Harry Potter and the Boy Who Lived

by The Santi

Harry Potter loves, and is loved by, his parents, his godfather, and his brother. He isn’t mistreated, abused, or neglected. So why is he a Dark Wizard? NonBWL!Harry. Not your typical Harry’s brother is the Boy Who Lived story.

7. Summer At The Hollow

Harry Potter and The Boy Who Lived

Chapter 7

Summer At The Hollow

Homecoming

Ministry of Magic, London, May 30th

Harry landed with a thump at the international Portkey arrival area in the Ministry of Magic.

"Name?" A portly witch asked immediately.

"Harry Potter," he replied, still a little shaken form the trip.

The witch gave him a curious look before she checked her clipboard and nodded her head. "You're early. We weren't expecting you until noon."

"Is that a problem?"

"No," the witch said, "but we will have to charge you an extra three sickles for an early processing fee."

"Well my father was supposed to pay, is there a place I can make a floo call?"

"Of course, behind you and to the left," she replied. "When you're done, go through the double doors and pay at the counter."

Nodding his head, Harry quickly followed the woman's directions and found the floo. He briefly wondered why people weren't leaving through the floo instead of paying before he realized that they probably had been specially spelled so that they could just be used to make calls. "Potter household," he said after sticking his head into the nearest empty fireplace. "Hello? Mum? Dad? Is anyone there?"

A few moments passed before Harry saw his mother's head appear in the fireplace. "Harry? Are you back already? We weren't expecting you for another hour."

"I know, I left a little early. Can you or Dad come and pick me up?"

Lily smiled. "Of course, we'll be there in a few minutes. Where are you exactly?"

"International Portkey Arrivals."

"Alright, we'll see you soon. Love you."

"Love you too, Mum."

Harry stood up and brushed some soot of his robes. After a few minutes spent sitting on a nearby bench, Harry saw the double doors open, and his parents enter.

"Harry," Lily said, giving her son an enthusiastic hug, "how was the trip home?"

Harry grimaced. "Bloody horrible, I hate International Portkeys."

"Language, Harry," Lily chided halfheartedly. "Was it really that bad?"

"Yes. I was stuck spinning like a top for over five minutes. It's a good thing I didn't eat beforehand or else I would have lost my lunch somewhere over Central Europe."

"Well, it's good to have you home," James said, looking a little relieved.

Harry smiled wistfully. "I can't wait to actually get home."

"Well lets give the Ministry its stupid tax and hurry back," James put forth.

After a very brief wait in line, James paid the three galleon tax for receiving a Portkey from Durmstrang, and the three Potters quickly floo'd back home. As soon as Harry was out of the floo grate, he pushed his trunk to the side and collapsed on the couch. "It's good to be home," he replied happily.

"Well I see you're already comfortable." Lily laughed. "Tell us all about your first term at Durmstrang."

"It was great!" Harry replied enthusiastically. "My Charms teacher pretty much assured me that I would be getting an M for my end of the year project."

"I still can't get over that scoring system," James said with a shake of his head.

"I like it," Harry said honestly.

"You say that now, but we'll see what you think about it when your grades come," James teased.

"I think I did alright," Harry said hesitantly. "I struggled in spell creation a little, but I know I passed in everything else."

Lily looked at her son in surprise. He'd never mentioned having any academic difficulties before. "What was so hard about spell creation?"

"Well it's just really complicated, and I had a lot of catching up to do," Harry explained. "First you have to figure out what you want your spell to do. Then you have to decide the type of magic that would best generate that effect whether it's a charm, curse, or transfiguration. After that, you need to try to create the wand movement and incantation. I had no idea how important the wand movement was for spells until I took that class. Did you know that a clockwise twirl is better for transfiguration, but a counter-clockwise twirl is used more in advanced charms?"

"No," James admitted, "I never realized that."

"So it was hard for you to catch up?" Lily asked.

"Very," Harry said seriously. "All that information about the effects different wand movements have were learned during the first term. When I got there, everyone already knew the basics."

Lily frowned slightly. "Didn't the instructor help you to catch up?"

"No," Harry said a little bitterly, "Professor Cherny spends all his time helping the upper years, and he said that he didn't have the time to re-teach the basics to a first year."

"Some teacher," Lily said angrily.

Harry nodded his head in agreement before saying, "He is a good teacher during class, but he just doesn't have the time or patience to help struggling younger students."

"Still," Lilly said disapprovingly, "a professor should make time to help a struggling student, especially one who just transferred."

"I agree," James said.

"Well, I think I passed, so it's not that big of a deal," Harry said sheepishly.

"What did you do for your project?" Lily asked curiously.

"It wasn't all that great. You know how the lumosspell sends out a white light?" Harry asked. After his parents' nodded, he added, "Well my spell lets you choose the color of the light."

"Well that certainly sounds interesting, I wish we could see it," Lily said.

Harry raised his wand and muttered, "Lumos Rojas." The room was soon filled with a reasonably bright red light.

"Harry James Potter! Are you trying to get expelled?" Lily demanded.

"I'm not, though," Harry said with a huge smile. "The ministry won't know I cast the spell."

Lily sagged into her chair as James snickered. "Who told you how they track underage magic?" he asked.

"A friend at school," Harry said cheerfully. "It made a lot of sense after I thought about it. I practiced all kinds of wand magic after I got my wand, but I never got a letter from the Ministry."

"When Nathan finds out, he's going to spend the summer pranking the entire house," muttered Lily.

Harry frowned slightly. His brother would do something like that, and the last thing he wanted was to worry about Nathan pranking him while he studied. Maybe he would just not to mention it to his brother for the time being. If Nathan saw him doing magic, he could just say that Durmstrang didn't have the same restrictions as Hogwarts. "What did you think of the spell?"

"It was very nice. Can you do any other colors?" Lily asked.

"Blue and violet," Harry replied.

"Well that's certainly impressive," Lily commented.

"How long did that take you to make?" James asked.

"Three months," Harry said with a shake of his head. "Like I said, it's a very hard to make sure everything works. If you mess up, there could be really bad results."

"Was your Charms teacher impressed with the Space-Enhancement Charm?" Lily asked.

"I honestly can't believe you were able to cast that as a first year," James said, sounding very proud.

Harry blushed slightly. "Well, he said if my project was just the Space-Enhancement Charm, I would have been in the running for the top mark. I sort of did something else as well though."

"Oh?" Lily asked. "What else did you do?"

"I ended up making a semi-permanent enchantment receptacle," Harry said sheepishly.

"What!" Lily exclaimed. "How?"

Harry winced slightly and rubbed the back of his head where he accidentally burnt a chunk of his hair off while working on one of his receptacles. "A lot of practice,"

"Harry, explain," Lily demanded. "You are far too young to be playing around with that kind of magic. You could have seriously hurt yourself!"

"Well," Harry said nervously, "I was able to get the Space-Enhancement Charm fairly easily, but I needed a way to stop a simple finite from shrinking the room back to normal. I tried enchanting," Lily gasped, paled, and had to sit down on the couch, "but that failed rather spectacularly. So I had to tie the Space-Enhancement Charm to a semi-permanent enchantment receptacle. I bought some receptacles in case I couldn't make one, but I wanted to see if I could do it. It took me forever, but the day before my project was due, I was able to make a very basic one."

Lily grabbed her son's hands and forced him to look her in the eyes. "Harry, please tell me your professor was overseeing this project of yours."

"Of course he was," Harry lied.

"Thank Merlin," Lily said, relaxing a little. "Still, I can't believe you were able to make one. You're not even twelve!"

"Harry, I... that's incredible," James said in amazement. "You definitely inherited your mother's ability with charms."

"He's well beyond my ability, James. I couldn't have done that at his age," Lily replied. "I didn't learn how to make those until I was near the end of my fourth year, and that was with Professor Flitwick's help.

"Professor Kosarev was really impressed as well. He spent several hours showing me how to improve upon the receptacle I made. I think I might be able to make one last for a month or two now. I'm going to try to make one and expand my room," Harry said excitedly.

Lily looked sternly at her son. "Harry, please show me any receptacle you make before you decide to alter your room." Seeing that her son was about to protest, Lily added, "I don't doubt your ability to make them, Harry, but I don't want your room to suddenly decompress around you while you're sleeping."

"Alright," Harry agreed, seeing his mother's point.

"So, Harry, tell us about your friends," James said.

The bright smile that appeared on Harry's face made Lily and James realize that sending Harry to Durmstrang was probably the best thing they could have done for their son. "Well, Viktor was my first friend. He's a few years older than me, but he's really nice, and he's absolutely amazing at Quidditch. I wanted to invite him over for a little bit this summer, but he made it onto his countriy's Junior National team."

"Wow," said James, "he must be good. What country is he representing?"

"Bulgaria. He wants to play professionally, and I think he could do it. He practices every day Dad, literally. There was a blizzard going on outside, and he was running around the Quidditch pitch with a warming charm on him."

Lily shook her head and wondered why anyone would push themselves that hard at Quidditch. "Please don't tell your brother about that."

"Did I mention he dropped two classes after his first year so he could practice more?" Harry asked cheekily.

