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Rituals

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As soon as Harry entered his office, Snape sent a spell at the door and Harry could see the Rune etched on the door glow for a few seconds indicating that the wards had been activated.

"I see you have brought the ingredients I ordered, Harry." Snape commented as he examined the ingredients. "I hope there was no trouble...?" Snape continued.

"No." Harry simply stated. Finally after a thorough examination, Snape seemed pleased as he straightened.

"What I am about to teach you Harry, is strictly considered Illegal, dark magic if you may. This is one of things that was responsible for the Dark Lord's rise to power. Tonight Harry...", Snape paused, "...you will learn about rituals."

"Rituals are a combination of Potions and Runes, using blood as the main source to power them. This is also sometimes referred to as Blood Magic. Rituals can be used to alter your body or your magic. Senses of a werewolf, strength of a giant, speed of a cheetah, they are all within the realm of possibility." Snape started lecturing Harry.

"Yes but why don't more people try it and why is it banned?" Asked Harry.

"I guess it is too good to be true. Firstly, The Potions required for rituals are very hard to brew and the Runes are no 'walk in the park' either. And secondly, whenever you perform a ritual, your magic becomes very volatile since it has to mix with the magic of the ritual. There is a very high chance in every ritual that the magics do not mix, in that case, the results are capricious. You could die, be permanently disabled, magically explode or implode, or you could simply vanish from existence without a trace. At least those are some of the most common results. The Dark Lord found, through Slytherin's diaries, some way to stabilize his magic during the rituals that allowed him to perform rituals without worrying about all the possible after effects."

Snape paused as Harry processed what Snape had said. "So, do you know the method that the dark lord used?" Harry asked. Snape actually shuddered at that, "no I do not, but I do know that it involved innocent human sacrifices, children more specifically. No Potter, you will definitely not be using the Dark Lord's method, even if you did know the process." Snape replied in a morose tone.

"Sorry Professor but unless I know for sure the after-effects are not there, I will not go through with any ritual." Harry replied tersely.

"I have a theory about you Harry, you see, you do not have any magic that will go haywire, unlike any wizard, which will protect you from the effects. But unlike squibs and muggles, you have a fully functioning magical core, which is the only thing that will allow you to perform the rituals. If my theory is false, the ritual will have no effect on you, but if it is true, it will truly be advantageous."

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A month had passed since his arrival at Hogwarts. Snape's theory actually turned out to be true and Harry found himself with heightened senses. Snape had explained that this was a sort of basic ritual with a low margin for error or disaster, even for normal wizards that simply heightened your senses and conditioned the body to become more accepting towards other rituals.

Harry looked upwards to see the Potter family owl heading towards him. His mother had been writing to him practically every day. He let out a sigh of annoyance but, even though he didn't realize it, he found himself looking forward to his mother's letters more and more. He would reply every once in a while but it was now more often than not.

To his surprise, as Harry opened the letter, there was a shrunken box of homemade cake inside the letter as well.

Dear Harry,

I was given a day off from my job today due to the charms incident that I told you about yesterday. All research labs in the ministry were closed for the day...

...

Well, I decided to cook this new recipe that I learnt. Tell me how you like it

Love Mum

Harry enlarged the cake and looked towards John. Sure John also received treats like these from home but he took some unexplained pleasure from the fact that John hadn't been sent any today. Taking a bite, Harry found the cake delicious. Yes, he would reply today. Harry pocketed the letter with a smile.

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Harry calmly explained the function of each and every rune that was part of the runic combination for the second ritual. He had also brewed the potion required for the ritual himself. Of course, the runes would work whether or not he knew them and Snape could have made the potion for him in less than a few hours, much better than the month it took for him to perfect, but Snape had told him that he had to learn to brew the potions on his own and knowing more about runes would allow him to improve and later, even create his own rituals.

Harry had selected this ritual from the very few rituals that w'ere explained in a book that Snape had. This ritual would give him inhuman reflexes. "You know, I could crush the opposition in quidditch." Harry commented.

"You will do no such thing. If Dumbledore were to see you, he might suspect something. We can't afford the risk. You will deliberately slow down your reactions during a quidditch match." Snape commented.

Harry nodded as he began the ritual. Cutting himself, Harry drew the runes on the ground in his own blood. After that, Harry drank the potion. Then Harry carefully drew the activation rune on the palm of his hand with a knife. With blood still flowing out of his hand, Harry placed the palm of his hand in the center of the rune combination on the floor. Instantly a blinding light illuminated the runes and Harry's body. Harry let out a scream as his body was changed both physically and magically.

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Harry was standing on the platform with Adam when he saw his mother walking towards him, John in tow. Before he could do anything, she had engulfed him in a hug. She hugged Adam too. Harry saw John glaring at him and he smiled in return which caused John to become more incensed.

