Harry Potter: The Mage's Path Chapter 20

Hi all,

Here's the next chapter. I had to scramble to edit the chapter as I have been busy playing Hogwarts: Legacy. Enjoying my time with it so far.

When Harry was hit by the noise explosion, he almost jumped, as both Dumbledore and Remus shouted at him, demanding to know what was going on. He glanced to the side at the man, John, who was watching the commotion with interest. The man didn't look like a demon prince imposter. In fact, he looked completely ordinary.

"Silence," Harry held up his hands, and the two men calmed down. Telling them had been a mistake, especially when he didn't know one of them that well. "One at a time."

"Harry," Dumbledore said gently. "Lily Potter died that night."

"Did you find her body?" Harry asked.

"No, but there was no way she could have survived." Dumbledore placed his hands on his desk and leaned forward. "Where could she have been all this time?"

"Did you not hear me?" Harry said. "She is trapped in the Abyss. Now, I cannot guarantee that she is still alive, but she was definitely alive after that night."

"How do you know, Harry?" Remus placed a hand on his shoulder.

Harry scratched his cheek in indecision. Does he have to show his memory to them? As he contemplated his options, he turned to John. "You didn't answer my question."

"Mr Potter," John grimaced. "I didn't descend any further than the third dimension when I lived in the Abyss. I don't think I would have been able to cope with the mental degradation if I had. My friends made the mistake, and they descended into madness. So, I don't know anything about anyone named Lily Potter."

Harry's eyes widened. Now that John mentioned mental deterioration for the second time, it was only then that he considered his mother might have suffered the same fate. He looked down in despair, wondering what would be more painful. Finding out that his mother was dead or that she had been lost to madness? It was an impossible choice.

Celeste patted his cheek to get his attention and Harry looked up. The men were waiting for him to compose himself.

John continued, "It is further complicated by how time works in the dimensions. Time is a lot slower. For example, in the third dimension, where I am from, the day is three times as long as in the real world. Seventy-two hours would have passed, while only one had in the real world. Furthermore, our age is affected by the real world, which means that we live for three times as long."

It was different from the Instant Dungeons, where time moved faster and still affected his age. Still, there was no mental degradation to deal with, so that was a positive.

"Are you telling me that my mother could have spent the equivalent of thirty years, or even more, while only ten years have passed in the real world?"

"That's if she's still alive," John said bluntly. "She would still be in her thirties though."

Harry decided to share his memory with them. He reached into his Mokeskin pouch, pretending to grab the vial from it when he actually got it from his inventory.

"I see you have a pensieve," Harry nodded to the artefact on a pedestal behind Dumbledore. "I got this memory from a Memory Shade that I found in my parents' cottage. I then extracted the memory from my mind."

Dumbledore took the vial from him and poured it into the basin. "Would you mind if John saw this as well? He may be able to shed some light on the matter."

Harry shrugged, and taking that as permission, the three men surrounded the bowl and touched a finger to the swirling substance. They froze as they started viewing the memory. It was different from how he did it, but it allowed for more than one person to view it simultaneously. Harry leaned back in his seat and waited for the men to finish.

"Do you think they will know who Uriel is?" Celeste asked.

"Who knows?"

Harry cocked his head when he heard someone climbing the stairs. "Go invisible Celeste."

The door banged open and a sallow-faced man with dark greasy hair rushed into the room. He stared at the three men bending over the pensieve in consternation, before turning his dark eyes on Harry. His lips curled into a sneer, as if Harry had offended him somehow.

"How long will they be?" The man asked.

"Well, hello? Are you not able to introduce yourself first?" Harry asked.

"My name is Professor Snape," he drawled.

"Oh, I thought you weren't a professor anymore? My name is...."

"I know who you are, Potter," Snape snapped. "You look exactly like your arrogant dunderhead of a father."

"You bloody wanker," Harry stood up. "How dare you insult my father?"

"Obviously, the apple doesn't fall from the tree," Snape loomed over him and gazed at him with such hatred that Harry felt as if the man were stripping the flesh from his bones.

Harry pushed Snape, and the man stumbled back. "Why don't you run along Snape? This meeting is only for important people."

Snape locked eyes with Harry. Suddenly, he felt an intrusion in his mind and Harry realised that he was being invaded by leglimency. While he frantically raised his meager shield, the man broke through with ease. Soon the man would get past his shield and see his thoughts...

