Artificial Protector [Harry Potter OC/AU]

[Lucernello]

Author Note: Hey guys, new to this forum type sites, this is a story already being posted in other fanfic sites so I will be able to post daily until we catch up. You can give me as much feedback as you want, I will accept everything you throw at me, my first language is not english so there might be errors here and there, but I do have a brother who is doing some proof-reading to my chapters, so there is hope you won't find many. Anyway, I don't really like Author notes so I won't probably have many unless I have something to communicate or answer to you guys.

Enjoy!
- Luce

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Chapter 1 - Prototype

She arrived at the train station alone. King-cross was the loudest place she had ever set foot in. With a clear goal in mind though, she didn't let that bother her, moving through filthy muggles and nosy redheads she stalked her target, he seemed lost in his own world.

When he came to a stop between platform 9 and 10 she hid behind one of the big pillars. Knowing the blood-traitors would soon reach them, she whispered and waved her hands in his direction. A small white dove quickly darted from her hands and stopped on his shoulder.

"Watch for the red-heads, they will guide you but be wary… Through the wall…" The dove chirped.

Startled, the boy looked with wide-eyes at the dove trying to make sense of how it could talk. Not wanting to spook the bird he remained still. Seeing as the dove did not move or made any other sound again he let it be and started looking out.

As on queue, the family made its appearance, moving between the platforms, nosy as they can be, complaining about it being filled with muggles. She waited behind the pillar, as the boy watched the entire family go through the brick passage, she was glad he trusted the dove as he did, not engaging with them at all.

She saw his determination to start running and quickly hurried behind him. She had to stop herself running onto him as soon as she crossed the layer, no doubt in his amazement frozen on the spot. Once he started heading to the train she followed. A butterfly flying fast behind her at the same pace.

The blood traitor twins were approaching him from the side, maybe half recognizing him. She couldn't allow them to interfere and put ideas in his head. Moving swiftly she collided with them on purpose. Sending one of them to the floor.

"Ow… Watch it!"

"Slow down ickle firstie-" George stopped talking once he turned around to take a good look at her.

"What do they feed you…? You sent me flying and I didn't even move you." Fred complained while caressing his butt.

"Apologies" She said with a small bow of her head. "Greetings, Mr and Mr Weasley. I didn't see where I was going, I'm sorry."

They both stared at her shocked. Not only because her voice sounded broken but both twins couldn't help but notice her arms. She was wearing prosthetics. Someone so young having lost both her arms was something traumatic to see, even if odds things happen in the wizarding world. She waited a few seconds staring at their wide eyes.

"What-?" they both blurted at the same time.

She didn't let them finish, opting to retreat as quickly as possible, she darted to the train leaving them behind. She roamed the long hallway until she found him, moving slowly by the train looking for an empty compartment. She observed the thin dark-haired boy with sharp green eyes, his glasses crooked and broken, he looked nervous. His clothes, a mixture of worn, torn and old, too big for his size.

She moved silently following his pace. Once she saw him enter a compartment pulling his trunk, his owl cage and other materials left behind in the luggage compartment, she quickly followed. As she entered he stared at her with curious eyes expecting her to talk first, his hand caressing the dove. His eyes scanned her from top to bottom, looking at her with the same shocked eyes as the twins although with curiosity instead of pity.

She said no words, having gone with the plan in his head multiple times, rehearsing her introduction over and over again, now she found herself speechless. Instead, she just upholstered her wand in a swift motion, and whispered faintly, levitating his trunk into the top overhead racks. With another swift motion the dove returned to her and turned into a small hair clip.

"Wow. Eh… Thanks?" Mumbled the now confused and shocked boy.

She motioned him to sit down and soon after she motioned her wand and started chanting with a soft mumble. The wards should keep others from noticing them, unwanted attention was not a distraction she could afford right now. She was going to introduce the boy-who-live to the wizarding world and the matter of his fame. It was a very delicate and important matter.

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He stared at her expecting her to say something, explain or otherwise offer a smile like everything was fine, but instead he got light-brownish eyes staring at him as if trying to devour his soul. She fixed her blond hair behind her ear and sat at his side. He tried her best to not stare at her arms, her fingers had a metallic shine on her palms while it looked like ceramic on her backhand and arms.

He wanted to ask, his curiosity getting the better of him. He didn't know if it was normal in this world and asking would make it uncomfortable or awkward, maybe she wasn't expecting that or it would be rude. Maybe she was just shy…

"Hi… Uhm, I'm Harry"

"It's my pleasure, Harry Potter. Apologies, I'm Lynne Volant. You can call me Lynne."

He was shocked again, there was something wrong with her voice, it was like a whisper and the sound was broken, a mixture of a grunt and a cough.

"Er... Don't worry about it. Nice to meet you, Lynne. You can call me Harry obviously. What was the spell you used to get my trunk up there? And where is your trunk?"

He wanted to ask so many things, why warn him to be wary of the red-heads, why did she looked like that, what happened to her voice, but he didn't want to come off as nosy or annoying. Concern showing at his face.

"The levitation charm, I can teach you or you can wait to learn it this year. This is my trunk."

She pointed to the butterfly that was now stuck to her hair slowly beating its wings.

"I love magic. Would you teach me…?" He squealed with excitement.

"Of course, in exchange, I would like to be your… friend"

"Sure!" He beamed happily, he was worried he wouldn't make any friends as he never had any in the past. Here was the first wizard his age to talk on his way to the school and now a new friend! Although it also raised a concern… what if his new friend was sick. Not to mention her missing limbs…

"Sorry if this is rude… but are you sick?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your arms…a-nd and… your voice. I've heard of diseases that affect the whole body-"

She chuckled although it sounded more like a croak. She finally smiled, a small one but one at last. She was not used to someone looking at her so worriedly. She didn't know about diseases like that but she couldn't really explain to him what happened to her.

"I'm not, you don't have to be concerned about me. In fact worrying about me is a waste of your time."

He frowned at her, confused. Did he upset her in some way? But she laughed, maybe it was not as serious.

"Well, friends care for one another, right?"

"I wouldn't know. I've never had one so it's new for me."

Oh. Maybe she was like him after all, and now that he thought about it, it made sense, it would be difficult for her to make friends. Looking at her, it was hard not to stare and make her uncomfortable. He thought of all the pity looks she may occasionally get and how tough it would be to make true friends and not someone who just was nice to her because of her circumstance. He wouldn't like to be friends with someone just because they took pity on him.

"That makes both of us new at this! We shall be the best of friends. And I think friends should take care of each other."

She seemed to be thinking about it but with a slight nod she agreed.

"Then as your best friend in the 9 hours we have until we arrive, I will teach you everything you need to know for now. You grew up with muggles, I can see that clearly, so we need to get you up to speed, boy-who-lived."

"Ugh… of course you know more about me."

"Everyone knows yes, I'm sure you've noticed, but do you know why? The story about your parents, what happened that night and your fame?" He shook his head. "I think first we must buy sweets. Be right back, the trolley lady won't stop in our compartment."

She spoke quickly and Harry could only watch as she chanted again with a side motion, the wand lit up and she opened the door and closed it behind her. He waited for a few minutes anxiously, he wanted to know more about his parents, about the looks people gave him as soon as he entered Diagon Alley. There was also another concern… not knowing what a trolley lady was or what sweets they could get and his imagination was running wild.

Maybe magical candy was way different, he never had one before. It seemed ages when she returned. She had a smile on her face and a lot of different boxes and wraps floating behind her. With a wave of her hand all of the packages went flying and sat besides him on the train seat. The butterfly followed as she moved inside of the compartment resting on her hair again. He wondered what type of spell or charm was in use for that.

"My apologies, Harry. It took so long because I had to summon a toad for Heir Longbottom and there was this girl that was bombarding me with questions about the charm."

"A toad? Heir…? Summon?"

"Sweets first! I bought one of each so you can try them all." She beamed at him sitting in front of him, she took a purple cardboard box.

"Oh… I have money I can pay you if you tell me how much it costs"

"I would expect you to have, your family is one of the most ancient and noble wizard families, although you could have bought yourself better casual clothes. But this round is on me. You can get the next one. Here, bite the head first."

He hummed and stared at the chocolate frog that seemed to be alive in his hands. He took a bite and smiled. It was sweeter than regular chocolate and the taste was good. But the feeling of confusion did not sit that well for him and every time Lynne spoke it was like a million questions were prompt in his head.

"What do you mean with ancient and noble families?"

"Well… I have a lot of explaining to do and many things I want to teach you. To prepare you for what is to come. You deserve it after all. Although we will need more time than what we have."

A flicker of emotions changed his face until his determination shined through his eyes. He swallowed what was left of the chocolate frog and looked at her, chin up high.

"I'm ready then, teach me."

"I will do my best." She pointed her wand to his face and without saying a word his glasses, that were once crooked and cracked, were repaired instantly. In awe he inspected the glasses as if they were now a precious gem and put them on again. He could see clearly for the first time in what seemed like forever.

"The mending charm, Reparo." Another thing to learn then. He thought it was starting to be a long list indeed.

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He had spent most of the trip quietly listening to Lynne, her words slowly arranging themselves in his mind, filling the gaps in a world he had almost no understanding of. He learned about the second wizarding war against a Dark lord, about what happened with his parents, what he did to him as well. About his probable inheritance and what the Potter family left behind. Inventions, potions and businesses.

He was left feeling anxious knowing that there would be a lot of expectations because of silly stories spread around and lies about his heroic deeds. He learned that there are different types of spells, charms, curses, jinxes, hexes and elemental spells. That magic could be cast through other means like rituals and runes, he learned about wards and potions.

He felt a headache was fast approaching with the amount of information he was drilled with, but luckily not everything had been information. He could put up with a bit of annoyance if it meant he could learn new spells and charms. He had learned a few charms and even though it took him a few tries, he eventually got Lumos, Levioso and Reparo working for him. She also transfigured his hair to be a bit longer, and although it was still the untamable beast, he could hide his scar behind it now and maybe blend in a bit. He hoped at least.

Lynne explained the charms behind her trunk, a combination of the shrinking charm and insect transfiguration, as well as the one that worked for her hairpin, how she had discovered that she could combine it with a variation of the protector charm to send messages. He was amazed at her brilliance but secretly hoped she was just a genius and not all his classmates would be at that level already. One thing was certain, he was quite happy to have met Lynne. He learned so much already and knew that if he ever had any questions she would happily answer, wouldn't look down on him for not knowing and most of all.

