Author's Note:

Hey, look at me getting another chapter out in less than a month. Progress!

Also, I know I am using the books heavily for one particular scene but I just couldn't resist! It's one of my favorite parts of the entire series and made me think how this Harry would have responded to it with everyone else going on.

Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Here is my disclaimer that says I do not own anything Harry Potter related. Everything belongs to JK Rowling, except in universe 47837. Probably.

Everyone was shaken up over the incident on the train; it made the rest of the trip to Hogwarts hard to stomach for some whose fears of the unknown always got the best of them. What made it even more unnerving for those people was that only Harry and his small group of followers even knew what had truly happened with the Dementor. Soon, a near panic had descended upon their minds and taken hold.

But none of that really mattered to Harry, though. What interested him was discovering the fact that an adult had been on the train – a strange occurrence not counting the lady that sold candy and other wizarding delicacies for the long journey to Hogsmeade.

In fact, not even ten minutes had gone by before Harry first heard the distant sound of a concerned man's voice going from compartment to compartment.

Soon the unknown man was outside their door, and after a quick knock he peaked his head inside.

"Is everyone all right?" the man asked in a rush. His well-worn robes fell about his slightly underweight frame, as if he had just gone through a long illness.

It was clear by the tone in his voice and the fact that he was out of breath that he was concerned and checking on everyone in the train.

The man's action also told Harry that there was no reason to suspect that this intruder knew anything that Harry needed to worry about.

Still, the man was waiting for a reply and Harry knew just how to act.

"Yes, mister…" he delayed ever so slightly, "we are fine now but not too long ago the train stopped and the lights flickered off."

Harry momentarily debated just how much to say but there was something about this adult that indicated that while he may not have known what had happened inside Harry's compartment he acted like he knew what had caused the train the stop.

So he continued and perfectly described the effects one suffered from being too close to a Dementor.

"It grew cold for a moment, and we had no idea what was going on. Then, I began to feel sad and full of despair – like I had forgotten what it felt like to be cheerful. But then it was over just as soon as it had begun."

The others nodded in agreement, and their eyes also echoed the slight fear that their leader had infused into his performance.

"Do you know what happened?" Harry asked while pretending to shift uncomfortably in his seat.

However, the man had not reacted in quite the way that Harry had anticipated that he would.

Now most would have missed the subtle cues but Harry had been searching the man's feature for something that indicated he knew more than he was letting on, and about halfway throughout Harry's story the man's face had changed just enough. One minute he had been concerned and the safety of everyone on the train and the next there was a competing emotion. If Harry had to guess it was that the man had just learned that he was Harry Potter – a reaction that he hadn't dealt with in some time.

But the man recovered quickly enough, and managed to respond.

"That's good; I am glad to hear that all of you are okay. And it's Mister Lupin. I'll be your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, but right now I want to make sure that everyone on the train is all right and have a word with the conductor. Here though," the man reached inside his nearly frayed robes, "have some chocolate. It'll help improve your moods."

The man left as soon as everyone had a small piece of chocolate, and Harry waited until he could no longer hear the hum of the man's voice in the hallway before he voiced his suspicions of the man.

"It would seem that our new Defense teacher, Professor Lupin, clearly knows something about the post that he was hired to teach. Chocolate is indeed recommended after encounters with certain classes of dark creatures that elicit similar feelings of grief and despair."

Harry added the last it after Cedric gave him a questioning look upon Harry's claim that they finally had a Defense teacher worth having.

A look of understanding then passed through Cedric's eyes, something that was eventually shared by the others in Harry's compartment.

"Too bad that this will be his only year," Cedric then commented dryly from where he sat right next to Harry.

"Surely that's just a myth!" Ginny huffed. "There can't be a curse in the castle because Dumbledore would have gotten rid of it by now."

"I don't know," Neville interjected.

"There is more than enough evidence over the past several years to support something limiting how much time those in that specific post can serve. As to Dumbledore though," he nodded his head in agreement, "I would be inclined to agree with your comment except that he has shown a willingness to invite danger into the castle."

