"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer., Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Harry Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall Deputy Headmistress"
The second page with requirements says:
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
UNIFORM First-year students will require: sets of plain work robes (black) plain pointed hat (black) for day wear pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar) winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings) Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.
COURSE BOOKS All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK"
After years of waiting, of anticipating this letter, Harry finally held within his hands his acceptance letter from Hogwarts.
A flurry of emotions poured throughout Harry; excitement, to finally attend classes and live within the castle his parents wrote so much about; fear, of being hurt, of anybody finding out about his status and early introduction to magic; nervousness, of openly interacting with other as himself, of the high expectations he would be viewed through.
Sitting with the letter in his hand, Harry recalled his preparations in anticipation for this day.
Understanding that no one must become aware that he had been preparing years in advance, Harry and Hrothgar has set things in motion so that no one would be the wiser.
As such, an important step in this endeavor required the assistance of a Garrick Ollivander, wandmaker extraordinaire and Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Ollivander.
{Flashback}
After having his Aunt Petunia drop him off nearby the Leaky Cauldron, Harry set forth to speak with Lord Ollivander. A letter, sent three days prior, asking for an audience with him was returned with an affirmative. As such, dressed in a plain black robe, Harry entered the threshold to the wandmaker's store.
"Ah, right on time, Lord Potter. Please, be welcomed under the rights of guest, no harm shall befall upon you."
"Greetings, Lord Ollivander, I assent to thine protections and rules"
With a bow to one another, they walked to the back of the store.
A small, dusty office filled with tools and oddities that Harry had never seen, it was obvious that Ollivander was in the midst of creating new wands.
Sitting behind the desk, with a wave of his hand, Ollivander spoke, "Tell me, Mr. Potter, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I am afraid that I come to you in need of your assistance, Lord Ollivander. As you may remember, my birthday is next month, and with that is the letter of acceptance from Hogwarts. That means that the rest of the magical community will be expecting my return and, subsequently, that means that I will be having too many eyes on me. As far as everyone else is aware of, I am to be ignorant of my heritage and magic. Therefore, in preparation for that, I must ask that you keep guard of my Blackthorn wand here and pretend as if my 'first visit' with a Hogwarts professor and my 'discovery' of my wand is nothing more than the truth. My Aspen wand will be kept hidden and left behind in my residence, but when I return, would you be willing to play along and hide the fact my wand possess two cores?"
Looking directly at Ollivanders, Harry awaited his response.
Aware of the huge favor he just asked, Harry was willing to sit in silence as Lord Ollivander thought it through.
With a rub of his chin, Ollivander spoke, "If I may, why would you desire to hide the truth of your knowledge and wand?
"Upon the death of my parents, I was taken and placed in the care of my mother's sister. This, however, was done without proper notification to the Department of Children's Care and Protection, bypassing my parent's wish for me to reside with my godmother, and against the wishes of my aunt. Forced to keep me, my aunt and uncle were given no choice nor say. Albus Dumbledore, for one reason or another, sought fit to place me in my aunts care and instructed her to keep me in the dark of my magical heritage. I do not know why the Headmaster of a school, regardless of being the Supreme Mugwump, would think he has any say in this, but I do not wish for anybody to be aware of this before I am ready. Because of that, I must play this ruse to avoid anybody finding out the truth."
"I see. Well, I must say that your plight would certainly beget such extreme measures. I too do not understand Dumbledore's obsession with you, so I can understand your desire to keep this quiet"
"What do you mean by 'obsession'?
"What I mean, Lord Potter, is that upon the death of your parents and the disappearance of the Dark Lord, Dumbledore came forth and informed the Wizengamot of the 'death' of the Dark Lord and your role as the 'savior'. Similarly, he claimed to have placed you in, as he said, 'the appropriate place where he may grow to his potential'. No matter the push, he never revealed with whom you were place with nor the location. Add that plus his recent letter to me asking me to upon the wand that selects you. Well, you can see how uncharacteristically invested he is in your life."
Unaware of all this, Harry's only grief with Dumbledore had been his role in the placement of the Dursley's
"Would you happen to have an idea as why he is so heavily invested in my life?"
"Unfortunately, I do not. All I know is that weeks after your disappearance, rumors began to run amok on how you were able to defeat the Dark Lord. The most popular, a prophecy was made that foretold your victory over the Dark Lord."
'A prophecy? Never in all his years would he have thought of that as being the reason for Dumbledore's manipulations.'
