DARK SIDE OF THE MOON                                                                                                       - CHAPTER SIX – WHEREVER THE BATTLE LIES…

AUTHOR'S NOTE – Hey! Sorry for the long wait. But I just finished my finals today (Friday) so I'm FREE! *Happy Dance* So yeah. As you might have noticed, the all powerful and annoying ff.net chose to ERASE my first "Author's Note" and my "Review Responses" chapters. Which I'm going to say SUCKS! Plus I was 'warned' of my 'illegal' activity or whatever. So actually I wont be able to upload this chapter till the 17th because I'm not allowed to upload till then. So, obviously I wont be able to respond to each review, but you know that I got love for all of the reviewers! So keep on reviewing (please! LOL) and feel free to email me anytime you want. Someone's already taken me up on that offer (Teila!). So here's the new chapter:

SPECIAL NOTE – A lot of people have been mentioning how they don't want this to be slash. And I thought I posted it in a author's note before, but I dunno. But for everyone who's nervous about it, don't be. NO SLASH! THIS IS NOT A SLASH STORY! NO SLASH ALERT! I'm a guy, and I don't want o be writing that sort of thing. So if you were hoping I was, sorry. And if you were hoping I wasn't, well isn't it your lucky day. Aaaaaand, someone asked where chapter 4 was. Cause I think that the chapter titles skip from three to five. Well, I know I put why it's like that in the 'Review Responses' section, but since ff.net chose to be a punk, I'll explain it now. I used to have a author's note as the first chapter to the story. And the actually first chapter started as the second chapter. So I was like "I'll just switch the numbers so the chapters actually match the chapter titles. But then ff.net deleted my author's note chapter and the 'Review Responses' chapter, so all the chapters are all weird. LOL, that and I'm too lazy to actually fix the problem. So just ignore the chapter numbers. But don't worry, there are no missing chapters. That was probably a really confusing explanation, so sorry. Enjoy the chapter.

***

The students entered the old and grand castle. The Great Hall was abuzz with conversations and greetings to friends and teachers that hadn't been seen for months. Friends laughed and lovers embraced each other. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ginny all made their way over to the Gryffindor House table. The group talked amongst themselves when Prof. McGonagall cleared her throat and the next class of wizards and witches entered the gigantic room.

Child after child stepped up to the stool and slipped the Sorting Hat on top of their heads.

The ceremony and feast were uneventful. Dumbledore made his annual speech to the students. He talked of the war with Voldemort, the new dress code, the new Dueling Class (in which the teacher for the class would not arrive until the next day), the two new Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers (who would also arrive the next day), and also made the same announcements he did every year.

"And Mr. Filch wishes me to remind all students to please be respectful of the castle and not track in any unwanted dirt or mud" Dumbledore eye's sparkled as he said this. Every year he made the same request on Mr. Filch's behalf, and every year it would only take hours until the request was ignored. The student that would break it this year would be one Ronald Weasley.

"Bloody hell!" Ron yelled in frustration at Harry. Harry stood at the entrance doors looking at his friend. Ron was covered head to toe in mud. As he walked to the two, he tried to remove the mud from his arms by flailing them around like a psychotic bird. "Please tell me why we can never study normal animals with Hagrid. What is this crazy need to torture us with stupid monsters that splatter us with mud!" Ron yelled in frustration when he looked at his robes and saw that his Prefect Badge was covered in mud.

The Ron and Hermione had just spent the last hour and a half with Hagrid as he taught his Care of Magical Creatures lesson to the Hogwarts Sixth Years. The day's lesson covered the magical creature the Lopumson. Lopumsons were creatures that lived under the ground, much like worms. They looked like small dogs that had snake-like scales covering their bodies instead of hair. The students had 'the simple task of feeding the creatures' as Hagrid had put it. The job of feeding the creatures was easier said than done. Before the Lopumsons could be fed, they first had be removed from the Earth. It took the entire class to extract the creatures from the ground and even then only a handful of the groups were able to successfully get the creatures out of the dirt. That was when the mud started flying. Ron had finally wrestled the Lopumson to the ground. The creature let out a shrill cry and started spitting large amounts of saliva everywhere. That caused the dry dirt to turn into mud. Seamus and Neville were another group that got their Lopumson out of the group. When Neville held the creature down, it too began coping the first creatures actions. The dry grassy area soon became a large puddle of mud. The students were slipping and sliding and falling down on the ground. All the while, the two Lopumsons continued to spit out saliva and kick and twist and do whatever they could to get out of the grip that the two boys had on them. The kicking and twisting sent the mud on the ground flying in every direction. Hagrid finally gave into their cries of help and gathered all the Lopumsons and placed them all in a large pen.

Harry looked at his two friends and laughed. The sight was too much for him. While Hermione was completely covered in mud, she still held the air of sophistication that always surrounded her. Ron on the other hand was the complete opposite. He was complaining and using every profanity Harry had ever heard, and then some. He accompanied his dirty mouth with actual dirt that was flying in every direction due to his flaying arms.

"My, my Weasley" Ron heard a sneer from behind him, "it seems you've finally found a way to cover up those hideous marks you call freckles." Draco Malfoy and his group of Slytherins all laughed at the Gryffindor.

"Leave him alone Malfoy, don't try and stir up trouble" Hermione reprimanded from her spot a few feet from her boyfriend.

"Aww, how adorable. The Weasel's girlfriend is defending him. Where's that annoying Creevey boy with his camera? I'm sure we would all love to capture this moment" Malfoy said. The Slytherins all laughed at Malfoy's joke.

Harry sneered at Malfoy. "I don't know Draco. Why don't you check up your arse? I hear a lot of boys spend a lot of time up there." Draco's laughing stopped immediately. Harry smirked at his victory. Ron was ecstatic when the Slytherins actually laughed at their ringleader.

