Harry Potter and the Immortal Heritage
by Roff
Chapter Two
Harry woke up, but would swear he was still in the graveyard laying on his back after Voldemort hit him with a Killing Curse. He could hear Voldemort and his Death Eaters celebrating his lopsided victory over the boy-who-lived. How pathetic, thought Harry. Voldemort was too scared to wait until he grew up and make it a fair fight. He even attacked the first time when Harry was just a baby. Pathetic. Well, did he finally get his wish?
Harry saw the Killing Curse hit him. He felt himself die. So, how could he be awake now and fully aware of everything around him? Perhaps he should open his eyes? Maybe his spirit was floating over his body and that was why he could hear all the Death Eaters. It definitely felt like he was lying on the ground though and if so then he should be very still and not let them know he was alive.
Who knows? Maybe a second Killing Curse will work if he tries it again. Harry was not willing to find out.
Harry peeped out of his eyes and saw Voldemort and his Death Eaters just a little way off, plain as day. He was definitely not a spirit. Harry could see he was still in his body and he was still alive. Or, was he back alive? Did he die and come back? It sure felt like he died.
At any rate, Harry decided not to move and then if they left, he could find a way back to the school. Probably the Triwizard trophy still had the original portkey on it. He could certainly try it. If not, he would call Dobby to come and get him. Then Harry heard Voldemort laugh and say "Let's send him back to the old man."
Harry barely opened his eyes for a peek and saw Voldemort floating the trophy over toward him so he closed his eyes and waited until he felt the trophy land on his chest. As soon as it touched him, he felt that same pull behind his naval and he was portkeyed away back to the starting point of the final task where he landed with a thud on his back. There was much applause as Harry picked the trophy and himself up off the ground.
Dumbledore came up to congratulate him but Harry leaned in close to his ear so he was heard over the noise.
"Who put the portkeys on the trophy?" Harry asked.
"There was only one portkey on the trophy and I put it there to bring the champion back to right here when he or she touched it so we would know immediately when the task was over. I see that it worked."
"Oh, it worked alright but there were two portkeys on this trophy. The first time I touched the thing it took me to some small cemetery where my blood was used in a ritual to give Voldemort a new body. I managed to get away afterwards so I touched it again to escape and it brought me here."
"Voldemort has a new body? A fully functional one?"
"Yes, Voldemort is back."
Minister Fudge was close by and heard the conversation. We weren't being very secretive about it either.
"What is this nonsense?" he asked.
"Voldemort has returned Cornelius," answered Dumbledore. "He used Harry's blood in a ritual to return himself to a new body."
"Don't say that out loud Dumbledore. There are too many people who might overhear," Fudge admonished him whispering.
"Why not?" asked Harry loudly. "It's the truth and people need to be warned."
"You might cause a panic Harry and that would not be good," replied Fudge still whispering.
"I just witnessed it and I'm not panicking… Minister. You know what? Never mind, we don't have time for this. Voldemort said there was a devoted follower here at the castle that made sure I arrived at the graveyard. Whoever put the second portkey on the trophy is that Death Eater and also the one who put my name in the Goblet."
"After I placed my portkey on it, I immediately gave it to Alastor so he could place it in the maze. He was the last one to handle it before you touched it Harry."
"Moody? Where's Moody?" I asked.
No one could see where he went but we eventually saw him headed back to the castle. In fact, he was almost to the front doors when we spotted him and went after him. The Death Eaters in the graveyard may have gotten away but not this one.
oOo
A couple years later…
Harry was still wondering how he survived that Killing Curse. He even thought it was possible that the basilisk actually killed him in second year too when he thought about it carefully. One thing he did know was he had an amazing ability to heal. Cuts and other injuries healed almost immediately. The cut on his arm when Wormtail took some of his blood healed right back up. Even the severe cut on his leg from Voldemort healed before he woke back up from the Killing Curse.
