Was I Seeing Things? (Third Update, Please Keep Reading)

"Dumbledore? Why?" Harry asked in surprise. "Hogwarts has more books than this, doesn't it?"

Fleamont's face looked as though someone had smudged it with charcoal. "Oh, yes."

"The Potter family can't compare with Hogwarts."

"But, my dear grandson, every family has its secrets."

Harry nodded. "Like the Invisibility Cloak?"

Fleamont looked surprised. "Yes, like the Invisibility Cloak."

"Is it special?" Harry asked.

Fleamont looked proud. "Of course. It's one of a kind."

"I know you're curious, but I'd rather you uncover things little by little. When James found out about it himself, his expression was quite a sight."

Too bad he'll never see my expression. Harry's heart clenched. He looked around the corners of the room.

To a Witcher's senses,

it was too clean.

He couldn't sense any trace of anyone having lived there. He would have been glad to find even a single footprint.

Fleamont fell silent. Only after a long while did he speak again. "All right, my boy. Go and see what the Potter family left for you. It's more precious than the wealth in Gringotts."

As he spoke, he paused. "Will you come back to live here in the future? Or do you have a new home now?"

"Mum left me a spell. Until I'm of age, I have to spend a month each year at Aunt Petunia's house." Harry nodded. "I'll only stay for a month."

Fleamont beamed. "That's wonderful."

"I'll ask Euphemia to come over tonight. Her portrait isn't here."

Grandmother?

Harry managed a faint smile and headed into the house. Flitwick didn't follow him, staying behind to chat with Fleamont. They were old acquaintances, after all.

The Potter family's library was more extensive than Harry had imagined.

It filled an entire room, with at least a thousand books. There was even a copy of Potent Potion, the book Harry had been forced to steal from the Restricted Section.

Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Potions made up the largest sections.

He picked out two books.

One was Potent Potion; the other was White Magic: Hold Fast to Your Beliefs. He'd already read some of the books at Hogwarts, while others seemed too advanced for him to tackle just yet.

When Harry came out of the library,

he met his grandmother, a woman named Euphemia. Unlike the youthful-looking Fleamont, Euphemia's portrait had been made in her later years. She looked like a kind, gentle old woman.

They told Harry many stories.

About the first time James brought Lily home, about James's life at school, and about Harry's babyhood—even though they had already become portraits by then.

It wasn't until late at night that Harry finally left, reluctant to go.

"How do you feel?" Flitwick asked gently, patting Harry on the thigh.

Harry spoke softly. "I feel like they're hiding something."

"Hmm?" Flitwick stopped in his tracks.

Harry continued, "They're hiding the existence of one person, maybe two. Were they friends of my father?"

Flitwick's expression turned uneasy.

"So you do know, Professor." Harry turned to look at him.

Flitwick scratched his head. "You shouldn't be so perceptive, Harry. And you shouldn't know about this, at least not yet."

"All right." Harry nodded.

"When you're a little older, or once we have some answers, we'll tell—" Flitwick broke off mid-sentence. He froze for a moment, then realized what Harry had meant. "Huh? You're agreeing just like that?"

Harry shook his head. "I've guessed. One or two of my father's closest friends betrayed him?"

Flitwick looked at Harry, hesitating to speak.

"He's still alive, isn't he?" Harry walked a couple of steps forward and looked up at the moon. "Is he powerful?"

Flitwick pressed his lips together and nodded. "He's a very powerful wizard. He could hold his own against Snape."

"But he's in bad shape. You're waiting for him to die." Harry clenched his fists, though his voice remained gentle. "I hope he lives for a few more years."

Flitwick stared at him.

"Until I'm strong enough to beat Professor Snape." Harry spoke slowly. "I'll heal his injuries—or his illness."

"I'll get him the finest robes."

"And give him the most dignified death possible."

Flitwick went over and jumped up to pat Harry on the shoulder. "Harry, I'll teach you to duel over the next six weeks."

"Dumbledore asked me to, but he didn't realize I'd already decided to do it before he asked."

"Thank you, Professor." Harry kept his eyes raised.

A lot of people said Witchers were emotionless monsters.

So why was he suddenly thinking of all those parents he'd seen in Velen and Novigrad, killed by monsters?

It was strange...

His mutations had given him exceptionally sharp eyesight. He could see everything clearly in the dark, yet now he could barely make out even the moon.

It was strange...

He could travel over mountains and across rivers, going a full day and night without getting tired. But now, the road back to Professor Flitwick's house seemed so long, as though it stretched on without end.

Harry eventually made it back to Flitwick's house.

He took a bath, then held Potent Potion and aimlessly flipped through a few pages. He couldn't concentrate, but neither could he sleep, so he spent the whole night exchanging messages with Hermione by owl.

