Harry Potter: Return of the Death Walker

by WhiteDevilMGN

After a thousand Years of death and isolation Harry Potter will perform a ritual on his search of peace and slumber only to return back to when it all began. With knowledge and experience no ten year old should possess and his memories in a jumble Harry must ready himself and the world for the War that is to come. Further plot to be detailed inside. Lemon Multi:Harry

15. Chapter 15 :: Worries

Sorry for the delay. Still recovering and working to get better. Good news, blood clot is gone, yay. Better news, I can breathe again without assist, yay. Bad news, struggling to get back into the swing of things. Anyway here's the next chapter. Have fun. Warning not beta'd yet, duh.

Book I :: Chapter 15 :: Worries

Harry awoke that morning feeling more refreshed than he could ever recall before. Sure, he was once again in the hospital wing and sure he was feeling a bit antsy and flustered for some reason but ignoring all that he felt for a lack of a better word, liberated.

The previous night he not only came to terms with 'which' Harry he was, he also got to vent a bit at the constant reminder of his past that was Albus Dumbledore. If the man was anything like the nightmare Harry had fought confronted times before Harry would have already disposed of the bastard, consequences be damned.

Harry shuffled uncomfortably in the bed as his body felt a slight surge of magic pulse through him in a slight burst of freedom. He was grateful for both being covered as it hid his current predicament and being a few physical years too young to sport a more significant hard on. Harry might have been physically eleven and while he was capable of sporting a more significant physique then an average eleven-year-old it was thankfully smaller then what his thousand-year-old form was accustomed too.

It was more of an annoyance for now, but it did cause Harry to wonder how bad it become once he hit puberty and entered adulthood in full swing. For another, why had he never experienced it before in his ten decades of living in hell? A thousand years of war, suffrage, solitude, and death and not once did he experience it.

It was awkward enough being an eleven-year-old with a hard on, but it was stranger to be an immortal adult with an almost perfect eternal youth and suffer not a drop of frustration. Even more so if magic was suppose to cause it.

Shifting his lazy gaze across the room he felt a sigh of annoyance slip from his lips.

Just what he needed, to having a hard on when those of the opposite sex laid just across the room was even worse. Noticing the green, he resisted the temptation to cup his face in growing annoyance. Slytherins, couldn't get any worse than that.

A quick assessment of the situation changed that as Harry realized the Twin's presence with Lavender Brown, the Gryffindor Gossip Queen, would be far worse.

"I swear you students need to be more careful in regard to potions. It's bad enough I had to treat the two of you yesterday but now your back here again. I don't know what Professor Snape is playing at but the next time you practice it better be in the presence of someone who knows what they're doing." Madam Pomfrey grumbled as she treated Harry's two dormmates Tracey Davis and Daphne Greengrass.

Turning around the aged healer spotted Harry's open eyes, "Ah Mr. Potter, good your awake. Stay put. I'll check up on you shortly. You had quite the mental... trail yesterday." she said cautiously picking her words from the air, pausing slightly in an attempt to pick the appropriate words to describe what she had learned about the night prior.

Harry watched as Madam Pomfrey went about dealing with her newer patience, confident that he was in good spirits and mind from the cursory glance given. In contrast, the two 'fellow patients' had several boils that were sprouting rainbow-colored stubs from their faces and exposed body parts. Tracy was the first to notice Harry was staring and blushed before growing indignant.

"Stop staring you pervert!" she growled before Harry averted his eyes blushing slightly. Daphne the emotionless ice queen that she was starting to be known as didn't seem to react at all to the situation. She just coldly and quietly stared icicles into his skull. Harry glanced at her and for the briefest of moments he swore she seemed to shrink inward on herself. If he didn't know any better, Harry would have thought that she was ashamed of her situation and being seen by him.

Glancing back towards Madam Pomfrey as she returned Harry asked, "Mishap with Cure for Boils?"

The two Slytherins looked away to hide their embarrassment and their surprised that Harry had guess currently.

Madam Pomfrey grinned slightly as she went to work applying a paste on their skin. "Very astute observation Mr. Potter. Yes, that would seem to be the cause."

"How did you!?" Tracy shouted, demanding to know how Harry could have known the potions that caused their medical dilemma. In truth she shouted in an attempt to hide her own embarrassment. It was humiliating to be seen like this. Once in the great hall was bad enough, fail the same potion again immediately after getting cured again, only compounded the feeling of embarrassment.

"Miss Davis. You are not to shout in here." Madam Pomfrey reprimanded giving a stern glare at the girl. As Davis shrunk under the gaze and backed off the Healer continued as she finished applying the salve.

"If you must know Mr. Potter is incredibly gifted in potions. I myself am not shocked at his ability to identify the cause of your plight."

Harry chuckled internally. Not so much gifted as possessing a few hundred years' worth of experience and spending plenty of free time contemplated potion reactions, Harry thought to himself.

"In fact, this salve I'm using was gifted to the school by Mr. Potter, delivered courtesy of Professor Snape. Speaking of which, thank you again Mr. Potter for making this. It has made my life much easier when dealing with you children, teenagers in particular."

"Anytime." Harry replied happily.

It didn't take long before Madam Pomfrey to came about and waved her wand at Harry. A frown creasing her face.

"Mr. Potter, really now?" she said.

Harry blushed heavily. "In my defense I was given a dreamless sleeping potion and I am eleven years old. This is not my doing."

"I know very well Mr. Potter the cause. Your magic is powerful and thanks to your other… condition, slightly chaotic. Remember Mr. Potter that your magic will and does have an effect on your person and when it grows may bridge out to affect others." Madam Pomfrey restated as she let out a sign, "During those times you must be careful. I'll have a potion ready in a moment to settle down your nerves as it were. I don't need you walking around as a walking magic disaster. Once you've taken it you will be free to go."

Bringing back a diluted calming drought, Harry took it from her and drank it down in one gulp. A warm gooey sensation filled Harry up as he put his cloak and cloths on. He wasn't sure if that was his minor problem or if the potion was working. If the latter Harry had to wonder if it was actually helping.

Just as he was about to leave Madam Pomfrey left him with some final words. "Keep in mind Mr. Potter that in terms of magic you are an early bloomer. Remember that you possess a very vast and unstable source of magic."

Harry understood what she meant and left with a single nod of assurance. He had a far larger magic reserve than most kids his age, his magic was maturing earlier than most, and he possessed an Obscurus that had merged and/or was suppressed with his magic. Not even Madam Pomfrey knew what would happen once he hit puberty and her words were a reminder of that. Once he hit puberty along with everyone else, his physical and mental response to his magic would be far less tame by comparison.

At least that is what they thought.

As Harry walked down the hall, he saw what he could only describe as the least invisible cloak he had ever seen. The irony was that it was an invisibility cloak a rank higher than other cloaks. Walking into an abandoned classroom and making sure no portraits where there Harry left the door open and then closed it as his guests walked in.

