Hello! See, I'm back! When I said I would be (or only a few hours after). I'm getting better at this! It's a tad bit shorter than my 20,000 word chapters but I sort of like it. More time skips (not dramatic ones. I can't do dramatic ones at the moment), but as much as I would like to write every single class Harry attends and the chaos he causes in them, it's not really practical for story purposes and I have a point to reach at some point.

To my Beta, Mischief Managed33, THANK YOU FOR THE REMINDER! *round of applause*

To the one person I couldn't PM reply to:

Profeeder: I understand your point, and I actually quite agree. But Harry has also only ever really known magic as being able to do what he expects it to, and he doesn't always consider the fact that he's just weird. He's think he's in a school, a school should know, or endeavor to look for, the answers to things. And he has forgotten that he's lived a very different and strange life in comparison to everyone else around him.

And let's get started!

~~~In Which This is a Beginning~~~~

Dumbledore and the four Heads of House were sitting in his office on a Friday evening, all in various states of exhaustion or frustration. This was not one of the bi-monthly staff meetings they were holding, but rather a more specialized event.

The reason?

Harry "I'm not a potter", who was determined to turn every single Hogwarts tradition on its head, and his eccentric family.

"Have we come to a decision?" The headmaster started off the dreaded conversation.

"I refuse."

"I second."

"Third."

"Never in all my years," Pomona finished, stubborn resolve on her face.

Dumbledore sighed. "He must have a House," he cajoled. "We cannot leave a student Unsorted. It's never been done!"

McGonagall firmed her lips. "I categorically refuse that walking disaster disguised as a child into Gryffindor House any more than he is already there. As is I spend half my designated class time with him fielding the most ridiculous questions and trying to keep some semblance of order. This past week alone, his little group of friends has consistently turned in results that not only differed wildly from the set transfiguration, but they've all become semi-proficient in silent transfiguration. In a WEEK Albus. A WEEK." She gave him her best glare. "I don't know what you've let into this castle, but I refuse to allow him to corrupt the rest of my House. Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger are quite enough, and the Twins seem to be set on following, heavens help us all."

Snape snorted. "I am, for once, in agreement. He's not only humiliated half my Slytherins, but he consistently refuses to follow a recipe, uses some strange, unexplainable storage box with who knows how many ingredients in it, and turned in potions that, while not the color or consistency they are supposed to be, always do what I've asked of them. Blaise Zabini is becoming more confrontational and distant from his housemates, spending more time in either the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw common rooms with that odd little group, or in the Library where they've convinced Madam Pince to set up a permanent silencing ward over one of the tables and literally claimed it for themselves. I've heard the complaints of several of my older students who get glared at by Pince herself if they try to sit there despite not one of that group's members being present. I cannot allow him to shake up the only place my Slytherins have any peace in." He grimaced. "And Daphne Greengrass might be following. She has been the only one who can broach any topic of conversation with Zabini without being immediately repulsed. I can handle the Spider if I must, but I do not want the ire of Lord Greengrass to descend if, or rather when, his daughter starts becoming an outcast from her House."

"I must put my refusal forth as well," Flitwick admitted. "He is the most gifted student I have ever taught, and I am by no means exaggerating. He excels with every spell we try, often to a degree seventh years struggle to master, and he does it easily, casually. As if he put forth no effort at all. He will assist those around him without needing to be asked, and they too are usually quick to at least get the spell correct soon after. But it is this very level of competence that has me hesitating to accept him. My ravens always appreciate the help, but I can see them confused, jealous, and even spiteful sometimes. Padma Patil is starting to become distant from the few connections she had made in Ravenclaw, and her fellow housemates don't seem concerned about making sure she's included in things. She also isn't concerned about the lack of inclusion. She spends only as much time as she needs to in the Tower, preferring to be wherever her new-found friends are. As much as I am enjoying this inter-House friendship, it also seems worrying."

They all looked at Pomona Sprout, who hadn't spoken up about her refusal just yet.

"Is there a particular reason you have also refused to let Harry into your House?" Dumbledore asked.

Pomona huffed. "You weren't the one who had to deal with the Carnivorous Rose, or spend the next two lessons trying to keep him from de-rooting every single plant we worked with, or from touching the poisonous, toxic, or generally dangerous plants that I use to teach the first years about handling deadly plants. You weren't there as he ran Mr. Longbottom ragged, though he didn't experiment on anything again. You haven't watched as your Common Room was turned into the central meeting hub for that strange little group because my Hufflepuffs are too accommodating to kick them out. Susan Bones was a good, happy, bright little girl with a number of friends in her House. Just a week later she's odd, out of sorts, and not connecting with her housemates at all. And this is just a week, Dumbledore. A week. I shudder to think about what more constant exposure would do to my House. At least they are forced to disband when curfew or class or dinner time arrives."

There was silence as they digested this piece of news. The chaos that was Harry reaching into even the Hufflepuff Common Rooms unsettled them.

"We shall revisit this later. I see we must put more thought into Harry's placement…" Dumbledore started.

"No, Albus. I don't see us changing our minds any time in the near future. In fact, I would think we would only become firmer . Why not just keep him as is? His schedule now is fine, and it means he can't corrupt one class completely. I still get some of them without Harry present, and with, so there is equal exposure to the instability."

Dumbledore looked pensive. "But he is not in assigned dorms. This is unprecedented. Keeping him as is would mean he remains with the Doctor and his family."

"Which removes him from the general student population at least for the night hours," Snape pointed out. "Most of them need the break, Dumbledore. They aren't sure how to handle him. He cares little for authority inasmuch as rules and structure, will not hesitate to confront anyone if they so much as hint at ignorance or bullying, student or teacher." His drawn and pinched expression indicated he'd been on the receiving end of the boy's temper. "Professor Sinistra was distraught after the first year class this week. Distraught." He looked at McGonagall.

"It's true. After the first year Astronomy class was dismissed, she showed up in my offices where I was discussing several of the Slytherin students' work with Severus, almost to tears. It seems Harry had practically taken over the lesson, which was apparently about the moons of Jupiter, after informing Sinistra that she had the geography of...what, Europa? Ganymede? one of those moons, completely wrong, and that there was life on it, or something to the effect. Then he spent the next forty-five minutes lecturing the entire class on what the moons actually were, where they came from, their composition, and literally things that Sinistra had never heard of before. And the students listened to him, Albus. All of the students. Slytherins, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, Gryffindors, all of them, they listened."

Snape rubbed his temples. "And she was nearly inconsolable. She has no idea how to teach a class when one of the students knows more about the subject than her. She said the boy apologized to her after the class, looking remarkably sheepish and embarrassed, said he hadn't meant to take over the entire class, but he had learned about moons, stars, planets, and galaxies since he could speak, and they were a specialty of his. Said he would try not to do it again in the future. Then he smiled and joined that group of his and left."

Dumbledore couldn't properly imagine a world where an eleven-year-old not only took over a class, but took over it well enough that the rest of his fellow age mates paid closer attention to him than they had to the teacher.

Or, he hadn't been able to imagine it before Harry "not potter" had showed up.

He resisted the urge to take his glasses off and rub the stress out of his forehead. "I...concede that Harry is not what any of us were expecting," he said. "But he is still a student here, and eleven years old."

Snape snorted. "I would love to see you try to enforce that 'you're the child, I'm the adult' with him, Dumbledore. Please let me know when you intend to do so. I will be sure to set up arena seating nearby for the fellow staff members who have been belittled, insulted, and schooled by him."

"I'll help," McGonagall said.

"I'll get the popcorn," Sprout volunteered.

Dumbledore felt a moment of betrayal from his staff members, then remembered his brief confrontation with the boy about his jacket.

"We're not getting that confrontation, are we?" Flitwick sighed, having watched the minute widening of the headmaster's eyes.

"I...failed to recall my confrontation with him this past week. He was out of uniform and I asked him to put school robes on. He proceeded to lecture me on the divisive House system and the absurdity of assigning colors to students as it only made it easier to single out those who didn't fit in. I let him wear his jacket rather than attract more attention from the students." Dumbledore looked pensive. "And his points had merit. New students, often Gryffindors and Slytherins, are often targets for bullying from older students simply because of their House colors. And Hufflepuffs are often ignored for the same reason."

"He's been here a week, Albus, and he's already having you rethink and ages old Hogwarts tradition," Minerva pointed out. "Let's keep his chaos contained to the rooms we've given his family. Speaking of which, was it wise, hiring those three?"

Dumbledore's grimace explained a lot. "I would rather have not, but I couldn't find a way to keep them out of Hogwarts. I don't...exactly...understand how the Doctor's magic works, and I know even less about Mr. Harkness and Ms. Rose."

"You could start by trying to explain why Jack Harkness's name seems to be carved into the walls of the Slytherin dungeons. Carvings that have been there long before we were around. And inside hearts. Alongside Salazar Slytherin's name," Snape said dryly.

There were double takes all around the room. "Come again?" Flitwick asked.

"It's been a kind of Slytherin House mystery. Every single first year spots them, they aren't exactly hidden, and they all ask the same question. 'Who is Jack Harkness and why is his name inside a heart with our House Founder's name?' And they get the same answer. 'We have no clue. Maybe you will be the one to figure it out.'" Snape looked as close to genuinely smiling as Minerva had seen him in years. "The first years this year are particularly excited since there is a Jack Harkness now teaching here. But not a single reasonable explanation has arisen. Plenty of illogical ones have, the least of which involves vampires or magical creatures and some of the more absurd say time travel or immortality." Snape looked amused at it all, though he was clearly puzzled. "I spent some time in my youth trying to figure it out, to no avail. There is little on the Founders that isn't second hand or even further removed. None of their personal documents survived the years."

"Hearts, Severus?" McGonagall confirmed.

Snape took out his wand and drew a heart in the air, complete with "Jack Harkness + Salazar Slytherin" written in the middle. "This is the most intact one. Others are present." He erased the words, replacing them with 'Jack+Sal forever' 'Enigma+Sal' 'Jack Loves Sal' 'Sal+Jack=Morwin?'. "No one is sure what that last one is supposed to imply. But they're everywhere in the Slytherin dungeons and even in my personal quarters."

The faculty stared at the hearts. "That...there must have been a Jack Harkness alive at the time of the Founders who had a crush on Slytherin," Flitwick said. "Slytherin did have at least one child that we know of and Jack has been a mostly male name."

"Except Jack wasn't a name until nearly 400 years after the Founders died," McGonagall pointed out. "What, McGonagall is an old family and I was interested in the origins of our name when I was young," she said defensively when they all looked at her in surprise. "I learned quite a lot about names in the process."

"Be that as it may, that makes it even harder to reconcile those hearts," Sprout said.

The five of them stared at the hearts. "Are you sure this dates back to the Founders?" Dumbledore asked.

Snape nodded. "It's a common spell among Slytherin House. Most first years learn how to date objects before the end of the first month because no one can believe that the hearts are really that old. Not a common spell among the masses, but I challenge you to find a Slytherin student who doesn't know it."

Flitwick blinked. "Really? But we don't cover that spell until fifth year!" He paused. "I wondered why Slytherin always seemed to excel at it...it's a spell with limited uses, but every single Slytherin has always done well with it."

"Did you start that tradition?" Sprout asked.

"No. It was already a spell first years learned when I was a student here. I wouldn't be surprised to find out a Slytherin invented the spell just to check the carvings."

Dumbledore stroked his beard. "That is a strange occurrence. If you can, Severus, ask the Bloody Baron if he knows anything about them. I have it on good authority that he was around during the time of the Founders."

Snape tried to hide his grimace. "I'll see what I can do."

"Something the matter?" Flitwick asked.

"First years also go ask the Baron about the carvings. If they're lucky, a harsh glare is all they get in return. If they're unlucky, Peeves gets free reign in the hallways around the common room for up to a week."

The four other staff members sat back in mild shock. There was apparently a lot going on in Slytherin House that never made it beyond the portrait hole.

"That...aside for now, any comments on the Doctor's class?" Dumbledore said, opting to think about this strange revelation concerning Jack Harkness later.

"You mean aside from every single Ravenclaw and a decent number of Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors, and even some Slytherins, nearly worshiping the ground he walks on?" McGonagall drawled wryly.

Dumbledore restrained a chuckle. "I would rather like to know why he's the center of so much attention. He's barely had a class with every year yet."

Flitwick grinned. "From the way the older years talk, Harry got his intelligence from his father. The man is beyond genius, Dumbledore. I got a hold of one of the books he assigned…"

"Books? He assigned books?" Dumbledore said sharply. "I didn't approve of any textbook."

"Well, I would rather say that the previously assigned books weren't very useful for his class, based off of what I was given," Flitwick replied. "And they're fascinating, Dumbledore. Simply fascinating."

"How so, Filius?" McGonagall asked.

"For a start, they talk heavily about the Origin of Magic. And I'm not being facetious here. There is ample evidence he's provided and several reliable sources that support it. Big names in magical research and theory, though none in Britain." Flitwick grinned. "I nearly confiscated Ms. Harper's book before she demanded it back for her homework."

Dumbledore furrowed his brows sharply. "I have done some research into such a theory, but it was shaky and unprovable at best. How is it that there is now enough solid evidence for an entire book?"

Snape cleared his throat. "According to some of my students, the Doctor put together the book himself, gathering the most appropriate essays he had and binding them together."

"And this has garnered the admiration of half the school how?" McGonagall asked. "This is a History class! There's not even proper spellwork. How is he keeping students so involved in a History class?"

"He completely ignores Houses, never belittles a student for any question no matter how simple, and has the enthusiasm of a puppy," was the interjection from a portrait.

Dumbledore glanced up. "Professor Basil, you have seen his class?" Basil Fronsac, a former Headmaster of Hogwarts, had put down his book.

"I like to take a peek at all the new professors, Dumbledore, see how they're doing. I must say, you outdid yourself with this one. I never knew that much knowledge could be bound up in one person, along with that kind of enthusiasm. The students may have walked in hesitant and unsure, but they walked out wide-eyed and fascinated. It was the most thorough take-over I have ever seen and brilliantly played too. A master at his craft, the Doctor." Basil looked appreciative. "Rarely have I seen someone so suited to teaching."

"Any other insights you can give?" McGonagall asked.

Basil couldn't contain his grin. "He's probably the smartest person to walk the halls of this school. And his son is a close second. And they both know it. His classes are informal, very much in the hands of the students as well as the teacher. He asks questions, gets a variety of answers, and also elicits questions from the students. No matter the question, he answers it with aplomb. From questions I would have rejected for sheer stupidity to ones I would have been hardpressed to answer, he didn't hesitate, and he praised the student who asked the question. For him, the curiosity is more important than the intellect. It seems that he believes that those with the instinct to ask questions outweigh those with a brain but no questions, and I must say, I believe he is correct in this case."

There was silence for a few moments. "Can you tell us anything about his own magic?" Dumbledore finally asked.

Basil looked thoughtful. "From what I could tell, he used no wand or any other focusing device, merely gesturing and letting the magic take shape. I wasn't sure how he created whatever he did, but it was impressive. I found myself fascinated by him. Most students agreed it was some combination of runes and enchantments, made voice and gesture activated, though none could agree on how he managed to get it to work."

"Runes and enchantments activated by voice and gesture?" Flitwick pressed. "Are you sure?"

"I'm afraid I can't be any more specific. I'm contained to the frame of the portrait and can't investigate directly, Filius," Basil said, humor in his voice.

"Ah, yes. I'm sorry. It's just, such a level of accomplishment...it's nearly unheard of. Perhaps Bathsheda could be of some assistance there." Flitwick looked pensive, already making plans to corner the runes teacher for a thorough interrogation. He was sure she would be just as interested as he was.

"If I have time this week, I would like to sit in on one of his classes, get a feeling for him," McGonagall said.

"I think we would all like to do just that," Sprout added, to the nods of the other heads of House.

"Then we can take turns. I'm sure we all have a free period while he has a class," McGonagall pointed out.

Dumbledore gave them a nod of assent. "If you can manage it, I would appreciate the insight you all can provide. I fear my presence would be less than welcome, after our talk last weekend." He looked perturbed. "I struck a nerve and I fear the Doctor is rather suspicious of my intentions."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "More perceptive than I would have given him credit for," he murmured.

Dumbledore shot him a pointed look. "That aside, what of the fitness class?"

McGonagall snorted. "I say keep it. At least the kids are so worn out for the rest of the day that they can hardly cause any trouble."

"There has been a noticeable drop in intentional mischief this week," Flitwick pointed out. "Though accidental mistakes due to tiredness are common at least for the morning classes. I'm sure that will fade with familiarity to the class. Though I have also been told that the two are demanding. Even the Quidditch players have had a tough time in the class."

"Are you really going to enforce the running they've planned? I have heard an endless stream of complaints from all years about it," Snape said, frustration clear in his voice.

Dumbledore nodded sagely. "It was pointed out to me that a generation of magicals lacking in physical exercise become reliant on their magic to keep them healthy, which is ultimately detrimental to their well being later. Their magical core is pulled between keeping their body healthy and providing magic for spellwork, and thus they are never as strong as they could be. I feel that seeing how the class works for those who come of age this year will be a clue to how effective it is, and a bit of running never hurt anyone."

There were sighs all around as the Heads of House realized they would have to deliver the news to their students. They would be running the lake come Monday morning and there was no getting out of it, at least not through legitimate means. They fully expected as many students as possible to be "sick" come Monday.

"Well, we've resolved the Harry problem for the time being, inasmuch as it can be solved. And this next week we can keep an eye on the Doctor. Anything else Albus?" McGonagall asked.

"For now, we shall just watch. Severus, if you have any more information about Jack Harkness by next Friday, I would be delighted to hear it. Until then, let's try to keep the chaos to a minimum."

They all assented, and the evening meeting broke up, the Heads of Houses starting on their rounds of their students.

Dumbledore remained, contemplating how odd his life had suddenly become.

