Major Arcana Part 3 (Patreon)

Harry tumbled out of the fireplace and rolled to his feet, barely managing to keep his trunk from hitting the ground. He took a couple of steps to the side so he wouldn't be flattened by Hagrid if he came tumbling out of the fireplace and looked around the old fashioned waiting room that he found himself in. 'Stone walls, uncomfortable looking chairs and two doors, one of which leads to a bathroom.' He was slightly disappointed when a hunched over Hagrid merely stepped out of the fireplace before standing up straight. "That was fun."

Hagrid stared at Harry for a couple of seconds when he realized he wasn't being sarcastic. "Most people wouldn't describe using the floo as fun."

"Most people don't have a decent sense of adventure," Harry replied cheerfully, looking forward to exploring the school. "Where do I stash my trunk and can I let Wanda out of the trunk?" he asked, thinking about the white owl that Hagrid had given him as a birthday present.

"You should probably wait until we get to the guest quarters," Hagrid said as he opened the door and stepped into the hallway, relieved that he hadn't ended up in the dungeons or Filch's office.

"Cool," Harry agreed as he followed Hagrid into the stone hallway. "Can I use the library?"

"You take after your mother, don't you?" Hagrid asked as they headed down the hallway.

"She loves reading and research," Harry agreed as he picked up the pace to keep up with Hagrid's long strides. "What's it like working in a castle?"

"I mostly work outside and in the forest, makin’ sure nothing too dangerous gets close to the castle," Hagrid replied as he stopped in front of one of the doors, pulled out a set of iron keys and unlocked the door.

"Are there any other students staying over the summer?" Harry asked as Hagrid opened the door to what looked like an old fashioned bedroom.

"No, we don't normally let students stay over the summer," Hagrid explained as Harry walked into the room and set his trunk down.

"Makes sense, the teachers probably need a break from dealing with students and it gives you a chance to clean everything," Harry mused as he opened his trunk so his new owl could get out if she wanted to stretch her wings.

"Feel free to explore the castle and the grounds," Hagrid told him. "Just stay out of the greenhouses and the forest, there are dangerous plants in the greenhouses and monsters in the forest."

"Monsters?" Harry asked with interest. "What type of monsters?"

"Depends on the season," Hagrid replied, not seeing a point in mentioning his various pets. "Best to avoid the large willow tree near the castle, it likes to hit people that get too close."

"Noted," Harry agreed, not seeing a reason to mess with an animated tree until he had a better idea what was going on. "Can I look through the library?"

"I'll introduce you to the librarian," Hagrid said as he started walking down the hallway.

"Sounds good," Harry agreed as he followed Hagrid, doing his best to pay attention to his surroundings and how to get back.

0o0o0

Severus paused when he walked into the library and saw Harry sitting at one of the tables reading a book with an expression of wonder on his face that reminded him of Lily. 'At least he doesn't seem to be as arrogant as James,' he mused as he walked over to the table where Harry was reading.

Harry looked up from his book and focused on the professor. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"I was curious about Archetypes and your world," Severus said, not seeing a point in quibbling over the fact that Harry was actually from this world.

"Anything specific?" Harry asked as he set the book on the table.

"How common are they?" Severus asked.

"Technically everyone has an Archetype," Harry replied, thinking about the way his mother had explained things. "It's just that ninety one percent of the population are Bystanders which means that only about nine percent of the population actually gets something useful from their Archetype."

"Do you know what your Archetype is?" Severus asked.

"No clue," Harry admitted. "Normally, I'd say something magic related but my father's family has had magic as far back as we can trace them and my mother is a Dark Lord, it would be weird if I didn't have magic. I could be a Chosen Hero because of the prophecy or my Archetype could be something completely unrelated."

"Your mother is a Dark Lord?" Severus asked in disbelief.

"She's the Dark Lord of Godric's Hollow," Harry replied smugly.

"What does being a Dark Lord involve?" Severus asked, wanting to make sure he wasn't jumping to conclusions.

