With the Third Task looming just on the horizon, Nicholas had gone from weekly sessions to three a week. In these times, he taught as much general magic as he could know, in the hope that Harry could understand anything he might encounter.
In his off-time, he'd work with his friends to improve his magic even further, even as they worked for their own exams. The Weasley twins proved indispensable, as they didn't mind skipping lessons, along with a surprising knowledge of spell crafting.
"Remember, you need to have an incantation that makes you think of what you want. After that, it's all just mental." George had explained.
Firmly incanting "Semper Mutans", Harry twisted his wrist as if throwing a frisbee. With a lurch, his magic burst free, taking the form of an emerald green lightning bolt. Try as he might, he couldn't get his spell to work without the shape of his scar.
Despite his complaint, he was thrilled to see his spell do a lap around the room, although he noticed it turned slower than the previous incarnation of his spell.
With a mental pull, his spell diverted it's course and struck Fred in the back, causing his ginger hair to become a bright purple. Casting it a second time allowed it to zip straight forward, before leaping over George's shield and flipping him upside down.
"It seems like I can only use spell effects I know, even then it will only be vaguely similar. Like, I tried to make George's arm glow, but it refused to change its intent and remained similar to a Flipendo."
"That does check out, it's always easier to borrow existing spells." George pointed out, easily rising from the cushioned floor. "Still, a unique spell at your age is unheard of, you definitely need to keep it protected."
"For sure, just don't forget ole' Gred and Forge, aye?"
Surprised, Harry found himself looking at the twins in a new light. "You two know about protecting spells?"
"Well, we know to keep our trap shut. We've got a few things made which we haven't unveiled yet, we gotta have something to sell when we make it big, you know?"
"What about locking them behind a bequest? Then only you could reproduce it." Harry pointed out, getting befuddled looks in return.
"Even if we knew how to do that -"
"Which we don't,"
" - that seems like a lot of effort just for a few prank items. Even if someone did learn how to reproduce our pranks… well that's just more chaos, we're all for that you know?"
"What about you though? This is a pretty serious spell, I don't think we've heard anything like it before. That seems like something worth protecting." Fred finished.
"I could protect my spell, but at the moment it's not ready, I need it to be better, way better. If I do protect it, then if I do any major improvement to it, I'll need to protect it again. It's not like many people will be able to cast it anyway, since it's wandless." Harry replied, shrugging.
"Fair enough. Now, how about we put this spell through its paces!"
On the morning of the third task, Daphne couldn't help throwing down the paper in disgust, outraged on Harry's behalf.
"Bad news?" Tracey asked, raising an eyebrow at her friend's reaction.
"Look at this! How the hell can they get away with this?" Daphne demanded, thrusting the paper into Tracey's hands.
"Harry Potter, diviner or deranged? Certainly a catchy title. I mean, he did collapse in divination, they aren't wrong. Even Trelawney didn't seem to know what was happening, which suggests it wasn't an actual vision."
"That's not the point." Daphne argued hotly, "The point is that they have no reason to write this, especially today!"
Down her table, the more unpleasant Slytherins giggled amongst themselves, before craning their necks to look up and down the Ravenclaw table. Scooping up the paper, Daphne rushed out of the Hall, only to have Professor Flitwick float after her.
"I say, Miss Greengrass, a moment if I could?" The professor asked, bringing Daphne to a stop.
"Yes professor?"
"I was wondering if you knew where Harry currently is? You see, I have a message for him, concerning the tournament."
"Oh, well I'm going to see him right now, if you'd like me to carry on the message?" Daphne offered, unsure if Harry wanted his tutor room to be known to the teachers.
"Splendid, that will work nicely! Well, the message is simply 'He needs to come to the Great Hall's side chamber, where the families of the champions are waiting.' As you may appreciate, I'm sure Harry's family don't want to be waiting long." Professor Flitwick said cheerfully.
"Sure, I'll let him know immediately. Have a good day, Professor." Watching the charms professor pitch to the side before zooming off to his upcoming class, Daphne once more set off for where she hoped Harry was.
Bursting into the classroom, she was unsurprised to see Harry fighting with their friends. He'd been pushing himself hard ever since he'd been attacked. Unfortunately, that meant he'd also been pushing them hard in turn, not that they complained.
With a standard protego held in his off hand, he'd forgone his wand for his intangible runic sword. Unlike in the 2nd task, his sword was now the same whispery pale blue of the sky outside, making it very hard to see.
Regardless of its appearance, the blade easily moved through a wooden boar, reverting to a broken desk either side of Harry. A second swipe of his sword caused one of the halves to lift itself and fly towards George, before a distinctive green lightning bolt flew out of nowhere and enlarged the desk.
With a loud huff, George was bodily thrown from the arena, his spell barely affecting the wood. Now faced solely against Draco, Harry made his particular hand motion, resummoning his ever changing spell.
