Dawn light filtered through the high windows of Hogwarts as Harry and Ron sprinted down the corridors, their footsteps echoing off the stone walls. They skidded into Transfiguration class, only to find a tabby cat sitting calmly on the desk. Hermione looked up from her notes with an exasperated shake of her head while Iris's eyes widened in surprise.
"Phew!" Ron collapsed onto a stool and wiped his forehead with relief, "Just imagine the look we'd have gotten from Professor McGonagall if we'd been any later."
Harry and Ron stared in awe as the tabby cat standing on the desk transformed into Professor McGonagall. She strode towards them, her face stern.
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, I trust that you have some explanation for your tardiness?" she asked in a no-nonsense voice.
Both boys stammered out apologies as Hermione rolled her eyes and Iris continued to look on in wonderment. Professor McGonagall simply crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, waiting for a response.
"I got lost, Master McGonagall," Harry said finally, blushing at his own foolishness.
Professor McGonagall sighed and shook her head before replying. "Then perhaps a map? I trust you don't need one to find your seats. Take your places please – class is about to begin."
The two boys quickly hurried off to their desks while Professor McGonagall began lecturing the class on transfiguration theory and spells. As she moved around the room, the students paid special attention to her every word. Hermione and Iris took turns whispering questions to each other, showing their curiosity and enthusiasm.
At the end of the lesson, Professor McGonagall dismissed the students with words of encouragement and reminded them to study hard for the upcoming exam. The class obediently filed out of the room, except for Harry and Ron who lingered behind to apologize to the professor once more.
Later on, inside Snape's potions classroom, the students were abuzz in anticipation. The door slammed open and Snape burst in, his black robes flowing behind him like a storm cloud. He surveyed the room with sharp eyes before speaking.
"There will be no foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in this class," he declared. His voice was low and commanding, like thunder in the distance. "As such, I don't expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art that is potion-making. However, for those select few—" here he stopped and fixed Draco with an appraising gaze—"who possess the predisposition, I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper in death."
Draco raised his eyebrows slightly at these words. Snape's attention shifted towards Harry, who was scribbling down what Snape said in his lecture without looking up.
"Then again, maybe some of you have come to Hogwarts in possession of abilities so formidable that you feel confident enough… to not… pay… attention."
Snape said this last bit slowly and challengingly as if daring Harry to look up from his parchment.
Hermione glanced at Harry, her eyes urging him to look up at Professor Snape. The Professor sauntered across the room, stopping in front of Harry and looming over him.
"Mr. Potter. Our... new... celebrity. Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Snape asked, his black eyes glittering expectantly.
Hermione nervously raised her hand and began to open her mouth but was cut off by Harry's shrug.
"You don't know? Well, let's try again. Where, Mr. Potter, would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?" Snape inquired, his thin lips twisting into a smirk.
Again, Hermione raised her arm tentatively, but couldn't bring herself to speak up. Harry glanced at Draco, whose smirk said it all. He cleared his throat and spoke quietly, "I don't know, sir."
Snape's beady gaze scanned the room before he posed the same question again. "And what is the difference between monkshood and wolfbane?"
Harry shifted on his feet, conscious of everyone's eyes on him and shook his head. "I don't know," he muttered.
"Pity. Clearly, fame isn't everything. Is it, Mr. Potter?" Snape mocked with false sympathy before striding away.
"Clearly, Hermione knows. Seems a pity not to ask her." Said Harry, earning a few muffled chuckles from the other students as Hermione's face reddened in surprise.
"Silence!" said Snape, his voice thunderous and demanding. Narrowing his eyes at Harry, he walked around to the front of the classroom, looming over him like an ominous shadow.
"Put your hand down, you silly girl." He snapped at Hermione before looking back to Harry who was now visibly squirming in his seat.
Snape settled into his desk chair and leaned forwards, fixing Harry with a hard stare. "For your information, Potter, Asphodel and Wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite." The class fell silent, all eyes on Snape as he sat back in his chair and dipped his quill into some ink.
"And Gryffindors, note that five points will be taken from your house... for your classmate's cheek." Murmurs rippled through the room as everyone hastily began scribbling down what Snape had said.
