And here's the last chapter for a while.
Rest assured I'll get her to Hogwarts, but this is the last concrete Chapter I'll be putting out, as I have other issues that require my attention, like getting a job.
On a side note, I'll be trying to address several Plot Holes that appear during the course of the series (The Troll in the Dungeon scene in particular), but feel free to let me know if I miss anything.
That said, let's see how things go eh?
Chapter 3: The Boy Who Lived.
After a decidedly more thorough check-up from an overzealous matron than she would have preferred, followed by a hearty breakfast of porridge, toast and as much bacon as she could handle in one sitting, Sunset felt like a new mare…girl…whatever the hay she was supposed to be at the moment.
Despite her earlier apprehensions, it seemed she was well on the way to achieving her destiny if the faculty of Hogwarts (seriously, who named their school after a skin affliction?) were even half as qualified in their respective fields as Dumbledore claimed. If they were even half as dedicated as Madam Pomfrey had been, she was definitely in good hooves...Hands rather.
“Miss Shimmer?” a stern female voice called out as she finished her breakfast, drawing her attention to a tall, though by no means as tall as Dumbledore, older mare dressed as a stereotypical witch, though given the name of the school, that was most likely what she was “I am Professor Minerva McGonagall,” she introduced primly, though not unkindly “Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, Head of Gryffindor House and the Transfiguration Professor.”
“Good morning, Professor McGonagall.” Sunset greeted, falling back on her foal-hood training under Celestia as she rose from her bed, spending a perilous moment to find her balance before offering an awkward bow to what was essentially Dumbledore’s Second-in-command “A pleasure to meet you.”
“Yes, quite.” McGonagall returned, looking oddly flustered for some reason “Though in future, Miss Shimmer, there will be no need to bow when greeting someone. While Students are expected to show the proper respect to both the Faculty and their peers, such practices fell out of favor along with Corporal Punishment some time ago.”
“Understood, Professor.” Sunset acknowledged, internally sighing in relief, as she had always hated kowtowing to certain lecturers that thought highly of themselves simply because of pedigree. Well, up until she showed them up that is “Did you need me for something?”
“Professor Dumbledore has tasked me with assisting you with the acquisition of your school necessities.” The older mare explained, some of her sternness giving way in the face of Sunset’s politeness “If you have been cleared by Madam Pomfrey, we can begin as soon as you are ready.”
“I’m ready as I’ll ever be.” Sunset reasoned, moving to pass McGonagall only to pause as the Professor cleared her throat “Is something wrong?”
“It might behoove you to change your attire, Miss Shimmer.” McGonagall suggested primly, though not without an undertone of good humor “While I confess to not particularly caring for the latest fashion trends, parading around Diagon Alley in your pajamas would attract far more attention than I think you’d care for at the moment.”
“Oh, right.” Sunset mused, glancing down at the clothes she’d woken up in, having completely forgotten about them, far more focused on trying to figure out how her new appendages worked. Thankfully, the buttons of her current attire had proven most useful in that regard “Do I really need to change into something else? I’m not really comfortable with the whole ‘clothes’ thing.”
“Be that as it may.” McGonagall pressed with the ease of long patience, levelling a stare at the suddenly nervous Shimmer that nailed her to the spot “As a student you will be expected to wear your uniform at all times during school hours, and proper attire at all other times. Do I make myself clear?”
“C-Crystal.” Sunset assured the suddenly intimidating Professor, breathing a sigh of relief as McGonagall finally eased up the pressure, leaving her to get changed out of her clothes and into the new set that had been provided for her “Wow, and I thought Kibitz’ glares could cut to the bone…”
After getting properly dressed to McGonagall’s specifications, including the underwear that the woman had insisted she wear, Sunset found herself making her way through the halls of Hogwarts towards the Deputy Headmistress’ office. At first she’d deemed the school’s interior decidedly drab and lacking compared to the Palace or Celestia’s School, which had both been designed to be aesthetically pleasing by the finest architects of their time, but she had to admit the moving paintings were a novel bit of charm-work.
‘It’s almost as if they’re alive.’ She mused, reaching out to touch a nearby portrait of a mare in impressive garb, only to yelp and draw her hand back as something slapped her “What the-?!”
“Such impertinence!” the painting scolded, opening the fan she’d used to ward off Sunset’s questing hand to conceal her face with a haughty glare “In my day children new better than to lay their hands on their betters!”
“You’re…alive?!” Sunset stammered, gaping at the painting in shock, noting with dawning wonderment that several of the others had paused in what they were doing to watch the show “But…how…?!”
“Come along Miss Shimmer.” Professor McGonagall called out from down the hall, snapping sunset out of her daze, the former unicorn hurrying after the tall witch, more than happy to escape from those prying eyes “And for future reference, please avoid touching any of the Paintings without permission.”
“But…they’re alive!” Sunset exclaimed, unable to wrap her mind around the impossibility before her “How did you manage to bring them to life?”
“I am afraid that is not my field of expertise.” McGonagall admitted with surprising humility “If you wish to learn more, I believe Professor Flitwick, our Charms Professor, would be more than willing to accommodate you, provided it doesn’t interfere with his duties.” She paused in front of a door “That said, do come along Miss Shimmer, we have a busy day ahead of us.”
“Yes ma’am…but I thought we were going to purchase my school things?” Sunset queried, looking around the neat, strangely cozy looking office with a hint of approval. Say what you like about the Deputy Headmistress, she new how keep her office in order “Wait, is that my bag?”
“I believe so.” McGonagall confirmed, gesturing towards a backpack on her desk which bore Sunset’s Cutie Mark on the cover “Professor Dumbledore asked me to return it to you. Please feel free to check that nothing is missing before we set out.”
‘At least I have something familiar with me…’ Sunset sighed as she picked up the backpack that was once her saddlebags to check the contents, suppressing a grimace as she espied the journal Celestia had given her in order to keep in contact, ignoring it in favor of her bag of bits, which she thrust into one of the pockets of her borrowed leggings, jeans she believed McGonagall called them.
