I do not own Harry Potter, only the OC

Hello guys, Badger here. It is good to see that you seem to have enjoyed Chapter 2 even if I didn't. I am even happy to see that some of you have given me ideas in terms of ships and people who should be added into the story. I have been given a few ideas that I am putting into consideration, but it isn't too late to give me ideas. Anyway, here is Chapter 3, I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 3

Secrets, Lessons and Confrontations

It was the next morning. Harry awoke, feeling a lot better than he has ever been. If James stuck true to his word, the Dursleys will be arrested for the abuse they have put him through, for the past ten years. He just hoped that James knew what he was doing, as he said yesterday; every attempt to tell someone of their mistreatment had failed. After rubbing the crust from his eyes, he sat up in bed, putting his glasses on. The bed he slept him had been so comfortable. Much better than the mattress he slept on in the cupboard under the stairs.

"Morning" James said, coming out from the rooms private bathroom, already dressed in his uniform

Unlike the previous day, his clothing was messy His robe was still neat and smooth, but his tie was hanging loose, like that of a stereotypical sitcom working dad, with the top three buttons of his shirt undone. His jumper was dishevelled. His jeans looked neat, but seemed to have rips in the knees, almost like he ripped them himself and his shoes had been tied just loose enough to allow more movement, whilst also making sure they weren't so loose, that they end up flying off his feet. Harry wasn't sure what it was, but he made the look work.

"Morning" Harry replied "What time is it?"

"Almost 8" James said "Just enough time for breakfast, before lessons start"

"Okay, I'll get ready" Harry said, getting up

James nodded and started double checking, to make sure he had everything he was going to need. Harry started getting dressed, when he noticed something on James' bedside table. It was a picture. There was a person on it. Judging by the purple hair, it seemed to be James, though he looked a bit younger. Harry couldn't help but notice the photo seemed to be folded, hiding something on the other side. Curiosity got the better of Harry and he started reaching for it. That was when a hand shot out and grabbed the photo. He looked up, to see James staring at him. Fear and sadness were in his eyes, as he held the photo close to him.

"Don't" He said, his voice quiet, barely above a whisper "Don't go through my things"

"O-Okay" Harry said nervously "I'm sorry"

"It's okay" James sighed, pocketing the photo "I'll wait for you outside"

Harry watched as James left. He hoped he hadn't done anything too bad to hurt James, but he couldn't be sure. The fear and sadness in James' eyes after he took away the photo was concerning, but decided not to press on the matter. He wanted to ask James about it, but decided to wait for now, to see if he talks about it. After getting dressed, with his uniform being neat and tidy, he left the bedroom, to see James waiting for him, as he leant against one of the Common Room couches.

"Hey" He said, smiling gently "Ready to go?"

"Yeah" Harry replied, as he followed James out

"Listen" James said, as they made their way to the Great Hall "Don't worry about what happened back there…I should've told you beforehand…that photo…there is some things I don't want to talk about, maybe one day, but not right now…so if you don't mind, I'd rather we just forget about it for now"

Harry could see that James was hesitant and struggling to say what he needed to say. Whatever was on the photo, it must have been difficult for him.

"Sure thing, I understand"

James smiled softly, as they entered the Great Hall and sat down at the Slytherin table. The Great Hall was quite full up, with only a few students missing. Harry had only started plating up some food, when he saw that quite a few people were staring at him.

"W-why are people staring at me?" He asked

"You're the Boy-Who-Lived" James shrugged "People expected you to be a Gryffindor like your parents, so they are just surprised you are a Slytherin…give them time, the shock will blow over soon"

Harry could only nod, unsure on what to say. He looked up, however, when he saw that James took out some paper, a quill and ink, before he started writing.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked

"If we are to get your relatives locked up for what they did to you, we need to inform the right person" James replied, as he folded up the paper and put it in an envelope, writing someone's name on it "Excuse me"

Harry watched, as James stood up and headed towards a girl with red hair. Harry recognised her from the Sorting, but couldn't remember her name, other then the fact that she was in Hufflepuff.

"Hey Susan" James said

"Oh, hey James" Susan replied, turning to him "Can I help you?"

"When you get the chance, can you send this to your aunt?" James asked, handing her the enclosed letter "It is quite important"

"What's in it?" Susan asked, as she took the letter

"It's for her eyes only" James replied, seriously

"God, it must be serious" Susan said, as she pocketed the letter "I'll send it out after lessons today"

"Thanks Susan" James smiled "You're a doll"

Harry watched, as James made his way back over to him and sat back down.

