Chapter 8: Confronting Personal Demons
After the Hallmark moment they had shared in the dining room, Archer was finally able to stop crying. It was embarrassing to think about, even though he was still a child in their eyes.
They took it in stride and tried to distract him with questions about his time at Beauxbatons. That was when he broke out of his flustered state and regaled them with all that had happened. He spoke about his roommates, how he met Louis, his professors, classes, and the interesting things they were learning.
His parents listened with rapt attention as he described the grandiose Dining Chamber, and the variety of delicious food he enjoyed there every day. They smiled as he recounted his first interaction with Louis after arriving at the school. They oohed and aahed as he described the various spells he was being taught. All of this was done without ever once losing the smile on their faces.
It was so touching that they cared so much about how he was doing there. He had found his love of learning rekindled. The wonder and excitement he felt at learning magic was something he hadn't felt since his first year at Hogwarts. The end of that year had set the tune for the rest of his years both at Hogwarts and beyond.
His weekly letters had really helped him stay in touch with his parents. They had kept him updated on all the little things that had happened while he was gone. Every letter mentioned how much they both missed him and had hyped him up for his eventual return for winter break.
They whiled the time away, just enjoying each other's company as the hours went by. After enjoying a scrumptious dinner his mother had made in preparation for his return, he went to bed feeling content with his new life.
Just being in their presence once more had eased the uneasy feeling that had been burgeoning. That was something he had realized during the emotional moment they shared when he arrived. He was loved. Regardless of whatever memories of the past that he had.
His parents loved him unconditionally, and that felt unlike anything he had ever experienced before. He decided then and there that he would work hard to reconcile his two lifetimes worth of memories. He couldn't ignore the life he had spent as Harry Potter.
No matter how badly he wished it weren't so, Harry Potter, and all the baggage associated with his past was a part of him. He needed to integrate those memories properly and use them to their maximum effect. The bits and pieces he currently made use of were nowhere near enough to make a difference in the long run.
Those memories contained the various exercises that Salazar and Morgana taught him to best control his magic. Their hard-earned knowledge was something he couldn't waste in his obstinacy. Starting rituals at the age of 7 was his best move so far, but everything after that had been a waste of time. He had to get his shit together quickly and get back to where he was.
The only way he could do that was to practice until he couldn't anymore. Sheer perseverance was the only things that could help him improve enough to confront the threats in his future.
Archer woke up the next morning with determination blazing in his eyes. He finished his morning routine before starting his daily exercise regimen. Today, he decided to put in extra effort and push himself further than normal. At Beauxbatons, he had become satisfied with miniscule gains every week, but now he needed to crank up the intensity to 11 if he wanted to build his endurance and strength to be able to cast high level spells.
After an intense workout, he returned to his room. His muscles burned as they trembled in protest. Taking a quick shower, he went down and ate the hearty breakfast his mother had prepared. He let his parents know about his plans to improve himself and they were all for it.
He went back to his room and started his Occlumency training, but this time, with a twist. Part of his initial training had been burying the memories of his past deep into his psyche and making sure they didn't affect him.
He had to dig them up and steadily integrate his latent memories by reliving all of them. Sadly, that was the only way to properly organize the mind, and one of the prerequisites to building barriers. The pioneers of the art most likely hadn't thought about the potential consequences someone in his unique situation would face.
The most pressing concern that came with this change was that he would have overlapping memories. Once he was able to process and organize them all, he would have to dedicate time every day to keep them separate.
Otherwise, a whole host of problems could arise. Due to being younger than he originally was, he could get confused by flashes of old memories while new ones were being made. In battle, such a thing would mean his death.
He started the process, and wouldn't you know it, the very first memory was Voldemort killing his mother and attempting to murder him. He was off to a great start already. Four hours later, he had built up a decent sweat as he relived his first couple of years under the tender mercies of Vernon and Petunia Dursley.
Thankfully, Dudley hadn't been physically violent with him until they started school. So at least he had that going for him. A lot of the time was mainly spent in the darkness of the cupboard, where those thrice-damned monsters left him.
The few times he earned some respite was when they took him out to do the bare minimum to keep him alive. He was there meal ticket after all, as they were receiving a tidy monthly deposit from his vault, courtesy of Albus Dumbledore.
He had collapsed on his bed, panting as he recollected himself. This was not going to be easy, but it was necessary. After lunch, he gave himself a couple hours of recovery time before starting his study into advanced Charms and Transfiguration theory.
Those two subjects were the ones he specialized in, according to Thebault, so he decided to focus on them before anything else. He would have to subsist in doing things the old-fashioned way as he sorted through the old memories. It would take time to get to where he studied under Salazar and even longer to get to when Morgana had taken him under her wing.
