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The teacher's meeting of Hogwarts staff proceeded. Binns, Hagrid, and Dumbledore were absent. Having a meeting of this type was a little unusual, but not unprecedented. Madam Rosemerta finished up her discussion of the Slytherin-Gryffindor first year's free-for-all, and Cassandra Trelawney predicted the untimely deaths of half the staff as part of the usual meeting opener.
Seated at a large round table with two pitchers of freshly brewed iced tea in the middle, the staff tried to look interested. Blackberry crumpets and frosted scones were readily available, and some professors had already eaten four. A parade of yawns flicked across the room, as having an early staff meeting on a Wednesday morning before classes was unusual. The headmaster did set the schedule for it, though.
"Next discussion involves the Dark Lord Amanda Hawking. Is she a serious future threat or joking in bad taste?" Said Vector, the duly elected facilitator.
"She shouldn't be taken seriously," Said Flitwick with dismissal, "no future Dark Lord could conquer after having failed their Charms OWL." The tiny professor never considered Amanda's enemies might have bribed or blackmailed low marks into her examiners.
"It was a bold intimidation move to make the other Slytherins leave her alone. It is technically her ninth year here, even if she's only had the benefit of about eight years worth of classes." Snape sneered, undisturbed about insulting one of his own. "Ultimately, Miss Hawking is little more than a street brawler with magic."
"Still, she is in your house Severus." Said Professor Sinestra, who'd lost family to Voldemort's reign of terror. "Inform her this was in poor taste, and the gravity of what may happen if people begin taking her seriously."
"I will." Lied Snape. "Whatever I may say will do no good, Miss Hawking is too aggressive and blunt to understand the consequences of her actions."
"She's always been nice to me, if average in class." Minerva McGonnal chimed in. "I asked her about it, and she seemed a bit embarrassed. Assured me whatever the rumors said, she wanted an education without making trouble."
"She is competent in my area, but not the next Dark Lord." Said Professor Quirrell in a meek voice.
Snape smiled in anticipation. "Other Slytherins will turn her own tactic against her. Though I can't say I approve, eventually her 'mantle' of Dark Lord will have turned into a house in-joke. The court jester proclaiming themselves the next king always gets a laugh."
Nurse Poppy spoke up. "I have a five very hurt Slytherin seventh years in the hospital wing. A bunch of bullies who crossed one of their peers, lost, and were expertly put down by someone extremely familiar with conventional healing magic. The standard spells are practically useless, and they're driving me batty complaining about recovering the muggle way. They won't name their attackers, but I've seen them bother Miss Hawking in the past." Nurse Poppy looked around the table, but no one cared much this early in the morning. "The only clue is from David McGurdy, who muttered something about a little bird turning into a Norwegian Ridgeback."
"Not relevant." Snapped Snape, who didn't think Amanda Hawking was capable of taking them down. That group was unrelated to anyone important, so it wasn't a big incident.
"Some of my Hufflepuffs are terrified of her." Said Professor Pomona Sprout. "They thinks she's the real deal."
The other professors laughed, and the atmosphere of the staff room relaxed. Pomona scowled as the reputation of her students for stupidity and gullibility became reinforced.
"Now that that's settled," Said Vector, implying Hufflepuffs couldn't find themselves in the dark with a lumos spell, " let's move on to next order of business."
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"Ah, Mr. Potter, you wanted to see me this morning?" Albus Dumbledore sat behind his huge desk inside his cluttered office. Delicate magic trinkets with no clear purpose filled out the area's cozy mystic ambiance. Portraits of long dead headmasters watched with eyes containing uncomfortable judgments. The other professors were busy with their first teacher's meeting, so the headmaster knew they wouldn't be interrupted. Harry, who was sucking on a lemon drop and sitting in the visitor's chair, nodded.
Amazed he could do so, Harry blurted out the entire story of his capture and torment. The old man made encouraging noises, and to Harry's growing horror, Dumbledore treated it as old news.
