Harry Potter and the Unexpected Powers

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters you may recognise, they belong to JK Rowling!!! I do own the England Quidditch team and the plot!!!

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Chapter 7

The Being

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When Harry entered the castle, he noticed that it was almost lunchtime. Harry shook his head in amazement. Time was really flying!

Harry entered the Great Hall and saw that all of the teachers were already there. There was only one vacant seat between Minerva and Hagrid.

Harry walked over quickly and sat down. Hagrid beamed at him and Harry smiled back, but his attention was quickly diverted by his godmother who asked,

"Harry, where were you? We've been looking for you all over the castle!"

Harry looked down at the table guiltily.

"I was outside," he said, "and I guess I just forgot the time. Sorry, I should have told you where I was going."

The stern professor nodded.

"Don't worry about it, Harry. Just don't do it again. What WERE you doing anyway?"

Harry opened his mouth to reply and then closed it again. His mind was racing. Should he tell them about his becoming an Animagus? Would they be angry? Probably not too much, he reasoned, but they might be hurt that he hadn't told them what he was going to do, especially Minerva, because she was the transfigurations professor, and Sirius, who was an illegal Animagus himself.

No, Harry decided, telling his godparents was out of the question. So what was he going to say? And then it his him. How simple! And he wouldn't even have to lie..... much.

"Harry?" Sirius prompted from the other side of the table.

Harry noticed that Dumbledore, Snape and Remus were also listening.

"I..... I was out at the lake when I suddenly heard a sound from the bushes," Harry said, making up this part of the story. "I went closer to investigate, and there was a snake in there."

The adults looked stunned.

"A snake?" Snape asked. "Why would a snake be here on the school grounds?"

"That's what I asked it," Harry said, grinning.

"Asked it?" Sirius seemed stumped. "Are you a parselmouth?"

Harry looked at his godfather in surprise.

"Well, yes," he said, slowly. "But, Sirius, didn't you know? With all those articles in the Daily Prophet last year I would have thought every witch or wizard in the whole world would know....."

Harry trailed off, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. What if Harry's gift of Parseltongue bothered Sirius? What if he was going to mistrust Harry now, like half of the school had in his second year?

Sirius blinked in surprise.

"You mean, that stuff she wrote was actually true? Of course I read the articles, but I thought she was just making everything up."

Harry shook his head.

"No, no, most of the stuff she wrote was rubbish," he quickly assured his godfather, thinking of the disgusting article about himself, Hermione and Krum. "But in this last article, the one that said that I was deranged and possibly dangerous, there was some true stuff. One, it is true that my scar hurts sometimes- you know that, and two, I am a parselmouth."

Sirius stared at Harry, looking stunned. Then, slowly, a genuine smile spread over his face.

"You know, kiddo," he said casually, "You never cease to amaze me. Go on with your story."

Harry smiled in relief.

"Well, in order for you to understand this story, I have to tell you something that happened at the Dursleys' more than four years ago. I was ten years old and did not know anything about the magical world. It was my cousin Dudley's eleventh birthday, and we, that is Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, Dudley and his best friend Piers were going to the zoo."

"Wait a minute," Remus interrupted. "You mean, they were actually going to take you to the zoo? That seems unnaturally kind of them."

Harry nodded.

"They weren't going to, you know," he said, "But Mrs. Figg, who was supposed to watch me for the day, had broken her leg and I couldn't come over. And the Dursleys didn't want to leave me at the house all by myself, they thought I was going to blow it up or something."

Remus nodded and Harry went back to his story.

"So, we went to the zoo and after lunch into the reptile house. Dudley and Piers immediately went to the very end of the house, they wanted to see the biggest snakes, the constrictor snakes. I had no choice but to follow them. But the snakes were all sleeping, and Dudley made my uncle try to wake the biggest snake, a Boa Constrictor, by rapping against the glass. When the snake didn't react my cousin decided that she was boring and moved on, and I got to look at the snake."

Harry grinned at the memory and went on, explaining to the professors about his talk with the snake who had told him that it had never been to Brazil. Then he explained about his cousin knocking him to the floor and the glass in front of the snake vanishing.

The adults had a good laugh at Dudley and Piers's antics afterward- Harry wisely left out his punishment for that particular "crime", which had been his longest-ever stay in the cupboard under the stairs.

After they had all calmed down again, Dumbledore said,

"Thank you for this delightful story, Harry, but what is the connection to the conversation you had with the snake just now?"

Harry nodded and explained.

"Well, it turned out that the snake outside on the school grounds was in fact this very Boa Constrictor from the zoo. She told me some interesting things."

Sirius looked stunned.

"It was the snake you met in the zoo four years ago? The odds against that must be enormous!"

Harry nodded, and the others agreed as well.

"So, Harry," Minerva said, "What did the snake want?"

Harry frowned, trying to remember everything the snake had said.

"It said that there were only two Parselmouths in the world- Voldemort and myself. Apparently, Voldemort has asked the snakes to join him, but most of them don't really want to. In fact, the Boa said that 98.5 percent of the world snake population decided to serve me, not Voldemort, because they want to improve the reputation of the snakes."

Remus frowned.

"But won't Voldemort kill the snakes that are unfaithful to him?"

Harry nodded. "He probably would," he agreed. "That's why all the snakes have decided to enter Voldemort's service, but they will spy for me. Since there are snakes present at almost every Deatheater meeting, they will be able to tell me of Voldemort's new plans."

Dumbledore smiled.

"That is wonderful news! This way we will get information on Voldemort's moves even though Severus cannot spy on him any longer and your scar does not work permanently. But, Harry, when are they going to tell you? I'm afraid I cannot allow snakes to enter the castle, the students would panic."

Harry nodded again.

"I know. The Boa said that a snake would meet me every Sunday evening at seven o'clock down at the lake. This way, I'll receive updates on Voldemort every week."

Now, all of the professors who had listened in on the conversation were smiling broadly.

"Well done, Potter," Snape said, sounding and looking pleased.

CRASH!

Everyone jumped in shock. Sirius had toppled off his chair and was staring at Snape with his mouth open.

"You..... you said something nice! To..... to Harry!"

Harry had to snicker, even though he, too, was still getting used to Snape being nice to him. Snape himself just smirked and excused himself from the table, stating that he still had some potions to brew.

Harry helped his shocked godfather to his feet and then he, too, left the hall.

Harry walked back to his rooms alone, only greeting some paintings on the way.

"Ah, Harry! There you are."

Harry looked up into Merlin's face. He hadn't even realized that he had already reached his room. Harry grinned at the portrait.

"Hello Merlin. It's good to see you again. Would you mind opening up?"

Merlin looked apologetic.

"Password first, I'm afraid."

Harry smiled back and nodded.

"Of course. Elven Clearing!"

The portrait swung open and Harry stepped into the room. The little book on Animagi was sitting on his nightstand and Harry picked it up. He got himself a quill and some ink and wrote:

'Hello Merlin. I have transformed!'

'Well done, Harry! I must say, I'm impressed. You're the first
one to master the transformation this fast!'

'Thank you. Merlin, I have a question.'

'Fire away!'

'Now that I have transformed into one animal, can I transform
into another?'

'Ah, Harry, it's not that easy. You remember when I told you
that you just had to envision whatever animal you wanted to
become inside your mind?'

'Yes.'

'Well, I'm afraid I was not being entirely truthful.'

Harry stared at the book in shock. Merlin had lied to him?

'What do you mean, you weren't entirely truthful? The
transformation worked!'

'Yes, yes, of course it did. But, Harry, you didn't choose the
animal you transformed into. The animal chose you. '

'The animal chose me? But- that's not true! I thought of
becoming a wolf, and I became one!'

'Yes, Harry. But being a Gryffindor, don't you think it is a
little strange that you did not want to transform into a lion
or something like that?'

'..................'

'See, Harry? The wolf chose you. You unconsciously felt the
wolf's call and obeyed it. It's a good Animagus form, by the
way, very useful.'

'Ok, so becoming a wolf was not my decision. But then, does that
mean that I will never be able to transform into any other
animal?'

'That is a difficult question. Most likely, you will not. Not
all people can become Animagi, Harry, and for a person to be
able to transform into several different animals, that is very
rare. though not unheard of in shape-shifting-Animagi cases like
you.'

'How do I know if I am able to do it?'

