Blake Potter & The Orb of Excalibur

Prologue

Running at full speed from the forest, the figure cloaked in robes of midnight black ran with full force into a pale skinned man. There was a sickening sound as flesh collided and fell to the ground with a loud thud. The man stood up fastest and gripped the figure’s hand. As he pulled the figure up, he broke out into a thirty-second fit of uncontrollable coughing.

"Sorry," breathed Sirius Black, stepping out of the figure's way. Something glittering bright blue caught at his eye. The person must have dropped this. He turned around to give it back, but Sirius saw no one. He unconsciously put it in his pocket, and made his way into the heart of the forest. He finally reached a place packed with wizards and witches; some rejoicing, others weeping and shaking uncontrollably.

In the middle stood seventeen year old Harry Potter in a full stance, proud, dignified, and yet heartbroken. Hermione Granger had her arms around his waist, crying profusely into his chest. Sirius looked around; the relief that he at first felt began to fade away. Ron Weasley was on the ground, his face pale and his wand clutched in his hand. He lay crumpled, next to... it couldn't be! Next to Voldemort!

"Are they both...?" Sirius directed to Harry in a voice quieter than a whisper.

Harry could only nod his head; his emotions so mixed that Sirius could see it in his face. Suddenly, a single tear trickled down the face of Harry Potter, running down his cheek to the tip of his chin. He wrapped his arms around Hermione, as much to comfort her as himself, and lowering his head he laid it gently on top of hers.

One: Mr. Ollivanders

~~~~~Fifteen Years Later~~~~~

Sitting on the sidelines of a half-court Quidditch field, just down the road from his house, Blake Potter glared bitterly up at the people on brooms. The neighborhood had gathered for its annual Spring Bank Holiday, which always consisted of a game of Quidditch. Every year Blake dreaded this day. He was pale and sickly, his slight frame and weak grasp made it impossible for him to play for longer than a few minutes. The kids who weren’t old enough, or just didn’t want to play were engaged in a game of tag nearby, but he couldn’t even join them! Because of his weakness he was barely able to run at all. If he tried to, he would get tired out and sick, which would cause him to stay in bed for weeks. Blake let out a depressed sigh as he ran a hand through his slightly curly brown hair.

“Blake, are you all right?” asked the gentle voice of a woman of thirty-two years of age, with long wavy brown hair and chocolate colored eyes, as she placed a hand on his thin shoulder. Blake turned his emerald green eyes to her and suddenly all of his hard feelings melted away because of the love and concern he saw in her face.

“Yes mum. I’m fine,” he lied.

Hermione frowned and said, “I know it’s so hard. We are doing the best we can, Blake.” She referred to the endless search to find the right spell or enchantment that would heal him. For the almost eleven years of life he had never known what it was like to be a “normal” boy. What he would give to play a full game of Quidditch, or tag. To stay up late with friends and fake it when told to go to sleep. Blake would have given up hope by now if his mother hadn’t always been there to encourage him. Thinking of this, Blake stood up on shaky legs and threw himself into his mother’s arms. Wrapped in her arms he felt a strange sense of security, as if for once all was right in the world. The words “I love you” began to form on his lips but he clamped them shut. Real men didn’t let their emotions get the best of them! He would be acting like a little girl if he went around saying I love you all the time. Blake was stronger than that! I might not be strong on the outside but I’m strong on the inside! He told himself.

As the sunlight penetrated the darkness and crept over the room, Blake awoke. The first thought that popped into his mind was that it was July 25th- his birthday. He tried to smile but nowadays it took a lot and great effort. His sickness had been getting worse; he needed far more rest and had to stay indoors. It had come to the point that being outside for more than half an hour was very risky to his health. Blake heard movement coming across the hall towards his room and knew positively that it was his twin sister, Samantha. The sound of her running made his spirit’s drop more as she flung the door open.

“Blake! Get up! It’s our birthday!” Her voice was shaking with excitement. “We’re eleven! We’re going to Hogwarts this year!”

