The Master of Death
Chapter 2
WARNING: THIS IS NOT AN UPDATE.
A/N: For those of you are wondering this is not a HarryxTheoxBlaise. I have nothing against gay people, but I don't feel comfortable writing a story like that. No they will be two of Harry's best friends. Hope this clears up any problems.
I would also like to thank HPpureblood, 92, anarion87, mwinter1, oro03910, naruto, Guest, Zero Requiem98, Viktor Marshall, MarilynT, HungryHungryHippie, hunzbookwrym, TheGreatBubbaJ, smokey054life1, .90, The Howling Behemoth, TheFishKing, David305 and InfinityMask for your reviews.
"Normal speak"
'Normal thought'
"Spells,"
§Parseltongue§
"Sorting Hat inside the mind"
-X- Line Break -X-
The journey to Hogwarts had been done in silence after Ron Weasley had left. The three occupants, Harry Potter, Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott had nothing to say and no wish to speak. Each content to do something different. Theodore was reading a book, a book without a title. Blaise was enjoying the silence, his eyes looking out the window. Harry himself was once again in his mindscape, rebuilding the tower of Barad-dûr and also trying to recreate the Eye of Sauron.
The results were slow, more so than his tower. The tower had been the most simple as it was meant to be a defence against a brute force Legilimency attack. The Eye was to do three things. The first was to seek out any intruders, both subtle and not. The second was to organise his defences. It was to decide personally what would defences would be used and was to act subconsciously, until he took over. Its final function was to act as a final defence.
Slowly the train came to a stop and the three boys stopped what they were doing. Each were dressed in their school uniform. Moving out of their compartment they exited onto the Platform.
Hundreds of children, ranging from their first to the seventh year were doing the same as them.
"So where do we go from here?" Harry asked while looking at his two companions.
"Dunno. My mother never told me what happened, said it was a surprise." Blaise answered with a shrug. "What about you Theo?"
"Pretty much the same."
"First years! First years follow me!" A large booming voice sounded over the chatter of the students.
"Guess that answers our question." Blaise said. Snorting the three moved forwards, falling into line with the rest of first years they moved towards the lake shore. All around it where boats, from what Hogwarts: A History said they were charmed to move on their own.
They were at the back of the group and so had to make do with the only boat with a single person on it. He was short, chubby and had blonde hair. He looked very nervous and timid, clutching tightly onto the toad in his hand as if it would disappear at any moment. The boy jumped as soon as he felt the boat rock.
Theodore and Blaise chuckled in amusment, while Harry spared him a pity filled glance.
"Sorry about that." He apologised sheepishly
"N-no its okay." The boy reassured quickly. Harry frowned slightly, the boy was far too timid. Would he have turned out like that if he hadn't gained his freedom? "I-I'm Neville Longbottom." The las part of his name was a whisper, it was obvious to the three of them that the last name was not something he was proud of.
"You should take more pride in your name, the Longbottom's are one of the few Most Ancient and Most Noble Houses left in Magical Britain." Theodore stated causing the boy to blush.
"He's right you know." Harry said afterwards, stopping Neville becoming reclusive. He knew the signs, he was once the same. "The Longbottom's are descended from a group of Viking raiders that came to England to plunder, but were defeated by my family and made England their home. You are even descended from legendary Viking warriors such as Ragnar Lodbrok, Bjorn Ironside and Ivar the Boneless. The Longbottom's are part of elite group of Wizarding families called the Seven Warlords. Only the most powerful families could be members of this elite group because they were once the seven ruling families of Magical Britain." Harry informed. "You're also allies to my family, the Potters."
T-then you're…" Neville mumbled out with wide eyes.
"Yea, I'm the Boy-Who-Lived, but please call me Harry. I hate my moniker." Hesitantly Neville nodded his head, his eyes slowly glancing up to his forehead. Unlike the Weasley boy, Neville had the manners not to ask.
"Aren't you meant to be a Squib?" Blaise sked curiously.
"Yea, my grandma thought I was a Squib when I didn't show any signs of accidental magic." He was shy and full of shame in the way he spoke. Once again a sign of not having a relatively good home life.
"She's stupid then." Harry bluntly cut in. Blaise instantly burst out laughing, while Theodore chuckled in amusment. Even Neville cracked a smile.
"You, you have to be a Gryffindor to say that about Augusta Longbottom." Blaise said through fits of laughter. Augusta was the only one to ever openly oppose both Dumbledore, the dark faction and the neutral faction. However, neither had taken any action as she was well-known for her fearsome reputation of dealing with her enemies quietly and quickly. No one dared get on her bad side, and those that did tended to constantly look over their shoulder for the rest of their lives.
"Mind yer 'eads!" Hagrid shouted while stood on his boat. Many first years shrieked and ducked. In fact, the only one that didn't was the people on their boat, though Neville didn't bow only because the other three didn't.
When they came out from underneath the low hanging rock face they saw Hogwarts in all its splendour. Truly, it was a magnificent sight. With its high towers and the lights that illuminated the sheer size of it all. Harry had never seen anything more beautiful in his entire life.
"Now I see why she didn't tell me." Blaise whispered. The other three nodded in agreement. To tell the child what they were to expect would have been a travesty.
When they came to a bottom of the hill, they piled up onto a small dockyard area. It was a tight fit, but they only had to wait before a stern looking witch appeared. She stared at them all, judging each and every one of them.
"Follow me." She ordered and turned on her heel. All around him, Harry watched as Hogwarts went by, he could feel its magic saturating him. Just by being here he felt more alive than he had ever felt before. His eyes then slowly drifted to the stern witch leading their little procession. She moved with grace and her magic was barely non-existent. It was completely different to the students surrounding. Even his control paled in comparison to hers.
After a few minutes of walking they came to a stop outside two very large doors. The stern witch stood before them and faced each of them.
