Harry Potter : A family??

The morning mist still clung to the ramparts of Moriarty Castle, curling against the ancient stones like a cat unwilling to let go. Inside the eastern courtyard — once used for dueling tournaments and, according to one very drunk portrait, dragon races — Maximus stood in a wide stance, arms folded, boots planted on enchanted stone. His coat flared behind him with the kind of drama only a wizard with far too much experience could pull off without trying.

Harry Potter stood in front of him, eyes bright, wand ready, hair an unmanageable disaster as usual.

"Lesson one," Maximus said, his voice echoing just enough to sound cool and terrifying. "Magic is more than fancy Latin. It's intention, control, and more importantly, not blowing yourself up."

"I haven't blown myself up before, and I don't want to," Harry mumbled, mostly to himself.

Maximus ignored him.

With a quick flick of his wand, glowing orange footprints lit up across the courtyard. They looped around trees, doubled back on themselves, disappeared and reappeared like a drunk ghost's trail.

"Appare Vestigium," Maximus said. "A tracking charm. Used to reveal magical traces — footprints, magic trails, sometimes even memories if the area's saturated enough."

Harry stared. "Can I try?"

"Be my guest."

He mimicked the movement, steady and sharp. "Appare Vestigium!"

Nothing happened, Maximus laughed and pointed " its ah-PAR-ay ves-TEE-jee-um, not ah-PAR-ai ves-TEE-jee-um "

"Okay," Harry replied and tried again, "Appare Vestigium!"

Golden tracks shimmered around his feet. They glowed like starlight — more than Maximus had expected. The boy was beginning to pour intent into his spells. It was raw, beautiful, and slightly terrifying.

"Good," Maximus said. "Now erase it."

"…How?"

Maximus smirked. "Lesson two. Clean up your messes."

By noon, Evelyn had brought them lemon tarts and a strong reminder that no one was allowed to summon whirlwinds inside the west tower again, because someone — who shall remain unnamed — had turned her potion vials into snowglobes.

The next spell came with less flair.

"Aqua Eructo," Maximus demonstrated, a sharp jab of his wand producing a neat stream of pressurized water. It hit a distant apple tree with a satisfying thwack.

Harry tried.

And summoned a firehose.

It blasted Maximus square in the chest.

There was a beat of silence.

Then Maximus slicked back his soaked hair, blinking. "…Refreshing."

Evelyn choked on a tart.

Harry turned beet red. "I-I'm so sorry—"

"Don't apologize," Maximus grunted, wringing out his coat. "Your control's terrible, but your force is terrifying. Let's build on that."

Next came spider defense.

"Arania Exumai!" Maximus bellowed at a conjured Acromantula illusion. The spider exploded in a puff of black smoke.

Harry didn't even flinch. "Why spiders?"

"Because I hate them. And you should too."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "This is personal, isn't it?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Arresto Momentum," Maximus called next, leaping from the balcony above the dueling pit. "Say it if you don't want me with a broken leg!"

"WHAT?!"

Harry panicked and pointed his wand at Maximus. "Arresto Momentum!"

Maximus slowed midair and landed like a feather, grinning.

Evelyn, watching from above, hissed like a kettle. "You IDIOT—he's ten! Are you TRYING to give him heart failure?!"

"Fear is an excellent motivator," Maximus called.

Harry clutched his chest. "It really is."

The afternoon's highlight came when Maximus conjured a lake over the training ground and leapt into it.

Then shot out like a human torpedo with a cry of, "Ascendio!"

Harry gasped. "That's so cool!"

"Your turn," Maximus shouted from midair.

"…Can I wear a helmet?"

Evelyn handed him one from thin air.

"Bless you," he muttered, diving in.

He burst out seconds later, screaming with glee, water flying in all directions like a magical geyser.

Maximus high-fived him mid-flight.

Both crashed into the bushes.

Evelyn gave the lake a look. "No more geyser spells near my hydrangeas," and then vanished the lake with a flick of her wand.

The stone target froze beautifully — ice glinting like diamonds in the sun. Harry stood wide-eyed, wand still raised, chest heaving.

"Glacius," he whispered again, as if the spell tasted different on his tongue now.

Maximus smirked, brushing frost from his sleeve. "Good. Now, ready for something sharper?"

He didn't wait for an answer. A flick of his wand conjured a thick leather sheet in midair, enchanted with dragon-scale threading. It floated, turning slowly like a judge considering its next victim.

"This," Maximus said, "is tougher than most monsters. Strong magic resistance. Very few spells can cut through it."

Harry adjusted his grip on the wand. "Like Diffindo?"

