Away from his friends, dreaming and thinking about Cedric Diggory's death. Also, the Dark Lord Voldemort had been reborn and was free, although nobody believed it, at least most of them
Harry Potter and the Letter from the Future
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Harry Potter and the Letter from the Future
New
Chapter 1: The Letter from the Future
Staring at the ceiling of the room while huffing from time to time. He was angry. He didn't have much to do besides his homework or reading class books, which he had already finished. His letters sent to Hermione or Ron had no replies, which also annoyed Hedwig a little.
He was being completely ignored.
And then there was the diary, which treated him like a liar for saying that Voldemort was back.
And if that wasn't enough, he had dreams about Cedric's death.
Yes, it was definitely the worst year for Harry. Even the Basilisk thing had been better, and he was almost killed!
In fact... in every year since he started Hogwarts, he was almost killed. Quirrell and Voldemort, the basilisk and Voldemort, the dementors and Remus in his werewolf form, and then a dragon, fighting under a large lake and finally, Voldemort, once again.
Harry couldn't help but roll his eyes before gritting his teeth in pure rage.
Raising his feet before pushing himself up a bit, Harry sat up and looked out the window where he saw an old, drunk man fall to the ground while his feet were kept hidden by an invisibility cloak.
"Oh, you idiot, don't you even know how to watch me?" Harry rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
Shaking his head, he decided to go downstairs and eat something. Petunia and Vernon were gone, so this was a good opportunity. When he came downstairs he saw the place was empty, even Dudley was gone.
"Much better," Harry muttered before walking over to the fridge and taking out some cheese and ham. A classic sandwich would do, for now.
But the moment he closed the sandwich with a slice of bread and popped it into his mouth, he heard a strange sound from above. It was a bit of a 'pop', almost like when Dobby disappeared or appeared out of nowhere.
Frowning, Harry walked back to his room, but saw nothing strange. There was no Dobby anywhere. However, when he walked over to sit on his bed, he saw a letter on the bed.
Sighing a little, Harry opened it. Maybe he was a bit careless, especially with Voldemort lurking around who knows where, but he couldn't use magic either, so he just opened it, not even caring anymore.
To Harry Potter
Hello, perhaps you are confused by the letter. But fear not, this will help you with the problem you are currently in.
Perhaps you are wondering who the person is who sent this letter. Well, it is you; more specifically, Harry Potter from the future.
"Nonsense," Harry said to himself.
Ah, you probably think it is nonsense. I understand, it sounds silly, but I swear on Voldemort's noseless face that it's true, I could also swear on that idiot Sirius, or maybe comment on the scar on your arm that that poisonous fang left. Mm... or say that changing your teacher's hair when you were little was actually fun.
I know things, the kind that only we know. So trust me, I'm Harry Potter, from the future, at least.
Now, the sending of this letter has two objectives. The first is for my work, which is related to time, but I won't tell you much about that. The second objective is linked to the first, but more than anything it's to change your life a little.
In the envelope there's a small piece of paper with characters written on it. I learned it in Japan, just in case! That's a talisman that will give you some of my memories related to spells and something important. It will also remove the Detector, which makes you detectable when you do magic outside of Hogwarts.
With this last one, you will be able to use all the magic you want without any problems.
Harry looked inside the envelope and saw the paper. It was rectangular in shape and looked like it was written with a brush and red ink. He didn't understand anything of what was written, but more than letters or characters, it was like drawings forming patterns with a circle in the center.
After seeing that there really was something, he went back to the letter.
You just have to put the talisman on your forehead and it will work.
That's all, you decide to believe me. But if you do, please, screw the order of the phoenix a little, the small group formed by Dumbledore, who are watching you at this moment and also those who 'fight' against Voldemort.
Goodbye.
Continuing
P.S.: Voldemort has your blood, so entering the house that has 'wards' is not complicated. Dumbledore simply believes he knows what is best for everyone.
P.S.: I always wanted to write a P.S., now I did, I am satisfied.
Having finished the letter, Harry scratched his head a little, not knowing what to do exactly. This letter that claimed to be written by a Harry Potter from the future, looked suspicious, but it was true that he knew some things that only he could know. For example, he had not told anyone that Voldemort did not have a nose.
Sighing a little, Harry put the talisman on his forehead and his eyes rolled up, leaving them completely blank. A white light illuminated the center of the talisman while his scar opened and a dark liquid fell as if it were blood.
The talisman slowly turned black before Harry fell onto the bed, groaning in pain as the talisman was reduced to pieces and then to just dust.
"Horcrux! Son of a bitch!" Harry exclaimed angrily. The memories were actually from his future self. Not only were they memories of magic, but also about Horcruxes and ways to use his invisibility cloak.
"Bastard!" Harry growled as he squeezed his scar hard. It hurt, much more than any other time, but he also felt lighter, as if a weight had been lifted.
Waiting for a few minutes, he felt the pain begin to subside. Harry stood up and took paper and a pencil to write a letter to the order, who he now knew were at Sirius's house.
From now on he would play with them a bit while having fun.
Staring at the ceiling of the room while huffing from time to time. He was angry. He didn't have much to do besides his homework or reading class books, which he had already finished. His letters sent to Hermione or Ron had no replies, which also annoyed Hedwig a little.
He was being completely ignored.
And then there was the diary, which treated him like a liar for saying that Voldemort was back.
And if that wasn't enough, he had dreams about Cedric's death.
Yes, it was definitely the worst year for Harry. Even the Basilisk thing had been better, and he was almost killed!
In fact... in every year since he started Hogwarts, he was almost killed. Quirrell and Voldemort, the basilisk and Voldemort, the dementors and Remus in his werewolf form, and then a dragon, fighting under a large lake and finally, Voldemort, once again.
Harry couldn't help but roll his eyes before gritting his teeth in pure rage.
Raising his feet before pushing himself up a bit, Harry sat up and looked out the window where he saw an old, drunk man fall to the ground while his feet were kept hidden by an invisibility cloak.
"Oh, you idiot, don't you even know how to watch me?" Harry rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
Shaking his head, he decided to go downstairs and eat something. Petunia and Vernon were gone, so this was a good opportunity. When he came downstairs he saw the place was empty, even Dudley was gone.
"Much better," Harry muttered before walking over to the fridge and taking out some cheese and ham. A classic sandwich would do, for now.
But the moment he closed the sandwich with a slice of bread and popped it into his mouth, he heard a strange sound from above. It was a bit of a 'pop', almost like when Dobby disappeared or appeared out of nowhere.
Frowning, Harry walked back to his room, but saw nothing strange. There was no Dobby anywhere. However, when he walked over to sit on his bed, he saw a letter on the bed.
Sighing a little, Harry opened it. Maybe he was a bit careless, especially with Voldemort lurking around who knows where, but he couldn't use magic either, so he just opened it, not even caring anymore.
To Harry Potter
Hello, perhaps you are confused by the letter. But fear not, this will help you with the problem you are currently in.
Perhaps you are wondering who the person is who sent this letter. Well, it is you; more specifically, Harry Potter from the future.
"Nonsense," Harry said to himself.
Ah, you probably think it is nonsense. I understand, it sounds silly, but I swear on Voldemort's noseless face that it's true, I could also swear on that idiot Sirius, or maybe comment on the scar on your arm that that poisonous fang left. Mm... or say that changing your teacher's hair when you were little was actually fun.
I know things, the kind that only we know. So trust me, I'm Harry Potter, from the future, at least.
Now, the sending of this letter has two objectives. The first is for my work, which is related to time, but I won't tell you much about that. The second objective is linked to the first, but more than anything it's to change your life a little.
In the envelope there's a small piece of paper with characters written on it. I learned it in Japan, just in case! That's a talisman that will give you some of my memories related to spells and something important. It will also remove the Detector, which makes you detectable when you do magic outside of Hogwarts.
With this last one, you will be able to use all the magic you want without any problems.
Harry looked inside the envelope and saw the paper. It was rectangular in shape and looked like it was written with a brush and red ink. He didn't understand anything of what was written, but more than letters or characters, it was like drawings forming patterns with a circle in the center.
After seeing that there really was something, he went back to the letter.
You just have to put the talisman on your forehead and it will work.
That's all, you decide to believe me. But if you do, please, screw the order of the phoenix a little, the small group formed by Dumbledore, who are watching you at this moment and also those who 'fight' against Voldemort.
Goodbye.
Continuing
P.S.: Voldemort has your blood, so entering the house that has 'wards' is not complicated. Dumbledore simply believes he knows what is best for everyone.
P.S.: I always wanted to write a P.S., now I did, I am satisfied.
Having finished the letter, Harry scratched his head a little, not knowing what to do exactly. This letter that claimed to be written by a Harry Potter from the future, looked suspicious, but it was true that he knew some things that only he could know. For example, he had not told anyone that Voldemort did not have a nose.
Sighing a little, Harry put the talisman on his forehead and his eyes rolled up, leaving them completely blank. A white light illuminated the center of the talisman while his scar opened and a dark liquid fell as if it were blood.
The talisman slowly turned black before Harry fell onto the bed, groaning in pain as the talisman was reduced to pieces and then to just dust.
"Horcrux! Son of a bitch!" Harry exclaimed angrily. The memories were actually from his future self. Not only were they memories of magic, but also about Horcruxes and ways to use his invisibility cloak.
"Bastard!" Harry growled as he squeezed his scar hard. It hurt, much more than any other time, but he also felt lighter, as if a weight had been lifted.
Waiting for a few minutes, he felt the pain begin to subside. Harry stood up and took paper and a pencil to write a letter to the order, who he now knew were at Sirius's house.
From now on he would play with them a bit while having fun.
Chapter 2: Please tell Dumbledore
New
Atop a building in London, Harry spread his arms as he inhaled sharply. He felt free now that he could do magic all he wanted. And with his invisibility cloak turned into an amazing black coat over his shoulders, he was undetectable to any ministry monitoring, even if he used apparition he wouldn't be detected.
"Yes! Now let's see what I can do first!" Harry smiled before using apparition to go down the alley on the side of the building, thinking that buying clothes would be a good idea. Although he would have to go to Gringotts to get money.
When Harry arrived at Diagon Alley, he transformed the cloak into a robe similar to the Hogwarts one, but brown and with a hood, to hide his face a bit. A smile appeared on his face at the true power of the cloak, it was simply amazing!
Arriving at one of the many receptions with goblins in them, Harry took out his key and put it on the table.
"I'd like to withdraw some money and exchange it for pounds."
The goblin took the key and examined it before nodding and shouting, "Grom! You've got work to do!"
A goblin ran up before looking at Harry and growling a little.
"Go, wizard. Follow Grom, he'll accompany you to get your galleons."
"Thank you."
The goblin just nodded.
"Can I ask you a question, Grom?"
Harry asked as he climbed onto the carriage and looked at the goblin.
"You already did."
Harry snorted before asking, "If someone put a dark object of type XXXXX inside Gringotts, what would you do?"
The goblin, Grom, glared at him with some fury in his eyes before growling and replying, "If anyone did that, then they'd end up with their vaults empty and being hunted by our race and the ministry."
"Mmm..." Harry simply muttered before falling silent for the short trip to his vault. Upon arriving, he simply opened it and took out two bags of galleons before walking out and closing the vault.
When they reached the surface, Harry smiled.
"Thanks for your help, Grom. And by the way, I think you should check the Lestrange vault, but be careful, they put the Flagrant Curse and Gemino inside."
Grom frowned and looked at Harry's back for a few moments before leaving the place.
"Over," Harry said, placing the bags of galleons on a goblin's table.
"Harry?" At that moment, a voice came from the side and Harry looked curiously.
"Fleur?"
"What are you doing at Gringotts?"
"Mm... what do you do at Gringotts? Taking money, of course," Harry replied before laughing a little at Fleur's slightly annoyed look.
"I thought you wouldn't be coming around here after what happened in... well, you know," Fleur said with a softer look. She tightened her grip on the scrolls and books in her arms. The tournament had been really tough. Many blamed Harry for Cedric's death, but she knew he wouldn't do such a thing. She didn't know him too well, but the little she talked to Harry showed her that he was a nice and perhaps shy boy.
"Ah... about that, I actually decided it would be best not to stay locked up at home. I was already messing with my mind too much."
"I see..."
"By the way, Fleur. Do you know where I can buy clothes in London?"
Fleur looked Harry up and down and smiled in amusement. The shirt was clearly too big for him, and his pants looked a little old.
"I think you really need some clothes. And yes, I know some places."
"Do you want me to accompany you?"
Harry raised an eyebrow and looked at the scrolls and books in Fleur's arms, "Don't you have work? Or whatever it is you're doing?"
"I'm just finishing up actually. I had to go drop off these reports and my shift would be over."
"Then I'll accept your help. Thank you very much."
"Your money, boy!" the goblin exclaimed, a little annoyed at being ignored.
Harry immediately frowned. He really didn't like that 'boy', it sounded like Vernon had said it.
"I'll poke your eye out if you call me boy again."
Fleur was shocked by that. In fact, the goblin was shocked too, but then he laughed. He had heard many insults and death promises from pureblood wizards, but every word was loaded with arrogance and haughtiness. Instead, the words of the boy in front of him sounded more like some kind of joke.
The boy was really upset about being called boy!
"Okay... just go... boy," the goblin wiped away a tear before shaking his hand. But Harry pointed to a small box that was on the table, and all the other goblins'.
"What's this?"
"Ah... that's a lottery."
"What prizes do you have?"
"Two tickets to a Celestina Warbeck concert."
"Just that?"
"Just that."
"Why?" Harry asked curiously. He couldn't understand how these goblins had a lottery for the concert of the woman who could be the most famous singer in the wizarding community of Great Britain.
"... We like her songs."
Harry looked at Fleur with obvious surprise. She simply shrugged, she was just like him when he heard it for the first time.
"How do I enter?"
"One galleon and you could be in with a chance."
Harry pulled out five pounds, the equivalent of one galleon, and placed it on the table.
The goblin nodded before taking the box and turning a lever on the side. A sound was heard, which Harry thought was small balls fluttering around inside. The goblin paused and then pressed a button on the box, causing a small opening to appear and release a golden ball.
"Impossible!"
"What?"
"I mean... you won," the goblin said quietly, a little annoyed. That wasn't supposed to happen. The lottery box was made so that only after a thousand attempts would a winner appear, but not even a hundred people had bought it.
The goblin could only hand over the two tickets with grievance.
"You're very lucky..." Fleur commented with some surprise.
"I feel like you're making fun of me, even though you're not."
At Grimmauld Place, there was a group of people sitting at a table. Sirius was at the head of the table, Remus on his right side, and Arthur Weasley was sitting on his left side.
Molly stood with her hands on her hips as she shouted, scolding the twins. Ron watched with a smile while Hermione simply sighed at not being able to read a book quietly, no matter where in the house she was, Molly's screams could be heard from everywhere.
Dumbledore sat with his eyebrows slightly furrowed. He seemed to be thinking about something as he clasped his hands together.
Suddenly, a sound could be heard from one of the windows. Something was knocking continuously. Ron, who was not doing anything, thought about telling Hermione to go check, but seeing her frown, decided not to. So he got up from the couch and walked to the window.
"Hedwig?", surprised by the appearance of Harry's owl, opened the window immediately, letting the beautiful owl in.
"Is it Harry's? Is he okay?", Sirius, who saw Hedwig, asked immediately.
"I don't know," Ron replied a little annoyed. He looked at Hedwig, who stood on Fred's... or George's shoulder.
George... or Fred, took the letter from Hedwig and opened it before starting to read out loud.
Dear bunch of pointless people.
Hi, I'm sending this letter to let you know that I'm fine. A little hungry, but nothing a Ham and Cheese Sandwich can't fix.
I noticed I'm being watched by some people, though I don't think they're Voldemort. There's no way the noseless idiot would recruit a drunk who trips over his feet while wearing an invisibility cloak.
On another note, I lost my virginity.
I was a little surprised when the neighbor decided to invite me over.
That's all.
PS: Yes, Sirius, the neighbor had a nice arse.
PS: To anyone reading the letter, tell Dumbledore to go fuck themselves for me.
"What a nice godson I have!" Sirius shouted before raising his head and laughing loudly.
Remus pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. The PS told him this was obviously a joke, but it was still infuriating. It was like re-reading the letters Sirius sent when they were young.
"Albus!" Molly exclaimed immediately, almost horrified by Harry's letter.
"It's okay, Molly. It's clearly a joke on Harry's part," Albus sighed a little before shaking his head and saying, "It is worrying that Mundungus isn't doing his job, though."
"What would you expect from that guy?" Sirius asked with a frown. "He clearly doesn't take the job you gave him seriously, even going so far as to get drunk while watching Harry."
Albus frowned a little. He could understand what Sirius was saying, but Mundungus was the only one who helped the order with reporting criminal activities in the wizarding underworld.
"Aren't you missing something important?!" Freg exclaimed in surprise, also smiling.
"Yes, Harry told the headmaster to go fuck himself!"
"Our Harry..." Fred said.
"He has..." George continued.
"Big balls! Hahaha!" the two finished before laughing and running away as they saw their mother glaring at them.
Hermione just watched from the side before shaking her head. After a few years around Harry, she felt like this letter would only be the beginning of a series of similar letters. It would get annoying to know what was true and what was a lie.
Having thought of that, Hermione put her brain to work on the case of Harry's neighbor.
Harry lost his virginity. That was it...
True or lie?
Chapter 3: Shopping and Eating Day
New
Harry felt a little weird wearing clothes that actually fit him. Especially when they looked really good. As he looked at the mirror inside the changing room of a store Fleur took him to, Harry raised his eyebrows slightly, not quite believing that these clothes fit him so well.
He was wearing a simple grey shirt that he had rolled up to near his elbows. His trousers were jeans. And Fleur had said to try on a pair of grey ankle boots with black laces.
In the end, Harry shrugged a little before stepping out of the dress.
Fleur, who was waiting, crossed her arms as she looked at Harry before she started laughing.
"Hahahaha!"
"Do I not look good?" Harry groaned a little, trying not to blush.
"It's not that... I'm sorry..." Fleur breathed a little heavily as she calmed down. She smiled and said, "I'm just surprised that clothes fit you so well."
"I thought you'd be skinnier."
"You mean scrawny," Harry huffed, knowing that he really was like that a few years ago. However, Quidditch training and meals at Hogwarts had caused him to gain more weight and muscle. He wasn't someone like an athlete, or someone who goes to the gym every day, but if he was naked, some muscles would really show.
"You said it, not me," Fleur smiled before placing her hands behind her and walking towards the entrance of the store.
Harry simply rolled his eyes before asking Fleur to help him pick out some other clothes. He ended up walking out with several bags.
"Can you shrink them?"
"I can..." Fleur nodded before they placed themselves behind the shirts to hide the wand and the bags shrank. Harry nodded and placed the now small bags into his pockets. She still didn't want to show that she could use magic outside of Hogwarts.
"Thanks for helping me, Fleur."
"You're welcome, Harry. I don't have much to do anyway."
"By the way, why do you work at Gringotts?"
"It's just a part-time job I decided to take," Fleur said as they walked through the streets of London.
"I need to start working for myself, save money, gain experience, that sort of thing."
"You've got it kind of rough," Harry commented. "But couldn't you have worked in France?"
"I could have done that, but I don't think I would have liked it," Fleur replied. "My father works at the French Ministry of Magic, he has a pretty good position and his reputation is the same."
"I felt like if I worked around him, then I'd end up going a little crazy."
"Ah... the typical comments of: You're the daughter of so-and-so, you should be good just like him. Things like that?"
"Yeah... you seem to understand it well," Fleur sighed a little.
"Well, I had a similar experience with my parents. Flitwick and McGonagall would comment on how good my parents were in their respective classes. And while I don't think they meant to, they sounded like they expected me to be just as good as them in those classes."
Fleur looked at Harry for a few seconds before looking ahead as they continued walking.
"Tell me Harry, how can you stand so much?"
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, a little confused, although he suspected where the conversation might go.
"I heard some rumors and comments when I was at Hogwarts. About the tournament and your name jumping out of the goblet. Then, when you managed to overcome the dragon, everyone seemed excited and even praised you," Fleur frowned a little, remembering those moments.
"It was so... hypocritical."
Harry blinked once, twice. It was the first time he had been asked that, and the first time anyone had actually said how hypocritical the students at Hogwarts were.
"I've gotten used to it, I guess. I don't even care anymore."
"But that's not right!"
"Mm... true. But if you end up listening to what fools say, doesn't that make you a fool too?"
Fleur looked at him, a little surprised. But then she smiled a little.
"Yeah. I think you're right," she said.
"Yeah. I think you're right," she said.
"By the way, where are we going now?"
"I don't know, I was following you," Harry replied, before he laughed at Fleur's slightly annoyed look.
Fleur shook her head before saying, "Then let's go get something to eat. It's already after two in the afternoon."
Harry simply shrugged. He had only eaten a sandwich anyway, so a nice meal wasn't a bad idea.
...
Harry's eyes looked with obvious annoyance at Fleur, who had a bright, amused look on her face. She was obviously enjoying Harry's apparent suffering at the plate in front of him.
She had guided him to a French restaurant within London. It wasn't really expensive, but they served good French food, and it had been the usual place he ate ever since he arrived and started working in London.
Fleur had recommended a dish called escargots à la bourguignonne. And of course, Harry didn't know French, and there weren't any pictures on the menu either. So when the waiter brought a plate with snails that apparently had butter and parsley on them, Harry felt his stomach twist a little.
"How do you eat this?" Harry decided to ask the waiter.
"You can just scoop them out with your fork."
"... Thank you."
Harry looked at Fleur before she picked up a snail and removed it from the shell. Seeing it, he flinched a little before he popped it into his mouth.
Fleur was a little surprised, not expecting Harry to actually eat that. Though she almost laughed when she saw him swallow hard and almost gag.
Putting his fork down and looking at Fleur, Harry said, "You know I'll pay you back for this prank, right?"
Fleur blinked slowly, before tilting her head slightly and smiling.
"You wouldn't do something so cruel, would you, Harry?"
Harry sensed Fleur's charm before completely ignoring it. Thanks to the magical memories from the future, he knew quite a bit of magic, mostly Occlumency, though not at an expert level yet, but it was enough to resist the little charm right now.
"That won't work, Fleur. You're beautiful, but not that beautiful."
Fleur stopped and looked at him with a certain level of bewilderment before she felt annoyed. That had really hurt her pride a bit.
"You surprise me, Harry Potter. Although it also makes me wonder, how beautiful does a girl have to be to catch your attention?"
"Who knows... I've yet to find a girl that really catches my attention that much," Harry replied as he shrugged. Although he also remembered his bad date with Cho. Although that could be considered as a simple crush, because he really had no experience nor had he ever felt romantic love before.
At that time he was a complete novice.
Now he knew better.
Fleur rolled her eyes before starting to eat.
Harry just pushed the plate of snails away before taking out the concert tickets.
"By the way, do you want them?"
"You don't like Celestina?"
"I don't even know her."
"She's quite famous, although her music isn't to my taste. But here she's very famous, to the point that many would give a lot of money for a ticket to her concerts."
"Although I might consider going if you invite me."
Harry looked at her before putting the tickets away.
"I think I'll sell them."
Fleur's eyebrow twitched for a moment.
"Okay, fine," Harry laughed a little at Fleur's obvious annoyance.
