December 24th, 1991
Harry sat reading the newspaper in a decently sized living room in his manor. Across from his arm chair sat his Headmaster who was also drinking a cup of tea. The man had just arrived and Harry had gestured to the already prepared seat which his guardian had taken gratefully before he began sipping.
"You look like you're in a good mood." Harry commented as he set aside the newspaper and looked fully at the man.
"Yes well, I just got back from delivering a package to my good friends the Flamels. It was a much more subdued meeting then our last. They were also quite happy to see their property returned to them as, for some reason, they seemed to think I wouldn't be able to return it." Dumbledore replied with some amusement.
"To be fair, there was a good chance you wouldn't be able too… Still, I am glad it was a much happier meeting among friends than your last."
"Indeed. I also mentioned to them how you were the one who created the illusion to aid in protecting their stone. They were quite intrigued by some of the work you are doing so, to show their appreciation, they sent me with a few gifts for you along with a letter. The gifts can be open tomorrow but I assume the letter can be open now." Dumbledore said pulling several things from a pocket before enlarging them. The two gifts floated over to the Christmas tree where they were put down at it's base with a few others. The letter, however, was handed to him.
Harry looked at the crisp soft red paper for a moment before smoothly breaking the seal on it and opening up the paper. The words on the page were so smooth it almost looked fake. Whoever wrote it clearly had plenty of time to refine their writing.
Dear Harry Potter,
Our good friend Albus was just telling us about how it was thanks to you we were able to receive our wonderful creation back. I was most impressed but what he told me you did. I haven't met a decent illusionist in close to two hundred and fifty years and it sounds like you already surpassed them. He also told me how much you like experimenting into the unknown! Truly wonderful to hear of a child so driven at such a young age. I have given a few gifts for you this Christmas season. I hope you can find at least one of them useful for your future endeavors. If you ever need anything, Perenelle and myself are only an owl away.
Sincerely
Nicholas Flamel
"Well, that is very kind of the man. I assume the fact that I can now contact Nicholas Flamel whenever I want is a big deal like with Ollivander's apprenticeship offer?" Harry guessed. Nicholas Flamel was one of the most famous wizards of all time, right up there with Merlin. He was also somewhat of a recluse and not many seemed in contact with him from what Harry knew off the top of his head.
"That is correct. A very valuable resource, indeed. Nicholas has knowledge on almost every subject in magic, much more so than even I. I imagine he could be a very useful source to you should you wish to utilize him." Dumbledore told him with a smile. Harry nodded as he made sure to file that bit of knowledge away for later usage.
"Excellent."
"I also brought another letter, this time from Mr. Ollivander." Dumbledore said before pulling out said letter. Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Why didn't you just give it to me with my other things?"
"I thought I'd let you address everything one at a time, for the purpose of processing." Dumbledore explained with a mischievous glint in his eye. Harry rolled his before taking the next later and reading through it quickly. At the end, he nodded before putting it aside.
"Well?"
"I don't have to share what's in my letters with you." Harry said with amusement.
"You're going to keep a poor old man like me in suspense. Is this what they call elder abuse?" Dumbledore asked back causing Harry to actually laugh out loud at the thought.
"Cheeky old man… If you must know, I am stopping by Ollivander's with Neville today. His grandmother has him using his father's old wand I believe it is hindering him to do so." Harry explained. Dumbledore nodded in understanding.
"You are likely right on that deduction. I suppose, it does sound like something Augustus would do, likely as a way to honor her son. Still, she should know better… I assume she does not know what you two will be doing today?"
"No. I advised Neville not to tell her."
"Hmm. Should I escort you both through the alley then?"
"No need. The letter from Ollivander was in response to the one I sent him through you a couple of days ago. It was requesting permission to be able to use his floo to go directly into his shop to add some privacy to our transaction. He agreed and gave me the passphrase in the letter as well as allowing me into the ward scheme for today along with Neville." Harry explained. Dumbledore nodded as he began stroking his beard.
"A smart idea. I take it that means you only plan to shop there and nowhere else?"
"Correct. If it was multiple stops, I would wait until you or Minerva could attend with me."
"Speaking of Minerva, have you spoken with her about the events of your last day of the semester?" Dumbledore asked imploringly as he eyed Harry. Harry simply sighed before nodding in a much more subdued manner than normal.
"I see… And how are you feeling?"
"Well, I'm not exactly happy to have seen a man die right before my eyes, but it has stopped actively bothering me at this point and I am hoping it doesn't start haunting me later. But for now, it's better." Harry explained to the man. It was the truth, too. He had already spoken to Minerva for hours on the subject since returning home and he thought he was fine now. Dumbledore had freely admitted when it came to matters of emotion, he was better off speaking with her. A man with his age and experiences saw things with a different perspective was his excuse.
"You can always speak with her again if it or anything else starts to bother you. You can speak with me as well, of course." He added the last part almost as an after thought but Harry just nodded gratefully.
"Very good… Well, I shall not hold you any longer, I expect young Neville will be arriving soon and I wouldn't wish to distract you from your planned activities." Dumbledore said as he finished his cup of tea and stood up. Harry continued sitting since the fire place was right across from him.
"Very well, I suppose I shall see you tomorrow then for Christmas? I am making a ham." Harry told the man. Dumbledore looked back and smiled.
