Chapter 18: Breaking the Rules

Harry awoke the next morning feeling like something had hit him really hard upside the head. Grunting, he sat up. It took him a minute to remember where he was and then he grunted again. Today he would set to work making his potion. At least it wasn't hard.

He got up and changed his robes then, yawning and rubbing his hair sleepily, walked into the Headmaster's office. It still felt weird, he realized, to walk into that room every morning. It still seemed like Dumbledore's office. Perhaps that was because it was exactly the same as it had been when he had left it. No one had been in there for years so it had remained unchanged.

Except for one thing.

Fawkes wasn't there. He had only seen him once before and that was when he had first arrived in the room. The next day Fawkes wasn't there and Harry hadn't noticed. He blinked and looked at Dumbledore's portrait.

"Where's Fawkes?"

Dumbledore looked at him seriously. "He's off doing important business."

Harry bit back a biting remark and he saw Dumbledore smile. "He's my eyes and ears, Harry." he explained. "While I cannot get up and leave, he can and he reports back to me to tell me what's happening in the world."

"And?" Harry asked. "What has he said?"

Dumbledore shrugged. "Nothing you haven't heard. I would have told you if it had been so. I mostly send him on errands because you also have been withholding information, though I doubt it is intentional. Sometimes I am under the impression that you forget our portrait status and believe that I, as I once did, knew about things as they were happening. Alas, this is not so for no one reports to me any longer."

Harry winced. He had been forgetting about them being portraits. Sometimes he simply expected Dumbledore to be the same as he remembered him as. Quite obviously, he was not. "I didn't realize," Harry said. "I'll tell you more from now on."

Dumbledore waved it away. "No need. Fawkes tells me what I need to know. You will find that he can be quite invisible when he chooses not to be seen."

Harry nodded. "Okay, but tell me if you need anything."

Dumbledore smiled slightly. "At some point you will need to set up the connections that I once controlled. With those, you will know everything about the same time its happening."

Harry nodded. His stomach rumbled loudly. "I had better get some food." He ran his fingers through his hair again, knowing subconsciously that it was sticking up. Dumbledore nodded and Harry walked through the hall.

It appeared that Grander was getting into the habit of waking him for he met Harry the instant he opened the door behind the gargoyle. He grinned cheerfully, though Harry could see that it was slightly weary from the previous day. Had it only been a day?

Harry resolved to make a potion for Grander as well.

"Good morning," Grander said. "I was just coming to wake you up. The house elves have already begun breakfast."

"Excellent," Harry said. They set off in the direction to the kitchens. "Is there anything I have to do today?"

"The Minister's class is today," Grander said. Harry heard an eager undertone in his voice. "I've been practicing, you know. It should be great. I can open a lock with almost only a thought! It was amazing the first time it happened. It was kind of late and I always practice before I go to bed and I was rather tired so I just sort of waved my wand and...poof! The door's unlocked. It was amazing."

"So all you've been practicing is the unlocking charm?" Harry asked blankly. "You haven't tried anything else?"

"You haven't showed us anything else," Grander said, looking at Harry questioningly. "Was I supposed to?"

"No," Harry said, shrugging. "I just wandered. I'm going to have to give you a book. No matter. I have a potion I want to make so I'll make that the lesson today."

Grander's jaw dropped and Harry could just see the wheels working in his head. "Potions? We don't make potions anymore! We have medicine, obviously, but actually potions with magical powers! That's amazing! I've read about it, obviously, but I didn't think it could be done nowadays!"

Harry grinned a little. "You sound like an old friend of mine. She was always reading books."

Grander beamed, as though Harry could not have paid him a bigger compliment. They reached the kitchens and Grander led the way in. The house elves came over instantly carrying food. Apparently they had been expected. A table was pushed over to them and chairs and they sat down to eat.

"I've been thinking," Harry said, swallowing a mouthful of scrambled eggs. "About that message Voldemort sent me. You remember the one. Where he said he had someone."

Grander nodded thoughtfully. "I remember. But I don't see who it could be. It's been weeks now and no one's noticed any disappearances."

