Hi! I am so sorry for the delay, but life's been crazy for awhile. Anyway, I am back with a new chapter! Also, just to let you all know, I have not read Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince! I have the book (well, not anymore since I lent my copy to a friend), but I wanted to make sure that this story would not at all be influenced by what happens in the sixth book. That way, any possible similarities in the plot to the HBP are due to my ideas alone and thus don't need a spoiler warning attached. So, please, when reviewing, do not tell me what happens in the sixth book! We'll see how long I can last without reading HBP, but for now, please refrain from spoiling it for me… Thanks!

Kaelin-Hikaru – I'm glad you liked it! Hopefully, more Percy bashing will follow this chapter and the next – the prat deserves it, in my opinion. And I'm completely flattered that you think my story deserves more reviews! I'm just glad people actually like my story – this was the first time I've written in HP fandom and I wasn't too sure how it was going to turn out. Thanks so much!

AngelicVampiress – Thank you!

Iset – Thanks! Fortunately, Draco won't be in trouble for another few chapters so you can relax. I, of course, can't say the same thing for Harry…

dihall – Glad you liked it! Draco's full understanding actually occurs in this chapter – you were correct when you guessed his lack of comments was because of his physical and emotional state in the last chapter. Draco's exploration of his ability as a scanner will come up in the future chapters, along with the others' gifts as well.

Jasmine – I'm so flattered! I was actually worried that the action part was a bit too slow in coming, but I thought it would be better this way. I'm glad it made things more believable. And yes, the people from America that were in the-dreamer4's story will not be appearing in mine. I have too many canon characters to work in as is! I plan to make good use of Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini along with the other Slytherins. As for Snape – I didn't want to rush things with him, especially since OotP brought such… discord between him and Harry. It would have taken much longer for them to be comfortable enough and to trust each other enough to be linked in that way. He'll join the Circle soon enough, but he won't get the whole tied-up-power thing. I don't intend to make Snape overly powerful, although he's a formidable wizard in my opinion. And yes, Snape will be like a mentor to Harry, although in a different way than Dumbledore and Remus – as can be seen by Harry's conversation with Snape regarding his sexuality. And more insights into the Malfoys are coming up in this chapter, actually!

ashbrooke - Thank you! I too prefer slash. But it'll be Harry/Draco, I'm afraid. While there are some truly amazing Harry/Severus stories, it's not my ship and I don't believe Snape would ever make a move on Harry – not while he's still a student at Hogwarts, anyway. Besides, the age disparity is way too much for me right now – in the future, when Harry's older, it certainly wouldn't be out of place, but Harry's only 16 here and Snape's 37. But there will be Remus/Severus though! I was debating making it Remus/Tonks – way back in the second chapter, actually, there was supposed to be a little sparkage between the two – but I chose Remus/Severus instead, since that has so much more possibilities…

julia – Thank you! I promise to try to update faster…

Caiden – Thanks!

ewchy – I'm so glad you like it, and I'm so flattered that you think I'm better than the-dreamer4! And while there are certainly scenes with Harry and Draco, the pair actually won't get together until school has already started… And it's a good thing I'm updating now – wouldn't want to be taken off of your favourites list!

Huge thanks to my betas, Earthwytch and Abbey (On-A-Rainy-Day)!

Chapter Ten: The road to hell…

Harry slowly left the kitchens and reluctantly headed towards the library to meet with Draco. The blonde had caught up with Harry's quick mention of his new status as a scanner the night before and had refused to let Harry leave until he explained in full detail what he was talking about. While Draco had known what a scanner was, thanks to Dumbledore's book on Magi, he had still wanted to know everything about it. Harry had instead brought him books from the library regarding scanners in exchange for being allowed to head back to his room to sleep; Harry had no desire to incur Madam Pomfrey's wrath even before school started. He promised Draco that he would join him the next morning with whatever he wanted to know; Draco had clearly taken that promise to heart.

