The Devil in Me

Losing You is Choking Me

The chapter title is from the song:

Heartbeat Slowing Down by All-American Rejects.

When Harry woke up, in a room far warmer than his dorm at Hogwarts, he felt a little disorientated, but then the events of the battle all flooded back to him – Ron and Hermione and Theo, thinking his name caused a flood of regret and guilt to hit him smack in the face. So much so that for a second, he couldn't even breathe.

"Channel it into anger," A familiar voice said softly.

"Tom?" Harry asked weakly.

"Yes, I'm here."

For once, he didn't even seem annoyed about being referred to as Tom, which made Harry wonder how severe the situation was. He opened his eyes and looked up at the imposing man sitting by his bed. He expected to see quiet fury written all over his features, not confusion and something akin to hurt.

"Why did you not press your mark?" Tom asked, his eyes boring into Harry's.

Harry frowned, "I didn't think you wanted me to. I thought it was a test."

Real hurt did flash through his eyes then, "You thought it was a test? Have I not been nothing but upfront with you from the moment you joined me? I have welcomed you in, given you more second chances than I sometimes wonder that you deserve. Why would I test you? Had it been a test, I would have told you so."

Harry felt guilty, even more so than he already did anyway. He hadn't meant to hurt Tom's feelings, but clearly, he just had.

"Yes, you did," Tom said sharply, "Because testing you like that is the kind of thing Dumbledore would have done, and I am not him. I thought that you knew that."

"I do," Harry said, inwardly cursing, "I'm sorry for assuming the worst of you."

Tom sighed and leaned back to survey Harry, "Had you pressed your mark the moment they ambushed you, I could have had ten of my best fighters there in seconds. We could have defeated every member of the Army of the Phoenix in one fell swoop, and we would not have lost a promising young Death Eater."

Harry swallowed hard and looked down, "It's my fault he's dead."

"You should have called for help, but you did not kill him," Tom said, surprising Harry, "The coward who cursed him from behind did."

Harry's eyes flashed.

"The way you murdered him was incredibly vindictive," Tom remarked, "His mother had to watch him slowly die from behind that barrier you created. It took them 20 minutes to break it down with magic, by which point Ronald Weasley was long gone."

"That should make me feel better," Harry said, unable to look Tom in the eye, "But it doesn't change the fact that Theo is gone."

"No, it does not," Tom agreed, "And that is something you are going to have to live with. Either by throwing your feelings to the bottom of an abyss or by accepting what happened and moving on."

Harry said nothing.

"I realise that he meant a great deal to you, Harry, but this is precisely why I warned you not to get involved with Death Eaters," Tom explained.

"Being involved with the child of a Death Eater is something different, that merely puts you at the risk of being cursed by that child's powerful, sometimes slightly unhinged father."

Harry remembered his very brief fling with Reyna and nodded.

"But being involved with a Death Eater is different," Tom said, his eyes on Harry, "You are all fighters, and that brings with it a great risk of injury or death. For the same reason that Aurors are not permitted to be involved with other Aurors, I do not allow Death Eaters to inter-mingle."

Harry gave a small nod, "I get it and…I wish I had listened."

Tom sighed, "Some people learn the easy way, but you, Harry? You do not seem to learn until life shows you the hard way. What was it that Lilith said about you? Ah, yes – some people are just born with tragedy in their blood."

Harry looked Tom in the eye; he could tell he was feeling contemplative, "Like you and I, you mean?"

"Indeed," Tom agreed, more readily than he usually did.

Harry wondered what had caused the change, why he wasn't furious with him.

Tom sighed again and answered Harry's unspoken question.

"I knew that you were a powerful wizard, Harry, but I had no idea of your full potential until I looked into Draco's memory and saw the magic you performed two nights ago-"

"Two nights ago?" Harry cut in sharply.

"Yes, it drained you physically and magically, you have had quite the sleep," Tom remarked.

"Huh," Harry mused.

Tom looked Harry directly in the eye, "It took me too long to realise that you are incredibly loyal, and it has occurred to me that I have been pushing you away in pushing you to be better. For that, I apologise."

Harry was stunned; he had never expected an apology from Lord Voldemort – but scratch that, he didn't seem so much like Lord Voldemort anymore, there was a reason Harry referred to him as Tom in his head now rather than as Voldemort.

"Thank you."

Tom just bowed his head in recognition. He rose to his feet, and for the first time, Harry realised where they were – he was back in his room at Malfoy Manor.

