A Forest Lord

Chapter Five

         ~Harry Potter-LeFay~
I spent the next few hours being taught how to communicate with the trees and plant life around me, until I felt a tingle begin at the base of my spine and grow until it was a fierce pain.
Forrester seemed to realize something was amiss the same time I did, because he grasped my arm and stated, "My Lord, someone has entered the forest. How bad is the pain?"
Forcing myself not to bend over to try and alleviate the pain, I gasped out, "Really bad. Really, really bad."
Forrester clicked his tongue and replied, "A large group then. Some meaning harm. The pain is your powers trying to teleport you to the location to stop them from entering any deeper. Allow it to consume you."
Kismet launched and landed carefully on my shoulder and Forrester kept a strong grip on my arm as I stopped trying to force the pain out of my mind, and suddenly a black hole type portal opened within a large tree next to Bane and Forrester motioned for us to walk through.
As I did, still feeling really nervous about it, I stepped out of another tree and noticed most of the teachers from Hogwarts standing in a massive group.
Forrester cleared his throat, glaring at the wands pointed in our direction, and stated, "May I introduce the new forest lord, Lord Harry Potter-LeFay."
Dumbledore looked more than a tad unnerved at my appearance, but that was nothing compared to Snape or Lockhart.
"The boy must be lying! Forest lords died out a century ago! His appearance must be a transfiguration spell gone wrong, Potter must be simply trying to cover it up. It wouldn't be the first time a Potter has coerced a Hogwarts house elf to join in on his mischief."
Forrester's chest puffed up in indignation and he shouted, "I am not a Hogwarts slave! Lord LeFay was one of two of the last forest lords! He guarded this forest for the past several hundred years!"
Lockhart ignored Forrester entirely and stated, "Harry, Harry, I know you want the publicity, but pretending you're a extinct race of being? That's unbelievable my boy. Start small next time."
I heard hooves approaching and glanced over my shoulder to see Bane and his herd of centaurs approaching, Aubrey stepping out of a tree nearby.
Dumbledore took a step forward, "I will remove Mr. Potter from the forest, Bane, he doesn't seem to know the meaning of forbidden. I appreciate you returning him to me unharmed."
Bane scoffed, "He is the forest Lord now, Dumbledore. Should you remove him the forest will die. You received your phoenix from this forest and met Lord LeFay-surely you of all wizards would accept the fact that Forest Lords still exist, rare as they are."
Dumbledore shook his head, "Lord LeFay would not choose a child to become the next Lord. He himself was a young adult when he became a Forest Lord."
Aubrey stepped forward, "Lord LeFay was too sick to choose his own heir. The forest was the only thing keeping him alive for the past few months. When the forest chose the next lord, Lord LeFay heeded its advice and made Lord Potter-LeFay his heir moments before his death. Check your fancy book, Headmaster, you'll see that Harry's name has changed and that he now has three parents instead of one. Should you try and forcefully remove him, it will be the last thing any of you do. The forest nymphs stand behind him and offer him protection."
An idea struck me, "I can prove it! I can do nature magic! I can heal the whomping willow!"
Professor Sprout stepped forward, "Let's go then, my Lord. The tree is in pain, and as it was you and your idiot friend that caused its injury it's only right you heal it."
I looked over at Aubrey and stated, "They won't believe me if you leave the forest. They'll only believe I've convinced you to do it for me. Will you stay within the forest and watch?"
Aubrey smiled slightly and nodded, "Of course my Lord, you know these people the best. I will heed your wishes."
I smiled, reaching over and squeezing her hand lightly, "Thank you, Aubrey. I'll see you soon."
I led the way out of the forest and to the tree, which stilled at my approach. A centaur I didn't know the name of stated, "The tree recognizes safety when they see it."
I smiled at everyone, noticing the dumbstruck looks on Lockhart and Snapes' faces, and stepped directly up to the tree and whispered apologies to it before focusing on my magical core like Aubrey had told me-I had to focus on healing this particular tree.
I closed my eyes and pushed the magic out of my hands, hearing the gasps behind me. When I felt no other injuries on the tree I pulled my magic back and stepped away, gently patting the tree before I turned and looked back to the group.
Dumbledore looked incredibly pale, as did most of the teachers, but Snape looked livid.
"I want him expelled!! He isn't a wizard any longer! He's a creature!" Snape's voice was loud and angry.
Dumbledore turned and shouted, "Enough Severus!! I don't want to hear another word of expulsion! Harry is and will continue to be a student of Hogwarts! I will hear nothing more about it!"
I cleared my throat and stated, "He has a good point, Headmaster. I will need to test and make sure I'm still capable of performing spells with my wand and such. I will also need to spend weekends in the forest,"I looked over at Forrester and added, "And I'll need Forrester with me at Hogwarts.  He's a free elf, and knows a lot about my abilities and can help me keep them under control. I also need to visit Gringotts. Lord LeFay told me that I had papers and vaults to deal with."