Harry moved quickly once he was out of the humankind 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 familiarity quickly helped him refill his pouch for another yr. While he was down in the burial vault Harry stuck his T-shirt in his bag and instead took out a recollective robe with a hood. At Greeklunk's confused facial expression he said…

"mortal 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 school shopping quickly. When he walked back by Fortescue's the champion was still there, showing the waitress a long mark on his arm.

*

Harry stood in the land lane and rechecked the alphabetic character he held in his hand. He was sure he was at least in the right hamlet and probably on the the right way road. It was just that the road went a prospicient way in both guidance and Ron's advice on getting to his planetary house had been rather wispy. Like he'd only really seen the surrounding countryside from the air. Harry folded the letter away and shrugged, there was always another way. He walked over to a where a Fannie Merritt Farmer was sitting near his tractor, fiddling with something in the locomotive.

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

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

*

Harry had to stand the impulse to break into a run as he caught sight of the Weasley house. 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 sacrifice them an exact fourth dimension. As he walked closer the door to the house opened and Molly Weasley ( Ron had told him all about his folk ) emerged, carrying a tray with swallow on it. Behind her a young girl ( must be Ginny ) stepped outside and leaned against the doorpost looking bored. None of them seemed to possess noticed him yet, or maybe the tan had changed his appearance a bit. As he stepped up to the front gate he spread his arms wide.

"Aloha !"

"Harry !"Ron jumped in surprise"You ‘ re here."The Gemini the Twins jumped up too and ran to get together him, but the most extreme reaction came from the youngest Weasley. Ginny went dead whiteness under her hair and her mouth seemed to actuate as if she was trying to say something then she bolted through the still opened door.

"She has some variety of objection to aloha ?"Harry asked the gingerroot crowd.

"Nah, mate."Ron shook his caput."She ‘ s been jumping and squeaking every fourth dimension we so much as mentioned your epithet. Guess you in the human body was just too much for her."

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

"Probably."Agreed Harry"The submarine sandwich thing doesn ‘ t net. I ‘ ve been told on iterate occasions that I ‘ m a massive disappointment."

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

"Snape."

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

"Right."Chimed in one of the twins."We ‘ re pretty sealed they ‘ re doxy droppings."

"At least that's up the evolutionary scale."

*

But Ginny's odd deportment didn't stoppage. Harry found that she was incapable of staying in a room that he was in and that any attempt to speak directly to her was decent to station her scurrying away. One morning when he came down and found her curled up on the sofa with a 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 couch. She looked like a small rodent confronted by a snake, eyes encompassing receptive and too scared to run."Can you tell me why you run every clip I try to speak to you or enter the room ?"muteness, except for the twitching she could take in been petrified."feeling Ginny I don't know what it is but could you please talk to me. We ‘ re going to be going to schooltime together for the next six years. Could you sing to me. Please."

"Y… you…"Harry had to sieve to hear her swoon whispering."you destroyed you-know-who."

"Oh you ‘ re still thinking about that ?"Harry waved his hand dismissively."That happened historic period 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 mark. Which one in specific ?"Ginny reached out to designate at his forehead and Harry brushed away the pilus to reveal the scar. But apparently this was too very much 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, concluding yr. Back before she liked us."

"And that turned out OK."

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

"No Ron but I think I do cogitate I need to take drastic action to redress this situation."Harry thought for a moment then latched onto a brilliant plan. An stupefy design. Possibly the greatest program he had ever devised."You have a few brooms here right ?"

"Five finally time I looked. My old one, the twins, Hotspur's and one Charlie left here."

"Excellent. I would like to play some Quidditch."

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

"Exactly !"

*

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

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

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

"There isn ‘ t one, we'd have to formulate it just for you."Ron helped him back on his broom and they flew back up to bring together the twins. Ginny was sitting a little way away watching them, when Harry had fallen out of the tree diagram she had jumped up in shock. But as Ron and the twins had begun laughing at him he had seen a phantasm of a smile hybrid her case as well. That fantasm was all that was keeping him from giving up the entire endeavour and getting his feet back on solid ground.

"Right."Ron said as they hovered at their end of the pitch shot."You make for the right script side. I ‘ ll pluck them off to the left then pass it to you. Then you can tally. Got it ?"

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

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

"I would punch you Ron, but I ‘ d declivity off if I tried."Harry began moving off to the right field and saw his friend shoot away with the Quaffle. After a instant 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…"Thump !

Harry struck the solid ground hard and rolled to a stop consonant in the long weed.

"Ow."Harry put his hand to the binding of his question and sat up. Looking right into the grimace 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 agitate hand."Stop being four of you, person… girl… Where am I ?"Harry blinked and looked around blurrily. A low noise brought him back to the deliver and he looked forward. Ginny had her paw over her back talk and was trying hard not to laugh. niggling audio 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 stern."Like H2O but… broken. Where are my glasses ? The four of you should be able to encounter them."And with that Ginny burst out laughing.

The four Weasley's carried him off the pitch and Fred and George ( who seemed to throw experience with head wound for some rationality ) pronounced him fine.

"Maybe we should take a break."Ron said worriedly."You know, apply him meter to recover."

"bettor idea."Harry tossed his Calluna vulgaris to Ginny."You take my maculation. 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 match Mrs Weasley's"Be nice to your baby ! And besides, your choices are me or her."

"Welcome to the team Ginny."

*

"See ! No one can beat my team !"Harry grinned and slapped his chest as the game drew to an prescribed finale.

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

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

"And your component part is ?"

"Cheerleader. I really should get some pompoms."



line : Right, thats the second year started.

Interesting tidings about Dumbledore, but it makes signified when you look back on it. Does form of make it more tragic however. The whiz 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 impress against Grindlewald was interesting too and puts the whole affair in a new Christ Within. What if Grindlewald was well mindful of Dumbledores impression and used him to put on king in safety device ? Knowing full well that Dumbledore was the only one who could throw posibly stopped him. Ah well ...

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


# include `` standard legal disclamer.h ''

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






power interbreeding was crowded beyond belief as the Weasley clan crossed the station towards platform nine and three quartern.

"Hurry up."Mrs Weasley herded her various accusation towards the barrier."right wing. semen everyone, while the muggles aren't looking."One by one the redheaded woodpecker shooter through the barrier. Harry waited until last, as the summer had drawn to a close he had wondered if perhaps he might not be let back into the school. He had got the rule book list but perhaps that had been automatic.

"You go first. I ‘ m fine."Harry motioned Mrs Weasley ahead of him."I want to love my go consequence 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 school principal and closed his eyes as he reached the barrier.

snap ! Harry bounced back and fell to the ground gasping. The barrier hadn't opened ! He put his hand to his frontal bone and it came back bloody. His judgment reeled.

"They don't want me back."Harry blinked and looked up at the clock. LE than a mo till the caravan 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 string was leaving.

Harry looked down platform ten and thought he saw a wisp of smoke wage increase from beyond the runway. Where was the wizards platform anyway ? A mad idea struck Harry and he was stood back up in a flash. His pes seemed to move of their own accord and he took first one then another halting step along the political platform. Another wisp of sess. He broke into a run and willed his stage to carry him immobile and faster.

"it's a steam train."Harry dodged past a jump conductor at the end of the political platform and jumped down onto the cart track."It takes a while to speed up."He pumped his legs for extra upper.

"Digger !"Harry reached onto his packsack and flicked his owl's cage overt."gimmick me up at Hogwarts !"Harry stab to the bound of the train racecourse and looked down. The rule, muggle train lead coming out of kings cross were raised up on a variety of long nosepiece, raising them several stories above the city streets. Harry glanced down in time to see the end of the Hogwarts expressage squeeze play itself out from between the bricks of the bridge and headspring off down a track that looked disused. Up ahead the trail 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 stopping point carriage and hung onto it for dearest life. The geartrain was beginning to clean up speed and Harry crawled to the edge. Thankfully the carriages window was open. Harry swung his bag in through it then slid down into it himself.

"Harry Potter. Nice to see you."He said to the aghast first base years who's stroller 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 friends but for some understanding none of his limbs seemed to bring. He caught a coup d'oeil of himself in the glass in figurehead of him and blinked in impact. He looked a shipwreck ! Blood ran down the left side of his human face and was matted into the hairsbreadth above.

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

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

She wordlessly handed him the bar and took the price of them without once taking her eyes off him. When he was about to lead she finally said.

"Did you… just… leap onto the train."

"No."Harry shook his nous"No. Definitely not. You ‘ d have to be dotty to spring on a moving train."

*

Harry moved down the train as quietly as he could. Trying to find his ally without drawing too lots attention. Unfortunately lecture travelled fast on the Hogwarts express mail and he couldn't go five steps without encountering another stare or pass a group of students without them breaking out in a fit of whispering.

"So pathetic attention seeking Potter strikes again."The part was behind him. Harry turned around and sagged when he saw Malfoy and his lubber staring at him.

"Malfoy I really don't have the energy for this now."It was true. Harry would have liked doing zilch Sir Thomas More than simply collapsing on the floor there for the remainder of the journey."Could you please, and I mean this in the nicest possible way, bugger off and die like the diseased musical composition of distended rectum physique you are."

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

"potter !"Harry turned and saw professor McGonagall standing in the baby buggy. Malfoy and his escort disappeared through a door."How in Merlin ‘ s epithet did you get here ?"She grabbed him and pulled out her wand, touching it calmly to the cut on his headspring then whisking away the ancestry on his face."I just spent an unpleasant few moment arguing with mollie Weasley who was franticly trying to get us to stop the train. She seemed to be under the stamp that the roadblock had sealed with you on the early 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 TRAIN !"

"The barrier had sealed up ! There wasn ‘ t any other way ! And besides, I had a head injury. I ‘ m not sure I was in an entirely noetic frame of mind."

"That is beside the breaker point Mr Potter, but after the stunt you pulled at the end of last year I suppose I should not be entirely surprised."She straightened up"We will have to hash out this further in my authority at Hogwarts. At the very least you will receive several days detention."

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

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

"After the sorting ?"

"As soon as you reach the castle."

"Professor please…"Alright this is McGonagall, you know how to arse around McGonagall. She acts knotty but she's all mushy inside."… my booster's sister's getting sorted today and she ‘ s worried about it. All her brothers are in Gryffindor, hale kin really. I should be there for her. delight ?"

"Alright Mr Potter. 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 door surface.

"hello freindlies !"

"Harry !"Hermione's back talk dropped open."Ron said you couldn ‘ t get onto the platform !"

"Couldn't."Harry noticed Ginny sitting quietly in the niche of the compartment. Ron had probably been told to keep an eye on her."Had to acquire accounting entry to the train by… other means."

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

"Couldn ‘ t tending less. But no."

"Portkey ?"Neville seemed to think for a consequence."Or a heather ?"

"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 hired man to her mouth and began shaking her headland."I was talking to Lavender down the other end of the train. I thought she was joking."

"What is it ?"Hermione asked and the piranha seemed to hang waiting for the answers.

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

"Maybe."None of his acquaintance seemed to want to verbalize.

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

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

*

The train meandered its long journey through the hills and Harry ducked out of the conversations around him. His head still hurt and he didn't have the energy to harbor citizenry. He leaned against the cold window as rain started to streak down, leaving little trails on the window pane. He closed his eyes and lay there for a recollective while. trivial trails of piss, swirling, drowning.

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

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

"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 surprise. Harry waved his hand dismissively."Don't worry. You ‘ ll love it there. deterrent example are easy, specially magic spell. booster everywhere. Plus if any of the Slytherins bother you we can show some Sceloporus occidentalis retribution. We're feared by that house."

"That ‘ s sort of what I ‘ m worried about."Ginny glanced at the red edges on Harry's robes.

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

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

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

"Then enjoin it so."Harry looked at the young miss startled grammatical construction."You know what the sorting hat is properly ?"nod."Then tell it you want to be a Gryffindor. Don't take no for an answer. It's your life, don't let a hat make decisions for you."Harry leaned back down and closed his optic again.

*

"What the the pits ?"Ron voiced what they were all thinking as the vulture moved away from the train at Hogsmead. Ginny had left to choose her minuscule boat ride and the six friends now stood in battlefront of a line of posture, each drawn by a thin scaly horse with folded leathery wings."Charlie told me the carriages pulled themselves ?"

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

"Still think this is weird."

*

Ginny Weasley stood fidgeting in strawman of the hall as the sorting hat finished its song. She was so aflutter she wanted to bite her nails despite the aspect they were already worn to the pith. Well, at least she was a Weasley. Her name would be called near to lowest. She saw Harry on the Gryffindor table spinning three forks in the air in front of him. She tried to catch his eye but failed, he was talking to his real admirer. Everyone began to pay tending as Dumbledore stood up.

"Before we begin the sorting I ‘ d like to announce two things. One is that, despite what this empty chair seems to indicate, we have found a new defence force Against the iniquity Arts teacher."Ginny looked along the teachers table and saw a lank-haired prof grimace. She giggled, that must be professor Snape."Sadly he could not be here tonight as he has been managing the tape drive of his belongings from overseas. Rest assured that he has my total confidence and he will introduce himself, probably at length…"did the lank-haired professor just pull a face even more ?"…in your first lesson with him tomorrow. Now the second thing is that we will be doing this year sorting backwards."

"What ?"That prompted a murmuring about the hall.

"Yes, predict it an old man fancy. Now let us continue so that we can savour a splendid feast after we are all done."Dumbledore sat back down but the muttering hadn't ceased. McGonagall then took her place, the verbalism on her nerve clearly showing that the Headmaster had not discussed this with her. She looked down at her paper and read…

"Weasley, Ginevra."

"What ! Oh…"Ginny thought as she walked out in movement of the school."Backwards…"The last thing she saw before she pulled the hat down over her heart were the predator turning to take in her.

"Another Weasley, seems I see those on almost a yearly foundation. But a Weasley girl ? 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 choose my house. I want to be in Gryffindor."

"Quite brave of you to just shout it out it like that. Almost violence me to piece 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 lobby. There was whispering everywhere, and every facial expression had an identical phiz of shocked astonishment. Her heart searched out her brothers at the Gryffindor table. Harry Hotspur had buried his face in his paw and seemed to be trying to pretend it all wasn't happening, Fred and George were watching her with huge evil grin and Ron, Ron just looked lost. Her eyes flickered yesteryear Ron to Harry and their gazes locked, then the boy did the left over thing, he pulled up his sleeve, put his hand palm out and jabbed forward.

Follow through

Ginny glanced back at the teachers table, where every nerve 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 matter for it ...

"Yep."She said, trying to not get her representative rupture 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 anteroom, the whispers rising, the teacher, everything. There was a seat next 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 voice but she swore his back talk barely moved."feel straight ahead and don't give them any signal 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 mitt by her side. A candy of some kind. Without a word, and before the unsounded stares of the whole Asaph Hall, she brought out, unwrap and calmly ate a Glycyrrhiza glabra sceptre.

Every eye in the Granville Stanley Hall turned as they heard McGonagall unclutter her throat then…

"Kingston, Victor."

It was as if the hall had been holding its intimation the entire clip and now let it out in a wafture of chatter. Ginny felt mortal bam her on the back 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 wand."trade good thing I was paying aid, who the Hell is Ginevra Weasley ?"

The small boy with exquisitely waxed hair and sunglasses apparently named master 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 hall.

"Ravenclaw. I think I like Ravenclaw."

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

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

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

"We could micturate up some new banner if you like."His twin leaned in from the other side of the table.

"leave of absence her twins."Harry was holding her by both shoulders away from her older brothers."She tricked the hat, swindled McGonagall, caused a cross sign of the zodiac revolution and all in forepart of the entire schooltime !"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 Sir Thomas More than she was as she shot the question at her sidekick across the tabular array. But it was Parvarti Patil who answered her.

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

By the end of the day Ginervrador home ( as it was briefly called ) had an unusually bombastic class of first years. Filch had to go some of the layer.

*

As Harry trudged back from his first detainment with McGonagall that night ( polishing century and hundred of brass button that were just going to be transfigured into beetles anyway ) he leaned on the wall near the portrait muddle and closed his eyes for a present moment.

"Harry Potter sir !"

Harry opened his eyes and immediately realised his head injury must have been high-risk than he thought. The Hallucination had long pointy ears and was wearing some variety of ragged cloth like a toga.

"Wha… ?"

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

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

"Dobby sir. Dobby the house elf."The odd little beast bowed to him, its nozzle almost touching the floor."Dobby is truly sorry to have caused trouble for such a great hotshot as Harry potter. But Harry Potter must bequeath Hogwarts !"

"Caused trouble ? What trouble ?"Harry slid off the wall and stood straight. His verge was inconveniently tucked in an inside pouch, hard to reach. Was this creature a threat ?"What are you talking about ?"

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

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

"Dobby thought that if the political platform closed…"

"That was you !"Harry snapped forward like a shot and caught the little animal by the implements of war. The thing whined and tried to soften away but he held on."I could have missed the bloody train !"The puppet nodded and whimpered a little more."I could own been killed ! Wait… knockturn alley…"Harry remembered the rubber wall. The elf stiffened again and he seemed to be avoiding Harry's eyes."That was you as well ! Why WHY !"He picked the affair up and shook it roughly."Are you trying to kill me ? Are you ?"The elf was truly crying now and Harry let him go. The sorry thing crawled away from Harry and sat on the floor, looking up at him with its huge, tear filled eyes. It looked like a kicked puppy.

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

"No !"Dobby's face became a masquerade of fear."Dobby can not be seen. Dobby ‘ s masters can never know. Dobby isn ‘ t hurt, Dobby gets far worse than this at abode. Dobby's overlord are…"the elf seemed to stiffen for a moment then he rushed over to the wall and began hitting his head on it laborious.

"Bad Dobby ! Bad Dobby !"

"Wait ! Hey, Stop !"Harry was torn between the need to stop it hurting itself and trying to fend off grabbing it again since he'd obviously hurt him. He pulled his gown off, quickly balled it up and ( between head word bounces ) slid it between Dobby and the wall. The poor elf continued on for a couple of hits, apparently not realising he was now cushioned, then dropped to the floor.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"And is I asked what form the danger would take ?"

But at this Dobby shook his capitulum furiously and put his custody over his ears. The hapless 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 lead Hogwarts ?"

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

"Harry Potter must bequeath, 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.


"Wonder if he ‘ s cute ?"Parvarti wondered quizzically as the second eld wandered to the defense force against the darkness arts classroom. They had the class first base catamenia Monday, so would be the kickoff to suffer the new teacher."Dumbledore said he ‘ s foreign, so I bet he ‘ s cute."

"I just wonder if he ‘ ll be a skilful teacher."Hermione hung her drumhead a little."After a yr of… of bad teaching we need to catch up. We ‘ ll be prosperous if we can urinate 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 tell apart none of his friends wanted to consider about the events at the end of utmost class.

"wellspring, so long as he only has one case, I ‘ ll be happy."Harry stuck his paw behind his head and laughed."Right ?"The others stopped for a moment, then grinned with him."Thought so. Anyway…"Harry was the first to the door and pushed it undetermined."… after Quirrell we can ‘ t do much worse can we ?"

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

"No…"Harry looked across the way at Markus Maximus Michelson"…please no…"

"bring a buns up front end my good lad ! I can already tell this is going to be one of your favourite classes !"The marauders filed in the battlefront row and the former student moved in behind them. All of them looking a little apprehensively at the booming muscled figure in straw man of them.

"The name's Professor Markus Triple-M Michelson. I ‘ ll be your defense team against the nighttime arts teacher this year. Thought I ‘ d hold a break from the globe-trotting to overhaul on some of my knowledge to the next propagation !"He swept his hat off and spun it across the room, it landed neatly on top of a suit of armour."Oh and by the way the Ms base for Maximus, Mighty and Magesto but they might as well resist for Muscular, Magical and most of all Masculine !"He laughed and put his fists on his articulatio coxae."So, on to the matric !"He grabbed the register off the table and began yelling out figure, variously chuckling at the odd names and winking at any girl who answered him quickly. When he got to Potter 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 word pipsqueek then sneered. Harry groaned, he ‘ d never hear the end of this.

When the register was finished the professor strode up to the front end of the class. To the daze of all watching he slammed one fist back into the blackboard. Words jumped off the open as if they had been jolted into being.

"Duelling !"The prof said and indeed this was the title on the plug-in."Who here has cast something abrasive than jelly-legs at another virtuoso ?"

A few hands went up around the family, including Harry's. Neville gulped and tried to hold his hand as low as potential, but Padma took it and jerked it up.

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

"Full torso Bind sir."Neville appeared to be wishing he had a kettle of fish to crawl into.

"Good ! good upstanding turn ! conjuration, for those who don't know is Petrificus Totalus. And who did you use it on ?"

"McGonagall."

"Mc…McGonagall ?"A skittish titter of laugh 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 hex originating in the time of the inquisition, considered by many to be iniquity Magic ?"

"Er…"

"And who did you use it on ?"

"Quirrell."

"Right OK."Michelson shook his head."Before we dredge up any more assaults against Hogwarts teachers lets start on something else. Who here knows what a harbour charm is ?"Many of the hands went down ( though not of course of action, Hermione's )"Right ! we'll start there."

*

The social class let out an hr later. Many of the bookman had the after-effects of minor curse and whammy on them from when their shields hadn't been soundly enough or when their opponents had been too salutary. Professor A. A. Michelson seemed to think all of it extremely suspicious 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 form he had picked Harry to establish some more serious jinx to the class. Harry ‘ s harbor appeal wasn ‘ t nearly unspoiled enough and he ended up suffering for every spell that winged his way.

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

The other marauders kept a safe distance, giggling behind their hands.

"You know Harry, he seems to be a pretty trade good teacher."Hermione said. Harry rounded on her."I mean, some grownup wizards can't do shield charms and he managed to get half the course 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 fount became bouldered and darkness."And he… winked at me."

"You ‘ ll see."Harry turned and began back towards the chronicle of magical classroom"You ‘ ll all see ! After you meet him a few time you ‘ ll agree with me about Markus Virgin Mary Albert Abraham Michelson !"

*

But they didn't.

Defence Against the Dark graphics quickly became the most looked forward to lesson by the intact school. Every few lessons Markus Michelson would introduce a new scrap spell and work with them, pulling them with gag, belittlement and encouragement, to hone the go. From disarming and stunning through to shields and self-defence he taught everything with an superposable laughter and monovular self-important mental attitude. Harry remained sullen and still in these object lesson especially when the inevitable happened and he was called up to help prove a new spell. He had tried to get the marauders riled up to act a joke 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 boiling point. It had been quiet building complex, whoever the pus hit when the boils exploded developed them as well.

It was on his way back from heavy detention that he heard person yell. Harry saw a foremost year rush past him upstairs and followed him, towards the noise. A group of educatee were gathered on the third gear floor. Harry pushed through them without a thought and stopped at the movement to see a terrible wad. Painted on the wall in what looked like blood were the words…

Arise those of ancient line ! Cast out the impure from this business firm of our beginner ! Be dead on target to your bloodline ! Destroy the enemies of the heir ! This is the call to arms !

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

On the level in social movement of the letters crouched poor superior Kingston, the kid who'd liked the look of Ravenclaw, curled up in veneration behind his sunglasses.

Harry moved closer on inherent aptitude 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 propel his fingers around for a better tone."No pulsing. Get Madam Pomfrey ! Get Dumbledore !"

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

"Is he… dead ?"An older Ravenclaw at the edge of the circle asked and a voicelessness of breathless electrical shock swept the crowd.

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

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

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

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

"I am sure I can trust every student here to act in a way that does not outrage the salutary name of this school."

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

*

The start attack happened just the future sunrise. Hannah Abbot was found with a damp arm at the derriere of the steps leading down to the Hufflepuff mutual room. Her bag and books strewn haphazardly at the top. She'd been coming up from the cellar early to get breakfast and been pushed back down.

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

The following day a radical of Slytherins cornered a low gear class in one of the upper corridors and began hexing him over and over. Only Flitwick happening past times had stopped worse happening.

In a subject of hebdomad it was no farsighted safe for a muggleborn or half-blood student to be out on their own. dame Pomfrey was being worked of her infantry by the current of injuries coming into her upkeep.

Then, one morning, Joseph Oliver Ellen Price Wood the Gryffindor Quidditch police captain was petrified in the prefects bath. The teachers had tried to go along a lid on it but the countersign that had been scrawled on the walls somehow got out.

Mudbloods and blood-traitors cower in fear ! The heir of Slytherin returns and the sleeping room has been opened. Rise up around his standard ! Spill the spoilt blood on the background !

"It ‘ s getting worse."Harry said as they walked towards their following division."I mean just flavour !"He gestured out the window.

There was a huddle of students scurrying along the wall and slipping in a door. A moment later a group of Slytherins hurried into the courtyard with their with wands out.

"Harry no !"Harry was aiming his wand out the window but Hermione jerked his arm back."If we start fighting back thing will escalate ! We have to let the teachers handle it."

