Unofficial Portkey Archive

Last Son Of Krypton

A Harry Potter/ Superman/Smallville/ crossover/fusion/whatever

By Dragonlord

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the sole property of J.K.Rowling. Superman is born out of the minds of Joe Shuster and Jerry Spiegel and all rights are recognized, so if you want to sue me go ahead!

Lose you time.

Still if you want to contact me, my e-mail for my time in France is

askani_2003@yahoo.fr

Author's notes:

First I want to apologize for the time it took me to post this, quite simply I don't have much free time here in Paris and the time in which I can work with a computer is quite rare. This, coupled with one of the worst heat wave in years to cross Europe, didn't make things more easy…

Anyway, this goes ( once again, I know) to the people at the Portkey Chat, meaning Bristar, Max, Aurora, Darkstar, Hallie, Misstake, Babygrrl, Thelvyn, Sky is Blue, XxKkAnGxX, Ryoko Blue, Heaven, Lady Slytherin, Countess (aka 714), Hermione QoH, Evil Hermione, Tuxedo Kamen, Mola and all the others.

And of course special thanks for Nappa and Dauphin.

Dauphin, because I know that she's a very busy girl and I keep pestering her about the beta. By this time ythis is as much her story as it is mine so, once again thank you very much!!

And Nappa, what can I say? Mate, I promise I will send you what I owe you, maybe sooner than what you can think. Till then enjoy this as I know you will ^_^

To you two, there aren't any words that can convey what I fell about you both. Thanks for all the support you have given me since the beginning, they have keepen me going on.

Yet, before going on with the show, the reviews of all those valliant enough to read my story!

Chapter 1

E.C.R. Potter: I think I answered your review with an e-mail… but I want to thank you once again for your review, one of the first to be posted.

Msscribe: coming from you that means a lot… I'm ready to die an happy man… sigh.

Alex: I don't understand you.

Sky is Blue: I'm going red… please don't continue or I will start to look like a tomato!

Ranma: using the words of Mr Robert Jordan, I'll stop writing the day they nail my coffin shut.

Of course thanks to Jeremiah, Nikki Cameron, Lordanhur, Chang, Julian Smith, fopalup, Serendipity and Clair…

Reviews for Chapter 2

XxKkAnGxX: this is also freaken long (lol) but I'm sure you will read it as fast as ever, if you enjoy it as much as the previous part… which I hope you do.

Silverleaf: my oh my, you sure are a cleaver girl! Some of what you said is true and indeed it will happen but Harry will not be disguising himself as you think… one thing I can say is that his glases are to stay.

As for Ron, well after the events of the OotP everything is possible even him fulfilling his erised dream… ugh (!!)

CryHope: lol One of my beliefs is that fanfiction should be recognized as a valid form of writing, even if I don't feel that mine is of such level. Anyway I'm happy that you like so much my little tale. I hope this update pleases you as well.

Thelvyn: I'm glad that you liked the way I portrayed Albus' family. Be ready to see them later in future chapters. And see you at the chat one of these days.

Ryoko Blue: even if the review was short I loved it. I think it's due to the admiration I have for you and your work, that goes beyond words. I hope you enjoy this part as much as the previous.

Liedral: now, that's a secret! I will only tell you that there are six other like the one Voldemort took from Assim. Notice that he was the one to do the dirty work, not one of his lackeys, so think about that.

Dark Golo: glad that I keep pleasing you with my work. As for Harry being told the truth about Albus' past too soon you have to think that for the members of Dumbledore's family Harry is not a stranger. Albus is rarely at the manor and if he is there and talks all the time about Harry it's bound to be taken in count by those that know him, don't you think?

Peter: thanks for your more than flattering review, I simply try to do the best I can with a not so little help from my beta Dauphin. I'm happy to know that this story didn't disappoint you. Enjoy this please.

Clair: yes this is a H/Hr (as if it could be anything else at Portkey) but it will take some time to come to that, without forgetting a romance triangle in the way (and no, I'm not talking of the R/H/Hr thing). As for Harry's new family sorry that you have lost yourself… you better check it again as they will have a role in the future quite important.

Lilytiger20: thanks for your kind words. As for me being original I bet you could be too. You only need an idea, some time and a bunch of questions that you think you can answer… after all I'm like you a fan, nothing more to it.

Monday Morning: it seems there are many fans of the man of steel around here and so far it seems that they all like my way of blending the worlds of HP and Superman. Of course, I'm pleased to met you Amanda and I know I would like to be a friend of yours, that's clear enough, but till now I haven't have the pleasure of knowing the states. One day, who knows?

Still, and being honest, I'm surprised by what you're telling me. The ideas for Dumbledore family, I mean concerning most of the characters that you find in it (like Amanda), are taken from series like Highlander, Sliders, BTVS and Angel coupled by high doses of my own crazy imagination, so I'm surprised and quite pleased to know that I can describe so well a piece of the "real" world unknown to me.

Bloodlust Vampire: I'm glad that you liked my story so much and that you find some source of entertainment in it while at the army ( did I understood it right?). Sorry for your bad day, even if I'm more than late to tell that… But, hell, that's the sort of stuff we laugh about, months and years later when we look back in time. I hope this piece of chapter two pleases you as much as the others, thank you for your kind words and more than encouraging review.

Tristan: As I think I said somewhere I try to be original, something quite rare in the HP fanon I think, even if there are brilliant stories that use known (and more than too used) ideas.

RedPhoenix: I'm happy that you think so, but much of that is due to my beta, Dauphin that smooths things enough to allow you all to read the story. I don't know how I would do it without her… As for your suspitions you will have to tell me as this time what you see is what is, no double intention from the old man… but that can and will change in the future.

TimGold: I'm unable to do short things, anyone that knows my stories is aware of that. Anyway I'm preparing another story in which I'm making efforts to do short chapters, look forward to Tainted Souls, you may even like it.

As for the Hr/R I see it as a needed evil, and believe me I'm the first to dislike having to make them a couple… writing those parts nearly made me feel sick. Anyway that time is now gone… well more or less.

Clasic Cowboy: He's not yet the man of steel but he will get there. As for the reaction from Ron and Hermione, not to forget the rest of Hogwarts… well I'm not telling but I'm sure it will be fun.

And let's not forget Lordanhur, Soulshine, Franco, Joe, Megan, NymphGirl, Sandra, levaithan, Jedi Mage, Rhiannon_woods, J.T.J., Scott… thanks guys!

Reviews for Chapter 3

Kelly: I am of those that think that some R/Hr is needed if only to show how wrong that ship is. As for the presence of that ship in the OotP I found it pretty non-existent (he he he)

Fusion Blaster: wouldn't it be cool if we could introduce music in our fics?

Tristan: the link is not broken, it's still there to both Harry and Tom's displeasure… what is gone is the influence of the Avada Kedavra.

E.C.R Potter: your words sound like fine music to my ears. As for going "Smallville"… yes and no as you will soon discover reading this chapter. I tell you this much, he will be using the "Clark Kent" disguise. I'm trying to introduce more concepts from the comics and everything Superman related, namely a known amazon princess, red and green pieces of Kal-El's birthplanet and much, much more.

As for the Hogwarts gang Harry will not be the only one to pass by changes, some other students will too.

Will: expect some humor now and then.

Dark Golo: I'm glad that you liked the chapter so much. I only hope this one keeps pleasing you as much as the previous ones. As for the speed in posting it depends greatly on my free time and the one of my beta and sometimes it takes too much time for my and anyone else liking. Sorry.

Nathan: you will have to wait a little before that happens, sorry.

Liedral: yeah I know, this part for example is more or less 35odd pages long and some 17000 words long. Quite a bit I think.

Rhiannon_woods: I'm glad that I was up to your expectations. I hope this chapter too keeps up with them but please, please don't die on me.

Cry Hope: thank you for your well wishes, it sure is an experience to be fifteen months far from home and my computer. Makes things interesting.

Miles militis ab perditio: this chapers as you will see will answer many of your questions, none of Harry's abilities have changed. What happened was that the contamination due to the killing curse was vanished by Harry's Kryptonian physilogy. If you like, think of it as a oil upon water, tainting it and currupting it or as a variant of kryptonite keeping Harry weak and unable to reach his full potential.

Michelline: I have come to the conclution that it's impossible for me to write short chapters. In fact I wrote summer of discoveries in one go, not planing to divide it in parts but it was getting too big. I hope you like this parts as much as the others.

Cole: thank you for your praises. Knowing the level of the works here at Portkey, that's saying something.

Nick: well, I hope you find this as interesting as what is already posted.

Leothelion: I aim to be original. Still this only started with the crazy idea that Tom Welling could be a very great older Harry, and from there to this.

Calestina: a greek god? Lol, yeah you could say that, his change will lead to some interesting reactions that's for sure. It will be fun.

Xavien: you can say that, you only have to wait and see. By the way, the background is about to get a little more complicated.

Kaiser Dragon: well I'm not planing in stopping it, quite the contrary. I may even do an alternate version for snogwarts once its online so keep looking out for this story. Oh and yeah we will reach the reasons for the R rating, just be patient.

Aztec: there you have it, sorry for the waiting. I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

Fopalup: I hope this chapter and those following keep up with your expectations, and yeah now things are going to be fun… sadly Harry may not think so!

Jezebel: I try to not make those parts that long, but I'm a lost case, I'm damned to write long pieces.

And also thanks to Levaithan, Tim Gold, Afiz, Franco, mina, Bloodlust, Badxander, Flaming Aussie, Clair, Satoshi, Morto, Merlin and MrKlortho for their kind reviews, be sure that they are apreciated, and a lot.

This done on with the story!

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Chapter two: Summer of discoveries

Part 1.3.

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When Dumbledore reached the suite he shared with his adopted grandson the first thing he saw was the door, broken by what he could judge was nothing more than physical force.

That was enough to make him pause.

The hotel may have been Muggle but he had been sure of its security, on both Muggle and magical sides before departing towards it. Nothing was left to hazard in this. He even went to lengths to choose a second secret keeper to keep his own location hidden and steer away Voldemort and his forces.