“If you’re quite ready miss Shimmer?" Professor McGonagall called out, drawing the former unicorn’s attention to the fireplace, removing a handful of powder from a pot on the mantle, which she promptly tossed into the flames, Sunset’s eyes widening as they shifted to a bright green, the Fireplace itself expanding so that it towered over the Deputy Headmistress “Now then, if you would kindly join me in the fireplace-”
“You want me to what?!” Sunset exclaimed, eyeing the woman in alarm as she backed up against the door, wondering if she’d perhaps made a mistake in accepting Dumbledore’s offer only to blink as McGonagall gaped at her in surprise, which quickly shifted to a look of understanding.
“Ah, forgive me, Miss Shimmer.” She offered, inclining her head in apology, “Given the means by which you arrived in Hogwarts and the Headmaster’s assurances of your magical knowledge, I had assumed you would be familiar with the existence of Floo Powder.” She gestured to the pot on her mantle “While Apparition is blocked by the Hogwarts Wards, it is possible for Faculty members to communicate and travel via the Floo Network to designated locations.”
‘So it’s kind of like spell Dragons use to send messages, only customized for transportation?’ Sunset deduced, recalling her lectures on the various uses of Dragon Fire, aside from their trademark setting of Extra Crispy “So I just toss some powder in the fire and it’ll take me where I need to go?”
“Yes, but only to and from fireplaces connected to the Floo Network.” McGonagall elaborated “For future reference, I must also stress the importance of clearly pronouncing your destination before entering. Many a Witch and Wizard have made the mistake of stuttering or slurring their words, only to find themselves trapped behind a walled-up fire-place with no means of escape.”
“Understood.” Sunset acknowledged, shivering at the very idea as she slung her backpack over her shoulder, some of her old confidence returning along with her desire to learn more about this new means of travel. After all, while teleportation existed in Equestria, only the most powerful of Unicorns could accomplish such a feat and never over long distances. If Sunset could reverse engineer or even improve upon whatever magics allowed for such a convenient mode of transportation, the patents alone would be enough to have her name recorded for all of time “Okay…how do we do this?”
“Simply step into the Fire with me.” McGonagall instructed patiently, offering her hand to the former unicorn with a kind smile that Sunset accepted after a moment’s hesitation, bracing herself instinctively for the heat as she allowed McGonagall to guide her into the fireplace, only to gasp as, rather than the heat she was expecting, she felt a cool, almost ticklish sensation.
“Yes, it is rather ticklish isn’t it?” McGonagall noted, and Sunset was shocked to see a hint of amusement in her normally stern features “Now then, make sure to keep your elbows tucked in, yes, that’s good. Now, shut your eyes and don’t let go of my hand no matter what.”
“Okay.” Sunset whispered, unable to help the hint of uncertainty in her voice as she followed the older mare’s instruction, more than a little grateful for the comforting squeeze McGonagall gave her hand before clearing her throat and calling out
“The Leaky Cauldron, London.”
Almost immediately after, Sunset gasped in alarm as the bottom dropped out of her stomach, the former Unicorn gripping onto McGonagall’s hand for dear life as the floor vanished beneath her, her ears filling with a deafening roar that reminded her of that one time she’d fallen into a river as a foal, only without the feeling of being wet.
Then, just as soon as it started, the feeling of falling vanished and she was stumbling out of the fireplace, only McGonagall’s strong grip on her hand keeping her from falling flat on her face. “Easy there, Miss Shimmer.” The elder Mare assured her, patting her comfortingly on her trembling shoulders, bringing up her wand to banish the dust and soot coating her frame “You handled yourself very well, far better than most do their first time.”
“Blimey, issat you Professor McGonagall?” a loud voice boomed, cutting off whatever Sunset was about to say and drawing her attention to her surroundings. A first glance it reminded her of an old Trottingham style pub she’d visited once during her student days, the kind of place that advertised itself as ‘rustic’ and ‘charming’ in order to draw in those Canterlotians interested in the simple life of Earth Ponies.
However, not even the most ‘down to earth’ of Canterlot’s clientele could have described the pub before her as anything less than ‘shabby’, not helped at all by the low lighting making it appear out of something from the old days before the first Hearths Warming.
However, all of that paled in comparison to the small crowd of what was likely the pub’s patrons clustered around what she first assumed to be a bear in an overcoat, only for her eyes to widen as she realized she was gazing upon the most massive stallion, or whatever they called males around here, she was ever likely to see, towering over even Dumbledore, who was himself taller than McGonagall.
“Good morning, Hagrid, Quirinius.” McGonagall greeted primly, yet with a touch of fondness that hadn’t escaped Sunset, putting the former Unicorn at ease as she approached the walking mountain and a smaller figure clad in a purple turban, “I was unaware you would be here, Quirinius, did Albus send you?”
“J-j-j-just passing th-th-through M-M-Minerva.” the turbaned stallion assured the older mare with a nervous smile and a stutter so fake it raised several flags in Sunset’s mind, though nowhere near as many as the sudden brush she felt against her mental barriers as the man glanced her way “I was p-p-p-planning to pick up a n-n-n-new book on v-v-vampires. Yourself?”
“I am assisting a First-Year with their shopping.” McGonagall explained, gesturing towards Sunset, who stood up straighter at the sudden attention “Miss Shimmer, allow me to present Professor Quirinius Quirrel, our Defense against the Dark Arts Professor.”
“Nice to meet you, Professor Quirrel.” Sunset lied through her teeth, thankful for her years of court-training that allowed her to keep her true emotions hidden. As Celestia’s protégé, Sunset had lost count of the times somepony had tried to take advantage of her to either elevate their status or push forward some agenda that needed Celestia’s approval. While the number proficient enough in mental magics had been thankfully few and far between, mostly due to many not wanting to associate with what was rightfully considered a ‘dark’ magic, there had been enough, both during Sunset’s tenure and long since prior, for Celestia to make it compulsory that all of her students have at least enough fore-knowledge to be able to protect themselves.
‘I’ll have to keep my eyes on that one.’ She noted, eyeing the turban-sporting professor warily as he chatted with McGonagall, still using that fake stutter ‘It could simply be he’s the paranoid type given his profession, but something about him doesn’t feel right.’
“And this is Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of the Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts.” McGonagall introduced, gesturing to the walking mountain before regarding Sunset with a stern expression that reminded her all-too-much of Celestia “While he is not a Professor, you will afford him the same respect you would any other member of the faculty, is that clear?”