"I shall be there. I'll make sure to bring our resident Transfiguration professor as well."
"Make sure you do or you shall not be allowed in." Harry told the man sternly causing him to chuckle warmly as he approached the fireplace. He grabbed the floo powder before casting it into the fire and calling out the pass phrase for his office turning the flames green.
"Goodbye, Harry."
"Goodbye, Albus."
And with that, the man was gone. Harry watched fire sizzle out after a moment before picking back up the newspaper. He had initially been reading through it to see if there was some mention of Quirrell. There was a small piece on the sixth page noting that he would not be teaching at Hogwarts for the second semester but that was about it. He assumed Dumbledore must've used his influence to somewhat cover the incident up. It's not like they did anything wrong but sometimes sweeping something under the rug was just easier.
He sighed at the thought of the man. In truth, what had happened with Quirell still weighed on his mind. Perhaps not guilt or terror but there was a certain weight on his shoulders that hadn't been there before. Watching a man die was… An experience. It felt like a sudden realization on how fragile one's life really was. Thank Merlin he had Occlumency, the ability to physically go in and organize his thoughts and take time to process them was a huge help on his recovery.
Unfortunately, the long-term consequences of the encounter were even more frightening than the fight itself. It was now abundantly clear that the Dark Lord was still somehow alive, or at least, partially so. Even worse, he had aided in thwarting the man's plans. That, if nothing else, would make sure he was on the man's hit list. Plus… There was something about the way Dumbledore had spoken to him about it. He believed the man was holding something back. Dumbledore was a smart man but Harry had noticed that when he didn't wish to speak on something, he would drop some interesting tidbit you couldn't help but latch onto and easily lead the conversation into a different direction. He didn't do it too often but he had done it enough that Harry had started to notice the pattern.
He shook the thoughts away though. Even if he was hiding something, if there was something he was sure of, it was that he could trust the old man. The man didn't want him to be harmed, of that he could tell, plus he owed the man. For now, he wouldn't question it too much but he would eventually speak to the man plainly about it.
Harry was once more drawn from his thoughts as his fireplace burst to life. Out of the green flames stumbled out a boy with a familiar face.
"Ah, Neville. You're right on time. A shame you weren't here five minutes ago. Professor Dumbledore just stopped by for tea. I'm sure he would've been interested in speaking with you a little before we begun on our plans for the day." Harry told his friend as he set aside the paper and picked up his tea again while Neville righted himself. Once he regained his balance, the boy brushed himself off and looked at Harry.
"I'm glad I came on time then. I'd rather not have stuttered my way through a conversation with our Headmaster." Neville said back with an embarrassed smile. Harry returned it easily at the thought.
"I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit. You've gotten a lot better in the last few months, even if there's more work ahead." Harry told him, leading somewhat into what the purpose of the other heir's visit here today was for.
"Right, about that, I convinced my Gran to give me some spending money for today…"
"No. If you spend money, she'll want to know what you used it on. Better to give it back to her in its entirety and tell her you didn't end up needing it. The less of your words are a lie, the easier it should be for you to say it." Harry told him seriously. Neville looked conflicted at his words for a moment before a look of resignation before nodding in understanding.
"Right… I hope no one recognizes us when we go. I don't need her finding out about this. I told her Professor Dumbledore would be watching over us for the day." Neville revealed. Harry nodded at that.
"It shouldn't be an issue. I set it all up with Ollivander. We will be flooing directly into his shop so no one should see us while we conduct our business. We shall then floo right back." Harry told him.
"How did you manage to pull that off?
"I asked… Now, are you ready to go or would you prefer to relax a little?" Harry asked his friend. Neville seemed rather nervous before answering.
"Is it okay if we go now?" He asked. Harry smiled before standing up.
"Of course. Just make sure you repeat the name exactly as I do. The passphrase is Ollivander's Backroom. You got it?"
"Ollivander's Backroom? Wouldn't anyone be able to guess it?"
"Most places have wards to prevent unwanted people from entering without permission, though the floo network is managed by the Ministry which means of it is ever compromised, as it was believed to have happened in the last war, a ward breaker might be able to get through if they know the passphrase. And a very skilled one can apparently do it even without. So many avoid speaking the passphrase except to those they trust." Harry explained.
"Wow, I didn't know about that. Did Dumbledore tell you or did you read about it?"
"Dumbledore, of course. Many crimes are not actually mentioned in history books because of Pureblood influence. You need to get it from a first-hand source." Harry explained solemnly as he thought back to that particular conversation. In truth, he had been disgusted by what his guardian had told him. It seemed even the wizarding world had many problems.
"Right… I'll keep that in mind… Wait, what about your Floo system?"
"As of now, there are only a handful of people besides myself who even know I have a Floo address again. Dumbledore buried it in Ministry files for me and did some nifty tricks to keep it that way, furthermore, the Wards centered on my floo are the strongest of the entire property according to him as well." Harry told him.
"Of course, they are… Well, should we head out? I think I have the passphrase down. Shall we?"
"Of course, I shall go first." Harry told him before stepping up to the fireplace and picking up a hand full of the powder on the mantle. With that he threw it into the fire before calling out, "Ollivander's Backroom."
Harry then stepped through the green flames and immediately came out at an unfamiliar location. In a small room with shelves that held several books as well as jars that looked to be filled with different materials in them. He didn't have long to observe his new surroundings though as a familiar man popped out from an entry way on the other side of the room.
