Hadrian Potter and Master Of Death

by LightningLord139

A fanfic where Harry goes to another dimension in which his parents are alive and Neville is the BWL. Follow his adventures as Harry helps Neville to reach his full potential and defeat the Dark Lord and escape the manipulations of the so called Albus Dumbledore. This is a Master of Death Harry potter fanfic. Will Harry suceed? Powerful Harry, Elemental Harry and others. Harry/OC

8. The First Days of Hogwarts

AN : Hey guys. Thank you for all the reviews and opinions. I will be uploading the chapters on some free days and on Saturdays and Sundays from now on as the weekdays are extremely busy due to exams and stuff.

I am also planning on a Harry Potter + Avengers Crossover with a Harry/Wanda pairing. No I am not abandoning this fic but I am planning on updating one fic on Saturday and the other on Sunday.

Anyway, that's all for now. Here's Chapter 8.

Disclaimer : I don't own Harry Potter

Last Chapter:

Professor McGonagall stared into the emerald eyes of the first year in front of her, and she was surprised when he calmly met her stare without flinching. Students regardless of their age quivered under her glare, yet this first year didn't even seem to be phased by it. A part of her still didn't want to grant the request, but he was right about the rules.

"Are you certain about this, Lord Peverell?," she asked the first year, hoping she could still get him to see reason. "Part of the experience of Hogwarts is to spend time with your peers and form new friendships. Don't you want to spend time with kids your own age?"

"I thank you for your concern, but I'm sure about this professor," Harry replied politely. "If it's any consolation, I have every intention of befriending my peers. I plan to spend a lot of time in the Gryffindor common room doing just that. The only thing that will change, is that I will have some privacy when it's time to go to bed."

McGonagall still didn't like it, but the Transfiguration Professor really didn't have a choice. The rules were the rules, and since she was already granting a room to another first year, she reluctantly agreed to do the same for Harry. "Very well, Lord Peverell. I will arrange for a room to be cleaned for you right away. Please wait here while I escort Lord Longbottom to his new quarters."

As he watched his god-brother leave with McGonagall, Harry couldn't stop the grin from appearing on his face. With a room of his own, not only wouldn't he not behave to worry about living with a bunch of eleven year olds, but he could also use his apartment trunk to continue with his training. All things considered, he was happy with the way things turned out.

Chapter 8 - The First Days of Hogwarts

As she walked through the wooden door with a bronze eagle knocker on it, Alex caught her first glimpse of the Ravenclaw common room and it was everything her mum described to her. The room was beautifully decorated and spacious, with a dome like ceiling and seven arched windows that were permanently Charmed to provide plenty of daylight regardless of the time of day.

Elegant blue curtains hung on each of the windows and they perfectly matched the midnight blue carpet that stretched across the room. A multitude of tables could be found all around the large circular room, and several comfortable couches were placed at its center. The finishing touch to her new House, was created by the small, but ornate library that was located next to Ravenclaw's statue. All in all, the common room was just like she imagined from her mother's stories.

"Wow, this is incredible," Alex mumbled softly to herself.

Her voice must have been louder than she expected, because Alex saw the female Prefect turn around at wink at her. "Indeed it is, Miss Black. As far as I'm concerned the Ravenclaw common room is truly a work of art, designed to give our students ample space and perfect lighting so they can study at any time of the day. Along with the small but extensive library that is only available to the Ravenclaw House, our Head of House usually allows us certain privileges that you won't be able to find in the other Houses."

Hermione's personal moment of awe and wonder at the sight of the Ravenclaw common room was disrupted once she heard the Prefect mention the extra privileges that were afforded to Ravenclaw students. Her curiosity suddenly came bubbling to the surface, and she eagerly asked, ""What privileges do we get? Can we check out books from the Ravenclaw library? Are there any House sponsored clubs or study groups we can join?"