"So, do you want to go with me?"
Fleur just nodded. Still, it was better than staying in her apartment, all alone and doing nothing. Besides, Harry was good enough as a friend and companion.
Chapter 4: Voldemort Gets Mail
New
Around nine in the morning, Sirius, who was already washed but still a little sleepy, yawned as he walked down the stairs to the first floor. The day before had been a bit noisy because of Harry's letter, although many knew it was a joke, except for Molly of course, who even when things were explained to her, was still unsure and worried about Harry.
In fact, he himself, who knew it was a joke, had this little bug in his head that made him think that maybe it wasn't a joke.
When he got to the kitchen, Kreacher was standing in the corner, staring at Molly as if he wanted to kill her, cut her body up, and then undo what was left. The little old house-elf was really pissed off that he was being prevented from doing his job, especially by the one he believed to be a blood traitor.
"Kreacher, you can tidy up and clean the empty rooms," Sirius ordered, earning a glare from Kreacher, who complied, but not without leaving some insults towards Sirius.
"Why are you ordering him? I can do those things," Molly said with a frown.
"This is my house, Molly. I can do whatever I want. If I want to walk around in my pajamas, I can do it. And the same goes for Kreacher, especially when the little guy seems to want to kill you because he thinks you're stealing his work."
Molly looked at him carefully before snorting. What Sirius said was true, but she still didn't like Kreacher doing things, especially since he could place or do anything while they weren't looking. In her opinion, that little elf could kill them all without them noticing.
"And the others?" Sirius asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee.
"Arthur went to work while the twins are in the living room. Ron is still sleeping and Hermione is in the dining room."
"Ginny?"
Molly pursed her lips a little before answering: "She came home because she had to pick up some important things, according to her."
Sirius stopped the cup near his mouth, feeling the warmth of the coffee and its good aroma. But he was thinking about something else, totally different from the good coffee that was about to enter his mouth.
"Is she still with... well... you know?" Sirius didn't want to say it so clearly, because he felt a little uncomfortable with that subject, especially since Ginny wasn't family.
Molly sighed with a little regret as she placed her hands on the edge of the sink. Her hands were wet from washing the dishes. And yes, she could do it with magic, but doing it manually was something she did to stop thinking about some things, although in the end she ended up thinking about it more.
"It doesn't show, and she will admit that she already let go of those ideas," Molly shook her head a little. "But I know my daughter. I gave birth to her, raised her, and taught her as well. That girl still has the same ideas… regarding Harry."
"Ah~…" Sirius muttered a little before taking a sip of his coffee, but he still grimaced. His godson might have a hard time with Ginny's apparent obsession. It might just be a little while before the girl's ideas faded away, but if Harry showed even a little interest in her, then he would never forget things.
"Sirius, another letter from Harry arrived," Hermione walked into the kitchen and picked up a letter while Hedwig held onto his shoulder while gently biting his ear.
"Okay, why don't you read it?" Sirius asked as he sat down at the small table in the kitchen. Hermione nodded as she pulled another chair to sit across from Sirius.
"Then… I'll begin," Hermione said, opening the envelope and taking out the letter inside.
To anyone inside Grimmauld Place reading this.
Hello, good morning (if Hedwig doesn't take too long), I hope everyone is doing well on this wonderful new day. As for me, I'm better; after insulting Dumbledore many times, the anger I felt towards the bearded old man diminished a bit.
I didn't send a letter yesterday, I was a bit busy, sorry about that.
But interesting things happened: I was given a record player with a vinyl record called '19th century music for villains rejoicing in the fall of their enemies', quite beautiful if I do say so myself. I also learned to play Nocturne No. 19, Op. 72, No. 1 in E Minor, by Frederic Chopin; a nice piece of fantastic music.
The beautiful music has me thinking of interesting plans to get rid of the Death Eaters and Voldemort himself. They all end in bloody fashion.
By the way, completely changing the subject, I found out that Dudley is in love. Haha, poor bastard, there's no way I'll make it.
That's all, maybe I'll send another letter tomorrow.
PS: Do you think it would be a good idea to cut my hair?
PS: I was thinking about being an Animagus, with all the time I have, that would be great.
"Okay, this all sounds like nonsense," Hermione said in exasperation.
"Who is Frederic Chopin?" Sirius asked.
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Of course you'd ask something like that. Didn't it even strike you that Harry said he wanted to kill Death Eaters?"
"Mmm... No?"
"Sirius!" Molly yelled angrily.
"Alright! Fine! Don't yell at me, woman!" Sirius exclaimed angrily, but then pointed a finger at her, "Although you have to admit that many of them are better off dead, because even Azkaban might not stop them from what they do."
...
Lucius Malfoy wasn't having a great day. No, in fact, he hasn't had a good day since Lord Voldemort had decided to use his manor after his duel with Harry Potter.
The worst of all?
A muggle.
Yes, a filthy muggle had been able to enter the grounds of his manor and deliver a package addressed to Lord Voldemort. What kind of nonsense was that? He hadn't even had the time to kill him. He had been so dumbfounded that when he pulled out his wand, the muggle was already gone.
And now he had to deliver the package to his lord, because if he found out that he didn't, he could end up dead.
He walked slowly with the package in his hands, until he reached one of the many rooms of the mansion. The fireplace near a long table was lit as Lord Voldemort sat at the head of the table. His eyes remained closed as he slowly moved his wand in his hands.
"My lord..."
"Ah, Lucius, it is you," Lord Voldemort opened his eyes and commented languidly, looking at Lucius Malfoy's face before he slowly moved his gaze to the square, almost flat package in his hands.
"A package has just arrived in your name, my lord," Lucius walked quickly and knelt down before picking up the package as he spoke, "I am very sorry, my lord. I was so surprised that a muggle managed to enter the grounds, that I did not have time to eliminate the subject."
Lord Voldemort looked at him before snorting.
"Muggle? Lucius, your manor and the grounds around it have shields that repel muggles. This person was obviously magical."
"But his clothes..." Lucius wrinkled his nose, remembering the man's ugly and seemingly dirty clothes. It was some sort of blue and white uniform.
"Fool! They were clearly meant to throw you off," Lord Voldemort growled a little before levitating the package and checking for booby traps. But when he realized there was nothing wrong, he immediately opened it, noticing a letter and a vinyl record with the title 'unintentional self-deprecating music for 19th century villains'
Lord Voldemort didn't know whether to feel amusement or anger. Choosing to ignore the record, he began to read the letter.
To Tom Riddle.
How are you, noseless spawn? It is I, Harry Potter, your greatest enemy and rival. I wrote this letter to you simply to demonstrate my disappointment in you.
Yes, you read that right, disappointment. I'm disappointed in you, Tom. You're supposed to be the most powerful Dark Lord to ever exist, right? If that's so, then why on earth are you using Malfoy Manor as your lair? Can't the most powerful Dark Lord to ever exist have his own grounds? I thought you'd have a dark, gloomy castle guarded by Dementors or something! But no, you can only live in the mansion of one of your Death Eaters!
Bah! Now I don't even want to think that you'd have one as a pet!
And please don't say it's just a snake, that would just suck.
You know, I can kill basilisks, so you should have something more powerful.
By the way, dragons wouldn't work.
I can only shake my head at your incompetence.
You've failed, Tom. You don't qualify as a great Dark Lord.
You're just a guy who has to take things from his subordinates. You're afraid of death. You're afraid of what he could accomplish, and most of all, you're afraid of Dumbledore.
Tch, you're not even worth fighting with.
For these reasons, he sent you a disk so you can reflect a bit.
Disappointed and waiting for your imminent death,
Harry Potter.
Voldemort trembled slightly as he crumpled the letter in his hands. His red eyes seemed to glow with boundless hatred as his magic made the table and chairs shake.
"Harry Potter!!", Voldemort shouted full of rage, causing the chairs to explode into splinters and the table to split in different places. The fire in the fireplace died out and Lucius began to tremble from the dark feeling emanating from Voldemort's magic.
And while Voldemort was filled with hatred, Harry Potter was somewhere else. After delivering the letter to Malfoy Manor, he headed home. Yes, his home, something he had obtained after asking the goblins if his parents left anything other than their vault.
Compared to how violent Malfoy Manor had become, Harry's house had been filled with the beautiful sound of a piano.
It was Harry, who was finishing playing a piece of music while imagining Voldemort's reaction.
"Bravo, how wonderful!"
When he finished, a woman's voice appeared behind him, causing a happy smile to appear on Harry's face.
Chapter 5: Portraits
New
When Harry stopped and heard the kind words from behind him, he smiled happily. It was the first time he felt this way, he didn't feel this way even when he was able to get away from the Dursleys for the first time and make friends, not even when he actually met Sirius.
Looking behind him, Harry smiled at the woman in a painting. She had dark brown hair that was slightly curly and fell in front of her shoulders. Her eyes were a light brown and she was dressed in a nice dark blue witch's robe. This woman had faint wrinkle lines near her eyes, but nothing else that would give away that she was old.
"It's impressive that you can play the piano so well, Harry."
Harry scratched his head gently, feeling a little embarrassed by the woman's words.
"I guess I'm just good at this, Granny."
Euphemia Potter smiled before shaking her head slightly and looking a little sadly at her grandson.
"It would have been wonderful if James had learned to play the piano. But that boy was so unruly. And it didn't help that we spoiled him too much with Fleamont."
Harry grimaced slightly at that information. Only now did he know that his grandparents spoiled his father too much, although this was because the two of them didn't think they could have children. They tried several times, but they had problems. So when James was born, they were so happy that they gave him everything they could.
"Grandpa still hasn't shown up, huh," Harry commented, looking at the painting where there was a room, but Fleamont was missing.
"You have to understand, dear. Hearing that James and Lily died in such a... way, was a shock."
"And for you?" Harry asked softly.
"Of course it's a shock. Even if we are portraits, mere echoes left behind in life, we can still have certain feelings. But I also want to talk to you, because I know you feel alone."
Harry looked at the floor for a few seconds.
"Thank you."
"We're grandson and grandmother, there's no need for you to thank me, not for this."
"Harry..."
"Yes?"
"You haven't told me anything about what's currently going on. When you arrived he seemed attentive to anything, and not expecting good things. And you also told me that you were being watched, what's really going on?"
Harry hesitated for a few moments before he sighed and decided to talk about some things.
He took the coat he left on the piano seat and put it on before saying two words: "Abscondere Morte."
In the next instant, he had completely disappeared, and two seconds later he reappeared.
"I discovered that the invisibility cloak I inherited from dad allows you to hide from everything. From magic, to the senses," Harry shrugged a little.
"Voldemort was revived through a ritual, where he set a trap for me and stole some of my blood. And Dumbledore thought it was a good idea to lock me up with my uncles, who hate magic. I spent several days dreaming about the death of Cedric, a boy I had to compete with in the Tri-Wizard Tournament."
"So when I discovered the use of the cloak, I decided to do several things, including asking the goblins if my parents had left a house for me."
"No one knows about this place, so it's even safer than my uncles' house."
"That's very worrying, especially Dumbledore's ideas."
"Grandma, do you know Dumbledore?"
"Yes, of course. Albus Dumbledore isn't a bad man, but he tends to think he knows more than everyone else."
Harry snorted a little, "Yes, I noticed that."
"And what are you planning to do all this time?"
"Besides enjoying some freedom? Training and learning magic, as well as annoying the old headmaster a bit."
Euphemia sighed a little.
"It seems you inherited your father's pranksterism."
"Although you are more... elegant, to put it one way," a second voice appeared. It came from a portrait that hadn't had anyone in it just a few moments ago, and was standing to Euphemia's right.
It was also a woman, but she looked more refined, if you had to define her in some way. Her hair was black and in a bun on her head. Her eyes were grey and she wore a black dress over a midnight blue robe.
"Great-grandmother..."
Dorea Potter née Black nodded with a small smile, "Listening to you play the piano is somewhat calming, Harry."
"Thank you," Harry smiled a little, never admitting that the piano thing came within the 'important memories' he received from the talisman of his future self. And among those important memories were also Japanese, German, and Spanish, as well as information about certain people, families, and other things.
The memories had been divided into two categories: the magical memories, related to magic (spells, enchantments, talismans, and so on) and the important memories, which also brought information about Horcrux and some details of the future.
"Although you still haven't told us about your years at Hogwarts, dear. I'm very interested in that information," Dorea commented while blinking, she didn't show too many emotions while speaking, unlike Euphemia.
"About that...", Harry had a slightly complicated look on his face. He knew it was best to tell about it, because these portraits had the memories of his family members, and they might have good advice or good information to offer, but he was also insecure about the things he experienced.
"What's wrong? Are you not good at certain classes? That's not too important, we all have something we're good at."
"Ah, it's not about that. I'm not doing badly in classes, although I prefer some over others."
"So?"
Harry sighed a little before letting his shoulders slump a little.
"The thing is... I was close to dying every year I was at Hogwarts. I had to face a possessed teacher, a basilisk hiding in the Chamber of Secrets, dementors, a dragon, and the revived dark lord this last year."
The piano room became completely silent after Harry said that.
Finally, after a few seconds, Dore narrowed his eyes and said quietly, "And what was the headmaster doing at that time?"
Harry simply shrugged.
"I don't even understand it too well. The man simply offered me house points in the first year. I think he's been rather negligent lately."
"That's beyond negligent, Harry! If the Board of Governors knew about this, which I seriously doubt, then Albus Dumbledore would have been fired," Dorea said, almost in a venomous hiss. She was angry at what her great-grandson seemed to have gone through.
"Yes, I heard about that meeting in second year, after the basilisk affair. It seems that Lucius Malfoy had threatened the families of the other governors because he wanted to fire Dumbledore, though I doubt it was for safety, as the man was certainly responsible for the Chamber of Secrets being opened."
"Hmph! Malfoy, no wonder. Those little weaklings are always planning things and stabbing in the back."
"And yet, we're still related to them," Euphemia sighed a little as she said that. Dorea was part of the Black family, and Narcissa, who is part of the Black family, married Lucius, so there really were connections between the families.
"It's a good thing Sirius wasn't like his fool of a father," Dorea said angrily. "And also far removed from anything Walburga taught. Dear Merlin, that woman was infuriating."
Harry chuckled a little at that, "Though it seems she keeps bothering Sirius with her portrait at Grimmauld Place."
Dorea just rolled her eyes for a moment.
"It was nice talking to you, but I think I'll go train and then write a letter for Hedwig to deliver tomorrow."
"Go, I think you'll need to get better if you want to face Voldemort," Euphemia nodded.
"It doesn't bother you."
"Of course it bothers me, but it doesn't bother the fact that it's a portrait. I can't stop you, not really. I can only support you."
"Just go, Harry. We're here if you need any advice or words of support. Your grandfather and great-grandfather are chatting, though I don't think they'll do much for advice."
"It's okay," Harry smiled before leaving the piano room.
Chapter 6: Brok, Harry Potter's friend
New
"So... why did you ask me to come?" Harry looked warily at the goblin sitting behind the desk in front of him. He looked more elegant than the rest and had a golden monocle over his right eye.
The goblin crossed his fingers and leaned forward a little.
"Thanks. That is the reason, Mr. Potter, thanks."
Harry narrowed his eyes slightly before suspecting something.
"Is it about the Horcrux?"
"Correct," the goblin nodded. "Thanks to your information, we discovered the Dark Object type XXXXX inside the Lestrange Vault. This was very good, as we got rid of an object that could create problems with the Ministry of Magic."
"I won't ask you how you knew about this object, but you have our thanks."
"You're welcome. I just wanted that thing destroyed," Harry replied simply.
"Mm," the goblin nodded. "I understand that, we goblins don't like such magic either. In fact, I think very few would like such magic."
Harry nodded, but showed the letter the bank had sent him in the morning.
"The face says something about a reward. Are you really planning to reward me?"
"Of course. As I said earlier, this is about a thank you, so a reward, or rather a gift, is appropriate for this occasion."
The goblin bent down a little, seeming to pick something up and then placed it on the desk. Harry, who saw clearly what it was, was immensely surprised. He didn't get up, but moved a little closer.
"You... you... cleaned it?" Harry asked, dumbfounded. Hufflepuff's cup was there, in its golden, badger-engraved splendor. There was no malice coming from the cup, not even a single speck of darkness could be felt.
"We goblins have magic, Mr. Potter. We can use magic, we just can't carry wands for years. And as you can see with the cup as evidence, we've gotten a lot better when it comes to wandless magic."
Harry immediately looked at him, "Aren't you afraid I'll talk about it?"
"That would just make you a fool."
The two looked at each other for a long moment before Harry smiled. The goblin was practically telling him that it was possible to cooperate in some way or receive some help if he kept quiet, but at the same time he knew it was a threat. If Harry said anything, the goblins might open their mouths about the information Harry had given about the Horcrux, or that he was even now the possessor of Helga Hufflepuff's cup.
"I think this reward is a bit much for just a bit of information. Tell me, do you happen to like Celestina Warbeck?"
"Almost all the goblins like that woman's music."
"Mmm...", Harry nodded before reaching inside his jacket and revealing a small purple square-shaped pouch. He pulled out his wand and then a thin notebook appeared.
"Nice magic. An Undetectable Extension Charm... but it seems a bit modified."
Harry just smiled before opening the notebook and leaving it on the desk.
"How about this?"
"Heh...", the goblin laughed a bit seeing a signature from Celestina Warbeck.
"I got it when I went to her concert by winning the lottery tickets at the bank."
"Looks like we can get along, Harry Potter. Consider yourself a friend of Brok."
Harry nodded and took the goblet before putting it in his small purple pouch near his chest.
"By the way, Brok. Now that we know each other better, would you be willing to part with some goblin-forged silver?"
Brok glanced at Harry slightly from the side before smiling.
"Most wizards are interested in the crafts of my people, but they forget that our ways are different. They are never so clever as to ask for only silver forged by us."
Brok pulled a scroll from a drawer in his desk and handed it to Harry.
"As long as you can offer me some of these things in exchange, I'll agree."
Harry raised an eyebrow at him before taking the scroll and looking at its contents. Harry's eyebrows immediately rose at the rare and even dangerous materials.
"Acromantula corpses, dragon claws, dragon blood, dragon scales, and also dragon tongue. What is this? It seems you're also after ghost rats, which is already strange."
"Can you even take a Dementor's cloak off?"
"Oh... I have this. Basilisk blood and flesh."
"You have the blood and flesh of a basilisk?" Brok asked in shock. The list was something he gave to anyone who wished to trade for the goblin items or crafts, he never thought Harry Potter would have any of these items.
"Yes. It'll have to wait until the school year starts though. I have it at Hogwarts."
"Okay..." Brok nodded slowly. Anyway, the blood and flesh of said beast was useful to him.
"But why do you have this on the list? Or is this just what you give to wizards so they don't trade?"
Brok sighed a little and said, "While that's true, Basilisk meat is good for some things, mostly feeding some beasts. You should know by now that we have dragons downstairs."
"Though it also depends on how it died. If the poison sac broke and stained the inside, then it's useless."
"I pierced its brain with a sword."
Brok rubbed his forehead, not knowing what to think of this boy at this point. Killing a basilisk with a sword? That was just too difficult.
"Fine. Then I'll wait until you notify the bank."
"Then I'll take my leave," Harry smiled before standing up.
Brok nodded before yelling for the door to be opened. Fleur appeared shortly after.
"Miss Delacour, please escort my friend Harry Potter out."
Fleur froze when she heard that. Friend? was what she thought, not believing that Harry had actually made friends with a goblin.
"Fleur?", Harry asked confused at the sight of his frozen friend.
"Ah... Y-Yes, right away," stuttering a bit, Fleur nodded before turning around for Harry to follow her. But the moment they left the office and the door closed, she turned to Harry immediately.
"What does this mean, Harry? Do you know what you've done?", she hissed quietly.
"What?", he looked at him totally confused.
Fleur grabbed him by the arm and pulled him closer before whispering, "Goblins don't make friends, Harry. At least not with human wizards. For a goblin, especially the head of Gringott's Bank of Great Britain to call you a friend, is just ridiculous."
"What did you two talk about?"
"I...", Harry spoke, but stopped immediately.
"You?", Fleur raised an eyebrow.
"I gave him the autograph Celestina gave me at the concert."
"Let me see if I understand correctly," Fleur moved her hands a little and said seriously, "Brok, the head and boss of Gringotts Bank of Great Britain made you his friend... why did you give him an autograph from Celestina Warbeck?"
"Correct," Harry nodded.
"Nonsense!"
"But it's the truth. After talking about some important things and a gift from him for helping the bank, we became friends when I gave him that gift."
Fleur pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Your life is meaningless, Harry Potter."
"Oh, if you only knew, Fleur."
She glared at him before slumping her shoulders and sighing a little.
"You never cease to amaze me, Harry."
Harry shook her hand before starting to walk away.
"Please don't fall for me, Fleur. You're not my type and I don't want to make you feel bad."
Harry just felt a smack on his bottom before looking back in surprise.
"You... did you just kick me?" he said, narrowing his eyes.
"Yes. What are you going to do about it?"
"You're underestimating me too much if you think I'm just going to stand by, woman," Harry stated before waving his hand, almost as if he were slapping something.
Fleur snorted, but then jumped forward slightly when she felt a smack on her bottom.
"... ", she was silent for a long moment. It was only when she heard a snort from Harry that she reacted and glared angrily.
"You... you dare..."
"You started it, young lady, not me. Now face the consequences."
Harry left her there as he walked out of the hallway. He knew Fleur would get revenge, but he wasn't too worried about that fact. The most she could do was hit him in some way or play a prank on him.
Fleur looked at his back before smirking a little evilly, already thinking of a way to return Harry's move.
She didn't know that it would just make her more upset.
____________________
Chapter 7: Order of the Phoenix Reunion
New
Albus Dumbledore was a little uneasy today. Nothing bad had happened, but that was one reason he couldn't stay completely calm. He knew Voldemort was clever and that he was using the Ministry's press campaign to his advantage, so almost no one really believed he was back.
But it was only a matter of time before Voldemort made a move. And that was what made Dumbledore uneasy, not knowing what the Dark Lord would do.
For that reason, he went to Grimmauld Place, where the Order was and where he might be able to find out something thanks to Kingsley or Nymphadora. Of course, Severus Snape accompanied him, because he seemed to want to say something. The man with a face that almost never showed emotions had a somewhat strange expression.
When they arrived at Grimmauld Place and waited for them to enter, Dumbledore noticed that Sirius was smiling widely, but he knew it couldn't be because of them, there was no way Sirius and Severus would get along, even he wasn't entirely Sirius's cup of tea. Oh, it's not that he didn't get along with Sirius, but he certainly preferred other people as friends, and he could understand that.
"You seem happy, Sirius. Anything good happened?" Dumbledore asked with a slight smile.
"Harry had sex with his neighbour, learned to play the piano, found out his cousin is in love and made fun of him. Some things have happened in the last few days, Headmaster."
Dumbledore couldn't help but sigh a little. It seems that Harry had sent more letters, was what he thought at that moment.
Snape looked at Sirius as if he were a fool, but didn't comment. Though if one were able to read micro expressions, one would have noticed that Snape's eyebrow twitched for an instant and his mouth curved downwards by the tiniest margin.
The three of them walked away and ignored Walburga's cries before they all sat down at a long table. They were all there at the moment. Arthur and Molly Weasley, Sirius, Snape, Dumbledore, Tonks, Kingsley, and several other members, including Alastor Moody.
