Chapter 30: Fleamont's Magic Quill and hidden Journals part 2
Gryffindor Common Room: November 1st
Harry left the library and heads back to the common, which is empty due to everyone still in class so he'll be on his own for a couple of hours. This happens to be the perfect opportunity to start reading his grandfather's journal which dates back to his first year at Hogwarts at September 1938 to late Summer 1939. Harry opens the book, but just as he starts to read, he suddenly noticed that the pages are blank.
"what the...?" said Harry as he turns to the other page and saw it blank too. "There is no way Granddad left me to find a blank book. Maybe it's magic.
Harry pulls out his wand and prepares to say the spell.
"What was the spell Madame Pince used?" said Harry trying to remember, "Oh yeah, Revelio!"
Suddenly a row of words starts to form, another riddle, albeit a short one.
If you are a family buck
Speak the motto
To read thy book
"Fortis voluntas, cor nobile" said Harry and suddenly the pages start to glow and engulfs Harry completely.
Inside the Journal
Harry looks around to see nothing but white space, well not entirely white but more of a certain shade of grey to match the ones you find on any page of any book. He looks down at his feet to see that he is standing on a platform made of scrambled and jumbled up letters scrolled in ink. Suddenly, a letters starts to manifest and takes the form of a doorway with a date written above.
Sunday September 4th 1938
Harry walked through the doorway and found himself back in the Gryffindor Common Room, but only this time it was all black and white, just like how Fleamont's memory was when he showed Harry the night of his parent's death. He looks around and suddenly saw a boy sitting by a desk. The boy looks just like Harry, the same messy black hair, similar round glasses, but the only difference is the lack of scarring on the forehead.
"Huh, it's like looking in a mirror," said Harry as he looks at his 11-year-old grandfather, he then looks to see that he's working on the very journal he just found.
"Ok, now just to add a slither of my memory..." said Fleamont as he placed his wand on his temple and pulls out a silver strand of light and placed it on the journal until it absorbs into the book itself. "And there, that's one magic journal crafted, thank very much Great Uncle Charlus,"
"Hey, you in there Monty?"
Entering the common room, two students, a boy and a girl, walks in and approached Fleamont. The boy is obviously a weasley due to his freckled face and red hair (even though the area around Harry is black and white), and the girl has black hair tied in a bun, round glasses and a stern expression on her face that looks vaguely familiar to Harry for some reason.
"Oh high Lucky 7," said Fleamont as he greets his friend, then he saw the girl and sighed and greets her bluntly. "Hi Minnie."
"Potter," the girl named Minnie responded in kind. Her stern expression never left her face. "We never saw at the Great Hall for lunch, care to explain why?"
"What are you, my mum?" Fleamont
"You never skipped lunch before, and it's been a couple of days since ten," said Lucky 7 with concern. "In fact you never left the common room for the full weekend.
"Huh? It's Sunday already?" said Fleamont realising that he's been up for almost 2 days, "huh, must've lost track of time."
"What was so important for you to stay up for 2 days, Potter?" said Minnie crossing her arms, looking displeased at Fleamont's irresponsible action.
"I don't think that's any of your damn business, McGonagal!" said Fleamont as he stands to confront the girl.
"McGonagall?" said Harry when suddenly the words starts float around Fleamont and the young Minerva "Minnie" McGonagall.
"Ugh, why don't she just but out of everyone's business? We heardly started class given that our first day was on a Friday, meaning we had the entire weekend to just relax. But I waited to try out this enchantment that Great Uncle Charlus taught me which might help me with my studies. I ain't my fault it took me almost the entire weekend to make it work, but I got it working...right? Probably? I might have to read it once I get rid of Ms. Know-it-all"
"Why don't you just go do your homework and stop bothering us!" said Fleamont
"Fine!" said Minnie as she storms off with a huff.
"You know, it doesn't hurt to be a bit nicer to Minnie," said Lucky 7 "I mean, charms is a tough start for all of us and she was only trying to help."
"Yeah well the way she "helped" I didn't like, Lucky 7," said Fleamont with scoff. "Telling me how I incorrectly waved my wand, mispronouncing the spells.
"It's called constructive criticism, Monty," said Lucky 7
"it's bloody annoying and rude, that's what it was." Said Fleamont crossing his arms. "It's bad enough with dad constantly on my back, I don't need her too. She needs to keep her own business and GIVE HELP WHEN IT'S ASKED!"
