Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or trademarked characters.

Chapter 1:

Tabula Rosa

It had been just over four months since the Battle of Hogwarts and Harry and Hermione now sat in the great hall of Grindelwald Castle. Harry's normally long hair had been cut short in order to prevent it from becoming too messy. The lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead was now but a faint shadow of what it had once been, and although Harry suspected it would never go away entirely, he found himself somewhat sorry to see it fade, as he had grown accustomed to it. To his side sat an eighteen almost nineteen year old Hermione. Hermione's normally bushy brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, all except for two bangs that dropped in front of her face like strings, concealing her brown eyes whenever she looked down.

Harry and Hermione stared out at the large stone chamber of the great hall. The scene before them of people standing on tables, performing weird spells and playing odd wizarding games reminded Harry of the first time he'd stepped foot into Hogwarts.

"Potter?"

A familiar voice called from nearby. Harry looked up to see Malfoy had taken the seat across from him. "I was wondering when some students from Hogwarts were going to show up here. Its good to see that the right sort do get into this school, even if it is you and Granger. Before you showed up the only people I saw were Daphne Greengrass and that oaf Longbottom."

"Malfoy." Harry winced.

Draco Malfoy had been Harry's rival since the day they first met. Draco had been on the side of Death Eaters during the events at Hogwarts the previous year due to Voldemort personally threatening to end end his family's lives. For the most part, the Ministry under the leadership of Kinglsy Shacklebolt had adopted a zero tolerance policy for Death Eaters, particularly in the cases of Death Eater's who attacked the school directly. Although most Death Eaters were now locked safely away in Azkaban. Narcissa and Draco Malfoy were granted pardons in light of their instrumentalwork in ending the Dark Lord's reign. The toll that it had taken on Draco however was obvious. Draco's normally straight and clean look was gone, replaced by slightly messy hair and a not so clean shave. His eyes seemed to hold in them regret and he appeared to Harry much older than he had only a year ago. Malfoy pretended not to notice the greeting as he stared towards the podium at the end of the hall.

"You know, it seems weird being here, after last year and all..." Malfoy began.

"Yeah." Harry replied. There wasn't much else that needed to be said. As startling as the changes in Malfoy were, it was easy to understand their source. The Battle of Hogwarts had taken casualties from both sides, and Draco perhaps even more than Harry had been forced to do things that in retrospect seemed unforgivable. As participants in that battle Harry and Malfoy understood each other now in a way that had been impossible before.

"Well. I guess I'll be seeing you around then." Malfoy said, as he rose from the table and began to walk away.

"That was bizarre." Hermione whispered, once Malfoy was out of earshot.

"Yeah, it was." Harry replied.

"I almost think he was trying to be nice." Hermione said, a look of confusion on her face.

"Seems that way..." Harry replied absentmindedly, taking one final glance at Malfoy to be sure he hadn't imagined it all..

Ron sat down next to Harry and Hermione with a bewildered look on his face. "Was that Malfoy just now?" He asked confused. "What did that git want?"

Ron had grown even taller over that summer. Harry couldn't figure out exactly how tall Ron was, but he was beginning to suspect that Ron's family might be related to Hagrid's somewhere along the way. Ron's freckles were beginning to fade as he progressed further into adulthood. Over the summer Ron had let his hair grow out, and he now wore it shoulder length. Harry sometimes wondered if this were some sort of homage to his brother Fred. Harry also wondered how Ron was taking the loss of Fred. Though the funeral had been over three months ago, the wound must still be fresh, and Ron's recent cavalier attitude concerned Harry. However all of Harry's worry and curiosity could not overcome his desire to leave those painful memories at rest and so he didn't dare ask Ron about it.

"I dunno..." Began Harry, "I think he was trying to say hi." Harry suspected that Malfoy had wanted to say more. Perhaps Malfoy was in some way trying to make some sort of an amend, perhaps he'd wanted to apologize but couldn't bring himself to do it. Maybe he was just trying to be pleasant. It was a pleasant change from the bully that he had known for seven years. But considering the price of this change, Harry wondered if it was at all worth it.

"Ronald Weasley where have you been all this time!?" Hermione asked giving Ron a reproachful look thenhitting him on the shoulder.

"Ouch! What did you do that for? I was just outside playing a game of Quidditch with some of the students, it's not like I'm late."

Hermione's face turned red with anger and she crossed her arms.

"Always Quidditch with you. Well I'm your girlfriend, shouldn't that matter?" Hermione interrogated.

"Well it matters yeah, but I did get into this school on a Quidditch Scholarship Hermione I should at least meet the competition." Ron pleaded.

"Harry's going to be playing Quidditch too but he was in here."

"Aw don't be mad Hermione, I'm sorry." Ron's hands were crossed in front of his face like he was praying, "I'm here now aren't I?"