By the time Hermione finished bombarding the pair with her questions, the Prefects had led the first years to the sitting area of the common room. At this point the pair turned to face the group of awestruck first years, and the male Prefect answered Hermione's questions.

"Those are all excellent questions, Miss Granger, and I assure you I will answer them in just a moment. But first, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jason Delaney and my colleague here is Melissa Crowley. We are your 5th year Prefects. On behalf of Professor Flitwick and the rest of the House, we happily congratulate you on joining the House of the Intelligent and we welcome you to your new home at Hogwarts."

When he saw the curious and excited looks appear on the faces of all the gathered first years, Jason was thrilled at the sight. The House cup was won by totaling the combined points earned by all seven years, and he had a good feeling that this years firsties would be able to keep pace with the upper years in points received.

Jason was snapped out of his reverie from the elbow that he received from Melissa and he quickly smiled at the group and said, "Now to answer Miss Granger's questions. As Ravenclaw students we are granted certain privileges to help us achieve the standard of scholastic accomplishments that our House is known for. One of these gifts are the dorms that you will now be living in. Unlike the other Houses where all first year girls are placed in one dorm and boys in another, in Ravenclaw only two students are assigned per room. Each of the dorms has its own bathroom along with a large bed, a closet for your clothes and a study table with a comfortable chair. This is to give you the personal space you will need to study hard and hopefully to earn points that will help us win the House cup this year. Unfortunately since we have an odd number of girls this year, one dorm will need to share three to a room."

At this point Melissa jumped in to answer the second of Hermione's questions. "The common room library is for the use of any of the students in our House. The books are available on a first come first serve basis, but sadly you can not check any of them out. Professor Flitwick has personally Charmed all the items in the common room to stay here. If you tried to take a book or even a chair into your dorms, it would automatically return to this room."

Melissa looked over the tiny first years and once she was certain they really understood the rule, she continued, "Hogwarts has several clubs that you can join, but none of them are sponsored by our House. For those of you who are interested, a list of available clubs can be found on the Ravenclaw notice board next to the common room entrance. As far as study groups go, you are all encouraged to form your own groups. We know that some people work well with others, while others prefer to go at it alone. As such, we leave the decision up to you on how you want to achieve your academic goals. Regardless of what you decide to do, each dorm will be assigned a 6th year mentor that will help you with any problems or concerns that you might have. This mentor will be responsible for monitoring your scores from all of your classes, and he or she will also make up a study schedule if you are falling behind in any of them. You will be required to meet with your mentor twice a month, and missing is not an option. Should you miss a meeting, I assure you that your mentor will report this to Professor Flitwick."

Melissa allowed the first years a moment to absorb the news they just received and then she gave the final announcement of the night. "The two stairwells behind you lead to the Ravenclaw dorms. The one on the left is for the girls and the one on the right is for the boys. Boys are not allowed in the girl dorms, and the same holds true for the girls in the boy dorms. Any attempt by the opposite sex to climb the wrong stairway will not be possible. The dorm entrances are Charmed to not let in the opposite sex, so save yourself the trouble and don't bother trying."

After the welcoming speech was complete, the Prefects gave the first years some time to choose their new roommates. It was at this point that Alex looked at the silky haired blonde to her left, and then the bushy haired brunette to her right and said, "Looks like one dorm is going to have three people. So what do you say girls, do you want to room together?"

Daphne was already expecting this outcome and so she casually shrugged her shoulders in response, signifying she didn't really care, but that she was okay with the pairing. Meanwhile Hermione was thrilled that someone actually wanted to room with her and she eagerly nodded her head in agreement.

By this time the rest of the first years had also chosen their new roommates, and soon Melissa was taking the girls up to their new rooms. Once they reached the hallway leading to the first year dorms, the first room was taken by a pretty blonde named Lisa Turpin and Padma Patil, a black haired Indian girl that had a twin sister in Gryffindor. The second room was given to a slightly chubby brown haired girl named Mandy Brockelhurst and a small, black haired Chinese girl named Su Li.

