The Rise of Overlord Vulcan - Rewrite!

by The Dark Dragen

Read as how a different history, having an imaginary twin sister at a young age, and a having a different life before Hogwarts changes Harry from a weak and lonely boy, to the most powerful Dark Wizard the world had ever seen - Overlord Vulcan. (Second Year Begins!) Please read and review. ON HOLD UNTIL MUSE RETURNS!

26. Chapter 23 - The Serpent's Lair: Part 7

( . v . ) = Lime.

Chapter Twenty-Three

The Serpent's Lair - Part 7!

(First Day Back.)

2nd of September:

It was Sunday morning, and whilst everyone was having a lay-in, Harry woke up early to start running with Melody, Ember, and Aneira. Harry and Mel had begun exercising over the summer holidays, with Hermione occasionally joining them. While she saw it as a good idea, it wasn't something she enjoyed doing, or that she could easily get behind - unlike books. She did see the benefit, however, and joined the pair a few times a week to keep fit.

Their run, as usual, yielded little of interest, though they did see Hagrid entering the Forbidden Forest - most likely to take care of the animals within. After the run, while Ember went on to clean up, Melody briefly pulled Harry into a small alcove to suck him off once, not minding that he was sweaty from the activity. One enjoyable release later, Harry and Melody made their way to get cleaned up before going to Great Hall for breakfast. They caught up to Hermione and Ember along the way, the two girls chatting about classes. When they got into the Great Hall, they found the Weasley twins in the midst of a brainstorming session with Lee, so they sat by themselves. Ember went off to talk to Ginny, who was at the end of the table, watching Harry.

Sadly, it was an actual rule that the students could not go to another table to eat until they got their class schedule. The trio accepted the rule easily enough, recognizing the ease it added to the Heads of House while distributing the schedules. The second everyone had their schedules, their friends came over to talk about what classes they had together.

Harry learned during these talks that Ron had crashed into the Whomping Willow, and damaged not only the tree, but his wand, as well. Both Harry and the Granger sisters thought Ron was an idiot for his impulsiveness. He should have used the Floo, as they had, or waited for his parents to return. As they were talking, Ron had entered the Great Hall and sat next to them, not saying anything.

"Hey, Harry. Hey, Hermione," Ron greeted them with a smile, "Hermione, I know I was being a prat last year. I was jealous. Harry had his powers, and you, you got your brain, and then there was me, plain old Ron. I had nothing, and because of that, I acted like a git. What I'm trying to say is that I am sorry, I apologized to Harry this summer, and well, I'm apologizing to you, too."

Hermione looked at Harry, wanting to know the truth and hoping for some guidance.

"It's true," Harry shrugged, "I accepted, but he knows what'll happen if he crosses the line again."

She looked between Ron and Harry, wondering why Harry would have accepted Ron's apology. Apologizing was uncharacteristic of Ron, and it couldn't have been easy for Harry to forgive him, either.

"I still have some issues I'm trying to work out, but I'm hoping to get another chance to be your friend," the redhead admitted, shocking many of those around them.

"Hmm, if Harry accepted your apology, so will I," Hermione told her former best friend, before warning him, "Don't make the same mistake, Ronald."

"I understand. I'll try my best to behave," Ron said with a smile before he tucked into his breakfast.

Melody had joined them, and Hermione introduced her sister to Ron as the mail arrived. Neville had gotten a package with things that he forgot to bring from home, much to his embarrassment.

"Errol!" Ron cried, pulling the bedraggled family owl out by the feet from the bowl of mashed potatoes he'd crashed into. Errol slumped, unconscious, falling to the table. His legs were in the air, and a damp, red envelope was in his beak.

"Oh no," Ron gasped.

"It's all right, he's still alive… I think…" Hermione announced as she prodded Errol gently with the tip of her finger a few times.

"It's not that - it's that," Ron's voice filled with dread as he pointed towards the red envelope. It looked quite ordinary to Harry and the girls, but Ron and Neville were both looking at it as though they expected it to explode.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked.

"She's... she's sent me a howler," Ron muttered faintly.

"You'd better open it, Ron," Neville spoke up in a timid whisper. "It'll be worse if you don't. My gran sent me one once, and I ignored it and…" he gulped, "It was horrible."

Harry looked from their petrified faces to the red envelope.

"What's a howler?" he asked, wondering what the big fuss was about. Even as Maverick, he had not come across such a thing.

Ron failed to answer his friend, his attention fixed solely on the letter which had begun to smoke at the corners.

"Open it," Neville urged, "It'll all be over in a few minutes."

Ron stretched out a shaking hand and eased the envelope from Errol's beak before sliting it open. Neville stuffed his fingers in his ears. A split second later, Harry knew why; he thought for a moment it had exploded, given the roar of sound that filled the huge hall and shook dust from the ceiling.

"- STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE -"

Mrs. Weasley's yells made the plates and spoons rattle on the table, and echoed deafeningly off the stone walls. People throughout the hall were swiveling around to see who had received the Howler, and Ron sank so low in his chair that only his crimson forehead could be seen.

"- LETTER FROM PROFESSOR MCGONAGALL LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME! WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS! ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED - YOUR FATHER'S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, AND IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT! IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME!"

A ringing silence fell as the red envelope dropped from Ron's hand and burst into flames. Ron sat there, stunned. A few people laughed and, gradually, a babble of talk broke out again.

