NIFLHEIM ACADEMY

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Summary: "The Ministry must be seen to do something", and with that, Harry Potter's wand is snapped. Expelled in his second year, he is invited to a new school famous for being the home of one of the Eight Great Repositories of Knowledge. But with Voldemort alive and the Chamber of Secrets still open, he will need every resource his new school possesses to stay alive in the coming years.

Warnings: Slash, fem-slash, het, character death, Canon-mangling, torture, politics, a BUTTLOAD of Original Characters, Original magic, minor crossovers with: Abhorsen triology, Mahou Sensei Negima, Avatar the Last Airbender, One Piece, Fairy Tail, Shadow Hearts, and Monster Hunter.

I do not own Harry Potter, Abhorsen, Mahou Sensei Negima, Avatar, One Piece, Fairy Tail, Shadow Hearts, or Monster Hunter. I'm just playing with them.

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CHAPTER ONE

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"And what exactly did you want with me, Lucius?" Dumbledore asked politely, a clear blue fire blazing in his eyes as he stared down the Pureblood who had so rudely invaded Hagrid's home in the dead of night.

"Dreadful thing, Dumbledore," Mister Malfoy declared lazily as if he didn't notice the disapproval, rummaging under his cloak for a long roll of official looking parchment which he waved somewhat mockingly in the headmaster's general direction before unrolling. "But the governors feel it's time for you to step aside. This is an Order of Suspension – you'll find all twelve signatures on it," he explained handing it over with a flourish as the headmaster stoically accepted the parchment and scanned it carefully. "I'm afraid we feel you're losing your touch. How many attacks have there been now?" he asked slyly, "Two more this afternoon, wasn't it? At this rate, there'll be no Muggleborns left at Hogwarts, and we all know what an awful loss that would be to the school," he lamented sarcastically, the faintest shadow of a triumphant smirk curling the edge of his lips as he inclined his head.

Minister Fudge paled, "Oh, now, see here, Lucius," he blustered, looking alarmed, "Dumbledore suspended... no, no... last thing we want just now..."

Mister Malfoy rolled his eyes, "The appointment – or suspension – of the Headmaster is a matter for the governors, Fudge," the former Slytherin pointed out smoothly, gesturing elegantly with one hand as he tilted his head, "And as Dumbledore has failed to stop these attacks..." he trailed off meaningfully with a significant look before glancing to the stony faced headmaster.

"But I have a solution!" Fudge exclaimed, fiddling with his bowler hat and frowning a little, "One... I dare say will now actually work better with the governors' decision, upon second thought"

Harry and Ron exchanged nervous glances under the cover of the invisibility cloak, they didn't like the sound of that.

"Oh? Do tell, Minister, do well," Mister Malfoy drawled condescendingly, looking bored.

Fudge glanced quickly at Dumbledore before nervously mopping at his sweaty forehead with a chequered handkerchief, "Well, you see, it's all rather obvious, isn't it? This Heir of Slytherin malarkey. Salazar Slytherin was most well known for being a Parselmouth, amongst other things, a talent we know is hereditary; You-Know-Who is a known descendent who also speaks to snakes; the crest of Slytherin house is a serpent – it stands to reason that Slytherin's monster would obviously be a snake of some description," the portly politician explained. Harry felt Ron palm his face behind him, murmuring about why hadn't they thought of that. Harry meanwhile, began to feel a little bit sick as he began to get an idea of where Fudge was going with all this.

"And I'm assuming you have a point to this, Fudge?" Mister Malfoy sneered impatiently, making the Minister flinch.

"Of course, of course! Err, y-yes, well, people talk, you know? And given recent events, and discoveries, bearing in mind that the monster is likely to be a snake, some people at the Ministry – not me – are beginning to wonder if You-Know-Who didn't go after the Potters because he didn't want competition, and while I don't think for one minute that Mister Potter is responsible for the attacks, the fact remains that he's the only one capable of controlling the monster that we know of, and – " he rambled sweating nervously in his pinstripes as Dumbledore's eyes went colder than ever, and Hagrid began to swell and turn red with rage, while Mister Malfoy's dark eyes glittered with something like glee. Harry felt like someone had shoved a hand into his chest and squeezed his lungs shut, he couldn't breathe.