"It depends on the Dark Lord," Harry replied, thinking about some of the other Dark Lords he'd heard of. "Typically speaking, Dark Lords are driven to take over and rule areas, either to make them better or because they want the resources or infamy."

"Corrupt governments?" Severus asked, thinking about the ministry.

"Basically, that's why Mum took over," Harry explained. "The Archetype gives the Dark Lord magic, the power to turn Bystanders into minions that live in the area they control and a number of random magical abilities that fits the specific Dark Lord’s temperament."

"How did she end up marrying a hero?" Severus asked.

"They spent a couple of weeks working together while they were dealing with a monster infestation that a rival Dark Lord unleashed on Mum's territory. He was one of those annoying villains that you can't kill or seriously injure because of an immortality clause. Mum came up with an idea to trap the idiot in a crystal for all eternity and Dad volunteered to help."

Severus nodded. "Not a bad solution," he said thoughtfully, wondering if it had been Voldemort in that world as well and if so, would they be able to use the same solution.

"Unfortunately and fortunately, it didn't work," Harry complained. "It led to them getting together and having three daughters, that was the fortunate part."

"Let me guess, he saved her?" Severus asked, a touch of annoyance creeping in.

"Nah, she was in the middle of using lightning to educate the Dark Lord about why not being able to die wasn't always a good thing when Dad made a joke about hacking the Dark Lord apart. They spent half an hour trying to dismember or kill him in various ways before realizing that they'd have to get creative. Mum made a joke about taking Dad on a date if he could kill the Dark Lord and Dad burned the bastard to ashes with righteous fire."

"Prophecy?" Severus guessed.

"Something about him killing the unkillable," Harry replied with a shrug. “They won’t let me read the prophecy until I am older, something about what inspired the flames.”

"What type of Archetypes are there?" Severus asked, deciding to change the subject.

"Assassin, Bystander, Dodgeball Demon, Mad Scientist, Magic Girl, Superhero, Exorcist, Hunter, Knight, Cowboy, Pirate, Villain, Dark Lord, Witch, Wizard, Vampire, Druid and Chosen Hero spring to mind, there are hundreds or thousands of different Archetypes and they're all a bit different," Harry explained, not wanting to get into a discussion about how the Archetypes changed through the centuries.

"How many people have magic in your world?" Severus asked.

"That depends, how much magic are you talking about? Enough to light a candle or enough to teleport?" Harry asked.

"Both," Severus replied.

"Roughly five percent of the population has enough magic to teleport, roughly fifteen percent could light a candle with practice," Harry offered, not sure of the exact number. "How common are magic users here?"

"Slightly less than one percent, depending on the area," Severus admitted.

"I wonder if that's because of the Archetypes or because we didn't go into hiding," Harry mused, fairly sure it had more to do with not going into hiding as the magic people got from Archetypes didn't always pass down to the next generation.

"It's probably a combination," Severus mused, fairly sure there would be more magic users running around if they didn't have to hide, if only because they would have spread out a bit more. "What does a Cowboy Archetype give you?"

"Exceptional talent and skill with guns, horses, and ropes," Harry replied with a shrug. "Some of the Archetypes aren't all that much better than being a Bystander and some of them are a lot better. My turn, did you know my parents?"

"Your mother and I grew up in the same neighborhood. I didn't meet your father until Hogwarts, we didn't get along," Severus admitted.

"Let me guess, his warped sense of humor?" Harry asked, thinking of the various over the top practical jokes he'd pulled over the years.

"One of the many reasons," Severus admitted.

"Did he ever stick a fake severed head in a cake and scare the hell out of you?" Harry asked, wondering how the two James compared.

Severus stared at Harry for a couple of seconds then shook his head when he realized the boy wasn't actually joking. "No, he generally stuck to curses, hexes, and insults."

"It couldn't have been that serious, you're alive," Harry replied, making a mental note to ask the rest of the teachers about his other parents when he got a chance. "What about Lily?" he asked, curious how close his birth mother was to his Mum.

"She was an exceptional witch and a genius when it came to Potions," Severus offered, wondering what the other version was like.

