Change of Name: Someone corrected me, that Talis Est Volvite does not mean "the die has been cast" but Alea Iacta Est is the proper translation. Thank you SIN for the correction. All of my Latin knowledge extends to Harry Potter and the random fics that use Latin, other than that, I have no Latin experience whatsoever. Although, I do know that Alea Iacta Est is correct, I double-checked (I feel so stupid for not thoroughly checking before). It's much easier when you already know the words.

Edited: 10/20/17

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Pairings: I'm not sure if I will do any pairings, but if I do, it will be Harry/Male (most likely Voldemort). This is not a Harry/Hermione or Harry/Luna.

"Talking"

'Thinking'

"Parseltongue"

Harry Writing

Tom Writing

~o0o~

4th Year:

Harry sighed, Vernon had still been angry after what happened with Marge, thankfully, the Dursleys had found out about Sirius Black being his Godfather, not to mention, he was a "known" mass murderer, so he had escaped a beating. He'd hashed out an agreement with Vernon, saying that if Vernon let him keep his trunk in his room, they would not see him at all during the summer, that they would not need to feed him or even let him out to use the loo. They wouldn't even now he was there.

Vernon had looked at him suspiciously, then reluctantly agreed; in return he did not want a peep out of Harry.

Harry had gone to his room, unshrunk his trunk and had then proceeded to go to his study. He had yet to set up the floo, for lack of an address and the fact that it had slipped his mind, but he had the perfect one now.

He took out a quill and wrote the address he had decided on; then he took out his wand and tapped it on the parchment, "Prongslet's Place."

The parchment flashed and disappeared. He grinned, and then took his wand and tapped it on the golden tab on the mantle and said, "Padfoot."

He watched as it pulsed silver and his grin widened, the password was set.

~o0o~

Hedwig swooped in to the living room and landed on her perch.

"Hoot!"

Harry smiled as he came out of his study, he had just finished his Arithmancy homework, and he couldn't be happier. He was finally able to do his work during the summer holidays instead of rushing the night before and it was a good thing, too, because now he had a lot more classes. He'd had to give the time-turner back at the end of his exams, but McGonagall had promised that he could have it back before the Welcoming Feast. Hermione had dropped Divination and Muggle Studies, so had to give her time-turner back permanently. McGonagall had tried to get him to drop a few subjects as well, but the time-turner was too useful to lose and if he had to do work for one more class because of it, then so be it.

"Hey girl," Harry stroked his owl, "Do you have a letter for me?"

Hedwig cooed and stuck out her leg, Harry took the letter and gave her a treat. Hedwig nipped his fingers affectionately, before ducking her head under her wing to take a nap. He'd told his friends that he'd send them Hedwig as he wasn't sure if Errol or Pig could find him.

|Letter|

Harry,

Hey mate, how are you? Hope the muggles are treating you right. Guess what?! Dad's got tickets to see the 422nd Quidditch World Cup! He said he'd come get you, of course. Are the Dursley's connected to the floo? Hermione's already here, I can't wait, it's so exciting!

Reply soon mate,

Ron

|Letter End|

Harry chuckled he could practically feel the excitement oozing off of Ron. He walked to his study and took out a piece of parchment and a quill.

|Letter|

Hey Ron, Hermione,

Your dad doesn't have to come get me, I have my own floo, and it's better for everyone if the Dursley's don't know I'm leaving. Just get me a date and time, and I'll be at the Burrow. I can't wait to see you guys again!

Harry

P.S. Don't tell your parents about the Dursleys not knowing, it'll just create problems. See you soon!

|Letter End|

Harry decided to let Hedwig rest for a bit before sending off the letter. He had to finish his homework. For once, he wanted to get it done earlier rather than later.

"Hermione would be so proud," Harry snorted.

~o0o~

Harry concentrated on the book that was on his desk. He held his hand above it and concentrated on the feeling of his magic, pulling it towards his hand, "Wingardium Leviosa."

The book rose above the desk, flying through the room following his hand before he brought his hand down, making the book hover in the air, before it landed with a soft thump. Harry smiled. He had started by pushing things around on the desk, using his magic, and then he had graduated to the first year spells. Though it had taken him weeks to reach this point.

He frowned, he had tried a few of the second-year spells, but they wouldn't work. He had been at it for more than a week now. He was left simply practicing the first-year spells over and over again. Although, he had tried to use his magic without saying the words – it seemed to work sometimes, but other times, it didn't – it still left him frustrated.

He sighed and got up, he needed a break.

~o0o~

Harry frowned as he thought of something, how would he get his trunk to the Burrow? He had just received a reply from Ron telling him to come over as soon as he could. There was, of course, a spell that could be used, but he wasn't allowed to do magic outside of Hogwarts and his wandless magic was not up to that level.

He had considered taking the Knight bus, but his relatives weren't supposed to see or hear him, or they would take away his trunk. That was their agreement and he wouldn't put it past Vernon to consider their agreement broken and not let him have his trunk next summer.

If only he'd had a house-elf, he could just order him to shrink down his things and just pop it over to the Burrow after he left. Speaking of house-elves…

"Maybe Dobby can help…" Harry muttered, pacing in front of the couch.

"Master Harry Potter sir called for Dobby?"

Harry whirled around, behind him stood the elf he had freed from Lucius Malfoy more than a year ago.

"Dobby what are you doing here?" Harry asked, he paused, "Wait, Master?" Harry furrowed his brows, he was pretty sure Dobby had called him that before, but he had been too tired to notice.

Dobby looked nervous as he twisted his ears.

Harry suddenly remembered the green light he had seen, "Dobby, what did you do?"

"Dobby is SORRY," the elf cried and lunged at Harry's knees, nearly knocking him over.

"Whoa, Dobby, it's okay," Harry said, trying to calm the blubbering hysterical house-elf, who was now possibly his.

"Dobby, calm down," Harry ordered. The house-elf calmed down slightly and stepped back.

"I'm not mad, Dobby. I just wish you would've told me," Harry said, his eyes softening at the teary-eyed house-elf.

Dobby smiled shyly, "What does Master Harry Potter sir need?"

"Just call me Harry and I am going to go through the floo, so I need you to take my trunk to the Burrow," Harry said.

Dobby nodded, "Dobby will do as Master Harry says."