"Who was that?" He asked

"Susan Bones" James replied "Her Aunt is the Head of The DMLE, otherwise known as the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, she will listen, not to mention she is part of the Alliance"

"What is the Alliance?" Harry asked

"The Alliance are a group in the Ministry and Wizengamot, consisting of many Ancient and Noble Houses" James explained "The Bones and Badger families are a part of the Alliance…and so are the Potters"

"Really?" Harry asked

"Yes…I'll have to explain to you just how powerful your family is, at some point" James sighed "That reminds me…you'll have to look into receiving your Lordship and family ring"

"My what?"

"As you are the last remaining Potter, you are the only one who can claim Lordship of the Potter family, as well as the Potter family ring…After we get your relatives locked up, we can go to Gringotts and get it sorted out"

Harry nodded, trying to comprehend everything he had just heard, before he asked a question that came to mind.

"Do you have a family ring?" He asked

"Yes" James replied "The Badger family are ancient…possibly one of the oldest families in the Wizarding World…after my parents were…killed in the war, the Lordship went to me…I just have yet to claim it"

"Don't you have any other family?" Harry asked

A haunted, and hesitant, look appeared on James' face. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, as if thinking of an answer, before he was able to find his voice.

"No" He said "I did have an uncle, my father's brother…my parents, like many, went into hiding during the war, when things turned rough…my uncle also went into hiding in Australia, but every method of tracking him have failed, and seeing it's been 10 years since anyone has seen or heard from him, he has been declared dead"

It was that moment, where Professor Snape approached them.

"I have your schedules for the year" He said, "I hope you do this House proud"

"We will sir" James replied, whilst Harry only nodded.

Snape nodded in return, before he walked off, to hand out the rest of the schedules. James looked at his schedule, before looking to Harry.

"We have Transfiguration first" he said "Breakfast will be ending soon, so we might as well head there now"

Harry nodded, as they started to leave. He couldn't help but notice that James seemed hesitant to talk about his family, just like how he was hesitant to talk about his photo. It seemed James definitely had a few secrets.

James and Harry entered and sat down at one of the front desks. They were the only ones there. A small cat was sat on the desk, staring at them. James narrowed his eyes at the cat, before he shrugged and leant back in his seat. They were only in there for a couple of minutes before someone else came in. Judging by the bushiness of her hair, her name was Hermione Granger, if he remembered correctly, from the Sorting. She looked very happy, only for that smile to drop when she saw the two of them sat at their desk.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded

"Waiting for our lesson to start" James replied, in a bored tone "Thought that was obvious…better to be here early then end up late"

Hermione had no response for that, so just huffed and sat down at one of the other front desks.

"What was with her?" Harry whispered

"She is one of those students" James replied, softly "She is a student who loves to learn and wants to be the first for everything…I won't be surprised if she throws a fit, if someone does a spell before her"

"How can you tell all of that?" Harry asked

"I have been around a few in my time" James shrugged

"What are you two talking about?" Hermione demanded

"We are discussing a rather difficult question" James lied

"What is the question?"

"How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood" James replied, with a straight face, though humour was in his eyes "I think it is up to ten, what about you?"

The question completely caught Hermione off guard, so she sat there, staring into nothing, as she thought about the question. She was still thinking about it, when the other students started to enter the room. Malfoy glared at both Harry and James, but said nothing as sat at the back of the room, away from the two of them. Though he still glared at them. Once everyone was sat down at their desks, the cat jumped off the desk and transformed into the stern figure of Professor McGonagall. She looked across the room, almost smiling at the awestruck look on the students faces. She took note of Harry who looked mesmerised by what he saw, whilst James looked surprised and curious. She approached the front of the classroom, as she addressed the class.

"Welcome to your first Transfiguration Class" She said "Transfiguration, is a branch of magic, that focuses on alteration of the form, or appearance of an object. Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned. As you are First Years, you won't be learning more complex spells. For the time being, you will be learning the more simple spells. Starting with Par Acus, otherwise known as the 'match to needle' spell"

McGonagall waved her wand, where matches appeared in front of each student, again surprising a few students.

"Don't be discouraged if you don't get the spell to work" She said "Not many students are able to get the spell done within the first lesson…now get to it"

Everyone started to practice the spell, before the door opened and two people ran in. It was Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom. Ron, in particular, paled slightly when he saw McGonagall.

"Boys" She said firmly "Care to explain why you entered my classroom late?"

"W-we…overslept" Ron stammered

"YOU overslept!" Neville spoke up "I'm only late, because I had to go and wake you up"

"Well perhaps I should turn one of you into a pocket watch" McGonagall said "Maybe then the other will be on time…now take your seats"

The two boys sat at the only two seats available and McGonagall informed them what she said about the rest of the class and gave them a match, before telling everyone to get back to it. She walked across every row of desks, to see how each and every student was doing. One particular student, Hermione Granger, kept staring at her match, like the match was offending her by not doing what the spell was meant to do. Then, she came across Harry and James' desk. Harry seemed to be struggling, whereas James simply waved his wand over the match, where it slowly but surely turned into a perfect needle.