"The funeral will be held one week on Saturday," Tom said quietly, "Alfred Nott will be in touch; I believe he wishes you to give thanks to the fire element."

Harry swallowed, unsure how he felt about that.

"You may remain here, or you may return to school until then," Tom said, letting the choice hang in the air.

"I'll go back," Harry said, looking up at Tom, "You'll be there anyway. I don't want to spend the best part of a week moping around the manor with only Lucius and his peacocks for company."

Tom smiled slightly, "I do not blame you in the slightest for that."

"Besides," Harry added, "I think after what I just did for Daphne Greengrass, I'm close to getting the family on our side."

"I would suspect that to be true," Tom said, and for a moment, Harry thought he saw pride in the Dark Lords eyes, "In that case, I will see you at Hogwarts as soon as you feel up to returning."

"Thank you, my lord," Harry returned.

Tom opened the door with a final nod and said, "Congratulations on the victory, Harry. I understand that right now, it might feel like a hollow one, but it is still a victory."

He left, leaving Harry to contemplate those words. He knew it was a victory, but Tom was right; it did feel hollow. He had killed someone he had once considered as his best friend, and he had lost someone who he cared about. He didn't think he could class Theo as his best friend, he suspected that title was split between Draco and Lily these days, but he had cared for him.

But did you love him?

The little voice in the back of his head had just whispered. Harry sighed and threw his head back against his pillows. Theo had loved him, but Harry didn't think he had loved him back, and the guilt of that was eating him up as much as his death was.

Lily was waiting for Tom when he walked through the gates of the castle that afternoon.

"Lilith."

"Tom," Lily said, her tone darker than usual, "Is he okay?"

"He will live," Tom replied evasively.

Lily eyed him warily, "Are you upset?"

"No, I am not upset," Tom said airily, "Being upset is an emotion specific to those who care."

Lily rolled her eyes, "Right because you don't feel human emotions anymore? Well, you seem to feel plenty of very human things when I'm with you late at-"

"Lilith," Tom said, his tone a little harsher, "Need I remind you that we are on the grounds of Hogwarts on a Saturday afternoon and that I am your professor?"

Lily shot him an amused and slightly suggestive look, "Oh, I'm sorry, sir. What I meant to say was that you seem to feel human emotions when you help me study at 8.30 pm, which is certainly before curfew."

Tom fought back a smile and looked at her in amusement, "I am not upset. I am merely disappointed in Harry."

"Wow, now I really feel like I'm sleeping with my ex-boyfriend's dad," Lily said in a sarcastic whisper.

Tom gave her a slightly irritated look, and Lily shut up.

"He should have called me. Why did you not encourage him to do so?" Tom asked.

They stopped by the edge of the forest together, and Lily replied, "You put him in charge, so I respected his authority as I would have done yours."

Tom sighed, "Perhaps I gave him too long a leash before he was ready."

"Well," Lily shrugged, "He'll suffer for it. He lost someone he cares about, and we both know how Harry tends to deal with losses like that."

Tom nodded and looked up at the cloudy, grey sky, "That is exactly what I am worried about."

"I know," Lily mused, "He has Daphne Greengrass this time though, that might just be enough to stop him spiralling out of control."

"For all of our sakes, I hope you are right," Tom murmured, taking her hand and pulling her deeper into the forest.

"The real reason I am angry has nothing to do with Harry, however," Tom said, now that they were away from watchful eyes and keen ears.

Lily raised an eyebrow at him, "No?"

"No," Tom said darkly, "We have an unknown banshee-hybrid on the loose."

Lily frowned, "You mean Ginny-"

"Ginny Weasley is not a problem; she may even prove to be an asset," Tom cut in, "But the banshee that resided in Molly Weasley is a threat."

Lily's eyes widened, "The rumours about a scream that was heard for miles around south Wales is true then?"

Tom nodded, "I currently have the Weasley brothers and Rosier tracking it, but they are notoriously difficult creatures to find at the best of times, and this one has sporadic access to magic."

"Shit," Lily muttered, "So she over-rode Molly's conscience but retained her magic?"

With another nod, Tom replied dryly, "It seems so."

"She's a hybrid," Lily murmured, "An incredibly dangerous, volatile hybrid."

Tom leant against a tree and sighed, "Indeed."

Lily took a step towards him, pressing a soft kiss against his lips.

