Chapter 6
Edited
"SPELLS"
Lessons began in earnest the next day when their teacher Mr. Silversky arrived in the Black Townhouse. Jason Silversky was a man who had multiple masteries in magic and was one of the most sought out tutors in Britain. He would teach the theory behind transfiguration, charms, potions, defence against the dark arts and history from Monday through Friday. He would teach the theory in the morning for four hours, from nine to one, and would leave them to practise the spells in the afternoons in the privacy of their manors since it was illegal for anyone to own a wand before they received their Hogwarts letter, and he did not want to risk his reputation. Afternoons would find Harry, Rigel and Draco performing the spells they learnt in the morning under the watchful eyes of their grandparents in their manors. They decided to spend one afternoon each in their respective manors so that they could practise and help each other out.
Saturdays were usually dedicated to family magic and history for two hours. Afterwards, they had Politics with Abraxas Malfoy and Business with Charlus Potter, who was an amazing businessman. While Rigel and Harry learnt and understood enough politics to survive the Wizengamot in the future, Draco excelled in these lessons. He had a shrewd mind and could spot opportunities that Harry and Rigel overlooked in the case study scenarios that were presented by Abraxas as lessons; he had a rare foresight to accurately predict the consequences of his actions in the future, which made his grandfather immensely proud, as he had the makings of a ruthless and cunning Lord and businessman. Rigel and Draco had Saturday afternoons off, but Harry spent this time with Arcturus Black working on his shadow magic. The House of Black had a few shadow Elementalists in their family tree and Arcturus visited the Black Family Vault to procure some books on the subject, which Harry read under the watchful eyes of Charlus and Arcturus as they discussed business. After a few hours of theory, he was allowed to call upon the shadows and discover his powers over them. So far Harry could feel the shadows and converse with them, but when he could fully tap into his powers when he was older, he would be able to transport himself through the shadows, bypassing any wards, and command shadows to attack which made Harry very determined to master this rare art.
In the evening, once he was done with the shadow magic, Arcturus taught the three boys Occlumency and the art of controlling expressions. According to Arcturus, Occlumency not only gave the user mental defense but also gave them the ability to have full control over their expressions and feelings. Using Occlumency, one could wear a blank mask which hid all emotions from their rivals, and even dull pain to an extent. These sessions usually took place in a room that was dimly lit, and exotic candles burnt to give off relaxing fumes to which the boys meditated and practiced the mind arts. While Draco and Rigel had the hard task of building their defenses from scratch, Harry was constructing his mindscape and organizing his memories since his walls were enhanced by the shadows. The three boys made good progress every day and Arcturus gave them strict instructions to clear their mind and categorize their day's memories before going to sleep.
Sunday mornings were spent reviewing whatever they had studied in the previous week, both text and wand and they prepared for their next week's lessons. The afternoon was spent learning swordsmanship from Charlus, who was talented with a blade. He would show them the combination of sword attacks and allow them to practice with their family blades until it became muscle memory to them. Then he would pair them up and allow them to duel with wooden swords to improve their reflexes and coordination.
In the beginning, all three of them had trouble practicing and moving around with their swords and armor since they were not used to such strenuous physical activities, until Charlus ordered them to wake up early and start working out to improve their stamina and strength. The boys would complain and floo to Potter Castle every morning to work on their muscles every morning but when they noticed their spells coming out stronger and faster along with tighter looking robes, they soon began to enjoy it, much to the amusement of their grandfathers.
While the workload was very heavy and their tutors expected nothing but perfection, the heirs did not complain. They had a huge responsibility, and they were determined to prove themselves to their families and themselves. It was not all work since every alternate Saturday they would have quidditch match at the Malfoy Manor pitch along with exhibition duels to showcase what they had learnt.
The year soon passed by with all of them preoccupied by their busy schedules and soon it was time for Harry's eleventh birthday. They had a big party in Potter Castle which was attended by all of his friends.
On his birthday, he had received a custom made runic armor from his grandfather that was very light and was made for his build. The runes etched would provide him comfort and mobility, which he loved. Charlus also made two more for Rigel and Draco, which they were very thankful for. A beautiful Phoenix from his grandmother, that had bonded with Harry. The Black family members got together and gave him a hip dagger straight from the Black Vault. It was certainly priceless, with the large black diamond hilt and ornate sheath. The dagger itself was made from blackened steel and was supposed to be used as a last resort defence. Harry thanked them repeatedly and promised to wear it every day, which pleased Arcturus immensely.