"I've gathered you all together this time because Severus has something important to say," Albus said seriously, causing some of the slightly light expressions on their faces to turn serious and look at him.
Snape looked at everyone before nodding.
"Before I say anything, I'd like to ask a question," they all nodded and waited, looking intently at Snape, who in turn looked at Tonks.
"You've spent the most time watching Potter, or at least that's what the headmaster has told me. So I ask you, are you completely sure that Potter has been staying inside his house?"
Tonk frowned as she replied, "While I'm the one who's spent the most time watching Harry, it's not always me. But yes, when I'm on watch, I always see him around the house. Sometimes he even comes out to help his aunt with the plants in the back."
"Mm," Snape nodded.
"What happened, Severus? Why do you ask about Harry?"
Snape looked at the headmaster seriously and said, "Over 24 hours ago, a muggle managed to enter the grounds of Lucius Malfoy's manor. The man was so shocked that a muggle showed up in front of his door delivering mail that he didn't even know how to respond properly."
"The mail was for the Dark Lord, by the way."
"That's impossible," Sirius said as he leaned forward slightly. "You should know that most mansions, houses or lands of wizards or witches, have certain wards that keep any muggle away"
Snape growled a little when he heard Sirius address him.
"I know, Black. I'm not an idiot"
"The mail actually had a vinyl record with a letter... A letter from Harry Potter, where he mocked the Dark Lord for not having a lair of his own and having to use the home of one of his subordinates, he also mocked... the Dark Lord's nose and that he was disappointed that he was not a good... Dark Lord...", Snape exhaled a little at everything he had said and the shocked expressions of everyone.
"He was angry, very angry. One of the rooms in the mansion ended up completely destroyed"
"Arabella hasn't informed me of anything, and she lives across the street from Harry. Dedalus hasn't informed me of anything either, and from what Miss Tonks says, it's hard to believe that Harry sent a letter to the Dark Lord."
"Lucius gave me the letter," Snape said, pulling out a folded piece of paper from his robes. "He wanted me to compare the handwriting, to see if it was really Potter."
"May I see it?" McGonagall held out her hand, and Snape nodded before levitating the letter and bringing it to the teacher. She looked at it and read the letter carefully before frowning.
"This... is Mr. Potter's handwriting."
"What?! How is that possible! Harry can't do magic outside of Hogwarts!" Sirius exclaimed in surprise. "And if he did, then it would already be notified by the Ministry, and we would know about it from Tonks or Kingsley."
McGonagall sighed a little and showed the letter to everyone while pointing at two letters.
"Mr. Potter tends to extend the 'y' quite a bit; when he ends a word with an 'r' he also tends to extend the top of the letter. His writing is quite neat, but simple."
Dumbledore had a big frown on his face and his eyes were worried, but when he was about to open his mouth to say something, Hedwig appeared and stood in the middle of the table before leaving a letter and flying out of the house through one of the windows. Everyone blinked a little confused, looking at each other, not knowing who should take the letter.
Dumbledore extended his hand pointing with his wand and levitated the letter before taking it in his hand and starting to read.
Hello everyone, I hope you're having a good day.
Is Dumbledore worried? Is Snape there too? He's probably having a stroke thinking he's surrounded by fools. And Hermione? Still analyzing the other letters for truths and lies?
Don't worry about me, I'm quite fine at home.
By the way, you should tell Tonks not to keep using her metamorphmagus ability so much, she'll most likely trip over herself from not walking at her true height. Although it was quite adorable to see her fall like a little girl and get tangled up in her invisibility cloak.
Everyone looked at Tonks at that moment, causing the woman to blush quite a bit.
By the way, do you know anything about Voldemort? I asked Dobby to send a letter to that guy. I would have liked to see his reaction. But don't worry, house elves do an excellent job when you tell them specific things! No one will know where I live!
And actually... no one would suspect a weak little house elf, right?
Enough about that, I'm pretty tired of talking about the dark, noseless guy. Let's move on to other topics, like Dudley proposing and ending up getting rejected. I'm not a bad guy, but seeing him cry was fun, almost to the point where I could taste his tears, which was kind of gross when I thought about it again later.
I went to see a Celestina Warbeck concert too. Mm... nothing too interesting, I think I like pop music more, a little rock isn't bad either. Although if I have to choose my favorite of all, then it would be classical music. There are some pieces so magnificent that you couldn't really imagine them.
Fun fact related to Celestina Warbeck: the elves are quite fans of her. Who knows what they would do if the woman just said hello to them.
Well, I think I'm done with it. I've had a pretty eventful and fun few days.
That's all for today.
Harry Potter out.
PS: I'm still mad at Dumbledore, tell him to break a tooth (or several) on his sweet lemon drops.
PS: Snape is a virgin idiot.
The silence that was created after the letter was read in full was interrupted by Sirius' laughter.
"Look Snape, Harry knows you've had no relationship!"
Snape glared at him, almost as if he wished his eyes could fire killing curses and end Sirius' life. It was a pretty clear expression and, at the same time, rare from Snape. Despite showing his dislike only with his gaze, it wasn't always so obvious.
"It seems that Harry is still upset," Dumbledore replied before letting out a small sigh and leaving the letter on the table.
"Okay. That was dangerous," Hestia Jones, a black-haired woman with rosy cheeks nodded in agreement with her fellow order member.
"Although there's no denying that he was smart to send a house elf to do the job. Who would think that a small creature could accomplish such a feat?" Kingsley said for his part, looking from one side to the other, examining some reactions.
"The boy's got balls, let's give him that," Alastor growled a little before commenting a bit. "And now that I think about it, most pureblood families don't have wards against house elves, the only thing that could stop one would be another house elf. Besides, hasn't Lucius ever lost a house elf before?"
Dumbledore had a gleam in his eye before saying, "That was Dobby, the one Harry referred to in the letter."
"It seems the boy speaks a small portion of truth mixed in with most of the nonsense in his letters," Kingsley said as he gently rubbed his chin with two fingers. "And that also indicates that he's wary of his letters being taken. I mean, who would really believe everything he writes in those letters? From what Sirius told me, most of it is just pranks on his part to annoy the headmaster."
"Hermione too," Sirius stressed. "The girl analyzes each letter, because she believes there is always some truth, but in the end she ends up upset"
"Can we talk about the part where she sends a house elf to the Dark Lord's lair?", Sturgis Podmore spoke. He was a member of the first order of the phoenix and had agreed to be part of this new order. He had a square-jawed face and straw-blond hair, giving the impression that his head was covered with straw.
"Okay. That was dangerous," Hestia Jones, a black-haired woman with rosy cheeks nodded in agreement with her fellow order member.
"Although there is no denying that he was smart to send a house elf to do the job. Who would think that a small creature could accomplish such a feat?", Kingsley said for his part, looking from side to side, examining some reactions.
"The boy has balls, let's give him that," Alastor growled a little before commenting a little. "Now that I think about it, most pureblood families don't have wards against house elves, the only thing that could stop one would be another house elf. Besides, hasn't Lucius ever lost a house elf before?"
Dumbledore had a glint in his eye before saying, "That was Dobby, the one Harry referred to in the letter."
"It seems the boy tells a small portion of truth mixed in with most of the nonsense in his letters," Kingsley said as he gently rubbed his chin with two fingers. "And that also indicates that he's very careful about his letters being taken. I mean, who would really believe everything he writes in those letters? From what Sirius told me, most of them are just pranks on his part to annoy the headmaster."
"Hermione too," Sirius stressed. "The girl analyzes each letter, because she believes there's always some truth, but she ends up upset in the end."
"What do you think we should do, Headmaster?" McGonagall asked seriously, but quite worried inside. She was a rather serious woman, but inside she cared for all of her students, though perhaps a little more for Harry. Of course, she would never admit it.
She may have made mistakes sometimes, but she couldn't just be perfect or show blatant favoritism.
"Mm... it's hard to imagine that a house elf was actually used for what was done, but that very fact makes it clear that it will be difficult to figure out how Harry sent the letter; Voldemort wouldn't imagine it, not with the disdain he has for most things. However, it is still troubling that Harry would send a letter to the enemy."
"Do you think we should visit him?"
"No," Dumbledore shook his head.
"However, it's clear how upset he is, Dumbledore," Sirius frowned. "Do you really think it's okay to isolate him from everything and everyone?"
"Of course not, Sirius," Dumbledore inhaled sharply before exhaling slowly. "I simply worry, because I don't know what the enemy might do next. I just want Harry to be safe, especially when he's currently one of Voldemort's main targets."
"Still, I think it's about time to bring him in."
"Good!" Sirius nodded with a smile. "I'll back you up on that!"
"Relax," Dumbledore said and raised his hand. "Not yet. Let's wait for William to arrive, so we're all there. At that time, we'll send a team to get Harry out, for safety more than anything, we don't want to be ambushed, right?"
"I agree!" Alastor said forcefully. "It's better to have more, even if it's just one. Besides, from what I heard, William Weasley is a young man with quite a bit of knowledge from his job. Having him guard the house while we go out is better than having no one at all."
"I'd like to be on the team," Hestia Jones said seriously.
"I'll accompany you," Emmeline Vance nodded afterward and spoke slowly, but with determination.
"Then I'll go too," Remus, who had been listening silently, offered, "With me around, Harry will trust more easily. With a group of strangers, I'm sure he'll struggle."
"That's a good idea, Remus," Dumbledore smiled and nodded.
"I'd like some help...", Sirius said with a bit of regret.
"It's okay, Sirius. Without you, we wouldn't be able to meet up so easily, you help enough already," Dumbledore tried to reassure and encourage him, receiving a nod from Black.
In one of the rooms on the second floor, the twins looked at each other in disbelief as they moved something away from their ears.
"Did you hear that, my ugliest twin?"
"I think I'm the handsome one, but yes, I heard it."
"... Harry... our little Harry..."
"I'm just kidding..."
"Voldemort!"
____________________
But it was only a matter of time before Voldemort made a move. And that was what made Dumbledore uneasy, not knowing what the Dark Lord would do.
For that reason, he went to Grimmauld Place, where the Order was and where he might be able to find out something thanks to Kingsley or Nymphadora. Of course, Severus Snape accompanied him, because he seemed to want to say something. The man with a face that almost never showed emotions had a somewhat strange expression.
When they arrived at Grimmauld Place and waited for them to enter, Dumbledore noticed that Sirius was smiling widely, but he knew it couldn't be because of them, there was no way Sirius and Severus would get along, even he wasn't entirely Sirius's cup of tea. Oh, it's not that he didn't get along with Sirius, but he certainly preferred other people as friends, and he could understand that.
"You seem happy, Sirius. Anything good happened?" Dumbledore asked with a slight smile.
"Harry had sex with his neighbour, learned to play the piano, found out his cousin is in love and made fun of him. Some things have happened in the last few days, Headmaster."
Dumbledore couldn't help but sigh a little. It seems that Harry had sent more letters, was what he thought at that moment.
Snape looked at Sirius as if he were a fool, but didn't comment. Though if one were able to read micro expressions, one would have noticed that Snape's eyebrow twitched for an instant and his mouth curved downwards by the tiniest margin.
The three of them walked away and ignored Walburga's cries before they all sat down at a long table. They were all there at the moment. Arthur and Molly Weasley, Sirius, Snape, Dumbledore, Tonks, Kingsley, and several other members, including Alastor Moody.
"I've gathered you all together this time because Severus has something important to say," Albus said seriously, causing some of the slightly light expressions on their faces to turn serious and look at him.
Snape looked at everyone before nodding.
"Before I say anything, I'd like to ask a question," they all nodded and waited, looking intently at Snape, who in turn looked at Tonks.
"You've spent the most time watching Potter, or at least that's what the headmaster has told me. So I ask you, are you completely sure that Potter has been staying inside his house?"
Tonk frowned as she replied, "While I'm the one who's spent the most time watching Harry, it's not always me. But yes, when I'm on watch, I always see him around the house. Sometimes he even comes out to help his aunt with the plants in the back."
"Mm," Snape nodded.
"What happened, Severus? Why do you ask about Harry?"
Snape looked at the headmaster seriously and said, "Over 24 hours ago, a muggle managed to enter the grounds of Lucius Malfoy's manor. The man was so shocked that a muggle showed up in front of his door delivering mail that he didn't even know how to respond properly."
"The mail was for the Dark Lord, by the way."
"That's impossible," Sirius said as he leaned forward slightly. "You should know that most mansions, houses or lands of wizards or witches, have certain wards that keep any muggle away"
Snape growled a little when he heard Sirius address him.
"I know, Black. I'm not an idiot"
"The mail actually had a vinyl record with a letter... A letter from Harry Potter, where he mocked the Dark Lord for not having a lair of his own and having to use the home of one of his subordinates, he also mocked... the Dark Lord's nose and that he was disappointed that he was not a good... Dark Lord...", Snape exhaled a little at everything he had said and the shocked expressions of everyone.
"He was angry, very angry. One of the rooms in the mansion ended up completely destroyed"
"Arabella hasn't informed me of anything, and she lives across the street from Harry. Dedalus hasn't informed me of anything either, and from what Miss Tonks says, it's hard to believe that Harry sent a letter to the Dark Lord."
"Lucius gave me the letter," Snape said, pulling out a folded piece of paper from his robes. "He wanted me to compare the handwriting, to see if it was really Potter."
"May I see it?" McGonagall held out her hand, and Snape nodded before levitating the letter and bringing it to the teacher. She looked at it and read the letter carefully before frowning.
"This... is Mr. Potter's handwriting."
"What?! How is that possible! Harry can't do magic outside of Hogwarts!" Sirius exclaimed in surprise. "And if he did, then it would already be notified by the Ministry, and we would know about it from Tonks or Kingsley."
McGonagall sighed a little and showed the letter to everyone while pointing at two letters.
"Mr. Potter tends to extend the 'y' quite a bit; when he ends a word with an 'r' he also tends to extend the top of the letter. His writing is quite neat, but simple."
Dumbledore had a big frown on his face and his eyes were worried, but when he was about to open his mouth to say something, Hedwig appeared and stood in the middle of the table before leaving a letter and flying out of the house through one of the windows. Everyone blinked a little confused, looking at each other, not knowing who should take the letter.
Dumbledore extended his hand pointing with his wand and levitated the letter before taking it in his hand and starting to read.
Hello everyone, I hope you're having a good day.
Is Dumbledore worried? Is Snape there too? He's probably having a stroke thinking he's surrounded by fools. And Hermione? Still analyzing the other letters for truths and lies?
Don't worry about me, I'm quite fine at home.
By the way, you should tell Tonks not to keep using her metamorphmagus ability so much, she'll most likely trip over herself from not walking at her true height. Although it was quite adorable to see her fall like a little girl and get tangled up in her invisibility cloak.
Everyone looked at Tonks at that moment, causing the woman to blush quite a bit.
By the way, do you know anything about Voldemort? I asked Dobby to send a letter to that guy. I would have liked to see his reaction. But don't worry, house elves do an excellent job when you tell them specific things! No one will know where I live!
And actually... no one would suspect a weak little house elf, right?
Enough about that, I'm pretty tired of talking about the dark, noseless guy. Let's move on to other topics, like Dudley proposing and ending up getting rejected. I'm not a bad guy, but seeing him cry was fun, almost to the point where I could taste his tears, which was kind of gross when I thought about it again later.
I went to see a Celestina Warbeck concert too. Mm... nothing too interesting, I think I like pop music more, a little rock isn't bad either. Although if I have to choose my favorite of all, then it would be classical music. There are some pieces so magnificent that you couldn't really imagine them.
Fun fact related to Celestina Warbeck: the elves are quite fans of her. Who knows what they would do if the woman just said hello to them.
Well, I think I'm done with it. I've had a pretty eventful and fun few days.
That's all for today.
Harry Potter out.
PS: I'm still mad at Dumbledore, tell him to break a tooth (or several) on his sweet lemon drops.
PS: Snape is a virgin idiot.
The silence that was created after the letter was read in full was interrupted by Sirius' laughter.
"Look Snape, Harry knows you've had no relationship!"
Snape glared at him, almost as if he wished his eyes could fire killing curses and end Sirius' life. It was a pretty clear expression and, at the same time, rare from Snape. Despite showing his dislike only with his gaze, it wasn't always so obvious.
"It seems that Harry is still upset," Dumbledore replied before letting out a small sigh and leaving the letter on the table.
"Okay. That was dangerous," Hestia Jones, a black-haired woman with rosy cheeks nodded in agreement with her fellow order member.
"Although there's no denying that he was smart to send a house elf to do the job. Who would think that a small creature could accomplish such a feat?" Kingsley said for his part, looking from one side to the other, examining some reactions.
"The boy's got balls, let's give him that," Alastor growled a little before commenting a bit. "And now that I think about it, most pureblood families don't have wards against house elves, the only thing that could stop one would be another house elf. Besides, hasn't Lucius ever lost a house elf before?"
Dumbledore had a gleam in his eye before saying, "That was Dobby, the one Harry referred to in the letter."
"It seems the boy speaks a small portion of truth mixed in with most of the nonsense in his letters," Kingsley said as he gently rubbed his chin with two fingers. "And that also indicates that he's wary of his letters being taken. I mean, who would really believe everything he writes in those letters? From what Sirius told me, most of it is just pranks on his part to annoy the headmaster."
"Hermione too," Sirius stressed. "The girl analyzes each letter, because she believes there is always some truth, but in the end she ends up upset"
"Can we talk about the part where she sends a house elf to the Dark Lord's lair?", Sturgis Podmore spoke. He was a member of the first order of the phoenix and had agreed to be part of this new order. He had a square-jawed face and straw-blond hair, giving the impression that his head was covered with straw.
"Okay. That was dangerous," Hestia Jones, a black-haired woman with rosy cheeks nodded in agreement with her fellow order member.
"Although there is no denying that he was smart to send a house elf to do the job. Who would think that a small creature could accomplish such a feat?", Kingsley said for his part, looking from side to side, examining some reactions.
"The boy has balls, let's give him that," Alastor growled a little before commenting a little. "Now that I think about it, most pureblood families don't have wards against house elves, the only thing that could stop one would be another house elf. Besides, hasn't Lucius ever lost a house elf before?"
Dumbledore had a glint in his eye before saying, "That was Dobby, the one Harry referred to in the letter."
"It seems the boy tells a small portion of truth mixed in with most of the nonsense in his letters," Kingsley said as he gently rubbed his chin with two fingers. "And that also indicates that he's very careful about his letters being taken. I mean, who would really believe everything he writes in those letters? From what Sirius told me, most of them are just pranks on his part to annoy the headmaster."
"Hermione too," Sirius stressed. "The girl analyzes each letter, because she believes there's always some truth, but she ends up upset in the end."
"What do you think we should do, Headmaster?" McGonagall asked seriously, but quite worried inside. She was a rather serious woman, but inside she cared for all of her students, though perhaps a little more for Harry. Of course, she would never admit it.
She may have made mistakes sometimes, but she couldn't just be perfect or show blatant favoritism.
"Mm... it's hard to imagine that a house elf was actually used for what was done, but that very fact makes it clear that it will be difficult to figure out how Harry sent the letter; Voldemort wouldn't imagine it, not with the disdain he has for most things. However, it is still troubling that Harry would send a letter to the enemy."
"Do you think we should visit him?"
"No," Dumbledore shook his head.
"However, it's clear how upset he is, Dumbledore," Sirius frowned. "Do you really think it's okay to isolate him from everything and everyone?"
"Of course not, Sirius," Dumbledore inhaled sharply before exhaling slowly. "I simply worry, because I don't know what the enemy might do next. I just want Harry to be safe, especially when he's currently one of Voldemort's main targets."
"Still, I think it's about time to bring him in."
"Good!" Sirius nodded with a smile. "I'll back you up on that!"
"Relax," Dumbledore said and raised his hand. "Not yet. Let's wait for William to arrive, so we're all there. At that time, we'll send a team to get Harry out, for safety more than anything, we don't want to be ambushed, right?"
"I agree!" Alastor said forcefully. "It's better to have more, even if it's just one. Besides, from what I heard, William Weasley is a young man with quite a bit of knowledge from his job. Having him guard the house while we go out is better than having no one at all."
"I'd like to be on the team," Hestia Jones said seriously.
"I'll accompany you," Emmeline Vance nodded afterward and spoke slowly, but with determination.
"Then I'll go too," Remus, who had been listening silently, offered, "With me around, Harry will trust more easily. With a group of strangers, I'm sure he'll struggle."
"That's a good idea, Remus," Dumbledore smiled and nodded.
"I'd like some help...", Sirius said with a bit of regret.
"It's okay, Sirius. Without you, we wouldn't be able to meet up so easily, you help enough already," Dumbledore tried to reassure and encourage him, receiving a nod from Black.
In one of the rooms on the second floor, the twins looked at each other in disbelief as they moved something away from their ears.
"Did you hear that, my ugliest twin?"
"I think I'm the handsome one, but yes, I heard it."
"... Harry... our little Harry..."
"I'm just kidding..."
"Voldemort!"
____________________
"You... boy, are you sure what you're saying is true?" Vernon asked with a frown. He looked from Harry to his son, Dudley.
Harry pinched the bridge of his nose, showing his annoyance at the scene in front of him.
"Yes... I promise you, Vernon. You know we both promised to get along even a little better while I'm here. I don't live with you anymore, no one fights when I'm here, which is already progress. I don't have the need to make Dudley suffer."
Vernon gritted his teeth, knowing that what Harry said was true. He had only spent a few moments in his house for days. He had told him that he needed to maintain a certain level of presence in the house so that those watching him wouldn't get suspicious and he could maintain the protective barrier in the house. All he asked was not to fight with each other or jump to hasty conclusions about what might happen.
Petunia, who was sitting next to her son crying and gently stroking his back, looked at Harry with some confusion. The boy had changed overnight, but for the better in his opinion. There wasn't as much yelling or fussing in the house anymore, it was much more peaceful than before.
Vernon looked at the two of them before sitting up and groaning a little.
"I think Dudley will be fine, this is his first crush, I think. He'll handle it, but the damage is still fresh," Harry gave his opinion.
"How would you know that, boy?" Vernon asked suspiciously.
Harry shrugged a little as he grimaced.
"I was rejected once, I think. It was a little weird at the time. I didn't cry, but it didn't feel good."
Dudley inhaled sharply, causing his snot to be heard a little. He looked at Harry for a few moments before speaking.
"You're lucky, you're not fat."
Harry grimaced again. Yes, Dudley had been rejected because he's fat. Well, Harry thought that rejecting someone and telling them they were too fat was a bit cruel. Yes, it was the reality, but the girl could have said he wasn't her type, or something like that.
Most likely it would still hurt, but he wouldn't be pointing out a 'flaw' to the other person. Pointing out flaws always ended up hurting, even when it needed to be said.
Well, there were some exceptions, Harry thought.
"Why don't you just go on a diet?"
"I already did..."
"A real diet. You've already started boxing, which is good. With a proper diet and boxing, you'll not only be able to lose the right weight, you'll be able to show off some muscles as well," Harry sighed a bit when he said that, he never thought he'd actually give Dudley advice.
"Also... didn't the instructor advise you on any diet? I mean, it's boxing. Boxers have to go on certain diets, at least the pros, I think."