One thing was for sure though. He would have to put in an immeasurable amount of effort to work his way back up. Memories of magical mastery did automatically make one an undefeatable wizard. He could have the memories of Merlin, and it still wouldn't matter if he couldn't control his magic at the level required to effectively use the spells.
Another thing he had to consider was that magic worked differently in this reality. Salazar and Morgana had taught him the theory behind worked for his old reality. His attempt to offset this possible issue was to read up on advanced theory and compare it to the one he was taught to try and find the optimal path forward.
Honestly, while Transfiguration was highly affected, he doubted that other types of magic that only involved intent and control would be that different. Though there was a chance he could be wrong in that assumption.
He continued the routine with dogmatic persistence until the final day of winter break arrived. Time had flown by after he devoted himself to practice. He had managed to get through most of his Hogwarts years and was on the tail end of his fourth year, right before the resurrection of Voldemort.
He was feeling anxious about moving forward. That night had changed the fate of the world itself. The man who killed his parents and countless other people had been raised from the dead. He had gone on to doom the entire world in his quest for power. Facing him was something Archer, no… Harry was nervous about.
He had started referring to himself as Harry as he relived the memories he had sought to run away from. Now, the name Archer felt slightly foreign to him. While everyone else called him Archer, including his parents, he felt a sense of detachment that wasn't there before.
Thebault was right when she claimed that his sense of self was poorly developed. All it had taken was embracing his past for his magical identity to go into flux. No wonder he had such a problem with inanimate to animate Transfiguration.
It was quite an inconvenience to be limited in such a way until he was 13 years old. He had done a little research and found out that only at age 13 does the family magic of a child start asserting itself.
11 signified the primary magical maturity, when magical children could gain conscious control over their magic. Therefore, every institution started formal magical training at age 11. Unless extremely gifted, many children weren't capable of casting spells due to lacking the focus and intent. Pureblood families made sure to teach the basics of magical theory to their children so they would find introductory wand based magic easy to learn.
13 was the age when the secondary magical maturity occurred. Unlike at age 11, magic will start shaping the body of a magical and accelerating growth. This is when family magic started to influence the development of a magical child. This being the case, it was the only time when the goblins could officially test the magic within the blood of a child to ascertain if they were eligible for any Heirships.
The accelerated growth period would last until age 15, where it would start slowing down but still proceed at a quicker than average pace till age 17. Age 17 was when young witches and wizards were legally declared as adults in the Wizarding World. The reason for this was because this was when they would receive their tertiary magical maturity, the last one they would receive for a long time.
Regarding the final magical maturity, it was all over the place. The final one came when a magical was in his prime. For most magicals, that was in their early to late forties. However, there were exceptions to that rule.
Exceedingly powerful wizards like Albus Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel were said to have gotten their final maturity in their early twenties. Apparently, the earlier you received your final maturity, the more powerful an individual was. At least, that was what he had understood from his research.
The age of final maturity also depended on several other factors. Constantly pushing one's limits and/or having an intense job that required extensive physical and magical training could potentially trigger earlier maturities. Aurors, Hit-Wizards, and the like were said to gain their maturities in their mid to late thirties.
With this information in mind, he had modified his ritual schedule to get the maximum effect. He had wanted to undergo one set of rituals at 11 but decided to wait until he was 13. He would stress primarily physical enhancements seeing as that was what developed the most till 15. 13 also held significance in Dark rituals, though he was nervous about trying it out.
None of the books he had read had spoken of Dark magic, but from the way it was talked about, he could tell there were some serious repercussions for practicing them. If Dark magic was such a taboo, he didn't even want to think about the consequences of undergoing a Dark ritual.
Well, he had two years to research and plan. Hopefully, Morgana also existed within the Peverell Grimoire in this reality as well. Then, he could get a better idea on what he could and could not do. Seeing as there wasn't anything, he could do for the time being, he put it on the back burner.
His 17th birthday would be when he would conduct the riskiest rituals that also yielded the most results. There he would focus on enhancing his magic and abilities to the maximum, seeing as his constant use of it would make his final maturity come quicker, thereby ensuring his growth to become the most powerful magical he could be.
Closing his eyes he took a deep breath and let it out.
'Calm down. This is all just a plan. Until the time comes, I can't say what might happen. I need to put my head down and reconsider my plan of attack.'
There was no way for him to interfere in the workings of Magical Britain. He was just a kid, and nobody would take him seriously. The only way to counter that was to build his image as a genius. It might bring unwanted attention, but the opportunities it would grant him would more than make up for it.