"Harry James Potter, I forbid you to tell your brother that piece of information," Lily said seriously. "Nathan already has it in his head that he's going to play for England someday. He doesn't need to know the lengths your friend is taking to practice Quidditch."

"I won't tell Nathan, Mum," Harry said. His mother was right; Nathan would try to drop a class to play Quidditch more, and from the look on his father's face, his dad had probably considered it when he was at Hogwarts.

"So who are your other friends besides Viktor?" Lily asked, clearly trying to move the discussion away from Harry's Quidditch-obsessed friend.

"Well, there's Calypso. She's the one who helped me with my Dark Arts project," Harry said as he tried to figure just what was safe to mention about his friend.

"Is she older as well?" Lily asked, slightly concerned that Harry's friends might not be near his age. She didn't want her son growing up faster than he had to, and having older friends would expose him to things he might not be ready for.

"No, she's a first year like me," Harry said, " but she's really smart and an amazing dueler. I haven't been able to beat her yet."

"Really?" Lily asked, surprised. "Even with all that you know from Charms and Transfiguration? I would have thought you would have been the top dueler in your class."

Harry was about to reply that he was the best dueler in his class, until he realized that he really didn't want his parents to ask what Dark Arts class Calypso was in. "She's smart," he said instead. "She took the test to skip her second year of Charms and Transfiguration at the end of the year."

"Oh yes," said Lily, "I remember you wrote once telling me about that."

"Well she certainly sounds like a nice young lady," James said. "Who else do you hang out with?"

"Well, besides Viktor and Calypso, I guess Kira, but she's not really a friend." Harry resisted the urge to snort at that understatement. "She's Viktor's girlfriend and sometimes she comes around. She's alright, but I don't really like her that much. Viktor tells me she's really good at spell creation. When I was having problems in that class, he told me to talk to her, but I didn't. I wanted to see if I could do it on my own," Harry lied, not wanting to say that Kira had told him she had better things to do –"Like going to visit the Isle of Drear and sticking my head inside a Quadapod's mouth"–than help him after he asked her a question during breakfast.

"Well, I'm glad you've got some good friends, Harry," Lily said happily.

"Me too. I do have one question though," James said seriously.

Harry hoped he wasn't going to ask anything else about Calypso, but to his relief his father just asked, "Where is Durmstrang?"

Laughing, Harry said, "Siberia, Dad. Nathan figured that out ages ago."

ooo0000ooo

Midnight Mayhem

Living Room, Godric's Hollow, June 5th

This was it. Only two more spells and his receptacle would be finished. Harry meticulously began the next intricate wand movement, tapping his wand to the quill every so often, causing magical sparks to shoot off of the pulsating object. The amount of magic coming off the quill was palpable, and Harry felt oddly comforted being around so much of his own magic. After a perfect clockwise twirl, Harry pointed his wand at the quill and said, "Liy–"

"LILY, JAMES! ARE YOU THERE?"

"No," Harry practically screamed as his focus was distracted by Professor McGonagall's loud Scottish brogue coming from the floo. Frantically, Harry tried to salvage what work he had done, and he began trying to cancel the last spell.

This was why creating a receptacle was so difficult. If you messed up, even one step, it began a cascading reaction, which canceled out every spell on the object unless you could somehow undo the last spell you cast. Unfortunately, the further you are in finishing a receptacle, the faster the spells are undone, and they gain speed with each spell that is removed. Harry watched as spell after spell left the quill, accompanied by a bright flash of magic. The reactions eventually began unwinding so fast that the quill looked to be permanently glowing. A moment later, it erupted in flames as the collapsing magical reaction became too much for the object to handle.

Groaning in frustration, Harry stood up and walked over the floo. "Hello, Professor," he said somewhat coldly. Honestly, who would call at half-past midnight? The only reason he was still up was because he wanted to finish his project.

"Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked in surprise before recovering her composure. "Harry, I need you to get your parents immediately. A situation has arisen with your brother at Hogwarts."

"Is Nathan alright?" Harry asked, his anger at being interrupted vanishing.

"He's in the hospital wing, and Madam Pomfrey is doing everything that she can at the moment. Please, Harry, I need to speak with your parents," McGonagall said in deadly serious tone that allowed no arguments.

Harry quickly stood up and ran to his parents bedroom. After banging on the door for about a minute, his father came out looking less than pleased. "Harry, what in Merlin's name is it? It's past midnight!"

"Dad, Professor McGonagall is on the floo, she says something happened to Nathan at Hogwarts," Harry said worriedly.

James' face paled. He closed the door, and Harry could hear muffled voices coming from inside his parents' bedroom. Soon enough, his mother and father opened the door, both of them looked decidedly worried.

"Minerva's on the floo?" Lily asked, already heading down the stairs.

"Yes," Harry said.

Lily raced into the living room, giving only the slightest glance at the burnt spot on their mahogany table, before kneeling down, and sticking her head in the floo. After a few minutes, she took her head out and said, "Harry go to bed. Your father and I need to go to Hogwarts."

"What!" exclaimed Harry. "I want to make sure Nathan is alright."

"No!" Lily snapped. "Go to bed, and I'll ignore what you were doing down here tonight," she said, gesturing to the nasty looking black scorch mark on the table.

"But what about Nath–"

"Harry, go to bed. We'll tell you about it tomorrow," James said seriously.

"But–"

"Now!" Lily and James demanded.

"Fine," Harry said unhappily.

He had made it halfway up the stairs when he heard the sound of the floo activating twice, signaling that his parents had left for Hogwarts. It was going to be a long night, and there was no way he would be able to sleep wondering what happened to his brother. Sighing, Harry entered his room and took out another quill. If he wasn't going to be able to sleep, he might as well try to make a receptacle again, at least that might be able to take his mind off his brother for a little while.

ooo0000ooo

Placing Blame

Hogwarts Hospital Wing, June 8th

Three days! It had taken three days for Harry to get permission to visit Nathan in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. Three days of his parents trying to avoid telling him what happened to Nathan. Hearing his parents say "Your brother will be fine" and "Don't worry" did not stop him from worrying at all. The fact that they wouldn't tell him what had happened only made Harry worry more.

The reason Harry hadn't seen Nathan yet was because Dumbledore apparently needed to get the permission of the Board of Governors to let a Durmstrang student visit Hogwarts. According to his mother, Durmstrang had a nasty reputation of stealing the secrets of other magical academies during the late 1500s by sending younger students to 'visit' their relatives at other magical academies. Due to Durmstrang's less-than-stellar reputation, Hogwarts and many other schools responded by making it very difficult for Durmstrang students to enter the grounds.

Stepping through the floo in the traditional blood-red robes of Durmstrang, Harry appeared in the Hogwarts hospital wing.

"Right this way, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey said immediately. Harry nodded his head in appreciation at the lack of small talk. Clearly someone understood that he just wanted to see his brother.

Madam Pomfrey led Harry to the far side of the infirmary where a single bed was closed off in curtains. All around the bed were chocolates, flowers, get well cards, and...a pair of toilet seats? Shaking his head, Harry ignored the bizarre get well gift and allowed Madam Pomfrey to guide him past the curtain to see his brother. Harry was shocked at how pale his brother looked as he lay immobile in the bed.

After a few minutes of staring at his unmoving brother, Harry wiped away a few stray tears and asked, "What happened?"

"Your brother was suffering from lacerations from an overzealous incarcerous spell as well as possessing a few painful bruises, cuts, and burns," Madam Pomfrey explained.

"Why would he need to be in the hospital for three days for burns and cuts?" Harry demanded. "Can't you regrow bones in a matter of hours? Merlin, it shouldn't take more than a few days to regrow and internal organ if you have the right potions on hand. What else happened to him? And why is he unconscious?"

Slightly startled by the young boy's knowledge of medicinal practices, Madam Pomfrey looked distinctly uncomfortable. "Your brother was hit with a dark curse. Fortunately the headmaster arrived in time to intervene, but your parents, the headmaster, and I were in agreement that it was best to give your brother a long term sleep potion so that he would not be in pain when he awoke."

Harry gave the matron a confused look. "Why couldn't you just give him a pain relief potion?"

Turning away from the young boy, Madam Pomfrey said, "I'm afraid I am not allowed to discuss any more of Mr. Potter's condition."

"Then tell me what happened?" Harry pressed angrily. "What caused this!"

"I'm not at liberty to say, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey said, sounding somewhat apologetic. Seeing the anger on Harry's face increasing, Madam Pomfrey said, "While your parents and the Headmaster don't wish for any staff member to worry you, I will say that Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger might be able to give you an idea as to what happened to your brother. I understand that they were both with him that night. It's almost noon, so it would be safe to assume that they would be in the Great Hall having lunch right now."

Harry gave the matron a nod and turned to leave. Before he reached the curtain though, Madam Pomfrey said, "Mr. Potter, you didn't hear that from me, understood?"

Pausing, Harry turned to face Madam Pomfrey. "Hear what, Ma'am? I'm sorry if I didn't catch what you said, but I'm fairly hungry. I think I'll grab a quick bite for lunch."

After making it from the hospital wing to the Great Hall in record time, Harry entered the Great Hall and zeroed in on the Gryffindor table, looking for Ron and Hermione. He found them on the far side of the table, sitting close to the staff table. As Harry began to walk towards his brother's friends, he drew the attention of the Hogwarts population. As he passed the Slytherin table, he saw several students' eyes widen, and he definitely heard them mutter about Durmstrang.