Hermione closed The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 which she had been reading and looked down at the top of Ron's head.

"Are you alright, Ronald?" Hermione asked softly. She may not have forgiven him for last year, but that didn't mean he deserved to bear the embarrassment of a howler in front of the entire Great Hall.

"I-I'll be fine, Hermione," Ron whimpered, "Just… Just need some time."

"Ron, why didn't you use the Floo in the platform's waiting room? I thought that being raised in the Wizarding World, you would have known about it."

"I didn't know about it," Ron admitted sheepishly, "If I did, I would have."

Everyone was shocked that Ron didn't snap at her, and once again wondered what happened to him over the summer. Before anything could be said, Professor McGonagall came along, handing out their course schedules. Seeing it was a Sunday, Harry put the schedule into his pocket to read later. He got to his feet. planning to see his Hufflepuff friends, but Professor McGonagall suddenly said, "Mr. Potter, Professor Dumbledore would like to talk you after breakfast."

"Do you know why, Professor?" Harry inquired.

"I do not, sorry." Professor McGonagall admitted, "I can escort you to his office after you're finished with breakfast."

"Thank you, Professor. I'll see you soon."

"I wonder what that was about?" Hermione wondered as her favourite Professor walked to the head table. Harry shook his head.

"I have no idea. Aside from the train incident with Draco, I haven't done anything warranting a visit with the Headmaster. I doubt Draco would tell anyone about it anyway, since he ran away with his tail between his legs," Harry reasoned.

o0OoO0o

About half an hour later, Harry had finished his breakfast and met with McGonagall, asking once they were out of the Great Hall, "So, am I in trouble for something?"

"Not from what I can tell. Why? Have you done something to warrant paranoia?" McGonagall wondered back. Harry grinned in response and decided he may as well be honest.

"Don't know. Sort of, I think. On the Express, Malfoy paid me his traditional visit, called my friends sluts, whores, Mudbloods, and blood traitors, before I reminded him that there were six of us and three of them. You know, nothing out of the ordinary," He snarked.

"Take ten points for standing up for your friends with a cool head. I believe that shall be fifty points from Slytherin for offensive language and behaviour," the older woman all but growled, her expression furious as she continued staring straight forward. The rest of the journey was silent as they made their way towards the Headmaster's Office.

When they arrived, it looked like his Head of House was going to leave after giving the password to the stone guardian, so Harry spoke up.

"May I request you sit in on the meeting? I'm not sure what the Headmaster wants, but it would be nice having someone I can rely on if Malfoy did actually whine to Snape about what happened. I'm sure his story would be wildly different than my own. Even if it isn't, I don't want the Headmaster to be blinded and take action; I know you're good at making him see reason."

Her face darkened for an instant before she schooled it, but Harry knew he had chosen his words correctly.

"Of course, Mister Potter," she said calmly as Harry began following her up the spiral staircase.

o0OoO0o

No matter how many times that Harry would come to see the bloody Headmaster, he would always be shocked to hear the Headmaster tell them to enter. Not only did he know they were at the door without them knocking, but he also knew it was them. In this case, since he had arranged the meeting, it was easy to guess it was Professor McGonagall and Harry. But what if it was someone else who came to see him? Harry would love to know what kind of wards or magic the Headmaster had in place, as it would be useful at his club.

As he was examining the room, he heard McGonagall say, "I've brought Mr. Potter, Headmaster."

"Thank you, Minerva," the Headmaster said with a grandfatherly smile, "You may go."

"Mr. Potter asked me to stay. Just like last year, he wanted me here as an advisor, so I will be standing in on this meeting and fulfilling my duty as his Head of House," McGonagall said officially.

"And to be honest, Headmaster, I would prefer that she does," Harry stated, "Especially if Professor Snape is staying. As far as I know, I've done nothing wrong."

"Why, you arrogant brat - just like your father... You do not decide who has a right to be here," Snape sneered at him without hesitation.

"Actually, Severus, he's well within his rights to ask you to leave, since judging by the lack of a Slytherin student in this room, I can only assume you serve no purpose here in a professional capacity, and will only interrupt this meeting every time Mr. Potter speaks to show the rest of us just how petty you are," Minerva intervened, glaring at the sallow-faced man. She must still be angry by what Harry had told her, it seemed, to attack the man so blatantly.

"That might be true, Minerva, but I've asked Severus to be here." Dumbledore explained. What he intentionally neglected to tell her was that he wanted Severus' help to cast a few spells on Harry to regain control of him, and make sure no more of his plans were ruined. With Minerva here at the request of the young Potter, though, that course of action was currently on hold. Part of the Headmaster believed Potter intended this, as the boy might have suspected beforehand and had his Head of House here. Regardless, the Headmaster would not be stopped from finding out where the boy had gone off to, so with a grandfatherly smile he inquired, "Now Harry, can you tell me where you were this summer?"

"No offence, sir, but why are you concerned with my summer activities?" Harry asked politely, "You're my headmaster, and that's a fairly personal question to be asking for the relationship we have."

"Why you rude, arrogant - " Snape started building up steam, but was stopped by a look from McGonagall.

"Severus, Albus might have asked you to be here, but unless you have something useful to contribute, be silent," the Gryffindor Head nearly snarled, her normally-calm façade cracking under the constant barrage of reminders that her co-worker was a downright horrible human being. She seamlessly changed the subject. "Mr. Potter is right again, Albus. You have no authority over him outside of Hogwarts grounds. "

Albus mentally sighed at this; this wasn't going the way he wanted - not at all.