Septimus shook his head and sighed.
"I do both of you get a long, she's a Gryffindor too and we'll be staying at Hogwarts for 7 years...besides the holidays, of course." Said Lucky 7.
Fleamont begrudgingly grunted and took Septimus's words in concideration.
"I'll try to be nice with her," said Fleamont "but only if she try and be conciderate with her offering help to us next time."
"There you go!" said Lucky 7 patting Fleamon't back. "And once you say sorry to her, then it'll be a fine beginning of our friendship.
"Apologise?" said Fleamont "what for?"
"Well you were being rude to her, Monty," said Lucky 7
"Same goes for her, she needs to apologise to me."
"I'll apologise if you stop being a git, Potter!" Minnie's voice shouts out from inside the girl's dormitories.
Fleamont grumbled and decided to ignore Minerva as he turns back to his diary, which is open and the pages are now glowing.
"So what were you working on anyway?" said Lucky 7, looking over at the journal
"It's an enchantment Great Uncle Charlus taught me," said Fleamont with a proud smile on my face. "After many attempts, and many used up journals, I finally managed to enchant it."
"What does it do?" said Lucky 7
"It can automatically write my thoughts and memories into the diary," said Fleamont as he explained.
"Even right now, it's recording our very conversation?" said Lucky 7
"Every word," said Fleamont, "but don't worry it can't record you thoughts, only mine.
"Which is a downer for it would be useful to know what people are really thinking. But that's one of the cons of this enchantment apparently. But, on the good side, I can recall any of the lectures the professors tell us in class, even...ugh, Professor Binns in History of Magic... and Arithmancy, Merlin help me."
"So, you're gonna cheat, Potter?" said Minerva, who just overheard and came down to scold at Fleamont.
"Hey, it's no different than using a self writing quill or looking in a pensive full of your memories." Said Fleamont crossing his arms when Minerva came down. "And besides, you wouldn't understand because you grew up in a muggle community, especially when your dad's a witch hating priest."
"My dad doesn't hate witches, he's just... complicated" said Minerva as she avert her eyes and frowned sadly.
"What's complicated about that?" said Lucky 7 "You know what his kind does to witches, right?"
"That was during the middle ages, you idiot!" said Minerva as she swatted Septimus on the head. "If you bothered to pay attention in History of Magic, Wendelin the Weird, the witch who constantly gets burned in the witch's pyre, just for the fun of it. Allows herself get caught by witch-hunters so they can get burn her while under the flame-freezing charm to protect her and just for the fun of it too. You can read it all in Crazy Witches of the 14th Century, plus she made a mockery out of the "witch-hating" Christians and their questionable faith."
"Ok I'm gonna stop here" said Fleamont with exasperation as he reaches for the journal to close it. "The last thing I want is to get in a heated debate about the controversies of muggle/witches relations, not to mention hear more about your family issues, Minnie."
Minerva only scoffed before the memory of that day fades away into nothingness.
"Good call, Granddad" said Harry as he has to agree with his Grandfather there, even he doesn't want to get caught in a heated dispute too. It's bad enough that the Pure bloods are being prejudiced around the Half-bloods and the Muggle-borns, especially when he once a victim of that dispute, thank you very much Voldemort! "Why does McGonagall remind me of Hermione for a second there?"
Suddenly words manifest and float in the air, in front of Harry which reads:
Note:
Crazy Witches of the 14th Century
Wendelin the Weird
"Huh, so it also note important topics" said Harry as he reaches out for one of the floating words which suddenly a vision of Fleamont reading a book which Harry assumes to be inside the library.
"*Scoff* I can't believe I let Minnie got me doing this. I hate History...but I had to admit, doing this essay will be a Merlin-send." Said Fleamont as he reads about the witch in subject, Wendelin the Weird.
Then a vision of a red haired witch burning in a pyre, laughing as if the flames are tickling her while the crowd of muggles are looking confused at why the witch is laughing...and not burning.
"Huh, so that's what happened."
The manifestation of Wendelin the Weird "burning" in the pyre continues to play in front of Harry for a couple of minutes before both manifestations fade away in front of Harry.
"Harry...Harry..."