“Crystal, Professor.” Sunset assured her, and she honestly meant it. While normally she’d have rolled her eyes at the concept of showing deference to what was ostensibly a gardener, it was a different matter entirely with a ‘Keeper of the Keys’, which was one of Kibitz’ lesser discussed but by no means unimportant duties as Celestia’s Advisor, and essentially granted the old Stallion the exclusive authority to go wherever he pleased within Canterlot, even Celestia’s private chambers if need be, without having to get permission from the Princess first.
It was for this reason, among countless others, that had encouraged Sunset to avoid getting on Kibitz’ bad side, the old Stallion having more than earned the respect he was due. It was for this same reason, and the fact he looked like he could crush her with one massive hand, that she vowed to avoid crossing this Rubeus Hagrid at any cost “Nice to meet you, Mr. Hagrid.”
“’ere now, none o’ tha’” Hagrid chuckled “Mr. Hagrid was my Da. Yeh can jus’ call me Hagrid iff’n yeh like.” He then reached behind him, drawing Sunset’s attention to a small figure that had been completely hidden behind the Stallion’s massive bulk “An’ this ere’s Harry, c’mon say ‘ello Harry.”
“H-Hello.” Harry greeted nervously, his shockingly emerald eyes blinking at Sunset shyly from behind a messy black mane and cheap-looking spectacles that had clearly been broken several times. This, combined with his over-sized, baggy clothes, which made him seem smaller than he probably was, though given how he was half a head shorter than Sunset that wasn’t really saying much, quickly raised several red flags in Sunset’s eyes “I’m Harry Potter.”
“Nice to meet you Harry.” Sunset greeted, offering the boy a confident smile, her eyes narrowing slightly as she caught several of the patrons’ mutter something about her being a ‘Muggleborn’ “I’m Sunset Shimmer, this is Professor McGonagall.” She smiled cheekily, deciding to test the waters “Don’t worry, she doesn’t bite.”
“Quite.” McGonagall noted primly even as Sunset’s quip earned a barking laugh from Hagrid and a few scandalized whispers from the bar’s patrons, though Sunset was pleased to note a hint of humor in the older mare’s otherwise stern glare, a genuine smile adorning her face as she reached out to shake the colt’s hand “A pleasure to meet you again Mr. Potter.”
“Have we met before, Professor?” Harry wondered, blinking in confusion as he withdrew his hand, Sunset noting McGonagall’s sudden scowl with interest.
“I had the…pleasure…of ensuring you were delivered to your relatives after the unfortunate death of your parents.” McGonagall admitted, her expression saying all that needed to be said in regards to her opinion on the matter “I trust you still have your Hogwarts letter, Mr. Potter?” she nodded as Harry pulled it out of his pocket “Very well, Miss Shimmer and I shall accompany you as we purchase your school things. Will you be joining us, Quirinius?”
“Ah, no…” the turbaned Professor faux-stuttered apologetically, insisting that he was only here to pick up his book “I r-r-r-really must be g-g-going…”
“I understand.” Minerva assured him kindly, earning a quirked brow from Sunset as they watched the man depart through the back door of the pub “Perhaps he should have taken more time off after all…”
“Is he always that nervous?” Harry asked Hagrid, much to Sunset’s relief, as she was curious as to how to broach the subject without coming off as invasive.
“Oh, yeah.” The giant stallion confirmed with a nod “Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin’ outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience. They say he met vampires in the Black Forest and there was a nasty bit o’ trouble with a hag...” he shuddered, and he wasn’t the only one, several of the bars patrons looking decidedly uncomfortable, heck even Sunset was feeling more than a little wary at the confirmation of such creatures existing “Never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject…”
“That will be quite enough, Hagrid.” Professor McGonagall chastised primly, impressing Sunset once again with how easily she silenced the walking mountain without raising her voice “You know as well as I that Albus would not have granted Quirinius his post if he possessed any doubts as to his ability to teach.”
“Righ, sorry Professor.” The Groundskeeper rumbled apologetically, looking for all the world like a foal caught with his hoof in the cookie-jar that Sunset honestly couldn’t help smiling as they exited the Pub via the same door Quirrel had left, only to find themselves standing in an alley behind the pub, empty save for a trashcan lying against the far wall.
“Watch closely, Mr. Potter, Miss Shimmer.” McGonagall instructed, pulling out her wand as she approached the wall, raising her wand to a spot three bricks above and two bricks across from the top of the trashcan lid “You will need to do this yourselves one day.”
“Do what?” Harry wondered, only to look on in wonderment along with an equally startled Sunset as the brick the Professor tapped quivered, wriggled, and then began to shift, a small a small hole appearing, growing steadily wider until, less than a second later, they found themselves facing an archway large enough for even Hagrid to stride through unhindered.
“Mr. Potter, Miss Shimmer.” McGonagall called out, smiling fondly at the pair as she turned to face them in the archway “It gives me great pleasure to be the first to welcome you to Diagon Alley.”
Beyond the archway lay a cobbled street that twisted out of sight, revealing a bustling market street, lined on all sides by an assortment of restaurants, shops and various traders peddling their wares to the crowds milling around them.
However, while Harry was gaping at his surroundings in wonderment, Sunset couldn’t help but flinch, as the scene was so similar to her own foal-hood memories, both before and after her time as Celestia’s student, that despite the lack of ponies she couldn’t help but feel a pang of homesickness.
‘Stop thinking about it.’ She glowered, clamping down on such her emotions before they could get out of hand ‘I knew what we were getting into when we jumped into the mirror…such feelings will just hold me back.’
“Hey…are you okay?” a voice asked hesitantly, snapping Sunset out of her thoughts to find the colt, Harry, eyeing her nervously as they followed behind McGonagall with Hagrid bringing up the rear.
“I’m fine.” She snapped back, only to grimace as he flinched at her tone “Sorry…just…this place reminds me of my hometown.” she admitted, pointedly ignoring a sign offering Dragon’s Liver for sale “I haven’t been back in years…didn’t think it would hurt so much.”
“It’s okay.” Harry assured her, the colt’s understanding expression stunning Sunset for a moment until she recalled what McGonagall had mentioned earlier regarding his parents.
“It’s not that my parents are dead!” she countered hurriedly “It’s just…we don’t get along very well…and it doesn’t look like I’ll be seeing them any time soon either.”
