Author's note: The first year ends, and Harry's realises some of the extents to which Dumbledore will go to get his own way. I hope that I explain the whole 'what happened to the Stone?' questions. As of this point, Harry's just going to keep it hidden and won't be using it unless I decide otherwise later on. Another note is that with Shade, when I came up with the idea for his character, I wanted him to become a magical being and when I thought of what struck me as a powerful, magical-like, cat-like creature, a Pokémon sprung to mind, a.k.a. Umbreon, one of my favourite Pokémon. No, this won't be an actual Harry Potter/Pokémon crossover thing, Shade will have magical powers, but it won't be actual Pokémon moves, i.e. Harry won't say in training or in battle; "Shade use Dark Pulse!", Shade will just attack with dark and light type moves reminiscent of such Pokémon moves. If you don't like Pokémon or Umbreon, I'm not changing this idea I had this idea originally at the creation of the character, so please don't go all hating or flaming. If you don't like it, don't read this chapter as I won't specifically mention anymore Pokémon and Umbreon related stuff again. I keep forgetting this, but Harry Potter isn't owned by me, J. owns it, I only altered the universe and made an alternate plot. Umbreon is owned by Nintendo and Game Freak. After this chapter, there will be one more before the Philosopher's Stone year ends officially and I start on Chamber of Secrets year chapters. Now then, on with the story...
Chapter 11: The First Year Ends
The next morning, Harry got up early and inspected his pocket in his trousers from yesterday. He took out the Philosopher's Stone and swirled it around in his hand, examining it's texture, weight, and other characteristics. Harry opened his trunk and placed the Stone inside a hidden compartment before locking the trunk up again. No-one but Harry would be able to open the locking charm on his trunk as it was keyed to his magical signature, no-one else's. The Stone was safe from anyone's clutches, and Harry would keep it that way. If it fell into Voldemort's, Dumbledore's, or anybody's hands who had the possibility of using it for nefarious purposes...well, Harry didn't want to think about the possibility.
He got showered and dressed before anyone else and decided to spend someone quality time in the common room with his familiars. He called for Hedwig, who heard her master's call via the familiar bond despite being in the Owlery, and let Shade out of his cage to follow Harry downstairs. Hedwig arrived after a minute and entered through the window Harry had opened for her before perching on his shoulder, watching Shade roam around the common room.
Harry had noticed some very odd, but discreet, changes in Shade. He had grown larger, and while that alone wasn't really that big of a deal, the other changes that corresponded with the increased size was. Harry could feel more magical energy surrounding Shade as he grew, which made Harry wonder whether the familiar bond was passing over some of Harry's abilities, or whether Shade himself was a magical cat. He also had developed strange yellow markings that shone bright under the moonlight, making it seem as though the markings themselves carried a magical property, or could channel his magical energy. His ears and tail grew longer, and his body became sleeker and more defined. He still had his red cat eyes, but even they seemed to change and grow slightly darker, turning into a blood red colour, as he grew in size. Overall, Harry was quite proud of Shade's change, but he made a note to see what Shade's newfound magical energy could do.
After a while, everyone started to come downstairs, so Harry quickly sent Hedwig off to the Owlery and gestured for Shade to follow him, which the black cat did obediently. Harry found Hermione and they both went down to the Great Hall together with Shade following after them, keeping a close watch on the people walking by in case he detected any threats. Harry and Hermione took their seats and Shade took his normal spot around Harry's seat, watching for signs of anything strange. It was then that Dumbledore came over to Harry personally, causing Shade to hiss at the old man, knowing what the Headmaster's evil plans were concerning his master.
"Ah, Harry, my boy. I would like to see you in my office after breakfast. We have much to discuss about yesterday's events. Plus, we need to talk about your pet situation. I'll see you then, my boy. Oh, and I do enjoy a Sherbet Lemon now and again..." Dumbledore said before walking back to his seat at the staff table.
Harry knew that the last sentence was probably a password for his office, or for something leading to his office, and he was annoyed at Dumbledore for his demands. Oh he understood the 'pet situation' talk as he had been expecting it, but what gave Dumbledore the right to know everything that had happened? He didn't even seem at all worried or concerned over the events with the Philosopher's Stone and Quirrell/Voldemort. In fact, he seemed almost pleased, probably because he thought that Harry was finally going down the 'correct' path.
