Update!!!!


Friday morning dawned with Harry determined to be pleasant. It was a mood that did not dominate his life, but he would do almost anything to avoid another Saturday morning detention, which he earned by "instigating an improper event". He still really had no clue what McGonagall had meant by that, but he hated getting up early on a day he was fully entitled to lay like a lump in his bed.

He, Hermione, and Malfoy all got a detention for whatever it was that was up the Professors butt. He hadn't broken Sirius's record yet for first detention of the year, but he was only off by two hours.

It occurred to Harry that today, of all days, might be the hardest day he ever had to fake "pleasant", and it was all because of Potions class.

Remus had warned him, beware of Snape. Do not antagonize, do not meet his eyes or if he challenges do not deliberately turn away, do not be a smart ass Harry, because he will slap you down for it.

So Harry woke with Friday morning and meditated instead of shoving for his turn in the bathroom. He laid in the middle of the room and looked up at the ceiling, bouncing his ball, centering his thoughts and emotions.

After a while he forgot that he wasn't alone in the room. Ron Weasley sat cross legged on his bed, just watching as Harry's eyes unfocused and his breathing evened. Not wanting to interrupt he snagged Neville's sleeve and whispered.

"What is he doing?"

"He's meditating. Our tutor told us that Potions might be difficult because the teacher really hated Harry's dad. So Harry is trying to be nice today," Neville shook his head with a little smile. "He's centering himself so he hopefully won't swing out with snark. It's a well honed technique, but as you saw the other day, tends to get him in trouble."

"My brothers said that Professor Snape is the most evil git ever. Each and every one of them… even Percy doesn't debate it."

"And you saw how Harry was with McGonagall… can you imagine?"

"Maybe Harry should fake a sicky today," Ron mused. Neville just quirked a side grin.

"Bet a sickle Harry snaps within ten minutes," he offered.

"Five," Ron countered, and they shook hands.


Breakfast was no different than any other breakfast, other than the fact that Harry's scar twinged uncomfortably for a second. He took a breath, re-centered himself, and concentrated on the feeling. For a bare breath he wondered why Quirrel would make his scar react now, when it hadn't done a single thing in the stuttering Professors class room, but he buried the thought under his, "things to think later" when he realized he was running a bit late for class if he didn't get his butt moving.

With a quick glance at his map he considered routes, and then tugged Neville's sleeve.

"Look, I'm going to try an alternate path, if I don't make it in time, stall."

Neville merely nodded and finished his eggs before collecting his bag and standing.

"What's he up to?" Ron asked as Harry left, a full ten minutes before he should have had to.

"He's going to try and relax his body, the same kind of thing he did with his mind this morning." Neville shrugged as they started toward Potions.

"He's going to mediate again?" Ron asked, then jumped a bit to the side as Hermione came up, juggling reference books as she made sure she had what she needed.

"Here, hold," she shoved a few books at Ron until he accepted them with an eye roll. "What's this about Harry mediating something?" she asked, distracted a bit as she organized her bag.

"Meditating, Hermione," Neville corrected. "And I guess you could call it that, only with his body instead of his mind."

"Ohh… Like a kata? With martial arts?" Hermione would have started waxing eloquently on the books she'd read about karate and its sibling arts if Neville hadn't chuckled.

"No, he can and does do a few strengthening kata, he mostly practices with his aunt. But at the moment he's probably jumping off a balcony."


Harry contemplated the distances, and nodded when he decided on his first route. Glad he'd given his school books and robes to Neville that morning, because he knew that he'd snag on several obstacles if he hadn't. He stretched a bit, cracking his neck with a satisfying pop before backing up against the wall, and checking to make sure no students would interfere with his projected flight, and he shot himself over a railing and onto one of the moving staircases right as it passed underneath. With just a second to spare he rolled and disappeared into the vanishing step and dropped with a tumble and a wry grin into the second sub floor dungeon area. He had about four minutes to get to class, which was one floor above and about three hallways away from where he now crouched. He launched himself down the long hallway, skidding on the wall for a second to avoid a group of third year Slytherins who had just exited their common room. He reveled in the gasps as he tumbled over himself and just barely managed to clear all four heads before skidding back down onto the floor. He took a second to gather his breath and laughed as he just started to book it down the hallway. He now had two minutes.

He grabbed the staircase railing and flipped over it to land halfway up, ran up most of the stairs left before capturing the opposite rail and jumping up on top of it to reach the hallway railing and vaulting over it.

"One minute," Neville commented dryly as he handed Harry his robe. Harry just smirked, grabbed his robe and the accompanying hand towel to wipe the sweat off his forehead.

"Whatever would I do without you Jeeves?" he asked.

"Get to your seats, NOW."


