Scion of Sorcery, Dimensions of Destiny
Disclaimers: SEE FIRST CHAPTER
Review Answers:
Shizkane: Let's just say things are going to get very interesting for one and all;
Jostanos: Yeah, it's probably obvious, but, let's face it, that's the canon spot where things all started coming out anyway, so what better spot for the…well, I won't say climax of the saga, but it's definitely where things will get interesting, and scary, at the same time;
Sakura Lisel: If it were any other story, I'd consider that path, but not this time;
"Hang on: Horus? Isn't he an Egyptian God?"
"Yes, but he was also a sorcerer and these eyes were his greatest and most-dangerous achievement: if you'd been able to read the warning that was on the box, you'd have seen they said: he who gains my sight shall lose his own: for the world is full of wonders that can now never be closed off to me."
Harry's lip trembled, but as he looked to his Father, his eyes widened as he then said, "But…hold up; I…I can still see, Dad!"
"I know," said Stephen, waving his hands in front of Harry's eyes, before, seeing Harry follow his hand gestures perfectly, he also smiled as he explained, "And make no mistake, Harry; I am grateful, but…the relic bonded with you, so there's no telling what's going to happen now."
"I…I can see it…floating around your head," said Harry, waving his hand over his Father's head, which, to him, caused wisps of strange energy to dissipate as he explained, "There…gone now, but…hey; why are you thinking about Mum on the beach?"
"What?"
"Dad…why's Mum not wearing any clothes?"
"What?"
"Urgh…Dad…what does being aroused mean?"
"WHAT?"
Phase One: Potter-Strange?
Chapter 3: As Time Goes By
Three years passed since the fated day that Harry discovered his relic, having his life changed by the magic within.
However, in that time, aside from having a difficult, but also embarrassing conversation with his parents, Harry also managed to harness the power of his relic in the same way as any other Master-in-Training.
Through patience, focus, exercise and study.
Although Stephen was still surprised by the fact that Harry had managed to merge with the Eyes of Horus, but not lose his sight or be otherwise afflicted by the cursed downside of the ancient relic, the Sorcerer Supreme was surprised, but also impressed to note how Harry took to the ancient power within.
It was seven long, intense months of study, training, practice and meditative focus for Harry as he delved into his studies, all of which helped to guide and teach him about the full powers of the Eyes of Horus.
One of the ways the Eyes' magic helped Harry was through helping him recollect things that he read or saw through memories.
In time, with help from his Father, Harry constructed something known as a Memory Palace. In his Palace, which he'd modelled on Kamar-Taj's Grand Library and Portal Room, Harry's mind was a fortress of magical and spiritual defences, the magic of the Palace and the strength of his defences emphasised by the magic of the Eyes as well as training in something Harry learned was called Occlumency.
If anyone tried to pierce his defences, even without looking into his eyes to accomplish the feat, the magic that he seemed to have assimilated from the Eyes warned him, like a loyal guardian that remained true to its master.
In the unlikely event that they succeeded, the magic would come alive in Harry and he would be pulled into his Palace to confront his intruder. In his Memory Palace, also known as his Mind Palace, Harry's will was absolute and, as a boon, he was also able to use his Mystic and Magical Powers to warp the world if necessary just like a sorcerer could do in the Mirror Dimension.
If anyone dared to enter, Harry would say something to them that he'd adapted from something he'd heard from his Dad;
This is my mind…where I'M in control!
SoS
Other than the Memory Palace, Harry discovered more about the more-aggressive, if not offensive magic of the Eyes themselves;
One key feature was the cursed sight that he'd first experienced upon waking to find the Eyes had bonded with him.
In the magical world, it was known as Mage Sight, but it was used to examine the magical potential within a select individual and, even then, it was a talent that could only be used through training, knowledge and understanding of what you'd see.
Harry's Mage Sight, on the other hand, was ten times the power of the magical world's form: thanks to the Eyes' magic, he saw magic everywhere and in everything that lived, breathed and existed in reality. This was done by examining the ley lines and the points of mystical convergence that crisscrossed over the world, creating a field of vision that saw magic in everything, everyone and every possible point of origin.
However, with time and training, Harry learned to focus his Sight so that, rather than seeing magic everywhere, Harry could use his Sight to hone in on a target and focus his vision, allowing him to examine, explore and perceive the target in question.