Everyone's eyes glanced Harry's way for a moment, causing him to roll his eyes and say something that he instantly regretted.

"Well, let's just hope that this Mister Lupin doesn't try to kill me this year and add anything more to that myth."

His statement, even if there was a certain truth to it, immediately changed the mood within their small chamber. And it took Harry the remainder of the journey to the castle to convince his growing collection of loyal followers not to harm Lupin and give the man the benefit of the doubt.

But their willingness to protect him touched him. They cared for him and he was theirs just as much as they belonged to him. And he chose to reward that devotion by caressing each of them with his formidable magic just as the train rolled into Hogsmeade Station.

The effect of Harry's magic calmed them and made it easier for both Luna and Ginny to part ways with him once they reached the Great Hall and headed to their different tables.

Soon all of the students were present and seated. Next came the sorting ceremony for the new first years and when that was finished the torches then began to flicker, signaling that the new academic term was just about to get underway.

Dumbledore next rose from behind the teacher's table and started to walk towards the podium made of an exquisitely crafted golden eagle. This, in and of itself, was not out of the ordinary since the man usually liked to say a few words before dinner, but something about the way that the lights remained dim told Harry that perhaps this speech would be different.

It only took a careful look at the way Dumbledore stood in front of the Great Hall and that the man's colorful and splendid robes didn't have the same effect that they usually did for Harry to convince himself that something was indeed different.

Next, Harry noticed that Dumbledore's blue eyes began to gracefully search the hall, giving the impression that the man was watching all of them; however, as the old man's eyes passed over Harry there was a distinct difference in that characteristic twinkle as well. There was something more to them this time that Harry couldn't quite put his finger on.

But it seemed darker and gave Harry the feeling that a fearfulness was involved somehow.

Harry didn't even have to look at his boys at the table to know that they had also picked up on something different. Their magic was unsteady and threatened to distract him from where he wanted to put all of his focus, but a quick reassurance of his power quelled their agitated state.

More importantly, it allowed Harry to focus intently on Dumbledore, who had just begun to address everyone present after the chitter chatter in the Great Hall died down.

"Welcome back again to those ready for another year of learning… and congratulations to our new students on beginning your new journey at Hogwarts," he began accompanied with a slight flourish of his hand.

"I hope that you are all well-rested from what I trust was a memorable summer enjoying all of the joys of youth."

The old man then paused to accommodate the rising cheering and whooping levels from the Gryffindor Table. Apparently, Lee Jordan – a person usually seen with Fred and George Weasley – had suddenly molted and therefore caused bright canary yellow feathers to cover the ten closest people to him.

Fred and George weren't even trying to hide their involvement and as one bowed to the applause from the hall's onlookers.

"Yes, yes," Dumbledore smiled, "these are the times that you will look back fondly on."

When the chuckles and even a few guffaws subsided from Lee hilariously squawking something about revenge as his human voice returned, Dumbledore continued.

"But there is a time and a place for such frivolities and for a moment I request that each of you seriously consider my next few words for they will likely be the most important that you will hear for the next year."

Harry, like the rest of the students, knew that something was indeed different. Whatever the Headmaster was about to say was going to be important and no one wanted to miss out.

The hall quieted in record time and both the students and teachers had their eyes and ears fixated on the man behind the golden podium.

"I heard about the incident on the train and I trust that each of you are old enough to know the truth. It was a Dementor from Azkaban," the man said bluntly.

Immediately, and expectedly, the hall became alive with the sounds of nervous whispers.

"Dementors!"

"Azkaban!"

"That feeling!"

Those were among the only words that Harry and his friends were able to discern.

"Yes, Dementors are creatures that you have a right to fear – and it was no accident that they were near the train."

As soon as Dumbledore had begun to address the crowd again the noise died down and the only sound in the great hall was a grandfatherly voice.

"The Ministry has seen fit to capture Sirius Black by any and all means. A little while ago I received an owl from the Minister in regards to the slowing of the Hogwarts Express and have been told that there were confirmed sightings of the escaped convict not far from where the train passes."

When the man paused, the crowd erupted in shock and speculation again.

