The Boys Who Lived

CHAPTER 22

History of Magic was interesting this morning, they talked about Adalbert Waffling a theologist who was fundamental in the creating the basic laws of magic. Was born in 1899 died 1981, and did more for the magical community as far as the magical theorem than any other individual other than Merlin to date.

Waffling was the one who formulated the Fundamental Laws of Magic, such as the first law which states in essence the more that one attempts to alter the deepest underlying laws of magic, the more drastic and terrible the subsequent consequences would be. It is a lot like Newtons Third Law of Motion…for every action there is a equal or opposite reaction. Only this situation would be focused solely on magic. The more you tried to change the natural forces of magic, the more magic would rebel against said changes.

Waffling wrote the book Magical Theory, the most popular textbook that is still being used today by most proper schools of Magic, including Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It has been translated into many different languages and presented to many schools, even Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students use this book as a basis for their classes.

Herbology was interesting too, they worked with Devil’s Snare, it is a magical vine like plant that would strangle anything in its path or anything that touched it. It is not a common plant, and only certain Herbologist were authorized to access it. It has tentacle like appendages that reach out for any unwary victims and latches on with voracious grip, suffocating what ever touches it, the one defense against Devil’s Snare is that is is adverse to light or fire.

Now days there are about only three uses for Devil’s Snare, as a potion ingredient, as a guard for valuables or a valuable object and as an assassination weapon or silent killer.

It is primarily from Scotland and hard to find anywhere else, it prefers dark, damp environments, so caves or caverns are first on its list. It is considered semi-sentient do to the fact that it can sense when something is near it and will wrap it’s tentacle like appendages around the unwary victim in a matter of moments and suffocate them, then literally squeeze the victim to death.

A quick Lumos Solem, Lumos Duo, Lumos Maxima, Incendio, or Blue Bell charm will take care of the Devil’s Snare without a bit of trouble.

Today in Potions they were suppose to learn how to make the antidote to Uncommon Poisons, so that would be interesting too.

Fire seeds
Graphorn horn
Billywig stingers
Chizpurfle carapaces
Bezoars

Harry gathered the ingredients for everyone and headed back to sit down, this list of ingredients was the weirdest they had had so far, but each day brought new potions and new things to explore. That is one of the reasons Harry loved potions, each one was so interesting, and the history behind them could be so fascinating.

“Did you get the Chizpurfle carapaces?” Luna asked as she looked through the envelopes, for the right one, “Never mind, found them,” she said with a smile.

“Yup.” Was all he said as he smiled back and sat down at his station and began to calibrate his scales and wipe down his equipment.

“Fire seeds, finely ground. Ok mortar and pestle.” Harry took out his equipment and began to grind the fire seeds as directed. The Graphorn horn that was to be powdered thankfully came in a soft powder already so he didn’t have to worry with that thankfully. So the next thing was the Billywig stingers and they had to be ground down too. And it stated to fine mulch…ah yeah. That one he might need help on, what would be a fine mulch exactly? Chizpurfle carapaces diced and smashed, that was easy. Bezoars crushed to fine powder, nuisance but doable. Everything on this potion was grind, power or crush except the base. And it was already heating to a low boil as instructed. Soon he would be able to put his first ingredient in.

Then he raised his hand. “Is this what it means by the billywig stingers ground to a fine mulch?” Harry asked Professor Lovegood who came over to look at what he had, she nodded and smiled “That is it, you want it to where the stingers are all torn apart and separated but not smashed completely.”

Harry began to add his ingredients as directed as did the others and slowly but surely their potions changed colors and began to give off a gentle amber glow. Showing a successful antidote was created. The smell was noxious but according to the book it would taste like toasted nuts. So not so bad, if you could get past the smell. But then again if you had just been poisoned I guess you really wouldn’t care one way or another. They all stirred their potion until it cooled then bottled it up, ready to have the Professor look at and inspect.

Harry, Neville, Luna, Pavarti, Malfoy, Greengrass, Zabini, Davis, Nott and Thomas got the Elixir perfect, Bullstrode and Brown weren’t that far behind either. That left Finnigan and he melted his cauldron, how, who knows. But his poor cauldron was a mass of smelly goo that was now fussed to the workbench. That is going to take Professor Lovegood some time to get it off of there.

“Okay class since Mr. Finnigan’s potion was such a brilliant lead in I will let you know that the next potion we will be making is the Anti-Nausea potion, so I want you all to read up on it and see if you can write me a foot long essay on the ingredients and their necessity for being in the potion. And with that, class dismissed.” Just as the bell rang.

Everyone was waiting outside of Ancient Runes class patiently waiting for the door to open, it did and they all filed in. Everyone found their seat and sat down, as Professor Babbling mad a little mark on the blackboard that looked like a sideways ‘v’. “Today we are going to be learning about Kenaz or (K) - which means ulcer or torch. It is associated with fertility, creativity and the power of procreation. It is primarily associated with the light, knowledge and learning. Wisdom and knowledge were vital as a torch in the darkness to the Germanic peoples. Think of it as the light of knowledge that illuminated the darkness and served as a beacon of wisdom in a world surrounded by mystery.” Professor Babbling started.

“Additionally it was a rune that connected to the craft of a smith, a figure who employs fire in his day to day work and creates with fire, he enchants with fire, he molds with fire, works his tools to take the raw materials and forms his creations with fire. This is a very important rune indeed. This is one of the reasons that this rune is focused on creativity, and the ability to create.” The Professor continued.

“Magically this rune was used quite a bit in rituals where the quest for knowledge or insight into something was desired, although there are limited spells related to this rune generally, it was frequently found in clusters that were used in some of the oldest of the rune clusters we have on record.” Professor Babbling explained.

“What they appeared to do most frequently is to make this rune the power behind the focus, for example if I wanted to know more about the rune Perthro I would place Perthro in the center of the rune cluster with Kenaz on the right side of it, and then the basis for the reason or the ‘why’ for the request of knowledge on the left side. Be it political, or spiritual, or enlightenment, or just general knowledge, sometimes we would have one that had Kenaz, followed by the focus rune, followed by another Kenaz. They wanted the knowledge for knowledge sake. No other purpose. It was a time of enlightenment and exploration for the Vikings and Gaelic individuals so knowledge for knowledge sake was a very real pursuit.” Professor Babbling stated.

“Any questions so far?” She asked.

Malfoy raised his hand, “This one sounds like a rune that would be very useful in a protective circle, especially if it was protecting information. Would that be accurate?”

“Absolutely, if your out to protect information or knowledge you definitely want to include Kenaz in your cluster. Good catch Mr. Malfoy, ten points.”

“Would you want to do the cluster, then add in the information to be protected then do the cluster again, or only do it once?” Zabini asked.

“That would depend on how secure you wanted your information. There is a technique called layering, where it is layer built on layer of protection, to add to the strength of the protection. So you can do it either way. But it is taxing and time consuming. So it has it’s down sides too.” She answered

Luna raised her hand, “Does Kenaz have a place in Divination?”

“Oh my yes, it is frequently use for enlightenment in Divination, like “Is mother with grandmother? Or Did Grandfather leave a Will somewhere? Things like that are frequently asked and answered through Divination using Kenaz.” She explained.

Harry raised his hand. “I have seen this rune a lot on individual books, or independently. Is it more often used in clusters or independently?”

“In clusters I think, when it is used independently it is as if the author or designer is saying here is something of great knowledge or information, you need to stop and read this. It also shows that the author has a small grasp at least of some runes. Although how big of a grasp is yet to be seen.” Professor Babbling stated smiling.

“Alright I would like you to use your books and spend the next half hour going through and setting up a three rune cluster. I know we haven’t done this yet so today is our first try at clusters. I just want you to make one single cluster. I want you to be able to tell me the reason you chose that cluster and what you hoped to gain or do with the cluster. Now you don’t have to stick to the runes we have already covered, I know some of you have been reading ahead so that is fine. But I want you to be able to tell me which is your focus rune, which is your empowering rune and which is your directional rune, if you have one. You have thirty minutes and I will be walking around helping anyone that raises their hand.

The next several minutes went by quickly for some and slowly for others. For Harry he had a pretty good idea of what he wanted to write but he wasn’t quite sure how to write it so he raised his hand. “Yes Mr, Black?”

“I would like more information on Darcorns, and this is the emblem for the Darcorns and their Riders. Could I use that in place of a rune? Or would I have to spell out Darcorns somehow to get the information I seek?” Harry asked.

“Many times a Head of House would use their house seal, or emblem, as a missing rune, in a sequence, sometimes it worked and other times it didn’t. The only thing I could suggest it for you to try and see if it worked.” So he put the Rune Thurisaz then the Riders emblem then the Kenaz rune and asked if she thought it would work?

