### Okay an Author's note real quick! ##As I have told numerous times before, this is an AU story, so please do not get the idea that the characters shall behave normally. All characters will have little to much changes in their behavior, personality or even allegiance. This is an AU and should be treated as such. ##Next, no Harry is not practicing dark arts, at least not yet. It was Hermione's thoughts about the dark rituals that manifested the dark arts book. Read chapter 20 for further clarification. ## This story is going to be a part of a trilogy called "the wizarding chronicles." This is merely the first book, and given their ages, I hardly think there will be any romance in this part of the story. The story shall go more and more AU with the exceptions of certain events; the Triwizard for instance. ##Thanks for reading, and please enjoy the story!

While Harry was training every single day at the Chamber after classes, and then some more with the time turner, which he used effectively to practice and experiment with the new knowledge he acquired every day in the Room of Requirement, Filius Flitwick was planning something which he hadn't done in the last two decades. The master duelist and Charms Master was planning to take Harry under his wing and get him some experience in the dueling circuit as his protégé. He had heard nothing but ravings of pride coming from Minerva when it came to the capabilities of the young Potter, who he was now sure had been hiding his intellect for the first two years. Even Severus had calmed down from insulting Harry now and then. Filius had observed how Harry had grown increasingly bored in classes, and the only time he was showing interest was in his special classes. He had started teaching him the art of forming spell chains, a technique that the most accomplished duelists shared, including Filius. The boy had taken to the technique like fish to water. When he had discussed with Minerva about introducing Harry to spell chaining, he was having a few doubts. Those very doubts flushed down the drain on his first session with Harry on spell chaining.

"So today Mr. Potter, we are going to begin learning one of the most fundamental techniques required by a duelist." He waved his wand to the board and the words appeared.

"Spell chains"

"What does this technique do Professor?" Harry asked.

"In essence, it is an art of linking one spell with another. In the basics, we shall talk of those charms which have similar wand movements. Tell me Mr. Potter, what is the motion for a stunning spell?"

"An anticlockwise swing with a downward flick." Harry replied automatically.

"Good." Filius said, pleased at his answer, "Now tell me, what spell begins with a downward flick?"

"The Incarcerous charm." Realizing what it meant, he gushed, "So professor, if I continue the motion for both spells, one following where the other left off, then-"

"Your opponent is stunned and bound at the same time. Yes." Flitwick answered, smiling.

"Awesome!" Harry's face lit up.

What had followed for the next few sessions were an extensive research on pre-defined spell chains and mastering them to the extent that Harry could, after a month of diligent practice, subconsciously conduct a spell chain from its starting spell. The chains had been deeply ingrained in him, and it was time for him to progress towards more difficult topics.

"Mr. Potter, I have an offer for you." Filius intoned one day, during one of the sessions.

"Sure professor." Harry replied, now interested in what Flitwick had to say.

"As you know I am an accomplished dueling champion it has been quite some time since I was on the dueling circuit. I had submerged myself into the world of teaching. But now after these sessions, I feel I should be back to the circuit" he took a breath, "not as a duelist, but rather to sponsor someone else. You." He looked up at Harry in the eye. "as my Protégé."

Harry stared blankly for a moment.

"I will... I'm glad professor. Thanks for your confidence."

"Well, now that the deal is on, I shall ask the Headmaster for your exemption from your everyday classes." He smirked at Harry's brightly lit face at hearing about the exemption.

"However, you shall attend your Potions classes and your electives. You will perhaps be able to give up History of magic class completely for self-study, and your classes with me and Minerva shall continue. The rest of the time, you may practice on your own."

It appeared that for Harry, Christmas had come early. Salazar would be pleased for sure, he thought. Now, he had more time to learn from his ancestor. And more practice time in the Room of Requirement. Salazar would be unbearable.

Joy.

"How does one enter the dueling circuit Professor?"

"An international dueling tournament happens every two years Harry, normally held in the months July to September. This year, the venue is France. I recall your father once said that your family had a holiday villa in Paris. If you do not object, I and you could travel there and you could participate in the tournament. Although I shall have to first and foremost, I shall have to apply your name for the tournament. By your leave..."

On Harry's nod, Filius darted away.

"Now raise your Occlumency shields and spread your palm out and touch the mirror. You shall feel an intrusion into your mind. Your job is to prevent the intrusion, as well as analyze the different modes by which the intrusion is made. Preventing the intrusion will help you strengthen your Occlumency shields, while analysis of the intrusion modes is something that will enable you to perfect your own Legilimency attack style."

