Sorry for the delay, things have been busy. I hope you like this chapter, and please dont forget to leave a review!

Harry didn't have a very good nights sleep, he walked in and out of dreams that once again involved Ginny, the veil, and talking to Sirius. After waking up at about 4 o'clock in the morning and not being able to get back to sleep, Harry decided to head down to sit in front of the fire in the common room.

Harry could safely say that he had been so busy over the summer holidays that he hadn't really given any thought to the prophecy. His friends had never asked him anything about it Harry assumed this was because they knew it had smashed, and therefore didn't think that he knew anything about what the prophecy contained. Harry had neglected to inform them that Dumbledore had been able to tell him the exact words of the prophecy, and he was not sure if he was ever going to tell them- he already got so much attention from being the bloody "boy-who-lived" that he didn't really want any more. Besides, if he told his friends, wouldn't that just put them in more danger? Voldemort had gone all out last year to find out the exact words of the prophecy, so if he knew that Harry's friends knew, wouldn't he just torture them until they told?

No, thought Harry, it was much better just to leave them in the dark; it was for their own good.

Another thing that Harry hadn't really thought much about were his lessons with Ailey. He figured that she would be in touch soon about when they were going to start their lessons together, but Harry wondered why she hadn't been at the feast the previous night.

Before Harry knew it, the sun had risen, so he decided to go down to breakfast. When he entered the great hall he found it completely devoid of any students, while there where a few disgruntled looking teachers sitting at the staff table. He helped himself to bacon and eggs, and was joined a short time later by an extremely grumpy looking Ron, and a disgustingly cheerful Hermione.

"What are you so happy about?" asked Harry, as though it was a sin to be this cheerful at such an early hour of the morning.

"Lessons!" said Hermione, as though it was scandalous not to be looking forward to more classes, which would all probably be a lot harder then any they had done in their first five years at Hogwarts. Ron grunted at this, and Harry wisely refrained from commenting at all.

Ron and Harry ate their breakfast in silence, while Hermione kept talking about what their classes would be like, and more students continued to enter the hall in dribs and drabs.

Hermione was interrupted from talking about how she had already completely read all of her textbooks for this year when owls started flocking into the hall to deliver the morning post. Harry looked up as a large tawny owl delivered the daily prophet to Hermione, who paid the owl immediately and immersed herself behind the paper. Harry was about to ask if there was anything interesting in it, but he was distracted when he felt a sharp pain in his little finger.

Harry looked down to see an unfamiliar black owl with his beak wrapped around his finger, and a letter addressed to him tied around its leg. Harry removed the owl's burden, and quickly opened the letter to see neat, curvy handwriting.

Dear Harry,

I have had a good look at your timetable for this year, and have decided that the best time for us to hold our extra lessons would be on a Wednesday at 2pm until 4.30pm. You will be able to find my office on the forth floor, opposite the portrait of Sylvester the Slimy. Hope you have a wonderful first day of classes,

Ailey

P.S Please be prompt, because if I have to come looking for you, believe me, I wont be happy!

Harry sighed. It looked like this year was going to be very busy. Aside from homework he would get from all his classes, he would also be having these extra lessons with Ailey, organizing times for quidditch tryouts and then practices, and then on top of all that, he would have to find time to run the DA. He might have to take a leaf out of Hermione's book and start using a time-turner. He shuddered at that idea; it hadn't caused Hermione anything other then trouble!

Things started to look up when Harry got his timetable:

Monday:

9.00- 11.00 Potions

1.00- 2.00 Charms

2.00- 3.00 Defense against the dark arts

Tuesday:

10.00- 12.00 Transfiguration

1.00- 2.00 Potions

Wednesday:

9.00- 11.00 Charms

Thursday:

9.00- 11.00 Defense against the dark arts

1.00- 2.00 Herbology

Friday:

10.00- 11.00 Herbology

1.00- 2.00 Transfiguration

It looked like Harry would have a lot more free time then he thought. It appeared that he only had one 2-hour class and one 1-hour class of each subject; the least amount of class time he had ever had.