The last room in the hallway was obviously meant for Alex, Daphne and Hermione and the trio couldn't wait to get inside and start unpacking. Just before the girls could open the door and see their new room, they heard Melissa inform them, "Since three of you are going to be living here, Professor Flitwick took the liberty of enlarging the room on your behalf and he also added a second bathroom for your convenience. The hamper for your dirty clothes is located inside your closet, and all clean items will be folded and returned on top of it. Feel free to make any changes you want ladies, and if you don't have any further questions I'll bid you all a goodnight."

The trio shook their heads in response, and after they all wished the Prefect a goodnight, Alex finally turned the doorknob and walked inside. The first thing she noticed was the size of the dorm she was in. Based on what she'd already seen while sneaking a peek at the other girls' dorms, this room was easily twice the size of her fellow Ravenclaws. With only one extra bed cutting into the added space, it was obvious that they would have plenty of room to walk around.

The majority of the room was taken up by three massive 4 post beds that were surrounded by thick maroon curtains to give the occupant a modicum of privacy. On one side of the bed was a large red closet for their clothes, and on the other side a matching red desk and a comfortable looking leather chair. Each of the desks was large enough to hold three open books on top of it and still allow plenty of space for a person to be able to use parchment and ink.

The wall in front of the desks had two bookshelves aligned in parallel, and it looked like they would allow for storage up to 10 books a shelf. Two doors could be seen on the right side of the room, and it was obvious they led to the personal bathrooms that were assigned to them. Overall the room was absolutely magnificent and neither of the girls thought they would have any problems living there all year.

When she saw the large window on the left side of the room, Alex hoped that her new roommates wouldn't mind letting her have the bed that was closest to it. "If neither of you mind, could I have the bed near the window?"

As soon as both of the girls shook their heads in answer, Alex squealed in delight and rushed forward to throw her stuff on the bed of her choice. Daphne and Hermione rolled their eyes at their friends' childish glee, and then looked uncomfortably at each other.

"Would it be okay if I took the bed closest the the bathrooms?," Hermione asked, her tone still shy and uncertain as to how Daphne felt about her.

Daphne thought about the question for a minute and found she had no problems taking the middle bed. As a light sleeper she had no desire to wake up every time someone went to the loo, and during winter her bed would be a decent distance from the draft that would inevitably come in from the window.

"Sure, Hermione," she replied happily. "You can have that bed. I prefer the middle one anyways."

While Daphne and Hermione were busy unpacking their things, Alex ignored the trunk on top of her bed and made her way to the large window that was near it. The sight that awaited her was absolutely breathtaking, and she gasped softly when she saw it. Their room was high up in the Ravenclaw tower, and it allowed for a perfect view of the Forbidden Forest.

Alex opened the window and took a deep breath of the fresh air that found it's way into the stuffy room. Beneath her she could see the meticulously kept gardens leading up to Hagrid's hut and above her the stars glistened like diamonds throughout the blackened sky. As beautiful as it was now, she could only imagine how great the view would look once the ground was covered with powdered white snow.

She was thinking about today's events. Alex was happy with the two new friends she had now. She was also thinking about her idiotic cousin's actions. She knew that he would try to provoke Harry for humiliating him. Truth be told she herself was a bit afraid of Harry speaking in that cold voice and the glowing green eyes. Though she was thankful that he was there and that he had protected her. She was also thinking about the Sorting and her new house when Hermione asked her a question.

"Hey Alex, what was the deal with Harry and his glowing eyes? Is that normal for magicals, cause it was downright scary."

Alex replied, "That wasn't normal, Hermione. Some Witches and Wizards can achieve that by fully unleashing their magic, but those people are incredibly powerful. That should not have been possible for someone our age and I have no idea how Harry was able to do it. I know that Harry is a going to be a powerful wizard but he should not be able to do that yet."