He agonized over the solution for a couple of minutes before the answer hit him.
'Dueling! I've already established a foothold as a fencing prodigy, translating those skills to dueling would not only allow me to train my magic, but also help me gain some notoriety.'
His eyes lit up as thoughts raced through his head. He had limited access to Transfiguration currently, but Charms was still on the table. Duelists did not bother with using too much Transfiguration as spells were time consuming to cast and could be easily shielded against. At least, that was the case for U-17 duels.
'Desjardin was a World Champion duelist. Maybe he could mentor me, or at least point me in the right direction. Does Beauxbatons have a Dueling Club? They most likely would. Should I join and then see where that takes me?'
The options were numerous, and all had their drawbacks. Ultimately, he decided that approaching Desjardin would be his best bet. He was already the man's favorite student. If he showed interest in a subject, he was skilled in…
He shook his head.
'Focus! Primary objective is to get familiar with dueling and the U-17 tournaments. Then approach Desjardin. If I show that I already researched ahead of time, it will look like I took the initiative and only make him more responsive to my request.'
Nodding to himself, he finalized his plan and walked down the stairs to have his breakfast. He decided that since he was leaving tomorrow, he would spend the entire day with his parents. They had shared a wonderful Christmas and New Year, but his single-minded focus on training had slightly put a damper on the festive mood.
After a bit of planning over breakfast, they decided to go out and do some shopping. His mother had insisted that he needed new clothes despite him telling her it wasn't necessary. Though in truth, he could see that some of his older clothes were slowly becoming tighter as he put on more muscle.
'Might as well get it over with now instead of putting it off for later. Maybe get some slightly baggier clothes I'll eventually fill in?'
Despite his utter loathing of shopping, seeing as his mother tended to make him model all the clothes she picked out. It didn't help that he would inevitably draw looks from other female shoppers who would go over to his mother and compliment him on her "handsome young son".
It sounded a bit conceited to say, but he knew he was good looking. He didn't require any confirmations from strangers about that fact. One of the rituals he conducted at age 7 would assure that he would look much better than average.
Once he did the next 3 sets of 7 rituals at age 13, his already outstanding looks would be refined even further as he grew older. By the end, it wouldn't be a stretch to say he would undoubtedly be one of the most handsome men on the planet. His powerful magic would make him age significantly slower and let him age well.
He had initially been reluctant to bother with his looks, but he remembered some wise words from Morgana: "People are more willing to follow a handsome man into battle than an ugly one. Charisma can only get you so far."
Didn't he know it. Despite Alastor Moody's expertise in warfare, his scarred face caused many people to fear him. His attitude hadn't helped, but he had been a genuine and kind person once you got to know him. Unfortunately, people placed emphasis on superficial characteristics, even during a deadly conflict. Alas, that was simply human nature.
He had been a brooding mess during the time he interacted with the magicals in the Slayer squadrons. Nevertheless, people went out of their way to be around him and compliment his looks. This occurred even after he earned a reputation as the deadliest Necromancer in history. Once they had gotten over his ability, they were back to admiring his looks, despite him being significantly more dangerous than Moody.
'Good looks open doors that are closed off to average looking people. I could probably get away with a hell of lot more if I were handsome. I just have to make sure I don't become a narcissist. That should be easy, but if my hormones start affecting me, it could become a problem.'
He had been noticing a small issue with his emotions during the years he spent growing up. His breakdown when he returned home had come out of nowhere. His mind had been overwhelmed by emotions that came out of nowhere. Even with his Occlumency he found himself being affected.
These instances of flaring emotions dulled down once he started integrating his past memories, but he knew that there was a chance they could affect him at any time. Occlumency was a must, but even that had its limits. It was unhealthy to block off emotions completely, but that was exactly what he needed to do to be effective in in a fight.
This was the main reason why he had chosen dueling as a possible avenue of training. It would simulate a magical fight and allow him to train his casting while helping him get fighting fit. It would also aid him in understanding how to deal with possible emotional flares mid fight.
He needed to be able to keep a cool head, but once hormones and magic were mixed, only Merlin knew what the consequences would look like. It wouldn't do for him to accidentally kill his opponent in a fit of rage. Hopefully, he would eventually get it under control.
His parents took him to a mall and as he predicted, his mother made him model several different articles of clothing. Thankfully, not many people were in the mall at the time, so they could shop in peace without anyone approaching them.
Sofia was insistent that he wear branded clothes. He didn't understand why exactly, and the questioning look he directed to his father earned a shrug in return. To make her happy, he acquiesced to whatever she said, and three hours later, he and his father were holding several bags filled with designer clothes as they made their way to a nearby restaurant.