Harry had just reached the ground floor and was contemplating Apparating straight to the library instead when he spotted Luna along with Neville and Ginny at the Entrance Hall. Neville seemed positively bewildered at whatever Luna was saying, and Ginny had a bemused smile on her face. Deciding to rescue poor Neville, Harry approached them.

"Luna! You're back! How was your trip?" Luna and her father, after visiting Sweden, had decided to travel the entire summer.

Looking solemnly at Harry, she answered, "The trip was excellent overall, even though Dad and I didn't get to see Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. We might have found Blibbering Humdinger though! Dad said he'll get the film developed soon so that we can prove their existence once and for all." Luna didn't so much as blink seeing a much different Harry Potter – it was definitely a nice change of pace for the "Boy Who Lived". Harry wondered if she noticed the changes and just didn't want to comment, or if she simply didn't notice, as was her usual fashion.

"Er, that's great!"

As Luna began to describe the Blibbering Humdinger she saw in more detail, Harry noticed a tall, slender figure running towards them. Harry could see that it was a woman with dark red hair, almost brown in appearance. She was fairly tall – Harry guessed about six feet – and she seemed to be around McGonagall's age, he thought. She was in a dark green robe that seemed to shimmer as she moved. Her clothes were well-made and fashionable, if the look on Ginny's face was any indication. Even while hurrying, she was smiling and waving at them.

"Hello. It seems as though I'm quite a bit late for the staff meeting. Could one of you tell me how to get to the staff room?"

"You must be the new Potions Professor!" She smiled and nodded in response, and her eyes twinkled much like those of Dumbledore. Harry found himself liking her immediately. "The staff room is down that way – it has a stone gargoyle on either side of the door. You can't miss it."

"Thank you. See you all September first!"

Once she was out of the earshot, Ginny asked, "Who do you think she is?"

Staring dreamily at the wall, Luna absently answered, "She's Perenelle Flamel."

"Flamel?" was the surprised chorus at that statement.

"But I thought the Flamels passed away…" Harry said, remembering the conversation with Dumbledore in the hospital wing after the whole debacle with the Philosopher's Stone.

"And isn't she like six hundred years old? I thought the Philosopher's Stone granted the drinker immortality, not eternal youth. I wonder how she managed to stay so young…" Ginny mused.

"Well, it makes sense if you think about it – what's the point of being immortal if you can't do all the fun stuff that comes with living? Maybe she created a potion to that allows the drinker to stay young."

"Hmm… I wonder if such a potion actually exists, and if she'll answer if I asked," Ginny pondered aloud. After all, she could only imagine how much craze such a potion would generate. A potion that would allow the drinker to remain youthful would be the most sought-after item of all the witches and wizards in the world. Even the most unpretentious of peoples would be hard pressed to not crave the closest thing to immortality available.

Eventually, Luna, Neville and Ginny headed towards the Room of Requirement to meet with the rest of the DA. While the lessons were over, most of the members had decided to continue meeting there to hang out until school started. It really was doing wonders for inter-House unity, Harry thought. Harry waved to them, promising to join them as soon as he was done with Draco at the library.

Draco tried to rein in his excitement. He had hardly slept last night, the books having been a fascinating read. He couldn't wait to tell his parents – he was finally becoming worthy of the Malfoy name!

Every Malfoy in history had some type of an accomplishment from their school days, whether good or bad. Cassius Malfoy had been such a renowned master of the Dark Arts that he was allowed to graduate from Durmstrang early at the age of fifteen. Leila Malfoy had actually burned down an entire wing at Beauxbatons when she was thirteen. There had been good Malfoys as well, of course, but their stories weren't nearly as interesting – just tops of their classes, receiving various recognition and awards from the schools and such. His own father had been the top of his class and had ruled the House of Slytherin with finesse that Draco couldn't manage even half as well. Oh sure, most of them followed him, but that was because of his name, not because of who he was. And Draco wasn't the top of his class either – the only thing he was better at than that Mudblood Granger was in Potions and that was probably because Snape favoured his House above all others.

