Non-Compliant or Just How Angry Was He

by Lil Nezumi

Just how angry was he that his life was not his own, that his future had been irrevocably mapped out and that he was being forced into an unloved machination of a marriage. Well he was angry enough to do the ritual, cast the spell and let his body die... See chapter one for more.

7. Chapter 7

CH 7

Harry - James - Potter - Harry - James - Potter

Nearly half a year later Sirius Black has finally been pronounced healthy. He was mentally and physically fit to return to Auror duty whenever he wished. However he'd have to go through a few re-training sessions before he could resume taking any actual cases. He'd likely be monitored for a couple of years despite the official Writ of Health from his personal Healer. None of which filled him with a sense of wanting to return to official duties anytime soon.

Since he'd been officially cleared health-wise, the goblins had begun sending him monthly statements that used to be directed to Harry and Remus. They also sent him everything related to 'new' businesses that had been implemented after his incarceration. He looked at the correspondence and complained slightly, "What am I going to do with all of these?" He looked to the last of his school friends. "What are you grinning like that for Moony?"

"I'm just glad that I don't have to monitor the Black Family statements anymore," Remus replied. "I'm quite sure that Lucius Malfoy had been about to set up some kind of legislation against any magical creature voting for more than one magical human family when they're listed as Proxy for said human family."

"That guy's an arrogant prat," Sirius snorted. "You'd have been able to get it denied with the votes you'd had control over. Even before I was given a clean bill of health."

"Not if it was presented during a minor Ministry session as opposed to a full Wizengamot legislative conference," Remus pointed out. "You know that a lot of minor stuff goes through the Ministry direct and that only the larger issues and new regulations or laws are presented for the whole of the Wizengamot to review and vote once a month. I doubt that he'd have won his case though as there are many members with magical creature backgrounds that have access to many votes under different Family names. However he was implying a magical creature full stop and not any type of hybrid or someone with creature genetics within the family. Being a werewolf means you no longer have the status as human whether you were a magical one to begin with or not because you're automatically reclassified as being a dark magical creature."

"He'd have lost that proposal anyway, what's your real concern with it," Sirius asked.

"Sure he'd have lost his initial suggestion," Remus agreed and handed his friend a copy of Malfoy's petition. "But look at this. There are other parts buried under the jargon of his proposal that could have been approved without approval of the initial section. No one would have been aware of them until too late either."

Sirius read, 'No Regent or Proxy of mixed magical heritage of less than forty percent human ancestry may use the votes for more than one magical human Family…' He shook his head at what had been added. "If this had passed then other legislations could have been passed such as mandatory genetics testing that some people have been wishing to implement for the longest time. That may have resulted in more jobs, but also in more magical discrimination and prejudice. Besides this wouldn't have affected you since your condition is a magically inflicted disease and not a result of human ancestry or breeding."

"Discrimination and prejudice is something that has already increased within our closed society especially during that last conflict with You-Know-Who and the one before that with Grindelwald," Remus pointed out as he sipped his tea.

"Other countries may have their own versions of a creature registry or magical genetic census, but now is not the time to propose such a thing in our own magical community," Harry commented as he joined the men in the general study of his winter home at Hagen Junction. Remus and Sirius had both out right purchased apartments on the second and fourth floors of Harry's building with the contract understanding that they are required to pay maintenance fees on a monthly basis.

They chose Harry's building in order to stay close to their nephew. They visited him on nearly a daily basis which the youth truly didn't mind too much. It just showed that they cared about him and didn't want to leave him on his own. "No matter how many new jobs would come from such a proposal, our society is not ready for that."

"You seem to be interested in this stuff," Sirius noted ever surprised at the serious nature that his godson projected to them.

"Why shouldn't I be," Harry told them with a shrug. "This is my world, my society and I have a right to know how the law works and what the Ministry of Magic is planning to do. Besides my votes count and I want them to do something good rather than backing up something so prejudicial."

"What did you think of Malfoy's proposal," Remus asked.

