I've decided to restart my account on a certain site (you know the one—starts with P, ends with eon). I know I once said I wouldn't do this again, but hey, life happens. That said, this is completely optional—no pressure at all.
Yours faithfully, HelloDarkness07.
——
As the young man known to the world as Harry Potter tinkered away at the Computer, taking parts out to modify them, adding antennas he made to the tower, Professor Albus Dumbledore could not help but be amazed.
Not by the fact that such a young child was tinkering with what is supposed to be beyond him, no. But by the fact that what he's doing should have caused the Computer system to emit sparks, or maybe even explode at the worst.
For almost 200 years, man has been tinkering in the realm of electricity, and for almost all that time Wizards have been trying to incorporate it with Magic. And of course, none succeeded. It was thought to be impossible, combining Electricity and Magic.
And now here he sat, witnessing an eleven year old do what was considered impossible by the entire Wizarding World.
In front of his very eyes, Harry Potter, the eleven year old, had created something he called Integrated Chips out of some materials he couldn't recognise, picked other parts from the cupboard in his workshop, and then combined it all, all the while gently working his magic into it all.
"When you said that you were creating a computer better than anything seen in the muggle world, which would also work with Magic I admit I was skeptical. But seeing it be created in front of my own eyes is an entirely different matter." Albus muses, once the Computer system is fully assembled and Harry turns it on.
Harry grins at him, one so different from the confident smirk he had used in the early stages of their meetings, and says, "I hope you've learned not to be so disbelieving of my claims, Professor."
Shaking his head with a smile, as Harry starts rapidly typing on an illusion of a keyboard, Albus says, "I remember when the muggle radio first became commercially available. Muggle-born wizards were scrambling everywhere, trying to make it work with magic or maybe even inside the Magic world."
He could remember working with it very clearly, in his teenage years. "Believing myself to be a genius, I of course dabbled with it myself. Alas, it took 13 burnt radios, and one blowing up in my hand for me to quit. Thankfully, just over half a decade later the Wizarding Wireless came to be."
Harry nods from his place, a glass screen lighting up with the word 'Doom' in an elaborate and beautiful pattern, and says, "I've studied it, you know. The Wireless. Which is a funny name, because Wizards don't use Wires in anything at all."
Dumbledore takes a moment to chuckle, to which even Harry smiles in amusement. It was invented by a Muggle-born, and a joke in itself. Radio, while technically being wireless, still had many wires on the inside of it. What the Wizarding Wireless did was get rid of all of them altogether, while still keeping the main purpose of the item intact.
Harry then continues, "A radio without any internal electronics, with just an enchanted transmitter, and a receiver, which does pick up radio signals surprisingly enough. I assume there is some cross connection sometimes? Wireless signals being picked up by the muggle radios, and vice versa?"
Dumbledore nods slowly, and says, "Alas, that has remained an issue even till now."
Harry scoffs, raising Albus's curiosity, and waves a hand causing the Wizarding Wireless to fly away from the window to Albus's waiting hands. Albus raises it to his eye level, and notices an addition to it. A small toggle switch with three states to it, along with three labels carved in it.
Radio. Off. Wireless.
When Albus looks towards Harry, who has now leaned back and allowed the Computer to start up fully, Harry says, "Muggle military used something called a SIGSALY System to pass Classified data through the radios during the Second World War. Voice would be encrypted using a random key, and sent through the transmitter, and then the same key was used at the other end to decrypt the data into voice back again. So, only those who were authorized were given the encryption key, allowing only them to hear what the voice said. My additions do the same."
"Fascinating." Albus mumbles, and without turning it on, he gently places the Wireless back on the table. He then says, "With your permission, I would like to take this to the Wizarding Wireless so they can incorporate it into their devices."
Harry narrows his eyes just a bit, so Albus adds, "Or I can arrange a meeting with them for you so you can sell them this addition."
