So everyone, if you didn't notice, I updated Chapter Nine, which includes a few more sections, so if you didn't read that, do so first before you get to this chapter. Thanks for reading, review if ya feel like it.

CHAPTER TEN

White beards with half-moon spectacles were popping up everywhere. Through the corridors to the Great Hall of Hogwarts, the end of the year fest had become something of a spectacle. The Slytherin table had been hit the hardest, with at least half of the students at the table having sprouted the trademark beard of Albus Dumbledore. Harry himself had, in the past minute, grown a beard so long that he could have tucked it in to his belt, his glasses changed to mirror those of Dumbledore himself. But the Slytherins were hardly the only ones affected. There were plenty of others interspersed throughout the other three tables that were sporting the white feathery facial hair with pride. Fred and George Weasley were, of course, the rowdiest of the lot, standing and bowing to the hall with beards curling down to their toes.

Several at the high table were smiling in response to this odd tribute, although the table itself was not without casualties. Snape (who else?) had been transformed almost into a dead ringer for the headmaster himself, and was doing his best to transfigure the kind features of the headmaster into a frightening scowl with little success. Dumbledore himself was twinkling madly, laughing along with the twins, who were hardly trying to hide the fact that they were responsible for the madness. In fact, none of the teachers aside from Snape seemed inclined to take points from the two anytime soon.

Through the steadily growing craziness erupting throughout the hall, Harry caught Dumbledore's eye. The old man nodded slightly, smiling. Harry responded by raising his glass slowly to the headmaster, before turning away to resume speaking with his house mates. Dumbledore lightly tapped his spoon to the glass in front of him, the ringing sound making itself heard throughout the hall, quieting the crowd. Dumbledore surveyed the sight of a hall full of replicas for a moment, before he spoke.

"Here we are once again, the end of another year here at Hogwarts. Congratulations are in order for Slytherin House, who are once again the winners of the house cup."

A smattering of applause could be heard, along with the shouting and stomping emanating from the Slytherin table.

"Yes, well done Slytherin." The hall quieted once more, and Dumbledore continued. "I do have one other mention I would like to make before I leave you to your delicious feast. I don't mean to trouble you with an old man's waffling, and I certainly do not mean to bring a damper to the evening's festivities. I would merely like to inform you personally that the rumors I'm certain you have all heard are in fact correct. I will not be returning to Hogwarts next year. Upon the completion of this day I will no longer be the headmaster of this school."

The hall, if possible, grew even more silent.

"I would also like to give my thanks, however, for this very interesting and amusing… tribute." Dumbledore lingered on this last word, and the school laughed, the tension broken by the Weasley twins standing and bowing once again. "I would also like to leave you with a few more words before we part ways." Dumbledore drew in a deep breath, and continued.

"In the times that are to come, each of you will be faced with difficult decisions to make. The world is hardly an easy or forgiving place. As you grow and leave the sanctuary of these halls, each of you will be faced with diverging paths. And the choices that you make may end up having a real effect upon the world at large. You will be faced with a choice between what is easy and what is right. I implore you all, continue to struggle for what is good and right in the world, for the good of yourself and your friends, for your family and for your people. Never allow yourself to be swayed merely by pretty words or clear sounding rhetoric. Know your ideals, understand your own mind, and stand by your principles. This is what I ask of each and every one of you. In times of hardship, keep these words in mind, remember who you are and that what is right may not come easy, but good is most certainly worth fighting for. Once again, I thank you all for your time and your presence at this school. It is you students who have truly made my time spent at this school worthwhile."

And with that, Dumbledore stepped from the podium for the final time. The hall remained quiet for another moment, before erupting into applause. Even Harry could not help it, he found himself applauding heavily with the crowd. Malfoy shot him a look, and Harry shrugged, continuing to clap.

Food began appearing on the plates in front of the students, but it took some time for the attention to turn from Dumbledore to the feast in front of them. The beards began to shrink from the student's faces, and even Snape, once his true face could be seen, appeared solemn, uncaring about the prank of which he had just been a part. As Harry looked, it seemed none of the staff appeared particularly pleased to see Dumbledore on his way out. The headmaster himself was clearly not departing of his own volition.

And he wondered just how hard Lucius Malfoy must have lobbied to have Dumbledore removed from the school. It was clearly a move meant to benefit Malfoy politically and ideologically, not to aid the students of Hogwarts in their education.

Of course, Harry was curious as to who would be taking over, but he had a hard time imagining that the newcomer would be able to entirely fill the large shoes left by Albus Dumbledore.

And as Tom Riddle sat at the leaving feast, he could not help but end up immersed in his thoughts. He was the man slated to take over for Dumbledore, for his mentor. He knew that he did not inspire the same sort of devotion as his mentor, the same loyalty grounded in love. In his lifetime, he had gained power and influence through awe-inspiring displays of magical prowess. People had, in his days as an auror, feared his power, had been left in awe of his abilities and deferred to his authority accordingly. But one could not simply frighten students into submission (at least not morally). He knew that he would have to swiftly put his own mark on the school, on the curriculum, so as to leave no doubt. He was not Dumbledore, he could not be Dumbledore. And so he would not try to be. He would put his mark on the school, and leave no doubt as to whom he was. That he was certainly no Dumbledore, but that he was Tom Riddle. And that meant something.

