With a deep sigh, Leon decided to head back to the Hufflepuff common room.
He wanted to check out the Vivarium and pretending to take a nap would work just fine.
He figured once he satisfied his curiosity, he would focus on the reading assignments and write the essays that had been assigned.
Once he was safely seated in a nice plush armchair.
Leon closed his eyes and transferred his mind back to his Avatar in Coldharbour.
Before he even activated the Dollhouse setup of the Vivarium to transform it into its mansion hub setting, Leon stood before its shrunken form and extended his raw awareness directly into the shrunken artifact.
The sensory feedback nearly brought him to his metaphorical knees.
The sheer volume of magic bound into the structure was blinding.
The Vivarium thrummed like a trapped, miniature sun, its intricate matrices radiating a dense web of ancient power.
As Leon’s awareness slipped through the shell of the artifact, the Vivarium ceased to be an object in his hands and unfolded into an entire world.
It was beautiful.
Seen from impossibly high above, the island floated beneath him like a perfectly preserved fragment of another reality.
Nearly fifteen miles from north to south and twelve miles across at its widest point, it was large enough that its distant shores curved gently into the haze surrounding the island from the perspective of a person on the beach.
Brilliant sapphire seas lapped against pristine beaches of white sand before giving way to black volcanic cliffs, windswept bluffs, and ancient forests that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Dominating everything was the mountain.
It rose from the island’s center with impossible majesty, its immense shoulders dwarfing every surrounding hill.
The peak towering nearly three miles above sea level.
It towered so high that its upper slopes vanished into drifting clouds.
Countless waterfalls poured from its flanks, gathering into crystal lakes before becoming rivers that wound across the island like veins, nourishing every forest, meadow, marsh, and valley before finally pouring into the sea surrounding the island.
The island radiated outward from that solitary peak.
To the west, evergreen forests climbed on rugged ridges and ancient pines disappeared beneath blankets of moss.
Open glades broke the canopy every few miles, filled with soft grasses and wildflowers that shimmered with faint traces of magic beneath the artificial sunlight.
Southward the terrain gradually flattened into broad rolling plains.
Tall golden grasses swaying endlessly in the wind, interrupted only by scattered groves of trees, gentle hills, and sparkling streams.
Herds of magical beasts wandered freely across the open country, leaving faint trails through fields that healed almost as quickly as they were disturbed.
The eastern coastline dissolved into vast wetlands where slow-moving rivers spread into marshes thick with reeds and flowering lilies.
Giant trees draped with hanging moss stood ankle-deep in still water while mist drifted lazily across the surface, hiding hidden pools and forgotten channels that wound toward the sea.
To the north the land grew harsher.
Dense forests clung to steep rocky slopes before ending abruptly in towering cliffs overlooking the ocean.
Sea caves disappeared beneath the crashing surf while narrow beaches hid between jagged stone outcroppings.
Every habitat blended naturally into the next.
No abrupt transitions.
No invisible barriers.
The forests gradually became grasslands.
The grasslands softened into wetlands.
Rocky highlands merged seamlessly into alpine meadows before climbing toward the mountain’s snow-covered summit.
It looked less like a collection of magical preserves and more like an untouched continent compressed into miniature.
Mooncalves danced beneath open clearings.
Unicorns wandered secluded groves untouched by fear.
Hippogriffs nested along rocky cliffs while Thestrals stalked quiet valleys, unseen by all but those capable of witnessing them.
Puffskeins bounced through the undergrowth alongside Nifflers, Kneazles, Jobberknolls, Diricawls, Fwoopers, Graphorns, Giant Purple Toads, and dozens of other magical species that had each found their own place within the carefully maintained wilderness.
Only one region stood apart.
Near the southwestern corner of the island lay a vast valley enclosed by steep ridges and dense forest.
Even from above it appeared wrong.
The canopy had long since disappeared beneath an endless blanket of silk.
Trees rose like the supports of a cathedral, every trunk wrapped in thick white webbing that stretched from branch to branch until the entire valley had become a single interconnected nest.
The webs climbed cliffs.
Bridged rivers.
Hung between towering trees in curtains thicker than castle walls.
Beneath that suffocating blanket, movement never ceased.
Millions of Acromantula, fighting each other over scraps, cannibalizing one another, and joyously pouncing on any creature unfortunate enough to wander too close to their valley.
Their presence weighed upon the island like an open wound.
Creatures seemed to instinctively avoid the valley’s borders, while the colony itself remained contained within invisible boundaries imposed by the Vivarium’s ancient enchantments.
Somewhere beneath the island, ancient enchantments quietly rewrote reality itself.
Matter appeared where none should exist.
Crops regrew without exhausting the soil.
Minerals replenished themselves inside the earth.
Populations remained forever stable despite births, deaths, hunts, harvests, and forty-nine thousand years of uninterrupted existence.
It was magnificent.