"Amazing spell work" McGonagall said "That needle is simply excellent, take 15 points for Slytherin Mr Badger"

"Thank you Professor" James smiled, not noticing the glares coming from Hermione, before he turned to Harry "Need some help there?"

"If…if it won't be a bother" Harry said

"You ever need help, just ask" James shrugged "Now let's see what you are doing"

For the rest of the lesson, James helped Harry turning the match into a needle. It took a while, but he was able to do it, earning himself 15 points for Slytherin as well. The needle may not have been as perfect as James' but it was still excellent. The only other person who was able to get the spell to work was Hermione Granger, who did not look happy. As the students were making their way to their next lesson, she stopped the two boys in the corridor.

"How did you do it?" She demanded

"Sorry, who the fuck are you?" James asked, smirking knowing full well who she was

"Language!" Hermione scolded, looking at him with absolute shock on her face

"English, darling, same as you" James replied "And you didn't answer my question, who are you?"

"Hermione Granger" She said "How did you do it?"

"I have done a few things in my life" James shrugged "Care to be more specific?"

"You turned the match before me" Hermione said

"This is a problem…how?" James asked

"There is no way you could turn it before me" Hermione replied, as if it was a matter of fact "I am the brightest witch of our age and have been studying nonstop since I received my letter"

James had to stop himself from shaking his head. One lesson and she already believed she was the best? This girl was beginning to give him a headache.

"How long have you known about magic?" He asked

"Since my eleventh birthday, why?" Hermione responded, confused

"I have known about magic my entire life" James replied "While you were reading children's books, I was reading books full of magic and spells…I have more knowledge about magic then you could ever have…just because you study hard and memorise words on a page, does not make you smart, just means your memory is good…I sure hope you grasp this before your arrogance gets on everyone's nerves"

James then spun on his heel and walked away, leaving Hermione standing in the corridor gaping like a fish. Harry quickly followed James, after spending the whole conversation standing off to the side, wondering what was about to happen.

"What just happened back there?" He asked

"She did what I said earlier" James replied "She threw a hissy fit because someone is better than her"

"Do you think she listen to what you said to her?"

"Are you kidding?" James scoffed "If she is as arrogant as I believe her to be, then everything I have said would have gone through one ear and out the other…now come on Potions next"

The two of them walked down, into the dungeons, where there were other students waiting outside for the door to open. The two of them were talking amongst themselves for a moment, where someone spoke up.

"Hey you!"

Harry looked to see the red head, Ron Weasley approaching the them. He did not look happy.

"Can I help you Weasley?" James asked

"You lied to me!" He snarled "You lied to me about the Boy-Who-Lived! Wanted him for yourself I bet! If it wasn't for you, he would be a Gryffindor, like he should be!"

Harry watched, as Ron turned to him.

"You should look about getting yourself resorted" He said "It wouldn't do, to have you in the House of snakes…you want to be careful you don't end up with the wrong sort of people…I can help you"

Ron extended his hand to Harry. Anger briefly ran through Harry, before he calmed himself down and looked straight into the red headed boys eyes.

"I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself thanks" He said, firmly

"He has spoken Weasley" James spoke up "He wouldn't want to be friends with a parasitic leech like you anyway"

Ron went red with anger, before he lunged at James, only to be knocked backwards by an invisible shield.

"What do you think you are doing Weasley?" Snape drawled, as he stood in his classroom doorway, wand in hand

"He wasn't happy that I wouldn't tell him about Harry sir" James replied "He was getting very aggressive before he lunged at me…which you stopped"

"Very well" Snape replied "Mr Weasley, 20 points from Gryffindor…everyone enter"

"I'm glad that he was knocked on his ass" James whispered to Harry

Harry laughed quietly, before they entered the Potions classroom.

That was Chapter 3. I hope you enjoyed. I know it was a bit of an odd place to end, but if I put the Potions Classroom scene in the chapter, I feel it would have gone on for too long, so I decided to put it into the next chapter. It also seems that James is keeping secrets from Harry, especially about the photo. If you think you have an idea as to what might have been on the photo, that would worry James, let me know in the review section. We also had a brief introduction to Susan Bones and Neville Longbottom. Will they become part of the friend group? Who knows?

For the spell Par Acus, I couldn't find anything about an actual incantation for the match to needle spell, so I just put 'match to needle' in Google Translate, switched to Latin and wrote what came up. We have also had the first small dose of Hermione bashing. Did you enjoy it? I couldn't help but think Hermione was too arrogant at times, believing she was the smartest around, and others seem to agree, so I had James rip her a new one, but will she listen? We'll see.

As college has started up again, I am going to have to balance between project work, personal work and fanfiction, but I will try and post a least one chapter every week, maybe two if possible.

Once more, I hope you enjoyed and I will see you in Chapter 4.

Badger out