Arch Mage, the Path of Magic Chapter 22 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans, Kairomaru is here with another chapter of Arch Mage, the Path of Magic! Third Year at Hogwarts begins! But with no Pettigrew around and no ‘Prisoner of Azkaban’ to escape, what could possibly happen this year at Hogwarts? Well, Harry does always have his friends and his various projects to work on. But boredom is a hell of thing for someone so very advanced in the Magical Arts, and so curious about Magic itself!

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 22 – Third Year, Thoughts and Wanderings

Harry read over the letter from Fleur again, a thoughtful look on his face as he went over what his friend had told him.

“I’ve had a noticeable growth in my magical power after our Duel at the Junior Dueling League; far too much to be the result of my usual practice. I believe being bathed in so much Primal Fire has helped fuel the growth of my Magic substantially.”

Harry mulled over the possibility again, leaning his chair back on two legs and holding it there with barely a thought. “How interesting… Primal Fire is called the Flame of Creation for a reason…the tales say it gave rise to many forms of Magical Life and especially fire-aligned creatures and beings. Maybe the tales are true and being suffused with it left Fleur with a lot of diffused magic within her body that her recovering Magic was able to use for growth?” The Spellcrafter murmured his thoughts, and the beginnings of a hypothesis began to form in his head. A notebook and pen floated over to Harry from his desk as he stayed reclined on his chair. Taking the two items, Harry flipped to a new page and wrote down his vague hypothesis and then a short note to himself.

Look into diffused Magic; may relate to the idea of ‘essence’ spoken of in Alchemy and other more esoteric Branches of Magic.

The book of Dwarven Magic floated over to Harry next, hanging in the air under his will as he flipped towards the back, farther than he’d read through it so far, as he had a hunch.

“There it is…” Harry grinned as he looked through the last chapter of the book. “Essence of the Earth, huh?” This bore looking into for sure. “So many interesting things to learn and discover!” Why the majority of Witches and Wizards had no curiosity or interest in the wonders of Magic only further baffled Harry.

-Platform 9 ¾ ~ September 1st-

“Don’t get into any trouble, Harry.” Andromeda hugged Harry goodbye as he was bout to board the Hogwarts Express.

“I won’t, Auntie.” Harry grinned as he returned the hug.

Sirius pulled him into a one-armed hug with a chuckle. “Get into plenty of trouble, Harry! Have fun!”

“Sure thing, dad.” Harry laughed and returned the hug.

“Sirius!” Andromeda admonished the man with an unamused look. “You should be encouraging better behavior than you showed growing up.”

“Growing old is inevitable, Andy.” Sirius shrugged as a smile crossed his face. “Growing up, however, is entirely optional!”

Andromeda swatted him lightly with a roll of her eyes. “Merlin knows that you never grew past the age of seventeen.”

Sirius just laughed at his cousin’s exasperation with him. “Have a good year, Harry, and we’ll see you for Yule Break. Hogsmeade is fun when you can go with friends…or a pretty girl.” He nudged Harry playfully.

“A few of my friends are pretty girls, Sirius.” Harry shrugged with a little smirk.

“That’s my boy!” Sirius laughed heartily, only to be swatted by Andromeda once more. “Ack! What was that for, Andy?!”

“Hogwarts doesn’t need another Sirius Black running around.” Andromeda stated plainly.

“That is entirely debatable!” Sirius retorted with his nose in the air in a show of faux pompousness.

“I’ll send you a letter with Hedwig once I have my class schedule.” Harry smiled at his family and their usual shenanigans as he levitated his trunk behind him and boarded the scarlet steam engine.

Harry wandered down the train, greeting the people that he knew, as he looked for an empty compartment. When he found one, he tossed his trunk into the overhead bin with nary a thought and sat down as he waited for his friends to find him. It shouldn’t take too long and he pulled out a shrunken book to pass the time, returning it to its original size as he tapped the cover with his fingertip.

Several minutes later and the compartment door opened. “Ugh… Potter.” Draco Malfoy looked like he was attempting to sneer, but it was clear that he didn’t want to actually start anything. “Come on, you two, we’ll find a compartment with the right sort to sit with.”

Crabbe and Goyle, the dimwitted muscle they were, nodded in agreement and followed along after Draco, the door sliding closed a few seconds later.

