the DragonBard wrote:

Harry Potter, the Arch-Magus

by

the DragonBard

*******************************************************************************
I do not own any of these characters, or any of the games, books, movies, 
skills, spells, items, or techniques mentioned in this story, except those 
specifically created by myself. All others are owned by their respective 
copywrite holders and/or creators.  Especially any characters from the Harry 
Potter series, which is the property of J.K. Rowlings, or any parts of 
Dungeons & Dragons, which is owned by Wizards of the Coast.
=============================================================

Chapter 2

	Vernon Dursley was a large man, as anyone who saw him would agree, so it 
was a bit of a surprise for Harry Potter, when he saw a man in the entryway 
of the Dursley home, who was larger than Vernon by quite a bit, both in 
girth, and size.  However, unlike Vernon, whose size was mostly fat, the 
stranger looked like he was shaped normally, just rather large.

	The stranger was a giant of a man, with shaggy hair and beard that made 
even Harry's wild locks seem tame.  It was obvious that, from the size 
alone, the strange man held a great deal of strength in his arms.  However, 
Harry got the sense that he was a very solid, dependable sort, with a good, 
loyal heart.

	Ever since he had discovered his magic, Harry had been learning how to 
sense things about people and objects.  Unfortunately, he still needed a 
great deal of work on the skill.  He could sometimes get a general vibe off 
of individuals, but it was a hit and miss thing.

	Vernon and Petunia were yelling at the top of their lungs, making almost as 
much noise as the loud knocking had, as the giant walked further into the 
house, looking around.  The giant seemed to ignore them, waving a pink 
parasol in thought.  It was at that moment he noticed Harry, who was slowly 
moving down the stairs.

	"An' here's Harry."  The giant said, breaking into a smile.  "Ain't seen 
ya' since you were a babe, just after yer parents died."

	The giant seemed to get a bit misty eyed at that, and wipped his eyes with 
a sleave.

	"Spittin' image of yer dad, but got'cha mothers eyes."

	Vernon went red in the face, while Petunia just paled.

	"I demand you get out of my house, this instant!"  He screamed.

	"Aw, shut it, Dursley."  The giant said, with a glance at Vernon.

	It was all Harry could do to keep from breaking out laughing.  It wasn't 
often that Vernon Dursley had to deal with someone whom he couldn't bully, 
or kiss up to, and Harry was glad he got to see it.

	Harry initiated the Flame and the Void, to keep any of his mirth from 
showing on his face, and just watched.

	"Well, happy birthday Harry, got somethin' for ya."

	The giant reached into his large coat, and pulled out a fancy cake box, 
slightly squished, and handed it to Harry.  Harry carefully opened it, to 
find a large chocolate cake, with 'Happy Birthday Harry' in green icing.  If 
Harry hadn't been within the Void, it might have been enough to make him 
cry.  Instead, he simply looked up at the smiling face of the giant.

	"Excuse me, but might I ask who you are?"

	The giant shook his head, and frowned.

	"Now, where's me manners?"  He asked himself.  "The name's Rubeus Hagrid, 
just call me Hagrid.  Keeper of the Keys and the Grounds at Hogwarts."

	Hagrid shook Harry's hand, almost his entire body infact.  Harry didn't 

in fact

notice, as he had latched onto the name Hogwarts.

	'He's from Hogwarts!'  He thought to himself, outside the Void.  'This 
means I can finally contact them!  I can go to school there!'

	Thoughts on how to talk to Hagrid about going to Hogwarts skimmed at the 
edge of the Void, and it was all Harry could do to keep it from collapsing 
on him.

	The Flame and the Void was a means of calming and focusing ones self.  The 
person would imagine a burning flame, and then feed it with their thoughts 
and feelings.  With every piece added, the flame would grow larger, and 
hotter, until finally, when there was nothing left, the flames themselves 
would vanish, leaving nothing but the Void.  It was very useful, because not 
only did it allow a person to calm themselves, but it helped to keep 
distractions to a minimum, giving one unbelievable focus.  It also magnified 
awareness to a point you could almost see the future.  Unfortunately, when 
you were first developing the skill, it was very easy to disturb, and loose 
the Void.  It required several repititions, and long term use of the skill 
before you could hold it at all times.

	Harry had yet to achieve that point.

	The Void quickly collapsed on Harry.  He briefly  considered reforming it, 
but decided against it.

	Hagrid went back into the kitchen, and after a bit of puttering around, 
along with apparently some help from his pink parasol, quickly had some 
breakfast cooked up.  Petunia moaned about a monster destroying her kitchen, 
while Vernon tried to sooth her.  Dudley tried to snitch one of the 
sausages, but Vernon stopped him.

	"Don't eat anything that freak gives you."  He told his son.

	"Boy's fat enough as is."  Hagrid remarked.  Petunia and Vernon gasped in 
outrage as Hagrid then turned to Harry, who was happily eatting the sausage 

eating

Hagrid had given him.

	"Now, like I said, I'm from Hogwarts.  Course, you'll be knowin' all about 
Hogwarts."

	Harry shook his head.  "Not really, I just know it's a school for wizardry 
and witchcraft."  Harry got a curious look on his face.  "Is there any real 
difference between the two?"

	Hagrid looked confused, while Petunia and Vernon were shocked.

	"Uh, yeah.  Witches do one, wizards the other."  Hagrid said, confusedly.

	Harry sighed.  "What I mean is, is there a difference in the kind of magic 
that they use, or the way they do it?"  'I get the feeling that I should 
wait and ask these kinds of questions when I get to the school.'

	It took a few questions, but Harry finally was able to get the right 
answer.  It appeared that the only difference between witchcraft and 
wizardry, was the gender of the user.

	'Rather stupid, if you ask me.'  Harry thought to himself.  'It's like 
having two words for cooking, if the chef was a boy or a girl.'

