HP: Fairborn Adventures

May 29th, 1976

Thick steam was amassing right below the dungeon's ceiling. Harry wrinkled his nose upon entering the classroom. Whatever class had been taught prior to his arrival must have messed up horribly. The smell was almost comparable to Seamus Finnegan's or Ron's first attempts at brewing. Almost...

"Harry, m'boy." Horace Slughorn's belly entered the classroom from his office before the rest of his body followed: "You are still a bit early, Harry."

"Undoubtedly not the best lesson to arrive prematurely, Professor." Harry frowned as he looked up towards the ceiling.

The potions master chuckled: "A very enthusiastic third year, who unfortunately forgot to regulate the temperature of his cauldron. I was forced to end the lesson early and allow for two of his classmates to accompany him to Madam Pomfrey. My apologies, m'boy, I have yet to find the time to clean it all up."

Harry stood on his tiptoes and took a tiny sniff. He immediately regretted doing so: "A shrieking Solution, sir?"

Slughorn's face lit up and he repeatedly bobbed his head: "Indeed m'boy, indeed! Very good, Harry. I am certain you will have gotten yourself an Outstanding in your Potions OWL. Such a talent, m'boy, such a talent. if only you would show a bit more ambition in my class... You could have a bright future in the field of potions!"

"Potions certainly have their merit and uses." Harry smiled: "But I am afraid my true strengths lie in slightly different branches of magic."

"They do, don't they?" Slughorn agreed with a gleam in his eyes: "Wizards of a certain caliber have always been drawn to very distinctive aspects and specific branches of magic."

Harry forced his face to remain in a neutral expression, but the Deja-Vu still occupied his thoughts. Those were exactly the words the potions Professor had shared with a young Tom Riddle. Slughorn was undoubtedly not the first professor who noticed the many similarities between Harry and a young Voldemort. In fact, Harry was long overdue for a 'I worry greatly about you, my boy' talk from the headmaster.

"Allow me..." Harry flicked the Elder Wand into his palm and waved it in an elaborate, wide arc from one side of the classroom to the other. The effect was immediately noticeable. The air quality improved drastically and the thick smoke, which had accumulated below the ceiling, vanished almost completely.

"An air freshening spell, Harry?" Slughorn chuckled good-natured: "A rather overlooked piece of magic. Certainly not one I expected a fifth year to know about. Household charms are usually neglected by students."

"I only recently researched them," Harry replied with a smirk. Indeed, improving the air quality in the Chamber of Secrets became necessary after harvesting the organs of the Basilisk.

Slughorn was about to engage him in a conversation when the door to the classroom was pushed open; the other students arrived. The very first entered the classroom and looked around. Long auburn locks parted to reveal the freckled face of Lily Evans. She headed for her usual seat in the first row when she suddenly shuddered.

Harry could almost replicate her thought process. The bench she was heading towards, was the one she had probably shared with Snape for the entirety of her education at Hogwarts... Five years to be more specific. However, after their recent fall out she'd be unlikely to want to sit with him any longer. Perhaps there was something Harry could do for her...

"Morning, Lily!" Harry called out casually from a bit further in back: "Would you like to sit with me for today?"

His mother turned to look at him while she bid her bottom lip. Relief flooded her face as she nodded briefly and turned on the spot to head in his direction. Lily took a seat beside him and started unpacking her cauldron and supplies. Meanwhile, the rest of their peers were slowly arriving in small groups.

James shot him a curious glance at seeing his eternal crush sitting next to Harry. However, over the last few months, he had gotten used to seeing them together and Harry knew that his father was not anxious about it anymore. After all, Harry made it more than obvious that he was head over heels for Marlene. At the same time, Lily never showed more than platonic interest in him either. There was nothing to worry about and if James played his cards right, he might soon get closer to the redhead as well.

When the Slytherins, including Snape, arrived, Lily hastily occupied herself with her potions book and rearranged her ingredients kit for the third time in two minutes. Snape's small black orbs instantly shifted from his usual spot at the front, to where Lily and Harry were now sitting a bit further in the back.

The impassive mask of Hogwarts' youngest Occlumens pivoted into annoyance and anger momentarily. Then, it was replaced by a sneer, followed by the Slytherin's usual neutral expression. He tagged along with his classmates towards the right side of the room and engaged Mulciber in a conversation. Harry felt Lily exhale deeply beside him.

