Chapter 15: Rituals
AN: Thank you again for all the reviews and kind feedback.
I have big plans for the next couple of chapters, including Harry's first interaction with a certain blonde-haired female…
Enjoy!
The recognizable parts belong to JKR
Chapter 15
May 31st, 1993
Today was May 31st and according to both his and Salazar's calculations and notes, his body and magic would be 13 years of age as of today. That means that tonight he would do the Cleansing-Ritual, which in turn, would erase any of the effects of malnutrition and physical abuse he suffered under the Dursleys.
The ritual would therefore strengthen his muscles, bones, and even skin. The Dursleys never fed him much, so often times his magic took the necessary proteins and nutrients to keep Harry alive from his muscle tissue and bones.
The potions he took before his first year were not strong enough to fully counteract the years of being underfed. This ritual would change that for Harry. However, it did come at a price. The ritual required even more of Harry's blood than the last one.
In addition, ingredients with powerful healing abilities were the main source of the ritual. Harry had made a list of such ingredients:
The most powerful one was phoenix tears, which he already carried in his blood, courtesy of Fawkes. A close second was uncursed unicorn blood.
The only way one could obtain such a treasure is if the blood was willingly given by the animal. Taking the blood forcefully or even killing the animal in the process would curse the drinker forever.
This step would have been incredibly expensive, was it not for the amount of Basilisk venom he owned. Harry intended to trade a vial of Basilisk venom for a vial of equal size, filled with uncursed unicorn blood.
He had no idea where to find a buyer and needed absolute discretion. Therefore, he had drafted a letter for Borgin & Burks and sent it to the shop over a month ago.
Dear Mr. Borgin,
I find myself in need of a very rare ingredient and I was hoping you to arrange a trade with an even rarer potion ingredient I currently possess.
Since absolute discretion is necessary, I shall provide my name and a more detailed nature of the ingredient during further correspondence.
Should you be interested to organize such trade between me and the third party of your knowledge, you will of course be compensated for your efforts generously.
My owl will wait for your reply.
In high hopes for a successful business transaction,
Mr. Evans
Two Days later, Hedwig came back with a letter for him.
Dear Mr. Evans
I find myself curious about what rare ingredients you currently possess and would like to receive in exchange. Fortunately for you, I am well connected in the magical world and will be able to provide a business partner with absolute discretion. I myself merely ask for a fee amounting to 2.5% of the current market value of whatever ingredient you may exchange.
I am sure, you will agree that my support, expenditure, and discretion in this transaction are well worth that.
I await detailed information on both ingredients, including an amount and a deadline in your very next letter.
It is a pleasure doing business with you.
Sincerely,
Borgin
Not wasting any time, Harry had sent his reply right away.
Dear Mr. Borgin,
I am glad you chose to support me in my endeavor.
I support your proposed compensation and agree that it will be well deserved.
I am in need of uncursed unicorn blood. I offer a small standard vial of pure Basilisk venom in exchange for an equal amount of the substance. To calm your suspicion, I will send you the vial for verification.
Make no mistake, I have plenty more where it comes from and I will devote those considerable resources to see a painful end to your business, your family, and yourself if you choose to betray our arrangement.
Feel free to value the amount of venom and propose a fee for your services. If possible, I would like to perform the exchange as soon as possible.
I am looking forward to hearing from you
Mr. Evans
That should do. Harry attached one of the vials, disguised as a simple cure for boils, in case the letter got intercepted. The other materials for the ritual would be a couple of Bezoars, some Murtlap Essence, and finally lots of Dittany. That was all that is needed.
Harry had ordered all of those a month ago from the apothecary in Diagon Alley already. The Bezoars were somewhat expensive, at 20 galleons a piece, but thanks to the generous Malfoy donation, money wasn't really a problem anymore.
Harry hardly paid attention in classes today. He just wanted the day to end. It felt weird celebrating his 13th birthday on any day other than July 31st, but since he would continue using the time turner, his next birthdays would fall on different days as well.
Since the day was only important for the rituals anyways, he would continue treating himself as a 12-year-old. Something he just recently thought about was the fact that he would be emancipated much earlier by using the time turner for the next couple of years. He was likely to get rid of the trace almost a year earlier and will be considered an adult earlier as well.