"Wait here, when I come back you shall be escorted into the Great Hall where you will then be sorted into each of the four houses." The stern witch said before disappearing behind the door.
"So, I heard Harry Potter is here amongst us." A snobby voice broke the small silence. All heads turned to face the owner of the voice to see a boy with sharp, pointed features, sleek white-blonde hair and grey eyes that looked down upon every person present. "Where is he?"
"He's right there." Ron Weasley pointed at Harry. Instantly all eyes changed from the blonde boy, to the Boy-Who-Lived. Each held a gaze of wonderment and awe as they beheld their idol.
"Ah, so you're the famous Boy-Who-Lived." Draco strutted forwards his held high with pride and he sneered at anyone who got too close to him. Once he was in front of Harry he took into account that Blaise, Theodore and Neville stood nearby. "My name is Draco Malfoy of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Malfoy. You'd do well to make friends with people matching your station." It was obvious he tried to make his 'proposal' of friendship very appealing, but sadly he failed miserably.
Grasping Draco's opened hand he shook it and leant forward.
"I am, Draco Malfoy of the Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy." He whispered, pulling away he smirked at the flushed face of the young Malfoy heir. Luckily for the boy no one could hear what he said, but the way Draco clenched his fists tightly it was obvious Harry had angered him. "I can make my own friends, thank you very much."
"That will be quite enough." The voice of the same stern witch spoke up, breaking the tension. "My name is Professor McGonagall, I am the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, Head of Gryffindor House and the Transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts. You will pass through these doors and be sorted into your respective houses, they are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. When you are sorted you will become part of the competition for the House Cup. You will gain points by doing good deeds and following the rules. However, you will lose points if you break any rules." Professor McGonagall explained.
Turning around she opened the doors and strolled into the room. The first years followed afterward, each of them nervous ad shy as hundreds of eyes regarded them with curiosity.
"There looking for you, you know." Theodore whispered from beside him. Harry observed the people more closely and saw that they were in fact, looking for someone in particular. Honestly, the wizards and witches of Magical Britain had no tact. His eyes strayed to the table of green and silver to see that they only spared the first years a glance before turning away. It seems some had tact after all.
"You can say that again." Neville piped up, his voice lacked the stutter that each of his sentences normally did. "I wish they'd stop staring."
'It seems Neville is already beginning to change. With enough time he would be a valuable ally, especially with the amount of magic I can sense hidden away in him.' Harry smirked at Neville. "Me too Neville, me too."
Soon they came to a stop before the steps that lead to the High Table. Before them though was a single stool with a raggedy hat on top. As time passed the first years began to grow more nervous, before they suddenly gave a jump of shock as the hat began to sing.
"Oh you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
You're top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head,
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve and chivalry
Set Gryffindor's apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuff are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
if you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin,
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"
Harry couldn't help himself, nor could any of the first years. They burst into a round of applause with the rest of the student body and the teachers. Though, those that had seen it were far more subdued.
"Now, before we begin, Professor Dumbledore would like to say a few words." Behind her, the man in question rose to his feet.
"I have a few start of term notices I wish to announce. The first years please note," he leaned forward staring at the students in question. "That the Dark Forest is strictly forbidden to all students. Also our caretaker, Mr Filch has asked me to remind you that the third floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds, to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death. Thank you." Harry snorted in amusment, an act that did not go unnoticed by his three companions.
"When I call your name, you will come up, sit on the stool, and wait for your house to be called." Professor McGonagall instructed. "First up, Abbot, Hannah." Named were called, one after the other, from A-L. "Longbottom, Neville." Hesitantly the boy walked forwards, sitting down upon the stool.
"Well I do say, you are a difficult one. Brave, oh yes though only when you need to be. A desire to kill as well, oh I can sense that as well." The Sorting Hat spoke from within his mind, jumping slightly he looked around. "Calm down, I am in your head, simply think what you wish to say."
'K-kill. I couldn't kill.' Neville argued.
"Not even, Bellatrix Lestrange." The hat pressed instantly silencing Neville. "Oh yes dear boy, I know you better than you know yourself. But that is not why where here, no we are here to see which house you would suit best. You have traits that Godric would have been proud of, but your loyalty to your friends is admirable. So it best be, HUFFLEPUFF!" It exclaimed out loud causing the Hufflepuff table to burst into applause.
Moving towards the table he spared Harry a glance, to see him give a nod in return. With renewed pride, Neville moved towards the Hufflepuff table and took a seat.
Blaise watched the interaction and smirked in amusment. Daphne did forget to mention one thing about the enigma that was Potter, he had charisma. Even without speaking he exuded this aura that drew you to him. That and the power he had at his disposal was well-known to those that looked for it. Looking to Theodore they both nodded their heads. Harry Potter would be a powerful political figure and their families would do best if they created a bond with what would become the rising power of House Potter.
"Nott, Theodore." The hat had barely been on his head for a few seconds before it shouted, "SLYTHERIN!" The table in question politely clapped their hands together. "Potter, Hadrian." Instantly the Great Hall went quiet. Everyone snapped to attention as they looked at the young boy who strolled forwards.
"Is that him?"
"Wow, he's really cute."
"I can't believe it's really him!"
These were but a few of the sentences he managed to hear from the jumbled mess that was the chatter of the Great Hall. He ignored it all and sat down on the chair.
"My, my, your defences are very skilled for a child of your age." The Sorting Hat praised. Instantly he clamped down on his mind, slowly pushing away the intruder from his more private memories. "There's no need for that, Mr Potter. I have already seen your memories. If you're worried about me sharing your plans and secrets with your enemies then be worried no more. The Four Founders made it impossible for me to share any secrets of the students with anyone." Slowly, Harry relaxed the pressure on his mind.
'How long will this take?' Harry inquired.