"Really Potter, you should stop dreaming such things," Draco held his hand up and the Slytherins ceased their laughing.

Ron smirked at Malfoy. "I think you're the one that's dreaming Malfoy."

Draco looked at Ron as if he were uninterested. "Why are you still here Weasel? I know your family can't afford water, but Hogwarts can. So why don't you take advantage of it and take a shower." Ron turned red and was about to hurt Malfoy when Hermione caught him by the arm.

"Ron," she whispered, "leave him be. He isn't worth getting in trouble." Ron looked at her doubtfully. Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh honestly, stop being such a prat and get to the showers. You're starting to smell" Hermione said as she gave him a light push towards the school.

Ron turned around and smiled at his girlfriend, "You know you aren't exactly smelling like a rose." He winked and continued walking up to the castle doors.

"Seems as if the Mudblood has you wrapped around her finger Weasel. It is rather pathetic if you ask me," Draco called after the retreating Ron.

Ron stopped inside the doorway; he was standing next to Harry facing the opposite direction. Harry looked on at the scene and Ron had his back to it. He sighed and shook his head. "Malfoy, if you haven't noticed, me turning my back and walking away means that I'm done with you." Draco scowled at Ron. "Oh yeah, and later tonight when you're alone wanking yourself in your bed, I'm going to be with my oh-so-beautiful girlfriend that has me 'wrapped around her finger' as you put it." Ron turned around and grinned at Hermione and then winked at Draco before he turned and walked into the castle and out of view. Harry laughed out right at Ron's words and Hermione and Draco both turned red.

Hermione turned and followed her boyfriend into the castle. Harry still leaned against the doorframe and laughed lightly at the other boy. "Happy wanking," Harry said as he saluted Draco and turned followed his friends.

Draco glared at the empty doorway, "Bloody Potter."

***

 Harry walked down the hall. They were finished with their morning classes. Harry, Ron, Neville, and Hermione all had Charms in the morning with Prof. Flitwick. They had started with conjuring objects out of nothing. Harry and Hermione were the only two students that were able to successfully conjure a feather. They were also the only two students who had actually read the entire Charms textbook for the year.

Harry did not have a second class. He had a study block for his next class. Since he only elected to take seven courses, Dumbledore saw it fit to give Harry a block time to practice and perfect his magic. Every time he had his study block, Harry was to report to the Room of Requirements and there would be a 'To Do' list for Harry to complete before his time was up. Since it was his first day, the list just had him review various curses, hexes and spells that he had learned in his previous years. Dumbledore showed up at the end of his time and asked him to perform all that was on the list.

As Harry walked through the corridors, all the girls that passed gave him the once over and smiled and waved at him shyly. Harry merely smirked at their actions and nodded his acknowledgement at them. All the new attention he was receiving was still new to Harry. He was surprised when earlier that day a group of Slytherin girls acted that way towards him.

"Maybe it was the glasses," Harry speculated as he walked towards Gryffindor Tower. He had gone straight to Madame Pomfrey that morning for her to perform the proper spell on his eyes. Harry had happily taken the certificate she handed him and walked off towards the Charms classroom.

Harry was now walking through the Fat Lady's Portrait. As he walked into the Common Room, he sneered at the group of seventh year boys that were smiling and waving at him. Granted they acted as though Harry was their best friends this year, but memories of the previous year and years before that still remained in Harry's mind. They were the same group of boys that whispered about him during his second year when everyone thought he was the Heir of Slytherin. They were also the same group of boy's that glared at him and talked about him behind his back when 'Harry Potter' came from the Goblet of Fire. And they were also the same boys that sneered remarks about him being 'The-Boy-Who-Wanted-Attention' and 'The-Boy-Who-Lied' his previous year when he claimed that Voldemort had returned.

Harry walked up to the sixth year boy's dorm and stepped into the room. Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas were both sitting on some chairs and talking with each other. The two turned and smiled at Harry when he walked in. Harry merely rolled his eyes and ignored the two. The previous year Harry and Seamus had gotten in a fight over Voldemort. Granted Dean did not call Harry a liar, but he also had a history of treating Harry unfairly.

Ron finally exited the shower room with a towel wrapped around his waist. "Took you long enough" Harry remarked. He rolled his eyes and the then the two laughed. "That look on Malfoy's face was priceless Ron," Harry praised his friend. Ron smiled and stood up a little straighter. "I have to congratulate you mate. But since when did you become Mr. In Control around him? Usually you snap at him if he breathes in your direction" Harry asked him. Ron shrugged his shoulders in response. He pulled a dark blue sweater over his head.

"I don't know, it's just that after—" but he stopped and looked at Seamus and Dean who were obviously listening in on their conversation. Harry turned and glared at the two. They both stood up and rushed polite good-byes when they met Harry's eyes. Harry smirked as the two ran out of the room. Harry had found that he had a natural talent for intimidating people. His muscular body, six-foot height, and name definitely didn't hurt him in that area.

Ron rolled his eyes at his friend. "I still don't get why you've become the next Draco Malfoy," he confessed. Harry glared at him and Ron flinched slightly. "You're getting pretty good at that you know." Harry smirked. Ron just smiled and shook his head. "But seriously, you're acting like an arse to the rest of the House." Harry rolled his eyes and turned away and walked over to his trunk. "Come off it Harry, what's the deal? What's up with the change?" Ron demanded. Harry just ignored him and started looking through his trunk. "Harry!" he yelled angrily. Ron had immediately noticed his friend's change. At the feast, Harry would only talk to him, Hermione, Neville, and Ginny civilly. Whenever another student tried to start a conversation, Harry would sneer at them and turn back to one of the aforementioned students. It bothered Ron how easily Harry could act so cruel to his own friends.