"I think we should take it and completely re-write it to include a clause that those with any percentage of creature magics in their Families can actually claim to have a higher percentage of pure magic because of it. The level pure magic would legally could be re-defined as what makes them the pure-bloods in our society," Harry suggested. "I believe that we need a way to measure the magical level or some kind of registry in our society rather than a pro or con legislation about some magical creature heritage thing. Maybe the proper political move would be to force the public to measure the quality or purity of their magic at the three major human stages in life. More so than whom or what had birthed whom; squib, muggle, muggleborn, magical creature descent or full magical human rather than finding a way to quantify the level or amount of magical creature or dare I say mud-blood ancestral interference they have."

"That's a heavy topic," Sirius observed.

"Heads magical human families are the only ones permitted to bring forth such proposals because it doesn't matter what their lineage is, it only matters that they are the Head of a Magical Family, usually someone from an Ancient and Noble House," Harry told them. "That part of our Government has never changed." He paused dramatically and with a small smile suggested. "So the Head of House Black technically stealing the idea from the Head of Maison Malfoy would not be objected to since the House of Black and Maison Malfoy are connected by marriage."

The boy grinned cheekily continuing his train of thought, "Just think how pissed off the purebloods and those from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures would be if we introduce a new concept that reforms that old Department back into what it was originally conceived to be. It was supposed to be a system that studied and measured magical levels anyway which then ranked the creatures and their hybrid offspring as proper members of our society by judging their actions, the purity or strength of their magic, how well they adhere to the Statutes of Magical Secrecy and which families they were linked to in order to gauge potential 'creature' inheritances." He paused and then said, "Although I think that last part was actually to help monitor potential health problems that could crop up from having a mixed human-creature heritage."

"What," Sirius laughed at the idea of pissing off those families that always believed that pure-blood status should be based on blood. "What do you mean, 'originally conceived to be'? Why don't you head up something like that then?"

"I'm only nine about to turn ten. Like they'd listen to me without thinking that I'm 'too young' to understand what's going on," Harry said with fingers quoting. "Plus they would never accept such a proposal from my Regent, but they will have to if it came from my totally magically human Godfather who's known to have 'Dark' family members." He gave the man a pointed look, before continuing. "People will be watching you and what you do now. It's because you were incarcerated by those on the supposed 'Light' side of the law that they'll be wondering if what you propose would be in rebellion to the laws that certain 'good' members of the council and Wizengamot. Uncle Remy can second anything you propose and that cannot be denied him in the Wizengamot despite his supposed dark creature status because he is my Regent."

Remus nodded at that and then looked up quickly as what the boy had said sunk in. "You found the real information?"

"I…uh, recently came into…um…possession of a few sources…of…well…um," Harry hedged with a flushed face as he rubbed the back of his neck and then huffed out. "Oh, all right! I was given them by some very good friends of mine."

"Oh," Remus grinned and asked, "Hmm? Goblin type friends, perhaps?"

"Perhaps," Harry coughed and then grinned mischievously at the two men.

"Here," the pre-teen wandlessly summoned the scrolls and the two books of legislation proposals that had been written in 1667 in conjunction with various covens, flocks, packs and other family groupings of sentient magical creatures and other mystical beings which at the time included humans with magic.

They'd been written at a time just as the Ministry of Magic had started to develop independent magical departments all set up with the purpose of hiding their magical community rather than ruling it the way it's been doing now. The Department related to magical creatures had essentially been set up for the concealment of magical creatures and not the twisted system it was today. Who better to head that up than those with creature ancestry or those that were actually classed as creatures themselves?

"These books are copies for the two of you. I've marked the relevant passages that could be used to convert or revert some of the more heinous laws against magical creatures. I mean those that do not have their own regulating or governing bodies, like centaurs, dementors, fairies and our current werewolf population. The other creatures with a governing body like the Vampire Covens, Veela Flocks and the other Were-creature packs and prides, could assign a representative to the Department for the purpose of meaningful integration or at the very least negotiate a hands-off agreement on purely human disputes so that they can't be dragged into our wars. They'd also ensure that their votes do count in the legislation because their seated votes still exist. They are just not being used in our current government which they really should before any other creature control type regulation comes into force."

