"OH CRAP!!" Harry yelled as he sprinted from Number 4 Privet Drive with killing curses slamming into the ground and trees around him. He spun round and saw that there were five death eaters on top of the roof of the house he just exited. The death eaters laughed and continued to fire spell after spell at Harry making him jump and keep running. He ran out onto the street and noticed that there were death eaters all around the area.

"Damn it, where the hell is Dumbledore and where the hell are his wards?" Harry wondered to himself.

"Great, looks like I'm on my own for now". He stopped and looked around. There were at least 50 death eaters that he could see and probably more that he couldn't spot.

"Bah screw it, I'm not going to die here" Harry said to himself as he tried to concentrate on a way to escape.

"I wonder if I could apparate away? Oh well I've got nothing to lose." Harry focused on what he knew of apparating and began to feel a little strange.

Just as the feeling reached a climax Harry suddenly realised "Hey wait I forgot to think of where I wanted to go!!" But it was to late, Harry had disappeared and a second later two killing curses impacted on the magical residue that was left from Harry's attempted apparation.

"Ok where the #& am I?" Harry asked himself as he looked around at… well he didn't know what he was seeing. He was surrounded on all sides by torches and bubbling cauldrons full of strange green ooze. Directly in front of him was an alter holding a giant skull which was strangely surrounded by green flames. Emerald green flames, the exact colour of Harry's eyes.

"Hmm strange" Harry thought as he walked towards the skull. It wasn't a human skull, Harry could see that very clearly, it was much too large and it had tusks. Harry stopped in front of the flaming skull and was surprised that he could feel no heat coming from the fire. Tentatively he reached out and touched the skull.

"WHO ARE YOU TO TOUCH THE SKULL OF GUL'DAN?" Boomed a voice that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. Harry didn't know why but something was making him feel incredibly brave at that moment.

MY NAME IS HARRY POTTER AND I AM THE BOY-WHO-LIVED!!" Harry boomed back. The skull quivered and shot into the air and Harry found himself face to face with it.

"IF YOU REALLY ARE WHO YOU SAY YOU ARE THAN PLACE YOUR HAND ON THE SKULL'S FORHEAD" Harry complied and about a third of a second later his world exploded. Pain above imagining filled his mind and his body fell to the ground but the skull stayed attached to his hand. Soon the pain became to much to take and Harry fell into unconsciousness.

Harry awoke to an annoying tingling sensation that seemed to originate from the palm of his right hand. Bringing his hand up to his face he noticed that their was a shape in the centre of his palm that looked like somebody had branded it there. The shape was a skull. A skull with tusks. The events of the night before came rushing back to him and Harry wondered what he point of going through all that pain just for charred skull tattoo was. Then Harry glanced at his arm.

"Wicked" Harry exclaimed. His entire arm was covered in black flame like tattoos. Harry checked his other arm, it was the same as the first. Harry looked down and noticed that his entire torso was covered in the marks. He also noticed that he was only wearing his jeans.

"wow, I wonder where they all came from?" Harry murmured and put his head in his hands.

"They are a marking of your power Harry Potter". Harry jumped and spun around only then noticing that he was no longer at the alter but seemingly surrounded by an endless expanse of nothing. Standing a few metres away was a man a slight bit taller than Harry wearing a large cloak that covered his entire body and face. He seemed to carry an aura of power.

"Who are you and how do you know my name?" Harry asked the stranger as he came forward.

"My name is Medivh child. And as for how I know yours… well you told me yourself last night". Harry then realised that the man talking to him now had the exact same voice as the one that had told him to put his palm on the skull the night before.

"Alright, your name is Medivh. But who ARE you?" The man smirked at Harry's question and gave a short laugh.

"Ah that is the question now isn't it?" Well I guess you could say that I am here to guide and teach you to harness the power that you unknowingly gave yourself when you touched that skull."

"What kinds of power are we talking about here? I don't feel any different apart form these nice tattoos covering my upper body."

"Ah yes, the black tattoo it is called. It takes the shape of something that has played a large part in your life."

