A/N: This chapter marks the end of First Year, but not of this story. Just felt I should clarify I will not be dividing it up into multiple books. Hopefully everyone is enjoying the story so far.

Chapter 17: Finally Meeting the Headmaster

Harry suddenly shot upright in a bed. He quickly calmed and looked around. It was blurry and he realized he wasn't wearing his glasses. He squinted and looked around to get his bearings.

"You're awake!" he heard a familiar voice say to him.

"Yes. I am. Where are my glasses, Hermione?" Harry asked.

She quickly handed them to him and he put them on. He could see clearly now he was in what was probably the Hospital Wing. "Are you okay?" Hermione asked him quietly.

"As much as can be. How long was I out?" Harry asked.

"A couple of days…" Hermione said with a worried frown.

Harry sighed. "I guess it could have been worse," he said to her. Hermione held his hand a moment and nodded. "How long have you been here?" Harry asked her.

Hermione smiled. "Susan, Hannah and I have been taking turns watching over you. School's finished pretty much and we can easily read ahead while waiting. Tracey has taken a turn or two as well. She claims to be keeping Pansy updated…" she explained. She gave a slight frown towards the end.

"Do you not like that?" Harry asked her.

Hermione sighed, but gave a nod. "I don't see how she can say she's on your side, but only visit once with Tracey. She seems to take her role exceptionally serious," she said.

Harry nodded in thought. "I can see where you're coming from. But I think she really does take her role seriously. Probably sees it as very important to do so. Considering all that happened down there… I think she might be right," Harry said.

"What happened after we left?" Hermione then asked.

"A very astute question, Miss Granger," a wise but grandfatherly voice said.

"Headmaster Dumbledore?" Harry and Hermione asked together as they looked to the tall man with his long white beard and brightly colored robes.

"Last I checked that was my title and name," he quipped with a smile. Hermione blushed a little, but Harry merely gazed down slightly. "I am sure you are very curious what all happened while you weren't there, but I feel I must hog young Mr. Potter's time a little first," he said.

"That might be for the best. I'd rather tell you and the others together, Hermione," Harry said.

"You better," she warned as Harry smiled and nodded to her. He would tell them everything, which will include this discussion with Dumbledore. The dark haired boy had a feeling it would be telling in a way.

[-] [-] [-]

Once Hermione was politely dismissed, Dumbledore turned to Harry. "Given how people are prone to gossip, whether magical or muggle, almost everyone claims to know the truth of what happened between you and Professor Quirrell. I would like to hear your truth, Mr. Potter," the aged wizard said.

Harry nodded to the professor's words. "First of all. We did try to do things the proper way. I do not want Hermione, Susan, or Hannah to get in any trouble," Harry started.

Dumbledore looked over Harry while hiding his thoughts. "It is good to see you are so concerned for your friends. None of you are in any trouble though," Dumbledore assured him.

"We first went to Professor McGonagall, but she shot our concerns down before we could even fully explain ourselves. She more or less said we would be expelled if she caught us near the third-floor corridor. She even claimed she should have done so right then and there," Harry said.

"Perhaps she was a bit over zealous in her warning. I will speak to her about this. It is difficult to expel students. She most likely would not have done so. That isn't to say she wouldn't have given you detention for the rest of your years," Dumbledore said with an amused smile at the end.

Harry didn't acknowledge it one way or the other as he continued. "We next tried to find you, Headmaster. But overheard Ron, Seamus and Dean talking about how they watched you fly off on a broom," he said.

"I was summoned to the Ministry of Magic. It was not for anything of too much importance, but I figured it would do no harm to go. Fortunately, I did leave an alarm rune of sorts just past Professor Snape's addition to the protections. I was in mid-flight when it went off and headed back immediately. That is why I came across your friends on their way to deliver me a letter and already knew what it possibly meant," Professor Dumbledore explained.

"That is something we hoped for and why we didn't try to figure out if there was something like that or not. My intention from the start was to just buy time for them to seek out help," Harry said.

"I was a bit surprised to see it was Professor Quirrell trying to get the stone," Harry then admitted.

"Only a bit?" Professor Dumbledore asked for clarification.

"We've noticed he was faking his stutter and acting scared of everything to the point of parody. I've been around people who have real stutters and it is never as controlled and measured as his was. Our theory was he acted that way so he didn't have to put in effort while teaching. We did not think he was going after the stone," Harry said.

"It would have still been wise to approach Professor McGonagall or I with such theories and observations, Mr. Potter," the headmaster said.

Harry looked to him doubtfully as he said, "What good would it have done? We're just students. First years. He is... was... a member of your staff you hired for a position always hard to fill."

Dumbledore didn't really comment on that, but he could see where Harry was coming from.

Harry continued the story. "We sort of fought, but he got me in the end. Once he had me tied up to the pillar, he went back to looking at the mirror. It took me a little bit to understand the inscription on it and I guessed what your plan was."

