Harry Potter and The Tomb of Hogwarts

Harry Potter and

The Tomb of Hogwarts

Chapter 11

Guests at Hogwarts

"Good to see you again, Harry," Charlie said with a broad smile.

"Charlie!" Harry all but shouted. "I can't believe it. You're the new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor?"

"The very same. And that's not all. It seems Professor Dumbledore has asked me to work alongside him to help you with another subject this year."

"You mean the Duelling Class?"

"Ahem," came Dumbledore's voice from the staff table. Harry turned around.

"I believe the students will be filing in soon, and I would prefer if we conclude this discussion in my office after the feast, if it's not too much of an inconvenience."

Even if it were a problem, Harry would never have said a thing about it. Charlie and Harry headed back to the table. As it turned out, Harry was seated to the right of Professor McGonagall with Charlie on his right, followed by Snape, Hagrid, and one last teacher Harry was not familiar with.

no-oneHarry and Charlie spoke for a few moments, but their voices were quite rapidly drowned out by the sound of hundreds of feet pouring into the Great Hall. That, however, was nothing compared to the speed in which the silence overtook the Great Hall a few moments later when some of the students realised that Harry was sitting at the staff table.

Before Harry could finish saying how good Charlie looked in his new Professor's robe, the Great Hall was silent, less the sound of the last students taking their seats.

no-oneOver five hundred eyes were jogging from Dumbledore to Harry and back again. And that's when a sudden panic struck him.

There was a feeling of overwhelming dread as he looked at all those eyes, just watching him, each asking the same question. What was a sixth year student doing sitting at the staff table.

Harry began to feel queasy. A thousand thoughts began to swarm through his head, and he felt like he just might faint.

Both Charlie and Professor McGonagall seemed to notice as they each asked him if he was alright, and though he waved them both off, he was truly having the worst panic attack of his life.

Finally, as though through a dream, he heard Sirius's voice coming from somewhere just beyond him, and for a moment he thought that Sirius's ghost had come to Hogwarts after all. But then the voice got a bit louder, and he could tell it was coming from his pocket.

This couldn't have come at a better time, as it was just enough to focus on that Harry snapped himself out of his attack and pull out the mirror.

He looked down into the mirror and said hello.

"So you've made it alright then?" he asked.

"Yea, I'm okay."

"Are you sure? You look a bit flustered."

"Yea, I'm fine. I guess I'm just a bit nervous. I wasn't expecting to be sitting at the staff table tonight, and after what happened at King's Cross, I guess I'm just a bit rattled."

Just then he realised how odd it must looked to see him talking to his lap, but when he looked up he was relieved to see that the Sorting Hat had just been placed on its stool and all eyes were on it instead of him.

"I've got to go. They're about to start the sorting. I'll call you when we're done."

"Don't worry about it. Remus and I will meet you at Dumbledore's office after the feast, and we can talk then."

"All right then. And Sirius, thanks for everything," he said with a smile.

Sirius smiled back and nodded, and then disappeared from the frame. Harry put the mirror in his pocket and looked up just in time to see Professor McGonagall open the list of students who were to be sorted.

He searched around at the new faces, most of which looked way too young to be in school. He bent over and whispered in Charlie's ear, "Was I ever that young?"

Charlie smiled broadly.

"We were all that young at some point, but they do look a bit younger from this table, don't they. Half of them barely know who Voldemort is or why they fear him, and yet right now they all acted as though they'd rather come face to face with him than sit on that stool."

Harry chuckled. "I remember when I was up there. You know, the Sorting Hat actually gave me the choice to go to Slytherin. Of course, I would have taken anything but Slytherin, and that's when it put me in Gryffindor."

"Me too. Only, I was asked if I wanted to be in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. Can you guess why I chose Gryffindor?"

"Cause they're the coolest?" Harry asked with a grin.

"Well, there's that too. But the main reason is..."

But Harry didn't find out what Charlie's main reason for joining Gryffindor was because at that moment he was interrupted by a silence that could only precede Dumbledore's opening remarks to the students, and sure enough, a moment later Professor Dumbledore stood up to speak.

"Before we start the feast, I have one announcement to make."

Harry's stomach churned a bit, nervous of being addressed in front of everyone, but true to form, Dumbledore's announcement was as far off the wall as it could possibly be.

"Ehem. It was exactly a year ago, today. Thank you."

After a short pause, every student, less the first years, stood in a thunderous applause. A moment later the food appeared and everyone dug in.

Harry spent the next hour talking to Charlie about his adventures at school and Charlie's adventures with dragons. They each kept one-upping each other until Harry finally raised with the Tri-Wizard tournament, and Charlie relented.

Finally, just as everyone was finishing desert, pumpkin pie and strawberry ice-cream for Harry, Dumbledore stood once more and clapped his hands together. It took less than five seconds for the Great Hall to go completely silent.

"I would like to welcome everyone back to Hogwarts, and a special hello to our first years. I do have a few new announcements this year, but I'll begin with a few reminders for our new students."

"First of all, I would remind you all that the Forbidden Forest is exactly that, forbidden, to all students who enjoy full use of all of their limbs. Secondly, our caretaker Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you that a full record of the school rules, along with forty-seven new rules and amendments, are available to read on his office door, and a copy of them has been posted in each of the common rooms."

A few snickers came from the Gryffindor table, and Harry was sure that the twins had a whole plan of tricks to pull on Filch this year.

"Also, a reminder that all third years and above who wish to visit Hogsmeade must have their signed permission slips turned into Mr. Filch or their head of house before the first weekend which will be, if memory serves, the third weekend of September."

"And finally, I would like to congratulate Mrs. Cho Chang and Mr. Mathew Montague as this years Head Girl and Boy. I know they will do us proud."

There was another round of applause, though this one much less emphatic than before, though Harry's hands were hurting him by the time the applause had died out.

