So, almost forget about positing, with my busy day, but still remembered at the last minute... Anyway, the story continues. R&R, enjoy!

Chapter Six

Birthday Requests

Albus arose with the sun the next morning, knowing that many things had to be prepared to just the right calibrations for his trip out to Hogsmeade with Harry. Much went into the summers to keep Hogwarts kept up and ready for the next September, and quite a few of those couldn't be done until the last two months prior, wards that had to be set in exactly the right phase of the moon, with the right amount of time before hundreds of young witches and wizards could unconsciously power them by merely their presence, and so on.

Therefore, even with his early start, Albus had no time to go down to the Infirmary and collect Harry for their little trip until almost noon. Even still, Albus approached the large double doors with more than a little apprehension. Severus had informed him in great detail of what Poppy Pomfrey had discovered during her cursory examination of the boy, and the vast amounts of Dark Magic were frightening, to say the least. Severus had hinted from his personal experience that one did not acquire that much residual darkness from merely being around evil magic when it was cast, but by performing it personally.

Having none other as his personal Dart Arts expert on hand, Albus was inclined to believe Severus, but hoped that there was still some good left in the boy, and he expected to see much of how Harry behaved while they were out on the town. Perhaps if Harry surpassed his expectations, Albus might take him out again soon, possibly before school started. And then there was the boy's birthday to think about, which had passed just the day previous. Harry didn't even seem to know, the poor lad! Albus knew that he's have to make sure that something was done to note the occasion, and instruct Harry on the importance of growing older and wiser.

Entering the Hospital Wing after gathering himself, Albus was pleased to see that Harry had obeyed the Matron's words exactly, and had not moved from his bed, except to change into clothing transfigured to match the style of the day. "Ready to go, Harry?" Albus asked, and smiled at the confused look on Harry's face. "Of course, of course…" he'd have to teach Harry the translation charm quickly after the boy acquired his own wand, if he was to keep up with his classmates.

Waving the Elder wand quickly, Albus repeated himself, and the boy stood from the bed, walking swiftly over to him obediently, albeit warily. Albus wished once again that Severus had been willing to do this errand for him, but the man was absolutely unwilling to have any more part of Harry's life than he had to, as a teacher. It would be most inconvenient then, Albus mused while smiling to himself, if Harry ended up in the man's house. Albus knew the signs, having been at the school for several decades. Abused and neglected children, if they were worth their salt as survivors, always ended up in Slytherin, as the Hat tended to see such survival instincts as ambition, which in a way it was, but that was irrelevant.

Albus did not care so much that Harry went into Slytherin, if that was what was destined to be, but rather worried about the other students who may not belong there that could influence him: the Malfoys, the Notts, and the other children who'd be grandfathered into the house because of their families and their ill conceived notions that they had to be in Slytherin to be ambitious. It galled Albus to no end that these adults would so willingly ruin their children's futures in the attempt to create miniature versions of themselves, as though their children were merely an extension of their own will instead of living breathing people of their own right. No, Albus would never judge a child based on the sins of their parents, but it was still an issue that Harry would be singled out if he went into Slytherin house based on hatred and malice.

Shrugging to himself, Albus guessed that they'd have to cross that bridge if it was built, and that it was best to focus on the here and now instead of worrying over the future that may not yet come to pass. Exiting the gates of Hogwarts, Albus glanced down at Harry, smiling pleasantly as he saw the telltale signs of a curious mind at work. Whether the boy could see the magical auras of the school and its grounds, or was interested in the greenhouses, the lake and everything else it did not matter, his eyes were wide as Harry tried to absorb every scrap of information he could.

Perhaps in time, when he learned he could trust Albus and the other staff members, he would ask a great many questions, and personally, Albus would enjoy sating the clearly ravenous mind of its hunger for knowledge. Perhaps Ravenclaw would be the boy's home in a month or so, among the intelligent, while no longer the wise as it once was. Personally, of the two this would be Albus' preferred choice, but he would not dare to alter a child's future by making the hat place them somewhere they didn't belong.

