A Forest Lord

Chapter Fifteen

~Harry Potter-LeFay~

Draco went and sat with two Slytherin girls instead of Crabbe and Goyle, and from the whispering and the constant glances in my direction, I knew he was beginning to get spread the rumor among his House that he was going to get close to me for my wealth and prestige.
I sat between Hermione and Ron, whispering and letting them know the plan for after class.
An annoyingly long class later, Draco met up with us after dropping his things off in his dormitory, and I portaled us to the lounge room in the forest home, motioning for everyone to get settled.
Draco, however bowed courteously towards Hermione and Ron, "Granger, Weasley, I'd like to formally apologize for all the rude and uncalled for things I've said to you over the past two years. I let my parents views of the world decide how I treated people, and I've recently realized I should have passed my judgement based on how you are as people, not your blood, or how much money your family has. I'm very sorry."
Hermione seemed to be trying to gauge his sincerity as she stared at him for a few moments before she nodded slightly, took a deep breath and replied, "I accept your apology, Malfoy, and offer my own. I was angry and unnecessarily rude to you. I'm sorry."
Draco nodded, "I accept you're apology, Granger, and ask that we put our differences aside."
Hermione nodded, and Ron cleared his throat and spoke, "Malfoy, our families have had a long standing feud between them for so long that we don't even remember why we hate each other. In the spirit of friendship, and mainly for Harry, I accept your apology and offer my own. I've been a git, and I've been half of the problem between you and Harry. I hope we can at least be civil, for Harry's sake."
Draco nodded, "Agreed, Weasley. For Potters' sake. Now, shall we go to dinner? I'm quite hungry."
Nodding, I opened a portal to the Great Hall, and we all walked through. Draco nodded to us before he made his way over to the Slytherin table, once again taking a seat between the two girls-one a blonde in our year, and one a black haired I'd heard was a half-blood like me. Hermione led the way to the Gryffindor table, and I sat between her and Neville, Ron sitting across from us.
"Harry, is it true that you can heal plants? I overheard Professor Sprout and Professor Sinistra talking about how you healed the whomping willow."
Grinning, I admitted, "Not just heal them, Neville, apparently I can also speak to them. I can get a small response from younger trees, mainly emotions, but I can have full conversations with older trees-including the whomping willow. Did you know the willow was placed there the year before my dad came to Hogwarts? Apparently there was a boy coming that same year that was a werewolf. Dumbledore placed it there to protect both the boy and the rest of the school-keep the rest of the students out, but on the full moon, keep the boy in. Apparently that's also why the shrieking shack is called the most haunted place in the UK. The boys screams echoed out from the place, and gave it the nickname. Really, it just used to belong to a couple who lived in Hogsmeade, and Dumbledore bought it to for a place for the werewolf boy to transform. I think it's kind of fishy that Dumbledore only let one werewolf join, don't you? Willow says that there hasn't been a werewolf here since that boy graduated."
Neville, along with several other students who had been listening into our conversation, seemed to be staring at me, dumb-founded. Eventually, I just shrugged, beginning to pile food onto my plate and eat. After a few moments, Hermione cleared her throat and snapped, "Enough staring at Harry! If you have questions you can ask them politely one at a time while letting him eat. He has a meeting with a professor after dinner, so he needs time to eat too!"
Neville spoke hesitantly, "Do-do you think you could check on some of my plants sometime, Harry? I have a greenhouse at my family's manor, and Gran says some of my plants aren't doing well."
Nodding solemnly, "Of course, Neville. I know how much your plants mean to you. Perhaps we could visit there this Christmas? I wouldn't need to stay long, of course. I plan to spend my Christmas at my home in the forest."
Neville grinned happily, "Thanks Harry, I appreciate it. I'll ask my Gran."
Dean cleared his throat, "So um-what sort of abilities do you have now, Harry? Any wicked ones beside your portals?"
Shrugging slightly, "I can make portals, speak to plants and I have all-speak. I understand every written or spoken language. It all sounds like English to me. I found out when the goblins were speaking in the goblin language and I could understand them."
Dean's face split into a wide smile as he breathed out, "Wicked!"
Lavender spoke next, "What are those things on your head, Harry? Do they come with being a forest lord?"
Self-consciously, I reached up and touched the bone-like substance growing out of my forehead, "Yes, my house elf, Forrester, he's a free elf who has been serving the forest lords for ages, he said that Lord LeFay had been sick for a long time and so he had been reduced to his wizarding form, but that in his forest lord form he had, had horns. I assume they're going to grow in slowly over time, as I'm still a child."
Lavender nodded, "Hopefully it enhances your natural looks instead of making you look beastly."
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Harry will look just fine with horns, Lavender. Harry is still Harry, he just looks a bit different and has more abilities, on top of having another name and more responsibilities."
Seamus laughed, "So, he has changed, Hermione, in all the ways you just said."
Dean shrugged, "He's still Harry, mate. Not much has changed, and you shouldn't treat him differently."
