I own nothing you recognise...


In the three-day period Harry had been at Hogwarts, Harry hadn't once found himself in a quiet, private place where he couldn't be interrupted. Having more of a social life outside of classes felt...weird, normally he spent his entire time with Ron and Hermione. But after the fallout between them, he had been hanging around more with people he hadn't really ever spent time with. Seamus and Dean were always up for a laugh and talking to girls, with Neville still slightly shy and more than happy to spend his time doing homework and talking between themselves. But after the last week or so of summer, Harry missed having the odd couple of hours of peace and quiet to himself.

This was the reason he was in the Prefects Bathroom, it was secluded and private. Having gone to the Library to finish off all the homework he had, he had dropped his bag off in his dormitory and after making sure the Locking Spell was still on his trunk, headed to the Prefects Bathroom. It was exactly as he remembered it, the enormous swimming pool sized bath and the row of neat pristine toilet stalls. Clean and with an air of unnecessary extravagance, at least these were the conclusions he had reached after observing the bathroom in its entirety after an hour. The chiselled marble decor, polished stone floors and animate statues that surrounded the place gave Harry the same feeling he had when he first stepped foot in the muggle hotel.

After toying with the taps for several minutes, the bath had been filled with several types of foams and bubbles with hot water cascading and filling the bath quickly. It had remained at a pleasant temperature and the fruity scent that filled the air had also lingered, after swimming around for a few minutes he settled on a slightly raised part of the pool were he could sit, rest his head and close his eyes. He was in a state of total relaxation, having the morning off had not stopped him from working after waking and having an early morning run and light workout, studying the Ancient Runes material he had, writing to Oliver Wood about the Quidditch Trials and lessons in the afternoon. It was a welcome break from all the work he had done today, sighing aloud and reluctantly he opened his eyes to look at the ornate in the corner. He still had just over an hour until he was due to meet McGongall.

Word had got out of his friendly duel with Professor Flitwick, as if he didn't need another reason for people to pay attention to him. Quite a few people had come up and asked him about it, all of which he had politely declined. Apparently every class Flitwick had that day had asked the Charms Professor about it as well. Stretching out Harry closed his eyes again and sunk a bit further in to the water and cleared his mind, it was getting quicker and quicker to do and left Harry feeling a lot calmer as he thought about the wind tearing around. The feeling of air whipping around him, made even stronger by the recent memory of trying out his BlazingThunder.

The wind became louder slightly and he heard the noise of the wind beating against trees, he was sprinting through a forest. His heart was pounding as he sniffed the air and darted right, hurtling around a tree and weaving in and out of what seemed like a maze of trees. He felt so strong and powerful as he pounded the damp ground, scattering leaves in his wake. At the same time though he felt agile and nimble, he was lower to the ground and everything seemed to make a noise. The smell of dirt and fresh rain filled his nostrils and his eyesight seemed sharper than normal. Reaching a small clearing, a still pond was in the middle. Approaching it slowly, he saw his reflection in the lake...

"Oh!" gasped a voice. Harry's eyes darted open and narrowed, letting out a small, primal growl he had never made before. He was about to summon his wand when he remembered where he was. His heart was beating a bit faster than normal as he looked around and saw three, towel clad girls in the bathroom.

"Sorry...must have dozed off." said Harry, passing off the noise he had made.

"Y...You're Harry Potter." said one of the girls.

"Yes, I am." said Harry, suddenly very aware he was naked. With three girls in the bathroom, he recognised one of the girls from Gryffindor Common Room and it clicked they were probably the fifth year prefects.

"I'm Emily, Emily Green. Fifth year Gryffindor Prefect." said the girl in the middle.

"I know, I've seen you in the Gryffindor Common Room." said Harry, his comment eliciting a few giggles.

"This is Sarah, and this is Jess. They're the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Prefects for fifth-year." said Emily, after a few seconds.

"Nice to meet you." smiled Harry, slowly slinking further in to the water. The girls waved shyly back at him.

"Do you mind if we join you?" asked Emily, walking further in to the bathroom. Ignoring the slight panic and wrestling against a stutter Harry somehow managed to keep his expression the same.

"Actually, I've got an appointment with McGonagall. Maybe some other time." grinned Harry, reaching over for a towel and taking care to cover himself as he climbed out.