She seemed kind enough to teach him. Even things she couldn't fully grasp with how she would go out of her way to have him understand everything he was curious about. Hopefully most students would be like Lynne, but he doubted that after his encounter with the blonde student while getting his clothes. Malfoy, he had mentioned his name was, talking to him like it should have been obvious.

"Which house do you think you are going to be sorted into?" he blurted out while remembering his conversation.

"I will go to whichever house you go, my mentor taught me that you have a bit of a choice if you manage to convince the one who sorts you." She said without a sliver of doubt.

"I don't want to lose my only friend out of sight just yet and I don't really care about something as silly as a house. Although if I don't manage to convince the one who sorts, we will still be friends."

He felt a warm feeling in his chest, no one had ever cared for him like that.

"What if you get sorted first…?" he asked nervously. He also didn't want to be separated from his first friend, even if they could still see each other eventually.

"You will be sorted first, they call by surname. I'm a Volant, Harry. You have nothing to worry about."

He sighed in relief and also blushed a bit embarrassed at himself having asked such a silly question, but if she thought it was something dumb to ask she didn't show any signs of it.

"We are almost there, I'm going to leave you change into your school robes."

While Harry was still wondering how she knew that without even looking through the window she exited the compartment again dismantling the wards he now knew of and was almost certain were a very advanced piece of magic. He quickly changed into his black robes and prepared his trunk and things. When Lynne came back, she had a very foul face. Behind her he saw Malfoy and two bigger students at each side of him.

"So this is where you were hiding… Are you really Harry Potter?" the blond asked.

"Yes, it's my pleasure Draco Malfoy."

He extended his hand carefully and Malfoy hesitated but shook it all the same.

"And who are you?" He said to Lynne looking disgusted by her arms. Lynne had that same blank expression at the beginning of the ride.

"I am Lynne Volant, last of my line." Malfoy was stunned for a bit, probably because of her particular voice.

"I thought your family name fell under the Lestrange. I welcome you though, we need more pure families in Hogwarts."

With a small bow she didn't bother with an answer. Harry had already assumed Lynne was from a wizard family so that was not a surprise, but what Malfoy said did catch him by surprise for another reason. She had made a small list of family names earlier that he should be wary of, Malfoy was there and the Lestrange as well, loyal to the Dark Lord. Did she say that because of her own experience with the family? Malfoy decided that the bow was enough, it seems because he turned to him while he was caught up in his own thoughts.

"This is Crabbe and this is Goyle, I thought you were not aware of anything when we met the first time, why did you pretend?"

Putting his focus on the question he tried his best to remember what little he learned from Lynne into effect.

"Well… you can't expect me to show off, I have enemies out there, right?" He said trying his best to feel confident.

"Right… of course. How silly of me. I would offer help but I can see you are in good hands. Remember, Potter, some families are better than others. We will help you."

"Thanks… Thank you, Malfoy. If we are in the same house I will be glad to have your guidance." He gave a small smile.

"Great, I think we are almost there so I will leave you to it." With a short bow, Malfoy and his grunts exited the compartment and he saw Lynne finally relax, and wondered what could have happened if things didn't go well.

He didn't want to end up anywhere near Malfoy though, someone who looked at his friend like that was not worth being friends with. But she had said previously that antagonizing any of the list was a bad idea. She gave him a small smile, her wand appearing on her hand and with a small motion the butterfly flew to the overhead compartments and transformed into a small trunk.

"The staff at Hogwarts will take our trunks and luggage inside. We just leave them here." He nodded, still amazed at how much she knew. As if part of a script, there came an announcement from the train's speakers telling them to leave their luggage behind.

"Engorgio." She muttered and her trunk suddenly became as big as his. He made a mental note to ask her about the charm and about her family later.

"Before we leave… here." She handed him a small notebook. He opened it briefly and saw that it was empty.

"You can use it to write down important things you want to remember, it is enchanted to only let the person who writes on it to read its contents."

Before he could even respond, she fixed her robes, wand disappearing on her sleeves and exited the compartment. He quickly followed behind, pocketing the notebook, on the way they met a stream of students that were also descending the train. They followed a few of the younger looking students that all had the black robes as well.

"First years! First 'ears over here!" Hagrid was motioning everyone close. He was happy to see him again.

"Heya 'Arry! Excited aren't ya. Already making friends. Well come 'ol over here."

They followed Hagrid through a clearing leading to a small port. Hagrid guided them to the boats and then told them they would cross the big lake 4 students per boat. Lynne was close to him glaring at other people who would look their way, almost as if he had a guard dog, he found this strange but maybe she was taking this friendship different from what she should because she never had any. He made a mental note to talk about it with her later as well, aware that the list was growing.

They floated through the lake and as he took the sights of the castle he felt like it was all worth it in the end, it stood at such a magnificent level, and it really felt magical. He descended from the boats and followed Hagrid, they then were greeted by Professor McGonagall, she briefly informed them that they would be sorted right away, she gave information on the houses and their traits although Lynne had already explained how it worked. The professor told them to wait while checking if the Great Hall was prepared.

He was about to ask Lynne about what to expect when a bushy girl that wouldn't stop giving facts about the castle to a shy chubby boy answered his questions. Some red-head was telling other students how they would have to fight a troll, not realizing he was being pranked by his brothers which led to Malfoy starting an argument with him. He called him Weasley so he tried to remember what Lynne had said about them.

The Weasleys were allies of Albus Dumbledore, Lynne said to be careful with them as they would have ulterior motives to ally themselves with the so-called savior or boy-who-lived. He wanted genuine friends, not someone who would just approach him because of that. There was so much to learn, so little time to adjust, and he started dreading having lived with the Dursleys yet again, why couldn't he have gotten a family that would have taught him what he needed to know.

He was brought back off his thoughts when a few of the students upfront let out small shrieks as ghosts came to greet them. They gave their introductions while some students whispered in awe. As they left professor McGonagall returned and led them into the Great Hall.

"...it's enchanted to make it look like the sky above… read it in Hogwarts: A history."

It was quite pretty, a night sky full of stars, while candles floated in the ceiling. He observed 4 long tables and the banners of each house with their colors. They walked through the students seated in each house until they were all in front of a long table of professors. There on a stool lay a hat, it seems Lynne didn't lie in the end. As part of the welcoming, the hat started singing, he didn't catch much of the lyrics, his mind just taking the entirety of the castle, but everyone was respectful and made no sounds until it finished.

Once everyone was settled they started calling by last name. One by one all the students in the first year were called. He wasn't feeling nervous or anxious anymore, choosing to trust Lynne to follow him into whatever house he was sorted somehow. She had been on point with everything so far. He was sure that whichever house he ended up in, he would have someone to ask questions and have answers, hopefully a friend as well. He saw Malfoy get sorted into Slytherin and knew that if he was indeed going there he would have someone who could help him out as well.

The bushy girl and the shy boy pair both went into Gryffindor, from his name he concluded he was the one who lost the Toad that Lynne summoned.

"Harry Potter!"

At the call of his name, he stepped forward trying to ignore the whispers and people staring at him. He settled nicely in the stool and felt the hat being placed on his head.

"Ah, Harry Potter. Interesting… Mmm, yes, a lot of courage and bravery but also a thirst for knowledge, you don't like being in the dark. Difficult… Very difficult." He was amazed at the voice of the hat, but he didn't comment, he was quite certain he could influence the decision from the hat otherwise Lynne wouldn't have been that confident in saying she was going to follow him but he had no preference either.

Opting to remain quiet, the hat continued. "You would make a nice Ravenclaw, I see you are quite intelligent but easily overwhelmed. The fear of expectations have made their way into your head as well now, and in Slytherin you would do well to meet them head on, you could do great things there."

"You have loyalty for friends enough to get into Hufflepuff and courage and bravery enough to defy the most terrible of Dark lords… You would do well in any house I'm sure." At this point the hat was taking so long people were whispering and speculating. It made him nervous so he decided to break the silence to focus on something else.

"How can students influence your decision?" he asked.

"Well it depends, I wouldn't say they have a choice but they can convince themselves after they talk to me and I support their decision… you are a curious boy."

"How would I have known that before coming here?".

"You feel that you are ignorant of many things, things you think you should know… Why is that?" He was annoyed, the hat was not answering his questions completely.

"I feel that people around me know my place in this world better than I do and that is frustrating. I'm also lacking common wizardry knowledge that I have no way of knowing how to get."

"Well, if you are so sure knowledge is what you want… better be… RAVENCLAW!"

He removed the hat and handed it to the professor before stepping down, the Ravenclaw table was cheering and clapping while many in the Gryffindor table looked confused. He sat down beside an Indian looking girl that was sorted just before him. Her twin was looking at her from the Gryffindor table with a glare. He was greeted by other Ravenclaws and he focused hard to remember their names with their faces from the sorting so far. Boot, Brocklehurst, Corner, Goldstein, Li, MacDougal, Patil. Then came Turpin after him.

"Lynne Volant."

He watched as a few whispers were heard as well, probably because of how she looked. He awaited eagerly as she sat down and let professor McGonagall put the hat on her head.

"Oh another hat stall" Murmured an older Ravenclaw by his side.

"What do you mean?" Asked Harry without taking his eyes off the blonde girl.

"When the hat takes more than 2 minutes it's called a hat Stall, you took the longest so far. We can talk later about it if you want. I'm Marcus Belby by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Marcus."

"RAVENCLAW!"

He jumped a little bit but again not completely surprised that Lynne would stay true to her word. She walked gracefully and sat beside Harry after he moved a bit to let her sit.

"I'm glad you could convince the hat to join me, Lynne." he said. In fact he couldn't have been happier, having a friend already was all he had hoped for, especially one who had so far answered every question he had.

She gave a slight nod and a small smile. The headmaster started his speech, giving a welcome to all of the first years. Then shouted a few funny words that made no sense whatsoever at least to him. Lynne turned to the table all of a sudden. At that moment food appeared out of nothing, the entire table filled to the brim with food. Harry had never seen so much in one place before, much less eaten anything from there. The Dursley had denied him to taste most foods only leaving him with scraps or things he could sneak away with.

"Is he a bit… mad?" he asked, watching Dumbledore. Marcus eyed him carefully and let out a small chuckle.