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Harry's return trip home on the Hogwarts Express was a vastly different experience than his first ride on the express. For starters, he was not sitting alone. He had, in fact, been traveling back and forth between the train car full of his fellow Slytherin housemates and the car with Ron and several of his friends.

Harry had been raised in relative social isolation. With good reason, he knew, as there were many possible dangers in the world, for him more so than most. But as a result, it had taken him more time than most to grow accustomed to sharing a room with others and being forced into almost constant social interaction. But the year had been good for Harry. He had learned, he had more than a single friend, and despite the difficulties of being pigeonholed by the Slytherin stereotypes, he had managed to distance himself from some of the nastier aspects of his house.

And as the Hogwarts express rolled into the station at Kings Cross, the slightly orange tint to the sky signaling the onset of evening, Harry found himself wishing that he did not have to spend the entire summer away from the school he had come to be so fond of. He stepped from the Hogwarts express alongside both Malfoy and Ron, a touch of nostalgia swelling already. He separated himself from the two, nodding at both individually, before spotting Sirius and making his way to his guardian across the crowded platform.

As he reached him, Sirius reached out to ruffle his hair. Harry slipped away swiftly and returned the favor, ruffling Sirius' hair roughly. His godfather smirked, and started to herd Harry off of the platform and away from the crowd.

"Come on, Harry. Let's get you home."

Harry smiled. "Glad to see you too."'

"Later, when we're off of the platform. Wouldn't want me to embarrass you by showing too much affection. You've got your bags?"

Sighing, Harry nodded. "Yes, Sirius, I've got them."

"Good. Get going."

And the two left the platform and started home towards number 12 Grimmauld Place.

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He had been trailing Black for over a month now. Since the auror's interrogation of Davis, the higher ups had expressed some… concern regarding Black's involvement in the case and the continuation of the investigation. Add to this the fact that Black was the guardian and godfather of one Harry James Potter, and it made Sirius Black into a considerable person of interest. And put a big red target on his back.

It was widely known, at least in the circles in which he traveled, that the Black residence was hidden under the Fidelius Charm cast by Dumbledore himself, and was therefore almost entirely unreachable. But it had been his job, and he had been paid handsomely, to trail black and find the general location of the house by following Black from the ministry to wherever it might be that he vanished through his impassible wards. And he was good. He wouldn't miss on a target like this. It had taken several attempts, to tell the truth, but Black was not as paranoid as he should have been, and the location had finally been discovered.

So here he sat, the silent assassin, waiting along a narrow drive on the outskirts of London. Black would be returning soon, with his surrogate son, back from his first year at Hogwarts. But, if things went according to plan, he wouldn't be returning for his second, and neither of the two would even make it to the step of their house. But Black was the priority this time. His boss had been quite clear. And the man waited silently, his wand twirling idly between his fingers.

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Sirius Black and Harry Potter stepped from the Knight Bus and on to the drive, Harry busy telling his godfather one of the many stories he had from his defense class with Riddle. Sirius was curious about the man's teaching techniques, having worked with him briefly as a colleague, but never having received any tutelage from the man. Sirius smiled, proud of what his godson had been able to accomplish in one year. His knowledge and spell casting ability was truly remarkable for his age.

And as the two stepped towards the Black property, Sirius noted a glint of refracted light reflecting from somewhere to his left. He brushed it off, despite an odd feeling that had come into the back of his mind. As they continued to walk, the sense of something being, well, off grew stronger. He leaned in closely to Harry and whispered.

"Harry. When I say so, run straight to the door and get inside as quickly as possible. Don't come back outside for anything until I return. And don't say anything, harry. Just do as I say, and be prepared to run."

Harry tensed, but otherwise responded only with a barely visible nod. He also grasped his wand a little more tightly. He continued to walk, now at a slightly swifter pace, trying to retain the image of normality as to not tip off the potential danger to his awareness. And just when it seemed they would reach the property, that nothing would happen, that they would reach the door unmolested, Harry felt himself hit the ground hard, having been tackled to the ground by Sirius as a green jet passed through the space Harry had occupied mere moments prior.

"Run Harry!" Sirius shouted. And Harry did, making his way swiftly towards the door, Sirius blocking the path between the running first year student and the direction from which the spell had been fired.

"Show yourself!" Sirius called, showering the area with fire arching from his wand. But another green light shot towards Sirius from beyond the flames, materializing from what seemed like nothing. Sirius dodged to the side, unwilling to attempt to block what might have been a killing curse.

"Face me!" He cried once more, hoping to keep up a distraction so that Harry could reach the house. But he couldn't risk the chance to look and see what Harry was doing, because one false step here could end up being fatal, especially dealing with an opponent who could not be seen and was a complete unknown.

He grew silent, attempting to listen for the opponents footsteps, but he could hear none. He guessed that his opponent had silenced his own boots – a true professional. Sirius grew nervous, as there had been a lull since the assailant's last volley.

