'Its like Dumbledore wanted to ensure NO ONE would confuse Slughorn for Snape.'

That was Harry's first thought when he laid eyes on his new Potions professor. The man, simply put, was everything Snape was not. The utter antithesis of his uncle. Where Snape was tall and dark Slughorn was squat with light brown hair that curled close to his head. Every feature of Snape's was sharp, from his beak-like nose to his pointed jaw to his long needle-like fingers. Slughorn, on the other hand, was all orbs and curves, looking like a child's toy more than a Potion's professor. He wore a white labcoat over his tweed suit and despite having at least 30 years on Snape seemed to bounce about with far more energy. Snape conserved himself so that when he did move it had meaning and purpose; Slughorn moved with a speed that shouldn't have been possible for an older and more rotund man.

'And then there is the aura he generates,' Harry thought to himself. It took time to slip into the Aura Sight, as Dumbledore called it, and several times he'd been forced to snap out of it during his last few classes because Slughorn had begun to give out assignments and as such Harry had to focus on other tasks… one simply couldn't enter Aura Sight and do another job. At least Harry couldn't though he wondered if Dumbledore had been able to. 'Not anymore,' he wagered.

But the aura Slughorn projected vs the one Snape had was light day and night. Literally. Snape's aura was like a heavy dark blanket the fell on his shoulders and oozed to the ground. It stayed tight to him but flared up like a shield when threatened and wrapped around those that he allowed into his heart. Slughorn, on the other hand, had a bright and bouncy aura that seemed to spike out to touch everyone and everything… yet left no true mark. It just connected briefly before moving on to something else. Where Harry's own aura left a mark on those he cared for that lingered for minutes and sometimes hours, fueling their own auras and mixing with them Slughorn's was like grease on Teflon; it struck and then slid away.

"For the past five years you have all worked on crafting potions from your textbooks. Following along with the instructions to create elixers that can cure injury, paralysis, even revive fainting. You have seen how to dice and chop and stir, blending berries together along to create something useful. And we have done the same these last two months, making sure everyone is on the same page. But now this year and next will be about taking the next step forward." Slughorn smiled, holding out his hands in an open gesture. "For you see, anyone can follow instructions on a recipe. But what truly makes a potion master is to go beyond what others have done before and create something new." He moved to behind his desk and produced several spray bottles, setting them down on for the students to see. "What people fail to remember many times is that someone had to come about at some point in history and actually create the first healing potion or Revive crystal. Rare Candies weren't merely found lying on the ground… someone came up with the recipe. It was of course trial and error, discovering what each ingredient did, how they interacted with each other, the proper method that allowed for the most potent of reactions… or in some cases the least potent."

"Least potent?" Hermione asked, belatedly realizing she needed to raise her hand.

Slughorn though merely smiled and nodded. "But of course! There are many ingredients that have multiple uses but we seek to bring out only one. For example-" as if he'd expected that question he brought out from under his desk a bowl of purple needles, "the spines of a Toxapex can cause paralysis, which is something you wouldn't ever want to inflict on your Pokemon. However they also act as a bonding agent in common blood-thinning potions, which are used not just for older Pokemon like Snorlax and Slaking but for elderly humans as well. The trick is to boil the spines to remove the paralyzing agents then dry them in the sun before crushing them into a fine dust."

Harry quickly jotted down that, just in case it was on a test later on. Snape had told him about secondary effects in the past but it had been in his usual brunt and to the point matter and he hadn't offered examples such as Slughorn was doing.

"For your seventh year you will be spending the entire time in this class working on the creation of a new potion. Some seek to go the safe route and refine what they know about a particular potion but merely discover quicker ways to prepare it or more potent mixtures. Others go far more complex, seeking to create something never seen before, even if it is just changing the color to something more appealing. And still others have sought to create the rare multi-purpose potions and medicines. The Full Restore potion being an example of such a medicine. Each of you will need to consider over the summer what you want to work on.