His senses told him nothing of danger and that relaxed him somehow. Anyway he wouldn't be able to move the door because whoever had broken it had, after blowing up the door, slammed it back with equal strength.

With physical means he would gain nothing.

Looking around and assuring himself that no one would see him he summoned his wand, whipping it with an expert flick of his wrist before muttering the reparo charm. Soft white light surrounded the door and repaired the damage caused.

Then with another burst of magic the door opened to reveal darkness, a darkness cut by the lights coming from the windows of the room from where the nightly ilumination of Rio could be seen, thousands of stars shimmering in the night.

Still there was someone here and it could be only one person...

"Harry?"

The old wizard knew that Harry was within the dark room but the sounds coming from the

streets and beaches nearby drowned almost all sounds, forcing Albus to strain his hearing.

His efforts were reward by the sound of a slight breathing accompanied by a soft purring that Albus recognized immediately. By that point his eyes had already started to get used to the lack of a major

source of light, but still he moved towards the light's switch and with a gesture turned it on, chasing the darkness away and allowing him to see his young friend.

Immediately Albus was able to see what was wrong and it was, well surprising.

"Harry, please look at me." He said gently as he neared the young man who was sitting with his back turned towards him… his wider, muscular back. Under his sight muscles tensed and relaxed - an answer to some unknown struggle.

Finally Harry rose from his sitting position and turned to face the headmaster.

The thing that drew his attention first was the fact that Fawkes was asleep between Harry's arms, the phoenix purring contently as it slept, its crimson and gold body lined by a soft glow.

His attention, however, immediately turned to Harry.

The teenager having turned to face him, it allowed the old wizard to see the boy's features for the first time and he had to contain a startled gasp as he fully took in the changes in his young charge.

The green eyes were still there, maybe even more luminous but his face had changed, matured to his proper age and maybe even more.

Yet Harry, who had always been compared to a younger James, looked little like before, a face of his own that due to the new cast had turned from pleasant to downright good-looking. His scar was still there, unchanged even if it seemed to glow slightly within its depths. His hair was still a shiny silky black but looked less wild, more tamed and stylish.

His attention returned to the boy's eyes, those wonderful pools of emerald.

As amazing as they always were, there was such doubt, fear and suffering in them that it literally took his breath away. It was clear that this change was affecting Harry deeply and he would be damned if he did not do something to lighten this new burden.

Dumbledore, tenderly reached to Harry and, with uncanny gentleness, put a hand upon his shoulder.

Harry trembled slightly at the contact and Dumbledore could feel the muscles shift under the tanned skin.

They had the feel of steel.

"Harry, tell me what happened. You don't have to do this alone." He said, his voice gentle but coaxing. Slowly Harry nodded. Gesturing for Dumbledore to move aside, Harry moved to the balcony still holding Fawkes in his arms. Once he was outside, he remained unmoving, like a statue of human

perfection.

Dumbledore looked at Harry's body, his eyes moving upon the newly developed muscle groups that from time to time tensed and relaxed. Harry's musculature wasn't bulging, unlike Muggle weight lifters but it was still impressive - lean and perfectly marked.

Comparing that to his body from some hours before it was easy to understand how Harry could have freaked out, no matter what phenomenal self control the teenager had, so radical had the change was.

Acting on a hunch Dumbledore shifted his vision to his magical one, the one that allowed him to see the aura of magic spells and the very auras of all living things. What Dumbledore saw nearly left him blind and even then he had to resist the urge to gape because of the meaning of his vision.

Until then if one looked at Harry's aura he would see it shrouded in green light. Ever since the first time Dumbledore saw him after the death of James and Lily, Harry had a coating of green light upon every inch of his body. But through the years Albus had seen it pale, weakening to the point that one could almost see it flickering but still hiding Harry's true aura.

Albus had dubbed it the Kedavra Seal.

It was gone and now Harry pulsated, sending waves of dim golden light and, even if the aura seemed almost drained, the lines in Harry's body seemed to be made of light.

What he had been expecting for nearly seventeen years had finally happened.

And he knew what was tormenting Harry and that the moment to tell him the truth about his origins, about himself had come at last.

Truth was a beautiful yet terrible thing, indeed. He had said that once, a long time ago and how he loathed to be so right about this.

Using his wand Dumbledore made some clothes appear upon Harry, sweat pants with sandals and a sleeveless T-shirt that fit perfectly on Harry's new frame. All his clothes were black but enchanted to keep up with the ambient temperature.

"Thanks," said Harry quietly and even his voice had suffered alterations as Dumbledore could notice. It was low and sensual in its modulation… quite pleasant, almost captivating in its intonation. With a slight smile in his lips Albus pointed to two chairs and moved towards them.

Gesturing for Harry to sit, Albus did likewise, noticing how Harry seemed to be treating everything as if it was made of crystal, coupled with a sense of unfamiliarity with his bigger body, which clashed with the usual actions of the well-coordinated Gryffindor.

Harry sat and lightly tapping Fawkes' body woke the sleeping phoenix. It looked at Harry, then at the headmaster and moved onto the table, taking a spot between the teenager and the ancient man. Fawkes remained silent, looking one moment at his former companion and then to his new one.

His hands free, Harry simply put them in his lap, gazing at them for a moment before looking back at Dumbledore, holding those eyes with a look of his own.

"Harry, I don't presume to understand how you must feel right now, but I assure you that you may relax. This is, if I'm right, natural for you. There is nothing to worry about."

Harry snorted, a very un-Harry Potter sound, taking in consideration the anger one could feel in such derisory sound, all of it directed to Albus' little speech.

"Natural? With all due respect, sir, how can this be natural?" he gestured to his body, his voice thick with sarcasm, barely hiding his nervousness.

Dumbledore sighed. "To answer that, Harry, I will have to give you the answer to a question you asked me a long time ago. Back then I knew that you were not ready for the weight that will come with the answer, and even now I'm wondering if you are ready."

He paused even as Harry's eyes widened. It was clear that he had realized which question Albus was speaking of.

"S-sir?"

"Still this is but idle thinking. What happened has changed everything and now, ready or not, I must give you the answer you so desired. But before I do, I must ask you if you really want to know the truth. Think about it, Harry - this truth will change everything in your life, maybe forever."

Harry thought. Here was Dumbledore, offering him the key to the reason why his life was as it was, the reason for so many things that made no sense, or at one time had caused him no end of trouble and turmoil.

Still Harry knew he had better to think about it. Dumbledore's words, softly said, held a sense of warning. As though that secret was so huge that it would shake the pillars of his world... but then that was something he was used to.

For a moment he debated whether to ask or not but in the end there was but one possible outcome.

He opened his mouth and two words came out, simple words which held a world of meanings.

"Tell me."

Dumbledore sighed.

"Very well. But I only ask you to think about what I am to say carefully, without letting your emotions cloud your mind." Harry nodded, bracing himself for the truth. "Let's start from what I know and the reason why you... changed."

Harry nodded, butterflies dancing in his stomach. He could feel his pulse race.

"The reason stems from the Killing Curse that Voldemort cast on you. And from surviving it."

"Uh? What do you mean? Wasn't it the love of my mother that protected me?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "That protection sent back the curse, but only because you couldn't be affected by it, regardless of the protection left by your mother's sacrifice."

"And why that? Why is this - " he gestured to his body, "…change related to it?"

Dumbledore's blue eyes locked softly with Harry's green eyes. "The curse couldn't kill you and that is a fact. It cannot, still. But the moment the curse touched you it tried to fulfill its purpose - killing you. Unable to do so, it wrecked your body in ways that I still cannot understand. The effects of that contact have lingered on your body until today, I think."

"Even having survived it, you had the mark of the Killing Curse upon your body. However, your body fought its effects. For the last fourteen years it has tried to purge itself of the remaining energies of the Avadra Kedavra. It makes sense to believe that your body has finally defeated it and cleansed you of the remainings of the Killing Curse. Once that was done, your body sought to reach its proper state, the state you would have been in if you had grown without exposure to Voldemort's dark magic."

Harry opened his mouth but closed it quickly before his look shifted to the ground or to his hands that were clenching and unclenching slowly.

Dumbledore smiled gently. "Yes, Harry? Please speak freely. I know the question you wanted to ask and I will answer it but I would prefer you to ask it."

Harry looked at him a slight blush on his cheeks, barely noticeable under the tan.

"Am I that transparent?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "No, Harry, you are not. Most of the time I cannot guess what is going through your mind. But it is easy to know what question is burning on the tip of your tongue. So I ask you again to say it out loud."

Harry remained silent for a moment before sighing.

"Why didn't the curse work on me?"

Dumbledore sighed and at last revealed the truth.

"Because the Killing Curse is designed to erradicate all the forms of life that walks upon this land, like humans for example but you, Harry, aren't human."

Harry blanched, if that was possible considering his new tan, before shaking his head in negation.

"No. That…that can't be right. I'm human! I'm---" he closed his eyes before opening them again.

Harry remained silent for a while before speaking in a weak voice.

"If I'm not human, then what am I?" his hands moved to his hair, fingers digging in his scalp in an act of controlled desperation, enticing a sad sound from Fawkes, who shared Dumbledore's concern for his new companion.

Dumbledore gave him one of the gentlest looks he had ever seen. Not even Molly Weasley had ever looked at him in such a fashion, as if he was something so precious and loved.

"I believe that you are familiar with the idea of extraterrestrial life, Harry?"

Harry's jaw almost crashed against the floor and his eyes widened so much that they gave the impression of being about to pop out of his sockets.

Immediately Harry blinked and closed his mouth, swallowing soundly even though he felt as if the Sahara desert had been transported to his mouth, so dry it was.

What Dumbledore had said was too much for him. Harry could feel darkness creeping into his sight. Still he fought the urge to lose consciousness, blinking furiously.

"I... please, professor, please - tell me this is a joke, an error, anything else..."

Albus sighed actually feeling the distress that was emanating from Harry.

"I'm afraid that I cannot do that, Harry. It is not something easy to bear nor to accept but it is the truth. It is how things are."

For a long time they said nothing. Even Fawkes remained silent - the only sound coming to them were of the waves crashing into the shore, drowning with their might the sobs that came from Harry.

