Chapter 3

Saying that the Dursleys weren't happy when Harry arrived back home in a wizarding robe, looking healthy and not wearing glasses, would be the understatement of the year. Once again, Uncle Vernon amazed Harry with the broad spectrum of colors his face could turn. Finally after nearly an hour of yelling, Harry was forced mention Sirius in order to shut his uncle up.

During the next few days none of the Dursleys would talk to him or even acknowledge his existence. While Harry preferred not dealing with the Dursleys, his non-existence did not count when it came to chores. Early every morning, he'd be woken up to make breakfast for his relatives, being allowed to take only a small portion for himself. Then, Aunt Petunia would hand him a full list of chores to do. Every day, he'd work until dinner to finish the chores; but he was never able to finish the full list, which resulted in him being harshly reprimanded.

After his stay at St. Mungo's, he'd been feeling much better, but after three days of working from dawn ''til dusk and getting only a little food and sleep, Harry once again felt sick.

He was weeding Aunt Petunia's garden when he noticed someone approaching the yard. Looking up, Harry saw Mr. Ollivander.

"Gardening, Mr. Potter?” Ollivander said, a slight smile on his face. “I would not think one such as you was interested in such a hobby."

"It's my aunt's garden,” Harry told him. “I'm just weeding. It's one of the chores I do for the Dursleys."

Mr. Ollivander looked around the garden a moment and flicked his wand, causing all the weeds in the garden to disappear. "There. Now, your chore is finished. Go change into some proper clothes, and we shall talk."

"Uh..." Harry still had a lot of chores left to do before the Dursleys would let him stop for the night, but he knew that they would freak if they saw an old man in robes standing outside for all their neighbors to see.

Deciding that taking a break from chores was the lesser evil, Harry led him into his room as quickly as possible. He was a little embarrassed when he noticed Ollivander frown as he looked around the room, but thankfully no comments were made.

"You are not looking too well. Sit, sit. We have much to discuss today," Ollivander saidwith concern obvious in his voice.

Harry sat down carefully on the small bed. He was not feeling too well, but he was trying not to show it.

"Well then, first things first. Did the Pensieve meet your expectations to review lessons and practice Magic?"

Now Harry felt guilty: Ollivander had closed his shop to get the Pensieve and then came all the way here to make sure everything worked out, and he hadn't even opened the box yet. With a slight blush, Harry answered him.

"Err … I actually haven't used it yet, sir."

"Really?” Ollivander asked. “After our conversation, I would have thought you'd use it the first chance you could. Were my instructions unclear?"

"Err, no. I mean, I don't know about your instructions. I'm sure they're clear though. I just umm … I haven't had a chance to use it yet, sir," Harry. He was about to say that he was still getting over being sick when he heard his uncle's dreaded bellow.

"BOY, YOU LEFT THE TOOLS IN THE YARD! AND WHY AREN'T YOU DOING ALL YOUR CHORES!"

Harry heard his uncle thundering up the stairs and knew this was not going to be good.

"I'LL TEACH YOU ABOUT SLACKING OFF YOU GOOD-FOR-NOTHING FREAK! HOW DARE YOU…" Uncle Vernon threw the door open and stopped suddenly when he noticed the old wizard with Harry.

"Um… Uncle Vernon, this is Mr. Ollivander," Harry began after a moment of silence, not knowing what else he should do, but he was interrupted by a gasp.

"Uncle!" Ollivander said, disgust present in his voice. "You mean to say that this … man … is your uncle?"

"Yes, I am the freak's uncle and the man of this house! I don't care who you are, but I want you and your freakishness OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

"AND YOU, BOY,” his Uncle bellowed, rounding on him. “I don't know what you think you are playing at bringing such…"

Whatever Uncle Vernon was going to say next, Harry would never know. Ollivander moved his hand, his wand appearing instantly, and froze Uncle Vernon mid-rant.

"Mr. Potter, please select one of your robes and wash up. Your uncle and I must have a conversation."

The look of anger etched on Ollivander's face was enough for him. He grabbed a robe out of his school trunk and left the room as quickly as possible.

Normally Harry only spent a few minutes in the shower, having learned early on that the Dursleys wouldn't waste water on the likes him. But today he spent much longer, somewhat fearing what happened between his uncle and Ollivander and worried what the consequences would be after Ollivander left. He doubted that even the threat of writing to Sirius would work this time.

When he finally went back to his room, he was surprised to see that Ollivander was alone and sorting through Harry's books.

