Author's Note: Hello and most welcome to another one of my ventures into JK Rowling's Potterverse. This will probably be a Haphne story and will have something that I have never seen tried in fanfiction. Therefore, if you see a similar fic somewhere else, then it is purely coincidental because I can guarantee you that the plotline is entirely mine and no one else has the credits for it.
Now, for this one and all the future chapters, here's the disclaimer:
Harry Potter Franchise doesn't belong to me. I am just a simple guy playing in JK Rowling's sandbox. The franchise owners, as far as I am aware, are JK Rowling, Bloomsbury Publishing and Warner Bros. This statement goes for the entire fic and will not be repeated again in every A.N.
Some General information for the fic:
1. The story starts during the summer holidays before Fifth book (Order of the Phoenix).
2. It will have some aspects from the canon, other than that it will start as slightly AU and will progress to diverge more and more.
3. Story is in First person P.O.V. The Point of view is Harry's.
4. Pairing: I haven't decided it but it will probably be Haphne.
5. Story will have slow pace in the beginning because Harry is troubled and will try to find a few answers. His behaviour is also a bit different for which reason will be explained in future chapters. Trust me, the story's plot has been refined again and again to give you the best experience.
6. Any other queries or suggestions can be asked through Fanfiction PMs or you can always join my super private server on discord where I'll keep on updating new chapters, sneak peeks, All the character sketches will be uploaded, where you are free to talk and ask me anything regarding my fanfics (as I am most active there):
Beware: Loads of NSFW (Yes, Porn, and lots of it. Lol)
discord . gg / Gcbcv4dxGx (remove the spaces)
Name: Dev Black's Empire
Also note, this is chapter 01 of the story, means the next five chapters (till Chapter 06) are on my p treon. link is on my profile and at the end of the chapter.
Hearty thanks to our four Guildmaster tier holders: Camo, I am Lord Dems, Stormfox and RyanMK6. (Check out my p treon profile for the tiers and their benefits. Only three seats left)
Now, without any further ado, let me welcome you to my best story till date... A Castle of Flowers...
"I am Talking."
Spells
NOTE- Only in the first chapter there are a few flashbacks, but to an avid reader it won't be a trouble because every time there's this '⁂' used, Harry either goes into a flashback or returns to the present.
A Castle of Flowers
–Dev Sagittarius Black
~~Chapter One: A Past Shrouded in Mysteries~~
.
Flying over the buildings in the small village of Little Whinging, I sighed as the cool air brushed my hair and the bright stars twinkled above me. Why couldn't they simply let me fly all around the world? Ah yes, one simple reason: I am Harry Potter, the boy who lived; the saviour of the wizarding world. And you're about to witness my life through my eyes.
If you don't want to suffer from stupid visions, don't want to fight creatures that could only be found in fantasy books, and want to live in the normal world with normal thoughts and a normal imagination and live a life without the constant fear of changing the entire world around you with a simple flick of a stick.
Then stop reading right now.
Lead your normal life and be happy you have one. Forget about the story and don't even think about starting to read again. Why? Because this is not your normal story. This is not just a work of fiction, there is a tiny-winy minute really-really minute possibility that this is real. As real as you and me.
And if, even by mistake, you fall into this boundless realm of mesmerising madness that will touch your soul and suck you into the whirlpool filled with awesome adventures, breathtaking battles, ceaseless creations, and dangerous destinies. I promise you, you'll leave only with a bag full of unforgettable moments and lifelong memories.
So, since you have decided and made up your mind, I, Harry James Potter, saviour of the wizarding world, protector of immortality, Basilisk slayer, and Tri-Wizard Winner, welcome you to my world.
A world full of broken promises and hidden mysteries filled with every monster imaginable, an evil Dark Lord plotting to usurp the throne, a group of people who want to kill and enslave every other creature, a corrupt and cowardly government ruling over a nation, and standing against all them are a bunch of teenagers, an old wizard, and me.
So, where was I again? Ah yes! I was flying over my hometown. The place that had been my residence for almost fourteen years of my life but it could never have been considered my home. Until yesterday, I suppose. I didn't recall half of the recent events.