Hagrid exploded, making everyone jump, including their hidden audience.

"JEST WHAT ARE YEH TRYIN' TO INSINUATE?!" he roared, starting forward only to stop as Dumbledore's arm shot out to bar his way while Fudge squawked and scrambled backwards in shock, thankfully his bellow had masked the sound of Harry's gasp as his lungs finally decided to start working again, he shook violently under Ron's arm, the red head shifting a bit closer and clamping a hand down on his shoulder beneath the cloak. "THA' HARRY IS RESPONSIBLE FER ALL'A THIS?! THA' A TWELVE YEAR OLD BOY WOULD – I OUGHTTA – " he made a violent handmotion and stepped forward again, ignoring Dumbledore's arm against his stomach, only to fall silent when Mister Malfoy snorted nastily.

"Twelve isn't too different from thirteen," he retorted unpleasantly, eyeing the groundskeeper with a malicious smile. "How old were you when Headmaster Dippet – "

"I will never allow one of my students to be expelled without evidence of wrong-doing, Cornelius," Dumbledore interrupted severely, peering down his long crooked nose at the Minister who fidgeted a moment, looking guilty.

"Ahhh, but Dumbledore, there's nothing for you to allow, is there?" Malfoy interrupted with dark amusement, "Did you forget? You've been suspended as Headmaster of Hogwarts, there is nothing you can do to stop him," he explained triumphantly as Dumbledore went very very still.

"It is merely a precaution, Albus," Fudge pleaded quietly, like a child desperately seeking parental approval. "For the peace of mind of the public, once the Heir is caught, Mister Potter can resume his education at Hogwarts free and clear. But for now... The Ministry must be seen to do something, Albus. I hope you understand..."

"You are making a grave mistake, Cornelius," Dumbledore stated ominously, his eyes like chips of ice as he practically loomed over everyone in the room, even Hagrid, with the weight of his disapproval.

Fudge seemed to wilt even as he straightened up, "We shall see. Hagrid, if you would?" he asked, stepping to one side and gesturing to the door, "Auror Dawlish will escort you to the Ministry for processing while I speak to Madam McGonagall about Mister Potter."

Hagrid looked like he would have rather fed the Minister to Fluffy, piece by piece. "Yeh're a blithering idiot who ought go an' boil his head. 'Arry's a good lad. Heir o' Slytherin, an' I'm the Queen o' Tir-nan-ogg," he scoffed darkly, voice dripping with a vicious brand of bitter sarcasm that Harry had never heard from the groundskeeper before. "Yeh'll regret this day, mark me, yeh'll regret it!" he snarled as he stomped out.

Dumbledore carefully rolled the Order of Suspension up and tucked it into his sleeve, "Actions, like words, once taken cannot be reversed," he chimed in solemnly as he swept after the half-giant. "I hope you are prepared for the backlash, Cornelius," he stated benignly.

"Worry about yourself, Dumbledore," Malfoy sneered, "and where it is you're going to be sleeping from now on."

Dumbledore sniffed dismissively, "I will always worry about my students over myself, Lucius," he admonished mildly, "They need only reach out, and ask, and I shall do everything within my power to aid them."

The blond wizard scoffed, making clear what he thought of that sentiment as the former headmaster left the hut.

And with that, they left. The door swinging shut behind Minister Fudge, and Harry's legs giving out beneath him in disbelief and horror. The thud of his knees hitting the floorboards muffled by Fang's desperate keen as he scratched on the door between him and his person. Slowly, Ron stripped out of the invisibility cloak, his voice stuck somewhere between his throat and his chest, unable to even think as what just happened refused to sink in.

With absolutely no justification...

The Minister of Magic had expelled Harry Potter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Ron swallowed, could he even do that? Just... ruin some kid's entire future because he wanted to without anyone able to say anything? Dumbledore could, had tried, would have tried, but couldn't because Malfoy's father had done something to make the board of governors dismiss the headmaster and -

He shuddered, grabbing his bestfriend's arm, "Harry," he croaked, "C'mon, we have to go! If Fudge shows up at the tower and we're not in there..." he trailed off, imagination wild with terror. If the Minister were willing to expel his bestfriend for just being a convenient target, then how would he react if Harry actually made it LOOK like he was the Heir? Wondering around after dark. He might throw him in Azkaban!

