Chapter 5
"Harry! Nymphadora! Time to go!" Andi shouted.
"Coming!" Dora yelled back.
Across the hall from her room, the door opened, and Harry walked out, pulling his trunk behind him. Stopping next to the couch, he sat down with a sigh.
"I still don't get why we have to take the train," he said. "Why can't we just Apparate or Floo?"
"It's part of the experience," Remus replied, smiling softly. "Your father, Sirius, and I became friends before we even set foot in Hogwarts."
"I'd rather get a few more hours of sleep," Harry grumbled before yawning widely.
"Nymphadora!" Andi shouted.
"Alright, alright," Dora said, pulling her door open. "I'm ready."
"Finally," Andi sighed irritatedly. "Let's get going. You know how fast the train fills up."
Levering himself off of the couch, Harry followed Dora to the Floo.
"Union Station," she called.
Throwing down the powder, Dora vanished in a swirling blaze of emerald flames. Andi went after her, and then it was Harry's turn.
"I hate the Floo," he grumbled.
Chuckling, Remus patted his shoulder and gave him a nudge forward. Taking a handful of Floo Powder, Harry stepped into the fireplace and called out his destination. Even though he tucked in his arms and legs, he still managed to bang his elbow on something. As the pain reverberated down his funny bone, he cursed loudly.
Harry had no way of knowing it, but Ben Coughlin of Arizona, who was preparing to leave for work, looked at his Floo oddly when he heard a loud cry of, "Mother fucker!"
After an uncomfortably long journey, Harry stumbled out of the Floo at Union Station in Washington, D.C., and fell face first onto the floor. His trunk skidded a few feet further, only coming to a stop when it hit a pair of black, polished dress shoes. Harry slowly raised his head, staring blearily at the tall, black man with a bald head, sunglasses, and dressed in a black suit and tie. Suddenly, he sneezed, soot falling from his hair.
"Morning, Frank," Harry said as Remus stepped out of the Floo and helped him to his feet.
"Morning, Harry, Remus," the tall black man replied, his stern expression unmoved as he nodded.
Looking around for Dora and Andi, Harry spotted them a couple of feet away. Andi tried to hide her smile behind her hand, but Dora had no issue grinning widely at him. Waving her wand, she conjured a white, square card that read,
9.0
"I took off a point for missing Frank," Dora said, shrugging as she continued to grin.
Harry rolled his eyes and gathered his trunk.
"Is Sirius around?" Remus asked, looking around.
Frank jerked his chin over Remus' shoulder. Turning around, they found Sirius shamelessly flirting with a young witch selling refreshments.
"Oh, for Merlin's sake," Andi huffed.
Marching over to Sirius, she apologized to the young woman before grabbing him by the ear and dragging him over.
"Ow! Andi!" Sirius yelped. "Bloody hell."
Harry snorted as people stopped to stare at the M.F.B.I. agent being dragged around by his ear on the magical side of the train station. Shaking his head, he glanced at Frank, who ignored the commotion and gazed around the platform. It still amazed him that Sirius and Frank had stayed partners for over a decade. They were complete opposites in every way. Where Sirius was, well, Sirius, Frank was a consummate professional.
He also had an eidetic memory, which came in handy not only for cases but also when it came time to tell them of Sirius' latest antics. Frank wasn't much of a people person. He tended to find social gatherings awkward and didn't seem to understand humor at all. Despite that, everyone in the family liked him. He was a good guy and a fantastic agent.
"Your Godson's about to leave for his first year of Ilvermorny, and you're over there hitting on a girl young enough to be your daughter?" Andi hissed, finally letting go of Sirius' ear.
"She's not that young," he grumbled, rubbing his reddened ear. "Besides, I knew you were here. It's hard to miss when Harry comes flying out of the Floo."
"Aw, thanks, Sirius," Harry grinned.
Before his Godfather could react, Harry hugged him, covering his crisp, black suit in grey soot.
"Oh, come on!" Sirius complained while Dora and Remus laughed. "You little brat."
Hugging Harry back briefly, he pushed him away and whipped out his wand to clean himself off before doing the same for Harry. Just as he was finishing, a stream of students and parents started coming out of the Floo.
"You'll want to get on the train before it gets crowded," Sirius said. "Have fun at school, and don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"You just want to go back to hitting on that witch," Harry smirked.
"You want me to ask if she has a younger sister?" Sirius asked with a grin.
"I don't mind if she's older like you do there, DiCaprio," Harry teased.
"Oi!" Sirius yelled as Dora and Remus burst out laughing.
"Alright, off you go, you two," Andi said, shaking her head. "We'll see you at Christmas, and don't forget to write."
Hugging their family, they waved to Frank and boarded the train. Sirius had described the Hogwarts Express in detail over the years, and Harry was glad the Ilvermorny Express was different. Most of the cars were open, feeling more like a lounge than a train car. Only the back couple of cars had private compartments, which were usually taken by upper-year students.
As the car began to fill up, Harry noticed there weren't any other first years joining them, and a few of the other students were looking at him oddly.
"Hey, kid!" called a seventh year with long, dark hair, a handsome face, and a golden badge pinned on his robes that read, 'Head Boy.' "First years are supposed to sit in the last open car."
"He's with me, Corbin," Dora told him.
"Sorry, Tonks," Corbin shrugged. "It's school policy."
Before Harry could tell him where he could put that particular policy, Dora stopped him by placing her hand on his arm.
"Fine, I'll go sit with them, then," she said, standing up and looking at her friends. "You coming?"
Dora's two closest friends, Amanda Weeks, a pretty redhead with the most amount of freckles Harry had ever seen on one person, and Jennifer Vasquez, a thin, athletic girl with bronze-colored skin, looked at each other.
"We can stay for a bit," Jennifer offered.
Amanda sighed, "Fine."
Dora grinned as her friends got to their feet. Nodding, the Head Boy turned away and walked off.
"This is stupid," Harry said, following Dora down the train. "I'm going to spend the next seven years in classes with these kids. Why do I have to spend an eight-hour train ride with them?"
"It's so you can get to know them before you get sorted," Amanda told him.
"Harry's not much of a people person," Dora smirked over her shoulder.
"I'm fine with people," Harry corrected. "It's idiots and assholes I have a problem with."
The girls laughed as they made their way through the cars and made it to the back of the train. Taking seats amongst the other first years, Harry listened quietly as Dora talked to her friends about their Summers and complained about Jacob and Irene, the blonde he'd left her for at his part.
"Yeah, well, everyone knows why she wants to be Head Girl," Amanda said scornfully.
"Excuse me?" asked a shy-looking first year with long dark hair, glasses, and a book held to her chest asked.
"Er, yes," Amanda said, blushing lightly.
"Are you older students?" the girl asked.
"Yeah, do you need something?" Dora asked.
"I was just wondering if you could tell me about Ilvermorny," the girl asked softly. "I'm a Muggleborn, and I have no idea what to expect."
"Don't worry," Jennifer told her with a kind smile. "I'm a Muggleborn, too. What's your name?"
"Michelle Breckenridge," the girl said.
"Well, if you have any questions, I'm sure we could answer them," Dora said, reaching across Harry and patting the space next to him. "Grab a seat."
"I'm not even sure what questions to ask," Michelle said.
As she went to take a seat, Harry shifted over, letting her sit between him and Dora. While they started talking about Ilvermorny, the car filled up, and other first years leaned over to listen in. By the time the train started moving, Dora and her friends found themselves answering questions from almost everyone. A few had older siblings who had told them about the school, but most were going in blind.