"I might be his headmaster, but I'm also his magical Guardian, and as such it is my job to make sure he is safe. I went to his home to check in on him, but I found that the Dursleys weren't there, and you never returned to them."

"May I ask why you care where I was?" Harry countered coolly, "You may be my magical guardian, but you've never been there before, so why bother now? I can handle my own affairs."

"Harry you need to stay at the Dursley's for your own protection," Dumbledore said with a sigh.

"Some protection," Harry growled, "What did it protect me from? It sure as hell wasn't my family."

Unknown to Harry, McGonagall gave Dumbledore a dark look, but remained silent in front of Harry. She pointedly neglected to reprimand Harry for his abrasive attitude, which was all Dumbledore needed to know about her feelings, even if he had missed the look.

"From Death Eaters, Harry. Voldemort's followers," Dumbledore added with another sigh. He had not wanted to say anything, but if he wanted the boy back with the Dursleys, another half-truth would be needed. "I've put wards up around your home to protect you and your family from magical attacks. As long as you think of it as home, the wards will protect you all, but you must remain there for a few weeks - a month at most - every year to recharge them. At the moment, they are weak, and they'll fall if not recharged soon. That's why this Christmas, you'll have to go back to recharge the wards."

In truth, all the wards did was siphon Harry's magic to fuel the standard plethora of wards designed to keep magicals out. In that sense, it DID sort of do as Albus said it did, but it also weakened Harry while he was in it, making him a prime target for the magically enhanced abuse of his relatives. But with how powerful Harry had become, on top of being a Mystic, the Headmaster realized something went wrong with the wards. He would need to look into the issue at some point.

"I'm sorry Headmaster, but I have other plans for Christmas," Harry announced flatly, "and none of them involve going back to the Dursleys. They are not family to me, and Privet Drive has never been something I ever once considered a home - just a place I was forced to stay."

Harry's growing frustration culminated in one of the devices behind Dumbledore, a weakly chugging chimney-like tube, giving an almost silent wheeze as it finally stopped working.

The intent ward connected to Harry - -and holding the ward scheme together - finally failed as the boy outright denied the information that it needed to keep going. No one but Dumbledore noticed this, and the man was not happy about it; the sound informed him that the wards around the Dursleys had fallen.

Although he knew this, he still needed Potter to go back to the Dursleys in order to keep him from learning too much. Albus knew it might be too late, but he had to try to prevent the boy from learning too much or growing stronger. It would also let him recast the wards if he could convince Harry to think of the house as home in any way. With a sigh he said, "Harry I must insist that you go. You need to be protected."

"Headmaster, I've been as polite as I can be. If you keep insisting on this matter, I'm afraid I'm going to start becoming difficult," Harry growled in response, "Nothing you say will make me want to go back to those… people. I have several options available to me, and I can hide myself just fine."

Dumbledore sighed once more, accepting that he would be unable to get Harry to change his mind this evening, so he changed tactics. "Can you tell me where you have been?"

Harry was by no means stupid. If he told the truth, Dumbledore would try everything to prevent Harry from staying with the Grangers in the future.

"That would defeat the purpose of hiding, wouldn't it? If there isn't anything else Headmaster, I've got homework to do." He promptly stood up to leave the office.

Snape's face was rapidly approaching Vernon-9 as Minerva's furious stare kept his tongue in check; he could do little but glare at the Potter brat for his arrogance. Dumbledore decided he needed to quickly change tactics and attempt to disperse some of the tension in the room. Appealing to the boy's sense of fun and showing a bit of concern could help begin the process of bringing him back into the fold.

"You're quite right, Harry. Before you go, could you at least tell me if you enjoyed your summer?"

Harry had picked up on the prompt change in the Headmaster's attitude and decided to give him a suitable non-response. Much calmer, he replied, "I did, in fact. I got to see many things and go to many places I had never experienced before. It was possibly the best summer of my life."

Quiet, furious mutterings met his answer before yet another sharp look from Minerva kept the greasy-haired one from mouthing off at the boy.

"Very well, Harry. You may go," Dumbledore dismissed him, hiding his frustration behind a grandfatherly smile.

A thought struck Harry as he got to the door: now that he was back at Hogwarts, there would be those like Draco Malfoy that test his resolve to keep his anger in control, and he needed to do something about it. Turning around, he asked the Headmaster, "Sir, is it possible for you to set up an empty, fireproof classroom for me?"

"Why would you need such a room, my boy?" Dumbledore asked the teen. He had a rough idea, but he wanted Potter to confirm it himself. Though the rest of the meeting didn't go as planned, he might be able to earn some of the young boy's trust - something he needed right now - and was willing to go to great lengths to gain it.

"As you might have heard last year, I'm able to control fire wandlessly," Harry explained to his headmaster, "The reason is that I'm a Fire Elementalist, or as the Mystics might call me, a Fire Mystic." Upon seeing Snape open his mouth, most likely to insult him, Harry summoned a fireball into his hand and threw it at the Potion Master's feet, proving the truth of his tale.

"As you know, Headmaster, Fire Elementalists have more problems than a normal person, especially with controlling their anger."