Maximus's grin widened. "Exactly, but not just anyone can cut a dragon with it. Go on, give it a try."

Harry took a step forward.

"Focus," Maximus said. "Your intent is everything. Picture the path of the cut. Clean. Precise. Not wild — controlled."

Harry nodded, raised his wand, and whispered: "Diffindo."

The first attempt barely scratched it.

He narrowed his eyes.

Again: "Diffindo!"

This time, the air hissed.

The floating hide split open in a perfect line, a hair's breadth thick, the two halves flopping down like stage curtains.

Maximus let out a long whistle. "Now that… that could hurt a Hungarian Horntail's wing. But let me show you what a strong wizard can do with it"

With a flick of his wand, he turned a stone into a Hungarian Horntail and then, in front of the astonished Harry, with a flick of his wand and a quiet Diffindo, the dragon was split in half.

"Don't worry, champ, in due time your diffindo shall cleave mountains. "

From the edge of the courtyard, Evelyn crossed her arms. "If he tries it on the curtains again, he's sewing them himself."

Harry grinned, a little proud, a little guilty.

Spell combinations were next.

"Leviosa lifts," Maximus said, summoning a training dummy. "Flippendo spins. Descendo slams. Remember that."

Harry stared at him.

"…That's just mean."

"It's efficient."

"Right, let us start," Maximus said, tossing a training dummy into the air with Leviosa. "Follow my lead. First, Levitate. Second, Flippendo. Third, Descendo. You're launching and then slamming. Hard."

The dummy floated.

Maximus's wand sliced through the air — "Flippendo!"

The dummy flipped midair, arms flailing like a startled acrobat.

"Descendo!"

It slammed into the ground with a loud THUMP and a squeaky sproing that sent its straw stuffing flying.

Harry winced. "That looked painful."

"It should," Maximus said proudly. "On a person, it's just enough to break a rib or two if used right. Unless you use the Maxima forms — then we're talking minced meat."

Evelyn narrowed her eyes. "You're not teaching him Maxima spells until I say so."

Maximus raised both hands. "Of course not. Not until he's at least… twelve."

"Maximus."

"Fine."

Harry stepped forward. "Can I try?"

He did. Leviosa. Flippendo. Descendo. The dummy flopped like a ragdoll tossed by a hurricane. It slammed to the ground, then bounced and hit Maximus in the back of the head.

"Sorry!"

Maximus gave a thumbs up from the dirt.

Evelyn cackled.

Maximus chuckled. "Perfect arc. I knew you were a violent one."

Harry looked sheepish. "You said it was educational."

"Violence can be educational."

Evelyn groaned. "You two are going to be the death of me."

"And yet, you married me," Maximus quipped.

Harry turned to Evelyn, grin wide. "Is it really that bad?"

She stared at the floating bits of straw, the bisected dragonhide, and the faint scorch mark still smoldering on the grass.

"…It's better than I imagined."

"Now," Maximus added, brushing off grass, "you're too young for the shattering curse, but I'll teach you a workaround. Glacius first — freeze your target. Then, Depulso it into a wall or any strong surface. If it's fragile, it'll shatter."

Harry raised his wand.

"Glacius!"

The rock iced over in seconds.

"Depulso!"

It shot into the stone wall and then exploded.

"…Whoa."

Maximus grinned. "Now that was satisfying."

The evening was slower.

They practiced in the library, using enchanted marbles, hovering scrolls, and Evelyn's unamused cat as moving targets.

Evelyn worked on a potion to cure magical fatigue, humming as she crushed a Phoenix feather into powder.

Harry was bouncing his wand in his hand.

"can I ask you something?"

"Hmm?"

"…Could I learn Incendio next?"

Maximus looked up.

Evelyn froze.

Together, they said: "No."

Harry deflated.

"Why not?"

Maximus raised a brow. "Because the last time you got near fire magic, the west wing nearly joined the sun."

Harry pouted.

Evelyn patted his head. "When you can extinguish a flame as fast as you make one, we'll talk."

Harry brightened. "Deal!"

That night, Maximus checked on Harry before bed.

The boy was still scribbling notes in his spell journal.

Maximus leaned against the doorway, arms folded.

"Hey," he said softly. "You're doing great. Don't burn out."

"I'm fine," Harry said. "Just… excited."

Maximus nodded.

Then tossed a blanket over his shoulders and ruffled his hair.

"You're turning into a menace," he said.

Harry grinned. "Like you?"

"Worse."

And Harry fell asleep smiling.

Outside, the stars shimmered.

Inside, the castle was quiet — the kind of quiet that only came with safety, warmth, and a future finally beginning to bloom.

To be continued...