Chapter Text
Chapter One
August 1
"Are you ready, Harry?"
I was standing in front of two witches in a vast, empty wooden hall.
I nodded. "I'm ready," I said — excited, despite myself, by the promise of what was to come.
"Now that you're three years old, as of yesterday, it's time to start your training." One of the witches, thin, blonde, and sunny, smiled brightly. "Now, from the beginning, we're going to be introducing mind magic to you through these sessions. So you will be talking to me, Daisy — but Agnes here will be connecting with you through your mind, and communicating that way."
Agnes was a small, elderly woman with a round face, a strong jaw, and a bun of silver hair. She reached out her hand to me, saying, "Rudimentary mind magic can only be done through eye contact — but we teach a more in-depth form of it here, and we communicate by touch."
She touched her hand to my forehead.
All of a sudden, my mind was flooded with sensations, thoughts, and feelings, with a mind so much larger than my own — with Agnes's mind, I realized in wonder. Her mind felt like a dark, gauzy piece of deep blue cloth, spangled with silver stars, thrown over a dusty old crystal ball shaped like a globe of the moon. I had never had such a thought before.
I wondered what my mind would start to feel like, after some time had passed.
"Now, Harry," said Daisy, bringing me back to the hall I was standing in. I turned to her with effort, though Agnes's hand stayed on my forehead. "The first thing you get to choose is your own appearance. We have the magic to make you look the way you want to look. So we'll go question by question, and we'll nail down your appearance, okay?"
I nodded.
"Skin color: white, gold, brown, reddish-brown, or black?" Daisy asked.
I thought about it.
"He thinks white is pretty, but it's too elegant for him," Agnes announced suddenly. "He doesn't think it suits him.
"He does, however, think gold skin is very beautiful. He'd be more comfortable with that."
I nodded shyly.
Daisy made her first notes with quill and ink on the long scroll of parchment in front of her. Then she looked back up at me.
"Under those rules, you'd be known as East Asian," she said, "just so you're aware. Is that acceptable to you?"
"Yes," I said.
"Body type: Small and slim, small and well-built, tall and slim, tall and well-built?" Daisy asked. "As you get older, obviously."
"… His thoughts here are complicated," Agnes said, frowning as she sifted through my mind. "He thinks he's small and skinny as he is. He doesn't like that. But he doesn't want to be a mountain of a man, either — in the sense of being tall and well-built. What I'd say he's looking for is tall and slim — but with a lithe kind of musculature to it."
Daisy nodded and made more notes.
"Face shape: Circle, square, heart?" she asked.
"He definitely doesn't want a circle," Agnes read dryly. "Beyond that, his thoughts are, again, complicated. What I think he's looking for is a heart face — but with a nice, strong jawline."
Daisy nodded and made notes.
"Do you want your glasses?" She looked up at me.
I wrinkled my nose and shook my head.
"No, huh," she echoed wryly as she made more notes. "What about freckles. Would you like freckles?"
I thought about this — nodded brightly.
"He has always thought freckles are very beautiful," said Agnes suddenly.
"They'd be bigger, darker ones, as you're East Asian," said Daisy. "Is that all right?"
I nodded. "Yes," I piped up. The two witches smiled at me fondly.
Daisy made more notes on her scroll, and then asked her next question.
"Hair color: Red, blond, brown, black?" she asked.
"… He likes hair that combines red and gold colors together," said Agnes suddenly. "He's always found it very striking."
"So, say, strawberry blond?" said Daisy brightly, and when I nodded, she copied that down into her notes. "Hair texture: Thick and wild curls, sleek and straight, thick and voluminous?"
"I think thick and wild curls are pretty," I piped up suddenly, so Daisy nodded and copied that down.
"And… eye color," she said. "Black, brown, hazel, blue, blue-grey, blue-green, green, grey?"
"… He likes black, grey, and blue eyes best, and he can't decide," said Agnes suddenly, frowning in concentration as she sifted through my thoughts. "I'm going to send him the basic associations our society has for each eye color, and then he can pick his favorite."