"But that is a year away. And I won't be throwing you into such intense self-study without some groundwork laid to understand what you need to do. As such this year will be all about you learning how to develop potions using a wide variety of ingredients and getting a feel for how they can interact. I will also allow, later on, some more complex investigation into the crafting of potions but in a controlled setting so you might grow comfortable with what you are doing." The man smiled at them, anticipation clear within his delighted appearance. "And we'll all have a bit of fun. Because that is what is important about all of this… fun!"

"Could have fooled me," Ron muttered from behind Harry.

Slughorn looked about the room. "Mr. Longbottom, Miss Bulstrode, would you help me pass out today's ingredient containers?" The two rose and made their way to the front of the class where Slughorn had them each gather up several gray sealed plastic totes that were roughly the size of a small pizza box in length and width but about three times as tall. Each partner group received one and everyone was seated once more before Slughorn called for their attention. "Now, today we are going to be working on the 'Leftovers' medicine, as it is casually called, though to professionals it is a slow release health restorer. Unlike most potions the goal is for this to have a gum-like consistency or a hard-shelled slow dissolve structure. When taken a Pokemon will slowly regain health, ranging from a few minutes to sometimes full days. This is rather useful for long battles where a Pokemon will take damage that needs to be healed repeatedly. Poisoning, repeat attacks, so on.

"All of the ingredients in these boxes can be used to make a Slow Release Restorer. Notice that I said "CAN" be used. You do not and should not use all of them. And some of the ingredients will only work if prepared a certain way; cut one berry rather than bake it and all you'll get is wasted pulp and juice. You will be spending this class researching the ingredients and working with your partner to determine which ingredients you wish to use. Your goal is to create the strongest Restorer you can but I will also grade on other factors. Yes Mr. Weasley?"

"Like taste?" he asked. "My brother Fred once bought a Restorer but his Minun hated the taste of it and wouldn't use it."

"Exactly! 10 points to Gryffindor for a well thought out example. While there are certain medicines that are more effective than most mass-marketed ones their taste will make a Pokemon not want to try them. And that is especially true of a Restorer… since some versions require a Pokemon to keep it in their mouths for a long time a horrible taste simply won't do. Anyone else?"

"Length of time?" Blaise suggested.

"That as well. A restorer that lasts days is of course far more useful than one that only lasts minutes. Though sometimes one might be willing to sacrifice how long a medicine will last if it is more effective. 10 points to Slytherin. Anyone else? Miss Granger?"

"Yield," Hermione said with a grin. "If you have to use 10 ingredients to get 1 Restorer that's okay… but if you can use 5 ingredients to get 1 restorer that is better."

"Indeed!" Slughorn said, delighted. "Or if you are able to produce a large enough batch that you can make multiple Restorers. Remember that one of the best ways to finance your Pokemon journey is to sell Potions and other medicines to accredited Pokeshops. 10 points to you."

"Structure," Millie said. "A hard shell is better swallowed for slow release, a gum-like structure is better for something that needs to be kept in the mouth, and a liquid really doesn't work well for a Restorer."

"15 points!" He looked around and when no one had anything else to add he smiled and gestured at their containers. "Now then, go ahead and get started. Keep in mind that anything you brew today won't be what you are graded on… today is about research and the beginning of your experimentation so feel free to take your time. Only the foolish try to speed along the process!"

Harry turned to Tracey, who'd been assigned his partner. "So, what would you like to focus on?"

"Millie and Granger are going to make the most complex Restorer," the teen stated. "Millie's a natural at Potions and Granger can't do anything that doesn't make her seem like the best. So trying to top them is foolish. I say we try and make the most professional-style potion. Don't worry about extra effects, just figure out how to make it strong yet simple. Pharmaceutical style."

Harry nodded. "I agree. So I'll research speed and you research strength?"

"Works for me."