Severus Snape wrote furiously on the chalkboard, and Hermione's eyes flicked over to Harry. He glanced at Snape who seemed oblivious, his long black cloak barely moving with the swipe of his quill across the page.
The Potions lesson continued and Snape organized them into pairs to work on a potion to cure boils. Malfoy was given preferential treatment as Snape praised him for perfect stewed horned slugs. Suddenly an acidic green smoke filled the room and a loud hiss erupted from Neville's cauldron which had turned into an unrecognizable blob. The potion spilled onto the floor and singed everyone's shoes, dousing Neville in the process. Boils started to appear everywhere on his body as he moaned in pain.
Snape swept away the puddle with one wave of his wand and sneered at Neville. "Idiot boy! I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?" he spat. More boils burst out on Neville's nose until Snape commanded Seamus to take him up to the hospital wing.
Snape's eyes narrowed and his expression shifted to one of barely contained rage as he spun around to face Harry and Ron, who had been hunched over their work in the seat in front of Neville. "You — Potter — why didn't you tell him not to add the quills?" Snape spat through clenched teeth, "Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor."
Harry squared his shoulders and looked Snape up and down, fury seething in his eyes. "Excuse me, Snape?" he sneered. "What crawled up your arse and died or are you just blind to reality?"
Snape's face contorted with anger as he spoke. "Fifty points from Gryffindor for your cheek, Potter," he spat out.
Ignoring him, Harry continued. "I was seated in front of him, how the hell is it my job to watch out for kids who were seated behind me? Do I have eyes in the back of my head? Oh wait, that's your job - but you're not a teacher, are you? You're just a bully who gets excited at seeing kids suffer."
Snape's hands curled into fists as he scowled. "One hundred points from Gryffindor for your attitude!" he thundered.
Severus Snape strutted towards Harry, his beady eyes burning into the young wizard. He muttered an incantation in a dismissive sneer and Harry clutched his forehead in pain.
Inside Harry's mind, Snape advanced along the winding pathways of his consciousness until he came across Jedi Master Satele Shan.
"Leave you do not belong in my Apprentice's mind!" the ancient warrior commanded in an authoritative tone.
Snape shot out his wand with fury, firing off a spell toward the warrior. In one fluid motion, she brought her hands together and summoned a powerful force blast that knocked Severus back out of Harry's mind.
Snape flew backwards as he stumbled to regain his footing. With newfound strength, Harry pulled himself up and stepped toward Severus.
Harry screamed at Snape, his face contorted with rage. "How dare you! How dare you try to mind rape me!" The entire class was stunned into silence.
Snape stumbled back in shock as he felt the darkness of Harry's emotions begin to take over. With a flick of his wand, he sent a spell at Harry that would have immobilized him, but it was deflected by an unseen force. He found himself choking as if an invisible hand had wrapped around his neck,
At the same time, Iris stepped forward and shouted "Harry, stop it! Using the dark side is not going to solve anything. Let's contact Satele and let her deal with it."
Hearing Iris' words, Harry calmed himself enough for him to realize what he had been doing - and what he was about to do. He stepped away from Snape and bowed his head in shame.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly before turning away from the class and leaving the room. He heard Iris call after him as he walked out but chose to ignore it, knowing that nothing she said would make it better right now.
Once outside, Harry leaned against a wall and closed his eyes. He knew he had gone too far and that he was going to have to face the consequences of his behaviour. Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself for the inevitable.
In the great hall, the next morning, the students were hunched over their schoolwork. Seamus was attempting a spell on a cup full of water, muttering under his breath.
"Eye of rabbit, harp string hum. Turn this water, into rum." He peered into the glass and shook his head in frustration before trying the same words once more.
Just then Harry walked in and took a seat among them. "What's Seamus trying to do to that glass of water?" he asked Ron.
"Turn it into rum. Actually, managed a weak tea yesterday, before-" Ron never finished his sentence as a blinding flash erupted from the cup and Seamus was left slightly charred. A burst of laughter echoed through the hall as Hermione fanned away the smoke with her hand. Suddenly, a flock of owls descended from the rafters above, each carrying parcels of mail addressed to various students. To Harry's disappointment, there was nothing for him. Then he spotted the newspaper lying on Ron's desk and said, "Can I borrow this?" Ron nodded and waved him off with a "Thanks."