He paused and then continued, "Unfortunately the last of the regulated were-packs were driven out of the UK so any new Were-creatures being produced by whatever means in our current society are at loose ends and are without true pack or pride ruling. They have no real representation so they're currently at the mercy of that Department's Overseer who's a pure human and pureblood advocate in the worst sense. The Ministry assigns the representatives now, but someone with creature descent should be the rep and only when one is placed in that position can the human be properly replaced. I don't think anyone remembers that part of the law. Also the true purpose for most of the subdivisions of that Department, were only for regulating the concealment of magical creatures not the subjugation or destruction of them."

Sirius' jaw dropped and Remus looked just as flabbergasted.

Harry looked at them and just continued on with a few of his ideas, hoping that something would spark an interest for the men. He needed to count on them to further his ideas and to get some changes happening in their world before he left for Hogwarts or perhaps some other school or did a home education program for his first year of formal magical education.

Magical schooling should really have been considered a secondary education, but Hogwarts and other magical schools are, actually, the young witch or wizard's first introduction to a formalized schooling scenario. That is unless the students were muggleborn in which case Hogwarts is considered their secondary school of record.

He wanted some regulations added for proper human conduct in relation to house-elf employment and other pure magical creature employment. House-elves are fully sentient and shouldn't be treated as anything less than the wonderful creatures that they were despite their choice of profession or magical limitations.

He also wanted something in place to further goblin interest, but perhaps something to allow goblins the same form of representation that the Vampires and Were-creatures had been permitted during the original configuration of the Department of Creatures.

Goblins were no longer the warring savage creatures they used to be. They had a fully developed society now and should have the right to govern their own or have their own laws acknowledged before the magical humans. Mutual laws about interaction should've been monitored and legislated long before the magical humans believed themselves superior to any magically sentient creature who'd been in a part of the world longer.

"Well," Harry looked at them. "What do you think?"

"I think that you're far too serious for a kid about to turn ten come summer," his godfather told him. It was slightly difficult for the man to accept how serious the boy was, but he was eternally grateful to have had the opportunity to get to know him and learn about who he truly was. He thought that the boy would throw a fit when they'd first moved into the building. But the child had been there to welcome them into the building community with some of the other residents and the maintenance crew.

Harry only shrugged and said, "I have the time now to learn what I want to learn." He looked at the man and explained, "Honestly I have a feeling that the Dark Idiot is not as gone as many people are so ready to believe. I know that there are spells and Dark Rituals out there that can prolong a life. So why wouldn't the Darkest Dark Lord of our time not take advantage of those things if he'd found them? Really everything about that night smells like a ritual in progress that had gone wrong somehow. That's the impression that I get from everything I've read on the matter."

He sighed and looked out of the window. "I also know that whenever I do happen go to Hogwarts that I'm going to be at the forefront of all those kids' thoughts. These kids may think that I'm somehow responsible for the death of a parent or they may have some kind of misguided belief that I'm very powerful or something and should be looked up to when I know I'm just a kid. I know that I will be pushed into some kind of spotlight and those that had followed the Dark Lord will more than likely try to come after me once they know where I can reliably be found."

"What about the work you're doing on that farm and with the owls," Sirius asked since Remus already knew the answer, but he had to let his friend learn on his own what the boy was up to. "Don't they advertise that Harry Potter is working for them? It'll already be in their employment records."

"Actually it's Harrison Black that works for them and there is nothing on their records that say that Harrison Black is the same person as Harry Potter," Harry explained as he turned around to grin at his godfather's shocked expressions. "I organized the farming business under the Black name and it was all done officially through a shell company of which I'm technically the official ward as well as the owner and president everything else thereof. The Black Family have always been known to be canny investors so I used that to hook the two ladies into running Jonquil Gabris Owl Outfitters."

He grinned and continued, "But I'd already chosen to invest in them because I had been given information on how their businesses had bloomed fantastically and then failed consistently through a series of unfortunate events. I needed to help them out in a way that would, of course, benefit me by allowing me to be gainfully employed and to help them by allowing them the monetary connection that would guarantee that this one business opportunity of theirs would and could never go under."

"What are you talking about," Remus asked. This was something that he'd never heard about the two ladies, but it was clear that they adored their young worker. He'd seen their devotion to the boy and knew that they doted on him quite often. He'd also been on the receiving end of their motherly attentions and he'd reveled in it too since they didn't discriminate against him or his magical creature status. He'd been forthright in telling them up front about that he was a werewolf when he first met them. They only tutted and fed him until he was stuffed because they thought he looked underfed.

