"BETTER BE … RAVENCLAW!"
Many things happened at the same time. The Gryffindor table looked like somebody had taken their candy away and eaten it right in front of them while they had been unable to intervene. The Ravenclaw table was giving him polite applause, while Hufflepuff just was celebrating that he was sorted, like with all before him. The older Slytherins looked calculating while the younger had a neutral expression.
Harry took all of that in as he looked for a place at his new house table. It looked like the overall position how near to the teacher's table someone sat was decided by the year they were in. An efficient sorting system Harry thought and looked in the first-year section only to find the red-haired Japanese Girl with a free spot right opposite of her. He walked over and asked.
"Excuse me, is that spot reserved or free?"
The girl looked at him and smiled, she had nothing of that starstruck glint he had witnessed in his other classmates. No, her dark blue bordering purple eyes looked like she had some kind of a similar upbringing to him. Not the Neglect part but the structure and discipline in his pre-school years. Nothing far-fetched if he remembered the overall culture magical Japan was known for. "Sure, I'm Sue Lee. Have a seat, Mr. Potter."
Harry used that to look at her with much more effort this time. Her fiery red hair cascaded in soft waves from a high ponytail tied with a blue ribbon that perfectly matched the colors of her attire. Her alabaster skin glowed faintly in the light streaming through the tall, arched window behind her, giving her an ethereal quality. Her delicate features, distinctly Japanese in their refinement, were framed by loose tendrils of hair that softened the intensity of her thoughtful gaze. Overall, like Harry, she looked much more mature than their other classmates.
Harry did as he was told, not listening to the rest of the sorting. "Thank you, Ms. Lee. Usually, I would wait for the Lady to do so but I invite you to switch to our given names. I'm Harry." He did not notice that his fellow first years seemed to listen in to their conversation. But like true Ravenclaws they did so but with the knowledge aspect in mind.
Sue chuckled a bit. "Sure, Sue, or if you want to be precise Sayuri." Harry had to raise a brow.
"Sayuri? Lee? Are those common names in Japan?" He asked with a friendly tone.
Sayuri smiled, not bothered to be asked questions.
"Not really my family has Chinese roots, somewhere around the first or second invasion of Japan they migrated to magical Japan, because of the more demanding laws for magic in China. Sue is my Western name. Because some are unable to pronounce the Asian ones." She took a short break.
Harry smiled at that, her story was just scratching of something that sounded very interesting. He always wondered how different magical communities worked.
"But I'm afraid we have to wait for our talk" She pointed to the standing Headmaster who was about to make his announcements.
"Welcome and Welcome back to you students. Before we can all enjoy the feast indulge me for some minutes. Rejoining us this year as Professor for Defense against the Dark Arts is Professor Quirrel." He gave a short clap and waited for the school to quiet down before he again spoke. "I wish him the very best on this new adventure. Further, The Forbidden Forrest is still forbidden for students to enter" Looking at two ginger-haired twins at the Gryffindor table with a wink. "Also I want to point out that the list of forbidden items has gained another few entries. You can find a complete and updated copy at the door of Mr. Filch's Office"
Harry had to shake his head at that. Give someone without magic the task of reigning in children with possibly deadly weapons on them he has no natural defense against. Brilliant. Who had come up with that shit? Deeply invested in his inner rant he nearly missed the next announcement.
"... because of this, the third corridor on the third floor is strictly forbidden for all of those who don't want to risk dying in a very horrendous way. And Now. Let us feast!"
He clapped in his hands and the tables filled with food and drinks. Harry had somewhat of an Owl-like Expression as he blinked at the announcement.
"Did he say we could die?" someone near him asked.
"Yes, and this time I don't think it was inconsequential rambling." answered another student.
Sayuri looked at Harry and snapped her fingers to get his attention. He shook his head shortly and looked at her.
"There you are again. You should eat something, Harry. Looking so shocked isn't becoming for the savior of Great Britain." She joked with him.
Harry had to laugh about that.
"You're right." He took some of the foot and looked at her. "Sorry but what exactly happened that the corridor is out of bounds"
"Some magical anomalies. If you go into the corridor you appear sometimes in a completely different part of the castle. They calculated and scanned the area and came up with the idea that it would be possible to get stuck in the walls or something like that." Said one of the older students.