Harry cocked his head, "Dobby why did you bind yourself to me? I thought you wanted to be free?"

Dobby looked down, "Dobby only wanted to be free of bad masters. But Dobby cannot be completely free. If Dobby cannot serve a wizard, then Dobby's magic will go away. Watch."

Dobby snapped his fingers.

Suddenly Harry was able to see a thin glowing green line connecting Dobby to him. Harry listened as Dobby explained the connection between them and how much magic it took to keep a house-elf alive, it was surprisingly small, like a drop of water from an ocean.

"Why is the line flickering?" Harry asked.

"It is because Master Harry has yet to accept," Dobby explained.

"What do I do to accept?" Harry asked. After all, he didn't want Dobby to die and if Dobby was happy to be bound to him, who was he to deny him?

"Master Harry must say 'I accept the house-elf known as Dobby in to my service, so mote it be' and the bond is being complete," Dobby said.

Harry nodded, he looked at Dobby, "Are you sure, Dobby? That you want to be bound to me and not someone else?"

Dobby nodded, his bat-like ears flapping frantically, "Yes! Yes! Will Master Harry accept?"

Harry smiled, "I accept the house-elf known as Dobby in to my service, so mote it be."

A flash of white light and then Harry could see the connection become thicker and stop flickering.

Harry looked at Dobby and was surprised to see a silky black pillowcase with the Potter family crest stitched above the heart.

"Dobby is happy Master Harry has accepted! Dobby will be going to make dinner, now!" Dobby said, happily bouncing to the kitchen.

"Oh, Dobby," Harry called before the elf could vanish in to the kitchen.

"Yes, Master Harry?"

"You are never allowed to punish yourself, that is an order," Harry said firmly.

Dobby nodded, tears gathering once again in his eyes as a grin made its way on to his face, "Yes, Master Harry!"

~o0o~

Harry looked at the Hogwarts letter in his hand:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

He thought about Sirius, surely a man with so many titles and respect could get Sirius a trial? Why hadn't Dumbledore insisted on a trial in the first place, before locking up a man in Azkaban? What happened to innocent until proven guilty?

~o0o~

"Harry Potter!" Dumbledore called. The silence in the hall was deafening, as Harry registered what had happened.

Hermione shoved him with a whispered "Go."

He numbly got up, walking up to the staff table, Dumbledore motioned for him to go in to the side chamber, just off the Great Hall where the other champions were.

~o0o~

Harry finally snapped as Severus Snape finished speaking, "Oh yes! I'm such an attention-seeking whore that I went and got myself entered in to a tournament that is only entered by students at least three years older than me!"

Harry glared at the silent room, his magic starting to fill the room, making an invisible wind gather around him, lifting his bangs so that everyone could see the lightning bolt scar on his head, his Avada Kedavra colored eyes glowing with power.

"Eternal glory? Fame? Money?" Harry said, looking around the room full of people.

Harry sneered, "Tell me, who were the last three champions of this tournament? Or, not even that, just tell me the name of the winner?"

When everyone remained silent, he continued.

"No one? Apparently eternal glory isn't so eternal, after all," Harry spat, the wind still circling his form, making his robes swirl, "Fame? I survived the killing curse at the age of one at the cost of my parents; actually, they died on this very day! I think I'm pretty much set for fame. Money? Please! I'm the only heir to the Potter fortune, a thousand galleons is pocket change to me!" Harry said, glaring at the people who all looked slightly guilty as the validity of his claims sunk in.

"Mr. Potter, detention!" Snape snapped.

Harry smiled coldly, the wind suddenly died down, everyone looked apprehensive, "Assign all the detentions you want, you biased bastard, you can sit there and serve them yourself!"

"Harry! Apologize, that was unwarranted," Dumbledore said, throwing him a disapproving look.

Harry sneered, but before he could say anything, McGonagall stepped forward.

"Harry James Potter! While your reaction is to be expected, your words to Professor Snape were rude and uncalled for. While Professor Snape had no right to assign you detention for your outburst, that is no way to speak to a teacher, is that understood?" McGonagall said, her tone firm. Harry nodded, looking ashamed, he had let his temper get the best of him, although, he wasn't sorry for what he'd said; Snape deserved it. She then turned on Severus.

"Severus Tobias Snape! You are a teacher, act like it! At first, I did not believe that you would stoop so low as to hold the sins of the father against the child, but it seems like I was wrong!" McGonagall snapped, her stern tone taking on a note of disappointment.

Severus looked down, not liking that tone in his friend and colleague's voice. Minerva had never taken that tone with him, unlike others' opinions, he cared about her opinion; she had always been fair to him, no matter what anyone else said. She had always stood up for him.

"Now, now, Miner-" Dumbledore started to speak but a glare from McGonagall stopped him in his tracks. No one dared make a sound: the Hogwarts' staff and the adults who had been taught by her knew how frightening the Head of Gryffindor House and Deputy Headmistress could be, and the foreigners were speechless at the display of power she showed, when she managed to shut Dumbledore up.

"Both of you will apologize to each other," when none of the two moved, McGonagall's voice took on a chilling quality, "Now."

Harry flinched and looked up from underneath his bangs, "I apologize Professor Snape, that was uncalled for." Not really.

"Severus!" Minerva snapped, a warning in her tone, when he didn't respond. She glared at him to get her point across that she was not in a tolerant mood.

Snape scowled, but stayed silent for a few moments, before finally relenting under her glare, "I accept your apology and I apologize on your treatment by myself based on your father."

"I accept your apology, professor," Harry said, pouting slightly, when McGonagall looked at him.

"Now, Ludo, is there anyway that Mr. Potter does not have to compete?" McGonagall asked after no one spoke for a few minutes.

"U-um well, Barty knows the rules," Ludo said, slightly afraid of the stern witch, who in a minute, managed to tame the feared potions master that made fourth years cry.

"His name came out of the Goblet, it is a magically binding contract, he must compete," Barty stated.

"I guess that settles it," Dumbledore said, his blue eyes twinkling; though he was slightly vary of his Deputy Headmistress, even he'd never managed to get a response like that out of Severus. Ever.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Diggory, both of you off to bed," McGonagall said sternly.

"Yes, professor," Harry and Cedric spoke as they hurried off.

They both sighed in relief as they stepped out of the room in to the Great Hall, glad to be away from the stern professor.

