AN1: According to PotterWiki Music is only available to third years and above (I only recently checked), but that doesn't make sense as most instruments have recommended ages in the single digits to begin learning, for example, the piano is recommended to start at 4 while violin is 5 or 6. As such, I will not be changing them having Arts electives in the first year - Draco needs his stage!

AN2: I don't actually play a musical instrument, so please correct me if I chose a bad piece for Harry. PS Blaise plays the mandolin, an actual instrument, not Gandolin, someone's last name.

AN3: There is a part in this chapter that kind of establishes a magic system… I find it interesting but feel free to complain or critique.

AN4: Poll for Sirius Black's fate - canon, early escape, innocence proven, B&C? Remember, Harry has a lawyer.

Dear Harry,

Publishing the Potter Notes is a wonderful idea! I had time on Monday to speak to one of my clients who's previously published books in the Wizarding World and they recommended Little Red Book as a publisher - they published your History book and are also willing to publish books by muggleborn authors. Generally, the publishers will take all the profit from the first 500 books sold and then split the rest 70/30 with the author (the author gets 70%). Someone will have to go through the notes and combine your parents' work, but that shouldn't take much effort. I can quietly advertise for an editor, preferably someone who knew your parents well, to do the work.

I'm glad to hear that you are well and that school is great Harry, but more detail would be nice. Have you decided what to do with your allowance? And how are you doing with the homeschooling work?

Stay safe,

Jackie

Dear Jackie,

Thanks for looking into this, an editor will be great! I can send you a copy of the notes - or can you send someone? I don't trust my charm work yet.

I was thinking my allowance would help pay the editor…? I'm not using it and this is an investment, in my family name if nothing else.

I've been spending an hour before bed doing my muggle studies - they're really different from my magical work, but according to mum's notes knowing muggle science and math will really help me in NEWT level classes.

I've gotten to know a lot of fun people - between football, my classes, charms club, and exploring the castle, I have a lot of options for making new friends. My roommates are nice, too, and though some of them can be prats at times, they respect me when I stand up for myself. I haven't had any big fights yet and I hope to avoid those for the future.

My teachers are mostly great; Snape is a bit of a bully, but everyone says that's only because he wants to scare us into paying attention and studying - Potions is a dangerous subject. I can tell the Slytherins don't want to say anything too negative about him - we're big on sticking together - so I don't know how true those words are. He doesn't like me, and he doesn't like the Gryffs.

Astronomy is the biggest issue - it's in the middle of the night and you know I don't like the subject to begin with. I do my best, but I do it in protest.

With all my Snakey charm,

Harry

"Good afternoon, I am Professor Croaker, your Magical Theory instructor. Sadly, as you may tell by the title of the course, you will not use your wand at any time in this class." Saul Croaker was a serene individual who, even though he was of average height and quite chubby, gave the impression of being slight and forgettable. His voice was very composed and had a relaxing effect though he'd somehow managed to avoid putting any of his students to sleep in the ten years he'd been teaching.

The Slytherin and Ravenclaw first years had come into the lecture hall and separated themselves as usual to the two sides of the room. For some reason people avoided talking about this course and when Harry had asked around, trying to get tips to improve his performance, he was told that this class had no grades or marked work - he merely had to attend and listen. Nevertheless, Harry (as well as most of his classmates) had taken out parchment and quills in preparation for taking notes.

"Today I will give you a summary of the entire course, and for the rest of the year we will immerse ourselves in the details." Croaker continued in his soothing voice. "Let us start with the simplest question: what is magic? The word 'magic' comes to us from Ancient Mesopotamia; 'ma' means existence, 'gi' means power, and 'c' is a suffix indicating one thing is rooted in another. Thus, the word 'magic' literally translates to 'the power rooted in existence' or, in other words, 'the power of existing'. All things have power by virtue of existing - air, rock, plant, animal, even concepts like time and love.

"What, then, are magicals? Well, magicals are any entities that can manipulate magic. For example, all lilies exist, therefore they all have magic, but only magical lilies harness magic and manipulate it to serve their own purpose. And so it is with all things, the manipulation of magic, even artificially such as is the case with enchanted objects, denotes a magical variation. You are all magical humans as opposed to non-magical humans. We will eventually go in depth regarding the history of how magical humans came to be, but that will not be until near the end of the year."

