AN: Here's the next chapter and I still have no idea when I'll be moving... I've restarted the poll, so if you voted and hedwig wasn't one of the options then you'll want to go recast your vote. BTW the Lily last chapter was Lily Moon, not Evans. Thanks to lilyevans12681998 for the help with this chapter, she is the best EVER!
Harry laid on his back atop his bed, his hand stretched out and grasping for the ceiling as he gazed up at the long and thin, yet incredibly sturdy chain that was entwined between his fingers that led down to his wrist where it spiraled around his forearm until it reached his elbow. The old man named Ollivander had said that the silver chain that had flashes of blue and black in it was one of the only metals in the world that had the ability to channel magic, and that it was a product of a joint effort on the part of the goblins and dwarves.
Harry had felt a deep connection to his foci from the first time he had laid eyes on it as it sat in the back of Ollivander's shop gathering dust. And yet, whenever he casted spells with the piece of expertly made silverwork, he couldn't escape the feeling that he wasn't getting quite enough 'umph' into the energy powering the spell. It was like he had so much more magic to give each incantation, but that he was somehow being limited from giving more.
When he had told Gellert as much, the man had told him that it was nonsense and that all of his spells so far had been if anything too powerful that for him to be able to cast with the seal on was something he had never seen before and that he needed to learn more control so as to not waste valuable magic. However, Harry couldn't escape the feeling that the man was hiding something about the occurrence. Maybe it was an effect of his clashing natures that he couldn't push through more magic, or perhaps it was something more simple, like the seal that had been placed on him to hide away his powers was somehow effecting his control and spell casting.
Harry's musing over the subject came to an end when a voice he had not been ready for reached his ears.
"The more I observe you, the more plausible I find it that you have fairy blood in your veins." Harry chuckled at the unexpected intrusion. Like was normal for the man, Gellert had been able to sneak up on Harry without giving away his presence. This time he had managed to get past the boy's shut and locked bedroom door without having to open it to gain entry. "Lying in bed as you look at something shiny is the type of behavior one would expect from the descendants of the Queen of Fae."
Harry smiled, clasping his hand he made the chain tighten around his flesh. As was usual, Gellert was right; he was fascinated by the 'something shiny'.
"You know," Harry said letting his arm go dead, dropping it to his side as he turned his head to look at the man, "popping up in my bedroom is vastly creepier now that you've come out of the closet to me." It was now Gellert's turn to let a small chuckle escape.
The day they had gone to Diagon Alley and sequently met the Malfoys (a family that he now loved), Gellert had invited a man over that if possible was as old as he was and yet possessed the same air of youth that Gellert had always exhibited. It was like they were opposite sides of the same coin, both of them able to give off a feeling of raw, undiluted power while acting as if what the weather on that day would be the most important piece of knowledge you would ever need. Though admittedly, Gellert seemed to act more seriously when tying his shoes than the colorfully dressed man with the knee length beard, could ever hope to be.
When the man arrived Harry had been excited to learn that their guest was Albus Dumbledore, the man who was mentioned as many times in the books he had bought in Diagon Alley than Gellert had been. But all his anticipation to converse with the man, and for the rest of the evening ahead died away when before his very eyes the ancient man had leaned into the equally ancient Gellert and gave him a passionate kiss. Harry's mind had literally went blank, for how long he didn't know, but when he had regained some semblance of brain function the duo of senior citizens were still going at it like two hormonal teenagers.
The resulting talk was long on Harry. It seemed that Gellert had been making due with nightly visits with his longtime lover by way of Phoenix since he had started traveling with Harry when he was four years old. This coupled with the fact that the man had been keeping other huge secrets from Harry all his life had the boy questioning if he truly knew the man at all. It was after many hours of discussion, and Gellert breaking down and giving him a drink called Fire Whiskey that he was finally able to wrap his head around this new piece of information about the man who had raised him.
He had realized that the man's sexual preference made him no different than he had been that morning. He was still the same person who had taken care of Harry for as long as he could remember and the man who had taught him a great many a thing. If Harry were to be honest with himself, it actually made a lot of sense. Gellert while being on in years had always had an abundance of young women that would throw themselves at him where ever it was they would go. And yet, every time he would receive an offer the man would turn them down without hesitation.
"Are all of your belongings packed? We will be apparating to the platform in a few seconds time." Harry didn't say anything; instead he pointed to where his second trunk sat in a corner of the room. "Are you not planning on bringing any of your other things, like your guitar?" Gellert asked searching the room for any sign of the boy's favorite instrument.
"Everything I'm taking has been shrunk and packed." Harry answered as he rolled to the edge of the bed and over, he landed lightly on his feet and made his way over to his desk where his sketchbook and coal pencils were kept. "I'll be using the duration of the train ride as a way to get some ideas out of my head and on to the page," he said, holding up the leather bound book where he kept his most treasured pieces of work.
"Then let us be off." Gellert watched with a sense of pride as the boy made the smallest of motions with his hand, shrinking his trunk before pocketing it. He and Albus both had been amazed when he had come to them and showed that even with the seal still in place that he was able to cast basic spells. Neither man had seen someone do as such; it was both frightening and astonishing to see. "Take my hand." He ordered.
