Arcane Academy

Chapter 2

Remus held Harry securely against his chest as they landed in a large living room. Remus sighed and went in search of a bedroom. He needed to put Harry to bed and set up a few wards. He had to keep Dumbledore from finding them at all costs.

Settling Harry into the bedroom at the back of the house, Remus set up a an alarm to alert him if Harry awoke and another alarm to remind him to give Harry his next nutrient potion. With that done, Remus began to examine the wards on the house. After a few moments, he smiled wryly. Of course, he needn’t have worried. Bill’s house had enough wards on it to rival Grimmauld Place. Harry should be perfectly safe here.

Remus sighed wearily and headed for the bedroom beside Harry’s room. It had been a long day, and it was finally catching up to him. Stripping down to his shorts, Remus climbed into bed. He would need to do a little shopping tomorrow. In his haste to get Harry away from the Dursley’s, he hadn’t brought along any of Harry’s belongings. As he eventually fell asleep, Remus just wished Harry was well enough to go with him.

The next morning, Remus gave Harry another nutrient potion and one of the healing potions. He brushed the teen’s hair away from his face. “Come on, Harry. Please wake up soon. Seeing you like this is slowly killing me.”

With a soft sigh, Remus reset the alarms and left the room. He headed to the wizarding bazaar and purchased Harry a new wardrobe, groceries, and books. As he passed the menagerie, though, he saw a pair of fox kits displayed in the window. They were both solid black with bright green eyes, and Remus immediately thought that if Harry was a fox animagus, the teen would look exactly like the little kits in the window.

Staring at the tiny animals a moment longer, Remus came to a decision. He would purchase the kits for Harry. Hopefully, they would help him on the way to recovery. Besides, they were just too cute to ignore.

Remus quickly paid for the fox kits and lifted them out of the cage. The kits growled at being in such close proximity to a wolf, but Remus just calmly held them close and apparated back to Bill’s cottage. He headed straight to Harry’s room and set the kits on the bed with the comatose teen before unshrinking the bags with Harry’s wardrobe.

Turning back to check on the kits, Remus gasped when he saw the kits bite Harry, one on each arm. He started to rush forward to help Harry, but the kits released Harry on their own and calmly lapped up the few drops of blood the welled to the surface. It was then that he realised that these two kits were Harry’s true familiars. They now had an empathic link with Harry, and with time, would be able to communicate telepathically with the teen.

One of the kits whimpered sadly and licked Harry on the cheek. The other kit yipped softly and curled up beside the teen, lending whatever comfort it could. Remus sighed wearily. Harry had already suffered so much in his young life. Would it ever end?

***

Remus fed the kits and checked on Harry. Three weeks and still no change. It was heartbreaking to see Harry lying on the bed so still, the steady rise and fall of his chest the only sign that he was still alive. He was beginning to despair that his cub would never awaken.

Looking at the gifts he’d purchased for his cub, Remus could only hope that the power boost he received from his magical inheritance would be enough to revive the teen. The next two weeks would pass with excruciating slowness.

Meanwhile at Hogwarts, Dumbledore cursed softly as Severus left the room. It had been three weeks since Remus had taken Harry and disappeared, and no one had seen or heard from them since. The brat had to be found soon. Harry’s sixteenth birthday was in two weeks, and that meant coming into his magical inheritance. He was already powerful, and the inheritance would give him a significant boost, making him much more difficult to control.

If he could only find Harry before that happened, he could cast a spell to repress that extra power. However, it had to be cast right at midnight on the night of his birthday. Where could they have gone?

Dumbledore had already checked all of Lupin’s previous haunts, but no one had seen him in weeks. He’d asked Kingsley to check at the Ministry for any unregistered portkey usage, but he’d come back empty handed. He’d even checked all of the muggle transportation for any sign of them, but that, too, was to no avail.