Harry allowed a brief smile. "That was rather clever, Professor. Someone wanting the stone would also want to use it, even if it was handing it over to someone else. It was very unlikely anyone would just want the stone and nothing more," Harry said.

Dumbledore couldn't help, but smile to that. "I will admit I impressed myself with that a little. I did notice you never retrieved the stone yourself though. Why is that?" he asked.

Harry shrugged. "I figured taking the stone for myself would just make it easier for Quirrell to acquire it. As I said, my goal was never to defeat Quirrell. I only wanted to buy time. He is also a fully trained wizard," he said.

"And yet you did end up defeating Professor Quirrell in the end," Dumbledore said in a leading manner.

Harry nodded. "I must have given myself away or something. After figuring out the trick with the mirror, I felt a really sharp pain in my head. It was the worst headache ever! At the time, I thought Quirrell did something, but I soon discovered it was Voldemort who was doing whatever it was," Harry said.

"Can you expand on that? Go into more detail, if you can," Dumbledore said looking far less jovial and far more attentive as he gazed at Harry.

"It was like something was trying to drill into my head right around my scar. I guess since Voldemort gave me the scar it was rather sensitive to his magic. It kept trying to drill into me. I concentrated on fighting back and keeping it from entering."

"Eventually, I seemed to visualize what it was in a very vague way. After what felt far too long, I won and it resulted in the magic shooting back and jolting Quirrell forward," Harry said.

Dumbledore nodded to that.

"What did he do to me, Headmaster?" Harry asked.

"That is what we call Legilimency. It is a form of mind magic that allows the user to sift through your memories. It is not reading your mind as most would think. It is more seeing your mind and the more skilled the user is the more they can navigate it," he explained as a professor would to a class.

"The usage of such magic is illegal in most senses. It also requires eye contact. There are ways Voldemort could have made it so Quirrell's turban acted similar to what muggles know as a two-way mirror. He could see you, but you couldn't see him," Dumbledore said.

"I see. What did you mean in most senses?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore nodded to that. "With such questions as that, you might have been able to do well in either Slytherin or Ravenclaw. Legilimency can be used passively. That is not regulated, because it is not very powerful and rather more difficult to prove. It would only allow the user to sense the target's surface level thoughts in the way of emotions,"

"Such usage can be easily substituted by just learning how people act and from experience with communicating with others. Passive Legilimency can also be easily fought back. If the target is able to control their emotions, then it will be of no help to the user," he explained.

"Is there any way to fight it? I mean Legilimency as a whole," Harry asked. He did not like the idea of someone reading his thoughts. Maybe not literally, like a reading a book, but it was still reading in a sense to Harry's mind.

"There is. Naturally as is the case with most branches of magic, there is a counter or opposite to it. That field of study is known as Occlumency. It is not illegal to study Occlumency, but it is frowned upon if one is too obvious about it," he said in warning.

"After all, most would wonder why it was you were so eager to learn such a difficult and seemingly needless branch of magic. Since Legilimency is illegal," Dumbledore said.

"You said breaking eye contact ends Legilimency. But as you described with Professor Quirrell and Voldemort, there are ways around that. One of the most obvious is eye contact can be forced," Harry said. He felt like he needed to explain his reasons for wanting to look into it.

"Indeed," Headmaster Dumbledore said. "What happened after Voldemort revealed himself to you?" he asked moving the conversation back on track.

Harry made a mental note to look into Occlumency on his own time and continued explaining what happened. "He tried to butter me up, threaten me, guilt me, and even bribe me into helping him out. Claimed he would return to power and leave my friends alone."

"I doubted he would keep his word, and I also realized he wouldn't allow me to live after helping him. Quirrell was next told to force me into looking at the mirror. I told them I saw Hufflepuff winning the house cup every year I was here," Harry said.

"Is that what you really saw?" Dumbledore couldn't help but ask more out of curiosity than anything else.

"Of course not. The house cup would be nice, but far from my heart's desire," Harry replied easily.

"What did you see then?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry looked to him neutrally as he said, "A goal I wish to achieve. Something actually worth striving for in my life."

"Which is?" Dumbledore asked. Learning someone's drive in life was important in figuring them out.

"What do you see in the mirror?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore thought about answering he saw a nice pair of socks that were very warm. He would claim as a headmaster he had more than enough books and no one realized the importance of good socks. He would use that as a way to hopefully get closer to Harry, while keeping the truth to himself.

He realized Harry wouldn't appreciate that though. The boy also wouldn't fall for it. Dumbledore instead gave a slight smile as he said, "Touché, Mr. Potter. It is a rather personal question. Sometimes when you get to my age, you can't help your curiosity getting the best of you in the hopes of finding something interesting in life. As your life continues, things become far duller or at least not exciting. Sorry for my carelessness."