Only a few minutes into the eight-hour journey, Dora suddenly stiffened and glared. Looking up, Harry frowned as he watched Jacob and Irene enter their compartment. Looking at Dora, Irene smirked and gave her a patronizing little wave with her manicured fingers. Jacob stared dead ahead, pretending Dora didn't exist as he allowed Irene to lead him further down the train into the car with private compartments. With a scowl, Dora folded her arms over her chest and flopped back in her seat angrily. The first years looked at her oddly, not knowing why she was angry.
After a moment, Harry stood up suddenly.
"I need to use the bathroom," he announced.
Dora waved to let him know she'd heard, and Jennifer and Amanda tried to cheer her up. Walking to the back of the car, Harry stepped outside and then into the next, just in time to see Jacob and Irene open the next compartment. Rushing past the private compartments, he ducked into a small space between the last compartment and the bathroom.
"The driver wants everyone out of this car!" Irene yelled, going from one compartment to the next.
"Why?" someone asked.
"I don't know, that's just what I was told," Irene said irritatedly.
For the first time, Harry noticed the silver Prefects badge on her robes. Grumbling, the other students filed out of the car, a few fixing their clothes and hair as they did. Harry stayed out of the way while they passed him and sighed impatiently like he was waiting for someone to come out of the bathroom. When the last person filed out, he glanced around the corner to see Irene pulling Jacob into the car with a smirk and closing the door. A moment later, she pulled the shade down over the window in the door.
Harry waited for everyone to find a compartment to join or move to another car before he stepped out into the hall. Opening the door between cars, he slipped outside and closed it behind him. He walked up to the door and pressed his ear to it, but the sound of rushing wind around him drowned out any sounds the couple might have made. Trying the handle, he found the door locked and cursed.
Looking around as he thought, Harry noticed a lever connected to the coupler and smirked. Checking behind him to make sure no one was watching, he laid down on his stomach and gripped the lever. After a few tugs that did nothing, he wrenched with all his might, and it came free. The coupler opened up, and the car carrying Jacob and Irene started to fall away. Grinning to himself, Harry watched at the hose between the two cars pulled taught and then separated in the middle with a hiss.
Wiping his hands off on his jeans, he slipped back into the car and closed the shade. Without a backward glance, he made his way back to the first-year car.
Hours later, they pulled into the magical side of Salem Station. Essentially, there were two sides to Salem. One side was where the no-maj's lived, and the magicals visited on occasion, but there was a whole other town that was magically concealed from anyone without magic. There was a single cobblestone road that led from the magical side of the station, through the small, magical town of Salem, and up to the winding road up to the top of Mount Greylock. In the distance, they could see a ring of clouds obscuring the top of the mountain, where they knew Ilvermorny to be.
Harry and Dora stepped off the train and made for the carriages as the conductor stepped out of the engine car. The driver was a Pukwudgie. They were related to Goblins but with grey skin, longer, floppy ears, and were slightly taller. Despite their grumpy demeanor and professed dislike of humans, many Pukwudgies had worked at Ilvermorny for centuries.
As they were waiting for a carriage, they heard the conductor start shouting loudly in a language that neither of them had ever heard before. It was loud, rattling and guttural.
"I wonder what that's about," Dora said.
"No idea," Harry replied.
"Why are you smiling?" Dora asked.
Harry ignored her and climbed into the carriage.
"Harry!" Dora yelled, climbing in after him. "I know you did something. I swear, if you get kicked out before we even get there, I'll help Mum murder you."
"When you said he was even worse than you, I thought you were joking," Amanda chuckled.
"You have no idea," Dora sighed, shaking her head. "Just tell me what you did so I know what to deny later."
"Well, on my way to use the bathroom, I say Irene kicking everyone out of the last car for a bit of privacy," Harry smirked. "I just decided to help them out a bit."
The girls looked at him curiously before Amanda glanced at the train and gasped.
"You didn't!" she said incredulously.
"Do what?" Dora asked.
"Look at the train," Amanda said. "Doesn't it look different to you?"
"I guess," Dora shrugged. "I mean, it does look a bit shor-ter."
Her speech stuttered as she realized what he'd done and turned to gap at him.
"Harry?" she asked slowly. "Where are Jacob and Irene?"
Harry shrugged, "Depends on how fast the train moves. I'd guess somewhere between Philly and New York."
Jennifer and Amanda burst out laughing while Dora shook her head.
"You're such an idiot," she said right before hugging him. "I'm over him. You don't need to do that for me."
"It wasn't about him," Harry said. "Irene shouldn't have tried to rub it in your face."
"Aw, that's so sweet," Jennifer smiled.
Shaking her head, Dora hooked her arm through his and rested her head on his shoulder as they rode through the village and up Mount Greylock. The entire ride, the girls and Harry speculated on how Jacob and Irene were going to get to Ilvermorny.
After more than twenty minutes, they passed through the ring of clouds to reveal a large, sprawling complex. Ilvermorny wasn't as tall as Hogwarts or Beauxbatons, with the highest point being the four-story tall clock tower located in the center. Instead, two and three-story buildings covered the entire top of the mountain, hidden amongst a ring of clouds and evergreen trees. Stepping out of the carriage, Harry looked over everything with a grin.
He was finally going to learn magic.
"First years to me!" A tall, middle-aged witch with brown, greying hair called as she rang a bell. "First years!"
"That's Professor Harper. Go on, we'll see you inside," Tonks said, giving him a hug.
Hugging her back, Harry split from the girls and walked over to the woman. She looked at him and gave him a brief smile and a nod as he joined the other first years waiting next to her.
"What house do you think you'll be in?" one boy asked.
As the others began to speculate, Harry ignored them and looked up when he heard a distant rumble of thunder. A smile stretched across his face when he saw Levina appear from the clouds and fly around the mountain.
"I take it she's yours, Mr. Potter?"
Harry turned to find an elderly witch standing behind him with a kind smile. She leaned on her staff, white hair tied back in a bun, her kind green eyes sparkling brightly.
"Yes, ma'am," Harry replied.
"Wonderful!" the woman smiled. "It's been many decades since we've had a Thunderbird on the grounds. I'll ask Professor Grove to build her a perch. Is there anything in particular she would like?"
"Something tall," Harry told her. "Levina likes to be able to see what's happening around her."
"Then tall it shall be," The woman smiled before turning to the crowd of first years. "Now, if everyone is here, we can start! For those of you who don't know, my name is Esmerelda Turner. I'm the Headmistress of Ilvermorny. First of all, I'd like to welcome all of you to our school. We look forward to getting to know each and every one of you. If you'll follow me, we'll get you sorted."
The other first years cheered as they followed the old woman to the front entrance of the school. Stepping inside, Harry found himself in a large circular room. The floor was made of stone, and in the center sat an intricate, colored carving of the Gorgdian Knot. Along the far wall were four wooden carvings. From left to right, they were a Horned Serpent, a panther-like cat called a Wumpus, a Pukwudgie, and finally, a Thunderbird. They were separated in the middle by a large set of double doors that Harry knew led to the Great Hall.
Above Harry, there was a wooden balcony that circled the room. Older students leaned on the railing, watching the sorting. Catching his eyes, Dora waved and smiled, mouthing the words 'Good luck.' Above that was a glass ceiling showing the star beginning to twinkle as the sun fell below the horizon.
With the sound of flapping wings, Levina appeared and perched lightly on the glass ceiling. The students all gasped at the sight of the great bird as she watched Harry curiously. Smiling, Harry waited as the students were called alphabetically.
"Harry Potter," Professor Harper called.
Stepping forward, Harry felt none of the nervousness that his classmates had shown. He knew exactly where he wanted to go, and that's exactly where he was going to go.