Ron got his wish when Harry turned around glaring and threw a newspaper at him. Ron jumped back slightly surprised. "That's what's with the change!" Harry yelled venomously. Ron looked down at the headline that read 'The-Boy-Who-Lived Attacks The Minister With His Words Again: Harry James Potter Speaks Out Against Minister Fudge And Seeks Even More Attention'. Ron looked back up at the glaring Harry confused.

"That's what's with the change. Am I the only person that remembers what things were like last year? Am I the only one who remembers how half the school treated me last year" Harry spat. Ron flinched. "Huh? How about my fourth year here? How about we talk about that?" Ron took a step back at Harry's statement. He had attacked Harry and called him a liar that year. He had been jealous that Harry had been chosen as the second Hogwarts Champion in the Triwizard Tournament. "What about my second year? Let's talk about 'Harry Potter the Heir of Slytherin'. Let's talk about how everyone thought I was the one attacking the students; about how everyone whispered behind my back." Harry's bright emerald eyes turned a dark green as he spoke. "Or let's talk about how everyone wanted to be my best friend again when they heard that I saved Ginny from the Chamber of Secrets and how everyone just chose to ignore the fact that they treated my like shit!" Harry yelled.

"Harry—" Ron started.

"But why stop there! Let's talk about how everything that's come out of Dumbledore's mouth has been a half-truth. How he neglected to tell me about the prophecy, my prophecy. About how he hasn't told me anything until after I've needed the information!"

"Harry, I'm sure—"

"How about my childhood. How about my so-called family? Let's talk about them. My Uncle is a great conversation starter! Wanna hear about the time he beat me until I was unconscious?" Harry yelled his question. Ron's mouth dropped slightly. "You do? Well which one? Cause I have a lot of those stories. Or how about the stories of how I would cry myself to sleep because they told me that I was useless, a freak, a nuisance, and a waste of life. I've got a lot of those!" Harry spat.

"How do you think a seven year old handles that? How would you like to live that life? My life!?" Ron tried to find an answer for his friend. It was true, he knew that Harry never had the perfect life, but he never knew that everything had affected him so much. Harry would always just shrug everything off like it didn't hurt him. It now seemed that Harry had only been masking his real emotions and they had just gotten to the point where he couldn't hide them anymore.

"I hope I answered your question. That's why I'm like this, that's why I've become this new person. Because of you!" Ron flinched once again. A feeling of guilt overwhelmed him. "Because of Dumbledore! Because of them!" Harry yelled as he waved his arms around indicating the school. "But most of all, because of him," Harry yelled with so much anger that Ron was momentarily scared for his life. Harry pointed his finger at the scar on his forehead.

The two boys did not noticed as Colin Creevey's stuck his head into the room. "Umm, Harry? Hermione asked me to tell you that it's lunch and that—"

Harry cut the stuttering boy off before he could finish his message. "GET OUT!" Harry yelled. Colin jumped up in fright and banged his head hard on the doorframe. He quickly closed the door and ran away from the room while rubbing his head.

Harry sighed and slid down the wall that he had been leaning on for support throughout his rant. He sat with his knees in front of his face and placed his hands on his head in defeat. All the anger and hatred that he had had during his speech had disappeared. The only feeling that Harry had now was exhaustion.

Ron walked over to Harry and sat down next to his friend. He took in a deep breath and mentally collected his words. He didn't know what to say to his friend. "Look Harry, I'm sorry—"

"Don't worry about it Ron. I'm—I'm sorry. I didn't mean to blame you. You've been the best friend a guy could ever ask for, and here I am yelling at you. I'm sorry, I should have taken everything out on you, it's just that—"

"You've been keeping all of that inside you for your entire life. I get that now. I never knew that all of this hit you so hard mate. You just always kinda shrugged it off; I guess I just thought that it didn't bother you. And you don't have to apologize. I've been a royal git to you before. And I'm sorry for that."

The two boys smiled and got up off the floor quietly. The spoken and unspoken words that had been said more than explained what each boy was thinking. The two walked out of the room and headed down to the Great Hall to salvage the little time that they had left for lunch.

***

"Well, it took you long enough. It's not like you two to miss most of lunch, where were you?" Hermione reprimanded the two boys as they took their seats at the Gryffindor table.

The two shared a smile over her head and Ron affectionately ruffled her straight hair. The once smooth hair started to return to it's once frizzy texture before Hermione glared at her boyfriend and began smoothing her hair.

"Good ol 'Mione, always looking out for her two best guys," Harry smiled. The two boys leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. Hermione turned red as she noticed every single girl in the Great Hall turn and glare daggers at her.

"It looks as though you two have quite a fan club," Ginny teased as she surveyed the female population of Hogwarts. Many of the girls turned and started talking in hushed tones. Every now and then they would turn back and glare at Hermione some more, but she would only ignore the attention.

"Jealous?" Harry purred at the beautiful red head.

Ginny cocked her eyebrow upwards and laughed slightly. "Only in your dreams Potter."  Harry sent her his new signature-charming smile and she blushed. Ron looked back and forth between the two. He was about to say something when Hermione lightly hit him on the arm and signaled him to be quiet.

The rest of lunch passed quickly. Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Neville waved to Ginny as they made they're way out of the Great Hall towards the Defense classroom.

"I wonder what the new teacher will be like." Hermione thought out loud as the group walked through the halls. 

"I don't care, as long as they actually teach us something this year they'll be alright in my book," Neville offered his opinion. Ron and Harry both nodded their agreement. Harry smiled as the four rounded a corner. Neville had changed greatly over the summer. He was no longer was the shy nervous short fat boy that he had been. Neville had changed over the summer in more ways than one. Over the years, he had lost his baby fat and now had the body of an average sixteen-year-old boy. His personality had also changed. Ron and Harry had discovered this on their train ride to Hogwarts. Gone were the days of the seemingly weak Neville. He was now more confident in himself and was able to carry a conversation without stuttering. Harry and him had gotten into a mock fight while arguing over Quidditch. The blonde hair boy made a joke about their previous Defense teacher, Prof. Umbridge, as they turned yet another corner.