The two cracked open their tote and looked over all the different ingredients they had been given. Several different berries, some canned Shuckle Juice, a whole Chansey egg, the pollen from a Bellossom, a note that stated there was Miltank milk in the fridge for them to use, ash from a Hoenn volcano (did not say which one), and shed Arbok skins, along with other ingredients.

"Alright, so we should write down everything and research each one for what we are focusing on, then compare notes and begin doing some trial and error," Harry said.

"It would be a waste to try and get it done today." She nodded towards Lavender and Crabbe who were already going at their potion; the former because she wanted to be done and get away from Crabbe and the latter because he just liked to get assignments done no matter what grade he might get. "Ugh… I'm glad I got you as a partner." Harry smirked at that and Tracey rolled her eyes. "Don't get a big head, Potter, it's not that impressive to be the best of the worst." Still he nodded his head in appreciation before setting about doing her research.

That was another thing that Slughorn did differently from Snape… and from all the other teachers so far, Harry realized. The new Head of Slytherin was a firm believer in intermingling among the houses and had told them that while they were in his class they would have partners that weren't from the same house.

"For one thing it helps you see if there are things you have missed," he'd told them when he'd first made the announcement. "Gryffindors think differently from Hufflepuffs and Slytherins from Ravenclaws, for example. Having someone who has a different focus when it comes to work can help you grow as a person. Furthermore I want to break you out of your comfort zone. Yes, there are some of you who have found the perfect partner and that is wonderful. That is needed if you decide to tackle the more complex potions that can be created. Yet sometimes the best way to discover new things and to break out of ruts is to completely shake up how you mix and create. I for one will commonly trade labs with friends, spending a week at someone's home while they stay at mine. The change of locations, the different ways things can be stored… those little things can suddenly spark my mind to come up with new and exciting potions! I want you all to grow and the best way to do that is to pull you from your comfort zone."

As such they would all be rotating partners throughout the year and they couldn't work with someone from the same house. There had been some groans about that and mutters of annoyance… but not from the avenues Harry might have expected. Ron for one had startled them all but not saying a word, merely shrugging and admitting that he knew that complaining would get him no where so it was best to just accept that he'd have to work for the Slytherins. It had been the other guys in their dorm-

"Why are you glaring at Thomas and Finnigan?" Tracey asked and Harry grimaced when he realized he'd been found out. "Well?"

Harry shrugged. Unlike Snape who didn't like talking during class Slughorn had no problem with people carrying on conversations and had even learned from Ginny that he allowed people to listen to music (which headphones, of course) while working. "Whatever helps you get in the right mood!" he'd told the 5th years cheerfully.

"When we found out that we had to have partners outside of our House those two made the biggest stink."

"And?" Tracey asked. "We had some Slytherins whine too."

"Yeah but those two told Neville they were mad because they wanted to be partners with Hermione."

"Idiots," Tracey said with a huff as she flipped through her textbook. "Like Granger would do all their work for them."

"That wasn't the reason," Harry said.

"Oh?"

"Apparently there is a rumor going around the school that Hermione researches everything."

"She does-" Tracey suddenly stopped before letting out a groan. "Those morons think that means she'll research sex positions and ways to give the best head, don't they?"

"Yes," Harry growled only for Tracey to grab his arm.

"Careful there, Potter. I don't need you pulling whatever creepy Johto Magic you have when I'm sitting next to you." Realizing she was right and he'd been seconds away from letting his mask shatter Harry forced himself to calm down. "There."

"Sorry," Harry admitted. "It's just… she's my sister, you know? Not my blood sister-"

"Because that would be something Lovegood would claim was only found in a trashy romance novel."

Harry nodded, accepting that yes that would be something g Luna would say. "I don't like the idea of anyone messing with her… or any of the girls."

"Laides, Potter. Girls is hardly progressive."

"Yet you've called me a 'little boy' many times."

"I'm a woman I don't have to be progressive," Tracey teased.