"I can see the problem, but why would you need a fireproof classroom?" asked Professor McGonagall, "You seem to have good control of your anger at the moment."

"True, I'm able to control my anger at the moment," Harry admitted to his Head of House before continuing with a red face, "but the problem is that I hit puberty during the summer, and I've found that I'm having more and more difficulty controlling my anger. I fear that, should someone upset me and I don't have somewhere to blow off some steam, I might send a fireball at the fool and hurt them."

McGonagall nodded in understanding at the explanation.

"And why should we give you such special treatment, Potter?" Snape spat, "All you need is the right potion to calm your so-called anger - not an entire room."

"What good would that be?" Harry replied, "It might be help for a bit, but taking a potion for too long can lead to addiction. I don't know how long I need them for, and I'd rather not risk it. Besides, what is there to stop you from spiking them with something to put me under yours and Dumbledore's control?"

"That is a very serious accusation, Mr. Potter. While you two may not get along, the headmaster wouldn't dare use potions to control a student." Professor McGonagall chastised him. Albus fixed her with his grandfatherly look as if to thank her for her defence, but Harry wasn't going to be cowed.

"You might not think so, Professor, but I wouldn't put it past him. You've seen the ways they've tried to control me recently. Right now, it's scare tactics, but I wouldn't be surprised if they resorted to potions."

Minerva McGonagall would have liked to have thought otherwise, but she knew deep down that Harry was right. Despite her support for her student, she still believed that the Headmaster wouldn't do such a terrible thing. Harry decided to let the issue rest, not wanting to push too much into his Head of House's indecision.

"Anyway, Headmaster… could you lend me a classroom? I should remind you that this would help remove the strike you earned at the start of my first year."

Seeing McGonagall's confused expression, Harry briefly explained the 'why' and 'how' of his strike system. Snape made a few remarks during the explanation, but was quickly silenced by the slowly-riling witch. She could see why Harry had very little respect for the Headmaster.

From the boy's perspective, it looked like the Headmaster was trying to limit what he could learn. As soon as Harry left the room, she decided, Albus was going to get an earful. To top it all off, what the hell was the old man thinking by sending a half-giant to bring the Boy-Who-Lived back into their world? It was little wonder why Harry felt for the Headmaster as he did.

Recognizing the dangerous situation he had been trapped in, Albus relented. Hopefully granting the boy's request would make the upcoming conversation with his Transfiguration Mistress less terrifying than the look in her eyes implied.

With his grandfatherly smile in place, he said, "I thank you for this chance, and I hope to show you that I'm not the man you think I am. The classroom will be set up and you'll be given the details by the end of the week."

"Thank you, Headmaster."

"Now hop along, my boy. And enjoy the rest of your day; classes start tomorrow." Albus said with a smile.

Harry bid them goodbye and left the office, Albus releasing a breath he hadn't realized he was holding as the boy closed the door behind him. Thankfully the meeting wasn't a complete failure. He hadn't gotten what he wanted, but he had hopefully made progress in getting back into the boy's good graces. It wasn't much, but it was a start. Deep down, he was still fuming at not knowing where his weapon had disappeared to for the summer. He would have to be more careful in the future to ensure Minerva had no reason to be suspicious of him.

Mentally groaning, the headmaster prepared himself for the tirade waiting behind McGonagall's thunderous expression.

o0OoO0o

Harry spent the rest of the morning walking the grounds with Aneira, frustrated with Dumbledore and - to some extent - himself, as well. Why should the old man start caring now when he never had before? Harry was annoyed at how little he knew of Dumbledore's motives, but he was also frustrated with letting more information slip during the meeting than he wanted to. He knew he should've maintained more control, but something within him always seemed to snap whenever he was near the old man. Instead of projecting that he was on Dumbledore's side, he had the infuriating tendency to do the opposite, something that would endanger his plans in the long run. He had to figure out how to deal with this problem - soon - otherwise, who knows what might happen.

His frustration did not go unnoticed. By lunchtime, when he finally returned to the castle to get something to eat, his friends were waiting to confront him about his brooding. Not wishing to expose the full story, Harry settled with telling them that the Headmaster was attempting to single him out due to his 'Boy-Who-Lived' status, making sure that he was alright. Though it wasn't entirely the truth, it was true enough and easily believable; it was no secret that he disliked getting special treatment due to his moniker.

"So what should we do now?" asked Ember, seeing that they still had an entire afternoon off.

"How about we do some research for tomorrow's class?" Hermione asked the group. A few seats down, Ron was looking horrified at the idea, but he said nothing. The others looked amused at this, though they expected that Hermione would make a suggestion along those lines.

After a short time of no new ideas being tossed out, they decided it seemed like a good idea. Upon looking at his time table to see what he had, Harry was shocked to see it was different than last year. Unlike last year, when classes started at nine o'clock, he found they now started at half eight, and lessons lasted for an hour instead of an hour-and-a-half. Additionally, instead of three class times a day, there were now five - something that horrified many students. But unlike last year, they had two half-hour breaks instead of one fifteen-minute break, and they had an hour-and-a-half for lunch instead of an hour and fifteen minutes. There were about the same amount of classes as last year, but they had one extra potion class, much to their collective disdain. The extra free time, however, more than made up for it.

When they asked one of the older students about the changes, they explained it was to get them ready for next year, as they would need to start at least two new classes. The teachers had implemented the new time table to help the students adjust and to provide them with more time to study and do their homework. While this didn't bother most of them - many seeing it an ideal change - Ron and his friends, Tony and Neville, didn't care much for the changes.