Harry nods, satisfied, and says, "I can accept that. I will also need your help to register this patent. Make sure to tell them that these spells only work for receivers, not transmitters. They will stop your wireless from catching stray signals, but they won't stop muggle radios from catching your wireless signals. Although I do have a different set of enchantments for the other as well."
This amused Albus far too much. Of course he already left space for negotiations. Seeing how proud Harry was about his inventions. If he felt like it, Harry wouldn't sell a single thing to anyone, let alone announce that he has invented something like this. He is.. a private person like that.
But the radio encryption? It's very much a minor achievement for him, Albus could tell. It was maybe even invented within a few days of Harry being tired of accidentally picking up the muggle radio.
"So how do you do it?" Albus asks, after pocketing the wireless. At Harry's questioning look, Albus clarifies, "Working Magic into muggle technology. How do you do it?"
Harry leans back into what Albus easily recognizes as a Teaching Mode, and says, "Electricity is a force of Nature, just like Magic. They're just two tiny parts of a very broad spectrum that we can call energy. The difference between the two lies not in what they are, but how they behave. Electricity is very rigid. There are different states to its behavior, of course, but the bare minimum you need to know is that charged particles, electrons, moving within a conducting material between positive and negative charges, is what creates the electric current. It is what creates electricity. Be it static electricity that you can create by rubbing your socks on the carpet, lightning dropping down from the sky, AC current, or DC current. All follow that one basic principle."
Albus hums, having known some of it from his previously mentioned early jaunts in muggle technology.
"Magic, on the other hand, is a force that strives to break every law of Physics through its very existence. It spits in the face of every law of Physics, defies it while simply existing. It has the capability to alter matter down to its fundamentals, even transforming electrons to positrons, and even change its behavior like making electrons fly out of their orbits or start oscillating in their orbits without actually moving between the positive and negative charges. And therefore, Magic naturally messes with any electricity it is close to." Harry explains as Albus listens attentively.
Humming to himself, Albus says, "But it's not just Magic that threatens Electricity. It works the other way around as well."
"And that's why everyone else failed." Harry immediately counters. "Just like how Magic disrupts electrons, electricity disrupts Magic. Not on a scale that you or I can even see, but it does."
That much Albus knew, and so do most wizards. It has been known since ancient times that out of all the elements that wizards can learn to control, lightning was the most difficult one to master, while also being the least used one.
The reason for it being that lightning, or electric current it seems, is harmful to magical materials. Not too much, but even a little stacks up over time.
A strong enough spell cast by a strong enough Wizard could even take down wards.. destructively, depending on the ward of course.
But there is a not so little risk of damaging one's own magic while casting said lightning spells, and so, only people with the greatest of controls can safely do it.
Very few Wizards go on to develop such a level of control over lightning, however, so it wasn't something one worried about. Besides, redirecting lightning into the ground may have been discovered by the muggles only recently, but it has been known to, and used by, wizards for millennia.
Unaware of Albus's thoughts, Harry continues and says, "Most dabblers in muggle tech try, and sometimes succeed, in stopping magic from messing with technology. But they do nothing about the electricity messing with magic. And so, the results can be.. volatile."
Albus has a thoughtful look on his face, as he says, "That does sound like what the wizards have faced till now, yes. But I assume you somehow found a way through this hurdle."
Harry smiles, and sounds proud when he says, "One has to find a.. balance to it. Electricity has to know what it is allowed to use as conductor, and Magic has to know what it is allowed to change. And to do that, there has to be one single force for the two energies."
And then Albus understands. Eyebrows raising up, he whispers, "You.. created electricity out of magic?"
Harry shrugs and says, "It wasn't even that difficult. Lightning spells already exist, I simply had to tone it down a lot, varying according to my needs."
Albus couldn't help but be dumbfounded. He has been called the strongest and smartest Wizard in the entire world, comparable to even Nicholas Flamel according to some, so he has some authority when he says that what Harry had done is far from easy.
