Ajax had noticed Snape's dislike of the Gryffindors, and kept his head down, doing his best to answer each question leveled at him with accurate, concise answers. He did his potions exactly as instructed, bottling them in unbreakable beakers so that Snape couldn't accidentally drop and break them, resulting in a zero.

Madame Umbridge was even more unpleasant than Snape, and Ajax again kept his head even farther down after the broom incident, doing his best to not be noticed when he didn't have to be.

The other teachers, however, Ajax found to be fair, if rather strict, as was the case with Professor McGonagall, and participated with enthusiasm and gusto in their classes.

It was Thursday night, and Amaranth had been the one to point out that the converter was the part that was leaking energy in ways it shouldn't. The repair had been made, and they were testing it by levitating just about everything in the common room.

Hermione hadn't protested much, as what homework had been assigned was relatively light, and she was curious to see how well the magical guitar worked.

Amaranth and Ajax had been belting out the chorus when Harry entered the room, coming back from what he had claimed was 'remedial potions'.

He clutched his head in pain, and backed out.

A minute and a half later, the song ended, and Ajax slid the guitar into a pocket dimension for safekeeping.

"Quiet down, everybody." Ajax said. "I noticed Harry come in, clutch his head in pain and back out. I'll go tell him it's all clear."

So saying, Ajax opened the door and peered out. "Harry?" he called quietly. "I assume you were waiting for Amaranth and I to quit making such a racket?"

"Yes." came the whispered reply.

Ajax exited the portrait hole, and leaned against the wall as the Fat Lady swung closed.

"You weren't doing remedial potions." Ajax accused quietly. "Potions doesn't shove a railroad spike through your head, I know because I've watched. Not to mention, if you were actually being tutored in potions, your skill would actually improve. I know you aren't as dull as you try to make people think that you are. Care to let me help?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but Snape has been trying to teach Occlumency to me." Harry replied.

"I'm not sure what that is…does it have to do with the mind by any chance?"

"Yes, the defense of the mind, theoretically." Harry replied. "I haven't been doing well."

"Just so you know, Harry, unless it's super private, it is my business what's happening to you, as well as any other person behind that portrait. McGonagall said something about a House being a person's family, and family stick together. I'm good at defending my mind, as well as reading others, may I try to help you?" Ajax said gently.

"Sure." Harry replied. "Can you do it without having it hurt?"

"I think so." Ajax replied. "It shouldn't hurt when I'm in your mind. Come on, this isn't the place to deal with this." Ajax turned to the Fat Lady and gave the password, and she swung open with an obliging click.

Once inside the red and gold themed room, Ajax found a deep chair and set it so it was facing towards a sofa.

"Sit down and get comfortable." Ajax said. "It will help."

Harry complied, sitting down with a weary sigh on the sofa.

"I have two requests to make." Ajax said, sitting in the chair. "The first is, may I cast a spell on you? That headache you've got is a bit distracting."

"It is?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I can feel the energy of it coming off of you. May I use a spell on you to alleviate it?" Ajax asked, slightly impatient.

"Sure." Harry replied.

"Heill." Ajax muttered, and the headache began receding.

"Thanks." Harry said, looking up. "How'd you do that, anyway?"

Ajax grinned slightly. "That, my friend, is something I'm not ready to share yet. I may share it one day, but not yet. Now for the second request. May I enter your mind?"

"Why?" Harry asked. "I thought you were just going to try and get in while I hold you out."

"That might come, at a later time, but I'd like to see for myself what sort of damage Snape has done to you." Ajax replied. "I need to help you learn, not just throw you in and hope you swim. So, do I have your permission, or not? I will not be able to proceed without your permission."

"Why not?" Harry asked sullenly. "Snape can get in easily enough without my permission."

"I need your permission because, unless the situation is life-or-death, entering the mind of another without permission is equivalent to rape. I don't do rape."

Harry nodded as he thought about it. "Fine." he said. "But if I ask you to leave-"

"I'll pull out as fast as I can." Ajax promised. "Sit back, relax. Close your eyes if you want."

"You don't need eye contact?" Hermione asked.

Ajax lifted three inches out of his chair in shock. "How'd you sneak up on me?"

"We didn't mate." Ron said. "You were so busy in your conversation that we were able to bring a chair over and sit down without you noticing."

"Oh." Ajax replied. "No, I don't need eye contact. I was taught a bit differently than that."

Harry sat back and got comfortable before saying, "whenever you're ready."

Ajax found himself in a massive warehouse, the whole building in massive disarray. "Harry?" he called. "Anybody?"