The four finally made it to the classroom with two minutes to spare as they took at a center table in the room. The desks that used to occupy the room were gone. They had been replaced with six tables that could seat four people. The room was soon full of talking students when classes had begun. The students sat at their tables looking around and talking to one another after five minutes of no teacher walking through the door.

Dean Thomas stood up. "Oi! Does anyone know where this new teacher is?" he yelled out. Before anyone could answer him, a beam of red light slowly shot through the air and hit him square in the back. Dean's body fell to the floor. The people around him immediately backed away from his unconscious body. Many of the girls covered their mouths with their hands in fear. Most of the students could be divided into two groups: those that were scared and looked around with fright or those that turned to their neighbor and asked them what was going on.

Harry and his friends immediately pulled out their wands. Hermione wasted no time in putting up a shield around the table. Another red beam made it's way across the room heading straight towards Draco Malfoy. But before the beam could hit its mark, it was blown off course by a spell cast by Malfoy. The boy frowned and looked around the room looking for his attacker.

Mandy Brocklehurst, Susan Bones, Owen Cauldwell, Michael Corner, and Justin Finch-Fletchley were all rendered unconscious before the attacker finally revealed them self. A middle-aged woman with brown hair in a tight bun and piercing blue eyes appeared behind the teacher's desk. She was wearing dark red robes and held a wand in her hand. She had a very angry expression on her face as she surveyed the classroom.

"Stupefy" Harry whispered as a powerful beam of red light shot from the tip of his wand and headed straight for the woman. He was not the only student to retaliate. Draco Malfoy sent a disarming spell towards the woman. Ron, Hermione, and Neville also attacked with their own different curses.

The woman merely waved her wand and all the spells disappeared. "Enough!" she barked. Ron, Hermione, and Neville all lowered their wands but Harry and Draco still held their pointing at the woman. She looked at the two sharply before she slowly smiled. "Ten points to both Misters Potter and Malfoy. Well done, never lower your wand unless you are sure it is safe to do so. And even then, always keep them ready to attack," she said as she peered at Ron who had laid his wand in the table. He blushed slightly and picked his wand back up.

Draco and Harry were about to open their mouths to ask a question when the woman interrupted them. "I knew your name because I knew your father Mr. Malfoy. Besides, your looks do not hide your Malfoy heritage. As for you Mr. Potter, it was a matter of deduction. It is common knowledge that where Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger are, you are not far. And the other young man at your table does not fit your description. Now, if that was all, allow me to introduce myself." Harry and Draco both leaned back in their seats as if satisfied by her response.

"I am Prof. Rasmussen. I will be your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for the year. First off, I must say that I am extremely disappointed in your performance just now. When the first young man fell to the floor, I only a handful of students pull out their wands and even fewer put up any sort of shield." Prof. Rasmussen looked at each of the students directly before she continued.

"I have been informed of your previous professor's incompetence and I have taken that into account. I was told that all you did was learn theory last year and no practical lessons?" she asked. All the students nodded affirmatively. "Well then, I suppose it is up to me to bring you back up to the level that you should be at. Now line up everyone." All the students stood up and all the tables and chairs were pushed to the back of the classroom.

"Now since you all have a Dueling Class this year, let's start off with something easy like Dementors." Everyone in the class took a step back in surprise except for Harry and Draco. "Now, now, do not worry, I'm not expecting you to be able to produce a Patronus right now. But I want you to be able to get used to the effects of being around one and not be hindered by them. Now, I have conveniently secured a Bogart for today's lesson and been able to trap it in the form of a Dementor. Now I will be releasing it as each of you step up and will be requiring you to perform selected curses and spells with the Dementor there next to you." The students all looked nervous at the thought of having to perform magic while a Dementor was standing right behind them.

"Now do we have any volunteers?" Prof. Rasmussen asked as she looked around the class. All the students avoided eye contact with their teacher. The only two that would meet her eyes were Harry and Draco. "Alright then Mr. Potter, why don't we start with you?" Harry nodded and walked over to her. She motioned to the wardrobe that Harry had failed to notice. It sat in a corner of the room. She told that Harry that she was about to release. Harry nodded his head and the professor opened the door.

A feeling of sadness and pain overcame Harry. Flashes of his mother, father, and a green light appeared when he closed his eyes. These reactions were anything but new to him. "Get yourself together Potter" he reprimanded himself. He looked up and saw the dark hooded figure that was standing in front of the wardrobe.

"Are you alright Mr. Potter?" Prof. Rasmussen asked him. Harry nodded and the teacher continued. "Very well, let's start with something simple. Please levitate this quill into my hand," she said as she placed her quill on the floor in front of her.

Harry nodded and aimed his wand at the quill.

Harry was standing in the Chamber of Secrets in his second year. He had just killed the giant basilisk with the Sword of Gryffindor. He looked down and saw his large flesh wound where the snake had bitten him. Pain shot up and down his left arm. His vision got blurry as he crumpled to the floor.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Harry said as he raised the quill off the floor and guided it to his professor's out stretched hand.

She smiled and nodded her head. "Good, now let's make things a little harder. Fire a stunning curse at me." Harry nodded his head and tried to concentrate.

The graveyard appeared. Harry heard a snake-like voice his, "Kill the spare." Harry watched in horror as he once again saw the green light travel through the air and strike Cedric Diggory. The handsome boy's body crumpled to the ground with a look of utter terror on his face. Harry inhaled deeply. The scene around him fast-forwarded until he saw Wormtail step over to him and stab him in the arm. Pain shot up and down his left arm again as he felt the smooth metal pierce his skin.