As he passed the staff table, he saw Professor Flitwick look at him with a dejected expression on his face while Professor Snape seemed to be observing him carefully. Harry was just glad his parents, Professor McGonagall, and the headmaster were all in a meeting to discuss Nathan's health. Had they seen the way he was looking at Ron and Hermione, they would have dragged him out of the hall as quickly as possible.

"Weasley, Granger, explain now!" Harry snarled, causing most of the conversation around the Great Hall to stop immediately.

Hermione's head jerked up at the sound of his angry voice, and she seemed incredibly surprised to see him standing in front of her. Ron, on the other hand, simply turned around and looked at his Durmstrang robes in disgust.

Knowing that he didn't have very long before the headmaster or his parents showed up, Harry walked right into Ron's personal space and hissed, "What happened to my brother?" Harry's wand spat out angry looking yellow and violet sparks, and Ron suddenly looked decidedly uncomfortable.

"It was Quirrell," Hermione began rambling. "He tried to steal the Philosopher's Stone. Ron, Nathan, and I went to stop him. Ron was hurt by McGonagall's giant chess set, and there was only enough potion left for either Nathan or me to pass through an enchanted fire. Nathan told me to go back to help Ron, I-I..."

Harry felt himself stagger back a step, and he looked at Hermione with a mixture of shock and disbelief. Glancing up at the staff table, Harry confirmed that Quirrell was indeed missing, but it didn't make sense. Why would Quirrell, the closest thing he had to a friend at Hogwarts, try to kill his brother! There had to be more to the story. Doing his best to ignore what he had been told about Quirrell until he could talk to someone else, Harry turned to Granger and said, "I thought I told you to leave the stone alone! It was Professor Dumbledore's job to protect the stone, not a group of first years."

"Dumbledore was gone! We had to do something," Ron said loudly. "No one would listen to us when we told them the stone was in danger!"

"This is your fault, isn't it!" Harry snapped, momentarily losing control and shoving his wand under Ron's neck, causing the other Weasleys at the Gryffindor table to stand up and point there wands at him. Unconcerned, Harry growled out, "My brother and Granger have more common sense than to do something this monumentally stupid! You on the other hand don't have an intelligent bone in your body!"

"You tell him, Potter," Draco Malfoy shouted from over at the Slytherin table.

As the Slytherin table roared with laughter, Professor Flitwick stood up. "Mr. Potter, release Mr. Weasley at once!"

Reluctantly, Harry complied and Ron quickly ran around to the other side of the table to stand by Hermione.

"So those are your new friends? A bunch of stinking Slytherins? I bet you fit right in with all of them since you're learning the Dark Arts at Durmstrang!" Ron accused.

Lowering his voice, Harry whispered so that only Ron and Hermione could hear him. "I am learning the Dark Arts, Weasley. So you had better watch your mouth around me. Merlin knows you won't be able to stop me if I decided to curse you."

Harry couldn't help but appreciate watching Ron pale in terror. His enjoyment only lasted a moment, however, when he saw that Flitwick and Snape had left the staff table and were standing not a few feet away from him. From the expression on Flitwick's face, Harry's old Head of House had heard every word he had just said to Ron.

"He just threatened me!" Ron said frantically to the professors.

Before Flitwick could say anything, Professor Snape addressed Ron directly. "Mr. Potter no longer goes to school here, Weasley. What would you like for us to do? Take twenty points from Durmstrang?" As most of the Slytherins chuckled, Snape slowly came to stand next to Harry. "Perhaps it would be best if I escorted you out of the Great Hall, Mr. Potter. You seem to be disturbing lunch."

With one final hate-filled glare at Ron, Harry allowed Professor Snape to escort him out of the Great Hall. As he passed the Ravenclaw table, Harry couldn't help but notice the look of shock on all of his former peers' faces. They clearly didn't know what to make of him anymore, and Harry wanted to scream that they never bothered to get to know him in the first place.

"An interesting performance, Mr. Potter," Professor Snape said as soon as they cleared the doors of the Great Hall.

"I'm right that this is Weasley's fault," Harry said defensively. "Nathan didn't do dumb things before he met Ron."

"Perhaps," Snape conceded, "but have you ever considered that maybe your brother has always been such a dunderhead, and it was only your presence that stopped him from taking such idiotic actions?"

"No," Harry admitted.

Snape smirked. "I think you'll find that your brother has much more in common with Mr. Weasley than you wish to think."

"Nathan is nothing like Ron Weasley," Harry said angrily. "He's intelligent–"

"-lazy, obsessed with Quidditch, and a troublemaker," Snape finished.

"My brother is worth a hundred of Ron," Harry said strongly

"Of that I have no doubt. However, that is simply due to the fact that Weasley is that bad, not that your brother is in any way decent," Snape replied without any hesitation.

Not wanting to address Snape's claim, Harry couldn't help but ask, "Is it true? That Quirrell attacked Nathan?"

"Yes," Snape replied. "Your brother foolishly sought out a confrontation with Quirrell while he was attempting to steal the Philosopher's Stone."

"But why would Quirrell try to steal the stone?" Harry asked. That was the part he didn't understand. Quirrell was helping to protect the stone, why would he want to steal it?

Snape took a moment to consider his words before he said, "All the gold you could desire and eternal life is enough too tempt any man. The fact that Quirrell was aware of what the other protections guarding the stone were perhaps made it to tempting an opportunity to pass up. Your brother simply got in his way, and he was very fortunate Dumbledore returned when he did."

"What spell was it?" Harry asked. "Madam Pomfrey said Nathan was hit by a dark curse. What was it?"

"I had a chance to look at your spell chain, Mr. Potter, and I admit I'm rather intrigued by some of the spells you selected," Snape replied.

Scowling slightly at Snape's shameless topic change, Harry somewhat bitterly asked, "Why's that sir?"

"You started the chain as I expected, choosing simple hexes and basic elemental spells that flowed well together," Snape said.

"But?" Harry prodded.

"But then you began alternating between cutting and blasting spells in increasing levels of difficulty to close out the chain."

"So?" Harry asked. "Cutting spells typically end on a slashing motion and blasting spells tend to start with a twirl or twist. The momentum of the slash makes going into either motion very easy and it flows perfectly."

"I once knew someone who had a spell chain that was very similar to yours, Mr. Potter," Snape said slowly. "It was obviously much more impressive and filled with dueling-caliber spells, but they also ended on a series of cutting and blasting spells."

"I can't imagine it's all that rare," Harry pointed out, not understanding his old professor's point. "The spells do go together easily."

"No, that is not rare at all, Mr. Potter, but what is unusual is that you continued to increase the complexity of your curses as the chain drew to a close. Most people like to have a balanced chain so that they don't overexert themselves at any point. By increasing the difficulty of your spells, you allow yourself a smaller margin for error that many would find too risky while in a duel. In fact, I could count on one hand the number of people actually capable of maintaining such a tactic when it is applied to the highest level of dueling," Snape said as they arrived outside of the hospital wing.

"What are you trying to say, sir?" Harry asked, curious as to what his old professor's point was.

"Nothing really," Snape said as he stared intently at Harry. "I just found it a rather strange that you would choose such a method."

As Snape turned to leave, Harry had a horrible thought. Calypso had helped him make that chain. Did Snape somehow know he had help creating it? "Your friend?" Harry asked nervously. "The one who used a chain similar to mine. Who is he sir?"

Snape paused. "I never said it was a he, Mr. Potter, and I don't believe I mentioned that we were friend either."

"Oh," Harry said, not sure what to make of the Head of Slytherin House's final comment. His mother said that Professor Snape liked to talk between the lines, but if he was trying to tell Harry something, that was just down right cryptic. Shrugging, Harry walked into the hospital wing, and immediately saw his parents and Professor McGonagall waiting for him. Neither of them looked at all pleased.

"Mr. Potter! Explain why you took it upon yourself to threaten Mr. Weasley in the Great Hall?" McGonagall demanded a split second before his mother could.

Shaking his head, Harry cursed the day he and his brother met Ron Weasley.

ooo0000ooo

We Lie Because We Love

Hogwarts Hospital Wing, June 8th

"Welcome back, Mr. Potter."

With a muffled groan, Nathan slowly opened his eyes to see the Headmaster sitting on the edge of his bed with a bright smile on his face. All around him were assorted pieces of candy, get well cards, and even flowers. He abruptly noted that he was in the hospital wing. Slowly, the memory of what happened came back to him, and he immediately sat upright. "Sir, the stone! It was Professor Quirrell and...and You-Know-Who, sir!" Nathan said frantically.

"Relax, my boy, please, or else Poppy will have me thrown out," Dumbledore said soothingly. "Do not fear, Quirrell did not manage to get the stone from you. I arrived in time to prevent him from taking it. Though, when I saw the state you were in, I feared the worst."

"You were almost too late, sir, I couldn't have held Quirrell off for much longer," Nathan replied as the memory of Voldemort's face in the back of Quirrell's head crept into his mind.

