AN: Sorry for the delay folks! I've had a lot of stuff going on in the Phail household that has kept me away from working on my stories.

Still amazed at the amount of support, reviews, PM's and follows/faves being sent my way. I'll still try to give a shoutout to each of you as they come in, but will be tagging them at the end of the chapter instead of the beginning moving forward.

With regards to my posting schedule that several of you have PM'd me about, my goal is a chapter every two weeks. I'm still new to this whole writing thing, and don't want to burn out from overextending myself too early. If I can add another chapter here or there I will, but my plan is every two weeks.

Without further ado, let the story continue!

Chapter 4: I'm sorry, what were we talking about?

Harry was up bright and early the next morning. He'd set an alarm on his wand for 0500. Getting out of bed, he quickly got changed into a loose t-shirt and some sweats, along with new running shoes, and made his way out of the dorms, through the common room, and through the long hallways of Hogwarts. He did take advantage of some of the secret passages and shortcuts that led out to the castle grounds, and eventually out towards the quidditch pitch. Taking a few minutes to stretch out his legs and arms, he started out with a jog around the pitch, stopping after every two laps to do push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and planks. After an hour he'd only managed six laps. He grimaced at the thought that while he was certainly healthy, he wasn't anywhere near the shape he could be. He conjured a glass and some water to drink before making the long trek back to his dorm and the waiting shower.

By 0730 he was clean and dressed, making sure to use a couple of simple charms to keep his pants and robes looking newly pressed, and double-checking his book bag to ensure it had everything he needed for the day. Along with his books and parchment for homework assignments, he had several journals that were enchanted to hold hundreds of pages to take notes in and several fountain pens. He'd always thought quills were ridiculous and found out during his masteries that there was no actual reason to use them aside from tradition.

Finally happy with everything, he cast a few charms on the bag to make it lighter, as well as reinforcing the materials to prevent tears, and made his way back into the common room. Once there, he saw Hermione sitting over in 'their' corner of the room, quietly reading one of her textbooks to prepare for the start of term. She didn't even look up as he sat down and greeted her.

"I'm not talking to you again until you remove that menace from my life. She kept me up an hour after curfew last night with her non-stop babbling and questions. I don't even know why you'd set her up with me anyway, you're the one she idolizes." Harry laughed at her attempt to sound angry first thing in the morning. It fell flat, though mostly because she was still waking up. She finally looked over at him with a tired glare before pointedly turning back to her book.

He shook his head as he pulled out one of his own texts, this one on Ancient Runes, and started to peruse it again. Not having had formal lessons on the subject, he was curious to see how Professor Babbling would present the subject. They waited another 10 minutes for Ron and Neville to come down to the common room before making their way to the Great Hall for breakfast. Harry knew that the prefects would make sure all the first years would find their way, so he figured he'd save Astoria a seat if she'd like, or she could sit with her fellow first years.

Breakfast was a fairly quiet affair, which was normal. Not many students were morning people, and many were struggling to stay awake long enough to finish their breakfast. It usually took a solid week before everyone was used to the daily schedule again and only struggled to stay awake for breakfast when they'd had Astronomy the night before. Filling up his plate with eggs, toast, sausage, and bacon, Harry made sure to keep another plate of bacon ready for Her Highness when she arrived with his copy of The Daily Prophet.

Astoria did stop by to greet him, but ended up sitting with the other first years after asking him, again, which books were the ones with true stories so he could sign them. He just smiled at her and asked her how her first night was and if she'd made any new friends which set her off for a couple of minutes before she remembered she hadn't eaten yet. Waving goodbye, she sat next to another girl that made room for her and began to eat as she talked animatedly with the group around her. Hermione continued to ignore him as she ate and read her textbook, while Ron shoveled food into his mouth. Neville was the only one to show any reaction, which was a shy smile at how easily Harry managed to handle the energetic girl.