Before Harry could ask her what she meant, they were forced to pull up short as McGonagall stopped at the foot of a set of stone stairs that led up to a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops, not unlike how Canterlot Palace towered over the rest of the city. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was a creature about a foot shorter than Harry with evil little eyes set in a swarthy, clever face tipped by a pointed beard.
“Yeah, that’s a goblin,” Hagrid whispered to Harry as they walked up the steps toward him, having apparently mentioned them to the boy at some point. Sunset, having never seen such a creature before, couldn’t help but stare at it as they drew closer, an action the goblin was more than willing to reciprocate, narrowing his evil little eyes at her even as he bowed as they walked inside the bronze doors, only to be met with two more goblins guarding a second set of silver doors engraved with words that sent a shiver down Sunset’s spine.
“Like I said, yeh’d be mad ter try an’ rob it,” Hagrid whispered to Harry as the second set of goblins bowed them through the silver doors into a vast marble hall where at least a hundred more of their race sat behind long counters, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales or examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these.
“Do you have Mr. Potter’s Vault Key with you, Hagrid?” Professor McGonagall asked, waiting patiently as the giant stallion rummaged through his coat pockets before holding up a tiny gold key “Excellent, I shall see to Mr. Potter and Miss Shimmer, while you see to more pressing matters.”
“Wha-? Oh! Righ’, righ’…” Hagrid exclaimed after a moment's confusion, the Keeper of the Keys, ironically, handing the key over to the Deputy Headmistress before nodding at Harry “I’ll catch yeh later Harry, you listen to Professor McGonagall, she won’t steer you wrong.”
“Why does Hagrid have the key to Harry’s vault?” Sunset wondered aloud as the Groundskeeper lumbered off to join one of the queues, a question that Harry himself seemed to be wondering as he finished waving at his escort “Shouldn’t it be with his caretakers?”
“Normally, yes.” McGonagall admitted with a grim frown “However, Mr. Potter’s…relatives…could not be trusted with his finances, so it has been held in trust for him until he could attend Hogwarts.” She turned to level a stern look at Harry “That does not, however, mean that you have access to all your parents’ money. A Trust fund has been set aside to cover your education, I advise you avoid any needless expenditure, as you will not be able to access the rest of your account until you come of age at seventeen.”
“Makes sense.” Sunset reasoned, as she was more than used to managing her stipend even before she became Celestia’s student, though admittedly her savings had grown considerably due to her not really wanting for anything living in the palace “By the way Professor, I know the Headmaster mentioned a trust fund, but I actually have some money on me.” she held up her bag of bits “You think I could exchange it here? Maybe get some spending money?”
“Yes, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up Miss Shimmer.” McGonagall insisted apologetically as they joined a cue of their own “The current exchange rate for Non-Wizarding currency is…less than inspiring.”
“If you have a problem with our rates, you’re free to take your business elsewhere.” A voice snarked, startling the children, who looked up to find themselves gazing up at a sneering goblin.
“Good morning.” McGonagall greeted primly, the goblin’s sneer devolving into a scowl at her unflappable nature “I am here to make a withdrawal from Mr. Harry Potter’s safe.”
“You have his key?” the Goblin demanded, scowling as the Professor deftly handed the key over for his inspection, turning it over several times in his hands, as if trying to detect a forgery “That seems to be in order.” He grudgingly admitted at last “I will have someone take you down to the vault. Griphook!” he barked, another goblin hurrying over “A withdrawal for Vault Six-Hundred and Eighty-Seven.”
“I would also like to exchange some money for my student here.” McGonagall noted primly “Miss Shimmer, if you would kindly accompany Mr. Potter to his vault, I will see about opening an account for you.”
“You really don’t need to do that.” Sunset assured her, more out of a desire to avoid leaving a paper-trail than any fear the woman was going to cheat her out of her savings. Though their time together had been short, Sunset considered herself very good at reading people and from what little she’d seen McGonagall appeared to be the strict yet fair kind of instructor who valued the rules and would no-sooner allow harm to befall her charges than Celestia would turn down cake.
In the end, however, McGonagall’s insistence won out in the end, the Deputy-Headmistress asking Griphook to ‘take it slow’ as he led Sunset and Harry away, though judging from the Goblin’s leer, it wasn’t likely he intended to honor her request.
“Exchanges are the next till over.” the Goblin manning the till instructed, tilting his head towards one of his colleagues, who was weighing several rubies the size of glowing coals, only to snarl as McGonagall politely thanked him and moved over to the till in question.
“Good Morning.” She greeted, waiting patiently for the Goblin to finish jotting down the current gem’s value “I would like to exchange some foreign currency.”
“Exchange rates are non-negotiable.” The Goblin quipped, not even bothering to look up from his ledger as he reached for another ruby “Please check the value against the official list.”
“I’m afraid that will be impossible.” McGonagall countered primly, opening up Sunset’s bag and depositing a single gold coin on the table “I’m afraid this currency is not on the list.”
The Goblin glared at her, opening his mouth as if to tell her off, only to pause, his eyes narrowing as he reached down to pick up the coin with his long fingers, the Professor’s back shivering as she suddenly noticed the entire bank had fallen silent, every single Goblin looking up from their ledgers to peer at the coin.
“Where…” the goblin demanded, and at first Minerva thought the tremble in his voice might be anger, but on closer inspection she realized the Goblin was physically restraining himself “did you say this coin came from?”
“I have a letter from Professor Dumbledore that can better explain the matter.” McGonagall replied primly, refusing to allow the smugness she felt internally from showing on her face as the Goblins, as one, began to swear in gobbledygook.
After all, it wasn’t often that a Witch or Wizard managed to pull one over the Goblins, even by proxy.
Great chapter. And your notes at the end make perfect sense. Can't wait to see what happens next, and good luck on your job search.
Great chapter! Also I remember reading a fix where this is used to excuse Blueblood's behavior, so if It can do that, it can definitely work for Sunset!
The goblin reaction is funny, I'm assuming bits are made from something better than just gold right? On the one hand it wasn't bad, but on the other I was looking forward to Sunset not having much money so... but author's prerogative I guess.
I do hope she does decide to write in the journal at some point for her sake though it would not help keep the tension. I'm guessing that won't happen till maybe end of year if not in year two (which would make most sense since it contrasts with Tom's diary).