Stopping on the Gordian Knot, he waited for the carved statues to react. Unsurprisingly, the Thunderbird flapped its wings and cried happily, a call that Levina echoed above him. Smiling, Harry was just about to step away when the Horned Serpent hissed, then the Wumpus roared, and finally, the Pukwudgie lifted its bow and let out a war cry. The students around and above him started whispering furiously while Harry turned and looked at Professor Harper with a raised brow.
"Quiet," she called, raising a hand for silence. "While it is unusual for more than one statue to choose a single student, it does happen. About once a generation, we find a student that resonates with all four. In cases like this, we allow the student to choose which house they want to join."
Everyone turned to look expectantly at Harry. Glancing up at Dora, he winked before turning to look at Levina.
"Thunderbird," he announced.
Dora cheered and pumped her fist while Levina spread her wings and cried out in victory, lightning flashing in the clouds above her, followed by the rumble of thunder.
"Thunderbird it is," Professor Harper smiled. "You may go through to the Great Hall."
Nodding, Harry stepped off the Gordian Knot and walked through the double doors ahead of him. The Great Hall was dominated by four long tables where some students were already sitting. Above the tables sat house banners in the same order as the statues in the sorting room.
"Young man," someone called from his right.
Looking over, Harry noticed an old man standing between two tables loaded with wand boxes. Excitedly, he strode over, causing the man to chuckle.
"Eager, are we?" he asked. "I'm Miguel Quintana, wandmaker. You're Harry Potter, correct? Now, let's see which wand-"
"That one," Harry interrupted, pointing to a black box, newer than most, sitting in the fourth stack on the left table.
"You can feel it?" Miguel asked eagerly.
Harry nodded, his fingers practically tingling with static electricity as he looked at it.
"Marvelous! I made that wand myself a few years ago," Miguel said, moving boxes around carefully. "A beautiful Thunderbird landed right in front of my shop with two young ones with her. Scared the life out of me at first. I've never had anything like that happen before. Normally, procuring wand materials is either dangerous or costly. Instead, this one comes to me."
Chuckling, the man shook his head and held the box as if it contained a great treasure. Carefully, he removed the lid to reveal a dark wand, the wood resembling a strand of cable with smaller branches fused and twisted together.
"First, she drops a branch of Snakewood, then plucks one of her own feathers and drops them in front of me before taking off," Miguel said, shaking his head in wonder. "I discovered later that this wood came from the Snakewood tree here at Ilvermorny. Legend has it that the tree itself grew from the place they buried Slytherin's wand."
"Slytherin?" Harry asked, finally taking his eyes off the wand.
"So the legend goes," Miguel said, waving his hand dismissively. "I never put much stock in those tales myself. Still, it could be true. Salazar Slytherin was a complex man, capable of great good, and great evil. Legend says that when Isolt Gaunt – Ilvermorny's founder, along with her husband – took the wand from England, she left behind the worst of Slytherin and brought only the good in him. The Snakewood tree that grows from his wand has great medicinal properties. More than a tree of that type should."
"But enough of that," Miguel said, waving his hand as if to shoo away the thought. "This wand has never worked for me, personally, but I can feel the power it contains. Go on, give it a try."
Licking his lips, Harry reached out and took the wand. The moment he held it in his hand, a bolt of lightning hit the Clock Tower outside the window. He could feel with wand in his hand pulsing with power as students screamed and thunder rumbled. Giving it a wave, bright gold sparks leapt from the tip, warm and tingling as they landed on his skin.
"A perfect match," Miguel smiled.
Smiling, his eyes still on the wand in his hand, Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out all the Galleons he had before slapping them on the table.
"Mr. Potter, that's really not necessary," Miguel protested.
Harry ignored him and walked away, grinning as he joined Dora at the Thunderbird table.
"Leave it to you to unintentionally destroy the Clock Tower just by getting your wand," Dora smirked.
Harry looked up and out the window. Thankfully, the Clock Tower was still standing, though a little blackened on one side. Shrugging, he turned back and held out his wand so Dora could get a good look.
"Levina's mom's feather is in the core," he told her. "The wood, apparently, is from the Snakewood tree on the grounds."
"That's a bit odd," Amanda said, leaning forward for a closer look. "Snakes and birds don't usually get along."
"I can't wait to finally learn magic," Michelle said, sighing happily as she looked at her own wand. "I've been fascinated by Charms since I heard about it. What about you, Harry? What do you want to learn?"
"Everything."
Chapter 6
"This is so boring," Harry groaned.
Slamming his book closed, he sat back in his chair, arms folded over his chest, and stared out across the library.
"What is?" Tonks asked distractedly, her quill scratching away as she wrote her essay for Charms.
Most professors eased their students into the new year, but the Charms instructor, Professor Wilkinson, was always eager to get started.
"I know it can be a little boring in the beginning," Amanda said, smiling at him from across the table. "But you need to learn the basics first. You'll get to the fun stuff soon. Besides, think of all the trouble you can get into by levitating things."
Sighing, Harry flicked his wand lazily, causing the book next to her to float into the air. Amanda and Jennifer stared at him with open mouths as it drifted smoothly back down without a sound.
"Where the hell did you learn to do that?" Jennifer asked incredulously. "It's the second day of school!"
"Harry used to steal any wand he could get his hands on," Tonks replied without looking up from her parchment. "He's been able to levitate things since he was six."
"But-" Amanda stammered, a lock of red hair falling in front of her eyes. "But he did it silently."
"I got caught when I used incantation, so I stopped," Harry shrugged, before climbing to his feet. "I'm going to go find something better to read."
Sitting at the top of the Clock Tower, Harry studied the copy of Chadwick's Charms, Year Seven he had open on the wooden floor and looked back up at the old Comet two-sixty a few feet away. Over the last two days, after discovering a much more interesting book on Charms in the library, Harry had taken one of the non-functioning brooms from the school shed, stripped all the Charms off of it, and carefully applied his own.
"I think it's ready," he said, getting to his feet and picking up the broom.
Clicking her beak, Levina looked over at him curiously.
"It'll be fine," Harry assured her. "Not only will it work, I bet it'll be faster than my Lockheed."
Mounting the broom, he grinned widely as it hovered perfectly in place. Looking out at the dark, star-filled sky, he gripped the handle tightly.
"Watch this," Harry said.
As he leaned forward slightly, the broom took off like it was shot out of a canon. Harry had no hope of holding on. The broom was ripped out from under him, and he had just enough time to see it become a speck in the distance before gravity took hold, and he landed hard on his back. Groaning, he slowly climbed to his feet while Levina stared at the point where the broom had disappeared, tilted her head to the side, and blinked.
"Well, I was right," Harry said, getting the closest thing to an incredulous look a Thunderbird could give. "What? I was! There's no way my Lockheed could move that fast!"
Blinking slowly, Levina cawed softly and shrugged her shoulders.
"Alright, so maybe I should've limited the acceleration a bit," Harry admitted. "At least I don't have to worry about getting in trouble. There's no way they find that broom."
Sirius and Frank touched down softly in the middle of a cornfield in Iowa. M.F.B.I agents had the entire area sealed off with yellow tape.
"This better be good to get me out of bed at two in the bloody morning," Sirius grumbled.
He and Frank wound their way through the rows of corn for a couple of minutes before Sirius nearly stumbled into a fifteen-foot wide, eight-foot-deep crater gouged out of the soil.
"What the fuck happened here?" Sirius asked, looking at the impressively large hole.
"Not sure, yet," one of the female agents responded while looking over a clipboard. "The No-maj military picked up an unidentified flying object traveling at Mach seven about fifteen minutes ago. They lost track of it two minutes after picking it up but couldn't tell where it had gone. Our sensors picked up a large release of magic about the same time the local police got reports of a meteor impact in this field. Local Aurors knew nothing until we got here."
