Chapter 21 – Morning Wood and Classes

Harry woke refreshed and happy the next morning, it was still early by most of the guy's definition, but Harry had taken to rising early since his time at Night Wolf.

Quickly and silently changed into some running gear, Harry looked around and walked into the shadows. It wasn't something he had done often, but he didn't wand any wind waking up his friends.

Harry walked out of the shadows of the edge of the Forbidden Forrest and started running, he wasn't sure where he was going, so he ended up going around the lake, past Hagrid's hut and down to the Quidditch pitch taking a short break and doing some stretched he went on a light jog back to the castle.

Once inside the dorm again some of the early risers were awakening.

Actually only Seamus is awake

Harry inclined his head almost bird like as he studied Seamus's form as he walked to the boys bathroom.

Obviously a few people have been working out.

Harry reflected on how he felt about people now.

It had been an enlightening summer, both in terms of what he'd found out and the people that he'd met, both in Edinburgh, at the clubs, the bars and the hostels…

It pays to have an open mind…"Girls and guys are both fine."

Someone had said drunkedly to him one night.

Nah I think Labels are for Potions not people is still the best one for a t-shirt…

Harry thought to himself as he stripped off down to his boxers before grabbing a towel and followed Seamus into the bathroom

Seamus as it happened was already naked in the showers, obviously oblivious to anyone else being up as he was standing with none of the privacy screens around him. Harry silently walked up to the shower behind him, also neglecting to pull to handles in the walls which would pull the privacy screens around the towel stand into a triangle.

He had showed with people before and at the time it didn't seem weird, this was edging toward it.

Harry was quite sure that Seamus was checking him out as he turned the water on.

"Seamus." Harry said he was still facing away from Seamus staring more at the control to the shower.

"Harry, I didn't know anyone was up, I usually get up early…" Seamus trailed off. Exactly what did you say when you were caught showering naked in the bathroom you shared with all your house mates when there was a perfectly acceptable method of concealing yourself.

"Yeah, I was up earlier, exercise and the like." Harry answered as he adjusted the temperature sending steam into the room.

There was a long silence as the steam got thicker and thicker, Harry wondered as he chanced a look over his shoulder if it was magic steam reacting to the weird situation they were in.

"Oh by the way Harry." Seamus said as he turned off his shower.

"Hmm?" Harry asked but didn't turn around.

"Nice ass." Seamus said with a chuckle.

"I'm sure yours is just as firm as mine Seamus." Harry said with a laugh.

As Seamus padded out of the shower Harry felt a bit odd, since coming back to the world, the 'magic run world' he'd been acting 'weird' more than he usually did.

Sure I had some fun 'on my journey', but… this… Looking up at the clock on the way Harry finished his shower and went back to the dorms, Ron was still asleep, Harry thought about waking him but there was something he wanted to find out, someone he wanted to talk to first.

"Harry you're up early." Hermione greeted him as he bustled down the stairs to the common room, his hair was still a little wet and he had a tight fitting black shirt with two unnoticeable flaps at the back.

"Morning Hermione, tell Ron I'll meet him at breakfast…"

"Aren't you going to wait for him?"

"I…need to go have a word with someone."

"Who? The Headmaster?"

"No, not him, I'll be back soon." Harry flashed her a grin and walked out of the common room and out of the castle, back down to where he had previously appeared at that morning.

Harry looked into the forest and walked in breathing in the darkness until he found an empty space.

"Goddess Hecate…I seek thy council."

A lady in grey stepped out from behind some trees glancing around.

"Hello child, what brings you to call upon me?"

"I seek…council." Harry cast his eyes down, he felt the goddess reach down and bring his chin up to meet her eyes.

"Child, you may ask your questions, do not fear."

"Hecate, I feel…unbalanced." He saw her queried look "Not mad, nor insane, just unbalanced, I feel full and wild."

"You seek to regain equilibrium?" She studied him.

"Yes…It seems here there are many forces I never saw…"

"Before you reached out and touched worlds unknown to many, this place is a sanctuary." Hecate gestured the forest. "Your Raven guides you, it will bring balance to your existence in the troubled sea. Athene may help you if this does not…"

"Virgin Goddess of Wisdom…" Harry whispered.

