Chapter 4 – One step back…

"What happened?" Harry heard, when he slowly came to wakefulness. That had sounded like Dumbledore.

"The boy's used a lot of his power." another voice said. Adult, female. "I don't know what on, but he was almost at magical exhaustion. He's recovering quickly, though. The only problem now, is that it seems his magic isn't flowing to the rest of his body, like it should. It's blocked somehow."

"Is he in danger?" Dumbledore asked, urgently.

"Not immediately." the female said. "I'll be giving him a few potions, that should tide his body over, until he's got enough energy to wake up. Maybe he can tell us what happened?"

"I do hope you're right, Poppy." Dumbledore said.

"'Wake." Harry mumbled, but it came out like a grumble. He could tell he had more power. He just needed more of his wits about him.

"Mister Potter?" the female voice asked, closer, this time. "Come, I'll give you a potion, to wake you up a bit, but don't exert yourself. You are in no condition to be up and about."

Harry felt something at his lips and swallowed it into his parched throat. It wasn't what anyone would consider delicious, but it was cold and soothing, and it made his eyes open up, as he felt his heart pick up speed. "Ahh." he sighed out, as he felt his mind kick in.

"How are you, my boy?" Dumbledore asked. "What happened?"

Harry looked around, and saw the other person, vaguely. He must have squinted, because someone placed his glasses on his face, and he saw a woman he'd seen a few times. She was the school healer. "Madam Pomphrey, right?" Harry asked.

"That's me, dear." the woman said, smiling at him. "Can you tell us what happened?"

"Actually, no." Harry said. "I was experimenting and using a bit of magic. My mind… something was taking power. I… blocked it and fell asleep."

"What do you mean, blocked?" Dumbledore asked. He said something in his mind was taking power? Could it be… him?

"Stopped the feed. Stopped my magic from being used." Harry said.

Dumbledore's eyes widened, in shock. The boy was way more aware of his magic than he should be. He couldn't think how he'd do something like what the boy described, let alone knowing how the boy had achieved the feat.

"Can you unblock yourself?" the healer asked. "I only ask, because I think you're depriving your body of the natural flow of your magic. It shouldn't be stationary, like it is. It can hurt you." She was just worried that he'd somehow bound his magic. If that was the case, they might have to send him to Saint Mungo's.

Harry waved his hand in front of his face. The nurse wondered about that, frowning. Was he telling her to go away? Then, the boy focussed on something. She looked in the same direction and saw nothing. By the time she looked back, Harry was looking at her, again.

"Unblocked. Power is still going somewhere, by the way." Harry said. He was feeling better already, but his power was low. He estimated it at about ten percent. As if the thought had made it happen, the reserve suddenly had marks, which he could see. It had fortunately not dipped, for that one adjustment. Narrowing his eyes at it, he could tell where it was. "I'm at nine percent of my reserves."

"Nine?" the healer asked. "That's a very specific number." she said, as she pulled out her wand, and waved it, waiting for feedback, then her eyes widened. "Very slightly less than a tenth." she said, nodding. "How did you know?"

"Secret." Harry said, shrugging.

"Mister Potter, I need to know what's going on, so that I can help you. If something is draining you, you can't just block yourself again. You could very well die." the healer said, strictly.

"Secret." Harry said, again.

The healer seemed to frown, before her eyes went to the headmaster. "Headmaster, I'm about to invoke my healer/patient confidentiality. I'm officially asking you to leave, as this is a matter of life or death."

The headmaster looked like he was going to argue, but finally just nodded. "Whatever is needed to help Harry, you have my approval. I'll wait outside, just in case you need me for anything." he said, before he turned and marched from the room.

When the door closed, the healer looked at Harry expectantly. "And?" she asked.

"It's still a secret." Harry said.

"Do you know what healer/patient confidentiality is?" she asked, then.

"Like doctor/patient confidentiality?" Harry asked.

"Exactly." the healer confirmed. "I can only reveal your secrets to anyone, if it's a matter of life or death."

"Then I can't tell you." Harry said. "You just told the headmaster that this is a matter of life or death."

The woman sighed. "If we find the cause, and stop it, it won't be." she tried. "If we don't, you'll be dead, so the secret won't matter." she added, trying to play a little harder. The boy was obviously not an idiot.

Harry had to consider it, before he sighed. "Listen, I think I can figure it out, as long as you can keep me awake." he offered.

"No." she said, instantly. "You're not leaving that bed, or doing any magic, until I know what you're doing."

"You won't understand." Harry said.

"Try me." the healer challenged.

Harry looked at her, contemplating it. "I'll tell you, if you promise never to tell anyone, even if it's a matter of life or death."

"Is this secret worth your life?" she asked, strictly.

"Yes." Harry said, simply. "It's something I invented, and I don't want other people to have it. It's mine."

The healer considered that. "So, it's claimed family magic?" she asked. Harry cocked his head at that, not understanding. He'd claimed it, sure, but he didn't have a family. She sighed. "Say yes, then I can make the promise."

"Oh." Harry said. "Then yes. It's claimed family magic."

"Then I place my healer's oath on protecting this information, up until, and including situations that might cost you your life." she said. "Now, talk."

Harry sighed. "I have this thing. I call it my interface. It looks like a display in front of me. I can use it to do things. Keep time, copy information, identify things, detect emotions, but I don't know if that one works, or if it's just my perception of emotions. I struggle with those, sometimes." he said, getting a little side-tracked.

