Young Celestial Wizard [Celestial Grimoire, Harry Potter]

---Two Weeks Later, September 1987---

The Great Hall buzzed with activity as students poured in for the start-of-term feast. Harry watched from his usual spot at the staff table, stifling a yawn. The summer had felt longer than usual without any of his friends around.

He spotted Charlotte at the Gryffindor table, looking better than she had after the Fear Vault incident. The dark magic scars were still clearly visible now if you knew where to look. Harry really wanted to catch up with her, but he'd probably only have time to do that tomorrow once things settled down.

His thoughts drifted back to what he'd discovered about magical energy over the past few weeks. Before he had this sensitivity to his souls he'd been thinking about magic all wrong. He used to think that he could feel his magic draining when he converted it to mist, but from what he figured out, magical energy was like an ocean - vast and endless. What mattered wasn't the amount available, but rather how much a witch or wizard could safely channel.

Harry's Po Soul acted like a cup, drawing in magic from that infinite ocean. But just like a cup could only hold so much water, his Po Soul had limits. He could push past those limits, keep drawing in more magic, but that left him feeling drained and tired afterward. Better to let his Po Soul rest and recover between uses.

It would explain why casting many spells left wizards exhausted - not because they ran out of magic, but because their soul needed time to recover from channeling so much power at once.

Harry watched the last first-year get sorted into Hufflepuff, ready to sigh in relief that the long ceremony was finally over. The warmth from his bracelet stopped him short.

Not now, he thought with a frown. The familiar static began creeping into his mind, making it harder to focus on what was happening around him. Harry gripped the edge of his chair, trying to anchor himself to the physical world like Dumbledore had taught him.

"...delighted to welcome our new students..." Dumbledore's voice faded in and out as Harry struggled against the mental interference. The static grew stronger, and for a moment all Harry could hear was white noise.

He could only be thankful his Po Soul remained calm, and he didn't disturb the ceremony even as his Hun Soul battled the bracelet's effects. Bit by bit, the Great Hall came back into focus. Harry caught glimpses of Dumbledore moving to the front, where a new face had joined the staff table.

"...forbidden forest remains, as the name suggests, forbidden..." Harry managed to catch that part clearly before the static surged again. He missed the next few sentences entirely, only tuning back in when Dumbledore's tone grew more serious.

"An important part of the learning process is to learn how to identify and overcome dangers, both seen and unseen."

That caught Harry's attention enough to pierce through the interference. He watched as Dumbledore stepped aside for a pretty witch with wavy red hair and blue eyes. Her clothes looked expensive but practical, with a brown shirt and trousers that reminded Harry of dragon scales. A blood red waistcoat hung shorter in the back, and her black robes had some kind of eye symbol pinned to them that Harry didn't recognize. White gloves and tall boots completed her outfit.

"...Madam Patricia Rakepick, a world-famous Curse-Breaker..." The static was finally starting to fade as Dumbledore finished introducing her. Harry's head felt clearer just in time to hear her speak.

"Thank you for that glowing introduction, Professor Dumbledore," she said with a slight smile. "I must admit, I was shocked when he invited me back, given all the trouble I caused as a student."

Harry perked up at that. Someone who caused trouble at Hogwarts and still became successful? That was interesting.

"After graduating, I became Head Curse-Breaker at Gringotts Wizarding Bank," Rakepick continued. "As a student, I tried warning everyone about the Cursed Vaults, but the faculty ignored me. Now that they've been forced to admit their mistakes, I'm here to open these vaults and uncover their secrets."

Her tone grew sharper as she added, "I may ask some of you to describe what you've seen. I might even request help with my investigations. But I will not tolerate anyone interfering without permission. From now on, stay away from the vaults and stay out of my way."

Harry glanced at Charlotte, wondering if she'd caught the implied threat in those words. They'd already solved two vaults - would this Curse-Breaker try to stop them from finding the rest if they acted up? His Hero's Journal gave him a gentle mental nudge, suggesting Rakepick would be important somehow.

Rakepick's words hung in the air for a moment before polite applause broke out from the staff table. Harry barely noticed, his attention caught by Charlotte's quick glance in his direction. She gave him a tiny nod - she'd definitely caught the warning in Rakepick's speech too.