"Yes child, but wisdom is not knowledge, even you know that, I am Witchcraft, I may assist you in many things…"

"Thankyou."

"Thanks is not necessary…"

"What may I return to you?"

"In the old times there were practices…" Hecate stared off into the darkness her clothing whipping in the wind, a great power, a longing Harry recognised.

"A sacrifice…" He whispered recalling the ancient Pagan rituals, blood of an animal, to repay the Earth.

Hecate tilted her head.

"Of an animal, to show balance. A swift recovery till you learn…" Harry was thinking back to the old books, the old verbal traditions everything he had read, Aztecs used humans, but much of Pagan tradition used animals. They were used all the time in potions.

Hecate was watching Harry think it through.

"A rooster, early morning break, the cock."

Yes…

"Child, I shall depart."

"Hecate." Harry turned to her.

She stared at him for a moment.

"In the sight of Hecate, Gaia and…"

"Artemis, she would see the hunt ended, Gaia will watch over it all, every sacrifice is a benefit, an…occasion to her."

"May the moon look upon you Hecate."

"And upon you child Harry…"

Harry was left standing in the middle of the forest contemplating a sacrifice, he had performed a few small ones, Birmingham had understood, he had said "It is natural, to keep the balance. Some few apothecaries perform this, although most do not they see it as superstitious."

Getting up and looking around he walked further into the forest, feeling the calm wash over him he heard the wind whip through the forest, it changed as it hit the herd of centaurs.

I wonder if they know that I know that they know that I know they're there?'

Harry thought to himself as a arrow whipped past his ear. On instinct he extended his wings the tough leather wrapping himself. He was moderately surprised that he had remembered to put on a shirt with holes in it.

Then Harry remembered where he was and who he was and let his wings open up to full extension. He had looked quite imposing the last time he had done this.

"Who fires at me?" Harry beat his wings letting the air sweep out in a gust towards the direction of the archer.

"Youngling, you should not be within the tribe of centaurs." A voice came from behind a tree.

"Should I not?" Harry both hands. "I mean no disrespect. I come unarmed, no wand." At that comment at least 15 centaurs stepped out from behind the trees. All with weapons pointed at him.

"Alas we do, the last of your kind was not welcom…" The speaker trailed off upon seeing Harry.

"Am I?" Harry said lowering his hands an letting his wings sink downwards.

Harry took in the herd, some of them had burn marks, the nearest of them looked to have had some sort of spell or shield used against them.

Harry looked around at the ground, finding a plant at the base of a tree he reached and picked it up, the bow strings tightened as he did so, he crushed the plant so it's sap began to ooze out and approached the nearest centaur who had a large gaping wound.

"Stay back!" The Leader barked,

"I mean no harm, please." The stayed still. "Please, kill me if you must but first." Harry moved forward with great speed and placed the crushed plant on the centaur and waved his hand over the wound, he cried out in pain.

"You die wizard!" Harry ducked wrapping his wings around him and cast a shield as the arrows went flying toward him. They impacted against his toughened wings.

"This one does not harm me Braeson." The centaur nearest to Harry touched his wings he stood to look around at the centaurs.

"You have healed me youngling, why?"

"You were hurt, in pain, I saw how to help…" Harry looked around the collected.

A second centaur walked over to Harry.

"Youngling you have done service to us, but why do you intrude on the forest, the two legs of your kind do not venture far."

"I cam seeking solstice, seeking balance, I called upon…others, she said I would find calm here."

"She?"

"Who if I might ask am I addressing?" Harry pulled himself back up beating his wings slightly.

"I am Braeson of the deep wood. Who are you youngling, and who is she."

"She has many names, I know her as Hecate."

They all stepped back at her name.

"You may call upon the Goddess?"

"Yes."

"What would your name be youngling?"

"I have recently been known as Last Raven. But those in the castle know me by another."

"Last Raven? Why?"

"Another time, perhaps."

