Thanks to those who reviewed the previous chapters, your thoughts are always appreciated. On with the story, enjoy! ~F
Chapter Twelve
Encircling Plots
Draco couldn't help worrying about Harry Potter the entire night. Professor Snape had dragged the boy away from the Quidditch game so fast, and neither he nor anyone had seen the other boy again, even after checking the Hospital Wing for him. From what he had been told with Theodore during Yule, Draco could guess that the boy had used his inherent powers to defend himself from the Bludgers, but why had he been so quickly removed, unless it was merely for his own safety.
The next day, both first year Slytherins rose extra early and bolted for the Great Hall, hoping to see the Ravenclaw there just before breakfast started. Luckily for them, it seemed that the blue and bronze clad boy was set in his ways of rising earlier than the majority of the school, as he was once of the very few people actually in the Hall, long before food was even set out on the long House Tables.
"So, what happened?" Draco demanded as he and Theo sat on either side of Harry, startling the boy out of the book he was engrossed in, "after the match, where were you?"
Harry paused for a moment, seeming to digest some of the words that Draco had said, before replying, strangely halted in his words from time to time, "Professor Snape took me to Dumbledore, for my protection…" there was sarcasm or disgust in his voice as he said it, "then they decided to question whether I had the right to defend myself with my gifts, like it was evil or something…"
"It seemed like perfectly normal fire magic to me…" Theodore said, more to himself than Harry or Draco.
"And it was, like I tried to explain to them, well, there may have been a hint of the void in it, but that's not even remotely the point, they tried to make it out that I was at fault for defending myself just as much as whoever attacked me, which they didn't bother to mention in my presence naturally…"
"I've decided," Theo said abruptly, catching the pair of them off guard, "I want to learn this magic, to defend myself and others…"
Harry stared at the other boy for a long moment after his announcement. Draco looked also, seeing his best friend in an entirely new light. Theodore had never truly struck him as the decisive 'go getter' type; he had always been the more academic of them both, so this was a surprise to see some spine finally showing in the weedy boy.
"So be it," Harry responded, just as the food appeared in front of them, "stay, we'll go get started right after breakfast."
"But, are we allowed to sit at another House table?" Draco asked, confused. There wasn't any Professor in the hall yet, so technically they could do as they wished, but it seemed like something that simply wasn't done.
"I think we can move past House divisions for one morning, if not longer, but if it bothers you so I could join you at your table…" Harry said, but that would have been even worse. The majority of Slytherin seemed to at least mildly dislike Harry on principle, "No, no, we can stay, especially if it's a quick breakfast." Draco assured their mutual friend.
"Good," harry said, smiling slightly, "could you pass that over, I don't know the name of it, but it's really good…" he added, pointing at a platter of kippers, and Draco reached for it obediently. It seemed to really highlight the fact that Harry hadn't been anywhere near Europe his entire life, if he didn't know standard things like food items.
Draco half watched the boy as they ate quickly, and he was surprised at how it appeared that everything seemed so new to him. He hid it well, but the boy barely knew how to use his utensils, mostly mirroring what the others were doing, but he picked it up quickly enough. The signs were there however, and Draco thought it may be prudent in due time to ask his father what magical communities were in the world that Harry could have been hiding in that had such lacking in common etiquette.
Soon enough they were finished, just as other students and teachers started to trickle in. They got a few curious looks, but otherwise no one commented at the two Slytherins sitting with a Ravenclaw, and they got up to leave soon after, so nothing came of it. Harry led the two boys up the stairs, past a group of Ravenclaws that were heading down, who called out and waved to Harry as they passed.
The group of Gryffindors that trooped past afterward was ignored, not that many of them cared about others in their haste to get down to eat. By the time they reached the intended floor, all the way at the top of the castle, Draco and Theodore wondered where they were actually going. They had never had reason to come to the seventh floor of the castle before, as there were no classrooms up here, but it seemed that Harry had visited often, as he took them directly to a specific location in a corridor opposite a very ugly tapestry, and made a door appear out of the wall.
Entering quickly, Harry looked back at Draco and Theodore, who were both trying to figure out just what he had done to make the door appear, "Coming?" he said, smirking as they started before stepping forward to enter.
The room was dark, but as they entered and the door shut torches and candle flared to life all around, making strange symbols and glyphs all across the walls and ceiling. It looked like the same things that Draco had read occasionally in the marginally dark that his father allowed him to read.