"Cool!" said Ron, who had obviously just realized the same thing as Harry. "Look at all the free time we have! I don't start till 1 o'clock on a Friday; I can sleep in till lunch!"

Hermione settled Harry and Ron with a very cold stare. "It isn't free time. You have been given extra time to complete all the work you will be getting this year! Believe me, once we you realize the amount of work we'll be getting, you wont be able to afford a sleep-in and still expect to pass the subject!"

Harry thought this might actually make sense, but Ron looked like he wouldn't believe it till it happened, and even then he wouldn't admit to being wrong. He didn't say anything in retaliation though, which Harry found strange; picking a fight with Hermione was one of Ron's favorite pass times.

Harry looked at Ron and Hermione's timetables. It appeared they were all in the same Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense against the dark arts classes, while Ron had Care of magical creature and Hermione had Ancient runes in place of Harry's Herbology.

When all three had finished their breakfast, and Hermione had finished reading the paper (which apparently had nothing of interest in it), they all headed up to their dorms to get their books, before heading off to potions. Harry sighed, he had hoped that he would be able to quit potions as soon as it was no longer compulsory, but with his dreams to become an auror, he would have to put up with Snape for the rest of his life at Hogwarts.

Harry, Ron and Hermione reached the dungeons and stood outside the classroom with the rest of their classmates. It appeared that not too many people had managed to get an O on their potions exam (or they just didn't want to take the class), because there were only 9 people waiting outside the classroom- the smallest class Harry had ever been in. Apart from the three Gryffindors, there was Ernie McMillan and Susan Bones from Hufflepuff, Michael Corner and Terry Boot from Ravenclaw, and Draco Malfoy and another female Sytherin whose name Harry didn't know.

"Potty! Weasel!" said Malfoy, in mock surprise. "I thought you had to get an Outstanding to make it into this NEWT's class? Naturally, the mudblood managed to get in though. You obviously still haven't learnt you place in the wizarding world, Granger." Malfoy proceeded to spit on the ground at Hermione's feet. Harry drew his wand, anger levels rising. As if following Harry's lead, all of the other members of the class (who just so happened to be members of the DA) drew their wands as well, pointing them at Malfoy.

"Remember that group you helped to bust last year Malfoy; the DA?" asked Harry, his voice firm. "Well guess what, it just so happens that we're still in action, and in this class, Malfoy, there are 7 of us, and only 2 of you. If I were you I'd watch my step, because believe me, if you put one toe out of line we'll know, and then not even Snape will be able to stop us from hexing that ugly little smirk of you face." Malfoy didn't say anything. In fact, he looked like he was seriously considering Harry's words. The rest of the class kept their wands on Malfoy for a good while, until Harry lowered his and the rest followed.

After a few more minutes wait, in which the DA members continued to glare at Malfoy, Snape finally opened the classroom door, and they filed in. Harry made sure to get a seat up the back, in between Ron and Hermione.

"This is where the hard work starts", said Snape, who had never been one for idle chitchat. "Everything you thought you used to know about potions is about to get a million times harder." Harry gulped. Beside him, Ron was sliding down in his seat as if trying to hide from Snape's penetrating glare.

"It amazes me how some of you even got the OWL results to be in this class, so let me warn you now: the minute you start to slip behind in this class you will be out that door faster then you can say 'Hogwarts'." Harry was very much tempted to give up and walk out the door right then and there, but he wouldn't let Snape get to him.

"Now that the warnings are done with, let us begin today's lesson."

The lesson that followed was bar far the hardest lesson Harry had ever had the displeasure of sitting though. The potion Snape had set them to work on was incredibly complex, and very fiddly. Not only did the ingredients have to be added one at a time (and there were 37 different ingredients!), but also they all had to be added at very specific times, and all the while the potion had to be stirred at 3-second intervals.

By the end of the class Harry was very much exhausted, and had a splitting headache, lucky for him though, his next class, charms, didn't start until lunchtime. He left the classroom and headed up to the common room. Snape had given them all a five-foot long essay to right about the potion they had just made (or attempted to make, in Harry and Ron's case), and Harry intended to start it in his break. Hermione was right; he wouldn't be able to afford free time in his breaks.