"That's a nasty scar." said Sarah, or Jess, Harry couldn't really remember. She was referring to the deep one across his chest he had sustained from Lucius Malfoy at Privet Drive, the others from Azkaban had faded and weren't that visible from across a room.

"I know." replied Harry, shortly. Drying off quickly and taking care to hide his blade that was in the neat pile of clothes he had on the side, he dressed himself as quickly as he could as the girls slipped in to the bath.

"You could come back after your thing with McGonagall." said Emily, as Harry dressed and fastened his wand holster to his wrist.

"Perhaps...enjoy your bath girls." winked Harry, rubbing his thick stubble and heading for the door.

"See you Harry." said Emily in a sing-song voice, as Harry closed the door behind him.

"I deserve a medal for that." muttered Harry, looking up and down the corridor.

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'What the hell was that in the reflection!' thought Harry, as he slowly walked to McGonagall's office. After being woken up by Emily and her friends from...whatever it was. He had seen he had been out for forty minutes, maybe he had fallen asleep...

It matched what a few of the books had said about finding his Animagus form, but previously he had felt more of a flying sensation. Then he had been a land based creature, with the running in the forest, his senses all heightened, the sense of speed and strength... and that reflection! His instinct went to werewolf but his Care of Magical Creatures knowledge reminded him that the shape of the snout and pupils were different from a werewolf. He was a wolf of some kind...obviously. Both delighted and slightly disappointed. He had wanted to fly, able to soar without a broom. Burying his feelings, he walked to Professor McGonagall's Office and knocked on the door.

"Enter!" called the Transfiguration Professor, Harry opened the door to McGonagall's office. The Transfiguration Professor looked up from the rolls of parchment she was marking and glanced at an elaborate looking egg-timer on her desk.

"You're early Mr Potter." said McGonagall, putting her quill on the desk.

"I can come back later if now isn't a good time, Professor." replied Harry, politely.

"No, now is fine. Sit." said McGonagall, gesturing to the chair on the other side of her desk. Harry sat down and waited as McGonagall cleared her desk and opened a desk drawer to retrieve a file, that he noticed had his name on.

"Alright then...last year it was your ambition to become an Auror, on Monday you told me otherwise. Why?" asked McGonagall, looking at the file and not Harry.

"I don't want to work for the Ministry." answered Harry, after a small pause.

"The Ministry of Magic has a new Minister and is falling under a new regime. Did you take that in to consideration?" pressed McGonagall.

"It wouldn't matter who was made Minister, I wouldn't like to work there." said Harry.

"Have you thought about what else you might like to do." asked McGonagall, a quill in her hand.

Harry stopped before he replied; he wasn't quite sure how he wanted to phrase his thoughts. After all, his 'job' as it were was to defeat and kill the most feared wizard since Grindelwald. An actual job, with a sense of normality seemed laughable. His life had never been normal, he could probably get any job he wanted based on his name and reputation alone. Sitting here to discuss his future and career prospects was just...bizarre.

"I haven't really given it much thought, Professor. I just want to study and get the best grades I can." said Harry, hoping his answer would be satisfactory. From his Head of Houses facial expressions however, it wasn't.

"So you have no idea what you would like to do upon graduating." said McGonagall, sternly.

"Something fun." offered Harry, stating it as though it was a question.

"Fun?" repeated McGonagall.

"Well, Bill Weasley told me a bit about his job. The way he described it seemed fun." said Harry, Bill had told him a great deal more than 'a bit' and it had come across as quite exciting.

"You're talking about cursebreaking. Is this why you wish to take NEWT Level Ancient Runes?" probed McGonagall, scribbling on a piece of parchment.

"Partly, but it just seems like a really interesting subject. I wish I had done it at OWL Level instead of Divination." scowled Harry, his memory flashing back to the countless times Trelawney had predicted his death.

"That's what you get for choosing 'easy' classes or what your friends might want to do." muttered McGonagall. Harry nodded; he had only really done Divination and Care Of Magical Creatures because of Ron. He would have probably done Care Of Magical Creatures anyway, but silently wished he hadn't followed whatever Ron had done.