Dumbledore rubbed his eyes wearily. All of his carefully thought out plans were unravelling, and it was all because of that stupid muggle. What part of physical harm did the man not get? Withholding food, neglect, and emotional abuse were fine. Such treatment had worked wonderfully to ensure that Harry trusted him. And now that was completely ruined, and all because Vernon got a little too eager to discipline the brat.

Maybe he could salvage some of this mess. Harry still had two years of school left, and neither Durmstrang and Beauxbatons accepted transfer students. So, really, Remus had no choice but to send Harry back to Hogwarts. Surely, he wouldn’t deny the boy the right to finish his education.

Dumbledore smirked gleefully. And when Harry returned to Hogwarts, he would simply slip a compulsion potion into the boy’s food. Unfortunately, the potion would need to be administered everyday since Harry was strong enough to resist the Imperious curse, but he was sure Severus wouldn’t mind supplying the potion for him.

Little did he know, though, that all of his scheming was for naught.

***

Remus checked the time and sighed. Two minutes until midnight. Two minutes until Harry’s magical inheritance. Remus sighed and jumped to his feet. These last two minutes were killing him. He just wanted his cub to awaken.

Suddenly a gray fog filled the bedroom. The fog was so dense, Remus couldn’t see anything. A bright golden light then pierced the fog, and he could faintly see the outline of Harry’s body enshrouded in that golden light. The golden light flared even brighter, almost blinding in intensity, before sinking into Harry’s body. The fog immediately began to dissipate, revealing Harry completely.

Remus was stunned at what he saw. The teen on the bed looked nothing like the Harry he knew. Gone was the extremely short, scrawny, messy-haired boy, and in his place was a slightly taller, slender man with long black hair. No longer did he have the softer features of childhood, replaced with sharper, more defined features. Harry also now sported furry ears on the top of his head.

As Remus goggled at the changes, the teen in question finally began to awaken. He wearily opened his eyes and blinked slowly. He stared at the ceiling for a moment before he realised that he was no longer at the Dursley’s. Harry bolted upright and looked around nervously, only relaxing when he saw Remus staring at him in shock.

“Remus, what’s wrong?”

Remus slowly pulled himself together and sat down beside Harry. “You’ve been in a coma for the last five weeks, cub. That damn Dursley almost killed you.”

Harry shivered in remembrance. He didn’t doubt at all that he’d almost died. If Vernon had had his way, that’s exactly what would’ve happened. However, that still didn’t explain the shell-shocked look on the werewolf’s face.

“So what else has happened? Me nearly dying can’t be the reason for that look on your face. It’s happened too many times before for it to be that shocking,” said Harry calmly.

“Well, Harry, you came into your magical inheritance,” said Remus nervously. “That usually means a power boost for most wizards, but for those with magical creatures in their lineage, that could mean becoming a magical creature.”

Harry groaned and covered his face. “Please tell me that I’m not a magical creature. I’m freakish enough as it is.”

“You are not a freak,” growled Remus, pulling Harry’s hands away from his face. “Those stupid muggles were the freaks, not you.”

Harry stared at Remus for a moment and slowly smiled. “So what have I become?”

Remus cocked his head to the side and stared at Harry thoughtfully. “I’m not sure, actually.” He grabbed one of the pillows and transfigured it into a mirror, holding it before the teen. “Take a look yourself.”

Harry hesitantly looked at his reflection and gasped in surprise. The pupils of his eyes were slitted like a cat’s, and now there was a golden ring around the green iris. His ears twitched, and Harry’s gaze was pulled to the furry appendages. His jaw dropped in surprise, and it was then that he noticed the slightly lengthened canines.

Dropping the mirror onto the bed, Harry jumped to his feet and craned his head back to see if he had a tail, too. Seeing the fluffy black appendage waving gently behind him, Harry groaned again. What the hell had he become?

“What kind of creature looks human but has animal ears and a tail?”

“I don’t know,” said Remus unsurely. “I’ve never heard of magical creature like that.”