"It gets better with time, trust me." Harry whispered to her: "Let's focus on today's potion."

His mother visibly pulled herself together: "You are right."

They listened to Slughorn's introductory lecture, cringing when the man beamed up at seeing his two favorite students sitting together for the first time. For today's lesson, they would be preparing a Draught of Peace. Harry offered to gather the ingredients while Lily heated up the cauldron.

As soon as the brewing process started, Lily's mood changed to her usual good-natured and outgoing personality. Since the two had been working together for the entire term in charms, they had picked up on each other's clues and swiftly moved through the steps and instructions.

It was when Harry started squeezing the Valerian Root that Lily shot him a curious look, followed by a frown when she saw what exactly he was doing: "I have theorized for a while now that squeezing them provides much more juice than simply cutting. I guess I was not the only one who wandered down that path."

Harry grinned: "Actually, I can't take credit for this shortcut. It was shown to me by... let's call him my least favorite private tutor."

"What about this one?" Lily smiled and showed him a very specific way to prepare the wormwood before adding it to the cauldron.

Harry raised an eyebrow in surprise. That had been another of the Half-blood Prince's tricks and shortcuts. Perhaps Lily and Snape came up with them together during their years of being potions partners? "Sorry, but I have heard of it as well." Harry grinned: "You will have to do better than that..."

Lily's green eyes lit up playfully: "I am certain I will find something to teach you, Peverell."

"Bring it on, Evans," Harry replied challengingly.

The two continued brewing, chatting, and laughing while exchanging their tips and tricks. Shortly before the end of the lesson, Lily's mood suddenly fell once more when she watched Snape pass them on his way to Slughorn's desk. The Slytherin completely ignored them, deposited a sample of his potion, and turned around to clean up and pack his things.

Lily sighed next to him: "Do you think I made the right choice? For some reason, it does not feel like it..."

Harry took a few seconds before he carefully answered: "The confrontation between him and the Marauders was petty and unnecessary. I only got involved because I did not want to see anyone getting hurt over a stupid Snitch. However, the way he acted towards you was inexcusable, Lily."

His mother nodded sadly: "We both grew up in Cokeworth, you know... Severus was the boy who told me that I was a witch... That I am something special. He introduced me to this entire world, years before McGonagall even sent my Hogwarts Letter. I always thought he was going to remain a part of my new life forever."

I know. Harry wanted to say: "Unfortunately, the boy who called you that disgusting word is not the one that introduced you to our world, Lily. People grow apart and especially Slytherin changes them. The walls of those dungeons create an echo-chamber, where some wizards and witches become radicalized."

Her green eyes bored into his own while she nodded slowly. Her voice turned into a whisper: "I have never told this to anyone, but the Hat struggled to sort me that first night. Apparently, I have certain qualities all four of the founders valued in their students. Yet, the Sorting Hat declared that my ambition and cunning were only overshadowed by my courage and bravery. Could you imagine..." She snorted and rolled her eyes: "A muggle-born like me in the snake-pit..."

His thoughts drifted away to a very distant past... Or was it the future? Hopefully, the day, where Lily Evans will demonstrate the ultimate act of bravery and selflessness she had been known for, would never come in this timeline.

"Believe me when I say that the Hat made the right choice that night, Lily." Harry gave her a soft smile and squeezed her hand: "And despite how much it hurts, so did you when you ended your friendship with Severus Snape."

June 4th, 1976

"I will send your guest up here as soon as he arrives, Mr. Cadmus." Tom placed the tray with Butterbeer on the small table in the corner.

"Thank you, sir." Harry gave him a brief smile and took off his travel cloak to place it on the simple hanger. Tom exited the room with another deep bow, so Harry took a seat on one of the old wooden chairs. Perhaps he could use the remaining minutes to ponder over some things and prepare himself as best as possible.

The fact that this meeting occurred in the first place is nothing short of a small miracle. The chances of an ordinary letter finding its way to the Flamels, given their fame and their invaluable possession, were frighteningly slim. Luckily, Harry had an ace up his sleeve. For that, he had only needed to convince a certain fiery bird, who could deliver his correspondence directly to the intended party. Thank Merlin it had all worked out...

