Potter of Legends
by Roff

Chapter One – Deep in the Heart

It was hot in Texas. Harry never knew he could sweat so much just by going outside. It was beautiful country though. Nearly every field he saw was covered in bluebonnets and other wildflowers in various colors of red, yellow, and white. However, it would be so much more enjoyable without all the excessive heat, he thought.

Harry had gone outside to run but the sun was already working hard with no clouds in sight. Casting his fourth wandless cooling charm over the last half-hour he almost quit early on his run so he could go back into the cool house for his other exercises. Not being a quitter though, he toughed it out and ran the remainder of his seven miles before going back inside to finish up.

The Potter owned house was quite large and comfortable. It was a ranch style house that was spread out over a good half acre of floor space. The rooms were mostly in an open air style with vaulted ceilings making the main living areas of the house such as the living room, den, kitchen, and dining room look huge.

The master bedroom where Harry was staying was very nice. It was not quite as large as his bedroom at Potter Place but it was in keeping with the Potter high standards and comforts. There were also both outdoor and indoor swimming pools.

The house itself ran on electricity and all power lines and electrical instruments were warded and insulated against magic. This prevented magic from interfering with the electrical appliances or the lighting. The most important electrical machine, at least according to Harry after his run, was the air conditioner that kept the house at a nice 72 degrees at all times.

The house was hidden in the country and was nowhere near a city or community to hook up to public utilities. To overcome that shortfall a very large generator was purchased and installed underground behind the house. You could access it via a door in the basement.

The basement itself had a special ward on it to keep out all the dampness from the surrounding dirt. In that part of Texas the ground was mostly clay and often wet underneath the surface. Most people in that area did not have basements due to that and other reasons such as the higher frost line and the fact that clay soils in Texas tended to shrink and swell quite a bit, but with magic it was easier to maintain.

The generator, as intended, runs on gasoline but that was overcome by magic. This eliminated any need for venting exhaust fumes, although venting was magically provided for the room anyway to keep the air circulated and fresh. In addition, the generator and its room were silenced with wards so it produced no noise whatsoever. In fact, the wards were carved right into the stone walls surrounding the generator creating a nice intricate design on the walls. In the years it had been in place, the generator had only been repaired once. The plan was to replace it with a newer model if it failed again.

When they first arrived around 6am that morning, they were given the full tour of the house and lands. After that they were able to get settled in properly to their rooms, Harry had put on his workout clothes and went for his run about 8:30. He was surprised at how hot it was so early in the morning. It was July and according to what he'd been told, it would get even hotter in August. He hoped to be back at Potter Place before then.

Harry liked it here and was anxious to meet the magical Indians. He, along with Sirius who insisted on accompanying him, had arrived that morning so Harry decided to get his workout in since he would have missed it otherwise. It was a little after midnight when they left Potter Place using Harry's watch. Harry wanted to get adjusted to the 6 hour time difference right away but Sirius decided that he would just take it in stride and not rush anything. He was taking a nap on one of the couches in the den when Harry came back through.

There was a nice workout room for Harry to use so he could complete his other exercises. He managed to break another sweat even in the air conditioned room but took a nice cool shower when he was done.

oOo

Earlier back at Potter Place…

Harry had just finished his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He made sure his closest friends got home safely from school and even had dinner with Hermione and her parents before going back home to Potter Place where he had some important information to share with his family. He knew they would not like the news but had to share it with them anyway.

He very carefully explained to his family about the prophecy and told them he was a horcrux. They were none too happy about the news. As they understood it, all of Voldemort's horcruxes would have to be destroyed if there was to be any hope of getting rid of him forever. Just when they thought all hope was lost, Simon's portrait spoke up to let them know that he knows someone who can remove the horcrux without harming Harry. This managed to get everyone's attention and shut them up.

According to Simon, this special person lives in the United States and Harry was going to have to travel there to get his horcrux problem fixed. Apparently there was a magical tribe of Native American Indians living in Texas. They're a segment of the Caddo Indians primarily from East and Northeast Texas although most of the tribes moved and settled in Oklahoma later. The segment that remained in Texas had a strong contingent of magic users.

Simon told Harry that their magic was a little different but refused to elaborate on the subject. Harry wanted to know more about these magical Indians but Simon insisted that Harry go see for himself so he could experience it for himself. Simon then told him that he expected a full retelling of his time spent there when he returned to Potter Place. Harry assured him he would not let him down.

oOo

Harry had taken a shower after his workout, got dressed, and found Sirius in the den watching a large screen television with a drink in his hand. There appeared to be a sports show on showing beautiful girls in very tight, skimpy swim suits playing beach volleyball two to a side. They were quite good but somehow Harry didn't think Sirius was appreciating their ability to play as much as he was appreciating their other assets.