There were boundaries and rules for a reason after all, and even he must abide them, so long as they were just. As the pair entered Hogsmeade, the village was just started to bustle into full activity. Many people called and waved to Albus, and he nodded in return, making his way to a few of the shops that he personally needed to visit, while marking out in his mind those that he wanted to bring Harry to when his errands were completed.

Their first stop was Honeydukes, as Albus needed to refresh his supply of muggle candies for his office. In addition he figured that Harry probably had never tasted anything sweet before, from how he willingly and unflinchingly downed several of Severus potions the previous day, and he hoped to cure that horrible injustice to childhood as swiftly as possible.

With clear instructions to wander the shop and pick out a few things he'd like to try, Albus sent Harry off around the candy shop while he approached the front desk. Ambrosius Flume, the owner and proprietor of the famous shop frowned as he spotted Albus striding toward him, which was never a good sign. "I'm sorry Albus, but the shipment from London hasn't arrived yet with your muggle sweets, would there be something else I could interest you in for the meantime?"

Albus sighed, he did so love muggle sweets over wizarding, having had a long lifetime to try and categorize them all. Sugar and magic just didn't blend as well as most wizards thought, and the nonmagical sweets had excellent flavor and artificial tastes that, if anyone in the wizarding world actually accepted Albus' offer for a sweet in his office, would become an instant sensation. Of this Albus was sure, but the old adage that nothing good came from the Muggle world was still in force from long before Albus' childhood even to today, and that was quite depressing at times.

Harry arrived then, carefully carrying a few samples of sweets that he had found interesting, and Albus inspected them. The standard Chocolate frog was among them, as well as Cauldron cakes, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and a Liquorish wand. "All excellent choices Harry," Albus said smiling, even more so at the reaction of Ambrosius at realizing that Harry Potter was in his shop.

"I believe I will have to pass on any other sweets for the time being, Ambrosius," Albus stated as he tried to pay for the few treats that Harry had chosen, "Perhaps we will take a small detour to Diagon and acquire some from the source for this month." Ambrosius wouldn't take his gold, demanding that Harry be given the sweets as a birthday present from him, and both Albus and Harry thanked the man before they departed.

As they left the candy store, Albus quickly rearranged the plans he had made to incorporate a trip to Diagon. Originally he was intending to save the great wizarding marketplace for a few weeks closer to the start of the school year, but if he was already planning to go, there was no reason to not get all the school purchases for Harry out of the way. He may have a small head start on his education than the other children, but at the same time he had to learn to read English still, and then there was the Translation charm that he had to master, so in the end it all worked out.

At the same time it meant there were significantly fewer things for them to visit in Hogsmeade, as far better stores were all in Diagon. "Small change of plans, Harry," Albus said slowly, not wanting to startle Harry when they apparated. "Some of the things I needed to get aren't in stock right now, but there's another, far larger market some distance away, if you wouldn't mind another apparation, there is more to see and buy there."

The boy, who was occupied with gingerly tasting the liquorish wand with a startled expression at the raw sweetness of the candy, looked up at him and shrugged. Albus held out a hand, and waited for the boy to take it. Once Harry had swallowed his current piece of candy and obeyed, Albus spun on his heel and apparated them both to the back section of The Leaky Cauldron, just in front of the opening to Diagon Alley.

Letting Harry adjust to the unpleasantness of the transportation, Albus crossed over and unsealed the entrance to the marketplace. "Welcome, Harry, to Diagon Alley."

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Nobu'tan felt like his senses were being overloaded since they left the castle, from the many different sights simply blazing with raw magic, the confection that seemed made more for the surplus of strange taste rather than actual sustenance. Nobu'tan did not like the sweets at all, but he kept them regardless, as they did seem to reinvigorate his magical supplies that normally would have taken several days to replenish on their own.