"Who are you?" Ajax heard behind him.

Ajax spun around, and found himself facing a young child. "My name is Ajax. Who are you?"

"I'm called Boy." the waif replied. "Are you going to hit me?"

"No…why would I?" Ajax asked, puzzled.

"Because I asked a question." the child replied miserably. "I'm not allowed to ask questions."

"Questions are good!" Ajax said. "Questions mean you are thinking! Why are you here?"

"This is where I always am." the waif replied.

"And the mess?" Ajax probed.

The child flinched. "Please don't hit me!" he wailed.

"I won't hit you." Ajax replied. He felt his anger beginning to well up inside. "Who hits you?"

"Uncle Vernon, or sometimes Dudley. Aunt Petunia hits me too, but not as hard."

"I see." Ajax replied icily. "They will be dealt with appropriately." he straightened up then, hearing footsteps. "Someone there?" he called out.

"There you are." Harry said, appearing in a doorway. "I was beginning to wonder where you were."

"Amaranth helped me, sort of like an anchor point. That's why your mind looks like this. What can you tell me about this child here? He says his name is Boy."

Harry looked like he'd been struck. "That's me." he said almost silently.

"Well, fuck." Ajax said. "You have split personalities. That must be resolved first. Can we take a tour?"

"Sure." Harry replied.

Ajax picked his way through the jumbled boxes on the floor with Boy in his arms, and made it safely to the door.

"Why did you bring him with you?" Harry asked quizzically.

"Because he needs to re-integrate with you." Ajax replied. "That will help with your mental protections."

They finally found a control room, with a pulsing ball in the center of the room.

"Wow." Ajax said. "If I'm right, and I think I am, that's your magic. Why are there chains and bands on it? Does that tie it down somehow?"

"I…I don't know." Harry replied.

"By the way." Ajax said, nonchalant. "Do you feel any physical pain? Believe me, if I were causing pain, you'd know."

"No, there's no pain." Harry said in wonder.

"That's because your defenses were so minimal that I brushed them aside as if it were nothing more than a spider web, and you're not trying to bring them back up again. I'm guessing that's what happens with Snape." Ajax replied. "Your defenses are weak as water, your memories…well, you saw the warehouse I was in. You'll need to spend time sorting them. Basically, you're putting tags on your memories so that your mind knows how to use them. For instance, if I were to say 'Hermione' you would instantly think of her. All your memories, associated emotions, everything you have 'on file' so to speak, would be called up by your mind. I recommend sorting everything chronologically, then tagging everything. So, first year, there's your chronological sorting, at the opening feast, talking with Ron. Now you're thinking about what was on the table, and there's tags for all that stuff, chicken, pumpkin juice, everything. It should get to the point where you have near-perfect recall."

Ajax set down the waif that had identified himself as Boy. "I'm really not sure how to help with the multiple personalities. Try going to each other."

Harry and Boy walked towards each other, stopping when they touched, and then with a sizzle and a shockwave that sent Ajax across the control room, Boy had re-integrated with Harry.

"Okay, there's that." Ajax said, picking himself up. "Ow, by the way."

"Sorry." Harry replied.

"It's alright. I know the risks of being in here." Ajax said, examining a chain. "Say, this has Dumbledore's signature all over it!"

Then Ajax spotted it, a blackish green tendril connected to the ball of magic sitting on the floor. "What's this?" he asked. "It doesn't look good in any way…"

"I don't know." Harry said, looking at the tendril.

"It smells." Ajax replied. "Mind if I kill it?"

"Go ahead." Harry said, remembering what Ajax had said on the train.

Ajax withdrew a silver dagger from a sheath at his belt, and carefully cut the tendril out of Harry's magical core. As soon as that was done, Ajax found what seemed to be a head or a brain center on the worm, and he plunged the dagger straight through it. An un-earthly wail emanated from the thing, growing quieter and quieter until it made no noise at all. Suddenly, the tendril turned to dust in Ajax's hand.

Ajax looked around the control room, which resembled a warship bridge, and found the radar screen.

"You mind if I turn this thing on?" Ajax asked, pointing at it.

"What is it?" Harry asked, walking over to look at the screen.

"Some form of PSIDAR is my best guess." Ajax replied. "It's definitely yours, not related to that evil thing I killed."

"Go ahead." Harry said warily.

Ajax flicked the switch, and began reading the results. "Hermione is still here, she's really concerned. Ron is gone, probably as a result of the detaching and killing of that tendril. That must have had an effect in the real world as well."