It took him nearly three months, which included a trip to New York to learn to focus this new magical radar sense of his from someone who knew a bit about seeing everything in ways that could confuse and disorient you if you weren't careful – one Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil – but Harry was soon able to use the Eye's power with training, learning to focus and alter his field of vision for different effects.
For example, not only could the magic of the Eye see magic, but it could be used to translate foreign texts and examine the view through other objects like an X-ray. Its Sight could also be used to hone in on a particular magical signature to follow and find lost items or seek out someone that Harry might have been looking for.
One final piece of the mystical power of the Eye that Harry discovered was the ability to pierce the veil between dimensions, which allowed Harry to search the Astral Plane as well as other dimensions when necessary.
Through this ability, Harry learned of how he could even see into the Mirror Dimension and, when in said Dimension, he could also use the Eyes' powers to turn the mirrored segments into actual mirrors, allowing him to see things from afar as long as he knew what he was searching for.
This led him to exploring the art of Scrying, which was a little like his power in the Mirror Dimension, but like his gift, it required training.
Training that Harry took to with the same desire to be strong and better at his gift that he used in each of his other lessons…
SoS
Other than his Scanning power, his Astral Vision, his Mystic Perception, his Magical Radar/Telescopic/X-Ray as well as the ability he learned to read emotions, the Eyes of Horus also had more-offensive powers that Harry learned about.
As his Father told him, Harry learned about the art of Optic Illusion, which worked in the same manner as Hypnosis; like the manga Harry recalled, he could use the power to cast illusions onto visual receptors in the brain, putting visions, mirages and even painful illusions into the minds of his enemies. Harry could also trap his enemies in an illusion-empowered dimension where he made the rules based on his will and his desires.
Similarly, he could use Illusions to see the dreams of others and, with time and training in using his Astral Body, Harry discovered he could similarly affect dreams and even nightmares with just the power of thought and the Eyes' magic open to him.
For some reason, this particular skill unnerved Stephen, but he also kept a close eye on Harry and, thankfully, seemed otherwise proud and relieved by the progress made by his son and heir.
Though it was quite some time before he admitted why he kept such a close eye on Harry's progress…
SoS
As well as illusions, Harry discovered he could actually see and cause direct pain to anything that might be trying to take on Astral Forms to escape the pain of the physical world, but the strain left him weak, which was why Harry started exploring ways to increase his magic resilience, especially since he knew something that he didn't dare tell anyone.
He didn't know how, exactly, but Harry knew that he was far from done with discovering relics, especially since he was destined to be as powerful as he was becoming with each passing day.
As OP-esque as the Eyes' magic was, Harry knew their strange bond-slash-assimilation into his core was just the beginning…
SoS
Another offensive power Harry discovered was the ability to shoot bolts of pure magical energy from his eyes, although unlike a certain mutant, Harry could control his bursts and even command the desired effect of his magic.
From simple feats like changing the form of something or its material to shooting bolts for effects based on temperature and even magical paralysis, incapacitation and, if necessary, destruction. As this was a more-offensive, more dangerous power, Harry had his training overseen by Stephen, including spending two weeks visiting the home of Charles Xavier, a specialist on mutant abilities, where, with help from the mutant in question, Scott Summers, aka Cyclops, Harry learned about his optic blasts and the limits as well as variation in their effects.
Through this ability, Harry was amused when, during one session, he discovered he also had the ability to create a shield of pure magical energy that, like his Illusion Power, left Harry drained, but seemed to withstand almost any force that was thrown at it, although the young sorcerer didn't push his luck in testing it against things like missiles and bullets.
But anything energy or magical based, he could withstand.
In short, the Eyes of Horus became as much a part of Harry as the rest of his gifts as Son of the Sorcerer Supreme.
Even Stephen admitted that he was proud of how quickly Harry learned to adapt, although he was also relieved that his son had been able to use his magic in such ways to protect himself and withstand the negative effects.
SoS
Outside of his time with learning to adapt to the power of the Eyes, Harry also grew more as a sorcerer and a young man.
He took to the books on the arts with the same hunger for knowledge and clarity that Stephen had experienced in his early days under tutelage from the Ancient One. He also spent many nights studying in the Astral Dimension while his body rested from the day's events, which amused his Father until Christine, in her role as Harry's new Mum, told her stepson to limit his time in the Dimension so he could get a decent night's sleep and grow up big, strong and content with his abilities.