Before long, Professor McGonagall was walking down the Gryffindor table handing out their class schedules. Harry made a point of ignoring Hermione's, knowing that she was taking all of the electives again. He was hoping she'd drop Divinations and Muggle Studies early this time around, but knew she wouldn't want anyone telling her to not take as many classes as possible. At least not yet. Looking at his own schedule, he nodded his head. Ancient Runes took up the spot where Divinations used to be for him, followed by Transfiguration and Care of Magical Creatures today.

Putting his schedule away, he laughed a little when Ron looked over at Hermione's paper and started asking how she'd manage to make it to all her classes. Even now, Harry was amazed at how much Ron noticed when it came to Hermione. Part of it was he was nosy. Part of it was he still felt guilty about the troll incident in first year. And later on, a big part of it was because he started fancying her. Hermione just hid the schedule in her bag and said she'd worked it out already with Professor McGonagall, so there was nothing to worry about.

Just as he was finishing breakfast, Hedwig arrived with his newspaper. He held out some bacon for her and gently dug through her feathers to give her a good scratch. She graciously accepted both the food and the attention before she took off to find a place to sleep. The front page article was another useless story about the horrors of You-know-who and his biggest follower, Sirius Black. He shook his head as he scanned it for anything worthwhile, which ended up being nothing. The article under the fold, however, made him smile.

Untold Story of Ministry Misconduct!

By Rita Skeeter

It has been brought to this reporter's attention that the Ministry of Magic has been hiding something from the public, and being a responsible journalist I just had to dig up the truth.

My reliable source, identity withheld only to protect them from unjust reprisal, informed me that Sirius Black, the recently escaped convict, is not, in fact, a convict at all! I must confess, I was confused until the whole tale was laid out. And what a sad tale it was.

Sirius Orion Black, eldest son of Orion Arcturus Black and grandson of Arcturus Sirius Black, the Head of the Black family, was best friends with the late James and Lily Potter. After their deaths on that tragic Halloween night, he was found at a crime scene in London where a dozen muggles had been killed, and the remains of the wizard Peter Pettigrew, another friend to both Black and the Potters, were found. Black himself was found laughing at the sight in front of him, claiming that the Potters were dead because of him.

This is the story we've been told, but it isn't the whole story…

Harry read through the article and saw that it wasn't anything more than a piece to shed doubt on Padfoot's guilt. He wasn't sure why it was coming out now, considering there was nothing about Wormtail being alive. Shaking his head, he figured either Madam Bones or Andy had gotten this pushed through, and he trusted them to keep Sirius out of trouble until his name was cleared.

Checking the time, he had about 20 minutes until classes started, so he said he'd see everyone later and made his way to the fourth floor where the Ancient Runes classroom was located. He figured he'd make it easier on Hermione by letting her start out the day with Ron and Neville before she used the time-turner to catch up with him. When he sat down in the second row, he wasn't surprised to see several students already getting ready for class with their textbooks out and parchment and quills ready to use. He pulled out his first journal and a pen, labeled the journal for this class, and then waited for the bell to signal the start of class by seeing who all was there.

Almost all of the Ravenclaws of his year were in attendance, which didn't surprise him. The only one he didn't see there was Su Li, but he remembered she enjoyed Care of Magical Creatures, so assumed she either took Arithmancy or Muggle Studies, if not both, to round out her schedule.

From Hufflepuff, Justin Finch-Fletchley was there along with Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott. They all sat together behind him, though Justin seemed a little nervous. It took Harry a minute to remember their last real conversation 'last year' was before Justin was attacked by the basilisk, so he was probably just worried about how Harry would react to him now. Harry just nodded to the boy in greeting and smiled at the two girls, who blushed and smiled back.

The last group getting ready for class was the Slytherins. Daphne was there, and he smiled at her in greeting, though refrained from verbalizing anything for now. Tracy was sitting next to her, already smiling at the opportunity of having Harry in class with her and her best friend. Blaise Zabini was sitting with them, along with Theodore Nott and Millicent Bulstrode.

Harry wasn't surprised that he, along with Hermione, were the only Gryffindors in this class. He saw her walk in just a couple minutes before the bell rang, seemingly out of breath, and sat next to him on the second row. He could already tell she was upset he wasn't in the front, but mentally shrugged it off.