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The sea crashed around and upon him, the waves splashing apart against the jagged rocks upon which he was standing. He had lost the notion of time, of how many hours he had been there - his senses overloaded by the powerful presence of the ocean.

He was soaked from head to toe, his hair dripping water upon his face, now free of glasses, even as the sun battered against him with equal fury.

And yet he remained there, feeling the force of the elements; respecting it even as he resisted it, feeling stronger each passing moment.

Dumbledore was right, he was forced to admit. The change was feeling more natural with each passing moment - as if this was how he should have been.

Again, if Dumbledore was right, then the sensation of strangeness and wrong that assaulted him from time to time during his fifth year had been from the rising struggle from his body to purge the dark magic that had weakened it.

Now that the seal was broken his body was catching up and the sensation of unease was fading fast, like snow melting under the sun.

Thinking back to the moment of his awakening Harry realized that his panic was due in great part to his shock due to the radical change to his body.

Once Albus had explained what was going on to him, that panic had lessened, eclipsed by the truth that Dumbledore had kept from him, revealed at last.

Still it was strange to feel his body changing. Awake now, he was aware of how he was strengthening, how his muscles were growing in size, power and definition by the moment. He even had the notion that if he looked at himself in a mirror he would see his body grow and strengthen.

But that was the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

He wasn't human.

That was enough to put everything aside, enough to make him ignore even the dark clouds that hung on the horizon - the dark war Voldemort was ready to unleash upon an unprepared wizarding world.

He wasn't human and that was enough to make him ask a thousand questions which were without answers.

Could he die? How long was his life span? Could he father children? Would his magic work? Could he return to Hogwarts? Where was he from? Did his parents, his true biological parents, love him, care about him? Were they still alive? If so, did they think about him? Where was his home? Why

did they send him away?

So many questions but so few answers.

So many questions that needed answers.

The sounds of steps from behind him reached his ears and Harry wondered how he could have done that. He only knew that the sound had come clearly to him, even with the sea roaring around him. He immediately knew who it was, as there was but one person who could come here.

He turned just as another big wave fell upon him, crashing against his bare back with enough strength to make any human fall against the sharp volcanic rocks upon where he was standing. But somehow he was able to withstand it. A magical shield deflected the water some three feet away from Dumbledore and yet it let the ambient moisture pass, producing a funny image - The long silvery beard of the Grand Mugwump was dripping wet, his clothes soaked.

"I knew you would be here, Harry..." Harry nodded in reply to Dumbledore's statement, brushing some wet hair away from his forehead as Dumbledore pursed his lips for a moment. "How are you feeling?"

Harry laughed bitterly.

"As if my whole life has been turned upside down. I don't know what to feel or think or even believe. It's as though everything has lost its meaning, as if I'm... lost and can't find my way home."

Dumbledore nodded. "I understand."

He paused as another wave crashed around them before speaking again

"But you see, Harry, whether you are human or not, your species does not define who you are."

"What do you mean?"

"It is our actions that define our persons. Tom Riddle was as human as anyone, magic or not, but his acts and decisions have stripped him of any shred of humanity. He has become the monster we are fighting today. Look at Hagrid - a person who is loved and who has a heart bigger than his own body. But he is not fully human, Harry. You may be an alien but your actions have proved more than once that you are a magnificent human being."

"Think about it, Harry. Thanks to you, Lily could know the joy of having a life growing within her, a life that for a while was part of her. Thanks to you, she and James had the chance of having a family, of having someone that they loved more than their lives. Thanks to you, to what you are, entire generations have known peace and possessed a chance for love and happiness."

"Without your courage, your dedication to others or your love, the world would have been cast in shadows time and time again. Not being human cannot take away the love and affection Ron and Hermione have given to you, nor the love and admiration that Sirius, Remus, Minerva, Hagrid and even Snape have for you, which many others share, me amongst them."

It was as though someone had pulled the stone he was standing on from under him and he crashed upon his knees, the sheer emotion and truth in the old headmaster's words slamming into Harry like a speeding train. Those words brought thousands of images, emotions and sensations back to Harry's

mind, each validating the words that still hung in the air along with the sounds of the ocean.

"How could I have been that stupid?" he asked aloud, feeling suddenly ashamed.

Dumbledore gave him a warm smile as he put a wrinkled hand upon Harry's head and ruffled his damp hair before helping the younger man to his feet.

"You aren't stupid, Harry. The feelings and questions you have are quite understandable. In my opinion, you have done an admirable job of managing them so far. But still this means that we are going to have to cut our vacation short, at least for now."

"What do you mean, professor?" he asked, straightening, ignoring the waves crashing upon his body.

"We have to return to Hogwarts. Even though you have started to accept the changes you are experimenting, there are many things that we must know and many more that we have to prepare for."

Harry nodded. Dumbledore was right as he usually was.

They needed to be ready, to be prepared.

To Hogwarts then, he thought grimly.

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A few hours later both Dumbledore and Harry were walking towards Hogwarts, the old wizard easily keeping up with Harry's stride. Fawkes led the way a few meters in front of them.

Contrary to what Harry had assumed when Albus had told him that they were returning to Hogwarts, they hadn't cancelled the reservations they had at the hotel, valid for another two and a half months. Dumbledore had told the receptionist that they would return in less than 48 hours.

Harry hadn't the slightest idea how that could be possible but he trusted the old wizard enough to not ask any questions.

For now he was busied with keeping up with the accentuating changes to his body...

Despite the hot weather that had descended upon the United Kingdom, Dumbledore had insisted that he wear a thick cloak that would mask his identity even to the Hogwarts staff if they ever happened to meet them. What really bothered Harry was the fact that even with the thick cape and the sun warming it, he could feel no discomfort at all.

In fact ever since that fateful afternoon he had been able to feel the temperatures, hot and cold, but could feel no discomfort from them. It was as if his body and skin had been modulated to adapt to his surroundings or to suit his needs. He couldn't know for sure but that was as good a theory as any other.

Until they had time to do some tests, everything was possible and it wasn't doing any good to Harry's nerves.

Soon enough they reached the outer walls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but instead of using the main entrance as did all students coming for a year of learning and tutoring, Dumbledore led Harry far from it, walking along one of the imposing walls. After some minutes they reached a portion of the wall that looked like any other, but Albus smiled and drew his wand before touching the wall lightly.

Lines of light spread from the point where the wand had made contact with the stone, revealing an hidden door that opened to let the Headmaster enter.

Harry followed immediately and the walls closed just after he had entered.

Fawkes was by now riding on Harry's shoulder and seemed to be delighted to be back at the school, piping notes from time to time.

Harry found himself in a well-illuminated corridor that soon enough led to some stone stairs that brought them to a spacious round room. The room was illuminated by a dozen torches and on the walls Harry could see several doors, each presenting a shield upon which Harry could see some signs

of unknown origin. Dumbledore seemed to know them well, as he, without a doubt, redirected himself to one of the doors on his left.

Reaching it, the symbol gave off a soft red light before opening. Harry followed Dumbledore in and was surprised to find himself in the headmaster's office, the door hidden behind one of the bookshelves closing behind them once they had entered the room.

"Take a seat, Harry. And you can take off the cloak now."

Harry did so, pausing for a moment to allow Fawkes to fly to his usual perch in the headmaster's office. Moving, he took a seat in front of the headmaster's desk, an action shared by Dumbledore who also sat down.

Then he looked at Harry intently for a while before speaking.

"First of all, Harry - I want you to understand that I'm as clueless as you are to your change and its properties, so we are making this trip unto the unknown together. This said, don't worry too much about that. These changes, as surprising as they are, are natural to you so one would expect that

you have the means to control them inside of you. All clear?"

Harry nodded, not feeling very confident. "Um, yeah. I think so."

Albus smiled. "Good. From now on we are going to examine the limits of your body and if the lifting of the seal has produced some alterations in your magic. That is the part that I think will be more easy to identify than the other, as the most physical ones depends without a doubt on the maturity of your body."

"To test that, we will move to one of the rooms that are connected to the doors you saw before. Each of them has been prepared to test you in some way. Before you ask, the quarters of the Order are located there as well but separated from the space we will be using. This is for several reasons but most of all you have to understand that your change must be kept secret, as is your origin. This means keeping it secret from everybody. This includes Miss Granger and Mister Weasley, as well as Sirius and Remus."

"It will be difficult to do so once school starts again, professor. It's impossible to miss something like this." Harry pointed, gesturing to his new body.

Dumbledore nodded. "I know Harry. But if we have one thing on our side, it is time."

Then he rose form his chair and moved towards the bookshelf on one side of the round room. Pulling a worn book from the shelf, the wall behind moved, the shelf dividing into two and moving aside, allowing Dumbledore to enter a small abode that had been previously hidden.

There was a little shrine there and Dumbledore took a little black box from it. It was barely two feet in length. With one move of his hand, the walls and the shelf returned to their previous positions, nothing remaining to tell of the secret behind the books.

Albus moved back and sitting down again, presented the box to Harry.

"This is yours, Harry. Within, you will find some things that were found on your spaceship. I suppose your biological parents put them there."

Swallowing, Harry took the box from Dumbledore's hands and opened it with infinite care.

Within it were only two things but Harry knew that they were unique to the world.

One was a long, thin shard of crystal that hummed softly, its color an emerald green with core of pale green-almost white-, remembering Harry of the movie Star Wars, in which its hero used a lightsaber of the same emerald color.

Holding it, Harry could feel it warming to his touch and its shine grew in strength until the whole room was bathed in green light, even affecting the flames in the fireplace of the room - the red flames that burned the whole year long now seemed made of emerald fire.

Gently Harry put the crystal aside, knowing without cognitive reason that it was not the time to use it. So after placing it back in the box he pulled out the other item.

It was a piece of cloth that was neatly folded and with the same care that he had handled the crystal with, he unfolded it.

When that was done, Harry realized that the piece of tissue was a shield in which a stylized "S" could be seen.

With some amusement, Harry realized that they were cast in Gryffindor's colors, the S and the outer lines of the shield in red while the rest were golden yellow. The fabric was soft and yet Harry could feel the strength of it, different from all tissues he had ever held or touched.