"Rumour had spread that they were not reliable investments and so my business team at Gringotts had looked into their situation thoroughly before presenting them to me with their new business idea," Harry explained. "You need to know that when I had first come to Gringotts I had all sorts of ideas and plans. Many of which have come true, like the train routes and the new magical towns. But I love owls and I wanted to see them in a reserve or give them a secure, private breeding ground or something of that nature to give them all a stronger chance at survival. I really wanted to see more magical post owls around too."

"How did your love of owls begin," Sirius asked. It was a question that the werewolf had never asked before and he too was interested in the response.

Harry smiled at the thought of his former familiar owl, Hedwig. "I had a dream a few times when I still living with my blood relatives. I was flying and when I looked over my right shoulder a Snowy Owl hooted a greeting at me. She followed me during my dream adventures and…" He blushed, shrugged and smiled shyly, self-consciously. "She seemed magical to me and ever since then I wanted to know more about owls in general. It's why I studied them as much as I could in the muggle world before I learned of the magical world and of their use here." He chuckled with a single shoulder shrug and said, "There's a reason why I don't have an owl as a pet or post owl yet."

"You're looking for that Snowy Owl aren't you," Remus asked in a soft tone.

"It was a very vivid dream and had truly affected me," Harry nodded. "So yes I'm on the lookout for her and I do have a feeling that I'll meet up with her before I go to any magical school."

"All right then," Sirius said. "But before you go to school you're going to be learning the art of pranking from the two of us. You need to at least learn a few of our tricks to pass on to the next generation of Marauders."

Harry looked at the man and said, "I will not be doing anything to humiliate or harm another." Sirius and Remus blinked at that statement. The boy grinned and said, "But I'm willing to learn how to properly prank someone and cover my tracks to not be found out."

"Hah," Sirius laughed as he stood up, wrapped an arm around the boy's head and noogied him. "We'll teach you what we know and you'll decide who deserves a prank or two."

"But," Harry said. "I still will need you to respect my study times and the fact that I want to work in the summer time." He told him seriously. "I do plan to pass my N.E.W.T. in potions before I go anywhere for formal schooling though, so studying is important and will take precedence."

"Why," Sirius asked, not knowing that the boy had researched…well claimed to have researched the potions professor teaching the subject at Hogwarts.

"The professor for potions at Hogwarts is Potions Master Severus Snape," Harry told his godfather with a pointed look. "I looked into his teaching methods and then looked into how many of his students had passed his classes compared to the previous Professor in Potions, a Horace Slughorn." He shrugged. "I guess he doesn't like teaching or something because barely anyone passes his "O" grade standards for O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. However there haven't been any accidental deaths on his teaching record either and that can been seen as a good thing, I suppose. Plus I strongly imagine that he'd hate to teach James Potter's son after all the pranks you guys had pulled on him in school and that is based on what I've read in all those school journals."

"Snivillus is teaching at Hogwarts," Sirius sat upright. "Will wonders never cease? I wonder how he got that position."

"Let that be," Remus said in a slightly hard tone. "You're out of prison and you still want to pick a school yard fight with someone that doesn't deserve to be picked on. You haven't seen him in years! He still can't be affecting you that way?"

"He was a Slytherin," Sirius sniffed and crossed his arms in a petulant manner. "All Slytherins deserve to be picked on."

"That's not fair Godfather mine," Harry reprimanded him as much as a child could. "What if I end up in Slytherin? Does that mean that you'd pick on me too?" He crossed his arms and glared at the man who seemed to shrink down in his seat.

"No," Sirius told him. "But I would certainly hope that you wouldn't end up in there. They're snooty people and would likely lead you down the wrong path."

"Peter Pettigrew was a Gryffindor was he not," Harry asked pointedly with a raised eyebrow. "I think that says enough the reliability about the House system at Hogwarts, don't you? I'll not judge any student by their House, but by their actions and that's my plan for wherever I go to school or after I finish school."

"That's a good attitude to have Harry," Remus agreed. "That's something that your mother would certainly be proud of you for. She was a strong advocate of having friends in different Houses and she did have many, including a few from Slytherin House."