They talked and laughed over delicious food as they enjoyed each other's company. His parents seemed a little unwilling to let him go back, as he had only enjoyed their company for 2 weeks after months of no contact. They went to bed that night and the next day, when he was scheduled to leave, Sofia was tearing up.
"My baby is leaving again. For months on end! An owl with a letter every week isn't enough!"
He gave her a wry smile. "Maman. You know that non-magicals cannot even see the school let alone enter it."
She pouted as he explained. "I just want to see how my darling son is doing and meet all of his friends. You've always had a problem making friends, Archer. While I approve of you working hard in your studies, you also must learn to relax and have fun. You are too serious, and I get worried when I see you pushing yourself so hard."
He cringed. Perhaps he had become too intense with his training. Sadly, he couldn't explain the situation and his plans to his parents, no matter how badly he wanted to. Taking on a murderous Dark Lord and the possibility of dying in the process would not go over well with them. Having people that genuinely cared for his well-being forced him to think from a new perspective he previously never had to consider.
He did his best to not think about it as he addressed her concerns. "Tell you what, Maman. I will find a store in Place Cachee that sells magical cameras and owl order one. I'll take several photos of the school and my friends so you can see them.
You'll be able to see the beauty of Beauxbatons firsthand. I can also plan a gathering over summer and invite all my friends so you can meet them and their families. How does that sound?"
Sofia smiled. "That sounds wonderful, darling. Make sure to take plenty of pictures for us. I'm sure we can work something out to host your friends and their families. Goodness knows we have enough spare rooms in the chateau."
Jean nodded along. "Like your mother said, take plenty of pictures and make sure to tell your friends to get permission from their parents. We can put something together once they RSVP."
With that out of the way, they spent the next few minutes chatting as the time for the portkey activation neared. At the designated time, the portkey glowed blue as it became active. He stood up and walked over to his trunk.
Before he left, he walked over and gave his parents a hug. "I'll be sure to do what we talked about. I'll make sure I study hard and get good results, but I promise to also not push myself too hard."
They both nodded and bid him farewell.
Grabbing his trunk, he spoke the activation words and was whisked away.
Within seconds, his feet hit the ground as he found himself in the same place he had arrived when he first came to Beauxbatons. Walking out of the building, he made his way to the dorms. Entering his dorm, he found Tony and Louis relaxing in the living room. They both excitedly greeted him.
Tony walked over and gave him a hug. "Hey man! How was your break? Did you like my gift? I found the book in my family's library, and my parents said they had copies so sending you one was okay."
Tony had sent him a book entitled Practical Charms for the Wayfaring Wizard. It was an interesting tome that detailed some obscure Charms that weren't useful when exploring foreign places. He had enjoyed reading it whenever he wasn't training.
"Yeah, I got the book. I loved it. It was so interesting, and I learned some new Charms that I feel would be useful to know. I can teach them to you if you'd like?"
Tony grinned. "That'll be cool. Merlin knows I wouldn't be able to read that massive book."
Louis approached them both. "Archer! I didn't really know what to get you, and Javier said that sweets are the standard gift. Did you like them?"
He grinned as he remembered opening Louis' gift. His mother had squealed in fright when the Chocolate Frog had jumped out of its carton and into her hair. He and his father had laughed themselves hoarse as the frog chased her around the living room.
The shopping trip they made the following day had been torturous. He had never been inside a lingerie store before, and it had been the most uncomfortable experience in his life. Sofia had been extremely vindictive and thoroughly embarrassed him for two hours as the women in the store looked on in amusement as he squirmed. Still, it had been worth it.
"My parents and I loved your gift, Louis. We had a lot of fun discovering the wonders of magical sweets. The Chocolate Frogs were by far my favorite."
Louis laughed. "I'm glad you all liked them. Shopping for them was hard. There are so many different sweets. I didn't even know it was possible to have that many varieties. I found that the Licorice Wands were my favorite, and my parents loved the Cauldron Cakes."
The door swung open as the fourth member of their dorm walked in. Javier greeted them excitedly. "Hello all! How was your break? Mine was absolutely amazing!"
They greeted him and he started sharing the details of his vacation. "My family went on a trip to New York City in America. Did you know that the Statue of Liberty is a magical artifact? The entire inside of the statue is lined with runes that power a gigantic Anti-Apparition Ward that covers the entire East Coast!
It's powered by Gubraithian Fire, and not just the standard enchanted kind. This one was said to have been bestowed by a phoenix who owed a favor to the Immortal Alchemist Nicolas Flamel. It blessed the fire with a feather and a few tears, turning it into the Phoenix variant of the traditional Gubraithian Fire!