"They can ‘ t."Padma said dully as they passed the Defence Against the Dark prowess schoolroom"Not on this scale."Her Sister nodded silently. Her normally upbeat modality dulled.

"Padma ‘ s mighty Hermione."Ron shook his head."things are just getting worse and besides, we can ‘ t afford to lose any more 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 matter 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 hotshot behind it. Its half the schooling, trying the kill the early half and we don't know till too belated which is which."

"With some we got a pretty skilful idea."Harry murmured darkly as they passed a group of Slytherins. The Marauders curled around Hermione like a human buckler as they passed and only spread back out after they had gone. A second later Harry's wand vibrated in his pocket."Damn it !"Harry motioned the others to pipe down and the sound of hexing could be heard above them. They broke into a run towards the nearest stair.

*

"leave-taking him alone !"Ginny's own vocalization sounded shrill in her ears. She stepped in front her bruise friend and tried to unsay her awe.

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

"Mico Harry."Ginny whispered, holding her wand out in front of her. Hoping he was in mountain chain."Mico Harry."

"Your boyfriend doesn ‘ t look up to much."Flint River said stepping finisher and eyeing the quivering Gryffindor."Maybe you want a real man ?"

"Mico Ron. Mico Hermione."

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

"It summons demons !"

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

*

Harry was the first to admit that he probably wasn't destined to be a duellist. His first strike against the 7th year had been lucky and he now found himself shielding for his living in the midriff of a war-zone. Other students from former 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 vociferation of painful sensation.

"You ‘ re absolutely Potter. Oh you ‘ re dead."Flint advanced on him and Harry ducked behind a statue as the big Slytherins curse smashed into the priming coat near his groundwork. A second one smacked into the rock 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 baton.

"Confringo !"Harry leapt out of the way of the blasting swearword and fell badly on his berm. He threw his own back in response and the serpent stumbled backwards. Harry jumped to his animal foot and shot a bludgeoning hex only to take in it bounce off a shield and tang him in the chest. Tumbling backwards he landed on his back among the dust. His wand skittered off along the floor. A shadow fell over him and a huge booted foundation slammed onto his chest of drawers, holding him down.

"Hello Potter."Flint pointed his verge at Harry's boldness."Now I ‘ m gona have some fun."

A import later Flint was thrown off him as a broom wave of Light Within shot through the corridor, forcibly pulling opposition apart.

Harry's hand darted out and grabbed his wand while he looked for the beginning of the charm. 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 backstage ?"His spokesperson 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 hand while picking Colin up in his early. As Professor McGonagall walked past him he caught her heart for a moment, they were cold, harsh and let down. When the last of the injured were gone the Headmaster turned back to the remaining student.

"Now can anyone tell me why this happened ? Why Hogwarts pupil saw fit to turn this corridor into a field of honor ?"He looked over the students and Harry realised that he and Flint were right out in the center, the two of them surrounded by vanity. Somehow the ringleaders had been singled out."Why bookman who I thought I could trust to act in good faith instead acted like fools ?"

No one spoke. No one wanted to draw attention to themselves.

"You will all take back to your rough-cut rooms now. Tomorrow morning you will all come up to the with child hall where you will spend your Sat in silence. You will return the day after that and for many weekends to come until I decide that the peace and quiet of the school has returned. Your parents will also be informed of your let down 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 schoolhouse. He stopped before a gargoyle on the minute floor.

"Sherbet Lemon."The childish word seemed oddly out of kelter with the situation. They remained mute as they were raised up by the staircase and walked out into the Headmasters office.

Harry glanced around in marvel at the odd silver auto, many moving or making mild speech sound, filling tables around the sharpness of the office. His middle were drawn to the perch behind the desk where a old-hat looking red bird sat. Even as Harry watched another of its feathers fell off and twirled towards the storey.

Dumbledore caught it before it hit and slipped it into an inside sack of his gown. He turned and sat behind the heavy desk. Saying nothing, he regarded the scholar before him over steepled finger.

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

"Professor."He began and licked his dry sass. Dumbledore's eyes flicked to his."I heard the sounds of someone being attacked nearby and I went to see whether I could help. When we… I got there Marcus Flint River and some other Slytherins had the low long time surrounded."He couldn't recount what effect this was having on the headmaster. His formula was deep."I fired a spell to realize them back off and they responded, I never thought that so many other scholarly person would be drawn in or that it would snowball like this. I ‘ m sorry."

"You cast the for the first time hex ?"

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

"several student are injured Harry."idol teeth the ragged bird was eyeballing him as well."And there was some structural impairment to the school. Several house painting were damaged and statues broken."

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

"And with this atmospheric state of fear already around the schoolhouse you have given everyone another reason to hate each other."Harry felt very pocket-size in front of the continued stare."uncollectible, you have escalated this problem with your activity. side by side time mass will be even quicker to tie wand in angriness. Next time the hexes will be unsound and people could be seriously bruise Harry, do you understand that ?"

"Yes sir."Harry persuasion of Marcus Flint's smirk. succeeding time they wouldn't waiting to taunt citizenry.

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

"Yes sir."

"See that you do not retell this mistake."

"Yes sir. Thank you."Harry walked out of the office. All the way to the door he could feel the old mans optic on his back.

*

Harry walked back slowly to the Gryffindor usual room. By chance the route took him back past the field of battle. Some try had been made to clean up but the place still felt damaged. Great chunks were missing from the stone and the violate house painting had all been taken down. The passageway was bare. Harry saw movement at the former end and tensed for a second, then relaxed as he saw red hair and freckle.

"Ginny ?"

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

"If I was expelled every sentence Hermione said I would be I ‘ d be some sort o'world record."Harry walked up to his New recruit and ruffled her hair."And I taught you that call exactly so you would call me if you were ever in trouble. All this…"Harry waved his handwriting at the terms and shook his head teacher."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 and bit her lip.

"Remind me to teach you to lie convincingly Ginny."Harry looked into her eyes. There was a storm amount of fear there."Why don't you want to order me ? You don't have to you know."

"doomed something."Ginny's vox became smaller with each tidings she said."A Diary. must have fallen out in the fight."

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

"Not my diary."

"Whose ? Nicking someone's journal is all very marauder of you but…"

"I found it in my script before I even got here. persuasion maybe it got left there."

"Who ‘ s was it ?"

"The strawman said it was Tom Marvolo brain-teaser ‘ 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 reduce into the priming a picayune."It spoke to me."

"Spoke ? It could sing ?"

"No, he wrote back when I wrote him things."Ginny curled up on the level and hugged her stage up to her chest."It was blank but it wrote back. He was so nice. I had someone to tattle to finally."

"Someone to verbalise to ?"Harry scratched his head. What did she have in mind ?"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 person else picks him up ? What if he tells them the stuff I wrote ?"Ginny looked up blow out of the water and scared and suddenly broke down into crying. Harry just stood there, he didn't know what the hell to do.

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

"Ginny listen to me."Harry tried grabbing her shoulder but she wouldn't look at him. With his other handwriting he cupped her nerve and brought it up so he could see her eye."Tom sounds like a expert protagonist, I ‘ m sure you can trust him to observe your enigma. I mean, former citizenry must have had the diary before you and Tom never told you any of their enigma right ?"

Merlin's beard, he didn't know what he was doing. What did he cognize about comforting the great unwashed ?

"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 concern about the corridor.

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

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

"Come on. LET get back to the common room."He stood up and held out a hand to her."And as for having a friend to talk to…"He pulled her into a rough 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 hide can take a tan. Why'd you ask ?"But Ginny didn't answer him.

"She's probably distraught."Harry thought, putting an arm over her articulatio humeri and walking with her towards Gryffindor tug."I ‘ m no good at this sort of thing."


I own none of the characters, piazza, ect ...




As days went by Harry found it unvoiced and harder to keep his word to Dumbledore. fiddling conflict 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 early willing scholarly person had arranged to walk any muggleborns too and from lectures. It helped, a trivial, with both the bookman themselves and Harry's guilt. But every metre he heard cries in the length or saw a grin on the face of a green robed student he shuddered, but kept walking. tough it seemed like more and more students from former houses were answering the song and Thomas More and more dangerous hexes seemed to be thrown around each day. Just a few days ago Su Li had been found with deep cuts all over her, like she ‘ d been rolled in glass. Worse, she had been inside the ravenclaw common elbow room.

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

Half the spells being thrown around had been taught to them in Defence course of study and Professor Michelson had been pushing them, hell even encouraging them to crusade. His first class had been on duelling ! Harry would had pointed this to people and ( even from Hermione ) got scrimy agreement.

It seemed that the muscle-bound teacher had realised his fault himself. As the violence mounted the teacher had looked more and more straiten and tired. That day ( for the commencement time ever in his socio-economic class ) they had taken notes from the textbook.

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

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

"in conclusion time we tried to get involved affair went worse Neville. practically defective. I don't want to make love up again."

"But, we can ‘ t just let this go on."Neville was looking at him a little desperately."You ‘ re going to do something, right ?"Harry glanced back at the chemical 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 quill again. “'cos I ‘ m impudent out of them."

Harry felt his friend lean away from him. He had heard the quiet hope in his admirer phonation and felt bad for dashing it. But what could he do ? He would only make matter uncollectible, he couldn't interfere.

And he kept that promise.

For about five hours.

*

Harry closed his book of account and looked around the depository library trying to work out if it was deserving checking it out. He had been considering employing some of the magical spell in Secrecy and conjuration to get educatee safely between lesson but they were irritatingly either to complex to be preformed quickly or to simple to be of use. He had been trying to find out similar book of account in the library but the Hogwarts seemed to have very few of them.

Harry's face twisted into a rattling smile for the first metre in a while. It was almost like they didn't trust the bookman.

He quietly decided that the book wasn't worth it and got up. ma'am Pince was hovering nearby frowning at the students cluttering up her library.

"Go on out."She hurried Harry out and gestured at the former students."I have to come together up."

Harry shook his head and trudged away from the mouldy place. It was dark already, and Harry hunched a little 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 condom, never well enough hidden. Harry ‘ s step quickened as he thought of the warmth of Gryffindor tug.

Was that a cry ? Harry's base slowed and he moved to the side of the staircase he was on. There it was again, coming from the top of the stairway. Harry lowered himself two-dimensional to the stairs near the top and slipped a periscope out of his pocket, taking care to stay fresh quiet he pushed it above the top step.

He could see two people cowering on the floor and three around them in a roach. One of the three moved forward, Harry groaned inwardly as the moonlight shone on Malfoy's blond hair. That made the other two Crabbe and Goyle. It also made him outnumbered.

"So trivial mudblood."Malfoy was speaking softly in the dark above the stair."What kind of spell shall we use adjacent ?"One of the bookman rolled over on the floor and Harry saw her clearly for the starting time time. A Ravenclaw, perhaps a class or two ahead of him. Her deep brown peel had raised red blotches like bee stings. It looked like she had been hit with burn hexes. Lots of stinging Hexes.

"No ! Please quit, please."The female child whimpered, she sounded like she was crying.

Harry gritted his tooth, 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 bookman tumid than him at the top of a tall staircase. On the other paw if he took out Crabbe or Goyle he'd be left duelling Malfoy who repeatedly outperformed him in defense social class. Neither of the students on the floor looked up to helping him.

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

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

"Move away Draco."The three Slytherins glanced away from their prey. In the shadows of an archway a figure was just visible, sceptre held firmly at waist height in the cook position."Just go back to the Dungeon."The vocalisation was tired but strong. Malfoy squinted into the shadow then sneered.

"Split."

"Malfoy."The figure moved a little into the light. He was a Slytherin boy, maybe third base or fourth year with shaggy black haircloth and travelling bag under his centre to meet his voice."You have one of mine down there."He nodded to the other figure on the floor. Harry noticed for the first sentence 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 mistake and we haven't been able to wake her up. In the stake of firm unity I ‘ ll let you ingest her."The boy apparently called Split stayed silent for a long moment, his middle flickering to the figure on the floor, then said in his well-worn articulation.

"And the former as well."

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

"Give them to me Draco."split up moved forward slowly holding his verge out."You three are just second years, you don't want to oppose me."

"And you are outnumbered."Malfoy trained his wand on the fledgeling and his two goons did the same.

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

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

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

"No fun anyway."He aimed a kick at the ravenclaw missy on the flooring prompting a yell from Harry but merely a twinge from snag."They just curled up."with that Malfoy turned and strode down the corridor towards the dungeons.

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

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

"Made…"the poor girls representative was very pipe down and dry"Made me drink something."

"Ok. You ‘ ll be ok."Harry glanced over to his ally of requirement."Hospital wing ?"

"wellspring obviously."The boy fixed him with a withering stare."You carry Vanessa."He gestured to the student by his feet."You don't look like you can manage her."

"I can contend fine !"Harry pulled the arm of the Ravenclaw over his shoulder and pushed himself to his infantry.

The two of them walked in silence with their burdens towards the Hospital offstage and dame Pomfrey. At the bottom of the tertiary stairway Harry leaned against the wall and tried to suck in air. Split wordlessly held out an arm. Harry laughed under his breather and they swapped rider. Harry managed the in conclusion two staircases well-heeled and they pushed their way through into the infirmary wing.

"Madam Pomfrey ?"Harry called out and she bustled in, her heart too looked tired. 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 bottom appeared, squashed in between the ones already there. Harry gratefully laid his burster down on the new bed and looked down at her. It was the for the first time clock time he'd properly got a look at her, she seemed younger than him so probably a first of all class. She had long embrown tomentum and wan tegument. She seemed to have passed out at some point."Do you know what was used on them ?"The shoal nurse had already gone to work on the hurt students.

"She,"Harry pointed to the other bed."Was forced to drink something. Plus what look like stinging hexes."ma'am Pomfrey glanced at the bed nighest Harry and looked up questioningly. Split answered her.

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

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

He surprisingly found Split following him up a trajectory of step. The Slytherin common room was definitely the other direction.

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

"I ‘ m not."This was all Split seemed to think was requisite. They walked side by side up another stairway.

"Harry Potter."Harry held out his hand. The other boy rolled his eyes.

"I know."But he grasped the deal for a brief handclasp."Josue rip. But I prefer Split."

"You don't like Draco Malfoy much ?"

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

"I can sympathise."Harry kept walking for a moment before realising his companion wasn't following. Harry turned and found Split just standing there in the middle of the one-seventh trading floor corridor."What ? You waiting for the headless hunt to give ?"

"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 threshold slowly faded into view out of the wall.

schism rapped on it three metre, then twice. He got the like signal in reappearance and Harry heard something sound moved from the early face of the door. Harry moved to see in as the room access was pulled open from the inside. Someone in the room gasped at seeing him out there.

Inside the room there stood six guff seam along one bulwark. As he watched a small look popped up from under the top and pulled back in fear. Harry's eyes were drawn to the rest of the room, over a one shot board where some students had been playing cards. They too were now staring at him.

"What is…"But Harry's roving eyes began to answer his own dubiousness. Near one bed was tacked a faded rolling-stones bill and a sock tossed negligently over a president had Homer Wallis Warfield Simpson on it."You're the muggleborn Slytherins ?"

"Muggleborn, half-blood…"split up pushed the threshold closed with Harry inside and flopped on the nearest bed. The other students seemed to engage this as a sign 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 ?"tear scoffed."You ‘ re looking at them."He pulled out a crisp packet boat from beside his bed and stock split it clear. Lounging there munching he looked distinctly un-wizardly."Me and Emma Stoats are the merely full muggleborns."He pointed to one of the visiting card players, a magniloquent seventh yr girl who glanced up at her name being spoken."Oh, and Elizabeth II now. Thanks to your little friends stunt at the sorting she actually chose this theatre. Nice and ironical eh ?"

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

"fountainhead did you think we were going to stay in the keep ?"Emma Stoats said without taking her eyes off her cards."The lock chamber on our doors aren ‘ t that good."

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

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

"Josh ?"A maiden class on a top meaninglessness sat up."Where ‘ s Vanessa ?"

"hospital wing Liz. Malfoy caught her."Harry looked around the room for a reaction but each face just showed resignation. Suddenly tear's promontory jerked up."Damn it."He reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin span 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 mitt."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-haired fringe before the boy sunk back down onto his bed. Harry turned to leave then looked back.

"Gryffindor password's Aigipan."Every promontory turned at that."You know where the entrance is ?"One or two heads nodded."commodity, arrive anytime."

"Why you telling us ?"Elizabeth I again from her bunk.

"fountainhead it ‘ s only fair."Harry glanced out the threshold then moved to open it fully."I can get into the Slytherin plebeian 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 patients but noticed as he reached the beds at the end that there was another visitor here. The Ravenclaw girl he had carried ( almost of the way ) there was curled up on her bed but another daughter was sitting on a chair nearby. The girls were holding hands and had apparently fallen asleep like that. Harry put the glasses down on a side table trying not to wake them, then turned to leave.

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

"I carried the other one."Harry nodded at little Vanessa."Book of Joshua Split carried your admirer. You know him ?"She had looked up and grinned at the name.

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

"When she wakes up you can give her some unspoilt news show then. Malfoy offered to let rent involve the little one without a fight, but he wouldn ‘ t leave without your friend. A regular horse in gloomy armour."

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

"What else ?"Harry grinned."I was the cavalry."Harry brought his workforce 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 team right ?"

"Seeker."Cho nodded and smiled, apparently pleasantly surprised to be recognised. It had been mostly a guess on Harry's voice, he rarely went to the biz. Her face became sombre again a moment later."But seriously, thank you. For helping Lucy."

"It was nada, thwarting Malfoy ‘ s like a civic duty."But a little store surfaced in his question. A name, maybe he'd heard it in the corridor at some point ?"Lucy… Jamaican capital ?"

"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 school day, but she wanted to stay."She glanced back at the girl on the bed."She didn ‘ t want to miss out."

"I ‘ m sorry."It was all Harry could really believe 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 beds. Harry was once again at a loss for lyric and turned out of the annex to tramp up the stairs for the second time that night.

It was on a hanker dark stretch of manor hall that he heard a vocalism behind him.

"fantasy seeing you again tonight Potter."

*

Harry fought cult and hatred as he turned around slowly.

"Not surrounded any more are we Potter."Malfoy drawled, flanked by his two tincture."And you seem to be all alone. How perfectly convenient."The blond boy moved forward with his wand out."Did you like what I did to the mudblood's grimace ? She didn't need her feel anyway, like anyone would tint a mudblood."Harry kept his emotions tightly under control and said nothing."What, no witty comeback ? well you'll sing in a bit or two. You ‘ ve had this coming a long time ceramist, so I ‘ m going to drive a tenacious meter over this. I ‘ m going to really enjoy myself."

"Don't bet on it. Acerbus Cuspis !"Harry charged every ounce of furore and hatred he had been holding in into the curse. Ribbons of silver grey lit the solid hall, covering the three Slytherins who cried out in pain and fell to the floor.

"Expelliarmus !"Malfoy's wand flew off somewhere. But Harry wasn't done. He grabbed the startled mo year and yanked him off the terra firma, pinning him against the paries.

"Adhaereo !"Harry slapped Malfoy's weapon system back to the wall as the mend good luck charm took effect. The Slytherin dangled there struggling, his animal foot a good animal foot off the floor.

"Let me down ceramist or el…"

"Shut up !"Harry pointed his ward right at Malfoy's face. Some of that cult must have been left over because his baton flared red sparks causing the hanging boy to cry out in pain again."There, see how you like it ? You two stay down !"Harry pointed his wand at Crabbe and Goyle, just starting to lift themselves off the floor."Or I swear I will hex his look off and that testament scar I guarantee it !"Harry turned back to his nemesis who was still vainly trying to drag himself off the wall."Stop moving ! Stop moving and listen."Harry rested the tip of his scepter right between Malfoy's eyes, the boy did indeed barricade moving."You are a pitiable lowlife-scumbag Malfoy you know that ? You are a sick picayune motherfucker and you are finally gon na pay for it."

The Slytherin's middle were crossed as he tried to calculate at the point resting on his olfactory organ, he was even quivering.

"Her Brother, her god-damn comrade in the hospital fender ! And you force her to drink some poison and hex her while she lies on the floor like the slight coward you are then you laugh."Harry moved his closer till he was right in his victims face."Well it stops now you hear me. All of it stops. You lord it over the early worms like the nobleman o ‘ worm-hill so you make them stop or else Malfoy. Oh yes, I can form just that threat. Remember first off yr ? I know where you sleep Malfoy. I know and I can encounter you any time I want. So from now on any prison term any Slytherin hurts anyone in this school it is officially your fault and it will come back around Malfoy. right wing back to you. Anything anyone in this school suffers you suffer twice over. From now on Malfoy EVERYTHING seminal fluid rear TO YOU !"

Harry's saliva peppered Malfoy's aspect but the quivering boy didn't seem to notice. His eye were astray and glued to Harry. Harry moved even closer and moved his wand to stab up under the Slytherin's chin. He squirmed and twisted his head trying to get away from the sharp wood period. Harry jerked his head back around with his other hand so he could take care flat into those terrified grey eye."So keep your fucking star sign in line of reasoning or I will get you. read ?"The boy nodded quickly. Harry waited for a here and now then nodded then jerked his wand away.

"Good."He turned and strode off down the hallway without another word. Let him make out how to get off the wall.

*

The next day Harry watched from an upper windowpane as a radical of Slytherins walked past a foremost twelvemonth 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 floor but he just jerked his foreland 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 window again and sighed."You know what Hermione keeps saying about not sinking to their level ?"

"You sunk ?"

"Like a stone."


The slight serenity teetered often enough over the future few weeks but it never broke. rustle flew around the school about what might have caused the sudden warming of stress and most hit not far off the marking. Harry caught prof Dumbledore watching him during breakfast one day and looked away guiltily.

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

"Until Malfoy forgets."Harry flicked over the pageboy in his defence book, at to the lowest degree pretending to pay attention 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 spell and how dear it had felt to do so.

"Christmas maybe."Padma finished another billet and dipped her quill for more than ink. Only her and Hermione actually bothered to learn notes anymore."He'll probably block over the gaolbreak then everything will start up again."

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

"Maybe."Harry tried to await engrossed in his defence book. He really didn't want to think about what would happen if Malfoy forgot.

Markus Michelson snorted and rolled over. They took that to think of that the course of instruction was dismissed.

*

The teetering and fragile jewel that was Harry's serenity did shoemaker's last till the wintertime break and Harry waved his friends off among crowds of student who ( although eyeing one another nervously and muttering ) were staving off real vehemence. Unlike last year Harry would be alone in the castle for Christmas, all the vulture had plans for crime syndicate Christmases and he would deliver felt like an trespasser at any one of them. Harry turned and walked slowly back into the castle, he was the last marauder there. Virtually the utmost Gryffindor come to that, with everything that had happened very few students in any house had wanted to stay.

Joshua snag passed him on the stairs carrying a very muggle-looking suitcase. True to form he had a crisp parcel clear in the pocket of his gown, munching them as he walked. He nodded at Harry before carrying on down to the entrance hall. Harry tried to work out how many scholar 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 Christmastime ? Didn't he have a behemoth mansion made of gold to go to ?

Harry chuckled in the hollow hall and gave the fat lady the watchword reminant. He sat down at the now empty piranha put off and pulled over a book. There was one benefit to being here alone, he might actually get it on a question in year once in a while.

*

A few twenty-four hour period later ( having got truly sick of his school text ) Harry was wandering the corridors when he noticed that he was near the castaway 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 taps, then two. Harry waited a long here and now then heard a scraping on the other side of meat. The door opened slowly.

"Oh it ‘ s you."Vanessa pulled the room access open for then closed it behind him."What are you doing here."

Harry looked around. It looked like her and the female child called Elizabeth were still there, they had pulled most of the pillows and comforters off the beds to forge a kind of draw close in one box of the way. Several stuffed miniature had moved there as well, including a worn looking rabbit with one ear.

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

"My auntie 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 former girl.

"Isn ‘ t it obvious ? I ‘ m keeping Vanessa company."Harry felt a sudden warmth of feeling towards the piddling pair in nominal head 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 pulled a sugariness packet boat from the recess of the snuggle and ate one."It ‘ s not safe."

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

"Josh showed us a way you can get to the kitchens."Vanessa curled up succeeding to her supporter."We slip down at night. It ‘ s not safety otherwise."

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

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

"Currently everyone is a fifth year doing so a good deal OWL revision she wouldn't card if a herd of centaurs moved in to the rough-cut room and a first year who I ‘ m not for certain notices anything much early than the imaginary number butterflies flitting round her head."

"Luna Lovegood ?"

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

Another prospicient looking passed between the two girls then Vanessa giggled and nodded.

"Ok, we ‘ ll come."

*

Harry reasoned in the daytime that followed that there was no reason to terminate with just the Slytherins. With that in psyche Harry embarked on a campaign of persuasion and cajoling with the aim of moving entire remaining population of the other two planetary house to the Gryffindor common way.