"Sup Fred, Mornin' George." Harry greeted as the twins removed his cloak from their person.

"Blimey Harry, you really can see us."

"We just got through making funny faces at Snape all morning..."

"Poor bugger didn't even notice us."

"Not even when we untied his shoes."

"Or made a hole in his pants."

"Or charmed his hair pink."

"Not even after we spiked his drink."

"True that George, he's gonna be in a right mood this evening once it kicks in."

"Or when he noticed his appearance."

That was news that brightened Harry's morning. "What did you hit him with?" Harry asked.

"Oh, nothing too special." Fred answered.

"Just something we've been working on."

"Should be interesting to see what happens."

"Speaking of interesting happenings."

"What happened to you?" they asked finally in unison giving Harry a reprieve from watching their vocal tennis match.

Harry looked at the twins before shrugging. "Sorry. I...uh, found the answer to something that has been weighing heavily on me for a while."

The twins shared a look. "Harry, you sure you're okay? Your acting a bit... well weird."

Harry nodded, "Yeah. I'm fine, just relieved I guess."

With a distant smile Harry grabbed his cloak and smiled at the twins. "Come on. I didn't get lunch or dinner yesterday and I'm not going without breakfast."

With a swish of his cloak Harry vanished and watched as the twins attempted to follow after him to the great hall. Harry chased after them as they unknowingly lead the way. Taking a shortcut Harry beat them to the hall.

Once Harry had entered the hall, he placed the cloak underneath him as a cushion and started filling his plate with an assortment of eggs, bacon, crumpets, and pumpkin juice.

It wasn't long until Harry was joined by Fred and George who sat beside him.

It wasn't long for the oddness sparked by the night's events vanished and the twins chatted happily with Harry.

Harry listened intently as the Twins sharing some of their more successful pranks and Harry a few secrets regarding some Slytherins and a few potions ideas he was planning on making later.

As Harry listened to them, he found himself having fun hearing about the Twin's misdeeds and added his own suggestions to their plots. The Twins smiles twisted playfully into ones of scheming grins at some of their pranks Harry had brainstormed to them.

As for the secrets Harry gave them regarding a few of his classmate, however few there were, it was always given with confidence. Nothing was in depth or could be considered a skeleton from their closets but much of it was informative.

Draco's consistent maintenance of his hairdo using a heavy grease based gel or how you could always find Lucian Bole hiding on the sixth floor swinging a bat in the abandoned storage room in the eastern tower. Nothing as groundbreaking as what he could find out, but when it came to picking up patterns and useful information from basic observations and recollections, Harry had plenty to share. He almost laughed when they asked if he had been spying on students the entire time he was in the school.

It was all simple observations and memory.

While he didn't have anything remotely close to a perfect memory, he had a considerably good one for details. Little things that could keep you alive in a wasteland and whatnot. A receptive nose that picked up the distinct smell of grease or a keen eye for spotting human behaviors and habits was very useful to have both in war and out. Harry was well informed because he simply didn't ignore the small things everyone else forgot.

The sensation of someone's clothes when you bump into someone in the halls, while most world passively ignore that info, Harry would ask what said material was and ask himself if it was worth remembering. While in class, it was easy to simply spot who was good at what just by following their development and observing what skills they struggled with and what skills they didn't.

So, while the grease content of Draco Malfoy's hair products might not be seen as useful to anyone, once Harry mentioned how knowing that Draco used a particularly greasy hair jell would make it easier to prank him with a substance that was combustible and harmless to people, the Twins could do nothing but grin with glee.

All the while Harry was unconcerned with the twins knowing any of it.

After all he had an agreement with them. So long as they left the 'good' Slytherins be and not pick on any first or second years Harry would continue to supply them with twisted ideas and info regarding some of his crueler and haughtier classmates.

Two such examples being the individuals that walked in through the double doors of the great hall as he was contemplating that very agreement and how long until they broke it going after said greasy git.

Freed and cured of their ailments from earlier, Daphne and Tracy walked into the great hall, all composed and boil free with a slight glare of determination in his direction. At first Harry watched in curiosity as they stared at him. At first, he was but when they made their way towards him, a clear intent to confront him caused Harry to tense up a bit.

Their intentions aside the focused gaze with a tint of fear within their eyes reminded him too much of an assassin's. While he was sure they weren't assassins the gaze put him slightly on edge, a fact that was reflected in his own eyes.

Even as they walked firmly toward him, Harry and the Twins watched as Harry's gaze slowly whittled away at their resolve. Slowly the two girls stopped and just as quickly as they made to reach him Daphne turned away abruptly to avoided him. Tracey in tern while far more willing to push ahead was lost a good deal of resolve in whatever plan they both were following and turned to follow her close friend.

"What the hell was that about?" Fred asked to which Harry had to agree was very odd.

Harry shrugged, "No idea." he stated.

While still a bit worried by the way Harry shrugged and left it in the foreground of his mind for later. "For now I'll just keep my legilimency active when I'm alone." He thought to himself.

Returning to chatting with friends, fooling around, eating breakfast, plotting creative pranks and potions with the Twins; Harry went about enjoying his day. However like Harry came to expect from his life nothing ever remained peaceful or simple for very long.

Distracted by their conversation Harry failed to respond to the old owl swooping in from the rafters.

The sight of an owl descent from the heavens was a common enough occurrence that Harry simply recognized and ignored it arrival upon spotting it at a glance. A mistake on his part as the mass of grey feathers crash landed directly into his breakfast. The cheers of laughter that followed within the great hall soared as eggs splashed on Harry's face. With wand half drawn Harry calmed his jumpy nerves when he rationalized that it was just an owl, half drowning in eggs.

Whipping egg off his face and from his hair. Fred noticed two letters attached to the old bird and realized to whom the owl belonged to.

"Errol?" George asked in surprise. Fred was more curious as to the owl's luggage.

One was addressed to him and his brother and the other curiously was for Harry.

Handing the letter over to Harry, the egg free wizard began to read the letter while hiding his emotional turmoil as he read it.

Dear Mr. Potter,

My name is Arthur Septimus Weasley. I am the father of Ginevra Molly Weasley. First off, I would like to thank you for all that you have done for my daughter. After her brothers had left for Hogwarts my dear girl was left in a right state. She has long since longed to go to Hogwarts and for some reason this year that longing was particularly strong. It was painful to watch how down and depressed my girl became during those beginning months.

However, after receiving your letters she has become exceedingly happier, far happier than I have ever seen her before. She has always been a quiet and reserved child and has rarely shown great joy at anything in her life. In recent months your letters have brought joy that I never knew existed before and for that I thank you.

However last afternoon she received a gift from you, a strange golden snitch, clearly modified, for Christmas. At first, she was ecstatic and joyful in the midst of the holidays, but then suddenly broke down into tears upon receiving your gift. Understand, I do not blame nor believe you have sought to harm my daughter. However, if you can think of any reason for why this happened – if any enchantments of magics on your gift could have caused this – please inform us as myself and my wife are worried over her sudden change.

