallen God by Hostiel, Kill me if you can and The Overpowered Gamer by PercyPendragon3, The Eye of the Phoenix by GrandSpaceWizard, Master of Death and Wielder of Infinity by bhanfhen, Do Not Meddle In The Affairs Of Wizards by Corwalch, Harry Potter the Mutant Obscurus Gamer by GnomeBob and Harry Is A Dragon, And That's Okay by Saphroneth
Key Pairing: Harry/TBD
Other Pairings: To be determined
Normal Speech
'Thoughts'
'Mental Speech'
/Parseltongue/
Review Answers:
So, I can only apologise for the lengthy wait between updates.
Truth be told, I was at a crossroads as to which direction this insane adventure could take, but now, I have it.
So, enjoy…
'Good evening, Headmaster…I know you remember…so don't pretend otherwise. Instead, sit there, keep quiet and listen…because we're going to have a talk that's more than ten years overdue. Then, if you're willing to listen and change your thoughts on the future, I might speak to our mutual friends about keeping you on as a liaison…if only until your successor comes into his own.'
Dumbledore stared in abject awe for only a moment, before his expression softened as he sighed deeply before he nodded.
"I had a feeling our business wasn't over, Lily…please, sit down; would you like a cup of tea? This time, I swear on my sister and nephew that there are no Sands of Nisanti waiting in the bottom of the cup…"
Chapter 8: First Day, Second Chance
Seeing as how the first thing he felt was the Mother of All Headaches greeting him when consciousness returned to his body, and given everything he had experienced and could recall before blacking out and acquiring said migraine, nobody would probably blame Harry for thinking that the whole thing had been nothing, but one insane, twisted and yet heart-warming dream.
However, even as the headache greeted him, bringing him back to the land of the living, the one thing Harry had that told him it hadn't been a dream, was the sight of his Infinity Glove Focus resting on his right hand. The imitation stones seemed to sparkle and shimmer in the light from the room around him, which, when he managed to look up – albeit with a groan and a whimper as he felt the headaches again – he saw was a dorm room, with red-and-gold as the general colour scheme, as well as a warm fire burning in a small heater at the centre of the room.
Apart from Harry himself, he saw a few other beds, which had some of the faces he recalled from the Sorting Feast: on his immediate left was his new friend, Neville Longbottom, who seemed to be dead to the world, since he hadn't noticed Harry's strange arrival-slash-return to Hogwarts. On his right was a mousey-haired boy whom Harry dimly recalled was named Seamus Finnegan, while a dark-skinned boy who Harry remembered to be named Dean Thomas was next to him.
Furthest around the room was a redheaded boy, whom Harry barely recalled was named Ronald Weasley, though he only remembered that boy's name and appearance because of the gormless look he seemed to permanently wear, even while he was snoring like a bear with a sore head.
"How does anyone sleep through that?" wondered Harry, before he smiled thinly as he looked down at his glove.
Given one of the last things he remembered doing was giving Black Bolt a voice – so to speak – Harry guessed that the act of clearing the airways for the dim-witted-looking redhead was both a mercy – more for him and his Housemates – and a piece of aid that he was a little surprised the boy's family hadn't done sooner.
As he pointed a finger at the boy's sleeping, snoring frame, however, Harry's eyes widened when, as he focused his power on Ronald Weasley, something else caught his attention.
With his power focusing on the redhead, Harry could also sense something off with the boy; something that seemed to be huddled under the sheets, cowering down by the boy's feet, out of sight. It was only when Harry glanced through the curtains around his bed that he also noticed Hedwig, his falcon, perched on top of the post near him, her golden eyes fixed on the redhead's bed.
More-specifically, she was focused on his feet.
More-specifically-still, she was focused on the same thing that Harry himself sensed cowering down by those feet.
'What is it?' wondered Harry, lowering his hand before he turned to Hedwig; to his surprise, she met his look with one of her own before she nodded her head, as though she both sensed his thoughts and agreed with them. 'Well, she is my familiar…at least, according to that guy in the shop, so maybe…maybe she can sense my…whoa!'
Suddenly, Harry didn't know whether to laugh or scoff amusingly as he saw Hedwig launch herself at the quivering lump, which actually tried to make a break for the door to the dorm.
With a skill of swift silence and stealthy deadliness that could only come from an Apex Predator, Hedwig not only launched herself at the lump.
She also pinned it hard and fast beneath her talons, before she opened her beak as she lowered her head, almost as though she was intending to eat the once-trembling lump, which, when Harry reached her side, he then saw to be a fat, grey rat, which was squealing loudly and trying – not to mention failing – to break free from Hedwig's vice-like grip.
