A/N: As promised, Winky, Dobby and Hedwig…also talk with the Headmaster. Also, cameo appearances by Minister Fudge, Weatherby, Black, Lupin, Moody, Little Jacque LeGrande, Ron and Hermione. Not a lot of action, but lots of plot.

Disclaimer: same old, same old.

Denotes Flashback

Chapter 7

Harry and Neville were almost out of the Great Hall when Harry felt a hand grab his arm, spinning him around.

"So, when were you going to tell your best mate about this 'Lords Hall', Ron demanded. His red face blended in nicely with his hair and freckles.

"I don't know…maybe when I figured it was any of your business?" Harry surprised himself by snapping back in the same tone Ron had used on him.

Surprised by Harry's fierce response, Ron sputtered to a halt. Harry had never behaved like that before. What had happened to make the little blighter grow a spine? Probably part of the whole 'I'm a Lord now, the rest of you have to kiss my arse' thing, Ron reasoned.

"Well, excuse me, yer worship," the youngest Weasley boy snarled. "I wouldn't want to presume on yer worshipfulness' time, then," he mocked.

"Ron, stop being a prat," Hermione snapped, joining the group. "Harry, you should have notified me if you weren't going to be coming back to the Tower. As a Prefect, it's my job to know these things," she lectured.

"Well, pardon me, Hermione, but I didn't know myself until just this morning. We were all leaving the Great Hall, when a group of house elves took Cedric, Neville and I to our new rooms. It's not like I had an opportunity to go chasing you down, or anything," Harry refused to be cowed, and suddenly realized that his growth spurt had given him a good few inches on the girl.

"McGonagall was notified in a timely fashion," Neville said coolly. "I trust that when you reported us missing she was able to clue you in?" he asked Hermione.

"Well…yes, but…" Hermione began, only to have Neville cut her off.

"So, the person who truly needed to know was informed, and no harm done, correct?" Neville insisted.

"Well, yes, I mean no, but..."

"Just so we're clear about that, then," Neville smirked, obviously pleased with himself at having managed to tie Hermione's brain into such a tidy little knot.

"I wanted to go searching for you both, but Hermione and Ginny wouldn't let me!" Ron thundered. "What a rum job that would have been, both of you hidden away in your own special rooms," he said, sneering openly on the last two words.

"Weasley, if you wanted a room on the Lords Hall, all you had to do was find a way to enter the Triwizard, wrangle a dragon, fight grindlylows and merpeople, work your way through a maze filled with blast-ended skrewts, acromantulas, sphinxes and other assorted creatures, then claim a trophy cup that was a portkey to a resurrection party for the Dark Lord, hosted by his inner circle of Death Eaters. That's how I got mine," Cedric said smoothly, coming up behind Ron and Hermione.

"Oh…er…well, then," Ron stammered.

"I didn't think so," Cedric said dryly. "Come one, Harry, Neville. I've got better things to do than standing here watching Yule Boy continue to make a fool out of himself.

As he let himself be led off, Harry asked Cedric, "Yule Boy?"

Cedric shrugged and kept walking. "Red hair and spots, green with envy? Looks like a bloody muggle yule gift, he does."

All three residents of the Lords Hall ignored the explosion Cedric's statement brought on.


When he arrived back in his rooms, Harry was pleasantly surprised to find Dobby and Winky waiting there for him, along with….

"Hedwig! There's my best girl!" Harry laughed as his snowy owl floated over to land on his shoulder. Reaching up, Harry caressed her feathers as Hedwig gently nipped his ear in greeting. "How did you get in here, girl?" he asked.

"Dobby is being making sure that Master Harry Potter Sir is having his Hedwig in his rooms," Dobby explained, bouncing up and down in happiness. "Dobby and Winky is also being talking with Master Harry Potter Sir's official Hogwarts elf Makky, so Makky is being careful not to be letting out Master Harry Potter Sir's secrets."

"Winky is having the same talk with Master Ceddy's Tiffy," Winky put in. "Winky is thinking that Master Longbottomes' Frilly is being needing the same good talking too before Winky is leaving."

"So, while elves are being talking to one another, Dobby is telling Makky to make Master Harry Potter Sir's room open to Master Harry Potter Sir's Hedwig," Dobby finished proudly.

"Thank you both," Harry grinned. "You're both correct, not only with knowing that Hedwig needs to be able to come and go, but also in asking the other elves to keep our secrets."

Winky sniffed. "The other elves is being trying to tell Winky that Hogwarts Headmaster is always being told whatever he is asking about, but Winky is reminding them that Lords Hall is being a special place, with special rules being only for here."

Harry nodded. "You're right, Winky, we were just reading about that in the Rules book. Do you think that the other elves need to see the rule for themselves?"

"They is being told by boss elf himself, so no needing to be seeing," Winky dismissed the thought. "Now, Dobby-elf and Winky is being sure that no nosey listening charms are here, and we is being ready to put up no-listen charms with Master Harry."

Harry shrugged, knowing that if Winky was convinced it was almost certainly not needed. He also didn't know just exactly how Hedwig was going to get in and out of his rooms, but decided that he would ask about that later.

After a quick conference between the three residents of the Lords Hall and a group of house elves, each suite of rooms was thoroughly scanned then charmed for privacy. Somewhat to the surprise of the three young men, no spying charms were found.

"Probably because no one's had the chance to put them up yet," Cedric suggested. "Especially since certain people would have been relying on the house elves for information."

Harry, Cedric and Neville all took pains to reassure their elves that no serious direct harm would come to any Hogwarts resident from what they discussed in their rooms, although the elves seemed to grasp that there was the possibility that other people's actions would ultimately hurt them, without any actions from the Hall's occupants. The elves also seemed to instinctively realize that pranks were another thing altogether, and would almost certainly be planned in the rooms. Since nothing truly harmful (other than embarrassing) would be coming from the three, this wouldn't cause any problems for the elves.

Harry and Cedric both suspected that Winky's sniff of disapproval when pranks were being discussed kept the rest of the elves from volunteering to help in any way they could.

They had just finished the last room, and were all in Cedric's sitting room admiring the new tapestry that concealed the connecting door into Harry's quarters (matching the tapestry that also covered the door on Harry's side) when an idea occurred to Cedric.

"Tiffy," he asked. "I know that you made the door between Harry's and this room with Hogwarts' help. Could Hogwarts make us a room with a large balcony?"

"So that the Masters is being able to go flying on broomstickys from the Hall? Tiffy can being doing that," she nodded.

