Chapter 4: The Twists and Turns Along the Way

AN: This chapter has been edited

AWitP: The Twists and Turns Along the Way

The first weeks of the term passed in a blur for the Hufflepuff first-years. Due to the extensive preparatory training that Harry and Nymphadora had received, the pair continued to distinguish themselves from their class mates and excel in their classes. Despite an inexplicable animosity from the Potions professor and a Defense professor who seemed to be scared of his own shadow, Harry was very much enjoying his time at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. To his immense pleasure, during Hufflepuff house's nightly study session, on Monday night, Harry and Nymphadora were pulled aside by their head of house, Pamona Sprout.

"First of all, I would like to tell you both how proud it has made me to hear of your classroom successes over the past few weeks. You have performed far above the expectations that we have for most first-year students. Even Professor Snape, who is far from your biggest advocate, Harry, has admitted that your performance in potions has been exemplary. Miss Tonks, I have included you in this conversation because I wanted to make you the same offer that I am prepared to extend to Harry. It is my understanding that the two of you wish to be Aurors," Pamona paused to see her students nod vigorously at her assertion. "If you two are agreeable then I would like to offer you the opportunity to spend two evenings per week in an accelerated instruction program with me. Although I am not an Auror, I have an expansive knowledge of magic and can help you along the paths that you have chosen."

Harry and Nymphadora were overjoyed because of their head of house's offer and, because of their joy, their bodies began to rapidly shift through the metamorphmagus transformations that indicated that they were happy. Harry suddenly grew six inches taller and his hair alternated between red, yellow, and orange. Nymphadora also grew taller while her hair grew longer and shifted from her normal raven color to pink, yellow and orange. The pair was joyfully embracing and didn't realize that they had accidentally shown their metamorphmagus abilities to their professor until they heard a small gasp followed by a chuckle.

"It seems that you two will never cease to amaze me. Tell me, have either of you been able to change your appearance in the past?"

Harry and Nymphadora exchanged a quick glance, communicating that they could trust their head of house with the knowledge of their ability, before nodding to answer the question. Harry then elaborated and told his head of house how he met and came to live with the Tonks family. His professor was equally enthralled and appalled by his tale and didn't realize how much time had passed since she had pulled the two promising first-years aside to make them her offer.

"Harry, the treatment you received at the hands of your relatives was abominable; I will be having words with the Headmaster once you and Miss Tonks retire to your dormitories for the night. Miss Tonks, ten points to Hufflepuff for loyally helping someone less fortunate than you. I will now warn you that our additional instruction sessions will be very strenuous and demanding and they will only continue as long as they don't interfere with your continued excellence in your core classes but if you remain dedicated then you will see results very soon. Mr. Potter, you, more than many of your classmates, know that life can be unfair; when confronted with a difficult situation one can either choose to surrender or they can fight to overcome the adversity. The purpose of the additional instruction is to make sure that there is no obstacle that you cannot overcome," declared the Hufflepuff head of house.

"Thank you for everything, professor Sprout. We will work hard in your lessons and won't let you down," Harry answered while Nymphadora nodded enthusiastically. "I want to be the best Auror in the world and will do whatever it takes to be able to fill that role."

"Harry means that he wants to be the second best Auror in the world because I'm going to be the number one Auror in the magical world," challenged Nymphadora. "I'll still need a great side-kick though."

The Hufflepuff professor chuckled at her students' enthusiasm. Looking back and forth between the two raven haired children with emerald and sapphire eyes, she knew that she had made the right choice by following up with the agreement that she made with Harry. The two young Hufflepuffs obviously shared a very strong connection and Pamona could imagine the power that they would wield once they reached their full potential. She didn't like to imagine her students in potentially dangerous situations but knowing that Harry and Nymphadora would be able to defend themselves if they were ever caught in a bad situation brought a smile to her face. "I think that, by the time you leave Hogwarts, both of you will become first-rate Aurors. Just remember, do not get discouraged if you encounter trials along the way. Our auxiliary lessons will take place from now until the end of the school year on Tuesday and Thursday nights during the House Study period. Now you two need to be getting to bed, the morning is swiftly approaching. We will have our first session during tomorrow night's House Study."

