11

Chapter 10-Interlude part II

Ozpin

The Old Vale ruins.

Amongst the oldest myths and fairy tales of Remnant, the story of Old Vale was one that inspired many archeologists and historians to search for the fabled remnants of the once great city for years. According to the legend, back when Vale was still ruled by a monarchy, there was a brilliant scientist that lived within the walls of Old Vale. He was, reportedly, responsible for the many concepts for various applications of Dust. Most of which were still used today. It was even stated that this scientist even found out the reason the Creatures of Grimm existed in Remnant; but before he could share his findings, the walls around Old Vale failed, and the Grimm destroyed the city.

This was the legend that Ozpin had never put much stock into. That was before he became the Headmaster of Beacon. Then Professor Blackthorn, the former Beacon Headmaster, opened his eyes to the truth. Well, the truth about the Four Maidens, at least.

Though Professor Blackthorn always believed the ruins of Old Vale existed, Ozpin never put his faith in the old tale. There was never any artifacts dug up that suggested that Old Vale survived the Grimm attack, if it even happened. Or…if the myth was even true.

But then Summer Rose suddenly comes back from the dead and tells him the myth might just be reality. He was still skeptical, but he knew Summer wasn't one to lie. Plus, the ring the person that Summer claims saved her…He had seen it before. But for the life of him, he couldn't remember where he saw it.

And of course, the thought of Summer's miraculous rescue brings to mind the student who saved her…Harry Potter.

Ozpin sighed wearily as he leaned back in his chair. Harry Potter. The young man was a mystery. Even with the small bit he now knew about his past, there were still questions that Ozpin would like to have answers too. While he was sure Harry would answer them, the Beacon Headmaster was also concerned about something else.

Amber. The young Maiden was barely clinging to life just below his feet, and he had no idea how to save her. Until now. Could it be possible for Harry Potter to save her? And the bigger question…would he?

He remembered how Mr. Potter said his magic could repair almost anything give time and patience earlier in the day. Was it just for himself, or could he use it to heal someone else? The silver haired headmaster shook his head and pulled out his Scroll.

He needed a second opinion.

Pyrrha

Pyrrha sat on a window seal near the cafeteria as she contemplated what she now knew of Harry's past. She was appalled that he had to deal with such tragedy at such a young age. How did he live through all that pain?

She also couldn't help but feel like she was being quite a jerk to him with her constant demands for a rematch, and her irritation at him. She was furious at herself. She let her excitement at having an equal in combat and her anger at him for not fighting his best get the better of her. She should've been more considerate.

She sighed loudly as she stood up and walked off towards her dorm room. She turned a corner and saw Weiss walking her way. She smiled slightly. "Hello, Weiss," she greeted.

"Oh! Hello, Pyrrha," Weiss greeted in return. "How are you doing after…you know, hearing Harry's past?"

Pyrrha sighed despondently. "Terrible, I'm afraid," she answered. "I feel so terrible with my attitude towards him. I've been dogging him for a rematch since he lost the match to me in the Mistral Regional Tournament."

"Don't fret too much about it, Pyrrha," Weiss consoled. "Harry won't hold it against you. In fact, I think he was just as eager for a good match just as much as you were."

"But how can he when he said I look like his mother?!"

"Well, he fought you just hours ago without flinching right?" Pyrrha nodded reluctantly and Weiss smiled slightly. "Then right now, it's not a problem. Harry's good at solving problems. I've seen him solve the mystery surrounding my father's secretary's death by connecting two seemingly unrelated pieces of evidence and catching the perp responsible." She shook her head and smirked as she said, "If I were you, I'd be more worried Harry lost to you because he used those spells."

"Huh? Why?" Pyrrha asked. "He said he wanted to know just how bad they would affect his Aura in a tournament style duel. I understand that, even if I'm a bit miffed he used our duel to experiment."