If the place that they had been, Hogsmeade he recalled the Archmage naming it, was remarkable then this new location was overwhelmingly impressive. Sights and sounds and people everywhere, all humans, milling about as they apparently went about their personal shopping, whatever that entailed. The Archmage was apparently a very notable figure, as even here people called and waved to him, much as they had with the other village. Thankfully none paid terribly much attention to Nobu'tan himself as of yet, but there were a few, mainly the human children, who muttered and pointed at Nobu'tan, but the presence of the Archmage seemed to hinder people from approaching Nobu'tan directly.

There seemed to be just too many things to see and do that it was starting to be slightly overwhelming to Nobu'tan. Even Dalaran in all its insanity wasn't this packed and hectic. Some shops seemed far busier than others, but as Nobu'tan couldn't read the words printed on the various signs he wasn't sure what was sold where.

"Yes, well I was planning this trip later, but since we're here you'll need this," the Archmage said, producing a small golden key from his robe and handing it to Nobu'tan. He looked questioningly back at the wizard, but the mage just turned and started heading toward a large, white marble-like structure with a bronze, metallic door. But what intrigued Nobu'tan the most were the figures that flanked said door, wearing uniforms of scarlet and gold.

Goblins…

Nobu'tan had only had small dealings with the little green creatures back in Azeroth, mainly as a go between for his master, but he understood a small amount of their language and customs. Once a proud warrior race, the Azerothian goblins had decided that their interests would only be best served by remaining neutral and effectively mercenaries for hire. They're love of explosives was well known, and even the lowliest orcish grunt was well guarded against their wiliness, especially in games of chance when money was on the line.

But among everything, goblins respected a show of strength, so long as the other respected their own strength as well, which was a rarity for most races, and it seemed that the humans here were no different. The guards were bored, and glowered at the humans as they passed, even the Archmage, but Nobu'tan held their gaze, knowing it was wise to watch such a crafty and subtle creature.

That act alone seemed to change the attitude of the guards, and they exchanged a glance as Nobu'tan followed the Archmage into the structure. It was some sort of large vault system, much like the one that the Horde had raided in Stormwind before pressing up into Lordaeron, but suitably different in design, and far less human.

The old wizard approached one of the goblins sitting at a high desk, counting a stack of gold coins casually while making notations with a feathered quill on some parchment. "Good morning," the Archmage said pleasantly, but Nobu'tan recognized that the goblin detested being addressed thusly, as he merely turned and warily watched the pair of humans. "We've come to withdrawn some gold from Mr. Harry Potter's vault."

"You have his key I presume…" the goblin said irritably, as though the mage ought to have known that it was needed.

Nobu'tan showed the key, but did not give it to the goblin when the small green creature reached for it, behavior which the goblin took notice of but the Archmage overlooked. "There's also something I wish to claim from the vault of which you already know of." He said pointedly, which caused even the goblin to pause. Nobu'tan's interest was piqued.

"Very well, we can send you both down separately for efficiencies sake." The chief goblin said, summoning two underlings to transport the pair down to what Nobu'tan presumed were caverns below the human friendly part of the establishment.

Archmage Dumbledore was taken first by one of the goblins, but once he had exited to a back room, where some sort of conveyance was waiting no doubt, the goblins halted Nobu'tan. "So long as Mr. Dumbledore is out of the way, we have a few important questions for you Mr. Potter, before we take you to your vault. This way if you please…"

The orc raised human narrowed his eyes, but nodded. The pair of goblins led Nobu'tan to a side office, where a third, more important seeming goblin sat behind a desk, looking up curiously as they entered. "So this is him?" the goblin asked, and the others nodded.

"Mr. Potter," the goblin said, gesturing for a seat directly across from him, while the other two goblins flanked the door, preventing any escape. "We watch everything that occurs in our bank from the moment a person enters our doors," the goblin began, "and we've grown quite unfortunately accustomed to how we are treated by the human wizards for many generations."

The goblin paused, scrutinizing Nobu'tan carefully, "But when one enters and shows us the proper respect of one warrior race to another, we take important note of it. And when that same someone is a person of great notoriety in the wizarding world as well, that is something that we cannot pass up investigating."