"It depends, some like your acquaintance Mr Nott were very easy to sort however, and Mr Longbottom on the other hand was much harder to sort."
'And what about me?'
"You are very easy, more so than Mr Longbottom, but much more difficult than Mr Nott. You have traits from all four houses. You are brave, but only when it suits your needs. You are loyal to those your trust, but do not trust easily. You have a desire for knowledge, but only so you can use it against your enemies. However, above all, you have cunning and ambition more so than any other trait you possess. So it better be, SLYTHERIN!"
Taking the hat off his head and placing it on the stool, he walked towards the Slytherin table where only a few were capable of clapping their hands. Sitting down beside Theodore he looked at the High Table. His eyes roaming over each teacher. The Headmaster continued to smile benevolently at him, the half-giant looked at him shock as did a few other professors.
Moments passed of complete silence, then Professor McGonagall continued calling out the names of the first years. Many students turned their attention away from him, while some continued to study him.
He paid them no heed. Instead focusing on the dwindling group of first years. Slowly, more and more of the first years were sorted into the four houses until only Blaise remained. The brown skinned boy sat down and just like with Theodore, it instantly declared him as a Slytherin.
"The very best of welcome to you!" Professor Dumbledore announced as he stood from his chair. Those few students that had been talking, quickly quietened down. "Now… to our new students, welcome, to our old students, welcome back! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you." He sat down. Harry turned back around and stared at the large amount of food laid out before him.
"Is he mad?" Harry asked.
"Mad?" Blaise questioned, before looking at Dumbledore. They all took in the colour of his robes. "I guess, you have to be to wear robes of that colour. Ghastly." He turned his nose up in disgust gaining chuckles of amusment from Theodore and Harry.
"All powerful men and women are a bit mad. Each show it in different ways, but it's there." Theodore elaborated.
"Power come with a price. It's a burden. It demands sacrifice." Harry whispered. Theodore and Blaise looked at him in curiosity. "It's a quote spoken by a muggle called, Drew Karpyshyn." He explained. Reaching forward he began placing food on his plate.
"The muggles are just a bunch of barbarians." Blaise sneered. "Nothing but bugs for us to crush." Swallowing some food, Harry turned to look at Blaise with a raised eyebrow.
"That's very arrogant of you. True, muggles were once barbarians, but they are no longer that way. They are civilised and have mad advances in all types of science. Making weapons that can move faster than you can think." Placing his knife and fork on the table he turned to face Blaise. "Look at me." Blaise did so and watched as Harry blinked his eyes. "You'd be dead now."
"W-what?" Blaise stuttered. Behind Harry, Theodore smirked in amusment at seeing Blaise stutter. He was never one to do so, but seeing it was so very amusing.
"Muggles have created a weapon that could shot a piece of metal so fast, that as soon as you blink it would hit you." Of course, it was nowhere near that fast as there was multiple factors to take into account but he didn't need to know that. "Not only that, but in the previous war they also created a weapon so powerful that it could wipe a city from the face of the earth in an instant. So don't go dismissing the muggles so easily."
"I…will try not to." It was obvious to Harry and Theodore that Blaise was completely shocked into silence.
-X- Line Break -X-
They hadn't stayed in the Great Hall much longer after that. Instead making their way to the common room, the Head Boy and Girl leading them. The entrance to the common room was only opened by a password that changed every fortnight. The password itself was, 'ambition.' An obvious password as it was one of the parts that made a Slytherin a Slytherin. It showed how little common sense wizards had. If all wizards were like this it showed why they had to hide from muggles.
The common room itself was dungeon like in its layout with greenish lamps and chairs. Sofas were black and green, button-tuffed leather. There were some skulls, wooden cupboards and snakes decorating the room.
The first years were pushed into the centre of the room, around them were the upper years. It was quite easy to tell which students were in which year, not just because of the way they looked, but of because the places they sat. Near the centre of the common room were the second years, the further out they went the higher the year. Obviously, it was meant to show the lower years their position.
Many of the first years moved with nervousness while some, himself, Theodore, Blaise, Draco and Daphne moved with an air of confidence.
Once seated in the centre of the room they looked around. Then the entrance to the common room opened and in came their Head of House, Professor Snape. He strolled forwards with his head held high and his cape flaring out behind him. It was impressive, very impressive.
"Welcome, I am Professor Severus Snape." He said simply, his eyes baring deeply into the first years. More specifically Harry. "We are the noble house of Slytherin, we are cunning and ambitious, not the brave and reckless like the Gryffindor's. If you have any problems with another member of this house, you solve it here, in this room. Outside we represent a united front." With that he strolled out.
The Head Boy moved forward next, taking the position of the Head of Slytherin house.
"I'm Jackson Winchester, Head Prefect for Slytherin house." He paused. "Each year has a single leader. If you wish to become the leader you must have more votes than your competitors. When you gain leadership you will have complete control over the rest of the people in your year. However, you must obey the leaders of the upper years, though if you wish you can choose to go against them." Here he smirked at the first years gaining more than a few nervous looks. "Two things be aware of is this. If you permanently injure or kill another competitor you will be automatically disqualified. Second, the Prefects and the Quidditch team are outside any leader's jurisdiction, any attempt to do so will see you immediately removed from leadership."
Harry looked at the first years around him. His eyes searching for any competition. Instantly he noticed that Draco seemed to be confident, if his cocky smirk was anything to go by. The boy was a fool, but he was the worst type of fool; a fool with a title. He would be quite easy to outthink and manoeuvre.
Turning around, Harry made his way towards the stairway to the dorm rooms. He planned to familiarise himself with his room and also work on his Occlumency. He was so close to recreating the eye of Sauron.
"What has the great house of Slytherin come to when we have a half-blood, blood traitor among our midst?" The pompous voice of Draco Malfoy spoke up just as he reached the steps. Turning around he looked to see that some of the nearby members had stopped to see the confrontation between Heir Malfoy and the Boy-Who-Lived.