“Always has to say something.” Harry chuckled lightly to himself as he went back to his reading.

Not too long after the trio from Slytherin left, there was a polite knock on the door before it was opened. “Good morning, Harry.” Hermione greeted her best friend with a brilliant smile.

“Good morning, Hermione.” Harry returned her greeting with a smile of his own. “Let me get that.” With a mere motion of his head, Hermione’s trunk floated up into the rack next to his.

“Thank you, Harry.” Hermione grinned and took the seat opposite him. “Made any progress on your projects since our last letter?” The last she’d heard from Harry through Hedwig was about a week ago. With Harry’s incredible talent with Magic, he could’ve very well completed something in that time.

“Not much, unfortunately, but I’m getting closer on a few things.” Harry answered her with a chuckle. “Anything interesting happen with you over the last week?”

“No, not really, just reading up on our new coursebooks mostly.” Hermione did always like to get ahead and be prepared.

“I’m just glad that you listened to reason.” Daphne’s amused voice got their attention as she slid the compartment door open. “Trying to take every Elective would’ve been impossible anyway.”

“Hello, all!” Tracy greeted with a wave and a smile, peeking over Daphne’s shoulder.

“Hi, Harry!” Astoria slipped into the compartment first and took the seat to Harry’s left with a bright smile.

“Hello, Astoria.” Harry smiled at the younger girl and playfully patted her head. “How’s my little sister doing?” With a gentle wave of his hand, all three girls’ trunks floated up into the racks.

“I’m so excited!” Astoria beamed at him, both from the affectionate role that Harry had given her as his surrogate little sister, and from finally being old enough to go to Hogwarts. “I think I’ll be in Slytherin, like Daphne; what do you think?” She was almost bouncing as Daphne and Tracy sat on the same side as Hermione.

“I think you’ll do great in whatever House you join, Astoria.” Harry grinned at the excited girl. “Speaking of school, I made you something.” He fished in the pocket of his robe before pulling out little compass. “It’s enchanted to show you the fastest way to your classes, just tell it which one you need and it’ll point the way.”

“Thank you, Harry!” Astoria’s smile practically lit up the compartment as she accepted the gift form her ‘big brother’. “Charms!” She tried it out immediately.

The needle spun around once before locking onto a position. If anyone that knew Hogwarts exact location had been there, they could’ve easily confirmed the compass was pointing straight towards the castle.

“I don’t think it’s going to work very well while we’re still in London, Tori.” Daphne giggled at her overexcited little sister.

Tracy grinned at Astoria. “Wait until you get to the castle, then we’ll go around with you so you can use it.” Astoria nodded rapidly in agreement to the older girl’s offer, nearly bouncing in her seat.

“Good morning.” Luna smiled happily at seeing all of them when she opened the compartment door. She happily sat on Harry’s right side in the last available seat in the compartment. She watched as her trunk was levitated up and into the last space on the racks overhead before giving Harry a hug.

“I missed you too, Luna.” Harry smiled, returning the hug and seeing Luna’s face light up. “It was only two weeks though.” He teased her playfully.

“Two weeks too long.” Luna replied with a giggle, always enjoying being around her ‘big brother’.

“Luna, Luna, look what Harry gave me!” Astoria happily showed off her new compass to her friend. “We match!” She giggled.

“We do!” Luna pulled out her own compass with a smile and both girls compared how their individual compass looked.

“Such a big brother.” Hermione giggled warmly at the scene, looking at Harry fondly.

“The best big brother.” Harry nodded along, a little smirk on his lips.

“The best!” Astoria and Luna agreed with a cheer.

Daphne didn’t even try to hide her giggle. “Spoiling them rotten is what you’re doing.”

“And will continue to do!” Harry cracked up as he patted Luna and Astoria’s heads gently. Both younger girls preened happily at being spoiled by their big brother.

“Wrapped around their fingers.” Tracy teased Harry with a laugh.

The whistle on the train blew, announcing its departure, and in a few moments the jostling of the train car began. The kids waved out the window as Platform 9 ¾ moved by and then they were on their way to Hogwarts once more.

About a third of the way through the multi-hour trip, the Trolley Lady stopped by the compartment. “Anything off the trolley, dears?”