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The idea of Sunset becoming cynical and megalomaniacal due to being exposed to court intrigue is pretty plausible idea actually.
Sunset, being a conniving and manipulative little jerk, can thus see through other conniving and manipulative little jerks.
It would be interesting to see how she interacts with Draco, another haughty child born into intrigue and nobility
And thus, to the Goblin's collective horror, they realized they would eventually have to deal with the one being who would outlive them all and make investment plans that would force them to treat her as an equal. Fortunately, until they actually MEET Princess Celestia, they are safe-ish. For now. Insert evil laughter here!
I'm guessing that money like some harry potter story's suggest is also magical. Plus it's gold. Probably 100%. I think she's going to get more than she expects. She also probably kept a coin or two for nostalgias sake. I would.
I'm hoping Sunset and McGonagall here get harry to realize he needs more books etc... rather than getting his list and being hurried along by Hagrid. They both need some explanations of this new wizarding world after all. And since its new too Harry and Sunset it will be interesting to read them learning out together and sunset comparing it to Equestria.
Hmm. I'm on the fence with this story. It's bogged down with expository asides that add little to nothing to the actual narrative, an omniscient narrator who outright states character motivations rather than letting most of them show why (and occasionally what) they're doing, and gobs of lengthily worded review that's a chore to slog through for those familiar with the source material.
On the other hand, the premise is intriguing, and once one trims the fat, there's a great deal of promise present. Now that we're mostly through with introductions, I look forward to seeing where you go with this, especially since Sunset's reasons for stealing the Tiara of Magic can't be the same.
Interesting. Promising, but a little more of showing instead of telling would be nice.
There are some matters though, such as Sunset not having aknowledged that she became a prepubescent child. If she was old enough to drink, that reversal certainly would have quite the effect, specially in how she deals with the faculty. Nothing was said about her lack of casting ability that came with not having a horn anymore.
The first could be chalked up to not understanding what defines age in this new species, being something that will come up later. Like when she asks where's the booze, or when she looks around during selection and sees that she's the same size as the runts, roughly. Or now in the alley when she sees children shopping with their parents. That's oughta be a weird talk for McGonagall.
The second one most likely when they try to buy a wand. I wonder what will resonate more with her. Maybe one made of her own hairs? She IS an extremely powerful unicorn, after all.
On that unicorn front, will she fell attracted to virginal girls? Will her blood be able to heal wounds? Will the ones from the Forbidden Forest let her ride them due to species kinship? I wonder how Magic will react to something so "pure" in the form of a human.
I wonder how much her animagus form will surprise everyone. Being a yellow unicorn with bacon hair is bound to make it useless for stealth. But maybe she can use equestrian magic in that form?
Either way, please post more soon. Don't let yourself be held back by waiting new information from the cartoon, all you're doing is in the past of it anyway.
Also there's certainly more than two and a half years between Twily becoming a student and a princess. More like two decades... Nothing that a different passage of time wouldn't explain, but one that must be approached with care.
i would love to see sunsets magic at work and have her cutie mark appear on her clothes
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One of the popular versions about Mirror Portal suggested that time in human and pony world flow with different speed and only synchronize when portal is active.
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As Celestia's Student she was given a Royal Stipend, which she hoarded because let's face it, what the hell did she need to buy living in the Palace? So yeah, she's got a small fortune in bits, enough to live comfortably outside Canterlot, but as the Gold Content is a lot 'Purer' than Potterverse Gold...let's just say Equestrian Gold is like Crack to Goblins.
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Nope. No Cutie Mark except on the belongings she brought with her.
8842295
I'm going by that assumption myself, because let's face it, 2.5 years is nowhere near enough for Twilight and the Mane 6 to go from foalhood to whatever the hell age they are now.
8842243
Prepubescence: Sunset just ended up in an alien world in a form she doesn't recognised and was offered tutelage from someone who casually broke her preconceived notions on the limitations of Magic by creating matter out of thin air. For all she knew she was her proper age until she stepped inside the pub and realized she wouldn't be getting a drink anytime soon.
Lack of Casting: Sunset is used to using Magic the Equestrian way (Through her Horn). Bereft of her Horn as a conduit, her magic isn't going anywhere, much like how a Wizard/Witch are next to powerless without their Wands unless they put the effort into mastering Wand-less Casting. Also, her control over her magic makes it next to impossible that she'd have a Magic Surge/Bout of Unintentional Magic.
From the mouth of Babes: Yeah she's not going to appreciate being talked down to but the desire to master this world's magic takes precedence over her pride for the moment. Also, being in a juvenile body makes her less prone to Hormonal outbursts until Puberty hits again.
Virgin bait: While she doesn't feel an attraction to Virgins (Male or Female) I won't go into any more specifics as to her abilities on account of spoilers. Suffice to say she brings more to the table than just a PHD in Equestrian Thaumaturgical Studies. Technically she's already in her Animagus form.
“I’m ready as I’ll ever be”, Sunset reasoned, moving to pass McGonagall only to pause as the Professor cleared her throat.
“Is something wrong?”, she asked.
I won't pretend that I'm an expert, especially since I have quite a bit of trouble myself with dialogue, but do make sure to separate the different part of a dialogue. Two characters shouldn't share the same paragraph, at least not such a short one.
This is such a fun story so far. Good luck with your stuff you got going on too, hope for the best!
8841972
Well one thing about Goblins in Harry Potter is their mastery of magical craftsmanship (Like the Sword of Gryphondor), so if there's some otherworldly magic enchanted into the pony bits, that could be a big factor in their interest. Which also raises the possibility that at some distant future point, goblin items crafted to incorporate equestrian magic from said bits might become important as a bit of unintended consequence.
8842399
lol! That sounds interesting! Your story had actually got me thinking about equestrian vs Harry Potter magic, thinking up a pretend mediwizard checkup results on Sunset's magical core.
"Her harmony index is through the roof! Also high in empathic resonance... But there's almost no whimsy at all... how can she even do magic with such unbalanced numbers?"
one thing that I realized that it is probably much more ordered or 'harmonious' and less whimsical or 'chaotic'. So to Goblins it would be like a transfigured item that is so harmonized it it has become an Ur-coin (well Ur-bit). Like to their senses it's entire essence is coiny. Make a sword like that and BAM! Noble Phantasm right there
This is amazing so far you really have quite the talent.