“Well Thurisaz is a good choice for the Riders, they are all about danger, protecting others, and the courage to face challenges. Then of course their emblem. And Kenaz. This cluster should be able to work, if magic understands the intent behind the symbol of the Rider’s emblem that is.” Professor Babbling stated. “Now all you have to do is charge the runes to see if it works,”

Which Harry did, he placed his wand in the Kenaz rune and pushed with his magic, It happened so quickly he didn’t have a chance to think let alone respond, one moment he was focused on the runes the next he was standing next to them, and beautiful huge Darcorn and an older man who was brushing him down. Harry cleared his throat and the man stopped, startled and turned around,

They talked for what seemed for hours but it was just a matter of moments, his name was Justin, he was one of the first Riders, he and Apollo were the first official Riders that formed a Riders group. He was the leader of the group and as such had many responsibilities that he shared with Harry, and ideas that he shared with Harry. And he told Harry he thought he was doing a fabulous job so far. They talked and walked and talked some more. A few seconds passed and the world began to blur and he was back sitting in the class room once again.

Each of his people were looking at him with curious eyes as was Professor Babbling. He smiled and said “It worked, it really, really worked. Neville, Luna, Pavarti, I want each of you to try it.” He said with a half watery smile.

“Well what happened?” Professor Babbling asked,

“I met the first leader of the Riders, and we talked for what seemed like hours. His name was Justin and his ride was Apollo. He was quite a bit older than me but we talked for ever, he gave me some brilliant ideas. And he actually said he was proud of me and what I had done so far with the Riders.”

Professor Babbling was so excited she was beside herself, never before had she had a student create a rune that worked so well, or that had accomplished so much. She was practically giddy, she was giggling and encouraged the other three to try it as well, which they did.

Neville went first, followed closely by Luna and Pavarti.

Pavarti came out of it first, she was all smiles and reached over and hugged Harry, who was half shocked at what she did. “That was the most brilliant experience. I never knew it could be like that. We have to tell the others. We have to get the others to try and get them to look back and see if they have an individual that can help guide them.” Pavarti said.

Luna came out of it and she was almost in tears, “Oh it was so magnificent, I am so happy. Look at all that we have done. Look at all that we can do, we are the Riders, we can do anything Harry. Oh Harry.” And she reached over and hugged the stuffing out of Harry.

Neville was the last to come back and he was sitting so proudly when he did, Professor Babbling looked to him to see if he was okay. “His name was Thomas and his ride was Ebony. He was the second in command and he was Justin’s right hand man, he was his man-at-arms and his second in everything, they became closer than brothers, they even married sisters and he ended up having eight kids. It was so magnificent.”

Professor Babbling was clapping her hands and gave each of them twenty points and Harry and extra twenty for coming up with the design.

It was about then that the bell rang and they had to end the class. But the Riders now had something they wanted to share with all the other Riders, something that would reach into their souls and touch a part of themselves that would help them understand what it means to be a Rider. Harry couldn’t wait.

With that they all got up and reluctantly headed out of the class and headed to dinner, excited to tell the others about their rune array that Harry had developed. He wanted them all to try it, maybe it would give Hermione the direction that she needed, although she seemed to be doing a lot better lately.

At dinner Harry told all the rest of them about the rune array he had developed and they all wanted to try it and see if they had an individual that they parred up with as well. So they headed back to the Room of Requirements and had it set up like a big comfy lounge for the most part and a workroom for the rest of it. Fred, George, Susan, Padma and Cedric only needed to be shown the sequence of runes and the way that Harry had put the Rider emblem in the middle to be able to make the sequence work. Hermione had to have more work done. She didn’t understand how things worked with runes and she didn’t understand them so it was a long drawn out process of explaining each rune and what it did, why he had used it and what it was for and how it effected the situation, and still she couldn’t make it work.

This upset Harry quite a bit, he was hoping that talking to her counter part in the group would make her feel more a part of them and make it more real to her, make her fell more comfortable, and less questioning all the time. But since she couldn’t make it work it only made her question her place that much more.

She was the only one who couldn’t do it.

Susan came out of it excited and in her words ‘her head was swimming with new ideas’ for her post. She was practically bouncing off her chair with excitement. Her counter part was absolutely brilliant and told her she would always be there for her, and that no matter what she could handle it, that she was doing a brilliant job so far. They talked about everything she had set up so far and all her plans she had made and her counter part, Eva by the way, thought her ideas were wonderful and right on point. Although she did say to get some thing for saddle soars set up, that she would need it. After a four day ride there would be a lot of soar behinds wanting relief out there. And Susan thought that was hilarious and agreed. So she made a note of what Eva used and where to find the recipe for it, and to always keep some on hand. Susan was so excited she could practically burst.

Padma wasn’t that far behind her though, her counter part, Franklin, was very much like she was, the back up healer and medic and had to do a lot of the minor work while the primary did all the major work and more complicated things. She said she even learned a couple really neat new spells while she was there. Ones that helped out her counter part a lot in his job. She didn’t want anything bad to happen mind you, but she was excited to try the new spells.

Cedric was all smiles, he said that his counter part, Allan, was the third in command, and that when the primary and secondary were knee deep in taking down the bad guys that he was responsible for the rest of them, that he was in charge. He said it gave him a whole new outlook on his standing in the group, not only was he the leader of Tier two but he was in charge of Tier two and Tier three when ever there was bad things happening, so he was in charge of six people’s lives and they were his responsibilities, his own included. It changed the way he viewed his standing, he wasn’t just in charge of the terrible twosome, he was in charge of Susan, Hermione and Padma as well, He was the one that told them when it was safe for them to stay put, or called them out, or called a retreat, or anything. He suddenly realized just how important he truly was in the the group and he never had realized it before.

The twins were each bouncing off the walls, chattering at each other over the two they had met, Oliver and Thaddeus, a pair of brothers that were their counter parts in the group. They worked on the distract, diversion, and decoy area of the group and boy did they come up with some new ideas, even came up with some new ideas for some pranks for their shops too, apparently their counterparts were a pair of pranksters too. They loved them, although they didn’t have red hair, they were brunets but that was okay since they were cool anyway.

The only one that seemed upset about it all was Hermione, and Harry tried and tried to explain it to her, and try as he might she couldn’t get the rune array to work, finally she got frustrated and left the room. He felt sorry for her but he really didn’t know what else to do.

“There isn’t anything you can do to make her feel more like a Rider, that has to come from within herself. There is something within her that she is blocking or not wanting to accept. It is either the fact that there is someone else is in charge and not her, or that she doesn’t know everything all the time. Something is keeping her from fully being a part of this group and until she over comes that, she is going to be an outsider looking in.” Luna stated.

“Yeah I know, but I can’t have that, it’s like a loose cannot that I don’t know when it will go off. I just know it.” Harry said quietly.

Luna just nodded and rested her head on Harry’s shoulder and turned to watch the twins tweak out some more.

Harry sighed, he guess he would talk to Neville about it later, he didn’t know what to do about this situation. He didn’t want to cause a problem, and Hermione was Procella’s rider. Which meant that Procella saw something in her that meant she was capable of being a Rider.

“The one thing your missing though Harry,” Luna whispered quietly. ”Is that maybe she isn’t meant to be a Rider in a group, maybe she is meant to be a solitary Rider.”

This got Harry thinking, was it true, was Hermione not meant to be part of their group? And if that was true who was going to protect the girls, he needed someone in Tier three to protect the medical personnel, he couldn’t leave them unprotected. He hated moments like this, when he was the one in charge and he didn’t know what to do. He had one person in a position he didn’t know if he could trust them in and no one else he could put in that position in their place. It was that proverbial damned if you do and damned it if you don’t scenario. What could he really do at this point but leave her in her position until she really messes up and gets someone hurt? Or what?

“Wait and see, things will turn out for the better, you will see. It will all work out. You have nothing to worry about.” Luna said dreamily.

Harry hated when she did that, it meant that she knew something that he didn’t and she wasn’t sharing it with him either. Well crap.

————————————————

It was a few days later that Luna’s statement really made sense, they were having Care of Magical Creatures class when they saw him, a lone Rider coming up through the gates of Hogwarts and heading towards the stables. Neville was the first to see him and he tapped Harry on the shoulder.

“What’s up?” Harry asked, looking away from the fire crabs that they were studying that day.

Neville nodded in the direction of the lone Rider.

“Who could that be?” Harry wondered out loud. He didn’t know of any other Riders yet, and all of their herd was present or accounted for.

“Looks like we are going to find out real soon, brother.” Neville whispered.

The young man walked his Darcorn over to the stables and got off of the beautiful mare then tied her lead to the fence of the corral. He looked as if he was unsure of what to do, so Harry took the initiative and headed over to him. The young man was wearing jeans and a chambray shirt, with a leather jacket over it and, he had on boots and a cowboy hat hung low on his head. His hair was dark brown and braided, going about half way down his back. His skin was tanned by the sun but he had a warm smile on his face and it set off his sapphire blue eyes when he spoke.

“Hi there, can we help you?” Harry asked.

“I don’t know Sir, my name is Christian Anderson, and I am looking for the Riders, do you know where I can find them?” The young man asked.

“Yes, I do, at least some of them, why don’t you come with me, or better yet.” Harry turned to the stables and called out “Storm come out here you’ve got a guest.”