~~~~In Which This is a Scene Break~~~~~

Saturday morning breakfast in the Great Hall was more subdued than usual. There were the same number of students you would normally find there on a Saturday morning; Ravenclaw was about half present, with Slytherin close behind and Hufflepuff and Gryffindor having maybe two dozen students each. The noise level, on the other hand, was barely a fraction of what it normally was.

Some of this silence was due to the unusual presence of the two fitness teachers and the new History teacher.

Most of it was due to the unusual group sitting at the Hufflepuff table and the argument occurring between their newest teacher and newest student.

An argument that none of those present could really quite understand.

"Come on, just let me have the keyframe matrix, dad! Haven't I proven that I'm quite capable of handling it?"

"Last time I gave you access to a keyframe matrix, you spent half the cycle scattered between the fourth dimension and the fifth. I spent the better part of the cycle just trying to acclimatize your atoms to their proper alignment!"

"I was six!" Harry burst out. "I hadn't even started multi-dimensional physics yet! Haven't i proven that I have a handle on them by now?"

"Your experiments with the rollercoaster say otherwise," the Doctor replied, calmly biting into a banana.

Harry threw his hands up in the air. "That is far more complicated than a keyframe matrix dad! There are three interlocking keyframes in that coaster, which is why I need another one! You said I needed to fix it, and I have concluded that I need a fourth keyframe matrix to help balance out the dimensional instability, unless Uncle Jack likes being a half-fourth dimensional being while we try to work out the issues again!"

Jack shook his head. "Nah, I rather like not knowing how time flows, if it's all the same. Too much to keep track of, not enough brain power to do it."

Harry gestured. "See, I need another matrix!"