I like how sunset defaults to rude and snappy with Harry only to apologize when she realizes his sincerity.
8842348
Already in her animagus form? Well, that's bound to get interesting sooner or later. Nice.
8842054
Sure I do! He, Hastur, Nyarlathotep and I play pool down at Harry's every other weekend. Sometimes Henderson even shows up and schools us all.
8842130
This is essentially the grand summary of the Darker side of the "Manipulative Dumbledore" Camp, though some of the points made here are more fanon than not. On the "Lighter" side of things (though only marginally), some could argue that despite Dumbledore knowing about Harry's home life he and the rest of Wizarding society literally wouldn't necessarily see it as an issue in the same way we do, since Wizarding Culture is more or less stuck in the Victorian era, a time when it was considered perfectly alright for parents to beat their children for misbehavior. Molly helping Harry that first time at Kings Cross could still be considered a manipulation, though in good conscience if Hagrid remembered after the fact that he forgot to inform Harry on how to cross the barrier and Dumbledore merely asked a genuine favor of a family with close ties to him. Sending Hagrid was a calculation as he would see Hagrid's unflinching loyalty to him as assurance that Harry would get his letter no matter what and knowing that Hagrid's stature would ensure enough intimidation towards Harry's relatives where they wouldn't get in the way, but his kind heart would assure the timid Harry that he was safe and protected.
Harry is a natural introvert, partly as an aspect of his nature, and partly as a result of nurture, but an introvert nonetheless, and introverts tend to not have too many friends or go out of their way to make them. Most friends for introverts are people who either approached them directly and wouldn't leave them alone, people they've known since early childhood, people they're forced into frequent close contact with, or people who they've shared an experience with and stick together through a sense of solidarity. This isn't saying that they Don't pursue friendships independently on occasion, but it's rare and usually involves someone else they know encouraging them to do so. Ron (and the Weasley's at large) is an example of the first, Hermione is the last, and the Gryffindor Quidditch team is an example of frequent mandatory contact.
The handling of the osculating view and opinion of the wizarding society at large could also be attributed to the cultural stagnation inherent in that society, so the teachers wouldn't address it since students are supposed to learn to "Keep a stiff upper lip" and handle the social situations on their own.
As for Sirius, it is only said in the books that Dumbledore Informed the Potters about the existence of the Fidelius, not that he cast it for them, so that point lies entirely on your fanon interpretation. At the time of his incarceration Dumbledore was not yet Chief Warlock and didn't have the authority to call a trial for Sirius and by the time he was everyone took Sirius' guilt as a given so whether you think Dumbledore is a misguided saint or the next dark lord, calling a trial for Sirius at that point would have been seen as unnecessary at best and counterproductive at worst.
As for Harry's celebrity, I think we can all agree that the laws regarding use of image and libel in the wizarding community are very, Very behind the times (*cough*Rita Skeeter*cough*), so the books and other merchandise made in his name and image probably don't have any laws in their society saying that they couldn't. As for how they got a hold of his image in the first place if not for Dumbledore, many witches and wizards knew Lily had a sister and could probably track Harry down through her (I don't believe in the effectiveness of the so called "Blood Wards" at all for various reasons), and if you're not willing to go that far, then it's also well known that Hagird isn't the most discrete when he gets into his cups so all someone would need to do to learn about both the Scar and his new location was to get him drunk, and after that all someone needs is a camera with a descent telescope enchantment on the lens.
Now, all of this isn't me saying that Dumbledore wasn't intending to groom Harry in some way, but he also didn't really Know about Tom's Phylacteries until the end of Harry's Second Year. Suspected? Sure, but there are supposedly enough other ways Tom could have cheated death where he admits to being unsure. So claiming that Harry was intended to be a sacrificial cruise missile from the beginning is a bit presumptuous.
8841823
That just means she has time to learn the rules, but Sunset isn't the sort of personality to back down from adversity, with a tendency to fight fire with a bigger fire she can control, so as soon as Malfoy or some other pureblood stuffed shirt gets on her about being a "Filthy Mudblood" I see her roasting him and anyone else who gets on her or Harry's case either figuratively or literally depending on how quickly things escalate, the rules she may or may not yet understand be damned...
More please.
8842648
That sum it up perfectly.
I'd just add that a lot of thing in Harry Potter are to be taken with a grain of salt. Rowling wrote children book that aimed to be cool mystery/adventure story for children, nothing even remotely close to the amount of detail and world building of Tolkien or Martin. There is bound to be holes, choices made for the sake of style/tropes etc.
8842130
That is certainly one way of looking at things, and I respect your opinions. There are multiple views of Dumbledore out there, some of them ore extreme than others, but I choose to take the Middle Ground and assume that while Dumbledore is certainly out for the 'Greater Good', he's not so far gone to turn children into weapons.
Weaponised Potter: I agree Dumbledore wanted Harry ready to face Voldemort, his destiny was pretty much set in stone ever since the events of Godric's Hollow. However, if you truly think about it, there were much more efficient ways of turning Harry into a weapon to be used against Voldemort, ways that wouldn't have made it so hard to paint the Headmaster as a Well-Intentioned Villain.
The Dursleys: With Sirius in prison and no other living relatives, Dumbledore literally had no choice but to entrust Harry to Petunia. As for having Ms. Figg spy on them, well he could hardly have an actual Witch or Wizard do so, considering how inept they are at blending in with Muggle Society. She might be seen as the 'crazy cat lady' but that's perfectly normal compared to running around in a kilt and poncho.
Also, there is no guarantee that Mrs. Figg knew what was going on inside the Dursley Home since it's never mentioned that she's ben inside. Yes, the Dursleys tend to leave Harry with her whenever they take Dudley out for his birthday, but from what we've seen he doesn't really care for her since all she does is show him pictures of her cats.
Also, if there were obvious signs of abuse on Harry's person, someone at his school would have commented on it. While the Dursleys spread rumors that Harry was a 'hooligan like his father', this would've had his teachers keeping a closer eye on him, so it's obvious that anything overtly physical was left to Dudley, as that would simply be seen as two cousins rough-housing.