The children thanked the Herbology professor before leaving the Hufflepuff dorm to have dinner in the Great Hall. Their head of house was true to her word and, after making sure that the two first-years made it to their dorm rooms, left the Hufflepuff common room to have words with the headmaster. Along the way to the headmaster's office, Pamona encountered her esteemed colleague, Minerva McGonagall. Minerva, who had expected Harry to follow in his parents' footsteps as a Gryffindor and thus be placed under her supervision, decided to accompany Pamona to the headmaster's office once she learned that the head of Hufflepuff wanted to speak about the wellbeing of Harry Potter.

In no time, the two were seated in matching, oversized, chintz armchairs in the headmaster's office.

"Although it is certainly a pleasure to see both of you, I do wonder why whatever subject you wish to talk about could not be spoken about over dinner in the Great Hall," mused Albus Dumbledore as he sat behind his desk, his fingers forming a steeple as he pushed his hands together in concentration.

"I wish to speak to you about the living arrangements that had been made for Harry Potter following the deaths of his parents ten years ago," stated the Hufflepuff head of house. "I have recently been informed that, if it weren't for the actions of one of his fellow students and her family, the student being Nymphadora Tonks, Harry would have spent the last ten years under the care of barbaric relatives that tortured and abused him, daily. I now demand to know if you knew the treatment that he received at the hands of his relatives."

Albus Dumbledore's brow furrowed because of the professor's words. "My dear, Pamona, it is my most heartfelt regret that my choice to place Harry under the protection of his relatives resulted in the kind of treatment that you have described. When Lily and James were murdered, and I had to find a place for young Harry, it was my sincere belief that Petunia, Lily's sister, would be able to overcome the jealousy that plagued her and that she would become the mother that Lily would no longer have the chance to be. Additionally, I had worried that Lord Voldemort's followers would attempt to take advantage of the boy's defenseless state and attempt to finish what their master had started. I placed him with his mother's sister and used her sacrifice and the blood bond that Harry Potter and Petunia Dursley shared to fashion the strongest blood wards in order to protect Harry from those who sought to harm him as long as he called his Aunt's house his home. I admit that I did not foresee him falling prey to those people who he depended on for shelter and, thus, am responsible for the abuse that he suffered at his relatives' hands."

The Hufflepuff and Gryffindor heads of house were both deeply disturbed by the headmaster's words. To think that the seemingly infallible headmaster of Hogwarts and widely proclaimed Leader of the Light could make such an egregious mistake was unsettling. For that mistake to have such far reaching consequences for someone that he sought to protect was even more disturbing still. Minerva McGonagall was the first to find her voice to respond to the suddenly haggard looking wizard in the headmaster's robes sitting on the other side of the desk, across from her.

"I remember the day that you left the boy with them. You assured me, against my better judgment, that a life with his relatives would be the best life Harry could have. Did you even know when the boy began to stay with the Tonks family? If you didn't know then that means that Harry could have been kidnapped at any time which is unacceptable, to say the least. If you did know that Harry was gone but decided that 'the Boy-Who-Lived' did not merit a search party then you have much to explain."

Dumbledore looked very uncomfortable because of McGonagall's line of questioning. Unconsciously he glanced over to the table where he kept a number of silver instruments that he had used to monitor Harry's health over the past years. "Minerva, please believe that I always have the best interests of my students at heart. It came to my attention, several years ago, that the blood wards that surrounded Harry's relatives' house had become dormant. Of course, this piqued my interest and I went to investigate. My investigations revealed what you have found to be true and I found myself in a bad situation; I was appalled that my actions had caused such pain for the boy but did not wish to estrange him from the Light side by presenting myself, at a time when his emotions were so raw, to be the reason that he had suffered. I found that the Tonks family had adopted Harry in the muggle fashion and believed that the best way for me to atone for my mistake was to let him live with the people who genuinely desired to take care of him. From what I have heard from the professors, he and young Nymphadora have an extremely close relationship and demonstrate remarkable magical ability."

