A month had passed since the events of the third task of the
tournament and Sirius Black was still in a foul and irritable mood.
The main reason for his state was of course his elusive godson and
the lack of knowledge the man knew of his health and whereabouts.
Despite being constantly reassured by Dumbledore that Harry was
fine he couldn't shift the uneasy feeling in his stomach in any way.
Adding to his already bad mood was his wanted status and the fact
he had to remain in his childhood home which he loathed entirely. He
was just as much a prisoner as he was in Azkaban and the dark
nature of the house was barely an acceptable alternative to the
Dementors.
Adding further to his annoyance was the constant presence of
people around him. Remus was there by invitation and even though
his mood was similar to his own, Sirius was content with the
werewolf being around him, they were after all brothers in all but
blood.
It was the presence of the others in his house that irked im so.
He didn't particularly dislike anyone but he felt as though he was
under constant surveillance and could find no peace. The Weasley
children were kept busy most of the time along with the Granger girl
cleaning the house and trying to remove some of the darker aspects,
a job that seemed endless and unrewarding.
It was Molly Weasley that bothered Sirius the most. He had nothing
against her overtly but he found her overbearing and very trying on
his nerves. He didn't understand why they were living there when the
eldest son was a curse breaker and could erect suitable wards
around their own home. Sirius suspected they were there at the
request of Dumbledore to keep an eye on him, that was the only
reason their occupancy of the house made sense.
The meetings of the order seemed pointless to him and the efforts
the members were making were nothing short of fruitless. He knew
they were trying their best but the majority of them were just not up
to scratch in comparison to the old crowd. He found the assigned
guard shifts very strange especially as they had not been told what
they were guarding. He himself was not allowed to take part. Had he
been allowed to he would have done all he could to discover what it
was. He constantly asked Dumbledore what it was but in his usual
evasive way he would simply make excuse after excuse not to tell
anyone, he would state that it was not his place to tell and that it was
Harry who would be made aware of it before anyone else.
Sirius Black was frustrated for many reasons and his frustration was
growing more as each day passed.
(BREAK)
Elsewhere in Grimmauld Place the teens occupying the house had
settled into a routine of sorts. They would spend their days cleaning
the house without magic, much to their chagrin and spend their
evenings in respective exhaustive states doing very little besides
eating and talking amongst themselves.
Hermione was finding it particularly difficult as she was not allowed
in the library in the house and she had long since read everything
she possessed.
Ron and Ginny would spend their free time playing chess or talking
about quidditch as there was very little else they could do.
As soon as they were free the twins would spend hours locked in
their room doing who knows what. The occasional bang and acrid
smell would be the only evidence they were still in the house.
Everyone had learnt not to disturb them. They were now of age and
whatever it was they were doing was perfectly above board much to
the annoyance of their mother who would scowl at the odd smells
and sounds coming from their room.
They were all equally worried about Harry but knew there was
nothing they could do in their position, all they could do was wait and
see what would happen. It would be a nervous wait but a wait they
had to endure.
Molly spent her days supervising the younger members of the
household in their various tasks and cooking and cleaning when she
could. The residing elf was a despicable creature and Molly would
not allow him to cook for anyone from fear that he would poison
them all given the chance. She had had many run ins with the
portrait of Walburga Black and the two could often be heard
screeching at each other which would result in Molly angrily drawing
the curtains back over the offending portrait. She was worried about
Harry but had confidence in the judgement of Albus, if he said Harry
was ok then she would believe he was fine until she knew otherwise.
Life in Grimmauld Place was tedious and equally tense. None of the
occupants knew much of what was happening on the outside but for
now they were safe and that was what was important to them all.
(BREAK)
Albus Dumbledore was still worried for the young missing teen but
had long since concluded there was little he could do to locate him,
the headmaster had tried all he could in that regard.
He had attempted to send owls with tracking and location charms
only to have the owl fly around his head in a confused state. He had
even tried sending fawkes to find the boy but the phoenix simply
shook his head at the request of his familiar. Dumbledore knew that
if his phoenix could not find the boy then there was no way he would
be found until the time was right, whenever that may be.
He knew Harry would eventually make an appearance but couldn't
help but wonder what state he would be in when he did or what his
plan would be. He knew the boy was resourceful and clever but
hoped that wherever he was he was safe and getting the help he
would need.
(BREAK)
Lord Voldemort was still quietly seething about the robbery of the
Potter boy's corpse. He had no doubt that the boy was dead
however.
The connection he had felt to Potter for the last 13 years was no
longer there and he took comfort in that knowledge. He had had both
Severus and Lucius on the lookout for any news of the boy's body
turning up but to no avail, it had simply vanished.
He frowned at this knowing that bodies simply did not vanish and
someone had knowledge of its whereabouts.
"They will pay" he spat through gritted teeth. "They will pay" he
repeated to himself quietly.
With that he went back to his planning. There was very much to do
but he was not in any rush. He knew with Potter dead his success
was assured.
(BREAK)
The last month for Harry had been as rewarding as it had been
trying. He spent his waking hours studying everything he could from
his various books and training both magically and physically. He
spent almost all of his time alone as Arcturus was seldom around
and was only seen at meal times.