To the non-magicals, it looks like the flame is a metal piece of the sculpture, but magicals can see them in all their glory. It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!"
Javier was on a roll as he listed off several other famous locations he visited in the Big Apple.
The bit about the Statue of Liberty was interesting, as he had never heard any mention of it in his previous reality. A massive Anti-Apparition Ward to keep magicals from illegally entering the US? That was something that would require further research, maybe a trip to go and see how they did it, seeing as it was still working well to this day.
He could imagine several applications for such immensely strong Anti-Apparition Wards. When it came to the war, getting such wards on important locations like areas of operations, forward operating bases, and tactical operations centers. That way, you could rest safe in the fact that it would take a significant amount of effort for an enemy to gain entry.
He stuck around, talking with them for the next couple of hours as they learned about each other's breaks. After enjoying a nice dinner, they retired for the night and prepared for classes the following day.
His first lesson with Desjardin showed that the second half of the year would be busy. A schedule of what they would be learning had been overviewed for the first couple of minutes, and he was surprised by how comprehensive it was. In his first year at Hogwarts, they hadn't even bothered to cover several Charms that Desjardin had listed.
He couldn't even recognize some of the ones that Desjardin had mentioned they would work towards mastery in. Then again, his entire repertoire had been far more advanced and specialized for warfare rather than simple tasks.
They started going over the theory of the first charm they would be learning and by the end of the class, they were let go with a small assignment. Half a sheet of parchment that summarized the theory they had been lectured about.
Their second class was one he was looking forward to. Thebault had mentioned that she would work with him by giving him harder assignments that would push him to extend his casting capabilities.
The class went well, as they were now trying to learn the basic Switching spell, which only targeted two objects. It was a little tedious to be stuck in the class, but when it came to the practical, he had aced it in the first try. Thebault had nodded and let him help his friends.
After the lesson ended, she kept him behind and asked him about his decision after their meeting.
"So Archer, have you come to a decision about your advanced studies?"
"Yes, Professor Thebault. Thank you for the offer. I sincerely accept it with gratitude and hope to make you proud."
She smiled. "Now, now Archer. None of that. As I said earlier, feel free to call me Laura when its just the two of us. There is no need for formalities."
He persisted. "Nevertheless, it is a privilege to be able to study under someone as accomplished as you are. I will take our extra lessons seriously and study hard. Hopefully, we can solve my problem and move forward."
She held out her hand. "Then let us make it official. I, Laura Lisa Thebault, Mistress of the Transfiguration Masters Guild, hereby extend an offer of assistantship to Archer Beaufort. To study the noble art of Transfiguration under my guidance."
Archer hesitated for a second before grasping the offered hand. "I, Archer Beaufort, accept the offer of assistantship to study the noble art of Transfiguration under Mistress Laura Lisa Thebault. So mote it be."
"So mote it be" Laura echoed.
A flash of magic settled between them as he could feel a magical bond forming.
He looked at her in curiosity.
She seemed to read his mind as she started explaining what just happened. "Don't worry Archer, the magical bond you felt forming between us is quite standard for those who enter into assistantships. Should I take on more assistants, the same bond would form between me and each of them."
He nodded. "What's the difference between an assistantship and an apprenticeship?"
"An apprenticeship can most accurately be described as a magical contract between a master of a field of magic and a person who seeks to learn from the master. This bond is much deeper and has more legal ramifications than a standard assistantship.
As of right now, you are considered by French magical law to be a non-magical born student, regardless of your true ancestry. Once you accepted the letter to attend Beauxbatons, you were assigned a Department Head to become your de facto magical guardian.
If you get into any legal trouble, they will work with you to help you understand the situation and represent you and your interests when dealing with the Ministry. That situation is very rare though, as most non-magical born students are not able to meet the minimum threshold for acceptance to Beauxbatons. In your year, there are only 2 other non-magical born students, your friend Mr. Dreyfus being one of them.
Don't worry, they have no access to anything related to your finances or the like. They are purely there in an advisory role, but it's mostly turned into an honorary position, so to speak. No real power other than in legal matters.
An apprenticeship effectively means that a student studying under a master becomes their ward. The master essentially takes the role of a parent and is responsible for the conduct of their apprentice. On the other hand, the apprentice is expected to follow the master's rules and never betray them or their interests to others.
The contract has become much more legal as the years progressed, but back when academic institutions didn't exist, apprenticing under a master was the only way to learn a skill. The magical oath of apprenticeship made sure that both parties were protected when entering a formal relationship. Think of it as a magical prenup if you will."