"Actually, I wasn't just thinking about brooms," Cedric mused. "Just a mo," he said, and went into his bedroom. Shortly, he returned holding a shiny brass cylinder about two inches in diameter and roughly a foot long.

Upon seeing what Cedric was holding, Harry started to laugh. "Oh, that's definitely not a broomstick," he said, ignoring the confused looks he was getting from the Hogwarts elves, as well as Neville.

"No, it's not," Cedric grinned. "Tiffy, this opens up to be about twelve feet wide by twenty feet long, and it flies. Plus, it's not quite six feet tall in the center. At Harry's godfather's house in London, we charmed the back wall of the top floor of the house to open up so we could fly in and out…do you think you and Hogwarts can do something like that?"

"Is that…being like a flying carpet?" Tiffy asked carefully.

"Actually, the people who make it call it an 'aerial-capable mobile wizarding domicile slash recreational vehicle," Cedric was grinning like mad. "But, yes, what it really is, is a flying carpet with a tent stuck on the back. It's got invisibility and protection charms on it, and I think I can adjust it so that it will slip through Hogwarts' wards without so much as a ripple. The question is: can you elves work with Hogwarts to give us a room—preferably here in the Lords Hall—where we can launch and land this beast from?"

Tiffy, Makky, Frilly, Dobby and Winky all spent several long moments looking back and forth at each other before Tiffy shrugged, stood up and beckoned the others to follow her. Crossing the hall, she opened the door adjacent to Neville's room and walked into the empty room. The other elves followed her, Winky coming last, leading Harry with a gentle grip on one finger.

"Can Tiffy be seeing?" the little elf asked carefully, holding out her hands to Cedric.

Nodding, Cedric put the cylinder into Tiffy's hands. "I can open it, if you need me to," he said, but Tiffy shook her head.

"First Tiffy is feeling the magic," she said, and then closed her eyes while her fingers played up and down the cylinder.

After several minutes, Tiffy opened her eyes and looked at the other elves. "You is being helping Tiffy and Hogwarts," she ordered, and the other elves nodded solemnly in response. As one, all of the elves turned to the far wall of the room and raised their hands, Tiffy holding the cylinder straight out in front of her like a sword. The three wizards felt the magic rise in the room, and then, with the sound of stone grating on stone, the wall they were facing began to fold back, opening itself like an oversized version of the entrance to Diagon Alley.

Before Cedric could begin shaking off his amazement, it was over. The far wall of the room had been transformed into a magnificent archway, with a wide balcony and waist-high railing circling it. To Cedric's eye, it looked as if there would be no problems fitting the tent-on-a-rug into and out of the room, and the room itself had been more than ample to start with. Still, the elves weren't quite finished.

Makky and Frilly each paced the length of the archway, waving their hands. When they were done, they turned back to the group, obviously satisfied.

"There! We is being all done now!" Frilly proclaimed. "Is the young Masters being happy with what we is being doing?"

"I…I don't know what to say, except thank you," Cedric said.

"See, there is being plenty of room for the ruggy-tent," Tiffy said. Winky went to her, conjured an elf-sized chair and helped her sit without comment. "And Makky and Frilly is putting no-rain and no-wind charms up, like in the Astronomy Tower," she finished, before gratefully accepting a glass of water from Dobby.

"And we is also being putting up notice-me-not charms, so that nosey peoples is not likely looking into the room," Frilly added.

"It's remarkable, just remarkable," Neville said, completely awed.

"It's almost like…magic," Harry snickered, giving Makky and Frilly squeezes on their shoulder as he went to look out across the lake. "It's beautiful," he said, turning and smiling down at the happily wriggling elves. "You're all outdone yourselves…and the first time we take the carpet out for a ride, I want you all to come with us! You deserve it!"

Then, for the next several minutes, Harry had to deal with happy, happy house elves.


"…and I assure you that everything that possibly can be done, will be done!" Cornelius Fudge was in full-bore politician mode, speaking to a small crowd of Hogsmeade residents and press on the platform of Hogsmeade Station. He had already done a walking inspection of Hogsmeade—well, he had walked a few steps down the center of High Street for photographs to be taken of him 'touring the wreckage'—and had even watched a group of people trying to salvage bits and pieces of serving ware from the Three Broomsticks. That being done, he had retired to the station platform, where he had been speaking for nearly half an hour.

After the first five minutes, all of the experienced reporters had stopped listening, leaving their dicta-quills to take notes while they traded barbs and snippy comments back and forth. The speech was typical Fudge—long on words, short on anything actually approaching real information—and most of them could have written their articles about it in their sleep. As of yet, he hadn't said anything concrete about what actually would be done for the people of Hogsmeade, and probably wouldn't.

Finally, the Minister seemed to be running down, and one intrepid member of the press yelled out a question.

"Minister, where will the people of Hogsmeade live while they rebuild?"

Fudge glared at the reporter, but recognized that he had to answer the question. "As I have said, provisions are being made…."

"What provisions? You haven't told us anything!" Another voice yelled out. Probably French, by the accent, Fudge harrumphed. Damned Frogs and their damned impertinence!

"As I have said, provisions are being made…" he began again, only to be interrupted once more.

"Why not just leave them at Hogwarts until they can rebuild? It's not like Dumbledore's going to need the space!"

That one, Fudge could answer readily. "Headmaster Dumbledore has assured me that he will make Hogwarts castle available for refugees as long as necessary," he lied smoothly. Let Albus refute me, he thought. I can't wait to see the headlines when he turns a crowd of homeless refugees out into the cold. "In the meantime, the Ministry will be seeking to expedite the rebuilding by taking every possible step to minimize the difficulties people might have in securing the necessary permits and licenses needed to rebuild and reopen their shops and homes."

"In other words, the bigger the bribe, the quicker the permit!" a voice called out of the crowd, to widespread laughter.

"Certainly not!" Fudge blustered. "I'm altogether shocked that you would even begin to suggest such a thing! The Ministry is ever-vigilant in its attempts to weed out graft and corruption, to insure that every citizen is treated equally and fairly."

"So, I'm going to get the same service as Lucius Malfoy?" Yet another voice called out.

"Yeah, when trolls learn to tango," still another heckler added.

Fudge sighed to himself as laughter swept the crowd. It was going to be a long afternoon.


Not too far away, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin had just finished touring the remains of their new home—now a burned-out husk suitable only for clearing off before starting over.

"And the title cleared yesterday morning, you said?" Sirius asked, for the fifth time.

Remus sighed. "Yes, Sirius. The goblins were kind enough to expedite the paperwork for me, as a favor to you and Harry.