He wondered if his true mother had woven it, placing it with him when he was but a baby,

born and sent away from wherever he had come from.

Sadness crept within him as he realized that he had lost not only one set of parents, James and Lily but also his biological ones. However, differently from the case of James and Lily, no one was there to tell him anything about the ones who had given him life. No moving image, no declaration of

friendship from old friends...

Only these two things - a crystal and a shield. How readily would he have exchanged them for a memory of a caress, for the memory of a lullaby, for soft laughter as he was hugged, protected and loved.

A tear traveled from his eye and Harry let it fall. Folding the shield with the same care as before he closed the box. Looking up to meet the gleaming eyes of the headmaster Harry breathed deeply before speaking.

"When do we start?"

----------------------------------

Once again Harry found himself in the company of Dumbledore in one of the rooms the old wizard had mentioned before. This time they were alone as Fawkes had chosen to remain in the office, enjoying the warmth of the fire.

The room he was currently in was kind of strange to be a part of a place like Hogwarts as it looked as though it had been taken from a Muggle gym, as it was full of weights and other machines designed for the development of the body. Some of them were downright strange to Harry, who knew nearly

nothing about weightlifting, something that was almost as verbotten as magic at the Dursleys' house.

Harry turned his attention to Dumbledore, who was sitting on some nearby mats that were lying on the floor, no doubt placed there for any work that had to be done on the floor. Silently he sat in front of Dumbledore who was likewise sitting with his long legs crossed.

Deep blue eyes looked at him through half moon glasses, observing him intently before Dumbledore spoke.

"Now, Harry, I want you to tell me how you feel. How your body feels to you, and better yet if you can recall how you felt when you awoke."

Harry scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"How I feel? Uh, well I.... Way more stronger, I think... yes, stronger is the word. Let's see... ah, light…as though I could start flying by myself. I think that my senses are better too. For one thing I don't need my glasses and my hearing seems sharper."

Dumbledore stroked his beard as his thoughtful, gleaming eyes showed his mind racing through thoughts Harry knew nothing of.

"Stronger…umm... well, we can check that easily here."

Producing his wand he pointed it at the rows of weights and with a flick summoned them, words of magic rolling off Dumbledore's tongue.

Twin weights landed in front of Harry, who took them under Albus' close look, lifting them up without a problem.

His muscles tensed and relaxed but Harry couldn't feel the weight of the metal. It was as though his body had no trouble lifting it. Puzzled, Harry used some strength and lifted the weights once again.

WHOOOSH!

BOOOM!

Harry recoiled as the weights were sent flying upwards, the impulse freeing it from Harry's hand before crashing on the ceiling and disappearing into the sturdy stone, some pieces of it falling down.

Harry swallowed hard, his sight fixated on the damaged roof before slowly looking back at Dumbledore who was staring at him with blinking eyes, not unlike a owl.

"Ah, that was, um, interesting, Harry."

Said boy could only nod dumbly before asking about something that had come to his mind immediately, as soon as it had overcome the shock.

"What was the weight?"

Dumbledore blinked again. "The weight? I believe that it was around a hundred and fifty pounds."

"A hundred and fifty? But..."

"But why did I start with such a weight? Without you knowing of it? I did that simply to see how you reacted to it without your mind interfering."

"What do you mean?"

"It is quite simple, Harry. Our minds focus our reality and state our limitations. If you had told yourself that you could not do it, then you would have unconsciously prevented yourself from doing it. But if I had remained silent... Never doubt the powers of the mind. In your case this could

be more important than what we think."

He paused, brushing off the dust that had fallen upon his blue robes before rising.

"I believe that another approach to this is needed, Harry. Please follow me."

Harry sighed but after a last look at the damage that he had done (that was already being repaired by magic) followed the older wizard. Harry found himself following Dumbledore through so many corridors that soon he lost whatever sense of orientation he had.

After some time they reached another door that led to a huge circular room, easily rivaling a Quidditch pitch in its size.

The ground was painted with red lines interconnecting with each other within a circle covered by signs of magical origin. There was light in there but no source for it, only a dim light that looked like the light given off by fire. Yet the only thing Harry knew for sure was that they were quite deep under Hogwarts - far away from any source of luminosity.

Dumbledore gestured for Harry to move and enter the circle. Harry took his place obediently within the circle before looking at the old wizard expectantly.

"Only I and some selected witches and wizards know what I am about to tell you, Harry, so keep this to yourself. The truth is that long before Hogwarts was a school, it was a training facility that came to be led by those who we now know as the Four Founders. Here, and since at least three thousand years, wizards and other creatures were trained in the art of war. I will spare you the history of how Hogwarts became a school but I will tell you that in the end, with the coming of peace, Hogwarts became the pleace you are familiar with. Before that time this was a place where all knowledge was turned into a weapon and a mean of destruction, as it was the way of things, even in the times of mighty Atlantis and long lost Avalon, times maybe more civilizared than those we are living now."

"Back in those times of war this room was designed for those magical beings, like giants and dragons with strength greater than those of normal humans. In this room their might and power were tested, challenged. Of course a thousand years ago dragonkin and giantfolk were different from how we know them now, so the use of this room was soon a secret only known by the headmaster and those he decided to trust."

"Ever since the days of the Founders, this chamber and others, designed for more war-like purposes, have been closed and sealed. Now with the rise of Voldemort and the possibility of many dark creatures falling under his control, I have considered the need of restoring them to their true

nature. Long have I pondered if it was wise to do so, but I fear that now, if the Order is not able to stall the advance of the dark, I may be forced to do something that has been, with good reasons, forbidden."

Dumbledore sighed

"Anyway, this is not important right now. What interests us is that this room offers us the way to test you without further, um, damages to the school property, things that I suspect would displease Minerva quite a fair bit."

Shaking his head slightly before grinning, he spoke. "But that's not why we are here. Let us see what you can do!"

Harry couldn't help but grin like an idiot as he nodded.

"How does this work, professor?" he gestured to the cross-lined ground.

Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling as always. "Ah, good question, Harry. You see, this room will help us immensely. Not only one can increase the gravity - making things in the room and oneself more heavy, but the room grants us also the means to read the energy levels of both magic and life-force. This will give us a good idea of where to start. But without much further ado... ready, Harry?"

Said teenager nodded as he saw Dumbledore move towards a small circle made of gold where he took his position. As soon as Dumbledore stepped upon the golden surface all the lines in the room came to life in a dazzling display of light. Harry looked at the ground, and then at Dumbledore, noticing

how the walls and ceiling now glowed with light, lines previously hidden now easily seen to the eye. .

Despite the impressive show, Harry felt nothing. He looked at Dumbledore and made a big mistake.

He spoke. "That's it? I expected something more..."

He had just enough time to see Dumbledore grin and tap into a panel that hung in the air. Formerly, nothing had happened, but suddenly Harry dropped to his knees, surprised by the sudden attraction the ground was exercising upon his body.

Still he was able, after testing his body, to rise and stay up. His hair was plastered against his scalp and his clothes, that now seemed made of lead, were hanging from his body, threatening to tear in order to join the other things on the ground.

Harry looked at Dumbledore, surprised to see an expression akin to wonder on his aged face.

"Something wrong, professor?" He asked, pulling Dumbledore out of his amazement. The old wizard shook his head before tapping again on the translucent panel of light, quickly reading something before turning his attention to Harry

"No, nothing wrong, Harry." Yet he was using a tone of voice that Harry had never heard before from the wise wizard. It was as though Dumbledore didn't know what to do. "Ah, ready to raise the level, Harry?"

Harry nodded. "I'm ready, professor."

Dumbledore nodded. He looked back at Harry, his fingers stopping short of touching the panel. "Harry, are you sure everything is fine?"

"Yes, sir."

"No feeling of discomfort?" he inquired.

"None but my hair being pressed to my head and my clothes feel like they are about to rip themselves off my body..."

"Good, good..." mumbled the older wizard before speaking more clearly.

"Let's try this, Harry. I will order the chamber to increase the gravity in an exponential fashion. With each passing minute the level of gravity in the chamber will increase. Once you find that the gravity is too much to bear, I will stop it."

"Sounds fine, sir."

Dumbledore smiled . "Very well, Harry. Prepare yourself - I am initiating the command." And with those words he touched the glyph that glowed, acknowledging the order. At once the room started to hum as the old magic was once again summoned to fulfil its purpose.

At first Harry felt nothing different from before. The only reason he had been brought to his knees was that the room's magic took him by surprise.

This time he was prepared for the increasing pressure and attraction coming from the room.

It was quite some time before he started to feel the strain upon his muscles, his body weighing more and more and he had to actually force himself to remain standing. He couldn't understand how his clothing managed to remain whole but that was the least of his problems as his body, with each passing minute, became heavier.

Finally Harry couldn't resist much more and, even as he was fighting with everything he had he was forced to kneel. But he wouldn't surrender. That wasn't a part of him... even in the direst situations, even surrounded by Death Eaters and Voldemort himself he would not surrender or go down

without a fight.

But the decision wasn't his...

He was still being forced to kneel, his knees about to touch the ground when suddenly the increased gravitation field was lifted.

Startled, Harry couldn't compensate for it and immediately found himself racing towards the walls, everything around him a blur for less than half a second - the time it took him to smash against the wall.

WHAMM!

For a moment, before the actual contact, panic rushed through his veins.

Harry fully expected to be reduced to a smear against the very solid-looking wall.

It soon faded to leave place to panic as he felt his body easily carve a way trough the stone, the stone parting as if it was made of semi-solid clay that his body went through with little trouble. Still, he could feel the vibrations due to the impact spread through the wall but couldn't feel the pain that should have followed.

Soon enough Harry found that the kinetic charge he had built had finally been absorbed by the stone and found himself trapped within it. Cursing loudly he extracted himself from the stone that had molded itself to his body before making his way out the newly opened tunnel.

He was still cursing when he noticed that this time his clothing had been torn apart, huge tears turning his pant and shirt into nothing more than shredded material. Dumbledore soon joined him, a concerned expression on his face, not unlike the kind a grandfather would have for an endangered grandson.