The Malfoys, who knew Harry had a fondness for watches, got him a custom made timepiece with dark emeralds in the clock and platinum hands. The watch had a variety of charms including an unbreakable charm, scratch resistant charm and a feather light charm. Harry immediately removed the watch he was wearing, a priceless white gold Potter family heirloom and wore his new watch gleefully which made Lucius smile and Narcissa squeal with happiness. Harry ignored Draco's eye roll when Narcissa hugged him.
He received books, clothes and chocolates from his other friends which he was very thankful for. Overall, it was the best birthday he had with his friends.
The next day, the Daily Prophet published a front-page article about the national gala that was Thomas Potter's birthday. The article showed James and Lily Potter standing proudly behind the spectacled 'Boy who Lived' who grinned at the six-tier cake in front of him. The article also bragged about the priceless gifts he had received, amongst which the most loved one was the Gringotts vault, with a million-galleon balance gifted by his parents. Harry, who lived in Potter Castle with his Grandparents who were the Lord and Lady of Europe's richest House, was surprised at the news. His Grandfather had donated a vault with Ten times the amount on his previous birthday.
"Didn't you get access to the heir vault ages ago?" Draco yawned. Harry nodded, amused. "Looks like mommy and daddy finally believe their little Tomy is all grown up. I'll bet the little superstar would use his new fortune to secretly buy his signed photographs just to increase sales."
Rigel laughed and they soon made their way to the Black Townhouse for their lessons. Today would be the last day of their tutoring and they were excited to finish it off on a high note. All three boys were eleven now, Rigel had celebrated his birthday in May and Draco in June, and were anxiously waiting for their Hogwarts letter, which was supposed to come anytime now. They would use everything they had learnt in the past year to outshine the others in school and bring honour to their families. They would also prank the living hell out of Hogwarts, Rigel reminded them whenever the subject came up.
They made their way to the classroom where they had learnt the first-year syllabus completely and halfway to the second. They had practiced the spells to perfection and were expected to hold nothing back. They were also expected to continue reading ahead to stay ahead.
Professor Silversky was waiting for them. Once everyone had taken their seats, he began "Greetings class. Today is the last day of your classes, and I want to say that I am extremely proud of you. You have given it your all and have excelled in everything you have been taught. I have no doubt you all will be there in the top rankings of this year, and hopefully every year until you graduate. It has been a pleasure teaching you, young lords and ladies."
There was a round of applause for his words and Harry and Daphne even shared a hi-five, much to the amusement of the others. Professor Silversky laughed and said "Now, it's my tradition to have a little mock duel on the final day whenever I am invited to teach, and with the permission of your parents, this year is no different. Let me pair you up now, and remember, no harmful spells. You are with friends just showing whatever you have learnt this year. Let me now introduce our gracious host, Lord Arcturus Black!"
Rigel rubbed his hands gleefully as his grandfather and grandmother, accompanied by his parents walked inside the room. Behind him, Lord and Lady Potter, along with Lord Malfoy and his son and daughter in-law, Lucius and Narcissa were also present along with the parents of the rest of the heirs. 'This is going to be fun.' Rigel thought.
The elders conjured chairs and sat patiently as Professor Silversky randomly paired them to fight. Draco was against Tracey. Blaise was against Daphne who smirked at him, making him go pale. The Carrow twins would be fighting each other much to their shock. Virgo would fight Theo while Cassiopeia would be against Vincent. Rigel and Harry would be against each other, and they both shared a grin. Greg, who was the odd one, would be fighting against the professor himself much to his terror.
Arcturus Black stepped forward, wishing everyone luck before waving his wand and conjuring a dueling platform with the Black family coat of arms in the center. Charlus helped his brother in-law to cast protection spells on the platform to strengthen it against damage and cast wards around the dueling area to prevent stray spells from hitting on-looking spectators.