"He is a bit barmy, yes… peas, Harry?"

He started piling a bit of food on his plate, not sure what to eat first, but making sure to at least try a bite of everything. As he was doing this he noticed that Lynne made no moves to even pick up anything from the table and frowned.

"Did you not find anything you like?" he asked.

"I'm fine, I'm not hungry right now. Don't worry." Came the reply in a whisper. Sue and Anthony were watching curiously but said nothing.

"Already keeping secrets, Harry?" Marcus asked his side, gaining a glare from the girl.

He ignored the question entirely, hoping that if he acted innocent enough, the older boy would leave it be. Which he did, no one followed it up either so he just shrugged and continued eating. When watching the tables of professors his scar started hurting terribly. So much so that he couldn't hide the pain.

"Are you okay?" Lynne said, looking at him worried.

"Yes, just a headache." He tried to ignore it. But he saw clearly that one of the professors was staring at him. He averted the gaze instinctively. After dinner the headmaster spoke again.

"First years, please note... that the Dark Forest is strictly forbidden to all students." He thought that having a forest close by could have been a cool adventure, despite the name.

"Also, our caretaker, Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you that the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death."

He saw several different surprised and scared faces. He was surprised as well, but he didn't know if things like that were normal. He turned towards Lynne, it seemed that she was calm and just reading a small book which she had pulled out of nowhere somewhere in the middle of the feast.

"Is it normal to have something that could kill students here…?" he asked in a whisper.

"Not that I know of…" came the answer without her lifting her gaze at all.

The prefects started rounding up all first years, and they left behind the Great Hall to head for their common rooms. Ravenclaw was up the castle near the astronomy classroom and it was quite the trek after dinner. The entrance to the common room was located on the west side of Hogwarts at the top of a spiral staircase that started on the fifth floor, and was a door without a doorknob or keyhole, but a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle. Penelope Clearwater was the prefect leading them to the entrance, and the group followed her closely. After the introductions were made she explained common rules like curfew times or how detention and point losses work for disciplinary actions.

"You will have to answer a logic puzzle or riddle to enter the common room. If you failed it, you will have to wait for someone else to answer theirs to enter. But you can also ask a prefect if they can help you in." She explained.

"Seas with no water. Hills with no earth. Roads never stepped on. What am I?" said the eagle.

"A map." Penelope answered. The door opened and the prefect made a wave motion for everyone to step in. The Ravenclaw common room was a wide, circular room, airier than most rooms Harry had ever seen. Graceful arched windows punctuated the walls, which were hung with blue- and-bronze silks. The ceiling was domed and painted with stars, which were echoed in the midnight-blue carpet. There were tables, chairs, bookcases, some instruments like telescopes and globes lying around, and opposite to the door stood a tall statue of white marble.

"Alright boys on the right hallway you will find your quarters, they are divided by year and usually 3 per room. Same for the girls on the opposite hallway."

After the long day Harry was feeling quite tired and wanted to see who he was paired with. Being honest with himself, he wanted to ask a million questions to Lynne but he was pretty sure he wouldn't stay awake to keep the answers in his head. He walked to the right hallway to find his room. He found his initials alongside Anthony Goldstein. It seemed his room was only for the 2 of them and the rest of his classmates were in the other room.

He flopped to the bed that had his trunk closest to it. Anthony started unpacking beside him. Once both of them finished unpacking and settling in for the night, he closed his curtains and thought of all that transpired that day. It was a lot to take in, he made the decision to gather everything he needed to know. He took out the small notebook that Lynne had gifted him, and wrote down what he wanted to ask for tomorrow. He let himself rest his head on the soft pillow, having a bit of an emotional overload at having his first bed. Having changed into run-down clothes to sleep, he was feeling quite comfortable and sleep took him quite quickly.

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He awoke early. The curtains did not let a lot of light through but he knew it was around 6 or 7am. He quietly changed clothes to his robes. Then exited the room trying not to wake up his roommate. He entered the common room and saw in a corner of a table Lynne's blonde hair. She was reading again, maybe that is how she knew so much. By day, the Ravenclaws had a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains and he took a moment to take in the sights, then went to sit beside her.

"Good morning, Lynne. Slept well?" he asked cheerily.

"Good morning, Harry." Frowning she took out a small circle watch from one of her pockets.

"It is still quite early, what are you doing up?"

"Already slept enough, I used to wake up early to make breakfast for my relatives."

He wondered how useful a watch would be, and why there wasn't a spell for the time. Surely if there was, Lynne would know about it.

"I see, well we can go for early breakfast, the Great Hall still should give us food if you ask for it."

"Before that, can I ask you a few things?" She nodded slowly.

"Yesterday Malfoy said your family was part of the Lestrange family. They are on the list you told me to be careful about. Should I be worried?" He asked half-jokingly.

"The Lestrange family was very loyal to the Dark Lord in the war. They carried his will and were ruthless. That is why you must be careful with them, although I believe all of them are in Azkaban Prison. A pureblood family that married to the Blacks as well."

She shifted a bit on the chair. "The Longbottoms suffered the most to them. My family joined the Lestrange a long time ago, back when they were in France, around 300 years ago. My immediate family comes from a squib and a muggle."

"The Volant family used to cast away squibs so there are branches of the family lost that they do not know about. And sometimes magic just finds its way again."

"What is a squib…?" It sounded awfully like a freak and he was not liking that at all.

"Occasionally, a child born to magical parents lacks any magical ability. Those people are called squibs. They are quite rare."

"If the Lestrange are in Azkaban, and your family is in France, who took care of you and why did you come to Britain?"

"I was raised by a friend of my father once they noticed I could wield magic. They lived here. I took the family name so that I could be more independent."

Harry had a lot more questions now, but it seemed like Lynne was not fond of the topic so he didn't want to make his first friend uncomfortable. He could see that it made her move on the chair and her eyes looked anxious.

"Well… I had another question. You kept glaring at people that got close to me when we were approaching the castle. Is there someone who I should be wary of?"

"No, I was being paranoid, the amount of magic that hit me approaching the castle messed my thoughts. I will try to be more subtle."

He was happy with that answer. He wanted to make more friends and he didn't want Lynne to push people away from him.

"Let's go have breakfast now, I'm getting hungry."

She got up and pushed the book into a small satchel he now noticed she had on her. Hidden below her robes. There was no way that satchel could hold the book but it seemed to swallow it when the book was close to it.

"Wicked."​

 

[Lucernello]

Chapter 2 - Pawn

Albus Dumbledore paced nervously in his office. He had felt the wards of the castle warn him of not one, but two malicious or dark cores entering Hogwarts. His plan only accounted for Voldemort. He could admit that luring the dark lord to the school with the stone was not the smartest choice, but he was desperate.

He needed to prove to himself that the prophecy was still in full effect, that Harry Potter was still protected and that he could delay his return. Had he gotten more than he bargained for? He needed to be careful and plan again. He was in the Great Hall earlier than usual, to see if he could detect something or someone as the students and professors arrived. He was highly suspicious of Quirrell of course, having traveled to Albania where rumor of a Dark presence had spread.

But so far, Quirinus had not been in contact with anyone as far as he could gather. The portraits acting as his spies mentioned he had not communicated with anyone yet and no owls had been dispatched either.

As the first students began to fill the Great Hall his magic sensed a dark nature. He looked around and saw Harry Potter enter. He was following a blond student that had unnatural arms. He feared that the scar on the boy had done something to him. When he left him to his family, he could feel that it was something foul but that was not harming the boy. If he was being possessed or going dark his plans would fail.

He carefully sent his magic to him, he felt nothing out of the ordinary and when he looked at him he could sense his feelings, nervous, anxious, like any first year first days, but content. He curiously gazed upon other students that had entered as well, no one felt any different.

The entire breakfast continued, because Quirrell was now there, he couldn't really know if there was another dark agent by feeling alone. He still scanned the place trying to see who Quirrell was looking at. But nothing came out of that either. When Harry and his friend departed after their schedules were handed in he took a moment to calm his mind and walk away to his office again, feeling anxious.​

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	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY
8.30-9.30	D.A.D.A.	Herbology	Charms	Charms	History
9.45-10.45	Herbology	Charms	Transfig.	D.A.D.A.	Astronomy
11.00-12.00	Charms	D.A.D.A.	Potions	History	Potions
12.00-13.00	LUNCH	LUNCH	LUNCH	LUNCH	LUNCH
13.00-14.00	Transfig.	History	D.A.D.A.	Transfig.	Potions
14.15-15.15	History	Potions	Herbology	Transfig.	FREE / FLYING (2nd Week)
15.30-16.30	Astronomy	Astronomy	FREE	FREE	FREE
Midnight			Astronomy

Harry took a look at the schedule. It was Monday September 2nd so they would have to find the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom. Luckily, it seemed Lynne knew where to go and just started heading in that direction. He was still quite worried about her. She didn't reach for any food and just read quietly while he ate.

He thought that maybe the girl, much like himself, suffered long periods of not eating and she wasn't used to that much food. She did look thin beneath her robes, although he wasn't sure. They were kind of saggy after all. He would have to talk to her after class, maybe at lunch. He followed her to the classroom, they were one of the first to enter so they got to pick their seats.

The classroom reeked of garlic and it wasn't the most pleasant smell. It wasn't that uncomfortable but still not pleasant. Slowly the room filled out with students from his year and as well as Slytherins students. He gave a polite bow to Malfoy from where he was sitting and got one in return. They shared the first and second period with Slytherin.

"M-my name i-is Pr-pr-professor Quirinus Qu-quirrell. I will t-t-teach you a-bou-t the dark creatures yo-u wi-ll n-eed to def-f-fend against and how."

He went on to explain curses and counter-curses, but the explanations were so slow and the horrible stutter made the class impossible to follow correctly. Lynne looked straight up murderous and Quirrell did not go near them at all for the entire lesson. Not even calling them or looking at their direction. And whenever he gave his back to Harry he felt a strong headache coming in from his scar. Something he was not sure why kept happening.

He was glad when the class ended to bolt out of there, luckily it seemed that Lynne was not happy either to stay any second longer.

"How is he allowed to teach at all? He is useless and a coward. I can't believe he is stupid enough to believe that the amount of garlic present would stop a vampire at all. " he heard Malfoy complain to his cohort of Slytherins that were following out of the class. "I will have my father hear about this."