"Oh my dear boy, no. I was not concerned for the stone, but for you. When I arrived you..." Dumbledore trailed off as a haunted looked spread across his face. "Well I feared the worst."

Several tears fell down Nathan's face and he hung his head. "I-I couldn't let him have the stone, sir. Not when it was him trying to come back to life."

Dumbledore placed his hand on Nathan's shoulder, causing the boy to look up. "A true Gryffindor to your very core Nathan."

"Did you stop him, sir? Is You-Know-Who gone now?" Nathan asked hopefully.

"Call him Voldemort, Nathan," Dumbledore said strongly. "Fear of a name simply increases fear of the person. And, unfortunately, no. When I arrived, I dispatched Quirrell and Voldemort fled. Left with the options of chasing down a specter that I may or may not be able to harm or getting you medical aid, I made the only decision I could have lived with myself making, and I rushed you to the hospital wing. So, yes, while Voldemort is still alive, though, I hesitate to call him that, he is less than a shadow, incapable of affecting the physical plane of existence without possessing another being."

"Will he be able to return, sir?" Nathan asked hesitantly. "Couldn't he just try again?"

Dumbledore removed his glasses and looked deeply troubled. "There are ways, Nathan, yes, but you prevented him from succeeding this time, and should we continue to prevent him, Voldemort might never be able to return."

Trying not to think about Voldemort returning to power, Nathan asked, "What happened to the stone, sir?"

"After speaking with its rightful owner, it has been decided that the stone needs to be destroyed in order to keep Voldemort from ever attempting to gain its power ever again," Dumbledore said solemnly.

"But doesn't that mean your friend, Mr. Flamel, will die?" Nathan asked aghast.

"You know about Nicholas?" Dumbledore asked in surprise. "My, you did go about this properly, didn't you? Yes, Nathan, Nicholas and his wife will die, but while that might seem incomprehensible to one as young as you. For Nicholas and Perenelle, it is merely like going to sleep after a very long day. Now, enough talk about such grim topics. I must alert your parents that you have awakened. I'm sure that your brother will be very pleased to hear of your recovery."

"Harry knows about what happened?" Nathan asked, dreading the answer.

"Yes. I understand he was less than pleased to find out what happened to you. Your brother was here yesterday, and he had a rather loud confrontation with Mr. Weasley in the Great Hall. He seemed to be of the belief that it was somehow young Mr. Weasley's fault that you went after the stone. There was a bit of a confrontation, and I'm afraid I've had to temporarily ban Harry from Hogwarts. After all, I cannot have a student from another magical school threatening to curse one of my students."

Nathan's eyes widened. "Harry threatened to curse Ron?"

"Do not judge your brother to harshly, Nathan. He was, understandably, distressed at the time, and I confess, I played a small role part in furthering his ire. I foolishly sought to abate your brother's fears by telling Poppy to only inform him of the superficial nature of your injuries. The last thing I wanted to do was to tell Harry that you had been severely injured by a man possessed by Lord Voldemort. Unfortunately, in my haste to protect Harry form the truth, I overlooked something very important."

"What sir?" Nathan asked curiously.

"That your brother is an incredibly intelligent young man," Dumbledore replied. "Harry quickly called Poppy out for not telling him the whole truth, and when she revealed that she was unable to tell him much more information, he went about the castle looking for Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger. The story about what happened between you and Professor Quirrell has made its rounds among the student population, though the true nature of who was behind the deed is not. As you can tell by the number of get well tokens, it was not difficult for Harry to deduce what happened. Do not worry on it, Nathan. I'm sure it was simply out of fear for your condition that led your brother to such actions. Harry cares a great deal about you."

"He told me not to go after the stone," Nathan admitted.

"And yet, had you not, there is a chance Quirrell would have solved the mystery of the Mirror of Erised and Voldemort would have returned to power," Dumbledore said gravely.

"So I did the right thing?" Nathan asked hopefully.

"In life, Nathan, there are very few times when there is a definitive right or wrong," Dumbledore said wistfully. "All that we can truly control is whether we are good or evil. Your actions in regard to the stone were firmly on the side of good, and, therefore, I believe you did right, my boy. Your brother might not understand why you put yourself at such a risk, but someday he will realize that it is often harder to do what one considers right than to do what is easy."

Nathan nodded his head, pleased that Dumbledore believed he did the right thing. "Thank you, sir."

"You are welcome, my boy," Dumbledore said kindly before looking sadly at the boy in front of him. "I was going to wait to ask this of you when you parents arrived Nathan, but I suppose it would be best if I simply do so now."

"Sir?"

"Outside of a few trusted individuals, you, your parents, and I are the only people who know Voldemort is still alive, and, after speaking with your parents, we believe it would be in your brother's best interest to not know of Voldemort's role in this ordeal."

"What?" Nathan asked in shock. "Why?"

Dumbledore turned away from Nathan and gazed out of a nearby window. At first Nathan thought Dumbledore wasn't going to answer him, but, after a moment, Dumbledore quietly said, "There are few times when I have been utterly fooled in my life Nathan, but Voldemort succeeded in doing so this year. The fact that he was able to possess one of my teachers for most of the year..."

"It wasn't your fault sir," Nathan said adamantly, "Everyone thought he was dead, and we stopped him! He didn't get the stone."

"Yes Nathan, we did indeed stop him from achieving his goal, but Quirrell did a lot more than just plot to capture the stone." Dumbledore looked particularly pained as he turned back to Nathan. "Among my many foolish actions this year, I count not reaching out to your brother as among the most severe. While I felt it was my duty as a Headmaster to keep my distance from you and Harry this year, I should have recognized the problems your brother was having. Had I known or perhaps seen the level of magic he commanded, maybe it would have stopped Harry from going to Quirrell for help."

Nathan looked at Dumbledore in shock. "Sir," he said hesitantly, "what do you mean he went to Quirrell for help?"

"After I defeated Quirrell, I asked Professors Snape and McGonagall to search his quarters for anything that might reveal information about Voldemort to us. Inside of a journal, Severus found several entries relating to the personal tutoring he gave to Harry in the Fall. It seems after numerous professors refused to give advanced lessons to your brother, Quirrell stumbled upon Harry practicing by himself in an unused class room. While we are not certain of his motivations, Quirrell began periodically tutoring Harry in various fields of magic."

With a look of dread on his face, Nathan asked, "Do you mean Harry was being trained b-by Voldemort?"

"We don't know Nathan." Dumbledore said rubbing his temple tiredly. "It is possible that Voldemort only possessed Quirrell after the Christmas holiday for failing to capture the stone in the fall; however, I doubt we will ever be certain."

"Is that why Harry wanted to transfer?" Nathan suddenly asked hopefully. "Did Quirrell put a spell on him? Can he come back to Hogwarts?"

"No," Dumbledore said emphatically, causing Nathan's hopeful expression to falter, "I would have sensed any overt magical influences on your brother when we discussed the situation at Christmas, and your mother has already informed me that she could find no lingering passive magic that might have been used on him. Furthermore, according to your parents, Harry has been nothing but happy about his experience at Durmstrang. He has built several friendships and has expressed nothing but his enjoyment with the school."

With a confused look on his face, Nathan said, "I still don't understand why we shouldn't tell Harry the truth."

"Nathan," Dumbledore sighed, "the truth is a wonderful, yet dangerous thing. Your brother is already dealing with the fact that one of the few people he was close to at Hogwarts nearly killed you. Your parents and I agree that Harry does not need to know he was likely manipulated in some manner by Lord Voldemort. It would only serve to increase the guilt he already feels. So, I ask you again Nathan, please do not tell your brother about Voldemort.

"I still think Harry deserves to know, sir," Nathan said solemnly, "but I won't tell him."

"Thank you Nathan. Now, I had best alert your parents that you have awakened."

ooo0000ooo

Homecoming Part Two

King's Cross, London, June 20th

"Why does Hogwarts make its students stay at the school for an entire week after the exams are over?" Harry asked.

"It's a time to decompress and say goodbye to your friends," James explained.

"But they lose a week of summer vacation," Harry pointed out.

"Well they also don't release the students until they have the exam results for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th years finished," Lily added.

Harry looked at his mother in disbelief. "So they force the students to stay an extra week just because they want to tell them how they did before summer vacation?"

"Well, I, for one, like it," Mr. Granger said. "I know Hermione would have been pacing the floor waiting for her exam results. This way she can actually relax a little."

"I suppose the waiting is a bit nerve racking," Harry admitted.

"You still don't have your scores? Haven't you been finished for almost a month now, Harry?" Mrs. Granger asked.

"Yes, but Durmstrang has more students than Hogwarts, and often the professors have a difficult time deciding who should be considered the top in each class." Harry explained.

"Your mother told us how your school's scoring system differed from Hogwarts. Which do you prefer?" Mr. Granger asked.

"Durmstrang, definitely," Harry said certainly. "The professors don't worry about keeping a struggling student afloat. If they can't keep up, they don't advance and slow the rest of the class down."

"That's rather cruel to the students who aren't as gifted," Mrs. Granger said disapprovingly.

"Then they shouldn't go to Durmstrang," Harry said sounding unconcerned. "Odds are they know what the system is like, and their parents chose to enroll them there. They could have easily sent their kids to Beuxbatons or one of the lesser known magical academies."

