I do not own Harry Potter, only the OC
Hello guys, Badger here. I hope you are all doing well. There was a small delay with this chapter, though I'm sure you guys understand. I'm in University after all. And I may have had a small mental breakdown a couple of days ago. I'm not sure what's going on with my mind but maybe I should get checked. However, the last couple of days have given me time to think about future chapters as well as ideas for new stories entirely. One of which is a crossover. On my profile you can find a poll. All you have to do is vote on which crossover you would like to see. Easy isn't it.
Anyway, that is all for now, I hope you enjoy the new chapter and I will see you at the end.
Chapter 4
A Rivalry In The Making
Hey there champ,
I'm sorry it's been a couple of weeks since my last letter. Things are a bit insane at the Auror Training Corp, I just haven't had time. Mad Eye, my mentor, has had me working hard. I know you have a long time ahead of you, until you need to decide on your future, but you may want to think about a few things first.
But enough about that. How have you been? I hope that Hogwarts has been fun for you so far. I know it was for me. I'm not surprised that you were put into Ravenclaw, you always did seem smart, whenever we hung out. Though I was kind of hoping that my influence would want you to be placed in Hufflepuff. I'm kidding of course.
I'm afraid I'm going to have to end things here champ. I'm sorry for this letter being so short, but I need to get back to the training corps. I can feel Mad Eye burning holes in the back of my head.
Stay safe and I hope to see you again sometime soon.
Tonks
Harry smiled, as he read the letter Tonks had sent him. As he lived in his own room, with a window overlooking the fields around Hogwarts, his owl Dumbledore had gifted him, a snowy owl Harry called Hedwig, Harry was able to have mail personally sent to his room as long as he kept his window open. The letter Tonks had sent him was waiting for him, on his bedside table. It still fascinated Harry that he and Tonks were great friends considering their age difference. If it wasn't for that day, three years ago, they wouldn't even know each other:
Nymphadora Tonks was walking alone, down one of the many corridors of Hogwarts. She had just finished her OWL exams for the day and she was hungry, so she decided to go to the Hogwarts kitchens, which was located near the Hufflepuff Common Room. As she was walking to the kitchens, a noise alerted her and she saw, what looked like, a small child quickly closing a door to an abandoned classroom, seemingly hiding. Curious, and concerned, she approached the classroom, slowly opening the door. It was dark inside the classroom, so Tonks took out her wand and cast a Lumos spell, allowing her to properly see. As the light illuminated the room, she saw the young child hiding under a desk, who jumped at the sudden light and backed away a bit, looking worried.
"Hey, it's okay" Tonks said, slowly getting down to her knees, in front of the child "I've not seen you around here, can you come out please?"
Tonks watched, as the young child crawled out from under the desk, where she was greeted by the greenest eyes she had ever seen. The child seemed to be younger then ten years old, making Tonks wonder who the child was, and why they were here.
"Who are you?" The child asked
"I'm Tonks" Tonks smiled gently, "and who are you?"
"H-Harry Potter" The child replied, nervously
Tonks' eyes widened, when she saw the faint scar poking out from under his raven black hair.
"So this is where you've been" she smiled "how come you're hiding from me?"
"Dumbledore doesn't want people to know I'm here" Harry replied "He believes it will be safer…I was going to the kitchen for food, when I saw you, so decided to hide"
Tonks felt like that made sense. From the stories her mother had told her, Harry was somehow responsible for the death of You-Know-Who and some of his followers are still out there. If word of Harry living at Hogwarts got out to the public and Death Eaters heard the news, they'd, no doubt, break in and try to take him, or worse.
"I was heading to the kitchens myself" Tonks said, after a moment "If you're still hungry, we can go together, and I'll make sure no one will see you if anyone enters"
"O-Okay" Harry replied
Tonks held out a hand for Harry to take. Harry was hesitant for a second, before reaching out and holding onto her hand. Keeping Harry close to her, Tonks opened the classroom door, looking to make sure no one else was around, before leading Harry to the kitchens.
Ever since that day, for Harry, he saw Tonks as an older sister, and felt like she was someone he could rely on. He was sad he didn't get to spend his First Year, with her still at Hogwarts, but he knew he would see her again sometime. Pocketing the letter, Harry left his room and quickly made his way to the Great Hall for breakfast. He wanted to get something to eat, before lessons began for the day.