Going to the kitchen for a drink, Harry was met by one of the house elves, Rosey, who insisted on getting his drink for him. Harry had met the other house elf earlier when they arrived. His name was Petey. Rosey evidently did all the cooking and Petey took care of the lands and helped with the upkeep of the house. Between the two of them they kept the place in great condition.

"Did you have a nice run, Harry?" asked Rosey handing Harry a glass of water.

"Yes, but it's a bit on the hot side out there. I really appreciated the air conditioning after that run. The country is absolutely beautiful though."

"Since we've been here for years we're a little more accustomed to the heat, but sometimes it gets too hot even for us so we prefer to spend more time inside."

"Thanks for the water Rosey. I'm going to check on Sirius."

"You're most welcome, Harry."

Harry went back to the den and found his godfather still watching beach volleyball.

"What's the score?" asked Harry.

"I have no idea. It never occurred to me to pay attention to that."

"Seeing how they're dressed and jumping around I can see your point," Harry said sitting down on the couch with Sirius.

"Actually, they're pretty good at this game."

"Oh, so you did notice that?"

"Well, I do have my moments."

"Could we take a moment and discuss our plans?"

"Sure, Kiddo." Sirius picked up the remote and turned off the TV.

"As I understand it, Sirius, we're to meet with the tribe later this afternoon. I don't know about you but I believe my attention span is going to be fading by this afternoon due to the lack of sleep."

"We could put it off until tomorrow to give us time to adjust to the time difference."

"Or, we could take some of Grandma's pepper up potion before we meet with them?"

"You have a supply of Elizabeth's pepper up potion?"

"I made it myself after she shared the recipe with me. I have a batch of it in my potions lab."

"You brought your potions lab with you?"

"It's part of the five compartment trunk that my parents left me. I built my potions lab in the extra space. Remind me and I'll show it to you sometime."

"Yes, I would like to see that myself. I'll find out what time we should expect them to arrive and let you know."

"Thanks, Sirius. I'm going to go check on my potions and read for a bit to keep my mind occupied so I stay awake."

oOo

Rosey served them a good lunch then at 2:30pm Sirius and Harry both took a vial of pepper up potion to be ready for their guests' arrival. Elizabeth's potion lasted for hours so they were good to go for the afternoon and into early evening.

Around 3pm the doorbell rang and Petey let in the visiting party just as Sirius walked up to greet them as well. The party consisted of three men who were obviously of Caddo Indian descent. The apparent leader was a nice looking man who looked to be in his late sixties or early seventies.

The two other men varied in age as one appeared to be in his forties and the other in his teens. They all were very well dressed in modern looking clothes. They said hello to Petey right away, obviously they knew him. They then shook hands with Sirius as they were introduced by Petey.

"Lord Sirius Black, godfather to the Lord of the Potters, I'm pleased to introduce to you some great friends of the Potters here in Texas. This is Chief Joseph Ironwood, his nephew Edward Ironwood, and his grandson Steve Ironwood."

"It's very nice to meet you. You can drop the lord and just call me Sirius."

"Kua'at" they all replied.

"Koo-what?" asked Sirius.

The three laughed.

"It's pronounced koo-ah-aht and is simply a friendly greeting in the Caddo language," replied the chief. "When we leave we'll say t'aybaw'ah (pronounced tie-bow-ah) which means 'see you later.'"

"Ah, very good. Thanks for the lesson in the Caddo language. Petey would you mind fetching Harry? I believe he's in his room reading. I'll lead our guests to the lounge, I mean living room. Still getting used to the lingo here. In addition to Caddo I'm trying to learn American as well," he explained with a grin.

The men smiled at him as they followed him to the living room.

They had just seated themselves when Rosey appeared with drinks and cookies for all. She brought Sirius a cup of tea, Joseph and Edward cups of black coffee, and she gave Steve a cola in a glass of ice.

"Thank you Rosey for remembering what we like," said Edward, "and the cookies look tasty."

"Yes, thank you Rosey. I'll have tea as well," said Harry as he walked into the room.

Rosey bowed and went back to the kitchen.

Harry could feel the magic from his guests. It was different just as Simon promised. He had never felt magic like this before. He sensed it more around them rather than inside them. Very different.

The three guests quickly recognized a lot of power had just entered the room when Harry arrived. They were a bit concerned to be in the presence of someone with so much power that it radiated off of him.

Petey puffed out his chest and announced Harry.

"Let me introduce Master Harry Potter, Lord of the Potters and all that is Potter. Your guests today are Chief Joseph Ironwood, Edward Ironwood, and Steve Ironwood." He gestured to each one as he said their names.

"Thank you Petey but I insist from here on out that I just be called Harry. We can dispense with the formalities since the introductions are out of the way."