The healer considered that. Knowing very little, it was possible that the boy was delusional. If it hadn't been for that very accurate read on his magical levels. "So, what were you doing, before bed last night?"

"Um… I was sending power somewhere." Harry said.

"Where?"

"I can't tell you that, even with your promise." Harry said, apologetically. He'd not betray the hat, just like the hat wouldn't betray him. "I know where that power was going, and it wasn't the problem. I set it up to stop, if I got lower than twenty five percent. I tested it, too. It worked. When I woke up this morning, I saw that my power was almost out, and that it wasn't going there."

The matron nodded, only kind of understanding. "Fine, where was it going, then?" she asked.

"I don't know." Harry said. "I couldn't stay awake, to find out. I just put a block in, when I couldn't find it quickly."

The healer stared at him for a moment, before nodding. "Well, you may have saved your own life then. Magical beings cannot run out of magic. We die, when that happens. Magic is our life."

"Understandable." Harry said, nodding. "Something woke me. I think it was an instinct, or something. I knew I had to wake up, but it was hard."

"That's good." the woman said. "Now, where would you start identifying… what did you call it? A feed?"

"It wasn't the feed." Harry said.

"I know." the woman said. "But your power is obviously going somewhere else, right? Wouldn't you consider that a feed? What does this 'interface' do? How does it use magic?"

Harry had to consider that. "Well, storing information likely has a bit of a draw, but I can't think that it uses a lot. I've never felt winded after storing a book."

"A whole book?" the woman asked. "As in, all the text therein?"

"And pictures, yes." Harry said, nodding. "I actually just got a new book yesterday."

"Without you having put it there?" the woman asked, frowning. She'd need to know more about this, but the boy's situation was paramount.

"It… was a gift, of sorts." Harry admitted. "I can't tell you who gave it to me."

The woman's eyes narrowed. "If someone else has access to your mind, then we may be talking around the culprit, for your need to protect them."

"No." Harry said. "They are completely trustworthy."

"What if someone got to them?" she asked.

"Not possible." Harry said, shaking his head. "Nobody knows about them."

"But, what if someone found out?"

"Trust me, nobody did." Harry said, stubbornly.

The woman took another breath. "Fine." she ground out. "What about this book? What's it about? Have you read it?"

"I skimmed over it." Harry said. "It was an imperfect copy. I set my mind to clarify the pages and add references for later look-up, just before I went to sleep."

"There!" the woman said. "Something that you did, just before you suddenly lost a lot of power, that likely takes power, even as you sleep."

Harry frowned at that, before he waved his hand, again, and tapped the books folder. Finding the new book, he focussed on it, and his magic reserve meter. Sure enough, something was happening, there. But… that wasn't all. It reached out, from the book, and was doing something in his head.

"Oh." Harry said. "It was the book."

"Switch it off." the woman insisted.

"Um, I don't know if that's a good idea." Harry said. "It's accessing my mind. I'm wondering if that was why I was knocked out, after blocking my power."

"Can you… I don't know… slow it down, so it uses less power, than you get back?" she asked.

"Actually, yes, I think that's possible." he said, as he installed a new volume control, directing it at the book, and placing it between his power, and whatever the book was doing. Instantly, he could feel that the drain was slowed. The book was still doing something, but it was minimized. Slower. "There. It's fixed. Thanks Madam Pomphrey." he said, smiling at her. "You're kind of smart, aren't you?" he tried for a compliment.

"Oh, no, you don't." the healer said, after sighing. "We'll be talking long and hard about this interface, thing."

"Why?" Harry asked. "It's still mine. I should be allowed to keep its secrets."

"Because, as we've just discovered, it can hurt you to use it." the healer insisted. "Do you know what the book was doing? Are you sure this other person isn't responsible?"

Harry shook his head instantly. "No. They're a friend. They wouldn't hurt me. Can't actually. Not knowingly. I think one of my automated processes just started."

"One of them?" Madam Pomphrey asked.

"Well, maybe I should tell you how it started, so that you can understand that." Harry said. "Like I said earlier, I'm not always good at emotions. I struggle to identify them, sometimes. So, when I was a little younger, I started trying to memorise them. Certain looks, body language. Things like that. I saw the word, in my head, like anger and sadness, and when I saw it, I imagined it lighting up, or changing colour. The idea was to be aware of other people's emotions, so that I didn't offend people."

"The underlying need for that, notwithstanding." the woman added. She wasn't stupid. A kid normally wouldn't be that focussed on other people, not unless there was a threat there. She'd tackle that later, though.

Harry shrugged. "Anyway, when I learned about magic, I started visualising the words and things as images on an imaginary interface, like a see-through board. I would interact with it, and it would do things, like keep time for me, or identify people as magical, or non-magical. I'm still working on that. Currently, it identifies every redhead I meet as a magical, just because I added all the Weasleys all at once."

"So, it automatically tries to explain the world to you?" the woman asked. There was something in that, that bothered her. Why would a kid be that focussed on the world? Why would he feel a need to identify and understand everything. Once again, her worry about where that need came from, increased.

"Well, only things I think to add." Harry said. "I had to remove the snitch, though. The system keeps perfect track of it. It's no fun using it. Feels like cheating, too."

"System?" the woman asked.

"My friend calls it a system." Harry said. "Said that an interface, interfaces with some sort of system, so they call it my system, and my interface."

"Logical." the woman said, nodding.

"So, yeah, that's the important parts." Harry said. "I'll not lie. There's more. There's some fun things, too, but they don't do things without my activating them, so I'm not sharing."