Daisy nodded in assent, and all of a sudden I was being fed — feelings. By a mind so much larger than my own. Feelings about eye colors. I didn't like the idea of blue, all sunshiny and innocent, and I didn't think black suited me either, mysterious and forbidding. But then I caught on grey — and its associations with quiet, with seriousness, with seeing things that others could not, even with compassion.
"He likes grey best," said Agnes suddenly, and Daisy nodded and copied that down.
"Eye shape: Wide liquid, heavy-lidded, almond-shaped?" she asked.
"He's always been particularly struck by heavy-lidded eyes," said Agnes suddenly.
Daisy wrote down her last notes — and smiled, satisfied. "That completes my questions," she said, pleased. "Is there anything else you'd like that you want us to know about?"
"… I don't like my legs," I said suddenly, "and the way my knobby knees poke out of them. I want to like my legs," I said plaintively, looking up at them.
Daisy looked at Agnes, who shrugged. Daisy shrugged as well, nodded in assent, and added it to her notes. "All right. We'll give you a nice ass while we're at it," she said casually, and I brightened as she finished writing. "The next thing we need to decide," said Daisy, "is whether or not you want any magical creature bloodlines in your system.
"We start with goblins, centaurs…"
But I was already shaking my head. "I'd like them to look a bit more… ordinarily human, at least," I said uneasily.
"Okay," said Daisy. "That narrows it down. What about vampires, or ghosts?"
"… He doesn't want anything scary," said Agnes suddenly, still touching my forehead. "Nothing horror-related. He isn't interested in frightening people."
"What about Veela?" Daisy suggested, and an image filled my brain from Agnes, of an eerily beautiful and incredibly tall woman, with bone-white skin, long pale hair, and almond-shaped red eyes. "They're seductresses. Their power is what you'd inherit, and it's over being able to enchant people with beauty magic. Even without the enchantment turned on, a part-Veela would always appear supernaturally, heartbreakingly beautiful."
I brightened. "That would be okay," I decided tentatively.
"And — what about merpeople?" Daisy asked. A new image filled my brain from Agnes, of a people of green hair and silver skin, sharp teeth and wild hair and eyes, long green fins for legs in an eerie underwater gloom. "You would inherit the ability to grow the necessary abilities of a merperson at will, and travel underwater for long periods of time."
"He finds them intriguing," Agnes announced.
"They would be all right," I said suddenly. "I'd like to be able to travel underwater, too."
"And… what about faeries? Leprechauns?"
I wrinkled my nose and shook my head.
"Even as a three-year-old, as a boy he knows he'd be teased relentlessly for being part-faerie," Agnes despaired.
"Well, we can't force anything on him," said Daisy with a small smile. "So he's chosen two magical creatures, and they're Veela and merpeople.
"Now, Harry. Harry is a placeholder name until you got old enough to call yourself something. Today, you get to pick your own name."
The two witches smiled when I brightened in excitement.
"I'll feed you a series of names," said Daisy, "and you let me and Agnes know when you like one of them. Okay?"
Daisy took out a big book and started reading off a practically dizzying variety of boy's names. I hadn't even known there were that many names in the world.
"I like Mason," I said suddenly. "And Elijah. Elijah's especially cool, instant favorite."
Daisy nodded and wrote those two names down on her scroll of parchment. Then she read off more names. This quickly became a routine.