He was surprised at how official it all sounded. "Have you ever had an apprentice?"
Laura shook her head. "Not at all, Archer. I'm still much to new to the guild to formally take on an apprentice. While technically I could do so the moment the panel gifted me my Mastery, it is expected for me to first establish my position before thinking about teaching others."
Archer smiled. "Well then, I thank you for making the offer official. Would you be free to meet with me tomorrow to work out a schedule for my studies?"
"Of course, Archer. Now go get some lunch. It wouldn't do to attend class on an empty stomach."
He thanked her again before heading off to the Dining Chamber.
He was lost in thought as he made his way down the corridor. Laura's offer had come as a pleasant surprise. Having access to her knowledge would help him overcome his current struggles. Besides, learning the theory would be an advantage in the long run.
As he was considering his new situation, he turned the corner and felt something collide with his chest. A short squeak sounded out as the person who ran into him fell back. He immediately apologized as he bent down to check if the person was ok.
"I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention. Are you okay?"
The person he had bumped into was a girl. She was short, with long platinum blond hair that was tied into an elegant braid. Her features were sharp with almond shaped eyes and high cheekbones. It was her eyes that drew him in. They looked like gleaming sapphires alight with innocence and curiosity.
As their eyes met, he felt something deep inside him awaken. A longing he had forgotten existed. His eyes widened as he realized that he knew exactly who this girl was.
The girl got up with a grin. "It's fine. I was also not paying attention. Who are you? My name is Fleur Delacour. Are you a first year? Do you want to be friends?"
His breath caught in his chest as he stared. He had avoided searching for her ever since he arrived at Beauxbatons. Fleur had been his first true love. A strong and proud woman who had stood up to defend others when she didn't have to. She had everything to lose by staying with him, and yet she had willingly made the choice to fight alongside him.
The Fleur of this world was not his Fleur. She was nothing but a cruel facsimile that would only torment him with her likeness. Fleur was dead, and this little girl he had bumped into was not her. She was never going to be her. Yet there she was in miniature form.
He remembered their first meeting and how their relationship had changed after he had rescued Gabrielle from the lake during the Second Task.
They had bonded and shared a bit about their childhoods. Fleur had mentioned that Veela look very young until a certain age when they undergo their Veela maturity. In the span of a single night, they will go from looking like a child to an older teenager.
Fleur had oftentimes spoke of how she had struggled forming friendships as her friends all grew older and more mature. Her third year had apparently been the worst, when all her friends had left her because she still looked like a little girl. Until she had come into her maturity at 15, she had been exceedingly lonely and cried herself to sleep many times.
It was eerie to have memories of an older Fleur explaining her childhood to him and seeing Fleur as a child in front of him. He could hear the desperation in her tone when she asked him whether he wanted to be friends with her. It honestly reminded him a lot of his own childhood before Hogwarts.
A war was being waged in his mind as he struggled to answer her. A part of him was screaming to say no and get out of there. That this was not his Fleur, the woman he fell in love with, and that she would never be that woman with the changes he would make.
Another side argued that this was his chance to fix things and make sure that Fleur was happy and stayed alive. Who knew whether one day, he would learn to love this reality's Fleur like his previous one?
Their eyes were locked onto each other as he opened and closed his mouth repeatedly. He needed to decide quickly.
Fleur's enthusiasm subsided as she no doubt saw the indecisive look in his eyes. Her entire figure drooped in sadness as he saw her eyes twitching. She looked ready to cry, and that was what made him take a leap of faith.
"I would love to be your friend, Fleur. My name is Archer Beaufort, and as you guessed, I am indeed a first year."
Almost instantly, her dreary demeanor did a 360 as a brilliant smile lit up her face with joy. "Hello Archer! I'm so glad to be your friend! Do you want to go get lunch together?" she asked excitedly as she grabbed his hand.
The moment after she said that, she suddenly became shy. "It's okay if you don't want to. We just met after all."
He flinched as he felt her soft palm grasp his. The feeling was surreal and at the same time, so satisfying. It felt like he had regained something he didn't know he had lost. This feeling only served to strengthen his conviction that he made the right choice.
He grasped her hand reassuringly. "I would love to, Fleur. Lead the way."
She beamed as she started making her way towards the cafeteria, dragging him behind her.
The next hour was a blur as they talked. They spoke about everything from their favorite color and subject to their family and what their parents did. She was surprisingly knowledgeable about the non-magical world and managed to recognize his father's name.
Apparently, her family's main businesses were in enchanting, specifically metal charming. This meant they required a lot of refined alloys made up of specific metals. They received all their materials through a partnership with Beaufort Metals, the leading metallurgical company in all of France. She had been stunned to find out that his family was the one that owned the company.
