disclaimer: I'm a suspicious person report. And it's time to go shopping.
OUROBOROS
A Harry Potter / Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha crossover
Year 5, Part 3
Pieces of the Puzzle
What do you mean, Ouroboros?
I said what I meant. Luna Lovegood has an active Linker Core. Remember when we tagged along with the Claws when they had double CMC?
Yeah… wait a minute, you're speaking of those "creatures" she's seeing. What do those have to do with an active Linker Core… oh.
It ties in perfectly with what she said before. Maybe she has some sort of sight-based latent ability that requires a Device to use properly.
Maybe… speaking of which, our next Hogsmeade weekend is on a holiday, right?
That's right. The schedule says that we get Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday off on that particular weekend.
Good to know. If we'll bring in the Bureau, we're going to have to call them in advance.
Wait, what do you have in mind?
Let's have the interview done at Lovegood House.
Sounds good. We should inform either one of Gryffindor's Golden Trio before we go about our business – how about Admiral Graham? Are you not going to call him?
Harry took a moment to think.
You're right. This is the type of thing that needs Bureau intervention, since a Linker Core has been active for goodness knows how long.
With that conversation with his Device completed, Harry continued his school day, culminating in his "supplemental Potions" classes with Professor Snape in his office.
In Soviet Russia…
On the way to supplemental Potions, Harry was mentally recalling the lessons the Witch had taught him about protecting his mind.
"Even without Ouroboros to help, you have a natural aptitude for occlumency. As to why, I have some educated guesses: either it's your own magic adapting to protect your thoughts from the Dark Lord… it might be the process that created Ouroboros reinforcing your already high potential for both occlumency and legilimency."
"I see. So does that mean I can read minds?"
"Reading minds is simple. Reading minds while keeping your target none the wiser is another thing completely. There is also a risk that the technique I've been teaching you about diverting mental attack may cause you to create what is known as a perfect occlument reversal."
"That means… someone tries to read my mind and I turn the tables?"
"Exactly, which is why when I train your occlumency, I always use a feather touch. The reversal isn't just perfect – what you end up reading is, in turn, also proportional to the force used by the would-be mind reader."
"Have I done it before?"
The Witch of Dun Scaith smiled.
"Several times. Did you notice?"
Harry nodded.
"I saw images of a dark castle. It felt very lonely."
The image of the Witch's eyes stuck with Harry even as he knocked to the door to Snape's office, then opening the door after hearing the Professor tell him to enter.
Breaking out of guided meditation abruptly always felt like being rudely awakened, and this time was no exception.
The sudden disruption of the link caused by the mind-reading spell could do that, especially if it was powerfully cast.
Harry Potter opened his eyes to see Severus Snape seated in his own chair, holding a chilled bottle of firewhisky to his head, and an empty shot glass laying on its side on the table.
The Potions professor turned to him.
"What happened… what did you see?" he asked in a pained whisper, and Harry was momentarily stuck with indecision.
I guess I have to be honest. And vague.
Good call.
"Bunch of images… scenes fast-forwarded… most of it was your time as a student here, Professor," Harry replied just as quietly.
"I see," the professor replied, and upon looking at the concern on the boy's face, made up his mind. "We'll continue next Tuesday. In the meantime, keep doing those meditation exercises the Witch taught you."
"I'm sorry, Professor…"
"I know. Just leave."
Harry picked up his potions kit and went, hearing the Potions professor groaning as he closed the door behind him.
The Potions classes he had the day before the long weekend went uneventfully, and he was now looking forward to going to Lovegood House for that interview with Luna's father.
He knew that he had to pick up something to give to Professor Snape when it was time for classes again – the professor had his misgivings, but taught him as if he were just another student.
Another one who disliked him, just like the Dursleys… but Harry could see them all trying their best to not let that get in the way of treating him on the level.
What Gets Left Behind
"…and that's it. I think I have enough for an article about you, Harry," Xenophilius Lovegood said as he put down the pen. "I do have one question off the record: why Lovegood House?"
Harry scratched the back of his head – he had expected the interview to go on odd tangents, but it was mostly questions about his time in Hogwarts and the Triwizard. "Well… Luna told me something before I agreed to do the interview, and that it was about how I reminded her of her mother."
The elder Lovegood just nodded.
"I mean, I've heard bits and pieces of it from everyone at Grimmauld, so… I guess, what I want to say is, I want to see Pandora Lovegood's laboratory."
The old man smiled.
"Luna snapped me out of it," he said as he stood up and beckoned Harry to follow. "For some reason, she said that I had to use charms to preserve the laboratory. My late wife was doing a lot of experimental research… she had always been fascinated by science despite coming from a pureblood wizarding family, maybe that's why as soon as she finished school, she cut ties with them. I remember now…"
The two men ascended the stairs to the top of the tower that was their destination.
"Pandora always loved astronomy, which is why I built her laboratory at the top of this tower, so she could look up at the sky… she also had this theory that we're not alone in the universe…"
Harry's eyes widened as they took the last flight of stairs up. As Xenophilius opened the door to the laboratory, Harry had to shield his face with his arms from the sudden burst of light…
…it took him all of five seconds until the gargantuan force of revelation came crashing down upon him.
"You're not going to come in?" the old Lovegood asked, and Harry just shook his head.
"Already saw what I needed to," Harry fibbed as he made to go back downstairs. "My presence might harm the preserving charms here."
"I see, I see," Xenophilius replied. "Well, you can expect the interview to show up in the next issue of the Quibbler."
After their quick return to the ground floor and an exchange of contact information, Harry thanked the Lovegoods for their time and for accepting his request, and was seen off with a beaming Xenophilius and Luna, who was sporting a rare smile around him.
Once Harry got to the sidewalk, he pulled out his Device.