“Sam,” moaned Blake, “I just woke up, give me some time!” Sam shot him an irritated look.

“Hurry up! Sirius is here, and so are Lupin and Hagrid.” Blake rose out of bed and tried to make his way to his dresser, but half way there he fell over. Anger rose in his chest, but he only gritted his teeth and got back up. After getting dressed as quickly as he was able he walked downstairs with Sam, coughing quietly every now and then. They entered the living room, and heard the end of their father’s conversation with Sirius.

“Sirius,” said Harry. “You look great! Your health has improved drastically. What have you been doing all these years? We need to… oh Blake! Sam! Happy birthday you guys!” Sam ran into her father’s arms, with Blake stumbling behind her, and then sat down on the couch to open gifts.

They both got rock cakes from Hagrid and an assurance that, “Ders plenty mor‘ where dat came frem at ‘Ogwarts.” When Blake opened his present from Lupin, he found a book on interpreting dreams.

Hermione raised an eyebrow quizzically at Lupin, who said, “That might be very useful. You know how Blake likes that type of thing. If Harry had one in school he’d have been better off.” Hermione rolled her eyes, as Sam started to open her gift. It was a book on the History of Quidditch.

“Thanks!” she exclaimed, and threw her arms around his neck.

Samantha loved Quidditch. She had inherited Harry’s passion and skill of the game; for when she was soaring through the sky everything suddenly became right. The breeze that pushed back her raven hair was more soothing than any of Blake’s healing spells ever would be. Thinking of her brother made her frown, but she was determined that nothing would ruin this day for her, and pushed those thoughts aside. Sam started to turn through the pages of her book, but remembered that Sirius still had a present to give. Opening it she found the second edition to the book that Lupin had given her. A content smile broke out on Sam’s face and she began to read intently. She was so indulged in her book and she missed seeing what it was that Blake got.

Blake held a small ball, almost like an orb, which was colored sky blue and attached to a beautiful chain of sterling silver.

“What is it?” Blake asked, unable to take his eyes off it, so mesmerized by the cloudy blue that was the color of the oversized marble.

Without a word Sirius picked Blake up and gently swung him onto his back. He took Blake out the back door onto an enchanted patio that kept out the sun. He set Blake down and closed his eyes for a moment to enjoy the cool breeze as it swept over his face. Opening them, Sirius bent down so that he was level with Blake. He took the chain out of his hand and held it up, both of them admiring it.

“What is it?” Blake repeated.

“I got this on the night your parents defeated You-Know-Who.”

“Voldemort,” said Blake automatically. His parents had taught him to always say Voldemort's real name. He didn’t even notice when Sirius flinched.

“I used to be very sick because I was always in hiding and my diet was poor and not at all nutritious.” A sour look crossed Sirius’ face as he remembered the taste of raw rat meat.

“After I received this sphere I rapidly got better, and now my health is twice what a man half my age should be.“ Blake’s mind was suddenly open. At first he thought Sirius was only trying to make him feel better, but thinking back Sirius had always been healthier than younger men were. Blake looked at Sirius with a new understanding. Sirius was tall and his figure was filled out and muscular. For a man over fifty his hair was almost as black as Samantha‘s was. Sirius' face was smooth; the only wrinkles were slight and unnoticeable. He looked young and could have passed off for being in his early forties. Grasping hold of the marble shaped orb, Blake was suddenly filled with more hope than he thought imaginable. A whole new world would be opened to him, one in which his deepest desires and dreams would be within his reach! When Blake was younger, he cried constantly. He would cry for the youth that he felt he had lost. Aside from the time his mother had come home with his new sister, Zoë, all of his tears had been ones of grief. He had cried so much he felt as though he had no more tears to cry. But for the second time in his life tears of joy fell, leaving shiny streaks on his cheeks.