Beautiful in a way that made Leon shed a metaphorical tear.
It was amazing.
And now it was his.
He took a few moments to simply appreciate the surface world of the Vivarium.
Magic positively thrummed through the air, the water, the soil and every living being within.
Currents of magical energy flowed through every square inch of everything inside the Vivarium’s boundaries.
The surface was incredible, but all of that paled in comparison to the absolute masterpiece that was the underground.
Deep beneath the surface, the Goblins had turned practically the entire underground into an unending, spiraling mega-structure.
A hyper-complex network of tunnels that spanned the entire island and delved downward until it seemingly hit an impenetrable barrier about three miles below the surface.
Stitched together by a massive, interconnecting rail system that reached from one edge of the island to the other.
The goblins hadn’t just survived down there for forty-nine millennia; they had conquered the dark and made it their bitch.
Leon spotted massive, glowing subterranean fungi farms, vast underground lakes teeming with cultivated fish, and endless, pale herds of some kind of unknown, tusked cave-sheep things grazing on bioluminescent moss.
And there was oh so much more to see.
There was even a section of the caves that was walled off built over where the Acromantula had taken over a larg portion of the underground.
The goblins seemed to have all but abandoned the surface in favor of the underground.
Only a single settlement was on the surface, located in a fertile valley at the foothills of the central mountain.
Where they seemed to be engaging in trade with the Centaur tribes that roamed the surface.
Leon shook his head in absolute wonder.
“Gods above and below, this is the find of the century right here.” he muttered, a slow grin spreading across his face.
He pulled out his wand, tapped the roof of the dollhouse, and took a few steps back.
The structure expanded smoothly, growing until a full-sized hazy-green glass mansion was standing right there in the bleak landscape of Coldharbour.
Leon felt a sudden wave of hesitation about looking inside the storage vaults.
Nearly fifty thousand years of automated harvesting from a large magical ecosystem and perfect stasis meant the resource rooms beneath his feet were probably holding mountains of insanely rare and potent magical components.
It was a gamer’s dream inventory, but just the thought of trying to catalog all of that right now felt completely overwhelming.
Instead, Leon walked through the grand entrance to inspect the internal surveillance system.
He approached the massive stone console in the center of the hall, which instantly lit up with a huge, glowing 3D holographic map of the island.
It was magnificent to look at, but Leon quickly tempered his curiosity.
If he tried to manually map out everything going on in the Vivarium, it would take him months, if not years, of undivided attention.
Plus, his own awareness was better than a security feed anyway.
“The only way this place could be any better is if it generated OP automatically,” Leon muttered to himself, leaning over the stone terminal.
Since it didn’t generate OP, he decided to change that.
He mentally summoned Morty-1.
And began explaining the situation.
Morty-1 who was holding a notebook that he had already been filling with ideas, plots and schemes for generating OP in the material world.
Looked at the Vivarium in genuine wonder.
“Alright, Morty-1.” Leon said, gesturing toward the glowing tactical map.
“I need you to sit at this console and monitor the various races inside.
Don’t waste your time tracking the common folk.
Look for the VIPs.
The Goblin leaders, and Centaur chieftains.
Anyone holding a genuine position of power.
You can go down a few rungs if it looks like they are up-and-commers.”
Morty-1 nodded, his eyes already locked onto the screen showing population data feeds.
“Once you figure out who the actual heavy hitters are, you just need to mark them down and show me next time I’m back in Coldharbour.
I’ll scoop them up and convert them into Dremora, and after you give them the details of their assignments.
I’ll drop them right back where they were.” Leon explained, crossing his arms.
“They can return to their societies and establish secret or open cults in my name.
It’s a hell of a lot more efficient than trying to micro-manage forty-nine thousand years of politics myself.
You handle the scouting and planning for the cults.
We may need to tweak how they are presented for each of the various races.”
“Master, I already designed a cult framework with goblins in mind.
Though it was for the goblins of Gringotts.
I’ll need to observe these goblins for a few weeks to see their cultural differences.
But I suspect that the framework I made will only need minor tweaking.
The Centaurs may be a lost cause.” Morty-1 shook his head, “It will take a while, but it is doable for the Goblins.
The biggest problem, however, is going to be the language barrier.
Forty-nine to fifty thousand years have passed within the Vivarium if what you say is true.
There is no telling how far the languages have diverged from what we know today.
I will need to compile the various languages and build up a linguistics spell that can actively translate so that I can adequately give the new Dremora orders.”
Leon blinked, processing the information.
He had completely overlooked the language barrier issue.
In all his time dealing with Dremora, a language barrier had never actually come up.
Cats, rats, and whatever other animals he converted into Dremora always responded to his commands just fine.
But as he really thought about it, that didn’t necessarily mean they actually understood a word he was saying.
Their newly altered physiology might just be physically forcing them to comply with his raw intent, bypassing speech entirely.