The Doctor sighed. "Alright, show me the equations you've worked out. If I judge you've made no fundamental errors, I'll let you have a fourth one. Though really, you should be able to do this with two at the most. How you've even worked three, and now how you think you're going to work four in, I haven't the slightest clue."

Harry grinned in triumph, pulling out a sheaf of papers bound in a simple folder, though one that was at least two centimeters thick, and levitated it over to his dad. "These are all my equations. You had me redo them after the last incident, so I started from scratch."

"I'm starting to regret that," the Time Lord muttered, grabbing the folder out of the air, and flipping it open.

Several curious teachers leaned over to get a look at the file, then looked at Harry with raised eyebrows.

"What is this?" McGonagall said, gesturing at the folder.

Harry tilted his head. "What do you mean? It's my equations."

"I mean, what is it? It's….all sorts of weird letters and lines and it sort of looks like Arithmancy but...not."

"You….but...it's math!" Harry exclaimed. "I mean, it's fairly advanced math, but math all the same!" He looked around at the other confused teachers. "Don't you all teach math here?"

"Arithmancy is an optional subject for third years and up," a Ravenclaw offered. "It's an equivalent of math, though for magic."

Harry threw his hands up in frustration. "You lot are weird. Math is a fundamental part of...of everything! How can you not teach math?"

The Doctor looked up at Harry. "What's this three-dimensional loop bypass sequence you've got setup on page four? It doesn't seem to actually do anything."

"It's to balance the equation. Page six."

The Doctor riffled through the pages. "Ah, I see." He went back to munching his banana and flipping through Harry's work.

"Did you understand any of that?" Blaise whispered to Hermione and Padma. Him, Susan, and Neville had been rather clueless the entire argument.

Padma shook her head, but Hermione hesitated. "I...I've heard of physics. It's a class I would have started in a couple years, but it's supposed to be really hard. It helps define the world and its motions," she said.

Blaise sighed. "And Harry here is an expert in it?" he said.

Harry, it seems, was listening. "I'm not an expert, but I'm not half bad. I'm allowed to play with multi-dimensional spaces and matrices with adequate preparation."

"Harry, I don't know what half those words mean," Blaise said bluntly.

"I'll explain it all to you at some point. For now, I need to convince my dad to let me have another keyframe."

Blaise sent another confused look at Harry, but it went unacknowledged.

The five friends, united in silent incomprehension, all looked at each other with a hint of helpless.

"It's not like we've understood half the other things he's said this week," Susan pointed out. "And this sounds like non-magical stuff. Only Hermione's got any real experience there."

Hermione shook her head. "It's way too advanced for me. I barely started on basic physics in science."

"Well, we're gonna have to wait until Harry he-" Susan was cut off by a gasp from the Ravenclaw table, one audible above the slowly rising noise level of the hall.

Everyone turned to see the Grey Lady, notoriously silent except to Ravenclaw students, staring in open-mouthed shock at the staff table, one hand to her mouth.

"Uncle…" she whispered, voice trembling, eyes watering as they stared directly at Jack. "Uncle...is that...is that you?"

Jack rose to his feet, bagel forgotten on his plate as he looked at the ghost with a level of fondness that went beyond just friendship. "It's been too long, my child. You've gotten yourself into quite the predicament." He looked at her ghostly form. "Come on, we should go have a chat."

"Uncle! You...your promise...you kept it."

"Of course, 'lena, when have I ever not?" Jack had walked around the staff table and towards the Grey Lady, entirely ready for the intangible hug that she attacked him with.

"When I came back...you were gone, and no one knew where you went, and mum was gone and only Auntie H and Uncle G were here and then I was all alone and no one else came back except the Baron and I was alone Uncle!" She hiccuped. "I was alone and no one knew who I was for a long time, and then when they did figure out who I was, all they wanted to talk about was mum, but now you're back!"

Jack soothed her with soft noises. "Come on 'lena, here isn't the best place to tell you what happened." He ushered her towards the giant doors. "We can go somewhere private to talk, okay?"

The Grey Lady shivered, but nodded her head, tears falling down her cheeks. "Okay, Uncle." She floated out, half wrapped around Jack, uncaring that the entire hall was staring at the two of them in various states of shock.

Harry stared after his Uncle with a look of amusement. "Well, somehow I'm not that surprised," he murmured.

"Except now the entire hall is staring at us like we're all crazy," Rose said, a hint of worry in her voice.

"And that's different from any other time how?" Harry asked.

"Cause this time we can't just leave," Rose replied.

"Ah, yes, um, well, Dad?"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Your uncle's gonna have to work this one out on his own. His fault, you know. He should have known better."

Harry glared. "That doesn't exactly solve the problem of everyone staring at us right now!" he hissed.

"Ah, so they are. Hmm, that is quite a problem."

Dumbledore rose to his feet. "If you have anything that could help clear the air," he asked, looking at the three remaining chaos bringers.

Rose grimaced. "Family matters?" she ventured.

Dumbledore raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "I am well aware of who the Grey Lady is, Ms. Rose, and Mr. Harkness could not possibly know her as well as she is implying."

Rose winced. "Doctor, some help please?"

The Doctor snorted. "Jack's gonna have to dig himself out of this one. He went and caused the problem."

"If I may," a deep, gravelly voice interrupted. "I can vouch for the close relationship between the Grey Lady and Jack Harkness."

Everyone turned to look at the unusually taciturn Bloody Baron, who floated over towards the group at the staff table.

"Baron?" Dumbledore questioned. "You can vouch? I don't understand."

The Bloody Baron frowned. "The Enigma has, as he promised, returned. The Lady was unaware of it until this moment and has become overwhelmed. There are none who remember her as she was, aside from myself, and I am a less than welcome presence."

Rose scowled at him. "As you probably should be, if I've heard right."

The Baron tipped his head in acknowledgement. "You have, Lady Wolf. As I have heard of you. You were popular as a tale told to unsettled youngsters. I am honored to meet you."

Rose's scowl faded into a grin of amusement. "I was a tale for young kids, huh?" she said.

"You all were, at one point. The Enigma was always the best at tales and stories. I'm sure it was due to us being unable to tell how much of them was true or not." The Baron smiled at the memory. "I hope I have cleared some of the air here, Headmaster."

"I'm rather afraid you just clogged it up even more, Baron," the Headmaster confessed, true confusion in his eyes.

The Baron's grin was entirely too reminiscent of Jack's to not be a copy. "Well, the Enigma was always good at that."

"Enigma?" Dumbledore said.

The Baron just smiled, all teeth, and floated off.

Dumbledore turned to the Doctor, Rose, and Harry. "Don't look at us," Rose said.

"I'm concerned. The four of you have no discernable background, no one seems to know who you are or what you do, and yet you are teaching and interacting with my students on a daily basis."

The Doctor gave Dumbledore a cool look. "I'm fairly certain those are the exact reasons you gave me Harry ten years ago, Albus," he said, voice firm. "Unless I misunderstood your reasons when I asked you why you were handing me a one-year-old baby."

Harry snorted, having heard this exact conversation from his dad before. Really, he thought, who considered his dad an ideal parent figure? Harry was certain that, had he been anything but magical, he might have ended up far worse off than he was. He loved his dad, and he knew his dad loved him, but the Doctor wasn't exactly the ideal parental figure in terms of safety.

The Headmaster gave the Doctor a considered look, unable to figure out how to reply to that. It was the reason he had called upon the Doctor all those years ago, but he had underestimated just how buried the Doctor's history was. He had been certain he would be able to get some information on the man after ten years, but he was still just as clueless now as he was then, with only some knowledge that the Queen, of all people, knew him, and a General in the Muggle military. That wasn't exactly knowledge that comforted him or even gave him something to grasp onto.

"I'm sure you'll find the answers you want in time, Headmaster," Rose said, a mysterious smile on her face.

Harry cut her a look but didn't say anything. Rose was, in her own way, one of the most powerful forces in the Universe. There was very little that could stop her, if she chose to obliterate it.

"Rose," the Doctor said, a note of warning in his voice.

Rose settled back in her chair, picking up a pear and deliberately biting into it, ignoring the wince from the Doctor. "If that's all, Headmaster?"

