361AN: This chapter was a huge pain but I had to get all that happens in it out before I could move on with the story. Thanks to lilyevans12681998 for taking the time to beta for me, you're a huge help. And just a heads up the poll is still open, go make your choice because there is only ONE spot in the harem up for grabs and there is no guarantee there will be a fourth in the pairing.
Harry regained consciousness rather late the morning after the awakening. His back was stiff from the thin hard mattress he was laying upon and for a reason that was beyond him, his arm was asleep. His discomfort was only added to by the multitude of unpleasant smells that were bombarding him, making the thought of opening his eyes unappealing.
Grimacing, Harry turned his head away from where the unwanted smells were originating from only to stiffen when a mouthwatering scent killed any and all traces of the chemical-like scent that had been turning his stomach seconds before. He unconsciously found himself leaning toward the unidentified smell and realized as he did so that the scent was clinging to him and the air around him.
Wanting to know what the scent was coming from but remembering how the mixture of his sight, hearing and his ability to smell had nearly killed him the night before, he slowly cracked his eyes open. Immediately it became clear both why his arm was asleep and the source from which the smell was coming from. Wrapped around his arm was a full sized, still transformed sleeping Lily Evans. She looked so peaceful with his arm pulled as close to her body as she could, using his shoulder as a place to rest her head on.
Harry's surprise at being used like a human pillow was quickly replaced when his inquisitive nature overtook him. How is she back to her normal size but still has the appearance of a fairy?
However, even his pondering of her transformation took a backseat as the artist in him started to focus more closely on the pretty girl clinging to him. The mixture of her deep red hair and the green of her skin and translucent wings were fascinating to behold. Carefully, as to not hurt or wake the still peacefully sleeping girl, he gently ran the back of his hand over her wings. They were the softest things Harry had ever had the pleasure of touching. The only thing that even came close to their texture was the freshly made silk he had once touched while in China and even that felt dry and coarse compared to the girl's new appendages. He would have been lost for hours sitting there enjoying the feel of his skin against her wings had it not been for the clearing of a throat behind him.
"You say it's creepy for me to pop up like I do, but is it really any worse than molesting a female as she slumbers?" Harry's head whipped around as a blazing, dark red stain now lit up his light purple skin.
"I wasn't molesting her-" Harry sudden stopped speaking when his sense started to intensify back to where they had been the night before. His head swam from the smell of dust and chemicals that filled the room. The sound of children screaming and laughing could be heard through the glassless windows; it was enough to make his head pound painfully. His sight sharpened to a point where he could see details about Gellert that had always gone unseen by his human eyes. The way the man stood slightly more on the leg that was angled behind him, in a way that he would be ready to move at a seconds notice. The way his wand barely protruded out of the sleeve of his suit. He had always known the man was a warrior at heart, but never before had he seen the signs as well as he did now.
"Harry, calm yourself and your senses should do so with you." Gellert gave his wand a wave, making a fluctuating white bubble appear around them that blocked out all sound and smell that wasn't within its domain.
Harry closed his eyes and took long deep breaths through his mouth that he exhaled through his nose. When he once again opened his mismatched eyes his senses had gone back to where they were before Gellert had startled him; however, he knew that they were still at least twice as strong at the moment, compared to where they had been the day before at this time. Looking to the elderly man Harry sent him a nod of appreciation for his help.
"That worked... to a point. My hearing, sight, and smell are all still stronger than they should be." Gellert nodded.
"The level they're at now is the new normal for you." Gellert informed him as he summoned a chair from across the room and into the bubble for him to sit upon. "When you experience any strong emotions your senses will rise to their full capability. While this may be a hindrance at the moment, they do so as a way for you to take in all that is going on around you. A defensive mechanism if you will. Over time you will grow used to them until you're able to have them going full blast twenty-four seven, including when you sleep."
"It's also a possibility for you to keep them where they are now at all times and only enhance them when you need them. And even though you haven't experienced it yet, it's not only those three senses that have gained a boost, your taste and touch have as well."
"Then when I felt her wings..." Harry glanced down at the still slumbering girl. When Gellert had surprised him he had set up pulling away from her, and yet she had still managed to keep a hold of his hand - the same one she had sat in the night before. "Was that why they felt so soft?"
"No, actually," Gellert answered. "All fae have wings that can only be described as heavenly velvety. I expect the first time you touch them, or experience any physically stimulating touch when your senses are at their maximum processing levels that you will be in for a... treat." Harry raised an eyebrow at the man.
"Are you perving out over there? That 'treat' comment of yours was a bit sketchy." He chuckled softly as the old man gave him a blank stare. "Give me that look all you want, it doesn't change the fact that you didn't deny it," he muttered under his breath as he glanced down at Lily's sleeping form. "What were the results for the test on her fae blood levels?"