The woman nodded at that. Frankly, she was very curious, but she would respect his wishes, for now. If she proved herself useful in the future, when he did new things, maybe he'd share more. "So, what's this new book?" she asked.

Harry sighed, having come up with one possibility, already. "Occlumency." he said.

The woman seemed to regard him, for a moment. That sigh meant that he'd come to the same thought as her. "You think your 'system' was starting to automatically apply the knowledge in the book, don't you?"

Harry looked sheepish as he nodded.

"Do we still think automating magical processes in your head is a good idea?" she asked.

"Absolutely." Harry said, instantly. "One accident doesn't make the interface faulty. I've been working on automating things for a long time. It's literally part of what I made it for. I was hoping this would happen. I just didn't know about the cost. I can work in a control system, as soon as we're done talking, so that things don't ever do that again. Then it won't be a worry anymore."

The woman regarded him, for a few more seconds, before sighing. "As long as you keep using this 'system' I expect weekly check-ups with you." she stated, then.

"I don't think that's-" Harry started.

"Listen, mister Potter, you are hardly the first person to experiment with new forms of magic." the woman started. "I will keep your secrets, as I said, but I do expect you to be smart enough, to know that a little bit of caution is likely a good idea. One other person, who knows what's going on, and we could ask them what to do. If that person is me, I'd not need to involve people like the headmaster, if something did go wrong. Do you understand?"

Harry looked at the woman, frowning. He really didn't want to share this, but he also saw the logic. "Your oath is binding?" he asked.

"To my life and magic, yes." the woman said. "It's a standard healer's oath, and I can show it to you, if you want, for your piece of mind, along with my certification and confirmation that I did take the oath in front of a respected and world-renowned panel."

"I think I would like that, actually." Harry said. "Not because I don't trust you, but because it sounds interesting."

The woman smiled sadly at him. This was not the interest of a normal child. She was starting to wonder if he was a prodigy, or if he'd just gotten really lucky. From his descriptions, though, chances were that this manifestation, was more like a defence mechanism. Something he used to make sense of a world that didn't make sense. A world that should be much simpler than he experienced it. "I can do that for you." she said. Then, her eyes locked on his. "Harry, I want you to know that you can tell me anything. How you feel, what you want, things you've experienced. If you want to talk, I'm here. I'll always listen."

Harry had seen that look before. He also noticed her using his name for the first time. He knew something he'd said, had once again given her a clue about his relatives. He just didn't know what. "Okay." he said, shrugging.

She'd seen the look, and realised he knew exactly what she was talking about. The confusion there bothered her, too. He didn't know that his very perspective and the way he talked was giving that much away. Likely, he thought he sounded like an adult. Frankly, it made her feel a little better. No child should be that self-aware. "Good." she said. "Now, I'll give it a few minutes, and monitor your magic level. If it starts to build up like it should, I'll let you go by lunchtime."

She waved her wand over him again, and Harry surprised her, yet again, by saying "Eleven percent." before she could confirm it.

"What does it look like?" she asked, out of curiosity, after confirming it. "How do you see the levels?"

"Well, while I was working on sending my power to… well, while I was doing that, I realised that I didn't know how much power I had, or how quickly it was draining, so I started visualising the feeling, along with how the house-point hourglasses worked, except that mine was a blue liquid, like mana, a representation of magic that I once saw. I thought it looked cool. When I got my intent right, it just sort-of connected, and the colour changed, so now I know where my magic levels are, and I know how quickly it's draining, so that I can be smarter about my use."

"What colour is it?" she asked. It sounded fantastic, to be honest. He could just look and see how much magic he had. If he could do that with other people, he'd be very useful in many different fields.

"Kind of like a lot of colours mixing and moving." Harry said. "It's actually kind of pretty."

"And you think that's the actual colour of magic?" she asked.

"I think it's my magic's colour." Harry said. "I haven't tried to measure anyone else's."

"Do you think you can?" she asked. "Not right now! Obviously." she added, hurriedly.

"Well, I'm connected to mine, so it's reasonably simple." Harry said. "I don't know how I'd check other people. I think it needs to be voluntary, at least, if I find a way to do that."

"Well, maybe, one day, when you figure it out, we can see what my magic looks like?" she asked.

"I don't know if I'd be able to show you." Harry admitted. "I mean, I know my interface is there, when I make things. I tried casting a levitation spell into it and hurt myself. I think it tried levitating my brain, so I know it's there, but I don't know how I'd show it to someone else."

The woman had paled, though. "Did you just say, you levitated your brain?" she asked, dangerously.

"Okay, I don't need to be raked over the coals, again. My friend already read me the riot act." Harry said. "I use tickling charms, now. It just makes my brain tingle."

The woman shook her head at the boy. Obviously, he needed more oversight. "Before messing with more things, at least discuss them with someone, please?" she almost begged.

"Well… when my friend is back, I'll return to talking to them." Harry said.

"Back?" she asked.

Harry sighed. "They're kind of connected to my system, but they aren't responding, and the image that shows them is kind of faded. I know they're still there, but I think they had an issue. I can't do much more than sending them a bit of power, which was the thing I was sending power to, yesterday."

"Is this a person?" the woman asked, her face hardening. "Do you think a healer could help?"

"Sorry, that's a secret." Harry said.

"Mister Potter, I hope you'd not risk your friends, just to keep a secret." she said, sternly.

