The Odds & Ends Trunk

[Isebas]

Disclaimer- I don't own Dragon Age Origins nor am I making any profit from this story.

Summary: Arthus Morthos is used to traveling the land and having no responsibility to anyone but himself. He didn't expect to get tangled up with a Grey Warden Commander or that he would join them.

"Speaking"
Thoughts
"Foreign Languages"
"Demon Speaking"

The Rogue Warden 1
​

Arthus Morthos moved swiftly and silently through the forest. He was making his way towards Castron, a small city, roughly a hundred miles from Highever for a tournament. While there were sections only open for nobles or knights to compete in they did have sections for commoners. He planned to enter and hopefully win the first place prize of ten sovereigns in both archery and sword fighting. At the moment he had made camp and was hunting a large stag. In his left hand he held his mother's longbow with an arrow unnotched.

Carefully pushing aside some bushes he spied his quarry standing several yards from him. Loosing the arrow he watched as it arced towards the stag and hit it with a solid thud. It ran a few more meters before slowing and finally dropping to the ground. Sighing he bounded over towards the wounded animal which keened as it rocked on the ground. Pulling out his large hunting knife he swiftly stabbed it in the heart to ease it's suffering. Pulling the knife out he cleaned it on the grass before he heaved the carcass onto his left shoulder with a bit of effort.

A happy growling bark greeted him as he stepped into his camp. Standing in front of him was his faithful companion Goren. As a half-wolf half-mabari he was a large hound, easily reaching a half a foot above Arthus' waist with his head a foot higher. His head was shaped more like his wolf parent with an longer snout and golden eyes, His black fur was long and decidedly thicker than a full-blooded mabari's as well.

Arthus had found him caught in a of bear trap while he had been hunting in the woods near Redcliffe. Goren had been just a pup then but still good sized but he had become sick with infection indicating he had been in the trap for a while. Arthus had carefully nursed him back to health and had traveled the rest of the way to Redcliffe. After resupplying Goren had decided to stay with him since none had claimed seeing him before. Eventually the hound imprinted on him making them even closer companions.

"We're going to eat well tonight Goren." Arthus told Goren as he laid the stag down to start a fire. Goren's tail wagged back and forth, stirring up dried leaves.

As he was putting some of the meat on the fire Arthus carefully seasoned it before starting on some of the other meat. Some of the meat he would dry out for himself and Goren to make jerky for the road. He would take the pelt, hooves, antlers and the rest of the meat with him to sell in the next town. Along with some of the other items he had to sell he figured he would be in for some good coin.
Goren whined bringing Arthus' attention to him.

"Here moocher." Arthus said rolling his eyes and tossing Goren a bit of meat which the hound quickly snatched out of the air.

Later that evening he lay back against Goren's warmth as the fire crackled next to them, smoking some cherry tobacco in his small pipe. It was a luxury he enjoyed on occasion while he watched the stars twinkling in the sky.

Katerina. He thought wistfully as he closed his eyes. Perhaps he would dream of her that night.

oOoOoOo​

After a quick breakfast the next day and dousing his fire Arthus packed up his camp before checking and gathering his traps. He was happy that the game was so plentiful in this region. His traps had caught three large brown hares in the night. Arthus grinned; more money for him. Gathering the last of his items into his packs he set off towards Castron.

Arthus pulled back the reins to slow his horse, Porthos, as he came upon Castron. Goren similarly slowed next to him. A long line of people were slowly making their way inside.

"Is something wrong?" Arthus asked a guard.

"Rumor has it darkspawn are gathering down south. The king is supposedly heading down to head them off. Got mages, Templars, and Gray Wardens even." The guard replied while eying Goren nervously. "Security is being increased everywhere since they think it might be a Blight."

Arthus' brows rose in surprise. He had heard rumors of dark creatures roaming the forests but nothing substantial. He certainly hadn't heard anything about darkspawn or a Blight. It had been centuries since the last one.

"Is the Tournament still being held?" Arthus asked.

"Of course." The guard answered. "The officials aren't going to call off this money maker just because of darkspawn. Thinking of entering?"

Arthus nodded.

"I am." Arthus said. "Figured I'd try my hand at it this year."

The guard nodded.

"Should be a good turn out." He said. "Good luck."

"Be on your way." The other guard said. Arthus nodded before urging Porthos forward.

"Good day." Arthus said.

oOoOoOo
​

Arthus almost sneered as he caught sight of the men following him. They obviously thought they were being stealthy. His blood pumped faster as the group of five moved to surround him. He could smell the ale on them. Clearly they had been drinking heavily.

"May I ask what you want?" Arthus demanded.

"Well well it almost looks like a knife ear." One of the men jeered. His face was unshaved, his blond hair messy and his gray eyes clouded.

"No this is the one who beat Rickard at Archery in the Tournament." Another, with black hair and brown eyes, said. He wore obviously finer clothes than the others.

He must be the relative of a local official. Arthus thought.

"Shouldn't be coming around here trying to steal our money." The man sneered.

"Well it is a Tournament, it's meant to be won." Arthus commented dryly.

He allowed his sword to scrape against it's scabbard, thinking that the sound might drive them off. It did make a couple nervous but they were too stupid, or drunk, to run.

"I think we'll take your nice things and all your money." The man with the fine clothes said, holding out his hand while pulling out a dagger. "Hand it over and we won't make you suffer."

Arthus answered by kicking the man's knee causing it to bend in the other direction with a nasty crunch. The man collapsed to his knees with a scream of pain. Arthus' steel knuckled leather gloves caught him in the jaw, breaking it and putting him down in the mud. Stepping to the right he allowed one of his attackers to run passed him while sticking out his foot to trip him. The tall, wide shouldered man fell face first into the mud, losing his grip on the blade in his hand. With a grunt the man forced himself to his knees and reacquired his blade before lashing out at Arthus. Arthus leaned back before slashing his sword downwards, cutting the man deeply from left shoulder to right hip before he kicked him in the head.

"Holy Maker!" One of the others exclaimed. "He took out Thraxas!"

Arthus was on him before he could say anything else. A punch to the throat destroyed the other man's voice box painfully causing him to begin choking. A dagger to the side quickly his head swiftly sent him into unconsciousness. One man tried to run only for Arthus to catch him in the both knees with an arrow. A grunt behind him warned him to dodge to the side missing taking a dagger in his back from the rich man. Scowling Arthus took his hand off at the wrist.

"Argh!" The man's scream was muffled by his broken jaw as he clutched his bleeding stump.

A whistle was heard from behind. Arthus whirled around and cursed. Guards were coming up on the scene.

"Put down your weapons!" The guard yelled.

Arthus grudgingly sheathed his sword and dagger.

oOoOoOo
​

"Arthus Morthos you stand accused of assaulting five men after curfew two night ago." The judge said. "One of them the nephew of a local Magistrate. How do you plead?"

"I was defending myself." Arthus said shrugging as best he could while wearing shackles on his wrist and ankles. "They tried to rob and kill me. I did them in before they could do me."

Arthus watched as several of the panel people exchanged looks as caught the judge looking at a man dressed in finery. The man shook his head minutely and the judge frowned before turning back to face Arthus.

"Never the less." The judge spoke. "The assault of five citizens within the walls of our city cannot be ignored. You are hereby sentenced to ten years in prison."

"If I might your honor?" A man stood up. He wore a white robe over finely engraved silverite armor with the emblem of a griffin reared up on it's back legs on the pauldrons. Arthus could see the hilt of both a sword and dagger over the man's shoulders. He moved with the grace of a powerful fighter and his dark eyes were hard.

"Yes?" The judge asked irritably.

"I am Duncan, the Ferelden Gray Warden Commander. It is my right as a Grey Warden to pursue the Right of Conscription. More than ever Grey Wardens are needed in Ferelden." Duncan spoke gravely. "If this man is to be jailed for so long he can surely do Ferelden a better service as a Grey Warden than as a drain on your city's coffers."

The Judge shared a quick whispered conversation with his aides before banging his gavel against his desk.

"Very well." The Judge said grudgingly. "The accused is to be released into the custody of the Warden Commander. Have him out of the city by noon tomorrow."

"Of course, thank you." Duncan nodded while the shackles were removed from Arthus' wrists allowing him to rub them to try and restore feeling.

oOoOoOo
​

"Thanks for that back there. I could tell that they weren't going to let me off even before I answered in my defense. Politics and all." Arthus said as he put on his leather armor before carefully adjusting his belt, absentmindedly checking to see if his money was all still there. To his surprise it was, including his prize money. He threw his green Elven cloak on before sheathing his bow and quiver of arrows over it. "Ah that's better."

"You might not thank when you see what lies ahead." Duncan smiled humorlessly. "Your perception serves you well however."

Arthus nodded.

"I watched you in the Tournament and your fight last night." Duncan told him. "You were quite impressive. You had the men down before I could intervene. Even before then I had thought to try and recruit you."

Arthus chortled.

"Then I guess it's good I did get in trouble." He commented dryly. "You've got another guaranteed recruit now."

Duncan gave a brief chuckle himself.

"You're not angry about being recruited?" He queried.

Arthus shook his head.

"Not really." Arthus told him. "I've been in some bad scrapes before. Besides if there truly is a Blight it needs to be fought. It is better to die for something than to live for nothing."

"Indeed." Duncan said respect coloring his tone.

"Where will we be headed?" Arthus asked.

"Our first stop will be Highever ruled over by Teyrn and Teyrna Bryce and Eleanor Cousland." Duncan answered. "There is a promising recruit there I wish to see there."

Arthus nodded as he tightened the straps of his saddle. Arthus let out two quick whistles causing Goren to run up to his side. Checking him over he saw that he had no injuries.

"That is definitely one of the largest mabari hounds I have ever seen." Duncan commented. "He is a mix breed correct?"

"Yes. His name is Goren." Arthus nodded. "One of his parents was a wolf. While he is not a full-blood mabari I think that it is an improvement. I have yet to meet anything that he hasn't been able to overcome. I once saw him take down two black bears I was tracking."

"Impressive." Duncan commented.

Goren grunted happily at the compliment causing Arthus to grin.

After making a brief stop for supplies Duncan and Arthus rode out of Castron, on to Highever.

oOoOoOo
​

The seat of the Teyrn and Teyrna of Highever was an impressive fortified stone castle surrounded by a large wall of stone, metal and hard wood. Arthus could see the standard of the Teyrn waving proudly in the air. The portcullis was open and several guards stood in th open. Arthus was sure that there were several hidden in case of danger.

"Halt." The guard said, holding up his hand. "Please state your business."

Arthus slowed Porthos, allowing Duncan to pull ahead of him a bit to be able to speak with the guards. The guard stood wearing chain mail with a shield with the standard of the Teyrn slung on his back.

"I am Duncan, Ferelden's Grey Warden Commander." Duncan answered. "This is Arthus Morthos, a Grey Warden recruit. We seek shelter and the possibility of finding more recruits."

"Please wait here while I send a messenger to the Teyrn." The guard said before whispering to the man next to him who left after nodding.

Duncan nodded.

"We can wait." He said, settling back in his saddle.

The messenger returned five minutes later.

"Please come inside." The guard said. "The Teyrn bids you to enjoy his hospitality and is having rooms made up for you. If you follow Ser Rosdale here he can stable your horses for you."

"Thank you we will take the Teyrn up on his offer." Duncan said with a nod, waving for Arthus to follow him in. Once inside they stepped down from their horses and shouldered their packs. They were quickly met by an Elvish girl servant. Her black hair was long and her blue eyes were dark like the ocean.

"I will stable your horses my lords." Ser Rosdale said, taking the horse's reins.

"Thank you Ser Rosdale." Duncan said as the Knight led the horses away.

"Welcome to the Cousland estates milords, my name is Aveena." She said. "If you will follow me milords I can lead you to your rooms."

"Thank you." Duncan said with a nod.

They were quickly led through the castle towards the guest wing. While the walls were made of stone the castle had a comfortable feel to it surprising Arthus. The guest rooms were fairly good sized with large comfortable looking beds, a wooden wardrobe and a wash tub surrounded by a privacy divider.

"If my lords wishes I can have a hot bath drawn for you." The maid said.

"I would enjoy one." Arthus said.

"I would as well." Duncan said.

oOoOoOo
​

"Please come inside Sers." The guards said, opening the door.

Stepping into the Main Hall Arthus was buffeted by warmth from the roaring fire in the large fireplace along the back wall. Three people stood inside, seemingly waiting for them. Two men and a young woman. One man was fairly tall and broad shouldered. He had reddish brown hair and beard with blue eyes. Arthus guessed him to be the Teyrn. The other man was of shorter stature and had a swarthy, weaselly face with dark, venomous eyes. The woman had shoulder length bronze hair and blue eyes. Her skin was slightly pale but she didn't appear sickly. Her cheek bones were raised giving her a beautiful and aristocratic look. Her nose was thin but looked right on her face.

Instead of a dress most noble women favored she wore rider britches, leather boots and a simple blouse. Her hair was done up in a braid, clearly to keep it out of her face. She appeared to be close to twenty years of age, if a few years over it. A sword hung from her waist and a crossbow was slung on her back.

The smaller man spoke first, clearly surprised.

"My lord, you did not tell me we had Grey Wardens present." He said, somewhat reproachfully. Arthus' eyes narrowed slightly. There was something off with this man, something about him tickled his instincts. Howe clearly didn't like the fact that they were there. Looking at the woman Arthus saw that she too seemed to dislike the man, even if it was well hidden.

The Teyrn turned to him.

"Is there a problem Howe?" He asked, brows raised.

Ah, Arthus knew him now. Arl Rendon Howe, the Arl of Amaranthine. Arthus had obviously never met the man but he had heard rumors. Most counted him as a sneaky venomous snake and a social climber. He was supposedly a close friend of Bryce Cousland, the Teyrn of Highever. Obviously that rumor was at least true. By the look on his face he was clearly surprised to see Duncan and him there.
Howe was quick to recover.

"Not at all. I'm just at a disadvantage. There are certain...protocols involved." He replied smoothly.

"Pup," Arthus saw the woman grimace slightly at this nickname causing his mouth to quirk in a grin before it disappeared when she seemed to glare out of the corner her eye. "this is Duncan, the Grey Warden Commander and Arthus Morthos a Grey Warden recruit. They will be staying here for a few days. Please see that they have everything they need and are treated with the utmost respect. Duncan, Arthus this is my daughter Aeris."

Duncan nodded to Aeris.

"Well met." Arthus said with a small bow.

Duncan was quick to address the Teyrn.

"We require no special attention your lordship, but thank you." He said.

oOoOoOo
​

Aeris Magdalena Cousland was the youngest child of Teyrn and Teyrna Bryce and Eleanor Cousland; and their only daughter. She was ten years younger than her brother Fergus, who was thirty years old. She knew that many expected her to act like a Lady but she enjoyed defying tradition. She had always been more of a tomboy and loved learning about fighting and hunting. She prefers britches, shirts and simple braids to dresses and elaborate hair styles. While she did learn what her tutors taught her she always preferred the outdoors and attending fighting tournaments. Fergus was the one who enjoyed politics and learning to run a Teyrnum.

Aeris studied the two men curiously and with a little awe. Grey Wardens. They were warriors of legend. Worthy men and women, handpicked to battle darkspawn. Respected and feared on the battlefield, though perhaps not of late.

She found herself wondering why these men were here and not in the south already but she didn't voice it. While the other man wasn't a full Warden yet he must be quite the warrior to have been chosen to join them. She hoped to be able to speak with him about it.

"You know of the Grey Wardens pup?" Her father asked.

"Of course. Great warriors of legend." She nodded to Duncan and Arthus. "I am at your disposal Wardens."
Duncan nodded back. "Most kind. With the darkspawn forming in the south, I find myself searching for new recruits here. We should not be too long."

Thoughts immediately formed in Aeris' head.

"Who were you to test Warden?" She inquired.

Her father answered, wary of the look in his daughter's eyes. She had always been very adventurous and daring, even more than her brother Fergus.

"Ser Gilmore is to be tested." He said.

Duncan added.

"Yes. Though if I may say so your lordship, your daughter here is fine candidate as well. Has she not won several Tournaments herself?"

The Teyrn looked agitated. "Yes, well perhaps, but I've not so many children that I'll willingly send them off in such a manner Duncan. Unless of course you wish to invoke the Right of Conscription?"

"No, no." Duncan was quick to say holding up a hand to placate the Teyrn. "We are not at that point your Lordship."

Howe interjected.

"So you believe this may actually be a Blight then?" He asked causing Duncan to turn his attention to him.

"Perhaps. The darkspawn numbers swell in the south. Though an Archdemon has not been sighted of yet. Still..." He let the implications hang in the air.

Aeris was curious.

"How many darkspawn are there?" She asked.

Arthus also perked up at the question. It was something he had been wondering as well. Duncan looked grave and serious.

"Thousands. Perhaps tens of thousands. Increasing every day." He answered.

Arthus' brows raised in surprised.

That many monsters already? He thought. How could such a force gather so quickly with so little warning?
Aeris turned to her father and immediately he knew what she was going to say causing him to bite back a sigh.

"I really should be going." She said hoping to get him to see things her way.

Her father shook his head with a sigh.

"No. The king is already there and armies have been sent. Stability is needed back here. You know your duty. And we have already discussed this pup." He said firmly, giving her a look that said to drop it.

Aeris frowned but nodded.

"I shall see to it. No need to worry." She conceded. I should be out there fighting. I always enjoyed it more than Fergus. He would take better care of Highever as well.

"Good. Now, go find your brother for me and send him here. We have preparations to make before we depart." The Teyrn said.

Aeris nodded to the Arl then turned to Duncan and Arthus.

"I should like to speak with you later if there is time warden." She said politely.

"Of course." The dark haired warden replied. "We look forward to it."

Arthus looked at him with a brow slightly raised.

Answering for me now are you? He thought slightly amused.

Aeris looked at her father, who clearly did not look forward to it. He knew his daughter, and knew the life of a Grey Warden, once explained fully to her, would appeal to her greatly. He had feared this.

Aeris gave her father a kiss on the cheek and turned to walk out of the door.

oOoOoOo
​

"Might I speak with you Ser Morthos?" A young female voice asked, bringing Arthus out of his reading. Looking up Arthus saw Aeris Cousland in front of him causing him to frown slightly. He had been so engrossed in the book that he hadn't heard her come in. A dangerous thing when one lived mostly in the wilds. He had found the Cousland library to have a large collection of books on a wide range of subjects both academic and leisurely. Reading was one of Arthus' hidden pleasures. His mother had had many books on the Arcane and he had read many of them when he was younger.

Up close Arthus decided that Aeris Cousland was quite beautiful and that she had a smattering of light freckles on her face. Arthus noticed that she had been followed in the library by a short haired mabari.

"Of course your Ladyship." Arthus said, standing up.

Aeris grimaced.

"Please call me Aeris and retake your seat." She said with a wave. "While I am used to being addressed as milady I also liked to be called by my name."

"If that is your wish." Arthus replied smoothly.

"This is Mara." Aeris said, gesturing to the mabari.

"Well met." Arthus said, giving the clearly well bred mabari a respectful nod. The hound stepped closer to sniff him before sitting back down next to her mistress with a grunt of assent. Aeris' mouth quirked, mabari were very good judges of character and Arthus had clearly passed muster.

"You speak to him as if he was a person..." She said leadingly.

"I myself have a mabari named Goren. I know how intelligent they are." Arthus replied. "My father always said that mabari are smart enough to be able to speak but intelligent enough not to."

Aeris smiled.

"What did you wish to speak with me about?" Arthus asked.

"I was wondering if you would tell me how you were recruited for the Wardens if it's not too invasive." Aeris said, seeing no reason to beat around the bush. She took the seat opposite him. Mara padded over and laid her large head on her lap and Aeris automatically reached up to scratch her ears.

"Not at all." Arthus said, closing the book before setting it gently on the table. "I met Duncan after the Tournament in Castron."

"Did you compete?" She asked, leaning forward.

"Yes." Arthus replied. "I won first prize in Archery and Sword fighting."

"You must be very good." She said appreciatively. "Both my brother and I have competed there and won."

"It was quite fun." Arthus said. "Anyway I was set upon by a group of local thugs while I was staying there. I was forced to kill two of them and seriously injure two others and was arrested for it. Even though it was self-defense they weren't going to let me go free."

"Why not?" She asked.

Arthus gave her a brief, piercing look.

"A rich patron stepped into my trial. I saw him signal the judge." Arthus answered. "Luckily Duncan was there to save my bacon. He brought up that the Warden's needed recruits and used the Right of Conscription to recruit me."

Aeris, of course, knew of the Right. It allowed the Grey Wardens to forcibly recruit people into their ranks. Be they criminals, commoners or Noble born. Quite a controversial law and one rarely used unless necessary.
She observed Arthus further. His leather armor was something he was obviously comfortable in. It was dark brown and had a silver wolf howling at the moon on it.

His black hair was messy but seemed to suit him. His silver eyes were kind of exotic. A trimmed goatee rimmed his mouth and chin and actually looked good upon him. He had a thin scar that ran down his right brow and upper cheek looked to be caused by a sword or dagger. His features were strong and she could see that his ears were pointed. Not as much as an Elf but fairly similar. He appeared to be several years older than her but not as old as her brother. In the back of her mind she acknowledged that he was a handsome man. She almost blushed but controlled it.

"I mean no offense but you look slightly elvish." Aeris said.

Arthus' mouth quirked in a smile.

"I am not offended. I am in fact half-elven." Arthus answered. "My mother was an elf while my father was a human knight."

"How is it that you look like you do then?" Aeris asked curiously. "I thought all children between Elves and humans looked human."

Arthus shook his head.

"A common misconception." He said. "There are a few of us, known as The Blessed, who are born with more Elvish traits than human. It quite a rare occurrence and usually only happens when one parent is magical."

"So your mother was a Mage?" Aeris asked, not afraid in the least. She had met a Mage once who had lived outside of the Circle of Magi. She hadn't appeared to be a dangerous monster Templars and the Chantry tried to portray all those who didn't live within their towers.

"Yes she was." Arthus admitted. "I myself am not a Mage but it is possible if I ever have children that they might be. It usually runs in bloodlines, though not always."

"Is there any advantage to being 'Blessed'?" Aeris asked.

Arthus nodded with smile.

"We are more like our Elvish parent than human." Arthus explained. "We are stronger, faster and more dexterous like Elves. We are also usually more accepted by pureblood Elves than humans usually are. I have heard that some Elves will even seek out the Blessed for marriage. Probably because of the decline in Elvish populations; to add to the gene pool."

Aeris nodded, storing the information away in her mind.

"What about you?" Arthus asked. "No offense but you don't exactly scream Noble Lady."

Aeris grinned and rolled her eyes.

"I've always been more of a Tomboy, much to my mother's dismay." She snickered. "I enjoy hunting and training better than learning good manners, and how to be a proper Lady. I was out on a hunt when you and Duncan arrived."

oOoOoOo​

It was a scream that woke him with a start. Arthus was briefly disoriented before he took in his surroundings. Goren was near the door growling. Getting up he quickly dressed and put his gear on. He didn't know what was going on but it was better to be prepared. Carefully opening the door an inch he didn't see anything.
"Stay close." Arthus whispered to Goren.

Pulling his sword from it's scabbard he carefully made his way down the darkened hallway. Pulling a small mirror from a pouch he used it to look around the corner. Seeing nobody he quickly made his way forward, keeping to the shadows as much as possible.

Looking ahead he saw two armored men standing beside the corpse of an elf.

"Heh. Heh." One of the men chuckled. "Should have heard the knife ear scream."

Narrowing his eyes Arthus saw the standard of Arl Howe on the soldiers' shields.

Arl Howe is attacking Highever? What has possessed him to betray his old friends?

"Better go and check the rest of the keep." The other said. The first man nodded and turned to leave.
Stepping up to the man who stayed Arthus calmly slid his knife across the soldier's throat, covering his mouth to prevent any screams from being heard before stabbing him quickly three times to quicken his death.

Goren growled and jumped the other one as his back was turned. The man barely had any notice before the giant mabari slammed into him. His breath was immediately knocked out of him and Arthus was sure that some his ribs were broken as he had heard a crunch. Goren savagely bit into throat, tearing it open with his sharp teeth causing warm blood to gush into his mouth.

"Good job." Arthus whispered to Goren when he let the, now, dead man go.

Quickly pulling the corpses into the shadows he stripped them of anything of value, stuffing it into his pack. He would sort everything out later. A copper saved is a copper earned in his opinion. Better than allowing it to go to waste anyway. He felt no scruples about looting corpses. What use did the dead have for material things? Absolutely none.

Arthus came across several more groups before he rounded another corner coming face to face to the Teyrna and Aeris. They both seemed to be unharmed. They were both dressed in leather armor and carried several weapons competently. The Teyrna had a sword and dagger while Aeris had a sword and shield with a small bow and a quiver of arrows on her back. Both of their eyes were lined with red but filled with a seething rage.

Arthus quickly lowered his sword as they raised their weapons against him. Arthus motioned for Goren to stay behind him.

"I am not here to fight." Arthus said, holding up a hand. "I heard a scream from my room and left to investigate. I didn't expect to find this."

He waved at Howe's dead soldiers with his bloodied blade.

"Ser Morthos." Eleanor finally said. "I am glad to see that you are alright."

"And I you your Ladyship." Arthus replied. "Do you know why they are attacking?"

"They seek to kill us all." Aeris growled with rage, speaking up for the first time. "Damn that cowardly weasel Howe."

"We were just on our way to escape if you want you can come with us." Eleanor Cousland said. "There is a secret passage we can take in the larder."

Arthus nodded.

"Have you seen Duncan?" Arthus asked as they started on their way.

Eleanor shook her head.

"No neither of us has seen him or the Teryn." Eleanor answered. "Please follow us."

They made a stop at the Cousland treasury with Goren standing guard.

"Hurry Aeris." Eleanor urged. "We don't need Howe getting his hands on our family treasures."

Arthus joined them inside. Reaching into his pack he pulled out a leather sack.

"Take this." He said. "It'll hold more than it should. It's similar to a bag of holding."

"Thank you." Eleanor said, using a key to open a wooden chest. Inside was a good amount of Sovereigns, silver and copper coins along with a few small ingots of precious metals. She emptied it as quickly as she could before handing it to Aeris to place in her pack. She quickly gathered up a shield and sword.

"These are the Cousland family shield and sword." She told Aeris. "Howe must not get his hands on these."

"Yes mother." Aeris said, accepting the shield and sword after discarding her own. "I swear that he won't as long as I have them."

They swiftly made there way to the Main Hall as some of the hallways were blocked with fire and debris.

They killed several of Howe's men on the way. The Cousland women fought like women possessed by rage demons. Entering they saw several guards fighting numerous numbers of Howe's men. Towards the back Arthus saw a female Mage.

Howe must have hired her from the Circle. Arthus said. I wonder if they knew what she would be doing.

Arthus saw the Mage's hands beginning to crackle with a spell. Dropping his hand to his chest he gripped the handle of a throwing knife and threw it, burying it into the Mage's neck, causing her to drop her staff and clutch the bleeding wound. Running at her he kicked the legs out from under one of Howe's men who tried to get in his way before quickly stabbing him in the throat as well. Goren tackled another and ripping out his throat while Aeris' mabari Mara did the same a few feet away.

Catching up with the Mage he saw that she was still alive. Fear and hatred battled for domination in her eyes. She bared blood stained teeth at him before he sliced her head from her shoulders. Arthus quickly searched her finding an amulet, some coins and several Lyrium potions. He quickly put them in his pack as Lyrium potions were quite valuable. Her stave quickly followed. Not for the first time did he feel glad for his Bag of Holding.

Turning around he saw a red haired knight standing behind the Highever men, sword at the ready. Arthus recognized him as the knight Duncan had planned on testing, Ser Gilmore. The knight turned and his eyes lit up at the sight of the Teyrna and her daughter.

"Your ladyship! I thought for sure Howe's men had gotten through. Thank the Maker..."

Aeris cut him off.

"They did get though."

She did not elaborate. Gilmore shut up quickly. He looked at the Teyrna and she simply shook her head. Gilmore dropped his, but the doors in front started to buckle. He sprung to action.

"Move forward! Secure the doors!" Gilmore took charge and turned to Aeris. "Go. The Teyrn went for the larder exit. We'll hold them as long as we can."

Aeris put a hand on the man's shoulder, nodded to him and took off through the doors towards the kitchen. The others right behind her. Suddenly she had some hope. Her father still lived.

They fought through two more groups before reaching the kitchen. As they stepped into the kitchen they saw a couple of elvish servants and an elderly lady laying on the ground along with a couple of Howe's men. From the blood on her clothes and the knife she held the lady had obviously fought well before dying.

"Oh Nan." Eleanor whispered, mourning her old nanny, before hearing a deep cough. Making their way quickly into the larder they stopped at seeing Teyrn Cousland laying in a slowly growing puddle of his own blood.

"Father!"

"Bryce!"

The two Cousland women screamed and run to the injured man. Eleanor embraced him, not caring about the blood.

"Eleanor, Pup. I am glad that you are *cough* safe." He wheezed.

"What happened to you Bryce?" Eleanor asked.

"I was set upon by Howe's men and caught off guard." Bryce answered tiredly. "I was only able to get away with Duncan's help."

Arthus was glad to hear that Duncan had made it alive. Except he wasn't there.

Just then Duncan walked in, covered in blood, before he sheathed his sword.

"They will break through the gates at any moment. There are too many. We need to go." Duncan urged them.
Aeris looked at her father. She knew he was unlikely to make it far if moved but they had little choice.

"Can you stand?" She asked him.

The Teyrn shook his head no.

"I won't survive it. Duncan..." The Teyrn said.

The Grey Warden turned to him.

"You are under no obligation to me Duncan, but I beg you, see my family to safety."

The wizened older warrior nodded.

"I will your Lordship, but, there is an even greater Evil loosed on this world at the moment. I came here for a recruit. Circumstance dictates that I must leave with one." He said gravely.

A look of pain flashed over Bryce's eyes but he nodded slowly.

"Aeris please go with Duncan. Become a Grey Warden." He said.

"But what about Howe?" Aeris asked angrily. "He must pay for what he has done!"

"A Cousland always puts their duty before personal desires." Bryce told her firmly. "Make Howe pay by surviving, let him know that a Cousland still lives that knows of his cowardly misdeeds. Inform the King of Howe's treachery."

Duncan put a hand to his shoulder and nodded.

"You must put aside vengeance. The darkspawn threat will always take precedence." He said.

Aeris looked ready to object but Bryce spoke first.

"Pup...Aeris. He is right. There will be a time. A place. Howe will pay. Go. Find your brother. Make your mark on this world. Go –"

He doubled over in pain, curling his arm tighter against his stomach.

Duncan turned his head sharply, Arthus heard it too. The door had broken. They had maybe two minutes.

"We have to leave." Duncan moved to the exit, opened the door, then turned to the Eleanor.

The Teyrna shrugged them both off.

"I'm staying. I'll kill every last bastard that comes through that door to protect you Bryce but I'll not leave you." She turned to her daughter and gave her a tight hug and kiss. "Aeris, I love you my daughter. Now go."

"Mother." Aeris protested. "Come with us. You're not injured."

"No! Go now, leave us." Eleanor told her firmly. "I have been by your father side for thirty-five years. I won't leave him now."

"We are proud of you and love you. Never forget that." Bryce said.

The two mabari were the first down the trapdoor followed by Duncan. Arthus followed him down and heard Aeris following him. As they were walking away Arthus heard the Teyrna move something over the trapdoor to buy them more time. His sharp hearing also picked up their conversation.

"I love you Bryce. We have had a good life and raised two wonderful children." Teyrna Eleanor said. "We return to the Maker together."

Goodbye. Arthus thought. He hoped that they were together in the next life.

The tunnel they climbed down into was barely tall enough for them to walk in but they hurried forward as fast as they could. The floor and part of the walls were made of stone but the rest was hard packed soil. There were no lights except for the torch Duncan carried.

"Where will this lead us?" Duncan asked Aeris.

"The tunnel branches after couple hundred feet." Aeris whispered. "The first branch leads to a lake. The second leads to the stables. There should be horses there."