"Potter," Cedric said, as they approached the doors.

"Hm?" Harry looked up.

"I believe you and I'll make sure to tell the Hufflepuffs."

Harry smiled, "Thanks, but I don't think it'll make much of a difference."

"It's not much, but every little bit will count, especially with the Slytherins, they're going to be horrible to you."

Harry groaned, "I know."

~o0o~

Harry looked at his trunk. No one was in the dorm room, he was vary of what he was about to do, he had been stressing over it all day, but he needed all the help he could get, and if the help came in the form of the teenage Dark Lord's diary, then so be it.

He tapped the sapphire gem with his wand, "Hedwig."

He slid the shelves aside until the shelf with Tom Riddle's diary came in to view. He slid the book off the shelf then locked the trunk.

He took his self-inking quill and put it to the paper.

Hello Tom.

Well, hello Harry Potter. What brings you to seek out my company?

Do you know what the TriWizard Tournament is?

Of course.

Do you know what the tasks are like?

Yes, but it was discontinued before I was in school, why?

Harry bit his lip. He couldn't let him know that he'd been entered or Riddle would ask him for something in return.

Just curious, they restarted the tournament this year. Only students 17 and older may enter.

He had just finished writing the last word, before a response was given.

You were entered, weren't you?

What makes you say that?

Because you don't use my diary unless it's important, in fact, you've only used this diary three times, not counting your second year when you didn't know what it was. The first was to make sure I was okay, the second was for your electives, and now.

He didn't answer. He looked down and saw more writing appear.

I can, of course, help you find the answers you seek.

Harry snorted.

Nice try, Riddle. But I'm not keeping you with me so that you can possess me. I'll find out how to deal with this on my own.

Oh, I wouldn't possess you.

A shiver ran down Harry's spine. Why did he have the feeling that Tom had just purred? He shook his head. Focus!

I'm not letting you posses anyone else, either!

Suit yourself, but I'm here if you need help, well, with the proper incentive that is.

Harry sighed as he shut the book. Well, Riddle hadn't been any help. What was he going to do now?

~o0o~

Harry took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to do. It was two weeks after the Halloween feast; it was lunchtime in the Great Hall, and all the students and staff would be there. He gathered every ounce of his Gryffindor courage and pushed open the doors and walked in.

Butterflies fluttered in his stomach, but none of the nervousness that he was feeling inside showed on his face. He walked passed the Gryffindors and straight up to the staff table. A hush followed, as every eye in the great hall was drawn to him.

"Harry, my boy," Dumbledore started to speak, but Harry didn't respond. Instead, he spun on his heel and whipped out his wand, casting a sonorous on his throat, he spoke.

"I, Hadrian James Potter, do so swear on my magic that I did not put my name, nor did I ask anyone else, student or teacher, to put my name in the Goblet of Fire, so mote it be."

A flash of magic accompanied his words. He pointed his wand at his throat and muttered a "Finite Incantatum."

He pointed his wand at the Gryffindor table and said, "Wingardium Leviosa." The goblet, which his wand was aimed at, slowly floated up into the air and weaved over the heads of the students. He set it back down and walked over to the Gryffindor table, sitting down beside Hermione. She smiled at him, as the Great Hall slowly began to fill with noise again. This time, everyone was talking about the binding oath that the fourth TriWizard Champion had made.

Harry heard quite a few people claiming that they never doubted him for a moment, Harry snorted at that.

"That was brilliant!" Hermione said. Harry grinned, and gave a mock bow, "Thank you, thank you very much."

Hermione giggled at his poor impersonation of Elvis.

She looked around, "The Hufflepuffs look guilty; so do the Ravenclaws."

Harry quirked a brow, "What about the Slytherins?"

"They look disappointed that you made the oath, I don't think those 'Potter Stinks' badges are going to be so popular anymore. How did you know to do that, anyways?" Hermione asked, looking over at him questioningly.

"I remembered that swearing on your magic was a full-proof and easy way to find out if you were lying or not," Harry shrugged, "Since I was telling the truth, I was fine."

"Hadrian?" Hermione quirked an eyebrow.

"My full first name is Hadrian, I found out about it in my first year, when I went back to Gringotts after Hagrid dropped me off at the Dursleys," Harry explained, "Speaking of…I need to check in with the goblins about something."

Hermione's other eyebrow went up to join the first.

"This tournament is for wizards of-age only," was all Harry said in reply.

"Does this mean you don't have to participate in the tournament?" Hermione asked, bringing the topic back to the point.

Harry sighed, and shook his head, "No, unfortunately, the rules are pretty binding. Even if I didn't put my name in, I still have to go through with the damn thing."

He looked around and saw many of the Gryffindors turn their heads away quickly, so as not to be caught eavesdropping. He turned back to Hermione, who was scowling at a group of second year girls.

"Do you think we'll ever have a quiet year?" Harry asked, pouting slightly.

"Nope," Hermione replied, popping the 'p.' She fell silent when she saw who was approaching them.

"Uh, Harry?" Ron came up to the other side of the table where the two-thirds of the Golden Trio sat, and took a seat opposite them.

"What do you want Weasley?" Harry said, his tone cold. Hermione threw Ron a glare, then turned and got out a book from her bag, and preceded to burry her nose in it, completely ignoring the redhead.

Along with the Slytherins, with their "Potter Stinks" badges, the Puffs', and Ravens' with their own glares and taunts, Ron had been a complete and utter prat because of his jealousy. He had resorted to throwing dirty looks and calling him names, as well.

Harry could easily forgive the Puffs and Ravens, they didn't know him, they didn't pretend to be his friends. Slytherins? Well, they were Slytherins; honestly, it would've been weird if they hadn't taunted him. But, Ron? Ron was supposed to be his best mate, his first friend. Well, he'd seen how much that friendship had meant.

Ron flinched at the cold tone in Harry's voice and his face burned at the dismissal from Hermione, but he took a deep breath, "I should have believed you when you said that you didn't put your name in the Goblet, but everyone was saying you did, behind your back," Ron said, trying to defend himself.

A hush had fallen over the hall once again, as everyone listened to the approaching argument between the Boy-Who-Lived and his best mate.