Over the next three years, Harry became more comfortable with how his family was growing while he also found friends in other kids his age, such as the young mutants at the Xavier Mansion and a few trainees that lived at Kamar-Taj or learned in one of the three Sanctums across the world.
However, even he knew that the time would come where he'd have to go on to the next stage in his life.
After all, this was the agreement made by his Father with the ICW.
That Harry's magic be trained, watched and observed through training and living with the Sorcerer Supreme, his Father, until he turned eleven.
There was just one small problem with that.
Harry didn't want to go…
SoS
"Happy birthday, Harry!"
A smile of warmth spread across the face of Harrison Harry James Strange-Potter, now aged eleven years old, as he looked around the main chamber of the Sorcerer Supreme, his eyes shining as he saw his Father, his adopted Mother, Wong and Master Hamir gathered in the room, all four of them showing looks of delight and compassion, even the usually-stoic Wong.
"Thank you Masters, Dad, Mum," said Harry, bowing respectfully to his mentors before he repeated the motion to his Father while Christine placed a soft, caring kiss on Harry's cheek. "I feel like this day's been taking forever to get here."
"Why's that, Harry?" asked Stephen, watching as Christine handed Harry a couple of gifts as well as cards from Harry's friends and fellow students.
"Because I know what's coming," said Harry, a note of inevitability lacing his words as he added, "Today's the first day when I'm going to have to go back to Britain, isn't it?"
"You don't have to do that," argued Christine, watching as Harry smiled before, looking to her husband, the doctor asked, "Why does he have to do that, Stephen? Harry's free to decide what path his education takes, the same as any other young man. And, besides, didn't you tell me that Wixen like him had magical schools in America too, not to mention near the Hong Kong Sanctum? Why can't he decide to go to one of them?"
"It's not that simple, Chrissy," replied Stephen, watching as Harry opened the first gift, which was from Wong.
Inside was a tome on the power of true sorcery, the kind of text that would only be available in the library.
For Harry to have a copy of his own showed that he was getting more and more worthy of the gifts inside him.
Looking from his son to his wife, the Sorcerer Supreme explained, "Not only did I make a promise to Lily that I would let Harry choose his own path, but when the pact with the International Confederacy of Wizards was made, I agreed Harry would go back, even if only for one year, so he could see for himself the differences between our mystic ways and the magic that he was born to inherit from Lily."
"But once he's back," Wong remarked, noticing Harry looking to his Father in curiosity, "It is highly unlikely the British Wixen Community will accept Harry's sorcery as magic: they have a hard-enough time working with electronics, much less the advances made in the No-Maj world."
"They'd even call Thor a Dark Wizard rather than acknowledging him as the God he is," drawled Harry, earning a knowing snigger from his Father before, moving to the next gift, he saw that it was from his Dad.
Peeling off the carefully-wrapped red-and-gold-coloured covers, Harry's eyes widened as he found a coat that looked like the Sorcerer Supreme's Cloak of Levitation, but unlike the relic, this one looked like a duster with black highlights, the mystic symbol that marked the location and magic of one of the three sanctuaries in the world stitched onto the left side like a crest.
"Both Christine and I worked on that with help from Master Hamir," explained Stephen, watching as Harry swept the coat around him, slipping his arms in, allowing the coat to fit him comfortably while giving him a proud appearance that had Christine momentarily turning away to clear up the tears of motherly pride and love that she felt at how handsome, not to mention grown-up her son-in-all-but-blood looked.
Stephen, shaking his head softly in amusement at his wife's antics, continued in a soft voice, "Master Hamir and I worked on some protective enchantments that should protect you from most attacks, be they energy or mystic in origin. It's also been enchanted against all environmental effects, making you comfortable wearing it no matter what weather you find yourself in."
"I love it," gasped Harry, adjusting the collar of his coat, pulling it high up around his neck before he asked, "How do I look?"
"If it wasn't for the fact it's a coat and not a Cloak, I'd say you looked like Stephen," remarked Wong, a thin smile crossing his face.
Nodding once, Harry looked back to his Father as Stephen reached into the pocket of his suit and, to Harry's bewilderment, he retrieved a faded envelope, which he handed to Harry as he explained, "This is for you too, Harry: I was instructed to give it to you on this day."