"It appears one of her parents was a full blooded fae while the other was a type of nature spirit that was a quarter fae themselves. She will be an abundantly powerful ally to have in the future."
Harry ran his free hand through her soft, scarlet hair. He didn't know how to explain it or why it was that he felt the way he did, but he was experiencing a deep need and want to protect the innocent girl that lay next to him. He cared for her after only knowing her a day - it was strange feeling the way he did, but as of late he had been experiencing the same thing for a few other individuals as well. In all honesty he quite enjoyed it and didn't see anything wrong with it.
"Don't worry about the little beauty that has engraved on you, for now. There will be plenty of time later for you to fawn over her." Gellert sent the now glaring boy a twitch of his lips that only deepened the boy's annoyance.
"So its Professor Grindelwald now is it?" Harry asked without bothering to hide his contempt. "A heads up would have been nice you know."
"You can be cross with me later; for now we should speak more of your changes. Last night when Madam Pomfrey scanned Lily, they did the same for you. It appears that you're the very first of your kind - the birth of a new species." Harry looked at him doubtfully, not sure what to make of this information.
"How can I be the first of a new species when my parents were two very different species themselves? And in the end does it really matter if I'm the first of my kind? It also means I'm the only one of my kind and doomed to be the last as well. Kind of a grim thought if you ask me." The longer he had to think about what he had been told the more upset he became. Not by the fact that he was the first of his kind but that both his mother's species and his father's family brand of demon had basically died out to make him what he was today.
"It very rarely happens, but when two species mix it can result in a new one being created. The fact that you're the first of you kind doesn't matter when it comes to reproducing. When a species is first created, it results in their genes becoming so potent that they act like a demon's does when they reproduce with a human. It won't matter what your mates are, Human, demon, spirit, or anything else, any children you have in the future will be full blooded Dark Elves, as you are."
Harry raised a questioning eyebrow. "Dark Elves? Not that it's a bad name - pretty cool actually, but shouldn't I as the first of my kind hold the right to name my species?"
Gellert sighed, reaching into his pocket he pulled out a copy of the Daily Prophet. "Last night, as you and Dumbledore had agreed upon if things were to get too far out of control, he told the school the history of your mother's family." Harry nodded; it had been his idea that if he were to change in such a way that would cause too much fuss or if he were to die from the change then Dumbledore was to tell the public about the Bones family secret. He was guessing things had started to get out of control again after he had lost consciousness, and that was why Dumbledore exposed what his family was, or to be more accurate once was.
"How it got out we don't know, but the information about the Bones, your scan showing up that you're a new species of magical creature, how you can control not only shadows as your father did but a second element as well, and the fact that a girl with fae blood has engraved on you has all been published in this morning's paper. All of Britain's magical community and more than likely most of the magical world now knows of you as the first ever Dark Elf."
Harry took the paper and scanned over the piece about him quickly. He was happy to see the article wasn't slandering in the slightest - in fact it seemed the writer was quite excited by the discovery that one of Britain's strongest family of demons and the once thought dead species had come together to form a new race of creature. Harry looked to find the author of the piece and was stunned to see that Rita Skeeter had been the writer. He had only heard bad things about the woman and how she twisted words and gave half-truths about anything she covered. Had someone told him beforehand that she was to be the one to do the article he would have been prepared for her to make him out to be some type of monster that killed virgins and ate babies.
Finishing the parts about him, he reluctantly put off reading the parts that covered the family histories of both his mother's and father's blood lines, placing the paper on his lap he let out a deep, shuddering sigh. "Gellert, if I'm the first of my kind, does that mean I have to be tested to see if I'm allowed to use magic?" The young boy recalled what he had been told about some species not being deemed responsible enough to be allowed the use of magic, as they could be a hazard to not only themselves but those around them as well.
"Fortunately for you, there are a number of things in your favor when it comes to dealing with the British Ministry of Magic that made it easy to get you and your species clearance right away. The first being that Dumbledore and I both hold a great deal of sway in the ministry. Then there's the fact that you're you, a son of two of Britain's most respected families and that you're a celebrity who stopped the darkest wizard of all time. And the final nail in the coffin, you're the last of the 'children born of magic' and that if they didn't accept you right away then they run a high chance of another nation coming and offering you a place in their country." Gellert chuckled lightly. "I think they're still worried that the last one might happen. The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, along with many others, want to meet with you."
"Will I be meeting them?" The distaste in Harry's voice was easy to hear. He had met many important people in his travels and more times than not they were either good, but boring people or corrupt, money and power hungry individuals. He was guessing the magical world wasn't going to be all that different from the mundane in that respect.
"Not until December when you will be attending the annual Ministry Ball on Boxing Day." Gellert would have continued speaking but chose to stop there as he had spotted movement behind his grandson.
"Harry! You're awake!"