"Then that is where we will go." Duncan said. "Horses will help us leave faster even if they'll leave a trail."

Arthus was glad. He hadn't wanted to leave Porthos behind. Conversation stopped and the only sound was their panting breath. Quickly making their way into the needed tunnel they stopped at the end which was kept closed by a thick wood and stone door. Aeris stepped forward and pulled out an ornate metal key and quickly unlocked it. The door groaned slightly as it opened.

Looking out they didn't see anybody. Duncan took point again and motioned them forward before throwing his torch back into the tunnel and closing the door which Aeris relocked. They moved swiftly but stealthily towards the stables. Luckily no one had seem them yet.

Just as they thought they were home free one of Howe's archers turned and saw them. Just as he opened his mouth to scream he was silenced by an arrow to the throat from Arthus and one to the heart by Aeris. Arthus heard Aeris sigh in relief from beside him as the solider tumbled forward instead of backwards.

"We need to move quickly." Duncan said. "It won't be long before they notice the dead guard."

Arthus and Aeris nodded. Making their way into the stables they quickly each found a horse. Arthus reached up to rub Porthos' neck briefly. Finding his saddle he hurried to put it on Porthos who seemed to sense that something was amiss and didn't fuss. The group led their horses out the back and into the darkness before climbing on and taking off quickly. They only slowed when they made it to the hills overlooking Highever.

Arthus looked to Aeris who had stopped to look at Highever one last time. Even from where they were he could see Howe's men crowding all over the place. Arthus saw a single tear flow down Aeris' cheek before she swiped it away. Pulling the reins of her horse she urged him forward. Arthus moved Porthos after her. He felt sorrow for her. Her old life was now in ruins and she was soon to be joining the Wardens.

oOoOoOo​

The Blessed- The offspring of a union between a human and an elf with more Elven traits than human. They are born with the natural dexterity, strength, senses and speed of their Elven parent. Unlike those who more resemble their human parents, and are thus scorned, the Blessed are more accepted by their Elvish kin, some even sought after for marriage. While there are some traditionalist that look down upon them for the most part they are welcome, especially due to the decline in Elvish populations.

---

A/N: This is my first time publishing any of my work outside of Ffnet, TtH and one other. Hopefully I did it right. This will be a collection of story ideas from different fandoms.

 

[Isebas]

Disclaimer- J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, not I; nor am I making any profit from this story. Any oc's are, of course, of my own imagination.

Summary: Severus Snape promises his best friend Lily to help her son become the wizard he was meant to be.. Accepting his duty Snape helps Harry as he enters into a new world. Severitus. Powerful!Harry, Gray!Snape. Not slash.

-No pairings.

-Snape is not, nor will he ever be Harry's biological father in this story or even closely related to him. He might be related somewhere on the Potter family tree but it is way in the past.

-A well written Severitus series I have read is The Best Revenge. Another is a series by GreenGecko. The first is over 500,000 words, the second 300,000 and the third story is even longer. I found them intriguing and hard to stop reading.

"Speaking"

Thoughts/Important Names

'Leglimency'

"Spells"

"Foreign Languages"

§Parseltongue§

Chapter One: A Meeting of Wizards​

Today is the day. Severus Tobias Snape thought as he looked at the calendar above his bedroom desk. He had some potions to finish this morning but his afternoon would be spent finally being able to formally introduce himself to Lily's son and inform him of his heritage. Merlin give him patience. He was finally going to get Harry away from the muggles, at least for a while. He knew the boy lived with Lily's sister Petunia. Severus sneered as he thought of Petunia Evans, no – it was Dursley now, he reminded himself. He wouldn't have wished her upon anyone, except perhaps the Dark Lord and some of his more fanatical followers. She had been an annoying, jealous girl when they were children, and from what he has observed she hadn't changed much with the way she had even refused to attend Lily's wedding and the way she treated her nephew.

The way they treated the boy was deplorable for family but he wouldn't be able to do anything about it until the boy accepted his place at Hogwarts. Then he could help and get to know Lily's son better. Thankfully the Dursley's had never outright abused the boy like his own father Tobias had him and his mother before her death in his fifth year at Hogwarts. The Dursley's at most treated Harry with a mild neglect like a distant relative they were forced to house. His needs were met but he was never truly shown any love, affection or caring.

Severus cleared his thoughts of annoying muggles as he rinsed the soap off his skin. He disliked the soap he was forced to use because of working in close quarters with potions regularly. It was a special kind of soap only sold at apothecaries and it smelled like regurgitated week old soup. Luckily for him he had found that adding muggle scents would block out the worst of it. It still burned a little on his skin though as the harsh chemicals in it burnt away the vestiges of old potion fumes that accumulated on his skin. Luckily he could use a second, different kind of soap afterwards that smelled much better.

He stepped out of the shower and dried his dripping hair with the fluffy towel his elf had left for him, warmed with a heating charm. Ah, you've got to seriously appreciate house elves. Severus thought with a grin. He had never been able to appreciate them as a child as he had lived in a poor neighborhood with his muggle father and pureblood mother. They hadn't had elves then since his mother had turned her back on her family for a muggle to spite her controlling parents. Some times he wondered how his mother Eileen could have ever loved his father. Or if she even ever had.

Standing in front of the mirror Severus looked at as he always did, even if he tried not to, the scars the war had left on him. Though he knew that not all scars were physical. His hand laid upon his chest, directly above his heart as it panged.

-Flashback-​

He and Lily were drinking tea at a small outdoor café in a town a few miles from Godric's Hollow. This was only the fourth time they had been able to meet up after renewing their fractured friendship. He was dressed in black slacks, a dark gray long sleeved shirt and a dark suit coat. Lily sat opposite him wearing a beautiful flower patterned dress while her auburn hair was done in a long braid. She still looked as lovely as ever but Severus could see the worry lines on her face, just like he knew there were some on his. The war had been hard on them both.

"Severus?" Lily's voice broke through his musings and allowing him to catch the worry in her eyes.

"I'm fine Lily." Severus replied, offering her a small smile before sipping his tea.

"Are you really?" Lily asked, her tone concerned, laying a hand on his arm. He felt his heart flutter at the contact, he could feel the heat from her hand on his arm. It was...distracting to him.

Dammit, get a hold of yourself Severus. She's not interested in you that way. She married Potter. Severus thought before pushing his bitter thoughts away with practiced ease thanks to his Occlumency training. He moved his arm and made a show of using that hand to reach for the sugar bowl.

"Is your spying getting-" She began before he raised his hand.

"I'd rather not discuss the war for now Lily." Severus spoke softly, interrupting her. There was a small, pleading look in his dark eyes. "Besides you never know who might overhear something."

"Yes, yes, you're right." Lily replied stirring her tea with a spoon distracted.

"How are you feeling Lily?" Severus asked his brow creased in concern.

"Trapped, frankly." Lily sighed wearily massaging her forehead. "We're having to hide more and more, I'm left at home while James is off doing missions for the Auror Office or the Order. I almost wasn't able to get away today to meet with you. I had to tell James that I was meeting with a friend while Sirius and Remus stayed and watched over Harry."

"I'm glad you were able to get away." Severus replied, a small smile on his face.

He was genuinely glad to see his best friend. Not for the first time he thanks his lucky stars that she had been up for reconciling the friendship he had so callously trod upon in school. In a pique of anger he had nearly ruined the best thing that had ever happened to him. It could be dangerous to trust people outside of your close circle of friends due to the war but she had taken the risk and he had clutched the second chance like a drowning man.

"I'm so tired of this war Severus." Lily spoke up sounding truly tired as she fiddled with the handle of her tea cup. "I've tried to convince James to move the three of us to another country but he won't hear a word of it. 'There's always been a Potter in Britain and the Potter's will not leave it now.' and 'We must defend the weak since they cannot.'." Lily snorted bitterly. "Defend the sheep because they won't defend themselves more like. If they'd get off their own arses and defend themselves instead of sticking their heads in the ground or running away the war might be going differently. Damn his stubborn family pride, I just want to make sure at least our son lives!"

"Potter hasn't always been the smartest wizard." Severus replied before flinching at what he said, expecting a retort but only got laughter in reply. He allowed a small smirk to curl his lips.

"Thank you Severus, I needed that laugh." Lily replied after she calmed down.

"If I were in his position I would take my family and leave. Damn everyone or anything else." Severus told her. If he had a wife and child he would protect them with everything he had. Unfortunately he had ruined any chance of that and didn't think he would ever get the chance to experience it.

"Ever the cunning and shrewd Slytherin eh Sev?" Lily quipped jokingly.

"You'd be a Slytherin yourself Lily if your bravery didn't outshine your cunning. Which is a scary thing now that I think about it." Severus replied causing her to blush slightly and look down at her tea. "Professor Slughorn always wanted you in his House."

Both sat back, enjoying the cool breeze and the warmth of the sun shining down on them. Each very rarely truly had time to sit back and relax and it was nice to be able to.

"I-I need to ask you something Severus." Lily spoke up hesitantly.

"What is it Lily?" Severus asked sitting up straighter. He could tell by the tone of her voice that she was being serious.

"I am afraid that James and I won't survive this war Sev." Lily told him hesitantly as she absentmindedly played with the white table cloth on their table. She turned pleading eyes on her friend. "Please – I beg of you Severus that if anything should happen to us, that you'll look after Harry in any way you can."

"Lily." Severus replied just as hesitant. "Surely one of Potter's friends will be there to look after the boy if you cannot."

He didn't want to think about anything happening to Lily but never let it be said that Severus Snape wasn't a practical man. He knew the horrors of war. Oh Merlin did he know. There was no guarantee that either he or his friend would survive to see the end of it. Besides the boy was also James Potter's son. Vindictiveness and bitterness raced through his veins before they drained away at the sight of the pain and anguish in Lily's face and eyes. He could never deny her anything. She was his greatest weakness, something he guarded deep within his heart and behind his strongest Occlumency shields.

"Please Severus." Lily said locking her watering green with his black.

"Very well." Severus replied reluctantly, breaking her stare.

"Please promise me Severus. Promise me on our friendship." Lily said softly as she took right his hand in her own smaller ones. Severus tried to block out the feeling of her smooth, cool hands in his own.

"I promise you Lily to help your son to become a the best wizard he can be should the worse happen." Severus told her seriously.

"Thank you Severus." Lily sobbed. "Thank you."

-End-
​

That had been the last time he had ever seen Lily alive. He had stood towards the back at her and Potter's funeral. He had laid a single pink rose, her favorite, on her grave afterwards. His face was stoic as the gate had closed and locked behind him. He would not dishonor her memory or sacrifice by becoming a blubbering wreck even if it felt like his heart was ripped in two. Her death felt worse than even his own mother's had. Lily had truly been the most wonderful woman he had ever had the pleasure of knowing. She could have given the world so much if she had had the chance. Severus swore that day that he would make up for making the Dark Lord target her and her family more, even if inadvertently.

He had kept his promise to Lily and looked out for her son as much as he could with having to be at Hogwarts a majority of the year. He still remembered the first time he had visited the boy.

---

​

Severus held his wand he looked around where he apparated. Better safe than sorry. He thought. Even though the war was over he still had enemies and not all of the Death Eaters had been captured. Besides he didn't want anyone to follow him to the boy's location. He wouldn't put it past some "Light" wizard to try and get revenge against a supposed "loyal" Death Eater; on the other side of the spectrum there were the loyal Death Eaters who knew he had been a spy, even if they didn't know for which side.

Severus scoffed as he looked at the perfectly uniform muggle houses and yards stacked side by side. Stupid muggle village. No imagination what so ever. They just pack them in like sardines. At least the village he had lived in as a boy had a modicum of privacy. He didn't think anyone could do something on this street without everyone else finding out about it. With that thought he rapped himself on the head, shivering slightly as he felt his disillusionment charm take effect. It wasn't his favorite spell in the world but he could not deny it's usefulness.

He walked swiftly toward the street that was his destination since he could not apparate there. The wards started a block away from Potter's location; starting off with identification and intention wards. Finding Number Four Severus stopped in front of it. There was no way of knowing what kind of crazy wards Dumbledore had put up to keep the boy safe especially considering the other wards he had already passed through. Narrowing his eyes he cautiously made his way forward, stopping where he sensed the edge of the wards. He shivered as he felt the power inside of them. He was no expert at sensing magic but he could tell that they were powerful. Taking a deep breath he stepped through them. Noticing that nothing untoward had happened to him he slowly gripped his wand, still nothing. Sighing in relief he cast a spell meant to locate a magical child.

"Musessus Denair." Severus murmured.

The spell was a simple spell and easy to use since a child's magical core hadn't solidified yet, though there were ways of blocking tracking spells the really powerful ones were considered at the least slightly dark. While a witch or wizards magical core was the same size throughout their life it was "flexible" until they reached their first maturity. Before a child's first maturity their magic was for the most part outside of their reach, with them only able to reach it in extreme cases which was known as "accidental magic".

There were five maturities in witches and wizards:

The first started halfway between ten and ended at eleven which was why magical school started then. Another was reached at thirteen, a slightly larger one at fifteen, the largest at seventeen which opened up most of a witch or wizard's core. This was the reason the age of majority was seventeen in the wizarding world. Once a witch or wizard reached this maturity their magical core slowly completely stabilized until they were able to access the rest of their magic by nineteen. Most apprenticeships were started during this period. Of course the more powerful the witch or wizard the more magic they had access to after each of their maturities.

Witches and wizards had their magical cores checked at birth and their results recorded. They used a scale developed by Master Arithmancer Hubert Hornburg II in 1809. The scale calculated how powerful a child could potentially become and their scores during their maturities. The scale ran from two hundred and twenty-one to seven hundred and nineteen and was broken down into different labeling. There was Muggle(221-270), Squib(271-314), Witch and Wizard(315-469), Sorcerer/Sorceress(470-519), the average, Warlock(520-590), Mage(591-619) and the rarest, Arch Mage(620-719). Albus Dumbledore was recorded to have a scale result of 685 while Severus' was recorded at 576. Lily had had a score of 620.

While there were ways of artificially enlarging magical cores or forcing a magical maturity they were usually extremely painful and dangerous even if done correctly. If something went wrong a person could easily fracture their core causing it to become unstable; weaken themselves, turn themselves into squibs, or even kill themselves.

Severus waited until the wand lit up with a pale green light before his vision grayed. He really didn't like this spell since it usually left him with a headache. Looking at the house he found a corresponding splotch of green light in an upstairs bedroom. Shaking off his disorientation he walked calmly to front door which he opened with a quick wave and a silencing charm in case the door made noise. Walking inside he placed silencing charms on his feet before making his way upstairs after locking the door again.

Following the light he found his way into the bedroom at the top of the stairs. Hitting the hinges with a silencing charm for good measure he opened the door and closed it behind him. The room was fairly plain with white painted walls and wood flooring. The only covering on the floor was a worn old rug that had definitely seen better days. On one side of the room there was a small dresser which Severus saw held most of Harry's baby things. On the opposite wall sat a battered crib in which a black haired babe laid.

Severus hurriedly felt the infants head when he saw that he had a fever and had gotten sick on himself. Running his wand down the babies body he performed a diagnostic charm on Harry. Severus frowned at the results. Harry had a pretty nasty fever and was in need of a change. Luckily for Severus he always kept a small trunk of prepared potions on him, a common practice among Potions Masters. Taking it from the leather pouch on his belt he set the tiny trunk on the changing table beside the crib. He tapped it twice with his wand causing it to return to the normal size of a small carry-on trunk about a foot and half wide. Placing his wand it the key hole he twisted it causing the lock to click and the lid to open. Sitting inside were rows and rows of vials. Grabbing the metal tab attached to the top rack Severus pulled it up.

"Medical." Severus whispered causing the racks to rotate briefly before stopping.

Let see Fever Reducer, Pepper-Up, and some Linel's Stomach Settler for his stomach. Severus thought, pulling out all three vials.

Flicking his wand Severus vanished the vomit on Harry's clothes and made them look and feel as if they were freshly cleaned. Wrapping him up in the blanket he sat him on the changing table. Gently holding the babe's mouth open he poured the potions down his throat, using a spell to gently massage the throat to induce swallowing. He watched with relief as color slowly returned to the babe's face. Next he lifted the child from the changing table, opened his pajamas, and undid the diaper.

"Urgh. Damn kid." Severus choked. He had truly smelled some horrible things in his life but this nearly took the cake. He hit the boy with a few panicked cleaning charms along with his diaper for good measure.

Debating his course of action Severus sighed before waving his wand at the door casting a muggle repelling and silencing charm. He flicked his wand and conjured himself a comfortable chair which he sat in, holding the sleeping child in his arms. He would spend a little time there to make sure that the potions wouldn't have any adverse effects on the boy. Hesitantly he crooned an old lullaby his mother used to sing for him as a child when it looked like Harry was stirring.

Merlin Severus if anyone saw you now they'd think you'd gone soft. An invisible Albus Dumbledore thought amusedly from his place in the corner. He had followed Severus since the young man had been acting oddly. Albus had been worried that Severus might be in some trouble so he had followed him. What he hadn't expect was to find Severus at the Dursley house or him taking care of the son of James Potter. With a smile he disappeared, unnoticed by the younger wizard or the baby asleep in his arms.

Right before he left Severus put a small leather necklace with a clear crystal hanging from it on Harry. The crystal was enchanted to let Severus know if Harry was ever seriously injured or sick. Only he or Harry would be able to take it off and the muggles would ignore it. Luckily there should never be a reason for the boy to take it off since it would grow with him and never break.

---

​

Severus wasn't able to get away from his work as much as he'd like but for Harry's second birthday Severus bought him a set of blocks with letters and numbers painted on them. They also had low-level muggle-repelling charms on them so the muggles couldn't take them away from the boy. Each year he visited leaving him small gifts and treats. Also giving him a check up while he was there. Each year he gave him the different potions a magical child needed while growing up including immunizations against several magical diseases common in young children and the elderly. Students were normally giving these when they arrived at Hogwarts if they never got them before and it left them feeling out of sorts for about a week. So by doing it this way he saved Harry the discomfort of having to go through it himself.

Today in lué of black robes he wore an expensive looking black muggle suit with a tie, white dress shirt, dress shoes and stylish sunglasses to block out the sun's rays. All things that would cost thousands of pounds normally, transfigured from every day stuff. I love magic. Severus thought smugly.

"Yes?" A large muggle with a mustache asked. Bloody ponce wants to make us hard working folks look bad. Look at how he's dressed. Probably thinks he's better than me. And what's with the nancy boy long hair?

"Are you Vernon Dursley?" Severus asked coldly, having scanned his thoughts.

"I am." Vernon replied puffing out his chest. Perhaps he's here to give me some kind of award.

"I am Severus Snape." Severus introduced himself, not bothering to hold out his hand to shake. "And I've come to speak to you and your nephew about his new school."

"New school? I don't remember Stone Wall High sending out anyone before." Vernon replied his eyes narrowed.

"I am from a far more prestigious school than Stone Wall High, I assure you." Severus replied firmly."Your nephew has been awarded a full scholarship to our school for excellent academic performance."

Severus knew Vernon wanted to pull a face or make a comment at his nephew being a good student but he was more concerned with appearances and forced himself to smile.

"Well then please come in." Vernon replied. I'll hear him out, it doesn't mean I have to let Petunia's nephew go. It sounds like this school might be expensive. I don't want to spend anymore on the boy than I have to.

Vernon led Severus to the living area, still completely unaware that his thoughts were being read. Severus' nose scrunched up as he looked around the area of the house he could see, it was almost obsessively clean. His nose twitched at the smell of so many muggle cleansers. Alone they were supposed to smell good but together they were quite repugnant. Working around Potions everyday and his animagus form had given him a sharp sense of smell which he was regretting at the moment.

"Please have a seat." Vernon spoke indicating the small sofa across from his chair. "Would you like something to drink? Tea or a beer?"

"No thank you Mr. Dursley." Severus replied flatly. "I'd rather get down to business if we can."

"A man after my own heart, straight to the point." Vernon replied with a approving nod. Snape nearly sneered at having something in common wit the obese man in front of him.

"Quite." Severus spoke slowly. "Will your wife or anyone else be joining us?"

"No my beautiful wife Petunia has just taken Dudley to the store with her." Vernon replied almost causing Severus to snort at the word 'beautiful' being used to describe Petunia Evans. The brief glimpse of her he saw in the muggle's mind showed him that she had not aged gracefully.

"My nephew is outside doing his chores." Vernon told him. "They help to instill maturity and responsibility in a young lad."

"I'm sure." Severus replied dryly. "If you could call him inside then I believe we could get under way."

He watched as the muggles face reddened slightly before he stood huffing slightly. Walking back inside a couple of minutes later he was followed by a skinny preteen. Severus kept his face carefully blank as he looked at the obviously second hand clothes the boy wore. Though at least they seemed to be nicer than the ones he had been forced to wear as a boy and close to Potter's size.

The boys hair was the same color and style as his later father's, even part of it was sticking to his sweaty forehead but his eyes were all Lily's. It had been nearly a year since he had seen the boy so he scrutinized him closely. He could also see her in his nose and facial structure. Harry was taller than either his parents at the age by a couple of inches at least which made him look even skinnier. His pants appeared to be held up by a belt that looked to be wrapped around at least twice and they showed his ankles a bit. He also noticed that the boy squinted slightly behind cracked glasses that seemed to be fixed with some muggle tape.

"Good morning Mr. Potter, I am Professor Severus Snape and I am representative from a school that is interested in having you attend." Severus spoke smoothly as he held his hand out for Harry to shake.

"Good morning, sir." Harry replied as he cautiously shook the dark clothed man's hand. Harry could tell by the man's face that he was usually a stern man but there seemed to be a certain softness in his black eyes when he had looked at him of all people.

"Your parents attended the school when they were your age and set it up for you to attend when you were a babe." Severus informed him. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the fat muggle's face begin to redden causing him to smirk mentally. He had read his thoughts on witches and wizards and was disgusted with the bigoted man. Vernon Dursley reminded Severus a lot of his own father. He made sure that Vernon could see the wand partially hidden by his sleeve causing his reddening face to pale slightly.

"I'll just leave you two alone to talk shall I?" Vernon asked, not even waiting for an answer he hastily made his way out of the room. Severus discretely set up a simple privacy charm so they weren't overheard but they could still hear what went on outside of the room.

"My parents sir?" Harry asked his eyes widening slightly. "Did you know them personally?"

"I did Mr. Potter." Severus replied. "In fact they were both in the same year as I was. Though we slept in separate dorms, your mother was one of my greatest friends. We knew each other since childhood."

"Dorms sir?" Harry asked.

"We attended a boarding school located in Scotland called Hogwarts," Severus paused here to scrutinize the boy closer. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Witchcraft and Wizardry? You mean magic?" Harry asked his brows furrowed before frowning and looking quite put upon. "You're having me on aren't you? Did the Dursley's put you up to this?"

While Harry didn't think the Dursley's had the imagination to come up with it he thought that it might fit with their usual brand of cruelty. Give him some hope of getting away from them and then crushing it brutally.

"No Mr. Potter, I am not 'having you on' nor did your relatives put me up to it." Severus replied with a small amused smirk. "I am a wizard and so are you, as were your parents with your mother being a witch. If you require proof –"

Severus palmed his wand and waved it in front of him. The small side table beside a recliner turned into a light furred dog. While Transfiguration wasn't his best subject, he had gotten an E on his OWL and NEWT exams in the subject. Severus found that most muggle-raised or muggleborn children and their families were easily amazed the most by the power of Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall usually handled the introduction of their world for the muggleborn and muggle-raised students but he sometimes performed the duty as well.

Harry cautiously petted the dog, which licked his palm before Severus undid the spell. Severus gently summoned the boys glasses from his face while he was still in shock and repaired them before handing them back. Harry's mouth hung open slightly when he looked them over.

"T-Thank you." Harry stammered before putting them back on. Severus nodded slightly at his gratitude.

"As you can see Mr. Potter magic is very real." Severus said before holding out his wand to allow him to see it better. "This is my wand and the first spell I performed is from a magical discipline called Transfiguration, which is turning something into another shape or form, and in later years producing items from nothing. The second was a simple spell called the repairing charm, incantation reparo. I am a wizard and so are you. You would not have been accepted at Hogwarts otherwise."

Harry stared at him inn disbelief.

"I see that you are not completely convinced yet." Severus drawled before getting an idea. "Has nothing unexplainable ever happened to or around you when you were angry or scared?"

Harry thought back to his life. A teacher's wig turning blue, his mangled hair growing back over night, him disappearing and reappearing on the school roof and a shrinking sweater. Severus hid his smirk as he saw the images on Harry's surface thoughts. Severus was pleased.

With the right guidance he's definitely going to be a powerful and skilled wizard, perhaps the most powerful of his generation. Severus said. Though I will need to teach him to hide his thoughts better and to develop tighter control over his magic. The hair growth looks similar to Ms Tonks' power. Perhaps he has some small amount of Metamorphmagus talent or was it an accidental hair growth charm?

"I guess so." Harry replied reluctantly. "My uncle always said that magic wasn't real."

"I assure you that your uncle is wrong." Severus replied firmly, his lips pressed into a firm line. "He doesn't know much about magic, so he fears and dislikes it. A common human response."

Severus almost felt sick defending the obese muggle.

"The magical world is hidden from the muggle, meaning non-magical, world. Witches and wizards are a separate offshoot of humanity; a different evolution if you will. I'm sure you've studied evolution and DNA in school."

"Yes sir." Harry nodded.

"It is speculated that the first witches and wizard began to show up as far back as seventeen to twenty thousand years ago. Many magical beings and creatures lived even before that. The first definitive records were discovered shortly after writing was introduced which was nearly four centuries before the muggle world discovered it. For most of history both worlds lived side by side, freely knowing of the other, if not always interacting peacefully. Witches and wizards were healers, advisors, and soothsayers to the muggle world. It wasn't until the sixteen hundreds that the two worlds were officially separated by the Statue of Secrecy due to the relative availability of cheap firearms, among other things. Now muggles no longer know about magic and it is illegal to tell them about it unless they have a close relative who is a witch or wizard or a magical person marries a muggle." Severus explained. "Muggles can see witches and wizards out and about and be totally unaware of it. We are taught to blend in, no matter how badly some witches and wizards are at it. Most magical areas have special wards or 'shields' around them that keep muggles away. We have our own towns, shopping areas, schools and governments. The British branch is known as The Ministry of Magic."

"How many witches and wizards are there?" Harry asked curious.

"Censures are only sent out every ten years by the International Confederation of Wizards or ICW for short, a kind of magical U.N., but the last one I believe said that there was over five and a half million witches and wizards worldwide. That doesn't include magical creatures of near human intelligence either."

"Magical creatures of near human intelligence?" Harry repeated curiously.

"Hags, veela, sirens, fae, elves, gorgons, leprechauns, sphinxes, centaurs, merefolk, banshees and sometimes werewolves and vampires." Severus explained patiently. "Almost any creature spoken of in fantasy novels that you have read about exist or have existed in the past. Though I know for a fact that they are all at least, if not smarter than, as smart as any normal everyday person. I don't make the laws however so they get discounted. There are also those who don't use or don't need a wand to focus their magic. They are not counted in the census either."

"How many schools are there?" Harry asked.

"There are eleven magical schools in the UK and Ireland. There is Hogwarts, which is the most exclusive private boarding school and one of the oldest in the world and is the oldest in the United Kingdom. There are four public schools in England, three in Scotland, one private and one public in Wales and one public school in Ireland." Severus replied. "If you had not been registered for Hogwarts by your parents it is likely that other schools would have sent you invitations."

"Do you know how my parents died sir?" Harry asked. Perhaps he can actually tell me since my parents were magical as well.

"What have your Aunt and Uncle told you?" Severus asked, wary of what Petunia might have told the boy.

"That they died in an accident." Harry replied.

Well it's not as bad as I was expecting. Severus thought with a sigh. He rubbed his mouth with his hand, thinking about how he should explain his parents death to the boy.

"First off you should know that, like in the muggle world, not all witches and wizards in the world are 'good'." Severus explained cautiously. "Back in the mid-seventies a powerful dark wizard rose up and named himself a Dark Lord, a powerful practitioner of Forbidden Magicks. He gathered followers to him which he called Death Eaters, who believed in the superiority of pureblood witches and wizards or just wanted to cause chaos and mayhem."

"What are purebloods?" Harry asked only for Severus to give him a sharp look.

"Please do not interrupt me Mr. Potter, I was about to explain." Severus rebuked him mildly. "It's considered bad manners to interrupt someone when he or she is talking."
"Sorry sir." Harry replied bowing his head slightly. Severus nodded at him before continuing.

"Pureblood's are witches or wizards who's ancestors were magical at least as far back as six generations. There are also half-bloods like myself and you. One parent is a pureblood and one is either a muggleborn, muggle or squib. A squib is a person born into a magical family that is unable to directly access their magical core." Severus lectured. "Your father was a pureblood and your mother a muggleborn. Muggleborns are witches and wizards who don't come from magical lines or are descended from squibs separated by at least six generations of non-magical ancestors."

Severus paused this time to see if he had any questions.

"Okay." Harry replied. "Is there a real difference between them sir?"

"Some would have you believe so since they believe that magic is stronger in those who's blood is purer. Some pureblood families believe this mostly because certain magical gifts are known to be passed down through bloodlines. It has been noted that muggleborns from non-squib lines have never been known to be born with a unique magical gift." Severus replied, choosing his words carefully. "Others dislike muggleborns or muggle-raised witches and wizards because they don't take time to learn magical traditions and try to change the magical world to be more like the one they were raised in. The world of muggles, who a good part of magical world look down upon as inferior since they can't perform magic or have persecuted us in the past. Personally I have not really seen much difference between the magical power of purebloods and muggleborns. Some from both groups are born weaker or more powerful and some are more skilled in other areas than their counterparts. Skill is just as important as power and sometimes even more so."

Severus paused to allow him to absorb this and Harry nodded that he was following him.

"Like I said I am a half-blood but I am quite a powerful wizard, more powerful than a lot of the purebloods or muggleborns I went to school with. It doesn't necessarily make me better or worse than them. One of the most powerful and knowledgeable wizards in our world, the current Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore is a half-blood himself. I personally believe that any witch or wizard can be just as good as another no matter their heritage. Either way we've gotten off topic about the Dark Lord."

"What was his name sir?" Harry asked as Severus paused to gather his thoughts. Severus carefully hid a grimace at his question.

"He called himself Lord Voldemort." Severus replied wincing at the nasty shock that went through his dark mark. Only years of self-control allowed him to not react more violently. "Don't ask me to repeat his name. Most still fear him in the magical world and call him You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Other prefer to call him the Dark Lord. You should choose which ever you are comfortable with. Some might not take kindly to you calling him by his name but you are free to do so."

"Alright." Harry replied. "I think I'll call him the Dark Lord since the others sound kind of silly to me. Not everyone would know who I'm talking about if I called him You-Know-Who."

"That's fine." Severus assured him, quite relieved that the boy wouldn't be going around calling out the Dark Lord's name since it caused him pain even when he wasn't the one to say it. "After gathering followers the Dark Lord began to target those he thought lower than himself or those that disagreed with him, sometimes destroying entire families in the process. It went on for nearly three years with the ministry mostly unable or unwilling to fight him and the Death Eaters. It was left to Albus Dumbledore to revive a paramilitary group called the Order of the Phoenix who had fought against the previous Dark Lord, Gellert Grindelwald, to battle the new Dark Lord. Even when people gathered under the banner of the Order things seemed hopeless having continued for another four years. Your parents and their friends joined the Order directly after leaving school. Both your parents and their friends fought against the Dark Lord personally three times before they felt threatened enough to go into hiding after two of them became pregnant. Your mother and Alice Longbottom."

Severus paused to conjure himself a glass of water.

"They used a special ward that was supposed to hide their location from everyone but one person, who was was called a secret keeper. Only the secret keeper knew where your parents or their friends hid." Severus said, picking up his narrative again. "It was discovered near the end of the war that there was a traitor within the Order who was giving information to the other side though we never found out who it was before it was too late. It is said that your parents chose Sirius Black, one of your father's best friends, to safe guard them and you in the small muggle/magical settlement of Godric's Hallow in Wales."