"I would like to think that I would eventually honour both of my parents with the way I conduct myself at school and out of it," Harry smiled at the thought of being compared to his mother. "I'm looking forward to making friends. I find that I quite miss the company of others my age, but I will not pick fights with anyone in whatever House they're in or just because of the House they happened to be sorted into. It just would not be fair."

"All right, all right," Sirius held up his hands. "I'll not argue with you any longer about this."

"Thank you," Harry nodded and then he hugged the man and said, "I don't think that I'll be sorted into Slytherin anyway, so you don't have to worry about that."

"So," Sirius sighed into the boy's hair. "Not Gryffindor either eh?"

Harry replied with a shake of his head in the man's chest area. "Probably not. Will that be okay?"

"I believe that I can live with that," Sirius told him with a pet to the pre-teen's fluffy black hair.

Harry - James - Potter

At the beginning of the summer just before Harry's eleventh birthday, the boy sat for his N.E.W.T. exam in field of potions. Madam Griselda Marchbanks had been surprised to see Harry's name on the list of those taking the Potions N.E.W.T., but was not that surprised considering how young he was when he'd passed the Ministry's O.W.L. exam in Potions.

She had before her the same list of conditions for the young man and had immediately agreed to his request for secrecy and security. He wasn't the only person who planned to take the N.E.W.T. exam and certainly not the only one who wanted to remain anonymous for the next few years. Although she had a feeling that he'd have to reveal the fact that he'd taken the exam in order to get out of taking the primary potions classes at Hogwarts.

She wrote him and all other applicants back with a standard reply.

Harry - James - Potter

Dear Applicant GFN# … (...fill in the blank…)

Please be advised that your request to attend the UK Ministry of Magic's N.E.W.T. level potions exam has been approved by the Wizarding Examination Authority (WEA) and accommodations have been prepared to reflect your needed requests.

The exam date is set for June 28th, 1991.

We expect all clients to bring their standard personal potions kit for the N.E.W.T. level exam in order to supplement the N.E.W.T. level potions that you're expected to make. Basic supplies will be provided as per WEA regulations, but quantities are limited. Some specialized ingredients will be made available to you as needed, but ensure that you carry most of the N.E.W.T. level standard basics.

Bring any references and ingredients required to produce four potions where each must have a production timeline of over three hours. The time of this exam does not include the written portion in which you'll be allotted two hours to complete prior to practical potion making.

You'll receive two level appropriate potion recipes at the time of your exam. You are expected to produce one of your own from memory, again at an appropriate level for this exam and one will be given to you from a provided esoteric reference.

Successful completion of the written exam and potions within the timeline above grants you the legal classification or title of Potioneer. The title also ensures that you are legally permitted to manufacture all standard and restricted potions. The title does not include any that are deemed Master Level Potions, Experimental Potions in Progress or Ministry Sanctioned Potions all of which require a Master title in the subject of Potions.

With your acceptance indicate three or less languages that you fully comprehend in oral conversation, reading, and writing in order for us to provide you with an appropriate the esoteric potion for your exam.

Otherwise you'll receive one in 'Olde' English to analyze and make, along with the task to alter it in some fashion to create a modern equivalent based on your analysis of the ingredients available in today's market and the evolved potion making processes.

These are N.E.W.T. level tasks that you are expected to fully carry out in order to pass the WEA exam for home-schooled individuals.

Sincerely,

Madam Griselda Marchbanks

Professor, CDMG, APMO, fdBB

Harry - James - Potter

Dear Madam Marchbanks,

I write to acknowledge that I will be there to attend the N.E.W.T.s exam that will be taking place June 28th, 1991.

Could you please ensure that there is at least half a dram of diamondback cobra venom and three feathers from a flying serpent or a Quetzalcoatl? I have a potion in mind to make from memory. If these supplies are too taxing, please let me know as I will study and memorize some other potion for the N.E.W.T. potion exam or obtain my own ingredients.

The languages that I'm extensively familiar with are Gobbledegook, German, Arabic, Dutch and classic French. Obviously I do know the standard, English quite well. I have a passing understanding of several others, but will refrain from listing them. I'd rather not be frowned upon by such a renowned lady as yourself by listing too many.