"So, any ideas about what we should look up first?" asked Melody.

"Let's see your timetable," Harry requested and took a second to look it over, "Looks like you got the same timetable as I had last year, so I would say look up theory for Charms, and seeing that I don't know what your other two classes are going to be like, I would suggest theory too."

"What about us?" asked Ember, "What should we look up?"

"Mandrakes for Herbology," Susan told them. Seeing their confused looks, she added, "I asked Professor Sprout earlier what our class would be about, and she told me that the main subject for our class this year was going to be Mandrakes. So we can look up what they are, and what they are used for."

"Hmm, not a bad idea," Hermione looked thoughtfully, "and we can look up second-year theory for Defence and Transfiguration."

While Harry and most of his friends were up for the idea, Ron, Tony, and Neville suddenly found that they had to be elsewhere, and split off from the group as the others made their way to the library.

Melody and Ginny were working on first year theory while Harry and the others were looking up Mandrake. They found out that Mandrake was also known as Mandragora: a plant whose root that looks like a human that ages similarly to the plant. There was a warning that when they are mature, the Mandrake's cry can be fatal to any person who hears it. Thankfully, it wasn't as bad before reaching maturity; the worst it could do was make you pass out or give you a nosebleed.

Harry stumbled across an interesting use for the plant while reading: a Purging Draught, used to clear out harmful potions from the drinker's body. The book Harry referenced had cited loyalty potions, complacency draughts, and suggestive potions as brews that would be targeted and removed. Just reading about potions that could be used to manipulate people fueled his anger and frustration.

Harry suspected that Dumbledore might go so far as to use potions to ensure cooperation. Thinking about why it might be necessary to keep the old man in line only added further fuel to his dark thoughts. Dumbledore had never cared before, despite the abhorrent treatment Harry received at the Dursley's... How was the situation different now? What changed?

No matter how hard Harry tried to push the thoughts to the side, they kept seeping in, causing him to crush multiple quills in frustration. Eventually, a soft hand covered his, distracting him before he destroyed yet another quill. Melody looked at him with concern; it didn't lessen his growing frustration, but it did distract him long enough to finish his work. Deciding to take another walk to keep his frustration under control, Harry packed up his books and went back out onto the grounds.

Harry returned to the castle a few hours later for a late dinner, then joined his friends in the common room for a bit before going to bed, but sleep refused to come. Before he knew it, it was nearly midnight and only himself and a few patrolling Prefects remained awake.

Unable to sleep, Harry read his books for hours, which quickly led to a stiff neck and shoulders from leaning over desks for so long. To try to relax and ease some of the tension, he decided to take a nice, long, hot shower. It worked wonders for his sore back, and really made him aware of how tired he was. After finishing up and towelling off, Harry decided to visit his bed and attempt sleep once again.

He walked back into the boy's dorm and noticed his bed curtain was drawn, and it appeared solid, as opposed to its normal, translucent state. Someone must be in his bed, and they activated the "Lights Out" ward that blocked all light from entering for those picky sleepers who needed total darkness.

Harry was incredibly grateful that the ward also blocked sound, both inside and out, despite the fact that it took him two months of suffering Ron's snoring before he learned of the feature. The ginger apparently did not know, or could not be arsed to activate his. Just remembering those two months caused him to growl at the ponce's inconsiderate behaviour.

"Mel, what are you doing here?" Harry asked in surprise. He wasn't expecting her to sneak into his bed like she did over the summer. Melody was very clearly a nymphomaniac. Still, she was an unexpected surprise to find in his dorm with all the others in the room. He assumed she would wait until they were alone, like they had been this morning, or pull him away for a quick 'chat' so their friends would grant them a bit of privacy.

"You were in such a bad mood today, Master, so I thought I would come to help you relax," Melody said sadly as she threw off Harry's invisibility cloak, which she still had to make occasions like this far less risky than they normally were. "I would have been here sooner, but my sister wanted to make sure I was tucked in. Otherwise, I would have joined you in the shower. So, will you let me help you relax, or do you want me to go back to my room?"

Harry had a brain blast; all the frustration he'd been feeling had no outlet, but now Melody was in his bed and was eager and willing to be that outlet. In the back of his mind, he could swear Lucy was smiling at him.

"On your back. Now," Harry demanded, forgoing their usual banter. His perspective instantly swapped as the girl in bed with him went from his friend to his apprentice, whose current purpose was only to please him.

( . v . ) ( . v . )

Melody blinked in surprise at the sudden order, but her body had already twisted around and fell back onto the bed before she could consciously obey his order. A thrill shot up her spine as her peeved-looking Master yanked off his clothes in seconds and crawled up her body. She greedily opened her mouth, preparing her throat for the imminent invasion.

"Not yet," Harry growled as he leaned over and kissed her more roughly than he had ever kissed her before. It was a kiss of frustration - of anger. Everything that had built up in Harry that afternoon and evening was being poured into the passion of the kiss. As he used one hand to pull Melody into the kiss, he used his other hand to savagely finger-fuck her pussy.