"Were you talking about me, Malfoy?" Harry asked innocently.
"I am."
"Thank you for your kind words." With that, Harry turned around and made his way back up the stairs followed by the amused gazes of those that had been listening. Before he even got up three stairs, Malfoy spoke up once more.
"How dare you turn your back on the heir of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Malfoy?!" He seethed at the insult shown to him by someone he believed to be 'beneath' him.
"Are we really doing this again?" He asked incredulously to the Malfoy heir. Turning to Theodore he asked him a question. "Theodore, how long have the Malfoy's been around?"
"A century and a bit." Theodore smirked as he realised what Harry was doing.
"And how long must a family be around for, before it can be considered a Most Ancient house?"
"Three centuries." Nodding his head, Harry turned to face Blaise who seemed to be completely amused by the coming events. Behind him he could make out the inquiring and mirth filled gazes of every one in Slytherin.
"And have the Malfoy's done anything of great historical value, besides of course, been under the Imperious curse." The mocking tone he used got more than a few chuckles. "Of course, by being under the Imperious curse you can't claim any rewards or punishments. So correct me if I'm wrong, but the Malfoy's have done nothing else of worth."
"Not that I'm aware of." Blaise answered.
"That's twice Malfoy that you have falsely claimed a title that doesn't belong to you. If there is a third, I will be bringing this up with the Goblins, they will give your family the punishment that belongs to you." Harry smirked at the already pale face of Draco, growing paler.
With that, Harry turned on his heel and left for his room.
-X- Line Break -X-
The next morning, he woke up early. Quickly getting changed and going for a quick jog down to the Black Lake and then back to his room. When he arrived back in his dorm he saw that Blaise and Theodore were still not awake. So he used this time to focus on his Occlumency shields.
After putting Draco in his place he had spent the remainder of his time on recreating the Eye of Sauron. Blaise and Theodore were nowhere to be seen. He was thankful for this as he managed to get the eye to work. Of course it had taken him well over three hours of constant frustration. But he had done it.
This morning he was working on building some extra defences. The first was a large mountain range that surrounded the tower of Barad-dûr made from his desire to stay true to himself. It was quite easy to build them up to a necessary height.
There were four entrances, each were built up by a rough defence. The outer entrance had the Black Gate and behind it would be another building, then behind that would be another and behind that would be another. He had no time to focus on the rest so he instead created something similar to an Avalanche to block off the remaining entrances. Weak they were but it would provide him enough time to properly defend his mind from any intruder.
"Oi Harry, wake up." This was the reason why he had no time to focus on the other defences. Opening his eyes, Harry looked up to see Blaise nudging him awake. Upon seeing him awake, Blaise stopped. "Get changed quickly, we have to go down for breakfast."
Once again he found himself back in the Great Hall. Theodore sat across from him, with Blaise on his right hand side.
"You know, Draco will tell his father about what you did." Blaise finally spoke up.
"I know, but there's nothing he can do about it. The Goblins can't be bought or bribed. They know that if what I do is true they can take all the money that the Malfoy's have and I doubt that Lord Malfoy will give the Goblins all his money to save his skin." Harry explained. "So, do either of you plan to become leader of our year?"
"Nah, too much effort." Blaise said.
"No, Draco is already running for it. My father wants me to get on the good side of the Malfoy's or at least stay neutral unless I find a better person to ally our house with." Theodore said.
"What about you?"
"I thought I made it obvious." Harry replied to Blaise's question. "Malfoy tried to show me my place. If he did the rest of our year would have voted for him as the Boy-Who-Lived is beneath him. It was a far too Gryffindorish move and I simply used a Slytherin one to return it back to him. Now it's his turn to make a move. If he fails again his power base will suffer."
"I doubt it." Theodore said once more. Seeing the curious looks he elaborated further. "Draco's power base is not limited to just Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bulstrode, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Graham Montague and Peter Pike. He also has the Quidditch team on his side as Marcus Flint is on his father's pay role."
"Well, that makes things difficult." Harry said after a few moments of silence. "And who do you two support so far?"
"No one, but if you manage to perhaps, take away the Quidditch team from Draco. We could be convinced." It was Blaise who answered the question. Nodding his head, Harry looked towards Draco Malfoy who was currently conversing with his group of goons. A little ways down from them was another group of first year Slytherin's, three of them he didn't know, but one he recognised as been Daphne Greengrass. She must have felt his eyes on him because she turned to look at him.
"Potter." Turning away from the piercing gaze of the Greengrass heiress, he looked into the beading eyes of Professor Snape. As soon as his eyes locked onto the man's, he felt something brush against the Black Gate. Instantly his Eye of Sauron locked onto the shadowy figure and slowly the invader drew back.
Neither Potter nor Snape said a word, but both knew what happened. Passing over a slip of paper he spoke up.
"The Headmaster would like to see you after you're finished, Potter. Today, he seems to fancy Acid Pops." That was all Snape said before he left to hand out the rest of the timetables.
-X- Line Break -X-
He had not gone down to the Great Hall to eat breakfast, instead he sat in his office thinking of how things had changed.
Harry Potter was meant to be a timid and meek little boy which would follow his orders without question. That would be thanks to Hagrid who would help him collect his things from Diagon Alley and then the Weasley's that would help him get on the train. Things had not gone to plan.
Harry had gone to Diagon Alley and had obviously been made aware of his lordship as the Goblins had not allowed him access to the Potter Trust Vault under the orders of the heir of the Potter family. Then Molly had not found Harry at Platform 9¾. Luckily Ron Weasley had found him on the train and had tried to make friends with him only to be rebuffed by the arrival of Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini. The young Weasley had tried to play the victim, but a quick scan of his mind showed that it was the boy who insulted Harry.