The feast appeared on the tables, filling the hall with delicious smells and excited chatter. Harry reached for his goblet of pumpkin juice, but stopped when his vision darkened slightly. His green eyes grew darker as another offer appeared in his mind.

[A Dark Body - Wizarding World] – Costs 200CP, 275CP available to spend.

The Dark Arts holds great potential for power should one be willing to... experiment. From rituals to potions to curses and more, both your body and mind can be transformed and made greater, far greater. But as always, there are consequences to such things and not all transformations are compatible with one another. Fortunately, it seems your being is quite receptive to such things.

From now on, your body and mind shall mitigate the negative effects of any transformation you choose to undergo. More specifically, it means that you any modification you choose to undergo will, at bare minimum, not kill you. More often than not, such alterations to your form shall succeed. But be careful. You may live and your body may remain, but it would do well to remember that there will always be changes. This only mitigates such things. It will not rid you of them entirely.

Harry's first reaction was immediate disgust. A Dark Wizard's body? The very thought made his stomach turn. He'd seen enough pictures in Defense books to know what happened to people who messed with that kind of magic.

But as he read through the details again, he realized it wasn't quite that simple. The offer wasn't giving him a dark wizard's body - it would just help protect him if he ever needed to change himself permanently through magic. Still, the whole thing felt wrong. Why would he ever need protection from Dark Arts transformations? He wasn't planning to learn dark magic in the first place.

Harry shook his head slightly. No point wasting his limited CP on something he'd never use. This wasn't even worth bringing up to Grandpa - the answer was pretty obvious. He dismissed the offer and reached for his pumpkin juice again, turning his attention back to watching Rakepick. The new consultant was already deep in conversation with Snape, and Harry wondered what she might already know about the other vaults.

---Three Weeks Later---

Harry moved through his firebending forms on top of the Astronomy Tower, blue flames flowing around him in different patterns - first a spiral that wrapped around his body, then splitting into smaller streams that wove between his fingers like string. He'd gotten much better at controlling the temperature too. The flames could be hot enough to melt steel or cool enough to warm his hands on a chilly morning.

Harry paused his practice, considering something he'd been experimenting with lately. He deliberately made his chi flow rougher, less refined, and pushed it out through his palm. Orange flames burst forth, crackling and spitting like a normal fire. It was interesting that he could still make regular flames, but Harry didn't see much point to it. The blue fire came naturally now thanks to his Po Soul refining his chi paths. It was hotter, more precise, and didn't require any extra effort to maintain.

"Time to wrap up," he muttered to himself, letting the flames dissipate. The sun was getting higher, and he needed to head down to Hogsmeade soon to help with the festival preparations. It was nice to finally get the world to see his art, and he was even more glad that Aunt Min approved him helping out.

The flight to the village was peaceful. Harry could see decorations already starting to go up - floating lanterns, colorful banners, and enchanted streamers that changed colors. Mr. Bilmes from Zonko's was organizing everything, running around with boundless energy as he directed volunteers.

"Ah, young Mr. Potter!" Bilmes called out when he spotted Harry transforming back to a human. "Just the artistic eye we need! Come help us with these banners, would you? They're looking a bit... well, see for yourself."

Harry looked where Bilmes was pointing and had to hold back a laugh. Someone had tried to paint festive scenes on the banners, but the results looked more like abstract blob art. Even the magical paint seemed confused, shifting uncertainly between colors as if trying to figure out what it was supposed to be.

"I can fix those," Harry said, already pulling out his art supplies out of the pouch on his enchanted belt. "What kind of scenes were you thinking of?"

"Oh, something appropriately autumn-themed! Pumpkins, falling leaves, that sort of thing. But please, nothing too spooky - we want this to be family-friendly!"

Harry nodded and got to work. Thanks to his painting talent and regular practice, he could create detailed scenes quickly and efficiently. The magical paint responded perfectly to his brush strokes, creating images that seemed to come alive on the fabric. Leaves flew in painted breezes, pumpkins glowed with warm light, and magical creatures played hide-and-seek among illustrated trees.

"Merlin's beard, that's incredible!" Madam Rosmerta had come out of the Three Broomsticks to watch him work. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to paint something for the pub as well? The walls could use a touch of your talent."

"Maybe another day," Harry said, adding final touches to a particularly tricky bit of detail. "I should finish these first."