Even with his new found speed Harry only had just enough time to turn before he was tackled by the now awake Lily. Gellert chuckled as the girl landed on top of his charge, hugging him tightly to her and pinning his arms to his side. Both were halfway off the bed with only Harry's quick save by planting his foot keeping them from tumbling onto the cold, stone floor.
Harry couldn't fight the smile he gained at her excitement to see him. "It's nice to see you too, Lily." With little effort on his part Harry was able to wiggle one of his arms around her waist and slide them both back on to the bed.
"I'm so happy that you're alright," the green skinned girl gushed. Pulling only a few inches away from the source of her affections she gave him the sweetest smile he had ever received.
"Good morning, Lily," Gellert greeted her, giving Harry time to regain his composure and attempt to hide the blush staining his cheeks. "I'm happy to see that you no longer wish to kill myself and Headmaster Dumbledore." His blush almost completely gone Harry did a double take to see if he had heard the man right.
"What is he talking about?" Harry asked looking to Lily who was suddenly acting shy.
Her head bowed low, she peeked out at him through her hair looking adorable, her embarrassed emerald stare meeting his mismatched one. "Last night when Professors Dumbledore and Grindelwald shot off those loud bangs with their wands, it was obvious they had hurt you worse than you already were. So I made my displeasure known," she finished by sending a glare at the elderly man.
"She wasn't the only one," Gellert commented dryly, ignoring the girl as easily as he did Harry at times. "I was sure Narcissa was going to attempt to kill us last night. She saw you here to the infirmary made it back down the stairs to see her childrens' awakenings and then came back up before she left for her home."
By the time Gellert had finished speaking Harry was beaming at the man's misfortune. "Thank you for worrying about me," he said pulling Lily into a tight hug that had her blushing a lovely shade of green.
Gellert was forced to stop himself from rolling his eyes at the display of affection, but more so than that he fought himself to stop his laughter from bursting forth. The boy simply didn't understand what type of affect he had on young girls. Gellert could only guess how overloaded with joy the redhead must have been from the embrace.
"It's still quite early or rather late depending how you look at it, why don't you two go get some breakfast and then go explore the school grounds. If you're lucky some of your year mates may still be eating and you can join them."
The two first years nodded to the suggestion. It was as they rose to their feet that Harry remembered that he still had Gellert's copy of the Prophet. "Here you go..." he trailed off as he read something that caught his eye. "Look here," he exclaimed pointing at one of the stories on the front page. "Gringotts was broken into. It appears it happened a while ago. I'm surprised I don't remember hearing anything about it."
Taking the paper Gellert tucked it under his arm seconds before he dropped the white bubble around them. "It happened just the day after we visited Gringotts to gain access to your vaults. Luckily, the vault that was breached had already been emptied."
"I thought Gringotts was impossible to break into," Lily stated just as she started to give off a faint glow. Harry took a step forward; worried that something might be wrong with her when she shrunk like she had the night before. The difference this time though was that Lily wasn't tangled in anything and was able to use her tiny Ivy-like wings.
Gellert smiled when the small girl flew onto Harry's shoulder. Catching her balance Lily grasped a handful of his now snow-white hair, showing no sign that she was going to let it go or move from where she stood. "I'm ready," she beamed up at a bemused Harry. Seeing his look of confusion, Lily stared bashfully down at her feet. "You don't mind if I stay here... do you?" She asked in a voice that was as tiny as she.
"Not in the least, I was just a bit surprised is all," Harry told her earning a squeal of happiness.
Gellert audibly cleared his throat garnering the duo's attention. "To your earlier question Lily, you and Harry alike should know, nothing in this world is impossible. More often than not, individuals place limits on what they can do by telling themselves that something is impossible, leading them to self-fulfilling prophecies. Anything is possible for anyone!"
HSFMB
With Lily sitting on his shoulder, her hand full of his white locks, Harry descended the staircase leading to the Entrance Hall that was surprisingly devoid of any students or faculty.
Had it not been for the small girl clinging to him, Harry would have been lost as to how to find the dining hall. The night before he had been unconscious when he had been from what Lily had told him, 'floated to the Hospital wing.'
It was just as the duo was about to cross over the threshold that connected the Entrance Hall to the Great Hall that a silvery figure dashed from around the door and into Harry and Lily. Automatically he steadied the person who had run into him while at the same time checked to make sure Lily hadn't been hurt from the collision.
"I'm sorry; I'm running late and- Harry!" Said boy recognized the voice as belonging to Fleur as she wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his chest. "I wanted to come see you last night, but wasn't allowed to."
"It's fine," he said as they pulled away from each other. "I only woke up for the first time less than an hour ago."
"How are you feeling? You're not still in pain are you?" She asked while searching him over for any sign that he might have a relapse of what had been hurting him the night before. It was clear for Harry to see that she had been worried about his well-being.