She had left for class with a promise to meet up in the evening, leaving him in deep contemplation about what he had just done. With his acceptance of her offer, he had irreversibly changed her future. Messing with the future would make whatever knowledge he had obsolete, but damn if he didn't want to try.
The pain she had suffered from being rejected by nearly all her peers had affected her for the rest of her life. This held true even after her Veela maturity, as she realized that she would be isolated regardless of her looks. It was the reason why she had been insulting and snooty. She had developed an independent streak and was loath to ever trust others fully.
He had broken down the barriers she had erected around her heart, but that had taken years. Sadly, by the time they were able to realize how much they loved each other, she was taken from him.
The interaction they had just shared had completely redefined her future personality, and he was unsure if that was a good thing. The Fleur he had known could take care of herself due to being ostracized by virtually the entire female population at Beauxbatons. If this one developed a dependence on him, would she still be able to protect herself should the need arise?
'Screw that! I can teach her. She was always brilliant, I'm sure she could learn quickly under my tutelage.'
After some thought, he resolved himself to his path. He would feel better if Fleur knew how to defend herself. Knowing what she would face, he would have to be a cruel bastard to leave her to her fate.
Getting up, he walked towards his next class, satisfied that he had changed this reality for the better.
The months ticked by, as he fell into his routine. The only difference being that lunch with Fleur was now a daily occurrence. The more they talked, the more he started feeling comfortable with her. Although she wasn't exactly the Fleur he remembered, he could see hints of the woman she would become shine through every now and then.
His assistantship had started, and Laura was proving to be an excellent master. Despite the severity with which she conducted herself in the classroom, she was quite laid back during their private lessons. Laura was a fount of knowledge, giving him insights into advanced Transfiguration theory while mixing in bits of general knowledge that shaped the field as they knew it.
Discussions like the one they had before Winter Break had become commonplace. They formally introduced themselves to each other, and he found that if not for the fact that Laura wasn't adopted, they had quite a lot in common.
They both came from wealthy families, with parents who loved them unconditionally. Their shared interest in Alchemy was something he had been surprised by. He had never had the chance to explore the field in his previous life. She had always been fascinated by the permanence of transmutation as opposed to transfigured constructs. Laura's Mastery Thesis on conjured elements had been an intellectual pursuit related to Alchemy, as it involved the combination of the elements to change matter.
The one thing he hadn't predicted was Florian becoming unbearable. News of his assistantship had been leaked after one of the staff had questioned his Laura's frequent meetings. That had set off a bunch of different rumors floating around the school that Florian did his best to exaggerate. Laura's young age did not help matters as numerous aspersions were cast towards her supposed preference for young boys.
The staff had to make an official announcement and inform the students that Laura was well within her right as a certified Transfiguration Mistress to take on an assistant or apprentice who was still attending school. They had even gone so far as to say that anyone caught slandering her would be subject to detentions and loss of privileges.
Headmistress Maxime also mentioned that if they studied hard and showed promise, they all had a chance of impressing a professor enough to attain a formal apprenticeship.
His friends had been very happy for him, as was almost all his classmates. His willingness to help others had paid off in spades, as he had become acquainted with most of the people in his year. In fact, their defense of him when they heard the rumors had been vociferous. Florian's attempts to damage his reputation had backfired gloriously.
After that small bit of drama, the rest of the year went by swiftly. He put forth a lot of effort into his studies and Occlumency practice, and he had enjoyed the fruits of his labor. He managed to get through most of the war against Voldemort and was in between the space of time when the demons were summoned.
The memories of his lessons in Runes and Dark Arts taught to him by Salazar, the control exercises he had mastered as well as the enhancement rituals he had painstakingly undergone under Morgana's supervision, and his time studying under the Master Cursebreaker of the Goblin Nation had all come back to him.
He thought back to the memories he had relived under Morgana and couldn't help but shiver. She had been a harsh taskmaster, but his prowess in magic was all due to her extensive teachings. Out of all his teachers, she had been with him the longest, and had the most profound impact on both his life and the war.
------FLASHBACK--------
His training with Morgana had officially started. She had started by refreshing his foundations. Following a preliminary assessment of his strength, control, knowledge, and spell repertoire, they started to plan his training.
With the massive increase in power from unsealing the binds on his magic, he was constantly overpowering his spells. He had never had access to that much raw energy before, so he threw all he had into every spell. While his nontrivial amount of power allowed him to do so with few consequences, Morgana had pointed out some fatal flaws in that strategy.