"Everyone else isn't my best mate. Everyone else doesn't know me. Everyone else hasn't been my friend since first year. Everyone else is. Every.One.Else," Harry said, his voice deadly calm, putting emphasis on 'everyone else' to drive home his point.

Ron glared, "Look, I said I'm sorry! What more do you want?!"

Harry stared in to the youngest male Weasley's eyes, "First of all, Ronald, you never said you were sorry. All you did was make an excuse about how everyone else was talking behind my back. Secondly, what more do I want? I want a friend who's loyal, who's not going to abandon me at the first sign of trouble. Someone who won't care what everyone else thinks!" Harry finished with a hiss.

Harry had kept his voice a normal level, yet the whole hall had heard.

Hermione stood up with her bag, pulling Harry with her, she turned back to Ron after taking a few steps away from the table, and in a cold voice said, "I understand that loyalty isn't a dominant trait in you, as you aren't a Hufflepuff, but even a Slytherin wouldn't have abandoned a friend like that. Stopped showing support for them publicly, yes, but leave them floundering on their own and taunt them every chance they got? No."

She threw one last glare at Ron and walked out of the Great Hall beside Harry, leaving Ron at the Gryffindor table, his mouth gaping wide and his face burning red.

A rush of noise filled the great hall as the doors to the Great Hall shut after the two retreating figures.

~o0o~

'Dragons. The first task is dragons,' Harry thought, stumbling back from the sight of the huge beasts. He and Hermione had gone down to meet Hagrid to relax for a bit after the encounter in the Great Hall, but Hagrid had been waiting for him at his hut.

Hermione had gone back to the castle because Hagrid had told her to make sure that Harry wasn't missed. Then he had turned around and started leading Harry past the Forbidden Forest.

Harry turned to walk back up the hill.

What was he going to do? How was he supposed to defeat a bloody dragon? They were huge, especially compared to him! The others had at least three more years of experience than him. He let his feet lead him, lost in his thoughts. There had to be something he could do.

Harry stopped, coming out of his thoughts.

He was at the second floor girl's bathroom, where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was. He had been meaning to go back and check out the chamber, but it hadn't been a priority, but now that he was here, he stepped inside. The bathroom had a few puddles on the floor, but was otherwise dry '…and deserted,' he thought.

He walked up to the sink that had a snake engraved on it, "Open."

He looked around once more, before taking off his invisibility cloak and stuffing it into his pocket, before sliding down the tunnel. He walked through the tunnels to the main chamber; it was just like it had been, the basilisk lay still, with a whole in its mouth, the snake statues were still there – although some were destroyed – and a statue of Slytherin loomed overhead. Harry frowned there was something different. Harry looked around, trying to put his finger on it.

He suddenly realized what it was. When he had left with Ginny, two years ago, Salazar Slytherin's mouth had been left open, now it was closed. Harry frowned; he knew that there were no other Parselmouths except for him and Voldemort. Maybe it had closed on its own? Or was there perhaps something there.

He racked his brain, what had Riddle said to open Slytherin's mouth?

"Salazar Slytherin."

The statue rumbled and opened slightly, but not enough for Harry to go inside. He racked his brain, he knew it was longer; it was just on the edge of his tongue…

"Speak to me! Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four."

The statue rumbled and finally opened all the way. Harry turned his wand on himself, "Wingardium Leviosa," he muttered before he was lifted into the air. He floated himself up to the mouth and set himself gently down. No matter how much he'd gotten better at wandless magic, he was not taking any chances with a high drop like that.

As soon as he was inside, he knew there was more, for stretching out in front of him, was a corridor with three doors: one on each side and one at the end of the passageway.

He opened the first door and found a study filled with bookshelves all around the walls, which reached the ceiling and an open book on the old wooden desk with a quill sitting in the middle. There was a high-backed faded green chair behind the oak desk. The whole place was covered in dust and looked like it hadn't been used in decades, which it probably hadn't been.

He opened the second door and found a bathroom. It was similar to the prefect's bathroom on the fourth floor, he'd never been, but had heard about it from some of the other male prefects.

He closed the second door and finally made his way to the third and last door. He opened the door and stepped inside to find two other doors. One was labeled Kitchens in faded gold writing and the other was labeled Exit.

He opened the exit by hissing "Open," because it wouldn't open with a simple push, and peeked outside. His eyes widened as he saw where the door led out. He stepped outside and found himself behind the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls how to do ballet on the seventh floor… Harry grinned, which was near the Gryffindor common rom! He wondered if he could open the chamber from the portrait… He'd have to test it out when he left.

Harry went back inside, glad that he hadn't closed the door, and made his way back to the study.

He waved his wand in a sweeping gesture, "Scourgify!"

After a few more spells, all the dust was vanished; he browsed the books and pulled out a tome on wandless magic. He sat in the dust free chair and cracked open the old book, carefully keeping it on the table, so that it wouldn't get damaged. He'd use the time-turner to go see Hermione later.

~o0o~

After the revelation last night, Harry realized one thing: all the champions except Cedric knew about the Dragons in the first task. He turned the corridor and entered the Courtyard. He looked up from his book on Parselmagic, disguised as his transfiguration text, to see Cedric with a bunch of Hufflepuffs giggling at a joke he had made. He took a breath and walked over to them.

"Cedric, can we talk?" Harry asked, his gaze focused on Cedric and his expression serious.

Cedric looked at him, noting the seriousness in the younger boy's posture and nodded. They walked further away from the group before Harry stopped.

"What is it?" Cedric asked.

Harry took a deep breath, "The first task, we have to face a dragon."

Cedric laughed, "Good one, Harry! Haha…ha…ha."

His laugh died when he saw that Harry was completely serious, "You're not kidding?"

Harry shook his head, "Krum and Fleur already know, and I found out last night."

Cedric ran a hand through his chestnut locks, "I… Thanks, Harry."

Harry nodded, "It's only fair."

He turned and left Cedric to go back to his friends. He opened his book once more, his attention going back to the spells in Parseltongue that could overpower other spells in the human language. Just as he was about to go back in to the school, he bumped in to a hard chest. He startled and stumbled back a few steps; he looked up, only to come face to face with Malfoy. He mentally sighed; he didn't need this headache right now.

"What do you want Malfoy?" Harry asked, a bit of annoyance creeping in to his voice. He snapped the glamoured book shut, but before he could put it away, Malfoy snatched it from his hand.