"Careers with Gringotts are scarce; they interview only the highest qualified graduates with an ideal candidate having a NEWT in Ancient Runes, Charms, Defence Against The Dark Arts and Transfiguration. With Arithmancy being an advantage for desk work and Care Of Magical Creatures being an advantage for...field work as it were. Potions aren't listed as a necessary NEWT either... I should warn you Harry, Goblins only hire the smartest and ambitious wizards. They look as employees like Bill Weasley as investments, someone they train and in return provide many years of service and work in return. While it can be a lucrative and appealing, it is also very dangerous and time-consuming." said McGonagall, warningly. Harry only nodded at her words, the goblins had already taken what he would consider a 'special interest' in him.

"I have no pamphlets on working in Gringotts, but I am sure if you ask Bill nicely he will tell you more than a pamphlet or I ever could." McGonagall finished writing whatever it was she was writing, folded the parchment over and inserted it into the file and closed it.

"Now that is over, I have a sign-up sheet for the Quidditch try-outs here, please put it on the bulletin board in the common room when you return. I have the pitch booked for Sunday, from ten o'clock until two o'clock. Have you written to Oliver Wood?" inquired McGonagall, passing Harry a rolled up piece of parchment.

"Yes Professor, I'm hoping for a reply tomorrow." replied Harry.

"Good, I trust you will be objective in your selections." said McGonagall, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Of course, Professor McGonagall." said Harry.

"I trust you will do the right thing, I have heard the rumours about a certain new broom." smiled McGonagall, ruefully.

"I bought it to replace my Firebolt, Sirius bought it for me and I wouldn't want to chance anything with it." said Harry, in a serious tone.

"Of course, I hope it helps catch the snitch. Although you appear to have gained some weight and look more of a Chaser, like your father." added McGonagall, her eyes shining.

"Something to think about if you struggle for Chasers." she said, after a few seconds of silence. Harry nodded and took it as his cue to leave. Walking down to the Great Hall for a late tea/early supper and back up to the Gryffindor Common Room so he could have his Nutrient Potion, pin the sign up sheet up and study more Ancient Runes.

Upon entering the Common Room and putting the sign up sheet on the bulletin board however, he gained more attention than normal as a few people immediately came over to inspect what he had put on the board.

"Quidditch try-outs, already?" asked a small third year Harry didn't know, he only nodded to the boy.

"A full team tryout?" asked a voice from behind him.

"Wait...what?" shouted a voice, Harry knew whose voice that was as he turned to face Ron.

"Why are you having a full team tryout?" demanded Ron, storming up to Harry.

"McGonagall and Wood suggested it, Katie the longest-serving player on the team backed it up, and I think it's a good idea to start over again after last year." said Harry.

"But...we won the cup last year, without you, Fred and George. We won it!" said Ron, loudly.

"I know, I didn't see the winning match so I can't judge on performances but what I do know is Angelina walked into Gryffindor Common Room with her head hanging low after practice all last year." countered Harry, not backing down to Ron.

"This is because of what happened on the train isn't it? McGonagall already punished us for that, with Filch for a month. It's not fair you're doing it to!" shouted Ron, getting red in the face.

"I'm not doing this to punish you Ron, not everything is about you." said Harry, calmly.

"No, it's about you. Because you're Quidditch Captain, you think that you're too important to hang around and that you can threaten my position!" spat Ron.

"Your position? Angelina made you Keeper because you were the only one who could commit to practice. Not because you were the best." argued Harry, knowing he had gone too far the moment he had finished.

"I shouldn't have to try out for the Keeper position, it shouldn't be a full team tryout." said Ron, quietly. Harry knew he had embarrassed Ron and felt a pang of guilt, but after abusing his trust and rifling through his trunk, his clothes and his personal items. Harry felt Ron kind of deserved it.

"I'm not doing this to get back at you, pissing you off has its perks but this is for the team. Not just you, don't turn up to tryout you won't get a second chance." muttered Harry, though his words carried across the room. Harry walked off without another word, going up to his dormitory and spending the rest of the night in his room, reading Ancient Runes notes and books by candlelight. He fell asleep before any of his dorm mates came in.


(Scene Break)

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Today had been relatively easy for him as all he really had was double Defence Against The Dark Arts and an hour of Care of Magical Creatures, where they practiced Shield Charms and studied about Salamander diets. The rest of the afternoon he had off, and with no homework had split his time with Ancient Runes studying, Animagus training, and practicing curses in the Room of Requirement.

He was brought out of his stupor as everyone stopped talking and silence fell around the hall, as Dumbledore had stood up.