"Harrison, while you are powerful, you lack the proper control that a skilled wizard should have. If you are in a battle and you constantly overpower your spells, you will get tired very quickly.
Granted, you would last longer than the average witch or wizard, but against someone like Voldemort, this method of fighting simply will not work. Your goal is to defeat him. You must train hard enough to do so and fight every opponent as if they were Voldemort himself.
The only way you'll gain experience is if you go out and fight, but I want you to first undergo the enhancement rituals before actively engaging the enemy. I'll have more confidence in your survival once you've undergone all of them and trained with the Goblin Weapons Master."
Harry had quickly been humbled as he struggled with the exercises. He had felt the amount of power he held and thought that he was able to face off against Voldemort, only to find out that power wasn't everything. Morgana's training had started with casting first-year spells. The Wand-Lighting Charm, Lumos, was the first Charm that every Hogwarts student learned.
Morgana asked him to maintain a light that barely lit up the tip of his wand as if it was a firefly in the night. He had thought it was easy until he nearly blinded himself when he first cast it. His power flowed through his basilisk wand with ease as a bright flare of light ignited at the end of his wand.
His magic buzzed happily as it flooded his wand, maintaining the intensity of the light. He had struggled for almost 10 minutes to get it back under control.
Looking back up, he saw Morgana smirking at him. "Not so easy is it? I know the feeling, Harrison. Your magic wishes to be free and sings to you when you use it. Those with power like ours often connect with our magic on a deeper level than most.
We feel it communicate with us and we yearn to set it free. The purpose of this exercise is to be able to work with your magic and turn the currently raging rapids, into a placid lake. You can still listen to your magic, but you must control it, and not the other way around. It is a difficult lesson. One every wizard must learn."
Despite the inherent simplicity of the exercise, he had taken almost a week to finally master it. Morgana had applauded his efforts and then gone on to make his life miserable.
"Well done, Harrison. You have finally mastered the controlled Wand-Lighting Charm. Now, I'm simply going to add a small variation on top of the exercise. While maintaining the same intensity, I want you to make the light flicker on and off.
Every time you turn the light back on, you must return to the same intensity immediately. Kind of like a Muggle light switch. It must be instantaneous and consistent. Good luck." She had smirked as he confidently started to practice.
He had gotten frustrated as hell as almost a week and a half went by with limited success. One day when he was feeling frustrated, he had inadvertently found the answer to mastering the exercise. The feeling of frustration had been affecting him, so he had retreated behind his Occlumency shields to contain his anger.
Attempting the exercise for the umpteenth time, he realized that he succeeded. A feeling of accomplishment at his breakthrough overwhelmed him. He already knew how to get to the same intensity every single time, he just needed to keep his magic flowing to sustain the spell and recreate what he did in the first exercise. Once he realized the main principle, he succeeded within a day.
Morgana had congratulated him again as she described the purpose of the exercise.
"Exceptional casting, Harrison! Now, you know how to keep just a sliver of magic necessary to maintain a spell and instantly readjust the power, as necessary. I think we can now move on to the harder concepts."
Looking back, he had teared up a little as he settled in for the long slog towards the finish. They had started exercising with the Levitation Charm, starting with maintaining a ball at a certain height. Adding the same variation as the previous exercise, then adding more balls to levitate at the same time.
By the end, he was able to levitate nearly 12 balls and form different patterns with them, all with his eyes closed. Morgana had added on a section about focusing his intent and trusting his magic to properly execute his will. She had mentioned that this was the principal foundation of all wandless magic, something they would study in-depth later.
------FLASHBACK END--------
Relearning those exercises had proved priceless, and he hadn't wasted anytime incorporating the control exercises in his daily training. He could feel the improvement in his control as he was able to condense his magical aura till it was buzzing right beneath his skin.
As he walked out of the final exam he would sit for the year, he felt at ease. His training was intense but was paying off in more ways than one. His Occlumency had given him several more precious resources he could use to protect his loved ones from Voldemort. All in all, his life was going exceptionally well.
While previously he would only think that such a thing would never last, he did not feel that was the case now. Despite how foreign it felt, he was Archer Beaufort, and he was put onto this Earth for a reason. Whether it was to stop Voldemort or not, he wasn't sure, but regardless of the specifics, he felt that he would be ready when the time came to carry out whatever plan Fate had for him.
After a formal Farewell Feast, he bid Fleur and his roommates goodbye before he left for the summer. Upon his arrival, he was smothered by his mother in a tight hug. His father stood by his side, ruffling his hair affectionately. He returned her hug with closed eyes and a gentle smile on his face.
This was what he was training to protect, and Mother Magic have mercy on any fool who tried to take this from him.
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