Draco knew his parents would be proud of him even if he was mediocre, but he wanted to go down in the annals of Malfoy History as being something more than just a spoiled brat. He wanted to be worthy of his ancestors and the ancient pure-blood history of the Malfoys. And now, with his new scanning abilities, he would definitely be considered worthy.

"Draco, stop. You're trying too hard. You have to relax." Harry massaged his temples – Draco was giving him one hell of a migraine.

"Relax? You want me to relax? Potter, I'm a scanner! Do you have any idea how rare that is? I'm one of the youngest scanners in almost a century! If my training goes well, I could be the first to actually master the skill mere weeks after discovery! I can't wait to-"

Harry softly interrupted. "And what happens when Voldemort finds out?"

Draco opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't think of anything to say. He would be invaluable to the Dark Lord and if he ever found out, Draco would likely have to kiss any semblance of a life goodbye. The Dark Lord would never allow Draco to escape his clutches and would do all he could to ensure that Draco remained in his service. Draco shivered at the thought of being forced to serve that monster. How positively vile he found the idea to be, when just a few months ago, he would have been honoured to have been given such a position in the Dark Army!

Harry lightly touched Draco's shoulder, bringing him out of his thoughts. "You can tell the world once we win, okay? Now, let's try this again. Remember, you can't force it – just let it happen naturally. Close your eyes and try to relax."

Draco closed his eyes, blocking off everything and tried to turn off his busy brain. At least Potter wasn't saying something stupid like "Find your centre" or "Be one with your inner soul."

Draco stifled a chuckle and instead concentrated on his breathing. In and out. In and out. Inhale and exhale. Inhale and exhale. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Draco had no idea what he was supposed to do and it was boring as hell just listening to his heartbeat.

Knowing he would fall asleep if he kept his eyes closed any longer, Draco opened them and was bombarded by brilliant lights. There was a half-sphere of golden light around him – he guessed those were wards of some type that Potter put up – and beyond them were various other flecks of colours. Some were weaved together while others were 'floating'. Around them all was Hogwarts itself, and Draco had to close his eyes to shield them from the brightness of the light Hogwarts' wards produced. It seemed as if brightness reflected the concentration and strength of magic involved.

/ Draco? Are you alright? /

Draco's voice held a hint of awe. / I saw. The lights – they're beautiful. Is that what you see? / Draco opened his eyes again and was disappointed when he couldn't the lights anymore. It was one thing to know intellectually that he could 'see' magic; it was a whole other thing to experience it firsthand.

Like all other pure-blood wizards, Draco had been taught from a very young age to look at magic in a way Mudbloods would never understand. They couldn't properly grasp what it meant to be a witch or a wizard – all they saw was a means to make their lives simpler and deem them better than their Muggle counterparts. It was one of the reasons why most pure-bloods considered Mudbloods to be inferior. But for a moment, Draco had been connected to magic in a way even the most pure-blooded of wizards would never be. It had made him feel proud yet humbled, and that connection he had felt with the very magic that surrounded them all… it had been indescribable.

Harry waved his hand and the shield around Draco dissolved. "It was amazing, wasn't it? That feeling of rightness and belonging…" At that, Draco's head snapped around in surprise to face Harry as the latter trailed off. Shaking his head to snap himself out of his thoughts, Harry continued with the lesson. "Anyway, in time, you'll learn to control it so that magic – the brightness you saw – won't overwhelm your senses. And with practice, you'll be able to scan for longer periods of time without experiencing a massive headache."

Draco's face reflected such eagerness and joy that Harry was almost about to suggest they skip lunch and just continue on with their lesson, regardless of his raging headache. He had never seen the blonde so… happy, and almost carefree, in a way. It was definitely a good look for him, Harry thought. Harry's hunger, however, made itself known quite loudly, and Draco burst out laughing.

Turning red with embarrassment, Harry said, "Come on – you can tell me more about Maria Amenis, the scanner who went insane while we go down to the Great Hall for lunch."