He snorted but quietly left them behind following an impatient Lynne to the greenhouses. Again, he was surprised at how knowledgeable she was with the Castle. So he had to ask.

"How do you already know where to go?"

"I created a spell to point me in the direction I really want to be. It doesn't work long distances but it's enough for me to reach classrooms." she answered without stopping.

"But I didn't see you cast anything…"

"Another thing to teach you then? There are many spells which affect only your vision, like the Revelio charm."

He was happy he had Lynne to teach him things like that, but he still had a lot of questions as to how she knew all of this. And create a spell? Wasn't that supposed to be quite advanced? It didn't make a lot of sense to him now that he could compare her with other students. They knew almost as much as him after all. Putting the thought aside, he followed her into Herbology Class and he only learned one thing that day, plants were scary.

Charms was the first class shared with Gryffindors at the start of the week, and the first time he could answer questions that he had learned on the train! It was nice to be able to go over magic theory like a ping pong between the small professor and other students. He gained points to Ravenclaw and it felt good to know.

Having Lynne as a partner in charms though was a bit off-putting. She seemed to never pay attention and never raised her hand to answer anything but as soon as Professor Flitwick called for her she would answer correctly every time. Each time, people flinched at her voice. It seemed like the professor did not mind or didn't show it at least.

He didn't know if it was a sensible topic for the girl to answer, so he was thinking of ways to come up with the topic sometime soon. At the end of the class he saw the bushy girl staring at them. It seemed like a glare but he was not sure or why someone would target them specifically.

"Do you remember the name of the girl that is staring at us?" He asked in a whisper, avoiding her gaze.

"Hermione Granger, I have no clue why she is staring. It looks like a mix of curiosity and competitiveness. It doesn't look important enough." she whispered back.

He blinked surprised at her answer. "How can you see so well so far away…?"

"Harry, are you sure those are the right glasses for you?" As he wondered the same question, Lynne was packing his books into her satchel.

As they made their way out of the classroom, she gave him a run down on how her spell worked to get a helping guide to a room he was thinking of as a destination. She explained that it was a deviation from a spell called Four-point, Point me, that would point always to the north. Instead of pointing to the north, this spell would point to a specific destination.

"You can try it, it works best with rooms you already know, but if you don't, the spell will try to gather information from different magic sources to find the room. That's why it doesn't work long distances..." she stopped suddenly in the middle of the corridor.

"Try it, visualize the great hall, we have to be there for lunch. You will guide us there."

"I still think the wand movement is quite complicated. Well… here goes. Indica Locus." Waving the wand in the pattern of the spell. He was still amazed at the complexity of the spell. At the third try a small blue path appeared in front of him guiding the way.

Happy with having success with the spell, he ushered Lynne to follow him and together they headed to the Great Hall. Harry was liking his first day so far.

"Why are you not eating again, Lynne?" he looked at her concerned.

"Just a condition, Harry. I don't ever get hungry, if I need it I will eat something from my trunk. Don't worry about it."

"Does it have anything to do with your voice?"

"No. My voice sounds like this because I screamed until my cords snapped, magic couldn't heal it in time."

His eyes opened in shock. "W-what do you mean…?"

"I meant that I screamed so much that I damaged my vocal cords beyond repair."

"Who… what made you scream?"

"It was my torture resistance training."

He didn't know what to answer at all. He imagined terrible things, he wasn't sure what this training was about but if it had you screaming until she was hurt, it couldn't be a good thing. His own experience with screaming had been met with more punishment at the Dursley and he couldn't possibly understand how that could be a training.

"Was this your father's friend who trained you?" He made the mistake of speaking about this, now he was being anxious, thinking of the Dursleys.

"My mentor and guardian, yes." a small smile on her lips. And just that tiny gesture gave Harry the feeling of relief that he needed to relax a bit.

"Well, we should head to transfiguration." He thought it was best not to continue with the topic. If one of the few smiles she had were thinking about his mentor then he shouldn't be that bad.

Walking to the class and sitting down with Lynne beside him, he saw a cat on the professor's desk. It was strange arriving earlier than a professor. Lynne nodded to the cat and opened her book. She had warned him that the stern professor would usually leave the theory of transfiguration for self-study, having more practical classes instead. He had read a bit on lunch time ahead, he was hoping that was enough.

After a few minutes the cat jumped from the desk turning into the professor. He blinked surprised and in awe with a simple thought: Magic was amazing.

"Welcome to my class, first years. Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."

With that, she started making instructions on security and asked a few questions which Harry knew about luckily. He could answer a few and gain more points for his house. This was looking like a great class and although McGonagall seemed stern, she explained well and it was easy to understand.

"For this 20 minutes of class, we will try to change these toothpicks into a needle. The spell is in your book and look closely at me for the wand movements." She proceeded to show them the movements of the wand and turned one of the toothpicks into a needle. He quickly practiced the movements at first only, and he thought it wasn't really hard.

"It's all in your mind, Harry. As long as you can visualize the needle in great detail, the spell should work correctly. Picture the needle first in your head, then try."

He had forgotten about Lynne beside him, he watched as her toothpick was already a needle and he noted that he had never heard her say the spell. He focused on his toothpick, on picturing the needle on his head, a needle that was now easy to picture having seen Lynne's. He performed the spell and much to his surprise, it worked at first try.

"I did it!" He cheered happily hugging Lynne from the side. The surprised girl chuckled at him but did not complain.

"Well done, Mr. Potter. 10 points to Ravenclaw. To you as well, Miss Volant."

They were sharing class with the Hufflepufs but only one of them actually made a needle by the end of the class. Of his housemates, almost everyone except Sue Li managed to complete the needle. He gathered his things and exited the classroom.

History of magic was boring and he had trouble not falling asleep. The ghost professor was so monotonous it was really difficult to keep up. Lynne was reading something else, he kept trying to understand what she was reading, but it was in Latin and he didn't know the language. She was almost falling asleep when she pulled out another book and handed it to him.

It was a book on stars and constellations, what they meant and their application in divination and the study of how magic is influenced by the cosmic movements. It kept him entertained and it was interesting at least, more than the class. Professor Binns just didn't even look at them while he continued rumbling about 15th century events.

After history they had Astronomy and he now understood why she had given him the book, he could answer most things asked and again more points and participation in class. His housemates saw him as a nice addition to their Ravenclaw. He was exhausted by the end of the day though, but happy.

He followed Lynne to the library to ask her a few questions he had about their first day and together they revised a few concepts and spells. Overall it was a nice first day. Dinner was uneventful and immediately after he collapsed in his comfortable bed.
​

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The following morning, Lynne was waiting for him in the common room, again. He was an early riser and somehow she was there. He liked having someone wait for him though.

"Morning, Harry. I have a gift for you."

Harry, who was skipping down to the common room, almost fell down the stairs.

"A gift…?"

"It's a pocket watch. It used to be a regular gift from your family when you became an adult."

It was a small round silver watch just like hers. "Err… why?"

"This one will help you as it also has a particular enchantment with its brother timepiece of mine."

He took it from her cold hard hands making a ting sound. He opened the lid and saw a beautifully carved eagle on the background of the small hands of the watch.

"It's pretty… thank you." he looked at her fondly.

"It has a mental message enchantment. If you press on the small button on the side it can send messages to me, as long as you have it in you, I can send messages to you."

She took hers out and immediately showed it to him how it was done.

Do not think in a pink Elephant.

Harry chuckled and pressed on his.

PinkElephantLynneisamazing.

Lynne smiled a little. "You need to filter your thoughts for the messages, Harry. But thank you."

The boy nodded embarrassed. "Let's go and have breakfast."

They headed to the great hall to eat. Sitting at the Ravenclaw table some of their classmates joined them chatting about their classes for the day. They were chatting more with him than with Lynne, but she didn't seem to mind.

The whole group headed to classes and again, both him and Lynne earned more points. In Charms and Defense they performed a perfect Lumos and he gave a few tips to his classmates. He still left defense with a small headache for some reason.

After lunch they traveled through the castle to the dungeons. Their first potions class. He sat beside Lynne and two Hufflepuff girls who he didn't remember.

"Miss Bones, Miss Abbott." Of course, Lynne knows who they are. She always knows.

"Err, hello."

"Hi."

Harry gave a small wave at them and sat down. A loud door noise made everyone jump and Professor Snape came barling down into the classroom.

"There will be no foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in this class. As such, I don't expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art that is potion-making."

He said in a low voice, but everyone was paying attention to him anyway. Harry thought he was intimidating so he started writing down what he was saying as small notes.

"However, for those select few who possess the predisposition... I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses."

"I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death. Then again, maybe some of you have come to Hogwarts in possession of abilities so formidable that you feel confident enough to not pay attention!"

He is talking to you.

Startled but managing to recover quickly, Harry looked up to Snape. "Oh, sorry professor, I was taking notes of what you were saying."

"Is that so, Mr. Potter? Yes, you are our new celebrity after all, you should keep up." He was looking at him with disdain. He didn't like being singled out.

"What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Sleeping potion. The draught of living death. Came Lynne's message in his head. Of course! My heroine to the rescue.

"A sleeping potion. The Draught of Living death."

Snaped raised one eyebrow. "Yes. Where do you find me a Bezoar?"

A stone in the Stomach of a goat.

"In the stomach of a goat professor. It's a stone"

Snape looked surprised but nodded.

"And what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"They are the same plant!" He remembered that from the small reading he did on potions that day.

Good job.

He looked to his classmates and Lynne had a blank expression but to his side both Bones and Abbott couldn't hide their surprise.

"Yes it also goes by the name of aconite. You also failed to mention that the Bezoar acts as an antidote to most poisons" He looked at the whole class. "Well? Why aren't you all copying that down? 5 points to Ravenclaw, Mr. Potter."

The class continued without any issues after that, they were tasked to do a small cure for Boils potion, there was a cauldron that almost burned down by one of the Hufflepuff boys but Snape managed to spare him of any injuries. He left the classroom feeling content, he managed to finish correctly and without any issues while not feeling like Lynne was doing all the work.

After astronomy they kept studying and reading with Lynne in the library. He finished tired again but pleased with his progress.

As the day went by, classes were easier and came to him almost naturally, he was pushing to get the best marks and Lynne's continued help gave him the boost that he needed. He also kept learning new spells and wizarding culture taught by her, each time more amazed at her brilliant mind.