'Well, if I am not mistaken you thought of many animals you
could transform into, but only the wolf appealed to you, right?'

'Right.'

'If you ever get this feeling with another animal in the future,
try to transform into them just as you did with your wolf-form.
But if you ever get the chance, Harry, you must know that it
will most likely require a lot more concentration and patience
than your first transformation.'

'Why is that?'

'Because the wolf is your true form, your natural form. It means
that you like the company of other human beings, are a good
leader and very protective of your friends. Cautious, but
curious, silent, but smart, friendly, but dangerous. It fits
your personality, Harry, better than the other animals. That is
why it chose you.'

'So any other animal that chooses me won't fit my personality as
well, and that's why it will be more difficult to transform into
it?'

'Exactly, Harry. And that is why Multimagi are so rare.'

'Multimagi?'

'Yes, Animagi with more forms than one.'

'Oh, ok. But what about magical animal forms? Can I transform
into them?'

'Ah, magical animals. Let me tell you, Harry, technically, every
Animagus can transform into one magical Animagus form and one
normal form, in your case, the wolf. BUT. Becoming a magical
Animagus is much more dangerous and much more difficult than any
other animal.'

'Why?'

'Because the spirit of a magical animal is so much stronger than
the spirit of a normal animal. It is difficult to master: It
requires a lot of concentration, a lot of power, and most of
all, sheer will and strength.
It is also very painful. And worst of all, most wizards who try
to master their magical Animagus form go mad.'

'THEY WHAT?'

'They go mad.'

'But..... Why?'

'Because the animal's spirit is too strong for them. Stronger
than them. This is why it is so dangerous to transform into your
magical Animagus form. Don't try it, Harry, unless you have
completely mastered your wolf form. Don't attempt a Magi-
transformation before that.'

'A Magi-transformation?'

'Yes, the transformation into a magical animal. Magical Animagi
are called Magimagi.
They are very rare. In fact, there have only been eight recorded
Magimagi in the past millennium.'

'Whoa.'

'Whoa, indeed. You would also be the first person to ever be a
Multimagus AND a Magimagus- IF you master both transformations.
You would be a Multimagimagus.'

'A Multimagimagus? Is there such thing?'

'Not yet. But I have no doubt that one day someone will manage
to become one. And I would not be surprised if this someone was
you.'

Harry stared at the last line. 'I would not be surprised if this someone was you.'

'What do you mean by that? Why would it be me?'

'Harry. You're refreshingly naïve at times. You DO realize that
you have the potential to be very powerful, don't you?'

'Well, there is that prophecy.....'

'Ah yes, the prophecy. You are going to be a very powerful
wizard in a few days, my boy. More powerful than even me. If
anyone has the potential to do what nobody has been able to do
before, it is you. And now, my young friend, I have to go.'

'You have to go? What do you mean, you have to go?'

'My time here is up, Harry. I taught you everything I could. I
survived for more than a thousand years to tell you what I did.
It is time for me to let go, Harry.'

'Let go? What do you mean? I thought this book-'

'Ah, but Harry, I am not simply a book. I am Merlin. As I am
talking to you, I am sitting in my cave in the mountains, the
cave I have not left for nearly a millennium. This is not simply
a diary that contains a small part of my soul, Harry, this is
me. I am Merlin. I am talking to you through a book similar to
yours, the two are connected. But I have fulfilled my duty,
there is nothing I can teach you now.'

'But, Merlin, I am sure that there is a lot-'

'No, child. I had a vision many centuries ago that told me that
I had to help you, Harry, with your fight against the evil Lord
Voldemort. This is why I survived. This book was written solely
to help you, my boy, because I knew that you would find it one
day. Now that I have fulfilled my purpose, I can finally let go
and find peace.'

Harry stared at the book. He had grown very fond of Merlin in the three days he had talked to him.

'But, Merlin, does that mean that you're going to die?'

'Yes, Harry, I'm going to die now. Do not be sad, little one.
Like Albus Dumbledore, a very wise man by the way, once said to
you: To the well organised mind, death is but the next
adventure. It is time for me to go now, Harry.'

'No, Merlin, please-'

'I'm sorry, but I have to go. I wish you all the good luck in
the world in your fight against the darkness, Harry Potter. May
the light triumph over the darkness again, may the darkness be
defeated once and for all!'

'Merlin, wait!'

'.....'

'Merlin?'

But Merlin didn't answer again, and in his heart, Harry knew that he was gone, dead, and would not return.

Harry dropped the book to the floor and buried his face in the pillow, letting himself grieve for a while. He knew that he was probably being foolish, but he felt as though he had lost a good friend.

After a while, he sat up again and looked down at the book on the floor. It was glowing with an unearthly, white light, and just as Harry was looking, one last message appeared on the page.

'Be strong for me, Harry.'

Then, just as suddenly as it had entered Harry's life, there was a blinding white flash of light and the book disappeared.

Harry was left staring at the grass floor. Harry nodded grimly.

"I will, Merlin," he whispered to the silent room, "I promise I will."

A breeze rustled the tree canopy above his bed and carried his words away through the open window, blowing them to wherever Merlin, the wisest wizard of all time, was hiding.

~*~

In the mountains surrounding Hogwarts, in a small cave, Merlin heard Harry Potter's promise to him. He smiled and put two identical, blue books into a chest. They had served their purpose well.

Then, the ancient sorcerer laid down on his bed. An unearthly smile lit up his face as he closed his eyes and let his soul wander heavenward.

The cave shook, rocks and stones fell from the ceiling. The magic that had held them in place for centuries was gone. The cave collapsed, burying everything inside of it deeply as the mountain reclaimed the space that had been taken from it almost a millennium before.

~*~

Harry sighed and got up from his bed. It was late, he had already missed dinner and now all he wanted to do was sleep.

He put his clothes on to a chair, knowing that the house-elves would clean them later.

When he had just pulled on his pyjama bottoms, however, there was a knock on the portrait hole and five people stepped in: Sirius, Remus, Minerva, Snape and Madam Pomfrey. Harry beat down a blush when he realized that he was still half naked.

None of the adults seemed to care, however.

"Ah, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey said briskly, "Stay like this. I need to give you a last check up."

She pushed Harry down on to the bed and Harry suddenly remembered that he should have gone to the hospital wing a few days before for his last check- up.

He felt a little guilty and did not complain when Madam Pomfrey examined him thoroughly. After about five minutes she straightened back up and nodded.

"Everything's healed nicely. Try not to land in the hospital wing too many times this year, Harry."

With a last stern glance at Harry Madam Pomfrey left the room.

"Potter."

Harry turned his attention to Professor Snape.

"Yes, Professor?"

Snape stepped forward and set a bottle with a swirling blue liquid on to his bedside table.

"This is a modified version of the dreamless sleep potion. It will keep the nightmares at bay but will not prevent any visions. I will make sure that you receive this potion every night."

Harry smiled at his Potions Professor.

"Thank you, Professor."

Snape gave a half smile back.

"You're welcome."

With that, he, too, left the room, and Harry was left alone with his godparents and Remus.

They immediately sat down on the bed around him.

"You look sad,"

Remus observed quietly.

Harry frowned.

"Want to talk about it?" Sirius asked gently.

Harry was about to shake his head but then thought otherwise. 'Oh, to hell with it,' he thought, 'They deserve to know the truth.' So he nodded.

"Does this, by any chance, have to do with what happened today on the grounds?" Minerva asked, and Harry looked at her in surprise.

She smiled.

"You might have fooled the others, Harry, but we have all noticed that you were keeping something from us."

Harry nodded.

"I'm sorry. I should have told you right away. I just-"

Harry broke off.

Sirius frowned slightly.

"You what?"

Harry sighed.

"I thought you would be angry. Or hurt."

From the corners of his eyes, Harry saw the three adults exchange worried glances with each other. He smiled slightly.

"Before you jump to conclusions," Harry said, looking especially at Sirius, "I better tell you what happened. Here goes."

Harry took a deep breath and started his tale.

"A few days ago at breakfast I said I would go to the library to look something up for my homework, remember? That was the day Mr. Skillridge came to visit."

The three others nodded. That day would stay forever clearly in their minds. Harry continued.