Fudge inwardly swore as he looked at the report in front of him. Damn Dumbledore for filling Amelia's head with nonsense – like they needed another three hundred thousand Galleons to train and hire more Aurors! If Fudge didn't need the crazy old coot's support so badly, he wouldn't be trying to provide additional funding for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. They had more than enough Aurors! Why, he himself had twenty-five Aurors as personal security and he certainly didn't need any more!

And thanks to You-Know-Who's confusing actions against Muggles, the Obliviators were working overtime to make sure the wizarding world remained a secret from Muggles. Fortunately, the Malfoys and the Parkinsons had just given very generous donations to the Ministry. Fudge had intended to use the Galleons to fix up his office and up the security around his home – he was the Minister for Magic after all, the most important wizard in Britain! – but he was willing to make sacrifices for the good of the wizarding world. And people had the gall to say he did nothing for them!

He had just approved the request for additional funding when Agnes, his secretary, knocked and entered.

"Minister, you asked to be informed of any new developments regarding either Potter or Dumbledore."

"Yes, yes, what has that boy done now?"

"Dumbledore has registered Potter as an Animagus – a black wolf, I believe. Dumbledore has asked that the Ministry keep the information safe for now so that we can use it against You-Know-Who."

"Potter's an Animagus? Impossible! Why, the lad's only sixteen!"

"Cornelius, you're working much too hard if you haven't yet heard the news!" Lucius proclaimed as he sauntered into the office.

Fudge quickly wiped the surprised look off his face and turned a simpering smile towards the younger man. "Lucius! It's good to see you! Once again, I sincerely apologize for that fiasco a few months ago – as if you'd willingly serve You-Know-Who!"

Lucius calmly waved away the apology. "It's not necessary, Cornelius. It wasn't your fault – after all, you can't be blamed for others' prejudiced actions." Turning to the secretary still standing by the door, Lucius charmingly asked, "My dear lady, if you would be so kind as to leave us for a moment? I promise to not take up much of the Minister's time."

Blushing, Agnes left the office all flustered and Fudge belatedly shooed her away.

"I am, of course, working incredibly hard these days, what with You-Know-Who's return! Why, just last week, I had to stay in office until five pm! But such sacrifices must be made – I must, after all, ensure the safety of the public! Now, what were you saying, Lucius, about Potter?"

"He's had a magical growth spurt, Cornelius. Changed quite a bit too, from what Draco tells me."

"A magical growth spurt? Merlin!"

"Now now, Cornelius, he's still just a boy. Of course, he's under Dumbledore's thumb… for now. Draco has become friends with the boy and he's told me of Potter's disillusionment with Dumbledore. Potter would be an excellent ally considering that the wizarding world at large thinks he's their saviour. I am, of course, doing all I can to ensure he serves the Ministry instead of Dumbledore and his Order, but some help would not be remiss…"

Fudge eagerly nodded. "Anything you need, Lucius, you have it."

Smirking inwardly at the gleeful look on Fudge's face, Lucius gracefully rose from his chair. "You have important work to do – I won't keep you from them. Do drop by for dinner sometime soon, won't you?"

"Of course, Lucius. Give my regards to Narcissa and Draco."

Bellatrix had just finished disabling the last of the wards trapping her in the dungeons when the door was blasted open.

Narcissa calmly entered. "Hello, sis, I'm so glad to see you again," Narcissa said coldly before she threw a Blasting Curse at Bellatrix. Stunned, Bellatrix could do nothing except gape as it hit her directly in the shoulder.

Narcissa smiled seeing Bellatrix bite her lip harshly to stop herself from screaming in pain. Most considered Bellatrix to be the most talented of the Blacks in the Dark Arts because of her notoriety. What they didn't know was that Bellatrix was nothing compared to Narcissa. And an angry Narcissa was even more ruthless – and she had a lot to be angry about.

"That was just a friendly warning – now, shall we get down to business?" Narcissa lightly asked before she spelled the dungeons to be inaccessible and silent. It simply wouldn't do to have this get out to the wizarding community.