"Ah, Mr. Potter. Excellent to see you again! And how nice to see your natural appearance this time." Ollivander said as he quickly approached. Harry watched and gave a polite smile to the man.
"And how does it look, better or worse than you expected?"
"Hehehe. Not unexpected is all I shall say, though, you did look quite good with redhead hair as well."
"Maybe, I'll change it at some point, I did enjoy it. I already look so much like my father after all. It would be nice to take a little more from my mother than just her eyes."
"Perhaps, but the last time the color was too deep of a red. A little too artificial, your mothers was a much softer color."
"I'll keep that in mind for next time."
As Harry finished, the fireplace behind him flared up once more and out came Neville, once more stumbling forward, though, this time Harry reached out to grab and steady him. Neville gave him a smile at that.
"Thanks Harry."
"Of course, you really need to get better at your balance."
"Yeah, you're right. I've only done it a few times though. My Gran prefers apparition."
"Hmm… Anyway, Neville, this man behind me is Mr. Ollivander. He shall be selling you a wand today." Harry said introducing the man to his friend. Neville straightened himself and nervously approached before sticking his hand out to the man.
"A pleasure Mr. Ollivander, I appreciate you taking the time to help me find my wand." Neville told him clearly making sure he kept his voice steady. Ollivander smiled at the boy in a knowing way.
"Of course, of course. Though, I should scold you for taking so long. I was expecting you close to four months ago, you know. It's impolite to keep someone of my age waiting." Ollivander chastised in a friendly manner to the boy. Neville's face went red at the comment and he looked down at that.
"I… Sorry."
"Well, it's no trouble. You're here now and that's what matters. Shall we begin then? You're lucky you came on a quiet day. I have only had one customer all day. Well, most come during the summer, of course, so it is expected. Why don't you grab a seat Mr. Potter, this may take a while…"
"As you say." Harry replied easily while finding a simple chair at the back of the main store room where Ollivander had his many shelves.
Harry sighed in weariness. When Ollivander had said this would take a while, he wasn't kidding. They had already been there for forty-five minutes and Neville still hadn't found a wand. He had some that looked like they gave promising results but Ollivander had claimed they weren't right and they continued to push forward in their search.
"No no no… Maybe this… That's not right…"
"Mr. Ollivander…"
"Do not lose faith my boy! I have thousands of wands; it sometimes takes a while to go through them to find the perfect match."
"Right… What's the longest it has taken you to match one?" Neville asked. Harry tried to seem uninterested but even he was straining to listen in on the answer.
"Hmmm… I believe it was about two and a half hours or so… Now back to it!"
Harry couldn't help the expelling of air as he heard that in annoyance. It had already taken so long as it was. Maybe he should go explore after all. He had no idea how much longer this would take and he wasn't sure if he would be able to take sitting here for much longer.
"AH, here we are… This is it. I can tell."
"You said that twenty minutes ago…" Neville seemed to point out, unable to fully hide his exasperation.
"Are you doubting me then?"
"I'm just saying you weren't right last time…"
"Nonsense! I just didn't have all the proper clues at the time! Now, enough talk, this is it!" Ollivander said before bringing a box over and opening it in front of Neville. The boy looked frustrated for a moment before reaching out once more to the newest wand.
This was different then the last time though. Harry could tell when Neville seemed to freeze as his hand approached the magical stick. His face scrunched up in confusion before changing to one of wonderment. Harry blinked for a moment as he saw the change then watched as his friend continued and actually grabbed the wand. Immediately Neville gave it an experimental wave and suddenly a huge gust of wind smashed through the store, blasting the wands all off the shelf and slamming into Harry himself causing him to fly backwards and land squarely on his back.
Harry groaned in pain from the uncomfortable landing before slowly getting back up and looking around him. Neville was looking around with his face now doing its best impression of a ripe tomato. Ollivander somehow had managed to remain standing despite the huge blast and wore a self-satisfied smirk.
"Ha! You see? I told you, didn't I? Yet, you doubted this old man!"
"Mr. Ollivander, I am so sorry about your shop!" Neville immediately yelled looking at the mess.
"My shop? Ah, no worries there. This happens every now and then. Between you and me, if your friend over there didn't have such good control of his magic when he came, he likely would have dished out the same amount of destruction. Don't be too upset about it. It's an easy fix." Ollivander replied as he withdrew his own wand, and immediately cast a wordless spell.
Harry watched and felt the magic enter the air as the room seemed to pick up itself and place all the flung things back into their proper place. Harry reached out as he felt the magic in the room do it's work. What an interesting and useful spell, he would have to learn and make use of it at some point. Now that he had gotten a little more of a handle on Charms, it shouldn't be too hard. Though Hermione would likely stay above him in it, much to her elation.
"There, you see? All better. Now, to your wand. A fine design if I do say so myself. Eleven inches of Blackthorn wood. It is paired with a Dragon Heartstring taken from a Hungarian Horntail. It was further soaked for three days in the dragon's own empowered blood."
"Empowered?" Harry asked, he had never heard about that.
"Yes, some powerful magical ingredients and such can be further Empowered meaning exactly what it sounds like, the ingredient becomes more magically potent than normal." Ollivander explained.
"What did you Empower it for then?"