Official opinion aside Severus would never believe that Black would willingly betray the Potters. Not that he would go out his way to express that opinion. He might have matured since he had left school but he still hated Black with a passion and would happily stand over his grave when he died if he was still alive by then. One never knew the future, no matter what some seers said.

"If Black was their Secret Keeper he was either tortured or willingly betrayed your parents because the Dark Lord found your home." Severus said. "Not much is known about what happened that night but when it ended the Dark Lord was gone, your parents dead and you were the only one to survive with nothing but a scar on your forehead. You became famous in our world that night. You are the only known person to have ever survived being hit by the Killing Curse. They call you the boy-who-lived."

A memory flashed in front of his mind. A flash of green light, and something he had never noticed before, a high cruel laugh. Harry shivered.

"I-I'm famous?" Harry asked incredulously. "I didn't even know I was a wizard until today."

"I know Mr. Potter but I wanted to prepare you for what you will most likely face in the wizarding world." Severus told him, taking on a gentler tone. "I promised your mother that I would help you and I will. You have a lot of potential and I wish to help you to fulfill it. A lot will be expected of you but I promise to offer any advice and help that I can."

"Thank you sir." Harry replied before asking, "What does the Killing Curse look like?"

"Why do you ask Mr. Potter?" Severus asked an uneasy feeling developing in his gut.

"S-sometimes I have a nightmare sir. Of a flash of green light before pain in my forehead." Harry replied with a slight shudder causing Severus to pale a little. "I just remembered and this time I heard a high pitched cruel laugh."

Severus swallowed. How could he possibly remember that night?

"The Killing Curse produces a flash of green light." Severus replied flatly, and without emotion. "I imagine what you saw was the Dark Lord's downfall. I suggest that you keep it to yourself Potter."

Severus gave him a pointed look until Harry gulped slight and nodded while looking at his scuffed trainers. Severus took this time to pull an envelope out of his jacket pocket before enlarging it. It was the about the size of a standard piece of notebook paper.

"This is your Hogwarts letter and some different pamphlets explaining about Hogwarts, Hogsmeade a nearby all magical town, and brief explanation about the magical world." Severus said before handing it over to Harry. Harry could see his name written across the middle of the envelope.

Harry Potter
The Smaller Corner Bedroom
Number 4, Privet Drive
Little Whinging, Surrey
​

"There is an enchanted book that holds all of the student and prospective students name and addresses. It contains very accurate locating and tracking charms." Severus explained before he could ask. "An enchanted quill addresses the envelopes every year."

Inside the envelope was four folded pieces of parchment, two pamphlets, a train ticket with golden trim that read Platform 9 ¾, a small leather pouch, and a school brochure.

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry if you so desire. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment along with an acceptance form. Also provided is a school brochure and several pamphlets explaining the magical world, how to get to our shopping centers, The Ministry of Magic, and lastly Hogsmeade, an all magical settlement located near Hogwarts.

Please owl your acceptance or denial no later than August 15th. If you are unable to obtain an owl you may place the letter in the muggle mail addressed to: Hogwarts School for the Gifted and it will reach us. Term begins on September 1st.

Students should note that they are allowed to bring a cat, an owl, or a toad as their companion to Hogwarts. Any others must be specially requested before school begins.

Yours Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Head of Gryffindor House
Transfiguration Mistress, 1st Class

"Sir what does it mean by they await my owl?" Harry asked.

"Ah." Severus said sitting forward in his seat. "That is how our mailing system works. Instead of having postmen letters and packages are normally sent to others by using magical post owls. They can carry more weight that non-magical owls, have a great sense of direction and are generally a great deal more intelligent. It is possible to send it by muggle post however, it just takes longer."

Shuffling to the next page he found his books and equipment list. The third page included in the envelope was a form he needed to fill out if he was accepting his place at the school. Setting it aside Harry picked up the booklet.

The brochure was fairly thin and about the size of the envelope. The front showed a frontal view of Hogwarts castle and had the school crest at the top. Written in fancy cursive writing was the schools name, motto and founding year. Opening it he saw that the first page was a general description of the school and it's history including a biography of the Founders. Following that was a list of classes and a thorough explanation of each along with pictures of students performing in those classes along with riding broomsticks and playing their sport, Quidditch(a small description of the game was provided).

The booklet also explained about school clubs, organizations, the house system and a points along with the prefect and Head system. Towards the back was an entire section with pictures of the staff members. When you touched their pictures a small bubble expanded downwards and gave a little bit of their history and qualifications. The last page was the tuitions list along with several scholarship options.

"What are galleons, sickles and knuts?" Harry asked. Severus felt momentarily chagrined at his not having explained their money.

"The magical world uses a different kind of currency. A hard currency instead of paper." Severus said before reaching inside of his pocket and pulling out a leather pouch. He pulled out three coins. "The large gold ones are galleons, the silver are called sickles and the bronze are called knuts. There are seventeen sickles to a galleon and twenty six knuts to a sickle. Most people store their money in vaults in the magical bank called Gringotts, which is run by a cunning and shrewd race of beings called goblins. This is basically what a goblin looks like."

Severus casually transfigured a small ugly figurine off to the side into a representative of the average goblin. It wasn't very tall but it had long,spindly fingers and a swarthy face. Harry looked it over before it turned back into it's original form.

"Hogwarts is fairly expensive at a little over four hundred galleons a year with taxes included but supplies are extra." Severus explained as Harry reached it. "There are several scholarship options for those that can't afford to pay full price and they are also given a small fund to help pay for their supplies even if they have to be second hand. Those who can always pay full price."

"How am I to pay for all this?" Harry asked worried. "Will I need to sign up for a scholarship?"

"I do believe there is a letter that will explain that for you." Severus said pointing to the pages he still held.

He was right the last page was a letter, one not written by the Deputy Headmistress. The ink looked to be crimson but at another angle it was golden. Brows raised he began reading aloud.

Dear Mr. Potter,

My name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore the 3rd, I am the current Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry after having taught Transfiguration for thirty-seven years. I would like to be the third person to welcome you back into our world. I hold many titles in this world but the one I have always cherished most is friend. I was most fortunate to be able to count both of your late parents as mine. They were both outstanding students, good people and even greater friends.
When you have the time available I would like to call upon you. I have some things left in my care by your parents to return to you. I would be more than willing to share some stories with you as well, if you would wish to know.

I also wished to explain the purpose of the leather pouch accompanying this letter. Inside is a golden key which opens a trust fund set up for you by your grandparents at Gringotts Bank in Diagon Alley. The pouch is only accessible to you and will hang from a belt. If anyone else was to try and open it it they would get a nasty shock, literally. Goblins are an ingenious and intriguing people. I eagerly await your reply.

With Fond Regards,
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore the 3rd
Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards

"I guess my relatives don't know about it since it probably wouldn't be there anymore if they did." Harry said slightly bitter. Even if he wasn't abused like some orphans he had heard about he knew that his relatives held no love for him in their hearts.

Severus snorted dismissively.

"They would never have been able to get their hands on it either way since they would have to have the key to get inside, go to Diagon Alley and get past the goblins. They take an extremely dim view on thieves. If you wish to take some time to think this over I can return tomorrow to take you to purchase your needed supplies." Severus told him.

"I think I could use some time to process sir, but I don't think my relatives will allow me to go even if I wanted to." Harry replied morosely.

Severus narrowed his eyes.

"You needn't worry about that. They are muggles so therefore they don't have the right to keep a witch or wizard of half-blood or higher status from attending a magical school. Especially one of your family standing." Severus assured him before pausing. "I'm glad to have finally met you in person Mr. Potter."

"How do you mean sir?" Harry asked, looking up from the floor to look in his eyes.

"I have checked in on you over the years, even leaving you some gifts." Severus admitted. "I promised your mother that I would look after you and help you when you needed it. I take my promises very seriously. A man is only as good as his word, his word is his bond. The necklace you wear was made by me. It is enchanted to let me know if you are ever seriously injured or sick. It can only be removed by me or you and cannot be seen by muggles."

"I had always wondered why my relatives never said anything." Harry replied. "They usually take a dim view of a male wearing jewelry."

Severus smirked lightly.

"Good day Mr. Potter." He said.

He nodded to Harry one final time before disappearing with a sharp crack. Harry was left to read the other pamphlets he had received including directions to Diagon Alley, Platform 9 ¾, the Ministry of Magic and Hogsmeade. Another explained different ways of magical travel including the floo network, apparition, portkeys and the Knight Bus.

---

​

Severus approached Number Four at nine the next morning. He was fairly sure that Petunia would be there and was bracing himself for having to interact with her after so many years. Deciding to get it over with he swiftly rang the door bell. Twenty seconds later it was opened by a thin, stretched looking woman with brown hair and watery blue eyes.

"Hello Petunia." Severus said simply, his arms crossed over his chest.

"You!" Petunia Dursley hissed, her face gaining a pinched look. "Out of all the teachers at that school they sent you?"

"Well I am familiar with this family Petunia, as I'm sure you remember." Severus told her reminding her of her own less than rich upbringing. His tone was slightly mocking causing her cheeks to redden. His clothes were once again purposefully transfigured to look like the best brands money could buy. I can barely even tell she was related to Lily. Time has not been kind to you woman. Severus thought with some relish. Petunia had always been a jealous spiteful shrew, even as a child. "I am here to speak with Mr. Potter."

"Fine." Petunia bit out, her cheeks still tented a little pink. "Come in before the neighbors see you."

"Thank you." Severus replied sarcastically walking in and closing the door behind him.

"You can wait in the living room." Petunia sniffed before yelling up the stairs. "Potter!"

"Yes Aunt Petunia?" Came Harry's reply at the top of the stairs.

"There's a professor here from that school." Petunia bit out. "You can speak with him in the living room."

"Thank you Aunt." Harry replied, receiving a stiff nod in reply. He quickly made his way back into his bedroom and retrieved the packet Professor Snape had given him the last time.

"Good afternoon Professor." Harry said as he stepped into the living room.

"Mr. Potter." Severus replied, standing up from the couch and shaking his hand. "I hope that you have spent your evening wisely."

"Yes sir." Harry replied taking a seat in a lounge chair. "Please call me Harry sir."

"I'll remember. You may call me Severus in private if you are comfortable with it, otherwise you will call me sir or Professor. Have you decided whether or not you wish to attend Hogwarts?" Severus asked, brow raised.

"I-" Harry began.

"I don't believe I gave my permission for the boy to go." Petunia spoke up from the hallway causing the other two to turn and look at her.

"I'm sure if you use your mind, no matter how small it may be, that you can recall the agreement you signed with Professor Dumbledore ten years ago when you took your nephew in." Severus retorted, eyes narrowed in distaste and a slight sneer curled his lip. "You agreed to take in your nephew if he never received mail or contact from the magical world until his Hogwarts letter and you were provided a stipend to help raise him. In return you swore not to prevent him from earning a magical education and to provide him with adequate room and board. You're not about to break a legal magical contract are you Petunia?"

Severus' voice held almost a hint of malice at the end when he spoke of breaking the contract. Petunia scowled at the reminder. She didn't want to find out what one of their freak contracts would do to her if she didn't honor it.

"No." Petunia conceded reluctantly. "Fine he can go."

"You'll need to sign off on his acceptance as his legal muggle guardian." Severus told her after pulling out the piece of parchment from Harry's packet. Petunia sniffed but took the page, taking care to read it. Finally she took the quill offered with a disdainful look and signed her name.

"Thank you Aunt Petunia." Harry replied even though he had been told the day before that she couldn't have stopped him. It was never a bad idea to be on her good side.

"Don't thank me! You just might come to regret going back to that world boy. Look where it got my sister and her husband!" Petunia spat, red faced.

Snape cleared his throat, bringing Harry's attention back to him.

"You'll need to sign under your Aunts name to officially accept your place at Hogwarts even though you are underage." Severus told him. Harry nodded before signing his name on the line underneath his Aunt's. The document flashed blue twice before laying still. "That was indication that a notification has been made in the records at Hogwarts and The Ministry of Magic. This is your copy to keep."

"Boy try and find alternative accommodations for the rest of the summer." Petunia said. "I'm not sure that your uncle could handle having you around at the moment."

"That can be arranged." Severus spoke up. "The boy can stay at an Inn off Diagon Alley or at my estate until school starts. He will have to return here next summer though."

"I remember." Petunia replied bitterly before disappearing from the room with a sniff. Harry watched her go.

"Is there anything you would like to gather from your room?" Severus asked Harry.

"Yes sir." Harry said.

"Then let us go and get it before we leave." Severus replied.

When they went upstairs Harry quickly gathered his things. He pulled out his clothes, a couple of pictures, some books, a couple of drawing pads with pencils. While he was doing that Severus grabbed a nearby bag and placed a temporary extension and feather-light charm on it.

"Here place your things inside." Severus told him.

As soon as they were done they walked outside and Harry got his first taste of apparition.

---

​

An hour later after having had breakfast in a small restaurant a few blocks from Diagon Alley Severus was directing Harry towards the Leaky Cauldron.

"Perhaps we can give you something of a disguise Harry." Severus said taking out his wand as they stepped through the Cauldron's wards. "You will eventually be seen by the wizarding world but perhaps it would be best to go unrecognized today so you aren't hassled overly much by unruly fans."

"Alright sir." Harry replied eager to see some more magic. Severus mouth quirked into a small smile.

"Perhaps some Transfiguration instead of a glamor charm. It's likely to last longer." Severus muttered to himself before performing his spells.

After he was done he conjured a hand-mirror for Harry so he could see his work. Harry couldn't help but gape a little when he saw his reflection. His hair was now light brown, with bangs long enough to cover his forehead. His cheeks were rounder, his nose a little wider, his eyes were blue and his skin was tanned instead of his normal pale. Harry did notice that his scar was still there.

"That's no normal scar Potter." Severus replied to his questioning stare. "It's a curse mark and therefore isn't easily removable, if at all. Just brush your bangs over it."

Waving his wand again he conjured a plain black robe for Harry before returning his suit back into his black robes.

"Put that on so you'll stick out less." Severus told him before leading him inside. He nodded to Tom, the bartender, before leading Harry out the back dodging floating plates and mugs occasionally. Harry was a little wide-eyed at the casual displays of magic, even if he wasn't very impressed with the look of the inside of the pub.

"Pay attention now." Severus spoke up as they stepped up to a stone wall. "You'll need to know the sequence to open the portal to Diagon Alley if you come this way by yourself."

Severus showed him which bricks to tap and together they watched as the portal opened giving Harry his first glimpse of a large gathering of witches and wizards.

"You can also apparate, basically teleportation as muggles sometimes say, into the alley when you're of age or floo in using the public fireplaces." Severus told him motioning towards the area where people were appearing either out of thin air or in flashes of green flames in four large fireplaces made of silver with magical creature motifs in them. "Our first stop will be Gringotts bank, the large white marble building at the end."

Thirty minutes later they were making there way out of Gringotts, a still stunned Harry following Severus. He had just seen his trust vault and was shocked by the amount of money inside of it, especially after being told the conversion rate of pounds per galleon. Needless to say with access to that vault Harry would not be hurting for money anytime soon.

The first place Severus took him to was to a store that made magical trunks: Leed's Trunks & More.

"If you take proper care of your trunk it can last you a long time." Severus told him as they stepped though the doorway. "There's no reason it can't last you well past your time at Hogwarts."

"The Professor's right lad." A burly red haired wizard spoke up. He was tall and broad shouldered and had a thick mustache. He wore brown boots, brown leather breeches, and a loose fitting shirt with a brown vest over it. Kindly brown eyes peered down at them both. "Names Angus Leeds lad. I suppose yer here fer a school trunk?"

"Yes sir." Harry replied. Leeds gave a warm chuckle.

"Polite little feller eh? Ya don't need to call me sir me lad, call me Angus or Leeds if you prefer." Leeds told him.

"Yes sir – Angus." Harry replied, switching to his name at Leeds raised brow.

"Well why don't you follow me lad and I'll show you what I have." Leeds said rubbing his hand together. "That is if you don' mind Professor Snape?"

"Not at all." Severus replied inclining his head at Leeds. "The final decision will rest with the boy."

Leeds nodded in understanding.

"Very well. We sells a variety of trunks, bags and furniture made of only the finest materials. Been runnin' the shop meself since me Pa died back in '39 from Dragon Pox. Right nasty disease that is, very nasty. I used to be a blacksmith but after me Pa died, my Ma couldn't run the store by herself and all me brothers were off fightin' on the continent. So I was stuck runnin' the shop. I don't really much mind anymore." Leeds rambled on as he led them back to where the trunks were displayed. "Got anything in mind fer your trunk lad? You wantin' a standard trunk or somethin' a little extra?"

"Perhaps you can begin with showing him some of the standard trunks and he can decide from there." Severus spoke up.

"Got the standard model in a variety of colors, just about anything you can think of." Leeds said showing them a square plain looking trunk with leather stretched over it and a normal looking flip lock. The outside was tan and it was about thirty five inches wide and foot and a half thick. "The inside is expanded a bit to give some extra room and it has spells for stabilizing the stuff inside so it doesn't get broken up or knocked around when you go bangin' the trunk around. It costs three sickles and thirteen knuts. I can even change the colors, stamp yer school logo, and put your name on it for a small fee. Anything fancier costs more though."

"Do you have trunks with more than one compartment in case someone wanted to separate their stuff?" Harry asked, curious about the limitation of magical trunks.

"Course ah do lad." Leeds replied with a smile. "Can have bout as many compartments as you like. Even got some luxurious models with full flats inside of em, some even have a full sized swimming pools. Though who in their right mind would want to live inside of trunk I dunno but I just make 'em how the customer orders 'em. How many compartments were you thinkin' about?"

"Perhaps three or four could do it for you." Severus said stepping into the conversation again. "One for your clothes, one for your supplies and one for your books. Perhaps a spare room as well."

Leeds rubbed his chin in thought before snapping his fingers with a grin.

"Got somethin' that might interest you over here." Leeds said leading them over to a black and silver trunk. The trunk was about twenty-two inches tall, two feet wide and three and half feet long. Simple black leather was stretched over it with silver fittings on the corners. The silver lock had three different key holes and a round hole beside them above the key holes was the head of a majestic looking lion the size of an orange. Harry thought he saw it blink at them lazily.

"This trunk has four compartments, all of which, are special. The first one you can use for storage. A series of drawers will pop up when it's opened. You can put your pads of paper, parchment, quills and odds and ends inside of them and they are guaranteed to never spill. The second one is made to hold clothes and the third is specially made to hold your books." Angus explained. "The last compartment is an unfurnished fifteen foot by ten foot room that has some torches and a small fireplace. The trunk has got some protections against the elements, it's sealed air tight and has the common wear and tear charms on it. It's even got a special locking mechanism on it."

"What kind of special locking mechanism?" Severus asked curious despite himself.

"It's got the standard key locks but the hole yeh see beside 'em is special." Leeds said, tapping it with his finger. "The trunk can be attuned to a witch or wizard's magical signature and locked against anyone but the owner opening it even if the person has the keys. All yeh have to do is place yer wand in the key hole and incant the spell and password and only yeh can open it. If it changes owners then they have to do it. There might be ways to get it open but I can guarantee that it'll be protected against yer everyday witch or wizard's spells."

Leeds took the ring of keys from the top of the trunk and opened it. The first compartment opened allowing a set of drawers to pop up. There were a total of eight drawers on it with silver handles and edging. Above the handle was a empty place holder which looked like it was meant to hold a label.

"Each drawer has a label and yeh can choose how they're labeled yerself. Just place the tip of your wand on the label and say what you wish for it say." Leeds told Harry. "If you ever need more drawers you can tap the rune on the side here with yer wand."

He paused and showed it to them.

"It can make up to one hundred drawers." Leeds told them. He tapped the top of the drawers with his wand causing them to lower themselves back into the trunk. "Now I think you'll enjoy this next bit."

He smiled mischievously when he turned the second lock.

"Might want to step back lads." Leeds advised before flicking his wand at the trunk. The two did as they were told and watched as the lid lifted itself and a metal clothes rack lifted itself out of the trunk. The rack itself had wooden hangers hanging from it while beneath it was a flat rack for shoes or boots and beneath it was two long drawers. Behind the rack was a wooden back with a long mirror than ran the entire length. "The clothes rack with hold an unlimited amount of clothes and it conjures it's own hangers. When you put clothes inside it'll shrink 'em down a bit but as soon as you take them off the hanger they'll grow back to the right size, cleaned and pressed. The shoe rack has the same enchantments, it'll clean and polish your shoes and boots. The last two drawers are for your socks and undergarments. They'll clean and fold 'em for ya as well."

"If you have more clothes than can fit on the rack how does one add more or retrieve the other clothes?" Severus inquired curiously.

"I'm glad yeh asked." Leeds said before pointing to the side of the rack where a metal plate with a lion reared back on it's hind legs was with it's mouth open to roar. "Yeh just have to place yer wand on the metal plate on the side here n' say 'Left' or 'Right' and the rack'll sort through the clothes that way. Ta stop ya just take yer wand off the plate."
Leeds picked up a coat from the chair behind his desk and placed it on a hanger. It shrank down till it looked like it would fit on a small child. Waving his wand he conjured a few more but they also were placed on hangers. Leeds pressed his wand against the plate so the clothes moved from side to side. "I'm really proud of the third compartment. It's called a library compartment, not very creatively named but me daughter Isabella named it when she was a young lass. Ta close this compartment yeh need ta tap the rack twice with yer wand and say 'down'."

Leeds did as he said and the rack lowered itself down before the lid closed. Twirling the key ring he twisted in it's lock. Leeds opened the trunk and stepped to the side to allow them to see inside. It appeared that only thing inside of it was a large, darkly stained shelf with a bottom and two sides. Another plate on the side read A-C.

"These shelves allow you to stack yeh books side by side and by name. Each grouping has its own shelf. If yer wanting a different letter you need only ta say the letters it's listed under and tap the plate with yer wand. It'll rotate the shelves until it stops at the one yeh want. If yeh know the specific book yeh want on the shelf ya just need ta say the name while holding yer wand to the plate and it'll shuffle over till the right one is visible. It's guaranteed to hold a thousand books easily."

Leeds grinned smugly while Harry whistled, impressed.

"Now on to the last compartment. It's fairly plain at the moment and is fourteen feet wide by twenty feet long."

Leeds used the last key to open it before stepping back so Harry could look down inside.

"How do you get down inside?" Severus asked when he looked. "I don't see steps or a ladder."

"All ya have ta do is put yer legs inside and jump. It has spells worked in to automatically catch you and lower you slowly." Leeds replied with a large smile. "It works the same way when you want to get out. All ya got ta do is jump upwards at the bottom and it'll float you up gently till yer legs leave the trunk."

"Could you add a ladder just in case?" Severus asked.

"Of course, of course." Leeds assured him with a wave. "Better to be cautious than sorry I 'spose. Would you like to try it out lad?"

Harry looked to Severus who nodded.

"Sure thanks." Harry replied, approaching the trunk. "How do I do it?"

"Just step into the trunk. The spell will come into effect when yer second leg is in." Leeds told him.

Harry did as he was told and then jumped off. He heart sped up before he felt the spell catch him and lower him gently. Like Leeds had told him it was unfurnished except for the torches that were situated every few feet on the walls and a small fireplace on one wall. The floor was polished wood and the walls were plain stone. He heard someone land behind him and saw Severus standing there. A few seconds later Leeds had jumped down after him.

"The fireplace has the standard protection charms on it." Leeds told Severus before elaborating at Harry's curious look. "The spells won't allow any sparks to escape so it doesn't accidentally catch anything on fire."

"What happens if I was in here and the lid was closed?" Harry asked.

"Yeh can control the lid from inside." Leeds told him. "You can tell it to open, close, lock or unlock. Also if you're inside and someone needs to get you for something they can tap their wand to top of the trunk. It'll sound like someone is knocking on a door."

"So...what do you think lad?" Leeds asked with a smile once they were back outside.

"I like it." Harry said with a grin.

"How much would something like this cost. I can't see it being very cheap." Severus spoke up cautiously.

"Aye it's not cheap but I guarantee it'll last yeh a long long time." Leeds said still smiling. "Plus there's always extra options I can add on to it for the lad."

"What kind of options?" Harry asked, brows raised in excitement.

"Well I can put some spells on it to protect it against light spell damage, make it light enough ta carry even when it's full, grow wheels and a handle for easy travelin' in muggle areas and an inbuilt shrinking and enlarging charm that will let the trunk shrink or expand on command. I can also put in a mild muggle-repelling charm that'll let em to see it but not want to pay it any mind." Leeds told him. "I can even have some preservation charms installed to keep any food or potions ingredients fresh twice as long."

"How much is the trunk by itself Mr. Leeds?" Severus asked for his charge.

"The trunk itself is two galleons, nine sickles and three knuts." Leeds replied, almost causing Severus to whistle. As a certified Potions Master teacher he made seventy one galleons a month before taxes. It was a fair amount of money to spend on one item. On the other hand it would likely last a long time and would pay for itself.

"And that doesn't include any extra features?" Severus asked.

"No it doesn't aside from the standard weather proofing, stability, and wear and tear spells." Leeds confirmed.

"How much are the extra features?" Harry asked his mind already made up, he wanted this trunk. Severus raised a brow at him before nodding. If Harry wanted the trunk he had no qualms about it. The boy could most definitely afford it.

"All of the extra features cost two sickles and seventeen knuts except for the one to protect against spell damage and the preservation charm those costs four sickles and nine knuts each." Leeds said.

"I'll take it." Harry said. "I want all of the extras."

"Excellent lad." Leeds beamed at the sale. "Is there any of the outside features you'd like to change?"

"Yes." Harry replied. "Could I have the lion's head removed and have a family crest placed there instead? Also can it swing down to cover the key and wand holes? Could you also add a wall in the last compartment so it becomes two rooms?"

"Of course." Leeds said. "I'll even do it free of charge for yeh. Hell fer buyin' this old thing I'll even throw in a school bag fer free. How do ya want yer rooms?"

"I'd like to have the second room towards the back large enough to fit a bed and a side table with a three foot walk space." Harry told him.

"Right. Right." Angus replied, writing down his instructions.

"Thank you Angus." Harry replied excitedly causing the man to chuckle.

"Tis no problem lad. Just get me a picture of yer family crest and I'll get yer trunk done fer yeh." Leeds replied. "It'll take me a couple o' hours to get the spells patched in with the others and the last compartment. Do you want to buy some furniture?"

"Yes please." Harry replied. "A bed, a nightstand, a desk and a comfortable chair."

Angus whipped out a catalog and opened it for Harry, allowing him to quickly choose the furniture he wanted. Satisfied, Harry handed it back. He had gone ahead and decided to get a couple of wooden shelves as well.

"I recommend you look for your book bag now." Severus suggested. "You could use a muggle pack but a magical one is better."

"They're hangin on the wall over there." Leeds said motioning towards the far wall as Harry handed him a copy of his family crest.

If Angus thought anything was amiss he didn't say anything, just raised his brow in curiosity. Harry spent ten minutes looking at the different bags before he found a smooth dark brown leather one he liked. According to the tag it had two compartments which were expanded inside and the bag itself had a lightening charm on it so it only ever weighed the same even when it was completely full. It had two smaller pouches on the sides one labeled ink and the other quills in embroidery. The entire bag had a cushioning charm built in to protect the contents. Harry walked to the counter and handed it to Angus as well.

"A fine choice lad. Yer trunk will now have the standard charms package, a security feature that recognizes your magical signature, will block light to medium spells, mild muggle repelling charm, has a preservation charm on it, lightening spell so the trunk only ever weighs five pounds, and an upright handle and wheels for when in muggle areas." Leeds commented. "Yer total all together is three galleons, eleven sickles and three knuts. Would yeh like ta pay now or later?"

"You might as well go ahead and pay now and take your bag with you. You should be able to store your purchases in it until your trunk is ready." Severus advised Harry.

"Yes sir." Harry replied taking out his money pouch and counting out the money.

"Next we'll go and purchase your robes and other clothing since that'll probably take the longest." Severus informed him as they walked towards the door. "Normally students purchase robes from Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions since their prices are cheaper and the robes are of decent quality. However if you want the best you need to go to Griserro's in Morrigan Alley."

"Morrigan Alley?" Harry asked.

"There are five offshoots of Diagon Alley. Diagon Alley is the main and holds just about anything a normal Hogwarts student needs. The other Alley's are more specialized. Knockturn Alley holds stores that usually deal in more exotic or rare magical items, adult entertainment, and some seedier pubs." Severus informed him. "There are a couple of good Apothecaries and book stores down there that I like to browse at times. It's best if you don't go there until you get some offensive and defensive spells in your repertoire."

"Yes sir." Harry nodded.

"Morrigan Alley contains mostly high end clothiers and leather work shops along with several restaurants, hair salons, medical offices and a large park for lounging. Horizon Alley holds many green grocers, farmers markets, cheese makers, dairies, dry good shops, butcher shops, and fish mongers." Severus continued. "Erith Alley has several law offices, accounting offices, hotels, and many specialty shops. There are some good books stores there that have a larger variety that Flourish and Blott's but they are usually more expensive as well. The British Magical library and Museum have entrance portals there as well. The last is Margus Alley which holds mainly industrial buildings including several famous breweries like Ogden's Firewhiskey and Mrs. Frobisher's Butterbeer."

When Harry and Severus walked down Morrigan Alley Harry was surprised at the amount of different clothing stores. There were shops for everyday wear, specialty wear and special occasions. Animated dummies moved in the display windows showing off the different fashions. Severus tapped Harry on the shoulder and motioned to a store with dark, wooden siding. Severus held the door open for him, allowing him to walk in first. Harry was definitely impressed with the inside which was definitely bigger than it should be based on the outside. Several large crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling over racks of prepared clothes and shelves upon shelves of different material.

"Welcome, welcome." A smiling, boisterous witch with graying auburn hair and bluish grey eyes called out as she walked towards the two. "Ah young Master Snape, how may I help you?"

"My young charge is in need of a full wardrobe." Severus said. "I expect the usual discretion."

"Of course Master Snape, we value the privacy of all our customers." The witch replied instantly before turning her attention to Harry. "Welcome young sir to Griserro's fine clothiers, I am Madame Esmeralda."

"If we might have a private fitting room Madame?" Severus said discreetly handing her a small leather coin pouch.

"Of course Master Snape." Madame Esmeralda replied with a smile before leading them towards a back room. Once back there Severus undid the spells he had done on Harry.

To Madame Esmeralda's credit she merely stared a few seconds before blinking.

"I can see now why you wished for a private room." Madame Esmeralda said, bowing her head slight towards him. "If I might young Master Potter, welcome back to the Wizarding World."

"Thank you Madame." Harry replied, speaking up for the first time.

Madame Esmeralda's smile widened a tad.

"So polite. You may take a seat Master Snape." Madame Esmeralda told Severus motioning towards a comfortable chair. She snapped her fingers once and a steaming pot of tea appeared with cups, cream and sugar before a plate of pastries appeared next to it. "Now Master Potter let us begin."

She waved her wand causing a floating quill to begin writing his measurements before different reels of fabric jumped into the air at her direction.

"Not to worry Master Potter." Madame Esmeralda saw him eying the fabric with trepidation. "You'll get only the finest clothes here and on a discount. Your grandmother Euphemia Potter was a dear friend of mine and help me to start my business."

"Thank you Madame." Harry smiled. He wasn't want to turn down a discount.

Through the fitting Madame Esmeralda told him several tales of her days at Hogwarts spent with his grandmother and even told him how his grandfather had courted her. Several of the stories caused him to laugh.

---

​

The bell in front of the door rang as Severus and Harry stepped into the custom wand shop. They had just left a mediwizard's eye shop with new glasses for Harry. Unfortunately for the boy they hadn't figured out a magical way to heal bad eyesight yet. He wasn't complaining about being able to see so much better though. To top it off he had spells placed on them to keep them on his face, unbreakable, and to always stay clean. They were the same shape as his old one only with the frames being silver metal instead of black plastic.

A tall blood red haired man with strange, bright orange eyes stepped up to the counter with a friendly grin bringing Harry out of his thoughts.