Somehow he managed to push, pull, drag, and cajole his insensate bestfriend up to Gryffindor Tower under the cover of the cloak, once into Gryffindor Tower he just seemed to freeze, staring up at everything as if it were the last time he would ever lay eyes on it. Ron quickly pulled the cloak off and, breaking all forms of etiquette, shoved it into Harry's front pocket while trying not to cringe at how his brothers' would react to seeing him rummaging in a mate's pocket. Bad enough he had to put up with jokes about hunting for lose change from Malfoy, he didn't want to hear it from the twins, or the inevitable lectures from Percy about theft.

It wasn't a moment too soon as at that moment, the Portrait door swung open admitting a white faced, thin lipped Professor McGonagall and a stony faced Minister Fudge. Ron shifted protectively in front of Harry and glared at the Minister through his quivering lower lip. He'd lost Hermione, he couldn't – wouldn't – lose Harry now!

Professor McGonagall opened her mouth but Ron found himself cutting her off without thinking, "We already know. We were there, in Hagrid's house when Fudge explained it. We wanted to ask him about the Chamber, about when it opened last time. You can't expel Harry! Not just because he's a Parselmouth! That's not fair!" he shouted, gripping his bestfriend's shoulders tightly as if to shield him from their plans. He could feel Harry shaking, the faintest of hitches in his breath that he knew from experience with Ginny that heralded tears and felt something hot and ugly boil in his gut. "HE'S NOT THE HEIR! HERMIONE'S IN THE HOSPITAL WING AND HIS OWN MUM WAS A MUGGLEBORN! SO WHAT IF HE CAN SPEAK TO SNAKES? HE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HE COULD! HE JUST THOUGHT EVERYONE COULD DO IT! YOU CAN'T EXPEL HIM!"

"Ron? Professor? What's going on?"

The whole of Gryffindor Tower was awake now, stumbling down the stairs in their night clothes, rubbing sleep from their eyes or staring in confusion at the confrontation happening below. At the way Ron Weasley was curled protectively around a violently shaking Harry Potter, the Minister looking alarmed and ashen faced while Professor McGonagall looked suspiciously bright eyed and stony faced.

"P-perhaps we should take this else – " the Minister began only for the youngest Weasley son to blow up again, turning to his elder brother and pointing an accusing finger at the Minister.

"HE ARRESTED HAGRID FOR NO REASON AND NOW HE WANTS TO EXPEL HARRY JUST FOR BEING A PARSELMOUTH!" the red head bellowed, red faced and frantic, "HE CAN'T! IT'S NOT FAIR!"

"Life isn't fair, Mister Weasley!" the Minister suddenly interrupted with a snap, "Like it or not, Mister Potter has been expelled, and if you don't want to end up in a cell in Azkaban for obstruction of justice you'll quiet down and do as you're told!"

Murmurs and protests went up amongst the Gryffindors, always easy to rile and get worked up over a perceived injustice. Even those who had been playing with the idea of Harry being the Heir of Slytherin were getting wound up, this wasn't how it was supposed to be done, wasn't how it should be. Where was the trial, the evidence, the proof? Not even the Minister could expel someone, or throw them in Azkaban, without proof!

"DO IT THEN!" the red head roared, voice easily tearing through the clamour beginning to kick up in the tower, squaring up to now red faced Minister, his blood roaring in his ears, burning like fire under his skin. "GO ON THEN! ARREST ME! YOU SEEM TO BE DOING IT TO EVERYONE ELSE!"

"RON NO!" Harry suddenly yelled, grabbing him and yanking him backwards. "You can't! You can't! Hermione – someone has to – you have to stay and protect Hermione," he moaned quietly. "I'll go," he announced, loudly enough to be heard. "I'll go, just, leave Ron alone," he said, quickly shifting away from his friend as he tried to grab at him, Percy already down the stairs and catching his youngest brother before he could do something to really get in trouble.