Sincerely Arthur Septimus Weasley.

Harry looked up with the same look of confusion and shock the Twins had.

"You've been sending letters to our sister and gifted her that Snitch you made?" they said together.

"I actually made it specifically as a gift for her." Harry corrected. He went on to explain why and when he started sending letters to Ginny and about how they had become pen pals of sorts.

"So, you didn't do anything to her?" Fred passively accused.

"Yes Fred Weasley. I spent the latter weeks of December making an evil golden snitch with Hermione, Flitwick, and Professor McGonagall's permission, to gift to your little sister so she would be mentally crippled. The same snitch mind you the two of you made a betting match out of with the other students." Harry sarcastically retorted.

Fred shrugged shamefully. "Right, sorry Harry."

Letting out a breath Harry stood up. "It's fine. Look I'm worried about Ginny, too. I'm going to write a letter back to your folks. Mind sending it with your owl?" Harry asked.

"Sounds good," George replied followed up by Fred saying, "We'll go write our letters to. Meet you in the Owlery."

Harry nodded and left, returning to this trunk his mind racing over any mistakes he could have made with his creation. None came to mind and even as he speculated what could have happened, he was forced to acknowledge that of the thirty some people who had touched and played with it, if something was wrong, they would have shown signs long before Ginny received it.

Something else was wrong and this left Harry worried.

Hedwig sat on her perch munching away at some of her snacks. The box of treats laying open and forgotten next to her perch. Harry pouted and smirked at her upon seeing the clever girl munching away at his own carelessness.

"Alright, fine. I passed out and didn't leave you anything to snack on. I went and got food and left the treats out for you to get into. My fault. My bad." Harry grumbled more to himself than her. Hedwig screeched in agreement leaving Harry exasperated. "Okay, okay..." he muttered before refocusing on his task. "Ginny, right. I Need to take care of her first. You're good with those treats?" Harry asked.

Hedwig looked up and hooted with a content nod. "Good." Harry smiled. "Then after I take care of Ginny, I'll take care of you sneaking into the goody box."

Harry could have sworn Hedwig hooted in indignation at him. "Yeah, yeah, that's still no reason to sneak into the cookie jar." Harry laughed.

Writing his letter Harry thought about Ginny. Her death overlapped his thoughts. Glanced at the red stone on his drawer he mentally reminded himself to make up his mind in regards of what to do with it.

Finished with his quill Harry picked up his response and grabbed his cloak. Making his way out of his trunk, Hedwig fluttered about trying to stick out her leg for him.

"Sorry Hedwig, not this one. I got something else for you to take care of today. I'll be back soon, so rest up." Harry said. Hedwig hooted in understanding and reapplied herself to her perch to continue eater her unearned treats. Harry left his spacious trunk shaking his head at Hedwig's antics.

Taking a step up towards the common room Harry froze as a rush of wordless thoughts brushed his legilimency.

Someone was in the common room and based on their surface thoughts, they didn't have his best intentions at heart.

For a minute he wondered if he should wait out whoever it was or instead sneak past them.

Choosing the latter since he was pressed for time Harry flung his Invisibility cloak over himself to avoid trouble.

With the silvery silk clutch firmly around him Harry made his way into the common room and found Daphne and Tracy waiting at the entrance to the boy's dormitories. The former was behind the corner and the latter was crouching behind one of the couches.

'An ambush? Really?' Harry thought, passing them completely unnoticed and leaving the snake pit. "This is why I should always travel with this cloak." He muttered to himself.

Harry didn't dwell on their presence as his letter was more important to him then trying to figure out why the two girls in questioned had attempted to ambush him.

Ginny came first. Though he was curious as to why the two girls were waiting for him. As he made his way down the stone halls he wondered if it had anything to do with him seeing them in the hospital wing. It didn't really make any sense but then again, he didn't have anything else to go off of.

They were definitely after him too. It had to be him, there was no one else in the dormitories. Why else wait in front of the boy's dormitory where the only male member of Slytherin resided during the holidays.

Making his way into the Owlery, Harry gave his letter to Fred. As the trio watched Errol fly off, making sure to watch and see if the old bird crashed into anything until said bird was out of view.

"Is there a reason you keep an Owl that prefers to kamikaze when delivering letters?" Harry asked for no real reason.

"Kami-what?" Fred and George asked?

"Nevermind." Harry grumbled leaving the Owlery. He forgot that few muggles his age had a clue as to what the word meant. What were the odds that a wizard would know?

Heading subconsciously to the library Harry's mind wandered blindly between what was wrong with Ginny and what was up with his roommates. Speculation unleashed his mind whipped back and forth as concern and suspicion waged war for his attention.

What happened to Ginny? Did they want to silence him? Was it his gift? No, perhaps they wanted something from him? Was there some mistakes in its enchantments that harmed her? Why ambush him now well into the holidays? Did someone tamper with it? Why not sooner? Was it even caused by any of these things? No, the trigger had to be their earlier encounter. He did however use ancient runes which he only had a semi-basic knowledge onto make it. "Perhaps it had something to do with the potion he made? Did he unintentionally harm her by using them?

In the back of his mind, that thought assaulted him mercilessly. That thought that he made a mistake and hurt Ginny worried him. At the forefront of his mind Harry knew that that wasn't it. If anything was wrong with the snitch someone would have noticed it. It would have affected someone long before her.

If something was wrong any of the students who played with it before he sent it would have suffered like Ginny did. None did. He and Hermione even had Professor Flitwick look at it on several times during his inspections. Even if he was wrong the professor would have noticed something was wrong and if they didn't it was because of magic Harry himself created himself or was very familiar with.

Finding a deserted corner in the back of the library Harry sat down and let his books fall out of his satchel.

From amongst the pile's chaos, Harry pulled as small notebook only a few inches in diameter and opened it quickly. Within were the few notes he made regarding the snitch he made with Hermione. Page after page he flipped through and after a quick cursory review let out a sigh of relief.

Nothing with pointed to any fault from the snitch's enchantments. The runes were basic and solid. Any chance of a mutation or failure wouldn't have made a difference. Without a formula to actively effect external objects it was impossible for the fault to be placed on their work.

Harry sighed as he closed the book. Whatever was wrong wasn't actively caused by the snitch.

"Well, no point in dwelling on this anymore."

Putting away his small notebook Harry swapped it out for another and started to study. Starting with charms. In Harry's last class with Flitwick the diminutive Professor was pleased to answer Harry's questions regarding how the Stature of Secrecy was preserved using magic.

Four spells caught Harry's attention during Flitwick's explanations. The Notice-me-not spell, Muggle-repelling Charm, the Memory Charm, and the Compulsion Charm.

The latter in particular caught his eye. Realizing it wasn't within his first-year book Harry got up and searched for another Charms book. Eventually Harry found it within a sixth-year book and came upon an interesting revolution.