"Welcome to my shop, I am Nicholas Edwards, feel free to call me Nicholas or Nick. How may I help you gentlewizards?" Nicholas asked, hands folded together in front him.

"My charge is in need of a wand and your shop is the one I recommended." Severus told him, his left hand resting on Harry's shoulder.

"Of course Master Snape, my thanks." Nicholas replied, giving a slight bow of his head. "I am glad to see you visiting my shop once more."

"I bought my own custom wand here after I was awarded my Potions mastery before that I used a wand from Ollivander's." Severus explained to Harry before showing him his wand. The dark wood was a little over a foot long and quite rigid. The wand shaft was smooth except for at the end of the handle Harry could see a small skull which had what looked like it's tongue sticking out. At the tip of the wand was a small half inch piece of cut emerald stuck out the end in a sharp point.

"Many would have you believe that Ollivander's sells the best wands." Nicholas Edwards explained as he moved through his shop. "While it is true that he is a Master Wand Maker he only uses three different magical cores and a limited number of magical woods. While an Ollivander's wand will serve you well and is relatively inexpensive they are never as well tuned to you as a custom wand would be. As you change over the years you may find that any wand that isn't custom fitted for you begins to resist your casting. When that happens you would need to be fitted for a new wand."

"Can a custom wand really make that much of a difference?" Harry asked curiously.

"Yes, and I'm not just saying that so I can make a sale." Nicholas told him with a smirk. Harry thought he could see the tip of a sharped canine before Nicholas' mouth closed "A custom wand is made from materials specifically tuned to their user. Wand core and wood. A custom wand will always give a more consistent result for it's user no matter how much the witch or wizard changes throughout their life."

He walked quickly over to a nearby shelf and retrieved a small cardboard box. He carefully brought it over and sat it in front of Harry.

"You'll need to open the box." Nicholas explained. "Inside is a special magical receptacle that will help us to find the components for your wand. If any other person were to touch it you would not be able to use it to find what you need."

At Severus' nod Harry reached up and carefully slid the lid open, seeing a short flash of light as he did so. Inside was a glass sphere about as big around a plum. It was completely clear aside from some golden symbols engraved in it.

"Pick it up and push your magic into it." Nicholas said. "It's best to use the hand your write with."

"Reach for the feeling of your magic within you and push it outwards toward your hand." Severus advised him.

Harry nodded before picking up the sphere with his right hand while trying to capture the feeling of his magic. When he finally did he pushed it into the receptacle. It slowly started glowing before it lifted off his palm. Five streaks of light flew from inside it causing Harry to jump, Nicholas sniggered but his eyes were sharp and held a gleam of interest.
"Now to find your wand components." Nicholas said rubbing his hands together as he walked towards the back of his shop, an excited smile crossing his face. A few minutes later he returned carrying a stone tray which he sat on the counter. He seemed to be bouncing slightly in his excitement.

"Very interesting, two cores and two woods. Yew and holly, fire phoenix feather and thestral tail hair, and a diamond focusing stone." Nicholas said a wide grin splitting his face. "I think it is safe to say that you will bring interesting tidings with you Master Potter. I plucked that thestral tail hair myself while I traded Ollivander a heart string from a rather vicious female Hungarian Horntail for the phoenix feather. It's supposed to be one of two the bird ever gave for wands. Ollivander seemed to think I'd need it and appears that he was right."

The light in his eyes brightened further giving him an almost manic look.

"This'll take me four hours to make. After it's done you have the option of blood-bonding it to yourself."

"Blood-bonding?" Harry asked.

"Runes are carved into the shaft of the wand and is submerged in a container of your blood. After that you feed magic into your wand, it'll take it's final shape and it'll make it so the wand will only ever work for you. To anyone else holding it it'll just feel like a stick of wood. It will never work for anyone but you and perhaps your descendants, cannot be summoned by others and nor can you lose it's allegiance by being disarmed." Nicholas explained patiently. "The blood receptacle is, of course, destroyed immediately afterwards. Nasty magic can be used with the blood of other wizards which is why I always give an oath to not use the blood for any other purpose."

Harry nodded.

"I, Nicholas Patchiclus Edwards, do swear on my life and magic that I will immediately dispose of the blood receptacle holding the blood of Harry James Potter and I that it will be used for nothing but what I have stated. So mote it be."

He flashed a light blue briefly before it disappeared.

"Now." Nicholas said with a clap. "Your wand will be ready to be picked up later this afternoon."

He paused to rub his chin before nodding.

"Around three I should say." Nicholas continued.

"We will return." Severus nodded before leading Harry out.

"Was he a vampire?" Harry asked when they stepped out.

"Yes he is." Severus replied. "You needn't worry though since he has been doing business in the building since the Alley was built."

The End.

---

Monetary System:
1 knut: 10 pence (0.20)
1 sickle: 2 pounds, 90 pence (5.80)
1 galleon: 49 pounds, 30 pence (98.60)
29 knuts= 1 sickle
17 sickles= 1 galleon
A/N: The monetary conversion chart I got from Seel'vor, I recommend his stories Harry Potter and the Quantum Leap and The Real Us. My Harry was treated somewhat better by his relatives when compared to canon Harry. He never lived in the cupboard under the stairs and he was given adequate food and clothes. Of course he still had chores to do, his cousin is still a bully, and his relatives never made it a secret that they didn't love him.

Also even though he didn't get the holly and phoenix feather wand from Ollivander's he still got Fawkes' other feather. I didn't have him get a super!custom wand but one that would help him focus his magic easier and would work only for him. My version of Harry will be more powerful and knowledgeable and actually use the cunning and intelligence he has instead of downplaying it.

Plus there is the little tidbit about Ollivander saying, "I remember when your mother and father were in here buying their first wands.". So I made up the part where sometimes witches and wizards need to purchase a new wand later in life or they could have simply been destroyed.

 

[Isebas]

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter or Elder Scrolls. Nor am I making any profit from this story.

Summary: While tracking down a dangerous wizard Harry is sucked through a portal to the world of Nirn. With no way home Harry must make his way in this new world. How will he change the fates of the people and the world?

---

"Speaking"

Thoughts

'Telepathy'

"Spells"

"Foreign Languages"

"Thu'um/Dovahzul/Divines/Daedra"

§Parseltongue§

---

Chapter 1: Chases, Fights, Portals & New Worlds​

Harry leaned smoothly out of the way of the Brain-Withering curse, Aridacrura Cerebrum. The spell caused the target's brain to dry and shrivel up into a tiny desiccated lump. The effect usually worked quickly but could be slowed or quickened by the user to increase the amount of pain the victim felt. Harry had been in a running battle with his target for nearly a week now. Attacking and tracing his steps. It all led to a temple used by a cult. He normally wouldn't be doing this by himself but his partner, a Norwegian witch named Aslea had been severely injured and had to be taken back to a hospital.

Leaping forward Harry slammed his right bracer in his targets face, hearing the satisfying crunch of a broken nose. His bracers doubled as wand holsters made partially of basilisk hide. They was lined with Demiguise hair and Acromantula silk and sewn together with Unicorn hair. As long as they were worn they were invisible and intangible and could only be removed by the wearer. The special metal around them allowed Harry to utilize them as potential weapons.

His right bracer held his Holly and Phoenix feather wand and a spare wand he had learned to make. Redwood and Griffin feather, twelve and a quarter inches. His left bracer held the Elder Wand and Voldemort's Yew and Phoenix feather wand, taken off of his corpse after Harry killed him. Apparently even though Voldemort had the most powerful wand in the world in his possession he couldn't bring himself to part with the one he received as an eleven year old. Separate simpler holsters on each of his legs held Draco Malfoy's Hawthorn and Unicorn Hair Wand while the right one held his parents old wands along with a silver knife. While Harry didn't necessarily need a wand to perform magic anymore each of the wands were significant to him for one reason or another.

Harry had not given much thought to being descended from the Peverell line but it turned out to very important. Through luck or fate Harry had gathered together the three Deathly Hallows. The Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone and the Cloak of Invisibility. It was said that they were gifted to brother's Antioch, Cadmus and Ignotus Peverell by Death itself. However, in truth, they were artifacts of Old Magic. Anyone possessing them would be able to access a number of their abilities. It was only in the hands of a Peverell when their true power was realized. Harry had done something none had ever done before since the brother's Peverell, he had united the Deathly Hallows.

Through him their full powers were fully realized. Harry became more than he was, more than merely a mortal human. His body grew, taller, stronger, more. Harry had become much stronger and faster physically with greater senses. His sight had been made perfect and he could see in night as if it were day and even in perfect darkness. Harry's magic was fully unlocked within him, making him stronger than he ever had been before but paradoxically his control had also improved exponentially. Magic came remarkably easy to Harry after he united the Hallows, both with and without a wand. Harry's mind also seemed to have expanded and he could recall every moment of his life with perfect clarity even without the Occlumency training her later received.

In his new form Harry healed a lot quicker than he ever had before and he was much harder to injure. He also could not die. No Death Magic could touch him. Harry found that out the hard way when Death Eater remnants had ambushed him and tried to kill him. Harry had shrugged off the Killing Curse like it was nothing. He hadn't even felt it. It was only later when Neville had informed him that he had been hit by the Killing Curse several times that Harry had even known. It was kept a secret between Harry and his friends.

Harry learned that he could sense when someone died or was close to death and if he concentrated he could sense when someone was meant to die. This made his training as a Healer a little weird but also helped Harry at times when he was able to save a patient. Harry also learned that he could also sense Death Magic including Necromancy and the taint it left when he hunted down a dark wizard the Ministry had put a bounty out for.

It was another time that Harry was being mobbed by well-wishers and fans that Harry had discovered that he could assume any shape he desired. It hadn't been a fun time but Harry had come to very much enjoy his new ability. Through experimentation he learned that his shapeshifting ability was greater than even Tonks' had been as he could take the form of animals and other magical species.

After the Second Blood War, as they were calling it, Harry had not gone on to be an Auror as he once thought to but actually furthered his education. Harry had taken his NEWTs before leaving England to learn and explore. Harry found both knowledge and treasures. Sometimes he would spend months in places sometimes a year or more.

His personal relations changed as well after his transformation. Ron had become somewhat leery of him along with Ginny actually agreeing with Harry to not get back together. Arthur and Molly had tried not to treat him differently but the times he visited The Burrow were slightly awkward.

Hermione, Fleur and Bill had stuck by him alongside Neville and Luna. Harry went to see Teddy as often as he could but was often stuck with the odd conversation on a two-way mirror, letters or gifts. Bill became a sort of older brother and teacher to him and knew a vampire friend who helped Harry through the changes his inheritance brought. Luna and he had a passionate fling but never really declared it a relationship.

Harry had come a long way from the confused and easily led youth who defeated Voldemort. Harry had actually grown with help from good food and magic alongside his inheritance. While not as tall as his once best mate Ron who stood four inches over six feet Harry was only a few inches shorter than him. His shoulders had broadened and he had put on quite a bit of muscle, giving him a surprisingly solid body under his armor. Plus his strength was not only physical but mystical as well.

Harry did not stop at repairing and improving his body but also worked to expand his mind. He had sought out Masters of many different disciplines, becoming a Master in many of them himself. He devoured knowledge like a man dying of hunger. Defensive Magic, Charms, Transfiguration, Dueling, Enchanting, Light Magic, Grey Magic, Spell Creation, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Shamanism, Druidism, Healing, Warding, Curse Breaking, Potions, Divination and Alchemy.

Harry's thirst for knowledge and power had surprised even himself as he had been a rather lackluster student outside of Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms in his Hogwarts years. He didn't even limit himself to so called "good" magic but also studied the Dark Arts, Necromancy, Soul Magic, and Blood Magic. Harry was singularly responsible for producing and publishing many counters to these dark and dangerous magicks and inventing new uses for others while he traveled the world discovering lost treasure and looking for forgotten legends and magic.

Harry did not limit himself to magical disciplines either. He learned many muggle subjects as well. Law, Philosophy, Business, Psychology, Economics, Metallurgy, Sociology, History, Biology, Chemistry, Architecture, Art, Carpentry, the Culinary Arts and even Medicine. Harry learned many different martial arts, sword fighting, staff fighting, knife throwing and fighting, boxing, kick boxing, archery, hunting, survival training, riding, driving, surfing and snowboarding. He even learned how to develop his own wines, alcohol and tobaccos.

It was not all work either. He took vacations between work. He traveled the seas, rafted down raging rivers, visited museums and amusement parks. He especially loved skydiving and parachuting and learning to fly planes and helicopters. Sometimes he went alone, sometimes he took a lover.

A few years earlier Harry had grown bored and had signed up as an Enforcer for the ICW. Enforcers worked as a kind of military branch to the International organizations. Harry spent most of his time tracking down dark uprisings, kidnappings, out of control magical creatures and rising Dark Lords. In return he was given training, weapons and a lot of money. Harry's special issued battle robes and armor had been heavily enchanted, capable of stopping spells, swords and even bullets.

The long sword was a Dwarven masterwork. It had been gifted to him by the Dwarves for his help in saving several Dwarven clans during the evacuation of their city in the south due to an erupting Volcano. They had presented him it at a banquet in his honor along with his full set of armor made of Dark Iron. An armor that was nigh invulnerable to magic. The spells integrated into it had to be introduced during the forging of the dark armor.

The blade was the color of silver with a golden strip down the middle, ending several inches from the tip. Up and down it were two lines of runes. The pommel had several jewels set into it, the largest at the pommel, a large sapphire. They stored magic that he could absorb if his reserved ever ran low and could be used as a cruder secondary focus.

The runes made it so the blade would never dull, was extra sharp, never need cleaning nor would it ever break. The dagger he kept visible was actually goblin made, gifted to him in perpetuity for the betrayal of Griphook and his defeat of Voldemort who himself had killed many goblins. Harry had had it impregnated with basilisk venom like Gryffindor's sword had been just in case he came upon something or someone hard to kill.

"Why do you fight for them?" Gildert hissed through bloody teeth. "They would revile you and treat as if you are a freak."

A smirk tugged at Harry's lips even if his eyes narrowed slightly at the hated word.

"I do not do it for them." Harry drawled. "I do it for the innocents but mostly for the money. My job pays extremely well."

Gildert chuckled.

"At least you're truthful and pragmatic."

"I liked to think so." Harry smirked before he was caught in the chest by a spell.

Harry grunted as he was blasted through the stone wall more out of surprise than any kind of pain. His enhanced nature and his battle robes protected him from the blunt force of being sent through a three foot thick wall. He wasn't wearing his armor since it was a pain to put on and take off but he swore once he was finished here he would do something about that. Harry forced himself to focus to send two trios of vicious looking wolves after the fleeing wizard. From the scream he heard they had to have injured him before he heard the noises of canine pain and the sound and scent of splashing of blood and other body matter.

There was a hissing sound before a group of inferi ran towards him hungry for his flesh. While his brow raised in surprise it didn't stop Harry from a firing a burst of white fire at them, quickly turning them to ash. He didn't even hesitate before running after his target. Harry had to blast through several conjured walls before he stood before a pair of large iron doors. Three cultists, two men and a woman, stood in his way wearing golden mask and robes.

"You will go no further wretch!" One of the wizards screamed. "You will not stop our Lord from carrying out his will. You will not prevent the Summoning."

"Do you guys really want to fight me?" Harry asked pacing in front of them. "I have killed twelve of your brethren already. Is he and what he is doing worth dying for?"

A dark red blood boiling curse flying his way was his only answer.

"Foolish." Harry whispered, batting the spell towards the other cultist, a witch.

The cultist cast a shield to dissipate it before casting their own spells towards Harry. A torrent of water poured from the wizards wand before the witch turned it into a large collection of razor sharp ice shards which were sent sailing towards Harry. Keep his cool Harry raised his wand and released a concussive blast which blew outwards and caused the shards to explode.

A burst of wind sent the now larger collection of slivers back towards the two cultists only hit a shield that ground them to powder. The second wizard whipped his wand through the air turning the powder into a snow storm. Harry countered with a storm of fire melting the snow into rain which he directed to splash against the cultists.

"Galnus Fulgar!" Harry chanted causing a dark grey bolt of magic to leave his wand and strike the ceiling. The spell immediately began spreading, generating storm clouds. The Galnus Fulgar charm was one he learned from his partner Aslea's grandfather Torstig. Harry grinned as bolts of lightning erupted from the storm to envelop the cultists as he directed it.

One of the wizards and the witch were able to raise shields but the second wizard was not so fortunate. Holding a sword in hand and being soaked with water the electricity burned through his body leaving him a crispy corpse on the ground. Harry allowed the storm to continue for several seconds, lighting crackling over the shields of the other cultists before he jerked his wand ending the storm with a grumble of thunder.

The two cultists stared at the burnt body of their compatriot giving Harry time to make his next move. It was not something he wasted. Jabbing his wand at the ground Harry caused the earth to buckle beneath the surviving male cultist while he was distracted. The cultist attempted to jump aside but was hit by a second spell.

The cultist screamed as his mask boiled on his face before rapping around it and squeezing till his head popped. The female cultist screamed in fury at the other's death. A blistering stream of curses leapt from her wand battering at the temple around Harry as he dodged around them. What else might be said about Gildert he clearly chose his followers well. They were all intelligent and magically powerful.

"That was my twin brother you bastard." She screamed with hatred only to gasp as he appeared behind her and crushed her throat. Panic and pain shown in the woman's eyes. A stunner knocked her out so she would die without pain.

Harry sighed before turning towards the doors. They were so heavily warded his tongue almost tingled from the magic. Snapping the Elder wand out into his hand Harry began casting. Gildert or whoever had prepared the temple was clever in their warding but not clever enough. With his knowledge and power he would get in. Fifteen minutes later Harry was at the last ward. Catching it with the tip of his wand he grunted as he pulled back. It was a mighty effort as the ward fought against but finally it snapped, magic arching over the doors erratically before they exploded inwards.

"Nontedae Esquisae Vartitarum –"

Harry heard as he walked into the room. What he saw gave him a slight chill down his back. There was an arch similar to the one in the Department of Mysteries that had claimed the life of his godfather Sirius Black. Instead of a fluttering red one this one appeared to be filled with a fluctuating red light. Gildert stood before a podium reading from a book, hands held high, magic streaming from them into the arch. Several cultists knelt before the portal screaming in agony as their bodies were dissolving into streams of viscera and magic which were sucked into the portal.

Tussio Praefoco! Harry cast silently.

Gildert choked in the middle of his chant and started to cough. A wave of his wand released him from the curse before Gildert was swiftly disarmed by Harry. Literally, as his right arm fell off, spraying blood away from his body. A wild howling filled the air, getting louder by the second as if something was sucking the air out of the temple.

A look of fear came to Gildert's face.

"No! You fool!" Gildert screamed throwing himself away from the area. "Do you have any idea what you have done! You've destabilized the portal!"

Harry's attention was brought forcibly to the light inside of the arch. It was flashing angrily before it turned violet. A fierce wind was quickly picking up. Harry watched as loose stone and other small pieces of debris on the floor began vibrating before being pulled towards the portal. Harry quickly wandlessly summoned the grimoire he had been sent for from the pedestal next to Gildert and stuck it in his Mokeskin pouch before grabbing a nearby pillar.

"Shit!" Harry cursed as the wind and pulling increased. He could feel it trying to pull him in. Ahead of him Gildert had grabbed the pedestal with his remaining arm.

"How do you stop this thing?" Harry demanded with a growl.

"It cannot be stopped now Potter!" Gildert yelled. "Your interruption saw to that!"

Harry tried to quickly apparate away but was bounced back by wards. Tapping his family ring he tried to activate the portkey built in to take him home. It would normally work even across the world.

"That isn't going to work Potter! I have warded against it!" Gildert screamed before laughing insanely. "I may die but you'll die with me!"

"You first arsehole." Harry muttered before blasting the pedestal causing Gildert to scream as he was pulled towards the portal. He screamed in agony as he was pulled inside.

"Agent Potter!" A male voice yelled from his pocket. Grumbling he reached in and pulled out a communication mirror. On the screen he could see a squad of ICW Enforcers. Harry recognized the brown haired man leading it as Benjamin Waters.

Late to the party again of course. Harry's mind spat sarcastically.

"What's happening in there? We are sensing a large source of fluctuating magic." Ben asked.

"Don't try to enter the temple." Harry yelled over the howling wind. "There is an unstable portal in here. It's sucking everything up. I can't stop it. You'll have to try and contain it."

"What about you?" The other Enforcer asked.

"I'm not going to make it." Harry told him. "I can't get out. Make sure my Will is seen through Ben."

The Enforcer's face was troubled but he nodded.

"Goodbye Harry." He said, offering him a salute.

Harry smirked before ending the call and pocketing the mirror. Harry heard ominous cracking above him. Looking up Harry saw the a large crack forming in the pillar. Harry launched a repair spell but it was too late. With a groaning crack the pillar came loose from the ceiling.

"Argh!" Harry yelled as he was pulled towards the portal.

Thinking quickly he conjured several spiked chains to hold him to the floor. All of his surroundings were groaning and cracking, debris being pulled into the portal. Calling the Elder Wand from it's holster he worked faster than he ever had before, casting several protective charms over himself. He hoped with their addition and the power of the wand he would be protected from what had so pained the other wizard. Whatever was on the other side, well, Harry would face that if he survived the trip.

"Sh –"

---

"it!" Harry yelled as he was thrown about inside of the portal. There was a brief sensation of flying before he his solid ground with a grunt and a sharp exhale as the air was driven from his lungs before he rolled several times. Harry panted as he laid on the ground before groaning and pushing himself up.

"Ow."

Darkness was all around him with a small amount of light being given off by some strangely glowing lichen that looked like half jelly fish. Luckily he could see with his night vision. He appeared to be underground or maybe even in a cave system. Smelling a new stench Harry turned around. There hissing and popping on the ground was the heavily burnt corpse of his target, recognizable only by part of his robe and clumps of hair.

"At least he's dead." Harry muttered to himself before banishing the body away from him. Cooked human did not smell good even to those without enhanced senses like his own. Harry was especially glad now that he had had the forethought to raise his protections even if it left him drained. Better tired than dead after all. Even if it hadn't killed him it looked like it was extremely painful by the way Gildert's mouth had still been open in a scream of agony.

Stretching Harry grimaced at his sore muscles but thankfully the pain was already going away. Still, it looked like he would need to find somewhere to bunk down for the night. Quickly enough Harry found a small cavern which he explored and found relatively empty. A few wards chased off any vermin and would keep them and anything else harmful out, ignoring his little hideaway. Harry flicked his wand before waving it upwards which caused the stone floor to rise up, shutting off the cave except for a few holes for air.

A wave caused the wall to turn transparent on his side so Harry would know if anyone was outside before he lowered it. Sure he would probably hear or smell them but having more options was always a good thing to Harry. Opening a pocket on his belt Harry pulled out a shrunken trunk the size of a deck of cards. Luckily Harry kept most of his things on his person nowadays. A tap of his wand had it turned back into a full sized metal multi-compartment trunk.

The trunk was actually of Harry's own design and had taken him several decades to fully complete. Three of the compartments stored things in large compartments but the last was by far the most impressive and had taken the longest. It was linked to an estate that Harry had stored in another dimension. Some might have thought it weird or inconvenient to live inside of a trunk but Harry thought it convenient.

With the trunk he could have all the comforts of home while being in an entirely different country. Harry could never be locked inside and could actually move the trunk while inside if he desired. It was layered with wards so it could not be stolen or moved without his permission and was protected against weather, physical damage and magic.

The estate Harry had used was called Potter's Cove. The estate was actually an entire island off the west coast of Wales purchased by Harry's Great-Great-Great-Grandfather Theobold Potter. It was hidden from those without magic by old wards. While the Potter's had only held the island in their possession for a few centuries before then another family had owned it and hidden it away from the world. When they purchased it Theobold, his son Hector and brother Sherrinford had expanded the island many times. The main reason they bought it, aside from privacy was the island was crossed by two ley lines.

Originally there were two houses on the property, the main "cottage" and a guest house with the "cottage" being the bigger of the two. The cottage was three stories tall while the guest house was only two. The houses both sat on a decent plot of cleared land. The majority of the island was left wild and was covered in woodlands except for what land the Potter's had cleared for building their home, a couple of farms and the beaches. The Guest House, located some ways away from the main house, only had a sitting room, three bathrooms, a kitchen, a small library and six bedrooms.

Several kinds of magical creatures had been introduced to the island over the centuries and had been allowed to roam free alongside other mundane creatures to be hunted for sport or for their protection. They provided products the Potter's used in potions or sold for profit including several used in the making of wands. Such as the small herd of unicorns that roamed the forest.

Harry had added more magical creatures to it over the years, especially some which were nearing extinction. Harry saw what was happening to the environment due to the actions of Muggles and even how they were treated by witches and wizards. Harry offered a home to the various magical creature's and beings, free from shrinking habitats, poachers and persecution. Here in his dimension they were safe from being hunted or having their territories encroached upon by Muggles.

The first floor of Harry's home Cove Cottage, as it had come to be known over the years, consisted of a sitting room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, quarters for the house elves, a mudroom, the library and a classroom. The bedrooms were located on the second floor which consisted of five bedroom in total, two of them being suites. One for the Lord/and or Lady and one for the heir. The third floor housed a small Owlery, a small observatory, a storage room and an office for the Lord.

The Cottage was unique in that it had a basement. Down there Theobold had built, with his brother Sherrinford, a Potion's lab as many Potter's had made their fortunes with potions, a dueling room as Sherrinford was an avid dueler, a vault to store valuables and several storage rooms. The nearby stables had been built for housing the animals needed to feed them and several horses as Theobold's wife Maylia Potter nee Rosier had been an avid horse back rider. Unknown to anyone else there was a ritual room built beneath the stables in case the Potter's ever needed it.

Fleamont, Harry's grandfather, had added a boat house and a dock on one part of the beach in the cove behind the cottage as he had enjoyed sailing as had his brother Charlus. Fleamont had had a couple of larger greenhouses built as he was an avid Potioneer and liked to grow his own ingredients. Fleamont had also, at the birth of his son, added a Quidditch Pitch for flying for his son and any friends he might make. That was not to say he used it for himself. Nope, never.

Harry had near sent himself into a coma when he moved the island, part of the seas and the ley-lines into the empty dimension. It was lucky that Harry was as powerful as he was as the dimension had been shaped by his desires. It had it's own sun, sky and very very luckily for him and those he watched over, provided it's own supply of oxygen. Inside the dimension they were able to flourish even if they couldn't reach the rest of the world away from the portals Harry had installed.

Harry had further expanded the island and added more infrastructure. He created more fields and orchards, built lakes and stocked them while bringing in salt water fish for the seas surrounding the island. He had also created roads and trails to the rest of the properties on the island. The grounds were filled with large areas of grass, magnificent gardens, fields of vegetables, a fully stocked lake, fish farms for both fresh and salt water species, farms, orchards, stables, bike trails, hiking trails and even a magical creature preserve well away from his home.

§Open section four§ Harry hissed in Parseltongue causing the four compartment to pop open as he channeled his magic through his wand.

When you stepped inside it was a wooden room with a single door. Harry put his hand against the door allowing it to test his magic. Opening the door he stepped into the large entryway with the Potter family crest done in gold in the marble flooring. The room was well lit by a large gold and crystal chandelier and what appeared to be natural sunlight from different windows.

The island was fully staffed by dozens of house elves so he didn't even need to maintain any of it himself if he didn't want to. With everything on his lands Harry was completely self-sufficient and made quite a bit of money by selling the extra. Even the environment was completely self-reliant. Harry could control everything in his dimension from the weather, time of day, and the temperature. This came in handy since some of the magical creatures needed different environments. Now that Harry was a in a new world he would have to see what would happen with the products he produced.

A pop announced the arrival of the Head Elf Nelly.

"Master has returned." Nelly said. She was tall for a house elf and wore a floral patterned dress. Seeing the state of him her eyes widened. "Is everything alright Master?"

"I am fine Nelly. Though I wouldn't say no to a hot bath and a good meal." Harry replied, offering her a smile. "I will have an announcement to make tomorrow morning so be sure that everyone gathers together."

---

The next morning Harry looked out over the crowd that had gathered before him in a small town he had created well away from his own homes. Most of those gathered before him were House Elves but there was also a couple of packs of werewolves and a coven of vampires that fed from blood donated by the werewolves. They were the Vacini coven, a coven of Damphir. Small in number with only thirty members, five of them being children, but Harry had helped them escape destruction by a larger coven. They had sworn themselves into his service for the deed and he had allowed them to build their own village on his lands free from persecution and possible destruction. They were led by a Master Vampires named Markus Vacini, a Vinician Damphir three hundred and fifty years old and his mate Lucretia who was fifty years younger than her mate.

The werewolf packs each numbered around fifty members each. They were made up of those who had been turned against their will or were born werewolves but still wanted to be a part of society. In return for housing them they worked his lands and helped take care of the magical creature preserves. The two packs were the Dastrict pack led by Scottish born Ewan Taylor and his mate Marla while the Alisian pack was led by David Song a Japanese American and his mate Lara. The two packs lived together in their own small town. They were allowed to hold wands and learned both magical and non-magical subjects. With his help searching ancient ruins and records they had learned to control their beasts and could change at will and still be in control. They had become the legendary Lycans.

Around the edges were a few sphinxes, some Dryads and several Nymphs and Fae.

"Thank you all for gathering here today." Harry said, magic projecting his voice so everyone could hear him. "I have an important announcement to make. During my fight against the Dark Lord Gildert yesterday I was sent to a new world via a portal."

Murmurs broke out before Harry held up a hand.

"I do not wish to alarm you. I have not had a chance to explore this new world yet but I can safely say that this should not effect our home here. I am not asking for any volunteers to explore here until I am sure that it is safe and you will not be prejudiced against. Even then you will not be required to do so." Harry assured them. "Still, I will be recreating the portals so you can have access to the outside world."

Harry spent about fifteen minutes answering various questions before the gathering started breaking up. Many of them left with only Markus and his mate remaining and the leaders of the packs. Markus was tall and thin with slicked back brown hair and blue eyes. His mate Lucretia was just as tall as him with long black hair and kind brown eyes. Ewan was a bear of a man standing nearly seven feet tall with short curly red hair and fierce amber eyes. His own mate was petite compared to him with shoulder length wavy brown hair.

"Lord Potter I speak for my clan in saying that you may call upon us if you need to." Markus told him. "It would be our honor."

"Aye we are with you as well my laird." Ewan rumbled while the mostly silent David nodded.

---

Later that day after eating some lunch provided by his House Elves Harry climbed out his trunk which he then shrunk down and replaced in his belt. A wave of his hand had the stone wall retreat into the ground with a low grinding sound. His eyesight sharpened exponentially causing the cavern around him to light up brighter, turning darkness into a world of colour. The cavern Harry was in was quite tall but did not seem to have any exits.

Frowning Harry sent several charms at the walls looking for a thin point that wouldn't cause a cave-in. Finally finding one ten minutes later Harry grinned as he ran his finger down the rock in the shape of a square door. Harry gave it a kick, sending the new door flying outwards. Harry blinked several times as multitudes of torches sprang into life around him.

"Where the hell am I?" Harry muttered as he looked around.

He appeared to be inside of some underground temple or tomb. Whatever it was it was definitely old as the walls were crumbled in several places. The stone floor and walls were covered in many places with moss and fungi. Several large roots were also thrust through the walls, nature forcing it's way inside. Nearby skeletons and corpses laid inside of long, thin cubbyholes carved straight into the stone.

"Is this some kind of tomb?" Harry wondered as he inhaled before he wrinkled his nose.

The air was cold and musty and filled with the smell of decayed bodies, mold and many other scents. Sometimes Harry cursed his advanced senses. If it wasn't for his ability to control them Harry figured they would have driven him mad years ago. Sighing Harry looked around to see if he could spot anything important.

Casting several charms around Harry found several enchantments but nothing that appeared to be harmful. Some were faded like the one to keep the temple intact and one for preservation but the one which lit the torches was obviously still working. Spying a glint in the corner of his eye Harry turned and walked up to the nearest corpse. Sitting beside it were several gold coins and a vial of what was clearly some kind of potion. Picking up the gold coin Harry found it weathered but in relatively good shape.