"What – wait – Harry no! This isn't fair! He can't do this! Surely there are laws or something!" Ron protested as Harry shuffled over to McGonagall and Fudge.

"I am the Law, Mister Weasley," Minister Fudge bit out severely, "and after this display, you should be thankful that I don't dismiss your father on the basis of your rebellious behaviour."

Ron went white then red with anger and fear, mouth fastening shut so hard his lips vanished while Percy looked like all his dreams and aspirations for the future had just shattered down around his ears. Whatever everyone else's facial expressions were, Fudge seemed to realise he had gone a step too far in a much too public location, he blanched a little and drew himself up, gesturing impatiently for Harry to hurry up out of the room and treating Professor McGonagall to a particularly sour look. She observed her lions for a moment before nodding her head (was that almost a smile?).

"Return to your dormitories, I will address this incident in the morning. Come along, Potter," she told them before her tone gentled considerably as she guided Harry out of the room.

He looked over his shoulder as he left, and Ron felt as if someone had clawed his stomach out when he realised Harry's cheeks were wet.

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Whether it was because he was secretly enjoying it, or he was taking out his annoyance and frustration with both Ron and Professor Dumbledore's attitudes towards his decision, but Minister Fudge seemed to take a malicious amount of satisfaction out of bringing Harry's loyal holly wand down over his knee, the loud crack tearing through the room almost like Harry fancied a gunshot would sound like. The broken hilt and shaft were unceremoniously slapped into his open palms as Harry stared down at them mutely, as he heard the Minister saying something to Professor McGonagall, whether he left then Harry didn't know because it was then that it all came crashing down on him.

He gripped his wand to his chest and crouched down, curling himself over it silently.

He had learned years ago to keep his grief quiet, to cry without making a sound. He had not yet fallen out of practice enough to let even the wail that clawed like a thing alive up his throat out. He gritted his teeth and silenced his snivelling even as his nose began to run and his eyes continued to burn and stream like a pair of taps not completely turned shut.

He could feel Professor McGonagall kneeling on the ground next to him, her thin but strong arms wrapping around him tightly, smelling of ink and parchment, lavender, and gingerbread. She stroked his head and didn't bother with useless empty platitudes as she let him cry himself out. She just held him until he could pull himself together.

"Come on Harry," she said gently, pulling back and leaving a chill where she had once been, "Your belongings will have been collected from the tower by now. We'll say goodbye to your friends, get some breakfast into you, then I'll... I will take you home," she explained, her voice wobbling ever so slightly.

Harry choked on a fresh well of tears, "This was my home," he croaked miserably, gripping his broken wand as if his hands were glued to it.

Her hands were gentle as she urged him off the floor, she didn't hurry him through the corridors as he plodded along slowly, pausing every now and again to absorb his surroundings, trying to engrave them in his memories before the beautiful dream of the last year and a half truly did fade and die completely. Minerva couldn't remember the last time Hogwarts had expelled a student, she knew there were at least two incidents after Hagrid had been dismissed, but she couldn't recall when. Both reasons for such an expulsion were warranted though, nothing no where near as frivolous, pointless, or malicious as simply possessing a frowned upon blood-borne talent. She seethed quietly in the recesses of her mind as somehow even Peeves sensed the sombre mood and paused long enough and quietly enough for Harry to say his goodbyes to the often disagreeable mischief maker.

Expelled for being a Parselmouth. She doubted it. She highly doubted it. Most people forgot, what with his constant hanging on the Floo for Albus' advise, what a manipulative cunning little bastard Cornelius Fudge could be. Oh, he was arrogant, stubborn, and both spineless and overly proud in equal and unhelpful measures, but he was no fool, no idiot, and he had the ability to think in the long term, to gain flashes of brilliance and insight decades before they would be useful. It was how he became Minister for Magic, how he gained the right to campaign to begin with. He started his political career early, barely half a decade out of Hogwarts, those early decisions, that brief flash of insight, took him to the top during his lack-lustre campaign that was only half-heartedly funded by his wife's widower of a father.