Malfoy smirked, "Well, well Potty, didn't know you were such a book worm."

Harry's eyes flashed, a moment of panic flashed in his eyes; he couldn't let Malfoy see what was inside, before his expression straightened out once again. He snapped his wrist and willed the book to come back to his hand. The book flew from Malfoy's hand to his own, "Don't ever touch my things again, Malfoy." His tone was cold; he turned around and walked past the group of shocked Slytherins.

Malfoy snapped out of his shock and pulled out his wand.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" A roar came from the other side of the courtyard.

Harry turned around to see Moody, pointing his wand at a white ferret that lay twitching on the ground. Harry gasped in horror as Moody bounced the ferret up and down.

Just as it was about to hit the ground for the third time, Harry snatched the white ferret out of the air, he turned incredulous eyes on the defense professor, "What are you doing?"

Harry could feel the ferret shaking; it's tiny heart beating wildly against Harry's fingers. The ferret burrowed further in to Harry's chest, trying desperately to hide from the menace behind him.

"He was about to curse you behind your back, Potter," Moody growled, his wand still pointed at the ferret.

"And that's a reason to turn him in to a ferret? He's fourteen, Professor," Harry said, by now everyone in the courtyard was watching the trio.

Moody growled, "You don't know his kind like I do, Potter, you don't know what his father may have taught him!"

"The worst he could've done, in front of a large crowd of witnesses, was make me trip or tap dance or something else humiliating," Harry said.

When Moody opened his mouth to say more, Harry shook his head, "You are a teacher, not an Auror. Your job is to protect students, not turn them in to rats!"

The ferret squeaked indignantly at the word, but Harry just tapped its nose with a finger, a silent command for silence.

"I'll take him to Madame Pomphrey," Harry said as he spun on his heel and walked up to the Hospital Wing, not letting the Professor say another word.

On his way up he looked down at the ferret who was still burrowed in his chest, he chuckled, "You know Malfoy, you make a cute ferret, maybe I should keep you like this for a few days."

The ferret immediately straightened up and chittered indignantly, though Harry could still see tremors racking its small body.

Harry chuckled once again and opened the doors to the Hospital Wing, "Honey! I'm home!" he shouted.

"Not funny," Madame Pomphrey scowled at his cheek, she pointed to his usual bed, "Sit. What's wrong?"

"Me? Oh no, I'm here for someone special," saying so, he held up the ferret in both of his hands, while it squeaked.

Madame Pomphrey looked confused, "Unfortunately, Mr. Potter. I only look after wizarding children, there is a clinic in Hogsmeade that may suit your needs, or you may just take him to Hagrid."

Harry chuckled at the angry chattering that followed her statement, "Ah, long story short, Malfoy here tried to curse me behind my back and Moody came along and turned him in to a ferret."

Her eyes widened as she took Malfoy from him, "Oh dear, well that man has always been curse first ask questions later," she shook her head, "Well, do me a favor and get Professor McGonagall for me."

Harry nodded a mischievous glint in his eyes, "Are you going to use the big needle to put him to sleep or the extra-large needle?"

The ferret's eyes grew wide as he made a loud chattering noise, struggling to get out of Madame Pomphrey's firm grip.

She scowled, "Go you little scamp. Mr. Malfoy! Calm down, there will be no needles."

Harry laughed as he walked out of the hospital doors; he stopped as he bumped in to Professor McGonagall.

"Ouch! Professor! I was just coming to get you," Harry said as he rubbed his nose. He needed to pay more attention, at this rate he'd be bumping in to an Avada before he knew it.

McGonagall looked down at him, "I figured, I saw you walk off with Mr. Malfoy and heard what you said to Professor Moody."

Harry looked down sheepishly, "I just-"

"10 points to Gryffindor."

Harry looked up, wide-eyed, "What?"

"For standing up and defending your rival," McGonagall said, a small smile on her lips, "Now, come on, I'm sure Mr. Malfoy would like to thank you as well."

Harry stunned, just nodded and followed her in.

"Ah, Minerva," Madame Pomphrey said in greeting, "I assume you know of the situation?"

McGonagall nodded and took out her wand, "Set him on the bed, if you will Poppy."

Madame Pomphrey nodded and set the ferret on the bed, "There we are."

McGonagall swished her wand and silently cast the spell, "There you are Mr. Malfoy."

Malfoy sat up wide-eyed; he clenched his hands and looked himself over.

Madame Pomphrey ran a few diagnostic spells over him and gave him a clean bill of health.

"I assume you'll be wanting to thank Mr. Potter, off you two go," McGonagall said.

The two boys nodded and left the Hospital Wing.

"Er…" Malfoy started awkwardly.

Harry smirked slyly and waved him off, "You owe me one, Malfoy."

He turned and walked back in to the Hospital Wing, leaving Malfoy Jr. gaping behind him.

"Madame Pomphrey?" He knocked on the Mediwitch's office door.

"Mr. Potter? Do you need something?"

Harry rubbed his head sheepishly, "Can I get a headache potion?"

Her brow furrowed in concern, "You have been taking care of yourself, correct? Or will I have to confine you in here for a few days?" she asked suspiciously.

Harry chuckled, "Nah, I'm totally fine, I just have a bit of a headache, what with all this tournament nonsense."

Madame Pomphrey gave him another concerned look, before she went to the potions cabinet and grabbed the potion he wanted, before she handed it to him, she spoke, "You will come and see me if you are not feeling well, right?"

Harry nodded and smiled gratefully after he downed the potion.

~o0o~

Harry quickly tapped the emerald on his trunk and hissed, "Nightshade."

He swiftly climbed in and closed the trunk lid, locking it once more. For once, he was glad it was a Hogsmeade weekend and that Snape had banned him from going, because he and Ernie Macmillan were caught arguing, though he didn't get a detention like Ernie did. Thank Merlin for small mercies.

He quickly crossed the living room to his study where the fireplace was; he had business with the goblins to take care of.

Taking a pinch of floo powder from the small holder it was in, he threw it in to the fireplace and stepped in to the emerald flames, "Leaky Cauldron!"

He stumbled out of the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron; at least he hadn't fallen flat on his face.

"Hullo, there. Aren't ya supposed to be at school?" Tom the barman asked.