The Compulsion Charm was a highly advanced mental magic that increased the chance of the spells designated target to do or perform an action. Unlike the Imperious the spell function was weaker nor absolute as it couldn't force a person to perform an action they would never perform in the given situation.

While this in itself wasn't of interest to Harry the fact the spell was explained and gone into great depth proved something to Harry. He had much to learn. Especially since this simple discover would help him in the future once he got out of Hogwarts that summer.

Until now Harry believed that to compel a person, he needed eye contact to enforce an action. It was what did to Professor McGonagall in Gringotts only now, according to the book in front of him he didn't need eye contact. At the same time Harry was skeptical as the book stated wand movement was required to perform the spell which Harry knew for a fact was false already.

Still it was exciting for him since this opened a few doors for Harry that he'd otherwise not be able to open. Even more so as Harry looked further down, if he could learn to use the Confundus Charm in conjunction with the Compulsion Charm he'd be able to spell his way through many closed doors, some quite literally.

Picking up another book Harry learned a great deal regarding the magics he did know and no shortage of questions regarding what wizards took to be truth. After a few hours Harry could no longer motivate himself to do any more work. Needing a break, he let out a sigh.

He wished to himself that Hermione was there. At least with her around it would make the reading more bearable. If there was one thing, one thing, she was better at than Ginny by leaps and bounds, it was distracting him from his usual boredom when it came to studying.

That and reading books.

Harry laughed to himself at that thought.

As he leaned back in his chair he thought back to the old days when he studied with her. Lulled into his memories he closed his eyes and let the memory wash over him even as a smile crept over his face.

Ginny laid next to him sprawled out on the floor. Fatigue drained from her sleeping pinkish cheeks after a long workout at Quidditch. Her family, Hermione, and someone else he couldn't quite visualize were throwing a party for him in celebration of his promotion in the DMLE and his 23rd birthday.

Hermione laughed lightly next to him after she planted his face into his cake. Everyone laughed as he chased her around. The nose awaking a sleeping Ginny who joined in by tripping him to help Hermione escape.

Memories of a happier time, Harry thought as the memory flashed forward to their foreboding future.

He laid kneeling on the ground, morning in grief, Hermione once again by his side, placed her hand on his shoulder in comforting acknowledgment as he mourned in front of Ginny's grave. Her own pain withheld deep inside her painfully for his own unknowing benefit.

A flash shifted his memory to him comforting her as they ran underneath the Channel seeking refuge in France. Tears falling painfully from her irritated eyes as they ran for safety. The memories continued to flash forward like a movie wheel.

Harry snuggling into her as they looked at the wedding photos of all their friends, embracing their lost happiness. Harry staring into amber eyes over a night lit candle dinner, watching as the cracks in her heart healed at seeing him on his knee. Rocking back and forth in a chair with her on his lap watching the summer sunset ebb out of view. Fleeing her home and loving her as she struggled with both her parent's death and betrayal. At last he stared into stone glazed amber eyes as his heart ached. His world fading to gray as all reasons to live began to vanish from it.

Harry slowly opened his eyes. When he regained self-awareness, Harry was once again left confused. In silence he sat in quite wonder for the umpteenth time, question why the memories of their adult lives were the only things that Harry could remember. Everything from that time was a misty haze, vague and confusing. Yet Ginny and Hermione, only they existed in his mind clean cut and clear like sparkling water. Both the good and bad times they existed in solid remembrance.

Even the memory of when he had found out that Ginny had doused him with love potion during their school days existed painfully sound within his mind.

That day in particular rang painfully in his memory of those days.

He could recall the look of anguish on her face as she admitted it and the distraught look she held as Harry left her crying on the floor. Every tear, ever hair he could remember. How her shoulders heaved and shook in time with her tearful gasps for air, how her hands clutched themselves tightly as if in an attempt to hold herself together showed a near flawless clarity.

He should have stayed with her back then, instead of leaving her to feel abandoned, but at the time he needed distance and he went to Hermione for help. That feeling of betrayal, the doubt regarding their love, even now Harry could remember how painful it was for him.

Love... yes. He knew how love potions worked and that they needed to be applied continuously to remain effective. Even if she did apply them every other day to keep him in love, he would have built an immunity to the potion years ago based on when she admitted to dousing him. After years of hindsight, it was clear that her love for him was just as real as his was for her.

The potion might have pushed them together but that was it.

Back then however he was frustrated and ignored the logic before him.

He loved Ginny and she him, but somehow the thought she had potion'd him cut deeper than it should have. He didn't care about the potion. He only cared that she lied and tried to manipulate his choice with it. But did she? Was that her attempt to obtain him or something else?

This was something Harry couldn't recall as that answered apparently lied back in his school days or within the broken mess after his graduation.

Between her depression and his frustration at the situation, their love wouldn't have recovered if not for Hermione's words to him. Harry felt a chuckle pass him as he remembers her words.

"Harry you have to talk to her about it. Let her tell you why and apologize for it. Ginny's not stupid, but girls in love do stupid things. Remember you and Cho? You were all kind of stupid then too." she said with a grin. Harry admitted that she was right just as she continued, "I know you love her. You'd break if she disappeared Harry. Ginny almost did when we say Hagrid carrying your body."

Harry didn't know who Cho was, but he recognized a Cho Chang in Ravenclaw, a second-year student if he recalled correctly. Harry wondered if there was a relation.

He continued to smile to himself. Her words that day save him and Ginny. They also were words she said while lying to herself though he didn't know that at the time.

She was right though. They did love each other. Now several hundred years later give or take – thanks to the Mirror or Erised – Harry knew that his love for them was still real and now with complete certainty his own. Thinking about Ginny and Hermione, Harry parked his thoughts and let his chair fall back onto all legs.

Thinking about this without talking to her was pointless.

They would meet again at worst next year. If he had planned for it, maybe he could plot a meeting some time during the summer. Until then he had to focus on what he could do. That meant his studies, his magic, and working out a means of making money to prepare him for future events.

Looking down with renewed determination Harry watched as it fell flat on his face as the forgotten boredom of reading stared back at him.

Face Planting into the book with a grown Harry grumbled, "I really wish you were here Hermione."

Getting back up Harry like the mature child that he was, did the immature thing and put away his self-made studies in lieu of more productive and enjoyable work.

Pulling out the stack of parchment within his sack, Harry grabbed his quill and began writing the finishing touches to his private pet project; his manuscript's final touches.

It was after all easier to finish something that was already almost finished. Besides it wasn't a complete waste of time. If he got it publish it was possible, he'd make a fair profit.

By the time he had finished the last dot of ink to the paper, it was well into the evening.

"That took longer than I expected..." Harry muttered, putting down his quill and looking at the final work's title.

Of Snakes and Tongues: A Guide to Parseltongue and Parselmouth

Harry looked over his work. It was a three-hundred and fifty-six page text detailing every truth regarding the language of snakes that Harry could remember and tell. And boy was there a lot to tell.