Taking the envelope, Harry's eyes softened as he picked up a faint magical signature; at the same time, a warm, familiar scent of plants clung to the paper that made up the envelope while, on one side, a stylish, curvy form of handwriting spelled out his name.
"Would you like to open it alone?" asked Wong, earning a look from Stephen while Harry looked to his Father.
"Is…is this…Mum's handwriting?" asked Harry nervously, glancing to Christine as he said the last part, though, judging by her understanding smile, she knew he was talking about Lily Potter when he said Mum, and not her scrawl.
"Yes," replied Stephen, looking to Christine, "Lily gave me that before…before that dark night; she made sure I promised to give it to Harry today, on his eleventh birthday, because she said it would help him understand what he was about to face."
Looking back to his son, Stephen added, "Like Wong said, Harry; if you want to open it alone, you can…what's in there is for you and your eyes only…and if anyone makes a James Bond joke or a Mission Impossible reference, I'll have them cleaning toilets in every Sanctuary, as well as Kamar-Taj and Chrissy's hospital for a month."
Wong scoffed while Harry smirked before, to the shock of the Sorcerer Supreme and those assembled with the birthday boy, he opened the letter there, removing two things from inside the envelope: one was the letter Stephen had told him was there while the other looked like a small blue stone that was no bigger than a duck egg.
Holding both items in his hands, Harry looked to the stone, "There's hidden magic in this thing: I can sense it…but it's not like my Wixen magic or the powers of Sorcery you've all been teaching me."
"Check the letter," suggested Christine, watching as Stephen summoned a chair for Harry to sit in, his eye scanning the words on the parchment while, to their awe, the four adults then heard Harry recite the words on the letter;
My beautiful boy,
If your Father has done as I've asked, this letter has been given to you on the day you become a man: maybe not physically, but inside, where it matters, you are now a man. This is the day your life begins and, despite what your Dad's told me about this agreement with Archmage Wulfgarden, I hope you choose the path you wish to take, no matter what.
For you, my baby, are a very powerful sorcerer!
Not just because your Father is the Sorcerer Supreme: there is another deeper, more-ancient source of magic buried deep behind your beautiful emerald-green eyes and inside your ticklishly-cute baby body.
How do I know this?
Neither James nor I could explain it, but when I was pregnant with you, there were magical events happening that could be traced to you, performing feats while you were still waiting to be brought into the world. You had a strong magical core that seemed to be able to harness the power of magic and make it do whatever you wish even while you were an adorable bump in my tummy.
Such acts and such powers have not been seen in our world for centuries, not since the days of the Founders, Merlin and before then.
Even your Dad's surprised by what you can do, but this is why I know you will be safe with him.
I suspect that, as you read this letter, I'm no longer with you, but please don't be sad, Harry: I will always be with you in a place where no magic, not even the powers of the Sorcerer Supreme, can take me from you: in your heart and in your dreams.
After this day, if you're reading this letter on your birthday, your life will change and, while I would like very much for you to go and make new friends, reunite with old family friends and find yourself at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I know in my heart that even I cannot make you do something you do not wish to do.
No-one can.
So, instead, I leave you with the one thing that's yours.
Enclosed with this letter is a small, enchanted blue stone, which has been infused with ancient family magic from your adopted Father, James, and a special enchantment from your Dad, Doctor Stephen Strange.
Once activated, the magic contained within the stone will grant you full access to the power that you have inside you, including the strength and abilities you showed to us when you were just a baby growing inside me.
Think of it as an early magical maturity, which normal witches and wizards – or Wixen as your Dad, me and some others choose to call our people in a more gender-neutral term – go through when they turn seventeen; don't be afraid of what will happen to you, though, my beautiful boy.
I know, or rather, I suspect that by the time you read this letter, you will have shown true power, maybe even a prodigy's skill in the art of sorcery, but, as I'm sure your Dad knows, there's a big difference between our world and theirs.
To that end, I leave you with some advice: First, never let anyone dictate terms to you, Harry.
There is no good or evil with magic's grace: there is only the will and intent of the one who wields it.
Second: if you choose to return to Britain and attend Hogwarts, you'll have allies waiting for you, such as your godfather, Sirius Black, your magical brother, Neville Longbottom and, unless he's decided, for some insane reason, to disgrace himself and turn on the vow he made James, you'll also have the support and protection of Albus Dumbledore, a man who has something that belongs to you.