"Yes, but Harry only did it on a whim," Weiss explained, still smirking. "I saw the glint in his eyes. In essence, he saw the perfect chance to prank you."

"P-Prank me?" Pyrrha asked incredulously.

Weiss nodded. "Yep. He knew more than likely that it would piss you off, so he thought he'd try it out," she said as she walked off "Trust me, Pyrrha; Harry doesn't take a lot things seriously."

Pyrrha stared at her retreating form for a while, the white themed girl's words echoing through her head. He only used those spells, that he knew weren't suited for a tournament style duel, just to…prank her? Her anger mounted as her Aura swirled around her. If there was any steel around her, you could bet that it would have been bent completely out of place thanks to her Semblance.

'He…He pranked me…during a rematch he promised me…And on a whim?!' she thought furiously. She growled loudly and shouted, "POTERRRRRRRRRR!"

With Harry

Harry panted in exhaustion as he, Adam, and Blake (who they met somewhere along the way hiding from the fangirl horde) leaned against a wall, resting and gathering their breaths. Blake had her hands on her knees to keep her from collapsing while Adam was leaning fully against the wall. Harry slumped against the wall and sighed, "That was close…"

"…I hate you, Potter," Blake mumbled.

"Join the club, Belladonna," he mumbled back. "A lot of people hate me."

"Here? Or back in Britain?" Adam asked.

"Both…" he answered.

"POTERRRRRRRRRR!" The three Faunus flinched at the scream. Blake looked around frantically.

"Was that your fangirls?!" she asked Harry.

Harry shook his head. "That sounded like Pyrrha, though I have no idea why she'd be yelling my name like that."

Adam scoffed. "With what I know of your luck so far, I'll bet it's nothing good," he said, making Harry snort in agreement. "But enough of that, I want to know…just how the hell does that broomstick work?"

Blake looked at Harry as well, equally curious. Harry smirked at them. "Magic," he told them, making them deadpan. He laughed. "That's about as good an answer as I can give you. I honestly don't know every charm they cast on broomsticks to make them fly." He suddenly grinned widely and asked, "Say…Would you guys like to try flying around on a broomstick?"

Weiss

Weiss chuckled as she heard Pyrrha's enraged shout. 'That's in case you start thinking negative thoughts, Harry,' she thought cackling. When Harry thought of his past, he tended to get depressed. Whether it was because he felt guilty about leaving his old friends to deal with Voldemort and his cronies or simply waddling in the sorrows of his terrible past experiences, he tended to draw in on himself and block out the rest of the world.

And since Winter wasn't around to keep his mind off those depressing thoughts, it was up to Weiss to do so.

She smirked at the thought of pranking Harry. Ever since he finally stopped mourning his godfather, he took up the hobby of pranking. A coping mechanism, her mother had said. Sirius was apparently a great prankster back when he was alive, and Harry took up the 'trade' to help him, in his words 'honor Sirius's last request,' and remember his 'dogfather.' Weiss shuddered at the bad pun. God, Sirius Black must have been an insufferable male-version of her new teammate, Yang Xiao Long.

She only knew Yang for three days tops now, and she came to know the girl's love for terrible puns.

Being able to prank Harry was a genuine pleasure, as it was usually him pranking her. Granted, she would, shamefully, admit most of them she more than likely deserved back then; but that didn't stop her from trying to prank him back. She wasn't all that successful.

But when she was, it was completely worth whatever prank Harry countered with.

Weiss sighed as she thought over what had happened when Harry had told her of his past. Obviously, she knew all of it because her mother had done a great job of getting Harry to talk about his past, but she sometimes wished she didn't know. Harry's past wasn't pleasant at all, and it made Weiss sick just thinking about it.