"Your other name Last Raven?" The older centaur whom he healed asked calmly.

"Harry Potter."

"The pawn of the destroyer!" Braeson yelled out.

"Who?"

"Who do you think did this to us?" Braeson yelled out.

"I am no pawn." Harry said coldly.

"What?"

"I said I am no pawn. Who did this?"

"He sits on the throne of the castle." Harry's eyes turned dark and he called up energy, like lighting from his hands and threw it towards the edge of the forest.

"Dumbledore." Harry muttered darkly.

They all stared at him for a moment.

"Yes Last Raven."

"How, and how might I address you?" Harry turned to the older centaur.

"You are different, you do not call us 'centaur' I am Jesson of the guiding space."

"There is no point in labelling a people, labels are for potions my friend not for people."

"There is spirit in you Last Raven." Braseon said from behind him.

"Yes, and many other things, may I help you?"

"Help us?" Jesson asked.

"I must return they, and Dumbledore may search for me. I would like to help, help you for what he did." Harry turned and looked around for the plant he had picket up, taking it and passing it to Jesson he walked back some distance plucking a fungus from the base of a tree and a branch of another bush. He handed the fungus and the branch to Braeson.

"Crush the plant and remove the juice and sap and mix with those two crushed and a little water from a river the paste will restore your wounds. They are from a wand?" Harry asked slowly.

"Are not all attacks from your kind?"

"Dumbledore is not my kind." Harry flapped his wings "Do I look like his kind?"

"No Last Raven, and thank you." Jesson said gently.

"May I return, I wish to know…how I might punish Dumbledore for this, anything done to anyone especially by someone who claims to be of the light."

"There is no…" Jesson started, but Harry picked up on his words "There is no light no dark not in the world of wands and wizards, the sun may rise and space will always exist, the everlasting darkness, stretched even when the sun reaches out, these are not sides they have always been. Sunset will come always like sunrise and dark." Harry looked around and looked deep into Jesson's eyes, he nodded. "You may return. I believe we both have things to share."

"Yes, you are the first in a long while to share an understanding, unlike the traitor Firenze."

"Perhaps he was persuaded by Dumbledore, should I tell him of the actions here carried out by his master?"

"Yes!" Many cried out.

"No, not until he can tell the whole betrayal." Jesson said with fire in his eyes.

"Farewell, Jesson, Braeson." Harry nodded and walked away.

"But it felt good to walk freely among you. Farewell." Harry tilted his head much like Hecate had as he approached the edge of the forest, catching an arrow as it came past him, turning around smiling. "You are not a wizard like those in the castle Last Raven."

"May I keep this, a sign?"

"You may." Breason nodded walked away. Harry drew his wings back within himself.

Harry looked at his watch not a lot of time have passed, but he faded into the air just the same and appeared in Myrtle's bathroom, and walked quickly back to the dorms slipping in and grabbed his wand and jacket, it was a different design to his other jacked, more suited for school, he still didn't fancy the school robes. He walked into Ron coming from getting dressed.

"Breakfast Harry?"

"Sounds great."

As they came into the great hall Hermione shot Harry some questioning looks he shrugged them away.

"Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"Where did you go?"

"For a walk."

As they passed out the timetables Harry raised an eyebrow to his, he'd actually be able to do the subjects he wanted…

"Harry what do you have first?"

"Charms then Arithmeticmacy you?" He said with a smile.

"You're doing Arithmacy?" Hermione practically squealed.

"Yes Hermione."

"So you're not doing Care of Magical Creatures?" Ron was crestfallen.

Harry and Hermione shared a look.

"Sorry Ron, I didn't…" Hermione trailed off.

"Ron, I'm not doing it for a lot of reasons, many of which are complicated and mixed in with why I'm doing Arithmancy. It's the war, it's a lot of things. If Hagrid asks tell him…I'll come and see him." Harry was looking into Ron's eyes imploring him.

"It's alright mate, I dropped divination, so I guess it makes us even. We'll still have Transfig, Charms and Defence and Potions."

"You're doing Potions?" Hermione squealed again.

