All right! Time to go and head down to the good ol' review patch. Today's review is…
Aidann83!
To answer your sort of question, or rather, concern. Yes. Harry should be way more impacted by the events of their life. Or should they?
When talking about growing up at the Dursleys, the Horcrux, while it was dormant, still absorbed negative emotions in order to survive. Whatever it couldn't convert into magic, it redistributed to the Dursleys, making them hate Harry even more. So Harry does have bad memories of the Dursleys, but they can't really feel any anger or sadness in relation to it.
When it comes to the mental facility. A lot of the time spent there was the horcrux, and not Harry. The parts that Harry experienced are the same as the Dursleys. They can't feel anger or sadness in relation to it. They just blame themselves.
When the Horcrux wakes up again, you'll see how much damage the events actually did. The mind of Ella Gaunt is incredibly twisted and broken, and it will take a lot of effort for Harry to understand and accept that side of themselves.
In the end, this story doesn't just have to do with transitions and coming of age. You can consider the horcrux and Harry sort of split personalities. Harry, who can't feel any anger or rage towards anyone, and Ella, who's memory gaps are filled with the anger and sadness that was siphoned from Harry.
I hope that makes sense?
Anyways, thank you for the review. Let's go to the next chapter!
You get to learn more about Scortwit in this :3
On with the story!
—0—
"Wake up Harry! It's the equinox!"
Harry's eyes fluttered open as Charlie shook her awake. "Five more minutes…"
Charlie shook his head. "We've got to have all hands on deck Harry. We have to pick the grapes at Scortwits Vinyard, and we only have so much time before the birds start nibbling."
The girl groaned and rolled out of bed, falling two feet from the mattress and onto the floor with an 'oof'.
"You okay?" Charlie chuckled, looking down at her.
"'M fine. Why are there three of you?"
"Three of me? Did you hit your head on the way down?"
The girl wiggled a bit on the floor. "Maybe. Nothing that a few more minutes of sleep couldn't fix."
Charlie rolled his eyes and held out a hand. "Come on Harry, up and at 'em."
The girl groaned, but stood up nevertheless. Charlie gave her hair a tousle, before leaving the room and heading downstairs to the kitchen, leaving one last piece of advice.
"Dress for the weather. It'll be chilly today."
Harry yawned and walked over to her dresser. The comfortable silk pajamas that she wore flowed about smoothly as she opened the drawer.
Chilly weather meant long sleeves, and perhaps a coat. If they were picking grapes, she would need decent shoes.
The silk pajamas floated to the ground as Harry stripped, changing out of their sleepwear in favor of a white shirt and thick leggings, over which she wore an ankle length skirt.
The girl rubbed her eyes as she walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Scortwit was already drinking a mug of coffee, along with a plate of sausage and eggs. Charlie smiled at Harry as he set down two more plates of breakfast, along with coffee and tea.
"Got a hell of a day ahead." Scortwit spoke, his voice a bit groggy from waking up.
Harry nodded and sat down at the table. "I figured. It's so early…"
Scortwit chuckled, a hoarse chuckle that rattled through his tired frame. "Then drink some coffee, get your blood flowin'."
Harry made a face. "Drink that? No thank you."
Charlie snorted, taking a bite of egg. "Not a coffee fan."
"Unlucky." Scortwit shook his head. "And you had so much potential…"
"I can make good coffee, I just don't like the taste of coffee." Harry spoke.
Scortwit looked at Charlie and shrugged. "Can't complain there."
Charlie chuckled and took another bite of eggs, before wiping his mouth off with a napkin.
"You know, now that we have Harry here, we can do a wine pressing festival."
"Wine pressing?" Harry blinked.
"We have an automated press for our grapes, but the best way to do it is, and will always be, having someone crush the grapes by stomping around in a great big tub of them." Scortwit nodded. "Hey… that actually might be a good idea! We could schedule it for a week or two away and advertise, cast an illusion over the basin. You and Harry could set up signs in some of the nearby towns."