…
Dumbledore stood alone, in an empty room. The large golden mirror, that was the Mirror of Erised loomed over him. He had been standing there for a short while. His reflection was staring back at him, his reflection was surrounded by his family, happy and smiling. Beside him stood Harry, who was now a young man, looking strong and powerful. Whilst Harry was growing up, every now and then, Dumbledore used mild Legilimency, to root inside the boys mind and make sure his Magical Core was developing nicely and to see if there were any late effects, to Voldemort's Killing Curse. However, over the years, Dumbledore saw Harry's Magical Core develop further then the average witch or wizard, when their core's first develop, meaning Harry's magical ability was above average for his age. This was why Dumbledore wanted the boy to be trained, as soon as he began Hogwarts, as with the right training, Dumbledore was certain he could become the most powerful wizard of all time. After a moment, the door opened. Dumbledore didn't need to look, to know it was McGonagall, he could see her reflection in the mirror.
"Minerva" He greeted, taking a step back from the mirror
"Albus" McGonagall nodded "preparations have been made to defend the stone…I imagine by the end of the week, the defences will be put in place"
"Good, good" Dumbledore said, a small smile on his face "I wish it wasn't necessary to do this, but after the attempt in Gringotts, it's necessary"
"Do you think the Dark Lord will try and send someone to retrieve it, if he found out it was here?" McGonagall asked, clearly worried "It's possible they'll go after Harry too, if they find him"
"Don't worry Minerva" Dumbledore replied, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder "it's unlikely, but they'll need to get through the Hogwarts Wards before they could even get to the stone and I share equal worry about Harry, but I will never let anyone take him…you have my word on that"
…
Harry stood with James, Aila, Blaise, Astoria, Ginny, Neville, Michael and Susan, talking amongst themselves, as they stood outside the Potions classroom, waiting for Professor Snape to open the door, so the lesson can begin. As they were talking, Harry was approached by a boy in Slytherin robes. He had short, mousy brown hair, a thin face and looked quite weedy and stringy, with a sickly pale complexion. He didn't look like he was a kind and pleasant person.
"Harry Potter" The boy said, in greeting
"Who are you?" Harry asked "And what do you want?"
"I am Theodore Nott, you haven't been seen for some time, no doubt you could use someone to teach you more about the Wizarding World, and learn who you should, and shouldn't hang around with, especially the wrong sort of people" The boy replied, looking to Harry's friends with mild disgust, before turning back to Harry, a smirk on his face "I can help you there"
Nott held out his hand, the look on his face telling Harry that Nott was expecting him to shake it. Harry's eyes narrowed, disliking the smugness and attitude Nott had and slapped his hand away.
"I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself thanks" He said
The look in Nott's eyes darkened and was about to respond, when the door opened, revealing the dark figure that was Professor Snape. Harry always felt like Snape was a vampire, due to his pale skin and dark robes. However he kept that information to himself. Nott took a few steps back, as Snape looked to each and every student, before telling them to enter. Harry wasn't sure what it was, but there was always a musty smell inside the potions classroom. Whether it was from the many ingredients on the shelves, the damp stone, the cauldrons bubbling with various liquids, or a mixture of all three, he couldn't be sure. Harry just couldn't place his finger on it. It had always been there, for as long as Harry could remember. Sitting between James and Blaise, in the front row, Harry turned his attention to Snape, as he began talking to the classroom.
"Just so you know, I do not tolerate disobedience or silly wand waving in this class, so keep your wands, inside your robe holsters" Snape drawled "Now, I don't expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and art of potion making, however…to those who have the talent, I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses, I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory…even put a stopper, in death…of course, such things won't be possible for mere First Years, such complex potions can lead to, disastrous consequences, should they go wrong…which is why, you will be working on the more simpler potions…"
Turning to the blackboards behind him, Snape waved his wand, where instructions, titled 'Cure for Boils' appeared in white chalk. Turning back to the class, Snape crossed his arms and made sure everyone was paying attention, before he began talking again.
