Chapter 11 - An Eventful First Week
Shout out to Kitsune Obsessed Freak & JustAnotherFan217for advice on better story writing format. I'm still very new to it so it's much appreciated.
The first class we had the following day was double Potions. Considering what had happened in Dumbledore's office, I didn't think Snape would pick on me but I was wrong.
Maybe he did it to keep up his charade of being Voldemort's follower or because he still didn't appreciate how I talked to Dumbledore. Either way, he tried to embarrass me in front of the class by asking the same questions that he did in canon. To his surprise I answered them without any issues, though he didn't give me any house points like other professors would have.
During the actual class, I found his teaching style to be lacking. It was geared towards students who could keep up with his fast pace. With all the practise I had done before coming to Hogwarts, I had no issue keeping up with his lecture. That wasn't the case for everyone however, Neville being one of them. Everything was flying over his head as he hadn't spent too much time reading his Potions book.
To understand Snape's explanations, you would have needed to read and understand quite a bit of the Potions textbook. He also never bothered to explain anything twice. I could understand why this class was one of the hardest to take. Only students with great aptitude in Potions would succeed, well great aptitude or tons of prior experience as in my case.
For the actual practical lesson, I was paired up with Dean while Hermione and Neville were paired together. I could feel Snape's eyes on me the whole time we were preparing the potion. I had taken the lead between Dean and I since I had more experience.
At the end of the class, when Snape was collecting the potions, he scrutinized the one Dean and I gave him more than anyone else. He didn't say anything but the expression on his face told me he was impressed with it.
For the rest of the day, Hermione, Neville and I spent it in the library. Hermione had taken it upon herself to tutor Neville in Potions so he wouldn't be as lost in class. He was a bit reluctant but I convinced him it would be a good idea, as it would help improve his overall understanding of Herbology since the two subjects were so closely linked together.
While they were busy with Potions, I explored Hogwarts' library. I focused on books that contained information on the history of the magical world and on old powerful artifacts. I was hoping to find more information about my wand, I had the feeling that I hadn't come close to using the full capabilities of my wand. I still hadn't found anything by the time Hermione and Neville decided to call it a day, so I would have to resume my search another day.
As discussed, the day of the flying class, Oliver had me tested on Saturday to determine my playing position. He was mystified when he saw me run through the drills, he had prepared for me. He never expected me to be as good as I was.
He didn't know how many hours I had spent flying in the open field behind Potter Manor. Add to that the crazy training I used to do with the help of the elves, my skills were more than enough to qualify for the Seeker position in a school team. I did wonder how my skills would compare to professional Quidditch players.
Oliver did agree that with my skills, the Seeker would be the best position for me to play. Though he also said that it would be beneficial for the team if I became a floating Seeker, which meant I would be involved in some of the plays the chasers were running. As a Seeker, I wasn't allowed to touch the Quaffle but I could use my broom to knock it around and create confusion for the opponents. We talked about many different plays where I could go in and out of the attacking formations so I would be able to go after the Snitch whenever I saw it, without breaking any formations.
What Oliver didn't know was that by the time the first game came around I was hoping to have mastered a particular spell I had developed on my own. If I did, then the win was pretty much guaranteed, regardless of whatever Quirrell/Voldemort wanted to do.
Sunday morning, I was asked to see Dumbledore in his office. Only this time it was just the two of us and nobody else, not even Fawkes was in the room.
"I'm sorry Harry. While I had the best intentions, I did not carry them through to the manner befit of my title as Headmaster, and more importantly, your guardian. And for that once again, I am sorry Harry." Dumbledore said in a somber voice when I got comfortable in my chair.
"Thank you for the apology, Headmaster." I accepted his apology, politely.
Dumbledore sighed before pleading, "Harry, is there no way I can convince you to go back to that house?" Before I could say anything, he raised his hand to stop me and continued "I'm not taking light of what happened to you Harry. I can give you a guarantee that I will make sure you are treated better this time. There was a reason I placed you with them, th-"
"Are you talking about the blood wards?" I asked interrupting his plea.
He looked surprised when I mentioned the wards which actually gave me a lot of information. He had yet to send anyone or go himself to the Dursley house. He should have realized I knew about them by now, or does he still think some other wizard came and took me out of the house? And it was him or her who somehow disable the wards without alarming him?
"How do you know about them, Harry?" He inquired.
"The person who took me to Potter Manor told me about them. Told me why I was placed there when I asked about it when I was older. Told me how the blood ward charm was moved to Petunia and the location charm to Dudley" I answered with a little laugh.