Flashback:

Harry walked up and down the seventh-floor corridor right in front of Dumbledore's office. From Charlus Potter, he knew that there was currently a Wizengamot session taking place in London, which Dumbledore would surely attend as the chief warlock.

Breaking into the headmaster's office might be the easiest way to get expelled since Dumbledore will undoubtedly have installed powerful charms to notify him of anything like that. However, luckily, Harry did not need to physically enter... He simply needed to establish a connection...

The memory of Fawkes resting on his shoulders, deep down in the Chamber of Secrets, was called out of the depths of his mind. Harry concentrated on every tiny detail. He could almost feel the bird's sharp claws on his shoulder, the warmth and hope it was emitting, and especially the large, sparkling tears, which dropped from the bird's beak into the lethal wound on his elbow. He was ready...

So, Harry called out: "Fawkes, I need your help."

A split second later, a bright golden flame illuminated the entire corridor and the rarest magical bird appeared in front of him, thrilling a happy melody. It flapped its wings and jumped up to Harry's shoulder to playfully nib the boy's cheek with its beak.

"It's good to see you too, Fawkes! I have missed you..." Harry laughed as he stroked its golden feathers: "I have an important letter to send and I think you are the only one that could deliver it, my friend."

The bird puffed its feathered chest proudly and cocked its head in interest.

"This is for Nicolas Flamel, the great Alchemist, and the Headmaster's friend. Undoubtedly, you know better where and how to find him."

The phoenix's black eyes glanced down from Harry's face to the letter in his palm. Then it turned its head and peeked at the Gargoyle guarding the office.

The meaning was obvious...

"Uhm..." Harry scratched his neck: "I would prefer if we could keep this between us, you know. If you do this for me, I promise to tell you the story of our first adventure, how does that sound?"

The phoenix cocked its beautiful head once more and regarded Harry with something the boy could only interpret as amusement. Fawkes let out another happy thrill and took the letter for Flamel into his beak. Then, he flapped his wings once and disappeared in another huge golden flame.

"One day I should get one of those." Harry chuckled and turned to leave, knowing that his letter had probably been delivered this very instant.

Flashback End

Harry shook his head in amusement at the memory. He took out the letter one more time and skimmed over it.

Dear Mr. Peverell,

your letter found me well and in excellent health for my age, thank you very much. It is rather amusing to have this correspondence with you when I was only recently made aware of your return to Britain by an old friend. Your request has admittedly caught my interest, which could be regarded as an accomplishment in itself, given my age and what I have seen of this world already.

Consequently, I propose a meeting between us at your earliest convenience. I remember a certain pup, called The Leaky Cauldron, located at the entrance to Diagon Alley in London. I am certain you have heard of it. If you could do me the favor to reserve a room for us on June 4th at noon, I would be willing to meet you.

Worry not, Mr. Peverell. This correspondence and the meeting will be handled with the utmost confidentiality. I will be using an alias when entering the pub and I would advise you to do the same. Surely you can come up with a name obvious enough for me to know that I will be dealing with you.

I expect your timely reply and confirmation.

Sincerely,

Nicolas Pierre Flamel

He had gone over this meeting in his head multiple times and thought about all the possible scenarios it might go. However, in the end, Nicolas Flamel was an unknown and Harry would simply have to accept the fact that the information asymmetry was unavoidable during this meeting.

It was not as if Harry had not tried to find out everything there was about the ancient alchemist. Regardless, due to the Flamels' current invaluable possession, they were an incredibly private couple, and little was known about them, despite them being around for the last six centuries.

A knock on the door before it was opened interrupted Harry's musings. A man around the age of 60 entered the room. He had dark blond hair and was of average height. There was nothing uncommon or special about him, aside from his observant light brown eyes, which took in the entire room before he closed the door behind himself.

"Mr. Flamel..." Harry stood up and approached the alchemist with his outstretched hand: "Allow me to begin by saying that it is an honor to meet you."

A small smile tucked on Flamel's lips as he accepted the offered limb and gave Harry a firm handshake. He spoke free of any accent: "The honor is most certainly mine, Mr. Cadmus... Or was it Antioch? I am terribly sorry... Now I've finally got it... Harry Ignotus Peverell..."