"What do you believe, Lord Ollivander?"
"I know nothing with certainty, but I do recall one instance in where Dumbledore was directly asked if there was a prophecy regarding you and the Dark Lord, and, instead of denying it, he simply said, 'What occurred, occurred as all things do, because they must.' So, I would not be so quick to reject the possibility of a prophecy. However, back to your original question, yes, I agree to help you in your ruse and agree to safeguard your wand."
"My most deepest thanks, Lord Ollivander. The House Potter extends its deepest sense of gratitude."
"If I may ask one more question, how do you plan to fake a wand bonding?"
"Oh, of that you do not need to fear." he replied, a smirk quickly forming.
{End Flashback}
After ironing out a few details, Harry met with Hrothgar to inform him of his plan.
Agreeing to keeping his knowledge a secret, they resolved to communicate only through his secure mail box, keyed to only open for him. Likewise, they agreed that the safest choice was for Harry to use the heir's vault, which during their school years would utilized for their education.
After that, he removed a total of 2,500 galleons and the equivalent of 5,000 pounds to be kept secret in his trunk. This trunk, holding various nitbits, would have to be charmed to resemble any new trunk bought with the Hogwarts professor in order to avoid any suspicion. The Lords ring, enchanted with a permanent Disillusionment charm, would be kept secret to anybody. Able to appear, at will, Harry decide to hide this until his status as Lord was either revealed or Harry was ready for its revelation. His secondary wand would have to be kept in the hidden wand holster placed to his left calf; enchanted against any summoning charms, it should be safe within its confines.
Another important conversation was the one held here, at the Dursley's residence. Understanding the necessity to cover all bases, Harry convened a meeting with his aunt, uncle, and Dudley.
{Flashback}
"I appreciate you all being here. You might remember, but my birthday is coming up in the following month, my 11th birthday. As such, Hogwarts will be sending their letter of acceptance any day now. Therefore, before it arrives, I felt it best to discuss what will need to occur, going forward."
"What do you mean?" asked his uncle.
"What I mean, is that as far as anybody else is aware, I am unaware of my magical heritage, therefore, I must appear shocked at the revelation. For this to work, however, each of you need to be aware of this ruse. For some reason or another, the Headmaster of the school, Dumbledore, decided to place me here, clearly against your wishes. As such, I would prefer he be kept unaware of my true knowledge and understanding of the magical community. This means that you, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, will need to be reluctantly accepting in informing me of my heritage and you, Dudley, will need to be equally as shocked as I. If, or when, a Hogwarts professor arrives here, we all need to play ignorant or else it all falls apart. Would you be willing to go along with this ruse?" he questioned, looking directly to his uncle, who sitting before him was tense throughout his entire explanation.
"In other words, you want to lie to those freaks and pretend nobody knows anything?"
"That is correct."
Sharing a look, his aunt and uncle seemed to have an unspoken discussion. With a subtle nod, his aunt assented.
"We'll agree to this, but we would rather have as less of a contact with this person as possible."
"Oh, don't worry, I'll make sure any contact is kept at a minimum."
{End Flashback}
Another change that Harry was forced to do was the cancellation of his Krav Maga.
Having come to enjoy the practice, the wisdom imparted by Mr. Feldman, and the friends he had made in the studio, it was with a heavy heart that he informed Mr. Feldman of his impending departure.
"I'll be attending a boarding school in Scotland. Its an old school with some weird name that my father attended."
A bit of a white lie, Harry promised to continue practice his routine whenever possible. Hand to hand combat would be extremely helpful when trying to get out of a sticky situation.
In regard to his school year, the days and weeks seemed to fly away faster than a leaf in the midst of a tornado. Continuing to practice his Spanish, Harry was able to begin learning French as an elective offered by his school. A bit harder on his tongue, Harry took a while to improve his fluency of the language. However, as with any other of his studies, Harry was diligent and thorough in his work. His last year in the football team, Harry was disheartened to have gotten third place in the district level with his team. Starting strong, they suffered two losses that prevented them to advance to the championship. Regardless, Harry enjoyed his final year in primary school. Maintaining his affable personality, his high grade, and his support system for anybody falling behind in class, Harry left St. Thomas incredibly well liked by everyone.
"Dear Professor McGonagall,
I, Harry Potter, respectfully accept your invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Harry Potter"
His short reply penned; Harry returned the acceptance letter using the dashing eagle owl that was used to deliver his offer.
Within a few days, Harry received the reply from the Deputy Headmistress.