"Yeah, yeah. He said something about that, but I didn't pay much attention to it," Dudley nodded, his eyes red as he looked at Harry, but he had stopped crying.
"Then get your ass up. When you look better, then maybe you can get a little revenge and show what that girl missed out on."
"Yeah, I'll do that!" Dudley nodded fiercely, but he still looked a little foolish with the tears marked on his face and his eyes red.
Petunia sighed in relief at seeing Dudley better and was about to say thank you to Harry, but she saw him holding his nose.
"Ugh... what the hell...?" Harry held his nose as he placed a hand on his knee, leaning forward a little. He looked like he was about to throw up; Her eyes were wide and she seemed to be gagging as she covered her mouth and nose.
"What happened to you?"
Harry looked at her a little worried.
"I got a little too sensitive to certain things related to magic. I can smell things, and I just smelled something dark, really dark. It's disgusting, almost like... I can't even describe it! It's rotten! Bad! Disgusting, guh!"
It was at that moment that she remembered something. One of the important memories was about Dementors, but she had forgotten about it. Having Occlumency didn't mean she remembered everything, it just meant that she could remember more easily, but with all the things she's been doing, she forgot about this.
"Listen, you two need to stay inside and not open the door to anyone, no matter who."
"What?! What the hell are you talking about, boy?!", Vernon exclaimed, angry that Harry told him what to do.
"Just listen!", Harry shouted angrily. "I think they're dementors."
"Demen- what thing?" Dudley asked confused, while Petunia turned a little pale.
"Th- Th- That's... are they here?"
Harry looked at her confused: "You know about those things?"
"Petunia?" Vernon asked surprised and a little annoyed.
She shook her head a little and said quietly, "Lily told me a little about... her world. She said that... there were some soul-eating things that looked after a place."
Harry nodded, brushing aside the fact that Petunia knew more about the wizarding world than she let on.
"That's right," Harry nodded and looked to the side, right where the window was, "Those things are... some of the darkest things in the wizarding world. When they're around, you'll feel like you're freezing. Their very presence makes the temperature drop. And when they're really close... they'll torment you with your worst memories as they plunge you into despair."
"In the end... if you can't get them away... they'll feed off your soul, leaving your body empty, like a shell with nothing left."
"For that reason, stay inside. Don't go out. They won't open the door unless they hear my voice."
"And what will you do, boy?"
"I happen to have certain spells to deal with those things," Harry said seriously before walking towards the door while turning invisible, much to the Dursleys' disbelief.
...
"That little..." Fleur growled angrily as she walked near a small park. Her steps were a little heavy because of how angry she was, she still remembered the blow Harry had given her, but now she had to deliver a certain package from Brok, the head of Gringotts
Brok had given her the package because he knew the two were friends and knew each other. It was better than a bird, since what she was carrying was quite important. Even with how trained the Gringotts birds were, there was still a chance that the package would get lost or the animal would be intercepted.
"Not only do I have to put up with their jokes, but now I'm also their delivery girl?" Fleur snorted as she walked past and looked with some curiosity at the park. It was quite destroyed and desolate, with broken and cut fences surrounding the games.
"This place isn't very nice though..."
Fleur slowly walked past one side before turning into an alley, seeing that it would take her to the other faster, she entered and wrinkled her nose at the bad smell and the dirty walls.
The lights on either side of the alley that actually looked like a tunnel flickered and didn't stop to do so. The temperature dropped suddenly as Fleur stopped frowning as she looked ahead where the lights now began to stop and show only darkness.
Slowly, from the darkness, a bony hand appeared next to a cloak that seemed to be woven from dark fog.
Fleur froze for a few seconds before she pulled out her wand, almost at the same time as the head of a dementor appeared from the darkness.
"Expec–" a howl came from behind her and she felt her neck being grabbed before being lifted up and slammed against the wall.
"Agh!", letting out a cry of pain, Fleur looked in fear at the creature that slowly approached her face as a kind of mist began to cover her face and slowly be absorbed by the dementor.
Her worst memories began to pass through her eyes at the same time.
She was scared.
Her body was constantly shaking from the cold, the fear, and the presence of the dementor so close to her. She wanted to cry, but her tears wouldn't come out. Her vision was slowly darkening as her throat was squeezed tighter by the dark, disgusting creature.
Just as her vision was completely darkening, she saw a glow from the corner of her right eye. And in an instant, the blue-white glow flooded her entire vision.
Fleur's body hit the ground as she inhaled sharply and then coughed hard. Her left hand immediately moved to her neck as she tried to hold on with her other hand.
The glow returned once again, flooding the alley and causing Fleur to look up in pain. She saw Harry's face approaching her before she felt his warm hand on her back.
"It's okay. You're safe, Fleur," Harry said softly before he helped her up as he pointed his wand at the dementors who had moved several meters away.
"Expecto patronum," Harry said forcefully, causing waves of light to spread throughout the place before a figure formed and leapt forward. A beautiful stag with large antlers leapt forward as it swung its head, knocking the dementors away as they howled, as if in pure pain.
"Harry... those... how?" Fleur trembled as Harry held her with one arm. She could barely complete a sentence, but Harry understood what she meant.
"..." he was silent for a few moments before he spoke seriously.
"It was either Voldemort, or someone else, perhaps from the Ministry."
"Anyway, that doesn't matter now," Harry leaned in a little before he placed his other arm behind Fleur's knees and picked her up.
"I'll take you to my aunt and uncle's house for now. You need rest and lots of chocolate."
Harry slowly walked to the other side of the alley. With the dementors having escaped, there was nothing to fear now, and even if more appeared, he could still hold them off while on his way. He could have used apparition, but with Fleur's current state, that might cause some trouble.
"Harry... I think I can now..."
"No. You've been through the dementor attack, that's not a simple thing. Just shut your mouth and let me help you," Harry said seriously and looked into her eyes. Fleur fell silent as she sighed and clung to Harry a little tighter, trying to feel some warmth.
_____________________
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EmiyaGRZG
October 8, 2024
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At the Dursley residence, everyone was a little worried. They could feel that the temperature had dropped a little, they could even see through the window that it seemed to have gotten a little dark outside.
The three of them were silent for a long while, until Vernon got fed up and was about to say something, though he couldn't really. At that very moment, Harry's voice came from outside, causing Dudley to run and open the door.
Petunia had stood up and watched in surprise as Harry was carrying a beautiful girl.
"She's so..."
"Dudley," Harry glared at him for a moment, knowing what his first was about to say.
"Oh, right, sorry. Was she attacked by this Demenkor thing?"
"Dementor, and yes, she was attacked. Can you share some chocolate, please?" Harry walked in and left Fleur on the couch.
"Chocolate?" Petunia asked.
"It's good for feeling better after a Dementor attack. The chemicals within chocolate stimulate the release of endorphins, which are chemicals produced by the body to combat stress and pain; it often leads to a feeling of greater happiness."
"When you're feeling fear and pain from Dementor exposure, it's good to eat chocolate to help you recover a bit."
Petunia felt a little foolish at the detailed explanation, but she started to reach for some chocolate anyway."
Harry looked at Fleur who had intertwined their fingers and was tightly clenching their hands. She seemed to be trying to stop shaking, but it wasn't working. Harry put his hands on Fleur's and looked at her carefully.
"You're okay now. "Those damn things are gone."
"Yes... Yes... Thank you."
Harry slowly shook his head and said, "Don't thank me, those things were probably sent to me."
Sighing a little, Harry looked at Vernon.
"Vernon, the wards should be working by now. There's no need for me to go back. Plus it's better this way, they won't send such dangerous things anymore."
Grumbling a little, Vernon nodded as he crossed his arms.
"Here, here you go," Petunia came over with a chocolate bar and Harry took it.
"Thanks, Petunia."
"Here, Fleur. "Eat some, it'll help," Harry opened the chocolate bar and broke off a bit before Fleur took it and took a bite. She ate slowly before she sighed a little.
"Thank you ma'am."
"You're welcome..."
Harry hesitated for a few moments before he decided to say something.
"Fleur, I can help you more. Will you let me?"
Fleur looked at him for a few seconds before nodding.
"Okay, look at my eyes. Don't move away from them," Harry moved a little closer and gently cupped Fleur's face. She looked into the green eyes that seemed to shine brightly before she felt her mind sink and then her best memories appeared around her. The moment she received her wand made from her grandmother's hair, the pride of attending Beauxbaton, the birth of her sister, her birthdays and so much more.
Every happy memory that caused positive things appeared in front of her before her back hit the back of the couch with a little force. Her eyes shone brighter and she realized that the trembling in her body had disappeared and she was staring into Harry's bright green eyes.
"You... how did you do that?"
"Legilimency," Harry replied.
"So... you saw..."
"Just a little. I used Legilimency to see which memories were happy and bring them to the surface of your mind. I actually only saw the beginning of each memory."
"I see... thank you, Harry. I feel much better."
"Did you see into his mind?! It's just so cool!" Dudley said in surprise. "You can do something like the Jedi?"
"I..." Harry looked at his cousin, dumbfounded by the apparent excitement and respect Dudley showed for magic, albeit in a slightly misguided way.
He finally sighed and nodded.
"Amazing..."
"By the way, did any letters arrive?" Harry asked.
"No, nothing has," Petunia immediately replied.
"Good. That might be good."
"Can you move, Fleur? Would it be okay for me to use Apparition?"
Fleur nodded immediately.
"Then we'll see you another time... perhaps," Harry looked at the Dursley family one by one before taking Fleur's hand and causing their figures to blur and move to a point before disappearing.
...
"Where are we?" Fleur asked, looking at the living room with white walls and red sofas. There was a lit fireplace right in front of the two sofas and a coffee table in the middle.
"My house. My real house," Harry replied. "Keep it a secret, please. Dumbledore and his order think I still live in my uncle's house, as do the goblins."
"Why are you hiding? I mean, I don't think Dumbledore is bad."
"And you think right. But up until a few days ago I didn't get along that well with my relatives. They don't like magic, at least my uncles don't. And Dudley just listened to them, only now he seemed to change his mind."
"Dobby!" Harry exclaimed and a 'pop' resounded in the room.
"Mr. Harry Potter, sir. Do you need something from Dobby?"
"Yes, can you bring two cups of hot chocolate?"
"Dobby will do that."
"Thanks, mate."
Fleur looked at the scene a little strangely, especially when the elf left whispering about serving the Great Harry Potter.
"Ignore him, Dobby is a bit of a fan..."
"Even the house elves. Your fame reaches everywhere, Harry Potter," Fleur smiled a little as she said and sat down on one of the sofas. Harry huffed a little as he sat across from her, carefully watching Fleur, who seemed much better, but Harry knew she was still feeling a little shaken by the attack.
Harry sighed a little, knowing that things would get a little worse. Because while he could find the rest of the Horcrux and destroy Voldemort, he didn't want people to take him as a hero who would solve all the problems of the magical community in this country.
It might be cruel of him, but Harry would just let them suffer a little.
"Fleur, I think it would be a good idea for you to go back to France."
"What? Why?" Fleur asked as she frowned. "I mean, I understand that this attack was dangerous, but..."
Harry cut her off by raising his hand and leaning forward a little, resting his elbows on his knees.
"Fleur, things could really take a turn for the worse. I haven't just been living here and enjoying the freedom I have now. As you could see before, I can use magic without attracting the attention of the Ministry, and I did it because it was necessary."
"I knew that some people in the Ministry have a certain hatred for me. And the Dementors this time were sent by them."
"What?! Are they really crazy enough to release Dementors out in the open? Are you sure it wasn't Voldemort?"
Harry shook his head and said, "Voldemort has been staying in Malfoy Manor since he returned. He hasn't left that place, not even the bloody courtyard of the manor."
"The person who caused this attack is Dolores Umbride, Minister Fudge's undersecretary. That woman embodies the worst traits of a pureblood and would not hesitate to cause damage when she doesn't like a person."
"But... how do you know all this? You seemed as surprised as I was."
"I knew they would attack me, Fleur. Unfortunately, I completely forgot that some people in the Ministry are crazy enough to release dementors. That's why I was surprised. Not by the attack itself, but rather by what they used for the attack."
Fleur looked at her hands as she frowned, thinking about Harry's words. Unfortunately, she didn't think she could leave the country, not just yet.
"Thank you for being so worried about me, Harry. But I'm sorry, I agreed to join the Order of the Phoenix."
"What?! When?" Harry asked surprised. Of course he knew Fleur would join, but not when.
"Just today. I saw William Weasley at Gringotts and he invited me to join. He says I might have a chance to request the help of the goblins in a better way because of my work, although I doubt it a little, I want to help in all this."
Harry ran a hand over his face as he leaned back on the couch.
"I don't know what to think, Fleur. The decision you've made could change your life forever, do you understand that?"
"Harry, people might be afraid to stand up against Voldemort, but I think it's necessary for some to do so. I may not be able to offer much help, but I can definitely contribute something, even if it's just a small thing," Fleur said seriously as she looked at a shocked Harry.
"I don't understand you, Fleur. You haven't lived in England or any country within this huge, cursed island. Why would you be so determined to help people who aren't even part of your country, your home?"
"Voldemort doesn't just affect Britain, Harry. The Dark Lord recruits allies from all over, especially if they are extreme people who are dissatisfied with the community they live in."
"France is much more peaceful, but it still has many dissatisfied Purebloods. And I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to join the Dark Lord."
"And tell me, if the Dark Lord wins, what comes next? With the support he would have from certain people in Europe, I'm sure he would target other countries."
"That won't happen," Harry said in a hard voice.
"You don't know, Harry. He could..."
"No, you're not understanding me," Harry interrupted as he leaned forward again. His eyes flashed green for a moment.
"I'll kill him before he can even think of such things. And if those Death Eaters start flitting around too much, they'll have nothing left but to die under my wand," Harry stood up as Fleur stared at him in shock.
"Follow me," Harry said as he opened the door to the living room.
"Dobby, I'm sorry, but take the hot chocolate down to the basement."
"Basement?" Fleur asked confused.
"This house has a big basement underneath it. And if you're really going to take part in all this shit, I'll teach you some useful spells."
"Can you even teach?"
"I know more than I let on, Fleur. I think I've proven that."
"By the way, you do know what happened years ago, right?"
Fleur looked at him as she walked beside him and nodded, understanding that the conversation had not changed subject.
"Voldemort"
"Yes. Voldemort," Harry nodded before continuing, "Years ago, the people of Britain knew pain. All thanks to Voldemort."
"But the people didn't really do much. You have to give the Order of the Phoenix a medal in this case, because they were a group of people who decided to rise up against all odds. But if more people had stood up, things could have ended quicker."
"Sadly, the moment they saw others rising up, they decided to wait and see what would happen."
"People are afraid of Voldemort."
"People are afraid of his Death Eaters."
"People are afraid of using magic because of their stupid prejudices and preconceived ideas."
Harry shook his head in exasperation.
"At this point, most of the wizarding society in the world is in a big hole. A fucking hole that they don't seem to want to get out of."
"And you want to change that?" Fleur asked doubtfully.
"Of course not," Harry laughed a little. "There's no way I can change that."
"When this whole Voldemort thing is over, maybe I'll set up a shop or maybe a small academy to teach spells, I don't know yet. But I definitely won't be working for the Ministry, nor Hogwarts."
"Or I might end up traveling around the world before settling down somewhere."
"Why? You'd have so many opportunities just by asking."
"Because I know for a hundred percent that, when Voldemort is no more, someone else will show up to bother you. It's just a matter of time."
"After all this shit, there's no way I'm going to live stopping dark lords."
Fleur fell silent, thinking about Harry's words. They didn't stop though and reached the basement. It was large, perhaps larger than the plot of land the house used alone. There were lights illuminating the place from above, practice dummies on the sides and some completely destroyed, there were also targets on the other side of the room, waiting to be hit.
"What do you want to teach me?"
"Besides the Patronus Charm? A variation of it, a useful spell for all occasions, attack spells and also protection spells."
"I know quite a few attack spells."
"Maybe," Harry nodded and pulled out his wand before pointing it at a practice dummy. "But you have to know how to stop the enemy without getting up."
"Pugio," no light or beam came out of Harry's wand, just a sound was heard and the doll now had a deep cut on one leg, as if a knife had been stuck in it.
"That was a spell that creates wounds like a dagger. You can use it to simply create a simple, shallow cut, all the way to creating a deeper wound, as if you had pierced yourself with a dagger."
"Of course, you can also increase the damage," Harry pointed again.
"Pugio Tria," three sounds were heard this time, and Fleur saw that three wounds similar to the first one were created. She also thought that this was too lethal. If someone with experience in silent magic learned it, then you wouldn't know where an attack would come from. In the end, the sound created was because the doll seemed to be made of wood, cloth, and other things.
"Where did you get the spell from?" Fleur asked with a little doubt.
"... He does. Anyway, it's not magic that needs negative feelings to use. In the end, magic is magic, only you can decide if it's good or bad."
"And having this can save your life if you get into combat with Death Eaters. With just this I can damage anyone's legs and impede their movements."
"What else?" Fleur decided to ask.
"Oh, I think you'll like this one," Harry smiled before starting to teach Fleur, who seemed much more serious than before. Perhaps only now was she realizing the dangers she had gotten herself into. When she saw Harry use such lethal magic or say that he would kill Voldemort with such verbal ease and without fear, then she thought of what the dark lord could really do.
They weren't as kind as Harry. They wouldn't hesitate to torment their victims until they begged for death.
Chapter 8: Dementor Attack
New
"You... boy, are you sure what you're saying is true?" Vernon asked with a frown. He looked from Harry to his son, Dudley.
Harry pinched the bridge of his nose, showing his annoyance at the scene in front of him.
"Yes... I promise you, Vernon. You know we both promised to get along even a little better while I'm here. I don't live with you anymore, no one fights when I'm here, which is already progress. I don't have the need to make Dudley suffer."
Vernon gritted his teeth, knowing that what Harry said was true. He had only spent a few moments in his house for days. He had told him that he needed to maintain a certain level of presence in the house so that those watching him wouldn't get suspicious and he could maintain the protective barrier in the house. All he asked was not to fight with each other or jump to hasty conclusions about what might happen.
Petunia, who was sitting next to her son crying and gently stroking his back, looked at Harry with some confusion. The boy had changed overnight, but for the better in his opinion. There wasn't as much yelling or fussing in the house anymore, it was much more peaceful than before.
Vernon looked at the two of them before sitting up and groaning a little.
"I think Dudley will be fine, this is his first crush, I think. He'll handle it, but the damage is still fresh," Harry gave his opinion.
"How would you know that, boy?" Vernon asked suspiciously.
Harry shrugged a little as he grimaced.
"I was rejected once, I think. It was a little weird at the time. I didn't cry, but it didn't feel good."
Dudley inhaled sharply, causing his snot to be heard a little. He looked at Harry for a few moments before speaking.
"You're lucky, you're not fat."
Harry grimaced again. Yes, Dudley had been rejected because he's fat. Well, Harry thought that rejecting someone and telling them they were too fat was a bit cruel. Yes, it was the reality, but the girl could have said he wasn't her type, or something like that.
Most likely it would still hurt, but he wouldn't be pointing out a 'flaw' to the other person. Pointing out flaws always ended up hurting, even when it needed to be said.
Well, there were some exceptions, Harry thought.
"Why don't you just go on a diet?"
"I already did..."
"A real diet. You've already started boxing, which is good. With a proper diet and boxing, you'll not only be able to lose the right weight, you'll be able to show off some muscles as well," Harry sighed a bit when he said that, he never thought he'd actually give Dudley advice.
"Also... didn't the instructor advise you on any diet? I mean, it's boxing. Boxers have to go on certain diets, at least the pros, I think."
"Yeah, yeah. He said something about that, but I didn't pay much attention to it," Dudley nodded, his eyes red as he looked at Harry, but he had stopped crying.
"Then get your ass up. When you look better, then maybe you can get a little revenge and show what that girl missed out on."
"Yeah, I'll do that!" Dudley nodded fiercely, but he still looked a little foolish with the tears marked on his face and his eyes red.
Petunia sighed in relief at seeing Dudley better and was about to say thank you to Harry, but she saw him holding his nose.
"Ugh... what the hell...?" Harry held his nose as he placed a hand on his knee, leaning forward a little. He looked like he was about to throw up; Her eyes were wide and she seemed to be gagging as she covered her mouth and nose.
"What happened to you?"
Harry looked at her a little worried.
"I got a little too sensitive to certain things related to magic. I can smell things, and I just smelled something dark, really dark. It's disgusting, almost like... I can't even describe it! It's rotten! Bad! Disgusting, guh!"
It was at that moment that she remembered something. One of the important memories was about Dementors, but she had forgotten about it. Having Occlumency didn't mean she remembered everything, it just meant that she could remember more easily, but with all the things she's been doing, she forgot about this.
"Listen, you two need to stay inside and not open the door to anyone, no matter who."
"What?! What the hell are you talking about, boy?!", Vernon exclaimed, angry that Harry told him what to do.
"Just listen!", Harry shouted angrily. "I think they're dementors."
"Demen- what thing?" Dudley asked confused, while Petunia turned a little pale.
"Th- Th- That's... are they here?"
Harry looked at her confused: "You know about those things?"
"Petunia?" Vernon asked surprised and a little annoyed.
She shook her head a little and said quietly, "Lily told me a little about... her world. She said that... there were some soul-eating things that looked after a place."
Harry nodded, brushing aside the fact that Petunia knew more about the wizarding world than she let on.
"That's right," Harry nodded and looked to the side, right where the window was, "Those things are... some of the darkest things in the wizarding world. When they're around, you'll feel like you're freezing. Their very presence makes the temperature drop. And when they're really close... they'll torment you with your worst memories as they plunge you into despair."
"In the end... if you can't get them away... they'll feed off your soul, leaving your body empty, like a shell with nothing left."
"For that reason, stay inside. Don't go out. They won't open the door unless they hear my voice."
"And what will you do, boy?"
"I happen to have certain spells to deal with those things," Harry said seriously before walking towards the door while turning invisible, much to the Dursleys' disbelief.
...
"That little..." Fleur growled angrily as she walked near a small park. Her steps were a little heavy because of how angry she was, she still remembered the blow Harry had given her, but now she had to deliver a certain package from Brok, the head of Gringotts
Brok had given her the package because he knew the two were friends and knew each other. It was better than a bird, since what she was carrying was quite important. Even with how trained the Gringotts birds were, there was still a chance that the package would get lost or the animal would be intercepted.
"Not only do I have to put up with their jokes, but now I'm also their delivery girl?" Fleur snorted as she walked past and looked with some curiosity at the park. It was quite destroyed and desolate, with broken and cut fences surrounding the games.
"This place isn't very nice though..."
Fleur slowly walked past one side before turning into an alley, seeing that it would take her to the other faster, she entered and wrinkled her nose at the bad smell and the dirty walls.
The lights on either side of the alley that actually looked like a tunnel flickered and didn't stop to do so. The temperature dropped suddenly as Fleur stopped frowning as she looked ahead where the lights now began to stop and show only darkness.
Slowly, from the darkness, a bony hand appeared next to a cloak that seemed to be woven from dark fog.
Fleur froze for a few seconds before she pulled out her wand, almost at the same time as the head of a dementor appeared from the darkness.
"Expec–" a howl came from behind her and she felt her neck being grabbed before being lifted up and slammed against the wall.