Harry had to take a deep breath before he said something that someone, somewhere would regret. He wouldn't mind another detention, really, if it meant standing up to this prick.

After what he obviously thought was an elegant and intimidating speech, Snape called them all dunderheads and then picked on Harry's knowledge of several different higher level potions questions. He'd forgotten the first question, knew the second considering he lived with a freak'n werewolf, and the third was so stupid he snorted.

"Do you not know the answer Mr. Potter?" Snape sneered.

"It's just that I always thought it was odd that a stone, which resides in the stomach of a goat, could cure poison attacks." Harry nudged Neville, who held back his own chuckle. He remembered that Lara had forbidden them from hunting down a goat, just to see if this odd fact really was true. Harry had been all set. He'd had his dynamite ready, as always.

"Well, Mr. Potter, it seems that you've been reading ahead. Five points from Gryffindor for your cheek!" And with another slimy sneer he turned on his heel, his cloak twirling like a gown with his momentum.

Harry couldn't help it. He had to.

"Boom," he whispered under his breath. In the front of the classroom, on Snape's desk, in his already simmering cauldron, a flash bang went off. Smoke poured from the opening, staining Snape's skin a sooty gray before he had a chance to back away. Neville smirked and leaned over to Ron…

"Potter! Detention!"

"Seven minutes." Neville whispered, chuckling softly at Ron's pout, happily accepting his prize.


After a long and boring detention in the morning, which consisted of writing lines, "I will not refer to anyone as a mudblood, it is inappropriate and cruel," and a nice and uneventful lunch, Harry sighed and broke off from his friends for his afternoon of detention.

Snape didn't greet him, only handed him a stiff bristle brush and pointed at the crusted over cauldrons in the corner. Harry rolled his eyes, but got to work, and was done a few hours before dinner. Without really thinking, he was tired after all, he got turned around and ended up in the third floor corridor.

Once he realized where he was he tried to step back onto the staircase, but the stupid thing moved without him. As he looked around for another exit, he heard what he could swear was breathing behind one of the doors.

Remus had often cursed James for his sense of curiosity that had gotten the Marauders into such trouble so often, and Harry had often given him reason to curse the fact that it was apparently hereditary.

As Harry approached the door he stepped cautiously, but when no one popped up to stop him he placed his hand on the locked doorknob and turned it as if it weren't locked. Harry had learned that sometimes intent was all that was needed. He wanted to open the door, he believed he could open the door, so the door opened.

The door opened to the sight of a humongous three headed dog who lay napping, his paws crossed under his heads, over a trap door in the floor. Very carefully Harry closed the door again, and willed it locked.

"Well that was interesting."


… Just before Halloween…

Neville was studying, slouched in the soft couch cushions in front of the fire when suddenly the gossip of the students lounging behind him penetrated his concentration.

"They think it's the Philosopher's stone…" one whispered, another nodded sagely.

"Yep, It was brought here to protect it from dark wizards… that's why we can't go into the third floor corridor…"

"How do you know all this?"

"A little intelligent deductive reasoning…"

"And the fact that Hagrid can't seem to keep his mouth shut…"

Neville scoffed, perhaps a bit louder than he meant to, for the group of students turned to glare at him.

"What's so funny?" Ron glared.

"Nothing whatsoever," Neville shrugged it off and attempted to go back to his book.

"No, you obviously think something's wrong with my solution, so let's hear it!" Ron stood, planted his fist on the couch arm and frowned what he obviously thought was a menacing grimace. Neville, having been on the receiving end of many terrifying frowns through his grandmother, merely shook his head.

"It's not that your idea isn't well thought out Ron, you just don't have all the facts," Again Neville turned back to his book. He sighed, tired, when Ron just ripped the book from his lack grasp and tossed it across the room.

"Give me the facts then, oh wise one," the sarcasm was not missed. Nor was the yipe that came from the staircase as the flying book bounced off Harry's head.

"Why am I being assaulted by the written word?" He asked, the book in his hand, his other hand rubbing the spot on his skull the corner had impacted.

"Ron is upset," Neville held his hand out for his book, which Harry handed back to him before flopping down on the couch next to his friend, actually sitting on his feet.

"Why is Ron upset this time?" Harry asked, yawning. The last time Ron had been upset it was because Harry and Neville backed Hermione instead of him. It wasn't that they particularly cared about the argument, but Ron was being the more annoying of the two that time. And they took sides only as they saw fit, more often than not disagreeing with each other and backing separate candidates. That way when the bets were taken, it was a fair spread…

"He thinks Dumbledore is hiding the Philosophers stone in the third floor corridor," Neville opened his book to the correct page and started reading again.

"Impossible," Harry replied, settling down into the cushions as if readying himself for a nice long nap.

