A/N: priestessedgecombe: Yeah, Harry in my story kinda just let it drop, but there's more on that later. Lily and James are definitely off, but again, more on that in later chapters, though to be honest I hadn't given their attitude too much thought. As for Sirius, well...keep reading and that's answered very soon!
bookaddict19: That solution is great, love the allergy idea, but I decided on something a little more practical for Harry. Hope you enjoy!
That evening, Jason Potter confidently strode over to the Slytherin table, and stopped in front of Harry.
"I challenge you to a wizard's duel," Jason spoke regally and arrogantly. Harry looked up at him, amused.
"Why?" Harry asked simply.
"That's obvious, you bloody snake!" Ronald yelled from behind Jason.
"Oh, so my brother's doing this for you. I'm not really fond of beating people up, but if you insist, I'll accept," Harry replied, smiling dazzlingly.
Jason spluttered at the insult, but once he'd recovered enough, he said, "Ron will be my second. Meet us at midnight today in the abandoned classroom in the Charms corridor."
"Very well, give me a moment to choose my second." After some discussion among the members of the Slytherin group, Harry turned back around and smiled strangely. "My second will be Ginny. Good day and see you at midnight." With that, he turned around and continued talking to his friends, Ginny smiling at her brother mischievously. Ron gulped, as the look in her eyes gave everything away. It was a look of pure anger. She was not happy with him despite her grin, and Ronald had been on the receiving end of that anger more times than he wanted to remember.
The rest of the evening passed quickly, and at last, it was time for the duel, and Harry and Ginny walked out of the common room quietly. Harry was used to sneaking around at night, and Ginny had learned fairly quickly how to be quiet growing up in a house that constantly creaked. They arrived at the abandoned classroom at midnight precisely and found the two Gryffindor boys waiting. Harry knew that due to the paintings on the walls, they had very little time before Mrs. Norris or Filch came for them. Jason stepped forward, evidently itching to begin the duel. To the surprise of the two Gryffindor boys, it was not Harry, but Ginny who stepped forward to begin the duel. Harry just smirked and watched. Ginny, as had been planned, simply cast multiple Stupefy spells as quickly as possible at Jason, who stood watching them, mouth agape. He had not expected this barrage of higher-level spells from his brother, much less a first-year. He tried to jump out of the way as he came back to his senses, but he could not get out of the way on time, and slumped to the ground. Harry and Ginny exchanged a high-five and quickly left the classroom, being sure to take a different route back to the common room, just as planned. They arrived in the common room once more without incident, and fell asleep quickly.
They entered the Great Hall the next day to the sight of the Slytherins jeering at the Gryffindors, and two Gryffindors sitting exiled at one end of the table. Gryffindor had lost one hundred points the previous evening for two students being out of bed after curfew in an abandoned Charms classroom rather far from their dormitories, one of them unconscious. Jason and Ronald had told a story about Harry Potter stunning them, of course, but there had been no evidence of it, as memories were not typically viewed for such incidents. Nonetheless, Harry was called to a meeting with Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall after breakfast. He entered McGonagall's office and sat down across from her and Professor Snape, who was standing a bit further back.
"Hello, Professor," Harry greeted cordially.
"Mr. Potter, I trust you know why you have been asked here?"
"I do not, as it turns out," Harry replied smoothly.
"Well, you have been accused of stunning your brother unprovoked, Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall replied.
"I did no such thing," Harry responded, and for the first time noted a glass ball on McGonagall's desk. He had read about these objects, and knew they were used to detect lies. Luckily for Harry, he had not in fact stunned his brother. Professor McGonagall seemed disappointed at the lack of a change in the ball.
"You have no reason to suspect Mr. Potter," Snape spoke from his corner. "I would suspect a Slytherin prank to be much subtler than this. I believe Potter and Weasley were experimenting with spells they should not have, and refuse to tell anyone that."
"The paintings insist they saw more students around there at the time," McGonagall replied.
"Minerva, you and I both know this school is full of teenage couples. I'm sure you would rather not know what they get up to at night. The paintings report students out of bed every day, and I'm sure Mr. Potter here is not involved. He is far too young to be roaming the castle without being caught by Filch or that godforsaken cat. The paintings never gave an identity, after all."
McGonagall sighed, as if she and Snape had gone over this multiple times already, and reluctantly let Harry go, Snape leaving with him.
As they walked, Professor Snape looked at Harry and said softly, "You didn't actually do that, did you?"
Harry considered him carefully, and then lightly said, "Of course not, sir. It's just as you said." Snape only nodded in response, and walked toward his office at a quicker pace, leaving Harry to go to his classes for the day.