Astoria and Luna were quick to go see what the old Witch had for sale. Harry ordered two pitchers of Pumpkin Juice for the whole compartment. Hermione bought herself a few things, as did Daphne and Tracy. When Astoria and Luna sat down, each with a few different candies in their laps, Daphne moved to pay for her little sister, only to find Harry levitating money over to the Trolley Lady.

“Harry…” Daphne looked at him and rolled her eyes.

“It’s fine, Daphne.” Harry chuckled, patting Luna and Astoria’s heads. “I have to spoil my little sisters, right?”

“Of course, you do…” Daphne sighed at him, but the smile on her lips showed her real feelings.

“Glad we agree.” Harry snarked, making Daphne playfully swat his shoulder before she sat back down between Tracy and Hermione.

The rest of the ride was spent enjoying conversation, saying ‘hi’ to their friends that came by to chat for a bit, and just having an enjoyable trip overall.

-Hogsmeade Station-

“Firs’ Years! Firs’ Years over here!” Hagrid called out as the students disembark from the Hogwarts Express. The Groundskeeper and new Professor once more performing one of his favorite duties of the school year. “Harry, how’re ya?” The gentle giant smiled as Harry and Daphne walked Astoria over to him.

“Alright, Hagrid, just dropping Astoria off.” Harry smiled up at the towering man. “Hagrid will take you and the other First Years up to the castle the first time.” He explained to Astoria.

“Is the castle really amazing at night?” Astoria was still as excited as possible, nearly bouncing on her heels.

“Aye, one of the best views you’ll see!” Hagrid was all for the First Year’s excitement. “We go across the lake in boats!”

“Don’t fall out.” Daphne hugged Astoria and gave her a playful warning.

“I won’t!” Astoria almost pouted at her big sister for thinking she’d fall out of a boat.

“We’ll leave her with you, Hagrid.” Harry nodded with a laugh.

“We’ll see you soon enough in the Great Hall.” Hagrid laughed waving as the two Third Years headed off for the carriages. “Firs’ Years! Firs’ Years over here!” He waved his lantern a bit to make sure he got all the new students’ attention; not seeming to realize that his sheer size alone was enough for that.

-Great Hall-

Harry, Hermione, and Luna sat together, applauding the Sorting Hat’s song as the Sorting Ceremony got underway. A few students with last names of ‘A’ through ‘F’ were called up, each House gaining at least one new member, before the name that they were waiting for was called by McGonagall.

“Greengrass, Astoria!” McGonagall read off the roll of parchment in her hands.

Astoria trotted up to the stool and McGonagall placed the old hat atop her dark hair, the brim sliding down over the small girl’s eyes from being too large.

“Mmm, yes…another Greengrass comes to Hogwarts.” The Sorting Hat spoke audibly for everyone close enough to hear it. “But where will you fit in best here?” The Hat moved a bit, seeming to consider a few things, before it straightened up. “Slytherin!”

McGonagall removed the hat from Astoria’s head and the girl’s tie turned green and silver, while the Slytherin crest appeared on the left breast of her robe. Astoria jogged over to Daphne and Tracy; the two girls having been saving a spot between them in the likely event that Astoria joined the House. Astoria quickly took the seat and was beaming as she received hugs from Daphne and Tracy.

“Good for her.” Luna smiled brightly at Astoria getting to be with her sister.

Harry chuckled as the Sorting continued. “She’d have been welcomed here too, of course.”

“Absolutely.” Hermione grinned, still looking at Astoria happily sitting between Tracy and Daphne at the Slytherin Table. It was so nice to have friends, and her friend group kept expanding the longer she was at Hogwarts.

Once the Sorting Ceremony was finished, McGonagall took the Sorting Hat and the stool away, while Dumbledore stood up from his chair with a bright smile, ready to open another school year at Hogwarts.

“Welcome!” Dumbledore always seemed to have so much energy for a man of his age. “I have a few things to say before we’re all befuddled by our feast!” The candlelight shimmered off his long beard as he looked over the four long tables. “Firstly, our new Head Boy and Head Girl for this year will be Percy Weasley and Penelope Clearwater!” Both students stood up, Percy looking extremely proud of himself, while Penny smiled at her housemates that congratulated her on making Head Girl. After a moment the two sat back down and Dumbledore continued. “I am pleased to welcome two new Professors to our ranks this year!” The Great Hall buzzed a bit wondering what other Professor role was unfilled aside from the seemingly annual Defense Against the Dark Arts post. “Our first is Senior Auror, Kingsley Shacklebolt, who has graciously accepted to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor this year!”