On friday he received a letter carried by Hedwig with an invitation for tea to Hagrid's hut just outside the castle and although he had been making more friends and being cordial with most of his classmates he only invited Lynne with him. They exited the castle after classes and headed to his house if you can call it that. The cozy hut had a weird exterior but it looked warm and inviting.

He knocked on the door gently, and heard a muffled voice from inside. Hagrid opened the door but before he could even greet the half-giant a cold tongue was hitting his face. Startled he did not react but Lynne did, placing herself in front of him pushing the dog gently back.

"Fang! Oi back of' you old fool. Sorry 'bout that Harry. He means good."

He gave gentle pats to fang once Lynne moved aside.

"Hey Hagrid, we came for tea. This is my friend Lynne."

The giant assessed the girl for the first time and opened his eyes a bit, no wonder surprised by her body. She gave him a small bow and he didn't say anything for a bit and Harry was growing anxious when he just smiled and waved them in.

"I'll set up the kettle. Make yourself at home. Biscuits?"

"Thanks."

It was amazing to see the half-giant navigating through his hut to make tea, you would think with his size it would be difficult but he moved with ease in his place. Harry sat and made space for Lynne to join him. When she sat he heard a faint metal sound hit the seat and for the first time he looked at her legs. They had always been covered so he never thought that she may have lost her legs as well.

"It's nice to see ya' ar' making friends, Harry. How was yur first week? Are you enjoying Hogwarts?"

"It has been great, Hagrid, there is so much to learn and so much to see. Lynne has been helping a lot with everything. We are going to explore the castle this weekend, it should be fun."

"Well I'm glad that ya' are having fun. Yur parents would be proud of you, Harry."

"Thank you, Hagrid."

They talked about his parents for a bit, how they had made Gryffindor proud, Hagrid spoke as if he knew them dearly but at the same time, didn't reveal many details about them. He was wondering why Lynne was not speaking and one looked at Hagrid and he saw that he was eying her from time to time, maybe for the same reason.

"What is Headmaster Dumbledore hiding in the castle, Hagrid? Is it whatever was in the newspaper today about Gringotts Vault 713?"

Hagrid looked at her wide-eyed. "H-how do ya' know about that? The headmaster tasked me with that mission secretly."

"You just gave it away and also did said mission in front of Harry."

"You should not meddle in affairs ya' have no place in."

"One of your pets is guarding it, yes?" Lynne continued asking unbothered.

"How do you know about Fluffy?!" Hagrid was now very anxious and almost screamed at her.

"Fluffy?" Harry whispered.

"I shouldn't have said that, I should not have said that. Right, out! Go back to the castle both of ya'."

Hurrying back to the castle, Harry couldn't stop the many thoughts crashing in his mind. Following Lynne to the library he felt that he needed a few answers. They found an empty secluded table to sit, something that they were doing regularly this first week after classes.

"If I ask you will explain what that was about?"

"Whatever you want to ask, I will always answer you."

"Why?"

"I've been cursed to always tell the truth if asked, unless someone specifically tells me I cannot tell anyone. I can keep secrets from others but not mine."

Harry looked horrified at that information. "There is a curse for that…?"

"Yes."

"Uhm… alright. Who cursed you?"

"My guardian."

"Is he the one who broke your voice?"

"Yes."

He gulped imagining a worse magical version of Vernon Dursley. He didn't see Lynne show any emotional distress but he didn't want to continue talking about that.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

Harry remained quiet for a bit gathering his thoughts.

"So you think they are keeping something in the castle."

She nodded slowly.

"Something that someone tried to steal from the Gringotts vault that Hagrid and I visited."

Again a slow nod.

"It's on the third-floor corridor in Hogwarts."

"And a creature from Hagrid's is protecting it?"

"I assumed so, yes. He looks after the animals and herds around the forbidden forest. It was a hunch of mine, and he just gave it away."

"So the headmaster was not kidding when he said that it was very dangerous to go near the third-floor corridor."

"Quite so."

"Why would they bring it here though?" he didn't want to think badly of the school, but to have something as dangerous that

"As a lure obviously."

"To lure what?"

"Not what. Who."

For Harry, it all sounded very confusing, nevertheless he was excited to know of the plot happening at the castle. It sounded like an adventure. Although he wasn't sure if he wanted to risk it, with how dangerous the creature guarding it sounded. He didn't ask Lynne any more questions and together they kept studying quietly and then returned to their common room.

​

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The second week went by quickly as he fell into a rhythm, and even though he couldn't confirm it due to ending up tired and sleepy each day, he suspected Lynne didn't sleep or eat at all. He never saw her eating at the great hall or ever woken up earlier than her, even though he tried several times. She was always ready for him.

With Friday and the end of the week came their first flying lesson, and Harry was excited to fly for the first time, along with his classmates. That afternoon, they walked outside the castle. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff first years were lined up in two rows with brooms by their sides laid down by Madame Hooch. Harry observed her short hair and hawk yellow eyes the likes he had never seen. Behind her the small Charms professor followed.

"Good afternoon, class, good afternoon. Welcome to your first flying lesson. You are joined by Professor Flitwick today because of the incident yesterday with the Gryffindor boy. Nasty fall that one."

If she thought that was reassuring it had the opposite reaction clearly. Everyone was scared… except maybe Lynne who had her usual blank face.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Everyone, stand on the left side of their broomstick. Come on now, hurry up. Stick your right hand over the broom and say, 'Up'."

A chorus of 'Ups' quickly followed. To Harry's amazement his broom shot up at his first try straight into his hand. He glanced around and saw that a few were struggling, Lynne already had hers in her hand and he was sure he never heard her even say the words.

The ones who didn't manage it had to pick it up manually from the ground as Madame Hooch continued with the lesson.

"Now, once you've got hold of your broom, I want you to mount it. And grip it tight, you don't want to be sliding off the end. When I blow my whistle, I want each of you to kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your broom steady, hover for a moment, then lean forward slightly and touch back down."

In his excitement he almost kicked-off right there but he felt the cold hand from Lynne touch his shoulder and made him pause.

"On my whistle. 3, 2, 1."

At the sound of the whistle he kicked as hard as he could and shot up to the sky. He hovered, controlling his broom and steadying himself from time to time. He was finding it quite easy to handle and he really wanted to test the limits of the broom already. Feeling confident he gained speed dodging classmates and objects in his path, so focused on his task he didn't hear Hooch telling him to drop down. He had done about 12 laps when he saw his instructor waving at him and making him stop in his tracks, almost falling off the broom, only to be caught by Lynne that was all of a sudden beside him in the air.

"Mister Potter, Miss. Volant, get down this instant! Have you both gone mad?!"

Hooch was furious at them when they landed and started a long rant about safety and endangering the class by flying fast all the while Flitwick was clearly amused.

"It was a nice display of flying you two, I hope to see you try-out for Ravenclaw's Quidditch team next year."

"I'm sorry Professors, I got too excited." pleaded Harry. Lynne just gave them a small apologetic bow.

"No one was hurt, Mister Potter, it's alright." Flitwick said while looking at Madame Hooch.

"Well… yes, no one was hurt but still I expect my instruction to be followed next time. Can't have students doing whatever they want in my class."

They returned to their dorms to rest and catch up on a few things Lynne wanted to teach him. The common room was filled with gossip and they didn't manage to even sit when a few of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team students bombarded them with questions about what they had done.

Apparently Flitwick boasted that they had talent waiting for them. They offered them to participate in their weekly trainings and to tutor them for next year. Harry found himself a bit overwhelmed by the attention but nevertheless a feeling of belonging made him quite happy.

Lynne was aloof at best but she said she would follow Harry along. The next few weeks he spent a few days with the Quidditch team, as well as with his classmates who were now being more friendly and open to him. The only constant being Lynne which the Ravenclaws had begun to call her his shadow.

If only they knew that Harry was the one chasing behind her and trying to learn everything he could out of her, they were talking with the pocketwatch a lot so people also thought that she was quiet because of her condition.

Of course, having a small secret between them meant that he thought they shared a deeper connection and she had a lot more to talk about when no one was listening. Something that was only known to him, something that no matter their knowledge they wouldn't find out.

In the days that followed there was a lot of gossip going around, apparently an infamous pair of twins encountered a Cerberus on the third floor corridor, which Harry now knew was the creature guarding the place. Although it could be an exaggeration with those two, the name 'Fluffy' made sense for a dog. A big mean three-headed dog, but a dog all the same.

Safe to say, he didn't want to approach it anymore and wondered how anyone could be so careless and task it to guard something inside the castle full of students. There was also gossip involving Malfoy and a few Gryffindors after their flying lesson and talk of a duel between the smallest Weasley and him, but there were no details really so he assumed that didn't happen in the end.

One day at the great hall he overheard Seamus, Granger, Longbottom and Weasley talking about the third-floor corridor, apparently they also went looking for some reason, Granger was furious with them and stormed out leaving them behind.

Lynne and Harry found her in the library afterwards doing homework. They sat at another table to do theirs as well. Harry was curious about the cerberus and wanted to ask but he didn't know how to approach her.

What are you thinking of?

Lynne pulled him out of his thoughts and was looking at him intensely.

Just curious about the cerberus, maybe we could ask Granger. You heard her earlier.

He was learning to answer quickly with the pocket watch.

Well, we could, but I worry with her kind of temper she may not welcome it.

And that was true, she had displayed quite a temper at the great hall and now she looked focused on her homework. Bothering her would probably make her ignore them.

Sighing he continued with his homework, he was almost done with all of his essays. He had used History of magic to advance a bit on every subject and it was working for him so far.

"Ahem… do you have a moment?" He looked in the direction of the voice startled and there she was, the bushy haired girl approaching them at their table.

"Hello, Miss Granger."

"Hi… I've noticed you guys are studying hard, do you guys need help? I already finished all my assignments."

Lynne looked at him with a small half-smile.

Want and you shall receive.

Harry giggled a bit which caused the girl to frown and her smile disappearing.

Ups.

"Sorry, we are not laughing at you, it's just that I just said that I wanted to approach you and ask you something."

"We already finished our assignments as well, Harry was just finishing with the transfiguration essay, so maybe you would like to talk with us?"

"Uh, sure, what about?"

"First introductions, I'm Lynne Volant, you can call me Lynne."

"Oh right, I'm Hermione."