Harry was happy that his mother had insisted that both him and Adam spend the winter holidays at Potter Manor. They arrived by floo and Harry was assigned his old room. He saw it was refurnished with expensive comfortable furniture. Pictures of himself were placed on the walls and Harry noted that most of them were from before his sixth birthday.

He smiled nonetheless, seeing a time when he was loved. "She's trying really hard isn't she? To earn your forgiveness?" Adam asked from the doorway. Harry smiled sadly, "Yes." Why couldn't the neglect have ended sooner? Why did it happen at all? But he knew he had forgiven his mother, even though he hadn't told her that.

"Harry, the library here is HUGE and most of the books are on DADA. I can't believe you never mentioned this to me." Adam said, wisely changing the somber subject. "Boys, lunch is ready." Came his mother's voice through the hallway. Harry and Adam made their way downstairs.

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As Harry appeared in the headquarters of the Brotherhood, he found himself facing The Academy corridor. Curiosity led Harry down that particular corridor. Harry soon felt wards washing over him. Of course Harry sought out the anchor for the wards and found inscriptions on the walls. The wards were impressive, but he had seen better wards around Grindelwalds office. A few moments of wandering through corridors found Harry in a crowded hallway.

Then Harry saw all the kids part as they gave way to three strong looking werewolves. Harry just stood there, observing until the werewolves reached him.

"Move over squib!" exclaimed the one in the center.

Harry didn't bother to answer, choosing instead, to merely raise an eyebrow. When he realized that Harry wasn't going anywhere, he swung his massive fist towards Harry's face. Harry dodged it while also pulling out a silver knife and making a small cut against the werewolf's skin which sent the werewolf into temporary paralysis.

Placing the knife back in his pocket, Harry sneered, "I think not werewolf." As soon as the werewolf regained his senses, he was incensed to say the least, his companions also cracking their knuckles. But not even their acute senses could prepare them for the blast of wind that knocked them a couple of meters back.

After getting directions from some other students, Harry had no trouble finding the Headmaster's office. The office was lavishly decorated, with a large emphasis on comfort. The darkly lit room and the glass filled with blood both told Harry that the Headmaster was a vampire.

"Master Harry, I have heard a lot about you." The vampire said with a sneer. "What brings you here?" continued the vampire.

"Just curiosity, I suppose." Harry said casually as he seated himself.

"And how may I satiate that Master?" The vampire sneered disdainfully, making even the word 'master' sound like an insult.

"You can start by showing some respect." Harry reprimanded, becoming serious.

"I have not hidden my dislike for you Potter, but at two hundred years of age, I refuse to bow to someone who hasn't even hit puberty. Now, I ask you again, why are you here?" The vampire abandoned all pretenses of respect.

"You should be happy vampire, that Grindelwald has chosen another apprentice. I doubt a werewolf as the next leader of the Brotherhood would be pleasant towards vampires." Harry replied.

"Be that as it may, we do not need a kid representing the vampires and squibs. I would have been a far better candidate as the eldest vampire in the brotherhood and the most powerful of all vampires and squibs in the brotherhood." Stated the vampire with hubris.

Harry could very well understand that. After all, no one in the Brotherhood knew of his abilities. It must be hard for them to digest the fact that Grindelwald had taken a kid as an apprentice. Perhaps it was time for a little demonstration. If the incident earlier was any indication, it was very likely that werewolves lorded over the rest of the students and this probably extended towards the entire Brotherhood as well. That needed to be changed. But firstly, to the matter at hand....

"And can you back that claim with actions, a duel perhaps? Do you have a hall, If possible I would like the entire academy to be there as well." Harry stated calmly to the shocked headmaster. Harry's Slytherin side screamed at him not to reveal his abilities to such a large audience but gaining the admiration of the future generation of the Brotherhood would be a long term advantage.

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Whispers broke out in the entire dueling arena as both Harry and the Headmaster, Dimitri made their way to the center of the arena. Almost everybody now knew that Harry was Grindelwald's apprentice and everybody wanted to see this. There was only one rule, no killing allowed. The dueling instructor of the Academy created a ward around the arena so the students wouldn't get hurt.

Dimitri took out a large sword from a sheath on his belt while Harry took out his dagger. When the referee signaled for them to start, the vampire ran straight towards him at a speed that was inhuman, but thankfully, Harry's reflexes had been enhanced by his second ritual. Harry neatly intercepted the slash with his dagger which surprised the Vampire, judging by the widening of his eyes. The force of the impact left Harry reeling as he took a few steps back. Damn inhuman strength, he had planned the body strength ritual after the winter break.

The vampire was extremely fast and strong as he kept slashing and Harry blocked most of his attacks. Parts of his skin had been cut and his cloak torn. 'Time to step this up' Harry started using the wind element as every thrust of his dagger was accompanied by a blast of wind. One strong blast of wind put a large amount of distance between them, and Harry pocketed the dagger. He might accidentally kill the vampire, if such a thing were possible.