"You want me to stomp on grapes… with my feet?" Harry blinked.
"Too far of a stretch?"
Harry shrugged. "Not the weirdest thing I've done."
"I don't think it's weird, per say ." Charlie spoke.
"It'll be fun." Scortwit smiled, I'll get everything set up, maybe we can make a tradition out of it."
"And when Harry goes to Hogwarts?" Charlie pointed out.
"Kids can come home with letters from their parents. It's against the law for the Headmaster to keep them from doing so."
Charlie nodded. "Fair point."
Harry wiped her mouth with her napkin, her plate half empty. "So, we'll pick the grapes and then?"
"The flying lessons this week will all be traveling. We'll go out into the world Harry!"
The girl smiled. "Okay! Let's do it!"
"You're fine with it?"
"Yeah!" Harry smiled. "It'll be fun. Besides, it isn't the worst thing I've ever done."
"You just like the idea of flying outside of the dragon preserve." Charlie grinned slyly.
"Maybe." Harry smiled innocently. "Maybe I want to meet new people."
"The only problem is that the villages around here are all wizard towns. You're identity is at risk of getting out."
"So I need a disguise?" Harry asked.
"You're already different from the idea people have of you, but how many girls do you know who go by 'Harry'?"
"The only girl I know is Spearmint, but she's more of a lady." Harry thought out loud. "I need a new name?"
"Something less obvious than 'Harry' or 'Harriet'."
The girl nodded. "Okay. I'll think up a few today, see how they work."
"We can come up with suggestions as well." Charlie pointed out, finishing his plate. "I can take plates, by the way."
"Thank you." Scortwit nodded, passing his dish to Charlie. Harry polished off her breakfast and passed her dish to Charlie. "I've got to get my boots. Are we walking or flying?"
Charlie waved his wand over the dishes and let them levitate into the sink, where a rag began scrubbing them clean. "Probably walking, we don't want to leave you behind."
"Fair point." Scortwit nodded. The man saw Harry's curios expression and answered. "I have an old moontrimmer. It's good for flying up high, but it isn't well known for its speed."
Harry nodded in understanding as Scortwit stood up and walked over to get his boots. Charlie came back to the table while fastening a cloak around his neck. "You'll want a cloak, like I said, it's chilly today. It'll be warm in the afternoon though."
Harry nodded and grabbed the cloak that had been sent by Madam Malkin. After putting it on and grabbing her wand, Harry joined Charlie and Scortwit at the door.
"Make sure to stay close to me and Charlie, okay Harry?"
"Yes sir."
The three exited the building and headed towards the woods, the grass crunching stiffly beneath their feet.
They walked across the field and over the river, before following the winding riverbed downstream before delving into a grove of hawthorn trees.
"What about Autumn?" Harry asked.
"That's a decent one, but it's a little unoriginal, don't you think?" Charlie answered.
"Well I didn't know we were scoring off of creativity." Harry replied a bit crossly.
Scortwit laughed from his place ahead of them. "I'm glad you've got some fire in you girl!"
Harry smirked and shook her head. "So how far is this vinyard anyway?"
"Just a bit longer of a walk." Scortwit answered.
The man vaulted over a fallen tree trunk, with Charlie following swiftly behind. Harry clambered over it and fell off of the other side, much to the amusement of the two adults.
"Come on Harry, it's not much further."
The girl huffed and allowed Charlie to help her up. Brushing herself off, she followed Scortwit and Charlie, crossing a set of bridges over a marshland.
"The land around here is so unique. So many different environments on one sort of chunk." Harry commented.
"Dragon's influence the land around them." Scortwit spoke. "The magic that comes off of their bodies changes the very world around them, why do you think that they keep finding gemstones?"
"They like shiny things?" Harry answered.
