And we're on to the next chapter!

Before that, real quick

Gryffindorforever4242: Thank you for all the reviews, even if it's just to complement each update. Harry will get a new name soon! I hope you like it because it has to do with grapes. (A bit of a show of the bond between her and Scortwit)

This goes for all of you, don't be afraid to ask questions, and be like Gryffindorforever4242, leave a review. :3

Now. Here we get to tackle the illiteracy issue, as well as get a peek into the state of the Horcrux.

The end of this chapter will sort of be the end of summer. Coming chapters will include Halloween, winter, and then spring. Then we get to Harry's birthday and the beginning of Hogwarts. Like I said, I won't be spending a lot of time on the dragon lodge, at least not yet.

Anyways, let's continue!

—0—

"I feel bad for them."

"Her, Charlie. She asked to be referred to as a girl."

Scortwit and Charlie sat at the coffee table, talking over the flickering light of the fire.

"Sorry, her. She looked so happy with the gifts. But at the same time, she was so sad."

Scortwit nodded at his apprentice. "And on top of that, she's illiterate."

"She spoke so well I assumed-"

"So did I, but these types of things come up." The wizard nodded. "I'm glad that at the very least, the two of you had fun flying today."

"You should have seen her." Charlie smiled. "A little spooky to be honest, how well she flew."

"I can imagine. I remember seeing her father play."

"Well he may have been good, but she was something else. She was so fast, and she moved so fluidly, it was almost like watching a wraith float through the sky."

Scortwit hummed and nodded. "You should take her flying every day. It would probably help her mental state."

"She was so happy…" Charlie spoke quietly. "And then she saw the book and her face fell…"

"It's alright, we will teach her. I'm sure we can do it." Scortwit nodded.

"Hopefully…"

The two sat in silence for a few moments, staring at the flickering flames of the fireplace.

"Cider?"

"Love some, thanks."

Scortwit waved his wand and summoned two mugs from the kitchen, along with a glass bottle of cider and a pot.

"This is part of last years batch?"

"Yeah. It was a great idea to plant those trees in the basin, you know. Finding that the soil is perfect for the trees was a big surprise for me."

Charlie nodded as the man poured the cider into the pot before hanging it over the fire.

"Your grapes should also be ready soon."

"After the first frost." Scortwit nodded.

Charlie watched as the man stirred in a few cloves and some cinnamon.

"Sir… are we going to teach her how to tend to the dragons?"

Scortwit shrugged. "Perhaps, in a few years, we'll start. We don't know if she has a talent suited for it."

"She's a parseltongue." Charlie pointed out.

"Yes, but that will only get her so far with the dragons. You know how they are. Proud, arrogant, but they have a right to be. Mighty powerful creatures, dragons."

"I get this feeling from her, like she's going to grow up to rival a dragons power."

"If she truly is a child of prophecy, she may very well surpass them." Scortwit grinned, stirring the pot. "But we'll have to wait and see. She is very damaged."

"I know… she acts towards magic with a sort of… acceptance, but not excitement. It's not the same for her."

"Harry sees her magic as a curse, a freakish power that makes her unnatural. It's up to us to help fix that, which is why I'm proud of the way you handled her speaking parseltongue." Scortwit nodded.

"I heard how she spoke of magic before we left, I figured it wouldn't help to single her out like that."

Scortwit nodded. "Indeed. The real question is if that's Harry's magical talent, or if she has another. Of course, it's not too far-fetched that she may not have a talent at all."

"She certainly has a talent for flying." Charlie pointed out.

"Indeed." Scortwit smiled, pouring the mulled cider into their two mugs. "We will work on reading with her. I think that when the early frost hits, we can go grape picking and maybe even have an old fashioned wine crushing!"

"She'd probably find it fun." Charlie chuckled.

"I hope so. We'll keep it in mind."

The two sipped their cider and gazed at the flames again.

"I wonder if I should have gotten her a familiar…" Scortwit mumbled.

"You got her a broom. Getting another owl would mean training it, and both cats and rats would be swiftly snapped up by the dragons or snakes that live around here."