Doing as he said to, Harry placed his hand in the man's and erected his still new mental shields just in time to lessen the feeling of being forced through a straw.
Flawlessly the duo landed on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. All across the platform were numerous groups of people saying goodbye to loved ones as around them children and teenagers were running and greeting friends that they had not seen since the last school year had ended.
Harry was absorbed in creature gazing when Gellert took him lightly by the arm and steered him away from the apparition point. They stopped behind one of the many pillars holding up the cover on the platform and out of sight of the majority of the station.
Leaning down, Gellert said in a voice that Harry was only just able to hear over the hustle and bustle of all the different people. "Have a safe trip; I'll see you tonight at the sorting."
Surprise washed over Harry's features as he looked up at the older man. "You'll be there - at the sorting?" His mental shields down now that the trip to their location was over, his emotions were not only showing on his face but were clearly projected in his voice, allowing Gellert to hear how relieved he was.
"Yes I will be," Gellert replied letting his own shields down as well, hoping to comfort the perturbed boy with his calming voice. "All the parents who have children that will be going through a creature awakening are allowed to attend. So you have nothing to worry about. If anything is to go wrong, though with whom your parents were I highly doubt you'll have anything to worry about, but just in case I'll be there for you." Harry beamed up at the man who he saw as a grandfather. Unable to keep his excitement down he lunged out faster than Gellert could stop him and hugged the man. Gellert was taken aback for only a second before he returned the gesture in kind.
Gellert gazed over the crowd with the precision of a hawk demon when he heard someone shout, "There they are!" He quickly spotted a large group of reporters who had been standing by the fireplaces made for flooing onto the platform. It was their unfortunate luck that they had hidden in a place where the flooing area was in direct view to the group. At the head of the gathering of now running journalist was the vile creature known as Rita Skeeter, her eyes fixed solely on Harry as her Quick-Quotes Quill trailed along in the air behind her like a winged puppy.
"Hurry up and get on the train if you want to avoid the oncoming storm," he told Harry as he released him from the hug. The boy glanced over his shoulder and felt his eyes widen at the stampeding group.
"Alright I'll see you tonight," he said quickly. He dashed across the station and toward the train weaving in and out of families and students alike. Harry could feel part of the reporters break off from the rest to start coming after him, while the other half continued on their course to Gellert who was already turning in place and disappearing. By the time those who had chosen to come after him had made their way through the same people Harry had passed in-between, he had already bounded up the stairs leading onto the Hogwarts Express and was in search of a place to sit.
It was still fairly early making it easy for Harry to find an empty compartment to claim as his own. With his trunk shrunk and in his pocket he had no need to place it up in the storage racks, which meant that he was free to start on his sketches right away. With his back placed against the wall facing the entrance to the compartment and his feet in the seat so as to use his knees as press for his sketchbook, he set to work on some of his already started pieces that he had been unable to find time to finish in the past month.
Since learning of the magic world he had found many a muse to fuel his creativity, the first sketch he had made after seeing magic for the first time was of Gellert's patronus. The Sphinx's almond shaped eyes had been burned into his mind along with the rest of its majestic beauty. Harry had failed to get any sleep that night; he had been too busy drawing her glowing form in so many different ways.
It was as he was trying to decide between two of his already started works that a knock came at the door. Glancing away from the drawn females in his book, he found himself staring at young redhead with the most amazing green eyes. He was amazed that her peaches-and-cream skin was devoid of any freckles, the only thing gracing her cheeks was a light blush that appeared when she met his eyes.
Realizing that he was being incredibly rude by staring at the pretty girl as she stood there waiting for him to give her the go ahead to come in or tell her to leave, Harry hastily jumped to his feet and opened the door for her with a friendly smile. "Hello."
"Hi," she greeted back brightly. "I know this will come off as very unusual, but I was looking for an empty compartment, when I came to the realization that if I were to find one, then I'd not only be nervous, but lonely as well. That's when I saw you sitting in here alone and thought that you might like some company. Would you mind terribly if I were to stay in here with you?" He could feel the nervousness in her words and it made his smile widen.
"Not at all," he said taking a step back to allow her access to the compartment. "My name's Harry by the way."
"Lily Evans," she replied taking a seat right next to him once he was seated.
Before anything else could be said between the two, they heard a high pitched squeal and screams coming from outside the compartment door. Harry stood up planning to see what was happening just as a pretty, curly haired blonde with sheep horns curling out of both sides of her head ran by their compartment door window, laughing and letting out excited and playful screams. Seconds later a tall dark skinned boy who had what looked suspiciously like wolf-ears popping up out of his mane of wild gray hair passed by as well, grinning like a mad man as he gave chase.
Not sure what else to do Harry sat back down and looked over at a blank faced Lily. Seconds passed and before either of them knew why they had broken out in laughter and giggles. The randomness of the moment they had just shared got to the two preteens.
"Even the simplest of things are amazing when it deals with magic," Lily commented as her giggling died down, letting out a small sigh. Harry nodded his agreement.
"You're right, it seems like every time I think I've gotten everything figured out about the world around me, something new and exciting pops up."
Lily gave him a slightly surprised look as he picked up his sketch book and set to work. "I don't know why, but for some reason I had expected you to have come from a magical background... You give off an air of self-confidence that I'd expect from someone who's spent their entire life around magic."