"As you wish Harry," replied Petey who bowed then left.

"Kua'at," said Harry. "I am most pleased to meet you. Welcome to my home."

"Kua'at," they answered back in surprise.

As Harry shook their hands they became more relaxed. They felt his power at his touch and it was comforting, not threatening.

"You speak the Caddo language?" asked Joseph.

"No, not entirely. I was reading about your tribe and language before you arrived. My memory is good so I picked up a few small words."

"Very impressive Lord – I mean Harry. Please honor us by calling us by our given names too. I understand you will be sixteen at the end of this month?"

"That's correct."

"My grandson Steve here is 18 but looks your age. I brought him along in case you grew tired of talking to old men and preferred a conversation with someone younger, but I can tell that won't be an issue. It's very apparent you're quite wise and intelligent for someone your age. You're also extremely powerful Harry. There was no denying it when you stepped into the room. You simply radiate magical power."

"I apologize if that's discomforting to you. I was born this way."

"No, not at all. We were worried at first when we recognized all your power but you put us at ease with your handshake. You have an abundance of power but it's comforting once you truly feel it. We're not bothered by it in the least Harry."

"Good. I'm curious about your magic too, all three of you. I felt it when I came into the room. It's different from any other magic I've ever felt. Can you explain it to me?"

"Yes, Harry," replied Joseph. "We primarily practice elemental magic, although many of us can also use magic like you do. However, we never use a wand. We don't need one with Elemental magic so therefore we naturally don't use one with internal magic."

"Elemental magic? I see. That's why it feels like you draw from what's around you rather than from your magical core."

"Correct, Harry. Elemental magic normally pulls from your surroundings, manipulating nature to do your bidding in the form of the four elements – Earth, Fire, Air, & Water. Most elementals only master one of those elements. Some manage a primary and a secondary. The secondary is usually less than complete. It is rare for anyone to master all four, although it has been done in the past by a few rare individuals."

"Let me guess, Joseph. You're a fire elemental."

Joseph nodded.

"Edward, you're an earth elemental."

Edward nodded.

"And, Steve, you're an air elemental."

Steve nodded with a smile.

"How did you know that Harry?" asked Steve.

"I can feel magic around me and detect what type it is. For instance, we have an issue back home with Voldemort's followers. They're called Death Eaters. They're all dark wizards. I can detect them when they're near and tell that they're dark."

"That's amazing," said Edward.

"What I couldn't tell about you guys is whether or not you have secondary powers. I might be able to tell if I dug deeper but would not do so without your permission."

"The three of us do have the ability to manipulate more than one element," said Joseph. "My family tends to be a little better at that. While I'm primarily a fire elemental, my secondary is air, and I can even manage a small amount of water. Edward, my nephew, is an Earth elemental but his secondary is water. He can do far more with water than I can. Steve is the opposite of me in that his secondary is fire. I didn't add water until later in life so these younger ones may do the same when they're older. They likely will do better than me."

"Fascinating," replied Harry. "Do you have books on these subjects? I would love to learn more about it and see if I have any talent in that direction."

"We do," replied Joseph, "but learning elemental magic is more hands on than book learning. It's best to get out in nature and learn it there. That way you can feel what you need to manipulate. We would be happy to teach you whatever we can while you're here with us."

"That would be wonderful," replied Harry. "Maybe Sirius will join us too? Sometimes an old dog can learn new tricks."

"Who are you calling an old dog?"

"You… well?"

"I'm game. Sounds very interesting to me. I don't have your aptitude Harry but I'm sure willing to try."

"Great! Now should we discuss what you guys came here for?"

"Yes, we should," replied Joseph.

"Alright, tell me what I need to do."

"My father is quite old and is not up for travelling very far. He's primarily a water elemental which lends itself more toward healing. He's been our shaman for many decades. We have younger healers that he's trained but he's still the best. Because you're Lord Potter, he's the one who will heal you."

"So we will need to go to him?" asked Sirius.

"Yes, that would be best. If you and Harry could be ready tomorrow morning around nine, Edward will come by to take you to him. Harry, he'll meet with you first and examine you. Then he'll schedule a time to perform the removal. You'll be in good hands. His body may be a bit old now but his hands are still steady and his mind is still sharp."

"Thank you, Joseph, Edward, Steve," said Harry. "We will be ready so t'aybaw'ah."

oOo

Harry had gone to bed early that night and was up at 5:30 to exercise. It was not quite as hot as yesterday but it was definitely warming up before he finished his run. He completed his exercises, took a shower, got dressed, and had a good breakfast with Sirius that Rosey prepared.