The duels began in earnest, starting with Draco and Tracey. After bowing and walking back the eleven steps, they turned and began firing spells at each other. Tracey gave a good fight, throwing some minor hexes, disarming jinxes and even a stunning spell much to the surprise of the elders, but Draco was simply better than her, due to his better physique and practice as he dodged the minor hexes and raised a solid protego shield which did not even budge under Tracey's spells. Tracey's shock was her undoing as Draco threw a quick disarming jinx, which blew her wand to Draco's waiting hands. Once he returned the wand with a handshake on a good fight, the next fight began. Blaise vs Daphne.
The fight started with Blaise going quickly on the offensive, intending to overwhelm Daphne. He threw a variety of spells in a basic chain which impressed everyone. No doubt the practice he had undergone, Blaise smirked in anticipation as the spells ricocheted towards the blonde girl. Daphne drew a shape in air with her wand and suddenly all the spells splashed against a transparent shield much to everyone's surprise. Daphne smirked at Blaise's shock and retaliated with some harmless jinxes accurately hitting Blaise's hair, turning it purple and giving him bad breath. Blaise was confused since none of the spells could win her the duel when suddenly Daphne's stance changed and she threw a tripping charm at an unprepared Blaise, who fell face first onto the stage. Daphne immediately cried "STUPEFY" and the red beam hit Blaise, knocking him unconscious.
"Amazing" Harry breathed while an amused Daphne renevated Blaise as he scowled, while rubbing his face where he had fallen. Rigel noticed this and smirked "Stop drooling at her Harry."
Harry flushed and said "Shut up! I'm not drooling. It was an amazing tactic to make Blaise unprepared for her real attack. Very well done."
"Yeah, he's drooling all right." Draco grinned at Rigel and Harry blushed as a sullen Blaise and smirking Daphne came towards them. Quickly clearing his embarrassment, he offered a hand to a smug Daphne who took it "An amazing fight miss Greengrass."
"Why thank you, heir Potter," Daphne said coyly, as she shook his hand. "I'm expecting a better show from you both." she added, looking at Rigel who smirked in anticipation. "Oh, don't worry Miss Greengrass, our fight will be legendary eh Harry?" to which Harry grinned.
"Oi, is no one going to ask me how my face feels? Damn it Daphne, couldn't you cast a cushioning charm on the ground before you tripped me?" Blaise whined, looking at an unimpressed Daphne who simply flipped her blond hair back. Draco jeered "You deserve it for underestimating her you ponce."
"By the way, what did you draw in the air Daphne? The shield did not even budge under the spells?" Harry asked. Everyone looked at the smiling blonde girl who answered "Oh that's obvious of course. I used runes. I drew a shield rune to stop his spells. Much better than wasting magic on a protego shield if you ask me."
"Combat runes, impressive." Harry grinned at a now blushing Daphne. Rigel grinned and was about to comment when their attention was drawn to the furious fight between the Carrow twins. They both knew each other so well that they were able to predict what they would cast next and shield accordingly. Finally, they both threw a stunner at each other that connected, knocking them both out resulting in a tie.
The fight between Crabbe and Theo was strong and ended with a defeated Crabbe heir.
The Crabbe heir was a natural in astronomy and physical intimidation, but was not suited for magical duels, especially against someone like Theo.
Finally, it was the duel between Harry and Rigel. Best friends, cousins and practically brothers. They both rose to the applause of the crowd who were anticipating a good fight between the Potter and Black heirs. Harry, who was studying magic and also who had all of the talent and power of the Potter Family since he was a small child, against Rigel, who had all of the talent and power of the Black Family. It would be a thriller to watch.
They both looked at each other and bowed. "Don't go easy on me, okay Harry? Remember Daphne is watching so I'll go easy on you." Rigel grinned. Harry went red and grinned back "I'll wipe the floor with you for that Black." Rigel just laughed and they both took the necessary steps back before waiting for the duel to start. Professor Silversky shot green sparks and the duel was underway.
Rigel immediately cast "RICTUSEMPRA" sending a tickling charm at Harry who side stepped it and retaliated with "EXPELLIARMUS" which Rigel shielded against. Both smirked, assessing each other's reactions and movements before the real fight started. Harry drew his magic and began casting "EXPELLIARMUS" "REDUCTO" "IMPEDIMENTA" "LUMOS MAXIMA" "STUPEFY".