"I like potions but I'm not a genius like my mother or my younger sister," Harry admitted as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and double tapped the icon that brought up his Potion's program. "I'm still working my way through the potions I need to test out of the basic potions class at the academy."

"How long have you been working on it?" Severus asked.

"A couple of years," Harry replied as he pulled up the rather long list of potions that he needed to finish before he could test out of the basic class. He held the phone out so that the professor could see the list.

Severus looked over the list of potions that Harry still needed to complete, trying not to get distracted by the strange magical device that appeared to hold all the boy’s notes. "Can you remember the recipe for any of these?"

"Just the basic potion of healing. I never bothered memorizing most of them because I can just look at the recipe."

"If that's the case, why do you remember the recipe?" Severus asked.

"I've been making at least two cauldrons of the stuff a week for the last two years, same with the potion of jumping," Harry replied, not seeing a point in mentioning that he had hundreds of potion recipes saved on his phone.

"Why so much?" Severus asked.

"Pocket change. There's always a demand for low quality healing potions and I can sell the potions of jumping for ten pounds a bottle at school," Harry replied as he pulled a blank piece of parchment and his new fountain pen out of his book bag. “The kids buying the jumping potions often end up buying healing potions right after.” He smirked.

Severus raised his eyebrows. "Is that legal?"

"I've passed the test for both potions and magical goods are only taxed in a shop or if you make more than twenty thousand a year via sales," Harry explained as he started writing down the recipe for the potion of jumping that he used.

Severus ran the numbers and the conversion in his head, fairly sure the boy made more than he did if he was selling everything he made. "What do your parents do for a living if you don't mind me asking?"

"Mum's technically the mayor," Harry replied, knowing it was slightly more complicated as she owned half the town outright. "Dad mostly works contract jobs through the hero union when they can't find anyone else."

"When they can't find anyone else?" Severus asked.

Harry smiled as he thought about the way his father had explained things. "He has a tendency to burn problematic villains and businesses to the ground when they send him on a job which means the union is pretty careful about which jobs they send him on."

"I can see that," Severus admitted as he studied the recipe. "Do you always put detailed warnings in your recipes?"

"People tend to ignore vague disclaimers. If you add more of the pepper than the clover, you'll bounce high enough to break your legs when you hit the ground," Harry explained as he continued writing down the recipe.

"I might have to be a bit more descriptive," Severus mused as he mentally reviewed the potion, wondering if they could make it work with local ingredients. 'We have a month, that should be plenty of time to run some tests.'

0o0o0

Filch paused when he walked around the corner of the hallway to check on the student that was staying over the summer and froze when he saw Professor Snape bouncing down the hallway, looking like a damned rabbit or chocolate frog as each jump cleared at least ten feet. He stared in disbelief until the professor went around the corner then looked down at his cat, wondering if he'd finally lost his marbles. He lifted his coffee up and smelled it, trying to figure out if he'd spiked it too much. 'Fuck it, I'm going back to sleep,' he thought as he turned around and headed back towards his office.

0o0o0

Harry blinked as he went from setting his head on his overly green pillow in his pajamas to standing on a sand covered beach in swim trunks where his sisters were sprawled out on towels, enjoying the sunny weather in a bit less than the usual beach wear their parents demand they wear. 'Did I teleport? I'd have felt it and there's no way Mum would let them out of her sight, especially dressed like that,' he mused.

Violet twisted around when she felt an additional presence and spotted her missing brother. "Harry?! Harry!” the red haired magic girl exclaimed and all but crushed him in a hug.

"Hey," Harry replied, fairly sure he was dreaming, despite the fact that he could feel the wind on his face and the sand on his feet as if it were real, not to mention the sister squeezing him as if afraid he would vanish, the sensation of warm skin not something he’d ever felt in a dream before.

Rose flew over and pulled Harry into a hug as well. "You're alive!"

"Last I checked," Harry assured her as he returned his sisters’ hugs. "I just put my head down and I must have drifted off."

"Makes sense, I tried to pull you in earlier, it must have created a connection," Violet explained as she shifted her grip on him, her sparkly and skimpy bikini bottoms barely hiding anything which was a step up from Violet who was once more all but naked as she was wearing black socks with a pair of flip flops for some reason.