"Sirius Black!"

"What's he doing near here?"

These were the new sounds that reached Harry's ears until the Headmaster saw fit to continue and raised his hands to focus people's attention back on himself.

"I understand that this is a lot to take in and fortunately no one was hurt on the train. I have no doubt that that was due to the swift action of one of our new faculty members – who I will properly introduce and thank in a moment."

"However," Dumbledore then stressed in a louder, more commanding voice as the hall threatened to descend into a new round of hushed tones over the new professor that had saved them, "here is what you need to listen carefully to."

There was a pause to ensure that Dumbledore had their complete and utter attention before he continued.

"Hogwarts will be defended this year by the Dementors until such time as Sirius Black is caught."

With that, not even Harry and his friends could remain silent as the room exploded with questions among friends.

Though, to be honest, the words that came out of the mouth of Harry and his boys at the Hufflepuff table were more to keep up appearances. It would have been odd to be the only ones in the room not talking about these revelations and so they participated in the predictable and cliché sentiments being expressed by everyone else.

Of course, Cedric, Justin, and Neville followed Harry's lead in giving the impression that they were talking about Sirius Black without saying anything that the other students were not aware of.

For instance, there was no mention of how this development was related to Dumbledore's visit to Longbottom Manor. Each knew that they could speak more frankly on this subject at a later time with Harry in private.

"Silence!" The magically enhanced voice of Albus Dumbledore commanded after a few moments.

"The Dementors will be stationed at Hogwarts' magical perimeter, and they will be unable to enter the castle. I warded the boundary personally."

The man's voice and gaze were both firm and comforting. It assuaged the fears that many had of Dementors roaming free throughout Hogwarts.

"However, and until such time as Sirius is caught, they will be on hand to protect you. And I must warn you not to give them a reason to harm you. It is not in a Dementor's nature to tell the different between Sirius Black and a student wandering outside of the castle's protection."

With this, all pretenses of a friendly and caring disposition disappeared from Albus' face. Again his eyes scanned the hall and they too held no mirth. Everything about the man was serious and even Fred and George understood that this was one rule that even they would not break.

"Immediate expulsion for any student found to be outside of Hogwarts' wards without express permission from me."

The hall was eerily silent for a solid minute before Dumbledore lightened up and introduced their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

A polite if not enthusiastic applause began as the man who had entered Harry's compartment stood to wave all the students a respectful hello. All of the students appreciated the fact that he had been on the train and had calmed them in the immediate aftermath of the Dementor's attack.

The applause even had a few hoots added in for good measure; no doubt in further appreciation that a competent individual had been hired this year to replace the epic failure that had been Gilderoy Lockhart.

However, the man seemed to only have eyes for Harry and kept looking in his direction. For Harry, it was just one more piece that he had to think about because it was clear that there something else was going on with all of this.

Again, he felt annoyed at all of the theatrics and just wished that Dumbledore would be straight with him. But whatever the hidden reasons at least he had a reasonable line of evidence to conclude that the events with Sirius Black and this new professor somehow fit within Dumbledore's larger plans for Harry.

That link was something that he was determined to find out; however, that long process would have to be shelved for a later date.

Dinner was being served and Harry had wanted to discuss a few last minute items surrounding the Buddy System.

A few days had passed since Harry had been introduced to his younger buddy. He was thankful that the boy wasn't a complete idiot but at the same time knew that he would never get too invested in the boy's life.

Just enough so as to develop a general sense of loyalty towards him and his other boys because they were in the same house. Harry didn't know how useful it would be in the future but he could appreciate just how useful it could be, and that made all the difference.

But now, however, his focus turned to the start of classes. Potions was still as thrilling because of the science as it had been the two previous years. The only difference now was that Snape wasn't as much of a prick. It amused Harry to no end how much his performance from when the man had rescued him from Lockhart's plot had seemingly impacted him.

It was obvious that the man still loathed him to some degree but his trademark sneer just wasn't the same. To Harry's amazement the potion that he handed in at the end of their first class had even earned a small amount of praise considering where it was coming from.

"Why, Potter, that looks like you actually paid attention today."