"Stupefy!" Harry said shakily. The red beam shot out from the end of his wand and headed straight for the professor. She just waved her wand and the spell disappeared just as it had before.

"Very good Mr. Potter. Now I'm going to fire a disarming spell at you. I want you to put up a shield around yourself to block the spell, alright?" Harry nodded.

"Expelliarmus!" Prof. Rasmussen said.

Harry was standing inside the Ministry of Magic building. Several duels were going on around him. He watched as various Order members fought Death Eaters. Suddenly Harry snapped his attention to Sirius when he saw a red beam fly at his Godfather. Sirius was caught by surprise as he and the red beam connected. Harry watched as his Godfather was lifted into the air and slowly flew backwards into the veil. "No!" Harry yelled as his Godfather disappeared. He was gone.

"Protego!" Harry forced out when the spell was only a meter away from him. The spell collided with the shield and disappeared.

"Very good Mr. Potter! This is the last spell I believe. I have heard that you are able to produce a Patronus. Could you please produce one now?"

"Sure" Harry said as he tried to clear his mind.

Flashes of his parents and Voldemort appeared when he closed his eyes. Harry's energy dropped slightly when he heard his mother scream. He tried to concentrate on a happy thought.

"No! Not Harry!" he heard his mother yell.

Visions of his first time on a broom came to his mind. Harry closed his eyes and felt the cool crisp air fly through his hair. The beautiful view of the grounds flashed across his mind.

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry commanded his wand. Silver wisps of air flew from the tip of the wand and formed in the shape of a great stag. The stag bent his head down and took off at the Dementor. The stag's antler's hit the Dementor and it flew backwards and flew right back into the wardrobe. The doors flew closed from a wave from Prof. Rasmussen's wand.

She smiled at Harry and congratulated him. "Very well done Mr. Potter! Ten points to Gryffindor for that excellent display of magic." The professor beamed at her student. Harry nodded his head and went back to his friends.

"Nice job show-off" Draco Malfoy sneered at Harry.

"It was wasn't it?" Harry retorted. Malfoy merely smiled back at his rival.

"What was that Mr. Malfoy? You want to volunteer as my next victim? Very well, front and center!" Prof. Rasmussen said loudly as she wrote something on her parchment. Malfoy shrugged his indifference and walked up to the wardrobe. Prof. Rasmussen waved the doors open and the Dementor exited the piece of wardrobe.

"Now Mr. Malfoy, could you—" But Malfoy raised his wand and executed a spell before she could finish.

"Expecto Patronum!" he said. The same silver wisps of air appeared from the tip of his wand and molded themselves into the shape of a giant hawk eagle. The beautiful bird flew straight at the Dementor and knocked it back into the wardrobe just as Harry's had done. Prof. Rasmussen once again waved her wand and the doors shut themselves.

"Perfect! That's quite a beautiful Patronus you have Mr. Malfoy. But please, in the future, wait for your instructions before you start firing of spells. Thank you, ten points to—which is your house?" she asked him. He answered her with a gloating tone of voice. "Ok, ten points to Slytherin! Now who's next?" Draco walked back to his group of Slytherin friends smirking.

"Nice job show-off" Harry said as Malfoy passed by him.

"It was, wasn't it?" Draco retorted. The two boys smiled before sneering at each other.

"Maybe this class wont be so bad after all" Harry thought as he watched Lavender Brown scream in fright when the Dementor was let out of the wardrobe.

***

The four then went to their next class, which was Transfiguration. Prof. McGonagall had the students transfigure feathers into various animals. By the end of the period Harry and Hermione both successfully completed the list that Prof. McGonagall had set for them for the week. She awarded Gryffindor twenty points and grudgingly told them that they could spend the rest of the week doing extra credit assignments.   

The quartet finally arrived at the Great Hall for dinner. Ron had grumbled about how lucky Harry and Hermione were that they were able to transfigure the objects so easily. Five minutes after they left the class, Hermione got fed up with him and started yelling. She reminded him that she and Harry had taken hours out of their summers to study and read over the transfiguration book. That sufficiently shut Ron up. The rest of the trip was taken up with conversation of the new Quidditch season.

"So that's my problem. When I talked to McGonagall about my classes, she told me that I was the new Quidditch Captain." Ron looked slightly hurt at this news. "It's cause I'm the only player that's been on the team longer than a year." That seemed to satisfy his pride.

"So you, me and Ginny have to put together try outs for a new team." Ron moaned loudly. "We need new Beaters and Chasers. Plus we need to try out a Seeker."

"What?!" Ron and Neville exclaimed.

"You're the best Seeker Hogwarts has had since—forever!" Ron yelled.

Harry flinched at his friend's volume. "Calm down, we have to. Gryffindor now has two seekers; Ginny and me. We have to try out to see who the starter is. Besides, maybe I'd make a fair Chaser or Beater," Harry said as the three entered the Great Hall; Hermione had went back up to Gryffindor Tower to grab a book to read at dinner.

When Harry walked into the giant room, he spotter Ginny laughing with her group of friends. He smiled, "Speaking of," Harry said as he walked over to her and started talking.

Ron looked at his best friend and sister openly flirting. A smile tugged slightly at his lips when he noticed many girls shooting her death glares. He smiled broadly when he noticed the same girls instantly perk up and smile when they noticed him looking at them. "Bloody confusing girls," Ron murmured to Neville as the two walked in. His companion nodded his agreement as the two took their seats in the middle of the large table. Harry and Ginny were about ten seats to their left talking and laughing.

"Neville, is it wrong of me to want to rip out Harry's lungs right now and hang him from them in Filch's office?" Ron asked politely as he glared at his best friend.

