The final exams had been a breeze. Harry was fairly confident he got 100 percent on every test aside from Astronomy, even Snape's advanced test was a breeze after studying his grandfather's personal notes. He had to suffer through three days of Hermione's anxiety riddled rambling and Ron's nonstop unprepared grousing about how difficult everything was. He did his best to assist Ron and calm Hermione but it didn't work for long in either case.
Now testing was done and the second years had two solid weeks of minimal class work. Some classes like Defense Against the Dark Arts and Astronomy were cancelled because the instructor had left for one reason or another after the younger years' testing. Other classes like Charms and Transfiguration continued in a review and practice capacity for the students who wanted to master the spells taught to them that year. Potions, normally hated by most students, continued as well but only for select students. Harry and Hermione were invited for extra curricular advanced tutoring where Snape taught some advanced techniques and theory to proficient students without having to slow down and explain for the less academically gifted students like Goyle, or Ron. Not that Ron was lacking the information, Harry and Hermione shared their knowledge whenever he asked. Not that he did very often as whenever the two advanced students started to explain, Ron's eyes would quickly glaze over at their explanations.
With the decreased class time the students were given several pamphlets on Hogwarts elective courses for third year onward. The school gave each student information on the classes explaining the process of the class and benefits of them and what other classes they unlock after OWL level.
The main elective classes where,
The study of ancient runes, a class that teaches students to read, speak, and write several ancient magical languages. The basic third year course covered basic younger and elder futhark, the basics of Egyptian hieroglyphs, and beginner sanskrit.
Arithmancy, the study of magical numbers and using complex equations to predict future events and the numerical explanation of magic itself.
Both Ancient Runes and Arithmancy are necessary to begin the study of ward creation as well as Arithmancy alone unlocking Spell Crafting for outstanding OWL students after fifth year.
The last most popular course WAS divination but it was replaced at the beginning of McGonagall's tenure as head mistress with a "much more useful course" as she explained to Harry, Ron and Hermione in a meeting Harry had arranged.
"Alchemy for third, fourth and fifth years due to its dangerous nature is a highly if not completely theory driven course. It is the study of magic itself and the deep explanation of what makes magic, magic. The rules that make charms, charms, hexes, hexes. And how to manipulate these rules to enact the principles of exchange that Alchemy is famous for. In a more practical application it uses complex runic arrays as well as highly advanced skills in potions, charms, and transfiguration. Alchemy in its base forms is useful for everyday use, extracting the essence of a material or creating paradoxical ingredients like liquid stone or gaseous metals that are used in advanced potions and rituals. Britain used to have an entire society of alchemists. But we have had to rely on foreign made ingredients made by foreign masters for nearly a generation. Dumbledore, mad though he has become, is the Last British alchemical master and he never took apprentices to pass on his knowledge."
"After the Alchemy OWL you are able to start actually learning the practice of Alchemy." The school did not yet have a master alchemist but McGonagall had two more years to attract a master. The class would be taught by a member of the educational standards committee until a true master could be hired.
Hogwarts also had several smaller beginner courses as well, with care of magical creatures being one of the most useful courses even if it was not entirely popular.
After a placement exam nearer when you turn in your placement choices you could be placed in divination. There was also Muggle studies,Magical Theory, and Magical Art which includes learning how to craft the talking and moving portraits that make Hogwarts feel so alive with movement. Many of the courses tie together or compliment each other and unlock several different courses of study from the various teachers.
These courses like ward or spell crafting did not necessarily have their own class and instead flow together into larger classes where the professor facilitates self study. What course to pick and which courses not to pick, caused many second years a lot of consternation. Ron for instance gave up midway through reading a pamphlet on Ancient Runes and just checked the boxes for Care of Magical Creatures and Divination, scratching the nearest requirements of electives and choosing what he hoped would be the easiest courses. On the other hand, Harry and Daphne had to physically restrain Hermione the night before their choices were due to be turned and stop the other enthusiastic girl from signing up for all the courses including muggle studies.
"Wha- What do you even want to take Muggle Studies for Granger! You were raised muggle — your parents are muggles." Growled Daphne while she wrestled Hermione's parchment containing her chosen classes away from the frizzy haired bookworm.
"But it'll be fascinating to study them from a wizarding perspective."
"Hermione! You have yourself down for about 12 classes a day. There's not enough time, you can't do it all." Chised Harry.
"No but I fixed it with the headmistress. She said she'd work it out, now give me back my parchment." Hermione said in a near manic tone with wide fanatical eyes.
