Harry moved quickly once he was out of the human race sight and slipped into Gringots. He got money out more quickly than he should have by simply ignoring the queue and asking for Greeklunk. His old goblin acquaintance quickly helped him replenish his sac for another twelvemonth. While he was down in the vault Harry stuck his tee shirt in his bag and instead took out a tenacious robe with a hood. At Greeklunk's confused expression he said…

"Someone back up on the street that I ‘ d rather didn ‘ t recognise me."

"Oh right. Bloody paparazzi."

Harry stepped back out into the street and did his schooltime shopping quickly. When he walked back past Fortescue's the wizard was still there, showing the waitress a long scar on his arm.

*

Harry stood in the rural area lane and rechecked the letter of the alphabet he held in his hand. He was sure he was at least in the right village and probably on the rectify road. It was just that the road went a long way in both directions and Ron's advice on getting to his family had been rather wispy. Like he'd only really seen the surrounding countryside from the air. Harry folded the varsity letter away and shrugged, there was always another way. He walked over to a where a Fannie Farmer was sitting near his tractor, fiddling with something in the locomotive.

"Hi. I'm looking for the family of ginger people who keep owls as pets."

"Down the lane, turn left at the co-op."The man said without looking up."And tell the man I need my wrench back."

*

Harry had to resist the urge to break into a run as he caught stack of the Weasley family. Outside it in the overgrown garden he could see three boy working, flinging something he couldn't make out over the garden wall. Harry smiled, they were expecting him today but he hadn't exactly been able to ease up them an exact clock time. As he walked closer the door to the house opened and Molly Weasley ( Ron had told him all about his family ) emerged, carrying a tray with drink on it. Behind her a Whitney Moore Young Jr. girl ( must be Ginny ) stepped out-of-door and leaned against the doorpost looking bored. None of them seemed to have noticed him yet, or maybe the tan had changed his appearance a bit. As he stepped up to the front logic gate he spread his weaponry astray.

"aloha !"

"Harry !"Ron jumped in surprise"You ‘ re here."The Twin jumped up too and ran to fulfill him, but the most utmost chemical reaction came from the youngest Weasley. Ginny went utterly White under her hair and her mouth seemed to move as if she was trying to say something then she bolted through the still open doorway.

"She has some sort of objection to aloha ?"Harry asked the ginger gang.

"Nah, mate."Ron shook his head."She ‘ s been jumping and squeaking every sentence we so much as mentioned your public figure. Guess you in the physique was just too a great deal for her."

"Ron, be nice to your sister."Mrs Weasley's voice was seat for a moment then turned soft again as she turned back to Harry."She ‘ s just shy Harry. I ‘ m sure she ‘ ll get over it the more she sees of you."

"Probably."Agreed Harry"The hero thing doesn ‘ t finally. I ‘ ve been told on repeated social function that I ‘ m a massive disappointment."

"Who told you that ?"Molly Weasley looked aghast.

"Snape."

"Yeah but he said you had floberworms for brainpower too."Said Ron."And we're fairly for sure that's not true."

"Right."Chimed in one of the counterpart."We ‘ re pretty certain they ‘ re concubine droppings."

"At to the lowest degree that's up the evolutionary scale."

*

But Ginny's odd behaviour didn't point. Harry found that she was incompetent of staying in a room that he was in and that any attempt to speak directly to her was plenty to beam her scurrying away. One morning when he came down and found her curled up on the sofa with a powder magazine he decided to put a stop to it.

"Ginny."She stiffened and looked like she was about to flee."Don't run away please."He walked around and sat future to her on the lounge. She looked like a little rodent confronted by a snake, middle wide open and too pall to run."Can you tell me why you run every time I try to speak to you or figure the room ?"quiet, except for the twitch she could own been petrified."Look Ginny I don't know what it is but could you please talk to me. We ‘ re going to be going to school together for the next six years. Could you mouth to me. Please."

"Y… you…"Harry had to sieve to get a line her syncope rustling."you destroyed you-know-who."

"Oh you ‘ re still thinking about that ?"Harry waved his hand dismissively."That happened ages and ages ago. No one cares about that. Apparently Markus Mandy Michelson is everyone's hero now."

"You ‘ ve got the scar."

"I ‘ ve got a lot of scars. Which one in particular ?"Ginny reached out to point at his forehead and Harry brushed away the pilus to let on the scar. But apparently this was too practically for Ginny and she bolted up the stairs almost knocking over Ron.

"What ‘ s that about ?"He asked sleepily.

"She ‘ s still shy around me. That sucks."

"Why are you so messed up about it."Ron asked. Then looked up as if he remembered something."You were acting like this about Hermione too, finis year. Back before she liked us."

"And that turned out OK."

"You ‘ re not gon na climb up a lamp chimney again are you Harry ?"

"No Ron but I think I do think I need to take drastic action mechanism to correct this situation."Harry thought for a instant then latched onto a brilliant plan. An amazing architectural plan. Possibly the greatest plan he had ever devised."You have a few heather here right ?"

"Five last time I looked. My old one, the counterpart, Harry Hotspur's and one Charlie left here."

"Excellent. I would care to spiel some Quidditch."

"But Harry you can ‘ t play Quidditch. The last prison term you got on a broom you made a complete fool of yourself."

"Exactly !"

*

This was the uncollectible plan he had ever come up with.

"You have to keep abreast through."Ron made a jabbing move with the flat of his hand. That meant adopt through Harry knew, the hand signals were about all he ‘ d picked up during the game."Just centralise on following through. That was the problem that time."

"No Ron, the problem was that I flew into a tree."Harry tumbled to the footing and spat out a leaf."What's the signal for ‘ You're about to fly into a tree ‘ ?"

"There isn ‘ t one, we'd have to invent it just for you."Ron helped him back on his broom and they flew back up to conjoin the Gemini the Twins. Ginny was sitting a petty ways away watching them, when Harry had fallen out of the tree she had jumped up in jounce. But as Ron and the twins had begun laughing at him he had seen a phantom of a smile cross her face as well. That trace was all that was keeping him from giving up the integral endeavour and getting his feet back on unanimous undercoat.

"Right."Ron said as they hovered at their end of the sales talk."You make for the mighty bridge player side. I ‘ ll deplumate them off to the left then pass it to you. Then you can mark. Got it ?"

"Aye aye Captain !"Harry saluted and almost overbalanced.

"Oh and by the way, from now on this…"Ron grinned and put both fists out straight ahead."… from now on that means tree."

"I would punch you Ron, but I ‘ d fall off if I tried."Harry began moving off to the rightfulness and saw his friend shoot away with the Quaffle. After a second Ron turned and chucked it ahead of him. He rushed forward to catch it, fumbled it, then snagged it in one hand.

"I got it ! I got…"clunk !

Harry struck the reason hard and rolled to a hitch in the foresighted grass.

"Ow."Harry put his hand to the back of his read/write head and sat up. Looking right into the face of Ginny Weasley. She had run over to see if he was alright and now stood, wide eyed before him.

"There didn ‘ t used to be four of you."Harry pointed at her with a shaking hand."Stop being four of you, person… girl… Where am I ?"Harry blinked and looked around blurrily. A modest noise brought him back to the pose and he looked forward. Ginny had her paw over her lip and was trying hard not to laugh. Little sounds kept escaping like steam out of a kettledrum.

"You ‘ ve got steam in your mouth !"Harry tried to get up and fell back on his fanny."Like body of water but… broken. Where are my glasses ? The four of you should be able to find them."And with that Ginny burst out laughing.

The four Weasley's carried him off the lurch and Fred and George ( who seemed to have experience with head injuries for some reason ) pronounced him fine.

"Maybe we should have a break."Ron said worriedly."You know, give him time to recover."

"Better idea."Harry tossed his Scots heather to Ginny."You take my point. I am never ever ever ever ever ever getting on one of those again. From now on I walk where I need to go."

"Hey ! I don't want her on my team."Ron said angrily."That ‘ s not fair when we're already behind !"

"Ron…"Harry pitched his voice to couple Mrs Weasley's"Be decent to your sister ! And besides, your alternative are me or her."

"Welcome to the team Ginny."

*

"See ! No one can bewilder my team !"Harry grinned and slapped his breast as the game drew to an official finis.

"What do you mean your team."Ginny glided past him smiling and laughing."When you went off you were eight destination down. How can you say you won ?"

"The team won."Harry explained with sweeping hand gesture."And we all played a part in that."

"And your character is ?"

"Cheerleader. I really should get some pompoms."



banker's bill : Right, thats the indorsement year started.

Interesting news about Dumbledore, but it makes sense when you look back on it. Does variety of make it more tragic however. The champion of accepting people for who they were died without ever himself being accepted. He probably never even told anyone. The bit about how he did n't actuate against Grindlewald was interesting too and puts the whole matter in a new light. What if Grindlewald was well aware of Dumbledores feelings and used him to gain power in safety ? Knowing full well that Dumbledore was the only one who could have posibly stopped him. Ah well ...

This is why we need JK Rowling to indite some prequels.


# include `` standard legal disclamer.h ''

Ok, thats a very nerdy joke but thats fine 'cos anyone who laughed is just as nerdy.






tycoon crown of thorns was crowded beyond belief as the Weasley tribe crossed the station towards platform nine and three one-fourth.

"Hurry up."Mrs Weasley herded her various charges towards the roadblock."Right. seminal fluid everyone, while the muggles aren't looking."One by one the redheader shot through the roadblock. Harry waited until last, as the summer had drawn to a closing curtain he had wondered if perhaps he might not be let back into the school. He had got the ledger list but perhaps that had been machinelike.

"You go first. I ‘ m fine."Harry motioned Mrs Weasley ahead of him."I want to bask my lowest moment of freedom."She disappeared through the barrier and Harry took a deep breath. There wasn't much more he could do to put this off. He started running forwards, lowered his question and closed his center as he reached the barrier.

Crack ! Harry bounced back and fell to the ground gasping. The barrier hadn't opened ! He put his mitt to his forehead and it came back bloody. His nous reeled.

"They don't want me back."Harry blinked and looked up at the clock. Less than a minute till the train was supposed to leave."They expelled me."

Harry stayed on the floor despite the odd looks he was getting. There didn't seem to be a good deal spot in getting up. The clock ticked over the hour. The caravan was leaving.

Harry looked down platform ten and thought he saw a wisp of smoke rise from beyond the tracks. Where was the wizards platform anyway ? A mad idea struck Harry and he was stood back up in a flare. His substructure seemed to proceed of their own accordance and he took first one then another halting step along the weapons platform. Another wisp of smoke. He broke into a run and willed his leg to take him faster and faster.

"it's a steam train."Harry dodged past a startled conductor at the end of the chopine and jumped down onto the tracks."It takes a while to hotfoot up."He pumped his legs for extra speed.

"digger !"Harry reached onto his knapsack and flicked his owl's cage opened."Catch me up at Hogwarts !"Harry crack to the edge of the geartrain track and looked down. The normal, muggle train tracks coming out of tycoon cross were raised up on a variety of long bridge circuit, raising them several report above the city streets. Harry glanced down in metre to see the end of the Hogwarts express squeeze itself out from between the bricks of the bridge and heading off down a rails that looked disused. Up ahead the track rose up and joined with the others, if Harry was going to do it, he ‘ d have to do it now.

"Please ! Oh god please let me still be born lucky !"Harry prayed silently, then launched himself off the side.

He crashed into the top of the last posture and hung onto it for good life-time. The wagon train was beginning to pick up speed and Harry crawled to the sharpness. Thankfully the pushchair window was heart-to-heart. Harry swung his bag in through it then slid down into it himself.

"Harry thrower. Nice to meet you."He said to the aghast for the first time years who's go-cart he'd dropped into."See you at Hogwarts !"Harry walked shakily out the door. Once he was safely in the corridor he leaned against the wall and slid down till he was on the level. He wanted to get up and find his admirer but for some reason none of his limbs seemed to work. He caught a coup d'oeil of himself in the glass in straw man of him and blinked in shock. He looked a shipwreck ! Blood ran down the left side of his face and was matted into the hair above.

"M… Mr Potter."Harry looked around and saw the beldam with the trolley standing looking at him. Harry gulped for air.

"Two cauldron cake please."He said, trying to think of something that would calm his nerves.

She wordlessly handed him the cakes and took the Price of them without once taking her heart off him. When he was about to entrust she finally said.

"Did you… just… parachuting onto the train."

"No."Harry shook his head"No. Definitely not. You ‘ d have to be wild to skip over on a moving train."

*

Harry moved down the railroad train as quietly as he could. Trying to find his friends without drawing too a good deal tending. Unfortunately talk of the town travelled fast on the Hogwarts express and he couldn't go five footfall without encountering another stare or spend a group of students without them breaking out in a fit of whispering.

"So piteous care seeking ceramicist rap again."The voice was behind him. Harry turned around and sagged when he saw Malfoy and his goons staring at him.

"Malfoy I really don't have the energy for this now."It was true. Harry would have liked doing nothing more than simply collapsing on the floor there for the difference of the journey."Could you please, and I mean this in the nicest possible way, sodomist off and die like the pathologic piece of distended rectum flesh you are."

"Big talk for a kid who can barely stand."Malfoy took a step forward and Harry retreated."And I don't see your little acquaintance here to help you today. This may just be my lucky day."The three Slytherins advanced on him and Harry drew his wand when…

"ceramist !"Harry turned and saw prof McGonagall standing in the stroller. Malfoy and his escort disappeared through a door."How in Merlin ‘ s name did you get here ?"She grabbed him and pulled out her verge, touching it calmly to the cut on his headspring then whisking away the line on his face."I just spent an unpleasant few minutes arguing with molly Weasley who was franticly trying to get us to stop the railroad train. She seemed to be under the feeling that the barrier had sealed with you on the other side."

"It did."Harry nodded."That's how I hurt my head."

"But then. How did you get here ?"

"You honestly, really and truly don't want to know."

"Harry…"

"I jumped onto the train."

"YOU JUMPED ONTO THE gearing !"

"The barrier had sealed up ! There wasn ‘ t any other way ! And besides, I had a nous harm. I ‘ m not indisputable I was in an entirely rational frame of mind."

"That is beside the stop Mr Potter, but after the stunt you pulled at the end of stopping point class I suppose I should not be entirely surprised."She straightened up"We will give birth to discuss this further in my agency at Hogwarts. At the very least you will have various days detention."

"But if I have detention…"Harry grasped at this straw"… then I ‘ m not expelled ? Right ?"

"No Mr ceramist. Not this time."She began walking away down the train."Go to my office when we reach Hogwarts."

"After the sorting ?"

"As soon as you reach the castle."

"prof please…"Alright this is McGonagall, you know how to horse around McGonagall. She acts tough but she's all soppy inside."… my friend's sister's getting sorted today and she ‘ s worried about it. All her brothers are in Gryffindor, whole family really. I should be there for her. delight ?"

"Alright Mr thrower. After the sorting."McGonagall's eyes had gotten softer as Harry had spoken."But before the feast."

"Of course professor. I ‘ ll be there."

"And I will owl Mrs Weasley to inform her you are safe."She turned away and Harry was left alone once again in the corridor.

*

Harry eventually found the Marauders compartment and slid the doorway open.

"how-do-you-do freindlies !"

"Harry !"Hermione's sass dropped undecided."Ron said you couldn ‘ t get onto the chopine !"

"Couldn't."Harry noticed Ginny sitting quietly in the niche of the compartment. Ron had probably been told to keep open an eye on her."Had to assume submission to the train by… former means."

"Apparation ?"Padma had apparently also caught some sun over the summer, though it was less obtrusive on her."You do bed that's illegal."

"Couldn ‘ t care less. But no."

"Portkey ?"Neville seemed to reckon for a moment."Or a broom ?"

"No."Ron and Ginny spoke at the same time but Ginny backed down and Ron continued."Harry swore blind he ‘ d never touch another broom."

"Oh god I know what it is."Parvarti put her hand to her oral fissure and began shaking her head."I was talking to Lavender down the other end of the gearing. I thought she was joking."

"What is it ?"Hermione asked and the marauders seemed to fall waiting for the reply.

"You jumped onto the top of the train."The piranha turned as one to look at him.

"Maybe."None of his friends seemed to want to speak.

"Harry ..."Neville broke the silence."…you ‘ re crazy."

"I know."Harry sat as the other snapped out of their seismic disturbance and started speaking all at once."It ‘ s beginning to concern me."

*

The caravan meandered its long journeying through the hills and Harry ducked out of the conversations around him. His forefront still hurt and he didn't have the get-up-and-go to harbor people. He leaned against the insensate window as rain started to mottle down, leaving little trails on the window superman. He closed his eyes and lay there for a long while. small trails of weewee, swirling, drowning.

"Harry."He shook himself awake and looked over at the youngest Weasley, leaning over to him."Are you alright ?"Harry looked around the compartment, the balance of his friend were still talking amongst themselves."You ‘ re aspect was all scrunched up like you were dreaming."

"Oh, are we there yet."Harry form of wanted to get back to eternal rest. Even if it was to bad dreams.

"Not for a while."Ginny bit her lip worriedly. Harry noticed that her fingernails too looked like they had been chewed.

"Worried ?"Harry grinned as she jerked in surprisal. Harry waved his script dismissively."Don't worry. You ‘ ll love it there. lesson are leisurely, specially charms. protagonist everywhere. Plus if any of the Slytherins bother you we can show some swift retribution. We're feared by that house."

"That ‘ s kind of what I ‘ m worried about."Ginny glanced at the red bound on Harry's robe.

"Ah."thought Harry."My guess was right, and I just made that up to soften up McGonagall."

"You ‘ re worried about the sorting."Harry said out loud."Want to be Gryffindor ?"

"Yes. If I don't my brothers ‘ ll never forgive me."

"Then severalize it so."Harry looked at the young girls startled expression."You know what the sorting hat is right ?"nod."Then assure it you want to be a Gryffindor. Don't take no for an answer. It's your life, don't let a hat make decision for you."Harry leaned back down and closed his eyes again.

*

"What the infernal region ?"Ron voiced what they were all cerebration as the vulture moved away from the train at Hogsmead. Ginny had left to film her niggling boat ride and the six acquaintance now stood in front of a telephone circuit of rig, each drawn by a slenderize scaly gymnastic horse with folded leathery wings."Charlie told me the carriages pulled themselves ?"

"Maybe they've changed since your pal day."Said Harry climbing into one of them."And besides…"He looked around"No one else seems to cerebrate anything's amiss."

"Still think this is weird."

*

Ginny Weasley stood fidgeting in straw man of the Radclyffe Hall as the sorting hat finished its song. She was so nervous she wanted to bite her nails despite the fount they were already worn to the pith. Well, at to the lowest degree she was a Weasley. Her public figure would be called near to last. She saw Harry on the Gryffindor mesa spinning three crotch in the air in front of him. She tried to view his eye but failed, he was talking to his real number champion. Everyone began to pay care as Dumbledore stood up.

"Before we begin the sorting I ‘ d like to foretell two things. One is that, despite what this empty chairperson seems to point, we have found a new refutation Against the Dark prowess teacher."Ginny looked along the teachers table and saw a lank-haired professor face. She giggled, that must be prof Snape."Sadly he could not be here tonight as he has been managing the tape drive of his property from oversea. Rest assured that he has my fully confidence and he will introduce himself, probably at length…"did the lank-haired professor just grimace even more ?"…in your first deterrent example with him tomorrow. Now the second thing is that we will be doing this years sorting backwards."

"What ?"That prompted a murmur about the entrance hall.

"Yes, phone it an old world go for. Now let us preserve so that we can enjoy a brilliant fiesta after we are all done."Dumbledore sat back down but the murmuring hadn't ceased. McGonagall then took her place, the formulation on her face clearly showing that the Headmaster had not discussed this with her. She looked down at her newspaper publisher and read…

"Weasley, Ginevra."

"What ! Oh…"Ginny thought as she walked out in front of the shoal."Backwards…"The lastly matter she saw before she pulled the hat down over her eyes were the vulture turning to take in her.

"Another Weasley, seems I see those on almost a yearly groundwork. But a Weasley young woman ? Why I haven't seen one like you in…"

"I chose Gryffindor."It seemed to her that the hat gasped loudly all around her.

"That's not quite how it works Weasley girl."

"No. That is how it works. Harry told me I could opt my house. I want to be in Gryffindor."

"Quite brave of you to just cry out it out it like that. Almost forces me to nibble Gryffindor."Shout it out ? …Oh god !

"Ah… You didn ‘ t realise you were speaking out forte ?"
Ginny lifted the lip of the hat just enough to see around the residence. There was whispering everywhere, and every face had an identical kisser of shocked astonishment. Her heart searched out her brothers at the Gryffindor table. Percy had buried his look in his paw and seemed to be trying to pretend it all wasn't occurrent, Fred and George VI were watching her with huge wickedness grins and Ron, Ron just looked confused. Her centre flickered past Ron to Harry and their regard locked, then the boy did the oddest thing, he pulled up his sleeve, put his mitt decoration out and jab forward.

Follow through

Ginny glanced back at the teachers table, where every face mirrored the amazement of the students. She glanced back to Harry and he jabbed again. Well, if she was gon na follow through then there was only one thing for it ...

"Yep."She said, trying to not accept her vocalisation break out in whimpers."Definitely Gryffindor."And with that she pulled the hat off her head, set it down on the chair and walked steadily towards Harry. She blanked out everything else in the hall, the rustle rising, the teacher, everything. There was a seat future to Harry and she was sitting in it. She reached the bench and hopped onto it, everyone was looking at her.

"Stay perfectly calm."Harry's spokesperson but she swore his lip barely moved."Look straight ahead and don't give them any sign they're getting to you."Easy for him to say ! She stayed exactly where she was as the silence crawled on. Then something touched her hand by her side of meat. A candy of some kind. Without a word, and before the silent stares of the whole hall, she brought out, reveal and calmly ate a licorice wand.

Every eye in the hall turned as they heard McGonagall clear her throat then…

"Jamaican capital, Victor."

It was as if the hall had been holding its breathing place the entire time and now let it out in a wave of yak. Ginny felt someone clap her on the dorsum and looked sideways into Harry's face.

"Thank you."Ginny breathed through the dissonance."I didn ‘ t know what to do. I didn't even realise I was talking out loud."

"Figured as much."Harry said glibly and offered her another liquorice scepter."Good thing I was paying attending, who the nether region is Ginevra Weasley ?"

The small boy with exquisitely waxed hairsbreadth and sunglasses apparently named Victor Kingston had reached the hat and was looking down at it worriedly. He looked like he was about to pick it up then looked at the tabular array in the G. Stanley Hall.

"Ravenclaw. I think I like Ravenclaw."

"On the plus side you may consume started a revolution."Harry had leaned in to talk to her again."On the minus McGonagall's gon na kill you…"

A vague looking girlfriend was now looking at the hat thoughtfully before declaring that she was going to"The red haired missy's house."

"Are you our new home mascot Ginny ?"Fred leaned over and grinned at his sister.

"We could make water up some new banners if you like."His counterpart leaned in from the other side of the tabular array.

"leave-taking her twins."Harry was holding her by both shoulders away from her older blood brother."She tricked the hat, swindled McGonagall, caused a Cross firm rotation and all in front end of the entire school !"Harry grabbed her and hugged her from behind."You can ‘ t have her ! She ‘ s ours !"

"What's he talking about."Ginny didn't think she could grin more than she was as she shot the query at her brother across the table. But it was Parvarti Patil who answered her.

"He means that you ‘ re the type of someone who goes for what they want and has the face to see it through and doesn ‘ t concern what the rules say or who thinks what !"She stuck out her hand"Welcome to the Marauders."

By the end of the day Ginervrador House ( as it was briefly called ) had an unusually large class of first geezerhood. Filch had to move some of the layer.

*

As Harry trudged back from his get-go detention with McGonagall that dark ( polishing 100 and hundreds of nerve push button that were just going to be transfigured into beetles anyway ) he leaned on the wall near the portrait muddle and closed his eye for a moment.

"Harry Potter sir !"

Harry opened his eyes and immediately realised his head trauma must have been worse than he thought. The hallucination had long pointy ear and was wearing some sort of crucify cloth like a toga.

"Wha… ?"

"Harry Potter should never induce got on the train !"

"Who ?"Harry shook his head but the diminished figure remained"What and/or who are you ?"

"Dobby sir. Dobby the house elf."The odd lilliputian creature bowed to him, its wind almost touching the trading floor."Dobby is truly sorry to induce caused hassle for such a neat thaumaturgist as Harry Potter. But Harry thrower must leave Hogwarts !"

"Caused trouble ? What trouble ?"Harry slid off the wall and stood straight. His wand was inconveniently tucked in an inside air pocket, arduous to hit. Was this animal a threat ?"What are you talking about ?"

"Dobby thought that perhaps if Harry Potter was hurt he wouldn ‘ t be able to go to Hogwarts."

"What precisely…"Harry heavily enunciated the Bible"… are you talking about."

"Dobby thought that if the platform closed…"

"That was you !"Harry snapped forward like a shaft and caught the little creature by the weapons system. The affair whined and tried to break away but he held on."I could have missed the bloody train !"The creature nodded and whimpered a little more."I could suffer been killed ! Wait… knockturn alley…"Harry remembered the rubber rampart. The elf stiffened again and he seemed to be avoiding Harry's eyes."That was you as well ! Why WHY !"He picked the thing up and shook it roughly."Are you trying to toss off me ? Are you ?"The elf was truly crying now and Harry let him go. The hapless matter crawled away from Harry and sat on the floor, looking up at him with its huge, pull filled heart. It looked like a kicked puppy.

"flavor, I ‘ m sorry."Harry reached out towards the elf but it shied away."I didn ‘ t mean to offend you. The hospital wing isn ‘ t far, can I…"

"No !"Dobby's facial expression became a masquerade of fear."Dobby can not be seen. Dobby ‘ s skipper can never cognize. Dobby isn ‘ t damage, Dobby gets far worse than this at home. Dobby's masters are…"the elf seemed to stiffen for a moment then he rushed over to the rampart and began hitting his mind on it operose.

"Bad Dobby ! Bad Dobby !"

"time lag ! Hey, Stop !"Harry was torn between the need to stop it hurting itself and trying to avoid grabbing it again since he'd obviously hurt him. He pulled his robe off, quickly balled it up and ( between head bound ) slid it between Dobby and the bulwark. The pitiful elf continued on for a duo of smasher, apparently not realising he was now cushioned, then dropped to the floor.

"Thank you sir."The elf's voice was a picayune quaky."Dobby almost spoke ill of his masters."

"Dobby…"Harry saw a need to tread carefully here."If, IF remember ! Hypothetically I asked who your masters were. Would you experience to penalise yourself ?"The elf quickly nodded.

"If I asked you to indite it ?"nod.

"If I asked you to act it out like travesty ?"The elf appeared to think about this, cocking its pass to the side. Then he nodded.

"If I asked you to tell me why you want me to leave Hogwarts ?"the elf's head stayed very still."How much can you tell me without having to penalise yourself ?"

"peril. Dobby knows that risk has come to Hogwarts. Death…"

"If I asked you whether your masters were involved ?"Dobby tensed like a rod."Just IF retrieve, if I asked you that would you have to punish yourself ?"

Dobby nodded. Harry smiled, that meant his masters were involved. Otherwise why would he be forbidden to tell anyone ?

"And is I asked what forge the danger would lead ?"

But at this Dobby shook his straits furiously and put his helping hand over his ears. The poor people elf began rocking backwards and forwards and keening.

"It ‘ s OK Dobby. You don't have to tell me."The rocking stopped and the elf uncurled.

"Harry Potter will leave Hogwarts ?"

"No. But I will be careful, very careful."

"Harry Potter must go away, Harry Potter is in danger."

"I usually am Dobby."Harry leaned forward conspiratorially."That just makes it more fun."





Please review, especially if you think it 's bad. Really, it 'll help me improve.


"curiosity if he ‘ s cute ?"Parvarti wondered quizzically as the second geezerhood wandered to the defensive measure against the dark arts schoolroom. They had the class showtime full point Monday, so would be the first to meet the new teacher."Dumbledore said he ‘ s strange, so I bet he ‘ s cute."

"I just wonder if he ‘ ll be a ripe teacher."Hermione hung her head a little."After a class of… of bad teaching we need to beguile up. We ‘ ll be lucky if we can make it up in time for the OWLs."Harry could tell she had been about to say Quirrell, but had stopped herself. As far as he could secern none of his friends wanted to think about the events at the end of last class.

"Well, so long as he only has one human face, I ‘ ll be happy."Harry stuck his hands behind his head and laughed."Right ?"The others stopped for a here and now, then grinned with him."Thought so. Anyway…"Harry was the first to the room access and pushed it spread out."… after Quirrell we can ‘ t do much worse can we ?"

"Pipsqueak ! Told you I ‘ d see you again !"

"No…"Harry looked across the elbow room at Markus Maximus Albert Michelson"…please no…"

"Take a derriere up front my goodness lad ! I can already secern this is going to be one of your dearie classes !"The marauder filed in the front line row and the other scholarly person moved in behind them. All of them looking a little apprehensively at the booming muscled figure in front of them.

"The name's Professor Markus Triple-M Michelson. I ‘ ll be your demurrer against the dark arts teacher this year. Thought I ‘ d strike a respite from the globe-trotting to exceed on some of my cognition to the next generation !"He swept his hat off and reel it across the elbow room, it landed neatly on top of a suit of armour."Oh and by the way the Ms sales booth for Maximus, Mighty and Magesto but they might as well stand for Muscular, Magical and nigh of all Masculine !"He laughed and put his clenched fist on his hip."So, on to the matric !"He grabbed the register off the table and began yelling out names, variously chuckling at the odd public figure and winking at any girl who answered him quickly. When he got to thrower he said

"Know you ‘ re here Pipsqueak ! Don't need to even ask !"then went on. Harry dreaded looking backwards but did so anyway. Near the back Draco Malfoy looked at him and mouthed the countersign pipsqueek then sneered. Harry groaned, he ‘ d never hear the end of this.

When the register was finished the professor strode up to the social movement of the class. To the electrical shock of all watching he slammed one fist back into the blackboard. Book jumped off the open as if they had been jolted into being.

"Duelling !"The professor said and indeed this was the title on the board."Who here has cast something harsher than jelly-legs at another wizard ?"

A few hired hand went up around the class, including Harry's. Neville gulped and tried to hold his mitt as low as possible, but Padma took it and jerked it up.

"You there !"Markus pointed to Neville. Padma giggled."What have you used ?"

"Full Body Bind sir."Neville appeared to be wishing he had a golf hole to grovel into.

"goodness ! Good solidness magic spell ! Incantation, for those who don't know is Petrificus Totalus. And who did you use it on ?"

"McGonagall."

"Mc…McGonagall ?"A spooky titter of laughter ran around the schoolroom."Right, OK. Um… Anyone else ?"He pointed at Harry,"How bout you pipsqueak ?"

"Acerbus cuspis."

"The pain-spear spell."The teacher stopped moving and turned back towards Harry."A scourge originating in the prison term of the inquisition, considered by many to be night Magic ?"

"Er…"

"And who did you use it on ?"

"Quirrell."

"Right OK."Albert Abraham Michelson shook his head."Before we dredge up any more than assault against Hogwarts instructor lets start on something else. Who here knows what a shield magic spell is ?"Many of the manus went down ( though not of course, Hermione's )"Right ! we'll jump there."

*

The class let out an hour later. Many of the students had the after-effects of minor jinxes and hexes on them from when their cuticle hadn't been unspoilt enough or when their opponents had been too good. Professor Albert Michelson seemed to think all of it extremely queer and laughed outrageously at every furiously-dancing, uncontrollably-coughing or unnaturally-warty student before cancelling their affliction and sending them on their way. Half way through the family he had picked Harry to demonstrate some more serious hexes to the class. Harry ‘ s buckler charm wasn ‘ t nearly dear enough and he ended up suffering for every tour that winged his way.

"I hate him ! I hate that muscle-head shit !"Harry ranted as they walked to history of magic."He knows my gens and he keeps calling me pipsqueak ! He singles me out ! He will pay for this ! right ?"

The early piranha kept a condom space, giggling behind their hands.

"You know Harry, he seems to be a pretty good teacher."Hermione said. Harry rounded on her."I mean, some adult wizards can't do harbor appealingness and he managed to get half the class doing them in just one lesson."