At nine o'clock sharp Edward showed up in a nice black truck that had four doors and was quite spacious. Harry insisted Sirius ride up front with Edward while he climbed up into the backseat. They drove for a little while before they came to a village of sorts. The houses were all modern and nicely built. There were different shops with people milling about going about their routine. Most of the people Harry saw out his tinted window were Caddo Indians but on occasion he saw other races of men and women walking about as well.

They pulled up in front of a nice office building that was three stories high. Edward indicated they had arrived so Sirius and Harry climbed out of Edward's truck and followed him into the building. There was a young, friendly receptionist at the front desk who was obviously Caddo Indian. She kept eyeing Harry with interest after he walked through the door. Edward spoke in low tones to her so no one else heard what he said. When he finished she announced that they could go right on up.

They took a special elevator to the third floor. When the door opened Harry was surprised to see that it looked like a person's home. They found Joseph and Steve waiting on them. In the same room with them sat an old Indian in a wheelchair. As Harry approached he stood up and walked slowly and carefully toward Harry to greet him. Steve followed his great-grandfather at a safe distance behind him pushing the wheelchair in case he needed to sit back down.

"Sir, you don't need to get up on my account," Harry assured him.

"Oh but Lord Potter, I do. I am Dr. William Ironwood, Chief Shaman and Medicine Man with a medical degree from the University of Texas. My son Joseph told me of your great power but until you walked into the room I had no idea the scope of it. It's beyond what I've ever imagined. I wished to assure you that I'm strong enough to take care of your issue."

Harry had hurried up and reached him so he didn't have to walk any further. When he reached the old shaman and took his hand he could not help but feel the frailty and illness from old age within him. His diagnosis came back quickly to him and Harry knew he could help the old healer.

"Please, none of that lord business. Just call me Harry and I have something I need to tell you."

"Yes… Harry?"

"I'm also a healer. I don't know how to get rid of this horcrux but I have a special ability that allows me to heal those who need it. All I have to do his touch the person and I will get a diagnosis back from my magic, then I send healing magic that corrects and fixes the problem or problems."

The old shaman gasped in shock at this revelation.

"When I touched your hand my magic automatically went out and sent me back a diagnosis. I can help you. I would like to do a better diagnosis then send my healing magic to cure you of all your ailments. I can't reverse your age but I can make your life better and give you renewed energy. Will you allow me to do this?"

"Of course, it makes perfect sense. A person with the amount of magic you have in your body would naturally be able to manipulate that magic in many ways, and if you were a giving person you would use it to heal others. That's what you are. You're a very giving person so you developed this ability simply to help others. It would be my honor Harry for you to heal me."

"Why don't you sit back down and I'll see what I can do?"

The old shaman carefully sat back down in the wheelchair Steve had provided behind him. Harry knelt down beside him, moved his robe aside and placed a hand on his chest. After about 5 seconds of diagnostics, Harry sent his healing magic into the old man for about 5 seconds more. He ran a diagnostic again after that and the report came back clean. Next, Harry boosted his magical core up a little. Harry stood back up and looked down at the old shaman. He had his eyes closed and seemed to be enjoying the moment.

Suddenly, the old man got up quickly from his chair and pushed it aside. He walked around the room normally at a regular pace and was no longer stooped over. He turned quickly and walked straight over to his son Joseph and hugged him with a renewed strength. Joseph, Edward, and Steve all had tears in their eyes and they all hugged together with their elder. After that all four grabbed Harry and hugged him too. When they finally pulled away Harry's face was red from embarrassment.

"Your turn Harry. Let's get started on helping you now and there will be no charge for my services, not after what you just did for me. William had Harry follow him to another room where there was an examination table. He allowed Sirius to join them but had the others wait outside.

"Harry, please get up on the table and lie down. I will examine you and come up with the best method to remove the horcrux. Not all of these are the same so we need to see what we are up against. Just lay still while I take a look."

Harry climbed up on the examining table and laid down. He tried to relax but he was just too nervous about the proceedings.

"Try to relax Harry," said the old doctor. "This will not hurt a bit. I'm just going to determine what we are dealing with and how best to remove it. Keep still while I diagnose the problem."

Dr. William moved his hands in an intricate pattern over Harry's scar for a few seconds before doing similar patterns over the rest of his body. He came back to the scar and did a different pattern over it before he stopped and made some notes on a clipboard he had on the table beside him.

"Okay, Harry you can sit up now. I have what I need."

Harry sat up on the table and swung his legs over the side.

"How do you wish to proceed doc?" asked Sirius.

"We are dealing with a very powerful horcrux here. That's not necessarily a big issue but I'm sure it will put up a good fight, which is why I mentioned it. Most all of them do but I suspect this one will put up a bigger fight than most. I'll need a couple days to prepare so I would like you to come back on Thursday. We can do this right here but I'll need Joseph and Steve's help to contain it once it's removed. Once contained then we can destroy it."