"I'm not risking them." Harry said, his face hardening. "I'm worried, but I can't tell you. They trust me to not tell anyone. I trust them to keep my secrets, too."

The woman's eye twitched. She literally couldn't force this. "If the situation changes, I expect you to tell me, is that understood?"

"I'll do what I'm capable, within the confines of the trust that was placed in me." Harry said, his face not changing.

The woman nodded curtly, at that, before going to the door of the infirmary. She'd let the headmaster in and let him bang his head against the brick wall that was this stubborn child, for a while, before kicking him out, again. Harry would likely need a bit more rest.

When the headmaster came in, he made a beeline to Harry. "How are you feeling, my boy?" he asked.

"Better." Harry said. "Madam Pomphrey was able to help me fix the problem."

"What was taking your power?" the old man asked, wondering if it really had been Riddle, while the healer just shook her head, knowing where that was going.

"Still is, technically, but I slowed it down, so it won't drain me more than my magic recovers." Harry said.

"And?" the man asked. "What is it?"

"A… beneficial bit of magic, that was going overboard in its enthusiasm." Harry said, honestly.

The healer snorted. It was funny how accurate, that was, for a complete misdirection.

"You disagree, Madam Pomphrey?" the headmaster asked her. His face showed only concern.

"He's being honest." the healer said. 'In a manner of speaking.' she finished in her head.

Dumbledore thought about that, for a moment, knowing how that phrasing left things out, before he looked at the boy, again. "So, something that was taking power, without you knowing?" he asked.

"I technically did it, myself, but my magic sort of overdid it, taking more power than I knew." Harry said.

"And you can't tell me what it is?" he asked.

"Sorry, but no." Harry said.

"Family magic, apparently." the healer said.

Dumbledore doubted that very much. Harry couldn't know his family magic. He knew. He had the entire Potter Library's books in storage. Come to think of it, he'd probably better start putting that to rights, too. "I see." he said.

"I created it myself." Harry said. "But apparently, that can be claimed as family magic."

Madam Pomphrey frowned at that. She'd not told him that. The logical leap, however, wasn't a large one, but maybe a bit big for someone his age. Again, she wondered if the boy was a prodigy.

"It can." the headmaster said, nodding. "Perhaps, now that you have Madam Pomphrey's secrecy, you can consult with her, before experimenting with strange magics?" He had no idea how Harry could have possibly created his own magic, at the age of eleven, but wouldn't discount it. After all, power the dark lord knows not, doesn't grow on trees, and likely came with a few risks.

"She's already threatened to keep me here indefinitely, if I don't." Harry joked.

"That's not a bad idea." the healer said. "Don't tempt me."

"I told you, Madam Pomphrey, now that we know the issue, that particular one can't happen, again." Harry said.

"That one, maybe." Madam Pomphrey said. "Next time, it could be worse, for all we know."

"Please, Harry, be careful?" the headmaster asked.

Harry just sighed and nodded. This was going around in circles.

The headmaster seemed to understand. "As long as you are doing better, I'll leave you in the capable hands of Madam Pomphrey, but I would be remis, if I didn't offer my own support, with whatever you are obviously working on. Should you find you need help, you only need to ask. I see a bright future for you, my boy, and I'd like to help you get there, if you'll allow me."

"Thank you for the offer, sir." Harry said. "I think I'll keep that option open, but for now, I think I'm quite capable of continuing on my own. This really was an isolated incident. I've had several false starts, and I've not killed myself yet." He looked at the Healer, before she could add her two cents. "And I've already promised Madam Pomphrey weekly visits, to keep her updated, so that she can help, if anything goes wrong."

"That is all I can ask." the headmaster said, as he stood up. "Then for now, I'm going back to paperwork. Do yourself a favour, my boy, and don't grow up too quickly. You may think essays are time consuming, but you have no idea how much paperwork we old people have to go through."

"Bureaucracy sucks." Harry said, nodding. "Noted."

Dumbledore smiled at the boy. A lot of things were happening, that he was not prepared for. Having heard that the boy hadn't shown up for breakfast, and that a prefect found him unresponsive, after the confrontations of the previous day, was just another thing he needed to worry about. Fortunately, it seemed that the boy was in good spirits. He'd need to ensure that stays the trend.

When the headmaster was gone, Harry decided to ask a few questions of his own. He was interested in human physiology. Not for any specific reason, just yet, but he had an idea of creating another monitor, like his mana view, but for his health. He realised it couldn't be a simple indicator, like a bar, so he'd likely have to make a representation of his whole body. Bones, skin, organs and such.

Strangely, the woman quickly decided to help him, bringing out a book, and letting the boy look over it, as he lay in the bed. The potion, however, soon ran out, and Harry fell asleep, after just a few pages.

Fortunately, when he woke up again, he was feeling more like himself. He quickly noted that his power was at almost thirty percent. That had him frowning, until he realised he'd removed the feed to the hat, when he was trying to figure out the drain, originally. He opened that up again, but with just enough of a drain, to keep his power where it was.

"How are your reserves?" Madam Pomphrey asked, as she noticed his attention was on his interface, again.

"Steady at twenty-nine percent." Harry said.

"Steady?" the woman asked.

"Switched on the feed, again." Harry admitted. "It will still switch off if I go under twenty-five, though. Until my friend is back, I'll not stop trying to help."

The woman regarded him for a moment. "Well, I was going to release you, but now I'm going to keep you for another hour. I want you to monitor your level, closely. If it drops one percent, you're staying the night."