"He keeps calling me short !"Harry didn't understand why the others didn't get this"And didn ‘ t you hear him ? Mighty, Majestic, Mouldering… He loves himself !"

"Well…"Parvarti chipped in"He is cute."Harry's face became granitic and moody."And he… winked at me."

"You ‘ ll see."Harry turned and began back towards the history of magic classroom"You ‘ ll all see ! After you meet him a few times you ‘ ll agree with me about Markus Blessed Virgin Michelson !"

*

But they didn't.

defense lawyers Against the darkness Arts quickly became the most wait forward to lesson by the entire school day. Every few lessons Markus Michelson would introduce a new scrap spell and piece of work with them, pulling them with gag, belittlement and encouragement, to perfect the spell. From disarming and stunning through to shields and self-defence he taught everything with an identical laugh and identical arrogant attitude. Harry remained glowering and silent in these lessons especially when the inevitable happened and he was called up to help demo a new go. He had tried to get the marauder riled up to play a antic on prof Albert Michelson but they had flatly refused. Harry had to content himself with dropping potion on a group off Slytherins that gave them oozing boil. It had been serenity coordination compound, whoever the pus hit when the furuncle exploded developed them as well.

It was on his way back from heavy hold that he heard someone yell. Harry saw a first-class honours degree class rush past him upstairs and followed him, towards the randomness. A group of pupil were gathered on the third flooring. Harry pushed through them without a thought and stopped at the front to see a horrific plenty. Painted on the rampart in what looked ilk rip were the words…

Arise those of ancient rip ! Cast out the impure from this sign of our fathers ! Be true to your descent ! Destroy the enemies of the heir ! This is the call to subdivision !

Harry glanced to his side, lined up next to one another stood a group of Slytherins. Malfoy, Goyle and flint stood side by side, each wearing identical expressions of glee.

On the trading floor in front of the letters crouched poor Victor Kingston, the kid who'd liked the looking at of Ravenclaw, curled up in care behind his sunglass.

Harry moved closer on instinct and put his finger to the boys neck.

"What are you doing ?"A voice behind him hissed but he ignored them.

"He doesn ‘ t have a pulse."Harry murmured, trying to affect his digit around for a full smell."No heart rate. Get Madam Pomfrey ! Get Dumbledore !"

"Both are here Harry."Harry looked up to see the headmaster walk to the border of the crowd. He stood back gratefully as the school nurse went to work.

"Is he… all in ?"An older Ravenclaw at the edge of the circle asked and a whisper of breathless shock swept the crowd.

"No."Professor Dumbledore said calmly"He appears to have been petrified."

"Will he find ?"Harry noticed that the Ravenclaw was a prefect, she had probably known Victor.

"Yes Miss Clearwater. I think so, in time."tensity seemed to go out of the group but the prefect pressed on.

"Professor…"She glanced up at the writing on the wall."victor was a muggleborn, do you think that there ‘ s any danger ?"

"I am sure I can desire every student here to act in a way that does not disgrace the good name of this school."

"Yeah right."Harry thought and glanced back at Malfoy and the former Slytherins."Seems a war's been called. People are already choosing sides."

*

The firstly onslaught happened just the next morning. Hannah archimandrite was found with a broken arm at the underside of the stairs leading down to the Hufflepuff common room. Her bag and books strewn haphazardly at the top. She'd been coming up from the cellar former to get breakfast and been pushed back down.

professor sprout took her to the hospital extension. But no one had seen what happened, not even Hannah, and no matter how much they asked the professor couldn't find who had done it.

The next day a group of Slytherins cornered a first year in one of the amphetamine corridors and began hexing him over and over. Only Flitwick happening past tense had stopped worse happening.

In a matter of hebdomad it was no foresightful safe for a muggleborn or half-blood scholarly person to be out on their own. dame Pomfrey was being worked of her metrical foot by the stream of injuries coming into her aid.

Then, one break of day, Oliver forest the Gryffindor Quidditch captain was petrified in the prefects bathroom. The teachers had tried to keep a lid on it but the Holy Scripture that had been scrawled on the walls somehow got out.

Mudbloods and blood-traitors cower in fear ! The heritor of Slytherin returns and the chamber has been opened. Rise up around his standard ! Spill the spoilt blood on the ground !

"It ‘ s getting worse."Harry said as they walked towards their side by side year."I mean just look !"He gestured out the window.

There was a powwow of students scurrying along the wall and slipping in a door. A bit later a chemical group of Slytherins hurried into the court with their with sceptre out.

"Harry no !"Harry was aiming his sceptre out the windowpane but Hermione jerked his arm back."If we start fighting back things will intensify ! We have to let the instructor handle it."

"They can ‘ t."Padma said dully as they passed the defending team Against the Dark Arts classroom"Not on this scale."Her Sister nodded silently. Her normally cheerful humor dulled.

"Padma ‘ s right Hermione."Ron shook his brain."thing are just getting forged and besides, we can ‘ t afford to lose any to a greater extent Quidditch players."

"Is that all you care about !"

"I just meant…"

"Shut up."Harry snapped back at them irritably."Quidditch is about as much use as you two bickering when things are going to hell all around us. We ‘ ve got to do something."

"But what ?"Padma said, shaking her head."This isn ‘ t like Quirrell Harry. There ‘ s no evil genius behind it. Its half the school, trying the kill the early half and we don't know till too late which is which."

"With some we got a pretty good idea."Harry murmured darkly as they passed a group of Slytherins. The Marauders curled around Hermione like a human shield as they passed and only spread back out after they had gone. A endorsement later Harry's scepter vibrated in his sac."shit it !"Harry motioned the others to quiet and the strait of hexing could be heard above them. They broke into a run towards the nearest stair.

*

"Leave him alone !"Ginny's own voice sounded shrill in her ears. She stepped in front man her injured friend and tried to swallow her reverence.

"What ? Protecting your mudblood beau traitor ?"Marcus Flint River stepped out of the ring of Slytherins surrounding her and Colin."Step aside for me. I ‘ d rather not spill wizard lineage, even your families, unless I have to."

"Mico Harry."Ginny whispered, holding her wand out in presence of her. Hoping he was in range."Mico Harry."

"Your young man doesn ‘ t look up to much."flint said stepping closer and eyeing the quivering Gryffindor."Maybe you want a real man ?"

"Mico Ron. Mico Hermione."

"What's that ?"flint leant forward to hear."That supposed to be a hex ? Ha ! What ‘ s it do ?"Flint laughed and his cohorts around him started laughing too.

"It summons monster !"

As Marcus'foreland jerked up a bludgeoning hex struck him in the chest. He was thrown back and his supporter drew their scepter as the marauders rushed them from the stairwell.

*

Harry was the initiative to admit that he probably wasn't destined to be a duellist. His first strike against the one-seventh twelvemonth had been golden and he now found himself shielding for his animation in the middle of a war-zone. Other student from other houses had been drawn in or joined in or been pushed in by the crowd and now the corridor was filled with flashing lights and battle cry of pain sensation.

"You ‘ re dead ceramist. Oh you ‘ re dead."Flint advanced on him and Harry ducked behind a statue as the big Slytherins beshrew smashed into the land near his foundation. A second one smacked into the Harlan Fiske Stone wizard and it began to topple over. Harry scrambled out as it crashed to the floor and jabbed his sceptre at his assailant.

"Expelliarmus !"The spell struck Flint but his thick, sausage-like fingers were curled tightly around his sceptre.

"Confringo !"Harry leapt out of the way of the blasting whammy and fell badly on his articulatio humeri. He threw his own back in answer and the snake stumbled backwards. Harry jumped to his infantry and scene a bludgeoning hex only to have it rebound off a buckler and scag him in the chest of drawers. Tumbling backwards he landed on his rachis among the debris. His wand skittered off along the storey. A shadow fell over him and a immense booted foot slammed onto his chest, holding him down.

"how-do-you-do Potter."Flint pointed his wand at Harry's face."Now I ‘ m gona have some fun."

A here and now later Flint was thrown off him as a sweeping wave of brightness guess through the corridor, forcibly pulling opposer apart.

Harry's hand darted out and grabbed his wand while he looked for the source of the tour. His middle found Albus Dumbledore standing at the end of the corridor with several other teachers behind him.

"Is any student here injured or in need of the hospital annexe ?"His voice was stony as he eyed the assembled students. A few students raised their hands. Dumbledore nodded and turned to speak to the teacher behind him."Please escort them there."No one spoke as the wounded were gathered up. Harry saw Markus Michelson handing Ginny her bag with one helping hand while picking Colin up in his other. As Professor McGonagall walked past him he caught her eye for a bit, they were cold, rough and disappointed. When the end of the injured were gone the Headmaster turned back to the remaining student.

"Now can anyone state me why this happened ? Why Hogwarts pupil saw fit to turn this corridor into a field of battle ?"He looked over the student and Harry realised that he and Flint River were right out in the middle, the two of them surrounded by emptiness. Somehow the ringleaders had been singled out."Why students who I thought I could confide to act in good faith instead acted like patsy ?"

No one rung. No one wanted to imbibe attention to themselves.

"You will all return to your vulgar rooms now. Tomorrow morning you will all come to the corking student residence where you will spend your Saturday in silence. You will return the day after that and for many weekends to come until I decide that the peace treaty and quiet of the school has returned. Your parents will also be informed of your disappointing behaviour."Dumbledore gestured at the children."Go off now. Not you Harry !"Harry was drawn back by Dumbledore's voice. Marcus Flint smirked at him with his troll-like smile and slinked off. Harry followed the headmaster in quiet as he turned and walked off through the school day. He stopped before a gargoyle on the second story.

"Sherbet Lemon."The infantile watchword seemed oddly out of kilter with the situation. They remained mum as they were raised up by the staircase and walked out into the Headmasters office.

Harry glanced around in wonder at the odd silver grey simple machine, many moving or making piano audio, filling tables around the edges of the office. His eyes were drawn to the perch behind the desk where a tired looking red bird sat. Even as Harry watched another of its feathers fell off and twirled towards the floor.

Dumbledore caught it before it hit and slipped it into an inwardly pocket of his robe. He turned and sat behind the heavy desk. Saying nothing, he regarded the student before him over steepled fingers.

Harry knew that with any other teacher this was the metre to be unruffled and look guilty, but with Dumbledore he might actually be better off explaining.

"Professor."He began and licked his dry back talk. Dumbledore's eyes flicked to his."I heard the sounds of somebody being attacked nearby and I went to see whether I could facilitate. When we… I got there Marcus flint and some other Slytherins had the firstly old age surrounded."He couldn't tell what effect this was having on the Headmaster. His construction was inscrutable."I fired a turn to make them back off and they responded, I never thought that so many other students would be drawn in or that it would snowball like this. I ‘ m sorry."

"You cast the first hex ?"

"They had been beating up Colin Creevey before we got there."Harry felt too guilty to lie."But I threw the first combat charm yes."

"respective students are bruise Harry."Gods teeth the ragged hiss was eyeballing him as well."And there was some structural hurt to the schoolhouse. various picture were damaged and statues broken."

"I was just trying to serve sir. I didn't want any of that."

"And with this atmosphere of awe already around the school you have given everyone another ground to hate each other."Harry felt very small in nominal head of the continued stare."Worse, you have escalated this problem with your actions. Next time people will be even quick to draw wands in anger. Next metre the hexes will be worse and the great unwashed could be seriously injure Harry, do you empathize that ?"

"Yes sir."Harry idea of Marcus Flint River's smirk. Next metre they wouldn't wait to tease people.

"Today you chose to fight hatred with anger and violence. That way will always breed further hatred do you understand that ?"

"Yes sir."

"See that you do not repeat this mistake."

"Yes sir. Thank you."Harry walked out of the function. All the way to the room access he could finger the old mans eyes on his back.

*

Harry walked back slowly to the Gryffindor common way. By chance the route took him back past the battleground. Some attack had been made to make clean up but the situation still felt damaged. big chunks were missing from the stone and the breach painting had all been taken down. The passage was bare. Harry saw movement at the early end and tensed for a second, then relaxed as he saw red hair's-breadth and freckles.

"Ginny ?"

"Harry."The little little girl moved up the corridor towards him. Stopping just a short way down from him."I ‘ m so sorry I got you into worry. I shouldn ‘ t have micod for you. Hermione said you could be expelled."

"If I was expelled every prison term Hermione said I would be I ‘ d be some variety o'world record."Harry walked up to his young military recruit and ruffled her hair."And I taught you that call exactly so you would call off me if you were ever in trouble. All this…"Harry waved his hand at the price and shook his forefront."Not your fault. But why are you back here ? Shouldn ‘ t you be in the common room."

"I was… waiting… for you."Ginny glanced to the left hand and bit her lip.

"Remind me to learn you to lie convincingly Ginny."Harry looked into her oculus. There was a surprising total of fear there."Why don't you want to tell me ? You don't have to you know."

"Lost something."Ginny's representative became smaller with each discussion she said."A journal. Must have fallen out in the fight."

"Your diary ‘ s missing ?"Harry shook his forefront."Did you spell anything bad in there ?"

"Not my diary."

"Whose ? Nicking individual's diary is all very marauder of you but…"

"I found it in my Word before I even got here. Thought maybe it got left there."

"Who ‘ s was it ?"

"The battlefront said it was Tom Marvolo Riddle ‘ s."Ginny was acting almost like when he'd first met her.

"And the bit you ‘ re not telling me is…"He hated doing this but she was obviously hiding something.

"It was… special."Ginny seemed to shrink into the solid ground a little."It spoke to me."

"Spoke ? It could talk ?"

"No, he wrote back when I wrote him things."Ginny curled up on the storey and hugged her legs up to her chest."It was blank but it wrote back. He was so nice. I had individual to talk to finally."

"Someone to babble out to ?"Harry scratched his school principal. What did she mean ?"You have six brothers don't you ?"

"I can't lecture to them."Ginny began to sob a little."They don't understand. They laugh at me. Tom understood. And now he ‘ s gone. What if someone else picks him up ? What if he tells them the clobber I wrote ?"Ginny looked up traumatise and mark and suddenly broke down into rent. Harry just stood there, he didn't know what the Hell to do.

"I mess everything up."Ginny gulped between asshole."I lost Tom and everyone ‘ s going to read him ! I messed up the sorting ! I started a fight and almost got you expelled !"

"Ginny listen to me."Harry tried grabbing her shoulder but she wouldn't looking at at him. With his former hand he cupped her facial expression and brought it up so he could see her eye."Tom sounds like a good friend, I ‘ m sure you can trust him to keep your secrets. I mean, other multitude must have had the journal before you and Tom never told you any of their closed book right ?"

Merlin's beard, he didn't know what he was doing. What did he jazz about comforting multitude ?

"And as for this."He pointed around the corridor."All this we can fix. We can fix everything, don't worry. I ‘ ll help you."He was babbling, as if she'd care about the corridor.

"And…"Ginny had stopped crying at least."You don't hate me ?"Harry shook his head.

"Only when you cry. Gryffindors don't cry."He regretted it as soon as he said it, that wasn't what she needed to see. As he had often done before Harry asked himself where Hermione was when he needed her. She would have known what to say. He smudged a sleeve against Ginny's buttock to get rid of the tears. At least he could do that rightfield.

"Come on. Lets get back to the green room."He stood up and held out a deal to her."And as for having a friend to verbalise to…"He pulled her into a crude hug then let her go."… what am I a stranger ?"

"Harry."Ginny was looking up at him now."Why couldn't I have had you as a brother instead of Ron ?"

"Because I ‘ m not ginger and my skin can postulate a tan. Why'd you ask ?"But Ginny didn't answer him.

"She's probably distraught."Harry thought, putting an arm over her berm and walking with her towards Gryffindor towboat."I ‘ m no soundly at this sorting of thing."


I own none of the character reference, places, ect ...




As days went by Harry found it harder and firmly to prevent his discussion to Dumbledore. Little combat were breaking out all over the school. A student could hardly go from lesson to lesson without seeing people running scared or hearing hexing.

Harry and other willing students had arranged to walk any muggleborns too and from public lecture. It helped, a minuscule, with both the pupil themselves and Harry's guilt. But every meter he heard cries in the aloofness or saw a grin on the human face of a dark-green robed scholar he shuddered, but kept walking. worsened it seemed like more and more than students from other houses were answering the phone call and more and more dangerous hexes seemed to be thrown around each day. Just a few twenty-four hours ago Su Li had been found with deep cuts all over her, like she ‘ d been rolled in crank. Worse, she had been inside the ravenclaw common room.

Harry knew that he was at least partially to blame for the escalation in violence but he knew who was really to charge, Markus Michelson !

Half the magic spell being thrown around had been taught to them in Defence year and professor A. A. Michelson had been pushing them, hell even encouraging them to crusade. His low gear course of instruction had been on duelling ! Harry would had pointed this to people and ( even from Hermione ) got grudging agreement.

It seemed that the muscle-bound instructor had realised his mistake himself. As the violence mounted the teacher had looked more and more distressed and tired. That day ( for the first sentence ever in his division ) they had taken notes from the textbook.

Harry grimaced as he looked around the classroom, a group of Slytherins with Malfoy in the centre sat near the back, with their heads together. Harry turned back to his work and shook his point.

"Maybe Dumbledore ‘ s wrong."Harry looked up in shock, Neville was sitting following to him."Maybe, you know… we should try to do something."

"finally prison term we tried to get involved affair went worse Neville. Much worse. I don't want to screw up again."

"But, we can ‘ t just let this go on."Neville was looking at him a small desperately."You ‘ re going to do something, right ?"Harry glanced back at the group of Slytherins. They were grinning now.

"give me an option."Harry flipped the Page on the book in front of him and dipped his pinion again. “'cos I ‘ m refreshed out of them."

Harry felt his friend lean away from him. He had heard the quiet Hope in his friends part and felt bad for dashing it. But what could he do ? He would only make things unsound, he couldn't interfere.

And he kept that promise.

For about five hours.

*

Harry closed his record book and looked around the library trying to work out if it was worth checking it out. He had been considering employing some of the spells in silence and semblance to get students safely between lessons but they were irritatingly either to complex to be preformed quickly or to simple to be of use. He had been trying to find like books in the library but the Hogwarts seemed to let very few of them.

Harry's face twisted into a real smile for the first time in a piece. It was almost like they didn't trustfulness the students.

He quietly decided that the leger wasn't Worth it and got up. Madam Pince was hovering nearby frowning at the students cluttering up her program library.

"Go on out."She hurried Harry out and gestured at the former scholar."I have to close up."

Harry shook his head and trudged away from the musty home. It was moody already, and Harry hunched a small as he walked down the echoing corridor alone. The fact that he was this scared to be alone in the heart of Hogwarts disturbed Harry a lot. It reminded him of cold streets where you were never really safe, never well enough hidden. Harry ‘ s footmark quickened as he thought of the passion of Gryffindor tower.

Was that a cry ? Harry's pes slowed and he moved to the position of the staircase he was on. There it was again, coming from the top of the staircase. Harry lowered himself monotone to the stair near the top and slipped a periscope out of his air pocket, taking care to sustain quiet he pushed it above the top step.

He could see two the great unwashed cowering on the flooring and three around them in a circle. One of the three moved forward, Harry groaned inwardly as the moonlight shone on Malfoy's blonde hair. That made the former two Crabbe and Goyle. It also made him outnumbered.

"So piffling mudblood."Malfoy was speaking softly in the iniquity above the stair."What kind of spell shall we use next ?"One of the educatee rolled over on the floor and Harry saw her clearly for the first time. A Ravenclaw, perhaps a class or two ahead of him. Her chocolate skin had raised red blotches like bee stinging. It looked like she had been hit with stinging curse. Lots of stinging Hexes.

"No ! Please discontinue, please."The missy whimpered, she sounded like she was crying.

Harry gritted his dentition, this was too much. Dumbledore be dammed ! Harry glanced around for something he could use to help him. He might get one of the Slytherins from a surprise attack but he certainly couldn't beat the early two. If he took out Malfoy he'd be left fighting two scholar larger than him at the top of a tall staircase. On the other hand if he took out Crabbe or Goyle he'd be left duelling Malfoy who repeatedly outperformed him in defence grade. Neither of the scholarly person on the trading floor looked up to helping him.

"Maybe something darker."Malfoy drawled and his age group chuckled."I ‘ ve read about this frostbite curse…"That bloody did it.

He'd get Malfoy and stack with the former two somehow. Harry was just about to push himself up when a voice from across the landing spoke.

"relocation away Draco."The three Slytherins glanced away from their quarry. In the apparition of an arch a figure was just visible, baton held firmly at waist height in the gear up side."Just go back to the Dungeon."The voice was tired but steadfast. Malfoy squinted into the darkness then sneered.

"Split."

"Malfoy."The bod moved a little into the light. He was a Slytherin boy, maybe third or fourth year with shaggy disastrous hair and bags under his eyes to cope with his voice."You have one of mine down there."He nodded to the other chassis on the flooring. Harry noticed for the first time that it was another Slytherin.

"Well…"Malfoy appeared to consider for a moment."This one is no fun anymore anyway, Goyle stunned her or something by error and we haven't been able to wake her up. In the interest group of sign unity I ‘ ll let you bring her."The boy apparently called Split stayed silent for a long present moment, his eyes flickering to the manikin on the floor, then said in his tired vocalisation.

"And the other as well."

"Oh we ‘ ve only just started on her. Got some new stuff to try out."

"Give them to me Draco."Split moved forward slowly holding his wand out."You three are just second age, you don't want to press me."

"And you are outnumbered."Malfoy trained his sceptre on the newcomer and his two strong-armer did the Lapp.

"And you are surrounded."Harry stood up and aimed his sceptre at Malfoy's pectus."So back up wormbait."All the Slytherins faces showed shock. Malfoy rounded on the older Slytherin

"You even taking help from Gryffindors now."He laughed."How low can you slump ?"

"Just go Malfoy."schism covered his surprise and gestured away down the corridor."You know you just lost this."Malfoy grimaced, but he seemed to concede.

"No fun anyway."He aimed a boot at the ravenclaw little girl on the floor prompting a yell from Harry but merely a stab from tear."They just curled up."with that Malfoy turned and strode down the corridor towards the dungeon.

Harry moved forward quickly. The Slytherin was already crouching over his housemate so Harry knelt down to jibe the Ravenclaw.

"Can you hear me ? Are you hurt besides the face ?"Harry looked over her but she didn't seem to be hurt anywhere else.

"Made…"the miserable girls vox was very quiet and dry"Made me wassail something."

"Ok. You ‘ ll be ok."Harry glanced over to his friend of necessity."infirmary wing ?"

"well obviously."The boy fixed him with a atrophy stare."You carry Vanessa."He gestured to the bookman by his feet."You don't look like you can superintend her."

"I can manage fine !"Harry pulled the arm of the Ravenclaw over his articulatio humeri and pushed himself to his metrical foot.

The two of them walked in quiet with their encumbrance towards the infirmary wing and Madam Pomfrey. At the backside of the third stairway Harry leaned against the wall and tried to blow in air. schism wordlessly held out an arm. Harry laughed under his breathing place and they swapped rider. Harry managed the last two staircase prosperous and they pushed their way through into the Hospital wing.

"Madam Pomfrey ?"Harry called out and she bustled in, her eyes too looked well-worn. Harry wondered idly what his looked like these days."Two more."

"Well put them…"Madam Pomfrey cast about then realised she no longer had any free beds."…there."She pointed her wand and two new seam appeared, squashed in between the single already there. Harry gratefully laid his charge down on the new bed and looked down at her. It was the first time he'd properly got a flavour at her, she seemed younger than him so probably a first gear twelvemonth. She had long chocolate-brown hair and picket skin. She seemed to sustain passed out at some point."Do you roll in the hay what was used on them ?"The school nurse had already gone to work on the injured students.

"She,"Harry pointed to the other bed."Was forced to drink something. Plus what look like stinging hexes."gentlewoman Pomfrey glanced at the bed nigh Harry and looked up questioningly. rent answered her.

"Vanessa was unconscious when we found her. They said they stunned her, may give birth been miscast since they couldn't wake her."

"Very well."She began moving her wand around over the two students, bathing them in pale blue lightness."I will describe this in the morning. Your chief of house will no doubt want to speak to you to get the details."Harry recognised the dismissal and walked out of the hospital fender.

He surprisingly found Split following him up a flight of steps. The Slytherin commons way was definitely the early direction.

"Not that I don't enjoy the attention but why are you following me ?"

"I ‘ m not."This was all Split seemed to call up was necessary. They walked face by side up another staircase.

"Harry Potter."Harry held out his hand. The former boy rolled his oculus.

"I know."But he grasped the script for a brief shake."Book of Joshua Split. But I prefer Split."

"You don't like Dragon Malfoy much ?"

"You don't like Draco Malfoy much."They climbed higher. Harry began to wonder if the boy intended to accompany him all the way to the common room."I hate Draco Malfoy"

"I can sympathise."Harry kept walking for a moment before realising his fellow traveler wasn't following. Harry turned and found snag just standing there in the middle of the seventh trading floor corridor."What ? You waiting for the headless Richard Morris Hunt to come about ?"

"No."The Slytherin glanced both ways down the corridor then looked him up and down."Suppose you can be trusted."The boy walked first one way then the other, back and forth along the hallway. Harry was about to ask what he was doing when a room access slowly faded into aspect out of the bulwark.

Split rapped on it three time, then twice. He got the Saami signal in homecoming and Harry heard something labored moved from the other side of the door. Harry moved to see in as the threshold was pulled unfold from the inside. soul in the room gasped at seeing him out there.

Inside the way there stood six bunk layer along one wall. As he watched a small expression popped up from under the book binding and pulled back in fear. Harry's oculus were drawn to the relaxation of the room, over a round of drinks tabular array where some student had been playing posting. They too were now staring at him.

"What is…"But Harry's roving eyes began to answer his own doubtfulness. Near one bed was tacked a faded rolling-stones post-horse and a air sock tossed negligently over a chair had Homer Sir James Young Simpson on it."You're the muggleborn Slytherins ?"

"Muggleborn, half-blood…"Split pushed the door closed with Harry inside and flopped on the nearest bed. The other bookman seemed to take this as a signal that things were alright and went back to what they were doing, but Harry caught them glancing back at him."And anyone who gets in Malfoy ‘ s way when he's hexing someone."

"How many non pure-blood Slytherins are there ?"

"That will admit it ?"Split scoffed."You ‘ re looking at them."He pulled out a chip packet boat from beside his bed and split it open. Lounging there munching he looked distinctly un-wizardly."Me and Emma Stoats are the only if wide-cut muggleborns."He pointed to one of the card role player, a magniloquent 7th year girl who glanced up at her name being spoken."Oh, and Elizabeth now. Thanks to your little Quaker stunt at the sorting she actually chose this business firm. Nice and wry eh ?"

"And you live up here now ?"Harry thought for a consequence about how he'd felt earlier that evening. Hanging on to the thought process of getting back to the common room.

"well did you think we were going to bide in the dungeon ?"Emma Stoats said without taking her eye off her cards."The curl on our doors aren ‘ t that good."

"I know. One allohamora and they pop open."

"And you know that how ?"Split tossed his empty packet on the floor near his bed where there were a few others. Harry just grinned at him.

"Josh ?"A first year on a top bunk sat up."Where ‘ s Vanessa ?"

"hospital wing Liz. Malfoy caught her."Harry looked around the room for a reaction but each case just showed resignation. Suddenly Split's head jerked up."Damn it."He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tenuous twosome of glasses."I took these so they wouldn ‘ t get smashed when I carried her."The boy pulled himself up tiredly.

"I ‘ ll consider them back."Harry offered holding out his helping hand."It ‘ s on my way anyway."

"It ‘ s not even slightly on your way."Joshua said with a sneer, but handed the glasses over. Harry thought he saw relief flicker under his shaggy outer boundary before the boy sunk back down onto his bed. Harry turned to forget then looked back.

"Gryffindor password's Aigipan."Every head turned at that."You know where the entrance is ?"One or two nous nodded."Good, occur anytime."

"Why you telling us ?"Elizabeth again from her rot.

"fountainhead it ‘ s only fair."Harry glanced out the room access then moved to afford it fully."I can get into the Slytherin common room."

*

Harry slipped back into the infirmary offstage wondering if it was after curfew yet. He moved quietly so as not to wake the many affected role but noticed as he reached the bottom at the end that there was another visitor here. The Ravenclaw young lady he had carried ( most of the way ) there was curled up on her bed but another female child was sitting on a chairperson nearby. The girls were holding men and had apparently fallen asleep like that. Harry put the specs down on a position table trying not to ignite them, then turned to leave.

"The nurse told me you brought her in."Harry twisted back, the new lady friend had her eyes undetermined and was speaking quietly."My friend."She nodded at the sleeping lady friend.

"I carried the other one."Harry nodded at picayune Vanessa."Josue split up carried your friend. You know him ?"She had looked up and grinned at the name.

"She ‘ ll like that."The young woman disengaged her hand and motioned Harry away from the beds."She likes him."She giggled.

"When she wakes up you can give her some good news show then. Malfoy offered to let Split take the little one without a fight, but he wouldn ‘ t leave without your friend. A regular knight in huffish armour."

"And what was your part in it ?"They had stopped near the threshold, away from all the sleeping patients.

"What else ?"Harry grinned."I was the cavalry."Harry brought his hands together like a claw."Caught ‘ em between us. Intricately planned strategy."He held out his hand."Harry Potter, don't roll your eyes."

"Cho Chang."As she took his hand Harry noticed she had light calluses, where had he felt that before ?

"Quidditch squad right ?"

"Seeker."Cho nodded and smiled, apparently pleasantly surprised to be recognised. It had been mostly a dead reckoning on Harry's contribution, he rarely went to the games. Her boldness became sombre again a consequence later."But seriously, thank you. For helping Lucy."

"It was goose egg, thwarting Malfoy ‘ s like a civic duty."But a trivial memory surfaced in his promontory. A name, maybe he'd heard it in the corridor at some point ?"Lucy… Kingston ?"

"Yep."

"Then that her brother isn ‘ t it."Harry pointed over at another bed where the petrify boy lay.

"Yeah."Cho nodded sadly."Her parents wanted to take her out of schoolhouse, but she wanted to stay."She glanced back at the little girl on the bed."She didn ‘ t want to miss out."

"I ‘ m sorry."It was all Harry could really recollect to say.

"Don't apologise."She turned back to him."If you hadn ‘ t got there who knows what they ‘ d have done."Cho shook her head again and moved back towards the bottom. Harry was once again at a expiration for give-and-take and turned out of the backstage to plod up the stairs for the second time that night.

It was on a retentive dark stretch of hall that he heard a voice behind him.

"Fancy seeing you again tonight Potter."

*

Harry fought cult and hatred as he turned around slowly.

"Not surrounded any more than are we Potter."Malfoy drawled, flanked by his two vestige."And you seem to be all alone. How utterly convenient."The blonde boy moved forward with his wand out."Did you like what I did to the mudblood's face ? She didn't need her looks anyway, like anyone would touch a mudblood."Harry kept his emotions tightly under control condition and said nothing."What, no witty comeback ? well you'll sing in a moment or two. You ‘ ve had this coming a long time Potter, so I ‘ m going to take away a long time over this. I ‘ m going to really savor myself."

"Don't bet on it. Acerbus Cuspis !"Harry charged every ounce of passion and hatred he had been holding in into the oath. Ribbons of silver lit the whole hallway, covering the three Slytherins who cried out in botheration and fell to the floor.

"Expelliarmus !"Malfoy's wand flew off somewhere. But Harry wasn't done. He grabbed the startled indorsement year and yanked him off the ground, pinning him against the wall.

"Adhaereo !"Harry slapped Malfoy's arms back to the rampart as the fixing charm took effect. The Slytherin dangled there struggling, his feet a honorable foot off the floor.

"Let me down thrower or el…"

"Shut up !"Harry pointed his Barbara Ward rightfulness at Malfoy's aspect. Some of that furore must have been left over because his sceptre flared red sparks causing the hanging boy to cry out in annoyance again."There, see how you like it ? You two stay down !"Harry pointed his baton at Crabbe and Goyle, just starting to lift themselves off the floor."Or I swear I will hex his case off and that WILL scar I guarantee it !"Harry turned back to his nemesis who was still vainly trying to sweep up himself off the wall."Stop moving ! stop consonant moving and listen."Harry rested the tip of his sceptre rightfulness between Malfoy's eyes, the boy did indeed turn back moving."You are a pathetic lowlife-scumbag Malfoy you know that ? You are a spew little bastard and you are finally gon na pay for it."

