Back At Hogwarts

            The trip to Hogwarts occurred without attack.  The usual Malfoy-Potter confrontation was quieter than usual.  Malfoy just didn't seem to have his heart in it. All students over 16 had had their arms checked with the Revelo spell for the Dark Mark and his two cronies Crabbe and Goyle had been detained along with about 10 other students, not all of whom were slytherins. 

            Harry and Hermione shut up Ron who'd been more than ready to lord it over Malfoy when he tried.  Neither one of them really wanted to rub Malfoy's face in it.  As Harry commented later it had to be hard on a guy to lose his mates.   So the ride went peacefully for the most part, playing exploding snap and chess while Hermione read a book.  Ginny and Neville were riding in the same compartment with them.

            The sorting ceremony was long as usual.  The hat sang a new song, Dumbledore made his usual speech, and the first evening back was over. 

            Next morning they got their timetables.  NEWT level scheduling was different from what they had previously been used to.  Only courses they had done well on in the OWLs were being taken now.  So Ron no longer had potions with them as he had barely gotten a potions OWL, his score wasn't acceptable to Snape.  At this level instead of separate classes for the Houses, the courses were for all 4 at once.  Some classes had more students than others, so they separated them into smaller groups but no more of the entire House in one class.  When the trio compared their timetables Harry had potions and herbology with Hermione, transfiguration and divination with Ron and DADA without either one of them.  Hermione had arithmancy alone, along with runes.  They were also in separate astronomy classes.  And Harry noticed his extra sessions added in the evenings for occlumency and Dark Arts, they were marked as extra tutoring.  No other notations made except whom to report to and when. 

            The first day of classes went by quickly and Harry found himself reporting to Snape's office after supper for his first Dark Arts lesson.  He was surprised when Snape didn't teach him anything that night.  Snape handed him a bundle of parchment and asked him to read it.  The parchment looked very old and there was a lot of dust.  Harry was wondering why Snape gave it to him till he saw the writing: it was in parseltongue.

            Asking where it came from he was told it was found at the beginning of the summer at an archeological dig, that had a wizard on site.  The wizard recognized the writing and the parchment as having a magical origin had used muggle carbon dating on it to determine it was between 500-1000 years old, and passed it along to Albus as he suspected it was in an old language no longer in use.  Albus thought it might be parseltongue and Harry had just verified it.  Snape asked Harry to read and translate it for the Order thinking there might be something in there that could be used to defeat Voldemort.  Harry agreed.  After an hour of reading bits and pieces of it, Harry asked how they were going to do this.  The documents could not be moved out of Snape's custody for obvious reasons and Harry could not bee seen in his office at all hours and there was still the other training he needed.  This was going to be a problem since both were aware that there were other eyes on them.  Both were concerned about the unmarked students who would be reporting back to their parents. 

            And of course there was hiding some of Harry's actions from his fellow Gryffindors.  Snape had heard that someone in that House was reporting back to Voldemort also, he just hadn't been told who.  His source didn't know who the Gryffindor spy was just that Voldemort had someone in the House.  The extra training was expected, and Snape made sure one of his spies reported to the Dark Lord that Potter would be getting extra DADA training this year.  The translation work would have to be done around the training but would be important.  Snape promised to discuss it with Dumbledore as to when and where this would occur.  They put the documents away then and discussed the Dark Arts book he'd sent to Harry over the holidays.  This got them onto the subject of "Dark" versus "Light" wizards, 

            "Do you think Sir," asked Harry, "that all "Dark" wizards are evil?  The book doesn't and I know if I ask someone in Gryffindor, they'll say yes.  I worry that I am a "Dark" wizard because I have some of HIM in me."

            "Potter," began Snape, "you may have some of HIM in you, but that doesn't make you evil.  What you choose to do with it is what makes a person evil or not.  I think the terminology used is wrong sometimes.  Dark does not necessarily equal evil.  I know I am a "dark" wizard, but I don't think of myself as evil.  I turned away from that life before your parents died for a reason."

            "Sir, I don't think you are evil.  I know others do based on your classroom behavior and your dislike for Gryffindor, but you aren't evil.  It took a lot of courage to leave Voldemort, especially if he was insane then, as he seems to be now. I don't know if I could have done it if I had been in your shoes."

            "Potter, you never would have joined him," answered Snape, sighing tiredly.  "And on that note it is time for you to return to your dormitory. You have potions in the morning. Think of something to get detention from me so we can go over these parchments and work on Dark Arts."

            "Want a blown up cauldron Professor?" joked Harry.

            "Please no, and no fights with Malfoy, he is in class with you this year again," answered Snape. 

            "Alright sir, but don't take a lot of points please?" asked Harry.

            "We'll see depending on what you do, good night Potter" said Snape opening the door.

            "G'night sir" answered Harry as he left. 

            Harry made his way back to the tower thinking about the parchment and the discussion they'd had.  The mystery of the parchment promised to be interesting.  He looked forward to reading more of it.  He had his suspicions as to who was the author and couldn't wait to find out if he was right or not. 

A/N  Sorry it took so long to post this.  Had it done a few days ago then FF.net decides to go squirrlly.