Melody moaned wantonly into the kiss, her hands eagerly gripping his shoulder to keep him in place. Ever since puberty hit her, her libido had been in constant overdrive, and no amount of self-pleasure fully satisfied her cravings. She was saved when she met her master; she knew he was the one that would sate her sexual needs ever since he'd first seen her naked butt. The look he sent her for the barest second sent shivers down her spine, and had attracted her initial interest.

And did he ever please her! He was inexperienced at first, but so was she; they learned together. Harry had not quite caught on to exactly how much she liked being roughly used - and even sometimes abused - but she was sure he would notice the signs soon enough. Right now, for instance, she was in heaven as he completely dominated her, his tongue ruling her mouth while his fingers viciously stabbed at her pussy.

"I have such a wet apprentice," Harry commented as he pulled back from the kiss. He grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her head back to face him. "Do you like this?" he asked, still fingering her roughly.

"Oh y-yes, Master... I-I do…" Melody said, squirming as an orgasm washed over her, "P-Please use me as you wish, use me, Master. This apprentice is yours to handle as you wish. My pussy and-" She took his hands and placed them on her ass, getting a brief respite from the fingering - enough to catch her breath. It was not much, as Harry did not waste a second before fondling her arse "Ah! My ass is yours, too!"

She moaned in disappointment for a moment as he released her cheeks, only to gasp in surprise as he suddenly latched onto her budding breasts, squeezing them roughly.

Harry was growing incredibly aroused at her submissiveness, and put even more effort in making her moan. He rammed his middle and index finger back into her pussy and curled his fingers in the way he knew made her scream while he simultaneously worked on sucking and fondling her breasts. His efforts pulled a shriek from Melody as her back arched and a full-body shudder passed through her.

"J-Just like… that, Master… use me!" she panted, her tongue not working perfectly and her words coming out slurred. As she was climaxing, Harry had shifted both their positions so she was on her back and he was in the best position to use her throat.

Melody once more moaned in disappointment as her master removed his hands from her breasts. As she opened her eyes to plead with him to keep going, all she could see was his descending shaft. An instant later, his balls were pressed firmly against her nose while his cock tried its damndest to reach her stomach through her throat.

Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, and her pussy started drooling heavily as her master began almost bouncing up and down on her face, repeating cramming every inch of his length as far down her throat as possible. As worked up as he was, and as hard as he was pumping his cock into her throat, it was only a short time before he began to cum.

Her hips jerked as she experience a minor orgasm as Harry pressed his pelvis against her face as hard as he could, grinding his length in as far as it could go. She could feel his shaft almost vibrate before he gave a throaty groan, and the flood began. Swallowing around his cock as it spewed semen straight into her stomach, Melody was happy to note that his moans increased in volume with each contraction of her throat.

Melody suddenly heaved as Harry pulled out at an awkward angle, her master wasting no time in getting to her chest. His slimy cock begin using her budding breasts to get himself off. She transformed, knowing her breasts were larger in her monster form by some quirk of nature. He failed to comment on her change, but his pace did speed up considerably.

Harry growled as the soft hair from Melody's monster form further stimulated his cock; his increased pace coaxed him to higher levels of arousal. Harry gave her breasts a rough squeeze as he sandwiched them around his cock, causing her to moan in pleasure.

Feeding off Melody's moans, he squeezed and thrust harder, bringing both of them to new heights of pleasure; the harder he squeezed, the louder she moaned. Minutes later, his thrusts, her fur, her moans, and his dominance drove him over the edge. Harry exploded all over Melody's breasts, face, and hair. Her immediate reaction was to lean up and engulf the tip of his cock with her mouth and suck down the subsequent spurts of cum. As the flood subsided, Harry fell back to catch his breath. Swallowing the last remnants in her mouth, Melody shuddered in delight as the taste flooded her senses. "Master, you taste so good," she moaned, rubbing her breasts after his violent squeezing of them. "And my breasts... I love how you just mauled them."

Harry watched Melody rub the cum into her fine fur, moaning in delight. The sight brought him back to full mast before he growled, shifting to stand on his knees. He pulled Melody to sit up before grabbing her head, threading his fingers in her hair, and roughly pulling her towards him. Her lips quickly engulfed him as he used his grip to forcefully thrust into her mouth.

His treatment of Melody grew rougher as he felt more stimulated by her mouth and tongue. He looked down, watching her lightning bolt shaped tail swishing back and forth before he got another idea. Releasing her head, he grabbed her tail and pulled.

"Turn around," he commanded. Melody was quick to comply while bemoaning the loss of her mouth being full of her master's tasty cock. His rough tug on her tail forced her arse up into the air, and a quick push dropped her head to the bed.

She was revelling in her master's treatment of her when she felt his hardness slip between her thighs. Her wetness running down her leg made them slick as he plunged himself between her squeezing thighs. His grip on her tail never slackened as he pulled on her hair to aid him in his thrusting.

Melody deeply wished he would just slam himself into her pussy. He never did, but she found it hard to feel annoyed when her exposed clit took the full brunt of his thrust. The stimulation from the veins of his cock caused her thighs to squeeze together even harder.

All in all, it promised to be a very tiring night. She was so glad she "liberated" that book on dirty talk from her mother's stash of trashy romance novels. Who knew it would be this effective?