"Will the same time we met today work for Thursday?" asked Harry.

"Yes, that'll be fine."

"Is there a safe place around here for us to apparate to on Thursday?" asked Sirius.

"Yes, of course. You can apparate to right in front of my elevator without a problem. You can leave from there as well if you wish."

"Thanks, doc. I appreciate what you're doing for my godson."

"Yes, thank you William. I'm looking forward to ridding myself of this," Harry said pointing to his scar. "However, I believe Joseph said they were going to get me started on elemental magic. I'm wondering if today would be a good day."

"I'm sure it'll be fine if you're ready to start today," replied William. "Let's check with Joseph," he said as he led them out of the examining room to a waiting Joseph, Edward, and Steve.

"Joseph and Steve, I have scheduled with Harry to come back on Thursday about this same time for me to remove the horcrux. This one is very powerful so I will need both of you to help me. Steve I'll need you to capture and contain the horcrux and then between you and Joseph you should be able to destroy it. I'll give more details as we prepare the room for the operation. Edward, I'll need your assistance with that tomorrow. The horcrux must not escape once it's removed from Harry."

Joseph, Edward, and Steve all nodded in acceptance.

"Also, I believe Harry is interested in learning more about elemental magic today. Would you be so kind to help him out?"

"Certainly, we're delighted to oblige," replied Joseph.

"Great! I'll leave you guys to it while I get to work on the room and prepare for the operation on Thursday." William looked at Harry. "Have fun!"

"Thanks again, William," said Harry.

"And thank you again too Harry. I haven't felt this good in a very long time. I feel like I could take on an army."

Harry smiled as Joseph led them all to the elevator.

oOo

After another ride in Edward's truck, Harry and Sirius found themselves at a small but nice modern school called "Hasinai School of Magic." Joseph and Steve met them there. Edward explained on the way over that the school was for magical children and mostly elemental magic was taught along with normal curriculum like they would get at a non-magical school.

Joseph explained as they walked into the school that he wanted to introduce Harry and Sirius to the elemental teachers and let them each give a brief introduction to the primary elements in their area of expertise. Not many students would be there since it was summer but a few would be, those that worked on special projects. The first person they met was the head of the school.

Margaret Fredrickson was a 52 year old woman with half Caddo Indian and half German descent blood. Her hair was black with no sign of gray. It was up in a bun on the back of her head. She was smartly dressed in a knee length navy blue skirt with matching jacket and a white blouse. She looked very professional.

"Joseph, what a lovely surprise!"

"Hello there, Margaret," replied Joseph.

"I see you brought Edward and Steve along. It's good to see you both," she said looking at them.

"Hello Margaret," replied Edward.

"Hello ma'am," replied Steve.

"Margaret, let me introduce the two friends I brought with me," began Joseph. "All the way from England is Lord Harry Potter and his godfather Lord Sirius Black. Gentlemen, I give you the head of the school, Margaret Fredrickson."

Sirius stepped forward and offered his hand. When she gave hers he bowed and kissed the back of it.

"Lovely to make your acquaintance, madam. You may call me Sirius," he said as he raised back up.

"Oh, an English gentleman," replied Margaret as he gave her hand back. "You may call me Margaret."

Sirius smiled at her as he stepped back so Harry could step forward. Harry stepped up to a waiting hand but eyes that looked worried. Nevertheless, Harry took her hand and followed his godfather's example. Her eyes relaxed after he touched her hand.

"It is very nice to meet you," said Harry as he kissed the back of her hand with a slight bow. "Please feel free to call me Harry."

"Two English gentlemen," she sighed. "What a pleasure it is to meet you both. You may call me Margaret as well, Harry. I do believe I recognize your names, especially you Harry. Yours is quite the story."

"Too bad my story didn't remain in Britain so I could completely escape it here. I do loathe all the attention I get from it."

"In that case I will say no more. I never know how much to believe from papers here anyway, much less ones in England."

"Thank you Margaret," replied Harry.

"Not a problem Harry. Now, how can I help you gentlemen?"

"We were wondering if we could borrow some of your teachers today," replied Joseph. "Harry and Sirius are curious about elemental magic and are wanting to see if they have an aptitude for it. Apparently, this is not taught in England."

"I think that would be fine. I'm sure my teachers would be very willing to help out our guests here. I have a bit of work to get caught up on but I would love to join you in the cafeteria when you break for lunch. Should you need me for anything, you know where to find me."

With that Margaret left them to return to her office. Joseph led them down the hall and up a flight of stairs to one of the classrooms. He knocked on the door.

"Come on in. The door's open," they heard from inside the classroom.

Joseph opened the door and ushered them all in.