A tall man in nice-looking purple and gold robes stood up and nodded to the students with a smile. He received a generous applause from the four Houses, and a few mutterings of ‘He’s handsome’ were even heard from some of the older girls, followed by giggling. His dark complexion matched Professor Sinistra’s and Harry felt like he’d heard the man’s name somewhere before.

‘He’s a Senior Auror…maybe Nym’s mentioned him before?’ Harry mused in his mind while Shacklebolt sat back down.

“As for our second new appointment, well…I’m sorry to say that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures Professor, retired at the end of last year to spend more time with his remaining limbs.” The fact that Professor Kettleburn had been missing limbs had always made him a memorable standout amongst the faculty. “However, I’m pleased to announce that our own Rubeus Hagrid has agreed to take up the post in addition to his groundskeeping duties!” Dumbledore smiled and Hagrid stood up abruptly, knocking into the Staff Table and jostling the cutlery and flatware a bit.

The applause for Hagrid was quite a loud, especially from the Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs, both Houses got along quite well with the groundskeeper, and he had a good reputation with the vast majority of the students, regardless of House.

Hagrid waved to the students with a smile, seeing the warm reception to him becoming a Professor. It was all that he could’ve asked for and to have it warmed his heart. He sat back down after a moment and the applause died down a few moments after that; the last two applauders being Fred and George who only stopped when Percy gave them a look that promised a letter to their mother.

“That does explain the ‘Monster Book of Monsters’…” Harry nodded, thinking about the vicious book that had been assigned. Thankfully it wasn’t hard to turn the enchantment off by stroking the book’s spine. The fact that he’d had to tell the shopkeepers of Flourish and Blott’s about that had been odd to Harry, but he’d only known because he could see the Magic that animated the books with his Mage Sight spell.

“Why do books need to be enchanted to act like they’re alive?” Hermione shook her head in exasperation. She wanted to read books, not be attacked by them!

Luna giggled a little at Hermione’s expression. “I named mine Fluffles!”

Harry patted her head with a fond grin. “It’s a good name.” Luna grinned proudly at her naming sense.

“Well, I think that’s everything of importance…” Dumbledore chuckled jovially. “Let the feast begin!” He waved his arms wide and all of the golden plates and platters filled with food and drink.

‘A neat use of the Switching Charm the castle uses.’ Harry thought as he got himself a helping of roast beef.

-Ravenclaw Common Room-

“What is so fragile that saying its name breaks it?” The golden eagle door knocker questioned the gathered Ravenclaws.

“Do any of our new First Years want to take a guess?” Penelope smiled at the new members of Ravenclaw House.

One brave girl stepped forward, looking like she was thinking hard. “Is it the air?” She gave her best guess to the door knocker.

The door knocker shook its head once and the door remained closed.

“Darn it.” The girl pouted as she stepped back, getting a smile from Penny made her brighten up again though.

“Anyone else?” Penny looked at the rest of the First Years. When none of them stepped forward she giggled warmly. “Anyone else?”

Harry gently pushed Luna forward with an encouraging grin.

Luna looked up at the door knocker and smiled at the animated golden eagle. “Silence.”

The eagle nodded and folded in its wings as the door opened into the Ravenclaw Common Room.

“The riddles vary from easy to hard, but usually you won’t have to wait outside long.” Penny assured the First Years with a warm smile. “If you ever need to be let in, just knock on the door and if anyone is inside the Common Room, they’ll open the door for you.”

The Ravenclaws all entered the Common Room and began heading off to their dorms, girls to the right and boys to the left. The First Years were all turning their heads one way and then another, trying to take in the large room and everything in it as they were shown towards their dorm rooms.

But, seeing as classes started tomorrow, everyone was heading to bed a little early tonight. The perils of September first falling on a weekday that wasn’t Friday.

-Next Morning-

After seeing Astoria off to her first day of classes, the group split up to head for their own first classes of the day. For Harry and Hermione, that was Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Arriving in the room, they found most of the class already there and Professor Shacklebolt sitting at his desk, seemingly waiting for the bell to ring. They took a pair of seats that were open and got out their books, parchment, and quills. To be a Senior Auror, surely Shacklebolt had to know what he was doing. So, all of the students gave him their attention, even if they were still holding out on any respect until the lesson started. Lockhart had done a number on student trust when it came to DADA.