Forcing a Dremora rat to fetch something using raw mental pressure was one thing, but running a complex, deep-cover cult network through a converted Goblin chieftain required actual, precise communication.
“Good catch,” Leon said, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked over Morty-1’s shoulder at the console.
“I didn’t even think about how much a language would drift over fifty millennia.
You can’t run a proper conspiracy if you can’t even tell your operatives what the plan is.”
Morty-1 nodded, a serious expression on his face.
“Exactly, Master.
The Gringotts framework relies heavily on economic and religious leveraging.
If these underground Goblins have been isolated for forty-nine thousand years, their concepts of value, hierarchy, and even basic greetings might be completely unrecognizable.
I’ll start logging their speech patterns immediately to build a translation spell.
Once the linguistics spell is functional, we can safely initiate the first conversions without risking a massive miscommunication.
But it may take a few months.”
Leon went over the information for moment before clapping Morty-1 on the shoulder, “Well, get to it then.
I’ve got to go write some essays, then maybe go looking for your diadem.”
Leon was just about to transfer back to his earthly avatar when he paused, his gaze drifting over to the stone stairs leading down to the storage area.
Instead of walking down there physically, he saved himself the trip and simply extended his awareness into the vault.
The second his mind registered what was sitting in those stasis grids, he let out a sharp, involuntary hiss.
“Holy hells,” he muttered, his mind reeling as he struggled to process the sheer, absurd volume of the loot.
He had expected a large stockpile, but this was beyond the concept of ‘large’.
Just the sheer mass of the collected phoenix feathers alone looked heavy enough to physically crush Hogwarts under their weight.
Right next to them, an entire fishing ponds worth of priceless phoenix tears, just sitting there in stasis, glowing softly and ready for use.
And those were just two of the ultra-rare items on the checklist.
When his awareness drifted over to the sections holding the more common magical materials and elemental catalysts, Leon couldn’t even think of a standard inventory number to describe it.
The quantities were unbelievable.
Fifty millennia of natural lifecycles and predator kills, harvested flora and fauna parts, magical dung, and even wand wood quality branches and logs, all perfectly preserved and stored for Leon’s personal use.
He would never need to worry about buying potions ingredients again, that’s for sure.
Which again emphasized the fact that the Vivarium’s capacities were far beyond anything wizardkind had produced.
Not only was it storing those gigantic piles of resources that were still growing.
Those mountains of magical materials represented mass and energy that had been removed from the island ecosystem within the Vivarium over all that time.
The fact the continent had not been eroded down to bedrock or depleted in any way, with this level of harvesting over such a long period of time meant that there was even more going on behind the scenes than just the automated harvesting.
The system had to be replacing the mass somehow.
The Vivarium defied not only the laws of magic, but also the laws of physics as whole.
If anything had convinced Leon that the Vivarium was not of human origin, it was those stockpiles of resources and the implications they came with it.
Pulling his mind back out of the vault, Leon stood on the cold stone floor of his sanctuary, his chest heaving slightly as he tried to comprehend the absolute madness of what he was holding.
It was more wealth in resources than the entirety of Earth’s magical communities combined had access to.
“This is just stupidly broken,” he thought, trying to wrap his mind around the sheer logistics.
“I was planning on something reasonable.
Now I’ve got more resources sitting in my basement than the collective harvest of the rest of humanity on earth combined.
If the Ministry ever found out about this, they wouldn’t just try to tax me, they’d declare a global state of emergency.
I could probably alter Earth’s overall magical density just by dumping half of this stuff into the ocean.
And I’d still have more than I could ever use!”
Shaking his head to clear the absolute awe from his mind, Leon was finally about to trigger his transfer to his earthly avatar when a thought occurred to him.
He hadn’t brought a pet to Hogwarts.
And there was an entire flock of Phoenixes flying around in the Vivarium.
If he grabbed one and ran it through the physical Dremora conversion process, the transformation wouldn’t deform it into a horned monster.
Physically, it would still look exactly like a magnificent, crimson-and-gold immortal firebird.
But underneath that majestic exterior, its soul would be bound directly to his.
It would retain every single one of its original abilities, the spatial-teleporting flame-flashes, the healing tears, the lifting capacity, all while being utterly, unshakably loyal to him.
The only other person in the entire wizarding world with a Phoenix was Albus Dumbledore.
And the firebirds were almost religiously associated with ‘good’ and ‘light magic’ meaning that if Leon showed up with one just chilling on his shoulder, people would see him in that light just by association.
Leon mentally reached out with his awareness, sweeping across the massive, sunlit skies of the Vivarium until he located a magnificent Phoenix soaring above a valley canopy.
The movies had really done phoenixes dirty with their representation of them.
The real thing was majestic in a way that was almost impossible to describe.
Like looking at flame incarnate.