"Hi, Kathy. It's nice to see you again," said Joseph.

Kathy was standing at a table with her back to them. She appeared to be sorting some papers. She turned around slowly and stared right at Harry. She was very pretty, probably in her early thirties, with dark brown hair that fell down around her shoulders, dark brown eyes, and a lovely figure in blue jeans and a t-shirt. She was obviously Caddo Indian.

She marched right toward Harry and stopped in front of him.

"What are you?" she asked.

She then put her hands up and felt the air all around Harry.

Harry chuckled. "It's called magic," he said as he looked in her eyes.

"Well, of course its magic. You just have too much of it," she replied.

Harry laughed.

"May I?" asked Harry as he held out his hands.

She looked him right in the eyes and placed her hands in his.

"Ah… now I get it," she said.

"My name is Harry, Harry Potter," he said still holding her hands.

"Kathy, Kathy Red Feather. I know, I know, it's a direct translation from the Caddo Hasinai language – Hahtinu' (red) Nee-tooh (feather). Somehow my family hung on to it over the generations. It's a pleasure to meet you Harry."

"The pleasure is all mine." Harry let go of one of her hands and gestured toward Sirius. "Let me introduce you to my godfather Sirius Black."

Harry let go of her other hand as Sirius stepped up and did his bow and kiss on the back of her hand. Kathy giggled after the kiss.

"You may call me Sirius."

"You may call me Kathy. I just love your accents by the way."

"Kathy," asked Joseph, "could you spare a few minutes to explain to our guests about earth elemental magic? Harry and Sirius are very interested in learning. We will be visiting other teachers today to get information on the other elements."

"Well, I'd be happy to oblige. That's what I do after all. I'm an earth elemental and that is what I teach. Like most magic we tend to teach the theory first then go to the practical. In truth, there is only a little theory to elemental magic. Most of elemental magic is based on the practical application of it. You can study the theory all you want but if you get out in nature and can't use the elements then it's a waste of time."

"Kathy," said Harry, "I have the ability to feel magic around me. For instance, before I was told I could tell that you are an earth elemental because I could feel your magic. This should not be unusual to you since you obviously could feel mine. Apparently, since elementals have to feel nature around them then they are more in tune to feeling my magic when I'm in the same room. I did the same for Joseph, Edward, and Steve. By the way, Margaret's primary element is water and hers was never brought up in our conversation."

Kathy looked at her friends for confirmation. They were all nodding and affirming what he said is true. She looked back at Harry.

"Well, you're just full of surprises, aren't you?" she said.

"What I'm wondering about," continued Harry, "is how you tune yourself to the elements? I can feel magic around me but I don't recall ever feeling elemental magic."

"I believe I should explain the theory real quick of earth magic and then when you're outside you can put that theory to work. Edward, here, is one of the best earth elementals we have. I'm sure he could help you out."

"Thanks, Kathy," replied Edward, "but while I can do I'm not sure how well I can teach. We may need your assistance again when we are ready to test this."

"Just let me know and I will help where I can. Now about that theory…."

oOo

By the time Kathy was done, it was time for lunch. They all headed to the cafeteria and met Margaret there eating with the few students that were working on projects. When Harry walked into the room all the noise of eating stopped but Margaret stood up and rectified that problem, explaining what they were feeling and that they had nothing to worry about.

The other teachers were also at lunch so Harry was able to meet them all and get the awkwardness out of the way early. They setup a time right after lunch to meet with the other elemental teachers all at once. They figured they could go through the theory of the other elements quicker that way and then they could work on the practical this afternoon.

Most of the students were older teenagers like Harry, around 16 or 17 years of age. All of them apparently knew Steve since he just graduated. Occasionally Harry would catch one of the students watching him but Harry just smiled in return. Two of the girls sitting next to each other across the way were staring constantly and giving him big smiles whenever he looked their way.

After eating, Steve excused himself from their table and went over to chat with some of his school friends. After a lull in the conversation, Harry excused himself and followed Steve over. Harry figured the only way to solve the curiosity problem was to introduce himself. Steve saw Harry walking over so motioned for him to join them.

"Harry, come on over and let me introduce you to my friends," said Steve.

"Thanks, Steve. I had the feeling everyone was curious about me so thought I would nip it in the bud and just come over and say 'hi.'"

There were only about a dozen students there but Steve indicated for them all to join them. He was with about five of his friends already so the remaining seven joined with the others. When they did Steve did a quick introduction to Harry and Harry to the students.

"You're the Harry Potter?" asked one of the girls.

"The one and only but I would appreciate it if we didn't talk about that?" asked Harry.

"Yes, Lori, he's the Harry Potter but he let Mrs. Fredrickson know when they were introduced that all that attention he gets back home is unwanted so he was hoping to escape it while here. She honored his request and we should too."