The silence that took over the room made Hermione feel very uncomfortable, and uncharacteristically she tried to lighten the mood by adding some humor. "At least you got some good shots in on Draco, Daphne. And after what Harry did to him, I doubt he will bother any of us at Hogwarts or in the future."

Alex doubted that Malfoy would ever learn from his mistakes but she didn't voice it aloud.

Daphne knew the situation had been a bad one, but she still couldn't stop herself from smiling at the thought of Draco soiling himself in fear. The blonde ponce had been the bane of her existence since childhood, and if she was being honest, she loved seeing him get his comeuppance.

As Alex was unpacking, a part of the conversation on the train seemed to register in Alex's mind.

"Hey Hermione, what did you mean about being picked on growing up?"

Hermione turned away from the questioning looks she received from both girls. Her torment at the hands of her peers was simultaneously the source of her ultimate shame and her greatest strength. She didn't want to talk about that part of her past, but after all the personal things her friends had shared with her, she thought it would be fair to do the same.

"Even as a child I was considered to be extremely intelligent. When I first started school one of my teachers noticed my intelligence and he urged my parents to have my I.Q. tested. After the results came out, everyone was a little surprised by how well I had done. The teachers thought I was capable of skipping four grades easily, but due to my age my parents only wanted me to move up by two levels. Unfortunately the kids in my class were threatened by my desire to learn, and I was effectively ostracized by everyone in my year. The meaner kids would often make fun of me and call me ugly, or make fun of my hair and my front teeth. That trend only continued through every year, so I never had any friends growing up. The only people that talked to me were my teachers and my parents."

Alex couldn't believe how poorly Hermione was treated all these years. Her own friendships might not have ended the way she wanted them to, but at least she had friends growing up. When she saw the tears begin to form in her brunette friend's eyes, Alex rushed to her side and wrapped her hands around the smaller girl.

"Well, that changes tonight, Hermione," she stated as a fact. "Starting tonight you can count yourself as having two friends."

Hermione looked into Alex's bluish grey eyes, and saw that the girl meant every word that she said. She was so touched by the gesture, her tears of pain became tears of joy and she replied, "Thank you, Alex. I would love to be your friend too."

Daphne watched the two girls have a bonding moment, as she tried to imagine how difficult her new friend's life had been. Even though Tracy had eventually betrayed her, at least she could say she had a few good years of friendship with the girl. The thought of growing up all alone sent shivers down her spine, and she couldn't help herself from feeling sad on her friend's behalf.

By the time Hermione finished crying, Daphne knew exactly what she could do to make her friend feel better. Since her tormentors used her appearance to insult her, it would be easy to fix the problem. As a pureblood girl, she'd been raised how to look and act proper at all times and she intended to impart these skills to her new roommate.

Besides, the brunette really was a pretty girl. The only distinguishing features that took away from her beauty, were her bushy hair and enlarged front teeth. Luckily both were easily rectified in the magical world.

Once her decision was made, Daphne grabbed a large cream colored bottle from her trunk and handed it to Hermione. When she saw the surprised look on her new friend's face, she explained, "The stupid kids who made fun of you were wrong, Hermione. You really are a pretty girl. Only two things take away from your natural beauty...your hair and your front teeth. That bottle is a magically created shampoo that will help tame your hair. I guarantee you will see results starting tomorrow morning. As for your enlarged front teeth, Madam Pomfrey can fix them in a minute. All we have to do is stop by her office before breakfast tomorrow."

Hermione was stunned by Daphne's gift and she couldn't wait to try it out. Her parents had spent hundreds of pounds trying different shampoos to help tame her hair, but nothing ever seemed to work.

Secretly she always dreamed of having straight silky hair like Daphne, and now she prayed her friend was right about the results. The only problem she could see with the plan, was with fixing her teeth. She'd begged for years to both of her parents to take care of it, but as dentists they told her she was still too young for the procedure. Now that she had a chance to fix them right away, she hesitated to take it because of them.