"No Hermione! You can choose three and if you can't narrow them down in the next minute you'll be signing up for the same classes as Daphne and me." Said Harry putting his foot down. "I'll not let you mentally torture yourself or harm yourself from lack of sleep. I refuse to allow it!"
Hermione fought for a few seconds more until Daphne slammed down her parchment now with Ancient Runes. Arithmancy and Alchemy signed up; the same as Harry and Daphne. Harry took the Slytherin's parchment and his own and then snatched up Hermione's.
"Toppy!" the young Lord called and Harry's house elf popped up and disappeared with the parchment with instructions to deliver them straight to the headmistress. That seemed to knock all the wind from the poor girl's sails as she sank, breathing heavily to the floor. And then she tried to bolt from the two with tears in her eyes only to be stopped by Daphne.
"Hermione, stop! You are being childish and selfish. And you're acting more like a spoiled little princess than my little sister. Now you can sit there and cry but I will not let you run away from us like we're the bad guys when we are only looking out for you. Now why don't you use that brain of yours and tell me why we did what we did instead of acting like a Malfoy whose bribe money didn't take."
That got a reluctant giggle from the female gryffindor. "Be- because there I-is-isn't en-enough time and over-w-w-working m-my-mesel-self would o-only cause me h-harm." Said the girl, her speech broken by her hyperventilating.
"Look how worked up you are, Hermione, over the choice of these classes. Imagine the torture of trying to do the work of 13 classes a day. We're not saying you can't study the courses. I'll gladly buy you a full course set on Muggle Studies if you want. But your ability to read and retain information does not match the reality of course and class work." said Harry. He looked up at catching movement on the edge of his vision and saw Snape standing in the doorway. The sallow faced Potions Master nodded in understanding before speaking.
"Miss Greengrass. It is now well past curfew, the three of you come with me and I will escort you to your common rooms. Five points from Slytherin and ten from Gryffindor." He then turned around and it was nearly an hour later that Harry was asleep in his four poster bed.
"Lord Potter, sir?" Spoke a soft quivering voice from behind Harry who turned to look at the distantly familiar, squeaky voice to find Dobby standing there, swaying from side to side on shaking legs. Dobby looked terrible. Both his eyes were swollen and nearly shut. Bruises marred every inch of the elf's face, his arm hung limp at several odd angles. one of his knees was pointing the opposite direction. And when the elf realized he had Harry's attention he took a single fumbling step and began to fall over freely with no chance to catch himself. Harry dove and caught the small creature just before he hit the ground. As he picked up the elf Harry felt the creature's ribs shift under his slight weight and the beaten house-elf rattled out a breath.
"Hold on, Dobby!" Harry yelled as he sprinted for the hospital wing. Hoping that it was even still open as it was the night before the students went home for the summer after all. When Harry barged in, the matron came bustling out of her office in response to her door slamming open. She flew into action calling 4 house-elves and vanishing the creature's disputing pillow case, something Harry hadn't noticed from Dobby's fist, and Harry bent to pick it up. Upon straightening the ripped piece of fabric Harry saw red. Clearly this was ripped from a monogrammed towel for it had "Malfoy" stitched in bold gold thread.
"TOPPY!" Harry yelled. With his elf's appearance Harry began to speak in a voice filled with dead rage.
"Toppy, I need you to go get Andromeda here ASAP. Tell her to summon Lord Malfoy and get him here as well. I don't care how she does it but if he's not here in 15 minutes I will retrieve him myself!" And the elf snapped away. It was only a few minutes later that Toppy popped back. And reported that Andromeda had sat out looking "like a hippogriff flew away with her wand" which Harry assumed ment angry.
Almost exactly twelve Minutes later Andromeda, McGonagall, and Narcissa came marching through the hospital wing doors. Narcissa dragging her husband by the ear and holding his cane. Twelve minutes in which the elves forced the matron away from Dobby as his condition deteriorated further. Eight elves including Tuppy and Toppy now surrounded Dobby, weaving magic above the broken elf trying to save him.
Harry seeing the elder Malfoy quickly became apoplectic with rage. "You!" Harry shouted. "It's been you this whole time! All year Dobby has been visiting me warning me about danger his master brought to the school. Covered in injuries and bruises and scars. And it's been YOU this entire time. I had a higher opinion of you compared to your bullying git of a son but I see now you're even more cruel than Draco. How dare you do that to anyone." Yelled Harry.