Sirius shrugged. "Well, no help for it. Can we get the builders here by tomorrow? I don't see any need to muck around, not when everybody and their uncle is going to be looking for a construction crew around here."

"There may be problems with that," Remus answered. "For one thing, where are the crews going to stay while they're rebuilding the house? The Three Broomsticks and the Hogs Head are both total wrecks, and they were the only two inns in Hogsmeade."

"I don't know…tents, maybe? I think I'd rather have a magical tent than risk the beds at the old Hogs Head," Sirius said.

"You're probably right…but I'm not certain that a construction company would have any magical tents around, much less be willing to put their crew in them," Remus answered.

"Well, then we need to invest in an inn soonest, don't we?" Sirius smiled. "We can call it something dashing…like, say, The Black Heart Inn. Have a few rooms, bit of a pub, make a few galleons on the side…never have to worry about having to live off our own cooking, if we did that."

"There is that," Remus agreed, smiling. Only Sirius, he thought to himself. "Although, I don't know that Rosmerta and Aberforth would welcome the competition. Still, I suppose we could discuss it with them."

"Do that. I'm sure that we can come to some kind of agreement," Sirius nodded. "After all, if we're going to be spending any amount of time here, like we're planning, having our own inn actually makes sense."

"In an only-in-Sirius-Black's-head kind of way," Remus agreed, his eyes laughing.

"Oi!" Sirius cried, pantomiming a fatal wound to his chest. "You wound me!"

Remus only rolled his eyes as the two friends continued strolling towards the station house.

As they drew closer, they saw the crowd that had gathered.

"Oh, look, Remie, there's old Fudge, mugging for the cameras," Sirius nudged the werewolf. "Let's go see if he'll answer a question for the likes of us."

Remus' muttered 'don't call me Remie' went unheeded as Sirius sped up his pace to move closer to the crowd. He was just in time to hear Percy Weasley field a question for an obviously flustered Fudge.

"As the Minister described, we have asked for donations of wizarding tents to be used as temporary housing for the displaced until more permanent arrangements can be made. The DMLE will be releasing 20 such tents immediately from their Auror training supplies, and we hope to have them set up no later than tomorrow. Anyone with a tent who wishes to donate it to the Hogsmeade relief effort can bring it by the Ministry during normal business hours."

"What about wands? Who's going to do something about the critical wand shortage here?"

"We are working with Mr. Ollivander to arrange for his entire inventory to be transferred here to Hogsmeade, which we hope will greatly simplify the process of replacing all of the wands that were lost in the attack. However, before we can do that, we need to have a secure facility available to receive those wands, and it may be several days before an appropriate venue can be made ready. We also hope that Mr. Ollivander will provide a discount to those unfortunates who have lost wands, but of course this will be entirely up to his discretion." Percy scanned the crowd before picking out a reporter for the next question.

"Will the Goblins be involved in the rebuilding process?" one of the Prophet's Ministry-friendly reporters asked.

Percy paused, an expression that he obviously intended to be serious on his face. "While the Ministry has no direct control over the Goblin's financial decisions, we have begun negotiations with them on behalf of the families of Hogsmeade to hopefully secure their cooperation in the rebuilding of Hogsmeade village.

"In other words, you don't have a clue, do you?" Sirius Black called out, causing several reporters to turn and pepper him with questions.

Sirius merely smiled for a minute and let them scream, then raised his hands for quiet. "I don't mean to interrupt the Minister's fun, but only yesterday I bought a house here. Sadly, it was completely destroyed in last night's atrocity. However, I intend to rebuild as soon as possible, and have asked my good friend Remus Lupin—who is also my godson's Seneschal—to help me coordinate this." He smirked, well aware of the cameras going off around him. "Since Remus is much better at this kind of thing than I am, I'd appreciate it if you'd bother him with all the picky detail questions. Me, I'm just hating the fact that we can't all get a drink here after a long day." Having had his say, he winked at an attractive young woman in front of him, and gave Remus a gentle nudge forward.

The werewolf found himself facing a crowd of hungry reporters, popping flashes, and screamed questions. Cringing (while inwardly promising decades of torment for Sirius Black for doing this to him), he began point out reporters for questions.

"Mr. Lupin, is it true that you're Lord Potter's Seneschal?"

"Yes, for several weeks now," Remus answered.

"And is it true that you're a werewolf?"

"Yes, it is," Remus acknowledged. "But, I take Wolfsbane regularly, as well as sequestering myself away on full moon nights. Both Lord Potter and Lord Black have expressed their complete confidence in me," he said firmly.

"Just so long as he doesn't shed on the furniture," Sirius laughed, putting his arm around Remus just long enough to give him a quick hug, then stepped back again. Once more, the attractive witch got a wink and a smile.

"Does this mean that you will be using werewolves to rebuild Lord Black's home here in Hogsmeade?" another reporter called out.

Remus paused, momentarily taken aback by the question. Then, slowly, he responded. "I haven't given it any thought until just now, but if they agree to the same precautions as I follow, I don't see any reason not to provide them with honest work. Certainly there are plenty of infected out there who have trouble keeping regular jobs because of the prejudice against them."

"And how will Lord Potter feel about you bringing werewolves into Hogsmeade?"

Remus smiled. "I suspect that Lord Potter will fully support me, if I decide to hire lycans who are otherwise good citizens. In fact, we've already talked about the need to be more proactive in terms of integrating the bitten into society, through programs to increase access to Wolfsbane and educate the populace about what the infected and their families have to endure."

"So you're saying that Lord Potter supports full rights for werewolves?" A ripple of disbelief ran through the crowd.

Remus just smiled and shook his head slightly. "I'm not going to presume to speak for Lord Potter on an issue that properly should be debated before the Wizengamot," he said, watching heads nod as people realized that he had just neatly sidestepped a potentially embarrassing situation for Harry. "However, I will say that Harry Potter has never been anything other than understanding and supportive of me and my condition."

"But you're a friend of his family!"

"And he's Harry Potter," Remus' smug grin set off laughter throughout the crowd. "Need I say more?"

"Not today, you don't," Sirius said, stepping forward again. "Terribly sorry, all, but we really have to be going. Things to be, people to do, and all that." Taking Lupin's arm, the two of them broke away from the crowd, who reluctantly turned back to a sputtering Fudge and irritated Weatherby, er, Weasley.


Harry, Cedric and Neville were all back in their own rooms beginning the process of unpacking and decorating their new quarters when a house elf that Harry didn't recognize popped into his sitting room.