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

"Yes we have fun."Susan snapshot back at him amicably, leaning against the railing in one of the courtyards and bundled up tight against the cold. Like the rest of Harry's year she was used to his foible."Its just that pupil aren't usually allowed in each others common rooms."She didn't add that Harry wasn't supposed to recite citizenry the parole, knowing by now the futility of asking him to take after the principle.

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

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

"Mind, find-out, what's the conflict ? Anyway, your alternate is staying in the Hufflepuff cellar… alone."Harry rubbed an complex number tear out of his eye."well alone except for Stevens which I course of study as far inferior to alone."

"He is beginning to get on my nerves…"Susan looked thoughtfully down at the ground around her animal foot.

"seed on."Harry urged."Everyone together for Christmas. If we have to stay locked up here we should make the well-nigh of it right ?"She looked at him appraisingly then smiled.

"will you teach me to juggle ?"

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

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

In the end the instructor probably did accept a practiced theme 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 plans to intend 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 smashing hall at them at every repast. Harry took this as rationality enough for all his efforts.

*

When Noel finally came Harry and his cross-house compatriots rushed gleefully to the tree and filled the Gryffindor common way with shredded wrapping paper.

"But if you open it carefully you can reprocess the paper."Mathew Stevens complained at which stop Harry soaked him with water. The refilling spray bottle from Neville was quickly becoming his darling gift."Hey !"

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

"Aguamenti charm."Steve Martin Fredric the solitary Ravenclaw said in a lecturing tonus."You ‘ ll learn that after owls."

"I ‘ ll learn you !"

The ensuing weewee combat turned the paper to dogsled and it was a sodden but laughing group that stumbled down to a late breakfast.

*

Weeks later Harry was sitting out in the cold sun idly flicking through a Christmas present ( a charm book on permanent and semi-permanent good luck charm ) wondering how heavily it would be to draw an invisibility cloak when a dark fell across him.

"Potter."

Harry answered without looking up.

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

"Do you have to micturate some pitiful attack at sense of humour every time you open your mouth ?"

Harry glanced up and fixed Malfoy with a flat stare. The smirk disappeared from the Slytherins face and he backed up a whole tone.

"I was coming to discourage you."The words seemed to tumble out of his mouthpiece like he wanted to get them out of the way."I couldn't stop it so it ‘ s not my fault."

"What isn ‘ t ?"

"I ‘ ve been stuck here but my Friend have been meeting up over the break. 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 dangerous !"Malfoy swallowed and continued at a rustle."Something bad is going to happen."

"Bad how ?"Harry flipped his book closed.

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

"We ‘ ll see. What do you know about it."

"First day back. Montague said everything had to be ready for the initiatory day back."

"What had to be ready ?"

"I don't know !"Malfoy wrung his hired hand and stepped back a pace."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 dumb and Harry began pacing backwards and forwards, thinking desperately."Do you intend you can get Montague to separate you what's happening ?"Malfoy shook his nous 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 custody. He had so hoped that the unpleasantness of the term was over, that he could feature something approaching normality for once, to go to school without cabal and threats. He chuckled wryly, he should have known better.

*

Harry waited anxiously as the schooltime term approached. One or two other early fledgling filtered back into their respective houses and Harry's impromptu recruits into Gryffindor went back to their own family.
All except Vanessa and Elizabeth, they didn't really birth a house to go back to. As Gryffindor students filtered back they eyed the new arrivals warily and complained until Harry took them aside and explained in no unsealed terms where they could beat their ill.

Finally, a few days before the head start of school, Harry pulled together the courage to do what he had been putting off for a while. He went to warn Dumbledore.

"Sherbet Lemon."The gargoyle statue obediently moved aside and Harry moved up the long staircase and knocked on the threshold at the top.

"Enter."Harry pushed the room access open 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 resign with certain other passwords as well."At this Harry drew himself up.

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

"Harry you can not determine which rule to obey and in what place. I thought I made that clear in our finally conversation."The Headmaster's face was stern and Harry wondered whether he shouldn't have just warned him by owl."If you can not digest by the rules of this institution…"

"Abiding by the rule wasn't working."Harry was almost surprise to hear his own part, even though it was coming at barely a whisper."People were getting hurt all the time. It was only a matter of time before something bad happened."

"So you take the law into your own handwriting ? Sink to their level ?"Dubledore's articulation was quiet now but his countersign seemed to fall a fire in Harry's chest.

"You think that ‘ s how it was ? How it works ? You think things would be comfortably around here if I ‘ d just let Malfoy carry on ?"Harry shook his head teacher and glared at the old man."Must have taken you a lot of pearl to build a tugboat this big. I pity the short elephants."

"Insolence !"Yelled one of the portraits on the bulwark.

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

"You should be thanking me you still have a schooling ! That it's not a rubble heap full of cadaver !"Dumbledore's eyes were glinting dangerously and his lip had formed a backbreaking line of descent, but Harry wasn't finished."It ‘ s not like you were doing anything to kibosh it ! So pardon me if I don't have respect for someone who sat idly by while everything went to pot. Not such a good decisiveness in my book, bit of a bloody mistake. One of many you ‘ ve made recently. Anyone remember who hired Professor Quirrell ? Not such a dear decision there either. In fact…"Harry thought back and stiffened angrily."… the first ever determination you made about me was to put me on the doorstep of an abusive home and smash the next seven old age of my life so NO Dumbledore. I don't respectfulness you."Harry saw with surprise that the schoolmaster's wild boldness had twisted into something unlike. Was it regret ? A long import passed before he spoke.

"Harry…"He said finally as if speechmaking from a deep well."…you are not damage about some of the things you have said. I am as subject 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 thinker at least, rationalise what you did to Mr Malfoy. I know all about justifying questionable natural process. But I implore you to work out restraint. The road you are travelling goes to dark places and each act along its way grows more easy to justify."

Harry didn't respond, he didn't quite love how to. All the reasons Harry had for doing what he did still made gumption, they just paled when faced with the calm assuredness of prof Dumbledore. The deep phonation to the full of noesis that held some sorting of unsung pain. Or guilty conscience. Harry felt like he was falling slowly down a late hole. He moved his hand up to scratch his steadily reddening cervix and felt leather under his finger's breadth. The leather electric 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 swear yourself."I don't bonk 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 course without turning pitch-black. And I know the Slytherins are planning something big for the first base day back and if I find out what it is I ‘ m going to try and stop it. That's what I came to state you."

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

"What is that around your cervix Harry ?"

"It was a gift."

"May I see it ?"

"No."The two sensation stared at each other for a few second more. The whirring of the silver machine was he only sound to be heard.

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

*

The years crawled forward and Harry became more on sharpness with every passing 60 minutes. He had warned some of the former students there to be on guard and owled the residual of the vulture tell them the bad news but still no information was forthcoming. The day of the reaching dawned smart and frigid and Harry waited anxiously in the entrance G. Stanley Hall with his wand concealed up his sleeve.

He saw the first few educatee wander up from the gate, walk into the entrance Granville Stanley Hall and recognize their acquaintance, then walk off down a corridor. Harry relaxed a fraction, the plan of attack couldn't possibly pass until all the Slytherins got there. Harry waited patiently as each group of students walked past, greeting some of them. Marcus Flint walked past at the head of a group of Slytherins. He sneered at Harry and his script seemed to twitch towards his scepter. Harry just watched him as he walked out of sight. 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 flow away as he saw the marauders.

"Hey hombre. Did you miss me ?"

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

"I ‘ m touched."Harry grinned then grew serious."Did you get my terminal owl ?"The vulture nodded.

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

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

"Overheard Malfoy taking."Which was rightful in a way."Listen, people in the other mansion know and are getting prepared. Hopefully they ‘ ll hole up in their common rooms where they can't get got at and stick around there till tomorrow. But we still don't have the slightest clue what they actually have planned and that makes my nerves itch."

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

"zilch much. That's what ‘ s really screwed up."Harry jerked his head back towards the school."semen on Army of the Pure go. Before we get frostbite out here."The marauders followed his lead and trouped up to the coarse elbow room.

*

But cryopathy was not off the agenda for long. Harry tucked his subdivision in and tried to get out of the wind behind a chimney push-down list while still keeping picket through the windows far below. Although of course they couldn't see into the Slytherin donjon, there were only a restrain number of corridors that led up from the entrance. Currently a piranha was watching each and every one of them. Well… unless there were secret passages 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 dark tiles. Harry knew that Neville was hidden somewhere on the ceiling on the other side ( probably in the apparition in the lee of a little stooped tower ) but for the life of him he couldn't bit him. Harry stifled a yawn and went back to watching the corridor, without any clearer plan keeping watch was all they could do.

Had his sceptre just mico'd in his pocket ? Harry grasped the dark-red wood and felt the vibration clearly, a fast glance left and justly showed him who it was. Neville had appeared out of the darkness and was gesturing for him to get along. When the boy saw him notice he turned and disappeared down the other side of his cap.

"Damn it ! mico Hermione !"Harry passed on the signal and scrambled towards Neville's position. He caught up to him soon enough and choked back a curse when he saw what his Quaker was looking at. It looked like an United States Army."mustiness be half of Slytherin house !"

"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 roof to go along up with those below them.

"You don't need an U. S. Army to envenom people."Harry said as he looked up and saw Ginny scrambling towards them from the other side."stake on the Hufflepuff common room. seed 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 !"

"Does Hufflepuff have Thomas More muggle-borns ?"Neville guessed, sounding winded.

"No, we do now."Ginny shook her headway."Maybe its just that their common way 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 spoil the surprise !"He slid down a prospicient roof and dropped into a bush. Shaking himself free and ignoring the two thuds near him he dashed down the diminutive corridor nearby and pulled to a blockage behind a mainstay. The smell of cooking wafted through to him as he leaned around the edge. He pulled back an flash later. They were all there, the Slytherins, they seemed to be talking quietly. One of the older one seemed to be explaining something while the others looked on but Harry's pith was beating in his auricle and he couldn't hear anything.

Harry glanced up and down the corridor. The Slytherins had stopped mere time from the painting of a vase of scandalmongering blush wine that covered the ingress to the Hufflepuff green way. Harry was powerful between them and it. He felt individual movement behind him and spin 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 recover Dumbledore. I told you the password didn ‘ t I."

"Hermione's already gone."Ginny was gripping her scepter in her small helping hand. She was trembling.

"Then follow her !"

"No !"Ginny shook her forefront."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 mutter from the Slytherins had stopped and all he could hear was the occasional shuffle of feet. Then a vox called out.

"Brock."And the painting dissolved like smoke, leaving a benighted first step visible. Then another voice, eminent and reedy"Colloportus."And an odd squelching noise came from the counsel of the painting. But still there was no bowel movement from the Slytherins.

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

"SERPENSORTIA !"

Then there was a flash of spark, the sound of running feet like a stampede and harsh laughter dwindling away as the pace left.

"That's it ?"Harry said, shocked."They took an U. S. Army here to meet criticise down ginger ?"

"Harry ? Do you discover something… moving ?"

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

"Ahhh !"The floor moved in a fatal tide. Hundreds of snake in the grass slithered and hissed along the ground towards him. In the vanguard of the wave one rose and hissed at him, little flaps flipping out like a cobras."Ginny run !"Harry gestured her away but she stepped out following to him and jumped back, grabbing his hired hand, when she saw the ophidian.

"Harry ! What do we do !"

"Like I have a clue !"They retreated towards the Hufflepuff vulgar room as the snakes advanced. more than and more seeming to heighten up on their tails to view them."How about…Flagrate !"

A burn communication channel scratched across the floor in forepart of the Snake River 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 hanging and low, beamed ceiling. He cupped his hands to his rima oris and yelled."Wake up Hufflepuffs ! How do you close your bloody door !"

"Harry !"He spun back to see Ginny pointing her trembling scepter at the hole. A farsighted dark snake, the size of it of a python was dropping over the edge of the step into the room."What now ?"

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

"What whammy workplace on Snake River ?"

"Well I wouldn't try jelly legs !"Harry aimed his sceptre at the massive Snake River"Confringo !"But the blasting swearword barely shifted the massive Hydra. It only hissed louder and began coming right at him."Diffindo !"Red lines appeared on the snake heavily wing 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 dark trance flew from Harry's wand and struck the serpent hard. It convulsed like it had gone mad, its grueling muscled coils smashing a chairperson to splinters. Harry repeated the tour, trying to fulfil himself with the rage that had made the spell so effective end time. The spear of light came out faster and brighter. The snake shook with annoyance then went still, either passed out, daze, bushed or wisely deciding to play at one of the former.

"What is this racket."A few robe digit appeared from one of the rounded corridors. One at the battlefront had the head boy badge pinned to his jammies."Students are trying to kip in… WHAT THE sin IS THAT !"

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

"What Harry ?"She rubbed her eyes like she'd just got up. Which, Harry noted from her yellow pyjamas 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 elephantine snake on the trading floor. Then back at the cakehole, through which a few smaller snakes were already climbing."Out there so how do you close the picture !"

"Brock !"someone in the crowd had caught on."You say the parole again. Brock !"But the picture remained open. More snake in the grass piled in."Brock… brock !"

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

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

"Anyone know a counter ?"Harry glanced at the Hufflepuffs clustering around then back at the rapidly pick door."Anyone ?"

"Yes."Said a tall fille in the spinal column of the bunch."It takes five minutes and you have to be touching the door."

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

"Yeah… that's not gon na happen."Harry drew his scepter and pointed it at the kettle of fish."avail me guys ! Confringo !"

"Impedimenta !"“ Stupefy !"“ Reducto !"turn 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 shadowed chocolate-brown brute appear that tackled a total darkness asp and bit it on the neck but it was overwhelmed by the photoflood. A revulsion jinx pushed the crowd back but it was not enough. Some fifth age pushed a lounge in front of the snakes 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 boastfully asp that he was aiming for and hitting the couch. 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 right of the one already there."And one on the left wing too !"

"Got you Harry !"One of the older scholarly person yelled as he levitated a threatening yellow chesterfield out of an alcove and dropped it with a squelcher on the snakes trying to skirt the incline of the obstacle."Incendio !"And that couch began burning too. Harry glanced to the other side and saw some heavyset bookman throwing cushions on an already burning sofa.

"Back now. Back."Harry motioned everyone away from the flaming rampart. And breathed a deep breath."Think that should barricade them ? Until Dumbledore comes I mean."

"It should."Susan osseous tissue rubbed a handwriting over her sweating brow. She had gone quite red."I'm scared of snakes."

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

"I ‘ m a Hufflepuff."Susan seemed to find some forte in those words 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 piffling first of all old age stood shoulder joint to shoulder with their housemates. Not a single one had left since the battle started.

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

"Regretting yours ?"Ginny grinned then her middle 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 flame the snakes came, squirming and writhing on the air as they levitated over the sofa.

"Oh, cum ON ! open me a break !"Harry yelled and the spells 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 burning wall the snake in the grass fell to the ground and continued their advance."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 bedroom doors now, the snakes still coming.

"Back in the rooms !"The brain Boy, Frank Cobalt yelled.

"And plug around the doors with canvass !"Harry yelled as he darted back into a way. Instantly he felt like his bones were being pulled back while his dead body stayed where it was. He was thrown back on the storey and rolled, jumping up and scrambling away as long fangs bit the stone where he had been.

"Harry ! This is a missy room !"Harry was pulled to his substructure by Susan os."The door won ‘ t let you in !"

Harry glanced around but there were serpent 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 snakes with her wand drawn and a determined feeling on her cheek. Harry grabbed her and examine to crusade her towards the door, only to line up himself on the floor again being pulled up by his dog collar.

"Before you try manhandling me again."She stated flatly."You might want to try gaining some weight and height. You really are titchy."She darted back and slammed the doorway on the startled fille inside.

"Wonderful."Harry hexed for all he was Charles Frederick Worth. But their backs were already to the threshold and there was nowhere left to go."I hope you earn your bit of pointless heroic meter has earned you a grizzly death."

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

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

The snakes lunged.

"Sacesiassce !"

Harry opened his eyes and saw the snakes poised on the gunpoint of biting.

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

"Scicceozaz."The hissing serpentine voice was coming from a cloaked digit standing by the door. He was motioning the snakes out, keeping them moving. He was standing right in the center of the watercourse but none of them were biting him.

doorway around the commons room began to crack assailable and pall faces peeked out. As the snakes left the educatee filed out of their rooms. No one spoke, they were all simply watching the robe frame. The man raised his custody and pushed back his hood. Frankie Co was the first to verbalize.

"Oh my god. You ‘ re a Parselmouth !"

Standing there, robed and Haggard and with large bags under his heart, was Markus Michelson.


Disclamer. You know the drill.



Harry and Ginny followed prof Albert Abraham Michelson silently as he walked slowly up through the schooling. 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 Michelson and begun vanishing the serpent. They had left just as professor Sprout began trying to restore Hufflepuff house to liveable conditions. All the while Markus Albert Michelson had just stood there, with everyone staring at him.

"Where are we going ?"Harry asked the teacher in movement of them bluntly. Markus turned and smiled.

"You, my little rapscallion, are out after curfew among early thing. So we are going to speak 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 indigen art. On one wall there hung a wooden shield painted with vivid colours that spun and shimmered on the Earth's surface. A short-circuit sword hung above the desk, it had just one curved edge and the end didn't have much of a point. It resembled a panga more than anything else.

inside the berth three figures waited, with very unlike attitudes. Hermione stood twitching, shifting her weight from one foot to the former. Marcus Flint lounged his boastfully gravid body over a chairwoman, his expression arrogant and sneering. Dumbledore was, as usual, inscrutable.

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

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

"So I have heard."Dumbledore looked over at Hermione, who withered under his gaze."young woman granger woke me from a pleasant dream involving my favourite couplet of skid eloping with each early to tell me that she looked out the window of Gryffindor towboat and saw one quarter of my school was marching to war. But when I sent instructor to find out the root of the trouble the sole students found out of place are the two of you."The old magician looked over the rims of his glasses at Harry and Ginny."I have only asked Mr Flint River to come here because Miss husbandman insists that he is involved."

"Stinking Mudblood."Flint River muttered.

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

"I haven ‘ t done null wrong professor."Markus Flint grinned in what he must stimulate thought was an adorable way.

"That is what we are here to watch. For a starting time Miss Granger would you mind telling me what you saw out the windowpane of the Gryffindor mutual room."

Hermione began telling her marginally falsified story haltingly and nervously but Harry had trouble listening. Ginny was pulling on his sleeve, trying to get his aid, she nodded her head to a table nearby piled high with defence Holy Writ. Harry followed her gaze and alighted on a Word lying candid to the first page. From that slant Harry could only just scan the three word of honor there.

Tom Marvolo Riddle

The journal. Why was it here ? Was it connected to everything else or did this sicko just like reading a short girls mystery ? Harry shook his head trying to get all his view in order but he was running on adrenalin and no sopor and it felt like his head was full of cobwebs. Painful cobweb. There was no chance he was going to work this out before the morning. He caught Marcus flint looking at him curiously and tried to search like he was paying tending. Hermione finished off her chronicle and stood waiting for a reaction from the two instructor present.

"Mr Flint."Dumbledore turned to the 7th year."Your response to these allegations ?"

"lie sir."flint grinned."Filthy Mudblood lies."

"Mr Flint ! You will take care your language and chorus from allowing such slander past your lips."

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

"Mr ceramist, Miss Weasley. I'm sure you have a incline to this fib ?"

"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 alert you."

"You did not believe to alarm a closer teacher. Or a prefect."

"Didn't think of that at the fourth dimension, we were a bit tired. When we got there the Slytherins conjured snakes, opened the Hufflepuff basement and sealed the door open."

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

"Talents for dark magic."Harry muttered.

"You might want to also check what you say Mr Potter."The master said."I was going to give you both a stark detention for your strident disregard for curfew. However my Mr Co and Mr Diggory and several other prefects seem to be under the impression that you saved Hufflepuff house. The word hero was being bandied around. So I believe I will postulate twenty dollar bill point in time for each of you, including miss husbandman, and entrust it at that."

"We save everyone's life and lose sixty stop ?"Harry thought, fuming."Unfair."

"And you Mr Flint."Markus Michelson fixed the Slytherin with a critical eye."Have the honour of having detention with me."

"You can't prove I had…"

"No I can't. But you have grossly insulted this beautiful and healthy young muggleborn witch in my presence. Twice. So for the next two weeks you will have detention with me."

*

"sixty points !"Ron shook his head ruefully."How can he do that ?"

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

The predator lounged at their table in the common room. The students had been given the day off to allow the Hufflepuffs to recover from their night metre trial by ordeal. Harry had needed the extra slumber too but he and his champion had instead woke up early to give them time to discus the thing. Ginny had reluctantly let Harry tell everyone about the diary and they had agreed it could be substantial. Markus Michelson's position as a parselmouth brought the dandy pant.

"How can they let him teach here then ?"Annapurna had demanded, her custody to her oral fissure."They're all sorry 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 stance lying on his arms on the tabletop. Breathing in the fume from burning conjured serpent in a tight and airless cellar had made him fairly ill. Ginny was feeling the personal effects too, she was curled up on her chair and she hadn't spoken more than a watchword 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 proceeds. Its him ! Has to be."

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

*

Over the unscheduled fault the schooling quietened down a niggling. The Slytherins shot glares full of daggers at everyone wherever they went but there was no wildness. It was almost as if the failure of their grand plan had made them skittish. The whole school day moved forward with an atmosphere of icy tension, a draw that both incline knew wouldn't endure.

"Another day, another trip through no mans land."Padma quipped as the marauders moved out of the potions classroom in a closely huddle."Anyone else tired of this ?"

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

"They ‘ re planning something."Harry shook his head."blooming flint is planning something."Every clip Harry had passed Flint in the corridor for the past few weeks the seventh yr had forgone his common scowl and grinned slyly.

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

"I think… I get the picture Malfoy got cut out of the cringle over Christmastime. He wasn't part of the snake army that's for sure."

"Probably didn't want to risk his own neck."The piranha filed into the defence schoolroom and immediately dragged their books out. There was no breaker point expecting anything else…

"Word away child ! We ‘ re back to the practical as of today !"The class looked up at prof A. A. Michelson in shock. The bags under his eyes remained but he seemed as bubbly and full of energy as he had at the start of terminal figure."Hex-Deflection, this calendar week we start with Hex deflection. Pipsqueek, come up here and help me demonstrate."

*

"WHAT THE sin WAS THAT !"Harry yelled as soon as the piranha had quit the schoolroom. The example had been lively, informative and ( if it had been under other portion ) fun."He spends half of last term in a Casimir Funk and sleeps through classes while planning god knows what afterwards ! Then he gets revealed to the entire shoal as a obscure wiz, everyone hates him and he ‘ s bloody vivacious ! He ‘ s just switched from petrifying people to trying to confuse us to death ! I do. Not. Get it !"The early marauders just giggled as they followed the ranting name of Harry back to the common room.

Markus Albert Michelson's getting even to his happy place did not stop with that one public lecture but continued. Eventually even the traveling bag under his center disappeared and he looked, in every way, exactly as Harry had first seen him. Everyone wondered about this odd turnaround, but one night Harry decided to try to ascertain out why.

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

"Alohomora."Harry tried the handgrip quietly but the door remained firmly shut."Specialis Revelio."A faint wild blue yonder glow showed thought the doorway crack, near the handle, pulsing like a heartbeat.

Harry hid the luminescence with his body and glanced behind him but there was no one around. Hopefully Filch was patrolling some other area of the castle. Harry tried to cast his creative thinker back to Beyond Alohomora. Intermittent drab luminescence meant something specific he was sure."Finite."Harry tried hopefully, and the freshness disappeared. But the room access still didn't open. Harry groaned, of row. He hadn't cancelled the lockup spell, he'd just cancelled his revealing charm. Repeating the charm brought back the glow. What did blueness mean value ? Colloportus was red, he'd looked that up after the dungeon episode. Fixing appeal ! Blue was a reparation charm and the pulsing meant it restored itself if you tried to call off it.

"Eximo."Harry spoke the counter then quickly followed with"cesso."The instant fluttered, then faded. His bridge player palpitation, Harry opened the door.

"Harry Potter must not be here !"

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

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

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

"must go now ! Must go ! Go now !"

"Dobby, please !"

"Danger !"The elf's wide eyes were wide-cut of tears and he was pulling on his ears in distress. The elf glanced to one position and his keening became more frantic.

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

"No Harry ceramicist ! That is the peril 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 hand and was trying to drag him the other way."Please go."

"Get off… What's that ?"A scratching haphazardness. 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 handing over with diffraction grating on the floor. It was louder here, coming from under the floor.

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

The scratching grew flashy and louder then stopped, suddenly. One of the grating on the floor shifted, like something was nosing up from underneath.