“I really am a freak, aren’t I?” asked Harry miserably. He heard Remus growl at his comment and smiled sheepishly. “Okay, I got it. I’m not a freak. I’m just some kind of fox boy.”

Remus’ eyes widened at Harry’s description. That was it! “You’re a Kitiara!”

“What in Merlin’s name is that?” asked Harry curiously.

“They’re magical cousins to kitsune youkai,” said Remus.

“And they are?” asked Harry, completely confused.

“Fox demons!” said Remus brightly.

Harry paled. “I’m a demon?”

Remus shook his head quickly. “No, Kitiara aren’t demons. Kitiara are part fox and part human. They may look like their demon cousins, but a Kitiara’s powers are very different. Kitsune Youkai have extraordinary power over plants and can transform into a spirit fox. Kitiara can still do wizarding magic, but they also have an elemental power and a physical fox form.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” said Harry softly. He suddenly smiled. “I guess that means I can keep you company during the full moon?”

“Speaking of company, I have a surprise for you,” said Remus, looking around the room. He knelt down beside the bed and peered underneath it. Two sets of green eyes blinked back at him. “Come on, guys. Don’t you want to see Harry?”

Harry stared at Remus in bemusement, wondering what in the world the other man was doing. He blinked in surprise when Remus began to talk to something or someone underneath the bed. Then he heard two soft yips before Remus help up two black kits with bright green eyes.

“These little guys are yours. They’ve already claimed you,” said Remus, setting the kits on the bed.

Both kits yipped happily and bounded into Harry’s lap, snuggling into the Kitiara’s warmth. Harry timidly reached out and stroked the kits’ soft fur, smiling when they rumbled contentedly. “They’re so cute. Have you named them, yet?”

Remus shook his head. “They’re yours, Harry. You should name them. They’re both male, though.”

Harry smiled delightedly. He looked at the kit on the left. “I think I’ll name you Shadow.” The kit yipped in agreement and curled up in Harry’s lap. Harry looked at the kit on the right. “I’ll name you Eclipse.” The kit licked his hand and joined his brother, curling up beside the other kit. Harry looked up at Remus and said, “Thank you, Remus. Not just for the kits. Thank you for everything, especially for saving me from the Dursley’s.”

“You’re welcome, Harry. I’m just sorry that I didn’t get there sooner,” said Remus regretfully.

Harry smiled bitterly. “It’s not your fault. I’m sure Dumbledore had his hand in it. After all, he’s known about the Dursley’s abuse from the very beginning, and he hasn’t lifted a hand to help. In fact, I’m surprised he didn’t stop you from taking me away from there.”

Remus grinned evilly. “Oh, he tried. He even threatened to have me arrested if I took you from the house. I just don’t listen very well, and you have more allies than you thought.”

“Really? Who helped you?” asked Harry curiously.

“Severus healed you, and then went back to Dumbledore and said we were already gone when he arrived. This lovely cottage we’re in is actually Bill’s house in Egypt,” said Remus smugly.

“Snape really helped us?” asked Harry incredulously. “But he hates me!”

“He may not like you, but he’s not heartless. He was shocked at your condition and angry that Dumbledore planned to leave you there even though he was fully aware of what would happen,” said Remus gently.

Harry nodded and tried to smile. “So we’re in Egypt? I always knew Bill was a great guy.”

“Yeah, and when you’re feeling better, we can go shopping in the Egyptian bazaar in Cairo,” said Remus, trying to lighten the teen’s mood.

Harry sighed and tugged lightly on his furry ear. “I don’t think I’ll be going out into public anytime soon, Moony.”

Remus pulled Harry’s hand away from his ear. “We can cover them up with a glamour if you really want to, but I think you look perfectly fine like this. You’re beautiful, Harry. Don’t ever be ashamed of the way you look.”