Suddenly, he felt the hairs on the back of his head rise, and trusting the instincts that had served him so well through the end of the war; he ducked and spun as another jet of light passed just overhead. As he was about to return fire, there was a volley of return fire, quite literally. He turned to see Harry, standing just outside the house, casting as best he could. And it would have actually been quite impressive, if the situation had not been so dire.

"Harry! Get inside. Now!" Sirius called out, watching with fear as a far vaster swirl of fire raged towards Harry from the wand of the unknown assailant. Harry dove aside, rolling to his feet as he hit the ground. Sirius quickly moved to his godson and took a defensive stance in front of him.

Deciding to go on the offensive so as to draw his unseen opponent away from Harry, Sirius waved his wand, casting silently, and the ground began to crack and rupture all around the area in front of him. He only had to hold out for so long, he knew, because the ministry would be able to sense this surge in magic in a muggle area and would dispatch aurors to investigate shortly. He had often been on such teams, in fact.

Harry took a knee and began firing consistent volleys of stunners and disarming hexes as Sirius scanned the area, unable to find any trace of his opponent. "Harry," he whispered "get inside. Now!"

Harry shook his head. "I'm not leaving you out here."

"You're out of your league here Harry. Go. That's not a request, that's an order. Get out of here!"

Harry swallowed, but ducked back and made a beeline for the door. But as he did, he was suddenly grabbed and tossed to the ground by an invisible force.

"Harry!" Sirius rushed forward and brandished his wand with snap, and was rewarded with the sound of an invisible body being flung up and smashed into the ground, an arm and portion of the assailants body becoming visible, no longer covered by the invisibility cloak. Sirius rushed forward, grabbing Harry. But Harry stood on his own, and smiled.

"I'm okay, Sirius."

Sirius sighed, and then spoke roughly. "Harry. Inside. Now."

Harry swallowed hard and nodded, turning and rushing towards the property, this time reaching it without harm and stepping inside the house with one last look out to ensure Sirius was safe.

In the meanwhile, Sirius strode towards the disembodied arm and leg and ripped the cloak from the body underneath. Before him on the ground was a man, probably in his early thirties, who bore absolutely no resemblance to anyone that Sirius had ever met. Snarling, Sirius grabbed the groggy man and pulled him up.

"Who are you? Why did you attack my godson?" He held his wand to the man's temple, a not so subtle threat leaking through his words.

The man stayed quiet, unresponsive, although his eyes flashed for a moment before glazing over. Sirius sighed, and tried once more.

"Who sent you here? Are you on your own? Are you a Death Eater?"

At this last question, the man smiled, before grasping his left forearm and flashing his teeth with a wide smile and a grimace of pain. Sirius, not knowing what he was up to, quickly stunned the man. But as he started to relax, there were two pops from behind him.

Turning quickly, Sirius found himself faced with two wands pointed directly at his face, held by two more men he did not recognize. Before he could speak, the man on his left snarled, incanted, and the world went dark for Sirius Black.

Harry waited anxiously for an hour to no avail. Sirius had not come inside. He stepped outside cautiously, and saw an empty yard. He looked around, but Sirius was nowhere to be found. Worried and frightened, Harry didn't really know what to do. He grabbed a sheet of paper and quickly scribbled on it and addressed it to the first person that came to his mind. Dumbledore. He attached it to the Sirius' owl and sent it on its way.

And he waited then. And waited. And waited. But for several more hours there was no response.

Suddenly, there was a banging on the door. Harry started, but remembered that, for someone to even see the door; they had to be someone who already knew it was there, so they couldn't be an enemy.

He walked to the door and opened it quickly, desperate for any sort of help. And there was Sirius.

"Sirius! You're okay. You had me seriously worried."

The man grunted. "I had to take him to the ministry. I'm sorry for not keeping you up to date, but it was essential, time was of the essence."

Harry smiled. "Of course. I'm just glad you're alright."

But as Sirius stepped closer, Harry realized that there was something different about the man in front of him. Something not entirely… familiar. Harry stepped back for a moment, trying to assess the situation. This man looked like Sirius, but for some reason didn't fully check out.

And as Harry stood there, Sirius walking the hallways appearing to be looking for something, he decided that it would be better to act and ask questions later. If it was Sirius, he would understand. If it wasn't, well, better to be on the offensive instead of caught off guard.

Slowly, trying to get the best possible angle, Harry found himself standing behind the possible imposter. Steadying his aim, he paused for a moment, and then muttered softly "Stupefy." The spell rocketed towards the man in the hall, who turned and quickly deflected the stunner to the side. Snarling a most un-Sirius like snarl, he sent a barrage of three quick stunners in return Harry's way.

Harry, with no place to run, had no choice but to cast his shield, merely hoping it would hold. The spells struck the shield with the sound of a shot, and Harry was driven back several feet, but the shield held. With a gasp, Harry dropped the shield and dove forward on to the ground, shouting, and a burst of fire spouted from his wand. The man dispelled the fire with a flick and strode towards Harry, batting aside whatever Harry sent towards him.

The man reached Harry and kicked aside his wand. He pulled him up, and with the glint of a smiling snarl, rendered Harry unconscious with a simple wave of his wand.