Neville choked slightly on his chicken when Ron asked him the question. He looked at his friend surprised and then followed his eyes to where Harry and Ginny sat. He watched as Harry took Ginny's hand in his. She turned red in the face at his actions. Neville rolled his eyes.

It was common knowledge that Neville had had a crush of Ginny Weasley the previous year. But he had gotten over that over the summer. She had been the only girl besides Hermione that didn't laugh at him for being a clumsy shy boy. But during his fifth year, he had admitted his crush on her. He had been devastated when she told him that she only saw him as a friend. It didn't last long though. When his name was all over the newspapers as one of the group of Hogwarts students that fought and defeated Voldemort and his Death Eaters, he would receive countless owls from girls telling him what a hero he was.

"Well, seeing as how the two have been shagging for the past week—" Neville started wit a glint in his eye.

"WHAT!" Ron yelled as his head snapped back in Neville's direction. The entire Hall turned and looked at him. He turned red at the attention. "What are you talking about?" he hissed at a laughing Neville.

"Calm down Ron, it's only the second day of school. I'm kidding," he stopped laughing at the death glare that Ron.

"Not funny Longbottom" Ron said. Neville started laughing again.

"What's so funny Neville?" Hermione asked.

Neville looked at Ron questioningly. He shook his head 'no' and Neville got the message. "Oh just talking about the different ways that Snape could accidentally fall down the stairs." He smiled at Hermione and she gave the two a disapproving look. "Anyway Ron, I think that honestly we wouldn't want Snape to fall down the stairs, but there's nothing we could do to stop him from falling. We just have to accept it," Neville said trying to get answer his friend without Hermione knowing what they were talking about. Ron seemed to understand. He sneaked another glance and Harry and Ginny and shook his had. His took a deep breath and turned to his girlfriend and smiled as he placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

"You know, if I was stupid, I would probably say that you two have really weird conversations. But seeing as I'm not and I get that you don't want me to know whatever you're talking about, I wont say anything," Hermione said from behind her book.

Neville and Ron both started laughing at her comment. Ron put his arm around the girl and placed another kiss on her cheek. "And that's exactly why I keep you around love," he said as he ducked Hermione's arms that flew out to hit him on the head. He and Neville started laughing even harder.

***

            "So how was you're day Gin?" Harry asked as he took a sip from his pumpkin juice. Ever since he saw the girl at the train station, he couldn't get her out of his mind. She wasn't exactly unattractive the previous year, he had just always seen her as Ron's little sister; the girl that could commonly be found in her brother's old clothes. He was used to see her in slightly baggy hand-me-downs.

            "I guess the money from Fred and George's store has gone to good use," Harry thought to himself as he saw Ginny get up and bend over to pick up the book that her friend Emily had thrown as a joke. The fact that her jeans were very tight on her did make him turn the slightest shade of red.   

            "So Harry, do you like what you see?" Ginny asked as she batted her eyelashes.

            "What??" Harry asked incredulously.

"My potions essay," she said as she fused her eyebrows together in confusion. "Do you like it? I'm already on Prof. Snape's bad side for being late to class today. I don't think my grade could handle him being mad at me. Besides, if I have a perfect paper, then there's no way he can give me anything other than a perfect mark," she explained with a smile. This only caused Harry to laugh lightly.

"Oh yeah," Harry said with mock seriousness, "a perfect paper is going to stop Snape from giving you a zero." The two started laughing. They didn't notice the rest of Ginny's friends get up and leave the two alone.

"True," Ginny said simply. "But I uh—wouldn't mind a couple of study sessions to help me out—in potions of course," Ginny slowly smiled innocently at Harry.

"Of course," he grinned, "and if we have to stay up all night—"

"Then we'll have to do it. Anything for potions," she smiled.

Harry sent her one of his award winning smiles. "Anything." Ginny wasn't the only girl to catch his smile. Half of the Hufflepuff girls were foaming at the mouth as they gazed lovingly at the Gryffindor. Harry noticed this and smiled at them over Ginny's shoulder.

This of course did not go unnoticed by Ginny. She looked over her shoulder and saw about twenty girls snap they're heads away from her and Harry's direction. "Something interesting going on over my shoulder Harry?" Ginny asked him.

"Course not, what could be more interesting than you?" Harry said sweetly as he once again took her hand in his and smiled.

"I really need to stop letting him control me with that smile," she thought as she once again blushed.

***

The rest of dinner had passed pretty much the same way. He and Ginny had flirted the whole meal away. Eventually the two said good-bye and Harry went to join Ron, Hermione and Neville. Ron and Neville kept laughing at him for no apparent reason. Hermione would always just roll her eyes and say she didn't get it either.

Harry was now making his way down the hall to the Headmaster's office. He wanted to talk to the old man about his bank account. He finally reached the gargoyle. "Damn, what's the password?" Harry mumbled to himself as he ran his hand through his hair.

"Well, that would be 'Never-ending Lemon Drops' Mr. Potter. And please refrain from using such vulgar language in my presence from now on." Dumbledore's blue eyes sparkled as he smiled and started up the staircase. Harry sneered at the man's back as he followed him.

The two took their seats in their respective chairs. "So, to do what I owe the pleasure?" Dumbledore asked as he surveyed the boy over his specs.

Harry looked the man straight in the eye. He had never been able to hold the man's eyes before. There was always something that intimidated him about the blue orbs. They seemed like they were full of something, something that he couldn't quite place his finger on. Harry now knew that they were full of secrets and lies.

"Well, when I went to Gringotts this summer to get money for my vault, I had a lovely surprise waiting for me," Harry said as he stared down the man.

A look of surprise flashed across the old man's eyes. Harry raised an eyebrow. "Yes, well that was a matter that I have been meaning to talk to you about. You see, after Sirius was put into Azkaban, all of his properties and accounts were transferred into my name. A long time ago, Sirius, and many in the order actually, all signed an agreement that stated that if anything were to happen to them, that they're accounts would be transferred into my name. The war against Voldemort was not a cheap one Harry, by lives or money. Since I have control of Sirius' accounts and your are his godson, I am just merely giving you what you are entitled to."