Harry chuckled as he opened his book to where incomplete pictures of Fleur and Hedwig were. "You can say that, though I had no idea about the magical world until little over a month ago. Both of my parents were magical beings, but I was raised without knowledge of what they were or of the hidden world around me," he confided to the redhead. When telling her this he had not been expecting to earn a look of understanding from the girl.
"It's not spot on, but my own story is similar," Lily confessed softly, suddenly finding her clasped hands interesting. "It came as huge shock to me when I found out that not only was I adopted but a witch as well. It was more of the latter that got to me, as I had figured out the first over a year ago on my own. It wasn't exactly hard to work out really; you see my parents and sister Petunia all possess blonde hair and blue eyes." Harry wasn't sure why the girl was telling him all this, but he said nothing to dissuade her from sharing her story. He was guessing that she had few people that she could talk about all this with, and it was more than likely all of those people were the ones who this story pertained to.
"Then to add even more to the pile, when I was getting my robes my family and I found out that at least one of my birth parents had creature blood in him or her." Lily continued to gaze down at her hands as she went on with her story. "All of this would be fine; it's just that I feel like my sister resents me for what I am and what I could possibly be."
"That... that sounds terrible," he admitted. Seeing that she looked down he decided to share more with her as well. "If it makes you feel any better I learned about the existence of magic from my adoptive grandfather when he sent a hulking fireball at me. Instead of hitting me it hit my bed, burning it to a crisp and if that wasn't enough he sent a glowing sphinx at me that he cast a spell on to make me practically fall in love with it... Oh, and I also found out that he's into men, when he and his life partner started making out in front of me." As he finished his story Harry noticed that Lily, who was still staring at her hands, was biting her bottom lip in an attempt to keep from laughing.
"Go ahead, laugh it up," he said in a serious tone as he barely contained his own laughter. "I'd like to see you witness two century old men copping feels on one another and walk away without any mental scarring." It was as he finished speaking that Lily lost her fight with her laughter making Harry follow seconds after.
Draco, Hedwig, and Fleur found them this way, leaning against each other, his sketch book laying forgotten in the floor as he and the unknown redhead shook from their laughter.
"Hello Harry," Hedwig greeted him pleasantly as she took up the spot next to him. Fleur grabbed Harry's book from the floor and set next to Draco, who was staring at Lily with a small blush tinting his cheeks.
"Hey guys," Harry greeted as he set up and smiled at the group. "This is my new friend Lily," he said indicating the redhead next to him. "Lily these are my friends Hedwig, Draco, and Fleur." Like he had for her, Harry pointed each person out to Lily. When he reached Fleur he went silent as he realized what it was that she had in her hands.
"It's nice to meet you all," Lily said unaware of what was going on with her friend.
The only person to notice that something was bothering Harry was Hedwig who was looking between Harry and the leather bound book in Fleur's hands that he was fixated on. Rising to her feet Hedwig made her way over to her sister and sat next to her, joining her in gazing at their friend's beautiful work.
"When did the two of you meet?" Draco asked Harry without paying attention to his sisters as they let out small gasps at the book's contents.
"Just a little while ago," Harry answered absentmindedly. His eyes had yet to leave the book Fleur was holding.
He was worried how the sisters would react when they saw the last two pages that he had worked on, both of the unfinished pieces were of them and he hadn't told them about his drawings or that he was using them for one. Hedwig's was of when she had found her foci at Olivander's. When she had picked up the rune covered feather that was made out of the same material as Harry's own foci, the room had filled with a light breeze before numerous snow-white feathers appeared all around the room. The sight had been amazing to behold and ever since Harry had been sketching it, attempting to get it just right and make it as beautiful as the actual scene had been.
Fleur's was much simpler but was nonetheless just as beautiful. After meeting the Malfoys for the first time the family had invited Harry and Gellert over many times. The picture was one of Fleur laughing after she, Harry, and Hedwig had watched Draco wipeout trying to do tricks on his flying carpet. Her smile had held the same effect for him as the sphinx and when Hedwig had bonded with her foci.
"Harry," Lily said gaining his attention by laying her small hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm just..." He trailed off as the two girls turned onto the dreaded page. There was a moment of stillness on both their parts that made Harry wonder if they were going to think of him as some kind of stalker and flip out on him.
"Did you draw these?" Hedwig asked tearing her eyes away from her picture focusing her piercing amber orbs on him.
Harry sent her a small, bashful nod. "I tend to draw scenes and people that get stuck in my head," he told her truthfully as he watched the group fawn over his sketches.
"They're stunning," Lily gasped in amazement. Draco took one look at how his sisters had been drawn before sending Harry a raised eyebrow that slowly turned into an evil smirk.
"Don't I get a picture as well?" Draco wore a smug look that irritated and amused Harry at the same time.
Harry let out an obviously fake and sarcastic laugh. "I only place my more important works in there," he informed him, gaining his own smug look. "But if you have a napkin or a piece of bathroom tissue on you, I'll be more than willing to render a picture of a donkey in your likeness."
"Belt up, tosser!" Draco quipped, only to be cut off by Fleur who lightly smacked his shoulder before he could say more.