"Why?" Ron cried out, frustrated. "If I'm wrong I'll admit it! But just tell me!"

Harry looked over at Neville, Neville stared back and with a small nod went back to his book, effectively shutting out the rest of the room.

"Neville and I had a bit of a tutoring summer with Nicolas Flamel. Our official tutor knew him from way back… anyway, we asked him toward the end of July how he made his Philosopher's stone. You want to know what he said?"

"Of course!" Not only was Ron hanging on every word, but so was the rest of Gryffindor tower. Harry paused, let his gaze sweep the room until everyone shuddered slightly with the intensity. Harry almost laughed, Sirius had been right. Gryffindor's all loved a good suspense story.

"There is no such thing as a Philosopher's stone."

The silence was almost deafening.

"What?" Ron spat out into the sudden stillness. "Then what was almost stolen from Gringotts? What is the three headed dog guarding?"

"Fluffy? Nothing I guess. Or at least nothing that someone thinks is something… hmm… I'm going to have to think on that." Harry closed his eyes as if contemplating a nice long nap.

"That can't be right! It says on Dumbledore's Chocolate Frog Card! It says he helped make it!"

"There is no Philosopher's stone," Harry repeated. "It's a concept. It's like an abstract painting. You know it's there, and you know it represents something, but if you don't look at it right, or with the proper frame of mind, you're lost."

"Basically it's an idealized way of looking at the world. It's a concept that's so incredible it must be strived toward." Neville commented, not looking up from his book.

"What about the Flamels? Aren't they like, a million years old?"

"Yep," Harry nodded. "And every bit as spry as if they were only a thousand…" Harry shook his head in disappointment, they were all looking at him odd, the wizarding world needed to work on their sarcasm. "I thought you knew. Wizards age differently after puberty than regular humans. If we take extraordinarily good care of ourselves we could live to be around four hundred ourselves. Nicolas runs every morning, Perenelle works on her garden or cooks, or rides her bike. They take muggle multi-vitamins, every time they feel the least bit ill they mix up a healing potion. They don't abuse their bodies, and they keep their minds sharp."

"So basically you're saying that if I exercise and eat well I'll live to be older that dirt? Ron asked dryly.

"Uh-Huh." Harry nodded. He then closed his eyes again and fell promptly asleep.

Hours later, as Neville and Harry sat, reading for muggle Maths and filling out the proper tutor sheets, Neville poked Harry with his pen.

"What was all that shit? You know that the Philosopher's stone…" Harry smiled in response.

"Look, Neville, do you really think that Nicolas would like his formula known? Why do you think he's allowed the rumor of the "stone" to flourish? You know as well as I do that he came across the concept by accident! If he and Perenelle hadn't been sharing lab space at the time that explosion would never have happened. I'm sure he'd be happy with us, coming up with another diversion."

"Yes, I'm sure. But now the students are going to really want to know what's under the third floor corridor!" Harry blinked.

"Well, shit."


Ok, so that was the new update... And I feel the odd need to explain something. I was arguing "For/Against" with my brother... it's a game we play. Devils Advocate more like. Nature or Nurture, and I figured it might make Harry easier to understand. Basically I feel that everyone is born with a base personality, not the same base, mind you, but a base. As we grow older our experiences shape us to who we are. So it's an odd cross of Nature/Nurture. Harry, my version in this story, is a bit of a pain. He's self-assured and obviously thinks he knows what he's doing, or is going to do and to hell with the consequences. To that I say, look at Lara. She's a self-assured young woman who gets what she wants, and If she doesn't, she knows why and usually fixes it so she gets it in the end anyway. At the same time, there is a humility there not often seen in Aristocracy. It's an attitude I felt worked with Harry's intristic personality very well. Harry is a child who stands for what he truly believes in, he's very Hufflepuff in that way. He knows who his friends are, and recognizes his enemys. He knows what is acceptable AND (more importantly) how to get around that when he needs to. He's very Slytherin in that way. Bt his base personality is Gryffindor. He can't change that. He rushes headfirst into danger when he needs to. When it's immediate action that needs done, he does it and to hell with the consequences. Of course in canon some of those consequences end up killing people... Cedric, Sirius... le'sigh... but we won't let that happen this time, now will we?

hope you liked the new chapter! that part with snape was kicking my butt... i had this great idea for a conversation between harry and mcgonagall about snape, but then i realized it would do better between harry and remus... so sorry, you have to wait for the christmas break for that... and the real big blow up between harry and snape. it just didn't really fit in here. but rest assured, harry gets in alot of trouble with snape in this timeline, and sometimes he even deserves it! (how would you like a student to blow up your cauldron... and no, i have no clue how he got the dynamite in there. it's harry, what can i say?)

(and that bit with the stone will be developed further...)