"Don't expression in its eyes !"Dobby squealed. Then vanished with a chap. Something in Harry snapped as the little pattern disappeared, and he turned and ran as fast as he could. Behind him he heard a crashing clangoring as the grate was tossed aside. He reached the threshold and slammed it closed before dashing down the hall. Splintering wood told him that whatever it was was following. Harry pelted down another hall and skidded on the smoothen trading floor. With a wreck that sounded like a bomb going off he collided with a wooing of armor. Smashing to the base Harry felt a stabbing pain in the ass in his ankle.

"Oh please let person give birth heard that."Harry hobbled to his groundwork and cried out in pain as he tried to put weight on his ankle."No no no."Harry looked back the way he had come, a phantom was just slinking around the corner. The snout of a snake came into eyeshot when Harry jerked his fountainhead back."Don't aspect into its eyes. Oh god, someone aid me."Harry tried to hobble away but he could barely hop down the corridor. He glanced back before he could cease himself and saw the snakes massive coils, too close. Harry grabbed the windowpane near him and, not caring, flung himself out.

He landed on the slanted roof a few feet below and rolled. A waste pipe jutted from the wall a few human foot away where it spouted from the mouthpiece of a gargoyle. He grabbed it like a lifeline, pulling himself up and up on the three limbs that still worked. When he reached the top he slid onto the tiles and lay there trying to captivate his breath. Below him he could hear the scratch still, and a hissing. It stayed there for a tenacious clip while Harry lay there, and he lay there a prospicient time even after it was gone.

*

"Reparo ?"Hermione shook her read/write head at Harry and buried her expression in her hands."You used Reparo on a bankrupt mortise joint ? Why ?"

"You try climbing off a roof with one working foot."Harry was being supported by Ron as he hopped towards the hospital wing."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 effects when used on living tissue. Like the fact that his bone was now breaking, healing and re-breaking in a painful bike.

"brothel keeper Pomfrey is going to take in a heart attack."

She didn't in fact have a essence attack. She did however phone Harry an idiot.

"Why did you not simply issue forth to me Mr Potter ?"She said while pulling several odd coloured bottles out of a locker."You have made your injury much more difficult to treat."

"mentation I could overleap off a few extra classes."Harry grinned then screamed as his ankle snapped again.

"Was it worth it ?"

"I guess not."

"Do try to remember that next time Mr Potter. Next time you… stumble over your own feet."She smiled down at him.

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

"Overnight I ‘ m afraid Mr Potter."She handed him a nursing 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 morning. Thanks to the potion the breaking Hz had slowed. His bone had stayed broken for almost an minute now. gentlewoman Pomfrey had said that if it lasted an hour and a half that would think of that the errant tour was fully leached out and the bone could be set properly. He lay back, thankful for the other potion that had dulled the pain.

"Dobby is dismal Harry Potter sir."Oh nifty.

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

"Dobby is good-for-naught Harry Potter is hurt."

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

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

"right, I th…"Harry's eyes narrowed."With that Snake River ?"Dobby hung his head."You might as well tell me Dobby."

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

"Dobby listen to me. count at me."The slight elf's read/write head tilted nervously and his eyes met Harry's special K ones."There were a lot of masses in that basement other than me. If you have some weird thing where you want to force me to leave this school amercement. I can take it. But do not play anyone else into this. You could have 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 answer when his captain calls. Dobby must obey it is a theater elf ‘ s duty."

"Why don't you just depart ?"Harry looked over Dobby and his unclean slip. It was hard not to condole with him, even if he was trying to kill him. Dobby was obviously a victim of whoever these schoolmaster were."Can ‘ t you leave ?"

"The only if way a menage elf can be freed is if they is given clothes."Dobby shook his head, he looked very defeated."And Dobby ‘ s masters is never doing that."

"So leave."

"Dobby can not leave unless…"

"Why ?"

"The apparel is the only…"

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

"Dobby is a family elf. A home elf…"Dobby shook his heading."A house elf can not disobey an ordering from its master."

"Why ? You don ‘ t owe them. From what you've said they seem to have given you a pretty screwed up life. 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 think you owe them. The Dursleys, my auntie and uncle you know. Treated me like dirt, I got nothing from them but pain and leave out same as you. But they act like they ‘ re doing you a party favour. Twist your judgement up so they even have you thinking they ‘ re doing you a party favor. But all it takes for you be free of them is to want to be, ‘ cos then they don't have a hold over you any more. Walk away from them… shit it."Harry heard a crack.

"Mr thrower ?"

"My leg just un-broke. Never intellect, where was I ? Oh yeah you don't need apparel, just leave them."Dobby seemed to look around like he could take heed something Harry couldn't.

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

"Great."Harry spoke to the discharge hospital wing."You could at least have kept me company."

*

"Ready to go ?"Ron leant in through the door to the hospital wing.

"Yep."Harry slid off the bed.

"Then we should probably hurry. This place is going to be swarming in a second. There ‘ s been another attack."

"What ? When ?"

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

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

"Slytherin fourth twelvemonth, public figure was Split I think."Ron shrugged.

"Joshua Split."Harry sat back on the bed with his head word in his custody."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 Hospital wing, levitating a galvanise looking Split. Behind them trailed Professor Snape looking sourly at them and Lucy Kingston who was sobbing into a handkerchief. As the Headmaster lowered the boy onto the hospital bed Harry crossed the room and looked at his boldness. His eyes were wide in shock and his mouth hung open.

"Is he going to be alright ?"It was an inane remark, but it was all Harry could opine to say.

"Yes Mr Potter."The Headmaster nodded."He will be fine eventually, the Lapp as the others."

"I did not realise you sleep with Mr stock split, Potter."Snape stepped up beside the master."I know snag as a model educatee. I thought he has better taste."

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

That evening Harry took Vanessa and Elizabeth to chew the fat Split. Lucy Jamaican capital was there again, glancing between her brother and her beau

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

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

"I guess. It ‘ s just favorable prof Albert Abraham Michelson found him."

"What ?"

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

Harry just stared at her. But suddenly another voice 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 voice. Malfoy stood in the door to the hospital wing."I could give him one of path, right in the middle of his mudblood face."

"wellspring Malfoy, you came to the right seat to get the dogshit kicked out of you."Harry crossed his weaponry."Madam Pomfrey, can piece you up and I can have the fun of finding whole new ways to spite you."Harry glared at Malfoy while the two first year Slytherins backed away towards Splits bed, as if even petrified he could give them some aegis."Get out."

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

"Out."

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

"Me ?"

"Yes."

"How touching. Get out."

"Potter."Malfoy glanced around the hospital wing. The five of them were the only if ones awake. He looked back and spoke through gritted teeth."Please."

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

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

"Don ‘ t go, he ‘ s grave !"

"I think I can handle him."Harry said over his shoulder and walked out of the wing. A few step down the corridor took them to an evacuate classroom."Ok, Talk. And this had better be good."

"I'm word of advice 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, rafts of multitude. Getting big group together to blab out about their collective blood honor and their obvious superiority."There wasn't a suggestion of caustic remark in Malfoy's voice 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 backtalk. When he began again it was in a calculating voice."Although I approve of their message I think their choice of leaders is lacking."

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

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

"Wait, 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 take heed that ?"

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

"I tried and that's the scariest thing. His mob is up to their orb in debt to my father, I threatened to hollo in that debt and he just laughed. Said money wasn't authoritative anymore. Not now that he had heard the call."

"The cry ?"

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

Harry took a moment to suffer that.

"Are you telling me that Flint has turned this into some kind of furor ?"

"That's what I ‘ ve been trying to severalize you Potter !"Malfoy grimaced."They say that all previous Julian Bond and responsibility are null when compared to the call. All debts are off, all oath broken. This is a problem for me because I have lost the layer of control condition I usually have over my house. This is a problem for you because next time they attack the terror of detention and family points won't stop them. exclusion won ‘ t stop them, they don't care about Hogwarts any more."

"Bloody hell."Harry buried his face in his mitt and tried unvoiced to stick out what he was being told but it seemed just too extreme to conceive."I thought Flint River was basically a thug."

"So did I."Malfoy nodded."But he seems dissimilar since the… Hufflepuff incident, which I had cipher 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 textile. It made him finger 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 lambskin. There were over fifty names listed.

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

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

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

"You."Malfoy grinned smirkily."They seem to think you've usurped your home, acting like you speak for all of them. Plus they seem to think that your abyssal functioning in the house cup terminal yr was partially due to your activities."

Harry winced. He was well aware that his house's carrying out was almost entirely due to marauder natural action. Well, them and the twins.

"Alright, I get it. I ‘ ll batch with it. And I ‘ ll get in touch with friends in the other houses 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 block off what he does inside the dank confines of your dungeon."Harry stood and moved to the door."I ‘ ll batch with the rest of the school day, you deal with Slytherin."

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

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

"And I still hate you and your friends and mudbloods and bloodline treasonist in general. And unlike you…"Malfoy ran his digit through his hair's-breadth as he swaggered out the doorway."…I ‘ m far from ugly."

*

"Why are we meeting like this ?"

"You mean in enigma ?"

"No, I mean in a girls bathroom ?"

Harry glanced around the Marauders crowded into the depressing privy. They were looking at him expectedly.

"We ‘ re get together 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 Hades 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 vox filtered in from behind the paries.

"Did someone say my name ?"A pallid soma faded in through the wall, lank whisker falling haphazardly over her spotty facial expression. Beneath her deep glasses her eyes looked puffy, like she'd been crying. When she was fully through the brickwork she blinked in surprise at the bunch filling her bathroom."Why are you here ? Have you come to express mirth at me ? jape at poor, 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 buck eh ? Get it ? Get it ? Dead horse…"Hermione buried her face in her hands and the Patil sisters both took an involuntary stone's throw back from Ron. Ron's cheeky smile vanished from his expression as the shade turned to face up him, murder in her puffy heart.

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

"Its just an expression…"

"You boys are all mean and iniquity !"Vinca minor screeched right into Ron's face. The poor redheader was glued to the spot with terror."And how about you !"Myrtle spun and faced Neville. Ron looked profoundly relived."Are you going to bruise me too !"

"No no…"Neville backed up with his manus out in forepart of him.

"You think I ‘ m ugly !"

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

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

"What's your full phase of the moon name Myrtle."Harry cut her off mid sentence. She looked outrage, he supposed not many people had ever asked her that."I mean I assume Vinca minor isn't your last public figure any More than Moaning's your first."

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

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

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

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

"Recruiting."Harry glanced over the translucent shoulder joint of the ghost."Do you realise how insanely useful a picket that can walk through wall could be. And unless I miss Miss Myrtle ‘ s attitude entirely she seems primed for some nefarious snooping. Have I missed my guess myrtle ?"The spook blushed, tinting her floating, smoky form bubblegum pink."view not. Can I consider on you myrtle ?"

"Oh yes Harry."The lascivious smiling on the spectres face force traces of uncertainty into Harry's mind. Had he pushed this a short too far ? Oh well, Follow through.

"For now could you ascertain the corridor ? Some friends of mine are meeting me here…"Harry rattled of the gens of the invited machinator."… and its jussive mood that we ‘ re not overheard. nous playing watch for us ?"

"Not at all, not for you."Vinca minor swooped away through the wall and the marauders all looked at Harry. Expressions of disbelieving electric 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 have a go at it her."

Further discussion was cut off by the arrival of the other multitude invited to the meeting. Susan castanets stepped in quickly and smiled when she saw the people already there. Cho Chang moved in slower while glancing around the corners of the privy ( probably checking for ghosts ). Her bloke Ravenclaw Lucy Kingston followed close behind her and said…

"Isn ‘ t this myrtle ba…"

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

The bathroom was dumb for a bit then Cho spoke up…

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



Wow, getting quite a few revaluation 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 accept more stuff, a designer suit, a PS3, an expensive car, a fountain of Au, two X chromosomes ...

I do not have these things. By a appendage of logic 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 verbalise glow satisfaction that the Chosen were winning. flint musical accompaniment had been slashed to just the Slytherins and even there he had only a loyal kernel, a fragment of the keep he once had.

As Harry walked silently through the corridors he passed Malfoy once more fence in by his usual crowd of crawler, dampen evidence that most Slytherins had defected back to their old leader. For all that he hated Malfoy Harry had to let in that it hadn't turned out to be a bad batch, Malfoy got his pride back and Harry had got ataraxis. And it was peace treaty, the elect ( Harry hated that figure, it was overdramatic. He preferred to think of them as Junior marauders. ) had stopped the furiousness largely without using violence in return. It had just happened that wherever the Called tried to assemble each other a instructor or a prefect or a big group of Harry's lilliputian soldiers were already there. People were wondering how he always knew.

Harry smirked, between an witnesser and a ghost it was favourable Flint had any arcanum left. Harry rounded a turning point and stopped numb. His smile dieing on his lips. In front of him was a caustic tableau, the last affair he ever wanted to see.
treasonist !
The chamber is open up and the Heir prevails but you betray him !
So each and every one of you will suffer !
Each and every one will die !
This is only the root Mudbloods.


The words were scrawled on the paries were naught to what was under them. Colin Creevy, an irritating but earnest for the first time class, was curled up un the floor with the albumen shininess of petrifaction on his skin. He was clutching his camera like a lifeline. Standing above him with his wand drawn was Professor Michelson.

The student and the teacher stared at each other for a long moment. In the silence Harry heard his gist racing.

"Good Harry. You ‘ re here."professor A. A. Michelson nodded."Run and get Dumbledore, I ‘ ll get this poor feller to the infirmary wing."

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

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

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

"death threats Harry ?"Michelson laughed."Do you really think you ‘ d last five irregular in a affaire d'honneur with me ?"

Harry never got to answer as the strait of running feet filled the hallway. A present moment later Dumbledore was there, pushing past times Harry to examine the petrified child. Harry kept his eyes trained on Markus.

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

Harry felt more jostling jut and looked around to see other teacher and scholarly person crowding into the corridor. Despite the attestant there was no way he was leaving Colin alone now. He cleared his throat.

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


Harry dropped into a chair near the petrified Gryffindor's bed and tried to marshal his sentiment. The marauders stood around him without speaking. At the other slope of the bed the two semi-Gryffindors, Elizabeth and Vanessa, stood silently. They had been visiting Joshua split up but had come over when they saw Colin brought in. They knew him. They took family with him. He had been one of the few Gryffindors who'd never questioned why they were suddenly sleeping in Gryffindor tug. He had just greeted them cheerfully. They'd liked him. Harry'd liked Colin too, he was one of the few people forgetful 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 vivid ideas."

"I was thinking Hogwarts might accept to close."He looked at his feet while saying it. Harry didn't answer him, he just glanced around the hospital annexe. Too many of the beds 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 result for a while. They say its not safety 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 safe anymore."Harry's own part felt beat 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 vigor to react to that but Ron pressed on.

"And you Harry. You ‘ re here."Harry felt a dry laugh escape his backtalk."No its true. You ‘ ve helped wads. rightfield everyone ?"Harry heard murmured agreement and felt an arm dusk 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 plan ! Why ? !"Harry glared up at the shocked faces of his Friend."Why ? ! Why me ? Because I ‘ m bloody sick of it do you see me. Let me tell you straight out. I. Don't. Have. A. Bloody. plan !"Harry was yelling but he felt his voice catch in his throat. He stood up and turned away from them all.

"All these multitude !"Harry waved his hands at the petrify students."You think I have a clue what to do ?"He held his read/write head in his hands.

"Its too much."He couldn't have stopped talking now if he tried."Malfoy and Flint and Albert Abraham Michelson and snake in the grass and imp and Bloody Tom brain-teaser. I have them going troll and round in my head but I can't put anything together."

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

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

"I just can't do it. I ‘ m not impertinent enough, I ‘ m not firm enough. I only beat Malfoy ‘ cos I used the pain-spear. Had to use it again on the snakes. I ran away from the other snake. I ‘ m a Noel Coward and I'm stupid person and I ‘ m sorry. But I don't have a plan."Harry's hand snaked into his choker and held fast to the fiddling carapace pendant, the edges of it cutting into his palm.

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

Harry stayed sitting there on the floor, crying and sobbing. He felt his friends crowding around him, somebody was hugging him, he didn't know who. He had screwed up his eyes as hard as he could. someone ( Ginny maybe ? She had minuscule hands ) kept stroking his fuzz and making soothe noises. He felt a tissue pushed into his manpower 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 make this hadn't happened ? But the secrecy was broken in the last way he would have ever expected…

"Did you say Tom Riddle ?"

Harry's eyes flashed undetermined. Vanessa was staring at him open-mouthed."Yes."He managed to conk in a voice that didn't auditory sensation like him."Do you have sex something ?"

"My…"Vanessa looked scared and was gripping the side of meat of the bed very hard."I don't know… I don't…"

"Whatever it is… Please ?"Harry heard himself beg."You can tell me. You just saw me have a dislocation on the floor. Whatever it is it can't be regretful than that can it ?"Harry saw Elizabeth make out and fill up her friends hand in both of hers."Please…"

"My parents… are in Azkaban."Harry heard the piranha around him gasp and shushed them into silence."They were arrested three old age ago for muggle baiting. I live with my auntie and uncle."genus Vanessa swallowed operose."My dad is older than mum. He used to get drunk, talk about what he did in the war. He… they both worked for the wickedness Lord."Harry felt another gasp and Vanessa turned away and buried her face in her hands.

“'nessa you don't have to be scared."Harry shook his capitulum."When the fighting started you followed rip not flint, you ‘ re good."

"I chose Slytherin."Vanessa spoke through her hands."I was scared of my aunt and uncle. I was given a pick and I still went to Slytherin."

"And you ended up in Gryffindor anyway."Harry tried to prevent the avidity from his interpreter, he needed to sleep with what she did."Please be brave for me. Be a Gryffindor now."genus Vanessa nodded and started talking again.

"My fathers figure is Tortor Gibbon…"Harry saw Ron's jaw clutches and quickly grabbed his arm, he didn't know what was going on but zippo could be allowed to stop Vanessa speech production."He used to talk about how gallant he was. That he was one of the low gear to salute his allegiance, one of the first of all to help the Dark overlord. How he went to school with him, knew him before he even took his name. While he still had his old name. While he was still Tom Riddle."

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

"Tom Marvolo conundrum was Voldemort."Harry could feel the light. All the pieces in his nous seemed to be coming together."The journal was Voldemort's."Harry heard Ginny let out a cry and saw Hermione move to console her but it was background, it was all pushed to the side of his mind"Markus A. A. Michelson has the diary of the iniquity 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 tissue in his hand.

"supporter me up."Arms grabbed him."We ‘ ve got piece of work to do."He blinked the last odd 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 last arcminute decided on a different tack.

"Ginny wake up ! I need you here, are you a marauder 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 password by now but don ‘ t take no for an answer. find McGonagall, anyone, make pain 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 ease of us are going. Vanessa…"Harry turned to the footling girl."… you are amazing. Never change."With that he whirled to the rest of the piranha and drew his verge."Albert Abraham Michelson ‘ s power now. net ball end this !"
*


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

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

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

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

Harry used the disclose charm and removed the fixing spell and temporarily deactivated a sepulcralis curse that hadn't been there before and swung the door undefendable. Moving as fast as he could he scoured the table that were set around the elbow room, the book wasn't where it had been last fourth dimension. 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 scurf and a long muscled body.

"guy rope RUN !"Harry yelled at the top of his voice while darting back into the office."Don't aspect into its eyes ! Coepto incantatem !"Harry reactivated the sepilcralis oath on the threshold and stepped back in scourge. The slithering noise got closer on the early side of meat of the room access and Harry raised his sceptre in fear. As the disturbance got right up to the door he saw a flash of visible light around the frame and an insensate screech. The bane had worked. There was a loud thrashing from beyond the doorway and the room shook as if something was throwing its weight repeatedly against the wall. Harry heard an God Almighty crush and then secretiveness. Then slow slithering strait as whatever it was moved off.

Harry knew he shouldn't but as soon as the noise had moved off he ran forward and pulled the room access open. The hallway was in ruins, paintings smashed and armour thrown everywhere. There were clod of careen all over the floor, Harry knew what those must have been from. Sepilcralis, the entombing curse. It encased your body in rock, just leaving your head out. The snake must accept been strong enough to didder itself free.

Then Harry saw something else that made him blockade in repugnance. The running feet in the space as mortal came to investigate were zero, all sound was gone. Harry stared up at four rooted figures, pressing up against a stained glass windowpane that was no longer there, it had been smashed by the wolf furious throws. Ron, Hermione and the Patils, all petrified. Hermione had her wand in her hand, she must accept sent the mico before she was frozen. Her last act was warning him. She hadn't even wanted to do. Petrified just because he couldn't sit still for five minutes.

Harry dragged his gaze away from them and saw the people who had arrived. Ginny and Neville standing there shocked staring first at their rigidify ally then at Harry. Dumbledore standing behind them with all the mind of household flanking him and Markus Michelson standing arrogantly to one side.

"Harry…"Dumbledore's voice was diffuse and carried nothing of what was going on in his pass."…do you have something to tell me ?"

"Yes."Harry turned to him. He tried to conceive of how he looked, sweating, his dress a mess, his eyes still puffy from the partitioning in the hospital wing and standing in the middle of a destroyed corridor with his sceptre out."I have something to say."
*


Dumbledore led them into Markus Michelson's office while Professor Flitwick and professor Sprout began levitating the lapidify Marauders down. Harry turned once he was inside and began to speak before anyone else could.

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

"Harry, do not make 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 petrifications !"

"Doing his job as a Hogwarts teacher !"

"The last two times I've broken into his office I ‘ ve coincidently been attacked by a giant snake ! This time it petrified my friends !"

"Broken into his billet ?"Snape sounded as happy as Harry had ever heard him."You admit it in forepart of four Hogwarts teachers."

"Get bent Snivillus. This is important."The outrage look on every teachers face showed Harry exactly how far over the wrinkle he was. But he couldn't closure now, he had just seen something in a cabinet behind the potions passe-partout. Moving so fast no one had a chance to question him he darted to the cabinet and grabbed the hold. It wouldn't open.

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

"Mr thrower you are in quite enough trouble as it is."Professor McGonagall was looking at him with something between wrath and sadness."You will be expelled of path but perhaps if you stop now you can debar crook charges."

Harry felt like he had been hit in the gut but he was running on Adrenalin now and the fortune of him stopping were goose egg. He turned and grabbed a intemperate statue. Ignoring a yell from behind him he smashed the drinking glass of the cabinet and grabbed the diary triumphantly.

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

"Harry Potter you have…"

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

No one in the room breathed as Dumbledore slowly reached out and took the slender book. His long ancient finger's breadth moved over the cover and opened it to its first page. He stopped, for a import Harry thought he had been petrified as well. Only the old adept optic moved, back and forth as if he was reading that one furrow over and over.

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

"Yes."

"You know who this is."

"Yes."

"Why did you not secernate me ?"

"I thought you had enough on your hands."Markus replied evenly."I am more than up to of dealing with bedamn items."

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

"As I told you at the start of the year Mr Snape."Michelson replied evenly."I am the Defence against the darkness artistry teacher."

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

"I was…"

"Enough."The master cut them both off. He sounded timeworn."How did you obtain out about this Harry ?"

"I've known he had the diary for a while. I saw it in his office. But I didn ‘ t know who Tom Riddle was until today."Harry looked Dumbledore in the eye as he spoke."I broke in here to take in trusted he wouldn ‘ t have opportunity to hide the journal from you."Harry said, hoping they had forgotten he had broken in twice.

"And you sent Mr Longbottom and Miss Weasley to happen me."Dumbledore finished for him."Once again I find that you have totally reasonable and indeed honorable cause for your principle breaking. Perhaps it is my judgement that is failing…"Harry said zero."Does it have any powers that you know of."Harry opened his mouth 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 hired man and a quill appeared as if from no-where. Opening the Word of God to the first page he wrote…
Hello Tom.


The words faded and were replaced with.
Whatever you do to this al-Qur'an I will unveil nothing to you.


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

"I will see your excuses later Mr Michelson. Probably when you give them to the aurors. Until then you are removed from all teaching duty at Hogwarts. Clean 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 judgement. 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 immense weight seemed to bear been taken from his shoulders."And he ‘ s not a teacher here anymore."Harry felt like crying again, he felt so light. It was over. He had done it. And he wasn't expelled or dead or anything."The devil's apples draft won ‘ t take that much longer to get ready 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 year !"Harry grinned and hugged his two protagonist."I ‘ m for certain next year will be much more interesting !"
*


Harry somehow reached his bed in Gryffindor tower and crawled in. It was only seven o'clock but he didn't really care, he had lost enough sleep over the past year that he held no embarrassment over going to sleep at this hour. Neville and Ginny were doing the rounds, telling everyone the good news. He could hear people moving around downstairs and above him but he just burrowed further into his mantle. His puerility had taught him to log Z's through most anything. How far he'd ejaculate from that. Harry drifted off to sleep.

He walked along Tottenham court route in his Hogwarts robes, no one noticed. It was full of mass but not one of them moved. Petrified. All of them. Harry walked up the street and ducked into an orchard, apple blossom fell everywhere. Perhaps he was condom here ? No, he had to get back to Hogwarts. He turned back to the entrance to lead back to the road.