More villagers gathered to watch him work, and Harry found himself explaining his technique to several interested observers. It was nice being appreciated for something he'd actually worked to master, rather than just being "The Boy Who Lived." Even if the talent itself had come from the special offers, he'd still spent countless hours practicing and refining his skills.

The morning passed quickly as Harry helped transform the village for the upcoming festival. Between paintings, he listened to the locals chat about their plans and expectations. Apparently, this was the first time they'd organized something this big in years. The whole village seemed excited about it.

Harry waved goodbye to the villagers and took off into the air, enjoying the cool breeze against his feathers. The festival preparations were coming along nicely, and he was looking forward to seeing everything come together the next couple of weeks.

He was just soaring over the Bell Tower Courtyard when movement caught his sharp eagle eyes. Charlotte stood frozen in place as a dark-robed figure glided towards her. The creature's tattered black cloak rippled unnaturally in the air, and Harry felt a sudden chill even from high above.

Harry didn't hesitate as he tucked his wings and dove down to help. But as he got closer, the cold intensified and the world seemed to dim around him. Then suddenly he wasn't in the courtyard anymore.

"Please, not Harry! Take me instead!" A woman's voice begged. His mother's voice, he realized with a jolt.

"Stand aside, you silly girl." A high, cold voice responded.

"No, please! Have mercy!" His mother pleaded again.

A flash of green light filled Harry's vision, followed by his mother's scream. Then another green flash came straight at him.

"An unfulfilled prophecy... it could be a good source of power in the future..."

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

The shout snapped Harry back to reality. He was still diving, but now the ground was rushing up to meet him way too fast. His wings flapped frantically as he pulled up, barely avoiding a crash. He transformed back into human form, rolling across the grass before scrambling to his feet.

A silver rabbit charged at the dark creature, which immediately retreated. Harry's whole body was shaking, and even creating a small blue flame in his palm didn't help warm him up.

"Are you both okay?" Tonks rushed over, clearly concerned for their well-being.

"What was that thing?" Harry asked through chattering teeth. His heart was still racing from both the near-crash and the memory he'd just relived.

"A Dementor," Tonks said grimly. "They feed on happiness and force you to relive your worst memories."

Charlotte had finally started moving again, though she looked pale. "You have to teach me that spell," she said to Tonks. "The Patronus Charm. Especially after what happened to Penny..."

"What happened to Penny?" Harry cut in, stomach dropping at Charlotte's tone.

"She's in the hospital wing," Charlotte said quietly. "A Dementor attacked her earlier today. If Professor Sprout hadn't found her when she did..." She trailed off, wrapping her arms around herself.

Harry clutched his fist tight, the blue flame in his other hand flaring brighter. "Why are these things even here?"

"That's a good question I don't know the answer to," Tonks sighed, running a hand through her currently purple hair.

Harry shivered again, the memory of his mother's voice still echoing in his head. The blue flame in his palm grew even bigger, but the cold feeling inside wouldn't go away completely. He wondered if Penny felt the same way right now.

"Hey, I know what'll help." Tonks dug around in her pocket and pulled out a chocolate frog. "Here, eat this. Chocolate's good for dealing with Dementor effects." She broke it in half, giving pieces to both Harry and Charlotte. "And why don't you both come with me to Hogsmeade? Could use some company while I stock up on more chocolate from Honeydukes."

Charlotte nodded, already looking better after eating her piece. "Yeah, that sounds good. Maybe we can get some treats for Penny too?"

But Harry shook his head. The chocolate had helped warm him up, but he couldn't stop thinking about Penny alone in the hospital wing. "Thanks, but I want to go check on Penny first." He glanced at the castle, then back at Tonks. "Do you know if chocolate frogs are okay to bring to the hospital wing?"

"Madam Pomfrey practically prescribes them after Dementor encounters," Tonks assured him. "Just don't tell her I said that."

Harry managed a small smile at that. He knew he should probably be more scared after what just happened, but mostly he felt angry. Angry that these creatures were here, angry that they could hurt people by making them remember terrible things, and angry that he couldn't do anything about it yet. Maybe when he was older he could learn that Patronus Charm Tonks used.

But he was also… grateful. Thankful that he had heard his mum's voice for the first time, and that it was now permanently in his memory for the rest of his life. He wouldn't ever forget it now.