A week had passed since his birthday and Blake rolled over in his bed drowsily, the moonlight streaming in through the curtains. He closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep, but it only seemed to elude him. Slowly getting up out of his bed, he made his way to the kitchen to get a glass of water. The strong feeling in his legs delighted him because it would have been impossible for him to do this a week ago. As he sat down at the table to drink his water, voices drifted to his ears from the living room.

“Harry,” Blake’s mother was saying, “I’ll be going to Hogwarts this year.” An odd tone was in her voice and Blake heard what sounded like shifting of papers.

“Hogwarts? Why Hogwarts?”

“Professor McGonagall thinks that there may be someone involved with the Dark Arts making their way there. So does the Ministry, the head of our department sent me this.“ Blake heard what sounded like the passing of a letter from one hand to another. There were a few moments of silence then Harry said,

“So, you’re supposed to find out who they are and why they are going...Transfiguration teacher! You’ve always loved that.” Blake made a disgusted face when he heard what was definitely a kiss.

“Arthur, sent me a personal letter instructing me to be on high alert for a new Dark Leader,” said Harry with a sigh. There were sounds of movement and suddenly Hermione started giggling like a schoolgirl. Blake had never heard her laugh like that before and so curiosity got the best of him. He crept over to the opening and poked his head slightly around the corner. A disgusted look crossed his face and he stuck his tongue out distastefully. He saw his mother and father embraced in a highly passionate kiss half-lying, half-sitting on the couch. It kept getting more and more aggressive as the seconds went on. At this he decided he had heard and seen enough. He quickly made his way back to the table where he finished his drink and went quickly back to his bedroom. He was relieved his mom would be at Hogwarts, at least there would be another familiar face! He clutched the orb that hung around his neck and began to imagine the year he would have at Hogwarts with great anticipation. Before long, he drifted off to a disturbing, dream filled sleep.

There was a dark figure, alone in a cave. Wisps of blonde hair fell from their hood. Their royal blue eyes looked almost unreal; they were so perfect in shape and color. Light reflected from the fire coming from under the cauldron. The figure mixed the contents of it with their bare hands, mumbling words under their breath. Finally, the white liquid in the large black cauldron turned yellow, then sky blue.

“It’s finished!” The alchemist said to no one in particular, and from no where produced what looked like half of a very large crystal ball. Handful by handful they groped the potion and transferred it into the crystal ball, until it was filled to the rim and nothing remained in the cauldron. With a wave of the hand, the top of the crystal ball appeared, making a very large, light blue orb. As the alchemist ran their fingers along the top, the ball began shrinking, shrinking, shrinking, until it looked like an oversized marble. The small orb began changing colors, to royal blue, to black, and eventually in the middle of the blackness of the orb appeared a skull.

Blake woke up with a start, head pounding wildly and sweat beads dripping down his forehead. He began to tremble and shake uncontrollably, and his body became hot although he felt freezing.

Blake woke up the next morning feeling very tired and fatigued. He remembered having some sort of nightmare. There had been a person in a dark cave, stirring something in a cauldron. They had royal blue eyes…he would never forget those eyes!

“Blake! Come on, Blake get up!” McKenzie, his twelve-year-old sister, stood at the side of his bed stomping her foot impatiently. Sighing she pulled her wand from her pale blue robes and pointed it his rear end.

“Shockolimpara.” Suddenly a small jolt shot up Blake’s backside making him sit straight up in bed. He turned angrily toward her.

“What. Do. You. Want?” he asked in his very clipped English accent.

“We are going to Diagon Ally to pick up our school things,” she said, sounding as if that was all that mattered in the world.

“Come on Mackie, we have been there a million times. It’s not like we have to get there at the crack of dawn!” McKenzie gasped as if he had announced it was the end of the world. After several more moments of bickering, Blake finally gave in, just to shut her up.