Once the last students filed in and took their seats, Shacklebolt stood up from his chair. The bell rang a short time later and the new Professor closed the door with a flick of his wand. “Good morning, students.” Shacklebolt greeted his first class of the day.

There were a few scattered ‘Good mornings’ returned by the students.

“Seeing as your last Professor was…unqualified.” Shacklebolt worded that as professionally as he could. “I thought we’d start today off with a bit of a verbal quiz.” That got some groans from more than a few students. “Now, now, this isn’t being graded.” Shacklebolt assured his students with a chuckle. “This is just to get a general idea of your current knowledge so that I know where to start with your instruction.” That settled the complaints and all of the students sat ready to try and answer questions. “We’ll start with something easy enough: What is the name of the jinx that traps the target in a bubble of water?”

Hermione’s hand raised, along with a few others in the room.

“Mr. Boot?” Shacklebolt called on Terry, probably because he was sitting closer to the back of the classroom.

“Ebublio, sir.” Terry answered, seeming sure of himself.

“Correct, very good, one point to Ravenclaw.” Shacklebolt rewarded the correct answer. Terry smiled at earning a point so easily and on the first day of classes. Now more students were sitting upright and paying attention. “Let’s try something a little harder this time.” Shacklebolt smiled at seeing he had everyone’s interest now. “What is the incantation for the Projectile Jinx?”

Hermione raised her hand again and this time was called on by Shacklebolt. “Waddiwasi, Professor.” She answered, actually knowing this one as she’d read about it and practiced it a bit last year.

“Correct, Miss Granger, one point for Ravenclaw.” Shacklebolt nodded to her with a grin.

The new Professor had clearly engaged the class now and the question kept up for the first half of the class. A wrong answer wasn’t punished either, the student simply didn’t earn a point for their House. It was a very effective way to check the classes knowledge of basic Jinxes and Hexes before moving on to other spells.

‘At least we have a competent Professor this time.’ Harry was happy about that much at least. He’d need to get Shacklebolt’s permission to do self-study this year too. The problem of having a new Professor for DADA each year, and one that only Harry had amongst the students.

-Herbology Greenhouse ~ After Classes-

“Afternoon, Neville.” Harry greeted his friend as he spotted him in the greenhouse.

Neville smiled at seeing Harry, stopping his repotting of a stalk of some kind that seemed to slowly move back and forth. “Good afternoon, Harry. Come to replant your cultivars?” He noticed the six pots floating behind Harry as he walked over to the free potting table next to his.

“Yeah, these six showed the best results, so I’m going to repot them and then check them throughout the rest of their growth cycle.” Harry set the six pots down. “If possible, I’d like to breed the best two of each species with each other to make a better second generation.”

“You’ll have to rely on luck for that, Harry. You never know which traits will be expressed in a subsequent generation, even with two good ‘parent’ plants.” Neville cautioned his friend not to get impatient if his luck didn’t pan out.

“Yeah, but I hope having the traits I want in both parents will make the resulting generation more prone to having them too, and if they were even better, then I’d be even happier.” Harry chuckled as he began repotting his first plant, the Boom Berry. “Did you see the article in Herbology Quarterly back in July? The one about the Herbologist group in Asia that successfully raised a small greenhouse of Serene Flowers?” He’d read it after Andromeda had mentioned it, since she was the one with the subscription to the magazine.

“Yeah, that was incredible.” Neville beamed at Harry. “If Serene Flowers feel any hostility they wither, so they’re ridiculously hard to grow. That they managed to grow even that many is amazing. Usually a Herbologist has to trek out into the deep wilderness to find a Serene Flower and collecting it risks making it wither, so they’re almost never on the market.”

“I’m curious as to what kind of research they’re planning to use them for too.” Harry added new dirt and compost to the empty pot that he was working on. “I bet a ton of Potioneers want to get their hands on the petals, roots, and leaves.”

Neville nodded in agreement as he watered the plant that he’d just finished repotting, the little stalk swaying about as if dancing in the falling water. “With the properties of a Serene Flower, I bet you could produce a powerful Calming Draught, or maybe a really good version of the Wit Sharpening Potion, you know, without the side effects.”