He shook his head at the idiocy shown by Ronald. The boy was a disappointment.
He had of course continued to believe it was just circumstances that gave Harry his bit of power. But when he saw the boy, it proved that Harry did not turn out like he had hoped. The boy was confident, charisma and a level of power that was shocking for a boy his age.
He had raw power that matched that of a fifth year, but control over it that matched a fourth year. Nothing that would cause him or Voldermort any trouble, but enough to prove that the boy would be extremely powerful. Then there was the fact Harry had half of his magical bound. To be that powerful with his core bound was astounding.
So far the changes in the boy were worrying. He wasn't a boy that would be willing to sacrifice, it seems he'd have to take steps to make sure that the part of Voldemort's soul inside the boy was destroyed.
A knock on the door alerted him to someone outside.
"Come in." The door opened and in came the cause of his current predicament, Harry Potter. "Ah my boy, have a seat." He indicated to the seat across from him. The boy took it, only sparing a glance in Fawkes direction. That was odd, normally children stared at Fawkes in wonder and awe. "Lemon Drop?"
"No thank you, Professor." Harry shook his head. "Can I ask why I'm here?"
"Of course my boy." Dumbledore quickly answered. "Of course. I was wondering on how you are finding life in the magical world? I'm sure it must be very difficult for you to comprehend everything?"
"I'm really enjoying it so far, though it is quite different to the muggle world." Harry began. "Why?"
"No reason, just trying to satisfy this old man's curiosity." Dumbledore assured, he however quickly sent out a mental probe to skim the boys mind. He was shocked to find the boy's mind already well protected by Occlumency shields. He recognised the structures from a muggle book called Lord of the Rings. He had always loved muggle books compared to wizarding books. They were much more interesting to read.
His probe was instantly illuminated by an orange glow followed by a large amount of magical power that expelled him from the young Potter's mind.
Instantly he found himself on the receiving end of an emerald green glare. Behind them he could see the magic swirling around inside of him angrily. Giving a cough he placed a lemon drop inside his mouth. The calming drought he had placed inside the lemon drop instantly giving a sense of weightlessness.
"Forgive me, my boy. Sometimes my curiosity gets the better of me."
"Curiosity killed the cat, Professor." Harry ground out. Twice today he had found his mind assaulted. If it wasn't for his skills in Occlumency he would have had his secrets found out. Even then he had no doubt if they really tried to learn all of his secrets they would have done and he would have been helpless to stop them.
Dumbledore's eyes narrowed slightly, the twinkle in them dwindling. But it soon returned.
"Yes, yes it did. I shall try not to make the same mistake again. Can you forgive this old man?" Harry nodded his head stiffly and Dumbledore knew he needed to do something to salvage this situation. Perhaps, relieving the boy of his burden of managing the Potter Vaults and allowing him to instead focus on the wonder of magic. This benefited both parties. "I was wondering my boy. If you would like me to manage your vaults to allow you more time to focus on the wonders of magic?" He smiled brightly and the twinkle in his eyes became blinding.
"No." Giving a cough, Dumbledore looked into the eyes the same shade as the Killing Curse. It was unnerving how alike the two colours were.
"E-excuse me?"
"I said no, Professor." Harry said calmly.
"My boy, surely you must realise that the burden of your vaults will impair you from your studies." Dumbledore tried to reason.
"I am fine." Standing up he looked at Professor Dumbledore. "If that is all, Headmaster?" Dumbledore nodded his head and Harry left the room. All the while Dumbledore looked at the door he left through.
Fawkes trilled, once again calming him. Stroking the phoenix's feathers he began thinking of new plans that would still result in him creating the world he had always dreamed of.
-X- Line Break -X-
His first three weeks had gone by without much of a hitch. He had quickly established himself a prodigy in the art of magic. He excelled in Transfiguration, Charms, DADA and Potions. Each of the teachers those subjects sung praises of him, except for Professor Snape who only seemed to tolerate him.
He didn't know why, but for some reason Snape seemed to hate him.
His other lessons, Herbology, History of Magic and Astronomy had proven to be the more boring subjects. He was at the top of the class in Astronomy, joint top in History of Magic with the muggleborn Hermione Granger, he was second in Herbology with Neville been at the top.
His first flying lesson had been quite interesting and very amusing. Especially when Madam Hooch corrected the flying grips of Draco Malfoy and Ron Weasley after they had claimed to have been flying ever since they were young.
Not only that but the battle between Draco and Harry had come to a standstill with every attempt Draco had made to prove his power been rebuffed. It was obvious that no one in Slytherin in house knew who would win, but it was obvious that Harry was more Slytherin like. Draco was much like a Gryffindor, constantly instigating attacks, however Harry was like a Slytherin. Waiting for the enemy to get to close and then attack.
It was early afternoon, Blaise and Theodore were currently talking with some childhood acquaintances. The common room was empty except for a few students. He himself was focused on the seventh year, Marcus Flint who should have already left Hogwarts but was held back.
"Hello Marcus." Harry asked causing the seventh year Quidditch captain to look at him.
"What do you want, Potter?" Marcus growled out.
"I was wondering why you are working for a pompous brat like Malfoy?" Despite himself Marcus gave a snort of amusment. It had become well-known to everyone in Slytherin that without his father, Draco was nothing. "Let me rephrase that. How much is Lucius paying you?"
"Ten galleons." Marcus said, Harry internally rolled his eyes at the idiocy shown by the seventh year. No wonder he had to repeat his last year of education.
"What would it take you to work for me instead?"
"I ain't working for you, Potter no matter what you offer me." Marcus argued.
"Not even if I offer to double what Lucius is paying you, help you pass this year's exams and even offer you a job when you leave Hogwarts?" Marcus seemed to contemplate the offer for a few moments before nodding his head.