It all began about one and a half months ago when I was returning from the small park near my house. It was evening, and the first stars were already coming out of their slumber. I searched for my cousin only to discover that Big D had departed with his merry band of misfits, likely to harass a smaller kid from the neighborhood. Of course, it wasn't my concern.
"Harry! How are you, young man?" I heard the grizzled voice of Dr. Smith, a 43-year-old retired scientist with multiple PhDs in many fields. He was sitting in his favorite lawn chair, sipping from a cup, with one of his books lying on the small table in front of him.
Dr. Smith, or as he wanted to be called, Arthur, was a nice, happy man. One of the few people in the neighborhood who didn't run away from me or sneer in my direction, which already gave him bonus points in my book.
In fact, he even invited me to his house sometimes to show me all about his achievements in the various fields of sciences; his awards, his PhD certificates, his large library, which encompassed the entirety of his ground floor, and of course, his stamp collection.
The man genuinely seemed interested in my life. And for some reason, he always said that I didn't seem like the type to go to St. Brutus. He said that I was way too 'polite' and 'nice' to be compared to the hooligans who attend that accursed institution. I refuted his claim by telling him that it wasn't as bad as he made it out to be. Still, Dr Smith never seemed to believe me.
"Good evening, Arthur," I greeted. "I am quite well; I have to rush back to the house before sunset. Aunt's orders." I don't think I managed to make a convincing face because the next thing I knew, Arthur started chuckling.
"Petunia still doesn't allow her children out and about after sunset, does she?"
I shrugged, "It's more like she doesn't want other children out and about with 'me' after sunset."
That made him laugh more. His laughter was like a rough piece of wood grinding on a stone. The line of thought didn't make me feel any better, so I focused on other things around me, like the small patch of flowers growing in his front yard. Larkspur, if the bright light blue flowers on the unbranched stem were any indication.
Years of herbology, potions, and Aunt Petunia's gardening lessons probably gave me the skills necessary to run a flower shop all by myself. At least that was what I hoped because my grades definitely weren't good enough for a ministry job or any other respectable job that the wizarding world offered.
"-there? Harry? Don't tell me I am finally starting to bore you to death."
My focus shifted to Arthur as I saw him waving his hand in front of my eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, I am fine. I kind of zoomed out, sorry," I apologized.
Arthur slowly got up, chuckling at me and waving my apology off. He picked up the now-empty cup and started moving back into his home. That's when he turned and looked at me, an easy-going smile on his face, "If it's not much, can I trouble you for a cup of my fresh brew? We can discuss that book that fascinated you the last time you visited."
I thought for a while as I checked the time on my old wristwatch—six-thirty. Then I looked at the setting sun; it was still quite a distance away from the horizon. I assumed it would take another twenty-thirty minutes before the street lights were switched on.
"Sure." I shrugged and followed him inside.
It wasn't like I had to cook dinner anymore. The Dursleys had thankfully left me alone after that debacle in my third year. For some reason, I think that my sour mood ever since I came from Hogwarts this year might be one of the reasons for their reluctance. But maybe I was—nah, who cares? They didn't bother me at all; what more could I ask for? Access to Vernon's funds? Ha!
⁂
(Present)
My memory was fuzzy after that. I didn't remember half the things that occurred in the last few weeks. The muggle doctor who had been assigned to watch my case told me that my memories were affected because of the accident. He assured me that, given time, I would be able to get all my memories back.
"Whatcha thinkin' about Harry?"
I looked at the almost invisible form of the pink-haired witch, who was screaming to surpass the air velocity hammering our ears.
"Nothing! Just curious about where we were going!" I screamed back; my years of experience on the broom were coming in handy as I glided through the clouds. A small smile crept on my face when I noticed Tonks trying to keep up with my Firebolt.
"Wait, how did you know I was thinking about something?" I was invisible, hiding under my cloak. I was sure that no one except maybe Professor Dumbledore or Moody, with his magical eye, could even notice my presence.