Harry gave a shrug showing no offense was had on his part. "To force me to look into the mirror, Quirrell freed me from the bindings. I used that chance to knock away his wand and fight him the only way I could."

"I noticed my skin seemed to burn him or something. It hurt me as well, but not as much as him. I really hoped it would knock him out. Then there would be even more time for help to arrive and you could ask him any questions you had. But that didn't happen… He died… Or maybe he was already dead more or less," Harry said as his voice trailed off in thought.

"What do you mean by that?" Dumbledore asked.

"Voldemort mentioned something about being forced to live off of another. He claimed from the start Quirrell was his vessel. He did not call him a vassal," Harry said.

Dumbledore hummed in a way that showed he was impressed. "That is a very astute observation, Mr. Potter. As I said earlier, you could have done well in Ravenclaw with such care for details. You are right in that regard. Professor Quirrell had to give himself fully to Voldemort for such a thing to be possible. He was dead the moment he made that choice," he said.

"Shortly before you all showed up, Quirrell seemed to explode and then Voldemort escaped in some kind of cloud form. He left through a vent in the room," Harry finished.

"Thank you for sharing the full details of what happened, Mr. Potter. It seems only fair that you get to ask me questions in return, even if I may not be able to answer them all," Dumbledore said with a pleasant smile.

Harry realized this meant there were things the headmaster wouldn't tell him. He would pay attention to what those things were. "What do you think Voldemort will do now?" Harry asked.

"I guess he will find another way to return. I am not sure what way that will be. I am not even sure how he is still alive as he is," the headmaster answered.

Harry frowned to that.

Dumbledore spoke again thinking maybe Harry was frowning in hopelessness or something similar. "However. This was a victory for us all, Mr. Potter. He will keep trying and trying, but we delayed him this time. You kept him from coming back now. If we do this enough… Then one day, with a little luck, we will stop him completely from returning and then truly defeat him," he said.

Harry nodded to that. "Why do you think my touch hurt Quirrell the way it did?" he asked.

"I am not fully sure myself. I feel it was due to the magic your mother cast that night, even if we will probably never know what exactly it was. You mentioned how your scar was a mark from Voldemort's magic. Your mother marked you as well that night. It is the reason why you must return to the Dursleys, even with your dislike of them. I have even heard of that to an extent," the headmaster said.

Harry frowned deep to that. "What protection? I'm not sure what you think it is like living with the Dursleys, but they do not like me at all. They love reminding me how freakish I am. They have never stepped in to help me, especially if it was from my cousin. What kind of protection is worth such a cost, Headmaster?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore sighed to that and seemed to be every year he was age wise. "That may be true, Harry. But they have protected you. Your mother used a blood ward on you. That magic protects you from a lot."

"Voldemort's followers are still very much at large. Many would use you for their political gain. That protection she gave you keeps those from the magical world who would wish you harm from ever finding you. It will keep doing so as long as you consider them your family and their house your home. Until you are of age," the headmaster said.

Harry was silent in response. He then spoke again; with the hopes it would keep Dumbledore from looking too much into this. "I don't like it, but I see where you are coming from, Headmaster," he said carefully while showing his displeasure at the prospect.

Dumbledore seemed relieved hearing that. He figured it meant Harry would return to them without argument. "On the bright side, you only need to stay until your birthday each summer. That should be enough time for the magic to recharge and keep you safe," he said.

Harry nodded to that. He saw it as the olive branch the Headmaster intended it to be. "What will happen with the stone and the Flamels?" he asked to move the conversation away from the Dursleys.

"So, you even found out about Nickolas!" he said in a bright and slightly proud voice.

"The stone has already been destroyed. Once you told me about Voldemort, I convinced my friend and his wife to move forward their time table in that regard. Hogwarts was never intended to be the final resting place for it in the first place. They have enough of the elixir to finish out their lives as they see fit. When you get to be their age, you see death as simply another part of life and going into a final and eternal nap," he said with a smile.

Harry supposed he could see that. He wanted to do much more in his own life, but he wasn't well over 600 years old. He instead asked a question that he knew probably wouldn't get an answer, but it would be good to see Dumbledore's reaction.

"Why is it Voldemort is after me? I was only a toddler and he went out of his way to kill me and my parents. Even if he loved killing, and especially babies or something like that, it seems… too targeted. too thought out," Harry said.

Dumbledore sighed to that. "Alas… You have asked something I cannot answer to you. The truth. It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with caution," he said.

Harry frowned. "I feel it should still be told to me regardless. It is my life at stake after all," he said.

"Learning the truth will change you. It will change everything about your life. Even more so if you learn it too soon, young Harry. You have not had an easy childhood; I will admit that. However, I will not rob you of it entirely," he said.

"Any chance at a childhood ended the night my parents died and I was left with the Dursleys. You will have to tell me someday, Headmaster," Harry said.