Dumbledore frowned, but realized he probably wasn't getting any answers at the moment anyway. He nodded to the trio and headed back to his chair.

~~~~In Which This is a Scene Change~~~~

Jack led Helena to their assigned rooms, waiting until they were inside before sitting down on the lone couch.

"So, 'lena, after all these years, you're still at Hogwarts. I never figured you for the ghost type," Jack said, a small smile on his face.

Helena rolled her eyes. "I was murdered, vengefully, and my guilt and trauma had me cling to ghostly form. But I never made it back to Hogwarts while you were still here. In fact, I made it back only a year or so before Aunt Helga and Uncle Godric died...and they refused to tell me what happened. I never knew what came of my mother or Uncle Sal. I went into hiding for a while, then came back, and became a mentor for new Ravenclaws. They call me the House Ghost now." She looked down at her lap.

Jack sighed. "Your mother mourned your actions. She was trying to find you when an experiment backfired on her. Something dealing with blood enchantments or something. In any case, it wasn't pretty. She was cursed, losing bits of her mind day by day, and her body wasting away with it. It was then she sent Thad after you, having forgotten how...unstable a character he was. She died before we learned of your fate."

Helena let out a shuddering sob. "Oh mum," she whispered. "I wish it were that I had never tried to steal her diadem. For her to lose her mind...I can't even imagine…"

"It wasn't pretty, and she fought it every step until she couldn't remember what she was fighting against. Mercifully it was fast, barely a month before her body couldn't sustain her. But it was an ugly month. We mourned her passing, but were, in the end, glad for it, because she could be beyond the pain and frustration." Jack's expression was distant and pain-filled. "Sal died not ten years after Wen. There was an upstart Dark Lord from the continent, and Sal wasn't as young as he used to be. More powerful, but lacking the stamina, and Godric and Helga were out recruiting students. They came back the day after Sal was killed."

Helena gasped, eyes wide. "Oh, Uncle Jack...I'm so sorry…"

Jack's smile was full of teeth. "The little bastard didn't have a chance to brag, he was dead before Sal hit the ground."

"Of that...of that, I am glad. Did...did the Doctor come back for you after Uncle Sal died?"

"No. I was given a way of returning when I so chose. It was a one-way trip, so I could only leave when I was sure I was ready to. After Sal died, there wasn't anything tying me down. Morwen...we never found her. She might have had children, they're quite certain Sal had descendants, but she would have to have been behind some heavy warding. We couldn't find any trace of her, though we searched until Sal died." The Immortal looked at his hands. "I spent so much time here in Hogwarts it's like my second home. I've never stayed in one spot for so long, not continuously. But without Sal and Morwen, I couldn't find a reason to stay behind. Hogwarts was on it's way to being a successful school, educating the youth of its time in a broader scope than home educations could provide. And I had another child to get back to, to help raise."

Helena grinned. "Your little Magic Harry. I remember hearing about him. I take it he's the one who's been cause trouble all week?"

"He wouldn't be Harry if he wasn't causing some sort of mischief," Jack agreed.

"I have enjoyed the stories of his chaos. The Baron and I are the only ghosts old enough to remember your stories. It's wonderful to see the inspiration for them. Your Rose is beautiful, and the Doctor is inspiring."

"They are rather amazing. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for them. Literally."

Helena raised a translucent brow. "How so?"

"They're the reason I'm immortal, 'lena," he said. "I'm certain I told you lot that story at one point or another."

"Then you must also know that it was a game amongst the other students to try and guess how much of your stories was truth and how much was fiction."

Jack looked offended. "I'll have you know that all my stories were 100% truth!" he said, hand to his heart.

Helena gave him a look. "That story about you staging a daring rescue of an entire troupe of gorgeous sacrifices in nothing more than your underclothes and with only a screwdriver?" she said, doubt clear in her tone.

"Well, alright, it was one gorgeous sacrifice, and I had trousers, but the screwdriver part was true! You should see the Doctor's screwdriver. It's a miracle worker, I tell you." He winked.

Helena couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up. "Oh, Uncle Jack, I missed you."

"And I you, Helena." His eyes went wide. "Wait a moment. Don't go floating off, I have something you should see."

Helena frowned but nodded. "Alright. I'll be here. What is it?"

"Just wait."

He dashed into the Tardis and made record time finding the proper room. "Rowena! There you are! I see you've got the hang of the voice controls for the holographic projector. I'm sorry to interrupt your quality time with the library, but I have someone I'd like you to meet, and that meeting can't happen here. You up for it?"

Rowena sighed but cancelled the holo-projection. "You and your adventures Jack. Why can't you ever just give me an explanation? What's up with the secrecy?"

Jack grinned. "I like surprises. And this one's worth it. Come on, Wen, it'll be fun!"

"Fine, fine, but I better be put right back in this room when you're finished with your surprise."

"Can do! Alright, come on!" Jack took Rowena off the voice-activated hanger and started back out of the Tardis, glad the old girl was being cooperative and not stretching distances again.

He made it back out to the room, Helena sitting right where he left her (well, floating to be technical) grinning like a cat with a canary.

"Can you stop banging me around, Jack? I find hitting the edges of my frame more than a bit disconcerting."

Jack watched as Helena's eyes went wide, her hands coming up to her mouth and tears starting to slip down her pale cheeks.

"Just a moment Wen, calm down."

"Hurry it up, Jack. I have books to read and theories to write!"

Helena trembled where she sat, but was silent, waiting. Hoping.

When Jack finally propped Rowena up on a stray table, leaning her back against the Tardis, the Founder was annoyed enough that it took her a moment to realize the second presence in the room.

"Alright, what am I doing out here? I thought I wouldn't have to see the walls of Hogwarts again, Jack. I spent nine centuries staring at the walls of Hogwarts, I would be glad to never see them again if I cou-" she stopped mid-word, eyes finally landing on Helena as Jack moved back out of the way. "Helena? Is that...Jack, please tell me you're not playing a prank on me, because so help me if you've found some weird future thing that can create a ghost of my daughter I will find a way to kill you from within this frame."

Jack shook his head. "No, Wen, no trick. Helena is the ghost of House Ravenclaw, it seems." He smiled. "Helena, you want to talk with your mom?"

Helena trembled, then floated over to the painting. "Mum? Is that really you?"

Rowena looked startled at her daughter's voice. "Helena...what happened to you? Why did you never come back?"

Helena's tears came faster. "I'm so sorry mum, I'm so sorry. I never meant to not come back. I was so stupid, I thought I could get your attention if I was as smart as you, so I took your diadem. I was so stupid." She reached out a pale hand, brushing it against the canvas. "Oh mum, I'm so sorry."

Rowena mustered a tremulous smile. "Helena, you were always my little girl. I may not have shown it as much as I should have, but you were always precious. I loved you to the stars and back." A slender hand touched the canvas she was bound within. "What happened to you?"

Jack edged out of the room, leaving the two to their reunion. After so long, ghost and portrait deserved the privacy.

~~~~~~In Which This is a Scene Break~~~~~

Monday morning rolled around, and for nearly all the students, this was the day that they dreaded. They had all contemplated not showing up, but the two strict fitness teachers had made an announcement at dinner Sunday.

"So, tomorrow is the day that all of you are eagerly anticipating. Yes, I know, running the lake is an awesome experience. The fresh air, the wind in your face, the burn of your muscles. I'm sure all of you will be bright eyed and bushy tailed come tomorrow morning, but in case there are a few of you who might think about keeping your pillow company for an hour more, or coming down with a mysterious cold, let it be known that all illnesses will be checked by Madam Pomfrey, who has agreed to make sure that all of you are in tip-top condition, and anyone who decides that bed is a better decision, your face will be remembered and next fitness class, you will be our new volunteer for all activities for the rest of the month. We have very good memories, and a spell to tell who is missing, just in case our memory fails." Jack grinned.

Students shifted in their seats, the memories of their fitness class at the forefront of their minds. Murmurs circled the hall. General opinions seemed to be that maybe it wouldn't be that bad to just...sleep.

"I will tell you now that the fitness class will be focusing on dodging for the next few weeks. Volunteers will be the first dodgers, and we will be using paint-filled balls to mark who has failed to dodge. Those who have missed the running portion without a reasonable excuse will be our first test subjects for our long lasting paint. It should last for a couple days, though we were hoping you would test it out for us." Rose grinned at the students, who suddenly seemed much less interested in sleeping in tomorrow.

"Also, wear comfortable clothes tomorrow. Don't bother with robes, they're impractical for running," Jack added.

So Monday morning dawned bright and early and the Great Hall was filled with half-awake students not looking forward to their new morning regime. In fact, the early time meant they had to be down for breakfast half an hour earlier than normal.

But when Jack and Rose had them all file out to the grounds, every student in the hall went, keeping their grumbling to a minimum.

"Ravenclaw 1st years Michael Corner and Stephen Cornfoot, 2nd years Cho Chang and Marietta Edgecomb, 4th year Larson Fernleaf, 6th year Kelsey Markson, Hufflepuff 2nd year Eloise Midgen, 3rd years Karl Mason, Helena Garfil, 6th years Greg Hurley and Meaghan Bakers, Gryffindor 2nd year Cormac McLaggen, 3rd years Fred Weasley and George Weasley, 7th years Jeremy Hines and Brian Waters, Slytherin 1st year Draco Malfoy, 2nd years Morphius Vaisey, Morgan Hileser, 6th year Marcus Flint, 7th year Madeline Harper. Those are the missing students," Rose said. "21 missing. Madam Pomfrey has another five with legitimate medical concerns, but those are the ones that didn't show up. I'm sure the first and second years will be a discouragement from missing these lessons after today," she finished.

"Alright, now that you all are all here, we're going to stretch. Remember, running without stretching leads to injury. Spread out, keep some space between you and the people around you, and follow our lead." Jack gave them a ten-second countdown to spread out before moving through the stretches.

Before long, he directed everyone to a clear path around the lake that Rose and he had set up the day before, marked with lights and little tables with water around the edges.

"Slow jog for all of you. We'll keep the first couple weeks pace controlled for you, but after that, it'll be up to you to figure it out. I'll be at the front, and Professor Jack will be at the back with the stragglers. If you're having difficulties, find him and let him know. If you can't keep up, that's fine. Jack will be handling those who are having trouble. It's okay to have trouble, I'm sure there will be plenty of sore muscles and complaints, but give it a month or two and this will turn out much better for you than you expect." Rose started out on the path. "Everyone, keep pace. We'll do alternating run/walk cycles."

And so the half hour jogging session began. Half the students had few issues, having dealt with a castle full of stairs and long passageways, but there were still many who were struggling. They flocked around Jack, who kept a much slower pace for them to work at. Harry bounced between his friends, pushing them to keep up, or directing them back to Jack if they were having serious trouble.

Still, when the half hour finished, marked by a loud bell, the students all felt the results of their morning run.

They staggered back towards the castle, only to be stopped by Jack. "Cool down stretches, unless you like tight and sore muscles all day," he said.

Still, when they were let into the castle, the older years all stumbled off to their dorms to change. The 1st and 2nd years were ushered into the Entrance way, a smug Draco Malfoy standing there. The other missing first and second years were also hanging out in the Great Hall, uncertain.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy, so kind of you to join us. And the rest of you well. I see you missed our morning run. I'm sure you won't mind being the volunteer for today's lesson," Rose said brightly.

The smirk on his face faltered and the other students shuffled around. All in all, there were seven students who had missed the run from the first and second years.

Rose put a hand on Malfoy's shoulder and steered him towards the room assigned for the fitness class.

