A/N: So, I noticed that the writing in my two last chapters was very bland, and I am SO sorry. I had no idea where to go from sorting Harry into Slytherin, not to mention I had a terrible fever. I also suck at filler scenes.

But I wanted to get a chapter out there, and once I did… I don't know, it just… didn't feel the same.

So I went back and read a few sections of my older chapters, and they're better than the last. It's considerably better.

So, no more chapters while I'm not feeling well. I've also planned this one and the next two chapters already, not just making it up as I write, hoping inspiration strikes, and I hope the results show.

So, without any further ado, I hope you enjoy Chapter 8.

It had almost been two months since Harry Potter had arrived at Hogwarts, and his time here had been nothing short of a bloody roller-coaster.

He'd come to Hogwarts thinking he and Ginny would be in the same house, preferably Gryffindor since her whole family was there, but he had to go end up in Slytherin and be dubbed a Dark Lord. It wasn't that he was too affected by it, he'd long since learned to ignore mindless chatter, and the fact that Ginny didn't care about what House he was in made it a lot more bearable.

But that wasn't what he expected Hogwarts to be like.

He was good at Magic, but that only solidified people's beliefs that he was going Dark. The First Years were pretty decent about it all, and why wouldn't they be? They shared classes with him. But, the comments from the Upper Years toward him and Ginny were hard for him to hear without doing anything about it.

Sometime in mid-September, he did snap. For better or for worse, he'd done so in front of Professor Sinastra. Some Slytherin Sixth Years had made a comment about Ginny, and Harry just lost it.

He didn't care that he'd just passed his Head of House; he didn't even hear Ginny tell him to ignore it; he was pissed. He cast a Knockback Jinx at one of the Sixth Year's knee- which broke, something Harry didn't mean to do but wasn't sorry about either. He followed it up with a Levicorpus at the guy beside her, and the final one in the middle was brought to his knees by Wandless Magic before the bloke could even draw his wand.

"Yeah, I can do Wandless Magic," Harry had said, stowing his wand in his holster. Everyone around him was frozen stiff from shock. He decided to add to this by walking close to the guy and said in a cold voice, "And I fucking destroyed the greatest Dark Wizard of all time when I was in diapers. What's to stop me from destroying you now?" He released him after he finished his threat, but the guy just sat there frozen with a horrified expression on his face. That was enough for Sinastra to break through her shock and drag him up to Dumbledore's Office.

Dumbledore had told him off for two hours. Harry had almost been expelled. Then, they had a four-hour discussion about Power and Responsibility. Harry listened attentively, but even at the end of it, he wasn't sorry he did it. He did feel bad, but he wasn't sorry, and he told Dumbledore so. He got a disappointed look at first but a grudgingly accepting yet guarded one when he mentioned his reasons. Those being that bullies do not stop until you fight back.

Ginny ranted at him for ten minutes, and this time, he did feel sorry for scaring her. He could tell she was, even though she hadn't mentioned it. Mercifully, he managed to save their friendship.

But, the entire Student Body had received the message.

Do not mess with Harry Potter.

Since then, even a little look from Harry was enough to make the crowd part ways. Ginny, thankfully, found this hilarious.

Harry had made two new friends in Slytherin. Yes, he made friends. Plural. He and Ginny both did, actually. She had quickly become a go-to student for advice in her year, especially for Charms and Potions, and, as such, she was also quite popular in her year.

Not to mention her demonstration of non-verbal Magic in Charms class had given her a reputation as a Powerful witch.

Having other friends was actually rather helpful since Harry and Ginny only had four out of their seven classes together. So, they could sit by one another in the classes they did share while not suffering from loneliness in the ones they didn't.

Ginny was on friendly terms with almost everyone who didn't think that Harry was a Dark Wizard. Most of them were Muggleborns and half-bloods, but there was a Pureblood, too. Neville Longbottom. But they already had different friend groups to sit with in The Great Hall, so they didn't sit with Harry and Ginny, and sometimes Harry's friends.