	Vernon, who had been turning a most unbecoming shade of puce, started 
yelling.

	"NO!  We refuse!  I will not pay for him to go to that place!  I don't know 
how he learned about it, but when we took him in, we decided we were going 
to put a stop to that... freakishness once and for all!"

	Hagrid glared at Vernon and Petunia, but whatever he might have said was 
cut off by Harry.

	"So, you 'did' know."  Harry said, as cold as a glacier.  "I often wondered 
if you knew about my magical abilities, but always told myself that it would 
have been impossible for you to know.  It wasn't until I got my letter that 
I really believed it.

	"Is that why you've always treated me like you have?  Like I was something 
that wasn't worth your time?"  Harry asked.

	Petunia glared in disgust at her nephew.

	"'Knew?'  Of course we knew!"  She shrieked.  "How could we not, with my 
drafted sister being what she was?  Oh, she got a letter like yours, but our 
parents didn't do the sensible thing and burn it, like we did yours.  Then, 
it was off to that - that 'school' - and came home with her pockets full of 
frog spawn, and turning tea cups into vermin.  I was the only one who saw 
her for the freak she was, but our mother and father were always 'Lily this' 
and 'Lily that' they were proud of having a..." Petunia's face became even 
more disgusted, and she spat out the word as if even having it in her mouth 
was contaminate her. "'Witch' in the family."

	Petunia ranted, the bile continuing to flow from her mouth.

	"Then, she met that Potter at that school, got married and had you!  I knew 
you were just as strange, as abnormal she was.  She then has the gall to get 
blown up, and stick you with us!"

	Harry clenched his jaw, as his hands tightend into white knuckled fists.  
The rage and disgust he felt at the pair was pushing his self control to its 
limits.  He tried to call the flame, to wrap himself in the Void, for just a 
moment, to regain control, but it wouldn't come.  The rage and pain were too 
great.

	"So, my parents dying in a car crash was a lie too?"  He asked, barely 
keeping it from a snarl.

	This set off Hagrid, who began yelling about Harry not knowing his own 
story, and how no car crash could have killed off his parents.

	Harry grabbed Hagrid's arm.

	"Don't, they're not worth the bother."  Harry said.

	This enraged the Dursleys, but a glare from both Hagrid, and (surprisingly) 
Harry, kept them quiet.

	"Hagrid, can you tell me the truth about what happened to my parents?"

	Hagrid turned to Harry, and calmed down.

	"I don't know if I'm the right person for it... Professor Dumbledore said 
there might be trouble, that ya might not know everything ya should... but I 
can't let you go to Hogwarts an' not know yer own story."  Hagrid sighed, 
and then glared at the Dursleys.

	Hagrid began to explain about how several years ago, a very dark and evil 
wizard, named Voldemort, rose to power, murdering anyone who defied him.  

Hagrid doesn't call him that.  Harry would have to wait until he talked 
to Dumbledore before he knew the name (as in fact happened in the 
original book)


He

was so feared, that no one would willingly say his name, for fear of 
attracting his attention.  They simply called him 'You-Know-Who.'  He told
how, only Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, was able to truly stand 
against Voldemort.  Finally, Hagrid told of the night that Voldemort's power 
was finally broken, and how Harry became known as 'the Boy-Who-Lived.'

	"Took ya' out of the house meself."  Hagrid said sadly, then glared at the 
Dursleys.  "Had ta bring ya' to this lot, unfortunately."

	At this point, Harry was rather conflicted.  On one hand, Hagrid seemed 
like a nice enough fellow, and really didn't seem to like the Dursley family 
(always a good point).  On the other hand, he was the person who brought him 
to this prison.

	Before he could ask any questions, Vernon broke into the conversation, 
insulting Harry and his parents.  Hagrid angrily threatend him, cowing 
Vernon into silence.

	Harry briefly considered asking about why Dumbledore wanted him to live 
with the Dursleys, but changed his mind.  'That's a question that Dumbledore 
himself will have to answer.'

	"What happened to Vol..."  Harry stopped, seeing Hagrid flinch at the name. 
  "Sorry, You-Know-Who, what happened to him?"

	Hagrid shrugged.  "Don't rightly know.  Some people think he died.  Load of 
codswallop, ifn' you ask me.  Don't think there were enough human left in 
'im to die like that.  Others think he's just run away, biddin his time.  
Don't believe it meself.  Lots of people on our side came out of trances 
that he done put on 'em.  Wouldn't of done that if he was coming back, would 
they.

	"Most of us reckon that he's still around, but broken, powerless.  Too weak 
to carry on 'cause of something about you.  I don't know what it is - no one 
rightly knows - but something about you sure stumped him."

	Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect burning in his eyes.  Harry 
smiled at him.

	Vernon decided to break in at that moment.

	"We've told you, the boy is going to Stonewall High, and he's going to like 
it.  I've read those letters, and we are not going to pay for any of those 
foolish things they say he needs."  Vernon grinned in triumph.  He'd spent 
as little as he possibly could on the boy, after all, everything that went 
to him was that much less that he could give to his boy Dudley.  It didn't 
matter that the boy only wore clothes Dudley had outgrown, or made unfit to 
wear, and he slept in the cupboard for most of his time with them.  It was 
the principal of the thing.

	"I'd like ta see a great big muggle like you try and stop him."  Hagrid 
growled.  "Stop Lily and James Potter's son from going?  He's been set down 
to go since he was born!  He'll go to the fines school of magic in the

finest

I tried glossing over some of the things that are pretty much the same.  
Hope it helps keep things different.

Not really.  I keep wondering what the point of this story is.  So Harry 
arrives at the school more powerful.  So what?  All it means is, he'll 
have an easier time when the challenges start happening.



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