"Harry, these are..." Fleur shook her head trying to find a word to do them justice. "Breathtaking! The amount of detail in each drawing is beyond astonishing to see. It's almost like each one is alive, I wouldn't be surprised if you told me there was an animation spell on each piece."
Harry gave a soft smile, relieved that the girls hadn't taken the pictures in the wrong way. "Thank you, I put a lot of time and effort into each piece I draw, so that every one of them conveys a story with a single glance, and numerous others the more time you spend gazing at them."
Fleur smiled as she nodded her understanding of his words. Closing the leather bound sketchbook, she got up and sat by his side. "I hope in the future you'll let me see more of drawings," she said handing it back to him.
"I'd like that."
The remainder of the ride was spent talking amongst the group of five. In this time Harry took advantage of having the girls near to finish his sketches of Fleur and Hedwig and start one of Lily once he received her excited consent. Harry however, wasn't the only one to use the time for more than just simple chatting. Lily used the time to ask the other four questions about things she hadn't been able to gain knowledge of from the books she had purchased in Diagon Alley. Surprisingly it was Harry who was the biggest help out of those gathered. He had only known of the magical world for a little under a month and a half, but already he knew as much as most children who had been raised in it... almost.
There were still things that when he learned about them that threw him for a loop, one example of this was the fact that it wasn't uncommon for men to have more than one wife. He had learned this after he had seen a picture of Narcissa's family. The woman had two sisters, both of which were completely human and had been mothered by her father's first wife, with her mother being his second. He had asked if the same right of having more than one spouse was given to women and had found out that that they were, but that it was rare for any female outside the race of demons called succubus to embrace such a life style.
Harry, followed closely by the others, stepped off the train onto the crowded Hogsmeade station platform. All of them with the exception being Fleur had on what were called awakening suits. Each one was made of leather that had been charmed to grow with its wearer.
Right away Harry caught sight of the half giant he had first met at Gringotts, Hagrid, waving a lantern and calling out for all first years to come to him.
"I'll see you four up at the school soon, have fun," Fleur said in way of farewell sending them a small wave. Turning she headed for a group of three girls, two who were wearing matching black robes with the Ravenclaw house crest upon their chest while the other wore the Gryffindor crest as Fleur did. Harry watched as all four climbed into a carriage that was hooked up to strange, leathery-skinned horses with giant bat-like wings.
"Come on Harry," Lily said, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward where all the other first years were gathered; Hedwig and a putout looking Draco following close behind.
Hagrid greeted Harry like an old friend, asking him how he had been and the like, before leading the entire group nervous first years to a fleet of large rowboats. Harry and those he had sat with on the train were joined by a set of twin girls who held hands the entire trip across the lake.
Once they had docked and had safely gotten out of the boats, Hagrid once again lead the group to where they needed to go, this time to two ancient doors that were double the half giant's height. Even with the man's impressive size it still shocked the entire group to see him open the entrance with such ease. Their shock quickly shifted to awe as they caught their first look at the colossal Entrance Hall. The ceilings that would take multiple people Hagrid's height standing on each other's shoulders to reach, the way the pillars and the large set of stairs leading up into the castle all looked to be carved from one piece of stone, and the towering suits of armor and the moving portraits that covered almost every inch of every wall. It all left the group of first years in awe, even those who were from the magical world and had seen things like it couldn't deny that Hogwarts was an amazing sight.
A chuckling Hagrid showed the group of speechless first years to a side chamber, telling them that another professor would soon come to brief them prior to the awakening.
"I'm so nervous," Lily said to the group as she hopped up and down in place to burn some of her nervous energy. "I'm so worried about what I'll turn out to be." Hedwig nodded in understanding as she shifted subtly from foot to foot.
"I know what you mean," Hedwig admitted quietly. "I had no way of knowing who or what my parents were. Before I came to live with my family I was found in Kielder Forest without any memory of whom I was. The only reason I've known for so long that I have creature blood in me is that a healer was the one to find me. She casted a number of spells on me to see if I was alright and just happen to stumble across signs of my nature in one of her scans." Harry knew what the girls were feeling but didn't want to reveal anything at the moment so settled for giving them both understanding looks.
Dumbledore had come to him not long after their first meeting and brought up the issue of whether or not he wished to continue to keep his mother's species a secret, or if he wanted it to be common knowledge what he and his ancestors were. The ancient man had given him both advantages and disadvantages to both choices, with the added message that he wouldn't force him to do either, that now that he was aware of the risk and gains of both it was his right as the last of his kind to go down the path that he so desired.
Harry had been unsure of what to do and after hours of debating with himself had eventually asked Gellert what he thought his mother would have wanted of him. Gellert had told him that Susan had hated having to hide what she was, but that if he truly wanted to know more about what she would have thought of the subject that he should ask Narcissa as she was one of the few who knew of his mother's nature.
He remembered the soft smile she had worn when he asked her about his dilemma; it was so caring and nurturing that he had wondered if that was how his own mother would have looked at him had she still been alive.
Narcissa, just as Gellert had, told him that his mother resented her family for all of the traditions and restraints they tried to place her under and that she had once told her that she was entertaining the idea of telling the public what she was. This had been the deciding factor for Harry. If Susan had been thinking of telling the world what she and their family were then why shouldn't he?