I saw his eyebrows raise when I answered him. He didn't speak for some time. He was probably wondering how someone was able to move one of his spells without him realizing it. I knew then how powerful elves actually were and how under utilized they were. Oh Well, better for me if the general wizarding world remained oblivious. I let Dumbledore continue his belief that I was rescued by a human wizard.
"And before you ask Headmaster, I won't reveal their identity. Just know that I am safe, afterall I've been at Potter Manor for years now" I said curtly.
I could tell from his expression that he really wanted to know who it was, that was so powerful they moved two of his spells without him realizing it. But he wasn't in any position to demand an answer, especially after acknowledging his failures.
Dumbledore acquiesced and said as he reached into one of his drawers ""Alright Harry. I understand I will have to earn your trust before you are willing to talk to me. And to start making amends I want to give you something your father left in my possesion."
He then handed me what I knew to be the Cloak of Invisibility wrapped in light wrapping paper. I didn't open it right away and just accepted it with a nod. He then dismissed me from his office.
While walking back towards the common room I was left gratified from that conversation. I was able to get Dumbledore to start pondering about potential wizards who could have taken me away to Potter Manor and thereby distract him from trying to control my life. And I also got the Cloak earlier than I was supposed to, though I did call one of the elves to check the Cloak for any charms, just to make sure.
When I was told it was safe, I put it on to test it out and scared the heck out of Ariel, who had been the one I called. Her reaction to seeing my body start to disappear after telling me it was safe, was priceless. It took her a quick second to realize that my body had only turned invisible. I genuinely laughed out for 5 minutes. To make it up to her, I told her she could help me prank the other elves with the cloak.
By the time I got back to the shared room, my roommates were already getting ready to sleep. I had spent some time using the Cloak to go to the Forbidden Forest to practise the spell I had developed. Without worry of being seen, I was able to get deep into the forest and was able to make lots of improvements on the spell. At this rate it would be just where I needed it to be for the first Quidditch game.
Neville had asked me where I was, but I told him I had gotten lost in some readings in a random classroom. I didn't want to lie about the Cloak and where I was but I also didn't want Neville or Hermione involved in any dangerous things, they were just kids after all. I was hoping that this time they both had better lives at Hogwarts.
And just like that my first week at Hogwarts had come to an end. I'd had more adventure in this one week than most people had in their entire lives. And I had 7 more years of this to go…Yeah, this was going to be fun.
Chapter 12 - Trick or Treat Fluffy?
Once again, my life got set into a nice rhythm for the next couple of weeks. Classes progressed as usual during the weekdays, where I was able to stay in the top 10 for all the practical lessons. After classes, I was either with Hermione and Neville in the library or training with the Gryffindor Quidditch team. The weekends would be days where I would go off exploring Hogwarts on my own. Sometimes it was just walking around the halls of Hogwarts or other times it was going to the Forbidden Forest under the cover of the Cloak.
I also made sure to spend time with the elves whenever I had the chance. I did wonder why Hermione hadn't freaked out about house elves, maybe that was something she would be concerned with in the future.
When I woke up on October 31st, I knew it would be the day when Hogwarts officially started becoming chaotic for me. During Charms I was able to get Hermione paired up with Neville, while I teamed up with Ron. He had been a lot better ever since that conversation with Dumbledore. He still had a bit of an obsession towards me but he curtailed it as much as he could. I wouldn't say we were friends but perhaps acquaintances. I knew the problem he would have when casting the spell, so I made sure to go first and accentuate my pronunciation for him. He still had difficulties but after some pointers he was able to get it. More importantly, I was able to stop Hermione from being alone in that bathroom.
Just before heading down to the Halloween Feast, I made sure to call Sebas and had him be ready with my Cloak. After Quirrell made his announcement about the troll, I would have Sebas take me away from the hall as discreetly as possible and bring me to third floor corridor. If Snape came to stop Quirrell like in canon, then I would be able to slip in right after they left.
I wanted to use Quirrell's failed attempt to make my own attempt. I didn't want to steal the stone but I did want to case the area beforehand. I also needed to know how big Fluffy was for reference, if he was real. Thankfully, I had the benefit of the Cloak, I wouldn't do this otherwise.
The start of the feast was great, although a bit too much pumpkin for my taste. I didn't have to deal with it much as in the middle of the feast, Quirrell ran in bursting through the doors, grabbing everyone's attention.
"Troll... in the dungeons…thought you ought to know" He whispered and then "fainted".
As I thought it would be, it was mostly the first and the second years who began screaming in panic. Before any chaos could erupt, Dumbledore gathered everyone's attention with a Purple Firecracker Charm. He then instructed all the prefects to guide the students back to their dorms while the professors would join him in hunting the troll.