It was during these times he would teach Harry small but important
lessons. Harry had already learnt the importance of masking his
emotions and what he was feeling. Arcturus had lectured him on the
importance of face and how it was vital to ones appearance to
appear calm and collected despite what they were feeling. Harry had
learnt this lesson quite quickly and was becoming very good at
remaining impassive just as the older man always seemed to be.
Arcturus had explained what it was that he himself was doing to
Harry. He had shown him a memory of a conversation he had with
Sirius's younger brother Regulus a few months before Voldemort
had disappeared.
Harry was quite shocked by what he had understood of the
conversation.
It pertained to something called Horcruxes that needed to be
destroyed before Voldemort could truly be killed.
Initially Harry had been worried but had been assured by Arcturus
that he was handling that particular problem and had made
significant progress. Harry had for the most part put it out of his mind
knowing and trusting that the older man had it under control.
His days were long and the first week of his training had been
nothing short of brutal. He had followed the book he found in his
grandfathers' trunk religiously and a month of the regime had begun
to benefit him greatly. He was currently wielding a large and heavy
sledgehammer that he was using to smash into a large tyre that had
been conjured by Arcturus for this particular phase of training. The
training was based largely on conditioning his body so that he was
athletic and nimble. It was not about building a mass of muscle but
the muscular gains would be significant and well-conditioned.
His diet was largely rather boring to him but it complimented his
physical regime well. He would mostly eat oats and fruit for
breakfast, meat, rice and vegetables for main meals and he would
snack on various fruits and vegetables throughout the day. He drank
copious amounts of water to keep himself hydrated throughout his
workouts and continued taking his nutrient potions that he had been
provided with.
Even only after one month the changes within him were quite
astounding. He had grown just over another inch and his body was
showing visual results from his efforts. He was by no means a
chiselled specimen of muscle but he was becoming quite athletic.
Arcturus had explained that his magic was working in healing his
body quickly so the results would be much more quicker in his body
than that of a muggle.
Harry finished his 90 second set of the sledgehammer and wiped the
sweat from his brow. Although he was very busy he still thought
about his friends a lot and missed them considerably.
He was worried about Hedwig and the fact that he had not seen her
in some time also. He hadn't expected to receive any mail while he
was here but until recently had clung on to some hope that he would
hear from his friends.
Shaking himself from his thoughts he made his way back to the
house and to the basement where he would practice his spell work.
He had made a huge amount of progress with his spells and in
particular the ones in the book Arcturus had given him that he and
his grandfather had created. At first he had felt reluctant at casting
them but one look at the photo of his family and him in his
grandmothers arms had put the reluctance to rest.
He would begin and end each day looking at that photo to fuel his
motivation further. Since he started doing this his resolve had
remained firm; he would make Riddle pay for what he had done.
The difficulty in learning the family magic was that the spells would
only work if they were cast silently. For Harry this was new but he
found that it was much easier than he had anticipated. At first his
reluctance to cast had hindered his progress but after a stern
dressing down from Arcturus and the extra determination he gained
from looking at his photo it became easier as each day had passed.
Within a fortnight he could cast the majority of his magic silently but
he knew he needed more practice to be able to perform his entire
repertoire and perfect the technique, something he knew would take
much time and effort.
He began his training as he usually did by casting spells at the
training dummy that Arcturus had provided for him. The dummy was
unique as it would show him the exact effects the curses would have
on a human body. Arcturus insisted he trained this way so it would
be less of a shock when he saw the effects on a real person, he had
explained that it would desensitise him to the gore of battle.
Harry agreed that it was necessary but was not entirely comfortable
with what he saw.
He was about halfway through his routine when the door opened and
Arcturus entered. This was not a usual occurrence , in fact it was the
first time he had come in as Harry was training.
"It has been a month Potter" he noted casually. "Show me what you
can do" he requested, folding his arms waiting for the boy to comply.
He watched in silence as Harry cast the spells with ease at the
dummy and was admittedly impressed with his progress. When the
boy finished he simply waited for further instruction.
"Good" the older man said. "But you need to be faster. Let's see how
you're getting along with your movement and shielding" he
requested waving his wand so the dummy would split into 3 separate
opponents.
The dummies immediately started firing curse after curse at Harry
who dodged and shielded as best he could against the onslaught. By
the end he had only been hit twice but knew he had more work to do;
he could not afford to be hit once, particularly with Tom's habit of
casting the killing curse.
"You try to shield when you should be dodging" Arcturus surmised
critically. "Have you tried redirecting the spells yet?" he asked the
boy.
"No sir" Harry replied. "I'm not sure I can do it" he added a little
ashamed.
"Well there is only one way to find out" was the reply he received
and with that Arcturus fired a stinging hex at the boy that hit him on
the hip.
Harry grimaced in pain at the unexpected hex but quickly schooled
his features into an impassive mask as he had been taught. He knew
the theory behind spell redirection but was not sure he was strong
enough to do it yet.
He steeled himself and waited for another hex that came quickly. He
immediately released a short burst of powerful magic into his wand
and flicked the hex away in an elaborate fashion.
"Do not be so erratic with your wand movement it is unnecessary"
the older man instructed. "it should be nothing more than a casual
flick and it will work against almost all spells except the unforgivable
of course. Have faith in your ability and be confident, try again" he
finished firing another hex.