Everything from the language itself, how to speak it, the rituals to understand the language, those that could speak the language throughout history, their stories and legends, to the very nature and hierarchy of snakes in general, and their personalities as a species was written within this proto book. This of course was limited to knowledge of snakes Harry had met before as well as the texts he could research and find. Even so it was a well versed and informative guide unlike the dribble he had recently read within the library.

To top it off he even dabbled into the sexual benefits of the skill which while not necessary, Harry included anyway if only to tell them exactly how much they missed.

Harry had poured everything into it that he could think was relevant to understanding the basics of the unique magic. Looking at it, Harry couldn't help but swell up with pride. Since he entered Hogwarts, he hadn't really felt like he achieved anything. He was learning basic introductions of magic when he already knew so much.

But this, holding his own writing that he was going to publish. That was something else. It was amazing. He could feel the weight of his success. It was a milestone he could actually feel and see. To top it off, while a long shot, this parchment could maybe, maybe even break the prejudices others thought about it.

The belief that there was good and evil magic… Harry shuddered at the absurdity of that concept. It really was no surprise that so many couldn't wield wandless magic, with that belief.

It might be a long shot, but Harry hoped this work could at least remove some of the ignorance that plagued wizarding society.

Harry pulled the manuscript together and waved his wand three times before he levitated forth a hardback book. Setting them down he copied the manuscript word for word with a dicta quill.

As the magic quill strolled over the parchment Harry let himself relax lifting up a book so it would appear that he was reading.

Really, he was just working on his occlumency. Walking into his mind Harry touched down within the main hall of Hogwarts. A grin crossed his face as he made his way to where the school library would be. Walking inside the library was almost barren with the exception of a few books.

It made sense since most of Harry's life was a jumbled mess. Rather than crowding the shelves with his memories unorganized and chaotic, Harry stored them elsewhere within the school where they awaited to be organized into the proper shelves.

Strolling through each aisle Harry began to organize the books on the shelves.

As he strolled through each isle, a book would materialize in his hands and Harry would place it where he wanted it to belong. And thus, his organizations would begin.

Most of these memories were simple information or knowledge that he learned. If one wanted to find his old memories, they would have to go and look in a place with a little bit more red and gold. His most private memories however lay in the most secret of chambers within the mentally constructed school.

By the time Harry was finished organizing his memories it was nearing closing time within the real-life library and his new book lay before him completely finished.

There were two copies of the manuscript, the original manuscript, and a completed book version of said manuscript. Taking the book Harry walked through the library and placed the book on one of the shelves. Leaving it there for a student to find Harry walked out of the library with his satchel over his shoulder. If someone found it, perfect. If someone didn't then what better place to hide a book, then in a library.

Hiding under his cloak Harry raced back to this dorm room. Entering the Slytherin Common Room Harry was shocked to see both Daphne and Tracey still waiting in the common room. As Harry rushed by them the two jumped up to see who had arrived but couldn't see anyone enter. Leaving the two confused girls in his wake Harry went up to his trunk and opened it.

Once again, he had more important things to do than deal with them.

With a sharp whistle, Harry held out his arm as Hedwig flew out and landed on his arm. She nipped at him irritably which caused Harry to stroke her apologetically.

"I know girl. I took too long. I'll make it up to you I swear. Come on" He said moving over to the window once he was out of his trunk. Opening it, Harry shuddered as the cold nipped at him. Pulling out his manuscript Harry quickly wrote three short letters and with the two copies of his book attached to them. Rapping the letters and the documents together onto Hedwig's stretched out leg Harry carried her to the window with a gentle grin.

"Hope you slept well. This is gonna be a long flight. Take these letters to Ragnuk, Flourish and Blotts, and this one to Nicholas Flamel respectively. Make sure the manuscript reaches Ragnuk and that letter get to Flamel." Harry stated showing her both manuscripts. Hedwig gave a quick nip of pride and puffed out her chest feathers with pride. A confirmation that she would succeed.

Smiling Harry set her off with a flick of his arm after giving some final words of praise. "I know I can count on you. Especially with the letter for Flamel. If anyone can get it to him it's you."

With a confident bark, the snowy owl

Harry watched as his closet companion flew off and Harry decided to fall asleep for the night. Closing the lid to his trunk Harry locked it, descended, and curled up in his private room on the Gryffindor four poster bed. As sleep gentle brushed against him his final thoughts drifted over Ginny, hoping she was well.

oOoOoOo

Albus Dumbledore paced within his office, completely ignoring the look of irritation from his familiar.

Plans that he had believed to be going well were not going as well as he had planned.

For ten years everything seemed to be well. Voldemort had been killed and the wizarding world was safe. Dumbledore however knew that the dark forces still existed and would be after the young wizard who had ended the Dark Lord's life. The prophecy which he didn't put much stock into back then now showed that the Dark Lord would somehow return. After all Harry was still very much alive.

Even if the prophecy was fulfilled, there were many who would still desire to see the boy dead.

Dumbledore couldn't have that happen. The boy was too important. If he died so much knowledge and magic would be lost. As the heir to the Potter fortune, so long as Harry lived, there was a chance.

However, being alive also had its risks. If Harry came of age, then once again that magic would be lost to a new Head of House. This meant on top of being the child who killed Voldemort who would have to face evil once again, the boy needed to be raised properly if Albus was to avoid the mistakes of the past.

Yes, while Harry himself didn't know it, he carried the keys to changing the world for the better. The same keys that Dumbledore needed to acquire to lead the people to the greater good.

Sending Harry off to his relatives was a stroke of both genius and luck. Thanks to the blood magic his mother placed on him he was thus protected from the wizarding world's influence. Using the blood magic runes and seals Dumbledore was able to bind Harry's magic to ensure that Harry would arrive in their world ignorant and pliable. Locked away, the boy wouldn't be polluted by the views of the wizarding world. It also ensured him that the Ministry's influence wouldn't be able to reach him either. No one for that matter would reach him. No one but him.

This freed Albus from his greatest worry back then, that Harry would fall into the pattern and beliefs that bound their world and suffocated their society.

But it was a thin line he knew it to be. While Harry living was a good thing since it didn't seal away the boys worth, it didn't mean all was well. If Albus could not finish his goal before the boys seventeenth birthday then nearly twenty years of work would fall to nothing.

And that damn prophecy only made matters more complicated.

Even so, so long as the boy lived, he would be protected and under his control.

Still there was risk.

Harry growing up as a muggleborn very likely raised ideas of the like that opposed Albus's.

Sure, Harry would also be dumbfounded and in awe of magic making him easier to mold and shape for the greater good, but in the long run those ideals would make it very difficult to bend the boy towards his intended goals. Potions might have been a solution, but that was now a riskier proposition then he imagined it being.

Some would say it was morally wrong, or even criminal to do what he was doing. He was essentially brainwashing the boy into his way of thinking even while abusing the power is guardianship over Harry provided.