"I'm sorry Harry." The old man sounded grandfatherly and righteous. "I didn't expect Severus and Hagrid to be so rough, but I can see they had little choice. We would have done this earlier, but your magical core wasn't stabilized yet. Someday, I'll return these memories to you, but for now I'll spare you the unnecessary pain."
Then Albus Dumbledore cast the obliviate spell on Harry Potter, removing the memories of the dark ritual that transformed The-Boy-Who-Lived from a squibby muggle into part of the wizarding world.
"It is for the greater good." The headmaster addressed the portraits of his predecessors looking down disapprovingly around his office. "By my position, communicate this event to no being, alive or dead."
"Ugh, professor, what hit me?" Said Harry, about a minute later. He'd come about dropping out of school because he felt so uncomfortable here, but the generous headmaster had convinced his fears were baseless. 'Wait,' thought his mind before jerking under pressure.
Harry rubbed his forehead, fighting against a false, imposed conclusion. A few seconds later, the battle was lost. Dumbledore smiled, and explained his confusion.
"It must have been a magical release of tension. You finally accepted the position of a student at Hogwarts in your heart, and the castle responded. They say she has a mind of her own." Dumbledore smiled, projecting a kind image.
Harry nodded, still sucking on his lemon drop. It tasted sour.
"Was there anything else, my boy?" Asked Dumbledore.
"Actually there was." Surprised, the old man allowed Harry to continue. "When Hagrid took me to Ollivander's and Voldemort's brother wand chose me, it was mentioned I'm rich. I promise not to waste my fortune, but I'd like to see it. Meet my bank manager. If possible transfer money to my foster parents, and get a debit card."
Dumbledore thought furiously, and decided.
"It isn't standard procedure for a first year student to make journeys outside the school like this." Harry frowned in disappointment. "However," continued Dumbledore, infusing hope into the boy's face, "if you promise to accept your powers and buckle down on your studies, I'll arrange a visit tomorrow."
"Thank you headmaster. I wasn't sure being a wizard was something I wanted, but this sets my mind at ease." Harry said.
"I'll have Professor Flitwick accompany you tomorrow afternoon. Don't make him wait, he's a very busy man." Said Dumbledore, implying he was too.
Harry nodded, and ended his visit. Passing the gargoyle on the stairs, he couldn't help feeling a sense of strange bereavement. Harry dismissed it as a last pang of loss for his muggle lifestyle, and swallowed his dissolving lemon drop.
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"Wow, I'm a millionaire and I didn't even have to give a final answer!" Harry stared at the endless stacks of golden galleons arranged inside the Potter vault.
Flitwick and their goblin guide watched bemused, as Harry went around disturbing piles of money. Stacks of Knuts and Sickles fell like dominoes. The sounds of clanking coins continued for five minutes before the boy tired of the game. Then he rolled in the gold.
"Ok, I'm done." Said Harry, who still couldn't believe how rich he was. "Let's go to an office and do up the documents."
Two hours later Harry Potter walked out of the bank with a Gringotts debit card spelled with his blood, a large weightless bag o' gold containing about fifty thousand galleons in shrunk space, and a bank draft for ten thousand muggle pounds sterling. He planned on getting his Uncle Vernon a new car for Christmas.
Professor Flitwick was in a terrible hurry to get back to school, so they didn't linger at Diagon Alley.
Harry had lunch in the great hall, and sat his afternoon classes. He still wasn't used to being magically exhausted at the end of every school day, but he knew he couldn't do more.
After dinner, he met Amanda in the school's library. He'd attended magical school for almost a week now and still hadn't made other friends. Lots of people wanted to hang out with the Boy-Who-Lived, but none cared about the Potter behind the title. He'd thought a friendship with Hermoine Granger was shaping up, but Neville Longbottom had poisoned her against him.