Putting the two abilities together – healing and recovering from death, Harry realized that they were the same ability. His body just regenerated itself whether injured or dead. All the times he was beaten and bones broken by his uncle just healed up immediately afterwards. It was still painful to go through and experience but he always completely recovered to good as new. Even the Cruciatus Voldemort used on him while he was attached to the tombstone completely healed even before he started dueling.
With all of his problems, Harry was beginning to wonder about the magical world. While he still preferred it to his stay with the Dursleys, the trouble that had plagued him since his first year at Hogwarts was simply unbelievable. All his times to deal with Voldemort over the years, plus the other dangers and life-threatening situations he had been involved in, they simply didn't leave him with any warm fuzzies.
During his fifth year, he faced Voldemort again after one of his followers killed his godfather in the Department of Mysteries located in the Ministry of Magic. The shock value to Voldemort of seeing Harry Potter alive, even though he had been told the rumors were true, bought Harry enough time until help arrived. Voldemort thought for sure they had been lying about the Potter boy being alive. He just knew he had killed him in that graveyard. Luckily Dumbledore showed up to save him and Harry saw the biggest amount of magical skill he had ever seen when the two powerful mages dueled each other. If only he could fight like that, he wished.
Voldemort did end up possessing Harry and tried to get Dumbledore to kill him but somehow Harry managed to hurt the dark lord mentally and throw him out of his body. Dumbledore seemed to be proud of him for being able to do that but Harry could not get over the fact that he had so much to learn, especially if Voldemort was going to continually try to kill him. He might figure out a permanent way to kill Harry before too long.
Harry had been studying ahead since before first year when he received that special trunk. During his fourth year, he was even more motivated due to the tournament. He had started preparing more and learning additional spells so he could compete with the seventh years. He had continued that fast pace through the summer and had even been teaching defense to some of the students at the school this past year when the Defense teacher they had was not teaching them anything. Having to prepare for the defense group in order to teach them improved his skills greatly.
However, watching Dumbledore and Voldemort go at it with such skill and using spells Harry had never even heard of just made him realize how far off he still was. He desperately needed to improve if he was ever going to be more than just a punching bag to the dark wizard. His only advantage right now was his ability to survive injury and even death.
Harry didn't know why he couldn't die or if there was a way that he could die. Could he die of old age? Perhaps there was a certain method that would kill him once and for all. Harry remembered watching the movie "The Highlander" which also had a sequel. It was about immortals who could only be killed if their heads were cut off. Harry didn't know if that applied to him but since it would be bad to get his head removed, he vowed to always make sure that would not happen if he could help it.
He also remembered some comic books his cousin Dudley had called X-Men. They were about mutants with special powers, one called Wolverine had the ability to heal quickly, and he even lived for a long time, barely aging. There was a whole bunch of other mutants all with different powers.
All of these ideas just seem silly though. A made-up movie, comic books? Where was the reality and real life? Sure, magic appeared to be fantastical when he first learned of it but at least that was something real and there are plenty others with that ability. Who else had Harry's ability? Could a muggle have it too or do you have to be magical? Was it a part of magic or could it be separate? Maybe it was from an old magic that no one remembers.
Whatever it was Harry was glad to have it. Otherwise, he would have been long dead by now, likely several times over as a matter of fact. He might never have gone to Hogwarts or discovered magic. That would have been tragic, he thought. He considered his ability over and over. The main part was he healed quickly from wounds and death but were there other parts to his ability? Other things he could do that he hadn't discovered yet? Or, was healing all there was to it? That would certainly be enough if it were.
While Harry automatically healed, he had never lost an appendage so he was not sure if one would grow back should he ever lose one. He already found out that bones grow back when his defense professor in second year removed all the bones in his right arm and hand after he broke his arm playing quidditch. Before Harry's arm could heal on its own, the professor cast his spell, which did far more damage. He was an idiot. Madam Pomfrey wanted to use some nasty potion on him but his bones grew back before she could give him any. Harry blamed it on the spell from the professor wearing off.