"I suppose when the students and parents know what they are getting into from the start, it is sort of hard to argue," Mr. Granger said as the Hogwarts express pulled up.

"Oh heavens, we aren't late, are we?" Mrs. Weasley asked bustling over with Mr. Weasley and Ginny.

"No, Molly, the train arrived just a moment ago," Lily said.

"Oh, thank Merlin. Arthur was tinkering in his tool shed again, and I didn't notice the time," Molly said, shaking her head in exasperation.

Mr. Weasley immediately walked over to Dan Granger. "Dan, it's good to see you again! Tell me, what is the purpose of a rubber duck?"

As Mr. Weasley began asking the Grangers various questions about his latest Muggle obsession, Harry saw the express doors open and several students start to exit. Turning to his father, Harry asked, "See him yet?"

"No, but that's not a surprise." James chuckled. "Knowing your brother, he's probably going to be the last one off the train."

The first of the Weasleys to arrive was Percy. The prefect looked disdainfully at Harry when he saw him, and Harry rolled his eyes at the over serious boy. The twins, Fred and George, arrived next. They both subtly attempted to jinx Harry's shoelaces to tie themselves together, but Harry caught on and easily reversed it. He made a note to curse the twins at some point in the future for trying to humiliate him in public.

Finally, Nathan, Hermione, and Ron got off the express along with Neville Longbottom, who looked like he was having a difficult time controlling his toad. Harry saw Neville splinter off and go towards an imposing woman wearing a large vulture hat while Ron, Hermione, and Nathan made their way over.

Harry was amused to see Ron glare at him when the boy saw him. Harry wanted nothing more than to mock the redhead, but his parents had strictly forbidden him from arguing with Ron if he wanted to greet his brother on the platform. Not that Harry would pick a fight surrounded by all of Ron's brothers, he might be at Durmstrang now, but he was still a Ravenclaw, and he certainly had better sense than to do something that stupid.

"Potter," Ron said icily.

Harry simply ignored the cold greeting. Ron Weasley was hardly worth responding to anyway. Instead he greeted his brother with a smile and said, "Well you're looking better than the last time I saw you."

Nathan looked uneasily between Ron and his brother for a moment. "Well, yeah, you know, Hospital Wing and all."

Harry could see how tense his brother was. Clearly, Ron had gotten to Nathan and told him all sorts of exaggerated stories about how Harry had threatened to kill him with Dark Magic or some such rubbish. He'd have to set the record straight with his brother when they got home. He wouldn't have Ron Weasley causing a rift between him and his brother.

"So, how was Siberia?" Nathan asked, letting a smile cross his face for the first time.

Harry smirked. "Cold, dreadfully cold."

"Oh, there is no way that you go to school in Siberia," Hermione said exasperatedly.

"How do you know?" Harry challenged.

"Because it's not possible," she argued right back.

"Would you have said magic was possible two years ago?" Harry asked curiously.

Hermione looked ready to explode with facts proving her point when her father patted her on the shoulder and said, "He's teasing you, dear. Trust me, let it go. Now say goodbye to your friends, we really have to be off."

Harry watched impassively as Hermione hugged both Ron and Nathan before emphatically making them promise to write her. Eventually, Mrs. Granger managed to pull the girl away after telling her that she and Lily had already spoken about getting together over the summer.

With the Grangers gone, Harry immediately asked, "Are we ready to go?"

"I think so," Lily said. "Nathan, say goodbye to Ron. We have to be off."

Soon enough, Harry saw his brother step away from Ron and make his way over towards the rest of his family. When he arrived, James offered them all the Portkey. Together, the Potters all grabbed a piece of the small bit of spare parchment. A moment later they were gone.

ooo0000ooo

A Necessary Revelation

Living Room, Godric's Hollow, July 13th

After nearly three weeks, Harry had decided to give up. There was no reason, other than sheer greed, that Harry could think of for Quirrell to attempt to steal the Philosopher's stone. Harry could even understand why Quirrell would succumb to the temptation. The thought of eternal life and all the money you could ever desire was incredibly desirable, even to an eleven year old. No, if Quirrell was just going to steal the Philosopher's Stone, Harry could, and would, have understood. But Harry would never understand why Quirrell would want to kill Nathan. The only possible conclusion Harry had drawn is that Quirrell had been surprised by Nathan, and had assumed it was a professor who was about to catch him. Why else would he send a dark curse at his brother when a memory charm would work just as well to cover his escape.

Harry would always appreciate all that his former professor had done for him, but he would never be able to forgive the man for trying to kill his brother. Since it was now near impossible for Harry to think about Quirrell without at least a dozen conflicting emotions, he did the only thing he could; he vowed not to think about the man. As far as Harry was concerned, nothing important happened during his first term at Hogwarts. His education had begun at Durmstrang, Hogwarts was irrelevant.

Just as Harry thought of Durmstrang, a magnificent great horned owl landed outside Harry's window, displaying a letter with the Durmstrang crest. Harry quickly opened his window, and the owl fluttered inside. Once the letter was removed, the owl turned and flew back outside.

Harry hesitated before taking a deep breath and opening the letter.

Dear Mr. Potter,

Congratulations, your academic scores for your first year have been judged, and you will be allowed to continue your education at the Durmstrang Institute of Magic.

Please note that classes begin on the 26th of August. This letter will function as a Portkey to take you to Durmstrang; however, it will only be active between the 20th to the 25th of August. Should these dates prove problematic for you, please contact us no later than the 31st of July. Activation word is 'Minsk.'

Sincerely,

Demetri Überzeug

Assistant to the Highmaster

Harry quickly flipped to the next page of the letter and glanced at his scores. With a whoop of excitement, Harry raced out of his room and went downstairs. Spotting his mother reading a potions magazine on the couch, Harry excitedly said, "Mum, my grades from Durmstrang arrived!"

Lily looked up and put her magazine to the side. "Oh, good. Let me see how you did Harry."

Harry immediately handed over his score card.

Charms: M
Dark Arts: J

Herbology J

History of Magic: J

Potions: J

Spell Creation: J

Transfiguration: J

Mr. Potter you have passed all of your classes, and you have been cleared to take Fourth Year Charms and Transfiguration, Third Year Dark Arts, Herbology, History of Magic, and Potions, and Second Year Spell Creation.

"Harry, why does this say you're going to be going into your third year Dark Arts class?" Lily asked cautiously.

"Oh, um, well, that's because I am," Harry admitted. "I tested out of second year Dark Arts."

Lily looked at her son, concern evident in her eyes. "I think you need to get your father, Harry. He's outside playing Quidditch with Nathan and your uncle Sirius."

"Mum, it's not that big of a deal, really," Harry said, trying to placate his mother.

"Harry, go get your father. We need to discuss this," Lily said seriously.

With a sigh, Harry left the living room, and went outside where three small Quidditch hoops were in place. He saw his uncle Sirius playing keeper as his father and Nathan took shots on him with the Quaffle.

"Dad, Mum sent me out here to get you!" Harry called out to his father, who quickly flew down and dismounted his broomstick.

"Did she say what it was about?" asked James.

"Yes," Harry said uncomfortably.

James grinned slightly. "Well, are you going to tell me before we go inside?"

"It's about my grades from Durmstrang," Harry said, trying to be as vague as possible. It had taken a while for Harry to convince Nathan that Ron had exaggerated the threat he made in the Great Hall, and Harry really didn't need Nathan overhearing that he was actually jumping a year in the Dark Arts.

Entering the house, Harry led his father into the living room where his mother was waiting.

"What's this about, Lily?" James asked curiously. "Harry said it had something to do with his grades?"

"Read that," Lily said handing him Harry's scorecard.

James scanned the document quickly and smiled. "Congratulations, Harry, this is a tremendous scorecard. First in your class in third year Charms!"

"James, it's not Harry's scores I'm concerned about. Read what classes he is eligible to take next year." Lily said pointing at the bottom of the page.

Doing as his wife instructed, James made it to the second line before he asked, "Third year Dark Arts? Why aren't you going to be in your second year?"

"I tested out of it," Harry answered.

James looked initially perplexed at the idea of his son wanting to jump a year in the Dark Arts before a dark and slightly nervous look crossed his face. He turned to look at Lily, who nodded her head slightly, showing that she feared the same thing as her husband.

When Lily and James were first told that Harry was receiving personal, private, tutoring from the man possibly possessed by Lord Voldemort, they had promptly panicked. It had taken a series of powerful calming charms from Dumbledore to get the two concerned parents to calm down, and, fortunately, between Dumbledore, Lily, and James, they were able to discern that Quirrell had not cast any lasting or passive magic on Harry. Still, Harry showing a sudden interest in dark magic was something that set off alarm bells for both Lily and James. Regardless of Dumbledore's assurances that Harry had not shown any signs of mental manipulation by Voldemort or Quirrell, the thought of the dark lord implanting a subtle command into their son with mind magic terrified them.

Hesitantly, James turned to his son and asked, "Harry, be honest, why did you want to skip a year in the dark arts?"

"How would you feel if some random first year suddenly showed up halfway through the year and became one of the best students in third year Charms and Transfiguration?" Harry asked

"I'd probably be a little jealous," James said slowly. "Are you saying that some of the older kids didn't treat you well?"

