( A.N. Sorry, everyone, for the unintentional hiatus. I always meant to update sooner, but writer's block and procrastination are a terrible combination. But without further ado, here's the new chapter.)
Harry was sitting on the couch looking through a book about different kinds of snakes found worldwide, both the magical & the non-magical kinds, while his parents, Uncle Moony, Uncle Padfoot, and his brother, were discussing plans for his and Julius's birthday. He didn't know why they bothered making a fuss over their birthday when they did the same thing every year. A Quidditch & Gryffindor-themed party where he and Julius alternated picking the cake flavor each year, this year is Julius's turn to pick.
They'd always kept the parties small: the family, his uncles, the Weasleys, Longbottoms, and sometimes Dumbledore. He was thankful that his maternal aunt and uncle always declined their invites. The less Harry had to be around them, the better. At least, that's what his instincts led him to believe. Each year, the day after the party, everyone sorted through all the fanmail and presents that had been sent to Julius, with his parents making sure he got a portion of Julius's gifts to help keep things equal between him and his hero twin.
Deciding to turn his attention back to his family, Harry figured he should see if Julius had decided what cake flavor he wanted yet. He wasn't even surprised to hear they hadn't decided on a theme. His mom and Uncle Moody always argued about choosing to do something different every year, and they defaulted to the same thing they always did. At least that had been the way since his parents had told them about Hogwarts, and Julius had to have Gryffindor everything. Their dad didn't help.
"Oh, come on, James. You've been doing the same themed party for the last seven years. It's time to change it," his Uncle Moony said with a raised voice. Harry had been begging his dad to change the theme for four years but wasn't holding his breath.
"What's wrong with the Quidditch and Gryffindor theme? It's a classic!" his dad asked with a very confused look while Julius nodded in agreement next to him.
On the other hand, his mom just face palmed while Uncle Moony sighed before speaking, "For one thing, we have no clue what house or houses the boys will even end up in when they get to Hogwarts. If we pressure them with the expectation they will both be in Gryffindor all the time, then we'd just set them up for disappointment or make them worry about disappointing us. It's not a guarantee they will end up in Gryffindor. Besides, there's more to life than just Quidditch and the house cup. They should be allowed to pick a party theme beyond that."
That's when Uncle Padfoot decided to pipe in. "Oh come on, Moony, what's wrong with a Quidditch-themed party? Since it's Julius's year to pick a cake flavor, why doesn't he pick the party theme as well? The next year, Harry will pick the cake and party theme."
His parents seem to pause at this suggestion. His dad looked put out for obvious reasons, but his mom looked at him with concern. "Do you mind if Julius picks the theme this year, Harry? Maybe he can pick the cake because it's his turn, but can you pick the theme and trade next year?"
"It doesn't matter, Mom. Julius can pick." After all, everyone coming will be there for his brother anyway. The party would be fun, and Julius always picked a good cake, but he knew he wasn't the important one. Those boys had made it clear Julius didn't have a brother. After cake and presents were opened, he usually ended up reading whatever new books he was given.
His mom looked like she wanted to say something more about it, but Uncle Padfoot clapped his hand enthusiastically once. "See! It's all good. Harry will have a year to think about what party he wants next time. Right, Harry?"
"Yeah, sure." He returned to reading his book, knowing he wouldn't be needed for the rest of the discussion.
With the new plan in mind, Julius started rambling off all the decorations he wanted for next week's party. Surprised, Harry looked up to see a horned owl fly by and land on the owl stand they kept in the living room for visiting mail birds. He set his book to the side to look closer at the letter. It was a thick-looking yellow envelope with his name in fancy cursive on one side and a wax seal that kept it closed. Taking a closer look at the wax, he noticed the crest of the school he'd been reading the brochure for that his mom had given him. It was from Chéile Academy. He would finally find out if he was accepted or rejected.