“Potion side effects can be weird.” Harry laughed, making Neville laugh as well as they both continued to work on their own Herbology side projects.

-Ravenclaw Common Room-

Harry approached the door with a satisfied smile. He’d repotted all of his cultivars and Neville had even complimented the six plants, saying that they looked very healthy. Harry considered that good praise, knowing how prodigious Neville was when it came to Herbology. As he stopped in front of the door, the golden eagle door knocker moved.

“The person who makes it has no need of it; the person who buys it has no use for it. The person who uses it can neither see nor feel it. What is it?” The knocker asked him.

Harry hummed in thought for a moment. ‘The person that makes it has no need for it…so something to sell to others. The person who buys it doesn’t use it…do they give it away then? But the person that uses it can’t see or feel it? What would that be?’ He mused on the answer for a bit, disregarding some intangible thigs since it was something made and probably sold. After going over the riddle a few more times, Harry came to a rather morbid answer. “A coffin.”

The door knocker nodded its head and the door opened.

“Well that one was kind of dark…” Harry certainly hadn’t heard of a riddle like that in his time at Hogwarts. But he shrugged it off and made his way into the Common Room anyway.

-Next Day ~ Care of Magical Creatures-

“Gather round, gather round!” Hagrid was beaming as he motioned the Third Years to come closer. “Today we’ll be learning about some well-loved little beasts for your first class!” He chuckled jovially and patted a covered cage set up on a table next to him.

Harry, Hermione, Daphne, and Tracy all gathered near the front with interest as to what animal Hagrid had chosen for his Third Year classes.

“Can everyone see the cage?” Hagrid checked, getting confirming mutters from various students. “Alright then, I’m sure most of you are familiar with these little fellas.” He removed the cover to reveal that the cage was filled with small round balls of fur, all colored a shade of yellow or off-white, like custard. Occasionally one would stick out a wildly long tongue.

“Puffskeins!” Tracy called out as she cooed at the adorable little beasts.

Hagrid laughed as most of the young students got excited at seeing the popular magical pet. “Aye! I’m betting a few of you have had a Puffskein growing up. Friendly as all get out and easy to raise and care for.” He gently reached into the cage and held his large hand out. Three of the fluffy little animals climbed into his palm without hesitation. “Now, can anyone tell me what Puffskeins eat?”

Daphne raised her hand and Hagrid nodded to her. “Puffskeins are scavengers and will eat almost anything that’s soft enough for them to chew. They use their long tongues to capture moths, spiders, and small edibles that might have fallen off a tree or bush…or the kitchen table.” She giggled, remembering her own little Puffskein from when she’d been small.

“Correct, Miss Greengrass, five points to Slytherin!” Hagrid smiled at the girl. “What are Puffskeins raised for besides being pets?” He looked around and pointed to Padma Patil.

“Their fur has magical properties and is used in Potions, Professor.” Padma answered with a smile.

“That’s right, five points to Ravenclaw, Miss Patil!” Hagrid chuckled as the three Puffskeins in his palm rolled around, lightly tickling his hand. “And Puffskeins don’t’ mind being tossed around either, because their magical fur protects them!” He tossed the three Puffskeins to Harry, Hermione, and Tracy.

“It’s humming.” Hermione blinked as she held the cute little furball.

“That means it’s happy and content.” Daphne informed Hermione as she lightly petted the Puffskein the muggleborn was holding.

Harry held the Puffskein up to eye level. “You’re very easy to please, aren’t you?” He chuckled when the long tongue came out to lick his cheek once. “Nym had one of you when I was small, barely remember it though.” To be fair, he’d only been about four at the time and his memory from way back when wasn’t the best.

“Come on, I have enough for everyone to hold one.” Hagrid encouraged all of the students to come get a Puffskein to hold. “For this first semester we’ll be raising them and collecting their fur as a Potions ingredient. As long as they stay in good health, we should be able to gather up their clippings at least three times.” He informed his students with a smile, seeing them all happy and eager for the lesson. His course-building sessions with Kettleburn had really paid off and Hagrid was now grateful that he hadn’t tried to introduce his Hippogriffs to the Third Years. ‘But the Seventh Years should like them well enough!’ He couldn’t wait to get to that class.