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

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

"You ‘ re not in force enough."

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

"I ‘ m so sorry."

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

The ivy was tenacious than he remembered but eventually he climbed up to the gate of the rook. He pushed the groovy threshold open and walked into the dandy hall. It was empty but the walls were covered in mural. minuscule thumb paintings like tiddler would do. He could still hear the river but it sounded closer now. He could even find the spray on his expression. His face was cold. Deathly cold. awake up. What ?

"Wake up !"

Harry opened his oculus 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 come. delight ! He's got Ginny !"Harry jerked unsloped and fell out of bed.

"What !"

"Flint took Ginny ! I saw him, and he has the journal !"

"How ? Dumbledore has… No…"Harry staggered over to Neville's bed and jerked the boy out of bed.

"Harry ?"The last remain marauder brushed his hair out of his eyes."What is it ?"

"Its not over Neville."Harry followed the floating form of Myrtle at a run out of the room access."It ‘ s not over !"
*


Myrtle stopped outside Markus Michelson's bureau and Harry didn't have to be told that something had happened here. A whole new degree of carnage had been added over the one that had been present here finally dark. The door itself had been totally stave in in, the frame itself lying in bit on the trading floor. Harry stepped in with trepidation.

The smell of blood hit him. Behind him he could hear Neville retching on the level. The way was unrecognisable, not a thing had escaped the destruction. Harry moved forward towards the forlorn digit in the centre, slumped against the desk. Markus Michelson.

His verge was in one hand and his sword lay discarded on the trading floor. He was covered in combat injury and one of his legs was bent in an odd way. And the handkerchief he usually wore draped around his neck had moved up. He'd tied it around his middle. Harry stepped nigh and pulled it off him. His head lolled to the side of meat lifelessly.

Harry put his finger to Albert Abraham Michelson's neck, not really expecting anything but was rewarded with a infirm pulse.

"Myrtle !"He yelled."Run and get dame Pomfrey !"He turned back to the instructor."Markus ! Markus Michelson ! Markus Maximus Mighty Magesto Albert Michelson !"

"You remembered all of them…"The voice from the instructor was almost beyond sense of hearing."…people usually don't."

"I didn ‘ t remember all of them."Harry smiled wanly."I forgot Blessed Virgin and Mucus. Madam Pomfrey will be here in a second gear. You ‘ ll be alright."

"Not alright… basilisk venom… lethal… always…"Markus'vocalisation kept fading in and out."He took… the girl."

"Did you see where ?"

"Tried to protect her… Tried to check him…"Harry's insides turned to ice. He'd been so very wrong about this man."Hard to fight… when you can't… Sure I hit it once or twice… Did I ever tell you about… this time I was in Brazil ?"

"No. distinguish me when you ‘ re better."

"Bit me just once… on purpose… wanted me to be awake… give you message."

"Message ?"Harry waved Neville in finisher so he could hear too.

"Come to the chamber… come or she dies… bring teachers… and she dies."

Harry swallowed. His bosom was beating in strain with his terror.

"Where ? Where ‘ s the chamber ?"

"He said… bathroom… fille ghost…"

"myrtle ‘ s bathroom ?"Markus nodded."Is there a password ?"

"parole's…"Markus seemed to be fading out."… open… he said open…"

"That simpleton ?"Harry asked. Markus nodded then slumped.

"… sword ?"Harry frowned, not understanding, then saw the fingers of Markus'hand twitching. He moved the sword into his hand and saw Markus'digit curl around it limply."…thanks… pipsque…"but then his eye closed and he stopped speaking.

A moment later Harry heard running human foot and Madam Pomfrey ran in followed by a floating Myrtle.

"What happened here ?"She demanded. Harry flapped his hands uncertainly but Neville saved him.

"Basilisk bit him. witting when we found him dropped off a bit ago. shoal impulse. Cold."Neville rattled that off in one hint and ma'am Pomfrey instantly grimaced and pulled her bag open. Rummaging around in the bottom she pulled out a farsighted red feather.

"Guy Fawkes !"She gripped the plumage in both hands."Help me."

Harry never heard whether her call was answered as he had already darted out the room access 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 wand and blew a cesspool off the wall. The girl cried and jumped away from him.

"You have three sec to get the hell out of here !"The girl was gone before he'd counted to two."Open ! unfold up !"

"Harry are you alright ?"Harry spun and noticed 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 custody up."We don't even know where the entrance is !"

"I think I do."Myrtle volunteered.

"You do !"

"There are some berth 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 pipe behind there, I can do down it below the dungeons but no further. Its blocked."

Harry ran up to where Vinca minor floated in the air, threw his arms around her and kissed her swim cheek."You are a true marauder Myrtle. One of us. You are amazing !"Harry released the jump ghost and ran to the sinkhole."outdoors !"But the cesspit didn't relocation."No… But that's got to be the incoming !"

"What do we do ?"Neville asked."Go around ?"

"Yes ! That's perfective !"Harry turned to the pink glowing ghost nearby."Myrtle, you know the pipes around Hogwarts. Is there another way to get down to the same stead as this pipework goes ?"

"I… I think so…"She said dreamily.

"payoff us there, please !"The touch flowed out through a paries and Harry was running again to stay fresh up. They ran passed startled student until Myrtle came to roost in a obsolete classroom on the third floor.

"Through here."She said and disappeared into the wall.

"Myrtle !"Her head reappeared."We need a way we can go !"

"There isn ‘ t one."myrtle floated out to stand following to them."Its all walled up."

"Then what…"Harry began but Neville had already stepped up beside him.

"Reducto !"An almighty chap made Harry cover his auricle and crisp of stonework flew everywhere.

"Alright !"Harry yelled as soon as the noise died down."Reducto !"

"Reducto !"

"Reducto !"

"Reducto !"

"Reducto !"Harry blasted the finish of the junk from the hole they had made in the wall. He heard mussitation in the nearby corridor."Colloportus."Harry sealed the door shut.

"I ‘ ll go first."Harry stepped into the stale organ pipe and gripped his scepter between his dentition as he shimmied down. After he had lost sight of the entrance he heard Neville set about above him.

After a tortuous few second Harry dropped into a midget round passage and got out of the way so that Neville could pretermit down behind him. It was flip inglorious but was soon lit with a faint wan light source as myrtle floated through the ceiling. They wordlessly followed her. After many squelching meters they emerged into a big chamber.

"Here we are."Vinca minor announced importantly."The Via Mortiferus."



You did n't think it was going to be that easy did you ?


I own none of the stuff I 'm not supposed to.



It was a broad rock way, the stones underfoot slipperiness and stinking. A tiny rivulet of lousy water ran from the entrance of the room to a giant hole in the level. Underneath there was a massive sloping pipe, twice the width of a tube train. It was clogged with debris and refuse in places and the lilliputian drip of water supply made the piping slick as glass.

"There ?"Harry asked. Myrtle nodded."We don ‘ t even get it on if this is the right way."

"I think we do."Neville pointed at a corner of the elbow room where a load of K shapeless scraps were lying. Harry took a closer look.

"snake cutis ?"Harry gulped.

"From a big snake."

Harry looked back down the pipage. There was no way someone could go down that and not hit the garbage drifts. Some of them had broken bottles or pieces of metal in them.

"We can't just slide down, we ‘ ll be killed."Harry shook his headway."Maybe if we blast all the stuff we can see…"

"Then it ‘ ll be at the posterior waiting for you,"myrtle pointed out.

"I know !"Neville cried suddenly. He ran over and grabbed the two vainglorious art object of serpent skin."Think Basilisk skin is as knotty 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 goon the Basilisk kills us when we get there ?"

Neville smiled wanly.

"Neville whichever of us gets there gets Ginny out."Harry met his booster's center 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 plowshare my toilette. Either of you."

"Death doesn't seem so scary now eh ?"Harry grinned and moved to the edge."Well…"Harry tilted his capitulum up and closed his eyes."Could use some of that fate now…"And with that Harry jumped off the edge.
*


Harry felt the stone skidding under him even through the snake pelt. He was traveling firm than he thought and it was only a moment before he smashed into a garbage mess. It felt like he was being smashed with guild but the skin didn't break and he kept going. Another smacked into his legs and set him spinning across the piping like a top.

He could hear Neville screaming but couldn't see him. Another spate took him in the chest and soon he was screaming too. The unit domain reduced to the moving Oliver Stone under him, his own screaming in his ears and the sudden excruciating explosion of pain sensation as he hit things.

The hits became less and less frequent as Harry fell and he at hold up opened his centre. As soon as he did so his feet hit piss and he went under. Harry's psyche went blank. Get out ! Get out ! Get out ! He flailed wildly against the tegument that was still wrapped around him and managed to steal out. airfoil ! Air ! Harry felt his lungs constrict and he breathed in a lungful of the blackish water. His chest felt like fire. His understructure touched arse and he kicked out as hard as he could. His capitulum broke the surface and Harry half coughed, half vomited up the water he'd breathed in plus everything he'd eaten in his integral life. Shaking, he stood up and advertise his gunk-filled bang out of his heart. Then he realised what he had done and looked down.

The piss barely reached over his hips.

The realisation made him gag again and he emptied another load of bile into the already mucky body of water. He reached into his robe and pulled out his wand, thankfully undamaged. He lit it and surveyed the scene. He was in a tunnel, waist deep with disgusting Black person pee full of oecumenical refuse. It went on for a elbow room in both directions, then turned off into junctions and break open away into darkness. God it was low temperature down here. Harry saw his Basilisk hide floating nearby and wrapped it around his shoulders like a cloak. A determine charm 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 pipework he'd fallen out of but there was nix as far as he could see. There had been turn off the pipe. He must have just been shunted a different way by the garbage. At least, Harry hoped that was all that had happened. Hopefully they ‘ d find each other eventually. He saw a kitchen tongue floating by its handgrip nearby and grabbed it. With shaky finger's breadth he scratched an H into the wall next to him, followed by an arrow. Then, pulling his makeshift cloak closer about him, he headed off in that direction.

Harry slogged through the pee until he came to a junction. It was impossible to tell which way was the right way, so Harry just scrawled another marker on the wall and kept going. He had no idea how long he walked through that freeze out water. How many arrows he scrawled on the wall. Eventually it all blurred into one, until something caught his attention.

Skeletons. Lots of them, floating in the water. Not food for thought beast either, rats and small-scale birds. Harry tried to work out which way they were coming from and pushed that way, batting the little carcasses out of his way. There was a break in the brickwork here. Just big enough for a big snake or a modest boy to crawl through. Harry dragged himself up and looked around. He was on the floor behind a giant pillar carved with serpents. He looked up and saw a bank of them at the other face of the immense chamber.

"Ah, Mr potter. You have chosen to grace us with your presence."

The representative came from somewhere he couldn't see. On the other position of the pillar somewhere. It sounded like flint's voice but the parole didn't seem like ones he's choose.

"You might as well come out ; I've been waiting for you."

Harry was too tired to come up with a better thought and stood on benumbed legs. He walked out slowly from behind the pillar. flint stood proudly in front line of a grotesque statue. Ginny was lying still by his understructure, unconscious. But was it Flint ? It was almost as if a shadow was overlaid over the Slytherin's thickset frame. A shadow of a taller man, slim and cold, with high cheekbones.

"Hello Tom."Harry stopped in the middle of the room a few metre from the wispy half-figure. He had his baton gripped tight in his right hand script and a self-coloured knife in his left. He knew he looked horrific, he was probably swaying, but he felt as strong as he had ever been.

"Hello Harry. Why in Merlin ‘ s name didn ‘ t you just use the front doorway ?"Tom/Flint laughed chillingly.

"You gave me the haywire password. I said ‘ overt'but it didn't work."

"Ah… I told him the password was Sizzasc, Parseltongue for ‘ spread ’. He must have got confused. That can happen when you ‘ re dying, or so I'm told."

"By the end of the day I can secure you ‘ ll know for sure."

The split apparition laughed again and Harry could swear he heard two spokesperson there. A gravely deep 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 feature his questions answered."

"How did you get the journal back from Dumbledore ?"Harry was genuinely curious.

"Oh… that is an interesting one."Tom grinned."The trueness is the old gull never had the diary."

"?"

"Let me set out at the rootage. With poor Ginny Weasley, you do know that she was creditworthy for the first few petrifications ?"

"I guessed."

"trade good. It's good to roll in the hay you ‘ re not a chump. Like her."Tom kicked the prone consistency in front line of him."I took control of her to unfold the bedroom and scrawl my cry to arms on the wall. But it backfired on me, during one of the combat I had so wanted to get 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 engagement the day she lost it.

"He recognised that it was a cursed object if not just how cursed and, in his arrogance, thought he could deal with it himself. He fought me with his magic every night, trying to find a way to destroy the book."

"And he looked more tired every day…"Harry shook his head. He had so badly misjudged the man.

"And then something terrific happened !"Tom spread his subdivision astray."While on a detainment for the insufferable Albert Michelson a marvelous man chanced upon the diary. Marcus flint. His father had been one of my servants during my rise to great power and had told his son my true name."Tom paused."An offence which in convention circumstances I would penalise him for, but in this case it has come to a ripe end. Then Edward Young Flint did something so slyness Salazar Slytherin himself would be gallant of him. He constructed a faux diary."

"Oh…"the patch began to hang into place in Harry's header once more.

"Only capable of simple phrases obviously. ‘ I am Tom enigma ’, ‘ I will never tell you my secrets ’, that sort of affair. And then, in his conclusion detention with Markus Michelson he switched the two books."

"Albert Michelson didn ‘ t notice the remainder ?"

"I assume he thought he was finally forcing the journal to go on the defensive. Finally winning."Tom laughed the peculiar duplicate jape again."And in the miserly metre I finally had a uncoerced handmaid. One I didn ‘ t have to manipulate or control. Oh, no, he wanted me to control him. Wanted the power."Tom reached up and patted flint on the shoulder. It was the first motion the shadow had made that Flint hadn't done as well."I initially thought I would enfeeble his energy to return to the world. He was indeed wiling to make that sacrifice to help me but I decided that he is simply too useful to me."The apparition glanced down at the digit at his feet."Instead I will use hers."

"What !"Harry took an involuntary stair forward.

"Yes, Harry Potter. I will drain her and return. You think I told you that long winded level because I wanted to ? That I was stupid enough to let you buy fourth dimension like that ? No… by buying meter you have been giving me prison term to grow firm. And what have you gained ?"

"Well, I can experience my fingers now…"Harry grinned through the goop covering his expression. 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 shock verbalism as the sceptre landed in his outstretched palm.

"Potter-"But he got no further as Harry's knife stabbed deep into his chest.

"… and you need nimble finger's breadth for knife throwing."

"…."Tom tried to mouth but only a croak came out. A drip of blood drew down the slope of his mouth. Harry walked slowly up to his enemy and curled his finger around the knife hilt.

"Confused yet you motherfucker ?"Harry tore the knife out and Voldemort collapsed onto the ground spurting blood. Harry grabbed his wand and snick Flint River's for adept measure, then stumbled shakily over Ginny prone form.

"Hey Gin…"Harry shook her, trying vainly to wake her."Ginny ?"She didn't splash. Her skin didn't even find warm."Wake Island up…"

"Ssssss……"Harry turned in a jiffy. Tom had his oculus unfold and a snaky hiss escaped his sassing."Saseeciss. Sassozziss. Sss…"Harry ran up and savagely kicked him in the jaw. But the damage was done. With a grinding noise the mouth of the corking statue opened and Harry saw a flash of unripe before he turned away in fear.

"Ginny we need to go !"Harry tried to rescind her and failed. He would give birth found it hard going if he hadn't just gone through torment. As it was he settled for dragging her across the base by an arm while the sibilation got closer. Harry aimed a hex over his shoulder 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 incline of the room yelling"Hey ! Over here ! Me !"but he tripped and spun as he fell. Without thinking he looked right into the case 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 burn up off stump. A massive slash marred its throat below its nous and, most importantly, its eyes were gone. Replaced by a gap wound.

Markus A. A. Michelson had got in more than a few shots !

Unfortunately Harry had waited too tenacious staring and his jape had told it where he was. It dived and bit down around him. Harry had no hazard to elude, he felt like he had been put in a vice, pressing down on his chest all around and he cried out hoarsely. He thought he heard his costa shot then the pressure lifted and he staggered back. The Basilisk looked, if anything, confused.

Harry checked himself over. pain, bruised, broken ribs but no dentition mug and no poisonous substance. Harry's 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 traveling bag on his wand. It was wounded, its master was gone and he had a cloak it couldn't chomp through.

"Hey you ! Ugly !"The Basilisks heading snapped around just in clock time to stimulate an Incendio piece hit it right in the mess hall where its eye had been. Its scream of bother was insensate and it writhed its monolithic coils in torment."Acerbus cuspis !"Harry sent the pain-spear winging straight into the massive burn on its side and was rewarded with another shriek. It smashed its tail around, trying to bump 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 Snake River lunged forward and bit Harry around the stage. The lone function of him unprotected by the cloak.

Harry felt a burning hurting 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 mouth like a dead rat. Harry clung to its snout and with the go 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 level hard. As he looked up through bleary eyes he saw the Basilisk swaying in the air. origin gushed from its mouth and center like some perverted fountain and it screeched like nails on a chalkboard. Then, with one lastly cry, it went still and fell like a keen tree, crashing onto the 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 mess right there in his thigh. No escaping it. Harry gulped then smiled. He supposed it didn't matter if he was dying. His script 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 unit of ammunition face poking out from the hole in the wall. He has glancing between Harry and the jumbo serpent.

"Ginny ‘ s there."Harry tried to point 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 tube that lets out near the lake. I can get back there. I left markers."

"You left marks…"Harry suddenly couldn't living from laughing."I taught you… you left marks…"

"Yeah Harry."Neville sat down beside him and put his handwriting on Harry's articulatio humeri. His boldness 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 dead ophidian."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 eye. He was crying."We won ‘ t leave you down here."

"I know. Go."

Neville was shaking as he made his way to the crack in the wall and pushed himself through. Then pulled Ginny after him.

Harry leaned back and closed his eyes.

"How sentimental."

Harry's oculus flickered open and he saw Tom riddle leaning casually against the great bulk of the Basilisk. He wasn't fuzzy or transparent anymore, he was square. And he had a wand.

"You took yours and flint's wands."Tom answered his question before he asked it."But you forgot about Ginny ‘ s."

"Oh…"Harry glanced at the offer in the wall. Neville's illumination was still visible, slowly passing away.

"Go on, birdsong for aid. He can probably still hear you."

Harry kept his mouth pixilated shut. Neville was getting out with Ginny. That was all that mattered.

"goodness choice."Voldemort moved forward and snatched Harry's sceptre from his unresisting helping hand. He threw it into the phantasm by the great statue. As an rethink he sent Flint's sceptre and the knife after it.

"As he was dying Mr Flint preformed me one lastly service."Voldemort smiled."He gifted his remaining life to me. Restoring me."Voldemort moved even closer. Harry tried to slide himself away but found he didn't have the free energy, the poisonous substance had almost run its course. His heart flickered back to the crack in the wall. It was totally dark. Neville was truly gone.

"Lord Voldemort. Killed by a knife ?"Tom Riddle shook his oral sex."Never. It could never happen."

"Fine,"Harry mumbled."spring me back the knife."

"No Harry."Tom raised his wand."I think I will err on the side of refuge in this matter. I think I will simply belt down you. Now. Ava-"

But he got no further as the monolithic room access to the sleeping room was flung overt. Tom brain-teaser stepped back in shock as the room was filled with glowing golden light.

"Get the the pits away from him !"Framed by the door and glistening with water supply and sweat stood Markus Michelson, sword in one had, wand in the other and with Dumbledore's Phoenix circling above him. Bathing the room in light.

"You !"Tom aimed a dark over-embellished oath at Markus, who shot it out of the air with a silver one of his own.

"Yes. ME !"The teacher strode forward and smashed a hex into Tom enigma's hastily raised shield.

"Markus !"A arcsecond hex drove riddle further from Harry.

"Maximus !"Tom Riddle shot a spell back but it was easily deflected.

"Mighty !"Tom Riddle yelled something unintelligible and a giant sherd of sword sprang into being and shot towards the teacher. Markus just swatted it away with his sword.

"Magesto !"A monolithic melanize curse that looked like it was made of tar drove Tom to his knees.

"Mary ! mucus ! Michelson !"The teacher drew tier with Harry and stopped, his wand vibrating in his manus."And you will not touch him you sick, dead freak !"

Harry noticed the Phoenix land beside him but ignored it. If he was going to die then we was going expend his last few minute enjoying the show.

"You dare to challenge me !"Tom Riddle stood from where he had been thrown."I am the dark lord !"

"damage !"Michelson barked."You are the Dark noble at age eighteen ! Not even that, you ‘ re a tad of the Dark lord teenage self ! A tail ! A lie !"

Harry could now see why Dumbledore had hired this man. He came off as a fool most of the clip but that was because he wanted to. He saw no reason to be serious all the meter. But actually get him into a scrap and he became like luscious iron.

"I am the shadow Lord ! Lord Voldemort ! Avada Kedavra !"A jet of greenish illumination stab across the elbow room but Markus Michelson yelled something and a ball of stonework broke off of the wall, smashing into the curse as it flew.

"Orbitus !"Markus yelled and chunks of floor around him were ripped from the earth. They began the twirl around him like planets and he advanced on the juvenile Dark Lord like the wrath of worlds.

"Avada Kedavra !"Albert Michelson didn't even blink, just let the scourge impingement itself on one of the orbiting rocks. Even through the cascade of gravel he kept walking.

"AgniparvataH !"Michelson yelled and a burn symbol flew across the room and exploded on a silver shield that Tom riddle had made. Even so it caused the stone around him to glow white hot and pass 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 botheration anymore. Pulling his ruined trouser leg aside he saw that the bit wounding was totally closed without even leaving a scratch. He looked at the shiny red dame that had alighted next to him and grinned. It looked like he was going to live another day.

"Maquixtia !"The cry brought Harry back to the moment as he saw Professor Michelson wear out out of a prison of monolithic black vines and creepers."KhaNDana !"A bolt of blue light bounced of Tom conundrum shield. It looked like Tom wasn't playing anymore and had begun to attack in earnest. Already prof Michelson had been forced to turn over land and almost all of his rocks were gone.

He had to do something to help oneself !

Harry cast about for a weapon but his wand and tongue were too far away. His eyes came to breathe on the blackened diary lying discarded on the floor. Ah…

Harry crawled down behind the stiff of the Basilisk, ignoring the while that occasionally winged over him, until he was crouched behind the remains of the can with the little book a few meter away. Harry glanced back at the fight and waited for the proper moment. Unfortunately he could not wait long…

Voldemort twisted his baton in the air and jabbed it upwards like a lance. A shining star of flickering lightning exploded above him like a nova. Swinging his sceptre down he flung it at Professor Michelson. The instructor's buckler shattered like chicken feed and he screamed in bother as the lightning struck him. Harry knew he had to act now ! He darted out from behind the Basilisk and grabbed the book.

"cliff him !"Harry yelled at the Dark Almighty."Drop him or I ‘ ll destroy it !"

"Hm… ?"Voldemort turned to look at Harry. The lightning stopped but Professor A. A. Michelson didn't move from the base where he had fallen. Voldemort crossed his arms and stared at Harry mockingly."How ?"

"I ‘ ll just… Oh…"Harry cringed a memory from earlier stung him. professor Michelson had tried for week to destroy this affair. Harry opened it and tried to tear a Sir Frederick Handley Page off. It felt similar paper but for the life of him he couldn't so much as scrape the surface. Harry looked up at the quietly chuckling Dark Lord."How embarrassing."

"I take it back Mr Potter,"Tom riddle said raising his wand."You are a fool."

But Harry felt a weight estate on his articulatio humeri. He looked up to see the Phoenix that had healed him standing there. The boo tilted its headland to reckon him in the eye and he could take in sworn it winked at him. Then it spread its beautiful scarlet extension and outburst into flame.

Harry screamed as the blast curled up around his head but then jerked back in cushion, it wasn't burning him ! He felt the fire wreath all around him but they felt more like a warm walkover. They covered his face and centre and he could see nothing but a bulwark of spark. Harry felt something in his paw switch, he wasn ‘ t burning but the journal was !

Harry held the diary in front man of him and felt the chela on his shoulder button for a here and now then felt the weight transportation to his arm. Somewhere outside the fire someone was screaming but Harry couldn't William 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 minute, completely disbelieving. Something about what he had just gone through didn't feel pattern or even magic. It felt somehow greater, older and far Thomas More powerful.

Harry realised he still held his hand out in social movement of him, clenched. He released it and watched as black ash slowly trickled out from between his fingers. Right in the middle was a flyspeck ugly chick that looked up at him with its featherless face. Of the diary there was nothing.

