The Boy
Chapter13: The Boy Decides
"What do you think magical military school is like?" Bella asked as she reread an invitation to Saint Aubrey's Military Academy for the Magical Arts.
Harry looked up from the brochure of some school in Mexico that had sent him an invitation. "Probably like all military schools," he said.
Bella huffed at that vague answer. How is she to know what military school are like if she only ever saw movies that portrayed it. It can't be like the movie versions, right?
"Har, I don't think that all military schools are the same," she said, "Especially, this one." She held up the invitation letter.
Harry shrugged nonchalantly. "Then I don't know how to answer your question, Bell. Do you even want to go to this Saint Aubrey's, anyway?"
"I don't know, Har," she answered thoughtfully, "I would like to know what it is like and all that, but I don't know if it is a better school than the other magical schools."
"Well, it's one of the schools in the top ten list," Harry pointed out.
"So is Hogwarts, though it is in the last place."
Harry snorted, but said nothing. He didn't have a very good opinion of Hogwarts. Not that he even know the place. Apart from the very biased stories he had heard about it, there wasn't a single one he can call his own.
"What about the other military magical school that's in second place? It's on an island, right? Do you think it might be worth going there?" They had discovered the second military school's invitation wedged between a letter of Ilvermorny and some obscure school that could be found in Alaska. It seemed to have loads of benefits, but Bella didn't think that she would like to live on a magically hidden island in the Caribbean.
He shrugged. "Maybe. But look at the school in first place. Starlit Institute of Magic. It has far more benefits than most, not to mention, we can continue our non-magical schooling there and we can come home on the weekends."
"That would mean that we would sometimes have to take evening classes, Har. But I see your point."
Harry smiled. "Shall we tell your dad?"
"He's your dad too, Har, even if you insist on calling him uncle. He raised you, did he not?"
Harry didn't comment on that. Instead, he stood to go look for Charlie and tell him that they had decided on a school.
He was glad that Bella also had gotten a letter from Starlit Institute, or he would've had to choose Saint Aubrey's or some other school that Bella had received a letter for.
The two of them found Charlie on the phone again, having a heated discussion with the person on the other side, which turned out to be Harry and Bella's aunt Petunia.
Wonder what she wants, Harry thought as he walked past his uncle to the fridge to find something to drink for him and Bella.
Charlie ended the call a moment or so later, slamming the phone back on its holder with frustration. He accepted a can of beer from Harry and watched as the children opened cans of soda themselves.
"What'd Petunia want?" Bella piped up after taking a sip from her can.
Charlie sighed at just hearing that name. He didn't mind the inquisitiveness of his daughter, but Petunia's name made him itch. "She wants to come live here for a while."
Harry's eyes widened in horror at that and he almost choked on his drink, resulting in him having a coughing fit. "Why?" he croaked out when he finally stops coughing with the help of Bella who slapped his back to help clear his lungs.
Charlie gave him an apologetic look before explaining, "Your cousin Dudley got a certain letter from a certain school that made their perfect little family not so perfect anymore. Your uncle Vernon wants to divorce your aunt because he says that her blood tainted their son. Or well, infected him with, and I quote 'freakish blood'."
Harry gaped at his uncle. He didn't expect such an answer and by the look of Bella, neither did she.
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In an office filled with far too many knick-knacks for Severus Snape's taste, paced an old man before a large ornate desk.
Severus Snape had just given him the news of young Harry Potter's whereabouts and the old man was less than pleased about it.
He had waited for the day that Harry Potter would return to the magical world and would attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry like his parents before him without a fuss. Instead, Severus had found the boy living in America with a man and his daughter that the old man had never heard of before.
"You say they have not decided yet on which school they would be attending, Severus?"
Severus Tobias Snape groaned mentally at the question. It was not the first time the Headmaster had asked it. It had become quite tedious if anyone asked him. It was as if Albus Dumbledore was stuck on one sentence like a gramophone player.
"Yes, Headmaster. As I said, Charles Swan did not look keen on sending any of the two children here. They had gotten other invitations from other schools and I don't think ours would appeal to them much more than any of them. I caught a glimpse of a brochure of some school that I can never hope to interpret the name of. Mayhaps, we should send out brochures about our school to make it more appealing for our potential students and their families?"
The old man only hummed noncommittally at that and Severus felt like throttling him for it. He had said it once and will probably say it until he was gone from the world, that Magical Britain was stuck in the dark ages while the rest like Magical America are progressing on par with the non-magical world. It is a horrible shame, really.
The Headmaster suddenly stopped pacing and smiled while seemingly nodding to himself. "I shall just have to visit young Harry myself, Severus. Perhaps, I can persuade him and Charles Swan to let him come to Hogwarts. It is the best I can do under these most unfortunate circumstances. It will be quite a tragedy if Harry Potter does not attend the school he is meant to."