"Hogwarts is happy to hear your acceptance. Please be ready on Friday, August 9th at 10'oclock for the arrival of Professor Filius Flitwick. He will be able to assist you in your shopping."
As such, he now prepared himself for the imminent arrival of Professor Flitwick. Dressed in grey trousers, a deep wine red top, black loafers and an analog watch, Harry began to feel his nervousness increased.
Leaving behind his Blackthorn wand with Ollivander was a surprising tasks, feeling naked without it, Harry had gotten accustomed to its weight to his right forearm. Now, however, leaving without any wand was a rather disconcerting affair for Harry.
A clear 'knock' was heard on the door to the Dursleys, trepidation settling, Harry had to take several breathes to calm his nerves.
Relaxing his mind, he 'pushed' away any fear or worry, reinforcing his Occlumency shields, Harry went forth and opened the door.
Before him, standing on the doorstep was a short figure. Dressed in a muted grey suit, a shocking burst of white hair was combed to the side, thin long fingers, Professor Flitwick resembled greatly his goblin ancestry.
Standing only a half foot shorter than he, Harry felt quite tall in his presence. While Harry nutrition and exercise had greatly improved his physique, Harry was still rather average in his height, respective to his age group.
"Hello, you must be Mr. Harry Potter," Professor Flitwick squeaked.
"Good morning, you must be Professor Flitwick," he confirmed, "Please, come inside."
Standing to the side, he allowed the professor entry to the house. Guiding him to the living room, his aunt was found seating in the recliner.
Upon seeing him, his aunt rose and greeted the professor.
"Good morning, you must be Professor Flitwick."
"Indeed, I am. You must be the aunt of Mr. Potter."
"Yes, Petunia Dursley."
"A pleasure Mrs. Dursley. Please, let us begin, I am sure you have many questions."
"Yes, sir, I do. My aunt told me about my mother when I told her about the letter, but I was wondering what to expect going forward."
"An understandable concern. At Hogwarts, you will be sorted in one of the four house, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Slytherin, where you will sleep in and co-exist with other members of your age in the same house. Together, you will attend classes, obtain House points for good work or for going above and beyond, or lose points as punishment. Hogwarts is an ancient castle, constructed by four of the greatest witches and wizards of their age, the Founders had a dream to teach the youth of the future. For the past thousand years, this dream has been continued by the Headmaster and faculty, each year dozens of studies graduate and go forth into the world to become whatever their hearts desire. I, myself, will be your Charms professor. A core class, you will be attending my class for the next 5 years until you sit for your O. , a comprehensive exam over the past 5 years that will determine if you would be eligible to sit for Advance Charms for the next 2 years until you sit for your N.E.W.T exams, the standardized exam proctored by the Ministry that will develop your eligibility for a job, similar to the muggles GCSE."
"Well, I cannot wait to attend these classes. I myself enjoy learning; I cannot wait to begin learning about magic. I don't know if you're aware, but I am the top student in my grade" he bragged.
"Learning for the sake of learning is always a noble pursuit. I am the Head of the Ravenclaw House, the house that values wit, learning, and wisdom. You would fit in just right with us."
Before he knew it, half an hour past while Professor Flitwick continued his explanation. His aunt, playing the role of dutiful guardian, asked a set of questions written by Harry. Simple enough, they portrayed his aunt as being concerned about Harry.
As much as he would rather leave, Harry understood the value of maintaining a façade of a loving family. The less attention attracted, the better.
Deciding to leave before more sunlight was wasted, Professor Flitwick walked down the road to a vacant lot, away from prying eyes. Maintaining his affable personality, Harry inquired about the professors experience in teaching and past history, keeping a focused look on him. Making an appropriate joke, here and there, Harry worked to charm his charms professor.
'Now wasn't that a funny little joke.'
"Now, Harry, with the use of a wand, any stranded witch or wizard is able to call upon the Knight Bus. A fast mode of transportation, it will take you anywhere within the UK. All one needs to do is stick out your wand over the street."
Demonstrating it, a blast, reminiscent to a gunshot, popped into existence.
A triple-decker, purple bus appeared with a slam before him, smoking curling behind its exhaust.
Standing at the door was a young man, seemingly only a few years older than him, large, protruding ears and quite a few pimples. He wore a purple uniform to go with the color of the Knight Bus. He had a fairly slovenly appearance and was somewhat more unkempt appearance than others he had seen.