Harry smiled, "Hello Tom. No, it's a Hogsmeade weekend and I had some business to look into here, so I got permission from Professor Dumbledore."

"Ah, well, best be on your way then lad," Tom said, giving him a toothy grin.

After waving farewell, he made his way to the back. He knew by taking Dumbledore's name he was taking a risk, but it was also safest, considering if he'd taken one of the other professors' names it would be looked into. Many people put a lot of faith in Dumbledore and most didn't even blink twice.

He arrived at the big white marble building and nodded to the two goblin guards, they nodded back; no longer surprised that he did so. It was always best to be polite, and he had done so the first time he had been here and every time after that.

He walked up to an empty teller and waited for the goblin to look up.

"Yes?"

"I would like to see the Potter account manager, please," Harry said.

"Identification?"

Harry handed over his key. After the goblin examined it, he handed it back and rang the bell on his desk. Another goblin came to where they were.

"Follow him and he will take you to the Potter account manager," the teller said, before dismissing him.

"Thank you," Harry said before following Griphook.

"Hello Griphook, it's been awhile," Harry said pleasantly.

What seemed like shock, flittered across the goblin's face, "You remember?"

He always loved shocking the goblins. Harry smiled, "Of course, you were the one who led me to my vault the first time I came here."

Griphook didn't say anything in response. He stopped at a door that was leading out of the big hall and pressed his hand to it.

He pushed it open and continued down the corridor, and through another door. They continued on, going through doors and twisting and turning through corridors, finally stopping at one that had a gold plaque that had the name Anorak engraved on it.

Griphook knocked twice on the door, they heard an "Enter," and Griphook led him inside the office.

"Thank you, Griphook," Anorak said, Griphook nodded and left.

"Mr. Potter, what can I do for you?" Anorak asked, once the younger goblin had closed the door.

"Hello, Anorak and I thought that we had agreed to you calling me Harry?" Harry said, the goblin smirked but nodded in acquiescence.

"I'd like to talk to you about my minor status. I've been entered in to a tournament for students that are of or above age, is it possible to claim my lordship now instead of when I turn 17?" Harry asked, getting straight down to business, "The Ministry, Dumbledore, and the other two heads of the other schools are all having me participate."

"Hmm," Anorak said as he sat back in his chair and thought about what he said, "I suppose you could, but to make sure, we would have to see if the Potter Lordship ring would accept you."

Harry nodded, "Can we do that now?"

Anorak nodded, "Yes, but first, we must confirm your identity, security measures, and also see if you have more than the one Potter inheritance."

After he got a nod from Harry, he summoned a blue tinted parchment and a red and black quill.

"This is a blood quill, as you write your full name, it will draw upon your blood and transfer it to the parchment, using your blood to then write out all of your inheritances if you have more than one."

Harry nodded and pulled the quill and parchment closer to him.

Hadrian James Potter

As he put the quill down, he saw his blood glow on the parchment and continue writing.

Heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black

Heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter

Heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Peverell

Heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Gryffindor

"Why is the House of Black first?" Harry asked.

"It is in the order of most recent to the oldest. You are an heir of Gryffindor first, because of it being the oldest, then Peverell, then Potter, and then Black, because you were named the heir to the Black fortune after your birth, though you probably could have gotten it anyways, being that your Great Grandmother and Godfather were both Blacks," Anorak said.

He noticed that Peverell was in black, while the rest was in red.

"What does that mean?"

Anorak took the parchment and looked it over, he muttered something, then walked over to the filing cabinet behind his desk, and opened the third drawer and dug around in it until he found what he was looking for.

"Ah, here it is, the Peverell family tree. Although you are descended from the Peverells, you are descended from the youngest son, Ignotus Peverell. Normally, a lordship is given to the oldest son, however, Antioch Peverell died before conceiving any heirs, so the lordship was passed on to Cadmus Peverell, and his heir is still alive, in the loosest of terms, but still living. We count you dead when your soul has left the earth or if you become a ghost, however, none of that has happened. You can claim the heir's ring for the Peverells, but not the lordship," Anorak explained.

Harry nodded, "What about the Black and Gryffindor lordships, isn't Sirius Black still alive?"

"As you know, Sirius Black named you his heir the day you were born. Since he was thrown in to Azkaban, his vaults remain locked and his lordship is revoked. So you can also claim that. As for the Gryffindor lordship, you are descended from the oldest daughter, but if you don't want to take it, it will remain unclaimed until you have an heir of your own and he or she will have the chance to take it again as there are no other living descendants of Gryffindor."

"I'd like to claim the Potter, Black, and Gryffindor lordships now if possible and get the Peverell heir ring," Harry said, "Also, when I claim the lordships, I will be considered an adult, right?"

Anorak nodded. "Yes, it will be magically filed within the Ministry, you will be allowed to move out, get your apparition license, use magic outside of school, and take up your seat on the Wizengamot and the School Board of Governors as you are the Head of Gryffindor house," he said. He waved his hand and a black jewelry box with intricate gold designs and a slit at the top, came flying over to them.

Anorak took the small parchment and fed it into the slit, a flash of blue lit up the room and the parchment disappeared.

"Put your finger in to the key hole," Anorak instructed.

Harry felt a prick in his finger and blood being drawn out from his index finger.

The box clicked open and four rings lay on the soft black velvet.

Anorak pointed to each ring, "Gryffindor, Potter, Black, and Peverell."

Harry nodded, the Gryffindor ring had a gold band with the Gryffindor crest on it. The Potter family also had a gold band and the Potter crest was engraved on a ruby in gold. The Black ring had an obsidian band with the family crest engraved on an amethyst in silver. Lastly, the Peverell heir ring was a thin silver band and had a circle inside a triangle with a line going through it vertically. The symbol was engraved in gold directly on to the band.

Anorak showed him how to merge the three lord rings – the Peverell Heir ring couldn't be merged because it wasn't a lord ring – and how he could choose which crest showed, there were four in all. The Gryffindor, the Black, the Potter, and then all three crests merged together to form one crest. He decided to wear the ring on his right hand's ring finger with the Potter crest showing and he decided to wear the Peverell Heir ring on his right hand's middle finger.

"I would also like a brief list of my holdings," Harry said, once he had gotten the merged ring arranged the way he wanted it.