Ajax moved over to another console, this one active with information flickering across it. "Hey, your famous scar is bleeding. Do you want me to call it a day?"

"No, you probably killed Voldemort's horcrux that was lodged in me." Harry said.

Ajax blanched. "You had. A. Horcrux. In. Your fucking forehead this whole time!"

"Yeah…"

"And nobody thought to do anything about it?" Ajax ranted. "What the hell?"

"It's not like it was doing anything to me." Harry protested weakly.

"Not doing anything, my furry ass." Ajax grumbled. "It was leaching your magic. Speaking of your magic, I recognize these chains, or at least, their design."

"Really?" Harry asked excitedly.

"Yes." Ajax replied. "Got a sword or a power saw or something around here?"

"No." Harry replied. "Why?"

"These chains are designed to suppress your magic." Ajax said. "You've got a heck of a lot of power at your beck and call, so I recommend only breaking one for now, and leaving the rest on. You're used to the power you're able to use now, so if these chains all get broken, you'd transfigure a matchstick into an executive desk or something big like that without trying or wanting to."

"So, which one to break?" Harry asked.

"That one." Ajax said, pointing to the largest one of the bunch. "You hit the biggest one first, so that as you progress, it's less and less of a power boost that you have to compensate for."

The radar screen pinged, and Ajax went back over to it. "Ron's back, worried as hell, and he's got McGonagall and Dumbledore with him. I'm leaving."

Ajax returned to his own body, and listened to Hermione and Ron explaining what had gone on. He cracked an eyelid open, just enough to see that Harry's scar had not bled very much, just a slight trickle that had already healed.

"There was this really weird screaming, then a greenish black vapor seemed to come out of his forehead before dissipating." Hermione said. "Then it bled regularly a little before stopping."

"That would be my doing." Ajax said, opening his eyes. He quickly cast a privacy ward that raised McGonagall's eyebrows, then said "I was working on a project that was making a fair bit of noise, and Harry here came in, clutched his head and went back outside. I stopped the noise as soon as I could, then went to find the reason for Harry clutching his head in pain. As it turns out, Snape was teaching him Occlumency. Rather poorly, I might add." Ajax said, scowling. "Occlumency is one art that you can't just throw a student into and hope they swim. Snape was doing that, and it was damaging Harry's already incredibly weak defenses. I asked if I could help him, he agreed, and once I got inside, I found that there was more trouble than simply having Snape battering at shields that have never gotten to par to begin with."

"Maybe this conversation is best had in my office." Dumbledore suggested, eyes twinkling. A probe entered Ajax's head, and was viciously attacked. Dumbledore winced, but backed off.

"I've no problem with that." Ajax said.

"Why did you offer to help young mister Potter, mister Tone?" McGonagall asked briskly.

"Because." Ajax said simply. "You said that a house was like a second family, and the logical extension of that is that if someone is in trouble, as Harry was, that someone else comes to their aid. I was just following your words, Professor."

"I see." McGonagall said, proud of her surrogate lion. "Ten points to Gryffindor for following the instructions of a teacher, even if they weren't explicit orders. What was the greenish-black vapor, Mr. Tone? You alluded to having responsibility for it's appearance."

"I did." Ajax replied. "It was a horcrux, belonging to one Tom Marvelo Riddle. I believe he is now known as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and would like the record to reflect that if I ever meet the rat-bastard face-to-face, I will name him, then proceed to utterly destroy him." Ajax's cold fury was felt by all within the privacy charm, and McGonagall shivered in fear. "Five point from Gryffindor for inappropriate language, Mr. tone." She said sternly.

"I understand." Ajax said.

"Two hundred points to Gryffindor for the destruction of a Horcrux without the destruction of it's vessel." Dumbledore said serenely, eyes twinkling merrily. Ajax blocked another probe.

"As I believe I said, this conversation would be much better in my office?" Dumbledore suggested again.

The group agreed, and Ajax followed the group to the Headmaster's office.

Once they arrived there, Dumbledore obliviated the entire group, before proceeding to spin a quick tale that was nothing like the truth.

Ajax resolved to tell Harry about the obliviation, as well as Professor McGonagall and Hermione, but was unsure if he should do the same for Ron.

He would think on it.

When they got up to the Gryffindor tower, Ajax pulled Harry aside. "Dumbledore just obliviated us in his office."

"Prove it." Harry said, angered.

"May I access your mind? I promise I will not cause you pain." Ajax said reassuringly.

"Sure, but if it hurts, I'll hex you into next week." Harry replied.

"Harry!" Hermione said, scandalized.

