Sins of the Innocent

Sins of the Innocent

Chapter 2- Magus Maximus

"The People that walked in darkness have seen a great light"

In the sun-scorched backyard of Number four Privet Drive, a young man hunched over a garden bed pulling weeds. Summer was not turning out to be entirely pleasant for Harry Potter, as many things were on his mind.

"Hello, Hedwig, how's the hunting today?" Harry asked, as he stroked the snowy bird on his arm.

"Boy, you best make sure all the weeds are pulled from the beds," Petunia Dursley, Harry's aunt, shouted from the open kitchen window. "The garden society will be here tomorrow, and I want my garden to be tops in Little Whinging. Also, make sure that bird is no where to be found tomorrow."

"Yes, Aunt Petunia." Harry turned back to Hedwig, "Best that you fly off for now; I don't need any more trouble."

After giving Harry an annoyed nip at his hair, Hedwig flew away.

Sighing, Harry turned back to the flower beds. At least this keeps me busy, and not dwelling on certain things, he mused to himself. At this thought he became sad.

I wonder what Sirius would think of the prophecy, Harry thought as he yanked out the weeds. I wonder if he even knew. Yanking out more weeds, he became angry.

"Damn it Sirius! Why did you have to leave me when I have so many questions, questions that really can be only answered by you!" Harry screamed, getting up from his position next to the beds.

At this moment Uncle Vernon came out into the yard, looking especially enraged.

"Boy, you will cease this rampage or I'll..." Vernon stopped - his mouth had magically sealed shut.

Harry could feel his magic burning inside him.

"What is this?" Harry shouted, confused and angry at something he didn't know about.

A purple glow started to emanate from Harry's hands as he began to float in the air. With each passing second the glow became brighter, and started changing colours, slowly at first, but then in rapid successions of purple, blue, orange, red, and green.

Scared now, Harry shouted, "What's happening to me?!"

By now, Aunt Petunia and Dudley were standing on the porch staring at what was happening, and suddenly a series of cracks were heard around the yard. Tonks, Moody, Remus Lupin and Dumbledore appeared out of thin air.

"No one touch him." Dumbledore assessed the situation. "We have to let the Magus Maximus continue without interruption."

"Magus Maximus! That's only the stuff of legend! The last known Magus Maximus was Merlin himself, and before that, Gryffindor!" Tonks was so enraged that her hair was switching from cool blue to fire red. "I mean, how do we know that this is really Magus Maximus?"

"Tonks, we don't know for sure, and we will not know for sure until after the process stops. We had a hunch that it might be possible for Harry to be one, due to many factors." At this Lupin stopped, as Harry's flashing took on a new fervour.

"Professor Dumbledore, what's happening to me?" Harry had started shooting bright white sparks from every angle of his body. He was obviously struggling.

"Harry, it is important that you do not fight the magic. Just relax." Dumbledore watched Harry, clearly concerned.

"Relax? I have sparks shooting from every inch of my body and you're telling me to relax?" Harry was struggling, and as he did so (he let out a scream of frustration.

"Harry you must calm down, or the magic could kill you." Lupin looked at Harry with concern. "We will explain after."

"Of course, always clue me in after the event, the story of my whole shitty life!" Harry grew more enraged. As this happened the intensity and the frequency of the sparks and colours intensified, and Harry passed out.

"He has entered stage two; let us hope that he survives." Dumbledore turned to the Dursleys. "You will let him come with us when he is done."

"Take him, we don't need the freak around." Petunia spat on the ground beneath Harry's feet. "How long do you think the little bastard will be creating the freak show? My garden is set to be judged tomorrow."

"You do realise this could take several days, right, Albus?" Lupin looked straight at the older wizard, trying to gauge what he was thinking. "I mean, we'll have to wait while the Magus Maximus continues. It cannot be interrupted."

"What ... several days?" Petunia turned red as she realized what was happening. "I will NOT have this in my backyard!"

"You will, Petunia, but be this as it may, I daresay your relationship with Harry is at its ending point anyway. I am now his legal guardian, and seeing as I am not in jail, I intend to take custody." Remus Lupin looked intimidating; his wolf side had come through in that last statement. This had the desired effect of shutting up Petunia, but Remus did not like that side of himself in any respect.

"Remus, I must depart now to make arrangements for Harry's convalescent room. He will need much rest when he is done. There will also be much that needs to be explained, in private. We will have members of the order watch, and take report on this. I daresay that no one in recent times has witnessed a Magus Maximus." With a twinkle in his eyes and a small pop, Dumbledore disapparated.

"Oh Harry, I do wish Sirius was here to see this." Lupin paused and sighed. "I daresay he would have been able to comfort you more than I will."

In an old, dilapidated manor off the Scottish coast, Voldemort felt something.

Something is up with the Potter boy; he is sending me strange power signals. Quite out of the ordinary." With that Voldemort summoned Wormtail with a click of his fingers.

"Wormtail, go to Privet Drive and see what is up with Harry, I think there is something unusual going on." Voldemort conjured some tea as he motioned for Wormtail to go.

The sniveling Wormtail disapparated with a loud crack.

"Harry, though you may be having your magical maturation right now, it will not even begin to tap into my power." Voldemort laughed maliciously.

Back at Privet Drive, Harry was softly falling to the ground. The Light had been getting softer for several hours now, and the colour had settled on a deep, dark purple - some would call it eggplant, but even that did not describe it fully. It was four days later and Remus had not left Harry's side.

"Remus? Remus, wake up, I think the Magus Maximus is subsiding." Arthur Weasley poked the werewolf who was soundly sleeping on the ground.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I'm up." Remus stretched, glancing over at Harry. "Wow, Arthur, the colour finally settled on purple, and a dark purple it is too. Better contact Dumbledore so he can come to collect him. Looks like the Magus Maximus is done." Remus turned to Arthur, tears in his eyes. "I really do not know what to do with this. I knew he would be powerful in his third year when he conjured his Patronus, but this is beyond imagination, Arthur."

"Remus, you have to believe that this is Harry's destiny, and that there nothing that you, or Sirius, could have done to change it. It was decided the day that James and Lily died." Arthur Weasley looked at the shell of a man that was Remus Lupin. So much hurt in his eyes. "We have to believe that he is the light that will save the world."

What the two wizards did not notice was a small rat with a silver paw poking around the garden beds in the yard, which seemed to be listening to every word of the wizards' conversation.