If he does not return it, use your power and claim it.
Trust me, Harry, it will serve you and you alone.
As for the stone, use your blood to trigger the release spells and give you what is rightfully yours: I cannot keep you from your true destiny any longer than I already have. And neither can anyone else; all I can say is the same thing I said to you every night as you sleep.
Be safe, be strong and know that you are loved.
I only wish I knew the how and why behind your special talents, my baby buck, but now, I suppose that is a path your Dad and his friends must help you walk.
On a similar note, if I am dead and your Dad's found you a stepmother who you've come to see as a Mum, then you go right ahead and call her your Mummy, Harry James; just knowing someone out there loves my precious little sorcerer supreme-in-training as much as I did, and always will do, is enough for me to give them my blessing and approval.
And now, in the words of old magic, I wish you well, my baby;
Blessed be.
Love, Mum
As he reached the end of the letter, Harry sniffed sadly, wiping more than one tear from his eyes while his hands trembled as he looked from the parchment to Stephen, who seemed to be consoling Christine – undoubtedly because of his birth Mother's final words, or so Harry guessed – while Wong seemed to have something in his eye and Master Hamir had his head bowed, a prayer of homage, spoken in Mandarin, leaving his lips.
"She…she did this for me," said Harry, clutching the stone in his hand, "Did…did you know she'd done it, Dad?"
"When I last saw her, not long before…before she died, Lily said she'd found a way to help you control your power and understand the magical strength that would one day be yours, so I guess this is that way," answered Stephen, although Harry smirked when he noticed Stephen's cloak wiped the tear from the man's eyes for him, "And I daresay you're ready to know your true power too, Harry, but be warned: once you do, you'll be in command of powers that even I cannot invoke."
Once again, Harry looked to the stone in his hand before, swallowing hard, he looked back to his Father as he asked, "If…if I go back to…to Britain and…and to Hogwarts, can I still come home…back to Kamar-Taj and…and our home in New York?"
"Of course you can," insisted Christine, her eyes damp with tears as she crossed the floor and wrapped her arms around Harry, kissing him on his crown before she caressed his black hair between her fingers as she told him, "I know you probably want to honour her wish, sweetie, but…but whatever you decide, you will always have a home with us…and I will never forget your Mother's kind words…or how you were the one to ask me to let you call me your new Mummy; I will never abandon you, Harry Strange, no matter what path you choose."
"And I will always be a Sling away…or a Flash," added Stephen, earning a curious look from Harry that had him smiling as he said, "You'll see."
With confusion in his eyes, Harry gulped before, setting the letter aside, he lifted his thumb to his mouth and, biting hard on his skin, he watched as a single drop of blood formed from the wound.
Before he could drip it on the stone, however, a laugh escaped Harry as he noticed the world shift and contort around them, showing his Father had transported them to the Mirror Dimension, which Stephen then confirmed, "Sorry for not saying something sooner, son, but this won't be a simple release of your power like most Wixen going through their maturity; you'll be regaining the power you had as an infant and, from what Lily told me about it as well as the fact that you're now ten years older, I think it'd be safer for us to be here in this realm for the procedure."
"Good point," laughed Harry, holding his bleeding thumb over the stone and, with a single drop of blood, Harry's eyes widened as he saw the stone glowing, a beam of bright…very bright blue light flying from the stone and hitting Harry's head.
As it did so, Harry gasped as his mind was flooded with strength, giving him access to memories he had thought lost;
Flashback Start
Lily Potter had always known that her son was special.
Ever since she had carried him inside of her for nine months, feeling him stirring and growing strong from her own body's energy, Lily had felt the typical signs of magical energy flowing through him, but, unbeknownst to all but a select few, she had also felt something more.
Call it maternal instinct or the bond that existed between a Mother-to-be and their unborn child, but Lily had felt a great magic that laid dormant within her baby boy: the typical Accidental Magic outbursts that came around whenever Lily's emotions were heightened usually resulted in weird, unexplainable events occurring, but there was something more to it all.
Like the time that Lily, during her fifth month, had planned a special anniversary picnic for James and found herself on the receiving end of a terrible thunderstorm, which forced her to cancel her plans before, somehow, the storm turned into what the Muggle newscasters called a freak snowstorm in March, the result of which was a crisp white wasteland through the woodlands surrounding Potter Manor for Lily and James.