Tom sighed, his eyes fluttering shut as he drank in her taste and warmth. He kissed her back, softly and slowly, then a rustle sounded in the bushes. Tom withdrew and gave her an apologetic smile, "Not here. Tonight, after curfew?"

With a mischievous smirk, Lily replied, "Yes, sir. See you later, Professor."

Tom watched her go, an amused smile unwittingly finding its way to his face.

Harry waited until later in the evening before he prepared to depart from Malfoy Manor. He didn't want watchful eyes on him when he dragged himself through the castle. He didn't want Lily with her judgy eyes waiting up for him in the Head Common Room.

He was trying to sneak out of the manor, and he thought he had gotten away with it until his feet hit the marble floor of the entrance hall.

"For someone who has had as many adventures as you have, Harry, I am amazed by how terrible you are at sneaking."

Harry grimaced and turned around, "Well, I used to have an invisibility cloak which helped, I'll be honest."

Lucius was leaning in the library doorway, "That would not have stopped you from making at least four stair boards creak," he said, a smirk on his lips.

With a roll of his eyes, Harry said, "I didn't want a fuss, Lucius. I want to go back to Hogwarts, and do the job the Dark Lord has given me and-"

" – never think about Theodore Nott again," Lucius said with a nod, "I know that is what you want, but you will never have it."

Harry looked at the long-haired man properly, "I can control my emotions now. My occlumency-"

Lucius raised a hand, "That is not what I mean. No amount of control helps when you lose someone that you care about. It stays with you, always."

Harry frowned.

"The pain doesn't feel fair," Lucius agreed, "It hurts; it bears down on you every day like a weight on your chest. But that pain has a purpose."

"How can any pain like that have a purpose?" Harry asked. He had wanted to sound angry, but instead, his voice broke halfway through the sentence.

Lucius stepped out of the shadows and caught Harry's eye, "Because it reminds you of how easy it is to get hurt, and that is a fundamental lesson."

Harry swallowed and tore his eyes away from Lucius's. He scanned the portraits in the hall and composed himself before asking, "Who did you lose?"

Lucius sighed and stepped back into the library, beckoning for Harry to follow him. Harry did so out of curiosity more than anything else.

Lucius pulled a photo album from one of the shelves and flipped it open. He pointed to a photograph of two young men.

One of them was Lucius; he was standing in Malfoy Manor's garden and by his side was an extraordinarily familiar boy. Harry's eyes widened, "Is that…"

"Regulus Black," Lucius said, bowing his head.

"I didn't know you were friends," Harry admitted.

"I took him under my wing," Lucius confessed, "After his brother ran away to stay with your father, his parents all but sold him to the Death Eaters, but he was young and impressionable. He needed to be disciplined, just as you did."

Harry hadn't taken his eyes off of the photograph. It was wizarding, so the two men were smiling naturally out of the picture at him.

"I was arrogant back then," Lucius said, closing the album and walking over to the window, "I had yet to lose a friend to the war. I felt that we would win and that we would do so by sacrificing our pawns to take the opposition knights and eventually, their king."

Dumbledore, Harry realised.

"I was wrong," Lucius said quietly. He leant on his cane and turned to look at Harry, "But I did not realise that until Regulus disappeared."

"Did you know that he was a traitor?" Harry asked curiously.

"I suspected that he was going to betray us, and when he disappeared and all of my owls came back, I knew," Lucius said, his grip on his cane tightened as he pursed his lips. With another thoughtful look, Lucius sat down by the fire.

"I knew he was not made to be a Death Eater," Lucius admitted, "He was too kind. His compassion knew no bounds, and his intelligence was truly unrivalled by only the Dark Lords. He was too good for us, and he deserved better."

Just like Theo, Harry thought, forcing down the lump that had risen in his throat.

Lucius did not meet Harry's eye as he finished his story. Instead, he kept his gaze on the fire that lit up the room.

"I have spent the last 18 years blaming myself for what happened to Regulus. If it were not for me, he would never have become a Death Eater. I hold myself responsible for his fate, and I can assure you, Harry – no amount of vengeance or self-loathing makes that weight any lighter. It does not lift; you just get used to the fact that breathing feels a little harder and that happiness is something you have to search for, not something that just happens to you anymore."

Harry could feel tears burning behind his eyes, but he didn't want to let them fall.

"You carry it with you forever," Lucius said, sounding more vulnerable than Harry had ever heard.

Harry wiped his eyes hastily.