"Nice to meet you, Hermione, you can call me Harry."

She fiddled a bit with her fingers and looked nervous.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Is it true that you went into the third-floor corridor? You saw the cerbe-?"

Her eyes went wide and she put a finger on his mouth.

"Shhh, I don't want to talk about that, it's forbidden I could get expelled." she whispered frantically.

"It's true then…"

"Yes… why do you ask?" She looked on edge now and Harry thought that she was going to bolt away at any minute.

"Just that the creature is Hagrid's and I was curious about it, sorry. It's guarding something in there and we just don't know what."

"Well I for one do NOT want anything to do with that, as I said to my annoying classmates, I don't want to end up dead or worse, expelled."

That got a laugh out of Lynne which was quite rare and sounded like a scratching of metal.

"Well, you have nice priorities at least. Do you want to meet regularly with us here? It seems you don't get along well with your 'annoying' classmates."

"Yes, I would love to." She blurted out quickly.

"Awesome, we would love to have more people in our study group, the other Ravens usually ask for help here and there but they don't join us in the library yet."

Harry liked having more friends to talk to and she seemed alright, although a bit nervous around them.

"Just don't boss us around if you know something well enough, Harry is learning from scratch and although he picks up things quickly, he doesn't need nagging."

Hermione looked surprised at her for a minute.

"How do you know I'm bossy? We don't have classes together."

"Oh, the castle is a gossip mill, Hermione and we basically know everything there is to know about first years, apparently our classmates enjoy that."

She frowned again and looked at her feet.

"I will try."

"Awesome! We usually meet in free periods or after class, around 5pm here, sometimes we won't be here but I can let you know somehow."

"Uh… alright."

They talked about a few subjects that they liked so far and what Harry learned with Lynne in their free time. She was surprised that he was learning wizarding customs and culture, clearly not aware that Harry grew up with muggles. Once she got over her initial shyness she was talking for the both of them.

She seems fine, although she rants a lot.

Harry chuckled. Having made a new friend, Lynne and Harry made their exit out of the library, with a small wave to Hermione. Homework done, it was time to keep exploring the castle and going back to their classmates in the common room. They sometimes would invite Harry to play Exploding snap and Gobstones which was entertaining.

Games that were popular for first years that grew up with magical parents but at least they included everyone.

Overall, for Harry, Hogwarts was looking more like a home than Surrey had ever been. It filled him with happy feelings and he was in a very good mood each day. Having full meals was also changing his body a bit, he wasn't looking as scrawny.

All positives so far.​

 

[Lucernello]

Chapter 3 - Automaton

As the month progressed and they entered October's first weeks, Lynne and Harry started practicing offensive and defensive spells. Professor Quirrell's class was terrible and they looked for alternative ways to learn what they were supposed to. They came upon a book at the library that was used for Defense against the Dark Arts 10 years ago, a retired auror had introduced it as second year material but it was easy to master and more entertaining than to suffer Quirrell's stutter.

They would regularly find empty classrooms to practice and spend their free time just going over shields, counter-curses and hexes. Harry was falling into the rhythm of keeping up with Lynne, who was utterly brilliant at everything so far, while also keeping his friendships with his classmates aflame, participating in the common room and even meeting up with Hermione to keep up with homework. Although he didn't have close friends in other houses, sharing almost all of his classes with Hufflepufs was pleasant as they were kind and friendly enough.

Harry was currently panting trying to regain his breath after practicing defensive spells against Lynne. She was quite scary and fast, he was barely able to dodge sometimes, he also had to admit he was out of shape physically while she never seemed to run out of energy, he wondered if she would ever get tired during practice.

"Give me a small break, Lynne."

She broke her stance and pocketed her wand.

"Of course, Harry."

"Also… I wanted to ask you a few questions, they may be uncomfortable but I'm worried."

She nodded and he started fidgeting with his hands and tried to gather his thoughts in order to ask away without being overly rude.

"I've never seen you in your room, and neither did your roommates, you don't sleep do you? You don't eat either, no one has seen you grab a bite ever, but you are never tired. Some of the older students even call you a vampire. Are you…?"

She looked at him for a few seconds, deciding what to answer.

"I cannot answer these questions, Harry. All I can say is that you don't need to worry about me at all, I'm perfectly healthy."

He stared at her in disbelief.

"Are you-- are you a type of creature?"

"No. I'm not any kind of magical creature. And although Vampires do not require sleep, they get tired pretty easily, especially during the day."

"Then how is it possible?"

" I cannot say, you will have to figure it out."

"Is it one of those secrets?"

"Yes... "

"What else can you tell me?"

"My body is hardened and my limbs are all enhanced prosthetics. Magic moves them at will and I have access to a lot of magic in this castle so I won't have issues at all with movement."

"That's amazing, I never thought something like that was possible, even in a world of magic."

"Yes well… it seems it is time to get even more books if this surprises you, I'm sure I will be able to bury you in them soon."

Harry giggled. "Yes, I guess with you, there isn't such a thing as too many books."

"For the time being, don't worry too much about it, Harry. I'm fine."

Harry let the matter rest for now, he wanted to investigate and learn more about Lynne, there were many things that she was not allowed to say it seems. It made sense, her guardian didn't want people to know the details, probably to protect her in some way, maybe that knowledge could be used against her. Would it be alright to investigate further then? Risk others also knowing?

Your thoughts are deafening.

Harry sighed and ruffled his hair, straightened and readied his wand. "Yeah, alright. Sorry, let's go again."


​

---

Hermione was lost in thought while making her way to the library. It was Friday so she was going to use her free time for a quick study and research session. So many things were not going the way she was expecting, she thought that being in Gryffindor was going to be amazing and it turned out to be the opposite. Her own classmates and even the older students from different years were loud, obnoxious and she was finding it hard to bond with anyone in her own house.

They were also bullies that would play pranks on Slytherins and they would often boast about how cruel they were, always thinking they were the good guys for having one-upped the evil snakes. She had gone to her head of house Professor McGonagall but she had dismissed her as just boys being boys and a few pranks not being that bad of a thing. Not being able to connect with her peers was slowly making her more anxious and stressed. She felt like she was back in primary school, outcast and alone.

She was slowly making friends with the Ravenclaws that would meet at the library to study or just talk about things that were interesting to research so at least there was something to look up to, but it was also making her wish she could have been sorted in the house of ravens instead. They were competitive and sometimes a bit jealous of knowledge but that was fun and challenging instead of just being goofy and loud. She felt out of place in her house.

Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, in particular, grated on her nerves more than she cared to admit. They were inseparable, always giggling over things Hermione found utterly pointless, like which perfume smells like fairy wings, which older boys were "sooo dreamy," and which shoes matches best with their weekend robes. She tried in the beginning to join their conversations, to find common ground, but every attempt was met with polite smiles that didn't reach their eyes, or worse, bored glances that made her feel invisible.

They even snorted at her once when she offered to help them study as if the very idea of being near books was laughable. Parvati had this habit of acting shocked whenever Hermione didn't know some piece of wizarding pop culture, like she was supposed to have grown up reading Witch Weekly. It was exhausting to say the least. They weren't cruel exactly, but they made her feel like a dusty encyclopedia in a room full of glittering gossip magazines and pompous pictures.

Sighing she let her thoughts return to normal and wondered which section of the library she could set her eyes on today. She knew that the study group was not going to be in there today, most of them agreed they needed a bit of a rest before the chaos that comes with exams started although they did promise to help revise and they included her as well. It was a nice feeling, being part of a group and maybe making more friends soon. She really wanted to have more classes with Ravenclaws.

Most of her classes were with Slytherins, a decision that was stupid in her opinion, it was a hazard to be in there when both were trying to sabotage each other. She had stayed far away from trouble so far, but it was only a matter of time for someone to point at the "muggleborn know-it-all", and at this point she was thinking it could come from either side.

With those worries in mind she walked into a weird situation happening in front of her, a few corridors away from the library three older Ravenclaw boys were cornering a blonde girl from their house as well. Their backs against Hermione, she was going to lower her head, pretend nothing was wrong and continue her way when she caught the glint from the shiny metallic arms she had learned to know this last couple of days.

"You think you are so smart, freak, looking like that no wonder you are trying to make a name for yourself. No good wizard would take your hideous looking self."

Lynne was being harassed by older students from her own house in front of her and she looked like a deer in front of headlights. She couldn't move.

"Not to mention you being so poor that you cannot afford a Skele-gro won't give you many options either."

She flinched at the harsh cruel words that had so much bite on them, if those were directed at her she was sure she would be crying.

"But we will take pity on you of course, after all we are not like the rest, I'm sure you can satisfy us all the same." continued another one of them.

"You already look like a toy after all, right?"

Their laughs are malicious and mockingly mean. On the other hand, Lynne looked calmed and composed, her gaze calculating and focused on them. Hermione knew from Harry that Lynne was good with her magic, and that this could escalate to a full blown confrontation. Gathering some of that Gryffindor courage she pulled her wand out but no spell came to her mind. One of the older boys leaned closer.

"We are talking to you, pile of screws!"

He tried to grab her hair but she moved quickly and grabbed his hand instead, and squeezed hard. A loud cracking noise followed by the scream of the older boy filled the hallway and froze the other two. Standing there doing nothing was clearly not the best decision as Lynne quickly spinned and kicked one after the other in quick succession and they went flying against the wall. With a loud thump noise they fell and proceeded to whine clutching their stomachs.

Lynne, still holding the hand of the screaming boy, spoke for the first time, her voice devoid of emotion and rough as always.

"If you lay a hand again on me or any other first or second year, I will crush your balls instead. Am I clear?"

"Aahhh, please let go, it hurts so much!"

She squeezed more, making him squeal in panic, his body shaking.

"I didn't hear you say it was clear."

"It's clear! Ack! It's clear! I'm sorry! Please let go!" He said in between sobs.

"Good. Remember, I will know if you are being a bother again."

She finally let go of him, the older student crying now on the floor, grabbing his hand in pain, his fingers bent in weird shapes. To Hermione, it looked so painful she had to avert her gaze. She looked up and saw that now Lynne was watching her, and on her hands now lay her wand making the Gryffindor flinch in fear. Hermione knew she should have intervened at least to help her in some way, so that they knew they weren't alone, but she was not brave enough and now Lynne looked ready to hex her for it.