Harry smiled and looked down at the kits. “I wonder if my transformation is anything like an animagus transformation, or if it’s more natural.” Almost as soon as he said it, Harry’s body began to shrink, fur sprouting across his skin, until another tiny kit joined the two already on the bed.

Remus grinned delightedly and lifted the Harry kit into his arms. “I knew you would look just like this. You’re adorable.”

Harry yipped and batted Remus on the chin with his paw. As he expected, the transformation felt more natural than what Sirius had explained about the animagus transformation. His hearing and sense of smell were even more heightened, though he was completely colour blind in this form. He could clearly sense the wolf within Remus, but he wasn’t at all threatened by it. Harry felt love and comfort while in the werewolf’s arms. Moony would never hurt his little cub.

Remus felt a sense of peace wash over him and realised with a start of surprise that his wolf was perfectly content at the moment. In all his years as a werewolf, he’d had to endure a constant struggle with the wolf. And now because of one tiny kit, his Harry, the wolf was finally content.

Harry’s body suddenly began to transform again, and Remus suddenly found his arms filled with an exuberant Harry. Harry hugged him around the neck and crowed, “That was so awesome! I can live with the ears and the tail for that alone.”

Remus smiled and gently set Harry back on his feet. “Good, because I’m rather fond of the ears. They’re just too cute,” he said, rubbing Harry’s ear between two fingers.

Harry batted Remus’ hand away with a good-natured smile. “Well, now that the excitement is over, what did you get me for my birthday?”

Remus laughed. “Finally remembered, did you? You’re in luck, though. I bought you some new clothes and lots of books. Oh, and the kits, of course. I’m afraid if anyone else sent you gifts, the owls weren’t able to get passed the wards on the cottage.”

Harry walked to the wardrobe and opened the door, his jaw dropping in surprise at the sheer amount of clothing adorning the closet. “Did you buy the whole store, Remus? There’s more clothes in here than I’ll ever be able to wear.”

Remus flushed slightly. “I may have gone a bit overboard, but you deserve them. I’ve seen the clothing the Dursley’s make you wear. No one deserves that.”

Harry turned around and hugged Remus again. “Thank you, Moony. I love them.”

Remus smiled and pointed at a nondescript trunk in the corner of the room. “Your books are over there.”

Harry curiously opened the trunk and once again felt his jaw drop. The trunk was nothing more than a huge library, and every shelf was completely full. Harry eagerly climbed down the ladder and darted to each shelf, perusing the titles enthusiastically. There were books on Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Dark Arts, History, Theory, Runes, Arithmancy, Astronomy, Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, Necromancy, Elemental Magic, Soul Magic, Shamanism, Blood Magic, Warding, and many others.

“I am never leaving this place,” said Harry reverently. He vowed to read each and every one of these books. This past summer had proven that he would need a lot more experience before he could even hope to take on Voldemort. And now, thanks to Remus, he finally had the means to gain that experience.

“You’ll have to eventually, Harry. You’ll starve if you don’t,” said Remus, his eyes dancing in amusement.

Harry pouted and grabbed several books before reluctantly climbing out of the trunk. He set the books on the bedside table and crawled back into bed. He looked out the window and saw that it was still dark outside. “What time is it?”

“A little after one.”

Harry saw the dark shadows under Remus’ eyes and sighed softly. The man had obviously been more worried about taking care of Harry than taking care of himself. Harry pointed imperiously toward the door. “Go to bed, Remus. I’m perfectly fine.”

Remus started at Harry’s command, and a smile crossed his face. “You look just like your mother when you do that.” Harry growled threateningly. Remus snickered and headed toward the door. “Calm down, kit. I’m going already. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Goodnight, Moony,” said Harry, extinguishing the light in the room. The kits curled up against his side, and Harry smiled at the hum of contentment coming across the bond.

***

“Harry, lunch is ready,” called Remus.