"I didn't, a friend of mine who dabbles in Alchemy did so for an experiment and I asked for the string when he was finished with it." Ollivander said with a smile on his face. Neville just looked at his wand in amazement. Harry nodded at the explanation before looking back at Neville.
"Alright, well, let's test it out. Go ahead and cast and Incendio at me Neville, I shall have a strong shield ready."
"Umm, should we be doing that here?" Neville asked apprehensively looking at Ollivander for permission. Harry frowned, he hadn't thought of that. He looked at the wand seller for permission and he seemed to give a dismissive wave.
"It's fine as long as you pay for anything you burn." Ollivander answered easily, not seeming to concerned for his shop. Harry nodded, he was positive the man would likely be able to fix any damage that a simple Incendio could cause. He looked back at Neville as he cast his shielding ward with his wand and nodded as it formed. Neville looked nervous but nodded nonetheless.
"Okay, here it goes… Incendio!" He yelled as he pointed his wand at Harry. Immediately, a sizeable fireball erupted from the tip of his wand and raced at Harry. It splashed onto his shield and exploded into nothing when it couldn't get past it. It hadn't done much damage but Harry was impressed nonetheless.
"Nice Neville, that's a huge improvement." Harry congratulated his friend. It was the truth too. Before this, Neville could conjure a fireball that's size was close to that of a spark or ember. It was so small that it looked like it was supposed to burn out in the air as it travelled. Now though, that fireball was likely one of the biggest that could be produced in their year so far. Though, that may be because Neville likely hadn't been trying to control the output. He should perhaps give his friends some tips on that.
"Indeed, I'm glad to see that this did the trick. I trust you will remember in the future Mr. Longbottom that it is the wand that chooses the wizard, not the other way around no matter how some may wish it." Ollivander said giving him a stern look. Neville gave the man a smile looking happier than he had since he had known him.
"Don't worry Mr. Ollivander, I shall never forget it!" Neville told him. Harry smiled at the interaction. This was the right thing to do, he could already tell. He reached to his side and pulled out a pouch with clanking metal in it. He tossed it to the older man who caught it with ease.
"There's enough for the wand and a bit of a tip for you Mr. Ollivander for agreeing to my unreasonable request for privacy. Thank you again for this." Harry said to the man gratefully. Ollivander simply smiled at him.
"It was no issue, my boy. No issue at all. I'm mostly busy in the summer anyway. Around this time, it's simply buying replacement wands or custom ones every now and then for most." The old man admitted.
"Still… Well, it's getting late, we should probably head back then." Harry commented as he pulled out his Time Coin from his pocket. It was hanging off a chain just like a pocket watch did. He noticed that it was already early afternoon. Neville couldn't stay long since it was Christmas Eve.
"Ah, you're right. I told Gran I would be home by three."
"Right, alright let's go. Thanks again Mr. Ollivander, I won't forget this." Harry called to the man as they made their way to the back room that had the hidden fireplace.
"No problems boys! And Mr. Potter, remember to think about my offer!" Ollivander yelled after them.
"I'll keep it in mind, I promise."
Several Hours Later
"Ah… What a busy day." Harry commented as he sunk into a lounge chair in his mindscape.
"Hmm, don't tell me, let me try and remember myself." Ciri stopped him waving her hands in front of his face. Harry rolled his eyes at that but said nothing. Even though she wasn't a practitioner of Occlumency like he was, because of their connection, she still experienced many of the same benefits, like protection, and an improved recall ability.
"Hmm… It had something to do with a wand or something right?" She asked him with a self-satisfied smile. Harry gave her a deadpan look.
"… My abilities are wasted on someone like you." He finally said as he looked away from the white-haired girl.
"Huh? What's that's supposed to mean!" She demanded angrily as she hopped on his lap, grabbed his collar and started shaking him fiercely. Harry let himself go limp as he felt his head being shaken.
"Hey! Hey! Answer me!" Ciri demanded. Harry sighed as he finally looked her in the eye and simply stared with a blank face at her.
"Your face is pissing me off right now…"
"I'm sorry looking at my face is making you angry." He told her with a bored expression not sounding very sorry at all. Ciri glared but didn't say anything.
"I went out to get a new wand for my friend Neville. I told you about this yesterday." Harry reminded. Ciri's frowned turned into a pout which caused Harry's unimpressed expression to turn into an amused smirk.
"I forget sometimes okay. I'm a very busy person you know!" She told him trying to defend herself.
"I literally keep a constant check on our mindscape to make sure both of us have the most organized mind possible, which allows us to recall things with as much clarity as can be possible. I am so glad you're taking advantage of all the hard work I put into it." Harry told her back.
"You're getting too smug… That's it, get up, I want to train. Let's get some swords and fight each other." Ciri demanded as she hopped up off of him and approached the dueling platform in the middle of their library. Harry sighed as he stood up and conjured up an illusion of the swords as he always did. He had tried conjuring them at one point through Transfiguration but there had been little point, they still weren't using their actual muscles after all.
"Nice. We haven't done this in a while…" Ciri said as she swung her sword around experimentally.
"We literally did this last week…" Harry pointed out tiredly as he eyed his own sword for a moment before nodding in satisfaction. He then got into one corner of the ring and waited for Ciri to get into the other.
"That's a while. Especially for you. You know, if you don't practice, you're never going to catch up with me." She pointed out with a pleased smile. Harry rolled his eyes.