"I'm sure many of you are wondering, what is it that is so important to have all of you here. I won't keep you waiting any longer...at my request Professor Lupin and Professor Flitwick are reviving the once popular Duelling Club, meetings will be held on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday evenings and is available for third years and upwards only. It is not mandatory though it is something I highly recommend in participating. It will start next Tuesday, to give you all a time to clear your busy schedules and prepare yourselves." smiled Dumbledore, his blue eyes twinkling slightly. The Headmaster sat back down and the Great Hall erupted in conversations.

"Awesome, I can't wait!" said a loud voice down the Gryffindor table.

"Flitwick used to be a duelling champion you know." said another.

"I wonder how good Professor Lupin is at duelling." asked a nearby Ravenclaw.

"This is great, about time it was brought back." said Dean, sitting next to Harry.

"Good job you didn't start the DA again, Harry." muttered Seamus.

"It won't be the same though, in the DA everyone was friends and got on." said Neville.

"I wonder what we'll be learning?" asked Hermione.

"Probably more spells and stuff, what do you think Harry?" asked Seamus, everyone around him stopped talking to hear what he had to say.

"Like you said, more spells, some shields. Some duelling techniques and duelling rules probably." said Harry, not letting the anger show on his face as his mind cast back to how Voldemort made him bow.

"What do you mean techniques and rules?" asked Dean, confused.

"There are different types of duels; each type of duel has its own rules. Like what spells are allowed and stuff." said Neville, saving Harry from answering.

"How did you know that?" asked Hermione, looking confused about the whole thing.

"Pureblood wizarding traditions, my Gran's had me reading them since I was eight." muttered Neville, a shadow crossing his face. Hermione started muttering something about 'Pureblood nonsense' which only added to the dark look Neville had.

"Tell us about it Neville." urged Dean, not wanting to come across as a complete novice when it came to Duelling Club.

"It's quite simple really, a Wizards Duel is between two wizards, you can have the option of having a 'Second' to takeover you if are knocked unconscious...or worse. You set the lethality of the duel before you start; say nothing that can cause real harm or permanent damage. You can have duels in teams and the basic rules still apply. You can challenge people to duels, for family honour and things like that but they're pretty rare these days. And then you have a 'Duel to the Death' which is basically how it sounds, there hasn't been one of those in over a hundred years, at least a known one. Forfeiting duels brings shame and punishments you know...blah blah blah... that's about it really. Nothing too complicated." said Neville, everyone around was hanging on every word Neville was saying, hoping it would give them a clue as to what to expect.

"Blimey! Can you not just have friendly duels?" asked Dean, all of this completely new to him. Harry only knew some bits and pieces from vague references in the Dark Arts and other books he had read.

"Of course you can, but they aren't thought of as official or anything. Duels are normally only declared or demanded in extreme circumstances, its old-fashioned but it's pure-blood Tradition, and that's been around since the founders." said Neville, sounding a bit proud of himself as he noticed everyone was listening to him.

"It's like house-elves, pure-bloods just believe in some of the most ridiculous nonsense." sighed Hermione, exasperated at the entire premise.

"But they are the oldest and most valued laws we have, you say something like that in front of Malfoy or some other arrogant pure-blood and they are within the rights to challenge you to any sort of duel for insulting their heritage." said Neville, warningly. The comment about Malfoy struck Harry; the blonde Slytherin hadn't been his usual annoying self. He wasn't on the train, there was that look when he walked past when Harry was in the carriages. And in Potions he had kept quiet, as had the other Slytherins.

"You don't believe that stuff though?" pushed Hermione, looking at Neville.

"I was brought up with it; the knowledge was drilled into me. Helps understand how the wizarding world works outside of Hogwarts, I'm not a purist Slytherin idiot by any means but break down any organisations beliefs and they have some reason to them. No matter how small." replied Neville, much to the shock of the Muggle-borns and some Half-bloods around the table.

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione, incredulously.

"Well, You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters believe that being a pureblood makes you better than everyone else. It stems down from old fears that Muggle-borns and Half-bloods would spill the knowledge of the wizarding world and we would all be killed. I'm not agreeing or saying what they are doing is right by any means; they're just taking an ideal and blowing it up to ridiculous proportions. The history is there, witch-hunts, burning at the stake, drowning people suspected of witchcraft. Purebloods who believe in You-Know-Who just take it a few dozen steps too far." said Neville, shrugging his shoulders as he finished.