Snape roared as Celeste appeared and took a bite out of his ear. He threw a hand up to dislodge the fairy, and she dodged out of the way. Snape turned around, and summoned his wand into his hand and aimed it at the escaping fairy. Harry growled in anger and conjured a fireball, and threw it at the back of his head. Sensing something, the man turned, but he wasn't able to react in time. The fire ball hit his head and his hair exploded into flames and he screamed, dropping his wand and frantically trying to put out his hair.

"What is going on here?" Dumbledore roared, having exited the pensieve. He extinguished the fire in Snape's hair with a wave of his wand.

Harry pointed at the man, "He tried to evade my mind. If it wasn't for Celeste, he would of succeeded."

"What?" Remus stepped forward, looking like he was preparing to tear a strip out of Snape's hide.

"He lies," Snape yelled. "The brat pushed me."

"Only when you insulted my father," Harry retorted.

"You set my hair on fire."

"Only after you tried to attack Celeste. It's not my fault your hair is so flammable."

"Enough," Dumbledore said, sitting down in his chair. "I don't want to deal with this right now. Severus, go see Madam Pomfrey. We will discuss your actions later."

"That's it?" Snape asked, climbing to his feet and picking up his wand. "You're willing to take his word against mine."

"There's a pensieve right here," John said helpfully. "We can ascertain who is the guilty party right now if you wish."

Dumbledore took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "I just want to remind you that Harry now owns the castle. If you upset him too much, he is more than able to kick you out if he so desires."

Snape glared at the man before spinning around and leaving the office. A prominent bald patch was visible on the back of his head. Celeste flew over and sat back down on Harry's shoulder. Calming down, Harry sat down just as Hedwig came flying through the window, landing on his other shoulder.

'What's going on, hatchling?'

"Nothing much. Just an encounter with an unpleasant man."

Once they were settled back in their seats, Dumbledore stared at Harry with narrowed eyes. "Harry, did you have to set his hair on fire? That is not something a respectable wizard would do."

"I don't feel one ounce of remorse," Harry argued. "I didn't set out to light his hair on fire, or cause him pain. But Snape turned his wand on Celeste when she defended me from being mind-raped. Tell me, is that something you condone as Headmaster?"

Dumbledore grimaced. "No, of course not. I need to have a serious talk with Snape. Because of his usefulness, I wanted to keep him in the castle. If he steps out of line again, I will have to let him go."

Harry sat back, satisfied. It seemed that the old man had his head straight about this issue at least. He was speaking the truth about not wanting to cause pain to the man. After all, he had just met him. Even if he said some upsetting things about his father, it was not enough to want to cause him harm. However, he crossed a line when he turned his wand on Celeste.

"Let's move on," John said, turning and looking at Harry. "What that memory revealed is deeply concerning. The man who called himself Uriel was using divinity magic. Before I left, I saw some people in the Abyss employing the same magic. It seems that they use some sort of dimensional travel to descend to Earth and its various dimensions."

"Are you saying they are not from this world?" Harry asked sceptically.

"I don't know," John shook his head. "However, I do know that they can't seem to appear in this world naturally, and it takes some effort to appear, or else we would have seen more of them."

Harry bit his lips before telling them about his encounter with Angelica. They all stared at him in shock, before gathering their wits.

"Harry, it appears you are in more danger than I thought," Dumbledore said as he shared a glance with John. "Do you think that this woman would target you again if she had the chance?"

"She seemed pretty desperate to find her master," Harry said. "I would say so."

"What about Miss Granger?" Remus asked. "Would Angelica use her to get to you?"

Harry started, not having thought of the possibility. Could it be true? Is it possible that she could be in danger as a result of him? He jumped to his feet, determined to get to her house and check on her. Remus placed a hand on his shoulder to stop the boy before he took off.

"I will go and retrieve her," Remus said. "I may have to grab her parents as well. Is it okay if I bring them here, Albus?"

"Of course, it is," Harry exclaimed before Dumbledore could speak.

"Well, you heard Harry," Dumbledore said, amused.

"They don't know you though," Harry pointed out. "How will they trust what you say?"

"I will go with him," Celeste said, flying up and sitting on Remus's shoulder. "Hermione knows me."