"Harry, are you all right?" he asked, concerned and was a little surprised by the look of anger that was enveloping Harry's eyes, making the green orbs look as if they were on fire.

And then he felt it. It was impossible to not do so.

The magic, pulsing, bursting wildly through Harry's frame, almost a visible thing with such sheer power that for a moment Dumbledore felt awed and slightly fearful.

Then Harry started shouting, his anger apparent even as the magic receded.

"No! I'm not alright! I know that I'm not human but this is ridiculous! Look at my clothes! Look at the wall and the -oh so new- corridor I created! And look at my blasted face! Not a single scratch, not even a single bruise! I should have had all my bones broken into splinters, my body turned into

a bloodied piece of raw meat, but there is nothing wrong, nothing broken at all!"

He started pacing, his voice still high but with a note of desperation that didn't escape Dumbledore's attuned ears.

"Why? Why does this always happen to me? I never wanted any of this, I just wanted to be normal! Normal! But oh no, Harry Bloody Boy-Who-Lived Potter..." he looked at Dumbledore and the old wizard was stricken to see the raw helplessness that seemed to dull those two pieces of gleaming

emerald.

"What did I do to deserve that? What did I do to be the one singled out..."

He paused, breathing deeply before exhaling as softly. "When I was a boy, the Dursleys would always treat me as if I was a decease, something that would be better dead. I often asked myself why it was so, what had I done to deserve that shunning. They supplied me with enough answers. Because I

was a freak. Because I was abnormal. Because something was wrong in me and it shamed them."

"Then Hagrid came and told me I was a wizard and suddenly I was normal... I belonged to a place where everybody was equal and finally I knew the reason why the Dursleys hated me."

"And then the whole Boy Who Lived business started. And I was special again. Set apart by something that I couldn't even remember. And how I cursed that difference! But I could find some solace knowing that I was like everybody else and not the celebrity people saw in me. And now I find that I'm not even human, that I'm an alien with powers that set me apart from

everybody I know, from all of what I care about."

He paused.

"It's not fair."

Dumbledore looked at Harry and nodded, but his voice was soft when he

spoke.

"You can't change who you are, Harry, not the life that is yours."

Harry snorted.

"Yeah. Right."

---------------------------------------

The afternoon found Harry and Dumbledore back in one of the training rooms, this one bare of anything but some weird writing on the walls; something similar to Arabic, red curving letters upon blue walls.

After the debacle in the gravity room Dumbledore gave Harry some time to be by himself, a time that Harry had spent thinking about things. Now he was standing in the middle of the room and, while Dumbledore had no idea of what had happened to him, Harry's bearing was more focused, the look of

desperation gone, his green eyes shining again, fresh with a new purpose.

Without further ado Dumbledore attacked the other part of the problem - Harry's magic.

"It is clear after the session in the gravity room that your physical strength has increased significantly. As such we can guess that your running speed is also beyond human and animal levels. The fact that you are apparently immune to physical damage is also something that we will have to follow up with. For those things I have already taken measures in view of the lack of control that you have displayed."

"That is something that we will have to deal with, not only for your own good, but also for the that of those around you. Still, I wish to assure you that I have prepared something that will grant you the control you need."

"But for now, let's focus on your magic. For that purpose, I want you to have this back."

And with those words Albus put a hand in one of the pockets of his robes, producing a wand that Harry recognized as his own. Taking it Harry looked back at the wizard, a part of him desiring the comfort the magical connection between him and his wand would bring him.

Still...

"But, professor, haven't you said that Voldemort would be able to sense when I use my wand and find where I am? Even when I hold it?" he asked, slightly worried, his right hand still upon the offered wand but not taking it.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, he would be able to do so. But that would be in a normal situation. In any other place but this. You see, Harry, this room was designed with the very purpose to block all magical signatures from reaching the outside world. While you are here the Dark Lord will not be able to feel you. For all purposes he is magically blind to the spells cast with your wand."

Harry nodded, somewhat relieved. His hand closed upon the long shiny piece of wood, immediately feeling the connection, like a spark of happiness running through his body. He was feeling more than happy to be able to hold his wand again. It was warm between his fingers, the polished surface

of the wand feeling like silk to him.

"What do I have to do?"

Dumbledore blinked before laughing "Well, to be honest, I hadn't thought about that." he paused, his blue eyes looking intently at Harry. "I suppose we should start simple... what about the Wingardium Leviosa charm? Pretty basic."

"Leviosa... right..." he looked around. "Problem is, I have nothing to levitate, professor."

Dumbledore looked sheepish even as he slapped his forehead. "Silly me, must be getting on years..." His hand moved to one of his pockets and withdrew a lemon drop candy from it. He carefully set it on the ground and pointed his own wand at it, transmuting it to a small chair.

"There, all set and ready. Try to levitate it Harry."

Harry nodded and pointing his wand towards the small wooden chair said the incantation clearly as he had heard Hermione explain so long ago.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

Answering to the command the chair shone silver for a moment before levitating as it was expected.

Dumbledore seemed to be relieved by that and neared the floating piece of furniture "Well, it seems that..."

Suddenly the chair started to tremble and vibrate, the silvery glow reappearing and expanding.

Dumbledore quickly looked at Harry who was holding the wand, seemingly unable to move. Then, all at once, the chair exploded into hundreds of shards just as Harry wrenched his wand aside, the tip of it leaving a trail of white light on its passage.

Albus, who had dived to the ground as soon as he realized what was happening, quickly reached Harry's prone form, his worry fading immediately as he saw Harry rise up.

"Harry, what happened?"

Harry looked at his wand before facing Dumbledore.

"I-I don't know. First everything seemed fine enough, but when I wanted to stop the charm I found it nearly impossible... it was as though the Priori Incantatem had occurred again, my wand vibrating and I unable to do anything about it. I don't understand it."

Still his green eyes looked at the old headmaster with a silent question that Dumbledore was unable to forsake.

"I have some theories - vague ideas, really. Harry, I would ask you to perform other spells but keep in mind that they could damage your wand, maybe too much. The decision is yours." He paused. "But if it would calm you, I can already tell you that your magic is there, yours and unmovable and yet... changed."

"What do you mean, professor?"

"As I have told you, Lily agreed to bear you. Now, any magic that could be within you before was undetectable. In fact there was a reasonable possibility that your race had no magic power to speak of. But then magic interfered. I don't know what happened, but it can very well be that the months that you passed within Lily awoke the possibility of magic in you."

"Who knows? Magic is a force that we can use to give form to our whims but we do not know explicitly that it doesn't lack some consciousness of its own... Lily and James refused to have you magically tested as it is standard with every child born in a house of wizards, so we can only

guess. But something happened that must have tipped the odds to your favor..."

With a sudden clarity that was alien to Harry, he understood what Dumbledore was referring to, his green eyes lit with understanding.

"Voldemort!"

Albus nodded. "Indeed the transfer of his abilities when he tried to kill you must have made you awake to the wonder of magic. But with the Killing Curse wrecking havoc in your body, its power was relative to your own focus. But now as your body becomes stronger your magic is also becoming

stronger."

"How much stronger?" asked Harry in an unsteady voice.

Dumbledore sighed. "I really don't know, Harry. Remember this is but a theory, and as such can be wrong. We will need to discover it with time, but I suspect that your body will allow you to perform magic without the need of a wand. The real question is if you will be able to continue using a

wand as you did until now."

"Why? I mean, you need a wand to perform most magic, right?"

"That's true but it's not the whole truth. Magic without a wand can be done, of course, but seems to lack real power or cohesion. Also the magic tends to grow unstable in its wandless form so if one was to cast a spell without a wand, if he could cast it to start with, the effects could go from nothing at all to results quite different from what we expect."

"To make it work, one would need a will of steel to shape the raw magic that would fight to go wild. That without forgetting the possible damage the body risks in such a task. Now there's a level of magic that can be done without the support of a wand, but compared to the complexity of most potent

charms it leaves something to be desired."

"Now as you know, there are magical creatures that can produce effects not unlike the spells, charms and curses that we use. Take the tears of the phoenix for instance. They can heal with astonishing strength and not even the most skilled master brewers such as Severus can come up with a

potion that can emulate the effects of the tears... They can make some potions of similar restorative power, yes, but they would be dangerous, lacking the safety the phoenix tears has by nature."

"Phoenixes, like our friend Fawkes, and other mystical creatures of our small world are able to "use" magic without needing a wand... it is more than likely that their bodies are somehow conditioned to serve as channels for the energy, the primeval force, that is magic. As such it is a part of them, not unlike wizards but to a more greater degree."

"But, as interesting as this is, sir,"-and it was- Harry had been engrossed by Dumbledore's dissertation and not for the first time wished to have the headmaster as a professor. "Why do you think that I will be able to do wandless magic?"

Dumbledore stroked his beard, his face pensive. "Several things induce me to think so, Harry. For one, your magic's strength has grown to the point that I can feel it when you are feeling powerful emotions, like anger. Then your body is proving to be way more resilient than that of any wizard or Muggle."

"Finally I know the potential of your mind, of its power - which allowed you to perform a Patronus. That, for a student of third year, is quite an achievement. I have known older wizards who had trouble performing the charm, being barely able to form a silvery mist."

Dumbledore clapped his hands together.

"Still, before we try that, let's see if you can still use the wand. Previously, we spoke of the Patronus, Harry. It is a powerful enough charm to see if the wand can hold down the surge of magic coming from you." he paused, doubtful. "That is if you want to do it, Harry."

Harry looked at the wand in his now bigger hands. So many adventures with it, so many close calls that he wouldn't have survived if not for those eleven inches of wood and a single phoenix feather. He would feel incomplete without it, that was for sure, but...

But Harry had come to an understanding within himself, a sort of epiphany that left him with a bittersweet taste in his mind. He was at a turning point of his life and he couldn't afford to be distracted - neither by what hadn't a solution, like his change, nor by what had a solution, like

the possible loss of his wand... He was starting to see the events of the last days beyond the troubles it brought him but instead in the advantages it could bring him.