"The Headmaster is being coming to see the young Master Lordling," it announced, then popped out before Harry could answer.

Harry barely had time to make sure that the door between his and Cedric's room was shut and covered before the door to his room opened.

"Harry, my boy! There you are!" Dumbledore strode into the room without so much as a 'by your leave', his eyes twinkling madly with ever step.

"I suppose that 'knocking' is one of those things I have to be protected from, Headmaster." Harry said dryly, raising his mental shields and beginning to think of chopping cabbage for bubble and squeak. "Or has common courtesy become something to which I'm no longer entitled 'for the greater good'?

"Now, Harry," Albus chided, while inwardly he suppressed the urge to hex the little cur through the stone wall. "I sent a house elf, didn't I? I supposed that would be enough," he went on, taking a seat in one of the comfortable chairs scattered around the room. "Come, sit, so that we can have a few minutes to talk with each other. It's been so hectic these last few days; I haven't had a chance to slow down for more than a few minutes at a time. Still, I wanted to come by and see how you were settling into your new quarters." And see just why it was that this part of the castle is a 'dead zone' to me, he thought. "You know, you don't have to stay here," he went on, as if sharing a great secret. "You can always go back to Gryffindor Tower, where your friends are." And where they can keep an eye on you for me, he thought, pushing a compulsion to obey into his words.

Harry put down the books he was sorting and closed his trunk to keep the Headmaster from taking a 'casual glance' at its contents, then took a seat some distance away from the old man.

"I appreciate the offer, Professor, but no thank you. I rather like the peace and quiet I'm sure I'll have here. I suppose that I got used to sleeping alone over the summer, and I'm not really sure that I'd take well to having to go back to sharing a bedroom with four other people," Harry smiled. He refused to make eye contact with the Headmaster, looking everywhere else but directly into those twinkling eyes. He had felt the compulsion that underlay the suggestion about moving back to the Tower, but brushed it off easily.

"I see. Well, we'll just have to see about getting you some portraits in here to keep you from getting lonely, now won't we?"

"Actually, sir, that would be in direct violation of the Hogwarts rules about the Lords Hall." Harry answered smugly. "Since the Head of a Nobel house will occasionally have to meet with his staff, other Heads or Ministry officials, these rooms are specifically exempted from housing any painting with a sentient subject. I'm not sure of the exact wording, but I could look it up for you," Harry said helpfully.

"Where did you hear that?" Albus snapped, not bothering to try to appear kindly.

"Oh, I have a copy of the "Hogwarts Rules and Regulations appertaining to Lords and Heads of Houses", Harry said easily. "It's a fascinating read, Headmaster."

"You don't say," Albus replied dryly. "Could I see your copy, please, Harry?" he asked.

"Certainly," Harry said, and got up to fetch one of the copies he and Neville had made that morning from where they were stacked in a bookcase. Using his body, he tried to shield the stack from view, without being obvious about what he was doing.

If Dumbledore noticed, he gave no sign of it. Taking the slim volume, he began flipping through it. Destroy this, he thought, then a quick Obliviate, and then this particular problem will be dealt with. He had thought the last copy of this troublesome little work long destroyed. Probably from the Black library, he mused, not reading the pages he was looking at. They would certainly have a copy, and his access to that library, even these last few years, had always been minimal.

Harry smiled, watching the Headmaster. While he couldn't pick up any of Dumbledore's thoughts, he didn't need Legilimency to hear the gears turning in that twisted old brain. Now, to throw a wrench into those gears….

"If you'd like, Headmaster, you're more than welcome to keep that copy," Harry said helpfully. "I understand that they're hard to find these days. In fact, Neville said that his Gran looked for one all summer, without any luck. Fortunately, I had a copy, and Cedric, Neville and I have already made quite a few more of them. I'm even thinking of having a small print run done, just so we can put a few copies here in the Hogwarts library and give a few as Yule gifts to some of the more important families. You know…remind them that Voldemort represents a danger to everyone's bloodlines, not just a select few. I think that might be helpful, in some small way…don't you, Professor?" Harry asked, his voice dripping sweetness and innocence.

Albus nearly gagged at the thought, but covered it with a sigh. "Sadly, you are correct, Harry. Tom doesn't seem to care how many he destroys in his quest for power, and he was directly responsible for ending several old pureblood lines in the last war." Little bastard…he's telling me that it won't do me any good to destroy this copy and wipe his memory…how much does he already suspect?

Burying that last thought deep behind his Occulumency shields, Albus went on. "I appreciate it, Harry, but I don't know that I have the time for reading this right now. I'll take it, and put it on my shelf, and perhaps in a few days I can get to it." And find something in it to use against you, Potter. "In the meantime, I must tell you that you are looking better than I've ever seen you! The summer must have agreed with you, and I see that you finally hit your growth spurt. Has your magic done so, as well?" Albus smiled as he complimented the boy. In truth, Harry did look healthier and happier than Albus had ever allowed him to be, and the significant growth he'd had over the summer worried the Headmaster. He made a note to himself to get Potter down to the infirmary as soon as he could, to have Pomphrey give him a through checking. Of course, he'd probably have to Obliviate her after the exam, but it wouldn't have been the first time, nor would it be the last. In the meantime….

"Harry, I wonder if you would let me do a quick check of your magic…just to see if it's grown as much as your body has," Albus smiled his best 'trust me' smile.

Harry shrugged, resisting an urge to reach up and touch the amulet that he wore concealed beneath his shirt and tie. "If you think you need to," he said, concentrating on not panicking.

Albus pulled his wand and passed it slowly up and down over Harry's seated body three times, humming to himself as he did so. Well, everything certainly seemed to be as it should…while the boy's magic was indeed more powerful, the blocks on his core were still in place. Granted, they were a bit stretched and frayed about the edges—as Harry's body had grown, so had his core, and the blocks had done as they should and adjusted to that growth—but everything seemed to be holding together adequately. Over the next few days he could surreptitiously bolster them, but there was no hurry in doing that.

"Well, everything seems to be fine, my boy," Albus said, genuinely happy with his findings. "As expected, as your body has grown, so has your magical core. I'm sure that you'll be happy to know that, in that respect at least, you are completely, totally normal."

"Well, that's one thing," Harry said dryly. Still, he let a bit of a smile show through, as he knew Dumbledore would expect. So what if it was for some other reason entirely…like the fact that his amulet had managed to fool the old coot!

"There is one more thing, Harry, and then I'll leave you to your unpacking," Dumbledore said.

"Yes, Professor?"