Harry was intrigued but did not show it to the outside. "Well, then we better stay off the corridor do we?"
After that, they had a light conversation. They told each other some things about their life, their likes and dislikes in food and such till they got interrupted a second time as Dumbledore ended the feast and sent them to their respective beds.
The Prefects had collected the first years and brought them up to the Ravenclaw Tower. It was a long hike and many stairs. Good thing Harry had got some power back from the feast so it was no problem to climb all those stairs.
He listened as the female Prefect explained the Riddle system and let them in shortly later. It was an airy hall that served as their common room. Shelves filled with books, many nooks to read in, or desks to work at. Five boys and six girls waited for their Head of House to arrive.
It didn't take long for the short Charms Master to do so, he levitated some books to a short tower and looked at the assembled students.
"Welcome, my new claws. I am Professor Filius Flitwick, Head of House Ravenclaw and Charmsmaster, also a former Dueling Champion. My Office is just down the corridor so if you need me for something and your Prefects can't help you don't hesitate to ask. Luckily your year is in single digits, which means that you only have to share with one other student. The names are on the doors. The Girls are on the left side"
He pointed to a staircase with suites of armor guarding them. "The boys on the right side. Till curfew, you may want to visit one of your fellow students. Shortly after that would trigger a ward that will inform me so please mind the clock. Boys can only pass the staircase if they are escorted by a female if they want to visit the female side. The Prefects keep a very good look who will do so, so please keep everything appropriate."
He gave all of them a pointed look. "We Claws are proud of our studious nature, so we have a leaderboard for all grades. The winner of each year will get a voucher for Honeydukes and Flourish and Blots. It may be a competition but always be fair to each other and help those that may struggle at first." The charms professor said and to underline his last point looked each of them in the eye with a warm smile.
"Before I forget it. When you own a broom and have completed your flying lessons with Madam Hooch, you can use the roof access door to enter and take your broom for a ride. Please note that that only works for Ravenclaws. The wards would work against all non-Ravenclaws. Now I think I talked enough have a good night everyone. And Welcome again."
With those words and some polite clapping, Flitwick left the room, after levitating the books back to their places of course. Harry wanted to turn to get to his room. He kinda missed his grumpy Dragon friend and Hedwig. But before he could take one step one of the other firsties raised his voice.
"Wait a moment Potter. You think you are really special aren't you?" Harry turned to look at the person who had spoken to him. His name was Michael Corner, he got that fact at the feast.
"What exactly is your problem Corner?" He was tired and just wanted to sleep. Now he had to deal with someone like this. Curse his luck. He felt his more draconic traits rising up. Urging him to just bite his head off so he could sleep but no, that would not be a good idea right?
"Tell me, why you never answered one of my little sister's letters? Do you think the mighty boy who lived would not need to do such minor things? She even attached a self-made card"
Harry raised a brow. Mail? He did not get any maybe the mail ward was more general than thought about. He had to talk with the headmaster and would have to do damage control asap. Troublesome.
"Just hold it right there Corner, I am sure I would have replied if I had not been out of the British magical world since my parents were murdered. The first letter I got by owlpost was my Hogwarts Letter. I will get behind this and am deeply sorry that I have slighted your little sister or maybe many more. One thing." Now he looked at everyone present. "This stupid Boy-who-lived shit is something I hate to the guts. The only people who deserve recognition for the feat would be my parents and not me. I surely did not banish Voldemort by throwing my soiled nappies at him." He had to groan at the shivers going through his housemates. "Really?"
Corner still angry countered. "Do you not know of the taboo?" His face was getting redder with each second. Somehow Harry's words had not calmed him down.
Harry noticed that Sayuri was one of those who had not shivered and smiled a bit before turning so that he had them at his back for a second he had to concentrate not to lose his temper now. As he turned back he said.
"For a Ravenclaw, you are not very bright are you Corner? A taboo curse is something that only is a problem as long as the person is alive and strong enough to renew it. Tell me is the person who I shall not name alive and strong enough to do so?"
Corner gave him a small shake of his head.