If he hadn't expelled Harry Potter as an attempt to curb a future threat to his political career, she would kiss Argus Filch full on the mouth!

Really! By the time Harry was in any position politically or even physically to campaign as Minister for Magic, Fudge would have retired or moved into the Wizengmot and thus been unable to even hold his office. It was, after all, illegal to be Minister and retain a seat.

She wasn't surprised to find most of Gryffindor House awake and waiting by the time they returned, it seemed as though Young Mister Weasley had given them all the complete run down of what had occurred and why – though how he knew she only had the vaguest of ideas. He had claimed to be present when the Minister arrested Hagrid, but the man himself had blustered about how he had seen neither hide nor hair of Mister Weasley or Potter within Hagrid's abode otherwise he would have handled Mister Potter's expulsion then and there and saved himself the harassment and disrespect of the youngest Weasley 'brat'.

She held a hand up to silence her Lions before they even began, "Stop. Mister Potter, Mister Weasley, all those relevant, take your goodbyes to the dormitories while I speak to the rest of your house," she commanded, gently giving Harry's shoulder a small squeeze as he nodded, subdued but now dry eyed as he quickly moved to Young Mister Weasley's side and took his hand, pulling the scowling red head up the stairs to their dormitory. All of his yearmates, the Weasley Twins, Mister Percy Weasley, and the Gryffindor Quidditch team scrambling after him, anyone else was barred by a fierce Lee Jordan telling them to butt their ugly noses out as what happened up there was none of their business!

"No doubt Mister Weasley has informed you of what has occurred. But just to confirm, the Ministry of Magic has seen fit to step in on the Chamber of Secrets incident. The board of governors has decided to suspend the Headmaster regarding the current attacks due to lack of confidence. As a result, there was no one in a position of authority to argue the Minister's decisions regarding the school. Hagrid, whom I am sure many of you know and are fond of, was previously connected to the Chamber incident fifty years ago, a Prefect caught him raising an unknown magical creature in a cupboard and reported him. At the time, the common belief was that the creature had escaped containment and attacked the student populace and an unscrupulous supremacist took advantage of the situation to create panic. Never the less, Hagrid was expelled at the time. The Ministry decided that in order to handle the current incident, all individuals connected would be dealt with. As such, even though he possesses both mine and Headmaster Dumbledore's complete trust and confidence, Hagrid has been arrested and consigned to Azkaban Prison for the foreseeable future – "

"But Professor!" a sixth year piped up frowned, "Surely he got a trial? Right? They can't just decide he's guilty and throw him in without proof!"

"Unfortunately, Miss Dunvegan, the Minister for Magic can. During times of civil unrest he can move with autonomy outside the norm, originally it was so that the Minister could sign emergency laws into practice, and work for the betterment of Magical Britain should he ever feel his office was compromised in any way. With spells like Imperio, various compulsions, and even potions, it was a very real concern during times of war. However, due to administrative errors during You-Know-Who's last rise, the unrest, the sudden disappearance, and the political backlash from many prominent Pureblood families suddenly returning to their senses meant that the emergency procedures were never written off. Legally and Officially, England is still in a period of civil unrest, thus giving the Minister complete control outside the bounds of the law over the population.

"As such, on top of arresting Hagrid without trial, Mister Potter has also been expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on the grounds of his Parselmouth abilities," she finally detailed with a heavy sigh. She expected the room to explode into protests, into shouting, confusion. The heavy silence was worse. It prompted her to explain further, she shouldn't open her mouth, but her lions deserved to know why one of their own was being persecuted, being thrown out, exiled. "Slytherin's monster is currently believed to be a serpent of some description. Mister Potter's parselmouth talents have brought a concern to the Ministry that he is perhaps the one controlling the monster. However, as Mister Weasley so effectively pointed out earlier, until the Duelling Club, Mister Potter was unaware he was even speaking another language, on top of his own less than pure lineage and continued association with Miss Granger, it is ludicrous to even consider him as the Heir of Slytherin. He is a Gryffindor. And whether or not he calls this castle home, he always will be," she declared strongly, glaring down the length of her nose at her lions as she drew herself up strongly.