( . v . ) ( . v . )

After a few more hours of her master manhandling her, and an uncounted number of orgasms, Melody found herself beside her master, covered in his cum as he lie fast asleep, holding her. Seeing as any more fun would have to wait for another night, she donned her master's invisibility cloak and returned to her own bed. She wanted to say her stumble was from a sore and overworked pussy, or ass, but her master had not seen fit to bestow that sort of prize upon her yet, so it was simply her own tiredness showing. One lazy and sluggish shower later, she collapsed onto her bed, her dreams filled with her master taking her remaining virginities over and over again.

o0OoO0o

3rd of September:

While everyone was having a lay in, Harry and Aneira woke up early to start running with Melody and Ember. This time Hermione, Susan, and Hannah joined them. Susan was mainly there so she could get her revenge on those who killed her parents when the time came. Harry learned that Susan's aunt had a new arm and was doing well, and should be going back to work soon. Once they finished their exercises, they went to clean up and have breakfast before their first class of the year: Herbology.

As they neared the greenhouses, they saw some of the other students standing outside, waiting for Professor Sprout. Harry, Ember, Hermione, and the others had only just joined them when she came striding into view across the lawn, accompanied by Gilderoy Lockhart. Professor Sprout's arms were full of bandages, and Harry noticed the Whomping Willow, had several of its branches in slings. Ron looked away, ashamed at how Professor Sprout was hurt from tending to the tree he damaged.

The squat little Professor Sprout, with her patched hat, flyaway hair, and dirt-covered outfit stood in stark contrast to the immaculate Gilderoy Lockhart, and his golden hair shining under a perfectly positioned turquoise hat that matched his robes.

"Oh, hello there!" he called, beaming at the assembled students. "Just been showing Professor Sprout the right way to doctor a Whomping Willow! But I don't want you running away with the idea that I'm better at Herbology than she is! I just happen to have met several of these exotic plants on my travels…"

"Greenhouse three today, chaps!" Professor Sprout cut in. She was looking distinctly disgruntled today - not at all her usual, cheerful self. There was a murmur of interest from the gathered students. They had only ever worked in greenhouse one before; greenhouse three housed far more interesting and dangerous plants. The Herbology professor took a large key from her belt and unlocked the door. Harry caught a whiff of damp earth and fertilizer mingling with the heavy perfume of some giant, umbrella-sized flowers dangling from the ceiling. He was about to follow Ron and Hermione inside when Lockhart's hand shot out and caught him by the shoulder.

"Harry! I've been wanting a word - you don't mind if he's a couple of minutes late, do you, Professor Sprout?"

Judging by Professor Sprout's scowl, she did mind, but Lockhart just flashed her a smile and said, "that's the ticket!" and closed the greenhouse door in her face.

"Will this take long, sir?" Harry asked in annoyance, "I have class, and I wouldn't want to upset Professor Sprout."

"Certainly not," Lockhart chirped, "I just wanted to apologize for my actions when we first meet, it was uncalled-for, and I overreacted. I also wanted to introduce myself properly - celebrity to celebrity. You aren't nearly as famous as I am, of course, but then who is?"

Harry had to bite his lip to keep from saying something he shouldn't. Lockhart honestly thought he was more famous than the Boy-Who-Lived. Everyone in the wizarding world knew who Harry was, even if he didn't like the idea of that. But from what he could gather, few knew or cared who Lockhart was aside from a mild following among witches. All he could do was to let Lockhart go on. The man beamed at him, his white teeth glistening unnaturally.

"Anyway, enough of that. I don't want you thinking that I'm some self-important idiot now, do I?" he laughed loudly and looked expectantly at Harry, who straightened his back and raised an eyebrow sardonically - the fool didn't want to be thought a fool. Harry had to force himself not to laugh, as he already knew the man was a fool. Lockhart's laugh ended abruptly and he looked uncomfortable for a moment before recovering and beaming at Harry again.

"So you're Harry Potter, eh? The Boy-Who-Lived? Terrible business that, with You-Know-Who killing your family. But then you were only a baby - what could you have done? It's a pity your parents hadn't called me in to protect them, but how could they have known?"

Harry gritted his teeth and glared, his anger was getting to him and needed to go.

"Can I go, professor? I need to get to class."

"Of course, of course," Lockhart agreed as he left to allow Harry to return to class.

Harry took a few deep breaths once Lockhart turned away, trying to control his anger; it was touch-and-go, and the grass around his feet was getting burnt as he tried to keep his calm. Realizing he would likely set the plants alight if he went to class now, he decided to inform the professor and skip the class. He turned around and opened the greenhouse door, calling out, "Professor Sprout, may I have a word out here, please?"

"Is there something a matter, Mr. Potter?" Professor Sprout asked kindly.

"Please, I'll explain out here," Harry told the professor, not wanting the others knowing what was going on. With a nod, the professor agreed and met Harry outside of the greenhouse, where he explained what had just happened.

"That man," Professor Sprout said in disgust at what she heard, "I'm sorry that he said that to you, but what did you want to talk to me out here for?"

"You see, Professor, I would like to skip your class," Harry explained to his Herbology professor.

"Why?" asked Sprout.

"Look at my feet," Harry requested. His Professor, to her shock, noticed the burnt ground around his feet. The area continued to grow as he explained his problem.

"Oh dear," she gasped once she heard about Harry being a Fire Mystic, and the puberty-related problems that came with it, "I understand completely."

"Normally it wouldn't bother me," Harry told Professor Sprout, "but I've had trouble controlling my temper ever since I started puberty. So unless you want to risk me to burning your plants, I need to leave and calm down."