Although the effects of the spell proved mediocre at best, the bolt flew at Harry's whim, making it almost impossible to predict. Despite that, the twins and Draco had shown an aptitude for countering it, their years as Quidditch players giving them an edge.
Eyes tracking the spell's movement, Draco managed to raise a shield directly in its path. In response, Harry tried to change the spell's trajectory, but it took too long and clipped the edge of the shield. As the black dust exploded around Draco, a grey spell corkscrewed towards Harry.
While Harry had focused on trying to redirect his spell, Draco had taken advantage to launch his own attack. This forced Harry to bunker behind his shield, while Draco's spell tried to worm its way in.
Letting go of his sword, Harry threw it towards Draco, where it dissolved into a subtle wave of magic. Now it was Draco's time to be distracted, eyes widening just before a green bolt struck him in the chest, causing him to slowly float into the air, locked inside a blue bubble.
"Your spell works then." Daphne commented, drawing Harry's attention.
"Not enough, it needs to be better." Harry grumbled, releasing Draco and then wandering over to her.
"What do you mean? It seems to be exactly what you wanted. You said you'd been planning this spell for a while now, aren't you happy to have it figured out?"
"It can't turn properly, and it's far too slow. I am also limited in what I can make it do, if I put too much thought into the end result it just fizzles out. It's very nearly a limited version of my existing wandless magic, only with a further reach. In short, it's bad, I need it to be far better to make it perfect." Harry responded harshly, drawing everyone by surprise.
"You alright mate? It's just, you'd normally be jumping for joy over this, you love magic like this." Ron called.
"I've just come to realise there's more than just loving magic, okay? Daphne, I assume you came here for a reason, you have a history of magic exam soon don't you?"
"Right, yeah sorry. First, the paper wrote a story on it. I thought you'd better read it yourself than hear about it second hand. Also, Flitwick said the champions need to go to the great hall's side chamber, where your family are there waiting." She said hurriedly, before glancing meaningfully at Draco and Ron.
"Blimey, I'd forgotten about that, we'd better run! See you around, Harry." Ron announced, running out the room.
Looking after him, Harry idly commented "Woah, did anyone else see that? I don't think I've ever seen Ron in a hurry for any class, let alone an exam."
"Well Harry old boy, seems to me that for Ronnikins it was less about where he was going to, and more about what he was leaving behind. Capeesh?" George Weasley said, with faux gravity, patting Harry on the shoulder.
"I'm not that bad am I?"
While Daphne and the others said their goodbyes and left after Ron, Fred took his other side, gently leading Harry towards the great hall alongside George.
"Not 'bad' per se, more like you've been highly dedicated this past month. We all understand why, don't even mind it to be truthful. It's just, Ron isn't good at hard work, especially without any rest." Fred explained.
"That's not entirely fair on Ron. It's not the hard work itself, but the lack of results for it." George countered, getting a half nod from Fred.
"Sort of. Anyway, it should all work out well in the end, right? Positive thoughts."
"Precisely! Greet your family, have fun, chill out."
"Then it's a quiet saunter through the maze, confront your problems, win!"
With that, they stopped outside the side chamber, getting a few curious gazes. Around the elves tidying up after breakfast, a few students were finishing a late meal, who were now trying to see what the Weasley Twins and Potter were going to get up to.
Stepping forward and turning to face the twins, Harry honestly said "Thank you two for everything, seriously. I'll see you later."
Entering the room, Harry was surprised to see Xenophilius Lovegood in a heated argument with Viktor Krum and his father. Tonks was clearly doing her best to mediate, while the Diggory and Delacour families looked on.
"What's going on?" Harry deliberately called out, gaining some attention.
"Thank Merlin, Harry! The Krum's seem to think Xenophilius' necklace is some dark symbol." Tonks summed up.
"Viktor?"
"Da, we would know this symbol anywhere. Grindelwald's mark." Viktor spat, glaring hotly at Xeno.
"Such ignorance! This symbol is no more Grindelwald's than it is mine!" Xeno protested heatedly, only for Harry to step between them.
"Look, Viktor, I'm sorry but Xeno isn't wrong. Are you familiar with the 'Tale of three brothers'? Well, that story is based on the real life Peverell brothers, and this symbol has been the family crest of the Peverell family for centuries.
"For those like myself and Xeno, who believe the Hallows are real, this symbol is simply what we use to represent the three." Harry explained as best he could, trying to be as sympathetic as possible. "Xeno is no more a Grindelwald supporter than I am."
"Grindelwald carved that symbol into a wall at Durmstrang, back when he was a pupil there. Since then, those that support his ideology try to copy it, using it to shock, or impress. Those of us who lost family to that monster, that symbol holds no kindness." Viktor's father announced thickly, although with less heat.
"Gellert was another believer in the Hallows, who thought he'd be the one to collect them all. It is true that he used the symbol, but only before he took the mantle of a Dark Lord. To the best of my knowledge, he never publicly associated himself with it as an adult." Appearing from nowhere, Dumbledore added his insight.