"Well, in the library I happened to come across a strange book. It was rather small and blue with a pretty gold pattern on its back. I felt drawn to it somehow and picked it up. It was written in a strange language I'd never seen before. Then, I felt my scar tingle a bit and looked up, but nobody was in the room except me. I shrugged it off and looked back at the book. Suddenly, the letters had changed and it appeared to be English. The book's title was 'Animagi'.

"I decided to read it, I thought it might come in useful and took the book back to my room with me. By then it was already lunchtime so I forgot about the book and went down to lunch. You know what happened next, Charlie challenged me to a Seeker's competition.

"It wasn't until noon yesterday that I thought about the book again. I spent all day reading up on the subject of Animagi. The book was extremely useful, I could write down questions and it would answer. I found out that it was written by Merlin himself, and that only an heir of Merlin could read it."

Harry paused for a moment, unconsciously looking at the spot on the grass floor where the book had vanished.

"Then, today after breakfast, I decided to try it out."

Remus and Sirius and Minerva gasped.

"You- you tried it? You tried to become an Animagus in two days?!" this came from Minerva. "Harry- are you completely crazy? Do you have any idea how dangerous this was?"

Harry shrunk back on the bed.

"Harry, you should have told someone! It took us three years to learn how to become an Animagus, and even then Peter only managed with James's and my help! You could have got stuck permanently!" Sirius exclaimed, looking shocked, furious and worried at the same time.

Harry tried to shrink back even further, but Remus was in the way. He had been quiet the whole time and placed a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Now, now, you two," Remus admonished, "Tune it down! You were wondering why Harry didn't tell you everything in the first place and now you're reacting like this? At least give Harry a chance to explain!"

Harry threw Remus a grateful look and his godparents quieted down.

"Now," Harry said, "This book was not like normal books about Animagi, it contained six simple steps how to become an Animagus. It was all about concentration and imagination. More shape-shifting than an actual Animagus transformation, Merlin said. Like I said before you interrupted me, I tried it out this morning down at the lake. It took me almost an hour, though it felt like less time had passed."

"And?" Sirius asked practically squirming with curiosity.

Harry smiled and nodded.

"And what animal did you become?" Minerva asked eagerly.

Harry grinned and turned around to look at Remus.

"My Animagus form," he said softly, "Is a wolf."

There was a brief silence, before smiles broke out on all faces.

"Wonderful, Harry," Remus said, grinning broadly, "You have the best Animagus form possible, that much is clear!"

"Nonsense!" Sirius exclaimed, shoving both Harry and Remus playfully, "The best Animagus form is a dog! But after that, I reckon a wolf is great-"

He was interrupted by Minerva. "Oh no, Sirius, the best would be a cat! But other than that, I agree with Remus and you, a wolf is great!"

Harry grinned at the three, relieved that they were apparently not too angry with him.

After a few more minutes of joking around, the four of them calmed down again. "That still doesn't explain why you looking sad, Harry." Remus said.

Harry sighed.

"Yes, about that. When I came back to my room after lunch, I talked to the book some more- and it told me some interesting things."

"What kind of things?" Sirius wanted to know.

Harry drew his knees up to his chest, wrapped his arms around them and laid his head down on them.

"It seems," he said, "That this book was not actually WRITTEN by Merlin. It was Merlin himself talking to me through a book similar to my own, the books were connected."

There was a brief silence. Then-

"H- Harry, did you say that it was Merlin himself talking to you?" Minerva asked incredulously.

Harry nodded.

"Harry, Merlin has been dead for- what- a thousand years!" Sirius exclaimed in disbelief.

"No, it was him! He told me that he had lived in a cave all this time, because apparently, when he was about thirty years old, he had a vision about me. He survived all this time just because in his vision he saw that he had to help me!" Harry said vehemently.

The three adults gaped at him incredulously, looking very much like overgrown goldfish, much to Harry's silent amusement.

"He- he spent all this time in a cave because he wanted to help you?!" Remus asked in shock.

Harry nodded.

"Whoa," Sirius just said, looking awed.

"This is not all," Harry said sadly. "Merlin said that now that he had fulfilled his purpose he could let go. He died tonight."

Silence descended over the room again as the other three bowed their heads. It was a long time before anyone said anything, but it was Minerva who finally did.

"And that's why you were sad?"

Harry nodded and sighed. "I know, it's stupid. It's just that after the three days of talking to Merlin I had begun to really like him, and then he just-"

Remus shushed him.

"You don't need to explain, Harry, we understand completely. However, since it is almost one o'clock in the morning, I suggest that we all turn in. It has been a long day, especially for you, Harry."

Everyone agreed and Harry swallowed the dreamless-but-not-visionless-sleep potion. He felt someone take the cup from his limp fingers and pull the covers over him, then he was fast asleep.

~*~

Harry was flying on the back of a beautiful, giant phoenix. He was soaring over green fields and deep lakes, the wind rushing in his face.

Suddenly, the landscape below him changed. There was a forest, a huge, dark forest. As far as Harry could see there was nothing but trees, wherever he turned. The forest was eerily silent, there was no sound, no owls hooting in the forest, no animals moving about. There was no wind blowing anymore, no movement anywhere, the only things that seemed to be alive were the phoenix and Harry.

They flew deeper, below the treetops, evading trees silently. It was dark there, in the forest, no light seeped through the leaves above, no single sound was heard. The air was thick, Harry had trouble breathing, and there was a lingering uneasiness in the air, an evilness so strong that it was almost palpable.

Just when Harry was starting to get very uneasy he saw something in the distance. A dark spot in the dark night sky, seemingly absorbing what little light the moon and stars were providing. It was so dark, so black that the inky night sky seemed almost bright in comparison.

When Harry and the phoenix flew closer, the spot started to grow, until Harry could finally make out a castle looming against the horizon. It was one of the most terrible sights Harry had ever seen. The castle was black, completely so, and it was almost as big as Hogwarts.

But what was even more intimidating than its size was its aura. The castle seemed to seep with dark magic, it seemed to radiate evilness and misery. One could almost taste the pain of its prisoners in the air, could almost hear their cries of despair.

And Harry knew immediately that he had arrived at Voldemort's hideout.

The phoenix swooped down through one of the windows and dropped Harry on to the plain stone floor behind a giant pillar. Then it flew off again.

Harry crouched safely in the shadows and peered around the corner.

He had arrived in the throne room, the same room he had rescued Snape from a week before. He was even hiding behind the same pillar. The only difference was that this time, there were no Deatheaters in the room.

But there was one person (if you could call him that) sitting on the throne, apparently waiting for someone or something. It was Voldemort.

Harry shuddered as he took in the Dark Lord's appearance. Voldemort was clad in loose-fitting robes of black silk. He was tall, even more so than Harry remembered, and deathly thin. His pale face was more snake-like than ever, his crimson eyes narrowed to mere slits.

Harry gulped. Whoever it was the Dark Lord was waiting for, he did not want to be that person.

Suddenly, Voldemort raised his head and fixed his gaze on the door. Harry thought he had heard something and looked at the entrance as well. After a few more moments of listening with bated breath, Harry was positive. Two people were fast approaching, seemingly arguing about something. Harry recognised the voices.

The first one was the rat, Peter Pettigrew, the traitor of the light side. Harry had to suppress a growl as he longed to throw himself at the filthy bastard.

And the second voice sounded suspiciously like-

BANG!

The door burst open and Lucius Malfoy strode into the hall. Harry caught a small glimpse of Pettigrew who closed the door behind Malfoy. Harry fixed his attention on Voldemort and Malfoy, the only occupants of the room (besides Harry).

Malfoy had thrown himself at Voldemort's feet.

"Forgive me, Master," the man said, "I felt your call right away, but I was attending an important meeting at the ministry, and it was impossible for me to get away soone-"

"SILENCE!" Voldemort hissed venomously, and Malfoy cowered. "What have I told you over and over again, Lucius? Do not speak until spoken to, and DO NOT KEEP ME WAITING!"

Malfoy flinched back. "Forgive me, My Lord, I-"

"DID I ALLOW YOU TO SPEAK?"

Malfoy was cowering on the floor, positively shaking with fear. He dared not rise his eyes to meet Voldemort's.

"You have kept me waiting for almost fifteen minutes, Luciussss," Voldemort hissed, drawing out the 's'. "Surely you would have been able to leave this- meeting- earlier than that?"

Malfoy remained silent.

"ANSWER ME!" Voldemort bellowed.