This was the secret to Croakers ability to keep his students awake - he gave them information they never dreamed existed, answered questions on the nature of magic that they only now realized they should have asked. Harry was very thankful that the Professor spoke slowly with many pauses as he seemed unwilling to write anything on the blackboard behind him.

"There are many systems to dividing and categorizing magic, but the oldest and most basic of them, and the one that most other systems are based on, is the three-seven system. The seven categories are Life, White, Light, Neutral, Dark, Black, and Death. Six of these categories are paired; Life and Death, White and Black, Light and Dark.

"Neutral magic is the power derived from the user's own existence. For example, when a child experiences accidental magic, that is neutral magic as they use the magic produced from their own existence to influence reality. Though it is often the child's emotions that drive them to reach for magic, the power does not actually come from their emotions, since the power of emotions requires a wand for a human to access.

"Light and Dark magic are derived from emotions. Negative emotions - fear, loss, anger - beget Dark magic while positive emotions - happiness, love, confidence - beget Light magic. Most shield spells are partly powered by Dark magic due to fear and desperation, so do not make the mistake of associating Dark magic with evil and Light magic with good. Magic is - it has no morality, no intent. There is no good and evil in magic, only power and the will of the wielder.

"Black and White magic are derived from sacrifice. A willing sacrifice begets White magic, and an unwilling sacrifice begets Black magic. The same person willingly sacrificed will produce exponentially greater power than that same person unwillingly sacrificed. An object belonging to you and sacrificed by you will produce significantly more power than the same object stolen from someone else.

"Life and Death magic are derived from the soul. Life magic strengthens the soul, Death magic weakens it. Avoid soul magic at all costs, the price is always too high to pay, and the damage permanent."

"That was intense!" Lancel said quietly; he did not know why, but he was very reluctant to speak of what he learned from Professor Croaker.

This reluctance was shared by those around him as they all left the lecture hall with wide eyes and almost trancelike steps. As Croaker had said, he only summarized the course, but that was still a significant amount of information that they had never known before. No one talked about what magic was or what Dark magic meant. And now they, themselves, were reluctant to take about these same topics, though most of them were eager to learn more.

Music class was less mind-blowing and more light-hearted. They'd all been asked to bring their instruments with them if they had any and to prepare a piece that showed their current skill level. Harry had decided to play Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto in A minor which was not only one of his favorites but also a recent accomplishment of his. Harry had switched to Violin the summer he turned seven and had been very diligent in his training so he was excited to show off his hard-earned skills.

Walking into the amphitheater where music class took place, Harry was surprised to see a piano. "But Jackie said Hogwarts may not have a piano!" He complained.

Blaise looked at him, confused. "Why would that matter?"

"I could have continued with piano lessons," Harry explained.

"..."

"I would play the piano instead of the violin," Harry said slowly, giving Blaise a worried frown.

"Why would a piano need someone to play it?" Blaise asked. "And in any case, I thought you liked the violin."

"I do," Harry strongly preferred playing the violin, it made him feel more in control than playing an instrument that was ten times his weight. "I just don't like being misled."

"Harry, pianos are built to play themselves, very few magicals actually continue piano lessons once they're old enough to begin learning their preferred instruments. Learning to play the piano is just something you do as an introduction to music and to make your hands more limber, which helps with spell casting." Blaise explained. "Most of us learned to play the piano, but we all then moved on to other instruments."

Harry gave an exasperated huff. "Other instruments can be enchanted to play themselves, why are pianos so special?"

"Because, Mr. Potter, pianos have the surface area to hold the rune work necessary to allow for permanent enchantment." Their music Professor had overheard their conversation and had decided to answer Harry's question himself. "Now then, if I may have everyone's attention, please, we have much to do today to get organized."

The students took seats in the bottom rung of the amphitheater while the Professor stood in the center. Other than the six Slytherins, there were five Ravenclaws, three Hufflepuffs, and two Gryffindors; Harry did not personally know any of them.