"I'm pretty sure, at this point, you could beat grown men in terms of skill… So, I'm not looking to be as good as you. This may surprise you, but in a world where sword fighting is a rare hobby some people have, learning it isn't high on my list of priorities." Harry shot back as a ding sounded from nowhere, signaling the beginning of the first round.
Ciri didn't respond anymore, as soon as the bell rung, her face changed to one of complete seriousness and concentration. She twirled her blade in one hand before grabbing it with two and stalking towards him. Harry lifted his sword and prepared himself.
He may not be anywhere near as good as Ciri but he was likely near the skill of an average swordsman. If nothing else, it gave Ciri a benchmark of where she stood in terms of skill. When comparing herself to some like the Witcher's she was constantly around, improvement tended to look rather slow.
The point was, since he was at least decent, he could last for a bit against Ciri. Not long, but for a few moments usually.
Ciri pulled her arm back and Harry immediately lifted his own to block barely making it in time as Ciri's sword came to try and bisect his chest. He flinched internally and the strength behind the blow. He didn't lament on it though as he was forced to jump back as she quickly pulled back and came down with an overhead strike. He knew he wouldn't be able to both bring his sword up and have enough strength to take the blow, so he moved.
Ciri didn't seem put out as she immediately moved and closed the distance between them. While she did, Harry moved his blade up and angled it to try and stab her through the chest. He centered his stance before lunging forward to meet her.
Ciri didn't seem surprised as she angled her step to the side and twisted her body to avoid the blow. As she did so, she lifted her blade and used it bat away his stab into the opposite direction before carrying the momentum of the swing into a fully body spin and came around, now next to him. The next thing he knew, her sword went right through his neck.
Harry sighed as he got out of his stance and looked at the smirking Ciri. She was giving him a Cheshire like grin like the cat who caught the cannery. He just rolled his eyes at her.
"The first round to me then."
"And the next two will be too. Honestly… I don't see why you even bother. You have far surpassed me in skill."
"Well, you're my only real opponent." Ciri said back. Harry looked thoughtful at that.
"Not necessarily… When were the most recent spars you had with Geralt?" Harry asked her. Ciri shrugged.
"Three days ago. Why?"
"Hold on, I have an idea." He told her as he walked over to her side of the library and started looking for the correct date. It was a little knowing since he had to do some mental math since Ciri's world date was different then his own.
He finally found what he believed to be the correct memory date. He picked the book off the shelf. He then looked at Ciri for a moment.
"Nothing happened that day, right? I'm not going to see anything I shouldn't?" He asked her warily. Ciri's face quickly went to frightened as she looked up in thought.
"I… may have taken a bath that night. So only go as far as late afternoon. If you get to the dinner, then you've already gone too far. Got it?" She told him with a slightly red face. Harry nodded as he felt his own cheeks heat up a little.
"Okay. Here it goes." He said to himself as he opened the book. Immediately, he was immersed in the memory of the day.
Watching memories in the mindscape always felt strange. The images of the day raced by yet despite the speed, he processed every moment in what must've been a fraction of a second each. It was like knowledge being directly put into one's head. Harry saw as he finally got to the spar Ciri had with Geralt. As soon as the spar finished, Harry closed the book.
"Well?" Ciri asked him.
"I got the spar. Do you have another date in mind, I would like to get a few more before I do what I have planned?" Harry asked her. She frowned but nodded before revealing several other dates he could look into.
Five minutes later and he had a good enough idea about the man that he was about to try and mimic. He put the last book away before stepping back to the arena.
"Alright, hop back in." Harry told her. Ciri still looked confused but she did what he told her. She got her sword ready for whatever he was about to do. As she did, Harry closed his eyes and concentrated on his magic before building it up as he normally did.
"Miran Taz Yus." He called out. Immediately a flash came out and an illusion started crafting on the very floor of the arena. A second later, a full replica of the man who had taken Ciri in and had been training her stood tall and looking seriously across at the girl.
"Umm… You made Geralt?"
"Indeed."
"… I didn't recognize that spell name. Is it a new one?" She asked after a moment while keeping her eye on her trainer. Harry nodded in response.
"Yes, an even further culmination of my Miran Taz spell. The original spell creates an illusionary environment that works based off the target's own expectations. Miran Taz Yus however, combines the targets expectations with knowledge and experience of the user. The illusion then uses your expectations and supplements my knowledge to adapt even further against you. In this case, the biggest problem with making a normal illusion of your trainer before this was that he would only react as you would expect which meant you may have him make mistakes without knowing it. With my own knowledge added, the illusion will use it as a reference to do something different then just what you would expect if it fits more in line with the illusion." Harry finished the long explanation.
"Damn! You keep getting better and better at illusions. What you just said sounds incredibly complicated." Ciri said back looking at him impressed. Harry smiled at the praise.
"Thanks, I dabbled with the concept when I was crafting that illusion I made for Dumbledore. That one was really complicated. It was so powerful, I literally had to build the illusion in separate parts. That being said, it gave me several ideas for the future. This spell improvement was only one. The rest I'm still working on though." Harry told her excitedly. Illusions would always be his favorite subject and something he was passionate about. He wanted to master them one day. The bar he said was to craft an entire illusionary world as Ciri had once mentioned to him.