"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this morning. Oh, hello, Professor. What a surprise seeing you here." he greeted.
"Hello, Mr. Shunpike. I see you are settling in to your new job." the professor squeaked.
"Yes sir, second month on the job. Oh my, what am I doing, come on in, sir."
"Thank you, Stan. We'll be off to Diagon Alley, please."
"Yes, sir. Diagon Alley, coming right up."
Seating on one of the close seats to the door, the bus launched forward in a blazing flurry of speed. Looking out the window, Harry noted that the surroundings were quickly changed in a flew blinks of the eye. Whereas before there were houses and trees, within seconds, buildings and vehicles could be seen. London.
Looking around, Harry saw that there were seats that were apparently not bolted down. The bus did not seem to have much in the way of safety features, as passengers and luggage alike seemed to be thrown around the inside of the bus during its haphazard maneuvers.
Before long, the Knight Bus stopped so suddenly, that if the professor had not taken ahold of him, Harry would have flown through the windshield.
Vowing to himself to never, never, take the Knight Bus, Harry exited the steps and entered into the Leaking Cauldron.
Making their way to Gringotts, Professor Flitwick took time to explain everything along the way.
"Look here, Harry, and remember this" he said as he demonstrated how to open the archway to Diagon Alley.
Quickly, they entered the grand hallway of Gringotts.
"Have care of your word, Mr. Potter. The Goblin Nation is a proud one, any misspoke word could be construed as a form of disrespect to a goblin."
Lining up, they waited for the next available teller.
"Greetings, honored Dalgon, I bring today young Mr. Potter to visit his trust vault for his school purchases"
With a look to Harry, there was no sign of recognition in his face.
'Clearly, Hrothgar spoke with him.'
With a subtle a wink, Harry showed a small bow of his head in respect for the teller.
"Does the young sir have his key?"
"Yes, I have it here."
Producing a little bronze key, Harry quickly turned to look at it.
Angry, hidden beneath a veneer of amazement, Harry questioned why the professor would have his key.
Verifying its authenticity, the teller motioned for a runner to take them to his vault.
Along the way, Harry spoke to the professor.
"Sir, if you do not mind, would I be able to obtain my vault key? I would like to give it to my aunt for safe keeping."
"Well, I don't see why not. Here you go" he passed along the bronze key.
"If you don't mind me asking, would you happen to know where my key was being kept?" he questioned, wide eyed, his droopy eyes portrayed the image of a naïve boy.
"The Headmaster has been keeping your key in his trust."
"I see, thank you, sir."
'Dumbledore. Another unhealthy intervention in his life. Who was he to hold his key?'
Making their way to his trust vault, the door opened swiftly with a turn of the key.
Making sure to keep his look of amazement and surprised, Harry looked around in wonder.
"Wow, I had no idea my family had so much money."
"Your family is an old pureblood family. As such, they hold a very healthy wealth in Gringotts. However, this is simply your trust vault for school. When you reach 17, the age of adulthood for a wizard, you will be able to access your family vault."
Time Lapse
One hour later
During each purchase, Harry took advantage of keeping his affable personality, in an attempt to begin ingratiation himself with the vendors of Diagon Alley. After all, you never know when you'll have need for their services again. However, after stopping to purchase a simple one compartment trunk, his school required robes, potions kit and book set, Harry and the professor made their way to Ollivanders. "The finest wandmaker in all the United Kingdom"
In the same fashion of his first visit, Mr. Ollivander appeared without a noise.
"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Harry jumped. Flitwick must have jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he fell off the spindly chair.
An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.
"Hello," said Harry awkwardly.
"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes, I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."
Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.
'Now this is acting.'
"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it – it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."
Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes.
"And that's where…"
Mr. Olivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger.
"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen and a half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands…well, if I'd known what the wand was going out into the world to do…."
He shook his head and then, to Harry's relief, spotted Professor Flitwick.
"Filius! Filius Flitwick! How nice to see you again…Aspen, 8 and a half inches, quite flexible, wasn't it?"
"Your memory as sharp as ever, yes, it is." chuckling, the professor confirmed.
"Well, now – Mr. Potter. Let me see." He pulled a large tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"
"Er – well, I'm right-handed," said Harry.
"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."
Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.
"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave."
Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once.
"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try –"
Harry tried – but he had hardly risen the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.
"No, no – here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."
Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.
"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere – I wonder, now – yes, why not – unusual combination – blackthorn and phoenix feather, eleven and a half inches, smooth and flexible."