"Is Uncle Gil there?" he asked when he saw Aria and Lotte answering his call.
"At work right now, but we can send a message to him."
"About that expert I called for couple days back, tell Dr. Radom that it's confirmed. I need a research team here for a latent linker core activation."
"What happened, Harry? Someone from your school?"
"That's right."
An indicator went on in the corner of Harry's eye, and someone was let into the call.
"I saw your findings. Good eye, Harry," Dr. Marion Radom herself said. "I will be taking the Vimana there posthaste with Aria and Lotte. If this is what I think happened, I'm going to need its suite of equipment. What time is it over there?"
"Four in the afternoon."
"We'll be there at nine in the morning tomorrow," Dr. Radom said, and logged out of the call.
"We'll see you there?" Aria and Lotte asked, and the call ended.
Harry put down the phone receiver in the booth and made his way out of there – there were still things to be done to prepare for when Dr. Radom would arrive.
"It's good you chose this spot, Harry," the redhead with pointy ears said as she arrived with Admiral Graham's familiars flanking her. "Good to see you again."
"Dr. Radom," Harry responded with a bow. "Big Sis Aria, Big Sis Lotte."
"Oh, our little Harry's grown up so much now!" the two catgirls said, all the while restraining themselves from fawning over the young man their master considered one of his proteges.
"There's going to be enough time for that," Dr. Radom thought out loud. "You're going back to school on Tuesday, right?"
Harry nodded.
"Well, we can catch up on Monday if all of this is taken care of. I need to go ask this Xenophilius Lovegood some questions to dot my I's and cross my T's properly."
Snacks were served to the four guests at Lovegood House, even as Dr. Radom was asking the family questions about what had happened close to ten years ago.
The way Dr. Radom is asking these questions, I think she already knows what has happened.
Yeah, but we kind of have to hear it from the Lovegoods themselves, just to confirm it.
Trust but verify, as they say.
Indeed.
"Are there any… communications facilities close to Lovegood House?" Dr. Radom asked. "Facilities, machinery… even cell towers?"
"Cell towers?" Luna asked.
"Towers to transmit signals for cellular phones," the catgirls explained.
"I don't know what cells have to do with telephones, but they built a tower for that, some distance away, around ten years ago," Xenophilius admitted.
Dr. Radom nodded, as if that answer had finally been the last piece of the puzzle she had been seeking.
"Thank you for your time, Mr. Lovegood," she said. "We might drop by tomorrow, with some last-minute inquiries."
Deus Ex Machina
Before Dr. Radom could even introduce herself, a haggard man pulled open the door in the front of the nondescript building a few hundred meters away from Lovegood House, surrounded by cellular towers.
"About damn time you guys got here!" he exclaimed. "Oh, I'm sorry, we've been reporting problems for years now, and we've always been blown off. So… you can understand why we're so happy you're finally here."
"Problems for this facility?"
"That's right. Arnold Beckham, the lead for this research site. My assistant Mabel Macintosh is out for the weekend, which means I'm the only one here keeping this place running."
"Marion Radom," the scientist said as she extended her hand, which he shook. "What kind of problems are these?"
"I've e-mailed you a text file with our reports, have you not received it, Dr. Radom?"
"No, Mr. Beckham. You can give me the Cliff Notes version while you take us to the problems that you need solving."
"Will do, Dr. Radom! Anyway…" the man said, and as he led the disguised elf, two catgirl familiars, and a young man through the facility, he was describing what they had been doing for the past nine years.
"Despite the bandwidth issues we've been having, we've been making steady progress in improving data transmission through fiber optics. If it wasn't for that, we'd have run rings around Fujitsu by now," he lamented, but his mood improved as he opened the door to the main facility. "Here's our fiber optic data transmission research model… ain't she a beaut?"
Harry Potter, Dr. Marion Radom, Aria and Lotte looked up at the great structure designed for transporting data, saw all around the flashes of light similar to the sparkles coming from Luna whenever she was feeling an extreme emotion, and gasped in awe.
"I think we've found Pandora's box," Harry quipped under his breath.
Over the Edge
Thankfully, there was a café about a five-minute walk away from the facility. Dr. Radom told Mr. Beckham that they would be back after lunch to help fix their "bandwidth problem" a while ago, and now Harry and the rest of them were enjoying a relaxing meal.
"We could have taken care of the thing back there at that moment," Harry thought aloud. "Why 'after lunch', Dr. Radom?"
"Plausible deniability," she answered. "Also, it would be extremely suspicious if we just showed up, took the phantom data, and then left immediately, right?"
Harry nodded warily; he knew the need for secrecy for some time already.
"We don't need any specialized equipment?"
Dr. Radom shrugged.
"I just need to put Chelan in a computer-looking box to facilitate the transfer," she said. "Won't take that long, too. Your tech is very backwards-compatible with ours, I can momentarily amp up the transfer rate to 8 PB/s, and that's the lowest I can do with my Device."
"PB/s?" Harry asked.
"Petabytes," the doctor replied. "Transfer will be around five minutes, give or take, given the usual amount of data we've seen in Unison Devices before."
Harry nodded in understanding as the waitress emerged with their food.
"There's just one thing that bothers me," he said, halfway through the meal, after he remembered something. "Won't this data transfer, I don't know, change a person?"
"There are always fundamental changes whenever what you call a soul becomes discrete data," the doctor said. "The quality of the bandwidth drop here suggests that the data components that can be called the 'soul' are uncompressed, and therefore malleable. It's a lot like what happened with Ouroboros, only Ouroboros had one sixty-fourth of data we're dealing with now."
"That large?"
"It's more like a cautionary tale on how not to partition your soul."
Harry could hear his Device laughing awkwardly as they continued to eat.