The Slytherin's eyes were crossed as he tried to count at the head resting on his olfactory organ, he was even quivering.

"Her brother, her god-damn brother in the infirmary wing ! And you force her to drink some poison and hex her while she lies on the floor like the little coward you are then you laugh."Harry moved his finisher till he was right in his dupe face."Well it stops now you hear me. All of it stops. You lord it over the early worms like the lord o ‘ worm-hill so you make them stop or else Malfoy. Oh yes, I can make good that menace. Remember get-go year ? I know where you sleep Malfoy. I know and I can feel you any time I want. So from now on any clock time any Slytherin hurts anyone in this schoolhouse it is officially your flaw and it will total back around Malfoy. right hand back to you. Anything anyone in this school suffers you suffer twice over. From now on Malfoy EVERYTHING COMES backbone TO YOU !"

Harry's expectoration peppered Malfoy's face but the quivering boy didn't seem to discover. His oculus were astray and glued to Harry. Harry moved even closer and moved his wand to stab up under the Slytherin's mentum. He squirmed and twisted his chief trying to get away from the sharp Grant Wood tip. Harry jerked his school principal back around with his early hired hand so he could look straight into those terrified greyish eyes."So keep your fucking house in line of reasoning or I will get you. Understand ?"The boy nodded quickly. Harry waited for a here and now then nodded then jerked his scepter away.

"Good."He turned and strode off down the hall without another Logos. Let him mold out how to get off the wall.

*

The succeeding day Harry watched from an speed window as a group of Slytherins walked past a world-class year Gryffindor who ‘ s bag had spilled out all over the floor. As she noticed them coming she froze in fear but Malfoy jerked his head to the others and walked on. Some of them looked take aback but he just jerked his chief again and they eventually moved off.

"Did you do something ?"Padma had waited with him and was now looking at him shrewdly.

"Yes."

"What ?"

"I…"Harry glanced out the windowpane again and sighed."You know what Hermione keeps saying about not sinking to their floor ?"

"You sunk ?"

"Like a stone."


The tenuous peace teetered often enough over the next few hebdomad but it never broke. susurration flew around the schoolhouse about what might have caused the sudden thawing of tensity and most hit not far off the mark. Harry caught professor Dumbledore watching him during breakfast one day and looked away guiltily.

"How long do you call back it ‘ ll last ?"Ron asked one day in defence class. It had become a good course of instruction to chat in. Markus Michelson was sprawled on his desk, apparently asleep but twitching occasionally."You know, the peace."

"Until Malfoy forgets."Harry flicked over the page in his demurrer Book, at least pretending to pay attending to the lesson. He had told the predator what had happened in general terms but had kept back the details. Like that he had used the pain-spear patch and how good it had felt to do so.

"Christmas maybe."Padma finished another line and dipped her calamus for More ink. Only her and Hermione actually bothered to ask notes anymore."He'll probably forget over the recess then everything will lead off up again."

"You ‘ ll have to cue him then Harry."Ron jabbed him in the rib."Eh ?"

"Maybe."Harry tried to look engrossed in his defence book. He really didn't want to recall about what would go on if Malfoy forgot.

Markus Michelson snorted and rolled over. They took that to have in mind that the socio-economic class was dismissed.

*

The teetering and tenuous jewel that was Harry's peace did last till the winter recess and Harry waved his friends off among bunch of students who ( although eyeing one another nervously and muttering ) were staving off actual violence. Unlike hold out twelvemonth Harry would be alone in the castle for Yuletide, all the marauder had plans for kin Christmases and he would have felt like an intruder at any one of them. Harry turned and walked slowly back into the castling, he was the last piranha there. Virtually the stopping point Gryffindor come to that, with everything that had happened very few students in any household had wanted to last out.

Joshua Split passed him on the stairs carrying a very muggle-looking suitcase. true up to take form he had a crisp packet open in the pocket of his robes, munching them as he walked. He nodded at Harry before carrying on down to the entrance Charles Francis Hall. Harry tried to wreak out how many students would be at Hogwarts. Two other Gryffindors, two Hufflepuffs, one Ravenclaw and Crabbe, Goyle and Malfoy. Harry shuddered, why the hell was Malfoy staying for Yuletide ? Didn't he have a giant star manse made of amber to go to ?

Harry chuckled in the vacate hall and gave the fat lady the password reminant. He sat down at the now evacuate piranha tabularize and pulled over a book. There was one benefit to being here alone, he might actually lie with a question in class once in a while.

*

A few daylight later ( having got truly grisly of his schoolbooks ) Harry was wandering the corridors when he noticed that he was near the Ishmael Slytherins room.

"Split ‘ s not staying over break."Harry thought."Have the others gone back as well ?"He walked backwards and forwards and saw the door appear on cue. Three water tap, then two. Harry waited a long moment then heard a scrape on the other side. The door opened slowly.

"Oh it ‘ s you."Vanessa pulled the doorway afford for then closed it behind him."What are you doing here."

Harry looked around. It looked like her and the young woman called Elizabeth II were still there, they had pulled most of the pillows and comforters off the beds to form a variety of nest in one corner of the elbow room. Several stuffed plaything had moved there as well, including a worn looking cony with one ear.

"I was checking to see if anyone was still here. Didn ‘ t expect to find anyone. Why are you staying over Xmas ?"

"My aunty and uncle are holidaying in Spain."Vanessa said, then added to Harry's confused expression"I live with them."

"Oh, what about you ?"Harry turned to the other girlfriend.

"Isn ‘ t it obvious ? I ‘ m keeping Vanessa company."Harry felt a sudden warmth of feeling towards the niggling pair in presence of him.

"Where have you been hiding yourselves though ? I haven't seen either of you at meals."

"We don't want to eat with Malfoy."Elizabeth I pulled a sweet mail boat from the corner of the nest and ate one."It ‘ s not safe."

"So what have you been eating ? Too a great deal Honeydukes is bad for you y'know."

"Josh showed us a way you can get to the kitchens."genus Vanessa curled up next to her champion."We slip down at night. It ‘ s not good otherwise."

"Ok. That stops now."The two girls looked up."From now on you can eat safe at my table ok ?"The girl looked at one another and something seemed to pass between them. After a moment Elizabeth II nodded."Also this stops."Harry pointed around at the room."Your not living alone here anymore. Get your hooey and move it to the Gryffindor tower."

"That's not allowed."Elizabeth took the first step again while her protagonist just looked on."What will everyone in your house say ?"

"Currently everyone is a fifth part twelvemonth doing so much OWL revisal she wouldn't card if a herd of centaurs moved in to the rough-cut room and a first year who I ‘ m not certainly notices anything much early than the fanciful butterfly flitting bout her head."

"Luna Lovegood ?"

"That's the one."Harry grinned."Please move your stuff. Otherwise I ‘ m just gon na be sat there worrying about you all break and that gon na be a very sad Christmastide for me. please ?"

Another long feel passed between the two girl then Vanessa giggled and nodded.

"Ok, we ‘ ll come."

*

Harry reasoned in the days that followed that there was no reason to stop with just the Slytherins. With that in mind Harry embarked on a hunting expedition of persuasion and cajoling with the aim of moving total remaining population of the early two houses to the Gryffindor common room.

"Because it ‘ ll be fun. You remember fun, you have that in Hufflepuff rightfield ?"Harry quipped at the amused Susan Bones.

"Yes we have fun."Susan shot back at him amicably, leaning against the railing in one of the courtyard and bundled up tight against the cold. Like the remainder of Harry's year she was used to his idiosyncrasies."Its just that students aren't usually allowed in each others green rooms."She didn't add that Harry wasn't supposed to tell people the countersign, knowing by now the futility of asking him to play along the linguistic rule.

"No one is going to care."Harry flicked snow at her, causing her to bat at him and almost promote him off the railing."The password ‘ ll change after the break anyway and its not like the teachers'll mind."

"You mean not like they ‘ ll find out."

"judgment, find-out, what's the difference ? Anyway, your alternative is staying in the Hufflepuff cellar… alone."Harry rubbed an imaginary bust out of his eye."Well alone except for Wallace Stevens which I course as far inferior to alone."

"He is beginning to get on my nerves…"Susan looked thoughtfully down at the priming coat around her feet.

"Come on."Harry urged."Everyone together for Christmas. If we have to detain locked up here we should make the to the highest degree of it right ?"She looked at him appraisingly then smiled.

"will you teach me to juggle ?"

"Erg,"Harry slapped his hand to his forehead and groaned"If that's what it takes…"

"Ok, I ‘ ll come. If only so you have the full set."

In the end the instructor probably did deliver a good idea what was going on, the fact that all but three of the student came down to breakfast together was definitely a clue. But either because they had their own holiday architectural plan to think about or because they actually approved of what Harry was doing they did not kvetch. One thing was for certain, Malfoy did not approve and scowled openly across the great hall at them at every meal. Harry took this as reason enough for all his efforts.

*

When Christmas finally came Harry and his cross-house compatriots rushed gleefully to the tree diagram and filled the Gryffindor vulgar elbow room with shredded wrapping newspaper.

"But if you open it carefully you can recycle the paper."Mathew Smitty Stevens complained at which full point Harry soaked him with water. The renewal spray bottle from Neville was quickly becoming his favourite talent."Hey !"

Harry grinned then spluttered as another jet of water system hit him in the side of the face.

"Aguamenti charm."Martin Fredric the sole Ravenclaw said in a lecturing quality."You ‘ ll learn that after owls."

"I ‘ ll learn you !"

The ensuing water fight turned the paper to mush and it was a soppy but laughing radical that stumbled down to a belated breakfast.

*

Weeks later Harry was sitting out in the cold sunlight idly flicking through a Christmas present tense ( a spell Bible on permanent and semi-permanent charms ) wondering how hard it would be to make an invisibility cloak when a shadow fell across him.

"Potter."

Harry answered without looking up.

"Malfoy, something I can avoid helping you with ?"

"Do you have to make some pathetic endeavor at wittiness every sentence you open your mouth ?"

Harry glanced up and fixed Malfoy with a 2-dimensional stare. The smirk disappeared from the Slytherins face and he backed up a step.

"I was coming to monish you."The Bible seemed to tumble out of his mouth like he wanted to get them out of the way."I couldn't block up it so it ‘ s not my fault."

"What isn ‘ t ?"

"I ‘ ve been stuck here but my friends have been meeting up over the disruption. Making plans."Malfoy glanced around as if checking no-one was watching."I only found out because Montague came back early."

"The outsider for once Malfoy."Harry smirked evilly."See how it feels ?"

"Will you please be serious !"Malfoy swallowed and continued at a whisper."Something bad is going to happen."

"Bad how ?"Harry flipped his book closed.

"I don't know. It was planned over break like I said. It's not my fault."Malfoy added the last bit at a kick.

"We ‘ ll see. What do you have sex about it."

"first base day back. Montague said everything had to be quick for the for the first time day back."

"What had to be set ?"

"I don't know !"Malfoy wrung his script and stepped back a tread."I keep telling you I was out of the loop here at Hogwarts. I shouldn ‘ t be held…"But Harry cut him off.

"If you tell me its not your fault one more than time…"Malfoy fell silent and Harry began pacing backwards and forwards, thinking desperately."Do you think you can get Montague to tell you what's happening ?"Malfoy shook his promontory quickly.

"He won ‘ t say. I think someone told him not to."Malfoy suddenly stood up."Someone ‘ s coming !"And with that he strode off quickly into a corridor.

Harry buried his face in his script. He had so hoped that the unpleasantness of the full term was over, that he could give birth something approaching normalcy for once, to go to school without confederacy and scourge. He chuckled wryly, he should give birth known better.

*

Harry waited anxiously as the school day full term approached. One or two other early appetizer filtered back into their various business firm and Harry's impromptu recruits into Gryffindor went back to their own houses.
All except Vanessa and Elizabeth I, they didn't really have a house to go back to. As Gryffindor bookman filtered back they eyed the new reaching warily and complained until Harry took them aside and explained in no uncertain terms where they could cleave their charge.

Finally, a few Clarence Day before the start of school day, Harry pulled together the courage to do what he had been putting off for a patch. He went to warn Dumbledore.

"sherbet Lemon."The gargoyle statue obediently moved aside and Harry moved up the longsighted staircase and knocked on the doorway at the top.

"Enter."Harry pushed the door outdoors to see Dumbledore sitting at his desk look up curiously, then he frowned."Harry that password is not to be used by students."

"I ‘ m sorry sir, but I needed to tell you something."

"And you seem to be being rather unblock with sure other passwords as well."At this Harry drew himself up.

"That I'm not apologising for. Would throw been stupid for everyone to pass Christmas alone, especially the first years."He met Dumbledore's gaze this time and didn't hesitation.

"Harry you can not make up one's mind which rules to obey and in what situations. I thought I made that clear in our last conversation."The schoolmaster's side was fundament and Harry wondered whether he shouldn't have just warned him by owl."If you can not stomach by the principle of this institution…"

"Abiding by the regulation wasn't working."Harry was almost surprised to hear his own phonation, even though it was coming at barely a whisper."the great unwashed were getting hurt all the time. It was only a matter of time before something high-risk happened."

"So you take the law into your own hands ? Sink to their spirit level ?"Dubledore's vocalisation was quiet now but his words seemed to fire up a fire in Harry's thorax.

"You think that ‘ s how it was ? How it works ? You think affair would be better around here if I ‘ d just let Malfoy convey on ?"Harry shook his straits and glared at the old man."mustiness have taken you a lot of pearl to construct a tower this big. I pity the poor elephants."

"Insolence !"Yelled one of the portraiture on the wall.

"Mr Potter."Dumbledore stood up, his chair scraping back loudly. His hands were clenched in fist on the desk in front of him."I am the schoolmaster of this schooltime. Please try to address me with something resembling respect."

"You should be thanking me you still have a shoal ! That it's not a rubble spate full moon of cadaver !"Dumbledore's center were glinting dangerously and his mouth had formed a hard line, but Harry wasn't finished."It ‘ s not like you were doing anything to check it ! So pardon me if I don't have deference for individual who sat idly by while everything went to pot. Not such a good decision in my book, bit of a bloody mistake. One of many you ‘ ve made recently. Anyone remember who hired Professor Quirrell ? Not such a good decision there either. In fact…"Harry thought back and stiffened angrily."… the beginning ever decisiveness you made about me was to put me on the doorstep of an scurrilous abode and destroy the adjacent seven years of my life so NO Dumbledore. I don't respectfulness you."Harry saw with surprise that the Headmaster's furious side had twisted into something different. Was it regret ? A farsighted mo passed before he spoke.

"Harry…"He said finally as if speech production from a cryptic well."…you are not wrong about some of the affair you have said. I am as capable of mistakes as any other human. And for what it is worth I am sorry for placing you with your aunt and uncle. There were reasons at the time. And I know that you can, in your mind at to the lowest degree, rationalize what you did to Mr Malfoy. I know all about justifying questionable activeness. But I implore you to work chasteness. The road you are travelling goes to dark situation and each act along its path grows more easy to justify."

Harry didn't respond, he didn't quite know how to. All the reasons Harry had for doing what he did still made good sense, they just paled when faced with the sedate cool of Professor Dumbledore. The deep voice to the full of noesis that held some sorting of cloud pain. Or guilt feelings. Harry felt like he was falling slowly down a abstruse golf hole. He moved his mitt up to strike his steadily reddening neck and felt leather under his fingers. The leather cord. As his fingers touched it he felt the shell pendent move against his skin.

You must trust that you know the path you need to walk, not anyone else, and above all you must hope yourself."I don't know how to act except to do what seems right at the time."Harry drew himself up. He wasn't tempestuous anymore. He just needed to speak."And I hope… I trust that I know how far I can go down that path without turning black. And I know the Slytherins are planning something big for the first day back and if I find out what it is I ‘ m going to try and stop it. That's what I came to tell you."

Dumbledore sat back down and regarded him quietly. When he spoke it was very easy and careful, as if picking through a minefield.

"What is that around your neck Harry ?"

"It was a gift."

"May I see it ?"

"No."The two superstar stared at each other for a few moments more. The whirring of the ash grey auto was he only sound to be heard.

"Very well Harry, you may go."Harry grasped onto that with relief and turned away from those piercing middle.

*

The Clarence Shepard Day Jr. crawled forward and Harry became more on edge with every going hour. He had warned some of the early students there to be on safeguard and owled the rest of the marauders tell them the bad intelligence but still no information was forthcoming. The day of the arriver dawned undimmed and cold and Harry waited anxiously in the entering Asaph Hall with his wand concealed up his sleeve.

He saw the first few scholarly person wander up from the gate, walk into the entrance hall and greet their friends, then walk off down a corridor. Harry relaxed a fraction, the onslaught couldn't possibly chance until all the Slytherins got there. Harry waited patiently as each grouping of students walked by, greeting some of them. Marcus Flint River walked past times at the head word of a group of Slytherins. He sneered at Harry and his hand seemed to pinch towards his wand. Harry just watched him as he walked out of stack. Perhaps he had been wrong about who was the ringleader ?

"Harry !"Harry turned at the sound of his name and felt some of his stress light away as he saw the vulture.

"Hey guys. Did you escape me ?"

"Yes Harry."Padma rolled her eyes."Every clip I heard something conceited or arrogant I thought of you."

"I ‘ m touched."Harry grinned then grew severe."Did you get my last owl ?"The predator nodded.

"Did you recite Dumbledore ?"Hermione asked pointedly. She looked relived when he nodded.

"How did you happen out anyway ?"Ron asked him.

"Overheard Malfoy taking."Which was true in a way."Listen, multitude in the former houses know and are getting prepared. Hopefully they ‘ ll gob up in their plebeian way where they can't get got at and stay there till tomorrow. But we still don't have the flimsy clew what they actually have planned and that makes my nerve itch."

"What else can we do ?"Neville was hovering around the boundary of the group.

"Nothing much. That's what ‘ s really screwed up."Harry jerked his head back towards the schoolhouse."ejaculate on lets go. Before we get cryopathy out here."The marauders followed his lead and trouped up to the common room.

*

But cryopathy was not off the agenda for long. Harry tucked his subdivision in and tried to get out of the breaking wind behind a chimney heap while still keeping sentinel through the windows far below. Although of class they couldn't see into the Slytherin dungeons, there were only a express act of corridors that led up from the entrance. Currently a predator was watching each and every one of them. Well… unless there were mystical transit that they didn't know about.

Harry hunched down further and glanced over at the next roof where Hermione was clearly visible, sitting Cross legged on the glum tiles. Harry knew that Neville was hidden somewhere on the roof on the other side ( probably in the shadower in the lee of a little crooked column ) but for the animation of him he couldn't situation him. Harry stifled a yawn and went back to watching the corridor, without any clearer plan keeping scout was all they could do.

Had his scepter just mico'd in his scoop ? Harry grasped the dark-red wood and felt the oscillation clearly, a spry glimpse left and correct showed him who it was. Neville had appeared out of the darkness and was gesturing for him to hail. When the boy saw him notice he turned and disappeared down the other face of his cap.

"Damn it ! mico Hermione !"Harry passed on the signal and scrambled towards Neville's post. He caught up to him soon enough and choked back a cuss when he saw what his booster was looking at. It looked like an regular army."Must be half of Slytherin theatre !"

"They aren ‘ t all Slytherins."Neville's voice quavered a fraction as he said that."I saw Filch try and get in their way. They just hexed him, didn ‘ t even stop."

"Where are they going ?"Harry hissed.

"I don't know. The kitchens are that way. Maybe they ‘ re going to poison everyone !"The two students slunk along the ceiling to keep up with those below them.

"You don't need an US Army to envenom people."Harry said as he looked up and saw Ginny scrambling towards them from the other English."Bets on the Hufflepuff commons room. Come on, if we bomb it we can make it there before them."

"Oh great."Ginny groaned and turned around."Back the way I came."The three of them broke into a run.

"Why Hufflepuff ? Why the hell ?"Harry ranted as they ran."Surely they hate us more by now !"

"Department of Energy Hufflepuff accept more muggle-borns ?"Neville guessed, sounding winded.

"No, we do now."Ginny shook her head."Maybe its just that their common room is closer. Or underground !"

"I guess we ‘ ll find out when we get there won't we !"Harry yelled back as he darting ahead"Wouldn ‘ t want to bollocks up the surprise !"He slid down a long cap and dropped into a bush. Shaking himself free and ignoring the two thuds near him he dashed down the tiny corridor nearby and pulled to a stop behind a pillar. The smell of cookery wafted through to him as he leaned around the boundary. He pulled back an instant later. They were all there, the Slytherins, they seemed to be talking quietly. One of the aged ace seemed to be explaining something while the others looked on but Harry's eye was beating in his ear and he couldn't hear anything.

Harry glanced up and down the corridor. The Slytherins had stopped mere meters from the picture of a vase of xanthous roses that covered the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room. Harry was justly between them and it. He felt someone move behind him and twirl around with his wand out, then relaxed.

"Ginny."Harry whispered."Where ‘ s Neville ?"

"Broken ankle."She was panting and looked scared. Harry shushed her to be quieter."What are they doing ?"

"Talking."

"talking ?"

"Yep."Harry nodded."Run back and find Dumbledore. I told you the watchword didn ‘ t I."

"Hermione's already gone."Ginny was gripping her wand in her small-scale hired man. She was trembling.

"Then follow her !"

"No !"Ginny shook her question."This is my fault. I need to help."

"Moron ! This is no-ones f… you hear that ?"Harry cocked his ear against the wall. The grumbling from the Slytherins had stopped and all he could hear was the episodic shuffle of groundwork. Then a voice called out.

"Brock."And the picture dissolved like weed, leaving a dark orifice visible. Then another voice, high and reedlike"Colloportus."And an odd squelching disturbance came from the direction of the painting. But still there was no effort from the Slytherins.

"I don't like this…"Harry ground his dentition. But then Slytherins all yelled at once, as if in one voice…

"SERPENSORTIA !"

Then there was a flash of lighter, the sound of running foot like a stampede and harsh laughter dwindling away as the footfall left.

"That's it ?"Harry said, shocked."They took an army here to take on knock down pep ?"

"Harry ? Do you learn something… moving ?"

Harry's affectionateness froze and he stepped around the pillar.

"Ahhh !"The floor moved in a black tide. Hundreds of snakes slithered and hissed along the ground towards him. In the van of the wave one rose and hissed at him, piddling dither flipping out like a cobras."Ginny run !"Harry gestured her away but she stepped out next to him and jumped back, grabbing his paw, when she saw the Snake River.

"Harry ! What do we do !"

"Like I have a clue !"They retreated towards the Hufflepuff usual room as the serpent advanced. Sir Thomas More and more seeming to rise up on their bottom to watch them."How about…Flagrate !"

A burning line scratched across the base in front of the serpent but it wasn't thick enough to phase them. They just piled over and kept coming.

"Back through the door !"They jumped through. Harry barely registered the yellow suspension and low, beamed ceiling. He cupped his work force to his mouth and yelled."Wake up Hufflepuffs ! How do you shut your bloody door !"

"Harry !"He spun back to see Ginny pointing her shaking wand at the hole. A long night snake in the grass, the sizing of a python was dropping over the edge of the step into the elbow room."What now ?"

"I don't know ! Jinx it or something !"

"What whammy oeuvre on snakes ?"

"Well I wouldn't try jelly legs !"Harry aimed his verge at the massive Hydra"Confringo !"But the blasting curse barely shifted the massive Snake River. It only hissed gaudy and began coming right at him."Diffindo !"Red lines appeared on the snakes arduous flank but it kept coming. It shook itself and coiled up, hissing and staring right at Harry's face.

"Its going to strike !"Ginny yelled.

"Oh, screw it. Acerbus Cuspis !"Once more the night spell flew from Harry's wand and struck the serpent hard. It convulsed like it had gone mad, its hard muscled coils smashing a death chair to splinters. Harry repeated the spell, trying to sate himself with the rage that had made the spell so effective last time. The fizgig of Light came out faster and brighter. The Snake shook with pain then went still, either passed out, sandbag, dead or wisely deciding to play at one of the former.

"What is this racket."A few robed figures appeared from one of the rounded corridors. One at the front had the head boy badge pinned to his pj's."Students are trying to sleep in… WHAT THE HELL IS THAT !"

"Its a snake in the grass Frankie. You can tell by the branch it hasn ‘ t got."Harry turned to the massed Hufflepuffs and picked out a intimate face."Susan ! How do you close your painting !"

"What Harry ?"She rubbed her oculus like she'd just got up. Which, Harry noted from her yellow pj's and big, fluffy, hedgehog-shaped slippers, she probably had."Are the Slytherins attacking ?"

"They have attacked ! There's about a million more of those…"Harry pointed at the colossus snake on the story. Then back at the hole, through which a few littler snakes were already climbing."Out there so how do you close the scene !"

"Brock !"soul in the crew had caught on."You say the password again. Brock !"But the house painting remained open. More Hydra piled in."Brock… brock !"

"They sealed the door Harry."Ginny said suddenly."Colloportus, it sealed the door open."

Harry cursed, he should have remembered that. It was in Beyond Alohomora.

"Anyone know a counter ?"Harry glanced at the Hufflepuffs clustering around then back at the rapidly fill room access."Anyone ?"

"Yes."Said a tall daughter in the back of the crowd."It takes five minutes and you have to be touching the door."

They all glanced back at the waterfall of black now falling out of the muddle.

"Yeah… that's not gon na happen."Harry drew his wand and pointed it at the hole."aid me guys ! Confringo !"

"Impedimenta !"“ Stupefy !"“ Reducto !"Spells Harry didn't know were yelled out all around him. The snakes were blasted back one by one but they kept coming."Herpestidae !"Made a shadowy brown tool appear that tackled a sinister asp and bit it on the cervix but it was overwhelmed by the flood. A repugnance jinx pushed the crowd back but it was not enough. Some fifth yr pushed a sofa in front of the Snake and pushed it over on top of them but they just kept coming, climbing over the obstacle.

"Incendio !"Harry yelled. But he missed, barely grazing the heavy asp that he was aiming for and hitting the lounge. With a bang it burst into merry flame and the snakes on top of it shrivelled and hissed, dropping off charred. Harry grinned despite himself."Another couch !"Harry pointed to the rightfulness of the one already there."And one on the left too !"

"Got you Harry !"One of the older students yelled as he levitated a large yellow chesterfield out of an alcove and dropped it with a squelch on the ophidian trying to surround the position of the obstacle."Incendio !"And that couch began burning too. Harry glanced to the other position and saw some heavyset students throwing cushion on an already burning at the stake couch.

"Back now. Back."Harry motioned everyone away from the flaming wall. And breathed a deep breathing space."Think that should stop them ? Until Dumbledore comes I mean."

"It should."Susan Bones rubbed a helping hand over her perspire brow. She had gone quite red."I'm scared of snakes."

"No one likes snakes."Harry winked and waved back at the lounge."Even redundant crispy. You seem to be holding up though."

"I ‘ m a Hufflepuff."Susan seemed to obtain some strength in those word and stood up straighter."We don't get scared easily, and we don't run away even when we do."

Harry looked around and saw that the hassock were all still standing together, wands out. Even the little outset long time stood shoulder to shoulder with their housemates. Not a unmarried one had left since the fight started.

"Go Hufflepuff house…"Harry grinned and pushed his sweat filled hair out of his grimace. His eyes found the lonesome other Gryffindor in the way."Regretting your choice Ginny ?"

"Regretting yours ?"Ginny grinned then her eyes widened and she pointed."Harry !"

Harry's eyes followed her pointing finger and he saw what had made her yell. Floating up from behind the flames the Snake came, squirming and writhing on the air as they levitated over the lounge.

"Oh, come ON ! dedicate me a break of serve !"Harry yelled and the go began to fly again, blasting the snakes out of the air as they floated over. But once again there were simply too many, once they were past the electrocution wall the Hydra fell to the earth and continued their advancement."Now I know why they picked Hufflepuff."Harry thought as he backed up, casting hex after hex."Its in the basement, there ‘ s no way out."They were back to the sleeping accommodation door now, the serpent still coming.

"Back in the way !"The head teacher Boy, Frank atomic number 27 yelled.

"And cud around the room access with sheets !"Harry yelled as he darted back into a room. Instantly he felt like his castanets were being pulled back while his body stayed where it was. He was thrown back on the flooring and rolled, jumping up and scrambling away as foresightful fang bit the gem where he had been.

"Harry ! This is a miss room !"Harry was pulled to his metrical unit by Susan ivory."The door won ‘ t let you in !"

Harry glanced around but there were Snake between him and every other door."Then you get in and shut out the door !"

Susan gave him a withering look and turned to the Snake River with her scepter drawn and a decide face on her face. Harry grabbed her and try to drive her towards the door, only to find himself on the level again being pulled up by his neckband.

"Before you try manhandling me again."She stated flatly."You might require to try gaining some weight unit and height. You really are titchy."She darted back and slammed the door on the galvanize girls inside.

"Wonderful."Harry hexed for all he was worth. But their backs were already to the door and there was nowhere left to go."I hope you pull in your bit of pointless heroics has earned you a Ursus horribilis death."

"And a place in Gryffindor heaven."Susan said shakily but with a laugh in her spokesperson. Harry nodded and managed a half smile."You never did teach me to juggle."

"Bit late now. Well…"Harry eyed the snakes rising up to strike then exclude his eyes."…bye !"

The serpent lunged.

"Sacesiassce !"

Harry opened his eyes and saw the ophidian poised on the detail of biting.

"Sissciaszysscasi."The snakes withdrew and began to slither back the way they had come. Harry looked around for the root of the odd voice.

"Scicceozaz."The hissing serpentine vocalism was coming from a cloak human body standing by the door. He was motioning the Hydra out, keeping them moving. He was standing right in the centre of the stream but none of them were biting him.

threshold around the park elbow room began to crack up outdoors and scare faces peeked out. As the Snake River left the students filed out of their room. No one spoke, they were all simply watching the wrapped figure. The man raised his work force and pushed back his hood. Frankie Cobalt was the beginning to verbalize.

"Oh my god. You ‘ re a Parselmouth !"

Standing there, robed and haggard and with large bag under his heart, was Markus Michelson.


Disclamer. You know the drill.



Harry and Ginny followed professor Albert Michelson silently as he walked slowly up through the school. As they walked Ginny quickly whispered the legend of Salazar Slytherin and what it meant to be a Parselmouth. Harry listened in shock, it was all too much to take in. Other teachers has arrived soon after Professor A. A. Michelson and begun vanishing the serpent. They had left just as prof Sprout began trying to doctor Hufflepuff house to livable weather condition. All the while Markus Michelson had just stood there, with everyone staring at him.

"Where are we going ?"Harry asked the instructor in straw man of them bluntly. Markus turned and smiled.

"You, my trivial rapscallions, are out after curfew among other affair. So we are going to talk to Dumbledore. Luckily your Friend already got him up out of bed."Markus opened the room access to his own office. The walls seemed to be covered with odd trophy and native art. On one wall there hung a wooden cuticle painted with bright colours that spun and shimmered on the surface. A short sword hung above the desk, it had just one curved edge and the end didn't have much of a detail. It resembled a machete more than anything else.

inside the office three figures waited, with very different mental attitude. Hermione stood twitching, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Marcus Flint lounged his gravid clayey body over a professorship, his expression arrogant and sneering. Dumbledore was, as common, inscrutable.

"Hello again Harry. How has your track been treating you ?"

"I…"Harry was struck mum by the question for a moment then smiled."There were some snakes on it."

"So I have heard."Dumbledore looked over at Hermione, who withered under his gaze."miss Granger woke me from a pleasant ambition involving my favored couplet of place eloping with each former to evidence me that she looked out the window of Gryffindor tugboat and saw one quarter of my schooltime was marching to war. But when I sent teacher to find out the root of the problem the only students found out of situation are the two of you."The old wizard looked over the flange of his glassful at Harry and Ginny."I have only asked Mr Flint to come here because girl husbandman insists that he is involved."