Lucius looked up at him, and Harry was surprised to see that his eyes looked a little wet too.

"Regulus hated his family," Lucius said quietly, "But he loved mine, they took him in when he needed it the most, and because of that, he would always say that family wasn't who you were born with, but who you would die for."

Harry cleared his throat and nodded, "Thank you, Lucius."

Lucius gave Harry a weak smile, "I hope you know Harry, that just as my parents considered Regulus as the second son they were never able to have, Narcissa and I consider you as a part of this family."

With a sad smile, Harry nodded, "I do, and I can't tell you how much that means to me."

Lucius gave a stiff nod, and Harry could tell that the conversation had run its natural course.

Harry got to his dorm room without any interruptions after his conversation with Lucius that night. But the next morning, he knew he would have to face everyone and the only way he knew how to do that was by closing himself off as he had in his fifth year when everyone he cared about had accused him of being a liar.

Lily was the first person he saw. She was just leaving the Head Common room when he stepped out, and she turned around in surprise.

"You're trying to avoid someone. Otherwise, you wouldn't be making your way down five floors of the castle when you could just come out practically on the same level as the great hall."

Harry looked at her irritably, "I'm avoiding everyone, and I'm not going to the great hall."

"What, so you don't eat breakfast now?" Lily quipped.

"No, I eat breakfast, but I'm going to eat it in the kitchen, so I don't have to deal with nosy bastards."

Lily snorted, "You're a terrible liar. You don't care about people being nosy; you're used to being gaped at like a zoo animal. You are scared."

Harry said nothing.

"You're scared of Draco or Daphne blaming you for Theo's death," Lily continued, "And it's a pointless fear because it wasn't your fault-"

"Enough!" Harry snapped.

Lily froze. Her eyes were on Harry's hands. He was well aware of how they had burned when he lost his temper.

Harry took a step towards her and said, his voice quiet but clear, "I am going to the kitchens, and then I am going to go about my day, and if anyone tries to talk to me about Theo, they will end up in the fucking hospital wing. Do you understand me?"

"I understand you," Lily said coldly.

"Good," Harry snapped. He stepped back and stalked away from her, and this time, she let him.

Draco grabbed Lily's hand when she walked into the great hall that morning.

With a roll of her eyes, Lily yanked it out of his grasp and turned to the Slytherin table, "What do you want, Malfoy?"

"Have you seen Harry?" Draco asked.

"Yes, I have."

"Okay," Draco said, looking around, "Where is he?"

"Not here," Lily replied irritably.

"And if I were you, I wouldn't go looking for him. He's in a foul mood and has threatened to injure anyone who asks him about Theo so-" she added, looking to the other Slytherins, "- if I were you, I would forget about Theo's existence."

Pansy opened her mouth to thank Lily for the warning, but before she could say anything, Lily said, "Apart from you, Pansy. I couldn't give a crap if you got cursed."

The usual sniggers that would come at such a comment were missing, but Lily took advantage of the distraction and stalked over to the Ravenclaw table, meeting Toms eye as she did so.

Draco sighed and looked across the table at Blaise, "I'm worried about him."

"He'll be fine," Blaise said with a shrug, "Just give him someone to kill; that will make him feel better."

Tracey looked at Blaise in disbelief, "Most people aren't the sons of assassins, Blaise, and therefore, most people don't feel better for killing someone."

"I'd feel better for killing someone right now," Pansy muttered, glaring at Lily's back.

"The Dark Lord is fond of her, so much as threaten her again, and you'll be the dead one," Draco said dryly.

Pansy sighed and stabbed a sausage a little too aggressively, "Why are you so worried about Potter, anyway? I thought Theo was his boyfriend, not you."

Draco rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to respond, but something strange happened before he could. Pansy, who had just taken a bite of her sausage, had a fit at the table and fell back, foaming at the mouth.

Snape hurried over to check on her. After what had happened to Hannah Abbott, the scene caused quite a stir.

"Is she okay?" Sophie asked the Headmaster urgently.

Snape looked up. Exasperation was written across his face, "She is fine. It is a mere prank curse, designed to make it look like she had rabies. Do you know anyone who would do such a thing?"

Draco gave Blaise a pointed look, "You were just saying?"

"He will be fine," Blaise said, looking warily at the sausage on his fork, "We just need to give him a wide berth until he's over what happened."

Draco narrowed his eyes as Blaise took a bite of the sausage. When nothing happened, the dark-skinned boy added, "See?"