"Well, either you're dead or you are an idiot for not thinking of something," she cried over the rapid wind, "You weren't dead last I checked, so... Are you an idiot?" And then came the twinkling laugh after that. Her laughter was infectious, I could hear Remus and Miss Vance chuckle too, I grinned.
This was the first time I was meeting her, but for some reason, I already liked her. She somehow gave me the feeling that she was a fun person to be around yet she took her job seriously.
How did I know? Well, she had already cracked a few jokes, and secondly, even though she didn't want to make it obvious, her eyes seemed to be flitting around the area before we disillusioned ourselves. Also, she always tried to stay as close to my broom as possible.
"Can you slow down, Potter? We won't really be guarding you if you leave us behind on that fancy broom of yours!" Moody barked from the rear end, and I noticed that I was indeed quite ahead of the silhouette of the guard who was supposed to take the front of the group. Hey! It wasn't my fault I had The Firebolt, blame Sirius!
Still, I slowed down a bit and allowed the guard group to get into their predetermined formation again.
It was fun. Flying thousands of feet in the air, gliding just beneath the clouds. Cool air was whistling in my ears, crisscrossing through my hair. The view was great too; everything was great and amazing, and I thanked the Gods that I was using the better method of wizarding transportation.
Still, I didn't feel any of the usual joy that I used to feel when I was on my broom, free to fly like a bird as much as I wanted to. Why? Many reasons.
It might have been because of what happened at the end of the Triwizard Tournament. It might have been because I was unconscious for about a whole month. It might have been because I was entirely cut off and didn't know what was going on in the world that I would be rejoining in a few hours. It might have been because I didn't receive any letters from my 'best mate'... or maybe I was actually sad that my blood relatives were all dead.
It could always have been a mixture of all this. Who knows?
The last one didn't make much sense, though. The Dursleys—I had always hated them. In fact, in my entire stay at Number Four, I couldn't remember a single moment where I liked even one of those miserable people. Yet they were my only family. My last connection to my mom. Something that was lost, which made me sad.
I only knew the things that were told to me by the muggle authorities that came to visit me in the city hospital about a fortnight ago.
⁂
(Past)
"Good afternoon, Mr. Potter. I hope you are feeling well," The tall, pale-skinned man with a small dusting of freckles on his clean-shaven face asked me.
"Yes, sir," my voice was still weak as I took in his appearance and his no-nonsense aura similar to McGonagall and Snape's.
"Glad to hear that." He offered his hand, "I am Adam, Adam Jones." He gave a small smile as we shook hands. Adam removed his sunglasses and placed them neatly in the inside pocket of his black two-piece suit. "Do you know why I am here?" He asked.
"Err... No? I mean, I am sorry; I don't have any idea." I told him the truth because I actually didn't know his reasons.
"There isn't any simple way to break the news, and I really didn't want to burden you with this now of all times, but..." And he trailed off. For a moment, every scenario crossed my mind—everything that could have gone wrong while I was unconscious. From Voldemort winning the war to World War Three, everything.
The sudden thoughts made my still-healing mind dizzy. I could already feel a headache starting to form in the back of my head. Damn you, Potter, what did the doctor say? 'Do not strain your body in any way.'
"Can you please be a bit more clear, sir?" I asked him, "I am sorry, but I still don't understand."
Jones sighed a bit before straightening up: "I am sorry to say this, but your family—Mr and Mrs. Dursleys and your cousin Dudley—are no more."
For a moment, I didn't know what to do. My brain stopped thinking. I stared blankly at the man, Adam, who was looking at my face, probably trying to gauge my reaction. And what was I doing? I was waiting for the man to point his finger at me and say 'Gotcha!' as the Dursleys entered the room.
Unfortunately, it didn't happen.
"What?"
Jones nodded his head and offered me the glass of water from the bedside table. I took the glass and ended up drinking it dry with three large gulps. My brain was still a hailstorm of wayward thoughts and emotions running havoc across my system.
"Your uncle, Mr. Vernon Dursley, and his son, your cousin, Mr. Dudley Dursley, were found dead in the alleyway between Magnolia Crescent and the Wisteria Walk, a small distance away from your home," Jones told me and placed one of those yellow-colored files that his assistant provided.