"I didn't do it to anyone, I can treat my elf how I want. He's mine. I own his heart, body and soul, Potter. If I wanted him to eat his arm all I'd have to do is order him to do it. He's a thing, a possession, I can take my frustrations out on him all I wa-" said Lucius trying desperately to calm Harry but failing entirely.
"AAARRRGGGG!" Harry yelled losing all control. And Harry forgot. He forgot that he was in school. He forgot that there were people around, he watched as the struggling elf on the bed fell limp and Harry forgot that he had a wand. Harry reached out and grabbed Lucius and pulled him closer, the intervening ten feet of space between them no longer mattered. That distance might as well not have existed. Harry reached out using his magic as a fist and pulled the elder Malfoy to him. And an immobile Lucius was tagged across the hospital wing and forced down to look Harry in the eye.
" I despise those who beat people weaker than them. I hate abusers with every fiber of my being and every scar, every hungry night I couldn't sleep because of the pain and every broken bone I've ever experienced. You almost made it Lucius, another 2 weeks and you'd be getting your payout for clearing out my land. But I, Lord Potter, hereby enact my emergency exit clause. You have insulted me by violating my principles and making me guilty of abuse by association with you. You have 2 weeks to pay the damages you agreed to or I will take it from you by force." Harry explained in a calm even tone, so angry he was past yelling.
"Free him."
"Harry if Dobby is free he will-" Andromeda said.
"Free him!" Harry said through clenched teeth. And Harry tightened his grip on the air which tightened his magic grip on Lucius enough to elicit a crack from the man's ribs.
Narcissa, not waiting for her husband, ripped her shawl from her shoulders and marched over to Dobby who was in the middle of a seizure. "Dobby, you are free from this day forth, take his coat as a sign of your freedom and shame." This had an immediate effect on Dobby whose seizure seemed to intensify. And Harry released Lucius who collapsed to the ground clutching his cracked ribs.
Harry walked up and snatched the shawl from Dobby. "Dobby, I enslave you in the name of house Potter. You are my servant now and until I free you or you die." And Harry put his hands on his new elf that started to glow with a golden light, and Harry started to feed his own magic into Dobby, his other house elves helping in Harry's actions. Soon Dobby stopped shaking and collapsed limply to the bed. And Toppy spoke up.
"Dobby will be OK now, master. He will be needing a long time to recover. We will be taking him to the manor." And the three elves popped off. Harry sank to his knees, his tension finally breaking and he held off his own tears as he saw the high heeled shoes of Narcissa Malfoy approach him.
"You, Lord Potter, will make a very formidable Head of house and a powerful enemy. I hope my own Head of house will be half as authoritative as you are growing to be.
Sirius is a powerful wizard. But I fear he will be broken after so long in Azkaban."
"Sirius Black is your Head of house?" Harry asked quietly.
"He will be when he is released from St Mungo's. Never has the Black family been so long without a head. The line is nearly extinct so it doesn't matter as much as it would have before the war."
Harry loosened up with the distraction of Narcissa's calm conversation.
"How long has there not been a Lord Black? And you're Andromeda's sister, that makes us cousins."
"Hmmn yes, distant cousins but yes. It has been 3 years. Sirius' father passed away the summer before your first year. Liver disease of all things. When you're older you will realize how impressive that is for a wizard.
How much wealth has my fool of a husband lost us." Narcissa ended with a question sounding very self conscious.
"I can't remember, I'll have Andromeda go through it with you. I honestly can't remember the numbers right now, alot is the quick answer. More than enough to bankrupt most other families."
Harry stood on shaking legs and fumbled over to Lucius who was still curled on the ground and casting low groaned "episkies" on his ribs with his wand that Narcissa must have given the man before going to speak with Harry.
Harry leaned over and whispered in the man's ear.
"I have no proof it was you Lucius, but if anymore of that monster's belongings wind up in this school, I will let Smara eat you alive from the toes up, do you understand?" With a low affirming groan Harry walks slowly over to a hospital bed and lays down and then promptly passes out.
"He broke his bones Andromeda!" McGonagall nearly shouted. " I knew, I heard the reports from the healers that he might experience a spike in magical power. But to do what he did? I don't think even Albus.."
"I know Minerva, I know I saw it, was there really no indication?" asked Andromeda.
"No, nothing, the only thing the other professors ever reported was the boy performing magic more easily, which we all attributed to him no longer being dosed or controlled. Poppy? Was there anything you noticed?"