"How long will this take?" Mr. Beckham asked, as Dr. Radom was plugging in the device that she said would take care of the "phantom data" problem the facility had.
"About several minutes. This is but a remote beacon I'm using to send the data to a center with enough storage space for it," the doctor nonchalantly answered as the pressed the switch, muttering her Device's key phrase under her breath.
And sure enough, as soon as it lit on, the interior of the research site began to sparkle, as the data transfer was ongoing.
"Ah, the data is being transferred across multiple frequencies, the throughput is amazing!" the researcher exclaimed as he saw the bandwidth capacity of the research center expand in real time.
The whole event took place in but five minutes, and when the last of the phantom data was extracted into the device, the research site looked a lot more mundane than before.
"Why?" Harry asked under his breath.
"It's the nature of magical things," Aria began. "It's one of the Bureau's research projects, determine why magical things have more… visual appeal."
"It will also help explain why making things more mundane assists in the process of concealment," Lotte concluded, just as the researcher was finished thanking Dr. Radom and wishing her well.
Once they had departed the center, she nodded.
"Well, time to see what we have in the Vimana," she said. "Do you need a lift home?"
Harry nodded.
It was only when he was back home, in his room, and about to fall asleep when he remembered that he ought to give the Lovegoods a heads-up about what just happened.
Or not, tomorrow can take care of that.
You're right, I should stop worrying.
Of OWLs and Dragons
The last few weeks towards the OWLs had Harry feeling surprisingly light on his feet. It wasn't due to anything in Hogwarts exactly, but that he had finally put himself in a position where he could assist a fellow schoolmate, and deliver on that promise.
Monday saw Harry on board the Vimana, accompanying the Lovegoods as they were to receive an artifact that would help with Luna's problems, so they said.
"Here," Dr. Radom declared as she handed a gold necklace with a pearl pendant to Luna. "Take good care of her. The activation phrase is something I think you already know."
She had a good idea as to what the pendant was, and once she felt it warm up in her hand, the rush of blood and magic made her speak clearly.
"Anoigo," Luna Lovegood enunciated, and a light began to shine from within the pendant as the Intelligent Device turned on.
"Good morning, my child. I am an unnamed prototype Intelligent Device," it said in a voice so familiar that the Lovegoods' eyes watered immediately upon hearing it. "I have not been granted a designation yet."
Luna sniffed the tears away for a moment before whispering.
"Elpis."
Her next few words had more volume to them.
"Your name is Elpis."
The Device flashed.
"Designation acknowledged. This Device is now known as Elpis. You've grown up so much, Luna."
She couldn't help it; she broke down and cried… her father, too.
There was nary a dry eye within the Vimana as Luna Lovegood's mother was reunited with her family.
It was enough to bring a smile to Harry's face, no matter what Hufflepuff House would throw at him, and as he continued to walk on sunshine towards the OWLs, he remembered that he still owed an explanation to the Potions professor… lucky for him, there was still one scheduled "Supplementary Potions" meeting right before the first week of OWLs would begin.
"Well, looks like your little stunt did have some repercussions, Graham," Professor Snape said as soon as Harry sat down in his office. "Umbridge had a dead-man's switch in waiting, she would have the OWLs held off-campus in a Ministry-established testing center. Fudge rammed the legislation in as much as he could, but thanks to enough dissent, could only get halfway into the whole thing."
He raised an eyebrow at Harry's muffled snickering.
"Anyway, the OWLs will still proceed as scheduled, only that the second part of the Defense, Divination and History exams will be held at the Ministry's testing center."
"Where's that?"
"Just outside Diagon Alley, where else?"
Harry nodded.
"So that's why Fudge held the Aurors back from pursuing the Death Eaters: they're the security detail."
"Exactly."
"And you're not worrying about the Death Eaters?"
"Last I heard, they were sighted in the Amazon. Apparently, the Dark Lord is searching for some ritual component there, and needed all his minions for it. Nasty voodoo stuff."
"That means you're nominally here and gathering information for him… I see."
Snape sighed.
"You've already shown that you don't need my help in protecting your mind. Why go through all the motions of coming here?"
Harry steeled himself for a moment.
"Well, Professor," he explained, "about that last attempt you did to try and read my mind, I thought I'd try something different. You've always said that I've evaded and deflected all your attempts, so I thought, would it be possible to reverse it? So, I meditated on it, read bits and pieces of it in the library, and here we are."
"You had help," Snape said, the image of a woman with purple hair and red eyes in his mind.
"I also had help, Professor," Harry admitted. "It was a perfect occlument reversal, which means I didn't just see pictures, it was if as I was there."
He continued when he saw the face of the Potions professor harden.
"It's not like I wanted to see what was in your mind, Professor. I did it because…"
Harry sighed.
"…I wanted to see if I could do it. Didn't know I'd end up seeing most of your worst memories while a student here. For what it's worth, I'm sorry."
Professor Snape's eyes widened a bit at that admission.
"When I saw all that, I understood why you were a bit leery of me. At the same time, I felt that you were intrigued that I didn't name myself 'Potter' like my dad, but my face still reminded you of him and mom… yeah, that's all I have to say. Thanks for helping out with my occlumency."
Harry thought he would get angry, but instead, what he heard was a bunch of dry chuckles from the Potions professor.
"…I don't know if you're the smartest or luckiest kid here," Snape admitted. "Maybe both. What's important is that yes, you did make a good enough impression on me that until that time you read my mind, you're just Harold Graham, some muggleborn Hufflepuff trying to make his way through magic school. Then you do this, I expect you to act like your father… but you don't."
He exhaled.
"You don't see them as your parents, do you?"
Harry smiled wryly.
"Never knew them at all. Also… I'll probably worry about that a few years after I'm done here. I've got other, more important things to take care of."
"Like your OWLs."
"Precisely, Professor."