Next, I said, "Aidan's not bad." Then came, "I've always liked the name John… Silas is a good name, maybe one of my favorites… Rhett is an interesting name… Julian's a good name, another favorite… I like Theodore, Orion, and Owen… I like Nicholas, Christopher, and Cole… Ian's a good name… Gabriel and Dylan are both possibilities… I like Graham… I love Finn, one of my favorites so far… I like Colin… I like August… Isaiah's a good name… I love Miles, another of my favorites…
"I like Max… I like Andrew… I like Atticus… I like Blake… Bryce is a good name… Christian is a good name… Cody and Cohen are both good names… Drew is a name I like… I like Edgar and Edward, Edgar might actually be one of my favorites so far… Flynn is definitely a cool name… I like Forrest, which surprises me a little… I like Gareth and Gavin… I like Gus… I like Harlan… Heath is a good name… Hugo is one of my favorites so far… I like Ivan… I like Jarrett and Jasper… Joel is one of my favorites so far… Malachi and Malcolm are both cool names, Malachi might actually be another of my favorites… Micah is a cool name, another favorite… Milo's a good name…
"Nathaniel is another of my favorites… Nigel's a good name… Noel is another of my favorites… I like Otis, which surprises me a little… I like Peter… Quinn is definitely one of my favorites… Raphael is a name I like that surprises me — I guess you could consider it a favorite… Rhys is a good name… Rohan is a good one… Rory is a good one…
"Sean is a good name… Seth might actually be one of my favorites… Simon is another favorite… Theo, Timothy, and Todd are all good names… Tristan is a surprising one that I like… I love Victor, an instant favorite… I like Abel… I like Adam… I like Cyrus… I like Isaac… Ellis is a good name… Logan and Neil are both good names… Orrin is a good one… Mathias is a good name… I like Giles… I like Alphonse… I like Emile… Quentin is a good name… I like Anton… I like Hans, that might actually be one of my favorites… I like both Klaus and Kurt… I love Soren, instant favorite…
"Nico's another favorite… I like Danny… I like Hector… I like Onyx… Eric is one of my favorites… I like Johan… Damian is an instant favorite… I like Xavier… Joey is one I really like that surprises me… I like Kent… I like Wes, which surprises me… I like Ames and Blair… I like Zane, which surprises me… I like David… I like Elliott, which surprises me… I like Ira… I like Shiloh, one of my favorites… I like Stevie, which surprises me… I like Duncan… I like Reuben… I like Wynn…"
"And that's it!" said Daisy brightly, closing the book. "That's all the boy's names!"
"How are we going to choose from all those names?" I despaired.
"You've already given us a helpful guide," said Daisy, bright and matter-of-fact. "See, we don't pick a name by eliminating names, and deciding what we don't like. We pick a name by choosing our favorite names, and deciding what we most like.
"Now, you had several you said were favorites. I propose that that's our shortened list for what your given name might be. You also had a few you said you liked that surprised you. I propose that that's our shortened list for what your middle name might be.
"Does that suit you?"
"Yeah. That sounds good," I said, brightening. Daisy gave me a fond smile.
"So!" she said, excited and full of energy. "Our shortened list of possible first names is this: Elijah. Silas. Julian. Finn. Miles. Edgar. Hugo. Joel. Malachi. Micah. Nathaniel. Noel. Quinn. Raphael. Seth. Simon. Victor. Hans. Soren. Nico. Eric. Damian. Shiloh.
"Is there any way for you to pick a shorter list from those names?"
I thought hard. "Elijah. Finn. Miles. Joel. Nathaniel. Noel. Quinn. Seth. Simon. Soren. Eric," I said at last.
"All right!" said Daisy, making notes on her scroll of parchment. "Now, our list of possible middle names is this: Forrest. Otis. Tristan. Joey. Wes. Zane. Elliott. Stevie.
"Is there any way for you to pick a shorter list from those names?"
I thought again. "Otis. Tristan. Joey. Elliott. Stevie," I said at last.
"Now, out of our list of first names, let's see which ones go with your surname: Potter," said Daisy. "Elijah Potter. That sounds good. Finn Potter. That works. Miles Potter. That sounds fine. Joel Potter. That works. Nathaniel Potter. That's fine. Noel Potter. That works. Quinn Potter. That works. Seth Potter. That works. Simon Potter. That works. Soren Potter. That works. Eric Potter. That works.
"They all work with your surname, so no obvious elimination there. Listening to me say those out loud, are there any that appealed to you the most?" Daisy asked me.
"I noticed," said Agnes suddenly, "through our mental connection, that you perked up at Miles Potter and Nathaniel Potter."
"Those were my two favorites," I admitted, nodding.
"Thirty seconds," said Daisy suddenly. "Pick one!"