Harry's new friends were, Devon Lennox, the boy who had previously come to them (Harry and Ginny) for Transfiguration and Charms advice; and Jessica Creed, a girl from a pureblood family, except she didn't believe in their propaganda, and had helped Harry defend Devon from Draco on more than one occasion. Since then, she sat near the two of them in the classes they didn't share with Gryffindor.

Devon had black eyes and curly dark brown hair; he was shorter than Harry but much healthier too. Jessica had black hair so similar to Harry's in shade, it was hard to think that she wasn't his sister, if her eyes were green instead of blue, Harry would have assumed she was his long-lost sister. They both also got along spectacularly well with Ginny whenever she was around.

He was doing well in his classes. The Professors had been singing his praises; the Wandless Magic incident had caused them to frown in disapproval from time to time, but he had won them over, as of a few days ago. Binnis was blissfully unaware of what had happened; hell, he didn't even know who Harry was.

They even made a Potion in Potions class that told you what Power level you were. The results were supposed to be kept secret from all but the Headmaster and certain people in the Ministry. Harry and Ginny had both told each other, and they were both Warlocks.

Harry's thoughts were cut short when he and Ginny reached Hagrid's Hut after their morning run for tea.

The two of them made a point to visit Hagrid at least once a week after their morning run. Hagrid loved when they came around and offered them tea and Rock Cakes.

The tea was always freakin' brilliant. Harry had never tasted any tea so delicious, not even at the Leaky. The rock cakes, on the other hand… Well, they were more rock and less cake, and that was as kindly as Harry could put it.

Before they could reach the door, Fang- Hagrid's boarhound charged out of the door to greet them both. He tackled them to the ground and started licking their faces sloppily.

"Fang!" They heard Hagrid's voice call. Soon, the pressure of the dog was lifted off them, and they were hauled to their feet by a giant eight-foot-tall man.

"Morning Hagrid," Ginny greeted. Harry added his own hello.

"Good morning, Ginny, Harry." Hagrid greeted them while trying to drag Fang back into his Hut.

Hagrid's Hut was extremely spacious, well, it was spacious for Harry and Ginny and very normal for Hagrid. It was newly renovated, the earlier building was too short for Hagrid, and so, Dumbledore had hired Dwarves to renovate the place. Now, it was quite cozy for him.

"Come in, you two, and sorry about Fang. He gets too excited to see ya two." Hagrid said.

"It's okay, Hagrid," Harry said, stepping into Hagrid's home. Ginny nodded from behind him.

"Well, I can make you some tea and breakfast if you'd like?" Hagrid asked. "I just finished the tea."

"The tea will be fine, Hagrid, thanks," Ginny said, sitting on one of the chairs behind the table.

Harry nodded and sat down beside her. "We're not too hungry at the moment" The real reason was that Hagrid's 'breakfast' consisted of Rock Cakes, but neither had the heart to tell the man that they didn't taste good.

Hagrid nodded and served them both tea. They drank in silence for a while before Hagrid asked, "You two have flying lessons today, right?"

They nodded. The First Years had to wait for their Flying Lessons till late October so that the Muggleborns could get used to the Magical World as a whole.

"Do you think you're gonna try out for the Quidditch team? They start in November, right?" Hagrid asked.

Ginny shook her head. "Gryffindor's already full, I'm afraid. There are no try-outs this year. What about Slytherin?" Ginny directed her question to Harry.

"There are three openings, one Chaser, one Beater, and a Seeker," he said.

"You gonna try out?" Hagrid asked.

Harry shook his head. "I don't think I'd be able to try out."

"Why not?" Ginny asked.

"Marcus Flint's the captain," Harry said. Ginny's eyes went wide in recognition. "I see you remember him." Marcus Flint was the boy who made the comment about Ginny and the one who was threatened by Harry. Flint still flinched whenever he caught sight of Harry.

