Chapter 6
The next morning Harry headed down to the common room just in time to see Angelina putting up the quidditch tryout schedule and hearing the Gryffindor’s cheer around her. The cheers were loud enough that everyone came down to see what was happening. Some were still in their PJs, like Ron, but wanted to know what was going on.
Angelina paused before quieting the room and calling everyone’s attention. “Listen up, we have another notice on the board. It looks to be from a teacher and it's actually brilliant.” She then proceeded to read out the D.A.D.A. notice.
It worked better than Harry thought. Everybody immediately started offering their notes or even their old books. Some made plans to owl order the books they needed. Lots even copied the notice to remember the books. Of course, quidditch tryouts became the main topic within 5-10 minutes. They were Gryffindors after all.
The rest of the week passed smoothly for Harry. He avoided Hermione, Ron and Ginny as much as he was able to with them spying on him and trying to be friends. He hung out mostly with Neville or by himself. He had also managed to fully restore Hogwarts’s magic but would give some more around Yule.
With already having the knowledge his classes were extremely easy, even with Umbridge trying to goad him he never let it bother him. He did what was instructed in her class and didn’t speak out. When she heard word of the Defense notice, she got herself a copy and tried to compare the writing to figure out who wrote it but wasn’t having any luck. She was also upset because she couldn’t stop the students from getting the books or sharing notes. Umbridge had also begun showing up to other classes to question the other teachers, which was annoying. She especially went after Trelawny due to her prophecy flying around Hogwarts with many students trying to decipher it.
On Saturday Harry dragged Neville to the Room of Requirements, telling him all about it. Earlier on Neville had asked Harry to help him with the practical portion of Defense and Harry agreed. Harry paced outside of the wall three times thinking of a place to learn defense.
They entered the room. It was a large room with a high ceiling, there were dummies on one side and a table and bookshelf on the other.
“This is brilliant.” Neville proclaimed looking around.
“I couldn’t agree more.” Harry agreed looking over at his sort of greats-grandson.
“Hey, Harry.” Neville hesitantly began.
“What’s up, Nev?”
“What’s going on between you and Ron and Hermione?” He asked before quickly adding, “You don’t have to tell me.”
“It’s fine, Nev.” Harry waved away his concern. “You remember how I said I just learned I was an Heir and had a magical guardian?”
“Yes.”
“Well, my magical guardian was Dumbledore, who has been draining my trust account every month since my parents’ death with a little going to my apparent relatives.”
Neville made a strangled sound.
“And during the summer I overheard Hermione, Ron and Ginny. They were talking about how they should ask Dumbles for a raise for being my friend, with Ginny chiming in that they would have all my money when she was Lady Potter.”
“Harry… That is awful. I’m…” Neville trailed off aghast. “I promise I’m not in on it. I had no idea.”
“I know Neville. You're a great friend.” Harry told him. “I don’t plan on confronting them yet so if you can act like you don’t know.”
“Yeah, I can do that.” Neville agreed.
“Enough about them. Let’s get to why we're here.”
A little while after they began, Harry noticed that Neville’s wand didn’t work for him. It seemed to be fighting him. Harry decided to ask him about it.
“I didn’t get a new wand; this wand is my father’s.” Neville informed him sheepishly. “My Gran gave it to me at the start of first year.”
“I believe the reason you are having trouble in classes is from the wand. As Mr. Ollivander would say ‘the wand chooses the wizard.’ We should probably get you a different wand to use.” Harry stated.
“My Gran won’t let me.” Neville voiced.
“She doesn’t need to know.” With that said Harry closed his eyes and asked the room for wands that have been lost for 10-20 years, so whoever owned them would no longer be at Hogwarts.
There were suddenly about 100 wands on the table. Neville looked at them, then back at Harry who told him they were wands that had been lost for a couple decades and to start testing them.
After going through a dozen or so wands Neville found one that worked for him. They guessed it to be Chestnut wood but had no way of identifying the core.
“How does it feel?” Harry inquired.
“Amazing. My magic just seems to flow through it like the wand is a part of me.” Neville described.
“Excellent and do you want to know the best part?”
“What?”
“The original owner is guaranteed to be of age so the trace is no longer on it so you can use magic outside of school if you need to.” Harry informed him. “Just don’t get caught.”
Neville frowned at that. “Wouldn’t that mean there’s no trace on my father’s wand?”
“No, because the trace is added to the wand in first year when we take the boats across the lake and go under the curtain of ivy and enter the dark tunnel. It’s a complicated spell that somehow ties to your age and breaks on your 17th birthday.” Harry explained. “It's why first years are always forced to go on the boats no matter the weather. Of course, if they get another wand after a teacher will add the trace manually.”
Neville and Harry spent all morning revising spells from previous years that Neville had trouble with due to using his father’s wand. The chestnut wand worked much better for Neville allowing him to get the spells with more ease. Eventually lunch came around and Neville called it quits.
