"Welcome back to alchemy. It seems you are the only one in my sixth year class, which means we will hopefully be able to achieve far more," professor Tomak smiled. "Your gemstones, how are they growing?"

"Very well sir, I've made a tidy profit on them, which is funding my other experiments. I have some questions though."

"Ask away," the professor encouraged.

"Why doesn't the material market adjust itself to the value of materials based on their alchemaic value?" Harry questioned. Tomak merely hummed thoughtfully.

"Make no mistake, many alchemists do, but the scale of the operations are so small and for such short periods that the effects on the market long term are limited. Besides, how many alchemists do you believe there are worldwide?"

"Ten thousand?" Harry threw out a random number, eliciting a chuckle from Tomak.

"Try two hundred," the professor responded. "Do you know how rare it is to have an opportunity to learn alchemy, mister White? I am the only professor of the subject teaching in an ICW recognised school. Most can only learn if they are apprenticed to an established master, though most will never take on more than one. Flamel, in his seven hundred years, has taken on three apprentices, that we know of, at least. Tell me, do you find alchemy difficult?"

"Quite, professor," Harry conceded. It was true, there were literally thousands of variables for even the simplest of alchemical rituals, and the material preparation had to be very precise. Were his mind not augmented to process information at a much more efficient rate, he had no doubt that he would have struggled in the subject.

"There is a reason why we spend the entire first year merely looking at material properties apart from having data," Tomak assured. "It is to test the mental aptitude of students. Most decide to drop out, or fail in the process because they aren't careful enough. Even among those who pass, only a fraction among those, such as yourself, can hope to achieve even a basic competency in alchemy. That you managed to get through fifth year was honestly a surprise to me. Some years, there will be no fifth, sixth or seventh year class."

"Truly in line with the Durmstrang ideals then," Harry mused. Tomak hummed in agreement.

"Regardless, it allows us to move at a pace I believe you are capable of. Who knows, perhaps you might gain a mastery in my subject. So let us begin." He waved his hand over the blackboard, revealing several ritual circle designs.

"Now, while thus far we have stuck to the basic alchemical ritual circle, in truth, there is no limit to how much one can sacrifice. Currently, a two stage circle pushes the limit of what we can do, as the power required increases exponentially. This is the basic structure, as you can see, seven branches with seven sub-branches each.

Harry quickly copied down the runes, before nodding for the professor to continue. With another flick of his wand, the board now displayed various alchemical bases, sacrifices and conduits. "As you can see, there are a large possibilities for variation in each sacrifice. An infamous case involved a wizard going underwater to do his ritual, because air was an unsuitable medium of subversion. But you can read about that in your own time."

Waving his wand, the board quickly honed in on one corner, displaying a list of conduits. "Let us start with the most important part of the ritual, conduits. In general, there are three types of conduits used. Platinum, gold and your preferred method in runes, blood. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Most alchemists use platinum, for it possesses a good balance between longevity and efficiency. Gold is the most stable metal, and thus will last for near indefinite amounts of rituals, yet is also very inefficient because its stability impedes alchemical forces, despite being a good magical conduit. This seeming contradiction has been the subject of extensive study with little results, but outside the scope of today's discussion. Blood is the most effective conduit, but of course, usually lasts only for a single sacrifice before requiring everything to be drawn again. Thus only the most costly rituals are done in blood, for most cases. Questions?"

"Does the blood of magical creatures work better than that from wizards?" At the professor's smirk, he knew he was in for an in depth discussion.

-Break-

"Katerina," he called out to her, gesturing for her to join him. Quickly excusing herself from several others, she made her way to his side with a smile.

"Harry, what's up?"

"It's been a while since I've spent any time with you in private. Care to do some duelling?"

"Sure," she agreed, almost glowing in happiness at the offer and latching onto his hand. "What brought this up?"

"Maybe I just miss spending time with a close friend," Harry mused. She chuckled wryly.

"Somehow I doubt it. You can just tell me what you want," Katerina promised. Harry rolled his eyes. As they entered one of the now literal hundreds of pits, he flicked his wand, raising several protective and privacy wards around them.

"I wouldn't mind learning more about your summer," he mused as she flicked her wand, firing several blasting curses in rapid succession. He weaved through them casually. "Impressive, your movements are faster than when we last duelled."

"Still a lot to learn from you, though," she grit out, waving her wand in an intricate motion and conjuring several knives before banishing them at him. Lazily, he flicked his wand, causing a wall of marble to shoot out from the ground, allowing the knives to embed themselves on its surface before banishing the entire piece towards her.

Without missing a beat, Katerina rolled to the side, firing several cutting curses, though he batted them away with pitiful ease. "Come now, surely you haven't just been practising low level curses, I know you're better than that."