Draco looked down at his plate with a sigh, only to discover that a note had just appeared.

"I'm fine. Just don't talk shit about me behind my back."

Draco knew that Harry was anything but fine, but all the same, he wasn't going to argue with that. He looked up at Snape, who had given him a questioning look.

"Harry's having some trouble processing what happened the other night, and Pansy was an ill-fated victim of his wrath."

Snape glanced up at the head table at Tom. The Dark Lord looked at him and rolled his eyes in response.

"In that case, make sure to tell Potter that however tragic his life is, he cannot curse his classmates," Snape drawled, "Roper, take Miss Parkinson to the hospital wing."

Sophie nodded and got to her feet, ushering Pansy along with her. Snape turned on his heel and stalked back to the head table irritably.

When he took his seat, Snape murmured, "You must reign the boy in, my lord."

Tom turned to Severus, his blue eyes ablaze with fury, "You may be the Headmaster, Severus, but do not forget that I put you here and that I can remove you from the post whenever I wish. Do not bite the hand that feeds you."

Severus fought to contain a flash of emotion in his eyes, but Tom saw it.

"Yes, my lord."

Tom rose from the table and strode down the hall, sending an irritated thought Harry's way as he did so.

I do not care how upset you are, do not curse your classmates and do not be late for Offensive Magic this morning because I have a practical class planned that might make you feel better.

After a moment, Harry thought back.

I won't be late and sorry about Pansy. I really don't like her. I'll be honest; if she weren't the Parkinson heir, I'd have killed her by now.

Tom contained an amused smirk and thought, I have felt that way about Lucius Malfoy for 25 years.

Wow, remind me never to question your willpower ever again.

Tom smiled and shook his head as he stepped onto the grand staircase.

Class in ten minutes. Do not be late.

Toms class didn't make Harry feel overly better, but it did take his mind off of things for a couple of hours. It was their first big practical task, and it was, in essence, what Harry had taught in the DA – Tom had set up several dummies around the room, and they were to use them to strengthen their magical power and perfect their spell-casting.

Most people were predictable, but some people surprised Harry. He knew that Daphne would have done well if she were here, but she was absent today, and Harry knew why.

Astoria had been kidnapped and tortured at only 15 years old, and Harry remembered what the events of his fifth year had done to him. He expected that Daphne was needed at home with her sister right now, and he was willing to give her all the time she needed.

Crabbe and Goyle were useless, but Draco and Blaise both impressed Harry. Blaise's spell-casting was amongst the best that Harry had seen. He held his wand up at eye level, closed one eye and aimed, and then he hit the dummy directly in the eye with a piercing charm.

Tom raised an eyebrow, "Impressive, but pointless. Why the eye, not the head?"

Blaise shrugged, "You just told me to show you how precise my spell-casting is, sir. If you had told me to kill the dummy, then I would have done this."

Raising his wand once more, Blaise struck the dummy right in-between the eyes with a piercing charm. He lowered his wand and looked back to Tom.

"Explain your fondness of the piercing charm, Zabini," Tom ordered.

"It's multi-purpose - go for the eyes if you need information. You blind your victim, making them vulnerable, and then you keep them captive until they tell you what you want," Blaise answered, "But go for the head if you want a kill. Piercing charm right through the brain, it's clean and easy, especially if your victim is high profile and you want them to be identified by the Aurors."

Tracey shook her head in amusement and murmured, "Could you make it any more obvious that you came from the mafia?"

Blaise shot her a smirk and said, "I was just explaining my fondness of the spell, as Professor Riddle asked."

"Indeed," Tom said, an amused smile playing on his lips as he called the next student up.

Draco surprised Harry too, not with spell-casting, but with his power. Harry liked Draco but had always viewed him as relatively weak when compared to Theo.

He clenched his hand around his quill, Theo.

Draco had just fired a blasting curse at the dummy, one powerful enough to push it into the air, where it was suspended for a brief moment before exploding into a pile of dust. Tom repaired the dummy while congratulating Draco, and Harry raised an eyebrow at his friend when he sat down next to him, "Where have you been hiding that?"

"You aren't the only one who bottles things up," Draco said evasively. He grabbed his quill and attempted to make a note in his textbook, but Harry could see how much his hand was shaking.

Harry placed his hand on top of Draco's and caught his eye, "I know."

Thankfully, Harry's attention was drawn back to the front of the class, which saved him from having an emotional heart to heart with Draco about Theo's death.