"Well now it's too late!" Hermione shouted and she stood up and walked off.

Ron watched her until she was out of earshot and then he turned to Harry.

"Bloody hell mate, she's always getting on to me about something, she's gone absolutely bonkers since we started going out." Ron whispered. "She's always like, 'Ron do this with me, Ron do that with me, Ron go to this Muggle Movie Theatre with me." Ron imitated her voice and waived his finger at Harry like he was impersonating a school teacher. Harry couldn't help but laugh.

"I mean really its quite bothersome." Ron mumbled looking around to make sure Hermione was nowhere nearby.

After a moment Ron's expression changed. "So how are things going between you and Ginny?" He asked, a slightly concerned look on his face.

Harry looked down. Ginny hadn't exactly been happy with his decision to go to Grindelwald, after all it was a few hundred miles away from Hogwarts, and they would not be able to see each other except on Christmas. Harry looked at Ron and shrugged, "I'm not exactly sure. She was pretty mad when I left."

Ron leaned in. "She sent me a letter."

Harry's eyes widened. It was not a good sign when his girlfriend was sending her brother letters instead of him, was Ginny breaking up with him through Ron? "What did it say? Is she still mad at me?" He asked.

"It said..." Ron motioned for Harry to lean in.Anticipation and worry growing, Harry did so... it must be pretty serious if Ron wouldn't even say it out loud. A moment later Ron's fist caught him on the top of the head and Harry yelped as he jumped back. "That I'm supposed to slug you one time for her and keep you away from all the trashy Grindelwald girls."

Harry rubbed his head for a second. "Couldn't you have just left out the part about hitting me?" He asked acting annoyed. Inside however Harry was ecstatic, she'd cared enough to tell Ron to keep him out of trouble which was good news.

Harry remembered the previous night and how angry she'd been.

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"Harry James Potter!" Ginny yelled at Harry as he ducked under a book that she threw at him.

"What did I do?" Harry asked dodging as the Monster Book of Monsters flew towards his face.

"Don't you what me? I'm still angry at you for deciding to go to that stupid college next year and you tried to unbutton my shirt!" She nearly shrieked at him.

"But you were! We were! I thought it was fine!"

"Don't fine me!" She shouted her face turning red as she hurled a clay vase at him.

Harry's eyes grew wide as he dodged out of the way of the vase. He winced as it shattered on the floor behind him.

"If that's all you're interested in, why don't you get one of your college girlfriends to give it to you!?" Ginny shouted. Harry took cover behind Ginny's bed. He pulled his wand out quickly and stuck his head above the bed just long enough to aim it at the vase.

"Reparo!" He shouted, and the vase on the ground quickly began to repair itself. Harry's eyes went wide as he noticed one of Fred and George's Stupendous Stupefy Stunners fly past his head. Harry leaped over the bed and rolled towards the door barely escaping the explosion.

"Did you just throw a bomb at me!?" Harry asked confused and a little hurt.

"Well I would've cast something much worse but I'm still underage!" She shouted at him throwing yet another book.

"You're psychotic!" Harry shouted hiding behind the wall.

Ginny's face was now blood red, and her fiery red hair reminded Harry quite a bit more of fire than usual. She stomped her feet on the ground. "Get out get out get out!" She shouted at him, but Harry, who had been afraid of something else being thrown at him, had already fled into Ron's room.

Ron and Hermione who'd been snogging on his bed froze and looked at Harry as he ran in panting.

"What the bloody hell are you doing barging in here mate?" Ron asked as his face began to turn red.

"Your sister is out of her mind Ron! She threw a vase at me, and one of George's stun bombs!" Harry replied.

"Aw Harry. She's just upset that you're leaving tomorrow and she won't be able to see you again. She thinks you're choosing Grindelwald over her. You should apologize and explain the situation." Hermione said, trying to add a feminine viewpoint.

"I tried that and thought we were fine, one minute we're snogging in her room, the next she's throwing the Monster Book of Monsters at me."

"She didn't." Ron looked shock.

"She did." Harry replied, his eyes going wide.

"Well you're just going to have to be the mature one Harry." Hermione said.

"And could you please do it somewhere else?" Ron asked, a pleading look on his face.

Harry couldn't believe it. His two best friends were abandoning him to make out. He looked at Ron, his eyes begging for sanctuary.

"Seriously", Ron stated, "You can't stay in here."

Harry winced and backed out of the door. The scene seemed to have calmed down. He turned the corner and glanced into Ginny's room. Ginny was sitting on her bed with her face buried in her hands crying. Mrs. Weasley was beside her patting her on the back.

"There there, it'll be okay." Mrs. Weasley consoled Ginny, trying to abate her tears.

"But I don't want him to go. I won't be able to see him all year, and what if he meets some older woman that he likes more than me? I'd just die if he broke up with me for some college bimbo." Ginny whimpered.