"I'm perfectly fine," he reassured her, giving off a small laugh. "If anything I think I'm feeling better than I ever have before. Besides a short relapse this morning when my senses kicked into high gear on me again, everything feels pristine and new. It feels like for the past eleven years my mind and everything about me has been held back - as if I were being blanketed from being me." He chuckled softly as he finished speaking. He hadn't had much time to register everything he was feeling now that he had been awakened. As he informed her how he felt he was only just then really processing how his changes were making him feel. "I guess I sound a bit crazy this morning, huh?"
Fleur beamed at him, shaking her head, making her long silvery hair shimmer as sunlight hit it. "Not at all," she reassured him. "Many people feel that way after being awakened. I never experienced it myself - for some reason when the seal was placed on me it failed to work properly. That's why I was able to control my father - Lucius - as a small child."
"As a result of my seal malfunctioning, I've always been able to take my avian-like form and control my fire. It's also caused my allure to become stronger than even a full blooded Veela's." As she finished speaking a sad smile made its way to her lips.
Harry pulled his mental shields up to keep from squirming as she turned her intense eyes onto him. He so desperately wanted to move away from her piercing gaze but felt that doing so would hurt his friend, and that was one thing he certainly didn't want to do. He was unprepared when he felt her aura slam against the walls protecting his mind. He doubted he would have even noticed her attempt at controlling him had he not had his shields in place.
Gellert had tested how strong his resistances to mind controlling auras were by taking him to meet many different species that had such allures. After feeling Fleur's aura that day in Diagon Alley he hadn't been bothered by any other type of allure he had been exposed too. What bothered him though was why she was even attempting to ensnare him with her apparently advanced aura?
He was going to question her motives, but was halted when her aura vanished from the surface of his shields at the same time she started smiling at him with something in her eyes he had never before seen. Seeing her eyes virtually light up, the sight of them made Harry feel as if he had passed a test that was very important to the girl. After seeing her so happy for a reason he couldn't place he failed to find it in him to question her about why she had done what she did.
Before anything else could be said the air was filled with a shrill, piercing whistle. While Harry and the up until now silent Lily reacted to the unpleasant sound in the same way, both of them hating it and whatever it was that created it, Fleur looked ready to have a panic attack.
"Oh no, I'm going to be late for my first class! I'll see you at lunch Harry," Fleur yelled to him as she dashed for and through the massive entrance doors.
Watching her run away, Harry felt a sudden tugging on his hair. "You know I'm still here, right?" Lily asked staring up at him with wide emerald eyes that despite their color screamed 'doe' - her bottom lip jutted out cutely as she pouted at being ignored by him.
"Oh, hey Lily," he greeted her brightly. "I didn't see you there. How are you?"
"Harry!" She whined cutely.
"I'm kidding with you Evans, no need to worry," he reassured her. "I could never forget about you."
It was with a pleased fairy on his shoulder he entered the dining hall, pausing just long enough to see that Gellert had been correct in his assumption that only first years would be left in the hall. From the look of things most of those who had been sorted the night before had chosen to have a lay in this morning and were now enjoying a late breakfast as they chatted with their fellow house mates.
Harry searched for Hedwig and Draco at the Gryffindor table without finding any sign of them. When he finally did succeed in locating one of them it was Draco. He sat at the Slytherin table talking and laughing with a number of his house mates, one of which was the boy Harry had punched the night before. While Harry was slightly surprised by this, it didn't bother him that Malfoy was talking to the ignorant boy. Draco had to live in close quarters with the Nott boy and the rest of his year mates for the next seven years. It would have been unwise of Draco to start something with him over Harry's short altercation with Nott.
What did bother Harry though; enough so that he failed to notice the horn sticking out of Draco's forehead, was that he couldn't find Hedwig at any of the house tables. He was giving the hall a second searching sweep with his eyes when Lily gave his hair a small pull.
"You're being watched by the entire hall," she informed him. And she was right. Harry turned red as his focus shifted from the room at large to the individuals staring at him shamelessly, pointing and whispering, unfazed that they could be seen doing so.
Harry made for his house table, forcing himself not to run like he wanted to. All of the Gryffindor first years were sitting together, the only one not doing so was a girl with pretty wavy hair that he instantly recognized, sitting only a few spots down from the rest of the group pouring over a strange book.
"Do you mind if we sit with you, Hermione?"
Her eyes widened a small fraction when she realized who he was, whether it was because he was famous or that he was the boy she had met that day at the Leaky Cauldron he didn't know, however she was able to school her features before any normal person would have been able to notice her reaction.
"We?" she asked obviously not seeing Lily who was hidden in his hair on the opposite shoulder facing her. Harry grinned when her eyes widened for the second time when Lily revealed herself to her.
"Hello!"
Hermione looked back and forth between the two before a tiny smile graced her lips. "You can sit here if you want to."