"You can see their description by our forensic doctors and photographs taken by the cops in this file. The cause is yet to be confirmed, as the medics still don't know how or why your relatives left you. We'll definitely tell you if we find anything that could remotely be linked to their demise." The cause was unknown. What the hell was up with that? How could they not know what had happened?
I wanted to ask many questions. I wanted to open the file then and there and pull out the photographs. Still, I hesitated. I didn't have the strength to see the dead anymore after my very first encounter, still fresh in my memories. And these were even closer than Diggory, who had neither lived with me nor had that many conversations.
"Wha-What about Aunt Petunia?" I was surprised that I was stuttering. Normally, my voice was much better, and I never stuttered like this. Is this what they call true shock?
Jones again gave me his 'I-pity-you' look, which I ignored completely. "Your aunt was unable to bear the loss of both her husband and her son." He then pulled another file—this time green—and placed it over the yellow file. "A few days after she heard about it, she died of a heart attack."
⁂
(Present)
I hadn't been able to read the files until yesterday. It was more like I didn't want to. Jones had told me a bit about how the burial had been done by Vernon's sister, Marjorie 'Marge' Dursley, as they didn't know how long it would take for me to regain my consciousness.
He also told me that they had contacted her regarding the transfer of my guardianship, something that I still couldn't and didn't want to believe. Marjorie Dursley as my guardian?! Hell would freeze over a hundred times before I would ever let that woman come near me, even with a ten-foot-long pole.
Fortunately enough, it seemed that dear aunt Marge didn't want to do anything with me either; it seemed as if she was terrified of me and wanted to get rid of me as soon as possible. It was a bit confusing because, as far as I knew, the minister had said that the magic would be reversed, and she wouldn't remember anything. Still, why should I look a gift horse in the mouth?
Later, she came to meet me in the hospital and told me she'd go back to wherever she lived, and I could stay and rot in number four for all she cared. I happily waved the woman and her blasted dog off before falling asleep. That was probably the best thing that the woman ever did for me.
However when I entered number four, Privet Drive, yesterday, it gave me a really weird feeling.
⁂
(Past)
The home was empty, Aunt Petunia's rose bush was dry and dead, and Uncle Vernon's car was parked on the porch with a thin layer of dust on it. There were dry leaves and twigs in the front yard, and a thin layer of dust was on the doorstep.
It seemed empty and lifeless, which I corrected myself later that it actually 'was' empty and lifeless. I never visited their graves, though. I didn't love them that much, and I am sure none of them would even want a 'freak' like me to dirty their graves. It was pessimistic of me to think of it that way, but I couldn't care less.
Although things did change for me when I entered the living room.
"Professor Lupin?"
My previous Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was standing in the living room with his back facing me. He was wearing better clothes than the first time I had seen him; maybe he finally landed a stable-income job. Who knows?
Lupin had a serious expression on his face that had even more scars than before. I had only seen him this serious when he had jumped in to save Sirius and attack Wormtail back in my third year. "Harry," he said, and before I knew it, I was hugging him, "Are you alright? I am sorry I wasn't there when you woke up. I was out on a mission from Professor Dumbledore."
I relished the feel of another warm body near me; it didn't matter who. I was just happy that there was someone who was actually making the effort to show me some love and care. I didn't know when my vision blurred or when the first sob escaped my gut and came out of my mouth. What I knew was that it only took one warm hug and a single question. A single act of reassurance that there was someone who wanted to be there for me when I needed them the most.
Everything seemed to finally dawn on me. Cedric's and Dursley's deaths, along with one more, which I didn't want to believe... Dr. Arthur Smith. Jones had told me about his demise and the state of the house where they found me. The nurse said that it was a miracle that I was still alive.
They gave the house at Number 8 and all of its things to me, as per Arthur's will. Why? No one knew. The cops believed that it might be something that was linked to the accident, and I might remember the reason later. They did tell me to contact them once I started remembering things that were important.