Albus however argued that what he was doing was no different from what any other parent who raised a child in the magical world was doing.

Children grew up following their parent's ideals and while not always true for muggles this was almost always the case for wizards. The bones perspective on clean law, the Malfoy's and politics, the Weasley's and loyalty to the light, each was raised and brainwashed to follow their ideas.

Albus could not chance Harry Potter following the wrong path. Tom had done so before and Ablus's closest friend before him. Albus knew he was not wrong and would not let such a thing happen. He needed to take control so nothing wrong happened again. He needed control over Harry's future if his plans were to come to fruition. His plan had to be completed perfectly if the wizarding world was to enter a new age of acceptance and enlightenment.

However, everything went to hell just before Harry's eleventh birthday. No, in all likelihood it went south well before that. He had sent Hagrid, a loyal and devoted follower of the greater good to retrieve Harry. Unlike a Professor such as McGonagall who would properly answer and inform him of the magical world, Hagrid would not know to do that, thus once again making it easier for Albus to slowly mold Harry to the good, to make him more willing to abandon everything for the greater good.

What neither had expected was for the nightmare that Hagrid would find. After Hagrid had left, a peeved and irritated McGonagall had stormed into his office. She complained that she should have been sent, that Hagrid wouldn't know what to do, nor what to inform the boy who had been left in the muggle world for so long. She wasn't wrong, but that was not what Harry needed.

The sudden and panicked floo call from Hagrid had been the last thing either expect to hear and the last thing Albus needed to happen at that moment. Afterall, Harry Potter being found in critical condition and having no choice but to all treatment at St. Mungo's was not a part of the plan.

So, flustered with concern for his plan Albus didn't realize that he had left the floo open for McGonagall to follow him. And follow she did.

Lying in a bed, near dead from magic exhaustion, was Harry Potter. The boy was frail, malnourished, and still… absolutely still. The words that followed that day had been lost to him as Albus tried to figure out what had to be done to reform his shattering plans.

The Dursely's had been in critical condition. Critical but alive. Somehow, they had survived the Obscurus attack alive, both them and Harry. Yet their condition was still dangerously precarious, their lives going either way even with magic. As it stood, come time for Harry to return to their abode they would not be in a condition to take him in.

It was good fortune that Albus was able to find and fund a muggle hospital that was willing to take over their care and save their lives. Little did he know, so long as money changed hands any Hospital on principle would have taken them in and tried to save the family.

Under the scalpel of modern medicine, much to Albus's annoyance and relief, the Dursely's were saved and even more surprisingly, recovering from their magical wounds. As much as he'd like to deny it, letting muggles heal them turned out to be the right decision. If they were left to St. Mungo's they would have been watched over but left to heal naturally without magic. They might have lived but they certainly wouldn't have recovered in time for the following summer.

He found it sad really and wanted to deny the fact that where magic had failed, Muggles had succeeded, much to Albus's relief.

Paying for the whole thing Albus was almost grateful for St. Mungo's refusing to accept them as in muggle hands the family was finally returned to their home in the middle of October.

This meant the blood wards that both inhibited Harry's magic growth and hid his location from most of the wizarding world which would have fallen apart, were now strong again and would be ready for Harry next summer.

The other problem back then was that Harry's link to the wards was weakened by the ordeal and that knowledge of him being an Obscurial was floating around the hospital. At the hospital when the opportunity presented itself Albus had subtly evaluated the blood wards he placed on Harry when no one was looking.

They were a mess.

Shattered, broken, the wards were like crisscrossing shredded pieces of confetti. Runes and enchantments were miss matched, overlapping and all around impossible to repair. But on the plus side in that state no standard healer would have been able to determine the magic let alone identify it as blood magic or even as wards of any kind. Even better in the state they were in somehow by some miracle the protections and bindings were still in effect.

The binding was barely functional and while most of the bindings were torn to shreds, one still managed to hold strong if by a thread.

He was also unknowingly wrong in his assessment but still lucky. The healers there had detected the wards attached to Harry. Thankfully for Albus they mistakenly determined that the ward's magic was just residual magic Harry had produced while fighting his Obscurus into his control. In truth they had no idea and that was good for his plan.

The next crisis was even more problematic. Very problematic. Especially for someone like Albus who stood in the public mind. News that Harry Potter was an Obscurial would be devastating. As his magical guardian which – was illegally acquired – Harry being publicly announced as an Obscurial would cause people to look deeper into certain actions and events he didn't want anyone looking into.

For a brief time, Dumbledore feared the boy's fame would be the end of his plans. While it was not common knowledge that Albus had sent Harry to live in the muggle world, with enough interest anyone could learn it. As Harry's magical guardian he was responsible for Harry's health. Not only was this responsibility now clearly neglected if he was an Obscurial, if word got out an inquiry would realize that he was technically not Harry's magical guardian.

"Accursed goblins." Dumbledore mumbled. Albus usually would have kept well above the law or at least below without a paper trail if he could. However, the goblins even before the boy's birth had blocked his access to the Potter Vault. Every attempt to gain access to it depths was hindered at every point by them even back when James Potter was willingly giving out his wealth for the cause.

But money wasn't the issue. Helpful as that funding was Albus had no interest in the Potter gold, rather his needs lay elsewhere and without being Harry's Guardian the only hole by which to gain access within would have been sealed shut tight.

In the end it was essential that Harry Potter becoming an Obscurial was kept secret.

Should information get out he was mistreated so poorly and became an Obscurial... Dumbledore tightened his fists in frustration. No. He couldn't, wouldn't allow that to happen. His image must not be stained. No one could know, be allowed to know. If they learned about that then they would learn about his will, his guardianship, possibly everything if they looked hard enough.

The sheep would be too blind by their own ignorance to see his will as their salvation. The foolish who thought they knew best would resist and hinder his plans. In history the peasants always did and look at where they ended up. The Magical world was dying. Magic itself was dying.

Albus knew he could worm his way around the law. Albus knew however he wouldn't be so lucky with the goblins nor with some of his more valuable allies. Both were vital to his plans that they remain blind and complacent.

As luck would have it the Healer in charge who was tasked with healing Harry was keeping the news private and within a small crowd until Harry could tell them more of his condition and how it came about as his condition was very unique.

Dumbledore was able to convince the healers that Harry Potter's return should be informed not with an air of negativity but with glee. News that he was an Obscurial would go poorly and bring despair to the community. The nudge that Harry's privacy and health was his own and not for anyone else to know had made the decision final and thankfully the Daily Prophet didn't learn of this fact; Albus made sure it never would either.

To finalize the decision Dumbledore cast subtle compulsion charms on all of them not to think or talk of Harry's condition and burned the evidence of his condition with a bit of magic manipulation. With that Dumbledore had salvaged a crumbling situation and the plan was at least back then somewhat on track.