Nobu'tan thought he figured where this may be going, and leaned forward so that his hands rested on the desk casually, "And what do you intend to 'investigate' about me?" he said, baring his teeth slightly in a grin. The goblins paused, recognizing a thing that was only done in their own society. Nobu'tan blessed the Void that goblins here on this world were dramatically similar to those in Azeroth.

With a wave of his hands, the goblin behind the desk banished the other pair, who nodded before closing the door behind them. "It's clear that there is something different about your upbringing rather than the majority of humans, a level of understanding and… wildness about your magic that we cannot place," the goblin continued, shuffling some papers on his desk, "While you obviously will not, and indeed should not, reveal anything about that background, we of Gringotts will be watching your future with great interest Mr. Potter."

There was a knock at the door, and one of the goblins returned, carrying a small bag filled with coins. "These were taken from your trust vault, as your original purpose, but to fool the great Albus Dumbledore, it takes some finesse. You keep your secrets close with him, Mr. Potter, and we will keep ours."

Nobu'tan smiled, slowly starting to sift through the pile of information hidden within the breathy words as he stood and departed with his pouch of gold. He waited on the main floor of the bank for several minutes before the Archmage returned, smiling pleasantly to the goblins who glowered at him behind his back, and they left.

"Did you enjoy the bank?" Dumbledore said cheerfully, and Nobu'tan nodded absently. There were a lot of half-spoken words and inferences from what the goblin had said, but that they mentioned keeping his secrets from this man plainly spoke volumes.

The wizard looked questioningly at Nobu'tan's thoughtful expression. "If it's too much for you Harry, we could come back at a later time…"

"No, just making sense of it all…" Nobu'tan said quickly, cursing the man and his near obsessive observance of him.

"Ah well, don't be afraid to lose yourself in the moment once in a while Harry. Sometimes the fun is half the adventure…" he said, just before stopping in front of a store, "Here we are, might as well take care of the most boring part of the trip first. Madam Malkin will more than take care of you; just tell her you're here for Hogwarts. I'll be just up the street getting a few things, and will be back before your finished getting sized and fitted."

Nobu'tan just nodded, happy to be away from the perceptive mage for more than five seconds again, so he could alone with his thoughts. Stepping into the shop alone, Nobu'tan was greeted by a squat human female dressed in mauve.

"Hogwarts, dear?" she asked before the young warlock had chance to even open his mouth, "Got the lot here… and another young man being fitted up just now, in fact."

In the back was a pale boy with pointed face with another attendee pinning up a robe that he was wearing. The human boy was trying to look over his shoulder to see them, but Nobu'tan didn't care. Madam Malkin naturally led him to a stool directly next to the same boy however, and eager to strike up conversation, the child started speaking almost instantly.

"Hello, Hogwarts too?"

"Apparently," Nobu'tan responded, uninterested in whatever the boy had to say, however this was an opportunity to get answers from an unbiased source, or at least less biased than any adult. Before the boy had a chance to continue, Nobu'tan changed the topic of the conversation quickly, "What do you think of the school?"

The boy paused, not expecting to actually discuss the school, but partially shrugged, trying not to throw off the tailoring of his own garment, "I never really thought about it, it's the only school in Britain, so it was natural that I would go there. My father did think about Durmstrang, but mother fought against him on that…"

"But what do you think of what is taught there, the teachers, the whole experience?" Nobu'tan pressed gently, realizing that his window of opportunity was short, but at the same time the boy wasn't one that would like being pushed too hard or fast.