Hagrid opened his mouth to say something but an owl rapped on his window. "Must be the Prophet," he said. Hagrid got up and grabbed a few knuts from the drawer. Harry noticed that the owl had a pouch attached to it. Hagrid got the paper and deposited the money in the pouch before the owl flew off.

"Let's see. Oh! They have a lead on the Gringotts robbery!" That got Harry and Ginny's attention. They stood up as Hagrid placed the paper on the table.

A Goblin had been imperiused by the Dark Wizard, and that had led to him getting in and out undetected. That also confirmed that the Dark Wizard was a very learned one because not everyone could overcome the naturally resistive minds that Goblins have. The article also stated that Vault 711 had been already cleared out. Harry again felt that he was missing something, but when he looked up at Hagrid to ask if he knew anything, everything suddenly clicked.

Griphook had given Hagrid an object that looked like a rock back when Harry had been getting his Chequebook and Money Bag.

"Hagrid," he said slowly. "What do you know about this Vault?"

"Nothing," Hagrid said quickly. Too quickly.

"Hagrid, I can tell when people lie to me, and besides, I saw Griphook give you something when you and I were at Gringotts," Harry said.

Hagrid sighed in defeat. "Look, Harry, I can't tell you. What's in that Vault is strictly between Professor Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel. It's top secret." Harry gasped in recognition, and Hagrid's eyes went wide."I shouldn't have said that. I really shouldn't have said that."

"It's alright, Hagrid, we won't tell anyone. Promise. Right Harry?" Ginny asked.

"Of course," Harry said. He wasn't going to tell anyone else anyway.

Hagrid seemed to relax a little and checked his watch. His eyes seemed to bug out of his head, "Merlin's beard! I've got to feed the Unicorns! I'm so sorry, Harry and Ginny, you ought to leave now. But please do visit again soon."

They nodded, said their goodbyes- to both Hagrid and Fang- and left Hagrid's Hut.

"You gonna tell me what the hell happened back there?" Ginny asked him after they were a good distance away from the Hut.

Harry sighed. "Yeah. So, you remember how I told you about Hagrid taking me to Gringotts when I first found out about the Magical World, right?"

Ginny nodded. "Yeah…"

"Well, I didn't tell you before, but Griphook gave something to Hagrid. It was a rock-shaped package. Like literally. I remember Griphook saying something about an object from Vault 711. The one that was robbed."

Ginny's eyes went wide, making the same connection he had. "So, you think nothing was stolen because the Vault was already emptied?" Ginny gaped at him. Whether she was in awe or thought he had gone off his rocker, Harry didn't know.

Harry nodded anyway. "Knowing what I do, it's the only thing that makes sense."

Ginny frowned. "What do you think was in the package?"

"Hagrid mentioned whatever it was; it was between Professor Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel. Now, you might think I'm crazy but I think it was the Philosopher's Stone"

Ginny blinked in confusion. "The what?" She asked.

"The Philosopher's Stone" he repeated slower than last time.

"I heard you the first time. I meant, what is this Philosopher's Stone?"

"Oh. Well, it's a stone that can turn any metal into gold. It is also said to produce the Elixir of Life that makes the drinker immortal if he or she consumes it regularly," he explained.

Ginny tried; she really did, but she couldn't stop the laugh that escaped her. "You do realize this sounds like something someone's pulled from The Tales of Beedle the Bard, right?"

"From what?" Harry asked.

Ginny sobered and sighed. "The Tales of Beedle the Bard. It's an old Wizarding Fairytale book, and there's loads of such stuff in it. The Fountain of Fair Fortune, The Deathly Hallows, but they're all fake, Harry. Just fairytales."

"Okay, fine. It may sound like a fairytale. But do you know who Nicholas Flamel is?"

Ginny shook her head.

"He was an Alchemist, and before he went 'missing' with his wife, they were said to have created the Philosopher's Stone. No one could find them or the Stone after that."

"I see you have been keeping up with your reading, Harry," a familiar voice said.