"I will. But you are still young enough to have some form of a childhood, even if it is just a couple of years here in a magical school," Dumbledore said.

Harry gave a slow nod showing he was accepting of these terms for now.

"It will not give you the specific answer as to why Voldemort targeted you. But it may help you to better understand why such precautions in general, including hiding you from most of magical world, are needed for your circumstance," Dumbledore started.

"Find some time this summer to speak with the goblins at Gringotts'. Ask a teller to speak with the Potter Family Accountant. The visit will take a lot of time, so plan for that," Dumbledore said. The headmaster really hoped this would convince Harry he was on his side and to trust his judgement in withholding the truth from him.

Harry almost said he planned on doing that, since Hagrid told him to do as such, but he decided to instead go along with it here. He nodded to the headmaster. "Thanks for the advice," he said.

Dumbledore smiled and stood up. "I believe we are finished here. I feel if I hold you up any longer, I will have to deal with the ire of at least four witches, even if three are first years," he said with a chuckle.

Harry smiled to that. "We are Hufflepuffs. We're big on sticking together and we can be rather stubborn on some matters. Goes with the whole hard work thing," he joked.

Dumbledore chuckled to that. "I do have one last quick question, if you will," he said.

Harry nodded.

"Why is it you did not go to the DMLE? Susan is a close friend of yours and her Aunt heads the department," Dumbledore asked.

"We thought about it briefly, since it was an important matter. However, Susan pointed out we aren't Aurors and we would need more than just deductive reasoning to convince her aunt to lend us her help," Harry said.

Dumbledore nodded to that. "It is surprising how grown up you kids can act at times. It is good you and your friends at not quick to take advantage of such a connection. Good day to you, Mr. Potter. I believe Madam Pomfrey will clear you to attend the closing feast tomorrow night," he said as he left.

[-] [-] [-]

Harry was actually cleared that night. He was glad to have a day to enjoy before the school closed. He was also glad certain people seemed to be giving him a bit of a breather after the whole trip through the trap door. He wasn't so sure it was out of consideration for him though.

He figured Tonks wasn't hounding him because she was too drained after NEWTs. Pansy and Tracey were also keeping some distance for Slytherin reasons. They had an established relationship with Harry and the others, but it was still rather new as far as the rest of their house could tell and they were being careful with it.

Thinking about the Slytherin girls, Harry decided to make a stop. He was careful to make his approach near the end of Professor Snape's office hours. Exams may be over, but teachers were still required to hold office hours until the students left.

Harry knocked on the door to Professor Snape's office door. "Enter…" came the clear but obviously slightly annoyed voice of Professor Snape.

"Mr. Potter. What is it you want?" he asked as Harry entered.

Harry looked around to make sure they were alone. Professor Snape raised an eyebrow in question, but remained silent otherwise. He had a feeling Harry did not act in such a manner without good cause. "I felt it would be best to see what you knew of my encounter regarding the current topic of gossip," he said.

"And why is that?" Professor Snape asked.

"Maybe because you were the only professor who seemed to have an idea something was going on regarding Ex-Professor Quirrell. I also feel a little disappointed in myself for not seeking you out that day," Harry said.

Professor Snape's expression remained neutral, but he was actual impressed a little with the boy's maturity to admit he made a mistake. "Further proof he takes more after his mother than that arrogant father of his," the man thought to himself.

"What is it that you wish to share, Mr. Potter," he asked.

"First, could I know what Professor Dumbledore filled you in on?" Harry asked. He then added, "It would take up less time this way."

Professor Snape decided to humor him and said what he knew. It was a little more than Albus shared with staff on a whole.

Harry was in thought as he said, "Then he didn't tell you about the part regarding Voldemort."

Professor Snape's expression soured. "It seems the Headmaster left that part out when we met to discuss it," he said.

"Voldemort was, in his own words, sharing Quirrell's body. He had a vapor form on his own…" Harry said as he then explained the rest to the Potions Professor.

Snape was glowering once Harry finished. Harry knew it wasn't aimed at him. Professor Snape always felt Dumbledore under-utilized him as a resource on matters of dark magic. The aged Headmaster always claimed it was because of Snape's past fascination. That he didn't want him to be tempted again. It annoyed Snape Albus had so little faith in his resolve after all that happened.

"It seems the Headmaster keeps much too himself, even when he shouldn't. Is he always the type to figure he knows best?" Harry asked.

Snape looked to him sharply. "He usually does. The headmaster is a very accomplished wizard. He does have his faults, but you would do well to keep that in mind," he said.

Harry raised his hands in a placating manner. "I'm not saying he isn't. But usually isn't the same as always. I know for a fact there is one rather important matter he is very much wrong about," Harry said.

"And what would that be? Mr. Potter," Snape said in a level tone.

"We discussed many things after I told him what happened. One of them was why he left me with the Dursleys," Harry said.