"A few cornered me after a Transfiguration class once," Harry admitted, "but Viktor showed up and they left me alone."

"What do you mean they cornered you?" Lily demanded, suddenly nervous for her son's safety at Durmstrang.

Shuffling uncomfortably Harry said, "They were upset that Professor Rosemburg seemed to favor me. If Viktor hadn't shown up when he did, they probably would have cursed me."

James scowled. "Why didn't you mention this before?"

"What would you and Mum have done if I told you, Dad? You barely let me go to Durmstrang at all. If I had written a few weeks into the school year that some older students were threatening me, you would have put me back into Hogwarts," Harry argued.

"Harry, we want to know what is happening to you. You could have been seriously hurt. Did these boys threaten you again?" Lily asked fearfully.

"Who threatened you?" Nathan asked as he and Sirius entered the living room looking concerned.

"Just some older students at Durmstrang," Harry said hesitantly.

"What! Why?" Nathan asked immediately.

"They didn't think that a first year should make a bunch of second and third years look bad in class," Harry said honestly.

"So they cursed you!" Sirius said angrily. "I hope you got them back."

"They didn't curse me. My friend showed up and stopped them before they could," Harry explained. "Still, I knew that I got lucky and that Viktor wouldn't always be around to help me. If the older kids in the class really wanted to curse me, they would have eventually been able to."

"So that's why you started learning more curses? To defend yourself?" James asked, not liking what his son had been forced to do.

Harry nodded. "Calypso asked me to help her test out of second year Charms and Transfiguration, and I asked her to help me skip second year Dark Arts. I didn't want to get cornered by a bunch of older students and not be able to defend myself."

"So...you must have learned a lot of dark spells to skip an entire year," Nathan said hesitantly.

"Merlin! Durmstrang isn't nearly as bad as everyone says it is," Harry ranted. "My first year Dark Arts class was very similar to Hogwarts, except that some students were chosen to duel at the end of every class. It's not like the professors are trying to turn us all into a bunch of miniature Death Eaters or future Dark Lords."

"Harry, typically reputations as well established as Durmstrang's have a legitimate reason behind it," Lily pointed out. "Your first few years might not include a lot about the Dark Arts, but what about as you advance? The class is called the Dark Arts, Harry, not Defense Against the Dark Arts. Even you must admit that eventually they will likely start teaching you some questionable magic. Your father and I abhor the Dark Arts, and I don't like the thought of you pushing yourself towards learning them."

"So, I should just let myself get cursed?" Harry asked sarcastically.

"Harry, don't put words in my mouth," Lily said sternly. "You could have simply read ahead and learned some spells to defend yourself. You didn't have to test out of your second year class."

"But that wouldn't help me," Harry argued.

"Why not?" asked Sirius.

"I needed to let the older kids know that I'm not someone they can just push around or contemplate cursing on a whim," Harry said stubbornly.

Lily looked skeptical. "Harry, I don't think a fifth year is going to care all that much about whether you're in your second or third year class. They would still know far more magic than you."

"Well, you're right, Mum," Harry admitted, "but the only older kids I needed to worry about are the second, third, and fourth years. There were a few fifth years who didn't like me, but most the fifth, sixth, and seventh year students don't even bother to notice the younger students. Calypso says they are typically too busy working on long-term projects or concerned about other older students to be bothered with a first, second, or third year. So you see, skipping a year in the Dark Arts, actually helps me sends a message to the second, third, and fourth years that I'm not someone that they should mess with."

"Harry are you saying you skipped a year just to intimidate the other students at Durmstrang?" James asked disapprovingly.

"Well, as soon as they heard what I was planning on doing, I wasn't bothered again." Harry said, defending his actions.

"Did you really feel that was necessary, Harry?" Lily asked. "Were you that concerned about the kids in your class trying to hurt you?"

Harry knew that he had to give a good response, but it wasn't like he could say, 'Oh yeah, Mum, Dad did I forget to mention the day I spent in the hospital wing recovering from a Bone Breaking curse?' Instead he said, "I wasn't that worried about them, but it was still something I thought about, and I didn't want to worry at all about the older kids cursing me. I just wanted to have fun with my friends and learn magic, Mum."

"Well, I think you did the right thing," Sirius said.

"What?" James and Lily asked in surprised.

"Oh come on, James. Imagine you are Harry, and you're in a class filled with a bunch of jealous berks who are envious of your talent. If Harry had just learned spells to defend himself on his own, they would have tried to curse him again, and Harry would have taken them off-guard with some advanced spells. That would have just made them madder, and the next time they attacked him, they would have been ready. By making it known that he was skipping a year in the Dark Arts, Harry made sure everyone knew that attacking him would be a risk. So instead of all the older kids being surprised and mad that they were beat by a first year, Harry made them all wary to attack him in the first place. When you think about it, Harry did what was necessary to avoid a fight," Sirius explained.

James and Lily looked at each other, both their faces showing genuine surprise. "Sirius, that was insightful… are you feeling alright?" James teased.

"I suppose when you put it that way, Sirius, it is hard to argue," Lily admitted. "I just don't like to see you moving too far ahead in the Dark Arts, Harry."

"I understand. I'm not going to try to move ahead in that class anymore," Harry said honestly.

Lily and James shared a look with one another before nodding their heads in acceptance, both desperately hoping their son was being honest with them.

ooo0000ooo

Proud Parents and The Unexpected Gift

Living Room, Godric's Hollow, July 31st

"So if you don't have a good final project, you can fail a class, and they don't even give you the opportunity to retake it?" Hermione asked, aghast.

"Sometimes you're given the opportunity to retake a class, but it's very rare," Harry responded. It was his and Nathan's birthday, and while the Potters, Remus, and Sirius had a private party for just the family earlier in the day, the Grangers and the Weasleys had been invited for dinner that evening. Nathan was out showing the small Quidditch pitch behind the house to Ron, and Hermione had spent the last twenty minutes grilling Harry about the differences between Hogwarts and Durmstrang.

"And why don't you take Astronomy?" Hermione asked.

"It's an elective you can choose to take at the start of your third year," said Harry, "but Spell Creation is seen as a much more important class at Durmstrang. I personally agree. While Astronomy is useful for Potions and Herbology, Spell Creation incorporates aspects of Charms, Defense, and Transfiguration."

"Learning how to create your own spells does sound fascinating," Hermione said wistfully. "Do you think I could borrow your book? You'll be getting a new one for next year, right?"

"Sorry, I'm going to hold onto it, Hermione. A friend of mine told me that the book for next year assumes you remember a lot from the first year book, so it doesn't repeat a lot of things. I was late entering the class so I still need to practice memorizing a lot of the reactions and effects different wand movements have on spells. Maybe next year I'll be able to let you borrow it."

Hermione looked annoyed, but she quickly recovered and said, "Your Mother told mine that you managed to create some really impressive object for your Charms class. What was it?"

"I could tell you what it is, or I could show you what it does," Harry said, a grin appearing on his face.

"Show me," Hermione replied immediately.

"Lets get your parents. I think my mum said your parents wanted to see it as well," Harry commented as he and Hermione walked over to where the adults were talking.

"Mum," Hermione said quickly, "Harry is going to show me the project he did to earn him the top spot in Charms at Durmstrang. He said you might want to see it as well?"

"Oh, yes," Mrs. Granger said. "Your mother was very excited when she told me about your project Harry, but I admit I couldn't quite understand the concepts she was talking about."

"What is it you're going to be showing them Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked curiously.

Harry smirked. "I don't want to ruin the surprise for Hermione."

Surprisingly, Harry didn't mind talking to Hermione. She was smart, and, unlike Ron, she didn't accuse him of being a dark wizard just for going to Durmstrang. She had asked a few questions about the difference between his Dark Arts class and Hogwarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts class, but after that she had simply let the issue slide and asked other questions about his new school.

"Oh, let me get your mother, Harry. I know she'll want to brag about how brilliant her son is. I know Dan and I enjoy telling everyone how Hermione finished first in her year at Hogwarts," Mrs. Granger said, causing Hermione to blush.

"Do your parents really tell their friends about Hogwarts?" Harry asked in alarm.

"What? Oh no, don't worry, they don't actually say Hogwarts." Hermione laughed slightly at the thought of her parents telling their friends about their daughter the witch. "Mum and Dad tell everyone I go to an exclusive boarding school for the gifted in Scotland and that because some of the students are the children of diplomats they can't discus much about it. Apparently, that is what all Muggles are supposed to say when anyone asks about Hogwarts."

"Harry, I hear you're going to be showing the Grangers your room," Lily said with a smile.

"Your room?" asked Hermione curiously.

"Just wait until you see it," James said joining the group and standing next to his wife, "I couldn't believe he was able to do it."

"What did he do, James?" Arthur asked.

"Why don't we let Harry show everyone," Lily said proudly.

Doing his best to hide his blush, Harry led everyone upstairs and stopped outside his room. Opening the door, Harry walked inside and was quickly followed by Hermione who looked somewhat surprised. "This is a lot bigger than Nathan's room," she said, sounding somewhat disapprovingly at a perceived favoritism for Harry.

Lily smiled proudly. "It didn't use to be. Harry and Nathan's rooms were the exact same size at one time."