Rigel's eyes widened as Harry started his spell chain he had formed during their breaks and knew it wouldn't be easy to break this considering Harry's power and accuracy and took a deep breath as he struggled to stay alive in this duel. He dodged the disarming jinx and muttered "PROTEGO '' which absorbed the reducto curse and the impediment jinx, but the shield could not stop the Lumos maxima, and he was temporarily blinded. He blindly threw himself to the ground, barely missing the stunning spell that sailed over his head. He muttered a spell that cleared the spots in his eyes and cast an overpowered NOX, putting out Harry's Lumos in the process.
He rolled over to another side and immediately got up as an EXPELLIARMUS splashed at the spot he was lying on and mindful of the audience including his grandfather whom he wanted to impress began his own spell chain "BOMBARDA" "REDUCTO" "STUPEFY" "STUPEFY" "DIFFINDO" "EXPELLIARMUS" "LEVICORPUS" "STUPEFY!" The last stunner was aimed above to hit Harry if the levicorpus jinx hit him.
Harry slashed his wand diagonally and brought in an upward flick and cried "SCTUEM IMMORTALEM" A bright bronze shield materialised in front of him and, to Rigel's surprise, his blasting curses hammered against the shield with a loud gong like noise and were cancelled out immediately. Rigel looked shocked as his other spells didn't even break through Harry's shield. He had expected Harry to use a protego which would have broken after the barrage of the blasting curses and while he did not expect all spells to hit, he had hoped to nail him with at least one, but Harry's new shield completely destroyed his spell chain.
Harry smirked at the wide-eyed look on Rigel's face as he cancelled out his immortal shield, which could basically stop any jinx and some curses without any problems and shouted "RICTUSEMPRA" "CONFRINGO" "EXPELLIARMUS" "STUPEFY" "BOMBARDA" "STUPEFY" hoping to end the duel.
Rigel knew he had no choice but to use some advanced magic as he shouted "AEGIS!" The Atlas Shield materialised in front of him, and he took a moment to catch his breath as Harry's powerful spells hammered away at the shield. He did not miss the look of surprise on Harry's face, and he knew he could not waste this moment as he cancelled out the shield and muttered "FLIPENDO" "STUPEFY" "STUPEFY" and the knockback jinx along with two stunners rocketed towards a surprised Harry who was in the middle of his chain.
Harry knew he had no time to draw up a shield and hastily flicked his wand upwards. To everyone's astonishment, the stage was ripped in front of Harry's feet and rose upwards to block the knockback jinx and the stunners. The jinx blasted the wooden stage to pieces and a few tiny shrapnel tore into his face.
Harry immediately shouted "DEPULSO!" banishing the wooden slats towards Rigel.
Rigel, who was sure of his victory as he had caught Harry off-guard, was once again surprised as the wooden wreckage of the stage was banished at him. He hastily transfigured the few pieces that were heading for his head into paper but could not stop a few heavy pieces hitting his leg; he rolled to the right putting weight on his now injured leg as Harry sent two stunners hoping to catch him off-guard.
Rigel was desperate to end the duel and hissed in pain as he got up and put weight on his leg. He could also feel his breath coming out laboured as he could feel his magical core depleting. His earlier spell chain and the Atlas shield had taken a lot out of his reserves and as he looked at Harry who looked slightly fatigued; he knew that he could not continue like this.
Rigel shouted "SERPENSORTIA!" and a venomous green viper appeared in front of Harry and hissed furiously as it was summoned away from its home. It began to angrily advance on Harry, who muttered "EVANESCO", vanishing the hissing reptile. Rigel, who was hoping for the snake to distract Harry for a while where could catch his breath, looked on with despair and had no choice but to raise the Atlas shield again as Harry responded with another chain, this time all blasting curses to destroy the shield. Thankfully the shield held, and Rigel knew he had just enough magic for one last trick. He prayed this last resort worked because if this failed, he knew he did not have enough energy to summon a protego let alone an atlas shield.
He dropped his atlas shield and with the last of his magic shouted "AZKAVIKE!" This was the darker version of the concussion curse, a Black creation that he had learnt from his grandfather. It would create a concussion like the standard curse, but the effects were prolonged in the improved version and the best thing was it could not be blocked by a shield. Rigel staggered as he saw the curse sailing towards Harry and hoped for a victory.