"He did what?!" Professor Snape asked in a far more emotional tone than he meant to use.

Harry's eyes widened very briefly. This was not the reaction he expected to that revelation. "He left me with my aunt and uncle after that night," Harry said.

"Why would he do that… He would know just as well as I Petunia hates magic and everything to do with her sister. I doubt her opinions on such matters have changed since that night," Professor Snape said out loud to himself.

"He said it was for my protection. It would keep me safe from those that wished harm on me and keep me out of the public eye of the magical world," Harry said. He was still shocked Snape seemed to know his mother rather well, if he knew that about his aunt.

Professor Snape calmed a little and took in a breath and let it out. "I do see the wisdom in that. Many wanted to know where you were for their own motives. He always said you were safe and would attend Hogwarts when the time came. He always left it at that. What does this have to do with your original thoughts regarding the Headmaster?" he asked.

"The thing is… He doesn't know this, and I hope to keep it that way, but I haven't been with them since I was eight years old. The protections he mentioned have been with me this whole time despite that," Harry said.

Professor Snape blinked in surprise to that. "I see…" he said.

After a moment, the professor spoke again. "Why is it you've told me such information?" he asked.

"Dumbledore is many things, but he is still one man. He either didn't know at all about what happened with Quirrell, or he did and let it happen regardless for whatever reason. I doubt the latter, but it is still a remote possibility. You on the other hand knew something was going on there and were trying to do something about it," the boy started.

"I get the feeling there is a reason Dumbledore has vouched for you on many occasions, despite your past with the Death Eaters everyone knows about. Given your reaction to learning of my relatives and mother, I would guess you didn't fully get on board with their beliefs," Harry said.

Snape nodded to that. Harry was proving more interesting and cunning as their conversation continued. He started to think they were severely underestimating the boy. Professor Snape had for a while now felt Harry had a way of understanding people more than usual, even for an adult.

He gave a sigh. Something was telling him this was the right moment to share this. "At one time, your mother and I were considered the closest of friends. It was my own idiocy that put an end to that," he said. He would not have admitted this, if he hadn't already given himself away too much with his earlier reaction.

"I came to a point where I knew I had to choose a side. Who to place my trust in," he said.

Harry nodded to that. "So then, you spied for Dumbledore?" Harry guessed.

Snape nodded to that. He wasn't going to admit anything further now though. He then said, "I do appreciate you sharing this with me, Mr. Potter. In the future though, I hope you remember you are still a student and should mention such important matters to those in charge."

"I can't make any promises there. I should have gone to you on this matter, but I did not try to do this on my own. I first approached Professor McGonagall, but she didn't believe we were telling the truth. Professor Dumbledore wasn't available at the time either. I will try my best to remember to approach a professor first, though," he said.

Snape looked to him with a leveled gaze. "I suppose that is the best I can expect," he said. He then sat down and shuffled some papers around his desk. "If that is all you wish to share, you are dismissed," he said.

"Thank you for your time, sir," Harry said as he turned to leave.

"One last question, Mr. Potter. Merely out curiosity. Given you know of my past affiliations, how do you think I would have handled the situation? Why do you think I would not have returned to the dark lord?" he asked.

Harry paused but didn't turn around. "You admitted you were friends with my mother. She was a muggle born witch. You knew her well enough to realize it was a bad idea for me to be placed with the Dursleys. I do not know all that happened, but I have a feeling you will never return to the dark lord fully."

"You will at most take up the role of spy again. If you really were on his side, you would not have cared for my mother at all. You would not have changed sides in such a way. You would have most likely used the good old Imperius defense like so many others did," he said.

Harry then turned and looked to Professor Snape critically. "I think if you were down there, you would have done what I did, but with a different and possibly better approach. I feel you would pretend to help him out, but not actually do so."

"Once Dumbledore arrived, Voldemort would have still fled and expected you to continue your role here as a way to keep tabs on the headmaster. Everyone knows the dark lord was wary of Dumbledore even at the height of his power, there is no way he would dare cross Dumbledore in his current weakened state. He would have no choice but to trust you to handle things here," Harry said.

"I see… You may go," was all Professor Snape said. Harry gave a nod of thanks and left. Professor Snape then waved his wand so his posted hours would show his office was closed.

Once the boy was gone, Professor Snape sighed and opened a hidden compartment on his desk. He took out a glass and a bottle of Ogden's Old. He helped himself to a couple of quick shots before taking his time with an actual drink. He wasn't much of a drinker, but this was not a regular day. It wasn't even a regular overly annoying day.

Snape had to admit Potter seemed to have a gift when it came to understanding people. Harry had done a very thorough job guessing how he would react to the situation. Professor Snape also decided it was time he start his own work in fighting Voldemort's return.

He would still work with Professor Dumbledore whole-heartedly, but he would do his own investigation as well. Harry's explanation of what happened under the trapdoor and description of Voldemort's current state gave him some ideas where to start researching.