Anorak nodded and opened another file and pulled out three pieces of parchment, "This is the Potter, Black, and Gryffindor holdings. I cannot show you the Peverell holdings, as you need permission from the Lord," Anorak explained.

Harry nodded. He looked over the Potters first.

Trust Vault:

50,000 galleons

Potter Family Vault:

96,687,987 galleons 9,800 sickles

Family Heirlooms/Books:

7,894 items

Precious Gems/Jewelry:

5,609 items

Holdings:

Potter Manor

Godric's Hollow (In Ministry Holding)

Prongslet's Place

Harry was slightly surprised to see his trunk's address on there, but put it in the back of his mind.

"How much money does my trust vault get each year?" Harry asked.

"Each year it gets refilled to 50,000 galleons, until you turn 17 or take control of the Lordship," Anorak replied.

Harry nodded. He looked at the Black holdings next.

Black Family Vault:

5,674,739,271 galleons 8,500 sickles

Family Heirlooms/Books:

17,989 items

Precious Gems/Jewelry:

19,769 items

Holdings:

12 Grimmauld Place

Black Manor

Damn! Just with the Potter and Black vaults he was rich. He turned to the last parchment.

Gryffindor Vault:

963 galleons

Family Heirlooms/Books:

14,786 items

Precious Gems/Jewelry:

258 items

Holdings:

¼ Hogwarts

- Gryffindor Tower

- Room of Requirement

- ¼ Quidditch Pitch

- North Wing Classrooms

"How come there isn't as much in the Gryffindor Vault money wise as there is in the Potter and Black vaults," Harry asked curiously. He would think that with all the interest gathered with the money, the Gryffindor Vault would have a fortune as big as, if not bigger, than the Potter and Blacks.

"As you may know, Gryffindor had two daughters and the families they married were each well off, they would use Gryffindor's name but not the monetary contents of the vault. Occasionally, some would come and withdraw certain books or put in some things, but not much else," Anorak explained, "However, the descendants stemming from Gryffindor's younger daughter fell in to poverty and they died out, taking the fortune with them. The eldest daughter, whose family the Potters are descended from, was joined to the Peverell family, who were already very influential and quite well off. Since then, the vault has remained untouched and the money inside has not been invested in any new businesses. For now, it can mainly be thought of as a storage vault."

Harry nodded. That was interesting, he would see if there were any interesting family history books in the vaults. He'd also have to check out these properties as soon as he could, if he planned it just right, Dumbledore could not make him go to the Dursleys, Blood Wards be damned. Speaking of… "What about my Magical Guardian? Will Dumbledore have any power over me?" Harry asked.

Anorak shook his head, "No, other than when you are at school where his headmaster duties are, he has no power over you. When you accept your lordship, you are automatically emancipated, usually it doesn't matter as you are an adult when you turn 17, but occasionally, the head of a family dies before the heir has reached his or her majority and the lordship is taken up earlier. However, be warned. If you drop out of Hogwarts, it does not matter if you are an adult, you will not be allowed to keep your wand. You must take your OWLs and earn at least 5 OWLs to keep using your wand legally."

Harry nodded. "Thank you Anorak. I think that is all for now. May your gold be prosperous and your enemies unfortunate," Harry said, knowing that the old greeting was a tradition that many wizards had forgotten. He had heard another old wizard speak it to the teller when he had snuck back to Gringotts his summer before first year and when he had met Anorak the first time, he'd asked him about it.

Anorak smirked, "May your gold be prosperous and your enemies unfortunate."

Harry walked out of another door that led straight to the lobby where all the tellers were. Harry wished that he could've used that door to get to the office, but knew it was a safety measure so that thieves or rival families couldn't get to a family's account information.

He cast a quick 'Tempus' and saw that he still had half an hour left before he was missed. He quickly turned on his heel and walked to Ollivander's.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, what can I do for you?" Mr. Ollivander asked, coming out from behind the shelves.

"Hello, Mr. Ollivander, I was wondering if you sold wand-holsters?"

Ollivander nodded, "Ah, yes, I was wondering when you'd come get one. You had already been ushered out before I could offer the first time."

Harry nodded, Hagrid had been a little freaked out and took him out as soon as was possible without appearing rude.

"Yes, well Hagrid wasn't feeling too well," Harry replied, chuckling slightly.

Ollivander nodded, he pulled out three different holsters. "There are three different types. There's the standard student model, which just keeps a hold of your wand; then there's the adult model, with anti-summoning charms; and lastly, there is the Auror model, it has anti-theft, anti-summoning, and recall charms on it. So even if you drop your wand, it won't hit the ground, your wand will be suspended 3 inches from the tips of your fingers and it'll shoot back in to your hand," Ollivander explained.

Harry nodded, "I'll take the Auror model and is it only available in brown?"

Ollivander shook his head, "The Auror model is made of dragon hide. We have black, green, blue, silver, and brown."

Harry considered the holster before saying, "I'll take the green one."

Ollivander nodded and put the three models away before going to the back and taking out a newly wrapped holster, he took out the new holster from it's wrapping and handed it over to Harry, who examined it and nodded. It was a dark green, almost black color. He strapped the holster to his lower right arm.

"45 galleons."

Harry nodded, he paid for the holster, bidding Ollivander a farewell, he left the old shop and back to the Leaky Cauldron's fireplace.

"Prongslet's Place," Harry said, making sure that Tom's attention was elsewhere, then, once he had stepped in to the emerald green flames, he muttered, "Padfoot," under his breath, before he was whisked away.

~o0o~

Harry sat in the tent as he waited for his turn. His eyes were closed and he was meditating… or at least, trying to. The noise of the crowd, however muted, made it hard to concentrate. Fleur had just finished and Krum was waiting for his signal.

'Relax, Harry, you have a plan and if one fails, you have two other back ups,' Harry thought, calming himself slightly.

He stood up as the crowd roared again and he knew Krum had finished. A big boom signaled for his turn.

Holding his head high with blood pounding in his ears, he walked towards the arena floor, out of the tent and to the cheers, and boos, of the crowd.

"BEGIN!" Boomed Bagman's voice as cheers once more erupted.

He quickly hid behind a rock and raised his wand, making sure to speak in a low voice, he said, "Accio Golden Egg!"