"Now that's done," Dumbledore continued, "I have a few new announcements to make. First, I would like to welcome back to class a student whom, due to an unfortunate injustice, has been unable to complete his final years at Hogwarts, and the Ministry has allowed him to return to complete his training. So please join me in welcoming Mr. Rubeus Hagrid back into our classes."

There was a tremendous roar of applause from the Gryffindor table, as well as a large applause from the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables. Very few Slytherins did more than sneer, but Hagrid hadn't noticed, as he was whipping away the tears from his eyes. He was obviously very moved by the show of support.

After the noise died down, Dumbledore continued.

"And since we are welcoming new students to our school, I would like to also welcome Professor Charles Smith of the Magical Arts School of the State of California in the United States of America. He, along with twelve of his students, will be joining us for the year to learn how we do things here at Hogwarts. I expect they will be welcomed with open arms."

A tall blonde gentleman walked through the door with twelve kids, ranging from ages thirteen through seventeen, as far as Harry could tell. There were seven boys and five girls in all, and they seemed to be blissfully happy, though the applause was considerably less than that for Hagrid or Cho. However, whatever was lacking in the applause was made up for with the murmurs that swept the hall. It was a few minutes before everything was calm again.

"And lastly, there are some changes that will be made to the curriculum this year. First, since Mr. Hagrid has come back to school to complete his training, Professor Grubbly-Plank will be taking over Care of Magical Creatures for the next year. Also, taking the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts is a Hogwarts graduate and somewhat of a Quidditch legend, Mr. Charles Weasley."

Silence swept the room for a moment, and then an applause that nearly deafened Harry overtook the room and lasted for nearly three minutes. Charlie had risen and tried to sit back down five times before the room finally settled once more, and Dumbledore looked over at Harry and nodded, and Harry's stomach fell. It was time, and all Harry wanted was to grab his invisibility cloak and disappear forever.

"And finally, I would like to address something that happened last year. A group of students organised a club in which they were able to practice spells and honed their duelling skills. Since that time, I have had the opportunity to review the end-of-term test scores from last year's Defence Against the Dark Arts class, as well as the fifth-year's OWL results, and I am proud to say that we had a record breaking total of OWL levels, with a total score of ninety seven."

A collective gasp swarmed the hall, followed by another round of applause, this one the loudest yet.

Charlie bent over and whispered in Harry's ear, "You know, your father's class used to hold that record. I remember hearing about it when I took my OWLs. They totalled out at sixty-two."

"And as proud as I would be of any class scoring that high, I am even more proud of those students knowing that they were, unfortunately, given very little instruction from their Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor whom, for reasons of her own, felt she did not need to teach any practical lessons. However, one student took it upon himself to lead this group and teach those students who asked for his help. And so, after considering it for quite some time, I have decided that the continuation of such a class should become a regular part of the school curriculum."

There was a low buzz throughout the hall, the students whispering to their neighbours.

"And so, I have appointed Professor Severus Snape to head the Art of Duelling class, which begins next week."

A very loud series of gasps ran throughout the room, especially around the Gryffindor table, and several students made to get up, but Dumbledore continued before they made it to their feet.

"In addition, a student, acting with the full power of a professor, will be joining Professor Snape in a team effort to help educate the school in every aspect of duelling in their combined power. Now what makes me so very proud to appoint this student as the Deputy Professor is the action he took today during the attacks at King's Cross."

The soft whisper threatened to rise again, but was silenced the moment Dumbledore began to speak again.

"This young man showed today a grace under pressure that many of the finest Aurors I have ever known in my many years have never, even on their best days, ever shown the promise of doing. He not only represented his own house with dignity, but showed Lord Voldemort that no student at Hogwarts is to be taken lightly."

"This student exhibited the strength of heart of a true Gryffindor and an incredible Slytherin-like cunning when he faced down five Death Eaters on his own. He also showed the loyalties of Helga Hufflepuff by protecting both his friends, as well as perfect strangers. He showed also the wisdom of Rowena Ravenclaw by seeking out help when he could do no more, and it was solely because of this decision that help arrived as quickly as it did. Had it not been for him, we surely would have lost many more Muggle lives, as well as several young wizards and witches before things were brought back under control. And it is with these acts that he has proven that he is truly the right man for the job."

At this point Harry knew that everyone was staring at him, and even if he were not at the staff table, he would surely be the centre of attention, as his face was a very bright crimson red.

"And so, without any further ado, I present to you our newest addition to the Hogwarts staff, and the youngest person ever to hold the position of Professor at this school, Deputy Professor Harry Potter." Dumbledore waved his hand in Harry's direction as he made the final introduction with the largest smile Harry had ever seen on his face, and Harry, if it were possible, turned an even brighter shade of red.

Half of the Great Hall jumped up in applause, the whistles and clapping growing louder and louder until, after a little help from Charlie, Harry finally stood up and gave a quick bow before settling back into his chair. Nobody from the Slytherin table had moved, but Harry took no notice.

"And on a related note," Dumbledore said, trying to calm things back down, "we have one final student who will be joining us here at Hogwarts, and in my many years as Headmaster, it has never been my experience to ever have a student under my care as rare as this young man. Mr. Dursley, would you kindly come forward," Dumbledore said to Dudley, who had been sitting with the rest of the small group of American students. After a quick pause, he stood up, smiled shyly, and headed to the front of the hall.

"Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pride that I introduce to you the first Slyder to Hogwarts in nearly two centuries. Now, Mr. Dursley, if you would please take a seat, I believe we have one more student for the Sorting Hat today before we all go to bed."

Professor McGonagall walked over to Dudley with the hat in her hands, and placed it on Dudley's head. Harry was quite shocked when, after barely touching the hair on Dudley's head, the Sorting Hat cried out "Hufflepuff!" Harry had not seen the Sorting Hat make such a quick decision since it had been placed on Malfoy's head.