"Agh!", letting out a cry of pain, Fleur looked in fear at the creature that slowly approached her face as a kind of mist began to cover her face and slowly be absorbed by the dementor.
Her worst memories began to pass through her eyes at the same time.
She was scared.
Her body was constantly shaking from the cold, the fear, and the presence of the dementor so close to her. She wanted to cry, but her tears wouldn't come out. Her vision was slowly darkening as her throat was squeezed tighter by the dark, disgusting creature.
Just as her vision was completely darkening, she saw a glow from the corner of her right eye. And in an instant, the blue-white glow flooded her entire vision.
Fleur's body hit the ground as she inhaled sharply and then coughed hard. Her left hand immediately moved to her neck as she tried to hold on with her other hand.
The glow returned once again, flooding the alley and causing Fleur to look up in pain. She saw Harry's face approaching her before she felt his warm hand on her back.
"It's okay. You're safe, Fleur," Harry said softly before he helped her up as he pointed his wand at the dementors who had moved several meters away.
"Expecto patronum," Harry said forcefully, causing waves of light to spread throughout the place before a figure formed and leapt forward. A beautiful stag with large antlers leapt forward as it swung its head, knocking the dementors away as they howled, as if in pure pain.
"Harry... those... how?" Fleur trembled as Harry held her with one arm. She could barely complete a sentence, but Harry understood what she meant.
"..." he was silent for a few moments before he spoke seriously.
"It was either Voldemort, or someone else, perhaps from the Ministry."
"Anyway, that doesn't matter now," Harry leaned in a little before he placed his other arm behind Fleur's knees and picked her up.
"I'll take you to my aunt and uncle's house for now. You need rest and lots of chocolate."
Harry slowly walked to the other side of the alley. With the dementors having escaped, there was nothing to fear now, and even if more appeared, he could still hold them off while on his way. He could have used apparition, but with Fleur's current state, that might cause some trouble.
"Harry... I think I can now..."
"No. You've been through the dementor attack, that's not a simple thing. Just shut your mouth and let me help you," Harry said seriously and looked into her eyes. Fleur fell silent as she sighed and clung to Harry a little tighter, trying to feel some warmth.
_____________________
Harry pinched the bridge of his nose, showing his annoyance at the scene in front of him.
"Yes... I promise you, Vernon. You know we both promised to get along even a little better while I'm here. I don't live with you anymore, no one fights when I'm here, which is already progress. I don't have the need to make Dudley suffer."
Vernon gritted his teeth, knowing that what Harry said was true. He had only spent a few moments in his house for days. He had told him that he needed to maintain a certain level of presence in the house so that those watching him wouldn't get suspicious and he could maintain the protective barrier in the house. All he asked was not to fight with each other or jump to hasty conclusions about what might happen.
Petunia, who was sitting next to her son crying and gently stroking his back, looked at Harry with some confusion. The boy had changed overnight, but for the better in his opinion. There wasn't as much yelling or fussing in the house anymore, it was much more peaceful than before.
Vernon looked at the two of them before sitting up and groaning a little.
"I think Dudley will be fine, this is his first crush, I think. He'll handle it, but the damage is still fresh," Harry gave his opinion.
"How would you know that, boy?" Vernon asked suspiciously.
Harry shrugged a little as he grimaced.
"I was rejected once, I think. It was a little weird at the time. I didn't cry, but it didn't feel good."
Dudley inhaled sharply, causing his snot to be heard a little. He looked at Harry for a few moments before speaking.
"You're lucky, you're not fat."
Harry grimaced again. Yes, Dudley had been rejected because he's fat. Well, Harry thought that rejecting someone and telling them they were too fat was a bit cruel. Yes, it was the reality, but the girl could have said he wasn't her type, or something like that.
Most likely it would still hurt, but he wouldn't be pointing out a 'flaw' to the other person. Pointing out flaws always ended up hurting, even when it needed to be said.
Well, there were some exceptions, Harry thought.
"Why don't you just go on a diet?"
"I already did..."
"A real diet. You've already started boxing, which is good. With a proper diet and boxing, you'll not only be able to lose the right weight, you'll be able to show off some muscles as well," Harry sighed a bit when he said that, he never thought he'd actually give Dudley advice.
"Also... didn't the instructor advise you on any diet? I mean, it's boxing. Boxers have to go on certain diets, at least the pros, I think."
"Yeah, yeah. He said something about that, but I didn't pay much attention to it," Dudley nodded, his eyes red as he looked at Harry, but he had stopped crying.
"Then get your ass up. When you look better, then maybe you can get a little revenge and show what that girl missed out on."
"Yeah, I'll do that!" Dudley nodded fiercely, but he still looked a little foolish with the tears marked on his face and his eyes red.
Petunia sighed in relief at seeing Dudley better and was about to say thank you to Harry, but she saw him holding his nose.
"Ugh... what the hell...?" Harry held his nose as he placed a hand on his knee, leaning forward a little. He looked like he was about to throw up; Her eyes were wide and she seemed to be gagging as she covered her mouth and nose.
"What happened to you?"
Harry looked at her a little worried.
"I got a little too sensitive to certain things related to magic. I can smell things, and I just smelled something dark, really dark. It's disgusting, almost like... I can't even describe it! It's rotten! Bad! Disgusting, guh!"
It was at that moment that she remembered something. One of the important memories was about Dementors, but she had forgotten about it. Having Occlumency didn't mean she remembered everything, it just meant that she could remember more easily, but with all the things she's been doing, she forgot about this.
"Listen, you two need to stay inside and not open the door to anyone, no matter who."
"What?! What the hell are you talking about, boy?!", Vernon exclaimed, angry that Harry told him what to do.
"Just listen!", Harry shouted angrily. "I think they're dementors."
"Demen- what thing?" Dudley asked confused, while Petunia turned a little pale.
"Th- Th- That's... are they here?"
Harry looked at her confused: "You know about those things?"
"Petunia?" Vernon asked surprised and a little annoyed.
She shook her head a little and said quietly, "Lily told me a little about... her world. She said that... there were some soul-eating things that looked after a place."
Harry nodded, brushing aside the fact that Petunia knew more about the wizarding world than she let on.
"That's right," Harry nodded and looked to the side, right where the window was, "Those things are... some of the darkest things in the wizarding world. When they're around, you'll feel like you're freezing. Their very presence makes the temperature drop. And when they're really close... they'll torment you with your worst memories as they plunge you into despair."
"In the end... if you can't get them away... they'll feed off your soul, leaving your body empty, like a shell with nothing left."
"For that reason, stay inside. Don't go out. They won't open the door unless they hear my voice."
"And what will you do, boy?"
"I happen to have certain spells to deal with those things," Harry said seriously before walking towards the door while turning invisible, much to the Dursleys' disbelief.
...
"That little..." Fleur growled angrily as she walked near a small park. Her steps were a little heavy because of how angry she was, she still remembered the blow Harry had given her, but now she had to deliver a certain package from Brok, the head of Gringotts
Brok had given her the package because he knew the two were friends and knew each other. It was better than a bird, since what she was carrying was quite important. Even with how trained the Gringotts birds were, there was still a chance that the package would get lost or the animal would be intercepted.
"Not only do I have to put up with their jokes, but now I'm also their delivery girl?" Fleur snorted as she walked past and looked with some curiosity at the park. It was quite destroyed and desolate, with broken and cut fences surrounding the games.
"This place isn't very nice though..."
Fleur slowly walked past one side before turning into an alley, seeing that it would take her to the other faster, she entered and wrinkled her nose at the bad smell and the dirty walls.
The lights on either side of the alley that actually looked like a tunnel flickered and didn't stop to do so. The temperature dropped suddenly as Fleur stopped frowning as she looked ahead where the lights now began to stop and show only darkness.
Slowly, from the darkness, a bony hand appeared next to a cloak that seemed to be woven from dark fog.
Fleur froze for a few seconds before she pulled out her wand, almost at the same time as the head of a dementor appeared from the darkness.
"Expec–" a howl came from behind her and she felt her neck being grabbed before being lifted up and slammed against the wall.
"Agh!", letting out a cry of pain, Fleur looked in fear at the creature that slowly approached her face as a kind of mist began to cover her face and slowly be absorbed by the dementor.
Her worst memories began to pass through her eyes at the same time.
She was scared.
Her body was constantly shaking from the cold, the fear, and the presence of the dementor so close to her. She wanted to cry, but her tears wouldn't come out. Her vision was slowly darkening as her throat was squeezed tighter by the dark, disgusting creature.
Just as her vision was completely darkening, she saw a glow from the corner of her right eye. And in an instant, the blue-white glow flooded her entire vision.
Fleur's body hit the ground as she inhaled sharply and then coughed hard. Her left hand immediately moved to her neck as she tried to hold on with her other hand.
The glow returned once again, flooding the alley and causing Fleur to look up in pain. She saw Harry's face approaching her before she felt his warm hand on her back.
"It's okay. You're safe, Fleur," Harry said softly before he helped her up as he pointed his wand at the dementors who had moved several meters away.
"Expecto patronum," Harry said forcefully, causing waves of light to spread throughout the place before a figure formed and leapt forward. A beautiful stag with large antlers leapt forward as it swung its head, knocking the dementors away as they howled, as if in pure pain.
"Harry... those... how?" Fleur trembled as Harry held her with one arm. She could barely complete a sentence, but Harry understood what she meant.
"..." he was silent for a few moments before he spoke seriously.
"It was either Voldemort, or someone else, perhaps from the Ministry."
"Anyway, that doesn't matter now," Harry leaned in a little before he placed his other arm behind Fleur's knees and picked her up.
"I'll take you to my aunt and uncle's house for now. You need rest and lots of chocolate."
Harry slowly walked to the other side of the alley. With the dementors having escaped, there was nothing to fear now, and even if more appeared, he could still hold them off while on his way. He could have used apparition, but with Fleur's current state, that might cause some trouble.
"Harry... I think I can now..."
"No. You've been through the dementor attack, that's not a simple thing. Just shut your mouth and let me help you," Harry said seriously and looked into her eyes. Fleur fell silent as she sighed and clung to Harry a little tighter, trying to feel some warmth.
_____________________
- Location
- England
Everybody already told you that you messed up the threadmarks so Chapter 2 is listed before Chapter 1?
I guess you mean "Prophet"? Unless this is an AU where Harry kept Diary!Riddle from year 2.
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I've read this before AO3 or Fanfiction.net
Its annoying when certain parts repeat but I know you're not doing it on purpose. This is a good story.
Sothoryos VI
Jon was not happy at the moment. His eyes kept moving as he walked, trying to listen and spot any danger around him. In his right hand, he held his sword, while in his left hand, he had his shield. He learned that it was better to have his shield. He could protect himself better and, in case he lost his sword in any fight, he could use the shield as a weapon, if necessary. But, all this about his weapons, had nothing to do with his discontent. No, his bad mood was due to the dangerous things he had come close to.
About two weeks ago, he had gone through his first life and death battle. And he was also able to choose his adventurer path and advance in rank in the system. He had felt a little more secure at that time. However, according to his map and the book that detailed many things about the continent, he had entered what was called the Green Hell: an extremely dangerous place, with white vampire bats capable of draining a man's blood in minutes, tattooed lizards that run towards their prey and tear it apart with long, curved claws on their hind legs, fifteen-meter-long snakes, spotted spiders, and terrible, terrifying Wyverns.
It had been hours since he entered the Green Hell, and he had found no danger. He could hear the leaves of the trees and bushes moving. He could hear a roar in the distance, even a few hisses. He knew that death could be surrounding him at that very moment. That was why he was in a bad mood, as he wanted and needed to rest. The two weeks of travel, although with few attacks on his person (by animals), had left him little rest. He wanted to pass the most dangerous part of Sothoryos, in the shortest time possible.
As he walked carefully, measuring each step he took, Jon frowned a little. He stopped and listened carefully. It was a somewhat loud noise, almost like a continuous rumble.
He decided to follow that sound. He understood that it could be risky but, among all the jungle, hearing such a loud noise should not be usual. His time in Sothoryos, although still short, had already given him some experience. And what he heard, was not like a roar of some beast, nor the hiss of a snake, much less footsteps. It was as if something was hitting something else.
After about fifteen minutes, the trees slowly began to open up. It was not too much, but enough to notice that beyond, in a portion of land, there were no trees. Jon inhaled sharply at that, inhaling fresher air. He felt a little less tired by doing so.
Then, he moved faster, until he began to run.
The noise grew louder and louder. The roar had begun to pound on his ears.
When he finally arrived, all the bad mood vanished. His dark grey eyes opened wide, while his lips stretched into an excited smile. In front of him, there was a clear lake, while to his right, a waterfall descended from a large rock wall, which rose to the top. For a minute, Jon stood admiring and feeling the freshness that the waterfall brought.
Happiness had hit hard, to the point that he felt the need to laugh with all his might. Although he didn't. Instead, he approached with quick steps towards the waterfall, on the edge of the river that formed the water. He put the sword in its sheath, and extended his hand.
"Cold...", he murmured, feeling the coldness of the water. He stood there for a few seconds, soaking his hand, and also part of his forearm. And when he moved, he did so to pass his wet hand over one of his cheeks. That refreshing feeling had flooded his body again, though only for a few seconds. Jon looked down at his hand, flexing his fingers a little, only to smile even harder.
He had decided at that very moment that he would use the place for a few days.
Although, for that, he needed to check things out a bit. He had already learned that this was a place full of dangers. Because of that, his smile faded and he walked along one of the banks, looking for anything that could endanger his life. He even used the flask where he had kept his water, to take some of the water from the river, since he wanted to check it out a bit. Maybe putting some water in one of the empty food cans and boiling it would be a good idea, was what he thought.
Jon also looked closely at the river, in case there were those fish that could eat an animal in minutes. When he didn't see any of that, he calmed down a bit. So he decided to set up his little camp.
It took him several minutes to do that, but when he did, he took off his clothes and jumped into the lake. The water jumped when he entered suddenly. He closed his eyes when he felt the cold, clean water touching his body. He stood still for a few seconds, until he opened his eyes and moved to the surface, looking at the sky as he floated.
It felt like a reward.
The system had given him amazing things, like the potions and his camp, even the weapons. But this was a different reward. It was the safe place he had needed all this time. It was the moment of relaxation he so desperately needed.
Jon smiled and moved to swim down, further into the bottom of the lake. And since it wasn't too big, it didn't take long for him to get there. And there, he turned to look up, seeing the sky from the bottom.
He had been surrounded by danger.
Death had lurked behind him at every moment. With every step he took, he felt like he could die.
But, at that moment, as his body was cleansed of all the accumulated dirt, he also felt like nothing could worry him. It was as if his own soul had been purified by nature.
And as he moved to the surface, only to float once more, he smiled. He thought of his family, but no longer with sadness or anger. The memories he spent with them, whether good or bad, appeared in his mind for an instant. The doubts about the lies and his identity began to cease to be a problem.
He had needed a moment of rest like the one he was having. Both his body and his mind had craved it. And in that moment where nothing and no one could hurt him, he understood that this was his life.
What did it matter if his birth name was Jaehaerys? He was also Jon. All the things he lived as Jon, he would not throw them aside so he could use the name Jaehaerys.
What did it matter what trouble his identity would bring? He was in Sothoryos! His life was now that of an adventurer, living in the dangerous jungle and trying to reach places never discovered by the people of Westeros or Essos. Even Yi-Ti or Asshai didn't know what lay beyond the first part of Sothoryos.
His life, right now, wasn't in Westeros. Not in Winterfell or King's Landing. His life was here. Anything beyond Sothoryos wasn't important to him right now.
The doubts that had still lingered in Jon's mind were processed and crushed by his current resolve. The clear water of the lake had refreshed his tired body and mind. And the smile on his face didn't seem to disappear.
When he finally emerged from the lake, Jon felt stronger and freer than ever. He sat at the entrance to his tent and stayed there to dry himself off little by little. He took out his map some time later, memorizing the place where the mark that positioned him on the world map was. That way, if the need arose, he would know where to move.
After a few minutes, he took out the book that described certain things about the continent. Now more than ever, he wanted to continue. And he would do it in the best way possible, so he would draw a definitive route with his map, as well as read the entire book and try to memorize all the drawings of the beasts and plants.
He would move forward. He was determined to do that. He would travel to the end of Sothoryos, to move on to Ulthos and continue moving forward. He didn't know how long it would take him, but he would do it.
He would definitely continue to live until the end.
___________
Jon was not happy at the moment. His eyes kept moving as he walked, trying to listen and spot any danger around him. In his right hand, he held his sword, while in his left hand, he had his shield. He learned that it was better to have his shield. He could protect himself better and, in case he lost his sword in any fight, he could use the shield as a weapon, if necessary. But, all this about his weapons, had nothing to do with his discontent. No, his bad mood was due to the dangerous things he had come close to.
About two weeks ago, he had gone through his first life and death battle. And he was also able to choose his adventurer path and advance in rank in the system. He had felt a little more secure at that time. However, according to his map and the book that detailed many things about the continent, he had entered what was called the Green Hell: an extremely dangerous place, with white vampire bats capable of draining a man's blood in minutes, tattooed lizards that run towards their prey and tear it apart with long, curved claws on their hind legs, fifteen-meter-long snakes, spotted spiders, and terrible, terrifying Wyverns.
It had been hours since he entered the Green Hell, and he had found no danger. He could hear the leaves of the trees and bushes moving. He could hear a roar in the distance, even a few hisses. He knew that death could be surrounding him at that very moment. That was why he was in a bad mood, as he wanted and needed to rest. The two weeks of travel, although with few attacks on his person (by animals), had left him little rest. He wanted to pass the most dangerous part of Sothoryos, in the shortest time possible.
As he walked carefully, measuring each step he took, Jon frowned a little. He stopped and listened carefully. It was a somewhat loud noise, almost like a continuous rumble.
He decided to follow that sound. He understood that it could be risky but, among all the jungle, hearing such a loud noise should not be usual. His time in Sothoryos, although still short, had already given him some experience. And what he heard, was not like a roar of some beast, nor the hiss of a snake, much less footsteps. It was as if something was hitting something else.
After about fifteen minutes, the trees slowly began to open up. It was not too much, but enough to notice that beyond, in a portion of land, there were no trees. Jon inhaled sharply at that, inhaling fresher air. He felt a little less tired by doing so.
Then, he moved faster, until he began to run.
The noise grew louder and louder. The roar had begun to pound on his ears.
When he finally arrived, all the bad mood vanished. His dark grey eyes opened wide, while his lips stretched into an excited smile. In front of him, there was a clear lake, while to his right, a waterfall descended from a large rock wall, which rose to the top. For a minute, Jon stood admiring and feeling the freshness that the waterfall brought.
Happiness had hit hard, to the point that he felt the need to laugh with all his might. Although he didn't. Instead, he approached with quick steps towards the waterfall, on the edge of the river that formed the water. He put the sword in its sheath, and extended his hand.
"Cold...", he murmured, feeling the coldness of the water. He stood there for a few seconds, soaking his hand, and also part of his forearm. And when he moved, he did so to pass his wet hand over one of his cheeks. That refreshing feeling had flooded his body again, though only for a few seconds. Jon looked down at his hand, flexing his fingers a little, only to smile even harder.
He had decided at that very moment that he would use the place for a few days.
Although, for that, he needed to check things out a bit. He had already learned that this was a place full of dangers. Because of that, his smile faded and he walked along one of the banks, looking for anything that could endanger his life. He even used the flask where he had kept his water, to take some of the water from the river, since he wanted to check it out a bit. Maybe putting some water in one of the empty food cans and boiling it would be a good idea, was what he thought.
Jon also looked closely at the river, in case there were those fish that could eat an animal in minutes. When he didn't see any of that, he calmed down a bit. So he decided to set up his little camp.
It took him several minutes to do that, but when he did, he took off his clothes and jumped into the lake. The water jumped when he entered suddenly. He closed his eyes when he felt the cold, clean water touching his body. He stood still for a few seconds, until he opened his eyes and moved to the surface, looking at the sky as he floated.
It felt like a reward.
The system had given him amazing things, like the potions and his camp, even the weapons. But this was a different reward. It was the safe place he had needed all this time. It was the moment of relaxation he so desperately needed.
Jon smiled and moved to swim down, further into the bottom of the lake. And since it wasn't too big, it didn't take long for him to get there. And there, he turned to look up, seeing the sky from the bottom.
He had been surrounded by danger.
Death had lurked behind him at every moment. With every step he took, he felt like he could die.
But, at that moment, as his body was cleansed of all the accumulated dirt, he also felt like nothing could worry him. It was as if his own soul had been purified by nature.
And as he moved to the surface, only to float once more, he smiled. He thought of his family, but no longer with sadness or anger. The memories he spent with them, whether good or bad, appeared in his mind for an instant. The doubts about the lies and his identity began to cease to be a problem.
He had needed a moment of rest like the one he was having. Both his body and his mind had craved it. And in that moment where nothing and no one could hurt him, he understood that this was his life.
What did it matter if his birth name was Jaehaerys? He was also Jon. All the things he lived as Jon, he would not throw them aside so he could use the name Jaehaerys.
What did it matter what trouble his identity would bring? He was in Sothoryos! His life was now that of an adventurer, living in the dangerous jungle and trying to reach places never discovered by the people of Westeros or Essos. Even Yi-Ti or Asshai didn't know what lay beyond the first part of Sothoryos.
His life, right now, wasn't in Westeros. Not in Winterfell or King's Landing. His life was here. Anything beyond Sothoryos wasn't important to him right now.
The doubts that had still lingered in Jon's mind were processed and crushed by his current resolve. The clear water of the lake had refreshed his tired body and mind. And the smile on his face didn't seem to disappear.
When he finally emerged from the lake, Jon felt stronger and freer than ever. He sat at the entrance to his tent and stayed there to dry himself off little by little. He took out his map some time later, memorizing the place where the mark that positioned him on the world map was. That way, if the need arose, he would know where to move.
After a few minutes, he took out the book that described certain things about the continent. Now more than ever, he wanted to continue. And he would do it in the best way possible, so he would draw a definitive route with his map, as well as read the entire book and try to memorize all the drawings of the beasts and plants.
He would move forward. He was determined to do that. He would travel to the end of Sothoryos, to move on to Ulthos and continue moving forward. He didn't know how long it would take him, but he would do it.
He would definitely continue to live until the end.
___________
Westeros: Winterfell
"Wait... We waited for years, Lord Stark. I hoped to apologize to my son. I hoped to tell him the truth... for so long... And you tell me he disappeared?"
The King of the Seven Kingdoms narrowed his eyes dangerously. He was sitting across from Eddard Stark, inside the manor at Winterfell. Beside him, his two wives sat, one more worried than the other.
Elia had a frown on her face. She felt that if it had been years ago, she wouldn't care at all about the topic being discussed. She suffered during the rebellion, especially near the end, when the Mountain, Gregor Clegane, tried to kill and rape her. If it hadn't been for Jaime Lannister, then things would have turned out the worst. And for that reason, the first two years after that, she felt angry at Rhaegar and Lyanna. While she was preoccupied in King's Landing, her husband was off with another woman than his wife. Things had been truly worrying after the rebellion ended, as bonds had to be reformed, both in love and marriage.
And while that was happening, the Faith was taking it upon themselves to butt into a marriage with two wives. It was extremely infuriating. Annoying. Almost to the point where she was starting to hate.