"I thought you said you couldn't pull more people into your dream?" Harry asked, wondering if she'd lied to him.

"I wasn't sure I could and Mum didn't want me testing it on you because I haven't figured out how to kick Rose out of my dreams, not that I've tried all that hard in case I can't fix it," Violet admitted as she hugged her siblings, still not sure why her Mum hadn't wanted her to invite Harry into her dream world.

"What happened?!" Rose demanded.

"I got summoned to another world by a crazy old wizard, similar to Disney’s Sword in the Stone’s Merlin. Apparently there's a prophecy," Harry explained, knowing they'd understand, even if they didn't like it.

"Ah," Violet muttered as she leaned back so she could study her brother. "Aliens, Demons or Dark Lords?" she asked, mostly joking about the aliens part.

"The prophecy mentioned an evil wizard that wasn't quite dead. I'm not sure if it's some type of conditional immortality or luck but I'll probably end up fighting him a couple of times before I'll figure out how to destroy him," Harry explained with a shrug.

"Told you Chosen Hero was going to be his Archetype," Violet said smugly.

"Maybe," Rose agreed, not willing to concede the bet on her brother’s Archetype just yet. "What's the other world like?"

"They have a hidden magic society and no one has Archetypes or maybe they just haven't figured out how to identify them? It's weird," Harry admitted, still trying to wrap his mind around a world where everyone was basically a Bystander, not that there was anything wrong with that.

"Do they have familiars and magic costumes?" Violet asked excitedly, picturing a world filled with magic girls.

"I think they're just pets though they have owls that can find people, so maybe?" Harry asked, wishing he'd taken a look at the pet store but they'd been running late. "I haven't seen any magic costumes yet, just robes and cloaks."

"Better than capes," Violet mused, wondering if they had magic cloaks that sparkled like they contained the night sky, if she was going to wear one she really wanted one like that.

Rose shook her head. "There's nothing wrong with capes."

"Jet engines," Harry reminded them of one of the PSAs they’d seen in school.

"There's no way someone was that stupid," Rose complained, fairly sure that was just an urban myth.

"I'll stick with my cloak, they have hoods for dramatic purposes," Harry teased.

"What do they use for foci?" Violet asked, changing the subject.

"They use wooden wands with cores made of magical creature bits, it's sort of interesting but I'm still not sure why they all use wands," Harry admitted.

"Do they have anything useful?" Violet asked.

"They have a magic school which has all sorts of neat spells," Harry said, looking forward to learning everything he could. “I haven’t been there long enough to tell you more than the barest details.”

"Shields and battle magic?" Rose asked.

"Probably, I've been mostly looking at potions, one of the professors knew another version of our parents which they claim are my birth parents," Harry explained. "Speaking of, can you ask Mum if I'm adopted or if I vanished to another dimension for a while when I was a baby? The crazy old wizard that summoned me thinks I might be responsible for the local Dark Lord's previous defeat."

"Sure," Violet agreed. "He's probably just crazy."

"Probably," Harry agreed, not sure what else to say. "So, is there a reason you're wearing something that sparkles more than a gemstone and looks like a couple of postage stamps on a string? Wearing that little it makes more sense to go naked like Rose, minus the socks and sandals of course."

Rose snickered. "She saw it in a shop and Mum wouldn't let her buy it."

Violet stuck her tongue out at her twin then reluctantly released the two and stepped back, doing a little spin. "What do you think?"

"Looks good," Harry lied, knowing she wouldn't appreciate him saying that it was too shiny and too small, making it seem indecent which was strange considering Rose preferred to wander around naked when she could get away with it to try and soak up more sun and that seemed perfectly normal.

"Cool," Violet replied as she used her dream power to conjure another towel for Harry right in between theirs so they could relax and share stories. "I want details, as much as you can remember, because Mum and Da are going to want to know as much as possible."

"No problem," Harry replied as they reluctantly released him.

They walked over to their towels and sat down, the girls wrapping him in a half hug to make sure he wouldn’t vanish on them while they talked.