At The Heart Of The Matter

Authors Note: I will say, that I know that it is ménage a trios, but was going for a bit of humor with you all by saying ménage a three. For those of you who got it, kudos…guess it didn’t work for a few of you…Sorry! Thanks again to ALL my reviewers! Harry Potter is still not mine!

Potential Good News and Transforming

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(July 11th - July 31st)

Bianca left on Sunday afternoon, after what Harry would forever call the last three days, his ‘72 Hour Sex-a-Thon’. Harry couldn’t believe how truly intoxicating, but exhausting Bianca was, and when she left, he was officially sexed out. They had tested out several of the guest rooms, the gym…its equipment turning out to quite useful, the pool, the dining room table, and Harry had even received a hand job during the multiple trips on the roller coaster. Bianca really enjoyed anal intercourse, giving head, but totally got off on rough vaginal sex while being tied up. It was definitely an interesting learning experience for Harry, which would forever go down in history….at least his personal history!

By Tuesday, he felt somewhat recuperated, and was ready to get back to his daily routine. At lunch, he received a note from Cornelius that Paole was able to meet that afternoon. Jotting a quick note back that he would be there, he went to his library and used the next two hours to write more about the ‘Dursley Years’ in his journal. He had so far this summer gotten up to his 8th birthday and as he had hoped, it was turning out to be a very soul cleansing experience.

At 2:25pm, he left by floo for the Minister’s office. “Hello, Cornelius. How are you?” asked Harry after shaking his hand.

“I’m very good, thank you. Harry, I would like you to meet Paole Constantine…..Paole, this is Harry Potter.” introduced Cornelius.

“Pleasure to meet you, sir. I’m grateful you’d take the time to meet with me.” said Harry.

“Pleasure is all mine, Mr. Potter. It has been many years since I have had a potential student with a natural affinity for Blood Magic. I am quite excited by the prospect.” said Paole.

“Please, call me Harry. Mr. Constantine, would you be willing to teach two others as well? I have learned recently that there are two others that are related to me, distant cousins or something along those lines, that are of Chuzzor Blood. They do not have as direct a connection to the Thurox line, but they are related.”

“Harry, please call me Paole. Yes, I would be more than happy to show them. They may not be as strong in this type of magic, but they will have an easier time learning it than someone who has no affinity for it. One of the biggest misconceptions is that only certain people can use Blood Magic. That is not the case, but because very few people have the knowledge or the access to it, with the exception of maybe 3 or 4 families, the information is all but lost. There are some wards that are still in use today that are similar to what you will be learning, but that is just a very small portion. The use of Blood Magic is a definite advantage to you, as I have learned, even Voldemort has no information about our branch of magic.”

“Wow, I didn’t realize it was that rare. This is definitely a HUGE advantage. I’m very much looking forward to learning it. I will say that, even though I have reservations about some aspects….mostly the Blood Magic mix with sex, that I am willing to at least learn it all. Cornelius and my sudo godfather recommended that I study all forms of Blood Magic….I don’t have to use it all.”

“They are right, you should learn all you can. One never knows what will be needed in the future. I’ll be going to several blood banks in the muggle world to obtain any blood I can from deceased donors for you, and your two friends, to learn with. I will not train you with blood of those living, as some of what you will be learning is quite dangerous and deadly. It would not do well for those people still living to be cursed by Blood Magic…it is fairly permanent. Do you have any questions so far?”

“Not really, but I’m glad your gathering the supplies….I never would have thought to use blood of the dead. I do have a question that just popped into my head….won’t some family lines still be cursed depending on what runes we use?”

“That is an excellent question, and brings me to the first lesson you and your companions will learn. For Runic Blood Magic to work, the blood has to be provided by a living being, either willing or unwilling. Your study will be completely safe.”

“Good to know! I would like to know if we could start my Occlemency training early? It’s still about 25 days before we go into time warp, and after the vision I had recently, I would like to get a head start. Also, is there a way to still have the visions while blocking out the pain? That would be the best scenario, considering the information I tend to obtain in these visions.”

“As long as Minister Fudge has no problem with it, I see no reason to wait. I’ll need you to describe, in detail, what goes on in these visions before I can answer your other question.”

“Harry, I already have your permits ready for doing the Grey Arts. You were never in question as to who was entering the time warp, so I had yours done first. As far as the Ministry is concerned, you are completely legal to learn any and all the Grey Arts, with no restrictions. I felt that the normal restrictions we place on most who apply, would only be a disadvantage to you.” said Cornelius.

“What type of restrictions are normal?” asked Harry.

“Most would be restricted from learning and using Legilimency and several of the more severe darker curses. I have also taken the liberty, much like with our Ministry Hit Wizards, of granting you a waver to use the Avada Kedarva curse, but you will be monitored extensively with this. The waver is by no means meant to be used liberally.” Cornelius said seriously.