"Fine," she grinned, casting a decapitation curse followed by a blood boiler and an organ liquifier. He quirked an eyebrow, dodging the spells in an invisible dance. "Now you're just showing off."

"Just a bit," he admitted, grinning as he continued to twirl around to an invisible beat, flicking a stinging hex towards her when she watched his motions enthralled. Letting out a yelp, she adopted an abashed look as she quickly flung several deadly spell chains at him. "That's good, but you'll have to do better than that, I'm afraid."

With a wide smirk, she raised her wand, the tip glowing a brilliant white that quickly engulfed the entire arena. Harry shut his eyes, merely continuing his motions unhindered. When the flash had faded, she was left gaping as he continued to dance around her.

"Such an amateurish trick," he chided, "Are you even trying, Kat?"

"Meow," she snarked back, casting a depulso at her feet and propelling herself into the air, firing several spells in quick succession. Harry avoided them with the same usual grace, clearly beginning to frustrate the girl as she landed with a roll. "Stay still, you bastard!"

"Make me, bitch," he returned amusedly. Her eyes were adorned with a dangerous glint as she conjured a flock of butterflies around her, though Harry noticed they had a nearly metal glint on them. Slightly weary, he narrowly dodged two as they hurled towards him at bullet like speeds, allowing him to observe them closely. They were indeed metallic, and his eyes narrowed. "Impressive, what spell is this?"

"Conjuration combined with transfiguration," she answered, clearly out of breath from the exertion of doing so, even as she sent a torrent at him. With ease, he sent a jet of flames so hot they vaporised the constructs and forced her to raise a hasty shield to block the flames.

"Impressive. Most impressive," he complimented in regards to her shield, which held up to his flames. He ended them after several seconds when observing it begin to flicker. "You've done well for yourself, Katerina."

"Not enough to match you," she returned, taking several deep breaths. "You were going easy on me."

"The purpose of our duels is not for you to beat me or I you. It is for me to offer corrections, to empower you to grow stronger, speedier, smarter."

"And what did you observe?"

"You're not leveraging your surroundings enough. How does Dumbledore keep up with Voldemort, a witch decades his junior with, reportedly, far stronger magic?"

"By experience?"

"Both have enough to make it negligible," Harry shook his head. "It is by leveraging the environment around him. In a direct charms duel, I daresay I could likely match Dumbledore. In reality, he would be able to transfigure the environment to such an extent that I know I still stand no chance. I suspect, in fact, it was how he beat Grindelwald."

"I see," she murmured.

"That is what I dislike about duels. The arenas are always too sterile. In a true fight, you could be in a forest, a mountain peak, in the ruins of a city. Regardless, there would be terrain to manipulate, and opportunities to exploit in a way that a duel cannot simulate."

"Another difference between duels and fights then," she postulated, to which he nodded.

"Indeed. But enough of this, I'm satisfied with the progress you've been making. Let us now practise our team fighting." She had a predatory grin on her face as he conjured up several opponents, and the two began working in harmony, reading each other's subtle nudges to duck, weave and dodge spells without exposing the other to harm's way.

-Break-

"Right, you'll be good for me, right, Rose?" Lily asked, a stern expression on her face. Rose merely pouted, eliciting a chuckle from James.

"Not too good, though, right, flower?" James asked, ruffling her hair playfully. She merely basked in her father's touch, even as Lily smacked James on the arm.

"You'll ruin her hair," Lily chided with exasperation, which only grew when father and daughter shot her equally mischievous looks, both the familiar hazel she had grew to love. "Besides, I'm going to be a professor, I'm sure my darling daughter will behave, right?"

"Of course, professor," Rose giggled, shooting James a conspiratorial wink.

"Lily, James," a stern voice interrupted, causing the three to turn. A tall woman in her late forties, wearing a monocle, held a warm gaze as she was followed by a miniature version of herself, with auburn hair cascading down her shoulders in curly locks.

"Susan!" Rose chirped happily, pulling the other girl into a hug as they began talking to each other in excited hushes. Amelia had a look of bemusement on her face, while James and Lily merely favoured the two children with fond smiles.

"They grow up so fast, don't they?" Amelia mused softly. The two Potters hummed their agreement. "You'll keep an eye on Susan for me, won't you, Lily?"

"Of course, as if you need to ask," the Potter matron assured warmly. "Susan is like a second daughter to me."

"James, Lily, Amelia," a clipped voice interjected into their conversation, heralding the arrival of the dowager Longbottom along with her grandson Neville, who was quickly dragged into a conversation with the two excitable girls.

"Augusta," Amelia greeted warmly, and the dowager's expression softened for a moment before hardening at the sight of the Potter parents. As one of the few individuals who knew about Harry's disappearance, she had never trusted nor liked the Potters again, and only tolerated them for the sake of Neville's bonds with Rose.