Harry watched wide eyed as the steel grey curse came straight for his head and, for some reason, he knew he could not use a shield against it. Knowing Rigel, Harry was sure his best friend would not have used the last of his magic to send a curse that could be shielded by his immortal shield. Now panicking, he hastily shouted "SERPENSORTIA!" And he knew he had made the right choice as the summoned snake was blasted into the wall where it fell, limp but alive.
Harry was desperate for a win as he could feel himself getting tired and knew he had to capitalise on this as he shouted "INCENDIO" "INCENDIO" "VENTUS" "STUPEFY" Rigel, who could barely stand, was once again shocked as Harry escaped the concussion curse. 'The bugger just knows me too well I suppose.' Rigel thought amusedly as he used the last embers of his magic to conjure water which met the flames head on and hissed as steam was formed. Rigel immediately knew he had walked into a trap as the Ventus charm blew the steam straight in front of him and thus, he could not stop the stunner hitting him even if he had the magic to do so.
'Well at least I was knocked out rather than disarmed.' was Rigel's last thought as the blackness claimed him at last. Harry was breathing heavily, and he knew he had to end it quickly as he was running out of ideas. He had then decided to use his latest spell chain which he dubbed the 'hot chain' and was surprised to see the stunner finally bringing down the Black heir. He waited for a second to see if Rigel would move again but when he didn't, he waved his wand and cleared the steam. He walked forward and muttered "RENNERVATE."
Rigel immediately opened his eyes and groaned as the exhaustion and the pain in his leg caught up with him, but accepted the hand offered by Harry as he was pulled to his feet and slung his hands around Harry's shoulders while he winced "Man, you beat the hell out of me Harry. Great fight bro!"
Harry grinned and said "You almost got me with the concussion curse. If I hadn't known you wouldn't have wasted your magic on a last spell that could be shielded, I would have used my immortal shield again. An excellent fight, Rigel."
"What was that shield by the way? It didn't even buck under my chain. You gotta teach me that man!" Rigel exclaimed and Harry said "Sure, it's called shield of immortals and short of unforgivable, you can stop anything provided you have enough power to put behind it. In return you have to teach me the Atlas shield though!"
Rigel grinned "Deal!"
"Deal!"
The two boys then looked around them and silence greeted them as the Lords and Ladies were simply shocked at the display of magic exhibited by the eleven year old heirs. Charlus Potter stood up and started clapping and everyone in the room got up and gave them a standing ovation. The two boys grinned at each other, and with their hands still around each other's shoulders, they gave a bow to the lords and ladies and turned around to bow to their friends who were awestruck.
"If that wasn't good enough to impress your Daphne, I don't know what is Harry." Rigel whispered and Harry murmured "Shut up! She's not my Daphne." his face red.
Arcturus Black came forward and boomed "My boys! You have exceeded every single expectation I had placed on you. Simply a mind blowing exhibition considering that you boys have not even begun school yet! Rigel, Harry, I have no doubt you both will bring honour to our houses. Mark my words."
Both boys blushed at the rare praise from Arcturus and simply nodded to him. Sirius came forward and exclaimed "I'm damn proud of you pup!" to a grinning Rigel and his mother Marlene Black nee McKinnon swept him into a hug, much to his embarrassment. "Mum, you can't hug me in public like this." Rigel's muffled voice said, much to the amusement of his father and others present.
"Oh, hush Rigel, after that duel I'm allowed to hug my son who I'm so proud of," Marlene said, pulling her only son into her embrace which she knew he secretly liked. She looked at the green-eyed boy in front of her and said "A worthy victory dear. Well fought." Harry smiled and nodded, and Marlene felt her heart go out to the boy. While she was friends with both James and Lily, she was disgusted at the level they had fallen to, ignoring their son and favouring that arrogant other twin whom she was not at all fond of. She decided to narrate this experience to them just to spite them and let them know how powerful their son was. She had no doubt Harry could easily beat the pampered boy who lived with little difficulty.