"Well… no one really talks about the subjects aside from the extra circulars, but we don't get to choose those until third year anyway, now do we?" the boy started, more com comfortable as he was the one speaking again, even if the subject wasn't himself, "but my father told me a bit about the core subject Professors, primarily that Professor Snape, Slytherin Head of House and Potions Master was by far the best out of all of them, and…"

The boy continued, but Nobu'tan stopped listening. There was little point, because the boy had already been heavily influenced by someone else's opinion, and hadn't sense enough to make up his own with whatever information was presented to him from apparently he vaunted father. There were a few useful and unbiased pieces of information. Professor McGonagall, which Nobu'tan remembered meeting briefly, albeit not getting a chance to speak with, was the stern Head of the Gryffindor House, who also taught the art of Transfiguration. Nobu'tan figured it was something akin to the ability to polymorph a target into various shapes, if the obsession with the spell in Dalaran was any indication.

The second piece was that Professor Flitwick, the half-goblin Charms Professor, whom Nobu'tan had also met, was fair but was also a renowned dueling champion, which was apparently a high honor in this world, even if the young warlock had no idea what it meant.

"Know what house you'll be in yet?" the boy asked suddenly, growing bored of the topic and wanting to change back to speaking of himself. Nobu'tan had no more use for him, and still couldn't leave, so he allowed the boy his entertainment for the moment. "No, not yet…" he responded.

"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been… Imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"

Nobu'tan gave a noncommittal noise, sensing the Archmage's presence as he returned, and instantly silencing himself. There was nothing he was willing to trust with this man currently, even innocent things like this conversation. "Ah, here you are Harry," the mage said without a care for those who realized who he might be in this world. The blond boy was speechless, mouthing the name of the Archmage and putting two and two together on Nobu'tan's supposed identity.

Before anyone could say anything however, the woman tailoring his clothing finished, and Nobu'tan stepped down from the stool and walked back to the front of the store, the Archmage and Malkin behind him. After paying for robes, the wizard directed them toward another confection shop, where the Archmage personally bought each of them a bowl of sickeningly sweet and cold 'ice cream' as the wizard called it.

Much like the other sweets, it was overwhelming in taste, but at the same time Nobu'tan's magic levels were empowered by it. "I rounded up the rest of the purchases for you while you were being fitted," the Archmage said softly, gesturing to an extremely small trunk at his feet. "All that is left that you need is your wand… and a birthday present."

That caught Nobu'tan off guard. "A what?" he asked, furrowing his brow in confusion. He knew what presents were; Gul'dan from time to time would reward him with scrolls of demonic magic when he performed extraordinarily well at something in his studies, or for a successful mission.

"A present, for your birthday, it was just yesterday, the day you reappeared in Godric's Hollow." The Archmage explained. It was almost touching, that the man would recall such a thing, except for the nagging feeling in his gut that told him that he couldn't trust the man. But it was an opportunity to get something that normally he wouldn't have access to.

"I was thinking that perhaps you'd like a familiar of some kind, an owl perhaps…" the mage continued, much to Nobu'tan's displeasure. He had little fondness for animals, demons being more his desired companions and he honestly didn't see the appeal of something he'd actually have to care for. "I'm not too big on pets…" he said slowly.

"Well, what would you like to have for your birthday?" Dumbledore said, eyes glittering as he watched Nobu'tan's every move. It was a trap, the old man trying to pry personal information from him, but there had to be a quick way to both avoid the man's probing and get something of worth out of the situation.

"I'll think about it while we're getting my wand," Nobu'tan said, stalling for time. As they left the ice cream shop and made their way up the street, he made a show of looking around the alley for something to catch his eye. The shop that they approached was narrow and rather shabby looking. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window along with faded gold lettering that Nobu'tan couldn't read.

A tinkling bell rang somewhere deep inside as they entered, but the Archmage hung back while Nobu'tan walked inside. The sensation of magical auras were everywhere in the building, contained in long narrow boxes. Nobu'tan turned to glance at the Archmage, who was staring somewhere over the young warlock's head.

"Good afternoon," said a soft voice, startling Nobu'tan. An old man was standing right behind him, wide pale eyes shining like small moons through the gloomy shop.