He rolled his eyes at that and continued on. "I'm not going to let anyone take advantage of them. They want to go out with someone, okay that's fine. I might glower if they try and take things too far but I can live with that. Their choice. But spreading rumors like that? Making crude jokes? I'm not going to stand for it."

"And that's not at all creepy," Tracey replied.

"And if you heard the likes of Malfoy was spreading tales about Daphne?"

Tracey's jaw twitched, it clear she was fighting desperately not to say what she really wanted to and thus prove Harry right. Finally she turned her attention fully to her textbook, dropping the subject entirely.

'Not that it matters too much,' Harry thought to himself, glancing over at Hermione who quirked an eyebrow.

'What?' she mentally sent back to him, the headband she now wore most of the time flashing slightly as she used her psychic abilities to silently speak to him.

'Were you aware that some of the guys in Gryffindor think that you are some amazing sex demon and they are desperate to bed you.'

'Of course I know,' she sent back, nose crinkling in disgust even as she went about her work so that no one realized she was dividing her attention. 'It's hard for anyone to hide things from me anymore; you know that.'

It was something Hermione complained about frequently: how no one in Hogwarts knew what it meant to shield one's thoughts. She'd described it to the Pride like walking through a library but everyone there was screaming out what they were reading and then looked at you funny when you shhhed them. She'd petulantly complained that no one understood what she was going through only for Luna to remind her that was how it was for her every day of her life only it wasn't screaming thoughts but rather like constantly sniffing everyone's perfume. And then Harry had raised his hand and reminded her of his enhanced senses, meaning that for him people talking to themselves literally WAS like screaming to him. When Neville had began to discuss his training in the Galar Battlelord techniques Hermione had finally given up and just shown them all how to shield their minds.

'Yeah but I still wanted to make sure you knew.'

'That's sweet,' she sent, the image of her hugging him popping into his mind. 'But I can handle myself.' The next image she sent was of Dean and Seamus screaming in horror, holding their heads and babbling about 'naked grandmas' and 'so much coco butter'.

Harry decided to drop the conversation there, reminding himself once more that Hermione was a scary bitch at times.

With about 30 minutes of the class gone Harry had a bunch of notes on the different ingredients and what blended best together and the different methods to prepare them. He also couldn't help make a few notes on Restorer strength and longevity, as his sections had made references to that too. He glanced over at Tracey who was busy still taking notes so Harry decided to turn his attention to the items in the box, lightly brushing his fingers over them. The memory of him and the Pride comparing powers and the issues that came from them bounced once more into his head and after a few moments he looked around before slowly allowing his focus to zero in on the ingredients. He breathed through his nose, trying to make it as natural as he could, and quickly picked up that several of the items weren't exactly fresh. Not in a 'rotting' sort of way but well aged. Like a cheese or a wine.

'I wonder,' he thought to himself, going back to his notes before nodding when he saw a suspicion confirmed. Back to his text book he went, pouring over the glossary and grabbing onto details he'd bypassed during his first read through.

"Potter?" Tracey said, giving his shoulder a shake and making him realize that he'd been zoning out for about 20 minutes, meaning class was close to ending. "What did you find?"

"I got thinking about what Slughorn said, about us taking our time with our potions."

"Something a lot of the class didn't pay attention to," Tracey informed him. He looked up and saw that about half of the groups were already working on prepping their ingredients, with Lavender and Crabbe already finishing up on a Restorer that actually did look like Leftovers… as in the 'I chewed this and spit it out' kind.

"Right. But that got me thinking… do you honestly think Slughorn is someone who would just casually mention something… or the kind of person that would drop a major hint but do it in a way to see if people would figure it out."

Tracey opened her mouth before snapping it shut with an audible 'click'. "Son of a… he wants us to wait? Why?"

"Aging the ingredients," Harry said, gesturing at a baggy full of pine needles. "These aren't fresh. See how they are turning brown? I looked it up and they actually get more potent the more they dry out. And this Oran berry develops a better taste if it's allowed to sit out and get a slightly wrinkled skin."