"You better hold out on your deal, Potter." Marcus threatened, Harry simply waved off the threat with a wave of his hand.
"I will do, just continue to work for Malfoy until I'm ready." With that, Harry turned and left for his first lesson. His mind alight with his next plan. With the Quidditch team working for him, Blaise and Theodore would follow. This would give him the audience he need with the Greengrass heiress. If he successful convinced her to support him, so would the Carrow twins and Davis heiress.
His powerbase would then match Draco's, with the Quidditch team working for him his powerbase outmatched his. All he needed to do was convince Greengrass.
-X- Line Break -X-
Charms was one of his favourite lessons in Hogwarts. The teacher was also one of his favourite as well, right up there with Professor McGonagall. The two knew exactly what they were doing and had a Mastery in their respective subjects. However, Professor Flitwick had the most of his respect because he was once a Duelling champion.
Right now they were currently working the levitation charm, pronounced Wingardium Leviosa and was created by Jarleth Hobart. He however, could already do this wandlessly and non-verbally.
So he found himself studying how the other students. Blaise and Theodore had only managed to make the hollow shaft of the feather to rise up. That was about the average amount of progress any had made. Further away he could see the muggleborn, Hermione Granger arguing with Ronald Weasley. The boy had become an annoyance, spreading rumours that he was a Dark wizard. Only his friends Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas believed him. Everyone else simply ignored him. However, that didn't make him any less annoying as he constantly tried to cause confrontations between them. Contrary to this, Harry continued to ignore him.
"You're doing it wrong." Harry said after watching Blaise and Theodore try and continue to fail at getting levitation charm to work.
"How did you do it then?" Blaise snapped, his frustration getting the better of him. It was something else Harry had learnt about Blaise. He didn't mind appearing average, but he hated failing to do something. Theodore was much more patient though and was willing to wait for hours trying to get something down.
"Magic requires three things. Will, intent and imagination however, intent is not exactly required." Harry said calmly while staring intently at the feather. "You have to will something to happen, you have to desire it because magic responds to your will. You must be determined to do something or else it will not happen. And finally, you have to imagine something happening. In this case you must imagine the feather rising, then will your magic to do exactly that." The feather slowly rose up into the air till it touched the roof before Harry lowered it back to the ground.
"Well done Mr Potter, well done. Ten points to Slytherin." Professor Flitwick was practically bursting with excitement.
Feeling someone's gaze on him he looked down to see Hermione glaring at him. He smirked at her. She was very amusing, constantly trying to outdo him. It was very interesting as in the muggle primary school he had been unmatched by anyone. However, in Hogwarts he had someone who could match him in the theory side of magic, in the practical side he was unmatched.
Turning to Blaise with a smirk he said, "There, nothing to it."
"Whatever, smartass." Blaise shot back.
"Kinda hard not to be a smartass when you're talking to a dumbass." Theodore joined in. The quick and witty answer from the normally quiet boy caused him to give a quiet chuckle of amusment.
"Shut up Theo." Blaise growled. Chuckling in amusment, Theodore turned to Harry.
"Have you made any move yet?" The moves he was on about, was the current power struggle between Harry and Draco.
"As a matter of fact. I have." Harry answered. "Marcus Flint now works for me. So, any change of heart about your decision in supporting me?"
"Well, we did say that once you have the Quidditch team working for you, that we would support you. Now that you have Marcus working for you, you have our support." Theodore assured with Blaise nodding his head.
"I need-"
"Yea, yea, we'll get you a meeting with Daphne." Harry nodded his head in thanks. Daphne was well protected by all the upper years that were members of the neutral faction. Especially since the older Slytherin boys in the Dark faction were not against forcing themselves on young girls like Daphne.
Nodding his head in thanks, Harry watched as Hermione unknowingly insulted Ron. Seeing this he felt a sense of anger. Ron was just like his cousin Dudley, he hated his cousin. Seething with anger, Harry watched Hermione nearly burst into tears.
-X- Line Break -X-
It was the Halloween feast that night and Harry didn't feel up to celebrating like the rest of the student body. Thankfully he wasn't the only one. Susan Bones and Neville Longbottom also sat around a small table in the library as the rest of the Hogwart students were in the Great Hall.
They weren't saying anything they hadn't been for the past six hours, instead the three war orphans were sat around doing their own thing. Susan Bones was reading up on law, apparently she would like to be a judge. He found it quite fitting. Her aunt would catch Dark wizards and she would imprison them. Neville himself was reading up on Herbology, he didn't know what he wanted to do, but he seemed to love plants and their many uses.
Harry once again found him working on his Occlumency shields, while also reading up on multiple books about Duelling. If he was to compete in the tournament he would need to know all the rules and forms.
His Occlumency shields were also coming along nicely. The Black Gate was finished and was also very strong. The first line of defence was much like one of Dudley's old toys. A ship in a bottle, but instead it was a world in a bottle. There was a shelf filled with seven different worlds. Six of which were fake ad the seventh was his actual mind, the other six were made entirely of a separate entity that inhabited his body. He had not figured out what it was, but whatever it was, it was sentient enough for him to manipulate it.
The more he split it, the weaker it became and the stronger he felt. He had tied to split it a seventh time, but it had made him feel weak as well.
If the intruder managed to find which bottled contained his mind they would be forced to travel through a thick fog that surrounds a forest. The fog itself was very thick to the point you could barely see a foot in front of you and inside the fog he planned to have a multitude of creatures, ranging from Minotaur's, Acromantula, Werewolves, Manticore's and Centaur's. Then he planned to also have a multitude of magical plants such as, Devil's Snare, Venomous Tentacula and trees like the Whomping Willow.
If the intruder managed to get through this defence, he would reach a large lake. One hundred metres in width and separated the fog from the rest of his mind, except for a single deep abyss that was across from the Black Gate. Inside the lake there would be Grindylow's, Krakens, Horned Serpents and the Merpeople.