"Good Boy, Points to Ravenclaw." He said mockingly "Use this thing between your ears for more than breathing air. Think for once and not be a sheep. I thought we were the bright ones?"
That did it, Harry wanted to turn sensing and also seeing the movement in his peripheral view. Looks like somebody was still not cooling down.
Corner took out his wand. "Furunculus."
Harry could feel The curse sailing towards his left shoulder and pivoted out of his way missing the fact, that his classmates had stood around him and Corner in some kind of circle.
He was not fast enough and could only watch as the curse hit a brown-haired girl. Amanda or something. The Girl screamed and Corner took a step back and blinked. Harry used that time to push and used magic to enhance his movement speed and reaction. Something he had learned at the coven. In the blink of an eye, Michael Corner was in reach of his fist, delivered a straight Jab to the shoulder holding his wand, and straight after that used a leg sweep against both of Corners' Legs. Disarming him as he fell to the ground. He looked at Sayuri who just raised a brow.
"Could you get Professor Flitwick for her?" pointing at Amanda something, the poor girl started to get pimples all over her face. No, she would not be a fan of Michael Corner in the future he guessed.
Sayuri nodded and left for Flitwick, Harry turned to Corner and held Corner's wand with both hands. As he saw Corner opening his mouth he spoke up "Stuff it Corner, do you know what this is, it's a deadly weapon. You harmed someone because you imbecile started throwing curses at someone who could step out of the direction of your spell. Or did you think that I would just stand still and take it, use a shield charm maybe? Even if it is just easier to step out of the way? I mean one would think that as a firstyeak I might not know those shield charms and as such dodge more?" Harry sighed and wanted to break the wand in half only stopping as a out of breath Professor Flitwick summoned it out of his hands.
"By Merlin, what happened here?" He quickly applied a countercharm to Amanda's face stopping the curse from spreading before calling out for a Prefrect to take her to the Hospital wing. The small Charms professor showed off how quickly he could cast.
"Corner attacked Potter, he stepped out of the path of the curse that hit Amanda, after that he disarmed Corner physically and that is that." a Girl with an Indian complexion answered.
"Ahh Tank you Miss Patil, does somebody want to give me another version of this event?" The Professor asked only to get negative answers.
"We will address that tomorrow Mister Corner. Detention till the end of the second week with me and I will hold onto your wand till our talk with the Headmaster or his Deputy tomorrow. Now in your beds!"
Flitwick, even with his small size had a commanding presence and the students rushed to do his bidding. Finally, Harry reached his room.
It was the only solo one in the wing for the boys. Entering he opened the window whistling for Erebos and Hedwig. Both of them did not take long to join him. "Guys, did I have a rough start or what." He shared his emotions through their bonds and continued "We have work to do. Hedwig I will need you to travel to Aunty Andy in the morning so take your rest or go hunting tonight. I will have to address some things. Sayuri told me about those Boy-Who-Lived books. Seriously, a book with me as the protagonist? Who would buy that?"
The next day, they had some kind of Orientation with one of the Prefects. Penelope had given them a tour of all of the important classrooms or facilities like the hospital wing or the library.
At breakfast the next morning the owl had brought the fresh edition of the daily prophet.
The Headlines had some of the students and even the teachers stopping what they did to read everything more carefully.
BOY-WHO-LIVED RENTERS MAGICAL WORLD AND APOLOGISES
As every 11-year-old, Britain's own Hadrian James Potter had joined his year mates on the journey to Hogwarts. After joining House Ravenclaw, one of his housemates was just Gryffindor enough to ask the Question maybe some of us had asked ourselves already. Why did he never reply to my letters?
Mr. Potter contacted the Prophet just yesterday to clear that up. We printed his statement without editing or cutting.
Dear fellow Witches and Wizards,
I rejoined Magical Britan on the Day of my Hogwarts Letter since then I prepared for my start at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Learning that some of you have written to me led me to investigate the case of why I never received any of your letters.
To cut it short, my personal security mail wards have been established because some unsavory elements in our society tried to harm me for something you all believe I did.
Maybe I was the lone survivor of the fateful night at Samhain nearly eleven years ago, but I implore you to think about what I could have done. A not-even potty-trained baby without a wand and grasp of his magic.