"Of course," Tracey murmured. "So this is all about understanding your ingredients."

"Exactly. I bet if we go through each of these items we can figure out when they hit their peek effectiveness. Then we can determine exactly when to begin prepping each. It might take us a week but we'll produce the best potion for sure."

"…okay Harry, you've earned first name status for a while because of that!"

He grinned and the two of them set about using their last few minutes of free time in class to do some skimming, going over the notes Tracey had made before deciding where they would begin during their next class to get the potion all made up. Securing the lid on their tote as tightly as they could so they could preserve the ingredients Tracey wrote their names on the container before moving to put it away, allowing Harry a chance to look around the class and see how everyone else was doing.

Neville and Millie were getting along great together but he wasn't too surprised at that, as the two had apparently been chatting with each other over the summer; Millie, according to Neville, wanted to become a Potion Mistress and that meant making inroads with the old families that raised the best plants as well as Grass Type Pokemon. And the Longbottoms and their Venasaurs were the go-tos for Potion Masters and Mistresses within Avalon. Hermione was working with Blaise who was probably the best of the Slytherins for her to work with as he tended not to care all that much about one's family, as he himself came from Hoenn stock and thus was seen as an outsider due to his mother having no real interest in fully integrating with Avalon culture.

Ron and Daphne were the surprise of the class. When they had been paired together by Slughorn he had thought for sure that the two would hate each other and cause more chaos than if Harry had been paired with Malfoy. After all even though they were both children of gym leaders they were on opposite ends of the wealth scale and held themselves to far different standards; Ron had never met an assignment (save for Pokeball Making) where he didn't wait till the last minute to complete while according to Tracey the Ice Queen of Slytherin was nearly at Hermione levels of preparedness. And yet the two had gotten along perfectly fine, with Daphne usually snapping orders at Ron and the red head shrugging and doing as he was told. And on the other end of the scale Tracey had quietly informed Harry of her surprise that Daphne was actually relaxing after classes instead of stressing out and studying in order to get ahead; something about Slughorn being unable to hold her to a higher standard because he must know she was 'stuck with the Weasley'.

And yet the way Tracey had smiled when saying that had been so odd that Harry got the sense that it wasn't annoyance that had made Daphne Greengrass say those words.

As for the rest of the Gryffindors Lavender was with Crabbe and while it was clear that she'd have preferred to be with her best friend so they could spend the entire time gossping about… butterflies and stickers and whatever else girls talked about (considering the only ladies he spent any real time talking to were an overachieving psychic, a hacker with a rap sheet already, a possibly insane Veela Mistress, his Gauntlet team mates, and his current lab partner Harry didn't actually know that much when it came to the inner workings of the female mind)… her and Crabbe got along well enough. Same with Parvati and Goyle. Seamus had ended up with Draco and that left-

He paused as he watched the blond prick in question walk by the last group, Dean and Theo, and shift his hand out ever so slightly. For Draco it was a rather subtle move, quiet and quick and hard to pick up. But Harry had his enhanced senses and thus to him it was easy to catch. The flick of Malfoy's hand, the small dark object flying from his fingers into the mixing container that Dean and Theo had been using to test out combining Moomoo Milk with Arbok shed skin, the way the air suddenly took on the faint scent of burning matches and the pop-

Harry's mask shattered as he leapt forward, using all of his enhanced speed and strength from the Arts and his Dynamaxing to cover the distance of the classroom in a second, tackling Dean and grabbing Theo's jacket and yanking him along as well. As his path turned from forward movement to downward he heard a large pop and felt heat on his back and then time sped back up again and the class was screaming and alarms were going off all around him. He felt a stinging pain as his shoulder hit the floor and Dean cried out right in his ear but as he rolled onto his back and saw the acid that was currently reducing the table, and much of the ground where Dean had been moments early, he decided the pain was worth it.