It was time for the demonstration Harry thought, as five darts, each laced with strong potions that could render the target unconscious, levitated in the air around him. There was a murmur amongst the students of how he was controlling them. Dimitri was still a distance away as he stared at the darts. Within the blink of an eye, the darts raced through the air at immeasurable speed towards Dimitri who knew he could not dodge in time, nor block all five with his sword.

Just as they were about to make contact, Dimitri vanished. Harry's senses told him Dimitri was behind him and he was already making motions with his hands as sharp bursts of air circled around him. This was a new form of defense with his element that Harry was still working on. Dimitri's clothes started to tear as he neared Harry and Harry could also see wounds starting to form on his skin but Dimitri still managed to come close and take swipes at Harry with his sword. Harry dodged the first few and took out his dagger to block the next but he was still getting hit. A particularly fast thrust of the sword went through his stomach but Harry just smirked in return as Dimitri fell to the floor unconscious and bleeding, five darts embedded on his back.

Harry instantly downed a blood replenishing potion in order to avoid losing consciousness due to blood loss. There was a roar of approval from the crowd and Harry just smiled in return. A medic had arrived and was now looking Dimitri over. After that the medic used a spell to close Harry's wound.

Dimitri soon returned to consciousness and as soon as he stood up, he went down on one knee in front of Harry and bowed his head. "Forgive me Master, shall we return to the office?" Dimitri asked.

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When they were once again seated in the office, Harry asked for more information on the academy. Harry found that there were essentially ten years of classes from ages eight to eighteen. The classes consisted of Weapons training, physical Combat, Potions, Astronomy, Magical Creatures, and all classes usually found in muggle schools. Students were judged based on their strengths in the first few years and then assigned only to those classes in which they excelled in. There were also advanced classes which included assassination, deception, etc which prepared students specifically for missions. Harry was impressed by the vast array of classes for the relatively small number of students.

Harry found that Dimitri truly cared for his students and was concerned with the Werewolves bullying the rest of the students. But there was nothing he could do as most students feared the werewolves too much to speak out against them. Harry assured him he would talk to Grindelwald about this.

"Master Harry, if I may speak freely?" Dimitri asked and Harry nodded. "The Invasion on the wizarding world is coming near and Master Gellert is needed for it since only he knows the entire plan. I fear that after the invasion, the werewolves may plan a coup on the Brotherhood by killing Master Gellert and yourself. Besides Master Gellert and you, the werewolves are basically in command of most of the Brotherhood. Though I am not pleased with Master Gellert's leadership, I believe it will be far worse under the Werewolves." Dimitri said solemnly.

Harry contemplated on the information before asking, "do you have any reason for your speculation?"

Dimitri nodded, "I have my personal spies in the Brotherhood and they hear and see things. The werewolves are getting excited, planning secret meetings and most importantly, Master Gellert has removed his werewolf guard and assigned the best squib warriors as his guards. Master Gellert is no fool, he knows that rebellion is brewing. I guess that is why he has told you to lay low and not do any missions. After all, accidents could happen..." Dimitri said.

Harry's eyes widened in surprise at the fact that Dimitri knew that. And Dimitri simply smirked in return. Re-composing himself, Harry asked, "And why are you telling me this?"

"It is because I would rather side with you than with the werewolves. I know a Brotherhood ruled by squibs is way better than ruled by werewolves. You have been given power over the Brotherhood as Master's apprentice, and you are our only chance against the werewolves." Dimitri said, almost pleading.

"I'm afraid there is not much I can do, I am at Hogwarts most of the school year." Harry replied.

"Then allow me to be your connection to the Brotherhood. I can teleport to any place that is not specifically warded against Vampires. I could carry out your orders." Dimitri said.

Harry nodded. That would be beneficial, "Very well, I will need your oath of allegiance." After some hesitation Dimitri nodded, Harry cut himself once again and began drawing a rune on his hand, he then cut a different rune on Dimitri's hand."

Dimitri nodded as he looked at the runes, recognizing them. "Impressive." He simply stated. They both shook hands carefully aligning both the runes. Both there hands glowed for a few seconds before returning to normal. The oath had been cast. The oath was not as serious as some others but it still enforced loyalty. In the case the one who alleged managed to be disloyal, the other would know and the one who had alleged would have his hand destroyed by the magic in such a way that it could never be repaired, regrown or fixed. That was the penalty for the oath.

"Any orders Master?" Dimitri asked. Harry shook his head, "Not yet, I still need to think up of a plan, await my owl." Harry said before saying goodbye and heading out. It was time for dinner and Lily would be worried where he had gone off.

After Harry had left, Dimitri sat contemplating what had happened. Sure the boy was smart and powerful but he was only a boy. He shook his head; he wouldn't survive in the Brotherhood if the werewolves took over. He had nowhere else to go either, his clan had sentenced him to death but he had run away. Now there was even a bounty on his head amongst the vampires. He would be killed if he went out in the muggle world and there was no place in the wizarding world for vampires.

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