It was a good thing that Lyanna Stark had been so... stubborn, to put it one way. The Stark woman had apologized for being partly responsible for the decisions Rhaegar made. And she really tried her best to bond with Elia.
For that reason and more, right now, she really felt worried. The years had made her form bonds with the northern woman. They were friends who cared for each other. They were wives who cared for their families.
As for Lyanna Stark, sitting on the other side of her husband, she growled angrily when she heard her brother's words. He almost looked like a real wolf for a few moments.
"I should hit you right now, brother," she snapped angrily. "How could you have missed it?! You're supposed to know everything that goes on in this place!"
Ned ran his hands over his face. His expression really showed his tiredness and concern.
"Do you think I wanted this, Lyanna? I raised Jon as my own. I provided him with everything he needed to live: training, studies, food, clothing. Everything I could while trying to maintain his false status as a bastard. He is my family."
Maester Luwin, who was part of the plan since Jon arrived, intervened at that moment. He hoped to quell things a bit.
"Your Grace, we've checked everything, even under the rocks. Please believe me when I say there is no sign of an escape, or any kind of struggle. Not a single horse was missing. The guards saw no movement at the doors. And inside Jon's room, everything is still."
"Do you really think he just disappeared out of nowhere?!" Rhaegar raised his voice.
Luwin slowly shook his head.
"Your Grace, what else can we say? Jon would have been noticed if he had escaped. And something would have been heard if he had been kidnapped. This is just too… weird."
Lyanna let out another groan before standing up. She walked out of the solar, ignoring the calls from her husband and brother. Even for her, it was too much what was happening. She had waited over twelve years to be able to see her son. She only knew about him from the few letters Ned had delivered. And she had to wait years for each one. After all, those letters couldn't be delivered by raven. It took special, very trustworthy people to get to her.
And now… now, when she had been able to see her son and tell him the whole truth, he was gone. He had disappeared without a trace behind. She ran, ran hard, tears threatening to appear in her eyes. She went down the stairs, through the hallways, and up another staircase, until she reached the room that was supposed to be Jon's. The same room she used when she lived in Winterfell.
When she opened the door, she found the room. It was a place she had forgotten, and now she couldn't remember, as things were in a different place. The smell wasn't the same. Even the atmosphere felt different.
She closed the door and walked over to the bed, where she sat down to look more closely. There was a small table and a chair near the fireplace. A wardrobe was attached to the wall on the other side. Lyanna turned her head to the right, just to see Jon's nightstand, her son's. There, was a wooden figure of a wolf. It wasn't very well made, but you could see the clear shape of a wolf. She reached out her hand and gently took the figure.
"Did he make it himself?" Lyanna thought, feeling like crying. Her lips trembled and she brought the small wooden wolf closer to her chest. She closed her eyes, trying to keep the tears contained in her eyes from falling.
But, at that moment, something surprising happened. Lyanna felt the darkness that came with closing her eyes suddenly change. Colors filled her vision. Huge trees and wet earth. The sunlight passing through the leaves. Thick branches and roots. And then, she saw him. It was a young man with dark, messy, and slightly dirty hair. He was wearing light brown clothes with straps and small leather bags on his waist. Around him, there were beasts she didn't know, but they certainly looked dangerous.
Lyanna tried to shout a warning when one of those two-legged beasts jumped at the young man. But, to her surprise, he moved his shield, blocking the dangerous teeth that waited to devour her head. And almost immediately, he moved his sword to cut off the beast's head.
She watched as he fought fiercely. She saw how those things could jump and run at high speed. And in two blows, one from each beast that surrounded him, they destroyed his shield. Lyanna was frightened for a moment, until the relief filled her being when, in a skillful and fast movement, the young man cut off another head, to turn and create a cut that drove away the last of the living beasts.
It had been fast. A speed that seemed impossible for a human being.
When he was left alone, with no danger in sight, Lyanna's vision receded. She blinked, realizing she was staring at the floor of the room.
It didn't take two seconds. She ran out with the wooden wolf in her hands.
. . .
"How are you, Luwin?" Ned asked skeptically. Lyanna had returned in no time, shouting that she had seen Jon in a vision. Everyone inside the manor looked at her in bewilderment. Luwin even with a little sorrow, thinking that the loss of his son had affected her too much.
Lyanna had insisted angrily and asked Luwin to hold the wooden wolf.
The Maester opened his eyes, his face a little pale. He swallowed hard and left the wolf on Ned's desk.
"It's... true. That wolf... that thing, it showed me a vision. And yes, it was Jon. Unfortunately, I can't place where it is."
Rhaegar immediately grabbed it, surprising everyone. He let it go only a few seconds later.
"Gods..." he muttered, completely dumbfounded. He couldn't believe that a mere timber wolf had the ability to show visions. It was similar to how glass candles were described in their use.
"Where did that come from?" Rhaegar asked after a few moments.
"I've seen Jon carving the wolf a couple of times. However, having the ability to see visions? That's something out of a fairy tale."
"And yet, we're experiencing it now," Luwin muttered.
"He was struggling!" Lyanna exclaimed worriedly.
"Struggling?" Rhaegar and Ned asked.
"I saw him holding a sword," Luwin commented. "But he wasn't fighting. He was walking through what looked like a forest full of huge trees."
"They were... they were... like lizards," Lyanna said, frowning a little. "I've never seen things like what I saw. They stood on two legs, with sharp teeth in their mouths. The claws on their feet were large and curved, like scythes."
Luwin's eyes widened in understanding. But then, his face turned into a confused one.
"Is... it true? What you described, is it true?"
"Yes. I saw it!"
"Then I understand less of what has happened," Luwin stated.
"What do you mean?" Elia asked. "If you recognize those animals, we might know where Jaehaerys is."
"That is the thing, your grace. The description of the animal does not belong to one that exists in Westeros, and neither does it exist in Essos. In fact, no one has given it a name. In the citadel, there are only descriptions similar to the one Your Grace named. Descriptions from ancient writings that belong to Sothoryos."
Everyone's eyes widened when they heard that.
"Are you kidding me?!" Rhaegar asked out loud.
"No. Sadly, a two-legged lizard with scythe-like claws and sharp teeth, corresponds to the little there is and that I have read about Sothoryos. In fact, I understand my vision better now. Trees so tall that they let rays of light through their leaves, a seemingly humid environment. The beasts that His Grace has described... everything seems to indicate that Jon is in Sothoryos..."
The solar fell completely silent for a moment. Ned was the one who interrupted that, sighing tiredly.
"How did such a thing happen? I mean, Sothoryos? There is no way he could have traveled and arrived in such a short time."
"I think...", Luwin said, before he stopped, savoring the words that were about to come out of his mouth. But, at the same time, a little unsure and afraid. "... there could be certain more... mystical things going on."
"You mean... magic?", Rhaegar asked carefully, receiving a slow nod from Luwin.
"Perhaps... just perhaps... something or someone, moved Jon to Sothoryos."
"For what purpose would something like that be done?" Elia asked.
"Unfortunately, I cannot give you an answer, Your Grace."
Everyone fell silent again. Everyone looked at the timber wolf.
Lyanna was the one who decided to speak.
"At least... at least, we can see what is happening with him."
Rhaegar nodded.
"Maester, you seem to know more about Sothoryos than we do. Do you think it is possible to send men to go find my son?"
Luwin was silent for a few moments, until he let out a sigh.
"I'm sorry, Your Grace, but I don't think it would be a good idea."
"Why?!" Lyanna asked forcefully.
"Because it would be dangerous. Very dangerous," Luwin said, frowning slightly. "I cannot know which part of Sothoryos Jon is in. And the dangers are only in the known parts of that place, they are surrounded by danger. Fish capable of devouring a man in a matter of minutes, creatures similar to lion lizards, bats capable of sucking a man's blood in minutes. And let's not even talk about the multiple diseases."
"It is said that Queen Nymeria went through hell when she tried to settle in Sothoryos. And so, she sailed further west. These are unexplored lands, and from what little we know, it has already been described as a green hell."
"The men who would go, could end up dead, with no chance of returning."
Rhaegar gritted his teeth, feeling a great helplessness. He had been through many, as had his wives. And not just the rebellion. The almost broken kingdoms he had to rule afterward were a real problem. He had to give out punishments and rewards. He had to make things right with all the kingdoms. He had to rule over people who thought he could go mad at any moment.
And when everything had started to go well. When things had become calm, this happened.
How much more did his family have to suffer? How much more did he have to endure in order to be happy with his whole family? Rhegar felt angry as these things ran through his mind.
"I need to take a break from all this," he muttered under his breath.
Everyone listened to him and felt the same way.
"We can talk tomorrow, Your Grace," Eddard said carefully.
"Yes... Yes, you're right. And by the way, you really weren't to blame for anything. Apparently."
Ned shrugged slightly.
"His reaction was normal. Something to be expected. It's a part of his family."
Rhaegar nodded.
"We'll talk tomorrow. Right now, I need to rest and eat something. Honestly, we haven't eaten anything since we got here."
Everyone nodded immediately, though they were still just as worried. But, looking on the bright side, they now had something to watch Jon with.
_________________________________
"Wait... We waited for years, Lord Stark. I hoped to apologize to my son. I hoped to tell him the truth... for so long... And you tell me he disappeared?"
The King of the Seven Kingdoms narrowed his eyes dangerously. He was sitting across from Eddard Stark, inside the manor at Winterfell. Beside him, his two wives sat, one more worried than the other.
Elia had a frown on her face. She felt that if it had been years ago, she wouldn't care at all about the topic being discussed. She suffered during the rebellion, especially near the end, when the Mountain, Gregor Clegane, tried to kill and rape her. If it hadn't been for Jaime Lannister, then things would have turned out the worst. And for that reason, the first two years after that, she felt angry at Rhaegar and Lyanna. While she was preoccupied in King's Landing, her husband was off with another woman than his wife. Things had been truly worrying after the rebellion ended, as bonds had to be reformed, both in love and marriage.
And while that was happening, the Faith was taking it upon themselves to butt into a marriage with two wives. It was extremely infuriating. Annoying. Almost to the point where she was starting to hate.
It was a good thing that Lyanna Stark had been so... stubborn, to put it one way. The Stark woman had apologized for being partly responsible for the decisions Rhaegar made. And she really tried her best to bond with Elia.
For that reason and more, right now, she really felt worried. The years had made her form bonds with the northern woman. They were friends who cared for each other. They were wives who cared for their families.
As for Lyanna Stark, sitting on the other side of her husband, she growled angrily when she heard her brother's words. He almost looked like a real wolf for a few moments.
"I should hit you right now, brother," she snapped angrily. "How could you have missed it?! You're supposed to know everything that goes on in this place!"
Ned ran his hands over his face. His expression really showed his tiredness and concern.
"Do you think I wanted this, Lyanna? I raised Jon as my own. I provided him with everything he needed to live: training, studies, food, clothing. Everything I could while trying to maintain his false status as a bastard. He is my family."
Maester Luwin, who was part of the plan since Jon arrived, intervened at that moment. He hoped to quell things a bit.
"Your Grace, we've checked everything, even under the rocks. Please believe me when I say there is no sign of an escape, or any kind of struggle. Not a single horse was missing. The guards saw no movement at the doors. And inside Jon's room, everything is still."
"Do you really think he just disappeared out of nowhere?!" Rhaegar raised his voice.
Luwin slowly shook his head.
"Your Grace, what else can we say? Jon would have been noticed if he had escaped. And something would have been heard if he had been kidnapped. This is just too… weird."
Lyanna let out another groan before standing up. She walked out of the solar, ignoring the calls from her husband and brother. Even for her, it was too much what was happening. She had waited over twelve years to be able to see her son. She only knew about him from the few letters Ned had delivered. And she had to wait years for each one. After all, those letters couldn't be delivered by raven. It took special, very trustworthy people to get to her.
And now… now, when she had been able to see her son and tell him the whole truth, he was gone. He had disappeared without a trace behind. She ran, ran hard, tears threatening to appear in her eyes. She went down the stairs, through the hallways, and up another staircase, until she reached the room that was supposed to be Jon's. The same room she used when she lived in Winterfell.
When she opened the door, she found the room. It was a place she had forgotten, and now she couldn't remember, as things were in a different place. The smell wasn't the same. Even the atmosphere felt different.
She closed the door and walked over to the bed, where she sat down to look more closely. There was a small table and a chair near the fireplace. A wardrobe was attached to the wall on the other side. Lyanna turned her head to the right, just to see Jon's nightstand, her son's. There, was a wooden figure of a wolf. It wasn't very well made, but you could see the clear shape of a wolf. She reached out her hand and gently took the figure.
"Did he make it himself?" Lyanna thought, feeling like crying. Her lips trembled and she brought the small wooden wolf closer to her chest. She closed her eyes, trying to keep the tears contained in her eyes from falling.
But, at that moment, something surprising happened. Lyanna felt the darkness that came with closing her eyes suddenly change. Colors filled her vision. Huge trees and wet earth. The sunlight passing through the leaves. Thick branches and roots. And then, she saw him. It was a young man with dark, messy, and slightly dirty hair. He was wearing light brown clothes with straps and small leather bags on his waist. Around him, there were beasts she didn't know, but they certainly looked dangerous.
Lyanna tried to shout a warning when one of those two-legged beasts jumped at the young man. But, to her surprise, he moved his shield, blocking the dangerous teeth that waited to devour her head. And almost immediately, he moved his sword to cut off the beast's head.
She watched as he fought fiercely. She saw how those things could jump and run at high speed. And in two blows, one from each beast that surrounded him, they destroyed his shield. Lyanna was frightened for a moment, until the relief filled her being when, in a skillful and fast movement, the young man cut off another head, to turn and create a cut that drove away the last of the living beasts.
It had been fast. A speed that seemed impossible for a human being.
When he was left alone, with no danger in sight, Lyanna's vision receded. She blinked, realizing she was staring at the floor of the room.
It didn't take two seconds. She ran out with the wooden wolf in her hands.
. . .
"How are you, Luwin?" Ned asked skeptically. Lyanna had returned in no time, shouting that she had seen Jon in a vision. Everyone inside the manor looked at her in bewilderment. Luwin even with a little sorrow, thinking that the loss of his son had affected her too much.
Lyanna had insisted angrily and asked Luwin to hold the wooden wolf.
The Maester opened his eyes, his face a little pale. He swallowed hard and left the wolf on Ned's desk.
"It's... true. That wolf... that thing, it showed me a vision. And yes, it was Jon. Unfortunately, I can't place where it is."
Rhaegar immediately grabbed it, surprising everyone. He let it go only a few seconds later.
"Gods..." he muttered, completely dumbfounded. He couldn't believe that a mere timber wolf had the ability to show visions. It was similar to how glass candles were described in their use.
"Where did that come from?" Rhaegar asked after a few moments.
"I've seen Jon carving the wolf a couple of times. However, having the ability to see visions? That's something out of a fairy tale."
"And yet, we're experiencing it now," Luwin muttered.
"He was struggling!" Lyanna exclaimed worriedly.
"Struggling?" Rhaegar and Ned asked.
"I saw him holding a sword," Luwin commented. "But he wasn't fighting. He was walking through what looked like a forest full of huge trees."
"They were... they were... like lizards," Lyanna said, frowning a little. "I've never seen things like what I saw. They stood on two legs, with sharp teeth in their mouths. The claws on their feet were large and curved, like scythes."
Luwin's eyes widened in understanding. But then, his face turned into a confused one.
"Is... it true? What you described, is it true?"
"Yes. I saw it!"
"Then I understand less of what has happened," Luwin stated.
"What do you mean?" Elia asked. "If you recognize those animals, we might know where Jaehaerys is."
"That is the thing, your grace. The description of the animal does not belong to one that exists in Westeros, and neither does it exist in Essos. In fact, no one has given it a name. In the citadel, there are only descriptions similar to the one Your Grace named. Descriptions from ancient writings that belong to Sothoryos."
Everyone's eyes widened when they heard that.
"Are you kidding me?!" Rhaegar asked out loud.
"No. Sadly, a two-legged lizard with scythe-like claws and sharp teeth, corresponds to the little there is and that I have read about Sothoryos. In fact, I understand my vision better now. Trees so tall that they let rays of light through their leaves, a seemingly humid environment. The beasts that His Grace has described... everything seems to indicate that Jon is in Sothoryos..."
The solar fell completely silent for a moment. Ned was the one who interrupted that, sighing tiredly.
"How did such a thing happen? I mean, Sothoryos? There is no way he could have traveled and arrived in such a short time."
"I think...", Luwin said, before he stopped, savoring the words that were about to come out of his mouth. But, at the same time, a little unsure and afraid. "... there could be certain more... mystical things going on."
"You mean... magic?", Rhaegar asked carefully, receiving a slow nod from Luwin.
"Perhaps... just perhaps... something or someone, moved Jon to Sothoryos."
"For what purpose would something like that be done?" Elia asked.
"Unfortunately, I cannot give you an answer, Your Grace."
Everyone fell silent again. Everyone looked at the timber wolf.
Lyanna was the one who decided to speak.
"At least... at least, we can see what is happening with him."
Rhaegar nodded.
"Maester, you seem to know more about Sothoryos than we do. Do you think it is possible to send men to go find my son?"
Luwin was silent for a few moments, until he let out a sigh.
"I'm sorry, Your Grace, but I don't think it would be a good idea."
"Why?!" Lyanna asked forcefully.
"Because it would be dangerous. Very dangerous," Luwin said, frowning slightly. "I cannot know which part of Sothoryos Jon is in. And the dangers are only in the known parts of that place, they are surrounded by danger. Fish capable of devouring a man in a matter of minutes, creatures similar to lion lizards, bats capable of sucking a man's blood in minutes. And let's not even talk about the multiple diseases."
"It is said that Queen Nymeria went through hell when she tried to settle in Sothoryos. And so, she sailed further west. These are unexplored lands, and from what little we know, it has already been described as a green hell."
"The men who would go, could end up dead, with no chance of returning."
Rhaegar gritted his teeth, feeling a great helplessness. He had been through many, as had his wives. And not just the rebellion. The almost broken kingdoms he had to rule afterward were a real problem. He had to give out punishments and rewards. He had to make things right with all the kingdoms. He had to rule over people who thought he could go mad at any moment.
And when everything had started to go well. When things had become calm, this happened.
How much more did his family have to suffer? How much more did he have to endure in order to be happy with his whole family? Rhegar felt angry as these things ran through his mind.
"I need to take a break from all this," he muttered under his breath.
Everyone listened to him and felt the same way.
"We can talk tomorrow, Your Grace," Eddard said carefully.
"Yes... Yes, you're right. And by the way, you really weren't to blame for anything. Apparently."
Ned shrugged slightly.
"His reaction was normal. Something to be expected. It's a part of his family."
Rhaegar nodded.
"We'll talk tomorrow. Right now, I need to rest and eat something. Honestly, we haven't eaten anything since we got here."
Everyone nodded immediately, though they were still just as worried. But, looking on the bright side, they now had something to watch Jon with.
_________________________________
Chapter 9: Certain Decisions
New
At the Dursley residence, everyone was a little worried. They could feel that the temperature had dropped a little, they could even see through the window that it seemed to have gotten a little dark outside.
The three of them were silent for a long while, until Vernon got fed up and was about to say something, though he couldn't really. At that very moment, Harry's voice came from outside, causing Dudley to run and open the door.
Petunia had stood up and watched in surprise as Harry was carrying a beautiful girl.
"She's so..."
"Dudley," Harry glared at him for a moment, knowing what his first was about to say.
"Oh, right, sorry. Was she attacked by this Demenkor thing?"
"Dementor, and yes, she was attacked. Can you share some chocolate, please?" Harry walked in and left Fleur on the couch.
"Chocolate?" Petunia asked.
"It's good for feeling better after a Dementor attack. The chemicals within chocolate stimulate the release of endorphins, which are chemicals produced by the body to combat stress and pain; it often leads to a feeling of greater happiness."
"When you're feeling fear and pain from Dementor exposure, it's good to eat chocolate to help you recover a bit."
Petunia felt a little foolish at the detailed explanation, but she started to reach for some chocolate anyway."
Harry looked at Fleur who had intertwined their fingers and was tightly clenching their hands. She seemed to be trying to stop shaking, but it wasn't working. Harry put his hands on Fleur's and looked at her carefully.
"You're okay now. "Those damn things are gone."
"Yes... Yes... Thank you."
Harry slowly shook his head and said, "Don't thank me, those things were probably sent to me."
Sighing a little, Harry looked at Vernon.
"Vernon, the wards should be working by now. There's no need for me to go back. Plus it's better this way, they won't send such dangerous things anymore."
Grumbling a little, Vernon nodded as he crossed his arms.
"Here, here you go," Petunia came over with a chocolate bar and Harry took it.
"Thanks, Petunia."
"Here, Fleur. "Eat some, it'll help," Harry opened the chocolate bar and broke off a bit before Fleur took it and took a bite. She ate slowly before she sighed a little.
"Thank you ma'am."
"You're welcome..."
Harry hesitated for a few moments before he decided to say something.
"Fleur, I can help you more. Will you let me?"
Fleur looked at him for a few seconds before nodding.
"Okay, look at my eyes. Don't move away from them," Harry moved a little closer and gently cupped Fleur's face. She looked into the green eyes that seemed to shine brightly before she felt her mind sink and then her best memories appeared around her. The moment she received her wand made from her grandmother's hair, the pride of attending Beauxbaton, the birth of her sister, her birthdays and so much more.
Every happy memory that caused positive things appeared in front of her before her back hit the back of the couch with a little force. Her eyes shone brighter and she realized that the trembling in her body had disappeared and she was staring into Harry's bright green eyes.
"You... how did you do that?"
"Legilimency," Harry replied.
"So... you saw..."
"Just a little. I used Legilimency to see which memories were happy and bring them to the surface of your mind. I actually only saw the beginning of each memory."
"I see... thank you, Harry. I feel much better."
"Did you see into his mind?! It's just so cool!" Dudley said in surprise. "You can do something like the Jedi?"
"I..." Harry looked at his cousin, dumbfounded by the apparent excitement and respect Dudley showed for magic, albeit in a slightly misguided way.
He finally sighed and nodded.
"Amazing..."
"By the way, did any letters arrive?" Harry asked.
"No, nothing has," Petunia immediately replied.
"Good. That might be good."
"Can you move, Fleur? Would it be okay for me to use Apparition?"
Fleur nodded immediately.
"Then we'll see you another time... perhaps," Harry looked at the Dursley family one by one before taking Fleur's hand and causing their figures to blur and move to a point before disappearing.
...
"Where are we?" Fleur asked, looking at the living room with white walls and red sofas. There was a lit fireplace right in front of the two sofas and a coffee table in the middle.
"My house. My real house," Harry replied. "Keep it a secret, please. Dumbledore and his order think I still live in my uncle's house, as do the goblins."
"Why are you hiding? I mean, I don't think Dumbledore is bad."
"And you think right. But up until a few days ago I didn't get along that well with my relatives. They don't like magic, at least my uncles don't. And Dudley just listened to them, only now he seemed to change his mind."
"Dobby!" Harry exclaimed and a 'pop' resounded in the room.
"Mr. Harry Potter, sir. Do you need something from Dobby?"
"Yes, can you bring two cups of hot chocolate?"
"Dobby will do that."
"Thanks, mate."