'Newsflash, Dumbledore; I'm no-one's tool, especially not yours! I'll follow my own path!' Harry thought.
After breakfast, Harry told Hermione to head off without him, despite her insistence on going with him in case Dumbledore tried anything, and went in the direction of where Dumbledore's office was, with Shade followed close behind him. After walking up to the top of the grand staircase, Harry found a golden griffin statue that he assumed was the entrance to Dumbledore's office.
"Sherbet Lemon!" Harry recited as he watched as the statue started to spin and move upwards, revealing a set of spiral stairs going up to Dumbledore's office.
Harry and Shade jumped onto the staircase as it spiralled up until they reached a door. Harry opened it and entered, followed closely by Shade. Inside were glass cabinets filled with loads of strange items, two staircases leading to another floor that were surrounded by books, and a desk with elaborate instruments and pieces of parchment laid on it. The Sorting Hat was perched on the top of one of the bookshelves, and a red bird, that Harry recognised as a phoenix, was sleeping on its perch next to the desk. Just then, Dumbledore came down one of the staircases and smiled at Harry. Unfortunately for Dumbledore, Harry could easily tell that it was forced as it didn't reach the Headmaster's eyes.
"Ah, Harry. You're here sooner than I expected. Well, I believe we should get down to business, don't you? Please sit down. Would you like a cup of tea?" Dumbledore said almost too politely for Harry's liking.
"No thank you, sir. Now, what exactly do you want?" Harry said flatly. He wasn't really in the mood for games.
"Well, first of all, we'll start with the fact that you have two pets. You should only actually have one, so next year, you'll have to leave one at home. I would suggest your cat as your owl will be of better use for you here," Dumbledore explained, saying it as though it was the law and couldn't be contested.
Shade hissed dangerously at Dumbledore at the implication of him being worthless, but a quick glance from Harry told him otherwise, and that Dumbledore wouldn't get away with his comment.
"I'd be more careful with what you say. Shade didn't like your comment, so I suggest that you apologise now," Harry stated, grinning at the flabbergasted look on Dumbledore's face.
"Apologise?! But it's just a cat! He can't understand me, nor care about what I said!" Dumbledore said angrily.
"That's the thing, Headmaster, Shade isn't just a cat. He is very powerful, and I've noticed a magical aura of energy begin to surround him as he's been growing. I'm sure that you should be able to feel his power too. As for leaving him at the Dursleys, think again. Nowhere did it say that having more than one pet was not allowed, and even if it was, you couldn't do anything about it as Shade and Hedwig, my owl, are my familiars. They bonded to me as soon as I met them. The storekeeper was the one to tell me this as it also turns out that they would attack any previous interested buyers, probably because they were waiting for me to buy them. So no, I won't be leaving Shade behind, and they will both come with me each year," Harry explained, relishing in watching Dumbledore's face change to a shocked and worried expression.
"I-I'm sorry for any inconveniences, my boy. That wasn't my intention. And I'm...sorry...Shade..." Dumbledore said. It was definitely a struggle for him to apologise to what he deemed to be a mere animal, but Harry enjoyed the old fool paying for his ignorance.
"That's fine, Headmaster. Now that that's sorted, what else do you want from me today?" Harry asked, knowing full well what the Headmaster wanted, but played dumb to keep his cover up.
"Harry, we must discuss what happened down in the underground chambers with you and Quirrell. I need to know what happened, especially to the Stone as you probably know how much of an important object it is," Dumbledore demanded.
Harry decided to give some information to keep Dumbledore happy, otherwise he might get suspicious, and that wouldn't help Harry's cause in the slightest.
"Very well, me and Hermione had seen Quirrell running off towards the third floor corridor. We followed after him and completed the challenges by following his steps before Hermione left to get help, and I went to stop Quirrell. When I caught him in front of the Mirror of Erised, he revealed that Voldemort was living on the back of his head. Long story short, I somehow got the Stone, so Quirrell tried to kill me and get it off of me. I don't know how, but when I touched Quirrell, he burnt to a crisp and Voldemort's spirit flew away. It wasn't until after I checked on the Stone that I found that it had been destroyed in the conflict. I hope that isn't too big of a problem, especially for Mr. Flamel," Harry explained, missing out that; he and Hermione figured out how to complete, or skip, the challenges themselves to keep his power hidden; he had fought Quirrell off with his bō; and that he had found out that it was his mother's sacrifice that gave him protective shield and power against Voldemort from a book he had read in the library when he got curious.