"You will need to understand, first and most importantly, that this magic is quite unlike anything taught here in this school," Harry prefaced, turning to look at them through the gloomy light.
"You will be frustrated when it doesn't perform as well as you'd like, and it will take practice, much practice before your ready for even the most basic of abilities. This magic is legitimately dangerous, far more than anything you've ever witnessed or experienced. One mistake could have you dead… or worse…" he added ominously.
Draco swallowed nervously, understanding the deathly seriousness which Harry had said that, and as he outlined several important guidelines for their sessions. If indeed they would be using such powerful and potentially fatal magic, it would make sense for so many rules to be in place. At the very least of the worries was Dumbledore or one of the teachers finding out and getting them expelled for practicing what could be construed as Dark Arts.
Both Slytherin boys agreed to the term that Harry set forth, and gave him magical oaths that they would keep secret anything he taught them, unless it was a life or death emergency. "Well now, with that taken care of, I suppose we can begin with getting you both to be able to touch the Void." He said at last, gesturing to an open spot on the stone floor for the three of them to sit, in the middle of a ring of candles and strange runes that were painted in various patterns.
Harry quickly went about explaining how the magic of the Void differed from the standard Hogwarts curriculum, and how instead of pulling the magic from their cores, they reached outward to the Twisted Nether and channeled energy from there do power their abilities.
When the pair of Slytherins grasped the idea of the magic, Harry conjured steaming goblets in front of each of them, pungent aroma waft up into their faces. "Close your eyes and relax, breathing in the fumes," Harry instructed, "let go of all idle thoughts and watch them slip past you."
Having studied the basics of Occlumency from his father, Draco knew the concept of meditation quite well, although Harry's coaching was quite helpful. As he cleared his mind, there came to Draco's notice a pulsating power deep below them both, like a heartbeat of the castle they lived inside, but even that he allowed to pass by, as that was not what he was supposed to be searching for.
"Good," Harry said softly, to not break their concentration, "now I will start utilizing the powers of the Void, and you will sense it, when you do, follow the magic back to its source, become familiar with it, and connect it to yourself, allowing it to be placed deep in your core."
Whatever it was that Harry did next, it sent shivers up Draco's spine, and he heard Theodore give a small gasp of surprise. The magic that he could feel coming off Harry, not even a few feet from him, was tantalizingly dark, with an icy edge to it that made Draco want to shrink away, but instead he did as he was instructed, reaching out with his magic and senses and grasping a hold of the tendrils of power that rolled off the other boy, tracing them back through the open air, and hesitating as the dark power started to grab him back, dragging his subconscious probes and pulling them toward what he could only describe as an invisible portal.
It was somewhat frightening, but with Harry's encouragement, Draco felt his confidence rise and he pushed, finding himself surrounded by overwhelming warmth. He knew that if he opened his eyes now, that he would lose his chance and have to start all over again, so quickly Draco started to pull at the mysterious sensation that he had found, dragging it back to the real world, and internalizing it into himself.
The magic of the Void sang as it came into contact with his core, it eagerly formed the powerful bond with him, as though waiting for such an offer of power. The quickness of the connection was so much that it jolted Draco into opening his eyes, and suddenly he saw places that were far away from the castle he knew that he was still in.
A lush green world swam in his mind's eye, before extraordinary creatures of malice and hatred appeared, destroying and burning everything as they passed. Knowledge came to him regarding these demonic beings, and the title of them rose to the surface of his mind. The Burning Legion.
Looking over at Harry, Draco understood much more than the boy had let on before. The powers that he had expressly shown them, their origins, and the overwhelming goal and responsibility that came with it. The sheer power that the Ravenclaw wielded, that he and Theodore would wield, and the obligations that came with it, it could consume them if they weren't careful.
"Such overwhelming power," Theodore said aloud, breaking the almost serene silence that had pervaded the room while they had been meditating.
"Yes," Harry agreed, "and you've both taken the first important steps to embracing that same power for yourselves. The Legion is very rewarding to their loyal supporters."
Draco however, did have a single doubt, "But do we really want them to come and set our world, our home to the flame so quickly?"
Harry smiled toothily, "There are more worlds out there, better places where magic runs in the very air, that would easily be better homes to us than this world. Once I devise how to construct another Dark Portal, we will leave this place, and perhaps I will finally be able to reunite with those that raised and trained me."