Fleur looked at the scene a little strangely, especially when the elf left whispering about serving the Great Harry Potter.
"Ignore him, Dobby is a bit of a fan..."
"Even the house elves. Your fame reaches everywhere, Harry Potter," Fleur smiled a little as she said and sat down on one of the sofas. Harry huffed a little as he sat across from her, carefully watching Fleur, who seemed much better, but Harry knew she was still feeling a little shaken by the attack.
Harry sighed a little, knowing that things would get a little worse. Because while he could find the rest of the Horcrux and destroy Voldemort, he didn't want people to take him as a hero who would solve all the problems of the magical community in this country.
It might be cruel of him, but Harry would just let them suffer a little.
"Fleur, I think it would be a good idea for you to go back to France."
"What? Why?" Fleur asked as she frowned. "I mean, I understand that this attack was dangerous, but..."
Harry cut her off by raising his hand and leaning forward a little, resting his elbows on his knees.
"Fleur, things could really take a turn for the worse. I haven't just been living here and enjoying the freedom I have now. As you could see before, I can use magic without attracting the attention of the Ministry, and I did it because it was necessary."
"I knew that some people in the Ministry have a certain hatred for me. And the Dementors this time were sent by them."
"What?! Are they really crazy enough to release Dementors out in the open? Are you sure it wasn't Voldemort?"
Harry shook his head and said, "Voldemort has been staying in Malfoy Manor since he returned. He hasn't left that place, not even the bloody courtyard of the manor."
"The person who caused this attack is Dolores Umbride, Minister Fudge's undersecretary. That woman embodies the worst traits of a pureblood and would not hesitate to cause damage when she doesn't like a person."
"But... how do you know all this? You seemed as surprised as I was."
"I knew they would attack me, Fleur. Unfortunately, I completely forgot that some people in the Ministry are crazy enough to release dementors. That's why I was surprised. Not by the attack itself, but rather by what they used for the attack."
Fleur looked at her hands as she frowned, thinking about Harry's words. Unfortunately, she didn't think she could leave the country, not just yet.
"Thank you for being so worried about me, Harry. But I'm sorry, I agreed to join the Order of the Phoenix."
"What?! When?" Harry asked surprised. Of course he knew Fleur would join, but not when.
"Just today. I saw William Weasley at Gringotts and he invited me to join. He says I might have a chance to request the help of the goblins in a better way because of my work, although I doubt it a little, I want to help in all this."
Harry ran a hand over his face as he leaned back on the couch.
"I don't know what to think, Fleur. The decision you've made could change your life forever, do you understand that?"
"Harry, people might be afraid to stand up against Voldemort, but I think it's necessary for some to do so. I may not be able to offer much help, but I can definitely contribute something, even if it's just a small thing," Fleur said seriously as she looked at a shocked Harry.
"I don't understand you, Fleur. You haven't lived in England or any country within this huge, cursed island. Why would you be so determined to help people who aren't even part of your country, your home?"
"Voldemort doesn't just affect Britain, Harry. The Dark Lord recruits allies from all over, especially if they are extreme people who are dissatisfied with the community they live in."
"France is much more peaceful, but it still has many dissatisfied Purebloods. And I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to join the Dark Lord."
"And tell me, if the Dark Lord wins, what comes next? With the support he would have from certain people in Europe, I'm sure he would target other countries."
"That won't happen," Harry said in a hard voice.
"You don't know, Harry. He could..."
"No, you're not understanding me," Harry interrupted as he leaned forward again. His eyes flashed green for a moment.
"I'll kill him before he can even think of such things. And if those Death Eaters start flitting around too much, they'll have nothing left but to die under my wand," Harry stood up as Fleur stared at him in shock.
"Follow me," Harry said as he opened the door to the living room.
"Dobby, I'm sorry, but take the hot chocolate down to the basement."
"Basement?" Fleur asked confused.
"This house has a big basement underneath it. And if you're really going to take part in all this shit, I'll teach you some useful spells."
"Can you even teach?"
"I know more than I let on, Fleur. I think I've proven that."
"By the way, you do know what happened years ago, right?"
Fleur looked at him as she walked beside him and nodded, understanding that the conversation had not changed subject.
"Voldemort"
"Yes. Voldemort," Harry nodded before continuing, "Years ago, the people of Britain knew pain. All thanks to Voldemort."
"But the people didn't really do much. You have to give the Order of the Phoenix a medal in this case, because they were a group of people who decided to rise up against all odds. But if more people had stood up, things could have ended quicker."
"Sadly, the moment they saw others rising up, they decided to wait and see what would happen."
"People are afraid of Voldemort."
"People are afraid of his Death Eaters."
"People are afraid of using magic because of their stupid prejudices and preconceived ideas."
Harry shook his head in exasperation.
"At this point, most of the wizarding society in the world is in a big hole. A fucking hole that they don't seem to want to get out of."
"And you want to change that?" Fleur asked doubtfully.
"Of course not," Harry laughed a little. "There's no way I can change that."
"When this whole Voldemort thing is over, maybe I'll set up a shop or maybe a small academy to teach spells, I don't know yet. But I definitely won't be working for the Ministry, nor Hogwarts."
"Or I might end up traveling around the world before settling down somewhere."
"Why? You'd have so many opportunities just by asking."
"Because I know for a hundred percent that, when Voldemort is no more, someone else will show up to bother you. It's just a matter of time."
"After all this shit, there's no way I'm going to live stopping dark lords."
Fleur fell silent, thinking about Harry's words. They didn't stop though and reached the basement. It was large, perhaps larger than the plot of land the house used alone. There were lights illuminating the place from above, practice dummies on the sides and some completely destroyed, there were also targets on the other side of the room, waiting to be hit.
"What do you want to teach me?"
"Besides the Patronus Charm? A variation of it, a useful spell for all occasions, attack spells and also protection spells."
"I know quite a few attack spells."
"Maybe," Harry nodded and pulled out his wand before pointing it at a practice dummy. "But you have to know how to stop the enemy without getting up."
"Pugio," no light or beam came out of Harry's wand, just a sound was heard and the doll now had a deep cut on one leg, as if a knife had been stuck in it.
"That was a spell that creates wounds like a dagger. You can use it to simply create a simple, shallow cut, all the way to creating a deeper wound, as if you had pierced yourself with a dagger."
"Of course, you can also increase the damage," Harry pointed again.
"Pugio Tria," three sounds were heard this time, and Fleur saw that three wounds similar to the first one were created. She also thought that this was too lethal. If someone with experience in silent magic learned it, then you wouldn't know where an attack would come from. In the end, the sound created was because the doll seemed to be made of wood, cloth, and other things.
"Where did you get the spell from?" Fleur asked with a little doubt.
"... He does. Anyway, it's not magic that needs negative feelings to use. In the end, magic is magic, only you can decide if it's good or bad."
"And having this can save your life if you get into combat with Death Eaters. With just this I can damage anyone's legs and impede their movements."
"What else?" Fleur decided to ask.
"Oh, I think you'll like this one," Harry smiled before starting to teach Fleur, who seemed much more serious than before. Perhaps only now was she realizing the dangers she had gotten herself into. When she saw Harry use such lethal magic or say that he would kill Voldemort with such verbal ease and without fear, then she thought of what the dark lord could really do.
They weren't as kind as Harry. They wouldn't hesitate to torment their victims until they begged for death.
The three of them were silent for a long while, until Vernon got fed up and was about to say something, though he couldn't really. At that very moment, Harry's voice came from outside, causing Dudley to run and open the door.
Petunia had stood up and watched in surprise as Harry was carrying a beautiful girl.
"She's so..."
"Dudley," Harry glared at him for a moment, knowing what his first was about to say.
"Oh, right, sorry. Was she attacked by this Demenkor thing?"
"Dementor, and yes, she was attacked. Can you share some chocolate, please?" Harry walked in and left Fleur on the couch.
"Chocolate?" Petunia asked.
"It's good for feeling better after a Dementor attack. The chemicals within chocolate stimulate the release of endorphins, which are chemicals produced by the body to combat stress and pain; it often leads to a feeling of greater happiness."
"When you're feeling fear and pain from Dementor exposure, it's good to eat chocolate to help you recover a bit."
Petunia felt a little foolish at the detailed explanation, but she started to reach for some chocolate anyway."
Harry looked at Fleur who had intertwined their fingers and was tightly clenching their hands. She seemed to be trying to stop shaking, but it wasn't working. Harry put his hands on Fleur's and looked at her carefully.
"You're okay now. "Those damn things are gone."
"Yes... Yes... Thank you."
Harry slowly shook his head and said, "Don't thank me, those things were probably sent to me."
Sighing a little, Harry looked at Vernon.
"Vernon, the wards should be working by now. There's no need for me to go back. Plus it's better this way, they won't send such dangerous things anymore."
Grumbling a little, Vernon nodded as he crossed his arms.
"Here, here you go," Petunia came over with a chocolate bar and Harry took it.
"Thanks, Petunia."
"Here, Fleur. "Eat some, it'll help," Harry opened the chocolate bar and broke off a bit before Fleur took it and took a bite. She ate slowly before she sighed a little.
"Thank you ma'am."
"You're welcome..."
Harry hesitated for a few moments before he decided to say something.
"Fleur, I can help you more. Will you let me?"
Fleur looked at him for a few seconds before nodding.
"Okay, look at my eyes. Don't move away from them," Harry moved a little closer and gently cupped Fleur's face. She looked into the green eyes that seemed to shine brightly before she felt her mind sink and then her best memories appeared around her. The moment she received her wand made from her grandmother's hair, the pride of attending Beauxbaton, the birth of her sister, her birthdays and so much more.
Every happy memory that caused positive things appeared in front of her before her back hit the back of the couch with a little force. Her eyes shone brighter and she realized that the trembling in her body had disappeared and she was staring into Harry's bright green eyes.
"You... how did you do that?"
"Legilimency," Harry replied.
"So... you saw..."
"Just a little. I used Legilimency to see which memories were happy and bring them to the surface of your mind. I actually only saw the beginning of each memory."
"I see... thank you, Harry. I feel much better."
"Did you see into his mind?! It's just so cool!" Dudley said in surprise. "You can do something like the Jedi?"
"I..." Harry looked at his cousin, dumbfounded by the apparent excitement and respect Dudley showed for magic, albeit in a slightly misguided way.
He finally sighed and nodded.
"Amazing..."
"By the way, did any letters arrive?" Harry asked.
"No, nothing has," Petunia immediately replied.
"Good. That might be good."
"Can you move, Fleur? Would it be okay for me to use Apparition?"
Fleur nodded immediately.
"Then we'll see you another time... perhaps," Harry looked at the Dursley family one by one before taking Fleur's hand and causing their figures to blur and move to a point before disappearing.
...
"Where are we?" Fleur asked, looking at the living room with white walls and red sofas. There was a lit fireplace right in front of the two sofas and a coffee table in the middle.
"My house. My real house," Harry replied. "Keep it a secret, please. Dumbledore and his order think I still live in my uncle's house, as do the goblins."
"Why are you hiding? I mean, I don't think Dumbledore is bad."
"And you think right. But up until a few days ago I didn't get along that well with my relatives. They don't like magic, at least my uncles don't. And Dudley just listened to them, only now he seemed to change his mind."
"Dobby!" Harry exclaimed and a 'pop' resounded in the room.
"Mr. Harry Potter, sir. Do you need something from Dobby?"
"Yes, can you bring two cups of hot chocolate?"
"Dobby will do that."
"Thanks, mate."
Fleur looked at the scene a little strangely, especially when the elf left whispering about serving the Great Harry Potter.
"Ignore him, Dobby is a bit of a fan..."
"Even the house elves. Your fame reaches everywhere, Harry Potter," Fleur smiled a little as she said and sat down on one of the sofas. Harry huffed a little as he sat across from her, carefully watching Fleur, who seemed much better, but Harry knew she was still feeling a little shaken by the attack.
Harry sighed a little, knowing that things would get a little worse. Because while he could find the rest of the Horcrux and destroy Voldemort, he didn't want people to take him as a hero who would solve all the problems of the magical community in this country.
It might be cruel of him, but Harry would just let them suffer a little.
"Fleur, I think it would be a good idea for you to go back to France."
"What? Why?" Fleur asked as she frowned. "I mean, I understand that this attack was dangerous, but..."
Harry cut her off by raising his hand and leaning forward a little, resting his elbows on his knees.
"Fleur, things could really take a turn for the worse. I haven't just been living here and enjoying the freedom I have now. As you could see before, I can use magic without attracting the attention of the Ministry, and I did it because it was necessary."
"I knew that some people in the Ministry have a certain hatred for me. And the Dementors this time were sent by them."
"What?! Are they really crazy enough to release Dementors out in the open? Are you sure it wasn't Voldemort?"
Harry shook his head and said, "Voldemort has been staying in Malfoy Manor since he returned. He hasn't left that place, not even the bloody courtyard of the manor."
"The person who caused this attack is Dolores Umbride, Minister Fudge's undersecretary. That woman embodies the worst traits of a pureblood and would not hesitate to cause damage when she doesn't like a person."
"But... how do you know all this? You seemed as surprised as I was."
"I knew they would attack me, Fleur. Unfortunately, I completely forgot that some people in the Ministry are crazy enough to release dementors. That's why I was surprised. Not by the attack itself, but rather by what they used for the attack."
Fleur looked at her hands as she frowned, thinking about Harry's words. Unfortunately, she didn't think she could leave the country, not just yet.
"Thank you for being so worried about me, Harry. But I'm sorry, I agreed to join the Order of the Phoenix."
"What?! When?" Harry asked surprised. Of course he knew Fleur would join, but not when.
"Just today. I saw William Weasley at Gringotts and he invited me to join. He says I might have a chance to request the help of the goblins in a better way because of my work, although I doubt it a little, I want to help in all this."
Harry ran a hand over his face as he leaned back on the couch.
"I don't know what to think, Fleur. The decision you've made could change your life forever, do you understand that?"
"Harry, people might be afraid to stand up against Voldemort, but I think it's necessary for some to do so. I may not be able to offer much help, but I can definitely contribute something, even if it's just a small thing," Fleur said seriously as she looked at a shocked Harry.
"I don't understand you, Fleur. You haven't lived in England or any country within this huge, cursed island. Why would you be so determined to help people who aren't even part of your country, your home?"
"Voldemort doesn't just affect Britain, Harry. The Dark Lord recruits allies from all over, especially if they are extreme people who are dissatisfied with the community they live in."
"France is much more peaceful, but it still has many dissatisfied Purebloods. And I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to join the Dark Lord."
"And tell me, if the Dark Lord wins, what comes next? With the support he would have from certain people in Europe, I'm sure he would target other countries."
"That won't happen," Harry said in a hard voice.
"You don't know, Harry. He could..."
"No, you're not understanding me," Harry interrupted as he leaned forward again. His eyes flashed green for a moment.
"I'll kill him before he can even think of such things. And if those Death Eaters start flitting around too much, they'll have nothing left but to die under my wand," Harry stood up as Fleur stared at him in shock.
"Follow me," Harry said as he opened the door to the living room.
"Dobby, I'm sorry, but take the hot chocolate down to the basement."
"Basement?" Fleur asked confused.
"This house has a big basement underneath it. And if you're really going to take part in all this shit, I'll teach you some useful spells."
"Can you even teach?"
"I know more than I let on, Fleur. I think I've proven that."
"By the way, you do know what happened years ago, right?"
Fleur looked at him as she walked beside him and nodded, understanding that the conversation had not changed subject.
"Voldemort"
"Yes. Voldemort," Harry nodded before continuing, "Years ago, the people of Britain knew pain. All thanks to Voldemort."
"But the people didn't really do much. You have to give the Order of the Phoenix a medal in this case, because they were a group of people who decided to rise up against all odds. But if more people had stood up, things could have ended quicker."
"Sadly, the moment they saw others rising up, they decided to wait and see what would happen."
"People are afraid of Voldemort."
"People are afraid of his Death Eaters."
"People are afraid of using magic because of their stupid prejudices and preconceived ideas."
Harry shook his head in exasperation.
"At this point, most of the wizarding society in the world is in a big hole. A fucking hole that they don't seem to want to get out of."
"And you want to change that?" Fleur asked doubtfully.
"Of course not," Harry laughed a little. "There's no way I can change that."
"When this whole Voldemort thing is over, maybe I'll set up a shop or maybe a small academy to teach spells, I don't know yet. But I definitely won't be working for the Ministry, nor Hogwarts."
"Or I might end up traveling around the world before settling down somewhere."
"Why? You'd have so many opportunities just by asking."
"Because I know for a hundred percent that, when Voldemort is no more, someone else will show up to bother you. It's just a matter of time."
"After all this shit, there's no way I'm going to live stopping dark lords."
Fleur fell silent, thinking about Harry's words. They didn't stop though and reached the basement. It was large, perhaps larger than the plot of land the house used alone. There were lights illuminating the place from above, practice dummies on the sides and some completely destroyed, there were also targets on the other side of the room, waiting to be hit.
"What do you want to teach me?"
"Besides the Patronus Charm? A variation of it, a useful spell for all occasions, attack spells and also protection spells."
"I know quite a few attack spells."
"Maybe," Harry nodded and pulled out his wand before pointing it at a practice dummy. "But you have to know how to stop the enemy without getting up."
"Pugio," no light or beam came out of Harry's wand, just a sound was heard and the doll now had a deep cut on one leg, as if a knife had been stuck in it.
"That was a spell that creates wounds like a dagger. You can use it to simply create a simple, shallow cut, all the way to creating a deeper wound, as if you had pierced yourself with a dagger."
"Of course, you can also increase the damage," Harry pointed again.
"Pugio Tria," three sounds were heard this time, and Fleur saw that three wounds similar to the first one were created. She also thought that this was too lethal. If someone with experience in silent magic learned it, then you wouldn't know where an attack would come from. In the end, the sound created was because the doll seemed to be made of wood, cloth, and other things.
"Where did you get the spell from?" Fleur asked with a little doubt.
"... He does. Anyway, it's not magic that needs negative feelings to use. In the end, magic is magic, only you can decide if it's good or bad."
"And having this can save your life if you get into combat with Death Eaters. With just this I can damage anyone's legs and impede their movements."
"What else?" Fleur decided to ask.
"Oh, I think you'll like this one," Harry smiled before starting to teach Fleur, who seemed much more serious than before. Perhaps only now was she realizing the dangers she had gotten herself into. When she saw Harry use such lethal magic or say that he would kill Voldemort with such verbal ease and without fear, then she thought of what the dark lord could really do.
They weren't as kind as Harry. They wouldn't hesitate to torment their victims until they begged for death.
Chapter 10
New
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Harry."
"You really don't need me to take you?"
"No... I can apparate myself."
"But you could be..."
"Harry, enough!" Fleur exclaimed before letting her shoulders slump a little at Harry's obvious concern. She didn't dislike Harry worrying so much about her, but she could take care of herself, now much more than yesterday.
"In just a few hours you taught me five new spells. That's enough with everything you've done for me."
Harry rubbed the back of his neck a little before nodding.
"I'm sorry if I bothered you too much, Fleur. But I consider you a good friend, one of the few people I can truly call a friend and also trust with most things."
Fleur nodded before smiling. She reached out and pulled Harry by his arm before kissing his cheek.
"Consider it a gift from me for what you did for me."
Harry raised an eyebrow before saying, "Fleur, I already told you that..."
"I'm not your type, yes. I think you've said it a lot lately, but I don't believe you one bit."
"Oh? So what does Miss Delacour think?" Harry asked with some curiosity. He crossed his arms and looked at her with a challenging smile.
"I think you, Harry Potter, would avoid and push away any girl, so that way she wouldn't be affected by your crazy life."
Harry looked at her a little surprised before giving her a somewhat lonely smile and closing his eyes.
"So Miss Delacour is truly intelligent."
Fleur looked at him with a little sadness before shaking her head.
"You should stop doing things like that, Harry. In the end you'll be left completely alone, with no one to trust."
"Do you even realize that those words can be misinterpreted? It almost seems like you're giving me..."
"Permission to chase me?" Fleur gave him a rather cocky smile, causing Harry to choke a little.
"So you're a cougar! I never thought that of you, Fleur!"
Harry only received a punch on the arm for those words.
"Okay, I'm sorry about that. But what do you want me to do now?" Harry smiled and said, "You're practically proposing, Fleur."
"Bah, who's proposing? I'm just saying that you're a good choice for a boyfriend, nothing more."
Harry raised his head forty degrees and looked up at the blue morning sky. His hands placed themselves on his hips as he thought about the memories he had received. Not all of them were the best, especially when it came to the people who were close to him. Sirius had died in a way that could have been avoided, William Weasley had almost died from a werewolf attack, Fred had died in that battle at Hogwarts, and his relationship with Ginny hadn't been the best.
He hadn't had children, but he would have liked to. After the third relationship after the breakup with Ginny, he had simply decided to immerse himself in certain jobs that didn't appear completely in the memories, there were simply the creations of the spells, but Harry supposed that perhaps it was part of the unspeakable ones.
But right now he wasn't his future self. He had knowledge and power, so he would definitely change some things.
Harry sighed as he lowered his head and gave Fleur a smile before he quickly approached and kissed the lips of a surprised Fleur.
When he pulled away, he smiled again.
"Since you say I'm a good choice for a boyfriend, then I think it's best to give you something so you don't forget me so soon."
"You... I... did... what?" Fleur didn't know how to respond as she touched his lips with her fingertips. He was totally surprised. She didn't feel that he rejected the kiss, nor did she feel that it was bad, but it completely surprised her. Harry had raised his head for a moment, as if he was deep in thought, but the next instant, he was kissing her.
Harry smiled and said, "If you behave, you might get another one."
"Oh, and please don't forget that this house and several things about me are secrets from the rest of the order. I let them keep thinking that."
Harry entered the house and closed the door a little, leaving only his head and hand visible as he waved goodbye before closing the door.
"Harry Potter!" Fleur let out an annoyed cry at being left like this. She stomped her foot before huffing and using Apparition.
Inside the house, Harry's expression had become much more serious as he watched out the window as Fleur left. When she disappeared, he called out to Dobby immediately.
"Dobby!"
The little boy immediately appeared.
"Do you need something, Mr. Harry Potter?"
"The plan I entrusted you with, how is it going?"
Hearing that question, Dobby stood up straighter and nodded vigorously a few times, causing his long ears to twitch a bit.
"Dobby did his job. Dobby thinks everything is ready, Mr. Harry Potter, sir."
"Good. I want you to take care of the rest."
"Dobby will. Dobby will do a great job, Harry Potter, sir."
Harry smiled before patting him on the head twice.
"Good, that's good. Thank you for everything, Dobby," thanking his little friend and the closest thing to a butler he's ever had, Harry went to the kitchen to make himself some tea before sitting in the living room and listening to some classical music, waiting for the moment when Dobby would complete his job.
...
"Ready? Dobby has some more work to do, is everything okay for Dobby to continue?"
In front of Dobby, stood another house elf. This little guy was different from Dobby, he looked much dirtier and only wore what looked like a sack with holes in it to cover his body. Since Dobby became Harry's house elf, Harry asked him if he could wear clothes he made himself, that way Harry wouldn't have to give anything away.
Now Dobby wore a cute black butler's suit and little shoes. His skin was much healthier and clearer, giving him a rather adorable appearance.