"You've done your research, Mr. Flamel." Harry grinned: "I'd be disappointed if you had not."

"I would hardly call it research, Mr. Peverell. After all, the stories about your ancestors held just as much popularity when I was your age." The man took him in from head to toe. His sharp eyes narrowed: "Though I must admit you look a bit older than the average Hogwarts student I have met so far..."

"Apologies..." Harry flicked the Elder Wand into his palm, not missing the way Flamel's eyes widened ever so slightly: "I don't mean to boast, but my face is simply too recognizable these days."

With a simple flick, his carefully applied concealment charm was dispelled. Harry's hair changed back into raven black, his eyes to emerald green and he gained back the few inches he temporarily lost.

"An interesting wand you've got there, Mr. Peverell." Flamel's eyes had not left the pale, thin piece of wood: "Though I am certain its previous owner misses it quite dearly."

"I don't blame him, but perhaps that is a discussion for another day, Mr. Flamel?" Harry replied and gestured for Flamel to take a seat. As interesting as the Hallows were and as curious as he was, about what happened to the original Elder Wand in this timeline, the topic of today's meeting was a different one.

"Straight to business then, I see." Flamel nodded while taking a seat across from Harry: "My apologies, I sometimes forget that not all of us have nearly unlimited time."

Harry chuckled at that, but it was the perfect transition: "Time you could soon occupy with something even you, sir, with everything you have experienced in 600 years, have not encountered yet." He placed his small leather bag on the wooden table and took out a single long, sharp fang from the Basilisk. "I assume you know what this is, sir?" Harry said as he pushed it across the table to Flamel.

The man's eyes beamed in curiosity. Harry watched as he pulled a pair of gloves from the inside of his robes and carefully picked up the fang: "My wife and I have speculated each day since your letter reached us what this source for your ingredients, you mentioned in your letter, could possibly be. I am impressed, Mr. Peverell..."

He studied the fang for almost another minute before addressing Harry again: "I have never encountered a living Basilisk, but I've held a fang before, though it was much smaller. This one right here is incredibly old and holds far greater amounts of venom than I thought possible. May I ask how you acquired this?"

Harry smirked: "I killed it... Or should I say, I strategically placed a rooster in front of it, which killed the serpent."

Flamel looked at him disbelievingly, so Harry continued: "Are you familiar with the Legend of the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts, Mr. Flamel?"

The man almost dropped the fang: "I- of course- Are you saying...?" He stuttered.

"Yes indeed..." Harry nodded: "You are holding one of the few fangs of Salazar Slytherin's pet snake, which I killed a few months ago."

Flamel's eyes dipped back down to the fang in his hands: "But that means..."

"...That the fang you are holding is almost a millennia-old." Harry finished for him: " But I digress... Perhaps, before this entire meeting is spent by talking about undoubtedly interesting but minor details, let us return to my main premise for today." Harry took back the fang and placed it before him.

"I have harvested a seventy-foot Basilisk, which only I can access, and I would like to sell it. I know that you have the capital for such a purchase. In addition, I could not imagine a better purpose for the serpent's organs than being used for research and to better wizarding society..."

Harry paused for a second and pushed the fang back across the table: "Just envision the possibilities you might have. Be it the study of antivenoms, immunities against magical illnesses, or the alchemistic implications of brewing potions with ancient, undiluted Basilisk venom... I am certain you are even more creative when it comes to the potential..."

The man chuckled: "You could not imagine how many years the alchemist community could advance their research with your finding. I could easily get in contact with them for you, Mr. Peverell."

"I am afraid that can't happen." Harry shook his head: "I was not the first person to encounter this serpent at Hogwarts. There is a certain man in Britain, who must not know that I killed Salazar's Basilisk. I cannot stress enough how important it is that the matter will be handled confidentially and that no one else may know about this... Do not take this as a threat, sir, but your life will be in just as much danger as mine, shall this man find out about it." Harry finished seriously.

"Did this man have a more personal relationship with the beast?" Nicolas inquired curiously.

Harry's lips curled: "He claims to be the last descendent of Slytherin, so you tell me whether that qualifies as personal?"