"I understand that you have a new wand, which you picked up in your travels this summer. May I see it?" Dumbledore asked, smiling.

Nodding, Harry took out his chopstick, presenting it to Dumbledore. Then, after a moment's pause, he took out the matching stick, handing it over as well.


Harry and his entourage had been in Paris, in the shop of Little Jacque LeGrande, Wand Maker extraordinaire.

Reaching into a pocket, Harry pulled out the red-enameled and lacquered chopstick that he was going to show as his 'spare' wand.

"So, Little Jacque, Albert...we know that this isn't your usual commission, but...could you put a magical core in this chopstick for me?" he asked innocently.

It was several minutes before Little Jacque LeGrande could mute his laughter enough to allow him to do as Harry asked. Of course, he had immediately insisted on doing a set of two matching chopsticks.

"After all, my friends, you will be using both hands, will you not? You have my bracelets on both wrists, and you will eventually be using both my wand and your old wand, as well. So, we will preserve the illusion, as well as helping you to develop good habits, by providing you with two matching fakes!" Little Jacque had been adamant.

Harry had just shrugged and handed over the second of the set of lacquered bamboo sticks. Then, the entire party had tromped after Little Jacque as he went into his workroom, humming as he went. The group—Harry, Cedric, Sirius, Remus, Mad-Eye and Albert—had found places around the shop to watch the master wand crafter at his task. He had carefully placed each chopstick, one after the other, in a clamp that precisely centered it for drilling. The drilling itself was done with an ancient hand-cranked boring machine, with a drill that looked to Harry to be only slightly bigger than a human hair. Little Jacque had explained how care was required, to keep the wood from splitting, and that the use of any magic to create the hole would adversely affect the quality of wand that was produced. Even for a fake wand, he would not change his techniques.

When each stick was bored, Little Jacque had carefully inserted a tiny snippet of Chinese Fireball heartstring—from the same sample as Harry's wand, in fact. Then, using shavings from the boring and a drop of muggle adhesive, he had sealed the core inside the new 'wand'. A simple Reparo later, the lacquering was restored, and the new 'wand' was completed.

"And now, friend Harry, you may use this in all confidence!" Little Jacque declared, chuckling. "There is just enough active magical core here for someone to feel, but any fool who tries to actually cast with one of these little toys will find himself sorely disappointed."

Harry had immediately gone back to the testing room, where he had spent the next hour mastering the art of 'using' his new fake wands. At the end of that time, even if you knew what to look for, it was difficult to see that Harry's spells weren't actually coming from the chopsticks, but his hands (or bracelets).

"Little Jacque, you're a genius," Harry had gushed, to which the old wand maker had just smiled.

"Mas oui, but of course. What did you expect?" he laughed. "Just do an old man a favor…if anyone asks, please tell them that you obtained those wands in the Orient, and not from me."

Since that was precisely what Harry and Cedric had planned, their agreement to Little Jacques' request was easily given.


"Two wands, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, as he tried in vain to make a connection with the magic in either of the two lacquered bamboo shafts. He could feel a magical core in each one, certainly, but beyond that…nothing.

"Yes sir," Harry said. "After all, some Aurors use two wands, and I do have two arms, you know," he grinned. "Plus, these come as a set, and Mad-Eye…."

"…Professor Moody, Harry," Albus corrected.

"…Professor Moody," Harry agreed, then paused. "You know, after calling him 'Mad-Eye' all summer, it's going to be hard to go back to calling him 'Professor' again."

Albus gave something approaching a genuine smile. "I understand, but please make the attempt." Well, that explained much, Dumbledore thought. He'd have to keep an eye on both Potter and Moody, not only to see just what the old Auror had taught the boy, but in case there were any more 'private lessons' going on that he needed to know about. It wouldn't do for his weapon to have too sharp of an edge, now would it?

Potter was continuing, so Albus forced himself to listen. "…since they come two to a set, he said it only made sense to use both of them. And, he made me get matching wand holsters, too," Harry said proudly, pulling back his sleeves to show off his toys.

"Very nice, Harry," Albus said, not really looking…and completely ignoring the wooden bracelets the boy had just flashed in front of his eyes. "Bamboo wood, I see…not something which our European wand makers use to any extent, but given the source…and the core?"

"Chinese Fireball heartstring, sir."

"Ah…a powerful choice, and again not something commonly found in a European wand. Now…what about your old wand?"

"Well, it's still being held by the Ministry," Harry said. "Something about it still being evidence or something," he shrugged. "Not that it matters, since I can't use it against Voldie, and these work fine for me," he said, retrieving his chopsticks and slipping them back into their holsters.

"Indeed," the Headmaster said. He made yet another mental note, this one to arrange for Harry's original wand to 'disappear' accidentally from the Ministry. Wouldn't do for it to be examined too closely, now would it? Even though such a move was unlikely, Albus didn't believe in taking any unnecessary chances.

"Well, Harry, I must be going," Albus said, rising easily. "You're certain that you wouldn't prefer to move back into Gryffindor Tower?" he asked, once more pushing a mild compulsion into his words.

Harry shrugged, seemingly unaffected. "No, sir…but if I don't like it here, can I change my mind in a few days?" he asked meekly.

"Of course you can, my boy, of course," Albus beamed. And you will, after just a few more 'suggestions' from me, he thought confidently.

His robes sweeping behind him, he made his exit, leaving Harry standing there, looking at his feet.


Harry waited for nearly a full minute after the Headmaster left before he slowly walked to the connecting door between his and Cedric's suite.

"Cedric, can you come here for a minute?" he asked, his voice carefully neutral.

"Just a sec," Cedric replied from his bedroom. There was a muffled series of thumps, then he walked out, smiling. "Just putting up a few more things, love. What do you need?"

Harry didn't answer with words, but moved to wrap himself around Cedric, pressing their bodies close together. Cedric's surprise at this didn't stop him from putting his arms around Harry and holding him tight as Harry laid his head on his shoulder. They stood there, hugging each other, for some time before Harry sighed, then spoke.

"Guess who I just had a visit from?"

Cedric didn't have to guess. "Let's see…old, bearded, barmy, fashion sense of a demented flobberworm?"

"Right in one."

Cedric's arms squeezed just a bit tighter. "Do I need to scan you for recent magic? How about your rooms?" He paused, then turned his head so he wouldn't yell into Harry's ear.

"Tiffy!"

A pop sounded. "Tiffy is being called?"

Cedric smiled down at the elf. "Yes, Tiffy…would you and Makky please check Harry's rooms, and the Lords Hall outside, for any new listening or other spying charms? The Headmaster was just here, and…," he trailed off.