"Thank you very much. You may now take a seat at your table. Or better yet, as it has been a long day, I think it is time for bed. And as tomorrow is Friday, and I have never seen much use to starting school on the last day of the week, classes will begin on Monday. However, I would appreciate it if everyone would find themselves in bed at a reasonable hour, as I am told Professor Weasley has an extra special surprise in store for us all tomorrow."

And with that, the students began to get up and head to their respective houses, and Harry couldn't help but notice that there was a larger than normal crowd going out the left door following Dudley. In some way he couldn't quite figure out, he actually wished he could help Dudley get to his house without being bombarded so much, but it seemed Professor Sprout had spotted the problem and, as the Head of House for Hufflepuff, she headed over to protect her student from being overrun.

But Harry would not be so lucky. Though the day seemed to have lasted a year, and though he could just barely remember leaving the Dursley's just ten hours ago, he still had to meet up with Dumbledore in his office. But of course, there was the advantage of being able to see Sirius and Remus up there, and that was just enough to keep his spirits high enough so that he was able to catch a second wind by the time he made it to the gargoyle statue which opened to the door leading to Dumbledore's office.

He was just realising that he did not know the password when Professor Dumbledore came up from behind him and said "Jolly Rancher," which prompted the griffin to twist up and out of his way, leaving a staircase behind for them to climb up.

Harry gave way to Dumbledore, and they headed up to his office. As soon as they entered his office, Dumbledore headed straight to the back of his office where several members of the Order stood in wait.

As Dumbledore spoke to the Order members, Harry looked around the office, checking for Sirius, and he soon found him in the portrait where Phineas Nigellus usually stood.

"Hello Harry," he said with a huge smile. "How are you doing?"

"Alright, I guess," Harry said softly.

"Come now, Harry. You should be feeling pretty good about yourself right now. From what I heard, you took on half a dozen Death Eaters all by yourself. Any wizard should be proud to do so well, but for someone who's not even finished Hogwarts, that's something to celebrate. I tell ya, if that had been James, he'd be up all night throwing a party."

"But I didn't do anything, really. I was under the invisibility cloak the entire time, and I'd have probably been killed had it not been for Moody."

"Harry," Sirius sighed. "How long do you think Moody was watching you for?"

"About three minutes, if memory serves," came a gruff voice to Harry's left. no-one

He turned to see his old DADA professor standing there with a broad smile.

"I wanted to see what you could do. And for the record, I have little doubt that you would have handled things fine on your own. Frankly, I was just getting a bit antsy just sitting there and watching," he added with a smirk.

Harry had a feeling that Moody was stroking his ego a bit, but he smiled back all the same. Come to think of it, he had really done well for himself. After all, even though he had the invisibility cloak, he was still surrounded by Death Eaters, and he came out without a scratch.

"I only wish I had been there to help out. I'd have loved to face down a few them myself." Just as Sirius said this, something clicked in Harry's brain.

"You know, Bellatrix was there too."

"Bellatrix Lestrange? Wait a minute. Isn't she the one who..."

"Yeah, she's the one," Harry interrupted. He didn't want to hear the word killed. It still seemed to final.

"One thing I can tell you, though," added Moody. "I don't think she'll be too happy when she wakes up tomorrow morning. Harry hit her with a banishing spell so hard she flew a good twenty or thirty feet and landed pretty hard. Then the old bat tries to get up again, takes one look over at Harry there, and passes out. 'One of the greatest shot I've seen in fifteen years."

"Good for you, Harry. Don't think I could have done any better myself."

"I've seen your aim, Sirius. Trust me. In your best days you couldn't tie Harry's shoe. He's got James's aim, dead and true."

"Oh. Well then, I guess we got the right man for the Duelling Classes. You know James almost took the Defence Against the Dark Arts job here. But they just couldn't keep him locked up at this school."

Harry was going to ask why, but then he felt a presence standing just behind him, and everyone looked over his shoulder.

Harry turned around and was suddenly staring up into the crystal blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore.

And without warning, just as it was a year earlier, he heard a voice in the back of his head that kept telling him to attack his Headmaster, and it was plainly obvious that Dumbledore had noticed.

However, this time it was less powerful than the last time. This time it was just a little whisper in the back of his head that egged him on. He began to concentrate, trying to block out the voice, and as he did he could see Dumbledore's lips move, though he couldn't hear what was being said.

Harry clenched his fists, closed his eyes, and concentrated. Slowly, so very slowly, the voice began to fade further and further away. And then, quite abruptly and instead of fading away as Harry had hoped and expected, it had simply disappeared. With a sigh of relief, Harry relaxed. And that's when it happened.

Shadowing the shape of Harry's scar, a bolt of pain like lightning shot against Harry's forehead like no pain he had felt before. Each of the previous times that Harry's scar hurt it had been a burning feeling that seared from the inside out. This was the exact opposite. It felt as though someone was using a brand on his forehead, trying to burn it straight through his skull.

Harry dropped to one knee, grasping his head in his hands, and as he pulled them away, he noticed something else that had never happened before. His scar was bleeding.

Then the pain subsided, just a bit, and then laughter began to fill his head. It swept over him and he could hear nothing of what anybody in the room was saying. Tears filled his eyes as he tried as hard as he could to fight the pain, and it was not easy.

Someone picked him up by his arms, though he had no idea who it was. Then, in a soft voice, he heard Dumbledore saying, "Keep fighting him, Harry. Voldemort has power over you only so long as you give it to him. But we both know you can defeat him. You simply have to keep fighting."

From deep within his chest he felt a tugging, but it wasn't against him; it was with him. It began pulling him up and giving him a second wind. Then a fire began to build up.

He began to have quick flashes; Voldemort killing his parents, the fire grew even more. Cedric in the cemetery, Sirius in the Department of Mysteries, the Muggles just hours ago, and the fire grew each time as though it were trying to envelope him. no-one

Finally, as though inspired by the heat growing in his chest he cried out, "Incendio!"

And then he collapsed.