Neither of them had realized that they had reached the Entrance Hall to the Castle. Dumbledore was standing right in front of them with a somewhat amused smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. He was wearing robes of the most outrageous shade of yellow. Harry himself had seen some weird fashion choices; living at the Leaky for four months would do that to you. But this and those Purple robes Dumbledore was wearing back when he'd shown Harry Magic still took the spot of the bravest fashion choices Harry had ever seen anyone try.

Harry was well aware that he was staring at Dumbledore with his mouth open. Ginny was too, but for a completely different reason. She was also blushing, clearly not used to being in the Headmaster's presence.

"And Miss Weasley too. I hope your classes are going well. I hear the two of you are the most talented young children Hogwarts has had the pleasure of teaching in recent years."

Harry blushed a little. Ginny managed to go redder. "Thank you, sir. It means a lot to hear you say that" Harry said.

Dumbledore bowed his head and said, "Miss Weasley, I would like to speak with Harry about something. Would you mind..?"

"Of course, sir. Bye, Harry" She said and started walking to the Grand Staircase.

"What would you like to talk about, sir?" Harry asked Dumbledore after she left.

"How are you, Harry?"

Harry blinked in surprise. What the fuck was Dumbledore getting at? "I'm fine. Classes are great. I have friends, and no one tries to bully me anymore," he shrugged.

"Yes. I have noticed that. I am sorry I couldn't do much about it, " Dumbledore said.

"It's alright," Harry said. Really, Dumbledore had tried. Whenever he found someone talking shit about Harry, he would intervene. But he was the Headmaster, and the most he could do for such things according to the rules was to take away House Points. He could make announcements, but Harry had told him not to. He didn't want more attention.

"Thank you, Harry. Now, as for the reason, I would like to speak with you…" Dumbledore trailed off, seemingly not being able to find the words.

"Yes?" Harry asked after a few moments.

"I would like to ask about your living arrangements." He held a hand up, silently asking permission to continue. Harry gave it.

"I paid a visit to your relatives after I left Diagon Alley. We had a little chat about your… arrangements; there was quite a bit of yelling and ranting from both sides. But in the end, I managed to… erm, convince them to treat you better,"

Harry was gaping at Dumbledore again; he knew he was, but he couldn't really do anything about it. Did he know that Harry hadn't been staying at Number Four? Had Aberforth told him? No, they didn't speak anymore. And why the fuck would Albus Dumbledore of all people go to his relatives to make sure Harry was treated well?

"I intended to visit on September 1st to show you to the Hogwarts Express. Imagine my surprise to learn that you hadn't returned there since I took you to Diagon Alley."

"Well, shit" Harry muttered. That actually made sense now that he thought about it. Of course, Dumbledore wouldn't have left him to fend for himself when he didn't even know how to get to Hogwarts.

"Relax, Harry. I am not angry. Merely curious. How did you do it? Where did you go? You don't have to answer of course. As long as you are sure you will be safe there."

Harry considered it. He wanted to tell the Headmaster. Maybe he could even help the two brothers form a relationship again. Oh, who was he kidding he didn't know the first thing about doing that. He just wanted Dumbledore to trust that he wasn't goint to go and cause more trouble for him.

"When Hagrid dropped me off at the Park, I just waited there for a few hours and then called the Knight Bus and went to the Leaky Cauldron" He said. Purposely leaving out his encounter with Vernon.

"So, I suppose I would be correct if I guessed that you met my brother?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I got to know him for the month of May. Then the Gringotts robbery happened, and, well, you know" he finished with a shrug.

Dumbledore nodded gravely. They sat in silence until Harry asked a question that had been on his mind ever since Ginny had told him about it.

"Why was I sent to the Dursleys'?" He asked.

Dumbledore appeared to be unsurprised by the question. Internally Albus was full-on panicking. How much should he tell the boy? The Prophecy was out of the question till he was of age. Besides, Voldemort was already dead, and if Harry was anything like Tom- and there were a lot of similarities- he would blame himself for his parents' death, if he didn't already. He decided to tell Harry the truth. Not the whole truth, not yet, but a part of it wouldn't hurt him. Something told him Harry would be quite adept at detecting lies.