"Good girl…" whispered Harry, bending down next to Hedwig, where he petted her with his left hand.
As for his right, Harry reached out and touched his glove-clad hand to the forehead of the quivering rat; as soon as he did so, Harry's eyes widened slightly when the Imitation-Mind Stone on his glove started glowing.
Seconds later, a voice that Harry didn't recognise echoed through his own head.
'No! I can't be found out yet! How did she even know I wasn't a rat? And what's with Harry? How did he even get in here? I thought he'd left with Albus! I have to get away, but if I change back, they'll see me! They'll know I'm not a normal rat; and Harry…oh no! What if he learns what I did to him, to his parents and to Sirius? I have to get to freedom; I have to get to the Dark Lord!'
"Harry?"
Looking up from the voice that had spoken, Harry saw Neville was awake, rubbing his eyes sleepily as he asked, "Ugh…when…when did you get here? And…and what are you doing with Weasley's pet rat?"
"This isn't a rat," said Harry, earning a surprised look from Neville, before, to Harry's half-amusement and half-surprise, his new friend suddenly found himself wide awake as he ran to Harry's side.
Infinity
As Harry looked back to the rat under Hedwig's talons – as the rat tried in vain to bite Hedwig's talons, as though he thought he could actually hurt a normal rat's worst nightmare – however, he didn't see Neville's eyes widen as he saw the glove on Harry's right hand, as well as the six imitation stones – though Neville didn't know they were only imitations – adorning the new accessory.
And when he saw them, his eyes widened as he saw and heard a bedtime story he'd heard as a younger boy.
Though the question of what, not to mention how, Harry could have such items was drowned out, both by the squeals of Ron's rat, as well as the awe and surprise of how Harry was confident in his words regarding said rodent.
Infinity
"How…how do you know he's not a rat?" asked Neville, though not before he scoffed slightly when he saw that, despite his pet's squeals of alarm and protests, Weasley was still out for the count, though the same couldn't be said for Dean or Seamus.
Harry, on the other hand, had to improvise, if only because he didn't yet know if he could actually trust the others to know the truth of his powers, especially not after what Dumbledore had done to him, just because he had power and abilities that the old man hadn't been able to control.
"Well, you see, back when…when I found and bought her in Diagon Alley, Hedwig was revealed to be my familiar; so, even though I don't really understand it much yet, I…I saw and felt her warn me that he's not a normal rat. And…well, familiars are clever and powerful, right?"
"Right," said Neville, hiding a weak smile as he sensed Harry wasn't being completely honest, but for good reasons. "Well, if he's not a normal rat, then he's either an Animagus or a magical animal…"
"Hang on, did you say Animagus?" asked Harry, earning a nod from Neville. "As in…as in a wizard that can turn into an animal, like…well, like my Dad was supposed to have been able to do?"
"Yeah, but how did you…"
"My Aunt told me some stories," said Harry quickly, again missing Neville's understanding smile, before Harry asked, "So, if he is an Animagus, how do we go about making sure?"
"Well, there is a spell, but I don't know it," admitted Neville.
Harry, meanwhile, placed a hand on the rat's head, seemingly helping Hedwig keep him pinned down.
Infinity
However, unbeknownst to Neville, Harry was actually focusing his powers on a new target.
The rat, And the voice that had screamed that it had to escape, albeit for only one reason.
It had mentioned Sirius!
And, given that Harry recalled his Mum telling him that Sirius Black, his godfather, was actually an innocent man, who'd been betrayed by a friend, and that the rat also seemed to be terrified that he, Harry, would learn what the rat had done to his parents and Sirius, it narrowed down the list of suspects pretty damn quickly.
Hoping he wouldn't give too much away too quickly, Harry willed the Reality Stone to obey his wishes.
And what he wished was for the rat to…
Infinity
"Whoa!"
Suddenly, Neville gasped in amazement when the rat beneath Harry's and Hedwig's grip transformed into a bedraggled, but also rounded man with rodent-like features, as well as terror in his eyes as he saw Harry's eyes widen in outrage, while Neville, Dean and Seamus all looked on in disbelief and no small amount of surprise.
"He is an Animagus," whispered Seamus.
Harry, however, wasn't done.
With his free hand – his left hand – he drew his wand from his pocket – a sleek, black-wood wand that seemed to be nothing much to look at, in all honesty – before he pointed it at the newcomer as he growled out two words.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Suddenly, the man became still and stiff; as his body stiffened, however, Harry's eyes widened, as did Neville's, when a pale-white wood rolled out of the man's bedraggled clothes. This time, Harry didn't need Hedwig's cries, nor Neville's gasp of horror, to know what to do next, even as his new friend went to say it.