Draco and Theodore paused, finally realizing the answer to some of the school's many questions. Harry Potter had not been hidden away somewhere in Europe or the Americas after the fall of Voldemort, he had been taken from their planet altogether, raised in a place where magic was life, and learning these wondrous powers as common knowledge.
It made the pair of Slytherins giddy to realize that they would be first in line to also learn these powers if they managed to assist Harry in returning to the world of his chosen home. "There is still Dumbledore to worry about," Theodore said, bringing a hush to the thoughts of power and prestige.
"Yes, but allow me to worry about the nosy Headmaster," Harry said, "so long as he is focused on me alone, I doubt that anything you both work on will even register to him."
Quickly checking the time, Harry stood, "It's getting late in the day, so we ought to conclude this sessions for the time being."
Draco also checked, widening his eyes when he realized that it was nearly lunch. They had been up here meditating for several hours. As though to confirm the time, Theodore's stomach rumbled loudly, calling for food, and they all smiled at each other.
It was a small step, but Draco felt more powerful already, and he couldn't wait for the next opportunity to learn about the powers of the Void. Harry unfortunately did not give a specific time that they would meet again, which gave Draco the impression that he was going to play by ear as to when they could get together without arousing suspicion from the Professor.
As they departed, Draco supposed that it was wisdom to now have a consistent meeting time, as patterns were what Dumbledore excelled at piecing together, according to his father at least.
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Nobu'tan knew that stringing out his meetings with Hermione and the two Slytherins wouldn't be what either party wanted, as they were so very eager to learn what he had to teach them, but for his own safety he had to. Even walking down the corridors of the school during class hours he could feel that he was being watched, whether by teachers or portraits that were in the Headmaster's service, he didn't know.
So he chose to simply lie low once again, acting the part of a nearly normal student, although taking what moments for his own practice that he could, but it simply wasn't what he was used to. He was growing quite bored of the Hogwarts system of teaching, and wanted more. Unfortunately, while that may be what he wanted or even needed to stay interested, he highly doubted that the teachers would allow him to learn much more than he was already, even with what amounts of tutoring that Flitwick and McGonagall had been willing to give him.
There was also something else bothering him. He had yet to actually explore the massive forest out past the grounds, filled with shadow and creatures that were considered dangerous by these wizards. But now, through the lines of power under the castle, Nobu'tan could sense something out in those trees that was a greater threat to him personally than anything else he had yet encountered.
It beckoned him toward the forest, but finding time to escape out there was difficult. He practically was free only once the weekends started, and even then he had the other three students to dodge about as he tried to manage their individual trainings, and avoided Dumbledore and Snape in the process.
Despite the many interruptions and lack of time to teach them, the three had already grown in their new abilities. Draco and Theodore were very methodical in their lessons, taking everything in stride as Nobu'tan carefully explained the dangers of their new powers, and had finally managed to successfully produce bolts of shadow on their own, and were chomping at the bit for the next major step, summoning their own imps, but Nobu'tan was waiting for that until a later date, preferable when they were well away from Dumbledore, as the amount of fel energy required for the very first summon would be hard to conceal for just one warlock, let alone two at once.
Hermione on the other hand was proving just how desperate the castle was to have mages of its own, as she had grown leaps and bounds in a very short time. She had already managed the basic combination spell that merged frost and fire magic into one attack, along with the ability to utilize each element separately, although her fire blast was rather weak compared to the frost bolt she could create. But it seemed that she had been expecting this, from what she had told Nobu'tan regarding her initial contact with the ley lines.
But that had been over two weeks ago. They had had no time since the girl had started prepping for their end of year examinations from the school, which Nobu'tan had initially decided to utilize to focus more on the Slytherins, but now he changed his mind.
So, on the appointed Friday, before the weekend that he'd now have free, Nobu'tan secreted himself out of Ravenclaw tower, utilizing all the stealth training that Gul'dan had put him through with assistance from various warriors of the Horde, and sneaked all the way to the bottom floor of the castle, easing out of the castle and darting across the wide lawns toward the lines of trees.
The forest seemed to call him, stronger than before, and Nobu'tan knew that whatever the threat to him was, it was in those trees this moment. Bypassing the gamekeepers hut, and ignoring the lamps that were on inside, Nobu'tan dodged into the first clearing out of sight of the castle.
Before even trying to go further in, he called upon his newest servant, "Sarti, come to me!" he chanted in the fel language, summoning the succubus out of the void.