"The Ministry sent you there, Harry," Dumbledore said. "Because they were afraid of you"

Afraid of him? What the fuck? "You've got to be kidding me. What did they have to fear from me? I was a 6 month old baby"

"A six month old baby who destroyed the Darkest Wizard to ever roam the Earth" Dumbledore clarified. "Harry, one thing about Wizards is that they are afraid. Afraid of other Magical creatures, afraid of change, afraid of those more Powerful than them- mostly Warlocks- but most importantly, they are afraid of what they cannot control"

Harry nodded, entranced by what Albus was telling him.

"You stopped the Killing Curse Harry," he continued. "You didn't leave a body, or any trace that Voldemort was even there. You were- are- Powerful, and therefore something they cannot control. So they sent you to live as a Muggle, hoping one of Voldemort's supporters would take you out."

"What!?" Why would they do that? They were the Ministry of Magic, staunchly against Voldemort.

"You had no Protection there. But when Lily Potter died, she unknowingly cast a sort of protection on you, Harry. As far as I could tell back then, it hadn't been damaged in any way, nor had it been used, but it wouldn't last for long. So, since they were already sending you to your Aunt's, I cast a blood ward on the town. As long as Petunia would take you in, no Magical being- except myself, when the time came- would be able to find you. It would also cause your Magic to develop faster, so that if anyone did come after you here, you would be able to take care of them. I tried adopting you back then. But the Ministry accused me of trying to gain Power by turning you into a weapon" He rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I would have happily retired and raised you, Harry. I had more than enough gold, still do. Minerva would have probably joined me"

Harry was at a loss for words but he managed to stammer out a thank you.

Dumbledore snorted. "No need. I never got the chance"

"You gave me what I needed to survive, though," Harry said. Dumbledore couldn't seem to find any fault with his reasoning, so Harry decided to ask the question that he'd wanted to ask Dumbledore for a long time.

"Sir, can I ask you another question?" Harry said.

"Of course, Harry," Albus replied.

"If, hypothetically, I wanted to teach someone Wandless Magic" Dumbledore's eyebrow shot up at that, but he didn't say anything. "How do I go about it? I don't really know how I do Wandless Magic. I mean, I can channel it well enough, but, I don't know how to teach someone to call forth that… power."

"I assume this student of yours is Miss Weasley?" Dumbledore asked with a knowing smile.

Harry's blush was enough of an answer for Dumbledore and he let out a little chuckle "Well," Dumbledore said. "I would recommend asking her to get a feel for her Magic when trying to do it with a Wand."

Harry frowned. "Aren't those two like… different branches of Magic?"

Dumbledore odded. "True, but both of them do make use of the Magic inside one's body. Once she gets a feel for her own Magic, connects with it enough to control it with a Wand; then ask her to replicate the feeling without one. I warn you now, Harry, it may take her two or three years to get there, even if she is a Warlock"

Harry nodded. "I understand, sir. Thank you"

"Of course, Harry. I think it best if you leave now, you might even make it to breakfast in time." Dumbledore said after noticing how long their conversation took.

Harry checked his own watch and nodded. "One last thing, sir. Do you know any place where we can practice? Us being in different houses sort of puts us in a difficult spot."

Albus smiled. "Oh, I am sure there is a room in Hogwarts that has what you require. A room you can come and go to"

Harry frowned. "What?" He didn't miss the subtle emphasis on 'Require' and 'Come and go' but what did it mean? Had Dumbledore suddenly lost his mind?

Albus sighed. "I'm afraid I have a staff meeting to get to in a few minutes and the Seventh Floor is a bit of a climb. I should go now, as well. Good Luck on your Flying Lessons."

With that Dumbledore left Harry staring after him in the corridor. Albus also wondered whether their first year was soon enough to open a betting pool on when Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley would get together. One didn't research so much about Wandless Magic for just anyone after all.