She wondered, not for the first time, just how Harry could smile so brightly after living a life like that. She remembered breaking down when he told her and her family of many of the hardships of his past, especially before Hogwarts. About how he was neglected…not just by the people who were supposed to care for him, but also the other adults he met and knew. Vernon apparently knew almost everyone in their little community, and believed his every word, along with the words of his ugly hag of a wife. And then…

Weiss shook her head of those thoughts, however. She knew she would either break down or become enraged. And she wouldn't lose control. Not like the others did.

She had a reputation to uphold after all.

She looked around and saw Harry's fangirl horde looking around in confusion, obviously trying to find Harry. She smirked evilly. If there was one thing better than pranking Harry-freaking-Potter….

It was pranking him twice.

Ruby

Ruby was walking alongside her sister as they headed for the dorms. Ruby was still upset over what she heard from Harry about his past. It hurt. Hurt knowing that one of her friends suffered through all that and she couldn't do anything about it! Ruby gritted her teeth, though. She might not be able to change the past, but she could make sure his future wasn't as horrible as his past.

Contrary to what everyone else believed, she knew the life of a Huntress wasn't all happy endings and romance like she envisioned. She had seen her parents' and her uncle's eyes after they came home from a mission as a Huntsmen and Huntress. She wasn't stupid…or oblivious like their next door neighbor called her once.

But Ruby didn't care. To her, being a Huntress wasn't about fame. Or fortune. Or about amazing adventures across Remnant. No. For Ruby, it was about one thing:

Helping people.

That was all she cared about. If she could save someone's life, if she could make someone's life better, then that's all that would matter. If she died defending others, then she would have no regrets.

…Okay. So her parents' stories may have influenced her decision slightly. But it didn't matter. Helping people made her happy. Seeing someone smile at an act of kindness would be worth whatever pain and heartache the young Huntress-in-training would have to endure.

Even if that meant losing her crush to Yang or Weiss or whatever girl caught his fancy.

"Damn," Yang groaned beside her. "And I thought my life was crappy."

"At least we had Dad and Uncle Qrow," Ruby said. She smiled happily and continued, "Now we have Mom back!" There were no words…no actions that Ruby could ever express to show her gratitude to Harry for bringing her mother back to her. It was the biggest reason Ruby would do anything within her power to help Harry. It would be a thank you to him.

"…Yeeeaaahhh…" Yang drawled out unsurely. Ruby looked at her curiously.

"What's up, Yang?" Ruby asked in concern.

Yang suddenly seemed to realize what she said. She turned to Ruby waving her arms and said, "Oh! Nothing! Nothing! Nothing at all!"

Ruby wasn't convinced. She narrowed her eyes and said more forcefully, "Yaaanng…"

"It's really nothing Ruby! I swear!" Yang insisted. Ruby's eyes narrowed further. She kicked Yang's shin, causing the blonde brawler to cry out in pain and clutch the area. "OW! No kicking, Ruby! You're kicks hurt like hell!" Ruby kicked her again. "OW! Quit it!"

"Then what's wrong with you, Yang?" Ruby demanded.

"Nothing! I swear!" Ruby kicked her again. "Ow! Stop that!" She wrapped her arm around Ruby's shoulders and started rubbing her fist into Ruby's head.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Ruby complained. "Stoooooop! Yang! Your fists hurt!"

"Then quit kicking me!"

"Then tell me what's wrong!" Ruby shouted as she kicked Yang again.

Yang winced. She looked like she was about to say something else when a voice call out, "Now what has your father told you about arguing, girlies?"

The two looked up to see Qrow staring at them in amusement. "Uncle Qrow!" the sisters exclaimed. Ruby broke free from Yang's hold and ran at her favorite uncle and latched onto his arm. Amused, Qrow easily lifted his arm up, bringing Ruby with it.

"Hey, Uncle Qrow! Did ya miss me?! Huh?! Did ya?! Did ya?! Did ya?!" Ruby asked excitedly as she hung from Qrow's arm.

Qrow seemed to think about it as he hummed thoughtfully. "Hmm…Nope!" he said cheerfully, chuckling as she started pouting at him. He put Ruby back on the ground and removed his arm from her grip. "Well, it's good to see you again, pipsqueak."