Harry was back in the Chamber, learning from Salazar as his formal apprentice. While they were at that, Salazar was the strict and merciless tutor and Harry was his faithful follower and student. It had been almost a month since he had sworn in an apprenticeship to his great ancestor, and things had changed a lot since then. Salazar had him get versatile in Latin and Welsh. Harry winced internally as he remembered the two weeks in which Salazar had only talked to him in those two languages, and Harry was not allowed to write anything down. He had to keep everything in his memory as he studied. At times he wished for some appreciation but got only sweat, criticism and sarcastic comments. And Harry would not have it any other way. Now that it was almost a month, he was more confident in his abilities. He could speak in Welsh and Latin as fluently as English, and was on his way to gain some versatility in French (Salazar had added that when Harry had told him about the tournament being in France. He didn't want the French to have an advantage by casting spells in a language Harry didn't know.) Now though, Harry prided himself in his knowledge of high level spell casting and basic battle magic, few esoteric spells, the art of spell-chaining, and battle-transfiguration. Minerva had totally changed course when she had heard of his participating in the tournament. Since then, they had begun transfiguration mock-battles, in which Harry wasn't allowed to use any defensive or offensive spell or charm of any kind. His only weapon was to transfigure anything in the field into a usable weapon and fire them at his transfiguration teacher, who seemed to take a little more than acceptable fun in thrashing him down every day and then again.

Sometimes, Albus Dumbledore himself would call him up to his office and talk about his practices. He would share some of his knowledge of battle-transfiguration (being an accomplished master in that field himself). He would also test Harry's warding and magic-sensing skills. Sometimes, he would even provide Harry with some books from his own personal library.

Salazar had Harry memorize and practice entire rune scrolls. Harry had memorized the Elder Futhark and now new how to create his own personalized runic circles and multi-dimensional rune matrices. He now knew how to apply the arithmantic equations to his spells and use them to derive alternate versions of standard known spells. He had begun working on a combination of body-bind and stunning spell, that should be more resistive to the ennervate charm. Salazar had suggested that he should look into the arithmantic equations of the Exturbo spell, which was a forerunner of the modern stunning spell, and was likely more resistive to enervate. His spell casting was now superlative, and no longer was his behavior reeking of Gryffindor recklessness, according to Salazar.

Salazar had used the Mirror of Possibilities to teach Harry the arts of Occlumency and Legilimency. According to him, the act of breaking into some one's mind space was sinister and frowned upon. So he had his students learn the arts using the Mirror which could send magical pulses similar to Legilimency attacks and have the students defend their minds. Harry had come a long way from blindly crying out in pain on being attacked, to holding back the mirror's attacks for over a minute. So far, the attacks had been on one single front. But now as he was a budding third level Occlumens, the attacks became two-pointed. What was previously a hammer barging into his shields, suddenly became two blunt daggers trying to pierce into his mindscape. Needless to say, the sessions left him on the throes of painful headaches. And yet to Salazar's astonishment and pride, Harry would be back the next day.

"I notice you spend a lot of time furnishing wand movements still. Your control over your magic is now superlative, so you must be more efficient now. Do not use unnecessary movements anymore. Try to accomplish with a single flick what would have been a series of fancy strokes and swishes. You have become an adept at mastering your anger and emotions. Focus. Now try that Elemental fireball again."

"But I have been focusing master!" Harry almost winced at Salazar's narrowed eyes. His concentration broke and the fireball he was conjuring, exploded, blasting him away by five feet.

"Your focus, needs more focus." Salazar remarked, hiding a shallow grin.

Harry closed his eyes and tried to bring forth the elemental fie bubbling inside him. He spread his hands out, palms facing outward, and suddenly brought them together in front of his chest, compressing his magic at the middle of the zone. A glowing sphere of magic manifested from nowhere and transformed into a glowing ball of flames. He could feel the energy trying to escape out of his containment sphere and focused on keeping it contained. Slowly, he felt the magic get stabilized and slowly, with extreme precaution, started to remove his left palm, while centering the sphere with his right palm alone. When he was confident he had done it right, he let his breath go.

"I have done it, master!" Harry told Salazar happily.

"Well done apprentice. You have finally acquired a level of control over your elemental ability. Now fetch that fancy sword of yours."

Harry rolled his eyes at that comment. Salazar had never let it go that Harry could claim Gryffindor's sword while he was his heir. It wasn't that claiming the sword made him the heir to Gryffindor. It simply meant that the inherent magicks in the sword found him and his valor compatible enough. So, it responded to his call until another proper heir came up to claim it.

Harry flicked his arm up and felt the sword magically manifest itself in his palm. Muttering some swear words in Parseltongue, Salazar continued, "Now bathe your sword in your elemental fire. Goblin-made silver cannot be destroyed. It only gets strengthened by time, imbibing what strengthens it. Merging your elemental flames with your sword could create a powerful weapon for you to control, and extremely handy if you ever lose your wand in a fight."

Harry focused on his elemental powers and let them flow into the sword. Initially he felt a resistance but he mentally pleaded the inherent magick of the sword to do his bidding, and received a strange tingle of acknowledgment in return. The sword was now bathed in elemental fire.