To reiterate, Lightning is the most volatile element to control. Even when trying to lower its power like Harry did, people have failed. And Harry just did it. He did something people have practiced for decades before failing anyway.
Shaking his head, Albus puts the genius of the boy in front of him out of his mind, and says, "My boy, you will never fail to impress me."
Harry grins, accepting the praise with a short dip of his head, and says, "On that I agree, Professor. Thank you."
"You're welcome, my boy. In my two years of working with muggle technology I never even came close to finding a solution." Albus continues, staring at Harry with eyes twinkling with tears. "I had to quit because I couldn't find any progress to be made in this field."
Harry sighs, and turning to look out the window he says, "I do not blame you for quitting, although I do find it detestable. You would need mastery over your magic, at least a Masters level education in Atomic Physics, and time to put it into practice. And no offense, but I doubt you had the time to pursue non magical education beyond what might have been required for your Alchemy studies."
Albus chuckles, surprised at being the dumbest in the room after a long time. Not since he had studied with the Flamel's has he felt this. And even at the end of his Apprenticeship Nicholas had considered himself just a tad bit smarter than Albus.
As the genius child returns to his work with his Computer, Albus can't help but think back on these two years that they have known one another. Two years since Harry barged his way into the Wizarding world, and brought all of Albus's preconceived notions about the boy to the ground.
Two years of monthly visits as agreed upon by both the ministry, and the boy himself. While at first Albus had only visited to fulfill his own satisfaction in ensuring that the boy was safe, since then his agenda has changed. Now, he has felt a fire burn in him which had extinguished decades ago, around the same time he defeated Gellert to be exact.
A fire to learn. A fire to know everything there is to know about Magic.
And all because of Harry Potter, an almost 11 year old boy who is on his way to become the greatest Wizard the Wizarding world has ever seen.
And Albus Dumbledore can bet his life on that.
Seeing Harry finally lean back from the Computer tower he was working on, Albus clears his throat to gain Harry's attention, and asks, "Before I leave, I have something for you."
Harry turns to look at him, prompting Albus to bring his hand forward, conjuring the envelope from his pockets into his hand and offers the envelope to Harry.
As Harry takes it with surprising gentleness, and seeing the raging emotions within the boy's being, Albus says, "As you are about to turn 11, it is my responsibility, and genuine pleasure, to extend a formal invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Harry gently caresses the letter, the sigil of the school moving on the wax, and says in a soft voice, "Ever since I found my mother's journal and learned about Hogwarts, I have waited for this moment. I have wanted to study where she did, where my father did. And now that this moment is here, I feel… lost."
Albus blinks, confused. He asks, "Lost, Mr Potter?"
Harry nods. He then chuckles and gently keeps the letter on the table between them. As he pushes the letter towards Albus, he says, "As much as I want to join the Institute, I don't believe that as I am, I will fit in with other students at the School."
"Everyone fits in at Hogwarts, sooner or later." Albus immediately counters.
Harry shakes his head and says, "I have Mastered almost everything that has been taught at Hogwarts in the last 20 years. There isn't a single spell taught at Hogwarts that I cannot cast, with or without a Wand. Trust me, unless the examiner expects beyond outstanding results and asks for the Patronus Charm or the Wiggenweld Potion, I can clear all 7 years of your exams this week. So I doubt I will fit in."
Albus raises a single eyebrow, knowing better than to not believe that claim, and asks, "So what then are you planning on doing, if not to come to Hogwarts?"
Harry shrugs, and answers, "The first step is getting my OWLs and NEWTs, so I can complete my projects in peace. After that, I plan to travel the world and study under different Masters of their Arts."
'Ah, so he knows about the Wand Regulation Act then, ' Albus thinks, a bit relieved at not having to explain that to the genius.
It was an Act put forth some 200 years ago, mandating that every Wizard or Witch that intends to possess a Wand should either be a Student at Hogwarts, or have their OWLs in at least 3 subjects. Of course, Harry must have researched the Laws beforehand.