"Couldn't resist, could you?" the female demon spoke seductively as she strode out of the shadows, sliding her hand down the Nobu'tan's face. He let her, knowing that the demon was well aware of how much stronger than her he was, and quickly explained the situation. "There's a great threat to me in this forest somewhere, and I intend to find out what it is and eliminate it if possible, you shall assist me."
"Well, doesn't that sound like fun?" the succubus said, smiling widely as he made provocative motions with her body, which Nobu'tan ignored. He had seen far too many orcs, and some humans, taken in by the wiles of these creatures, and the outcome was never pleasant for them, so he had learned early on not to underestimate these creatures, or any females for that matter, as he had silently witnessed much that went on in the camps of the Horde, but that had been mainly orcs and their women.
Shoving the thoughts aside, Nobu'tan started into the darkness of the trees, his companion slipping into darkness and keeping her powerful eyes trained on the surrounding area to keep her master safe.
Nobu'tan would have brought out other demons as well, but as he had no idea what the castle was warning him of, he felt it best to keep them in reserve just in case he needed to bring forth reinforcements to win, or escape if need be.
From all the supposed dangers he had both heard of and read about that dwelled in the forest, he may very well need the extra help in short order. Luckily, Sarti's presence seemed more than enough of a deterrent for the majority of the forest creatures, but when Nobu'tan reached a particularly shadowy nook that was nearing the deeper parts of the forest, a rustling above made him dodge back.
A large, eight-legged body dropped right where he had been standing, pincers snapping around its many eyes as the cart horse sized spider tried to box the young human in against a pair of trees. That was, of course, until the fel whip that the succubus carried lashed out, entwining a pair of the beast's legs and dragged it back a few paces as Sarti engaged it.
Dropping to a crouch, Nobu'tan checked the trees for more ambushers, and was relatively surprised when he saw none. Acromantula tended to hunt in small swarms, but this one was alone. It might have been a scout or sentry for the nest, which would mean that Nobu'tan would most assuredly want to turn away from there as quickly as possible. Powerful or not, a horde of sizeable spiders would eventually overwhelm even him.
Returning his attention to the creature attacking his servant, Nobu'tan called down a blast of shadow flame, which he had affectionately started to call the Hand of Gul'dan, which hit the spider squarely in the back, igniting it slightly as it continued to burn the hairy body.
He wanted to avoid using fire, even if it would have been the most effective it could also alert the hundred of relatives that this spider possessed, so Nobu'tan allowed his hands to freeze over as he started launching a barrage of icicles at the monster, impaling its thick hide with the sharp pieces of frozen water.
The ground around the battling Succubus and Acromantula started to freeze over, and soon the larger creature started to slow as the chill hindered its movements. Sarti spun around it, making the creature lumber in a circle to face the demon, just as Nobu'tan let loose a large projectile of frost, striking the spider in the face, and crushing the vital organs within.
The animal dropped, curling in upon itself in death. Sighing with relief, Nobu'tan immediately started in a different direction, not wanting to be anywhere nearer to more of these creatures until he was sure he could handle them in larger numbers, and this was not the time to try.
Soon enough, the various webbings in the foliage that he had only noticed after the spider attacked started to fade from the trees, and Nobu'tan knew that he was making his way out of the most dangerous area of the forest to him specifically.
What he did find though was equally strange. Smeared on the side of a tree was a silvery pool of some liquid that Nobu'tan had never seen before. If the consistency was anything to speak of it, the warlock would have to say it was blood, but it was from no creature that he had ever seen before.
Further ahead was another, slightly large stain on the ground, leading along the forest in a perfect trail. "Come on," he said to the Succubus, and together warlock and demon stalked through the undergrowth, following the splotches of blood as they became fresher and thicker.
Soon enough they arrived at a clearing with a large white something in the center, the moon above shining down on its pearly white coat. It looked like some sort of horse, but upon a closer inspection, Nobu'tan recognized it as one of the unicorns that wizards seemed to adore.
Although this creature was good and dead, and out of the shadows from the far side of the clearing stood a tall figure, cloak and hood obscuring its features as who or whatever it was approached the fallen beast, reaching its side and lowering itself to a mound in the animals side, drinking the silver liquid it seeped from the dead unicorn.
Nobu'tan was unafraid, but cautious, so he didn't make any move that may have alerted the unknown entity of his presence. The castle's warning came back full force, and he recognized that this thing was his dangerous foe, just as the hooded figure abruptly turned to look directly at him, silvery blood dribbling down its front as it got to its feet and started swiftly toward him.