Moving around Diagon Alley as a crowd of seven wasn’t the most enjoyable experience. Hermione had firmly insisted on making this a family outing, but every time they passed Quality Quidditch Supplies, Harry’s and Sam’s eyes looked longingly at it. Frustrated with the obvious displeasure and strain that followed them everywhere, Hermione finally snapped, “Alright! Go ahead. The rest of us will head to Flourish and Blotts. Meet us at Ollivander’s in a half hour.” Harry looked at her with an apologetic, yet thankful face and was about to say something but she whirled around and stalked off.

While Hermione, with four year old Zoë attached to her hip, and McKenzie walked around the store picking up a set of second year books and two sets of first year books, Blake found himself in the Divination section. Looking around he spotted the book Lupin had given him. Dreams- Do Mine Have a Meaning. Blake had been slowly remembering more from his nightmare and by now he thought he remembered enough to try and interpret it. He picked up the book and began thumbing through the pages, but suddenly Nathan screamed and came running into him, knocking them both over. Blake grunted and swore at his brother. He shoved the small nine-year-old frame off of him.

“What was that for?” he asked sharply. Nathan’s already untidy jet-black hair now looked even more disheveled, if possible. Nathan, however, was wordless with terror and could only point at the object of his fear. A small cage with books that were biting and ripping each other was in a corner towards the back. Blake could hardly make out Monster Book of Monsters on their spines.

“Nate, for Merlin’s sake they are in a cage!” However this information still didn’t comfort the boy, as he shot a quivering glance toward the books. Blake stared into Nathan’s emerald green eyes, so much like his own, and gave an exasperated sigh.

They arrived at Ollivander’s precisely on time. When five minutes had passed without Harry and Sam making an appearance, Hermione began to tap her foot impatiently and check her watch constantly. Another fifteen minutes went by before Harry and Sam showed up, two bags in hand, laughing and in good spirits. However, when Harry took one look at Hermione’s face he knew he’d be in for a tongue lashing later. To his dismay, Harry found he was only partly correct. He received it right there, for the first time ever, in the front of the kids.

“When will you ever grow up Harry? You're acting like an immature, irresponsible child!” Fire was dancing dangerously in Hermione’s eyes. “You’re an adult, either act like one or don’t take the children when you go fooling around!” Harry had no idea what had gotten into her. His face registered the same bewilderment as the children’s.

“Just take Nathan and Zoë, and go buy them some ice cream or something.” Harry would have never admitted it to her, but he was very relieved to undertake that job, to get out of her hair. He shot secret glances of sympathy at the other three kids as he took off with the younger ones. As soon as Blake entered the wand shop he felt a bit…strange. An eerie silence settled in the room.

“Ah, Mr. Potter, Miss Potter, you have been expected.” Blake’s heart started pounding rapidly. He had heard the strange voice but saw no one. Then a hand was placed on his shoulder and the voice spoke.

“Eyes like your father.” Blake nearly jumped out of his skin. Mr. Ollivander saw the reaction and made a slight smile. He motioned them to follow, pulled out two wands and handed one to Sam and one to Blake. He went about naming off the certain woods, cores, and measurements. For some wands he would say what subject it was good for, or how powerful. Wand, after wand, after wand was tried, until,

“Miss Potter, if you would,” he said handing Sam a longish wand. “Mahogany wood, Unicorn Tail, ten inches, nice and flexible, good for flicking moments of the wrists. Favorable to Charms work.” Samantha gave the wand a good wave and suddenly, sparks every color imaginable shot out the tip. Mr. Ollivander was pleased. With Samantha’s wand found, Blake felt sure his would be there very next one. It wasn’t, and Mr. Ollivander went through what seemed a whole section of the store. He looked at Blake and suddenly smiled. It was a creepy sort of smile; as if he just found out something he wasn’t suppose to know. He strode over to a narrow part of the store where a very small pile of wands sat, separated from the rest. Picking one up, he handed it to Blake. Before Blake even gave it a wave it was ripped from his hand and replaced by another. When Blake gave that wand a wave, a projection of a single star shot out of the tip.