Scortwit nodded. "Still… remind me to get her an owl for Christmas. She'll need one for next year."

Charlie nodded. "Speaking of next year, how do you think people will react when they see Harry Potter is a girl?"

Scortwit snorted. "It'll be a hoot and a half to watch. But you've got a point. We should have her take on a false name, just to keep her status under wraps."

"I'll figure something out with her, no doubt." Charlie nodded.

"Don't push it on her too hard. I'm sure she'll latch onto the idea if you simply suggest it." Scortwit nodded.

"Perhaps…" Charlie finished his cider, before yawning.

"Go get some rest. We've got to tend to the usual troublemakers early if we want to make it back in time to teach Harry anything."

Charlie nodded. "Goodnight sir."

"Goodnight Charlie-boy."

—0—

"So this one is?"

"The letter 'K'. It's a consonant letter." Harry nodded.

"Good job." Charlie nodded. "It's only been a week and a half and you've made it through most of the english alphabet."

Harry nodded glumly. "I'm sorry… if I wasn't a freak-"

"You aren't a freak, Harry." Charlie quickly cut the child off. "You're a witch. You have magic, and you were just misunderstood."

"But I do it differently! I use the snake language and-"

"Your ability to speak parseltongue is a great gift. Some may see it as weird, or dark, but in the end, your fate is your own. You define your gifts, your gifts do not define you."

Harry nodded as Charlie closed his eyes. "I'm thinking of a letter that makes the 'ssssss' sound."

"Sssss…" Harry repeated. "The letter 'S'. It's also a consonant letter."

"Good job! Hey, do you want to try reading a few words now?"

The child looked up. "You think I can try now?"

"I know you can sound a few words out." Charlie smiled. "Come on, give it a try!"

Harry relented with a smile and opened the charms book from the days prior.

"'T' and 'H' together make the 'thhhh' sound, right?"

Charlie nodded and motioned for Harry to continue.

"For basic spells like this, it's best to flick and sw- swi-"

"Swish. That's the wand movement for most charms, a swish and a flick."

Harry nodded and continued.

"To make your target hoe-ver-"

"Hover."

"Right. To make your target hover, be it object, enemy, or lover, use the ck-harm-"

"Charm." Charlie nodded. 'C' and 'H' make the 'ch' sound."

Harry nodded and went back. "I should've known that…Use the c-ch- charm in-scri-bed."

"Great sounding out." Charlie praised.

"Thank you. Use the charm inscribed, and let your target flo-at"

"Float."

"Right. Let your target float up high."

Charlie clapped happily. "Well done! Well done!"

Harry beamed at Charlie and looked back at the book. "It says at the bottom here… Wingardium Levi-osa."

"Yes, wingardium leviosa. That is the levitation charm."

Charlie drew his wand and pointed it at the book. "Wingardium Leviosa."

The book slowly hovered upwards, lifting up from the table as Harry looked at it with wide eyes.

"Woah…"

"Wanna give it a try?" Charlie grinned.

Harry nodded her head excitedly and took out the wand from the goblins. "Wingardium Leviosa."

The book wobbled as it floated up a bit, before it flipped back upon the table.

"Drat."

"It's okay. Not many people can get it on their first try. That was a great attempt." Charlie smiled. "Give it another shot. Try to really picture the book hovering upwards."

Harry nodded and pointed the wand at the book once again. "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The book shuddered, before following the tip of Harry's wand as if tied to it. Harry smiled as it floated upwards and stayed there, hovering in place.

"Well done! Now, set it down gently." Charlie nodded.

Harry lowered the book back down onto the table. "I did it…"

Charlie beamed as Harry looked at him. "I DID IT!"

The girl jumped up and down excitedly around the table, causing Charlie to laugh loudly. "What's got you so excited? Yeah, you did a spell."

"I did magic! Just like you do Charlie! It's really magic! And you are like me!"

Charlie's expression softened as the child laughed in joy. He slowly knelt down and gave the girl a hug.

"Charlie?"

"Sorry… I'm just happy that you're so excited about magic."

Harry smiled. "Can we learn more?"

Charlie smiled. "We could… but that would mean missing your flying for the day."