"Mum convinced Dumbledore to get Snape to." Ron muttered.

"We've got Transfiguration and Potions this afternoon, we must have defence tomorrow."

Charms was mildly interesting for Harry, he had studied much of the course work from past years and could do most of the charms without thinking about it, Professor Flitwick was most impressed.

Classes for the day went alright, Harry showed great aptitude in Arithmacy surprising even Hermione.

Thankyou NW for those scenario training sessions.

It had given him a headache working out course coordinates for space travel, a big headache, it wasn't as though you could put out your wand and say point me, the whole lack of a north in space.

At lunch Ron came in his hair wet.

"Ron what happened?"

"Hagrid is insane, certifiable loony, he's worse than Luna."

"Luna isn't mad." Harry said calmly.

"Fine. But…"

"Your hair?" Hermione said wrinkling her nose and pulling out her wand muttering a cleansing and drying charm.

"Thanks Mione. We're learning about underwater creatures, Mermen and the like."

"Ron, that's one of the reasons I'm not doing Care…"

"Huh?"

"Think about it, Labels are for Potions, Not People. I'll see you in class I want to see the Professor before the start."

Harry walked off toward the Transfiguration rooms. He had been thinking about McGonagall's desire to know how he had changed Snape.

Calling on the goddess, perhaps not Harry thought back to the need for a rooster and somewhere in the forest to do it.

Have to talk to the centaurs. There is more than one way to change someone

Another portion of magic that Harry had studied involved a focusing crystal and a combination of herbs to focus an incantation, it was draining and required a lot of concentration, but Harry wasn't sure that the Professor would be up for talking to Hecate and the requirements of that.

Harry knocked on the door and poked his head in.

"Professor?"

"Mr Potter, quite early to your class?"

"Yes I wanted to talk about your request."

"Request?"

"At Grimmauld Place."

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Mr Potter…"

"I have had some thoughts on the process I used, and it may not suit your ways…"

"Mr Potter I'll have you know that I…" Harry held up a hand gently.

"I'm just saying that you may not like everything involved in it…"

"Perhaps a demonstration Mr Potter?"

"Perhaps…Could you lock the doors, hide us from view, just blinds or something."

"Mr Potter I…"

"I will do this for you, if you can promise me Dumbledore will not be informed." Harry looked darkly at her again. She was torn for a moment, to the headmaster or the young man from her house, she only knew a small portion of what he would be facing and it kept her awake most nights.

"Mr Potter…I don't know half of what you are going through, but I will keep your confidence."

"Thank you, I hope you understand Professor…Trust is something which is earned not given." McGonagall curtly nodded and stood opposite Harry.

"Mr Potter?"

"Shh. Goddess Hecate work they will…"

"Hello Hecate."

"Child, twice in one day, my my." Harry smiled at her.

"I have a question, perhaps council."

"She wishes to know more, should I enlighten or should I lead her on another path?"

"The Feline? She has much knowledge, she is much like the Mother, or like the Shepard watching her flock."

"Should I?"

"Will she be willing to take the consequences as the benefits?"

"I do not believe so, I wish to show her…an example."

Harry struggled for the words.

"Of a hunt, a sacrifice, a ritual?"

"Yes."

"It is not for me to show."

"Then?"

"Artemis I believe, take the feline in with you."

"Again, may the moon and the earth watch over you."

"Child."

The Professor was staring at Harry as he muttered something then he was talking.

"…essor McGonical."

"Yes Mr Potter?"

"Please stand by me, I will show you, when it happens stay calm, the incantation will soon begin…"

"Mr Pott…"

"Goddess Artemis…"

"I seek council…"

"Raven, you called out…"

"I seek to show this one a…demonstration."

"Of the hunt, of a sacrifice, a ritual of old…"

"Hecate…"

"Said I should ask you."

"You are young child, there is no error in this request, the hunt requires many hunters. The Feline wishes to run, she wishes to see, the fight is not in her, she is not a hunterress."

"May I still show her?"

"Yes, the old ways should be seen by otheres. You have seen, now others shall see. Bring her in."

Harry glanced disjointedly to the Professor and took her hand.