"Thank you." Taking his seat Harry started pulling things he enjoyed eating toward him at the same time Lily hopped off his shoulder and returned to her full size. The sudden appearance of the winged, green skinned girl renewed the whispers around the hall.
"If you don't mind me asking, what type of book is that?" Lily asked Hermione. She failed to notice Hermione stiffen at her question, she was too absorbed by how Harry was suddenly acting. The young Dark Elf had stopped filling his plate and was now sniffing its contents.
"Does this smell... greasy to you?" Lifting his plate he held it up for Lily to sniff.
"No." she shook her head.
"Huh..." It took him a few seconds to realize that with his new senses, things that had always smelled and tasted one way would now be totally different. Cutting off a piece of his sausage he took a tentative bite and was pleasantly surprised when instead of being put off by it, he enjoyed it more than he had ever before. After he had finished off the rest of the meaty breakfast food, he tried a bit of everything that he could reach, being careful not to gorge himself or to eat in an unbecoming manner. Gellert would kill him if he didn't show proper manners, though had the man been there he would have been upset by his sniffing of his food.
Lily smiled fondly at him before turning her attention back on Hermione. "I'm sorry, I got a little distracted. I've never seen anything like that book of yours, it looks fascinating." The book in question had a cover and binding made entirely of an unknown species of wood that was the color of ash. Across the cover and along its spine were strange markings that Lily recognized as the things a book seller at Flourish & Blotts had called 'runes'.
Hermione gave the two beside her a searching look. She had read a book that had said it was better to keep the identity of your magical foci a secret to keep its weakness hidden. But looking at the two strangely colored duo Hermione felt it would be safe to tell them. Besides, it wasn't like she would be able to keep it a secret for long anyway. After she showed up to class and had to cast spells while holding the book everyone would figure out what it was.
"It's my foci. From what the man who sold it to me said, it will start revealing rare spells to me once I become skilled enough to cast them." Lifting her wand-book up she showed them the blank pages it held.
"That's amazing." Harry commented with Lily nodding beside him. The young redhead was staring at the book with stars in her eyes.
"Something like that would have to be quite rare. I wonder what type of spells it will show you in the future."
The trio of first years soon lost track of time, and while Hermione was still reserved, she and the others enjoyed themselves as they spoke of what classes they were looking forward to, what spells they wanted to learn, and how they were each excited by the prospect of exploring Hogwarts's giant library.
Harry had many loves, drawing, playing and writing music, training and a good fight, but aside from these, his favorite pastime was reading anything he could get his hands on. However, his love of literature wasn't what was fueling his desire to find the library. He wanted to find out as much as he could about fairies and the side effects of engraving on another had on them.
"If you two want, you can go ahead of me to the library," Harry told them as they left the Great Hall. "I remember something Gellert told me about my mother's species, and I want to see if I inherited it from her."
"Can we come?" Lily asked her tone slightly pleading.
"I don't mind, but there's a chance it may not work and even if it does there's no telling if it will be anything either of you can understand."
Lily cheered loudly happy to be involved in anything that included spending more time with Harry. Hermione on the other hand looked torn. "If you don't want to come with us Hermione that's fine, I understand. But if you're unsure because you want to go to the library first I don't plan on being long..."
"Okay, I'll come along." she nodded.
"Great," he replied, heading for the entrance doors.
It was a bright sunny day on the Hogwarts grounds. The kind of day that made you want to be outside enjoying the sunshine, even if it was to only curl up under a tree with a good book. The breeze pulled gently at their hair and clothing as they moved across the castle grounds, bringing with it the smell of the grass, trees, and something that could only be described as nature.
"Where are we headed?" Hermione pondered out loud from her place in-between Harry and Lily, the latter of which was in her smaller form testing her flying speeds. So far she hadn't experienced any problems keeping up with her two companions and the leisurely pace they were moving at.
"Either to the tree I saw as we crossed the lake last night or to the edge of the Forbidden Forest."
Lily flew to his side and started to circle around him at dizzying speeds. "Why there?" Her small voice was almost lost on him from the speed at which she was flying at.
"From what Gellert told me my mother's people can communicate with animals and nature. I'm going to attempt it with a tree first and if I'm lucky we might run into an animal while we're out here."
"If you want animals, then the edge of the forest would be best place to go," Lily chirped.
"That's true, but you chance running into something that even if it can understand you it may not want to talk." Hermione pointed out without sounding worried about the thought of running into something that would want to hurt them.
"The forest it is then!" He exclaimed taking off for the closest stretch of forest. The wind whipped past him as the trees drew closer and Harry found that he enjoyed the feel of the air pulling at him as he pushed himself faster.
Reaching the tree line, Harry gave the restricted area that lined the edge of the school grounds a look over and came to the realization that the forest could earn its name of 'Forbidden' on appearances alone. From a distance the forest looked to be a huge, adventures place but that was nothing compared to being up close to it. The trees seemed to disappear into the sky, casting deep shadows that made it impossible for any normal person to see more than a few feet in. Harry wasn't normal.