Suddenly, it felt like he couldn't breathe. If he was unable to go to this school for the next two years, then there was a chance he could be sent away to stay with the giraffe of an aunt and whales called his uncle and cousin. That or spend the next nine-plus years in his brother's shadow until they graduate from Hogwarts and go down two separate career paths.
"Harry"? A gentle voice jarred Harry out of his inner spiral as he snapped his head up to the source of the voice; Mom. She was looking at the letter in his hands with nervous excitement evident in her eyes. As Harry looked around the room, he could see the confusion in his uncles' eyes and curiosity in his Dad and brother's expressions. Noticing he had her attention, she continued, "Is that your letter"?
"Ya," he said softly, nodding his head.
"So, son, what's it say?" his dad asked with a grin, walking over to the other side to look over his shoulder. Gulping nervously, Harry moved his hands to open the letter and pulled out the small stack of papers from within. He shuffled through the various pages. The bottom four papers seemed to be identical permission slips or something like that. He set those to the side for his parents, and Harry returned to the top page, a letter addressed to him. After taking a deep breath to compose himself, Harry started reading aloud to the room.
Dear Mr Harry Potter,
After reviewing your application, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to the Chéile Academy of Magic & Sorcery. Disclosed within this envelope are up to four Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) that your parents/guardians may sign to be able to visit the school during parent's weekends or in case of emergencies. Please note that each NDA is a blank square, and the person signing the contract must add 3 drops of blood to make it binding. Also enclosed is a paper containing a list of language classes taught by the school. All first-years must pick a language from this list to study, not including their native language. The form must be returned with the signed NDAs and a confirmation letter stating that you have received this message from us.
A teacher will arrive on Thursday, August 24th, to pick you up and portkey you to Chéile Academy for orientation. This will give you time to adjust to the school before classes start the following Monday.
Enclosed are the dress code and a list of necessary tools all first-years must bring to school.
We look forward to seeing you then,
Deputy Headmaster Bartholomew Connor
Student Dress Code: all students must wear a black outer robe between their knees and ankles and close-toed shoes. Heels are not allowed to be taller than 3 inches. You are permitted to wear a skirt or Trousers no matter the gender, but they must be no shorter than above-knee length. Pants are required for all students attending potions class, and those with long hair must secure it with a bun, braid, or Ponytail. Dresses are not allowed in class and no midriff can be shown with your chosen shirts. Students are allowed to wear jewelry but necklaces must be under their shirts or chokers. On weekends, students can wear what they want as long as it's not inappropriate. (All clothing must be labeled or come with a labeled laundry bag to put dirty ones in.)
Necessary supplies:
A set of 10 magically refillable fountain pens
A set of muggle writing pencils
Quills
At least one notebook per subject
At least 500 sheets of muggle-lined paper
All reading Materials are supplied by the school
First Year Students are allowed to bring a maximum 5 personal books with them to school(this limit will increase for students years 3 and up)
Please note that those in their first and second years cannot bring brooms, wands, or pets/familiars to school. If a student needs to send a letter, school birds are available to deliver any mail the student may have to send.
Harry sat there stunned. He couldn't believe he had gotten in. He wanted to jump up and shout joyfully, but he couldn't do much but blink at the paper he held in his shaking hands.
Caught up in his excitement, Harry didn't even think about the reactions of his family until Uncle Padfoot's shouts snapped him out of his trance. "JAMES! LILY! WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU SENDING HARRY TO ANOTHER SCHOOL?!"
"LANGUAGE!" His mother raised her voice to stop his uncle's rage before it could bear fruit. His Uncle Padfoot started to wilt under his mother's rage-filled gaze.
"Sorry," he mumbled before straightening his back to his Dad. Disapproval was written across his face as he spit out one word: "Explain."
With a sheepish grin, his Dad scratches the back of his neck before taking a deep breath and he starts to speak. "We didn't want to send Harry to another magical school, but something happened recently.