Utilizing his absolute control over everything inside his domain, he gingerly but firmly seized the majestic firebird, freezing its wings mid-flight, and dragged it cleanly out of the Vivarium’s spatial boundaries.
Before the bird could even process the sudden change in its environment, Leon plunged it straight into the dark, swirling Waters of Oblivion.
Leon had expected the phoenix to put up a fight, resisting the dark corruption of the Daedric realm.
But the moment the bird was submerged, its essence changed instantly.
In less than a second, the phoenix emerged from the swirling Waters of Oblivion, its outer appearance completely unaltered.
On the inside, however, the transformation was absolute: the firebird was now a Dremora equivalent in rank and intelligence to Morty-1.
Leon couldn’t help the smile that dawned on his face as he looked at his new companion and telepathically gave the creature its orders, “Alright, here’s the plan.
I’m going to take you out onto the Hogwarts grounds and find a nice, secluded spot to release you.
You’re going to lay low and keep out of sight for the day.
Then, during the evening meal, you’re going to swoop right into the Great Hall in front of the entire school, land on my shoulder, and firmly refuse to leave.
Let everyone think you chose me as your bonded champion of light.”
Finally, Leon managed to transfer his mind back to his Earthly Avatar.
No one had paid attention to his napping form in the common room.
He wasn’t even the only one to be taking a midafternoon nap.
And his whole foray into Coldharbour had only taken half an hour at max anyway.
Checking the time, Leon found that it was only 4:00 so he stretched and hopped up.
then set off to release his Phoenix.
He would need to think of name for it at some point.
But for the moment he couldn’t be bothered.
He would think of it later.
Leon meandered out onto the Hogwarts grounds, walking around for nearly an hour before he found a spot where he was certain that no one was observing him.
There he pulled out the Phoenix… no… he pulled out Birdperson!
It was the perfect name!
Anyway, the newly christened Birdperson was released with its orders.
Though he did make sure to add to the orders that it should behave completely naturally.
Acting the part of a wild phoenix that had chosen him.
With that done, Leon headed to the Great Hall.
He could write his essays there and just wait for dinner to start.
Sitting down at the Hufflepuff table, Leon was just about to start on the Knockback Jinx essay when a familiar pair showed up.
Harry and Ron, both looking angry.
Leon sighed, “Can I help you?”
“What did you do to Hermione?
She might be an annoying know-it-all but that’s no reason to make a girl cry.” Ron said sounding genuinely upset.
“What he said, except without the annoying know-it-all part.” Harry partially backed Ron up.
Leon shook his head and face palmed, “I revealed truth to her that she was not ready for.
I was insensitive with an analogy I used to make a point.
I did not mean to have that effect.
I didn’t bully her or try to hurt her feelings.
She will more than likely be quite upset with me for a week or two.”
“An analogy about what?” Harry asked, his tone shifting from accusatory to deeply confused.
“She’s locked herself in the girls’ bathroom with a stack of history books, Leon.
She looks like her entire world just ended.”
Leon looked down at the parchment in front of him, guilt at the fact that he’d caused a little girl to have a ‘crisis of faith’ showing in his expression, “Once she finishes her research, she will realize that the world that just ended never existed in the first place.
I’m sure she’s about to receive a whole bunch of Owls carrying a ton of books, newspapers, and other stuff.
She’ll look all triumphant and excited.
Then after a day or two, she’s going to be right back in that bathroom again.
the cycle will repeat a few times before she accepts it.”
“Accepts what?” Ron asked.
“That a childhood hero of hers is not the woman that Hermoine thought she was.
Then it will be a greater realization that the people in power lie through their teeth to control the masses.
Not sure how she will react to all that.” Leon said with a shrug.
“Well, I could have told her all that!” Ron said looking confused, “My dad works in the Ministry.
Tells us all the time about the crazy stuff they get up to.”
“True, but I used an analogy from the Muggle world that really struck a cord with her.” Leon said then waved at the two, “Look if you want to know everything, talk to her.
I need to work on my essays.”
At this point, Harry and Ron were not the inseparable friends with Hermione that they became in canon.
And without the whole Troll incident to spark their friendship, they weren’t going to get there either.
Hermione seemed doomed to remain an outcast in Gryffindor.
But, for some reason, Harry and Ron had come to stick up for someone that was an insufferable know-it-all in the opinions of most Gryffindors.
Maybe the massive gender disparity made it so that some of the girls in Gryffindor had pushed Harry and Ron to come talk to Leon?
Leon shook his head at that last thought before pausing.
Maybe the girls of their House did push them to come talk to him?
Girls tended to be vicious in their social circles, at least from his observations in two different lives.
They didn’t usually use physical violence unless they could get away with it socially.
But they seemed to love tearing people down verbally, manipulating them, manipulating others into tearing down their rivals, and more.
He couldn’t see more females being in Gryffindor house being a good thing for Hermione.