This time Harry was much more calm knowing that if the spell did hit
it would only cause him a little pain. He repeated what he had before
but instead of a dramatic wave of his wand he simply flicked the spell
away from him just before it could make contact.
Before he could congratulate himself another curse was fired at him,
this time one of a more darker nature; a blood boiling curse.
Instinctively he flicked it away again as he had the last stinging hex
but couldn't help the increase in his heart rate and breathing at the
deadlier spell.
"See, it is exactly the same thing" Arcturus pointed out, ignoring the
death glare he was receiving from the boy. "Now practice that" he
commanded indicating the three dummies which began firing at the
boy again.
Harry practiced this for some time and found it was much easier this
way than shielding. He found it less tiring and it gave him more
freedom and fluidity in his movements. He felt light and graceful not
having to plant his feet to conjure a shield and he knew it was much
more beneficial to him.
After around 20 minutes of this the older man deemed his efforts
suitable and froze the dummies.
"Good" he praised. "Have you been studying the parselmagic books"
he inquired.
"Yes sir" Harry replied. "The magic can't be cast silently I think it is
because of the language" he concluded.
Arcturus nodded in agreement at the boys theory knowing it was
likely that he was right.
"How far have you progressed?" he asked.
"I have read them all and have worked out how to use the language
at will I just have to focus a small amount of magic and intend to
speak it" he answered proud of his progress.
"Very well" Arcturus replied. "Is there anything useful in there" he
questioned.
"Yes sir, the battle spells will be useful and I think the wards will be
too" he answered confidently.
Arcturus only nodded in reply. He was no longer surprised by the
Potter boy and what he could achieve when he put his mind to it. He
had seen his memories of his life before and during Hogwarts and
had initially been taken aback at the existence he had been forced
into but now his diligence to his training and his attitude was more
easily understood.
Before he could question the boy further he found himself on the
receiving end of a question that surprised him.
"Mr Black, can we go to my relatives home so I can put up some
paseltongue wards?" Harry asked. "If I do then I know they will be
protected and only Voldemort would, may, be able to break them" he
added. "I can ward the house against ill intent and Riddles' magic
which means anyone with the Dark Mark can't get in" he explained
confidently.
Arcturus was impressed by the boys' idea but could not understand
why he would do such a thing for those disgusting muggles.
"You wish to protect them after all they have done to you?" he
questioned the boy.
"They're the only family I have left" Harry answered sadly.
"Regardless of what they have done my mother would want me to
protect them" he added.
Arcturus looked firmly at the boy but could understand his view on
family. It was similar to his own and he knew he would do the same
despite his disappointment in his relatives.
"We will go tomorrow" he answered before exiting the room leaving
Harry alone again.
Harry finished his training and headed to his room now tired from his
days effort. He was surprised upon entering the room to hear a
tapping from the window being caused by a large tawny owl with
amber eyes.
Confused, he opened the window to allow the bird to enter and
removed the note that was tied to its leg. With its burden removed
the owl left immediately leaving Harry clutching the note it had
delivered.
He unfurled it to find a photo drop to the floor which he immediately
picked up and gazed at. In the photo was his parents and 2 other
people he did not recognise. Both couples were holding small babies
between them. Harry began to read the note to ascertain who would
send him such a thing.
Dear Harry,
I'm not sure if this note will reach you but thought I would at least try.
My Gran told me that you were safe even though no one knows
where you are, she told me she spoke to Professor Dumbledore
during some meeting. I just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday
wherever you are and I hope that you are safe. I knew your birthday
was the day after mine as you can see in the photo our parents were
friends. I'm sure you are aware that the papers are still trying to
figure out what is going on and are spending all of their time
guessing where you are and making Dumbledore out to be insane.
Anyway, write back if you can and I hope to see you on the train to
Hogwarts.
Neville Longbottom
To say Harry was surprised was an understatement. He was
experiencing a maelstrom of emotions ranging from confusion to
annoyance. If Neville could write to him then why had no one else
tried? Why hadn't his friends written to him if they knew he was
safe? He had thought that there were wards in place to stop mail but
had he been wrong? He knew he would need to speak to Arcturus in
the morning.
In his busy state he hadn't even realised his birthday had crept up on
him. Not that it mattered as he had never really received anything for
his birthday but he had at least thought that he would get a letter or
two from Ron and Hermione. He wouldn't worry about it now, he had
much more important things to do.
He began his evening routine of studying his grandfathers'
notebooks and eventually showered and climbed in to bed to sleep.
The sleep did not come easy on this night as he had so much on his
mind but that would have to wait until the morning. Eventually he
drifted off and slept soundly until he woke to the smell of breakfast
being prepared.
He woke in a thoughtful mood and found that he was not particularly
happy today. He showered and prepared in his usual way before
heading to drawing room to eat breakfast where Arcturus was
already sat at the table reading the newspaper.
"I thought you would be in a better mood after finally hearing from
your friends" he stated seeing the frown that adorned the young
mans' face.
"How did you know someone had written to me?" Harry asked
slightly surprised.
"The wards alert me of anything that passes them" Arcturus
answered casually. "I'm surprised it took this long for someone to
write to you" he added.