The ancient scar on his head flared with burning pain as the figure approached, and Nobu'tan staggered back, dazed at the sudden pain. Of course, that did not stop his minion from defending him, Sarti's whip cracked between her master and the figure, demonic eyes burning with felfire as the Succubus charged in, her fingers turning to claws as she threatened the unknown assailant.
Rather than fight though, the figure fled, dodging into the trees and out of sight. Unfortunately, that left Nobu'tan with far more questions than answers, and Sarti had not seen more than he had regarding the hidden figure.
He had no other options but to do research on unicorns when he returned to the castle, and figure out what the figure's motive were in killing the creatures.
By the time he made it out of the trees and dismissed the succubus back to the Twisted Nether, the sun was starting to glimmer in the eastern sky, which fed the need for haste in which Nobu'tan flew back up through the castle to Ravenclaw Tower, quickly cleaning himself and dressing in fresh clothing, before starting down, still very early, for breakfast.
He didn't intend to stay long, and once the food appeared he grabbed just enough to refill his energy from the night in the forest before rushing up to the library and looking for every reference that he could find to the mystical animals.
Unsurprisingly, it didn't take long for him to find an entire book regarding unicorns. Granted, as it was written for the wizarding community, much of the tome was devoted to the magical properties of the hair and horns of the beasts, but toward the end there was a small section regarding the blood of a unicorn, and a warning.
Apparently, while the mystical substance would preserve a life if one was even on the verge of death, it carried a heavy cost in the form of a curse. What the book meant by some sort of half-life however, was left to the reader's interpretation. Setting the book aside with an unsatisfied sigh, Nobu'tan tried to reason out the far bigger question.
Who or what was this enemy, and why was the very magic of the castle trying to warn him of it? And for that matter, why was whatever it was even here in the first place? There had to be easier places in the world to capture and kill unicorns that right outside of a school in a dark forest. Which meant that something other than the unicorns had brought the creature there?
It was absurd, but momentarily Nobu'tan wondered if the previous dark wizard that this world feared, the infamous Voldemort that had killed Nobu'tan's biological parents, was somehow connected. Seeing as his scar, which he had been quite informed that he had received from the man, had burned in the presence of that creature, it seemed a possibility at the least.
As for the where and why of its presence, Nobu'tan had a theory. If it was hunting unicorns for their blood, trying to stay alive, there might be something in or near the castle that would assure that fact, not that the orc raised human would have much of an idea what the exact object could be, but at the least there was a possible location for such an artifact.
Hadn't Archmage Dumbledore mentioned distinctively the third floor, right hand side corridor as out of bounds…? It seemed likely, albeit extremely foolish, place for such an item to be hidden in the castle, probably behind some sort of enchantments to defend it.
As it was, Nobu'tan suspected that the creature, who or whatever it might have been, had not managed thus far to enter the corridor, or get past the defenses. He was torn between a desire that such a thing not acquire whatever artifact was in the corridor, and curiosity as to what exactly Dumbledore was hiding.
Granted, most unfortunately it would be unwise for him to be found snooping around that corridor during the day, and there would be classes and final examinations to deal with in the next few days. Therefore, triggering Dumbledore's wrath would be most foolish.
He would bide his time until then, at least. Hopefully during that time Nobu'tan could figure out who was working to aid the creature within the castle, and find the best way to stop its plans, whatever they happened to be.
Leaving the library, Nobu'tan decided to wander the school for a bit, lost in thought about planning what he might face within the corridor, when he chose to venture into it, and simply avoid the rest of the school's population for a day.
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Lucius Malfoy was not a simple man, if the luxurious home in Wiltshire was any indication, but the complexity extended far deeper than mere possessions could indicate. Since Yule he had been interested in one Harry Potter for a variety of reasons, each one more puzzling than the last.
Granted, he had been and still was a bound and 'loyal' Death Eater. If the Dark Lord was to rise again, he would have little choice but to willingly flock to the man's banner, but… if another option were to present itself, Lucius would have to consider his options.
He had seen what happened too many of the great houses of pureblood wizard in Britain during the last war. Decimation and destruction awaited those who refused the Dark Lord, wiping entire lines out for the slightest of infractions, and greatly hindering the progression of the purebloods.