"Ah, Mr. Potter. Yes, a robe is much more fitting on you, though you'll need more than just your school robes. I have taken the liberty of destroying those rags your Muggle relatives gave you. A wizard who seeks greatness should not be seen wearing such … clothes."

Harry couldn't believe Ollivander had destroyed all his clothes. There was no way the Dursleys would let him wear his robes with all the Muggles around!

"But …"

"Your uncle would not allow it. Do not worry Mr. Potter. He will not bother you about your robes," Ollivander stated, clearly understanding Harry's reaction.

"What about the Muggles, sir? I can't go outside in robes all the time."

"Ah, yes. Muggles. A simple notice-me-not charm on your robes would suffice, but you cannot use magic yet. I will cast the spell on your robes for you then. The effects will not be permanent, but they will last for some time. I will renew the spell before the effects begin to fade."

"What did you say to my uncle? I didn't think anything would get him to agree with that."

"Yes, he is an unpleasant fellow isn't he?” Ollivander asked rhetorically, “We had our discussion and arrived at an agreement. You will wake early every morning to make breakfast, which includes a full-size meal for yourself so long as you finish before they arrive at the table. After breakfast, you will work hard for two hours doing chores; the rest of the day will be yours to do with as you please."

Harry couldn't believe it; he only needed to do two hours of chores!

"I noticed you bought several books while you were visiting Diagon Alley. I hope you do not mind, but I took the liberty of reviewing your selection."

"Err, yeah. I didn't really know what books were good, so I just bought a few that seemed good."

"It is not the individual books that disturb me, rather your overall selection."

"What about them, sir?” Harry asked, puzzled by Ollivander's reaction to the books. “I tried to select books that would help me learn to fight."

"That, Mr. Potter, is exactly the problem. A great wizard may indeed be a great fighter. However, a great fighter does not make a great wizard," After a moment, Ollivander continued, "Of all the great witches and wizards currently living, none specialize in any sort of fighting, though most are great fighters. Due you understand?"

"Sort of. But, err ... How can you be great at fighting if you don't learn to fight?"

"I did not say you could not learn to fight, merely that there is more to being great than being able to fight. There is also more to fighting than what you would learn in books dealing with defense against the Dark Arts or more offensive magic.

"I, for example, would use my knowledge of magical foci and natural magic to gain advantage while fighting. Another wizard you know of, Albus Dumbledore, is greatly feared by evil. He is not feared for his skills in dueling; rather, he is feared because of his intelligence. This does not mean he cannot duel though, as many have learned the hard way. Do you understand now?"

On one hand, Harry understood the basics of what Ollivander was saying, but on the other hand he didn't really understand why it mattered.

"I guess so. I just don't really see why it matters."

"It matters a great deal, Mr. Potter, but you will learn that with time. For now, can you understand that being great is not the same as being a great fighter?"

At Harry's nod, Ollivander continued. "Good, good. Now tell me about your schooling and what you have learned so far, so I might assist you better."

Ollivander was not pleased to learn that Harry had only taken Divination and mentioned that it might be possible to switch into either Ancient Runes or Arithmancy if he studied during the summer. He also suggested that Harry learn a couple magical languages, as he would have access to certain magic not generally taught in Britain.

At first Harry didn't care for either suggestion. Sure, Divination was a joke, but he had already taken a year of it and enjoyed his time with Ron. But as he thought of Ron, the memory of his dead body came forward, and Harry reminded himself of why he had to do this. He decided right then that he'd take the suggestions.

Ollivander believed that being a wizard was far more than just using magic, and decided he would teach Harry how to become a 'proper wizard,' and not 'a Muggle who can use magic.' During the next hour, the old wand-maker talked about the wizarding world and its customs, something Harry wasn't really interested in, but hedid his best to pay attention. At the end of the 'lesson,' Harry wasn't thrilled to learn that there would be many more such talks on the wizarding world throughout the summer.

Having to do only a couple hours of chores each day and being able to eat three decently sized meals a day made things much better for Harry. By the third day, his health was coming back, and he began to feel like himself again. Unfortunately, a few bad experiences clouded his mind while his body recovered.

The first happened only a few minutes after Ollivander left. Harry put a few of his future memories in the Pensieve hoping to study them, but things didn't go as planned. He went into the Pensieve to watch a future memory of Hermione, Ron, and him, but he ended up watching not only that memory but several others as well.

The second memory was of Hermione getting hit by a curse and falling to the ground, wounded but thankfully still alive. It was the third memory however, that disturbed Harry the most and caused him to flee the Pensieve.