Sirius: The whole issue with Sirius never receiving a trial always annoyed me, especially given how the likes of Lucius Malfoy and Karkaroff managed to weasel their way out of a life sentance. However, the one responsible for that was Rufus Scrimgour, and to be fair Sirius didn't exactly paint himself in a convincing light by going after Pettigrew without telling anyone first.
Fidelius: There is no confirmed source that Dumbledore cast the Fidelius. Some say that the Secret Keeper must cast it themselves, others that it must be cast on them, in which case it could have been anyone. However, given the lengths Dumbledore goes to help save Sirius, I doubt he was aware of the truth. If he truly cared nothing, he'd have let the Dementors kiss him to ensure Severus' loyalty.
Heel-Face-Turn: It was implied that everyone, that infamous sage, knew that 'Sirius Black was the Secret Keeper', a falsehood that they allowed to spread so that no-one would think to going after Pettigrew. While I doubt Dumbledore suspected the truth, he had no information to contest the Ministry's decree, as there were no witnesses to testify on Sirius' behalf.
Snape certainly wouldn't have known where they were, and even if he did he'd have only given the information to Voldemort if he made an unbreakable vow to spare Lily. It's entirely possible that Pettigrew sought out Voldemort on his own and sold them out without Snape learning of it. This would explain his treatment of Wormtail later in the series.
The Longbottoms: Okay, that's just grasping at straws. First of all, with how the 'Godparent' system works, only Alice Longbottom would classify as a Godparent and at no point in the series is she mentioned as such. While both the Potters and the Longbottoms were members of the Original OotP, there is no indication of them being close enough to name either as Godparent(s) for their children.
As for them being attacked days after Voldemort's death, like the Potters the Longbottoms were implied to have opposed Voldemort several times and Frank Longbottom was a 'Well Respected Auror', so even if they weren't part of the Order, they would have been targeted to find out what the hell happened to Voldemort.
Making Harry Famous: Okay, this is getting ridiculous. At what point was it ever mentioned that Dumbledore released pictures of Harry to the public? That would have completely undermined his sending him to the Dursley's for protection, as the Blood Wards only cover the house, not the entire street or Harry's School.
Think about it, if everyone knew where 'The Boy Who Lived' resided, even just the town he lived in, do you really think they'd have left him in peace? Yes, Harry would occasionally bump into the odd Wizard or Witch on the street, but most of those, like Dedalus Diggle, were likely sent by Dumbledore to keep an eye out for Death Eaters and just couldn't contain themselves.
Personally I believe the Ministry were the ones to release Harry's name, most likely hoping to use him as a 'Hero' to unite the country against the now leaderless Death Eaters. The fact that Dumbledore 'Passed by several parties' implies the information had gotten out long before Harry ever set foot on Privet Drive.
The Home you choose: If Dumbledore truly wanted someone to represent him he'd have sent McGonagall. No, I suspect the reason he sent Hagrid is for the simple fact that it would take a lot to intimidate him. For crying out loud his response to having a shotgun shoved in his face was to bend it loony-tunes style. Minerva wouldn't have been as lucky.
As for Harry treating the Wizarding World as his 'True Home', I think they shot themselves in the foot with that considering most of the Wizarding World is populated by ignorant bigots who believe Muggles are murderous cavemen for the most part and tend to believe whatever's written in the Prophet as 'Word of God' given how easily they turned on Harry for telling the truth.
Weasleys: Yeah I have to agree with you on this point. Looking back it makes no sense that the Weasleys wouldn't know where the Platform is and Ron's waiting until the train was in motion to not only find a seat but stow his luggage was just bullshit. Then again, it could simply be Dumbledore knowing Hagrid would forget to tell Harry about the platform, given how he often forgets things.
Mother knows best: If Ron followed Molly's word by law he wouldn't have gone on half the misadventures he did. While not as rebellious as Gred and Forge, he still acted out from time to time. And if he was under orders to 'Be Harry's Friend', why would he abandon him during the Triwizard cup?
Careful Direction: By this point Dumbledore had come to suspect Harry to be a Horcrux and that Voldemort could spy through his eyes just as Harry could see through his. We even see proof of this when Voldemort somehow manages to possess Harry during the Battle in the Ministry, so it makes sense that Dumbles would keep him out of the loop of the Order's Plans.
So no, I don't believe Dumbledore to be full on Darth Tyrannus Evil, but I do believe him to be a well intentioned Manipulator. He knows that only 'The one the Dark Lord Chose' possesses the power to defeat him, but that 'Chosen One' could have just as easily been Neville Longbottom, who has an entire family of relatives backing him up.
Snape might have revealed the location of the Potters, but it was Voldemort who chose Harry, the half-blood, over Neville, the Pureblood, so if anyone is to blame for everything going wrong in his life, it's nobody but Voldemort himself. Dumbledore did the best he could with what he had, and unfortunately it's painted him in an ambiguously grey area.
8842826
FTFY
8842130
Ok. Let's go over this delusional conspiracy theory one point at a time.
Dursleys: It is well-stated in the books that Harry gained blood-protection from living in that house with his aunt. The same protecting that multiple times saved him from Voldemort.
About him knowing Sirius was innocent.
There is absolutely NO evidence that Dumbledore was the one who casted the spell and thus there is no evidence he knew who the secret keeper was. Sirius made it very clear in the books that they kept it a deep secret for anyone. Even Remus had no idea who the real secret keeper was, so why would Dumbledore?
Please provide the evidence that this is true and not a conspiracy theory made up by fans looking for an excuse to hate on Dumbledore.
That is not something he can rightfully control unless he does so by illegal means.
Again give evidence from the actual books. Not some low-grade fanfiction you found on the internet that supports your biased point of view.
No I don't. We see the weasleys take this entrance the following year and you are again relying of half-baked theories and conspiracy.
Christ. How about you read the actual books before you continue on reading fanfics? That might give you a real look into what the story of Harry Potter is like.
8842826
I don't remember where exactly, but I distincly recall that Dumbledore told Harry that he himselve had testified that Sirius had been the Potter's keeper.
So he is either a very twisted man or unaware. I have too agree with you on that one, I tend for the later.
Speaking of meaningful quote, in the 5th book, Lupin told Molly that she had not been there during the last war because she was a new member of the Order. Meaning she was not very likely to be Dumbledore's thing at the time of the first book.
'Course, Lupin may be wrong and the Weasley were super secret agent.