"It's alright, it's alright!" Slughorn said as he grabbed one of the acidic neutralizers from the wall (something Snape had informed them about on day one of class) and sprayed down some thick foam to keep the acid from eating much further into the floor. "Just a mixing mishap. That is all."

"Sure it was," Theo grunted and Harry locked eyes with him for a moment. The Slytherin nodded towards Draco, who had the biggest shit-eating smirk on his lips, and it was clear that Theo had reasoned out how the little accident had occurred.

But while Theo sat there grumbling about it Harry pushed himself away from Dean and got to his feet, flexing his left hand and the talon-like appendages his fingers had become while the servos in his right hand whirled and powered up the blaster within.

"No second chances," Harry whispered as he looked at Draco who suddenly realized he'd been caught out and was clearly remembering what Harry had done the last time they'd tangled. His hands fumbled for a Pokeball and already Harry's mind whirled at how he would need to take out whatever Pokemon the little blond shit-

"I think we'll end class for the day on that. 15 points to Mr. Potter for quick thinking to protect two classmates. Mr. Thomas, Mr. Nott, why don't you go see Poppy and make sure you are okay. Mr. Potter, could you stay here and help me clean up? These old bones of mine aren't as quick as they once were and I'd be thankful for a hand." Harry looked at the professor and then back at Draco, who was moving quickly towards the door. "Mr. Potter?"

Harry sighed and finally nodded. "Yes sir?"

"Would you mind terribly doing something about your teeth?" Slughorn tapped his index finger against his own front teeth. "And the claws? I'd rather you not damage any of the furniture or cut yourself." Harry, with a slow steady breath, forced his mask back into place. Once that was done Slughorn smiled and gestured for him to follow him to the front of the classroom where he pulled out a couple of spray bottles and a box of cleaning rags. "Do you know how to clean the tables?"

"Prof. Snape had us do it for detentions," Harry stated.

"Did you get a lot of detentions when Prof. Snape taught Potions?"

"Not really," Harry admitted. "A few when I first started out but that was mostly because I didn't know how to handle his teaching methods. Once I got used to it he found it far more affective to simply be disappointed in me." Harry squeezed the trigger on the spray bottle, sending a fine mist onto the first table before he began to carefully scrub away. "That was somehow worse."

"I can see that," Slughorn stated. "I never liked to give detentions. Oh, I would occasionally assign them, if I had no choice, because sometimes that was your only option if a student was far too confrontational. But I never liked to do it because it seemed… a waste."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, wondering exactly what Slughorn was trying to get at. He knew that the man wasn't just talking with him to kill time; Remus and Sirius had warned him about that. Slughorn was someone who believed nothing should ever be given away freely. Everything that he did served a purpose. 'And I suppose thinking about it that way… I can see why he'd use the word 'waste' when it came to something he didn't like. I just don't get the alternative.'

"Have you ever heard of cost/sum analysis?" Slughorn asked him as he himself began to clean one of the tables. "It's usually used in business but I find that it works for all things in life. You look at what something might cost in order to achieve in order to determine if it is even worth going down that route." He stood up and smiled cheerfully. "Ice cream."

"Ice cream?"

"Its an old man's vice, did you know that? Young men smoke and drink and gamble but an old man enjoys ice cream instead because it becomes their decadent little treat."

"I think everyone enjoys ice cream," Harry pointed out.

"You'll understand when you're older," Slughorn stated with a shrug. "But just because you enjoy something doesn't mean you experience the love of it as much as others do. Tell me, what is your favorite kind of ice cream?" Harry opened his mouth only for Slughorn to cut him off. "Think carefully there. I don't mean 'Well, this is the kind I like' or 'if I have to choose between chocolate and vanilla I'll go with this one'. I mean if you were only able to have one more bowl before all ice cream was eliminated from the universe… what would you chose to enjoy?"