As we were let out of the Great Hall, I took advantage of the crowd to slip to the back. And when I was able to, I got away from the crowd completely. Making sure there wasn't anybody around, I called Sebas and took the Cloak from him. After putting it on so I was invisible, I had him drop me off at the third-floor corridor.
I had to wait about 5 minutes before Quirrell showed up and unlocked the door I knew led to the Philosophers Stone. I was standing some distance away just in case the Cloak can't cut the connection between Voldemort and I completely. I didn't even have to wait 10 seconds before I saw Snape running towards the room. No wonder Quirrell didn't succeed, Snape responded quite fast.
I don't know what went on inside but after 20 seconds Quirrell ran out looking quite haggard. Snape limped out about 15 seconds later, looking much worse than Quirrell. He probably used a spell to quickly clean himself up in canon since he looked beaten right now. I waited for a full minute before I made my way to the room.
I called my wand to my hand in its real form. If I was going to face a giant three-headed dog, I wasn't holding back in anyway. Just before I used my wand to unlock the door, I noticed the colour of the intricate design on the wand looked a little denser than before. When I focused on that fact, I could feel a deeper connection forming with the wand, as if I learned a little secret about it. Laughing off the peculiarity of my wand for now I proceeded ahead, easily unlocking the door with a simple swipe of my wand.
When I walked into the room, I was still under the cover of the Cloak but it was of no use. Fluffy, and yes, he was real and very big, noticed me right away. I saw all three heads sniff about in my direction. Right, there were intruders not too long ago, of course a guard dog would be more alert than humans normally would be. I quickly threw the Cloak off knowing there was no use hiding.
When Fluffy saw me, all three heads looked confused by a diminutive person appearing out of nowhere. But he quickly gathered himself and lunged at me. I waited until the right moment to dodge so that he would have too much momentum to stop. He ended up crashing into the wall behind me, and before he could turn around and attack again, I made my move.
I called Sebas once more and asked him to deliver a cooked chicken as soon as he could. I had to give him credit for keeping his composure since he could see Fluffy turning around looking quite angry. He gave me an exasperated expression before disappearing.
Just in time, as now all three heads had gathered themselves to attack again. Just before Fluffy lunged this time, I shot an overpowered Lumos charm right in the middle of all three heads. It was enough to disorient all three, and I used the chance to cast an Incarcerous spell at one of his front legs. A thick rope was conjured that wrapped around its leg completely and left enough slack for me to grab onto. As I saw all three heads recovering, I cast another Lumos charm in the same manner and saw them get disoriented yet again. This time I took the slack of rope I was holding onto and ran under his body to the other side. I had the slack wrap around the opposite back leg. Now the front left leg and the right back leg were tied together.
All it took was a quick swipe with my wand and when the slack tightened per my direction, Fluffy fell right onto his body. He was unable to move as he the didn't have control of two of his legs. I made sure to stay away from all three of the very angry heads.
I had to wait about 2 minutes before Sebas came back with fully cooked chicken, definitely expected him to take longer than that. I saw Sebas take a look at the tied up Fluffy, then back at me with the most deadpan expression possible. I'm sure he was wondering if I was sane in the head but he didn't voice it. He just waited for me finish whatever else I needed to do.
I took the chicken Sebas brought and split it into three and levitated it near Fluffy. All three heads looked at the chicken warily, so I placed it in front of them. I then had Sebas take me back to my room.
I had made it a habit to always close my curtains so I could have the elves bring me back without too much issue. When I arrived, Neville was the only one in the room, so I got out without worry. He immediately looked relived when he saw me. He said that Hermione and him were quite worried when they didn't see me in the common room as the students were gathering. I told him I got separated from the group and then got stuck on one of the stairs after it moved randomly. I don't know if he believed me but he accepted the explanation nonetheless. I did make sure to go downstairs and see Hermione before heading to bed.
Chapter 13 - A Commanding Win
The next day, not much came out of the incident with the troll with all sorts of rumors being started about how the troll entered Hogwarts. During class, all the professors brushed aside any questions they were asked which only fueled the rumor mill further. The curiosity around the troll carried on for a whole week, just in time for my first ever Quidditch game.
The morning of the game I woke up early just as usual, feeling absolutely giddy. I exercised longer than I did normally to calm myself down, but I was still very animated when I met up with Hermione and Neville for breakfast. They were taken aback by my demeanor, as I was generally, a very calm and collected person. I annoyed Hermione incessantly, throughout the meal as I couldn't get my right leg to stop shaking from excited anticipation. Before Hermione resorted to violence, I excused myself to walk around Hogwarts.
About 15 minutes before the game, I met up with my teammates with my new Nimbus 2000. I had one of the elves buy it for me when I got selected for the team. My teammates didn't know about it, as I used my Nimbus 1000 during our practises. It was a pleasant surprise for them, to see me walk in with the well-known broom.