The good news was Harry did manage never to go back to the Dursleys. During his first year at Hogwarts Harry started conversing via owl with the Potter Account Manager at Gringotts so he could find out what properties the Potters had that might be available to him for use.
Kurlig suggested that Harry come visit him as soon as school let out for the summer and he would happily show him what was available. Harry did just that. After he got off the train at Kings Cross, he took the Knight Bus to The Leaky Cauldron and then went to Gringotts.
Kurlig told him of all his properties but some were not in good enough shape to use, especially the Godric Hollow house. It was highly damaged. There was a nice home in Notting Hill that was labeled as the Evans residence. It was a nice large posh home but was currently leased to a famous artist. Kurlig informed him that Lily had purchased Petunia's share of the home after their parents passed away and left everything to their two daughters. Petunia was only interested in the money so gladly accepted the offer.
The house wasn't the one the two sisters grew up in but was a property their parents had bought after both daughters had married and moved out. The original house was sold when they bought the one in Notting Hill and since the new one was a very nice home Lily decided to keep it but leased it out through a service for additional income since they wouldn't need it any time soon.
Potter Manor was located in southeastern Scotland on the coast of the North Sea but it was rather large with no inhabitants for many years, even the Potter elves were no longer there. Harry would need several house elves just to keep it clean and livable.
It was also far from any towns and shops and virtually completely hidden. That one he decided to save for when he was a little older. There was also a house in Hogsmeade that might work but it was too close to Hogwarts and the residents would certainly recognize him when he needed food and groceries.
The one that looked promising was a luxurious four bedroom flat in London near Knightsbridge. It was near shops, grocers, and restaurants right in the middle of muggle London. It was never leased out and a trusted home cleaning service maintained the property on a monthly basis to keep it clean. It had every muggle technology available and was used as a muggle playground whenever James and Lily wanted to step away from the magical world for a bit and enjoy themselves shopping and sampling muggle cuisine, along with muggle entertainment.
When Kurlig provided Harry with the house key portkey that would always take him to the flat, he was floored after he arrived and not just from the portkey. He never expected the apartment to be so opulent. It had a very modern, high tech style and provided more than 7,000 square feet of space over two floors with the outside walls being glass, displaying a magnificent view on all sides.
It even had a large patio with a small swimming pool and jacuzzi. There were large TVs in practically every room. It was unbelievable for an 11, almost 12, year old boy who grew up in a small and smelly cupboard under the stairs.
Kurlig told Harry that he had sent a message to the cleaning service so they would know he was going to be there during the summer, especially since it was many years ago that anyone even used the place. He would make sure they cleaned it before his arrival as well. It turned out to be a very enjoyable place to stay and Harry tried to take advantage of all that it offered.
It was a little more complicated after his second year since he acquired a house elf named Dobby, whom he freed from the Malfoys. After taking Dobby with him to the flat he learned that Dobby could pretty much get whatever Harry needed for him and could even transport them both to different places using his elf magic. With this in mind, Harry took the portkey Kurlig gave him to the house in Hogsmeade and had Dobby tag along with him.
It was a nice house off to itself a bit and Dobby was able to remove all the dust quickly and check it for any problems before they moved in. Dobby went for groceries and supplies while Harry settled in. He made note that the house was a bit larger than the flat, at least inside where it had been magically expanded. Supposedly, it had around 10,000 square feet of floor space. While it lacked all the latest gadgets of the muggle world, it had what Harry could not do at the flat – plenty of muggle free space around for flying on his broom.
Plus, he could always get Dobby to disillusion him if he needed to be discreet and not be seen flying. It was efficient, especially if he wore his invisibility cloak too. Most of the time though he would just get Dobby to take him far enough away from Hogsmeade and out into the wild country nearby where no one would be around to see him. He liked to fly around in an empty valley they found that sat between two large hills. It was peaceful and usually they would take a picnic to enjoy while they were out.
