Updated 5-30-24 for grammar, spelling, and possible story fixes if needed.
Hey all, I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday season. Mine was personally great; my kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves. As a parent, I can tell you it hits you right in the chest when you see your kids smile on Christmas morning. This was also my first Yule as a semi-practicing Norse pagan.
I'm thinking of incorporating seidr (Norse magic) into the realm of Harry Potter for my next project. It would take a lot of research, but I haven't seen it done before. What do you all think?
Also, I assume people have picked up that I am American? I am trying my best not to add any affectation or accent to my words; you can add them yourself for now.
I love the reviews. I think you'll all notice a definite downturn in my spelling and grammar due to my excitement of writing for the first time. I was writing and posting quickly, not to mention learning how the app works over the holidays while writing this seemingly one-sentence-at-a-time. Lol.
I love all the recent reviews and can't believe the positive reaction to my first story.
Harry sat in unmitigated silence, a silence so complete it was like a sharp thumbtack constantly drilling into his ears. The office of PhischTonks, according to Mr. Phisch, Ted Tonks's partner, was at one point long ago the Wizarding equivalent of a funeral parlor. The magic of the place had never let go of the eerie and somber energy that that kind of long-term business tends to manifest. That, and the muffling ward lines inlaid into the very stonework of the building, helped to encapsulate all people who entered here in a bubble of sorts that drowned out the sound of the world in a 10-foot radius around a person. Harry understood the kind of appeal such a place would hold for the grief-stricken people this building had once served. Nowadays, these effects acted as constant privacy wards for the many clients and lawyers who conversed on the multitude of cases the office was involved in.
However, no matter how impressive the story or reasoning behind the silence was, it was still absolutely maddening to Harry as Mr. Tonks sat there and read the few letters of testimony for sponsorship in favor of Harry gaining his independence that he had received. Professor McGonagall's was long and heartfelt, encompassing more than a foot of parchment. Harry had no idea his head of house would be so supportive; he decided to write her and ask why she supported his independence so fervently.
"Well?" Harry asked exasperatedly, cutting through the ear-splitting silence like a sharp knife through tightly bound leather.
"Hmm? Oh, yes, these will do very nicely if we can arrange for you to meet with and convince one or two well-respected individuals... preferably Wizengamot members to either come in and testify or give written testimony of their support as well, then we should have more than enough... community support, shall we say, to prove you're mature enough to live on your own." Ted smiled, saying this, looking pleased. "On the same note, I have already submitted documentation scheduling a hearing with the Wizengamot through the Wizarding Children Protection Office, and it has been accepted and put on the schedule for the Wizengamot session that's happening in two weeks. Coincidentally, this session also occurs when the International Confederation of Wizards conference is on its final and most contentious days when its members are the busiest and most distracted." Mr. Tonks said that final part, smiling.
Harry smirked at the older man, aware of what he was planning. "So, how is that going to work with Professor Dumbledore being out of the country and unable to attend?"
"Well, there's some business there I wanted to ask you about, but to answer you first, it's simple. If your guardian is unable to be present, the court will appoint an attorney to represent him if he doesn't have one already... It's Dumbledore, so I highly doubt he does; the man happily represented himself the few times he's been called before the Wizengamot. Now, I wanted to know how you found out who your magical guardian is. I don't believe Dumbledore came out and introduced himself when you turned eleven." Mr. Tonks looked curiously expectant and waited for Harry to speak with his hands crossed.
"Well," Harry said hesitantly, "he told me, actually—in hindsight, he seemed not to want to. But I had received a rather important-looking letter from Gringotts, although it was very oddly addressed: 'To the boy who resides in a boy's dormitory in Hogwarts Castle, currently and normally resides with his Muggle aunt, and is related to the ancient and most noble House of Black by blood and the Muggle House of Evans through blood.'"
"Professor Dumbledore rushed up, right in the middle of breakfast, and snatched the letter from my hand right before I opened it." Harry took a moment to remember before recounting the scene.
("I'm sorry, Harry, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to take that letter from you," Dumbledore said, examining the envelope.
"Why? Professor, this letter is addressed very oddly, but it's clearly meant for me.
"Because the bank should not have addressed you directly, you are not allowed access or prepared for the responsibility of managing your financial records. That duty belongs to your guardian."
"Well, who is that then? Because if you're talking about the Dursleys, I'd give out every Knut I have rather than let them see any banking information, sir."
"Harry... you should not speak of your family in such an ungrateful way."