"It's not a big problem, Harry. I'm just glad that Voldemort didn't get his hands on it. As to how you killed Quirrell, do you know why he couldn't bear to touch you?" Dumbledore said, although there was a hint of anger in his eyes over hearing of the Stone's destruction.
"I don't know, sir. Why couldn't he touch me then?" Harry said, playing dumb again.
"It was because of your mother. When she sacrificed herself to save you, she created the ultimate protection for you against dark forces like Voldemort. That kind of sacrifice leaves a mark that lives within your very skin...and that is love, Harry. Love. And that is why no dark forces can touch you; because love counteracts darkness," Dumbledore explained, smiling his fake grandfather smile again.
"Thank you for explaining that, sir. Is there anything else?" Harry asked, trying not to let his impatience come up to the surface.
"No, my dear boy. You go to your friends now. I'm sure that Miss Granger, and also Mr. Weasley, are worried about you. He'd be a good friend to you, I think. He comes from a good family and could teach you a bit more about our world," Dumbledore suggested.
"I'll think about that, Headmaster. Goodbye," Harry said flatly, knowing full well that he had already thought about it, and Ron Weasley was certainly not friend material.
Harry called for Shade to follow him, and after one last glance and hiss at Dumbledore, the black cat walked up to his master and followed Harry as he exited the office.
A few days passed since the Philosopher's Stone event and Harry has relaxed a lot since then. Dumbledore has left him alone somewhat, and Snape had even lessened his mental attacks. Ron, however, was still his same annoying self, trying to befriend Harry and trying to annoy Hermione in an attempt to make her leave "us guys", as he called him and Harry, in peace. Needless to say, Harry was never impressed by the red-haired boy's attitude and always went after Hermione if Ron was exceedingly rude to her, comforting her when she needed it or just merely staying with her to provide the support of his presence, which somehow was enough to calm her down much to Harry confusion. He was never any good with emotions or feelings, so he didn't understand how his mere presence could help Hermione sometimes.
Soon, the final day of Harry's first year at Hogwarts came, and it was time to announce the winners of the House Cup. Dumbledore stood up and began to read out the house point totals.
"Now, it's time to reveal the winners of the House Cup. In fourth place, with 465 points is Hufflepuff!" Dumbledore announced, getting a short, quiet applause for Hufflepuff in return before he continued.
"In third place, with 478 points is Ravenclaw!"
This elicited another louder applause.
"And in joint first place, with 539 points is Gryffindor and Slytherin!"
This, however, caused mass chaos. All of the Gryffindors and Slytherins, minus Harry and Hermione, had got up and had started to shout abuse at the staff and students of their rival house, not believing that they could have fairly got the same number of points without some cheating being involved on both sides. Just before a fight could arise, Dumbledore stepped in.
"Silence! Everyone sit down! Now, well done to both Gryffindor and Slytherin, but first, I have some last minute points to award, " Dumbledore announced, causing everyone to become silent.
Harry, however, was merely annoyed. He knew exactly what was coming up, and he knew why it was. Another part of Dumbledore's plan to try and make Harry think that the Headmaster was a great man that would always be on his side and would be there to help him out. Unfortunately for Dumbledore, Harry wasn't falling for it one bit.
"To Miss Hermione Granger. For a cool use of logic and intellect when in stressful and dangerous situations, I award Gryffindor house 50 points!" Dumbledore said, causing the Gryffindor house to cheer for Hermione, knowing that it meant that they had won the Cup.
"And to Mr. Harry Potter. For pure love, outstanding courage, and masterful magic, I award Gryffindor house 60 points!"