Malfoy jumped visibly. "N-no, M-my Lord, I-I am most sorry, but Minister F- Fudge attended the meeting, it would have looked suspicious if I had left-"

"Silence!" Voldemort ordered again, which Harry thought to be rather unfair. After all, he had wanted Malfoy to answer him earlier.

Voldemort continued.

"I will not, and I repeat, NOT, tolerate disobedience or tardiness from my Deatheaters. You will be punished accordingly, Luciusss....."

Voldemort waited for a moment to let these words sink in. Malfoy's head snapped up, his eyes wide and fearful.

"Oh n-no, M-master, please don't-"

He never got to finish his plea because at that moment Voldemort raised his wand, pointed it at the unfortunate "criminal", and hissed,

"CRUCIO!"

The curse hit its target, and Malfoy began to scream and writhe in pain on the floor. Harry himself fell to his knees, gasping for breath. His scar was burning so terribly that Harry was sure it would split open any second.

After a few more pain-filled moments, Voldemort lifted the curse and Harry and Malfoy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now, Lucius," Voldemort said, "Is everything going accordingly to the plan?"

Harry looked up sharply. Plan? What kind of plan?

"Yes, My Lord," Malfoy answered obediently. "Everything is ready. The Deatheaters have been tested for their loyalty, there are no more traitors. The dementors have agreed to turn against the human Azkaban guards as soon as the Deatheaters arrive, if we give them the souls of all Azkaban inhabitants who are not Deatheaters. The Deatheaters have prepared for the attack, we are all ready, we will attack the minute My Lord says so."

Voldemort nodded, looking pleased. "What about the giants, Lucius?"

Malfoy shifted a bit uncomfortably on the ground.

"I'm afraid the news is not too good, Master," he said, fearfully. "They refuse to join our side."

Voldemort's eyes darkened, his wand hand twitched and he drew in a sharp breath.

"But they are not joining the other side, either!" Malfoy said hurriedly, eyeing the wand nervously. Harry noticed that a thin sheen of sweat had appeared on Malfoy's forehead. "They say that they won't join sides until one of their number was killed or harmed in any way. They are not happy with us because we did not keep the promises we made fourteen years ago, but they are none too fond of the so-called light side either because they banned the giants from their home, Britain. For now, they want to stay out of the fight."

Voldemort nodded again, looking less angry.

"Very well, Lucius," he said, "This is not good news, but it was to be expected. What about the other dark creatures, the werewolves and vampires?"

Lucius shook his head fearfully.

"I do not know, Master. They have not yet answered our requests to join them."

Voldemort frowned, but said nothing. "And the snakes, Lucius?"

Malfoy looked relieved. "Ah, I have good news, master," he said, "As you know, Severus provided me with a temporary Parseltongue Potion before he was..... well..... The snakes have gladly agreed to join the heir of Salsazar Slytherin, just like they did fourteen years ago. They are ready to serve you at your command."

Voldemort looked pleased. "Ahh, yes, I knew that the snakes would be faithful to me, unlike certain other living beings, isn't that right, Luciussss?"

Malfoy squirmed on the ground, mumbling things like, "Never, My Lord,", "I am faithful, My Lord," "I never betrayed you, Master.".

But Voldemort wasn't listening, he seemed to be deep in thought.

"Lucius, tell the other Deatheaters that we will meet on Thursday at four o'clock in the morning here in my castle. I will give further instructions then. We will attack the fortress of Azkaban at dawn!"

"Yes, My Lord," Lucius mumbled and got up, turning to leave.

"Luciussss!" Voldemort hissed. Malfoy stopped dead, recognising this sound of voice all too well.

"Y-yes My Lord?" he asked, shakily.

"Did I give you permission to leave?"

Malfoy swallowed visibly and stammered,

"My Lord, I a-assumed that i-it would be allowed if I l-left to-"

"CRUCIO!"

~*~

Harry shot up in bed with a scream and fell back immediately. His head was on fire! His scar burned so strongly that Harry felt like his head was going to split open. Harry writhed on the bed in agony, his hands clamped over his scar. The pain was getting stronger and stronger by the second-

Harry groaned in pain, everything around him faded to blackness, there was nothing left but Harry and the pure, hellish agony originating from his scar. Harry was dimly aware of some voices calling his name, or maybe he was imagining them?

Harry couldn't see..... he couldn't hear..... he couldn't think..... he couldn't breathe..... he was going insane, he was dying from the agony-

And then it stopped.

Harry lay on the bed, breathing hard. After a few more minutes of calming his breathing, he opened his eyes- and noticed for the first time that he was surrounded by people. There were Sirius, Remus, Minerva, Dumbledore, Snape, Sprout, Vector, Flitwick and Madam Pomfrey. All of them were staring at Harry with pale, shocked expressions.

In the end, it was Dumbledore who broke the silence.

"Harry- are you alright?"

Harry nodded and said weakly,

"I'm fine now."

Madam Pomfrey looked indignant.

"You're most certainly not!" she exclaimed.

Harry was confused. What was she talking about? He felt fine, his scar was only burning a little!

Sirius must have sensed Harry's confusion because he gestured at Harry's forehead and said quietly,

"Harry, your scar."

Harry frowned and brought his hand up to his forehead- it was sticky. Harry frowned and pulled his hand back. It was covered with a strange, red liquid. Blood? His scar was- bleeding?

Madam Pomfrey stepped forward without another word and conjured up a wet washcloth. Then, she began to clean Harry's forehead off blood carefully. After that, Madam Pomfrey pulled out her wand, tapped Harry's scar gently and muttered,

"Consigno!"

Harry felt a pleasant tingling sensation in the skin around his scar, and then the burning in his forehead stopped altogether.

Madam Pomfrey stepped back and left the room silently, followed by most of his professors.

Immediately, Remus turned on Harry.

"Harry, why didn't you tell us that your scar hurts this badly whenever you have a vision?"

Harry looked away.

"It wasn't so bad," he mumbled.

"Harry James Potter!" Harry's head snapped back up to meet the furious, yet concerned gaze of his godmother. "Don't you dare lie to us! Need I remind you that all the Order Council members saw your vision? We all felt the pain of your scar, and even though I am sure that whatever we felt is a mere shadow of what you must have gone through, it was bad enough to rival the Cruciatus Curse!"

Harry grinned sheepishly.

"I- it's never been this bad before," he confessed. "Not even in that vision with Professor Snape. My scar has also never bled before."

Dumbledore nodded.

"Well, Harry, we can't leave it like this, of course. Severus, do you think you could brew a potion to stop Harry's scar from burning, or at least to lessen the pain?"

Professor Snape looked thoughtful for a minute.

"I think I might, Albus," he said quietly. "However, this particular potion is very complicated to brew and I would have to research it first in the library. I know for a fact that nobody has even attempted to brew it for at least a few decades, if not centuries. What amplifies the problem is that I cannot destroy the link of Potter and Voldemort completely, as it is our only source of information on Voldemort, apart from Potter's snakes. It would take at least two weeks to brew the potion, and the problem is that with Voldemort's upcoming attack I most likely won't have the time."

Dumbledore nodded and said,

"Yes, the attack on Azkaban will have first priority for now. Severus, I must ask that you please research Harry's potion as soon as you find the time. Now, as it is only four o'clock in the morning, I suggest that we all try to get another few hours of sleep, tomorrow- or rather today- is going to be a busy day. Good night, everyone."

And with that and a few mumbled 'goodnight's' the adults left Harry's room.

It was a long time, the birds had already started to sing and light was showing on the horizon, until Harry finally fell asleep.

~*~

When Harry woke up again it was already 10.30. Harry yawned and stretched and then dragged himself out of bed. Even though he had slept for a long time, he felt extremely tired. Harry decided to take his customary morning swim and put on his swimming trunks.

The cold water of the Hogwarts lake woke Harry up completely. He swam around for a while and tickled the giant squid's tentacles. The squid gave a strange growling noise which Harry supposed was either laughter or a sign of annoyance and dived down to the bottom of the lake.

Harry grinned and began to swim to the south end of the lake. Even though he had only swum for a few days he found that he had no trouble with reaching the shore anymore. Taking a deep breath, Harry dived through the gap in the rocks and came out in the river in his room. Harry stayed in the warm water for a few more minutes and washed his hair, then he climbed out and dried himself off.