"The Cure for Boils" He said "A simple concoction, not too difficult to brew, though a few have struggled in the past, however I am certain that most, if not all, of you will be able to brew a perfect potion…or at least, acceptable…now get to it"
As the students started gathering their ingredients, Snape sat at his desk, keeping a discreet eye on Harry. Snape would never admit it to anyone, but he had a soft spot for the boy. Over the years, he started caring more and more for him. Harry had the same curiosity and intelligence Lily did when she was his age:
Snape was sat at his desk, going over the latest exam results from the Fifth Years. Some of the answers made him sneer in disgust. It was clear which dunderheads weren't going to be in his Potions class next year. A sound beside him, made Snape turn, where he saw a five year old Harry sitting on the floor, looking up at Snape, his green eyes full of childish joy, innocence and curiosity. Snape was certain the young boy was starting to have random bouts of accidental magic, as he always seemed to appear in random parts of the castle from nowhere.
"What are you doing down here?" Snape asked, slightly irritated, picking Harry up and placing him down on his desk
"'Sploring" Harry replied
"Well, stay here" Snape ordered "It's not safe for you to go exploring or wandering around"
Removing his wand, Snape sent a messenger Patronus to McGonagall, so she can come and collect him, as she wouldn't be teaching anyone and was the closest one to his classroom. After the doe pranced out of his classroom, Snape turned back to grading his papers, however, the sound of Harry giggling diverted his attention. He looked to see Harry was looking at the many vials and potion bottles on the desk. Each one full of different potions, of all colors, each one fizzing and bubbling slightly.
"Pretty colours" Harry said, giggling again "Fizzy…"
Watching Harry's childlike joy, Snape had an idea. Removing his wand once more, Snape stood up and gained Harry's attention. Harry then watched, with wide eyes, as Snape began creating sparks and lights of all colours, each spark dancing across the classroom. This is a sight McGonagall would walk in on a ten minutes later.
Snape was certain that day was the reason why he had begun caring for Harry. As McGonagall had seen Snape entertaining Harry with colourful sparks and lights, she often teased him, stating that he did have a heart after all, as it was clear he cared for Harry. Again, Snape would never admit that he cared. He often kept a neutral stance with Harry, but both McGonagall and Harry knew that he did care, deep down. Standing up from his desk, Snape began moving to each student, to see how their potions were going, no noticing the dark looks Nott was giving Harry.
…
Inside the Defence Classroom, Quirrell pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to will away the headache that felt like a Bludger had impacted the back of his head. Partly because of the children he had to teach, to keep up his ruse, and partly because of the irritating rat that he was talking too, through the floo network in his office.
"Remember Quirrell" The man said "Our Master demands that you do not fail…he needs the stone to grant him a new body…you and I both know that failure is not an option, he may be weak, but he still has the means and resources to kill you if necessary"
"Yes, I know" Quirrell growled, having heard everything all before "I haven't forgotten you know…I just need some time to properly plan this out…if my speculation is correct, the stone is being kept on the Third Floor, which is ridiculously large…I need to figure out where the old fool placed the stone and make my way through any possible defences placed to guard it"
"Whatever" The voice replied, dismissively "Just get it done, the master is running out of patience…and he had very little to begin with"
With that, the Floo Network went out, signifying the end of the call. Quirrell felt like blasting the fireplace to bits, at the rats attitude. Quirrell was sure that he had his uses, but he didn't understand why the Dark Lord kept the pathetic being around. Quirrell placed his head in his hands, as he sat down at his desk. His job was harder than he expected. Quirrell sometimes wondered why he returned to Britain. He was beginning to think that he should have stayed in America. He tried to explore the Third Floor the previous night, but it was being patrolled by other members of staff. If he was to explore the area, to find the stone, he was going to need to create a diversion. Until then, he was going to play the fool, until he could find the opportune moment to strike.
…
And the new chapter is done. What did you guys think?
When planning this story, I also had the idea for Harry and Tonks to have a brother and sister relationship, and we'll see more of this when she is properly introduced into the story, but that won't happen for some time yet, as I have decided what direction I will take this story. Expect the story to divert massively from canon after Chamber of Secrets, though expect some changes for Philosophers Stone and Chamber of Secrets.
Now, before submitting this chapter, I read it through and made a change. Originally, the confrontation between Harry and Nott was between Harry and Malfoy. However, Malfoy has been an antagonist in most of my stories so far, so I decided to change who Harry's main rival in school will be and because I want to do more with Theodore Nott, like I did with my first story, he was selected. Malfoy may become a minor antagonist at some point, but as of now, I don't quite know what to do with him. Only time will tell.
That is all for now. I hope you enjoyed, and I will see you next time.
Badger Out