Suddenly a voice echoes all around him, he looks around to see where it's coming from until suddenly he's been engulfed in a bright light and finally returns to the Common Room.
Gryffindor Common Room
"Harry!" said Ron shaking Harry's shoulder when he saw Harry spaced out with an open book. "Hey mate, are you with us?"
"Huh, what?" said Harry as he finally came to and turns to see Ron and Hermione. "Oh hi guys, when did you get here?"
"We just got here and we saw you in a trance while holding that book, mate" said Ron as he takes the book from Harry.
"Hey!" said Harry as he tries to get up and take the journal back from ron. "Give that back!"
"No way, you did something to you and we can't have you spacing out." Said Ron
"It's fine, I was just...reading deep" said Harry as he tries to explain what he was doing, but Ron isn't convinced.
"Nah ah, this book here is hexed" said Ron as he closed the book, only for him to get shocked by it and was forced to drop it. "Yeow, it zapped me."
Harry tries to grab the book but Hermione caught it and moved away, she isn't shocked by it but doesn't want to risk it by giving it to Harry.
"Hermione, please give me he book."
"I'm sorry Harry but I can't give it back," said Hermione "We saw what happened to you when you read it. It was creepy."
"I told you it was fine" said Harry "The journal belonged to by Grandfather, I found it in the Library."
"Be it as it may, I thing we should report this to Professor McGonagall" said Hermione as she takes her leave so she can head for McGonagall's office to report this suspicious item.
"Herione, come on!" said Harry as he goes after her and tries to take the journal off her, but she puts it in her enchanted bag which she charmed it for the inside to be massive to carry many books inside, which the journal is now part of the pile. "Hermione! I said it's fine!"
"We'll let Professot McGonagall decide that" said Hermione
McGonagall's Office
Ron and Hermione reached McGonagall's office in spite of Harry's protest and many attempts to reclaim his Grandfather's journal. Hermione reported a suspicious item to the Head of Gryffindor and showed her the book. McGonagall took, and immediately smiled and gives it back to Harry.
"So you found one of Fleamont's journals, Potter" said McGonagall "Well done"
"Thank you, Professor" said Harry as he reclaimed the journal and frowned at Ron and Hermione. "I told you it was fine."
"But Professor, Harry was spacing out when he opened the book." Said Ron
"Well of course he was spacing out, and you knocked him out of it, correct?" said McGonagall
"Y-Yeah?" said Ron
"Then there's nothing to be concerned about," said McGonagall. "Fleamont's journals are charmed to put the reader in a trance, for they can take you to visit the many manifested memories recorded in the book."
"You can do that?" said Hermione in shock
"Of course, but it's a very complicated charm spell, and it's only known by one Charlus Potter, Harry's ancestor on his father's side." Said McGonagall
"Granddad's Great Grandfather," said Harry
"That's right, so there's nothing to be concerned about."
"But why did it zap me?" said Ron
"You didn't try to read it, Mr. Weasley?" said McGonagall
"No, I just slammed it shut." Said Ron
"Well that should do it," said McGonagall "Fleamont placed some protected hexes on the journals, making sure no one can read or harm the journal. You should consider yourself lucky that you only earned a little shock from the book, Fleamont has put so many hexes on that book that are considered worse."
"So hands off," said Harry leering angrily at Ron before he turns back to McGonagall "Sorry for the trouble, Professor."
"It's no trouble, Mr. Potter" said MGonagall with a smile. "You just keep that journal safe, if Fleamont left it to you then it'll help you along your studiesif you're in a pickle."
"But Professor, wouldn't that be cheating?" said Hermione
"I once thought that, but it turns out it's more helpful when it filled with reviewing notes to help with certain subjects. And yes, I once read it, with Fleamonts permission."
"So Harry..."
"Forget it" said Harry as he walks away, Hermione's smart enough to not need any help, and you just lost that privlage when you snatched the book off me."
"Aw" said Ron said and pouted.
"If you don't have anything else, you can go" said McGonagall as he starts to shoo the 3 students away. "I'll see you in class, tomorrow."
The three didn't say anything else and heads back to the common room.
Gryffindor Common Room
Harry, Ron and Hermione heads to the common Room, Harry sits by an empty table and pulls out Fleamont's journal and places it on the base so that he can start turning the page which may appear blank but on the top corners there are dates and topics written on it.