"I'm not a pipsqueak," Ruby pouted, giving Qrow her best puppy-eye look.

Qrow laughed. "You're still shorter than me, kid," he told her. "So, you're still a pipsqueak."

Ruby pouted more. Yang finally walked up and grinned at her uncle. "Hiya Uncle Qrow!" she said cheerfully. "What's an old man like you doing at Beacon?"

Qrow mock glared at Yang. "Hey. I ain't old, Firecracker," he told her. "And what the hell happened to your hair? Loose a fight with a rainbow?"

Yang frowned at him. "I'm not a firecracker," she growled. "And this my new look. Don't like? I'm not surprised, 'cuz you couldn't pull it off."

"Could've fooled me," he fired back, grinning as Yang continued to growl at him. "And just to be frank, rainbow colored hair doesn't suit you, firecracker."

"What are you here for, Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked. "I thought you were on some super-secret mission or something."

"Yeah I was," Qrow confirmed. "But Oz called and said your father and I should get here ASAP. Said it was very important, and then you'd never guess we saw at the landing platform…"

"Mom," the sisters said at the same time, Ruby excitedly and Yang softly.

Qrow looked to them. "You knew?"

"Yeah!" Ruby said happily. "We found out during our initiation! Harry found her stuck in a series of caves made by Death Eaters!" Qrow raised an eyebrow at the name "Harry," but he couldn't help but laugh at the comment about the Death Eaters.

"Oh man! You mean to tell me Summer really was stuck in a cave with giant spiders?!" Qrow laughed loudly.

"HEY!" Ruby yelled at him. "Don't make fun of my mother!"

"I'm sorry! But it's funny! Summer's always been afraid of spiders. She even flipped when Raven threw a tiny rubber spider on her!"

"I don't care!" Ruby said forcefully. "I want you to stop making fun of her…!"

She was cut off by loud screaming. The three looked up and saw Adam and Blake on Harry's Firebolt heading straight for the ground. The three's eyes widened as they quickly moved out of the way, and the two former terrorists quickly jumped off the broomstick and had to steady themselves.

Adam, Harry's broomstick in hand, quickly regained his bearings and shouted joyfully, not unlike a child who just got off a roller coaster. "Whoa! That was awesome!" he exclaimed as he threw his hands in the air.

He understood now why Harry seemed so happy during initiation. The rush from flying like this was just amazing!

Blake, meanwhile, was currently on her hands and knees, kissing the ground with a comical amount of tears gushing from her eyes. "Oh ground! I'll never take you for granted again! I promise I'll never leave you again, for as long as I live! Never, never, never!" she cried as she fell flush against the ground, as if she was trying to hug that particular piece of earth.

Ruby and Yang were wondering why they had Harry's broomstick and Qrow was wondering what the heck just happened as loud laughter erupted from behind them. The three turned to see Harry jogging up to them with Hedwig casually resting on his shoulder. "I see you're enjoying yourself, Adam," he said in amusement.

Adam turned and grinned widely and nodded vigorously. Harry looked over to Blake and chuckled. "Come on, Blake! It wasn't that bad! Don't be a Hermione!"

"G-Go to hell, Potter," she stuttered out.

Harry laughed loudly. Ruby looked at Harry and tilted her head. "Harry? What's going on?" she asked.

"Oh, hey, Ruby!" Harry greeted. "Nothing much except Adam and Blake trying their hand at flying."

"Hm? Who are you?" Qrow asked with slightly narrowed eyes. This kid looked familiar…

Harry turned to him and looked unimpressed. "Who the hell are you?" he asked blandly. Qrow seemed to be shocked.

"You don't know who I am?" he asked incredulously.

"Haven't the foggiest idea," he said. "And isn't it common curtesy to give out your name first before you go and demand someone else's?"