"I'm not sure my parents will let me get my teeth fixed," she replied sadly.

"Why not?," Alex asked, outraged at the thought.

"My parents are both dentists, and they told me I'm too young to get my teeth fixed."

Thanks to the time she spent in the Muggle world with Harry and her aunt Lily, Alex was aware of what a dentist was and she knew how different healing was in their world.

"Your parents are muggle healers, Hermione, and in their world you might be too young. But the magical world is different. The spell that will fix your teeth is simple, and it will only take Madam Pomfrey a minute to do it. I'm sure your parents wouldn't say no if they knew how easy the procedure was."

"Do you think I should ask them first?"

Alex grinned and shook her head. "Nah. Sometimes it's better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission. You can just let them know when you go home for Yule break."

With their decision now made, the girls returned to their task of unpacking their things. This time the silence that followed was comfortable for all of them, since each was sure they found a best friend in the others.

Harry woke up at 5:30 with a smile on his face. Last night had gone better than he expected, and he couldn't wait to try out his Shadow powers again. After Professor McGonagall had shown him to his new suite, he was suitably impressed with the two bedroom, one bath and additional living room he had all to himself.

The mini apartment was perfect for his needs at school, and once the professor left, he immediately went into his trunk and tried to use the advice Death gave him on his powers. It took him another hour to figure it out, but when he was done, he was able to Shadow walk directly to the portrait next to the Room of Requirements on the seventh floor. He checked if Ravenclaw's diadem was in the same place as in his previous world and was happy to find it. He knew that he would not destroy the Horcrux at this point of time since Quirell could easily come in here to look for the diadem on his master's orders.

Now that he was up, Harry rolled out of bed and quickly made his way to the bathroom. Once he was done with his morning ablutions, he put on his workout clothes and walked out of his room. Thanks to his prior knowledge of the castle, it only took him a few minutes to reach the grounds outside.

As soon as he reached the Black Lake Harry went through his standard stretching routine for ten minutes and then began to run. The exercise schedule he started two months ago had already done wonders for his stamina and he was pleasantly surprised that he was able to complete four laps around the enormous lake. Once his cardio was finished, Harry made his way back to his room and immediately went to the gym in his trunk.

His trunk gym consisted of two treadmills, a bench, a rowing machine, a squat machine, a pullup bar and enough free weights to build the muscles he wanted. Unlike some athletes, Harry had no desire to look like a bodybuilder. Instead he concentrated on doing heavy reps of light weights, so he could tone his body but still increase his physical strength.

After an hour of cycling through several exercises designed to workout his chest and biceps, Harry finally decided he was done for the day. He conjured a towel to wipe away the sweat that lathered his body, and then used the bathroom in his trunk to shower and get ready for breakfast.

By the time Harry reached the Great Hall, it was ten minutes till 8, and his stomach growled at the various smells emanating from the breakfast platters sitting on the tables. As he made his way towards the Ravenclaw table, he was stunned by the new look Hermione was sporting. Her once bushy hair was perfectly straight and now it had a bounce that was similar to Daphne's. By the way she smiled widely he could clearly see that her front teeth had been fixed. Over all he was impressed by the changes that she made, as they only enhanced the natural beauty she already possessed.

Once he reached his destination, Harry flashed the three Ravenclaws his famous Potter smile. "Good morning ladies," he said politely. "I hope you guys settled in okay last night?"

"Good morning, Harry and our night was good," the girls replied in unison.

"How was your night, Harry?," Hermione asked, trying to fill the silence that suddenly crept up. "Do you like your new dorm?"

Harry smiled smugly and replied, "My night was great, Hermione. Thanks for asking. But I'm not in the dorms. I have my own suite."

"What?!," Alex exclaimed loudly. "Why do you get a suite?"