Harry nodded slowly. "I haven't had a lot of time to think lately, but perhaps it isn't someone you would notice was gone, because they were never technically here."

"What?" Grander asked blankly. "If they're not real, who cares if he has them?"

"I didn't say they weren't real," Harry said. His fork froze, halfway to his mouth. "No..."

"What?" Grander asked, still not understanding.

"He's brought back people from the past," Harry breathed. "People that he knew. People that I knew, but only my enemies. What if he brought back one of my friends!" Suddenly Harry wasn't hungry at all. He felt sick.

Grander's mouth opened slightly. "That's terrible! Would he do something like that?" He winced even as the words came out of his mouth. "Ignore that last question."

Harry put his fork down, his mouth tight. "Imagine what he would do to them if he had them."

Grander face was a mix of horror and sympathy.

Suddenly Harry relaxed and shook his head. He felt like laughing in relief as he remembered a very important detail. "He can't." He shook his head and went back to eating his eggs with vigor. "Not unless they want to. They wouldn't come back. He can't force them. The Death Eaters are only back because they came at the summons of their master."

Harry's good mood diminished quickly as he remembered, though happily, that he had just lost his only lead. His said nothing for a moment. Then the door to the kitchens was pushed open and a woman, a man, and a little girl walked in.

"It's him!"

Harry turned to see small Elizabeth Wently looking at him with admiration in her eyes. The man and the woman were looking at him, their eyes wide. Harry supposed they must be Elizabeth's parents.

"Good morning," Harry said cheerfully, trying to put the couple at ease. Instead they appeared surprised that Harry could talk and the woman took a step back. Harry rose to his feet hastily and wiped his hands on his robes. He held out his hand to shake it and the woman took another startled step backwards. Harry lowered his hand uncertainly.

Elizabeth seemed to have none of her parents' hesitations. She ran up to him happily, her hair bouncing and her eyes shining. "I learned a new spell yesterday!" she squealed. "It was a charm to make things float and I haven't got it right yet, but I've managed to make it move!"

"Very good!" Harry said. He said nothing, but the thought crossing his mind at that moment was that this little girl standing in front of him knew more magic than just about any other wizard in the entire world. A sudden idea passed through his mind. If this little girl was trying to learn magic on her own and her own parents didn't know any sort of counter curses, she might actually hurt someone on accident. His thoughts must have flashed across his face because suddenly Elizabeth looked heart broken. "You--you don't want me to know it?"

"No!" Harry said quickly. "Hey, are you hungry? Have Grander get you something really quickly. You can have my seat. I need to talk to your parents." Elizabeth nodded slowly. Grander hurriedly got to his feet and summoned the house elves. Harry turned to little Elizabeth's parents. Harry walked over to them.

They looked very nervous and Harry felt a little guilty for talking to them before he realized how ridiculous that last thought was. He walked out of earshot of the two eating at the table. The two parents looked quite hesitant.

"I'm Harry Potter," Harry began.

"We know," the father said hastily.

"Mr. and Mrs. Wently," Harry said. "I want to apologize for any inconvenience, but I need to talk to you about your daughter."

"You made her promise to learn magic," the mother said suddenly. Her lips were pursed.

Harry shook his head firmly. "I suggested it and she was eager to do it. The only problem is, she has no real teacher to help her."

"We know," Mrs. Wently began.

"Lianna," the father said, a warning tone in his voice.

"You approve of this, Waylan?" Lianna said angrily.

"I believe that in today's world, Elizabeth will be better protected if she knows how to defend herself."

"We've got along pretty well without it," Lianna hissed.

"But times are different," Waylan said. "And I don't think we can hope to continue without knowing at least the basics of magic!"

Lianna pursed her lips. "But she's so young!"

"And she's already learned more than we ever did at school!" Waylan insisted. "She's very talented!"

"And she needs a teacher," Harry cut in. "If she doesn't have one and she does something wrong, terrible things can happen without her meaning to! Why, they very spell she was just telling me about comes with a warning label! When I was in school, our teacher told us about a man who pronounced it wrong and ended up with a buffalo on his chest. I don't want to risk it, especially with you daughter."