The Hufflepuff head of house found her voice by the time that Albus finished speaking. "Be that as it may, you should not have kept this type of information to yourself. What if Harry had encountered a Death Eater after he left his relatives' house? In his emotional state he would have believed anyone who said that they would treat him better than his relatives did. He very well could have turned to the dark side and been influenced to hate muggles and fight against those who have caused him pain in the past. You could have been responsible for the rise of the next dark lord!"

The headmaster shifted uncomfortably at the professor's words. His eyes lost their usual twinkle and it was as if his age was finally catching up with him; he took a pained sigh before he responded. "I have been trying to convince myself otherwise for the last few years. I remember Andromeda and Ted Tonks from the years that they spent here as students but couldn't help but wonder if having a Slytherin occupy such an important role in his life would cause Harry to shy away from the Light Side. However, I believe that Harry has chosen to be a warrior for the Light."

Pamona huffed before she dignified Dumbledore's statement with a response. "Consider yourself lucky, headmaster. I believe that it is because of Miss Tonks' influence that Harry is applying himself so thoroughly to becoming an Auror. In fact, I have just promised to give the pair additional lessons so that they would be ready to begin their carreers as Aurors upon finishing their seventh year instead of having to go through the Auror Academy. Perhaps you should consider giving the pair additional lessons in the future also in order to make up for your oversight."

Dumbledore appeared reluctant and chose to redirect the conversation. "Perhaps, I will, but I think it best that he is given the opportunity to be a normal child. Being encouraged to seek power at such a young age could corrupt the boy."

McGonagall gasped at the headmaster's proclamation. "Do you really think that any son of James and Lily Potter could become the next Dark Lord?"

Albus Dumbledore looked out the window and appeared to be viewing scenes from the past. "Harry has shown magical abilities that his parents would have made his parents proud to an extent that I have only seen in a select few witches and wizards. His ability, charisma, and power remind me of a young Slytherin who also was denied the privilege of knowing his parents. Minerva, I'm sure you recall the boy that I am referring to."

Pamona knew Albus well enough to know that he would not be sharing any more information about the Slytherin boy so she decided to let the matter rest. Although she didn't explicitly know who the headmaster was referring to it was logical that the student was the boy who would become the most terrible Dark Lord in history. Cutting her losses, the Hufflepuff head of house thanked the headmaster for taking time out of his dinner to speak with her before making her way down to the Great Hall to take her place at the staff table. From her position, she looked out at her house's table and smiled when she saw Harry and Nymphadora talking animatedly with Neville Longbottom, Hannah Abbot, Susan Bones, and Justin Finch-Fletchley.

Harry and Nymphadora left the Hufflepuff common room feeling elated. The prospect of personal lessons had buoyed their spirits despite the guarantee that the extra lessons would require extra work. The two chattered happily about the different ways that their additional instruction sessions would help them become Aurors. The pair's enthusiasm was contagious and their friends quickly joined in on the banter.

Neville was similarly excited, but for a different reason. Neville had been crushed when Ron Weasley's errant spell had destroyed the wand of his father, Frank Longbottom. However, the destruction of that wand had been a boon for Neville; his father's wand did not suit him and did not work well for him. By obtaining a wand that suited his magical core Neville was quickly able to make up the ground that he had lost during the first week and had dedicated himself to catching up to, and keeping up with, Harry and Nymphadora.

Susan and Hannah were also happy. In true Hufflepuff fashion, the pair was ecstatic that they had made such good friends with the other Hufflepuff first-years during their first week at Hogwarts. Although they spent more time talking to each other than their new friends they made sure to take every opportunity to get to know their classmates more thoroughly. They had even gotten they somewhat shy Justin Finch-Fletchley to join their group.

Neville accidentally knocked a gravy boat over and the Hufflepuffs quickly stepped away from the table in order to escape the wave of gravy that had begun to cascade over the edge of the table like a waterfall. In the confusion there was much pushing and shoving until one of the seventh-year Hufflepuffs took pity on the first-year students and vanished the brown liquid. After thanking the helpful seventh-year, the first-years sat back down and resumed their meal.