"I am Professor Byrd - though I am your teacher, I am in fact a composer by trade. In fact, I will be composing a piece for you all to play at the Ministry's Winter Gala so be prepared for a public performance."

A few students were perked up at this news, but most were horrified. Harry liked performing, but he couldn't help but feel that most people would be too busy staring at the Boy-Who-Lived to actually listen to the performance.

They each were asked to give a five-minute performance of the song they picked while everyone else listened and Byrd took notes. In the end, most of them were at around Harry's level, but three were beginners, and Sophie turned out to be a prodigy - she played the french horn. Byrd took the three beginners aside for more hands on teaching after giving the others music pieces to practice. Harry had fun playing in concert with other musicians and learning new music. In later years Byrd would begin to expect then to compose their own pieces, but only if they chose to continue with the class after third year.

Flying was held outside on the Quidditch pitch. Madame Hooch, who was also the Quidditch coach and referee, was a no-nonsense witch with a hawk-like cast to her face, especially her golden eyes. Most of the Slytherin and Gryffindor first years had flown before, but that did not stop Hooch from inspecting stances and correcting grips. Dean and Hermione were the only ones who were new to broom riding by virtue of being completely muggle raised, and it showed in how nervous they were. The ancient brooms did not help matters as their bedraggled appearance did not inspire confidence and even some purebloods had trouble calling their broom to get up.

Finally, everyone had gotten their broom to float to their hands and Hooch snapped a sharp "Get on, then! On my count, you will slowly rise, and then come straight down!"

Unfortunately, it was at that point that Neville's broom malfunctioned and flew away with him.

"You there, boy, come back down this instant!" Hooch looked worried despite her words and with an order for the rest of them to stay put, she flew off after Neville.

Harry, who had been standing beside Neville, noticed Draco picking something off of the ground. "What's that?" He asked him.

"A rememberall, most likely Longbottom's." Draco, who'd spent time with Neville due to him and Harry being best friends, had no real reason to cause mischief for the Gryffindor. "I'll give it to him when he comes back down, I suppose."

"Hey, that's Neville's! Give it back, Malfoy!" Ron, seeing what was in Draco's hand, came striding over with the rest of Gryffindor following him.

"Ron-" Harry tried but Draco interrupted him.

"Why should I, Weasley? Maybe I should leave it for him up in a tree instead!" All Draco's good intentions flew out of his head with Ron's interference. Malfoys and Weasleys mixed about as well as oil and gasoline.

"Why yo-"

The whole thing degenerated into a flying competition between Ron and Draco that ended with both of them getting detention from McGonagall and Neville's rememberall being barely saved by Granger of all people - she had run after them trying to scold both and so was in position to catch the trinket when it spilled out of Draco's hand. McGonagall decided to confiscate the rememberall just in case more trouble was started over it.

Harry, after Ron and Draco had begun their argument, had elected to stay out of it as had the rest of the class - they had all expected something like this to occur eventually and did not want to be in the middle of it. They did cheer Granger when she had saved the rememberall, making her the heroine of the whole incident.

Neville meanwhile had fallen off the wayward broom and had to go to the infirmary with a broken wrist. Harry swung by after the lesson had ended to both wish his friend well and give him the details of what happened. Neville was happy to hear that his rememberall had survived, though less happy about it now being in McGonagall's possession - he would have to get it back from her.

Harry's second Potions class didn't go any better than the first. They had been tasked with brewing in pairs and Neville and Harry had elected to partner with each other again. They had brewed potions together several times before and had practiced brewing the Cure for Boils specifically over the summer, so they had no issues with the actual brewing. No, it was the professor overseeing things that was the main challenge - he had a way of standing over you as you worked that made you certain that you had erred in some way. Neville, though he did his best to hide it, was deeply affected by Snape's presence, to the point where he almost forgot to take the cauldron off the fire before adding the porcupine quills. They had been able to turn in a decent effort but not without Snape criticizing every step of their process.