"Aww, come on?" Harry objected.

"I'm not taking chances, young man." the woman said. "I'd prefer you switch all the connections off, until your reserves are full. There are still unknowns about the constant use of magic, like you're doing."

Harry crossed his arms, feeling like pouting. Then he noticed the book, and shrugged, picking it up again. The woman nodded, allowing him to continue, while she walked off, to continue her duties. She was meant to do a stock-check.

Half an hour later, she walked back into the infirmary from her stores, and found the boy staring at nothing, again, his eyes moving from side to side, while the book was closed and on the bedside table.

"You're reading the book, in the interface, aren't you?" the woman asked.

Harry stopped and looked at her for a moment, before nodding. "The interface is faster. Perceived time changes in the mind, and using that to learn, is more focussed and quicker."

"Perceived time?" the woman asked.

"Can you tell me what time it is, right now?" Harry asked. The woman reached for her wand, but he shook his head. "The human mind does not normally perceive time, in seconds, minutes and hours. If you remember something, you can go over events you recall, much faster than having to relive the whole experience, right?"

"Well… yes." the woman said, knowing that it was true.

"Well, reading this book," he pointed at the book next to him, "isn't as fast out here, as it is in here." he said, indicating his head. "I perceive time differently, when in there. I can go through many things, in the time it takes normal people to finish one thing, though only while it's in my head, so it doesn't have real-world applications. At least, not yet. For now, it's mostly just useful for learning."

"And what have you found?" the woman asked, taking a seat next to his bed. He was still fascinating, to her. This whole idea seemed wonderful, and very useful.

"Well, right now I'm looking at the skeletal structure." Harry said. "I'm going to try and use that, to identify between male and female. I know girls are supposed to be a little different, but right now, it looks like it's probably going to only be able to work on adults, whose bodies have gone through their full developmental cycle."

The woman nodded at that. It made sense. At eleven, the children were mostly still undeveloped. There was a worry there, too. "You wouldn't be thinking of using this system, to look at girls in perverted ways, are you?" she asked.

Harry frowned. He knew what that meant, but he'd not really considered that. "Well, maybe later?" he said, shrugging. "I don't really care about things like that. As I understand it, that might happen later, though. For now, I'm more interested in simple identification, not objectification."

"Do yourself a favour." the woman said. "When that changes, remember how you'd feel, if someone invaded your privacy, by looking at you through lewd eyes."

"I'm sure that will make sense later." Harry said, nodding, and accepting it easily.

The woman nodded at that. Perhaps he wasn't there, yet. Hopefully he'd keep that in mind, when that change starts. "Anything else?" she asked.

"I've constructed a bare-bones illustration and was able to connect it to a new monitoring-system, which can keep track of my bones." Harry said. "It took a bit, but now I'll be able to tell if I have any broken bones, in the future. It's not very useful, because I suspect I'd feel them, too."

"Likely, but there are cases, where identifying the location of a break would be useful." the woman said. "Can you tell me if you've had any broken bones, in the past? Can you see it?"

Harry looked forward, and moved his hand, pulling up the new health section. His bones appeared, there, in the same position as he was, he could see his hand in the air, as he indicated to the interface, and expanded the view, zooming in on his left arm, where he'd had a break in the past. Sure enough, he could see the slightly off angle, and the place where the bone had fused.

"Yes." Harry said. "My left arm was broken once. I can see where it fused, and the angle the bone makes, now."

"Angle?" the woman asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Yeah, where it's not completely straight." Harry said, indicating his arm. "It's straight to there, and then it sort of goes slightly down." he added, as he indicated.

The woman's eye twitched. "Are you telling me, that you had a broken bone, that was never set?" she asked.

"Have a few cracks in a few others, too." Harry said, shrugging as he looked through the display, again. "There, and there, and this one seemed much cleaner. It's straight, even." he said, smiling, as he indicated his head, his collarbone and his rib.

"Harry, I'm sorry to have to do this, but if you have bones that weren't set properly, it's commonly considered healthy, to re-set them." Madam Pomphrey said, trying for honesty.

"How long will this take?" he whined. "I'm supposed to be out of here in thirty minutes."

"I can use magic to dull the pain, and then do the work, but it will require a potion, that takes a few hours to work." the woman admitted. She'd not mention that the potion was considered one of her worst, too.

"Can we do that, before bed, then?" Harry countered. "That way I don't have to sit here, doing nothing."

The woman considered it, before nodding. "Fine." she said. Then she pulled out her wand. "I'll just quickly check where you indicated, okay?"

She didn't wait for an answer, before running her diagnostics. The arm would need resetting, but it was the amount of breaks the boy had suffered that shocked her. Her magic also revealed the likely cause of the breaks. Once again, her composure slipped, as she realised this was likely abuse. She'd have to speak to the headmaster about that.

Finally, she decided that since Harry was up to experimenting, and his power was recovered enough, she could let him go, which he happily did. He was getting hungry. He'd skipped breakfast, and it was past lunch already. The healer had offered him lunch, but he'd thought he was being smart, by declining and saying he'd eat in the great hall, when she released him. She'd seen the manipulation, but had also agreed, knowing what he was doing, but also giving him that small victory.

Harry had only a few days left, before his peaceful solitude would be interrupted, again. After that night, where Madam Pomphrey had fixed his bones, and a disgusting potion, Harry returned to working on his map, seeing as how that didn't seem to take much power. Using the interface, he'd discovered places that seemed to be hollow, and had thus discovered his first hidden passages. This was a fun discovery, and he wanted to find all of them, realising that there were likely more.