"I heard raised voices and thought I'd ensure there were no problems. This is a time for the champions to be with their families after all." Dumbledore added, even as he went over to talk to the Delacours.
"In that case, I will apologise for believing you a supporter of Grindelwald, although I cannot say I will ever look upon that symbol positively." Mr. Krum said stiffly, directing his apology to Xeno. Giving a brief bow, Mr. Krum marched back to his wife.
After hesitating for a moment, Viktor turned to Harry and bowed to him too. "Harry, I must apologise too. It was clear this Mr. Zeno was a member of your family, so to have insulted him was to insult you also. Regardless of our own opinions, it was improper to make them known in a time that is meant for family."
"No, you're fine Viktor, I think we can all understand why you'd have such a strong reaction." Harry easily replied, holding out his hand to Krum, who gratefully shook it.
Offering one last bow to both Harry and Xeno, Krum turned to Tonks. "And you fair lady, I regret you were needed in our dispute. Perhaps I might buy you drinks to make up for it?"
Deliberately tuning out Krum's flirting with Tonks, Harry turned to Xeno who'd calmed down considerably.
"I didn't expect you to be here, Xeno. When I was told my family were waiting, I wasn't sure what to think… But I'm glad you came. I'd thought that perhaps after the 2nd task-"
"Harry," Xeno cut in, holding up a hand and smiling easily, "I have seen you as family for a long time now. You are the brother my Luna has always wanted. It is an honour and a privilege to be here as your family."
"I couldn't agree more." A new voice added, which caused Harry's jaw to drop. Nicholas was blatantly out in public, without any disguise or magic in place to protect his identity. While he could get away with the average person being unaware of who he was, Nicholas had always avoided risk where possible.
Seeing the Delacours react to his presence with surprise and recognition, Harry feared the worst.
"Grandpapi!" Gabrielle cried, throwing herself into Nicholas' arms, quickly followed by Fleur.
"Grandfather, we didn't expect to see you here! Have you come to watch me compete?" Fleur asked in French, hope clear in her voice. At her question, Harry felt his own hopes drop. He hadn't known Fleur had any link to his mentor, but obviously he'd be here to support his granddaughter.
"It's good to see you, little ones. Indeed, I will be watching you compete, but I'm not here for just you. Harry, would you join us?"
Surprised, Harry shuffled over to Nicholas, who Gabrielle was still clinging to tightly.
"Harry, may I introduce you to my biological heirs. The Delacours can trace their lineage all the way to my firstborn son, a relation I've tried to keep in touch with. Everyone, it brings me great pleasure to introduce my apprentice of several years now, Harry Potter."
Shocked, Harry could only look on as events whirled around him.
"But, what does this mean?" Fleur eventually asked, clearly as confused as Harry.
"Well, in short I consider you both my grandchildren. I'll be there, cheering you both on." Nicholas said cheerfully, clasping both Harry and Fleur on the shoulder.
"So they're cousins?" Tonks asked in amusement, having finished arranging her date with Viktor.
Being quicker on the uptake, Fleur looked at Harry and smiled happily.
"What say you, 'Arry? Do you think we could be cousins?"
"Erm… well yeah sure, if you'd be fine with that… I guess." Harry stumbled, tripping over his words, but returning her smile despite that.
In response, Fleur threw her arms wide and pulled him into a tight hug, which after getting over his shock he gladly returned.
Happy holidays everyone! Hope you all have a great time.
Things I think need explaining:
- Nicholas' family: I've been leaving small breadcrumbs around for this reveal. Nicholas said he was going to the world cup with his family, then Fleur said she was there with her grandparents. Perenelle got hurt in the riots and Fleur said her grandmother got hurt in the riots. Etc.
The past and future of this story
- Editors: So, I've decided I'm again advertising for help editing this story, starting from the first chapter onwards. If this interests you, please don't hesitate to PM me, even if you just want more information.
In short, it's pretty clear people would rather me write more new chapters, instead of editing the old chapter, a view I also align with. However, equally I get several reviews from people complaining about the quality of the first several chapters.
It doesn't help that I am a full adult, who has to do daily adult activities, like working. It took me years to reach this point, and that's with me starting this story during my free time at college, then during the covid lockdown.
Having an editor (Or a group of them) to go over the story, and either highlight parts I need to look at, or have a go rewriting themselves, would be a massive boost to me. Any editor would also get access to behind the scenes content, my notes and my future ideas.
- Soft Remaster: Sort of synchronous to the above, I feel like I'd like to make a remaster to this story, but more as a summary. For the most part, everything here is primarily an explanation for the future events, which expanded into its own full story.
While I don't regret what this story has turned into, I can't disagree with the few who point out it's not what you'd expect from its description. This remaster would be a separate story, which would sum up everything here, up to the point canon is completely left behind.
I won't even start writing the remaster until I have reached that point in this story, but I thought I'd throw it out here to get your opinions.