All of it came crashing back like an avalanche of emotions and memories. The world around me blurred as I thought of the last two weeks that I had spent in the hospital. Remus—bless that man—didn't complain once as he held me and let all of my pent-up frustrations out.
⁂
(Present)
"Stay clear and slow down!" Moody's voice rang. "We are nearing the location!"
The group started to slow down, but I still didn't know where we were going. Only that it was a safe place and was my godfather, Sirius Black's ancestral home. They had told me that my house was not safe anymore, and I had to pack my things as soon as I could.
Fortunately enough, my trunk was still largely unpacked as I had left it alone, not wanting to do anything during the starting days of my holiday other than simply lay in my room. Therefore, it only took me fifteen minutes to pack everything that I considered close to me in the trunk, and I was ready to leave the house forever.
"Harry? Excited to meet Padfoot?" Remus's voice came from my left. The werewolf was still invisible, but I knew where he was.
"Yeah. How's he, by the way?"
Last I knew, the innocent fugitive was living in a cave on the outskirts of Hogsmeade. Hopefully, his current dwelling is serving him better than that.
"Oh, he's good." Remus chuckled, "Well, as well as someone like him could be, but you don't know how excited he is to meet you."
"Silence!" Moody barked again, "We are still a few miles from the safe house. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"
The group fell silent.
Imagine being silenced by your own guard. Well, Moody was a retired Auror who was strict and was very famous among the inmates of Azkaban, both inside and outside the accursed building. So it was kind of obvious that people listened to him more than he listened to people.
Not even Tonks, who had been vocal about Moody's suggestion to fly above the clouds and to track back and check the enemies, spoke.
And the silence that ensued was a welcome respite for me, as it helped me collect my thoughts.
⁂
(Past)
"Are you feeling alright now?"
I bobbed my head. The small cup of Aunt Petunia's most expensive brew was still in my hand. Its rich aroma wafted in the surrounding air.
"I am sorry, sir; I shouldn't have broken down like that." I apologized, looking down at the cup and thinking about what to say to alleviate the situation. "I promise it won't happen again."
Professor Lupin gave a tired chuckle as he took a small sip from his own cup. "Look at you, apologizing for doing something that you should've done ages ago. Also, I am not your professor anymore, so please call me Remus or Moony, whichever you prefer."
I didn't say anything. There was no need to say anything either, as the situation was already back to normal. Well, as normal as it could be, anyway. A house that had seen deaths, a werewolf, and a wizard drinking tea in the living room on a lazy afternoon.
"You might be curious as to why I am here," Remus said, his tone more answering than questioning, so I went ahead and nodded in agreement.
"I am sent here to collect you, Harry. This house and Privet Drive as a whole aren't safe for you anymore," Remus explained.
"There are things in our world that can't be done by the muggle world. One of them is blood protection." Remus went into professor mode as I sat there, listening. "Blood protection is a ritualistic method of protection devised by old houses to protect their manors from being ravaged by forces of dark nature and intent."
"But-" I interrupted him, "Isn't this blood protection illegal? I mean, if it's got anything to do with rituals and blood magic, shouldn't this be illegal magic?" I didn't know much about it, but even I knew that blood magic was something considered to be illegal and thus banned in a few nations.
"Protection magic of any kind isn't banned in any nation. What you might have read are ministry-sanctioned books that talk about blood magic as a whole and attempt to discourage wizards and witches from practicing it," he clarified.
"Oh, well, that's quite neat," I muttered slowly, taking in the new information. Surprisingly enough, my brain was soaking up the new data and processing it at a tremendous rate. I mean, I knew I was not an idiot, but this was way too fast. It was as if I already knew about it and was just refreshing my memories.
"Yes, and that's what the headmaster did for you here, on Privet Drive." Lupin continued, "He used blood magic and made a safety cloak over your house, which has been protecting you from harm, and kept your location hidden from the free Death Eaters or those who might want retribution from you."
Well, that made sense. I always thought about why Malfoy's dad or his friends never attacked my house in the past few years. It wasn't like it was hard for someone like him to get the address; a few bribes and it would have worked like the Patronus against Dementors. "So, what happened to that protection?"