Of course Harry would never forget how the man had made him feel during his first and second year but if Severus Snape kept up this changed tune then it just might alter the punishment that Harry had in store for the man in the future.

Slightly.

After Potions, Harry and his crew headed to Defense Against The Dark Arts. To say that Professor Lupin was knowledgeable about the subject was an understatement. Whatever the real reason that the man was at Hogwarts, at least he was both competent and had the temperament for teaching.

Furthermore, Harry appreciated that neither him nor his friends were subjected to the Boggart. He may not have known what his Boggart would have changed into but he was relieved that that sort of information wasn't made public. Not that he honestly thought he had a concrete fear since he firmly believed that he could tackle anything through grit, hard work, and of course his intellect.

Hadn't he just killed a Dementor?

Interestingly, the man had asked Harry to stay behind briefly at the end of class.

A request that soon answered some of his questions just as to why Lupin was here teaching at Hogwarts.

"Thanks for staying, Harry," the man said once Neville and Justin had departed to wait outside.

"It's fine. Lunch is next so I won't really be late for anything."

"You must be wondering why I asked you to stay?" the man went straight for the obvious.

So Harry just nodded his head and hoisted his satchel over his shoulder while his feet shuffled in place.

"I don't really know how to begin, Harry; I'll admit I'm in new territory here."

Harry continued to look down at his feet but then turned his head upwards to meet Lupin's stare. He was sorely tempted to unleash his magic and see what made the man tick.

"I just mainly wanted to say hi. I knew your parents very well and even babysat you a few times before…"

The man realized his error and made an effort to jump right into the next topic.

"Of course, you wouldn't remember me given how young you were but I'm glad to see the young man that you've grown into. I think your parents would be very proud."

Harry's mind instantly connected just how convenient it was that Lupin came to Hogwarts not even a month after one of his other parent's friends had escaped from Azkaban. Those events had to be connected somehow and Harry wondered just why Dumbledore had arranged for it.

"Thank you, sir; that's very kind of you to say," Harry replied instead.

He figured he would have chances later in the year to press the man on Sirius Black that wouldn't raise suspicion on his part.

"My door is always open, Harry, and I guess that is all I really wanted to say," Lupin finished awkwardly.

"Thank you, Professor."

Harry's replied was just as awkward as Lupin's and he then turned to head to lunch.

Though, when he reached the door, he turned around to say something else.

"You are a great teacher," Harry said in the voice he typically used in the classroom.

"You are loads better than our previous teachers and I look forward to the rest of the year."

Lupin smiled at Harry; he truly smiled and nodded his head in appreciation of Harry's comments.

With that Harry opened the door and joined Neville and Justin on their way to lunch, filling them in on the way.

After lunch was another memorable encounter. Since they were now in third year, they were able to add in a few elective classes. Harry and his chosen ones had selected Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, and Divination. Justin and Neville had been surprised that Harry had made them take the last class but he had been firm in that they expose themselves to all forms of magic.

And their first Divination lesson was a singularly unique experience.

Once all the confusion and drama over getting through the trapdoor and into the classroom was over, Harry, Justin, and Neville entered into the strangest-looking classroom that they had ever seen. It reminded Harry of Arabella Fig's house in that nothing that the woman had ever purchased had been thrown away.

Including some very potent smells that began to give Harry a slight headache. It quickly got to the point of irritation and by the time Harry had taken his seat he had let loose a small bit of his power to clear the air before his nose.

"Where's the teacher?" Justin whispered into Harry's ear.

However, before Harry could shrug his shoulders in response an eerie voice filled their ears.

"Welcome to Divination!"

Everyone soon turned their heads in an attempt to see where their teacher was, and seconds later a shape could be seen coming out of the shadows.

Harry's first impression was that someone had brought to life a caricature of exactly the sort of teacher commonly thought of as teaching the subject. She had large glasses that amplified the size of her eyes and her hair was wrapped in a colorful, red bandana.

Huge gold hoops hung from her ears and the rest of her body was wrapped in a shawl that very much reminded him of the gypsies that often made his Aunt Petunia sneer in disgust when they passed by in public.