"You'll have to tell me about that further some time, for now though, let's see how this illusion of yours can fight." Ciri said with excitement as she readied her blade. The bulky Witcher standing across from her pulled his own blade out and aimed it at her without a word.
For a moment, everything was still. Ciri and Geralt simply stared at each other. Then, a ring when out as it did when Harry and Ciri had sparred and both of the combatants sprung into action. They ran and lunged at each other and immediately their blades started to clash.
If he were honest, Harry was completely entranced by the battle. Ciri was going at full strength and you could tell just from her face. She looked like every bit of concentration was focused on her trainer. He had never seen such a look on her before.
A few moments into the spar, Harry could fully understand why. Ciri was a prodigy in his mind. She was so good she could take on men two or three times her age he bet. Yet, before Geralt, she looked like a rank amateur. For every move that Ciri did, not only would Geralt meet it with ease, he seemed to use it to his advantage either finding a weakness or creating one from every move she made. Watching the man, Harry suddenly got the same feeling he had when he had watched Dumbledore battle Quirrell. It was someone who was a true master of their craft from years of work and training honed to perfection.
The problem was that Ciri was Quirell in this situation. The girl was fast, much faster than him, yet, Geralt was so much faster. Geralt was so fast in his movements, he literally seemed to blur in his vision as if his eyes literally couldn't keep up with the man's movements. He bet the man could even match a Vampire from his world. It was amazing to see.
When the battle got to be around two minutes long, Harry couldn't help but feel impressed by his best friend. She was completely being overwhelmed and it was rather obvious. That being said, she changed her movements enough just to delay the fight and last longer against the man. She would eventually run out of tricks to throw him off, especially with how fast the man adapted but Harry knew the strategy well.
She was delaying the ending as much as possible in hopes that at some point, her enemy would slip up, even if only a little and she could take advantage of it. It was a smart strategy too when you were going up against a superior opponent and had nothing really to your advantage. Unfortunately, it had to come to an end at some point.
"Oof." Ciri grunted as Geralt's sword went through her chest with a stab. As soon as she called out, the illusion pulled its sword back and calmly went back to its own corner without a word. Ciri rubbed her chest where the blade had gone through even though he knew she couldn't actually feel anything. Harry smiled and started clapping.
"Amazing, Bravo! That was one of the most impressive things I have ever seen. With a teacher like that, I can see how you've improved so much in only a year." Harry called out to Ciri who still stood in the middle of the ring. She looked over at him and smiled.
"Yeah, he's really good."
"Good? He's clearly a master. I've never seen a human move like that before. To think you have to deal with such a thing multiple times a week… I can see why you come in here so tired sometimes." Harry commented as she came over and stepped out of the ring.
"Yeah, it's really tough, especially because he sometimes makes me go up against him until I literally can't walk anymore. Says, my opponents won't care about how tired I am and I'll need to get use to pushing through that." Ciri told him. Harry nodded.
"Hmm, he's probably right… So, what did you think of the illusion?"
"It was impressive, I have to say. It truly felt like I was fighting against the real thing. The only difference is the real Geralt would have been calling out my mistakes and where to improve during the battle. Though it's nice to not be critiqued mid fight for once." Ciri said looking at the illusionary version of her guardian with exasperation. Harry chuckled at that.
"I'm sure… Well, with this, I guess you'll be able to get a lot more training in now."
"True, especially since my body doesn't hurt after these fights like in real life. It's all just about refining my technique and allowing me to further get used to his speed." Ciri replied with a smirk.
"An excellent idea. I remember seeing somewhere that it's possible to triumph over a physically superior opponent if you have enough experience. Being able to predict their movements and such." Harry said to her. Ciri shrugged.
"That sounds right, but I am a long way from being close to Geralt in terms of skill, let alone surpassing him."
"Maybe but I believe you can do it. You're one of the most amazing fighters I have ever seen and your only eleven!"
"I'm almost twelve." Ciri grumbled in annoyance. Harry just rolled his eyes at that.
"Maybe. But that's still two months away, so for now, you're eleven. Besides, that makes it more impressive, so I don't know why you're complaining." Harry shot back with a roll of his eyes. Ciri smirked.
"Speaking of birthdays… Are you getting me something this year?" She asked. Harry just gave her a quizzical look.
"What would I possibly be able to get you?"
"I don't know but you better figure it out. Make a fancy illusion or something." Ciri said with a shrug as she continued to smile at him. Harry frowned in thought at that.
"Does that mean you're getting me something?"
"How the heck would I get you something? I don't have any magic." Ciri shot back with a roll of her eyes. Harry just gave her another deadpan look. She just smiled innocently back at him.
"Not my problem. You better figure it out." Harry told her seriously. That was only fair if he had to figure out how to get her something. She frowned at him but said nothing for a moment.
"Fine, but then you better get me something great." She told him. Harry just looked at her but said nothing as he moved back over to his chair and sat down in it. Ciri came over and sat next to him in her own seat.
"Well, what do you want to do now?" Ciri asked him. He looked at her for a moment.
"Relax, I guess?"
"Ugh, so boring. Fine, conjure a bed and make a night sky so we can look at some stars."
"So demanding…"
"Just do it."
The Next Day
Harry sat next in his living room with both Minerva and Albus as they all sat calmly while talking and sipping tea. It was near eleven in the morning and they had both come over to celebrate Christmas with him.