"NOT A CHANCE!"

"Come on then!" The young man laughed, closing the book and placing it back on the shelf. "Let's go do some flying."

—0—

Scortwit smiled as he watched Harry and Charlie fly loops around the dragon lodge. Charlie had been right, the girl was scarily good at flying a broomstick. Each of her turns were smooth. The rises and falls in altitude were perfectly managed. Her speed on the back of her broomstick was incredible. She had definitely pushed the broom to grow with her.

The man took a drag from a long clay pipe and sorted through the day's mail. There were letters from Gringotts, as always. He was happy to see a letter from Rolanda Hooch, as well as a parcel from Maldy Malkin.

Scortwit det the rest of the mail aside and opened the letter from Rolanda.

Dear Charles,

It's been a few days since I saw you at the alley. I hope that everything is going well. I am back at Hogwarts, writing from my office. The school is in a bit of a tizzy. A few days ago, the headmaster apparated out of the school grounds with no warning. He looked worried. When he returned, it was in a rage. He said something about blood wards and stupid muggles, and you know how he hates talking about them that way.

From what I can tell, he is worried about Harry Potter, the boy who lived. I don't know how this would help matters, but all of us were told to send notices to friends and family, just to make sure that people were keeping an eye out.

I hope that your new charge is doing well. If they're growing up with you as a guardian, then they're bound to have a lot of fun. Make sure they get to stretch their legs and use that broomstick well. If the rumors are true, and Charlie Weasley is your apprentice, don't go letting him teach that child dangerous tricks! Star seeker or not, even if he's grown up, Weasleys always find a way to get themselves into trouble.

Be safe, and write back soon!

Rolanda-

Scortwit smiled at the letter. Rolanda was always nice and considerate, and she could definitely be a hardarse if she needed to. She was a perfect fit for a flying instructor strictly because of that fact.

They were looking for Harry.

That was the part of the letter that concerned Scortwit. Albus Dumbledore knew that Harry had vanished somehow. How was definitely beyond Scortwit at the moment. There were now detection charms that could tell when and where a person was. If that were the case, the man would know where the child was.

However the man had done it, the more worrying part was that he knew. The masterful manipulator knew. Scortwit folded the letter and placed it off to the side. Charlie was right, Harry needed a name. Something less obvious than 'Harriet'. They would have to think on it together.

The man took the next letter, the one tied to a parcel from Madam Malkin, and undid the seal of the envelope.

Dear Charlie,

I couldn't very well think about that charge of yours and the fact that I never sent you along with any winter cloak, or gloves, or even a hat! In the parcel I sent, you will find a basic cloak and a decent pair of winter gloves. I made them from unicorn leather, of course. Layered in a warming enchantment as a little bonus.

I hope that the little one is feeling better. Knowing how well the goblin healers work, I'm sure they came out of it physically well, but if it was as bad as you say it was, or rather, didn't say. They're bound to have some mental issues. Make sure to spoil them for me.

Please do try to stop in when you get the chance. I promise not to bite, or try to, well, you know. Maybe we can get that drink at the Leaky cauldron? I'll buy, for the first round of course.

With love,

Maldy-

Maldy Malkin. Scortwit chuckled. She had always been enchanting, and not just with her magic. If he hadn't met Alana after leaving Hogwarts, he would probably be sweating his arse off for her, making some robe designs or being a dress dummy for a new style.

The man chuckled as he set the letter off to the side. The parcel went with it. That was for Harry. The child would most likely try to turn the gift down, but it was from Maldy, and if Sortwit sent it back she'd just send three more sets. She was like that.

A final letter in the pile caught Scortwits eye. He never really looked at the notices from the goblin nation, unless it was on a weekend when he had the time and sanity to read through eighty letters about wingwart and new strains of Gum fire virus. But this letter was addressed in a different way.

To Charles Fontaine Scortwit, Guardian of Harry James Potter -

Scortwit took the letter and turned it over in his hands. The wax seal embossed upon it bore the symbol of the royal medicus, a red blood drop beneath a golden crown.

Scortwit took another drag from his pipe and broke the seal.