Harry finished up the chapter he was reading and marked his place, setting the book on the end table. Heading to the kitchen, Harry breathed in the delicious aroma of whatever Remus had cooked for lunch. “Smells good, Remus,” he said, sitting down at the table.

Remus smiled and set a plate filled with steaming lasagna and warm, buttery garlic bread down in front of the teen. Harry’s mouth watered in anticipation as he lifted a piece of garlic bread to his mouth. He hummed appreciatively at the first bite and quickly took another bite. Due to his five week coma, this was the first solid meal he’d had since waking, and Merlin was it delicious.

“You have got to cook more often, Moony. This is absolutely divine,” said Harry, licking the meat sauce off of his fork.

Remus grinned in amusement. “After a week of chicken broth for every meal, anything would taste great.”

Harry shook his head and swallowed the food in his mouth. “Uh uh. The lasagna Aunt Petunia made didn’t taste nearly as good as this, and she certainly didn’t think to add this delicious bread to the meal.”

“Well, thank you,” said Remus. It was nice to see Harry truly enjoying his meal.

Harry cleaned his plate and carried his plate to the stove to get seconds. Scooping a large portion of lasagna and two more pieces of garlic bread onto his plate, Harry settled back down at the table and started to eat. Remus just shook his head in amazement as the teen cleaned his plate once more. He didn’t think he’d ever seen Harry eat this much at one sitting.

Gulping down the last bite, Harry sat back with a satisfied sigh. He looked up and saw Remus’ amused stare and grinned sheepishly. “What? I was hungry.”

“I saw. It’s nice to see you eating so well, though,” said Remus warmly. “Are you ready for dessert?”

Harry sat up eagerly. “There’s dessert? What is it? Tell me!”

Remus laughed at the teen’s enthusiasm and got up from his seat. He walked over to the pantry and grabbed a covered dish from within, snickering as Harry’s eyes followed his every movement. He set the dish on the table and lifted the lid with a flourish. “Prepare for the wonderful goodness that is Bread and Butter Pudding and Blackberry Crumble.”

Harry snatched up his plate and held it out to Remus with wide, pleading eyes. Remus chuckled and spooned some of each dessert onto the teen’s plate. Harry happily dug into his dessert, humming appreciatively with every bite. When he was finally done, he pushed his plate away and sat back, rubbing his pleasantly full belly.

“Was it good, kit?” asked Remus in amusement.

“Very,” sighed Harry. “If I had known you could cook like this, I would kicked Mrs. Weasley out of the kitchen at Grimmauld Place and let you have at it.”

“I don’t think she would have liked that very much,” said Remus ruefully. “Besides, Mrs. Weasley cooks very well.”

Harry smiled wryly. “She does. She’s been a life saver more than once with those summer care packages.”

Remus frowned and started to say something, but a sharp tap on the window caused him to jerk around in surprise. There was a large barn owl at the window. He looked at Harry and said, “Stay there. Dumbledore may have found a way around the wards.”

Remus opened the window, and the barn owl flew into the kitchen, swooping immediately toward Harry. The owl dropped a letter in front of the teen and flew right back outside, oblivious to the panic it had just created. Harry looked down at the letter and saw an unfamiliar seal. He slowly reached for the letter only to have Remus snatch it up first.

Remus didn’t recognise the seal, either. He hesitantly opened the letter and almost dropped it when he saw who it was from. This was the perfect solution. Now Harry would never have to return to Hogwarts and that manipulative Headmaster.

“What is it, Remus?” asked Harry curiously. Remus just smiled and handed the letter to him. Harry took the letter, wondering at the smug smile on Remus’ face.

Dear Mr. Potter,

It has come to our attention that you have recently come into a magical creature inheritance. With the constant prejudice abounding within the wizarding world against magical creatures, we would like to invite you to attend our school. The courses at Arcane Academy focus on teaching all magical creatures to utilise their powers to the best of their ability. As such, you will most likely encounter every sentient magical creature imaginable: vampires, lycanthropes, fae, elves, veela, sirens, lamia, demons, goblins, drakes, and magi to name a few.