They were fighting in a dreary house he didn't recognize. What he did recognize was Mrs. Weasley's body lying partially visible on the kitchen floor, dead. A large, black man took down two Death Eaters before being killed and falling to the floor nearly on top of Mrs. Weasley's corpse.

His future self was fighting a Death Eater and, from the looks of things, wasn't winning. A Death Eater snuck behind him as he was fighting and cast a spell at the future him. Harry thought he was about to witness his own death when a young woman with purple hair pushed him out of the way. The spell missed them both, but when the Death Eater he'd been fighting sent another curse at them, it hit her. Harry watched in sick fascination as a large section of her chest bloodied; she still fought though, killing the first Death Eater as his future self defended against the second one.

While he'd seen the dead bodies of several people in his memories before, it'd never been like this: so detailed, so real. He fled the Pensieve and ran to the bathroom as quickly as he could. The sounds of vomiting did not stop for some time.

The second bad experience happened two days later. After what happened with the memories, Harry decided to give up trying to understand them and practice a few spells he found in the books he'd bought instead. Even after two full days of practicing the new spells, he hadn't been able to do a single one.

Feeling disheartened because he had failed in so many attempts, he cast the Patronus Charm, hoping the sight of Prongs and the memory of Sirius would help. However, he found his Patronus wouldn't take shape. He cast the spell again, hoping it was just a fluke. But it wasn't, which caused Harry's feelings of self-doubt and hopelessness to grow.

Finally, on the third day of working with his new books, after having taken his anger out on his chores in the Dursleys' yard, things took a turn for the better.

The first spell he succeeded with made an opponent blind for about a few seconds, while the second one caused the target's body to feel completely numb. He didn't think much of that second spell when he first read about it, but after the book explained its use in a duel, he liked it a lot more. Numb opponents could barely walk, the book explained, let alone make complex wand movements and dodge spells.

Happy because of his success with the two spells, Harry felt a little better; but he was still angry with himself for not being able to cast his Patronus and some of the more advanced spells. There were two spells in particular that he really wanted to succeed with. The first spell created a small, translucent shield in front of the target's wand, which would reflect the next spell cast back at them. Having the spell so close to the other person's wand prevented anyone from being able to dodge it and bypassed most warding and shielding spells.

The second spell Harry really wanted to cast was an advanced charm that the book described as a translucent circular shield, which shimmered outward from its center. The shield itself didn't actually block spells; rather it redirected anything that came at him from the side.

He was still attempting that shield when Ollivander arrived later in the evening. He stopped to tell the old wizard his problems with the spells and seek advice. Ollivander had him attempt the spell a few more times, fixing minor mistakes with the wand movement and pronunciation each time, but still nothing happened.

After a few attempts, Ollivander had him stop and try the Patronus Charm. A large amount of silver vapor came out of his wand, but it still didn't have a definite shape. After a few more tries, Ollivander asked what had happened when he first produced the stag.

Part of Harry wanted to tell him about what happened, about the Time Turner and the memories, but it was just too great of a risk. Sirius could be arrested again, and Hermione, Dumbledore, and he would all get in trouble if Ollivander turned them in. He didn't want to lie to Ollivander: not only was the man helping him, but also lying meant he wouldn't figure out what he was doing wrong. Finally he told the wand-maker that he was sorry, but he couldn't tell him what happened because it would get a friend in trouble.

"Did you, perhaps, have powerful emotions leading up to your casting of the spell?” Ollivander asked after a moment, seeming almost happy that Harry wouldn't tell him. “Not normal happiness or sadness, but true, powerful emotions?"

Harry immediately said that he did and explained in a very general way about what he was feeling at the time and how his Patronus didn't just have a shape but chased off a hundred Dementors.

"Yes, yes, that would do it then,” Ollivander replied, “A hundred Dementors you say! Absolutely marvelous, Mr. Potter. What a sight you shall be in a few years when you'll be able to channel such power without the help of emotions. Yes, you will indeed be great!"

"A few years?” Harry asked. “And what do you mean without the help of emotions?"

"Ah yes, let me explain. When feeling powerful emotions, you subconsciously channel more magic than normal through your wand. The reason your Patronus was so powerful is because, in your emotional distress, you pushed far more power into the spell than normal."

"Great!" Harry interrupted, smiling at the thought of finally being able to cast the spells he wanted. "Can you teach me how to do that now?"