My eyes widened. "Nathaniel!" I blurted out.
"Nathaniel's your name," said Daisy proudly.
"Nathaniel's a good, strong name," said Agnes approvingly, and I smiled, I couldn't help myself.
"Now, let's see," said Daisy. "Nathaniel Otis Potter. Nathaniel Tristan Potter. Nathaniel Joey Potter — doesn't quite feel like it works. Nathaniel Stevie Potter — same thing. Nathaniel Elliott Potter — again, it feels awkward.
"So if you had to choose between them — which one would you pick?" Daisy asked me. "Nathaniel Otis Potter, or Nathaniel Tristan Potter?"
"Nathaniel Otis Potter," I admitted.
Daisy wrote down our finished selection proudly on her parchment scroll.
"Then that's your name," she decided, pleased. "Nathaniel Otis Potter.
"Now — we have to do the spell to actually make all this a reality."
I perked up, excited nerves leaping around in the pit of my stomach. Agnes removed her hand from my forehead and I felt her presence leave my mind. Daisy pulled out her wand, approached me, put it to the top of my head, and whispered, "Figura Mutantur." It felt as if someone had broken an egg over my head and the yolk was trailing down in tingly volts of electricity all throughout my body. "Let it be said that this boy chooses," said Daisy, and then she held up her scroll, "the following:
"The name Nathaniel Otis Potter.
"To be mostly human, but to have the blood of two kinds of magical creatures in his veins: He wishes to be part-Veela, and he wishes to be part-Merman.
"Gold skin, with an East Asian background.
"A tall, slim body type, with a lithe kind of musculature to it.
"A heart face, with a nice, strong jawline.
"No glasses. He wants his problems with eyesight taken away from him.
"Big, dark freckles dotted all over his skin.
"Thick and wild curls of strawberry blond hair.
"Heavy-lidded grey eyes.
"He states a particular desire to have beautiful knees, legs, and buttocks.
"This is his complete list of requests. I speak on his behalf. Let it be so, let it be done."
And Daisy removed her wand, the tip of which I realized had been glowing gold.
Then it was like there was a burning hot kind of bubbling boiling underneath my skin. I became dizzy; my head started spinning; my stomach began churning. In seconds, all I saw was blackness, and then I had passed out.
When I woke up, of course, everything was different.
-
When I woke up, the entire world was blurry.
"Take off your glasses, Nathaniel," said Daisy wryly. "You no longer need them."
And that was when I remembered: I was not Harry anymore. I was Nathaniel. And Nathaniel didn't need glasses. I was lying on the floor of the vast wooden hall in which I had come to all of my decisions.
I took off the round, wire-rimmed glasses that, quite frankly, I had never liked anyway. I sat up. The world was clearer now, with the glasses off. Agnes was waving to me. "Over here," she said. There was a tall, standing, body-length mirror in a corner of the room. "Take off your clothes to get the full effect," she suggested, smirking.
I stripped naked — with very little shame; I was three and I could not remember a time when these women had not been raising me, so they had already seen it all — and I walked in front of the tall, body-length, standing mirror. I gasped.
The first thing I registered was that I was heart-stoppingly, breathtakingly beautiful. The kind of beautiful that stole the air from the lungs. The kind of beautiful that made people blurt out ridiculous, impressive things. The kind of beautiful that made the world narrow, tunnel vision, until all there was — was me.
"I'm beautiful," I whispered in awe. It was something I would never have been able to call myself before. Harry had been plain, at best.
"Well, you chose well, but part of that will also be the part-Veela magic," said Daisy wryly. "As I said, Veela power is over beauty, even when the charm isn't turned on.
"That part of you will only grow stronger as you get older."
Finally, I took in the details of my appearance.