"Of course, of course, dear. I'll tell the class you're not feeling well," his Herbology professor told him with a smile, "I'll send your homework with one of your friends."

"Thanks, Professor."

"No problem, dear. And go and see Madam Pomfrey," Sprout told her student, "she might be able to give you a potion that should help you calm down a bit."

"Thanks, Professor, I'll do that," Harry agreed. The two parted ways: one to teach her students, and the other to see the school Healer.

Madam Pomfrey was shocked to see a student so early in the year, but she understood once Harry explained his reasons. She had meet a few Fire Elementals in her time as a healer, so she knew what to do. Giving Harry a potion to help him calm down, she warned him that this couldn't become a regular occurrence, lest he risk forming an addiction. Harry admitted that he already knew the risks of the potions, and had something in the works to remove the need for them in the future.

He discovered the potion didn't fully help him, but he was much calmer than he was before. By the time his next class was set to begin, he was fine. The first half of the Transfiguration class was to catch up on what they learned the year before, so Professor McGonagall knew what she was dealing with. Those who were struggling, like Ron, Neville, Dean Thomas, and Seamus Finnigan would need to come back at the end of the day to ensure they had the basics down.

For the rest of the class, they had to turn a beetle into a button. Harry, Hermione, Ember, and a few others were able to do it, but many were not - including those who McGonagall previously singled out to return at the end of the day. On top of all that, those struggling would have extra homework assigned to ensure they knew what they had to do for the spells to succeed.

Ron's main problem appeared to be his wand; he had patched with some borrowed Spellotape after breaking it on his journey to school this year, but it seemed to be damaged beyond repair. It kept crackling and sparking at odd moments, and every time Ron tried to transfigure his beetle, it engulfed him in thick grey smoke that smelled of rotten eggs. Unable to see what he was doing, Ron accidentally squashed his beetle with his elbow and had to ask for a new one. Professor McGonagall wasn't pleased. Harry told Ron that he should write home and see about getting a new wand, but he didn't want to get another Howler back from his mother, and decided against informing his parents.

After lunch and a free period, where they began their assignments, Harry, Hermione, and Ember went to their last class of the day: Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Harry appeared to snag the attention of a younger Gryffindor, Colin Creevey, who fawned over Harry with a muggle camera. The new Gryffindor wanted to take a photo of Harry, something he was against, but things quickly spiralled out of control before he could say anything. First, Malfoy came along and tried to make fun of Harry, and make a big deal of it. That normally would have been easy for Harry to brush off, but the fool, Lockhart, had to come along and make things even worse. Before he knew it, Harry was forced into having a photo taken of the two of them. Lockhart made a quick departure immediately after the photo, seemingly oblivious to the glare he received from Harry as he went to get ready for Defence Against the Dark Arts.

The class was a joke. Lockhart instantly started out by having the class do a questionnaire all about him: from his favourite colour, all the way up to his ideal birthday gift. As if he hadn't already shown he was the worst teacher they had ever encountered, he proceeded to let loose a cage full of Cornish Pixies without informing them how to handle them. Once things inevitably got out of hand, he ran out of the classroom and left the students to handle the damn things, which Harry and Hermione were able to do with the help of Ember and her powers.

To be Continued!

Author's Note: Here ends the seventh part of The Serpent's Lair Saga, I would like to thank you once again for reading. I hope you enjoyed it and take a few moments to review. I also hope you read all of this note, as I would like your feedback on some things to help me out in the story.

I was able to update sooner as I had most of this chapter done already from the last version, and just needed to edit a few bits here and there, to fit to what has happened so far. So I hope the little that I added. The next chapter is ready, and is waiting for my Beta Reader to look at it.

A few question I would like your thoughts on:

Should I have the basilisk killed at the end of the saga or not? I say it is more useful to kill it for the money, but I would like to hear your thoughts about it. I'll go with the most outspoken thoughts. (Poll is up so you can vote on my profile and in reviews. I'll leave the poll up for about two/three chapters before I post the results.)

What pranks should Harry and the twins pull this year? I'm looking for ideas for both magical and non-magical ones. Right now, I'm looking for a prank that the Weasley Twins could pull on Harry to start a prank war between the three of them. Any ideas would be appreciated.

It might be early, but I would like to ask for a title for the third year saga, it needs to be eighteen characters or less, including spaces. I hope that you can help me. It'll be the year that not only does Sirius escape Azkaban, but Lucy is 'born' and Harry goes to the Overlord's Tower.

Just as a reminder, flame reviews from guests will be removed. If they point out a problem that needs to be fixed, or ideas that I could use to make the story better, I'll keep them, but keep it constructive. Please consider this when reviewing, as I don't want you to waste your time (or mine) on unhelpful flame reviews.

I would like to announce (for those that don't have alerts for my new stories) that I have posted a new story. This one is a Fairy Tail/Overlord story where Natsu is the Overlord. I won't say much, as I want you to read it for yourself, but it is an Evil/Harem/Powerful/Natsu. I'll be working on it's latest chapter next as I wait for ideas.

That said, I would like to thank you once again for reading, and I hope you spare a few minutes to leave a review and let me know what you think of the chapter. Feel free to offer up any ideas you might have for future chapters, and any powers you would like to see used in the story.

Next on Rise of Overlord Vulcan: Time skip! Harry joins Gryffindor's quidditch team, and we see the Duelling Club has its first meeting.