The young man looked a little shocked but watched as there was a couple of thumps and all the sudden a huge Darcorn stallion came trotting out of the stables and up to the young man, “This is Storm, my Darcorn, I’m Harry Potter Black. The leader of the Riders here. Storm this is Christian,”

“And Ardera, this is Ardera.”

“Storm this is Ardera, make sure she is welcome here, okay big fella?” Harry patted the big stallion on the muzzle and chuckled at the snuffling that he got in return.

“You came just as out class was finishing, let me introduce you to some of the others.” Harry led the young man over to Neville and introduced them.

“Christian Anderson, this is my second, my brother Neville Longbottom. His ride is Thunder. Another gorgeous stallion.” The two shook hands “Neville this is Christian Anderson his ride is that lovely mare over there Ardera.”

Luna, Pavarti and Susan walked over and he introduced each one of them to Christian as well. Each one thought his Ardera was gorgeous, and he thought that Susan having a foal was fascinating.

“She is a little thing but she is growing quickly, and she is learning so many tricks its hard to believe. She is so smart. She can actually pull a cart now, when she wants to, that is; a small one but still. Karma is a beauty.”

“I didn’t realize you were all so young? When I heard of all that you had done I though you were a bit older, I was hoping on joining with you and maybe seeing what it would be like to be part of a real Riders group.” Christian sounded a little disappointed.

“We range in age from thirteen to sixteen, but we are the ones that you have heard about, age doesn’t matter when you are a Rider, all that matters is skill and the ability to use it. How old are you?” Harry asked.

“Eighteen, I just turned eighteen, I should say. I meant no disrespect. I just…well I was hoping to get some training and learn more, I am sort of new to all of this. The last two years it has just been me and Ardera, she saved my life after I got gored by a bore hog. And since then it has just been me and her.” Christian stated.

“Why aren’t you in school then? Shouldn’t you be in school?” Susan asked.

“I’m an orphan Ma’am and well, I lived off the streets or in an orphanage most of my life, I didn’t have much until I met Ardera and she became my world. I am mostly self taught, I love reading and all, but books are hard to come by when food is more important.” Christian stated.

“You say you are mostly self taught, how do you mean? Do you think you could take a test and qualify to go to school?” Harry asked.

“Probably, but why?” Christian asked.

“Because I train all my people. And a proper education is one of the things I want all of my people to have the opportunity to have. If you want to join us, I want you to test with Hogwarts and see where they would put you. If you can get into classes here and go to school with us, we can set you up with schooling and pay for it all for you, as part of being in our group. But you have to do your part first, you have to test in first… that is totally on you. Now if you don’t test into Hogwarts there is still the summer you could work hard during and come back and try again next year so don’t worry. But all my people get a good education. And make the best of any opportunity offered to them. So let’s get you up to the Headmistress and see what she says.” With that he led Christian up to the doors of Hogwarts and inside.

Harry could tell the young man was a little unsure about all this but it wasn’t like he was giving him much of a choice now was he. When they got to the gargoyle in front of the stairwell, Harry went over to it and said “Truth, Justice and Honor,” and the Gargoyle jumped aside without a pause. The whole group walked up the moving staircase and to the inner chamber then Harry knocked on the door to the Headmistress’s office.

“Come in?” McGonagall called out.

They all went inside and she was a little taken back at the stranger in their midst and gave Harry a questioning look.

“Headmistress McGonagall this is Christian Anderson he is a Rider that just came here and he just turned eighteen, he is wanting to join our group but he hasn’t finished his formal schooling yet and I was wondering if you could give him placement testing and see where he would stand, and if it would be possible to place him in classes that he would be interested in. If anyone asked you could merely state he is a transfer student, and leave it at that.”

“Of course, how much formal schooling have you received Mr. Anderson?” The Headmistress asked.

“Well the orphanage that I went to had schooling up until the sixth year and then there we were kind of left to figure things out on our own after that but I didn’t complete the sixth year, yet.” Christian stated.

“Very well, we will start with sixth year testing and see how you do, if you can test into that year I will place you there. Oh and Mr, Anderson you will need to be sorted as well. Mr Black if you will.” She raised her hand towards the hat sitting on the shelf.

“Yes Ma’am.” With that Harry reached over and picked up the tattered old hat off the shelf she indicated and he directed Christian to sit in a chair and get comfortable. “Just relax. It will only take a moment.”

“What is this?” Christian asked.

“Hogwarts is divided into four houses, each house has it’s good and noble qualities about it, this hat will see which house best suits you and place you in that house, you will go to classes with the individuals in that house, and eat meals with those individuals and sleep in the same rooms as those individuals, they will be like your family and help you in many ways Mr. Anderson.” The Headmistress stated.

“Just remember that no matter what House you go into, Riders stick together,” Harry stated.

And he lowered the hat onto the young man’s head. After a few moments the hat hemmed and hawed around and finally stated “Better be Hufflepuff!”

“Congratulation! Congratulations! You and Mr. Diggory will get along marvelously, now let’s see if you can do the work in those classes. I’m going to give you the entry tests for the sixth year courses and I will give you until after dinner, which is eight hours to complete them all. You honestly should have no problem, if you need to take a break or wish to stop and get something to eat or something in the middle simply let me know. Now you kids run along and let Mr. Anderson take these test and let him focus. If he is finished before his allowed time I will bring him up to Sirius’ room.

With that they all left to head up to Sirius’ room, Harry wanted to spend some time with the twins and see about working on his papers that were due that he had still to finish for next week and the rest just wanted to work on home work and do unfinished readings.

It felt like forever but finally Headmistress McGonagall knocked on the door to Sirius’ rooms and Harry answered and she was all smiles. He of course invited them in and before he could ask Christian grinned and said. “Well it looks like I need to make a trip somewhere and buy myself some school books.”

“Congrats! Okay tomorrow is pretty full but Sunday it completely open, we have Karate classes at ten AM, then at two PM, we have first aid class, and at four PM a few of us take Archery. So if you are interested in any of those classes, they are extra classes I have arranged for the Riders to take, well the first aid class is offered if you can get enough people and we had ten plus three others wanted to be in the class as well. So the school offered it. But the Karate and the Archery are ones that we set up, if you want to join in on them you just have to show up. Now we exercise every morning at six AM. We do Taekwondo and sword work until time for Karate class, that way we are warmed up and are not hitting that class completely cold. You’ll get used to the routine after a while. We get up at five AM then between work out and at seven to eight we have breakfast, on Saturday we don’t do anything until ten am so you have a break to do what ever you want, Unless you want to go get your stuff at that time tomorrow, we could always to that?” Harry thought.

“I would like to go early and get it over with, if it isn’t an inconvenience to anyone.” Christian stated.

“That’s cool, we can set it up without a problem, oh and Headmistress, the Riders will take care of his schooling. She merely nodded at that and turned and left the rooms.

“Well since dinner isn’t over with yet, let’s go down and grab something to eat and I’ll introduce you to the rest of the group. I think you will enjoy them, they are a great bunch. Cedric is closest to your age and he is in Hufflepuff too so he will be your main contact, you will be sitting with him on your classes and all. Oh that reminds me, what electives did you want to take, you can take up to three, most of us are taking Runes, Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures?” Harry asked

“I love Runes, not great at Arithmancy but I will give it a try, and well duh on Care of Magical Creatures,” Christian laughed.

His laughter came easily and sounded so pleasant that it made Harry smile, this just might work, was all that he could think.

They entered the Dinning hall and Harry began to point out some of the others, Fred and George even got up and came over to introduce themselves,

“Fred, George this is Christian Anderson, a new Rider his ride is Ardera she is out by the stables. Which reminds me after dinner we need to set her up with a stall, and something for dinner herself.” Harry said.

“I’m Fred, I’m the handsome one, were on Tier two, in charge of Distract, Decoy and Diversion, we have so much we can show you.”

“Don’t listen to him, I’m George and it’s evident that I’m the handsome one, but yeah we are the terrible twosome, we have pranks galore and make up all sorts of useful items for the group to use when we are out. We’ll be happy to show you a complete list of what we carry in stock.” George stated as he gouged Fred in the ribs.

“Boys don’t go scaring out new recruit off so early,” Harry shook his head, then motioned for Christian to follow him, which he did.

“Susan, Cedric, I would like to introduce you to Christian. He is a new rider and is wanting to join our group, Christian, Cedric and Susan are both in Hufflepuff, so they would be in the house that you were placed in, you sit with them at meals mainly. But since your the same year as Cedric and your taking the same classes as him, it is going to be fairly easy. Cedric is the leader in Tier two, and Susan is the leader of Tier Three. Why don’t you sit down with them and get to know them a little and we are right at your back if you have any questions.” Harry sat down literally right at Cedric’s back so he would be just one seat over from Christian.

“Hi, I’m Christian Anderson. I’m sorry about the abrupt introduction and all, is it alright if we talk and eat? I haven’t eaten since breakfast.” He asked.