For a few moments Harry sat there, eyes closed, and all was completely silent. Then, faintly at first, then more clearly everything seemed to come back to him. no-one

Finally, he opened his eyes and looked up at everyone who stood there, worried looks on their faces, and their voices began to become clearer, until he could distinguish one person from the next.

"Are you alright?" asked Remus and Charlie.

"Take some chocolate, boy," McGonagall kept repeating.

Even Snape seemed mildly concerned and asked, "Do you need me to fetch the nurse?" in an annoyed but concerned voice.

Oddly, Dumbledore did not seem at all concerned, but on the contrary seemed quite happy. Everyone else continued to ask Harry if he was okay, but Harry's eyes were locked on Dumbledore until he finally said, quite plainly, "Congratulations, Harry. I knew that Professor Snape had made some excellent progress with you as of late, but that was truly incredible. I am sure that Voldemort will have to think twice before trying to use your link against you once again."

As though on cue, Harry's scar began to hurt again. Although this time felt much more familiar, and it was almost immediately obvious to Harry what was happening this time, and a smirk crossed his lips even through the pain.

"He's not happy," he giggled in a silly manner. "Not happy at all."

"Very good, Harry. But as good as it is to know of Voldemort's unhappiness, I would be much happier if you did not know."

Harry nodded. Again he closed his eyes and concentrated. This time he felt for his medallion, but found it was not there. It was still packed in his trunk.

However, it seemed much easier this time to block Voldemort's thoughts as it seemed there was much less of a fight versus the last time. But Harry was exhausted, and though he was able to clear his head a bit, his scar still hurt, and he could still feel a shadow of Voldemort's anger looming somewhere inside himself.

After a few more minutes Harry was able to clear his thoughts enough to feel that they were his own again.

He looked up into the face of Dumbledore whom had a look of pride that Harry could not ever remember seeing. He looked around and saw that everyone seemed to have caught what had happened and they too seemed proud of Harry. And to his surprise, the first words of praise were not from his Headmaster, nor from either of his godfathers, but from Snape.

"It seems that you have truly grasped the art of Occlumency, Mr. Potter. Were you to take such pride in your Potions class you would have been at the top of my class. As it is, I have put you still on the class schedule for Advanced Potions. Should you show the same favour for that class as for Occlumency, I think you may still prove a worthy potion maker."

Snape gave a single nod, then turned to Professor Dumbledore before Harry could speak, though truth be told Harry would not have found words to describe his thoughts.

"Headmaster," he said in his softest voice. "Seeing as how classes will not begin until next Monday, and as today has been a very trying day, might I suggest that we put off our meeting until tomorrow?"

"Indeed, though I would like to speak to Harry and Remus myself for a few moments. Professor McGonagall, I believe our talk can wait until tomorrow as well. Shall we say ten o'clock tomorrow morning, then? That will give us all a chance to relax and recuperate from today's events quite nicely. Thank you to the rest of you for coming, and I hope to see each of you again soon under better circumstances."

"Absolutely. I shall do my evening check and meet you in the morning before breakfast to discuss those other matters with you."

"Indeed, Minerva. And thank you both for understanding."

Professors McGonagall and Snape both made to follow the rest of the Order through Dumbledore's door, but before he could stop himself, Harry addressed Snape once more, though he could hardly believe the words that came from his mouth.

"Professor Snape?" he called.

Snape turned slowly around and looked back at Harry.

"Thanks for your help. I don't think I'd have survived that just then if it not for your help."

After a small pause Snape replied, "You are welcome, Mr. Potter," in an amazingly soft tone, then turned and walked out the door.

A few moments passed before Dumbledore offered both Harry and Remus a seat at his desk.

"Harry," he said at last, "today has been a day for which few of us shall ever forget, and I would think it likely that even as we speak, many of the books in the library are updating themselves with today's events. For today, Harry, you showed a remarkable amount of strength and courage that even I had not fully expected."

Harry began to blush. He thought to himself that he had not done anything that someone else in his shoes would not have done themselves, but to hear it from Dumbledore was a praise that Harry could not feel worthy of.

"Do not belittle what you have done today," Dumbledore said, reading Harry's face. "Bravery is not only measured in what we do upon instinct, but also in continuing to do the right thing even after you realise the danger you put yourself in. We lost the lives of two Muggles today. That is a grievous loss not only to the Muggle community, but to the entire world. But had you not interfered, the number of casualties would have been much greater. And from what I heard from Moody, your skills were far beyond many Aurors I have met in my day."

Harry felt a warmness cover his body at hearing Dumbledore's words. He could not help but smile. Even though he himself had accomplished everything Dumbledore had spoken of, it sounded like a tall tale of a hero that he would surely like to meet.

"Now I want you to know how very proud I am of you, as are all of the members of the Order, for all you've done today. That is why, even though I know you are very tired, I wanted to speak with you tonight. I felt you should go to bed knowing how far you have come over the past five years; further, in fact, than even I had known until this very day. So I make this promise to you, Harry. If you ever have questions that are within my power to answer, I shall do so willingly."

Harry could hear the lock of a door somewhere in his mind click open as a flood of questions invaded his mind, but he knew this was not the time to ask, though he quickly came upon an opportune time to ask.

"I do have a few more things I would like to discuss with you, however I feel that today's burdens have weighed too greatly to go over them just now, so I thought we might meet here tomorrow at seven-thirty to finish this conversation then, just before the rest of our staff drop by."

The moment Dumbledore had finished talking, as though Harry had just realised this had all happened during the course of this one day, a tremendous feeling of exhaustion overwhelmed him and for a moment he thought he just might pass out. He attempted to thank Dumbledore for his time, but found he had no more energy than to simply nod his head and smile weakly.

"Very good," Dumbledore said, clapping his hands together. "Now then, I shall bid you all a good night and take my leave so you may say goodnight to Sirius, and then I believe Remus has volunteered to escort you back to his house, if only for the night."

Harry lifted his head as if to speak, but Dumbledore added quickly, "And I would not worry about informing Mr. Weasley or Miss Granger, as I believe they are waiting for you just outside the door."