Professor Snape really did feel he was being under-utilized by Professor Dumbledore. The headmaster had him keeping in contact with the old crew as a means of keeping an eye on them, which was good. However, Dumbledore should have been using him all along for his knowledge of the dark arts as well. There were some things a man like Dumbledore could never understand when it came to them. Just like there were some things the dark lord could never understand when it came to light magic.

Professor Snape helped himself to another glass of fire whiskey. He wondered just how long it would take for Harry Potter to figure out both Dumbledore and Voldemort. He already had a very good read on him and seemed to have a good idea about Dumbledore's nature with the little interaction they've had.

"Dumbledore is definitely a good chance in defeating the dark lord. Harry may be an even better chance. Perhaps he already has the power to vanquish the dark lord…" Snape thought distractedly as he looked into the fire roaring in his office fireplace.

He looked away from it in shame. He knew he wasn't a good person, but he also knew his own folly from that time. He wondered what would happen if he were to admit the full truth to Harry Potter, or the boy learned of it himself. As much as Professor Snape now regretted his actions, he couldn't fault the boy for despising him in every way and seeking retribution. The professor hoped if that happened, it would be after the dark lord was fully defeated.

Despite his thoughts of guilt, Professor Snape couldn't help but feel a little impressed with Harry. "The boy clearly has grown up a lot more than any of us knew," he thought to himself.

Professor Snape decided he would look into Harry's past, but he would keep the findings to himself. It may be unfortunate Harry acts so mature for his age, and it probably means he missed out on a lot of what childhood should be like. However sad it may be, it is probably also for the best.

This Harry Potter wasn't a fool. This Harry Potter was smart. This Harry Potter may actually have even the slightest chance against the dark lord. Professor Snape almost raised his glass to the boy, but didn't because he knew that would please James far too much in his grave. There was no way the arrogant man wouldn't be laughing loud enough to be heard if his most hated rival praised his own son.

Snape would work in earnest to do what he could to help this fight. It was Professor Snape's job and Dumbledore's and others like them, to at least delay the dark lord's return long enough so Harry had the chance the prophecy promised he would have. Professor Snape hoped when all was said and done, Voldemort was defeated and he wouldn't be scolded by Lily too much in the afterlife for his terrible deeds.

[-] [-] [-]

The closing feast was enjoyable and eventful. Harry wasn't sure what to make of it really. Dumbledore seemed to decide on his own that he needed to fulfill Harry's fake desire. It was nice winning he supposed, but it was rather blatant what was happening and he didn't like that.

Handing out so many large amounts of last minute points for things such as "Staying calm and using logic when under fire," or "Keeping your head on straight when the world seems topsy turvy," was kind of stupid in Harry's opinion. He didn't get why the headmaster was doing it. He still clapped and cheered as everyone else did when Hufflepuff won the House cup and put an end to Slytherin's uncontested winning streak.

After the feast, it seemed like no time at all before they were packed up and loaded on the train. Harry, Hermione, Hannah, and Susan shared a compartment on the way back. They had many visitors as well. One of them was Tonks who scolded them a little as she finally demanded answers.

"You all know I want to be an Auror. Why didn't you come to me? Catching and fighting dark wizards is what I will be doing with my life," she said.

"We weren't sure what would happen, if anything. We figured it would be best if you didn't let a bunch of first years take you on what could have been a wild goose chase," Hermione explained.

"My aunt would have frowned upon it. If you were an Auror who had already proven herself, she would have given you some leeway, but you haven't even started training yet. Congrats by the way. I hope you do well," Susan added with a smile.

"Fine… I'll let you all off this time... And thanks," Tonks replied with a large grin. She then grew serious and said, "In the future, you better keep me informed on such things. I want to hear from all of you plenty. You're my adorable Fristies after all," she grinned wider at them.

"Hey! We aren't first years anymore," Hannah said with a playful frown.

"Doesn't change things to me. You better come to me if you need help in the future. That's why I want to be Auror... to help people. It would look really bad if my own first years didn't even trust their RA to help them," she said.

Harry nodded to her. "We will do our best to remember that. After all, in the future you will be a full fledged Auror who has proven herself time and time again," Harry said giving her a bright smile.

Tonks' grin grew even more. "You better believe I will be!" she said. She then said goodbye to them, since she wanted to spend plenty of time with her friends from her year.

Draco, Pansy, and Tracey were the next to visit. "I'm here to remind you that we have a race already picked out for next year, Potter. You better get a good broom, if not the best," Draco said.

Harry chuckled. "I don't remember saying it would happen. Just that it might happen. Anyways… I will make sure I get a good one. Maybe not the most expensive and newest, but it will be a good one," he said.

"Oh? Not the newest and expensive one? I know you don't have access to your family's main vault yet, but you have told me about your trust vault. You could easily afford such a broom, so why not get it?" Draco asked.