"I thought you had wards up to stop any mail" Harry replied.
The older man shook his head. "I told you you are not a prisoner
here, the wards will only stop tracking or location charms and things
like portkeys or anything dangerous" he answered.
"So anyone could have written to me any time?" Harry asked his
annoyance growing.
"Yes" the older man replied. "But your friends have written to you
now so what is the problem?" Arcturus asked inquisitively.
"It wasn't the friends I thought it would be it was a birthday note from
another friend at school" Harry answered scowling.
"Maybe they have been instructed not to write" the older man
pointed out.
"Maybe" Harry answered shaking his head. "It doesn't really matter I
guess it's not like it will make any difference if they write or not" he
shrugged indifferently.
Harry was quite miffed with his friends but knew brooding wouldn't
help, he would get his answers eventually. He put the thoughts of
them to the back of his mind and began eating his breakfast.
"We will go to your relatives tonight" Arcturus informed him
distastefully. "Have you tried apparating yet?" he asked.
"No sir, I've read the theory but didn't want to try it on my own in case
it went wrong" Harry explained grimacing at the description he had
read on splinching.
"A wise move" Arcturus agreed. "We will work on it today, it is very
important for every day travel and can be used in a fight effectively"
he added knowingly.
Harry just nodded his head and finished his breakfast.
After the plates had been cleared Arcturus led Harry to the room he
used for training. He waved his wand clearing everything to the
sides, creating a space for them to work. He waved his wand again
and a circle appeared on the other side of the room etched in to the
floor.
"Most of the theory on apparating is useless" he began. "It is much
simpler to think of where you want to be, draw on your magic the
same way you do while casting and will yourself to your destination"
he explained as though it was the easiest thing in the world. "Like
so" he said vanishing silently and appearing in the circle he had
created.
A split second later he had returned to where he was previously
standing.
"It only takes practice to get it right, that's all the advice I can give
you" he said shrugging his shoulders. "Now, you try" he instructed
stepping aside.
Harry had taken everything in he had been told but was not very
confident in the advice he had been given. However he shrugged off
his doubts and began to do what he had been told. He drew on his
magic and willed himself in to the circle as he had been instructed to
and was surprised to hear a loud crack. He opened his eyes feeling
disorientated for a brief second only to find that he was exactly
where he had been.
"Not bad" Arcturus praised bowing his head. "But you hesitated so
you went nowhere, now try again" he finished firmly.
It took him the best part of an hour to successfully apparate in to the
circle and after he had done it once it became easier the more he did
it. By the time he was comfortable with the new method of transport
it was lunch time.
"I want you to work on your spells after lunch" Arcturus broke in while
they were eating their meal. "You can perform the spells now you
need to be able to chain them together quickly one after the other
and work out what spells chain well together" he added. "You also
need to work on combining them like your grandfather used to.
When he fought Gaulitier you saw how he combined the fog, the
wind and the flames it will give you another edge if you can create
and use combinations like that" he finished.
Harry agreed that working on his casting, chaining and combinations
was a beneficial way to spend time and knew it would be taking up
much of his magical training from then on. He nodded in reply at the
older man and stood to make his to the training room.
As he got to the door he was stopped in his tracks by Arcturus
questioning him further.
"Are you also completing your school and theory work?" he asked.
"You will still have exams to complete" he stated firmly.
"Yes sir" Harry replied. "But I guess I could put more effort into it" he
added sheepishly raking a hand through his hair, knowing it was one
of the more neglected aspects of his training.
"Ensure that you do Potter" Arcturus warned in a scolding tone. "Get
practicing, I will return in time for us to go to your relatives" he added
somewhat suddenly rising and leaving the room.
Harry shook his head and made his way to the training room to begin
work on his spells.
Harry spent several fruitful hours working on the various casting and
spell techniques before he was interrupted by the return of the older
man who gave no explanation of where he had been or what he had
been doing.
They ate their evening meal in silence and Harry used the time to
steel his resolve at facing his relatives again, something he was not
looking forward to. All too soon they had finished eating and Arcturus
stood and gestured for Harry to do the same.
"I will apparate us there and you can get yourself back here, it's
exactly the same as you were doing earlier" he added seeing a
slightly nervous look on the boys' face.
He removed his wand and cast a spell that Harry recognised as a
magical signature concealer, a spell from the Black magic on both of
them.
"Better to be cautious than reckless" he said seriously. "Where do
they live?" he asked with a sour edge to his tone.
"Little Whinging in Surrey" Harry replied.
With that the older man grasped Harry by the forearm and apparated
them away. They landed in a park that Harry recognised that wasn't
too far from where the Dursleys' lived.
"Lets go" Acturus instructed, gesturing for Harry to take the lead.
Harry led them through the park and under the bridge that took them
into Privet Drive. He suddenly stopped feeling a familiar sense of
cold overcome him that was not usual for a July evening.
"You feel it too?" Arcturus asked looking around.
"Dementors" Harry stated simply. "But they aren't that close" he
added mimicking the older mans' searching look.
"Stay sharp Potter, if things go bad apparate back" the older man
advised.
Harry nodded and they continued on their way. The coldness left
quickly and before he was truly ready they had arrived at number 4.