Harry gave him the address and Remus left through the fireplace. Silence followed in the wake of Remus leaving, and Harry frowned, upset at their dithering. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Harry, there is another power in the Abyss, even more powerful than my old faction," John said. "Before I left, I heard some talk about a man named Rasputin, one of the members, and a self-proclaimed prophet. He posted a substantial bounty for a boy in the real world to be captured."

"Wow, I wonder who the boy is?" Harry asked sarcastically.

"This is no laughing matter," Dumbledore said. "Soon, you are liable to have bounty hunters searching for you, and from what John told me, they will use any means necessary to capture you."

"He is revered in the Abyss," John added. "He has a lot of followers and resources at his disposal. If he truly believes in something in relation to you, he will not give up on trying to get his hands on you."

A frown appeared on Harry's face. How the hell is it that so many people are interested in him? Is it possible that it has something to do with Gaia? But Uriel wanted him dead long before Gaia came into the picture. It is conceivable that this could be the reason why he was granted power in the first place? A higher power took mercy on him because they realised he would always be in constant strife for the rest of his life? Harry shook his head at his deluded thoughts and refocused on Dumbledore.

"You don't have to worry about things in the short-term," Dumbledore said. "As long as you are here, it will be difficult for them to get to you. I suggest that you cancel the trip — "

"Not happening," Harry said. "I have my own way of keeping myself hidden from my enemies. It should suffice while I'm with Amelia."

"Very well," Dumbledore sighed. "I believe that we should put off the discussion about the school until you return from Azkaban tomorrow. You need time to process things."

Harry nodded, and stood up with Hedwig still perched on his shoulders. "I'm heading out for a walk on the grounds to clear my head. Was there anything else?"

"Not at the moment," Dumbledore said. "Remember Harry, you're not alone. Therefore, you shouldn't take everything onto your shoulders."

Harry nodded, and stepped out of the office.

<====({owo})====>

Hagrid found him during his wanderings of the grounds, and introduced himself. He seemed friendly enough, without a mean bone in his body. That is until he found out that Harry was interested in exploring the Forbidden Forest and scolded him. He ushered the boy away, stating that it was too dangerous for him to enter.

Harry knew that it wasn't the safest place in the world even before the Dungeon appeared deep within its depths. He would have to explore it another time. When Harry returned to the castle an hour later, he was attacked in the Entrance Hall by a bushy-haired missile. Harry felt his life being squeezed out of him as the girl held on for dear life.

"Hermione, let him go," Jane said in exasperation. "It's awfully inconsiderate of you to kill your friend by hugging him to death."

"Sorry, Harry," Hermione mumbled and stepped back, before releasing an explosion of words. "What is going on, Harry? The man showed up out of the blue and demanded that we pack our bags and follow him to Hogwarts. Not that I'm not pleased to see Hogwarts. It's such an amazing place. Did you know that it has ghosts? I read it in Hogwarts, A History. But anyway, what are we doing here? My parents have jobs in the non-magical world. That can't just drop everything..."

Harry reached out and covered her mouth with his hand. "Please, for the mother of god, be silent for a moment."

Hermione glared at him, and her parents chuckled from behind her.

"Now, I am sure your parents are just as curious as to why they were removed from their dental practice in the middle of the day. Let's go sit down at the table and have some lunch while we discuss it."

They sat at the Ravenclaw table. Harry wondered how he was supposed to get lunch around here when something popped up in front of him. This almost caused him to fall out of his chair as a result of the shock.

"Hello, Master Hoggeywarts, sir," the strange looking creature with bulbous eyes and flappy ears said, bowing at the waist. It looked like a much cuter and happier version of a goblin. He wondered what Grim would say if he mentioned the comparison to him. It was dressed in a pillow case that had been modified into a garment by cutting some holes into it.

"Hello," Harry said, calming down when the creature didn't attack him. "What are you?"

"Harry," Hermione huffed before turning her attention to the creature. "What he meant to ask was who are you?"

"I'm Bissy, Miss. A house elf."

"What's a house elf?" Hermione asked, her eyes alight with curiosity.

"A house-elf is a house elf. We serve the castle by making sure it's clean and the occupants are fed."

"So, like a maid," Hermione said. "Why are you wearing that horrendous outfit?"