It was already set with Albus, at the awakening they would see what would happen and move on from there. There was a chance that he wouldn't gain any Elven like characteristics or those of a demon; then again there was just as much chance he could gain both. There just wasn't enough information to know what was going to happen.
"So is Harry Potter here or not?" Called a pompous voice from the middle of the gathered students.
Harry, Hedwig and Draco all looked for who it was that had spoken so obnoxiously. As he searched for the owner of the annoying voice he saw that Lily was staring at him with surprise filling her emerald colored eyes; it was obvious that one of the things she had learned from the books she had bought was his name and what he was famous for. He sent her a small nod to answer her unasked question, but held his finger to his lips asking her to keep it a secret. He was relieved to see her surprise give way to an understanding smile as she nodded to keeping quiet.
"No, then," said a boy who walked directly by Harry and his group as he commanded the rooms attention. "I don't blame him for not wanting to show up; I'd be ashamed too if I had been raised by what he has."
"What did you say?" Harry asked stepping forward upon the boy's slight against Gellert.
The sandy haired boy sneered as he gave Harry a once over. "What do you care if I insult Potter and his prick lovi-" The rest of his words were cut off when Harry's fist flashed out catching him straight in the mouth, sending him to the floor where he stayed. His actions earned him screams from those who were frightened by such a sudden act of violence and even a few laughs from some who enjoyed what he had done. Before anything could be said or done Professor, McGonagall entered the room to see him standing over the unconscious boy.
"Mr. Potter," she said placing her stern glare onto Harry. There was a collective gasp to travel through the group of first years at the revelation of who he was and the realization of why he had done what he had. Ignoring the students' surprise McGonagall continued to focus on Harry. "Do you mind telling me what has happened to this young man?"
"He was trying to show off in front of everyone and got hurt doing so," Harry answered her, while thinking, 'Technically not a lie!' McGonagall looked down at the boy once more and saw that it was Theodore Nott, upon hearing his story and knowing of the boy's reputation she nodded. Pulling her wand out she levitated him to her side, giving the group a warning to not copy the boy's actions she turned and left to take Theodore to the school nurse.
"You two are going to be trouble," Hedwig commented, giving him a disapproving look that Harry could tell she was forcing as a way to keep her approval of his actions hidden. "You may not be so lucky as to get away without punishment next time, use discretion in the future."
"Spoken like a true Slytherin," Draco commented in obvious pride for his sister. "Though I have to say it blew my mind at how fast that hit was. I heard it more than I saw it. That physical training with Gellert must have really of paid off." Harry simply nodded that it had.
"Are you alright Harry?" Lily asked as she lightly took his hand in hers, exposing where his hand had been cut on the boy's teeth. "You're bleeding," she pointed out sounding upset.
"Its fine, Lily, no need to fret." Ignoring the glare he had no idea why Draco was sending him, Harry placed his free hand on top of his injured one, being sure to come into contact with his chain he whispered the minor healing spell he had read about. "Episkey!" Lily released a small gasp when she felt his entire hand heat up as a result of the casted healing spell. Pulling his hand away he showed the group his knuckles to be free of any marring wounds. "See, good as new."
Seeing the wound was in fact gone, Hedwig and Lily had looked to each other wide eyed. They were aware that it should have been impossible for him to cast magic as the seal cut off even accidental magic.
As his friends inspected his hand for any sign of its previous wound McGonagall entered the room once again. "Now then, my name is Professor McGonagall, and I will be teaching you Transfiguration during your years here at Hogwarts."
"Soon you will all be sorted into one of the four houses of Hogwarts, and half of that will go through the true awakening process. First however, before any of this takes place, I will tell you about the houses here at Hogwarts and what they stand for. There is Hufflepuff, the house of those who are loyal and hardworking to the end. Ravenclaw, home to those who hold knowledge and its pursuit above all else. Slytherin is where those who are cunning and ambitious go to grow. And finally Gryffindor, home of those who show courage and daring in the face of what others flee from."
"The badger, the eagle, the snake, and the lion. Each has been the home to many a great and powerful beings. It is your choice if you will be one of those whose name will be remembered forever and always. Welcome to Hogwarts School for Magical Beings. May you use your time here wisely."
The chamber teemed with awe filled silence. All of the nervous energy that had been coming off the first years in waves was now replaced with a need and want to prove that they were worthy. To be one of those whose name would go down in history and make whatever house they were to be sorted into proud to call them a member.
"Follow me." McGonagall led them out of the chamber to a set of doors just as large as those they had come through when entering the castle. With the lightest of touches, the doors swung open exposing the dining hall. Four tables packed with students of varying species, were sitting parallel to one another with gathering of smaller tables sitting outside the four main ones for the parents attending the event to sit. There was one final table at the head of the room sitting upon a platform that Harry could tell was reserved for Professors. He was surprised however, to see Gellert sitting at this same table.
"Welcome, one and all, to another year at Hogwarts." Dumbledore said in greeting earning enthusiastic applause as he rose to his feet to better address those gathered. "I am Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and before we begin the proceedings we must first cover subjects that some of you may be unable to sit for after your awakening." Seeing the look of alarm on some of the first years faces Dumbledore smiled kindly down at them. "There is no need to worry young ones, I only mean to say that the experience of having your magic, abilities, and nature unlocked can be tiring. There is no need to worry of harm coming to you."