"Nervous?" Oliver asked, when we were all lined up in front the gates that would lead us to the pitch.
"Excited, actually, I can't wait to start playing" I answered energetically.
He laughed off my eagerness and told me to make sure it didn't cause any slip-ups during the actual game. I waved off his worries just as the gates opened up to lets us onto the field. We mounted our brooms and flew out to meet the Slytherin team in the middle of the pitch.
As we waited for Madam Hooch to start the game, I activated the spell I had been working on for the past couple of weeks. It was a wandless spell I had developed based on games I played in my old life that involved magic. In many of them, there was always a spell that acted as a sort of radar system for the character to detect any danger coming. I had come to call it the "Magic Perception" spell.
It was designed to emit my magic outward so I essentially had an invisible membrane of magic surrounding me. And when anything entered the membrane, I would instantly be aware of it. Essentially, I had the ability to see 360 degrees around me, up to a distance of 5m. It did take a lot of my magic to activate so it was useless in an actual duel but for Quidditch, it was the perfect spell to use. No matter if it was a Bludger or another player, nothing would be able to blindside me.
As soon as Hooch blew the whistle to start the game, I took off, joining the attacking formation we discussed beforehand.
"What is this? - Harry Potter is playing a floating Seeker! An unusual strategy from Gryffindor… quite a gamble to take with a rookie Seeker" commented Lee Jordan, the announcer for the game.
As he commented on my inexperience, Katie Bell had gotten the Quaffle and was racing for the Slytherin goal post. Angeline Johnson and Alicia Spinnet were on her left and right flank, respectively, while I had taken position right behind Katie. The three girls were weaving in and out of each other passing the Quaffle between themselves.
Just as the Slytherin defense had begun to tighten around our formation, Angelina broke through with a burst of speed towards the goal post. Katie had the Quaffle at this point so they didn't bother with Angelina and let her through. A mistake on their part as when they closed in further, Katie took the time to toss the Quaffle up and behind her. Just as the it came close to me, I made a sharp turn to use the back end of my broom to hit it past my team and the Slytherin defense, straight to a waiting Angelina. The Slytherin Keeper was caught in a 1-on-1 situation, allowing Angelina to easily get a goal.
"Gryffindor scores! What an amazing play by Gryffindor, that was some superb teamwork. And with that goal, Gryffindor takes the lead 10-0!" yelled out Lee Jordan.
We continued attacking Slytherin with our unique play style resulting in us taking a decisive lead of 70-20. They did try to stop me from joining the attack formations with Bludgers repeatedly hit my way but I was always able to dodge them every time, even ones coming from behind me.
Meanwhile the Slytherin Seeker was left floating on the outskirts of the game as he waited to spot the Snitch. A couple of times, he flew after me when he thought I was making a play for the snitch. But each time he was left a spectator, as I used my broom to guide the incoming Quaffle in the direction I wanted. I would give him a small smirk every time he fell for it.
That was the trickiest part about playing a team with a floating Seeker. The opposing team's Seeker never knew when a play for the Snitch was being made or it was just another play for the Quaffle.
It was a gamble for the team with Floating Seeker, as well. There was a chance the Seeker would miss the Snitch when they were busy executing one of the attacking plays, allowing the team's Seeker more time to catch the Snitch. But I had a lot of confidence in my abilities and so did Oliver.
Just as we scored our eighth goal, I felt some resistance from my broom. I instantly knew Quirrell had started his attempt at cursing my broom. I, immediately, called out a predetermined signal we had agreed on as a team. It was so the rest of the attackers knew I was leaving the formation.
As soon as I removed myself from the formation, my broom started resisting me more and more. I was going to start panicking when I felt my wand vibrate. It was hidden in it's wand holder under my right sleeve but it still was able to act in my time of need.
Because my magic membrane was still activated, I was able to get a good sense of what my wand did but I was still left stunned. My wand had absorbed the curse…my wand, essentially ate a curse. If it was understated how confounded I was about my wand, believe you me, I was now completely astonished. The power and abilities of my wand were like nothing else. Even the fabled Elder Wand was not this powerful.
Realizing where I was, I quickly collected myself. I did risk looking towards Quirrell's direction and caught him looking at Snape, perplexed. He must have assumed that Snape had somehow stopped his curse. Phew, at least I won't have to worry about Voldemort thinking twice about how powerful I might actually be. That was a lucky break.
Just as I got myself back in the game, I spotted the Snitch behind Slytherin goal post. I flew after it in a burst of speed. It took a few seconds for the Slytherin Seeker to realize I was chasing the Snitch and not going for the Quaffle that was in play. Those few seconds were enough to create a wide gap between him and I.