OWLs officially began at the start of the next week; while Harry didn't have the resources of a Hogwarts house, he had built enough bridges with a lot of classmates and schoolmates for them to assist him. Sure, he didn't want for supplies, but study mates and reading sessions were now par for the course for Harry's run-up leading to the OWLs itself.
It helped that both the Gryffindor contingent and the Slytherin contingent didn't want to make trouble for Harry's sake… and that if someone did start trouble, Harry was more than enough to manually take care of the problem.
Thus, the nine days of testing passed by in a flash, and Harry was now on the Knight Bus with the Weasleys and several other junior Order members, talking about the tests they'd taken and how well they thought they'd score.
Halfway through the trip, Harry noticed some sort of sinister feeling in the air as they walked to the testing center.
You notice that, Ouroboros?
Kind of, yeah.
What kind of thing could cause this much unease in me?
I have no idea.
You, running out of ideas?
Well, you've been running me ragged in reviews. And sure, the OWLs I got then are different than the OWLs now.
Right, you've told me that before.
Come on, I put myself in standby mode to dodge those anti-cheating charms!
Except the music player.
Of course, that's the exception. Anyway, forget about this for now. Game faces on. Last three OWLs, better finish strong.
You bet I will.
Harry strutted into the testing center with the airs of someone who would do very well in these examinations.
What are your plans after this? Luna won't be able to keep Elpis a secret for long.
I've already taken steps to ensure that won't happen. Whatever happens, once Luna finishes her seventh year, we're moving to Midchilda.
What about the Quibbler?
We'll keep running it, of course… but based at where we're going, not where we've been. Why, do you need a subscription?
Not really, but it might make for some interesting reading. How much?
My family would disown me if I would let you read it for free, though by all rights you should… two knuts per annum.
Deal.
Harry opened his eyes to see the door to the testing center open, and the rest of the other junior Order members shuffle out of the Muggle Studies exam.
The OWL this year was different: how to interpret a microwave oven manual, and he breezed through it with enough time left on the test for him to wait outside and listen to music or think about what the Lovegoods were planning after Luna received an Intelligent Device of her own.
"How did it go?" Harry asked, and even Hermione's shoulders drooped.
"I had to interpret a washing machine manual," she said. "Only things I knew there was to throw the clothes in and press the button."
Harry laughed.
"Well, now that we're done with that, we could go grab a bite to eat before taking the bus back to…"
That was when the earth began to shake underneath them, a loud roar echoing some distance away, and a large black silhouette breaking away from beneath the streets and taking to the night sky above.
Another familiar-sounding roar, and that was when the panic began.
"Ron! Neville! You guys get Hermione to safety!" Harry yelled as loud as he could in between the screams. "I think it's a—"
The jet of greenish fire that erupted from the creature's maw and into the sky completed Harry's sentence.
"But, Harry…"
"JUST GO!" Harry yelled, and as he turned in the opposite direction of where everyone was running away to, there was no hesitation within him as he yanked off his necklace and shouted out his Device's activation phrase.
"Ouroboros… TO INFINITY!"
In a flash of light, Harry had transformed, ready to battle the beast that had just erupted from the streets of Diagon Alley.
Dragonslayer
Harry Potter slowly opened his eyes to a very pleasant feeling.
Am I dead yet? Is this heaven or something?
No, Harry.
Feels like I'm floating… or something…
Oh, yes, indeed. I have it on good authority that the Recuperative Sleep potion does have cannabis sativa as its main ingredient: together with the reagents that improve the body's healing, it also heals the mind through both dreamless and dreamy sleep. Sucker bet that's one of the things you and Professor Snape will be tackling at the conference.
Right… the conference.
Indeed… and you're still high as a kite and floating down. I wouldn't disagree with the need for it, though; you took a fucking beating yesterday.
Harry mentally laughed as he took in his location – the Hogwarts infirmary.
Oh, I know you're dead serious. You're cussing, Tom.
That I am. Honestly… if we were a cat or kneazle or something, we'd have already lost half our lives from that fight alone yesterday.
No backlash unlike the diadem attack?
None. The calibration Dr. Radom did about my identity made sure that I could destroy my horcruxes without any magical rebound.
Thank goodness for small miracles.
That's one. We needed a few big ones to get through yesterday. Remember some of them?
Harry took a deep breath and clawed his way through his potion-addled state into his memories of the previous evening…
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry yelled out as soon as the sigil of his Intelligent Device manifested completely, ready to unleash the power of the equations and magic generated to will the guardian best representing its wielder's soul into being.
The winged creature in front of him wasn't idle; as Harry summoned the patronus based off the Guardian of Alzas, it reared up and spat a gout of green fire at him.
A moment before the flames reached him, a wall of white light snuffed out the blaze, and standing proudly on the magical circle, arms crossed, was the guardian meant to be summoned by the completed Patronus charm.
Down below, at London's magical quarter, the aurors and other wizards there to help were able to do their jobs faster, as the patronus Harry summoned seemed to exude a powerful and calming aura, enough for them to stop panicking.
"Hope you won't mind if I use you as a mount," Harry told the dragon, and without turning back, he could see the corner of his patronus' reptilian mouth curl up into a smile.
"Not at all. Let us do glorious battle with this thing, you and I," Harry's patronus hissed back at him, and his surprise at being able to understand the dragon's tongue was cut off as the black dragon across them charged, its flaming breath apparently doing no damage.
They rolled away from the immediate attack, and right after the black dragon turned past, Harry was already readying to cast a volley of Phase Bolts to cover his own dragon's counterattack.
Oh, man. We really did push our luck to its limits there.
Personally… or should that be Device-wise? I'm just glad we made it out of there alive and with all our limbs still attached and functional.
I'm sorry.
Don't apologize. We didn't know what we were fighting until we were pushed into a corner.