Harry leaned up against the wall outside Ginny's room and lowered his head. He wished she would understand that he wasn't doing this to get away from her. Its just that Grindelwald was supposed to be the best school in the world at producing capable aurors, and he, Harry Potter, had gotten in. Of course after defeating Voldemort he'd been all but guaranteed a spot at any school along with Ron, Hermione, Neville. Kingsley Shacklebolt had offered this oppurtunity to all of the wizards that fought against Voldemort. Even so, Harry wanted to be the best, and to achieve that goal,he felt he needed to learn from the best wizarding instructors in the world.

Harry was about to turn and let Mrs. Weasley handle the situation when something smacked against his leg knocking him over. Harry looked down to find himself being attacked by the Monster Book of Monsters. He rolled over and stroked its spine the way Hagrid had shown him in his third year and the book fell limp. Harry looked up to notice a wide eyed Ginny and Molly Weasley staring down at him.

Harry got to his feet quickly and shoved the book behind his back as Mrs. Weasley began to rise from her seat.

"I'll let you two talk." She said, and a moment later she was gone, leaving Harry and Ginny alone.

"I'll be back Christmas." Harry broke the silence after what seemed like an eternity. "And I'll write."

Ginny jumped up from where she'd been sitting and threw her arms around him. "Promise you won't fall in love with someone else?" She asked burying her head into his chest.

Harry almost laughed at the notion. "I promise." He said embracing her back. For a while they just stood there, Ginny crying and Harry wondering what he would do at school without her.

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"Harry... Harry."

"Wha... what?" Harry snapped out of his confusion to see Hermione had returned and was now gawking at him.

"The ceremony is starting!"

An old man man stepped up to the podium that Harry had seen upon entering. The man had long silvery gray hair that appeared almost white in the glow of the braziers that illuminated the room, and a sharp pointed nose that reminded Harry slightly of Draco's. The man was relatively skinny and appeared almost helpless standing atop the podium. However the friendliness that Harry saw in his face, that unmistakable look of kindness reminded him fondly of Albus Dumbledore.

"Hello everyone, and welcome back to another year at Grindelwald's Institute of Advanced Wizardry. I am the Headmaster of this institute Dorodia Oakley. You have all come here to further your learning as Witches and Wizards in preparation for the most difficult jobs in the wizarding world and a brave choice you have made. For in this school we can teach those who are dedicated the true mysteries of the world of magic. Those who have the drive will learn to have a power and understanding of magic far beyond those who have only attended basic wizarding schools. However those who lack determination and the will to succeed, will undoubtedly find the rigorous schedule, difficult tasks and change in lifestyle impossible. But do not lose heart, for we are all here now, so enjoy the festivities as a new year at Grindelwald begins!"

Harry looked around the room to see that candle lights were beginning to dim. A moment later an entourage of Veela danced into the room from behind the podium. Harry became entranced as they danced through the room performing majestic spins and twirls, taking students up onto the tables and dancing with them momentarily before moving on. The torches along the walls all burst into brilliant flames at once, and the Veelas'dance was made even more hypnotic when they began to dance in the firelight. Harry didn't want the dance to end, and he was upset when the girls danced their way out of the room. He didn't have long to dwell however, as a flash of firelight sparked in front of where he, Ron and Hermione were sitting. A house elf had appeared on the table in front of them and almost immediately he began juggling fire and performing a show of lights.

The house elf danced around and conjured wonderful treats. Harry looked behind the elf and noticed a tray of foods, which before long the house elf began to cook in front of them, as if they were at an extremely fancy restaurant. Wizard food, muggle food, sweets, entrees and delicious drinks from all over the world were placed in front of the three wizards, and Harry got the feeling that the table was enchanted to make the food easier to grab. It seemed foods he didn't even remember the House elf cooking were at arm's reach. The wondrous banquet was truly a sight to behold, and Harry felt eleven years old again as he watched the little elves go about their business.

After the feast Harry, Ron and Hermione walked back to the student dormitories. It was getting late and so after a brief moment of conversation which Harry barely cared to remember, they parted ways. Harry and Ron went to the male dormitories while Hermione headed in the opposite direction.

"So what do you think mate?" Ron asked as he and Harry entered the small two-bed dorm that Harry had purchased for them.

"I think its going to be an interesting year." Harry remarked as he took off his clothes and jumped into one of the beds.

"Did you see those Veela and the show that the House Elves put on? I mean if this is how they treat us on the first day, just imagine the parties!" Ron said excitedly as he got into his own bed. "I mean just imagine mate."

Harry looked over at Ron who wore on his face the very same smile felt spreading across his own as he thought about the excitement of the new year and all the possibilities that lay before him.

"I think its going to be an interesting year." He said again.