The route we took after the Snitch was the same as canon but the execution was completely different. I was flying circles around him, making sure to keep ahead of him as we chased after the Snitch.
When it dove straight down toward the ground, we followed. I adjusted my position on the broom so I was lying on it, just as I did when I saved Hermione from her fall at the beginning of the year. The change in position reduced the air resistance affecting me, allowing for the gap between the other Seeker and I to widen further.
I was able to grab onto the Snitch with just about 20m left before I hit the ground. As soon as I got it in my hands, I pulled up hard on my broom to level myself off. And just as I did, I heard the announcer.
"Harry Potter has caught the Snitch! Gryffindor wins! They take the first match of the year with a commanding 230-20 win over the reigning champions." Jordon yelled out.
The entire Gryffindor dorm was in a jubilant mood after the game. We stayed in the common room till late, celebrating the win. Oliver and myself had been singled out during the party, courtesy of the Weasley twins. Oliver for the smart attack strategies and formations he had come up with, and myself, for the best rookie performance ever seen in Gryffindor.
After the first Quidditch game, things had calmed down quite a bit. Between classes, Quidditch matches/practises and my personal adventures during the weekends, time passed by in a blink. It was soon time for students to go back home, for the winter holidays.
As much I had come to love Hogwarts, I had missed the complete freedom I had at Potter Manor. To be able to do anything I wanted, without worrying about other people seeing me. I almost never used to use my wand for basic spells, being as proficient as I was in wandless magic. So, it was a habit I had to force my self out of when I first got to Hogwarts.
Before we left for the train, I told Tipsy to be ready for me when I got to the Hogwarts platform at London. I didn't know if Dumbledore would have someone waiting at the platform, to keep an eye out for whoever came to pick me up. To keep him guessing, I decided to have Tipsy take me away from the compartment rather than getting off the train. And as soon as we landed in Potter Manor, I felt completely at ease. Voldemort's presence at Hogwarts was a constant pressure on me, so I never felt relaxed at any point.
I was feeling so carefree now, I had Sebas fetch me some newspapers from the normal world. I never usually kept up with the current events of the normal world as I was always preoccupied with the wizarding world and learning more about it.
I wasn't interested in reading about a world I had already known and lived through. Previously, when I had the elves bring me books to learn from, they were on Math, Physics, Chemistry... Books that would ensure my basic education level would not fall behind of my age. I ignored books that were focused on world histories or geographies.
When Sebas came back and handed me the papers, I came to regret my decision to ignore the normal world. The front page of one of the papers read:
"Howard and Maria Stark Die in Car Accident. Leaving Son, Tony Stark as Richest Teenager in History
Chapter 14- We're Not in Kansas Anymore
When I finally finished reading the entire article, I folded the newspaper back and put it down on the table in front of me. I knew it was naïve to think it was all some coincidence, so my mind was spinning from the magnitude of possibilities that arose from the article. It honestly felt like someone had opened Pandora's box in front of me. I needed to think clearly but I was having difficulty focusing on any one thought. So, I went and got my Nimbus 2000 and flew out of the manor, I didn't even wait till I was outside to get on my broom. As soon as I grabbed it, I jumped on and soared, blasting the front door open with a swipe of my hand.
In my old life, I had always imagined how it would be like to actually fly; not on planes, helicopters or anything of the sort, but actually flying with nothing under you. It was the reason why I loved flying on the broom so much. It was a dream, made reality, well as close to reality as possible. So, I knew flying would help empty my mind so I would actually be able to think.
As I flew around Potter Manor, I focused only on the feeling of the cold winter air whipping past me. With the warming charm, I had cast on myself, it felt like a cool summer's breeze. I let myself get lost in that feeling for a short time.
By the time I was ready to face my version of Pandora's box, the sun had set and the stars had come up. But I didn't stop flying, I stayed in the air as I started contemplating everything.
If Tony inherits everything as a teenager, he either could be very close to building his Iron Man suit or it will be a couple of years from now when he is taken captive, not sure which comic book arc this Tony Stark's life will follow.
Since Iron Man exists, then Captain America will exist as well. And he will be easy to find information about, being a World War 2 hero. Damn it! If only I picked up ONE book on world history sooner, I would have been aware of all this. Either way, Steve Rogers is probably frozen somewhere in the Artic. At least, I know that much.
A big question that was forming in my head that I couldn't ignore was about the magical side of the Marvel universe. Of all the history books of the wizarding the world I have read, not one has mentioned other means of magic, or other forms of magic users. Were wizards so insulated that they don't even know about them?