Qrow smirked. "Cheeky, ain't ya?" he asked. "Well, my name is Qrow. Qrow Branwen. A pleasure, Mr…"

"Potter. Harry Potter," Harry said, frowning. "So, you're the infamous 'Reaper' Winter blabs on about. I gotta say, I'm not all that impressed."

Ruby gasped, shocked that Harry would say that about her uncle. He was the most skilled Huntsman she knew! But her uncle only laughed. "I knew you looked familiar! You're the Schnee's guard dog!" he laughed, causing Ruby and Yang to frown at the condescending tone in their uncle's voice.

"Better a guard dog that can actually do his job, then a drunk vagabond that can't keep his mouth shut and his dick in his pants when dealing with an Atlas councilwoman," Harry shot back in a bored tone.

"Hey. We had a thing going," Qrow said.

"I heard she kicked you in the balls," Harry continued, still sounding very bored.

"It was a misunderstanding."

"One that got you thrown out of a party that I'm pretty sure you were invited too and told beforehand NOT to cause a scene."

Despite the teardown of their uncle, the two sisters couldn't help but giggle at their uncle's antics. That did sound like their uncle. Qrow looked at them betrayed.

"Anyways," Harry drawled out, turning a grin towards Yang and Ruby. "You girls want to try flying?"

"YES!" Ruby shouted and appeared right next to Harry. He laughed loudly, causing her to blush as Adam walked over and handed Harry his broomstick back. He nodded to him gratefully.

"Ok, Ruby, here's what you do…" Harry said, and began teaching her how to hold the broomstick and what she needed to do. Ruby only half listened, because as soon as Harry showed her how to hold on properly, she kicked off the ground and flew.

Almost instantly, the wind hit her full in the face as she streaked across the sky. She gasped as she climbed higher and higher. She veered to the left, twirling around the tower that lead up to Ozpin's office. She broke off and shot towards the Emerald Forest. She began laughing loudly as she started doing laps around the forest.

"THIS…IS…AWESOME!"

Yang

Yang chuckled as she watched her sister zoom off, leaving Harry standing there blinking owlishly. It was an accurate comparison, as Hedwig seemed to have the same look on her face. Qrow was staring slack-jawed at the red blur Ruby had become in the sky. Adam was chuckling at the three as well.

Harry got over his shock quickly and shook his head in exasperation. "God save me from overachievers," he mumbled as he stared off into the distance. "She's a natural."

Yang giggled. "That's exactly what Uncle Qrow said when he found Ruby twirling his scythe around when he left it on our coffee table."

"Is that so?" Summer's voice rang out from behind Yang. "Qrow left Sinslayer out on my coffee table for my youngest daughter to grab and start playing with?" she asked sternly as she glared at Qrow, who started paling faster than Ruby could run.

Yang moved out of Summer's way as she came walking up with her arms wrapped around Taiyang's arm. Yang still didn't want to deal with her stepmom right now. Don't misunderstand, Yang wanted nothing more than to hug her as freely as Ruby could do; but every time she tried to force herself to do so, she kept seeing the image of Summer turning and leaving her alone, similar to her old nightmares that she use to have after Summer 'died' of her birth mother leaving her.

Yang also had the urge to yell at her for leaving, even though she knew that Summer had no choice in her situation. So Yang had resolved to stay clear of Summer as much as she could until she was certain she could discuss this with her civilly.

She shook her head of her issues for the moment and turned to look at Harry. She couldn't believe the hell he's been through. And that was only what she guessed was the short version. She could only assume that the long version would piss her off even more while causing her to break down at the same time.

It made her understand just how blessed she was to even have her father and her stepmother. Just how lucky she was that her uncle loved her and didn't see her as filth, like Harry's did to him. While she wasn't too sure on her birth mother, Yang liked to believe that she loved her too…even if the woman up and left her.