"The ritual requires two things, Harry," He raised a closed fist and pointed one finger. "The protected." He then pointed with his other finger, "And the protector. Now in this house, it's only you here, and with Petunia's death, no one is here to fulfill the second position."
Slowly, things were coming back, and I could finally understand what exactly the 'big' deal was.
"And since Petunia isn't with us anymore, the ritual's protection is diminishing. I am sure that He will come personally to ravage this house once it dies out."
No. Don't think of it. Don't you dare think of him. But, like always, my memory betrayed me and immediately supplied me with the horrifying visuals of the third task. The sickly pale skin, the red eyes, the snake-like face... Voldemort. The man who was central to almost all the problems in my life, and maybe vice versa.
"Harry? Are you alright?"
I gave a small nod as I tried to suppress that particular memory: "Kill the spare." I hated him then, I hate him now, and I will hate him till he dies. That was one of the things that no magic in this world could ever change.
"How do we know the protections are getting weak?" I asked the professor, who looked at the two files that I had kept on the kitchen table when I entered the room. With a flick of his wand, he summoned them and opened the yellow file. He wordlessly took a photograph and showed it to me.
I looked into the man's brown eyes in disbelief. He had a somber look on his face.
"Dementors... How?" I gasped.
⁂
(Present)
"Slow down and descend! Maintain equal distance while you descend so you don't hit each other and maintain constant viability," Moody barked from the rear end of our entourage, and everyone started following the command immediately.
Someone from my left—Remus—grabbed the neck of my broom and slowly tilted it a bit downward. We started descending towards a big building that was located in the heart of London, standing proudly below the night skies.
I stood with others in what I assumed was the garden of the building. Still under the cloak, invisible to everyone around me barring Moody's magical eye.
That was when I noticed something: there was something wrong with the buildings. The one on the right was number thirteen, and the one in the center was number eleven, with absolutely no sign of number twelve. Maybe it was planned, or perhaps the one who gave them numbers forgot?
The grizzled Auror thrust a slip of paper into my hand, "Read and memorize it."
I looked at the slip of paper; the narrow handwriting was familiar: 'The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London.'
I looked at the buildings again; they were still the same. To my right was Number Thirteen, and to my left was Number Ten, while we were standing in front of Number Eleven. Was that a joke? There was no number twelve in the first place. "Remus, where's-?"
"Think about what you've just memorized," he quietly told me.
I thought about it again, and just as I reached part of Number Twelve, both the doors, and their respective buildings, started moving apart as a much darker building with moss on its walls and cobwebs on its windows emerged from between. Number twelve was proudly written on the battered old door in front of me.
"Oh…wow..." Good job, brain! What a spectacular response! Still, I couldn't deny that this was one of the best things I had ever seen. An entire house coming between the two buildings? And—I checked again—no one in either of the buildings even noticed it! Yeah, I freaking loved magic!
Tonks, Remus, and Miss Vance laughed at my intelligent response as they started moving toward the battered old door. Moody, on the other hand, took the slip of paper from my hand and burned it immediately while the group moved ahead.
Remus twisted the ugly snake knob that was as black as charcoal and opened the door. I watched as he placed my trunk inside and removed his disillusionment while I removed my cloak.
"What's this place, Remus?"
In a show of grandeur, the werewolf raised both his hands as I heard the commotion from the other end of the entry hallway. "Welcome, Harry, to Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, otherwise known as the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix."
Ending Note: And there you have it people, The first chapter of my best written fanfiction till date, I really hope you liked it and will give this story the same love and support that you've given to my previous stories.
Also, the story is already updated till Chapter 06, so please if you can and want to, then visit and join my p -treon. It will always be 3.5 months ahead of fanfiction/ao3. Along with all the character sketches. The seats are limited, so get yours asap!
www. p a treon .c-o-m / DevSagittariusBlack
(Remove the spaces and delete the '-', obviously) Link is also present on my profile.
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Name: Dev Black's Empire.
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Dev Sagittarius Black