16 The-Distant-School-Uncovered (II)

"You don't need to be embarrassed… If it makes you feel any better, even I had a similar reaction when I saw the castle for the first time" Jacklyn said with a giggle, which made Harry look even more uncomfortable. He wasn't happy about the fact that he lost his composure, especially in front of a complete stranger.

"This is the Entrance Hall and this is where you will be sorted" Jacklyn explained as she pointed at the Gordian Knot on the floor. "You will step into the Gordian Knot and one of the house mascots will react to you" Jacklyn finished as she pointed at the four wooden statues of their house mascots.

"Is it really alright to reveal that to me?" Harry asked incredulously. His mom refused to reveal how students at Hogwarts were sorted. She always insisted that he needed to experience it firsthand and apparently, it was also a sort of tradition for the first years to discover it by themselves.

Harry also tried to look up how students were sorted in Ilvermorny, but much to his frustration, he didn't find anything…

"It's alright… We particularly don't hide how students are sorted. My parents told me how I was going to be sorted when I was only eight" Jacklyn revealed and Harry nodded his head in understanding. From her words, Jacklyn was probably a Pureblood Witch, or her parents are at least Magical.

|Shows how Hogwarts is better| Lily chimed in a triumphant tone, and Harry simply rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"I would have liked to show you around, but the Headmaster is waiting for you" Jacklyn said as she pulled out her pocket watch to check the time.

Harry also noticed the clock and raised his brows… From his mom, he knew that Magic tends to fry electrical devices, so the clock was probably analog. "Sure, lead the way" Harry gestured to continue with a smile.

After a few minutes, the duo finally arrived in front of the Headmaster's Office… Even though Jacklyn wasn't able to show him around the school, she still gave a brief overview of everything that they found on their path from the Entrance Hall to the Headmaster's Office. Just like Hogwarts, there are seven floors in Ilvermorny, and the Headmaster's Office was situated on the 7th floor.

Jacklyn knocked on the door and the door opened with a click… A brunette man sitting behind a large ornate desk was revealed. The desk was filled with stacks of parchment on both sides. From the looks, Harry would place the man somewhere in his forties, but he couldn't be sure as Wixen aged much slower than Muggles. The man's steely grey eyes focused on Harry and a small smile bloomed on his face.

"Mr. Potter, welcome to Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please have a seat" The man said gesturing toward one of the empty seats. Harry gave him a grateful nod as he entered the room and made his way toward the seat. The man's eyes finally shifted from Harry to Jacklyn. "Thank you, Ms. Harper. You may leave now" The man dismissed Jacklyn.

"You are welcome, sir" Jacklyn gave the man a respectful nod before leaving. As soon as Jacklyn was gone, the door closed on its own. The man's eyes once again focused on Harry. The man smiled joyfully as Harry finally took the seat.

"Mr. Potter, my name is Carlson Kent, and as you have probably guessed, I am the Headmaster of this school" The man introduced himself and extended his hand over the table. Harry accepted the offered limb with a similar smile on his face…

"Nice to meet you, sir. I am Harry Potter" Harry greeted as he released the man's hand.

"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Potter. Now, there are a few things we need to deal with before you I can officially offer you a place among the new students" Carlson said and after getting a nod from Harry, Carlson decided to continue. "I was quite surprised to receive your letter in the first place as I was expecting you to attend Hogwarts and Albus Dumbledore also claims himself as your guardian among the International Magical Community" Carlson continued and Harry couldn't help but eye the man warily.

"While allowing you to attend this school will be a huge boon for us among the International Magical Community, Albus Dumbledore will definitely try to get you back, and since he is your guardian, he will probably get away with it" Carlson finished in a grave tone as he steepled his fingers in front of his face.

|Hadrian, I think he already has a solution for you, but he wants you to sweat so that he can make feel like you owe him or he wants something from you| Lily warned Harry in a serious tone.

"You have a way to get around the issue or you wouldn't have brought it up" Harry said as he continued to stare at Carlson, whose smile widened after hearing Harry's words.

"You are right… I do have a solution. Since you are here without Albus Dumbledore trailing behind you, I can guess that you are no longer planning to work with him" Carlson paused and glanced at Harry, who didn't give him any outward reaction, but Carlson still decided to continue. "Now, if we want to stop Albus Dumbledore from claiming you back, we simply need to prove that he is an unfit guardian" Carlson revealed with a shrug.

"What do you want in return?" Harry asked in an indifferent tone and Carlson simply started to chuckle.

"I am a simple Headmaster… I am just looking out for one of my prospective students" Carlson said with a pained look on his face. The way he spoke and the look on his face was almost convincing, but Harry simply gave him a bland stare. 'He is quite perceptive' Carlson realized and decided to come clean up to a certain extent.

"I do not like Albus Dumbledore… I hate how he treats all of his fellow Headmasters condescendingly. I want to take him down by a peg or two" Carlson growled in anger as he clenched his fists tightly.

While Carlson sounded a lot more convincing this time around, Harry could still feel that the man wasn't telling him everything. |Hadrian, be careful of him… He isn't telling you everything| Lily warned him again and Harry simply bit his lip nervously. It was quite clear that Carlson wasn't going to tell him everything and he couldn't defeat the man in a fight, so Harry decided not to push the man anymore.

Carlson Kent is a very ambitious man… It has been only three years since he became the Headmaster of Ilvermorny, but he wasn't satisfied… He wanted more. He wanted to be more. He wanted to be remembered for something more… Carlson Kent wasn't planning anything malicious nor he was planning to use Harry for something nefarious, but he was planning to use the boy's fame to further his own agenda…

To be honest, Carlson didn't lie… As a matter of fact, he really want to take Albus down a peg or two, but that wasn't all… Carlson wanted to be known as the greatest Headmaster of Ilvermorny and he also wanted to be known as the man who invited Harry Potter with open arms. If Harry decided to settle down here in the States after graduating then it would be even better.

Having Harry Potter in Ilvermorny will also increase the reputation of their school in the International Magical Community, which was a welcome bonus…

Not only that, but Carlson was also planning to run for President in the future and there was nobody who would be able to stand against him if he made a name for himself…

Alas, all of that was for the future. Before anything else, he needed to convince Harry that he only wanted to help him. He needed to convince Harry that he could be trusted… Now, he only needed to play his cards right and Harry Potter will be dancing in his palm…

"I thought people of the International Magical Community loved him" Harry pointed out and Carlson simply scoffed in amusement.

"You have no idea how many people hate him… A lot of countries are really unhappy with his policies and he made a lot of enemies in the Community during the rise of Voldemort. A lot of people lost some of their Family members who lived in Britain and Albus refused to accept help from the community or fight seriously" Carlson explained with a sigh.

Carlson shook his head in sadness… "You can't win a war with Stunners and Disarming Charms" Carlson said and closed his eyes in sadness.

"I see… Fine, I will accept your help and there is something that could make our task easier" Harry said with an unsure look on his face. Carlson smiled brightly when Harry agreed to go along with his plan and he simply gestured Harry to continue when he heard that Harry could make their task easier. "I never met Albus Dumbledore in my life" Harry said while nodding his head, trying to look convincing.

Carlson couldn't help but gape at Harry for a few moments before he finally burst out laughing… "Ohh… This is hilarious! Yes. Yes. It will make our task much easier!!" Carlson blurted out excitedly while nodding his head. After some time, Carlson finally calmed down and Harry decided to ask him a couple of questions.

"Since we will be replacing Albus Dumbledore, someone is going to take his place… Who is going to take his place and what kind of power my new guardian is going to have over me?" Harry asked curiously, but Carlson could feel that his answers were going to make it or break it…