The whistle sounded, and James and Lily quickly wrapped Rose in a hug while Longbottom and Bones did the same with their own children.

"Be good, okay? I'll see you at Hogwarts," Lily sobbed tearfully, drawing an eye roll form Rose.

"You'll see me again in a few hours, there's no need to cry," she jibbed playfully. Lily merely shook her head.

"You'll understand when you have your own children, dear," she assured, before shooing Rose onto the train. As Amelia and Augusta excused themselves, James held onto Lily tightly. "I can't believe our baby girl is already going to Hogwarts...a few more years, and she'll have her own life."

"She'll always be our baby girl," James chuckled. "Do you reckon she'll be in Gryffindor?"

"My money's on Hufflepuff," Lily answered, looking amused at the slight grimace this brought James. "Need I remind you that Amelia, your boss, was a Hufflepuff?"

"No, it's just...Potters have always been Griffyndor, but if it makes my baby girl happy, then tradition can stuff itself," he shrugged. Lily smiled at this answer, hugging his arm tightly.

"Do you...do you think Harry will be there?" she asked, a tinge of desperation colouring her question. James had grown slightly stiff.

"He'll come back to us, one day," he whispered reassuringly. Lily nodded, tears forming in her eyes.

"W...what if he hates us?" her voice cracked. James quickly cast a privacy ward around them upon noticing a few curious onlookers.

"Then we'll just have to earn his trust back, won't we?" he resolved. "No matter what, we're family. That has to count for something."

"I hope so...I really hope so, James."

-Break-

Lily Potter sat at the staff table as she watched the nervous first years troop in. She easily picked out Rose, with her long, flowing black hair and mischievous hazel eyes, though she was left slightly disappointed when she couldn't immediately sight a boy with messy raven hair and bright green eyes like her own. Still, she clung onto hope.

"Abbot, Hannah," the first name was called. She clapped at the appropriate moments, but her heart was set on waiting for that fateful name to be called. "Perks, Sally-Anne"

She held out hope, this was it. This was going to be it...he had to be here. She didn't know what she would do if he wasn't. "Potter, Rose."

Lily slumped down defeated, ignoring the concerned look she received from several of the other professors. Instead, she forced herself to smile encouragingly at Rose as she nervously stepped up to the chair and sat down, at which point Mcgonagall placed the sorting hat over her head.

For several minutes, she waited with bated breath, beginning to worry for Rose as the whispers from the students grew. After six minutes, the hat finally called out, "Hufflepuff."

The table in yellow and black burst to their feet cheering, deafening the entire hall with their excitement as Rose took off the hat and handed it to Mcgonagall, before skipping over to sit next to Susan, who had saved a seat for her best friend. At the Griffyndor table, two twins looked horrified, exclaiming dourly, "We didn't get Potter?"

Lily narrowed her eyes at that comment. She had never quite liked the Weasley brood. She had no problems with Arthur, a polite man with a fascination yet humorous ignorance towards muggle things. No, it was the domineering nature of Molly that rubbed her the wrong way. Needless to say, the Weasleys had never been invited to any Potter event, despite the subtle prodding of Dumbledore over the years. She would keep an eye on the twins.

It took several minutes for the Hufflepuffs to be calm enough for the sorting to continue, at which point Lily focused on maintaining an outwardly friendly composure, refusing to let her disappointment show. There was always next year, after all.

-Break-

"Welcome to the dark arts," professor Ivan Zakharov whispered softly, his tone crisp and sharp. "I have reviewed the material that your former professor went through and found it...adequate. Those of you here have proven yourselves able to cast the basic dark curses expected of a youngling, but there has been a sore lack in the discussion on the philosophy of the dark arts."

Several snickers from students quickly drew the professor's ireful glare, silencing them. "Do you find it...funny? The dark arts are much more than a few incantations and wand movements! They are a lifestyle, one which needs to be embraced for one to hope to achieve understanding."

He waved his wand, and the question 'what are the dark arts' appeared on the board. "Most ministries would have you believe the dark arts are something that can be defined by snivelling bureaucrats sitting in a boardroom. No! The dark arts are magic fuelled by negative intent. Much like how a patronus can be considered part of the light arts, for a spell to be considered dark, there must be negative emotion behind it. A basic cutting curse redeo is not considered dark because it can be cast with the intent to cut without the intent to injure, making it a neutral spell. Who can name a dark curse?"

"The unforgivables," one student proffered, drawing a stiff nod from the professor.

"The most infamous ones," he ground out. "Requires the intent to totally control another, to inflict absolute pain on another, or to deprive another of their life. Ironically, it is the most feared, the killing curse, that is the easiest to cast because of this threshold. Make no mistake, when cast properly, these are among the most potent magics known in this world. You would do well to avoid them."