Neville carefully tugged away the ribbon and paper, revealing a smooth, clear glass ball encircled by a golden banner.
"Hey, look! Neville's got a Remembrall!" said Dean in awe.
"I've read about those. When the smoke turns red," said Hermione knowingly, gesturing at the thready wisps of smoke curling inside the ball "it means you've forgotten something."
Neville frowned at his newfound treasure. "The only problem is, I can't remember what I've forgotten."
Suddenly, Harry shouted, "Hey Ron! Somebody broke into Gringotts. Listen to this!" He pointed to a news article on the Daily Prophet. "Believed to be the work of dark witches or wizards unknown, Gringotts goblins, while acknowledging the breach, insist that nothing was taken. The vault in question, number 713, had in fact been emptied earlier that same day."
Iris hurriedly strode up to Harry, tapping him on the shoulder as she passed. He quickly spun around, blinking twice upon seeing her.
"Haza," Iris said in an urgent tone. "Satele and Silandra will come by anytime between breakfast and lunch today. You're in deep trouble for what happened in Potions class yesterday."
Harry's expression shifted to pure panic, his eyes widening even further. "What time? When will they be here?" he asked almost breathlessly.
"They said anytime between Breakfast and Lunch," Iris replied with a heavy sigh.
Ron scoffed beside them. "Why would he be in trouble? The git deserved it!"
Iris shook her head sadly. "It does not matter if he deserved it or not, Harry is still in trouble for using the dark side to choke Professor Snape. I already told Professor Sprout and Professor McGonagall about them coming."
The grand doors of the great hall burst open, and Satele Shan and Silandra Camoran marched in. The teachers quickly raised their wands, ready to cast a spell if necessary. Satele's stormy eyes darted around the room while her face twisted with pent-up anger.
"You knew they were coming and set up a few traps, didn't you?" said Iris, her voice tinged with awe.
"Maybe," Harry shrugged innocently.
"You certainly know how to make matters worse," Iris sighed.
At that moment, Satele let out an ear-splitting screech that caused everyone in the room to turn in her direction. "HARRY JAMES POTTER!" she yelled.
"Hey, Satele if you're going to give him a well-deserved tongue lashing then take it away from the other students. I will talk with the headmasters about what Amelia told us," Said Silandra.
Harry tried to hide in his seat, but to no avail; Satele walked straight towards him and grabbed his hand, dragging him outside the Great Hall.
Silandra marched confidently to the professors' table, handing two official-looking forms and a quill to Professor McGonagall. "Hello, I'm Silandra Comoran. I was told to give these two forms to you. These are the Apprentice Forms for both Harry and Iris Potter, signed by Madam Marshbanks, Madam Bones, Lord Greengrass and Minister Fudge."
Professor McGonagall read the papers silently before turning her attention toward Silandra. "According to this, Harry is the Apprentice of Satele Shan while Iris is your Apprentice."
"That is correct. Now we both need to talk to you later, but first I am going to take Iris out to the courtyard looking over the forest—is that all right?"
"That's fine," said Professor Dumbledore.
Later outside Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Filius Flitwick, Pomona Sprout, and Severus Snape are walking in the courtyard. A figure falling from a maze of platforms hangs in mid-air. It was Harry.
"Again," said Satele. Harry fell off a maze of platforms once more and dropped to the ground with a thud.
"But this is hard," protested Harry as he pulled himself up.
"You have all the tools necessary to reach me on the tallest platform," said Satele. He touched his heart and drew his hand down his body as if he were wiping dust off his clothes. "Trust in the Force and let it guide you; you will reach me."
Meanwhile, Iris was lying on the floor in a meditative position. Silandra ventured over to where the professors were seated and took her place among them.
"Greetings again, professors," Silandra remarked. "I'd like to know how my student is faring in your classes."
"It's only been one lesson so far," Professor McGonagall replied cautiously. "We can't really make an assessment yet."
Just then, Iris approached the professor and Silandra.