Again Harry smiled and nodded back to his Headmaster and was able to find enough energy to say thanks before getting up and walking out, very slowly, with his godfather in tow.

Again, as always it seemed, Dumbledore was right. Ron and Hermione were standing just outside the door waiting for Harry. Normally this would constitute breaking the rules, but as they were both prefects, they were allowed to roam the halls freely at night.

At once they began to bombard him with questions, but Remus quickly interrupted them.

"Harry has had a long day and will be staying with me in Hogsmeade tonight. However, only the four of us, Madam Pomfrey, and Dumbledore will be aware that Harry will not be staying here tonight, and we need to keep it that way. Therefore, I am going to escort him to the hospital wing first, and then he and I will use a few passages from the map to make our way down to the lake where a boat is waiting for us. If you wish to come along, I would be happy for the company, but I need to ask that you not bother Harry. He has had a longer day than even you know about."

"What happened?" they asked together.

"Voldemort tried to invade Harry's thoughts again while we were upstairs with Dumbledore. He was, however, able to fight it, but at great cost to himself. He needs a great deal of rest, and we feel it likely that he will not receive it back at Gryffindor house."

"But is he okay?" Ron asked, clearly upset.

"He will be fine with a bit of rest. Madam Pomfrey will be giving him something he can take to help him sleep."

Suddenly, Remus took on a rash look and slapped his knee.

"Damn. I forgot about the medallion. Ron, do you think you could get to..."

But before Remus could finish Ron had interrupted, "I'll meet you down at the docks under the castle."

"Right," Remus nodded in agreement.

Before Ron had even made it around the corner Remus and Hermione had turned the other way and headed towards the hospital wing. They arrived a few minutes later where Madam Pomfrey was waiting with two large glasses, one covered, the other open and emanating a light smoke.

"Here now," she said, looking at Harry. "Put him up on the bed. I still can't believe they did not bring him here the moment he arrived, but then a feast is always more important than one's health." She continued her complaints as she looked Harry over, gave him several pieces of chocolate and sips of the smoking drink.

After a few minutes of checking him over she finally smiled. "Well, I dare say I have seen more of you, Mr. Potter, than any other student in this school, except maybe for Mr. Longbottom, and it seems you've become a bit more adept at learning to keep yourself in good health. However, I want you to get a good night's sleep tonight. That drink should keep you keen until you get to Mr. Lupin's home, but I want you to take this draught as soon as you get there. It should give you a solid night's sleep."

"Thank you, Ma'am," Harry replied.

"If you want to thank me, just try to make sure that I don't get too many students coming in from your Duelling class." She said the word duelling as though it was second only to Voldemort, but Harry felt too tired to say anything, even as his limbs were beginning to feel somewhat alive again.

"I'll do my best," he replied softly, then made to get up and leave.

"Not so fast, Mr. Potter. The Headmaster asked me to hand this to you," she said as she handed him a small bronze cup. "He said that you were to make sure you and Mr. Lupin were to be outside his home just before seven-thirty and to have both of you holding this cup. I suppose you might understand what that means better than I," she said, trailing off.

"Thank you," he replied with a smile. no-one

Ten minutes later the three of them were coming down the final steps approaching the docks and found Ron was already sitting there waiting for them.

"I was starting to wonder if you were still coming," he said with a smirk.

"Thank you, Ron," said Harry with a renewed vigour. By the time they had made it down from the hospital wing Harry had begun to feel better than he had all day, and all that happened before began to fade as though it all belonged to a bad dream.

Remus and Harry boarded the boat and after a few final words set out to the other side of the lake.

They talked very little on their ride over the lake and spent most of their time just staring up at the stars. Last year Firenze had told everyone in Divination that the stars could foresee events not of the individuals, but of the whole world. As he looked up now he noticed that the stars seemed to move with a speed he'd never seen before, as though the sky itself was unsure which direction it was moving.

He laid back and watched some more until finally Remus called to him and he looked up to find they were less than ten meters from the shore, a small dock awaiting their arrival.

Soon they were walking through the back woods, which would have made Harry worry, but for the fact that the road, as it turned out, was less than a minute's walk from the dock.

Another five-minute walk down the road and Harry found himself in the back niches of Hogsmeade. Remus's place was only the third house down on the right. It was a large white house that, it would seem, had been turned into several smaller flats. Remus's was the flat on the top right side of the house, which had its own staircase leading up from the outside.

It turned out that just as he had found true with most wizarding cars, Remus's place here was much bigger than it appeared outside. Looking from the front you would expect a three or four bedroom house, yet Remus's place alone had two bedroom, an office, a complete kitchen and dining room, and a very large living room, which was the room they first saw when the entered the front door.

They had a cup of tea and Harry drank the draught that Madam Pomfrey had given him which tasted quite a bit like a cucumber shake, and they talked for a few more minutes before Harry finally began to fall victim to his drink and headed off to bed. He had enough strength to get the medallion around his neck, but it seemed that the effort to reach the bed there after was too much, and his eyes fell closed the moment he reached the bed, still in his Hogwarts robes.

It seemed no more than ten minutes later that Remus was knocking on the door and telling Harry that he needed to wake up.

"It's a quarter to seven, and I don't think we'd want you to meet up with Dumbledore on an empty stomach. I've left a full set of clothes in the dresser and there should be fresh towels under the bathroom sink. I'll get breakfast going while you get ready."

Harry mumbled a quick thanks and got out of bed.

Fifteen minutes later Harry came out to meet his godfather, his hair still a bit wet.

"You know," Remus began with a smile, "I've noticed you're growing your hair out a bit."

"Yeah. It's part of the Animagus training that McGonagall is having me do. First we change our eye colour, then length our fingernails, and then the length of our hair. I haven't checked what we have to change next, but I think I heard Hermione say something about our noses. Personally, I like my nose just as it is."

"Well, just make sure you change it back, cause I just noticed your eyes are more brown than green."

