Under the full moon in the park just outside Private Drive, Harry watched a 20-sided die made of blue sparks shift its many faces before falling on 1. He didn’t understand the meaning of Tokyo Ghoul any more than bleach or dragon ball. But he could feel his new master’s attention as the shadow man stared at the name Tokyo Ghoul and hummed to himself.

 

“That is fortunate,” Master said.

 

“What’s fortunate, Sir?” Harry asked in a quiet, submissive voice. He had already signed himself over to the shadow man. He had few reasons to believe his master had a better temperament than Uncle Vernon. But if eyes could smile, then the shadow man’s too blue eyes formed azure crescent moons. 

 

“That is the world you need the most. Your luck is much better than my friend’s apprentices. I can’t wait to tell them they’ll be so jealous.” Master said, and Harry sighed in relief.

 

Harry felt a hand cold as death gripped his shoulder. He saw every joint in the shadow man’s long claw-like fingers. “My apprentice, this might be a bit forward, but we should get you someplace safe. I have decided to take full responsibility for your lodging, so come with me.” The man said. 

 

The shadow man led him to a clearing covered in swirling blue script, much like what made up the Master and Apprentice System. Harry kept his mouth shut; growing up under the Dursleys had taught him the value of silence.

 

“Hold out your left hand and let your script connect to the beacon,” Master said, and Harry complied.

 

After holding his left hand up for a moment, blue script appeared before a screen popped up. A single location materialized along with a representation of the earth. There were multiple locations worldwide, but only one was open to him.

 

“Will is important; it guides the system, allows you to use skills, and helps defend your mind from mental attacks. This is your first test apprentice will yourself to the selected location.” Master said.

 

Harry turned back to the familiar trees as faint memories of being chased dredged up from the black fog of his past. Events happened, and all he could feel were echoes of his fear and the want to get away. There was an image of a man, a green light, a woman’s scream, and then an ocean of darkness followed by tiny shades of grey. Even the image of a red-haired girl with his face wasn’t enough to hold him. As if a key had been turned, he felt something bubbling in his gut reach out. He directed it to the script and felt something pull him.

 

…

 

What was he looking at? He thrust his wand to direct his cameras to get closer even as the magic scanners in their hands recorded Harry’s outburst. A well dug dry had been drilled further into an underground river. That wasn’t impossible, but the sophisticated way the magic had been shaped was impossible for an untrained wizard or even a Hogwarts graduate. It wasn’t the magic power that was impressive but what was done with it. The power had been folded into a shape and used to open something, but that something was undetectable.

 

He wouldn’t dare go there himself and risk an ambush that was the thinking of amateurs, but there were no pieces with the intelligence to do what Dumbledore needed. No bishops were ready, but that didn’t mean an opportunity wouldn’t arrive again. Pawns could be transformed, and he had two methods to use the pawns that gathered around his queen.

 

Dumbledore left his live pensive and bottled up the real-time memories to view at his leisure. Once he was certain his invisible wall was secure, he approached a suit of armor that leaped from his path. A red door materialized with a golden griffon on it.

 

“What business do you have with the forbidden vault?” The golden griffon asked.

 

“I want only what I left in your care. Give me the syringe and the black scroll.”  

 

Dumbledore heard a pop before he saw Whippy, the elf in charge of his dear turncoat. It was Saturday Dumbledore had forgotten that today Severus practiced his less-than-healthy habits. If Severus wasn’t such a useful tool, he might ignore the elf and let nature take its course. But he couldn’t; for the greater good, Dumbledore needed the man alive, so he would clean up the lost man.

 

“Take me to him,” Dumbledore said as the griffon regurgitated the scroll and syringe. Dumbledore let the elf grasp his hand before taking him to Severus Snape’s secret dungeon. The smell of leather and old blood was a reminder of Severus’s less-than-ideal discretions. A moving portrait of Lily dressed in black leather that left nothing to the imagination winked at him before cracking her whip at James Potter in a very creative imitation of a horse suit. The squeals of pain almost sounded like neighing to the old man’s ears.

 

“He’s this way,” Whippy said as she led him to the normally grumpy potion’s master. The man’s neck was in a noose, and his hands were not in a subtle position. Tears trailed down the potion master’s eyes, and he wasn’t breathing.

 

“How long has he been like this?” Dumbledore said and vanished the rope. He flicked his wand, animating Severus’s lungs and moving his blood. Then with another flick, he sent a zap to the potion master’s heart.

 

“I came when he passed out,” Whippy said, and the next zap restarted Severus Snape’s heart. The potion master blinked before slowly coming to.

 

“Good morning Albus,” The headmaster felt his eyes twitch, and he had no sparkle to share with the man.

 

“Severus, I thought you promised to be careful. There would be no more choking and pleasuring yourself so you could live to care for Lily’s daughter. I even commissioned a creative artist for a painting you could enjoy. You’ve been clean for years, so why the Saturday before term.” Dumbledore said, careful to keep his tone measured.

 

“Harry Potter,” Severus said, and his eyes grew manic. “You took him from me, you know what he represents, and you took him away. Rose might be a Dominatrix in the future, but she could never replace Lily’s final act of cruelty upon me. He had her eyes and James’s face; you know what that meant to me.” Severus was practically foaming at the mouth with every word.

 

Dumbledore did what he always did in these situations. He shifted the blame to where it rightfully belonged, away from him. “I wanted to welcome him here and put him in your class. Believe me, dear boy, I wanted to, but someone took him from his relative’s home.”