I ignored the conversations around me, focusing on my food when I wasn't answering some inane question from one of my house mates. After I finished, I looked up at the staff table, noticing that Professor Sprout had already left, as had several others, and so I made my way to the greenhouses-from what I could remember, Professor Sprout's office area was in one of them. I noticed her stepping out of one as I neared, and I smiled politely, "Hello, Professor. I hope I'm not too late. My house mates had a lot of questions so it took me a little bit to be able to finish eating."
Professor Sprout smiled, "No problem, Mr. Potter-LeFay, you're right on time. Now, if you'll step into my office where we can ensure there are no prying ears, I can explain why I wished to speak with you."
I followed her in, noticing that she put up a couple privacy spells before she sat down, motioning for me to sit across from her. "Mr. Potter-LeFay, I'm sure you recognize the situation you're in, correct? You have the opportunity to rise up, to help protect not just your forest, but the forests that are dying out across the world."
"Please, Professor, call me Harry. I'm not used to being called Mr. Potter-LeFay all the time. As for what I can do, I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. I know I can protect my forest, the one I live in, the one that chose me, but I'm not sure what I can do about the other forests. Politically, I'm barely recognized as having rights anymore, Professor. Professor Snape may have acted rashly last night, but he wasn't wrong. I'm no longer human. I speak to plants, to animals. I'm growing horns, for Merlin's sake! I doubt that they would listen to me when I said to leave the forests alone, or to protect them."
Professor Sprout smiled sadly, "You're not wrong, I'm afraid, about your rights, or about how you'll be viewed by the Ministry, but as you're so new, I doubt Forrester has brought up the fact that you can turn others into forest lords, assign them to forests. It's similar to how a king or queen can knight a person, or make them a noble-except it hasn't been done in several hundred years."
"I can-I can create more forest lords?? But how??"
Professor Sprout nodded, "It's not well known, and I believe King LeFay purposely let the knowledge fade. It's a ritual, you see, and the Ministry outlawed most of them. Not this one, however, but the greedy gits on the Wizengamot wouldn't hesitate to outlaw it if they knew about it. It's usually done in a forest that is either unclaimed, or the forest of the forest king. You'd call upon the magic of the forest and her occupants to judge the candidate and if they find them worthy, then grant them the ability to protect a forest. It must be done only with people you know will have the forest and her occupants best interests always. If you're wrong, you can be stripped of your ability to create more forest lords, and possibly even your kingship."
"But...Why didn't Lord LeFay do this then?"
A quiet pop! sounded, and Forrester bowed low before he spoke, "He tried long ago, once. As Professor Sprout has explained, if the candidate wishes harm, or wishes to be a forest lord only for the power or abilities they will gain, the forest will strip him of his ability to do the ritual. Lord LeFay wanted to create more, succeeded in creating three others, but the fourth-she wanted only the abilities, and the prestige. She thought if she was like him, Lord LeFay would wish to marry her, and she would gain access to the LeFay treasures. Lord LeFay did not know, not until it was too late. He was forced to give up his ability to create others, and if he hadn't been successful with three others-he would have been stripped of his kingship as well."
"That's awful...I-I don't know if I know anyone who would truly, whole-heartedly only want to be one for the forest, not for the possible abilities or treasure."
Professor Sprout looked solemn as she nodded, "My family-my great grand-uncle was one of the three that Lord LeFay was successful with. He still lives to this day in his forest. He never married, never had children. His whole life is dedicated to his forest. He only occasionally leaves long enough to celebrate a new birth in his family, or to mourn when someone dies."
Forrester cleared his throat softly, "Speaking of the other forest lords, my Lord, they have sent word that they wish to visit, and to pledge their loyalty to the new Forest King. May I suggest we do so soon? It would be wise to show them that it is not an interloper who managed to kill Lord William and steal his powers. Forest Lords are only protective of three things-their forest, their families if they have one, and their own kind."
Taking a deep breath, I nodded, "Yes, how should I send word, Forrester?"
"I can bring them, my Lord, and I can write them, I will just need your signature."
"Okay, thank you Forrester. We can do that once we're back home. Did you need anything else, Professor?"
Professor Sprout shook her head, "No, Harry, other than letting you know you have my loyalty, and if you wish someone to stand beside you in any circumstances against the headmaster, just send someone to let me know. I don't like the way Albus has been doing things for a long time, but I haven't been able to do much, but after I found out what happened to you my faith in him is completely obliterated. Also, if you want to help me in the green houses, you're welcome at any time."
Smiling, I thanked her before I stepped outside, opening a portal to the Forest Home, and stepped through. Forrester appeared next to me, handing me the bottle of eyedrops for Xeldris. After I applied them, gently patting him on the snout afterwards, I followed Forrester into the house where he quickly wrote and copied the letters we would send to the other forest lords, and I signed them all. Only fifty other forest lords, world wide.
"It is done, my Lord. You should shower and head to bed-you must be up early once again tomorrow. You need your sleep."
Nodding, I did as bid and went and showered before climbing into bed, falling into a dreamless sleep.