Harry took the wand. Recreating the same experience as before, he raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls.
Clapping, the professor exclaimed, "Oh, bravo!"
"A particularly powerful combination, I think we can expect to see great things from you, Mr. Potter. Great things, indeed."
Paying 7 galleons, they began to exit the store.
Holding the door open for the professor, Harry turned and said, "Thank you, sir."
Hidden, the wink sent to Ollivander went unnoticed by Flitwick.
After asking Harry if he would like to purchase a pet, Flitwick recommend he purchase an owl, 'deadly useful they are, they remain the most reliable form of communication'.
Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Harry now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing. A quick tap from his wand, the professor charmed the cage to remain 'as light as a feather'.
Enjoying a rather delightful lunch of chicken breast, Harry settled into a quiet gloomy mood with a rather pitiful look of confusion.
"You seem quiet, Harry. Is there anything the wrong?" the professor questioned.
Fiddling with his plate, a downcast look, Harry replied.
"I don't know. I was wondering why everyone seems to be looking at me. Wherever we went, people kept pointing at me. Was it because of my normal clothes?" he whispered.
A blatant lie, Harry was hoping to see what the professor would reveal in regard his fame and fate of his parents.
Settling down his utensils, the professor wiped his mouth with his napkin.
"I must apologize, Harry, I was under the impression that your aunt explained to you the events surrounding your parent's death."
"Well, I mean, my aunt told me that my parents were magical, that they were killed by some dark wizards, but she wasn't aware of how it came to be. She was under the impression that they were another set of victims in the civil war my mother mentioned." he mumbled.
With a focused look at him, the professors face went blank.
"You mean to tell me that no one ever mentioned anything about your parent's death? About your role in the Dark Lord's defeat? You were never told about your fame?" ending with a forceful whisper, the professor's expression changed to one of restraint surprise.
"No, I mean, I know they were killed but not why. My aunt simply said that I was placed on the doorstep of their house in the middle of the night with a letter written by Headmaster Dumbledore explaining that my parents were dead. Other than that, we knew nothing else. Not knowing what to do, my relatives decided to raise me unaware of my being magical."
A tempered blaze of frustration in his eyes, Harry could tell that his words angered the charms professor.
"I see, I must say Harry that I am very surprised by this.".
Barely audible, Harry heard the professor murmur, "Damn that man! Dumbledore assured us he knew.'
'Interesting."
"The reason that people kept looking at you and why they continued to point is due to the fact that, within the magical world, you are an incredibly famous child. As far as everyone is aware, the death of the Dark Lord was caused by you. Because of that, for the past ten years, every man, woman, and child has grown hearing stories of your supposed magical power, of your unknown skill that defeated the most vile Dark Lord of the last century."
"Me?! How would I have defeated this dark wizard? I was just a year old." incredulous etched in his face, Harry looked the poster child of confusion.
"Unfortunately, nobody knows how it happened. All anybody knows, found in the home of your parents were the bodies of your parents, a robe and charred remains of an unknown individual, and you…crying in your crib with that scar bleeding on your forehead. With the devastation around you in your parents' house, well, it was assumed that He went to attack your family." he ended, finger pointed at his lightening bolt scar.
Rubbing his scar, Harry asked a question he himself wondered, "Did nobody ever investigate how it happened? I mean, how could a one year old defeat a Dark Lord?"
A flash of surprise, he replied, "You know, I must admit, I don't think anybody checked. It simply became something everybody knew to be true."
"I mean, it just seems to me that there is no way I did anything. More than likely, my parents did something to defeat him. Did anybody ever find his body?"
"I'm sorry, but what do you mean?" eyebrows scrunched, he asked.
"His body. Did anybody ever find his remains? Or how were they so certain that they belonged to him? They could've belonged to anybody else."
With a pondering look, the professor blanked as he tried to remember those day.
"I must say, it was just assumed that they belonged to Him. You see, your parents belonged to a ragtag team of witches and wizards who chose to actively fight against the Dark Lord and his army. During their lives, it was well known within this group that your parents were seen as a powerful obstacle for the Dark Lord. Thrice, they were able to fight off the Dark Lord long enough for their comrades to escapes. This powerful display of rebellions would've angered Him greatly. The embarrassment of being held off long enough for his victims to leave would've enraged him. In fact, before their deaths, your parents had several attempts against their lives by members of the Dark Lord's army in an attempt to ingratiate themselves with their master. When they went into hiding, nobody found this surprising; a newborn born, most assumed that they felt your safety more importance their continual fight. In a time where nobody knew who to trust, it was a dark time for anybody, most especially with a newborn child."