I am confident that the people responsible for the downfall of the Dark Lord, whom I was advised against calling by name, are my Parents, Lord and Lady Potter.
Because of that, I have found out where the mail was stored, I will try to answer all well-wishers personally but you may know that something like that could take time.
I thank each one for your good wishes and heartfelt thanks. For all of the gifts that are not age-appropriate anymore, I decided to donate them to the St. Munogs Child Ward.
Monetary Expanses will go straight into the Lilly&James Potter Foundation fund to support further charitable projects. I hope to do something my parents would stand behind. To support and do my part in making a difference.
BOY-WHO-LIVED FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST PUBLISHER OF "THE ADVENTURES OF THE BOY-WHO-LIVED"
Besides founding his own Charity using gifts, in his words, he did not earn just yet, Young Mister Potter also had his solicitor go after the Publisher of the Book Series. "The Adventures of the Boy-who-lived". His comment his solicitor had forwarded to us was like this. Those books portray me as some kind of child hero, I did nothing like that also my name was used without the consent of me or my guardians. All Gallaeons we will surely win will go straight to my newly established charity.
We at the Prophet look forward to what Mister Potter will do in the Future if anything, he looks like he will go after those who wronged him.
Harry had to chuckle at those Headlines, Sayuri looked at him and had to hide her grin.
"Nice One Harry." She said and winked at him as they got their timetables from Professor Flitwick.
"Mr. Potter the headmaster wants to meet up with you after classes. I think it relates to the prophet business." The small Professor looked at Harry with a knowing smirk before he ventured forth. Harry looked at his other classmates. Corner was still looking at him with some kind of negative emotions. Corner had gotten his due, the Headmaster and Flitwick had laid down the law as far as the grapevine had gathered. This only increased Corner's animosity against Harry, because the stupid boy felt slighted and confirmed that Potter got special treatment.
Harry sighed, he would have to wait and let him do the next step to another humiliation. Some humans were just resistant to learning when to stop doing something foolish. That sounded funny from his perspective. Humans. Wasn't he a human too? If he was honest he felt more connected to the dragons lately. The intelligent ones.
The classes for the magical theory were somewhat interesting, well if you could call some old geezer rambling about Incantation, Intention, and Imagination interesting. If you would ask him you could strike Incantation after connecting to your magic on a sufficient level. Harry had to do spells two or three times the way the school wanted them to do but it was just to get a feel for the magic flowing. To connect to his magic on the said sufficient level.
He noticed in this and the next classes like Transfiguration and Charms that most of the magical raised really had a big advantage and often would show a good grasp of the spell at the get-go. Harry, who often sat beside Sayuri or Padma in classes always tried once but only after he would have been told to attempt. Often he observes his classmates doing the magic and gets a feel for how the magic would flow from them. Applying those principles was somewhat saving him the effort to learn it by trial and error. Besides the magical raised those with mundane backgrounds had to work much harder. Sometimes he watched them exercise those spells in their time off. Something Harry thought about addressing but now he was off to the Headmaster. He had to say the statue of a Griffin spreading his Wings looked better than the Gargoyle mentioned in Hogwarts: A History.
He let the staircase move him up and stepped through the open door, looking into the stuffed room. His focus was quickly drawn to the phoenix on his perch looking glorious and trilling happily. Something inside Harry just seemed to respond with the bird. The bird looked at him and Harry seemed to be drawn to the fire in the phoenix's eyes. Intuitively putting out his right hand and reaching for him, the bird extended a bit to meet him. As the plumage met his palm it felt like Harry had put his hand on the hot stove. Holding just for a short second before pulling the hand back looking at it and finding it unharmed. But something was different. He let his magic flow to his palm shocked as he saw the mark for the transfer nearly half full. He was looking back to the phoenix, who had a kind of smug look. Did all vain birds have that kind of look mastered at birth? Harry thought comparing the Firebird with Hedwig. "Thanks. But why?" He looked at the bird only for him to flame travel away.
"Ahh, you had the pleasure of enjoying Fawkes's antics. He is a jokester sometimes."
Dumbledore stood at the end of the staircase leading to his observatory, coming back down slowly. "You may wonder why I called you here. First of all, You handled the situation with Mister Corner rather strictly but within reason. You may want to not push him further."