Harry nodded his head. "Wait, what do you mean giving?" he asked in confusion.

"Well, I have not totally transferred all of Sirius' money to you. I have given you a quarter of it this summer. You will receive another quarter this next summer, and then when you graduate from Hogwarts, you will receive the last half. Consider it a graduation present." Dumbledore laughed at the last part. "Indeed, it will be quite a graduation present. I'm sure not every Hogwarts students will receive millions of galleons as their Hogwarts present." Dumbledore looked as though he were deep in thought. Then he added, "Well, I am not including Mr. Malfoy of course. From what I hear, he will gain complete control of all the Malfoy properties when he graduates as well."

Harry rolled his eyes. "You don't say" he commented sarcastically.

The old Headmaster laughed heartily. "Yes, well I suppose you aren't exactly interested in the affairs of your fellow students." Harry shook his head. "Well, was there anything else Mr. Potter?" Dumbledore asked him. Once again Harry shook his head. "Very well, I hope I was able to answer all your questions. And if there is nothing else, there is more thing I must give you," Dumbledore said as he sat up from his seat and walked to a cabinet against the far wall in his office.

Harry watched as he crossed the room and reached into the cabinet. Dumbledore pulled out a silver object. Harry tried to steal a glance at the object. Dumbledore was smiling as he turned around. "Now, now Harry, curiosity killed the car," the old man mock lectured.

Harry was not amused by the old man's attempts at friendliness, too much had passed between the two. He arched his eyebrow at the man. "Good thing Prof. McGonagall isn't here then" he said flatly. Dumbledore stopped in his footsteps for only a second before he recovered himself. Harry smiled. "I see that you are not very skilled in hiding your emotions Headmaster," Harry mocked him.

Dumbledore turned to look at him. The usual sparkle in his eyes was absent. "I suppose that that is one art that I will never be able to master," the Headmaster said gravely. "Emotions are a powerful force Harry. They are not something to hide; to be ashamed of. You of all people should know this. Your mother—"

"My mother loved me, and she died for that love. She and my father were heaven sent, and I will never ever say differently," Harry said in an almost roaring tone of voice. Dumbledore closed his eyes as if he was disappointed. "But the fact is that she died for her love. Love may be a powerful force and save many lives Headmaster, but it kills countless more. It's hurts more than it helps." Harry's eyes darkened as he spoke.

"We can't make it through life without emotions. Love, hate, pain, joy; they make us who we are. They make us human Harry. You cannot ignore them," Dumbledore explained calmly.

"Apparently Voldemort wasn't in class when you taught that lesson," Harry sneered.

"No, he wasn't. He was busy shedding his humanity and trading it for the soul of a demon," the old man calmly challenged.

"If you think that I am in anyway trying to follow in that bastards footsteps," Harry said in a quiet commanding voice, "then you are deadly mistaken. I may not be an angel, but I will never, never, become what he has. I will not be a murderer. I will not become a monster. And I will never become him," Harry seethed.

"I never insinuated any such thing Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said calmly. "But pain and anger are the keys to that door that opens that dark road. I am not trying to insult you Harry. That is the furthest from my intentions. I just want to warn you." The Headmaster sat back down in his chair and closed his eyes. "I just ask that you be careful. This is not the first time I have had this conversation with one of my students." 

Harry's eyes narrowed in anger at the implication of his words. "He was a boy that had been raised in a far from warm home. He was a very nice boy, very smart and talented; one of the top students in his class. Yes, very nice, but he was filled with so much pain. Of course he never showed this pain. He always had smiles painted on his face in classes and the hallways. But his eyes betrayed him. I had this very same talk with that young man, and now I am having it with his godson," Dumbledore finished.

Harry's head popped up immediately. "Sirius Black was a troubled young man in his day. I saw so much potential in him. But his pain almost destroyed him," Dumbledore said solemnly. "I just do not want you to make the same mistake he almost did. Do not walk that path Harry. For once you take your first step, it is just too hard to take it back." The two held eye contact, neither one willing to break it. "Ask Serverus, his life has been torn apart by his past and those decisions." Dumbledore's eyes pleaded with the young man in front of him.

Harry stood up from his seat. His dark green eyes never left the Headmaster's empty blue orbs. "That was his decision to make, just as this is mine." Harry shook his head. "Shame on me Headmaster, shame on me for thinking that you had faith in me." Pain and anger slowly crept their way into Harry's eyes. "Shame on me for thinking that you believed in me to make the right decision." Harry now glared at the old man before him. "I admit that at times I have been tempted. I've been tempted to become like him. Then I wouldn't have to worry about my friends or family, or anyone else. I wouldn't feel fear or pain. I would be a monster just like him, just like the pathetic Dark Lord." Harry's eyes continued to grow darker with every word.

"But you see, there's a problem with that need. I can't have it. That would mean that I would have to turn my back on everyone. On Hermione, on Ron, and the Weasleys. On Neville, on Hogwarts, on the Order, even you. And I'm just not capable of that. My heart is too strong. Maybe I should have been a bloody Hufflepuff, with their loyalty. Because I could never become like Voldemort." Harry's eyes were now completely black.

"So shame on me for thinking that. But shame on you for forcing me to be in a position where I would even think of that possibility. Shame on you for putting the weight of the world on the shoulders of a boy." Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and shut his eyes. A lone tear slowly made it's way down his wrinkled cheek.

"But all of that I can forgive, and I have. But shame on you, for not believing in me," Harry spat the last part. He continued his glare on the old man.

"I believe you said you wanted to give me something," Harry said calmly. His eyes returned back to their emerald green color instantly and his voice lost its ferociousness.

