A Forest Lord

Chapter Thirteen

~Harry Potter-LeFay~

The next morning around six, I woke up, getting dressed for the day before I took the potion vial and once again gave Xeldris the three drops in each of his eyes before grabbing my books and with a wave to Forrester, I portaled to the entrance hall, stepping out from an alcove. I spotted Severus standing in a nearby shadow, and approached him. He quirked his lips into a small smile as he saw my approach, and stated, "These are to fix the malnutrition, and to harden your bones-right now they're quite soft. This blue one, however, is to help with your height issues. Both your parents were tall, and I would prefer it if you took it here, in the shadows, since the effect is almost instantaneous. It will grow you to the height you should be, and nothing more."

Nodding, I accepted the blue potion, drinking it all in one go with a gag. Almost immediately, I felt myself shoot up several inches, my robes and pants no longer fitting correctly. Severus chuckled, using some sort of spell to lengthen the robes and pants before he handed me the next potion, "The calcium potion, Potter."

Once I had taken all the potions, I gagged slightly, and Severus pulled a bar of honeydukes chocolate out of his pocket, breaking of a piece and handing it to me. I ate it quickly, smiling gratefully at him as it got rid of the nasty aftertaste from the potions.

Severus nodded, "I suggest you get it over with, Potter."

Sighing, I nodded, "Do you know if McGonagall has my schedule? Should I ask her for it?"

Severus nodded, "You missed classes yesterday, so if you truly want to be better, I suggest you approach each of your teachers after class and ask if there's any work to make up. It is doubtful, but it will make a good impression."

Nodding, I thanked him before I took a deep breath, shouldered my bag and headed into the great hall, ignoring the stares I received. I made my way up to Professor McGonagall at the staff table, smiling slightly at her. "Good morning Professor McGonagall, I was hoping I could get my schedule from you, and I was also wondering if there was any homework or work I missed from yesterday?"

Smiling back at me, Professor McGonagall nodded, handing me my schedule before she stated, "You have my class first, Mr. Potter-LeFay. Yesterday was a lecture, and today would be the practical work. However, if you would like, you can spend today's class reading over the basics in the book."

Nodding, I smiled, "Thank you, Professor. I'll see you after breakfast, then." I smiled at the other teachers, and wished them a good morning, before I walked slowly towards the Gryffindor table, noticing the gaping stares I was receiving from most people, including Ron and Hermione. Smiling slightly, I made my way over to Ron and Hermione, sliding in next to Hermione.

After a moment, whispers broke out in the great hall, filling it with noise. Hermione turned to me, "Harry?? What happened to you?? You disappeared for almost two whole days! You missed classes yesterday!"

Smiling sheepishly at her, I stated, "I went to check out the forest-you remember, I told you that? Well, the forest looked awful. I was contemplating going and asking Professor Sprout about it when a man came stumbling out of the forest. He-well, he was the forest king, the forest lord of the forbidden forest. He was dying, and he needed to find someone to become the next forest lord. I helped him into the middle of the forest, and he asked if I would help the forest, help protect it and the creatures and beings inside it, and I agreed. He adopted me, I have three dead parents now, and named me as his successor. I passed out, and I woke up yesterday morning. I spent most of yesterday getting the legal stuff out of the way, and learning how to use some of my abilities."

I noticed most people were hanging on my every word by now-the Gryffindor table was completely silent as they listened. Sighing slightly, I added, "I was legally emancipated yesterday in both the wizarding and the muggle worlds. I spent a lot of yesterday going over the legal stuff with King Ragnok, and I've apologized to Professor McGonagall, and I plan to apologize to all my teachers for missing class, but it couldn't be avoided. I needed to learn about my new abilities and my new responsibilities."