The older man sensed the nervousness of the boy and stopped him
with a hand on his shoulder.
"These are not allies Potter nor are they enemies in a manner of
speaking" he said shaking his head. "Handle it the way your
grandfather would, be firm and do not let them take liberties with
you, make them respect you" he finished sternly staring in to the
boys' emerald eyes with his piercing grey ones.
He saw the steely, impassive look take its place as Harrys' posture
and stature became tall but relaxed. He nodded in approval and
allowed the boy to lead him to the front door.
Harry braced himself and pushed the front door open confidently and
stepped inside followed closely behind by Arcturus. At the sound of
the front door closing they were confronted by the 3 Dursleys', two
morbidly obese and one as thin and horse-like as ever.
"What is the meaning of this boy?" his uncle questioned turning the
usual shade of purple when he was in close proximity to his nephew.
"The crackpot old fool said you would be away for the whole
summer" he finished spraying his unwelcome guests with a vast
quantity of spittle.
Arcturus was furious at the demeanour the overweight buffoon was
displaying towards his nephew and was ready to curse him with all
manner of vile spells but before he could the boy took charge of the
situation.
"Unless you want to be killed very slowly and painfully Vernon I
suggest you shut up and listen for once in your life" Harry spoke
neutrally.
"Are you threatening me boy?" the large man roared in apoplectic
rage. "I won't have it, I will beat the freakishness out of you this time"
he screamed stepping forward.
Before he could complete his first step Harry had drawn his wand
and quickly and silently fired three spells at his Uncle.
Vernon now found himself unable to speak and stuck to the wall by
his ample girth.
Harry shook his head at his uncles stupidity and turned to look at his
Aunt who was stood stunned and looked more pale than usual.
"Are you sensible enough to listen Petunia or should I leave and let
you all face what's out there?" he asked her in a quiet but serious
voice.
"What do you mean?" Petunia finally managed to reply shakily.
"He's back" Harry replied casually. "The one who killed my parents"
he added seeing the confused look on his aunts' face.
"He can't be" she whispered. "That Dumbledore man said he was
dead".
"Well he's not and when he realises I am still alive I am guessing he
will come here. But if you give me 10 minutes I can make sure you
are protected" he answered.
"But we are already protected" she responded confusedly.
At this Arcturus drew his wand and began casting a detection spell
mumbling in Latin. He frowned at the results and turned to Harry to
explain.
"The blood wards are on the brink of collapse and any other wards
that were here aren't anymore, there are only a few detection spells"
he informed the teen.
Harry nodded not having expected much more from Dumbledore
based on his past experience of the man's protections.
"There you have it, you're not as protected as you thought" Harry
explained to his aunt. "Do you want my help or not, I do not have all
night?" he asked irritably.
"What will you do?" Petunia inquired nervously.
"I will put my own wards up that will keep anyone magical out of the
house and defend you if it is attacked. I will then place a spell on you
that will automatically transport you back here if someone or
something magical comes within 10 feet of you when you are in
public" Harry explained.
Arcturus listened and was very impressed at the plan the boy had
come up with. He nodded in approval at Potters' ingenuity but
continued glaring at his aunt in contempt. It had taken a lot of selfcontrol
not to interfere but it was not his business to dish out justice
here so he remained silent and allowed the boy to do what he
wanted.
"Okay" Petunia agreed not liking the hateful glare she was receiving
from the old man who had come with her nephew.
Harry set to work and began by casting the spells on Petunia, a
completely silent Dudley and a still subdued and silenced Vernon.
Arcturus was impressed with the parselmagic even though he could
not understood what was said, he could see that it was quite
complex and was pleased with the progress the boy had made with
his control of the language.
"It's time for the wards now everyone stay back" Harry said in a soft
but commanding voice.
He raised his wand above his head and began chanting in
parseltongue while waving one intricate pattern after another. He
continued in this fashion feeling the protections rooting themselves in
place the further in to his spell work he got.
(BREAK)
Albus Dumbledore was currently sat at the kitchen table at
Grimmauld Place listening to the various members of the order
voicing their grievances at the lack of information they were receiving
and subsequent lack of success they were having with their
endeavours. He understood their frustrations but knew there was
little more they could be doing until Voldemort came out in the open,
which he seemed reluctant to do for the time being. This did worry
Dumbledore because he knew that in the times of quiet, Tom was
planning something usually significant. He was brought out of his
thoughts by the usually quiet Alastor Moody scolding the group
assembled at the table.
"Albus will tell us when it is necessary" he growled in his usual
manner. "If we all know everything then there is more chance that
someone we don't want knowing finding out" he finished his magical
eye spinning wildly in its socket.
"Thank you Alastor" Dumbledore responded gratefully bowing his
head to his friend.
Before he could continue however he was alerted by one of his
detection spells he had placed at number 4 Privet Drive.
Everyone at the table looked at him expectantly when they saw his
demeanour change from calm to grave in a mere second.
"What is it Albus?" Moody asked curiously.
Dumbledore frowned but stood sharply when he realised what had
happened.
"Someone has raised wards around Harrys' relatives home" he
explained urgently.