"Mr Potter…"

"Harry is fine here.

"Where is here…Harry?"

The room had disappeared, they were in a clearing, Athene had also departed, Harry heard a whisper in his ear.

"Young Raven, the hunt, the sacrifice the ritual shall begin, end it as you wish."

"May the river guide you and keep you alive Athene." Harry whispered.

"And to you young Raven."

The Professor heard none of this.

Harry could hear the change in the wind an animal was approaching.

"Harry, where are we." McGonagall asked a little worried searching for her office she could feel on the edges of her perception.

"Professor, you asked for a demonstration, everything is linked, you do magic and there are consequences, debts must be paid, watch." Their vision swung around and they were following the deer as it ran through the grasses.

"Can you smell the fear on the wind?"

"Harry…"

Harry's voice had deepened, he felt the hunt, not a meaningless blood lust but for a reason.

"Step back." They stepped back as three spears flung into the deer, striking it down.

"Horrible." McGonagall muttered turning away, Harry held her arm firmly.

"No, life, death, continuation. Gaia allows it." His voice still deep reverence of the hunt.

"Come." Harry walked toward the forest, their surroundings changed. They were looking at a large stone in the centre of a circle of people, the deer, still alive atop it. There were members standing around the deer, their hands outstretched dancing around occasionally pointing at pieces of wood, or at stones, sometimes a light would erupt from their bodies, changing the wood and stones into simple weapons.

"Watch, you wished for a demonstration. The sacrifice begins…" The person at the head of the circle withdrew a knife and plunged it in, the deer's blood seeped out flowing through the circle as if of it's own will, the dancers formed a line passing a cup of the collected blood down to a river.

"Come, we shall see the end. The beginning, the conclusion…"

Harry guided the professor taking his steps carefully, he could feel her cringe at the sight, he ignored it, even here in this vision there was energy.

In the river they all stood, the wind rushing to the centre of the group as they poured the blood into the river seeing it melt into the water the water moulding itself around each of the people in the group, some sort of energy ripped through the group and up to the sky like fire and they sank to their knees.

"It has ended, so shall this." Harry wrote a pattern in the air and stepped backwards. The Professor blinked, they were back in the room with still 10 minutes to class.

She was wearing a disgusted look on her face, she turned to look at Harry, he had a look of calm indifference.

"Mr Potter, Harry, what was that?"

"As I said some things may not suit you."

"That poor animal, what were they doing?"

"Do you understand why I said it may not suit you?"

The Professor stared at him. Harry withdrew from a pocket a crystal and a small plant with flowers, it was the Lethe's bramble he had used on Snape.

"Mr Potter…"

"I can still show you another method Professor, but again can I trust you not to go to Dumbledore with this?"

The Professor was struck for a moment, it had been a horrific vision, but Harry seemed unharmed, and like Miss Granger she always had a thirst for knowledge.

"I see your thirst for knowledge Minerva." Harry smiled and returned the crystal to his pocket.

"I won't talk to the Headmaster about this Harry…" She said fighting the bile in her throat.

"Thankyou, as you saw at Grimmauld Place he has conspired against me, nothing is ever forgotten Professor, nothing, as you witnessed."

"But…"

"Shhh. I see it disturbed you." Harry reached for the crystal again. "I can relieve you of the memory if you wish."

"Oblivate me? I am a Professor!"

"If you found it that distasteful yes."

McGonagall stared at Harry, something in the back of her mind registered that Harry was capable of this, part of her wanted him to, but she also knew that Dumbledore would never willingly both offer information nor offer to relieve the suffering of someone…this willingly.

"No."

"You wish to keep the memories?"

McGonagall swallowed down the bile and nodded, she needed a drink.

"So be it, 'you wish to run and see, but you are not a huntress'" Harry paraphrased to McGonagall, she stared at him.

Harry spent most of the class relatively awake, they were going back over the previous year's work, he could with much ease transfigure most of the things, only making a mistake when transfiguring a chopstick into a daisy he got a red rose. He handed it to the Professor on the way out of class to odd looks of his class mates.