"There is no need to be rude," Harry mock-scolded Hermione before turning back to the elf. "Why did you call me Master Hogwarts?"

Bissy tilted her head in confusion. "You own castle. You be Master of Hoggywarts."

"Right," Harry grimaced as Hermione turned her eyes to him. "Well, how can I help you, Bissy?"

Bissy's eyes grew so wide Harry was afraid they would pop out of her head. "I be getting food for you and your companions."

"Well, that would be nice," Jane said, sounding amused. After seeing a goblin, meeting a house-elf was a novel experience. "Anything is fine, as long as it doesn't have too much sugar in it."

"Ditto," Harry replied, not fussy about what he ate. Bissy nodded and disappeared silently.

"Harry," Hermione asked sweetly. "What's going on?"

Harry sighed and proceeded to tell her about what had happened, with some carefully edited out details. The explanation took more than an hour as Hermione kept asking questions. Her parents were not silent either, asking some pertinent questions about their jobs. They had to earn a living after all.

"Well, I don't know how much danger you are in," Harry told Jane and Darius honestly. "Since Angelica only saw Hermione, I think you are safe, but we thought to get you here first where it's safe before we thought about the next step."

"He is right," Remus said, walking up to them. "We don't think that you need protection like Hermione does. However, we will set up some defenses at your home and workplace just in case. Why don't we go and discuss it and let these two go play?"

"We don't play," Harry and Hermione said together, causing the adults to laugh. Jane and Darius followed Remus out of the Great Hall and Hermione turned to Harry.

"Do you think I will be staying here?" Hermione asked excitedly.

"It's for the best," Harry said.

"Okay, where's the library?"

<====({owo})====>

July 18th

Harry waited in the headmaster's office for Amelia so they could leave to visit his godfather. He was somewhat nervous, not knowing what to expect from him and his mental state after spending a decade in Azkaban.

Besides spending time with Hermione and teaching her the first steps in meditation, as a precursor to learning Occulumency. He spent the rest of the time in the Empty Dungeon grinding his own Occulumency skill. After his encounter with Snape, he realised how crucial the skill was, as he never wanted to feel the sensation of being invaded like that again. It was only because Snape didn't hide his attempt to hide his Leglimency probe that Harry even realised it was taking place. Thinking about how the man could rummage around in his mind without him even knowing made him shudder. He managed to get the skill to level fifteen, but only after spending dozens of hours grinding it.

Harry had a list of skills that he wanted to focus on for the foreseeable future. Meditation, Occlumency, I.D Create, Warp, Observation, and Fire Affinity. The first two were obvious, and the third he had to level up because he was going to get access to some more Instant Dungeons soon. Therefore, he needed some more empty slots so he could access them at any time. His most critical skill in terms of survival was Warp, so he needed to pay attention to it. Observation allowed him to observe enemies above his level, the further he levelled the skill. As he had many enemies surrounding him, it was a particularly valuable skill. Last but not least, he suspected that two of his skills from the Fire Grimoire were maxed out and unable to advance due to his low Fire Affinity level. As a result, he had to work on it. They were his main offensive skills, after all.

Hermione's parents returned home this morning, after some protections had been put in place at their home and workplace. Hermione would be staying here, but Dumbledore created a Portkey that would drop the Grangers off in Hogsmeade. They would be escorted to the castle so they could see their daughter.

The fireplace flared with green flames before ejecting Amelia. She took a few steps to the side and another man followed her into the office. The man limped forward with his wand out, as if he was entering a combat situation. Harry looked at the man as the man pointed his wand at him, his electric blue eye whirling around the office as if searching for something. His face was heavily scarred and he was missing a chunk of his nose. Judging from his appearance and his demeanor, Harry guessed that this was Mad-Eye Moody. He had often heard Tonks complain about how harsh he was as an instructor.

"Hello, Harry. I would like to introduce you to Alastor Moody," Amelia gestured to the man who had finally turned his attention to him.

Harry grinned, "Tonks told me all about you. Said you are bat-shit crazy."

"Did she?" Moody asked with a sharp laugh. "Well, I don't know if I have been strict enough if she still continues to be mouthy."

"She told me that the training was too easy," Harry said innocently.