Once her body was firmly visible to all she spoke again.

"So, my children, you have decided to study the most noble and difficult of all the magical arts. Divination is a subject that not everyone has the talent or ability for, and so, my children, I must be frank in that I have very little to teach those that cannot see into the beyond."

"In fact," she continued as she walked through the circular tables of the room, "while many of you no doubt have a proclivity for creating loud bangs and strong smells in your other classes, most of you will be unable to perceive the nearly impenetrable mysteries of the future. But I, Professor Trelawney, will guide those with the Gift. "

The woman's face and her giant eyes went from table to table, looking into each face as if she were trying to discern those that had the Gift for herself.

When the insect-looking woman moved on from their table, Justin and Neville then shared a look with each other. Both of them couldn't believe the nonsense that they had just heard, but when they turned to look at Harry, the look on his face wasn't what they expected to see.

His eyes had a strange glint to them and there was none of that underlying tension that had become a common sight in Potions when Harry was imagining all the ways of hurting Severus Snape.

It was odd, but the pair figured Harry would fill them in later.

The next sound, however, returned their attention to the instructor.

"You boy, is your grandmother well?"

Terry Boot had a look of sheer terror on his face, but he managed to respond nonetheless.

"I think so," he said shakily.

"Hmm, I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you."

Trelawney then moved right into the curriculum as if she had just told someone to have a nice day.

"We will cover the basics tenants of Divination this year. First term will be primarily devoted to reading tea leaves but then we will progress onto palmistry. By the way, my sweet child," she focused on Michael Corner," beware a red-hair man."

And just like before, she gave no mind to the look of trepidation that froze onto Michael's face.

"Most of the second term," she continued," will be devoted to the ancient study of the crystal ball."

Now Trelawney was standing in front of the table of Ernie Macmillan, Wayne Hopkins, and Zacharias Smith.

"Incidentally, one of you three – along with a good majority of the school – will miss most of that due to an outbreak of the flu in February. But don't worry," she tried to comfort, "you can make it up during detention in March."

The looks on their faces were priceless and Harry truly enjoyed the look of discomfort that settled onto their features.

"Now, that reminds me," she said while adjusting her large glasses, "I will loose my voice around that same time so perhaps we will also study fire omens should it go on for long enough."

Trelawney's next stop was in front of Susan Bones' table.

"I wonder, dear, could you go and hand me the large, silver teapot behind you?"

The girl carefully grabbed the delicate-looking china and slowly handed it to Sybill, all the while trying not to meet her eyes.

"Thank you, child," she smiled.

"Incidentally, that thing you are dreading," she whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear, "will happen next month."

Susan looked like she had wet her pants.

"Now!" she declared as if she hadn't just made a room full of nervous wrecks.

"Divide into pairs and take out your copies of Unfogging the Future, and turn to pages five and six."

Harry immediately turned to Neville and Justin in an attempt to avoid any worry about favorites.

"You two work together; I'll find someone else," Harry said quickly while inching his chair to the table of three next to him.

"Susan," he said quietly.

"Susan!" he then tried in a louder tone when she didn't respond.

Her encounter with the subtle and thoughtful Trelawney still had her shaken.

"Oh, sorry Harry. Did you say something?" she turned her head to look at him.

"Want to partner up?"

Her eyes then looked around the room and saw that everyone else had already seemingly become part of a pair.

"Okay," she nodded.

"Interesting way to start a class; I'm sure she is only being dramatic given the subject material," Harry offered while pulling his chair the rest of the way to join her.

Susan didn't respond but it was clear that she appreciated what Harry was doing to lighten the mood.

"Good, you've all gone off into twos. Next, come and collect a tea cup and I shall fill it for you. When you get back to your table drink your tea until only the dregs remain. Once there, swirl with your left hand three time while trying to keep your mind empty."

Susan collected the tea for both herself and Harry.

It took several moments for the all the tea to be drunk but then both Harry and Susan did as directed.

"Well, let's get started with this exercise," Harry said in a tone that Neville and Justin recognized as being his most well-behaved self.