It was quite warm that day, so Harry pulled on a blue pair of muggle shorts and a plain white T-shirt.

Then Harry left his room and went down to the great hall. Nobody was there when Harry entered, but since it was already 11 o'clock, Harry supposed that they had finished eating long before and were busy preparing for Voldemort's attack the following Thursday.

As soon as Harry had sat down at the table, food appeared in the area he was sitting. Harry loaded his plate with a stack of pancakes, poured a generous amount of syrup over it and began to eat.

Ten minutes later he was finished and leaned back in his seat as the table magically cleared itself of food. Harry contemplated what he could do that day. He didn't really feel like flying, he would get enough of that the next day. He had already swum and visiting Hagrid, as well as any of the other Order members, was out of the question. Harry sighed as his mind jumped to the most logical conclusion. He might as well get started on his homework.

Harry stood up and left the great hall. He went up the marble staircases, down three different corridors and came to a standstill in front of a wall. Harry cleared his throat. "Good morning. Would you be so kind as to move aside, sir? I'd like to go to the library."

The wall shook for a while and then moved aside. Harry continued on his way. Down another corridor, up a very spindly wooden staircase, turning left, then right, then left again. Harry tried to open the door in front of him. It wouldn't budge. Harry slapped his hand to his forehead. How stupid of him! He had lived in the castle for four years and still didn't know how to open each door? Shaking his head, Harry raised a hand and knocked on the door.

It swung open immediately and Harry continued on. Down a small staircase, and up a very large one, and finally Harry found himself on the fourth floor. Harry opened the heavy wooden doors in front of him and entered the library. Harry decided that he would do his Transfiguration homework first, in case his godmother asked, and then Potions.

This year, the Transfiguration assignment was : "Write an at least four feet long essay about the process of turning a mouse into a cat. Then compare it to three other Transfigurations you know."

Harry pulled out some heavy tomes on Transfigurations and went back to his room. He dumped the books on his desk, pulled out some parchment, ink and a quill, and set to work.

Surprisingly, Harry found this assignment to be a very simple one. The process of turning a mouse into a cat was long and complicated, and Harry wrote the four feet easily. He leaned back in contentment and read over his essay for another time. It was good, much better than his homework usually was, but something was missing- Harry frowned- and then it hit him. He dipped his quill in the ink so hastily that he almost knocked over the small bottle and began to scribble hastily.

"One of the main reasons for the complicatedness of the process of turning a mouse into a cat is that both the mouse and the cat are living beings. Both of them have their own free will and to turn one into the other one would have to break the animal's will first. Turning a mouse into a cat would be especially difficult because the two animals are natural enemies. The mouse would refuse to be turned into a cat and the cat would protest aganist being turned into a mouse....."

Harry went on about this issue for a while, explaining the danger of stopping in mid-transfiguration. The animal, whether completely mouse, cat, or in-between, would attack the wizard immediately and while those two animals weren't dangerous, bigger animals were.

When Harry had finished, he noticed with shock that he had written six feet of parchment instead of the required four. And he hadn't even started on the comparison yet! And what transfigurations was he going to use..... Harry stared out of the window thoughtfully. He could take the transformation of a tea kettle into a turtle, and a spoon into a pair of scissors. But what to take as the third comparison?

Harry thought about it for a few minutes. The assignment was about the transfiguration of an animal into another. He was going to compare it to the transfiguration of an object into an animal and of an object into another object. What else could he use.....? Of course! It was simple, really. He would compare it to his Animagus transformation!

Smiling, Harry set to work again. Two hours later he had finished. Harry ran a quick spell-check charm over his now ten-feet-long assignment, one of the few spells students were allowed to use over the holidays. There were no mistakes and Harry rolled his homework up and placed it aside contentedly. He couldn't believe that he had written 10 feet! Really, he was turning into Hermione. Harry chuckled when he thought about what Ron would have said to this. Harry checked the clock on the wall (which was imbedded in a tree trunk) and saw that it was 2 o'clock. Harry turned to leave the room.

"Wait a minute- 2 o'clock? It's lunchtime! Have I worked that long?" Harry thought out loud.

The stag that had just walked into his wall threw him a pitying look as if to say, 'Poor chap, now he's already talking to himself!' Harry blushed slightly and left the room.

He walked back down to the great hall. This time, when Harry pushed open the heavy oak doors the hall was not empty. Almost everyone was sitting around the table.

Harry made his way over and slid into an empty seat between Snape and Dumbledore. Most of the people around the table were so distracted by their conversations that they didn't even notice Harry. This included Dumbledore, Sirius, Remus, Minerva and pretty much all of the teachers.

The only one who even acknowledged Harry's presence was Snape. He nodded to Harry and said,

"Good morning, Mr. Potter. I haven't seen you around today, what have you been doing?"

Harry smiled.

"Good morning, Professor Snape. I slept in this morning which is why I wasn't in the great hall for breakfast, and I have been doing my homework up until now."

Snape raised an eyebrow in mock-surprise.

"What subjects?"

Harry shrugged.

"Only Transfiguration as of yet. Though I was going to do Potions when I realized that it was already lunchtime."

Snape nodded and they ate in silence for a while. Then-

"Potter."

Harry looked up from his plate and into Snape's fathomless black eyes, still getting used to the civil Snape.

"Yes, Professor?"

Snape stared at him for a while.

"Would you like help with your Potions?"

Harry blinked, completely taken aback.

"Sorry?" he asked.

"Would you like tutoring in Potions?" Snape repeated, rather patiently.

Harry stared at his professor for a few moments. Snape was offering him help with his homework? But Harry knew that it was a really good idea. He knew that he wasn't good at Potions and maybe private tutoring with a nice(!) Snape would help.

He smiled.

"Sure, Professor, that would be great! Thank you very much. But- don't you have to work for the Order?"

Snape shook his head.

"I already finished what I needed to do. If you are done eating, we could start on your tutoring right now- that is, if you want to."

Harry nodded. The two of them stood and left the hall without anyone noticing. Harry followed Snape down to the dungeons, but Snape didn't lead him to the classroom as Harry had thought he would. Instead, they walked past the door and continued down the corridor.

After a few more minutes of walking in silence Harry recognised the entrance to the Slytherin common room on the right.

"Professor," Harry asked and sped up a little so that he was walking alongside Snape, "Where are we going?"

Snape turned to look at him and said,

"My private quarters. I have a laboratory there which is much more luxurious and comfortable than the classroom. Besides, I have a few books there that I would like for you to read."

"Oh." Harry said and they walked the rest of the way in silence. Finally, they stopped in front of a portrait with a man on it that was undoubtedly Salsazar Slytherin. Harry recognised him from the statue in the chamber of secrets.

"Errare humanum est." Snape said, and the portrait swung aside. It was obviously the password.

Harry stared at his teacher in surprise.

"To err is human?" He translated out loud.

Snape looked at him and sneered, though Harry could tell it wasn't at him.

"I didn't think up the password, the headmaster did. It changes every month, like the common rooms' passwords. And I wasn't aware that you could speak Latin."

Harry shrugged.

"I don't really know a lot," Harry admitted, "But I learnt it for two years in muggle elementary school. I forgot most of it unfortunately, but I can still piece together easy translations."

Snape nodded and they climbed through the portrait hole. Inside, Harry's jaw dropped. The room was nice! It was decorated in mainly blue and cream, instead of the green and silver Harry would have expected. The floor was covered by a thick, fluffy carpet and the stone walls were tinged a light blue. Harry felt as though he had just stepped into heaven, not the dungeons.

An amused snort drew him out of his thoughts.

"What did you expect?" Snape enquired, his left eyebrow raised, "Green and silver and torture devices?"

Harry didn't answer and squirmed uncomfortably as he felt himself blushing furiously.

"I-"

But Snape took pity on him and cut him off.

"Come on. The laboratory is through there."

He put a surprisingly gentle hand on Harry's shoulder and steered his student to the wall on the right.

Harry stared.

"What-"

Snape didn't look at him, he just touched the wall with his fingertips and mumbled something that Harry couldn't understand. Suddenly, magically, a door appeared on the wall. Harry realized that it had to be the secret of Professor Snape's room, his connection to his private potions laboratory.