Not wanting to relive the memory of the bullies who started this whole mess, Harry returned to the paperwork included with his letter, more specifically, the list of languages that he had to choose from to study. Just from giving it a quick glance, it seemed like every common language, along with some minor languages, was included in classes at his future school, but the three that stood out to him the most were Latin, Japanese, and Spanish. He already knew some Latin from his parent's tutoring to prepare him for Hogwarts. Since the whole point of attending a school was learning something new, he just narrowed down his options to Spanish and Japanese.
Unsure which to pick, Harry leans over to his twin and gently pokes Julius on the shoulder.
"Julius," I whisper, getting his attention; blinking in surprise, my twin turns to me.
"What?" he asks, leaning over to examine the papers I have in hand. I am reading the list of languages available.
"I'm torn between Spanish and Japanese. Which one would you take?" Since the point of going to Chéile was to become his own person, it made sense to Harry to pick the class his brother wouldn't choose.
The question seemed to make Julius pause as he considered an answer, but after a few seconds, he moved his finger to a language on the list and voiced his answer: "I think I'd go with Spanish; it sounds fun."
"Thanks," Harry replied as he turned his back to Julius to mark Japanese as his language of choice, just in time to hear the resolution of his Dad and Uncle Padfoot's conversation.
"-and that's why we all decided to have Harry go to Chéile for at least the next two years before Hogwarts, but if Harry does like this school, then we're more than willing to let him stay there all 9 years instead of transferring latter on to leave all his future friends behind. I'm sorry we didn't tell you about all this sooner." he heard his Dad finish his explanation and a pause echoed throughout the room as Uncle Moony and Padfoot took a moment to soak in the information.
After what felt like an eternity, Uncle Moony finally spoke up. "James, after everything you've explained, I can't fault you for wanting the best for your children, but why didn't you tell us about this beforehand?" he demanded to know.
At this, his Dad put on a sheepish grin and shrugged, "Well, because of how crazy everything was recently and the fact we put Harry's application in extremely close to the deadline, we weren't sure he'd even be accepted. So I guess in the chaos of everything, we sorta forgot to tell you. Sorry."
Padfoot let out a sigh, running a hand through his shaggy hair. "We understand where you're coming from, James, we just wish we could have been a part of this process. Or at least have known about this sooner so we could spend more time with the boys before Harry was shipped off to another school who knows where in the world". He points out with Uncle Moony nodding in agreement in the background.
"Oh, I wouldn't say you'd be spending less time with Harry. In fact, for the next 2 years, you might be seeing Harry more often than I will". His Dad says, walking over to grab the letter from where Harry had placed it on the table after filling it out. "You see, as an Auror, I can't sign the magical NDA. I won't be able to visit Harry during Parents' weekends at the school, so Lilly and I were wondering if you two would like to be Harry's secondary Guardians and be able to visit him on parents' weekends with Lilly"? He asked, handing two of them papers from the stack that came with the letter.
Harry's two Uncles took the papers from Dad but, for some reason, had very different expressions on their faces: Uncle Padfoot looked really excited and quickly took a quill off the table to sign the paper without even reading it. Meanwhile, Uncle Moony looked nervously at the paper, reading it carefully as if trying to find something specific written on it.
"You want me to be one of Harry's Guardians for this school, James? I don't know. What if they find out about my condition?" Uncle Moony asked nervously as if everyone in this room wasn't already aware that Uncle Moony is a werewolf.
Unbothered by his oldest friend's concern, his Dad just laughed, "Don't worry about it, Moony. I'm sure it'll be daytime when parents go to visit Chéile. Besides, if it's close to your time of the month, then you won't be required to go. Lily or Padfoot can go in your place when that happens."
This made Uncle Moony crack a small smile: "I guess you're right, Prongs. I was just overthinking things." He said with a chuckle as he snatched the quill from Uncle Padfoot's hand to sign his copy of the NDA.