 

“He was supposed to be happy and taken care of Albus. You said his muggle relatives would spoil him rotten with a lavish life I could only dream of having.” Severus said.

 

Truly Lily had destroyed Severus before Tom or himself could get their claws into the man.

 

Dumbledore let his tone become dower. “I’m afraid someone took him from his loving home before his letter could arrive.”

 

“They were none of my contacts among the death eaters I would have known. Lucius would have crowed like a cock if he had taken the boy. Who could take him from even you? Nicholas Flamel is the only one who could, but you confessed he has no interest in Britain. I wouldn't be opposed if he wanted to spoil Harry.” Severus’s face contorted into a lustful expression only the worst degenerates could make.

 

Truly, Lily was a monster like no other. Severus turned to the mantle where Lily’s portrait paid rapt attention to their conversation. James even said something through his ball gag. Severus lightly brushed a blood-stained leather whip resting on the mantle.

 

“I believe you wanted to give it to Rose as a Christmas gift.” Dumbledore planned to dispose of it properly before Rose learned of her mother’s dark secrets.

 

“I will find him, Dumbledore; I’ll use every resource I have to find Harry Potter and return him to Hogwarts, where he belongs.” But, of course, Dumbledore would prefer to spare the boy more suffering. Rose had enough magic to survive the rituals she needed to undergo, so if he found the boy, he’d send him to Salem in America, far away from Severus Snape and the craziness of Britain.

 

…

 

In a flash, they appeared in front of a massive three-story home surrounded by fruit-bearing trees. A stream flowed along the property lazily as large animals in the distance drank from it. The longer he stared at them, the closer they appeared until he saw them clearly. An elk with golden antlers standing 8 feet tall cleaned the blood from its maw. Next, he saw a bear cub eviscerated with its guts hanging out. A dark hand covered his eyes before removing Harry’s glasses. Harry was shocked when the world appeared clearer without them.

 

“Sometimes, I forget that blood bothers people. To me, it's another part of the scenery. You’ll have to get used to it, but for today we’ll go inside. I don’t want to scare you off before you see your new room.” Master said.

 

“Why did my eyes zoom in on that?” Harry asked.

 

His master’s massive blue eyes focused entirely on Harry. “Have you heard of body enhancement?”

 

Harry knew what both of those words meant, but when he put them together, he only got exorcised. But by the way, his master said the words body enhancement; it clearly meant something else.

 

“If you don’t know, it's ok to say it. I would be disappointed if you knew everything, and I had nothing to drone on about.” His master said, and his eyes appeared as horizontal crescent moons.

 

“I don’t know; I’m sorry, sir.”

 

“Say, my master, I like how it rolls off the tongue.”

 

“I’m sorry, my master,” Harry said.

 

The shadow man nodded and opened the door to his home without unlocking it. Harry thought it was weird that he didn’t bother locking it, but after looking around, he couldn’t see any neighbors. So he was alone with only his master.

 

“Body enhancement, or body cultivation as some call it, is a complicated subject. You gained 5 power skills from me, each correlating to the 5 elements. Wood, fire, water, earth, wood, and metal make up those elements, boosting your body’s natural abilities. The more you use them, the stronger they will become, empowering your body to ever greater heights.” Harry’s master said as he guided Harry inside.

 

Lights flashed on, guided by scripts, each with its own function. Harry could feel them from something in his gut, even as his master’s earlier words invoked something within him. The power skills with his will, he could turn them on or leave them off. It was like an instinct, easier than raising his hand.

 

Master led him down a hallway where the sign on a door formed Harry’s name. “This will be your room; it has a few textbooks, including a reference book to help you along. We’ll start your lessons early in the morning and train your power skills throughout the day. When you want to use the bathroom, flex your will, and the scripts will lead you to one. Study at your own pace, and tomorrow I’ll teach you how to get food. Tonight, dinner is my treat.” His master said and led him to a white tiled kitchen.

 

His master took a hunk of meat out of the fridge and tapped it once. The meat was cooked instantly, and steam snaked up through the air. “There are a few little tricks you get with your power skills, but for the most part, they are only body enhancement. We’ll train you for 6 weeks, then I’ll send you to the Tokyo Ghoul world for some hands-on experience. It’ll be great; from what I learned, the world won’t be too much for you.” Master said.

 

For a moment, he didn’t know what to think. After six weeks, he was going to be thrown away again. His master seemed so aloof and willing to act however he wanted. Harry had never met anyone more carefree he wasn’t like any adult Harry had ever met.

 

He ate his meal quickly, enjoying more meat than he had ever eaten. Whenever he wanted more, his master cut another piece like it was nothing. It was better than anything he’d eaten in his life, and he had risked getting beaten for bacon, but the meat his master gave him was better. Something about it melded with his body; it had exactly what he needed, and he couldn’t get enough.

 

“That’s enough,” Master said after Harry didn’t know how many pieces.

 

“Your gut will explode if you eat anymore, and you aren’t adaptable enough yet to compensate. So I hope you enjoyed it because it’s the last bit of food I’ll give you outside a special occasion. From now on, you will hunt for yourself.” Master said.

 

Harry’s eyes widened, remembering the blood outside. “I can’t. I don’t know how.”

 

His master’s eyes were filled with amusement. “I’ll teach you.” The shadow man said.