Albus shrugs, and pushing the letter back towards Harry, he says, "In the end, studying at Hogwarts or not is your decision. I would, however, advise taking this opportunity or at least take your time to think it through. On a completely unrelated note, you may not know, but Hogwarts has the most extensive collection of Wizarding and Witchcraft texts on this continent. So I really hope to see you on September 1st, Mr Potter."
And with those parting words, Albus leaves the house, and returns to Hogwarts. As much as a genius Harry is, there is no 100% surety that he won't mess some experiment up and cause his own death. As he knows by experience, the smarter they are, the bigger the explosions usually are.
But for now, his job was done.
—
The sound of a crack echoed softly from outside, Albus Dumbledore apparating out of Godric's Hollow.
Harry Potter leans back on his chair, tapping his finger on the armrest, staring at the letter kept on the coffee table in front of him.
Hogwarts.
The school where his parents studied, where his great-grandmother was apparently never even invited to. And now he is getting the opportunity to not just go there, but to study the vast collection of books that call the place home.
And still, even after two years of having thought it over, Harry remains undecided.
Click.
A sound, coming from outside the room, from the cupboard under the stairs in the hallway, catches his attention.
Harry doesn't startle, he doesn't panic.
Why should he?
He knows who it is, expects it even.
Metallic footsteps echo all over the house, as metallic boots step on the carpet. A green cloak flowed behind the figure with the help of nothing but the pure Magic flowing off of its wearer.
By size, one would assume the figure to be a child, but there was something.. odd about it. It did not look like a child. Instead it looked like a machine, like a robot.
With slits in place of mouth, nose, and holes for eyes, the figure would intimidate even the strongest of men. And that's not even counting the oppressive magic of the hooded Cloak that once belonged to a Demon of Hell.
But still, Harry remains seated, merely observing the figure.
The metallic figure steps out into the light and sits down on the chair which Albus Dumbledore had vacated barely half a minute ago. Green eyes stare at Harry from the eyeslits, observing him for a few seconds.
And then a voice emits out of the unmoving mask, undoubtedly belonging to the same person it is being directed to, with just a soft metallic twinge to it. It says, "And? Did he suspect anything?"
Harry smirks, and answers, "The test went perfectly."
Of course it did, he was the one to plan it.
The figure also nods, satisfied. He then tilts his head to the PC Harry was just working on, and asks, "And that? Have you made any progress since yesterday?"
Harry's smirk falters, a scowl forming on his face. Sounding a bit frustrated, he says, "No, it seems I have hit a roadblock. Even knowing that this technology was invented 15 months ago, I am still unable to replicate the feat. I can absorb and store the Energy with no issues, but utilizing it has me in a bind. I know it should be fairly simple, but I-I know I am lacking something. Perhaps if you can give me access to-"
And suddenly a finger is raised just a tiny bit, making Harry stop talking immediately.
The figure leans forward, and Harry can feel the disappointment in his glowing green eyes. The figure softly admonishes, "Complaining and begging is beneath you, Harry."
Harry turns away, looking ashamed.
"You have my knowledge, you have my memories up to the last year. But you are still unable to think as I do. And the only thing that can fix this is Time. But do not fret. You will figure it out soon, once our minds are more in sync."
The figure raises his hand towards his metallic face. With a soft hiss, as soon as the gauntleted hand touches the armoured face, the mask is released, revealing to Harry Potter his own face on the figure in front of him.
The figure - the real Harry James Potter - grins, and says, "After all, I did it. And what are you, if not me, my Doombot?"
—
A/N: That's it for this chapter. I felt like writing some more again, and this is almost two months of thinking for me. A bit slow, but what can I do? Real life's Job is keeping my mind too busy for me to properly think about my story.
A short chapter, but this was just a bit of an interlude before the actual decision regarding Hogwarts is made.
What is the PC he is working on, you ask? Well, you'll just have to keep reading to find out.
Hope I am not fucking it up!
Thank you for all your love and patience!
Tata!