Everyone in the class was peering at pages five and six, trying to discern what the shapes in their cups corresponded to.

"I've never been good at seeing shapes," Susan mentioned when she looked down into the cup of tea that had belonged to Harry.

"A bit of a soggy mess if you ask me."

Harry smiled patiently at her.

"How about I go first then," he said amidst the showy instruction of Trelawney as she told the class to broaden their minds and use their inner eyes to see past the mundane.

It was Susan's turn to nod and she handed Harry her tea cup.

"Well that looks to be like how we used to draw suns in primary school. Hold on," Harry said while scanning the page.

Unlike his other classes this was one that he had not read ahead in nor cared to memorize. He knew from Luna that this type of magic could not really be taught but at the same time had elected to take it for the mere fact that Dumbledore obviously believed in the prophecy to some extent. Therefore, he was simply there to observe.

"That's good news, then!" Harry held the book under her with an enthusiastic expression on his face.

"Great happiness is one of the better options," Susan agreed.

She was finally starting to return back to her normal – though still very reserved – persona.

"All right, let me try again."

"So I would say that looks like a cross, or the letter x but with a very fat center… Hmm… well, that's means trials and sufferings. Maybe I've gotten it wrong," she said as the gloom returned to her face.

Harry peered into her cup. Just like with what he saw in her cup, Harry made this shape up too.

"Well, maybe it looks like an acorn if you turn it sideways. That means a windfall of gold then!"

Susan's mood visibly improved again.

"How are you two doing?" Sybill descended upon their table.

Harry was just about to say fine when the woman snatched Harry's cup of tea of Susan's hands.

"The falcon," she announced while turning the cup of tea counterclockwise in her hand.

"That means you have a deadly enemy my dear."

Harry internally rolled his eyes at her continued antics; however, the usual feeling of utter annoyance given the level of fraud he was witnessing didn't bother him like it had with Lockhart.

There was something strange about this woman and Harry desperately wanted to feel her with his magic.

"And a club means an impending attack… by Merlin this is not a happy cup."

Everyone in the room was looking intently at the exchange.

"This skull here means danger is not to far ahead. Makes sense given the other signs."

However, as she rotated the cup a final time she screamed and dropped the cup.

Trelawney glanced up at Harry and met his eyes. Harry was very careful in how much emotion his face revealed. Thankfully, he had perfected this mask a long time ago and it displayed an appropriate level of both shock and intrigue – and very little disdain at being the center of attention yet again.

"My sweet boy… my dear, poor, sweet boy. No, it's kinder not to say… no… don't ask me," she feigned and fell into a nearby chair.

"What is it Professor?" Zacharias Smith piped up with an inappropriate level of morbid enthusiasm.

Everyone began to inch closer to get a better view of Trelawney. Their teacher looked more like an actress than a teacher, and still Harry wasn't all that bothered by her antics.

But then again he supposed he was more interested in where she was going with any of this. Perhaps she was being this way because he was the Boy Who Lived. While not an ideal development, the fact that he didn't feel the urge to maim her with his magic spoke volumes and so he went along with her theatrics.

"My dear," she then ignored the one who had asked the question to look directly into Harry's eyes.

"You have the Grim!"

When no one reacted to that announcement, Trelawney moved to say it even louder.

"The Grim, my dear; the Grim!"

Again, no one understood the significance.

"Merlin's beard! Do none of you know your history? The Grim is the giant, spectral dog that haunts churchyards. My dear boy, the Grim is an omen – the worst omen that has ever been and will ever be – of death…" she trailed off to the shocked gasps of the glass.

Susan, who was already over the edge, began to sob uncontrollably at the supposed fate of the boy who had been so nice to her.

Harry's first instinct was to laugh. This was all so much nonsense that he was surprised anyone in their class had fallen for it. However, that would not have been the response that he would have liked to trickle back to Dumbledore's ear, and so he just stared at her with a hastily thrown on gaped expression that left his mouth parted just enough to be believable.