Right, and no blaming Lady Scathach or anyone. This is entirely on us.
Knowing her? She'd hide her 'what ifs' and 'should have been' while having us fight a horde of wyverns and dragons until we'd make someone like Siegfried look like a middling combatant in comparison.
I can already hear her voice.
Yeah, she'd probably square away your vacation months for nonstop dragon fights.
Nah, I'm going to have to put my foot down there. Sure, we can fight dragons… but my downtime is more important. Especially now. Inquisitor duty, ostracism, OWLs, and now this feat. If any, I earned this ten weeks off. Anyone who says otherwise is going to be in trouble.
Ouroboros laughed out loud.
That fight really knocked some sense into you.
Of course, it did. This was the closest we've come to mortality in our time in this lucky school.
Ouroboros continued laughing as it sensed the sarcasm in Harry's tone.
Dammit. Been a long time since I felt this weak and feeble.
Well, now that we're stuck here until Madame Pomfrey shows up…
I know, I know…
Harry activated the communications function of his Device, searching for one in particular…
Despite the fight not going Harry's way, he was still mindful enough to keep the damage to a particular part of Diagon Alley.
Ouroboros was very helpful in that regard, framing the fight so if they did take a huge hit, Harry and his patronus would end up crashing into a certain set of buildings.
Unlike the dragon at the Triwizard, this one didn't seem to lack for intelligence, but had ferocity in spades.
When it saw Harry, it immediately abandoned its previous intentions and made to either roast the young man with its horrifically green dragon fire, or swat them with its tail.
What few Aurors were available were already calling for help and keeping the situation from growing into an all-out panic, and a select few thought to fire off lighting charms to intensify the light of the full moon bearing down upon the streets of wizarding London.
As the lights shining on the monster grew brighter, Harry took a couple mental notes even as he aided his patronus in its melee against the black dragon.
"It looks corrupted by something!" Harry called out loud.
"That's because it is!" his patronus roared back. "Some sort of malevolent intelligence has taken root in its being!"
Despite the combat prowess of the guardian dragon of Alzas and Harry providing fire support, they were slowly but surely being pushed back, the power of the dragon's flames and the corrupting miasma flowing from it beginning to affect them.
That was when Harry's patronus overextended, allowing the dragon to distract it with a fire breath before swinging its tail and tagging Harry cleanly.
He never saw the tail coming at him, and only realized it when he was already picking himself up from the rubble that was once a shop in Diagon Alley.
EAT SHIT, CARACTACUS BURKE.
What's gotten got into you?
Sorry about that. Dammit, Harry, look!
He pulled himself out of the rubble to swing his gaze skyward, only to see that his patronus was already turning translucent.
Bloody hell. What kind of thing is that dragon anyway?
Bad news, Ouroboros replied. Doesn't it smell familiar?
Harry's eyes widened as he finally realized why this monster seemed to know how he fought.
ARE YOU SHITTING ME?
No. How are we with cartridges?
Down to our last thr-FLASH MOVE!
In the blink of an eye and the flash of a green magic circle, Harry had taken to the air, and was now looking at the black dragon, its reptilian green eyes filled with malice as it glared at him.
Harry took a moment to glance at his patronus pulling itself out of the rubble, now just about as transparent as the Hogwarts ghosts. He wouldn't have the chance to replenish the dragon with magic from a cartridge, and his Barrier Jacket's protective ability was all but used up in trying to keep him from grievous injury thanks to that tail swipe.
The jig was up, and both Harry and the dragon knew it.
Still running on adrenaline, Harry hefted Ouroboros and pointed it at the beast, all the while giving his patronus final instructions.
If we're going to go out, Voltaire, Harry whispered, we'll go out in a blaze of glory.
Understood. How do you wish it done?
That dragon uses its tail defensively, so it can breathe out its cursed green fire. I'm going to bait out the tail, and when I get hit… you use the last of your magic to redirect the momentum and throw me back at that thing.
A ploy worthy of the true Voltaire. Make your move, then. I will do my part.
Harry cracked a vicious smile as the last magical circle bloomed beneath him, his Device loading up the last three cartridges he'd need for this desperate ploy.
I just wonder, Tom, Harry thought. Why didn't you say anything?
I was too busy trying to keep you from killing yourself with that stupid stunt of yours.
…right. I'm sorry.
Yeah… well… I guess I can't call it a stupid stunt… because it did end up being effective.
Wish I had the time to think up something better, though.
You're young. Guile and treachery are the domain of the old and wise. For the circumstances, you conducted yourself in the best way possible.
Do you think I finished the fight in the right way?
You could have done better… but it all worked out.
For a moment I thought I heard Lady Scathach's voice on that one…
Mage and Device shared a laugh.
A sickening crack echoed in the skies above wizarding London as the black dragon's scaled tail swung down, halting Harry's advance in its tracks.
The people below gasped in horror, thinking they would be the next victims of the dragon as Harry was flung back the way he came by the force of the tail, only for a desperate flash of light to appear just above the wreckage of Knockturn Alley.
The patronus Harry summoned used up all its magic for one last play, catching its master with one hand, and using the momentum of the fall to spin around, and heave Harry back at the dragon.
It was a broken and bleeding Harry that flew back to the dragon that was about to… was it trying to cast a spell with its dragon breath?
"Avada—" Harry could hear the black dragon's distorted hiss, and he knew it was now or never.
The gathered mana of three cartridges ignited all at once, Harry's green eyes burned red with the power he channeled, a red tip erupted from the silvery green staff… as the champion of Dun Scaith roared out the invocation of the legendary weapon whose effect he sought to wield once again.
The dragon only saw multiple red lines approaching it from multiple angles.
"GAE… BOLG!"
I did it, I got the dragon…
It's done.
