The Necromancer

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

For a good long while after that faithful day Harry couldn’t stop feeling incredibly dumb that he hadn’t noticed any of the horrible things that were going on around him any sooner. His parents comforted him and told him it wasn’t his fault that he’d missed the horrors around him because he was still only a child.

Well, whatever it was, the veil had well and truly been lifted and once seen, the reality of the world around him couldn’t be unseen. Harry now knew that he lived in a world filled with violence and death, where children were commodities to be rented out and traded and sold, and once in a while to be fucked to death.

Most of the beautiful sheen that had covered Harry’s experiences in Santika had disappeared altogether, and the world that was left behind was bleak and unforgiving.

Nonetheless, Harry’s parents wouldn’t let him wallow in the misery he suddenly felt for very long.

“We will help you get out of here, sweetheart,” his mum told him time and again while his dad nodded with a reassuring smile. “You won’t always be a child and you have Karakas’ favour, so you’re going to use that to your advantage.”

Harry’s parents insisted he start summoning extended family members, because as his parents explained, they needed more people they could trust and who could help them learn about the world and spy on all Harry’s enemies, but Harry wasn’t sure at first. “Karakas told me I couldn’t summon anyone else or he would take away my amulet.”

“Sometimes you have to take risks, Harry,” his dad said with a firm nod. “Don’t tell anyone about this, simple as that.”

“And the first thing we’ll put on the list to research is how to make such an amulet yourself, so that even if you do lose it, you can simply replace it,” Harry’s mum added, and Harry figured that was a good enough plan so he agreed.

The first person Harry summoned was his paternal grandfather, a man named Fleamont Potter.

Harry was still only eight years old and while he was really good at summoning his parents by then, adding a third soul to the mix wasn’t easy. The first time Fleamont Potter appeared alongside his parents, he only had time for a quick, excited greeting when meeting his grandson before he disappeared again.

And so the process began over the following weeks and months and years of practicing summoning more and more family members simultaneously until Harry was able to keep them all tied to the land of the living for hours on end.

Fleamont Potter and his wife Euphemia Potter-MacMillan were the first ones to join their Dream Team, as Harry’s father liked to call it. It only took a brief explanation from James to convince them to join in the operation of seeing Harry free and safe. Fleamont suggested Harry summon his younger brother Charlus Potter and his wife Dorea Potter-Black next, knowing they would want in on the adventure, which was indeed the case. Charlus was a no-nonsense man who had been a curse-breaker in his life, and Dorea had been Charms Master, and they were eager to assist their grand-nephew in any way they could.

Next to join the Dream Team were Fleamont’s parents, Henry Potter and Bernadine Potter-Smith. Henry and Bernadine had both been Ward Masters in life.

Henry beamed when he was introduced to his great-grandson. “Named after me, then?”

“Er…” Lily said while looking between Henry and Harry. “And after my grandfather Harry Evans.”