Instead of pointing her wand at her, she bent down beside the sobbing teen and pointed her wand at him. Hermione was scared but the blonde muttered a spell which began fixing the boy's hand in a grotesque and nosy way, his bones mended with a loud snap at which he whelped and sobbed again.

"Go to the hospital wing. And take them as well with you." She ordered while looking at the two still lying on the floor groaning.

Slowly the older Ravenclaw got up, helped his friends up as well and they started walking away wincing in pain.

"Hermione."

Her voice made Hermione jump startled.

"I-I'm sorry, Lynne." She was breathing fast and trying to suppress a sob "I didn't know what to do."

In that moment more students and professor Flitwick came running, probably following the screaming that happened earlier.

"What happened here?! I demand explanations!" said the squeaky voice of the half-goblin, looking at the wounded trio of students.

"They were playing around and now they are hurt, professor. Something akin to 'dueling'. I just happened to be here and I healed his injured hand, but they were heading to the hospital wing to take a look at their wounds." She said.

Hermione bit her tongue as Lynne was carefully avoiding the truth without lying. The professor looked skeptical but the older students just nodded along.

"Well, dueling in the hallways is dangerous, but seeing as you seemed to have learned your lesson I won't give you detentions, 20 points from Ravenclaw. Don't attempt that again boys."

The other students dispersed at that and a few helped the trio walk away. Hermione was biting her lips, resisting the urge to not rattle on what really happened. Lynne seemed to understand and moved closer to her. To say Hermione was scared of her now was an understatement. Flitwick, noticing her nervousness, turned towards them.

"We will be heading to the library now, professor" said Lynne.

The small professor looked suspiciously at her but said nothing, the sudden silence made Hermione hold her breath. Lynne didn't seem to have a problem as she started walking normally, completely ignoring the piercing stare. She didn't want to be left behind so she quickly followed without looking back and hiding her face through her many curls.

When they turned the corner Lynne was gone as if banishing on thin air.

Two weeks later, she decided to tell Harry about what happened, it took her a while to gather her Gryffindor courage, she knew she needed to get it off her chest eventually but she was scared that he wouldn't believe her.

​

---

Hermione cornered him after lunch, just outside the library. Her arms were folded tightly, and she looked more determined than usual.

"Harry, can I talk to you?"

He nodded, sensing her urgency. They found a quiet alcove beneath a tall stained glass window, just out of earshot from the others.

"It's about Lynne," she said. "I know she's your friend and this may sound bad coming from me, but there is something you should know."

Harry frowned. "Alright. What is it?"

Hermione hesitated, then said in a low voice, "Did you hear about what happened to those Ravenclaw boys? The ones that were punished for dueling in the hallways?"

He looked thoughtful. "Yeah, a few people said they hexed each other and ended up in the hospital wing. I didn't hear the full story."

"I did," Hermione said, her voice tight. "I saw it. They were mocking her about her arms, calling her names, blocking her way, humiliating her. She didn't yell or argue. But as soon as they came close to her, she was merciless. I can still hear the scream at times… it was traumatizing."

Harry listened silently. So she continued.

"With two powerful kicks she sent two of them flying! It made no sense, there was no spell, just her kick. Then she grabbed the hand of the one closer to her… I could hear the bones break, Harry. He was crying. Begging. She didn't stop."

Harry's stomach turned while Hermione retold the events.

"Then she fixed it. With a spell I've never seen. The hand twisted and snapped back together like it was being stitched by invisible wire. It was... it was awful and it looked painful, and she looked calm the whole time and there was no anger and no fear and, and… just coldness."

She was breathing hard now anxiously.

He swallowed. "Why did they lie about it?"

"She guided the conversation, frightened them into agreeing with her that it was in a duel."

Harry could feel that she was scared of her, and if it was true what she did, it was reasonable. But Lynne had been nothing but fair to him, he could always just ask her about it later on, she couldn't lie after all.

"Well, if they were bothering her in the first place, it sounds like they learned their lesson."

"I… I know, I just think it was unnecessarily cruel." Hermione whispered. "I also think... I think you need to be careful, I wouldn't want to be close to her if she ever gets angry considering this was her being calm."

He gave a small nod. "I think she could explain this herself, she has always been reasonable. I'll talk to her."

Hermione stepped back, hesitant.

"Don't worry, I won't tell her you told me."

She looked relieved at that, then nodded and walked off toward her common room. Harry remained, staring at the floor, caught between admiration, and something colder. He hated bullies and they would find no sympathy from him.

He briefly wondered how to approach his friend and figured out that the best would be to just directly ask her.

Later that evening, Harry caught up with Lynne in the common room. She sat alone by the window, the fading light of sunset casting golden lines across her face as she scribbled notes into a small leather-bound book. He hesitated for a moment, then sat beside her.

"Lynne? Can I ask you something?"

"You technically already did. "

She didn't look up. He smiled faintly.

"Right. Another question then. About those boys from earlier this month. The Ravenclaws who ended up in the hospital wing. Did they bother you again?"

Lynne paused. Her quill stopped moving, hovering above the page.

"No. I'm surprised they talked about it. "

He wasn't going to betray his word so he said nothing about Hermione.

"They were mocking you, right? About your arms."

"Words that I don't mind. "

Lynne still didn't look at him. Harry shrugged.

"I did what I did because no one should touch someone else if they are not ready for a fight." she continued.

"They chose the wrong person to try to fight."

Harry nodded.

"They were bullies. I don't like bullies. I've lived with them most of my life. You stood up for yourself. Maybe not how I would've done it, but you didn't start it."

She finally turned to him. Her expression was unreadable, but her voice was quieter than usual.

"I gave them a warning. They ignored it. "

He nodded slowly. "I figured as much. I'm not mad. I just wanted to hear it from you."

She nodded back and they sat in silence after that, watching through the windows as the last light faded behind the distant hills.

​

---

The following weeks Harry kept up with the top students of his year, the exams were not here yet, but there were a few assignments already graded which mattered still. Not many were keeping tally but he was the top point scorer as well, he was proud and although he would sometimes clash with Hermione due to her very competitive nature, Lynne would encourage him all the time.

He knew he wasn't at her level yet but at this point he was sure no one was and always wondered why. He thought that it made little sense attending classes if you already knew everything there was to learn, she wasn't being arrogant about it and that made him feel at ease with her enough not to ask her about it.

Malfoy had been an ass a few times to her, rumor spread that she probably had little money to her name even if she was a pureblood, something about a potion that should have been used to regrow her arms. Classes with Slytherins were few and they had little to no interaction. Harry wished he would stop parroting about everything his dad said so that they could be friends.

Halloween brought a strange energy to the castle. Floating pumpkins and glowing candles lit the halls with a festive charm, and the Great Hall had been transformed into a spectacle of orange, gold, and violet lights. Harry had never seen so much food in one place. He sat between Lynne and Marcus, laughing at a joke Terry Boot had made about Peeves charming all the Hufflepuffs' shoes to scream.

Still, something was eating at him. Hermione had been absent from the Great Hall. She wasn't in their study group that afternoon either. Harry had heard from Padma that she'd run off to the girls' bathroom after an argument with Ron Weasley, but nobody seemed too concerned. Lynne had glanced in that direction briefly, but said nothing. She was staring at the enchanted ceiling, unreadable as ever.

"You're thinking too loud, again. " Lynne muttered, breaking his thoughts.

He blinked. "I'm just worried about Hermione. She looked really upset earlier. I'm not sure she even left the bathroom yet."

"She is in the castle. She is safe. "

That should have been comforting but it really wasn't. In that exact moment, Professor Quirrell burst through the double doors of the Great Hall, pale and trembling.

"TROLL! T-troll! In the d-dungeons! Thought you ought to know!"

He fainted and panic followed. Students screamed, prefects tried to herd their houses, and Dumbledore shouted for order. Professors bolted from the hall. The Ravenclaws were being escorted to their tower, but Harry hung back.

He turned to Lynne. "She's not in the Great Hall. Hermione. She's alone, she was crying in the bathroom!" Lynne did not move, her eyes were sharp now. Cold. Calculating.

"Lynne." pleaded Harry.

"Then we must move. Quietly. Follow me. "

She took his hand and pulled him along, avoiding the crowds. Somehow she knew the best path to take, one that kept them out of sight of their prefects. Her steps were silent. Harry felt his heart hammering in his chest, but Lynne's grip was steady.

As they neared the corridor by the girls' lavatory, the stench hit them first. The troll was massive, gray, misshapen, with a club nearly as large as the hallway itself. It lumbered forward, ducking to enter the girl's bathroom. For a second they both held their breaths until a scream echoed from behind the bathroom door.

Harry moved, but Lynne was faster, in a blur, the door exploded open with a flick of her hand and she entered as well. Harry quickly followed behind her. Hermione was cornered, clutching a broken sink pipe looking terrified.

"Get down! " Lynne ordered. Her broken voice was steel.

Hermione dropped. The troll turned, bellowed, curious at the new broken sound of Lynne's voice. His club hit a few stalls as he turned, sending shards and splinters all over.

After a few seconds, the troll decided he didn't like blondes much and he attacked. Lynne stepped forward just as it swung. The club came crashing down. She raised her left arm in defense and the metal limb met the wood with a sickening crack. Dust exploded from the impact, and the floor trembled but Lynne didn't move an inch. Her arm, however, had fractured with a loud crack.

Harry gasped as Lynne moved with precision. Her wand was already in her hand as she ducked under the troll's legs.

"Harry! Distract it! "

Startled, Harry waved his wand wildly. His mind went into overdrive over which spells to use, what he could do to actually bother a troll. He briefly considered throwing something at him but his few months of training paid off as he remembered the most advanced spell he managed to pull off recently.

"L-Lumos Maxima!"

A flash of light exploded in the troll's face. It roared and staggered back, swinging blindly, his club too big to actually traverse much, wood hitting stone. Lynne moved just in time to avoid being stepped on by the now confused, angry and blind troll. It stopped for a second trying to regain his view and that was all Lynne needed. Stepping in front of it again she aimed carefully.

"Confringo! "

The explosion was deafening as the spell struck the troll right in his face. A blast of raw force and fire erupted, sending shards of stone and bone flying. The creature reeled, its death instant, its massive frame collapsing backward with a crash that shook the floor. Smoke curled from its still form as blood began to pool on the floor.