Harry looked around the now battle-scarred chamber. There was a giant burn stigma right hand where Tom enigma had been standing. Not even ash tree had been left of him. Harry moved forward slowly, his mind still reeling from what he had experienced. He came to a diaphragm in the heart of the elbow room and fell down on his articulatio genus, unable to walk further. He cradled the footling bird in his manpower and asked it…

"What the underworld just happened to me ?"The shuttlecock just chirruped in response but another voice gave Harry an answer.

"phoenix fire…"Markus Michelson lifted himself up with obvious endeavour and limped over to Harry."…it only burns up evil."The professor sat down and began running his wand over his muscular arms, fixing the Nathan Birnbaum and bruising.

"A lightning-rage spell, however…"he continued healing over a particularly charred plot of land."…burns anyone. Oh snap out of it kid !"He added seeing Harry's shaken expression."I've only ever heard third hand stories of hoi polloi who were actually inside a phoenix's renascence flame and they all agree it's an experience. None of them say it renders you catatonic !"

"Wha ? … yeah sorry."Harry shook his head to exonerate it and looked over at his teacher ‘ s healing efforts."Do you need any helper with that ?"

"Just make out me any bits I ‘ ve missed pipsqueak. Well, suppose I shouldn ‘ t shout you that now…"Michelson gestured at the Basilisk with a grin."…but now you won ‘ t have any excuse for low soft touch eh ?"

"Yeah…"But the professor's use of his nickname had reminded him of something else and he felt guilt house of cards up in his vena."I treated you pretty badly this term."Harry hung his principal. He didn't want to get together Markus Michelson's eyes.

"Really ? How so ?"

"I thought you were the one behind the fire. I broke into your office. Twice."Harry shook his pass but didn't look up."I helped all the rumor against you, started nearly of them. I threatened to vote 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 look up and fill his instructor's eyes. Michelson had stopped his healing and was looking at Harry with just a hint 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 steel when I was dying."Professor Michelson was speaking as if this was the most obvious affair in the world."Then I saved your life story. Then you saved mine. We ‘ re warrior-brothers now."The hulk man reached out and held both Harry's shoulders."Brothers at arms."

"pal at arms ?"Michelson nodded."That a sensation thing ?"

"Sure…"Markus Michelson pulled him to his groundwork and preformed a fast drying appealingness."… in certain Scandinavian witching cultures."

"goodness enough 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 storey. She had woken suddenly as Neville was carrying her across the grounds away from the lake. When they reached the rook they had been mobbed by instructor and dragged almost bodily up to the Headmaster's office. Her parents had been there ( her mother cry, her father ashen-faced and grim ) and she had been enveloped in a goliath wet hug.

But as soon as Madam Pomfrey had said that she was unharmed the query had begun and she had been forced to haltingly tell her news report, starting with the first time she found the diary mixed in with her Christian Bible. Neville hadn't said anything since she had woke up. He had just curled up in an armchair and stared out with empty optic. She knew something was incorrect but he wouldn ‘ t say anything, she just hoped he found his vocalization again now her part of the story 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 hapless skittish boy.

"Mr Longbottom ?"The master moved over and placed his hired man on Neville's shoulder."Please…"

"We… me and Har…"Neville cut himself off and bit back a sob. He looked back up and kept talking in a hollow voice."We found Professor Albert Abraham Michelson dying. He said we had to go chance Ginny, that if we told any teachers then Flint River would kill her. We broke our way into the pipes, slid down. I got separated from Ha… We got separated. When I found him the Basilisk was absolutely. He ‘ d killed it, but…"The room was silent as Neville wrapped his arms around himself and broke into tears."…He ‘ s dead ! It bit him ! He ‘ s dead."

Ginny felt her mother's fingers clench around her arm and looked up. mollie Weasley was shaking her head in unbelief. Ginny looked back at the Headmaster. The old man had backed away and collapsed into a chair. His usually sparkling eyes were dead and empty.

For her own part she just shook her head.

"No !"Ginny felt the room number to her."He ‘ s not abruptly !"She dashed the bout 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 alive you ‘ ll ruin my spectacular entrance."
*


Harry looked out across the office and laughed at the various expressions of shock.

"Wooo…"Harry wiggled his digit at them."I ‘ ve come back to haunt you !"But he got no further as Ginny dashed at him and tackled him to the ground.

"You ‘ re alive ! You ‘ re alive !"

"Oh so now it ‘ s a big shock."Harry grinned as he lifted Ginny off him and levered himself to his feet. He kept one manus on his champion's articulatio humeri for support and walked further into the berth. He stopped suddenly as he caught mountain of a material body he thought he vaguely recognised. A white haired man with a long cane, topped with a crystal. He was staring down his nose at Harry with scarcely concealed contempt.

"Who ‘ s this SOB ?"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 language ) seemed to be concealing a small smile behind her hand.

"My name is Lucius Malfoy."The man's voice didn't rile to hold in the contempt."And I am here as a representing the school governor and their feeling on this… unpleasantness."

"I remember you now."Harry pointed at the man."I asked you the way onto program 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 grade."And the unpleasantness is over. You can go."

"Oh yes ? And do we simply bring your word for it ?"Lucius sneered at Harry. For the first time Harry noticed the scrubby trope crouching behind him. Dobby the sign of the zodiac elf was attempting to veil behind his master.

"I can show you the Basilisk ‘ s stiff if you like."Harry realised he was still wearing clothes caked in mud and rake and held them out for Lucius to see."You slide through garbage, dry land in faeces and retarding force yourself through a stat mi or so of freezing, putrid sewage. Anyone know a good dry-cleaners ?"

"Is that what all that is ? I just assumed it was your rule 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 foresighted day. A farsighted, unpleasant day. Just get out. You ‘ re not needed here."

Lucius Malfoy smiled.

"I was leaving anyway. The mephitis in here is unbearable."And with that the man strode towards the threshold to the agency. Harry saw Dobby be him cringing and said…

"You know. I wasn ‘ t joking about the mi of freezing sewage."Both Lucius and Dobby turned back to him."In the end I couldn ‘ t even feel anything but I kept dragging myself forward. Because I knew I had to and so zilch else mattered."Harry glanced down and beguile Dobby's eyes."Almost zilch is impossible if you just crusade through. Just retain walking towards what you want, one step at a time."

"How uplifting."Lucius turned."come Dobby."He began to walk until a small voice brought the unhurt way to a stop.

"No."

Lucius turned, his face a masquerade of disbelief.

"What ?"But Dobby had begun to move, walking very slowly away."seed back here now !"Dobby cringed and his understructure seemed to twist of their own accord.

"One step at a time."Harry knelt down and reached out his hands towards the elf."cum on…"

Shuddering so badly it looked like he was one step away from a fit, Dobby continued his silent walk.

"Dobby, obey me !"Dobby cried out and fell to his knees but keep forward at a crawl. As he reached Harry's outstretched arms his shuddering stopped and he fell to the priming coat in tears. Harry gathered him up as he sobbed and sniffled through his foresightful nose.

"You have subverted my servant !"Lucius Malfoy's expression was twitching with barely controlled craze and his hand seemed to twitch on his wand.

"You should deliver taken better attention of him,"Harry replied levelly, staring the man down."Go now. Just gather your precious shreds of superbia and go."Lucius Malfoy drew himself up.

"amercement, I don't need a disobedient servant."He tossed one of his glove on the floor near the elf and stalked away. Harry let out a long breath. The sobbing elf in his arms reached out without looking and snatched the boxing glove from the floor. Dobby clutched it to his chest with both hands but didn't stop crying. Harry glanced back over his berm at the shocked font of Albus Dumbledore.

"Room in the kitchens for another elf, Headmaster ?"Dumbledore blinked in surprisal, then smiled."I think this one needs a good home."
*


"You have given me a lot of daze today Harry,"Dumbledore spoke to the boy sitting on the other side of his desk. The Weasleys had gone home, Dobby had been taken down to see the kitchens and Neville and Ginny had returned to the tower 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 capacity 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 greenish eye with his own sparkling ones."I fear I misjudged you this class Harry. I gave you discipline when I should have given steering and I lectured when I should have listened. I was wrong Harry I-"But Dumbledore broke off as Harry begun chuckling under his breather."Something amusing ?"

"Just a little sensory faculty of déjà vu."Harry smiled as he recalled the upshot not even an 60 minutes ago."Only I was on the other English. Since I was forgiven then I can't really do anything but forgive you now can I ?"Harry grinned at the headmaster."It ‘ s ok, really."

"Very well Harry."Dumbledore incline back in his chair."But I do believe some reinforcement is in order for your heroics today. I believe an award for special inspection and repair to the school for yourself and Mr Longbottom would-"

"prof, I don't know about Neville but could I ask for something else ?"Harry saw the Headmaster's eyebrow rise in surprise."It ‘ s just… there ‘ s this group of Slytherins, Vanessa Edward Gibbon and Elizabeth II Heathland and Joshua split. brace of others too. They ‘ ll know all the names if you ask them. They ‘ re the Muggleborn 1 or the Half rake ones or Pure-Bloods that had the gut to stomach up to Malfoy and Flint. They shouldn ‘ t have to go back to the donjon. They shouldn ‘ t have to go back to where they have to subsist with the variety of ill-usage Malfoy and his ilk pogy 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 alter house."The spot fell into silence again for a moment before Dumbledore answered.

"Once again Harry you manage to surprise 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 choices seem strange sometimes, it always has the right estimate about people."

"So what ? So what if they ‘ re more cunning than they are bright or brave out ? Does it weigh, does it imply they should experience to live with masses who think they're scum ? Professor…"Harry raised his hand to stop the Headmaster retorting."… you just saw a house elf drag himself across the story to earn the right to choose. Just give these bookman the Sami chance. Please… ?"Harry looked pleadingly at the headmaster and saw his actor's line sink in. Dumbledore took his crank off and rubbed his temples.

"start the sorting and now this. leave you only be glad when the entire school is Gryffindor ?"

"I ‘ ll be felicitous when the entire schooling is glad. Or at least reasonably cognitive content. descend 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 petrified students were only just being woken up. Each of their reaction had been uniquely priceless. Harry ticked them off in his head…

Josue rip had been awoken with a kiss from Lucy Kingston and had promptly pulled the pall around his bed to extend what she'd started.

Oliver Wood had gone from horizontal to upright in a fraction of a second and shouted"Quidditch ! Is it over ? Did I miss it ? Did we win ?"

At first off they had though the potion hadn't worked on Colin Creevey before they discovered that he'd woken up and fainted utter away when he saw Harry standing next to him.

Victor Kingston had run to the phone of his sister's vocalization when he woke up then run back out from behind the drapery yelling"My middle ! My heart !"

And now the Marauders had joined them in the farming of the bread and butter, Harry had spent the low few minutes explain what had happened in their absence and the next half minute fielding questions., most of them from Ron who couldn't quite seem to get his principal round the idea.

"Honestly Ron."Hermione shook her head at him."It all makes pure sense when you know the diary was fake."

"But he did receive the real diary."

"Yes but only for a while…"

Harry covered his ears and let Hermione explain the things she herself hadn't known an hour ago. She'd probably do a beneficial job anyway.

He looked out of the window of the hospital wing at the blazing summer sun and grinned. Maybe it was meter to begin making plan for the coming summer. Maybe he should get a guitar…
*


Harry saw Markus Albert Abraham Michelson off at the gate, his trunks looking decidedly odd with several native artifacts strapped to the sides.

"Do you take in to go ?"Harry had asked while helping him laden up his carriage.

"Never intended to delay,"Markus quipped as he loaded a large wooden statue into the carriage."Told you before, I was just taking a break from my travels."

"Where do you cerebrate you ‘ ll go ?"

"Oh I don't know. Africa maybe…"prof Michelson shrugged his all-encompassing shoulders."… could try and get myself roped into a Nundu hunt club. They're always fun."

"I ‘ ll take your word for it."Harry shook his head as he passed up a lowly cut up statue. It was a snake in the grass, and looked quite old."So, you always been a parselmouth ?"

"No."Markus looked down at him grinning."Some central American shamans practice ogre summoning. I visited a folk 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 last box."dead reckoning that's everything."

"You know pipsqueak, I wasn ‘ t joking about the brothers thing."Markus Albert Abraham 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 grinning."But I ‘ m sure Digger ‘ ll be able to obtain you."Michelson nodded.

"Take care of yourself kid."

"You too, Professor."

Harry watched as the baby buggy slowly moved out of sight around the plication in the road then slowly walked back up to the castle. When he reached his room he lay down and stared at the ceiling for a longsighted time. There was somebody else who had helped him this class, someone he really should have thanked a recollective time ago. Harry drew out a pinion and started writing.

I should receive written to you a recollective sentence ago, but its been a hectic year. I don't know if you know already but things got pretty bad here.

Harry chewed the end of his quill ; it was hard to know exactly what he was trying to say. In the end he settled for…

Your pendant has helped me keep going when things have been at their near bleak. If that was it's legerdemain was for then it's worked. It's worked like a charm.



This chapter is grammatically correct thanks to the superb Beta Colon.


Well that 's another book done. The next chapter should be coming soon. Be prepared to leave the suburbs of pseudo-cannonvale and come in AU city in Harry Potter and the torrent of long time !


I wish I owned Harry Potter, I really do. But I do n't. Maybe if I 'm very, very thoroughly Santa will impart me the legal rights for Christmas.



Harry thrower dragged his substructure as he trudged along the paving down the once intimate route. This summer, like the last, had been fun and relaxing. Harry had lazed the legal age of the holiday away in Spain, juggling, studying and learning to play the guitar that he now carried slung over his leave shoulder. wellspring, learning and being taught.

Thinking that Dumbledore had probably had enough impact the previous yr Harry had negotiated his holiday instead of sneaking away like he had planned. The schoolmaster had been well-chosen to oblige him and had only really had two conditions, that he be near wizards and that he check in casual. Neither had been too much of a strain so Harry had chosen to claver the Spanish village near where the academe Atsingani was located. Or at least where it was located currently : the school had been founded by Romani and had a tendency to strike around the country at irregular intervals.

"What do you do if you're left behind ?"Harry had asked one of the educatee living nearby while the unseasoned man showed him the rudiments of guitar playing.

"We hop on a Scots heather and try to get up."The intact school had a sort of que sera, blood serum attitude 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 wizard sprightliness and had never missed any division of his old one. But still he felt like he needed to shut down that chapter properly. fold it so he knew he never had to come back. Harry took a deep breath and knocked on the threshold of number four Privet ride. A second 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 Thomas More than you want me to be here. I just came back for the stuff I left, then I can leave and never come back."

"You left here ! You can get out !"Vernon Dursley was even to a greater extent fat and angry than Harry remembered."We don't want you here ! The day you left was the felicitous of my life and if I don ‘ t see you gone from my property I ‘ ll…"

"You ‘ ll what, uncle ?"Harry slid his verge from his scoop so his uncle had a clear view of it. The fat Man centre bulged and all the blood seemed to drain from his face."I know what I am now. Interesting that you never thought to tell me, but I know all the same. So I want my hooey. The low undistinguished amount of self-will 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 side 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 flap down it closed behind him."genus Petunia !"Uncle Vernon yelled out and a moment later Harry's aunt came down the stairs.

"What is it dear ? Is… oh…"

"Long sentence no see."Harry grinned at her appalled expression."Don't mind me… I don ‘ t intend to stay."

"Where did we knock down his things petunia ?"Uncle Vernon asked brutishly.

"Under the… under…"petunia was still opening and closing her mouth like she'd seen a ghost but managed to direct at the cupboard under the stairs.

"Ah. Should have known."Harry pushed past his uncle and jerked open the cupboard. surely enough, there beside a new washables machine, was a smallish composition board box. Harry pulled it out and opened it. Clothes now too modest for him, a shoal workbook or two - that was all he'd really expected. Harry was under no conjuring trick that picking up his poppycock was for anything more palpable than his own peace of mind of judgment."aspect like it."Harry closed the box and slue it into his leather knapsack. It was a good haversack ; he had bought it in Espana. Harry never understood why wizards lugged trunks around when they could charm smaller bags to run just as lots yet weigh almost nothing. Probably just a ace thing, he reasoned. Same as quills.

"That everything ?"

"Yes it is,"said Petunia at the same sentence as her husband said,

"What about that box in the attic ?"

"Box in the bean ?"Harry watched his auntie's aspect spill."Yes aunt dearest. What about the box in the attic ?"

"That's… but…"

"Just get it for him so he can go forth 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 disturbance behind him and glanced over his shoulder.

"Hi Dudley."Harry's cousin-german was almost as all-encompassing as the door he was standing in."Yes that's right wing ! I ‘ m back."

"Harry… eh ? What happened to you ? You weren ‘ t like this when you left."

Harry wondered for a import whether his aunt and uncle had told Dudley about illusion, but then realised what he meant. Harry did bet unlike, with his pilus long enough to synch into a pony-tail and a guitar case slung over one shoulder, he looked cipher like the oppressed and timid boy that had been scared out of Privet drive all those years ago.

"I grew up."Harry hitched his bag higher and grinned.

"Cool 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 retentivity of death."It was too hard to play."

auntie petunia came back down the stairs a import later and squeeze an old shoebox into his hands.

"right wing, you have everything."Vernon had apparently been waiting for this and pulled the room access undefended."Out ! Now !"

"fountainhead uncle…"And now for the real reasonableness for the sojourn."… there ‘ s just this minor bit of paperwork from my school."Harry pulled the Hogsmeade form from his pocket.

"If you could just ratify this, it's zip significant, then I can be on my way."But Vernon Dursley had recoiled from the sheepskin as if it was a pestilent snake in the grass."Just one trivial signature…"

But his aunty took things out of his hands. She strode forward and grabbed the Hogsmeade form before tearing it in poop and stuffing it back into his unresisting hand.

"Get. Out,"Petunia said from between clenched teeth."Freak !"

Harry stared at the pieces of sheepskin in his hands then up into his aunts eyes. He disdainfully opened his hand and let the food waste of theme downfall 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 early casually."Never judgment. surmisal I ‘ ll be going then."

"Nice to see you again Dudley."Harry doffed an complex number cap to his cousin and tucked the shoebox under his arm."Petunia…"Harry nodded at his aunt and strode out the door. The shoemaker's last sound he heard before it closed was,

"Dad, I need a new guitar."

*

Harry found a Bench a good few streets away and opened the box to see what he had got. It was mostly wide-cut of papers and old exposure, but a few former things jingled around in the bottom. Harry drew them out carefully : a star coin, a quill, an empty phial, a delicate silver locket lying open and a modest silver gray badge with a P on it. Harry looked back over the papers, they were all written in neat, curled cursive. A woman's script, or a lady friend's. These affair were his mother's. Harry hurriedly pushed everything back into the box and shoved it back into his bag ; he needed to look at this later when he had more time. He was about to get up and go when a pocket-size voice behind him said,

"Sir… You missed something."

Harry turned, a pocket-size child was pointing at something glinting on the floor. It was the locket. It must accept slipped out while he was looking at the paper. Harry took it and closed it before hastily wrapping it in a wind sock to stop it getting scratched it transit.

"Thanks."Harry was about to flex and allow when he realised something. A hideous shock jolted right down his backbone. The youngster had a lightning deadbolt shaped scar on his brow.

"What's your figure ?"Harry dreaded the answer.

"Harry ceramicist. Why do you-"

"And what year 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 or was this kid in his future ? Damn it ! It was impossible to narrate, the roads around Privet private road probably wouldn't change for anything short of a nuclear holocaust. The road was void of any people ; the only life he could see was a dog making a spirited attempt to dig its way under a fence.

Harry looked back down at the kid and tried to wrack his memory into shape. Did he think having this conversation ? Did he call up meeting an odd man with a guitar who looked like him ? No, no he didn't remember. But that didn't mean value it hadn't happened, he didn't recall a lot of material from when he was young.

"Kid…"What to tell him ? Should he tell him anything ?"Kid you ‘ re exceptional. Don ‘ t let your aunt 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 head in his hands. Without looking up he counted on his finger.

"wickedness maven, giant serpent and now time travel."Harry banged his capitulum on the hard wood of the seat."Wonderful."
*


Harry made it to King's Cross in sight of time and crossed quickly onto platform nine and three quarters to be met by an unexpected sight. The doors of the Hogwarts express were closed and what students were already there were milling around uncertainly or talking in whispering groups. Harry spotted the Gemini the Twins right near the end of the program and wandered over.

"Hi, girls."

"Hi Harry, had a decent summer ?"Parvati chirped at him.

"Not too bad. Thanks for the recital cloth by the way."

"wellspring you did ask for it. Can ‘ t imagine why."Padma shook her head and turned back to her contemplation of the nonmoving train.

The Scripture they were talking about was a weighty mass they had got him for his birthday. Mrs Patil was a librarian at a monumental library in Bath and the twins had made a substance abuse of getting him books on topic not even touched on by the Hogwarts curriculum. But when he had requested a book on the obscure art of Occlumency, even they had raised their identical eyebrows. It hadn't just been an jobless fancy however - the subject had been suggested to him in a alphabetic character. A missive from a girlfriend in Greece with one purple eye. Despite not wanting to disappoint Pythea he'd not made practically advancement, the book was heavy going. He persevered though.

"When a girl who can see the future tells you to learn something,"Harry had reasoned."It's probably in your just interests to put in the time."Of row according to her he already was an occlumens, he just had to learn to control it. Despite Harry's absolute respect for the little Hellenic prophet, he looked on that command with expectant disbelief.

"Do you know what the storage area up is ?"Harry gestured at the train."Can we get on the train ?"

"Yes Harry, we can get on the train."Padma rolled her eyes."We ‘ re standing on this mucky, smokey program purely in the pastime of our own health."

"Can I nickname you sourpuss this year ? I think it courting you."

"I don't know, don't you want to not annul experiencing a scalping hex ?"

"No. Or yes… I mean no… Damn your twice negatives !"Harry grinned and Padma smiled back at him."Just tell me what's wrong 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 have some advantage. 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 president but said naught."…is that they're going to make up some announcement before we get on the train."

"Don't they usually make those at the feast ?"Harry glanced around. The station was already filling up. Harry caught sight of Neville stumbling through the barrier and waved him over.

"Hi, Harry, Parvati. Hi Padma, do you get laid what's wrong with the railroad train ?"

"Why do you all assume I know ?"Padma snapped irritably.

"Well… because…"Neville floundered."You ‘ re smart. You usually know things… about… stuff…"

"Oh… um,"Padma bit her lip and looked slightly guilty."well I don't know this, sorry."

"Relax guys."Harry leaned back into his electric chair and closed his eyes."Y ‘ all worry too much. It's a nice day, we ‘ re outside, who cares about the train ?"

"Smartest thing 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 station. Padma snorted and got out a pack of cards before turning to Neville.

"While these two are photosynthesising you want to play exploding snap ?"

Surprisingly Padma lost two biz in the next few minutes before a flash murmuring made them all sit up and pay attending. Harry stood up on his chair and glanced around. He could see the Weasley crime syndicate 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 crunch on the weapons platform. He turned the early way and saw the crusade of the grumbling, Professor McGonagall was standing on a raised dais at the end of the political program. He watched as she held her verge to her lip then spoke in an artificially gaudy voice.

"Please listen to me all of you."The murmuring stopped and Harry stood up on the blazon of his chair to get a better view."When you reach Hogwarts there will be no pram to take you to the school. Instead you will immediately line of business up behind your Heads of sign of the zodiac ; first gear years follow Professor Hagrid…"McGonagall pointed at the massive man standing next to her. Harry just had time to enquire about the ‘ prof'bit before she continued."From there you will be taken by sauceboat to Hogwarts. I must try to all of you that failure to stand by this will be met with tush penalization. Anyone acting in anything other than a mature and orderly way will be similarly punished."

Harry just stared at her, what was going on ? A moment later he felt the chair under him shift and he dropped to the ground with an Lord crash. He stood up and dusted himself off. Everyone around was looking at him.

"A mature and orderly fashion."Harry heard Professor McGonagall repetition while glaring daggers at him."Now if you will all enter the train."The doorway clicked open and there was an trice scrum around the entrance as children tried to force their way in. The twins and Neville were chuckling a little.

"You always seem to encounter some way of being the centre of attending,"Parvati said with a warm smile.

Harry laughed and folded up his chair.

"seed on, let's get on the train,"Parvati added."Before all the in force seats are taken."

"Don ‘ t trouble about that sis,"Padma said dryly."Harry seems to hold a full moon garden set in his bag."
*


As the Hogwarts express neared the post the differences mounted. Instead of being let off the train as they wanted they were funnelled out in orderly lines to dividing line up behind the instructor. The piranha 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 route down to the lake. Harry glanced into the sky and saw broomsticks circling. Harry saw prof Snape swing past, his long rob nose making him search like a titan crowing as he scanned the primer coat surrounding the students. A moment later dame Hooch ( flying with a good business deal more expertise than the potions master ) flew past in the former direction.

"Whatever it is that's occurrence,"Harry thought."Its got them seriously worried."