"Strike down on the scales of the basilisk."

Harry took a strike at one of the left-over scales of the basilisk, and to his surprise, the fiery sword cut through it like knife on butter.

"Amazing!" he uttered, in awe.

"Yes, amazing! You have got yourself a remarkably useful weapon, even if you had to use that atrocious child of a wizard's sword."

Somethings really never change! Harry thought.

Ron Weasley was having a bad day. He had melted his cauldron in Potions class and Snape had punished him with two weeks of detention, scrubbing the floor of the Potions classroom after classes. The year was turning out to be a bad one for Ron. First Harry had to start behaving like bloody Malfoy causing the first dent in their friendship. Then, he just had to get his elective classes changed from Divination and Creatures to Runes and Arithmancy. It was completely mental. Who in the right mind would want extra stuff to study? Divination was an easy grade, and it did provide them ample time to take a nap most of the days. Creatures were cool too, especially the one in which that hippogriff had almost torn Malfoy's arm off. Too bad Hagrid had somehow intervened and Malfoy had come out of the entire thing with a light scratch and a few ducked points from Slytherin. And he didn't even want to think of Harry at all, at the moment. That traitor of a friend, who had deserted him for that Slytherin slag Greengrass, and now spent most of the time loitering with Slytherins of all people! Harry was now rarely even seen in the Gryffindor dormitory at all. He never played chess with Ron anymore. Bloody Potter! Always getting the best in everything! Potter had money, loads of it in Gringotts, he had fancy robes, and he had those pretty HufflePuff girls following him. Even Greengrass was enchanting on her own, for a slimy slytherin that is. Potter had suddenly become the favorite of the professors, even Snape didn't insult him much. Perhaps because he was hanging with the Slytherin slut! And he had forgotten about Ron! Ron Weasley, his first friend, his best mate. Even Hermione agreed with him. Harry...Potter was perhaps cheating in his classes to get better marks. And since the last few days, Potter had stopped attending most of the classes altogether. He was always going to McGonagall and Flitwick, or vanishing suddenly off to nowhere for long periods. It was maddening. He continued to boil as he mentally ranted, "Why does Potter get all the glory and fame. It's not as if he even deserves it. I am from a respectable Pureblood family and I'm stuck playing second fiddle to the bloody Boy-Who-Lived. Why doesn't everyone see the truth when it's so obvious that Harry Potter is an attention seeking prat?"

As he was mentally ranting about the injustice of things, Ron did not hear Draco Malfoy walk in, until the Slytherin spoke, "So Weasley, since you've finally seen the truth about Potter, perhaps you are open to discussing other opinions about our world."

"What do you mean Malfoy?" Ron glared.

"I come in peace." Malfoy said, holding up his hands in surrender. Things have changed Weas... Ronald. And I believe that we should forget our own brawl and start afresh. Potter had refused it two years ago and now I offer it to you." Draco offered his hand, "Draco Lucius Malfoy. I once said to Potter that some wizarding families are much better than others are. I think I should have been talking to you, instead of him."

Ron hesitated.

"Don't worry about the scrubbing," he snapped his fingers and Crabbe and Goyle sauntered in, half escorting, half herding the first and second year students from Slytherin, "They'll take care of your detention well enough."

Intrigued, Ron followed Draco out of the trophy room, but found himself hesitant to take that first step in to the Slytherin Common Room. It was the snake pit. His hesitation brought the hint of smile to Draco's face, "You don't have to worry Ronald," he said, "Though I laud your caution considering out past." Draco reached in to his pocket and pulled his wand and to Ron's surprise handed in to Ron, "Consider this, a token of good faith. I give you my word that you will come to no harm unless you strike first."

He then opened the Common room door and looked back at Ron. "Walk away, but I can help you," said Draco quietly, "You and Potter, three years of friendship and he chucks it all away. Revenge. Money. Power. Perhaps even fame. I can do a lot…"

Ron blankly stared at him, thought his options. He looked at Malfoy in the eye, his sour expression changing into a smirk, returned Draco's wand back to him. Draco nodded once, approvingly and led the way in to the heart of Slytherin House. Once there, the two of them sat down and Ron listened, while Draco simply talked. It began as more of a lecture but quickly became more of lively debate. Ron slowly began to realize that what Draco talked about when he said that some wizarding families were better than others were and not entirely because of money, fame, or influence. His own family had fallen so far, so fast; he found that he could believe that the Pureblood way of thinking was the correct way.

An hour later, Ron thanked Draco for enlightening him, and headed back to Gryffindor Tower with a lot to think about. Draco was very pleased with how his day had turned out. With a little more persuasion, he would probably have a new recruit for the pureblood cause.

"Very soon Potter. Greengrass will be my bitch and you will rue the day you refused the offer of Draco Malfoy!" Draco muttered to himself in the empty room.

## review, review!