"Thanks Steve. Please let me just be Harry here," he said to the others. "It would mean a lot to feel normal for a change."

"You got it Harry," replied Lori.

"Hey Harry do that trick you do," suggested Steve. "They'll get a kick out of it."

"Trick?"

"You know, everyone's elements."

"Oh, yeah, sure."

Harry started on his left and looked at the girl sitting next to him then continued around the group telling them what their primary element was. They were all impressed and wondered how he did that so he explained about his ability to feel magic and how he was hoping that would help him to learn elemental magic like them.

They talked about what he studied at Hogwarts and they filled him in on what they studied here at this school. It didn't take long for all the students to be impressed with Harry. Even though he was young he acted so mature for his age and there was no denying the amount of power he possessed. When they asked for a demo he stood up and pointed his finger in front of him.

"Expecto Patronum," he said with authority.

Harry's twenty foot stag patronus came out of his finger and cantered around the cafeteria until coming back to Harry and lowering its head so Harry could pet him. He turned to the students while petting his patronus.

"This is my patronus. It's good for running off dementors. He has none to chase so I'll let him go."

Harry turned back to the solid white stag, gave him one last pet, and let him fade away. Margaret came running over.

"Harry, was that your patronus?"

"Yes, it was."

"Incredible! You're so young and yet not only can you produce one, it was massive and appeared to be solid."

"Well, it was large due to my abundance of magic and it was solid due to how happy the thought was and the amount of power I used."

"Incredible. When did you learn to cast that spell?" asked Margaret.

"When I was 13. My defense professor taught me when I was constantly being attacked by dementors that year. I've improved the spell since then."

"Amazing Harry. To accomplish that at 13 is simply amazing."

By this time everyone in the cafeteria had joined the group and were looking at Harry. One of the girls who had constantly stared and smiled at him earlier spoke up.

"Can you show us something else?" she said.

"I suppose there's enough time for one more. Let me see… Oh yeah. I've got one but I'll need a volunteer. How about you Lori? Since you were so kind to let me off the hook earlier, would you mind helping me with this one?"

"Okay," said Lori as she stood up and started walking toward Harry. She suddenly stopped.

"Wait a minute. This isn't going to hurt is it?" she asked.

"No, I won't be casting any spells on you so you won't feel a thing."

Lori smiled, walked the rest of the way, and stood next to Harry.

"Alright, we're going to need some privacy to set this up. No peeking now. You will just have to wait until I show you."

Harry had Lori step back a couple steps with him then he waved his hand and a solid brick wall appeared between them and the others. They could hear some people expressing their wonderment at the intricate brick wall in front of them and how Harry conjured it with a simple wave of his hand. Harry heard Margaret say that was very advanced magic.

Harry put up a privacy charm over the two of them in case Lori expressed herself too loudly and so he could give her instructions without the others hearing what he said.

"Lori, all I need you to do is stand there and talk to me. I will be looking at you closely and will only cast spells at myself. Here we go."

Harry looked at Lori for a few seconds and then began casting spells on himself. After a minute Harry completed the transformation.

"Oh my word," said Lori. "How did you do that?"

"It's called human transfiguration and is fairly advanced. Shall we reveal ourselves to our audience?"

"You sound just like me," said Lori.

"Are you ready? Let's make it difficult on them to figure out who's who."

Lori shook her head in agreement and a smile slowly spread on her face. Harry followed suit, waved his hand and the wall disappeared.

There were a few gasps from the audience and then deadly quiet.

"Lori?" one of her friends called out to her.

"Yes?" both Lori's answered.

"Harry that is about the best human transfiguration I've ever seen," said Margaret. "You are an amazing young man. Which one of you is really Lori because I can't tell the difference."

They looked at each other and smiled, then both raised their hands. Everyone started laughing.

Harry started waving his hand over himself cancelling the spells until the duplicate Lori was no longer there and Harry was back to himself. Harry saw Sirius give him a wink and a thumbs up.

oOo

After all the theory was gone over they took Harry and Sirius outside where they had large practice areas setup to test students on elemental magic. Each area was specific to one element. You could only feel that one element in each area. This is how they determined which elemental you were. The next step was to see if Harry and/or Sirius could manipulate one or more of the elements. They started with earth and received help from Kathy and some from Edward on how to get started.

Harry had problems tuning out all the magic from the people around him so he could feel the elemental magic properly. As he was struggling with that, Sirius started making some headway almost immediately. He paid very close attention to Kathy and started picking up feeling the earth element quickly. He was not able to manipulate very much yet but he was doing well and definitely showing signs of being an earth elemental. With some proper training and practice he should be able to develop it fully, they told him.