In doing so, however, his attention was diverted. At first it didn't seem to matter but now it was becoming clear that all problems began from this point. While one crisis was averted, Professor McGonagall had met and had informed Harry of the wizarding world. At first her stout and professional nature left Dumbledore with only minor concern for Harry's malleability to his plans. He wouldn't be as dependent on him but would still be malleable and under his thumb.

However, it was now becoming clear that McGonagall had developed a soft spot for the boy and her disobedience to his wishes was becoming more and more frequent. She had always been someone with stubborn ideals and beliefs but with his record and her respect for him she usually conceded to his will.

He had compromised with her and let her leave to watch over him as Hagrid guided him to the train for his first day. It was important to the plan that this happen as Molly Weasley would be there, and introduce him to her son, Ron Weasley and their daughter who would be important later in the plan.

Hagrid and Molly were supposed to be the ones who introduced Harry to the magical world and set him on the right path. Hagrid his rescuer, Molly a motherly figure. The two would lead him to Ron who would become his first friend and warn him about the dark nest that was Slytherin. All of them leading him further into his camp, into his guidance.

McGonagall being around shouldn't have changed that.

It did however.

Instead she disobeyed him and brought Harry early per his wishes, missing the family all together. Now he was in Slytherin and at risk of going dark and surrounded by his enemies. By her action Harry was now in danger within the school and this risked him going dark or drawing forth a dark image of magic in general. Neither were good as Harry needed to want to be in the magical world. The plan couldn't afford him not returning.

Even so back then he couldn't fault her for anything really.

Back then McGonagall was simply acting in the manner of her post, but slowly she was doubting him and that worried him.

The fuss that Halloween over Harry when his Obscurus came out and saved both him and Hermione from the Troll was the most concerning as it was outright rebellious against him.

A rogue Obscurus was no laughing matter and concealing the whole affair was not easy. That week took quite a bit of wand work from him to get Minerva to shut up about why it was two students that solved their troll infestation that should never have happened. His allies needed to be loyal to him and she was becoming more troublesome the more she questioned him.

For now, he wasn't worried but later he might have to consider supplying a drink of hers with loyalty potion. While he'd rather not do that as loyalty potions were not perfect, if he needed to he would.

In a way it was a good thing that she questioned him. So long as she did it meant she was less likely to go dark as he could keep an eye on her rebellious thoughts. However, Albus did not need her interfering with the destiny of Harry Potter.

She of course couldn't have known the troll infestation was something he allowed in order to test Harry. If the girl got hurt, it wouldn't affect anything. In fact, it could be used to drive Harry closer to his side.

The whole event was probably the only good thing that went right since the boy's return. After all he passed and did survive. How it happened and the aftermath however didn't go as plan but was manageable. The boy now had experience and his actions showed he didn't hesitate to fight evil far greater than his ability to handle. The test showed the boy would face Voldemort if he needed too and that was good, very good.

With that conclusion made Albus proceed with his plan and had the mirror moved. Harry would prove his worth when the time came. The mirror would be shown to him so that when Harry found it again, he would know how to use it when the time came. And so, left alone with multiple compulsions directing Harry to it, Albus intended to use the mirror to remind Harry what he would be fighting for and inform him of how it worked to prevent evil from winning.

Albus had it all set and ready. His old mentor worried that someone was after the stone had lent him the stone under the belief that it would be protected under his watchful eye. What his old friend didn't know was that Albus had much greater plans for the stone aside from protecting it from evil. Win or lose it wouldn't matter. Even if someone got the stone it wouldn't matter. Even if that someone was Voldemort, the prophecy foretold of his fate. Even if he lost the stone and found it destroyed, that simply meant one less powerful famous wizard from inhibiting his vision.

While he would miss his friend surly Albus knew he would never join his side.

His friend aside, making sure Harry could break past the trials was something of a bit of a worry for Albus. The stone would be sealed behind many magical defenses, each tailored to one of the friends that Harry was to make. Friends of which unfortunately did not yet include Ron Weasley as of yet much to Dumbledore's vexation. However, that could be fixed in any number of ways.

For now, letting Harry find the mirror would be enough and soon the stone would be returned into the depths of the third floor corridor.

At worst Harry's friends or someone of Albus's choosing would inform him of the stone being stolen for evil purposes. His friends would either join him or jump in and Harry would jump in to save them setting him on the path of righteousness. It would fuel his self-worth as a martyr and give meaning to doing the right thing over his own life. Thus, the path of the great good would be complete and from there a new plan crafted.

And yet this plot was not without its annoyances.

The fact McGonagall was demanding the stone's removal recently saying that the defenses were too weak or dangerous and could harm the students only became more annoying ever since Halloween.

She also added Harry to her Quidditch Team which while Albus allowed it if only to make sure he was ready for the trail on the third floor, it was now becoming a social annoyance as many professors and students alike were requesting the allowance to join other teams. None of which he wanted.

The division of the houses while going against his beliefs were traditional and supported his plans. Having the Slytherin's hated united all the muggleborn and half-bloods who looked up to him.

Plus, in order to break down the household magics that allowed private family to monopolize magics, having the pureblood of Slytherin hated and forced into Voldemort's camp was an absolute must. Purebloods after all held onto the oldest and most vital of ancient magics deep within their families. As such unless they gave it away willingly the only methods to acquire that magic is either by marriage or by conquest. As good they would be as villains, but as villains they could be defeated, and their secrets would be set free refilling the world with magic. Magic too dark would then be destroyed and magic that was good would be freed to the masses. All would be for the greater good.

McGonagall's decision to have Harry join her team unfortunately had opened a door that was now stirring that blatant divide among the students.

Her worst actions of resent lay thankfully in concern for Harry's education and wellbeing much like the rest of her students. While unsure if she was a direct cause or a symptom aiding it, he was sure her actions had an effect on Harry.

Her refusal to leave Harry's education out of mind was becoming a problem as she pushed Harry to improve himself. Her curiosity to Harry's apparently talented mind was going to become a problem. Bad enough that Harry appeared to be far smarter then he should be. A possible genius in Potions, a natural at charms, and the ease with which he performed Transfiguration had left Albus worrying for his grey hairs.

Albus did not expect Harry to be so capable. The whole point of placing him with his muggle relatives was to leave him ignorant. His ability to acclimate to the wizarding world was something he didn't plan on. And said ability was frightening to behold.

Harry's constant display talent, exploration and his odd ability to disappear from his spying network throughout the castle. Instead of having eyes on the boy at all times, the boy instead enjoyed a freedom and anonymity far greater than what Albus felt comfortable with him possessing. Instead of being mindless and clueless Harry was now on equal footing as his fellow students or at least as far as Albus could tell. He had thought his compulsion charms on the boy would limit his exploration of his capabilities, instead focusing on making friends.

It hadn't.

The boys mind wandered practically everywhere Albus didn't want it to go. He was even forced to move up his timetable to remove additional books that might broach Harry's awareness of old magics.