Tracey had just managed to whip up a miniature tornado, and the spell she had done it with was a first-year one, hence why Harry was intrigued.

The dummy was thrown into the air and crashed down, falling to pieces.

Harry stared at Tracey's smirking face in disbelief, "Did you just do that with Flipendo?"

"You can amplify any spell, Potter," Tracey said with a grin, "Nothing is limitless until you give it a limit."

Harry nodded, "Nice," he said, catching Tom's eye over her shoulder.

Tom gave a small nod too, "Very inventive, Miss Davis," he agreed.

Next up was Sophie, who was as mediocre as Harry had expected. Similarly, he didn't see anything that surprised him from Parvati or Sally Smith, another Gryffindor girl in their year.

But last to showcase their skill from Gryffindor house was Neville. A couple of the Hufflepuffs looked at him sympathetically, and Crabbe and Goyle laughed, but most people watched him curiously, interested to see what he would do.

Harry felt a pang of guilt – he hadn't talked to Neville since he got back, and it just then struck him that Neville was probably more than a little bit traumatised too. His girlfriend had just let the demonic magical creature living inside of her out and then blown up his grandmothers head after all.

Nobody had seen Neville perform magic since his injury, nobody apart from Harry, Ginny and Tom. As such, when Neville trained his wand on the dummy, nobody was expecting much. They certainly weren't expecting a speechless Incendio to burn the dummy up in seconds.

Tom smirked and raised his wand to repair the dummy, as he had every other time a student had destroyed it. However, before he could, Neville lifted his wand, spun it around in a clockwise fashion, then thrust it towards the dummy, repairing it perfectly.

With a genuine smile, Tom signed, "Fantastic job."

Neville smiled back and signed, "Thank you."

Harry rolled his eyes when a Hufflepuff, he thought it might have been the one they called Leanne, started a round of applause by clapping loudly. He spun around in his chair and remarked, "A round of applause? For a deaf guy? For the love of Merlin, you are a bunch of morons."

"Mr Potter," Tom said sharply, "Consider this a warning. One more, and I will remove you from my class."

Harry turned around and gave Tom a sceptical look as he thought, Children. That's what they are, Tom. Stupid, delusional, exasperating little children.

Tom tore his eyes away from Harry's and beckoned up the first Hufflepuff. Harry thought Tom was ignoring him, but as Ernie showcased his mediocre skills, Tom sent a thought his way.

Yes, they are. I felt much the same way as you for most of my schooling, but you must learn to rise above it and not become distracted by them if you are to succeed.

Harry said nothing, he would have nodded, but he didn't want anyone else to cotton on to the conversation. So he focused on the class once more.

None of the Hufflepuffs did anything to surprise him – Ernie and Justin were just okay. Wayne Hopkins was slightly better than okay, and Zacharias Smith was as useless as he was irritating. The girls didn't surprise him much either - Leanne was mediocre, and Morag MacDougal had a lot of power that didn't surprise Harry because the MacDougal family was the dominant one wizarding Scotland.

The two who took Harry by surprise and caught Tom's interest were Susan Bones and Megan Jones.

Megan was the only daughter of Matthias Jones, the only one of that generation who bore the 'Jones' name. Everyone knew that the family were the dominant one in Wales, and most people knew that the family tended to lean towards the liberal side, even if they did claim to be neutral.

Megan was unassuming to look at – she had dirty blonde hair, a plain face and dull blue eyes. She was a gossip and Lavender and Parvati's friend, but Harry knew nothing about her beyond that. So, when she stepped forward and cast a curse at the dummy in Welsh, not Latin, everyone stopped chattering to watch in awe.

The spell pushed the dummy back against the wall, and then it turned to sludge. Megan looked up, her dull blue eyes focusing on Tom. She looked at him as if she knew who he was. Frankly, the way she looked at him seemed like a threat. But she said nothing; she simply walked back to her seat.

Tom raised an eyebrow and called the final Hufflepuff – Susan Bones – to the front of the class.

Harry knew she would do something impressive. She was a descendant of Helga Hufflepuff after all, and therefore she should be able to control earth with the adept Harry had with fire or that Daphne had with ice.

Susan was the opposite of Megan – she was undoubtedly not unassuming. She was beautiful. Her once gingery hair was now a dark auburn, and her dark green eyes always seemed to be watchful. She was incredibly aware of her surroundings, but Harry supposed that you would tend to be after a massacre had wiped out your entire family.