That didn't mean he was happy about it. Quite the contrary. It still made his blood boil and enraged his mind knowing that he would forever be set apart from the rest of humanity - that along with a dozen more reasons that he preferred to not contemplate.

He wasn't ready to do so.

Not yet.

As for now, he had been asked to perform something that may cost him his one of his most precious possessions - what had made him a wizard nearly five years ago.

Breathing deeply he looked at Dumbledore.

There was no question.

"I'll do it."

The look of proud affection that Dumbledre bestowed upon him was almost enough for Harry to forget that he was risking his wand.

Dumbledore's affection was priceless.

"Expecto Patronum!"

From the wand a blast of silvery light came forth, more powerful than ever, easily dwarfing the Patronus that had driven off all those Dementors back in his third year. Scorching the ground with its power it impacted against the wall, a stream of unending light and raging ferocity.

Harry gritted his teeth, feeling the power summoned by his charm go wild, the room filling with ethereal light even as his wand vibrated crazily. Harry could feel it warming and see the smoke that was starting to rise from its wooden parts.

But what was infinitely worse was the sound of cracking wood that reached his ears even with the Patronus racing from the wand.

Harry dropped the wand as he dove for cover. It remained there, in mid air, instead of falling to the ground even as the web of cracks grew in number, letting rays of silver light free, chasing the shadows from the room.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity, but were mere seconds, the wand exploded, silver turning to red and expanding in an all-encompassing circle as the wood disintegrated, not leaving even splinters.

A single, gleaming phoenix feather remained for Harry and Dumbledore to see. It slowly descended, floating like an autumn leaf, falling softly before touching the ground where it remained shining gently, its red and gold colors seeming so alive, more with the air filled of the remaining of

Harry's Patronus, dots of silvery light descending gently like pure, pure snow.

At first Harry felt only shock. His mind was having problems accepting what had happened. He looked up at Dumbledore in search of something, something he wasn't sure of... but found what he was searching for missing. The old wizard seemed as much in shock as he was but Harry doubted it was due to the same reason.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he neared the golden-red plume and, with a care so reverent that it was as if the feather was about to fade, Harry picked it up, cradling it between his hands. He knew he should be crying for the loss, that he should be shouting in a mindless roar but somehow, holding the magic element that was the core of his wand made him feel better. Not alone, not as if he had lost something precious in a pointless demonstration.

It was with gratitude that he felt Dumbledore's wand press softly against the back of his head, just before a soft voice spoke and he was sent into an oblivious sleep state, the warmth coming from the feather never leaving him, even in the darkness.

---------------------------------------

Harry slowly blinked as he returned to consciousness.

His hand tightened upon the blanket that was covering him as he took in his surroundings.

He was back in Dumbledore's office and was lying on one of the sofas in the room, the fire moving gently as it warmed the room. Dumbledore was writing something with a golden quill, his attention fixated on his work, not noticing that Harry was awake until he made a significant noise which drew the headmaster's gaze to him.

Kindly, Dumbledore smiled. "How are you feeling, Harry?"

Harry looked at his hands, an expression of sadness upon his face. It was with slight surprise that he felt a weight settle upon his legs. A quick look told him what he suspected; Fawkes had chosen him as a pillow once again. The magical bird was looking at him, its small dark eyes filed with sadness.

"Sorry, Fawkes." He muttered softly. Then he turned to look back at the headmaster and gave the only answer he could give.

"Lousy." A single word conveying a hundred meanings.

Dumbledore nodded. "I see."

Those simple words said, Albus paused, wondering if he was right to do what he was about to propose to the young wizard. Most wizards wouldn't. And yet Harry had demonstrated time and time again that he wasn't a normal wizard.

Placing his papers into one of his desk's drawers, Dumbledore spoke a single word that was enough to rouse the boy out of his brooding mood.

"Harry."

Said teenager looked up at Dumbledore, his expression dark. Sighing, Albus drew from one of the numerous drawers of his desk a middle sized box, the sides of it made of black wood decorated with thin lines of gold.

Opening it, he drew forth three rings of the same size, less than a foot in diameter, made of a dark metal that Harry didn't recognize. It didn't reflect the light of the room and in fact seemed to be drinking in any illumination around it.

Carefully Dumbledore placed them on his desk, one near the others, each touching the other, their dark color easily spotted even against the deep brown wood of the headmaster's desk.

Harry's attention was aroused. He neared the desk after setting the blanket aside and allowing Fawkes to return to its perch. His eyes took in the dark rings, before looking back at the headmaster.

Dumbledore spoke without hearing the question in Harry's mind, his blue eyes looking at the young wizard carefully, waiting for the reaction that was to come.

"After what happened with your wand, Harry, it's clear that you are way too powerful. Too powerful to use a normal wand. During their lives, and especially in their puberty, most wizards pass through such growths of magical power and abilities but never to the point of making a wand explode."

Sighing tiredly, Dumbledore closed his eyes. "That can only mean that your magic has grown to such levels that we have to use extreme caution, at least until you manage to control it. To complicate things, if your abilities are still growing; if you are becoming stronger and stronger, then it's

reasonable to believe that your magic is becoming stronger too."

"How much time does this... magic growth take?" Harry's voice was soft, but at least it didn't sound as bitter as before. Opening his eyes, Albus noticed that Harry was still looking at the rings.

"The magical growth lasts several years but you can think of it as a mountain, starting about when the wizard is ten years old and stretching until he or she reaches the mid twenties, sometime later depending on the wizard or witch."

"The magical growing spur reaches its peaks just as when the teenager wizard is between sixteen and eighteen years old. Later on, through studying, rituals or exercise, he can see his powers grow."

Still looking at the rings Harry spoke, almost too low for Dumbledore to hear. "Will it be the same with me? How does my magic work?"

The headmaster's voice was soft and compassionate... but still harsh with the truth. "I don't know, Harry. But what I do know is that, sadly enough, without you being able to control that growth in your magical powers you can become even more dangerous to those around you than you already are."

Finally Harry looked at the older wizard, the expression on his face unreadable. " Now what?"

Leaning back in his seat, Dumbledore gestured towards the rings, Harry's attention moved, shifting back to the trio of rings.

"The only thing we can do. Those rings that you are looking at are made of a special metal that blocks the magic of any wizard or witch that wears them. Before the Dementors were used to guard Azkaban, these rings were used as a way to control the prisoners. But as they kept their mind and cunning

the Ministry soon used other means to control those who were too dangerous... Thus they started using those soul sucking monsters that no wizard should trust."

Picking one of the rings up Harry looked at it closely, noticing the seams in the metal.

"How do they work?"

Smiling thinly, Dumbledore shook his head. "That would take too much time to explain... It would suffice to say that it prevents the external use of magic, all the while lowering the magical defenses one has, making it easier to control those who wear them."

"Magic defense?"

The headmaster nodded. "That's it, Harry. While normally not powerful enough to block or negate the effects of charms and curses, each magically sensitive being has a certain level of defense against magic, but as raising those defenses take a respectable amount of time, most wizards forsake them."

"That makes sense, I suppose." said Harry, looking dubious at best. Why wouldn't people want to raise their defenses?

"Returning to the rings, one is worn around the neck and the other two on the wrists, but no sane wizard would want to wear them, as it is seen as a sign of shame. Most would see this as choosing to become Muggle. No wizard can stand wearing them too long as the desire to summon the magic that

they feel, but are unable to use, is ever present."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "You want me to wear them. Is that it?"

The old wizard nodded. "It's the only way, I'm afraid, Harry. With your power being so vast, there is no other way. But it's still your decision to put them on. I will not force it on you."

Harry raised the ring up to eye level, looking at it intently as his fingers moved upon its smooth length.

Then with a shuddering breath, he pulled the seams apart, being careful not to break it as he felt he could do without any problem. He moved it to his neck and closing his eyes, put it upon his neck.

With a dry click the ring closed. His fingers hooked around it, as it was still loose enough for that, and gave a slight pull, testing the feeling of the magic-inhibiting metal against the over-sensitive skin of his neck. It was a rather pleasant feeling so far and still he could feel the increase in his heart rate.

Swallowing, his hand moved towards the second ring and with the same care as with the first, he snapped it around his left wrist. That done, he moved on to the third and last and with a deep breath, closed it.

As one the dark metal of the three rings shone, gaining color until it was bright red. The metal started to vibrate even as it reduced in size, tightening around his neck and wrists. For a while more the metal

glowed and vibrated, fighting to seal off Harry's power.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the rings lost their gleam and stopped moving.

As soon as that happened, Harry felt as if something was restricting him, or a part of him, limiting it. He could feel his magic still, maybe even stronger and more clearly than before, and what's more, ever-growing...

But he could also feel the binds that had been placed upon his power, restraining it. Somehow, that filled him with regret and sadness.

Harry looked at Dumbledore, the old wizard seemed older somehow but that impression soon disappeared. The sadness that he could feel in those blue eyes remained, however.

"How are you feeling, Harry?" he asked quietly.

Harry remained as quiet as he gave the headmaster of his school a blank stare. "How do you think I'm feeling?"

Then he cracked an empty grin. "Lousy of course…what else?"

Dumbledore's lips twitched and he smiled slightly at Harry. "That may be so, Harry but I promise that soon I will take them off and you will be free."

Harry nodded. Then a thought came to his mind. He looked briefly at Fawkes.

"Sir, what happened to the feather of my wand?"

"Ah, that..." he answered while giving a smile to the young man. "Well, I have sent it to Ollivander. He will prepare a new wand for you. But it will be different. Yes, immensely so."

"Different in what way?" asked Harry, curious, trying to get his mind off the strange sensation that was the feeling of having his power sealed or the rings upon his skin.

"Mr Ollivander, like all good craftmen, is continually trying to ameliorate his wands. Lately he has been complaining about the lack of challenges. So I presented one to him that I hope will be able to stimulate his brilliant mind. It should be ready by the time we return."

Rising from the chair, Albus moved close to Harry. Harry looked at him with slightly inquiring emerald eyes.

"Return from where?"

