-8-
Albus Dumbledore was sitting on the Headmaster's throne in the Hogwarts Great Hall when he received the notification the Ilvermorny delegation had arrived.
For the time being, classes had been cancelled to allow the fourth new magical school to join and get used to the new castle; at the same time, he had arranged for everyone to be in the hall so he knew where everyone was in Hogwarts, and make plans and counter plans.
A lot of his time was spent staring contemplatively around the hall.
The news that Charlus Potter's brother's name had also come out of the Goblet of Fire had been a shock. Only a handful of people had even known the Potters had twins, so the amount of surprise everyone felt towards Harry's name coming out and the fact he went to Ilvermorny, was genuine.
Dumbledore had spent a lot of time fielding questions from Maxime and Karkaroff, Crouch, Bagman and Minerva for the last few days concerning the lost Potter twin. But, aside from that brief meeting in Fontaine's office, Dumbledore was unsure of the boy.
For the last few days, Dumbledore had been watching his students after Harry Potter's name had come out of the Goblet of Fire. The Potters currently in Hogwarts were keeping tight-lipped on the matter, although their reactions whenever they happened to hear Harry's name were telling; James always reacted in a brash flash of anger and annoyance that only someone who knew him, like a close friend or family member would recognise as one of shame and regret, Lily would always be visibly upset but otherwise, she never said a word, and Charlus…
Dumbledore sighed.
Charlus was now telling everyone his brother was a nothing, that Harry was responsible for the pain in their family. The boy's logic was irrational; Lily and James had taken his words the wrong way and sent the boy off before they faked their only daughter's death, only to be confronted with her a few years later. It was not Harry's fault this was happening; the boy, while Dumbledore didn't know him too well, wasn't interested in the Tournament despite knowing what it was.
Looking over at the Gryffindor table, Dumbledore saw many in the House of Lions were avoiding Charlus and were keeping him isolated. That was a double-edged sword; adversity would help make the boy tougher, and would hopefully rid him of the arrogance he'd dragged into the castle, but at the same time, Charlus was ill-equipped to deal with it by himself. He looked lost, even if his parents had mitigated the worst of the backlash.
Something told him that Harry Potter would be in a better position instead.
After reading the notification, Dumbledore stood up, lightly tapping the crystal goblet next to him and enchanted the sound to be loud enough to carry throughout the hall. "If I may have your attention, please," he began, "the Ilvermorny delegation will be arriving shortly. Please, come with me and we shall see it."
-8-
Ironic, the MACUSA usually ignores all things No-Maj, and yet they're the first to embrace things like airships, art deco, and several other things you'd expect to find out of the 40s to the 70s, Harry mused to himself as he absently stroked Melissa's hair. His girlfriend's head was currently in his lap, while she held up a book to read while he stared out of the window. Harry had never known Ilvermorny had an airship, a zeppelin, at their disposal, and he had no doubt the American wizards had replaced much of the No-Maj technology with their magical equivalents, likely replacing the hydrogen gas in the balloon with charms allowing it to hover lighter than air, reinforcing it with runes while moving the ship with magic.
But while he was awed by how easily wizards could take something made by No-Maj's, Harry was worried about Holly. He knew she was frightened; she had been calling him for the last few days, begging him to be careful, and he had been telling her to just try to focus on her schoolwork so she didn't make herself sick, and that they'd see each other soon. But she had cried her heart out and it had made it harder for him to reassure her.
"A Knut for them?"
Harry looked down and smiled at his girlfriend, who looked up at him with pure love in her eyes as he stroked her hair. They'd gotten into this habit over the years. They had begun dating only a year ago, and while they did have their problems, they were devoted to one another; Harry had fallen in love with Melissa a long time ago, and she had had a real impact on his life.
"I'm just thinking about the airship," he replied.
"Yeah," Melissa chuckled. "I'll bet that surprises them."
Harry didn't care how their arrival would go. All he wanted was to get the Tournament done while he tried to find the answers to his questions. "Yeah," he looked away. He turned back to Melissa when he felt her sitting up again. "What's wrong?" He asked.