The assembled members shot to their feet and began talking in
tandem, creating a confusing situation. It took a minute for
Dumbledore to calm them which took a loud bang from his wand to
gain the silence he needed.
"Minerva, Arthur, Bill, Alastor, Remus and Nymphadora, you will
come with me" he commanded, quickly creating a portkey from the
days newspaper that had been left on the table.
Before they could take the portkey Sirius stepped forward looking
nervous but eager.
"I'm coming too" he said defiantly.
"I'm afraid not Sirius" Dumbledore denied the man, shaking his head.
"There's a chance members of the ministry will show and you know
you can't be seen" he finished sadly, knowing that the man only
wished to help any way he could.
Sirius growled in response and stormed out of the room slamming
the door behind him.
"He will get over it" Remus said unsurely.
"Shouldn't we be going?" Moody interjected impatiently.
With that the chosen members all grabbed the newspaper and
disappeared with familiar feeling of being hooked through the navel.
(BREAK)
Harry finished his chanting and nodded to Arcturus to indicate he
had finished. With that he turned to his aunt and spoke to her in a
casual tone.
"It's done, you will be safe now, the way my mum would have
wanted" he said. "Now hopefully we will never have to see each
other again whether or not I survive this war" he added. He then
flicked his wand casually and released Vernon from his binds and
made his way to the front door.
"Harry?" Petunia asked before he could exit.
Harry stopped but did not turn to look at his aunt; in his eyes they no
longer had any business. It did sadden him slightly that they never
had any real relationship but he had long ago accepted that that was
the hand he had been dealt.
"Thank you" Petunia said to her nephews' back. "For protecting us"
she added a little sadly.
Harry simply nodded before exiting the house for what he hoped
would be the final time.
Arcturus looked at the three assembled Dursleys' in disgust.
"You're very lucky that he is a decent human being" he spoke quietly.
"If it was me I would have cursed you within an inch of your life and
let Riddle have what was left" he stated.
With a final shake of his head and a look of loathing at the occupants
he left the house.
Harry left the house and breathed a sigh of relief. He was shortly
joined by Arcturus who gave him a nod of approval.
"We will go a little further up the road before we apparate" he told the
boy.
They made their way further up the street and again came to a
sudden stop when they felt a sudden cold creep into their very
bones.
Harry turned to Arcturus.
"They are much closer this time" he deduced, drawing his wand and
scanning the area.
"Indeed " Arcturus replied simply.
Harry felt the cold creeping in even more so and began to hear his
mother pleading for her life in the way he had become accustomed
to in the presence of the Dementors.
He immediately thought of the photo on his bedside table of him in
his grandmothers arms and prepared himself. He heard a gentle
ripple of a cloak from behind him and turned to see two of the foul
creatures descending upon him and Arcturus who seemed to have
frozen with a vacant look on his face.
" Expecto Patronum" Harry intoned almost casually knowing that two
of the creatures were not a problem for him.
His now familiar thestral erupted from the tip of his wand and
galloped audibly towards the offending beasts who immediately fled
the onslaught from the violently bright light that bathed the entire
street in a luminous glow.
"It is time to leave Potter, that would have gotten some attention" the
older man said a little shakily and disappeared silently.
Before Harry could concentrate enough to apparate away he was
distracted by the arrival of a group of people around 20 feet in front
of him, some which he recognised.
A pink haired woman in the group fired what he realised was a
stunning spell at him which he returned back towards her with
immense speed. The spell hit her squarely in the chest and sent
flying backwards into who Harry saw was Remus Lupin and Arthur
Weasley who found themselves on the ground in a tangle of limbs.
With a wave of his wand Harry conjured the black fog he had seen
his grandfather use and banished it towards the group with great
speed. He then added a circle of fire that surrounded them before he
apparated away back to the safety of the house.
He did not feel guilty for what he had done. He was still raw from the
fact that none of these people had tried to contact him, even to see if
he was safe.
After a minute Dumbledore managed to dispel the fog and the
flames and looked towards the spot where Harry had been standing.
Dumbledore was impressed with the speed and magic Harry had
displayed and felt a little easier having seen the boy himself.
"Was that Potter?" Minerva asked disbelievingly.
"Indeed it was" Dumbledore answered. "It appears that Mr Potter has
grown in many ways" he added amusedly.
"Why did he attack us?" Bill asked confused.
"The boy was defending himself" Moody interjected. "And he did a
fine job" he finished looking annoyed at the still unconscious auror.
"That was quite some speed" Remus added standing and rubbing
his lower back. "And that spell packed quite a punch" he concluded
wincing slightly. He then revived Tonks who looked confused at her
predicament and quickly stood when she remembered what had
happened.
"Ouch" she complained rubbing her chest. "I'm going to feel that for
a week, Who the hell was that?" she asked the group.
"I believe you have just met Mr Potter" Dumbledore answered
chuckling.
"That was Potter?" the auror growled, peeved that she had been
bested by a 15 year old. "He looks nothing like I thought he would
that's why I fired at him".
"Maybe you will learn not to be overzealous in the future or at least
be prepared for a counter" Moody scolded his protégé.
Tonks just mumbled under her breath not happy with the events of
the evening.