Tiffy nodded, then darted into Harry's bedroom.

Harry stepped back from Cedric and just stood patiently while Cedric ran his wand up and down, muttering to himself as he did. "Well, I can't find anything," he announced. "If the Headmaster put anything on you, I can't find it."

Harry sighed. "For now, we'll assume that he didn't, but I'll get Professor Moody to check me out later today."

"Going to be tough remembering to call him 'Professor Moody', isn't it?" Cedric remarked lightly, watching Tiffy walking about the sitting room out of the corner of his eye.

Harry grunted his agreement as he collapsed onto a couch. "Yeah, I've already been corrected on that once by the old coot," he groused.

"Tiffy is not finding any snoopy listening charmses," the little elf said, then popped away.

"Well, that's something," Cedric said, trying to lighten Harry's mood.

Harry just grunted once more, then lay back, his hand covering his eyes. "I'm sorry to be such a girl about this, Ced, but having to verbally duel Dumbledore, while hoping that this amulet would work, and keep my Occulumency shields up, and watch out for other hexes…." He trailed off with a sigh.

"So…did Dumbledore cast any spells while he was here?" Cedric asked carefully.

"A couple," Harry admitted. He tried to use a compulsion on me when he talked about moving back into the Tower—I'm sure that he's got Hermione and Ron, and who knows else, spying for him there—then he 'checked my magical core', to see if it's grown to match my physical growth."

"And…?"

"I think he checked for my blocks, and he seemed satisfied with what he found, so it's a good bet that Little Jacques' little goody is working as advertised."

"Well, that's a relief," Cedric said, taking a seat across from his boyfriend. He was getting a strong 'don't touch me right now' vibe from Harry, and was inclined to go with it.

"He wanted to put up a few paintings, to 'keep me from getting lonely'," Harry went on, making quote marks in the air with his fingers. "He didn't seem at all happy when I gave him a copy of the Rules & Regs, and told him that we'd already made several more."

"Oh, really?"

"Really. As in, I think he probably would have destroyed the book then Obliviated me if I hadn't told him about the copies," Harry sighed.

"Harry…" Cedric began, only to be cut off.

"No, I can't prove it," Harry said bitterly. "It's just a feeling. Still, I don't want to be alone with him at all, and that goes for you and Neville, too. I don't trust him, as sad as that is to say."

"Sad, yes. True, absolutely. I don't trust the old man either."

The two sat in silence for a moment, Harry stewing and Cedric waiting while Harry stewed. Finally, Harry sighed and stood up abruptly.

"Makky?" Harry called, then smiled as the elf popped in. "Could you please ask Neville to join us here?" he asked. Grinning, Makky popped out.

"You realize that Granger is going to give you at least three separate lectures about misusing the house elves as your own personal slaves," Cedric said dryly.

Harry made a sour face, knowing that his boyfriend was right. "She'll have to catch me first," he snorted. He had had just about enough of Hermione Granger's lectures, and wasn't too keen on getting any more.

Cedric didn't say anything, but he was pleased with Harry's response. While he suspected that the 'Golden Trio' had been formed by the Headmaster's manipulations, he didn't have any proof of it. Still, from his point of view, it had been quite effective in keeping Harry isolated from the rest of the student body, even from the other members of his own house. It was heartening to see that Harry was finally coming to realize just what an albatross around his neck his 'friends' had actually been. It would, after all, make one of Cedric's main goals for the year—to get Harry moving in a much wider circle of friends and potential allies—much easier.

Makky popped back and announced, "Lord Longbottom is being coming now," before disappearing.

Harry was about to open the door when Neville's knock came. Smirking, Harry pulled the door open, gesturing his friend in.

"Guess who I just had a visit from?" Neville asked, before either Harry of Cedric could say anything.

"Merlin?" Cedric quipped.

"Father Christmas?" Harry threw out.

"Not funny, and not even close," Neville huffed, sitting down. "No, our distinguished Headmaster just came by to 'encourage' me," he said, sneering, "to move back into Gryffindor Tower 'so I wouldn't feel left out' this year. As if," he finished, leaning back against the fine leather of the couch.

"Let me guess…you felt a compulsion charm along with his 'suggestion'," Harry said. It wasn't a question.

"Right in one. And, a 'magical check up', because 'I've just grown so much over the summer'," Neville snorted again. "At least, I'm fairly confident that my bracelets from Little Jacque work as advertised," he said. "They certainly tingled during my 'check up'."

"Have you checked your room for listening charms?" Cedric asked, relieved when Neville nodded.

"I had Frilly check, right before I came over here."

"We did the same, and I think we're clear," Harry said. "Still, Cedric, if you would," he said, waving at his friend.

Cedric raised an eyebrow, asking for Neville's permission before he passed his wand over the young man just as he had done for Harry. Unlike Harry, though, he paused and frowned.

"There's something here, I think," Cedric started, then stopped. "Tiffy, I need you!" he called out.

"Tiffy is coming to help!" the little elf cried out as she popped in.

"Thanks, Tiffy. Could you please find Professor Moody and ask him to come see us here, as soon as is convenient for him?" Cedric asked.

"Tiffy is happy to be helping such a polite young Master," she said, then popped away.

"What is it, Ced?" Harry asked. His concern was evident on his face, as was Neville's.

Cedric just shook his head. "I'm not sure, but I don't think it's anything to worry about. I'd just rather Mad-Eye take a look at it."

Harry raised one eyebrow, then pointed to his ear. 'Listening?' he mouthed.

Cedric shook his head, then shrugged. "Well, Neville, I hope that you've been reading the Rules and Regulations book," he said, obviously steering the conversation to a less sensitive topic.

Neville smiled and nodded his understanding. "Oh, quite. I do think it's a wonderful idea, though, to send a copy off as soon as possible to have a regular print run made up." The look in his eyes was enough to let Harry and Cedric know what he was thinking: get a copy of the book out of Hogwarts and into safer hands while they could.

"I think that's a capital idea, Neville," Harry said, going to get a spare copy from his bookshelf. "I'll just dash off a letter to my solicitor right now, why don't I?" he asked deliberately. "I'll also send a copy to Remus, in case he needs one as my Seneschal."

"Good idea," both Cedric and Neville agreed, while Harry rummaged for parchment and his pen. In a matter of minutes, he had scratched out a note to Remus, as well as to Eddie Spindle.