"Master Comoran," Iris said timidly, "I believe I understand why I'm making missteps now."
"Please do tell us," Silandra urged.
"I was attempting to manipulate the force, and nothing happened as expected," Iris explained.
Silandra nodded knowingly. "You succumbed to the same mistake I did when I was your age. Tell me, Iris - what is the difference between controlling magic and being an instrument of the force?"
"When dealing with magic, you must keep it under control - otherwise bad things can occur - while with the force you have to guide it instead of trying to control it," Iris stated emphatically.
Silandra looked at Iris with an expecting stare. "So now what can you tell me about Force Light?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
Iris swallowed the lump in her throat before responding, her fingers fiddling nervously. "Well, Master Comoran, Force Light purges corruption."
"Not entirely," Silandra corrected, gesturing for Iris to continue. "Force Light weakens a dark side target with the Force, or it purges dark side manifestations and nexus points from an area. Any questions so far?"
Iris shook her head. "No Master."
Silandra gave a short chuckle. "Iris, remember what I told you about questions? In order to seek answers, you have to ask the right question."
"Okay," she said slowly, furrowing her brow in thought before adding, "Can you give me an example?"
"When your brother first arrived at the temple," Silandra began, "we took him to Master Healer Sora. Your brother had a soul anchor inside his scar; a soul anchor being the darkest form of the Dark Side there is. It took me, Grandmaster Zym, Master Shan, Master Healer Sora and Healer Hikari to purge it from his body. What we used was Force Light."
Iris nodded in understanding. "Okay, I think I understand now."
"Good," Silandra smiled approvingly. "In your free time, I want you to work on it; I'm pretty sure Master Shan will assign the same thing to Harry so you two should work on it together."
"Yes, Master Camoran," Iris replied.
Silandra smiled and pulled a small holocron from her pocket before handing it to Iris. "Store this knowledge away for future use; it will serve you well. Now go be with your friends; we still need to deal with Harry's mess from yesterday."
Iris furrowed her brows as she eyed Harry and Satele standing on the platform. "How much trouble is Harry actually in?" she asked Silandra.
Silandra sighed, shaking her head. "It depends. I cannot see the inside of his head to understand what happened yesterday, but Satele did. From what I understand, they are both to blame. But we will not pass judgment until we have all the facts."
Their conversation drew to a halt as they watched Harry and Satele jump off the platform. Satele lifted her hands and used a mysterious force to collapse everything into a holocron before picking it up and walking toward them.
"We are done for now, Professors," he said, turning towards Dumbledore. "Headmaster, is there a place where we can have our meeting regarding what occurred yesterday?"
Dumbledore nodded gravely. "We can go to my office," he suggested. "Follow me."
Inside Dumbledore's office, Satele and Silandra sat face-to-face with Harry while Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout sat behind the desk.
Satele leaned forward. "Let me start with this" she declared. "Master Snape, what possessed you to attempt to mind rape my apprentice?"
Snape spat back his reply. "That arrogant brat! A liar just like his father. The brat is obviously lying."
The air around them seemed to still as Satele steepled her fingers in front of her mouth. "Oh really," she said quietly.
Silandra interjected. "I have known Harry and Iris Potter since they were four years old. One thing that stands out about them is they do not lie. Yes, Harry may stretch the truth and use every loophole in the rules to get out of trouble, but he does not lie."
Satele nodded sagely. "Also Master Snape, it is useless to try to lie to us; we know if you are lying or not simply by the aura you emit." Her voice dropped an octave lower as she continued gravely. "Silandra, notify Madam Bones; if the Potions Master wants to lie about his actions, we will see how he fares in a prison cell."
Silandra left the room, and a tense silence enveloped the air. Dumbledore's lips were pursed in a thin line, while Professor McGonagall shot Snape a fierce glare before turning her attention to Satele. Professor Sprout clasped her hands together tightly as she watched Harry nervously.
"Ms. Shan that will not be necessary," Dumbledore said stiffly.
"It is absolutely necessary considering that Harry looked into his mind and saw your potions master tear down the wards of his parent's house when and was smiling with joy as the darksider killed their father," Satele replied evenly.