Cedric smiled real big and offered his hand, “Cedric Diggory, and please be seated, Harry is always straitforward you just get used to it. If he has his mind made up on something you know it is fact.”

“I’m Susan Bones, my Aunt is the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, she gives us a lot of backup when we need it, she’s great to work with.”

“Wow, that must be very convenient, and he said you were in charge of Tier three, what are these Tiers he is talking about?” Christian asked.

“Tier one is the tier that he, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and Pavarti Patil belong on, they basically are the plow the road, gun them all down and secure the site group. Tier two is Cedric Diggory, Fred and George Weasley and they are primary distraction, decoy and diversion, but they are the back up if needed, they go in to rescue and recover when ever someone is injured and to guard if we have someone down. Then there is Tier three which is myself, Padma Patil, and Hermione Granger, we are the medic and triage team, Hermione is our cover but Padma and myself are you medical support. I’m lead so if you ever have a medical problem come to me first and if I can’t deal with it I will get you to someone who can.” Susan chatted friendly to the young man.

“He seems very sure of himself, even though he so young.” Christian stated.

“Harry, oh yeah. You bet yah. He knows things, how… who knows. But it is like he just knows how things should be done. He set up the whole Tier program, found a place for everyone, and set up everyone’s training and all. I’m taking first aid, Karate, and Archery and I’m trying to refresh my swordsmanship skills as well. Although Susan is hard to practice against she is my dueling partner and she is teaching me Taekwondo as well, so I’m learning that too. Harry makes sure we get all the training we want or need. And if you have an interest let him know he will do everything in his power to help you advance in it. Oh and by the way we also have a band. We love to sit around and play music and dance to unwind.” Cedric stated with a smile.

“Cool, I used to play guitar, but I had to sell it a while back to have enough money to get up here.” Christian said.

“You do? That is great! So do I! Don’t worry about a new guitar, Harry will get you one, if I know him. Once he hears you know how to play, he will love to have you play in the band. So will I. I taught Percy, the twin’s older brother, how to play, but he is more focused on studies right now than to play with the band too often and he’s not a Rider.” Cedric said excitedly.

Christian picked at the chicken he had placed on his plate, and looked a little puzzled. “What’s up?” Cedric asked.

“Well it is this whole thing about him paying for my schooling and books and all. That is a little much, I didn’t expect anything like that from this. It’s a little much to take in I guess.” Christian stated.

Susan laughed her happy little laugh. “Wait till he kits you out, you think him paying for your schooling and books is something…and by the way, don’t try and stop him, it makes him grumpy, almost as grumpy as messing with his tea.” She giggled a little at that.

Cedric rolled his eyes. “Rule ten Susan.”

“I know, I know and you two are the worst about it, I swear.”

“Rule ten?” Christian looked confused.

“Yeah, we have ten rules, and that is rule ten. Cedric stated,

“Rule one is a Rider’s bag is sacrosanct.

Rule two is a Rider’s trunk is sacrosanct.

Rule three is Always trust Luna’s visions.

Rule four is Always carry a blade.

Rule five is listen to your boss, it may save your life some time, or someone else’s life.

Rule six is Your Darcorn is your life, treat it like it.

Rule seven is Your body is a weapon to sharpen, strengthen, and hone, and have ready to use at all times.

Rule eight is be aware of your surroundings, never be caught unaware.

Rule nine is Rules are only important if they don’t interfere with your job.

Rule ten is Don’t fuck with an Englishman’s tea.” Cedric said as he held up his cup of tea.

“Wow, cool. I met Luna earlier, she has visions?” Christian asked.

“Yeah, she is our seer, if she yells duck! You duck or kiss your ass good bye, your choice…” Cedric stated as he ate his roast beef.

“She’s that good?” Christian whispered.

“Better than, she knew someone was coming, she just wouldn’t tell us who or when. She likes to keep the good stuff secret until it happens. That is one of the reasons that everyone is pretty well mellow about you being here. You were sort of expected.” Cedric stated in a low whisper.

“I was, so that’s the reason he acts like this is all nothing new to him? He has been expecting it?” Christian asked.

“Pretty much. That and I don’t think Harry knows how else to act, you should see some of the stuff he and Neville pull off and they act as if it it is no big deal. The Hogsmeade trip, they captured twenty Death Eaters just the four of them in Tier one, while Tier two distracted down below.”

“You mean that wasn’t a bunch of hype, they really did? Just four of them? Tier one, that is Harry, Neville, Luna and Pavarti? Right? Wow?”

“Tier three was in the Three Broomsticks doing triage over probably three dozen people by then, and the twins and I had to distract and confuse the hell out of the Death Eaters that were on top of the Post Office that they were trying to get to so we started shooting fire works off at them. Worked like a charm, they couldn’t see shit, and they couldn’t aim at any of the people down below either, so it was a win win on our side. Then the next thing you know all the spell fire stopped and Harry was looking over the edge waving his hand to call it all off. Then he came down and told Tier two to go door to door and check for injured while Tier one went in and helped with triage. Once you see him in action you will see what we mean, he acts a lot older than he is, and he definitely knows what he is doing, listen to him and do exactly what he says, no matter what it is, you can’t go wrong.” Cedric smiled,

“You’ve got a lot of confidence in Harry,” Christian noted.

“He’s earned it, he and Neville both.” Cedric sat up proudly.

“Their our leaders and they have earned their spot well.” Susan said.

“I think I am going to love this, this sound so like what I have been dreaming of for so long.” As he finished his tea.

“We hope so, we are a good group to work with, we know what we are doing and we work well together, as long as you listen to Harry and do what he tells you, you can’t go wrong.” Susan stated. “Oh and by the way you drink your tea the same way Harry does, three sugars, no milk. And don’t dare try and give him a lemon wedge unless you want it flung back at you when you aren’t looking.” She giggled at the memory of Harry flinging a wedge across the restaurant at the waitress as she turned and left them after handing out their drinks.

“Lemon, why would you want lemon, it’s tea for Merlin’s sake?” Christian looked confused.

“That’s what Harry says.” Susan giggled and nodded. “He has a tendency to fling the wedges at the waitresses that bring them to him in the restaurants, not a real nice thing to do. Funny, but not nice.”

Christian almost choked on his own tea at the picture in his head as he though of Harry doing just that, he could see the leader of this group getting frustrated and doing that, hell he could see himself doing it too.

He really liked rule ten, actually… he liked all of the rules, he wasn’t sure about the first two but he was sure they would explain them to him later. The rest were self explanatory, and easy to follow. He could easily agree to them all really.

Just as they were finishing their dinner Headmistress McGonagall stood up and rang her fork against her goblet to get everyone’s attention. “I have a couple of announcements I wish to share with you all. First, we have five students that received the With Merit awards in their scores for last year, first is Percy Weasley, in Political Science; second is Harry Potter Black in History of Magic, third is Neville Longbottom in Herbology, forth is Luna Lovegood in Potions, and fifth is Pavarti Patil in Astrology. Congratulations to each and everyone of you. And for those that are not familiar with what With Merit means, it represents the individual that has achieved the highest score in their grade level in that class of any individual taking the class. And that means world wide. I would like to tell you all this is the highest number of With Merit students that Hogwarts has ever had in it’s history, I am so proud of each and every one of you.” And she led the clapping for all those that had won their Merit awards.

Once the clapping calmed down the Headmistress continued. “There is one other thing I wish to share with you. We have a new student, his name is Christian Anderson, he is a transfer student and will be joining our sixth year Hufflepuffs this year, please welcome him to Hogwarts and to Hufflepuff.” Hufflepuff clapped loudly and cheered the new person sitting next to Cedric, Christian stood up and bowed then sat back down and blushing he tried to look as inconspicuous as possible. Although it was rather hard now that he was the center of attention.

Everyone at the Hufflepuff table started introducing themselves and Christian just smiled and shook hands with everyone, they all seemed so friendly he couldn’t help but be glad he was sitting there amongst them. Cedric leaned over and whispered, “You’ll get used to it after a while, we’re known for our friendly nature and so we love to meet new people. They will probably flock around you and ask thousands of questions but just be patient with them they will calm down eventually. Oh and Riders stick together, we sleep in Sirius’ quarters. Instead of Hufflepuff. So after dinner just follow me, we will set you up.”

“Oh, okay, I have to put Ardera up for the night first then I can get ready for bed, I need a shower. I have a couple of days of dust on me that needs to be washed off.” He grinned and reached over to grab some of the chocolate cake that had been tempting him for a few minutes now.

“No problem, we can head down there right after dinner, then head up to the rooms, Matthew and James should just be about ready to go to bed by the time we get back though, you need to meet those two, they are adorable. They are Harry’s four year old little brothers. Their twins and too cute for words. They were raised in an orphanage as well, and Sirius just found out that he was their father a few weeks ago, they adore Harry, and he absolutely dotes on them. By the way did you know that Harry is an orphan as well, Sirius adopted him when he was like five I think, but he is like his Godfather and he adopted him and became his dad, when Harry was five if I am not mistaken. You two have a lot in common you know.” Cedric stated. “Other than drinking your tea the same way and all,” He snickered.