But then he really thought about it… Hermione was not exactly pretty.
Not like the woman she would eventually become.
She had braces and hair that almost looked like an afro, it was so bushy and curly that it almost defied the laws of physics.
All-female friend groups, from what Leon had observed, liked to have that ugly friend in their group.
It made the average girls feel pretty and the pretty girls feel superior and established a kind of social hierarchy that was foreign to the minds of boys and men alike.
And Hermione filled that niche almost perfectly.
Except that she was smart.
That would isolate her from the other girls in her house a little bit.
Because of Leon’s accidental blunder triggering Hermione’s psychological crisis on the very first day of classes.
Right when the weekend’s freshly formed social circles were still fragile.
The Gryffindor first year girls had likely panicked and deployed their chivalry enforcers.
Harry and Ron had been sent out to investigate the broken cog in their social machine.
And since the two boys would return to the tower with absolutely nothing satisfactory to report to the girls who pushed them to go confront Leon.
He could definitely look forward to a lot more visits from them as they got sent back again to gather specifics.
The poor guys were completely out of their depth.
Harry wasn’t clueless, but having grown up with only a loving, protective Petunia and the straightforward social playground of a Muggle primary school, he was entirely unequipped to navigate a world dominated by ninety-five percent young girls and women.
And Ron…
well, Ron was Ron.
He was the exact same loud, blunt, tactless boy from the books and movies.
Neither of them had a single clue how to handle the female-dominated social dynamics they were now forced into by pure proximity.
Leon had to admit, he was only just barely equipped to handle it himself.
Having a whole past life of experience to contextualize things from certainly helped, but even that would only go so far.
At the end of the day, women would always remain a fundamentally confusing subject for men.
Regardless of experience.
Leon could break down complex social dynamics and understand common psychological tactics perfectly with the benefit of hindsight, but as his interaction with Hermione had just proved, he was still just a guy.
He didn’t really comprehend “in the moment” what was going on at those emotional levels with women.
And doubted that he ever would.
He would probably stop being able to predict and understand men eventually too.
Being a Daedric Prince was bound to alter his worldview and understanding eventually.
“Wubba lubba dub dub,” Leon muttered with a chuckle to himself, shaking his head.
He turned back to his parchment and gripped his quill.
This essay was not going to write itself, and neither were the other two he needed to finish before the week got away from him.
It may only be Monday but time had a habit of getting away from him.
He dipped his quill and actually managed a single line at the header.
Someone sat down directly beside him.
“Hey, Leon!”
The bright voice of Celina Diggory sounded out right beside him, and he froze.
His quill hovered just above the paper.
Why was this happening?
Was the Essay writing a trigger for a curse or something?
Leon slowly turned his head, forcing a relaxed smile while trying to figure out what was happening.
“Hey, Celina,” Leon said, keeping his tone casual as he laid his quill down.
“Can I help you with something?”
Celina leaned in slightly, looking down at his single line of text before looking back up with an amused grin.
“I heard you had a bit of a dramatic morning in Charms class.
And then Potter and Weasley came over here looking like they were on a rescue mission.
The whole castle is talking about it.”
Leon let out a dry laugh.
“Yeah, I made a clumsy comparison during a debate with Hermione Granger and accidentally gave her a bit of a crisis.
I genuinely didn’t mean to make her cry.”
“Well, the Gryffindor girls are definitely annoyed,” Celina said, tapping her fingers on the table.
“They’re the ones who pushed Potter and Weasley to come demand answers from you.
But don’t worry about it too much.
Hufflepuff looks after its own.
I just came by to make sure you weren’t letting the lions rattle you.”
“Appreciate it,” Leon said, feeling a bit relieved.
“I’m mostly just worried about finishing these three essays.”
“Good.
Get to writing then.” Celina laughed, patting his shoulder as she stood back up.
“But if you want to write an essay, I’d suggest going to the library, not sitting in the Great Hall.
Sitting in the Great Hall means you are looking to socialize.
Common Room is fifty-fifty.”
Leon watched her walk away.
He shook his head it was almost dinner time, he’d just soldier through.
He dipped his quill back into the ink and focused entirely on the blank parchment.
This time he managed to make his opening statement before the dinner bell sounded.
Dinner was from 6 to 8 pm.
A few minutes after that was when the commotion started.
People rushing through the huge double doors of the Great Hall yelling.
“Dumbledore’s phoenix is fighting a wild phoenix above the castle grounds!
Come quick!
Its amazing!” Leon heard the crowd yelling.
He frowned.
He had not meant for a fight to start.
He reached for his connection with Birdperson and asked for a status report.
The phoenix dremora did not communicate with language as a human would understand it.
But Leon understood it perfectly regardless.
The Phoenix had hidden itself quite well, waiting for the sound of the dinner bell.
Once the bell had sounded, Birdperson Flame teleported into the air above the courtyard area.