Nobu'tan said nothing as he stepped back to get a good look at the man. "Ah yes," the man said after a moment scrutiny of the young warlock, "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you eventually, Mr. Potter. You have your mother's eyes…"

Nobu'tan instantly was on edge, not trusting this new person's powerful magical skill. It wasn't the same level of raw power as the Archmage behind him, but more refined, and it seemed to examine Nobu'tan right to the very core.

As the man continued to speak about Nobu'tan's biological family and their wands, he slowly gathered a few of the long boxes and laid them out on the counter. Gesturing to them, he opened the first box, revealing a wand lying innocently within. "Maple and Phoenix feather, seven inches, quite whippy. Try it."

Nobu'tan approached, gingerly taking the wand up from the box, it was warm to the touch, but was almost instantly snatched out of his by the mage and replaced, disappearing from sight as the man uncovered the next box. "Ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out." the man said, pushing the next box closer.

And on it went for a short time, the store owner handing him wand after wand, stating the type, length and quality of the wood, Nobu'tan holding it for the briefest second before it was snatched away and replaced with another.

"Tricky customer, eh?" the man muttered to himself, "Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere… I wonder, now… yes, why not… an unusual combination… holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."

There was something odd about the man as he handed Nobu'tan this wand, and look equally disappointed when whatever reaction he was waiting for didn't happen. The wand felt warmer than the others for sure, but clearly it wasn't enough for this man, who took it away with a small frown. "Tricky indeed…" he said looking around for more boxes.

"Don't worry Harry," the Archmage said from a spindly stool near the front of the room, "Mr. Ollivander hasn't failed to find a good matching wand in well over a century, just be patient my boy."

"Here we are," Ollivander said, returning just then with another pile of wand boxes in his arms. "I feel confident about this batch…" the man said, lining up the boxes and withdrawing the first. Dutifully Nobu'tan continued for what felt like hours on end, until at last, the man pulled out a wand that visibly caught the young warlock's attention. "One of my older wands, blackthorn and dragon heartstring, twelve and a quarter inches, rather rigid…"

The subtlest of magic pulls drew Nobu'tan toward this wand, and eagerly he took it from Ollivander's grip, relishing the flow of magical power that came into being. Bringing the wand up, Nobu'tan slashed it downward, leaving a trail of black and silver sparks in its wake. The two old men smiled at him, even as Nobu'tan refused to place the wand back in its box, instead stowing it away in his robes, before paying for the wand itself.

"Well, that was exciting," Dumbledore said softly as they left, "but you still have a birthday present to decide upon, Harry."

Nobu'tan remembered, the problem was the one thing he really wanted was currently denied him, he couldn't read their writing. "I'd really like to be able to read your writing, and then get history books, other things to catch me up on what's been going on."

Dumbledore smiled, clearly pleased with the choice. "Well, that can be arranged. Perhaps we could go to the bookstore while we're here, and pick up some history books, and then I'll research and cast the charm when we return to Hogwarts."

Nobu'tan recognized the trap instantly. So long as he couldn't read, he would have no clue as to what books the old man would choose for him until after he could read, if the old man ever got around to casting the charm at all…

There had to be a way for Nobu'tan to gage what books could be useful to him, and sneak them past the old man. The moment the entered the bookstore, Nobu'tan opened himself to the magical auras around him. Most were sadly rather benign and frankly boring, the people included, but even as the Archmage walked toward the front of the shop, Nobu'tan felt the subtle sensation of a more familiar kind of magic toward the back of the shop.

Carefully picking his way through the people and bookshelves while making sure to be out of sight of Dumbledore, Nobu'tan made his way up to the second floor and into the back part of the shop, bypassing a hanging curtain that seemed to divide the shop from the rest of the building.

Here, there were only a small handful of bookshelves, but the aura that Nobu'tan sensed was in a locked trunk off to the side. Knowing there were only a few moments before he was noticed to be missing, Nobu'tan conjured a small amount of ice in the lock, allowing it to grow and force the lock apart. There was more than enough noise downstairs from the standard fair of people to mask the sound as the trunk sprang open.