He read a few:
September 13th
Double Potions: Wiggenwald Potion Recipe (we screwed up the concoction despite following Slughorns's instruction. Need to rework on it later.)
Charms: Protego
Practicing Protego in the "Secret Room" with Lucky 7.
DADA: Gnomes & casting Red Sparks
Offered to help the Grounds Keeper Moon to De-gnome his garden. (My record was 70 yards, Lucky 7's record was 100 yards...jammy git)
September 18th
Flying lessons (Madam Kogawa was going on about the Toyohashi Tengus...again, I still think the Ilkley Team's better in my opinion...I hope she didn't hear me.)
DADA: Vampires (A lecture from Professor Dumbledore followed by that muggle movie he got from America: Dracula...it wasn't bad for a Muggle movie.)
Herbology: Lumos Solem (used for giving plants some sunlight...and useful against the Devil Snare.)
History of Magic: Hengist of Woodcraft lecture (warning: boring lecture by Binns, recommend drinking Baruffio's Brain Elixir to stay focused and awake. Concoction not yet learned...yet.)
Note: Brain Elixir can be sold in Hogsmede, at J. Pippin's Potions for 2 sickles per bottle. (thank you Poe)
September 28th
Charms: Colovaria
Testing the colour changing charm on Bratty's hair, seeing how many colours we can change without him noticing. (Record was 32 when it turned into a shadow of teal before he saw it in the mirror. He never found out who did it, we were very discreet)
Herbology: Chinese Chomping Cabbage
Playing catch with a Chinese Chomping Cabbage, had to stop on account of Alphie's hand bitten by the toothy vegetable. Got scolded by Professor Garlick for taking the cabbage from the Greenhouse.
Potions: Pepper-up Potions (Thank Merlin I made it perfectly, in spite of Slughorn's instructions.)
Astronomy: Planets (the pepper-up was a Merlin-send for those cold nights looking at the night sky with our telescopes. Bratty and Swanny were sneezing and caught a cold while Lucky 7, Alfie and I are all nice and warm from our own batch of Pepper-up.)
The list goes on through page to page, ever since he said the family motto, the once blank pages are full of writing, but Harry knows that the written dates will take him to a memories recorded for him. But then he saw a subject recorded on the date of September 6th:
Secret room Room of Requirement found
Curious by this, Harry tapped the date with his wand and the journal engulfs him in its light so that he can visit the memory.
September 6th 1938
Harry now stands in a corridor where the tapestry of Barnaby the Barmy trying (and failing) to teach a group of trolls ballet is found hanging, which only means that he is at the 7th floor, just near the astronomy tower. Confused by this, he waits for the memory to play on until he saw Fleamont and Septimus approach him, or to them, walking to a stone wall.
"Is this where you saw it, Monty?" said Septimus
"That's right," said Fleamont as he looks straight at the wall. "I was just wandering around, looking for a place to study without Bratty, Orion and Swanny bothering me, and suddenly a door just suddenly appeared out of nowhere. See?"
Just as Fleamont said, a door suddenly manifested on the once bare stone wall.
"See what I mean?" said Fleamont
"Whoa," said Lucky 7 with astonishment. "What's inside?"
"Come and have a look," said Fleamont as he opens up the door and enters through.
Harry walks in, phasing like a ghost and saw what's on the other side. It is a room, consists of a long rectangular platform with cresent moons and stars on the base. A few training dummies, a cooking station, a potting station with gardening tools and 5 plant pots. And a set of furnature with a gramophone which play smooth jazz.
"Where did this come from?" said Lucky 7.
"It was there when the door appeared," said Fleamont. "I was just passing by, looking for a place to study in peace from the 3 prats bothering me, and here it is, with everything I needed."
"You're saying that this room required your needs?" said Lucky 7
"Apparently so" said Fleamont "So what do you think?"
"...It would make things easy for us," said Lucky 7
"And we mustn't tell anyone," said Fleamont
"Not even Minnie and Alfie?" said Lucky 7 "I thought you and Minnie go along?"
"We have, but Minnie would tell on us, and Alfie is being constantly being watched by Orion and Swanny." Said Fleamont. "It's just us at the moment. Us and our secret room."
"Secret room?" said Lucky 7 with araised brow. "Sounds childish, why not called it the Room of Requirement or something.
"Hey, I found it and I get to name it!" said Fleamont.