Once Mom signed her copy, the trio added blood to their respective papers to make it binding. They began putting Harry's reply letter, containing his language class choice, along with the NDAs, in the envelope( included with the letter to send back to my future school) when Julius ran to the table to grab the remaining NDA.
"I want to Sign, too, so I can visit Harry at his new school!" Julius said excitedly, as he went to sign. Their Dad grabbed Julius's hand to stop him in his tracks.
"Whoa there, Prongslet. The government doesn't allow anyone underage to sign a blood-binding magical contract. It can mess with your magical development if you accidentally break it, and no one would want that." their Dad explained as Julius looked down dejectedly at the thought of being unable to visit his brother in school.
"But if I can't visit Harry in school, when will I see him"? He asked. Deciding to be the one to cheer his brother up this time, Harry went over to give him a hug.
"Don't worry, Julius. I'll visit during Yule and Easter break, and we can spend next summer together before I go back to Chéile for my second year," he said, trying to sound as cheerful as possible.
Julius broke out in a large smile and held a pinky out before Harry. "Promise"?
Harry moved to intertwine his pinkie with his brother's and nodded. "Promise."
After that, the next week seemed to fly by. They had put Harry's acceptance into Chéile on the back burner as they focused on the twins' birthday the following week. The party had come and gone as usual, with the boys' parents trying their best to make sure the two of of them were equal, at least until Dumbledore showed up to make Julius the center of attention for all his important-looking friends. There were games, and Harry sat in the corner reading a new book Uncle Moony got him as a present, until it was time to cut the cake. Soon after the guests cleared out and the family went through all the presents the weird fans sent Julius, to figure out where to donate them, or which ones Julius and Harry got to keep, alongside the gifts their friends and family got them.
From there, Harry spent the following weeks shopping and preparing for his upcoming departure. Since a good chunk of the supplies were different to the ones needed for Hogwarts, it took his family some time to find things like Magic refilling fountain pens. Lily, luckily, was more capable of helping them shop when it came to seeing any Muggle school supplies. At some point during all this, they received another letter from Chéile containing three necklace-shaped portkeys for Harry's Mum, Uncle Moony, and Uncle Padfoot. The letter contained with the necklaces explained that they were time-sensitive Portkeyes for the following year and would only be active during specific times listed in the letter for Parents Weekends.
Finally, after weeks of nervously packing and replacing his bags and triple-checking his school supply list, Harry was ready to depart for Chéile Academy. He just had to wait for his teacher's escort to arrive. With his bags ready, Harry was in the entrance hall of his home, looking up at the clock. It was 11:30 a.m., so he had another 30 minutes before the teacher was supposed to show up. As he looked through the books he had chosen to bring with him, to make sure he had picked the right ones, he heard someone walk up behind him. As he looked up, he saw Julius approaching him with his hands behind his back.
"Hey, Julius, are you okay"? Harry asked, noticing a nervous look on his face.
"Uhh, hey Harry, I wanted to talk to you before you go off to your fancy new boarding school." He trailed off as if unsure how to get the words out of his mouth. Harry walked over to him to nudge him into saying more.
"Come on, Julius. I'm your twin, and I know you better than anyone. What's wrong?"
At his prodding, Julius finally blurted out, "It's just what if you forget about me at this Chéile Academy Harry, or what if you make so many new friends there that you never want to come back home?" This outburst from his twin shocked Harry. Julius was worried he'd forget him, his twin, and his first friend, who had always been by his side. Please, as if that could ever happen.
Smiling, Harry shook his head with a small chuckle. "Julius, I could never forget about you, you know that," he said to reassure him, but then he remembered something. "But why is this bothering you now? You were the one who insisted I go to Chéile in the first place."
At this reminder, it was Julius's turn to look embarrassed as he turned to his side as if to hide the blush. After a moment, he spoke again to explain. "I know going to this school is good for you, Harry, to get away from bullies like the ones who jumped you in Diagon, but the idea of us growing apart during this past month started to scare. What if when you come back from this new school and you're a completely different person"?