Inside, among other papers and books whose titles were illegible to Nobu'tan, there was a tiny tome and two scrolls that pleasantly buzzed with a slightly darker aura. Scooping these three into robes, Nobu'tan bid a hasty exit. It was likely that he'd be question about his absence, so as he sneaked back down the stairs, Nobu'tan grabbed a book at random that had interesting pictures on the cover.

As he came back into view of where Dumbledore was, he noticed that the man was indeed looking around for him, but smiled when he spotted Nobu'tan with the book he had picked up. "Here's a few of the more basic history books that are more recent than your schoolbook," Dumbledore said, "Enjoying the Tales of Beetle the Bard?"

"That's what this is?" Nobu'tan asked, not understanding the significance of the title. Setting the book aside, Nobu'tan looked up at the small stack of books in the Professor's hands, "So are we done then?" he asked.

"If you're ready to return to Hogwarts, we have everything that both you and I needed." the Archmage replied.

"I'm ready," Nobu'tan said, nodding.

Dumbledore simply nodded, handing Nobu'tan the stack of books and leading him back to the entrance to the Alley. The blasted man held out his hand once again, and Nobu'tan shuddered inwardly before obediently taking the man's man and experiencing the horrid sensation of being dragged through another person's teleportation.

Landing just outside the gates of the school, Nobu'tan had to struggle to maintain his feet and his hold on the stack of books in his arms. "Apologies Harry, side-along apparition isn't the most pleasant of things, but is very convenient."

After the wave of unpleasantness passed, Nobu'tan closed his eyes, centering himself in his magic before nodding that he was alright, and following the Archmage back to the castle. he wondered how difficult it would be to learn to teleport on his own, and if it would be as painful when he himself was in control. If Dumbledore was any indication, it shouldn't, which was reassuring.

At least now that he had things to do for himself, he hoped that the old man would leave him alone once in a while, and perhaps Nobu'tan could get back to practicing his connection to the Twisted Nether, as well as his Arcane powers as well. Finding somewhere alone and separated in such a large building shouldn't be that hard, right?

"I hope you haven't forgotten that there are many things I wish to discuss with you, Harry, regarding where you have been and with whom for the last decade or so," Dumbledore said abruptly as they entered the castle proper, which added a note of tension to the air. As if there was any way in the whole of the outer Void that Nobu'tan would dare to reveal his master or the extent of his powers willingly.

"To that end, I would like to have dinner with you in my office this evening to hopefully discuss a few of these items," the old man continued, "Until then, you're free to explore the castle, just don't leave the grounds. I will know if you do."

And with that the man simply walked away, leaving Nobu'tan alone, supposedly. The young warlock didn't believe that he would be left to himself so easily, and looked around for somewhere to actually go.

Setting off up the stairs, and taking a few turns at random, perfectly uncaring where he ended up, Nobu'tan actually hoped that he might get lost in the castle and just happen to be unable to attend the meeting with the Archmage.

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Severus watched as Potter took yet another unsystematic turn at an intersection, wondering why he had been so easily roped into spying on an eleven year old child by Albus. Then he remembered the fact that this child had the darkest aura he had ever seen short of Bellatrix LeStrange, Lucius Malfoy, and other high ranking Death Eaters, not to mention the Dark Lord himself.

Not that the boy knew how to hide his magical aura at all. Where ever he had been, such magic must have been unknown or accepted as normal. Severus had heard of tribes out in the African wilds that regularly practiced Dark Rituals, but that seemed unlikely given the wolf-like furs the boy had upon his arrival it had to be somewhere colder than that, given the extremely warm nature of the raiment.

After Dumbledore basically dumped the boy off in the entrance hall, Potter had taken to wandering the corridors, possibly seeking somewhere secluded for himself, an act that Severus couldn't blame for one so new to everything around him, but still. One couldn't just let a child wander off in a castle that was less than perfectly safe, and it was rather irresponsible of Dumbledore to do so, even if he knew that Severus would be keeping an eye on the boy, instead of the mountain of preparations that Severus ought to be working on for the coming school year in just a single month.