During the following summers and sometimes winters, Harry and Dobby would stay at different places, moving between them as they felt like it. Harry had even received Dobby's help when they went to check out Potter Place. It was definitely large and Harry could see how it would take more than just Dobby to take care of the manor. But with Dobby's help, Harry started slowly cleaning it up and repairing any issues they found with the place. They worked on it over several summers.
During fourth year, Harry added another house elf by the name of Winky and between the two elves; Potter Place started getting in better shape a lot quicker. Winky and Dobby recruited a couple more elves during Harry's fifth year that Harry gladly took on and they started working on the manor every day of the year, other than their days off, of course, causing the manor to shape up a lot quicker.
Just like Dobby and Winky, Pimsy and Paddey were great elves who worked hard and were pleasant to be around. They absolutely loved working for Harry. Harry had Kurlig cancel the cleaning service for the flat and just had the elves keep it clean, along with his other properties. The work was minimal for them, except at the manor.
After Sirius died, Harry inherited the Black family wealth and properties but decided he would wait to do anything with them. He had enough to worry about with the Potter properties. He asked Remus to stay at Grimmauld Place and have it cleaned up and updated with funds Harry provided from the Black fortune.
Harry felt somewhat responsible for Moony, the last remaining marauder. He felt that his parents and Sirius would approve, especially since Sirius left Moony plenty of money for lots of new clothes and essentials. With that and a nice big house to live in, he should do a lot better. Harry even brought on a new female elf called Blinky to help Kreacher at Grimmauld Place. With the extra help, the old Black home took on a brand-new look in no time.
The Order of the Phoenix was also allowed to keep using it as Headquarters. Dumbledore, of course, was concerned about Harry not staying with the Dursleys but no matter what he said he could not convince Harry to return. In fact, he backed off when Harry looked like he was going to explode if anyone tried to force him to go back there.
No one was under any illusion that Harry would stay anyway, even if they forced him to go back. They knew he had a devoted house elf that would take him anywhere he wanted to go. Besides Harry would not tell anyone where his houses were no matter how many times they asked. He figured that was the best way to keep himself hidden and safe. After all, Wormtail was once a marauder and trusted friend of his parents.
Most of Harry's time, especially after he gained more elves, was spent in his trunk when it was turned into a training room. Harry had found many books in his library that helped him advance in his studies and spell work. So, he spent a lot of time practicing. The only issues he could see with his devotion to his studies and his desire to improve was the reactions from his best friends. Ron was more content if they could just sluff off and not work so hard. Hermione, on the other hand, was too competitive and was always taking on more than she should just to make sure she stayed ahead of Harry. Therefore, she strived always to be the best. For some reason it was important to her.
Harry just let them do whatever they wanted and refused to apologize to either one if he was not following their lead. He never thought of himself of being much of a follower anyway, nor was he interested in being a leader. He was just content doing what he wanted to do. After all, he grew up being bullied and abused, not being allowed to have any fun. Those days were over as far as he was concerned.
However, as he matured, he reluctantly fell into the role of leader anyway, especially this last year when he taught Defense to a good many students. No matter how hard Hermione or anyone else tried Harry always remained top dog in Defense. It just came naturally to him, so how could he improve to the point that he could face Voldemort toe to toe without having to experience the same amount of years to get there? It was a puzzle he needed to solve before he had to face Voldemort again.
There was no doubt he would.
oOo
Harry started sixth year after having done very well on his OWLS, impressing the examiners with both theory and his practical application of the spells. Defense and Charms were his top two subjects and his Charms professor took note of how well Harry had been advancing in those two subjects. He was interested because those were the very two subjects Filius Flitwick excelled in. The difference was Flitwick scored a little better in Charms over Defense (an O++ for Charms and an O+ for Defense) while Harry scored a little better in Defense over Charms (an O++ for Defense and an O+ for Charms).
After Harry's first Advanced Charms class with Professor Flitwick at the beginning of his sixth year, he was asked to meet with the Professor right after class for a little chat. Once the classroom was empty of everyone, save Harry and the professor, Flitwick put up a silencing charm around them and got right to the point.