"I think I understand what you imply..." Nicolas nodded thoughtfully: "Nevertheless, it is my duty as a researcher to capitalize on this opportunity. In addition, as you have already mentioned, the required capital for such a purchase will hardly be the issue. My wife might be displeased with this decision..." The man chuckled: "... but If you don't mind, we can start negotiating the price and logistics already."

"I was hoping you would say that." Harry agreed with a smile: "Let us talk business then, Mr. Flamel."

June 10th, 1976

Up here the chilly air felt like a brutal whip as it clashed with Harry's face. He could barely make out the shouts and cheers of hundreds of students from the stands, edging him on to go even faster. Having caught a golden shimmer at the other side of the pitch, Harry had accelerated and lowered his profile for maximum speed. However, as soon as he managed to glimpse the object of his desire, it disappeared just as quickly.

Harry cursed and continued with his usual strategy of flying seemingly random patterns and maneuvers while keeping both eyes open for the snitch. At least the weather conditions for a Quidditch match were close to perfect. Not a single cloud covered the deep blue sky and the bright sun allowed for superb vision over the entire pitch.

Since the seventh and fifth year had completed their NEWTs and OWLs, the end of term was now rapidly approaching. Consequently, today was the last match of the Hogwarts quidditch season, the match for the House Cup. During this term, only Ravenclaw and Gryffindor had won both of their matches, making the two houses the contests for the finale. Hufflepuff had the worst season as they lost all three of their games, followed by Slytherin, who only won their's against the Puffs, but were beaten by Ravenclaw and Gryffindor.

The entire castle had been caught by the legendary Quidditch fever for the last few days. Somehow, the sport seems to hold even greater popularity than during Harry's original timeline. Countless bets had been agreed upon in the corridors, sponsors and scouts from several teams had announced their presence, and even the stands were made available for the general public.

Actually, the match had gathered even more public attention since Hogwarts' latest power couple would be playing against each other. The star Chaser of the Eagles, Marlene McKinnon, will face off against Harry Peverell, who many students proclaimed to be the most gifted Seeker of the last few decades.

Even though Harry and Marlene were both of a rather competitive nature, it was an unspoken agreement that no matter how the match would end, nothing would change between them as a couple. They supported each other during the days leading up to the match and found amusement in the various pathetic speculations of their peers.

So far, they have heard pretty much everything already. Starting from: 'They are only dating to gather information on the other team's quidditch tactics', to 'The loser of the upcoming match will break up with the winner anyways'.

Harry turned his attention back to the match which was not going too favorable for his team as of now. With Harry, James, and Sirius, Gryffindor might have the individually stronger players, however, the Ravenclaws were making more than up for it with excellent teamwork and creative tactics.

At the end of the day, James Potter certainly was one of the best Chasers Hogwarts had ever seen. Nonetheless, there was only so much the boy could do by himself, especially when both enemy Beaters were targeting him consistently. His counterparts in blue worked so well together that they had quickly taken the lead and applied constant pressure on Gryffindors' rings. Harry knew that he needed to catch the snitch as soon as possible before the gap between their scores became too wide for a clutch victory.

Hopefully, his father could keep them at bay a bit longer. Talking about his father… Harry watched in awe as a golden, red shimmer surged past a group of blue jerseyed opponents. The player effortlessly dodged a Bludger and scored a goal by throwing the Quaffle through the far-left ring with perfect accuracy.

"James Potter scores, diminishing Ravenclaws' lead to 80 - 100 for Ravenclaw!" The commentator announced: "Now we have McKinnon in possession of the Quaffle, in what appears to be a counter-attack by the eagles!"

Harry allowed his eyes to briefly dip low to the trio of Ravenclaws flying in tight formation. Even from far up here, he effortlessly spotted the patch of golden locks that was his girlfriend's head at the forefront of the formation.

Marlene dove low and avoided a collision with one of Harry's teammates, before passing the Quaffle onto the player to her left. The double pass was carried out successfully since only a few seconds later, she was in possession of the Quaffle again and continued towards the goal at rapid speed. Harry thought that she looked rather good on a broom. There was something captivating about girls in quidditch uniforms. Especially when they knew how to play...

"And McKinnon scores for Ravenclaw after a phenomenal play! The score is 80 - 110!"