Harry had reacted quickly enough that he did not have any of the gravy on his robes but when he sat down he felt an unfamiliar weight in his pocket. He reached his hand into his pocket and found an envelope with his name printed on the front. Before he could open the envelope he heard Susan calling his name. He put the envelope back in his pocket before responding to his fellow Hufflepuff.

"Sorry Susan, what were you saying," Harry asked as he turned his attention back to his fellow students.

"It's ok Harry. I was asking what you thought about the upcoming flying lessons," Susan repeated. "My Aunt was a seventh-year when your dad basically single-handedly won the Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor and I was wondering if his passion for the sport had passed on to you?"

Harry looked at Nymphadora and couldn't help smirking. The Tonks parents had allowed Harry and Nymphadora to fly their brooms on occasion and those times had proved that Nymphadora was as uncoordinated in the air as she had been on the ground before she met Harry. "I enjoy flying but I don't know that I would ever try to join the quidditch team. My goal is to become an Auror; if my goal was to play professional quidditch then I would consider it but I would feel bad taking a spot that could go to someone who really wants to play the sport."

The young Hufflepuffs appeared to be surprised by Harry's declaration however it was Justin who found his voice first. "Do you really think that you could make the team?"

Harry merely nodded giving Nymphadora the opportunity to change the subject. "Dueling is way more exciting than quidditch. Think about how exciting it the dodge portion of Defense Against the Dark Arts is; every move is made for a reason and if you make the wrong move then the consequences can be extreme. I can't wait to begin offensive spells in class!"

The Hufflepuffs nodded in agreement and finished up their dinners before returning to the Hufflepuff common room. The friends bid each other good night and retired to their dorms. After showering, putting on his pajamas, and brushing his teeth Harry went to his dorm room and sat on his bed. The prospect of extra training sessions with his head of house had once again brought a smile to Harry's face. The young boy had just layed his head against his pillow when he realized that he had forgotten to see what was inside the envelope that had been addressed to him and hidden in his pocket during dinner. Harry rose from the bed, doing his best to remain inconspicuous and retrieved the envelope from the pocket of his robe. He took a deep breath before opening the envelope and pulling out a folded piece of parchment. Harry was very impressed with his correspondent's penmanship as he read:

Dear Mr. Potter,

This is the first time I dared to write you.
I'd like to formally invite you to
prove to me that you are not a buffoon.

However, in order for us to dine
you have to prove you can defeat a rhyme.
I doubt you'll be capable at this time
but hopefully soon you'll crack this design.

Our paths are different, yet much the same
you have yet to astound me with your brain.
Once you figure it out then call my name,
after each missed guess your chances will drain.

You have three chances so use them with care.
I'll give you three hints to make sure it's fair.

Most of the time the truth's hidden from view
beneath the façade lies that which is true.
You see only that which I show to you
but I'm more than that, I don't prefer blue.

I don't condone the actions of my peers,
those who let themselves be ruled by their fears.
Don't worry about breaking the ice this year.
I would give you silence rather than jeers.

You'll have three years more to complete this task.
Answer before and I'll take off the mask.
Then we can stay in the sun, while we bask
admire the sky and lie grass.

Sincerely yours, if you can guess my name.
If you can't then divided we'll remain.

Harry read the note several times and could not determine what had prompted the message. He had an overwhelming urge to start naming off the names of girls that could have sent him the note but remembered that he only had three opportunities to correctly guess the name and stopped himself. He promised himself that he would figure who had sent the message to him but, since he had seemingly been allotted three years, he would be on watch for any activity that could alert him to the identity of his correspondent. For the second time that night, Harry laid his head down on his pillow. Thoughts of training forgotten, Harry stewed over the message that he had received. The note was different than other fan letters that he had received in the past; the sender didn't even identify themselves. Instead, they challenged him to figure out who they were and gave him clues to discern their identity. Harry promised that he would figure out the identity of his correspondent by himself before he told any of his friends about the message that he received. Although he was very appreciative of his friends he knew that they would attempt to assist him in figuring out who had sent him the message and, for a reason that he could not identify, he knew that he needed to find the answer for himself.