Dumbledore mussed up his beard, a gesture that Harry had grown to associate with some deep thinking. The headmaster's deep blue eyes weren't twinkling but the intensity behind them was breathtaking.

"I believe, Harry, that the question should be return from when."

Harry blinked.

That could only mean one thing.

"We're travelling in time?"

Dumbledore nodded.

"For a number of reasons." he paused as if considering something.

Finally he spoke, having reached a decision. "I must be honest with you. Ever since you... changed, you have looked up to me, in search of guidance and confidence, trusting me to find the right answers to help you through this difficult time. I am more than honored that you hold me in such high

esteem, but to be honest with you, I recognize that I'm not the best man to help you."

"But…but…Professor, you're the world's greatest wizard!"

Dumbledore smiled wistfully. "I would like to believe that, Harry. But the truth is that I'm not that great. I'm nothing more than an old man who wishes for some things that may never be, all the while fighting to preserve what we have. I am but a man who has been given much time on this

little planet we call home, but that doesn't mean that I'm able to deal with things that remind me how little my knowledge really is and how limited is my strength."

Albus's smile widened. "I don't feel bad about that, Harry, and neither should you. Much has been asked of me but also much has been given. You remind me of myself when I was younger and the world seemed to rest upon my shoulders." He added with a slight smile.

All the while, Harry blushed slightly, embarrassed to be compared with a wizard, let alone one as great as Dumbledore, his mind travelling back to the time when Aberforth had said something similar.

"A great man, Dumbledore" Hagrid had said not so long ago and Harry could only agree.

Unknowing (or not), Albus continued "Back in that time I had help, help from people more wise and kind than me, people that sadly enough are long gone from this plane of existence. It's those men and women that we are going to see. With them I am sure that you will be able to rise to this challenge life has imposed upon you... as you always have."

"Eh... thanks," said Harry, a hand trailing through his midnight locks, messing it up more than it already was.

"When do we go?" he asked after a moment.

"Soon enough. Before we have to take care of some details, most of them concerning the languages you will need. The rest you will learn in the place we will travel to."

"Excuse me, sir, but what do you mean by languages?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "We aren't remaining in England, Harry. The first part of our trip will take us to the orient; India, China, Japan, Korea, Thailand... next, let me see, ah, yes, Italy, France, Greece, Turkey, yes, and maybe one or two more countries before we return to Brazil."

Harry swallowed. "That's... uh, a lot of countries, professor."

Dumbledore smiled. "Yes, Harry, it is needed. Before facing the problem of the languages, do you have any other question?"

Harry hesitated for a moment before asking. He knew that this issue had already been dealt with but he couldn't help it.

"Um ,sir, could I owl Hermione or Ron?" he paused before rushing, as he saw Dumbledore starting to speak. "Not to tell them what is happening, of course. Just to see how they're doing?"

Albus sighed, hating what he was about to say once again, but knowing that it was a necessity. Dumbledore knew Voldemort well enough to know that any contact between Harry and his two friends would be noticed, despite the apparent lack of action from the Dark Lord.

Voldemort wanted Harry beyond anything else, wanting to destroy him and the hope he represented. What in common men (and not to say wizards) was dangerous, all that rage and hate, in a being such as Voldemort was something even worse because he had enough control, enough cold blood, to use his emotions, not the other way around.

Even his seemingly random burst of anger upon his followers, all those uses of the Cruciatus Curse upon them were but a display, a controlled means to turn fear into terror even in the heart of his most devoted Death Eaters.

Voldemort would get a hold of any communication between the trio and dissect it with cold, ruthless logic, picking up scraps of information that he would store for further use. And sooner or later he would use that information to find a way to destroy Harry.

The summer between fourth and fifth year, Dumbledore wasn't that concerned about intercepted communications between the trio. He knew Voldemort would instead get a firm hold on all his followers, restoring the control he had nearly sixteen years ago before moving on other things he needed to do before he decided to go after the Boy Who Lived.

But now...

Dumbledore sighed. " I'm afraid that I can't allow that, Harry. You know my reasons and you know that Sirius, not to say Remus, think likewise. This is not for your security but also, right now, any contact between you and Miss Granger, or Mister Weasley, would put them in danger and I believe that you are the one who knows that better than anyone else."

Harry looked to the ground before nodding, even if the reluctance was there.

Dumbledore sighed. "I promise you will see them soon enough, Harry, but in the meantime we have to address our language problem."

Harry nodded, all thoughts concerning his friends apparently gone. "I'm not that good at foreign idioms, professor..." he said, feeling slightly embarrassed.

Dumbledore laughed that heart-warming laughter of his. "Ah yes. I suppose the Dursleys weren't too inclined to teach you foreign languages, right?"

Harry nodded, not knowing what to say. It seemed wrong somehow to speak ill about the Dursleys like he would do with Ron... and then there were the glimpses of the guilt that Dumbledore had sometimes looking at him.

It was right within the twinkle of his deep blue eyes, as if he regretted leaving him at the Dursleys' once he discovered how unloved Harry had been, but knowing that it had been the only way to ensure his safety. If it had happened otherwise, the repercussions could have been dire.

Harry quickly chased those thoughts out of his mind. He wasn't sure if Dumbledore could read minds but even so it wasn't good to think about what was in the past.

Dumbledore was once again stroking his beard, even as a slight smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Now about languages and the spells concerning their learning..." he started shifting into professor mode, which attracted Harry's undivided attention, even as his mind shifted to one of his best friends...

<Hermione should be here. She would enjoy this.>

"As you know, most languages are classified by their origins. Some have the same roots while others belong to other groups with totally different characteristics. Generally those root languages change through time and contact with other cultures. I would like to say that those contacts between culture were always pacific but that would be a lie. On the contrary, most of those contacts originated in some sort of armed conflict, the culture and lifestyle being absorbed by the dominant group."

"So through time those primal languages, due to the contact with other cultures evolved, forming the ones that we use today, right?" asked Harry.

Dumbledore's smile widened. "That's right. Through that contact they evolved and that evolution continued as time passed. Each culture, as they appeared and disappeared through the centuries, collaborated somewhat in that change. It's likely that if we took someone of this day and age and moved him through time, let's say nine hundred years back, he would have his fair share of problems trying to be understood by the people of that chronological period."

"Now on the learning itself, there are several spells and charms that can work to that end. Generally the spells are divided into two kinds depending on the source of the language that can be inanimate, like books, or animate, the knowledge shared by two or more wizards."

"What's the difference?"

"Well, inanimate ones are those most used by wizards and witches. It produces less strain to the mind but they lack the `something' that makes one fluent in the chosen language. It is, to put it in terms that you will understand, like knowing all the rules of Quidditch, all the possible moves, all the league's teams and its players, being able to speak of it for hours but not being able to play it. You will play some but you will never be good at it."

That he could understand. "And the animate one?"

"The effects are more intense, not to say complete, than the other type. You gain the skills the source had of that language, it becoming a part of your own knowledge. Differently from the other kind, the knowledge once gained is kept and you can work on it with time, becoming better at it as if it

was yours to start with. For all purposes this is the best option."

"But the knowledge isn't gained without cost. The human mind is continuously sorting the information it gets through the senses, protecting the brain from an amount of data too great to be handled without danger. This is why, amongst other things, we have to give repose to the mind and body when we are studying. The spell is dangerous because of the sheer volume of knowledge that can be taken from the source and downloaded in one go. It can be too much for the brain to handle at once."

"What happens then?"

"The brain can suffer a shock that plunges the wizard receiving the knowledge into a coma, its depth depending on the size of the information assimilated. The fact that the one receiving the knowledge doesn't get only the language skills, but also the impressions the mind links to the learning process is dangerous for your core personality. When that happens for a moment they lose focus on who they are, swept away by the emotions that the source had linked to the time he or she spend learning the language shared."

"It's not a pleasant feeling. I have known wizards that have cracked under the pressure the spell brought to them, the alien emotions overriding their own each time they used that artificially obtained tongue. All of those risks are enough for most wizards to forsake the possibility to add a lifetime

worth of language skills to their own."

For a moment Harry remained silent, thinking about what he had heard, considering the information Dumbledore just gave him.

"What do you propose, sir?" he asked to the old wizard that was looking at him with his intense eyes.

"For you to benefit of our travels to its full extent, you need to have language skills as complete as possible." he said gravely. "I know that you are concerned by what I told you about the animate language charm but remember that your physiology is different from humans. The magic will

fulfill its bidding but how you will absorb that knowledge will be different from how a human would do it."

Harry nodded reluctantly. The determination was clear on his face. "I understand, sir. Do it."

"Good boy," said Dumbledore, obviously once again pleased with Harry.

He then rose from his seat and moved towards the fireplace. In front of it were two chairs, facing each other, a short distance apart. Harry followed suit and sat in the chair opposite of Dumbledore's, feeling the warmth of the fire through his clothing, heating his skin.

Dumbledore drew his wand, holding it loosely between his fingers.

"As you already have an education in Latin, we will start with that."

"That... makes sense." agreed Harry.

Latin was imparted as part of the curriculum at Hogwarts, as many spells and charms depended on the old language to work. As such Harry had quite a good grasp of it, but there wasn't a doubt that Dumbleodre's skills and knowledge on it were far greater than his.

"Ready, Harry?" Dumbledore asked softly.

Breathing deeply, Harry slowly nodded.

"Ad voluntatis, cun lingua trasmuto..."

With a flicker the point of his wand was touching his left temple.

"Latinae cognitio divido..."

A small ball of dark red light appeared on the tip, growing with the wizard's words.

"Et libere donum in perpetuum."

The wand moved through the empty space separating them, leaving behind a trail of crimson semi-solid light before gently touching the scar in the middle of Harry's brow. The scar glowed red as it started absorbing the magic.

Harry's whole body trembled as he felt the knowledge being crammed into his brain, new concepts assaulting his mind, unknown sensations and foreign emotions turning, twisting within his mind with the violence of a thousand storms.

It was agony.

It was liberation!

Crash!

Harry found himself sprawled on the ground, what remained of the chair lying all around him. He was breathing hard, and trying to blink out the sweat that covered his face, drops falling upon his neck.