“I didn’t know that, thanks for telling me that.” Christian stated, around his chocolate cake.

“Oh and if a reporter ever wants to know anything about the Riders or anything about a specific Rider, just ignore them. We are the Riders, refer them to Harry and he will take care of reporters, we don’t want individual names to be listed in the papers, or anything, it might lead to someone getting kidnapped or being made a target so just keep quiet and smile a lot, when they ask you for your name just say your a Rider and leave it at that. They get pretty insistent sometimes but Harry handles them beautifully.” Susan stated quietly and Cedric nodded.

“They are that bad?” Christian asked.

“Yeah, especially after Diagon Alley, they were all over us, and wouldn’t leave us alone until Harry put a stop to it.” Cedric stated.

They all finished their meal and proceeded to rise, Harry came over to Christian and invited him down to Sirius’ room, but Christian stated he needed to take care of Ardera first so they all headed out to the stables and for a little meet and greet with the Darcorns. Once they got there they all introduced their Darcorns to Ardera and then set her up with her own stall and hay for her to make her a nice bedding area in, and gave her fresh deer meat for dinner. Which she seemed to adore, that and the boar treats that Harry had in his pockets for her.

“You’ll spoil her, if you keep that up.” Christian chuckled as he watched Ardera search Harry for more boar meat, apparently that was her favorite.

“That’s what we are here for, a little spoiling them never hurt them anyway.” Harry laughed at the mare’s antics.

They played with the foals and brushed down the Darcorns and mucked out their stalls and fed them their dinner then headed back up to Hogwarts for the night.

Once in Sirius’ room they talked for a long time, Christian told them all about his childhood and a lot about his travels before he got to Hogwarts, getting gored by that wild bore and all. Meeting Ardera for the first time, learning to talk and listen to her. About that time Harry remembered the runes and he invited Christian to see if he could do it, he explained the rune array and how he had designed it and all, they all talked about who they had met and what they had seen, so he was excited to try, and he did.

He copied the runes and charged them just like Harry had instructed, he stared off into space for about two minutes then smiled so big you would think his face was going to split in two. He looked over to Harry and grinned even harder, “Amazing, absolutely amazing. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t have experienced it for myself. I still can’t believe it. It was the most wonderful gift anyone has ever given me. I now know my place in the group. Oh man that was just, I mean, oh wow.” Christian was at a loss for words.

“Well what is your place in the group?” Harry asked curious now.

“The person I met was the guard for the medic and field doc, he was also their sharpshooter. He did all of their range defense and then he guarded the other two for his regular duty. His name was Philip, or Phil, he was brilliant he could read and speak six different languages and so he was also their linguistics master and interpreter. I can only speak four languages but I would love to learn more. Oh man, this is going to be great. Zeus was gorgeous, he was huge but gorgeous, and he was saddled too, just like my Ardera.”

“So we will put you in Tier three, with Hermione, Susan and Padma, I thought that was where you were going to end up but I was going to wait and see what your skill level was, before I said anything. But if those runes have you pinned for that position I can’t really argue with that, now can I. We will test you out later though and see how you fit, just to see if you do ok.” Harry said.

Harry could see that Hermione was fuming, her face was red and her eyes were brimming with unshed tears, suddenly she got up and rushed to the girls bedroom.

“Did I say something?” Harry looked over to Luna in question.

“She thinks you are replacing her, which in a sense…you are. But it is because of her own behaviors and that is something that she hasn’t accepted yet. Give her time, work with both of them for a while and see how it works. Then if that doesn’t work out, well…she has the option of becoming a solitary Rider if she wishes to be one. Although I don’t think she has thought about that yet, I think all she has thought about is that she isn’t fitting in right now. There is nothing wrong with being a solitary Rider, they are just not in a group. They are not one of us. And that is what she truly wants. To fit in. She doesn’t realize that she can be a solitary Rider and our friend at the same time.” Luna said dreamily.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” Christian stated, with a frown.

“It isn’t you, we have been having problems with Hermione for a while now, and well… not to speak bad of her, but something was going to boil over soon. It is just a matter of time. She has a problem with authority figures and accepting her place in the group, she wants to be in charge and she can’t be so she pushes where she shouldn’t. And that means she tends to question things when she should just do her job. It makes it to where I don’t know if I can trust her to be where I need her in an emergency situation, and it was getting worse. I was expecting a big blowup soon, so you showing up was just good timing really. Putting you with Tier three probably just saved someone from getting hurt the next time we end up going out.” Harry stated, somewhat sad.

“Oh, it still doesn’t make me feel any better about taking someone else’s place.” Christian stated sadly.

“I am going to work with both of you on Tier three, for now. Then if anything happens you step in as main backup. You take the lead in the defense. If you see her start to falter, or not do her job properly you let me know, in order for our group to work the way we do, we have to have all of us working together without hesitation, without question and without such foolishness.” Harry stated at last.

“Okay folks,” Harry clapped his hands, “We are going to be going to Diagon Alley before Karate Class tomorrow, so anyone that wants to go can, but we have a tight window. I want to go there and then hit Harrods and back ASAP so we don’t miss Karate Class. So I want everyone up and ready to go by seven, we will grab a bite to eat then head out from the Leaky Cauldron at eight, most of the stores should be open by then. You know the stores we are going to hit, so if you need anything from those stores you’re more than welcome to join us. Or if you just want to get out, you can come along too. But we leave at seven sharp.” Harry stated “That’s bed folks.”

“Christian come with us, you’ll be bunking in here tonight.” Harry led the way into his room and all the guys followed, Christian was a little hesitant when all the guys followed, then and he didn’t exactly understand why.

“All the guys sleep in their own trunks in here. Since you don’t have your own trunk yet, you get the bed, there is a bathroom and a shower, through there. Anything you need or want just let one of use know, or you can ask Jeeves,” Harry stated then he called out “Jeeves.”

“What can Jeeves do for you tonight Master Harry?” Jeeves asked as he popped into the room.

“Jeeves this is Christian, he is a new Rider and he will be staying here with us, he doesn’t have a trunk yet so anything he needs I would appreciate if you could see too them.” Harry asked,

“Jeeves can do that Master Harry, is there anything that you need at the moment?” Jeeves turned to Christian.

“No I think I have got it covered, but thank you.” Christian stated.

With that the little house elf bowed and popped away. “That was Jeeves, he is great, if you are ever in a pinch call for him, he makes for a great back up in an emergency. He has pulled us out of the fire on a couple of occasions.”

“Oh?” Christian was curious now.

“Yeah, we have two orphanages that we sponsor, the second one we took over was a real piece of work, when we got there they had kids in jail cells and half starved, it was disgusting, I called Jeeves and he called in twenty other elves to help clean up the kids and get them fed, then we got them sleeping bags and a plushie and they had their first night clean, warm and a full belly in probably weeks. Then the next day he popped Storm and Thunder over to the orphanages so we could introduce them to the kids. Teach them what being a Rider meant. That is when I found out about my little brothers. They were so cute, they remembered me, that I was the one that rescued them from the cell that they were in and got them the plushie and put them to sleep that night and all. They were clinging to me, then when they told me their names I had Sirius come over for a Paternity spell and sure enough he was their father. I just did it because they looked so much like him and their last name was Black, I thought they might be related somehow, I didn’t even imagine that he could be their father. When they were told that he was their father and going to take them away they started crying, then when I explained that he was my father too and I would be their big brother they hugged me so hard I though my head would pop off my shoulders.” He chuckled.

Christian chuckled at the images going through his head right then.

The Riders all reached into their bags and got out their trunks and set them up in their usual spaces and proceeded to head down into them. Harry stated “This is something we will set you up with tomorrow so that you will have your own trunk and bag. First two rules of being a Rider are your bag is…”

“Rule one is a Rider’s bag is sacrosanct. Rule two is a Rider’s trunk is sacrosanct.” Christian stated.

“I see that Susan and Cedric have already been teaching you the rules of being a Rider. I hope they taught you Rule ten then,” He looked at him rather seriously.

“Yeah, Rule ten is Don’t fuck with an Englishman’s tea. I couldn’t agree more. I hate it when someone messes with my tea. Oh Susan said we take our tea the same way, black with three sugars.” Christian stated.

Harry broke out in a huge grin. “Yup, and a wise man indeed. Knows how to drink his tea. I hate it when they try and put milk in it or Merlin forbid them damn lemon wedges. Why would any sane man put lemon in their tea.”

“I haven’t figured that one out myself, I just trash the shit and go on about my business. It annoys me even to look at it.

“We have that much in common Christian, that shit annoyed me half to death, why would anyone mess up a good cup of tea with a damn chunk of lemon. I fling them at the waitresses when they aren’t looking. I have gotten two of them stuck in their hair and one down a girl’s collar so far.” He chuckled.