The shadows that would hinder anyone else's sight didn't affect Harry's vision into the forest at all. As he gazed further into the woods (though the trees growing so close together made this difficult to do even without the shadows blocking his view) he instinctually knew his ability to control shadows was what allowed to him a un-obscured view through them.
"Harry!" Lily and Hermione called out to him in unison, sounding oddly far away. Turning around he saw that both girls were covering the last ten yards to the forest, moving at impressive speeds.
"What happened?" He wondered as the girls came to a stop in front of him, Lily on Hermione's shoulder. Before they answered him, he noticed that neither of the two looked in the least bit winded despite the speed they had been moving at.
"We were following you when you suddenly took off." Hermione told him, eyeing him curiously. "We tried to keeping pace with you, but it was futile. Simply put, you're too fast."
Lily nodded vigorously before launching herself off Hermione's shoulder to fly to his. "It was like you were blurring away from us."
Harry smiled sheepishly, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. "I didn't realize I was moving that fast... It goes to show I still have a lot to learn about myself now that I've been awakened." Hermione gave him a look letting him know that she agreed with what he had said before slowly her stare turned inquisitive as it shifted from him to Lily.
"Lily," Hermione said softly, "what's wrong?"
The small redhead was no longer paying her two friends any mind. Something behind them was calling out to her - not in words but with a gentle ringing that resounded through her. The song was magical and filled with emotion that beckoned her to the forest.
Jumping off Harry's shoulder she flew to the tree closest to her feeling the joyous sound grow in intensity the closer she got. Beating her tiny wings rapidly like a hummingbird, she hovered before the ancient tree listening intently.
"It's... speaking," she whispered, the awe she was experiencing floated back to her friends along with her voice. Placing her hand against the craggy, bark covered surface of the tree, she felt a deep mental connection form between her and it. "She says 'Greetings friends'," Lily repeated, a wide smile spreading across her face. "Hello to you as well my friend!" She greeted back, smiling at the piece of nature.
Lily grew quite as she listened to the tree. Whatever it was that it told her - Harry and Hermione didn't know - made the young girl's eyes light up with happiness. "Harry," she called out, turning to face him without removing her hand. "Come feel, she says you can speak to her as well!"
Harry looked to Hermione with slightly wide eyes wondering what he should do. He was worried that Lily was wrong and that he couldn't talk to nature, after all he didn't hear anything drawing him like it obviously had the part fairy. It would hurt him to not have this connection to his mother and that was exactly how he saw all the abilities he gained from her and his father, a connection.
The wavy haired girl shrugged her shoulders back at him, motioning for him to do what he had come here for.
"Lily, I can't hear anything," he told her without moving. As soon as he spoke he grew annoyed with himself for how whiny he must have sounded to his two new friends.
Lily huffed, making her small shoulders shake from the action. Taking her hand away from the tree she flew to the boy she had engraved on and grabbed a handful of his hair being careful not to hurt him. "Come on, if she says you can, you can."
Harry sighed, relenting to her summons he allowed himself to be pulled to the tree she had been communicating with. He came to a stop with a foot between him and the towering plant. Looking it over as he waited for it to say something to him.
"You're trying to be daft aren't you?" Lily asked. She looked to be growing upset with him and his attempts to be difficult, she couldn't see why he wouldn't want to experience something so amazing. "Place your hand against her; allow her to reach out to you."
Lifting his slightly shaking hand he placed it lightly against the tree. For the briefest of moments he didn't hear anything and started to grow disappointed that he wouldn't know what it was like to hear the same things as Susan had in her life. It was as he sent Lily a small shake of the head that he felt a tingling travel over the surface of his hand before it started sinking in and spreading throughout his body.
"She's not really speaking... is she? It's more of an empathic connection... but somehow stronger." Harry stated. He laughed when the ringing traveled through him - it was the tree telling him he was correct.
"See," Lily exclaimed, "she was right, you can do it."
"They're having fun," said a voice from behind Harry and Lily. It was followed by an amused sounding Hermione agreeing with the newcomer. Turning, Harry found himself facing the last of the Malfoy children.
"Hedwig, you're here!" Beaming he made his way over to her and gave her a small hug, noticing as he did so that she looked the same as she always had. "How was your awakening? Did you find out what you are?" In response she sent him the happiest smile he had ever seen her wear, it was like her face was set aglow by the joy she had just thinking about it.
"Would you like to see it?" She blurted excitedly.
Harry chuckled, nodding that he would. As he did so he noticed that Hermione had taken a few steps back, not knowing what type of transformation it was that his friend would be going through he copied the girl's example and took a few steps back.