"But when I stop to think about it, I think the Room of Requirement is the best name for it. Especially when researched on it after I discovered it."
"Alright, it's a Secret Room," sai Lucky 7 "So what do you want to do in it?"
"Well we got some homework that needs to be handed by tomorrow." Said Fleamont
"Homework? Really?"
"Hey, I told you that I needed a place to study in peace" said Fleamont crossing his arms. "And this is the perfect place."
"Fine, fine, but you owe me," said Lucky 7
"Really?" said Fleamont with a deadpan expression
"Nah, I'm just messing with ya," Fleamont with a chuckle and pathis friend's back. "Even I got home work to do well. And without Minnie chewing at our ear, it's a nice change."
"Provide that you don't tell anyone."
"Cross my heart" said Lucky 7
"And he kept his word, I knew I could trust my best bud. For we used this room of Requirement (Huh, he was right, it does sound right) for our studies for the rest of the term and years to come."
Present day
Harry finished with reading the journal and learned something interesting about what his Grandfather found during his first year. A secret room that manifest to those who deeply needs it. Very intrigued, Harry would go there and have a look himself, but at the moment, he doesn't need anything for he's content for now, with his school work up to date, his Quidditch practice showing promise, and a match close at hand.
He looks out the window and realised how late it is when it's dark out.
"You know, it still creeps me out when you space out when you read that thing,"
Harry turns to Ron and gives him a deadpan expression.
"Then don't look" said Harry, "I could go somewhre private if it bothers you."
"We're just concerned for you, Harry," said Hermione "I mean reading that journal, it leaves you vulnerable and we might not always be around to look out for you, especially if Malfoy took notice and use that as an oppotunity to hex."
"Fine, I get your point" said Harry as he closed the journal. "I'll just read it here."
"No way, I can't watch you space out every time you read it," said Ron "You need go smewhere else."
"Yes...need," said Harry as he took Ron's suggestion. "Sure thin, Ron. I'll do that."
"Where are you going?" said hermione
"I'm going to find a nice quiet place to read my grandfather's journal" said Harry "And don't worry, I'll tell you it if I find the perfect place so you can go find me."
"As long as I don't have to see you space out again, wherever you got but here is fine." Said Ron
Harry and Hermione only scoffed at Ron before Harry starts to leave the common room.
"Wait, you're going now?" said Hermione
"I still got time before curfew," said Harry "I won't take long, before Filch starts his patrols."
"Just...don't get caught." Said Hermione
"I won't" said Harry
7th Floor (near the Astronomy Tower)
Harry wasted no time heading for the 7th Floor and reached the corridor of the tapestry Barnaby the Barmy still hangs. He turns to the blank wall where Fleamont found this Room of Requirement. At first he didn't seem to need of use for it, but after Ron's complaint of his spacing out and suggested that he needs to find somewhere else to read the journal. And "Need" being the keyword, now he has the need to use this secret room.
Suddenly, a door starts to manifest in front of Harry and he starts to enter the room.
The room is unlike what he saw in Fleamont's recorded memory, it looks different. It currently resembles a private study with a training ring consist with a couple of training dummies and training targets.
"Ha, nice" said Harry as he looks at his grandfather's journal and kisses it. "Thank you so much, Granddad.
Harry heads for one chairs and so that he can go back to reading the journal, he skims through the pages to find anything else interesting to look at. And then he saw another date
September 5th :
Got in a fight between Orion, Bratty and Swanny, bastards caught my by surprise and knocked my wand off with a quick Expelliarmus before I could even get a chance to wave it. But I still got my fists and used the alternative..."
October 13th 1938
"RAAGH!" Fleamont as he ran and tackled Orion Black to the floor and starts beating the pompous Black in the face. Cygnus and Abraxas grabbed Fleamont from behind and pulled the potter boy off Orion. Orion gets up from the floor and wiped blood from his split lip off with his sleeve. Seeing the blood staining his sleeve, he looks back at the restrained Fleamon and scowls and angrily at Fleamont.
"How dare you make me spill my precious blood, Potter!" said Orion as he then approaches Fleamont and pulls out his wand. "No one ever dares spill the blood of the Black House!"
"Oh get over it, Orion" said Fleamont "That's what happens when you try to pick a fight with me."