Harry woke the next morning feeling well rested and ready for the day. In Transfiguration he was able to successfully transfigure his Standard Book of Spells into a shield, much to the delight of his Transfiguration professor. Unfortunately for Harry, before he could even enter the dungeon, where Potions classes were held, he was accosted by Draco Malfoy and his goons, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, in the hallway.

"What do you want, Malfoy," Harry asked briskly.

"Well, well, well look what we have here. It's a loser Hufflepuff, who doesn't know his place. Crabbe, Goyle what should we do about this?" Draco pompously asked his cronies.

The two large Slytherin boys looked at each other, confused as to whether or not Draco actually expected an answer. The question seemed to hang in the air for a few moments longer than a rhetorical question should, so Goyle began to respond only to be cut off by Draco. "Potter, you aren't half the wizard that I am and we'll prove it. Draw your wand!"

"I'm not going to duel you in the corridor, Malfoy. We both know that magic in the corridors, and dueling especially, is not allowed. Besides, with aim as pathetic as yours probably is you won't even be able to hit me," taunted Harry.

"Oh, we'll see about that. Fernunculus!" Draco shouted.

Harry easily dodged Draco's spell. "Was that it, Malfoy? If that's all you can do then you should move out of the way so that I'm not late to class."

"I'll show you, Potter!" Draco flourished his wand quickly and unleashed a series of spells. "Incendio! Flipendo! Petrificus Totalus!"

Harry, who had been standing in the middle of the corridor facing down the trio of Slytherins leaped so that his back was against the wall to avoid the spells that Draco had aimed for where his body was. "Really, Malfoy. Save yourself some embarrassment and let me out of the way so that I can go to class."

"I'm not through with you yet, Potter!" Draco yelled in frustration. "Petrificus Totalus! Flipendo! Incendio!"

Harry rolled away from the wall to dodge Draco's spells and decided to attempt a spell that he had read about in the Tonks library. "Expelliarmus!"

The jet of red light caught Draco by surprise; the Slytherin let out a cry as his wand flew into Harry's out stretched hand. Draco's face was contorted in rage but before he could say anything he was interrupted.

"My, oh my. What do we have here? Mr. Potter you will give Mr. Malfoy back his wand immediately and you have just cost your house 25 points. Get to class before your insolence earns you a detention," the Potions professor drawled.

Harry realized that arguing would get him nowhere. Instead, he followed the professor's instructions and handed the man Draco's wand before continuing down the hallway and walking into the Potions classroom where he promptly took his seat next to his potions partner. Harry was stewing because he had been punished for something that he hadn't done and didn't feel like trying to get the Slytherin girl to open up so the two sat in silence until the professor and Draco entered the classroom.

The professor shot Harry a withering look once he assumed his place at the head of the class. "During the past week you proved that you are not complete dunderheads by brewing Wiggenweld potions. This week you will be responsible for something much more difficult," the man announced while pulling a vial from the sleeve of his robe. "What I have here is an incredibly dangerous potion called Shinobiki; during the Dark Ages it was used by dark wizards to psychologically destabilize their enemies. Eventually, antidotes were found and propagated among the magical population rendering this potion obsolete. You will be responsible for providing me with a suitable antidote to this poison. This is a pass/fail assignment that I severely doubt that the majority of you will pass. However those of you who do pass will find that the knowledge that you gain along the way to your answer is invaluable with regards to future Potions assignments. You will not be expected to brew the antidote that you find but be prepared to present your findings to me during next Tuesday's potion lesson. That is all; class is dismissed and will not meet again until you return to present your antidote." The man then strode out of the room with his cape billowing behind him leaving a surprised group of students in his wake.