"No. To do so often would not only exhaust your body but destroy your magic as well. As your body and magic develop, you will safely be able to channel more and more magic at once. While I have no doubt that in a couple years you will be able to safely cast such powerful spells; for now, you will have to lessen your expectations a little. There are still many spells you may learn that do not require such power."

Harry blanched, feeling like the breath was just knocked out of him. Everything counted on him being able to fight and to be able to defend his friends! He knew from the memories that it wouldn't be much longer before people started dying. The Harry in the future memories didn't look too much older than he did now, and the events definitely took place before he became an adult.

"No!" he said, a hint of iron in his voice. "There has to be a way."

"Your body and magic must develop naturally, as must all wizards and witches your age. You may still study the spells. Then in a few years, once you've developed a bit more, you'll be able to cast such spells with little trouble. Have patience, Mr. Potter, you will be a great wizard one day."

"No, you don't understand!” Harry told him as he ran his hand through his hair. “I have to be able to cast the spells. I need to be more powerful. It'll be too late if I have years to wait. There must be some other way. There has to be!"

"Yes, there are ways, certain rituals that would increase the amount of magic you are able to channel. But I assure you, Mr. Potter, the price you pay is not worth it. The one who gave you that scar went through similar rituals. He became powerful, yes. But he paid a terrible price for such power."

Harry was shocked to hear that Voldemort went through similar rituals to what Harry was considering. Silently, he debated with himself for a few minutes; he didn't want to turn out like Voldemort … But as he remembered the looks on the faces of the dead, Harry knew he had only one choice.

Looking Ollivander straight in the eye, Harry said, "I'm willing to pay the price. This is not something I want, sir. I don't want to be great. I don't want to have to spend my summer practicing in a Pensieve. I need to be great sir. I need to be powerful. I need to be able to protect them, and I'll need to do it far too soon."

Ollivander continued to stare at him. Harry wanted to look away, but he knew that he couldn't, not this time. It was too important. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity Ollivander broke his stare and grinned. "You are indeed serious! Yes, yes there is, perhaps, a way."

"What do you know of magical foci, Mr. Potter, wands in particular?"

"Err … They're made of wood, a core from a magical creature, and let us focus magic through them?" Harry answered sheepishly.

Ollivander laugh a little at his answer before replying. "You know nothing of them, then. Allow me explain a little."

"A wand is a very powerful and complicated magical focus, and while they may not be alive in the literal sense, they are aware. When a wand chooses you, it is closer to entering a relationship than it is buying a tool. As in all relationships, compatibility is very important. Performing incorrectly is the wand's way of letting you know it is not very compatible and does not want to be your wand. If you try and force the wand repeatedly, it will fight the spells. In some cases, it may even destroy itself, injuring the witch or wizard, rather than continue to be used."

Ollivander paused for a moment before continuing. "Wands, like people, learn from experience. Every change in the wand or wizard can increase, or decrease, the compatibility between the two. Only a focus that matches the witch or wizard can be used correctly. This is why many witches and wizards find that they need a new wand as they age. Students generally check to see if a new wand would be better for them once they graduate from Hogwarts and again every couple of decades.

"After years of use, a bond may form between the wizard and the wand. These bonds allow for more powerful and efficient spells. Though rare, a stronger bond between the wizard and wand can occur several decades after the initial bonding. In these cases, the wand bonds itself so thoroughly that some have claimed it is an extension of their body, seemingly obeying the thoughts of the witch or wizard.

"While forcing the formation of such a bond has only been successful a few times throughout history, I believe there is a way to go a step further and create a true bond between the wizard and wand, a bond that would be equal between both. You would innately influence your wand, and your wand would influence you, allowing for the true potential of a wand to be realized for the first time in history."

Ollivander's voice then changed to an almost wistful tone. "Wizard and wand becoming one, neither subservient nor dominant. Perfection."

Harry knew he didn't grasp the true depth of Ollivander's words, but he was too excited by the thought of having found a way to save his friends.

"Can we do this now?"

"Can we do this now?" Ollivander's expression changed from one of reverence to disbelief and anger in mere seconds. "Do you believe greatness comes so easily? I have told you of a way to become greater than any wizard in history. You could strive for greatness your entire life and never reach near what I am offering, and you ask if we can do this now!

"Are you such a whelp to believe you are worthy of such an honor!? Even with all my help, you must earn the right for this Mr. Potter. It will not be handed to you so completely. Be at my shop tomorrow, and we will begin preparing."

Harry stood staring at the space where Ollivander had been. He had not left the Pensieve before he had disappeared.