"Sounds more like a question than an answer, but think about it. With so much treasure gathered by dragons, how is there still more and more for humans and goblins to trade?" Scortwit smiled. "Dragons' magic seeps into the world around them. In the sky, it changes the wind to let them fly freely. On land, it changes the environment to their natural habitat, and underground, it seeps into stones, transforming them into gems and precious metals. That's why dragons build hoards, they reflect their power."
Harry nodded. "That makes sense."
"Sometimes it can be a problem." Charlie spoke. "A dragons head gets too big and they build their hoard so much that they can be pushed from their nests. It's detrimental to their health, and they can offend other dragons if they cross into their territory."
"Yep!" Scortwit grunted as he moved some fallen brush. "Every so often we have to go out and do control runs. All of the treasure we take goes to funding the preserve, so in the end it all benefits the dragons."
Harry blinked. "Will I ever get to go on a control run with you?"
Scortwit flashed Harry a smile. "One day, when you're older."
Harry rolled her eyes.
"There it is up ahead!" Scortwit picked up his pace. "Come on!"
Charlie knelt down and patted his shoulders. "Come on Harry, piggy back."
Harry climbed onto Charlie, who lifted her up and jogged after Scortwit.
The cool smell of the autumn woods was replaced by the sweet smell of fresh grapes. The shade of the forest broke into great rays of daylight from the rising sun, spilling over the clouds and onto the vast expanse of grape rows.
Across the rolling field of grapes sat a decaying building with a stone foundation. A small cottage that at one point seemed to be a happy home. If not for the crushed wall and slightly scorched roofing, Harry would have thought it was perfect.
At the corner of the vineyard stood a stone tower, which jutted into not the sky. One would be able to look out over the entire vineyard from that one spot.
"Welcome to the vineyard." Charlie grinned. "Like it?"
"It's beautiful." Harry breathed.
"Come on then! We've got to get as many grapes as possible before nightfall!"
The man waved his wand and conjured several large baskets with carriages wheels. Charlie set Harry down and handed her a pair of shears.
"Just clip off the bunches of grapes. Since they're all going to be crushed down, we don't need to worry about the stems."
Harry nodded and gingerly grasped at the stem of the first bunch of grapes. "They're heavy."
"The grapes here grow a bit bigger than normal." Scortwit said. "They have for a while."
"Why is that?" Harry asked.
The girl got no response.
The three filled the first basket and were on to the second when a loud roar sounded.
"Get down!" Scortwit spoke, ducking below the lines of grape plants. Charlie ducked down protectively over Harry as the roar grew louder.
The girl looked up as a shadow fell over them. A large white dragon let out another loud roar as it's massive wings blotted out the sun.
"A short snout." Scortwit breathed.
"A bit far from home, don't you think?" Charlie replied.
"Yes… very far, especially because it isn't one of ours."
"It isn't?" Charlie blinked.
"You've still got a lot to learn, Charlie-boy. All the Swedish short snouts on the preserve are female. That one? It's a male."
The dragon roared again and flapped its great wings. Another roar sounded from the north, near the bottom of the basin. The dragon flapped it's wings and flew away, towards the basin. Charlie and Scortwit slowly stood up, wands drawn.
"You alright Harry?"
"Yes. Why were we afraid of that dragon?" Harry blinked.
"It's shortsnout mating season." Scortwit replied. "Nothing can stop a dragon in heat like that, it's much better to duck and cover."
"Come on! There's still grapes to pick." Charlie said.
Hours ticked by. The three worked diligently, filling up the baskets as they moved along.
Every so often, the three would suck as a dragon flew overhead, sometimes two would fly over, grappling at each other in midair. Mating rites, Scortwit had said.
"Harry, stop eating all of the grapes!" Charlie chided.
"They're so good though!" The girl groaned.
Scortwit shook his head with a small smile. "It's not healthy to eat so many grapes you know. They're filled with sugar."