On the front was the coin was the head of a regal looking man and on the back was a banner with Latin writing. Something about an Empire. Casting an identification charm at it proved the coin was made of real gold. Holding up the vial of red potion Harry saw that it appeared to still be good. A couple of charms later showed that indeed it was still good.

Harry whistled.

"Amazing." He said. "Who knows how long it has been down here for."

Turning back to the corpse he saw that it had been prepared somewhat similarly to mummification with it's skin pulled taught around old muscles and bones. Several had obviously wasted away more as they were little more than skeletons. In the corpse's folded hands was a long dark sword pockmarked with rust and covered in dust and cobwebs.

"Clearly an ancient tomb with a weapon like that." Harry muttered to himself.

Shaking his head Harry pocketed the gold and the potion. He needed to find a way out of here and find out where exactly he was. Luckily it appeared the way he was walking tilted up slightly so hopefully he was heading towards as exit. Making his way through several rooms he found more gold coins and several books. Luckily for him they appeared to be in English even if they were a slightly archaic version of it. Still he read them without much difficulty. Three of them were stories about folk lore, one of a land known as Skyrim and the people called Nords.

"Not on Earth then." Harry muttered to himself before reaching for the last book. It glowed as he opened it, his body absorbing some kind of energy.

Harry yelped, dropping the book. He had not even sensed any magic in it. Scanning it he saw that whatever magic was tied to it wasn't harmful. It was actually amplified something within the user. Picking it up again he opened it and found it to be a guide on picking locks of all things.

Is it a Skill-book like in video games? Harry wondered, feeling a little amused. Now that he had a feel for the enchantment he could feel it slowly recharging itself. Figuring it might be worth something he pocketed it along with the others. He had become something of a bibliophile since leaving Hogwarts. Hearing a noise beside him he whirled around.
"What the fuck is that?" Harry exclaimed as a large rat looking creature jumped at him.

Harry batted it away but it ran back towards him, a feral look in it's eyes. A slicing charm took care of it, cutting it in two. Several more ran out of the next room squealing in anger. Thrusting his hand forward brought forth a swarm of lightning that rolled over the beasts, cooking them. Their squeals of pain quickly cut off.

Curious Harry toed one with his boot before casting several spells on it. According to it's spells it was similar to a rat, was free of disease, was three years old and was safe to eat.

"No thanks." Harry grimaced. He had never eaten rat and had no desire to see what a seeming cousin of one tasted like. Kicking them aside Harry made his way towards the next room. As he stepped through the threshold there was a shattering sound as the top of nearby standing stone coffin was forced outwards and hit the ground.

"Oh what now." Harry groaned.

Standing inside was a corpse wearing ancient looking armor and wielding a sword and shield. It's eyes were lit up with bright blue, ethereal light. Growling something in a language Harry didn't know it rushed towards him.

"Yeah fuck you to buddy." He grumbled.

Stepping aside he tripped the corpse causing it stumble before it turned with surprising swiftness. A flick of Harry's wrist sent the corpse flying backwards into another wall, a flaming sconce piercing through it chest. Harry's finely tuned senses felt an enchantment snapping before the blue lights in it's eyes were extinguished and it relinquished it's grip on it's sword with a rattling gasp. The shield slipped down it's arm and landed with a clatter on the ground.

"Whew." Harry breathed. "Clearly some kind of Guardian. At least they aren't as bad as the mummies in Egypt or those zombies in Brazil."

As if Murphy had heard him there was huffing and the sound of feet behind him. Two more corpses were coming down the hallway. Harry cursed when an arrow slipped past his head causing him to jerk to the side. A blasting curse took the archers left arm off at the shoulder but it growled at him and kept coming, pulling a dark ax of it's hip sling. Sending a slicing curse at the duo he watched as it's companion jumped over the curse while the archer was cut through the middle and fell still to the ground.

The other spat a curse in it's tongue at him before raising it's hand. He was unprepared for the flash of icy cold wind that enveloped him. He struggled briefly at the frost tried to hinder his movement before he moved to the side. A banishing charm caught the corpse in the chest sending it stumbling backwards and ending it's spell. Harry's hand flashed to his waist and gripped his sword. A super fast slice had the offending limb sliced off before it's head quickly followed.

"Okay that one was a little tougher, I'll give them that."

Walking up to the archer he reached around it's back and pulled an arrow out it's quiver. For clearly being centuries old it was in fairly good shape. The wood was still strong and the iron tip was still sharp. Sniffing Harry dropped it and continued down the hallway. Harry would definitely be keeping an eye out for anymore of the buggers. They would probably be more troublesome in groups.

---

Harry cursed as he heard a click as that usually meant a trap. Thankfully his insane reflexes saved him as a he got a shield up in time to deflect little darts away from him. They kept coming for nearly fifteen seconds before they stopped. Cautiously letting his shield down Harry bent down and picked up one of the darts. The dart was about an inch long and from the sheen on it was clearly poisoned.

Harry whistled as a diagnostic charm revealed that the poison would have caused his muscles to seize up in pain. If he was a normal person he most likely wouldn't have been moving any longer and definitely not without a lot of pain. Looking at the ground Harry found a round nearly flat stone jutting out of the floor painted with symbols he couldn't read. Obviously a weighted trap as it went off when he had stepped on it.

Remind me to watch where I step. Harry thought with grim amusement. Should have been paying attention.

Walking further Harry found a small room where the other two walking corpses had obviously come from. He found a small bag of the gold coins and a green potion on a stone table that also had old linen and tools that looked like they were for embalming. Clearly not something Harry wished to own. He blinked as the passageway in front of him was covered in webs.

A bit of caution slipped into his mind. Did they have big spiders here as well? Harry had never enjoyed his encounters with Acromantula and their attacking Hogwarts hadn't done anything to endear them to him. The nest in the forest had been heavily culled after the war. Pulling on them Harry found the webs to be pretty tough even if they were obviously old. Pulling out his dagger he cut through them as quickly as he could. Grimacing Harry sheathed his dagger. His eyes narrowed as he found a large circular cave filled with more webs, several web sacks and large eggs.

Yep looks like giant spiders. Harry thought sarcastically. Great.

With a hiss several spiders about four feet in length with longer legs fell from the ceiling.

"Son of a bitch." Harry cursed. "I hate being right sometimes."

The spider closer to him hissed at him before running towards him. A blasting charm sent it careening towards a wall. It bounced off before falling to the ground apparently dazed. Harry stepped out of the way as one actually spat venom at him.

"Well that's new." Harry muttered.

Jabbing his wand Harry conjured steel cables from his wand that quickly wrapped around one of the spiders, tying it up. One had stepped aside and a quick charm had it dancing wildly causing Harry's lips to twitch into a smirk. The smirk was wiped off his face as he stumbled forward. One of the spiders had gotten behind him and was trying to climb on top of him. Growling he grabbed several legs and slammed it to the ground in front of him, cracking it's carapace causing green ichor to ooze out.

Spotting movement out of the corner of his eye he turned and thrust his sword through the spiders eyes. The spider screeched in agony before quickly backing away. A quick incendiary charm caused it erupt in flames something it clearly didn't like as it took off running like a chicken with it's head cut off. It finally fell over hissing and popping as it's insides cooked away.

What was the spider repelling charm Ron used? Oh right...

"Arania Exumai!" Harry growled as the last one tried to run away. A beam of bright light erupted from his wand and slammed into the spider throwing it backwards with a screech before it curled into itself dead. Breathing deeply he quickly calmed his heart. While they weren't really tough opponents he really didn't like giant spiders.

Casting a charm on the nearest spider Harry whistled. Their venom was interesting as it would cause lethargy in the body of the victim making it harder for them move and react. Reaching into his pouch Harry pulled out several vials. Using a charm Harry coaxed all the venom he could out of them. Sealing them he wrote a quick description on the vials. Putting them in his potions pouch Harry walked over to the eggs and roasted them with fire. Once he was sure he had gotten all the eggs in are Harry made his way towards the other end of the room. The way seemed clear but he was cautious.

---

"Whoa!" Harry exclaimed in surprise as a large blade swung down in front of him followed by several others along the hallways.

The blades groaned and shrieked as they swung back and forth. Narrowing his eyes Harry's perception of the world slowed to crawl allowing him to neatly and easily dodge around the various blades. Spying a chain with a handle hanging down Harry pulled it causing the blades to stop. A growl had him whirling around. Another of the walking corpses was rushing towards him. Stepping to the side he thrust his sword backwards and stabbed through it's head. The thing tried to grab for Harry's blade before the enchantment on it broke. Walking towards the other end he found a pair of black iron doors carved with the same archaic symbols as the stone trap earlier.

There didn't appear to be a keyhole so Harry looked around. Finally he found a lever partially hidden by some rubble. However the lever was partially stuck in the floor. Grumbling Harry looked around. Spotting several similar thin pillars Harry looked closer this time. They were situated inside of a circular trench that had apparently been cut in the floor. Putting a hand against the closest pillar Harry pushed causing it slide slightly with a grinding noise. There was a click and Harry saw the lever raise a little. Getting the idea Harry pushed the other pillars along until they clicked in place, the lever raising each time until it was fully raised. Walking over Harry pushed the lever to the other side causing the doors to swing open.

The opening led to a set of stairs that led down a small hallway before widening into a large room. Harry raised a brow when he saw that the floor was covered in several inches of water. There were raised walkways on either side and a large set of stone steps with tall stone seats. Several of which held familiar looking corpses both naked and armored. Harry's attention however was on the largest which was also sat on the largest throne like chair. A black spiked helm sat upon it's head and it's body was covered in black armor made of a metal he had never seen before.

Harry barely saw it's eyes light up, his wand raising to face it.

"Fus Ro Dah!" A deep growling voice called out.

Harry didn't even get off a spell before he was hit by a large wave of force sending him flying backwards to fall into the water, his wand knocked out of his hand. Harry groaned from the floor but luckily he felt no real pain. The corpse stood up and growled at him in their strange language. Several of the other corpses came to life and started making their way towards him.

"I'm really getting fucking tired of these things." Harry grumbled to himself.

Harry rolled across the floor away them and quickly stood. Pulling his dagger from it's sheath he rushed towards the nearest corpse. With a flurry of slashes two of the corpses fell to the floor in pieces. The next undead stopped his sword with a shield. Growling Harry backhanded the shield away leaving the corpse completely open to attack. Taking advantage of it Harry thrust his dagger into it's chest and send a large stream of lightning through it. The corpse growled angrily before it erupted into flames. It growled once more before it fell to the floor, enchantments exhausted.

The largest corpse growled at him before motioning towards itself daring him to come forward and attack. Narrowing his eyes Harry walked around it, keeping it in his sights. He quickly dodged to the side as it sent a spike of ice at him. That was certainly a surprise. None of the others he had faced had been able to perform magic. Growling the undead rushed towards him, surprisingly faster than any before it. It was clearly a level above the others Harry had faced. A bit of mischief flashed over Harry's face before a tripping jinx hit the corpse causing it stumble forward. It's eyes flared up as it cursed at him in it's own language. It clearly didn't appreciate Harry's actions.

"Fus!" The large corpse spat.

Harry dodged this time but was still caught at the edge causing him to spin in a circle. Narrowing his eyes Harry's sword flashed forward, carving a trench in the dead man's face. It's jaw fell to the floor but it kept coming. It swung it's sword at him with surprising strength but Harry deflected and kicked the corpse in the chest sending it flying across the room to collide with one of the stone walkways.

Growling the thing held up a hand and sent a flurry of ice spikes flying towards Harry. Narrowing his eyes Harry nimbly dodged aside. However the corpse was tricky and had some cunning and actually managed to send another which hit Harry in the shoulder with bruising force. Grunting Harry gritted his teeth. The corpse was really making him angry now.

Deciding to end it Harry snapped his fingers causing two pillars of flames to erupt upwards and twist, engulfing the corpse. It growled as it staggered it's way towards him, apparently trying to attack him some more. Finally a couple of feet away it stumbled before falling to the ground, it's papery skin turning to ash. It's armor and helm fell to the floor with a splash. Narrowing his eyes at the pile Harry found a jagged piece of pale purple crystal about three inches long with several other pieces of crystal jutting off it.

Harry cast a diagnostic charm on it only for it to show that it was empty of magic. However the crystal also seemed to cling briefly to the magical residue from his spell. Reaching down Harry picked it up. Rolling it around his palm Harry stared at it. Pinching it between his fingers Harry held it up towards a nearby torch.

"What is your purpose?" Harry wondered. Shaking his head he pocketed it before picking up the undead's sword.

The handle was gold while the blade itself was long and slightly curved downwards. The blade was also slightly thicker than Harry's long sword and made from a strangle black colored metal. When turned to an angle the metal held a slightly purplish tint. Harry had never seen the metal before. Testing the edge Harry discovered that while it wasn't able to cut his skin he could tell that it was very sharp.

Shrugging Harry picked up the golden sheath and took the sword for himself. Even if he never used it Harry could always add it to his collection or sell it. It was with a similar thought that Harry pocketed the undead's black armor and a couple of the other corpses' ancient weapons and armor. Those would be going into his own collection as Harry enjoyed collecting ancient artifacts, armor and weapons.

Walking up the steps Harry found a large circular stone walls with depictions of dragons carved into the top. Looking closer he saw there was also writing carved into it but it was different than the rest of the tomb. Pulling out a roll of special wax paper he stuck it to the wall with a sticking charm before sliding a black block over it causing it to transfer the writing to the paper. A cutting charm cut the paper off the roll before he quickly but carefully folded up the paper.

Spying a large steel chest with bands of gold he walked towards it. Scanning it the chest came up clean of any enchantments except preservation. Pulling the lock apart he opened the lid. Inside of the chest was a pouch of gold coins, a ruby and a sapphire as large as a galleon, a couple of larger versions of the pale stone he found earlier with several crystals fused together, a set of armor, gauntlets and boots all made from steel, a book and an ax made from some golden colored metal. Picking up the ax Harry swung it around marveling at how light it was before slicing through a nearby wooden pillar effortlessly without applying barely any strength at all.

"Still sharp too." Harry said before putting it back.

Picking up the book Harry could feel an enchantment on it. He decided not to open it just yet but turned it over to see a tree embossed on the cover. Shrugging he put it back in the chest. Deciding he liked the chest as well as the contents he put a lightening charm on it before shrinking it down. Pulling out his own trunk Harry set it inside before closing it. Walking around the room to see if he could find anything else Harry caught a whiff of fresh air. Striding over towards it Harry found a stone and dirt tunnel that headed upwards. Figuring that it might be a way out Harry started up the incline.

Harry's eyes widened as he got his first true look of this new world. He noticed he was on top of a tall hill. Down below him was a valley filled with grasses and riots of vibrantly colored flowers. The sun glinted off the deep blue waters of a river that flowed through it. Harry's supernaturally sharp eyes could see several deer, elk and rabbits frolicking across the valley. A forest of deep green trees stretched across the opposite side, several visible paths winding through it.

A cool breeze playfully ruffled his hair. Harry inhaled deeply and a look of contentment came over his face. The air was so fresh. There was no chemical tang to it from muggle industry or conveyance, no smog. Just clean, fresh air. The other thing Harry noticed was the magic. It was in nearly everything in this world even the air he was breathing. It was

…

"Amazing." Harry breathed.

---

Pale blue eyes sitting above a face painted with green warpaint widened as a dark shape flew towards them. The eyes narrowed before their eyes pulled a steel sword from it's scabbard. When the blade was a guard position archaic symbols could be seen caved into the blade. Blond nearly white hair blew in the wind.

 

[Isebas]

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter or Skyrim. Nor am I making any profit from this story.

---

"Speaking"

Thoughts

'Telepathy'

"Spells"

"Foreign Languages"

"Thu'um/Dovahzul/Divines/Daedra"

§Parseltongue§

---

Chapter 2: Nature, Bandits, Oh My​

Harry's eyes narrowed as he saw a dark skinned man with a thin pointed face dressed in leather armor. A bow sat upon his back and a steel dagger at his waist. A swarthy grin flashed over the man's face before he began jogging towards Harry. Harry could sense that his intentions were less than honorable.

"Hsifh!" The man said in greeting, raising a hand. Closer up Harry saw that his eyes were crimson in color and his ears were pointed like an elf.

"Hello." Harry greeted the man cautiously.

"Pathera? Ganish purant skorci?" The dark skinned man asked curiously.

"Sorry I can't understand you." Harry said slowly.

"Tavra? Tavra Cortesh!" The dark skinned man screamed gesturing towards Harry with a scowl.

Harry shrugged.

The dark skinned man sent a bolt of lightning at him but Harry dodged it. The man snarled, reaching for his dagger but Harry backhanded him sending him tumbling down the incline. Reaching him Harry froze him in place. The man's crimson eyes darted around frantically as his body refused to move. He moaned as he tried to speak but found out he couldn't. The man stared at him fearfully.

"Try not to fight this too much." Harry informed him before reaching out with his mind.

The man, a Dunmer or Dark Elf, was named Friaek. He was a wanted thief with a price on his head. Harry searched for man's motives to see if he was only a thief because he had to be to get by and survive. However the Dunmer was a thief by choice. He disdained what he saw as grunt work such as farming and growing crops and he didn't have enough martial prowess to be a guard. Friaek simply wanted to make easy money and if he got to kill someone or have some fun with an unwilling captive all the better.

Harry's gut clenched in anger as he saw the multiple rapes and malicious tortures the man had participated in. Harry absolutely despised rapists. Grimacing Harry forcibly pushed his emotions away until he had what he wanted. The last thing he wanted to do was to fry the man's brain before he had the information he needed. Taking a deep breath he centered himself.

Sifting further through the elf's memories Harry found that he was indeed in another world. He was in a land called Skyrim, a province of an Empire which spanned the entire continent known as Tamriel. He also found out that the world he had found himself on was called Nirn. Skyrim was a country that was nearly perpetually cold, with the northern most parts being mostly covered in snow and ice year round.

Nice. Harry thought sarcastically. Still, Harry did prefer cooler climates to that of hot and humid places.

Harry learned that while the tomb, or Barrow as Friaek knew it, was indeed ancient the rest of the world was still based in what Harry knew of as Medieval times. Skyrim was ruled over by a High King or Queen. The land was further broken up into Holds. A Jarl ruled a Hold with Thanes governing parts of a Hold under them. He learned he was in the Hold of Falkreath, two of the southern most Holds bordering the land of Cyrodiil, which was the seat of a crumbling Empire.

Falkreath Hold was important not just because it was near trade routes from Cyrodiil but it was also fairly warm considering the northern Holds. This allowed them to grow a greater amount of crops than many of the other Holds.The only Holds that surpassed it was Whiterun which was in the middle of Skyrim with many trade routes running through it and Solitude, the capital of Skyrim and a major port city.

Harry found that their were a large variety of different races in Nirn, more than he imagined. Imperials, Redguards, Bretons and Nords made up the human races. The Nords could be compared to Vikings, the Imperials Roman, Redguards were African and Middle Eastern and Bretons were British/French.

Then there were the Mer or Elvish races.

This included the Bosmer, Orcs, Dunmer and the Altmer. The last of which was populated mostly by Elvish Supremacist who looked down on other races as lesser. The leaders of the Altmer were the Aldmeri Dominion who had waged a war on the Empire. There was a treaty pushed through for peace but their Agents the Thalmor roamed the lands in search of worshipers of an outlawed God and any dissenters to their power.

Harry shook his head. It seemed no matter where you went someone thought they were superior to others. Then their were the Beast races which were widely looked down upon by others, the Khajiit and the Argonians. As amazing as it was they were walking, talking bipedal cats and lizards. There were familiar races as well such as Giants even if they weren't as large as those of Earth and werewolves and vampires.

Ripping through Friaek's mind Harry copied several bits of knowledge including local languages. With his telepathy Harry could copy the knowledge of others so he did it to Friaek. With practice Harry would be able to speak any of the languages like a native. Harry also searched for any treasure or special knowledge the Dunmer might have known. Harry divested the Dunmer of all of his valuables before he stunned him. He placed Friaek in stasis before shrinking him down to the size of an action figure. It was not something highly recommended unless the caster was highly skilled. As a Master of Transfiguration Harry had no reason to worry. It was better than having to lug a body around even with his enhanced strength.

Harry weighed his options in his mind. He knew the location of Friaek's base and knew that it contained several bandits. He could go there or get a room in a nearby town for the night. Shaking his head Harry decided to head to the town first thing. Perhaps there would be some guards there to make taking the bandit's cave easier. Making up his mind Harry found an out of the way area to sit and meditate so he could absorb the languages he had taken from Friaek.

---

Harry led the now full sized and conscious Friaek towards the nearest town. Harry had spent nearly three hours absorbing the languages he had taken from the Dunmer bandit. Harry could not speak, read and write fluent Common, a 'common' language spoken in all regions. It was the main trade language. Harry had also absorbed both Merrish, the common elvish tongue and Dunmeris which was spoken by the Dunmer.

"Halt!" One of the guards ordered. "Why is that man tied up?"

"He is a bandit who tried to rob me on the road." Harry told him. "I didn't wish to kill him and brought him to face legal justice."

The guard led Harry into a tall wooden building. Inside was a male Imperial wearing Romanesque armor. He was fairly tall with closely cropped black hair and dark blue eyes.
"I am Jacen Octi." The man said. "The guard says you have something to discuss with me?"

"Yes." Harry confirmed. "I captured a Dunmer bandit named Friaek. I was able to get information out of him. He told me there is a bandit base nearby in a cave. He says that there were camped out in a nearby caverns."

Jacen nodded.

"He was likely a member of the Moonclaw Bandit clan." Jacen said gravely. "We have been protecting ourselves from them for nearly three months. I have already lost four guards to them and missing a further three who went looking for them. Ten of our citizens have been taken by them. I have sent men to Jarl asking for more guards but have received no answer in return and no guards. I have posted a bounty of twelve Septims, two Denari and twenty-six Conti but no one has taken it up."

"So you will do nothing yourselves?" Harry asked, eyes slightly narrowed.

"There are too many for us to combat." The man replied, sounding genuinely sorry. "There are not enough guards to chase them out and still protect the town. Most of the citizens of the town are not soldiers and have no martial training."

Harry grimaced as he turned around.

"Where are you going?" Octi asked, surprised.

"It seems that I will have to take care of things myself." Harry retorted.

"It's too big a job for just one man." Jacen warned him.

"I will prevail." Harry replied before walking out.

Before leaving town Harry went around and explored a little. Apparently the town he was in was called Tella. It was fairly good sized for a town in Medieval times. It had a healers office, a small temple, several inns that also served as pubs, a blacksmith shop, a jail with a guardhouse, a graveyard, a couple of districts with houses, a lumber mill and several shops. Harry stopped by the inn Flowering Lily run by a Nord woman named Haela for a quick meal before he left town.

---

Harry exhaled as he crouched down on the tree some distance from the fire the bandits had lit. Sitting beside him were Ivan and Pierre, a Lycan and a vampire who lived on his lands in his trunk. Ivan was a mountain of man originally from Ukraine. Thirty two years old with blond hair and amber eyes. A large ax hung on in a sheath on his back.

Pierre was a French Canadian vampire of average height and was quite even tempered. Looking at him you wouldn't think he was a professional thief but that had been his main profession. Though Pierre mostly stole back items stolen from others. He was armed with two short swords crossed over his back and several throwing knives. Ewan and David would have come themselves but they had lead their packs. Looking down the trio could see four men sitting around the fire, eating. Most were dressed in worn armor mostly leather but one wore chain mail. Harry's eyes narrowed as he listened to their conversation.

"Did you hear what the boss said?" One of them asked. He was tall and thin with stringy blond hair and watery brown eyes. His nose was quite crooked, showing that it had been broken several times.

"I heard they captured a family of knife-ears." Another chuckled nastily. His black hair was cut raggedly and his face was covered in a scraggly beard. A long scar ran down the left side of his face, and his nose was fat and bulbous making him even uglier. From his position Harry could see that he was missing several teeth while the others were brown and crooked.

"I wonder how much they will go for at the market." Another with greasy brown hair said around a mouthful of food.

"Hell I wouldn't mind sampling them for myself." Another man leered. He was a stocky, slightly overweight man with a slightly overlarge forehead and beady black eyes.
The guy next to him shook his head with a grimace. He was the one wearing the chain-mail armor and was clearly more intelligent than the rest of his fellows. His blond hair was cut short and he kept a vigilant eye on his surroundings unlike the others.

"I'm not into children, not even non-human ones." He said coldly.

Harry eased himself back into the shadows before he waved his wand conjuring four, long venomous snakes. Their tongues flickered out tasting the air.

§Bite them and inject enough venom to knock them out and I will give each of you a fat juicy rat in exchange.§ Harry hissed.

§Yes Speaker.§ The snakes hissed in agreement. They stealthily slithered over to the group of bandits before attacking. Ivan nodded at him with a smirk.

"What the!" One man yelled as he saw his friend keel over. An angry hiss caused him to look down before he screamed as the snake launched itself at his throat.

The one Harry had pegged as the more competent bandit fell backward as he grabbed the snake as it lunged at him. He squeezed, killing it but unfortunately for him it's venom was already in his system. He quickly fell unconscious, unable to warn anybody. Harry flipped one of the bandits onto his back none to gently with his foot. With a bit of concentration Harry slipped into his mind. Releasing the man a minute later Harry's lips thinned in displeasure.

Harry let out a soft curse. Each of the people he had come to rescue, and some others, were wearing a slave bracer. Apparently slave bracers were specially enchanted bracers that sucked the wearer's magic dry and could be used to cause them pain on the user's command. According to the Bandit, Rory, there were twenty other bandits inside not including the leader. Harry and Pierre stripped them of all valuables including their armor and weapons. He put them in stasis before they were shrunk like Friaek before he put them in a pouch on his belt.

"What's the what boss?" Pierre asked.

"It looks like we're going to be breaking up a slaving operation." Harry told them.

Pierre's face blanked and his eyes turned cold while Ivan growled deeply.

Harry took three chunks of meat from the stew before transfiguring them into rats. Organic material was easier to transfigure into edible products and animals.

§Here are your rats my friends.§ Harry hissed.

§I wish to be sent back to my burrow Speaker. I have young to look after.§ One of the black banded snakes hissed after she swallowed her rat.

§Of course.§ Harry said before flicking his wand and sending her back where she came from. The other two decided to stay and digest their meals.

"There are twenty bandits inside not including the leader." Harry informed his two followers. He drew a crude map in the sand he transfigured the dirt into. "Pierre I want you to come in through the back to block of any chance of them escaping. Ivan will go through the front with me."

"No problems boss." Pierre smirked, flashing a little canine teeth.

"I am with you tovarishch." Ivan said with a nod, slamming his fist into his hand.

Harry assumed the form of a raven, flying towards his next target, Ivan loping forward behind him. Sending a probe forward he read through their thoughts. Like Friaek he checked to see if they wanted this life or if they were forced into it. Unfortunately neither of the duo watching the front of the cave were of that sort that needed to do it to survive. Just like Friaek they reveled in what they did and were perfectly happy taking things from others instead of having to work.

Narrowing his eyes Harry conjured a stone in the throat of one of the bandits.

"Hey – " One of the burly bandits started say as he saw his partner choking seemingly on nothing. Ivan was there to cold cock him, knocking him unconscious. The other other bandit was just catching his breath when he saw a dark mist coming towards him he tried to scream but when he opened his mouth he choked as the mist entered his mouth and nose. He cringed and shook as he felt it invading his body and mind. He "saw" years worth of his own memories flash through his mind. He could only watch in agony and terror as who he was was suppressed.

'I am your Lord!' A powerful voice purred in his head. 'You will obey my every order and command.'

'Yes My Lord.'

'Keep watch and allow no one to leave.' Harry ordered.

Getting confirmation Harry entered and became one with the shadows. Walking down the stone pathway he made note of several kinds of fungi he had never seen before but didn't really give them much thought. His eyes narrowed as he heard metal boots scraping on stone ahead of him. A pair of bandits was walking towards him. One a Nord male and the other a female Orc.

"Who –" The Nord started to say as he saw glowing green eyes staring out at him from the shadows before he was cut off. Harry ran through the space before slamming their heads against the wall. The Nord was knocked unconscious but the orc was merely stunned before she managed to twist away.

"You were a fool to have come here." She snarled around a mouthful of blood. She raised her sword, teeth bared and was readying herself to spring at Harry. Unfortunately for her she didn't see Ivan step out of the shadows behind her and grab her in a choke hold. The orc struggled but even her greater than normal strength was no match for Ivan's. Several seconds of struggle later she fell limp. Harry quickly had hid and the other bandit.

Ivan and Harry quickly tore through the majority of the rest of the bandits. They were no match for two's physical strength, their skills with a blade or magic. They looted the place as they made their way through, taking anything that interested them. The bandits were given the same treatment as any other in the base. Harry narrowed his eyes as they walked forwards further into the base. The smell of blood, feces and rotting flesh hit his nose before he came within sight of the room along with the scent he could practically smell the pain, agony and sorrow echoing from the room. Ivan grimaced beside him, snarling.

"I don't like this." Ivan whispered to him.

Harry shot him an understanding look.

Fractum! Harry cast silently, hitting another guard in the chest causing him to jerk as his heart was snapped open before falling dead to the floor.

Harry felt no guilt since the man was guarding the entrance to an obvious torture chamber. A stocky man wearing a leather apron and holding a bloody knife looked up at Harry as he stepped into the room. Harry focused and the man barely screamed as he burnt him up from the inside. Harry's control over the spell was so fine that everything the man had worn was left untouched while the man's body turned to ash. Ivan pounced on the man's assistant, breaking his arm before kicking him to floor. The man screamed in pain before Ivan silenced by viciously kicking him in the jaw, breaking it and sending him into unconsciousness.

"Scum." He said, spitting on the man in disgust.

Harry frowned as he stepped further into the room. There were several victims inside, two of which were already dead. Harry rushed over to a man who appeared to have his arm cut off at the elbow. Harry blinked as he saw a Bosmer for the first time in person. He was about half a foot shorter than Harry with curly dirty blond hair and pointed ears. Harry had his Healer's wand out in a flash. The wand was twelve inch oak with a unicorn tail hair and had been soaked in phoenix tears. It was a Healer's wand and was never used to cast offensive magic. If it did it would have to be put through a purification ritual.

"M-My sister." The Mer muttered.

"Hold on and I will heal you." Harry told him, casting a charm that stopped any blood from escaping from the stump where his arm used to be. Luckily the wound was recent so no infection or rot had set in and the rest of the arm was whole so Harry could reattach it. Ivan had swiftly crossed the room without prompting and started stabilizing the others until Harry could get to them. Ivan had never been much of a Healer but he at least knew enough to keep them alive until Harry could see to them.

Harry picked up the Bosmer's arm which he quickly disinfected. A quick charm had the nerves, veins and bones lined up perfectly. A sticking charm kept them attached before Harry ran his wand along the seam muttering an incantation as he did so. Within seconds the arm was reattached like it had never been severed.

"Thank you my lord, thank you." The Bosmer babbled gratefully, staring at his arm in amazement as he wiggled his fingers.

"You are very welcome." Harry replied with a smile.

Harry was always happy being able to heal others. As good as he was at destruction Harry was at his happiest when he was saving lives. Harry reached for his belt and pulled out a different trunk from one of his pouches. Tapping it with his wand returned to it's true size of two foot by one foot. When it opened it showed rotating racks of potions.
"Medical, blood replenishing." Harry said causing the racks to rotate themselves.

Reaching inside Harry pulled out a vial filled with vivid red potion. Pulling out a small, silver goblet Harry poured the required dose into it. Afterward the vial automatically refilled to the top. Harry smirked. All the time dedicating to finishing the refilling enchantment that would automatically refill his potions had been worth it. It had been partially created by his mother before her death and Harry had finished it. It was scores better than any before it that had just taken the potions from another source. As long as there was a little bit left in the bottom it would refill.

"Here drink this." Harry ordered, offering it to elvish man. "It will help to replace the blood you have lost."

The elf eyed it cautiously before swallowing it, grimacing a little at the taste of iron and tar.