"Crucio!"

Narcissa sidestepped Bellatrix's favourite curse. "Tsk tsk, dear sister, you just don't learn. Verus Poena!"

Bellatrix screamed, feeling the long forgotten curse rip into her. One of Narcissa's favourite Dark Arts curses, Verus Poena caused pain in an area of the castor's choosing. Unlike the Cruciatus Curse, there was no chance of the victim losing their mind because the curse wasn't one of the mind – it was real physical suffering. And it wasn't endless either – instead, if left long enough, the nerve damage was irreversible and the area the curse was inflicted upon becomes dead. The castor can then choose another area to inflict pain until the victim succumbs, or dies, as the case may be.

Narcissa moved the curse from Bellatrix's head to her lungs – she would remind her dear sister what a mistake it was to rouse her anger.

Percy bit his lip as he stared at his pocket watch for what felt like the thousandth time that day. It was still early, early enough to back out and move on. But Percy hadn't been a Gryffindor for no reason – he was stubborn and brave like the rest of the Weasleys, and always had been.

Percy sighed. He had been so sure he'd done the right thing – after all, if you couldn't trust the Ministry and the Minister of Magic, who could you trust? Besides, was it so wrong to side with the law, especially when the opposition had been a not-so-sane fifteen year old boy and a definitely insane old wizard?

All his life, his family had never taken him seriously. Bill and Charlie were not only the eldest but were accomplished and everyone had always been so proud of them; the twins had each other, and Ron and Ginny had always been so much younger than he was. And whenever it had been his time to shine, his spotlight had invariably been taken away by one or more of his siblings.

When he had gotten a job at the Ministry, he had actually begun to make a difference in the world but his family had refused to see that. They just couldn't see that he might have actually been good at his job, that he might be valuable to the Minister for Magic because of his numerous skills and merits.

He wasn't at all certain that he had been in the wrong in his actions – sure, he shouldn't have been so nasty to his parents, but he didn't have a choice in the matter. After all, what kind of parents would suggest that he hadn't been good enough, that the only reason he was offered such a prestigious job was because the Minister wanted a spy? How ridiculous the notion had sounded!

But they weren't necessarily wrong; Percy wasn't so blind or naïve enough to not see that. While he wasn't absolutely certain of the Minister's motivations, the reason he was dismissed was under false pretences. He had been such an integral part of the Minister's staff – the Minister must have known about his dismissal. Either he didn't know that Percy had been falsely accused, or he had fired him because Percy could no longer spy for him – and Percy refused to believe the latter.

Before he could think on it further, Percy spotted his mother coming out of the fireplace. Molly Weasley looked around wildly and when she spotted her son, she rushed towards him and pulled him into a tight Weasley hug as she sobbed into his chest. Percy awkwardly hugged her back, trying to calm her down so that they wouldn't attract any more attention from the crowd in the Leaky Cauldron.

"Mother, please, calm yourself."

Molly blabbered on, not having heard her son. "Percy, my dear Percy! I knew you'd come to your senses and beg for forgiveness!" Not noticing Percy's sudden stiffness, she continued. "Oh, how I've missed you! I was so happy when I received your owl… Let me look at you," Molly said before she pulled back and examined her third son. He had always been on the thin side, but he was much more so now; and he was paler too. "Have you not been eating properly? Come! I'm going to fix you your favourites – oh, won't the family be happy to see you?"

Percy, who paled at hearing that – he could just imagine their reactions at his return – asked, "Mother, I have an appointment later today that I can't miss. How about I come over tomorrow for lunch?" Hopefully, that would narrow down the number of Weasleys he would have to encounter at once.

Molly hesitated but for a moment. She was certain Dumbledore would understand. She lowered her voice and drew Percy closer to her. "Here, Percy, take this. I can't tell you where I'm at since the place we're staying in is the Order Headquarters and Dumbledore's the Secret Keeper. But the Portkey will take you directly there – when you're ready, just tap that with your wand and say "Fawkes"."