"Anything in the hole?" Sirius asked, gazing over the edge.
"We haven't checked yet," the woman responded. "We just finished checking for curses. It's clean. Whatever caused this used up all of its magic when it hit."
"I'm not surprised," Sirius nodded, then turned to Frank, holding out his fist. "Paper, rock, scissors?"
Frank stared at him for a long moment, receiving only a grin in response. With a sigh, he held up his hand.
"One, two, three!" Sirius counted.
The smile on his face fell when Frank countered his scissors with rock. Grumbling, Sirius took off his suit jacket and slid down into the hole.
"Careful," the woman called. "Whatever's down there might still be hot."
Patting the dirt off of his pants as best he could, Sirius waved his acknowledgment and lit his wand. After a couple of minutes of searching, he saw nothing that looked out of place. Just as he was about to try a Detection Charm, he caught a glint of gold out of the corner of his eyes. Gently wiping the dirt out of the way, he carefully picked up the broken and burned shard of wood.
Property of Ilvermorny
"You've got to be kidding me," Sirius sighed.
Harry followed Professor Wilkinson, the Charms professor and his Head of House, to the Headmistress' office, trying to think of all the reasons he could be in trouble. That thought process came to a screeching halt when he walked in to find Professor Turner sitting at her desk with Sirius and Aunt Andi sitting across from her.
"Thank you for coming, Harry," Professor Turner said, smiling softly. "Please, have a seat."
"Is everything alright?" Harry asked, looking at Sirius worriedly.
"You tell us," Andi said, staring at him hard. "Sirius got called into work late last night because, somehow, a broom belonging to this school found its way to a cornfield in Iowa without a rider."
"Wait, what, exactly, happened?" Professor Wilkinson asked as he and Harry took seats.
Reaching into his pocket, Sirius pulled out part of a burned and broken broom shaft in a plastic back marked with red evidence tape and set it on the desk. Harry internally cursed when he saw the words Property of Ilvermorny still legible.
"Last night, the No-maj military picked up an object traveling at Mach seven across their airspace," he said. "A few minutes later, we detected a magical explosion a few hundred miles away in the same direction of travel. When we got to the sight, we found a bloody great crater and bits of shattered broom laying all over some poor blokes cornfield."
"Mach seven!?" Professor Wilkinson asked incredulously. "How?"
"That's what we were wondering," Sirius said, turning to his Godson. "Is there anything you'd like to tell us, Harry?"
Harry immediately knew he was cornered. Sirius wouldn't ask a question like that unless he already knew the answer. He didn't know a great deal about all the tools the M.F.B.I had to track magic, but he knew they could. Likely, they had already tracked the Charms on the broom to the magical signature of his wand. Or, if they hadn't, they could and were just waiting to see if he'd lie first.
"Fine, it was me," Harry admitted.
"How on Earth did you make a broom go that fast?" Professor Wilkinson asked.
"And why?" Andi added with a glare. "What were you thinking!?"
"I was bored," Harry shrugged. "I was looking through the library for something more interesting to read than my school books when I found a section on Charms used to make brooms, so I decided to give it a try."
"You caused all of this because you were bored?" Andi asked incredulously.
"Well, I really wanted to see if I could break the speed of sound on a broom, but it took off too fast," Harry told her. "It was an accident. I fell off when I tried to fly it, and it just kept going."
"It's a good thing you did," Sirius said, shaking his head. "We think that, at that speed, the broom caught fire mid-flight and went into a dive when the Charms failed. It put an eight-foot-deep hole in some guy's cornfield. Gave the No-maj's a fright, too."
"Sorry," Harry said. "I'll pay for the damages and the broom. It was one of the ones they don't use anyway. The Charms were falling apart on it."
"That doesn't mean you can just take it!" Andi yelled, throwing her hand up in the air. "What am I going to do with you?"
"How does the M.F.B.I plan on dealing with this?" Professor Turner asked, leaning on her desk with her fingers steepled.
"So long as it doesn't happen again, they're willing to consider it an experiment gone wrong," Sirius said, trying his best and failing to look disapproving. "If it happens again, they may decide on a harsher punishment."
Harry had to repress a snort. He knew that was a lie. Short of killing someone, Sirius wouldn't let him get in any real trouble.
"Very well," Professor Turner said, turning to Harry. "I believe a week's worth of detention with Professor Wilkinson is in order. If you're going to be using magic like this, it's best if you learn how to do so safely."
"Absolutely," Professor Wilkinson nodded. "Despite the dangers you put yourself and others in, Mach seven if extremely impressive. I think that might be the fastest anyone has ever made anything move with magic."
"I give up," Andi muttered in defeat.
"Ah, I see what happened," Professor Wilkinson said, looking over the notes Harry had made about his broom. "You didn't have any acceleration control. You said you got the idea from Chadwick's Charm?"
"Yeah," Harry replied.
"That's really not the best book for you to use for this sort of enchanting," Professor Wilkinson told him. "Chadwick's really only gives you the basics on how brooms work. It doesn't go into detail. For that, you really want Advanced Charms volume eighteen. As the name suggests, this sort of thing is pretty advanced. Are you sure you want to get into something like this?"
Harry shrugged, "I just thought it would be something cool to do. I don't plan on making racing brooms for a living or anything. Besides, it doesn't look that hard. You just need to layer the Control Charms over the Propulsion and Braking Charms for them to work, right?"
"Well, yes, but it can be a bit more complicated than that in certain instances," Professor Wilkinson said, blinking in surprise.
"I'll need to add some sort of Shielding Charm, too," Harry said. "I didn't last time because I just wanted to see if I could get the broom to work. But if I'm going to break the speed of sound, I'll need something to protect me from the wind. Probably the heat, too."
"Let's slow down and just work on getting the broom to fly controllably, first," Professor Wilkinson told him with a nervous glance. "Why are you so set on breaking the speed of sound?"
"I just want to see if I can do it," Harry said.
"I get that, but why?" he asked again.
"My Aunt says I like to push limits," Harry shrugged with a smirk.
"You like testing yourself?" Professor Wilkinson asked, arching an eyebrow when he got a nod in response. "Tell me, Harry, have you ever thought about picking up dueling?"
"I don't know if that's a good idea, Professor," Harry admitted with a smile. "I've never really been one to follow the rules."
Professor Wilkinson grinned, "Dueling isn't about following the rules. It's about finding creative ways to break them."
Harry stared at his Charms professor contemplatively for a long moment before shrugging.
"I'll give it a shot."
"Aren't you going to do your homework?" Michelle asked Harry softly.
They were sitting on a comfortable couch in the Thunderbird common room. While Michelle worked on her Transfigurations essay that was due at the end of the week, he was putting the finishing touches on his latest broom. Over the last two months, he'd gone through four different versions, each working better than the last. Professor Wilkinson got a little annoyed with him in the beginning when Harry refused his offer of advice, but that changed when he realized he liked the challenge of figuring out the problem himself. Now, he only stepped in if something looked a bit too dangerous.
Of course, the professor's idea of dangerous and Harry's were two entirely different things.
"I finished it," Harry told her.
"You're not going to give Professor Harper another short essay, are you?" Michelle asked.
"I made it as long as it needs to be," Harry said. "Come on, even you have to admit there's no reason to know when, where, and who invented a certain spell. It's a waste of time. And anyways, it's not like those grades matter much."
"Only if you want to get a job doing something other than cleaning toilets," she told him snarkily.
Sitting back, Harry turned to Michelle and smiled. It had taken her a while to relax around him enough to start joking, but he enjoyed how out of character her biting comments could be when she was annoyed.