"But I haven't ever had much contact with fire before…"

"Ah but I happen to know that your childhood was not a very good one. In fact it was so bad some from my land would call it a walk through the flames. I also know that, even if you won't admit it, you have a bit of a crush on a certain young lady with hair as vibrant as the flames of Hell Forge itself." Medivh explained.

"Well that maybe true… HEY WAIT!! I do not have a thing for Ginny!!"

"And yet the moment I mentioned someone with red hair you immediately jumped to the thought of Ginny. For all you know I could have been talking about Susan Bones." Medivh said with a smirk.

"Okay lets put this aside for now and let me ask you this: How do you know so much about me?"

"When the Skull of Gul'dan combined with you I saw all your memories and feelings as if they were my own. I know everything that as ever happened to you and probably a bit more as you have probably forgotten a large portion of it."

"So what is going to happen to me now?"

"Now I shall train you"

"Umm where? We seem to be in the middle of nowhere."

"Look behind you" Harry turned around.

"HOLY CRAP!! THAT DEFINITELY WASN'T THERE BEFORE!!" About an inch behind harry was the door to an enormous mansion.

"That is where you will live for the next year."

"YEAR!? But what about by friends, and Voldemort will go nuts if I suddenly disappear.

"In your world you will only be gone until the first day of term. That way you can make an overly dramatic re-entrance to the wizarding world and cause the largest impact upon any followers of your enemy inside your school."

"I like the way you think Medivh… well lets get on with it shall we?"

"Of course Harry". Medivh opened the door and Harry walked inside. Medivh followed him and slammed the door shut after him.

Ginny sighed and glanced up at Hedwig who was perched on an owl stand just behind the Head's Table at Hogwarts.

"Don't worry Ginny, he can't be dead… he just can't be!" Hermione said.

"But you heard what Dumbledore said Herms, there were over 50 DE's in total… even Harry couldn't have escaped all of them. And even if he did, where is he now? Why hasn't he come back?" Ginny sobbed and glanced at Hedwig again. There was something different about her today. Usually Hedwig just sat their looking glum with her feathers getting steadily more and more messy as the days went on. But today she sat on her perch preening herself and looking more like the regal snowy owl she had been when Harry was ali… not missing and a lot less like Errol.

"Ginny this is Harry we are talking about here… he has saved not only himself but everyone in this school and many outside of it numerous times. If anyone could have escaped it would have been him!" Ron added, making Ginny feel a little better.

The sorting had just finished and the three friends were sitting at the Gryffindor Table with a space in between them that was left there as nobody wanted to sit in Harry's usual spot. All of them had been a lot more subdued since Harry had disappeared and Draco Malfoy still hadn't stopped mocking them for it. Sure enough a few minutes later the Ferret sauntered over and drawled at them "Oh look you saved a seat for Potty! How nice of you. Tis a shame he is dead and will never fill that seat ever again!

"Get lost Ferret" Ron responded half-heartedly.

"Oh what an amazing come back Weazel. Did you come up with that yourself or did you need the Mudblood's help?"

Ron was about to reply when every light in the Great Hall was blown out by a gust of air that no one felt. A few seconds past in complete silence until "BANG!" The doors of the hall were blown inward and all the students and teachers eyes were drawn to a single figure standing in the doorway. The person was wearing a long black robe that was open at the front revealing a black shirt and pair of black jeans. His hair was black with red and green speckles through it. He held in his left hand a staff with a carved phoenix carrying snake in its claws. Both animals had astounding jewels in their mouths. The snake held an emerald and the phoenix held a ruby. Both jewels had an obsidian centre. The staff was not what astounded Albus Dumbledore though. No he was astounded by the man's eyes. They were the brightest green imaginable and were flecked with red and black. Dumbledore knew that he had seen the eyes before but he couldn't remember where

The man slowly walked down the centre of the hall. The entire populous of Hogwarts watched his every step with baited breath. Only once the man was directly in front of the head's table did Dumbledore find his ability to speak had performed.