After the brief encounter with the Potions Master in the hall Harry had expected the class to be filled with verbal slights and thinly disguised bias. He looked around the dungeon to gauge how his peers were reacting to the Potion Master's declaration and was sure that the look of glee that was on their faces mirrored his own expression. Since the class had been in session for less than two minutes Harry decided that he would get a head start on the project by going to the library. There was a rustling sound next to him and Harry was broken out of his private thoughts as he turned to see Daphne leaving the room. Harry stood and walked toward the door where he was met by the other first-year Hufflepuffs.

"Oi, Harry, can you believe that old bat let us out of class so early," asked Neville with uncharacteristic enthusiasm.

"Honestly, I'm still trying to convince myself that actually happened. After I left Transfiguration I had a little run-in with Malfoy and his goons that resulted in Snape docking Hufflepuff 25 points and him threatening me with a detention. I had expected him to be more venomous toward me during today's class," answered Harry causing his friends to look at him as if he had just sprouted a second head. "Anyway, I'm thinking about heading to the library to get a head start. Do you guys want to come with me?" replied Harry as he glanced at his friends.

Hannah, Susan, and Justin declined after voicing their outrage at their professor's bias and headed back to the common room leaving Neville and Nymphadora to go to the library with Harry. On the way there, Neville almost became a victim of one of Hogwarts' infamous trick stairs but Harry saw the stair go out and was able to warn Neville before the boy's leg got stuck.

Since professor Snape let his class out so early into the period the library was mostly empty except for Daphne and the librarian, Madam Pince. If Daphne was affected in any way by her Hufflepuff classmates appearing in the library she gave no indication. The Slytherin girl's face remained impartial as she turned her attention back to the book that she was reading. Harry, Neville, and Nymphadora decided to split up in order to cover more ground.

Harry walked through the rows of shelves that made up the Hogwarts library and smiled as he ran his fingertips over the books' spines. Harry could practically feel the magical energy that rested beneath the books' covers. Walking along and reveling in the feeling of the magic stored inside of the books, Harry did not realize where his feet had taken him and he found himself in the library's Restricted Section. With each step the magical current that was pulling him seemed to become more irresistible. When he came to a stop he was standing in front of an ancient tome that was covered by a very thick layer of dust. It was apparent that the tome had been forgotten and it looked like it had not been opened in an extremely long time.

Acting under the same compulsion that led him into the Restricted Section in the first place, Harry extended his arm and pulled the ancient tome from the shelf. He swept his hand over the front cover of the book to reveal the words Volutatem Ignis which shimmered in the candle light of the Restricted Section. Harry tried to open the book but yelped and dropped it when a shock wave shot through the nerves on the palm of his left hand, which had been supporting the book, and on the fingers of his right hand which he had used to open the book. Harry brought his hands to his face so that he could see what had caused him such pain. Emblazoned on the palm of Harry's left hand and the tips of each of the fingers on his right hand were symbols that resembled a child's drawing of the sun. However, instead of a solid ball in the center there was a vortex spiraling counter-clockwise surrounded by eight ray-like triangles pointing into the vortex. At the first glance Harry thought that all the symbols were the same but further investigation showed that there were two main differences between the markings on the fingers of Harry's right hand and the larger mark on his left palm; on each of his fingertips the eight triangles, which pointed into from the central vortex on his palm pointed away from the vortex and the smaller vortexes on Harry's fingertips swirled in the opposite direction of the larger vortex on his left palm.

Harry stared at the symbols in shock for several seconds before willing his skin color to change to hide the strange marks. His face became lined with concern when his magic wasn't immediately able to make the symbols disappear. However, he refused to give up and channeled more of his magic toward the symbols on his hands; he was relieved when they started to fade and, in his relief, Harry stopped concentrating on making the symbols invisible. After some experimentation with his marks Harry found that unless he constantly focused on hiding the marks they began to reappear.

Harry mused that he was fortunate that the marks had appeared in relatively inconspicuous spots on his body so he would probably be able to hide the evidence of his rule breaking even if his concentration broke for whatever reason. However, his musing was cut off when the Hogwarts librarian appeared. The buzzard-like woman had heard the book drop was irate that a student would be so careless with a precious piece of literature and that a first year had somehow managed to get past the age line she had finally convinced Dumbledore to draw in front of the Restricted Section. The librarian was so upset that she failed to notice Harry slipping the book that he found into his satchel.