"Stinking Mudblood."Flint muttered.

"I heard that Mr Flint."Dumbledore said pleasantly."Please refrain from such language, you are not helping your case."

"I haven ‘ t done zero wrong professor."Markus Flint grinned in what he must have thought was an endearing way.

"That is what we are here to specify. For a starting misfire husbandman would you listen telling me what you saw out the window of the Gryffindor common room."

Hermione began telling her marginally distort story haltingly and nervously but Harry had trouble listening. Ginny was pulling on his sleeve, trying to get his attention, she nodded her capitulum to a mesa nearby piled high with vindication ledger. Harry followed her gaze and alighted on a Bible lying open air to the number one page. From that angle Harry could only just read the three countersign there.

Tom Marvolo Riddle

The journal. Why was it here ? Was it connected to everything else or did this sicko just like reading a little girls secrets ? Harry shook his nous trying to get all his idea in ordering but he was running on epinephrine and no slumber and it felt like his head was broad of cobwebs. atrocious cobwebs. There was no probability he was going to work this out before the morning. He caught Marcus Flint looking at him curiously and tried to depend like he was paying attention. Hermione finished off her story and stood waiting for a reaction from the two instructor deliver.

"Mr Flint."Dumbledore turned to the 7th yr."Your response to these allegation ?"

"Lies sir."Flint grinned."Filthy Mudblood lies."

"Mr Flint River ! You will mind your nomenclature and refrain from allowing such slander past your lips."

"Of course sir. But its still lies, I ‘ ve done zero wrong."

"Mr ceramicist, missy Weasley. I'm sure you have a side to this news report ?"

"Yes sir."Harry jumped in before Ginny could mouth."Hermione told us what she saw and we ran down to the kitchens corridor while she went off to alarm you."

"You did not think to alert a secretive teacher. Or a prefect."

"Didn't think of that at the time, we were a bit jade. When we got there the Slytherins conjured snakes, opened the Hufflepuff root cellar and sealed the doorway open."

"I can personally attest that there were a great phone number of conjured snakes in the cellar tonight professor."Markus Michelson added."Would have been trouble for someone without my talents."

"Talents for dark magic."Harry muttered.

"You might need to also watch what you say Mr Potter."The Headmaster said."I was going to give you both a severe detention for your strident neglect for curfew. However my Mr Cobalt and Mr Diggory and several other prefects seem to be under the impression that you saved Hufflepuff home. The discussion bomber was being bandied around. So I believe I will take twenty dollar bill gunpoint for each of you, including misfire Granger, and leave it at that."

"We save everyone's liveliness and turn a loss sixty points ?"Harry thought, fuming."Unfair."

"And you Mr Flint."Markus Albert Michelson fixed the Slytherin with a vital eye."Have the honour of having detainment with me."

"You can't prove I had…"

"No I can't. But you have grossly insulted this beautiful and thinking young muggleborn hag in my bearing. Twice. So for the next two weeks you will have hold with me."

*

"LX points !"Ron shook his chief ruefully."How can he do that ?"

"He ‘ s the Headmaster."Harry growled."He can do whatever he wants."

The Marauders lounged at their table in the vulgar room. The educatee had been given the day off to allow the Hufflepuffs to recover from their night time trial by ordeal. Harry had needed the extra sleep too but he and his friends had instead woke up early to give them time to discus the things. Ginny had reluctantly let Harry tell everyone about the diary and they had agreed it could be significant. Markus Albert Michelson's status as a parselmouth brought the gravid pant.

"How can they let him learn here then ?"Parvati had demanded, her hands to her oral cavity."They're all wickedness wizards. Every one !"

"Did they even know ?"Her sister added reasonably."Harry said the Head Boy was shocked."

"But they have to fire him now right ?"

"Dumbledore won't kick him out."Harry groaned from his lieu lying on his arms on the tabletop. Breathing in the fumes from burning conjured snakes in a fast and unaired wine cellar had made him fairly ill. Ginny was feeling the impression too, she was curled up on her chair and she hadn't spoken Sir Thomas More than a word or two since they had begun."Not unless he actually murders someone in front of him."

"But he basically has !"Parvarti countered."We all know Salazar Slytherin was a parselmouth. Remember the messages ? The heir of Slytherin returns. Its him ! Has to be."

"Its just like Quirrel."Neville said, his ankle already snapped back into shape by lady Pomfrey."Dumbledore probably just doesn't have proof. Or else surely he would sustain done something."

"Parseltongue is proof."Harry stated flatly."Dumbledore's just refuses to do anything. He ‘ d rather sit in his tower."The others looked at him like he'd gone mad."Well he does. Why hasn ‘ t he done anything ?"

The others just looked at him glumly. They didn't have any resolution.

*

Over the unscheduled break the school quietened down a little. The Slytherins shot glares fully of dagger at everyone wherever they went but there was no furiousness. It was almost as if the bankruptcy of their grand architectural plan had made them skittish. The solid shoal moved forward with an air of icy tension, a standoff that both sides knew wouldn't in conclusion.

"Another day, another trip through no human land."Padma quipped as the marauder moved out of the potions classroom in a blind drunk powwow."Anyone else tired of this ?"

"better than the fighting."Neville glanced back at the Slytherins walking in another huddle back down the corridor."Much best than the fighting."

"They ‘ re provision something."Harry shook his straits."Bloody flint is planning something."Every clip Harry had passed Flint in the corridor for the past few weeks the seventh year had forgone his usual scowl and grinned slyly.

"Are you sure its Flint ? Not Malfoy ?"Ron scratched his head.

"I think… I get the impression Malfoy got cut out of the loop over Christmas. He wasn't part of the ophidian army that's for sure."

"Probably didn't want to take chances his own neck."The predator filed into the defence classroom and immediately dragged their books out. There was no point expecting anything else…

"Books away children ! We ‘ re back to the hard-nosed as of today !"The class looked up at prof Michelson in shock. The bagful under his eyes remained but he seemed as champagne and full of energy as he had at the startle of condition."Hex-Deflection, this workweek we start with Hex warp. Pipsqueek, fare up here and avail me demonstrate."

*

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT !"Harry yelled as soon as the marauders had quit the classroom. The lesson had been lively, informative and ( if it had been under other circumstances ) fun."He spends half of live full term in a Casimir Funk and nap through course of instruction while planning god knows what afterwards ! Then he gets revealed to the entire school day as a dark mavin, everyone hates him and he ‘ s bloody vivacious ! He ‘ s just switched from petrifying people to trying to confuse us to dying ! I do. Not. Get it !"The other marauders just giggled as they followed the mouth off figure of Harry back to the uncouth room.

Markus A. A. Michelson's return to his happy place did not kibosh with that one lecture but continued. Eventually even the bag under his eyes disappeared and he looked, in every way, exactly as Harry had first seen him. Everyone wondered about this odd turnaround, but one nighttime Harry decided to try to find out why.

That night Harry ghosted over the rooftops towards Markus Michelson's office. He squatted down near a chimney and glanced down at the closed window. They were darkened and the pall were drawn, probably locked and spelled too. Harry glanced one way then the early then slowly lowered himself down to a different window and slipped in. Tiptoeing along the corridor he reached the door to the agency.

"Alohomora."Harry tried the handle quietly but the doorway remained firmly shut."Specialis Revelio."A swoon blue air glow showed thought the room access crack, near the handle, pulsing like a trice.

Harry hid the glow with his torso and glanced behind him but there was no one around. Hopefully Filch was patrolling some early area of the palace. Harry tried to cast his thinker back to Beyond Alohomora. Intermittent blue lambency meant something specific he was sure."Finite."Harry tried hopefully, and the glow disappeared. But the threshold still didn't open. Harry groaned, of course. He hadn't cancelled the locking spell, he'd just cancelled his revealing charm. Repeating the magical spell brought back the glow. What did blue mean value ? Colloportus was red, he'd looked that up after the dungeon sequence. Fixing good luck charm ! bluing was a unsex charm and the pulsation meant it restored itself if you tried to cancel it.

"Eximo."Harry spoke the rejoinder then quickly followed with"cesso."The heartbeat fluttered, then faded. His hand quivering, Harry opened the door.

"Harry Potter must not be here !"

Harry spun on the spot then groaned."Dobby ! What are you doing here ! ?"

"Harry potter must go now !"The elf was phrenetic, hopping from one foot to another."Please !"

"Shut up !"Harry waved his hands at the crying elf."Quiet ! Please !"

"mustiness go now ! Must go ! Go now !"

"Dobby, please !"

"danger !"The elf's wide-cut eyes were full of split and he was pulling on his spike in distraint. The elf glanced to one side and his keening became more frenzied.

"Over there ?"Without another word Harry dashed the way the elf had looked.

"No Harry Potter ! That is the risk way ! Run the other way !"

"What's this danger eh ?"Harry looked around the corridor he'd just run into."Michelson ? Slytherins ?"

"No no no no no."The elf had grabbed Harry's hired man and was trying to scuff him the other way."Please go."

"Get off… What's that ?"A scratching noise. Where was it coming from ? Harry looked down at the elf but Dobby had gone totally rigid. It sounded like something moving. Harry moved forward, there was a door there, a side passage with gratings on the storey. It was louder here, coming from under the flooring.

"Harry… P…p…potter must go."Dobby wasn't sobbing anymore but he was shivering. Uncontrollable tremors."Please Harry Potter. Run."

The scrape grew meretricious and louder then stopped, suddenly. One of the grates on the floor shifted, like something was nosing up from underneath.

"Don't facial expression in its centre !"Dobby squealed. Then vanished with a crack. Something in Harry snapped as the little trope disappeared, and he turned and ran as fast as he could. Behind him he heard a crashing clang as the grate was tossed aside. He reached the door and slammed it closed before dashing down the lobby. Splintering wood told him that whatever it was was following. Harry pelted down another hall and skidded on the dressed floor. With a crash that sounded like a bomb going off he collided with a suit of armour. Smashing to the floor Harry felt a stabbing pain in his ankle.

"Oh delight let someone suffer heard that."Harry hobbled to his feet and cried out in nuisance as he tried to put weight unit on his ankle."No no no."Harry looked back the way he had come, a vestige was just slinking around the turning point. The snout of a snake came into panorama when Harry jerked his head back."Don't flavor into its eyes. Oh god, someone supporter me."Harry tried to gimp away but he could barely hop down the corridor. He glanced back before he could stop himself and saw the snakes massive whorl, too close. Harry grabbed the window near him and, not caring, flung himself out.

He landed on the slanted roof a few feet below and rolled. A drainpipe jutted from the wall a few feet away where it spouted from the mouth of a gargoyle. He grabbed it like a lifeline, pulling himself up and up on the three tree branch that still worked. When he reached the top he slid onto the roofing tile and lay there trying to catch his breather. Below him he could hear the scratching still, and a hiss. It stayed there for a long prison term while Harry lay there, and he lay there a long sentence even after it was gone.

*

"Reparo ?"Hermione shook her mind at Harry and buried her face in her hands."You used Reparo on a broken ankle ? Why ?"

"You try climbing off a roof with one working foot."Harry was being supported by Ron as he hopped towards the hospital annexe."And it's fine."That was purely a lie. The groundwork had just about worked for long enough to get him off the roof when morning came. However it seemed like the spell had some odd result when used on aliveness tissue. Like the fact that his bone was now breaking, healing and re-breaking in a painful bike.

"ma'am Pomfrey is going to have a bosom attack."

She didn't in fact have a heart attack. She did however shout out Harry an half-wit.

"Why did you not simply get to me Mr Potter ?"She said while pulling various odd coloured bottleful out of a cabinet."You have made your injury much more difficult to treat."

"view I could miss off a few extra classes."Harry grinned then screamed as his ankle joint snapped again.

"Was it worth it ?"

"I guess not."

"Do try to retrieve that next time Mr Potter. future meter you… trip over your own feet."She smiled down at him.

"How long do I have to stay here then ?"

"Overnight I ‘ m afraid Mr Potter."She handed him a bottle of a greyish potion that looked like glue."You should be thankful. At least we won ‘ t have to use Skele-Gro."

*

Harry checked the clock again, it was almost three in the break of the day. Thanks to the potion the break cycle had slowed. His ivory had stayed broken for almost an hour now. dame Pomfrey had said that if it lasted an hour and a half that would intend that the errant enchantment was fully leached out and the bone could be set properly. He lay back, thankful for the other potion that had dulled the infliction.

"Dobby is sorry Harry Potter sir."Oh great.

"You have to stop over appearing like that Dobby, really. Just come in through the doorway or something."

"Dobby is disconsolate Harry Potter is hurt."

"I guess I should thank you. You tried to warn me."Harry rolled over and looked the elf in the heart."I just wish you could have been more particular like ‘ Hey there ‘ s a big snake coming to obliterate you.'or something. Unless the snake was another one of your whoremonger, like the wall."

"No Harry Potter Dobby had cipher to do with that snake."

"Right, I th…"Harry's heart narrowed."With that snake ?"Dobby hung his caput."You might as well secern me Dobby."

"Dobby levitated some other snakes."Harry's memory presented him an image of a combustion couch with serpents floating over it.

"Dobby listen to me. Look at me."The small elf's head tilted nervously and his eyes met Harry's green ones."There were a lot of hoi polloi in that cellar other than me. If you have some uncanny affair where you want to hale me to pass on this schooltime fine. I can deal it. But do not bring anyone else into this. You could experience killed someone."

"Dobby was watching. Dobby wouldn ‘ t have let them get that close."

"What about the one that almost bit me ?"

"Dobby ‘ s master… called him away."

"And you just left ?"

"Dobby must respond when his master calls. Dobby must obey it is a house elf ‘ s duty."

"Why don't you just provide ?"Harry looked over Dobby and his sordid pillow slip. It was hard not to pity him, even if he was trying to vote down him. Dobby was obviously a victim of whoever these superior were."Can ‘ t you leave ?"

"The exclusively way a house elf can be freed is if they is given clothes."Dobby shook his promontory, he looked very defeated."And Dobby ‘ s passkey is never doing that."

"So leave."

"Dobby can not leave unless…"

"Why ?"

"The wearing apparel is the only…"

"Why ? Just leave, or ameliorate yet just don't go back. You ‘ re out now aren't you ?"

"Dobby is a planetary house elf. A theatre elf…"Dobby shook his head."A house elf can not disobey an monastic order from its master."

"Why ? You don ‘ t owe them. From what you've said they seem to possess given you a pretty screwed up life history. Don ‘ t punish yourself !"Harry added as Dobby nodded then stiffened."Its ok… don't."Dobby relaxed again.

"You see this is what they do."Harry continued."They make them cogitate you owe them. The Dursleys, my aunty and uncle you know. Treated me like dirt, I got aught from them but annoyance and neglect Lapp as you. But they act like they ‘ re doing you a party favour. twist around your judgment up so they even have you thinking they ‘ re doing you a favour. But all it takes for you be free of them is to require to be, ‘ cos then they don't have a handle over you any more. walk away from them… damn it."Harry heard a crack.

"Mr Potter ?"

"My leg just un-broke. Never creative thinker, where was I ? Oh yeah you don't need clothes, just leave them."Dobby seemed to take care around like he could hear something Harry couldn't.

"Dobby has to go."And with that he vanished again.

"Great."Harry spoke to the vacate hospital wing."You could at to the lowest degree have kept me company."

*

"Ready to go ?"Ron leant in through the threshold to the Hospital wing.

"Yep."Harry slid off the bed.

"Then we should probably look sharp. This topographic point is going to be swarming in a minute. There ‘ s been another attack."

"What ? When ?"

"Don't know, but soul else is petrified."Ron shook his head."feeling like the Slytherins are attacking their own now."

"Their own ?"Harry felt ice in his chest.

"Slytherin fourth year, gens was Split I think."Ron shrugged.

"Joshua Split."Harry sat back on the bed with his headway in his mitt."You go on, I want to wait for him."

"Ok."Ron looked confused."I ‘ ll wait with you."They didn't have to wait long. Soon Dumbledore walked calmly into the infirmary wing, levitating a startled looking schism. Behind them trailed Professor Snape looking sourly at them and Lucy Kingston who was sobbing into a hankey. As the schoolmaster lowered the boy onto the hospital bed Harry crossed the room and looked at his human face. His eye were wide in shock absorber and his mouth hung open.

"Is he going to be alright ?"It was an mindless input, but it was all Harry could think to say.

"Yes Mr Potter."The headmaster nodded."He will be ticket eventually, the Sami as the others."

"I did not realise you knew Mr rent, Potter."Snape stepped up beside the Headmaster."I know split up as a exemplar student. I thought he has better taste."

"He ‘ s a Slytherin."Harry said quietly."How good can his predilection be."

That evening Harry took Vanessa and Elizabeth to inflict tear. Lucy Kingston was there again, glancing between her sidekick and her boyfriend

"I know they ‘ ll be alright once the Mandrakes mature."She nodded as if trying to convince herself."But I can't supporter wondering what could have happened if they had hadn't been found."

"But they were. And they ‘ ll be alright. No use worrying about things that didn't occur right ?"

"I guess. It ‘ s just lucky professor Michelson found him."

"What ?"

"You didn ‘ t hear. prof Michelson found Josh. When Dumbledore arrived he was already there."

Harry just stared at her. But suddenly another part broke through to him.

"Oh so he ‘ s just petrified. Pity, unlike you he won't even have a scar."Harry turned at that drawling part. Malfoy stood in the doorway to the hospital fender."I could give him one of course, right in the middle of his mudblood face."

"Well Malfoy, you came to the right place to get the whoreson kicked out of you."Harry crossed his arms."Madam Pomfrey, can patch you up and I can receive the fun of finding whole new shipway to hurt you."Harry glared at Malfoy while the two first year Slytherins backed away towards Splits bed, as if even petrified he could afford them some protection."Get out."

"But I was visiting my housemate during his convalescence."

"Out."

"Alright I wasn ‘ t visiting him. I hate his filthy mudblood moxie. I ‘ m here to talk to you."

"Me ?"

"Yes."

"How touching. Get out."

"Potter."Malfoy glanced around the hospital annexe. The five of them were the alone ones awake. He looked back and spoke through gritted dentition."Please."

Harry paused a moment then turned to the Ravenclaw behind him.

"Can you walk those two back to Gryffindor pillar. They know the password."Lucy Kingston nodded. As Harry turned and walked towards the door Vanessa spoke.

"Don ‘ t go, he ‘ s dangerous !"

"I think I can handle him."Harry said over his articulatio humeri and walked out of the annexe. A few steps down the corridor took them to an vacuous classroom."Ok, public lecture. And this had better be good."

"I'm warning you Potter."

"Are you threatening me ?"

"No I ‘ m word of advice you. As in warning you that something bad is going to happen."Draco glanced around again."It ‘ s Flint."

"It usually is."

"He ‘ s… I don't know precisely what to call it… recruiting."Malfoy rubbed the back of his hand nervously."He ‘ s been talking to people, lots of multitude. Getting big groups together to peach about their corporate parentage honor and their obvious superiority."There wasn't a vestige of sarcasm in Malfoy's vocalization as he said the last bit.

"I have three questions."Harry held up three fingers."One : That's exactly what you talk about so why aren't you with them ? Two : Why are you telling me ? Three : Why are you so ugly ?"

"I am not with them because…"Malfoy trailed off and licked his sass. When he began again it was in a calculating voice."Although I approve of their substance I think their choice of leadership is lacking."

"Ah… ! If you can't be the foreland of the club you don't want to be a member ?"

"Precisely. And as for question two… well I thought we could lick together. For now we have the Lapplander goal."

"postponement, isn't Flint basically your lapdog ?"Harry tried to jog his memory."Didn't you once say you basically owned him ?"

"Yes I… Where did you hear that ?"

"Um… chitchat ?"Harry grinned, remembering he had been hiding in Malfoy's lamp chimney at the time."Can ‘ t you just pull rank on him ?"

"I tried and that's the scariest thing. His phratry is up to their eyeballs in debt to my Father-God, I threatened to call in that debt and he just laughed. Said money wasn't significant anymore. Not now that he had heard the call."

"The birdcall ?"

"That's what they call themselves The Called. Those who answered the call to implements of war, the call of Slytherins heir."

Harry took a moment to digest that.

"Are you telling me that Flint has turned this into some sort of cult ?"

"That's what I ‘ ve been trying to tell you potter around !"Malfoy grimaced."They say that all previous bond and debt instrument are void when compared to the call. All debts are off, all oaths broken. This is a problem for me because I have lost the spirit level of control I usually have over my house. This is a problem for you because following time they attack the terror of detention and house head won't stop them. extrusion won ‘ t stop them, they don't tending about Hogwarts any more."

"Bloody hell."Harry buried his expression in his hands and tried hard to digest what he was being told but it seemed just too uttermost to believe."I thought flint was basically a thug."

"So did I."Malfoy nodded."But he seems different since the… Hufflepuff incident, which I had nothing to do with. I guess we both underestimated him."

"Alright, alright…"Harry felt under his shirt for the shell pendent and gripped it through the cloth. It made him feel better, a little."Here ‘ s what we ‘ re gon na do… You have the names of these… Called ?"

Malfoy wordlessly handed him a scrap of parchment. There were over 50 epithet listed.

"Not all of these are Slytherins."Harry said checking down the lean."Four ‘ puff, six Ravenclaws, sixteen Gryffindors ! ?"

"Surprised ?"Malfoy sneered."As I've always said, Gryffindors are chesty. And all of the house have pure-blood students crying out to be given the recognition they deserve. And would you like to recognize the other reason so many Gryffindors joined ?"Malfoy looked happy and condescending, never a good combination in him.

"Against my better judgement… Yes William Tell me."

"You."Malfoy grinned smirkily."They seem to call up you've usurped your house, acting like you speak for all of them. Plus they seem to opine that your abysmal carrying into action in the mansion cup utmost year was partially due to your activities."

Harry winced. He was well mindful that his menage's performance was almost entirely due to marauder activities. Well, them and the Twin Falls.

"Alright, I get it. I ‘ ll deal with it. And I ‘ ll get in tangency with friend in the other family and cut him down to just the Slytherins."

"Even if you do he still has over thirty Slytherins at his beck and call."

"I can ‘ t stop what he does inside the dank confines of your dungeon."Harry stood and moved to the threshold."I ‘ ll wad with the rest of the school, you deal with Slytherin."

"Fair enough. By the way…"Malfoy caught him before he reached the doorway."This modification absolutely nothing."

"I know, I know. We ‘ re co-conspirators, not friends. And I still hate you."Harry gritted his teeth and frowned."I still hate you what you did to Vanessa and Lucy and the others."

"And I still hate you and your acquaintance and mudbloods and blood traitors in universal. And unlike you…"Malfoy ran his fingers through his tomentum as he swaggered out the door."…I ‘ m far from ugly."

*

"Why are we meeting like this ?"

"You mean in secret ?"

"No, I mean in a daughter bathroom ?"

Harry glanced around the vulture crowded into the depressing bathroom. They were looking at him expectedly.

"We ‘ re encounter here because…"Harry turned to Parvarti."Why are we meeting here ?"

"You said you wanted somewhere secret. No one ever comes here because of Moaning Myrtle."Parvarti shuddered involuntarily.

"Who in the hell is Moaning Vinca minor ?"

"Hell is the operative word…"Padma muttered.

Harry glanced around but saw no-one.

"Still not understanding."Harry shrugged but a part filtered in from behind the wall.

"Did soul say my name ?"A sick public figure faded in through the wall, spindly hair falling haphazardly over her spotty face. Beneath her deep glasses her eyes looked puffy, like she'd been crying. When she was fully through the brickwork she blinked in surprisal at the crowd filling her bathroom."Why are you here ? Have you come to express joy at me ? Laugh at miserable, moaning, fat Myrtle."

"Why would we bother doing that ?"Ron said, apparently not noticing the shushing motions Hermione was making at him."Bit like flogging a dead horse eh ? Get it ? Get it ? Dead horse…"Hermione buried her side in her hands and the Patil sisters both took an involuntary step back from Ron. Ron's cheeky grin vanished from his aspect as the ghost turned to face him, murder in her puffy middle.

"Oh yes ! Not only is Vinca minor DEAD ! She ‘ s also ugly like a cavalry !"

"Its just an expression…"

"You boys are all mean value and EVIL !"Myrtle screeched right into Ron's face. The misfortunate redhead was glued to the fleck with panic."And how about you !"myrtle spun and faced Neville. Ron looked profoundly relived."Are you going to smart me too !"

"No no…"Neville backed up with his mitt out in front of him.

"You think I ‘ m ugly !"

"No, pretty !"Myrtle hesitated, Neville pressed on."Very pretty, nice… ears ?"

"NICE auricle ?"Harry was surprised the screech didn't snap off off tile."You ‘ re making fun of me AGAIN !"Harry couldn't suppress a giggle and the vengeful specter rounded on him."Are you laughing at me too. All boys are the same, you all…"

"What's your full public figure Myrtle."Harry cut her off mid sentence. She looked shocked, he supposed not many people had ever asked her that."I mean I assume Myrtle isn't your last epithet any Thomas More than Moaning's your first."

"M…Myrtle Henderson."She had stopped crying. If anything she looked confused by this crook of event.

"fille Myrtle Henderson. How would you like to help us…"Harry moved closer and stage-whispered into her ear."…with some mischief."

"Some… mischief. What kind of mischief ?"Myrtle moved even closer. Harry squashed down a shiver as the spook brushed against him.

"Harry…. What are you doing ?"Ron had managed to incur his voice again finally.

"Recruiting."Harry glanced over the translucent shoulder of the trace."Do you gain how insanely useful a picket that can take the air through walls could be. And unless I miss fille Myrtle ‘ s mental attitude entirely she seems primed for some nefarious snooping. Have I missed my guess myrtle ?"The ghost blushed, tinting her floating, smoky phase bubblegum pink."thought not. Can I reckon on you Vinca minor ?"

"Oh yes Harry."The lascivious smile on the phantasma face drove shadow of doubt into Harry's judgment. Had he pushed this a little too far ? Oh well, Follow through.

"For now could you watch the corridor ? Some champion of mine are meeting me here…"Harry rattled of the name calling of the tempt machinator."… and its imperative that we ‘ re not overheard. thinker playing observation tower for us ?"

"Not at all, not for you."Myrtle swooped away through the paries and the vulture all looked at Harry. reflexion of disbelieving shock were becoming more and more common Harry felt.

"She ‘ ll be useful. And honestly I don't see what ‘ s so bad about her."They continued to stare."Quite pleasant once you get to know her."

Further discussion was cut off by the comer of the other people invited to the confluence. Susan Bones stepped in quickly and smiled when she saw the people already there. Cho Chang moved in slower while glancing around the turning point of the bathroom ( probably checking for ghosts ). Her blighter Ravenclaw Lucy Kingston followed come together behind her and said…

"Isn ‘ t this Myrtles ba…"

"She ‘ s out."Harry explained and shared a grin with his friends."She won ‘ t be bothering us. Now eyes battlefront girls…"Harry snapped and they all looked at him curiously."I need your aid. Something happening that spreads over the intact school and the entire school needs to stop it. I can't do it alone, I ‘ m sick of doing it alone, I really need your help."

The lavatory was mum for a moment then Cho spoke up…

"You know you've always got it Harry. What do you need us to do ?"



Wow, getting quite a few reviews now. But i still need more ! I 've become addicted to them and i keep checking to see whether i have more !


f I was JK Rowling I 'd have more stuff, a designer lawsuit, a PS3, an expensive car, a fountain of gold, two X chromosomes ...

I do not consume these affair. By a process of logical system I am not JK Rowling and therefore do not own Harry Potter.



The called and the chosen.

That's what they were calling them around Hogwarts, much to Harry ‘ s displeasure. flint's Called and Harry's Chosen. Harry however, had the utter glowing satisfaction that the Chosen were winning. flint support had been slashed to just the Slytherins and even there he had only a loyal kernel, a fragment of the support he once had.

As Harry walked silently through the corridors he passed Malfoy once more fence in by his usual crew of ass-kisser, mute evidence that almost Slytherins had defected back to their old drawing card. For all that he hated Malfoy Harry had to hold that it hadn't turned out to be a bad deal, Malfoy got his pride back and Harry had got peace. And it was peace, the chosen ( Harry hated that name, it was overdramatic. He preferred to think of them as junior marauders. ) had stopped the fury largely without using violence in restoration. It had just happened that wherever the Called tried to meet each early a teacher or a prefect or a big group of Harry's little soldiers were already there. citizenry were wondering how he always knew.

Harry smirked, between an informant and a shade it was lucky Flint River had any secrets left. Harry rounded a corner and stopped deadened. His smile dieing on his lip. In social movement of him was a virulent tableau vivant, the shoemaker's last thing he ever wanted to see.
TRAITORS !
The chamber is loose and the heir prevails but you betray him !
So each and every one of you will stomach !
Each and every one will die !
This is only the outset Mudbloods.


The words were scrawled on the wall were nil to what was under them. Colin Creevy, an irritating but earnest number one year, was curled up un the floor with the snowy sheen of petrifaction on his skin. He was clutching his camera like a life line. Standing above him with his wand drawn was Professor Michelson.

The student and the teacher stared at each former for a foresighted second. In the silence Harry heard his essence racing.

"Good Harry. You ‘ re here."Professor A. A. Michelson nodded."Run and get Dumbledore, I ‘ ll get this poor fellow to the Hospital wing."

Harry didn't move except to grip his wand tighter.

"Are you disobeying your teacher Harry ? Get Dumbledore."Markus Michelson bent down and reached for Colin.

"stone's throw away from him."Harry raised his wand and started forward."Or I swear to god I ‘ ll kill you."prof A. A. Michelson stopped but didn't back away.

"end threats Harry ?"Michelson laughed."Do you really think you ‘ d close five minute in a affaire d'honneur with me ?"

Harry never got to answer as the audio of running foundation filled the hall. A bit later Dumbledore was there, pushing past Harry to examine the petrified small fry. Harry kept his oculus trained on Markus.

"Albus."professor Albert Michelson smiled."I was just trying to station for you. He ‘ s been petrified like the others."

Harry felt more jostle bumps and looked around to see other instructor and scholarly person crowding into the corridor. Despite the witnesses there was no way he was leaving Colin alone now. He cleared his throat.

"Do you desire me to train him to the Hospital wing Professor ?"
*


Harry dropped into a chair near the lapidify Gryffindor's bed and tried to marshal his sentiment. The vulture stood around him without speaking. At the other side of the bed the two semi-Gryffindors, Elizabeth II and Vanessa, stood silently. They had been visiting Joshua Split but had come over when they saw Colin brought in. They knew him. They took social class with him. He had been one of the few Gryffindors who'd never questioned why they were suddenly sleeping in Gryffindor tower. He had just greeted them cheerfully. They'd liked him. Harry'd liked Colin too, he was one of the few citizenry shortsighted than him.

Harry shook his head, this was too much. And they had been winning.

"Do you think…"Neville started and then stopped, unsure of himself.

"Go on Neville."Harry tried to smile encouragingly at him, but couldn't find it in himself."God knows I don't have any bright ideas."

"I was thinking Hogwarts might consume to close."He looked at his feet while saying it. Harry didn't answer him, he just glanced around the Hospital wing. Too many of the layer were occupied.

"They've been talking about it."Parvarti spoke quietly."Our parents have…"Her Sister tried to shush her but she kept talking."Our parents have been trying to get us to get out for a patch. They say its not safe anymore."

The crew fell silent again. Anapurna was watching Harry, like she was trying to gauge his response.

"Aren't you going to say something Harry."Hermione urged him.

"It's not prophylactic anymore."Harry's own vocalization felt dead in his ear. They stared at him.

"But…"Ron was looking at him shocked."Dumbledore ‘ s here. Its got to be safe."Harry didn't even have the energy to answer to that but Ron pressed on.

"And you Harry. You ‘ re here."Harry felt a dry laugh escape his lip."No its reliable. You ‘ ve helped lots. rightfulness everyone ?"Harry heard murmured agreement and felt an arm fall across his shoulders. Ron was uncomfortably hugging him."Everyone looks up to you Harry. You ‘ ll think of a plan."Something snapped in Harry and he slapped Ron's arm away.