"I could. But I just want it for leisure flying. I see it as being wise with my finances. Many times, 'the newest and best' broom is only marginally better. If I was going for the Quidditch team, I would get the top of the line, newest and best. Then the extra edge, even if small, would be worth it," Harry said.

Draco smirked to that. "I guess you do have a point. My mother has talked about how many people who come into money don't know how to use it properly and spend more than they can afford. That isn't the case with me, but I can understand the importance of being cautious with your money," Draco replied.

"Your mother gives you finical advice?" Hermione couldn't help but ask.

"Yes. She does," Draco started. He looked Hermione over for a moment and then continued in a tone similar to Pansy's when she was explaining part of the wizarding world to her or Harry while staying every bit the Slytherin she is.

"The Lady of any prominent family has a good business sense. In the Malfoy family, the Lady Malfoy handles business and, in many respects, the social aspects of the family. Father handles the political aspects. It takes a lot of time and calculation in that regard for a family of our standing, so he is perfectly fine with her handling the finances," he said.

The group all talked a little longer after that and Hermione was surprised how Draco was more tolerable than usual. He still made a priority of focusing on Pansy, Tracey, Susan and Harry the most. He also didn't really hide he was doing so. Hermione still felt upset at this treatment, but she kept to herself about it for now. She still saw it as progress.

"Well then. As much as I have enjoyed our conversation, I must be off. There are many important people I must visit," he said as the trio got up.

[-] [-] [-]

Later Tracey and Pansy returned on their own to visit with the Hufflepuffs. Draco had finished making the rounds with Pansy by his side and the two were doing their own thing now. "So… What do you plan to do next?" Pansy asked Harry.

Harry nodded as he looked to the doors. Tracey got the hint and secured them. He was still learning the right spells for such things. Slytherins learned such spells early on. "Headmaster Dumbledore may be content with just delaying Voldemort's return. He may be okay with relying on a little bit of luck. I'm not going to do that. I have my own plans on what to try," Harry said.

"What are they?" Tracey asked.

"I plan on undermining his followers before he returns. I have people who can look into things once I get back to the Knights," Harry said.

"But the Death Eaters are in the magical world. I know the Knights are impressive, but they are still muggles," Pansy said with a frown of confusion. It would be hard for muggles to find out much about the magical world, no matter how smart they may be.

Harry nodded to that. "Think about it though. They have a lot of money, but can it really all be explained by just old family money they inherited? How many have big businesses in the magical world. Everyone knows most of them got off on BS excuses. Most people would not be so eager to do business with them due public backlash. I'm sure they have some money that can be tracked through business with Gringotts, but only so much that they can pay off the right people and keep away from paying heavy taxes," he said.

Tracey nodded in understanding of that.

"They have to be getting it from somewhere else. Even with their hatred of muggles, I'm sure they aren't all foolish enough to not take advantage of the finical opportunities business in the muggle world provides. They could use it to avoid all of their business being with the goblins, who they see as even lower than muggles."

"That money has to be laundered somehow and probably go through some choke points to become legit in the magical world. I wouldn't at all be surprised if they had some kind of operation that involved both the magical and muggle business worlds. Looking around on magical side may be difficult or close to impossible for now, but that is not the case for the muggle side," Harry said.

"That could work… But will it be enough?" Pansy asked. She was actually impressed by this approach Harry was taking.

"It could work. It could work really well. In the 1920s and 1930s, Organized Crime first became a huge deal and problem in the USA. Big Shot Gangsters were on the rise. One of the most well known was Al Capone," Harry started to explain.

"He was pretty much untouchable. His organization owned the police in his area. He had strong political ties to all of the right people at all the right places. He and his men could be open about their violence and no one would stop them. Any convictions against him were discharged or dismissed easily. It was so bad the FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is in charge of nationwide security in the USA had problems taking him down," Harry explained.

"That does sound rather similar to Voldemort during his height of power here..." Pansy said in worry.

Harry nodded to that. "However, he was eventually taken down. It was tax evasion that ultimately did him in, even the highest court in the USA couldn't keep him protected for long. His organization started losing power then. They kept some control in the criminal underworld, but it was nowhere near what it was before and even that started to fade away before it too came to an end," he said.

"That actually sounds like it could work… No one has ever tried that in the magical world as far as I know," Pansy said. She was feeling even more relieved she listened to her magic and chose to side with Harry.

"It is such an effective method that many governments in the muggle world use it to bring down crime organizations. Sometimes even on the international scale. I've heard the FBI in the USA still hire a lot of accountants to help with following the money," Hermione said. She was actually excited hearing this plan of Harry's. She felt it would be too juicy if a muggle method brought down all of those pure blood idiots.

Harry nodded again. "Cutting off the money can even bring down whole nations," he added.

The witches who grew up in the magical world were staring in awe at the idea now. "Wouldn't they just switch to doing business with the Goblins, despite what they thought of them?" Hannah eventually asked.