Dumbledore made the short journey to number 4 followed by the
group to ascertain exactly what had happened. When he reached
the boundary he felt a very strong magic being emitted by what he
knew was a powerful ward. He raised his hand to bring the group to
a stop and drew his wand to run a diagnostic charm. He frowned
deeply at the results and cast several more charms to try to decipher
what the unfamiliar magic was. He drew a blank. The magical
signature had been concealed completely and the ward was
completely unfamiliar to him. He managed to figure out that anyone
who tried to pass the ward would experience a severe amount of
pain and likely death.
He had a sudden idea.
"Bill, have you ever came across a ward scheme like this on your
travels?" he asked the curse breaker.
Bill stepped forward and ran a more in depth series of diagnostic
spells before blanching and stepping back very quickly.
"Only once" he replied clearly shaken. "In Egypt a few years ago we
came across something similar and two of our team died trying to
break the wards" he explained. "After that we were told to seal the
tomb and leave. It needs a specific language to even be able to try
and break them and even then it is a very complex set of wards that
will need specific passwords and incantations to make it even
remotely possible to break" he finished his explanation to the
shocked group.
"Did you ever figure out what language it was?" Remus asked.
"No" Bill answered shaking his head. "It is either an entirely made up
language or one so scarce that only very few and certain people can
speak it" he said shrugging his shoulders.
"Like parseltongue?" Remus asked.
Bill looked at the werewolf curiously.
"It is definitely a possibility" he conceded, scratching his chin. "If that
is the case then only a parselmouth could break these wards and
they would need very in depth training in ward breaking to do it or be
the one who put them up in the first place" he finished.
"Harry must have put these wards up knowing that" Remus mumbled
to himself.
"Wait a minute, Potter is a parselmouth?" Tonks asked incredulously.
"Yes he is" Remus answered firmly at the challenging tone the auror
showed and the shocked look from those who were unaware. "That
does not make him dark" he added dangerously.
"Tell that to my poor chest" the auror replied quietly. "I didn't know
that the Potters had parselmouths in their lineage" she stated
confusedly.
"Harry comes from both the Potter and the Black families" Lupin
answered. "But Dumbledore thinks that his ability is a trait left over
from the killing curse he was hit with as a baby" he added looking at
Dumbledore who looked thoughtful.
"Perhaps he inherited the ability from his Black heritage after all"
Dumbledore mused pulling gently on his beard. "Being hit by the
curse again would have removed the ability I believe, so perhaps it
was always his own and was no way linked to Voldemort" he said
quietly.
The group was suddenly interrupted by several pops and were
quickly surrounded by aurors led by Madame Bones and the minister
of magic himself.
"Ahh Dumbledore" the minister greeted the headmaster rubbing his
hands together. "Out causing more trouble are we?" he asked
rhetorically. "I think it is best you and your friends be on your way we
have business with Mr Potter" he finished looking gleeful.
"Cornelius, you know as well as I do that Mr Potter has been missing
for over a month and as you can see, he is not here" he finished
feeling content with the look of annoyance on Fudges face.
"You're hiding him" the man roared purple with rage. "There's been a
lot of magical activity here tonight and I know that Potter is
responsible" he added breathing heavily.
"You will not find any trace of Mr Potter here Cornelius I can assure
you" Dumbledore retorted confidently with the twinkle in his eye
working overtime in his amusement.
"What are you all doing here then?" the minister questioned with
suspicion evident in his voice.
"Ahh well as you know I have detection spells in Harrys' relatives
house to monitor any possible threat here and I was alerted by them
earlier" Dumbledore answered Jovially.
"Why are they all here?" the minister questioned again gesturing to
the assembled group.
"You see Cornelius we were simply having a drink when I was
alerted and my friends here insisted on accompanying me on my
trip" he answered smoothly.
"And all the spells?" Fudge asked through greeted teeth.
"It seems that young Nymphadora here got a little carried away as
we arrived and in her drunken eager state fired prematurely. I simply
repaired the damage and that's when you arrived" Dumbledore
fabricated, inclining his head towards the now furious minister.
"We will see what the boy's relatives have to say on the matter"
Fudge interjected triumphantly.
"I am afraid that won't be possible Cornelius" Dumbledore sighed. "It
appears that a rascal of some sort has placed a very complex ward
scheme over the house and it is now impossible for magical folk to
enter, I daresay this is now one of the best protected properties in
the country perhaps even the best" he explained further.
"Get me a team of ward breakers" Fudge shouted at his contingency.
"There is no point Cornelius, I am afraid your efforts would be
fruitless. Mr Weasley here is a curse breaker and assures me that
the wards were created using an unrecognisable language and even
if the language was known they are password protected and could
be anything" he concluded again with the same amusement.
"Just leave" the minister roared. "All of you get lost" he added.
With that Dumbledore and the gathered members of the order of the
phoenix left after giving Amelia Bones a nod in acknowledgement.
As soon as they arrived back at Grimmauld Place they were
accosted by a frantic Sirius.
"Was it Harry, is he ok?" he asked Remus who simply looked
amused.
"Oh Harry is fine" the werewolf answered laughing. "Isn't he Tonks?"
he added laughing harder.
The auror simply growled before storming in to the kitchen and
ignoring the questioning glance she received from her cousin.