They still got a chance for their picnic, but something about the wintry scene just made it even better.
Coincidentally, just before the weather had taken its funny turn, Lily had felt a twinge of magic from inside her belly where her unborn son was sleeping peacefully.
When she told James, he just laughed, complimented his little buck on his creativity and kissed Lily's belly in thanks to his child's act of kindness.
Another weird event happened when Lily, a little over a month before her son was born, came down with a terrible case of hyperthermia that had her bedridden and left with no-one except for her unborn son for company.
While her temperature was skyrocketing with signs that had healers praying it wouldn't do anything to hurt the baby, the weirdest thing happened.
Lily, in a sweat-ridden state, suddenly found her body tingling with magic and, over the course of seven minutes, her whole body suddenly became cooler, healthier and stronger. The Healers were stumped, but Lily, James, Sirius and their close friends knew the truth: once again, the heir-to-be had sensed his Mummy's pain and discomfort and, somehow, he had tapped into the magic within him and his Mother and healed her ailment.
According to the Healers, in a child that came from such an old and powerful bloodline as James Potter's, it wasn't unusual for the unborn child to be able to possess such a skill with magic, but, on the other hand, it was unusual for him to be able to do such feats while still in the womb.
Many of the healers wanted to run different sorts of tests on the child, but Lily and James shot that idea down straight away.
They didn't want to risk someone learning the truth about the baby before James had gone through the adoption rituals and the Investiture Rites.
Memory Break
"Oh…Merlin…forgive me, Lils," gasped James, lifting his head to meet her eyes as he asked, "What have I…"
Before he could finish his question, however, both him and Lily gasped when a flash of magical fire, similar to phoenix fire, lit up the space between James' legs and, when it died down, Harry was there, his eyes wide with terror as he held his tiny hands out to James.
"Papa!" cried Harry, earning a gasp from Lily and James as the Potter Lord scooped his son and heir into his arms, his tears now joyful as he turned to his wife, who was smiling despite the fear she felt.
"I'm his first word!" cried James, placing kisses against his son's cheek as he laughed, "Suck on that, Padfoot!"
Memory Break
"Lils?" asked James, earning a shocked look from his wife as he poked his head out of the door, earning laughs from Lily as she saw the soapy bubbles that covered his head, the water stains all over his face, neck and hairline.
Seeing her husband, the King of the Potter Pride, drenched to high heaven made Lily laugh before James asked, "Can you come in here? This little terror's just sprayed me because he thinks I won't let him dress up. I swear Padfoot's been giving him pranking lessons when we weren't looking."
Memory Break
"Please Stephen…take care of him!"
With her wand in her hand, Lily steeled herself as she saw the door open, revealing a monster of a man with snake-like features, red eyes that were like blood and a sneering, evil malice in his eyes and his expression.
"Get away from my son, you monster!" snarled Lily, firing off a spell from her wand, which was deflected by the figure in the doorway, a figure that was known to many as the darkest, most-terrifying force in the world.
The Dark Lord Voldemort sneered as he asked, "What chance do you hope to have against me, you pathetic Mudblood? None: now, step aside and I will spare your miserable stain of an existence: Lord Voldemort does not forget those whom…"
"No!" screamed Lily, firing off another spell, but again, it was deflected by Voldemort, "I will never give up my child, especially not to you! I'd sooner give my life before I let him die because I am a coward."
Red eyes widened while Lily felt the magic going to work around her.
Hiding a smile as she knew that this was her last hope, Lily then added, "Do it: take me instead, just leave my son alone…"
"As you wish, stupid child," drawled the Dark Lord, aiming his wand at her as he commanded, "Avada Kedavra!"
However, at the same time that he did so, Lily and Voldemort both gasped when a voice, so young and yet so powerful that it made the walls of the entire house tremble with magical backlash, screamed, "MAMA NO!"
Before Lily had a chance to look, her eyes widened as what could only be described as a field of magical energy suddenly rose up around her, the full fury of the magic laced with mystic symbols and runes the likes of which even she had never seen, although she did recognise a shield charm when she saw it. To her sorrow, however, the shield was only strong enough to surround Harry, which he seemed to notice too as he screamed in fear and pain, his eyes filled with horror and fear as he saw his Mother fall to the curse.
"NO!" Screamed Harry.