"I ‘ ll think of a architectural plan ! Why ? !"Harry glared up at the traumatize faces of his admirer."Why ? ! Why me ? Because I ‘ m bloody sick of it do you listen me. Let me tell apart you straight out. I. Don't. Have. A. Bloody. design !"Harry was yelling but he felt his interpreter catch in his throat. He stood up and turned away from them all.

"All these people !"Harry waved his helping hand at the petrified bookman."You think I have a clue what to do ?"He held his head in his hands.

"Its too much."He couldn't have stopped talking now if he tried."Malfoy and flint and Albert Michelson and Snakes and ELF and Bloody Tom riddle. I have them going round of drinks and daily round in my mind but I can't put anything together."

"You do it !"He whirled and pointed at Hermione."Or You !"He waved at a shocked Padma.

"You could have been Ravenclaw. You work it out because I can't. I don't have a plan. I tried but I can ‘ t."He collapsed onto the flooring of the Hospital wing, he noticed the tears falling onto his lens'but he couldn't stop.

"I just can't do it. I ‘ m not voguish enough, I ‘ m not strong enough. I only beat Malfoy ‘ cos I used the pain-spear. Had to use it again on the Snake River. I ran away from the other snake. I ‘ m a Sir Noel Pierce Coward and I'm stupid and I ‘ m sorry. But I don't have a plan."Harry's deal snaked into his neckband and held fast to the little shell pendant, the edge of it cutting into his palm.

"I ‘ m sorry."He whispered."You were wrongly. I ‘ m not up to this. I don't know what I ‘ m doing."

Harry stayed sitting there on the base, crying and sobbing. He felt his ally crowding around him, person was hugging him, he didn't know who. He had screwed up his eyes as hard as he could. mortal ( Ginny maybe ? She had lowly hands ) kept stroking his hair and making comfort noises. He felt a tissue pushed into his manus and tried vainly to use it on his eyes. He couldn't believe he was doing this. No one spoke, for which he was grateful. Perhaps he could just sham this hadn't happened ? But the silence was broken in the last way he would have ever expected…

"Did you say Tom Riddle ?"

Harry's eyes flashed undecided. Vanessa was staring at him open-mouthed."Yes."He managed to gnarl in a part that didn't speech sound like him."Do you have sex something ?"

"My…"Vanessa looked dash and was gripping the face of the bed very hard."I don't know… I don't…"

"Whatever it is… Please ?"Harry heard himself beg."You can distinguish me. You just saw me have a breakdown on the floor. Whatever it is it can't be worse than that can it ?"Harry saw Elizabeth reach out and fold her friends hand in both of hers."Please…"

"My parents… are in Azkaban."Harry heard the marauders around him gasp and shushed them into silence."They were arrested three years ago for muggle baiting. I live with my aunt and uncle."Vanessa swallowed hard."My dad is older than mum. He used to get drunk, public lecture about what he did in the war. He… they both worked for the dark Lord."Harry felt another gasp and Vanessa turned away and buried her human face in her hands.

“'nessa you don't have to be scared."Harry shook his head."When the battle started you followed split not Flint, you ‘ re good."

"I chose Slytherin."Vanessa spoke through her bridge player."I was scared of my auntie and uncle. I was given a choice and I still went to Slytherin."

"And you ended up in Gryffindor anyway."Harry tried to go on the avidness from his vocalization, he needed to know what she did."Please be brave for me. Be a Gryffindor now."Vanessa nodded and started talking again.

"My Church Father name is Tortor Gibbon…"Harry saw Ron's jaw clinch and quickly grabbed his arm, he didn't know what was going on but nothing could be allowed to stop Vanessa speechmaking."He used to talk about how gallant he was. That he was one of the first to pledge his dedication, one of the foremost to serve the darkness lord. How he went to shoal with him, knew him before he even took his name. While he still had his old gens. While he was still Tom Riddle."

No one moved. No one spoke. It felt like no one breathed.

"Tom Marvolo riddle was Voldemort."Harry could find the Dame Muriel Spark. All the man in his head seemed to be coming together."The journal was Voldemort's."Harry heard Ginny let out a cry and saw Hermione move to ease her but it was background, it was all pushed to the sides of his mind"Markus Michelson has the diary of the darkness lord. That should be enough for Dumbledore."

Harry looked around him and realised he was still kneeling on the floor, he had a balled up wad of tissues in his hand.

"Help me up."weapon system grabbed him."We ‘ ve got work to do."He blinked the finally unexpended tears out of his eyes.

"Neville, Ginny…"Neville looked up but Ginny didn't."Ginny ! You need…"Harry had been about to comfort her but at the utmost minute decided on a unlike tack.

"Ginny wake up ! I need you here, are you a vulture or not ? Up !"She jerked up off Hermione's shoulder and stared at him."The two of you GET DUMBLEDORE. He ‘ s changed his office parole by now but don ‘ t take no for an answer. Find McGonagall, anyone, take a shit nuisance of yourselves until you get him ! GO !"Neville and Ginny bolted for the door.

"Bring him to Michelson's office when you get him. That's where the relaxation of us are going. Vanessa…"Harry turned to the little little girl."… you are amazing. Never change."With that he whirled to the rest of the marauders and drew his wand."Albert Abraham Michelson ‘ s office now. Lashkar-e-Tayyiba end this !"
*


Harry grabbed the door handle and yanked at it. Unsurprisingly it didn't move. Harry glanced back at his friends.

"I should be able-bodied to go through, did last fourth dimension. Go up there and keep watch for me."Harry pointed at a stained glass window."Mico if Markus comes alone."The vulture moved off, except for one.

"Harry."Hermione said."Shouldn ‘ t we just wait for Dumbledore ? He should be on his way, do we have to give away in ?"

"Probably not but I can ‘ t just postponement here Hermione. Honestly I ‘ d go crazy right now if I wasn ‘ t doing something."Harry turned back to the threshold and heard Hermione motion away.

Harry used the telltale magic spell and removed the fixing charm and temporarily deactivated a sepulcralis curse that hadn't been there before and swung the doorway open. Moving as fast as he could he scoured the mesa that were set around the room, the Book wasn't where it had been go time. He began checking the bookshelves when he felt his wand vibrate. He slipped to the door and glanced out quickly. Instead of Markus Michelson he saw only one thing. Green scales and a recollective muscled body.

"guy RUN !"Harry yelled at the top of his interpreter while darting back into the office."Don't tone into its eyes ! Coepto incantatem !"Harry reactivated the sepilcralis curse on the doorway and stepped back in terror. The slithering stochasticity got closer on the other position of the doorway and Harry raised his scepter in awe. As the noise got right up to the door he saw a flash of light around the bod and an inhuman scream. The hex had worked. There was a loud thrashing from beyond the door and the room shook as if something was throwing its weight repeatedly against the rampart. Harry heard an almighty crunch and then secretiveness. Then slow slithering speech sound as whatever it was moved off.

Harry knew he shouldn't but as soon as the dissonance had moved off he ran forward and pulled the door open. The hallway was in ruins, paintings smashed and armor thrown everywhere. There were clod of rock all over the trading floor, Harry knew what those must have been from. Sepilcralis, the entombing curse. It encased your body in rock, just leaving your principal out. The Hydra must have got been substantial enough to shake itself free.

Then Harry saw something else that made him barricade in repugnance. The running foundation in the distance as someone came to inquire were nothing, all speech sound was gone. Harry stared up at four frozen figure, pressing up against a stained glass window that was no farsighted there, it had been smashed by the beasts raging throw. Ron, Hermione and the Patils, all petrified. Hermione had her sceptre in her helping hand, she must suffer sent the mico before she was frozen. Her last act was warning him. She hadn't even wanted to come. Petrified just because he couldn't sit still for five minutes.

Harry dragged his gaze away from them and saw the citizenry who had arrived. Ginny and Neville standing there shocked staring first at their ossify friends then at Harry. Dumbledore standing behind them with all the head teacher of family flanking him and Markus Michelson standing arrogantly to one side.

"Harry…"Dumbledore's voice was soft and carried nada of what was going on in his pass."…do you have something to assure me ?"

"Yes."Harry turned to him. He tried to imagine how he looked, sweating, his apparel a hole, his eyes still puffy from the dislocation in the hospital wing and standing in the middle of a destroy corridor with his wand out."I have something to say."
*


Dumbledore led them into Markus Albert Abraham Michelson's place while professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout began levitating the petrified marauder down. Harry turned once he was inside and began to verbalize before anyone else could.

"Headmaster, Professor Albert Michelson is behind the attacks."

"Harry, do not take baseless accusations."Dumbledore said harshly.

"Its not baseless. He ‘ s a Parseltongue !"

"That in itself proves noth…"

"He has been at the sight off the last two petrification !"

"Doing his job as a Hogwarts teacher !"

"The hold up two times I've broken into his function I ‘ ve coincidently been attacked by a jumbo serpent ! This fourth dimension it petrified my friends !"

"Broken into his office staff ?"Snape sounded as happy as Harry had ever heard him."You admit it in nominal head of four Hogwarts teachers."

"Get crouch Snivillus. This is important."The scandalise look on every instructor face showed Harry exactly how far over the air he was. But he couldn't halt now, he had just seen something in a cabinet behind the potions master. Moving so fast no one had a probability to question him he darted to the locker and grabbed the handles. It wouldn't open.

"Where ‘ s the key !"Harry whirled and yelled. He pointed at Professor Michelson."William Tell me !"

"Mr Potter you are in quite plenty fuss as it is."Professor McGonagall was looking at him with something between choler and unhappiness."You will be expelled of course but perhaps if you stop now you can avoid malefactor charges."

Harry felt like he had been hit in the gut but he was running on adrenalin now and the chances of him stopping were zero point. He turned and grabbed a gravid statue. Ignoring a vociferation from behind him he smashed the glass of the cabinet and grabbed the journal triumphantly.

He felt himself grabbed from behind and turned to look directly into Dumbledore's eyes. Far from bright and twinkling they looked like burning ice.

"Harry Potter you have…"

"…saved your arse."Harry cut in thrusting the diary at the most muscular wizard in the world."Read it ! You will learn it !"

No one in the room breathed as Dumbledore slowly reached out and took the slim al-Qur'an. His long ancient fingers moved over the cover and opened it to its first Sir Frederick Handley Page. He stopped, for a bit Harry thought he had been petrified as well. Only the old wizards eyes moved, back and forth as if he was reading that one line of merchandise over and over.

"Markus."When Dumbledore finally spoke it was almost a whisper. Almost a orison."You know what this is."It wasn't a question but Professor Michelson answered anyway.

"Yes."

"You know who this is."

"Yes."

"Why did you not separate me ?"

"I thought you had enough on your hands."Markus replied evenly."I am Thomas More than capable of dealing with cursed items."

"Albus what is it ?"Snape sounded almost interested. Dumbledore wordlessly held the book out for Snape and McGonagall to see. The deputy sheriff Headmistress stared in horror and the potions professional recoiled as if he'd been struck. Snape turned on the Defence prof."And you did not see fit to tell us about this !"Harry didn't envy Markus Michelson.

"As I told you at the get-go of the year Mr Snape."Michelson replied evenly."I am the defense reaction against the iniquity Arts teacher."

"Oh this goes so far beyond you teaching duties."Snape's voice dripped with hatred."You should give birth told us the moment this came into your hands."

"I was…"

"Enough."The schoolmaster cut them both off. He sounded tired."How did you find out about this Harry ?"

"I've known he had the diary for a spell. I saw it in his office staff. But I didn ‘ t know who Tom conundrum was until today."Harry looked Dumbledore in the eye as he spoke."I broke in here to make sure he wouldn ‘ t have chance to enshroud the journal from you."Harry said, hoping they had forgotten he had broken in twice.

"And you sent Mr Longbottom and Miss Weasley to get me."Dumbledore finished for him."Once again I find that you have totally reasonable and indeed honourable reasons for your formula breaking. Perhaps it is my judgement that is failing…"Harry said nothing."Does it cause any powers that you know of."Harry opened his oral cavity to speak then realised that he wasn't supposed to know anything about what was in the journal and shut it again.

"It writes back if you write in it."Markus volunteered. Dumbledore waved his handwriting and a quill appeared as if from no-where. Opening the book to the first page he wrote…
howdy Tom.


The words faded and were replaced with.
Whatever you do to this Christian Bible I will reveal nothing to you.


"It said that to me as well. Albus I…"but Dumbledore cut Markus off.

"I will find out your excuses later Mr Michelson. Probably when you give them to the aurors. Until then you are removed from all teaching duty at Hogwarts. scavenge out your office."

"But.. !"For the first time Harry had ever seen Markus looked flustered.

"professor Snape will cover your classes."

"No !"Harry couldn't keep that from escaping and the four instructor turned to him."Um… never idea. Go back to what you were saying."

"I think we had covered everything Harry. I ‘ m sure you have homework to be doing."

"I might…"Homework had never been Harry ‘ s precedence. Harry walked to the door and slipped out quietly. Neville and Ginny were waiting there for him.

"Dumbledore ‘ s calling the aurors."A Brobdingnagian weight unit seemed to have been taken from his shoulders."And he ‘ s not a instructor here anymore."Harry felt like crying again, he felt so promiscuous. It was over. He had done it. And he wasn't expelled or perfectly or anything."The mandrake root draft won ‘ t take that much farsighted to get cook then we can tell the others."Was he crying ? He couldn't tell. The relief was just too much.

"Its really over ?"Ginny asked, stepping closer.

"Yes."Harry breathed."It is… For this class !"Harry grinned and hugged his two Friend."I ‘ m indisputable next year will be much more interesting !"
*


Harry somehow reached his bed in Gryffindor pillar and crawled in. It was only seven o'clock but he didn't really give care, he had lost enough sleep over the past year that he held no embarrassment over going to kip at this time of day. Neville and Ginny were doing the rounds, telling everyone the good news. He could hear masses moving around downstairs and above him but he just burrowed further into his blankets. His childhood had taught him to kip through most anything. How far he'd seed from that. Harry drifted off to sleep.

He walked along Tottenham court road in his Hogwarts robe, no one noticed. It was broad of people but not one of them moved. Petrified. All of them. Harry walked up the street and ducked into an orchard, orchard apple tree blossoms fell everywhere. Perhaps he was safe here ? No, he had to get back to Hogwarts. He turned back to the incoming to manoeuvre back to the road.

"You wouldn't hold up five seconds in a duel with me."

Harry spun at the sound of Markus Michelson's voice but instead of the teacher he saw himself. Looking down at him condescendingly.

"You ‘ re not in effect enough."

Harry blinked and it was Dumbledore looking down at him with eyes full of sorrow.

"I ‘ m so sorry."

Harry blinked again and he was alone with the peak. He could get word the river nearby running fast over rock music. Harry turned and hurried out of the orchard. The road was vacuous like before and Harry hurried towards Hogwarts, ducking through an alleyway and breaking into a run to get there quicker.

The ivy was foresighted than he remembered but eventually he climbed up to the gate of the castle. He pushed the great door open and walked into the great lobby. It was vacate but the wall were covered in murals. lilliputian finger paintings like shaver would do. He could still hear the river but it sounded closer now. He could even experience the spray on his face. His case was stale. Deathly low temperature. Wake up. What ?

"Wake up !"

Harry opened his eye and looked straight up at Moaning Myrtle. She was floating over his bed, right over his face.

"myrtle ?"He said, still groggy and disorientated.

"You have to follow. delight ! He's got Ginny !"Harry jerked just and fell out of bed.

"What !"

"Flint took Ginny ! I saw him, and he has the diary !"

"How ? Dumbledore has… No…"Harry staggered over to Neville's bed and jerked the boy out of bed.

"Harry ?"The go remaining marauder brushed his hair out of his eyes."What is it ?"

"Its not over Neville."Harry followed the floating variant of Myrtle at a run out of the door."It ‘ s not over !"
*


Myrtle stopped outdoors Markus Michelson's office and Harry didn't have to be told that something had happened here. A all new level of carnage had been added over the one that had been present here last night. The door itself had been totally kitchen range in, the inning itself lying in pieces on the level. Harry stepped in with trepidation.

The olfaction of profligate hit him. Behind him he could hear Neville retching on the floor. The room was unrecognisable, not a thing had escaped the destruction. Harry moved forward towards the forlorn flesh in the centre, slumped against the desk. Markus Michelson.

His wand was in one hired hand and his sword lay discarded on the floor. He was covered in wounds and one of his legs was bent in an odd way. And the hanky he usually wore cloaked around his neck had moved up. He'd tied it around his center. Harry stepped closer and pulled it off him. His head lolled to the English lifelessly.

Harry put his fingerbreadth to Michelson's neck, not really expecting anything but was rewarded with a infirm pulse.

"myrtle !"He yelled."Run and get Madam Pomfrey !"He turned back to the teacher."Markus ! Markus Michelson ! Markus Maximus Mighty Magesto Michelson !"

"You remembered all of them…"The vocalism from the teacher was almost beyond sense of hearing."…people usually don't."

"I didn ‘ t commend all of them."Harry smiled wanly."I forgot Mary and Mucus. Madam Pomfrey will be here in a 2nd. You ‘ ll be alright."

"Not alright… basilisk venom… lethal… always…"Markus'voice kept fading in and out."He took… the girl."

"Did you see where ?"

"Tried to protect her… Tried to stop him…"Harry's insides turned to ice. He'd been so very wrongly about this man."Hard to fight… when you can't… Sure I hit it once or twice… Did I ever tell you about… this sentence I was in Brazil ?"

"No. Tell me when you ‘ re better."

"Bit me just once… on purpose… wanted me to be awake… give you message."

"subject matter ?"Harry waved Neville in closer so he could pick up too.

"Come to the chamber… semen or she dies… bring teachers… and she dies."

Harry swallowed. His mettle was beating in air with his terror.

"Where ? Where ‘ s the chamber ?"

"He said… bathroom… miss ghost…"

"Vinca minor ‘ s bathroom ?"Markus nodded."Is there a password ?"

"watchword's…"Markus seemed to be fading out."… open… he said open…"

"That simple ?"Harry asked. Markus nodded then slumped.

"… brand ?"Harry frowned, not understanding, then saw the finger of Markus'hand twitching. He moved the sword into his bridge player and saw Markus'fingerbreadth curl around it limply."…thanks… pipsque…"but then his eyes closed and he stopped speaking.

A instant later Harry heard running feet and dame Pomfrey ran in followed by a floating Myrtle.

"What happened here ?"She demanded. Harry flapped his paw uncertainly but Neville saved him.

"Basilisk bit him. Conscious when we found him dropped off a second ago. Shallow beat. Cold."Neville rattled that off in one breath and madam Pomfrey instantly grimaced and pulled her bag open. Rummaging around in the rump she pulled out a long red feather.

"Fawkes !"She gripped the plume in both men."assist me."

Harry never heard whether her call was answered as he had already darted out the door and was sprinting for the second floor.
*


Harry smashed through the door at a run and skidded to a stop on the tiles.

"out-of-doors !"Harry yelled.

"What are you doing in here."A girl pushed out of a cubical."This is a girls bathroom you know ?"Harry drew his verge and blew a sink off the bulwark. The daughter cried and jumped away from him.

"You have three seconds to get the hellhole out of here !"The girl was gone before he'd counted to two."Open ! afford up !"

"Harry are you alright ?"Harry spun and observe Neville and myrtle in the doorway.

"Its not working !"

"Maybe that's not the password. Maybe he was delirious."Neville bit his lip in worry.

"Then what do we do ! ?"Harry threw his bridge player up."We don't even sleep together where the entry is !"

"I think I do."Myrtle volunteered.

"You do !"

"There are some places in Hogwarts that the ghosts can't go. They ‘ re warded against us. Dumbledore ‘ s office for example."Myrtle pointed to one of the sinks."There ‘ s a organ pipe behind there, I can do down it below the donjon but no further. Its blocked."

Harry ran up to where Vinca minor floated in the air, threw his limb around her and kissed her swim impudence."You are a genuine marauder Myrtle. One of us. You are amazing !"Harry released the startled ghost and ran to the sink."Open !"But the sump didn't move."No… But that's got to be the entrance !"

"What do we do ?"Neville asked."Go around ?"

"Yes ! That's perfect !"Harry turned to the pinko glowing touch nearby."Myrtle, you know the pipes around Hogwarts. Is there another way to get down to the same office as this organ pipe goes ?"

"I… I think so…"She said dreamily.

"Take us there, please !"The ghost flowed out through a rampart and Harry was running again to observe up. They ran passed startled students until Vinca minor came to repose in a disused classroom on the 3rd floor.

"Through here."She said and disappeared into the wall.

"Vinca minor !"Her caput reappeared."We need a way we can go !"

"There isn ‘ t one."Vinca minor floated out to endure next to them."Its all walled up."

"Then what…"Harry began but Neville had already stepped up beside him.

"Reducto !"An almighty fissure made Harry brood his ears and potato chip of stonework flew everywhere.

"Alright !"Harry yelled as soon as the noise died down."Reducto !"

"Reducto !"

"Reducto !"

"Reducto !"

"Reducto !"Harry blasted the last of the dust from the hole they had made in the paries. He heard murmurs in the nearby corridor."Colloportus."Harry sealed the room access shut.

"I ‘ ll go first."Harry stepped into the dusty pipe and gripped his baton between his teeth as he shimmied down. After he had lost sight of the entrance he heard Neville get down above him.

After a convoluted few second Harry dropped into a tiny one shot transit and got out of the way so that Neville could drop down behind him. It was sky black but was soon lit with a faint wan light as Vinca minor floated through the ceiling. They wordlessly followed her. After many squelching measure they emerged into a larger chamber.

"Here we are."Myrtle announced importantly."The Via Mortiferus."



You did n't believe it was going to be that well-situated did you ?


I own none of the stuff and nonsense I 'm not supposed to.



It was a broad Edward Durell Stone room, the stones underfoot slick and stinking. A midget rill of dirty water ran from the ingress of the room to a giant hole in the floor. Underneath there was a massive sloping piping, twice the width of a subway train. It was clogged with debris and garbage in places and the midget drip of urine made the shrill slick as glass.

"There ?"Harry asked. myrtle nodded."We don ‘ t even do it if this is the aright way."

"I think we do."Neville pointed at a recession of the room where a burden of green shapeless scraps were lying. Harry took a closer look.

"Snake skin ?"Harry gulped.

"From a big snake."

Harry looked back down the tube. There was no way person could go down that and not hit the garbage drifts. Some of them had broken bottles or while of alloy in them.

"We can't just slip down, we ‘ ll be killed."Harry shook his foreland."Maybe if we blast all the stuff we can see…"

"Then it ‘ ll be at the buttocks waiting for you,"Myrtle pointed out.

"I know !"Neville cried suddenly. He ran over and grabbed the two prominent pieces of Snake River skin."Think Basilisk peel is as tough as Dragon skin ?"

"Can I hope it's tough enough to save us up here…"Harry wrapped his piece around him as tightly as possible."… but not so roughneck the Basilisk kills us when we get there ?"

Neville smiled wanly.

"Neville whichever of us gets there gets Ginny out."Harry met his friend's eyes and moved closer."We don't worry about anything else."

"I know Harry."Neville nodded.

"I can ‘ t follow you,"myrtle sniffed."But if you die you ‘ re welcome to share my toilet. Either of you."

"destruction doesn't seem so scary now eh ?"Harry grinned and moved to the boundary."Well…"Harry tilted his head up and closed his eyes."Could use some of that luck now…"And with that Harry jumped off the edge.
*


Harry felt the Edward Durell Stone skidding under him even through the snake in the grass skin. He was traveling dissipated than he thought and it was only a instant before he smashed into a garbage nap. It felt like he was being smashed with clubs but the clamber didn't happy chance and he kept going. Another smacked into his peg and set him spinning across the tube like a top.

He could hear Neville screaming but couldn't see him. Another heap took him in the chest and soon he was screaming too. The whole world reduced to the moving pit under him, his own screaming in his ears and the sudden excruciating outburst of nuisance as he hit things.

The hit became less and less sponsor as Harry fell and he at utmost opened his eyes. As soon as he did so his foundation hit water and he went under. Harry's mind went dummy. Get out ! Get out ! Get out ! He flailed wildly against the pelt that was still wrapped around him and managed to sneak out. aerofoil ! Air ! Harry felt his lungs constrict and he breathed in a lungful of the blackish water. His chest of drawers felt like fire. His foot touched bottom and he kicked out as hard as he could. His head broke the aerofoil and Harry half coughed, one-half vomited up the water he'd breathed in plus everything he'd eaten in his entire life. Shaking, he stood up and crusade his gunk-filled fringe out of his heart. Then he realised what he had done and looked down.

The piss barely reached over his hips.

The actualization made him gag again and he emptied another load of bile into the already mucky urine. He reached into his robes and pulled out his wand, thankfully undamaged. He lit it and surveyed the setting. He was in a burrow, shank deep with disgusting black urine to the full of cosmopolitan garbage. It went on for a ways in both direction, then turned off into juncture and split away into darkness. God it was frigidity down here. Harry saw his Basilisk tegument floating nearby and wrapped it around his shoulders like a cloak. A fixing appeal made sure it stayed there, not that it helped much.

Then Harry realised something. Neville wasn't there ; he had been right behind him a moment ago. Harry looked back up the tobacco pipe he'd fallen out of but there was nothing as far as he could see. There had been turning off the tube. He must bear just been shunted a different way by the food waste. At least, Harry hoped that was all that had happened. Hopefully they ‘ d find each former eventually. He saw a kitchen tongue floating by its grip nearby and grabbed it. With rickety finger's breadth he scratched an H into the bulwark next to him, followed by an pointer. Then, pulling his makeshift cloak closer about him, he headed off in that direction.

Harry slogged through the water supply until he came to a junction. It was impossible to tell which way was right, so Harry just scrawled another marker on the wall and kept going. He had no thought how long he walked through that freezing water. How many arrows he scrawled on the paries. Eventually it all blurred into one, until something caught his attention.

Skeletons. Lots of them, floating in the water. Not food beast either, strikebreaker and small birds. Harry tried to influence out which way they were coming from and pushed that way, batting the small carcasses out of his way. There was a break in the brickwork here. Just big enough for a big snake or a little boy to fawn through. Harry dragged himself up and looked around. He was on the floor behind a whale pillar carved with snake. He looked up and saw a bank of them at the former incline of the vast chamber.

"Ah, Mr Potter. You have chosen to deck us with your presence."

The representative came from somewhere he couldn't see. On the other side of the mainstay somewhere. It sounded like flint's articulation but the discussion didn't seem like ones he's choose.

"You might as well amount out ; I've been waiting for you."

Harry was too tired to total up with a undecomposed musical theme and stood on numb legs. He walked out slowly from behind the column. Flint stood proudly in front of a monstrous statue. Ginny was lying still by his metrical foot, unconscious. But was it Flint ? It was almost as if a phantasma was overlaid over the Slytherin's stocky frame. A fantasm of a taller man, thinly and cold, with high cheekbones.

"hi Tom."Harry stopped in the center of the room a few meters from the shadowy half-figure. He had his baton gripped tight in his right hired hand and a self-colored knife in his left. He knew he looked horrific, he was probably swaying, but he felt as strong as he had ever been.

"howdy Harry. Why in Merlin ‘ s epithet didn ‘ t you just use the forepart room access ?"Tom/Flint laughed chillingly.

"You gave me the damage countersign. I said ‘ open'but it didn't work."

"Ah… I told him the watchword was Sizzasc, Parseltongue for ‘ open ’. He must have got confused. That can happen when you ‘ re death, or so I'm told."

"By the end of the day I can guarantee you ‘ ll know for sure."

The split apparition laughed again and Harry could swear he heard two voices there. A gravely inscrutable one and a smoother nasal one.

"Can I ask you one thing ?"Harry played for time while working his toes, trying to get some feeling back into them.

"Ask away Mr potter. A condemned man should get his questions answered."

"How did you get the diary back from Dumbledore ?"Harry was genuinely curious.

"Oh… that is an interesting one."Tom grinned."The truth is the old fool never had the diary."

"?"

"Let me start at the beginning. With inadequate Ginny Weasley, you do roll in the hay that she was responsible for the first few petrification ?"

"I guessed."

"goodness. It's good to know you ‘ re not a fool. Like her."Tom kicked the prone body in front of him."I took controller of her to open the chamber and scribble my call to implements of war on the wall. But it backfired on me, during one of the fights I had so wanted to have the diary fell from her bag. And it was spotted by Markus Michelson."

Harry thought back. He remembered seeing Markus picking up Ginny's book bag after the combat the day she lost it.

"He recognised that it was a cursed target if not just how cursed and, in his lordliness, thought he could deal with it himself. He fought me with his conjuration every night, trying to find a way to demolish the book."

"And he looked more tired every day…"Harry shook his head. He had so badly misjudged the man.

"And then something rattling happened !"Tom spread his arms encompassing."While on a hold for the insufferable Michelson a wonderful man chanced upon the diary. Marcus Flint. His father had been one of my servants during my advance to power and had told his son my true name."Tom paused."An offence which in normal portion I would penalize him for, but in this shell it has come to a good end. Then young Flint did something so cunning Salazar Slytherin himself would be proud of him. He constructed a postiche diary."

"Oh…"the pieces began to fall into spot in Harry's head once more.

"Only capable of dim-witted set phrase obviously. ‘ I am Tom enigma ’, ‘ I will never tell you my secrets ’, that kind of thing. And then, in his last hold with Markus Michelson he switched the two books."

"Michelson didn ‘ t bill the deviation ?"

"I assume he thought he was finally forcing the diary to go on the defensive. Finally winning."Tom laughed the peculiar double laugh again."And in the mean time I finally had a volition servant. One I didn ‘ t have to manipulate or control. Oh, no, he wanted me to see to it him. Wanted the power."Tom reached up and patted Flint on the shoulder. It was the first motion the shadower had made that Flint hadn't done as well."I initially thought I would drain his energy to rejoin to the world. He was indeed wiling to make that forfeit to help me but I decided that he is simply too useful to me."The apparition glanced down at the physical body at his feet."Instead I will use hers."

"What !"Harry took an involuntary stone's throw forward.

"Yes, Harry thrower. I will drain her and return. You think I told you that long winded story because I wanted to ? That I was pudding head enough to let you buy time like that ? No… by buying clock time you have been giving me time to grow unattackable. And what have you gained ?"

"Well, I can feel my digit now…"Harry grinned through the muck covering his face. A truly evil grin."Oh, when you come back you ‘ ll probably need a wand."

"I…"

"Here have mine."Harry held his wand out and tossed it lazily through the air.

Voldemort wore a shocked expression as the baton landed in his outstretched palm.

"Potter-"But he got no further as Harry's stab stabbed oceanic abyss into his chest.

"… and you need nimble finger for tongue throwing."

"…."Tom tried to speak but only a croaking came out. A drip of parentage drew down the incline of his mouth. Harry walked slowly up to his opposition and curled his finger around the knife hilt.

"Confused yet you bastard ?"Harry tore the knife out and Voldemort collapsed onto the ground spurting pedigree. Harry grabbed his wand and nicked Flint's for good measurement, then stumbled shakily over Ginny prone form.

"Hey Gin…"Harry shook her, trying vainly to wake her."Ginny ?"She didn't stir. Her bark didn't even sense affectionate."Wake up…"

"Ssssss……"Harry turned in a flash lamp. Tom had his eyes open and a serpentine hiss escaped his oral fissure."Saseeciss. Sassozziss. Sss…"Harry ran up and savagely kicked him in the jaw. But the hurt was done. With a grinding noise the mouth of the corking statue opened and Harry saw a flash of viridity before he turned away in fear.

"Ginny we need to go !"Harry tried to lift her and failed. He would have found it hard going if he hadn't just gone through harassment. As it was he settled for dragging her across the floor by an arm while the hissing got closer. Harry aimed a hex over his shoulder joint without looking but apparently it didn't connect because the Hissing got closer. It was catching up. Harry abandoned Ginny and ran to the other slope of the room yelling"Hey ! Over here ! Me !"but he tripped and spun as he fell. Without thinking he looked right into the face of the Basilisk.

And laughed ! It was a shipwreck ! A giant burn stretched half the length of its side and the tip of its tail was a glow off stump. A massive slash marred its throat below its head and, most importantly, its center were gone. Replaced by a gaping wound.

Markus Michelson had got in Thomas More than a few shots !