Harry, despite the strangeness of the conversation, found himself actually deeply considering that. It was odd… he'd never actually thought about it even though is seemed like such a simple question. And when he began to think deeply about it he found that for such a simple question it didn't have a simple answer. Ice cream hadn't been something he'd tried until Hagrid had taken him for a cone during their shopping trip in Gallahad. And while the Hogwarts Pokemon could make all kinds of ice cream when the winters saw the mercury drop down lower than the temp gauge in the freezer one didn't indulge in frozen treats. That left the summer and usually he didn't have casual days where he went and got a cone. So there were probably so many flavors he'd never considered…

…but then his mind went to one kind and he nodded.

"Pumpkaboo spice," he stated, "with white chocolate chips mixed right into it and a vanilla swirl."

"A very fine choice!" Slughorn said with a grin, tossing away his rag and grabbing another. "I at the moment like Salty Caramel Sawbuck. Though if you'd asked me a year before I'd have said Strawberry cheesecake." He chuckled and patted his stomach. "Of course I can't indulge as much as I might like… my doctor is forever getting on me to lose more weight. It seems as if no matter how much I do, however, I can only maintain my figure where it now is. If you ever see me huffing and puffing as I walk about the school know it's because Prof. Dumbledore has gotten a new flavor stocked in the kitchens and I want a bowl.

"But that is cost and sum. Yes, the brief enjoyment I get from the ice cream is wonderful… but the extra pounds I gain aren't worth it. Not unless I do something else to balance the scales, as it were. It is something I must weigh all the time, in all aspects of my life. How I teach, how I spend my free time… all of it. Around 15 years ago I decided that the money I got from teaching wasn't worth the time it cost me and the pain I knew would come from having to try and rebuild trust in Slytherin after Voldemort used so many in my house for his own ends. So I retired, wrote my memoirs, and tried my hand at fishing… which I was rather poor at. I couldn't even get a Magikarp most days. But things change… we change… and I decided that it was time for me to reevaluate my choices. And I found that with the new environment and the new chances I had… and my new outlook on life… that the reward went far beyond the cost."

Harry quietly nodded, wondering if this would be the point when Slughorn would try and invite him to a Slug Club party or the like.

"But the strange thing is, Mr. Potter, when you think about cost and sum so much you can't help but see it in other people's actions as well. And you wonder if you would have made the same choices they did. Let us use for example a student. They want to regain some of their standing in their house that they have lost this year. So they weigh their options and decide to make a statement. One that, if caught, could result in detentions, points lost, perhaps even suspension from school. They think though that it is worth the risk… that they've minimized the risk. That they've made the risk so slight that it can't possibly hurt them. Of course… that doesn't mean the risks aren't there. It merely means they believe that they've rid themselves of the risks… and they could be so very wrong."

Harry let out a sigh. "Is this where you give your justification of letting Draco off the hook? Like every other professor in this school?" He had figured that Slughorn was going to give him that speech the moment he asked him to stay behind while letting Draco walk free and now braced himself for it.

However the Head of Slytherin merely regarded Harry with interest and feigned confusion. "What do you think would have happened had I taken points or given him a detention? Would that have stopped him? You know Draco better than that, Mr. Potter… don't disappoint me by being purposely naïve."

"So what? You just let him do whatever he wants without punishment then?"

"Who said I wasn't going to punish him, hmmm?" SLughorn asked. "Have you ever heard that death is far too quick? The same is true when it comes to the more standard punishments a professor can use. I prefer the old Kanto proverb… let them die from a thousand cuts." He paused, eyes going wide in an innocent gesture that Harry didn't believe for a second. "Oh my. I shouldn't say death and student in the same sentence, should I? Very improper of me. Please forgive the slip of the tongue, would you Harry?" He rolled his eyes but nodded. "I could rather easily give Draco detention or remove points but he would find a way to twist that into some kind of badge of honor. Use it to regain a bit of the power he once held in my house. And meanwhile his father, despite the loss of power he himself has suffered, would use his contacts and connections to cause problems for me."

"So you just let him get away with it then?" Harry demanded.