Professor Babbling arrived just as the bell rang, coming from a separate door that Harry assumed led to her office. She was a fairly short woman, maybe 5'4" tall, and was one of the youngest Professors at the school. If he remembered correctly, Professor Sinistra was the only one younger, and it wasn't by much. She had wavy brown hair that fell just below her shoulders, soft brown eyes that showed her excitement clearly on her heart-shaped face. She wore simple black robes and a black witch's hat, though her robes had gold thread lining the edges and hems.

"Welcome, class, to your first lesson on the study of Ancient Runes. I hope you're all ready to dive right in, as there's so much content to cover this year. Although we won't be getting to the truly exciting content until the middle of your second term, this first term will lay the groundwork for everything else we will be covering." Seeing the excitement on her face, and the energy that she had as she spoke seemed to carry over to the entire class. Harry was impressed. The only other teacher that had that level of enthusiasm, and the ability to get the class to reciprocate it, was Professor Flitwick. "To begin, who can tell me, in simple terms, what runes are?" All of the Ravenclaws raised their hands, along with Hermione. Pointing to Padma Patil, she waited for the girl's answer.

"Runes are a form of written magic, based on knowledge of previous civilizations, that allow those proficient in the art to imbue effects that can draw ambient magic to fuel them." The more studious Patil twin said.

Professor Babbling nodded her head. "5 points to Ravenclaw for the concise answer. Can anyone tell me what the biggest advantage Runes have over wand magic?" Again, several hands went into the air. She pointed to Daphne, who answered.

"The effects that Runes have are predictable with every use. They do exactly what they are intended to do, which is also their biggest limitation." The blond-haired goddess, in Harry's mind, replied. He shook his head slightly to focus on the lesson while the short professor nodded her head and awarded another 5 points to Slytherin.

"Excellent! Now, today we're going to start with…"

-=BREAK=-

When Harry left the Ancient Runes classroom with Hermione he was smiling. Nothing said in the class was new to him conceptually, but the way Professor Babbling taught showed both her Mastery of the subject and her ability to teach it in such a way that children understand how it works. Something extremely difficult to do with such a complicated topic. He was going to enjoy this class, if for no other reason than to be in the presence of one of the few individuals in the castle with that particular gift in such abundance.

Hermione had been chatting on and on about how amazing Ancient Runes was going to be when she looked at her watch and then said she'd meet Harry in Transfiguration. He smiled at her for a second before putting a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"I just wanted you to know that, however you're doing it, I'm not going to make any comments or ask any questions on how you're seemingly able to be in multiple classes at the same time. I just hope that you make sure to get enough rest each day so you don't burn out, alright?" Her eyes went wide in a nervous fright for a moment before she grabbed him in one of her crushing hugs. "I do have to agree with Ron on something, though. You are mental for wanting to take every class at once. There is such a thing as pacing yourself." She just giggled before giving him a gentle slap on his shoulder, before turning around and walking off to 'head to the loo.'

Harry ignored the looks that students in the halls were giving him as they made their way to the next classes on their schedules, and proceeded to the first floor where Transfiguration was being taught that day. It was shared with Hufflepuff this term and Harry greeted his classmates with a smile as he sat down. Several of them responded with a nod or a smile, while others, along with his fellow Gryffindors, looked at him with pity. He ignored that as Hermione, Ron, and Neville all sat down in the seats by him and pulled out their supplies for class. Ron and Neville seemed to be perturbed about something, and the glances they were sending him made it clear to Harry what it was. Even without being in that miserable classroom, the drunk had managed to 'predict' his death.

Because of the overall mood, Harry was the only one to clap in appreciation when Professor McGonagall showed off her Animagus ability. She nodded to him with a slight upturn of her lips before setting her face into her normal stern visage and asked what had caused such a foreboding reaction from her third-year students. When the comment of coming from Divination class came up, she just sighed deeply before explaining that Professor, and she seemed somewhat annoyed to give the woman that appellation, Trelawney had predicted the death of a student each year she had taught at Hogwarts, and so far none of them had come true.