"Harry, are they really going to do what they said?" Hermione whispered.

Harry nodded. "Of course. If they didn't, more students would think it's okay to miss the class. Besides, dodging is important. It helps improve your coordination, speed, and stamina. It'll be fun!"

"Only you think balls of pain flying at you would be fun," Blaise pointed out.

"Paint, Blaise, paint," Harry corrected.

"No, I was right the first time," Blaise insisted.

Harry rolled his eyes.

The group of tired, but not exhausted, first and second years arrived at the large classroom. There were rows of some kind of throwing machine lined up on half the room, pointed towards the far wall.

"No need to go change today, you all are dressed just fine. If you've brought clothes in your bags, you can use the changing rooms afterwards. Showers are available. If you didn't bring clothes, you can borrow some of the training clothes and return them tomorrow. You're gonna need the change of clothes, I can assure you," Jack said.

"What are we doing?" a Hufflepuff boy piped up.

"Dodging!" Jack replied, sounding far too eager. "Best way to avoid a spell you don't want to hit you is to dodge it. So today, and the next few weeks, we'll be focusing on dodging. To which end, we have these lovely machines!" Jack patted one of the throwing devices. "This can throw paintballs at whatever speed I think you lot can handle. We'll increase it bit by bit until you can get out of the way of the average spell more often than not."

"Umm...is that all?" a girl from Slytherin asked.

"Did you want more?" Rose questioned. "I would think dodging paintballs would be hard enough as it is."

"No, no, I'm good," the girl hastily corrected.

"Good. Now, since several of you decided to miss out on our running exercise this morning, they have volunteered to be the first one to show you how this works. Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Corner, Mr. Vaisey, Mr. Cornfoot, if you would go first," Rose said, pushing the boys lightly towards the machines.

"You can't do this!" Malfoy said.

"I can and will. Everyone is going to do this exercise multiple times, Mr. Malfoy, but since you decided to sleep in instead of joining your classmates this morning, you four are our first volunteers, and the girls will be next. We have a special addition for those that skipped out on the morning run. I'm sure it won't take you long to figure it out." Rose gestured towards. Jack and the machines. "Now, boys, if you would."

The four boys hesitantly walked towards the machines.

"Alright, now, in front over there. I'll set the machines on low, and increase the speed until you're having difficulty. We'll use that as a baseline for the class."

The boys all took spots, staring at the machines with more hesitance than they would admit to.

It was just a few moments later that the machines whirred to life, and their auto-target function found the first and second-year boys. The first paintball hit Malfoy directly in the chest, and his eyes went wide.

"You're...you're actually serious!" he said, shock in his voice.

"Did you think we weren't?" Rose asked.

"Do you know who my father is?" he blustered, spinning away from another paintball.

"Lucius Malfoy, head of the Malfoy family, influential with the Ministry and the school board. But your father isn't going to help you dodge paintballs, Mr. Malfoy," Rose replied, a smile on her face. "I would move a bit faster, if I were you."

They spent the next couple minutes getting hit by paint, running back and forth across the room, twisting out of the way of as many as they could.

By the time Jack turned the machines off, they were more paint than person.

"Nicely done. Good show. You can go grab a towel, wipe your face off. You're gonna have another chance to try again though, so you can't change out of those clothes just yet. Next, Ms. Chang, Ms. Edgecomb, Ms. Hilser, you're up."

The girls edged out in front of the machines, nerves jangling, and moved the moment they whirred to life.

After having watched the boys struggle with it, the three girls ended up much less paint covered than the boys, though they weren't unscathed and were still fairly colorful.

"Very nice, good job paying attention to the previous group and learning from them. You can go grab towels and wipe your faces off. Alright, groups of four, and no you can't choose your group. Alright, let's see, Mr. Crabbe, Ms. Bones, Ms. Parvati Patil, Mr. Goldstein. Let's get you all setup."

The four students called stood, nervous, and took up spots in front of the machine.

For the rest of the class, it was a chorus of shrieks and giggles and pants as students raced around, trying to dodge paintballs and avoid running into each other.

And the resentment when Harry came out of the ordeal with just one paint splotch was palpable.

Harry's frustration at being hit at all was also palpable.

"Everyone, nice job. Now, I've called class a bit early, so you all can either go back to your dorms and wash up or chance getting a shower in the changing rooms to do the same. And our first seven volunteers, that's not going to be coming off. As we said yesterday, those that missed the morning run would be our test subjects for our long lasting paint. As a reminder to not miss morning runs."

Malfoy, who had been teasing several of the other students covered in paint, blanched. "What do you mean, it won't come out?" he shouted.

"It's part of the punishment for missing the morning run. I'm sure you will be an effective deterrent to others thinking of doing the same," she replied.

Malfoy's eyes went wide in horror and he dashed to the changing rooms, followed closely by the other six.

The others hovered around, uncertain, until they heard the scream of rage as Draco Malfoy discovered that the paint wasn't coming off with water, the shouts of despair from the girls as they realized it wasn't washing off their faces.

"Everyone else, don't worry. We changed out the paintballs, so it'll wash off quite easily. We aren't planning on ruining your clothes either, so a quick wash will work for them as well. Our volunteers are discovering that the paint has stained their skin, and they will be multi-colored for the next few days. As will you all, should you decide to miss Wednesday's lesson."

Students muttered to each other in hushed whispers.

When the 1st and 2nd years left the fitness lesson, word quickly spread. Don't miss the running, it was said. Not unless you wanted to look like a poorly planned prank gone wrong.

The seven first and second years the next two days, until the paint faded, covered head to toe.

And after the Weasley twins, Karl Mason, Helena Garfil, and Larson Fernleaf also come out of their Tuesday fitness class covered in paint splotches and befuddled expressions, the turn out for Wednesday's class was nearly 100%.

Harry, meanwhile, thoroughly enjoyed it.

The teachers facilitated between utter confusion and helpless amusement. Any parental letters about the class were directed to the headmaster, who answered them all with the extensive health benefits that running gave, how it improved a young magical's core, and hopeful wishes that the parents understand that this was for the benefit of their children.