Nods and calls of agreement went up amongst the students as looks were exchanged.

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The goodbyes between Mister Potter, his friends, and team did not take long. It was trying to pry Young Mister Weasley away from him that took the bulk of the pre-dawn hours, talking him out of leaving Hogwarts with him in a show of solidarity, of attacking the Minister in revenge. But Harry vetoed them, reminding him that someone had to stay and take care of Hermione, protect her; he would make it, he would manage. He'd been planning his escape from the Dursleys for years, it would be more difficult now that he had two years of muggle schooling to catch up on, but he had motivation now, and it wasn't like he was attending the same private school as Dudley, so he didn't have to keep his scores lower than his idiot cousin. He would survive.

It broke her heart to chivvy him out of the tower, young Percy having to hold his little brother back and stop him from chasing after them as she took Harry away. Deciding to avoid the Great Hall, and no doubt the heckling of Slytherin House who were probably already aware of Mister Potter's expulsion thanks to that little albino toad Malfoy, she took him into the kitchens for breakfast.

He had clearly seen a House Elf before, though where she couldn't think of unless he caught sight of one of their own for whatever reason, so he didn't ask what they were as they were sat down and served a swift breakfast. They ate in silence, Harry too despondent to do anything more than nibble on his raspberry jam toast, and Minerva with her heart quietly breaking even further, unable to muster her house's famous courage to break the silence.

If Harry drew out his breakfast far longer than she knew he usually took, she didn't comment. Merely poured herself another tea and waited him out. Were it any other student she probably would have snapped at them to hurry it up, but she wasn't heartless. And this whole situation was wrong no matter which way one looked at it.

So she let him take his time, she let him gather himself, and when he was ready, they bade the kitchens behind and went to the small side-chamber next to the Great Hall, the same one that he had stood in over a year ago waiting to be Sorted. His trunk was waiting, along with Hedwig and her cage, the snowy owl hooting almost in askance as they came in.

Minerva closed the door behind them and knelt in front of the twelve year old, gripping his shoulders gently. He was so young, and small. James had never been this tiny, neither had Lily, not even in their First Years. Lily had actually been the taller of the two until they reached Fourth Year and the Gryffindor Boys all seemingly obtained their growth spurts at the same time, returning to school with an extra six inches of height to her two. Severus had come close when in his first year, but even then he was a little taller, more filled out. Minerva had worried when young Harry stepped through those doors. She knew neglect when she saw it, and it was stamped on every inch of the poor child, the way he looked at others, the way he shied from attention both from the students and the teachers, his treatment of food, the people around him.

"We will be taking something called a Portkey back to Privet Drive. It will be a bit of a bumpy ride just to warn you. I will explain the situation to your relatives, and... lay down some ground rules for them. I know your home-life isn't as happy as you allow others to believe, but I will not allow you to come to harm, Harry. I will check on you as often as I can. No matter what, you're still one of my lion cubs," she explained softly and earnestly, as firmly as she could hoping that the tightness of her hold on his shoulders would convey her honesty.

Harry's smile was a shadow, a little wobbly, and gone like the wind. He didn't think he would ever be able to smile again.

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Originally I wanted to cut after Lucius and co left Hagrid's hut and jump to Privet Drive with Harry looking back on these scenes retroactively. Not as a flashback because I hate them, but just in summary. But Reighost insisted that we have the wand snapping scene, and then Ron happened and Minerva, so we now have this. Made inbetween trying to build Niflheim on Minecraft and getting lost down abandoned mining shafts.

But still, hope you guys enjoy this. There will be a lot of OCs, just to warn you, and I will have pictures and what not of them on my facebook page along with the Minecraft map of the school when I finish it. So far I'm still on the first floor and fighting with the left wing dormitories and headmistress's office. Yeah, I made myself an Author page on facebook since my account got suspended, I made a new one but put my writing on a Page and kept my account private so check it out. I'll have regular status updates on there.

Just to warn you as well, I plan on taking this above and beyond Voldemort, there will be repercussions to this, and I'll be playing with a lot of aspects from those minor crossovers and bringing them into this fic. Hope you enjoy it and give me some feedback.