Percy's eyes widened in surprise before he nodded. So that's where his family had relocated to. With a final tearful hug from Molly, Percy left to Apparate home.

Severus had been putting finishing touches on an extremely volatile potion when he heard a knock on his door. "Go away!" he yelled, not wanting to be distracted. It couldn't be important after all – had it been, Harry or Albus would have mindcalled him already.

He was carefully adding drops of salamander blood when another knock was heard. Growling, he finished adding the drops and quickly turned off the flame – it needed to be cooled for precisely fifteen minutes. Intending to get rid of whoever was at his door, Severus yanked it open and yelled, "What?"

Remus, who had been about to knock again, jerked back in surprise.

"Lupin! I was in the middle of brewing a very delicate potion. What do you want?"

"It'll be a full moon in a few days and I've finished the last batch of Wolfsbane Potion you've given me, Severus."

Snape sighed. Checking to make sure he still had time, he grabbed a box of the newly made potions from his desk. "These are stronger than the ones you're used to, but they should lessen the pain of transformation. While it won't harm you, there will likely be side effects that are just as bad, if not worse, than before. Still, it should not only help you keep whatever sanity you have left, but make the transformation virtually painless. Make sure you document everything."

"Thank you, Severus," Remus said softly, holding the box carefully in his grasp. He couldn't believe the latest batch of Wolfsbane Potion might be able to get rid of the pain of his transformation.

Snarling at the way Lupin held the box as if it were a cure for lycanthropy, Snape harshly bit out, "I didn't do it to help you, Lupin," before slamming the door in the werewolf's face. The nerve of that, that… Gryffindor! As if Snape would actually want to help him! Lupin was a convenient guinea pig for his experiments, nothing more.

Refusing to give into his anger, he headed back to his potion. He carefully added the precise amount of frog brains as soon as the fifteen minutes were up, and let the calming and exact art of potion making soothe his nerves.

Lucius swiftly entered the room and fell before the Dark Lord's feet. "My Lord, everything will be done as you have requested. Your followers will be free from Azkaban on the night of September first."

"Excellent, Lucius. You have always been one of the most talented of all my Death Eaters, and I know you want to be in that position of power again. Don't fail in your task, and you might earn my complete trust once again."

"You are gracious, my Lord." Kissing the hem of his dark robes once, Lucius backed out of the room before Apparating back to Malfoy Manor.

A few explanations…

While I had originally planned to make the Potions Professor Nicholas Flamel, JKR confirmed that he died – but as far as I know, she never said anything about Perenelle Flamel dying as well. But still, I had intended to make the Potions Professor a wizard – a descendant of the Flamels and a distant cousin of Luna Lovegood's actually, and both of my betas preferred that idea. But then I thought that if the Flamels had any children, they too would have benefited from the Stone's effects as well, and their children's children and so forth, until there either wasn't enough elixir to go around, or for someone else – a friend of the family, or whoever – to get greedy. After all, the elixir turns all metals into pure gold. And, since they had the only Philosopher's Stone in existence, they would have been hounded by everyone to reveal the secrets on how to make the Stone. That made me think that maybe they were in hiding of some sort from the world, which would have made things much more difficult for their children, and grandchildren etc. In my opinion, hiding that many people for that long certainly isn't feasible. So I concluded that Flamels must not have had any descendants or relatives, since otherwise, they too would have gotten some of the elixir as well.

So, back to Perenelle Flamel… All we have are Dumbledore's words saying that they had enough time to put their affairs in order. However, in my story, something had happened years ago that allowed Perenelle to live while Nicholas died – and that's actually brought up next chapter, so I'm not going to explain here.

Hopefully, that made sense – if not, and if Perenelle Flamel has truly been declared dead by JKR, I invoke my right as an AU author to claim she lives. LOL.

P.S. Just in case you didn't know, Amelia mentioned by Fudge is Amelia Bones, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.