"What do you mean?" Mr. Granger asked.

"Harry used a Space-Enhancement Charm on all the walls to make his room larger," James explained.

Molly's eyes widened in surprise. "You managed a Space-Enhancement Charm as a first year?"

"I'm entering fourth year Charms this next term at Durmstrang," Harry said a little cockily.

"Fourth year? But you're only twelve!" Molly said in shock. "Lily, James, how is that possible? He should be a second year like his brother, Ron, and Hermione."

"One of the reasons Harry wanted to go to Durmstrang, Molly, was because they allow students to move up in year levels if they can handle the material. Harry took a test before starting Durmstrang and they placed him in third year Charms and Transfiguration last year," Lily explained, sending a proud smile at her son.

"You're really going into your fourth year for Charms and Transfiguration?" Hermione asked in amazement. "Why didn't Nathan tell me that! I bet you know a lot of advanced material. How did you cast the Space-Enhancing Charm? Is it difficult? Is there a good book that explains it?"

"Yes, I'm really entering my fourth year for Charms and Transfiguration. I don't know why Nathan didn't mention it. Yes, I know a lot of advanced Charms. No, the Space-Enhancement Charm is not difficult. And yes, I know a very good book that describes it, but it's written in German," Harry replied, answering each of Hermione's questions.

"German? They don't have books in English at Durmstrang?" Hermione asked.

"No, all the classes are taught in German, and students are all required to speak German at all times," Harry explained.

"So you speak German?" Hermione asked. "Was it hard to learn?"

"Ja,"Harry replied cheekily.

"Harry, show the Grangers and the Weasleys what got you the top spot in Charms," James said.

Hermione looked confused. "It wasn't the Space-Enhancement Charm?"

"No, the Professor said I would have been one of the top students and certainly been in the running for the top spot if that's all I did, but I did something else that guaranteed me the number one spot." Harry answered as he walked over to small brown dresser that was next to his bed. Opening the top drawer, Harry carefully removed a quill.

"This," Harry said proudly, "is what earned me the top spot in Charms."

"A quill?" asked Mr. Granger.

"It's a semi-permanent enchantment receptacle," Lily said, beaming at her son. "He made it."

"Impossible," Mrs. Weasley said immediately.

"I assure you, Molly," James said with an air of authority, "Harry made it."

"What does it do?" Hermione asked, looking at the quill very intently.

"What do you think would happen if you charmed a room to expand and then someone came in and cast a finite at the walls, Hermione?" Lily asked.

"They would go back to normal," Hermione replied.

"Exactly. There are two ways to stop a spell like finite from causing the room to shrink back to normal," Lily lectured. "You can enchant the room and make it permanently larger, or you tie the spell into an object, and the canceling spell would have to be directed at the object to return the walls back to a normal size."

"Finite," James said, pointing his wand at the wall.

When the room didn't immediately start shrinking, Hermione now realized just what the purpose of the quill was. "So that quill is what is stopping the room from shrinking around us? And you made that?"

"You've just turned twelve, Harry," Arthur said in astonishment, "how in Merlin's name did you manage to make it?"

"Is it very difficult?" Mr. Granger asked.

"I had to make one for the practical portion on my Charms O.W.L. examination," Arthur said bluntly, causing Hermione gasp.

"You cast a O.W.L. level spell as a first year," Hermione said in amazement.

Harry could only shrug his shoulders and grin while the Weasleys and Hermione appeared to be in awe at his ability.

"It wasn't easy," Harry said, "and I messed up a lot. My friends could give you a very impressive list of the different ways I managed to screw up."

"Can you show me how to make one? Well, I know you can't show me because of the underage restriction, but surely you have a book on it? Or is it written in German as well?" Hermione asked growing more and more dejected as she asked more questions.

Before Harry could answer any of Hermione's questions, Nathan entered the room. "Hermione, you really shouldn't be in Harry's roo– er, Harry why is everyone in your room?" Nathan asked, looking at all the adults that were standing around.

"Nathan Potter, why didn't you tell me your brother had already passed his third year in Charms and Transfiguration?" Hermione demanded.

"It didn't exactly come up," Nathan replied, suddenly realizing just how much trouble he was probably in with Hermione.

"Leave Nathan alone, Hermione, it is his birthday after all," Mrs. Granger said trying to quickly calm her daughter. "I'm sure you can make him suffer for not telling you another time."

Hermione sent a glare at Nathan that promised lots of letters and questions before saying, "Where's Ron?"

Relieved that Hermione was agreeing to put off his eventual scolding, Nathan said, "Downstairs eating another slice of cake."

"I swear, all that boy thinks about is food and Quidditch," Hermione huffed.

Harry was about to agree when a midnight black eagle owl flew in from his open window, landed on a chair, and lifted its leg, showing it held a letter and a small wrapped package.

"Mr. Popular," Lily teased as another owl entered the room, this one carrying a slightly larger package with it.

"It would certainly seem so," James said. "A little young to have so many admirers, aren't you, Harry?"

Ignoring his father's attempt to embarrass him, Harry quickly went to the two owls and removed what he assumed were birthday presents.

Opening the letter from the first owl, Harry immediately recognized the sharp, precise, penmanship of Calypso.

Harry,

Happy Birthday! I hope it's been a wonderful day for you so far.

Just so you know, I'm going to be in England for most of August. Father has sent me to visit my cousin, and I'm supposed to be taught how to act like a proper witch by my aunt. I doubt we'll be able to see each other before we go back to Durmstrang, but at least our correspondence won't take so long now.

For your birthday present, I'm sending you a complete copy of the spells that my father had me practice last summer and this summer. Hopefully it'll help you get ready for your Dark Arts class. The notebook is written in English, so unless you want to have another 'the dark arts aren't evil' conversation with your parents, I'd keep the book away from them.

Hope to hear back from you soon and, again, happy birthday,

Calypso

Harry put the letter down, took the small package, and unwrapped it. Sure enough, there was a small leather bound notebook inside.

"Whatcha get?" Nathan asked peering over his brother's shoulder.

"Just a book from a friend of mine," Harry commented nonchalantly.

"What kind of book?" Hermione asked interestedly.

"The kind that's written in German," Harry lied.

"Surely there are charms to translate a book into English," Hermione demanded.

"There are, Hermione, but they just aren't that reliable," Lily said in sympathy, "and you really don't want an incantation or wand movement to be translated wrong. The results could be very bad for the caster if it's translated improperly. I'm sure someone could create a better translation charm, but there is little demand for it since the language charm makes learning a language very easy for wizards."

"I thought you said learning German was hard," Hermione accused Harry, who was trying to relieve the other owl of its package.

"Hermione, the language charm requires you to be almost completely immersed in the language for it to work properly," Lily explained. "If it wasn't for Headmaster Dumbledore speaking to Harry in German, he would have had to go to Durmstrang without knowing a word of it."

"So I can only learn German if I can find someone who already speaks German?" Hermione asked, disappointed.

"You could always learn the hard way, without the language charm," Lily said with a smile.

"So who's this one from?" Nathan asked picking up the other parcel.

"I don't know," Harry admitted. He had already gotten an owl from Viktor earlier in the day, and he seriously doubted Kira would be sending him a birthday present. So he honestly didn't know who this present was from.

"Well, open the card and find out," Nathan said.

Mr. Potter,

While I am pleased that you will be entering my fourth year Transfiguration class this coming year, I admit that I am slightly disappointed that you did not receive the top mark for third year Transfiguration.

After hearing from Professor Kosarev what you had managed in Charms, I was, obviously, looking forward to seeing something equally as spectacular from you in Transfiguration. I was therefore disappointed in not seeing you push the limits of what I had thought possible from a boy your age in my field.

Harry, I don't need to tell you that you have a gift for Transfiguration. I have never seen a student your age grasp the theory and the practical application behind Transfiguration as readily as you do, and I want to see you push the beyond the boundaries of what I believed possible from a child your age in Transfiguration.

Should you ever wish to discuss any aspect of Transfiguration with me, I will endeavor to make myself available to you this year. In the mean time, please accept this birthday present as a token of what I wish for you to reach for in your time at Durmstrang.

Professor Rosemburg

Confused, Harry unwrapped his Professor's present and looked at the book he had been given. There was no title, but the cover showed a red-haired wizard who slowly changed into a fox and then changed back again. Intrigued, Harry opened the book.

As he read the chapter list, Harry couldn't stop a gigantic smile from appearing on his face. If Professor Rosemburg wanted to inspire him, Harry had to agree that a book explaining advanced Human Transfiguration and the Animagus Transformation was certainly the way to do it!

"What's got you so happy?" James asked.

"My professor sent me a book on advanced Transfiguration," Harry said, already excited at the prospect of possibly becoming an Animagus like his father. He knew his mother had warned him about not trying it on his own, but he had a book explaining how to do it, and a professor who was willing to help him. Maybe he'd ask Calypso if she wanted to try it as well, that way he wouldn't technically be trying the transformation on his own. "He says he was disappointed that I wasn't the number one student for Transfiguration, and that he'll make himself available to me if I want to talk about anything."