Why does everything feel so heavy…
I want to sleep.
I need to sleep.
So tired…
Might as well close my eyes, the night breeze feels refreshing…
The moon looks so bright tonight…
Wonder how well I did at my OWLs… though it wouldn't matter…
Whatever… it's their problem now, I've done my part…
Harry Potter smiled as he fell.
A terrific crash punctuated the fight between the phantasmal beast that erupted from the streets of Diagon Alley and the mysterious wizard who managed to vanquish it, summoning his own dragon patronus as he wielded a strange staff and spear to win the day.
Now that the threat level had subsided, the Aurors began to make their way to Knockturn Alley, where most of the battle had taken place over, and thus took the brunt of the damage of the fight.
When they made it there, the sight surprised them: it was a dragon cursed by some dark and foul magic; magic that was now beginning to dissipate as they saw an equally-cursed wound piercing its heart.
As the buzzing in the assembling crowd of onlookers and their awe of what had happened began to fill the street with noise, someone felt rather cross that his rest was being disturbed.
Can't you people let me take a nap in peace? Harry thought as he pulled himself up with his Device, his school robes tattered as it bore much of the damage from that last gambit of his.
"Is that… the Hogwarts student?"
"I saw him when they televised the Triwizard finals! It's him!"
"The young man from Dun Scaith!"
"It's Graham!"
The pain in Harry's broken body was soon overcome by his annoyance at the people singing his praises, and he tried his best to stand up to quiet them, as all he wanted to do was leave and take a good long rest somewhere.
Within the crowd, Gryffindor's golden trio looked on in horror as they saw Harry stand up from where the dragon lay slain… and the glamor he used on himself already gone.
"No… it's not! You see that scar? It's Harry Potter!"
Cheers erupted in the street, and through nearly-sightless eyes, Harry just raised up his hand to ask for some silence.
It took the crowd a few moments to pipe down, but their cheers returned even stronger as he said what everyone had suspected all along.
"You're right… I am Harry Potter," Harry said with a sigh, before wondering how he would be able to return to school.
Chaos, the Mass Confusion
The wizard formerly known as Harold Graham underestimated how worse the hero worship would get after he said those four words.
If saving Diagon Alley from the dragon attack was bad, this was like Christmas, New Year's, and Mardi Gras all put together.
Harry was just about dead on his feet, but that didn't stop the wizards from cheering and celebrating this amazing feat he just did… and thankfully, it didn't last long.
Aurors began swarming in, calming the crowd as they made their way over to him.
"You there!" a familiar voice cried out. "I recognize that Ukranian Ironbelly anywhere! You're under arrest for the destruction of assets belonging to Gringotts' bank and the Goblin Nati—"
The Auror's rant was cut short as Harry heard a stunning charm impact the man.
"Apologies, Mr. Potter," a different voice said. "Did you not notice the spells the dragon cast during the fight?"
Harry let out a sigh.
"Who knew that the best way to control fiendfyre was to be a dragon?" he asked rhetorically. "No, but I did notice the dragon trying to cast the Killing Curse… wait, I remember that thing's flames making some sort of design."
"Exactly, and it is the one spell that a certain Dark Lord is known for," the female Auror added. "Griphook is being notified right now that his Ukranian Ironbelly was, indeed, subject to magical possession by a certain Tom Riddle."
"I suspected it," Harry muttered, "the what of it, but not the how…"
"That is what we will ask Gringotts staff about. It is fortunate for them that they expanded to a second branch, as the first one and several vaults underground have been lost due to the dragon rampage. Are you alright?"
"Nothing a night at the Hogwarts infirmary won't fix, so if you'll excuse me, I have to be going on my way, ma'am… sir."
Once he felt their presence pass, he felt familiar ones move towards him.
"Harry, look at you! You are most certainly not all right!" Hermione, always wanting to be first on the scene, spoke up.
"Bloody hell, Harry, you look like you went ten rounds against a prizefighter."
Harry tried to laugh, but found that doing even the slightest of movements hurt.
"Don't you guys know any healing or first aid spells or something?"
"They won't teach that stuff to us until sixth year," another familiar voice remarked, and Harry immediately felt the tension ratchet up.
"Typical Malfoy. Showing up right when everything's already done."
"Slytherin took the hour before you; and we were at Carkitt Market looking for something to get Harry when this all went down," Malfoy replied smoothly. "What's this inquisition for?"
Harry coughed.
"Can you guys hold off for a minute and make sure I get to a hospital or something?" he said, and that was when everyone noticed that he really was that messed-up; teetering and holding onto his staff like his life depended on it.
"Harry!" they cried out as one, and right before he lost his balance and passed out, he felt several arms catching his fall.
Not a bad way to go out.
"…and that's what happened; nobody left my side until they were sure I was fit to travel back to Hogwarts. Shame, would've enjoyed the ride back on the first-class carriage."
"Oh, Harry. I wish I had been there. Facing against mythical beasts was not something on the training menu for you."
"It's all right, Lady Scathach; I used everything you taught me… and it won me the day. I should thank you more."
She sighed.
"Well, what's done is done. Once you're better, you should…"
"…take a vacation," both of them said in unison, and then they laughed.
"I'll tell you more later, Master; someone's at the door," he said, and gave the Witch of Dun Scaith a smile that she returned before ending the call.
The door opened, and in walked the school's headmaster.
"That was very brave of you, Harry. Facing down and defeating a dragon is no small feat."
"Especially since that poor Ironbelly was possessed by your old student Tom," Harry replied nonchalantly, and the old headmaster paused.
"You knew…?"
"Just before I finished the fight. Gringotts didn't lose much now, did it?"