"Who is the lucky recipient of her 'inner eye's' vision this year?" When everyone from that class focused on Harry, she turned to look at him too. "Well, Mr. Potter, unless you do die before I see you in my class again, I expect to see your homework turned in." The class giggled slightly at her small joke, and they then started reviewing material from the previous two years.

By the time class ended, everyone was ready for a reprieve. It was obvious that most students hadn't been studying more than necessary over the summer break, and the few that had studied had been focusing on the theoretical portions.

Harry and his friends made their way back to the Great Hall for lunch and caught up with the rest of their year mates. Dean was more than happy to start talking about football, and how much he was going to miss seeing it. When he started talking about recording them to watch on the 'tele' when he went home for the winter break, most of the surrounding Gryffindors looked at him like he had spawned a second head. Harry just nodded along while Hermione tried, and failed, to explain what a television was and what he meant by recording.

The final class of the day was Care of Magical Creatures, so the group trudged out towards Hagrid's Hut, where they all talked about what possible animals they'd get to see this year. Harry ignored Malfoy's comments to his 'friends' about what an oaf Hagrid was, and merely waited patiently for class to begin. He did make sure to keep an eye on where the loud Slytherin was standing though. With Sirius most likely not needing to be rescued this year, Harry intended to prevent the other 'almost' victim as well.

The class began just like he remembered, with students complaining about being bitten by the book, though Harry showed that he'd 'figured out' how to open it and demonstrated it to the class. Hagrid then told the class to wait for a minute while he went to get the surprise for the lesson ready.

"Of course, Potter knows how to deal with a little monster. I hear he deals with several of them every time he has to go home." Malfoy's 'quiet' comment got several students around him to laugh. Ron and Hermione looked like they were about to say something when Harry decided to laugh along too.

"Oh, Malfoy, you have no idea. The number of times I've had to clean up after the messes of people around me has really gotten tiring." Malfoy was surprised to hear Harry agree with him and started to smile. "I mean, cleaning up after your father last year really sucked. But now I have a new friend to help me. His name is Dobby, and he's been telling me so many stories about his 'nasty old masters' and what they used to do to him." Malfoy froze, stuck between anger and fear when Harry mentioned his father and the pitiful house elf they used to have, while most of the class laughed at Harry's response that seemed to shut the loud-mouthed Slytherin up for a while.

Once again, when Hagrid returned, Harry's classmates left him in the lurch as the volunteer. Harry wasn't upset about it though and went up confidently to Buckbeak. Meeting the hippogryph's gaze, he bowed and waited for a response before approaching the proud creature. Harry started to scratch him under his chin, where Sirius had shown him he liked it best and whispered to him that he'd be alright this time around. He stepped away before Hagrid could force him onto Buckbeak's back, though. As much fun as it was last time, he preferred a broom. He liked to have control over where he was flying.

After getting 10 points for Gryffindor, and praise from the new Professor, Harry stepped back with his friends, though he made sure to palm his wand and prepare for what was likely to happen next. The rest of the class started to move towards several hippogryphs, bowing to them and laughing as they got to experience these amazing magical creatures up close and personal. As soon as Malfoy approached Buckbeak with his two guards, he watched as the pale blond boy went through the motions of bowing and getting a response, proving that he had listened to Hagrid's explanation on how to treat the animals. Then he started talking to the 'dumb creature', and Harry discreetly, and silently, summoned the boy away from the hippogryph before he could be injured while Hagrid quickly moved over to get a handle on the enraged half-bird.

Before Malfoy could cause any more trouble, Harry spoke out quickly. "Seriously, Malfoy? You couldn't even follow instructions in the first lesson? Hagrid specifically said they were proud creatures and to not insult or belittle them." The Slytherin boy quickly got to his feet, embarrassed and confused at how he'd been moved away from the angry Buckbeak. "Maybe I should write to your mother and let her know that she's wasted all her efforts in teaching you how to act appropriately in public." Harry turned away and moved over to where Ron and Hermione were working with a different hippogryph, leaving Malfoy to stew on Harry's words, along with his own actions.