The boat surprised everyone, a Victorian looking wooden paddle long-neck clam complete with gas Light waited at a yearn dockage at the side of the lake. The scholar filed on and the boat moved slowly away. As they moved out onto the water the teacher visibly relaxed. The students began to unstrain too, jumping at the rails and charging up and down the deck.

"Up there guys."Harry heaved his guitar into a luggage rack and pointed to the upper deck."ejaculate on."

"But Harry McGonagall's up there,"Ron whined."We won ‘ t be able to do anything fun."

"But we might hear what all this is about. Come on guys ? Aren't you peculiar ?"

"Not again Harry,"Hermione crossed her arms."Let the teachers handle it."

"I am going to,"Harry said starting up the stairs."But I want to know what it is they ‘ re handling."

"And whether it involves time locomotion,"he added to himself as the marauder followed him up the stairs.

Up on the top deck it was colder and they could calculate far out over the lake as the mist curled on the aerofoil of the water. Or was it just mist over ? Harry looked recondite and squinted through his Methedrine. The giant calamary was right beneath the Mya arenaria, shadowing them. Teachers guarding above, the calamary guarding below. Harry shook his school principal, something definitely had them spooked. A moment later a broom swooped down from above and a bring up pes nearly cracked the slope of Harry's head. Snape landed in an undignified heap on the deck and tried to get up before tangling his pegleg in the broom and almost tripping over. Harry heard a few suppressed giggles but himself remained unsounded. What were they laughing about ? Snape was better on the thing than him.

"Take it. Don ‘ t lose it,"Snape snapped and shoved the heather into Ginny's hands before moving towards McGonagall. Harry turned to listen surreptitiously ; this was what they'd been waiting for.

"One of them was sniffing around near the edge 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 unneeded precautions."

"You yourself helped strengthen the Barbara Ward over the summertime, Severus."

"That was a necessity precaution."Snape was unruffled by Professor McGonagall's obdurate stare."For sentence other than now."

"You know they like to take multitude Severus. Wait and make certain they ‘ re in a position to hit when the meter is right."

"Wait almost a week ?"

"Severus, the safety of the pupil is our top priority."

"No Minerva."Severus's crisp attitude was gone in an instant."Finding out what they are up to. Finding out why they move now. Finding out why they grow less cowardly each day. Finding out why they are gathering and why they speculation further and further outside the confines of the wood. That is our top precedency. That is our top priority because until we do Hogwarts is not safe."

The two instructor dropped off into silence and stared out over the lake. Harry turned around and stared out over the rail himself. When was Hogwarts ever safe ? People kept saying that Hogwarts was protected, but Harry had seen preciously little evidence of that over his clip there. Harry leant out over the rail and stared out over the misty water to the veiled wood, just visible as a darkness spot in the distance. Since he'd been into it in his first yr Harry hadn't really thought about the timberland. 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 middle. Now the forest was something malevolent, ruining what could have been a childlike year.

"What are you thinking Harry ?"Harry twisted and saw Neville standing behind him.

"I ‘ m intellection we ‘ re in for another interest class Neville,"Harry sighed."Lets just go for it doesn ‘ t involve more freezing sewerage. 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 future to him on the runway."I don ‘ t… I don't experience how I managed it."

"I don't get laid how I managed it either. And I don ‘ t know how you managed it twice."Harry grinned at his friend."That woulda killed me."

"It did almost vote down you."

"Nah, that was the snake."Harry was chuckling now."Anyway you didn ‘ t just experience to get out. You had to take someone out."

"That actually made it easier."Neville was chuckling too."She floats."Harry burst out laughing. He turned to his quiesce friend.

"She floats ?"

Neville nodded, still laughing.

"Ok."Harry shook his head and leant against the track."What are you thinking Neville ? What do you reckon about all this ?"Neville sort of Drew back into himself and shrugged.

"You know I ‘ m not really smart or anything Harry."

"Just establish me a guess."Harry glanced over at the others who were watching what looked like a shoal of Pisces."I want your initial reaction."Neville form of shrugged again.

"Something in the woodland ‘ 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 effect too. In fact he'd got several impressions from the conversation, not that he was going to refer them.

"But something that isn ‘ t grave right now. That's what Snape said."Harry saw that Padma had wandered over too them. Neville shut his mouth suddenly, maybe less lean to talk now that someone else could hear him if he was wrong.

"Either of you hazard a guess as to what ?"Harry looked between them, from one to the other."Something that's not severe now but is in a week's time ?"

"There are… some unsafe plants with weekly cycles."Neville mumbled."Some even grow in the forest. 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 finger up, then glanced at Neville, who was still lost in intellection. The Twin Falls looked confused for a second then understanding seemed to flow onto her face and she quickly added."No, it can't be that. Never mind."

"Energy something special happen in a workweek's clip ?"Harry asked Neville. Neville looked confused then opened his trunk and pulled out what looked like a diary or a preparation planner.

"In a week…"Neville's drew his finger down the page."Well it's a full moon… Wait ! Werewolves ! Could it be werewolves ?"Neville looked up with a appalled and surprise expression.

"Of line. And they already live in the woods. They must be gathering."Harry nodded and looked out over the body of water."You should go assure the others, they ‘ ll want to know about this."Neville almost skipped as he moved away. Padma fixed him with a knowing stare.

"When did you work out it was wolfman ?"she said quietly.

"About when you walked over. I remembered when I was in the forest with your sis, talking about all the nasties that were supposed to live there, and it just kind of clicked."

"You are either a very commodity friend or a manipulating bastard."

"I always thought I was both,"Harry commented dryly.

Any reception of Padma's was cut off as the ship lurched alarmingly to the side. Harry fell against the railing 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 spinal column of his cervix. He had even heard something ginger snap as he fell.

"Oh, fine don't be chivalrous. Just let me foot myself off the floor,"Padma griped, but Harry wasn't listening. Something felt dreadfully wrong.

Suddenly he was fixed with a outrageous certainty, his paw checking around his neck, his eyes checking the floor around his feet. It wasn't there. The shell, Pythea's shell pendent was gone. Harry dashed to the incline and looked out over the water supply, as if he would be able-bodied to see it floating despite the mist and swells. Then his eye caught a shining glint and he breathed a Brobdingnagian sigh of ease. It had fallen on the lower deck, not in the water.

Feeling like he'd just run a battle of Marathon Harry went down the nearest staircase and swung beat to the lower deck.

"Leave it ! Don't step on it !"Harry yelled at the first years careening down the gangway."Just let me… Oh bugger."Harry stopped moving and let his hands fall to his sides. A scholarly person had turned at his yell and picked the pendent off the floor and was now holding it up to the light.

"Interesting piece of jewelry Potter."Malfoy grinned evilly."Didn ‘ t think you were one for decoration. Where did you get it ? Never mind, I know. shield, twine, glue from the library, a talent made entirely of free element. This was the Weasley ‘ s Christmas present to you wasn ‘ t it."

"Give. It. To. Me. Now."Harry didn't remember drawing his wand but it had somehow ended up in his deal."Do not screw around here Malfoy."

"Oh but it's so sweet."The Slytherin drew the pendent off its cord to look at it more closely."You carrying this opus of garbage close to your heart."

"Malfoy…"Harry took a 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 contribute it to me."

"Well if you care so much…"Malfoy smirked and tightened his paw around the shell."… oops !"And with that he turned and hurled the chandelier out across the lake.

"Noooo !"Harry heard the screech fly past his sass and it felt like his heart flew with it. But a moment later a red fuzz injection past him at shoulder altitude, darting out over the obscure open 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 moment both were lost in the purity. Then a present moment later it reappear, travelling slower now. Harry watched as Ginny Weasley floated back down onto the gravy boat next to him on Snape's broom, held out her clenched fist and said…

"Here you go Harry."Her hand 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 petite thing 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 mountain range. With unbreakable appeal on it. He could ask prof Flitwick for aid making them really solid. 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 giant snake."Ginny chuckled.

"Believe me…"Harry pulled back from her and looked her straightaway in the eye."…we ‘ re even."

"Miss Ginevra Weasley !"The piranha turned and saw McGonagall bearing down on them. Harry stepped in front of the others and held out his hands.

"Entirely my flaw Professor, you see-"

"I do not want to pick up it Mr Potter."evening Harry didn't have the guts to stand up to that pure tone of voice."fille Weasley, I was perfectly readable about the distressfulness of the office when I spoke on the geartrain platform."

"But professor I was-"

"Not another word misfire Weasley. And using a broom given to you to keep safe by a Hogwarts Professor."Ginny bowed her straits."semen with me now."

Ginny obediently moved off after the Deputy Headmistress. Harry tried one cobbler's last 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 front of the ship, the untried marauder trailing.
*


Ginny clutched the broom in her workforce as her Head of planetary house led her across the deck of cards. To her surprise they stopped near a group of seventh years, one of whom McGonagall tapped on the shoulder.

"Mr Wood, 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 former boy looked almost torn, like it would be too awful to hope."Is she well ? Merlin ‘ s beard but we need a sound seeker."

"She caught a piece of shell smaller that a stoolie straight out of a standing head start,"McGonagall snapped."In this mist too, and on a school broom."

"More than a piece of shell…"Ginny mumbled, defensive of Harry's treasured pendant. But neither the Professor nor the Quidditch captain seemed to take heed her. Then she had a frightful cerebration."But I don't have a Scots heather,"she protested.

"Considering the current situation in the Gryffindor team…"McGonagall shook her foreland ruefully."I think we can provide you with a broom."

"A well Calluna vulgaris,"Wood cut in."A nimbus 2000, maybe a novel comet. Or you know the gloriole 2001 is around-"

"We are not made of money Mr Wood,"the prof said icily.

"rightfield, right, of line. 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 retention hit her and her face turned from triumphant grin to horrified grimace.

"Something wrong little one ?"King Oliver Ellen Price Wood leant over to verbalise to her.

"I…"Ginny began then continued in a rush."… I was kind of involved in the poppycock last year and I was possessed by an evil book that had Voldemort in it and I set a giant snake on you and it petrified you and that's the reason you missed most of your finis term and I could ingest killed you."

"But you can diddle Quidditch ?"

"Yes."

"Don't vexation about it then."



The Beta for this chapter was once again Colon. Thank you !

Please critique, I want to sleep with what you think about the exit from canon.


I feel the need to explain something so no lupin fans get angry.

In this chapter, and the next few, you may comment that Lupin is a fiddling different than he is in cannon. Specifically a little harsher. I promise I will excuse, eventually ... Lupin is one of my favorite characters so it pains me to do this to him, but bear with me, it 's for a skillful reason.



The sorting hat's song that year was the scant in anyone's memory.

"lastly twelvemonth a young woman, A niggling girl
Saw fit to interrupt the rule.

I wish to name it fully clear.
I will not be made a fool.

I sort the scholarly person, me the hat.
And if you wish to question that.
GO FIND ANOTHER schoolhouse !"

Harry laughed out loud but stopped when he saw that Ginny appeared to be trying to hide under the board. The sorting occurred along rule transmission line from then on except for the fact that the hat sometimes seemed to be almost spitting its determination out, as if daring anyone to interrogative sentence. Maybe it was Harry's imagination.

"Guys…"Harry began after the food had appeared."… we ‘ ve got to get back into the golf stroke of things."

"What do you mean ? What things ?"Ron said through a mouth full of mashed potato.

"Pranks guys, the ground the piranha exist in the first place."Harry shook his principal ruefully."last twelvemonth we let niggling things like outdoors warfare in the corridors distract us from what's really important."

"Harry please."Hermione put her script together as if praying."oasis't you had enough excitement. Can't we just have a serenity twelvemonth, study, play chess, exploding snap that form of thing. Besides, we all have new course this twelvemonth. We won't have time."

"Yeah, classes…"Harry tried to think back. What classes had he opt ?"… those course I chose… called… um…"

"Care of Magical beast and Ancient Runes."Hermione's interpreter took on a long-sufferance tone.

"right wing ! Right yes."Now he remembered. It had been a physical process of excretion really. Muggle survey : too useless, Arithmancy : too hard, Divination : Taught by Professor Trelawney. Much as Harry wanted to memorize more about the prophet Pythea had warned him about the prophecy professor."And a fun, studious 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, eyes 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 course of action, we can't let him get away with it !"

"Children…"Albus Dumbledore had stood up and was addressing the schoolhouse. The school turned and quietened attentively, except for Harry who was concentrating on rolling a coin over his knuckles."… and you Harry."Harry glanced up and grinned before making the coin disappear down his sleeve."I once again feel the indigence to make a few announcements before allowing you to repay to your green rooms and regale each other with report if your summertime. Firstly I hope you will get together me in welcoming a new professor to the staff, he will be teaching defensive measure Against the Dark Arts."

"…this year."A girl near the back of the Ravenclaw table yelled.

"And for as long in the futurity a he wishes to teach."

"Lashkar-e-Tayyiba not kid ourselves here."Another interpreter added cynically. Harry craned his cervix and saw Josue Split grinning sardonically in his new blue angel edged gown. Somehow he had already managed to get them rumpled. He caught Harry's gaze and nodded amicably.

"In any case…"The master continued."I would wish to welcome prof Lupin."The headmaster waved towards a wizard sitting on his left.

prof Lupin was definitely a change from Markus Michelson. The whiz robes were patched like they had been repeatedly self-repaired and his pilus showed grey. More than that he moved like a man not quite recovered from a foresighted sickness, his oculus were tired and lined. There was a smattering of hand clapping, most of it soon stopping. Harry clapped once or twice to show will but decided to reserve legal opinion till the foremost family. The man certainly didn't look like he would last a year, he looked like he'd be hard pressed to live on a month.

prof Lupin didn't seem perturbed by the unenthusiastic answer, he seemed to carry it as normal. Harry's eyes were drawn across the table and alighted on professor Snape. The potions master's ( usually so cheery ) expression had twisted into something very close to pure hatred. Harry's eyes flickered to lupin then back to Snape. There was a story here unless he was much mistaken. Suddenly the Potion superior gaze flickered up to contact his. Harry felt a nub of air pressure on the back of his scull, like a little balloon was being inflated inside his brain.

"Ok Harry ! Clear idea !"Harry thought as he breathed deeply and tried to blank his mind."Clear… clear… breathing…"The nub intensified and the pressure sensation spiked into pain."blank, paries, dark, fog…"It was no good, the lightbulb of painful sensation exploded and a outpouring of images filled Harry's brain before he jerked his eyes away. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the Professor smirk triumphantly.

"Secondly…"The Headmaster continued."I would like to announce that our very own Rubeus Hagrid has agreed to take on a stake as the Professor of Care of Magical Creatures."The sunniness this meter was louder, but still not not bad. Harry stood and clapped but not many others did.

"Thirdly, and most importantly…"Dumbledore's spokesperson took on a deathly unplayful tone."… as your strange substance of arrival will no doubt have alerted you there are problems at Hogwarts this class. I truly hope that they will not difficulty us but there are some things you must live. The forbidden forest has always been off demarcation to students, but I must now strike the bounds a good good deal finisher to Hogwarts. There is a line that you will all see on the basis just passed the greenhouses, do not cut across it unless you have an undeniable need to gossip Madam Pomfrey. And even then there are much less painful ways. I must also insist that all students are inside the palace walls during the hour 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 lenify anteroom."I truly hope that none of these care are necessity and that we can all birth a normal year."The headmaster sat back down.

"Fat chance of that."Harry said swinging around.

"Shh !"Hermione admonished him.

"… and you Harry."Harry spun back round of drinks. Dumbledore was standing again and looked like he was about to start speaking again. Harry obediently fell silent.

"I once again feel the motive to make a few announcement before allowing you to repay to your uncouth way and regale each other with write up if your summers."What ? More announcements ?

"Firstly I hope you will bring together me in welcoming a new professor to the staff, he will be teaching refutation Against the wickedness Arts."We already did ?

"…this year."Hang 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 cogitate anything was awry. He made himself bang for both prof and appear to listen attentively to the restriction he'd heard just a moment before. As the relief of the school began leaving the great manor hall Harry grabbed a jug of water supply and took a retentive 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 groundwork."Just déjà vu."

As he turned and walked unhurriedly out of the anteroom a set of golden optic watched him go.
*


"A Nimbus 2000."Ron ran his deal lovingly over the handle of the broomstick."Wow… I mean… wow…"

"Um Ron ? Brother dear ? gift me my Calluna vulgaris back right now !"

"Right."Ron handed the broom back over the breakfast table."Sorry Ginny."But he kept staring at the ling and his hands kept twitching as if itching to grab it again.

Harry caught the eye of Hermione, the only other predator not currently clustered around the Calluna vulgaris, and rolled his middle. Hermione smiled but said…

"Some of it ‘ s actually quite interesting actually Harry. I ‘ ve read up on flying appealingness and the aureole 2000 is the number one to use the new impulse reversal good luck charm for pinpoint play in…"

"… in conjunction with an aeris-fissio to increase to hie ? Yeah, but the Atirabhasa charm produces pretty much the same swiftness and it's a red cent sight more true. Or you could use Frenum instead of the momentum magic spell so long as the Mrs. Henry Wood itself is inviolable enough."

Hermione's jaw had dropped unfastened 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 chin music on for so farsighted I can probably recount the formula book."

"Harry if you would just enforce the Saame level of commitment you give to charms and pranking to other things like say… potions or Defense class I ‘ m sure you ‘ d find them just as easy."

Harry wasn't so sure as shooting, especially about the potions.

"But potions is boring."Harry took a swig of orange succus ( he had never grown to like Cucurbita pepo juice )."How can you spend fourth dimension doing something so boring."

"Its not boring, there are many subtleties like slow-brewing and distillation."

"Step one : Read instruction. Step Two : follow Instructions. measure Three : Have cauldron Explode and get yelled at."Harry mimed an exploding cauldron and laughed. Hermione at least smiled as she took a drink from her chalk."Only stride three is of any real interest. That's why I add so many odd ingredients."Hermione eyes bulged, she gagged and sprayed pumpkin juice across the table. Spluttering and gasping she managed to say…

"You ‘ ve been doing it on aim !"

"snake pit yes ! It's not really any fun otherwise."Harry thought back for a moment, lost in recall."The one that turned purple and ended up all over the ceiling. That was probably the safe one."

"Let's just get to class."Hermione stood up and grabbed her bag."I don't want to be of late for muggle studies."

"What are you talking about ? We have tool first don't we ?"

"Oh, right yes."Hermione bit her lip before nodding."Let me just go, um, get some spare parchment. 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 audio of a loud bash. Ron was helplessly flailing at his face, trying to knock away the two leathery annexe that had emerged from his nozzle. One from each anterior naris."Tried to grab the broom again didn ‘ t you Ron ?"

"I couldn ‘ t supporter myself."
*


Hermione hurried away from the great hall, very mindful of the little golden hourglass hanging around her cervix. She had felt Harry's stare as she walked out of the G. Stanley Hall, she would have got to be more careful in future. He was too scheming sometimes. The consequences if someone found out would be horrendous. McGonagall had made that clear…

"You will have to signalise this."McGonagall had said, pushing a long form over to her."shuffle sure to read it carefully."

She had dutifully read through the document. It seemed to be a measure from, there had been various references to the penalisation 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 tell Harry Potter 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 minuscule hinged box, like a piece of jewellery would derive in. On the back had been a tiny label
Time-Turner
prop of the department of Mysteries
word of advice :
Keep with you at all times
Do not attempt to give
Do not use in concurrence with other method of time-travel
Do not cause paradoxes or interfere with the textile of causality
Do not swallow


Hermione hurried to her lesson. She just needed to be more careful. This year couldn't be that surd, could it ?
*


"Where are you going Harry ?"Parvati called out to him as he stepped out of the master door of Hogwarts.

"Well I was thinking of going to my magical creatures class."Harry shrugged and grinned impishly."But if you wan na ditch I ‘ m game."

"The witching fauna classes are being held inside this class. Probably because of all the protection. Didn ‘ t you read the bill ? I ‘ m really looking forward to it…"Parvati continued as Harry turned to surveil her."… I wonder if we ‘ ll do unicorns or maybe an Abraxan."

"Acromantula and yeti and bicorn oh my !"

"Oh come on Hagrid wouldn't be allowed to get those things into the school."

"Really ?"Harry chuckled."Bet you a galleon whatever we see today has Sir Thomas More teeth than me."

"You're on."Parvati had stopped in front end of a door on the third floor. All the marauders had, the station held some disturbing retentivity. Hermione hurried towards them ( not from the direction of Gryffindor tower Harry noticed ) and stopped nearby.

"Is that… ?"

"Fluffy ‘ s room."Neville finished for her in a voice fully of dread.

"Ooo."Harry said as he moved to open the door."I think I hear that galleon calling."

"Great, y ‘ r all here."Hagrid waved the marauders over. The room looked different to when the hellhound had occupied it. It had been cleaned for one affair and the trapdoor was gone, replaced by level stone just slightly less worn than the remainder of the floor. If you weren't looking you'd never see it.

The students were sat on cushions in a Mexican valium around Hagrid, who himself was standing next to a massive John Milton Cage Jr. covered in a dark 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 totally course shied away."…A six-headed Vorompatra. Ain't she a beautiful creature."

The ten foot magniloquent ostrich-like wight stuck its chief through the legal community and glared at the students with all twelve of its red, spangled heart. Then it drew back its caput and screeched like a banshee.

"Her public figure is Isabelle."Hagrid said fondly.

Not one of the scholarly person spoke until Parvati leaned towards Harry's ear and hoarsely said…

"You owe me a galleon."
*


The shaken piranha made their way to defence against the dark 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 twelvemonth with a bang."Hermione rationalized, kneading the sharpness of her robes in her fists nervously."The balance of the classes won ‘ t be like that. Surely ?"She even seemed to be rocking back and forth a little. Ron tentatively reached out and rested his hand on her berm 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 schoolroom Professor Lupin looked up from what he was doing. The marauders were the number one ones there.

"You needn't receive your hindquarters students, we will be going somewhere else for the lesson today."The teachers articulation was horse and tired. The marauders waited for anything further instructions but none came, the professor had gone back to writing something on a rag of parchment.

Harry shrugged and made three juggling testicle appear from thin air ( the 1st time he'd done this half of Gryffindor house thought he'd mastered conjuring, it had been week before anyone had caught on to the sleight of hand ) and began spinning them idly. When the rest of the form were there Professor lupin called the register then rose wearily from his rear and told them all to follow him. As they trouped through the schoolhouse Harry whispered…

"Where do you guess he ‘ s taking us ?"But the answer became manifest almost instantly as they entered the staff room.

"Now, I do not want any of you to become alarmed. But there is a dark beast in this press, a boggart."Most of the social class ignored his warning and became alarmed."Mr, Longbottom is it ? Mr Longbottom would you come to the front please."

Neville gingery moved to the front of the family. Harry listened with half an ear to the description of the properties and proper defense reaction against boggarts. The more he saw of Professor Lupin the more he got the feeling he'd seen him somewhere before.

"Alright Mr Longbottom ?"Damn ! Should really have listened to that."set up ? Go !"prof lupin flicked his sceptre and the cupboard opened. Out stepped Isabelle in all her glory.

"Oh bloody the pits ! Not again !"Harry yelled.

Neville seemed to have been petrified, his verge rigid in his hired hand as the gigantic bird stomped towards him making the ground handshake. Then he seemed to tear out of it and yelled…

"Riddikulus !"The elephant-birds six principal suddenly snaked together into a knotty knot and it fell to the floor.

"Good, sound ! following one up."Professor Lupin was smiling and motioned Susan Bones 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. Rats, at-bat, batrachian and wanderer were changed into more amusing things and Harry thought it might actually be fun to see what happened when he came face to face with the brute. The last bookman in front end of him moved away and he stepped up, baton in hand. The boggart seemed to babble for a import, then burgeon forth forward. For a moment Harry saw a blue flash then he felt water all around him and his judgment became a blank shell slating good of terror.

"Can't breath ! Air ! Air ! Can't breath ! Can't…"Harry flailed helplessly."Drowning !"Harry's thinking were interrupted as the water disappeared. Harry caught a news bulletin of something globe-shaped and silver before he dropped to his knees on the floor.

"Are you hurt ?"Harry looked up at the auditory sensation of the professor vox then shook his head."Perhaps this will teach you to pay Thomas More tending when your teacher speaks in future."With that Lupin turned away and started talking to the rest of the course of study, lecturing them on other boggart belongings. Harry felt an arm snake around his shoulder and looked up to see Hermione's sympathetic face.

"Why didn ‘ t you speak the magic spell Harry ?"

"Couldn ‘ t breath."

"The urine wasn't real you know."But Harry just shook his head.

"Couldn ‘ t breath."

The division was dismissed a few minutes later. Harry slouched along a few stride behind the rest of the marauder with his manpower in his sac. Malfoy would surely have spreading this level across half the school before the end of the day and the early half by breakfast. Harry decided he hated Professor Lupin.
*


The next day Harry was bodily dragged from lunch by Hermione.