Melissa stared at him sympathetically. "You're thinking about them," she spat the word in anger, "aren't you?"
Harry knew she was referring to his parents. "I was more worried about the Tournament," he said, but then he added, "and I was thinking about them. I was too angry to properly ask them anything when we met in Gringotts before Holly and I left for the MACUSA. But this might be the best time to get some answers," a sinister smirk crossed his face.
Melissa didn't comment on her boyfriend and lover's inner darkness. Harry had always been a bad boy, awing the girl. She had a feeling the confrontation would not go well for the Potters, but she didn't care. They had hurt her Harry badly. And Holly. The poor girl… didn't deserve to be abandoned, just because her parents were paranoid and stupid.
"I love you, be careful, Harry," she said lightly, cupping his face in her hand. Harry caught her hand, and he drew her into his arms for a hug. As he held the beautiful girl in his arms, Harry kissed her. Melissa closed her eyes, deepening the kiss, before she pulled away, and rested her head on his shoulder.
"I'm always careful, Mel," Harry said, thinking of Holly again.
"We will be arriving at Hogwarts in two minutes; all students, prepare to disembark," Fontaine's voice boomed gently throughout the airship.
Melissa sighed regretfully and climbed off of Harry, smoothing down her robes and school skirt as she did, and removing the remaining wrinkles with her wand before she checked her appearance in her mirror, nodded and pocketed it again. When Harry's arms wrapped around her waist, and drew her to him, she smirked when she felt the bulge in his trousers.
"Later, Harry," she said, giggling when she heard his huff of disappointment.
-8-
The magical enhancement to the airship had meant there was no recoil as the ship landed; when the ship landed, it was so gentle that it would be akin to a feather fluttering to a stop on the ground. Harry took a deep breath as he fell into line with the others. More than half of his year had come with him to Hogwarts, from all four Houses. Fourth Year Ilvermorny was similar to Fourth Year at Hogwarts, while the workload was comparable, it wasn't until the fifth year when the OWLs were on that students would need to buckle down. That was why there weren't any fifth years to seventh years on the flight.
As he walked off of the zeppelin with the other fourth years, Harry looked around; the chill of the highlands of Scotland meant nothing to him; as Ilvermorny castle topped a mountain, all students were used to the cold, and rapidly learnt how to apply warming charms. It looked like Isolt Sayre really wanted her magical school to mimic its counterpart down to a T.
The zeppelin had landed on the Hogwarts grounds, close to a large, dark, murky lake. In the distance, he could see a small village. Outside Hogwarts, were the students from Hogwarts, with their black robes with the different coloured trims from their Houses. If there was one thing Harry and every Ilvermorny school student learnt early it was Isolt Sayre had done her research, she had learnt there was a stigma to all the Houses, and so when the uniforms of the Ilvermorny students were designed, they would only have the badges of the Houses on them, not the colours, and there were no House tables.
The blood-red and brown and fur-trimmed robes could only come from Durmstrang. Harry was not sure about where he would stand with them, but he knew internationally famous Quidditch superstar, Viktor Krum was the Durmstrang champion. A Quidditch player himself although he was not interested in playing on the House team, Harry was curious about Krum. He had learnt Krum had been selected for Dumstrang, a girl called Fleur Delacour was the Beauxbatons champion, and she was in the crowd of blue silk-robed Beauxbatons' students. They were likely cold unless they'd cast charms on themselves.
Harry scowled as he watched Fontaine greet the Ministry representatives and the other Headteachers, knowing he would be called forward soon.
"Mr Potter," Fontaine's voice was magically enhanced.
Harry's scowl became a mask, and he moved through the crowd and went to stand next to Fontaine, his eyes flickering over the enormous figure of Madame Maxime, and the tall, thin form of Karkaroff. Mentally he sighed in despair at the thought of a Death Eater, even a pardoned one, in such a position. His uncles had told him the Durmstrang Headmaster had been forced to swear all kinds of oaths to never teach students to become Death Eaters, but if he found out it was Karkaroff who'd put his name into the Goblet, he would make him pay.
"Harry," Dumbledore smiled at him benevolently, "I'm glad to see you again," he said, holding out his hand.