It was… madness… the very cause they were supposed to uphold cast aside by the whim of their Lord, it didn't sit well with Lucius then, and it would never do so in the future. Potter however, as the last scion of one of those houses, granted once light, was a possible avenue for Lucius and several like minded Death Eater families to have an escape from their Lord.
It was obvious to many of those who had actually watched the boy during Yule that he was unlike any eleven year old that they had ever seen, far more independent and, frankly, adult than the lad ought to have been. Adding to that some of the more interesting details that Severus had let slip, or had hinted at with his silence, and there was promise that the boy had either practiced Dark Magic, or had it practiced on his person.
Either option would suit them just fine, as they wouldn't have a light wizard over them. Several of the families were of the opinion to approach the boy openly, demand to know his allegiances and whether he would join them, but Lucius was far more cautious. The boy was under Dumbledore's thumb while at Hogwarts, and there was much danger in alerting the old man to their desires to abandoned the Dark Lord.
While the Minister still listened to the old wizard, even over Lucius, there was always the threat of exposure and Azkaban, bribes and plea deals regardless. It simply wasn't safe to act with Dumbledore in the picture.
However, several letters from Draco had alluded to something of a comraderly between Lucius' son, his best friend Theodore Nott Jr. and Mr. Potter, despite their different houses. There were even hints about some sort of new magic that the boy's were practicing, which while amusing, didn't seem like the sort of games that three eleven year olds would try to play on their seniors.
That fact alone that Draco had mentioned it had peaked Lucius' interest all the more. Perhaps he ought to personally invite Mr. Potter to his manor over the summer holidays, call it an act of friendship from his son or what have you. Dumbledore would definitely object, probably of the mind to tuck the boy away where none could find and harass him, which under different circumstances Lucius could understand. The life of a celebrity at that age must have been torment on a daily level, to exceed what Lucius himself went through as an adult with massive quantities of gold.
But still, the offer could at least be presented, and there was nothing Dumbledore could legally do if it was in a letter, could he?
Thinking about how the old Headmaster might try to control Potter, even indirectly, Lucius decided it would be best to include the letter in one of his son's care packages, with instructions to hand deliver it to the other boy.
Placing quill to ink, Lucius thought carefully of how to word the invitation to not seem too desperate for the boy to come to the manor. In the end, he decided that a cordial statement of general interest in the boy as well as mentioning the friendship he had with Draco would be as casual as he could make the on the spot invitation.
The letter completed and waiting for Narcissa to prepare the next box of sweets and things from home for Draco, Lucius turned in the chair of his personal study to look out the large window that overlooked the grounds of his manor. The area outside was already in the process of shifting from spring to summer, as the enchantment on the grounds kept it in the most pristine condition for the time of year.
Not even the sight of flowers and other vegetation sweeping out across his property could distract Lucius from the many questions that plagued him about Harry Potter. There was something being kept hidden from him, behind the walls of Hogwarts, and it had to do with the boy. Lucius was certain of this, as Dumbledore wouldn't have sent Severus along to a gathering that the man had clearly not wanted to attend unless there was a very good reason, and escorting Harry Potter, while close, just wasn't enough to demand Severus' touch to the task.
No, Lucius could tell that there was something else about the boy, something that Albus Dumbledore in all his wisdom feared to become public knowledge. Could it have something to do with the mysterious hiding place that the boy had vanished to for nearly ten years? Lucius, along with the rest of the wizarding world had wondered at the wild stories that were told of that night, but being privy to much of the background information Lucius had discounted the rumors almost immediately, but it was true that the little boy had promptly vanished without a trace from that time until he reappeared in Hogwarts last September.
Draco had not hinted at any such thing, but Lucius figured that it was a well guarded secret between Potter, Dumbledore or the pair of them. He would have to do some digging in the Ministry and see what just had happened that night.
Returning his attention to the light stemming from the east, and the new day that was approaching, Lucius allowed his thoughts to finally turn to the long list of objectives that he had to prepare for this day, the life of a rich pureblood and school governor was never ending paperwork after all.
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Severus glowered over the steaming cauldron before him. The little Hufflepuff third year cowered back as Severus went into a small rant of scathing remarks over the poor condition of the potion. Shrinking solutions they were supposed to be making, and yet if so much as a flower were to touch this dunderhead's concoction it would wither and die within moments. Vanishing the entire waste and giving the child a zero for the day, Severus turned and stalked back to his desk, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation.