"Stop where you are. If you do not reveal who you are then I shall be forced to expel you from this castle!" the man just chuckled at his headmaster's folly and replied.

"But you know who I am Albus. Look into my eyes; they always say the eyes never change. Mine may have changed a little but I'm sure you can recognise them." He said with a chuckle.

"But the only person I have ever known with eyes like yours is dead." The headmaster whispered.

"Actually I was only proclaimed dead, I never actually did any dying."

"Harry? Is it really you?"

"Yep that's me!"

"HARRY!" Somebody yelled and Harry turned and caught the full blow of a spear tackle from a petite red haired girl. He landed on the floor with Ginny on top of him hugging him like he had just returned from the dead or something. A few seconds later they were pulled up by Ron and Hermione who then both hugged Harry as well and asked where the HELL he had been.

"Umm that's a story better left for another time… besides it seems our esteemed headmaster is finally having coherent thoughts again." Harry extricated himself from the hug but kept an arm around Ginny, surprising all of them.

Before the headmaster could say anything a cold voice shouted.

"Well if it isn't Saint Potty returned from the dead! How did it feel to be hiding for your life in the fear that the Dark Lord would find you?" Malfoy had also regained his senses and seemed a little sour that Harry was in fact alive and kicking.

"Oh sod off Malfoy." Harry called and took a knife out of his coat and tossed it over his shoulder with deadly accuracy. Malfoy squealed and barely got his face out of the way of the knife which ended up embedded in the doors which had by now had slammed shut. Malfoy quickly ran back to his seat at the Slytherin table and attempted to hide behind Crabbe's enormous bulk while Harry summoned his knife back to his hand.

"I would advise you to stay out of my way Malfoy. I don't have the patience to deal with you this year."

"Harry… May I suggest we retreat to my office for a quick chat? I'm sure you have a lot to tell me." Said the headmaster, his voice still slightly shaky.

"That's the understatement of the century Albus, my story will blow you away." Harry replied.

"Oh goody… well follow me"

Harry walked about three metres and turned around. The whole school was still staring at him blankly. "Better give them a while to comprehend what just happened." He said to himself. Then out loud he said to Ginny, Ron and Hermione "If I'm not back by the end of the feast head on up to Me and Ron's dorm, I'll meet you there."

"Well Harry it seems you have a bit of explaining to do. But first; care for a lemon drop?"

"Ah no thanks Albus, I'm fine for now."

"Oh well more for me! Now would you like to begin your story?"

"Alright, well I guess this story starts from the night when the death eaters attacked Privet Drive and no one seemed to be coming to help me so I attempted to apparate."

Harry continued his story, telling Dumbledore all about the Emerald Skull of Gul'dan and Medivh and all about the training he had received from him.

--FLASHBACK--

As soon as the doors slammed closed Harry looked around. The mansion was filled with the strangest ornaments he had ever seen. There were hat stands covered in jester hats, mobster hats, iron helmets, Robin Hood hats and an assortment of other hats that no one would ever wear. There were suits of armour that looked like they were made for dwarves, goblins and even trolls yet there was not one set that was man shaped. Against one wall there was a rack filled with medieval weapons like swords and axes whilst against the other wall there was a rack filled with present time weapons such as hand guns and rifles.

"Welcome to your new home Harry, the Mansion of Madness. The room to the left will be where you sleep for the next year. There is all the items of a regular bedroom as well as a few items that the castle added to spruce it up."

"The CASTLE added?"

"Yes, the Castle has its own personality; all of the strange items you see around the place are examples of this"

"Madness?"

"Exactly. Now why don't you head into your room and have a look. It even has a walk in wardrobe and an adjoining bathroom!"

Harry walked into the room that Medivh had pointed out and laughed. The room was painted in a mix of Gryffindor Red and Slytherin Green. The room had a king sized bed, a desk with a computer on it, a bookcase, a very large mirror and two doors that Harry assumed led to the wardrobe and bathroom. Also there was a television that took up an entire wall with a game consol that Harry had never seen before, a gun rack like the one in the hall, a painting of a martini with a few olives attacking it and a multi-coloured lava lamp the size of Harry's chest next to the computer. While he was looking around Harry caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

"HOLY FLYING MATICORES!!"