Harry wanted to spit on him. This was the same man who'd dragged his parents into the Blood War. This was the same man whose opinion mattered more to his parents than the lives of their children. Still, it was not a good idea to snub him as he didn't want any problems. "Headmaster," Harry shook his hand neutrally even if he fought the impulse to show his contempt for Dumbledore.
"How was your journey?" Dumbledore asked conversationally.
Harry quirked a brow, not impressed when he felt the probe brush his mental shields. Quickly he gently but firmly shoved them away, and he chuckled when he saw Dumbledore take a subtle step back that only the most observant in the audience would pick up on. Strike one, old fool. But what surprised him the most was how a second man, one with shoulder length, greasy black hair and soiled black robes that gave the impression of a giant bat, also stepped back. Harry decided to keep watch on that one. "It was…relaxing," he chuckled as he remembered how he and Melissa had kept themselves entertained. "Thank you. Shall we get inside?"
Dumbledore blinked. "Wouldn't you like to speak to your parents and your brother?" He waved towards James and Lily, who were standing with Charlus. In the background, two men - both tall, with one with a pale, gaunt face covered with scars, and the other a dashing, handsome man with dark hair - were staring at Harry with shock.
To Dumbledore, who believed family would never hurt each other, the thought of Harry not wanting to speak to his family was alien to him. But when he saw Harry's face twist angrily, his jaw jutting with feral aggression, he knew it was a lost cause. For the time being.
In a voice that told him the boy was pushing a lot of his magic into his vocal cords - the fact he could do that stunned him since it showed Harry had a strong mastery of magic - which attracted attention if the gasps and mutters were anything to go by.
"Why would I speak to people who threw me and my little sister, Holly away and justify it by saying they were keeping us safe?" Harry countered. "Now, can we please get inside the castle, it's freezing?"
Dumbledore was stunned by Harry's attitude, but he nodded regardless and he ushered the Ilvermorny contingent into the castle.
-8-
Hogwarts was an impressive school, and the Ilvermorny students could well understand why Isolt Sayre had been so upset to have missed out on coming here because Gormlaith Gaunt was so warped in her head, twisted and psychotic that she didn't care about her family's long-term future, and why she had wanted to model Ilvermorny on Hogwarts.
The hall had been expanded to accommodate the new students, and the House Tables were lengthened to let the Americans in. There were no House tables at Ilvermorny, so seeing them at Hogwarts was a new experience. At their school, this kind of segregation was not permitted. Yes, the Horned Serpents, Thunderbirds, Wampuses, and Pukwudgies had their own parts of the castle, there were inter-house competitions and points, and the house insignias were enchanted on the badge, but that was as far as it went.
Harry walked into the hall, hand in hand with Melissa. Together, he and the other Horned Serpents walked over to the Ravenclaws.
Harry sat down next to Melissa, and the Ravenclaws and Beauxbatons students joined in. A beautiful Indian girl in Ravenclaw robes sat down next to Harry, looking shy while Dumbledore took his place at the lectern.
"Now that our guests from Ilvermorny are here, may all Champions - Fleur Delacour, Viktor Krum, Cedric Diggory, Harry and Charlus Potter - please join us in the anteroom. In the meantime," Dumbledore waved his hands, and platters of food appeared, "enjoy yourselves and please try to make friends with our foreign visitors."
Harry sighed and stood up, kissing his girlfriend on the lips before he followed the rest of the Champions to a small anteroom.
-8-
The meeting with the Tournament organisers was fairly mundane; it was just essentially a recap of everything Harry had already guessed. Ilvermorny hadn't attended the Tournament in the past, but the Headmasters of the past had always wanted their school to be up to date with knowledge; the moment he'd learnt he was in the Tournament, Harry had immediately checked out the history.
He knew the first task usually always featured some kind of contest against a dangerous magical animal, and he hoped these organisers hadn't decided on Nundus or Manticores, but he wouldn't put it past them. They didn't seem to be that smart, and Bagman gave the name of Wizard a bad name with his attitude.