Two days later, Harry saw something that made him smile, just after waking up.

'Gryff?' Harry asked, after flicking the no longer faded image.

'Ugh.' the hat replied. 'Don't shout. I feel like I had my brain pulled out and rearranged.'

'What happened?' Harry asked, worriedly.

'Sorry, Harry.' the hat said. 'I can't tell you. What I did, I did for you, though, so please just trust me.'

Harry sighed. He'd suspected that that would be the answer. 'Just… don't do it again, okay?'

'If I ever need to, I'm hoping it's many years from now.' the hat said. 'Oh, wow. You've been busy.' the hat said, as it apparently looked through his recent memories, and his interface.

'Yeah, I've been exploring the school.' Harry said. 'I think I've found most of the hidden passageways. Some are collapsed, though, which is kind of sad.'

'That's not what I'm talking about.' the hat said. 'You've been… no, wait. It's doing it automatically? That's… kind of scary, actually.'

'Why?' Harry asked. Then he realised. 'Oh, you mean the book? Yeah, thanks for that, by the way. I've got something for you as well, once you're feeling up to it.'

'You almost died.' the hat said, not being that easy to divert. 'Madam Pomphrey is right. You really should be careful. Automating your mind, and processes that use your available power, is not a good idea.'

'Look here.' Harry said, as he nudged the hat to the right information.

The hat seemed to inspect the information Harry had thought about. 'Oh. That's clever.' he said. 'So, automated processes need to register on this list, then, and you can adjust draw, based on need?'

'And available power, and natural magical recouperation.' Harry agreed. 'I think, balance is the key, here. Now that you're awake, I can stop sending you power, and finally allow my reserves to fill up.'

The hat seemed to sigh. That's why it was awake so soon after something that should have left it drained for at least a week. 'You didn't need to do that.' the hat said.

'But I wanted to.' Harry said. 'Did it help?'

'Yes. It did.' the hat said. 'Thank you.' it added, knowing that Harry was only showing concern for a friend. It was said friendship that had him blowing his top in the first place and calling in a power it had only ever used once, before.

'You're welcome.' Harry said, as he got up, and started getting dressed. After that, Harry went to his interface, and pulled a 'package' from an invisible box he'd put there and dropped it on the hat's image.

'Ow!' the hat exclaimed. 'Damnit, Harry, I told you I have a headache.' There was silence, for a moment, before the hat asked, 'What is this?'

'It's your Christmas gift.' Harry said.

There was silence, for a bit, before the hat seemed to perk up. 'You made it look and feel like an actual gift opening up. That was very thoughtful of you, Harry. Thank you. Oh! It's the whole series!'

Harry had known the hat liked a good mystery story, and he'd looked for something. The hat had expressed an interest in a story about a detective, that specialized in solving strange crimes, and Harry had thought that was the perfect gift. It was even in the school's library, in a seldom-visited fiction section. When you lived with magic, fiction wasn't always all that attractive.

'Well, I only knew you were interested.' Harry said. 'I hope they turn out to be fun.'

'This is a very thoughtful gift, Harry. Thank you.' the hat said.

'Do you need more power?' Harry asked. 'I can keep the feed open for a bit longer?'

'No.' the hat said, firmly. 'You've given me more than enough. If it hadn't been for your feeding me power, you may have had time to avoid the issues you experienced, during my forced nap.'

Harry shrugged, as he set out to the great hall. He wanted breakfast. The hat was quiet, after that, and Harry got the feeling that it was just watching, mutely, because it was still tired. Well, that, or he supposed it could be reading.

The headmaster had been at breakfast every day, and he always ensured to nod at Harry, and send him a smile. Harry didn't like it. He felt that the old man was up to something. It happened again, that day, and Harry smiled back, trying to act normal.

'He's actually trying.' the hat gave its unwarranted opinion.

'Oh.' Harry replied. 'So, he's not scheming, anymore?'

'Oh, most likely.' the hat countered. 'But, let's just say he's been motivated to stop being such a… an ass-wipe.' the hat finished.

'Not that you can tell me how you did that.' Harry said. He needed a moment to contemplate that. 'Logically, if you acted in my favour, then he might figure out that we've been in communication.'

'I'm still acting asleep, in the office.' the hat said. 'If I let him know I'm awake, it will simply be a secret I can't tell him, and he knows that.'

'And if he asks me?' Harry asked.

'Tell him you're sworn to secrecy.' the hat said, simply. 'There is something called an unbreakable vow. Forcing someone to break one of those, would kill that person, so it's illegal. Say you've sworn such an oath, and the headmaster will drop the subject quickly, I assure you. He'll likely also tell you not to do that in the future, though.'

'Convenient.' Harry said.

'Quite so.' the hat agreed.

After breakfast, Harry continued exploring. In his explorations, he looked through every room he found, that was open, and stumbled upon a large ornate mirror.

'The Mirror of Erised.' the hat said.

'Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.' Harry read, around the rim of the mirror, frowning. Something about that looked strange. Copying the image, he turned his hand, and the image flipped. 'ishow no tyo urfac ebu tyo urhe arts desirE. I show not your face but your heart's desire.' Harry said, smiling at having figured that out, rather quickly.

'Very well done.' the hat said. That had been rather quick, even for Harry. 'How did you get it, so quick?'

'When you're like me, and you look at things in a certain way, you pick up patterns and things. I've tried letter substitution and reversal, before, when I was just playing by myself.' Harry explained.