Sincerely,

Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived

Lunar P. Black

Confirming GFN# - 318007HJP-Pa276003JIP-Ma306001LRE-GFN1985

Harry - James - Potter

Dear Mr. Potter,

We do have the ingredients you've requested. See you on June 28th.

Come early as Lunar P. to ensure your privacy in transit and to discuss the release of your final results, should you pass.

Sincerely,

Madam Griselda Marchbanks

Professor, CDMG, APMO, fdBB

Harry - James – Potter

June 28th

Harry had arrived in the company of his security goblin, Griphook, much like the first time he'd come to take his test in the O.W.L. for potions. They'd arrived a full hour early in order to meet up with the presiding examiner Madam Marchbanks.

"Come in," the elderly woman said. She looked up from a set of books she'd been sorting for use in the N.E.W.T. exam. "Ah, young Mr. Black come in and have a seat."

"You asked to speak with me," Harry said.

"Yes," she turned to look at the funny dressed boy. "If you successfully pass the N.E.W.T. exam in potions I have a feeling that without publishing your accomplishment, you'll be forced to attend regular potions classes at Hogwarts."

"Ah," Harry noised. "I guess I can see what you mean. I'd probably find myself fighting with the school's administration about it too. Since I'd prefer not to subject myself to Potions Master Snape's classes I may have to consider some kind of alternative option."

"I would love to respect your privacy in this matter. However if you succeed in passing much like you did your O.W.L. exam…" She let that information rest.

"I understand," Harry replied with a nod. "Can the revelation be delayed?"

"It can, but for how long," she asked.

"Until August 10th, should do" Harry said. "By then I should have obtained my Hogwarts letter and finished the shopping required for my future classes."

Madam Marchbanks looked at the calendar and nodded. "That would be acceptable. We will have to notify most European magical schools and other learning institutions before then of your passing, but they are not permitted to spread that information around. It will also allow Potions Monthly to make an article for their September issue about those that had passed the exams if that is all right with you?"

"Thank you, yes," Harry said. "Will that be all? I'd like to do a bit of review before the exams starts if permissible."

"Of course," she said and had him escorted to the waiting room with the other examinees there were also doing a bit of last minute reviewing.

Half an hour later the people there to take the N.E.W.T. potion exam were being lectured on the proper conduct expected during the exam. All personal kits were being graded on content and preparation including the general reference works found within.

Harry's kit had been created for him following the advice he received from his potions correspondence tutor Potions Mistress Gemara Draeger. He'd taken the base outline of an idea and had commissioned a large sectioned carpet bag from a reputable kit maker in Portugal that worked from a store called 'Practical Potions Paraphernalia' or more commonly known as the 'Triple P Store'.

He received high marks for his kit preparation.

The instructions for the exam were similar to the O.W.L. exam he'd taken, although there were a few elements of difference to note. They had to actually prep a few of their ingredients from scratch or from the raw elements within their private testing cubicles. They had to also preserve those same ingredients prior to use in order to show their knowledge on the requirements of proper ingredient preservation.

All of which had been part of their written exam questions too.

The exams regulated by the Ministry were base indicators of where a person would rank among the magical Potions Guild members and where they truly ranked as students. Many students from standard magical schools were hardly ever prepared to go further in the study of potions unless they had a gift for it or loved it in general.

Usually a Potions Master or Mistress would review the exams monitored by the local Ministries of Magic for potential students or apprentices. Only then would an offer of apprenticeship be made or a student could seek apprenticeship based on the marks they'd acquired from secondary WEA potions exams.

Apprenticeships worked pretty much like they did in the days long past where a student with potential paid a Master to teach them their trade. The number of viable apprentices coming from Hogwarts and within the United Kingdom, as not all students attended a magical school, had dropped dramatically in the last few decades. But that had been expected considering the conflicts that occurred with that Voldemort fellow and old Grindelwald before him.

During their written exam they'd been given their esoteric reference in a foreign language. Pages had been tagged and within the book they had to translate the recipe, find modern equivalents to ingredients no longer found in nature and then build a recipe based on their analysis. They then had to make the potion with the ingredients currently available to them during the exam following their newly interpreted recipe for the second part of their exam.