"Well that's nice of him," James commented, looking at the book Harry had been sent. He flipped open the cover, but seeing that it was all written in German, he quickly closed it, taking his son's word that it was just a book on Transfiguration.

ooo0000ooo

The Uninvited Visitor

Nathan's Room, Godric's Hollow, Aug 15th

"You know, Hermione has been bugging me to ask you about spell creation," Nathan commented casually.

"No surprise there." Harry laughed. "Is she still mad at you for not telling her about how I managed to jump ahead in Charms and Transfiguration?"

"No, I think she's determined to catch up to you though. She keeps sending letters asking me what you did to get so far ahead," Nathan said grinning slightly.

Harry noticed his brother's grin and asked, "What's so funny?"

"I think Hermione finally realized that she wouldn't have been the number one student in our year if you had stayed at Hogwarts," Nathan replied.

"I was surprised she was first in your year honestly," Harry admitted. "It's almost always a pureblood or half-blood who had been tutored in magic already."

"That's not true," Nathan argued. "Mum was top in her year all throughout Hogwarts."

"Mum wasn't a normal Muggle-born," Harry reminded his brother. "She and Professor Snape practiced spells and potions way before she got her admission letter to Hogwarts."

"Don't remind me," Nathan said with a disgusted look on his face. "I don't know how Mum can stand working with that greas–"

POP.

Harry and Nathan both immediately turned their heads to the side and saw a very unfamiliar house elf nervously rocking back and forth on its heels.

"Um, hello," Harry said tentatively. "Who are you?"

"Is you the great Nathan Potter?" the elf asked with wide eyes.

"I'm Nathan. That's my brother Harry," Nathan said, rolling his eyes at being called the great Nathan Potter. "Who are you, and why did Uncle Sirius send you?"

"Nathan Potter asks who I is?" the house elf said in awe. "You is just as kind and courteous as Dobby thought, sir."

"Obviously," Harry said, slightly annoyed at the groveling elf, "we need to know what your name is in order to ask you something. I guess we could just call you 'elf,' but that's sort of redundant. Now, Dobby, why did Uncle Sirius send you?"

"Dobby does not know Sirius, brother of the great Nathan Potter. Dobby has come to warn the great Nathan Potter," Dobby said glancing from side to side nervously.

"Wait," Nathan said urgently, "if uncle Sirius didn't give you the secret, how did you get here? You Apparated-that should have been impossible!"

"Dobby thought hard and he popped to Nathan Potter, just like Dobby pops everywhere," Dobby said, appearing confused.

"So, the wards didn't affect you at all?" Harry asked, alarmed.

Dobby simply shook his head, causing his large bat-like ears to flop around his head.

"What do you want?" Harry demanded, drawing his wand and pointing it at the elf. He needed to tell his parents about that little flaw in the Fidelius as soon as possible.

Looking very uncomfortable at having a wand pointed at him, Dobby quickly said, "Dobby is here to warn Nathan Potter. You must not go back to Hogwarts. Bad things is happening there this year."

"What? Don't go back to Hogwarts? Absolutely not!" Nathan exclaimed.

"But you mustn't, bad things is happening there. Nathan Potter must be safe!" Dobby exclaimed.

"What kind of bad things?" Harry asked lowering his wand slightly.

"Dobby cannot say," the elf said miserably. "Dobby will already have to punish himself very badly when he goes home for warning Nathan Potter."

"So your family doesn't know you're here?" Harry pressed.

Looking absolutely terrified at the thought of his family knowing what he was doing Dobby squeaked out, "No."

"Does this have anything to do with Voldemort?" Nathan asked, causing Dobby to gasp.

"You actually said You-Know-Who's name," Harry said, slightly surprised.

"The Headmaster said I should," Nathan said strongly.

"O-okay," Harry said hesitantly.

"So Dobby, does this have anything to do with Voldemort?" Nathan asked again.

Looking absolutely terrified at hearing the Dark Lord's name, Dobby took a moment to think before he shook his head negatively.

"Can you say anything at all about what might happen?" Harry asked.

Once again, Dobby shook his head, and Nathan seemed to have had enough. "Then I'm going back to Hogwarts. With the exception of Harry, all my friends go to Hogwarts."

"Dobby cannot let Nathan Potter be in danger!" Dobby said frantically.

"I've been in danger before," Nathan said patiently.

"Nathan Potter is brave and kind, but he must not go back. Dobby will not let that happen!" Dobby decreed as he raised his hands and immediately Nathan's bed began levitating into the air. Harry was about to send a spell at the elf when Dobby disappeared with another POP and the bed fell to the floor with a loud THUMP.

"Um…how was that supposed to stop me from going to Hogwarts?" Nathan asked completely confused.

"I don't know," Harry admitted, looking just as confused by the elf's actions. "We had better go tell Mum and Dad though."

ooo0000ooo

How To Stop A House-Elf

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Aug. 15th

It had taken less than a minute for Harry to convince his parents that Nathan was not trying to prank them, and that there really was a breach in the Fidelius Charm. His parents had immediately responded by flooing Professor Dumbledore, who quickly sent his familiar, a Phoenix named Fawkes, to securely transport the entire family to Hogwarts. Harry and Nathan then told everyone about their encounter with the rouge house elf named Dobby.

"Did this elf say anything else?" asked Dumbledore.

"No, sir," Nathan said.

"I don't understand. How did a house elf bypass the Fidelus Charm?" Lily asked.

"All wards have weaknesses, Lily, you know that. Owls, and now house-elves, seem to be immune to the protective magic that stops other magical beings from finding a home protected by the Fidelius." Dumbledore said pensively.

"I know we agreed warding against owls would be counterproductive a few years ago, but surely there is a way to stop a house-elf," Lily said.

"Unfortunately, very little is known about the magic of house-elves, but what is known is that they can ignore practically all types of wards in existence," Dumbledore said pensively. "The elves at Hogwarts, for instance, have no issue with using their method of Apparation around the ancient wards of the castle."

James looked incredulously at Dumbledore. "So you're saying this is just something we're going to have to live with?"

"No," Dumbledore said. "While it doesn't seem like this elf means any of you physical harm, it is still a security breach that we cannot allow. I have spoken with the Hogwarts elves, and they have agreed to have one of their number stay at Godric's Hollow to ensure that this unwelcome elf does not attempt to return."

"That's a relief," said Lily.

"Yes, well, I should mention that the elves have some conditions you need to agree to first," Dumbledore replied, his lips quirking up in a small smile

"Conditions?" James asked. "I didn't think elves knew how to negotiate."

"James, you have never had to mediate an argument between house-elves," Dumbledore said wearily. "They are incredibly competitive creatures when it comes to what they feel is their duty. It once took me two years to finally settle a dispute between the cleaning elves and the kitchen elves. I had tried to establish three party negotiations with the grounds-keeping elves acting as intermediaries, only to discover that both the kitchen and cleaning elves strongly disliked the grounds-keeping elves because of a bizarre series of events that took place during my predecessor's tenure. You see, a kitchen elf had made the mistake of accidentally–"

"The conditions, Albus?" asked Lily impatiently.

"What? Oh, yes, of course. Since the elf that will be staying at your home will not be able to perform any work at Hogwarts, the elves are demanding that whichever elf is sent to Godric's Hollow be allowed to clean all the rooms, maintain some of the grounds, and cook at least two meals a week," Dumbledore explained.

"Wait a second," Harry said incredulously, "they want to do our chores?"

"Elves are awesome!" Nathan added excitedly.

ooo0000ooo

Harry's Room, Godric's Hollow, August 20th

Harry,

I'm leaving for Durmstrang within the hour. I apologize that I didn't respond to your letters, but there is a good reason why I never wrote back. My uncle took it upon himself to block delivery of my mail without telling me. My father was not pleased to discover a pile of unopened letters for me in our home when he returned from vacation.

Most of the etiquette lessons I was taught were a waste of time, especially since there were taught in conjunction with my cousin. The arrogant ass eventually annoyed me so much that I just took to cursing him after each lesson. It was rather funny to see him try to defend himself. He learned his place after the first week, and I swear he can barely look me in the eyes now without flinching.

I can't believe that Hogwarts doesn't have a dueling aspect to their Defense class. How were you able to duel me for five seconds at the start of term, let alone five minutes? And don't you dare tell me that you learned it from your Dark Arts class here at Durmstrang. Before everyone knew you as Rosemburg and Kosarev's star student, the entire school heard that you beat practically your entire Dark Arts class on your first day. So spill it, Potter. If you didn't learn how to duel at Hogwarts, who taught you?

Oh, one last thing. I heard a bit of news today that I know will make you very happy, but I'm not going to tell you until you get back to Durmstrang. So hurry up.

See you soon,

Calypso

Placing the letter down, Harry wondered if he should tell Calypso about Quirrell. While Calypso always seemed to find a way to discover things out on her own, Harry did not want to talk about the man who tried to kill his brother, and he knew Calypso would want to know what happened.

After re-reading the bottom of the letter, Harry glanced at the calendar on his wall. Today was the 20th of August, and his Portkey would only work through the 25th.

"See you soon, indeed," he said with a smile.

---

AN:

Well I did say it'd be out in June. Chapter 8 is in the works now, and it'll, hopefully, be out soon. Special thanks to everyone over at DLP and my beta crew.