Ron was already moaning.

"What's the matter Ron?" Harry asked cheerfully.

"Potions, with Snape."

"You're the one who wanted to be in Potions Ron." Hermione tried nicely.

"Mum wanted me to do it."

"Maybe you can work out how to poison him." Harry said, this brighten Ron's outlook, earning him scowl from Hermione.

Ron had lightened up a little.

Harry patted down his pockets and found what he was looking for, he pulled a few ingredients from his pocket and looked around.

"Hermione pass me that ball of parchment." She gave him an odd look as she passed him the cup, taking it he transfigured it into a rough looking mug.

"Transfiguration?" Harry held up his hand as he sprinkled the ingredients into the cup and muttered something in an odd language. The cup flashed and was filled with an liquid kind of resembling tea. Harry held it near Hermione.

"Potions?"

"What does it smell like?"

"Tea…sort of."

"Distract the Slytherins." Harry muttered as he stood up and quickly walked up to the front desk he caught Hermione throwing something at Malfoy who turned around as Harry placed the cup near Snape's things.

Harry returned just as the argument was settling down.

"What was that mate?"

"Yes Harry?" Hermione stared at him.

"Oh just something…interesting."

"Harry…" Hermione looked at him, at that point Snape walked into the room.

"You have all by some fluke managed to attain a mark worthy of my class…." Snape looked around the room, glaring at the trio.

"By either favour or hard work, however you will all expected to maintain a high standard whilst within these rooms." Snape paused taking in with a satisfied smirk the amount of Slytherins in his class.

"You will be starting with a simple." He stared at the trio again "Even the most incapable of you should be able to brew." He tapped the blackboard and a series of instructions appeared for a balm used to mend large wounds.

Glancing over it Harry realised it bore many similarities to a potion he had seen Will brew, he hadn't actually done it however it was simple.

The class started to cut and dice the appropriate ingredients, Harry was working on his own whilst Ron and Hermione were together.

"Harry what's in the cup?" Ron muttered to him.

"Something which should both make him unable to take points off and leave him mildly euphoric…"

"Euphoric?" Hermione asked.

Harry smiled and nodded. Snape was drinking out of the cup as he marked some work.

"Harry what's in it?" Hermione asked slowly.

Harry shrugged. "Extract of stinging nettle, should stop him from talking, an opium derivative…and a slow acting, long lasting laxative." Harry said counting off the ingredients with a satisfied smirk.

"Harry!" Hermione's eyes widened as she counted up the ingredients.

Ron was also smiling. "Bloody brilliant mate, can't wait to tell Fred and George."

Hermione regarded Ron, if he knew all those she would have to upgrade her idea of him.

Harry smiled and started to add his ingredients, where it said wand in the ingredients he pulled out of his pocket a stick, it was a piece of Oak that he'd found that he'd sanded down to a stirrer.

"Why aren't you using a wand Harry the instructions…"

"It will work better without a wand, but you use yours and prove me incorrect."

Snape was standing now and walking around nodding to the Slytherins then he got to Harry and opened his to say something, he already had a sneer on his face.

"Kkkk." Was the noise Snape made, a bit of a dry rasp as he tried to speak.

"I'm sorry sir?" Harry said as polite as possible. He looked angry.

"I thought there was an opiate in it." Ron whispered at him.

"Sir why don't you sit down, in the staff room, in fact take the rest of the day off, you don't want to be here teaching useless Gryffindors you want…to be down in the Hogshead having a drink, you don't want to be here…." Harry said slowly and calmly nodding at Snape.

Hermione stared like most of the others too stunned to say anything as Snape grinned stupidly, walked up to his desk, downed the remaining liquid in the cup and walked out the door.

There was a few minutes silence as the class watched the door and then there was cheering and pats on the back by the most of the class, most of the Slytherins were giving Harry dark looks, especially Pansy Parkinson and Theodore Nott who had taken up top position at the front of the class as Crabbe and Goyle were no where in site, and had anyone been noticing Draco Malfoy was not at the front, he was in fact at the back of the class studying Harry Potter….