Albus' smile grew when he saw his words had their desired affect calming the children. "Tomorrow is Monday and classes for second to seventh years will begin as is normal. For the first years however, you will be given the day to adjust to any changes you may experience during the awakening. If you are one of the few who will only have their magic unlocked then enjoy the day by exploring the castle grounds and getting to know your fellow year mates."
"And for those of you wondering who the man beside me is," Albus said gesturing to Gellert. "This is Professor Grindelwald, your new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor." At once the hall was swarming with the excited buzzing of the students. All were wondering what it was going to be like to learn from the war hero. Harry was able to catch the man's eye for the briefest of seconds and swore he saw a smug look sent his way. Gellert knew he hated being surprised and was more than likely enjoying his look of shock.
Having waited for the chatter to die down some, Albus once again gained the attention of all those in attendance. "Tryouts for both the house Quidditch teams and the qualifiers for the Combat League will be announced at a later date. And finally everyone should note that the third floor corridor is restricted to all who do not wish to die agony filled deaths." Dumbledore smiled charmingly at the now shocked and silent hall. "And without further ado, let the Awakening commence!"
McGonagall walked in at that moment with an old, tattered wizard's hat in her grasp. Coming to a stop in front of both the staff table and the gathered first years, she held the worn hat out to her side by the tip of its point. All was quiet for only seconds but what felt like an eternity to all of those who were waiting for things to begin, when all of a sudden a rip opened up in the front of the hat that looked strangely like a mouth before it proceeded to start singing. Harry and many others like him stared wide eyed as the hat belted out a long story about how the school and he came to be. When it had finished the hall filled with applause that rivaled that in which Albus had received.
"So to recap, the hat talks, its name is Alistair, and more than likely before this whole thing is over we're going to be forced to stick our heads up his ass," Harry deadpanned as he continued to stare fixated at the hat. All three chose not to speak only to nod, the oddity of the hat getting to them all. "Oh joy," he muttered unenthusiastically.
"When I call your name, please come forth and place Alistair upon your head. And remember, if there is a possibility that you may outgrow him or that you will gain horns in the process, please remove him when you feel the changes start to take effect." Fixing the first years with a look that she hoped reinforced her request she began. "Abbott Hannah!"
A small girl in pigtails shakily made her way up to where McGonagall was standing and took the hat from her. It was obvious right away that she was a normal witch by her lack of awaking suit, but nonetheless Harry and the others were interested in seeing what it would look like to have your magic released. The hat went onto her head and everything was quiet for a time. Suddenly the silence that had been overtaking everyone was shattered when the hat let out a yell of 'Hufflepuff' and the girl started to glow a light blue color that lasted for a few seconds before it faded into her skin.
As the red faced girl pulled the hat off her head the table full of people wearing the Hufflepuff crest exploded into applause that lasted until after she had taken her seat. After Hannah was boy named Terry and then a girl name Mandy, both of which were normal magic users, it wasn't until 'Brown Lavender' was called that they were able to see what a creature awakening looked like.
The pretty little blond ran as fast as she could up to McGonagall. Taking the hat from the woman she sat on the floor before placing it upon her head. The hall was silent for only seconds before a call of 'Gryffindor' filled the air.
The entire hall leaned forward as one to see what would happen next. The same blue glow as had been around Hannah covered Lavender's body at the same time her legs stared to melt together, her pants slowly turned into a skirt so as to keep her modesty, but still allow her now long, blue powerful looking tail to grow. When it was all said and done, she had gained gills along the sides of her neck and patches of shimmering blue and gold scales along the tops of her forearms and at the outside corners of her eyes, both groupings matched her now longer than her torso length tail perfectly.
No one knew who started it, but the hall quickly filled with cheers from all of those in attendance. Lavender being a good sport about it all waved her fin at the crowd making the cheering and support she was receiving rise to new levels. A man and woman that Harry assumed was her mother and father made their way over to their now transformed mermaid daughter with wide pride filled smiles on their faces. The man lifted Lavender into a fatherly hug that her mother joined seconds later.
It took some time but eventually things got back under way. The next to turn was a girl named Bulstrode, Millicent. She was a thick set girl that had short hair that made her look like a chubby school boy.
Harry frowned when Draco looked to be about to comment on the girl's looks, when much to his relief Hedwig's hand flashed out a great deal harder than Harry had ever seen Fleur's do and slapped him in the back of the head making a loud noise that drew most of the hall's attention.
"Damn it," hissed Draco, "why does everyone hit me?" Harry was actually shaking as he tried to contain his laughter at the two siblings.
It wasn't until a call of 'Slytherin' filled the air that most of the hall turned back to the girl being sorted. Slowly the girl went from overweight and unattractive to having the body of a beautiful fourteen year old that looked to be the complete opposite of her original form. Harry was one of the few males to be lucky enough to have a natural resistance to controlling auras and had the extra protection of mental shields guarding his mind. Those that weren't as lucky had gained glazed looks in their eyes and seemed ready to do anything the girl told them to.
Harry tapped Lily and Hedwig on the shoulder and pointed to Draco who was fighting valiantly against the pull he was feeling, but looked to be slowly losing his free will.