"Rimo thinks everything is in order... but... Rimo wonders if he can actually work," the other house elf looked at the ground nervously. Ever since he started working at the current home he was in, he had been mistreated, so he didn't feel quite right. Dobby had told him that if he listened to him, Harry Potter would allow him to work for him.
"Oh, yes, yes. Of course. The great Harry Potter has many ideas..." Dobby seemed really excited as he remembered the things Harry had told him and also because he was helping house elves in a situation he himself had been through.
"Mr. Harry Potter is going to need a lot of help in the future. That's why he asked Dobby to recruit friends. Not only to help against the bad wizards, but also so that more elves can live better."
Rimo looked at Dobby with shining eyes before nodding several times.
"Come on. You can come with me to go find the rest," Rimo nodded before disappearing, leaving Dobby to look at the large mansion that was in front of him. And before disappearing, he snapped his fingers.
BOOOOOM!!!
A thunderous noise echoed through the grounds just as much of the mansion exploded. Pieces of wood and concrete went flying before flames appeared and began to consume one side of the mansion. A cloud of dark smoke and ash began to rise as the pieces of wood with flames began to burn the grass and flowers in the yard.
______________________________
"Yes, Harry."
"You really don't need me to take you?"
"No... I can apparate myself."
"But you could be..."
"Harry, enough!" Fleur exclaimed before letting her shoulders slump a little at Harry's obvious concern. She didn't dislike Harry worrying so much about her, but she could take care of herself, now much more than yesterday.
"In just a few hours you taught me five new spells. That's enough with everything you've done for me."
Harry rubbed the back of his neck a little before nodding.
"I'm sorry if I bothered you too much, Fleur. But I consider you a good friend, one of the few people I can truly call a friend and also trust with most things."
Fleur nodded before smiling. She reached out and pulled Harry by his arm before kissing his cheek.
"Consider it a gift from me for what you did for me."
Harry raised an eyebrow before saying, "Fleur, I already told you that..."
"I'm not your type, yes. I think you've said it a lot lately, but I don't believe you one bit."
"Oh? So what does Miss Delacour think?" Harry asked with some curiosity. He crossed his arms and looked at her with a challenging smile.
"I think you, Harry Potter, would avoid and push away any girl, so that way she wouldn't be affected by your crazy life."
Harry looked at her a little surprised before giving her a somewhat lonely smile and closing his eyes.
"So Miss Delacour is truly intelligent."
Fleur looked at him with a little sadness before shaking her head.
"You should stop doing things like that, Harry. In the end you'll be left completely alone, with no one to trust."
"Do you even realize that those words can be misinterpreted? It almost seems like you're giving me..."
"Permission to chase me?" Fleur gave him a rather cocky smile, causing Harry to choke a little.
"So you're a cougar! I never thought that of you, Fleur!"
Harry only received a punch on the arm for those words.
"Okay, I'm sorry about that. But what do you want me to do now?" Harry smiled and said, "You're practically proposing, Fleur."
"Bah, who's proposing? I'm just saying that you're a good choice for a boyfriend, nothing more."
Harry raised his head forty degrees and looked up at the blue morning sky. His hands placed themselves on his hips as he thought about the memories he had received. Not all of them were the best, especially when it came to the people who were close to him. Sirius had died in a way that could have been avoided, William Weasley had almost died from a werewolf attack, Fred had died in that battle at Hogwarts, and his relationship with Ginny hadn't been the best.
He hadn't had children, but he would have liked to. After the third relationship after the breakup with Ginny, he had simply decided to immerse himself in certain jobs that didn't appear completely in the memories, there were simply the creations of the spells, but Harry supposed that perhaps it was part of the unspeakable ones.
But right now he wasn't his future self. He had knowledge and power, so he would definitely change some things.
Harry sighed as he lowered his head and gave Fleur a smile before he quickly approached and kissed the lips of a surprised Fleur.
When he pulled away, he smiled again.
"Since you say I'm a good choice for a boyfriend, then I think it's best to give you something so you don't forget me so soon."
"You... I... did... what?" Fleur didn't know how to respond as she touched his lips with her fingertips. He was totally surprised. She didn't feel that he rejected the kiss, nor did she feel that it was bad, but it completely surprised her. Harry had raised his head for a moment, as if he was deep in thought, but the next instant, he was kissing her.
Harry smiled and said, "If you behave, you might get another one."
"Oh, and please don't forget that this house and several things about me are secrets from the rest of the order. I let them keep thinking that."
Harry entered the house and closed the door a little, leaving only his head and hand visible as he waved goodbye before closing the door.
"Harry Potter!" Fleur let out an annoyed cry at being left like this. She stomped her foot before huffing and using Apparition.
Inside the house, Harry's expression had become much more serious as he watched out the window as Fleur left. When she disappeared, he called out to Dobby immediately.
"Dobby!"
The little boy immediately appeared.
"Do you need something, Mr. Harry Potter?"
"The plan I entrusted you with, how is it going?"
Hearing that question, Dobby stood up straighter and nodded vigorously a few times, causing his long ears to twitch a bit.
"Dobby did his job. Dobby thinks everything is ready, Mr. Harry Potter, sir."
"Good. I want you to take care of the rest."
"Dobby will. Dobby will do a great job, Harry Potter, sir."
Harry smiled before patting him on the head twice.
"Good, that's good. Thank you for everything, Dobby," thanking his little friend and the closest thing to a butler he's ever had, Harry went to the kitchen to make himself some tea before sitting in the living room and listening to some classical music, waiting for the moment when Dobby would complete his job.
...
"Ready? Dobby has some more work to do, is everything okay for Dobby to continue?"
In front of Dobby, stood another house elf. This little guy was different from Dobby, he looked much dirtier and only wore what looked like a sack with holes in it to cover his body. Since Dobby became Harry's house elf, Harry asked him if he could wear clothes he made himself, that way Harry wouldn't have to give anything away.
Now Dobby wore a cute black butler's suit and little shoes. His skin was much healthier and clearer, giving him a rather adorable appearance.
"Rimo thinks everything is in order... but... Rimo wonders if he can actually work," the other house elf looked at the ground nervously. Ever since he started working at the current home he was in, he had been mistreated, so he didn't feel quite right. Dobby had told him that if he listened to him, Harry Potter would allow him to work for him.
"Oh, yes, yes. Of course. The great Harry Potter has many ideas..." Dobby seemed really excited as he remembered the things Harry had told him and also because he was helping house elves in a situation he himself had been through.
"Mr. Harry Potter is going to need a lot of help in the future. That's why he asked Dobby to recruit friends. Not only to help against the bad wizards, but also so that more elves can live better."
Rimo looked at Dobby with shining eyes before nodding several times.
"Come on. You can come with me to go find the rest," Rimo nodded before disappearing, leaving Dobby to look at the large mansion that was in front of him. And before disappearing, he snapped his fingers.
BOOOOOM!!!
A thunderous noise echoed through the grounds just as much of the mansion exploded. Pieces of wood and concrete went flying before flames appeared and began to consume one side of the mansion. A cloud of dark smoke and ash began to rise as the pieces of wood with flames began to burn the grass and flowers in the yard.
______________________________
Chapter 11: Grimmauld Place
New
Harry sighed a little as he sat in the chair next to the desk in the room he had been in before moving from the Dursley's house. Yes, he was back, but simply because he knew they would come looking for him.
It was nighttime and he had simply walked into the empty house. According to the memories he received from the future, members of the order had made his uncles and cousin believe that they won a prize by means of a letter, so he was completely alone and without interference to get him out without too much trouble.
But they were taking a while, causing Harry to get a little impatient.
The only thing he could do at the moment was use magic to scan around the house. This magic was pretty good at being able to 'feel' the surroundings. Harry compared it to the echolocation of a bat. But it wasn't that easy to learn, not only did you need good control of your magic, you also needed to learn occlumency to be able to recognize and differentiate things.
For example, even if you released a pulse with the spell, you wouldn't be able to tell what it was that was hitting the pulse. You might be able to tell if you were in a room by the walls surrounding it, but outside, where you were in more open spaces, you would only know that there were things around you. If you added occlumency, you could store and differentiate things with your memories.
Shapes, densities, and so on would be easier to recognize.
Harry was sending pulses around the house for a while, until he felt someone enter the house. He smiled as he stood up from the chair near the kitchen table, where he had sat after sending that last pulse. And as he listened to the slow footsteps, he opened the fridge and took out a closed can of coke that Dudley seemed to have bought.
Of course, he also wanted to surprise them, so he simply disappeared thanks to his invisibility cloak transformed into a jacket.
Harry smiled as Alastor entered the kitchen and began scanning everything with that eye of his, but it didn't even rest on him for a second. To the magical eye he simply didn't exist.
"He's not in any of the rooms upstairs," Tonks said with a frown and a slightly worried look.
"That's not possible. As far as I know, Harry has nowhere else to stay," Remus said seriously, but froze when he felt something press against his neck. Almost at the same time, his left wrist had been grabbed tightly and twisted up behind him.
The advance party was surprised to see one of Remus' arms move back as his body leaned forward slightly, as if he had been pushed. But that surprise turned to shock as Harry's figure appeared as he looked at them all.
"If you don't want me to kill you, then you'll put your hands up where I can see them."
"Wait Harry, we're allies!" Tonks immediately shouted. "We were sent by Dumbledore to get you out of here!"
Harry smiled coldly as he tightened his grip on the tip of his wand on Remus' neck, causing the man to growl a little. He couldn't break free, probably due to a spell, but he could also feel Harry's strength; it was much stronger than he imagined.
"Illusions aren't impossible with magic. And likewise, having a different appearance isn't that difficult either," Harry spoke up and then looked at Alastor with a smile, "Didn't something like that happen at Hogwarts?"
"Please put your wand down Harry. We really are your allies," Hestia Jones said carefully, showing her hands, so that Harry wouldn't do anything rash.
"I don't even know you," Harry replied with a snort and then looked at Remus before bringing his face closer.
"Tell me something only we know."
Remus immediately opened his mouth, noticing that he could only speak, not move. He was really surprised by Harry's ability to do magic, but these were not times to think about that kind of things, he had to answer to dispel Harry's doubts.
"I taught you about the Patronus Charm, and also that my fear was the moon. Your father was my childhood friend, and I believed that Sirius was responsible for the death of your parents, until we found out the truth when we caught the rat."
Harry looked at Remus for a few moments before letting go and stepping back as he waved his wand, bringing Remus out of his frozen state.
"How can you use magic?" Remus asked immediately. "You're not supposed to."
Harry snorted before answering, "I overloaded the detector to pieces with my own magic. The Ministry won't detect me."
"That..."
"Enough! We don't have that much time!" Mad-Eye exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention.
"They want to get me out of here, how?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We have brooms to fly to safety," Tonks said.
"Brooms... of all the possible things in the wizarding world, you brought the ones most visible to muggles? Why not use a portkey or even apparate there?"
Harry's question caused everyone to fall silent, until Alastor's wooden leg was heard as he walked out of the house. It seemed that even the man who always remembered constant surveillance could forget some things.
"Sometimes I find it hard to believe the lack of... Nevermind, let's just go," Harry pinched the bridge of his nose as he spoke, but changed his words when he realized there would be no point in continuing to talk about the lack of common sense in most of the wizarding world.
They all got out and got ready, holding brooms in one hand.
"Okay, we'll fly high!" Alastor said seriously. "We need to be high enough so the muggles don't see us!"
Harry rolled his eyes before mounting the broom and shooting off into the sky. Remus followed immediately, followed by Tonks and Alastor. The rest began to fly after, creating a formation. Alastor would be at the back while Remus was at the front. Tonks and Hestia on either side of Harry while Emmeline Vance and Sturgis Podmore brought up the rear.
"We should fly closer to the clouds!" Alastor shouted, looking up a bit.
"That would just leave us completely soaked!" Tonks shouted back.
Harry squeezed his eyes shut for a few moments. If they were being followed right now, then any thoughts of sneaking around and not being seen would have completely disappeared.
The good thing about this whole absurd situation was that it would be over soon.
In fact, it didn't take too long for them to arrive and land in front of a building. Alastor handed Harry a note, which caused everyone to look up a little as the building seemed to move, revealing a whole new part.
"Surprising, isn't it?" Tonks smiled as she gently nudged Harry with her elbow.
"Not really, it's just the Fidelius Charm after all," Harry replied and shrugged, as if a Fidelius wasn't surprising at all.
"You seem to have studied quite a bit, Harry," Remus commented at the knowledge Harry seemed to have.
"Being cooped up makes you boring..."
"Mm..." Remus just muttered a little before walking towards the entrance, with the rest following close behind him. He didn't say anything related to the letters or the apparent visit of a certain house elf to Voldemort, it was better that those topics were brought up at another time, where everyone was gathered and could talk more calmly.
The main door opened into a long hallway, lit by gas lamps and a large chandelier. You could smell damp, dust and a sweet rotten smell; the place had the feel of an abandoned building... Old-fashioned gas lamps sputtered to life along the walls, casting a flickering and insubstantial light on the dark and gloomy walls.
Harry simply followed the group, but stopped for a moment when he heard a scream.
"Damn blood traitors! Not only do they bring mudbloods, but now half-bloods too!"
Raising an eyebrow, Harry saw Walburga's portrait on the wall, along with several others, but they didn't move like hers. Hers was the most noticeable, after all her screams could be heard all around the hallway.
"Don't pay attention to her, Sirius tried to get her off the wall, but he couldn't. Just ignore her," Remus said with a small grimace on his face.
"Fine...", Harry nodded, but he was already planning to talk to the woman. Tonks, who was beside him, was the only one who noticed Harry's enigmatic smile.
As they entered another room, Harry saw Sirius and smiled immediately.
"Harry!"
"Hey Sirius, it's good to see you better."
"Hahaha!", Sirius laughed and gave Harry a hug before speaking excitedly "It's good to see you too, Harry."
Remus smiled at the hug of the two, feeling much more relaxed now.
"Harry!" An excited cry came soon after and Harry had to use some strength to keep from falling into Hermione's big hug.
"How have you been, Hermione?"
"Fine, fine. But it seems you were joking around too much, Harry. With the letters, I mean."
"Ah... that, I was just bored and decided to do some writing."
Harry smiled and looked over to see Ron and the twins approaching.
"Hey guys."
Ron was about to speak, but was interrupted by a cough. Everyone turned their heads, noticing Dumbledore standing a little further back.
"As wonderful as it is to see you all so excited, I want us to talk, Harry."
Harry's green eyes stared at Dumbledore for a few moments, but suddenly, he pulled out his wand and fired a spell at the Hogwarts headmaster. Shocked by the sudden attack, Dumbledore raised his hand and deflected the spell.
"Harry, what the hell!" Sirius exclaimed in shock.
"You've taken the words right out of my mouth, Headmaster. I think we should talk," Harry ignored Sirius as he looked at Dumbledore with his head slightly lowered; his eyes glittered as his magic began to affect the surroundings. Some things floated around as the ground creaked a little.
"And we should start with the fact that you didn't tell me that bloody Voldemort left a piece of his soul in my scar."
_____________________
Chapter 12: Confrontation
New
Everyone inside the Black residence fell silent. Harry's magic continued to affect objects and surroundings, but it was being controlled. No one was being affected by Harry's magic, except for Dumbledore, who felt a slight pressure on his body.
The headmaster and the student looked at each other without looking away, but it was clear that the older eyes showed surprise, even disbelief.
"Harry, I think..." Dumbledore tried to speak, to say something, but stopped immediately. He really had no words. He had been taken by surprise and didn't know what to do exactly, especially with something so delicate and with so many people around.
"What? Do you think we should talk about it quietly in private? Maybe eat a few lemon drops?"
"Don't play with me, old man! Speak now!" Harry exclaimed in a harsh voice.
"Everyone here gathered because they want to fight that bastard in fear of dying! But you don't tell them anything that is actually useful! You expect them to obey everything that comes out of your mouth, without any explanation or details!"
"Do you even realize how dangerous that is?"
"You're playing with their lives!"
"No, that was never my intention!" Dumbledore exclaimed loudly, perhaps with a volume of voice that no one expected.
"But you do it unconsciously," Harry said quietly, staring at him for a few seconds in silence before continuing, "You've fought and lived longer than I have, or anyone in this room, so you think you know better, but that's not true."
"The older a person gets, the wiser they can become. But you've become condescending, Dumbledore."
"You think you know what's best for each person."
"You think you know what's best for each thing..."
"You think you know what's best for the world! But you know nothing!"
The rest of them froze in their positions, watching and listening to the argument between Harry and Dumbledore. They couldn't believe the way Harry was talking, mostly because every word seemed to carry a weight behind them, plus they could practically feel Harry's magic rubbing against their skin.
"Harry, I don't know what caused this," Dumbledore exhaled through his nose as he gripped the wand in his hand tighter, "But I really don't want anyone to get hurt. In fact, it's the opposite, I want it all to end, for the people of this magical society to stop feeling afraid."
Harry gritted his teeth as his eyes widened a little more. His wand moved upwards, as if it were cutting.
Dumbledore's eyes widened slightly in fright as he felt something and moved to the side, seeing that the floor had been cut, as well as the wall behind him.
"That's the bloody problem! Can't you see it?!" Harry shouted, showing his anger.
"People aren't afraid!" Harry waved his wand once more, shooting a ribbon of fire that Dumbledore deflected with a flick of his own wand, before sending a Stunning Charm towards Harry.
Surprisingly, Harry simply waved his hand and sent the spell aside, causing the red light that had been fired to crackle and fade into the ground.
"No one outside this damn place knows that Voldemort is back! No one believes it, Dumbledore!"
"Everyone outside this house sleeps without fear! Everyone expects the famous boy-who-lived to take care of their problems! Every damn person expects the great Dumbledore to solve all their problems!"
"You won't let them realize the truth in this situation!"
"You are not their leader!"
"You're not his bloody protector!"
Harry breathed heavily as he calmed down a bit. Dumbledore looked at him with wide eyes, surprised by every word that came out of Harry's mouth and reached his ears.
"I wasn't sure, Harry!" Dumbledore said forcefully, but his gaze was much softer, sadder and more desolate.
"I... I didn't want you to have..."
"False hopes?" Harry interrupted him and snorted.
"And there you are again, thinking you know what's best for me. In the end it would be my decision, not yours."
"I spent days... weeks dreaming about Cedric's death! I was worried about what could happen! And when I had to destroy that thing inside my head it only made me angrier because you didn't tell me anything!"
"Destroyed? Harry... you... you mean..." Dumbledore stepped forward, looking more closely at Harry's scar, which was barely visible at the moment.
"Yes. I destroyed it. I crushed it, crushed it, and completely annihilated it. It was so weak that I simply had to use my magic and overload it."
"No thanks to you, of course."
"That's good... very good..." Dumbledore's shoulders slumped a little as he looked at Harry. He felt completely relieved. And although he didn't know that was possible, it was clear that Harry was still him.
Harry narrowed his eyes before he used quick legilimency. He didn't enter Dumbledore's deepest memories, he simply scanned his current emotions, and that was merely for a few moments before the headmaster sensed it and repelled it, once again shocked.
This was the true purpose of Harry's words, to shock and stir Dumbledore's mind a little. Ever since he received those memories, he knew that Dumbledore suspected and was almost certain that he was a Horcrux, especially because of the pain he had felt when Voldemort was around. Now he knew that Dumbledore had not had bad intentions and had never treated him as something he could sacrifice to finish Voldemort once and for all.
In fact, he could see for a second that the director had tried to find some solution.
"Eh, so it seems I can trust you," was what Harry said after entering Dumbledore's mind for a few moments.
"How do you know so much magic? That's not something someone so young can use. Even when taught to a child, it would still take years to achieve something as good as what you did."
Harry closed his eyes for a moment as he relaxed his magic and his body, his wand disappeared into his sleeve and he smiled.
"The Horcrux had memories of Voldemort. Some spells and mind magic, memories of his childhood and also Hogwarts," letting out a sigh, Harry raised his hands slightly.
"I just had to know if I could really trust you, Headmaster. I'm sorry if I made you feel bad, but you should know that having seen and learned so much, doubt is only natural."
Dumbledore's eyes widened for a second before returning to normal.
"So, this... you did it just to see if you could trust me?"
Harry nodded before he walked over to a couch and carelessly threw himself down.
"I'm sorry you guys too, I probably scared you," Harry apologized to the rest of the order, who now seemed more relaxed. Hermione let out a breath of air she didn't know she was holding and Ron simply sat down on a chair.
"Did you really have to do it that way?!" Hermione exclaimed angrily as she approached Harry with heavy steps.
"As I said, I'm sorry. Saying those things was the only way I could see the headmaster's emotions and be able to trust him," Harry sighed a little as he shook his hair a bit.
"It's okay, Miss Granger," Dumbledore interrupted her. "Now I understand Harry's reasons better."
"But...", he looked at everyone and they still seemed a little affected. "It seems that any conversation will have to wait until tomorrow"
"I think that is for the best," Sirius nodded, but looked at Harry not knowing whether to feel proud or perhaps a little angry with him for how dangerous everything had been.
"Yes. But I want to ask a question, Harry"
"Of course"
"Do you have anything to do with the attacks on certain people's residences?"
"What?", Harry looked at him totally confused as he sat up straighter. "What attacks are you talking about?"
"Harry, it seems that they attacked the homes of the people who had been presumed to be Death Eaters in the first war, and also those who managed to escape from prison under the Imperius excuse"
"Their houses were blown up, but none of them were home at the time. However, as the Aurors responded immediately, some disturbing things were found in those places," Hermione was the one to report this, looking at Harry seriously and a little afraid. It seems they had found some pretty serious stuff if Hermione was scared, was what Harry thought.
Harry looked Dumbledore straight in the eyes and said, "I swear I had nothing to do with this. Even with what I've learned, I can't blow up that many buildings."
Dumbledore held his gaze for a few seconds before nodding.
"Fine, I believe you Harry."
"Thank you."
"Though I hope you don't do things like send a letter to Voldemort again."
"Oh, about that... Well, I had Dobby, so they couldn't really track me. The little guy knows Malfoy Manor like the back of his hand, so it wasn't hard to do that."
Sirius walked over as the rest of them wandered off throughout the house, relaxing after what had happened.
"Harry... your letters... how much of it was true?" Sirius asked curiously.
Hermione, who had been about to retreat to the piano room of the house, stopped at that question. She turned and looked at Harry intently.
Rubbing his chin a bit, Harry replied, "Well, except for the thing with the neighbor, it was all true. I learned to play the piano, I went to a concert. Ah, Dudley actually had a crush and got rejected, which was fun and annoying at the same time."
"Oh..." Sirius looked a bit disappointed.
Harry raised his eyebrows at that.
"Don't tell me you're actually disappointed that I didn't have sex with my neighbor."
"Hey, I was just hoping to give you some advice! You might not believe it, but I was kind of popular with the girls when I was a student at Hogwarts."
Harry simply rolled his eyes before punching his godfather's shoulder.
"Instead of giving me advice, you should start thinking about getting a woman for yourself, Sirius. You're a bit old now, and I think you should think about getting married."
"In case you haven't noticed, I'm a wanted criminal."
"For now...", Harry laughed enigmatically, scaring Sirius a little. That laugh was too similar to James's when he was about to make a huge joke.
___________________
We shall soon enough see how much Fluer tells the Order. I hope Harry destroys the portrait.
Interesting fic! Can't wait for more