Harry told Ginny what happened when they met up again before flying lessons.

"Does he always talk in riddles like that?" Ginny asked him. He opened his mouth to say 'Sometimes, yeah' but he was interrupted by the arrival of Devon and Jessica.

"Easy for you to say" they heard Devon say, "You've been flying on brooms for your whole life"

"Well, you do have a point, I have been on a broom before." Jessica said, as Devon sat down beside Harry, she took the seat beside Devon. "But flying isn't really my thing, so…"

"What are we talking about?" Ginny asked.

"Flying. Or more specifically, why Devon isn't going to make a fool of himself while flying" Jessica said.

"Of course, I'm gonna make a fool of myself," Devon snapped. "I haven't ever been on a broom"

"Neither have I," Harry said, trying to calm him down.

"Yeah, but you're Harry Potter, mate. No one messes with you anymore" Devon said. "Trust me I will get picked on again. Your friend or not."

"Relax, Devon. Jess and I can give you some pointers" Ginny assured him. Jessica nodded from beside Devon. "You too if you need them Harry" Ginny added.

"Thanks" Harry said, and took the last bite of his buttered toast.

"Have you two found the Kitchens yet?" Jessica asked.

Harry and Ginny shook their heads. They'd both been trying, together and separately, to find the Kitchens for the whole month. Devon would've volunteered to help them, except he said that he was a very unlucky person and would only get them caught, Jessica just liked her sleep, And Ginny's friends weren't the rule-breaking, adventurous types. Thus, it was just the two of them. Ginny knew that Fred and George knew, but they wouldn't tell her.

"We know it's in the basement. We just don't know where" Harry said.

Jessica grimaced. "Well, good luck."

Harry inclined his head in acknowledgement, like he'd seen Dumbledore do. It felt weird, but it was a good way to get the point across. Ginny briefly smiled in amusement- she must've figured out what he was doing.

"May I have your attention please?" Dumbledore asked after everyone had finished breakfast. The Hall instantly got quiet and Dumbledore inclined his head in thanks. "First Year Gryffindors and Slyrherins who have signed up for Flying Lessons, please follow Madam Hooch to the Quidditch Pitch. She will be your Flight Instructor. Good luck!"

It was Halloween today.

The realization came to Harry when he walked into the Great Hall for Breakfast the next morning with Devon and Jessica.

They'd been discussing yesterday's Flying Lesson, which had actually gone extremely well. Harry and Ginny had quickly been dubbed the best fliers of the year.

But that was yesterday.

The Great Hall had been heavily decorated with pumpkins and bats, and it looked beauriful, and amazing. Which was the complete opposite of what Harry wad feeling.

Harry felt like a piece of shit for forgetting. He knew his parents had died on this day. But before he read their letter, they were merely fictional characters to him. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Halloween never held any meaning to him before, but now, knowing everything he did, knowing that they weren't drunks, knowing that they'd died doing the right thing, knowing that they'd died protecting him…

Harry turned and walked away from the Great Hall, and, once he was sure no one could see him, he ran.

He ran to the Great Staircase and down to the Dungeons, and continued running before stopping in a corridor. He couldn't breathe. He wasn't tired- he jogged every morning- but still, he felt like the bottom had dropped out of his stomach, the air around him feeling very constricting.

He stayed there a while feeling the tears in his eyes, yet unwilling to let them fall. He noticed a door to his left and opened it, hoping he would be able to get some privacy in there.

The room was completely bare, no desks, no tables, or cupboards, or bookshelves.

There was only a mirror in the centre of the room.

"What happened to him?" Ginny heard Devon ask Jessica, as they both came near the table she was sitting at.

Ginny was unsurprised to find that Harry wasn't there. But that didn't mean she was unconcerned about him.

"Where's Harry?" She asked, drawing both their attentions.