-Charms Class-

‘Bored…’ Harry had permission to self-study from Flitwick, especially after Harry had earned his own Charms Mastery; but at the moment all Harry wanted to do was not be bored. He looked out the window and could see the mountains beyond the Hogwarts grounds. ‘There’s a huge world out there, filled with all kinds of cultures and their own unique takes on Magic.’ Harry’s curiosity about Magic was always a driving force behind his various projects, and lately he’d found himself ever more curious about the wider world beyond Magical Britain.

“Harry, are you okay?” Hermione asked him quietly as Flitwick continued to teach.

Harry gave her a small smile. “I’m fine, just wondering about the wider world out there.” He whispered back to his best friend.

“You’re going to do something crazy again, aren’t you?” Hermione side-eyed him, knowing of his tendencies when he got curious.

“No…” Harry denied, though the little upturn of his lips ruined his denial.

Hermione sighed a little. “Don’t go crazy to satisfy your curiosity, Harry.”

Harry blinked at her and chuckled lowly. “But what if I go crazy from not satisfying my curiosity?”

“Then I guess you have to satisfy your curiosity a little.” Hermine admitted, even as she narrowed her eyes at him.

Harry thought it was a cute look and told her so. “You look cute when you glare like that.”

Hermione’s eyes widened and her cheeks quickly went rosy red. “Harry!” She lightly bumped him with her elbow, even as a cute smile bloomed on her face.

Harry snickered quietly at Hermione’s reaction, but did enjoy seeing it.

-Library ~ After Classes-

Harry lightly clapped his hands, getting the attention of Daphne, Luna, Astoria, Tracy, and Hermione. “That settles it, I’m going traveling!”

“Harry, no…” Hermione looked at him like he was being crazy. She eyed the book he was reading and noticed the title.

‘Magics of Europe’

“Will you bring back souvenirs?” Luna perked up with a smile. She’d miss her big brother if he was away for a long time, but if it was a short trip then she’d happily wait for him to come back and tell her about it.

“Of course.” Harry pulled her into a side-hug with a smile.

“You know that’s against the rules…” Daphne felt like she had to say it, even if she knew that Harry wouldn’t care much.

“Can I come?” Astoria perked up at the idea of a trip. She’d been far to debilitated by the Blood Malediction for most of her life to ever really travel anywhere.

“No.” Daphne shut that down immediately. Astoria pouted at her big sister, but Daphne wasn’t going to give in. “Pout all you want, but you’re not leaving Hogwarts.”

Tracy was trying not to burst out laughing, her hand covering her mouth as her shoulders shook.

“Now, where should I go first?” Harry flipped through the book he’d been reading.

Thump

A book lightly tapping the top of his head made Harry blink.

“You can start with Hogsmeade…on the specified weekends.” Penelope Clearwater’s voice came from behind Harry. The Head Girl had been passing by and heard Harry’s idea to travel. So, being the Head Girl that she was, she’d lightly admonished the incredible prodigy. He was still a Hogwarts student, regardless of his accomplishments. “You can go anywhere you wish…except outside of Hogsmeade. The rules are very clear that you can’t leave Hogsmeade during the specified weekends.”

Harry tilted his head back until he could look at Penny with a grin. “Taking Hermione and Daphne!” He levitated both girls and then flew away across the library with a wide grin.

“Harry!” Daphne squawked at the sudden flight across the library.

“We’re going to get in so much trouble!” Hermoine was covering her face as other students looked at the flying trio heading for the doors.

Harry only laughed as he felt a spell latch onto him and safely bring all three of them down to the floor. Once Hermione and Daphne were back on their feet, Harry willing let Penny lead him off to Professor Flitwick’s office, laughing the whole way even as the Head Girl sighed and gave him a good flick to the forehead for his antics.

Daphne smoothed out her robe with both hands. Her heart still beating rapidly from Harry’s prank. “That boy… I swear he gets a little more eccentric every day.”

“I don’t think Madam Pince saw us, let’s get back to our table before we get in trouble.” Hermione suggested as she started walking while straightening out her own robe. “Harry said that he was getting curious about the wider world outside of Britain, but I didn’t think he was being serious about traveling right now.”

“It’s Harry though…” Daphne mentioned.

A moment past as they walked towards their table.

“Hah…” Both girls sighed heavily at their friend and his insatiable curiosity.