This produced another loud cheer from Gryffindor house, but for Harry this time. Harry, however, knew the truth about this game of Dumbledore's and wasn't too pleased that Dumbledore was trying to manipulate even the House Cup event to suit his own agenda. Why wait this long to put house points on for Harry and Hermione when he should've done this earlier? And why not just allow history to be made by having the first ever joint winners of the House Cup in an attempt to join some houses together. To show that no house is truly better than another and that everyone is equal? Harry guessed that these questions would never be answered.
"Now, according to my calculations, I believe that a change of decoration is in order!" Dumbledore announced as he waved his hands, changing the banner colours to red and gold, the colours of Gryffindor house, "Gryffindor wins the House Cup!"
All of the Gryffindor students got up and cheered in victory, while the Slytherin students merely threw temper tantrums and muttered angry words under their breaths at being defeated by Gryffindor house for the first time in many years. Harry clapped for appearance sakes, and Hermione quickly noticed this. A glance and mime from Harry told her that he would explain what was up later when they were alone, so she accepted this, wondering herself about the same questions that Harry had wondered about just a few minutes ago.
After the Cup was handed to the Gryffindor prefects, the ceremony finished and all of the students were sent to the Hogwarts Express to go home. Harry took Hedwig and Shade with him instead of leaving them with the other animals and trunks and found an empty compartment. Hermione soon joined him and he knew what was coming next.
"Why were you so strange during the ceremony. You didn't seem to cheer or look happy about winning the House Cup at all. What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione said, concerned for her friend.
"Didn't you think that it was odd that Dumbledore left giving us points until the last minute. And the praising speeches? It sounded too much like he was trying to manipulate us and make us trust him more by showing his 'support' and 'favouritism' towards us," Harry stated, voicing the thoughts that had gone through both of their heads.
"Come to think of it, I thought that same thing. He had days to update the point scores, yet he did it then. I think you're right there, but something else is bothering you, isn't there?" Hermione agreed.
"Yes, it's just made me realise just how much Dumbledore to willing to manipulate to get me under his control. He manipulated the House Cup ceremony to try and make us like him and ruined what could have been a vital moment in history to destroy all of this stupid house rivalry by showing that no house is truly better. We were tied with Slytherin, something that has never happened before, and neither has tying in general really, and what Dumbledore did has probably set back the possibility of inter-house truces occurring for years as the Slytherins hate us even more now for taking the House Cup away from them when they should've rightfully had half of it, if you will. That man just really annoys me sometimes!" Harry explained, sighing in annoyance and frustration.
"I understand, Harry, and I agree with you. This could've been a turning point to stop all the prejudice towards other houses too, but it'll just get worse now...I hate that man for doing this! He only cares about his own ideals! And to think I used to respect and look up to him! I makes me sick!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Hey, at least you know the truth now. Many people here still think that he's a great wizard who has a heart of gold. It'll be our job in the future to reveal his true self to the world, but for now, we can only wait and train for that inevitable day. It also doesn't hurt to play our own game by luring him into a false belief that his plans are actually working either..." Harry said, trailing his last comment out as he grinned at the thought of when Dumbledore finally realised his mistaken beliefs and found out that he had been played.
Harry and Hermione spent the rest of the journey talking about their plans for the summer before they had to get off the train and go to meet their families after getting the trunks.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye..." Hermione said, trailing off as tears started to build up in her eyes.
"Don't think like that Hermione. I'll write to you, and since you don't have an owl, you can use Hedwig to send letters to me. She's wait for you to finish and tie your letter on her leg before leaving. She's a smart girl," Harry said comfortingly, earning a hoot of approval from Hedwig.
"Thank you, Harry. I'm so glad that I have you as my best friend. You're the best friend a girl could ever have," Hermione praised before hugging Harry tightly.
Harry hugged Hermione back before letting her go as she saw her parents coming. He promised her that he'd write to her again before she ran off to meet her parents and tell them everything about the school year, her studies, and her black-haired, green-eyed best friend. Harry, however, was quickly jilted from his happy mood as he saw the people he really wished not to see, minus one of them. He saw the Weasley family coming towards him with fake smiles on their faces, minus Ginny who had an apologising expression on her face. He really didn't want to have to face them now, but he guessed that he didn't have a choice in the matter, so he steeled himself for the confrontation that was guaranteed to occur as soon as they got to him.