8842326
love this story
8842130
OK others have commented so I'll keep this short. My view is that Dumbledore didn't want Harry to go after Voldemort. As far as he was concerned the confrontation was inevitable so he wanted Harry to live a normal life in ignorance until the day came. I know some say he didn't care for Harry but the books make it clear he cared too much.
He left Harry with the Dursley's because it was necessary for the Blood Charm to work which was an unbeatable protection that kept Harry safe from Voldemort and his followers.
He did know about the abuse but felt it was necessary.
The reason Dumbledore didn't help Sirius is because up until the end of the 3rd book he thought he was guilty.
The Longbottoms were attacked because they opposed the Dark Lord the same as the Potters. Heck the prophecy could have just as easily been talking about Neville.
No where does it state Dumbledore made him famous. He was famous cause he seemingly defeated one of magical Britain's greatest villains.
Frankly I think the meeting of Weasley's happened because that's how Rowling wrote it, no one claims these are the best written books.
I did not realised at first, then it somehow popped up in my train of thougth: Quirrel does not know Legilimency and cannot try to read Sunset's mind. In book 1, When Harry try to hide the fact that he got the stone, Quirrel buy the lie till Voldemort realise the truth.
And at this point in the timeline, Voldemort as yet to share a body with Quirrel, it i only after Quirrel failure to get the stone at Gringot's that he decide to watch is servant more closely.
8843087
If I remember correctly Quirrell's first attempt at the stone was before the book started. It was the reason Dumbledore decided to have the stone moved to Hogwarts. So at this point Quirrell would be sharing a body with the Dark Lord.
I applaud you! From Quirrel's stuttering, to Hagrid's resentment towards the Gringotts' minecarts. You have certainly done your homework so nicely, Hermione would be proud.
8843257
My guess is they're either like 8842420 suggested, and are the noble phantasm equivalent of currency, or they're made not from gold but orchalchum. Either case, those coins would be something the Goblins would be shing bricks over the implications of a society using them for something as casually as coinage...
As for the hair, remember Nimphadora Tonks is either freshly graduated, or going to be a 7th year in the upcoming school term, so magicals are probably used to people doing "Strange" things with at Least their hair in the name of fashion, and probably even consider it to be only a minor quirk at the most all things considered.
8843087
8843239
Not full time, but at least on a time-share basis at that point. Ole' Moldyshorts didn't start "Keeping an eye on him" more closely until after the Halloween debacle. Thinking he might be there during the attempted Gringotts heist is reasonable IMO though.
This argument is given rise from the fandom as the jury is out regarding whether Harry's spike of pain during the start of term feast was from Snape or Turban Tom trying to get a read on him. The scene is rather... ambiguous and could go either way to be honest.
8842971
I would agree on all of this, except for that last part. I am very sure that some people will claim that the Harry Potter books are the best written, though I am not one of them.
8843333
Ah yes you're right I was incorrect, When Quirrlle met them in the leaky Cauldron he was on his way to steal the stone but failed because Hagrid had already taken it. After that Voldemort began sharing his body.
I guess Dumbledore just figured Voldemort would go after the stone and took precautions.
8843239
No, in fact it is an important plot point: Harry read about the heist and deduce the stone is in hogward because the vault had been emptied the very same day. Harry figured that since Hagrid emptied a vault for Dumbledore containing a small and important object, it was probably the same thing.
That may be a problem in this story, since now Harry won't have any reason to go after the stone; he won't know it is there in the first place.
8843396
That's actually not far off, as Noble Phantasms are essentially the crystallization of an idea, though they can also be non-physical ideals, concepts or abilities unique to an individual (Cutie Mark Talents?). In the previous Chapter Celestia's thoughts briefly touch on "Name" Magic, which is similar to Noble Phantasms, but not the same, as Noble Phantasms are more accurately described as "Idea" magic, and gain their potency not through an inherent property of their own, but through the collective belief of everyone in the idea's validity, so using such magic on a currency widely used and acknowledged by a large population would essentially make that currency dominant over all other forms of currency, as that currency would now essentially embody the concept of currency itself. It also means that counterfeiting that currency would be all but impossible since a fake would be instantly recognizable as being such on an intrinsic level. Of course, this is a double edged sword, as if for some reason currency itself became obsolete, or the population moved on to a different form of commerce that doesn't revolve around that currency for some reason or another, it would become all but useless.
FYI just spotted and caught up on this fic so one point in your comments from the top of chapter two, stating it would be 4th year or after until Sunset returns to Equestria.
Based on the "thirty moons" time and assuming equal time flow, First mirror opening would be in roughly the January of third year, then in the July after the 5th year and heading into the six, and then again the January after the Battle of Hogwarts. Roughly mind you since a lunar cycle doesn't match perfectly with our months.
In any case interesting premise and can't wait to see where it goes.
chapter interesting =). I have one question, will this story follow the book Faithfully with the adding of sunset, or her arrival will change important event and lead the story in news plots ? (I personally hope for the second one ^^)
also, an editing of the first chapter should be usefull, it have a lot of repetition
ex:
Awesome story so far
8843395
Well... maybe someone finds out there's super unicorn blood around? I mean the stone has one purpose right? Helping Tommy boy get his own body back and immortality. What if he gets an inkling that Sunset may work in a pinch, as part of whatever magic he was going to do with the stone, and this is how they all get sucked in hmm?
I really want to see sunset meet Harry Potter unicorns...
Love this story. Keep it up.
This looks pretty cool. Hope to see more.
What by the Moon is so interesting about the coins that Sunset has with her?
Why are the goblins so.... annoyed? angered? whatever emotions they're feeling?
If I had money, I would give it to you so you could continue writing (though please keep writing in quality)
But I currently have less than a worth of a $
Also seriously you are good. I want to cry haven't seen anything so good in a while (maybe it's just my imagination being a bit stronger cuz it's over midnight but propably no.)
It's Harry Potter....It's ponies......I love it!
8845545
And anyone who remembers even half of their own teenage years knows that telling them not to go somewhere is a sure-fire way to ensure that that's exactly where they'll go.
8845624
To come face to face with a giant dog, with three heads. That'll tear people apart who don't know how to handle it. I'm sure parent's would love to know why a headmaster never warned students to never go near that area.