Terry Boot had the other first year Ravenclaws in his corner, and Terry made it clear who was allowed to hang out with them. Harry wasn't, but they didn't tease or bother him. Somehow that made it worse. He'd tried making ovations to some first year Hufflepuffs, but found them immature eleven year olds that enjoyed toilet humor far too much.
Amanda helped him recognize healthy relationships. He really thought a group of fourth year female Gryffindors who enjoyed having him sit on their laps had been his friends. Then Amanda told him exactly why they enjoyed it, and scared the perverts away with the wrath of a Dark Lord.
Draco Malfoy would easily be Harry's friend, had Harry wanted to learn the arts of bullying and intimidation. Without Amanda he probably would have embraced Malfoy. The Slytherin genuinely liked Harry and did not care about his fame. Malfoy could be funny, and his cutting humor was often built around a grain of truth.
But Malfoy also delighted in cruelty. Before coming to Hogwarts, Harry dealt with enough bullies to know he didn't want to become one. Thus he while found himself hanging out with Malfoy's gang on occasion, he tried to make excuses to get away. He was sure Malfoy hadn't caught on yet.
On the flipside, Amanda might have found a girlfriend. She wanted to be sure before she introduced Harry. As usual, after Harry and Amanda finished gossiping, they settled down to read in the library. Harry wanted to read a broader section of magical history than the goblin wars-obsessed Binns taught, and Amanda wanted to review as much of the restricted section as possible before graduation.
They had a quiet sort of companionship, and no one bothered them in the forgotten back corner of the school library. That was because no one knew the two students with the most intimidating reputations inside Hogwarts had become friends. Tonight, that would change.
"Geez Hermoine, I don't see why looking for information about that Flamel guy requires us." Said Ron Weasley in a voice too loud for a library.
"Ron, I can't look through everything myself, and you only have read an index, not every word in the book." Said Hermoine back is a hissed whisper, trying to remind the git he was inside a library. Ron remained oblivious.
"I'm still not sure the stuff I overheard is as important as you think is Hermoine." Said Neville Longbottom.
"Flamel guy?" Mouthed Harry at Amanda. They had put down their respective books at the loud voices from three rows over.
Waving her wand to make sure her words wouldn't be overheard, Amanda spoke: "Alchemist. Very powerful, found a limited way to eternal life. References to his projects are all over the high-level restricted potions section. You need to be a seventh year to even touch the books."
"If they bother us, let's mess with them." Said Harry.
"Ok." Amanda popped her privacy veil, and they tried returning to their books.
Thirty seconds later, Neville Longbottom rounded the corner and noticed them. Well, one of them. "Potter!" He shrieked. "Why are you here?"
"Are you trying to get me kicked out of the library?" Said Harry in quiet voice, as he put down his book.
Neville looked at what Harry was reading. The History of Magical Alchemy etched into the spine of a large brown leather cover made his eyes widen. It wasn't a very complete work; it had no mention of Nicholas Flamel. Harry had just checked the index.
"T-That." Stuttered Neville. "That is exactly the book I was looking for. Give it here Potter."
"No. I'm reading it." Said Harry, looking behind the boy making demands. "See Hermoine -- Longbottom is a prat, just like I keep telling you. It's unspeakably rude to try and take another person's books away."
"Please Harry," said Hermoine, "let me look at it for a minute. I promise I'll give it right back."
Harry marked his place. He held the book loosely in his hand, but wasn't about to give it up just yet. The decision was taken from him as Neville Longbottom grabbed it away.
"Hah, Potter! You lose." Neville took off in a run, only to be stopped before he started by bouncing off the lower body of a person who wasn't there before.
"D-Dark Lord Amanda Hawking." Squeaked Ron, backing up in fear as he recognized her scarred cheek. His brothers told him to her avoid the blonde witch at all costs. Even Percy the stuck-up prefect warned him she was unpredictable and dangerous.
"You are disturbing my studies." Said Amanda, her voice ice. "Silencio." They never saw her draw the wand, but suddenly Neville couldn't make any more pathetic frightening wailing sounds.