The other Gryffindors, though most were glad not to have as much of Snape's attention, grew angry on Harry and Neville's behalf. The rest of the Slytherins, though they enjoyed a more positive variation of Snape's attention, were also affected, though it took them a while to begin to do so. They held themselves stiffly by the end of the lesson and as soon as the classroom door slammed shut after the last student, Harry's roommates surrounded him and drew him to the side. When the Gryffindors attempted to stop and wait for them, the Slytherin girls subtly nudged them to keep going - the boys would not show dissatisfaction with Snape's teaching in front of any non-Slytherins.

"That was bad," Lancel breathed out with a sympathetic look at Harry once he was certain of privacy.

"I knew he held a grudge against you, but that was just…" Draco apparently couldn't find a word and just shrugged helplessly at Harry.

Harry was pale as a ghost at that point, his temper only held in check by the fact that he knew he was more likely to cry than to shout. That had been the most humiliating, aggravating, demeaning experience of his life; Vernon, for all his hatred of Harry, had actually very little authority over Harry as it was mostly Petunia who dealt with him and she worried too much over her family's reputation to use public humiliation as a punishment. Harry had always been a conscientious student who made an effort to get along with his classmates which had made him a favorite of his muggle teachers. All his interactions with Jackie had ended with him feeling empowered - even when he did something wrong, she turned it into a learning opportunity and made it clear that she believed he could be better, that she was only disappointed that he wasn't living up to his potential.

Now this- this bat had stood over him and made snide comments about how he cut up his roots - they weren't even criticisms as there was nothing to criticise, just things about some people having all the time in the world and how being able to afford good tools could make up for incompetence. Argh! As if Harry hadn't studied for hours over the past two weeks to prepare for this class, as if he hadn't been reading potion books and practicing brewing techniques since he received his first potions kit when he was seven, that man just stood there and made Harry feel like an idiot!

Well, he'd show him! He had nothing to criticise today for all his insinuations, and he won't ever! Harry Potter was not a quitter, and he was not letting some bitter old man (Snape's not really that old) bully him into becoming one now!

Stalking into the nearest boys' restroom (followed by his conspicuously quiet roommates) Harry splashed some water on his face and then dried off. Turning to the others, he tried to give them a small smile that was more of a grimace. "Come on, we don't want to be late for Herbology." And off he went.

After exchanging knowing looks, the others quickly caught up to Harry and started a conversation on which House had the best Quidditch line-up. They understood what Harry wanted - pretend this never happened, but revenge will be cold and sweet.

And proving Severus Snape wrong was the sweetest revenge there was.

That BOY! That aggravating, infuriating Potter Spawn! In his own House!

Severus stalked back and forth in his private rooms - he had the period before lunch free.

And how he'd been made welcome among the Snakes, won them over with a few pastries. His undeserved fame had bought him time and tolerance - Slytherins were too cunning to outright attack the Wizarding World's darling savior. They stayed back and waited, looking for the best way to make use of him, but look at him now! He had them all charmed - polite manners, obviously deep pockets, making connections in the other houses - but they didn't KNOW! Not like he did! Potters were not to be trusted - they'd steal your most precious treasures, just when you thought they had no chance! Hadn't his father done that to him? Potter Sr was hated by Lily for all that he run after her for years. She called him a toerag, had promised that she wanted nothing to do with his pretty face and charming hijinks, but what did that lead to? She'd married him, hadn't she? Given him that spawn!

The boy who had Lily's eye and Lily's talent…

NO! HE IS NOTHING LIKE LILY! NOTHING!

He was probably just waiting, building up for something big, it's what his father would do.

A Potter in Slytherin… James Potter must be rolling in his grave… If Black were to find out…

Snape sneered.

Herbology was a good physical outlet for Harry's anger. He and Neville avoided talking about what happened during Potions and everyone followed their lead. As they all walked to lunch, Harry hung back with Neville to talk to him privately. "Do you want to study together for Potions?"

"Sure, but what's the point? He'll still bully us." Neville said with a defeated sigh.

"The point," Harry said strongly. "Is that he'll look like the slug he is if he keeps sniping at us without reason,"

Neville studied Harry's face for a minute before nodding. "Alright, Harry, is tomorrow morning good for you?"

"I'll see you tomorrow morning in the library."