The flustered librarian spent ten minutes ranting about the importance of books before she threatened to ban Harry from the library if she ever witnessed such deplorable behavior from him in the future. Harry apologized profusely and promised the librarian that he would be on his best behavior whenever he was in the library in the future. He had lost track of time and decided that he would unravel the book's secrets when he wasn't on such a tight deadline and wasn't in such a public location. Charms class was due to be starting and Harry did not want to miss the lecture's introduction. Harry was pleased to find that Nymphadora had saved him a seat and he made his way through the charms classroom to sit by his oldest friend.

As he pulled in his chair behind him, Harry began to whisper. "Nymphie, you will never believe what happened to me when I was in the library. Somehow, I wound up in the Restricted Section and found this really old book. I tried to open the blasted thing and it felt as if the book shocked me. Then I looked and saw that the palm of my left hand and the fingers of my other hand had been marked. Check it out," Harry prompted his friend.

At his suggestion the girl leaned closer to Harry and gasped when she saw the marks on Harry's skin. "Wotcher, Harry! That's wicked. Are you ok, besides the marks?"

"Yeah, and as long as I concentrate on them I can keep them invisible," Harry explained in a hushed tone. "If there was anything besides the marks I think I would know."

Nymphadora briefly pondered about Harry's situation before speaking again. "What about the rest of the book? What was it about?"

"I don't know. I accidentally dropped it when it shocked me and Madam Pince kicked me out of the library. It was all I could do to hide the book in my bag; I didn't get a chance to read anything. I was planning to check it out during lunch."

"I have got to see this! As long as I don't wind up with markings like yours, that sounds good to me," Nymphadora replied. "Imagine how mad mum would be if we both came home from our first year covered in strange marks."

Harry gulped when he considered how his adoptive mother would react if she found out about the marks that had appeared on his body, it wouldn't be pleasant. It was then that the charms professor announced that the class would be starting and that they would be learning the Reparo charm. He then went through the motions, as per his custom, before giving his students an opportunity to try the spell for themselves. Nymphadora was able to take advantage of Harry's lack of concentration and, much to his chagrin, she managed to successfully cast the spell before him. On the way down to the Great Hall, Nymphadora's spirits were high as she reminded him in an exaggerated manner that she would still have a place for him by her side: as a sidekick when she was a first-class Auror.

After the pair finished eating they returned to the Hufflepuff common room and, using their metamorphmagus abilities, they changed their physical appearances to resemble a pair of Hufflepuff sixth years so that they wouldn't be questioned. Once they were satisfied with each other's transformation, Harry lifted the ancient tome Volutatem Ignis onto the desk in front of him. This time when Harry tried to open the book he did not feel the shock that he had expected. Instead, he felt the magic that he used to conceal the marks being pushed back despite his efforts to maintain his disguise. Despite Harry's efforts he felt the strange force overwhelming his magic; in response he poured everything he had into overpowering the strange force and felt a strange wind begin to whip around him.

The wind became a vortex as Harry's magic and the magic contained within the book fought for dominance. In moments, the wind was spinning so fast that the rest of the common room became blurred; the only things that Harry could see were the Volutatem Ignis and Nymphadora at his side. Somehow, the young girl managed to combine her magic with Harry's in a desperate attempt to break free from the magical vortex. Unfortunately the additional magic only made the vortex turn faster. After what seemed like an eternity, Harry and Nymphadora reached their limits and could not continue their struggle against the ancient magic. There was a flash of light and the pair lost consciousness. When they finally woke up they would realize that they were a long way away from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

AWitP: The Twists and Turns Along the Way

AN: I had been planning to avoid cliffhangers with this story but I really want to know your reaction to this one. Where do you think the story is going? Where would you like to see it go? No need to vote about who Harry eventually ends up with, I have someone in mind. Feel free to guess who if you want. Please leave me a review they let me know that it's worth it!