“I hope I never have to cast that curse, but if I do, hopefully it will be only once, and on Riddle. I have a feeling that it will take more than the AK to bring him down, though. That’s why I really want to learn about Blood Magic, I think, in that, lies our answer.”

“You very well could be right, Harry….but it never hurts to have all the bases covered.” said Cornelius.

“Paole, I think you should come and inspect the Manor’s library and go to the Thurox vault with me to see what tomes and supplies we may need, that way if we are lacking, it gives us a few weeks to get what we don’t have.” suggested Harry

“That’s a good idea. I also have several tomes and scrolls from my extensive collection that I will be bringing with me into time warp. We could go tomorrow, if that is convenient?” said Paole.

“That would be fine. How about we meet outside Gringotts at 10am. Oh! Wait, you can’t be out in the sun, can you?”

“We can meet then. I am the type of vampire they call a Daywalker. I’m not harmed by the sun, as long as I don’t stay out in it for extended periods of time. That’s how most people don’t know that I’m a vampire….I act no different than any other person. Quite handy, too. I would like to say that it’s refreshing to see that you have no issues with my being a vampire. Most who find out are instantly on guard…like I’m going to bite them any second. I thank you for that.” said Paole giving a slight bow.

“Well, it would be extremely hypocritical of me to take offense to another magical being, as I am one myself. I’ve always tried to treat everyone and everything equally. I grew up in an biased and bigoted environment, so I try my best not to do that to anyone. If I don’t like you, it’s because of some injustice that you have done to either my friends, family or myself, not because you’re different than the general population. I have magical beings like goblins, house elves and werewolves that I call friend and family.”

“As I said before, refreshing. Your attitude should become the new motto for our world. Imagine what we could all learn from one another. I doubt we would see as many uprisings of these Dark Lords if we were all a little more tolerant.”

“I couldn’t agree more…maybe when this war is over, we can work together to start changing these ancient and archaic views. Minister, not to change the subject, but how is it going on clearing Sirius’ name?” asked Harry.

“It’s going slowly. The files concerning what happen are buried deep in the records department, and there appears to be a lot of information missing. Because of everything that has happened lately, I have also asked Headmistress McGonagall to look through Dumbledore’s personal files to see if any information is there. I’m hoping by August 1st, to have his name cleared. I know it will relieve some of the stress that sits on your shoulders. If we had Peter Pettigrew, it would go much faster.” responded Cornelius.

“Understandable, and I appreciate your diligence in this matter. He may be gone, but I want the public to understand that he was a GOOD man….not a backstabber! It’s a mark on my parents and Sirius’ memory that I want removed.”

“Minister, is this the same Sirius Black that went through the veil in the DOM?” asked Paole.

“Yes, it is. Why?” asked a perplexed Minister.

“From what I’ve heard amongst the others in the department, they feel since the Perago abs Pectis-onis Ritual, which stands for conviction of the soul, wasn’t performed before Mr. Black fell in, that he may be alive and just in a state of limbo. They are currently looking into whether or not he could be brought back through. The Veil, being an ancient artifact, requires this ritual be done prior to the damning of a soul. Only by this means are they 100% sure that the soul is irretrievable. I’m not trying to get your hopes up, Harry, but I thought you should know.” said Paole, putting a comforting hand on Harry’s shoulder.

Shocked at the possible ramifications of this information, he quietly said, “I’ll do my best not to get my hopes up to much, but this is more than I already hoped for. Before today, he was lost…..with no chance of returning. I thank you for telling me, Paole. Let’s just wait and see what they find.”

“I’ll keep you updated as much as possible. I need to get back down stairs, so if you gentlemen will excuse me, I’ll see you, Harry, tomorrow. Minister, I‘ll talk to you soon.” Paole said while shaking hands with each.

Shortly after Paole left, Harry also left to head home. He was trying not to get to excited by the prospect of getting Sirius back, but it was very difficult not to. He decided to work off some pent up energy by doing laps in the pool. He relaxed the rest of the night in preparation of digging through many dusty tomes and scrolls the next day.

Harry and Paole found several scrolls and texts containing information on Blood Magic, Ancient Runes, his Repalliator animagus form, ‘The Breath’, ‘Gliding’, as well as the two ceremonial bowls and knives for performing Blood Magic. Harry found the Thurox Clan family tapestry and learned his mother was the daughter of Roderick Thurox, so in actuality, he was not his Great Grandfather at all, but his Grandfather. He still didn’t know why his mother was placed up for adoption, but he figured he could look further into that after Voldemort was taken care of.