Harry was stoked and couldn't wait to get to that part of the exam. He'd been tempted to pass up what he thought were the easy questions, but knew that he wanted to do well and did not want to disappoint his current potions tutor. Potions Mistress Gemara Draeger was not one to put up with fools. She fully expected him to beat the record again with the highest marks possible.

The reference he'd been given was in Gobbledegook, ancient gobbledegook with ancient rune translations chart included. It was a reference he'd never seen before and privately wondered if he'd be able to get a copy of it or just copy it once the exam is completed.

He sighed and returned his thoughts to the written portion of his exam. He answered each question thoughtfully and wrote the answers with his cleanest handwriting. It wouldn't do to fail because the examiner couldn't read his answers. He'd long since learned the value of proper handwriting. Of course the advent of the ball-pens had greatly helped with that too.

He raised the signaler that he'd been given to indicate that he finished the written portion of the exam and was prepared to do the next part. A small loo break was offered and accepted as the next portion of the exam meant that they'd be confined to the cubicle until all potions were completed. Three hours was too a long time to work on a potion without going to the loo especially since the medical spell for elimination had not been learnt, he didn't have a true wand yet and he was too young to know it.

Harry returned to his cubicle to find that his references had changed, well not really changed, but been improved upon. He'd received two more books in similar gobble languages and was told that his recipe was within the first book, but that the other two were needed to interpret ingredient interactions. He thanked the lady and had chosen to begin the first two simpler recipes that had been posted on the cubicle's notice board.

The situation was very similar to his O.W.L. exam. He worked on three potions, two from the posted recipes and one from memory alone. He'd been permitted to use a charmed ball pen that wrote everything that was dictated to it to write down the one from memory. It wasn't considered cheating to make notes either while working on potions as a true Master and even a general Potioneer needed to know where they were in the potion making process. They were constantly muttering steps whenever they worked on something new or something that they'd made modifications for.

It took him an hour and a half to finish the first potion, two hours for the second. The third potion required nearly two and a half hours. The final potion required all three hours since he needed to translate its references and test a few ingredient interactions before adding them to the potion at hopefully the proper interval. In the end he hadn't been able to finish the last potion on time, but it was a near thing.

No one there had been expected to finish their final potion, but they were expected to explain every process that they'd used and why they were following it for their translated recipe. They had to explain what they believed it was used for and how they came to that kind of conclusion too.

A couple of people in the room had been miffed to discover that they'd been in the process of producing some ancient floor polisher potion. Others had been pleased to note that they'd received medicinal potion recipes for various peoples or magical creatures.

Harry's had been one such potion.

Actually his had been a thick salve made to repair cuts in the soles of a goblin's feet. The more aged the goblin, the harder and more calloused the soles of their feet became. Their hardened feet were prone to cracking over time. It didn't matter whether they'd worn shoes all their lives or not, it was just how their bodies worked.

If left untreated then the cracks became irreparable and the elderly goblins could become crippled for the remainder of their life. He couldn't finish the potion because of the time frame nor because of the lack of ingredients, but because of the physical strength needed to stir this particular potion.

He found in the historical references within the books he'd been given, where they stated that this particular potion used to be made in a large cauldron, bigger than the standard size fifty-two cauldron made for full human body emersion. Also the reference had indicated that they'd used to use beasts of burden to propel a mechanical stirring rod that had been purposefully made with a fifteen inch diameter tree limb. He made careful notes explaining that part of the potion as he'd shaken his head when he'd reached that part of the stirring and found that he'd been limited by his puny human body, even when he had successfully reduced the quantity that the recipe would make.

He'd written up his observations including the speculation of spelling a human body part to stir the potion and whether the modification to a human body would have any kind of adverse effect on the total outcome of the potion. It was something that couldn't be proved yet, but it was something that could be tested by others.

"All writing implements down," one of the Proctors said. "Bottle or package your potions and prepare to hand them in. Once we've collected them, you'll be free to leave and yes, you may keep the extras, just ensure that we have four samples of each for proper testing." He didn't mention labeling them as it was a given that all examinees had to know how to properly label their potions and marks were added or deducted based on proper labelling technique.