"Hmm. I see your issue, though, perhaps you can simply give her a new experience as a gift." Albus suggested. Harry nodded slowly.
"Perhaps I could. Still, asking me for a gift… Can you believe her? How many impossible things am I supposed to figure out how to do? I'm not even in my teens yet." Harry grouched with a faux annoyance. He wasn't overly bothered by Ciri's request, in truth. Dumbledore was right, if push came to shove, he could always figure some illusion to show her to take her breath away. That being said, it would be nice to give her something tangible, it just seemed rather impossible. Then again, that hadn't gotten him down before.
"I'm sure you'll think of something and that she'll be grateful no matter what it is." Minerva commented easily as she enjoyed another sip of her tea. Harry nodded in agreement with her.
"Well, I do believe we are all properly settled after that delicious breakfast you made. What did you call it again Harry?"
"It's a Quiche." He replied.
"Yes, absolutely delectable. I'll have to have you make it again some time. Anyway, I believe we are all settled. Would you like to begin opening your gifts?" Dumbledore asked him with a smile. Harry returned it and nodded. Harry liked gifts, as everyone did, but in truth, he enjoyed simply spending Christmas with those he cared about more. It was nice to feel wanted.
He was drawn from his thoughts as a wrapped box floated over to him and came to sit on his lap. He looked at it and saw a small paper telling him it was from Hermione. He had a feeling he could already guess the type of present she got him. He unwrapped the present neatly and withdrew it's contents before looking at it. It was a book of course, The Enchanter Guide to Arithmancy: Using the Numbers Specifically for Creation. Harry blinked at reading that.
"Ah, a marvellous book indeed. I actually own it myself though I personally use an older but similar book for when I need a refresher on such things. This book however had many endorsements from enchanters all over the world on its easier teaching as well as it's range of levels." Dumbledore commented. Minerva said nothing but did look intrigued by the book. Harry opened it to the table of contents and smiled. The book was sizeable and apparently had many subjects within. He would look forward to reading through it at some point. He would need to make sure to thank his friend when he saw her next.
"Next one." Dumbledore called out as another gift floated over to him. He set the book to the side and grabbed onto the next present. This one was nowhere neatly as wrapped and even looked scrunched up and messy at parts. He smiled as he knew who this was from even without looking at the name. Ron had written him a nice letter with the present explaining how he hoped Harry was having a happy holiday and that his mom wanted to send him a gift. Harry opened it to reveal a blue sweater within with a gold stitched 'H' on it.
"Ah, a famous Weasley sweater. I'm sure Molly is hoping to tempt you to visit with such a gift." Minerva said with a smile.
"It's very nice. Made from scratch as well which means it was likely made with care. I'll have to remember to thank her and Ron whenever I see them." Harry said before putting the clothing item to the side as well.
The next item was from Neville. It seemed rather small so he assumed it must've been a book of some kind. He saw that there was also a note to go with it.
Hey Harry,
I know you hit a wall with your work on Rituals, so here is a basic Strengthening Ritual members of my family used to undertake when they went through majority. It has some risks associated with it which I highlighted but I trust you won't do anything dumb with it. I hope it aids you in your future endeavors.
Harry's eye shot into his hairline at the note. Had Neville really given him access to what was likely family magic? He opened the package to what indeed seemed to be a small book, though, it was really just papers sewn together with a leather back and cover showing it was likely custom made. Harry opened it and looked through the first page to confirm his thoughts. Once he did, he shook his head.
"That boy… I'll have to properly scold him when I see him next." Harry muttered to himself.
"What is it?" Albus asked him patiently.
"A Ritual from the Longbottom's. A basic strengthening one but family magic nonetheless. Neville has given me the information about it in hopes it'll aid me on my quest to learn about Rituals." Harry replied. He saw a look of surprise cross both his professors faces though Albus managed to school his quicker.
"Hmm, a generous and dangerous gift. I'd be careful with such Harry, there is a reason such rituals are no longer used even by the families who know them."
"That much I know at least." Harry responded.
Rituals weren't really an exact science, and they carried risks during the process as well as after that spurned many away from them. A Strengthening Ritual physically altered the body which was also rather dangerous. The Longbottom's were famous for being something similar to magical Berserkers in the past, able to move at speeds others couldn't dream of and hit hard enough to smash through stone and castle walls. Warriors in the extreme. All living Longbottom's, to this day, were descended from a Berserker ancestor because all members use to undergo such rituals and would either live through it or die.
In the modern day, there was little use for such rituals especially with the risk they carried so it was uncommon to use them, Neville had once told him. Though his friend's father may have, he hadn't been sure.
"Well, why don't we continue. Minerva has a gift for you next I believe." Albus said as Minerva indeed floated the gift she brought to him. Harry grabbed it softly as he brought it in close. Like many of his other presents, it felt like it was probably a book.
"Hmm, I wonder what it could be?" Harry teased as he looked at her. She gave him a playful glare at that.
"If you do not wish to receive books as a gift, you should not be so studious." She shot back at him. Harry chuckled at that before pulling it open softly to peer inside. The book's title Advanced Transfiguration: The Secrets of Animation. He smiled as he read it. He looked up at her.