Jason and Ronald continually attempted their revenge plots for the remainder of the year, but never succeeded. Harry knew that his immunity from the Weasley twins' pranks was well worth it now, though they did not seem to take much issue with Ginny's sorting in the first place. The seven friends continually met throughout the year to teach themselves Defense Against the Dark Arts, and eventually it was noticed that those seven were better at cleaning up Lockhart's messes than most in their years. Some Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs from a myriad of years, who had less problems with Slytherin, asked Harry and his friends to tutor them, and they willingly taught anyone who asked in the abandoned Charms classroom where they had had their "duel" with Jason. The group grew and grew, until it contained almost every second-year and most first-years, as well as a good amount of third-years and a few fourth-years. The group had become an almost formal study group, in which everyone helped out everyone else. Even the Gryffindors who were less invested in the house rivalry joined the study group, and everyone was very happy to meet new people. It left a noticeable effect on the school, with relations between Gryffindors and Slytherins becoming less and less strained. A select few, such as Draco Malfoy and his goons in Slytherin and the Golden Trio of Gryffindor, refused to join the group because of the rivalry, but they were now the clear minority.
At every meeting of the study group, a few students, usually the older ones, would teach a lesson to the younger ones, usually in a lacking subject like Defense Against the Dark Arts. Many of the lessons for the younger years were taught by Harry and his group of friends as well, and they were looked up to as the leaders and founders of this remarkably united group. This joint study group effort did not go unnoticed by the Professors, and was even brought to Dumbledore's attention. Many members of the study group began to skip Defense Against the Dark Arts after this, instead meeting in their unofficial classroom to learn from a student of a higher year or from a bright student in their year. There were usually around two of these teachers per year, and the fact that work was actually being done caused students of fifth-year and higher to join, too, if only for use of the classroom for their own lessons. The "teachers" in each year came from various Houses, and contrary to the status quo, there was nothing bad said against them and were very well-respected by all. Harry taught his year jointly with Hermione in Defense Against the Dark Arts, the first time in many years that a Slytherin worked willingly with a Gryffindor. There were even tutors and teachers for subjects that were taught well at Hogwarts in case students were struggling. The end results of this group in just a few weeks was staggering. The rankings shifted dramatically, pushing the members of the group from often lower ranks to higher ranks than they had ever achieved. The average grades of students at Hogwarts in general hit a record high. The group were even featured in the Daily Prophet after that particular milestone, and were named the Inter-House Study Organization, or IHSO, in the article. They adopted the name, and
Interestingly, none of the professors said anything about the frequent skipping of Defense Against the Dark Arts. On the contrary, many students were often exempted by the professors from Lockhart's detentions. The students not in the IHSO were the only ones who went to the lessons, making the average turnout around fifty percent for older students and as low as ten percent for the younger students.
Jason, while he never spoke directly to Harry, was visibly angry at Harry's newfound fame in the school and even within the British magical community at large. Harry was being credited by all with the formation of this unprecedented study group, though he insisted his friends be included as founders.
The year passed quickly, and before they knew it, the end of year feast was upon them. Dumbledore spoke his usual speech, and then launched into his preamble about the House Cup. It was awarded that year to Slytherin for the ninth year straight, but to the surprise of the professors, there were not many Slytherins cheering. Draco Malfoy, of course, stood and yelled and threw his hat, as did a few others. However, the great majority simply sat in their seats and waited for the few to stop yelling. As they did, Jonas Rosier stood and began to speak.
"This may be far out of tradition, but this year, the leadership of Slytherin House has decided that the title of House Cup Champions will be shared among all the Hogwarts Houses. This year, we have shown to the world that we are not defined by the colors we wear, and that everyone is equal to us. As a sign of this progress, we wish to share with our brothers and sisters the House Cup. Congratulations to the students of Hogwarts for a great year, and good luck to the seventh-years. We will miss you next year!"
At the end of his speech, the Great Hall erupted in cheers. A few seventh-years pointed their wands at the Slytherin banners decorating the hall as planned and transformed them into banners bearing the crest of Hogwarts. The cheers kept going, and did not stop for another two minutes, as Dumbledore watched with curiosity. He had never believed that the wizarding world could be united, and his plan had been based on that fact. No matter, it would work regardless. His plans were too masterful and cunning for a simple dilemma like this to avert them entirely, at least in his mind.
When they had calmed down, the feast began, everyone chatting happily. In the commotion, people had switched tables to sit with their friends from other houses, and for a change, no one seemed to care. The competitive spirit between houses in things like Quidditch was still there, of course, but the poisonous rivalries of the past were fading into memory. Slytherin had also won the Quidditch Cup that year in an intense game against Gryffindor in the finals. Harry did not particularly like his brother, but he would willingly admit that he was a great Seeker after training for many years. Harry had still caught the Snitch in the end, but Jason had gotten very close.