"Not too much, just their guard dragon, some of their first branch, and a significant chunk of Knockturn Alley," Dumbledore replied. "When Griphook learned of what happened to their dragon, he was looking for ways to make those Death Eaters pay for ruining his bank. As much as it hurt his pride to let wizards into their business, they needed to. How would the Dark Lord manage to suborn, let alone possess, a dragon?"
"A mystery yet to be solved," Harry concurred with a sagely nod. "What now?"
"Well, the reveal of your identity has caused somewhat of a furor here in Hogwarts," Dumbledore explained. "I hear the days leading up to the exam results have been very interesting, especially in quidditch. Did you know that Slytherin and Gryffindor's matches against Hufflepuff are both tied for the biggest blowouts in Hogwarts' quidditch history?"
Harry's eyes twinkled.
"I think I owe Draco and Sally some thanks," he said.
"Still, there are matters we have yet to look into…" the old man replied enigmatically. "That magic of yours, the form of your patronus… how you gave it orders by roaring at it… all of that looks like it didn't come from the standard Hogwarts curriculum."
Harry held his breath.
"…But that is not my concern at the moment. You've earned your moment to rest and recuperate; any further discourse will have to wait for now. Thank you again, Harry."
The headmaster stood up and made his way out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Yeah, I think that means we're on thin ice around the headmaster now.
At least he gave us until the start of next year to figure out what to do.
Small comforts. Oh, there's more knocking.
The door opened again, and in walked three people Harry Potter did not want to see during his convalescence: the two Hufflepuff prefects, and Susan Bones.
He was instantly put on guard.
"What," he said through gritted teeth, "are the three of you doing here?"
"…we all just want to apologize," Susan began, and if the anger that Harry had been holding in didn't choose to surface at that time, he would have noted her sounding like that older female Auror who talked to him the day before yesterday.
"Oh," Harry nearly hissed in his anger, "you're playing that tune now, because Harold Graham, the inconvenient duckling who snatched the Triwizard trophy from their golden boy Cedric Diggory, turned out to be the Swan-who-Lived Harry Potter, huh?"
The hostility dripping from each of his words had them stepping back.
"Well, you can take your apology, write it on a sheet of paper, put it on top of a cactus, then all you bloody Hufflepuffs take turns sitting on that damn cactus for all I care!" he roared. "Now get out, you're fucking with my recovery."
"…But we already know who—"
"OUT!"
Said order was accompanied by a Phase Bolt, so the three of them did leave.
That wasn't the best way to deal with them.
Give me a day to get better and I'll say you're right. I'm still pissed off.
I don't know, Harry, something doesn't seem right here…
Tell me later, when I wake up. Even yelling is exhausting.
"You're good to go for now, but take these potions, and don't strain yourself, understand?"
"Yes, Madame Pomfrey," Harry said with a smile as he was finally given the go-ahead to leave, sometime late in the afternoon.
Man. The potions Professor Snape brews really are topnotch.
He's a certified Potions Master by the International Confederation of Potioneers for a reason, Harry.
Yeah, and tomorrow, I'm going to be closer to three-quarters okay than half. It's amazing.
You're really looking forward to working with him at that conference, aren't you?
That's right. Once I'm back on my feet, I'm going to hit the Potions books. Can't make the professor look bad for picking me.
Good to see you're finally not that simmering ball of rage any longer, Harry.
Sigh… you know me, Tom. Once I boil over, it's going to take a good long while for me to get back up there.
That's an advantage, Harry. You're not a hothead like those idiots I used to lead by the nose, well, at least back when I wasn't a Device.
I know.
Speaking of which… your school things?
Right, I forgot that I had all of them save my potions kit sent to Hufflepuff House at the start of the term. If it weren't for the Room of Requirement…
…we owe the Witch more thanks.
Yep… you still think they're intact?
Given how shitty teenagers can be? I'm not holding my breath.
Still, it's worth a try to see what we can salvage.
Best bring a buddy with you in case shit hits the fan, Harry. You know how these Children of the Cornfielders are.
Exactly.
"You want to 'borrow' Crabbe and Goyle?" Draco Malfoy asked in disbelief.
"Yeah," Harry said, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "Just to watch my back while I get what's left of my school things in the Hufflepuff dorms."
"You know what?" Draco asked. "I'm going to do you one better and go with you, as well."
Harry smiled.
"Thanks."
"No problem."
They were about to turn the corner to where the entrance to Hufflepuff House was, when three people nearly collided into Harry and his posse.
Thankfully, they stopped short, but when Harry saw them, he was instantly on edge again.
"You three again?" he asked.
"Just the one we need!" Susan gasped out. "You've got to come with us!"
"What?"
"Now!"
Harry grunted.
"I am not moving a muscle until you convince me to go with you."
"Do I have to swear an unbreakable vow to not hex you in the back?" Susan asked, desperation in her voice, and Harry sighed.
"Fine, go ahead," he said, before turning to Draco and his two men Friday. "Thanks for the lift, I think I can handle this myself."
"If you're sure…"
"And hey, if I don't come out of here in half an hour, go to Professor Snape or the headmaster."
"Will do."
The four of them quickly made their way into Hufflepuff House.
"What the hell is this?" Harry asked as he saw the entirety of Hufflepuff House standing around one of their own.
"It's like what we told you. There was one student here responsible for turning us against you," Hannah explained. "And his fate… is for you to decide."
Nods came from everyone in Hufflepuff as Harry looked towards the student who was in the middle of the room.
Harry looked to everyone else in there with such loathing that some of them recoiled… and let out a breath.
"Are my school things still intact?"
Everyone else shook their heads.
"Well, that's a loss," Harry replied with disappointment before turning to the rest of the Hufflepuffs and clearing his throat.
"If you think that I'm going to cut loose and take everything out on Mr. Finch-Fletchley right here and right now…" he declared, his grin widening savagely, "you would be wrong."
