Hey!!! Here's another chapter for you all. Thanks to my reviewers: Slasherbabe, Charlie-Potter1, Anime Flame, Chibi-NarutoKawaii, FredandGeorgeRmine, pure-darkness-500, VoldemortsVeela, Sparrow Greenleaf, please keep reviewing, or review if you haven't. It isn't a sin to review you know!!!!

Chapter Three – Dumbledore's News

Up, up, up the stairs continued to the fourth floor where the gargoyle that led to Dumbledore's office stood. There was a continuous resounding noise of thump, thump, thump, pound, pound, pound of his feet on the hard, grey, unforgiving concrete. Nothing could change this sound, it would follow him everywhere, and it would always appear as long as he kept on walking whether he liked it or not.

'What am I letting myself in for?' Harry thought with bad grace. 'Everything from now on will be different, my present will affect my future but unfortunately nothing can change my bloody past.' Harry shook his head and came to an abrupt halt only to realise he had passed the gargoyle.

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Harry positioned himself in front of the gargoyle taking in each part of it piece by piece, curve by curve, feature by feature and detail by detail. As he stood there knowing that the gargoyle there in front of him was real, solid and complete, it all seemed so unreal that it was almost a dream.

Then slowly without saying anything, the gargoyle began to move round and round. (AN I know it does this in the film but does this actually happen in the books? I wasn't sure) Harry stepped onto the rotating stairs which lifted him up towards Dumbledore's office.

'Why me? Why was I the one? What happened to make me special? Yes, I was marked by Voldermort as his equal but why did it come to this? Why can't I just be a fucking normal boy with as fucking normal family as I can get and a fucking normal life? Is that too much to ask?' Harry considered as he turned round and round in a never ending spiral.

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Just as Harry reached the door and brought his hand up to knock he heard a very precise and clear, 'Come in,' from inside.

'He really does know everything,' Harry thought, he shook his head and walked in.

Harry found Dumbledore sitting behind his desk with Fawkes perched on his shoulder – Fawkes was tunefully singing his eerie song. Dumbledore smiled at Harry, his eyes twinkling and indicated for him to sit on the seat nearest him. Harry started towards the chair but faltered and twisted slowly on the spot, taking in the room. It hadn't changed much since he'd been in here last; he saw the walls plastered with the portraits of the old headmasters all looking eagerly at him. The piles upon piles of books, some in English, some in very weird, illegible languages and some with absolutely no indication of words. Then of course there were the silver instruments that lined the floors and scattered tables and then back to Dumbledore himself, who was still smiling at Harry.

'This is so weird, yet it's perfectly normal and it's what I know,' Harry thought and then he sat himself down content for now.

'Satisfied?' Asked Dumbledore kindly.

Harry gave him a weak smile and a muttered 'yes.'

'Good, now I'm not going to bother dancing around the point anymore, I saw what that did to you last year.'

'Aren't you the bloody smart arse,' Harry thought.

Dumbledore coughed, 'if I may continue...... You are going to have some very intense and hard training this year – so extra Defence Against The Dark Arts, Potions and Occlumency lessons will be required.' Dumbledore paused and Harry jumped in with a question,

'Are all these lessons going to be with Snape?!'

'Harry, as I have told you before, it's Professor Snape and no they won't all be with Professor Snape,' Dumbledore said calmly, while enunciating the 'professor' part of the sentence.

'Oh,' said Harry rather embarrassed.

'Professor Snape will be tutoring you on extra potions of course, and I have decided that I will be teaching you Occlumency because it is obvious that old grudges do not die as easily as I'd hoped. As for the extra Defence Against The Dark Arts you will have another teacher, surprise, surprise, and he is a friend of mine as well as yours.' Harry looked at Dumbledore questionably. 'He now goes by the name of Professor Remus Lupin.'

'Really? Is he here? When do I get to see him again?' And for the first time in a very long time there was a genuine smile on Harry's face.

Dumbledore chuckled, 'I'm afraid not Harry, he does not arrive for another two days, so all Defence Against The Dark Arts lessons shall be cancelled until he is here.' Harry sighed a contented sigh. 'Why the sigh?' Dumbledore asked.

Harry glanced at Professor Dumbledore with a guilty look playing on his face. 'It's just...um...well...to do with the third year.' Harry cleared his throat. 'Um...Sn...sorry, Professor Snape...took Defence Against The Dark Arts...bad...wasn't good.' Harry's stammering came to a standstill and cautiously looked at Professor Dumbledore, who had his fingers pressed tightly together and was looking at them with what looked like utter concentration, almost as if he were trying to out stare them.