They sat down in their former positions, and Ajax quietly accessed Harry's mind, using Amaranth as the anchor that organized Harry's mind enough for Ajax to be able to understand it.

Ajax found the obliviated memory, hidden away with several others.

Carefully using the Ancient Language, Ajax was able to unseal the memories and hand them to Harry, who had been angrily standing over him in the mental warehouse.

After several moments, the anger shifted. "That goat-fucker!" Harry exclaimed out loud. "He knew! He knew all along about the Dursleys, and deliberately left me to rot there!"

"I know a thing or two about law." Ajax said quietly. "If you'd like, I can help build a case against Dumbledore and Snape and the Dursleys."

"Please." Harry said eagerly. "I don't think I trust Dumbledore any more."

"Think?" Ajax asked. "He just obliviated you. He's been obliviating you multiple times over the years. This is no isolated case, and there's no good reason that he could have for making us forget about what happened tonight. It's almost like he's trying to set you up to fail." Ajax trailed off, deep in thought. After a moment, he snapped out of his trance-like state, and conjured a piece of parchment and some ink. After a moment, he conjured another several pieces.

"First thing we need to do is ascertain your assets." Ajax said. "The Marauders were a tight group until Wormtail gave them up to Mr. Mustn't be Named."

"If what your saying is true, and I'm not sure I believe you yet, then we need to find out what else has been done to him." Hermione said slowly, thinking.

"I could prove it if you like." Ajax said. "With your permission, I could enter your mind and find the obliviated memory so you can access it. My telepathy doesn't hurt unless someone is very actively fighting me, and then it hurts me just as much, sometimes more."

"Fine." Hermione said. "But if you pull anything over on me, I'll…"

She left the threat unfinished, and Ajax gulped. "I understand." he said delicately.

As with Harry, Amaranth used her superior mental skills to anchor Ajax and provide an intelligible mindscape for Ajax to interpret.

"What in the world?" Hermione asked.

"This would appear to be your mind." Ajax said. "Part of it, anyway."

They were looking at a massive library, with several books strewn around, some were even on the floor, sitting open, disorganized.

"This is my mind?" Hermione asked. "I have a hard time believing I would treat books like this." She picked up a book and examined the title. "What is this?" she asked. "My Eleventh Birthday? I've never heard of such a book."

"I imagine you already know the story quite well though." Ajax replied. "Go ahead and read it quick."

Hermione opened it, immersing herself in the memory. After a moment, she closed the book. "These books are my memories." she said quietly.

"Yep." Ajax replied. "I must admit, I'm rather impressed with how your memory is laid out. It wouldn't take much to teach Occlumency to you."

Hermione put the book on a shelf. "But Harry was saying that Snape wanted him to clear his mind or something. It would be extremely hard to clear this out."

"Nigh unto impossible." Ajax confirmed. "And trust me, you don't want to clear out this room. If all these books are your memories, then clearing this room would leave you not even knowing who you are. No, you want to organize these books, index them so you know where everything is. That is part one of your Occlumency training. Once you've completed your training in toto, obliviating will have little to no effect on your memories, unless you actually want to forget the memory."

"What are the other parts?" Hermione asked.

"Ah, getting ahead of yourself. Not good in this discipline. I admire your thirst for knowledge, but you really can't, well, shouldn't try to jump ahead in Occlumency. The other parts include shields, control, as well as stronger defenses than simple shields. Things like oppression clouds, mental daggers, that sort of thing."

"That sounds dark though!" Hermione protested.

Ajax laughed then, a full, hearty laugh. "Thank you." he said at last. "I've needed a good laugh in a while. Access without permission is tantamount to rape. Is fighting against a rapist dark?"

Hermione shook her head.

"Neither is defending your mind with every resource available to you."

"What's this book?" Hermione said. "I can't keep a hold of it for long."

Ajax swore softly, and went over to it. "Yep, that's an obliviated memory. Give me a moment…"

There was a brief flash of light from Ajax's hand to the book, and then the title was visible. "Here you are." Ajax said, handing the book to Hermione. She accepted the book and promptly entered it.

"What did you see?" Ajax asked. "more to the point, was it a memory of me helping Harry with his mind and greenish black vapor coming out of his scar?"

"Yes." Hermione said, closing the book. "How'd you know?"

"Took a flying guess." Ajax replied. "To be honest, that was the memory you invited me in here to unseal anyway, so my job here is done."

"Wait!" Hermione said. "Don't leave just yet."

"My job here is done, what else do you need?" Ajax asked.