"Why did they choose to hide, instead of running?"
"I'm afraid that I do not know. I was particularly close with your mother, a rare genius in charms, we continued in speaking terms after her graduation. In fact, if there was no war going, your mother had planned to obtain her mastery in charms. I have no doubt that she would have been able to accomplish this. Before their disappearance, your mother never suggestion nor said anything about their hiding. The only ones to know were Headmaster Dumbledore and a few close friends."
"So, because its assumed that I, somehow, defeated this Dark Lord, people assume that I'm this great wizard?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"I see, tell me, professor, who was the leader and the name of this group my parents fought with?"
"The Order of the Phoenix was founded and led by Albus Dumbledore."
"And this Dark Lord…you've never mentioned his name."
With visible hesitation, the professor looked around the Leaky Cauldron.
"You must understand, Harry. The Dark Lord rose to power upon the deaths of thousands of witches and wizards, entire families destroyed. Every day, people cowered in fear that today would be their last. The Dark Lord's name became taboo, so any mention of Him would bring his Death Eaters, the name given to his army, to their location. Even now, a decade after his disappearance, everyone remains afraid to say his name."
"Please, professor, can you tell me the name of the man who killed my parents."
With a breathy exhale, leaning forwards he whispered to Harry.
"Very well, if anybody should know, it would be you. His name, the Dark Lord's name…Lord Voldemort."
Time Lapse
3 days later
Upon his return to the Dursley's residence, Harry quickly sent Hrothgar a letter asking him to investigate anything regarding this, Lord Voldemort.
However afraid the magical populace was of him, Harry doubted that was his original name. According to Flitwick, coming into power without warning, he attracted many pureblood and half-blood witches and wizards under his flag due to his immense power, wealth of knowledge regarding obscure magiks and the dark arts, and his claim to being the Lord Slytherin.
Voldemort. Flight of death.
'A nom de guerre', Harry guessed, 'but not his true name.'
As such, he requested that Hrothgar find out whatever was available regarding the Dark Lord's past. Who was he? Where did he come from? How accurate was his claim to the Slytherin family?
Not quite to the wealth and nobility of the Original 13 Families, the Slytherin House held a deep sense of respect and admiration from the magical community due to their founder's role in the formation of Hogwarts.
His own research revealed nothing regarding the man. By reading several books written about the 'Blood War', Harry was only able to read his devastating effects against the magical community.
Introducing himself before the magical community, on the evening of the 31st of October 1970, through a horrendous display of gruesomely disfigured bodies and an announcement.
'See my might and tremble, witches and wizards of Great Britain. Take these wizards as an example for those who refuse to surrender to my rule'.
Nailed to the brick walls surrounding Diagon Alley, hanged 7 wizards; the former Head of the DMLE, Arthur Ridgeback, the secretary to the Head of the DMLE, the head of Magical Cooperation, and four aurors.
In a photo found in one of his books, Harry was able to see the tortured bodies of those men.
Caked in blood, their hands and feet were nailed to the wall with thick rusted nails. Lacerations and holes covered their bodies, exposing the white of their bones, the collection of ligaments and tendons. Bruises in every color coated every bit of exposed skin, their ribs protruded as if stabbed from within. Some even had their own abdomen cut opening, pouring out their intestines. Their eyes and mouths, open, were in a perpetual silent scream of agony. Cut into their exposed chest was the bloody sigil that was later coined the Dark Mark. Resembling a skull with a protruding snake, the Dark Mark became synonymous with the herald of death and doom. To see this image hanging over a building meant that someone died or, more often than not, the death of a family.
After his gruesome introduction, sparked his campaign for complete subjugation. For the next ten years, groups of dark robed Death Eaters would band together to create chaos and death to any who stood in their way. A couple years after the beginning of this war, the practice of bewitching innocents and forcing them to kill their families, their own friends, before ending their own life became an all too common occurrence. Fear and paranoia ran amok throughout the UK. Nobody knew who the Death Eaters were or who amongst themselves was under the Imperius Charm, a dangerous piece of magic that forced the victim to do anything the caster willed.
Their only obstacle to total control? The Ministry's DMLE and an unknow vigilante group comprised of witches and wizards that fought against any attempt to kill by the Death Eaters.