And then there was Harry's magic. At first, she didn't believe in magic. It was just part of a childish fairy tale that she used to read Ruby at night. But after seeing all the miraculous things Harry did with "magic," Yang found herself starting to wonder if she could do some of the things he did. It would be too cool to wave a wand around and create something out of nothing or change something into another.

Not to mention she really wanted to use magic to get back at Harry for turning her skin different colors.

"N-Now, Summer," Qrow stammered, breaking Yang out of her thoughts. "Let's not be too hasty. Taiyang's already read me the riot act about that…"

"Yes. And it's because of the fact that I haven't slept next to him and cuddled with him for the better part of ten years and I don't want to go without that tonight that he's not getting the couch for allowing you to train my daughter in using one of the most dangerous weapons known on Remnant," Summer said darkly. Taiyang chuckled uneasily. He had a feeling that after Summer finally got her fill of sleeping in the same bed as him, he was going to be in the doghouse. Literally.

Oh well. Zwei was a nice dog. He would share.

Yang grimaced at her stepmom's speech. She really didn't want to know that. Before she could voice her thoughts, Ruby appeared back on the ground, giggling madly. Harry's broomstick was in her hand as she shouted joyfully, "That was sooooo awesome!"

Taiyang looked at Ruby in shock, wondering how she appeared from the sky, with a broomstick in her hands. Said daughter turned and saw Taiyang and Summer and squealed, "Mom! Dad!" She ran up to them and hugged them tightly.

Summer laughed loudly. "Ruby! I see Harry's let you ride his broomstick! Sure is a fun ride right, eh?!" she asked, causing Taiyang to splutter.

Ruby nodded enthusiastically, fueling Taiyang's paranoia. "It was soooo fast! I couldn't believe it!" she said.

"W-W-W-W-WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" Taiyang shouted. The two Roses turned and blinked at him. Ruby absentmindedly held up Harry's Firebolt.

"We're talking about how awesome riding Harry's broomstick is," Ruby said in confusion. "What did you think we were talking about?"

When Ruby held up the broomstick, Taiyang blinked and began to calm down slightly. "Oh, uh," he mumbled. "Um…yeah…"

Summer slapped him upside the head, scowling. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Tai," she said harshly.

"Oh, EW! Gross Dad!" Ruby shouted, jumping away from him. Seriously! What made him think that?!

Yang chuckled a bit. 'Typical Dad,' she thought. 'Though, I wouldn't mind taking a ride on that particular broomstick,' Yang thought, blushing as a perverted grin spread across her face.

'Why do I get the feeling that I want to run away screaming from Yang right now?' Harry thought as he stared at Yang. He shook his head and said, "Well, now that Ruby's back, you wanna turn, Yang?"

Yang broke out of her thoughts and grinned widely. "Don't you know it!" she said cheerfully as she walked over and grabbed the broomstick from Ruby's grasp.

"Heeeyyy!" Ruby cried, but Yang didn't listen. She simply mounted the broom and held it like Harry had shown Ruby. Before Harry could even say anything, Yang took off.

Like Ruby, Yang was amazed at the speed of the broomstick. She zoomed past Ozpin's office window and raced around Beacon, laughing loudly. There wasn't many words to describe the feeling of flying like this. Yang just whooped loudly and happily.

Glynda

Glynda was walking through the hallways, effortlessly controlling her anger. Potter's story about how his government worked and that woman infuriated her. She bite her tongue to stop herself from growling. That woman should never have been placed anywhere near children. And that the government allowed it, knowing of her crimes or not, was just as bad.

Her heart went out to Harry Potter. Over her life as a Huntress and now her years as a teacher, she had met many abused children. She knew how difficult it was for them to overcome their pasts, and she was glad that Mr. Potter was able to endure that pain. She did frown, however, as she thought over what he had said. Despite his insistence that his relatives didn't physically abuse him, she noticed the look in his eyes. He may have been truthful about his relatives, but that wasn't to say he wasn't physically abused by someone else. Summer and Ozpin had also seen it, she knew, but they agreed they would respect Mr. Potter's privacy and wait for him to confirm their suspicions. She sincerely prayed he wasn't he hadn't endured that. Physical abuse alongside mental and emotional abuse left very deep scars.