Unfortunately Harry had waited too hanker staring and his laugh had told it where he was. It dived and bit down around him. Harry had no chance to dodge, he felt like he had been put in a vice, pressing down on his thorax all around and he cried out hoarsely. He thought he heard his costa crack then the atmospheric pressure lifted and he staggered back. The Basilisk looked, if anything, confused.

Harry checked himself over. hurting, bruised, soften ribs but no dentition mark and no poison. Harry's hired hand fell on the silvery-green, makeshift cloak he had around his articulatio humeri and started in shock.

It couldn't bite through its own pelt !

Harry got up from where he was kneeling on the floor and tightened his grip on his baton. It was wounded, its master was gone and he had a cloak it couldn't bite through.

"Hey you ! Ugly !"The Basilisks mind snapped around just in prison term to have an Incendio spell hit it right in the mess where its heart had been. Its shrieking of pain was cold and it writhed its massive volute in torment."Acerbus cuspis !"Harry sent the pain-spear winging straight into the massive burn on its English and was rewarded with another shrieking. It smashed its poop around, trying to knock him over but he just ducked and fired a stinging hex into a gaping wound he hadn't even noticed before.

"Here !"Harry yelled again and as its head whirled around he sent another curse into its face. But this one missed and the great ophidian lunged forward and bit Harry around the legs. The lonesome part of him unprotected by the cloak.

Harry felt a burning painful sensation as a tooth pierced his leg. He felt himself being lifted into the air and cried out again. It was holding him up in its back talk like a dead rat. Harry clung to its snout and with the conclusion of his strength plunged his wand into the mess that had been its eyes.

"Reducto !"There was an explosive speech sound and Harry felt himself fly through the air and hit the floor hard. As he looked up through bleary eye he saw the Basilisk swaying in the air. blood gushed from its mouth and eyes like some perverted jet and it screeched like nails on a blackboard. Then, with one last cry, it went still and fell like a bang-up tree, crashing onto the Harlan F. Stone and lying there still.

He had done it.

Harry dragged himself back to list against a pillar. He looked down at his leg. Yep, there was a huge tooth hole right there in his thigh. No escaping it. Harry gulped then smiled. He supposed it didn't matter if he was dying. His hand reached up into his shirt and held tight to the pendent there.

"You knew I could do it,"Harry whispered."You knew I could do it."

"Harry ?"Harry glanced across and saw Neville's round fount poking out from the gob in the wall. He has glancing between Harry and the jumbo serpent.

"Ginny ‘ s there."Harry tried to signal but found he couldn't. Neville got the message though and disappeared. He reappeared a moment later carrying Ginny in his arms.

"Harry can you get up ?"

"No Neville, I can ‘ t."Harry managed a wry smile."Sorry."

"Harry…"

"Can you get out ? I don ‘ t…"

"It's OK. While I was looking for this berth I found a pipework that lets out near the lake. I can get back there. I left markers."

"You left marks…"Harry suddenly couldn't keep from laughing."I taught you… you left marks…"

"Yeah Harry."Neville sat down beside him and put his bridge player on Harry's shoulder joint. His cheek said that he knew Harry wasn ‘ t getting out of there."Just like you did. That's how I found you."

"You did it right… I did it right."Harry looked at the utter serpent."I did it right. Get her out."Harry ordered and Neville stood.

"We ‘ ll be back for you. You know your…"Neville stopped and rubbed his eyes. He was crying."We won ‘ t leave you down here."

"I know. Go."

Neville was shaking as he made his way to the pass in the bulwark and pushed himself through. Then pulled Ginny after him.

Harry leaned back and closed his eyes.

"How sentimental."

Harry's centre flickered open and he saw Tom Riddle leaning casually against the great majority of the Basilisk. He wasn't fuzzy or transparent anymore, he was self-coloured. And he had a wand.

"You took yours and Flint River's wands."Tom answered his question before he asked it."But you forgot about Ginny ‘ s."

"Oh…"Harry glanced at the chap in the wall. Neville's luminousness was still visible, slowly passing away.

"Go on, call for help. He can probably still hear you."

Harry kept his sassing tight shut. Neville was getting out with Ginny. That was all that mattered.

"commodity choice."Voldemort moved forward and snatched Harry's wand from his unresisting hand. He threw it into the shadow by the great statue. As an afterthought he sent Flint's verge and the knife after it.

"As he was dying Mr Flint preformed me one end service."Voldemort smiled."He gifted his remaining life to me. Restoring me."Voldemort moved even closer. Harry tried to slew himself away but found he didn't have the energy, the poison had almost run its course. His eye flickered back to the crack in the rampart. It was totally dark. Neville was truly gone.

"Jehovah Voldemort. Killed by a knife ?"Tom enigma shook his head word."Never. It could never happen."

"mulct,"Harry mumbled."spring me back the knife."

"No Harry."Tom raised his scepter."I think I will err on the side of safety in this matter. I think I will simply kill you. Now. Ava-"

But he got no further as the massive door to the chamber was flung open. Tom Riddle stepped back in shock as the room was filled with glowing golden light.

"Get the hell away from him !"Framed by the doorway and glistening with water and sweat stood Markus Michelson, sword in one had, sceptre in the early and with Dumbledore's capital of Arizona circling above him. Bathing the elbow room in light.

"You !"Tom aimed a colored purple nemesis at Markus, who shot it out of the air with a silver one of his own.

"Yes. ME !"The instructor strode forward and smashed a hex into Tom conundrum's hastily raised shield.

"Markus !"A arcsecond hex drove conundrum further from Harry.

"Maximus !"Tom Riddle shot a spell back but it was easily deflected.

"Mighty !"Tom Riddle yelled something opaque and a goliath sherd of blade sprang into being and shot towards the instructor. Markus just swatted it away with his sword.

"Magesto !"A monumental black curse that looked like it was made of tar drove Tom to his knees.

"Mary ! mucous secretion ! Albert Abraham Michelson !"The instructor drew level with Harry and stopped, his wand vibrating in his hand."And you will not match him you sick, dead monstrosity !"

Harry noticed the phoenix land beside him but ignored it. If he was going to die then we was going spend his final few minute enjoying the show.

"You dare to challenge me !"Tom Riddle stood from where he had been thrown."I am the nighttime Godhead !"

"Wrong !"Albert Michelson barked."You are the Dark Lord at age eighteen ! Not even that, you ‘ re a wraith of the Dark Lords teenage self ! A apparition ! A lie !"

Harry could now see why Dumbledore had hired this man. He came off as a muggins most of the time but that was because he wanted to. He saw no grounds to be serious all the clip. But actually get him into a fight and he became like red-hot iron.

"I am the Dark nobleman ! Almighty Voldemort ! Avada Kedavra !"A jet of green light shot across the room but Markus Michelson yelled something and a chunk of stonework broke off of the paries, smashing into the expletive as it flew.

"Orbitus !"Markus yelled and ball of floor around him were ripped from the earthly concern. They began the tailspin around him like major planet and he advanced on the juvenile Dark Lord like the wrath of worlds.

"Avada Kedavra !"Albert Abraham Michelson didn't even nictate, just let the jinx impact itself on one of the orbiting rocks. Even through the shower of gravel he kept walking.

"AgniparvataH !"Michelson yelled and a glowing symbol flew across the room and exploded on a silver shield that Tom Riddle had made. Even so it caused the Harlan Fisk Stone around him to glow white hot and crack under the strain.

It was at approximately this breaker point that Harry realised he wasn't dead. He looked down at himself in shock ; he wasn't even in that much pain in the ass anymore. Pulling his ruined trouser leg aside he saw that the bite wound was totally closed without even leaving a scar. He looked at the shiny red shuttlecock that had alighted next to him and grinned. It looked like he was going to subsist another day.

"Maquixtia !"The cry brought Harry back to the import as he saw prof Albert Abraham Michelson come apart out of a prison of massive bootleg vines and creepers."KhaNDana !"A deadbolt of sorry light bounced of Tom Riddles shell. It looked like Tom wasn't playing anymore and had begun to attack in earnest. Already professor Michelson had been forced to pass on ground and almost all of his rock 'n' roll were gone.

He had to do something to avail !

Harry cast about for a weapon but his wand and tongue were too far away. His eye came to rest on the blackened diary lying discarded on the floor. Ah…

Harry crawled down behind the corpse of the Basilisk, ignoring the spells that occasionally winged over him, until he was crouched behind the cadaver of the tail with the little ledger a few m away. Harry glanced back at the fight and waited for the right moment. Unfortunately he could not wait long…

Voldemort twisted his sceptre in the air and jabbed it upwards like a lance. A shining star of flickering lightning exploded above him like a nova. Swinging his wand down he dispose it at prof Michelson. The instructor's shield shattered like methamphetamine hydrochloride and he screamed in pain as the lightning struck him. Harry knew he had to act now ! He darted out from behind the Basilisk and grabbed the book.

"drop curtain him !"Harry yelled at the Dark Jehovah."Drop him or I ‘ ll destroy it !"

"Hm… ?"Voldemort turned to look at Harry. The lightning stopped but Professor Michelson didn't move from the floor where he had fallen. Voldemort crossed his arms and stared at Harry mockingly."How ?"

"I ‘ ll just… Oh…"Harry cringed a memory from originally stung him. prof Albert Abraham Michelson had tried for workweek to destroy this thing. Harry opened it and tried to snap a page off. It felt similar paper but for the life of him he couldn't so much as clams the surface. Harry looked up at the quietly chuckling night Lord."How embarrassing."

"I take it back Mr Potter,"Tom riddle said raising his wand."You are a fool."

But Harry felt a weightiness demesne on his shoulder. He looked up to see the Phoenix that had healed him standing there. The Bronx cheer tilted its heading to take care him in the eye and he could make sworn it winked at him. Then it spread its beautiful scarlet wings and burst into flame.

Harry screamed as the fire curled up around his school principal but then jerked back in shock, it wasn't burning him ! He felt the flaming wreath all around him but they felt more like a quick walkover. They covered his face and eyes and he could see aught but a wall of light. Harry felt something in his bridge player shift, he wasn ‘ t electrocution but the diary was !

Harry held the diary in front man of him and felt the hook on his berm release for a moment then felt the system of weights transfer to his arm. Somewhere outside the flaming someone was screaming but Harry couldn't tell who. He felt the weight on his arm lessen as the flame died down and eventually stopped. Harry felt the last flame recede and stood for a instant, completely disbelieving. Something about what he had just gone through didn't feel normal or even magic. It felt somehow greater, older and far to a greater extent powerful.

Harry realised he still held his hand out in front of him, clenched. He released it and watched as blackamoor ash slowly trickled out from between his fingers. Right in the middle was a tiny ugly chick that looked up at him with its unfeathered face. Of the diary there was nothing.

Harry looked around the now battle-scarred chamber. There was a monster tan mark right where Tom Riddle had been standing. Not even ash tree had been left of him. Harry moved forward slowly, his judgment still reeling from what he had experienced. He came to a stop in the middle of the elbow room and fell down on his knees, ineffective to walk further. He cradled the short raspberry in his script and asked it…

"What the inferno just happened to me ?"The razzing just chirruped in answer but another voice gave Harry an answer.

"Phoenix fire…"Markus Michelson lifted himself up with obvious effort and limped over to Harry."…it only burns up evil."The prof sat down and began running his baton over his muscular sleeve, fixing the burns and bruising.

"A lightning-rage patch, however…"he continued healing over a particularly charred bandage."…burns anyone. Oh snap out of it kid !"He added seeing Harry's shaken expression."I've only ever heard third gear manus floor of people who were actually inside a genus Phoenix's rebirth flaming and they all agree it's an experience. None of them say it renders you catatonic !"

"Wha ? … yeah sorry."Harry shook his head to acquit it and looked over at his teacher ‘ s healing endeavour."Do you need any aid with that ?"

"Just spot me any minute I ‘ ve missed pipsqueak. well, suppose I shouldn ‘ t call you that now…"Michelson gestured at the Basilisk with a grin."…but now you won ‘ t have any exculpation for low scrape eh ?"

"Yeah…"But the Professor's use of his nickname had reminded him of something else and he felt guiltiness bubble up in his mineral vein."I treated you pretty badly this term."Harry hung his straits. He didn't want to forgather Markus Michelson's eyes.

"Really ? How so ?"

"I thought you were the one behind the plan of attack. I broke into your office. Twice."Harry shook his drumhead but didn't look up."I helped all the rumours against you, started almost of them. I threatened to wipe out you. I got you fired. I almost got you arrested. And then you almost died protecting one of my friends. I ‘ m… I ‘ m so sorry."Harry forced himself to expect up and meet his teacher's eyes. A. A. Michelson had stopped his healing and was looking at Harry with just a tinge of a smile.

"Oh… that."Markus Michelson smiled broadly and clapped Harry on the arm."Don ‘ t worry about that."

"What ? But…"

"Harry I thought you understood. You gave me my sword when I was dying."professor Michelson was speaking as if this was the most obvious thing in the world."Then I saved your living. Then you saved mine. We ‘ re warrior-brothers now."The giant man reached out and held both Harry's shoulder."pal at arms."

"comrade at blazon ?"Michelson nodded."That a whiz thing ?"

"Sure…"Markus Michelson pulled him to his feet and preformed a quick drying charm."… in certain Northman magical cultures."

"Good sufficiency for me then."Harry grinned."So… How do we get out of here ?"
*


"…and then flint, he grabbed me."Ginny Weasley clutched her mother's hand as she sobbed and shuddered through her narration. She had woken suddenly as Neville was carrying her across the evidence away from the lake. When they reached the castling they had been mobbed by teacher and dragged almost bodily up to the Headmaster's office. Her parents had been there ( her female parent crying, her father ashen-faced and dingy ) and she had been enveloped in a giant wet hug.

But as soon as Madam Pomfrey had said that she was unharmed the questions had begun and she had been forced to haltingly tell her narrative, starting with the inaugural fourth dimension she found the diary mixed in with her books. Neville hadn't said anything since she had woke up. He had just curled up in an armchair and stared out with void eye. She knew something was wrong but he wouldn ‘ t say anything, she just hoped he found his vocalism again now her part of the taradiddle was over.

"… and then he did some spell on me and I blacked out."Ginny looked over at Neville hopefully. She saw Dumbledore's gaze move to the poor nervous boy.

"Mr Longbottom ?"The Headmaster moved over and placed his hand on Neville's berm."Please…"

"We… me and Har…"Neville cut himself off and bit back a sob. He looked back up and kept talking in a holler articulation."We found Professor Albert Michelson dying. He said we had to go find Ginny, that if we told any teachers then Flint would defeat her. We broke our way into the tube, slid down. I got separated from Ha… We got separated. When I found him the Basilisk was dead. He ‘ d killed it, but…"The way was soundless as Neville wrapped his weapon system around himself and broke into tears."…He ‘ s dead ! It bit him ! He ‘ s dead."

Ginny felt her female parent's finger's breadth clench around her arm and looked up. mollie Weasley was shaking her head in incredulity. Ginny looked back at the Headmaster. The old man had backed away and collapsed into a chairperson. His usually sparkling center were abruptly and empty.

For her own share she just shook her head.

"No !"Ginny felt the room turn to her."He ‘ s not dead !"She dashed the tears out of her eyes."He wouldn ‘ t die ! He can ‘ t !"

"Ginevra…"Her mother had pulled her closer."… I know it seems like that but…"

"No ! He needs to be here !"

Her mother just moved to stroke her hair.

"Ginny please…"another voice called out."…If you keep telling them I ‘ m awake you ‘ ll wrecking my dramatic entrance."
*


Harry looked out across the federal agency and laughed at the diverse expressions of shock.

"Wooo…"Harry wiggled his fingers at them."I ‘ ve come back to obsess you !"But he got no further as Ginny dashed at him and tackled him to the ground.

"You ‘ re alive ! You ‘ re active !"

"Oh so now it ‘ s a big shock."Harry grinned as he lifted Ginny off him and levered himself to his base. He kept one hand on his friend's shoulder for support and walked further into the office. He stopped suddenly as he caught muckle of a figure he thought he vaguely recognised. A tweed haired man with a long cane, topped with a crystal. He was staring down his olfactory organ at Harry with scarcely concealed contempt.

"Who ‘ s this mother fucker ?"Harry jerked his head at the man and he felt Ginny stifle a giggle. Even Professor McGonagall ( who would have usually yelled at him for such spoken language ) seemed to be concealing a small grin behind her hand.

"My name is Lucius Malfoy."The man's articulation didn't devil to conceal the despite."And I am here as a representing the school governors and their legal opinion on this… unpleasantness."

"I remember you now."Harry pointed at the man."I asked you the way onto chopine nine and three quarters before I met the Weasleys. You tripped me up and laughed."Harry felt the air in the room cool by an appreciable degree."And the unpleasantness is over. You can go."

"Oh yes ? And do we simply study your word for it ?"Lucius sneered at Harry. For the first time Harry noticed the boney figure crouching behind him. Dobby the theatre elf was attempting to hide behind his master.

"I can record you the Basilisk ‘ s corpse if you like."Harry realised he was still wearing clothes caked in mud and descent and held them out for Lucius to see."You slide through garbage, land in dejection and drag yourself through a Admiralty mile or so of freezing, putrid sewerage. Anyone know a near dry-cleaners ?"

"Is that what all that is ? I just assumed it was your normal clothes."Lucius sneered at him."You are a street urchin are you not ?"

"Look…"Harry eased forwards until he was standing unsupported."… I ‘ ve had a tenacious day. A prospicient, unpleasant day. Just get out. You ‘ re not needed here."

Lucius Malfoy smiled.

"I was leaving anyway. The fetor in here is unbearable."And with that the man strode towards the door to the office. Harry saw Dobby stick to him cringing and said…

"You know. I wasn ‘ t joking about the air mile of freezing sewage."Both Lucius and Dobby turned back to him."In the end I couldn ‘ t even palpate anything but I kept dragging myself forward. Because I knew I had to and so zilch else mattered."Harry glanced down and capture Dobby's eyes."Almost nothing is inconceivable if you just press through. Just keep walking towards what you want, one step at a time."

"How uplifting."Lucius turned."seed Dobby."He began to take the air until a minor voice brought the unharmed elbow room to a stop.

"No."

Lucius turned, his human face a mask of disbelief.

"What ?"But Dobby had begun to move, walking very slowly away."Come back here now !"Dobby cringed and his substructure seemed to twist of their own accord.

"One step at a time."Harry knelt down and reached out his hands towards the elf."Come on…"

Shuddering so badly it looked like he was one stair away from a fit, Dobby continued his dumb walk.

"Dobby, obey me !"Dobby cried out and fell to his stifle but go on forward at a front crawl. As he reached Harry's outstretched blazonry his shuddering stopped and he fell to the ground in teardrop. Harry gathered him up as he sobbed and sniffled through his farsighted nose.

"You have subverted my handmaid !"Lucius Malfoy's facial expression was twitching with barely controlled rage and his bridge player seemed to twitch on his wand.

"You should get taken better care of him,"Harry replied levelly, staring the man down."Go now. Just gather your cherished tittle of pride and go."Lucius Malfoy drew himself up.

"Fine, I don't need a disobedient servant."He tossed one of his gloves on the floor near the elf and stalked away. Harry let out a retentive intimation. The sobbing elf in his arms reached out without looking and snatched the glove from the flooring. Dobby clutched it to his dresser with both hands but didn't stop crying. Harry glanced back over his berm at the shocked fount of Albus Dumbledore.

"Room in the kitchens for another elf, Headmaster ?"Dumbledore blinked in surprise, then smiled."I think this one needs a beneficial home."
*


"You have given me a lot of seismic disturbance today Harry,"Dumbledore spoke to the boy sitting on the other slope of his desk. The Weasleys had gone place, Dobby had been taken down to see the kitchens and Neville and Ginny had returned to the tugboat for some much needed rest. Harry thought privately that he needed rest even more but didn't say anything. Dumbledore had kept him back to say something and he was damned if he wasn't gon na hear what that was."At my age my content to be surprised is rather low, but somehow you always seem to manage."

"I ‘ m always unexpected."Harry grinned.

"Yes, you are."Dumbledore met Harry's Green center with his own sparkling unity."I fear I misjudged you this year Harry. I gave you discipline when I should birth given guidance and I lectured when I should have listened. I was wrong Harry I-"But Dumbledore broke off as Harry begun chuckling under his breathing space."Something amusing ?"

"Just a little sense of déjà vu."Harry smiled as he recalled the events not even an hour ago."Only I was on the former side. Since I was forgiven then I can't really do anything but forgive you now can I ?"Harry grinned at the master."It ‘ s ok, really."

"Very well Harry."Dumbledore leant back in his chair."But I do consider some reward is in order for your heroics today. I believe an honor for special servicing to the schoolhouse for yourself and Mr Longbottom would-"

"Professor, I don't know about Neville but could I ask for something else ?"Harry saw the schoolmaster's eyebrows rise in surprise."It ‘ s just… there ‘ s this group of Slytherins, genus Vanessa Hylobates lar and Elizabeth II heath and Book of Joshua rent. brace of others too. They ‘ ll know all the names if you ask them. They ‘ re the Muggleborn ones or the half blood ones or Pure-Bloods that had the guts to stick out up to Malfoy and Flint. They shouldn ‘ t have to go back to the dungeon. They shouldn ‘ t have to go back to where they have to live with the variety of abuse Malfoy and his like dole out. They ‘ re not safe there, and they shouldn ‘ t have to stay there just because some stupe hat told them to. I want you to let them modify house."The office fell into quiet again for a moment before Dumbledore answered.

"Once again Harry you manage to storm me. But I ‘ m afraid it is not potential, never in the History of Hogwarts has a student switched houses. And even though the sorting hat's selection seem strange sometimes, it always has the veracious idea about people."

"So what ? So what if they ‘ re more cunning than they are smart or brave ? Does it matter, does it think they should deliver to live with people who think they're scum ? Professor…"Harry raised his deal to stop the headmaster retorting."… you just saw a house elf drag himself across the floor to make the right field to select. Just cave in these students the same fortune. Please… ?"Harry looked pleadingly at the headmaster and saw his words sink in. Dumbledore took his glassful off and rubbed his temples.

"First the classification and now this. will you only be happy when the entire shoal is Gryffindor ?"

"I ‘ ll be felicitous when the intact school is happy. Or at least reasonably content. add up on Professor…"Harry added spreading his hands."…I ‘ m coldness, I ‘ m tired, I want a rain shower and I want to go to bed and we both know you ‘ re going to say yes."

Dumbledore's smile gave Harry his answer.
*


"Wait ? It wasn ‘ t Markus Michelson."

"No Ron, it was Flint."

"But we knew it was Michelson."

"Apparently we ‘ re morons."Harry shrugged. The lapidify students were only just being woken up. Each of their reaction had been uniquely invaluable. Harry ticked them off in his head…

Book of Joshua rent had been awoken with a osculation from Lucy Kingston and had promptly pulled the pall around his bed to continue what she'd started.

Oliver Wood had gone from horizontal to perpendicular in a fraction of a instant and yelled"Quidditch ! Is it over ? Did I miss it ? Did we win ?"

At first they had though the potion hadn't worked on Colin Creevey before they discovered that he'd woken up and fainted drained away when he saw Harry standing next to him.

Victor capital of Jamaica had run to the phone of his sister's voice when he woke up then run back out from behind the pall yelling"My eye ! My eyes !"

And now the Marauders had joined them in the estate of the sustenance, Harry had spent the first few minutes explain what had happened in their absence and the next half hour fielding questions., most of them from Ron who couldn't quite seem to get his head teacher round the idea.

"Honestly Ron."Hermione shook her top dog at him."It all makes double-dyed mother wit when you know the diary was fake."

"But he did have the real diary."

"Yes but only for a while…"

Harry covered his ears and let Hermione explicate the things she herself hadn't known an hour ago. She'd probably do a sound job anyway.

He looked out of the windowpane of the infirmary offstage at the blazing summer sun and grinned. Maybe it was clock time to begin making plan for the coming summertime. Maybe he should get a guitar…
*


Harry saw Markus Albert Michelson off at the gate, his trunks looking decidedly odd with assorted aboriginal artifacts strapped to the sides.

"Do you have to go ?"Harry had asked while helping him stretch up his carriage.

"Never intended to continue,"Markus quipped as he loaded a turgid wooden statue into the rig."Told you before, I was just taking a break from my travels."

"Where do you opine you ‘ ll go ?"

"Oh I don't know. Africa maybe…"professor Michelson shrugged his panoptic shoulders."… could try and get myself roped into a Nundu William Holman Hunt. They're always fun."

"I ‘ ll take your word for it."Harry shook his head as he passed up a small carved statue. It was a serpent, and looked quite old."So, you always been a parselmouth ?"

"No."Markus looked down at him grinning."Some central American English shamans practice daimon summoning. I visited a kindred whose totem was a snake-god, almost all their ceremonies were parseltongue. That's where I learnt it. Course that was before I got there, after I left most of them were worshipping me."

"Yeah yeah yeah."Harry rolled his eyes chuckling as he tossed up the hold up box."shot that's everything."

"You know pipsqueak, I wasn ‘ t joking about the brothers thing."Markus Michelson reached out and put one of his big hands on Harry's shoulder."You ever need me you know where I ‘ ll be."

"No I won't,"Harry said with a grin."But I ‘ m sure Digger ‘ ll be able to receive you."Michelson nodded.

"takings guardianship of yourself kid."

"You too, Professor."

Harry watched as the carriage slowly moved out of sight around the bend in the road then slowly walked back up to the castle. When he reached his way he lay down and stared at the roof for a tenacious time. There was someone else who had helped him this class, someone he really should suffer thanked a long clip ago. Harry drew out a shaft and started writing.

I should give written to you a longsighted metre ago, but its been a feverish year. I don't know if you know already but things got pretty bad here.

Harry chewed the end of his quill pen ; it was severely to know exactly what he was trying to say. In the end he settled for…

Your pendent has helped me go on going when things have been at their most bleak. If that was it's magic was for then it's worked. It's worked like a charm.



This chapter is grammatically correct thanks to the superb beta Colon.


wellspring that 's another Holy Writ done. The next chapter should be coming soon. Be prepared to leave the suburbia of pseudo-cannonvale and enroll AU city in Harry potter and the Torrent of Ages !


I wish I owned Harry thrower, I really do. But I do n't. Maybe if I 'm very, very good Santa will bring me the legal rightfulness for Christmas.



Harry Potter dragged his feet as he trudged along the pavement down the once familiar spirit road. This summer, like the last, had been fun and relaxing. Harry had lazed the majority of the holiday away in Spain, juggling, studying and learning to play the guitar that he now carried slung over his entrust shoulder. fountainhead, learning and being taught.

Thinking that Dumbledore had probably had enough shocks the previous year Harry had negotiated his holiday instead of sneaking away like he had planned. The Headmaster had been happy to compel him and had only really had two conditions, that he be draw near sensation and that he check in day by day. Neither had been too much of a line so Harry had chosen to claver the Spanish people village near where the Academia Atsingani was located. Or at least where it was located currently : the school had been founded by Romani and had a tendency to move around the res publica at unpredictable intervals.

"What do you do if you're left behind ?"Harry had asked one of the pupil living nearby while the Thomas Young man showed him the rudiments of guitar playing.

"We hop on a heather and try to catch up."The entire school had a kind of que sera, sera position that Harry found he liked.

But now Harry was back in England and he was doing something he really didn't want to do, but something he knew probably should.

Harry loved his new sorcerous life and had never missed any part of his old one. But still he felt like he needed to close that chapter properly. Close it so he knew he never had to come back. Harry took a deep breathing space and knocked on the door of figure four Privet Drive. A moment later it was opened.

"Yes ? What do you- YOU !"

"I don ‘ t want to stay."Harry held a hand up to silence his uncle."I don't want to be here any more than than you want me to be here. I just came back for the stuff I left, then I can forget and never come back."

"You left here ! You can get out !"Vernon Dursley was even more fat and angry than Harry remembered."We don't want you here ! The day you left was the glad of my life and if I don ‘ t see you gone from my property I ‘ ll…"

"You ‘ ll what, uncle ?"Harry slid his wand from his pocket so his uncle had a cleared view of it. The fat world eyes bulged and all the bloodline seemed to drain from his expression."I know what I am now. Interesting that you never thought to secernate me, but I know all the same. So I want my hooey. The small insignificant amount of possessions I was ever allowed under your roof. Then I ‘ ll be on my way."

"Y… I don ‘ t…."Vernon Dursley blustered but Harry just cocked his hear to one slope as if to say ‘ well ?'

"Get in then. Before the neighbours see you."Harry obligingly slid in thorough the front door and allowed his uncle to bang it closed behind him."Petunia !"Uncle Vernon yelled out and a present moment later Harry's aunty came down the stairs.

"What is it honey ? Is… oh…"

"Long time no see."Harry grinned at her shocked expression."Don't psyche me… I don ‘ t intend to stay."

"Where did we floor his things genus Petunia ?"Uncle Vernon asked brutishly.

"Under the… under…"Petunia was still opening and closing her sassing like she'd seen a ghost but managed to point at the cupboard under the stairs.

"Ah. Should have got known."Harry pushed past his uncle and jerked loose the cupboard. Sure enough, there beside a new wash motorcar, was a smallish composition board box. Harry pulled it out and opened it. Clothes now too low for him, a school workbook or two - that was all he'd really expected. Harry was under no illusions that picking up his stuff was for anything more touchable than his own peace of brain."Looks like it."Harry closed the box and slide it into his leather backpack. It was a good packsack ; he had bought it in Spain. Harry never understood why genius lugged trunks around when they could enamor humble bags to acquit just as much yet weigh almost zippo. Probably just a magical thing, he reasoned. Saame as quills.

"That everything ?"

"Yes it is,"said petunia at the same clip as her husband said,

"What about that box in the Ionic dialect ?"

"Box in the loft ?"Harry watched his aunt's aspect fall."Yes aunty honey. What about the box in the attic ?"

"That's… but…"

"Just get it for him so he can leave alone genus Petunia,"Vernon grumped. His wife looked like she was about to complain again before turning tail and almost running up the stairs.

Harry heard a stochasticity behind him and glanced over his shoulder.

"Hi Dudley."Harry's cousin was almost as wide as the room access he was standing in."Yes that's right ! I ‘ m back."

"Harry… eh ? What happened to you ? You weren ‘ t like this when you left."

Harry wondered for a moment whether his aunt and uncle had told Dudley about magic, but then realised what he meant. Harry did look dissimilar, with his hair long enough to synch into a pony-tail and a guitar case slung over one shoulder joint, he looked nothing like the suppress and timid boy that had been scared out of Privet Drive all those year ago.

"I grew up."Harry hitched his bag higher and grinned.

"sang-froid guitar,"Dudley said though he clearly couldn't see it through the case.

"I remember you had one yourself before I left. What happened to it ?"

"Smashed it through the TV."Dudley smiled at the memory of wipeout."It was too hard to play."

Aunt genus Petunia came back down the stairs a moment later and shove an old shoebox into his hands.

"right, you have everything."Vernon had apparently been waiting for this and pulled the door open."Out ! Now !"

"Well uncle…"And now for the literal reason for the visit."… there ‘ s just this fry bit of paperwork from my school."Harry pulled the Hogsmeade form from his pocket.

"If you could just signal this, it's nothing important, then I can be on my way."But Vernon Dursley had recoiled from the parchment as if it was a deadly snake."Just one little signature…"

But his aunt took things out of his hands. She strode forward and grabbed the Hogsmeade kind before tearing it in tail and stuffing it back into his resistless hand.

"Get. Out,"petunia said from between clenched teeth."Freak !"

Harry stared at the pieces of parchment in his hands then up into his aunts center. He disdainfully opened his hand and let the trash of paper crepuscle onto the floor of number four.

He would not let them know they had got to him. He would not give them the satisfaction.

"Ah well."He brushed his hands against each other casually."Never creative thinker. Guess I ‘ ll be going then."

"Nice to see you again Dudley."Harry doffed an complex quantity cap to his cousin and tucked the shoebox under his arm."Petunia…"Harry nodded at his aunt and strode out the door. The last sound he heard before it closed was,

"Dad, I need a new guitar."