"Why, sir! I... they..." Harry looks around at all the people staring at this exchange, and breathing heavily, he quickly hands over the letter, not wanting to attract any more attention. "Sir, who is my magical guardian? I've never met them. They've never contacted me or helped me or taught me anything about the magical world. If I had a magical guardian, shouldn't they have come to the Dursleys with my letter... or even before then to make sure I was okay and well cared for?"
"Well... Harry, that would be me. I am your magical guardian, and I'm afraid I couldn't meet you to give you your letter, as I was tied up with an emergency Wizengamot session then." Dumbledore sounded very reticent about admitting this.
"..sir?...Could I meet with you sometime today to discuss that letter and some other things? If you're my magical guardian, sir, I'd like to tell you a few things and ask some more questions."
"Ahhh, Harry, my boy, I'm sorry, but as it stands, I'm set to be out of the castle on ICW business for the next week." Dumbledore then left the Great Hall in a rush. After Harry left breakfast, there was a faint smell of smoke.
"After that, it was midterm tests and the Christmas holidays and several events, including the best Christmas I've ever had, had driven that little scene from my mind. Until I met Smara, that is, and she said her influence would keep mind magics at bay as well as give me a sharper mind—something about pheromones, I think. Anyway, that scene and a few other things, mainly classwork, became clearer to me after I bonded with her. And..."
"WAIT," Mr. Tonks said sharply and sat bolt upright. "Did you say mind magics?... This Smara is your basilisk companion?" After a nod from Harry, Ted leaned forwards and went straight into business mode.
"Harry, I need you to go home immediately, get your aunt, and" (he writes down an address that Harry thought must have been in downtown London). "You get her and come here; I'll meet you there as legal representation and a witness. Your aunt will also need help getting into the building; Muggles can't get in by themselves... In fact, I'll come with you to gather your aunt; we don't have time to wait for the Knight Bus; I'll Apparate us both to your house."
They both quickly stood up and left the office and went to the "apparition point," as Mr. Tonks called it, after a horrible feeling of being tightly squeezed through a narrow tube that left Harry retching on the grass behind his relatives' house. With a wave of Ted's wand, the mess was gone, and Harry knocked on the back door, then walked in to see his aunt sitting, sipping tea at the table with a lady Harry half recognized as her friend, Yvonne.
They both look at the back door, open, and Yvonne looks confused and affronted. But before she can say anything, Harry speaks.
"Hello, Aunt Petunia. Mr. Tonks says I need to get to the hospital," Harry spoke slowly, full of hidden intent and urgency.
"Errr... yes, I'm afraid Harry took a rather bad tumble, and I'm afraid he might have a concussion, ma'am. I can't take him in myself."
Petunia sighs and places her tea down. "Well, I guess we'll have to continue this later, Yvonne," she says as she stands up. "Come, we can take Vernon's old car. It's in the garage." They leave immediately, Petunia trusting her friend to see her way out.
They drove in silence for about five minutes before she asked, "So, what is this really about?"
"I know for a fact that you can heal just about any injury in seconds!"
"Well," said Mr. Tonks, "You have that largely correct for small, almost all medium, and even some of what Muggles would consider major injuries: broken bones, punctured lungs, even most deadly diseases like tuberculosis, Our own magic and outside spells can heal quickly, if not instantly. But there is some damage that even magic has to take its time with. To regrow bones is a painful, time-consuming process; the larger the bone or the more bones affected, the longer it takes. Nothing major like that is wrong with Harry, don't worry." (Petunia Scoffs)."What Harry needs checked is his mind. He's not crazy or anything, but that snake of his seems to think he's under the effect of mind magic. So when we get to St. Mungo's, which is the name of our hospital, you need to approach the front desk and ask for an OPCEC scan. Given who he is, he should be seen immediately."
"Alright, Petunia," Mr. Tonks said. "That's far enough. It'll be tough with two people, but I can Apparate us there far more quickly than you can drive. The OPCEC is a fast scan, but annotating and fixing everything it reveals might take more time than I have today. Please park the car somewhere it won't be suspicious if it sits for a few hours."
After Aunt Petunia parks the car, Ted grabs both of their arms tightly. "Ready? This will be unpleasant. Please remain as still as possible." With a twist and a crack, they were gone.
Hey everyone, happy new year!
LeightonWD: Thanks for the reviews. Yes, after 10 years of factory work, my grammar lessons have gotten quite rusty, and my phone likes to make up words as I go. It's annoying, but until I get the chance to get a laptop with an actual word document, I'll just have to be extra careful, which I haven't been.