Let out a phoenix cry of joy, then Fawks showed up.
Birdperson and Fawks circled each other for a few moments, exchanging greetings as a huge crowd school kids gathered beneath them.
Fawks was apparently a showoff, so he recruited Birdperson to put on a show for their audience.
With instructions to act like a normal phoenix Birdperson had to agree.
Phoenixes were showy creatures after all.
And they tended to be quite proud.
So, Birdperson and Fawks were now engaged in a mock arial dogfight.
Showcasing their powers and abilities to a crowd of human witches and wizards who looked appropriately awed at the spectacle.
Leon stood up and followed the crowd out to see the ‘fight’ himself.
No doubt it was spectacular.
Leon soon found himself standing amidst a packed crowd of awed schoolgirls on the stone steps, his eyes wide as he looked up at the sky.
He had expected a neat little performance, but the sheer scale of the display was genuinely staggering.
The sky above the Hogwarts lawns looked like a living, breathing thunderstorm made entirely of fire.
Massive, spiraling vortexes of crimson, gold, and deep violet flame filled the twilight air, twisting and roaring around the two legendary birds.
Fawkes and Birdperson were locked in an epic, synchronized dance.
A blinding collision of Ruin and Life.
Both phoenixes had completely wrapped themselves in layers of their own roaring fire, expanding their silhouettes until they looked five times larger than their actual size.
The collisions didn’t drop a single ember onto the grass or the stone outbuildings below, but they released booming, concussive shockwaves of sound, light and crystalized shards that dissolved before hitting anything.
The impacts sounding like lightning strikes that vibrated the earth itself.
“Blimey,” Leon heard someone say just a few paces away, “look at that!
They’re going to bring the bloody roof down!” As the massive, thunderous shockwaves of sound vibrated through the ground under their feet.
Leon’s evaluation of the wizarding world was undergoing a rapid change standing there on the stone steps, watching two phoenixes casually rewrite the weather patterns above the castle just for fun, he found himself completely reevaluating the threat level of Earth’s magical community.
Wizards had somehow managed to hunt phoenixes in the past.
Seeing the sheer, terrifying scale of power unleashed by the two birds who were literally just playing around, Leon realized that any society that produced individuals capable of successfully bringing down creatures like this had to be far less incompetent than the books and movies made them out to be.
There was a massive difference between reading about a magical beast on paper and standing beneath a literal vortex of sky-burning fire.
And then the classification system crossed his mind, making his brow furrow.
According to the Ministry of Magic, a phoenix was only classified as a Category XXXX beast, A creature that requires specialist knowledge and can be handled by skilled wizards.
It wasn’t even a Category XXXXX, the highest rating reserved for known wizard-killers that are impossible to train or domesticate.
If a mere XXXX creature could generate a localized thunderstorm of pure flame that could comfortably incinerate a small village in seconds, Leon truly wasn’t sure what to expect from the things wizards actually considered XXXXX threats.
The classification system certainly wasn’t rigid.
Often based more on how dangerous or untamable an animal was rather than its raw destructive output.
But it still made him wonder just what kind of raw power was sleeping in the deeper, darker corners of this world.
“Unbelievable,” Leon murmured under his breath, watching a bolt of violet fire dissipate into a massive cloud of glittering gold sparks.
The crowd of schoolgirls around him erupted into a fresh wave of ecstatic cheers as the two birds began their final, majestic descent toward the towers.
Leon couldn’t help the new layer of healthy respect for the wizarding world that was settling into his mind.
With one final, mighty cry from both Fawkes and Birdperson, the spectacle came to a sudden, breathtaking end.
The roaring flames in the sky, the swirling vortexes, and the thunderous explosions all vanished in an instant, leaving the twilight air perfectly still.
Fawkes disappeared in a sharp flash of fire, while Birdperson went into a steep, breathtaking dive from the upper air, heading straight toward the courtyard.
Leon didn’t even have time to blink before the majestic bird flared its massive wings at exactly the right moment to kill its momentum, settling gently onto his shoulder.
The phoenix leaned in, rubbing its warm head against his face affectionately right there in the middle of the stunned crowd.
The crowd around him was silent for a few seconds.
Processing the fact that the wild Phoenix that had just been locked in an epic battle with the Headmasters familiar had just landed on one of their numbers shoulders.
Leon could feel hundreds of eyes locked onto him as Birdperson played up the affectionate phoenix act.
“Is that…
is that your bird?” a second-year Hufflepuff girl nearby squeaked out, her eyes wide with total shock.
Leon offered wry smile as he reached up and gave Birdperson a scratch.
“Ummm.
Never met him before?
But apparently, he likes me.”
The courtyard instantly erupted into absolute chaos.
Dozens of girls started crowding forward, firing off a million questions at once.
Leon didn’t have to field questions.
Birdperson flared his wings and squawked at the surrounding crowd, making them jump back enough that Leon took the opportunity to fall back into the Great Hall.