The only difference Harry had noticed after the incident with the skull was the tattoos all over his chest and arms. What he hadn't noticed was that he now also had two horns poking out of his hair and a pair of huge, jet-black wings sprouting out of his back.

"MEDIVH!! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME I HAD A FEW NEW ADDITIONS!?"

Medivh walked into the room laughing.

"And miss that? I think not!"

"THIS IS TERRIBAL! WIZARDS HATE HALF-BREEDS!!"

"Do not worry yourself Harry, you can hide them at will."

"I can?"

"Yes"

"HOW?"

"To make the horns disappear place your hands on them and say 'Horns off' for the wings do the same but say 'Wings off'. There are also other things. For example say 'Tail on'"

"Hell no... I don't want a tail. 'Horns off', 'Wings off'"

Harry glanced at the mirror again and was relieved to find that his extra parts couldn't be seen.

"Hey, if I did that via voice command, what else can I do?"

"Try this 'Buff Up'"

"Okay... 'Buff Up'"

As soon as Harry had finished the command he felt his muscels start to grow. After about five seconds his muscles were twice their normal size.

"Wow, I think i will keep these."

For the next year Harry trained almost constantly in variouse forms of duelling and wand war tactics as well as alot of muggle fighting styles like Muay Thai and Capoeira. The day before Harry was due to return to his home Medivh told him that he was going to test him.

"What kind of a test is this going to be?" Harry asked, a tad perplexed as his mentor had never joined in on any of the training Harry had undergone and Harry had thought that he was to old for it or something.

"A test on everthing you have learnt. Believe me when i say you will need to use everything if you want to beat me."

"Alright. Bring it on old man."

"Oooh I'm going to get you for that." Medivh said with a sinister look. He then snapped his fingers and they were suddenly standing on a large circular piece of ground with a large glowing pentacle on it. There was a moat surrounding it and it was filled with lava. The moat was about a metre wide and the other side was wall.

Harry and Medivh faced each other from opposite sides of the pentacle and did a quick bow.

"It's time to show you what a real fighter can do!" Yelled Medivh and launched a few minor dark spells at Harry who rolled out of the way and fired a few back.

"By the end of today I will have made you eat those words gramps!!"

Medivh growled and ran at Harry then launched himself at Harry feet first in a beautiful flying kick. Harry let his legs collapse landed on his hands and did a piston handstand just as Medivh passed over him. Harry's feet slammed into his mentor's chest, sending him alot further than he had anticipated. To Harry it looked like Medivh was going to land face first on the stone floor but at the last second he executed a commando roll. Unfortunately for Medivh the roll ended right on the edge of the moat and his momentum almost made him fall into the lava. Just before he fell he jumped and spun so that he hit the wall feet first then kicked off the wall back in Harry's direction.

"Come on Meddy, atleast give me a bit of a challenge!" Harry taunted.

Medivh's only reponce was a growl as he slowly walked over to his opponent. Harry knew what was coming next and sure enough, Medivh dropped into the capoeira battle stance. Medivh's favourite form of muggle fighting was capoeira and he was a master at it. Harry's preferred style was Muay Thai. Harry smirked and settled into a relaxed Mauy Thai stance and waited for his mentor to attack. He didn't have to wait very long. Medivh quickly spun into a cartwheel and brought a leg towards Harry's face who just managed to get his arm up in time to block not just one hit but two hits per leg. While he took the blows with his left arm Harry grabbed one of Medivh's legs with his right and spun his right leg at Medivh's unprotected arms. Medivh grabbed the leg with one hand while holding his entire body weight on the other. Harry then threw Medivh's leg into the air, spun and smashed his free foot into Medivh's face. Medich crumpled and hit he floor like a sack of potatoes. Harry quickly conjured a katana and held it to his throat.

"Give it up old man. I win."

And thus ended Harry's training at the Manor of Madness.

--END FLASHBACK--