After seeing the atrocities committed by this self-styled Dark Lord, Minister Bagnold authorized the lethal use of force against anybody found dressed in the regalia of a Death Eater or in the act of harming or killing. By the end of the war, ended abruptly by the disappearance of the Dark Lord, hundreds of aurors, hitwizards, and ministry officials had been killed by the hand of the Dark Lord or through his men.
Displays of incredible magic and power lifted the Dark Lord into an exalted view by many. Seen as a vengeful dark god, the Dark Lord would be met uncontested, instead choosing to flee in his presence.
Those rare few who were capable to or willing to face this vengeful demon were far and few.
Albus Dumbledore, hailed as the greatest light wizard in the last centuries, was looked upon as their hope and savior against this maelstrom of darkness. Encountering the Dark Lord on several occasions, each battle ended in a stalemate, neither side winning nor losing. Toppling buildings, producing awe-inspiring constructions of water, ice or fire, their fights were described as awe-inspiring. In a photo detailing a particularly fierce battle, Dumbledore was shown to be holding back an all-encompassing wall of flames, arms forwards, he possessed a fierce concentrated look as he maintained his control against the inferno. Tall, with long white hair and beard, he wore the most strange combination of purple and green robes with floating moons, he nonetheless cut the image of a powerful wizened warlock. Against him, standing tall and proud, the image of death and destruction, stood Lord Voldemort. Tall and thin, with a mold of strength evident in his arms, he had an incredibly dark black hair cut trimmed neatly; reddish brown eyes burning an overwhelming hatred directed at the Headmaster, dark black robes, lined with a rich emerald trim, he stood high and proud. The two titans of magic, it was no wonder that they were both spoken of in awe and held as their respective champion, light and dark.
Alastor Moody, Master Auror, he wielded a wooden staff that was used with deadly precision. Nicknamed Mad-Eye Moody, he was credited as being the only Master Auror to have lived through the war and being the reason that half of Azkaban was filled with Death Eaters. Losing his eye during a battle and being replaced with a glass eye, his nickname made sense to Harry. An advocate for 'constant vigilance', he was considered by many to be raging mad. Regardless, he was able to fight against the Dark Lord on a few occasion, saving the lives of countless civilians and fellow comrades. Along with being Master Auror, he was also the teacher and mentor to his father, James Potter.
James and Lily Potter, a powerful duo, are said to have fought against the Dark Lord three times. In each, they held him and his men long enough to evacuate any innocents or injured. Hailed as the greatest of their generation, the power and skill shown by the Potters made it easy to understand why it was so quickly accepted that their son had defeated the Dark Lord.
Francis and Alice Longbottom, Aurors extraordinaire, they too were able to fight off the Dark Lord three separate time. Proclaimed as the greatest auror duo, the married couple were close friends with the Potters, irrespective of their 3 years age difference.
A long and bloody war, Harry could understand why many were so quick to accept the death of the Dark Lord. The total deaths within the ten year had reached the tens of thousands.
So much to read over, Harry spent the following three days reviewing everything he could find about this so called 'Order of the Phoenix'. Mentions of the vigilante group could be found in snippets within his books but nowhere were its members or its existence ever confirmed.
Harry hoped that Hrothgar would have better hope in his research.
Along with letters sent to his account manager, Harry sent another to his new friend.
{Flashback}
Walking though the bookstore, Harry was distracted by a particularly fascinating book covering the uses of charms in the home, Harry failed to see the young girl standing before him.
Clashing against her, they tumbled against a bookshelf causing several books to fall to the floor.
Lifting himself away from the girl, Harry uttered, "I am so sorry, please accept my deepest apologies", as he offered his hand to the fallen girl.
Looking quite frustrated at him, the brown haired girl scowled at him and said, "You need to be careful where you are walking."
Accepting his offered hand, Harry helped her stand and began to lift the books to place back to their former location.
"I'm usually more aware of my surrounding, I was just distracted by this fascinating charms book." he explained, looking embarrassed by his mistake.
"Charms book? Which one? I've read a few myself and I found it ever so wonderful. Can you imagine being able to use to in so many different ways? Oh, I'm sorry, I'm Hermione Granger, I was so happy to hear about magic and my being a witch, my parents are dentist, and they were beginning to worry about all these weird things occurring around me. But this is so exciting, an entire magical world hidden away"
Looking with wide eyes, Harry wondered if she even took a breath saying all this.
"I understand what you mean, I barely got my letter last week and my aunt finally told me the truth about my parents. I'm here to do my school shopping."