"Mr. Potter, I've noticed how advanced you are in Charms and Defense. I would like you to know that I too excelled in those two areas, so much so that I became a master dueler and held the title until I retired from the circuit. I held the title for ten years running."
"That's amazing Professor! I never knew that about you."
"I'm a bit too old now for the circuit but I like to pass along my knowledge to well deserving students. In fact, the last two people I trained were James Potter and Lily Evans. I believe you are familiar with those past students?" he asked with a smile.
"Wow! I'm always amazed at how much I didn't know about my parents but happy to learn more. Is that why you wanted to talk to me, sir?"
"Actually, I wanted to offer you the same training Mr. Potter. I can tell you right now that learning to duel well with a wand will be just part of it. As you might be aware, I am part goblin and my goblin grandfather made sure I was trained properly in goblin warfare techniques. That means I will also train you to use multiple weapons, including sword, axe, knife, lance, plus bow and arrow. Would you be interested?"
"You certainly have my attention Professor and please call me Harry."
"If you do accept my training you will call me Filius as we will become quite acquainted during our time together. Of course, during Charms class it would be best to stick to Professor. I believe you have what it takes Harry to be a master dueler and a weapons master, if you'll accept my offer."
"Tell me Professor, how do you stack up dueling wise against someone like Dumbledore or Voldemort? I saw them battle at the Ministry back in June and I could not believe the skill those two had."
"In a sanctioned tournament duel, I would likely win, but in a real life and death battle with wands I doubt I could win against either one of those two. It would take them a while but I believe they would still win against me. The biggest reason is certain spells are illegal in a tournament but not in a life and death struggle. Also, Albus and Tom are extremely powerful wizards. I believe they are mage level. While I am a good bit more powerful than the average wizard, I'm certainly not in their league. Once they ramp up the power with some of the spells not allowed in a tournament duel, I would be in big trouble."
"I see. They both were using a lot of power that night and spells I've never even heard of."
"With the two of them going head to head I would expect nothing less Harry. Keep in mind though that a less powerful wizard can defeat a more powerful one if he fights smart and uses his strengths. For instance, if Albus or Tom decided to fight me using battle-axes or swords then they would have no chance. They have not been as sufficiently trained in that manner."
"Interesting. When do we start Filius?"
"That's great Harry. I want to meet with you at 5:00 today in my office. We will likely work through dinner. I will have an elf bring us food if that is the case."
"Alright sir. Thank you. I had better get to lunch. I'll see you at five."
Harry joined his friends for lunch who wanted to know exactly what Professor Flitwick talked to him about. Harry was not sure he should say anything yet so told them it was a special project Flitwick wanted Harry to help him with but he could not say what it pertained to other than he had to meet him at 5:00 later today to discuss it in detail.
oOo
What Harry was expecting and what he experienced at his first training session with Filius was two different things. First, he just talked to Harry for over an hour about what they would be doing. He asked Harry about his own personal training regimen, and then outlined exercises he would need to start to better his endurance and improve his strength.
After they ate, he took Harry through a hidden door in his office that sent them through a portal where they stepped into a large room obviously made for dueling and weapons training. Harry was astounded at the setup. There were several dueling areas, some raised and some not, along with racks and racks of different weapons.
"It was part of my package deal to come and teach Charms, Harry. They had to provide me with my own training studio and have it connected to my office for easy access. I'm not certain where this room is located. I assume it's still in the castle but I know it's not right behind my office as you could tell from the portal magic that brought us here."
"This is some setup, Filius."
"Thanks, Harry. Here is where you'll be training. I want to start with wands first to get a feel for where you are now so we can work on improving that skill. Then I will introduce you to the different weapons and train you in their use."
"I can't wait to get started."
"Good, Harry. Let's start now."
"What?"
"I want to see how you duel so I can train you. We discussed your spell knowledge but that in no way will show me how you duel. We can use this dueling area right here."
"W-What are the rules?" said Harry nervously.
"Oh, for now let's just say no Unforgivables. I can heal pretty much everything else or put you in stasis so I can get you to Madame Pomfrey."