"What the hell happened?" Sirius asked impatiently.
"Let's just say that Harry got the jump on us and your cousin ended
up the worst off" Lupin answered still laughing.
At the confused look of his friend Remus explained from beginning to
end what had happened. By the time he was finished Sirius had
tears rolling down his face and his usual playful demeanour was
back in full swing.
"He really did that?" he asked proudly feeling much more relaxed
knowing Remus had seen Harry.
"Yes" Remus answered seriously. "He's different Sirius, the speed
and power was something else" he said clearly impressed.
"At least we know he is safe, I just wish I knew where he is" the other
man stated.
(BREAK)
Harry arrived back in the training room and took a moment to collect
himself before he made his way to find Arcturus. He entered the
drawing room to find the man sat behind his desk clutching a glass
of what seemed to be firewhisky. He looked a little shaken but
acknowledged the teen by raising his glass and then draining it.
"What kept you?" he asked placing his now empty glass on the desk.
"Dumbledore decided to make an appearance with a group of
people" Harry answered. "I take it Dementors affect you quite badly"
he stated.
"Its fine" Arcturus dismissed the boy with a wave of his hand. "They
make me feel like I'm back on the battlefield for the first time that's
all. Did you speak to him?" he questioned.
"No" Harry answered shaking his head. "One of his group attacked
me so I got out of there as soon as I could".
"They probably didn't recognise you, you do look very different"
Arcturus pointed out. "Anyway, I made a trip to the ministry today
and got these" he said handing Harry four maroon folders. "They are
your parents and grandparents Hogwarts files" he explained seeing
the confused look on the boys' face. "I thought these would be a
better birthday present than anything else I could think of and I'm
sure once you see their achievements it will motivate you to work on
your academic studies a little more. It is all well and good reading
Charlus's books but you have your own path to carve, don't forget to
live your own life and not get lost in those of people who are no
longer here" he finished seriously.
Harry took the folders and thought on what had just been said. He
knew the older man was right, he knew that he needed to focus
more on his own life than living in the past. He had found it difficult
as he had never known much about his family and now he had all
the information he had never had before.
Yes, he had been training hard but knowing he wasn't going back to
Hogwarts anytime soon he had largely neglected his school work. It
was clear to him that Arcturus thought it was important so he would
take the older mans' advice. He opened the folder on the top of the
pile and saw that it was his grandmothers. He read the contents and
was quite surprised at what he saw.
He was even more impressed by her than he had been. Her
academic record was impressive, 11 OWLS and 7 NEWTS all
graded O. What surprised him more was the amount of detentions
she had received from her 5th year onwards.
"How did she get so many detentions?" he asked Arcturus in
confusion.
The older man looked very amused as he answered.
"Well after the incident where you grandfather saved her it seems
that she really began sticking up for herself" he began. "I told you
she was a formidable witch and many people found that out in her
last years at school" he said proudly. "I think she wanted to impress
your grandfather or he simply gave her the confidence to fight back"
he concluded.
Harry smiled at the thought of the timid girl he had seen in the
memory defending herself. He placed the folder on the desk and
opened the next folder which belonged to his grandfather. It read
similarly to his grandmothers but he had 8 OWLS and 7 NEWTS. His
OWL results were flawless excluding potions which was awful.
"He really got a D in potions?" Harry asked.
"He really was useless with potions" Arcturus said shaking his head,
"It was one of his few shortcomings".
Harry placed the folder next to his grandmothers on the desk and
opened the next. It belonged to his father. This was the thickest
folder by some margin and Harry immediately saw why. There was
sheet after sheet of detentions for various pranks and fights he had
gotten himself in. A consistent name he saw was that of Severus
Snape. Harry frowned at that. No wonder he hated Harry if the
contents of this file were anything to go by.
Harry passed over the rest of the detention forms and looked at his
fathers' achievements. Although he was quite the prankster it was
clear that he did study. He received all O's and an E in potions on all
of his OWLS and NEWTS. Harry was surprised. He had expected
his father to be mediocre at best. He now felt guilty for not applying
himself more to his studies over the years. If truth be told, he had
been less than mediocre.
He shook his head at his own academic performance and the
disappointment he was feeling. His father had even been head boy.
Harry felt like a failure. He had failed his parents and he had failed
himself so far. He placed the folder on the desk with the others and
looked at the final one, the one that belonged to his mother.
He opened it already expecting to feel worse; he did not expect to
feel as bad as he did.
His Mother had achieved considerably more than the others. She
had 14 OWLS graded O with an O+ in charms and her NEWTS were
exactly the same.
She had been a prefect and Head girl and even achieved a charms
mastery when she finished at Hogwarts. Harry was simply ashamed
at his lacklustre performance and felt sick, his parents would be
appalled by his grades if they were alive. He placed the folder with
the others and stood. He needed to change his schedule; he needed
to do much better if he wanted to live up to his family name.
He left the room not even bidding farewell to the older man who was
looking pleased with what he saw.
Arcturus knew the boy was disappointed but knew it would give him
the motivation he needed to do better.
The older man went to bed that night knowing he had done the right
thing by his friend and sister. They too wouldn't tolerate mediocrity in
school.
"He will get there" he whispered into the darkness