So that was what was bothering his brother! It was crazy to think that, despite not being identical twins, how similar their thoughts could be at times.
"Julius," Harry smiled, "I'll be honest; I've been scared of the exact same thing."
"You are"? Julius asked with his eyes wide.
"Of course I have," Harry said with a laugh before continuing. "I realized something: sometimes change is good. That's why I'm going to this school, after all. It's only for two years. I doubt I'm going to change that much." After this was pointed out, it was Julius's turn to laugh.
"True Wizards aren't fans of change. We've both heard Mum's rant at how slow the wizard world has progressed since the Middle Ages multiple times". He reminisced, making Harry laugh too. One thing they had both learned quickly growing up was that the wizarding world and the muggle world were much like the tortoise and the hare in terms of development. It was their Mum's favorite thing to rant about in anger.
"So, now that that's settled, will you finally show me what you're hiding behind your back?" Harry asked, trying to sneak a peek at whatever Julius has been hiding during their entire conversation. As if snaking out of an Imperius Curse and remembering what he originally came here to do, Julius moved his hands out from behind his back to reveal a wooden box with a paintbrush carved into the front.
"Oh right, well, when we were shopping for your school supplies I found this with Uncle Padfoot and thought of you, so I wanted to give it to you as a going away present as you head off to Chéile. I made sure to look over your acceptance letter, and you are allowed to bring this with you to your new school". He said, holding the box out for Harry to take. Once in his hand, Harry opened the box to find around 36 different colors of watercolor paints with three different-sized brushes in a little carved placed on the side.
"Whoa, Julius, this is beautiful," Harry said breathlessly, running his fingers over the paints within. As he was admiring his very first set of art supplies, Julius started speaking again.
"Ya, I noticed recently you've been reading a lot about different magic artists and things like that, so I thought maybe it was time for you to try and paint something. This paint set is even enchanted, so the colors won't mix within the box so they won't get all muddy. Maybe if you get good enough at art, you can send me some art of this fancy new school of yours since I can't go see it myself in person". Julius said while rubbing the back of his neck like their Dad did when nervous.
As emotions begin to overwhelm Harry, he put the paint set down with the rest of his stuff and wrapped his arms around his brother. "Julius, I love it, though I doubt I could get good enough at art within two years to make a good enough painting for you of this school." He couldn't help but point this out, making Julius laugh.
"True. Too bad there isn't a way to simply walk through a picture to get to a place; then I could visit you all the time," Julius joked, making Harry laugh. But the idea seemed to linger in the back of his mind: "Walk through a picture, huh…
They continued to talk for the next 10 or so minutes until the clock in the house began to chime Noon. As soon as the bells quieted, there was a knock at the door. Knowing it was one of his future teachers there to bring him to Chéile, Harry made his way to the door to greet the visitor. The person at the door appeared to be a 5ft 6 man of average build with curly brown hair, a bulbous nose, and warm grey eyes. He wore a white polo shirt with tan trousers and a green cardigan. The man seemed like a stereotypical teacher butHarry had to admit, he was expecting someone more… magical looking. This guy seemed ready to go golfing in the Muggle world, not like he was going to be teaching a class on how to turn an apple into an orange. Undeterred by the man's appearance, Lily stepped aside to welcome the teacher inside.
"Hello, welcome to our abode. I'm Lily Potter, and you must be the teacher assigned to take Harry to Chéile. It's a pleasure to meet you. Is there anything I can get you a drink?" she asked, being the perfect hostess. The man smiled and held a hand out for her to shake.
"Thank you for the kind welcome. My name is Asher Smith, I'm the Muggle cultural teacher at Chéile. But no, thank you for the offer. I'm sure I'll be out of your hair shortly," he said while shaking Lily's hand before turning his attention to Julius and Harry standing beside each other. "Now, which of you is Harry Potter, who shall join us at Chéile shortly? "He asked, looking between the two of them.