"Come here, girl," Harry smiled, holding out his arm for his owl. Hedwig was there in a second, leaning into Harry's stroking. "I've got a couple of letters, they shouldn't be any trouble for you," he said, smiling at the owl's 'well, of course not!' look. Shrinking the two copies of the books, Harry wrapped each in the appropriate letter, then sealed them with a bit of wax and the Potter ring on his right hand. Hedwig waited patiently as they were tied to her legs, then leaned into yet another scratch from her master. "There you go, pretty girl. One is to Remus Lupin; the other is to Eddie Spindle at his office. Be safe, beautiful," Harry finished, launching Hedwig into the air. She circled the room once before disappearing into Harry's bedroom.

"Well, that tells us something, at least," Cedric said carefully. "I'm not worried at all about Hedwig, but I do think we should watch her the next time we send her out, just to see what the castle has arranged for her comings and goings."

Harry and Neville both nodded, knowing that a bit of caution sooner might save a world of grief later. While Neville hadn't had the intense summer exposure to Alastor Moody's 'Constant Vigilance' philosophy, he had his own version of it from his grandmother. And, speaking of which….

"Oh, I forgot to mention this on the train, Harry. My Gran is interested in working with you…and Cedric, too, if you'd like…on a Wizarding Culture introduction for muggleborns and the muggle-raised half-bloods."

"Really? That's great, Neville. I mean, I think working with you to play 'catch-up' will be great, but…" Harry said. He had mentioned his idea in a letter to Neville over the summer; along with a number of other things, like going to Paris for a medical check-up and new wand.

"But I'm not going to do it for the entire student body, and your idea to teach the muggleborn and raised about our world really caught Gran's attention. I pointed out to her that people like Hermione are generally just dropped into our world with no preparation, and wind up making fools of themselves…."

"Or insulting someone horribly," Cedric added.

"Exactly…through no fault of their own," Neville finished. "That's one of the things that she wants to talk about with you at our first Hogsmeade weekend. Except, that, I don't think we'll be having Hogsmeade weekends for a while," he corrected himself grimly.

"We'll work something out, Neville, don't worry. If we have to have her come here, and meet with us in our rooms, we can do that. Remember, it says so in the Rules & Regs book," Harry grinned.

"So, we call it a matter of Family business, and I play host?" Neville grinned, thinking about how they could use the Rules to their benefit.

"That would work," Harry agreed. "Or, she could just insist on a 'regular' visit with you, and Cedric and I could just happen to be invited to tea with your lovely Grandmother."

"I think that you two are having much too much fun plotting something so simple as this meeting," Cedric snorted, only to be laughed at by both Gryffindors.

"You could be right," Neville allowed, "but still, I think that it's an idea that needs to be explored. The main difficulty I foresee is getting the Board of Governors to agree with adding it to the curriculum."

"I don't think that'll be a problem," Harry grinned. "I've already talked with Lucius Malfoy about it, on the platform before we boarded the Express, and he seemed to be in favor of it."

"Especially after you volunteered to pay the costs of the course," Cedric smirked.

"Yeah, well, whatever it takes," Harry shrugged.

"I can see how it would be difficult for Lucius to oppose something like that," Neville said thoughtfully. "One of his main arguments for years has been that the muggleborns don't respect our traditions. Since we can make the counter-argument that it's not their fault because they've never been taught, fighting against an instruction course makes it plain that he's just flatly opposed to the muggleborns. That's not a very popular position to take, generally."

At Harry's raised eyebrow, Cedric took up the explanation. "Love, the purebloods have to be careful about coming right out and saying that they hate the muggleborns, for several reasons. The muggleborns are usually the ones who manage the exchange of goods and services between the muggles and us, so they literally are the hands that feed us, and clothe us, and almost everything else. Also, more and more families find themselves with a muggleborn or two married into them, hushed up though it may be. Except for a very small circle that are content to marry first cousins indefinitely, most families are more reasonable…or more cautious about inbreeding. That's why You-Know-Who never managed to gain any more followers than he did, the first time around."

Harry nodded, following the argument. "That's why Lucius was so interested, when I talked about birth rates," he said thoughtfully.

"Exactly," Cedric said. "It's been bandied about for years, and there have even been some encouragements made, in a very small way, to try to get people to have more children. Still, it hasn't done very much, and I doubt any more pretty words from Fudge or one of his flunkies will change things in the near future."

"Well, if you can get both Lucius Malfoy and my Gran to support it, I rather doubt that anyone will have the stones to object," Neville grinned.

"That thought had occurred to me," Harry admitted with a shrug, which caused Cedric and Neville to burst out laughing. Not wanting to be left out, Harry quickly joined them.

The boys were still laughing when Tiffy popped in to inform them that Professor Moody was on his way, and that one of them needed to give permission for her to let him into the Lords Hall.

"Of course you can let him in, Tiffy," Cedric smiled. "We'll have the door open, so he won't have any trouble finding us here." With an almost-curtsey, the little elf popped away.

Harry was at the door and opening it at once. "With Mad-Eye, there's no telling how soon he'll be here," he said.

"And with that new leg of his, you can't hear him coming anymore," Cedric grinned.

"I noticed that leg," Neville said. "Beautiful craftsmanship…it looked familiar, somehow," he smirked. When Harry and Cedric both looked at him, he just winked, unwilling to say anything else until the rooms had been checked by the paranoid ex-Auror turned Professor.

By unspoken consent, all three young men sat quietly as they waited for the new DADA Professor to arrive. Fortunately, they didn't have time to wait.

"Potter, what good does it do to have a secure door, if you leave it standing wide open?" Alastor Moody thundered as he entered Harry's sitting room. "What have I taught you?" he asked.

"Constant Vigilance!" came back at him from three throats, as all three young men roared back.

"Yes, well," Moody said, then grinned. "I suppose that you didn't think I'd notice that all of you have wands or whatnot ready to give me what for, if I turned out to be someone else."

"Why, Professor, you'd think we'd been trained by professional paranoids, or something," Harry said sweetly, shooting his cuffs to show off his bracelets.

"Impudent brats. Two points for each of you, just for cheek," Moody said, then seated himself in a chair facing the door. "Now, what can I do you for?" he asked.

"Neville and I have just been visited by the Headmaster, and we thought that a quick spell check might be warranted," Harry said quietly.

"I've already done what I could, and didn't find anything," Cedric said, just as quietly. "Still, we thought it best to have you double check."

"Good thinking, lad. The room been checked yet?" Mad-Eye asked, looking around with this magical eye in all directions.

All three students nodded. "Tiffy and Makky checked, and said that the rooms are clear," Cedric confirmed.