"What do I need to do to learn Occlumency?" Hermione asked, desperate.

"I recommend cleaning up the memories that aren't on shelves." Ajax said. "Most people organize their memories chronologically, but you can go with any system that works for you." Ajax jumped. "I've just been smacked. I don't know who or why, so I'm leaving to find out."

Ajax reached up to rub his face, just as Hermione seemed to wake up as well. "That was for putting a spell on my girl." Ron said angrily.

"Your girl, Ron?" Hermione asked frostily.

"Yeah, Dumbledore promised that I could have you in exchange for spying on Harry for him. That and the fifty galleon payout I get once a week." Ron replied.

The sound of a massive smack resounded through the Gryffindor tower, and Ron reeled back. "Ow!" he said, rubbing his face. "What'd you do that for?"

"I'll not be your property." Hermione said.

"But you have to!" Ron said, his face red. "Dumbledore promised, besides, you need to do my homework for me."

Hermione's face had Ajax and Harry backing off, though Ron was either stupid or brave enough to stay where he was. "How dare you suggest that I would do your schoolwork for you, Ronald Bilius Weasley!" Hermione cried.

"Is he about to lose his status as a member of the Golden Trio?" Ajax whispered to Harry.

"What?" Harry hissed back.

"You, Hermione and Ron are collectively referred to as the Hogwarts Golden Trio." Ajax explained. "Just about everyone I met referred to the three of you by that title."

"Bloody titles." Harry grumbled under his breath. "I just want to be Harry James Potter, nothing more."

"I can help you with that." Ajax offered. He flinched as Hermione delivered another slap to Ron's face, then continued chewing him out. His eyes narrowed as Ron went for his wand.

"Thrysta!" Ajax barked, palm outstretched towards Ron.

Ron was forcibly pushed to the side and his spell went very wide, harmlessly impacting on the hearth. "Don't interfere with this, Ajax!" Ron spat. "She's my mud blood bitch, and I'll do as I like with her!"

"Not if I have my way." Harry said, wand pointed at Ron. "If you ever utter the word mud blood or bitch in regards to Hermione again, I'll halfway castrate you, and then let Hermione finish the job."

"I won't bother with the castration if I see you trying to attack her again." Ajax said calmly. "You'll get a free one-way trip to the ground via a Gryffindor Tower window and my boot up your hind end."

"You'd better pray McGonagall can protect you, Weasley." Hermione said flatly. "Because I'm declaring all out war on you."

"It doesn't matter, Hermione." Ron said. "You're mine, and that's the end of it."

"Don't call me by my first name, Weasley." Hermione said coolly, walking to the girl's dormitory. "You've lost that privilege."

The door shut behind her, leaving one very confused Ronald standing in the common room, with one pissed off Harry Potter and one coldly furious Ajax Tone.

"Girls, eh mate?" Ron asked sheepishly, turning to Harry. "Come on, let's get to bed, she'll have cooled off by morning."

"We aren't best mates any more." Harry said.

"Sure we are." Ron said. "I've got fifty galleons a month to prove it."

Harry saw red, and charged towards Ron with a roar.

"Slytha!" Ajax commanded, and Harry fell to the ground mid stride, out cold. "You ever attack a girl again, with me witnessing it, and there will be a trial."

"You can't have a trial for hexing a mud blood." Ron said, acting as if it was the most reasonable thing in the world.

"True." Ajax replied. "But you wouldn't be on trial. I would, for the murder of Ronald Bilius Weasley."

"You're taking her side in this?" Ron asked incredulously. "Of course you would, after bewitching her! You're the one who's caused all this! It's all your fault!" He raised his wand, saying "Reducto!"

The red light sped towards Ajax, who spread his arms as if to say 'what are you going to do?', then said "Shields up."

The red light impacted squarely on a sparkling white wall of energy and dissipated. A moment later, the shield faded as well.

"The attack was unprovoked, Weasley. Go to bed. Let your mind clear out, if such a thing is possible. You are currently making a fool of yourself."

"No I'm not!" Ronald shot back. "You're making a fool of me, and I refuse to allow it to continue. Reducto!"

Once again, the red light impacted upon the shield, which faded away a moment after the spell dissipated.

"Don't make me get involved." Amaranth purred from the doorway to the girls dorm. "You wouldn't like it."

Ron didn't notice, as he was too busy shooting off spell after spell at Ajax.

Answer to Master of the Blood Wolves: She started deferring all punishments to her later on in the year. She's still working up to a full head of steam.

You want a look at the inside of Amaranth's mind? I think I could arrange something…