It was nearly the end of the school day, and his frustration with Albus was showing already, as he had his first extra lesson with Potter this evening. The boy had been sent the message, and responded that he would be most willing to take the extra lessons, much to Severus' chagrin.
Soon enough the bell released the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws from his clutches, and the twenty or so students fled from his sight after hurriedly packing their things. With a sigh, Severus waved his wand once, vanishing the large mess of ingredients and spilled potions that they had left behind, returning the room to serviceable levels of cleanliness.
It would be dinner now, Severus mused, so he ought to have at least an hour of peace before the boy arrived, but it seemed even that was to be denied him as someone knocked on the classroom door. "Enter…" Severus grunted, frowning as Potter appeared in the doorway, a rather large kit of potion ingredients in his arms along with his normal potioneering equipment.
"You're over an hour early, Potter," Severus said, controlling his annoyance as he started to mark essays to distract himself from looking at the boy.
"Apologizes, Professor, but I figured it would be best to bring my things down beforehand so that we could begin immediately on time instead of wasting even a moment with me setting up." Potter replied logically.
Unable to argue with the statement, Severus merely nodded, gesturing to the nearest desk and continued to mark essays from his fifth years. Such disappointments, every one of the students he had to deal with, even some of the Slytherins.
Food arrived from the kitchens for him, as per his usual when he had something in the evenings, but much to his annoyance more arrived on one of the student desks for Potter. Albus must have been interfering again. The boy set up his cauldron, putting everything in a neat organized station before shifting to inspect the food that had appeared for him.
Severus did not touch his just yet, he had about three or four more papers from the current assignment to mark, and then he would be finished for the evening and could focus his entire attention of other things, and Potter…
By the time he had done so and turned to his own meal about twenty minutes later, the boy was already finished, had washed his hands in one of the lab's sinks and returned to his kit, pulling out several common herbs that Severus was very familiar with. They had little usage in most parts of Potion making, but curious as to what the boy was up to, Severus watched as the boy pulled out a pestle and mortar, crushing the various herbs into a sticky paste and filling several vials with the liquid and dregs.
Once he had about half a dozen each of two different plants, Potter turned to the cauldron, lighting it with a touch of his wand and conjuring water into it, filling it around halfway. Magical energy hummed off the boy, not by his own will, but in resonance to the actions he was taking, and Severus couldn't help himself as he stopped and watched.
One by one, the boy added alternating vials of the two plants into the cauldron, stirring three times clockwise between each pair of vials. The water turned a deep crimson, the shade becoming deeper and more vibrant with each set of crushed herbs that was added. When at last the last of the boy's little vials were added, Potter set aside the stirring rod and held out his hands, which started to glow faintly purple, the color of the Arcane from what Albus had described.
The potion flared once, before settling, and Potter killed the flame, withdrawing more bottles for collecting his potion, emptying the entire cauldron into six large flasks.
"And what potion is that supposed to be, Mr. Potter?" Severus asked, confused as to why the boy felt that that concoction, even powered by magic, was worth anything.
"A basic healing potion, Professor," was the reply, which made Severus blink once. "Albeit made from a system of potioneering far different from what I've learned from you thus far, but I wanted you to see and handle a sample so you can understand where I come from in this field. I learned the basics of Alchemy from one of my mentors, but again, it seems more a combination of arts that are known widely here."
Severus wasn't sure if he could completely believe what he was hearing, but the fact was that with two plants the boy had created some sort of potion, using his own magic to either change the elements within them or something, so it was hard to disprove exactly what the crimson liquid would do, even if Severus doubted that it would heal.
"Well," he said as the boy planted a few of the vials on his desk, "I'll let Madam Pomfrey determine what she thinks of your potions before coming to any sort of conclusion." He paused, realizing that he had somehow become very interested in the level of the boy's skills, and the desire to test him with several complicated potions had arisen in him. "I suppose it's time we begin, turn to page three hundred and ninety four in your book, and let see what you can do with the forgetfulness draft."
And so it went, Severus would tell the boy to make a particular potion, or give him the instructions if it wasn't part of the first year material, and the boy would go to a new cauldron and proceed exactly as he was given, following steps perfectly, and even as time went on, improving upon them by small margins.
Begrudgingly, Severus couldn't help but be increasingly impressed with how Potter worked, as they soon had potions up to and including fourth year material simmering around the room, waiting for proper time for stewing on some for them all to be completed.
Potter would not stop smiling as Severus dismissed him at the end of their lesson either.