He peeked out from behind the large rock, the egg didn't even twitch, Harry sighed, he had half expected it to work, but hadn't been too hopeful, even if most wizards didn't have an ounce of logic, it didn't mean that all of them didn't. Plan A was a failure.

Well, on to Plan B. The dragon hadn't done anything except watch him, for now, but he didn't know how much longer that would last.

His eyes narrowed as he concentrated, imagining speaking to a snake, "Accio Golden Egg!" However, he still kept his voice down, so the crowd couldn't hear the hissing over their murmurs. It wouldn't do for the reporters to find out he was a Parselmouth. While it wasn't exactly a secret, no one but the students, third year and above, the staff, and probably some of the parents, knew; and he'd rather keep it that way.

The egg trembled a bit but, after a moment, it flew from the nest and in to his outstretched hand.

As soon as the egg hit his hand, cheers erupted from the crowd. Though there were many confused faces as to what spell he used. The dragon roared as she saw the egg fly over to him and let out a stream of fire. The dragon handlers all rushed in to try and calm the mother.

Harry sighed in relief as he was pulled in to the medical tent to be checked over by Madam Pomfrey. He was glad that had worked; after all, he wasn't too fond of summoning his Firebolt and then flying around the dragon, trying to get at the egg. Although, he could have tried floating the egg over to him using Wingardium Leviosa, but that ran the risk of being too slow, especially if the dragon's fast response was any indication.

After getting a clean bill of health from Madam Pomfrey, he was sent out to get his score.

"Before we give the score," Dumbledore began, "Could we know the spells you used so that we may judge accordingly?"

"I used the summoning charm," Harry stated, 'just not in the language you're thinking of,' he thought.

Some of the judges spluttered, but most retained their composures, he saw Sprout and McGonagall trying to hide smiles, while Flitwick was outright grinning.

"W-well," Ludo said, slightly stuttering in surprise, "Judges?"

Dumbledore shot a 9 in to the air with a smile. Next to him, Madam Maxine shot a 7 in to the air, and then Karkaroff shot a 4 in to the air. After him, Barty Crouch Sr. shot a 7 in to the air, and finally, Ludo Bagman shot a 10 in the air.

'37? Not bad, I was expecting something a lot lower, but I guess I didn't get injured or hurt the other eggs,' Harry thought.

"Now, Champions! Your Golden Egg will hold the clue for the next task which will be held on the 24th of February, more will be said closer to the date of the task itself," Ludo Bagman said.

~o0o~

"Harry! You were brilliant! And did you see the looks on the judges faces!" Ron said as he pushed past the partying students to get to where Harry and Hermione were in the common room.

Harry said nothing as Hermione glared at Ron. She was still pissed at him for saying the things he had said behind Harry's back.

As Ron was about to open his mouth again, no doubt to put his foot in it, Fred and George came over to them and pulled Harry up. They handed him the golden egg, then hoisted him up on their shoulders.

"Guys?" Harry asked, his eyes wide.

"Ladies and Gents!" George began.

"The Great-" Fred took over.

"Brilliant-" George added in.

"Champion-" Fred said.

"Has to open-" George continued.

"His prize!" They both finished saying together.

Harry laughed and held up the egg, still on the twins' shoulders, "You want me to open this?"

The Gryffindor common room lit up with cheers from all the students.

Harry grinned, his eyes sparkling mischievously, "What? I can't hear you!"

This time the common room roared with approval.

"Okay, here goes," Harry said, as he turned the latch…

A horrible screeching sound filled the room, making Fred and George drop him gently to the ground, before covering their ears. Harry quickly slammed the egg closed.

Dean was the first to speak, "What the hell?"

Harry laughed at the looks he saw coming from around the common room, before he was ensconced between the twins once more.

"Harry!" Fred said.

"If you're-"

"Laughing, that-"

"Means you-"

"Knew what-"

"Was going to happen!" They finished together in an accusing tone, although their eyes held humor.

Harry laughed some more, "Guys, I had to face a dragon to get this, you really think it's going to be a children's rhyme that's held in here?"

Snorts were heard from around the room at the ridiculousness of that statement, but before anything more could be said, the portrait hole opened up and the students saw their Head of House standing there with her arms crossed.

"All of you go to bed. Now."

No one dared to disobey as everyone trudged up the stairs and to their own beds.

~o0o~

Harry sighed as he settled in the study that was in the Chamber of Secrets with a book on Occlumency. He had learned many things from the books here, especially with the time-turner. However, he wasn't making much progress on this particular branch of magic anymore. He had made barriers and defenses, but he needed a Legilimens to see if they could actually hold up.

The good thing about Occlumency was that his mind was a lot more organized and he had an easier time remembering theories and spells. His grades were rising in class. Before he had been average, with the exception of DADA, but now, he was catching up with Hermione in his other classes as well, although potions was a different story.

Even if Snape no longer despised him outright, he was still harder on him than the other students, even if he had gotten better in potions. Thanks to the book on potions basics he had gotten over the summer, he was no longer a danger to the other students.

He shook his head out of his thoughts and put the Occlumency book down on his desk and looked at the book on Animagi that was beside it. He had ordered the potion used to find out if he had an animagus form, he didn't want to make it himself, no matter how much he had improved in potions, he still wasn't that good, and the Animagi potion was rather complicated.

It was supposed to arrive by the end of the month as he had ordered it from out of the country. If he did have an Animagus form, he didn't want to be registered.

He looked at the desk that was littered with books. It was on all types of magic, not just Dark, but also on Light and Neutral magics. With the help of these books he had gained a better understanding of Dark magic. At first, he hadn't known what to think, how could healing be dark?

Gradually, as he read more and more, he understood what Dark and Light really meant, and what the Dark and Light really meant to the Ministry and the Wizarding World, and with that, he understood what Voldemort had said at the end of first year.

'There is no good and evil, only power and those too weak to seek it,' Harry thought, but he shook his head, although he understood what Voldemort was saying, he didn't agree with that, to him it was similar but not the same.

'There is no Dark, no Light, only Magic and the intent behind it.'

Once Harry had accepted this, he realized how many restrictions he had placed on himself, and now, how many restrictions he was free of. Magic was just Magic. With this thought in mind, his wandless magic became easier, even as he stopped using the words and simply worked with his intent.

He closed his eyes, letting his thoughts whirl around his head and dozed off.

~o0o~