Silence fell between the pair while Hermione sobbed softly, still laying down on her knees. Harry ran to her, helping her up.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded mutely, then stared at Lynne, who was clutching her arm that lay limp now, unmoving. Cracks ran down the prosthetic like veins of lightning. A few of the metal shards were scattered through the floor.

"You're hurt," Hermione whispered.

"It's okay, it doesn't hurt. I just hope it will mend. "

Footsteps echoed. Snape, McGonagall, and Quirrell arrived, wands raised. Their eyes took in the fallen troll, the shattered floor, and the three first years.

"What is the meaning of this?!" McGonagall shrieked.

Hermione stepped forward shaking. "It's my fault, Professor. I was upset and came here alone. Harry and Lynne came to find me. They saved me."

Snape narrowed his eyes. His gaze lingered on Lynne longer than necessary. Quirrell looked pale. Paler than usual.

McGonagall sighed. "Miss Volant you are hurt… Severus, please take her to the hospital Wing. Five points from Gryffindor for wandering off. But... ten points each to Mr. Potter and Miss Volant, for sheer dumb luck."

"Take care of this Quirinus, please." she continued.

"R-right. W-what a m-mess." he commented back.

As they were about to be escorted back, Harry glanced at Lynne.

"Thank you, I didn't want you to get hurt."

She didn't answer. But in his pocket, the watch clicked.

Someone set this up, a troll is too dumb to enter on his own. We need to be careful.

As he watched her being led by professor Snape he noticed he was limping, clearly he had been hurt as well. He felt a growing sense of anxiety and dread.

Harry couldn't sleep that night and neither did Hermione.

​

---

She sat curled up in her bed, her arms wrapped around her knees. The image of Lynne standing between her and the troll was burned into her memory.

She had risked her life. For her. She remembered the sound of that metal arm shattering under the troll's club. The way Lynne didn't even flinch. No scream, no fear. But that spell…

That wasn't something they were supposed to know. It wasn't a first-year spell, she had read ahead up to third-year and it was still not there. It was dangerous, violent, and lethal. Lynne had cast it like it was second nature. What kind of person could destroy something so big, so alive, without blinking?

Hermione had thanked her, of course. Walking beside Harry in silence as they escorted her back to Gryffindor's Common Room, she told herself everything was fine. But the truth was, she didn't know how to feel.

Gratitude. Fear. Awe. She owed Lynne her life but she was terrified of her, and she was reminded of what happened a few weeks back. What if she had used the spell against her bullies? She shivered trying to put that thought back from where it came.

Deep in thought she came to realize she felt conflicted, for the first time since she came to Hogwarts she was sure that Harry and Lynne were her friends, they came to save her, despite the risk, and were already worried for her in the first place.

All those feelings of sadness, not fitting in, wanting to leave everything behind were slowly being replaced. And although she was pretty scared of Lynne, she would remember her heroes.

​

---

The hospital wing was quiet. Dumbledore stood just outside, going over his head about what just happened. He peeked into the room where the golden-haired first year was being treated by Madam Pomfrey.

She lay on the far bed, her prosthetic arm extended over her chest as the healer examined it. The limb had partially cracked along the seams, the embedded runes faintly flickering. There were some holes here and there, shards that had fallen off from the impact.

"This isn't standard prosthetic magic," Pomfrey muttered. "It almost feels biological… Doesn't it hurt?"

"No, I don't feel pain on them. They are quite numb. Will it heal? "

The matron blinked. "It's repairing itself. They must have some runes for how it's working but I've never seen anything like it. Maybe professor Babbling can help you later on with more information on them. But you, how do you feel, Miss Volant?"

"Functional. "

Pomfrey pursed her lips. "That's not what I asked."

Before she could press further, he made his presence known.

"If I may, Poppy," said Dumbledore as he entered. The matron sighed, nodded, and gave Lynne a sharp glance.

"She's under observation, but if you think a conversation won't shatter her remaining arm, I'll leave you to it."

When the doors closed, Dumbledore pulled a chair beside the bed and sat down. His expression was calm, thoughtful.

"Miss Volant," he began gently. "Tonight was... eventful."

Lynne said nothing.

"You acted bravely," he continued. "And with great precision. I daresay few students could have done the same."

Still, she was silent. He watched her for a long moment. Then his eyes, ancient and piercing, met hers.

"Will you not answer?" he said softly. "I just would like to understand you better."

Lynne felt the pressure before she saw it, an invisible tendril of magic trying to slide into her thoughts. She blinked slowly. And pushed it out. She had been trained on this but she was not expecting an intrusion on her mind from the headmaster of the school. With the same quiet ease she used to walk unnoticed through a corridor, she gently nudged him out. Dumbledore's brow lifted slightly.

"Curious," he murmured.

Still, she gave no reply.

"You knew how to cast the blasting curse." he said, changing tack. "That is not a spell taught in first-year lessons."

"I've learned it, by myself." Lynne replied simply.

He gave a small smile. "So I gathered. May I ask you something, Miss Volant?"

She inclined her head.

"You had incredible courage when facing the troll for your friends. But I can't help but wonder if you could have done something better. Miss Granger seemed quite distressed. Do you feel any remorse? For killing the troll the way you did?"

Her answer came without hesitation.

"No."

Dumbledore studied her face closely, but found nothing to read.

"Why not?"

"It was a threat. It endangered a student. I stopped it."

He leaned back in his chair, folding his hands again.

"A student? I see."

There was no further condemnation. Only silence, and the weight of judgment that didn't need to be spoken aloud. She hadn't said friend, just a student. Odd, no one would risk their lives for just any student.

He stood. "We shall speak again, I'm sure."

When he was about to leave Lynne exhaled softly. Her injured arm flickered once, then began to glow faintly as the runes realigned. The pieces were already moving.

​

---

In the headmaster's office, tension ran high. Dumbledore sat at his desk, fingers steepled under his chin. McGonagall, Snape, and Flitwick stood in a half-circle around him.

"A first-year using the blasting curse," Snape said coldly. "That alone is enough to raise questions."

"And Potter cast Lumos Maxima," McGonagall added. "That is advanced for a first-level charmwork."

"They should not be capable of it." Flitwick said with worry. "It takes more than knowledge, it takes control."

"She's been teaching him, I am sure. She's... unnatural. There is something more to her than what she appears." Snape murmured.

Dumbledore remained quiet, the flicker of firelight reflecting in his half-moon spectacles.

"They did save Miss Granger," he said slowly. "That won't be ignored."

He stood at last, moving to the window. "Miss Volant is an enigma. She was wary of me… or maybe it's with everyone, but during our conversation she mostly remained silent."

"Maybe she is in shock?" Flitwick argumented.

"I also asked Miss Granger for her version of events."

McGonagall folded her arms. "What did you learn, Albus?"

"Very little," Dumbledore replied. "But I did ask Miss Volant how she felt, but she said nothing. The only thing she answered troubled me a bit, I asked if she felt any remorse for the creature."

Silence followed.

"And?" Snape asked.

Dumbledore turned, his voice quiet. "She answered truthfully. She feels no regret for killing the troll."

Flitwick looked disturbed. "None at all?"

"None. She was calm and composed."

McGonagall's frown deepened. "She protected Miss Granger, I don't believe anyone would feel remorse for protecting a friend, especially if it was an out of control creature."

"Yes." Dumbledore said softly. "She protected her without hesitation, I'm uncertain if she considers Granger her friend but it was enough to act. On the other hand… She took a life without pause, without weight and that could mean something else, either she is trained, or experienced."

"Do you think she's dangerous? Should we be concerned for our students?" Flitwick asked.

"I think she's purposeful." Dumbledore replied. "And in that, there is danger."

He returned to his chair, hands folding again.

"We should watch her closely. And be wary." No one argued.

"Stay Severus, the rest of you can return to your duties."

With a few glances between them they sighed. As the small professor and Deputy Headmistress left the office Dumbledore turned to his trusted spy.

"Her intentions are not certain yet."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "You tried Legilimency on her."

Dumbledore gave a soft nod. That was something else that worried him deeply as well. He couldn't gain access to any thought or feeling, even having caught her by surprise.

"She deflected me. Not aggressively, subtly. Deliberately. I do not think she is unaware of what she is."

Snape's expression tightened. "Then she is hiding something."

"What about the other matter? How is your leg?"

"Whoever set the troll loose, I'm sure it was a distraction to access the third floor corridor. But they fled before I arrived, the door was unlocked and the beast was agitated. We are now sure it can stop whoever tries to enter."

Dumbledore noticed he ignored his second question but that was good enough for now.

"Go treat your injury, let me know if you need anything."

"Headmaster." With a slow nod he made a limping exit.

​

---

Harry lay in bed that night, wide awake. The curtains were drawn around him, soft and heavy, muffling the occasional rustle from Anthony Goldstein across the room. His thoughts raced too fast for sleep.

He thought of Hermione's trembling hands. He thought of Lynne's eyes full of focus and determination, no hesitation in them at all. How often he'd dreamed of being powerful enough to make such a stand for himself, he thought of Dudley and his gang cornering him in alleyways. Of being shoved, taunted and not being able to fight back.

Lynne hadn't dreamed. She'd acted and she didn't flinch. He admired that, and he was glad he made friends with her. But more than anything, he understood it. Still, part of him wondered what else she might be capable of and why. He rolled onto his side, staring into the dark.

But even as questions swirled in his mind, one thing sat heavier than the rest: she had protected him. Protected Hermione. More than once. Lynne never doubted herself. She never let fear stop her. Harry didn't know why she was like that, but he knew he wanted to be like that too. Strong enough to protect his friends. Brave enough to stand up, no matter what.

He thought about the spells she had used. The books she was always reading. The way she made time for him even when she didn't speak much made him realize that maybe he couldn't catch up to her now, but he could try and he was sure she would help, even encourage him.

He made a silent promise to himself. He would learn everything he could. About magic. About the world, on how to be strong. Someday, Lynne might need someone to protect her too and he wanted to be ready. But a small, twisting feeling tugged at his chest. She had gotten hurt. Because of him. He asked her to come with him to find Hermione. He wasn't strong or quick enough to help her in time. She had to yell at him first before he reacted.

She never complained. Never blamed him and even praised him for distracting it so quickly. But that didn't make it sit any easier in his stomach. He clenched the blankets tightly in his fists. He wouldn't let that happen again.​