Glynda also had to admit his magic was impressive. She had seen some pretty interesting things Summer could do when she still had the Summer Maiden's power, but Mr. Potter's magic seemed to be on another level. And not only that, but his seemed more volatile. Compared to the Maiden's power, Mr. Potter's seemed to be more inclined to 'lash' out than the Maiden's power did when emotions were high.

But Mr. Potter's also seemed more versatile, able to accomplish more impossible feats. The Maiden's magic, while most haven't really tried, was more for the manipulation of the elements, extending to telekinesis as well. Mr. Potter turn inanimate objects animate and even change them altogether!

Glynda also had to admit she wondered if that magic could save Amber. Mr. Potter did say his magic could heal just about anything. Could he somehow help Amber? Glynda resolved to ask him when, if, Ozpin allowed him to join their cause.

Jaune

'Harry's lived through hell and still gets up in the morning,' Jaune thought to himself as he leaned against the statue in front of the school. 'No one can look at him and say he's not strong.' He looked down at his great-great-grandfather's sword, Crocea Mors, and thought, 'Can I even compete with such resolve?'

Before, Jaune would never have questioned his resolve to sneak into Beacon. He was there to prove to his parents, to his small village, to himself, that he was worthy enough to carry on his family's legacy. Yeah, he hadn't really taken it seriously when he finally got to Beacon, and for Jaune, he knew it was his own fault. He guessed his father's advice (as unhelpful as it was) wasn't the best to follow.

But now, after hearing a small glimmer of Harry's story, Jaune found his resolve shaken. How could his stand up to Harry's? And Jaune knew if he even tried, he'd be hard pressed to level up with Harry. Jaune could tell that Harry was stronger than everyone he's ever met, even his father and oldest sister Joan. Not for physical strength, though the blonde swordsman wouldn't be surprised if that was the case as well, but for strength of character.

Even with his father and his grandfather when he had been alive, Jaune always saw how haunted their eyes were. When he saw Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch and Mrs. Rose, he saw it as well. Harry's eyes showed that he had seen too much, more than he should have in his youth. Even Joan's eyes weren't that haunted…and this was a Huntress that had willingly allowed herself to be swallowed by a King Taijitu to save Juliet, Jaune's and Joan's youngest sister.

And then there was his magic. Jaune never believed in magic, but after seeing Harry's skills in the Emerald Forest and then the incident in Professor Ozpin's office, he had to say he believed now. Harry's burst of magic after Blake pissed him off was enough proof.

Jaune once again looked down at Crocea Mors. The sword and shield his great-great-grandfather had used in the Great War, and his grandfather gifted to him on his tenth birthday always stood as the symbol of what the Arc family stood for. A shield for humanity, his grandfather had told him.

Jaune had always wanted to prove that he was worthy of that legacy. However, other than his grandfather and his sisters, no one, not even his parents, believed he could. Oh, sure, they had been surprised when he showed up with the acceptance letter into Beacon and seemed to be happy for him, but their condescension in the matter didn't help matters.

He shook his head of his depressing thoughts as he stood up. 'No,' he thought. 'None of this matters.' He looked back down at Crocea Mors and thought, 'If he can get stronger in spite of the world working against him, then I can as well.'

Harry

Harry sat on the edge of one of the landing platforms with his Scroll in hand. After he got his Firebolt back from Yang, his fangirls found him again, forcing him to run. Again.

He groaned as he started typing a number on his Scroll. "Bloody fangirls," he mumbled. Seriously, why did they exist?

A screen opened up and Schӧne Schnee's face appeared. "Harry!" she exclaimed. "What a pleasant surprise! I didn't expect you to call me today."