“Twenty points on the hair, thirty points on the collar, he shoots and he scores!” Everyone laughed at that, Christian raised his hands in the air like a goal post or something. Cedric just shook his head and headed into his trunk laughing as he went. Remembering the waitress squealing about the lemon wedge in the back of her uniform. Running into the restrooms to get it out of her uniform when she couldn’t reach it in the dining room. It was hilarious to say the least. Although Luna just gave Harry a disapproving look and shook her finger at him, saying ‘naughty, naughty, naughty.’ It seemed like that had made the whole thing that much more funny.

“Ha Ha Ha, Okay, with that we had better get to bed, we will see you in the morning, we want to be up by six so we can head out and eat at the Leaky Cauldron by seven, then hit the stores by eight. So get some sleep.” With that he headed down into his trunk and shut the lid as did the rest of them, and Christian headed to the showers with his saddle bags. Which held all his clothes, shrunk down of course, in them.

———————————————————

The next morning everyone gathered in the living room of Sirius’ rooms, well everyone but Hermione that is, seems like she didn’t want to go with them to Diagon Alley, her trunk was still shut when the girls left the room. Susan went over and knocked on it to check on her and she said that she didn’t want to go, so apparently she was fine just didn’t want to go. Oh well, they would see her at Karate class at least.

They all headed over together through the floo in Sirius’ room to the Leaky Cauldron, once they got there they dusted themselves off and picked out a big table that was in the center of the room and sat down. Tom came over immediately to take their drink orders. They ordered a big pot of tea with a side of milk and a side of sugar and ten cups please. With that Christian smiled and nodded. That was the way to order it alright.

Everyone put in their order for breakfast and they began to chat about what all they were going to get this morning and what all they needed to pick up from the Alley.

Susan reminded Harry they needed to pick up three more cases of nutrient potions and that got a whole conversation going on why they would need them. In the end Christian whole heartedly agreed, he said riding a Darcorn took a lot out of you, even if all you were doing was sitting there. It was still a constant motion and so you still get exercise out of it. And it isn’t easy either, after the first four hours or so, then it becomes a chore, and things begin to hurt and ache. You have to start stopping every couple of hours to stretch and walk around for a few minutes, riding for ten hours straight is a huge chore if your not used to it. You’ve got parts of your body hurting that you never paid attention to before. You never realized your tailbone alone could hurt so much all by itself, but it can. No matter how much padding that saddle has on it.

This is when they realized that he had a lot more experience as a riding Rider than they did, and they would be looking to him for advice in that area, that is for sure. He also said that if they intended to ride their mounts this summer for any distance, that they need to get them used to a saddle now, or they would have hell to pay later. This got all of the riders thinking. Cedric, Fred, George, and Susan stated that they couldn’t ride their mounts because of their age. Christian suggested for this first summer that they rent or borrow horses and then lead their mounts along, this would allow their mounts to get plenty of exercise, but not be burdened with a rider. And if you explained it to them, he was sure they would understand…of course you would have to explain it to their mother’s as well, let them know you aren’t replacing their young, that you are just making sure they don’t get hurt or over taxed before they are old enough to actually take on a rider. They should be a year old when they were planning on taking that trip so they should be able to keep up just fine, it would just be a matter of not putting any weight on their backs unnecessarily.

As they ate their food they continued to talk about the trip they wanted to take this next summer and compare ideas, they came up with some great ideas and everyone was excited about it by the time they left the Leaky Cauldron.

“Okay, Luggage shop first.” Harry said. And he headed that way with Christian right beside him.

They entered the shop and Harry went up to the clerk and showed him his ring. “We have got another Rider to set up if you don’t mind. Please Sir.”

The middle age man looked like he had just won the lottery, he leapt up and raced around the counter and started leading them to the back of the store where the Majesty trunks were kept. “Now it comes with seven compartments, a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, study and library, standard the other two you can make into anything you want to have in there. Do you have a preference?”

“A potions room and a work room, I do wood working, so I would love a room designated for that. With plenty of shelves in there for my wood supplies and tools. Oh and can you put up something that I can hang my hand tools on so that I can just reach up and get them?”

“Not a problem there at all.” The clerk just smiled and nodded.

Harry had gone over and gotten another bottomless bag and told the clerk to add it to their total as well and the gentleman did so without pause. Apparently, the Riders were becoming some of their best clients or something.

“Can you have it ready by nine thirty, we have somewhere to be by ten? If not we can come back and pick it up.” Harry asked,

“It will be a little tight, but for the Riders, not a problem. We will have it ready.” The clerk looked at his watch just to make sure what time it was and nodded.

“Thank you very much,” Harry said as he paid for the whole thing with his Rider ring.

Then handed Christian his bag and told him to put it on. Then they went across the Alley to the cobblers shop to look at boots. While Christian had riding boots Harry wanted him to have Rider boots and he of course needed some school shoes as well. So Harry had him sit down and try on a couple of pair of boots, until he found one that they both liked and and a Harry insisted he had to have school shoes even though Christian frowned at that. “Sorry, dress code and all that.” Harry said.

With a sigh Christian got himself a couple of pairs of shoes for school, although reluctantly. And he put his purchases in his bag and they headed over Madame Malkin’s to get him his school wardrobe. The girls wanted to use him as a barbie doll but he absolutely refused and even tried to leave the store, until Harry made them quit and go sit down some where. Then he, Neville and Cedric picked out what Christian should have in his wardrobe. Cedric was a little more into getting a full wardrobe for Christian so they did. He kept saying that he would need all these things eventually and he might as well have them now. If everything he had fit into a pair of saddle bags he definitely didn’t have enough clothes to last through out the year at Hogwarts. So they got him a full set of wizarding wear, which he was a little hesitant about but understood the necessity for, and then they got him formal wear and casual wear for when he wasn’t in school which he was okay with the casual wear but he didn’t know about the formal wear.

“Your a Rider now, your going to be invited to different balls and festivals. We have already been to one ball, one bbq and one party in our honor just this year. So get it now and be happy you have it.” Cedric stated.

Christian scrunched up his nose, but then sighed and nodded. He didn’t like the idea but if he was having to represent the Riders as a group then he had to, he guessed.

They got him a winter cloak and some jumpers and a few heavy slacks as well, which was ok. Then they went over to the sleep wear and he said he preferred Non-Magical sleep wear and underwear. Harry nodded and said he agreed. So they held off on all that. Once they checked out they headed over to the jewelry shop and that confused Christian all to pieces, until everyone held up their Riders ring.

Harry went inside and asked the same clerk he had worked with before if he had a moment.”We have another new Rider. And we are needing a new Rider ring please.”

“A new Rider? Well Congratulations! And of course. It will take about twenty minutes to make. If you would like to come back in twenty minutes that would be acceptable.” The clerk stated.

“That will be fine. We will be back in no time at all. Thank you,” Harry smiled and put his signature on the pad for the Rider’s ring to pay for it.

Harry then headed towards Gringotts, “That looks like a bank or something?” Christian asked

“That is exactly what it is, and where else would you think we would keep the Basilisk skins that we need to make our Rider uniforms with?” Harry grinned. “Come on, were going to get you measured for your own set of Rider battle gear.”

Christian was beyond lost now, he had no clue what Harry meant, but he followed along beside him anyway, without further comment.

Harry went up to one of the tellers and told him what they needed the little teller came rushing around and immediately showed them to a large room with a single desk in it. Ragnok was smiling at them and Harry couldn’t help but wonder why so he asked.

“We have managed to find the families that each piece of jewelry that you brought in belongs to, and they are beyond thrilled. They wished for me to personally thank you for the return of their family heirlooms and to let you know that you have favor in their houses. I must say that is quite a bit of good standing within the Goblin nation, considering some of those pieces belonged to some of the oldest and most honored of our Nation’s. I would like to honor the Rider’s as Friends of the Goblin Nation and to make sure that in the future we have nothing but joyous business together.”

“It is the Riders who are honored by this gesture, and I will state that anytime the Goblin Nation calls… the Riders will come to your aid.” And with that Harry reached into his bag and pulled out one of the necklaces like he had given the two orphanages and he explained how it worked to Ragnok, the wise old Goblin was without words, but he put the necklace on and wore it proudly.

When Harry told Ragnok that they had a new Rider and they needed to get a new suit of Basilisk battle gear made for him the old Goblin pushed a button on his desk and called out something in goblin then three young goblins came rushing into the room, all with tape measures in their hands one was carrying a stool.

“I think they are here for you, Christian.” Harry stated.

“I was afraid you were going to say that.” He walked over to the three of them and got up on the stool and became a pose-able dummy for a few minutes as they chattered away around him. Calling out things in Goblin and writing things down as it was called out. It took all of five minutes and they were finished and he was able to step down and they rushed out of the room again. “Well that didn’t take as long as that other place.” Christian stated.

“They don’t waste time here. Time is money you know.” Harry said.

“Very true, very true. Now was there anything else that you needed done today?” Ragnok asked.

“Nothing at this time my friend.” Harry stated.”And I feel we have taken up enough of your valuable time as it is.”

“Then I shall wish you a good day, we shall deliver you the suit when it is completed.” Ragnok promised.