The hat internalised a growl. It knew that Harry had been forced to remain friendless, due to his cousin, but it wouldn't explode, now. 'Well, do you want to look?' it asked.

'No thanks.' Harry said, turning, to walk away. He had more exploring to do.

'Why?' the hat asked.

'What if it shows me something impossible?' Harry asked. 'I'd rather not be disappointed. I'd rather figure it out and discover my own desires. I think that would be more fun, and this way, I'm not risking a disappointment that I carry for the rest of my life. I have enough of those, already, you know?' Harry was worried that he'd see family that didn't exist, or friends that he'd never made. Or himself being happy. 'Don't say it.' Harry said, firmly. He knew that hat had likely followed that thought.

'Of course.' the hat said. Still, he was getting upset again. The boy was so used to disappointment, that he had no hope left. He was still broken. 'We'll need to discuss it at some point, though, you realise?'

'I'm not stupid.' Harry responded. He didn't go into it, though, focussing entirely on exploration, and adding to his map, which was quickly turning into a more detailed representation of the school. The hat followed the map and realised that he could actually start seeing the shape, made out of passages and classes. The empty spaces, between and next to classes and hallways, would be a very clear indicator of possible sewage lines, passageways, and hidden staircases. He knew that there were quite a few of those. Salazar loved sneaking around, and had added a lot of those, himself.

Harry continued his exploration, until lunch. He was getting tired, so he decided to call it a day, and go eat something. After lunch, where the headmaster smiled a friendly smile at him, again, Harry went back to his room.

'So, what are we working on today?' the hat asked. He'd seen that the boy's power was almost up to full, again, and realised that he wouldn't want to waste time.

'Time.' Harry said. 'I'm going to try and create an automatic notification system. Something that I can use to activate things, and have them run, and stop, without my direction, while ensuring not to risk my reserves. Maybe something to remind me about classes and tasks, too. Having that in my head, and not needing to worry about time-allocations, would be a good way to get the most out of my day.'

'Admirable.' the hat said. 'Have you made any discoveries, regarding the possibility of wandless casting?'

'I have a few ideas.' Harry said. 'I put them in my invisible box, though. I don't want you spoiling my fun or influencing me with your limitations.'

The hat nodded, internally, an action that Harry could pick up on. 'Well, it seems to me that you've started consciously implementing a bit of occlumency, then.' he said.

'I did read a bit of it myself.' Harry agreed. 'I needed to know what my system was doing with the knowledge. I think the reason that it started working on its own, was because it had something it could finally do on its own. The book is about the mind, and to a degree, subconscious effort in arranging and storing memories, so that they are easier to protect.'

'That and protecting your conscious thought processes.' the hat agreed. It had read a bit itself, considering it was a magical artifact with the mental power of legilimency. It was actually something it found interesting. With enough knowledge, the hat suspected it might even be able to more easily overcome occlumency.

'I think I've figured that out, too.' Harry said. 'Let me demonstrate.' he said, as he opened his invisible box, and sent his mind into it, in a manner of speaking. It was more along the lines of covering his mind with a form of unobservability, as is the mental concept of invisibility. 'Can you hear me?' Harry asked.

There was no reply for a few seconds.

'Harry?' the hat asked. 'I don't know what I'm supposed to be observing.'

Harry chuckled to himself, as he unstuck his thoughts from the box. 'I just use the box as a safe place to keep my thoughts. In a manner of speaking. I was talking to you, while I was in there.'

'Oh.' the hat said, seeming impressed. 'Well… I didn't hear you.' he added.

'Proof of concept is thus confirmed.' Harry said, shrugging.

'Knowing how you implement your secrecy, however, should allow me to open the box, after finding it, and then listening in.' the hat pointed out.

'So?' Harry asked. 'Only you know it's there. I'll even show you where it is. I trust you. It's other people I don't trust. Just, don't go in there, and look for my secret ideas. I keep them there on purpose.'

'I would not betray your trust like that.' the hat said. 'I know it can feel a little intrusive, the way I read most of your thoughts, and I respect your wish for some privacy, just like I expect you to respect mine. I have no doubt that you will one day figure out how to visit my interface. When that day comes, I expect you to only access that which I allow you to see.'

'Sure.' Harry said. 'Anything you want to tell me?' he asked. It had sounded like the hat was hopeful, when he mentioned sharing.

'I do have a few things that I've been allowed to tell you, when I believe you are ready.' the hat said.

'Allowed?' Harry asked. 'So, someone else knows about us?'

The hat mentally kicked itself. It should have known that Harry was quick enough to put that together. The occlumency sorting his memories was obviously also helping his mental speed, which also explained the speed of his recent thought processes. Having realised that, the hat looked at Harry's perceived time indicator and was shocked. It was showing an increase that more than doubled the original thought processes, with an actual number, indicating the speed, now. 'You've become faster.' it mentioned.

'I actually have a tap into that indicator.' Harry said. 'I realised that it was increasing, the more the occlumency worked, and added some power. It has a limit, but it doesn't take all that much power, and only while I'm focussed on the interface.' he explained. 'Now stop trying to change the subject.'

The hat sighed. 'My creators, the founders, are… for the lack of a better description, part of me. An imprint of parts of their minds, is how I came to be. I am their thoughts. I'm also myself, obviously, but I am also them. I can, in situations of dire need, call on one of their spirits, who has the ability to traverse the plains of the living and the dead. I decided to call them, and they came. Your permission allowed me to share my findings with them, and they acted on the information, without betraying you.'