The thing that made this part so great was the fact that the intruder would have to cross a single bridge. A bridge that went over not a lake, but the abyss. It was based off the bridge of Khazad-dûm, and just like in the books at the bottom of the bridge would be the Balrog.
Then came the mountain range. The first entrance would be guarded by the Black Gate that would be manned by Vampires and Orcs. Behind that would be Minas Morgul, with the Nazgûl and their Fellbeasts, half-bird, half-dragon. The third line of defence would be Helm's Deep that would be guarded by Elves. Then the final line of defence, the Lonely Mountain also known as Erebor. And like in the books written by J.R.R Tolkien, it would be guarded by the Dragon Smaug.
Then in the centre of it all. Is Barad-dûr and the Eye of Sauron. So far he had not managed to create any of the creatures, but the structures had all been completed. Neither anywhere as great as been described in the books, but Harry had to start somewhere.
Normally, Harry would have spent his time studying more about physical magic, and not mental magic. However, Dumbledore and Snape's willingness to invade his mind had brought to light that if he was to go far in this world he would need to first keep his plans secret. That didn't mean he would slack on his training. No, now that he had got the structures down he could spend more time training his magic, while only dedicating an hour a night to improve his Occlumency.
Releasing a deep breath, Harry opened his eyes to see that only Neville remained at their table.
"Where's Susan?" Harry inquired. Neville looked up from his book allowing Harry to see that the shy boy Neville was when he first came to Hogwarts was gone. Instead he was replaced by a confident heir of the Longbottom family.
"She's going back to the Hufflepuff dorm room, I think." Neville answered.
"Fancy getting something to eat?" Neville nodded his head and the two made their way back towards the Great Hall, hopefully most of the students will have cleared out by now. Before they even made it towards the Grand Staircase they heard a scream. Quickly their heads snapped into the origination of the scream.
§Balthazar, find where the sssscream came from. § His snake familiar came out of his sleeve and quickly slithered in the direction of the nearby girl's bathroom. They followed Balthazar until they smelt an awful stench.
Balthazar continued on into the bathroom and they followed. What they found was shocking. A Troll holding a club, standing tall over Hermione Granger and Susan Bones.
"Harry we've got to help them."
"I know, distract it while I get them out of the way." Nodding his head, Neville took out his wand and concentrated his magic.
"Flipendo." The knockback jinx flew forwards and didn't even hit the target like he had hoped. It was just like every time he practised the spell. The spell lost all the magic and it disappeared before it could do anything. He watched as the Troll raised its club in the air. "Flipendo. Flipendo! Flipendo! FLIPENDO!" Four different times he tried the spell, and on the last one he fired the spell. It veered off course, but luckily it hit the club that nearly crushed Susan and Hermione causing it to also go off course and strike the ground behind it.
Harry meanwhile, thrust out his hands and tugged them back. Instantly Hermione ad Susan flew from their position right towards him. Grunting he fell to the ground as they collided against him.
"Neville!" The boy looked at him, his eyes wide in shock at what he managed to do. "Get them out of here!" The boy nodded his head and the three quickly left the room. "Fumos." A large amount of smoke came from the wand given to him by Ollivander. Seeing that the Troll was distracted, he too left to join the three outside.
"Bloody hell, how did a Troll get in here?!" Neville exclaimed.
"It shouldn't be able to, Hogwarts: A History said that there wards put up to stop magical creatures from getting into Hogwarts." Hermione answered.
"Yea, well obviously they don't work anymore." Susan snapped back, no one could blame her though. She had nearly died.
"We should move away from here. The smokescreen I just created won't keep it occupied for long." The other three nodded their head and turned to leave, only to find the Troll had somehow stumbled out into the corridor. "Neville, take them and find the Professors."
"Mate, you can't be serious." Neville argued.
"Just go Neville." The boy shared one last glance between him and the Troll before taking Hermione and Susan. It was obvious that Neville wasn't happy about been forced to abandon him, it went against everything he stood for. He was a Hufflepuff and descended from Vikings, they protected their friends more fiercely than any other.
Turning to face the Troll, he prepared himself.
§Balthazar, return. § With his snake familiar securely in his sleeve once more, Harry raised his wand and readied his magic. "Melofors! Flipendo! Depulso! Depulso" The three spells worked in tandem. The first covering the Troll's head with a pumpkin, temporarily blinding him. The second stalling the Troll, the third and fourth impacting against its legs forcing it to its knees.
With a groan, the Troll got to its knees and in an orthodox moving of intelligence slammed its club against its face. The beast stumbled around for a few moments, temporarily dizzied by the impact. Then once it gained full control it turned to face Harry. With a growl it raised its club and brought it down.
Harry jumped backwards, barely avoiding the club. However, he was still hit by the bits of rock that were sent flying as a result of the club colliding with the ground. With a grunt he rolled along the ground and quickly got to his feet. It wasn't quick enough as the Troll swung its club around once more and struck his right hand side. His magic responded instantly and he felt something very cold touch his skin and a feeling of being nearly whole.
When the club collided with his right hand, instead of feeling his bone break like he expected he found himself simply been sent flying. Of course, when he collided with the wall he felt a few ribs break.
Looking at his right hand he saw it was covered in dark green scales.
§Balthazar? §
§I'm here human. I ssseem to have fusssed with your right arm. § Nodding his head, Harry shakily got to his feet to see that the Troll was moving towards him, its club scraping against the ground.
With his ribs cracked his mobility had become limited, in terms of both range and speed. Harry knew that he would have to rely on his magic entirely to win this fight, or at least hold off the Troll long enough for Neville to come back with the Professors.
The Troll took swing after swing at him, each time Harry would use his magic to move it off course. All the while he would move backwards. He knew that pure magic would do nothing against a Troll, but physical weapons would do the trick. He didn't have enough skill in Transfiguration to turn the nearby rubble into weapons, so Harry would need to use the suits of armour.