"Sorry about the taste." Harry chuckled.

A quick spell had the goblet clean before it was filled with water. Harry cast a diagnostic charm on him to make sure the potion was working. Harry nodded with satisfaction as he saw it doing it's work. Harry handed him back the goblet. The Bosmer swished the water around in his mouth before spitting it out before he downed the rest.

"Why don't you rest while we continue on?" Harry asked.

The elf immediately shook his head in protest.

"Surely you will need my help to deal with the rest." He said. "There are only two of you."

"I can take care of them and come back for you." Harry told him.

The elf gave him a fierce look.

"They have my sister and my niece and nephew." He said firmly. "Who knows what they have done to her."

Harry gazed at the elf before reluctantly nodding. He would not stop the man from helping to find his sister. Harry knew the importance of family. He also knew that unless he knocked the Bosmer unconscious he would likely follow and possibly be injured or killed on his own. At least with Harry and Ivan he had someone to watch his back.

"Very well." Harry agreed. "Find yourself some armor and a weapon."

The elf grunted before walking over and stripping one of the bandits of his leather armor. Picking up the man's sword the elf briefly unsheathed it before tying it to his waist.

"Better than nothing I guess." The elf muttered before he grabbed and a bow and a quiver of arrows and sling them on his back.

"Do you know who this is?" Harry asked, motioning to the corpse on the other table. It was also a Bosmer male with black hair.

"My good-brother." The elf said, giving the corpse a sad glance. "He and my sister were only married for ten years."

Harry offered a look of apology to the corpse before swishing his wand conjuring a thick shroud that wrapped around the man.

"That should keep him for now." Harry said. "We can gather his remains later."

"I am Arden Beyth." The elf said, introducing himself.

"Harry Potter." Harry replied.

"Ivan." The Ukrainian introduced himself with a nod.

Harry quickly made his way around, healing the other torture victims and placing them into a healing sleep. He was happy to see the looks of bliss and relief on their faces. It made him feel good to heal others. While Harry was an expert at taking life he also liked being able to save them.

---

​

The trio quickly made their way towards where the prisoners were being held. The natural cavern was large and their were several cages containing both adults and children inside of them. Luckily they were only being guarded by two bandits so Harry knew they could get through it quickly.

"Just you wait little knife ears." A fat orc wearing iron armor said maliciously. "The Boss may let us have a go at you before the market."

Arden narrowed his eyes in hate and fired an arrow. The orc grunted as it entered his neck before another slammed into his head and he toppled over backwards.

"Hey!" The other bandit yelled only for a his head to snap back forcibly nearly breaking his neck courtesy of Harry before he was stunned as a further precaution. Harry hadn't wanted anything too violent or bloody in front of children.

"Ladin, Koraea!" Arden exclaimed as he saw the elvish children sitting in the cage.

"Uncle!" The children exclaimed in Merrish.

Ardeth all but tore the door off as he opened the cage. Uncaring of anything he knelt in the filth of the cage and embraced the two. Harry laid a one way silencing charm across the entrance of the room before letting off a soft whistle with his wand.

"Please calm yourselves." He said, raising his voice so they could all hear him. "We are here to rescue you but we must first take care of the rest of the bandits. Please be patient as my friend and I will be around to heal any injuries you have."

Harry and Ivan walked around looking for any wounded while handing out some clean, fresh water and bread for them to eat. Harry came upon the guards Jacen had mentioned but he was the only two. One was relatively uninjured except for a bloody bandage on his head. The other man wasn't so lucky. He was laying in a cage with one leg being a stump. It had been tied up with bloody rags. Harry tsked before vanishing the bandages. He nearly gagged as the smell of rot.

"It's bad isn't it?" The guard asked resigned.

Harry nodded, not feeling any need to lie about it.

"It is." He said. "However I can heal you."

"I have one bloody leg. I can't be in the guard anymore." The man said despondently.

"You still have your life Alfric." The other guard said. "That's more than Scorfi and Lucian."

"Don't give up hope." Harry said before forcing the man to drink a Blood Flushing Potion which would force out any infection in his blood before giving him a Blood Replenishing Potion. Waving his wand he numbed the man's leg causing him to sigh in relief. "I'm going to have to cut some of it off."

The man grimaced before nodding.

"Do what you have to." He said.

Harry worked quickly cutting off the rotted flesh and some of the bone. Concentrating he cast a spell he had first seen Voldemort use. It had actually been an invention of the mad wizard. A ball of molten metal appeared in the air before it molded itself to the stump, expanding outwards and growing more detailed. Harry grunted as he sealed the spell leaving the man with a new shiny leg. Harry left off the betrayal enchantment Voldemort had added. He had never really trusted Pettigrew as he knew what kind of man he was. A coward and a traitor. You could never fully trust a traitor who betrayed their cause and a coward even less. The two guards and others around them gaped in surprise.

"Gods!" The other guard breathed.

Harry removed the numbing charm from the guards leg and pulled him to his feet. The guard cringed slightly, expecting pain but there was nothing. An amazed looked came to his face.

"It feels like a real leg." He said, wiggling his metal toes. "I can feel the ground beneath my foot."

The man caught Harry in an embrace, kissing his cheeks.

"Thank you, thank you my lord." He cried.

"Um, you're welcome." Harry said, patting the man on the shoulder awkwardly.

"My name is Alfric Torson." The guard said slamming a fist into his chest. "If you ever need anything you may call upon me."

Harry nodded before making his way towards Arden and his family.

"Perhaps you should stay with them." Harry suggested.

Arden grimaced, obviously torn before he finally nodded reluctantly.

"If you prefer you could take them and hide in the woods outside. I have cleared the way of bandits." Harry offered.

Arden nodded gratefully. He didn't want his niece and nephew to have to stay in the cave any longer. Arden gripped Harry's arm.

"Please find my sister." He pleaded.

"I promise to try my best." Harry replied firmly. "Ivan why don't you stay and guide the prisoners outside."

Ivan looked like he wanted to argue but he nodded.

"Of course my lord."

Harry rolled his eyes at the address but said nothing. Ivan knew how he felt about being called such by those he considered his friends but he knew his friend was being sarcastic to get back at him.

---

Harry heard grunting and smelt the scent of sex, blood and tears before he even made it to the room. There Laxus Dune was thrusting into the captured adult Elvish woman. Even if he was not the "Paragon of the Light" he used to be Harry still despised rapists. Harry flashed across the room, faster than mortal eyes could follow, and dangled the rapist above the ground, his nails lengthening into claws. The man choked, turning red.

"Wha –" He chocked out. "W-Who are you?"

"Your judge, jury and executioner. I am here to deliver justice arsehole." Harry growled before tearing into the man's mind. He searched for every dark memory causing the man to experience them once more while also looking for any important information. Blood flowed from Laxus' eyes, nose, mouth and ears as his mind was ripped apart. With a growl Harry threw Laxus' soon to be corpse to the floor before spitting on him in disgust.

The elf flinched as he raised his wand to her, curling into herself causing Harry's eyes to tighten slightly.

"Do not be alarmed I will not harm you as this scum did." Harry said, using a little magic to calm her down. "I just figured that you would not want your children to see you like this."
The woman's face lit up slightly as the mention of her children. Harry cast several cleaning and vanishing spells getting rid of dirt, blood and bodily fluids. He healed her cuts and bruises before conjuring a blanket which he handed to her.

"Lle quena i'lambe tel' Eldalie?(Do you speak Elvish?)" She asked as she wrapped herself in the blanket.

Harry nodded.

"I do." Harry told her, though his accent told her how much practice he had in it, basically none.

"M-My husband?" She asked in Common, her accent slightly thickened.

Harry shook his head.

"I was able to save your brother and he has your children with him but I'm sorry. I wasn't able to save your husband. He was already dead by the time I arrived." Harry said causing her to burst into tearing sobs. He hesitated before he gripped her shoulder, offering her what comfort he could. "I sent your brother and children to hide in the woods."

The woman burst into further tears, this time of relief. Meanwhile Harry pulled out his potion trunk and called out for medical potions again. Reaching inside he pulled out a vial filled with light purple potion. Pulling out the silver goblet he poured the required dose into it.

"I need you to drink this." Harry said, holding it out to her. "It will ensure that you do not fall pregnant with the scum's child i-if he finished inside of you."

She stared hard at him likely trying to judge his trustworthiness. Finally she took it and drank it, grimacing slightly at the taste. Harry's mouth twitched into a smile.

"Sorry about the taste." Harry told her, injecting some amusement in his voice to try and cheer her up. "I have not been able to change the tastes of all of my potions."

"Thank you." She told him gratefully.

Harry nodded before repairing the clothes he found nearby and cleaning them thoroughly.

"Here you can put theses on." Harry told her before turning his back to offer her some privacy.

"I am dressed now." The elf said.

Harry turned and nodded at her.

"As I said I sent your brother and children to hide in the woods outside of the cave." Harry told her. "I can provide you some guards to guide you out and protect you."

The elf nodded gratefully.

Waving his hand though the air Harry called up a group of five stone golems. They weren't the smartest golems in the world but they were quite durable. They would follow Harry's orders and would help to protect the Bosmer on her way out. A flick of his wand had various detritus transfigured into razor sharp stone swords which they all picked up.

"Protect her and lead her outside." Harry ordered them.

The golems saluted before leading the way out of room after forming a circle around the female Bosmer.

---

Narrowing his eyes Harry sensed out the magic on the doorway. He almost snorted as he sensed it only had a ward to sense intruders. Harry grinned as he turned the door to splinters and chunks as he hit with a banishing charm. He heard a grunt from inside the room telling him that he had at least hit someone.

Stepping inside he saw a couple of humans that couldn't even be in their twenties yet. The male with brown hair was helping a blond haired girl who had a chunk of wood sticking out of her stomach. Arching his wand he banished the boy into the wall. A 'crack' signified the boy at least being knocked unconscious. Several seconds later he had hit both of them with some spells that put them into stasis and would keep them unconscious after healing the blond.

"What's going on here?" A cold male voice roared from behind Harry. "Who the hell are you?"

Harry whirled around when he felt a spell being cast towards himself. Striding into the room was Nerod Azeth, leader of the bandits. Harry slashed his wand repelling it towards the side where it hit with crash, tearing a chunk out of the cave wall. Thrusting his wand forward he sent Nerod flying backwards. Nerod rolled with a grunt before forcing himself to his feet. Snarling his sent bolts of acid towards Harry. Harry twitched his wand causing the acid to become harmless water that fell to the floor. Thrusting his wand upwards several vines erupted from the ground to restrain Nerod.

Holding his wand in the air he twirled it rapidly causing a tornado to form in front of him. The tornado sucked up dirt and stone before roaring towards the Nerod. Nerod yelled out as the tornado picked him up and slammed him repeatedly into the wall with bone crushing force. Several sharp 'blades' of wind sliced into his body. He was frantic as he felt and heard his bones bending. Screaming as his left arm broke he let out a desperate wave of magic, destroying the tornado. Spitting out a mouthful of blood he glared at Harry.
Growling Nerod slashed the throat of the two teens before Harry could stop him.

Nerod spat out something in a dark, foul language causing the two dead humans to reanimate, their skin taking on a darker hue and their eyes becoming burning coals. Black rot dripped from their teeth and they hissed at him. Harry felt a small twinge of regret for the lives the two lost before thrusting his hand forward, releasing a roaring wave of black flames. The undead screeched briefly as they were engulfed before they were turned to ash.

Better dead that forced to serve this filth for the rest of time. Harry assuaged his conscience before he glared heatedly at Nerod. The filth had killed the two teens without thought. Growling himself he thrust forward a wave of black flames, a legacy of the Black family. Nerod desperately tried to shield against them, sensing their power.

"Argh!" Nerod cried out as the flames ate through his shield and caught his arm. Waving his hand Harry called the flames away from Nerod and dispelled them. The flames resisted for a brief second before disappearing with a sucking sound. Nerod's arm was now a blackened husk that barely hung on his body. Harry grimaced as Nerod screamed in agony. Nerod tried to clutch his left arm with his right but had to let go when it just caused him more pain. Harry knocked the man out and bound him with a pair of slave bracers.

The curse took surprisingly quickly. Harry figured that it was allowing Nerod to mentally distance himself from the pain his body was in.

Nerod's room was a fairly large cavernous room separated into sections. There was a large wooden platform built off from the dirt and stone floor covered over the top with cloth canvases. The deck had several wooden chests on it, some barrels, some crates, several wooden tables, seats and a bed situated in the corner. Different books and scrolls covered the shelves alongside several rings and amulets. Sitting on the table were several different instruments, some he barely recognized but some were self-explanatory like a mortar and pestle. Several of the books and scrolls were hand written since apparently the printing press had just been invented some thirty years before.

Nerod Azeth was a real piece of work. He had actually been kicked out of the Mage's Guild in Cyrodiil for the study of Black Magic including illegal White Necromancy. Though the classification was different in this world there were actually two schools of Necromancy, White and Black. A White Necromancer used human and animal sacrifices to perform necromantic magic. They relied on the pain, blood and death of others for their work. A Black Necromancer was the opposite. They use only themselves. They use their own blood, their own pain, their own life force.

Using a powerful compulsion spell Harry forced Azeth to speak aloud twenty seemingly random words in Incarnum, a magical language he knew. Using his wand he withdrew the memory of doing so and placed the silvery-blue strand in an empty vial. Next he forced Neroth to write out the letters and numbers in the Incarnum along with thirty specific questions before drawing out that memory. He repeated it for Merrish, the language of the Elves.

If he absorbed the memories into his mind it would allow him to completely learn the language. How to speak, read and write it. He would have to do it in a different place since it would knock him out for twelve hours. Unfortunately he could only do it one language at a time but the convenience of the method over normal learning was worth it. He repeated the cycle for the other languages Neroth knew as well, including Orcish(Orcs), Aldmeri(Altmer), Dwemeric(Dwemer), Boiche(Bosmer), and Nordic. He also copied all of Nerod's knowledge of magic, rituals, Necromancy, Alchemy and anything he knew about the lands he had visited.

Harry concentrated on his shadow before chanting in a deep, harsh language. It was the Black Tongue of Nacramer, a tongue forgotten by most mortal men. What he was using right now was a subset of Necromancy called Shadow Sorcery. Several pieces broke off and turned into humanoid shadows with glowing crimson eyes, Wraiths.
Wraiths were dark Spirits that normally take to haunting sites of great tragedy, battlegrounds and tombs. They appear to be humanoid in shape, were pitch black in color and normally had crimson or amber colored eyes.

Wraiths were capable of performing a limited amount of magic and traveling nearly any distance through shadows. They were considered dangerous because they were capable of possessing other beings. They usually preferred to possess animals or the dead though they were capable of possessing living beings but had to fight for control over the body. Wraiths gained power by either consuming other Wraiths, ghosts or the souls of those they possessed. The Wraiths Harry had summoned were completely slaved to his will.

"How may we serve you Master?" The spirit in the middle asked.

"Drain blood from all of the prisoners aside from the Mage but do not take enough to kill them. I will take care of him myself." Harry replied, conjuring a stack of bottles similar to those used for wine.

Harry would donate the blood to the Damphir inside his trunk. A bit of variety would probably be a treat for them. A majority of the armor and weapons they had gathered he would leave for the local militia after allowing his allies in his trunk to choose from it. They could certainly use them more than he could. Once everything was gathered he called for Nelly and a few more elves and had them store everything away.

Harry eyed his surroundings. With some spells this could make a decent hidden base in case he ever ran into trouble. And with his spells no one would remember it had ever been here. Harry would of course add his own changes, like more ways out of the back and some more modern conveniences like tapping into fresh underground water, creating toilets and showers and additional lighting and strengthening of the structure. The last thing he wanted or needed would be a cave-in. Discussing it with Nelly caused her and the other elves to grin at the amount of work they would have to do.

"Master this base will soon be worthy of you." She swore.

"Just do your best Nelly." Harry said. "That's all I ask."

---

Harry met the others outside. On one side were the survivors. Twenty-five men, women and children. Their were of course the four Bosmer, fourteen humans, four men and five women with five children. There were also three Khajiit, two Orcs, a Dunmer woman and a male Argonian. On the other were laid out twelve corpses covered out of respect. Harry could see the Elven woman, Alpa kneeling beside her dead husband. Her brother was holding on to their crying children.

Sitting a ways a way was a large carriage with two large horses to pull it. Sitting in the drivers seat was another Lycan, Marie. She wore riding clothes and her sandy blond hair was pulled back in a tight braid. The carriage was one used inside of his trunk estate. The inside was expanded many times and was very comfortable. It had a lounge, bedrooms, bathrooms and a small kitchenette. It would do to hold the former prisoners.

"A'maelamin(My Beloved)." Alpa sobbed as she caressed the cheek of her dead husband.

Turning away respectfully he jerked his head at Ivan and Pierre.

"What's up boss?" Pierre asked.

"We need to create a wagon and some horses to pull the dead behind the carriage." Harry informed them. "While you do that I will try and talk the prisoners into bathing and changing their clothes."

Ivan nodded.

"We will get it done my lord." He said. Beside him Pierre rolled his eyes but he nodded all the same. Harry led the prisoners towards the carriage and opened the door allowing them to see inside with a small grin. There were several exclamations of surprise. Several of the children ran inside. Harry loved showing off new magic to others to see their wonder.

"There is food and water and hot baths you can you use to clean up." Harry informed them. "New clothes will be provided for you after you clean up."
Everyone was happy at the thought of warm baths and several of the adults were ushering the children towards them.

There was a minor upset when Alpa had wanted to stay with her husband but Arden talked her into staying with her children while he rode with the wagon of the dead.

---

Monetary System of Skyrim:

Crown- Platinum- $500

Septim- Gold- $98.60

Denari- Silver-$5.80

Conti- Bronze- .20 or 20 cents

Penny- Copper- .01 or 1 cent

20 Pennies = 1 Conti

29 Conti = 1 Denari

17 Denari = 1 Septim

 

[Isebas]

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter or Skryim. Nor am I making any profit from this story.

---

​

"Speaking"

Thoughts

'Telepathy'

"Spells"

"Foreign Languages"

§Parseltongue§

"Thu'um/Dovahzul/Divines/Daedra"

---

Chapter 3: Exploration
​

Harry blew on his steaming stew as he stirred it with a spoon. The stew had a heavy beef sauce with plenty of chunks of potatoes, carrots, beef and onions. Reaching over Harry tore off a chunk of a fresh loaf of bread and spread a bit of butter on it. Dipping it in the beef strew he hummed in appreciation as he took a bite. The stew was good and the bread too. Praefect Octi had paid for Harry to stay at the Flowering Lily for as long as he desired. Harry had split the reward he had received evenly with Pierre and Ivan.

A knock on his door interrupted his dinner.

"Come." Harry barked.

The door was opened by a young Legionnaire who saluted him.

"Yes?" Harry asked, raising a brow in question.

"Sir the Imperial Mage would like to speak with you." A Legionnaire told Harry.

Harry's brows rose in surprise but he shrugged to himself.

"Very well." He said. "Let him come in."

The Legionnaire nodded and stepped aside to the allow the man behind him in. The Imperial Mage was a tall skinny man a few inches shorter than Harry. The Mage appeared to be in his late thirties, early forties with his black hair sporting several grey hairs. His grey eyes were bright with curiosity as he stared at Harry.

"I am Bryant Dollig ser." The mage introduced himself, bowing slightly. "I would like to speak with you about the spell you used to replace the guard's limb. Such a spell is revolutionary."

Harry nodded. He knew it was catch the attention of the locals. In medieval societies the loss of limbs most often meant a loss of life or work. Even if it didn't, the quality of life and work was always effected.

"Please take a seat and help yourself to some refreshment if you like." Harry said, gesturing the seat opposite of him.

Bryant quickly took the seat and labeled himself out a bowl of strew while Harry held up a pitcher of mead, brows raised in question. Bryant nodded.

"Please." Bryant said causing Harry to pour him a goblet full.

Bryant sipped with a hum of appreciation.

Harry tore the loaf bread in half and handed half of it to him before pushing the small bowl of salt towards him. The mage eagerly tore in the bread after he dipped in oil and sprinkled it with salt. Chewing the bread he hummed before dipping it into his stew.

"The spell you used is amazing." Bryant praised. "I know that the Empire would pay a hefty sum for such a spell. It would mean quite a bit to those who can no longer fight due to losing a limb. Even civilians could potentially benefit from the spell."

"The spell was originally designed by an enemy of mine. I learned it after I defeated him and modified it to my desire. The original version had a loyalty curse upon it. If the person given the limb was ever disloyal to the giver then the limb would kill them." Harry told him.

Bryant's face twisted with disgust.

"That's horrifying." He said.

Harry nodded.

"Obviously this was not what I desired. I wanted a spell to help others not to curse them." Harry continued. "I was eventually able to remove that aspect. The spell provides limb far superior to any prosthetic my people had created."

After killing Voldemort Harry had claimed his resources as spoils. This included many books on magic and artifact. Harry had modified the original spell and released it to the public. It had revolutionized magical prosthetics as the limbs were sleek and not clunky like Moody's had been. They worked as naturally as a normal arm and even allowed the user a sense of touch. Harry had been rewarded an Order of Merlin 2nd class for it.

Harry and Bryant negotiated back and forth. In the end they agreed on two hundred and fifty-four Septims, seven hundred and sixty-nine Denari and two thousand four hundred and seventy-seven Conti in cash, six spell tomes and two staves from the Mage's collection.

---

​

Out of the Mage's spell collections Harry had chosen Waterbreathing, Mark, Recall, Slow Fall, Bound Sword and Bound Bow. Harry was intrigued by the Mark and Recall spells and hoped that they might be manipulated to be able to be used to travel to several places or automatically if the user fell unconscious or was heavily injured. He wasn't exactly an Arithmancer but luckily he was not alone. There were those amongst his people who created and modified their own spells who could help him.

The two staves Harry chose were a Staff of the Flame Atronach and Staff of Ice Storm. The Staff of Flame Atronach was somewhat plain in looks. Made from black metal with the the top ending in threw sharp prongs with a greater soul gem in the middle and a sharp spike on the other end for skewering opponents. The Staff of Ice Storms was more ornate, made from Dwemer metal and intricately engraved with the top being a dragon's hand with it's maw open to spew forth the spell.

Wanting to have a look at the horses in Skyrim Harry asked around for a stable and was quickly guided to one. A dark skinned man stood directing those around him.

"Hello my name is Callan." The dark skinned man introduced himself. He was wearing sturdy but not expensive clothing. "This is my stable. I sell horses and any tack they need."

"I am looking for a horse." Harry told him. "I was wondering if I could take a look at your stock."

Callan nodded.

"That shouldn't be a problem." He said before leading Harry inside.

He leads Harry through the stable talking about the various horses and their histories. Walking by the stalls Harry eyes the different horses. Most of them tried to shuffle away from him, sensing his nature. However one didn't and even seemed to eye him with a bit of challenge. He was a tall horse with black hide with a white strip on his forehead and white fur around his hooves.

"What about this one?" Harry asked. "How old is he?"

"That's Daine." Callan answered. "He's one of our older horses at nine years old."

"Does he bite or kick?" Harry asked.

"We have never had any such problems with him." Callan answered promptly. "He's generally well behaved and calm around people and other horses. While not as fast as the Cyrodiilian horses the horses of Skyrim are sturdy and strong."

"May I inspect him?" Harry asked.

Callan nodded.

"Of course." He said.

Walking up to the stall Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a green apple. Taking a bite of it he could see the horse watching him. Pulling out his knife he sliced the apple in half. Reaching out he offered half of it to the horse. The horse eyed him for several seconds before accepting the treat. Grinning slightly Harry offered him the rest of his half which was quickly accepted. Opening the stall Harry started checking the horse. First he inspected his front legs. Then his back and finally his teeth.

"How much do you want for him?" Harry asked.

"I am asking ten Septims, two Denari and twelve Conti." Callan said, looking at him with a challenging face.

Negotiating Harry talked him down to seven Septims, ten Denari and nine Conti by agreeing to buy a saddle and having them shoe the horse. Harry planned to purchase more horses from across Skyrim to put inside of his trunk space. Perhaps even breed them together and with his own horses.

---

​

"Whoa Daine." Harry said, pulling back on the reins of his horse. Harry had discovered Daine to be an even tempered horse but surprisingly quick for as large as he was. Harry had enchanted the horse shoe to be unbreakable, to grip any surface and for added stamina.

Harry had seen another horse standing alongside the path tied to a tree. His sharp eyes caught a clothed form laying still on the ground beside it. Pulling Daine to a stop Harry climbed down from his saddle. Transfiguring a nearby log into a bucket Harry filled it with water for the horse who eagerly drank from it. Harry called up his House Elf Ricard who took care of Harry's stable of horses inside of his trunk space. Within seconds the mare had a bag of oats to munch on hanging in front her face.

Walking over to the horse he saw the body of a middle aged man with steel grey hair laying on the ground in front of an old fire. Several arrows were sticking out his chest. Harry blinked in surprise when he heard the man breathing even though it was labored. Harry whipped out his wand and was casting as soon as it was in his hand.

"Indolentia." Harry cast, numbing the man's pain. "Apericium Homanus."

The basic diagnostic charm lit up several parts of the man's body in different colors. The puncture wounds shown in green, bruised ribs in light blue and his lungs in red. It was also clear that the man was dehydrated.

"Shit! Blood in the lungs." Harry cursed. "Carstva Jormar."

Slowly the color lightened before it disappeared showing that the blood had been removed. Immediately Harry heard the man's breathing ease. Next Harry vanished the arrows causing blood to flow out of the wounds. It was lucky that none of them had hit anything serious. Flicking his wand Harry sliced the man's shirt down the middle.

"Oowash Nae Du Mai." Harry cast moving his wand in a circle over the wounds. "Oowash Nae Du Mai. Oowash Nae Du Mai."

Slowly the wounds closed themselves stopping the bleeding. Harry continued his healing, going through the incantation twice more before the internal healing was done. Harry cleaned the man before repairing his shirt and cleaning it as well.

Harry levitated the man up onto the saddle of the abandoned horse and secured him so he wouldn't fall off. Seeing an abandoned bow made of dark wood and a quiver of arrows he tied them to the saddle as well. Conjuring a blanket he tucked it around the man. Walking over to his own horse Harry pulled out a green apple and fed it to Daine as a reward for his patience.

Harry had quickly learned that they were his favorite treat. Holding the other horses reins he tied them to Daine's saddle before climbing up. According to his map the town of Scorched Hope should be coming up. Hopefully the man was from there or there would be someone there who knew him.

"Don't worry I will try to get you home." Harry told the horse giving her a friendly pat.

A couple of miles down the road he saw three people who appeared to be wearing the garb of guards.

"Halt traveler." The guard ordered, hand on the hilt of his sword before eyeing the second horse suspiciously."What have you got there?"

Harry raised his hands to show he wasn't holding a weapon before lifting the blanket before pulling the sheet away from the man's face. He saw the guard's hands tighten on the hilts of their swords. He hurried to explain. He had no wish to be thought of as a murderer. Even if he could take care of both of the guards it wouldn't be worth the trouble.

"I found this man injured just off the path in an old camp. He was hit by several arrows. I found no one around and his horse abandoned beside him." Harry replied. "I wasn't sure where he belonged but I did not want to leave him out to the elements or wild animals. I healed him using magic but he will still need looking after and plenty of rest."

The second guard walked up and gasped as he saw the body.

"That's old Harold Vignus." He said. "His wife Agnatha owns the Dragontooth Inn. He's been gone for several days. Where did you find him?"

"About two miles back down the road. I saw no one else around." Harry informed him.

"Follow us we will guide you towards the town." The first guard ordered.

Harry nodded and allowed the guards to take the reins of both horses.

"Dalan go and search the camp for any evidence." The second guard ordered the first.

"Of course." The third guard, Dalan, nodded.

Following them around a bend he found himself looking at the small town. It didn't appear to be much. A couple dozen houses, a saw mill, an Inn/pub and a general goods store appeared to be it. The first guard left them to presumably fetch the man's wife. Stepping down from his horse Harry tied him to a nearby post.

"Harold!" A woman with greying blond hair screamed as she saw the man.

"I have healed him but he needs rest." Harry told her as he helped the guard pull the man from his horse. They were quickly led to a nearby house where they laid him in bed.

"Thank you for helping my husband." Agnatha said, gripping Harry's hands in her own. "I am grateful."

"Of course Madame." Harry nodded. "I am glad to say that he will live. I know what it is like to lose someone you love as clearly you do your husband."

"I do not have much coin to reward you with but should you ever head back this way you will always have a warm bed and free meals at my Inn." Agnatha told him.

Harry bowed slightly.

"Thank you Madame."

The second guard he had met cleared his throat behind him. Turning around Harry saw the man hold out his arm. Holding out his own the guard gripped his forearm firmly.

"I am Gareth, I was born here and have known Harold most of my life. Hell the man taught me to hunt." The guard said, pulling off his helm with his free hand. Gareth had black hair and blue eyes with a stubble covering his jaw and cheeks. "Thank you for bringing him back to his wife. Many would have simply left him there to die and taken his horse and supplies."

Harry nodded.

"I can't say it was a pleasure but I am glad that I was able to save the man in time." Harry told him. "Losing family and never knowing what happened to them can be worse than knowing."

Harry decided to stay for the day and leave the next morning.

---

​

Harry whistled as he looked at the massive docks of Solitude. Ships both large and small sailed in and out of the major trade port. Warehouses used for storage dotted the docks along with the largest being reserved for the East Empire Company.

"Welcome to Solitude." The guard, a female greeted him as she saw him looking around. Her dark red hair bordered on brown and Harry could see dark blue eyes peering at him through the helmet. "My name is Ingrid. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Hadrus. Where might I find a shop with books?" Harry asked.

Ingrid scratched at her arm as she thought.

"Well there is Fading Wonders in the Lower City. There are a wide range of books there along with different artifacts and potions. I bought some books on magic there myself when I was younger" Ingrid informed him. "It is run by Kalek, an Altmer, but he isn't one of those fanatic Thalmor dogs. He has run the same shop for over twenty years."

"My thanks." Harry said, bowing his head a little.

"No problem." Ingrid nodded. "Just keep on the right side of law and you will have no trouble with the guards. If you need anything else find a guard and they should help you. Please enjoy your time in Solitude."

Apparently Solitude was broken into seven sections. There was the Western District near some farms which was guarded day and night by guards on it's imposing stone gate. There was an Inn for travelers and warehouses where goods shipped over land were unloaded and stored. Next came the Dock District. This district held the largest docks in Skyrim. Ships from all over Tamriel docked there and unloaded and loaded goods for trading across the sea. It was there that Solitude's shipyards resided. The East Empire Trading Company was based there with an office and many warehouses.

Next was the Lower City. It was where the middle class lived and had their shops. There were many businesses, some stacked upon each other with steps and crosswalks leading to them. There were several Inns, grocers, butchers and even a couple of whorehouses. Some of the houses were carved into the stone archway that held up the rest of the city.

The Upper City, also known as Blue Rose Way, held the high end shops and homes of the moderately wealthy. In the Olde District sat Castle Dour which was used as a fort by the Imperial Legion, there was the Bards College, the Hall of the Dead and a large Temple of the Divines. The Golden District held the manor houses of the wealthy. The seventh district was the Blue Palace, the residence of the High King, Queen or Jarl of Solitude. The eighth district was The Eastern District further down the mountain that even the Lower City. It was basically the slums of Solitude. The poorest citizens lived there in shacks and sometime even tents.

While guards patrolled the Lower City Harry also saw other armed people on patrol.

"Members of the Fighters Guild." A nearby guard informed him when he asked. "They have a Guild House here and one in Falkreath hold. Most people in Skyrim contract with the Companions but there is a strong Imperial presence here and in Falkreath. There is also a Guild House for the Mages Guild here in the Lower City. While any good Nord prefers the Companions I admit the Fighters Guild does add some security to the Lower City."

Fading Wonders was a two story building with a freshly painted sign hanging from it in neat curling letters. Opening the door Harry was hit by a wave of warm air.