Harry shrugged. "I will not start it Professor, but I will sure end it. Please let me finish" He told Dumbledore who wanted to intervene. "I can forget about it Professor but if he comes back at me, with hostile intent, I won't be the one to stand there and take the curse. That's not how I have been raised."
Dumbledore sighed but nodded. "Understandable, but I urge you to always try to find a peaceful solution. The next thing I wanted to give you is this. He summoned a parcel and put it on his desk where the conversation had moved to.
Harry looked at him with a curious face and after some encouragement opened the parcel while Dumbledore talked. "That cloak was your father's, he left it with me to study it. I had planned to give it as a kind of Christmas present but that felt wrong after reading that article in the Prophet this morning. We, old people, tend to do such things sometimes."
Harry opened the parcel with a flick of his wand. Provoking a raised brow from the headmaster. As he touched the cloak he heard one particular voice in his mind before falling unconscious "That's One." Dumbledore had trouble reacting in time but with a flick of his wand, he had caught the young wizard with the help of a levitation charm. Calling for an elf to get Madam Pomfrey to his Office.
At the same time, Divination Classroom
A Hogwarts Elf was cleaning around a woman who reeked of alcohol. Humming a song he had learned over time listening in to students he nearly let all the empty bottles fall to the ground as one Sybill Trelawney opened her eyes, taking in a rattling breath and an airy voice spoke the words.
" The one touched by Death, Fate, and eternal Flame has arrived.
Ruthless to his enemies but protective of his friends he stands at a crossroads.
One Path leads to destruction while the other will let the magic blossom again.
The one who has been born twice, either way, will bring change to our world.
The one touched by Death, Fate, and eternal Flame has arrived"
After that, she just fell asleep again. The House Elve was shocked, as someone of the pure magical beings he could feel how the threads of fate had reached out to this woman leading to this true prophecy. He would have to tell the Headmaster.
In Harrys Mindscape
Once again he found himself in this grey world. Floating before him was the figure he had seen the last time.
"I did not have thought that this heirloom of your family would find its way so quickly into your Hands Peverell."
Harry looked at himself only to see that he had worn the cloak now. He wanted to say something but Death was quicker.
"I had some time to think about what I said Peverell. Once I gave your family three Items, two parts of this trinity I had claimed quickly without getting the items back. Not only have your ancestors robbed me they dared to lose those items. I witnessed what you did to that parasite. I thought about it and took you here to propose a new deal so to speak.
I allow that the true Peverell line will be allowed to keep the cloak. If you, Peverell Spawn, agree to take on the task of reaping those human souls who want to evade me. Think about it, when you have all three items draw your family's Symbol in blood and call for me. I will come and claim the two items and maybe even grant you a wish."
Again Harry was about to say something only to open his eyes looking at the face of the Matron and the Headmaster. Both waved their wands around him mumbling Incantations.
Pomfrey was the first to notice that he was awake again.
"Good that you are back with us. I could not find anything wrong maybe a magical resonance or something overwhelmed his body for a moment."
Dumbledore looked thoughtful, brushing the tip of his long white beard. He looked at the Matron and nodded once. "Thank you, Poppy, that will be all. I am afraid I have to finish my talk with Mister Potter."
The Matron nodded and smiled in Harry's Direction with her usual caring smile.
"If you feel something is off in the coming days Mister Potter, please visit me in the Hospital wing." With those words, she took some Floo Powder and vanished in the green flames. Harry looked back at Dumbledore.
"Professor, what do you know about the Peverell Family?" Harry asked right out of the blue letting the Headmaster stop in his tracks. The old wizard looked at Harry but smiled quickly.
"What brought this up, if you don't mind me asking?" Harry looked in Dumbledore's twinkling eyes thinking what he could or should tell. He reasoned that Dumbledore was still in a worse negotiation position than him emotionally.
"Can I trust you, that you will treat the information I want to give you confidential?" He said. The displeasure that he needed to ask the headmaster for help was a problem in itself.