-Flitwick’s Office-

“Thank you for bringing Mr. Potter, Miss Clearwater, I’ll take it from here.” Flitwick thanked the Head Girl with a smile. He was so proud of her, making Prefect since her Fifth Year and then Head Girl. Penelope was a model student and one of the prides of Ravenclaw House in the last seven years.

“Yes, Professor Flitwick.” Penelope smiled at her favorite Professor as she left his office, closing the door behind her.

Flitwick hopped up into his chair behind his desk and looked at Harry with his perfected ‘Professor’ look that silently asked for an explanation.

“It was just a little prank.” Harry answered without answering.

Flitwick sighed and looked at Harry again. “Mr. Potter, I’d like an explanation about these plans to travel that you mentioned; and that Miss Clearwater overheard.”

“It’s nothing serious, Professor Flitwick.” Harry barely suppressed a grin. “I’m just very curious about the wider world beyond Magical Britain. I thought a quick trip to the continent might allow me to expand my horizons a bit.”

“As a Third Year, you are permitted to go to Hogsmeade on designated weekends, Mr. Potter.” Flitwick reminded Harry patiently. “But leaving the country during the school year is most certainly out of the question.”

“What If I did it on the weekend so that it didn’t interfere with my classes?” Harry asked politely, yet the grin on his face was filled with mirth. Flitwick recalled seeing it on James Potter’s face many times when Harry’s father had been a student at Hogwarts.

“That’s still going to be out of the question, I’m afraid.” Flitwick denied Harry’s bout of curiosity-driven wanderlust.

“I already self-study in most of my classes, Professor.” Harry showed his age as he tried to bargain with his Head of House. “And if it was just over the weekend, my schooling wouldn’t be interfered with either. I wouldn’t miss a single class.”

“While you are a student of Hogwarts, the faculty has a responsibility and duty to look after you and your wellbeing, Mr. Potter. Doubly so for myself as you are a member of my House. If you are outside of Hogwarts and even Hogsmeade, much less outside of Scotland; how could we ever be sure of where you are or if you’re safe?”

“I’d be fine.” Harry let out a small grumble. “I’m a Charms Master too… And a High Sorcerer at that.”

Flitwick let out a small chuckle at seeing the incredibly gifted Spellcrafter acting his age. “Regardless of your Titles and your astounding accomplishments, Mr. Potter; you are a student and you are expected to follow the same rules as everyone else.”

“I know, sir.” Harry let out a long exhale in frustration. “Is leaving the grounds an expellable offense, Professor?” He looked at the part-Goblin Wizard.

“Mr. Potter, I strongly urge you to rethink your plans or any thoughts you may be having right now.” Flitwick stated, his tone becoming incredibly serious as he stared into the teen’s eyes.

Harry slumped back in his seat with a pout (though he’d deny that he pouted if anyone asked) and let out an annoyed sigh. “Yes, sir. I’ll stay in the castle except on Hogsmeade weekends.” He relented, knowing that he stayed at Hogwarts to be with his friends, and for some of the still interesting things that he could find in the ancient castle.

“Thank you, Mr. Potter.” Flitwick smiled at his most prodigious student. “Now, since you’re here, would you like to talk about some Advanced Charms Theory?” Flitwick offered as he pointed his wand and set a kettle of tea to boil.

“I could stay for a little while, sir.” Harry agreed with a smile of his own, a tin of snacks being levitated over to Flitwick’s desk by the Professor. There would be time to try and find ways around the Hogwarts rules later.

‘I’ll have to bring Mr. Potter’s idea of going traveling up with Albus and Minerva soon. I highly doubt he’s actually going to give up on it entirely.’ Flitwick thought to himself as the tea kettle started to whistle as he levitated two teacups over to his desk.

-End Chapter-

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Harry… Don’t you try and go globetrotting on the weekends, mister! Kek!

The prodigious Spellcrafter is just so damn curious, isn’t he?

Forget regular Hogsmeade weekends! Harry wants to go traveling!

But where in Europe would he start?

Albus, Minerva, and Flitwick are going to be rubbing their temples and taking Headache Relieving Potions if Harry’s curiosity, aspirations, and desires start leading him outside of Hogwarts!

Perhaps there is some kind of compromise that can be reached? Or maybe Harry will find other things to pursue this year at Hogwarts?

So many options!

What will Harry do next?

Keep reading to find out!

Until I get your reviews, later!