I looked like a cross between a fey pretty-boy and an elegant K-Pop star. My tall, lithely muscled, slim body; my heart-shaped face and strong jaw; my beautiful legs and tight bottom — they fulfilled both of these qualifications. But the tint to my gold skin and the almond shape to my eyes spoke clearly of a lovely K-Pop star with dyed hair and color contacts. But then there was my heart-shaped face full of freckles; my hooded, heavy-lidded grey eyes; my wild and attractively messy curls of strawberry blond hair — all of these things gave off strong vibes of a fey pretty-boy, the kind you saw in pictures.
"Thank you," I said in awe, turning to Agnes and Daisy.
"You're welcome, Nathaniel." Daisy and Agnes smiled. Daisy continued, "We're firm believers, here, that children should look how they want to look, and should be called how they want to be called. We strongly believe in you making decisions for yourself. Your legal name in all paperwork, everywhere, has now been changed to Nathaniel Otis Potter.
"How does it feel?"
"Good," I said, smiling.
"I noticed you didn't ask to get rid of your scar," Daisy added curiously. "We couldn't have removed it, anyway, even if we had wanted to. But a part of me expected you to ask."
I turned back to the mirror, pulled back my fringe, and touched the small, lightning bolt shaped scar on my forehead. "I like my scar," I admitted quietly. "I always have. How did I get it?"
I turned back to Daisy and Agnes. I had never asked them this before. I saw their smiles freeze, and wondered if for some reason I had just pushed my luck.
Then Daisy smiled gently and bent down to my level.
"You're going to hate this answer, Nathaniel," she said sadly, "but that story is saved for when you're a bit older. There will be a right time to tell it. I'm just not convinced that time is 'three years old.' Okay?"
I was disappointed, but I knew better than to protest. I simply nodded.
Daisy smiled and ruffled my hair. "That's the spirit!" she said. "Come on. Let's show you to Maria, and then the three of us will take you down to the seaside and show you both sets of new abilities — your abilities as a part-Merman, and your abilities as a part-Veela. How does that sound?"
I perked up. "Good," I said, and I followed Daisy and Agnes out of the long wooden hall.
Maria, the third and final witch raising me, was in the kitchen. Maria was in the kitchen a lot, and she was an excellent cook. Maria was square and squat with reddish-brown hair, middle-aged with a sensible face, very no-nonsense. I was as fond of her as I was of the other two.
She turned around to me, and her eyes widened in surprise.
"Well," she said, sounding impressed as she looked me over, "isn't that an upgrade." I beamed. "Nice choosing, you little shit," she said frankly.
"Cheers, Maria," I said.
"What did he pick?" Maria turned to Agnes and Daisy.
"His full name is Nathaniel Otis Potter," said Daisy. "The two magical creatures in his background are Veela, and merperson. He has gold skin, with an East Asian background. A tall, slim body type, with a lithe kind of musculature to it. A heart face, with a nice, strong jawline. No glasses — he wanted his problems with eyesight taken away from him. Big, dark freckles dotted all over his skin. Thick and wild curls of strawberry blond hair. Heavy-lidded grey eyes. He stated a particular desire to have beautiful knees, legs, and buttocks. And we didn't have to worry about the scar after all — he likes it, and he never asked us to remove it."
Maria turned back to me, hands on her hips. She was trying to hide it, but I could tell she was impressed.
"Well, you have good taste," she told me finally, and she left it at that. "I suppose our job now is to go down to the seaside?"
Daisy nodded. "He should see how his powers as a part-Veela and a part-Merman work," she agreed reasonably. "Lucky thing we live just outside Barcelona, Spain."
At the time, we were living in our first home that I can remember — Bishop House, an entire summer home decorated to look like a chessboard. The pillars, walls, and high, vaulted ceilings were black and white marble, and the floors were black and white-checkered. Thin, gauzy curtains framed a pair of French glass doors that led out onto a series of steps that led right down to the warm, blue-green Barcelona, Spanish sea.
"Come on, Nathaniel," said Maria, walking for the French doors. "We're closing down Bishop House for the afternoon and heading down to the ocean."
I followed them eagerly out the French glass doors, and into the bright Spanish sunlight. The skies were blue, the white sand was fine, the air was warm, and the waves were crashing in the distance.
This would end up being my first memorable day, and it was a very happy one.