Soon, the feast was over and everyone went to bed for their last night at Hogwarts. The next morning, they boarded the scarlet Hogwarts Express to go home. Harry was going to stay with his family once more, although he would try to spend more time with his friends that year. He laughed the whole way back on the train, greatly enjoying his time with Daphne, Tracey, Blaise, Theo, Hermione, and Ginny, and even got to know a second-year Ravenclaw, Lisa Turpin, a little better. She had been one of the most vocal advocates for the IHSO at its inception, and she had become closer to Harry and the others in the year.
When they arrived on the platform, they said their goodbyes and headed to their respective families. Harry noted that Ginny was welcomed a little more coldly by her mother, but still much warmer than expected. Ginny was still her daughter, after all, and Harry hoped that the news of house unity had helped assuage the Weasley matriarch's fears. Harry and Jason were Apparated back to Potter Manor with their things, which were quickly brought up to their rooms. They talked with their parents for a bit, who Harry noted were unsurprisingly against the idea of the IHSO. James, at least, seemed to share Jason's mindset that working with "the enemy" was the greatest sin of them all. Lily seemed more amenable to the idea, though Harry could tell she wasn't entirely in agreement either. Through all of this, they seemed not to notice that Harry was right there, and he was the perceived founder of the group.
"Oh, Harry," Lily said suddenly. "We gave that book you found to the Department of Mysteries. Turns out you pretty much saved Ginny from something awful, it's tainted with evil magic. The Unspeakables haven't been able to figure out how to get it out yet, but they're getting closer."
Harry nodded at the news, wondering what the diary contained. He didn't miss a strange note in Lily's voice, and Harry was shocked to recognize it as pride. He easily dismissed it, thinking it pride at something or someone else, but it kept nagging him at the back of his mind. As the summer went on, it turned out to be very much like the previous summer. His summer work had been completed at school with the IHSO, so he had nothing to do in terms of work. He kept working through higher-level textbooks, and was confident that between the IHSO training of last year and this summer, he could master O.W.L.-level magic by the end of the summer, both wandless and with a wand. The fifth through seventh years had been only too happy to teach Harry higher level magic when he demonstrated that he had the aptitude to practice it, and he had learned much from the older IHSO members.
Mrs. Weasley's attitude toward Harry had changed after learning that he had saved her daughter from unspeakably evil magic, and was now rather willing to allow them time together, and even allowed her daughter to visit the Greengrasses with Harry, as Ginny had become good friends with Astoria over the course of the year. They went often, and it was a normal sight to see many upcoming second-years and third-years in Greengrass Manor. They received their book lists, and were happy to note that Lockhart's books were once again listed there. Though they were glad that they could continue their IHSO teaching in place of Lockhart's classes, they found it hilarious that the incompetent Gilderoy Lockhart would be the one to break the supposed curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts position. Their end of year exam results were mailed as well along with the average results of each exam. Harry had obtained a record-breaking number of perfect scores on the second-year end of term exams, having obtained the coveted O+ mark in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, and History of Magic. He had received an O in Herbology and Astronomy, missing a perfect score by a few points. His friends had received similar marks, almost entirely O marks, with a few Exceeds Expectations scattered across the board. That day, Harry heard his parents demanding that Jason bring his grades up. Jason had received an O in Charms and Transfiguration, and an E in everything else but Potions. He had scored an Acceptable in Potions, which was not graded by Professor Snape, so therefore could not be blamed on his grading. The average grade for Defense had shockingly been an O, as had the grade for Charms, while it had been an E for all other subjects.
In an office kilometers away, a shade of a once powerful wizard contemplated his prison. He had of course tried every possible method of escape he could conceive in the year he had been imprisoned, but to no avail. The dome was heavily warded and guarded, and he had not managed to escape as of yet. But that evening, the shade realized something so simple he would have slapped himself in the head had he had a body. The shade flew downward as fast as possible and straight through the floor. The fool Albus Dumbledore had thought to make a powerful dome to contain him, but had not thought of the floor as a possible exit. Lord Voldemort had escaped, and was once again loose in the world.
Even farther away, on an island surrounded in mist and guarded by mysteries, a ragged-looking man laughed as an ethereal voice called to him. The awful remembrances of things past did not affect him any more, he knew he had done no wrong. The voice guided him as the man's form slowly shifted from that of a man to that of an equally ragged looking dog. The skinny dog slipped easily out of the cell as a guard opened it to deliver the meager rations for the day. The guard looked around, not seeing the most dangerous man in the prison. The hair on his neck stood on end as he turned around, and saw a man with wild hair and a crazed smile behind him. The red light that emitted from the guard's wand in the wild man's hand was the last thing he saw before waking up hours later. The deranged man ran about the prison, opening doors with reckless abandon, though he knew precisely whose doors they were. His fellow inmates and he had had plenty of reasonable discussion over the years, as they, too, were unaffected by the paranormal guardians of the prison. The news spread quickly after that, the world on high alert. Azkaban's most dangerous inmate, Sirius Black, had escaped with all of his friends.
A/N: Please leave me your thoughts!