"They would try. Maybe it would work, but then their money could be easier to track and used against them. There's also the little factor of Goblin pride," Harry said.

Tracey and Pansy gave him questioning looks.

"Goblins run a big part of the economy in the magical world. I spent some time looking them up apart from their rebellions Binns' always drones on about. They would take it as one of the highest forms of insult a wizard went behind their back and did lots of business without them. Think of all the fees and opportunities they would miss out on," Harry said with a smirk as the girls giggled.

"So, your plan is to start weakening funds You-Know-Who's followers would have and to do so before they realize he's coming back?" Susan asked to clarify.

Harry nodded.

"If only Fudge had half the brain to think up such an approach… Then we probably wouldn't have to worry as much about them," Susan said with a frown.

She then looked to Harry and said, "If you can come up with evidence, I'm sure my aunt will be more than happy to follow the bread crumbs. After all… If nothing else, we can get them on willfully and knowingly breaking the Statute of Secrecy. She can wing that to bring up even more charges, since it is such a serious crime and hard to fake ignorance of."

"Maybe your aunt will find a way to adopt a similar approach for the future," Hannah said to her friend.

"Maybe…" Susan said in thought. It would depend on how well it worked for the magical world.

"I hope this leads to something. Hopefully it won't take too long either. Who knows how long we have until Voldemort fully returns," Hermione said with a worried frown.

"It will be one of the first things I start working on as soon as I return. I have some ideas on how the people I mentioned can find a trail to follow," Harry said. The group then started discussing other topics that were far more pleasant.

[-] [-] [-]

It didn't seem to take long before they were at Kings Cross. Tracey and Pansy said their good byes and gave summer wishes. Tracey mentioned Harry would probably receive something from her father as a way to officially meet each other and better affirm their alliance.

Hannah gave Harry and Hermione quick introductions to her father. They were short though. It turned out he was just as busy for the start of summer as he was for the start of Christmas break. "Maybe sometime you will get a proper greeting from him," Hannah said to them before waving good bye.

Susan would have introduced them to her Aunt, but the DMLE were busy with a big case. Susan was picked up by a family friend before going home with them. Her Aunt promised to pick her up before the evening from their family friend's home.

Before she sought out her parents, Hermione pulled Harry to the side. "What do we do about the whole magic connection?" she asked him.

"See how long we can stay apart before it becomes too much. It isn't like I'm under house arrest or anything. We can easily make arrangements to meet up over summer. I kind of hoped we would… a few times…" Harry said as his voice trailed off a little bit towards the end.

Hermione grinned to that. "I'd love that! I'm sure we can work something out with my parents," she said. She then gave Harry a tight hug. It was almost as if she was recharging her Harry battery or something. Harry could only happily return it before they both went their separate ways.

Harry quickly found Davey and Boss eager to greet him again. After a quick round of hellos, Harry turned to Jett and said, "Boss. I need to speak with The Goldsmith."

"Oh?" Jett started. He then looked to Harry evenly as he asked, "Does this mean you've already started making plans for the Magical World?"

"Sadly, I have. Not entirely because of my own choice. I'll tell you details on the way back. This is something best started on as soon as possible," Harry said.

Davey looked worried. Jett gave Harry a nod. "Let's get to it then," he said as three made their way to the van.

"Is the magical world that bad?" Davey couldn't help but ask.

Harry gave a small smile as he said, "Only some parts. Most of it is wonderful. I just now have a goal in mind and I will fight for it. After all… If the magical world wasn't worth fighting for, I wouldn't bother with what I have in mind."

Jett gave a chuckle. "Maybe now you'll better understand why I've taught you all of those lessons I did. I knew there was something about you, Harry. It was even more obvious to me when you got your letter. I trust you'll show the Magical World what it means to be a Street Knight?" he asked while giving Harry a knowing look.

"Of course, I will. The Knights actually already have a connection other than me in the magical world you could say," Harry said.

"What would that be?" Davey asked.

"I've met the daughter of the man who gave Boss his sword all of those years ago," Harry said.

"Maybe you should have been writing me more letters about your life at Hogwarts," Jett said in surprise at this information.

"You taught me yourself there are some things you have to say in person," Harry replied with a smug grin.

Jett gave a laugh. "Touché, Potter. Touché," he said with his own grin as they all climbed into the van.

Harry had already learned and seen much about the magical world. He wanted to know more. He also wanted to do what he could to achieve what the mirror showed him. Defeating Voldemort was only part of it. A big part, but still just one part.

He would be a lot busier than an eleven-year-old boy usually wished to be over summer, but he didn't know how to live his life otherwise. Just like he told Headmaster Dumbledore, he hadn't had a normal childhood. The world would eventually see just how different a young wizard raised by the Knights could be. They would also realize you should never write off a Hufflepuff.