"Ah a customer." A male voice drawled from the corner. Turning Harry saw a tall, thin Altmer with greying brown hair wearing a set of dark blue robes. Sharp dark blue eyes watched him. "My name is Kalek and this is my shop Fading Wonders. How may I assist you today?"

"Hadrus. I'm looking for some spell books and any interesting knowledge." Harry replied.

Kalek hummed in appreciation.

"Ah, a man of learning. I thought so when I saw you. You have clear intelligence in your eyes unlike the usual dullards I am forced to work with." Kalek told him sarcastically. "Well Master Hadrus you have certainly come to right place. I pride myself on having the most extensive collection of books for sale in Solitude even if the price for a coveted spot inside the city walls is yet beyond my reach."

Leading Harry around Kalek helped him pick out several books. Harry chose Barrows of Skyrim, Rare & Unique Ingredients, Common Alchemical Ingredients of Skyrim, Uncommon Alchemical Ingredients of Skyrim and Enchanting Items. Looking a little deeper Harry found a section containing books of spells. These books were inside of locked cases.

"Ah an intellectual and a spell caster." Kalek said pleased. "If you are looking for specific spells I may be able to acquire them from my contacts."

Harry looked through a list provided that explained the spells. He ended up purchasing Magelight, Healing, Healing Hands, Conjure Familiar, Sparks, Frostbite and Soul Trap. Harry was a little leery of the last spell but Kalek mostly dispelled his misgivings.

"The spell is mostly used to draw in the spirits of animals, undead or Daedra to be used for enchantments." Kalek informed him. "One needs a different sized soul gem for different souls. Animals will usually fit in a soul gem fragment, petty soul gems, lesser soul gems and common soul gems. Daedra and things like trolls usually fill a Greater or Grand soul gem."

"What about the souls of humans, elves or the beast races?" Harry asked.

Kalek leaned back a little to stare at him a little, glancing around before he explained.

"While it is true that the spell can be used to trap a mortal soul one needs a black soul gem to do so." Kalek informed him gravely. "Though it is said that they can be used to cast the longest lasting enchantments of any soul gem they are rare and not many will deal in them. They have a nasty reputation as they mostly used by Necromancers. Many would attack a person for merely possessing a black soul gem."

Harry nodded thoughtfully before adding the spell book to his purchases.

"If you are interested in a deeper understanding on magic I would also recommend Soul Magicks, Restoration Explored and Connecting to Aetherius." Kalek recommended pulling down the mentioned tomes.

Harry nodded and added them to his pile.

"Do you carry maps in your shop?" Harry asked, scratching his chin.

Kalek nodded with a chuckle.

"Indeed I do." He said. "My cousin Ailur was a cartographer and an adventurer before he married a shrew of a woman down in Cyrodiil and started producing brats. He sold his maps to me."

Kalek led Harry over to a shelf filled with honey-comb shaped holes. He pulled out a couple of maps and unrolled them, allowing Harry to read them.

"My maps are one Septim, eight Denari and twenty-five Conti apiece." Kalek informed him.

From what Harry could see the maps were worth it. They were quite detailed and beautifully done.

"Hmm." Harry said. "I know a spell that can make a perfect, copy of a text or map. If you allow me to copy your maps I will pay you half the asking price in exchange for making another copy for yourself to sale. They are permanent and are just as detailed as the originals."

Kalek rubbed his chins.

"Could you demonstrate this spell?" He asked.

Harry nodded before tapping the nearest map of Skyrim. It glowed briefly before it rose as four identical copies appeared beneath it. Kalek blinked before spread them out. He cast a spell at them and they remained.

"Amazing." He breathed. "I don't suppose you would be willing to sell this spell?"

Harry shook his head.

"Not at the moment." Harry replied.

Kalek nodded a little sadly.

"Very well." He said, clapping his hands. "I will accept your deal for the maps."

Harry and Kalek bartered. In exchange for Harry making five copies of each map Kalek gave him a fifty percent discount on all of his purchases and a ten percent discount in the future. Harry purchased the maps that had caught his eyes. One each of Skyrim, Cyrodiil, Solsteim, High Rock and Morrowind. Harry knew some charms that he could tie to the maps that would automatically fill them in with incredible detail when he visited a place. They would even have a zoom and search function.

---

​

Spells Used This Chapter:

Indolentia- Pain Relief Charm- A charm that numbs pain. Found in "Harry Potter: Dark Memories" by Blueowl.

Apericium Homanus- A basic diagnostic charm. It feels like a tingle that travels from the head down. Any problems are illuminated in different colors and symbols appear in front of the patient's body. Found in "Honestly Harry Getting to Hogwarts" by Captain Compass.

Carstva Jormar- Clears the target's lungs of fluid. Including water, bodily fluids and blood. Created by me, Isebas.

Oowash Nae Du Mai- A spell to heal stab and puncture wounds, even those caused by dark magic. The incantation must be repeated constantly until the wound is fully healed while making a circular motion over the wound. Created by me, Isebas.

 

[Isebas]

Disclaimer-I don't own Harry Potter, nor am I making any profit from this story.

"Talking"

Thoughts

"Spells"

"Foreign Languages"

§Parseltongue§

Last Chapter: Severus promises Lily to look out from her son if anything ever happens to her and he does. He personally delivers Harry's Hogwarts letter and meets the boy first time face to face. He later returns to take the lad for his first journey into the Wizarding World for nearly ten years.

---

Chapter Two: Family Business and a New Beginning
​

Even though Harry had done it before the apparition trip was still a little disorienting. When he got his breathing under control and moved away from the object he was leaning on, coincidentally Professor Snape himself, Harry looked at where they had landed. Professor Snape's home, and his for the time being, was a large stone manor house that looked to be three stories tall with a long bricked driveway. The driveway itself was bordered by a large wooded area on both sides providing a lot of shade. Currently they were outside of a pair of large metal gates with a crest in the middle.

"Come along." Severus spoke waving his hand ahead of him before walking towards the gates. Only taking time to glance back once to make sure Harry was following. "We'll get you settled in before having lunch."

"Yes sir." Harry replied clearly.

Severus raised his left hand where Harry noticed a silver ring resided on his pointer finger now. He watched curiously as Severus placed it against the crest on it.

"Come here Potter." Severus motioned him forward. "I need some of your blood to allow you entry to Prince Manor."

"Blood?" Harry asked, his voice taking on a squeaking tone.

"Yes blood." Severus answered, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "I won't require much I assure you."

Severus cast a numbing charm on Harry's hand before he ran his wand along the inside of Harry palm causing a cut to open. Grabbing the boys hand he forced it against the crest.

"Prodidium Sancti Udinum, Hadrian James Potter." Snape murmured causing the gate to glow red. Harry felt a strange feeling in his hand and tried to pull it back only to find it stuck to the crest.

"Stop moving Potter. It is only absorbing your blood so the wards won't attack you and so it will allow you entry later so you don't have to go through this again." Severus told him gripping his shoulder firmly, calming him down slightly. Finally the spell ended and Harry was able to pull his hand away only to see it healed and clean.

"Neat." Harry concluded.

"Indeed." Severus smirked. "Old family houses are sure to have this protection on their gates so unwanted guests don't just appear. Now if you'll take my arm we can apparate to the door."

"Why not just apparate inside Professor?" Harry asked as they appeared in front of the doors.

"It was lesson you need to learn. I wished to point out that it is never considered polite to apparate into someone's home unless directly invited to do so. It can be taken as an insult." Severus informed him. "From now on if we leave and return we will do some from inside. Either through apparition or the floo network."

The door was opened by a short creature wearing a small sunflower dress. Large blue eyes gazed at them from a small head with floppy ears and tied back black hair.

"Welcome home Master Severus." The creature squeaked in a feminine tone while bowing slightly.

"Milly." Severus replied with a nod, handing her his cloak before motioning for Harry to do the same with his. Milly placed them on a rack beside the door before snapping her fingers causing their boots to appear below them and comfortable house slippers to appear on their feet. "This is Harry Potter, he will be a frequent guest here for the time being. For now we'd like lunch in half an hour."

"Yes Master. Welcome to the Prince Manor young Master Potter." Milly replied with a bow before turning back to Severus. "Do you have a preference for lunch today Master?"

"Some hearty stew and fresh buttered rolls if you will. Tea for me and milk for our guest." Severus replied before waving her away.

"What was that Professor?" Harry asked after she disappeared with a pop, his eyes wide.

"That Mr. Potter was a House Elf, servants to wizard kind, comparable to a butler or maid in the muggle world although they are not paid with money but with magic. House Elves bind themselves to the family that owns them. Some less informed witches and wizards consider them to be slaves since many house elves are not allow to speak their own opinions and can be quite severely punished seemingly without consequences." Severus answered, slight frown tugging at his lips. "House Elves bind themselves to witches and wizards because they need to be connected to our magic to be able to survive. The magic of witches and wizards stabilizes their magic. They can be unbound but it is physically painful for the elves and they will eventually die. Even though Milly is a servant you should endeavor to treat her and others of her race with kindness. There are eleven house elves that serve this estate. They have formidable magical abilities of their own and make excellent servants and allies if treated well and with respect."

"Yes sir." Harry said before hesitating. "Excuse me sir –"


"Yes?" Severus asked, brow arched.

"I was wondering why you lived in Prince Manor if your last name is Snape." Harry responded fiddling with the edge of his tailored robes.

"My mother's maiden name was Prince, which is a pureblood family." Severus replied. "My grandparents lived here and I inherited it after they died."

"Oh." Harry replied before following him up the stairs. "How did they die sir, if you don't mind me asking?"

"They were quite old when I was born and died of natural causes." Severus answered easily. He had never been close with his grandparents as they had disowned their daughter for marrying his father, a muggle. With the death of his Uncle Stephan Severus knew the reason he had inherited the estate was so it wouldn't go to undeserving relatives or the Ministry. Some direct Prince blood was better than none. "Even though they never agreed with my mother's choice of marrying a muggle I was the only possible male heir left so I inherited everything. Now come along."

Severus led Harry upstairs while Harry looked around the hallway. The walls had several portraits hanging on them and several other paintings. Several nodded in acknowledgment or waved as they passed them but many just watched in silence. When they reached the top Harry could see many closed doors. Severus led him down the hallway until it branched to the right.

"My bedroom is the last one on the right in case you ever need anything." Severus spoke up bringing Harry's attention back to him. "The room I have had prepared for you is the last one on the left. Normally it would be in the guest wing but I am usually the only one that stays here and that is only during school breaks."

He motioned with his hand showing Harry a darkly stained door before opening it.

Harry's new room was quite large, easily as wide as two of the master bedrooms at the Dursley's and three times as long. The walls were covered in wood paneling halfway up the walls while the top portions and the ceiling being painted a hunter green color with wooden trim in the style of golden leaves. A large queen sized bed with long dark green hangings was setup in the on the left side of the room. The comforter on the bed was the same color with golden tassels hanging from it.

Next to the bed was a dark stained wooden desk and chair. On the wall opposite the door was a large clear glassed window with a long couch built into the wall below it, allowing for reading in the light. There were several empty shelves on the walls and a tall book case on one wall. Beside it was a good sized fireplace, with a couch and two comfortable looking chairs in front of it, and two doors.

"The door on the right of the fireplace opens into a closet and the one on the left is your own attached bathroom." Severus explained to him before setting Harry's trunk on the end of the bed. "You will need an elf to put away your things. Throm!"

A male elf wearing a small robe and pants appeared a couple of feet in front of Severus.

"Throm this is Harry Potter, he will be staying at the Estate for the summer." Severus informed the elf. "You will see to his needs while he is here."

"Yes Master." Throm replied bowing before turning his bow upon Harry. "Welcome Young Master Potter to the Prince Family Estate. How may I serve you?"

"Uh, could you put my clothes into the closet first?" Harry replied hesitantly. "Thanks."

"Of course Young Master." Throm said pleased at how polite Harry was. "I am glad to be of help."

With a snap of his fingers the robes flew from the rack and into the closet.

"You need only call my name Young Master if you need anything else." Throm told him before disappearing.

"I will allow you the time until lunch to prepare your room the way you want it." Severus told Harry. "I will have an elf come and guide you to the dining room when it is ready."
Harry nodded in understanding.

"Thank you sir." Harry said.

"Of course Potter." Severus said before closing the door behind him.

---

​

"Young Master Harry, Master Severus is requesting your presence downstairs. Your guest is here to see you." Throm said from the doorway to Harry's room.

"Erm, thank you Throm." Harry said, rolling across the bed from where he had been lying while his wand flew across the room.

Harry had been lying on his bed while flicking his wrist repeatedly causing his wand to launch out his new wand holster, a gift from Professor Snape. Throm's arrival had surprised him and he hadn't been able to catch it in time. Out of the corner of his eye Harry thought he saw the elf shake it's head in amusement. Harry grinned himself as he bent to pick it up.

Harry admired his wand as held it, allowing it to fill him with warmth and power as it connected with his magic. At twelve and half inches it was a fine looking wand. The two woods blended well together creating a unique effect with the wood being dark at the top half and fading to a lighter color towards the bottom half. The diamond focusing stone stuck out sharply from the tip. The handle was a few centimeters thicker than the shaft and was slightly rougher allowing for a better grip. A closer look revealed griffins and lightning bolts engraved in it.

Harry knew, even if he couldn't see them, that there were many magical runes carved up and down the shaft to strengthen the wood and to help keep it clean while also bonding it to his blood. With a blood bonding the wand could not be used by anyone other than him or his descendants. It also could not be summoned by others. Nor could it change it's allegiance to another if he was disarmed.

Harry had purchased a wand polishing kit to take care of it along with a wrist and waist holster both made of dragon hide. He would never take his wand for granted and let it come to harm if he could manage. The wand belonged to him, proof that the Dursley's were wrong. He had power and only needed to learn how to use it. His green eyes gleamed at the thought.

Harry ran his hands down his clothes to try and settle any wrinkles out. Throm just tutted once before clicking his fingers causing his clothes to stiffen before relaxing with no hint of wrinkles.

"Thank you Throm." Harry grinned before pushing his new glasses up his nose, causing the sticking charm to take hold.

Severus, and wasn't it odd thinking of a teacher by their first name, had taken him to get them a few days after they had arrived in Prince Manor. The lenses of his new glasses were still round but Harry had switched the plain black plastic frames for some golden metal ones. They had been enchanted so water and dirt would be repelled and had an inbuilt sticking charm so they wouldn't come off unless he wanted them to. The lenses would also darken when stepping into a bright light to protect his eyes.

After visiting the Optometrist they had traveled into the muggle world so Harry could purchase some new muggle clothes, shoes and some winter items. He had also purchased a couple dozen notebooks, pens and pencils. Severus had told him that they were required to use parchment and quills for assignments but he could take notes with the muggle items. Unfortunately he would have to get used to using a quill and parchment since muggle ink did not interact well with parchment since it would absorb it. Nor did magical ink react well with muggle paper as it would cause it to break down.

Luckily Severus promised to allow him to buy the slightly more expensive self-inking quill and the ever-neat quill if he learned to write with a regular one neatly enough. He had explained that it was better to have the skill to do and not need it than to need it and not be able to. They had also purchased a telescope since Severus admitted that muggles made better telescopes than the magical world. Severus told him that he would enchant it himself since there were magical charms that allowed a telescope to see further and through clouds as if they were not there.

"You're welcome Young Master." Throm replied before popping away.

When Harry walked into the sitting room he was surprised to see Severus talking with a man who could only be a wizard. He wore blue robes and a pointed hat with masses of moving golden sparks that appeared to disappear and reappear randomly. A long silver beard spilled down the man's front while keen but friendly blue eyes peered at him over a pair of glasses shaped like half-moons. If there was a wizard alive that Harry thought might look like the muggle version of Merlin he thought he would be looking at him. All that was missing was a wooden staff and an owl on his shoulder.

"Harry James Potter, as I live and breath." The man said with a bright smile before standing up and walking towards Harry. His eyes took in all of Harry's appearance before refocusing on his green orbs. "It's been a long time since I've seen you child but you look very much like your parents, if you don't mind me saying so. You have the Potter hair and your mother's eyes and nose. I am Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Feel free to call me Professor Dumbledore, a bit less of a mouthful."

He smiled at Harry and stuck out his hand for Harry to shake.

"Pleased to meet you sir." Harry replied shaking the older wizard's hand who had a surprisingly firm grip for as old as he looked.

"Ah, the pleasure is mine I assure you." Dumbledore said, his smile widening further. "I was quite pleased to have an excuse to be out and about as I have more and more paperwork to sign each day it seems."

He gave a put upon sigh, only his wink gave away his humor, causing Harry to grin.

"The perils of holding so many important offices I'm afraid." Dumbledore continued sounding despondent.

Severus snorted from his place.

"I imagine you do just fine Headmaster." Severus drawled dryly. "If anyone could do as much as you when they reach your age then they would be blessed indeed."

"How many times must I tell you my friend? Call me Albus." Dumbledore chided the potion's master playfully. It seemed to Harry, that it was an old conversation between them.

"I do try Albus." Severus replied seemingly reluctant.

Severus held a great amount of respect for the elder wizard. He felt that he was in his debt as he had helped Severus see the errors of his ways by joining the Death Eaters. He had turned spy for elderly wizard and Dumbledore had kept him from going to the hell on Earth known as Azkaban. The older wizard had then offered him a job at the well respected institution of Hogwarts and even the position of Head of House Slytherin. Severus was able to help many of his Slytherin's who had been abused at home or were rejected by their peers.

"All of my activities keep me young at least." Albus chuckled before waggling his eyebrows. "Or that might be the delusions of an old man."

Harry giggled causing Dumbledore to chuckle.

Harry watched as the Headmaster took his seat before he flicked his wand causing a fine silver tea set along with a plate of some kind yellow bars with confectioners sugar on top and crumbly bottoms to appear. Sniffing he caught the scent of lemons.

"Tea Harry? Do you mind if I call you Harry?" Dumbledore asked as he picked up the pot.

Harry shook his head.

"Yes please and no I don't mind sir." Harry assured him.

"Thank you." Dumbledore replied inclining his head. "Sugar? Cream?"

"Just sugar please." Harry replied before accepting the cup presented to him.

"Severus?" Dumbledore queried with a raised brow.

"Both please." Severus replied before grabbing the cup the Headmaster levitated to him. He murmured in pleasure when he sipped it. It tasted just how he liked it.

"Would you like to try a lemon square Harry?" Dumbledore asked pushing the platter towards him a bit. "I find that I quite enjoy them. The house elves at Hogwarts baked them for me just this morning."

Dumbledore didn't wait for Harry to reply before helping himself to one and taking a bite out of it. He hummed in pleasure. Harry's mouth twitched slightly at the sight of the confectioners sugar clinging to the old man's beard. Even Severus' brow was arched in mild humor.

"A good use for a beard I assure you, you never need a napkin." Dumbledore spoke up seemingly reading their minds, and perhaps he had. His eyes seemed to gain an amused twinkle. "Besides there's always a nice surprise later."

Harry snickered which caused Dumbledore's mouth to twitch.

"Sorry." Harry apologized with a grin.

"Nonsense! Go ahead a laugh my boy." Dumbledore told him chuckling lightly. "I personally believe that laughter is good treatment for many ailments."

"Is that why you allow so many pranksters to get away with they do in the school Headmaster?" Severus asked sarcastically.

"I'm afraid that I have no idea what you are talking about Severus." Dumbledore replied with a look of innocence on his face while he picked out a bit of lemon square from his beard.

"You're fooling no one old man." Severus grouched good-naturedly.

Dumbledore merely chuckled before taking a sip of tea before sighing.

"How has life treated you Harry since I saw you last?" Dumbledore asked, peering over the top of his glasses at Harry. "What kind of hobbies do you enjoy?"

"I have been well sir." Harry answered. "As for hobbies I really enjoy reading."

"A worthy hobby indeed." Dumbledore chuckled. "I myself have an extensive collection of books. Do you have a preference for the kinds of books you read?"

"I like fantasy novels." Harry admitted shyly. "And History books. I usually spend a lot of time at the local library in Surrey. It's pretty big so they have a lot of books. I enjoy school as well and playing football sometimes and drawing."

Dumbledore smiled.

"Ah, sadly there are too few artists in the wizarding world." Dumbledore responded. "I hope you nurse this talent even if you never do anything with it professionally. It is a worthy deed to create instead of destroy."

The three spent the next thirty minutes talking about nonsensical things with Harry and Dumbledore getting to know one another more personally. Harry found the Headmaster to have a deep sense of humor and was very intelligent. Dumbledore himself discovered a keen and intelligent mind in his new student, as well as his thirst to prove himself.

"Alas we come to the more serious reason for my visit." Dumbledore sighed sadly as he twitched his wand causing a black dragon hide briefcase to appear on the table in front of him.

Harry hurriedly moved his own tea cup and plate out of the way.

"Your parents asked me to be the Executor of their Estate if the worse happened and I was instated as your Magical Guardian since your previous one was not eligible."

Dumbledore told him, his eye before briefly clouded. Oh Sirius why did you betray your friends? Did they truly mean so little to you?

"What's a Magical Guardian?" Harry asked, leaning forward in his seat a little and allowing his elbows to rest on his knees.

"Being your Magical Guardian means that it is my responsibility to look after your needs while you are in the magical world. To help advise you and to help safely guide you until you become of age. If possible you would have come to live with me at Hogwarts. However I could not take up this responsibility since your aunt, though a muggle, had a blood claim over me." Albus patiently informed him. "I did, however, have your aunt and uncle sign a magical contract to ensure your health and well-being while in the muggle world. Unfortunately you can't make someone truly love another, even in our world. It seems that you have survived living with them but they didn't treat you as well as I had hoped they would. Perhaps there was too much bad blood and memories there between them and your parents. After having them sign the magical contract I placed powerful wards around your aunt and uncle's home which were boosted by your mother's sacrifice."

"My mum's sacrifice sir?" Harry asked curious.

Dumbledore sighed sadly while rubbing his chin. Severus looked off to the side to hide the look of sadness in his eyes.

"The night your parents were killed your mother performed a ritual using the sacrifice of her life to ensure that no evil could touch you, including those with intent to harm you with harmful magic." Dumbledore informed him, a grave look on his face. "It is Old Magic, Ancient even, based upon the love she felt for you. She gave her very life for you so that you may live."

"So I'm the reason she's dead?" Harry asked quietly staring down at his hands. He heard a rustling of cloth before he saw Dumbledore kneeling before him, an earnest expression on his face. He clasped Harry's hand in his own aged ones.

"No Harry, you must never believe that dear boy. Your mother loved you with all of her heart and she sacrificed herself willingly and without regret for you. Not to destroy the evil that plagued our world and your family but to save you, her only son." Dumbledore told him gently but firmly, moving his hands to grip the youth's shoulders. "I had never seen either of your parents happier than when you were born. I knew that they would move Heaven and Earth to protect you if they could. Honor their sacrifice which lives on through you but never believe that it was your fault. The blame lies solely with Lord Voldemort and the senseless war he caused."

"I agree." Severus said, a sad and concerned look upon his face. "I knew your mother for most of my life and she was, for the most part, a kind and compassionate woman. I know for a fact that she would gladly give her life for you and that she loved you very much, even more than she loved your father."

"Thank you sir." Harry replied, his eyes a little wet. He hastily wiped them away with a handkerchief that Dumbledore conjured for him.

"Not to worry child, not to worry. I too know what it feels like to blame yourself for the death of a loved one but it does better with time I promise you." Dumbledore replied solemnly, patting his hand before retaking his seat. "Now where was I? Ah yes, I placed the wards around your Aunt and Uncle's home so that as long as you were allowed to live there the wards would protect you and them."

"So I still have to live there sir?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore sighed.

"Yes, yes you do. At least for three weeks every summer until you become of age." Dumbledore replied nibbling on another lemon square. "If you lived there any less then the wards could possibly fail."

"I think I understand." Harry replied even if he didn't like it. He supposed that he at least owed the Dursley's the protection it would provide, but that was all he felt he owed them. They had never really shown him love, mostly indifference like he was a mere house guest or a distant relative.

"You could stay here or you could stay with any friends you make after the month at the Dursley's, if you like." Severus offered to him.

"Or you could stay with my brother and I at our country estate in Godric's Hallow part time if you wished." Dumbledore offered. "Godric's Hallow is a village with a mix of magical and muggle people. I grew up there and that is where you used to live with your parents. Many of their neighbors could probably tell you stories about your parents."

"Thank you." Harry replied. He was definitely thankful. Even if he had to stay with the Dursley's he didn't want to stay the whole summer.

"Aside from wanting to see you again, I wanted to speak with you Harry because there are things you need to know. Both about the magical world and your father's family." Dumbledore said bringing Harry's attention back to him. "Your father's family is an Most Ancient and Most Noble House."

"What does that mean sir?" Harry asked.

"The Potter's official family title is The Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter. Most Ancient since your family is one of the first founding families on the original Council of Wizards founded by Merlin's son, and apprentice Everard which later formed the leading governing body in our Ministry, called The Wizengamot." Dumbledore informed him. "The Most Noble part came about since your family performed a great service for the Crown and was rewarded for it with titles and lands. There are only fifteen such houses still active today that were in the original Wizengamot."

Dumbledore paused to take a drink of tea before continuing.

"There are five permanent tiers in the Wizengamot and a sixth flexible tier. The Most Ancient and Most Noble Houses make up the top tier. Potter, Ravenwood, Lewis, Williams, Longbottom, McDougal, Abbot, Bones, Nott, Jones, Rowan, Whitewood, Donalds, Vurdens, Peakes, Darden, Peasgood, Donelle, Durben and Smythe families." Dumbledore informed him. "Quite a prestigious group of families and some of the most influential in the Wizengamot. Next are the Most Ancient and Noble Houses which include the Black, Furbanks, Greengrass, Pyrell, Smithers, O'Neil, Lovegood, Wilbers, Ogden, Deakes, Pierce, McMillan, McGonagall, Bradstone, Sortiens, Keirs, Bentley, Jerkin, Sturben, Mitchell, Gray, White, Curd, Trebell, Curkwood, Sable and Quarkes. The next tier is made up of the Ancient houses which aren't as old or distinguished as the Most Ancient and Most Noble Houses or the Most Ancient and Noble Houses. They consist of the Crouch, Markes, Selwyn, Prewett, Larsten, Diggory, Cursten, Marchbanks, Deriks, Northbridge, Alberts, Rhaines, Smith, Bentley, Motts, Poole, Xavier, Parker, Finwick, McKinnon, Gracewood, Edwards and Danvers families. The Four Tier is the Noble Houses which include the Miles, Smith, Vickers, Everettes, Flint, Prince, Finch, Jordon, Lestrange, Dumbledore, Howards, Curstein, Davies, Mulciber, Avery, Wilkes, Rose, Vilith, McPiercen, Bulstrode, Boot, Peppers, Courtlands, Travers, Goyle, Carter, Crabbe, Withers and Carvers families. The Fifth Tier is the Minor Houses, also known as the Lower Council, who have served on the Wizengamot for less than two hundred and fifty years. It contains the Blake, Daniels, Clarkes, Addams, Frankfort, Edwards, Parkinson, Fudge, Davis, Castle, Koch, Rockwood, Stebbins, Marshes, Locklar, Fraiser, Malfoy, Cotts, Yaxley, Franks and Edgecome families. The last tier contains seats for all the Ministry Department Heads, Chief Warlock, Minister of Magic and his Undersecretary."

Severus cleared his throat causing Dumbledore's face to take on a sheepish look before he cleared his throat.

"Right forgive me for rambling Harry. It's such a long list that it's best to get it out of the way all at once." Dumbledore apologized with a chuckle. "Lets just say that your family is an old and important one in our society. This translates into wealth, status, and political power. This is further compounded by your status as the Boy-Who-Lived. You are a very wealthy young wizard, even if you cannot access all of your assets until you are older."

"I knew that my trust vault had a lot in it sir." Harry said, feeling slightly overwhelmed. "Does this mean I have more than one vault?"

"Indeed it does." Dumbledore beamed. "Your trust vault was set up for you by your grandfather Edward before his death in January nineteen eighty-one. You received five hundred and seven galleons for each year until seventeen then one thousand galleons for each year after until you turn twenty-five. The full amount was placed in your trust vault where it will gather interest. You must make it last until you turn twenty-five. When you turn twenty-five you will be able to take up the family Headship ring and become the Forty-Fifth Earl Potter. When that happens your trust vault will be rolled back into your family vault. Your trust fund hasn't been touched since it was opened in nineteen-eighty, aside from adding interest, so it's quite a nice nest egg. In addition there were two deposits I approved when you inherited money from two different grateful citizens when they died. The expense for your education has already been paid through all seven years directly from the family vault by your parents. If you hadn't decided to attend Hogwarts it would, of course, be refunded."

Dumbledore paused to take a sip of tea before continuing.

"The trust vault is for you to use to pay any expenses that you have. Access though is monitored by me to make sure you don't spend more than you have. Your family also has two other vaults. First is number seventeen, which is the Potter family vault. It contains most of your fortune and valuables belonging to your family. Your last vault is one that I had set up for you. It contains all of the gifts and mail you have received over the years. A part of the agreement with your aunt was that you didn't receive mail until you were of age to reenter our world."

"I thought that it was kind of weird that I didn't receive any fan mail if I was so famous in the magical world." Harry stated. "Celebrities in the muggle world get fan mail all the time."
Dumbledore nodded.

"You will be able to peruse the vault at your leisure since everything has been automatically checked for hexes, curses and other harmful things." Dumbledore told him, stroking his beard. "An unfortunately necessary precaution since some of Voldemort's followers escaped imprisonment."

Dumbledore reached inside of his robes and pulled out a square wooden box, intricately carved that should have been too large to fit inside of it.

"Magic." Dumbledore winked at his disbelieving glance before setting the box down in front of him. The top, Harry could see as it was laid down in front of him, had the Potter family crest engraved in it.

"This box contains your family rings Harry. It would normally reside in the Potter family vault but I had it removed a couple of days ago." Dumbledore explained before tapping the latch with his wand. The lid popped open, allowing him to open it all the way. Sitting side by side were four rings of varying sizes and an empty spot.

"From the left to the right are the Head ring." Dumbledore said, pointing to each one. "It's band is made of platinum and the stone is a red diamond. The next ring is the ring of the Lady Potter and the band is white gold with an emerald. The next ring in line is the ring of the Heir and the band is silver while the stone is an sapphire. This is the ring you will wear until you take up your family title. The next ring is also made of silver with a ruby is the secondary heir ring. What that means is that the wearer, the second child, would inherit if something ever happened the primary heir. Most pureblood families aren't continuing the tradition of 'an heir and a spare' as they called it anymore. Foolish in my opinion. The last ring I wear on my right pinkie."

Dumbledore paused to show him a silver ring with a small clear gemstone with the Potter crest on the side of the band.

"This ring is the ring the Potter Regent wears. I am the Potter Regent and vote your family votes on the Wizengamot. When I became your magical guardian I was made to swear several oaths, which I did gladly. One that I would protect you to the best of my abilities, that I would not use your fortune to enrich myself, that I would educate you on your position in our world and that I would, if you wished, help guide you through your years. I even waived the stipend I would normally draw as your Magical Guardian and Regent as I did not need them."

Harry picked up the Heir ring.

"The ring goes on your left index finger." Albus informed him.

An oath appeared in his mind, prompting him to repeat it.

"I, Harry James Potter, swear to uphold the honor of my house and my ancestors. So I say so, mote it be." Harry said as he slipped the ring on his finger. It flashed light blue once before resizing itself for his finger.

"Wow." Harry said.

"Indeed." Albus chuckled before pushing several sheathes of parchment towards him.

"Here is a current summary of your estate."