"It would serve him right to be put under the spell of a Succubus for trying to make fun of her moments ago," Hedwig said as she sent her brother an exasperated look. "But if I were to allow him to become her plaything mother might become upset." Harry was already wincing before her hand made contact with the back of Draco's head once more.
After Millicent had taken her seat at the Slytherins table (still in her new form) the awakening started up again. Faster than had been expected it was time for the first of their small group of friends to head up and be awakened. "Evans, Lily!" Harry sent her an encouraging smile and a thumbs up that calmed her raging nerves.
As she bound up the stairs a now tense Draco leaned over to Harry. "I don't like that Lily girl," he said staring after her. "I don't think we should hang out with her anymore." Harry and Hedwig looked at him at the same time with twin looks of incredulousness.
"Speak for yourself mate, I like her." Hedwig nodded her agreement to Harry's words.
"She's better company than you are, Draco," Hedwig told him, making the boy growl. "Don't go trying to start something, or try and force ultimatums on people. You'll more than likely loose!" Draco glared at her but saw that Harry hadn't disagreed with her so let the whole thing drop.
Back up with Lily the hat released a cry of 'Gryffindor' at the same time a green glow covered her body. Harry watched in amazement as her skin gained a light green tint to it and her ears started to turn slightly pointy. The emerald green of her eyes expanded until there wasn't any other color to be seen in them. And from her back sprouted four translucent green wings that were a cross between a butterfly's and a leaves of Ivy.
Lily sat where she was and watched as her skin took on its green hue. It was so strange to feel her ears grow pointed and for wings to sprout from her back. However noting could prepare her for the experience of suddenly shrinking down to a size smaller than her human form's palm. She found herself tangled up inside Alistair and falling toward the now dangerously far away floor.
All of the teachers and even some of the parents and students had their foci drawn and ready to attempt and help her, but Harry had beat them all. As soon as he saw her form start to grow smaller he had realized the hat would fall on her sending them both toward the floor. With a speed that he had thanks to training with Gellert for so many years, he had dashed up the stairs and onto the platform and had caught both Lily and the hat only an inch off the ground.
"Lily, are you alright?" Harry asked her in a panic as he handled the hat as gently as he could, turning it to look inside. "You didn't hurt your wings did you?" Inside was scared and wild haired Lily, but other than looking shaken up she was fine.
"Yes... I'm fin-" Lily stopped speaking as she glanced up at the giant Harry. His beautiful eyes were filled with worry for her wellbeing. He was so kind and handsome, and even though he was famous and talented he didn't try and brag about either one. And now... now he had saved her from the very least breaking her back. He was in a word, perfect.
All of these thoughts swam through her once brilliant mind, but now with the added effects of her fairy nature they were processed at untold speeds. The longer she looked at him the more perfect he became and before she knew it something in her had clicked into place. He was Perfect... perfect for her. She was his and he was hers. They belonged together.
"Lily," Harry called softly as he placed the now beyond beautiful girl in the palm of his hand and gave Alistair to Professor McGonagall. "Evans, are you all right? You didn't hit your pretty little head on the way down did you?" His comment about her being pretty earned him a deep green blush from the palm sized girl.
Feeling lost and not knowing what else to do Harry looked to Albus and Gellert just as the two men were sharing a knowing look with one another. When they finally did turn their attention to Harry it was Albus who acted.
"Ms. Evans," called the elderly man. When she failed to look away from Harry he tried once again. "Ms. Evans... Lily dear..." A chuckle escaped Harry as he realized that Lily was ignoring the man who was arguably the strongest wizard alive.
"Lily, Dumbledore is talking to you." It looked as if his words had gotten through to her when her eyes widened slightly. Turning in his palm but keeping a firm hold of his thumb, Lily looked to Albus to see what he wanted.
"Hello Ms. Evans," Dumbledore greeted her lightly. "It's important that we find out how much Fae blood is running through you're veins. So if you'll just picture yourself to your full size we can take you to Madam Pomfrey, and find out if you have done something that only a non-full blooded Fae can do called, Engraving."
"Will I have to leave Harry?" Lily asked tightening her grip on his thumb.
"Yes, I'm af-"
"NO!" She yelled as loudly as her little lungs would let her, her grip on his thumb now so tight that it actually stung. "I won't leave him!" Harry was reminded of what Gellert had said about Fairy's being malice filled creatures by the way the redhead was glaring up at the ancient man.
"If it's important that she gets checked up, I can be awoken later, or if it's alright with you Headmaster, I can do it now."
He was silent for only a few seconds before he nodded. "Let's go with the second idea, shall we?" Albus gestured him toward Professor McGonagall who was holding a now grumbling Alistair who didn't look pleased at the prospect of being handled by Harry again. "Lily, if you would, please stay here until Harry has finished his awakening." Lily didn't look happy with it but made no attempt to stop Harry when he set her on the professors' table.
As he turned to go put on Alistair he caught the eye of a pale skinned man with a large nose and long black hair that was pulled up and away from his face. He looked to be the strict type but when their eyes met he sent Harry the smallest of nods that he took to be the man wishing him luck.