-=BREAK=-

Andromeda Tonks nee Black was reading through the latest correspondence with her wayward cousin. They'd both been careful to not disclose his location in any way on the off chance someone got ahold of her letters, but she was happy to know that whoever had sent the letter to Amelia Bones had also been in contact with the mutt. She was even happier to hear that he'd been given nutrient potions and had a steady supply of food to help him get healthy.

She'd only had to have a short meeting with the gossipmonger, Skeeter, to get her on board with writing several articles about how the Ministry had bungled up with Sirius. The fact that Andy also knew about a little secret the reporter would rather stay a secret didn't hurt, nor did the fact that Rita was now a client and was paying a monthly retaining fee. She heard the front door open and placed the letter in a hidden drawer of her desk, one warded to not open for anyone but her. Walking out of her home office, she found her husband Ted shrugging off his outer robes and placing them on a hanger in the front foyer. She smiled as his face lit up on seeing her already home and moved over to give her a proper greeting.

Even after all these years, he never seemed to get enough of her. For that matter, she never seemed to get enough of him either, as their daughter would loudly complain about at every opportunity. Not for the first time, Andy hoped her daughter would find a nice boy and settle down. A healthy sex life would definitely help her mood and make everyone's life easier.

"Good afternoon, Luv. Any progress with your newest client?", Ted asked after kissing her senseless for several minutes, his hands resting easily on her, in his words, pleasantly plump posterior. She just snuggled into his broad chest and sighed contently for a moment before answering.

"Yes, after the article came out this morning, I've managed to get some progress within the Ministry itself. Barty Crouch fought it for a while, but finally caved when I threatened to sue him on behalf of the Black family and drag what remained of his reputation in the mud. Fudge has been quiet and happy to stay out of my way, which tells me that Lucius might finally have learned to listen to his wife about me. That or he's waiting for me and my cousin to drop out guard enough to let something slip." Andy finally looked up at her husband. "You'll be happy to hear that our secret friend has been setting up my cousin with regular meals and nutrient potions, so he'll be fairly well off, at least physically, before whatever legal issues have to be resolved are finished. Then we can get him into a room with one of your coworkers to help him heal his mind." She frowned a little in sadness. "I have no idea what he's gone through these past 12 years, but I'm sure it will take him a while to really be alright."

Ted just pulled her tighter and kissed her hair when she went quiet. Finally, he spoke up again. "Any word on if Dora will be joining us tonight?" She shook her head while pulling away from him, causing him to smile and a spark to light up in his eyes that she knew very well. Her own eyes started to sparkle as he lifted her up easily, his hands having lowered slightly to provide leverage, and carried her quickly into their bedroom, her giggles left behind in their wake. Forced habit caused him to kick the door closed as he once again proved to his wife that she would never regret choosing him over the Black name.

-=BREAK=-

Narcissa Malfoy nee Black was quietly enjoying a cup of tea as she indulged in one of her secret guilty pleasures. Not that there was anything wrong with reading romance novels, but Lucius would throw a fit if he knew it was a muggle book. Andy had introduced her to the wonders of muggle literature right before she'd run off with that delicious hunk of meat she now called a husband. Considering her own hunk of meat was rather rancid at the moment, and had been even before Draco had been born, she contented herself with her books more often than not. Along with some 'toys' Andy had sent her in secret several years ago.

She was contemplating fishing one of them out when a letter appeared on her end table, along with a small package. That in itself wasn't all that surprising, even with Dobby having been lost due to her husband's stupidity he'd at least been able to acquire a new house elf easily enough. The time she'd have to spend on training the poor creature to her satisfaction was something she'd rather do without, but it was efficient enough for simple tasks at the moment. No, a letter and package appearing was not a surprise at all. The letter being in the handwriting of her 'estranged' sister was.

Cissa quickly pulled her wand out and cast several charms on the letter, as well as reinforcing the privacy and monitoring charms she'd already cast around the room. Satisfied, she opened the letter to hear what her sister had to say for herself this time.

Dear Cissa,

I've been in contact with someone that has given me a lead on a way to help you out of your current dismal situation. If you'd like me to proceed, all you need to do is put a drop of blood at the bottom of this letter. If you decide not to, just toss this letter in the fire. Either way, I'll know and will respect your decision.