Potter Family Vault #17
Liquid Assets- 2,500,996 galleons, various amounts of sickles & knuts
Various Heirlooms
Property Deeds
Potter Trust Vault #687
22,880 galleons, various amounts of sickles & knuts
Vault #1418
Various packages, letters and artifacts
Property
Cottage-#37 Godric's Rd, Godric's Hallow, Wales
Clay Way- 352 Hind Ln, Hogsmeade
Potter Manor- The Kiln-Wales-Unplottable
Potter Town House- Potter Way- London, England
Potter Apartment's- London, England
Potteur Castle- Scotland-Unplottable
Potter Farms- Unplottable
Potter Plantations- Charlotte, North Carolina
Villa- Naples, Italy
Vineyard- Versailles, France
#12 Diagon Alley- Currently Mariel's Apothecary
#26 Diagon Alley- Currently Madam Malkin's Fine Robes For All Occasions
#17 Diagon Alley- Currently Quality Quidditch Supplies
#19 & 20 Margus Alley- Currently Mitchel's Elves and Exotic Pets

"I have left the bulk of the Potter estate management up to the Potter accounts at Gleam & Rockford and they have done a good job. They are shrewd people and work hard to make you money. Money for you means money for them after all." Albus smiled. "I receive monthly reports from them informing me of profits and deficits from your accounts and investment information. When you wish to I can sit down and explain everything to you so that you can understand the information for future use."

"Is the cottage in Godric's Hallow the one my parents and I were staying in?" Harry asked.

"Yes it was. It was partially destroyed that night and as a consequence the secrecy wards I had placed there were destroyed. The Ministry turned the cottage into a monument before I could stop them." Dumbledore answered before he hurried his explanation at the look of outrage on Harry's face. "Luckily I was able to wrangle several concessions out of them. They paid well over market price for the cottage and ownership would automatically switch back to you if desired. The Ministry will even pay to have it repaired if that happens. I had it fully cleaned of valuables and sentimental items before leaving conjured replicas in their places. Everything I retrieved was placed in your family vault for safe keeping."

---

​

"Vault Seventeen." Rosgaw announced as the cart stopped. Dumbledore allowed Harry to step out first, gently gripping the lad's shoulder since his legs were a little shaky.

"Easy now." Dumbledore chuckled. "It can take some getting used to."

"Follow me if you will Mr. Potter." Rosgaw spoke up.

Harry quickly followed him to stand before the large metal doorway. He could see a large version of his family crest.

"Place your hand and heir ring upon the crest. Twist the ring around your finger so the crest can touch it. Only a witch or wizard with Potter blood or a Gringotts' goblin can open this vault. It will draw blood from your hand and will test it and your ring. If the witch or wizard who tried wasn't a Potter by blood they would be knocked unconscious and repelled violently by the vault wards. If they tried to force it a second time they would injected with a fast acting sleeping potion before a more lethal solution was taken."

Harry nodded before putting his ring against the crest. He hissed as he felt his hand being cut before a wave of magic went through the ring into him before it left. Pulling his hand back he saw that it was healed. He was brought our of his thoughts when he heard several loud clicks in the door. The doors groaned as they opened and Harry gaped as he saw the inside. It was huge! It was easily at least twenty times as big as his trust vault, if not bigger.

"If I might suggest Mr. Potter, you may wish to check the pedestal in the front of the vault first. I will be waiting." Rosgaw told him, nodding before walking back to the cart.

"Well would you like to go inside Harry?" Dumbledore asked him amused. "Normally you would have to give me access by saying 'I, your full name, give their name, permission to enter this vault' but since I wear the ring of the Potter family Regent it will allow me entry. This feature will only work one time. If you wish to bring them back again you must be with them and repeat the oath."

Harry nodded and stored the information away. The entire west side of the vault was taken up by large square trunks filled to the brim with coins and several held jewels, both cut and uncut, and several different kinds of ingots. Towards the back Harry could see several doors. Stepping closer Harry read them: Heirlooms, Jewelry, Weapons/Wands, Library, Clothes and Armors.

Harry made his way towards where Rosgaw recommended. Sitting on the pedestal was a large, thick tome. Potteur along with his family crest, all done in jewels stuck up from the cover.

"Your family grimore I believe." Dumbledore spoke up. "Or at least a linked copy."

"Grimore?" Harry asked. "Like a spell book?"

Dumbledore hummed in agreement.

"They can contain spells discovered or created by your family plus their history and any other discoveries they have made." Dumbledore told him. "If you take it with you you will want to take very good care of it and keep it in a safe place. You needn't worry about someone else opening it as they only ever open for family but they can be stolen."

"Alright." Harry said before picking it up. He breathed in sharply as the feeling of "home" enveloped him briefly. Smiling he slid it into his bag and sighed as the feeling cut off.

"Perhaps you would like to check out the weapons and wands?" Albus asked. "Perhaps you might find yourself a secondary wand. It is nice to have a backup in case anything happens to your first wand."

Harry walked towards the racks of wands. Closer up he could see that each one was labeled with the users name, birth and death date and the wand components. There were many exotic cores like Thunderbird tail feathers, nundu heart-string, and basilisk heart-string. At the very end he could see his parents wands. His mum's wand was made of willow with a unicorn hair core while his dad's was made of mahogany with a dragon heart-string core. Running his hands across the different wands he sent his magic outwards trying to find a secondary wand.

Harry gasped as he felt a connection nearly as strong as his own wand nearly ten minutes later. Stepping forward he read the plate beneath it:

Augustus Potter
1392 AD- 1517 AD
12 ¼" Rowan and Griffin Feather
​

"This is the one Professor." Harry said. "It's Rowan wood with a Griffin Feather."

Dumbledore quickly made his way over to him.

"Very good Harry." Dumbledore commented. "They are both good for Transfiguration and Defensive magics."

Albus handed him a leather wand holster he was holding.

"It's nice to have a spare." Dumbledore said before holding out his other hand. Inside of it sat a a slightly furry drawstring pouch. "This is a Mokeskin pouch. They are fairly rare. It will hold just about anything and no one but the owner can remove the contents."

"Brilliant." Harry smiled, pulling it over his neck.

"If you would like I can show you where I left the things I was able to salvage from your home in Godric's Hallow." Dumbledore offered.

"Yes please." Harry replied.

Dumbledore nodded and led him over to an out of the way stack of crates. Harry ended up taking his parents school trunks, a wind-up wrist watch that had belonged to his father that had a leather band and gold casing. The background was a golden version of his family crest. According to the spell recording it would automatically change time to specific time zones, was waterproof, scratch proof and would vibrate if the wearer was going to eat or drink anything harmful. The last thing he took was some picture albums.

"Thanks for bringing me sir." Harry smiled.

"Of course my boy." Dumbledore said, squeezing his shoulder in comfort.

Harry held the photo albums up to lip of his moleskin pouch and watched with a wide grin as they were sucked inside with a light slurping sound. Dumbledore twitched his wand causing his parent's trunks to shrink as well before they soared into the air and were sucked in his pouch.

"Wicked." He said causing Dumbledore to laugh.

---

​

"Let's make a stop here." Dumbledore said motioning towards a nearby shop. Harry read the sign Eyelop's Owl Emporium. He hadn't gone to the shop when he and Severus had been there.

"Alright." Harry shrugged. "Do you need to buy something for your owl?"

"No I thought that we might purchase you your own owl." Dumbledore replied, smiling brightly.

"But sir surely I won't really need one since there's school owls I could use." Harry said trying to reason with him. Even though he had money now it didn't mean he would needlessly waste his money on expensive things.

"Consider it a birthday present my boy." Dumbledore told him with a negligent wave of his hand. "Besides once you make some friends, and I am sure that you will want to send them mail during the summer or Mail Order things while away at school."

Twenty minutes later they left with a snowy owl who Harry named Hedwig after thanking the older wizard profusely. He had felt an instant connection with her. Along with his new owl he had purchased her a wooden perch, dishes, roomy copper cage and a several boxes of owl treats. He also purchased a book on how to care for his owl. He had never had a pet before and he wanted to take care of her.

Harry, at Dumbledore's suggestion, purchased a mail pouch as well which was a leather pouch about three inches tall that would keep mail fresh and dry and would shrink whatever was placed inside to a certain extent. The recipient merely needed to tap it with their wand to open the pouch or they could command it to "Open". According to the clerk the last feature had been added for the benefit of the families of muggleborns and underage children.

---

​

"Harry there is something I must speak to you about." Severus said thinking about how to explain to Harry the role he had to play at Hogwarts. They were sitting in some comfortable chairs in his sitting room. Harry was working on writing with a quill while Severus was working on teaching plans for the upcoming year. Hedwig was perched on the back of her human's chair watching over him.

"What is it sir?" Harry asked, setting his quill inside of the ink well.

"There is something important I must tell you." Severus said taking a deep breath while rubbing his chin. "I-I need you to know this before school begins. Before and during my Hogwarts' years I was alone aside from your mother. I wore second hand clothes and didn't practice very good personal hygiene and I was bullied for it. It didn't help that I had been sorted into Slytherin which many considered the Dark house since many Pureblood supremacist came from Slytherin. The main instigators of the pranks played on me were a group that called themselves The Marauder's. They were made up of four Gryffindor boys named Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black and your father."

"My dad was a prankster?" Harry asked, always eager to learn more about his parents.

"Yes he was." Severus said, unable to prevent the small scowl from coming to his face. "Your father was usually pretty varied on his pranks but they could border on bullying."

"My dad was a bully?" Harry asked with a scowl of his own. While he hadn't had to deal a lot with bullying from his cousin and his gang since his Aunt had always got on to him about it he did see the others they did it to. Harry didn't like bullies. He thought them small minded and jealous of those around them. Most bullies did it to make themselves feel better.

Severus sighed. I can't believe I am going to be defending James Potter to his son.

His almost wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"I don't want you to think that your father was a bad person per say. He was the only child of a wealthy elderly couple and grew up very spoiled." Severus told him. "It didn't help that his best friend Sirius Black hated dark families with a passion since he came from one known for it's proud Dark heritage. Black was usually the more vicious in his pranks and your father usually didn't do much to block them. Black held a special disdain for me in his heart since I was friends with his best mate's crush. He simply loved to target me."

Severus paused before a mischievous smirk flashed across his face.

"That's not to say that it was entirely one sided though. I did get my fair of licks on them as well. Your father did eventually grow up to be the good man that your mother married after his older brother and sister-in-law were killed."

Ugh. Severus thought in disgust and amusement at himself. He might have partially moved on from the past and mostly got over what happened during his school years but James Potter would never be one of his favorite people. Sirius Black though, he hated with a passion; it made him almost giddy that Black was now rotting in Azkaban. The feeling was detracted by what actions had helped to put him there, Harry an orphan and Severus' best friend Lily dead.

"Over my years at Hogwarts I became bitter and spiteful. I even came close to permanently ruining the friendship your mother and I had shared since childhood. She caught me in a moment of weakness and I lashed out at her and called her a derogatory name used against muggleborns. Luckily your mother, for all her legendary temper, also had a kind heart and she eventually let me back in."

"What did you call her sir?" Harry asked, seeing the slightly haunted and sad look on Severus' face.

Severus' eyes searched him briefly before answering.

"I called her a mudblood." Severus whispered. "It is a slur that is a particularly nasty name meaning dirty blood. Some purebloods believe that muggleborns are trash compared to their long magical bloodlines. Their beliefs are only reinforced in their opinion as some muggleborns and muggle-raised try and introduce ideas from the muggle world. Never mind that their families once had to have been started by muggleborns."

Severus paused to take a sip of his tea.

"In my seventh year I was approached by a group of older Slytherin's and Ravenclaw's about a powerful wizard on the rise who was looking for wizards with power, intelligence and ingenuity. I was promised access to rare potions ingredients and access to state of the art labs after I gained my Potion's Mastery. I was informed that by working for this wizard I would be helping to make a new world for witches and wizards, one where we didn't have to hide away from muggles and where all magical beings would flourish.

At the time I despised muggles because of my own father Tobias, who was an abusive drunkard. I blamed him for my mother's death and I desired to lash out at those that I felt had wronged me. In my foolish pursuit of a an equal world I failed to see through the lies that were weaved around me. I thought that I was working towards a better world, one where people like my best friend wouldn't be looked down upon for being born outside of an established magical line. To my everlasting shame in my naivety I was used to do terrible things. I became one of the Dark Lord's followers, a Death Eater.

It was later, after achieving my Potions Mastery, that I saw this powerful wizard and his followers for what they were. They were murderers and bigots. They didn't want an equal world, they wanted a pureblood ruled world. Purebloods were to rule with half-bloods being second class citizens. Muggleborns, magical creatures and muggles would be killed or enslaved. I was asked to go on raids where innocent people were brutalized and murdered. Men, women, children it didn't matter to the monsters. They said that they strove to preserve magical blood but they killed many magical families reducing our population even more. All because they fought against the Dark Lord or refused to support him.

I was horrified and I ran to the one person I thought could help me, the Headmaster. He had already been the leader of the "Light" since the nineteen-fifties. He wasn't, and still isn't, a perfect man but he helped me even though what I had done disgusted him. He wished for me be a spy in the enemy's circle and I agreed. I was forced to do things that still haunt my dreams but I was able to help Dumbledore's side. After the Dark Lord was killed Albus helped me stay free from Azkaban Prison by announcing my role as a spy for the Light. Ever since I have taught Potions at Hogwarts and was later promoted to Head of Slytherin House."

Severus sighed wearily.

"Since it is unknown whether or not the Dark Lord is truly dead I have had to continue the charade of being a loyal Death Eater. At school I am spiteful and rude to those not in my house and constantly put them down, dock points and hand out detentions. It is not an act that I enjoy but it is a necessary evil. Once school begins I will have to act nastily towards you, since you are both the son of man I was known to hate and the reason for the Dark Lord disappearance. I don't want you to take what I say personally because I do not hate you. I will always be available to help you or if you just need someone to talk to. We'll just have to keep it private."

"I understand sir." Harry said after thinking about it. "It's not fair but it is what it is."

Severus nodded gratefully.

"For this purpose the Headmaster has given me a charm that can be added to your portkey necklace." Severus said. "It's a variation of the Notice-Me-Not charm and is password activated and deactivated. When in use people will not want to look at you. This doesn't mean that they can't hear or smell you though so you'll have to be careful. Let me see your necklace."

Harry quickly took it off, eager to see more magic.

"What would you like your passwords to be?" Severus asked.

Harry rubbed his chin in thought.

"Superman for on and Batman for off." Harry replied, blushing slightly.

Severus snorted. He had read the same comics when he was a boy.

"Very well." He said before laying his wand against the crystal and murmuring the spell. The crystal flashed three times before he removed his wand and handed it back. "Here. Give it a try."

Harry slipped it back over his neck before doing as instructed. They found that it worked perfectly and Harry grinned.

"Thank you sir." Harry said, slipping it under his shirt.

"Your letters and packages should start arriving tomorrow from the goblins." Severus said. "You might want to go and relax in your room."

Over the next couple of weeks Severus and Dumbledore helped Harry go through many letters and packages that had been left for him by grateful witches and wizards. Many of the packages were toys which he, Severus and Dumbledore figured he could donate to St. Mungo's Children's Ward. Some were age inappropriate gifts like Firewhiskey or dragon hide armor. He also received a deluxe potions kit with a set of finely made silver knives that he agreed to wait and use after he had learned more about Potions. It had apparently been sent by Horace Slughorn, the previous Potion Master and teacher at Hogwarts and Slytherin Head of House. Harry sent him a personal thank you note after Severus told him that his mother had been one of Slughorn's favorites.

The two adult wizards had explained that Slughorn liked to make connections with powerful and important people. While it could be annoying at times he was a great friend to have according to Dumbledore and had a lot of useful connections that might be helpful to him in the future. Another rare artifact found among his packages was a small round rune covered bowl known as a Projection Pensieve. It allowed the user to project their memories in the air instead of going inside of it. It could, however, only hold up to four memories at a time. Dumbledore had expounded on the virtues of owning the rare artifact as it greatly aided in the users recall.

Many of the packages also contained pre-made meals under preservation charms. Some of those were donated to St. Mungo's while the rest were given to a charity that helped feed poor witches and wizards. Harry had also sent a good number of them to the magical orphanages as he knew what it was like to be an orphan. Using a dictation quill Harry wrote thank you letters which was better than using a regular quill. He didn't want to think what his hand would have felt like if he hadn't.

---

​

"Wow." Harry said as he stepped out of the floo at Platform 9 ¾.

He looked around at the grand looking platform. The large red and gold train took up much of the platform but there were also several stalls arranged up and down the platform. Some sold food and drinks and he saw one for The Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly. The platform was extremely busy with many families bustling around. The floor were made of white marble and several golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Benches were evenly spaced around the platform along with some tables.

"Get your Daily Prophet here! Only five knuts!" He heard over the hoots, growls and hisses.

"Butterbeer! Only a thirteen knuts!"

"Sandwiches for six knuts!"

"Tureens of soup, a sickle steal!"

"Jason give your brother back his toad!"

"Come along." Severus said, gripping his left shoulder. Severus' appearance was transfigured to look like a brown haired, blue eyes man. His trademark nose was smaller which really changed his appearance.

"This seems to be pretty fancy just for the Hogwarts Express." Harry said.

"That's because this station is used for other magical trains as well as the Hogwarts Express throughout the year." Severus replied. "It's usually used by those who have large families or don't like to or cant apparate, take the Knight Bus or travel through the floo network."

Severus helped Harry pick an empty compartment towards the middle and slid his trunk onto the overhead wrack. Harry had a couple of books and games in his bag if he needed something to do. He also had a lunch that Tilly, sister of Milly, had forced upon him. She had told him that she included more than he could eat in case he made any friends on the train.

"Take care of yourself Harry and try to make some friends." Severus said, gripping his shoulders.

"Yes sir." Harry replied, offering him a smile.

"I will see you at school." Severus whispered. He offered his ward a nod before disapparating. Harry looked around the platform before shrugging. He bought himself a couple of butterbeers and a copy of the Daily Prophet before going back to his compartment.

"Hello." A tall, thin boy with spiky dark blond hair, tanned skin and strange amber eyes spoke up from the door. He didn't sound British and he was wearing an AC/DC long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans with his wand sticking out of his pocket. "Is it alright if I sit in here?"

"Sure." Harry told him with a shrug.

"Thanks." The boy said, pulling in what looked like a muggle leather suitcase on wheels. Harry got up and helped him put it on the wrack over the other seat and watched him tap it with his wand causing the suitcase to become a wooden trunk.

"Never get tired of watching that." The boy grinned before sticking his hand out. "I'm Terry Boot."

"Harry Potter." Harry replied cautiously, shaking his hand. He didn't really feel like being stared at for something he supposedly did as a baby. Luckily Terry didn't seem to know about his fame.

"Nice to meet you." Terry said before throwing himself into his seat.

"I hope you don't mind but where are you from?" Harry asked. "You don't sound British."

"Nah my family just moved here a couple of months ago." Terry gave a careless grin. "My mom is from here originally but she moved to the States where she met my dad. He's a First Generation and my mum's a Legacy."

"First generation? Legacy?" Harry asked confused.

Terry laughed before knocking himself upside the head with the palm of his hand.

"D'oh!" Terry grinned sheepishly. "What is called Muggleborn and Purebloods here. They have different names in the States, less discriminatory. Muggles here are called No-Maj's in the States and Sqeebs I think are called Middles or Magic-Locked."

"It's squibs I believe." Harry corrected him calmly. He was always interested in learning new things. Now that he knew that he was a wizard he had an entirely new world to explore.

Terry nodded, filing the information away for reference.

"I think I like the name Mundane better than Muggle." Harry said. "Muggle almost sounds like a slur."

"According to my mum my siblings and I are considered a half-bloods here." Terry said. "Didn't really make much difference back home."

"I'm a half-blood as well." Harry informed him. "My mum was a Muggleborn and my dad a Pureblood. How many siblings do you have?"

"Three, all sisters." Terry sighed despondently before sniggering. "The oldest is Cordelia, or Delia for short, she'll be coming to school next year, Samantha is seven and Marie is four. All of us are magical."

"It's just me." Harry said somewhat sadly. He would have liked to have had a sibling as long as they didn't act like Dudley.

"Didn't know I would be coming to Hogwarts, thought I'd be going to a school back home." Terry said. "My dad works at KTech company and got a transfer to their office in London. What about you?"

"I live with my relatives in Little Whinging in Surrey. The neighborhood is very boring. All the houses and the yards are the same." Harry replied. "My parents were killed in the last war."

"Sorry." Terry said flushing slightly.

"Don't worry about it." Harry said with a wave. "I don't really remember them. How long have you known you were a wizard?"

"All my life." Terry answered, more tha happy to steer the conversation away from uncomfortable subjects. "It's never been a really big deal since we do most things the mundane way. The magical world in the States is really closed linked with the mundane. Most witches and wizard don't wear robes except for the members of the Council of Wizards, the magical congress. Pretty much everyone knows how to blend in and live in the mundane world."

"Nice." Harry said. "I just found out that I'm a wizard. My Aunt and Uncle are mundanes."

"Want to try out an M-Boy?" Terry asked. "Their similar to muggle Game Boys but are produced using magic. Some first generation witches and wizards built a company around making magical devices that mimic mundane devices. You can barely tell the difference. They have magical TVs and everything."

Terry opened his trunk and pulled out a two foot wide plastic case. Grinning Terry set it on the seat. When he opened Harry could see two square plastic devices about five inches across. Sitting beside them were several crystal squares.

"The crystals hold the different games." Terry told him. "You just slide it into a player and the second can pick it up."

"Wicked." Harry grinned as he opened the second one.

---

​

Harry gazed around the Great Hall with barely hidden awe and wonder. Even reading about it in Hogwarts: A History, which apparently another student had read and was quoting, hadn't done it justice. Looking up at the Head table he caught Dumbledore's eye who gave him a wink. Harry's attention was grabbed as the Sorting Hat seem to gain a rip in it's fabric before it began to sing.

Weird. Harry thought. He had never thought he would ever see a singing hat. When the song ended he clapped along with everyone else. He zoned out a lot of names but focused when Terry was sorted into Ravenclaw.

"Potter, Harry." He heard Professor McGonagall call out. Taking a deep breath he stepped forward, walking to the seat. Sitting down he allowed the Professor to place the hat on his head.

"Interesting, very interesting." Harry heard the hat murmur causing him to jump slightly. "Plenty of courage I see and not a bad mind either. You also clearly value cunning and ambition and have a thirst to prove yourself. How about Slytherin?"

Not Slytherin. Harry thought remembering the talk he and Professor Snape had had.

"Not Slytherin eh?" The hat replied before humming. "No perhaps not. Professor Snape was right about you not really being too welcome in that house. It's a sad state of affairs when a student isn't considered welcome. Still, Slytherin could have made you great."

A house does not make one great; it is up to the person to do that. Harry argued. I will not let my house define me.

The hat chuckled.

"Finely argued. Perhaps Hufflepuff? You have plenty of loyalty but then again perhaps it's not the House for you. Your sense of caution will do you well in life. But what is this...something buried deep inside of you. A deep well of ambition, a great thirst for knowledge and power. You live by the creed that 'Knowledge is Power'. Beware that your thirst for them does not consume you or you could become that which murdered your parents. The Wizarding World cannot stand another Dark Lord so soon. By all means pursue your dreams but do not forget your values either." The hat told him. "I hope you find a new home in...Ravenclaw!"

Raucous applause burst from the Ravenclaw table. Harry frowned slightly as he thought about the hat's words as he took of the hat and walked over to join Terry at the Ravenclaw table. Terry reached up and high-fived him before he sat down. Right then Harry swore to never forget who he was. He wouldn't become like his parent's murderer but he also wouldn't let others walk all over him.

"Glad you're here." Terry smirked.

"Me too." Harry smiled.

"What do you think –"

The Slytherin table applauded as the last first year was sorted.

The sound of a fork tapping against a glass goblet rang through the Great Hall as the Headmaster stood, arms stretched out with a smile.

"Good evening." Professor Dumbledore said, his powerful voice reaching the entirety of the hall. "For those of you who don't know who I am, I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of this fine institution. For those of you joining us for the first time I welcome you, for those who are returning, welcome back. Before we begin, what I am sure, will be a sumptuous feast I must inform you of some announcements first. Firstly I would like to welcome this years Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Quirnius Quirrell who has taught Muggle Studies here for the last four years and has decided to try his hand at Defense."

He paused briefly for applause. Quirrell stood and gave a bow and a small smile before quickly sitting back down. Harry gave his turban a weird look but didn't give it anymore mind.

"Taking over his post as Professor of Muggle Studies is a new addition to the staff, Professor Charity Burbage."

A stocky witch with blond hair, blue eyes and blushing cheeks stood up and waved enthusiastically while the students politely applauded.

"Yes, welcome Professor Burbage." Professor Dumbledore smiled and nodded to her. His face turned slightly stern but if you looked closely enough you could see an amused look in his eyes. "I wish to remind all students that Forbidden Forest, is strictly that, forbidden to all students unaccompanied by a member of the Hogwarts faculty. The forest is a dangerous place even for a fully trained witch or wizard so be sure to heed my warnings. Any one caught in or trying to go in the forest will be harshly punished."
Harry could see Professor McGonagall glaring at students at her house table while Professor Snape watched his own darkly.

"The third floor corridor on the the right side is closed this year due to needing several repairs. Several wards and spells have deteriorated around the area and so it has been blocked off. Any students attempting to enter the corridor will be punished since it is unsafe. Now for the feast. Dig in!"

"Hi, I'm William Fox." An brown haired boy who's brown eyes looked out from behind silver square rimmed glasses. "Call me Will."

"Harry Potter." Harry replied, shaking his hand firmly.

"I'm Marcus Throughgood." The black haired, blue eyed wizard next to him said. He was slightly chubby and had several bunches of freckles on his face. "This lug's best mate."
Marcus thumped Will on the back causing him to drop a drumstick he was holding into his mash potatoes and gravy.

"Keep telling yourself that." Will muttered as he used his napkin to try and clean his robes. A nearby older student took pity on him and cleaned them with a quick spell getting a grateful nod from the brown haired boy.

The rest of Harry's house mates introduced themselves. Kevin Entwhistle was a black haired boy with black eyes. Harry thought he was little stuck up but kept his opinion to himself. Steven Cornfoot was tall for his age and enjoyed playing muggle football. Michael Corner didn't say much, mostly sticking to himself. Cecil Daniels was short, had short black hair and blue eyes covered mostly by his glasses.

---

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Harry grinned as he followed Terry into the the Ravenclaw common room.

"Wow." He heard Terry mutter.

The Ravenclaw common room was magnificent. It was clearly larger on the inside than it seemed to be on the outside. Tall bookshelves bulging with books lined all of the walls. Large comfy lounging chairs and couches were scattered around the entire room alongside several large and small wooden tables. Large floor to ceiling windows allowed natural light to illuminate the room during the day while fireplaces placed evenly around the common room warmed and illuminated it at night alongside strange globular lights similar to the ones at Prince Manor in the place of torches. Harry had to admit that he liked them better than torches since they put out more light. He absentmindedly wondered why the entire castle didn't have them.

"Welcome home first years. I am Penelope Clearwater. This is our main common room used for hanging out with your friends and resting." The fifth year prefect, said. Her long, dirty blond hair was tied back and her blue eyes were stern. "This is the first floor. The second floor contains the dormitories and bathrooms. The third floor is exclusively devoted to studying."

The male prefect next to her then took over. He was tall and skinny with short brown hair and grey eyes.

"Hello everyone I am Bill Warner the other fifth year prefect." He said, offering them a smile. "We also have a classroom set up connected to the study room where you are allowed to practice spells under supervision. If you need any help you can come to me or the other prefects. Now I'll hand things over to our Head of House."

Professor Flitwick was a short man with graying brown hair and a bushy mustache. Laugh lines crinkled around his eyes showing him to be a man of good humor.

"Thank you Ms. Clearwater, Mr. Warner. Welcome First years to Ravenclaw House." The teacher said in his slightly squeaky voice. "I am Professor Filius Flitwick your Head of House and Charms teacher. I have headed Ravenclaw for twenty-three years now and I am still delighted to see the first years I get every year. I just wished to make a couple of announcements before allowing you all to go to bed. Curfew for first through third years is nine-thirty in the common room and ten-thirty is time for lights out. I will give you your schedules tomorrow here in the common room."

Flitwick waved his wand causing a clipboard to float into a his hand.

"Here in Ravenclaw we do things different when it comes to housing. In any other house you would bunk with all others of the same sex in your year. In Ravenclaw the dorms are broken up into double rooms with a shared bathroom. This person is usually considered to be your study partner so if you are not satisfied who you are staying with you can ask for a transfer. The door to your rooms are keyed to only allow entry to the occupants, prefects and teachers. You need to place your wands against your name plate to key you in the first time. You can have others in your rooms but you must allow them in, they cannot open the door themselves. Also instead of heaters the Ravenclaw dorms have temperature charms on them that automatically change to suit your preference. Now I will read off your dorm assignments..."

Flitwick read down the list assigning them their rooms.

"...and last but not least Harry Potter and Terry Boot."

Terry raised a brow at Harry who nodded. He was fine with the arrangement.

Harry followed Terry up the stairs until they reached their door room. Terry Boot and Harry Potter was done in two square brass plates. Taking out his wand he placed the tip on the plate. He saw Terry do the same beside him. He felt a brief surge of magic before it died down.

"That's a cool looking wand." Terry commented.

Harry smirked.

"Yeah it works really well for me." Harry said.

"You already know some spells?" Terry asked.

"Just a few that I was shown this summer." Harry admitted. "They've all worked really well for me though."

"Could you show me sometime?" Terry asked. "I have a few that I can show you as well."

"Sure." Harry shrugged before opening their door.

The rooms was fairly good sized, definitely the result of an expansion charm. Looking inside of them they could see a four-poster bed with blue curtains and blankets with a night stand beside it near a good sized window, also with blue curtains. At the end of the bed sat a good sized wooden desk with many drawers, a small reading lamp, and a comfy looking chair, a four shelved bookshelf sat beside it. On the farthest wall was a wardrobe.

The floor was actually done in wood and there was a blue and gold rug taking up a good portion of the floor. They were lit by the globular lights like the common room. On the wall between his and Terry's room was a door. Opening it he looked inside. There were two shower stalls, two bathroom stalls and two sinks with just enough room beside them to fit two tall cabinets. Harry was happy that their rooms had their own doors as he liked his privacy.

"Do you mind if I call my owl Hedwig in here to stay?" Harry asked.

"Nah that's cool as long as you clean up after her." Terry replied. "I'm thinking of getting an iguana next year. I check the rules and it said that only first years have to bring a cat, owl or toad. After that, with special permission, you can bring others."

"Cool." Harry replied, trying out the word for himself.

Opening his trunk he pulled out the wooden perch he had bought Hedwig along with the food and water dish. Putting the tip of his wand into the water bowl he whispered, "Aquamenti!"

Water left his wand in fast stream, quickly filling it up. Taking out one of his boxes of owl treats he placed several in the food dish. Opening the window Harry placed his wand against his mouth and whistled sharply before flicking his wand causing the sound to fly out of the window in a cloud of silver motes.

A minute later Hedwig flew into the room, landing on her perch.

"Evening girl." Harry said, reaching over and scratching her crest feathers causing her to chirrup softly. "You can go and come from here as much as you like girl."

Terry stepped into the room causing Hedwig's eyes to snap over to him sharply.

"Hedwig this is Terry, my roommate." Harry told her. She eyed him for several seconds before bobbing her head.

"Wow she's beautiful man." Terry told him.

"I got her at Eyelop's this summer." Harry said. "She was the best owl there of course."

Hedwig seemed to puff up proudly causing Harry to snigger. She briefly nibbled his finger gently before she flew back out the window.

"Probably going hunting for her supper." Harry commented.

Harry watched as Terry put up several moving posters on the wall with a tap of his wand.

"They have a small sticking charm on them." Terry told him at his curious look. Harry nodded as he was looking at a group of people flying on brooms with lightning flashing in the background.

"That's my favorite American Quidditch team. The Thunderer's." Terry informed him. "Quidditch isn't quite as popular back home, Quodpot is the newest craze. It's got a pretty good sized league."

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A/N: I wanted to portray my Dumbledore as more of a helpful grandfather like figure instead of the manipulative old man he appears to be in a lot of fics. Portraits in my story know everything that their "real self" knew when they were alive, can form their own opinions, learn and behave as the person would have when they were alive because they have a very tiny sliver of the subjects soul inside of it. Not enough to tether them to the living world and the soul would heal quickly.