After those replies, most students were informed by their parents that they would hear nothing more about the class, and students resigned themselves to attending it.

~~~~~This is a Scene Break~~~~

McGonagall sighed deeply. It was Friday, just after lunch, and the next class was her Ravenclaw/Slytherin first years, with Harry.

She actively tried to avoid thinking about the Wednesday Gryffindor/Hufflepuff class. The less time she dwelled on the trouble Harry caused, the less anxious she felt in general. But it was hard to ignore the impact Harry had on Hogwarts. It was the end of his second week here and already he was actively defying several ideas that had been seen as absolute in the magical world.

Silent casting was something done by only the most experienced and gifted magicals. It was a specialty of hers, but it took years of practice and dedication. Yet Harry had not only demonstrated his affinity for it, he had shown his four friends how to as well. First years doing silent casting, Merlin help her. They weren't experts, but to even get spells to work at all with silent casting had taken her many months. In two weeks, even Neville Longbottom, magically gifted but nervous and lacking confidence, managed to get the hang of the principle.

Today they were covering transfigurations from objects of one size to a drastically different size. Many first years had difficulties with it, the concept hard to grasp magically. She was half anticipating, half dreading what Harry would produce.

So when the students filed in, Harry, Blaise Zabini, and Padma Patil all taking a table off to the side Harry seemed to have claimed, she gathered her patience and started the lesson.

Everything was going well, students had parchment and quills out, notes diligently taken (Harry had a bound notebook and a pen, as did Blaise, she noted with a mental sigh). Everything would have continued going well when Draco Malfoy, so help her, she was giving him detention for a month for ruining her nice, calm class, decided to cause trouble.

It was something simple, something seemingly innocuous and, while annoying and frustrating not harmful. It really shouldn't have caused as much trouble as it seemed to.

The blonde haired boy had cast a small charm meant to open small clasps, locks, and the like, right at Harry. It was a charm popular amongst girls as it made removing jewelry much easier, and the upper classes made frequent use of it, which is where McGonagall suspected Malfoy learned it. She briefly wondered why Malfoy would bother casting it at Harry, boys rarely wore jewelry and even if he did, what would be the point? It wasn't like Malfoy could steal anything in her classroom, a common use for this spell in public places.

Just as she was about to reprimand Malfoy for his ill-advised spellcasting during her lesson and dock him points, she felt what she could only describe as a wave of magic sweep over her.

It was intense, baffling, and strong.

She wasn't the only one to feel it. Every single student shuddered, looking around for the source.

Except for Harry.

She should have known. How could she forget that strange gold necklace Harry was never without? What kind of magic must it have, for the effect to reach so far? And why would a child have such a powerful magical object?

Blaise shifted in his seat as he felt Harry's magic brush through his core. What was going on?

"Harry? What's going on? Why's your magic all over the place?" he whispered, leaning in and brushing against Harry's hand.

He jolted, struck by a sudden rush of...of something.

Something Harry obviously felt too, as his eyes went wide. "What? How? Why?" Harry groped around his neck, feeling for his necklace, and panicking as he couldn't locate it. "No, no, this can't be happening. No…" He stood up, green eyes wide in fear.

"Mr. Harry, what is going on?" Professor McGonagall demanded. "What was that just now?"

Harry frantically looked around himself. "Where is it? Where is it? Oh crap, I've never lost it before, where is it?"

"Harry? What's wrong?" Padma asked, concerned.

"My necklace, it's gone. I can't find it."

There was a chuckle from the desk behind him. "You looking for this?" Malfoy said, holding up the gold chain. "I mean, I knew you were strange, but a gold necklace? Flaunting your wealth?"

Professor McGonagall bristled at the front of the room, her face a mask of fury. "How dare you, Mr. Malfoy. This is a classroom, not a playground. What were you thinking? How old are you? 20 points from Slytherin and detention tomorrow evening. I refuse to allow this childish bullyi-" McGonagall was cut off mid-sentence by Harry's threat-laden statement.

"Give me my necklace now, Draco Malfoy. You will not like the consequences should you refuse."

Malfoy gave a disbelieving snort. "What could you possibly do to me?" He had, McGonagall thought, completely forgotten that he had been a multi-colored paint splotch not two days before because of his smugness.

The air grew heavy, almost physically so, pressing down on them. But if Blaise and Padma thought that it was oppressive, Malfoy must think it unbearable. His eyes had shrunk to pinpoints, the grey-blue of his iris huge. "My necklace, Draco Malfoy, now." Harry seemed to grow in height, his face dark and serious. The air around him sparked with energy, dancing on his jacket, his hands, twisting through the air.

The twisting gold chain fell from Malfoy's nerveless fingers. "I...can't...breath…" the blonde boy gasped out.

"Yes you can, Draco Malfoy. Concentrate on your lungs, they still work. It's only your brain telling you that," Harry said, picking up the chain.

The moment he clasped it back around his neck, it seemed all the magic had been sucked out of the air, and several people flopped, boneless, to the ground. Even McGonagall stumbled as the oppressive feeling dropped like a stone from the air.

Draco Malfoy was the worst affected, sliding out of his chair and to the ground in a slump, gasping on the floor.

Harry, meanwhile, face now calm, turned around and sat back down, looking for all the world like nothing had happened.

"Why was today the day Pashti decided to sleep in?" Blaise muttered, trying to calm his racing heart.

Padma swallowed heavily. "What would she have done if she were here?" she asked.

"Clawed the shit out of Malfoy before he took that damn necklace," Blaise replied.

"Ah, yeah, she probably would have," Padma conceded. "I think I can feel my heart in my fingertips."

"You're not alone."

Harry looked at his two friends, concern clear on his face. "Um, you two okay?" he asked.

Blaise and Padma looked incredulous. "What do you mean 'Are you ok?'? Did you not just...just….subjugate Malfoy with your magical aura alone?" Padma exclaimed, incredulous. "And drown out our magical aura so much that the air grew heavy?"

Harry looked startled. "I did what?" he asked, bewilderment coloring his tone.

"Your magic, Harry. It was...like a physical weight. I could feel it."

"Indeed, Mr. Zabini. Your magic, Mr. Harry, projected so much that it became a physical thing. What is that necklace and why do you have it? That is too much power in the hands of an eleven-year-old."

Harry tucked his necklace under his shirt, vowing to find some way, magical or otherwise, to keep someone from magically removing it again, then looked up at the transfiguration teacher. "It's mine. I've had it since I was two years old and I've never been without it. And if you think you can confiscate it because you think it's too powerful, you're going to have to get past me first."

McGonagall scowled. "I never said I was taking it from you, Mr. Harry. Rather, I think I would be far more comfortable with you keeping it on. I would like for you to speak with the headmaster this afternoon about it, with me present."

It was Harry's turn to scowl. "It's personal. Why must I justify it's existence to you?"

"Because, Harry, you knocked out a fellow student with your magical aura alone, an aura you suppress or dampen with that necklace! Leaving aside the fact that your aura alone is unheard of, there has never existed an item used to suppress a magical aura!" McGonagall said, sounding like she would very much like to yell half of that at the top of her lungs.

Harry grimaced. "On the condition that my dad come, I'll go talk to the headmaster," he conceded, glancing back at Malfoy, who was still passed out under the desk. "He should know better than to steal things."

McGonagall believed that Malfoy would probably avoid Harry like the plague after he woke up. "I need to get Mr. Malfoy to the Hospital Wing. I think…" she looked around the room, saw several students still struggling to regain their composure, looked at the time, sighed. "I believe today's class is over. We'll make it up next week. For homework, read chapter 4 in your textbook and theorize why you think transfigurations where size is significantly different is difficult. One sheet of parchment, please, no more."

Students scribbled down the homework assignment, some of them writing it down for their friends, before packing away their things, no one saying a word about the class being cut short. When they left, they all left a large space around Harry and his friends, sending him wide-eyed looks as they filed out.

Soon, only Harry, Blaise, Padma, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were left in the classroom with McGonagall.

"I'm going to escort Mr. Malfoy to the Hospital Wing, then I will return. We will go get your father, if he is free, and go talk to the headmaster." She looked at Blaise and Padma, sighed. "I would say you two should go back to your common room or the library or anywhere else, but I feel like that will be futile, so if your friend is alright with it, you may come as well."

Blaise and Padma contained their smiles. "I don't have a problem with them coming. Then they can tell Hermione, Neville, and Susan. Saves me repeating it twice." Harry shrugged.

McGonagall just levitated Malfoy and directed him out of the room, Crabbe and Goyle following in silence.

Blaise and Padma looked at each other, then at Harry. "Are you gonna tell us why we only feel your aura when you take your necklace off?" Blaise asked.

Harry looked at Blaise in confusion. "Aura? Why are all of you talking about auras and such?"

"You've got to be kidding me…you don't know what an aura is?" Blaise said.

Harry waved a hand. "I know what the word means, and what it implies in a real world sense, but you talk about magical auras as if it's a thing."

"Because it is, Harry," Padma said. "Auras are a very real thing in the magical world. It helps determine someone's magical potential and ability. Often special abilities will be present in an aural check. St. Mungo's takes an aural check when someone comes in for spell damage. It's the quickest way to determine just how badly they are magically injured."

"So...every magical has an aura?" Harry checked. "And they all can interact with others?"

"NO! And that's the thing, Harry! Yours DID!" Blaise exploded.

"I don't see what the problem is. Maybe they can, and no one's ever tried," the too-powerful-for-his-own-good boy reasoned.

Blaise threw his hands up in the air. "Padma, you reason with him. Auras interacting. Really, magical prodigy they all say, and he doesn't know even the most basic thing!"

Padma covered a grin. "What he's trying to say, Harry, is that most magicals know about auras, they're something that is just….part of magical culture, and they are considered well studied and well known. What you just did defied all those beliefs."

"You should know not to cling to what everyone else says is true without proper research," Harry muttered.

"There was proper research! Lots of proper research! So much research that a whole section of the Library is devoted to it! You're the odd one out!" Blaise said, spinning to point at Harry.

Harry held his hands in defense. "Hey, if I can do it, someone else can! It's not a unique thing."

"You say that, yet we have centuries of research papers to prove you otherwise. I don't get you, Harry. You're powerful, you're fricken genius at magic. Why do you always insist that it's not just you?"

"Because it can't just be me! You all figured out things Professor McGonagall said were impossible, so I've shown you that it's not just me. You can do it, too, if you try hard enough."

Padma and Blaise rolled their eyes in synch. "Whatever Harry. Whatever. We'll see what the headmaster says about this talent of yours."

There was silence, neither comfortable or uncomfortable, just existing, while they waited for the transfiguration professor to return.

When McGonagall walked back into the room, she was pleasantly surprised to find it still intact. "Alright, I've seen Mr. Malfoy to the Hospital Wing, let's go get your father and we'll go to the Headmaster's Office. Do you know where he is?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't know his schedule. He won't tell me cause he doesn't want me showing up in his class whenever I have a free period."

"Why you would want to go to class when you don't have to..." McGonagall sighed but beckoned the group out the door. "We'll go check his class, then your rooms if he isn't there."

The History room was only a couple floors away in the same wing, so reaching it was easy enough. And lucky for them, the Doctor was still there, messing with bits of what Harry knew was the projector.

"Ah, McGonagall, good to see you! I trust you enjoyed yesterday's lesson?" he asked, a grin on his face.

"I found it most interesting. But that is not why I am here." She gestured behind her, and the Doctor's grin fell swiftly upon seeing Harry and his friends in the threshold.

"Is something wrong?"

"I have some questions, and I'm sure the headmaster will have them too, about Harry's necklace and how he's able to manifest his Aura. A student passed out after being exposed to it."