"Oh. Just a moment then," Harry said, then closed his eyes for a moment, imagining the emerald green eyes of his mother. When he re-opened his eyes, Remus smiled.

"That's better," he said approvingly.

"You know, I've been looking at the book and I can't seem to figure out what the difference is between a Metamorphmagus and an Animagus, outside of what they decide to change into."

"Actually, until a few months ago I didn't know myself. But when I found out that you were going to be taking lessons to become an Animagus, I started studying it myself, and I think I can answer that for you. You see, a Metamorphmagus can alter the shape and colour of their body with ease, but they tend to have a great difficulty in altering size. It seems to hurt quite a bit if they try, and it actually takes much longer for a Metamorphmagus to become an Animagus, if in fact they can do it at all. Very few have attempted it, and there are less than a handful of wizards throughout all of history that succeeded."

"Oh. Spending a bit of time with Hermione?" he asked with a silly smirk.

"No, Harry. Some people study to learn, not just so they can play Quidditch. I tell ya, you're becoming more and more like your father every day."

Harry stood up and puffed up his chest and shoulders.

"I'll take that as a compliment, thank you very much."

"I can think of no other way to take it," he replied with a smile.

They headed to the dining room and sat down to a spot of breakfast. They spoke a little more and Harry found out that Remus would be staying in Hogsmeade for the majority of the year, with the exception of a few days when he would be heading back to his brother's home.

With five minutes to spare they headed to the back yard and awaited their trip back to Hogwarts. At precisely seven-thirty Harry felt the familiar tug behind his naval and began the quick trip back to Hogwarts.

The moment he landed he understood why Dumbledore had given them the portkey.

He and Remus were standing before Dumbledore's desk right where the seats should have been, and just after they landed he felt a soft tapping at the back of his knees. When he turned around he saw Dumbledore's chairs trying to move back to where they belonged.

"Have a seat, both of you," Dumbledore said with a smile. Then, turning towards Harry, he asked in a concerned voice, "Did you have a good night's rest, Harry?"

"Yes sir. I slept quite well, really, though I don't much remember it. It was pretty much like I went to sleep and woke up a minute later, though I feel like I've had enough rest for a week."

"Very good. Poppy said she had given you a Dreamless Sleep Potion to help you rest, and I'm glad to see it worked." Then Dumbledore's face took on a more serious look and Harry knew it was time for one of those talks.

"Now Harry. I want to ask you something, and I do not want you to hold back any thoughts because you might hurt my feelings, alright?"

This seemed a very queer question, but Harry nodded in agreement all the same.

"Harry, I want to know if you feel up to working as the Art of Duelling Professor as well as all of the other responsibilities you have. I know that you have a very full plate, and I would not want you to over extend yourself this year. If my count is correct you have five complete classes, plus Occlumency, Animagus training, Quidditch, and a total of six Art of Duelling Classes, if I understand Professor Snape correctly."

"Actually, I think it's six classes, plus everything else. But the thing is, I don't really have to worry about half of those. I mean, I'll only be doing Animagus training two days a week, Occlumency two times a week, and Quidditch Practice three times a week. If I put aside two hours a day, all of those even out pretty well. As far as the Duelling classes, well I'll be doing six of those, but I won't have three other classes a week, at least one of which would have been a double class, so I'd only be really taking two extra classes a week, and half of them are repeats of what I'd done in the other class. Plus, Professor Snape and I agreed that we would switch running the fifth and sixth year classes, so I could do homework from some of my other classes then."

"Would you care for something to drink?" Dumbledore asked abruptly.

Harry was taken aback for a moment until Dumbledore added, "I apologise. It seems you have gotten everything figured out, and that once again I have underestimated you. You really must stop that before everyone throughout Hogwarts thinks I'm losing my touch." Dumbledore smiled broadly and Harry could feel himself warm as he realised Dumbledore's words.

"Sorry, sir. I'll try to keep more in line," Harry replied with a slight grin. He was relieved to see that Dumbledore too was smiling.

"Very well then. If you believe you can handle that schedule, who am I to argue. Now, there are a few other things I do need to discuss with you. First, as Headmaster of Hogwarts, I feel obligated to request that you leave any affiliations with fellow students at the door. It does not do to remember either friends or rivals when teaching a class."

"Understood sir," Harry said obediently. Dumbledore smiled in response.

"Secondly, I would guess that Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger will soon ask why it is that they are studying Animagus forms of common animals while you are studying the forms of the more unique creatures which inhabit this planet, if they have not already asked. I felt it would only be prudent to tell you why now."

"Well, they haven't asked, at least not yet, but I have been a bit curious myself. Especially regarding some of the beasts that are in that book. Did you know there are dragons and vestals listed in there?"

"Indeed I did. In fact, the form I take was suggested to me by an earlier version of that very book, though now is neither the time nor place for that discussion. However, we were talking about why you were given that book, and the reason is quite simple. As I have suspected for some time now, and what was all but proven last June, is that there is more than just a basic connection between yourself and Voldemort."

"But you've told me all this before. Voldemort transferred some of his power to me when he tried to kill me after he killed my Mum and Dad."

"Indeed. However, since we last spoke of that many things have happened, and I have been doing a great deal of research, and it has led me to only one undeniable conclusion. A part of Lord Voldemort lives within you."

Harry's eyes turned bright red as the shock of these words overtook him, complete terror overtaking him.

"Do not despair, Harry, for this is not bad news. Let me explain. As I was going through my library over the past few years, I happened upon a book which describes a similar event to your survival of the killing curse some eight hundred and fifty years ago. It is, however, not widely known of because it so happens that the book it is written in recants the diary of the great Merlin."

"Merlin? As in King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table?"

"The very same. He was a great wizard, you see, one of the greatest of all times in fact. However, what is not widely known is that much of his power was not his own, at least not at birth. You see, Merlin, like you, had been the victim of an attack when he was young, though he was in fact closer to five or six years of age when his parents were murdered, and it had been his father who sacrificed himself for his son. However, the effects were the same, and that is the reason why Merlin had such a great amount of power at such a young age."