Everyone gasped.
"His fate is in my hands, no? Then he will do what I say," Harry continued, before turning to the disgraced student.
"Pick up your things and walk out of here, you fucking snake," he hissed. "I'm going to make sure no other Hufflepuff will hit you from the back, which is more than what you fucking deserve."
Confused but grateful at a chance to leave, he took up his bags and scrambled out of the place.
"What about us?" Ernie asked as Harry himself was leaving.
"Indeed," Harry nearly hissed at them as he was at the entrance to the Hufflepuff dorms, "what about you?"
Though he wasn't still back to his usual strength, he was able to catch up to Fletchley in the hallways.
"You want to go to the apprentice's quarters," he said as he walked with his fellow Hufflepuff.
And once they entered the classroom door, Fletchley made to throw himself to Harry's mercy… but the champion of Dun Scaith caught him by the front of his shirt and pulled him face to face.
"Do not think of this as forgiveness or redemption, because that is the last thing on my mind when it comes to dealing with a piece of shit like you," Harry hissed. "So much crap has happened, and I am taking the high ground simply because I have no time or energy to worry about taking your bullshit or Hufflepuff House's, whatever it may be. The only reason you are here is because the only thing standing between you and the rest of Hufflepuff House throwing you the greatest blanket party Hogwarts has ever pulled later tonight… is me. If that happens, the burden of your death or maiming – insignificant as it is – will be placed upon my shoulders."
He let go of Fletchley, and only realized that the kid had just pissed himself.
"Clean yourself up. You already know what your fate will be. Now clean up this classroom while I look up some oaths and vows to keep you from pulling this shit again."
Harry left the classroom.
Well, I see you have managed to get yourself your own Peter Pettigrew, he heard Ouroboros say between chuckles.
Ha, ha, laugh it up. Before school starts, I'm shipping him and his folks to the US. Let him be Ilvermorny's problem.
That will take a lot of galleons.
My folks aren't going to mind if I invest some galleons into waste disposal.
I take it back. You aren't angry. You're a mean, vindictive son-of-a-gun.
Fletchley's going to pay for the principal. The interest is him getting out of my hair.
You should probably cash in that favor with Lucius Malfoy, make sure that family gets all set up in America enough that they won't want to go back here.
I still have a week or two after getting home before I take that trip to Monaco; I can take care of that matter then.
Sounds good.
The ending festival went by without a hitch; despite everyone in Hogwarts wanting to have some sort of ceremony showing off Harry's achievement in slaying a Dark Lord-possessed dragon, the Boy-who-Lived insisted on a private celebration.
Let those reputation-obsessed Hufflepuffs stew that in their pipes and smoke it, Harry thought as several of his friends had a small get-together in the classroom opposite Professor Snape's office.
"So, you're not going to be part of Slytherin?" Draco asked.
"No," Harry replied. "I am still nominally affiliated with Hufflepuff House, but given their treatment of me and their appalling ways of 'cleaning up in-house matters', I am going to be placed as an apprentice of a professor starting next year."
"Why?"
"You'll see," Harry said with a smile, remembering his shiny Potions and Herbology "O" result, and the two EE's he got for those subjects when taking the mock NEWT exam while he was waiting for his OWL results. "I even asked Professor Dumbledore if I could be stricken from Hufflepuff's records, but he told me that wasn't how House affiliation works."
Despite Harry seeing literal lightning sparks when Gryffindor's golden trio and Slytherin's inquisitor posse first met, the resulting party turned out to be a lot more genial than he thought.
Professor Snape allowing them into his firewhiskey stash helped out a lot in that regard, though it was just a couple of drops in their butterbeer.
And right after the leaving feast, Harry was once again on the Hogwarts Express back to London, and seated with Luna Lovegood, spending the entire trip regaling her with stories about him and Ouroboros.
Once he arrived at London, he immediately took a cab to 12 Grimmauld Place, where the Order would assemble the next day.
By the time he had closed the door to the taxi, he saw someone waiting for him near the entrance.
"You've arrived. Good," Harry said as he walked the other Hufflepuff into his godfather's house.
"A real wizarding house," Fletchley said in awe.
"You'll get tired of it soon enough. Now, the real reason why you are here," Harry declared, and pulled out a mop and bucket.
"You're joking."
"No, I am not. Getting you and your family settled in America will cost a pretty penny, and you can at least start trying to work out the debt you owe me. Now… get scrubbing."
Once he was sure Fletchley was settled in, Harry went back to the Dursleys – he had a few days there to relax and decompress before his trip to Monaco. He had been overdue a vacation, and he would be damned if he wouldn't get one.
Author's notes:
And with that, we're done with fifth year. Yes, I know that this also mirrors canon in how Harry turned into an angry young man. He's still angry here, but he's gotten enough help that he can make decisions in the heat of anger, in exchange for getting a lot more four-letter-words in his vocabulary. Even someone like Harry Potter can't have everything, y'see.
The names Arnold Beckham and Mabel Macintosh are from Fate/Grand Order.
We also have another Dawlish cameo.
Harry is keeping Fletchley at 12 Grimmauld Place to keep him away from Hufflepuff retaliation, at least until he can get them out of the country. As to whether Fletchley really was the one responsible for the hate campaign against Harry or whether he's Hufflepuff's designated scapegoat doesn't matter to Harry (which means it's ultimately up to you, dear readers, to figure that out). This was his attempt at giving Hufflepuff House the finger, and he's not sure if he succeeded. We'll see how it goes when sixth year swings by and Harry's hormones get turned up to eleven (yes, this means I might have to bump this story's rating to M).
And yes, Harry learned what a blanket party was after Vernon snuck him and Dudley into a "Full Metal Jacket" screening as some sort of bizarre male bonding exercise. Petunia doesn't know this.