He paused, observing the reactions and gave a feral smile at the impassive looks he received. "Good, it seems the weak have been weeded out already, a reason why I do like Durmstrang. Today, we will be casting a basic curse, the traumata curse, designed to inflict absolute fear in another. The incantation is in the name, and the wand motion is a curl followed by a swish. You will now pair up and attempt to cast the spell."

Harry found himself opposite a lanky boy who looked displeased to be his partner. With a lazy flick of his wand, Harry cast the jet black curse, striking the boy and causing him to fall to the ground, screaming and spasming. Quickly lifting the curse lest the boy fall to complete insanity, he appreciated the frightful murmurs of those around him as the professor rushed over to chcek on the boy.

"You," he pointed to another boy, "take him to the infirmary."

Turning to Harry, the professor observed him shrewdly before tilting his head. "Pair up with miss Antov, you are to receive the curse. You can dish it out, let's see if you can take it."

He stood impassively across from the girl, who was the de facto leader of the Preservationist factions. Her burning glance's hatred was unmistakable, undoubtedly not helped by his cheerful wave. After several failed attempts, she cast a jet black spell, a gleeful look on her face as Harry mock winced.

"Oh no! I can't stand it! The fear of collapsing in laughter," he snarked, causing the girl to rear back as if slapped. Several others laughed at her plight, causing her to blush and recast the spell. He felt a slight tingle, but merely let out a snort.

"Enough, mister White. I suppose a little girl couldn't be expected to do much. We shall see how you handle the curse. Traumata!"

This time, Harry felt a strong tug against him, and forced his occlumency shields to relax, embracing the brief tingle of fear before it was ruthlessly crushed. He merely stared impassively back at Zakharov, who let out a pleased grunt.

"Impressive, boy. It seems my daughter was right about you. You may leave, your time here would be wasted anyways." With a respectful nod, he left the classroom, heading to the library to do some quick studying before his potions lesson.

-Break-

"Aurelius Kotova," Harry greeted kindly, gesturing to the seat in front of him. "Sit, would you like a drink?"

"Just water will be fine," he answered calmly, descending onto the seat gracefully as she took the proffered drink and sipped. "I'm honoured to be in your presence, sir."

"Megan gave you the highest recommendations, and I found myself curious."

"Then I owe her much thanks, it seems," Aurelius answered silkily. Harry hummed in agreement.

"Tell me about yourself."

"I'm well versed in politics, and seem to have a knack for organising paperwork and logistics. I'd fit perfectly in a secretarial role, and that was very much my plan upon graduation."

"Was?"

"My parents were...disappeared. Let's just say my career options have dwindled since," he answered sharply. Harry inclined his head in understanding.

"What do you seek from me?"

"Purpose," Aurelius answered simply. Harry raised an inquiring eyebrow, and the boy elaborated, "You have a cause, I am willing to support it."

"I have people that would die for me. A dozen graduates last year now live in the muggle world simply by my request. Can you say the same?"

"I will offer you all I have," he answered simply. Harry had a brief flashback to his emergence from the camps, but quashed it, settling for nodding impassively.

"And if that is not enough?"

"Then I am prepared to face punishment," the boy answered simply. Harry probed Aurelius with his legilimency, surprising himself when he found the boy to be completely truthful. It seemed that Megan had really found a star candidate. Withdrawing the probe, he let out a thoughtful hum.

"What will you do if I reject you now?"

"Continue adrift trying to find my purpose," the boy proffered, for the first time in the conversation looking slightly uneasy.

"I see. And what do you intend to do if I accept?"

"To serve you to the best of my abilities."

"And if I send you to die?"

"Then I shall do so, knowing that I have played a part, however small, in fulfilling a purpose greater than myself."

"Welcome to the circle," Harry smiled, extending a hand. Aurelius shook it firmly, and for the first time in the conversation, smiled.

Author Note:

Welcome to the second chapter of the day! We finally get to see more of the Potters after this! Definitely a more relaxed chapter, next up we're going to be visiting Harry's circle in the muggle world, where there's going to be a bit more action happening. It's already early in the morning when I'm publishing this since I worked overnight, so you'll have to forgive the lack of worldbuilding. I'll make up for it in the next chapter. There seems to be reader fatigue just as I'm starting to feel the burn, so over the next few days it might be slightly erratic, though I still aim to maintain 1-2 chapter per day release cycle. While I'll try to stop myself from allowing quality to drop, be sure to leave a comment if you feel that's starting to happen, as of course I'm unable to be fully objective on this as the author. Criticism, as usual, is vital to my improvement as an author, and any feedback you can give, be it positive or negative, is appreciated.

If you enjoyed, be sure to favourite, follow, share with others and leave a comment, even if just to say hi. Until next time, toodles!