"No." The matron said sharply. "I've gone through the notes I wrote from his first year but it seems the headmaster got to me as well and erased memories and entire swathes of medical annotation. The only thing I can find is a brief mention of a dark, something, attached to the boy's scar. But there's nothing there anymore. But my professional opinion was that whatever it was, was siphoning off magic and now that it's not there anymore to do so his magic is at its current full capacity and spilled out of him during Mister Potter's outburst. When he wakes we will have to see if he can replicate using his magic like that, but I don't think he's going to go around squashing people like insects."
"Ted is going to love this, he used to play this ridiculous muggle game called Dungeons and Dragons. In it is a spell, mage hand. Works the same way Harry used his magic, I'll not hear the end of it."
As the adults continued to talk Harry chose not to move and just listen as they shifted from subject to subject until he noticed a weight on his abdomen shift slightly and Smara's head came slithering out of his hospital blanket.
"Why do you pretend to sleep young one? Lords are not meant to eavesdrop."
Harry opened his eyes fully revealing his spectral green eyes alight in the dimly lit hospital wing as they alost always were, a faint ethereal glow from within his eyes.
" I wasn't eavesdropping I just didn't want to interrupt their conversation." Harry tried to explain causing Smara to give him the snake equivalent of an eyeroll.
" I would believe you but I've never met a twelve year old who didn't eavesdrop when it suited them." Chided Smara.
Harry sat up causing his snake friend to fall from being put off balance unexpectedly. This got the attention of the adults and they came over, being led to Madam Pomfrey.
"Mister Potter, if you are in here much more I'm going to have to designate you a bed. Maybe get a plaque with your name on It." The matron said as scanning him. "Using that much raw magic all at once you're lucky you have substantial magical reserves or you could have killed yourself."
"We apologize for waking you, Mister Potter" said the headmistress. "We should have taken our discussion somewhere more private. Please follow Poppy's instructions and then get some more rest, no doubt Miss' Granger and Greengrass will be around as soon as curfew lifts. I had to kick them out twice already." Afterwards Harry was scanned and made as comfortable as possible. Harry's magical reserves were so low that any potion that could help would only hurt him further as it would Overtax his magical core even more. The only thing Harry could do was rest; he wasn't allowed to do magic for the rest of the term, a little over a week away. He fell asleep rather quickly after that depressing bit of news.
The rest of the term passed by in a flash. Hermione and Daphne ganged up on Harry to lambast him over using his magic so recklessly, and also to praise him for such strong wandless magic. Harry had been excused from his few remaining classes as he could not perform magic and he spent the last 4 days of term in the dungeons getting one on one tutoring from Snape. Assisting Snape in perfecting the brewing of a real master level potion, wolfsbane. Harry was very excited about this because it showed Snape actually had faith in Harry brewing even if all he was doing was cutting up and preparing ingredients. Hermione, while Snape would not allow her to help in the preparation, was allowed to hang around while free and watch. Snape in his own private lab was a totally different teacher compared to how he was while teaching an entire class. Actually taking the time to sort out and explain the reasons for why you should sometimes crush things rather than chop them like a recipe called for.
"Look at the fraud Lockhart, Granger. Just because it is written in a book does not make it necessarily accurate."
That one sentence sent his friend into a three day long introspection that ended with her promising herself and Snape to not take everything written in a book as law. And to try to be more comfortable with experimentation. Daphne and Tracey also spent as much time with their Gryffindor friends as they could. Tracey and Ron arguing over the Chudley Cannons chances in that year's league and Daphne and Hermione chatting about their favorite muggle fiction writers, something Harry couldn't join in on, never having read muggle fiction outside of what's read at primary school.
But now he had left school, left the train, said goodbye to the Grangers, at least for now, they were going on a summer holiday to Spain for the next month. Daphne and her family accompanied her father on a business trip to "the orient." Ron had received word the morning that they left that Mister Weasley had won some drawing and received 1000 Galleons and had taken his family on a vacation to Egypt. He hadn't even ridden the train home, missus Weasley escorted her son to Hogsmeade right after she had explained everything, although she had promised to get Ron his own wand after he had whipped his wand too wildly and cracked it in half during the year's last duelling club.
Now, Harry sat in his sitting room at the furnace where he was deciding his own plans for the summer; Mr. Chemalli had invited him and Smara to witness actual serpent culture at Teotihuacan, the capital of magical Mexico and the home of their feathered serpent God. Which sounded fun and it would be good to go on an actual vacation. Harry spent a few hours making lists and deciding what to do, what not to do and when to do what. When he had settled on a plan, he used the floo to go and talk to Andromeda in person.