With that Harry bowed and the rest of the Riders followed suit and they all left.

“Harry, do you realize that you were just made a Friend of the Goblin Nation, that We were just made a Friend of the Goblin Nation?” Susan asked quietly as they were leaving the bank.

“Sshhh, not so loud, wait till we are further away from here. People might hear and I would like to keep that on the down low for now.” Harry whispered back.

She nodded and quickened her step so she could stay right beside him until they got back over to the jewelry shop. Once inside the clerk was thrilled they were back, “Right on time, I just finished it, here you are young man. As always, it’s an honor.”

Harry took the little box and thanked the man then headed back outside, once outside he stopped, “Christian, I am not sure what all you know about Riders, but our motto is Truth, Justice and Honor. This ring that I just had made for you represents those three things. The infinity symbol shows that truth is eternal, the two swords stands for Justice and the two wands stands for Honor. Do you agree with those concepts and want to uphold the ideals of being a Rider?” Harry asked as he showed Christian the ring.

“Absolutely, with all my soul. This is what I have been searching for, for two years now. It’s like a dream come true to me. A people that finally understands what is inside of me.” Christian stated, his voice a little deep there at the end, you could tell it was getting heavy with emotions.

“Then take this ring and put it on, wear it proudly as a member of the Riders.” Harry stated.

Christian pulled the ring out of the box and placed it on the ring finger of his right hand and it autosized for him. It was perfect. He had never been so proud. Well except when Ardera accepted him as her Rider. Now he had a place they both belonged.

"Next to the Apothecary, we have a bunch of potions and ingredients to get from there. Susan we need to get a full med set up for him. Don’t forget those four extra cases of nutrient potions. We don’t have a lot of time so lets put a rush on it guys.” And with that he led the way over to the apothecary and entered the store. He went up to the clerk and greeted him, “Greetings Sir, we have a new Rider with us today and we need a full Rider package, and med kit. Also I need four cases of nutrient potions this time if you have got them available that is.” Harry stated.

“I’ve got you covered Sir, always love to work with you Riders, I have been making up special cases of those nutrient potions just for you Riders, and having them on hand just in case, so it’s not a problem at all. Four cases coming right up. And do you need a school regiment as well as a Rider kit or just a Rider kit set up for him?” The clerk asked.

“Sorry about that, yes we need both and thank you for reminding me of that, I forgot that he needed a full school kit, year six please, as well and give him the advanced school full kit on everything you have, I want our new Rider to have the best.” Harry smiled.

“Of course, we shall get right to that.” The clerk grabbed a big bundle that was under his counter and placed it on the counter, “This is normally reserved for our upper level Slytherin students, but we will allow our Riders to have it as well, can’t discriminate you know….he he he.” He said.

Harry laughed and nodded. Thanking the man and then he went over to the books for a quick look while Susan grabbed the necessary potions that the man had on hand and the ingredients she was looking for. He actually found two that he thought would be interesting and three new periodicals that looked really cool. He would probably end up reading then tonight. Or at least attempting to.

It took a little longer than he had hoped but they managed to get everything that they needed and finish up in the Apothecary without it taking up too much time. Then they left the store and headed back up the Alley towards the Leaky Cauldron.

“Okay folks we still have Harrods to go to and that is going to be a monster so let’s get going.” Harry stated as he hailed three taxis and they managed to make it over to Harrods without a problem.

Christian was familiar with the Non-Magical world a little more than some of them so he felt right a home. But he was amazed at how big the place was and the variety of things available, although he didn’t have a problem with the clerks, or tags, or prices or anything.

The first thing on Harry’s list was some new jeans, and he took him over to the section where they had found the work jeans before and found him several good pair, that he liked. Then they went and got him some new shirts to go with the jeans and he was cool with that too. Next came sleep pants, he didn’t do the whole pajamas things, he just wore sleep pants and that was it. Then socks and underwear and any other little thing that Harry could think of he might need. They even went over to the cologne counter and he found a line of cologne and bath products that he liked and they got him some of them.

Then they headed to the bedding section and at first he started to question it and Cedric explained that he had a full bedroom that he had to furnish now and that while they would give him a bed and all, it didn’t come with sheets or blankets or pillows and all that. So they got to looking until he found something he liked, it was a wolf motif that was absolutely beautiful. Then they went into the towels and toiletries area and picked up everything he might need from there, he chose charcoal grey for his bathroom colors.

After it was all said and done, they all walked out with bags and headed over to a secluded alleyway where they could shrink the bags and put them all into Christian’s bottomless bag.

Then they headed over to the grocery store, you guested it Sainsbury’s. Everyone got a basket so they could stock up on the things they were running low on and maybe shop around a little as well. And then Harry took Christian with him shopping. First thing he learned is that Christian knew how to cook, well mostly campfire cooking but still cooking. He just spent the better part of six months eating dried meat and what fresh meat he could catch, and what he could forage from where ever he was at, so he was a pro at campfires and bbq cooking. But fancy, swanky type cooking he was lost. He had never had fancy in the orphanage and he sure never had it when it was just he and Ardera. He mainly ate fresh meat cooked over the camp fire and some vegetables or fruits he had in stasis in his saddlebags. So the idea of having his own fully furnished kitchen right there with him that was fully stocked was going to take a little getting used to.

But Christian started down the meats isle and picked up some roast and steaks, a few pounds of hamburger and some various cuts of pork and chicken for variety. Then he headed over to the cheeses and grabbed several different kinds of them, he loved cheese, and nothing was better than some jerky and a slice of cheese when you needed something quick to munch on in the saddle. Then to the crackers and biscuits, okay he was a little bit of a nut for biscuits . He just so happen to enjoy a good biscuit and couldn’t help it. Christian even made some damn good ones himself when he had the opportunity to actually bake, which was rare. Gingersnaps, chocolate chips, molasses biscuits, mint fudge, peanut butter, he liked them all. So he got a few packages of biscuits. He grabbed some snack crackers while he was down that isle as well. And then headed over to the granola and candy isle with Harry and picked up several different types of granola and trail mixes. He then went and got drink mixes and fruit drinks and tea of course. Then the staples as well as a good selection of spices and herbs. Finally he headed over to the deli and got several pounds of different meats and cheeses that were sliced up and ready for sandwiches. His last stop was for bread and condiments on his way to the register.

Harry headed to the register and handed Chrisian a Visa for him to use and then went through the register himself with a full cart load. Christian looked behind him and found almost everyone else had a cart load as well and were lined up behind him just smiling and waiving. As if this was just a normal everyday experience for them. And he guessed that this kinda was.

After they checked out they went to that same alleyway they had gone to before and put up a Non-Magical notice-me-not ward and began to take out their trunks and put their groceries into their trunks as quickly as possible. Christian just shrunk his and placed his in his main bag, since his trunk wouldn’t be ready for another thirty minutes. Then they all got into cabs and headed back over to the Leaky Cauldron to pick up some books and the last remaining item, the trunk.

Harry apologized for the time crunch for the day and they ended up just gathering what school books and a few reference books they thought would help Christian with his work for the year until Yule. “We normally have a lot more time to spend in here but we kinda spent a lot of time in Harrods and Sainsbury’s, so we are having to shave off a few minutes in here to make it to Karate class on time. Little did Christian know it but Harry picked him up a Gi too so that he could take the Karate classes as well, if he wanted to that is. So everyone had a quick look around and picked up anything that popped out to them while Harry and Christian picked up his school books and reference books.

Then they all rushed over to the luggage shop and to pick up his trunk. Which he shrunk and he placed in his bag. Then they all headed over to the Leaky Cauldron to use Tom’s floo connection to head back over to Sirius’ room. Everyone rushed around and got ready for Karate class, and Harry gave Christian his new Gi as well, and helped him put it on. Then they all headed over to where the class was being held.

Two hours and a lot of sweat and bruises later Christian was all smiles. He had loved the class. He couldn’t wait till next week. Everyone rushed back to the rooms for a quick shower and and change for lunch followed by First Aid class. Which Christian also wanted to join in on if possible. In fact he was looking forward to joining both First Aid and Archery as well today. They all managed to take a quick shower and went down to eat and when Harry began to go over some of the basics of what he thought about their summer trip should include.

“I know we want to start here and end up at the field where they are going to be having the Quidditch World Cup. We can camp there for the full two weeks they have the campground open there.” They didn’t know who would be playing, although they had high hopes for either the Irish or Wales team to make it to the finals.

Neville suggested that they start working with the Darcorns on saddles, that way they might be ready for them to actually ride using them for the summer, Harry agreed and made a note to get everything they would need for the Darcorn’s to be saddled and to start training them to the use of a saddle. It would definitely take some time but hopefully they would have enough time to get it done by summer.

After lunch they all headed over to the Medi-ward and into the makeshift classroom, today they were suppose to start studying on the internal organs. So that should be interesting.

“Welcome everyone, and we have a lot to cover today so take your seats.” The chart that Madam Pomfrey had up today was a rather colorful chart that showed all the different organs in the human body.