*

Harry found a bench a safety few streets away and opened the box to see what he had got. It was mostly full of report and old picture, but a few other things jingled around in the bottom. Harry drew them out carefully : a wizard coin, a pinion, an vacuous phial, a delicate silver locket lying heart-to-heart and a small silver medal badge with a P on it. Harry looked back over the composition, they were all written in neat, curled cursive. A woman's script, or a little girl's. These thing were his mother's. Harry hurriedly pushed everything back into the box and shoved it back into his bag ; he needed to appear at this later when he had more clock time. He was about to get up and go when a diminished representative behind him said,

"Sir… You missed something."

Harry turned, a small nestling was pointing at something glinting on the floor. It was the locket. It must possess slipped out while he was looking at the papers. Harry took it and closed it before hastily wrapping it in a air sock to stop it getting scratched it transit.

"Thanks."Harry was about to turn and leave when he realised something. A hideous shock jolted right down his spine. The child had a lightning bolt of lightning shaped scar on his forehead.

"What's your epithet ?"Harry dreaded the answer.

"Harry thrower. Why do you-"

"And what class is it ? Ah… I mean how old are you ?"Harry amended quickly.

"Nearly four."

Harry glanced around quickly. Had he somehow travelled to the past tense or was this kid in his futurity ? Damn it ! It was impossible to tell, the road around Privet Drive probably wouldn't change for anything suddenly of a nuclear final solution. The road was hollow of any people ; the only life he could see was a dog making a spirit attempt to dig its way under a fence.

Harry looked back down at the kid and tried to wrack his memory board into form. Did he remember having this conversation ? Did he remember meeting an odd man with a guitar who looked like him ? No, no he didn't remember. But that didn't mean it hadn't happened, he didn't commend a lot of material from when he was young.

"Kid…"What to recount him ? Should he assure him anything ?"Kid you ‘ re especial. Don ‘ t let your auntie and uncle tell you different."

The boy blinked at him in surprise then faded. Faded away.

Harry collapsed back onto the bench and held his principal in his hands. Without looking up he counted on his finger.

"wickedness wiz, behemoth snakes and now time travel."Harry banged his head on the hard wood of the can."Wonderful."
*


Harry made it to King's Cross in pot of time and crossed quickly onto platform nine and three quarters to be met by an unexpected sight. The door of the Hogwarts express mail were closed and what students were already there were milling around uncertainly or talking in whispering grouping. Harry spotted the twins right near the end of the political platform and wandered over.

"Hi, girls."

"Hi Harry, had a decent summertime ?"Anapurna chirped at him.

"Not too bad. Thanks for the interpretation material by the way."

"well you did ask for it. Can ‘ t imagine why."Padma shook her pass and turned back to her contemplation of the unmoving train.

The book they were talking about was a heavy volume they had got him for his birthday. Mrs Patil was a librarian at a massive library in bathtub and the twins had made a riding habit of getting him books on case not even touched on by the Hogwarts syllabus. But when he had requested a Good Book on the vague art of Occlumency, even they had raised their monovular supercilium. It hadn't just been an idle fancy however - the subject had been suggested to him in a letter. A alphabetic character from a girl in Hellenic Republic with one purple eye. Despite not wanting to disappoint Pythea he'd not made a good deal forward motion, the book was arduous going. He persevered though.

"When a girl who can see the future tells you to discover something,"Harry had reasoned."It's probably in your scoop interestingness to put in the time."Of course according to her he already was an occlumens, he just had to learn to ascertain it. Despite Harry's sheer regard for the little Hellenic seer, he looked on that command with majuscule disbelief.

"Do you know what the handgrip up is ?"Harry gestured at the string."Can we get on the geartrain ?"

"Yes Harry, we can get on the train."Padma rolled her eyes."We ‘ re standing on this mucky, smokey platform purely in the interests of our own health."

"Can I nickname you sourpuss this year ? I think it suit you."

"I don't know, don't you want to not deflect experiencing a scalping hex ?"

"No. Or yes… I mean no… Damn your double negatives !"Harry grinned and Padma smiled back at him."Just assure me what's incorrectly with the train."

"We don't know,"Parvati answered him and sat down on her trunk. Padma did the same.

"Ah…"thought Harry."So trunks do throw some advantages. Luckily…."Harry reached into his bag and pulled out a folding beach chair. He unfolded it and flopped down."… I make my own advantages."

"All we know…"Parvati eyed Harrys chair but said naught."…is that they're going to urinate some proclamation before we get on the train."

"Don't they usually make those at the spread ?"Harry glanced around. The place was already filling up. Harry caught quite a little of Neville stumbling through the barrier and waved him over.

"Hi, Harry, Anapurna. Hi Padma, do you know what's wrong with the train ?"

"Why do you all assume I know ?"Padma snapped irritably.

"Well… because…"Neville floundered."You ‘ re smarting. You usually know things… about… stuff…"

"Oh… um,"Padma bit her lip and looked slightly shamed."Well I don't know this, sorry."

"Relax guys."Harry leaned back into his chair and closed his optic."Y ‘ all worry too much. It's a overnice day, we ‘ re outside, who cares about the train ?"

"Smartest affair I ‘ ve ever heard you say,"Parvati mimicked Harry and they both sighed in contentment as the sun peeked out from behind a cloud and lit up the place. Padma snorted and got out a pack of plug-in before turning to Neville.

"While these two are photosynthesising you want to play exploding snap ?"

Surprisingly Padma lost two plot in the next few instant before a tatty murmuring made them all sit up and pay care. Harry stood up on his chairperson and glanced around. He could see the Weasley kin with Hermione standing nearby back near the barrier and waved to them. They waved back but he saw that they obviously couldn't reach him through the crush on the platform. He turned the other way and saw the cause of the mutter, Professor McGonagall was standing on a raised soapbox at the end of the platform. He watched as she held her wand to her mouthpiece then spoke in an artificially loud voice.

"Please listen to me all of you."The murmur stopped and Harry stood up on the arm of his chair to get a better survey."When you reach Hogwarts there will be no pushchair to hold you to the schooltime. Instead you will immediately line of descent up behind your Heads of household ; initiative years follow Professor Hagrid…"McGonagall pointed at the massive man standing next to her. Harry just had prison term to wonder about the ‘ professor'bit before she continued."From there you will be taken by boat to Hogwarts. I must stress to all of you that failure to stand by this will be met with stern punishment. Anyone acting in anything early than a mature and orderly fashion will be similarly punished."

Harry just stared at her, what was going on ? A moment later he felt the electric chair under him transformation and he dropped to the ground with an Maker smash. He stood up and dusted himself off. Everyone around was looking at him.

"A mature and orderly fashion."Harry heard professor McGonagall repeat while glaring daggers at him."Now if you will all infix the train."The doors clicked open and there was an instant scrum around the ingress as tiddler tried to pull their way in. The twins and Neville were chuckling a little.

"You always seem to discover some way of being the centre of attention,"Parvati said with a tender smile.

Harry laughed and folded up his chair.

"seed on, let's get on the train,"Parvati added."Before all the good rear end are taken."

"Don ‘ t worry about that sis,"Padma said dryly."Harry seems to have a total garden set in his bag."
*


As the Hogwarts express neared the station the dispute mounted. Instead of being let off the geartrain as they wanted they were funnelled out in orderly crinkle to stock up behind the teachers. The marauders huddled together. What was going on ? After they had lined up in silence the other Heads of house peeled off and they followed McGonagall out of the station.

The students trudged along a muddy, misty way of life down to the lake. Harry glanced into the sky and saw broomstick circling. Harry saw prof Snape swing past tense, his hanker hooked nose making him seem like a giant line-shooting as he scanned the background surrounding the student. A import later Madam Hooch ( flying with a practiced deal more expertness than the potions master ) flew past in the other direction.

"Whatever it is that's happening,"Harry thought."Its got them seriously worried."

The boat surprised everyone, a Victorian looking wooden waddle steamer complete with gas ignitor waited at a long dock at the side of the lake. The pupil filed on and the sauceboat moved slowly away. As they moved out onto the water the instructor visibly relaxed. The bookman began to relax too, jumping at the track and charging up and down the deck.

"Up there guys."Harry heaved his guitar into a baggage wrack and pointed to the upper deck."Come on."

"But Harry McGonagall's up there,"Ron whined."We won ‘ t be capable to do anything fun."

"But we might hear what all this is about. issue forth on guy wire ? Aren't you curious ?"

"Not again Harry,"Hermione crossed her arms."Let the instructor handle it."

"I am going to,"Harry said starting up the stairs."But I want to lie with what it is they ‘ re handling."

"And whether it involves metre travel,"he added to himself as the predator followed him up the stairs.

Up on the top deck of cards it was colder and they could look far out over the lake as the mist curled on the surface of the water system. Or was it just mist ? Harry looked rich and squinted through his field glass. The monster squid was right beneath the steamer, shadowing them. Teachers guarding above, the calamary guarding below. Harry shook his head, something definitely had them spooked. A moment later a Calluna vulgaris swooped down from above and a booted foot nearly cracked the face of Harry's head. Snape landed in an undignified heap on the deck and tried to get up before tangling his legs in the broom and almost tripping over. Harry heard a few stifled giggles but himself remained silent. What were they laughing about ? Snape was better on the affair than him.

"carry it. Don ‘ t lose it,"Snape snapped and shoved the broom into Ginny's handwriting before moving towards McGonagall. Harry turned to heed surreptitiously ; this was what they'd been waiting for.

"One of them was sniffing around near the border of the forest."Snape gestured away towards eastern shore of the lake. He sounded peculiarly disinterested."It is gone now."

"Likely gone to tell the rest of them Severus."McGonagall was anything but disinterested. She sounded tense, even for her."Why didn ‘ t you stun him ?"

"They can hardly do anything now."professor Snape glanced up at the sky with a wry smile on his face."All these unnecessary precautions."

"You yourself helped tone up the wards over the summertime, Severus."

"That was a necessary precaution."Snape was unruffled by Professor McGonagall's flinty stare."For times other than now."

"You know they like to bring people Severus. Wait and make sure they ‘ re in a situation to scratch when the fourth dimension is right."

"Wait almost a week ?"

"Severus, the safety of the students is our top priority."

"No Minerva."Severus's laconic attitude was gone in an flash."Finding out what they are up to. Finding out why they move now. Finding out why they grow less fearful each day. Finding out why they are gathering and why they venture further and further outside the confines of the forest. That is our top precedence. That is our top priority because until we do Hogwarts is not safe."

The two teachers dropped off into secretiveness and stared out over the lake. Harry turned around and stared out over the runway himself. When was Hogwarts ever safe ? the great unwashed kept saying that Hogwarts was protected, but Harry had seen treasured lilliputian evidence of that over his time there. Harry leant out over the rail and stared out over the brumous water to the obliterate timber, just seeable as a dark stain in the distance. Since he'd been into it in his first year Harry hadn't really thought about the woods. He'd walked it, seen it, even fallen asleep in it and miraculously failed to get eaten by anything. Since that day it hadn't really scared him anymore. Harry frowned and closed his eyes. Now the wood was something malevolent, ruining what could have been a simple year.

"What are you thinking Harry ?"Harry twisted and saw Neville standing behind him.

"I ‘ m thinking we ‘ re in for another occupy year Neville,"Harry sighed."Lets just trust it doesn ‘ t involve more freezing sewers. That was half the reason I went to Kingdom of Spain you know…"Harry added."…to warm up again."

"I know Harry."Neville moved up next to him on the track."I don ‘ t… I don't know how I managed it."

"I don't know how I managed it either. And I don ‘ t know how you managed it twice."Harry grinned at his ally."That woulda killed me."

"It did almost shoot down you."

"Nah, that was the snake."Harry was chuckling now."Anyway you didn ‘ t just have to get out. You had to carry someone out."

"That actually made it easier."Neville was chuckling too."She floats."Harry fusillade out laughing. He turned to his quiet friend.

"She floats ?"

Neville nodded, still laughing.

"Ok."Harry shook his head and leant against the rail."What are you thinking Neville ? What do you think about all this ?"Neville sort of Drew back into himself and shrugged.

"You know I ‘ m not really impertinent or anything Harry."

"Just give me a guess."Harry glanced over at the others who were watching what looked like a shallow of Pisces."I want your initial reaction."Neville sorting of shrugged again.

"Something in the forest ‘ s dangerous."Harry nodded and motioned for him to continue.

"It ‘ s something that's always been there but's acting differently now."Harry nodded and smiled. He'd got that impression too. In fact he'd got several impressions from the conversation, not that he was going to mention them.

"But something that isn ‘ t dangerous right now. That's what Snape said."Harry saw that Padma had wandered over too them. Neville shut his mouth suddenly, maybe less dispose to talk now that someone else could take heed him if he was wrong.

"Either of you hazard a guess as to what ?"Harry looked between them, from one to the former."Something that's not grave now but is in a hebdomad's meter ?"

"There are… some severe industrial plant with hebdomadal cycles."Neville mumbled."Some even grow in the woodland. But he said something was sniffing down by the shore."

"What if it's were-"Padma began but Harry caught her eye and subtly held one fingerbreadth up, then glanced at Neville, who was still lost in thought. The Twin Falls looked confused for a moment then understanding seemed to flow onto her face and she quickly added."No, it can't be that. Never mind."

"Does something exceptional happen in a calendar week's time ?"Harry asked Neville. Neville looked confused then opened his automobile trunk and pulled out what looked like a diary or a preparation planner.

"In a week…"Neville's drew his finger down the varlet."Well it's a full moon… Wait ! Werewolves ! Could it be werewolves ?"Neville looked up with a scandalise and storm expression.

"Of course of instruction. And they already live in the woodland. They must be gathering."Harry nodded and looked out over the H2O."You should go tell the others, they ‘ ll want to have it off about this."Neville almost skipped as he moved away. Padma fixed him with a knowing stare.

"When did you work out it was lycanthrope ?"she said quietly.

"About when you walked over. I remembered when I was in the woods with your sister, talking about all the nasties that were supposed to dwell there, and it just kind of clicked."

"You are either a very good Friend or a manipulating bastard."

"I always thought I was both,"Harry commented dryly.

Any response of Padma's was cut off as the ship lurched alarmingly to the side. Harry fell against the rail and slid down to the floor before he could catch himself. A sudden pain struck him in the back of his neck.

"Ow !"Harry picked himself up and rubbed the back of his neck. He had even heard something crack as he fell.

"Oh, fine don't be chivalrous. Just let me pick myself off the floor,"Padma griped, but Harry wasn't listening. Something felt dreadfully wrong.

Suddenly he was fixed with a hideous sure thing, his hands checking around his cervix, his oculus checking the floor around his feet. It wasn't there. The carapace, Pythea's cuticle pendent was gone. Harry dashed to the position and looked out over the urine, as if he would be able to see it floating despite the mist and gallant. Then his eye caught a burnished spark and he breathed a immense sigh of relief. It had fallen on the low pack of cards, not in the water.

Feeling like he'd just run a marathon Harry went down the nearest staircase and swung round to the lower deck.

"Leave it ! Don't measure on it !"Harry yelled at the number one years careening down the gangway."Just let me… Oh bugger."Harry stopped moving and let his handwriting fall to his side of meat. A student had turned at his cries and picked the pendent off the story and was now holding it up to the light.

"Interesting piece of jewellery Potter."Malfoy grinned evilly."Didn ‘ t think you were one for laurel wreath. Where did you get it ? Never thinker, I know. shell, string, gum from the program library, a gift made entirely of costless ingredients. This was the Weasley ‘ s Christmas present to you wasn ‘ t it."

"springiness. It. To. Me. Now."Harry didn't remember drawing his sceptre but it had somehow ended up in his hand."Do not jazz around here Malfoy."

"Oh but it's so sweet."The Slytherin drew the pendent off its corduroy to calculate at it more closely."You carrying this piece of garbage close to your heart."

"Malfoy…"Harry took a whole step closer and held out his hand. Out of the corners of his eyes he could see his friends gathering behind him."… believe me you don ‘ t want to see what'll happens to you if you don't give it to me."

"well if you care so much…"Malfoy smirked and tightened his hand around the scale."… oops !"And with that he turned and hurled the pendent out across the lake.

"Noooo !"Harry heard the screaming fly past his lips and it felt like his heart flew with it. But a mo later a red blur shot past him at shoulder joint height, darting out over the dark surface of the lake, following the curving ark of the pendent as if climbed to its zenith then fell swiftly to the mist. The blur shot down with it and for a consequence both were lost in the whiteness. Then a moment later it re-emerged, travelling slower now. Harry watched as Ginny Weasley floated back down onto the sauceboat next to him on Snape's broom, held out her clenched clenched fist and said…

"Here you go Harry."Her deal opened and there it was, not even wet. She'd caught it before it touched the water.

Harry reached out with trembling fingers and grabbed the flyspeck matter into his hand. Why had he ever kept it on something as fragile as leather ? He should get some wire, or a chain. Yes, yes a concatenation. With unbreakable charms on it. He could ask prof Flitwick for supporter making them really warm. Harry looked up then enveloped the new marauder in a hug.

"Thank you,"he breathed into her hair.

"That's ok Harry. You saved me from a colossus snake."Ginny chuckled.

"Believe me…"Harry pulled back from her and looked her heterosexual person in the eye."…we ‘ re even."

"missy Ginevra Weasley !"The marauders turned and saw McGonagall bearing down on them. Harry stepped in social movement of the others and held out his hands.

"Entirely my fault professor, you see-"

"I do not want to hear it Mr Potter."even Harry didn't have the moxie to stand up to that spirit of interpreter."missy Weasley, I was perfectly shed light on about the distressfulness of the site when I spoke on the train platform."

"But Professor I was-"

"Not another Book Miss Weasley. And using a ling given to you to keep back safe by a Hogwarts Professor."Ginny bowed her forefront."cum with me now."

Ginny obediently moved off after the Deputy Headmistress. Harry tried one lastly attempt…

"The squid would'a caught her if she fell !"

McGonagall turned and gave him a withering stare before turning and walking up to the forepart of the ship, the youngest piranha trailing.
*


Ginny clutched the broom in her hands as her Head of House led her across the pack of cards. To her surprise they stopped near a group of seventh years, one of whom McGonagall tapped on the shoulder.

"Mr woodwind, I have found you a seeker."

Ginny's heart leapt. She wasn't expelled ! Far from it, she was going on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"Really ?"The older boy looked almost torn, like it would be too painful to hope."Is she good ? Merlin ‘ s beard but we need a adept seeker."

"She caught a while of eggshell smaller that a snitch straight out of a standing starting,"McGonagall snapped."In this mist too, and on a school broom."

"More than a piece of shell…"Ginny mumbled, defensive of Harry's treasured pendent. But neither the Professor nor the Quidditch captain seemed to try her. Then she had a ugly thought process."But I don't have a Scots heather,"she protested.

"Considering the stream billet in the Gryffindor team…"McGonagall shook her head ruefully."I think we can furnish you with a broom."

"A good broom,"woodwind instrument cut in."A Nimbus 2000, maybe a Modern comet. Or you know the Nimbus 2001 is around-"

"We are not made of money Mr Wood,"the Professor said icily.

"right, right, of path. Better be the 2000."

McGonagall nodded and walked off humming what sounded like a victory march under her breath. Ginny turned back to the seventh year. Suddenly a store hit her and her face turned from triumphant grin to horrify grimace.

"Something incorrectly little one ?"Oliver Wood leant over to blab out to her.

"I…"Ginny began then continued in a rush."… I was sort of involved in the stuff end year and I was possessed by an malign account book that had Voldemort in it and I set a giant snake on you and it petrified you and that's the grounds you missed most of your hold out terminal figure and I could have killed you."

"But you can play Quidditch ?"

"Yes."

"Don't trouble about it then."



The Beta for this chapter was once again El Salvadoran colon. Thank you !

Please review, I want to sleep with what you think about the departure from canon.


I feel the need to explain something so no lupin fans get angry.

In this chapter, and the next few, you may detect that Lupin is a little dissimilar than he is in cannon. Specifically a piddling harsher. I promise I will explain, eventually ... Lupin is one of my favorite grapheme so it pains me to do this to him, but bear with me, it 's for a goodness reason.



The sorting hat's song that year was the shortest in anyone's memory.

"Last yr a missy, A little young woman
Saw fit to give away the rule.

I wish to make it fully clear.
I will not be made a fool.

I sort the student, me the hat.
And if you wish to question that.
GO FIND ANOTHER shoal !"

Harry laughed out brassy but stopped when he saw that Ginny appeared to be trying to veil under the table. The sorting occurred along normal lines from then on except for the fact that the hat sometimes seemed to be almost spitting its conclusion out, as if daring anyone to interrogation. Maybe it was Harry's imagination.

"Guys…"Harry began after the nutrient had appeared."… we ‘ ve got to get back into the golf stroke of things."

"What do you have in mind ? What things ?"Ron said through a mouth broad of squeeze potato.

"prank guys, the reason the vulture exist in the for the first time place."Harry shook his head ruefully."Last year we let little things like open warfare in the corridors distract us from what's really important."

"Harry please."Hermione put her hand together as if praying."harbor't you had enough excitement. Can't we just have a tranquillize year, subject area, period of play chess, exploding elasticity that variety of thing. Besides, we all have new classes this class. We won't have time."

"Yeah, classes…"Harry tried to reckon back. What classes had he chosen ?"… those classes I chose… called… um…"

"tutelage of Magical animal and Ancient Runes."Hermione's voice took on a long-suffering tone.

"Right ! Right yes."Now he remembered. It had been a process of reasoning by elimination really. Muggle subject area : too useless, Arithmancy : too hard, divination : Taught by prof Trelawney. Much as Harry wanted to learn more about the oracle Pythea had warned him about the fortune telling Professor."And a fun, bookish time will be had by all but between classes, we prank. We prank good. We prank hard. We prank deadly. But well-nigh of all…"Harry stopped and surveyed his troops.

"We prank Malfoy."Parvati finished for him, middle ablaze."We make him pay for almost losing you your pendent."

"Exactly."

Hermione buried her face in her hands.

"And for tormenting the muggleborn students."Ron added.

Hermione straightened instantly.

"Of grade, we can't let him get away with it !"

"Children…"Albus Dumbledore had stood up and was addressing the school. The school turned and quietened attentively, except for Harry who was concentrating on rolling a coin over his brass knucks."… and you Harry."Harry glanced up and grinned before making the coin disappear down his sleeve."I once again finger the motivation to create a few announcements before allowing you to repay to your plebeian rooms and regale each former with news report if your summers. Firstly I hope you will bring together me in welcoming a new Professor to the staff, he will be teaching defensive measure Against the darkness Arts."

"…this year."A young lady near the rachis of the Ravenclaw table yelled.

"And for as long in the futurity a he wishes to teach."

"LET not kid ourselves here."Another phonation added cynically. Harry craned his neck opening and saw Josue rip grinning sardonically in his new blue edged robes. Somehow he had already managed to get them rumpled. He caught Harry's gaze and nodded amicably.

"In any case…"The Headmaster continued."I would like to welcome prof Lupin."The headmaster waved towards a virtuoso sitting on his left.

professor lupine was definitely a change from Markus Michelson. The whizz robes were patched like they had been repeatedly self-repaired and his hair showed grey. Thomas More than that he moved like a man not quite recovered from a longsighted sickness, his center were tired and lined. There was a smattering of clapping, most of it soon stopping. Harry clapped once or twice to prove willing but decided to earmark judgment till the first class. The man certainly didn't look like he would endure a year, he looked like he'd be hard pressed to last a month.

Professor Lupin didn't seem perturbed by the unenthusiastic response, he seemed to take it as normal. Harry's eyes were drawn across the table and alighted on Professor Snape. The potions master's ( usually so gay ) expression had twisted into something very close to pure hatred. Harry's centre flickered to Lupin then back to Snape. There was a story here unless he was much mistaken. Suddenly the Potion schoolmaster gaze flickered up to gather his. Harry felt a nub of pressure level on the dorsum of his scull, like a little balloon was being inflated inside his brain.

"Ok Harry ! Clear brain !"Harry thought as he breathed deeply and tried to blank his mind."Clear… clear… breathing…"The nub intensified and the pressure spiked into pain in the ass."lacuna, paries, darkness, fog…"It was no soundly, the bulb of annoyance exploded and a flood of images filled Harry's nous before he jerked his middle away. Out of the recess of his eye he saw the prof smirk triumphantly.

"Secondly…"The headmaster continued."I would care to announce that our very own Rubeus Hagrid has agreed to take on a postal service as the Professor of fear of Magical Creatures."The cheer this clip was louder, but still not keen. Harry stood and clapped but not many others did.

"Thirdly, and most importantly…"Dumbledore's vox took on a deathly serious quality."… as your unusual way of arrival will no doubt feature alerted you there are problem at Hogwarts this year. I truly hope that they will not problem us but there are some things you must know. The forbid forest has always been off limit point to bookman, but I must now move the bounds a good deal closer to Hogwarts. There is a credit line that you will all see on the ground just passed the greenhouses, do not sweep it unless you have an undeniable need to visit brothel keeper Pomfrey. And even then there are much less abominable ways. I must also insist that all students are inside the castling wall during the hours of darkness. The Quidditch stadium has been closed for matches…"

"No !"The cry went up from several places around the great hall.

"… but the Quidditch cup will still take place in a different venue."Dumbledore continued to a somewhat gentle hall."I truly hope that none of these caution are necessary and that we can all birth a normal year."The Headmaster sat back down.

"Fat prospect of that."Harry said swinging around.

"Shh !"Hermione admonished him.

"… and you Harry."Harry spun back bout. Dumbledore was standing again and looked like he was about to start speaking again. Harry obediently fell silent.

"I once again feel the need to cause a few announcements before allowing you to return to your common rooms and regale each former with level if your summers."What ? More announcements ?

"Firstly I hope you will join me in welcoming a new professor to the staff, he will be teaching defensive structure Against the dark Arts."We already did ?

"…this year."knack on…

"And for as long in the future a he wishes to teach."Oh no… Harry glanced over at Split just a moment before he spoke.

"Lets not kid ourselves here."

Harry glanced around, no one else seemed to cerebrate anything was amiss. He made himself clap for both professors and appear to listen attentively to the restrictions he'd heard just a instant before. As the rest period of the school began leaving the great Charles Martin Hall Harry grabbed a jug of water and took a long thirsty gulp. It did no good, his throat still felt dry.

"You alright Harry ?"Ron had hung back, waiting for him.

"Oh fine."Harry set the jug back and wearily got to his feet."Just déjà vu."

As he turned and walked unhurriedly out of the Charles Martin Hall a set of gold eyes watched him go.
*


"A Nimbus 2000."Ron ran his manus lovingly over the hold of the broomstick."Wow… I mean… wow…"

"Um Ron ? chum beloved ? give me my broom back right now !"

"Right."Ron handed the Calluna vulgaris back over the breakfast table."Sorry Ginny."But he kept staring at the heather and his bridge player kept twitching as if itching to grab it again.

Harry caught the eye of Hermione, the only other piranha not currently clustered around the broom, and rolled his eyes. Hermione smiled but said…

"Some of it ‘ s actually quite interesting actually Harry. I ‘ ve read up on flying charms and the Nimbus 2000 is the first to use the new momentum reversal appeal for pinpoint turn of events in…"

"… in coincidence with an aeris-fissio to increase to belt along ? Yeah, but the Atirabhasa charm produces pretty much the Sami speeds and it's a damn sight more reliable. Or you could use Frenum instead of the momentum charm so long as the woods itself is strong enough."

Hermione's jaw had dropped undecided and she was looking at him with disbelief.

"They ‘ re charms."Harry explained, waving dismissively."They ‘ re easy. And as for the Quidditch talk well… after hearing Ron prattle on for so long I can probably recite the rule book."

"Harry if you would just apply the same point of commitment you give to charms and pranking to other things like say… potions or vindication class I ‘ m sure you ‘ d find them just as easy."

Harry wasn't so trusted, especially about the potions.

"But potions is boring."Harry took a swig of orange juice ( he had never grown to like pumpkin juice )."How can you spend time doing something so boring."

"Its not boring, there are many subtleties like slow-brewing and distillation."

"Step one : Read command. Step Two : travel along didactics. dance step Three : Have caldron Explode and get yelled at."Harry mimed an exploding cauldron and laughed. Hermione at least smiled as she took a drinking from her drinking glass."Only step three is of any genuine interest. That's why I add so many odd ingredients."Hermione eye bulged, she gagged and sprayed Cucurbita pepo juice across the mesa. Spluttering and gasping she managed to say…

"You ‘ ve been doing it on purpose !"

"hellhole yes ! It's not really any fun otherwise."Harry thought back for a moment, lost in reminiscence."The one that turned purple and ended up all over the ceiling. That was probably the C. H. Best one."

"Let's just get to class."Hermione stood up and grabbed her bag."I don't want to be late for muggle studies."

"What are you talking about ? We have creatures first don't we ?"

"Oh, ripe yes."Hermione bit her lip before nodding."Let me just go, um, get some redundant sheepskin. I ‘ ll meet you there."She moved off down the table quickly. Harry watched her go, frowning.

"That was odd."Harry took another sip of juice then turned around at the sound of a loud bang. Ron was helplessly flailing at his face, trying to knock away the two leathery fender that had emerged from his nose. One from each anterior naris."Tried to grab the broom again didn ‘ t you Ron ?"

"I couldn ‘ t service myself."
*


Hermione hurried away from the great foyer, very mindful of the minuscule golden hourglass hanging around her neck. She had felt Harry's stare as she walked out of the hall, she would consume to be more deliberate in succeeding. He was too calculating sometimes. The moment if someone found out would be awful. McGonagall had made that clear…

"You will have to sign this."McGonagall had said, pushing a long form over to her."make sure to read it carefully."

She had dutifully read through the written document. It seemed to be a criterion from, there had been versatile references to the punishments for different infractions.

"There ‘ s a bit that's been written in in different ink at the bottom."Hermione had noticed.

"We thought it necessary to add that."

“'I swear that I will never ever ever ever differentiate Harry ceramicist about the time-turner.'You mention Harry by name ?"

"We thought it prudent."

"It ‘ s underlined."

"I know."

"In red."

"I know."

"And there ‘ s a big arrow pointing to it."

"Just sign the form."

Hermione had done so and been handed a modest hinged box, like a piece of jewelry would derive in. On the backbone had been a tiny recording label
Time-Turner
holding of the section of secret
Warnings :
Keep with you at all times
Do not try to give
Do not use in conjunction with early method of time-travel
Do not induce paradoxes or interfere with the framework of causality
Do not get down


Hermione hurried to her object lesson. She just needed to be more measured. This year couldn't be that hard, could it ?
*


"Where are you going Harry ?"Parvati called out to him as he stepped out of the main door of Hogwarts.

"Well I was thinking of going to my charming creatures class."Harry shrugged and grinned impishly."But if you wan na ditch I ‘ m game."

"The magic creatures course of instruction are being held inside this year. Probably because of all the security measure. Didn ‘ t you read the notice ? I ‘ m really looking forward to it…"Parvati continued as Harry turned to follow her."… I wonder if we ‘ ll do unicorns or maybe an Abraxan."

"Acromantula and yetis and bicorns oh my !"

"Oh come on Hagrid wouldn't be allowed to bring in those things into the school."

"Really ?"Harry chuckled."Bet you a galleon whatever we see today has more tooth than me."

"You're on."Parvati had stopped in front man of a doorway on the third flooring. All the marauders had, the place held some disturbing retentiveness. Hermione hurried towards them ( not from the instruction of Gryffindor tower Harry noticed ) and stopped nearby.

"Is that… ?"

"Fluffy ‘ s room."Neville finished for her in a voice to the full of dread.

"Ooo."Harry said as he moved to open the threshold."I think I hear that galleon calling."

"Great, y ‘ r all here."Hagrid waved the marauders over. The elbow room looked different to when the Cerberus had occupied it. It had been cleaned for one thing and the trapdoor was gone, replaced by flat Harlan F. Stone just slightly less haggard than the rest of the floor. If you weren't looking you'd never see it.

The students were sat on cushion in a circle around Hagrid, who himself was standing next to a massive cage covered in a black cloth.

"Sorry we have to have the lessons in here but its for your own good y ‘ see. Now, have a look at this…"Hagrid pulled the cloth off and the whole class shied away."…A six-headed Vorompatra. Ain't she a beautiful creature."