Harry could only assume this man did not visit Britain very often, not to know who Julius was. Or was it because they were twins? No, that couldn't be it because even though Julius and he looked alike, they did have many differences, especially the locations of their scars. Harry's was hidden by his hair, while Julius's was right over his eye. Harry carefully sneaked a side eye at his brother, who seemed in disbelief that he wasn't being fawned over, being the boy who lived, right off the bat.
Deciding to break the silence, Harry stuttered nervously, "Umm, I'm Ha-Harry Potter, sir. It's nice to meet you." He bowed in respect, making the man above me chuckle.
"No, there's no need for all that Sir nonsense, Harry; just call me Professor Smith. Now I think it's best you grab your bags and say your goodbyes for now. You'll see them again at Hanukkah. Time for us to be on our way". He said joyfully. Harry quickly gathered his bags and placed them next to his teacher before returning to his brother and giving him a massive hug. As he squeezed him tight one last time before separating, Harry whispered in Julius's ear,
"See you later, Julius. I will miss you".
"I'll miss you too, Harry. Please don't forget to write," Julius murmured to Harry, his shoulder getting wetter as he tightened his hug.
"I promise I'll always send you a letter at least once a month, no matter what," Harry promised him as they slowly separated. Once apart, Harry grabbed one of his bags with his right hand, and Professor Smith took his other bag with his left and they walked out the door. Harry looked around to see if there was a vehicle or something for us to take them to Chéile, but he couldn't find anything.
"So, umm, how are we getting to Chéile?" he asked, looking up at his teacher as they walked down the Potter's Driveway and away from the wards.
"Have you ever experienced a Side-Along Apparition"? Professor Smith asked with a cheeky grin, and Harry shook his head.
"I've heard of it but never done it," he explained nervously to the man. Please let this be easier on my stomach than Floo travel, Harry begged silently.
"Well then, hold on tight, 'cause here we go!" Professor Smith exclaimed with a laugh as Harry suddenly felt like he'd simultaneously gone through the world's craziest rollercoaster and a small tube—it was awful. Once they landed on the ground, Harry collapsed to his knees and started dry heaving as he tried to get rid of that awful sick feeling that seemed to cling to his body from that form of transportation.
"Oops, maybe next time I'll just use the portkey like every other teacher and visitor," Professor Smith said apologetically to Harry. As Harry finally started to feel normal again, and his vision stopped spinning, he lifted his head and looked at his school for the next two years. The sight before him took his breath away for the second time within the last 10 minutes.
Before him was a fantastical city-like structure that was breathtaking. A Towering castle, adorned with spires and intricate architectural details dominated the skyline, suggesting a realm of magic and grandeur. Waterfalls cascaded gracefully from cliffs, their mist rising to blend with the soft clouds above, adding a sense of serenity and power to the scene.
The landscape was a harmonious mix of natural and constructed beauty. The flowing water provided a striking visual element and could symbolize life and continuity, while the majestic structures embodied magical creatures from around the world. The shimmering sea in the foreground hints at adventure and exploration, inviting viewers to ponder what lies beyond the horizon.
The interplay of light throughout the scene enhances the ethereal quality, with sunlight illuminating various facets of the buildings and landscape. This could evoke hope and prosperity, suggesting that this fantastical realm is a place of dreams and possibilities.
I felt Professor Smith nudge my shoulder, snapping me out of my trance at the beauty of the school before me. After confirming my attention was back on him, Professor Smith walked a little ahead of me and grandly gestured to the school before me, "Harry Potter, it is my Pleasure to Welcome you to Chéile Academy."
TO BE CONTINUED
(New OC Introduced in this chapter
Asher Smither
Teaches the Muggle Cultural class at Chéile for first - Third years
He is a Muggleborn from America & yes, he is Jewish.
no creature inheritance
please be sure to leave a like & a Comment letting me know what you think of this chapter & the story overall)