Hedwig waited until Harry had stepped away before she gave a small nod, reassuring herself that she could do what she was about to attempt. Closing her eyes she focused on that part of her that she had only discovered the night before. When she next opened her eyes she was a foot taller than Harry. She had phased into a giant, snow colored owl.
"Hedwig... You're beautiful." Harry said breathlessly, his eyes traveled over every inch of her feathered form. This was different to anything else he had seen up to this point. Up until now all he had witnessed were humanoid transformations - to be able to shift into an animal looked amazing.
Hedwig was sure she would have been blushing had it been possible. "Thank you," she gushed, forgetting that it would come out as a bark, embarrassing herself. She had no way of knowing that he had the ability to understand her when he himself had yet to find out if it was one of the traits he had inherited from his mother.
Harry looked shocked when he was able to hear her words through the barking sound she had made. Realizing that he understood and what it meant he let a wide smile lose. "No problem, just telling it like I see it."
The amber eyes of the avian-girl widened as she turned her head in a very owlish way. "Can you understand me?" Hedwig barked. Harry beamed up at her, nodding.
"I'm taking it you can talk to animals as well?" Hermione asked stepping forward, splitting her gaze between looking at him questioningly and sending hesitant looks at Hedwig. The stares she was sending the now feathered girl were the same as the ones she had sent Lily and him when they had first joined her at breakfast earlier that morning. They had Harry wondering what it would be like to learn you were a part of such an amazing world only to end up surrounded by those who have even greater abilities than yourself. He didn't think she was jealous of them, but he did wonder if he would be able to say the same about himself if the situation were reversed.
"Yes and yes," he answered both girls. "Are you able to understand her too, Lily?"
"I'm afraid not," she called out to him as she flew around Hedwig, looking her friend of less than a day over. "I hope we can fly together some time." Lily said speaking to Hedwig. "It's an exhilarating experience, don't you agree?"
"It is," Hedwig barked, nodding so the small girl could understand her. "Harry," she said, gaining his attention, "tell her to hold on one second, I'm going to do something." As he did what was told of him Hedwig closed her eyes for a second time transforming once again, but this time instead of going back to her human form she shifted to the size of a normal owl. When her second change was done she took to the air and started flying around in circles with the giggling Lily.
"That does look fun," Harry commented covering the last of the distance between him and Hermione to stand by her side as they watched the girls fly with one another. "I can't wait until we get our first flying lessons."
"I'm anxious for all our lesions to start, but yes," she said looking away from the flying duo to him, "I can't wait to see what it's like to soar through the sky."
Harry smiled, knowing exactly what she meant. "Since it seems it's just you and me at the moment, why don't you tell me more about yourself?" He suggested as he made his way over to the tree and placed his hand against the tree he and Lily had been speaking to before.
Now that Harry had made contact with the tree he knew that unlike Lily he was unable to speak to plants unless he was physically touching them first. Pushing his question through his hand to the tree he received a positive reply that had him feeling its joy.
The tree's joy bleeding over to his own he turned around only to feel the smile he was wearing slip from his face. An offended looking Hermione was glaring at him like he had slighted her. Almost instantly he realized that she may have taken his earlier words as him speaking to the tree and blowing her off. "I was asking her if it would be alright for us to lean against her while we talked." He told her quickly, attempting to calm the upset girl.
"Oh," she gasped, suddenly looking ashamed of herself. "I'm sorry; I mistook you talking to the tree as you speaking to me. It angered me that you would blow me off like that and reminded me of unpleasant memories."
Harry looked to the still upset girl with a look of understanding. He knew the look she wore well - it was a look of loneliness that one would wear when they had no one their age to confide in. While he had gained many friends in his travels few were within twenty years of age of himself - It was one of the reasons that he was so much more mature than most of his year mates and even those who were older than him.
Sliding down the tree he patted the spot next to him, giving her a disarming smile. "I wouldn't dream of treating one of my friends in such a way."
Making her way over to him, she tucked her hands behind her knees folding the long, flowing skirt she was wear to her legs as she sat next to him. "What do you want to know?" She asked after they had sat for a time in silence.
"I don't know, I'm not really used to this sort of thing... Why not start with what it is your parents do for a living and go from there."
"Both my mother and father are retired members of the SAS, and now run their own private security firm."
"Wow," Harry chuckled, recalling the scars that had covered Dan and Emma. "Remind me never to anger either of your parents; it might end as badly for me as it does when I piss off Gellert."
"Gellert Grindelwald? The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and from what I've read in Notable Modern Wizards, a war hero and scholar?" Harry nodded. "Now that I think about it, he's the one you were with at the Leaky Cauldron the first time we met. Is he your guardian?"
"Yeah, I've spent my entire life traveling with him." Harry told her sounding very nonchalant about the fact he had been around one of the living legends of the magic world all his life.