"Oh, are you a muggle-born, as well?" she questioned excitedly.
"Well, no, I am a half-blood. Both my parents were magical, but my mom was a muggle-born, so apparently that makes me a half-blood."
"How exciting, both my parents are normal, but they were so happy to hear about magic when Professor McGonagall came to explain everything. Did she go to your house?"
"No, actually, Professor Flitwick, our charms professor, came to explain it all to me."
"Oh, wow. I read that he's part goblin, is it true?"
At that point, popping from a nearby shelf, the professor appeared near them.
"Ah, Mr. Potter, there you are. I seem to have lost you with all this chaos. Oh, hello, dear, how do you do." he ended with a small bow toward Ms. Granger
"Hello, sir, I'm Hermione Granger", she answered with a shy nod of her head.
"A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Granger, I am Professor Flitwick, your charms professor for the next 5 years."
Now just remembering his faux pas, Harry chose then to introduce himself.
"I must apologize, Ms. Granger, it seems that in all this excitement I failed to introduce myself. Harry Potter, at your service." he stated, placing a light kiss on her hand as he bowed to her, smiling brightly as he stared to her eyes.
With a slight blush to her cheeks, Hermione returned his smile with a timid smile.
"A pleasure to meet you, Harry Potter."
Continuing his smile, Harry took notice of her eyes; a soft brown, they reminded Harry of a warm soft chocolate brown, twinkling with intellect and interest.
Interrupting his thoughts, Professor Flitwick said, "Ah, yes, Ms. Granger. I remember Professor McGonagall mentioned you, you were unfortunately to have to wait until this school year due to your birthday."
"Yes, I was so disappointed to hear that I would have to wait until this year but now I am looking forward to beginning the school year."
"Well, I am glad to hear it. I am sorry to have your conversation short but, Harry, I think its time we continue with our shopping." he reminded.
"Of course, professor. Ms. Granger, if you don't mind, would you allow me to continue our conversation and send you a letter? I would enjoy speaking with another person who can understand attending Hogwarts with no background of living in the magical world."
With a look of surprise, she answered excitedly, "Oh, of course. Maybe we can continue to talk about that charms book you were so distracted with."
"Thank you, Ms. Granger. Please be on the lookout for a letter from me."
Taking ahold of her hand, Harry placed another gentle kiss above her knuckle.
"By your leave, Ms. Granger."
As they left, Harry would continue to have their encounter in his mind.
{End Flashback}
Three day later, Harry resolved to reach out to his new acquaintance.
Accompanied by the book he was so engrossed in; Harry penned his letter.
"Dear Ms. Granger,
I apologize for having denied to send you a letter earlier, unfortunately, I became preoccupied with some affairs. Attached is a copy of the charms text that I was rather distracted with. I thought perhaps out conversations regarding charms would be better set if we both had the textbook at hand. Again, I do apologize for any injury I may have caused. The beautiful snowy owl is a recent friend I made, I've decided to name her Hedwig, after an interesting character I read in 'A History of Magic'.
Please to have met your acquaintance, your new (hopeful) friend,
Harry J. Potter"
Another item that he was glad to have gotten, was his wand. Without realizing it, Harry had become attached to it, the sensation of its warmth against his skin, it had quickly become an extension of Harry.
His wand returned; Harry was able to use the Knight Bus (a horrible, horrible form of transportation) to make his way towards Hrothgar. The little bronze key in his pocket, Harry desired to return the vault key to his family vault to ensure its security. Informing Hrothgar of the information he was able to obtain from Professor Flitwick and his own studies, Harry and his manager deduced that any interest that Dumbledore had must have begun before his birth. Whatever the reasons for his overinvolvement in his life, Harry resolved to stop any further manipulations. In addition, Hrothgar informed his that the renovations for the Potter Manor were making good headway, the structural integrity of the house requiring more improvements than initially thought, the team felt that their work would be finished sometime before Yule time.
Another visit he made in his time at Diagon Alley, was to personally thank and praise Lord Ollivander's performance. Entirely convincing, if Harry was not a part of the ruse, he would have been entirely hoodwinked.
All in all, Harry felt that his 'first visit' to Diagon Alley with Professor Flitwick went well enough. His own issues regarding having his vault key aside, Harry found the short professor to be a likeable, energetic person who he could not wait to begin learning from.
In the meantime, Harry resolved to enjoy his last few weeks of summer break to continue his reading.