"A buffalo?" Lianna said blankly. "What's a buffalo?"

"A very large animal," Harry said. "With four hooves. Not pleasant, I can assure you."

"But you want her to learn magic?"

"Yes," Harry said firmly.

"Then what do you suggest?" Waylan asked.

"I'm teaching a class here at Hogwarts," Harry said. "It's mostly for Ministry members and the Professors here at Hogwarts. I would like your daughter to join."

"I don't know," Lianna said. She looked uncertainly back at her daughter where she was sitting laughing with Grander who had apparently just told a joke.

"Everyone would be much older than her," Waylan pointed out. "She'll probably be really behind."

Harry shook his head. "We've only had one lesson. She probably knows more than they do!"

Lianna shook her head in wonder. "I never thought we'd be faced with this decision."

Waylan smiled at her. "At least we don't have to worry about her failing in her classes, right?"

"But she hasn't even started school yet!" Lianna objected.

"What if she came after the classes were over and you helped her privately?" Waylan said. "I don't like the idea of Elizabeth in there with so many older people any more than my wife does."

Harry nodded. "I could do that. I have a class today after lunch. She can come in when it's over. I'll work with her on the spells."

Lianna nodded, to Harry's relief. "That can work. Just remember though, that she's only a little girl and she may decide she doesn't want to come or something. You know children. They get bored easily."

Harry nodded, though he knew that the only way Elizabeth would not show up was if her parents didn't tell her. "Then we have an agreement. I will see Elizabeth this afternoon around 2:30. Grander?"

Grander looked up. "Yes?"

"Are you done?"

"I am," Grander said, frowning at Harry's only half eaten plate. "But are you?"

"I am," Harry said. Instantly a house elf whisked his plate away. Grander nodded, stood up, and asked a house elf to pull up a third chair for the two parents.

"I'll see you this evening," Harry said, grinning as Elizabeth's eyes lighted up. Lianna and Waylan exchanged looked. Lianna looked uneasy and Waylan looked determined.

Grander followed Harry out as they left. "What was that all about?"

"I arranged for Elizabeth to come to my class after the Ministry members and teachers left so I could teach her the spells before she hurt herself or someone else on accident."

"An extra class?" Grander asked excitedly. "For students?"

Harry balked. "I was just talking about Elizabeth!"

But give a man an inch and they take a mile and that was exactly what Grander was doing. "Brilliant! Some of the more advanced students can come! You know, those that want to learn more than others and get good marks. I can see it now. I can stay after class if you want. I can help out. I don't know what I can do, but I can help."

"I didn't say I wanted another class!" Harry protested. "Besides, Chiden would probably have a heart attack when she found out and trip all over herself to accuse me of trying to take over her school."

"A heart attack?" Grander asked blankly. "Never mind. But I bet I can convince Headmistress Chiden and if I can't, I'll go to the Minister and he'll make her."

"The Ministry doesn't have any say of what happens at Hogwarts."

"Are you kidding? Of course it does. When the Ministry says jump, Headmistress Chiden jumps. She can't do anything else!"

Harry frowned. "Gonna have to change that."

Grander laughed as though Harry was joking. "I'll talk to her after class."

They stopped. They had arrived at Harry's classroom.

Harry winced. He should have been thinking about what he was doing instead of where he was going. "I have to go to the dungeons to pick up the stuff I need."

"What do you need?" Grander asked.

"Cauldron," Harry grunted. Grander had the expected reaction.

"A cauldron? Ha! Are you kidding? For what potions?"

"That's what I said we were doing today," Harry said sharply. "And it's not as ridiculous as it sounds. There are hundreds of things that a potion can achieve that wands can only imagine doing."

"That's stupid," Grander said. "Magic can do everything!"

"Not everything," Harry argued.

"Like what?"

"Magic can't bring people back from the dead."

"Ha!" Grander said. "It brought you back!"