I wanted to know if Dr. Strange existed in this universe or not so I might be able to ask him for some help in the future, if need be. But then again, there was a chance he did exist but was still a surgeon and had yet to go through his accident. If that was the case, then I would have to ask his master, the Ancient One. But tracking down his master would be difficult. I didn't remember where in the comics they said the Ancient One was supposed to be.
It was also going to be a challenge trying to find information about the other people who might exist. I didn't want to raise any flags looking up information on people who might already be on some kind of watchlist. I figured S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA had to exist as well and that meant I would have to move about without getting on their radar. I didn't even know if they knew about the wizarding world. If they did, there was a chance they might interfere with things in the future, so my knowledge of canon might be useless later on.
It also meant I would have to rethink my plans with the Dursleys. I originally wanted to get through my years at Hogwarts before I dealt with them as they were the least of my worries. But now, my timetable for them would have to be moved up. I couldn't just disappear from the normal world, then reappear after 7 years and not raise some issues with S.H.I.E.L.D or HYDRA, especially if they know of wizards. For the time I would spend at Hogwarts, I can make it look like I attended a boarding school but I didn't know how to explain the missing years at Potter Manor, I would have to think about that one. I had to establish my presence as much as possible to leave myself a life to blend into if I needed. Huh, I was going to be creating my own secret identity, maybe I should start thinking of superhero names as well…
Now if the humans from Marvel comics existed then it was logical to think so would the various powerful aliens that would eventually come to Earth; Thor, Loki, Odin, Thanos, Kang, Galactus…I gulped. I had to stop from continuing my thoughts further as I was beginning to spiral again.
I flew on my broom for another 10 minutes before I flew back inside. I had the elves prepare a small dinner for me, which I promptly ate and then went to bed. I was going to have a busy day tomorrow so I wanted to get as much sleep as possible.
I woke up still feeling downcast from the revelations yesterday. A light workout, followed by a small breakfast and I was out the door, figuratively. I actually had Sebas drop me off in a discreet alley in the East End of London. It turned out to be the back alley of a bar that was, thankfully, closed at the moment. Though, I did wonder why this was the place Sebas brought me to, I'd need to ask him if he frequented this particular bar often.
It was early enough that there was nobody to take notice of a child coming out of a dead-end alley that he didn't go into. As I walked further up the street, I started seeing people walking about their day heading to work. I relied on my confident, purposeful walk to get past them, only drawing slight questioning glances my way. I'd never been to London in my old life, just knew random facts about it. And apart from the train station, I'd seen nothing of this London either, so everything was new to me, it was hard not stopping to admire everything. I had to make sure that I didn't act like the tourist that I was, already drawing attention for being an unaccompanied child walking about the streets, this early in the morning. But I kept walking along, turning at random streets looking for a library. I could have tried asking for help but I didn't want to risk it. Luckily, I was able to come across the London Library after 45 min of walking around.
When I walked in, I made a beeline for the History section. I found books on World War 2 and sat down where I was and started reading. I could hear footsteps coming from where I had seen the librarian sitting so, I paused for a few seconds but didn't look towards her. She hovered around for a few seconds and then went back to her desk. I continued on reading, when I finished one book, I would find another. I based my next choice on the information I gathered. Most of it, I already knew but I needed to confirm the specifics.
"Are you eating the books or do you just run-on knowledge?"
I was interrupted from my reading by the librarian, who came with a container in her hand. When I gave her a confused glance, she clarified further.
"It's past lunch time and you haven't eaten a single thing since you've been here. I won't question why you have to spend your holidays in the library but the least you can do is feed yourself."
I winced and scratched the back of my head, not at forgetting to eat but that the elves would be worried about whether I had eaten or not.
"I kind of forgot about packing food with me but it's fine, I'll just eat double when I get home." I told her.
She scoffed and placed the container near me. It was of an assortment of fruits, diced in small edible pieces, with a fork stuck on a piece of watermelon. When she saw me open my mouth to reject, she gave a stern glare and I cowered back. I didn't want her giving up her food for me because I wasn't really a child but an adult and it's my fault for not bringing food, but I couldn't tell her that. So, I accepted it, graciously. As she walked away, she gave me a look that said she would be watching to make sure I ate it.
I finally decided to stop reading when it was reaching 6 pm. I put away the books I had taken out and then walked up to the librarian.
"Thank you for the fruits, Miss…" I said not seeing her name tag on.
"Baker, you can call me Miss Baker" she replied.
"Then thank you, Miss Baker. Here is your container back." I placed it on her counter. I tried to leave but she stopped me before I could. She looked around before she asked if I wanted to talk about why I needed to spend all day here. I told her it was just because my babysitter cancelled last minute, so my parents let me come here rather than staying home alone. Before she could question me further, I gave her another quick thanks for the food and left the library.