Opening the door, he gestured for Harry to follow him, and Harry stepped into Snape's private laboratory. Immediately, he felt his jaw drop again. The room was incredible, it was gigantic. The ceiling was high, almost as high as in the great hall. Exquisitely craved pillars supported the ceiling, which was bewitched to look like a night sky, with millions of stars twinkling down upon the two of them. Every now and then a falling star would shoot across the ceiling, Harry could clearly make out the milky way. (A/N: *sigh* Am I the only one who would like to own this room?)

The walls of the room were the same as the ceiling, as was the floor, creating the impression that one had stepped outside and right into space somewhere.

Huge shelves lined the walls, laden with all kinds of different bottles imaginable (all labelled neatly), books (some of whom seemed to be incredibly old), herbs and other potion ingredients and knives, spoons, scales, and everything else one might need for potion brewing.

In the middle of the room there were many tables. On some of them there were kettles, some big enough that a man could comfortably sit inside them, some so small that even a rat might have trouble fitting in. Other tables were full of papers, formulas, quills and ink bottles.

Everything appeared to be very organised and clean, which didn't surprise Harry much as Snape had always made sure that there wasn't a speck of dirt in his classroom.

Even Harry, who wasn't fond of potions making at all, itched to try out some of the devices in this room.

Harry was snapped back to the presence by another amused snort. He realized that his mouth was still hanging open and shut it quickly with an audible click.

"I take it you like this room?" Snape asked with a smirk.

Harry nodded, not taking his eyes off the ceiling.

"This is incredible! I feel like I've stepped into space, or another galaxy!"

Snape nodded.

"Yes, even after all those years this room never ceases to amaze me."

Harry turned to look at his professor questioningly.

"What do you mean?"

Snape smiled slightly.

"You know, this room does not always look like the night sky. Every time I've come down here in the past 15 years, the room has looked different. I must say, the night sky look is one of the best ones yet."

Harry shook his head in wonder. The magical world would never cease to amaze him.

"So, what was the worst thing this room ever turned into?" Harry asked curiously.

Snape frowned distastefully.

"A muggle discotheque. I kept messing up my potions because of all those flashing lights."

Harry snorted at the mental image.

Snape clapped his hands together and said briskly,

"Right. Now, Mr. Potter, I've watched you in Potions class many times and I've noticed that even though you follow the instructions precisely most of the time, hardly any of your potions turned out the way they should be. The problem is that you never understood the basics, like most of the students at this school."

Harry blinked. He was not sure if he understood what Snape was trying to tell him. Snape sighed, seeing Harry's confusion.

"Let me give you an example."

Snape walked over to one of the shelves lining the walls and pulled out a medium-sized book. Vaguely, Harry recognised the seventh year Potions course book. He had seen it with Oliver Wood occasionally.

Snape set the book down on the table in front of Harry and opened it on page 53. The title read "Draught of the Living Dead". Harry remembered his very first Potions lesson when Snape had questioned him about this very potion. And it was in a seventh year book?!

Snape must have noticed Harry's offended expression because he sighed.

"I apologised, Potter, alright?"

Harry just nodded. Snape continued.

"Alright. By the list of ingredients and instructions you see here, can you tell me how to brew this potion?"

Harry read over the instructions and list of ingredients. They were long and complicated, some of the ingredients Harry had never heard of before.

"Well," Harry said, "I would wait until the water in the kettle was boiling and then add the Flobberworm essence. Then powdered root of asphodel and the crushed Manticore fangs. Then the potion would have to simmer for five minutes and then I'd add the infusion of Wormwood and-"

But Snape sighed and closed the book.

"And so you're making my point for me," Snape said, not unkindly. "You cannot simply add the ingredients in the order they are listed on the page."

Harry was shocked.

"You cannot?" he asked, confused.

"No," Snape repeated, "There are certain..... hierarchies in potion brewing. For example, you never add a liquid without adding at least two solids before that. And, if you're brewing a potion containing both parts of an animal and a plant, always add a herbal ingredient first."

Harry blinked, taken aback.

"Oh. I didn't know that. Are there many- hierarchies like that?" He wasn't sure if he would be able to keep a lot of those rules.

"Countless. But don't worry, once I explain to you why the ingredients are added the way they are, you're going to find potion making easy, I won't even have to tell you the rules for every new potion anymore. So let's get to work."

In the following three hours Harry learned more about potions than he had in his entire life at Hogwarts. To his great surprise, Harry found that Snape was right. With his Potions professor explaining every potion he brewed, Harry found that he could get them right on the first try. For the first time in his life Harry discovered that there was logic behind the (originally) confusing recipes. Snape just smirked when Harry told him that.

After three hours of hard work, Snape declared that it was enough for the day. He gave Harry three books on the basics of potion making to read and told him that they would continue tutoring as soon as Harry had read them. Harry thanked him and stumbled back up to his room. He hadn't noticed it before, but the concentration on his work had made him quite tired.

Harry gave Merlin his password and entered the room. He quickly decided to take a bath in the river and shed his clothes. Then, without even bothering to put on his swimming trunks, Harry jumped into the river. He swam around for almost twenty minutes, enjoying the warm water and making sure to get rid of all the potion fumes.

H climbed out of his river and quickly dried himself, putting on some fresh clothes. Before Harry could decide what to do next, there was a tapping on the window. Harry walked over and opened it, allowing the miniature owl that had been waiting outside to fly in.

Harry grinned when he recognised Pig, his best friend Ron's owl. Using his seeker reflexes, Harry snatched the tiny owl from the air and untied a letter from the ecstatically hooting Pigwidgeon.

Harry carried the hyperactive feather ball over to Hedwig's bowl of water and gave him some owl treats. Hedwig rustled her feathers disapprovingly but did not complain. Harry stroked her soft head for a while and she seemed to calm down.

Then he plopped down on the bed and unfolded Ron's letter.

Dear Harry,
Hi mate! I hope you are fine. Dad told us you were at Hogwarts,
but he didn't tell us why. Did the muggles do something?
Anyway, the reason I haven't written to you earlier is that we
are in Romania! We're visiting Charlie and his friends. You
won't believe what kind of dragons they have here! I've met a
certain Hungarian Horntail you might remember from last year,
her eggs have hatched now and the young ones are still really
small. Did you know that they called one of the babies 'Harry'
because of you?

Harry stared at the last line. They had named one of the little dragons after him?

And what's even more unbelievable: I've met Norbert again! He's
a full grown Norwegian Ridgeback now, and he seems to be really
happy in his colony. Tell Hagrid he says hello! Other than that,
you wouldn't believe the chaos here. Fred and George haven't
stopped their Weasley Wizard Wheezes, on the contrary. They're
inventing new stuff every day, they even got Percy to eat a
canary cream! It was hilarious! Percy was running around the
house chasing them for half an hour after that, even Mum had to
laugh.
Ginny has locked herself in her room since this morning, the
twins tricked her into eating a new invention of theirs, 'Troll
Cookies'. She'll have green skin and warts and yellow teeth for
twelve hours!
Mum was really mad at Fred and George, she's still yelling at
them.
I wonder where they got the money to invent all this stuff? They
said that they have found a sponsor who has given them a
thousand galleons, but I don't believe them. I mean, who'd be
crazy enough to give Fred and George that much money?!

Harry had to grin. Good thing that Ron didn't know that he was the twins' sponsor!

Well, however they got it, I'm glad they did. They bought me new
dress robes, dark blue with golden lining. They're really cool!
Dad, Bill and Charlie have been gone a lot this summer. They
won't tell me where they go but I have heard Dad say something
about 'Order business'. Do you have any clue what that means?
I wonder how Hermione is doing? I haven't got an owl from her
yet. But then again, she's probably in Bulgaria visiting
'Vicky.'
I have to go now, mate, mum's calling for lunch. She's done
yelling at Fred and George.
Do you think you could come to Diagon Alley on August 28th?
Your friend,

Ron

Harry quickly got out some quill, ink and parchment and started on his reply letter:

Dear Ron,
Thank you for your letter! Yes, I'm spending the summer at
Hogwarts. Something happened at the Dursleys' house, but I'd
rather not talk (write) about it. Sorry, mate, give me some
time, maybe I'll tell you once the school year starts.
Snuffles and Moony are here, too! They say hello, by the way.
I'm glad to hear that Fred and George are inventing new stuff, I
have a feeling that we are going to need laughs more than ever
this year with Voldemort on the rise! Those 'troll cookies'
sound really nasty, do you know any of their other stuff? Just
so that I'll be warned..... Besides the Canary Creams, of course.
And you say that someone has given them a thousand galleons?
Whoever did that must have been crazy!