"Voldemort and I are different. We were both very strongly powerful and we were connected to our regenerative phoenix wands. A connection with a wand is something that can't happen to just everyone. When my body was burned in the flames, the phoenix in my wand that I was connected with reacted exactly as it was supposed to. Because of the connection, it brought me back as well!"

"And Voldemort?"

"Same thing," Harry said dismissively.

"No it wasn't," Grander protested. "He didn't come back in flames."

"Voldemort was never truly dead," Harry said softly. "Nothing can really kill him. His spirit was living on in the world, waiting for his body to breathe life again. When that Death Eater sacrificed his hand--that Death Eater." Suddenly Harry stopped. "Wait a moment..."

"What is it?"

"That same Death Eater who sacrificed his hand was the one that came to give me the message, around the same time Voldemort was stealing the souls of his Death Eaters to bring the past Death Eater's spirits back to life. Why did he not steal the soul of that one Death Eater?"

"Perhaps he would have died if that man died."

"Perhaps," Harry admitted. "Yes, that makes sense. Voldemort's first act was to give some of his powers to his Death Eater to destroy my body. In essence, he gave some of himself to that Death Eater because in the beginning he was not strong enough to hold it in and he wanted me gone-- which took over his reason. That Death Eater than transferred it to me meaning we would both die if that Death Eater died."

"How do you know it was transferred to you at all?" Grander asked. "Maybe he kept it."

"My age," Harry said. "I should have come back an infant, but I destroyed Voldemort at this age and I came back at this age because of the transfer. I should just kill that man and my troubles would be over."

"No!" Grander protested. "That would kill you!"

"I've already died once!" Harry snapped. "Why should it matter if I go again?" But deep inside, he knew that he could not do it. It was one thing to die, but suicide was another thing.

Grander frowned. "But now that magic is back, people are going to realize how powerful it is. Plus, even if you kill Voldemort by dying, those Death Eaters he brought back aren't going to be dead and they know enough magic to do the same thing Voldemort does! We're going to need you here after Voldemort is gone so we can defend ourselves against those Death Eaters!"

"But what if I can't do it?" Harry said, very quietly. "What if Voldemort wins this time?"

"Don't be stupid," Grander said harshly. "You're five times as creative as him. You'll think of something he doesn't."

"Like last time we came face to face?" Harry asked. "When we were both knocked unconscious in the end. It was a draw."

"But the difference between you and Voldemort," Grander said, in such a tone that Harry found himself subconsciously believing him, "Is that you have allies behind you that won't run away if the battle turns to the worst. And power doesn't mean anything," Grander said quickly when he saw Harry open his mouth, "If the people won't remain loyal."

"They know they can defeat me if they all work together."

"But, from what you've told me of Slytherins, they'll save their own skin before sacrificing it for someone else. That's why they joined Voldemort, so they can personally gain power."

"I don't want anyone sacrificed!" Harry snapped. "Not for me."

"This is a war," Grander said softly. "More of a war than we've seen in 1000 years. There are casualties."

"Isn't the entire population of London enough already? What about the people in the hospital when he attacked London? Isn't that enough?"

"You can bet your last Galleon," Grander said, pulling open the dungeon door that lead into the old potions classroom. "That more people are going to die defending their cause. That more people are going to be willing to sacrifice to save their families."

"But to which side will they sacrifice?" Harry mused, walking through the open door. Grander said nothing behind him.

* *

"Today we will be making potions," Harry told the class. He did not miss the incredulous looks that many of the people shot each other, but he chose to ignore them. "The instructions are on the board--" He knew they were not on the board but said nothing to the raised eyebrows. "--and you will follow every instruction exactly. No improvising. It can have unwanted effects. The ingredients are in front of you. You will use everything. I will go around and correct you if you did something wrong."

He sat down, flicked his wand at the black board, used up some of his carefully supplied energy, and the words appeared. Many of the students blinked in surprise while others shrugged it off. Many of the latter were the teachers whom had been possessed by the previous Headmasters and Mistresses, Harry noticed.

Harry had good reason to show a fully powered image to the class. He found himself becoming increasingly wary of many of the students, especially after his talk with Grander. Any one of them could be passing information to Voldemort. He hated being so suspicious all the time, but in all honesty, it was far better to be safe than to be sorry.