"Thank you, I am sure I will put it to good use." Harry said to her softly. She smiled looking pleased at his words. With that. Dumbledore floated the next gift to him, this one was clearly not a book, or at least, not obviously one. Harry grabbed the gift and immediately felt his hands sink into it. It was clearly some sort of cloth. He looked over at Albus with a raised eyebrow. The man just stared back with a familiar mischievous twinkle in his eye. Harry sighed at the man before opening up the present, only to expose… nothing?
Harry frowned down at the apparently empty wrapping for a moment. Was it some sort of prank? He had definitely felt something inside of it. He reached down into the package and immediately felt something soft on his fingers. He frowned, there was definitely something there, he just couldn't see it. He gripped the invisible cloth and pulled it out to try and see if he could examine it.
It took him a moment to understand what was happening. When he turned the cloth over, he actually was able to see it. The cloth was burgundy with small diamond patterns connected to each other. He flipped it back and forth for a moment until it clicked.
"An invisibility cloak?" He asked. Albus smiled while Minerva looked like she just thought of something particularly unpleasant.
"Indeed. That particular one was a family heirloom your father entrusted into my care years ago before his death. I now pass it along to you to continue the tradition of the passing down along the Potter Line." Albus told him. Harry smiled at that. A gift that almost seemed to come from his father himself. He would make sure to treasure it forever.
"Most impressive. I have never heard of a cloak lasting so long. And the invisibility… there are no discrepancies at all from what I can see. It doesn't even seem to shimmer. It must be an extremely powerful enchanted item." Harry commented as he ran his hands over the soft item.
"Indeed, I trust you will use it responsibly."
"And not for sneaking around to cause mischief." McGonagall interrupted giving him a stern glare. Harry said nothing, he simply smiled at her causing her to glare harder at him. He started laughing at the expression before waving it off.
"It's fine, you know me, I don't go looking for trouble. I'm more likely to do some non-invasive tests on it. I'm rather curious to see if I can figure out to see how it was created." Harry mentioned as he looked down at the cloak.
"Would you mind keeping an old man in the loop about the results of such tests if you do happen to find anything?" Dumbledore asked. Harry nodded easily at that. He imagined the man had likely done some similar things with the cloak. Not that he minded. He was clearly trusted by his parents and he was trusted by him as well.
With that, it was time to open his last gifts, these were the ones the Flamels had sent him. It was a bigger package but Harry had a feeling he already knew what was inside of it.
"Let me guess…"
"Just open it." McGonagall said with exasperation causing Harry to laugh again at her expense. She was so easy to rile up. He did in fact open the big package only to find three separate books. The first appeared to be some form of journal, likely one of Flamel's own. He opened it briefly and looked through it to confirm.
"I appreciate the gesture though I have a feeling Ron would enjoy this more." Harry commented as he set it aside and moved onto the next one. This one was another notebook though when he opened it, it didn't appear to be in the same handwriting. This handwriting seemed neater and more put together in what he would typically associate with a female. This book however made him smile.
"Now, this is much more up my alley. It's a book on Rituals. It seems to be an in-depth look into several things that I have been looking for when it comes to creating them. Hmm… It even speaks on certain known effects of different items and times of the year… I can't wait to look into this more thoroughly. Do you recognize who wrote this Albus?" He asked as he handed the man the book. Albus took it with interest and looked it over.
"Hmm… I believe this was written by Perenelle, Nicholas's wife." Albus replied easily as he handed the book back. Harry nodded as he looked back at it with some reverence. He could already imagine all the things he could do with this.
"Interesting… I assumed she was an alchemist as well."
"She is, though, not of the same level as Nicholas. By most standards, she is considered a master though it is not the subject she is most passionate about. Then again, Perenelle has always been something of a free spirit, and she has lived a long time. She has touched on many subjects because of it. I am unsurprised that she has experience in Rituals."
"Did you mention my interest when you spoke with them last?"
"I believe I mentioned it in passing along with your interest in Enchanting and Illusions as well." Albus admitted. Harry nodded understanding now why she believed he may like this.
"I'll have to be very careful… Rituals can be quite dangerous." Harry murmured the last part to himself. He would still invest time in learning about them. After much study with Ancient Runes, he concluded that a ritual combined with enchanting may help maximize his chances for success in his endeavor.
"Indeed. What about the last book?" Albus asked him. Harry looked at the final book and frowned. The title was Curses and Hexes: A Thousand Years of War. Harry frowned at said title before flipping the book and showing it to Dumbledore.
"Ah… That is quite the rare book they have given you. I don't believe I have it myself though I do know about it." Dumbledore mentioned as he eyed it.
"What's it about, the history?"
"Not really. It goes into a bit but its focus is on the most popular and dangerous curses used from the year five hundred and twelve A.D to fifteen hundred and fifty-seven A.D. A period of on again off again wars all over the magical world. That book has a huge culmination of many of the spells used during that period. That book will likely help expand your repertoire when it comes to combat more than any other" Albus advised seriously. Harry looked at it then looked at it from the side so he could see the pages.
"It's very thick… And the pages are rather thin for parchment. It must be quite the long read. I'll treat it carefully as I do with all my books." Harry told him reassuringly.
"I trust you will."
"Hmm… Well, I thank you both for your gifts, and for coming over today. This has certainly been one of my most happy and peaceful Christmas's yet." Harry admitted as he smiled at them as genuinely as he could. The boy smiled back at him.
"Merry Christmas Harry."
"Merry Christmas, indeed."