Chuckling, Harry paused for a while. He knew that he couldn't tell Ron and Hermione about the Order of the Phoenix or himself being part of the Order Council, it was supposed to be a secret.

As for your Dad and Bill and Charlie, yes, I've seen them around
here at Hogwarts. I don't exactly know why they are here, but I
think they are running some errands for Professor Dumbledore. It
probably has something to do with Voldemort's return.
Everything is fine around here, I spend most of my free time
either flying, swimming or doing homework. No, I'm not turning
into Hermione, I just don't have anything better to do!
The most amazing thing has happened, Ron! I found out that
Minerva McGonagall is actually my godmother! I was so shocked in
the beginning, but now I'm really happy. I actually have
godparents!
And Snape is being nice. Don't look so shocked, he told me why
he treated us Gryffindors, and especially me, so badly for the
last few years. I'll tell you about it when me meet! We're
getting along really well now, Snape even tutors me in Potions!

Harry paused again, thinking. Should he tell Ron about Merlin's book and his Animagus-transformation? And about his place in the English National Quidditch team? But knowing Ron, he would probably be jealous again..... No, he wanted to keep all of that a secret.

I think going to Diagon Alley on the 28th will be fine, if
anything happens, I'm going to owl you.
Your friend,

Harry

Harry tied the letter to Pig's leg with some difficulty and said,

"Take this back to Ron for me, will you?"

Pigwidgeon hooted happily and flew out of the window.

Harry watched him with a small smile.

A glance at the clock showed him that it was only six o'clock, too early to go downstairs to the great hall for dinner. Harry's gaze fell on his desk and on his Potions textbook. With a mental shrug, Harry decided that he might as well start on his Potions homework now. They had actually got two summer assignments from Snape that year, the first one was,

'Write an at least three feet long essay about the twelve different uses of dragon's blood!'

It was actually a rather simple assignment, Harry thought. The twelve uses of dragon's blood had been discovered by Albus Dumbledore himself, Harry knew that much from the back of Dumbledore's chocolate frog card.

So, for the fourth time in three days, Harry found himself in the library. Harry shook his head at the thought. Hermione would be proud of him.

Harry walked along the endless shelves in the area labelled 'Potions' and scanned the book backs for promising titles. He had to walk to the very end of the shelf until he found the perfect book:

"The twelve Uses of Dragon Blood, by Albus Dumbledore."

Satisfied, Harry picked up the book and headed back to his room. He plopped down on his bed and started to read the book. It was actually very interesting, and soon Harry found himself so entranced by the book that he forgot all about dinner.

According to the book, Dragon blood could be used to create poison, or eliminate it; it was used in several complicated healing potions; if mixed with aconite it could give the drinker super strength for 24 hours; if a person bathed in Dragon blood they would be literally invulnerable; Dragon blood could form a strong protection shield against any curse except for Avada Kedavra; if given willingly by the dragon, it could be drunk and would keep the drinker alive for months without food or water; if mixed with asphodel and wormwood it would strengthen magical powers threefold; if used in a memory potion, the person using it would be able to remember every little detail in their life from their birth up to the present; if drunk by a muggle, it could give them magical powers for up to a month; if drunk by an animal and its 'master' it would allow the two to communicate for a week; and finally, it could bring a person or an animal back to life if it was administered within ten minutes of their death, provided that the death was not caused by an unforgivable curse or natural causes.

"Ahem."

Harry gasped and jumped so violently that he toppled off the bed and onto the grass floor. "Ouch!" Harry grumbled to himself and scrambled to his feet again. He brushed off his clothes and looked up.

Three concerned grown-ups were looking back at him. Minerva, Sirius and Remus were all staring at Harry.

"Um- hi." Harry said sheepishly.

"Gosh, Harry," Sirius said, looking amazed. "Do you always greet your visitors like that?"

Harry had to grin.

"No, Sirius," he said earnestly, "Only if they sneak up on me when I'm engrossed in a book."

Sirius grinned back and plopped down on the bed next to Harry.

"What were you reading, anyway?"

Harry marked the page and shut the book, letting Sirius see the cover.

"'The twelve Uses of Dragon Blood'. And you found this so interesting that you didn't even notice us enter the room?" Sirius asked doubtfully.

Harry had to laugh at his godfather's expression.

"It actually IS very interesting! Did you know that dragon blood can even bring people back to life if it is administered within ten minutes of their death, provided that it was not caused by Avada Kedavra and was not due to natural causes?"

Sirius blinked owlishly. "Er- no. No, I didn't."

Harry grinned. "See, Sirius? That's because you haven't read this book."

Harry noticed that the professors seemed to be highly amused by their little exchange.

"Why are you here, by the way?" Harry asked curiously.

"You didn't show up for breakfast, lunch, or dinner," Minerva answered. "Neither of us have seen you all day. We were concerned that something might be wrong."

Harry smiled weakly. It felt good to have people worry about him, but he was not really used to it.

"What were you doing all day, Harry?"

Harry shot his werewolf-friend a grateful look.

"Well, I didn't come to breakfast because I slept in. When I reached the great hall, it was empty. After breakfast I decided to do some homework, so I went to the library and got the books I needed and then returned here."

Remus interrupted.

"And you have been reading 'The twelve Uses of Dragon Blood' all day?" he asked incredulously. It took Harry a moment to work out what Remus meant.

"Oh no!" he exclaimed. "Of course not! Actually, I did my Transfiguration assignment first- I finished at 2 o'clock, just in time for lunch. So, I went down to the great hall. All of you were too busy with your conversations to notice me, the only one who acknowledged me was Professor Snape."

Now the adults were positively stunned.

"You were in the great hall? And we didn't see you?" Minerva asked.

Harry nodded patiently.

"Yes. Professor Snape asked me what I had been doing all day and when I told him that I had been doing homework he offered to help me with Potions. I agreed and we went down to his private laboratory."

Harry paused for a moment, remembering the beautiful room. He completely ignored Sirius' muffled noises of protest- muffled because Remus had clamped his hand securely over Sirius' mouth. Minerva sat down on the bed on his other side.

"I spent the next three hours brewing potions, who would have thought that there was actually logic behind those recipes!" Harry shook his head, still unable to believe it. "After three hours, Professor Snape said that it was enough for the day, and I went back here. It was too early for dinner, so I decided that I could do my Potions homework next, so I went to the library and checked out this book. I completely forgot about the time."

"Yes, we can see that." Minerva said with a slight smile. "What do you say, Emrys, do you want to come to the kitchens with us for a late supper?"

Harry looked up in surprise.

"You haven't eaten either? Then how did you know that I hadn't been down in the great hall for dinner?"

Sirius grinned.

"Actually, the greas-"Sirius earned himself a warning look from both Professors McGonagall and Lupin. "-Snape told us. He left the great hall just as we entered the entrance hall, so we asked him if he had seen you at dinner. When he told us that he hadn't, we came here immediately, but you didn't notice us. Seems that our presence had a rather- well- stunning effect on you."

The three laughed and Harry swatted at his godfather. Everyone agreed whole- heartedly to a 'late supper', as Minerva had called it, and so the five of them soon found themselves in front of the portrait of a bowl of fruit leading to the kitchens. Harry tickled the pea, which giggled and squirmed, and then the portrait opened.

Harry made to step in and suddenly noticed the silence. He turned around and saw that all thee of the adults were staring at him: Minerva disapprovingly, Remus with a slight smirk and Sirius with pride in his eyes and a broad grin on his face.

"Harry," Minerva said slowly, "May I ask how you, a student, know the way into the kitchens?"

Harry squirmed uncomfortably.

"Uh-"

Remus saved him again.

"I believe that Harry can tell us that while we are eating, right, Harry?"

Harry smiled in relief.

"Yes, Remus."

The four of them entered the kitchen, but before anyone could say or do anything, a small brown blur shot toward them and attached itself to Harry's legs. Harry stumbled and would have fallen, but Remus quickly steadied him.

"Harry Potter, sir! Harry Potter!"

Vaguely, Harry's mind registered who was currently squeezing the air out of him.