Snape's lecture brought Harry back into the potion's classroom. Today's calming draught was pretty easy and thanks to Salazar's teachings, Harry had developed a much better understanding of potion ingredients and their use.
The unicorn blood had arrived a little over a week ago, attached to a letter from Borgin.
Dear Mr. Evans,
I thank you for trusting me with such a priceless ingredient. The venom of a Basilisk had not been sold for over 50 years in Britain. It was astonishingly simple to find a business partner for your trade.
Rest assured, I have engaged in transactions with the man before and trust his discretion. He was more than happy to provide a vial of uncursed unicorn blood, just as requested.
I, of course, took the freedom to check the blood for its contents. It was indeed pure uncursed blood of the highest quality from an incredibly old unicorn, as I have been told.
As for my fee: Basilisk Venom is very difficult to value due to its scarceness here in Britain. A colleague from the continent valued your vial's contents at 5000 galleons. As per our agreement, I will therefore be deducting my fee of 125 Galleons from the vault you had mentioned in earlier correspondences.
It was certainly a pleasure doing business with you.
In the hope to consult you in further transactions,
Borgin
5000 Galleons for just that little vial… Harry could most likely fill 20-30 more. He had to be careful not to oversaturate the market though. He would simply keep them in storage and maybe sell one vial per year, to keep demand at a high level.
Harry snorted… Burgin had received 125 galleons for writing a couple of letters. This must have been one of the man's better business deals. Certainly, a better deal than selling him a Parselmouth book of which there was only one copy.
Nevertheless, Harry was more than fine with Borgin taking his cut. A healthy business relationship with the man was worth more than a couple of galleons. He had the necessary ingredients... That was all that mattered.
The smell of Harry's potion brought him back to the classroom. Harry's relationship with Snape had not really changed so far. Sure, the man would not outright attack his mind anymore, but he still used any imaginable opportunity to trash talk Harry's father.
What was the reason for his hate? By interpreting all of his comments, one would think that he simply got bullied by his father all throughout his school years. But was that really it? Could a person become bitter enough to hate a man's son just because he got bullied by his long-dead father over a decade ago?
Harry would love to know the true reason for the professor's actions, but today wouldn't be that day. He finished his potion and corked a sample in a vial, putting an unbreakable charm on it before he took it to Snape's desk.
Harry then continued his readings until Snape interrupted him:
"You can leave Potter! I don't want to risk having my other students injured, in case you get bored! Get out, already!"
Harry shrugged and left the classroom. Since potions had been his last class, he made his way to the second-floor bathroom and down to the Chamber.
"What's up Sal?"
"I told you, not to call me that! It is not a proper greeting for a person of your standing! Back in my days, the faculty members would have never allowed Students to disrespect their elders like that!" Salazar retorted angrily.
"Yeah, yeah, fine… You know what day it is. Let's get started and finally rid ourselves off of anything the Dudleys left in me."
"Indeed, today is the day, my heir! Happy Birthday by the way! Maybe you can ask Dobby for some cake after you have finished. I would also advise you to have the elf watch you taking the ritual.
He is bound to you so he cannot reveal your secrets to anyone. I am positive he would even let you obliviate the memories afterwards, so the meddling old fool won't find them."
"That's actually a good idea. The blood replenishment potions are ready, but what if I can't take them in time? Dobby would be very helpful in assisting…"
"Dobby!"
"Mast…"
"Harry Potter, Sir has called Dobby?" the elf corrected himself just in time.
"Indeed!", Harry chuckled: "I will be undertaking a ritual tonight that will cleanse me of any of the after effects of my horrible treatment at Private Drive. It will make me stronger and an even greater wizard."
"Dobby understands, how can Dobby help, Sir?"
"I would like you to keep an eye on me. I forbid you to interrupt the ritual, but as soon as I signal you, you may help me with some of those potions I have prepared!"
The elf nodded happily.
"Dobby… I hope you understand… The ritual will be very painful for me. I will most likely scream in agony, but you cannot interrupt me. You will only make it worse by ending the ritual prematurely, do you understand?"