Get a grip, Peverell... Harry shook himself out of his daze. Now was not the time to stare at his girlfriend's incredibly well-shaped behind and admire her skills on a broom. He could do all that during the after-party... Hopefully in the Gryffindor common room... But first, he had a game to win.

Harry decided to support James a bit. He flew a couple of maneuvers that would hopefully distract the Ravenclaw Chasers, or perhaps even disrupted their tight formation. Harry approached the trio like a falcon from above before diving straight down just when Marlene was about to receive a pass from her teammate.

"It looks like Harry Peverell is adopting the role of Interference-Seeker!"

His plan worked when he temporarily blocked his girlfriend's vision while surging down past her. In fact, it worked so well that James was now in possession of the Quaffle once more and headed straight towards their opponent's rings to score.

Harry gained a bit more height and decided not to miss the opportunity to tease his girlfriend, even though he knew full well that he was playing with fire. When Marlene's eyes found him, her scowl changed into a playful smirk, and he watched her lips form the words: "Bring it on then..."

Harry shot her his trademark, confident grin and turned to repeat his tactic when suddenly a golden glimmer right above Marlene's shoulder made him take a double peek at her. Could it be? Indeed, his suspicion was proven correct.

'This must be the sneakiest snitch I have ever encountered...' Harry huffed, as he watched the tiny golden orb stay in close proximity to Marlene's blond locks, using them as concealment. Well... It seemed like his girlfriend was in for a shock.

Harry dove back down abruptly and pushed his Nimbus One to the maximum. The people in the stands and colorful jerseys of the other players turned blurry as he squinted his eyes together in tiny slits, stopping them from tearing.

Harry headed straight for Marlene, the handle of his broom aiming for her golden head. The adrenaline was running high as he narrowed his grip and tightly nestled himself along the polished wood... Now anything would do to diminish friction with the air and increase his speed...

He was only a few meters away when his golden blond target finally detected him. Utter confusion marred her beautiful features. A split second later, Harry stretched out his right arm slightly to the side, in an attempt to predict any sudden movements from the snitch. Marlene's eyes widened when he simply continued flying right at her with incredible speed. A small shriek escaped her lips when a collision seemed almost inevitable. However, Harry then surged past. Right above her head; his outstretched fingers missed her earlobe by perhaps an inch.

Yet, they did not miss his true target

The entire stadium roared in approval and amazement when Harry held up his hand and revealed the Golden Snitch, secured tightly between two fingers.

"HARRY PEVERELL HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH, FINISHING THE HOGWARTS' 1976 QUIDDITCH CUP. THE FINAL SCORE IS 230 - 120 FOR GRYFFINDOR!"

Accompanied by the crowd's roars of amazement, Harry flew two wide celebration laps over the stands and also incorporated a few loops for good measure. Then, he landed right in the middle of the pitch and was instantly engulfed in a group hug from his entire team.

"You did it, Harry!"

"Nice job, pal!"

"I can't breathe!" Harry merely croaked with a chuckle as Sirius and James sandwiched him from both sides and pretty much pressed the air out of his lungs.

"Harry Ignotus Peverell!"

A very familiar female voice suddenly sounded in between the congratulations and victory cheers of his teammates.

"Oh-oh..." James cringed while the team parted to reveal the rather threatening-looking arrival of Marlene Elizabeth McKinnon. The girl continued tapping her foot on the ground, with her arms crossed in front of her chest: "Looks like you're in serious trouble, mate." Sirius barked with laughter.

The boy quickly shut up under Marlene's death stare. His girlfriend did not appear amused by her boyfriend's little stunt towards the end of the match. Harry gulped heavily as he watched her approach him with sharp, narrowed eyes. There had to be something he could do to make up for it, right?

However, when she was only a few steps away from him, he caught the beginning of bright sparkle in her ice-blue eyes and the corner of her lip tugged upward. Was this a good or a bad sign?

Suddenly, a pair of lithe, yet firm arms were thrown around his neck and he felt a soft body pressed against his chest. His hands automatically steadied Marlene on her slim waist and he took a deep breath. The fresh, sweet scent of her unique cologne and shampoo filled his nostrils. Her hot breath elicited goosebumps on the skin below his ear as she whispered...

"Well done, Harry..." Was the only thing he understood before his mouth was captured by impossibly soft lips. Victory has never tasted sweeter.