Narcissa meanwhile rushed forward and pulled Harry into a hug which he heartily returned. Narcissa was one of the few people Harry allowed to touch him and the blonde woman took advantage of it many times to pull the adorable boy who deserved all the affection in the world into a hug. "Well fought Harry. A truly spectacular duel, boys."
"Let him breathe Cissa. A good match Harry, Rigel. Your magical prowess is something that will shock many in the near future. Keep up the good work."
"Thanks Uncle Lucius!" They chimed together.
"Mother, your son duelled first and beat his opponent yet you're all over Harry again. Might I remind you that your son needs some comfort as well?" came the drawling voice of Draco Malfoy who was followed by his highly amused friends. Narcissa laughed and pulled both boys into a hug while Lucius sighed. He had no idea where his only son got the flair for dramatics from.
After Harry was released from Narcissa's embrace, Charlus put a hand on Harry's shoulder, smiled and said simply "You've made me proud, my son." That meant more to Harry than anything. After a hug from his grandmother, who gushed at his amazing performance and healed the cuts on his face, he made his way over to where Rigel was being fussed over by his mother, who was healing his injured leg.
"Mate, that was something else." Theo complimented him, which Harry accepted graciously. The Carrow twins gave him shy nods which he returned. Bella simply pulled the adorable boy into a hug and said simply "Well done." Harry knew that complement wasn't earned easily.
Draco and Blaise slapped him on the back and said "Not bad Potter. You put up quite a good show. I'm impressed, man."
"I'm glad I have your approval, Blaise," Harry said dryly as Draco began laughing. Blaise simply shrugged and grinned which made Harry grin back. He was very thankful for having such good friends.
Finally, Daphne made her way over to him and Blaise and Draco discretely moved away. Daphne had a smile on her face as Harry cheekily asked "Was my lady suitably entertained?"
"You sure know how to put on a good show my lord. Well fought and consider me impressed." Daphne said softly, which made Harry's heart soar. Daphne was the only girl who made him feel like this and made him shy and lose his confidence. Daphne and he continued to talk about the various spells they had used, totally ignoring the others and missing Draco and Rigel's taunting smirks and Tracey's knowing smile.
Once Rigel's leg was healed and had gotten a pepper up potion, everyone made their way to their seats and sat down. The duel between Greg and Professor Silversky was cancelled since Greg begged him to cancel it and the professor, feeling bad for the physically strong boy, agreed. Professor Silversky made a few comments about the duel and formally took his leave, to the roaring applause of his students and their parents. The Carrow twins, Theo, Vince, Tracey, Greg and Blaise began leaving, promising to meet on the Hogwarts Express.
After everyone had gone, Arcturus said "Well, that went good. I know for a fact that tomorrow you will be getting your Hogwarts letters, and we can start getting your necessities tomorrow itself." Harry was excited to hear this. Finally, it was time to go to Hogwarts.
"Harry, Draco, me and your grandfathers have a meeting tomorrow so we will not be joining you. Lucius and Narcissa, along with Bella and Rudolphous will take you all to Diagon Alley tomorrow. Floo over to Malfoy Manor at eleven tomorrow. Miss Greengrass, you are welcome to join them as well."
"Thank you, my lord. My parents and I will meet your group at the Leaky Cauldron tomorrow morning." Daphne bowed her head in respect.
The group soon began to disperse and floo to their respective Manors. Charlus, Dorea and Harry flooed over to Potter Castle where Harry collapsed on a couch "Man, I'm tired."
"After a duel like that, I'm not surprised. Even with you reading ahead, I could see Rigel was not easy to beat." Dorea stated and Harry nodded enthusiastically "Not even close to easy. We both were firstly restricted to the spells we could cast since we didn't want to hurt each other, and the pace was intense. We were both using third year and above spells. It was frankly tiring. If Rigel hadn't gone down to that stunner, I would have run out of ideas."
"But still you prevailed. Good job." Charlus smiled, stroking his head. Harry sighed happily and simply relaxed. Dorea stood up and said in a strict voice "Now young man, you go up and have a bath. After eating your food, straight to bed, you hear? You've got a big day tomorrow."
"Yes mother," Harry said fondly, rolling his eyes, much to his grandfather's amusement, as he went to carry out his grandmother's orders. She was right. Tomorrow was going to be grand.
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