He saw how the thin stream of red light dissipated to nothingness and slowly he drew his hand to his forehead, feeling the lingering sensation of magic still there.

Slowly he shook his head as he threw his first glance at Dumbledore.

The old wizard was clearly tired but looked way better than how Harry felt, not that he could complain of that to Dumbledore. After all it was the headmaster who had performed the charm. He just had to hold on against the rush of information.

Still with incredible agility for someone his age the older wizard knelt near Harry, a hand moving to steady the younger wizard who was still slightly shaking.

"How are you, Harry?"

Said teenager blinked and shook his head before looking at the professor.

Slowly a grin spread upon his face.

"Apart from feeling my head rattle as though it was a bell? Wonderful, sir!"

Dumbledore blinked, obviously surprised by Harry's answer. There was no sarcasm and Albus could feel that Harry wasn't lying. He was indeed feeling wonderful.

That wasn't supposed to happen.

"You're sure of that, Harry?"

Harry nodded before straightening up, followed by Dumbledore who was taller than him, but not by much.

"Yeah... it's as though I..." he paused, searching for words. "As though I was awake for the first time and all my thoughts are now so... clear." He laughed, feeling joyous for some reason. The sound was so honest that Dumbledore couldn't help but chuckle, Fawkes also crooning some happy tunes as he flapped his wings.

When Fawkes rejoiced with his exuberance Dumbledore looked at the young man in front of him with puzzlement. From what he could see the boy was perfectly fine. His eyes seemed cleared from something, as if the mind and the soul behind them was free at least.

"Why my boy, you are proving to be a well of surprises. What you are feeling is like nothing I have knowledge of. In fact you should be feeling downright nauseous. Didn't you feel slightly, um, unsteady?"

Harry looked at him with his green eyes so focused that Dumbledore couldn't help but marvel.

"No, professor." Then his expression shifted and he spoke, but this time in perfectly fluent Latin. "At first I felt what you told me I would but then..." He paused. "Then it was as though something that had been... trapped was suddenly free. And now I feel like never before."

Then he smiled. "And I can speak in Latin, professor." Again he shifted language, returning to English. "The spell worked, sir."

Dumbledore nodded, not quite sure what to do about this development.

<Maybe this will cause some slight changes to our travelling plans.>

With a flick of his wrist the chair was repaired but this time Dumbledore made sure the chair would be able to withstand the pressure.

Well, he hoped so.

"If all is alright for you, let's continue then. Are you ready for more, Harry?"

Harry's grin was answer enough.

--------------------------------------

Three hours later, Dumbledore passed a hand against his tired eyes.

The spell wasn't too taxing on the caster but after several hours of doing so even Albus was starting to find his mind slowing down. It was only due to his skills and experience that his mind wasn't feeling like it had been put through a blender.

On the contrary Harry seemed to have been possessed by his friend Hermione. He kept asking Dumbledore to share his knowledge of languages, not needing much time to deal with the effects of the language transfer.

Right now Harry had mastered almost all the mortal languages Dumbledore knew.

Latin, French, Spanish Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Thai, Dutch, Gaelic languages, Armaic, Greek and so many more. With each new dose of knowledge Harry seemed to be more awake, more focused, astonishing the old mage. During one of the pauses, Dumbledore had Harry shift from one tongue to another non stop, asking questions in Classic Greek demanding to be answered in one of

the so many variants of Chinese.

Harry was reading an old text about transfiguration, another test to see if he was able to deal with the massive download of information. He wasn't only reading but actually he was translating the text, that was in Old French, into Japanese at the same time.

What Harry didn't know was that Dumbledore, despite being the source of his knowledge, wasn't able to do what the teenager was doing so effortlessly. He was able to do it but not directly, translating it from text to spoken words without a pause.

"That's enough, Harry," the young man looked up, blinking like an owl, startled into stopping his task. "Well done, very well done. I think we are ready for our trip."

That said, he drew from one of the desk's drawers an item that Harry had trouble recognising. Still if they were going to travel through time it could be only one thing, even if it was radically different from the one he had once seen in Hermione's possession.

A time-turner.

"Is that a time turner? I thought all time turners were monitored by the Ministry of Magic, sir."

Dumbledore smiled as he caressed the magical device.

It was a small shield upon which Harry could see what seemed to be the entire solar system. The object made of gold looked particularly old, and still the planets shone brightly, each a different color as they moved upon the surface of the item.

"That's right Harry. But this time turner is a personal gift from a friend of mine, gone since many long years. It had been crafted a long time ago and my friend had kept it through the years."

"You see, Harry, there are many wizards that would be labeled dark by institutions such as the Ministry of Magic of their country, not concerned that they are not. The reason for that is that, as much good a Ministry can do, there are also many other things that they can do wrong, our dear

Minister Fudge being a clear example of that."

Harry nodded, feeling his temper rise at the mention of Fudge.

Albus gave him a lopsided smile, as he noticed the change in his young charge's emotions once the name of the Minister was said. "This friend of mine, Karshan of Tulse, that while now dead, I hope you will know soon enough, gave this to me as a present decades ago. A great defender of

the Light, he was killed protecting his magically-hidden town from a plague unleashed by a dark wizard doing Grindelwald's bidding."

"This Time-Turner, one of the many magical objectc collected and protected by Karshan and his family, has the particularity that it can move the users years backwards in time instead of hours like most Time-Turners do. That's what we are going to use for our little trip trough time."

Harry nodded, still feeling unsure of what to say or to think about this journey Dumbledore was taking him on. Still, it would be incredible; all the places he would see, all the things he would learn...

Wait a second…

Learn?

<Oh my god! I'm starting to think like Hermione!>

The weirdest thing was that he found that perspective exciting!

Maybe he did have some head problems after all.

"I want you to understand one thing, Harry..."

Harry looked at Dumbledore, whose blue eyes were shining strangely.

"You are not going on a pleasure trip, but to learn about yourself. You will be training with many people and that will demand a lot from you. But you must understand that what you are going to learn is necessary. With a power like the one you are starting to discover you need knowledge in order to not become a danger like Voldemort only a thousand times more dangerous."

Harry nodded, slightly intimidated... not only by Dumbledore's words but also because they were enough to make him remember the power, vastly unchecked, that was now his. A power that he had no idea how to control.

But somehow the fear he was feeling slowly was changing, tuning more into expectation, into his well-known curiosity.

What could he really do?

"Now, Harry, if you are ready..."

That startled Harry. This wasn't what he was expecting. He supposed that Dumbledore would at least have taken some items with him - some clothes or something like that. But as far as he could see, the old wizard was only taking his wand with him. Dumbledore's attention seemed totally focused

on the magna Time-Turner

"Um, sir?"

"Yes, Harry?" Dumbledore said, not taking his sight off the magical instrument.

"It may sounds…dumb, but aren't we talking anything with us? Like the things that we left in Brazil?"

Without looking, Dumbledore spoke "We are taking something with us, Harry."

Harry blinked. "We are?"

"Of course." Dumbledore nodded as his fingers moved upon the smooth surface.

"We are wearing our clothes, aren't we?"

Pause.

"Apart that, what else, sir?"

Finally looking up, Dumbledore motioned Harry to get nearer. "Don't worry, my boy. We have all we need and what we don't we can get them where we are going. Now are you ready?"

"I think so..." his eyes moved around the room. Who knew when he would see it again? When would he step back into the corridors of Hogwarts along with his friends? Then his eyes stopped upon something, or rather someone else.

"Sir, what about Fawkes? Are we leaving him here?"

Albus smiled. "I'm afraid that we can't take him with us. The magic of this Time-Turner would kill him. Don't worry. We will be back -relatively speaking- in the next second or so, as it would be with any ordinary Time-Turner."

Harry nodded, accepting the old wizard's words. He could not resist taking a last look at the singing bird.

Nodding to himself, Dumbledore extended his hand and with his wand pointed it towards the shining object. Releasing it, Harry was astonished to find it floating, free of the aged hand that had sustained it until moments ago.

In a powerful voice, Dumbledore touched the object with his wand.

"Deslagrate..."

The time turner exploded into a net of light that expanded with amazing speed, covering the walls with lines of gold before retracting with the same speed, slicing through both he and Dumbledore, leaving trails of light upon each square inch of them.

The Time-Turner seemed to have turned into a star, shining brightly with soft golden light. Dumbledore's wand impacted against the mass of light that unleashed golden flames. Once again the old wizard's powerful voice resounded in the room... making the world shake...

"…murit tempiet.... INTERVALLIA!!"

And shatter.

---------------------------------------

Next part: India

Coming soon...

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Author's words, (second take):

Well with this ends the first part of Summer of Discoveries.

When I started writing this chapter my idea was to make only one chapter that would be composed by parts 1.1, 1.2, 1.3. Along with those now three posted sub-chapters, Summer of Discoveries would have many others covering the countries Harry and Dumbledore would travel and stay.

So Summer of discoveries 2.1 would be India, the next one 2.2 China and so on…

All in all, time-wise, Summer of Discoveries would cover three years of adventures and travels trough foreign countries, Harry (re)discovering himelf and his legacy as the last son of Krypton under the guide of Dumbledore and a legion of new characters, some real historical beings, others created by me and some non humans characters added in the mix .

But now, looking at the three parts posted, considering the time it took me to have them ready I realize that posting the remaining parts of SoD would take time, time in wich the rest of the characters of the Harry Potter books would be missing.

As I know that many of you are awaiting the introduction of the new Harry to the rest of the cast, such as Hermione, Ron, Draco and the others I am considering changing my original idea.

Personaly I have no problem in following as I have till now, that is following a chronological line, following Harry day by day even in the past and reach Hogwarts and the sixth year in its due time.

But as I know that many await that moment with impatience I am considering in leaving aside Harry and Albus adventures in the past and jump to the start of the sixth year…

Up to this point I leave the decision to the readers:

Please tell me what you think in the review and if there is a majority asking me to jump to the sixth year I will do so. If not I will continue as I wanted in the first place and the next chapter to be posted would be Harry in India, the start of his training and everything that will happen there.

This said, once again thanks for taking time to read my story.

Till next time

Lu

Dragonlord