Taking Alistair, he raised it to place it on his head when McGonagall called his name out for the school to hear. Gasps and whispering broke out immediately making Harry force back a groan. He didn't mind being famous and knew that it would someday be of help to him, but he'd prefer if he had been famous for something other than living while his parents died. The way it was now he felt as if he had so much to live up to and if he were to fail all of magical Britain would know.
Sending the Professor a glare he placed Alistair upon his head. For a second nothing happened causing him to wonder if something was wrong, and had even started to check to see if his mental shields were up when the hat screamed out his future house. "Gryffindor!" Almost immediately Harry felt something in him burst forth, releasing what he had always known, but had never knew was missing.
Lily and the rest of those in attendance watched as the shadows around the room started to slink toward Harry as the light from the candles and torches started to do the same. Everyone including Albus and Gellert watched in disbelief as the shadows came together to form the blackest of shadow that had been seen by any since before James Potter had died. At the same time a majority of the light in the room had come together and was now formed into what looked to be a solid white shadow. Only a few knew the snow colored form dancing with the absolute blackness was the powers of shadow and light.
Albus had only met two shadow users in his life time and knew of only one person who had control and power over light. The chances of the boy possessing both were astronomical, but here he was with both dancing around him like children would their mother. The sight sent chills down the elderly man's back. But it appeared that the show wasn't over yet, slowly the opposite but equally powerful forces started to corkscrew around him until the boy was encased in a cocoon of light and darkness.
Harry felt it, the changes that is. His features as they became sharper, his ears as they grew longer and pointer, his bones as they stretched as he gained a few inches in height, and if his mind wasn't playing tricks on him his skin felt as if a chill had traveled over every inch of it.
Slowly all the changes came to a stop. It was then that he realized that he could control what he instinctively knew to be shadow and light. He knew that the reason behind their spiraling around him was that he had wanted to get away from the whispers and staring before he had placed Alistair upon his head. It was as this thought crossed his mind that he also realized he couldn't hear what was going on outside of his cyclone of protection.
Lily waited with baited breath for Harry to show himself once more. It was as the black slinked back to the shadows and the white made its way back to the candles and torches that everyone caught sight of the new Harry. His skin was now a light shade of purple and his hair had turned as white as the light that had danced around him seconds before. He was taller and his face structure was sharper than had been, and his now longer ears protruded past the back of his head, but still fit him perfectly. She had thought of him as perfect before but when her eyes met his green and blue ones she now knew without a doubt that he was now beyond perfect.
All those who had been raised in the magical world and even most of those who hadn't knew right away what Harry was were now staring at the boy. His skin tone may have been different than the drawings of the elves they had seen but the features were a dead giveaway. At once shouts broke out all over the Great Hall, even amongst the adults. The hall was quickly descending into complete and total chaos as shouted questions were thrown at anyone who might have an answer. How was it that he had the blood of the children of magic running through his veins? What did it mean that one of the Elven race had showed up after being absent from the earth for millennia? Was he a full blooded elf, or was he perhaps an off breed that had resulted from how the Potters gained their powers.
As soon as the shadow and lights fell away Harry had only been just able to look Lily in the eyes before his senses over loaded. His sight increased until he could see the grains in the wood of the tables and the individual fibers and stitching patterns of all the robes he caught glances at, no matter how far away they were. His hearing became so intense that he could hear every single breath being taken and the start of whispers all the way across the hall. But worse than the first two was his sense of smelling increasing. All around the room the scents of magical creatures filled his nostrils. The smell of those who were in need of a washing, the sweet scent of those like Fleur and Millicent who gave off the sweetest of aromas, smells he could not identify and even the smell of blood from the gathered females who were experiencing their menstrual cycles.
To make matters worse those around the room started screaming at one another and at him, viciously tearing at his eardrums. Trying to lessen all that he was experiencing he hooked his arms around the back of his head and pressed his forearms to his ears as he crouched down. He was unaware that those who had been watching him at that moment saw him as nothing more than a blur as he crouched down.
Albus and Gellert both shot off loud bangs from the tips of their wands that silenced the entire hall with the exception of Harry who screamed at the sudden piercing bangs that had filled his head.
"STOP IT!" Harry screamed from his crouched position. It was such a pain filled scream that no one dared utter a word for fear of causing the boy further distress. "SHUT THE HELL UP!"
Gellert, knowing what was happening to his adopted grandson, shot an overpowered stunner at the boy, releasing him from the agony his awakened senses were putting him through.
AN: So Lily is one of the Fae or at the least part fae, and Harry is a Dark Elf. You got to see that Harry will be gifted in magic and he has powers over shadow and light... what do you think? I'm trying to get across that Harry is at that place where he knows that girls are pretty and is interested in them, but that he's young enough to not really be trying to sleep with any pretty girl he sees - to make him seem mature and childish at the same time. The character I'm having the most trouble with is Hedwig. I want to keep her true to her character in canon, but to do so will make her seem like a bitch at times. Don't get me wrong, I love Hedwig and it killed me when she died in canon, but can any of you say she wouldn't be a bit bitchy in human form. And what about Gellert taking Quirrels place, can you guess who it is that will be going for the stone? In future chapters I'm going to try and go with chapters that are about this long or maybe just a tad shorter. That way I can get them out faster and it makes them easier to manage. Finally a big thank you to all those who reviewed last time!