Chapter 5

Harry jumped from the train to the ground of Hogsmeade station. News at Hogwarts always traveled fast, but this seemed to be a record. Every person jammed in around him trying to see for themselves whether all the rumors were true. Some were fact based like his tattoos and piercings, but then there were others like that he had the dark mark on his forehead, and had a dragon for a pet.

Finally after nearly being trampled on and almost having his robes torn from him for the second time, he pulled his extra wand and fired a bolt of lightening into the air, the sound was deafening, the light, blinding. The smell of burnt permeated the air. Peoples hair was standing on end.

Then people wanted nothing more to do with him, within a minute he was almost completely deserted. What was left were his friends, some DA members and now a couple of Aurors decided that it was time to show up. He drooped his shoulders, feeling the strain of the spell.

The Aurors walked up to him, "Mr. Potter what was that spell you used?" he asked, sounding very accusatory, in his mind, anything that powerful must be dark. Harry looked into his mind reading the thoughts that were whirling around, like being presented with a bonus for catching a dark wizard, to how he was going to bring Harry in. Harry sneered.

"It wasn't a spell, nitwit."

"Of course it was a spell, lightening doesn't shoot from the ground!"

"You seem confused, it was actually pure magic, formed into a lightening bolt through my wand." He held his wand up and twirled it around in the Aurors face. He shoved the Auror away and walked forward. Hermione soon ran to his side breathless with more questions than seemed possible.

"What do you mean pure magic? Why a lightening bolt? Where did you learn it? Is it really dark magic? I wouldn't think it was it seems more like light magic to me. What did you mean through your wand?" she said all in one breath. Harry stared at her in amazement for a moment, shook his head amusedly and explained.

"When you release pure magic it usually comes out in an aura around you, everyone does it to an extent, but when you really push it out it can be seen by all. When you release it through a focus, it is changed into the elemental symbol of that wands user, the wand I used had a lightening elemental symbol. If I had used my normal wand it would have been a fireball of a sort, I believe."

"Where did you learn it?"

"Well your assumption was correct, it is an old light magic, and you have to take a potion that creates a channel between you and your wand. I'll teach you later maybe." She seemed to accept that, and fell silent. The others having heard this too seemed cheerful about maybe being taught it.

The crowd all but ran from him when they walked up the steps, he could get used to this. Draco Malfoy stood at the tops of the steps sneer firmly in place. Harry walked up to him, wand out, made a slightly pentagonal shape and jabbed through the center strait at Malfoy's head. Malfoy's eyes went blank, and the sneer fell from his face, he seemed asleep, but awake all at the same time.

Harry lowered his wand till it was pointing at the ground at Malfoy's feet, Malfoy fell to his knees, crawled forward, and kissed the hem of Harry's robes, many older Slytherin gasped, several 7th year Ravenclaw shrieked, and a solitary 6th year Huffelpuff fainted.

Others just looked on either amused or confused. Smiling evilly Harry made a sharp cutting motion with his wand, followed by Malfoy shaking his head, opening his eyes saw Harry and remembered what he had just done. Fear filled his entire being and his Dark mark pulsed warily.

He scrambled back wards into the crowd of Slytherins that had known what had transpired, who took him up and spirited him away to the dungeons.

He continued up the steps to the school, again the crowd parted to let him through. Inside Peeves was throwing paint on the walls and floors, bright multi-colored fluorescent paint. Upon seeing Harry and the few that was with them he gave an excited squeal and took aim at Harry.

"Oh it's Potty wee Potter! What joy is mine to play with Potter the mad hatter!"

"Hey Peeves. Did you know that you could dispel a poltergeist? It's a rather difficult ritual but I think it would be worth it, don't you?" the sprit turned tail and zoomed off a fast as he could. Neville looked thoughtful.

"Can you really dispel a poltergeist through a ritual?" he asked.

"No, not really, the closest thing would be to absorb his essence, a rather tedious and extremely illegal spell, requiring a lot of blood and a lot of power."

"Sounds like fun." He said with a wince.

"I might teach it to you later. It works with the living as well you know." He added as an afterthought. The others were starting to come inside now, and wondering why Harry and his friends were standing in the middle of the floor.

They continued on avoiding Harry's little group with a vengeance. Harry could see the hurt in their eyes as they watched friends and even family look at them with fear. "If you want to go back to being normal with the others, I will hold no grudge. But then again now you see what I've been dealing with for years, eh?"

He observed their reactions; Ginny just shrugged it off and nodded at him. Hermione had always been a semi-outcast, either because of her brains, or because of him, and stayed where she was. Dean and Seamus looked pained at the backs of their friends, then to Harry, and back to their friends.

The battle going on inside them was projected on their faces. Finally Dean looked at Harry, and mouthed 'sorry' and ran to be with the others, Seamus took a step in that direction, then turned with determination and stayed with Harry. Neville just said, "You're the only friends I have anyway." His little group of students, of soon to be warriors, of powerful wizards.

"Thanks." He said to them gratefully, they nodded back at him. Inside they were the last to enter, and everyone watched them walk to their seats at the Gryfindor table.

Harry looked up at the head table and saw that, out of the way, behind it, and in the dark was a table filled with Aurors. They were quietly eating and talking amongst themselves. The Slytherin table seemed depressed, but so did all the others as well.

The sorting seemed longer this year, and it was because it was longer there were about 100 students being sorted, more than other years where there were about 60. When it was done Dumbledore made a cheery speech though it sounded forced and he cut it short, he introduced the new DADA teacher who was an Auror that he didn't know.

He was starting to get really drowsy, he continued up the stairs with Hermione and Ginny, the others seemed to have forgotten their fear after lots of food and in need of sleep. In the common room he parted from the girls with a hug each and went to the dorms. Inside were Dean and Seamus talking, it seemed to be a repeat of last year, except Dean was trying to get Seamus to leave Harry.

"Oh please don't let me stop you from talking. Unless, of course, its something your ashamed to speak of." He said in mock surprise, Dean looked fearful and went to bed while looking anywhere but Harry, Seamus watched Harry wondering what he would do to Dean.

Neville came in and soon saw what had happened. He shook his head at Dean and prepared for bed. Ron soon came in tightlipped and went to bed ignoring all the others.

The night fell with a chill on the Scottish night air.