If the old man thought that Severus had ample free time to troop around the castle over the next month to watch the boy, he would be sadly mistaken. They all had so much to do, especially with the wards that had to be renewed at specific days and times in August, so many things that had to settle in just at the right time before students arrived. For Severus personally there were ingredients to be gathered at certain phases of the moon that he absolutely needed for N.E.W.T. classes, and a few for O.W.L. and below.

But hopefully Albus did realize this, and was going to have alternate means of watching the boy accomplished during the month of important work to keep the school going. They were on the Charms corridor now, and Potter was looking into random classrooms, simply observing in silence as he walked slowly down the corridor. Almost innocently in fact, but Severus didn't lower his guard.

"Well hello Mr. Potter," said a voice from one of the classrooms, and Severus caught the sight of Professor Flitwick emerging from his office at the end of the corridor, the diminutive Charms Master smiling at the boy as he approached. "Interested in Charms are we?" the man said, catching a whiff of the translation spell on the boy. Flitwick was obviously aware that the boy couldn't normally speak English, and therefore knew the reason for the charm, but Severus was grateful that at least something had Potter's attention and he would stop the annoying wandering.

"Actually, I rather am, sir…" Potter said slowly, as though the translation was taking a moment to decipher his words, "especially with the few that I need to be able to communicate…"

"Perfectly understandable Mr. Potter," Flitwick said happily, "You mother was a natural at Charms, and I have no doubts that if you apply yourself, you can be as well."

"I was actually wondering, sir," Potter said, bowing his head a bit at the mention of Lily, "If you'd be able to teach me the two charms I need to speak and read. Professor Dumbledore said he would, but he's so busy and I think he forgot about it…"

"Oh, that's rather unlike Albus to forget something like that, but I'm sure I can assist with those two, let's see, Translation Charm, and… Hmmm… possibly a sight base variant, but with a bit of Arithmancy to adjust… yes… lets go to my office, and I'll be able to sort you out, and give you instructions to work on in casting them yourself once you have a wand." Flitwick said, gesturing at his office.

Potter gladly went with the Charms Master and Dueling Champion, and Severus breathed a sigh of relief. So long as Potter was with Flitwick, his job was covered, and he could hypothetically run off to work in the dungeons for a short time, perhaps an hour at the longest, before checking back to see if Potter had left again.

And if the boy actually became friendly with the Head of Ravenclaw, all the better for Severus. It would be less likely that James Potter's son would be an obnoxious Gryffindor, and that would reduce the thorns in his side back to the original two that were the Weasley twins. Not that Severus disliked the two red haired boys; he just wished that they'd apply themselves to their class work as much as they did to their pranks, especially with how many were obviously Potion-based.

Before setting off however, Severus crept silently to the door, casting a small, nearly untraceable listening spell on the crack beneath the door, hoping to catch a few snippets of the conversations within.

"Well Harry," Flitwick was saying, and Severus could just see the small man standing on his stack of books before his desk in order to see over it, "I know it's only been a day since you've come here, but what are your impressions of Hogwarts?"

The boy made some sort of noncommittal noise, obviously deflecting the question rather than answer, but the Head of Ravenclaw wasn't one to press a topic if it wasn't desired by the other. "Ah, this will do it I think…" the small man said after a moment, and the hurried scratching of a quill was heard.

"Yes, this should do quite nicely, although it's not the most simple of charms that I've put together. It may take some time for you to learn to cast it, especially if you're brand new to spells in this manner. But I have confidence that something of this importance will give you the drive to succeed."

There was a small shuffle, then the sound of a spell casting, and Potter's mirthful laugher as he suddenly understood all the words of whatever book was before him. Severus felt he could walk away now, the boy was clearly in good hands, and not likely to wander off if the Charms Master was going to instruct him how to cast these translation spells and then give him books to read.

And knowing Filius Flitwick, that alone could take hours.