The elf looked concerned for a second but nodded his understanding nevertheless:
"I understand, Harry Potter, Sir! Dobby shall not interrupt!"
"Great, alright let me get started by drawing the formation," Harry says, as he takes off all his clothes, just as necessary.
Again, Harry cut his wrist and drew the familiar seven cornered star on the stone tiles in Salazar's Chambers. After finishing the outline of the star, he healed his wrist.
Next up he placed each ingredient at the corner of the stars. He started with the unicorn blood, followed by two bezoars on opposite sides.
Next up he had two bowls with Murtlap essence and finally a large bucket with fresh Dittany plants.
In the final seventh corner, he placed an empty half a liter cup. The final ingredient would be the phoenix tears that were dissolved in his body.
Harry had tried to replay the memory of Fawkes crying in his wound over and over again and count the drops.
If he was not mistaken Fawkes must have cried between 7-9 single tears on his wound. Harry estimated that he currently carried between 3-4 liters of blood in his body. Sacrificing half a liter of blood would guarantee slightly over one full phoenix tear, assuming that the blood was evenly spread out through his body. That should be more than enough for his ritual.
However, simply 'donating' half a liter was still a lot for a child his age. He simply hoped that he would be able to finish the ritual. Harry cut his wrist again and started letting the blood flow into the cup. It was half full when Harry felt himself getting weaker. At about three-quarters, Harry dropped to his knees.
"Harry! You must stay conscious! You are a Potter! A Peverell and a Slytherin! You will finish the ritual and become stronger than before!" Salazar tried to motivate Harry.
With new determination from his mentor, Harry stood back up and filled the cup all the way to the top. He quickly healed his wrist and started carving the runes. This was the difficult part. He needed to draw all the necessary runes within the next 10 minutes since the blood and other ingredients had to be as fresh as possible.
He was halfway through and well in time when another wave of weakness and nausea overcame him. Ha calmed himself briefly and pulled together all his strength to carve the final rune.
The final step was powering each corner with a drop of his blood once again. He had no strength to stand and instead crawled to each corner like a baby on all fours. The final corner was powered and Harry fell onto the middle of the star as the runes around him started glowing.
He was about to pass out when a rush of pain surged through him. This was not like anything he had ever felt before… Unlike anything he had experienced during the first ritual.
Every inch of skin on his body was burning and penetrated by hot knives. It felt as if each muscle fiber was being cut individually while his bones started breaking and reforming at the same time.
Harry held nothing back. He started screaming in pain. He did not know for how long he screamed when his throat finally became raw. The pain continued and his body was at its limits. It became dark in front of his eyes.
"Please be over, please just be over," Harry thought.
His body went through a final spasm and the last thing he remembered was Salazar yelling something at Dobby before everything went black around him and he passed out.
June 2nd, 1993
Harry slowly came to his senses. His entire body was aching and felt sore. "Even my toes hurt," Harry noticed. He tried to open his eyes and recognized the familiar stone ceiling of Salazar's quarters.
He tried to stir and sit himself up straight but felt too weak for it.
"You're finally awake" A familiar voice came from his right.
"I am not dead?" Harry choked, barely recognizing his own voice for the croak that left his lips.
Salazar laughed: "No, you are far from dead. You did it, Harry! That was the first ritual out of the seven we have planned for you, not counting fixing your eyes of course!"
"Will they all be that painful?"
"Most likely. The healing one will be since it requires many similar ingredients to what you have just used… But don't worry about that… you will get used to it."
"I am not sure I want to!" Harry joked. He would of course continue undergoing the rituals. The sacrifices were not pleasant, but one could hardly expect to gain a permanent advantage for free!
"You were unconscious for almost two whole days. Luckily, it's a weekend, so you are not missing any classes. Still, the elf mentioned that some of the professors have been asking for you."
"Shit", Harry grumbled. He spotted a blood replenishment potion on the bedside table and eagerly downed the entire vial.
"The elf has been feeding you some more potions in your sleep. I had to force him to close your nose so that you would swallow the necessary potions.