Harry cocked his head at Susan as she pocketed her wand and breathed in slowly. The redhead then shut her eyes, and without words, she clenched her hands into fists and raised them. A grumbling sound made some of the more meek members of the class jump, but most people were simply impressed.

Susan had raised a heavy flagstone from the floor without any words or wand movements; it was a great show of magical power and strength. When Susan opened her eyes, they had a yellowy glint to them and murmuring in Latin, almost as if she were in a trance, Susan sent the stone flying at the dummy.

Tom clapped his hands with the rest of the class, "Fantastic Miss Bones, a truly splendid display of elemental magic. That is a beautiful thing to behold. Many people believe magic so ancient and pure is on the verge of dying out."

Susan smiled proudly.

"But," Tom finished, "Would you mind putting my classroom back together, please?"

Susan laughed, "Sorry, Professor," she admitted, repairing the flagstone and setting it back in place.

Harry looked up and caught Tom's eye. The Professor had just called forward the first Ravenclaw as he thought to Harry, I want her. I want as many founders descendants as possible working with me.

Harry bowed his head, Noted. I will see what I can do.

The Ravenclaws were, for the most part, predictable. Accuracy and spell-casting was their strong point, as you would expect.

Michael Corner had impressed Harry with his power and inventiveness, though – he used a spell that made several arrows fly out of his wand simultaneously, all branching off to hit the dummy in different places. They pierced the dummy with such force that some of them went right through it, and Harry nodded.

Nice, he thought to himself.

Terry Boot and Anthony Goldstein were both quite powerful, and Padma Patil was weak but precise. Harry had known all of this already though, having taught them himself in the DA.

Harry knew how powerful Lily was, and he also expected that Tom would pull her up last for that reason – finish on a high and all that.

Tom beckoned up the first of two wildcards – Mandy Brocklehurst. The dark-skinned, curly-haired girl proved to be rather ordinary.

Lisa Turpin was tall and pretty, with long brown hair and big brown eyes. She looked quite cute and harmless until she attacked the dummy. She raised her wand and focused, then cried, "Confringo!"

The curse, which produced a fiery explosion, hit the dummy in the chest and blasted it against the back wall, where the flames consumed it in seconds.

Harry clapped with his classmates and murmured, "Who knew, huh? Michael Corner and Lisa Turpin, top of the power class for the Ravenclaws."

"We haven't seen Lily yet," Draco whispered as Lily stepped forward, "And it's hardly a surprise anyway. Corner and Turpin both have Greengrass blood, and you know how powerful they are."

Harry frowned, "Remind of how they are related to Daphne again," he said.

Draco didn't chuckle as he usually would at such a comment. Instead, he just replied, "Distantly. Daphne's Grandfather had two siblings – a sister, who married Fleamont Potter, and a brother who married a muggle-born. That brother had three children, a son who died without an heir last year and twin daughters, one of whom married the pureblood Michael Corner Senior and another who married the muggle-born, Horatio Turpin."

"Got it, thanks," Harry whispered.

They fell silent after that because they were interested to see what Lily would do, as was Tom it seemed from the way he was looking at her. She had left her wand on the table, which caught several people's attention because generally, it was only those who could control elemental magic or people like Neville who did not use a wand.

Lily closed her eyes and concentrated. When she opened them, her eyes were ablaze, and her hands burned bright red. She took a step forward and placed her hands on the dummy, burning two holes in its chest. That in itself was quite impressive, but when she lunged forward and disintegrated the dummy, everyone stared in silent awe.

"Excellent, Miss Black," Tom said as he too revelled at her abilities.

Harry sent a thought Tom's way; how can she do that? Must she be descended from Gryffindor somehow?

Tom told them to take notes about what they had seen. He sat down behind his desk and thought back, I doubt it. If you are descended from Gryffindor, which I believe you are, then it must be through a squib line via your mother. The Blacks descend from the Peverell family, which has no links to Gryffindor whatsoever.

So how can she do that? Harry glanced up at Lily. Although she looked smug, she also seemed paler than usual.

She has simply learned to control her chaos. That raging, raw magic that we all have inside of us? Lily can control that with sheer will power.

Harry looked from Lily to Tom, who was staring resolutely down at whatever he was writing.

No wonder you like her so much.

Tom didn't look up, but Harry did see him smile slightly. Then his mind went blank as he shut the metaphorical door in Harry's face.

* TBC *