Harry yawned, but wrote everything carefully. He'd already properly bottled the Amortentia Potion and its antidote which had been his two assigned potions. He created a generalized snake venom antidote potion from memory which had required the cobra venom and the feathers from a flying serpent. He explained where he'd found the recipe and what kind of antidote it was for his exam.

It wasn't a common antidote, but a more powerful one that actually helped neutralize nearly all snake type poisons with the exception of certain magical snakes. He listed the genus of the snakes that the antidote would fully neutralize and the genus of the ones that the antidote could slow the poisonous symptoms until a true antidote could be found. He also listed the scientific genus of the snake venom and snake family where this potion would fail to do anything.

Best of all was that he'd found only three genus types where this antidote would fail completely of which Nagini the Dark Lord's future snake familiar was not one of them. This particular antidote would work very well against that horrid snake's venom.

Harry packed away his supplies after he'd properly cleaned them. He washed the cubicle's tools too ensuring that they'd been properly sanitized and free of any ingredient residue. It wouldn't do to destroy the Ministry's potion supplies because of poor tool maintenance. He knew that someone would be going over them with a spell to check their cleanliness.

Griphook watched him with a careful eye and watched as it was the head of the WEA exams, Madam Marchbanks that came to collect the Boy-Who-Lived's written exam and finished samples. She tagged them with her personal seal and nodded at the security goblin.

"This has been a long day for you Mr. Black," she said as Harry dressed back into his disguise of Lunar P. Black. "You're free to go. The WEA will notify you of the result within the next month."

"Thank you Madam Marchbanks," Harry replied and bowed politely. "I was wondering if I could copy the goblin references that were provided to me." She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I have blank books in my kit that can be used along with knowledge and ability to use the copy charm my Mum had created in school."

"Well that will depend," Madam Marchbanks looked to Harry's escort goblin.

"It's permitted," Griphook said. "They are older references that are no longer in use because we don't have enough scholars researching their contents. Your current tutor will accept the results of any research you choose to do."

"Thank you," Harry said as he pulled out three large leather notebooks that with his Mum's spell the information would transfer to the blank books and that the leather bindings would solidify making them hardbound copies.

He placed the three references on top of one of the blank books, put his hands in the air so that they hovered over the books and then he whispered the words he'd learnt from his Uncle Remy. "Transcribo Destini Firma," he said and they watched as the smaller original references glowed in a dull yellow with the large blank books under them slowly glowing orange. The colour changed to match the yellow colour of the originals. "As soon as the colours match that's how I'll know that they were properly copied. They'll stop glowing too."

They waited for half a minute for the colours to match and stop their minor light show. The boy packed away his new references and handed the original ones to Madam Marchbanks with a bow.

The goblin bowed too as he collected the references that he'd been asked to bring on behalf of the WEA. The goblin interpretation portion of the boy's exam would be corrected by the goblin Potions Mistress or Master that Madam Marchbanks had been in contact with when she'd learned about the boy's knowledge of their guttural language.

"Have a good day," Madam Marchbanks curtseyed politely to them before going to collect another exam.

"Mr. Black," Griphook said as he took hold of the boy's elbow. "I'll guide you to the floo. Might I suggest that you go to your Godfather's place?"

"Thank you Griphook," Harry said. He linked his fingers and cracked them with a stretch of his arms pushed forward. He picked up his secured potions kit and walked beside his security guard.

"Hn," the goblin noised and steered him towards the Ministry's public fireplace. "Off you go," he said and the added in Gobbledegook (…Do enjoy your summer holidays…)

"Crikey," Harry gasped. (…I'd forgotten that I'm going on holiday for the next two weeks…) He replied in kind. Then he laughed joyously, bowed to the goblin and sincerely said, (…Thank you for your assistance. May your gold increase and your enemies flounder at your feet in fear of your ever sharpened blade, so say I…)

(…So mote it be…) Griphook saluted as the green flames took away his client. He quickly took the floo back to the bank in order to return the borrowed books and to recommend that Harry's Potions tutor contact the WEA for an unmarked copy of the boy's N.E.W.T. exam.

Harry - James - Potter - Harry - James - Potter

TBC...