"Really? Then why do they assign classes based on LAMP scores instead of our class grades?" Harry asked. "And why do employers only look at SALEM scores?"
Michelle furrowed her brow, glaring at him as she tried to think of a response.
"Look, you want to ace all your tests, then by all means, go ahead," he told her with a smile. "But while you're learning all those useless facts about who, when, and where, I'll focus on learning something new."
"I hate it when you make sense like that," Michelle sighed.
"Yeah, he's annoying when he does that," Dora said as she fell onto the couch next to Harry tiredly. "How's the broom coming?"
"Good," Harry grinned. "Next test flight is tomorrow."
"Just don't kill yourself," she told him. "Or start a war by accidentally launching your broom at China or something."
Harry rolled his eyes as Michelle giggled next to him.
"Do you have a date for the next Salem visit?" Dora asked suddenly.
"No," he replied. "You?"
"Ben asked me to go with him," she said.
Harry ignored the gnawing feeling in his stomach and looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Ben Shaffer?" he asked.
"Yeah," Dora said, a touch defensively. "What's wrong with Ben?"
"Nothing, I guess," Harry shrugged. "I just think you can do better. He's not the brightest crayon in the box."
"Yeah, well, the last time I went for better, it didn't work out too well," Dora reminded him. "This time, I'm going for attractively average."
"If you say so," Harry shrugged.
Silently, he wondered if Dora would get too suspicious if Ben came down with a sudden case of explosive diarrhea on Saturday.
"Seriously?" Harry asked, thoroughly unimpressed with the MFAA supervisors the government had sent over to keep an eye on him.
"It couldn't be helped," Professor Wilkinson told him.
Sighing, Harry made his way into the Great Hall with his broom on his shoulder. A black man with greying hair, a mustache, and a clipboard in his hands looked up and made his way over to him.
"Mr. Potter," he said. "I'm Marcus Denninger. There are just a few things we need to go over before your flight. You'll need to stay at an altitude below twelve thousand feet at all times. Any and all attempts to break the sound barrier must be done at least one mile from land. We have safety swimmers on brooms stationed at intervals going for two miles off the coast. There's also a red flag indicating where you need to stop and turn back. Intentionally violating any of these requirements will result in a minimum fine of five hundred Galleons and a maximum of up to five thousand. Do you have any questions before we begin?"
"What's with the box?" Harry asked.
The woman standing behind the man who'd been speaking looked up and smiled.
"Radar," she replied. "It's just so we can keep track of where you are and how fast you're going."
"Does anyone know the fastest anyone's ever gone on a broom before?" Harry asked.
"Three hundred and twenty-seven miles an hour," the woman replied. "It was set by a British Wizard named Paul Whitworth in 1968."
Harry snorted, "That'll be easy to beat."
Without waiting for a response, Harry marched outside. Everyone, from staff to students, was already on the front lawn waiting. He wasn't too sure what they were hoping to see. He'd be too far away and going too fast for anyone to watch.
Spotting two more MFAA workers waiting with brooms, Harry sighed. He was about to ask what they were hoping to do when their brooms couldn't hope to keep up with his but stopped when he spotted Sirius, Andi, and Ted waiting with Dora.
"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Harry asked, accepting a hug from Andi.
"You didn't think we'd come to see you make history?" Ted asked with a grin as he patted him on the back.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Harry?" Andi asked nervously.
"I don't really care about the record. I just want to see if I can do it," Harry shrugged. "Don't worry, Aunt Andi, I'll be fine."
"Harry has a talisman that will protect him if anything goes wrong," Professor Wilkinson assured her. "As soon as the enchantments stop him safely, he'll be Portkeyed directly to the Medical Wing, where Nurse Powers is waiting if needed."
"I'm not going to crash," Harry said firmly, rolling his eyes.
"Just be careful," Dora said, hugging him tightly.
As she stepped away, Sirius took her place, hugging him tightly and patting him on the back.
"International waters are two miles from shore, right?" Harry asked softly.
"Yeah," Sirius said, then paused and pulled back with suspicious look. "Why?"
"Just curious," Harry grinned. "See you guys soon."
Stepping on the footrest, Harry ascended into the air, loud cheers drowning out his Godfather's shouts. As the MFAA workers joined him, he mounted the broom properly and flew towards the bay. A relieving warmth washed over him as the Charms on the broom kicked in, shielding him from the cold November air.
More MFAA workers were waiting for him out over the water. There was a line of more than twenty going out into the distance, all with yellow flags dangling from the backs of their brooms. At the end, two miles away, he could just make out the large red banner signaling the end. As Harry flew to the starting position, grinning in anticipation, Levina circled overheard.
Gripping the shaft of his broom, Harry leaned forward and too off like a shot.
"He's started," The woman with the radar announced with a smile. "Mach zero point three… five… seven… mach zero point eight… zero point nine… He's done it! Mach one!"
As the crowd roared and cheered, a rumble like thunder could be heard in the distance.
Harry grunted, his muscles straining as he accelerated so fast the Charms designed to dampen the G-forces couldn't keep up. He was just glad they worked at all. Even a No-maj plane would be torn apart by the forces his magic was dealing with.
As he sliced through the air, he could see clouds of condensed air bouncing off the edges of the shield protecting him from the wind. Unfortunately, he had no idea how fast he was going, so he just kept pushing.
In seconds, he reached the red flag that marked the end of his MFAA-approved route. Harry grinned as he blew right past it, the shockwave of his passage ripping the fabric from whatever magic held it in place.
"He's still going," the woman called, still smiling slightly. "Mach one point one at three miles… mach one point two at four miles…"
"Dammit, Harry," Sirius sighed.
"That boy is grounded until he's thirty," Andi muttered.
"I told you," Dora said, holding out her hand expectantly. "Pay up."
With a muttered curse, Ted pulled out a couple of Galleons and placed them in his daughter's hand.
"Are you kidding me?" Andi yelled, hands on her hips as she glared at both of them. "Can you two be serious?"
Just as Sirius opened his mouth with a smirk, she turned on him with her wand in hand.
"Don't," she said with deadly calm.
Harry pushed his broom as fast as it could go. As it neared its top speed, it started to buck and lose forward momentum suddenly. Deciding he'd done all he could, he slowed down.
"Well, time to head back and get yelled at," he said to himself.
Looking down at the water to judge his speed, he waited until he was moving slowly enough that it was safe to turn and headed back to the distant shore. Grinning to himself, he figured if he was already in trouble, what would a bit more hurt? Gripping his broom, he took off once more.
The shore approached with startling speed. Pulling up a few thousand feet, Harry flew straight for Mount Greylock. If his classmates were going to sit out in the cold, they might as well get a show. Passing directly over the front lawn, he slowed back down and circled around to land. His classmates stood and swarmed around him as he landed.
"Dude! You shook every window in the castle!" someone yelled.
"That was sick!"
"You're crazy!" Johnny grinned, clapping him on the back.
Before Harry could respond to his old friend, Dora jumped into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist.
"You did it!" she yelled.
Harry laughed and spun her around excitedly.
"Do you have any idea how dangerous that was!?" Denninger yelled, glaring with his arms folded over his chest.
"Yeah, yeah," Harry said, setting Tonks down and waving him off as he looked at the woman with the radar. "How fast did I go?"
"Mach one point seven," the woman told him.
"And you went twelve miles past your designated stopping point," Denninger growled. "Do you have any idea how many laws you just broke?"
"Well, technically, when I did that, I was in international airspace," Harry told him.
Denninger sputtered, his mouth working silently for several moments.
"He does have a point," the woman said.