I called Sebas as soon I found a hidden alley that I could walk into outsight of anyone or any cameras. I had noticed quite a few of them on major intersections and streets, possible way S.H.I.E.L.D. could track me in the future. I needed to make sure I stayed updated on where new cameras were getting placed.
When Sebas came to get me, I apologized for forgetting to pack my lunch and promised to remember next time.
"See that you do, we were all worried" He informed me.
When I got home, I made sure to eat dinner with the elves to make it up to them. Then I sat down in my study and looked at the some of the notes I made today:
Steve Rogers
-Given super-solder serum created by Dr. Erskine (killed by Hydra agent, day of treatment)
-Best Friend-James Buchanan Barnes, since childhood, only known close friend
-Given shield made of Vibranium
-Known relationship with Peggy Carter (possible co-founder of S.H.I.E.L.D., might still be alive)
James Buchanan Barnes
-Best friend to Steve Rogers
-Joined the Howling Commandos and helped eradicate Hydra bases
-Disappeared, Assumed KIA when he fell off a train during a mission
-Might be alive and acting as the Winter Soldier in control of Hydra
Howard Stark
-Helped give Steve Rogers super-soldier treatment
-Gave him the Vibranium shield
-Possible co-founder or consultant for S.H.I.E.L.D
-Died early last week leaving inheritance to son, Tony Stark
Tony Stark
-Heir, now sole owner to Stark Industries after death of father and mother in car accident
-Current guardian-Obadiah Stane (The man responsible for Tony's accident in the comics)
-Genius Inventor; intellect level surpassing his father
-Will build Iron Man suit in future
Wakanda
-Home to the rarest & most powerful metal in the universe, Vibranium
-Current King, King T'Chaka (father of T'Challa, the Black Panther I know from comics)
-Current King may be the current Black Panther
-World still unaware of the advanced technological capabilities of Wakanda
-Howard Stark given some Vibranium when he presumably found Wakanda, I infer he chose to keep their secret in exchange for some of the Vibranium
There were other things I had noted down like information on Johann Schmidt but these were the main points I needed to be aware of. I wasn't able to find any information that corroborated the existence of S.H.I.E.L.D. so, I still needed to find actual information on it, rather than relying on my speculative knowledge based on comics.
I spent the rest of my break of going through books on the English Family Law. I wanted to find out what papers were required to get myself taken out of the Dursley custody. If possible, I wanted to be free of them before the start of the 2nd year, legally speaking. I also needed to get a passport, I had quite a few destinations in mind.
Chapter 15 - My Wand is the Wand of
The day I had to board the train back to Hogwarts, I had Tipsy drop me off in the same compartment she picked me up from. I made sure to arrive early enough so nobody else would take it. I activated my Magic Perception spell to notify me when anybody got close, it was much easier to use the spell now, my range had increased quite a bit as well. While I waited for Hermione and Neville , I was going to use the time to train my "new" wand.
It flew out from its holster and levitated in front me, in its true form, with just my thought of wanting to use it. It was no longer a wand really, rather a staff, at least for someone my size anyway. The faces on the heads of the wand had become much clearer, to now become somewhat recognizable. It also glowed whenever used now, looked as if it was made from molten rock, and I absolutely loved that particular detail!
I remember the day it changed to its true form. It was the day after my expedition to the library, I was in my study writing a few notes on another list I was making. This one of all the magical artifacts I remembered from the comics. As soon as I recollected the information on the wand, I called it to my hand in its real form I knew of at the time. When my mind finally connected the familiar looking wand in my hand to the one, I knew from the comics, a burst of visible power originated from it that shrouded me completely. I could somehow tell that it had now fully accepted me as it's owner.
"Wand of Watoomb, my wand is the Wand of Watoomb! Oh, shit Voldemort, you are so dead!" I had exclaimed out loud as I saw the wand start changing.
It began growing in size, the faces becoming more detailed, the horns getting bigger and sharper. I felt my own magic change as well, brought forth by the wand. I could feel it becoming denser signifying an increase in my magic reserves. Along with that, I could feel a deep intrinsic connection being formed between the wand and I.
It was no wonder Quirrell's curse got devoured, I knew the wand to be capable of absorbing mystical energies. Though I still needed to learn how it actually did that so I can do it on command. But that was just the beginning, there was so much more to the wand that I knew I had to learn. Additionally, from what I remember there are supposed to be 5 other similar wands, might even be possible to combine them…
It also confirmed that supreme level beings existed in this universe. Watoomb, the creator of the wand, was one of few mortals to become one of the Principalities. Beings that could be summoned for power; like Dormmammu, Cyttorak, and Agamotto, as in the Agamotto that Dr. Strange calls upon for his most powerful sorcery. If one existed, then they all had to exist.