"Stupid girl," hissed Voldemort, turning his wand on Harry, "Does she think I would let you live to grow stronger? Only I can live forever and you, despite your…impressive skill, you are still just a pawn in that game: goodbye, Harry Potter…Avada Kedavra!"
As the Killing Curse flew from the tip of the man's wand, a sense of victory suddenly transformed into what could only be described as disbelief and horror as a primal howl echoed through the nursery; the shield itself seemed to buckle and ripple with magical strain, but, beyond the shield, the Dark Lord's eyes widened as he saw lightning being redirected from the flash of green, striking everything in sight, including Lord Voldemort himself.
Even the Dark Lord couldn't resist the dark powers of death, as was made obvious when his body was swallowed up by magic, leaving nothing but robes and a broken wand in place.
At the same time, what could have only been described as a veil of pure light shone from within the body of the sorcerer.
Had anyone been around to see it, they would have stared in disbelief at the vision that loomed before them: an aurora of pure golden energy appeared to surround Harry's small body, parts of the gold tinged with emerald-green sparks and volts that made up part of the aurora's body.
To anyone in the know, the aurora, the form that it was taking, seemed to resemble a great and powerful Phoenix-like energy, the wings and body of the great creature making up the majority of the aurora as it shielded Harry and enacted his will.
As the phoenix let out a cry of pure magic, Harry's body vanished from his crib, leaving nothing but burned and charred remains in its wake along with the unfortunately-deceased bodies of the Potter elders as well as the remains of the Dark Lord Voldemort.
But there was no sign of Harry Potter.
Flashback End
As Harry was enveloped by the memories of the strength he'd tapped into as a baby, Stephen's eyes widened as he saw his son's body glowing so purely in energy, it made him look like an angel, especially when said magic caused Harry to sprout wings of gold, bathing him in their radiance and flooding the Mirror Dimension with a feeling of magic that was so powerful, it reminded Stephen of the power of certain items he'd heard about from Wong and the Avengers.
The mystical, dangerous items known as the Infinity Stones…yes, Harry's magic felt that powerful!
As the wings receded back into Harry's body, Stephen watched as, with the last of the aura fading, Harry returned to the ground before, letting out a gasp, he looked to his Father, tears of awe and emotional overload flowing freely down his cheeks, making him look like the little boy he'd always been, even though he often acted as mature – or immature – as Tony, Stephen and even Loki combined.
With a tremor in his voice, Harry gulped hard as he whispered breathlessly, "I…I've never felt so much power, Dad! I…I think I get why Mum sealed it within the stone like she did…"
"I agree," Stephen told him, a look of unavoidable awe present in his own bright eyes, "So, not to try and force the issue, Harry, but…regarding the up-and-coming school year…and your decision?"
"I'm going to Hogwarts," said Harry, earning a stunned look from Stephen, which turned into a look of pride, if not understanding as his son gave a very different reason to the one Stephen had suspected he would. "I want to find out why this Dark Lord I remember attacked my parents and, like Wong said, I think I need to give them a taste of real magic…and honour Mum's sacrifice at the same time."
"Sacrifice?" asked Stephen, earning a nod from Harry as he swallowed hard, his hand clenched against his chest while his voice seemed to be a mix of raw power and emotion as he responded to his Father;
"She gave her life…willingly…to protect me from the Dark Lord: she died…so I could live! So…so I have to go back to honour that sacrifice, even if it means becoming a pariah in their eyes; as long as I remember her and what she risked for me, I…I think I can face them."
A glow of raw power filled his green eyes as he gave his decision, earning a small smile from Stephen as, not for the first time, he saw courage, truth, determination and a fire in his son's belly that made him remember not only whose son he was – meaning his and Lily's – but also recall the motto of the very school Harry was soon going to be attending.
Never tickle a sleeping dragon, they said…
Or, to put it in a way Stephen would sum up his thoughts concerning his son's choices…
'Avengers Assemble!'
Chapter 3 and it looks like Harry is definitely NOT the mild-mannered, meek little pawn he was in canon, but now he's decided to go tickling sleeping dragons and honouring memories in his own way, what sort of madness awaits him at Hogwarts?
Also, will Stephen be able to do as Lily suggested and figure out how, if not why, their son is so special?
Keep Reading to Find Out
Next Chapter: Old friends and new, including a surprise twist on someone who is going to make waves with Harry;
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