Letter

Harry and Kali dip into a nearby coffee shop, ordering one hot chocolate with marshmallows, whip cream, toasted, biscuit, etc, and Kali orders a black coffee with a straw so she could sip it in her bat form.

"Is that all hun?" the waitress asks as she drops off the two drinks.

Harry nods and waves her away, focussing on the unopened letter laying before him. "Could this be a trap? The only people who would look for me are those that want to keep me locked up."

Kali unattached her small mouth from the straw, "Well, it isn't cursed and has no magical signature at all. It was the bird that carried it to you, there's no harm in looking at it." she shrugs her bat wings.

...

Harry, conflicted but curious, tentatively opens the letter;

Dear Harry Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School

of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books

and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

"I've been accepted to a school I never applied for..." he mutters, concern struck on his face. "It's them, it has to be. No one else would go so far just to reach me." he growls.

"Hmm... Perhaps this is the only way they could possibly reach you? The owl was under a rather powerful spell, so something out of their hands must have located you for the letter to arrive. Otherwise, they'd have already found you." she remarks.

Harry nods and rests a gripped fist on the paper in irritation, "And just look at these 'supplies' they want me to get... Robes, pointy hat, a wand!?"

"Well, you can't expect everyone to be as talented as you, master. Young humans would be far worse than you even before your first ritual, imagine trying to control your magic in a state like that."

...

"Are you arguing for or against them?... You act like you're against me whenever humans come up. I thought we were in agreement about them..." he questions, finding Kali's sudden acquisition of conscience weird.

"You need to temper your hatred, Master, don't let it control you. You need to recognise when, where, and how you can express it, never without reason or purpose." she explains.

"But, you do random stuff to them all the time!? Why is it bad when I do it?" he retorts.

"First, I can control myself. Have I ever risked our discovery with a flight of fancy? No. But I seem to recall one time a man's wife caught you carving his eyes out for some experiment." she says, basking in the flush of her master's cheeks at that.

"Second, I am a demon. It's in my nature, even then, I can control my urges better than you..."

...

Harry shakes his head and lets out a sigh, turning his attention back to the letter, "At least there's some new books to acquire. Beginner editions or not, magic is magic... Even if the Wand-Wavers probably don't have much to learn."

"Oh? So you're thinking about going then?" Kali inquires, surprised.

Harry wets his lips in thought, "Hmm... We still haven't found anything about the people who stole my gold, this could be the start. Just visiting the place where magical's inhabit might give us some clues."

"Ah, actually, on that front. During my time in that sad country called Germany, I was able to listen in on some local gossip... Something about an infamous castle called Nurmengard in Austria that was used to imprison wizards during the last 'Great War'... I believe looking there might reveal something." Kali says.

Harry nods, "We'll do that... Before that though," he points a finger at the name displayed at the bottom of the letter, "Do you know who Albus Dumbledore is? Is this HIM?"

"I have no idea, Master. But if he is, we'll deal with him." she promises.

"And everyone else with him?" he asks, more wanting to know her opinion than asking for permission.

"Them too, their families, friends, whoever else needs to be punished until you're satisfied, Master." the succubus sultrily smiles, waddling over the table and resting on his free arm.

...

"So, we'll go to this 'Diagon Alley', find what we need, and see if going to the school is worthwhile. If nothing else, it will get us closer to Dumbledore, if he is the one responsible for everything." Harry decides.

"You're just excited to see what the magicals of this world live like, aren't you? What magic they have developed, what artifacts..."

"No I'm not. I'm just being practical." he pouts in response, seemingly forgetting his intention to be 'upset' with her from earlier.

The two finish their drinks and leave without paying, journeying back home to continue discussing their options concerning the school, the magicals of this world, Nurmengard, and the missing gold that Harry was obsessed with getting back.

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A couple days later, Harry, Nanthisk, and Kali were on their way to Nurmengard Castle, it took some work to actually locate it due to the many large mountains surrounding the region, but the large number of wards and other magical defences made it easy to spot once they were in its vicinity.

The castle itself was located on the edge of a large cliff that was situated in a raised forested area below towering snowy peaks. Indeed, even calling it a castle was overstating it as it looked more akin to a tower than anything else.