Devon shrugged and Jessica looked in thought, "Dunno. He just… left. Came with us till the Great Hall, and then just walked away. Don't really know why, though"

Ginny sighed. "Today's Halloween"

"I know" Devon replied.

"Do you know what happened today ten years ago?"

Devon frowned as Jessica's face settled into an expression realization and horror, Devon's soon followed.

"We didn't even ask how he was" Jessica whispered, slightly tearfully.

"And everyone's celebrating" Devon said, looking slightly ill at the thought.

Ginny wasn't doing any better. Honestly, she couldn't even imagine not having her parents or her family. Worse still, that everyone was happily celebrating the day they died.

She knew Harry was best left alone right now. He would take care of himself. If he wasn't at classes, then she would go look for him at Dinner.

As it turns out Harry never made it to classes, or Dinner. The House Tables had been brought out today, and Ginny's eyes were scanning the Slytherin Table. Devon and Jessica gave shakes of their heads, signifying that they too, hadn't seen him.

She got up, ready to leave and head down to the Dungeons to look for her best friend. It was the most likely place he'd be in since she and Harry had been exploring the castle from top to bottom (because Harry had to use the Cloak to come up for Ginny, and then drop her off), and Harry was probably curious about the Dungeons. Before she could do anything though, Professor Quirrel bolted through the doors of the Great Hall amd screamed, "TROLL! TROLL IN THE DUNGEONS!" and passed out.

Ginny was going to use the ensuing chaos to slip out, but she heard a loud crack sound from Dumbledore's wand.

"Prefects and Head students" Dumbledore's magically amplified voice boomed out. "Please lead the students of your respective Houses back to the Dormitories. The Heads of House will accompany you. Thank you"

She heard Percy's voice calling her and the rest of the First Years, but she paid no mind to it, making a beeline straight to Professor Dumbledore who was talking to Professor Trent.

"Of course, Albus" She heard Professor Trent say.

"Excuse me," Ginny said.

Both of them turned to look at her. "Yes, Miss Weasley?" Dumbledore asked politely.

"Harry's not here, sir" she replied.

Dumbledore sighed. "Do you know where he might be?" He was apparently unsurprised by this.

"Probably the Dungeons or the Basement"

"Very well. Professor Trent and I shall search the locations, you go back to your common room with your brother-"

"I'm coming with you," she said. "No. He's my best friend, and he'd do the same for me, for anyone, really. Besides, we don't have the time to argue."

Dumbledore sighed but started walking, Professor Trent looked at her curiously, but said nothing when Ginny decided to join them. "If we get so much as a glimpse of the troll, Ginny, you will run and hide, that is an order, do you understand?" Dumbledore told her.

Ginny nodded. She had no intention of fighting the Troll, she just wanted to get Harry out of there. The Professors could take on the Beast.

Harry sighed, as he watched his parents interact with each other and the other version of himself in the mirror. But he knew they weren't real.

The mirror he was looking into, was ornate and ancient looking, with clawed feet and a gold frame that had the inscription in them.

It read: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.

At first it didn't make sense to Harry so he ignored it, but after he returned back from exploring the Basement and the Dungeons, he grew more and more curious about it. So he started toying around with the words until he came up with: I show not your face but your hearts desire.

He'd found the Mirror of Desire.

Whatever the Fuck that meant.

He stood up, and decided he should probably go to the bathroom now. It was fortunately on the same Dungeon floor as he was, so it didn't take him long to get there.

Upon exiting the Bathroom, however, he saw a huge club swinging at his head. He rolled forward and jumped to his feet. When he turned around, he almost froze.

A huge, humanoid creature stood before him, at least 12 feet tall, with a huge body, and a disproportionately small head.

The Troll- for that is what it was- roared in anger for having missed its target and swung at him again.

Harry ducked, and considered his options. There was a good chance no one knew what was happening, wouldn't be the first time, so he would have to battle the beast on his own, but how…?

The answer evaded him as he dodged another club that would have crushed him, had he been standing in the same spot.