Severus Tobias Snape suppressed the urge to sigh in annoyance. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore doesn't seem to get the fact that not everyone will dance to his tune whatsoever. Charles Swan doesn't look like the spineless gits who kissed the ground the old fool walks on and oh, if he could only be a fly on the wall when said old fool arrives on Charles Swan's doorstep. It would just about make his days better at Hogwarts.
" Headmaster, I shall take my leave now and leave you to getting ready, I suppose," he said, edging towards the door of the office.
"Of course, Severus." The Headmaster waved at him dismissively and began muttering to himself inaudibly like some mad man.
Severus didn't wait around any longer, making a swift exit of the overly decorated room, glad to have escaped from answering even more questions than the ones he had already had to answer. He sighed as he walked through hallways and down stairs to get to the dungeons where he was much happier.
It is after all, his very own domain inside Hogwarts where he can relax and just be who he is without having to care about anything but teaching the subject he was meant to teach, though he would've liked to have the opportunity to teach another subject that was also his favorite.
But unfortunately, it was out of his reach and thus he had but one choice. And that was to teach potions to the dunderheads, that usually walks into his class and he could do nothing short of resigning to change that.
He sighed once more as he reached his destination; where he found someone waiting in his favorite plush chair, and he found himself groan once again…. inwardly of course.
"Good evening, Astor," he greeted his foe to slay and cringed at the smirk plastered on a face that he had not seen much of since the day the Dark Lord fell.
"Good evening, Severus."
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"Starlit Istitute of Magic? Are you sure? Both magical military schools seem just as great." The children had just given their choice of school to Charlie and he felt a little bit overwhelmed by it and not in a good way either.
"Yes, Dad."
"Yes, Uncle Charlie."
"Why this school?"
Bella held up a booklet that summarized the benefits of the school. She handed it to Charlie to read through. "It has everything the military schools have, plus we'll be able to come home on weekends if we want to."
"And we will be able to finish our non-magical studies so that we won't be behind should we choose not to pursue a career in the magical world," Harry added, "Please, Uncle. We really want to go to Starlit."
Charlie sighed when both children gave him the puppy dog eyes. "Alright, alright, you can go to Starlit. At least it isn't on an island in the Caribbean or someplace unreachable for me."
"Yes because it's in the US, Dad," Bella deadpanned.
Charlie just rolled his eyes playfully as he read through the brochure. The Starlit Institute of Magic were situated in the mountains of Colorado and like many magical schools hidden from sight where no non-magical can see it. They will have to take a flight to Denver and from there one of the teachers will meet them and take them to a magical village where they will buy everything they need for Starlit.
The school year started earlier than most in August instead of September like Hogwarts. It meant they only had a week to get everything ready. Charlie sighed and stood. He would need Sarah's help with this.
"You kids go and play while I call Sarah about this..." He held up the booklet.
The children didn't wait around, rushing out of the house to get their bikes out of the garage. Charlie calling Sarah had become the usual thing to do when it came to all the magical stuff. This new situation wasn't any different.
The bikes had been a gift the previous Christmas and they had seen lots of use because the children had been going for rides many times with them whenever they were home and it wasn't a rainy day.
Charlie watched them through the kitchen window as they paddled down the street, Bella's long hair billowing like a long cape behind her. Charlie smiled at that and turned away from the window to walk over to the phone, only to pause as there was a knock on the front door.
He wasted no time in walking to the front door, while wondering about who it could be. To his astonishment, it was Billy and Sarah.
Charlie greeted them and led them inside saying, "I was just about to call you, Sarah. The kids chose a school and I need your help with it."
"The twins got their letters also," Sarah said, "So, Billy and I thought to come see if Harry and Bella got theirs. Which school did they choose?"
"Starlit Institute of Magic in Colorado. I need your help with getting them there. I know that you have the twins and everything, but…." He rubbed his face in frustration, a deep sigh leaving his lips.
Sarah placed a hand on his shoulder. "It is fine, Charlie. The twins start in October in Hawaii. Yes, I know that Hawaii isn't here, but they chose the school there because they want to learn of other cultures. They had a letter from Ilvermorny also, but…" She sighed and shook her head.
"They are getting older," Billy spoke in his gentle but firm voice. "We can't hold them back if they want to pursue this."
Sarah said nothing to that and looked at Charlie. "I'll help you with Bella and Harry. Have you sent an acceptance letter yet?"
Charlie shook his head. He didn't know how.
"Well then, let's get to it," Sarah said and it wasn't long before she found the invitation letters and two forms that had to be filled out before they could be sent off. She got right to that.
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Hope you liked this one. I wasn't going to send Harry to Hogwarts. Sorry if some of you are disappointed at that. Thanks for all the comments and everything. It gives me the courage to continue this story.