"That had to be fasci- Harry why is your shadow in my lap?" she asked sounding as if she didn't know if she should be upset or worried.
Her words taking him by surprise he looked over to see she was right, across not only her lap but her legs as well were the same black shadows as the night before. They seemed to be stretching out for him and soon he realized that the same was happening all around him. From within the forest snaked numerous dark tendrils made of shadow.
"Can you please stop them?" Hermione asked in a strained voice. Goose bumps had risen across her arms displaying how much it was freaking her out.
Harry could feel the connection between him and the shadows - his shadows, but was still unaware of how to control them. Not knowing what else to do he tried willing them to stop as he had the night before and was pleased to see them slow until their progression had stopped completely. He had noticed that unlike during the awakening when they had listened to him instantly and dropped away as soon as he was ready for them to, today they were sluggish in responding to his will.
Shrugging it off and figuring that he would have to learn to work on his control, he willed those that were on Hermione off of her and for the rest to come to him. When she was free of their grip Hermione rose to her feet, taking a few steps away to better watch as Harry was encompassed by shadows that flowed across the ground like water in a stream.
"Does this make you uncomfortable?" He noted the way she had jumped up as soon as she was free of the darkness' grasp. "I can stop if it does... though I wasn't doing it on purpose before, so there's no telling how long it will stay away."
"It wasn't that it made me uncomfortable, I'm only trying to give you space." She explained as her eyes trailed over the shadows that had started to rise upwards mimicking a circle of small, weak flames. "How did you do that?"
Harry didn't look away from the black flames as he answered her. "They answer to my will, but for some reason not as well as last night. I tried making them rise level with my head, not go a few inches off the ground and stop."
"It's possible they were hyper aware of your wants last night since they had been newly awakened," Hermione guessed. "Maybe now that they've had time to set you'll have to work with them before you have the level of control you did last night."
"I was thinking the same thing."
"Why not try using your power over light and see if its reaction time is lower too."
Harry took his eyes off the flames, with them dying as soon as he did, to look up at the girl. "How did you know it was light that I was controlling last night?"
"It's not that hard to figure out if you were paying attention to what was going on. Your shadows came from the shadows and the light came from the flames of the candles and torches in the Great Hall."
"You're as observant as your mother and father, aren't you?" Harry commented as he rose to his feet, not seeing the smile his words brought to her lips. "I don't know what I'm doing but let's give this a try." Closing his eyes he pulled for the same feeling he had experienced from the light the night before.
"It's working."
His eyes snapped open to see tendrils of solid white light racing for him, and as it had been with his shadows they were moving slower than they had the night before. "Well that answers that question." When the light reached the ring of shadows surrounding him they split making room for the light. As he watched he couldn't escape the feeling the light and shadow didn't want to touch each other.
Crouching down he touched his right hand to the black and his left to the white, commanding both to crawl up their respective arm. Once the opposite elements had reached up to his elbow he stopped anymore from rising and stood up. The smile he wore as he flexed his light and shadow covered hands was contagious. The contact he shared with his personal elements was amazing, the light felt as lite as a feather, and while the darkness felt just as light there was something about them that made them feel heavy.
"I wonder if I could shape this into clothing, or weapons... maybe into animals." Harry listed ideas that came to mind as he played around.
The joy he was experiencing as a result of all he had learned during the short time he had been awake made the normally very sharp minded boy careless. It was as he was attempting to will his shadows and light into designs on his arms that he did something that he would have normally known was unwise.
Reaching over he placed his light covered hand against the one cloaked in shadows. The result was a violent one. The second the two forces touched their reactions' were to be separated. Harry was lifted off his feet, slamming his back and head into the tree he had been sitting against minutes before.
There is a reason light and shadows are always next to one another but never become one. To try and force the two together was the same as someone being good and evil at the same time, to attempt to lite a fire at the bottom of the ocean, to give birth while being a virgin - it was simply impossible. He would realize this when he awoke in the hospital wing hours later. But as he lay in bed that night thinking over his rash actions he would also realize that if someone performed an evil deed to save a life they could be considered good. That with magic he bet you could start a fire under water, and that with the advances in science and technology today, it was very much possible for a virgin to give birth... Some believed such an act had already happened. What was there to stop him from doing the impossible as well?
AN: Remember I said this chapter was HARD on me when you review it. I actually rewrote it a few times and just couldn't find any... balance? So the next chapter will see things moving along and won't be a filler like this one was. And just to stop any worrying, Harry will be friends with more than just girls in this. I'll be introducing his house mates next chapter and you'll get to see what type of creatures his room mates will be.
Just to cover something that I'm not sure if people have noticed, Harry and Draco's relationship will be a complicated one. At times they might be the best of mates at others they could hate each others guts. As for Harry his alignment is no where near set in stone. I'm not saying he's going to go dark, but the chances of him always doing what's right isn't set in stone.