Harry smiled. "Hey, Mrs. Schnee," he said. "It's good to talk to you. I didn't expect to talk to you either, but I'm in need of a favor."

"Harry Potter, how many times have I told you to not address me so formally?" Schӧne asked with a glare.

Harry chuckled. "More times than I can count, ma'am," he admitted.

Schӧne groaned. "Harry…" She shook her head. "Alright, young man, what's this favor you need?"

"I need you to send Prongs to me," Harry said, getting straight to the point.

Schӧne's eyes widened. "Why do you need Prongs? Has something happened to Hunter's Moon?" she asked.

"I gave Hunter's Moon to the person Ulthane wanted me too," he explained.

"Truly? You met the person Ulthane was talking about then?"

"Yep."

"Well, that certainly is something," Schӧne commented. "I'll make sure Prongs gets to you tomorrow. Do you need your schematics?"

"Yes please."

"Very well. Now then, how's Weiss? Are you two on the same team?" the Schnee matriarch asked with a grin.

Harry chuckled. "No ma'am, we're on separate teams," he told her. "I'm leading my own team and Weiss is on an all-girl team with her partner being the leader."

"Well, I hope you two have a great time at Beacon, and do remember to tell Weiss I send my love," Schӧne said to the Wolf Faunus.

Harry nodded. "I'll be sure to do that…" He chuckled softly. "Mom." Mom. That word used to scare Harry considerably. Because of his upbringing and then after learning the truth about his parents' death, he had always feared that if he called anyone but Lily Potter his mother, he would be spitting in her memory. And no offense to Molly Weasley, but she just…tried too hard to be his mother. So much so that it came off like she was trying to force him to accept her as his mother. She was also very pushy…and noisy. She stuck her nose in everyone's business no matter if it concerned her or not. And Harry never liked how the woman seemed to try and push Harry to try and date Ginny. He saw Ginny as his cute annoying sister! Why the hell would he date her?!

Schӧne did none of that. She was the total opposite of Molly Weasley.

Her face brightened considerably. "Oh, Harry!" She smiled at him. "You just made my day! You know I love it when you call me that!" For Schӧne, being the first woman Harry felt comfortable calling "Mom" was a sign of pride. It showed she had been there for him enough that he truly saw her as a mother figure in his life.

"I'm glad I could make your day better…Mom," he said with a smile. Calling her "Mom" still felt awkward. "And I'll make sure Weiss gets your message."

"Thank you, Harry," she said gratefully. "I'll have Winter send Prongs to you tomorrow or if need be, I'll deliver it myself. Goodbye Harry."

"Bye," he said softly as he cut the connection. He exhaled loudly as he stared off into the distance, thinking over the day's events. Telling so many people that just became his friends about his past (no matter how little he told about it) was difficult. Not even his friends back in Britain knew the whole, unedited version. He had always been ashamed of his past.

But thanks to the Schnee family, it didn't bother him that much anymore. He smiled a bit. Stubborn lot, they are.

A loud screaming caught his attention. Harry sighed. He was too tired to deal with them right now. Fortunately, he didn't have to. Hedwig appeared flying down to him, a silvery cloak in her talons.

Harry smiled up at her. "Thanks, girl," he said softly as she landed on his shoulder, his father's cloak falling into Harry's hands. "And to think, if you weren't as bull-headed as I was, I would have never seen this again." Hedwig barked angrily, and Harry chuckled. "Oh, Hedwig, you know I wouldn't make it in this life without you." This placated Hedwig as she cooled down. "I'll meet you in the dorms, girl. Just don't piss off that Owl Faunus again."

She made a noise that Harry assumed was her way of scoffing at him as she flew off into to the dorms. Harry smiled up at her as he threw the cloak around his shoulders and secured it there, remembering how he so naïvely used to use the cloak as a blanket when he was younger. He pulled the hood over his head and vanished.