It was convenient that she had broken the glass so that no one else could have seen it, but Harry remembered most things that he saw and no matter what angle he had peered into that tea cup – he had failed to see anything that looked, even remotely, like a dog.

Not that he believed in this sort of prophecy telling anyways. Now if Luna had put on this same act then he might have been more inclined to believe it.

At any rate, the class was over and Trelawney led him to the exit, as if that would make up for what she had just done.

Justin and Neville were soon on either side of Harry, giving him the strangest glances to try and see if he was all right while at the same time acting just like the best friends of someone who had been told they would die soon would act.

It was an odd sort of combination and Harry was further impressed with how they mastered it.

The looks that he was given by the other students on their way to Transfiguration were less impressive. Mostly because they annoyed him to no end.

Again, Harry was struck with how his response to them was so much different than his reaction to Trelawney. Even he was surprised with how little he was displeased with her given how displeased he was with what she had created.

However, those thoughts were soon pushed to the side as Transfiguration began and Professor McGonagall quickly explained given the mood of the class how Trelawney predicted the death of a student at the beginning of every year.

"Why she is allowed to teach is beyond me," she then mumbled low although Harry heard her from where he sat in the front.

With that out of his mind for the time being, Harry and his boys buckled down and applied themselves to a class they always enjoyed.

"I still can't believe that she did that!" Cedric commented a week later.

They were in the private room that Harry had discovered in his first year and had subsequently been used as their meeting place.

"What kind of teacher tells a student that they will die soon at the end of a lesson."

Harry peered over the tip of the book that he had been reading. He allowed Cedric to continue with his rant because he had an undeniable soft spot for the older Hufflepuff. After being separated from him for the majority of the last year and then the entire summer, Harry just didn't have it in him to calm the boy down.

For one, they were in private and Harry normally gave them free reign in how they chose to act when no one else was present.

On the other hand his magic was vibrating warmly in response to how riled up the subject made Cedric's magic. It was cute that Cedric cared so much about him.

The final reason that Harry put up with any of this was simple.

"Be that as it may that she probably shouldn't be let around children, Professor McGonagall swiftly calmed the school from making a big deal of it."

Cedric calmed somewhat with that and moved to sit down to the right of Harry.

"Perhaps I am even more amazed that you didn't do anything to her."

Harry just shrugged.

"It was more amusing than anything I suppose."

Then he went back to reading his book while Cedric casually began to rub the base of Harry's neck as he addressed the others in the room.

"I trust that your classes are going well?" Cedric pressed Ginny and Luna.

The two girls of Harry's inner circle were lying side-by-side on the floor and working through their homework for Potions.

"Oh yes," Luna said.

No matter who she was talking to Luna always had that dream-like quality to her voice.

"It's fun to see Severus glance my way every so often. I like to think that he sometimes stays up very late at night troubled over how last year ended. I hope the Nargles make it hard for him to fall back asleep."

Ginny laughed at that; she loved the way that Luna spoke.

"But on a more serious note," the fiery red-head continued, "I'm happy that this year is so much easier than last year. Magic seems so much easier now to both understand and to perform that part of me wonders how others fail to grasp how simply one's magic responds to one's own will and intent. "

"It only gets better and easier the longer you are with Harry," Neville chimed in from next to Justin.

"The hard part becomes not remaining bored out of your mind in class. Luckily Hogwarts has a rather obscene library full of material that they do not teach."

Just then there was a knock at the door.

Both Harry and his followers turned their heads to the door in unison.

Each of their wands then appeared in their hands and Cedric moved to stand to get a better view of the door.

A nod from Harry next sent both Neville and Justin to the door. The two moved as one and everyone was prepared when they opened the door.

"Fred, George?" Ginny commented as all of the wands quickly – and without being seen – disappeared from view.

"Hey little sis," the twins said in a their most unique speaking pattern.

"We just wanted to check on you," Fred supplied by himself as the pair walked through the door.

"You've been spending a lot of time down here and we were curious. We just wanted to make sure that you were okay."

Harry's ears perked up with what George had said because he was sure that Ginny hadn't actually relayed her activities to her brothers. As far as Harry could tell he was the only one that knew this part of the castle even existed.