Troublesome still, whenever Harry learned a new spell, whenever he cast a spell perfectly, whenever he wrote down notes no first years should possibly understand or be capable of, Harry severed the compulsion.

For some unknown reason whenever Harry sought to learn magic, he inadvertently broke the compulsion to ignore his potential with ease and went about learning it. Dumbledore was becoming fearful that his bind on Harry's magic was breaking and that was the reason the compulsion weren't sticking.

This meant Harry was at risk of being both mentally unbound, and magically unbound.

Intelligent and powerful, both put his destiny at risk. He needed to find a way of discreetly determining if the boy was still bound.

Normally breaking one's own bindings on their magic should be impossible, then again magic worked in mysterious ways. Albus had to admit all of these problems could simply be proof of how powerful Harry was and how devoted McGonagall was to her students and their success.

This didn't mean he wasn't going to try to figure out if something else was happening. Constant vigilance as his old friend would say.

Albus thought he solved one of those problems when he placed seven tracking charms on the boy's cloak. Even as the magic contract with James compelled him to return it, Albus thought he had successfully killed to pixies with one spell. Not only fulfilling the magical contracts demands but also ensuring he would be able to track, follow, and recover the cloak in the future.

This plan fell flat on its face as not a day in, Albus had all but given Harry more freedom and lost sight of the cloak.

In the end, everything wasn't going as Albus intended. If something wasn't done soon, he feared he'd have to use loyalty potions to force the boys and McGonagall's compliance. He couldn't let the stubborn women interfere with Harry's upbringing and needed a means of following the boy.

He needed Harry to remain weak. If he became too strong than they risked creating another Riddle.

Albus stopped his pacing as he realized something. Harry's abilities; They were odd and dare he say, did not belong to that of a first year. While Hermione Granger was easily considered the brightest witch of her age in terms of knowledge and spell work, Harry Potter was a genius despite his upbringing.

Even with his practical magic a mess due to most likely the interference – no doubt caused by any number of things such as the destroyed wards and even his accursed Obscurus – the boy was a master in the art of advance application. Where the boy possessed a general understanding of theory, his practical use of the subjects flew in the face of reason. Harry was turning out work almost as if he had already been taught the subject. Dumbledore had sneaked a look at his private sessions with Nymphadora Tonks and saw firsthand his gift.

There was nothing special in regard to making the craft. He simply followed directions like everyone else and did so perfectly. Nothing a first year couldn't pull off until Harry came around and remade said potion again. The boy would research the ingredients themselves each one at a time and when all was done, he would rewrite the instructions and have the same potion with anything from longer lasting effects, better taste, to even shorter crafting time and even greater ease of concocting.

It wasn't his magic but his understanding of the way the ingredients worked together that astonished everyone. It was unbelievable really.

This brought some hope to Albus. If Harry was a genius, then it simply meant his mindset was wrong. While it would be beneficial to have Harry weaker, if the boy was a natural talent then it simply meant the boy needed to be a weak natural talent.

So even with a greater affinity or insight it was simply a matter of perspective.

The same could even be said for his spell work as well. When his magic worked, the boy showed the same capacity and skill in his work that Ms. Granger showed; maybe more.

While he should keep a close watch on the boy's progress, he needed to remember there wasn't an immediate need to respond to the boy's skill.

While the teachers tried to come to an understanding of how Harry was so amazing at times, Professor Sinistra and Professor Babbling currently had a theory that Albus was in agreeance with.

"Albus" A portrait called out drawing the headmaster's attention out of his thoughts.

Looking up Albus saw it was one of the portraits the existed in the Slytherin Common Room.

"Mr. Potter appears to have disappeared in his room again. The Slytherin brats are making a fuss about how he got past them.

Albus nodded, "Thank you Phineas."

"Not again." Albus thought to himself. "Well, at least the boy had yet to actually join Slytherin."

Moments like this eased his own fears that Harry was following the path of a Dark Lord. Harry being sorted into Slytherin, his constant and frequent disappearances from his information network around the school, his obvious and clear independence, his cold and introverted persona throughout the school, all reinforced his fears... Dumbledore shuttered. It was like Riddle all over again.

That was until Harry confronted him before the mirror. That of course opened up an entirely different cauldron of problems. According to what Harry said, the boy could recall the night his parents died and as a result held a grudge against him.

Though his words carried a sharp assault directed towards him, Albus also heard the words of light, of forgiveness within them. This simply meant Harry needed to learn forgiveness and all would be well.

Yes, even with everything as it was, Albus was sure he could still salvage it.

The plan was still good.

Harry's words, attitude and hate dashed what brittle solid ground existed underneath Dumbledore at first but he was sure everything could be solved.

The confidence that his plan had which revolved around having Harry's blind obedience was now gone. The boy made that perfectly clear. But loyalty was still possible, and it wasn't like Harry needed the boy to follow his every order, only a few important ones.

Albus was still completely perplexed as to how Harry held such distrust, no... animosity for him. He simply couldn't believe that Harry could remember that far back. Not that that was his only concern.

The boy said he could remember the night he was left at the Dursley's. That was simply impossible and couldn't be true. That night Dumbledore could have sworn that Harry was asleep and even with magic should he have been awake, it would still be impossible for him to remember anything from that night. Not at such a young age.

It made more sense that McGonagall could have told him, but he had been watching all the teachers too. There was no sign of her leaking such information. As impossible as it was, somehow the boy remembered, and this was a shining hope for success were once it was lost. If the boy truly did remember, then maybe that avenue that was close could be opened once more.

All those years of planning, to mold Harry into the next servant for the greater good, were quickly crumbling. The boy did not trust him, and from his attitude and actions, never would. Even so, the plan was still going. Even on crumbling footing so long as it held out the light would win.

Dumbledore only held himself back from acting recklessly saying it was merely a reaction to whatever he saw in the mirror, that he was being childish.

Albus knew this was false.

The boy's words carried too much weight.

Something in Dumbledore's mind knew otherwise. Some knowledge that he possessed told him that wasn't the case. The boy was not following his path and it needed to be fixed. Harry must not fall down the wrong path less the boy-who-lived become that which Albus feared returning.

Yet all he could do now was wait and see. Intervening too soon could ruin everything.

Dumbledore eyes shut tight, a dark thought crossed his mind. He mustn't think it, yet it was a possibility.

'… will mark him as his equal …'

"Could it be possible that Harry gained Tom's powers and knowledgeable insight that night?" Albus pondered to himself.

Yes, it could explain his unique show of experience in regard to magic and the knowledge around it. But then again it could simply mean that Tom made a mistake and scared the boy. The thought though was tantalizing. Could Harry have gained some insight that was preventing Harry from being as weak as Dumbledore wanted. It would explain Harry's natural ability and power behind his Occlumency.

As Dumbledore pondered this new line of thought, Fawkes looked upon his master with distant eyes. A single feather at the top of its plume a bit darker than it should have been. A thinning black eclipsing bright red.