Over the next couple of weeks, Paole came over every other day for his Occlemency lessons, and despite what Snape had said, with proper instruction, Harry seemed to have a natural gift for the mind arts. “Clear you mind, Potter!” was not how you taught someone. It took deep meditation and concentration at first to sort out your thoughts and to calm your mind. With Paole’s help, he had made amazing progress. They would continue his private lessons until they entered the time warp and work on him becoming a master in the art during the warp. Paole was hoping Harry would be able to assist him in teaching the rest who needed to still learn.

As the end of July approached, Harry began to get more and more nervous about his coming of age. He was excited by the prospect of coming into his Chuzzor heritage, but was not looking forward to the pain Poppy and Remus both promised he would experience. That was another thing that had been happening over the last couple of weeks, he had been spending a considerable amount of time getting to know the two closest people he could call family.

As strict as Poppy was in her infirmary, she was the exact opposite in an informal setting…she had quite the dry sense of humor, and thoroughly loved adventure. She could often be found out at his amusement park, living it up. Remus, he found, was extremely intelligent, but matched Poppy with his adventurous side. Remus couldn’t wait till he entered the time warp, as he wouldn’t have to go through his transformations while inside. The body may age, but whatever the moon’s cycle was when he entered, which would be a three-quarter full moon, that is what the moon would appear each night while in the warp. He would have 3-5 years in which his body could, with the help of potions, recuperate. They had all laughed and cried as they each retold stories of their lives and those of his parents and Sirius. He never shared the possibility of getting Sirius back with anyone….if it could happen, he would tell them when he knew for sure.

Harry also hung out with his friends, clubbing and attending three additional theme parties. Katie Bell had thrown a Greek God/Goddess costume party that had a replica of the Parthenon. The lavish decorations of gold and silver, thrones, and several pagodas that had grape vines wrapped around columns littered the grounds of her family home.

Tracey Davis had hosted a Mardi Gras/Masquerade Ball. The deep purple, gold, green and pink beads hung on anything that would stand still. She had recreated the French section of New Orleans and even had the famous parade down main street.

Ernie Macmillen went exotic by throwing an Arabian Nights theme. Guests were brought into the main area lined with several tents on magic carpets. Blue, purple, gold, and deep reds were accented by jewel toned lanterns that hung suspended in mid air. Snake charm baskets, belly dancers and gem encrusted tableware rounded out the decorations.

Harry had gone single to Katie’s and Tracey’s parties, but had escorted Padma to the Ernie’s. They had a great time, but Padma had told Harry that due to her Indian heritage and the values her parents had instilled in her, she thought it best they just stay friends without benefits. She had seen the way he was becoming a true ladies man, and didn’t feel comfortable being that type of woman. Harry completely understood, and told her that he enjoyed their time spent together, and appreciated her being upfront and honest with him. Time would see her become a very valued friend and confidant.

The night before his birthday, everyone got together and threw Harry and Neville, who’s birthday was today, a surprise party at the Dragon’s Fire in Diagon Alley. They knew that he wouldn’t be able to go out the next night, so had it a day early. Many of the adults in his life also attended making for about 50 people in attendance. He received more presents than he had ever gotten in his entire life, combined. The club was packed that night, and after most of the adults had left, Harry let loose his dancing demon with many of the woman in attendance, and received several very personal presents ranging from searing kisses with hand jobs, to a full blown mouth job from Susan. Bianca saw to his entertainment after they had returned to his home, making sure they both had multiple orgasms and saw the sun rise before collapsing from exhaustion.

At 9pm on July 30th, Remus, Poppy, Hermione and Neville all descended upon Thurox Manor to witness and support Harry in the long night ahead of him. Harry had been there for Neville’s just two nights earlier, so knew some of what to expect, but he was still so nervous over what was to come, that by 10:30, Poppy was forced to give him a calming draught. She had chuckled at his embarrassment, and had reassured him that his mother had acted in the same manner. At a quarter to midnight, they all made their way up to Harry’s master suite and Harry took a quick 5 minute shower then climbed into bed and after covering his naked body with a sheet and light weight blanket, tossed the towel he had used to hide himself out from under the covers. Poppy made sure she had a basin with cool water, flannels, and all the potions and rubbing agents that she would need ready on his night stand.

As the midnight hour struck, nothing happened. No sooner had he turned to Poppy to give a look that said ‘well, when will it start’, then did it begin. At first a soft white glow started to go back and forth over his body in a wave like action…almost as if scanning his body, then the waving glow turned to a constant one that enveloped his entire body. Harry appeared to feel a little pain through this part, but when the white glow began to pulse in every color of the rainbow, his body began to convulse, and Poppy quickly cast a silencing spell. Back arched, mouth open in a silent scream, they began to watch the changes occur. Slowly, his body grew in length and mass until he was around 6’7” and 235 pounds. His hair, staying a dark black took on a deep red undertone and seemed to become more wavy, loosing the messy, unkempt look that tended to plague the Potter line.