Harry scowled. "That's not the whole story, dad. Draco Malfoy used some sort of spell to unclasp my necklace, then when it fell off, he took it. And he refused to give it back. I don't know about this aura thing, but I was projecting. And I wasn't happy. It wasn't a pleasant mixture and he passed out. I don't regret it and I would do it again if someone took my necklace."

The Doctor frowned. "Draco Malfoy, the magical raised student who's having some trouble believing non-magical technology and abilities. He's not fond of bananas and he's struggling to figure out how non-magicals can do so much." He looked his son over. "Anything else happen?"

"Just a brief bit of accidental skin contact with Blaise, but it was minimal and didn't affect much of anything. It was what made me realize I didn't have my necklace on. I wasn't paying as much attention to my magic as I should have, otherwise I would have known immediately." Harry pointed at his friend. "No damage on either side."

"Ok. What did you want to know?" The Doctor turned to McGonagall.

"I would like to discuss this with the headmaster. I'm sure after I tell him about this, he will have plenty of questions, and I would rather have the source of information there when he asks them."

Harry sighed, rolling his eyes. "It's personal, I still don't see how this is such a big deal."

"If you hadn't nearly suffocated everyone in that room with your aura, I wouldn't be so concerned, Mr. Harry, but as it is, you did," McGonagall replied, tone sharp.

The Doctor looked at Harry, a question in his eyes, and Harry shrugged in response.

"Let's get going then. Allonsy!"

"I still don't understand your fascination with that word, dad," Harry commented, but took the lead up the the Headmaster's Office.

"Does the gargoyle still not like you, Harry?" Blaise asked. "Last time you came up this way, it spat smoke at you."

"It's not my biggest fan, but I'll survive. And I've got a professor with me, two of them. I'm sure I'll be okay." He stood in front of the gargoyle warily. "Cockroach Clusters," he said, and was relieved that the gargoyle just stood aside. "Thanks." He could have sworn he heard a chortle from the statue.

"Ah, Harry, what brings you here today? And Mr. Blaise Zabini, Ms. Padma Patil, Minerva, Doctor. Quite the audience. Did something happen?" Dumbledore was actually hoping nothing had happened, but with the crowd gathered in his office, something had undoubtedly happened.

"Dumbledore, you can do aural checks, right?" McGonagall asked, not beating around the bush.

"Yes, but why ever would you need one?" Concern was quick to enter his voice. Aural checks were quite serious things.

"I need you to check Mr. Harry's aura. Immediately."

Dumbledore looked at Harry, who seemed exasperated by the entire thing, and then back to his transfiguration teacher. "Why would you demand an aural check on a student? They haven't reached majority, it wouldn't show much if there has been no damage."

"But they show the potential of a magical child, and Mr. Harry here just knocked out Mr. Malfoy with his aura alone."

"He did what?" Dumbledore refrained from leaping around the desk to demand answers in a more immediate way.

"So, I am here and I can speak for myself, you know," Harry interrupted. "As for what happened, Draco Malfoy took my necklace, and I retrieved it. I projected my anger at him, but I don't get all this aura talk you all are going on about. I might have been a bit angrier than I appeared and Draco Malfoy felt the brunt of it. His mind had a hard time trying to balance what his body demanded and my projection, and he passed out." The boy looked not a bit remorseful at his actions.

Dumbledore paused to consider his words. "You...projected?" he queried.

"Yes. My emotions."

"I am afraid I don't understand how such a thing can be possible," Dumbledore admitted.

Harry looked back at his dad. "Dad, what should I do?"

"It's your secret Harry, you can tell them what you want. It's not something that I can help you with. I was worried at first about telling them, but it's not something that will ever change, and it will come up at some point. Better sooner so they know what could happen rather than later when your majority hits and no one knows what's going on. Your ability isn't something that is dangerous inherently, but it can be if it's not handled properly. So whatever you feel comfortable telling them."

"You mean I don't have to keep it a secret?" he said, incredulous.

"I wouldn't advise telling them WHY you have the ability you have, but it's not something that you need to hide like I previously thought."

Harry grinned. "That makes this much easier. I thought I had to keep it a secret or something."

The Doctor sighed but smiled. "Whatever you want to tell them, I'll support you."

Harry turned back to the room. "Alright, so, well, it's a bit of a story, but I'm what you would call a touch empath."

He received blank stares all around. "A what?" Blaise asked.

"A touch empath. I can touch someone and feel all of their emotions, and I can force my emotions through someone by touch alone." He motioned at Blaise. "Earlier, when you brushed against my hand after Draco Malfoy took my necklace, you felt it, yeah?"

Blaise frowned. "I felt something. I'm not sure what it was, though. It was all...jumbled and disconnected. And it was only for an instant."

"Well, emotions aren't straightforward. You aren't just angry. You're all sorts of other emotions at the same time."

Dumbledore and McGonagall looked confused. "But I have shaken your hand and felt nothing," Dumbledore said.

"My necklace," Harry said. "It's a limiter. Touch empaths are notorious for being outcasts. No one likes someone reading them, or forcing them to feel a certain way. Touch empaths are often forced out of a community because they can't control their abilities. Without my necklace, I am just as vulnerable. And because my abilities are tied to my magic, I can project my emotions. Enough so that I can influence those around me to feel the same way."

Blaise's eyes went wide. "That's what I was feeling in the charms room that day!" he said, realization in his eyes. "You were pissed at Malfoy and Snape, and then you got frustrated after we confronted you about it. The air felt so heavy and unhappy when I walked into Charms. I figured it was you, but I didn't know how it could have been you. Everything felt like it was dripping with magic."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I was meditating. Usually I do that on my own in a silent room, but I needed to center myself. I didn't realize until that moment that I could project, so dad and I worked on it the next few times I meditated."

"Would you be willing to show us what you mean?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry shrugged. "So long as no one touches me, I don't mind."

"We will be sure to stay back," Dumbledore assured him.

Harry reached back and unclasped the golden chain, letting it fall into his palm in a swirl pattern. He closed his eyes as he felt his magic surge forth from the bonds and swirl happily through the air, reveling in the freedom.

He so rarely got to take his necklace off that these moments were always special. He let his hands run through the swirls of his magic, feeling it frolic around him, eager and excited to be out. It brushed against the magic in the office, telling Harry all about the weird spells and enchantments in a tumble of information. Magic, Harry had discovered, was much like an overactive child, moody and bubbling and prone to just throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks.

He was unaware, however, that his hair was floating around his body, and magic sparked down his arms to his fingers, his skin glowing softly, pulsing in time to his breaths.

Everyone in the office felt the rush of wind, of magic, but this time, instead of being heavy and oppressive, it was light, cheerful, bubbly and bouncy.

Padma was giggling, Blaise had a sloppy smile on his face, and even McGonagall and Dumbledore were hardpressed to not beam in happiness.

"Harry, is this your magic?" Dumbledore asked, unable to keep the awe out of his voice.

Harry opened his eyes, also unaware of them glowing a brilliant green. "It is. I don't get to release it all too often, so it's fairly excited to be out." He grinned.

McGonagall let a smile take over her features. "Your magic reflects your emotions?" she asked.

"Mmm-hm."

"Then it is safe to assume that you are, right now, very happy?"

"It would," Harry confirmed.

"Would you mind if I cast an aura check on you, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"What does that do?" Harry asked, eyes narrowing.

"It merely makes your aura visible, so that those observing can diagnose any abnormalities within it."

"Alright then," Harry waved a hand. "Go ahead. I'm curious, what does an aura usually look like?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Children often have slightly amorphous shapes to theirs. Colors start to seep in when they first perform accidental magic, and it starts solidifying after a wand is bonded to them. But until they reach their majority, an aura doesn't have a defined shape, unless the child in question is very powerful, or has had a traumatic or life-changing experience."

Harry frowned. He fit both of those categories. "Ok. Cast away then." He wondered if it would be anything like the time he was fit for his focus.

Dumbledore waved his wand, focusing, then he twirled it around tightly, muttered a few words Harry missed and pointed the wand directly at Harry.

All around the office, Harry's magic sparked into being, turned bright shades of red, gold, black, blue, green, purple, whatever color you cared to name, it was there. Small spheres flew through the air, twirled around Harry, then darted off again.

Everyone stared at the magic in fascination. "Wow..." Padma said, voice awed. "This is your magic...it's beautiful!"

"Thanks!" Harry grinned. "So, what, anything wrong with my magic?" he asked the headmaster.

"I...I am afraid I can't tell for sure. Can you put on your necklace, it's hard to keep track of your magic when it's so scattered," the headmaster said, overwhelmed.

Harry sighed but took out his limiter and clasped it back around his neck.

As he suspected, the moment the loop closed, his magic vanished, pulled back inside his body.

Dumbledore's eyes went wide in surprise. "What happened?"

"I said this was my limiter. It keeps my magic inside my body and stops my empathy from influencing anyone. Since my magic and my empathy are linked, it does this by not letting anyone else come into contact with my magic so my empathy isn't triggered."

"It can't be healthy, though," McGonagall said. "Magic's not supposed to build up inside the body like that."

Harry shrugged. "Well, I like being social too much to let my magic free all the time, and I would rather not cover myself head to toe in clothes to prevent accidental skin contact, so I'll deal with my limiter until we can figure out a different solution."

Dumbledore looked at the Doctor. "What caused this?"

The Doctor shook his head. "It's a feature of his magic. He had a scare once and it manifested, so we dealt with it using the limiter. It's a powerful piece of magic and technology that helps restrict his magic."

"What kind of scare could cause such a dramatic transformation?" Dumbledore pressed.

Harry bristled. "You sound awfully close to accusing dad of something, which I don't appreciate. I was young and every kid gets a few scares in their life. I just happened to have a dramatic reaction to it."

The Doctor laid a placating hand on his shoulder. "You said it knocked Draco Malfoy out. How is he?"

McGonagall pursed her lips. "Madam Pomfrey wasn't able to find any concrete cause to his reaction, but she'll keep him until he's awake." She looked at Harry. "You best keep that necklace on if that's what happens when you're upset with someone."

"I wouldn't have been upset if he hadn't taken it in the first place. I always keep my necklace on, unless I'm alone and need to meditate. And I do that in a privacy room." Harry looked affronted. "You all wouldn't have even known about this if he hadn't decided to take my necklace."

Dumbledore sighed. "Okay. Thank you, Harry, Doctor, for coming up to explain what happened. Minerva, I expect Mr. Malfoy will be serving detention with you for his actions?"

"He will. Tomorrow, and if I believe he hasn't seen the error of his ways, Sunday as well."

"Then that is settled. You can go back to classes, or study, or wherever you scamper off to on Friday afternoons. Doctor, I believe you have a class in a little bit, so I'll let you go get ready for that, and you don't need to attend the meeting this evening, though I will request your presence at the next one. Minerva, if you could alert the rest of the staff as to the meeting tonight, I would be most obliged. Thank you."

Minerva nodded.

They filed out of the office, Blaise and Padma vibrating. "We can tell Hermione and Neville and Susan, right?" Blaise asked.

"Of course. Half the reason I let you come was so I didn't have to repeat the same story again," Harry said.

The Doctor chuckled. "Well, if you don't mind, I'll be seeing you later. Remember, you need to turn in your essay to Professor Sprout. It's sitting in the console room."

Harry froze, face blank, then he abruptly changed directions, heading for the Tardis and his essay.

"What?" Padma and Blaise said.

"His essay. It took him an extra week to get it all done, and it ended up being near 20 pages instead of 10, but he finished it. And now he's got to go turn it into Professor Sprout. After that, he's free in the evenings for whatever hijinks and mischief you lot get into." The Doctor grinned. "See you later, Padma, Blaise. Have a good afternoon. I have a class this afternoon, so I'll be off."

Padma and Blaise were left alone in the hall.

"So...to the greenhouses?" Blaise said.

Padma nodded. "Best place to catch up to Harry, and we can check and see if Professor Sprout has a class."