"It seems, however, that the wizard that tried to kill him had not taken the same precautions that Voldemort had, and so he perished in that same attack. But years later Merlin came to find that he had two separate auras, one well defined and bright, the other much more faint, but there all the same."

"So the other wizard's spirit was trapped inside him? But that means that a part of Voldemort's spirit is trapped in me. How do I get it out...?"

"Do not be so hasty, Harry, and you needn't worry that you might have Voldemort's spirit trapped in you. If that were true, he would be the same as if he had been given the Dementor's Kiss. That, however, is not the case. What has happened, as Merlin discovered, is something both wonderful, and terrible. You see, when Voldemort attacked you that day, he did so out of anger and hatred, and as so became consumed. He became completely void of any good, but it had to go somewhere, and so the same shield of love that protected you also drew from him all that was good in him, and all of his power followed."

"I don't understand," Harry said blatantly. "How's that any different than having part of his soul, even if it is the good part?"

"Well, if I were to give you a book that I wrote and you were to read it, would you then have taken into yourself part of my spirit? No, because all I am giving you is an explanation of my experiences. The same applies here. The only difference here is that since Voldemort did not die, the good and evil in him were separated, purified if you will, with the full concentration of evil remaining here while the good, attracted to the aura of love your mother left upon you, used you as a conduit to pass on from this world. Merlin believed this process added to his ability to understand the fight between good and evil at an early age, and though you were only exposed to the good essence of Voldemort, I expect the same basic experience happened to you."

"That pure good, no matter how little it may have been, has left its mark on you and, until a year ago, had been left completely void in Voldemort. That is why he could never touch you. But that all changed when he used your blood to resurrect himself, and I suspect that some day he may come to regret that choice. You see, he may have the mask of the good he lost so many years ago, but it's just that, a mask. It may allow him to touch you without causing himself harm, but it's just an illusion and has not added to his soul. That, I expect, will be a mistake that will cost him everything he holds dear. But we have no control over his actions, only our own."

"And that brings me to the most important part, Harry. The original imprint he left on you, with all the magic power that came with it, is and always will be a part of you. It is now up to you, now that you know all that I know regarding your connection with him, whether you wish to resent where this power and connection came from or accept it as your own. Either way, even if you do someday bring about the end of Voldemort's reign as the Dark Lord, you will have to come to terms with the fact that this power will stay with you for the rest of your life, and this is one thing that nobody, not even myself, can do any more to help you with."

Harry didn't respond. No matter how Dumbledore put it, it all seemed to be different ways of saying that a part of Voldemort would be a part of him for as long as he lived, and there was no way of saying that which would make it sound any better.

"Now Harry, I know this isn't what you wanted to hear, but it can be good news. The unusually pure magic which flows through you now will allow you access to things even Voldemort can't imagine. That's why you alone were chosen to be the one to defeat Voldemort, as I have recently concluded is inevitable. It's up to you, Harry, and I have no doubt you will triumph."

"But what does all this have to do with me becoming an Animagus?" Harry asked, trying to find any way to change the subject.

"It has everything to do with it. Though you are still but one man, you do carry with you the power of two, with the auras to match. This gives you a greater familiarity with all magic including that which allows you to become an Animagus. With such a strong connection to magic you are able to exceed the abilities of most wizards, such as being an Occlumens and most likely upon further training, even a pretty strong Legilimens, as well as being a Greater Animagus, as Voldemort is."

"Voldemort's an Animagus?"

"Actually, Harry, he's a Greater Animagus, which means he can take on more than one animal form. In his case, he can become both a snake and, well, we are not quite sure what his other form is. We do know he has more than one form as one of our spies has reported, but he was never able to tell us what." Dumbledore's face grew weary and Harry let it drop.

"But he is able to change into multiple forms, and so Professor McGonagall suggested it likely that you could as well. Therefore, we will begin your training by working towards two distinct forms, then we will see if we can combine them into a third. It is likely that you will need to learn this before this war is over. And that is the other thing I needed to speak to you about, Harry."

"Yes?" he responded concertedly. The look in Dumbledore's eyes told much, but he needed to hear the words.

"We are at war. You will hear about it no doubt before the day is over, as it was printed in the Daily Prophet last night."

"Oh great," Harry said sarcastically. "It probably says that I'm to blame for what happened yesterday. That I'm trying to become popular by pretending to rescue people or something stupid like that."

"Actually, if you'll look in the bag at the door there I think you'll find a large number of letters from parents thanking you for your help yesterday. It seems the Ministry of Magic has put some pressure on the Prophet to report the news without bias, and as such, the events from the attack at King's Cross are quite accurate. That's how I can guess what is in most of those letters, as I seemed to have received one or two myself," Dumbledore said with a smile, nodding at a pile of letters spread over one of his other desks.

"My concern, though, is that many of the students may have adverse reactions to this news. Some of them may become anxious to get revenge and start looking for ways to take revenge on the Death Eaters for what happened, and that is not good. Neither is it any good for them to want to run away from the problem or pretend that we are not in for the fight of our lives. What I need you to do, as much as you can, is to let the students in your class know that the danger is real, but so is their ability to defend themselves. There is a medium between the two, and I need you to show it to them. Do that, Harry, and we will be well on our way to victory before things get too far out of hand."

"I understand sir, but why do you want me to tell them this. Wouldn't it be better if you said it yourself? We all know that you're the only one Voldemort has ever been afraid of, and you're the most powerful wizard in the world."

"Well, Harry, I don't know about all that, but I do know this. If I tell them not to worry, they will know they are safe here at Hogwarts because I am here. However, if you tell them, and then you show them how to help themselves, they will feel much stronger about their own abilities. Additionally, as a student, you can give them a perspective on the dangers out there that I cannot. However, many of them see you as an equal, or somewhat close to one. That makes what you have to say all the more real, not to mention the fact that you have faced Voldemort four times in the past five years and lived to tell the tale. That is no small feat for anyone including myself, but to hear it from a fellow student will be all they will need to hear."