Harry and Neville left the room however instead of going to lunch with Neville, Harry paced in front of the wall. When a new door appeared, he entered.
The new room seems endless. It looks to be a meadow in the middle of a forest. The floor was covered in grass with some flowers scattered around. The trees were huge and towered over him. The ceiling had become the blue sky with the sun shining on the meadow.
Harry grinned. It was perfect.
Closing his eyes, he focuses on Harrison’s memories, more accurately his animagus form. He then allows the change to flow through him. He stood on six legs and had a long tail. Deep ebony fur covers his body. His vision and hearing sharpen. He was successful in turning into his Wampus cat form. He runs through the forest and climbs the trees, refamiliarizing himself with this form.
After a while he closes his eyes, focusing on Henry’s animagus. His tail spits in two. He now stood on two legs with huge talons and had three sets of powerful wings. His fur turned into feathers, ebony with a mix of cobalt blue and silver. Harry stood tall and proud in his Thunderbird form, before taking to the sky. He had missed the feeling of flying but couldn’t bring himself to regret quitting quidditch. Plus, this was better than flying on a broom.
Landing in the meadow after his flight. He began focusing on Henrik’s other form. His appendages merged into his body as he began to shrink in size. His feathers merged into scales that were the same colour as his feathers. He became a snake unfortunately he had never been able to figure out what kind he was. He slithered around for a bit before deciding to change into his last known form.
Harry focused on Harris’s animagus form. The reason that he was targeted by the Veela bitch. He grew larger and gained four legs. He had a feline form, like a sabertooth tiger, with a frill like a lionfish, making him look semi-aquatic. He had spikes down his tail which had a small fin-like end. He was an extinct creature that had been gone for thousands of years; he was a Shadowmane.
Harry took off in a run before lightning flashed through his body and he teleported to the other side of the meadow. He did it a few more times before he tiredly changed back into his human form.
He asked the room for a mirror to morph into his ‘Harry Potter’ form though this time he made his green eyes a little less green with just a hint of his natural eye colours.
Happy with the result, he checked the time then headed to dinner.
--*--
As Harry sat in the Great Hall, he was immediately shouted at.
“YOU QUIT QUIDDITCH!” Ron bellowed entering the Great Hall, stomping over to Harry.
“Yes.” Harry answered calmly, placing food on his plate.
“Why!” He shouted his face red, eyes bulging.
“I have no plans to be a professional quidditch player and need to focus on my studies. It is our OWL year.” Harry took a bite of his rare steak, craving meat. It was a side-effect from his Shadowmane animagus.
“But…” Ron trailed off, then looked at Hermione who had walked up during Harry’s answer.
“I’m happy you are finally taking your studies seriously.” Hermione tried to smile, though it looked slightly like a grimace. She sat down and began making a plate for herself.
“How are we meant to play together?” Ron whined before finally sitting down. “I’m finally the keeper.”
Harry shrugged.
“Congratulations Ron.” Hermione congratulated. “Who’s seeker now?”
“Ginny.” Ron grumbled before stuffing his face.
Neville entered and Harry waved him over.
“Hey, guys.” Neville greeted a little awkwardly.
“Hey Nev. How was the rest of your day?” Harry asked.
“Good, spent the afternoon in the greenhouse with Professor Sprout.” Neville told him, dishing up his food. “You?”
“Good, revised a little on a personal project.”
“What project?” Hermione questioned almost immediately. “I can help you.”
“I don’t need help, like I said I was revising.” Harry stated.
“What was it?” She insisted.
“Personal.”
“How was your day, Hermione? Ron?” Neville asked, stopping Hermione from questioning Harry again.
“Great.” Ron told him. “I am the new Gryffindor Keeper.” He boasted.
“Congratulations.” Neville told him between bites.
“I spent the day in the library getting my assignments done.” Hermione haughtily stated. “What were you guys doing this morning?”
“Harry was helping me with Defense.” Neville shrugged.
Hermione frowned. “We’ve only had two classes.”
“Yes, but I’m taking the advice we got from the Defense notice.”
“What notice?” She demanded sharply, glaring at Neville.
“The one th-that was on the common room no-notice board.” Neville stammered in the face of Hermione’s ire.
“When?”
“It appeared on Tuesday morning the same when the quidditch tryouts were posted. Ron was there, Angelina even read it out loud.” Harry calmly informed her.
“Why didn’t you guys tell me?” She screeched. “I was in the library that morning. What did it say?”
“It’s just a list of books for each year and saying to share last year's notes. Nothing important.” Ron told her, food still in his mouth.
“It should still be on the notice board. Others have just been copying it.” Neville added.
Hermione was up and rushing out of the Great Hall.
Shaking his head, Harry finished eating.