"semen on, or we ‘ ll be late."

"And would that be so bad."Harry tried to dig his heel in to slow her Down but he just ended up trip up ( why did he bear to be smaller than everyone ? )"Are you that excited about ancient runes ?"

Harry was the only marauder joining Hermione in that subject. In addition to the attention of magic animal they were all taking, and now regretting. Ron and Parvati had signed up for divination, against Harry advice. Neville was taking muggle cogitation along with Padma who was the only marauder doing three elective course ("Why !"Harry had asked."And arithmancy ?"). Apart from Hermione of course, who was doing everything.

"I am energize !"Hermione entered the schoolroom and took a seat right at the front.

"Not the can I would give chosen but whatever."Harry thought as he sat down."At least null in this course of study can eat me or swim me."

"Good good morning class. I am Professor Babbling."The professor looked a fiddling like an previous Hermione, but a more fruity one. She had detectable ink stains on her handcuff and even a smudge on her cheek. She was obviously good at her subject though if the detailed chirography that hung in scrolls behind her desk was any denotation."Well shall we get started."

Harry rested his head in his deal as the Professor begun explaining some obscure runic script in quick flowing speech while scraping symbols on the dining table. 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 ?"

"Well of course !"

"Good."Harry held up a cartoon of a dog with fluffy ears."Because I didn't."



Questions, comments, anger ? Please review.


Despite the duplicate precautions around the school social class continued more or less as normal. Hermione's promise had been objurgate and Hagrid had just been trying to start the yr big. creature course of instruction was, from then on, not quite so terrifying. Harry had reduced his own fright by talking to professor Flitwick who had assured him that all the John Milton Cage Jr. Hagrid had were built with the strong unbreakable appealingness. Flitwick himself had inspected each one of them. Harry felt better after that and tried to convince the other students of the Saami thing.

"Unbreakable charms won ‘ t break."Harry said to Susan os as they wrestled a writhing vine into a pot and packed it down with clay."He could bring in anything into form and, so long as its in a cage, it should be fine."

"I know that. I mean, I know that's dead on target but its not the Lapp when the creature ‘ s actually in front of you."Susan shook her head, she had a smirch of globe on her boldness. Harry reached out and brushed it off for her, ignoring the odd flap impression in his stomach.

"Well…"Harry swallowed and continued."… at least its not snakes !"Harry jumped at her hissing 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 vulture."We ‘ ve got a job to do tonight remember ?"

The marauder quieted down. It was true, this evening Draco Malfoy would pay.
*


Harry slid along the wall up to the entry to the Slytherin common room. Myrtle ( intentionally dimming herself ) wafted through the wall. A second later her top half slid back into sight and she gave him a trice and a ovolo up. Harry made one last bridle around for the lookouts he knew were at each end of the corridor then said the password. Grinning he slipped into the mutual room and up the stairs. How had they ever managed without a spectre ?

It took Harry a good five minutes to open Malfoy's threshold. Obviously after utmost year the third twelvemonth had seen fit to add some extra protections to his apartments. Harry glanced over the boy bed. Malfoy'd got rid of the teddy bear at some point but seemed to miss it, he had his blankets bunched up in front line of him and was hugging them. Harry shook his header and made his way to the vanity. Harry opened the top drawer ever so slowly and sprinkled a broad amount of money of a benighted gunpowder inside. He then did the like with the early drawers and with the clothes hanging in the wardrobe. Chuckling to himself silently Harry slid out of the room and closed the door.

The next morning Harry watched for Malfoy carefully during breakfast but he never showed. Most likely in the hospital wing Harry reasoned, the wound had probably burst by now.

"Step 1, success."Harry leaned back and shared a broad smile with the early marauder."On to tread two. But that will take to wait for the weekend."

"But it ‘ s a Hogsmead weekend ?"Ron pointed out.

"Yep, step two takes place in Hogsmead. Let me enjoin you about it…"Harry began but was interrupted by Hermione.

"But Harry you can ‘ t go to Hogsmead. You don ‘ t have a permission course, 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 school basis will cater too a great deal dogfight. 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 scholarly person tidal bore to be off to Hogsmead. Harry waved his admirer off at the figurehead logic gate in a mood of mild panic. He had made a promise to adjoin them early outside the three broomsticks but, despite his cockiness, he actually didn't have the faint-hearted clue how he was going to impart the grounds.

Ginny had wanted to come with him but he had refused saying at the prison term that it would be too obvious she wasn't supposed to be there. Now he was regretting it as she might make 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 fault. He could probably give climbed the wall in stead but for the fact that he knew they were not simple stone. He reached the lakeside without finding anything and was about to wrick back when an thought struck him. The lake. Harry scrambled down to the edge of the water and looked out to his right, cliffs for a good 30 meter but a scrap of beach after that. He could even see the road the carriage went along.

Remembering the boggart Harry eyed the water with deep intuition. But it looked like it was his only option. He would probably be alright so long as his promontory was above water.

"The affair I do to get Malfoy."Harry shook his drumhead as he took off his shoes and tied the lacing together so he could loop them around his neck. He reluctantly stepped into the H2O and winced at the cold, he went thick and began to abide by the drop-off around. Eventually the lakebed sank and he could no longer extend to it with his base. Harry could feel the inky blackness all around him as he kicked for the far shore. The piddle sapped his courage and Harry's essence raced until he was able to put his feet back on land.

Harry drew himself up onto the beach and wasted no sentence in performing a immediate drying charm on his dress before heading up into the village.

In Harry's opinion the marauders were not impressed enough that he had managed to leave the castle.

"Where were you ?"Padma hissed."You're late, we ‘ ve been waiting."

Harry just rolled his center and said…

"Is he here yet ?"

"No."

"Then I ‘ m not late."Harry started off down the road and the predator didn't really ingest a choice but to espouse him. They all trouped into madam puddifoots to the surprise of the proprietor, she rarely saw groups of Sir Thomas More than two in her workshop. The third twelvemonth moved towards a pair of hufflepuffs sitting at the table nearest the window.

"Hi !"Harry greeted brightly. They looked up."I know you don't want to be disturbed but we are playing a massive buffoonery on a horrific git known as genus Draco Malfoy. Oh you know him too ? Well the only way we ‘ ll be capable to find out the results of our masterful magic trick is if we can receive this table. So, do you listen ?"The couple looked at each other for a moment.

"Draco Malfoy ?"

"Yes."

"brain if we watch too ?"

Harry smiled

"course of action not. In fact…"Harry turned and addressed the whole store ( after a quickly eye scan to see that there were no Slytherins present )."… anyone wanting to see Draco Malfoy get his comeupance come to the window now."Harry heard chairs squeak back and the early four yoke 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 baton around and held it under his chin like a microphone.

"ma'am and gentlemen…"He began."… I would like to receive you to the number one ever episode of The New Marauders TV show ! With our special guest… Malfoy !"Several of the patrons were shooting him odd aspect but others were grinning.

"Earlier this week somebody impregnated Mr Malfoy's clothing with brech gunpowder which, as you know, causes severe job to any bare skin it touches."A snickering began all around Harry."And yes, the powder got on his underwear too."Malfoy was almost level with them in the street now.

"Now Malfoy knows by now that pretty a good deal all his clothing is infested so as soon as he reaches Hogsmead he ‘ s going to call for to visit…"Draco ducked into the workshop opposite."… gladrags wizardwear. What Mr Malfoy is unaware of is that we have an agent inside gladrags wizardwear, hidden using the thaumaturgy of his sort. I think we should all take a moment to thank Dobby the menage elf for his work in this endeavor."Harry and the marauders clapped and a few of the others did too, getting into the secret plan of it.

"It probably won ‘ t take Malfoy long to get his hooey since it is just school robes for the virtually parting. But you see the former thing of which Mr Malfoy is unaware is that Mr Dobby has made sure he gets the apparel we pre-prepared. These wearing apparel have a jinx on them, a jinx commonly known as the emperors-new-clothes jinx."A couple of the students broke out laughing."Ah, so you ‘ ve heard of it, or can at least hazard what this little magical spell does. For those that can ‘ t… Ah ! Here ‘ s Mr Malfoy now."Some of the café gang laughed, some looked away and some just grinned in gleefulness as Malfoy walked off down the street in his ‘ gown'forgetful to the stares he was getting from everyone.

"Of course we left him his boxers."Harry continued."There are some matter I just don't want to see."
*


"Even though I am truly panicky right now."Harry thought as he swam back past the cliffs."That was so deserving it. Malfoy won ‘ t live this down for years."

Harry was right, the whole schooltime knew how Malfoy had walked through Hogsmead and into the three broomsticks half-naked. The whole schoolhouse had a reasonable surmisal as to who was responsible too. Over the next few weeks the piranha were treated to another chapter of ‘ The many knowing and calculating stares of Minerva McGonagall'but no one could leaven it.

"We need to do Sir Thomas More stuff like that."Harry said to himself as they waited for the defense class to begin."I wonder where Snape buys his gown ?"

The others just grinned. A moment 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 mean ?"Padma turned around."We were just in arithmancy."

"We were all just in transfiguration."Harry argued, confused."We must ingest all been there, it ‘ s not an optional class."

"Harry are you softheaded ?"Ron asked, stunned.

Any riposte Harry had been about to deliver was lost as the room access to the classroom banged open and Severus Snape strode in. Arrogantly making his way to the front of the class 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. Turn to… ah ! Werewolves ! Chapter 32."

"But prof !"Hermione began but Harry shushed her to silence. He wanted to know where Snape was going with this. Did the potions master copy want them to guess what was threatening the school ? The scholarly person began scribbling away, making annotation on the chapter when Harry felt a vestige free fall across him.

"Mr Potter, taking banknote ? I might almost intend I was imagining things."Harry looked up, directly into Snape's heart. This clock time he didn't even have time to attempt to clear his judgement and the pressure broke through instantly. Harry tore his gaze back down to the paper in strawman of him. Harry heard a triumphant snort from above him but ignored it.

"Learning all I can about wolfman 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 weather sheet."Did you enjoy the Hogsmead weekend potter ?"

"prof you know I don't have a permit bod. I could never go to Hogsmead."Harry tried to look innocent, unsuccessfully."It would be wrong."

"Really, I have been hearing from fellow member of my sign who saw you in Hogsmead that weekend."

"fountainhead prof I hate to tell you this but I heard a penis of your house walked into the three broomstick in his under shorts so I don't bang how far you want to trust their judgment."

"Oh and I suppose you simply hear about that from second hand accounts ?"Snape sneered.

"Oh professor you know if I ‘ d been there I would have taken the opportunity to throw mud at him. No mud ergo I was not there."

"Do not be flippant with me Mr Potter. XXX spot from Gryffindor. I know your type so well Potter. You are just like your father."

"Whatever."Harry grumbled as the teacher moved off.
*



professor Lupin was back in charge of the family after the weekend and, much as the man was inexplicably dusty towards him, Harry welcomed the return. Anyone was better 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 contents strewn out it seemed a lot LE. Harry quickly separated the papers into rubble ( bills, old prep naming, soppy love letters ) and interesting stuff like photos.

One of the photos caught his eye and he drew it out, six anatomy stood on the grass outside Hogwarts. elder student, one-sixth or one-seventh eld. Harry's eyes found two educatee on the left field of the picture locked in an bosom. One with centre like his and the other with everything else, his parents.

But Harry had noticed something else, nearby them was another scholarly person, the alone one in the picture who seemed to be sitting still for it to be taken. He knew that fount, he'd been lectured by it early that day. That must have been where he recognized prof lupin from, he must have caught a glance of him in the motion-picture show. trusted enough on the back of the movie were scratched some names in pencil, Remus lupine appeared near the bottom of the list.

Harry frowned, if his parents and lupine had known each other why was the professor being so low temperature to him ? Harry pushed the box's mental object back into it and slid off the bed. He would have the result to this teaser. Moving through the abandon common elbow room Harry pushed open the portrayal door.

"Is it even worth telling you its by curfew ?"Said the fat lady but Harry just smiled at her and keep out the room access. Moving silently he made his way to the defense teachers office. Luckily there was still a light peeking out from under the doorway. Harry went to the threshold and knocked.

"One moment."Professor Lupin opened the room access in a evanesce salad dressing gown."Oh its you. Shouldn ‘ t you be in your green room."

"I came to ask you something."Harry drew out the pic."About this."

Lupin seemed to draw 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 year as them."

"And the Lapplander house."Harry pointed to the gown of the citizenry in the picture."And you and my mother were prefects together."

"Yes you have sufficiently proven that you are observant."The student and teacher still hadn't moved from the doorway. Lupin had not invited him in."Where did you get this ?"

"In a box of my female parent old stuff. Nothing much, letter, picture, a locket."

"Lilly didn ‘ t wear a locket."For the firstly time lupin seemed vaguely concerned."She wore a pendent."Harry frowned and drew the smooth-spoken thing out of the box."Yes that's it. It's a pendent."

"But it was open…"Harry looked closer at the little thing. It was truthful that now it was closed the bed around the border was almost inconspicuous and the thing was thin enough to pass for a solid pendent. Harry tried to get a fingernail in the crack but the matter seemed to be solid.

Was it a locket or had he imagined it ? No, it was a locket because it had been loose 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 someone who was just in their yr. Seems like you must have known them. You and the former mass in this picture."

"Everyone but me in that picture is dead."The usually mild mannered professor snapped, but Harry was in no mood to consume this anymore.

"Really,"Harry flipped the word picture."rosebush McKinnon ? Dog Star inkiness ? Peter Petigrew ?"

"Yes, yes, yes !"The teacher roared and Harry took a step backwards."Rose was tortured and killed along with her entire family during the war ! And the other two, well ? Sothis Shirley Temple Black betrayed us all to Voldemort and got Lilly and James killed. poor Peter managed to get across him down the next day and made him pay at the toll of his own life. We found both their torso in the wreckage left behind by the duel. In the course of two sidereal day I lost everything. Can you understand that ? Can you even comprehend ?"Harry bowed his head.

"No, I guess I can't."He moved to pass on then turned back and said."Do you desire the picture ?"But the Professor had already closed the door.
*


"Ginny eat something. Anything."Parvati leant over the board with a plateful of fruit and held it out for her. Ginny just shook her mind and tried to breath evenly. Stroking the handle of her broomstick calmed her a small, but not enough to make eating anything an option.

To be fair it was a marvellous day for Quidditch, not a cloud in the sky and a pleasant gentle wind. Ginny just wished she were playing on the auction pitch behind the burrow not in front of the entire school.

"Time to go sis."She felt a script on her shoulder and saw Fred hovering over her."Don ‘ t worry, you ‘ ll feel a lot better once you get up there."

"Yeah,"His twin chimed in"Our 1st mate we felt just the same, everyone does."They led her away from the table. Just as she was leaving she saw Harry shudder suddenly and bet around like he had just woken up before sighing and burying his case in his hands.

"What was that ?"She thought as she left the Great Marguerite Radclyffe Hall in a watercourse of people.

"Do we even know where we ‘ re playing yet ?"She said to burst the silence.

"We took a look-see earlier."George's face broke into a broad smile."It ‘ s bloody brilliant."

"Where is it then ? severalise me you gits !"Ginny kicked her Brother in the shin lightly making him stumble.

"Oy ! We need our beaters in top status !"woods was stalking over. His face showing no sign of humour."No playing about. This is the most important match of the year ! Slytherin are the team to tucker out. They won the cup terminal twelvemonth and the year before and they all have new brooms good manners of Draco Malfoy."

"I was just…"

"wellspring don't ! Lets just get to the pitch."Mrs. Henry Wood stalked off.

"Don't listen to him Gin."Fred wrapped his arm circle her shoulder.

"He ‘ s just stressed out. We tried to buoy up him up earlier but he hexed us both good."

Ginny giggled. She knew what her comrade ‘ lightening up'had probably involved.

Just then the new Quidditch locus came into view and Ginny gasped. A massive base had been erected at the edge of the lake, hanging onto the cliffs and built up on the beaches. The goals stuck straight up from the rippled water.

"Awesome isn ‘ t it."St. George breathed and he and his buddy set off towards them. Ginny was about to keep an eye on them when she felt a script encircle her arm. Looking back she saw Harry's familiar font. He looked weary and sort of deadened. The last time she had seen him like this was back when the blood war was at its superlative, when there seemed to be no answer 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 one-half into the game."Harry said quickly."You should probably check around the base of the Gryffindor goal."

"How do you have intercourse ?"

"Déjà fucking vu."Harry said in a low growling before walking off towards the stands. Ginny shook her head worriedly, Harry swore a bit more than than the rest of them but he usually saved it for serious situations. If he was just dropping f-bombs into conversation something was going on. But whatever it was it was going to possess to wait. Her number one right Quidditch match ever was about to start.
*


"Go ! Go ! GO !"Ron screamed and the crew screamed with him as the two seekers dove for the snitch..

"He ‘ s blocking her."Parvati yelled and pointed.

Suddenly the stool pigeon spun and snapped back directly towards the seeker. For a present moment the crowd held its breather as the two players came together in a swirl of gown. Then a cry of triumph sounded out of the sky and Ginny broke away holding something glinting gold.

"She did it !"Ron leapt from his chair, he had never been prouder of his footling Sister. He turned to Harry who was laughing to a greater extent than shouting, head thrown back and optic sparkling.

"Of trend she did. Marauders don't lose."Harry snapped a smiling then his face went Grey and he pointed back into the sky where Ginny was still hovering, showing off the snitch. 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 touch 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 hybrid over her and looked up just in time to see a kicking nip into her face. She heard a massive crack and suddenly she was falling, a pot 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 deep enough to slow her fall. She kicked up as intimately she could in robes and boots but she was waterlogged and barely moving. After what seemed like an eternity she just managed to break the control surface before being dragged back under. She felt for her robe clasps and snapped them off before starting to give up back onto the Earth's surface. But she was too worn out and hurting from the hit, the sun on the aerofoil tantalizingly close.

She felt the swells from someone in the piddle with her and a here and now later felt herself lifted up by a whale hand on her back. She broke the aerofoil and gasped one desperate breath after another.

"Y ‘ r alright now. Y ‘ r alright."She heard Hagrid's voice and looked down into blood-red aspect. He was just tall enough to still be able to stand on the tooshie but even for him the water came up to his Kuki."Gave us all a bit of a scare."

"Who hit me ?"Ginny's capitulum was still swimming from the lack of oxygen.

"Malfoy."The groundskeepers voice had gone low and grave."Snape picked him out ‘ o the water supply 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 shoulder 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 marauder hurrying towards her. Professor Snape seemed to be trying to stymie them and was shouting something, Harry simply ignored him and ducked underneath his arms. A import later they had all crowded around her and she was forced to repeat the Christian Bible ‘ I'm fine'over and over to stop them fussing over her.

"Deplorable ! Disgusting behaviour !"Somewhere else on the beach she could hear Professor McGonagall shouting in another part of the beach. Ginny stuck a finger into her ear and wiggled it around. It was full of H2O and everything sounded distorted."I have never seen the like."

"Minerva it was clearly an accident."Snape had sidled over."If it had been knowing do you think he would have let his own Calluna vulgaris become damaged like that."He pointed away to the incline at where Malfoy's ling lay, cleanly rent in the middle with the bristles knocked far out of whang. Ginny suddenly had a sinking feeling feeling.

"Professor ?"McGonagall turned towards her."Has somebody found my broom ?"McGonagall raised her eyebrows, perhaps she hadn't realised it was missing. The teacher turned towards the lake, raised her wand and said…

"Accio Ginerva ‘ s broom."For a moment zilch happened then something flew out of the weewee, something much too diminished. A moment later another joined it. No one spoke as a piling of shards and splinter grew near Professor McGonagall's infantry. Even the bristles came out, ending up in a soppy heap.

Ginny heard her head of planetary house turn on Malfoy again and start yelling but it felt like backdrop noise. Kneeling down she picked up a few splinters of wood and let them go down through the go in her fingers. Growing up with six brothers gave you all sorting of training in how to halt in tears but null was working. She felt herself get down sobbing and covered her facial expression with her hands so no one would see. It wasn't working. Giving up she stood and ran away through the crowds on the beach. She couldn't feel at anyone right now.

The last matter she saw before she left was professor Snape levitating the shards of both her and Malfoys heather into a garbage can, a spirit of glee on his face.
*


Harry watched her go. He wanted to go after her but didn't have the swooning idea what he'd say when he caught up.

"person please…"Harry gestured after Ginny, a supplication clear in his voice.

"We got it."Padma nodded and her, her sis and Hermione began following the fleeing redheader. 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 mind and punched his fist into his palm tree."Not and gets away with it."

"Malfoy ‘ s gon na pay."George chimed in shaking his fist."Screw trickster rivalry, you want to avail us Harry ? All of you guys ?"

"Won ‘ t make Ginny feel better."Harry felt a spark light in his mind."But I know what might. And I ‘ ll need your help. You in ?"

"In an instant."

"Obviously."

"And we ‘ ll need outside help too, people who helped us finale year. A lot of stuff and nonsense could go haywire, even the initiatory step's a doozy and they just get harder after that. Ron, Neville I definitely won't have much time for my assignments for a while. Savvy ?."

"We got you Harry. But what do you stimulate in mind."

"Humiliation."

"But I thought you said we weren ‘ t going to get Malfoy directly."

"We ‘ re not."Harry smiled his crocodile smiling."We ‘ re gon na let Ginny do it."
*


Over the next few weeks Harry became a ghost. He rushed into deterrent example late or barely by the bell and began to look even more pall than Hermione. He could be found at odd times in the subroutine library or pawing over odd sheets of parchment with the Weasley twins, speaking in whispers.

lady Pince had raised her eyebrow further that Harry had thought humanly potential when he'd taken out sealed books. But none of them were actually restricted so she stamped them out with only her usual layer of distain.

"Mr ceramicist do you seriously think I will believe this is your essay ?"McGonagall had confronted him one lesson."When the hand is not yours and in fact strongly resembles fille farmer. 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 points in Snape's stratum that he considered simply not turning up since that would fall behind him less overall. However potions gave him the thoroughgoing chance to simper at Malfoy over his caldron. Everyone in school knew Harry was up to something and it was an easy guess as to who was the intended target, even the quarry 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 serum sera."As Draco hurried off Harry glanced back at the potions captain. Again the pressure mounted and he lasted barely a tally 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 head to pull in it, Snape wasn't a precedency right now.

Harry signed up to stay at Hogwarts over Christmas but encouraged the vulture to visit their families.

"I have so much still to do I ‘ d be bad caller anyway."

"regard we could stay mate."Fred said shaking his school principal dejectedly.

"Yeah, we promised we ‘ d aid you then we just leave."George V also shook his headway, unconsciously falling into the exact rhythm of his twin.

"Don ‘ t worry. It ‘ ll be finished by the end of the Holidays anyway."

Harry's Christmas present tense were as good as they always were, the standard Patil Koran set this twelvemonth was basically a big cyclopedia of appealingness and Neville had found him a jesters hat that flashed different colors as the gong jiggled. Hermione had got him a prep planner.

"Bless her."Harry thought, taking a bite of Honeydukes coffee."She tries."

Harry was waiting by the steps as the scholar returned from the their abode with a piece of ground wrapped in paper under his arm. He caught ken of the piranha plus Fred and St. George coming and walked out to encounter them.

"Is that it ?"Fred said excitedly.

"Is it finished ?"His twin added.

"Yes and yes. And its awesome !"Harry moved past the Gemini to endure in front of their youngest sib. He thrust out the piece of land."Merry Christmas. This is kind of from the twin as well. Well everyone helped actually."

"Don ‘ t do yourself down mate."Ron said."It was mostly you."
*


Ginny looked down at the parcel in her hired man, it dawned on her that it was very ling shaped.

"You didn ‘ t buy…"She began but Harry stopped her.

"I didn ‘ t buy. I repaired. Was a lot of fun actually. cerebration of doing it when I leave school."

"But my broom was far too broken to repair."

"Your gloriole 2000 was too smashed to fix. Malfoy's 2001 on the other hand had a fairly dewy-eyed gap. reparable with a fiddling elbow grease. And he just threw it away like garbage."Harry tutted and shook his headway."Wasteful."

"And you fished it out ?"

"Wouldn ‘ t be the first of all time I ‘ ve dumpster dived cotton gin. Now unwrap the damn thing."

Heeding him she ripped the paper off and stared in awe at the broom shining in her hands, looking like new.

"It doesn't look just like a 2001."She said running her hands down the recursively curving handle.

"Well we used some component part left over from your heather as well. Plus she's got some unlike charm and spells we researched and we corrected the listing on the derriere end."Harry shrugged."supposition she ‘ s kind of a Chimera really."

"Did you name her ?"Ginny asked, quickly slipping into usance of the female pronoun.

"I hadn ‘ t but I think I just did. The Chimera."Harry leant forward conspiratorially."And you and her, my little protégé, are going to win us the Quidditch cup."



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