Just as Harry was about to give it up, he suddenly had an idea.

"Excuse me just a moment," said Harry. "I'm having a difficult time tuning all your magic out so I can find the earth element. I think I'll stay here while you guys move on to the next one. Hopefully your magic will no longer be a distraction and I can feel the earth element. Once I know what it feels like then I should be able to draw on it."

"That's a good idea Harry. Why don't you try that," said Kathy as they left him and walked over to the fire elemental area.

Harry closed his eyes and concentrated to find the magic. He no longer was distracted by other people's magic so he concentrated on what was directly below him. He remembered what Kathy said and focused on nature and earth itself, picturing in his mind being able to move the earth, to shoot walls of earth and stone out of the ground for protection. As he concentrated and pictured himself pulling the walls up in front of him he began to feel the earth element and committed that feeling to memory. While familiarizing that feeling he continued to imagine shooting up walls of earth and stone out of the ground.

After Harry was sure he had the feeling memorized he opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by walls of earth and stone.

"Looks like you are definitely an Earth Elemental, Harry," said Edward.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make such a mess. I wasn't expecting to actually do it yet."

"No problem, Harry. This area is made for this. I can set it to rights in no time."

Edward raised his hand and all the walls of earth and stone sank back into the earth at the same time, leaving no trace they were even there.

"Come on, Harry. We have fire next. Sirius isn't having much luck with fire. Let's see if you can feel it. Try keeping your eyes open this time."

"Right," replied Harry. "Will do."

They joined the others after a walk to the other area. There were fires lit in different parts of it.

"I take it you finally found your earth element?" asked Sirius. "It was quite difficult to miss the show you put on."

"Sorry about that. How's it going with fire?"

"Not much luck for me on this one Kiddo. You give it a shot."

"Do you need us to move on so our magic does not interfere?" asked Joseph.

"Let me try without you leaving first. Since I can see the fire it should be easier to focus on it, plus I have a better idea now of what I'm looking for."

Harry moved over closer to one of the fires and stared at it. He put his hands out toward it and focused on it to feel the fire element. He thought he had it and then he felt other people's magic again and their magic diluted the feeling from the fire element to the point he couldn't keep focused on it and memorize it.

"I almost had it," announced Harry, "but it looks like I'm going to have to learn some focus so I can ignore all except what I want to feel. For now I'll go over to the fire furthest away from you guys and try it again."

"We'll wait for you this time, Harry," said Sirius.

Harry went over to the fire furthest away from the group and did the same as before, focusing on the fire and its element. It was easier to grasp on to the element this time since he was not bombarded with the other magic from the users. Keeping his eyes open he tried to manipulate the fire while he memorized the feeling. He started out slowly trying to get it to move and saw some success as it flickered and moved slightly.

Bolstered by his small success, Harry poured more effort into it and visualized the fire spiraling upwards, then shooting into the sky, moving his hands in the manner in which he wanted to direct the fire. He was astonished when it started spiraling and looping upwards into the air. He kept this up for a few minutes while his friends came over and joined him.

Steve grabbed some fire and sent his up chasing Harry's. Next, Joseph sent his fire up and had it dance in a circle around both Harry's and Steve's. The fire elemental teacher, Joe Bensor, joined in the fun and produced a fire golem in the sky that began dancing and performing 'I'm a Little Teapot' to everyone's delight.

Everyone started laughing and lost their concentration so the fire display ended. They decided it was time to move on to water anyway. Like before, Sirius could not feel it but Harry once again, off away from the others, was able to feel the water element and began manipulating the water around him.

When they moved over to the air area, which was atop a high tower, the same thing happened. Sirius was to be an earth elemental only, while Harry was able to manipulate all four. Their friends were more than impressed with Harry.

Harry tried to explain that since he could feel all kinds of magic it was logical for him to be able to feel all of the elements but they steadfastly insisted it was still a rare feat to accomplish. They explained that feeling it was one thing. Manipulating it was quite another.

Before Harry and Sirius left to return to their house, the teachers made sure Sirius had a copy of the text books on earth elementals and they made sure Harry had a copy of all the text books for the four primary elements, plus some books on the sub-prime powers that can be developed from each primary element or combinations of two or more.

Joseph invited Harry and Sirius over to his house for a get together scheduled to start in the evening the next day. The plan was to grill some steaks for dinner. They were to meet his family and enjoy the evening together. Edward and Steve would be there along with their families. Hamburgers and hot dogs would be provided for the kids and anyone else who preferred that over steaks. They were told transportation would be provided for them. Harry and Sirius gladly accepted.

They gave Harry a bag for his books. He promptly cast the feather light charm on it and the undetectable expansion charm so everything fit. They said all their thanks and good-byes before apparating back to the house.