He watched the pair closely as they came to stand next to their sister.

Harry had always been curious about them; however, Ginny commented before he could.

"I can't believe you followed me down here," she chastised.

"I'm old enough to make my own friends and have my own life!"

"Relax," their voices again sounded together.

"We didn't follow you."

"Then how else did you know where I have been spending my time?"

Harry could have laughed at how smart his Ginny was. She could certainly hold her own and for a brief moment he saw the wheels began to churn behind the twins' eyes.

"The castle is only so big," George finally said.

"Yes," Harry agreed while standing.

He then set his book down and moved to stand closer to the twins.

"Hogwarts is only so large, and yet this room, this part of the castle hasn't been used in years. I think it is a fair question on Ginny's part as to how you knew she has been spending her time down here.

As Harry stopped short just a few feet away, it was clear that the twins hadn't expected someone to correctly focus on that aspect.

"Brotherly instinct, then!"

Fred and George laughed.

But Harry wasn't amused and rather annoyed that someone else had stumbled upon his room and his friends and was not being upfront with him.

Therefore, there was only one way that he saw fit to deal with this situation, and a second later his magic had burst forth from his center and surrounded the pair.

It wanted to play.

The next step was for him to enter their minds and he couldn't believe what he saw.

The twin's mental landscapes were oddly similar to each other. Their memories were mostly identical and also stored in almost exactly the same way.

But that wasn't what ultimately caught Harry's attention because he soon found the secret to how Fred and George Weasley had made a name for themselves as the preeminent pranksters that Hogwarts had seen in many long years.

And it all had to do with a map. Except that this map was more magical and useful than anything he could have expected to see that explained just how Fred and George were able to know both how long Harry and his friends had been coming down here and that this place even existed.

Naturally, he spent the next few moments going from memory to memory to understand how the map worked and what, if any, limitations it had.

From his delving into their minds he learned how they had first caught sight of it from Filch's collection of student contraband to the many hours it had taken them to unravel its secrets.

Of course, once Harry had known that such a thing existed it was a very natural thing for him to want it for himself. Besides, he reasoned that he needed it far more than they did and so he worked his magic and covered up everything that the twins had ever associated with this map.

And when Harry exited their minds there was a smile on his face that stretched very wide.

For a moment the others looked at him curiously, but when Harry's magic called forth the map from where Fred had it stored they begin to understand that Harry had found the answer to his question.

Once the map was in his possession, another flick of his magic sent the twins on their way. Never again would they think about this map or their encounter with Harry.

With his smile still very wide Harry examined the parchment paper very closely. His magic wove in and out of the magical object and he felt a strange sense of belonging. Much like his wand, this felt like it was made for him.

Harry's eyes flicked upwards to find his followers standing before him in a semi circle with an expectant look on their faces.

He nearly cackled with delight as he held the map out to them.

"I present to you the Marauder's Map, and I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

They continued to look at him in an odd sort of way until they saw the map unfurl and come to life.

One by one their faces brightened and their eyes sparkled with mirth.

"We now have a map that shows everyone and everything inside the castle."

This was a huge boon to him and his plans and Harry could hardly contain his excitement.

He felt unstoppable and at a loss for words at how much easier this made everything. Nothing and no one could hide from him inside the castle now.

While everyone present fixated on various parts of the castle that called to them Harry quickly search out Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

He followed the path where he knew the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets to be and inside he found two things. The first was a bubble labeled 'Basil' that Harry assumed belonged to the Basilisk of Salazar Slytherin that he had seen in Ginny's memories.

The next bubble, 'Tom Marvolo Riddle,' sent a warm feeling down not only his spine but those of his friends that he was constantly connected to.

In that moment he knew that it wouldn't be long now until Harry was ready to meet his equal.

Let me know what you think! I'm going to assume the map lit up because Harry had opened the chamber and had dropped Tom down into it. Also, Ginny had technically been there (and by extension himself through Tom's memories). Anyways, we continue to progress and there are 4 chapters left for year 3.

Again, reviews are very helpful! Don't make me beg (anymore than I already am).