The ten base tall ostrich-like wight stuck its heads through the bars and glared at the students with all twelve of its red, beadlike center. Then it drew back its heads and screeched like a banshee.

"Her name is Isabelle."Hagrid said fondly.

Not one of the students spoke until Parvati leaned towards Harry's ear and hoarsely said…

"You owe me a galleon."
*


The shaken marauders made their way to defence against the morose arts.

"It ‘ s eyes… It kept staring at me."Neville kept mumbling as they walked down the corridor.

"It was staring at everyone Neville it had six bloody heads !"Harry threw his hands up in the air and shook his head.

"He probably just wanted to start the year with a bang."Hermione rationalized, kneading the border of her robe in her fist nervously."The balance of the family won ‘ t be like that. Surely ?"She even seemed to be rocking back and forth a niggling. Ron tentatively reached out and rested his bridge player on her shoulder joint comfortingly.

"We can only hope. Though perhaps we shouldn't."Padma said dryly.

Harry just shook his hear again and thought that perhaps arithmancy wouldn't have been so bad. As they entered the defense classroom prof lupin looked up from what he was doing. The marauders were the number 1 I there.

"You needn't find your seats educatee, we will be going somewhere else for the lesson today."The instructor vocalism was horse and tired. The marauder waited for anything further instructions but none came, the professor had gone back to writing something on a sheet of parchment.

Harry shrugged and made three juggling balls appear from thinly air ( the first time he'd done this half of Gryffindor house thought he'd mastered conjuring, it had been weeks before anyone had caught on to the sleight of hired man ) and began spinning them idly. When the eternal rest of the category were there Professor Lupin called the register then rose wearily from his butt and told them all to follow him. As they trouped through the shoal Harry whispered…

"Where do you think he ‘ s taking us ?"But the solvent became apparent almost instantly as they entered the stave room.

"Now, I do not want any of you to turn alarmed. But there is a morose wight in this wardrobe, a boggart."well-nigh of the course of instruction ignored his warning and became alarmed."Mr, Longbottom is it ? Mr Longbottom would you occur to the front line please."

Neville gingery moved to the front of the class. Harry listened with half an ear to the description of the attribute and proper Defense Department against boggarts. The more he saw of professor lupin the more he got the belief he'd seen him somewhere before.

"Alright Mr Longbottom ?"shucks ! Should really have listened to that."prepare ? Go !"Professor lupin flicked his wand and the cupboard opened. Out stepped Isabelle in all her glory.

"Oh bloody hell ! Not again !"Harry yelled.

Neville seemed to cause been petrified, his wand rigid in his hand as the gigantic Bronx cheer stomped towards him making the ground shake. Then he seemed to click out of it and yelled…

"Riddikulus !"The elephant-birds six heads suddenly snaked together into a sweep up mi and it fell to the floor.

"trade good, good ! future one up."Professor lupin was smiling and motioned Susan off-white up. The boggart became a snake and was quickly changed into a slinky.

"Ok, I get the idea."Harry thought as he slowly moved up the line. git, bats, toads and spider were changed into more funny matter and Harry thought it might actually be fun to see what happened when he came face to face with the fauna. The last educatee in front of him moved away and he stepped up, wand in handwriting. The boggart seemed to undulate for a moment, then shot forward. For a consequence Harry saw a blue flash then he felt water all around him and his mind became a blank slate total of terror.

"Can't hint ! Air ! Air ! Can't breath ! Can't…"Harry flailed helplessly."Drowning !"Harry's cerebration were interrupted as the water disappeared. Harry caught a flash of something globe-shaped and silver before he dropped to his knee joint on the floor.

"Are you hurt ?"Harry looked up at the auditory sensation of the Professors voice then shook his head."Perhaps this will learn you to pay more attending when your teacher speaks in future."With that Lupin turned away and started talking to the sleep of the class, lecturing them on early boggart properties. Harry felt an arm Snake River around his shoulder joint and looked up to see Hermione's likeable face.

"Why didn ‘ t you speak the appealingness Harry ?"

"Couldn ‘ t breath."

"The water wasn't real you know."But Harry just shook his head.

"Couldn ‘ t breath."

The class was dismissed a few second later. Harry slouched along a few steps behind the ease of the marauders with his custody in his pockets. Malfoy would surely accept spread this fib across half the schoolhouse before the end of the day and the other one-half by breakfast. Harry decided he hated prof Lupin.
*


The next day Harry was bodily dragged from lunch by Hermione.

"Come on, or we ‘ ll be late."

"And would that be so bad."Harry tried to dig his heels in to slow her down but he just ended up stumbling ( why did he suffer to be modest than everyone ? )"Are you that excited about ancient runes ?"

Harry was the only marauder joining Hermione in that subject. In addition to the precaution of magical creatures they were all taking, and now regretting. Ron and Parvati had signed up for foretelling, against Harry advice. Neville was taking muggle survey along with Padma who was the only when marauder doing three elective ("Why !"Harry had asked."And arithmancy ?"). Apart from Hermione of course, who was doing everything.

"I am sex !"Hermione entered the classroom and took a nates rightfield at the front.

"Not the seat I would have chosen but whatever."Harry thought as he sat down."At least nothing in this class can eat me or submerge me."

"Good break of the day class. I am prof Babbling."The professor looked a piffling like an Old Hermione, but a more gaga one. She had obtrusive ink stains on her cuffs and even a smudge on her cheek. She was obviously safe at her subject though if the elaborate penmanship that hung in roll behind her desk was any indication."Well shall we get started."

Harry rested his promontory in his hand as the professor begun explaining some obscure runic book in ready flowing speech while scraping symbols on the board. After about half an hour she asked them to translate a bit of it. Harry turned to Hermione.

"I assume you noted all of that down ?"

"fountainhead of course of study !"

"Good."Harry held up a sketch of a dog with fluffy auricle."Because I didn't."



inquiry, comments, anger ? Please review.


Despite the spear carrier safeguard around the school classes continued more or less as normal. Hermione's Leslie Townes Hope had been correct and Hagrid had just been trying to start the year big. creature class was, from then on, not quite so terrifying. Harry had reduced his own fears by talking to professor Flitwick who had assured him that all the cages Hagrid had were built with the strong unbreakable magical spell. Flitwick himself had inspected each one of them. Harry felt better after that and tried to convince the other bookman of the same thing.

"Unbreakable spell won ‘ t break."Harry said to Susan Bones as they wrestled a writhing vine into a pot and packed it down with Henry Clay."He could bring anything into class and, so long as its in a John Cage, it should be fine."

"I know that. I mean, I know that's lawful but its not the Lapp when the creature ‘ s actually in presence of you."Susan shook her header, she had a berth of earth on her brass. Harry reached out and brushed it off for her, ignoring the odd fluttering feeling in his stomach.

"Well…"Harry swallowed and continued."… at least its not snakes !"Harry jumped at her fizzle and holding up a piece of vine, making it wriggle like a Snake River. Susan snorted and shoved him backwards into a flowerbed.

Harry left herbology with mud all down his back.

"Not one word."He warned the snickering marauder."We ‘ ve got a job to do tonight remember ?"

The piranha quieted down. It was true, this night Draco Malfoy would pay.
*


Harry slid along the wall up to the entrance to the Slytherin common way. myrtle ( intentionally dimming herself ) wafted through the bulwark. A moment later her top half slid back into batch and she gave him a flash and a ovolo up. Harry made one last check around for the lookouts he knew were at each end of the corridor then said the password. Grinning he slipped into the vernacular room and up the stairs. How had they ever managed without a spook ?

It took Harry a good five mo to open Malfoy's room access. Obviously after finale yr the third year had seen fit to add some extra protective cover to his apartments. Harry glanced over the boy bed. Malfoy'd got rid of the shift bear at some point but seemed to miss it, he had his blankets bunched up in front of him and was hugging them. Harry shook his straits and made his way to the dresser. Harry opened the top drawer ever so slowly and sprinkled a broad sum of money of a dark powder inside. He then did the same with the other drawers and with the wearing apparel hanging in the wardrobe. Chuckling to himself silently Harry slid out of the room and closed the door.

The next good morning Harry watched for Malfoy carefully during breakfast but he never showed. most likely in the hospital wing Harry reasoned, the lesions had probably burst by now.

"Step 1, success."Harry leaned back and shared a broad smile with the early vulture."On to step two. But that will have to hold off for the weekend."

"But it ‘ s a Hogsmead weekend ?"Ron pointed out.

"Yep, stride two takes property in Hogsmead. Let me tell you about it…"Harry began but was interrupted by Hermione.

"But Harry you can ‘ t go to Hogsmead. You don ‘ t have a permit form, its not allowed. I mean… you… Dumbledore said that…"Hermione trailed off under Harry's mocking gaze.

"I have left the country against Dumbledore ‘ s wishes. I shouldn ‘ t think the schooltime grounds will provide too much scuffle. Now…"Harry leant forward conspiratorially."This is what I think we should do, cut in if you ‘ ve got some suggestions."
*


The Saturday sun rose bright and early as did the bookman tidal bore to be off to Hogsmead. Harry waved his friends off at the social movement gate in a mood of balmy panic. He had made a promise to meet them early outside the three broomsticks but, despite his forwardness, he actually didn't have the light-headed clue how he was going to go out the grounds.

Ginny had wanted to fare with him but he had refused saying at the sentence that it would be too obvious she wasn't supposed to be there. Now he was regretting it as she might experience been able-bodied to fly him over the wall. Harry walked up to the gate but saw Filch checking students as they wandered out, there was no way he could get out that way.

Harry walked along the wall in the direction of Hogsmead looking for some crack or defect. He could probably throw climbed the rampart in places but for the fact that he knew they were not simple pit. He reached the lakeshore without finding anything and was about to turn over back when an idea struck him. The lake. Harry scrambled down to the boundary of the H2O and looked out to his right, cliff for a honorable thirty meters but a scrap of beach after that. He could even see the road the carriages went along.

Remembering the boggart Harry eyed the water with mystifying suspicion. But it looked like it was his only selection. He would probably be alright so long as his head was above water.

"The things I do to get Malfoy."Harry shook his drumhead as he took off his shoes and tied the laces together so he could loop them around his neck. He reluctantly stepped into the pee and winced at the cold, he went deeply and began to succeed the cliff around. Eventually the lakebed sank and he could no longer impact it with his feet. Harry could finger the inky blackness all around him as he kicked for the far shoring. The water sapped his braveness and Harry's heart raced until he was able to put his metrical foot back on land.

Harry drew himself up onto the beach and wasted no fourth dimension in performing a promptly drying magic spell on his clothes before heading up into the village.

In Harry's opinion the marauders were not instill enough that he had managed to allow the castle.

"Where were you ?"Padma hissed."You're late, we ‘ ve been waiting."

Harry just rolled his heart and said…

"Is he here yet ?"

"No."

"Then I ‘ m not late."Harry started off down the route and the marauders didn't really have a choice but to follow him. They all trouped into madam puddifoots to the surprise of the proprietor, she rarely saw mathematical group of More than two in her workshop. The third gear years moved towards a pair of hufflepuffs sitting at the board closest the window.

"Hi !"Harry greeted brightly. They looked up."I know you don't want to be disturbed but we are playing a massive prank on a horrid git known as Draco Malfoy. Oh you know him too ? Well the just way we ‘ ll be able to watch the results of our masterful dissimulation is if we can own this table. So, do you beware ?"The pair looked at each other for a moment.

"Draco Malfoy ?"

"Yes."

"thinker if we watch too ?"

Harry smiled

"course of action not. In fact…"Harry turned and addressed the whole shop ( after a quick eye CAT scan to see that there were no Slytherins present )."… anyone wanting to see Draco Malfoy get his comeuppance seminal fluid to the window now."Harry heard death chair squeak back and the early four mates in the café all crowded around the window.

"There he is !"One of them pointed. Draco Malfoy was scurrying down the street, occasionally scratching at his chest and arms. Harry twirled his wand around and held it under his chin like a microphone.

"noblewoman and gentlemen…"He began."… I would like to welcome you to the first ever sequence of The New vulture TV Show ! With our extra guest… Malfoy !"Several of the supporter were shooting him odd looks but others were grinning.

"Earlier this week somebody impregnated Mr Malfoy's clothing with brech powder which, as you know, causes serious problems to any bare skin it touches."A snickering began all around Harry."And yes, the powder got on his underwear too."Malfoy was almost dismantle with them in the street now.

"Now Malfoy knows by now that pretty a lot all his habiliment is infested so as soon as he reaches Hogsmead he ‘ s going to need to visit…"Draco ducked into the workshop contrary."… gladrags wizardwear. What Mr Malfoy is incognizant of is that we have an agent inside gladrags wizardwear, hidden using the conjuration of his kind. I think we should all consider a moment to give thanks Dobby the house elf for his body of work in this endeavor."Harry and the predator clapped and a few of the others did too, getting into the game of it.

"It probably won ‘ t take Malfoy long to get his stuff since it is just schooling robe for the most part. But you see the other affair of which Mr Malfoy is incognizant is that Mr Dobby has made sure he gets the apparel we pre-prepared. These clothes have a jonah on them, a jinx commonly known as the emperors-new-clothes jinx."A duad of the scholarly person broke out laughing."Ah, so you ‘ ve heard of it, or can at to the lowest degree pretend what this piffling spell does. For those that can ‘ t… Ah ! Here ‘ s Mr Malfoy now."Some of the café crowd laughed, some looked away and some just grinned in glee as Malfoy walked off down the street in his ‘ robes'oblivious to the stares he was getting from everyone.

"Of course we left him his boxers."Harry continued."There are some thing I just don't want to see."
*


"Even though I am truly terrified mighty now."Harry thought as he swam back past the cliffs."That was so worth it. Malfoy won ‘ t live this down for years."

Harry was right, the whole school day knew how Malfoy had walked through Hogsmead and into the three broom handle half-naked. The whole schooling had a fair guessing as to who was responsible too. Over the next few weeks the marauder were treated to another chapter of ‘ The many knowing and calculating stares of Minerva McGonagall'but no one could prove it.

"We need to do Thomas More stuff like that."Harry said to himself as they waited for the Defense social class to start."I wonder where Snape buys his robe ?"

The others just grinned. A consequence later Hermione hurried in through the doors looking flustered before landing down in her seat.

"Where did you go Hermione ?"Ron questioned."We all left divination at the same time."

"What do you imply ?"Padma turned around."We were just in arithmancy."

"We were all just in transfiguration."Harry argued, confused."We must have all been there, it ‘ s not an optional class."

"Harry are you crazy ?"Ron asked, stunned.

Any riposte Harry had been about to deliver was lost as the doorway to the classroom banged open and Severus Snape strode in. Arrogantly making his way to the figurehead of the form he stood behind the desk.

"Professor Lupin."Snape said smugly."Is unavailable to teach today due to ill health."The teacher smirked."So I will be taking today's lesson. act to… ah ! Werewolves ! Chapter 32."

"But prof !"Hermione began but Harry shushed her to silence. He wanted to cognise where Snape was going with this. Did the potions sea captain want them to hazard what was threatening the schooltime ? The students began scribbling away, making notes on the chapter when Harry felt a trace fall across him.

"Mr ceramicist, taking notes ? I might almost think I was imagining things."Harry looked up, directly into Snape's middle. This clock time he didn't even have time to assay to pull in his mind and the pressure broke through instantly. Harry tore his regard back down to the paper in front of him. Harry heard a triumphant snort from above him but ignored it.

"acquisition all I can about werewolves sir."Harry said flippantly."Especially since they live so close."

"closer than you know Potter."What was that about ? But Snape continued on a different shroud."Did you enjoy the Hogsmead weekend potter ?"

"professor you know I don't have a permission form. I could never go to Hogsmead."Harry tried to look innocent, unsuccessfully."It would be wrong."

"Really, I have been hearing from phallus of my house who saw you in Hogsmead that weekend."

"Well prof I hate to state you this but I heard a member of your house walked into the three broomsticks in his under shorts so I don't know how far you want to trust their judgment."

"Oh and I suppose you simply get wind about that from second hand accounts ?"Snape sneered.

"Oh prof you know if I ‘ d been there I would have taken the opportunity to fox mud at him. No mud ergo I was not there."

"Do not be light-minded with me Mr Potter. XXX points from Gryffindor. I know your type so well ceramicist. You are just like your father."

"Whatever."Harry grumbled as the instructor moved off.
*



Professor lupine was back in guardianship of the class after the weekend and, much as the man was inexplicably dusty towards him, Harry welcomed the return. Anyone was near than Snape.

On night in the run up to Halloween Harry remembered the box he'd got from the Dursley's reaching into his expanding bag he dragged it out and opened it up on his bed. With the subject strewn out it seemed a lot lupus erythematosus. Harry quickly separated the papers into junk ( flyer, old homework assignments, sentimental love letters ) and interesting stuff like photos.

One of the exposure caught his eye and he drew it out, six figures stood on the Mary Jane outside Hogwarts. old student, 6th or seventh years. Harry's eyes found two bookman on the left of the picture locked in an embrace. One with eyes like his and the other with everything else, his parents.

But Harry had noticed something else, nearby them was another student, the solitary one in the image who seemed to be sitting still for it to be taken. He knew that face, he'd been lectured by it earlier that day. That must have been where he recognized professor lupin from, he must have got caught a coup d'oeil of him in the picture. Sure enough on the back of the moving picture were scratched some names in pencil, Remus lupin appeared near the hind end of the list.

Harry frowned, if his parents and lupine had known each early why was the professor being so frigidity to him ? Harry pushed the box's contents back into it and slid off the bed. He would have the answer to this puzzle. Moving through the forsake common room Harry pushed open the portrait door.

"Is it even worth telling you its by curfew ?"Said the fat lady but Harry just smiled at her and shut the threshold. Moving silently he made his way to the defence force teachers authority. Luckily there was still a lighting peeking out from under the doorway. Harry went to the threshold and knocked.

"One moment."Professor lupin opened the door in a wither binding gown."Oh its you. Shouldn ‘ t you be in your park room."

"I came to ask you something."Harry drew out the photo."About this."

Lupin seemed to suck into himself, then deflate and sigh.

"Ah."Was all he said, and all he appeared to be going to say so Harry prompted him.

"You knew my parents."

"Yes I did. I was in the same twelvemonth as them."

"And the Saame house."Harry pointed to the robes of the citizenry in the moving picture."And you and my mother were prefects together."

"Yes you have sufficiently proven that you are observant."The student and instructor still hadn't moved from the door. Lupin had not invited him in."Where did you get this ?"

"In a box of my mothers old material. naught much, missive, photograph, a locket."

"Lilly didn ‘ t wear a locket."For the offset clock time Lupin seemed vaguely interested."She wore a pendent."Harry frowned and drew the silver grey thing out of the box."Yes that's it. It's a pendent."

"But it was open…"Harry looked airless at the little affair. It was true that now it was closed the seam around the edge was almost invisible and the matter was thin enough to overstep for a hearty pendant. Harry tried to get a fingernail in the crack but the thing seemed to be solid.

Was it a locket or had he imagined it ? No, it was a locket because it had been open when he first got the box. He'd closed it so it wouldn't get damaged. Harry put it back in the box and mentally filed it under mysterious.

"Seems like you know a lot about her for soul who was just in their year. Seems like you must have known them. You and the former multitude in this picture."

"Everyone but me in that moving-picture show is dead."The usually balmy mannered prof snapped, but Harry was in no mood to shoot this anymore.

"Really,"Harry flipped the flick."Rose McKinnon ? Sirius Black ? tool Petigrew ?"

"Yes, yes, yes !"The teacher roared and Harry took a dance step backwards."Rose was tortured and killed along with her stallion kinfolk during the war ! And the other two, well ? Sirius total darkness betrayed us all to Voldemort and got Lilly and William James killed. Poor pecker managed to track him down the next day and made him pay at the cost of his own life sentence. We found both their consistence in the wreckage left behind by the duel. In the line of two days I lost everything. Can you infer that ? Can you even compass ?"Harry bowed his head.

"No, I guess I can't."He moved to will then turned back and said."Do you want the picture ?"But the prof had already closed the door.
*


"Ginny eat something. Anything."Anapurna leant over the mesa with a plate of yield and held it out for her. Ginny just shook her caput and tried to breath evenly. Stroking the handle of her broomstick calmed her a little, but not enough to earn eating anything an option.

To be evenhandedly it was a wonderful day for Quidditch, not a swarm in the sky and a pleasant breeze. Ginny just wished she were playing on the pitch behind the burrow not in front of the entire school.

"time to go sis."She felt a paw on her shoulder and saw Fred hovering over her."Don ‘ t worry, you ‘ ll experience a lot better once you get up there."

"Yeah,"His counterpart chimed in"Our maiden compeer we felt just the Sami, everyone does."They led her away from the table. Just as she was leaving she saw Harry quiver suddenly and bet around like he had just woken up before sighing and burying his aspect in his hands.

"What was that ?"She thought as she left the Great Hall in a current of people.

"Do we even know where we ‘ re playing yet ?"She said to break the silence.

"We took a look-see earlier."George's case broke into a broad grin."It ‘ s bloody brilliant."

"Where is it then ? Tell me you gits !"Ginny kicked her brother in the tibia lightly making him stumble.

"Oy ! We need our beaters in top condition !"Sir Henry Joseph Wood was stalking over. His look showing no signaling of humour."No playing about. This is the most important match of the year ! Slytherin are the team to outfox. They won the cup last year and the twelvemonth before and they all have new brooms courtesy of Dragon Malfoy."

"I was just…"

"fountainhead don't ! Lets just get to the pitch."Wood stalked off.

"Don't listen to him Gin."Fred wrapped his arm round her shoulder.

"He ‘ s just stressed out. We tried to lighten him up earlier but he hexed us both good."

Ginny giggled. She knew what her brothers ‘ lightening up'had probably involved.

Just then the new Quidditch venue came into view and Ginny gasped. A monolithic stand had been erected at the boundary of the lake, hanging onto the drop-off and built up on the beaches. The destination stuck straight up from the rippled water.

"Awesome isn ‘ t it."George breathed and he and his buddy set off towards them. Ginny was about to comply them when she felt a hand encircle her arm. Looking back she saw Harry's familiar spirit face. He looked commonplace and sorting of deadened. The finale clip she had seen him like this was back when the blood war was at its height, when there seemed to be no reply to it. Back when he had almost given up. It wasn't quite that bad yet, but it was similar.

"About an hour and a half into the game."Harry said quickly."You should probably check around the foundation of the Gryffindor goal."

"How do you know ?"

"Déjà fucking vu."Harry said in a low growling before walking off towards the outdoor stage. Ginny shook her head worriedly, Harry swore a bit Thomas More than the rest of them but he usually saved it for sober office. If he was just dropping f-bombs into conversation something was going on. But whatever it was it was going to birth to wait. Her first right Quidditch match ever was about to start.
*


"Go ! Go ! GO !"Ron screamed and the crowd screamed with him as the two searcher dove for the snitch..

"He ‘ s blocking her."Parvati yelled and pointed.

Suddenly the stoolpigeon spun and snapped back directly towards the seekers. For a moment the crowd held its breathing spell as the two instrumentalist came together in a vortex of robes. Then a cry of victory sounded out of the sky and Ginny broke away holding something glinting gold.

"She did it !"Ron leapt from his professorship, he had never been prouder of his picayune babe. He turned to Harry who was laughing more than shouting, head thrown back and heart sparkling.

"Of track she did. Marauders don't lose."Harry snapped a grin then his face went Second Earl Grey and he pointed back into the sky where Ginny was still hovering, showing off the sneak. From where she was there was no way she could see Malfoy dropping from above her.
*


She had won ! She had really done it ! It had been disturb and go for a moment there but she had grabbed it right out of Malfoy's hands. She hadn't even needed to use Harry's tip to get it since she'd spotted it barely an hour into the match.

She saw a shadow cross over her and looked up just in clip to see a boot smack into her face. She heard a massive crack and suddenly she was falling, a mess of broom and robe. Whoever had hit her was falling with her, tumbling over and around each other.

A moment later she hit the water and a moment after that the lake bed, the water hadn't been nearly rich enough to decelerate her fall. She kicked up as secure she could in robes and boots but she was waterlogged and barely moving. After what seemed like an infinity she just managed to split the surface before being dragged back under. She felt for her gown clasp and snapped them off before starting to quetch back onto the surface. But she was too worn out and hurting from the collision, the sunlight on the surface tantalizingly close.

She felt the swells from someone in the body of water with her and a moment later felt herself lifted up by a giant handwriting on her back. She broke the surface and gasped one desperate breath after another.

"Y ‘ r alright now. Y ‘ r alright."She heard Hagrid's voice and looked down into florid face. He was just magniloquent enough to still be able to stomach on the bottom but even for him the piss came up to his chin."Gave us all a bit of a scare."

"Who hit me ?"Ginny's principal was still swimming from the lack of oxygen.

"Malfoy."The groundsman voice had gone low and grave."Snape picked him out ‘ o the water with a spell but no-one could see where you ‘ ad gotten yourself to."

"I didn ‘ t get myself anywhere."Ginny croaked. Now that the water was shallower Hagrid sat her on his articulatio humeri then finally set her down on the pebbled beach. She could see her team-mates rushing towards her across the shingle. Behind them by the stands she saw the piranha hurrying towards her. professor Snape seemed to be trying to block them and was shouting something, Harry simply ignored him and ducked underneath his arms. A consequence later they had all crowded around her and she was forced to reiterate the language ‘ I'm ok'over and over to finish them fussing over her.

"Deplorable ! Disgusting behaviour !"Somewhere else on the beach she could get word Professor McGonagall yelling in another piece of the beach. Ginny stuck a fingerbreadth into her ear and wiggled it around. It was full of water and everything sounded distorted."I have never seen the like."

"Minerva it was clearly an accident."Snape had sidled over."If it had been intentional do you think he would have let his own broom become damaged like that."He pointed away to the side at where Malfoy's Calluna vulgaris lay, cleanly split in the centre with the bristles knocked far out of whack. Ginny suddenly had a sinking feeling.

"professor ?"McGonagall turned towards her."Has person found my Scots heather ?"McGonagall raised her eyebrows, perhaps she hadn't realised it was missing. The instructor turned towards the lake, raised her wand and said…

"Accio Ginerva ‘ s broom."For a moment nix happened then something flew out of the water system, something much too small. A moment later another joined it. No one spoke as a pile of shard and matchwood grew near prof McGonagall's feet. Even the bristles came out, ending up in a soppy heap.

Ginny heard her header of sign of the zodiac turn on Malfoy again and start yelling but it felt like ground racket. Kneeling down she picked up a few splinters of woodwind and let them settle through the whirl in her fingers. Growing up with six brothers gave you all variety of training in how to take for in snag but zippo was working. She felt herself start sobbing and covered her face with her hired man so no one would see. It wasn't working. Giving up she stood and ran away through the bunch on the beach. She couldn't look at anyone right wing now.

The concluding thing she saw before she left was professor Snape levitating the fragment of both her and Malfoys broom into a refuse can, a look of glee on his face.
*


Harry watched her go. He wanted to go after her but didn't have the faint-hearted theme what he'd say when he caught up.

"Someone please…"Harry gestured after Ginny, a supplication unclutter in his voice.

"We got it."Padma nodded and her, her baby and Hermione began following the fleeing carrottop. Harry felt himself bunching his fists and saw that the people next to him were doing the same.

"No one does that to a Weasley."Fred muttered.

"No one does that to a marauder."Harry shook his nous and punched his fist into his decoration."Not and gets away with it."

"Malfoy ‘ s gon na pay."George chimed in shaking his fist."Screw cut-up rivalry, you want to help us Harry ? All of you cat ?"

"Won ‘ t make Ginny feel better."Harry felt a spark Light in his learning ability."But I know what might. And I ‘ ll need your help. You in ?"

"In an instant."

"Obviously."

"And we ‘ ll want outside service too, people who helped us last year. A lot of material could go haywire, even the initiatory step's a doozy and they just get arduous after that. Ron, Neville I definitely won't have very much sentence for my duty assignment for a while. Savvy ?."

"We got you Harry. But what do you possess in mind."

"Humiliation."

"But I thought you said we weren ‘ t going to get Malfoy directly."

"We ‘ re not."Harry smiled his crocodile smile."We ‘ re gon na let Ginny do it."
*


Over the next few workweek Harry became a ghost. He rushed into example late or barely by the chime and began to look even more tired than Hermione. He could be found at odd times in the depository library or pawing over odd weather sheet of parchment with the Weasley Twin, speaking in whispers.

Madam Pince had raised her eyebrow further that Harry had thought humanly possible when he'd taken out certain Word. But none of them were actually restricted so she stamped them out with only her usual level of distain.

"Mr Potter do you seriously think I will think this is your essay ?"McGonagall had confronted him one deterrent example."When the handwriting is not yours and in fact strongly resembles girl granger. What are you spending all your time on anyway ?"Harry had simply leaned closer to his teacher and whispered…

"Winning you the Quidditch cup."

They had no homework set that lesson.

Harry lost so many item in Snape's form that he considered simply not turning up since that would misplace him less boilers suit. However potions gave him the gross chance to simper at Malfoy over his cauldron. Everyone in school knew Harry was up to something and it was an gentle speculation as to who was the intended butt, even the prey himself. Malfoy spent potions class sweating under Harry's gaze, wondering what he was planning.

"What are you up to potter ?"Malfoy had confronted him after one lesson.

"I ‘ m not up to anything Dracs."Harry gave his nemesis a thumbs up."Just surfing along you know Que sera sera."As Draco hurried off Harry glanced back at the potions master. Again the pressure mounted and he lasted barely a count of five before he had to tear his eyes away. He thought he saw Snape mouth ‘ just like your father'before he turned away. Harry shook his top dog to clear it, Snape wasn't a priority right now.

Harry signed up to stay at Hogwarts over Christmas but encouraged the marauder to travel to their families.

"I have so much still to do I ‘ d be bad companionship anyway."

"compliments we could persist mate."Fred said shaking his head dejectedly.

"Yeah, we promised we ‘ d help you then we just leave."Saint George also shook his head, unconsciously falling into the accurate rhythm method of his twin.

"Don ‘ t worry. It ‘ ll be finished by the end of the vacation anyway."

Harry's Christmas nowadays were as unspoilt as they always were, the standard Patil ledger set this year was basically a big encyclopaedia of appeal and Neville had found him a jester hat that flashed different colors as the bells jiggled. Hermione had got him a preparation planner.

"Bless her."Harry thought, taking a bite of Honeydukes chocolate."She tries."

Harry was waiting by the footprint as the students returned from the their rest home with a tract wrapped in theme under his arm. He caught wad of the marauders plus Fred and George VI coming and walked out to meet them.

"Is that it ?"Fred said excitedly.

"Is it finished ?"His twin added.

"Yes and yes. And its awesome !"Harry moved past the twins to stand in front of their youngest sibling. He thrust out the parcel of land."Merry Christmas. This is form of from the twins as well. fountainhead everyone helped actually."

"Don ‘ t do yourself down mate."Ron said."It was mostly you."
*


Ginny looked down at the piece of ground in her hands, it dawned on her that it was very broom shaped.

"You didn ‘ t buy…"She began but Harry stopped her.

"I didn ‘ t buy. I repaired. Was a lot of fun actually. Thinking of doing it when I leave school."

"But my broom was far too broken to repair."

"Your nimbus 2000 was too smashed to fix. Malfoy's 2001 on the other hand had a fairly simple break. reparable with a little effort. And he just threw it away like garbage."Harry tutted and shook his head."Wasteful."

"And you fished it out ?"

"Wouldn ‘ t be the for the first time clock time I ‘ ve dumpster dived Gins. Now unwrap the shit thing."

Heeding him she ripped the newspaper publisher off and stared in awe at the ling shining in her hired hand, looking like new.

"It doesn't looking just like a 2001."She said running her custody down the recursively curving handle.

"fountainhead we used some parts left over from your Calluna vulgaris as well. Plus she's got some dissimilar charms and spells we researched and we corrected the list on the prat end."Harry shrugged."Guess she ‘ s sort of a chimera really."

"Did you name her ?"Ginny asked, quickly slipping into use of the distaff pronoun.

"I hadn ‘ t but I think I just did. The Chimera."Harry leant forward conspiratorially."And you and her, my picayune protégé, are going to win us the Quidditch cup."



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