"Natural sugar." Harry pointed out.
"Still sugar." Scortwit shot back. "Eat a few more, but remember, we need them for the wine."
"Fine."
As the sun grew low in the sky, Harry walked along with Charlie and Scortwit, who levitated the baskets of grapes on their way back to the lodge.
"Think of any other names yet Harry?"
"Sweden."
"Like the short snout? It could work." Charlie shrugged.
"There's plenty more time to think. Let's get back to the lodge." Scortwit said curtly.
Harry looked at Charlie. "What's his rush?"
"I'll tell you at home. Come on."
The trip back to the lodge was quiet. As they arrived back at the building, Scortwit and Charlie covered the grape baskets in sheets and weighed them down. Charlie guided Harry into the house and sat her at the dining room table while he prepared dinner.
"I'll be back in a few hours." Scortwit said, walking out with a bottle of wine.
"That's strange… he never leaves this close to dark." Harry commented.
"Harry," Charlie spoke, taking out an uncooked steak from the ice room and seasoning it. "How much do you really know about Scortwit?"
Harry shifted left and right. "Well… I know he does stuff with dragons."
"Well that's a given. He's a smart man, and he has a lot of skill when it comes to magic. Why do you think, out if every place on earth, he chose to live here?"
"Because the dragons are here?"
Charlie smiled as he flipped the steak into a cast iron skillet. "He's not here because of the dragons, Harry. The dragons are here because of him."
—0—
Scortwit took a deep breath as he lazily drifted through the sky upon the back of his broomstick. The bottle of Merlot he had brought along with him remained cold as he drifted over the grove of hawthorn trees, over the woods, and into the vineyard.
The day was nearing its end, with the sun setting in the west, bathing the sky in brilliant hues of pink and fiery orange, which slowly blended into purple and then starry blue. A small sliver of the moon perked over the east hills, completing the perfect balance of the day that was twilight.
Scortwit sighed as he touched down upon the top of the stone tower. The sun was at his back, and the moon before him, and at the edge of the rocky edifices peak sat a kern. A spire of stacked stones that he had once pulled from the riverbed, which still felt cool to the touch as he ran his hands over their surface.
With another sigh, Scortwit waved his wand, causing a slightly scorched pickinick blanket to float out of the cottage below, and up into his hands. The wizard stowed his wand away and laid the blanket out, before sitting down with a wine glass and waiting.
The sun fell beneath his back as the moon rose a bit higher, its edges slowly growing out from behind the kern. Scortwit poured a glass of wine and turned to watch the sun set.
The light of the sunset struck the merlot as he swirled it about his glass, sending glittering rays sparkling harmlessly through the air.
The man sighed and took a sip of wine as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. A chilly breeze blew overhead as the moon rose behind the man, and a shade of a woman appeared over the kern.
She was as solid as water, her clothes and skin rippling as she stepped down from atop the kern, black hair spilling over silver shoulders. The only splash of color that remained upon the woman was her brown eyes.
Scortwit smiled as the woman walked up to his back, her bare feet falling silently upon the stone surface of the tower top. As she lay a hand on his shoulder, he leaned back into her wispy body, reveling at the small moment of closeness.
"How I wish we had more than five minutes a year…"
The woman smiled silently and drifted to Scortwits' side, taking a sip from his glass of wine. Scortwit smiled and turned the glass, taking a sip from the same spot in the glass.
"You never believed that I could taste your lips on a glass, but you still taste like rosehips…"
The woman's cheeks turned gray in a sort of blush as Scortwit handed her the rest of the glass.
"Alana…"
—0—
Ooooooo!
I lied about the name being in this chapter, although it is there if you know where to look. Next chapter will be the story of Scortwit, and then Harry will get her new name. After that will be the festival, Halloween, Christmas, spring, and then the summer before Hogwarts. Sorry, I just really needed to include this for the story.
I promise, you'll love it.
Until then,
Adios!