To Charles Fontaine Scortwit,

Attached to this letter are the full statements regarding the health and wellbeing of Harry James Potter. In these documents you will find what physical injuries were fixed, along with any infections or maladies that were cured during Harry James Potter's latest visit to the office of the Royal Medicus.

Also attached is a note from head healer Grandscalpel, in regards to the soul shard contained within the body of Harry James Potter.

Sincerely,

The Gilded Guild of the Royal Medicus

Scortwit blinked in surprise. The fact that goblins did after-visit summaries was a surprising and somewhat humorous realization. With a chuckle, the wizard set the cover letter off to the side and began reading through the list.

The list, which turned out to be much more extensive than Scortwit had imagined.

While the main effect of the fertility ritual was making Harry a girl, it turned out that the function of cleansing any infections or diseases had ended up wiping so many maladies from the 'before' report from the list. On top of that, there was a worrisome note about bone alterations that were mended, but would still stunt the child's growth.

-Not expected to grow beyond one hundred and forty eight centimeters.-

That was rough.

Scortwit set the list aside and looked at the note from Grandscalpel. If there was something wrong with Harry, pertaining to the child's soul, he wanted to take care of it as soon as possible.

Dear Mr. Scortwit,

As I have been told by Spearmint, you were already informed of the existence of a second soul within the body of Harry Potter. While going over their diagnosis, and running a few checks on their wellbeing after the ritual, I found that Harry had been in a comatose state, despite being struck by your vehicle and hastily mended, due to the soul fragment attempting to separate from their body. It was in no part due to your hasty healing charms. Upon looking further, I believe any regular child would have woken up after you healed them. While they might have been hasty and not as thorough as a licensed healer, your charms were performed perfectly and were quite admirable considering the situation.

However, this note is not about praise. As I stated before, the soul fragment is attempting to separate from the child. If this happens, it could kill them. I had informed the child of this prior to your departure, however I must also include a few notes that I hadn't yet processed.

One of the steps of the fertility ritual is covering the subjects body in a diagram of goblin runes. These runes take any extra magic and convert it to the purpose of healing any other injuries that the subject may have. Spearmint noted that during the ritual, one of the runes became more charged than the others. This rune was not one that goblin healers drew upon the child's body.

Sowilo, the rune of the sun and victory. The child bears a scar in the shape of that rune upon their forehead, and it is more than coincidence. That area is also where the abnormal soul fragment is anchored. During the ritual, the sealing rune became charged again, and forced the soul fragment to sleep again. I hypothesize that the child has three years before it wakes once more, and attempts to split from their body. In order to counteract this, there is something the child can do. They are already working on a plan that i set in motion, stealing an artifact from Hogwarts in order to accomplish this and keep them alive, however, i am going to set you on the second path.

The soul shard can be permanently bound to Harry's form if they consume the elixir of life. The potion can only be made with the use of the philosophers stone, as you know. A single copy of the stone is to be used as bait for a trap in Hogwarts in the next school year, when Harry starts their first term. It is in the perfect position for them to take it and solve this problem.

In the event that they are not successful, you will need to have a backup plan. Seek out Nicholas Flamel. You may have a hard time doing so, but it will be well worth it should Harry fail.

Thank you for your time,

Head Healer Grandscalpel

Scortwit blinked at the note, before looking outside to see Harry and Charlie flying loops around each other.

'Damn kiddo, you've got it rough.'

Scortwit folded the note up and stuffed it into his pocket, before tapping the contents of his pipe out into the fireplace and walking into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

He would find Flamel, even if it took him the entire three years to do it.

—0—

The days passed. Harry slowly continued to improve with her reading abilities. Charlie had finished teaching her the light charm along with the banishing charm. And soon the first frost crept into the preserve.

And so it was that Harry woke up on the Autumnal Equinox.

—0—

So, there you have it. The horcrux will remain dormant for a while. But it won't be permanently dormant. There is a role that Ella Gaunt needs to fill.

Next chapter is "The Vinyard" You'll learn a bit more about Scortwit, and Harry will get a new name.

Until then

Adios.