The next day,

Harry ran two laps around Godric's Hollow. When he got home, he made breakfast. Flitwick came downstairs, bleary-eyed, only afterward.

"Harry, I'm terribly sorry. I thought young wizards usually got up late." The hundred-year-old professor couldn't help blushing at having a twelve-year-old boy cook for him. "Thanks for the effort today."

"No, Professor. It's the least I can do." Harry shook his head, his voice sincere.

After they'd eaten,

Flitwick took Harry outside Godric's Hollow. "What I'm going to teach you isn't a spell. It's dueling."

"You may not know this, but when I was young..."

"You were the dueling champion," Harry interrupted. "I know, Professor. You've said it at least five times in class."

Flitwick cleared his throat, covering his embarrassment. "I have plenty of dueling experience, Harry. I know you're talented—you killed a Troll in your first year."

"But dueling people isn't that simple."

There was no point in talking. Dueling wasn't something you could learn from theory alone; it took practice. "Let's have a match. I want to see what you can do."

Harry glanced at his right hand. "But, Professor, you know I'm good with a sword."

Flitwick waved his wand, turning a rock into a sword about as long as the Sword of Gryffindor. It floated down into Harry's hand. "Don't worry. I won't undo the spell during our duel."

Harry gripped the sword and nodded to Flitwick. "All right, Professor. Here I come."

He waved his wand.

The loose stones on the ground twisted and transformed into a writhing mass of strange-looking insects. Clickety-clack, they crawled toward Flitwick.

"Transfiguration Charm. No wonder Minerva's favorite student is so talented." Flitwick waved his wand without uttering an incantation, and the tiny stones floated into the air. "That might work on an ordinary wizard, but against a powerful wizard, it won't even serve as a distraction."

"In fact..."

"It might become someone else's weapon."

"Like this."

He flicked his wand. The tiny stones shot through the air toward Harry—

Harry charged forward. He'd anticipated that, so... he used a Sign.

Aard!

A wave of force swept across the stones, sending them flying back at Flitwick even faster.

"That group knockback spell?" Flitwick looked surprised. "You can use it to that extent? Impressive."

He waved his wand again.

Bang—

The stones exploded in midair, scattering into dust.

"Professor, now we're in my element." Harry had already closed the distance. He swung his sword at Flitwick, bringing it down hard without holding back.

"No, not yet." Flitwick didn't move an inch.

A tremendous force suddenly seized Harry from behind and yanked him back, sending him flying.

It was a giant hand.

Tiny specks of dust formed an enormous hand that clutched Harry's collar, stopping him in his tracks.

Harry waved his wand. Blue flames burst forth—not toward Flitwick, but toward the giant hand.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

Flitwick swung his wand and spoke his first incantation aloud.

Magic shot toward Harry.

Quen!

Harry raised his hand, and a golden shield surrounded him. Though it shattered the very next second under the powerful impact, it stopped the spell that would have ended the duel.

"A spell like the Shield Charm?" Flitwick looked surprised. "Another surprise. But if that's all you have, it won't be enough."

The blue flames burned, and the giant hand crumbled back into dust.

"Very sharp combat instincts," Flitwick continued, assessing him. "Using your magic to break down mine?"

Harry exhaled.

Wizards really were a troublesome lot!

He raised his hand again.

Igni!

A Fire Serpent burst forth, its flames lashing and surging toward Flitwick. The diminutive professor immediately summoned a stream of water. The two collided, and steam billowed upward.

Harry seized the opportunity, stepped forward, and slashed with his sword.

Clang—

The sword struck something, but it definitely wasn't a person.

"Your intentions were too obvious." Flitwick's voice came from within the mist.

A light breeze blew through, scattering the steam.

The sword had struck a rock.

Flitwick waved his wand again. The rock shrank with a Reducio spell and fell to the ground. "The duel is over, Harry."

The ground was a muddy mess.

Harry was buried up to his waist, and Flitwick's wand was aimed at him.

"Professor, you're much stronger than I expected." Harry shook his head and sighed.

Flitwick waved his wand, lifted Harry out, restored the ground, then set him back down. "No, Harry. You're already very strong."

"An ordinary fifth-year student wouldn't stand a chance against you. Even some sixth-years would have a hard time. And you're only twelve."

"If you were seventeen, even at your current level, I'd have a hard time dealing with you."

Harry's greatest weakness was his body.

At twelve, no matter how good his swordsmanship was, without the physical strength to back it up, how much could he really do?

"Now that I've praised you, let's talk about your weaknesses."

"Harry, you're a wizard."

"You need to make better use of magic."

Three updates today!

Please keep reading, and please recommend and vote for the monthly ticket~

Thanks to Origin Titan for the tip!

I'll see tomorrow whether I've earned enough for a bonus chapter. I'm a little stuck today, QAQ.