What he couldn't grasp was why Lily and James Potter were in here. They were both flanking Charlus. What, did they really think he was so fragile he would snap?
"So, you are the lost Potter twin?" Harry looked up into the face of the Beauxbatons Champion. The moment he did, he was stunned by her seemingly otherworldly beauty…and then he realised she was a Veela when he felt her allure brush his shields.
"Yes, I am," Harry wondered what she had heard.
"Why are you attending Ilvermorny and not Hogwarts?" She asked curiously.
"Our parents believed I was a squib, so they dumped me in the muggle world, supposedly to keep me safe; a few years later, they did the same with my little sister," Harry paused as an image of Holly appearing at Privet Drive jumped in front of his brain. "We managed to get to the MACUSA a few years later, and we haven't seen or spoken to the sperm donor and the incubator since."
Okay, he knew he was pushing it there, but he didn't care.
Lily and James overheard him. "It wasn't like that, and you know it!" Lily said.
"We had to protect you and our family!" James said angrily.
"Does that include how you abandoned Holly, your own daughter?" Harry countered. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Mr and Mrs Potter," should he be ashamed he'd made them flinch? "But aren't Charlus and I twins, and Holly's your daughter? We're biologically your family. But in reality, we are not. You speak about us as if we're someone else's kids. Which we are now."
"We didn't know if you were the target!" Lily whispered.
"We were protecting you both! If you were with us, our lives were in danger!" James shouted.
"So you decided to just throw Holly away. Did you think she would have survived there, and even if she did, did you really think she would never confront you when she found out you were both alive?" Harry countered.
"You ruin everything!" Charlus had had enough.
Harry turned to him, unaffected by his anger. "How?" He asked plainly. "I haven't seen or spoken to you for years. Holly and I don't care one bit about you; we haven't contacted each other, so your little tantrum doesn't hold water."
Charlus growled angrily and he threw off his parents' hands, and he took out his wand and fired off a curse, using the training his father had given him to take Harry by surprise. Everyone yelled in shock, but Harry's wand flicked out and he quickly cast a shield, and he fired several curses off into Charlus's direction before he waved his wand, and transfigured the floor underneath his twin brother into water, causing Charlus to yell.
"MR POTTER, STOP THIS!" Dumbledore shouted.
"Mr Potter, enough!" Fontaine also got involved.
But the twins ignored their headteachers, as they got into the duel.
"Stay out of this!" Harry laced his words with magic, shutting up the protests.
Charlus had been taught by his parents to help fight the Death Eaters…and Voldemort, when the time came. And he had a good repertoire of curses and hexes under his robes.
But it didn't take long for him to discover he was out of his depth. Harry didn't waste his time firing off curses and hexes; he used a whole collection of spells both rooted in charms and transfiguration; with a flick, Charlus was levitated up, only to be banished. He retaliated with several nasty curses, and Harry fired a light orb at him, blinding him, and lining him up for a brutal bludgeoner curse to the knees and chest which left him breathless, while Harry transfigured melee objects nearby, so a curse bounced off and hit Charlus.
In the end, Charlus's wand was snatched out of his grasp and Harry charged towards him and actually kicked him in the face. Charlus's scream echoed with Lily's.
"MR POTTER, I MUST INSIST YOU STOP THIS!" Dumbledore yelled.
But Harry didn't listen. He stepped onto his brother's hand and squeezed, making his twin scream. "I didn't put my name in the Goblet," he said, "I don't care about your stupid Tournament. If you've got a problem with me, fine. You want to come after me again, okay? I will be waiting…but if you go for my friends, or my girlfriend, or even Holly if she turns up…I will take the law into my own hands, and you don't want me to do that. I am not afraid to be cruel. Do you understand?" Harry spat. "You go for her, or my girlfriend, and I will beat you to death. I don't care if you are my twin. Now do you follow that?"
Without bothering to wait for a reply, Harry turned and walked out of the anteroom, followed by Fontaine, who instantly began reprimanding him. But he didn't care. He also didn't notice that everyone had taken note of his glowing emerald eyes, and the air crackling around him, which earned him lust-filled looks from Fleur Delacour.