"Give back the book, and follow." Amanda, grabbing Neville by the ear, began dragging him along.
Hermoine reluctantly handed the volume back to Harry, who could see the girl's inner struggle as she itched to speed-read the endnotes. Babbling a quiet apology, she followed.
"That prat." Muttered Harry as he examined The History of Magical Alchemy. "He stole my bookmarker. Now I have to skim to find my place again."
Five minutes later when Amanda returned, Harry had finally found his place.
"Wanna know what happened?"
"Sure."
"Those three are banned from the library for a week. It made that girl Hermoine cry. The librarian likes me because I help reshelve, so she listened to my side and threw out theirs."
Harry nodded. He'd noticed Amanda putting books away when she tired of reading, and had even helped her once.
"Oh, and I might have also mentioned Nicole Flame was a witch who invented the sex change spell and erased all mention of her original name from the official records. You know, not exactly socially acceptable magic, so not found in school libraries."
They banged their knuckles together, a sign meaning 'good job' that Amanda had taught Harry recently.
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The next night, Malfoy interrupted them. He'd come to congratulate Harry for getting Longbottom and friends banned from the library. He too, seemed to forget it was a library, and once more Amanda made an abrupt appearance. Her use of illusions made it look like she materialized out of thin air, a feat supposedly impossible in Hogwarts.
"You're bothering me." Said Amanda.
"So what?" Draco sneered up at her, his voice radiating sarcastic contempt. "It's around the house you aren't a real Dark Lord. Just a mudblood faker who hopes to cash in on a reputation." He ignored her being a seventh year, confident in a semi-public area like the library she wouldn't try anything. Besides, his daddy would fix her if his heir were endangered.
"Remember Mcgurdy and his gang? They challenged my right to exist. Where did they end up, and where are they still?"
"In the hospital wing." Said Draco, skeptically insolent.
"Two seventh year witches spread rumors about my tastes in companionship across the Slytherin common room last week, I saw even you first years laughing about it. Where are they now?" Said Amanda.
"In the hospital wing." Said Draco, who lost the sneer, his pale complexion whitening.
"Last night Marcus Flint, our dear Quiddith captain, picked a fight with me. I went easy on him; it's just a two-nighter. He won't miss a practice."
Beads of sweat formed on Draco's forehead. Marcus Flint was also in the hospital wing. He said he tripped and fell off one of the moving staircases, but no believed him.
"If you're a real Dark Lord, why do let the rest of the house turn it into a joke?" Draco dropped his bully-mask, and had spoken the question as a junior student would address an older mentor.
"Hiding in plain sight behind an obvious truth works better than any amount of concealment in shadow. I can deal with a certain amount of disrespect, it teaches me patience. You'll notice though, that when someone gets out of line, I do take action." Amanda made a dismissing motion at Crabbe and Goyle, who scurried away.
"I'm not sure you hanging around my minion is good for his reputation as the Boy-Who-Lived. Talk it over with your own network, and I'm sure you'll see the same conclusions. Now leave." Said Amanda.
Draco did not run, but walked away faster than normal. When he left their sight, Harry started laughing, but kept it quiet.
"I'm not your minion." Said Harry between laughs.
"No. You're not." Agreed Amanda. "Instead you are a friend I'd never thought I'd make. No amount of fancy titles or public misinterpretations will change that truth."
"Wow." Said Harry. "I've been looking for the perfect time, and I don't think I'll find another moment like this." Reaching into his robe, he took out the weightless sack o' gold he'd gotten from Gringotts a couple days ago. He tossed it to Amanda.
She caught it and looked inside. Then she stuck her entire arm in, down to her shoulder, and couldn't find the bottom. Suddenly Amanda was smiling and fighting tears. No one had ever done anything like this for her before.
"Keep it." Said Harry. "Bodyguard wages. Don't spend it in one place because that's your entire salary."
Not saying a word, Amanda knelt down in their corner of the library and hugged Harry tight. It was all the thanks he wanted, and more.
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