"But, You-Know-Who attacks Muggles and breaks the Statute of International Secrecy every day." said Hermione.

"Ironic, huh?" laughed Seamus, making a few people chuckle. Hermione shook her head, frustrated at the hypocrisy of it all and turned to Ron who had stayed quiet and occupied himself with the potato on his plate throughout the conversation. He had not spoken a word to Harry and not spared him a glance, not that Harry was complaining.


(Meanwhile at the teacher's table...)


"Are you sure you won't reconsider Severus, we could use your...expertise as it were." said Flitwick, dryly.

"It's bad enough I have to teach Potions to dunderheads and second-rate minds, why in Merlin's name would I give up my time and attempt to teach them a concept many of them have been brought up to see as 'dark' and 'evil'." snapped Snape, tones of loathing evident in his voice.

"Now Severus, you have skill and knowledge in several areas of relevance to duelling. Your help would be greatly appreciated." urged Dumbledore, his words however only earning him a glare.

"I'm more curious to find if there are any truths to the rumours of a duel between Filius and young Mr Potter." said McGonagall, cutting in to the conversation.

"Is this true, Filius?" asked Dumbledore, peering over his half-moon spectacles.

"Quite, we were demonstrating the use of Charms in duelling when Mr Potter came up with a quite ingenious method to defeat me." smiled Flitwick.

"You lost?" sneered Snape, his blank expression hiding his surprise.

"Harry used the Patronus Charm, I'd never seen his Patronus before Remus you're right. It is something to behold. It was so bright and large I didn't see the spells until they shot through the creature's chest." said Flitwick, chuckling at the memory.

"A student defeated a teacher in a friendly duel..." muttered Snape, loud enough for the others to hear.

"I dare say he was holding back, he was so quick and resourceful. Has an aptitude for non-verbal spells, enough confidence in them to trust them at any rate." beamed Flitwick, obviously not ashamed of losing to Harry.

"What makes you think he was holding back?" asked Remus, Harry hadn't gone into that much detail about the duel.

"He had enough power in his spells to rival the more advanced seventh years, but he was seemingly more focused on not doing anything that might cause harm. Sent nothing worse than a Disarming Charm, was aware of his surroundings all the time, lightning reactions. He'll be a threat to Death Eaters one day." said Flitwick, ominously.

"He's getting spells done first time in my class, before Miss Granger even. Looks bored half of the time." muttered McGonagall.

"His 'Scutomi Shield' lasted twelve spells the other day, Draco Malfoy was second and his shield lasted eight." said Remus, ignoring the scowl on Snape's face at the mention of Draco being second.

"As much as I hate to admit it, Potter seems to have picked up a book and actually learnt something. Maybe without the constant distractions of Granger and Weasley is doing him some good." mumbled Snape, occupying himself with the cold beef on his plate.

"I've noticed that to, hardly as close as they were." said McGonagall, echoing the Slytherin's Head of House comment.

"It started in the summer at Headquarters, Harry hadn't told his friends what happened at Privet Drive." stated Dumbledore, stroking his beard absent-mindedly.

"His imprisonment in Azkaban has affected him, though I might add it appears to be for the better." said Snape, in a quiet voice. His words shocked the other Professors.

"You think Azkaban helped him?" asked Remus, incredulous and astonished.

"To an extent, now Potter knows what he is up against. Not to mention he will have a grudge at every Death Eater in the Dark Lords service, meaning he might not, as Filius said 'hold back' should he face Death Eaters again." replied Snape, his eyes boring in to Remus.

"I think Severus has a point." mused Dumbledore.

"Because we should all be tortured every now and again to remind ourselves what we are up against." said McGonagall, her voice full of sarcasm.

"Back to the topic at hand, I believe we were discussing about the possibility of Severus helping with the Duelling Club." muttered Dumbledore, mulling over Snape's words in his mind.

"It would encourage more students in your House to join." offered McGonagall.

"And with your experience, it might help students understand what they are up against. You said it was good for Harry to know, why not the rest of the students." added Remus.

"Insufferable Gryffindor's…" muttered Snape.


(End of Chapter)

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Big chapter coming up next!

Reviews are alwaye lovely.

Sorry if you got two emails today, there was a glaring mistake that I really wanted to correct.