~~~~In Which This is a Scene Break~~~~

Hogwarts Staff filed into the meeting for their bi-monthly meetings, all in various states of exhaustion.

Dumbledore sat at the head of the table and summoned coffee and snacks as more teachers filed in.

Ten minutes later, the last of the teachers took their seats and Dumbledore started the meeting. "Good evening, thank you as always for making time for this. I really do appreciate it. Now, just some housekeeping things. The grounds around the lake where the students have their morning runs, if someone could start on long lasting heating charms that we can put around the field, I would be much obliged. Yes, Severus?"

"Are we going to address the students who are now multi-colored splotches of paint?" he said frankly.

There were chuckles all around the room. "I rather liked that punishment," Flitwick said. "And it wasn't hidden, they did warn the students what would happen if they didn't show up. And you have to admit that morning classes are much easier to manage on those days."

"I too find it acceptable. There have been fewer incidents in the hallways and students are much more manageable when they aren't vibrating with energy," McGonagall said.

"Isn't it just a tad too humiliating?" Professor Babbling said. "I mean, I understand the importance of this exercise regime, but to punish those who didn't show up in such an obvious way?"

"It makes more of an impact than detentions or points," Sprout pointed out. "Wednesday was nearly 100 percent attendance. And today's class was a hundred percent attendance. No one wants to be their guinea pig in class next week."

Snape sighed. "I had to listen to Draco Malfoy complain for days about it, and Vaisey wasn't any better."

"They showed up on Wednesday though," McGonagall pointed out.

"We've strayed from the point. Bathsheda, if you and someone of your choosing would make some long lasting runic heating charms for the track I would be much appreciative."

Babbling waved an absent hand. "I'll get it done this weekend. Those are easy, I don't need the help."

"As you wish. Now, does anyone have anything to bring up? Yes, Pomona?"

Sprout stood up. "I recieved an essay from Harry in regards to the Carnivorous Rose Incident. And I believe that it's well worth a look over. It brings up several valid points and theories that I would like to try. I believe you, Severus, would get quite a bit out of this essay."

"An essay? What is this?" Hooch asked.

"His punishment for experimenting without permission or foresight was an extensive research project and essay," Sprout said. "I agreed on the terms that I get a copy of the essay to determine if it was an adequate punishment. And it was more than. If I could get essays of this quality from my seventh years I would be a happy herbologist, much less a first year." She took out a sheaf of bound papers.

"How...how long is that?" Snape asked.

"20 pages with diagrams and charts," Pomona replied. "It's quite detailed and even I learned a lot about something as simple as an aromatic rose."

Snape reached for the papers, thought for a moment, then duplicated them before sliding his wand away and taking a copy. "I'll look over this in my spare time. That boy does have some interesting ideas on things."

Dumbledore hid a smile. It seemed even Snape wasn't immune to Harry. Though he still refused to use the boy's name. "Anyone else?"

"Petition to get that table in the library released so all students can use it," Flitwick spoke up. "I've had numerous Ravenclaws complain about it."

Madam Pince frowned. "I granted them that table and they earned it, Filius. They're respectful, polite, and they harm the books. They ask me for help when the can't find something, and they work on their homework diligently. I was pleased to put up the privacy wards and silencing spells. And they keep within the spells. I've never heard a shouting match outside those spells, though they are quite animated within them."

There were raised eyebrows all around. To earn the respect of the Librarian was not easily done, yet those six had done so in a week.

"Well, there are plenty of tables in the Library, I'm sure we can let this one go. Anyone else?"

"I want to request to see whatever magic the Doctor is using for his classes," Babbling said. "I watched one of his classes and I was shocked. It was amazing, but he wouldn't let me see what he used to do it."

Dumbledore sighed, resisting the urge to knead his temples. "I will ask the Doctor about letting you see it. Anyone else?"

"I categorically refuse to teach that child," Sinistra said. "You can't make me. Either remove him from the class or make him the teacher, I don't care which, but I am not teaching him."

Everyone turned to stare at Sinistra. "Excuse me?" Dumbledore said.

Sinistra crossed her arms, her dark eyes flashing. "You heard me. I will not teach a child who interrupts me every five minutes to say I'm wrong, or to add some other bit of information I can't even verify, or to just….just...take over the class! I refuse Dumbledore. I won't teach him, he doesn't need my class, he's demonstrated that quite thoroughly."

McGonagall looked perturbed. "Are you quite sure?" she said.

"I am, Minerva. He does not belong in first-year astronomy. I doubt he would belong in a masters class on it, if such a thing existed. I think he would do well at an astronomy lab, and probably take over it rather quickly. Or drive everyone else to quit in frustration."

"I...I will take this into consideration," Dumbledore conceded.

"If he's in my class on Wednesday night, I am walking out and he can teach it. He has the past two classes." Sinistra looked directly at the headmaster, making it very clear her stance on the matter.

"I see. I shall bring this up with Harry…" Sinistra harrumphed but didn't protest. "Anyone else?" He hoped it wouldn't be another comment on Harry and his strange group.

"Are there any rules regarding other houses in a different common room?" Pomona asked.

Dumbledore sighed. It was too much to hope for, it seemed. "No, there are no rules so long as a member of that House let them in. Are they causing undue problems?"

Pomona breathed heavily. "Not...in particular. But it's more of what they talk about that disturbs my badgers. The nature of magic, experimenting with cores, accessing one's magic directly without a wand, and even several outbursts of what would be accidental magic in a child but is very obviously intended. My badgers are close to just abandoning the Common Room to them when they come in. They need somewhere else to meet. As it is they are disturbing the peace my students should have in their own house."

"Is this the same for the rest of you?" Dumbledore asked, looking around.

"When they are in the Gryffindor Common Room, they are doing much the same. My older years are confused as to how a group of first years seem to have better control of their magic, and the younger years are simply baffled."

"They rarely are in the Slytherin Common Room, and after today's incident, I doubt they would be back, but I won't say that for sure," Snape said.

"Ravenclaw is similar. Though it has instigated a very thorough and in-depth look into magical theory among my Ravens. The common room is often a flurry of activity when they aren't there, and home to several weird feats of magic when they are."

Dumbledore gave in and kneaded his temples. "I will do what I can to find a more neutral meeting ground. We can introduce it as an inter-house common room, and maybe they will be more amenable to convening there."

Murmured thanks from the heads of house circled the table.

"Now, is there anything else not dealing with Harry and that group?"

The evening's discussion turned to planning out the last half of the semester and the problem of Harry and his group of friends was left for a later time.

~~~~~This is a Scene Break~~~~

Saturday found Harry, Padma, Blaise, Hermione, Neville, and Susan on the grounds around the lake, watching Professor Babbling install runic matrices around the running course.

"Harry, your family is really weird," Susan said. "I know we've all said this before, but really. After this week, and forty students covered in paint splotches, and an entire lesson conducted by a magical replication of a Russian astronomer translated on the spot for us, I must reiterate, your family is very very weird."

Harry laughed. "If I could have a pear for every person who's said that to me, my father wouldn't ever let me back into the Tardis," he said, chuckling. "It's the first thing out of someone's mouth when they meet us."

"It's as true then as it is now," Hermione confirmed. "Your dad's brilliant but I can't figure out how he does his magic. It's insane. And Professor Rose and Professor Jack are just...insane." She shuddered.

"Well, you get used to them. It makes everything more interesting."

"I think your definition of interesting is fundamentally different from ours…" Neville said.

"You're probably right," Harry conceded.

A loud buzz interrupted the genial conversation. Harry started, digging through his pockets.

"Is that a...a phone?" Hermione exclaimed, shock in her eyes. "But...they aren't supposed to be that small!" she said when Harry pulled out a small, round device and pressed a button.

"Hey dad, what's up?" he asked.

"The General called, and it's a problem that deals with your specialty more than mine. They don't know how to handle it and he's called me cause he knows I'm at Hogwarts. You up for an adventure?"

Harry jumped to his feet, face alive and alight. "Oh please say you aren't teasing me, because I would love nothing more than an adventure right now!"

"I'm not teasing, this is serious. Come one, you have five minutes to get up here...wait, where are you?"

"The grounds."

"Six minutes then. Hurry up!" There was a click, and the phone-device went silent. Harry just shoved it in his pocket and, without a backward glance at his friends, took off for the castle.

"Anyone want to just sit here for the rest of the day?" Blaise asked, a note of hope in his voice.

Padma sent him a look. "You think we could just sit here?"

"I thought not. Alright, let's put those running lessons to good use and catch up with our esteemed leader."

Shockingly, the week's running lessons seemed to have had an effect, as they weren't more than a staircase behind Harry when they reached the Entrance Hall, and skidded into the room behind him when he opened the portrait.

And, in a moment of complete absent-mindedness, Harry left the Tardis door unlatched, and his group of friends following him didn't think twice before heading in after him.

And then their whole world shook violently.

~~~~~In Which This is an Ending~~~~~

So, Hello! See, I can get updates out more or less on time...ish. Hey, if it's late it's only a few hours late (on my end…)

Also, lesson to the wise, don't get involved in Kpop. That's a road that only leads to time vanishing like a wisp of cloud on a sunny day. Poof, it's gone. Also sleep. That starts not existing when you've gotten into Kpop. UGH

Anyway, here it is, and a bit of a cliffhanger because I wanted to get something more Doctor Who into my Harry Potter story, and more than just Harry and crew rattling Hogwarts to her foundations. It was a given that that would happen. I wanted..more.

And I wanted Harry's friends to be involved as well. So they were.

I shall endeavor to get an update out…*retrieves diary* on October 30th.

Hope you all enjoyed! Thanks for all the support!