"I think I understand sir."

"Very good. One last thing before the rest of the staff arrives. I was planning to drop by from time to time to view your progress, but I was hoping you and I might be able to arrange a regular meeting once a month. I expect there will be times when you will have questions for me, and this will give you an opportunity to ask without concern. In addition, once the Art of Duelling classes have taken shape, I'd like to go over some spells and tactics from time to time, both to keep you on your toes and to prepare you for what is to come. I'm sure you have heard the rumours that Voldemort fears me above all other wizards. Do you know why?"

"Because you're the most powerful wizard alive," Harry said plainly, as though it were a silly question.

"That is quite an overstatement. You may find this hard and upsetting to hear, but Voldemort is and will likely remain a more powerful wizard than myself, for the Dark Arts contain magics too powerful for any good wizard to use. You, however, are already more powerful than Voldemort or I will ever be. The only differences between you and the both of us are experience and confidence, and both will come with time. And the time will come during our meetings when you may see what many of us already know."

"I don't know about that. Even when I faced the Death Eaters yesterday most of what I did was use basic spells, except for that transfiguration. Even my getting through the barrier. That wasn't me, that was Dobby. I just happened to have a way to get in touch with him is all."

"But that is not the measure of power in magic. It's not the spell you use, but how you use it. Once you know you can, you don't fail. Did you know only five of the professors at this school are capable of producing a fully corporal Patronus? And with your power you can probably make one solid enough to ride if you really needed to."

"Is that possible? The only time I've ever come close to touching my Patronus it disappeared before I had the chance, but every time I've seen one it never seems to touch anything but a Dementor."

"Normally it's not, though some have done it. However, as I have mentioned before, you are special, and I am sure that with time you will be able, when needed. However, I will not convince you with my words today, and I believe it's just about time for the rest of the staff to show up."

At that moment there was a knock at the door and soon half the staff was walking into Dumbledore's office.

"Right. I guess I'll be going then. When will you be wanting me to come by again?"

"Well, I had been thinking the first Sunday of each month. However, I would ask that you wait until the end of the staff meeting before leaving, as is customary," Dumbledore said in a mock-hurt tone.

"Why?" Harry asked dumbly.

"Are you not now a current member of the Hogwarts staff?" Dumbledore replied in kind.

Harry sat there dumbfounded and it was not until they were a good ten minutes into the staff meeting that he began to catch up to everything that was going on. no-one

The rest of the weekend went by so swiftly that time seemed to Harry as though it were a movie on fast forward, and he remembered very little. no-one

One of the few things that did stand out in his thoughts was the look on Hagrid's face when Charlie unveiled his surprise, or surprises might be more appropriate, as it turned out to be a pair of Half-grown dragons, one of which was Hagrid's very own Norbert.

As the dragons were still quite young they were much more trainable and docile than the dragon Harry had gone up against in the Triwizard Tournament. Some students, the bravest or most carefree, had actually been able to pet them, though most of them had to find a way around Hagrid who seemed on the verge of crying as he petted his old pet dragon.

Another dragon Harry recognized was an old friend of his, a very large Hungarian Horntail. Harry soon discovered that this was not the same dragon he had encountered during the Triwizard Tournament, but that did not put his mind at ease. He instinctively felt his arm where the previous dragon had cut him, though not very deep.

He did however go up and pet Norbert who was now about five times Harry's size, nearly eight feet tall at his highest point, and that was when he was lying down. Standing, Norbert's head reached out to just over the third floor windows of the castle. But as big as Norbert was, he was still Hagrid's little Norbert and seemed to remember all three of them, and Norbert for his part seemed quite happy to see all of them, especially Hagrid.

Several times that day Hagrid's old friend would nudge Hagrid's beard with his snout, and in doing so would time and again set Hagrid's beard ablaze. Harry, Ron, and even Hermione had spent half the day laughing their hearts out.

Another thing that stuck out in his memory was the incredible response from the students. Though the Slytherins seemed to hate Harry more than ever, they also seemed more cautious around him, and the rest of the students seemed to hold him as a local hero. Many of the students would come up to him in the halls and say, "Knew you were telling the truth about You-Know-Who, Harry," or else apologising for their mistrusting him saying, "Sorry bout that, Harry, but you can bet I'll never doubt you again, that's for sure."

Either way, it seemed quite nice to Harry just to have things back to a time where students weren't ridiculing him and teachers weren't punishing him because of who he was. For now, it seemed, life was finally beginning to fall into a pleasant level of normalcy.

Friday night when the three of them went back to Gryffindor Tower, Harry was welcomed with open arms and was treated to a welcome home party, which lasted well into the wee hours of the morning.

When he was finally able to pull himself away to his room his roommates spent another half hour grilling him with questions about the new classes and the attack at King's Cross until finally Ron had to threaten to jinx them if they didn't leave him alone.

Saturday and Sunday were much the same and Harry enjoyed his time as much as possible, though Monday morning seemed to loom like a dark tower that threatened to engulf his happy days.

But as is always the case, time waits for no-one, and on Sunday night as Harry lay in bed he though about tomorrow, and his first days back in class. Since he didn't have as many classes as everyone else he wasn't as worried about his schoolwork so much as he worried about his time with Snape. In one week's time he would be in front of a class averaging more than fifty students, each listening intently to every word he spoke, and Harry sighed.

But then he thought of the inspiration for his class, the DA. He thought back to the incredible progress made by all of his friends as they learned the basics of duelling, disarming each other and even beginning to produce Patronuses, and he smiled. The next few weeks would be the longest of his life, but as his head lay on his pillow and his eyelids began to fall he knew that he was looking forward to each and every minute of it.

Coming Soon

Chapter 12

Back in the Saddle