"Please try and keep up, Mr. Potter, I thought we already had this covered." Harry glowered at that but didn't say a word and Slughorn, with a pleased smile, continued on. "Now, I could do all the things we know won't work… or I could use this as a dagger that I keep hovering over Mr. Malfoy's head to get him to perform tasks that aide me and Slytherin. Tutor younger students, assist with projects in the dorms, keep him from getting into further trouble by letting it slip that pushing too much might cause me to look into his actions…"

Harry couldn't help it… he gaped in shock at the professor who merely watched him before patting his hand.

"Tell me, Mr. Potter… do you know what your greatest failure is?" He wanted to say so many things but Slughorn cut him off before he could say a word. "You think far too much like a Gryffindor." He held out his hand before Harry could even hope to protest. "I'm not saying there isn't a place for Gryffindor tendencies. In fact one of things I've fought with when it comes to my Slytherins is getting them to see that it is okay to be like a Gryffindor at times." He sighed, clearly in pain as he remembered an old battle that still somehow raged on. "Far too many of them think that because we are cunning that is all they should do, day in and day out. Make plans and more plans and plans to counter other plans. Except that is utterly foolish because what good are plans if you don't have the courage to actually see them through? Or the wisdom to craft them properly? Or the loyalty in others to make our plans come to life?

"You are brave, Mr. Potter. I doubt anyone would deny that. And you are smart. Loyal… nearly to a fault. But your cunning at times seems… stunted. I've heard of you being cunning but more often than not you let your boldness override your cunning and it leads to pain and suffering. Slowking… he said that you could been in any of the houses, did he not?"

"He did."

"Then show it." With that Slughorn took the cleaning supplies away. "I think I've kept you long enough."

"Professor?" Harry asked. "How did you know Slowking show me being in more than one house?"

"You hold the record for taking the longest to sort." The Head of Slytherin smirked. "You just beat mine."

Harry gapped at him.

"See you next class."

~MC~MC~MC~

Omake- The Adventures of Goh!

Part 1

(18 months ago)

"I'm beginning to think that this map Ash sent me is a load of bull," Goh muttered to himself. The young man had been off in Galar searching for more Pokemon to add to his team when Ash had contacted him, claiming that he had learned of Mew's location and that if Goh simply got to some little known island he would find the legendary Pokemon.

But all Goh saw, as he pulled his rowboat ashore, was rocks and sand.

Of course Mew didn't leave obvious signs… otherwise anyone would be able to find her! But Goh had spent years learning about Mew and was skilled at telling where she was.

And it wasn't here.

"Probably Jessie and James pulling a prank on him," Goh muttered; even though the Rockets had retired they still liked to screw with him. "Just water and sand and-"

"Blib"

"-babies and some stones and…" Goh paused, going over what he'd just said before slowly tilting his head and looking at the little playpen that was sitting on the beach and the four babies that were inside. "What the hell?" he muttered, walking up to the tots who all looked at him and smiled. The youngest, a bald little chap in a diaper and a blue shirt, giggled and held out his arms. "Seriously, what are you four doing here?" He glanced around the side of the pen and saw a note that said, "Be Back In 10 Minutes" taped to the playpen. "Seriously? What the-"

And that's when the first explosion rocked the island.

"Shit!" Goh murmured as he saw the flames and smoke rising in the distance. He tossed out a Pokemon, sending his Hypno out. "What is going on?"

The Psychic type focused before its eyes went wide. 'Leave!'

"What?"

'We must leave, now!'

"But the explosions… there might be people-"

'They are already dead, Goh! These babies… they are the children of this island! We have to get them out of here NOW!'

Goh finally nodded. "Right. Up we go kids!" Him and Hypno gathered the four babies and quickly got them in the rowbow, the Psychic-type making sure they didn't fall into the water as Goh pushed the boat into the water and began to paddle as fast as he could.

Behind him the island of Little Surrey was bathed in flames and blood as it became the first true victim of Nocturne's return.