More specifically, the weapons they had.
§The weaponsss are nearby human. §
§Thanksss Balthazar. § Harry hissed back. Quickly he turned around and ran as fast as his injured form would allow. As soon as he passed by three suits of armour he turned around and faced the Troll. Thrusting his left arm to the side he gripped hold of a medieval glaive with his magic. He turned it on its side and spun it round so that the pointed end was pointing towards the Troll.
With a quick push he sent the spear towards the Troll at great speeds. The spear travelled so fast that it embedded into the Troll so about half the spear handle was left out.
He watched the Troll look at the spear in its chest then make some incoherent grumbling before it continued to lumber forwards. He repeated the action again, except this time with his right hand. The reaction to the spear been in its stomach, was once again repeated.
§It doesn't seem to be working human. § Balthazar spoke up.
§I can sssee that. § Harry snapped back.
§Try sssomething different then. §
§You want to sssee sssomething different. § Harry hissed. Raising both arms into the air, every weapon in the nearby vicinity rose up and turned to face the Troll. With a roar he thrust both arms forward and the spears shot towards the Troll.
One by one the spears embedded themselves deeply into the Trolls body, before one spear pierced its heart. The hulking beast groaned and teetered on its feet before collapsing forward. The added momentum caused the spears to pierce through its back. Harry watched it with shock however, he too began to teeter. The corner of his vision blackening as a feeling of exhaustion began to come over him.
"Mr Potter!" Slowly and unsteadily he turned around to see Neville, Professor McGonagall, Flitwick, Snape and Dumbledore rushing towards him. All four of them froze in shock as they saw the dead Troll behind him.
"About time." He said good-naturedly. Then he collapsed to the ground as unconsciousness claimed him.
-X- Line Break -X-
Waking up after fighting a Troll was different to waking up any other morning. For one, his body felt stiff and weak. The other was the fact for the first time in his life, his magic felt depleted. Though he could feel it replenishing slowly.
"I see you're awake, Mr Potter." A stern female voice broke him from his thoughts. Looking in the direction of voice he saw a stern looking woman, much like Professor McGonagall. Madam Pomfrey was her name. "Lay still." She ordered when Harry tried to sit up. Slowly he lowered himself back down.
"How long have I been out?" He asked after Madam Pomfrey had finished performing the diagnostic spells.
"Three days." She simply said before pulling out some potions. "Take these." Taking the three potions from her hand, he drank them all one by one. Each tasted just as horrible as the last. If not more so. "There that should help you with your lack of blood, magic and energy." Then she walked away.
"Welcome back to reality, my boy." Dumbledore said catching Harry's attention.
"Professor, what happened to Susan and Hermione?" Dumbledore smiled reassuringly, inside however, his mind had come to realise that despite not been what he wanted, Harry was still willing to fight for others.
"They were safe, we found them hiding on the third floor corridor." Dumbledore explained. Harry meanwhile, found himself confused. Didn't Dumbledore say that no one should enter the third floor corridor, so why was he not bothered by the fact that someone had broken his rule?
"And the Troll?" Here, Dumbledore seemed to grow hesitant, but he answered the question none the less.
"Professor Snape is currently harvesting it." Harry frowned at this. The Right of Conquest was a universal law that if a wizard slays a magical creature, it is his right to decide on what happens with the remains. If someone was to break this law and did not compensate the wronged party, they would be looking at a lifetime imprisonment depending on the worth of the creature.
"But it is mine by Right of Conquest." Harry stated with a frown.
"Ah yes, but you see my boy I thought…" Dumbledore tried to explain his reasoning.
"You thought wrong. You're breaking the law Albus." Another stern female voice spoke up. The Headmaster and the Boy-Who-Lived turned to see a square-jawed witch with close-cropped grey hair and a monocle.
"Ah, Miss Bones. How lovely to see you again." He said in his grandfatherly voice with his eyes twinkling. Amelia simply narrowed her eyes.
"Don't try and change the subject, Albus." Albus's eyes lost a bit of their twinkle. "Now, do you mind telling me why you were trying to break the law? Despite what you may think about your title, you are not above the law."
"Of course Amelia, of course. I shall make sure every bit of the Troll is return to Harry." Dumbledore stood up to leave.
"Two of my Aurors shall accompany you." Amelia said.
"There's no need for Aurors, Amelia." Dumbledore tried.
"There is when you have allowed a Troll to enter Hogwarts's and nearly kill my niece! And then when you just tried to break an ancient law that has been around since the time of Merlin himself! I believe there is a need for Aurors." Once again, Dumbledore found himself unable to rebuff Amelia and simply nodded his head stiffly. Both Harry and Amelia watched as Dumbledore left the room, only when he was gone did Amelia turn to face Harry.
"Thank you, Miss Bones." Amelia allowed a small smile to cross her stern features.
"You're welcome, Mr Potter, it was the least I could have done for what you did for my niece. You can always count the Most Ancient and Noble House of Bones to help you however, please try and avoid getting into trouble with the law." Amelia Bones said after a few moments.
"You can guarantee that I will not be getting into trouble with the law publically." She shook her head in amusment all the while mumbling something similar to, "just like his father." There was a few moment of silence before Harry spoke up. "What has happened since I've been gone?"
"Well, you have hit front page news, become known as the Troll Slayer." She snorted at this. Obviously he wasn't the only one who believed that the title was ridiculous. "Also, the Minister of Magic wishes to speak to you whenever you are free." Harry nodded his head and just as he was about to ask another question, Madam Pomfrey came along and forced Amelia Bones out of the Medical Wing, explaining all the while that Harry needed his rest.
Harry knew one thing as he laid down to rest, it was that everything was about to get much more interesting.