Snape took in a sharp breath, and his eyes widened in shock. Professor McGonagall's gaze turned to steel as she glared at the potion master, while Professor Sprout gasped in horror.
"Judging from everyone's reactions the headmaster already knew, while everyone else didn't," Harry commented quietly.
Satele turned to look at him. "Harry silence don't think you are not in trouble," she said sternly. "You at the end of the day used the dark side and attempted to choke him."
"Yes Master," Harry murmured obediently.
Satele rolled her eyes. "Harry, I told you to not call me that," she scolded.
Snape snapped out of his stupor and spluttered, "I don't know what you are talking about."
Silandra pushed open the door and reentered Dumbledore's office. "Madam Bones and Head Auror Scrimgeour will arrive in approximately ten minutes," she announced.
Satele gestured towards Harry. "Tell us what happened yesterday in your Potions class," she said.
Harry shifted uncomfortably. "Professor Snape walked in and started talking. I was writing down his words when he suddenly turned to me and asked a series of questions about ingredients not covered in the book assigned for first-years." He cleared his throat before continuing, "The first one was what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood? The second question was Where, Mr. Potter, would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar? And the third question was what is the difference between monkshood and wolfbane?"
McGonagall shook her head disapprovingly. "Those questions were meant for sixth-, third-, and seventh-year students respectively; certainly not a book intended for first years."
Silandra nodded slowly. "It seems that Master Snape was deliberately trying to target Harry," she concurred.
Satele leaned forward, her eyes boring into Harry. "Please continue," she encouraged.
Harry took a deep breath before launching into the tale of his latest class with Snape. "I did my best to ignore him when he started in on me for valuing fame above all else. But then he deducted five points from Gryffindor just because I pointed out that Hermione had her hand raised." His voice rose with indignation as he continued. "And during the potion brewing, he refused to give any instructions beyond what was written on the board and spent the entire class sneering at anyone who wasn't a Slytherin while praising their work."
Professor Sprout interjected, "Well, he is the head of house for Slytherin."
Ignoring her comment, Harry pressed on. "Then a cauldron behind me melted and Snape immediately docked more points because I supposedly didn't warn the person behind me not to add an ingredient. I finally lost it and said some things I shouldn't have and that's when he entered my mind and dismantled several of my mental shields."
Satele nodded grimly, already knowing what came next. "That was when I threw him out of your mind, correct?"
"Yes," Harry admitted, his voice barely more than a whisper. "My anger turned into a dark form of hatred and I couldn't control my emotions. When Iris pointed out what I was doing, I used the Force to choke him before I ran away."
Wrapping her arms around him in a comforting embrace, Satele murmured, "We must take you to St. Mungos to assess the damage done to your mind, and then we'll begin to work on controlling your emotions."
The room fell silent as Madam Bones and Head Auror Rufus Scrimgeour entered the office, followed quickly by Mad-Eye Moody.
"Ah, greetings," said Scrimgeour, nodding his head at the assembled group.
Madam Bones stepped forward and addressed Professor Snape. "Based on the information we have, Severus Snape, you are under arrest for mind rape of a child, accessory to the murders of James and Lily Potter, providing valuable information to the Dark Lord Voldemort, attempted murder of Iris and Harry Potter."
Snape merely scowled in response. "Arrogant brat," he spat.
Mad-Eye Moody stepped forward and placed Snape in magic-suppressing cuffs before leading him out of the room. Amelia Bones eyed Harry critically before turning her gaze on Satele. "We'll need to question Harry; he may be able to provide further evidence against Snape."
Satele nodded her agreement as she wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders protectively. She then directed her gaze toward Amelia Bones and said firmly, "But first we must take him to St Mungo's for a full assessment of the damage done to his mind."
Amelia nodded in agreement before departing with Rufus Scrimgeour and Mad-Eye Moody as they escorted Severus Snape away from Hogwarts.
Harry stood in the middle of the room, feeling overwhelmed. He was safe for now, but he knew that the future was far from certain. He looked to Satele for reassurance but found none, only a stern and determined expression on her face. He felt a wave of protectiveness come over him as he realized that his Master, Satele Shan was doing her best to keep him safe, no matter the cost.