The class that day was quite eventful. Several people, despite Harry's warning, thought it would be too much trouble to cut up the Mandrake roots and, since the powdered armadillo bile was handy, added that instead. Needless to say, there were quite a few singed eyebrows when the class was over--including Grander's, who looked horrified when he accidentally added crushed beetle eyes instead of the required powdered bat guano and his potion hissed and turned bright red.

"Did you bleed in it?" Harry had joked. Grander, however, started anxiously looking his hands over for cuts or scrapes he hadn't noticed, a terrified expression on his face. Harry laid a hurried hand on his shoulder to calm him and pointed out his mistake.

By the end of class, only three students had successfully completed their potion. Harry labeled the vials and sat them on his desk at the front of the class.

"Next time we'll be working on the same thing," Harry said. "Then perhaps you can remember then that this isn't a game. I can tell just by sitting here that several of your potions have indeed turned into poison--having the opposite effect than they were required."

"What do they do?" A woman asked.

"The poisons kill you," Harry said. "But the correctly made potion will, in fact, restore a semblance of your health and energy. These correctly made potions will be brought to the hospital wing. There they will be used to help the injured."

There were only three pleased expressions in the class that day. Everyone else looked rather put out. Grander looked miserable.

"I can't believe I did that!" He wailed when the rest of the class had gone. "It was such an obvious mistake! I should have checked the label!"

"Don't worry about it," Harry said, startled that Grander was taking it so personally. "Just about everyone messed up."

Grander opened his mouth to reply when there came a soft knock on the door. Harry looked over and saw little Elizabeth Wently through the glass, looking excited and nervous at the same time.

Harry grinned and motioned for her to come in. She pushed the door opened and stood in the doorway.

"Come in," Harry insisted and she walked hesitantly into the room. "Sit down," Harry persisted. She sat in the nearest chair.

"Did your parents tell you why I asked you here?"

She shook her head. "Lianna told me that you wanted to see me."

"Lianna?" Harry said before he could stop himself.

"She's my foster Mummy," Elizabeth said. "And Waylan is my foster Daddy. My real parents died when a Muggle hover car ran off the road and killed them. My Mummy always liked Muggles. But I don't remember it very well. It was a long time ago."

"I heard about that!" Grander said suddenly. "That was terrible! The car went right over you and hit them!"

Elizabeth blanched and lowered her head. Apparently she did remember.

Harry opened his mouth to say something but there came another knock at the door and he looked up, his eyes widening slightly.

It was Hannah at the door with a very nervous looking Ricky beside her and about 10 other students behind them.

"Grander!" Harry hissed. "Who did you tell?"

"No one!" Grander insisted.

Harry motioned for those at the door to enter. Hannah pushed open the door. She stood before him, not seeming the least bit nervous. "I heard you were having a class for the students and I thought I could join."

Harry shot Grander a look but he looked as perplexed at Harry felt. "How did you find out about it?"

Ricky glanced at his friend and Hannah's eyes twinkled. "I have my ways."

"Really?" Harry asked, very suspicious. "How's that?"

"If I told you," Hannah said. "Then it wouldn't be a secret."

Ricky was looking at Hannah, horrified she should talk back to Harry Potter.

Harry shrugged as tough it didn't matter. "Chiden would have a fit if she knew you were here."

"I don't care," Hannah said, shaking her head. "I want to learn magic and I'm not going to let her stop us because she's too afraid of what's to come."

"And what about everyone else?" Harry asked. "Do you speak for them as well?"

"I do," Harry said. "Everyone in here wants to learn. Just asked Professor Grander. He has us all in class. We have good marks. Well, except for Ricky, but he's a little off."

Ricky glared at her for making him look bad in front of the great Harry Potter, but Hannah's blue-green eyes were twinkling. "We want to, Mr. Potter, sir. I thought that perhaps you could teach us."

Harry had no earthly idea how to tell them no, and he honestly didn't want to. "Sit down." he said.