"Yeah, well, that doesn't cover what he did on the way back," Denninger argued. "You were strictly told not to attempt to break the sound barrier over land, which you did."
"Just send me the bill," Harry told him dismissively.
Turning away from the flabbergasted man, he pulled Dora over to their family to celebrate.
"Did you have to say that?" Andi asked frustratedly. "He's going to fine you as much as he can now. Just because you make money from those books doesn't mean you should waste it."
"I'm not going to," Harry grinned. "I got a letter from Lockheed last night. They offered to pay me fifty thousand Galleons for access to any and all research I conduct on brooms. I sent Uncle Ted a copy this morning. It's probably still on the way."
"Fifty thousand!?" Dora gasped.
"How much of it did you read?" Ted asked.
"I skimmed it," Harry said.
"So, that's a no," Ted smiled. "Most likely, they're only offering that much if you give them the rights to keep the full profits from anything they develop using your research. If you ask for a cut of the royalties, you'll get less to start with but a lot more in the long run if they use it. I'll look it over when it gets delivered."
Harry shrugged, "I don't really care about the money. Just make whatever deal you think is best. I trust you."
Chapter 7
"Harry!" Sirius shouted across the platform, waving his hands wildly above his head.
Harry set his and Dora's trunks on a cart and looked up with a sigh.
"Does he have to do that every year?" Dora asked. "It's like he thinks we forget what he looks like or something."
"He thinks he's a lot funnier than he is," Harry smirked.
Grabbing the handle of the cart, he pushed it over to where Sirius, Andi, and Ted were waiting for them near the line of fireplaces.
"How was your first year at Ilvermorny?" Sirius asked before grabbing Harry in a headlock and ruffling his hair.
"It was free of you," Harry grumbled, pulling himself free.
"Any new girlfriends?" he asked with a grin.
"Maybe," Harry said with a smirk.
"He started dating Amanda when we got back from Christmas break," Dora huffed.
"Amanda?" Andi asked, her brow furrowed. "You mean that redhead that came over last Summer?"
Dora nodded, and Sirius whistled.
"An older woman?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows. "I'm impressed."
Dora snorted, "I'm not. Every time we tried to study, those two would sneak off to make out somewhere. They got us kicked out of the library a few times."
"Totally worth it," Harry grinned.
"This isn't going to cause problems between the two of you, is it?" Andi asked warily.
"Why would it?" Harry asked.
"Well, what if you break up with Amanda, and she wants to come over to visit Dora?" Andi asked.
"They already broke up," Dora pouted. "And they get along just fine. I can't stand my exes, and they still hang out like nothing's changed. It's really annoying."
Sirius laughed, and Ted chuckled while Andi pulled her daughter in for a hug. When Harry looked at the other men in confusion, they just shook their heads. Slinging his arm around his shoulders, Sirius led him towards the firplace.
"I'll explain when we get home," he whispered before pausing and raising his voice to a normal level. "Actually, wait. Ted, do you mind going first just in case Harry decides to do another face plant?"
"Ha ha, very funny," Harry said.
Shrugging off his arm, he grabbed a handful of Floo Powder and stepped into the fireplace.
"Forty-seven fifty-six Gulch Drive!" Harry yelled.
This time, he was careful to tuck in his arms and legs and shut his mouth as he spun through the Floo Network. His confidence grew as the trip continued without issue. Just as he was about to reach his stop, Harry took a step to walk smoothly out.
His stop came a full second after he thought it would. The pain that shot up his spine reminded him of the time he thought there was a curb, and there wasn't. Groaning, he stepped into the living room, cursing loudly and often, only stopping when Sirius stepped out smoothly behind him and started laughing loudly.
"You really need to get better at that," Sirius chuckled.
"I'm standing, aren't I?" Harry asked angrily.
Sirius laughed again as the others stepped out of the Floo. Still rubbing his back and grumbling, Harry grabbed Dora's trunk and started carrying it to her room. Once everything was put away, they sat down in the kitchen, where Andi had cooked dinner.
"How do you think you did on your tests?" Andi asked, passing along the tray of homemade tacos.
"Good." "Fine," Harry and Dora responded.
"Professor Banks said my project was one of the best," Dora explained further. "She said if I keep it up, I'll do fine on my LAMPs next year."
"What does that stand for again?" Sirius asked.
"Levels in Aptitude of Magical Performance," she recited.
"It's the same as our OWLs," Andi told him before turning to Harry. "And how do you think you did this year?"
"Pretty good," Harry shrugged. "Professor Wilkinson gave me extra credit for my broom project at the start of the year. He also told me I should try my dueling out at the tournament in New York next month."
"Why didn't you tell us about this sooner?" Sirius asked.
"Because I just found out," Harry said, pulling a colorful pamphlet from his pocket and handing it to him. "I'll be competing in the under-sixteen bracket. It's a two-day, single-elimination tournament. Do you think you can get time off to take me?"
"I'll ask first thing tomorrow," Sirius told him with a grin.
"Under-sixteen?" Andi asked, yanking the pamphlet out of Sirius' hand. "Doesn't that mean you'll be competing against second years, as well?"
"Well, yeah," Harry shrugged.
"Do you think I could compete in the under-eighteen bracket?" Dora asked suddenly.
"Why?" Andi asked sharply, eyes narrowed. "You've never shown an interest in dueling before."
Reaching under the table, Harry gave Dora's knee a supportive squeeze. He'd asked her to join his training with Professor Wilkinson so he had someone else to practice with. She couldn't always go with him, but she usually went twice a week. He had no idea she was interested in dueling herself, but he knew Andi wouldn't like the idea, that was for sure.
"I just want to see how I measure up," Dora said, trying to act nonchalant. "And, if Harry's going to be there anyway, why not give it a try?"
"Because it's dangerous," Andi said flatly.
"But I've been training with Harry, and Professor Wilkinson said I was really good for my age," Dora said, looking at her parents pleadingly. "I just want to see how I'd do. And it's not that dangerous if you're going to let Harry go. Please?"
Harry had to bite his lip to stop a chuckle when she swelled up her bottom lip and enlarged the size of her eyes slightly. Ted and Andi shared a long look that carried an entire conversation before Andi sighed in defeat.
"Fine," she said shortly.
"Yes!" Dora cheered excitedly.
As she threw her hands in the air, her knuckles caught the edge of her plate and dumped it into Harry's lap.
After dinner, the family moved out to the newly installed pool to sit and relax. The Wireless played in the background while Harry tried not to get caught checking out Dora in her red swimsuit.
"I wish we had dueling tournaments like that back in England," Sirius said to Ted as they lounged in white chairs with Butterbeers in their hands. "That would've been so much fun."
"I wonder why they don't," Ted mused.
"Lack of interest, probably," Sirius grumbled. "You know the Ministry only pays for something like that if someone can make a profit. No one but parents would go to see kids duel. The national tournament gets all the attention."
"True," Ted nodded.
The sound of a bird chirping sounded from the house, signaling a Floo call and causing Sirius to sigh.
"I'll get it," he said. "It's probably for me anyways." he said, setting down his Butterbeer and climbing out of his lounge.
He disappeared inside the house for less than a minute before coming back out, looking slightly troubled. With a flick of his wand, he changed the Wireless to a different station.
"…what we know so far," the female host said. "It's just been confirmed by senior MACUSA officials that a member of the Magical Intelligence Bureau has just been caught violating Russian airspace and was subsequently captured. From what we know based on President Rurik Kiselev's press release, this isn't the first time MACUSA has done so. Many of you will remember that, just a few months ago, Harry Potter became the first person to build a broom capable of breaking the speed of sound.