"Really?" Moody looked at him, and Harry almost shuddered under the scrutiny of the artificial eye. It felt like all his secrets were being revealed to the man. "She told me a lot about you, as well. Seems to think that you love to cause mischief."

"Enough chin-wagging," Amelia said. "We are on a schedule. Harry, we will floo to the Three Broomsticks Inn and then I will side-apparate you to Azkaban. Who is your little friend?"

"This is Celeste," Harry said as she waved from her position on his shoulder. "My familiar."

"She is radiating shadow magic," Moody examined her closely. "But I don't feel any dangerous vibes from her."

"Of course you don't," Celeste said haughtily. "I am only mean to those who harm me or my special people."

"That's not a bad outlook to have," replied Moody with an attempt at a smile.

"Before we leave," Harry said, taking out the Face-Changing Mask. "I will use this to hide my identity."

He put the mask on and Amelia looked at the mask in amazement. "Where did you get such an amazing artefact?"

"It's a family heirloom," Harry lied, and she didn't pursue it further. It was true that it was a unique item that Gaia had given him, and he wouldn't be able to find the item in some random treasure chest. But he wondered if he could create a blueprint for it once his Observation skill was high enough. Which reminded him that he still needed to study the wand-making book that Isabelle had given him.

They flooed to the Three Broomsticks Inn and Amelia took hold of his arm, and side-apparated him to a dreary looking dock. In the distance, a huge rock rose out of the sea. At its highest point was a huge castle-like prison that looked menacing. Harry took off his Face-Changing Mask as it was required to record his name in the ledger for his visit to Azkaban. He didn't want to get Amelia in trouble if she was ever questioned about the matter later.

Harry followed Amelia and Moody into the boat where a wizard dressed in a grey uniform was waiting. He tapped his wand on the side of the boat as soon as they were settled, and it accelerated quickly, skimming across the choppy waves with ease. Surprisingly, the boat felt stable, as if it wasn't moving at all and Harry concluded there must be some magic involved to keep it so comfortable.

They arrived at the rock shortly after and they climbed out of the boat. Harry shivered when the cold air hit him, and he felt the first stirrings of unease as he looked up. They were met by the Warden, who escorted them up to the prison, and Harry became increasingly uncomfortable the closer they came. It felt like his mind was fogging up, and he was starting to recall unhappy memories from his past. In an attempt to resist the effects of the Dementors, he raised his Occlumency shield. It worked somewhat, and his breath became easier as the feeling disappeared.

'I don't like this place.' Celeste cried.

"You must be made of stern stuff if you are able to resist their effects even from here, Lord Potter-Ravenclaw," said the warden. "When I first came here at the age of nineteen, I ran screaming down the hill when I reached this point."

"That just shows that you are sensible," Harry said. "I think they should all be destroyed."

"If only that was possible." Amelia sighed. "The only way to fight them off is with the Patronus Charm."

"I haven't heard of that spell," Harry said. "What does it do?"

"It's like a guardian spirit that protects you from the effects of the Dementor and drives them away," Amelia explained. "It's a spell that relies on positive emotion to cast, and it's very advanced. Only about seventy per cent of my Auror's know how to cast it."

"Useless," Alastor grunted.

They entered the prison and recorded their name in the ledger. Thankfully, in anticipation of their arrival, Sirius Black had been moved to a secure room where there were no Dementors around. Still, Harry could feel the effects through his shield, and he held onto them determinedly.

The Warden led them to the room and opened the door. Inside was a stark room with a single metal table with some chairs arranged around it. Sitting on one side was an unkempt man, with chains attached to his wrists and ankles, securing him to the table.

He looked up as they entered, and the intensity of his stare stopped Harry in his tracks, before his gray eyes lightened with recognition. "Is that you, Harry? You certainly have grown up."

His black hair was overgrown, and he sported an impressive beard that had a few grey flecks dotted throughout. Since he had not been exposed to sunlight for such a long period of time, his face looked pale. A ragged prison uniform hung loosely from his skeletal frame, looking like it had never been replaced. It was clear to Harry that, if it were not for his current condition, he would have been a handsome man.

"You don't seem to be suffering mentally from your stay here," Amelia observed, motioning for the Warden to leave. He slipped out and closed the door behind him.

“No, I just need a shower and a shave and I will be right as rain," Sirius quipped, crossing his eyes and hanging his tongue out in a crude approximation of a crazy person.