"Do-Dobby?" Harry gasped breathlessly.

Finally the overenthusiastic house-elf released Harry.

"Harry Potter, sir! Harry Potter has come to visit Dobby! Dobby does not deserve Harry Potter's kindness, sir, Harry Potter is noble and brave and-"

Harry groaned in embarrassment.

"Dobby," he interrupted quickly, "Do you think that you could make us some dinner, please?" Dobby had tears of happiness in his eyes.

"Oh! Harry Potter, sir, is so kind to Dobby! Of course Dobby will make Harry Potter and Professor McGonagall and Professor Lupin and Mr. Black dinner! Right away Sirs and Lady!"

Dobby hurried away and began to usher the rest of the kitchen staff around. Harry inwardly breathed a sigh of relief and plopped down in one of the chairs. It was only then that he noticed the laughter of his three companions.

"Haha, very funny!" he mumbled, feeling annoyed.

"Aww, Harry," Sirius laughed, throwing an arm around his shoulders, "You have to admit that it WAS funny!"

"If you say so."

Dobby and four other house-elves soon began to load the table with food. After they were done, a small feast was on the table. All five of them dug in happily, Harry told the people he considered his family above all others about S.P.E.W. . They were all amused, though they did think that Hermione had a point. After dinner and another embarrassing (for Harry) and amusing (for everyone else) encounter with Dobby, Minerva excused herself, while Sirius and Remus escorted Harry to his room.

A goblet with a swirling blue liquid was sitting on Harry's bedside table. A note lay beside it. Harry picked it up and read:

Mr. Potter,

You were not at dinner, so I decided to leave the potion here.
It is you usual dose of dreamless sleep potion- like before, it
will not prevent visions.

Professor S. Snape

Harry smiled. Sirius and Remus sat down on the bed and waited while Harry changed into his pyjamas and brushed his teeth.

Then Harry jumped on to the soft bed himself and squeezed in between Sirius and Remus. They got up and each hugged him 'goodnight'.

"You need to take the sleeping potion now, kiddo. Tomorrow will be your first training session with the English Quidditch team!"

Harry jumped.

"Oh! I forgot."

Sirius smiled and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Doesn't matter. You really need to sleep now, Harry. We'll see you in the morning."

Harry nodded.

"Good night, Sirius, good night, Remus!" he said and gulped down the contents of the goblet. He felt someone lift him up and place him under the covers, then a hand brush away the bangs from his forehead, and then Harry was fast asleep.

***************************************************************************

Harry woke up to the sound of birds singing outside and in the forest on his wall. He yawned and stretched and petted the stag that had stuck his head through the wall right above Harry's head for a short while. The stag seemed to enjoy the petting because he closed his eyes and gave a low, contended growl.

After a few moments, he nudged Harry's hand gently and withdrew his head, sprinting across the clearing and out of Harry's sight.

Harry yawned again and got up slowly. He shed his pyjamas and jumped into the river. The icy cold water woke him up immediately. Harry smiled and took a deep breath, the he dived under his wall.

Splash. Harry had landed in the middle of the lake again. The sky was blue and the sun was shining brightly, there was not the tiniest bit of wind. Harry grinned happily and fooled around in the water for a while before he swam to the south end of the lake and dived back into his room.

When he was just climbing out of his river, someone knocked on the portrait hole.

"One minute!" Harry called and quickly dried himself off and slipped on some muggle clothes.

"Yes?"

The portrait opened. Harry waited for a moment, but nothing happened. Was it supposed to be a joke? Suddenly, Harry began to feel very uneasy. Something was wrong, he could feel it.

"Who's there?" Harry called. He did not like how shaky his voice sounded. No answer came. Slowly, heart pounding loudly in his chest, Harry began to approach the portrait hole. It still looked as though someone was holding it open, but there was nobody there!

An idea suddenly struck Harry. What if it was somebody wearing an invisibility cloak? Harry felt relieved immediately. He crossed his arms and said,

"Ok, you got me. You can come out now."

Nothing happened. Harry started to feel uncertain again. What if this was not a joke? Harry bit his lip and extended a hand to where the person holding the portrait open had to be standing. There was nothing but air. Fear started to rise in Harry's throat as he slowly backed away.

BAM! Harry gasped and whirled around. The window had flown open, and an unnatural gust of icy cold wind went around the room. Harry started to shiver, feeling panicked. He did not like this, he did not like this at all!

"Wh-whoever you are, show yourself!" Harry tried to call, but it came out as a terrified whisper.

CRASH.

Harry let out a soft scream whirled around again. The portrait had closed. The uneasiness and coldness in the room intensified. For a moment Harry was sure that he could hear someone laughing a high, cold, evil laughter. It chilled Harry to the bone, and he was starting to get hysterical.

"STOP!" he yelled, almost near tears, beside himself with fear.

And it stopped. From one second to the other, the unnatural wind died down. The temperature returned to normal. Harry could hear the birds singing outside, and the sun was shining down innocently.

The only reminder of what had just happened was the window that was still open, and the pounding of Harry's still racing heart.

After his breathing had returned to normal, Harry shakily approached the portrait hole again. He put a hand on the back of the portrait. Nothing happened. Harry pushed the portrait open carefully and climbed out. There was nobody in the hallway. Harry released the portrait and it swung shut with a soft *thud*.

"Good morning, Harry!" Harry gasped and nearly jumped out of his skin, before whirling around.

It was Merlin who had spoken, and he was currently eyeing Harry with concern.

"Is anything wrong, Harry? You're not usually this jumpy and you were looking around as if you expected someone to be here-"

Harry stared at the portrait.

"Wait a minute!" he exclaimed. "What do you mean? Don't you remember what happened?"

It was Merlin's turn to look confused.

"What happened? Harry, nothing happened. What should have happened?"

Harry frowned.

"There was somebody holding your portrait open! Or rather, there was nobody! That's just the point! Someone was opening your portrait hole but no one did! And you didn't see anyone here?"

Merlin was staring at Harry.

"Harry, are you sure you're alright? I assure you that the only person who has opened me today is you! Maybe you should go and see the school nurse-"

But Harry wasn't listening. He was so sure that something had just happened! But then why couldn't Merlin remember anything? Had he, Harry, been hallucinating? But no, he had heard someone knock on the portrait, and it had opened!

*But the portrait was closed afterwards.* an annoying little voice in Harry's head said.

Harry had to admit that this was true, but the window had still been open!

*It could have been the wind,* the little voice said matter-of-factly.

Harry frowned. There hadn't been any wind while he had swum in the lake!

*Well, the weather changes, doesn't it,* the voice commented off-handedly.

Doubts started to stir in Harry's mind. What if he had imagined everything? Maybe he had overtaxed himself this morning in the lake, or the water had been too cold. Or maybe he shouldn't have swum with an empty stomach. Harry remembered his PE teacher in muggle elementary school saying something along those lines.

But it had seemed so real! Harry shook his head firmly. He must have imagined everything.

*But what about the laughter?* his mental voice piped up again. Harry mentally glared. *Shut up, you! I thought you didn't want me to believe that something happened!* Now the little voice sounded offended: *I didn't say that!*

Harry groaned loudly.

"Oh, great," he mumbled, "Now I'm having an argument with a voice in my head. Isn't hearing voices nobody else can hear a bad sign? And now I'm talking to myself. Harry, you're losing it."

Harry shook his head to clear away his thoughts and suddenly realized that he had been standing unmovingly in the hallway in front of Merlin's portrait for a good five minutes. And that Merlin was looking at him as though he was about ready to call for the wizarding equivalent of an ambulance (whatever that was- a broom formation?).

Harry sighed and shook his head.

"Well, see you later, Merlin!" and he dashed off in the direction of the great hall without waiting for an answer.

On the way, Harry suddenly realized that later that day he would have his first training session with the English National Quidditch Team! Harry's heart skipped a beat and he sped up. All memories of what had happened earlier that morning were erased from his mind.

**************************************************************************** **************************************************************************

A/N: Ok, folks. Actually, this chapter was supposed to be much longer- it's only Wednesday (in the story) and it was supposed to go on until at least Friday! But it has been such a long time since I last updated that I thought I shouldn't keep you waiting much longer. And even now the chapter is already 38 pages long!

Ok, thanks to everyone who reviewed!

See ya,

Felinity ^_^