This time, however, the Troll quickly swung at him again. Unsure of what else he could do, Harry drew out his wand.

Protego

'Protego' was the incantation for the Shield Charm. A very advanced, very complicated charm taught in Sixth year that blocked most incoming spells, depending on the power of the shield and how accurately it was cast. Since it was advanced, Harry didn't know much about it, except the wand movement and incantation.

To Harry's credit, whatever the hell he'd erected did hold up. But he apparently blotched the spell so horribly, that he went flying back- even without the Troll's club hitting him- and crashed against the wall.

His back hurt, as he slid down to the floor but he had no time to contemplate that since the troll was taking another swing at him. On his knees, he raised his wand again.

Protego

The same result as before, except Harry flew back quite a distance down the corridor this time. He landed on his back again, which was practically burning at this point. He hit his head too.

He almost gave up again. He knew it would be easier, he could join his parents. But from what little he knew of him, they wouldn't want him to. Not like this.

So, as the troll came over to him again, raising his club high, Harry dove to the side and rolled out of the way. To Harry's surprise, the Troll used his leg to stomp him.

Harry noticed that the Troll had his arm raised high, the same arm he was holding the club with. Harry stood up, and as the Troll was about to swing at him, he used his Wandless Magic to Levitate the club out of the Troll's grip, and higher and higher into the air.

The Troll didn't stop swinging at him, but noticed that the club was gone. When he looked up though, he seemed entranced and fascinated by the Flying club.

Once Harry felt it reached a tall enough height, he brought his hand down, fast. The club responded the moment Harry's hand moved and struck the troll straight in the head.

He heard a sickening crack sound when the club hit the Troll's face. The club crashed to the ground, and the Troll soon followed. Harry noticed that it wasn't breathing but he was tired, and he didn't care. Trolls were vicious creatures, and would happily eat his remains if they wanted.

As Harry sank to his knees and rested his head against the wall, he thought about how on earth a Troll could've gotten into Hogwarts of all places. Wasn't this school supposed to be the safest place in Magical Britain?

He heard footsteps from around the corner to his left. He opened his eyes and called his wand to him. Couldn't be too careful.

He saw Professors Dumbledore and Trent come around the corner, followed closely by Ginny.

"Oh, good" Harry sighed, putting his wand back in it's holster. "It's only you"

They were all gaping at him and the Troll before Dumbledore rushed forward and checked the Troll before saying "It's dead. Snapped neck"

"What the hell is going on here!?" Professor Trent exclaimed.

"That would be my fault" Harry sheepishly said. All their eyes turned toward him.

"You let the Troll in the castle?" Professor Trwnt asked slowly.

"What? NO!" Harry cried. What the fuck were they on about? "I killed it" Harry proceeded to explain everything that happened while he was gone, leaving out the Mirror of Desire. Then, Ginny told him about Quirrel.

"Well. I say you should go to the Hospital Wing. I will dispose of the Troll. Professor Trent-"

"I'll start investigating this. Good work, Potter, take 20 points. First Years usually can't deal with a fully grown Mountain Troll" She said, before leaving. Dumbledore nodded his own agreement with her statement.

He and Ginny excused themselves and walked a few distance away before Ginny stopped and hugged him softly, mindful of his injured back. "I'm glad you're alive, Potter" she said, once she let him go.

He threw an arm around her shoulders as they started walking again and said "Me too, Weasley. Me too"

A/N 2: Thank you for reading so far. Please leave a review if you liked it. I was planning on having a flying lesson scene, but that would just extend this chapter beyond reason. I think 6k words is a pretty decent length for a filler chapter.

I'm not gonna change much at Hogwarts. It's Magical enough as is. But I will try and make it more like a school, not a fortress. So no trick stairs or everchanging floor plan. Those will be a part of the story, but not for a while.

I might do something with the Dungeons. Maybe add in a few extra levels or something, I dunno.

Oh, and as I'm writing this, I have 51 favorites and 80 follows on the story. Thank you so much for that!

Byee!!