Dumbledore could follow his student. But the headmaster was always somebody who wanted to help others, even Gellert, he wanted to help in their battle before he took the wand he now had a grip on from Gellert's dead hands. Struck down after they had dueled for many hours with one of his curses. The face of a smiling and content person he once had strong feelings for still haunted him in his dreams. "Well, Harry, help will always come to those in Hogwarts who ask for it. As Headmaster and a former friend of your family, I will hold onto your secrets."
Harry nodded. "What would you say that I came to witness Death twice and he enlisted me in the search of some particular items my ancestors had loaned and never returned?" The boy looked at Dumbledore with intense eyes.
Dumbledore took a step back, could it be that the hallows were real? All that time he and Gellert invested in looking for them. He quickly occluded his thoughts to stay with Harry.
"I would say that I am happy you are still breathing. Not many can say they met Death and lived to tell the tale."
Harry nodded slowly. "Well, What do you know about the Peverells Professors? And I do not mean this fairytale made of wizards to let them look good called the Tale of the Three brothers."
Again Dumbledore was troubled, the animosity Harry had in his voice was something that could cut through someone. "Not much except that a Peverell once lived in Godrics Hollow and sometimes after a descendant of his married into the Potter household effectively merging the houses."
Harry sighed and took a seat before the headmaster's desk after pacing for the last minutes in front of it. "Well once around the 12th century to 13th century. Three Brothers tried to save the isles from a nearing force of invaders. They knew they were not strong enough to do so on their own as opposing force was just too big. The Isles would be conquered quickly if they did nothing. So in a move made out of desperation, they summoned death by means unknown. They cut a deal with the entity of death and he gifted them with a wand, able to do incredible things. A stone, to summon the shades of those long dead, who could wreak havoc on the living. Lastly, a cloak so strong it could hide the essence of the person under it. Able to pass wards and everything he wanted undetected. Armed with those three items they had destroyed the invaders before they even could touch the soil. As Death came to claim the items back. Two of them had laughed and turned their backs on him. Death quickly claimed those two souls. The Third lived a long life till he passed the cloak on to his son. Let Death claim him afterward. That Professor is the history of the Tale of Beedle the Bard's Deathly Hallows. The true tale, I had to see in the past days since my first meeting with Death in the form of nightmares. They had one job, to stay true to the deal Professor. Let Death claim the Items and they would have lived a normal life till old age would have claimed them. But no, two of them, filled with greed and a sense of unfounded superiority thought it was a good idea to mess with a being we call death. Seriously. Some magicals must have come too late as evolution has handed out intelligence." Harry ended the telling with this last sentence full of sarcasm.
Dumbledore had to chuckle as Harry ended his rant. He also had to sit down at his desk.
"That is some tale Harry, but I have to agree with your feelings on this and now you are looking to pay the bill so to speak?"
Harry nodded and looked shortly at the pocket of the wand Dumbledore had disappeared to.
"I know that you hold onto one of the items I need to find. I won't ask for it at this time, because the time is just not right, but Professor I will make no secret out of it. There will come a time when I will take back what is not yours or mine, to begin with, to pay for the mistakes my ancestors made. I would prefer if, when the time is right that will be a peaceful event."
Dumbledore nodded slowly. "I can understand Harry" Dumbledore had to sigh for a moment. "You have inherited some burdens did you not? Let us call it the Peverell Curse. And as I told you I am much inclined to help you when the time will be right."
Harry agreed after they both exchanged some more information about the possible Locations of the missing stone. Harry would have to do some more research on that. Before he and the Headmaster parted ways he gave the old man one last shock.
"Before I leave Headmaster, are there magical ways to evade death? Something regarding using Shards of your Soul maybe?"
Dumbledore quickly lost all color on his face.
"I think that I may came across something like that in my past." The headmaster started. "But that is dark magic. Another possible way would be alchemy. My old Friend Nicolas Flamel once created a philosopher's stone to produce the elixir of life. As long as he regularly takes a dose he will not die. A much more preferred way to evade death I would say. Nicholas just does it to have enough time to study magic. Some Dark Lords, well they did other more unpleasant things."
"Thank you, Professor, If you come across a method of how to destroy such a soul shard if it is completed let me know. I think in the future If I want to placate Death, I need to hunt those dark magic things." Harry didn't miss the short glance Dumbledore gave his fading scar before giving him a slow nod.