When asked why his body was changing so much, Poppy told Hermione that his body needed to be bigger and stronger to handle the influx of magic that would be happening in the second part of his maturation. It was Hermione’s job to document everything he went through in the journal he’d been keeping to pass on to future generations.

At about 1:30am, there was a pause in the colorful pulsing glow, and Harry seemed to relax some, though he appeared to be unconscious. About 5 minutes later, magic, in the same colors that had been pulsing started shooting into his body like lightning striking a target. This must have been, by far, the most excruciatingly painful part of this whole coming of age. Harry was thrashing so violently, that even Poppy and Remus were worried, and as they gave each other a meaningful look, they both thought, ‘Lily’s had not been this bad.’ Finally, around 2:55am, it was over. Remus carefully sat Harry up while Poppy coaxed potion after potion down his throat, and once he was laid down again, they both began rubbing his muscles with a relaxant salve to help ease the tension they had accumulated over the past three hours.

They all stayed with him the rest of the night as he continued to moan in pain from his muscles being so strained during the whole process. Poppy and Remus administered the potions and rubbed the salve in three more times, napping in between doses. Night turned into morning before Harry seemed to finally calm into a peaceful sleep.

It was almost noon before Harry finally stirred to wakefulness. Stretching out his still taxed body, he slowly left the bed for a long hot shower. When he entered the bathroom, he stared over his naked form and thought, ‘I’m huge! I know they said I’d be tall and bulk out some, but MERLIN, this is ridiculous! OH BY GODDESS! Even my penis is bigger…not by a whole lot, but definitely bigger! I really do like the hair….HEY! My eyes are glowing a little….I don’t have any contacts in either, and I can SEE! ALRIGHT!!’ He continued to look over himself for a few more moments before shaking his head and climbing into the shower. After resizing his clothes, he dressed and headed out to find the rest of the group.

They had just started eating lunch out on the back patio when he emerged out the french doors. Jaws dropped and eyes bulged as what could only be described as the most stunning person any of them had ever seen came over to them. They may have witnessed his transformation last night, but to see him up and awake gave him a totally different look. Hermione was the first to find her voice and said, “Harry, you look amazing! How are you feeling?”

“A little sore still, but nothing compared to last night. Poppy, I thought you said I’d grow some and bulk up a little….this is more than some and a little!” he said with a stern look but a chuckle in his voice.

“Well, Harry, you kind of caught Remus and I off guard. You grew a lot more than we expected, and your pain appeared far worse than what your mother went through. When you go to the DOM tomorrow for your magical abilities test, I’ll be curious to see what differences show up. You must have received more powers than your mother, it’s the only explanation I can give at this point.” Poppy said.

“Harry, I don’t think you will have any trouble with the ladies…not that you Potter’s ever do.…but, Cub, your one hot, hunky, babe magnet now….and I‘m man enough to say it!” Remus teasingly said with a laugh.

Turning slightly red, Harry shot him a glare and said, “Shut up, Remus….I’m man enough to take you out now! I can’t believe you just called me a hunky, babe magnet!”

This set everyone into fits of laughter and after several minutes of comical banter at Harry’s expense, Neville asked, “What did it feel like last night? My maturation the other night felt like I’d been hit by a train over and over!”

“Mine didn’t really feel like that….Hermione where are you going?” asked Harry.

“I’ve got to get the journal so I can write what your about to say….I’ll be right back!” and she took off, laughter trailing after her. When she got back, Harry continued, “Ms. Granger, are you ready to continue?” he asked in his best executive voice. Receiving a punch in his arm and a glare that didn’t reach her eyes, she responded, “Yes, Mr. Smarty Pants! Now get on with it!”

Laughing and rubbing his arm in mock hurt he said, “Okay, okay!!!! Damn! No need to get violent, ‘Mione. As I was saying….the pain seem to come on in waves, but then the waves seemed to stop and the pain just stayed constant but building stronger, too. Does that make any sense? Well, I don’t remember much for what seemed like forever, then it just stopped. Next thing I knew, the pain started again, but it seemed to be stabbing me all over repeatedly….it felt worse than the Crucatius Curse! I’m glad I only have to go through this once! I almost don’t want to have children just to save them that pain. It was indescribable…..scary as hell!” he finished with a shutter.

“Here, read what I wrote last night. What you described seems to fit what we saw.” said Hermione. After he was done reading what was in his journal, he said, “It does seem to go hand in hand with what I experienced. What you wrote was incredibly detailed, and I’d like to thank you all for staying with me last night. It means a lot to me!” Harry said giving them all a smile in thanks.

They spent the rest of the day just sitting out by the pool, or in Poppy and Remus’ case, on the roller coaster or race track. After a late dinner, they all headed to bed, still exhausted from the night before. As Harry closed his eyes to sleep, his last thought was, ‘Now, it’s time to get training and take care of Old Snakeface!’