"I know that wand! It belongs…well, belonged to…"
Before Neville could finish, Harry crushed the wand under his fist, breaking it into several irreparably-broken pieces before he looked to Neville as he told him, "Go and get one of the teachers! Hell, bring Dumbledore himself if you have to, just hurry!"
"But…but who is that, Harry?" asked Seamus.
Harry kept his own wand trained on the petrified man, while Hedwig also seemed to take a very tight hold of the man's cheek in her talons as her master identified him for who he was.
"His name is Peter Pettigrew…and he's the reason my parents…died…ten years ago!"
Infinity
"Merlin's beard!"
That was an understatement, if ever there was one, and yet, as Albus followed Minerva into the first-year boys' dormitory, accompanied by a haggard-looking Filius and, to his curiosity, even a sullen-looking Severus, he too felt alarm, as well as disbelief and relief seep into his heart when he found Harry standing over Peter Pettigrew's petrified form.
Judging by the look in the boy's eyes, Albus guessed that he knew who Pettigrew was, not to mention what he had done to Lily, James and, of course, Harry himself – but, given Albus' own late-night visitor, he also knew why that was, though he still hadn't told anyone about that visitor.
As Harry looked up at the sound of the door to the dorm opening, he locked eyes with Dumbledore, more than anyone else, before he said, "Sir, I think there's some questions that need answering…like how and why the man who betrayed my parents to Voldemort is sleeping with a first-year redhead in this dormitory? And, for God's sake, can somebody please wake Weasley up already? His snoring's giving me a headache bigger than all of Hell and half of Texas!"
A few seconds later, a sputtering, surprised, but also suspiciously-annoyed-looking Weasley was awake, his own eyes wide as he saw the rat-man on the floor, as well as Dumbledore himself, and Harry too.
"Wha…what's happening? Hey! Where's Scabbers? What have you lot done with him? And what's the slimy snake doing in here?"
The last question seemed to be aimed at Professor Snape, who cleared his throat before he answered, "Much like the Headmaster and my colleagues, Weasley: I am here to ensure justice is done. And that is two points from Gryffindor for disrespecting a teacher!"
"What? You can't…"
"Shut up, Weasley; you're not important right now," growled Harry, looking to the redhead, who actually blanched when he saw Harry's eyes glowing with raw power as he asked, "What is important is the question of why an Animagus was trying to hide in your bed? And you'd better have the right answer for me, Ronald Weasley, because, as far as I am concerned, anyone who helped hide this cowardly traitor from justice is as big an enemy to me as Voldemort himself!"
Dumbledore blanched as he heard that, as did Severus.
Minerva, meanwhile, turned to Filius before she asked, "Filius, would you go down to the Common Room and use the fireplace to Floo call Director Bones? Tell her we've found a war-criminal who is long overdue an appointment with the Dementors! In the meantime, Potter; take twenty points to Gryffindor for not only recognising a magical gift, but also showing restraint against, what I can only imagine is a very black mark against your family. Lily and James would be proud of you for showing such mercy…"
"They certainly would," agreed Albus, again meeting Harry's gaze.
As the others moved away, he then nodded to Harry, who frowned in curiosity before Dumbledore flicked a small piece of parchment at Harry.
Opening the parchment, Harry saw a note written there.
Please come to my office tonight.
On your Father's grave, I swear; no tricks.
By the time Harry looked up again, Dumbledore was gone.
However, as Harry scrunched up the note, before he swallowed it for added emphasis, he frowned as he realised one thing was clear that morning.
There were many more questions waiting to be answered.
And, loathed as he was to admit it, as far as being at Hogwarts was concerned, only Dumbledore himself had those answers for him.
Chapter 8 and it looks like justice has been dished out, but with the servant where he belongs, what will Harry do, should he realise the master lies in wait?
Also, what could Lily have said to Dumbledore to make him request a second, trick-free, meeting with Harry?
Also, could Snape's apparent lack of greasy git-ish-ness be just a coincidence or could he have had a strange, late-night encounter too?
Keep Reading to Find Out
Next Chapter: There are some Sirius ramifications from the first day, and not just where Dumbledore is concerned; also, Harry starts to have a few other suspicions about a certain someone in the school, while Neville's mystery deepens when Harry finds himself alone against his suspicions and worries surrounding his new powers and all they can do;
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