"How does this connect to the MIB? Well, Harry Potter sold the rights to that design to Lockheed, who went on to design the X-87 Javelin. This prototype, which is a refined design of Mr. Potter's original supersonic broom, is what the Russian's say the MIB agent was riding when he was apprehended. They claim, that for months, MIB agents have been flying across Russia to gather intelligence. Because of the X-87's incredible top speed of over Mach 2, the Russians had been unable to stop, or intercept the riders.
"Today, they claim to have laid a trap. They found a pattern to the flights and laid out a trap for anyone entering their airspace. A trap, they say, the agent flew into early this afternoon. We've yet to hear a response from the White House on this, but we expect one soon. This situation is evolving rapidly. With me in the studio is John Harken, historian, author, and former advisor to President Marks. John, I think the biggest concern for everyone listening is the possibility of war. Do you see that happening?"
"I'd say it's not likely, but certainly a concern we should share," a man with a deep voice replied. "This is a severe diplomatic issue, to be sure, but I don't see it coming to war if MACUSA handles it properly. Fortunately, we're not in the Cold War anymore. The big concern right now, is going to be over sanctions against the US from Russia and its allies. You can expect prices to go up sharply over the next few days."
"Bollocks," Sirius said, switching the Wireless back to a music station. "Leave it to those idiots in the MIB to screw everything up. Magical Intelligence Bureau, my arse, more like Morons Inspecting Buttholes."
Andi swatted his arm with her magazine.
"Wait, I thought the MFBI were the MIB," Ted said curiously.
"No, we're the men in black," Sirius corrected. "The MIB just like to ruin our good name."
"Harry?" Dora asked softly.
Despite her tone, everyone looked over at him.
"I'm going for a fly," he said, avoiding their eyes as he headed to the house.
"Harry!" Andi called.
He ignored her and marched into his room, where he punched the bed and cursed. Hitting his mattress until he ran out of breath, he slid down to sit on the floor with his back against his dresser.
Harry couldn't believe something he'd made was used for something so stupid. Thinking of the gold he'd gleefully added to his vault now left a sour taste in his mouth. Even worse, with the deal Ted had worked out with Lockheed, he'd be collecting royalties for the next two decades. He'd felt proud at the time, maybe even a little bit arrogant, but now, he felt like a fool. He wished he could cancel the deal, but even if that was possible, it would take back what had already happened.
They'd all fled to America to escape a war that had destroyed his family, and now he'd inadvertently nearly started another one.
Shaking off those thoughts, Harry stood and made his way over to his trunk. Throwing open the lid carelessly, he dug through the enlarged interior until he found his brooms and paused. One was the Lockheed that Sirius had given him for his birthday, and the other was the very broom that had caused all of this.
He grabbed the crude, homemade broom he'd been so proud of and pulled it out, thinking back to how it all started. The charms really weren't as complex as most people thought they were. Going fast was easy. You just had to have a certain disregard for your own safety. Until he'd come along, every speed record had been set on modified Quidditch brooms. Brooms that still had safety features to protect players and the general customer from breaking their neck during a turn. Magic didn't have the same limits that the human body did, as Harry learned the hard way on Ilvermorny's Clock Tower.
Getting the brooms to go as fast as he wanted wasn't that hard. He just neglected to put in the charms that would normally limit it. What was much harder, and took most of his time, was figuring out a way to stay on the damn thing. Once he figured that out, all he needed was basic charms to limit the acceleration and turning. It was only the strength of his Propulsion Charm, which he'd pulled back on after his first failure, that kept him from going even faster.
Clutching the broom tightly, Harry left his room and headed for the front door to avoid his family. He'd just stepped off the front porch when he mounted it and took off into the air like a shot. With a loud cry, Levina joined him, flapping her powerful wings as she tried to keep up with him.
As they got further from the house, the skies turned dark to the sound of the distant rumble of thunder. Levina flew in circles, conjuring a storm that matched his emotions. The rain started to fall, biting into his skin as he followed her. Lightning flashed overhead, followed by crackling, rumbling thunder that reverberated in his chest.
Like it was planned, they both flew straight up through the roiling grey clouds. Harry's skin was soaked from the moisture in the air. Mixed with the wind, it left him cold and covered in goosebumps. He ignored the discomfort and continued upwards, neck and neck, with Levina until they broke through the top of the cloud.
The red light of the setting sun warmed his cold, damp body. For a moment, he closed his eyes and savored the relief. As his upward momentum came to an end, he hovered in the air, weightless, with Levina next to him, her wings spread wide. Just as he began to feel lightheaded from the lack of oxygen, they began to fall.
Harry pushed his broom into a plummeting dive, rapidly outpacing his companion. She crowed loudly behind him a moment before his sonic boom reflected off of the ground and back towards him just as he broke through the cloud layer. With only basic brakes and turning, he knew, at these speeds, his broom would struggle to slow down enough to pull up before he hit the ground.
So, he didn't bother to brake. Pulling straight up, he intentionally upset the broom, sending himself into a tumble. Fighting to point the nose straight up, the sudden spin and twists as he fought for control sent the blood rushing from his head. Muscles straining, Harry grunted and manhandled the broom into doing what he wanted. Looking straight up at the darkening sky, he used his broom's greatest asset, power, and used it to fight against gravity.
The force the move exerted on his body pushed an involuntary grunt from his lips, but it worked. His momentum slowed far faster than it would have if he'd tried to brake. When he was going slow enough, he pitched forward and took off over the desert, his mind wandering.
Harry knew there was nothing he could do to stop what had already happened, but he could stop it from happening again. He was going to keep working on his broom like he wanted to, making designs that flew faster and higher than anyone had ever thought possible before. But he wasn't selling the design again. He was going to keep it for himself. It would be up to him to decide who got to use the designs and who didn't. Never again would he let a company or government use his work without him knowing exactly what it was for.
He knew he thought differently to most wizards. It wasn't his intelligence that helped him become the first to break the sound barrier on a broom; it was his ability to think audaciously. Staring out at the night sky, more audacious thoughts came to mind, more firsts that he could accomplish.
As the moon rose over the mountains in the distance, the most audacious idea came to mind. With a grin, he turned back and headed for home.
Three weeks later, Harry and his family Portkeyed to New York for the national dueling tournament. When he'd been told where it was, he thought they'd end up in some hidden part of Madison Square Garden that magicals kept to themselves. Instead, they ended up in a sprawling, grassy field in a rural area.
"Where are we?" Dora asked, wrinkling her nose at the smell of nearby cows. "I thought we were going to New York. Did you cast the spell right?"
"Of course, I did," Sirius said defensively, even as he looked around in confusion. "This is where the brochure told us to go. It's not my fault they got it wrong."
"We're in the right place," Andi said, rolling her eyes. "New York is more than just a city. We're close to the border with Pennsylvania, near one of those Amish towns. Look."
Pointing to a distant green banner, big white letters spelled out; Welcome to the U-21 international Dueling Championships!
Beyond that was what looked, to Harry, more like a state fair than a dueling tournament. There were rides, games, kiosks selling souvenirs, and way in the back, he could see a dirt field surrounded by a wooden fence and tiered benches. Sharing a look with Dora, he could tell she was as surprised as he was. When he'd envisioned the tournament, this wasn't what he'd expected.
"I really wish I'd known this is what to expect when I packed," Dora sighed. "I packed clothes for a city, not a farmers market."
"Come on, Dora, this'll be great," Ted said excitedly. "Let's go get you kids signed in."
Harry shrugged and followed after him while Dora sighed and trudged along. In the end, he didn't really care where the tournament took place. All that mattered to him was how he did in the rankings. After hearing about the situation with Russia, Harry was more determined than ever to prove himself.