It took 2 weeks and a lot of throwing his name around to fast track the travel papers and schedule his international Portkey while Mr. Chemalli arranged his hotel. But here he finally stood, on a terrace that overlooked the underworld city of the old Aztec empire. Modern buildings grew along the crater edge that encircled the city and overlooked the sprawling ancient city with its rising pyramids and temples.
Harry was on the Travel deck of the "imperio Azteca gobierno magico." The magical government building that was built after they outgrew the complex surrounding the feathered serpent's temple, or so he was told by his tour guide.
"Mr. Arturo, if this is the Aztec empire, why is everything in Spanish?"
"A good question niño, when the Spanish conquered here, the conquistadors brought more than muskets. The Spanish magical government came too and with it the need to enforce the Statute of Secrecy that was in place in Spain at the time, even before it was signed into international law. So they came and conquered and were here ruling the magical side of our society up until 1920 when the Mexican revolution finally made us our own country again and returned our national pride. Many of our Citizens refer to the government in Nahuatl now as "Mexihcatl nahualli tlahtocayotl" — magical government of Mexico.
We put in place a new feathered serpent to rule and lead but it was not his father that ruled our people before the Spanish arrival. That serpent was a cruel master and wanted endless sacrifice. Our new leader is much more kind, he has insisted on meeting you as soon as you're settled. It is no rush but tomorrow or the next day I must bring you to him. A king does not let a queen in his territory for long without greetings." Mister Arturo said.
Harry leaned against the railing looking over the city. The sky was a clear blue and the sun shone down into the great chasm that was the largest "cenote" in Mexico. A cenote is a giant sinkhole that's usually filled with water but ancient spells keep the water out of this one. In the center of the giant well is the temple of the feathered serpent. A large pyramid, the largest in the world actually, was surrounded by four smaller pyramids at each corner and a wall surrounding those. Outside of that, a large magical city sprawled out for close to 3 miles from the center and there were even buildings on the concave walls of the cenote. A street of this city was Dwarf Diagon Alley, a block would swallow Hogsmeade and the temple itself was larger than Hogwarts and the temple built atop the pyramid made it equally as tall. The city was large and alive and the air was filled with the smell of spices so thickly it was making him hungry.
"I can see why the feathered serpents settled here, the area is riddled with natural magic" said Smara who was coiled around Harry's shoulders.
"It does seem to have an energy to it" replied Harry.
Harry was currently waiting for the city's chosen mode of public transportation. Flying carpets, a prospect he was very excited about as they weren't allowed in England. Once it arrived his tour guide nearly had a heart attack as Harry refused to sit for the ride. And when he reached the hotel on the other side of the city, Harry was welcomed to a large room with en-suite jacuzzi. A small library, the books charmed to be in English. And a bed so soft it was like floating on a cloud. After his tour guide set a meeting for eleven the next morning Harry fell onto his bed and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
It was twelve thirty the next afternoon when Harry and Smara, who stood at her full size, were guided into a room with Mr Chemalli by their side. The room was massive, easily bigger than six Quidditch fields and aside from the large platform they stood on there was no floor. Sitting on the platform were the remains of a leviathan. It was so large it was staggering. The head of the serpent was half as long as Smara and 3 times as thick, with fangs taller than Harry. It was a soft suceration that brought Harry's attention to the pit that laid before them. And from that pit rose another huge serpent. Smaller than the corpse to his right but still large enough to dwarf Smara. It was royal blue with a crown of spikes adoring the rear of its skull, each spike adorned with feathers with colors ranging from white near the base to black at the tip and every shade of blue in-between. The seven jaguar warriors fell to their knees when the serpent crested the rim of the chasm leaving Harry and Smara to weather this great beast's stone gaze by themselves.
A voice spoke to them from the serpent, a voice of such might and majesty that Harry fell to his knees in response to the deep resonance that he could feel shaking in every pebble and stone.
"Greetings great queen and speaker partner. I welcome you to this place, my home, my tomb. Be welcomed now in this land of mine. And learn what it truly means to be "coatl in tlahtoani." Snake and speaker.
Partners of both mind and heart."
"Great king, teach us what knowledge we lack." Smara Spoke with great reverence.
Harry, still on his knees letting the deep resonance of the snake's voice reverberate through his being, looked at the great eyes of the snake and agreed, "teach us all you can."
I've decided that the dead snakes name is "tlahtlacolli" which means "sin" in Nahuatl ( the Aztec language) this will not come up in the story but given the Aztec bloody tory his story will most likely be told at some point but I don't think he will ever be named in this story. The current snake is simply called "tēteohua" which means master.