It wasn't fun for him to see you like that. You should rest for a couple of hours and see if you feel ready to stand and walk afterwards."
Harry agreed and took a more relaxed position: "That was the worst pain I have ever felt."
"From what I have heard, the people that experienced it compare it to the Cruciatus Curse. One of what your Ministry calls The Unforgivables nowadays. It is the worst physical pain possible, Harry."
Harry nodded. That felt realistic. He was not sure how much longer he could have endured it.
"I am very proud of you, my heir! From what it looked like and judging by the ingredients you used it was certainly the strongest Cleansing-Ritual I have ever heard of. It makes sense thinking about the amount of damage that had to be undone…"
Again, Harry could all but nod. It really did make sense. He was just hoping that he could finally perform at his peak.
After two more hours of conversation with the portrait, Harry felt strong enough to set himself up in bed. He was hungry.
"Dobby!"
"Master, Harry Potter, Sir is finally awake and has called Dobby! How could Dobby help the great Harry Potter?"
Ever as enthusiastic, Harry thought: "Could you prepare me a meal from the kitchen. I am famished and need to regain my strength."
The elf nodded and vanished with a POP.
Harry slowly got out of bed and put on his robes. The first thing he noticed was that his robes were quite tight at various locations, irrespective of the fact that they now barely came to a halt at his knees.
"Merlin, how much did I bloody grow?" Harry wondered.
"I'd say about two inches in height. And you put on some additional mass all over your body." Salazar noticed.
Harry nodded. Indeed, looking at his reflection in the mirror, he must now stand at about five feet and three inches. But that was not all. He had filled out considerably. His entire torso was thicker, especially his shoulders and chest.
He took off his robes again to get a better look… And he was looking good!
More like a 14 than a 13-year-old athlete. His daily workouts were finally noticeable. He was sporting a faint six-pack and had well-toned arms and legs. He noticed a slight V-Shape, due to his now wider chest and back, already developing. Harry couldn't wait for how he might look in a couple of years.
"You look good, my heir!" Salazar agreed with his observations.
"I am just glad I no longer look like a scrawny eleven-year-old!", Harry replied just as Dobby popped in and brought him a large plate with roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, broccoli, and some pumpkin juice.
Harry put his robes back on and started his meal. He would have to go back soon and face the school, especially the teachers. He could use the time turner to buy himself an additional 8 hours, but for the school, he will have still vanished from sight for one and a half days.
Terry usually kept out of Harry's business, but he would have probably told the professors that Harry had not spent the night in the common room. He needed a plan for what to tell the teachers.
Well, it's better to face the inevitable, Harry chuckled as he finished his dinner. He left the Chamber and made his way to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Maybe he should just go straight to the Headmaster.
Harry made his way to Dumbledore's office. He had decided on what to tell the professors. He would simply say that he got lost wandering the grounds after classes, accidentally fell asleep, and spent the night out there. It was his best plan of action, and he would gladly take the detention or house points. It's not like he cared anyways.
The gargoyle seems to recognize Harry, as it didn't even ask for a password or reason for entering. Harry knocked on the door and was granted entrance.
"Harry, how nice of you to join us. In fact, we were just talking about you, young man." Dumbledore says, not quite being able to hide his worries and disappointment.
Harry looked around the rooms. All the teachers including Filch and Madam Pomfrey were gathered around the Headmaster's desk. By the looks of it, they had just planned a grand Harry Potter rescue mission for him.
McGonagall looked at him perplexed:
"What have you done, Mr. Potter?"
"You will have to be a bit more specific, Professor?"
"You look about two inches taller and two years older than 48 hours ago, when I last had you in my class. I'll ask you again. What have you done?"
"I enjoyed a couple of really nice meals and had a good night's sleep. You know how they say that sleep fixes everything…" Harry tried.
"50 points for lying to me and detention for your cheek. You will be serving detention with me until Poppy figures out what you did to yourself."
Harry's rage started building up inside of him. His magic flared and his eyes became a tick brighter.
"The question is not what I have done, but what you have done, Professor! You left me, a one-year-old baby, on the doorstep to a magic-hating family and did not once come back to look at me.
How dare you judge my physical presence right now, but show n