We eagerly await your reply. To do so, just sign the bottom of this letter, state what race of being you are, and add a single drop of your blood. Once we receive an affirmative reply, we will send your school list and time of departure.

Jackson Durrough
Deputy Headmaster

Harry looked up at Remus with barely concealed hope. “Can I go, Remus? I really don’t want to go back to Hogwarts.”

“Yes, Harry. This is just the solution I was hoping to find. Neither Durmstrang or Beauxbatons accept transfer students, and I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to finish your schooling because of it. This is perfect. I was invited to attend, but my parents had already agreed to send me to Hogwarts. Arcane Academy will teach you how to use and control your new powers, and they have so many protective and secrecy wards on the school, Dumbledore has no hope of ever finding you there,” said Remus.

Harry nodded and signed his name at the bottom of the letter, adding that he was a Kitiara beneath that. He then pricked his finger and squeezed a drop of blood onto the parchment. Immediately the writing disappeared, and new writing appeared on the parchment.

We have received your acceptance. Here is a list of items you will need to bring with you. The book list is as follows:

The Elements and How to Use Them by Emmeline Aqua.

The Healing Arts by Jasmine Helios

Blood Rites by Lucavarius Sanguini

Warding by Fabian Pritchett

Magi Book of Spells by Gloria Magehurst

Ancient Runes by Caleb Mickens

Basic Arithmancy by Keegan McDaniels

Book Six of Standard Potions by Malcolm Brewster

You will also need to have the following list of items.

Ritual knife

Standard Pewter Cauldron

Brass scales

Student Ingredient Package (available at the Egyption bazaar in Cairo, Belvedere Square in Switzerland, and Hankagai Kyuudou in Japan)

Uniforms are not required. All we ask is that you bring appropriate clothing for class.

Wands are not allowed. If a focus is needed, it will be created once you are at the school.

Familiars are welcome as long as they are properly disciplined and do not attack the other students without provocation.

School starts September 1st. Portkeys will be provided from 8:00 AM until 12:00 PM that morning at the Gringotts branches in Egypt, Switzerland, and Japan. We look forward to seeing you then.

Harry looked up at Remus. “Did you find my wand at the Dursley’s?”

Remus groaned softly. “I didn’t even think about it. I just grabbed you and left.”

“That’s actually a good thing, I guess. Wands aren’t allowed at Arcane Academy. It says that if I do need a focus, they’ll create one when I get there,” said Harry. “Oh, and I get to take Shadow and Eclipse with me.”

“Can you get everything you need from the Egyptian Bazaar, or will we need to shop somewhere else?” asked Remus pragmatically.

“The Egyptian Bazaar is fine,” said Harry, handing the letter to Remus.

Remus scanned the letter and laughed softly. “It looks like you’ll have an interesting year. We’ll go shopping tomorrow. How’s that sound?”

“Sounds good,” said Harry excitedly. “I’m gonna go look at all the books you bought for my birthday. You may have already bought some of them.”

“You want some help?” asked Remus. He liked spending time with Harry. He would have done so more often if Dumbledore hadn’t interfered, sending him on Order missions left and right.

Harry looked at him incredulously. “Want help? Of course, I do. Have you actually looked at the number of books you bought? There’s got to be hundreds of them.”

Remus grinned sheepishly. “I got a little carried away. Books are my passion.”

Harry laughed and hooked his arm around Remus’. “Moony, my little bookworm, the books are greatly appreciated. It’ll just take a while to read them all.” He pulled the werewolf toward his bedroom.

Harry flipped the trunk lid open and climbed down the ladder. Remus followed him down the ladder, and they spent the next three hours cataloguing the numerous books in his new library. Once they were done, Harry only needed to buy two of the books on his list. He already owned the rest.