Moody nodded, but took another careful look with his eye anyway. "Looks clear," he pronounced. "Now, Diggory, pay attention to what I do, see? There's no reason for you not to be able to do just as good a job as me at this, and it'll save us all a goodly bit of time and effort. Watch closely…come here, Potter, you first," he said, and proceeded to check both Harry and Neville.

By the time Moody had pronounced both of them 'clean', and reviewed the spells with Cedric to his satisfaction, the house elves had come and gone, leaving a tray of refreshments without having been asked. To everyone's relief, what Cedric had noticed was an interaction between his own detection spells and the twinned pair of bracelets Neville was wearing. Mad-Eye had assured them that such a thing was fairly common, and had done a minor adjustment to Neville's bracelets to prevent any reoccurrence from drawing attention to his 'jewelry'.

"Well, I must say, this is some fine service," Mad-Eye said, helping himself to a biscuit. "And nice digs, too."

"We're well pleased," Neville grinned. "Although, the Headmaster has already tried to compel Harry and I to return to Gryffindor Tower."

"And yet, you're still here, and not packing up to move," Moody grinned.

"Not on a bet," Harry laughed. "For one thing, we won't be having to deal with Ron's snoring any more."

"Or being spied upon all hours of the day and night," Neville smirked.

"I'm not surprised that Weasley's already made his displeasure known," Cedric said. "Did anyone else notice just how quickly he shut up when I reminded him of what I had to do to get a room here?" he asked, looking around.

"That's our Ronnikins," Harry smirked. "Wants it all, but never quite willing to do what it takes to get it on his own."

Moody snorted, not wanting to be too obvious about agreeing with Harry. "At any rate," he said, changing the subject, "now that you're here, what are we going to do about keeping up your training? Don't think I'm going to let you lot slack off just because you're back in school."

Harry and Cedric both frowned, thinking. Neville, surprisingly, was the first to speak up.

"Professor Moody, sir?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yes, lad?"

"I was wondering…since I'm also having the blocks from my magic removed and all…if I could join Harry and Cedric's training with you?"

Moody looked at the boy carefully before he spoke. The young lad reminded him more of his mother than his father, but Alice had been just as fine an Auror as Frank. "Do you think you can keep up?" he asked, wanting to test the boy's resolve a bit.

"Yes," Neville answered immediately. "I realize that it may take me some time to catch up to Harry and Cedric, but I'm willing to do what it takes," he said firmly.

Moody nodded, satisfied. He recognized the look in the boy's eyes—that was pure Alice Longbottom, and woe unto anyone who disputed the determination there.

"I'll be glad to help you as best I can," Moody answered. "Assuming that we can find a place to train, that is."

"It might be a bit difficult until the Hogsmeade people move out," Cedric mused. "After that, well, the castle will be back to having plenty of room available."

"Room of Requirement?" Harry asked, looking at Cedric.

Cedric nodded, considering. Among his notes was a detailed account of where to find each Horcrux, and the Room had been fully described therein. If what he had read (and shared with Harry, of course) was correct, then the Room should be more than capable of forming itself into a training room like they had enjoyed in London over the summer.

"I don't see why not," Cedric answered. "It's not like anyone else should be using it regularly," he finished.

"Just what the blazes are you two on about?" Mad-Eye demanded while Neville sat there, confused.

Smiling their apologies, Harry and Cedric explained about the Room, and what it should be able to do. For obvious reasons, they didn't go into the fact that they would be going there very soon themselves to retrieve the Ravenclaw diadem.

Mad-Eye appeared to be convinced, but still wanted to hold out for something a bit more permanent. "I tell you what I'll do, boys. I'll volunteer to sponsor a Dueling Club if you want to start one. We'll get Flitwick to help out, of course, and anyone else who wants, and then open it up to the entire school. That way we can train up a cadre of skilled fighters right under the Dark Lord's nose!"

"Will Dumbledore let you do that?" Harry asked, concerned for his friend.

Moody laughed, then shrugged. "I don't see why not, especially if we get Flitwick behind it! After all, he was a noted duelist in his day, and Hogwarts used to be famous for turning out some of the best in Europe." He grinned evilly. "And I can't wait until the purebloods start to complain about it, either, since dueling is one of our 'proud traditions' that has 'been allowed to fall into such disarray'!"

"But what about the Ministry?" Neville asked. "Won't they object to something like that?"

"Only those who are too stupid to realize that the Auror corps needs at least partially-trained people to feed into their training programs," Moody grumped. "These last few years, what we have gotten is pretty pitiful, in general. If I didn't know better, I'd say that it was a full-blown conspiracy between Snape and his other Death Eater friends to weaken the corps as much as possible."

"You mean, about the potions requirement?" Harry asked, barely beating Cedric to the question.

When Moody nodded, Harry and his friends shared an evil grin. "Well, about that, Professor, we might just have an idea or two…."

A/N: apologies for taking a bit longer with this update than I intended, but I was posting Bound by Magic or Love Slaves of Diagon Alley (now complete, and available on my profile), and then got distracted by RL. Hope you enjoy this!

As I write this, the DH movie is two months away from release. I won't be rushing to see it, although I realize that the movie will almost certainly be better than the 600+ pages of 'meh' that was the book (imho—so flame me if you wish, I don't much care), but still…. Here's the best, most succinct take I've ever seen on why the later books of canon are so disappointing, stolen from enembee's profile (don't know where enembee got it, sorry):

"The ultimate problem was that the first few books imply that the overall story would be about a boy growing up to be a hero, and what we ultimately got was the story about a patsy who was manipulated into fulfilling someone else's overly complicated scheme to preserve the status quo of a society that didn't deserve salvation."

The key words here are 'patsy' (yep, that's canon Harry), 'manipulated' (yep, that's canon Harry, thank you Dumbles and others), 'overly complicated scheme' (Dumbles), and the entire last phrase (yep, that's pretty much the canon wizarding world, waste of air that most of them are). Sadly, there is soooooooooo much promise in the first books that is not even close to being fulfilled in the later ones.

Of course, that's probably also why fanfiction for Harry Potter is so prevalent: there's just so much there that cries out to be fixed. Not that I would know anything about that, of course…. *puts tongue so far into cheek that it comes out ear*

Anyway, that's my rant for the day. I'll try to get another chapter up in a week or so, but no promises except that I'll try my best. Besides, you've got Bound to read in the meantime, and it's got Harem Boy!Draco….

Next Chapter: a long talk with Professor Flitwick, and the rebuilding of Hogsmeade commences.