Thinking about those supreme existences always caused a heavy feeling on my body, like gravity was pressing down on me harder. I knew it to be the burden of responsibility I was starting to feel, to become as powerful as I could. So that innocent people don't have to lose their lives when they eventually came for Earth. Especially when I'm the only one that knows of them at the moment. Even when aliens do start showing up on the regular on Earth, they won't know of the real threats, till it will be too late.
Clearing away those thoughts, I focused back on my wand, specifically on the connection that now existed between the two of us. I was effortlessly able to conjure some leaves to lay on the empty seats in front of me. Wizardkind magic had become a lot easier to do now so that wasn't where my focus was anymore, it was instead on learning the magic of Watoomb. With my connection to the wand, I could tell that the pathway had been laid out for me, I just needed to walk it. As in practise, lots and lots of practise. And the first step was learning to master the wind element, eventually learning to use all the others as well.
Instead of having the wand call on my magic as I used to do, I now called upon the magic of the wand. I focused on one leaf first, and a small localized gust of wind flew from the wand to raise the leaf gently into the air. When I was able to bring it to a satisfactory height, I raised another leaf and then another…till I had all 30 leaves in air. It took a bit more of a mental strain but I was able to then get half the leaves to remain floating stationary in front me, while the other half flew around me in a circular pattern, their flight speed increasing with each revolution.
Calling forth big gusts of wind to blow people away was cool but I could use Wizardkind magic if I wanted to be flashy, I wanted to have the option to use a more subtle approach when the situation called for it. And to do that, I had to master my control to the point that I could do multiple things on a minute scale. I was even working on controlling my wind magic so that I could compress the wind I called into thin blades that would be able to cut through anything, though that is proving to me more difficult than I had previously thought.
I had to stop after 25 minutes of moving the leaves around in different ways and directions. That was my limit at the moment. Anymore and my body would start feeling fatigued as if I had been awake for more than 24 hours so I didn't want to push it.
Just in time too, as someone had just come into range of my Magic Perception spell. As I vanished the leaves with a swipe of my hand, my wand intuitively changed back to its disguised form and went back to my holster. Man, I loved my wand.
It wasn't Hermione or Neville who came, as the person kept walking ahead after a quick peek inside. Since one person had come, more would soon follow so I decided to open up a book to occupy my time instead. The one I had on me was "Carrie" by Stephen King, I'd bought it after seeing it in a book store I was passing by when I made another trip to the library, I'd seen the original movie in my old life but never actually read the book so I decided to do it now.
I put the book away when I heard someone opening the door. It was Hermione who arrived first, and pulled me into a hug as soon as she was free of her things.
"Thank you so much for the gifts, though you didn't have to get my parents anything," she said when we sat down.
"It's no problem at all, just wanted to be understanding of their situation. I know it can be hard accepting all this after growing up completely unaware of the magical world, so I hoped some magic with something familiar would help" I replied.
I had gotten Hermione's parents Self-Shuffling Cards, after finding out she played cards with her parents all the time. It was a family activity they loved when they all had free time.
Though I did have Sebas be the one to buy it, along with Hermione's gift and Neville's gift…My elves make me very lazy at home, maybe I needed to start doing some of the shopping myself, to get out more at least.
"They appreciated it very much. My dad especially. I think he spent the entire first day just scattering them everywhere so he can see it work" Hermione interrupted my musings and then asked about her gift. "And where did you buy my gift? It's one of the MOST detailed books on magic theory I've seen. The explanations were much easier to understand and went a lot deeper than some of the books from the Hogwarts Library?"
I gave her a sheepish smile before replying "I didn't buy it, it's a copy of a book I found in the manor library along with some of my own notes added in. I also gave Neville-" I was interrupted by said person walking in the compartment.
"Hi Harry, Hermione! It's good to see you guys" Neville greeted, as he sat down.
"It's good to see you too, Neville!" Hermione replied.
"I agree, it's good to see you, Neville!" I replied right after her.
As we fell into conversation about our gifts to each other, the train eventually departed for Hogwarts. It was a bittersweet return for me. While there was still a lot of Hogwarts waiting for me to explore, now I couldn't take as much time as I originally wanted to. I need to get it out of the way quickly so I can focus on more important things.
Thankfully, my beloved elves always know when to cheer me up. When everyone else had gone to sleep, Nabel knowing I'm a late sleeper, appeared on top of my bed. She told me she had seen the Weasley twin's using the Marauder's Map earlier today, right before curfew. Perfect! Now that it's confirmed, it was time to make a deal with the devil, or devils as it were.