Harry swallowed hard. Filius laughed.
"Don't worry Harry. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to see what you have. I'll be holding back… this session anyway."
Harry went down to the other end and got into position.
"Do I need to observe any tournament dueling procedures?"
"No, Harry. We are not concerned with that but I will teach you all about tournament dueling once you are more advanced, just in case you wish to compete. For these training sessions we will be concerned with teaching you how to fight in real situations."
"Okay. I'm ready sir."
"On the count of three we'll start. 1 …2 …3!"
While Harry sent a Stunner, there were two spells coming straight at him on different levels at a much quicker pace than Harry's Stunner. Harry was not sure what the spells were so he contorted his body around the spells as they reached him then fired off a Jelly-Legs Jinx while he was dodging them. He fired off a powerful Cutting Spell after that followed by an Expelliarmus.
Harry saw Filius put up a shield for the Stunner, jumped over the Jelly-Legs Jinx, then used his shield again for the Cutting Spell and Expelliarmus. However, the Cutting Spell cracked his shield but since it did not completely break it, the Expelliarmus was deflected. Filius was surprised at the extra power Harry had.
They continued that way for a long while with Filius testing Harry's movement, his shields, and spell use. Harry increasingly used more complex spells as they fought and as he got more into the groove. When Filius was ready to call it quits he made Harry work hard for a bit dodging spells before he clipped him with a Stunner. Harry woke up after he was Enervated with Filius smiling above him.
"Pretty pathetic, huh?" asked Harry as he stood back up.
"No, not at all Harry. I was actually impressed. You are much further along than I expected. I believe you are showing some natural talent too. It will be my job to improve on that."
"Thanks, Filius."
"That's all for tonight. Let's meet again tomorrow at five and we can discuss a schedule moving forward that will work for both of us. Be sure to start your exercises tomorrow morning. Have a good evening, Harry."
oOo
As Harry was running around the Quidditch Pitch the next morning so he could build up stamina, he thought back to the discussion he had with Filius in his office where he described what he would be working on. Harry had asked Filius a question that had bugged him all afternoon since Filius kept him after class. The question was why his father did not do better against Voldemort when he attacked that night if he had been trained so well.
"Harry, no one really knows what happened that night but from the evidence left behind it looked like James never had his wand when he fought Tom. It looked like he helped get Lily and you going up the stairs to hopefully escape while he was going to hold off Voldemort but Voldemort came through the door before James could get back to his wand. His body was found close to the stairs and his wand was over on an end table near the sofa. Unfortunately, Voldemort does not believe in fair play."
A tear started trailing down Harry's cheek.
"Keep in mind, Harry, that your mum and dad fought Tom to a standstill on three different occasions. It took both of them working together but they did it. They knew their stuff but Voldemort was relentless. When he wanted someone dead, he or she died. However, he was never able to defeat Albus and somehow you've beat him as well."
"I'm pretty sure my parents, or at least my mum, managed that and finally defeated him at the cost of their own lives."
"You are correct but of course no one knows how she really did it or if they both played a part. Your mum was a master at Charms. Your dad was good too but he was a master at Transfiguration. I imagine Lily came up with whatever worked that night and your parents sacrificing themselves added to the charm giving you protection."
Harry wondered about that. The protection must have worked and bounced Tom's spell back at him. Something obviously destroyed Tom's body that night even if it did not completely kill him. How did he do that anyway? Survive death to come back with a new body? He became a shade of his former self, a wraith. That had to be some very dark magic. Could he do it again if he was killed again? Would he just come back like last time?
Obviously, this was different from how he himself comes back from the dead, Harry thought. His own body always healed and he would wake up after that good as new. Voldemort had to have a dark ritual performed to return to a new body. That is completely different. Plus, the wraith could possess people and animals while waiting for a new body. This deserved further study. What if Tom was born with that power just like I was born with mine, Harry asked himself.
Harry was still thinking about that when he made it to breakfast.