Not that the retreat helped all that much.
A hoard of students from all year groups followed Leon into the Great Hall, crowding as close as they could without inciting Birdperson’s indignant squawks, or rapid aggressive clicks of his beak.
Leon made his way to the Hufflepuff table and sat there.
Looking at the food that was already on display.
Birdperson eyed the spread of veggies and snapped up a few of them from his perch on Leon’s shoulder before Leon even started collecting food for his own plate.
“Quiet down, quiet down!” Professor McGonagall’s voice rang out, “Go to your own tables!
The lot of you, stop crowding the unknown phoenix!
Are you all mad?”
The surrounding sea of schoolgirls reluctantly began to disperse as McGonagall and the other professors stepped in, actively herding everyone back to their proper seats.
Once the immediate crowd was cleared, McGonagall turned her sharp gaze directly onto Leon.
“Mister McKinnon-Prewett.
The headmaster would like a word with you in his office after you finish your meal.
About your new… friend.
The password is ‘Lemon Drops’.” she said with a tilt of her head towards Birdperson, who was still perched perfectly on Leon’s shoulder.
“Of course, Professor.” Leon said smoothly.
Leon looked up at the staff table where Dumbledore was seated, looking over the bustling commotion with a twinkle in his eyes.
Leon stared at the older wizard, a sudden realization hitting him.
That famous twinkle had to be some kind of charm or localized magical effect that Dumbledore purposefully cast on himself.
Now that Leon really thought about it, it made perfect sense.
Dumbledore was ‘Fabulous’ after all.
The man was always dressed in bright, overly flamboyant colors that practically defied traditional wizarding fashion.
It was honestly a wonder that it took the book and movie fandom in his past life so long to figure out that the man was gay.
Rowling had been dropping hints through his wardrobe and personality the entire time.
Dumbledore met Leon’s gaze from across the massive room and smiled brightly.
He gave Leon a warm nod, raising his golden cup in a silent toast before turning back to whatever conversation he was having with the other teachers.
Leon ate his meal slowly.
Enjoying the spread of Scottish comfort food while thinking about his upcoming visit to the headmaster’s office.
Birdperson was having fun snapping up random veggies that the other first years were tentatively trying to bribe the phoenix with.
Leon could feel the Dremora’s amusement as it played with the children’s feelings.
Snapping the carrots and bits of potatoes from their hands, getting just close enough to their fingers to frighten them.
But not endangering them at all.
Leon had to admit that the flurry of nervous giggles and excitement of the girls who were getting to feed Birdperson were entertaining.
Once Leon noticed that Dumbledore had vanished, he decided that he’d better head up to his office and get that meeting over with.
He asked for directions to find the Gargoyle guarding the entrance to the headmaster’s office.
Thanked the upperclassmen for their help and set off.
Standing before the gargoyle Leon spoke the password and the gargoyle twisted out of the way revealing a moving spiral stone staircase.
Leon stepped on, Birdperson still on his shoulder, and rode it up to the heavy oak doors of the Headmaster’s office.
He gave a firm knock.
“Come in,” Leon heard Dumbledore’s voice from within the office.
Leon pushed the door open.
The office was not exactly what he remembered from the movies.
It was bigger for one.
Though it was indeed filled with silver instruments whirring and puffing smoke, towers of ancient books, it didn’t feel cluttered or disorganized.
More lived in, than chaotic mess.
And at the end of the room stood massive desk where Albus Dumbledore sat.
Fawkes resting on his golden perch to the side of him looking content as could be.
“Ah, young Leon.
Come in, sit down.
Lemon drop?” Dumbledore offered warmly, gesturing to a small silver dish on his desk.
The famous twinkle in his eyes was running at full power, practically shimmering in the firelight.
Up close, Leon was able to confirm that it was definitely a charm.
He could see the ordered and organized magic creating the effect.
“Thank you, Professor,” Leon said, sliding into armchair opposite the desk and casually grabbing one of the Lemon Drops.
He had never understood why everyone seemed to refuse Dumbledore’s offered candies.
People trying to appear edgy or more mature?
Leon didn’t care about that, sweets right after dinner sounded fine to him.
And he liked Lemon drops.
Fawkes let out a low trill as Leon sat down.
Looking at Birdperson with an imperial haughtiness.
Birdperson simply turned his head, matching Fawkes’s stare for a few moments, before letting out a perfectly polite whistle.
Fawkes seemed to accept the greeting, puffing his feathers out slightly and settling back down.
Dumbledore watched the silent exchange with curiousity, leaning forward and resting his chin on his steepled fingers.
“Fascinating.
Truly fascinating.
In all my long years, Leon, I have never witnessed a wild phoenix simply materialize out of thin air to claim a companion, let alone an eleven-year-old first-year who has only just arrived at Hogwarts.”