The package contains a few new 'toys' that I've come across. Each has a note with instructions in their use if you can't figure them out yourself. I'd be severely disappointed if that was the case, but included them anyway.

I love you sister. As always, you can reach out to me if you ever need to.

Andy.

p.s., the first model in the package is an accurate representation of my 'delicious hunk of meat', as you once called him when we were in school. If you decide to take up my offer, I may be willing to share him with you. He's quite well-trained by now.

Cissa read the letter several times, tears welling in her eyes at the love her sister still had for her, even when they couldn't openly communicate. Andy always was the smartest of them, managing to find ways around their situations in life. The post-script made her smile, remembering the first time she made that comment. Happier times. Finally, she opened the package and peered inside. Her eyes widened at the size of the first 'toy' she found there. Her head went back and forth between it and the letter still in her left hand several times, before she pulled out a pen knife from the drawer of the table and used it to drop some blood at the bottom of the page.

If this is what Andy got to enjoy on a regular basis, she was definitely interested in the possibility of sharing. Making sure the privacy charms were still up, she eagerly disrobed to enjoy the gift given to her. Hopefully, it would be exchanged for a gift that kept on giving before too long.

-=BREAK=-

End Chapter 4.

AN: Alright, chapter 4 is done! I wanted to get the first day of classes in a single chapter, and most likely the second day with Potions and DADA in the next one. After that, I'll be moving forward days/weeks at a time. There's no point in going over every class the students go to, just need to go over highlights.

Harry and Daphne will start 'getting to know each other' in the next chapter. The jitterbug will be the impetus for it, so it should make for a fun read.

Thanks to everyone for reading!

-Phail

Daniel Barwinski: I'm glad you're enjoying it!

SiriusOrionBitch: Still love the username. Astoria is my favorite to write as well!

bahnannah: I agree that with the way I've written her she's a great fit for Gryffindor. Having her attached to Hermione is just something I did as a placeholder and ended up running with it. Thanks for reading!

vl100butch: I can't wait to see where my muse takes me either!

griffin blackwood: Thanks!

CakettFan5: I like having subplots going on, showing what's happening around the key characters. My biggest concern as a writer is letting it get too far out of control. As for Sirius and his interactions, I think being safe and healthy (physically) will help him start to work out some of his own demons before he gets real help. It will be a slow process for him, but Remus was a good friend in the books once he learned the truth. Thanks for reading!

AiyaKnight: GO BEANS! TRUCK-KUN FTW! Glad you gave this story a chance, and I hope you continue to enjoy it!

Roy Oh Ki7: Thanks!

Eriktheviking70: I'm glad you think so!

James Birdsong: Hope you enjoy the rest as they come out!

ethantilleydev: Glad you like it!

Sunny JS: Thanks. Ron's someone I have a hard time with in a lot of stories because he can go so many ways. I just hope everyone reading this can accept that he's sticking around, though he'll still struggle with things as he grows up.

Mark1: "I shall call [her]…mini-me!" For the blood curse/malediction, I'm working through various ways that Harry could help. For now, I'm focusing on building the relationship and we'll move on from there. With regards to the Patronus, without dementors how will people know he can? No reason to out himself if he doesn't need to.

soumisezita: Hermione, feel the pain of unending questions! I'm actually planning on her asking for autographs for her books to be a running gag throughout the story, so I don't think I'll ever have him give her a straight answer.

Daemoniorum: Glad to hear it!

rodneyluisrodriguez: Me too!

Raven097: Thanks for reading!

dingo-822: Glad you're enjoying it! Seems like a lot of people like Astoria. She's just so lovable!

archagnel7431: Thanks for reading!

Harrypotterpercyjacksonfan90: Thanks for reading, hope you continue to enjoy!

Arodri: Thanks!

Skeletaure: I appreciate you saying that. I hope to keep him balanced in most of his interactions, though there will be a couple of people that he will struggle with later on.

OkBoomer147: Thanks for reading!