Only then did Harry realise the Dumbledore had begun to speak. 'Yes Harry, I realise now it was a mistake and as you can see I am not going along that path again. Anyway back to more pressing business, you. I can gather that because you are a) not stupid and b) not blind or deaf that you know this is in preparation fro an almost certain war against Lord Voldemort, which according to my sources shall be possibly either at the end of this academic year or more likely during your seventh year at Hogwarts. I do not have anymore information that will possibly aid you in this coming term to do with Voldemort and I am truly sorry about that. However, if anything comes to light, you shall be the first to know about it but now to your extra training. Professor Snape has, how should I say this?' He paused of a moment. 'Reluctantly.' Harry laughed coldly. 'Agreed to teach you extra potions once a fortnight on a Wednesday evening from 8.30 – 10pm and he has told me to tell you this that if you can't make then you can forget it, those were his exact words I believe. Does this fit in with any other weekly school activities that you do?' Dumbledore enquired.

'Yes...well, seeing as the only 'school activity' I really participate in is Quidditch, and as I don't know when training will be nor if I'm still allowed to play......' Harry trailed off with a look of hope directed at Dumbledore.

'Ah, yes, the infamous ban, which of course is lifted. Don't you worry about that. Moving on, Occlumency lessons shall take place once a week, here in my office on a......shall we say, Thursday evening – I think after dinner, you'd probably concentrate more on a full stomach rather than an empty one......yes, that would be better. So from 8 – 9, yes that all works for me, you Harry?'

Harry just nodded his head in a very bemused way, as he had really just witnessed his headmaster, teacher, friend, guardian and sort of parent have a conversation with himself as if it were a perfectly normal thing to do.

'He really is amazing,' Harry thought to himself. 'Sometimes annoyingly frustrating but still bloody amazing.'

Dumbledore continued, 'The Defence Against The Dark Arts, and the training part of it.'

'Training?!' Harry interrupted.

'Yes training, combat training, martial arts, kick boxing, kung fu, all that type of training shall be on a Sunday afternoon between 2.30 and 6.30 with Professor Lupin. Then the magic side to this subject shall take place on a Monday afternoon after lunch until 5pm and then after dinner from 8 – 10pm. The magic Professor Lupin is going to teach you, is not taught at Hogwarts and I have to gain special permission to do this, so I would be grateful if you do not go around showing you new skills to others, not even Ms Granger, Mr Weasley or anyone else that may cross you path.' Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and then he sighed and was about to speak when Harry started.

'Um, Sir, what about lessons on a Monday after lunch, surely......?'

'Yes, on a Monday afternoon you would normally be having lessons, Divination to be precise but I have said to the other teachers and they agree that it would be best for you to give up this subject entirely. I hope that you do not object?' Dumbledore questioned.

'Oh no,' sighed a relieved Harry.

'And with the spare time, you shall be able to catch up on homework and such in the library or the Griffindor Common Room.' Dumbledore continued.

Harry sat there quietly watching Dumbledore from across the desk, looking at the old man but ever so suddenly his object looked back at him, straight in the eye and said, 'Any questions?'

'Any, any questions?' Harry thought. 'That's all he can say......any questions, fucking hell, he's just laid this down on me, with no offers of help or real explanation and that's all he can say. The frustrating old bugger.'

'Um, no sir I believe I understand all of that,' Harry answered quietly.

'Good, good. This will all commence as of next week, so today is Wednesday and so Sunday shall be your first training, Monday your first Defence Against The Dark Arts, Wednesday first Potions and then Thursday – Occlumency. Good......good, well Harry I think I shall say good night now, thank you for being patient and listening to me for goodness, almost two and a half hours.'

Harry stood up to leave, and was half way to the door when Dumbledore mentioned, 'Sorry Harry, just two more things.' Harry turned slowly on the spot. 'I'm very sorry about Sirius, I wish I could have helped you but I believe it was something that you had to deal with by yourself and my annoying you constantly and pestering you about how you were probably would have only aggravated you more. I am very sorry.' Dumbledore finished.

Harry was gob smacked and he didn't know the real reason why. 'Thank you sir,' Harry managed to mutter. 'Um, and the other thing?'

'Oh yes, I do not know if you know Harry but Hogwarts and it's teachers do not really tolerate what I believe the muggles call tattoos or body art. For myself, I find them rather an interesting study with such intricate designs and amazing patterns that they can create. Anyway, hmmm but please make sure you cover them up as much as possible when in class, other teachers as I have mentioned may not endure them as well as I do. Goodnight Harry.'

'Goodnight Sir.' Harry replied as he went out of Dumbledore's office with a smirk settled happily on his lips.

Well there's the next chapter. I've got another two to post soon, more encounters of Harry and Draco, it's gonna seem a little slow for a while but I've got something good for around Chapters 8-9. So you'll have to wait and see. Please R/R. It really helps and any criticism you have or any ideas would be great. Thanks, Lelimo.