"You never change," Moody said gruffly, taking up sentry duty at the door.

"Hi, Moody. You look even more beautiful than the last time I saw you. Sit down," Sirius said, motioning around the room, causing the chains to clank loudly. "If I knew I was having visitors, I would have tidied up the place."

"You're a clown," Harry said, sitting down with Amelia, and getting a whiff of the man's odour. "And you stink."

"You sound so much like your mother," Sirius sighed, looking down. "Why are you here?"

"I need to interview you about that Halloween night," Amelia said, laying down her purse and taking out parchment and a quill.

"What the hell took you so long,"," Sirius roared, making Harry jump. The man closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Sorry. Obviously I am not completely fine. But the question remains. Why was I not given a fair trial and thrown straight into this hellhole?"

Amelia grimaced, a look of shame appearing on her face. "We are still investigating all the facts, but let me give you a rundown of what we know so far."

Sirius listened patiently, but he growled when he heard about the sealing of the will and Harry being placed with his relatives. "What was Dumbedore thinking?"

"He wasn't," Harry said. "Though he is not completely blameless, he was suffering from a curse that was placed upon him by a Hag. Dumbledore is trying to make amends, and one of those is making sure you get your trial like you deserve."

"You sound so mature for your age," Sirius stared at Harry with sorrowful eyes. "Who are you living with now?"

"Technically, I can live wherever I want," Harry replied, showing him the rings. "I'm emancipated and have taken up my Lordships."

"So, you have inherited the Ravenclaw title. I always knew you were special. No godson of mine will be ordinary," Sirius boasted.

"You knew?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Of course. We were as close as brothers. There were no secrets between us."

"Sirius," Amelia interrupted, causing the man to look back at her. "I don't want to interrupt the reunion, but I am on a time crunch. Let's start the interview."

"Sure," Sirius shrugged, relaxing back in his seat.

Amelia cast a charm on the quill and it stood upright on its own, its point pressing against the parchment. Next she took out a vial of clear liquid from her bag. "Do you consent to Veritaserum? As your mind shields are probably in a state of disarray at the moment, I don't expect you to be able to muster resistance."

"I don't mind," Sirius said roughly, so Amelia poured three drops of Veritaserum into his mouth.

"Truth potion," Harry guessed, recognising the Latin word for truth.

"Yes," Amelia said. "I need you to stay silent until I have finished questioning him."

Harry nodded, and watched as she proceeded to ask him questions about the night from his point of view. As he responded, he wore a slack expression and spoke in a monotone voice. Harry was horrified at how effective the potion was, but at least he had a countermeasure. It made the Occlumency skill even more relevant, as he didn't want anyone to find out his secrets under the influence of the potion.

Harry paid more attention when Amelia turned to asking questions about the confrontation with Peter Pettigrew, as it would determine if Sirius would be a free man.

"Did you cause the explosion that killed Peter Pettigrew and the Muggles?" Amelia asked.

"No, that was Peter. I was about to stun him and bring him to the Aurors, but he got the better of me." Sirius said flatly. "He caused the explosion that killed the Muggles."

"He blew himself up?" Amelia asked in disbelief.

"No, he was still alive that night. He transformed into his rat animagus form and escaped into the sewers."

Harry's eyes widened at the revelation. The bastard who betrayed his parents was still out there? It was as if a tide of fury welled up within him. He could no longer control his magic as the chains that bound Sirius rose up in the air.

"Harry," Amelia said, shaking his arm, and Harry blinked, shaken from his episode. At the same moment, they were rocked by an explosion that violently shook the room.

"Bloody hell," Amelia cursed as the tremors stopped, and she scrambled for her bag. She brought out the antidote for the Veritaserum and tipped it into Sirius' mouth. After coming to awareness, the man looked around at the frantic expressions on the faces around him. "What's going on?"

"Amelia, we have trouble." Moody called from where he stood at the window, looking out. As Amelia joined him, Harry was looking at an urgent notification that was floating in front of him.

A dimensional space has appeared. All forms of spatial travel have been restricted due to unknown means.

"Shit," Harry cursed. How did they find him?

Celeste became visible and flew over to the window. "Harry, we are in deep trouble."

So, what do you think? The next chapter is going to be pure chaos.

Thanks for reading.