As they were waiting in line to sign in for the tournament, a short, busty brunette and a slightly taller girl who looked a little younger than Harry approached them.
"Sirius?" she called softly.
Harry watched as his Godfather turned with his trademark lopsided grin, only to go slack-jawed when he set eyes on the woman.
"Marlene!?" he gasped, looking like he'd seen a ghost.
The woman smiled nervously and nodded, her eyes tearing up. Suddenly, Sirius lunged forward and hugged her tightly, a choked laugh escaping his mouth. Harry was shocked to see tears falling from his eyes.
"I thought you were dead," he said thickly.
"I'm sorry," Marlene mumbled into his chest. "We used a Vanishing Cabinet to escape before they burned down the house. When the Ministry declared us dead, my parents left for America, and I couldn't leave them behind. I wanted to tell you, but with Nott still free, it was too dangerous."
"It's alright," Sirius said, pulling back to hold her at arm's length with a wide smile. "I'm just glad you survived. Merlin, Remus is going to flip when he sees you. You look just as beautiful as you did in school."
"And you're still a cad," Marlene chuckled tearfully. "Oh, I'm sorry. Sirius, this is my daughter, Jenna. Sweetie, this is Sirius Black, a good friend of mine from my school days."
"Hello," Sirius said to the girl before turning back to Marlene with a smirk. "Married with a kid, look at you all grown up."
"Divorced, actually," she told him with a small smile. "I married a Muggle, and he didn't take too well to learning about the magical world. What about you?"
"Oh, he's still the same old reprobate," Andi replied with a smile. "I'm Andromeda Tonks, Sirius' cousin. This is my husband, Ted. Our daughter, Nymphadora-"
"Mom," Dora whined. "It's just Tonks."
"And this is Harry," Andi continued, ignoring the interruption.
"Hello," Marlene said, a soft and sad smile on her face as she looked at Harry. "You look just like your father but with your mother's eyes."
"Marlene and your mum were best friends at Hogwarts," Sirius smiled.
"Really?" Harry asked. "Could you tell me about her sometime? Every time I ask Sirius, he starts talking about what a nice ass she had."
"I do not!" Sirius protested. "I only said that once."
Marlene laughed while Harry and Dora were distracted with the signup sheet.
"So, what brings you here?" Sirius asked. "Jenna's a bit young for the dueling tournament, isn't she?"
"Oh, she's not competing," she told him. "We live just a few miles away. We come here every year to enjoy the fair and watch the duels."
"You're all set," the wizard manning the table smiled, handing Harry and Dora their badges. "The tournament doesn't start for another two hours, so feel free to explore until then. The officials will explain the rules before it starts. Good luck to both of you."
"Thanks," Dora beamed, her hair turning from green to a happy pink.
Harry followed after her as they rejoined their family and started to explore the fair. Bemusedly, he watched Sirius talking animatedly with Marlene. For years, he watched as his Godfather had been able to charm all sorts of women with his flirting. It was quite refreshing to watch Marlene laugh them off without so much as a blush.
About half an hour later, Remus managed to find them. His jaw hit the floor when Sirius re-introduced him to Marlene. While they had a short but emotional reunion, Sirius explained what had happened to her a bit more.
"Marlene was part of a resistance group during the war with me, Remus, and your parents," he told them. "When we were responding to a Death Eater raid, she dueled and killed Thadeus Nott. His son, Titus, didn't take that well. He put a price on her head, though we could never prove it. About a month later, we got word that her house had been destroyed by Fiendfyre. Nasty, dark magic. The place was reduced to nothing but a pile of ash by the time we got it under control. We assumed Marlene and her parents had been killed. It wouldn't be the first time something like that had happened."
"So, she let them think she was dead and went into hiding," Harry nodded.
"What happened to Nott?" Dora asked.
"Nothing," Sirius sighed, running a hand through his hair. "The bastard stayed out of Azkaban by claiming the Imperius Curse. If he knew she was still alive, he'd probably he'd probably still be after her."
After wandering around the fair, going on rides, playing games, and eating food, Harry and Dora eventually left to get ready for the tournament. The was a long and, in Harry's opinion, boring safety and rules lecture before they finally started the tournament. As he stepped out into the arena for his first match, he spotted his family cheering loudly. Even Jenna and Marlene joined in, Jenna clutching the giant stuffed Niffler that Sirius had won.
Harry's first match was over quickly. His ability to cast silently let him make quick work of the Indian witch he faced. It was a while before Dora had her first match of the day. She did well, but she didn't have nearly as easy of a time as he had. After a couple of minutes of slinging spells back and forth with the Chinese wizard she was competing against, Dora caught him with a Disarming Hex.
While Harry won all eight of his matches for the day, qualifying for the finals, Dora lost her third match against a Nigerian witch who didn't even use a wand. She was a bit upset at that, and as he tried to console her, Harry was also bound and determined to learn how to cast magic without a wand.
Once the tournament was finished for the day, Sirius invited everyone out to a celebratory dinner. It ended up being a raucous affair, filled with jokes, laughter, and humorous stories from the adults' days at Hogwarts. Jenna was a quiet and shy girl just a year younger than Harry, but she slowly opened up to him and Dora as the night wore on.
Throughout the meal, Harry couldn't help but notice the way Sirius and Marlene gravitated towards each other.
"Witches and wizards, it's time for the championship rounds!" the announcer yelled.
As the crowd cheered, the thin man with a curly black mustache, top hat, and bright red jacket grinned.
"First up, we have the under-sixteen championship bout," he continued once the noise died down. "Let's hear it for our two finalists! From Italy, we have Arturo Moretti, and representing the United States, we have Harry Potter!"
Harry stepped into the arena and stared at his opponent, a handsome second year with dark hair, hazel eyes, and a confident grin.
"And now, our special guest referee, a five-time former world dueling champion, Filius Flitwick!" the man announced.
Harry wasn't sure why, but his family and Marlene cheered loudly. He thought the name might be familiar, but he couldn't remember where he would have heard it from. A moment later, a tiny, smiling man walked out into the arena.
"Good day, gentlemen," Flitwick squeaked happily. "Let's keep this a clean fight, and good luck to both of you. Bow, retreat to your positions, and wait for my signal."
Harry and Arturo bowed, walked back ten paces, then turned to face each other. Holding his wand aloft, Flitwick glanced at both of them. A heartbeat later, red sparks shot from his wand. Harry immediately circled to his right, out of the way of a shouted Disarming Hex, and began firing hexes as fast as he could.
"Protego!" Arturo yelled.
His shield formed solidly, but Harry grinned as he continued to rapidly fire disarmers, stunners, and leg-lockers. Quickly, Arturo's shield started to flicker and die, just like the other opponents Harry had faced that managed to defend themselves. Unlike the others, however, when it did collapse, he got out of the way before Harry could end the match.
In the end, that did nothing more than prolong the inevitable. Harry was just too fast at casting, and Arturo, even as a second year, didn't know any spells that Harry couldn't deal with easily. After a bit of cat and mouse, he managed to corner Arturo and pelted his shield until it failed, and his wand was ripped from his hand.
"Stop!" Flitwick shouted surprisingly firmly.
He was so short and unobtrusive during the match that Harry had actually forgotten he was even there.
"Winner!" he yelled, pointing to Harry.
The crowd cheered with Dora and Sirius being the loudest as they whistled and stomped their feet.
"Let's give it up to both of our finalists for that impressive performance," the announcer said, walking over with a gold medal in his hands. "Witches and wizards, I give you your under-sixteen international dueling champion, Harry Potter!"
Bowing his head so the man could put the medal around his neck, Harry shook hands with Arturo and waved to the crowd, a grin on his face.