“Honestly, Professor, I’m just as confused as you are.” Leon said, offering a shrug.
“I was just sitting at the Hufflepuff table trying to write my Flipendo essay for DADA when the dinner bell rang.
Next thing I know, there’s a thunderstorm of fire outside, and this guy drops right onto my shoulder like we’ve been mates for years.
I’ve literally never seen him before today.”
Dumbledore chuckled softly, his eyes scanning Birdperson’s vibrant plumage.
“A phoenix does not choose its companion lightly, Leon.
They are creatures of pure light and immense magical intuition.
They see the deepest truths of a person’s soul.
For this magnificent creature to bind himself to you suggests he found a spirit of exceptional warmth, loyalty, and fortitude.
Very fitting for a Hufflepuff, I must say.”
“I suppose so, sir.” Leon said.
The phoenix in question leaned into the side of Leon’s head and affectionately nuzzled against him.
Birdperson playing the part of a devoted pet flawlessly.
“He seems quite stubborn about staying, too.”
“They are fiercely protective of their bonded companions.
He’ll settle down a little once its not so new.” Dumbledore smiled brightly, raising his cup of tea toward Leon.
“I see no reason to separate you two.
Hogwarts has always been a sanctuary for rare and wondrous bonds.
I will inform the Ministry’s beast division that the creature has officially registered himself to a student, so you won’t have any Ministry agents bothering you with paperwork.”
“Thank you, Professor.
That’s good to hear.
Had enough of the ministry registering my Lordships and mother as steward to both houses.” Leon said, preparing to stand.
“Just one curious question before you go, young man.” Dumbledore added, his twinkle softening into a sharp, piercing look.
“Professor Flitwick mentioned you dropped some rather profound theories about African wandless magic in class today.
He said you argued that incantations are simply instructions for the wands themselves, not the magic within the wizard.
A very bold, un-textbook line of thinking for a first-year.”
Leon didn’t blink.
He just gave a small smile.
“Oh, that.
I just noticed that Dogwood wands refuse to perform silent spells, which implies that dogwood wands literally need to hear the command to process the spell.
If the magic came entirely from the wizard’s words and magic, then the wand wood wouldn’t matter.
The preponderance of the evidence indicates that the magic we are learning is not ‘our’ magic, but how to give instructions to our wands to accomplish tasks using our magic.
Essentially witches and wizards relying on wands to cast spells are just magical batteries powering their wands, while also serving as the wielder.
But fundamentally Witches and Wizards who can’t use their magic without a wand can hardly be considered to be magical at all.
Should probably change the naming convention to Wand Operators instead of witch and wizard.”
Dumbledore stared at him for a long, silent moment.
The twinkle in his eyes completely vanished for a split second.
Then, just as quickly, the dazzling twinkle snapped back into place, and Dumbledore let out a hearty laugh.
“Wand Operators.” Dumbledore repeated softly, as if testing the sound on his tongue.
The serene, grandfatherly smile returned to his face.
“A remarkably sharp, if deeply unromantic, perspective, Leon.
I imagine Garrick Ollivander would have quite a dramatic fit if he heard his life’s work described as manufacturing steering wheels for human batteries.”
“Just looking at the facts, Professor.
I’m not disparaging wands themselves.
But the wielders.
Wands are alive, more than a tool, but less than fully living being.
They learn to sense the intent of their wizard and over time that sensitivity grows to the point of allowing silent casting.
Dogwood wands are apparently not able or unwilling to engage in this behavior.
I doubt that it is that they are unwilling, so I would lean towards unable.
Anyway, Wands are a good thing.
But a good thing that has led to wizardkind basically ignoring real magical principals.
The fundamental source of magic if you will.
Though this is only my own theory from personal interpretation.
I may be entirely wrong.” Leon said, offering a casual shrug as he stood up from the armchair.
“Indeed.” Dumbledore murmured, his gaze tracing the outline of Birdperson, who still sat on Leon’s shoulder.
“The world is full of fascinating facts, young man.
Understanding that our own thoughts are fallible is an important part of learning.
Ten points to Hufflepuff for an exceptionally unique piece of magical theory.
Do try to get some sleep now.”
“Goodnight, Professor.” Leon said, turning smoothly and walking out of the grand circular room.
∞∞∞
Dumbledore watched Leon McKinnon-Prewett walk to the door and leave his office.
His steepled fingers tapping rhythmically against each other as he contemplated what the boy said.
“Real magical principles… If only.” he murmured to the empty room once the heavy oak doors had thudded shut and Leon was no longer present.
He turned his head toward Fawkes, who was staring intently at the space where the unknown phoenix had just been.
“A remarkably sharp mind for an eleven-year-old, wouldn’t you say, old friend?
A bit cynical, but undeniably observant.”
Fawkes let out a low, musical note that sounded like an agreement, and Dumbledore sighed, reaching for another lemon drop.