'And had a little meeting with the headmaster, I take it.' Harry said, considering it. 'So, you still can't tell me what they discussed with him, because they are you, but you can tell me about them, and maybe some advice they gave you for me?' he asked, hopefully.

'Okay, that was freaky.' the hat said. He instantly felt a jolt of fear from Harry, as the word 'freak' reverberated through Harry's mind, along with flashes of memory. 'I'm so sorry!' the hat said, instantly. 'I meant it was super-fast, not strange and creepy, or anything like that.'

Harry needed a moment, but his mind was still not stable. Fortunately, the occlumency seemed to help calm him down, and he increased the power on that feed, for a few seconds, until he was calm, and slowed it down, again. 'Sorry that you had to see that, Gryff.' Harry said.

'You should never apologise for the action of those filthy muggles!' the hat exploded. His voice had strangely changed, and seemed deeper, and darker. The hat needed to calm himself, too. It was strange for the hat to realise that Harry had easily taken a connection to the occlumency book, connected it to his image, and sent power through it, which helped it calm down. 'Thank you, Harry. It seems a bit of Salazar slipped out, there. He really didn't like non-magicals. It wasn't something he could help. He'd seen some atrocities committed by some really bad muggles, and it had scarred him for life.'

'Why was he a founder, then?' Harry asked. 'Weren't they worried that his perspective would rub off on the students?'

'They hoped it would, actually.' the Hat said. 'Not to think themselves above muggles, of course, but to be aware that there is evil out there, even in normal people. He was meant to inspire caution and respect. Don't trust blindly. Protect yourself. Be smart about your interactions. Things like that.'

'That makes sense, I suppose.' Harry said.

'Let's get back on track, then.' the hat said. 'So, first thing you should know, is that you are descended from two of the founders. Godric Gryffindor is your great ancestor, on your father's side. You are the last remnant of his line, even though you were not an heir, due to only men carrying the name, and your line came from his daughter. He's decided that you are now his heir and told Dumbledore as much.'

'Cool.' Harry said.

'Godric's daughter, Sarena Peverall, was connected to the Peverell family, who were the ones mentioned in the tales of Beedle the Bard. You should look that one up. Suffice it to say, you've got a very powerful family line, from your father's side, which is why they are considered an ancient and noble pureblood line.

'Helga Hufflepuff, was similarly an ancestor of your mother's.' the hat continued. 'Her descendants had a squib, which turned back to muggles, but Helga's power popped up again, in your mother. There was something lost, in the generations, because Helga had something that is called a creature-heritage, these days. Back then, she was called fae-born. It was a powerful bloodline, too. Helga's spirit is the one that makes it possible for me to call on the founders. Unfortunately, you don't have that line, nor ability, but you do have her blood, and she claimed you as her heir as well.

'Now, due to certain things I can't tell you, there is another line, that of Slytherin, which you could potentially claim, as well, but I would suggest you don't go looking into that one, just yet. The headmaster will no doubt think that something untoward is going on and might consider you a threat. Best to leave that one alone.' the hat suggested.

Harry nodded at that. He didn't want more attention from the headmaster. 'Not Ravenclaw?' he asked, slightly jokingly. 'Can't have the whole set, then?'

'Actually, according to Rowena, you are related, but distantly, and you cannot be her heir.' the hat said, surprising Harry. 'Congratulations Harry, you're connected to all the founders.' he added, but Harry could hear the mirth in the voice.

'Great.' Harry said, sarcastically. 'Let's hope that never comes out. Can you imagine the fan clubs? No thank you.' he shuddered.

The hat decided that that was the right attitude, and Harry could feel his smile. 'I agree.' it said.

'Any messages?' Harry asked.

'Not really.' the hat said. 'They'd likely ask me to tell you that they are watching you, and that they are proud of you. Rowena did mention that she thinks you're smart, and she likes that. Salazar said something about him cursing your relatives, but I wouldn't think about that. Chances are, they are likely to experience some bad luck, and worst-case scenario, or best-case I suppose, they die.'

'Die?' Harry asked, his eyes widening.

'There was one very important thing that they did tell the headmaster, which I think I'm supposed to tell you.' the hat said. 'You are never to return to that house. Gryffindor threatened to come back from the dead and smite the lot of them, if they so much as see you, one more time.'

That thought left Harry speechless. He'd never return? He'd never see them again? Harry didn't understand. He couldn't. His eyes welled up, and he didn't understand why, when he started crying. He couldn't think. He couldn't breathe, as he started wailing. His mind was filled with so many emotions in that moment, that he couldn't even begin to consider a thought, while his mind raged at the emotions assaulting him.

The hat had known to expect some sort of reaction. He'd known that there was real pain, deeply hidden, even from the boy himself. He'd rejected a part of reality, to become what he did. He'd not faced his emotions and bottled them. What was happening now, even though it hurt, was necessary. The hat watched, and ensured his presence was thick in Harry's mind. He'd not feel alone. The hat had made a promise to help him, to be there for him, and it intended to keep that resolve, and to see it through.

Harry didn't reject the hat's mental presence, but he was only barely aware of it, as he cried his heart out. Fear, anger, hatred, jealousy and loneliness, all warred in his mind for supremacy, while he felt like he was in physical pain. Through it all, the hat just watched, as the indicators for emotions went off like disco-lights. The emotions Harry struggled to understand, because he subconsciously rejected them.