“Interesting. I sell very few of this type of wand.”

“What type?” asked Blake in awe.

“Ash wood, Centaur’s Hoof, 6 and half inches.” Mr. Ollivander said this as if it explained everything. Blake only grew more curious. After a dramatic silence of only a few seconds, which to Blake felt like an eternity, he said,

“I remember every wand I sell, Mr. Potter, as you might have heard. The last time I sold a wand made for Divination was to a young Trelawny years and years ago.“ At this

Hermione snorted indignantly and rolled her eyes.

“You can’t be serious! There is no way Blake is going to have a wand made for a fraud art!” Mr. Ollivander regarded Hermione for a moment then said,

“It is the wand that chooses the wizard, Mrs. Potter. I expect you should know that very well.” Hermione’s face blushed a deep crimson and Blake shot a look to Samantha that asked, What was that all about?

Hermione paid for the wands and they left the shop. They found Harry and the little ones sitting on a bench, all three covered in ice cream. Hermione wore a disapproving look but stayed silent. She and Samantha sat down on a bench and Sam pulled out her new broom and keeper’s gloves which she began to show off to Blake, who pretended to be interested.

“McKenzie!” shouted a voice. A sudden smile broke across McKenzie's face as two girls made there way to the Potter family.

“Danielle! Kelly! I’m so glad to see you.“ The girls stood around talking about their various trips to the shops to pick up second year supplies.

“Mum, can I go with Dani and Lee to Flourish and Blotts?” Hermione nodded her head to convey a yes and Blake decided he would go too. He wanted to ask McKenzie what she made of their mother’s attitude today. On the way there, just as they were in front of Ollivanders, a skinny deathly pale, blonde boy approached them.

“Kelly, why do put yourself in the company of a mud blood?” He nodded his long pointy nose at Danielle. “And miss-I-know-everything?” he asked with a disgusting sneer at McKenzie.

“Get out of here, Malfoy!” McKenzie snapped. Eric Malfoy just stood there laughing. Suddenly Blake pulled out his new wand, but Eric was faster. He whipped his out in an instant and quickly put the jelly-leg jinx on Blake, who fell over and hit the pavement with a loud smack. His cheek was now split and bleeding.

“Blake!” screeched McKenzie. Malfoy walked over and grabbed Kelly’s arm.

Out of nowhere a deep voiced yelled, “Expelliarmus!” Malfoy’s wand was knocked out of his hand and he was thrown to the ground.

“Rave!” shouted Kelly. Raven Davidson, going into 6th year, was the one Kelly had a crush on since last year. Danielle walked over to where McKenzie sat holding her brother to see how he was.

“Blake you shouldn’t have done that,” McKenzie scolded, but in a loving tone. Pulling out her own wand she whispered a spell and his cut immediately closed up.

"Very good, Miss Potter," came the creepy voice everyone recognized as Mr. Ollivander's, as he stepped out of his shop.

"I remember that wand well. Beech wood, Frozen Phoenix Tear, 8 inches. Very good for a Medi-wiziard in the making." McKenzie blushed. She and Blake said their goodbyes to Rave, Dani, and Lee, and then made their way back to their parents.

On the way back home, Blake's excitement really sunk in. He was going to Hogwarts soon!

~~

Harry entered his bedroom that night somewhat apprehensive. Hermione was already there, laying against some pillows, reading a book by the light of a small lamp on her nightstand. She looked up when he entered but quickly turned her eyes back to the page she was on, without acknowledging him. He timidly slid in beside her and lay there staring up at the ceiling. Finally Hermione closed her book and turned out her light. Nervously Harry propped himself up on an elbow. He looked down into her face and ran a finger gently down her soft cheek.

“I’m sorry about today.” He paused and when she said nothing he went on, “I love you Hermione.” He bent down to kiss her, but she pressed her hands on his chest, pushing him away.

“Good night, Harry,” she said tonelessly as she rolled over on her side, her back to him.