Dumbledore nodded and laid the silver object on his desk. Harry leaned forward and picked it up. As he lifted it up, a silver chain fell and dangled from his hand. At the bottom of the chain, a silver pendent hung. Harry pulled it closer to his face to inspect. It was a crest. It held the images of a snake wrapped around the antlers and neck of a stag. Next to them a lion proudly stood. The stag and lion each respectively looked to the left and right. The snake looked directly towards Harry from its place around the stag's neck. A saying in Latin was strung across the top of the pendent. Harry looked up at the Headmaster. His face, like Harry's, did not betray the pain that Harry knew he was feeling.

"He's right," Harry thought, "he'll never be able to mask his face. He'd be a terrible poker player," Harry thought humorously.

Dumbledore smiled slightly. "It's the eyes Harry, they'll always betray me. And yes, I am a terrible poker player," the Headmaster said lightly. "But the Latin translates into 'Wherever the battle lies, there shall my sword be as well'. The Potters were never a clan to shy away from a fight." Harry looked at the Headmaster in surprise. "That is the Potter family crest. Your grandfather had one, your father had one, and Sirius had one. If I remember correctly, James gave this to Sirius for Christmas in their second year. Your godfather had gone with James back to Potter Manor for the winter holiday." A flash of pain was evident in Harry's eyes for only a split second before it disappeared. "Like I had said, Sirius did not grow up in a loving home, he was taken in by the Potters as one of their own. Your grandparents were extremely warm people Harry, you would have been proud to call them family, Sirius was. Since that Christmas, I cannot remember a time when I have seen him not wearing this," Dumbledore said as he motioned to the crest.

"I'm sure that both he and your father would be honored for you to wear it," Dumbledore said as he looked at the young man in front of him.

Harry carefully took the chain and pulled it over his head. He looked down and smiled at his new possession. A tear slowly cascaded down his cheek. This was a present that his father had given Sirius; an invitation into his family. Harry couldn't help but think of the Weasley's at that moment. They were just like his grandparents. They had taken in a lonely boy that they knew nothing about and loved him as if he were their own child.

The emotions were too much for Harry. His wiped away his tears and looked up at the Headmaster. "Thank you," he said quietly to the old man. "We may not be on the best of terms, but thank you for this," Harry said.

"Your welcome, though I do not assume that this token has changed anything. Allow me to express my regrets to you Mr. Potter. I am sorry for every wrong that I have done to you. I know that I have lied and mislead you many a times, but you must understand that I thought I was doing what was best. I see now that in all of my planning, I have forgotten that even though you have been marked by Voldemort and that you are ultimately the one that must face him; I have forgotten that you are still just a boy. It is the weakness of an old man's mind. And it is the regret that this is the old man to do all these things. I am not asking for your forgiveness, just your understanding Harry," Dumbledore said. The old man suddenly looked so much older than he ever had.

Harry looked at him. His eyes stared back at Dumbledore's trying to decide what to say. He opened his mouth and then closed it again. "Good night Headmaster," said before he turned around and walked to the door.

Dumbledore eyes closed when he turned around. "I have failed him," he thought as he watched the young man leave.

Harry pulled open the door and stopped. He stared at the dark staircase that would lead him back down to the halls of Hogwarts. "You talked about a Potter Manor Headmaster, where is it?" Harry asked in a monotone voice.

Dumbledore's voice held the pain that he felt as he spoke, "It is destroyed. Your grandparents were attacked and murdered by Voldemort. The house was leveled, I'm sorry." Harry nodded his head slowly. "Good night Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said dejectedly.

Harry's lone figure walked down the deserted halls alone. Shadows danced along the stonewalls of the castle. The moon seemed to follow his retreating figure, guarding him with its light as though he might disappear in the darkness.

He walked down the hall and went to his bed. He closed the curtains around his bed and laid back into his pillow. He closed his eyes in hopes of escaping the dark world that surrounded him.

But soon, his dreams would become nightmares. They too would also become visions and premonitions.

***

            And there's my latest chapter. I hope you liked it. I know there was a lot of drama in this one and not as many jokes. It just sorta came out as I typed. So tell my what you think. Sorry it took so long, but this is I think my longest chapter yet, so it makes up a lil?? But please review cuz I'm been freakin out tryin to find time to type this up. So go! Review! LOL

This chapter's poll:

1. What did you think of all the drama? Did you like it? Do you like the other chapter's better (with more jokes than serious moments)?

2. What did you think of the conversation between Harry and Dumbledore? Was Harry too hard on him? Was it not enough? (keep in mind that Harry is still just a teenager and can't exactly be objective about his own situation).

3. What are your thoughts on the whole Ginny and Harry thing? Did you like it? Should I drag out the little 'affair' out and have more flirting scenes? Or should I just get straight to the point and then have him dump her?

4. What other class would you like Harry to go to next chapter? I already have a potions lesson more or less planned out, what other class would you like to read about? Maybe dueling? Or maybe an event that happens?

5. How did you like Prof. Rasmussen? You'll find out more about her past soon. It's pretty interesting if you ask me. I had fun making up a little back story for her.

6. Anything else you wanna say or comment on? I love your feedback and I use it to make the story better. (Thanks to Teila for her idea of the necklace!) So yeah! Uh…Review! LOL

I've looked over the vote for the whole sex scene thing. It looks like the majority doesn't really care as long as I'm not writing porn. So I'll try and control my teenage hormones as I write them (Haha). Aaaaand, it seems like no one is really too keen on the whole Hermione/Ron ship, so I'll try to gloss over it as much as possible. Hmm…I think that's about it. And feel free to email me for whatever. And if you want me to email you when I update, just leave your email in the review and tell me so. Alright, later.

gotta B writin

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^yes, email change!