Fleamont then headbuts both Cygnus and Abraxus front behing, forcing the 2 SLytherins to let go of him. Fleamont mores shifts this eyes to his discarded wand while keeping his guard up. Orion tries to hex Fleamont but he missed with Fleamont dodged it with a side roll so to reclaim his wand back.
"Expelliamus!" said Fleamont as he cast the same spell Orion casted on him, knocking the wand off the Black boy's hand. Orion's wand slipped out from hishand and turns to see Fleamont charge at him again. Orion fliched and braced for another tackle from Fleamont
"Petrifitus Totalus!"
Suddenly Fleamont froze in place and collapsed to the floor would remaining in his charging position. Fleamont was petrified by a spell, but none of the 3 Slytherin Boys were the ones who did that. Cygnus and Abraxus turns to see who did it and pull out their own wands, only for them to have them knocked out of heir hands.
"That's enough!" the person who petrified Fleamont and disarmed the two Slytherin boys. Wand is still out and comes out of the shadows where the castle sconces didn't light up, the boy is another Slytherin, pale, messy skin that's basically white as a ghost black hair, and piercing eyes that would put snakes to shame. "You're making a fool of yourselves, insulting the proud name of Slytherin."
"And what would you know about Slytherin Pride, Riddle" said Orion as he leers at the boy, revealing to be Tom Riddle, another Slytherin but luck the three, is an outcast due to his half-blood status. "Your nothing but a son of disgraced whore who lowered herself to mate with a muggle. A bastard who...mmm!"
Riddle literally sealed his mouth shut with a hex, Orion panics when his mouth vanished from his face and struggles to breathe.
"I suggest you take Orion to the hospital Wing, I'm still working on the counter-curse" said Tom to Abraxas and Cygnus.
"You'll pay for this, Riddle!" said Abraxas as he and Cygnus takes Orion and leaves the corridor.
"Yes, yes, I'm sure your daddy will be most displeased," said Tom while watching the three Slytherins before he turns to the still pretrified Fleamont. He gives his wand a wave and freed Fleamont. "No need to thank me."
"And whyshould I?" said Fleamont as he slowly gets back on his feet. "I can handle them?"
"I'm sure you do, but are you willing to explain it to Headmaster Dippet should a prefect ever finds you or if and of the 3 reports you to Dumbledore?" said Tom "Seriously, what did you do to them."
"Nothing, honestly" said Fleamont as he now standing up after dusting his shoulders. "Oriron is still pi- peeved ever since I refused his hand in friendship. I never liked the Blacks, all of them are total prats."
"What about Alphard?" said Tom with a aised brow.
"Alfie's an exception" said Fleamont "I like him."
"And yet you still fight with his brother and cousin." Said Tom
"Hey, whatever grudge they had with me is no concern to you, alright?" said Fleamont "Merlin almighty, you're as bad as minnie, sticking your nose into people's business."
"I was just trying to help," said Tom shrugging his shoulders.
"Yeah well, thanks but don't make it a habit." Said Fleamont "I can fight my own fights."
You just need to learn to work on it," said Tom as he takes his leave. "It's getting late, we wouldn't want Moon to catch us."
Fleamont grunted as he takes his leave.
"Riddle is a strange one, but I do appreciate his help even though I didn't ask for it. That was the first ever time we officially met, I do see him in class but we never actually talk, mostly because most slytherins are complete Prats, such as Orion, Bratty and Swanny. Strange that Riddle was sorted into Slytherin, he's not the kind to have deep ambitions, he keeps to himself and hardly make friends, which is hard since none in SLytherin wanted to be affiliated with a "Half-blood bastard"- their words not mine."
Harry looks over to see Riddle walk off at the corridor, but the more he watches the slytherin boy, the more he feels uncomfortable, especially when his scar starts to tingle.
"AH," said Harry as he held his forehead, it continues to hurt more that it forces him to leave the recorded memory in the journal.
Present
Harry came too and held his forehead, it just happened when looking at the boy Tom Riddle. Confused by this and had enough reading, Harry closed the journal puts it on the side table. He waits until the pain in his scar starts to die out, the feeling was horrible, even back when he first used Haki in Raftel, he was sore for a few days after Law performed surgery to stop his brain haemorrhaging.
But now, whatever caused the pain to return, Tom Riddle was the cause of it. But why?
End of Chapter