“There are seventy nine organs in the human body, and we are going to focus on the twelve vital organs first. Can anyone tall me what they would think an anyone of the viral organ would be?” Madam Pomfrey asked.

Pavarti raised her hand, “the lungs”

“That’s right the lungs are vital organs. Their primary function is to take in oxygen and to spread that through the blood stream and to exhale carbon dioxide.

Luna raised her hand, “The heart.”

“That’s right as well. The heart is a hollow, muscular organ that has four chambers, it circulates blood throughout the humans body. Next.

Dean Thomas raised his hand. “The brain”

“Ah yes the master mind of it all, the brain, it is the control center of the nervous system and it is located in the skull and it includes muscle control, coordination, sensory reception and interpretation, speech production, memory storage, and the elaboration of thought and emotion. The brain is what allows us to control all our higher functions and what is so amusing is that it is a commonly held belief that most humans use only ten percent of their brains capacity to function, now I think Magicals use about thirty percent of their brain to function but still. What would your skill level be if you used one hundred percent of your brain’s capacity to function, what could you do, what feats of magic and what would the possibilities be. Next.”

Christian raised his hand, “The kidneys?”

“Yes, the kidneys. They are two bean-shaped organs located in the lower portion of your back, one on each side of the spinal column. Their function is to maintain the body’s chemical balance by excreting waste products and excess fluid in the form of urine.

Cedric raised his hand. “The stomach.”

Absolutely.The stomach is actually a muscular, elastic pear-shaped bag, lying crosswise in the abdominal cavity beneath the diaphragm. Its main purpose is digesting food through production of gastric juices which break down, mix and churn the food into a thin liquid. Next.

Harry raised his hand. “Is the bladder one of the vital organs?”

“It most certainly is, now it is a muscular organ located in the pelvic cavity, it stretches to store urine and contracts to release the urine. People frequently get urinary track infections and find it most unpleasant to say the least. You will find you treat quite a few of them. The most effective cure of a urinary tract infection is the simple consumption of Cranberry juice. With Non-Magicals they give out what they call antibiotics and it can take days for the infection to dissipate, but for a Magical it is so much more simple and to the point, Cranberry juice and the infection is gone within two days.” Madam Pomfrey stated.

“Now there are two left can anyone tell me what they are?” When no one else raised their hand she stated “The intestines is the next one on the list. They are located between the stomach and the anus and are divided into two major portions the large intestines and the small intestines. The function of he small intestines is to absorb most of the ingested food. The function of the large intestine is to absorption of water and the excretion of solid waste material. Can anyone think of the final organ? No…it is the Liver. The Liver is on the left side of the abdominal cavity beneath the diaphragm. Its main function is to process the contents of the blood to ensure the composition remains the same. This process involves breaking down fats, producing urea, filtering harmful substances, such as alcohol, and maintaining a proper level of glucose in the blood. When someone is a heavy drinker you will find that their liver is in bad shape, in fact it will get to the point that it will even shut down and go into cirrhosis. Where the liver basically dies and with it the human will die as well. One good thing about the liver though is that it can regenerate itself, so if it isn’t too far gone you can rebuild it with proper potions and proper diet.”

“Now if someone receives a spell shot to anyone of these organs it is an immediate priority one case. And you send it through to me immediately. Something that looks simple can mean life or death. A simple hit to the head could mean bruising, which leads to swelling and blood on the brain then eventually the brain goes into shock and stops working. So nothing that happens to these organs is minor, any damage to these organs can result in death if not treated quickly and properly. So immediate care is needed. If for some reason I am not available then get the patient to St. Mongos immediately.”

“Now some interesting facts about the organs in the human body… the largest organ in the human body is the skin. Its function is to protect the body from environmental stressors, like pollution, germs, and more. It regulates you body’s core temperature, receives sensory information, and stores water, fat and vitamin D.

“Now the largest internal organ is the liver, and like I said it has multiple functions and at any given time it can hold up to one pint of your body’s blood.”

“Another interesting fact is that it takes about two to five hours for the stomach to digest a meal and to pass the food on to the next stop along the digestive track. And it takes about forty-four hours for your food to make the entire trip through your digestive track”.

“One thing about the intestines is that the intestines are about five feet in length if stretched completely out.”

“Many major organs on the body are on the left side of the body, like the stomach, the liver, and the heart.”

“About one in ten thousand people have their organs on the opposite side of the body though. It is known as Situs Inversus Totalus, it effects more males than females, some people only have their heart on the wrong side of the of their body some people have the total reversal. Some people live long healthy lives with this condition and it isn’t found out they have this condition until their death, like during an autopsy. Others have heart defects that are related to their Situs Inversus Totalus. Now I know you Riders listen to a lot of Non-Magical music so you might know the name of Donny Osmond, he actually has this condition. And yes by the way he is a Wizard he just spends most of his time in the Non-Magical world.” Madam Pomfrey noted that several of the students were writing like crazy in their notes right now so she paused for a moment.

“Now the major issues that you will experience in the role that you have taken on, will be basic spell damage, like cuts and bruises. Now the bruises we will talk about later but the cuts will come in minor that you can heal with a simple Episkey or sometimes you need to heal deep gashes like those that were created with a Sectumsempra charm which would be Vulnera Sanentur. Now that charm will heal those deep gashes but it heals slowly, so if you have a major bleed you may have to put a tourniquet in place or hold pressure on the site while you are trying to fix it. I would like to tell you folks that as slow as our world is about mending these types of cuts it isn’t as bad as the Non-Magicals who use needles and special made thread to actually sew together the two sides of the cut together.” Madam Pomfrey frowned and several of the students in the class groaned at the idea of being sewn up as a means of closing a wound.

“For Episkey there is only a point and shot method of wand movement, the same is true for Vulnera Sanentur although you will find you must go much slower and be more methodical with that one, due to the fact that the cut will be much deeper. I usually suggest you have some clean cloths or surgical sponges nearby so that you can mop up the blood so that you can have a good field of sight with both spells. Once you have used either spell, make sure that you immobilize the area for at least twenty four hours, so that the spell work will not be reopened. Yes at times that means bedrest, or even a dreamless sleep but what ever works. It is better than having to redo the spell and more blood loss. Also, do your Inspicio spell, to do a full scan of your patient to find out how much blood has been lost and give them the appropriate amount of blood replenisher potions at that point. Never give more than three blood replenishers at any one time, the body just can’t handle more than that, you have to wait one hour to give any additional doses that are needed after you take a second scan. Also by that time you should have been able to get your patient to a upper level medic or a medical professional, remember all you are wanting to do is to stop them from going into shock, not to cure them… that is someone else’s job, your job is just basic triage and nothing more. You are not doctors, or medics you are just first aid- triage, and so you are the ones that get there first and lend help until someone else can get there. Your help may mean the difference between life and death, but it is not the only help that that patient is going to get.” Madam Pomfrey stressed.

Christian raised his hand. “What about when you are on a trip, like a camping trip and you are fifty miles from the closest medical facility. With no close means of travel, aren’t we the patients only aid at that time?”

“For that moment yes. But that is why you use Patronus messages and call in help, and give them your location and call someone too you, if you can’t get to them. Then there are always emergency portkeys directly to the closest medical facility or any medical facility really it doesn’t have to be the closest. I always recommend that any medic take along a couple portkeys and emergency stretchers to St. Mongos so that they can take an emergency case directly to a fully equip medical facility that is prepared for just about any emergency. As a triage and emergency person you can go directly to St. Mongos and ask for those portkeys and they will give them to you.” Madam Pomfrey suggested. “Unfortunately, we have reached time for this lesson, so I want everyone to go over the organs we discussed today and write me up a twenty inch essay on what you would do if you had someone with an injury in any one of these organs, you can pick any one of the organs I mentioned, now I want you to give me details of what complications could happen and what posable emergency aid you would be forced to provide if a patient was hit by a curse, and be specific here, in that area.”

Christian nodded and wrote something down on his papers that he had been taking notes on, as did most of the students.

After class they all headed upstairs to start working on homework to see if they could manage to finish it all up before tomorrow. It was after dinner time that Harry decided they needed a break and everyone gathered in the Room of Requirements and to play some music for a while.

Harry introduced Christian to the whole gang and sat him down with a guitar that the room furnished, for the night at least. Harry wanted to see how good Christian was at least, and he was not disappointed in the least. He was really, really good. For some reason this seemed to anger Hermione even more and she almost got up and left but Harry managed to convince her to stay and play for a while. And they all did. Cedric and Christian sounded even better than Cedric and Percy ever had. They played We Are The Champion and then they explained to him why everyone was so melancholy afterwards and he simply noted the information but didn’t say anything to that. Almost as if he understood and though that was the perfect song to dedicate to someone that had passes on.

They played up until it was time for curfew and then headed off to Sirius’ room a few minutes early just to make sure they got back in time. Harry showed Christian where to set up his trunk and everyone set up their trunk and Christian spent a couple of hours putting everything that the had bought that day away and fixing things up, by that time he was definitely ready for bed and he was asleep before his head hit the pillow.