"Hogwarts rules," he answered the slightly peeved girl in front of him. "In the event a student takes up his/her Head of House ring, they may request a Lords suite for the duration of their stay at school. I found out about it from Neville yesterday, and asked McGonagall for one. She was reluctant at first, but since the Boy-Who-Lived was getting one, she couldn't really say no."

Harry could tell the trio was stunned by the news, and not wanting to ruin the start to his perfect day, he quickly added, "I actually have an extra bedroom, so if you guys wanted, I could have it converted into a study room for all of us. At the very least, it will give us another place to study if the library gets full."

Daphne was thrilled by the offer. School was very important to her, and despite the dorm room they had in Ravenclaw, it wouldn't hurt to have another place to fall back on. From the stories she heard from her parents, the library was great for doing research, but it wasn't always the best place to get your work done. Too many people around to bother you with small talk.

"Thank you, Harry," Alex replied with a smile and a hug. "That was really sweet of you. If you can pull it off, I'm sure we can find the time to study there on occasion."

Before he could answer, his stomach growled in displeasure. Sensing he needed to get some food in him soon, Harry assured the girls he would get the work done as soon as possible and then wished them all luck in their upcoming classes.

When he finally reached the Gryffindor table, Harry saw Neville already eating, and took a seat across from his god brother.

"Morning, Nev. You sleep well last night?"

"Morning, mate," Neville answered in between bites of his scrambled eggs. "Yeah, I slept great. When I got here Seamus was complaining about how hard it was to sleep through Ron's snoring, so I'm actually kind of glad my gran talked me into the private room. Where were you this morning, Harry? I knocked on your door, but it didn't seem like you were there."

"I probably wasn't mate," Harry replied. "I woke at 5:30 to get in my morning workout before classes start."

"Why in Merlin's name would you want to workout, mate? Especially at that hour."

Harry grinned at the question, and knew it was the standard drivel magicals passed on to their kids. Most purebloods and half-bloods grew up believing exercise was just for muggles.

"It's good for you, Nev," Harry explained. "I don't workout because it makes me look good, though that is an added bonus. I workout so my body is stronger and has more stamina. That in turn helps with casting my magic."

Neville was still skeptical about the whole thing, but still asked, "Are you sure about that, Harry?"

"I'm positive, mate. I have a book by Mungo Bordlam that proves exercise helps to improve your Magical reserves and casting ability. The better in shape your body is, the longer you will be able to cast spells. One day that will be huge if I'm in a duel. Imagine if you had the magical power and knowledge of Merlin, but your body was fat and grossly out of shape. If you fought a semi competent dueler, he'd be able to run circles around you, while you would tire out after a few minutes. Now all the magic and knowledge of Merlin is defeated by a guy who beat you by just lasting longer."

Neville thought about what his god brother just said, and it did kind of make sense to him. His gran always told him that Voldemort wasn't dead and she firmly believed he would come back some day. It's the main reason she hired so many private tutors to start his Magical education earlier than other kids. If working out could help in a duel some day, then he was more than willing to put in the work. When Voldemort eventually returned, Neville knew he would need every advantage he could get.

"Would you mind if I joined you, Harry?"

Harry stopped the fork midway to his mouth and stared at the Boy-Who-Lived. Just by asking that question this Neville showed once again how much more driven he was than the one from his old world. When he saw the hopeful look in his god brother's eyes, and the determined set of his jaw, Harry knew he was serious about the request and was more than happy to help him out.

"Sure, Nev," he answered happily. "As long as you're willing to wake up early, I have no problems training you."

"I'm more than willing," Nev replied hesitantly, now worried about how he would get up that early. "But if it's alright with you, I might need some help getting up for the first few days."

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Professor McGonagall, and both boys greeted her politely. When she handed them their schedules, Harry groaned at the site of his last class. Dealing with Snape on the first day of school was not something he was looking forward to, but at least this time he would be ready for anything the greasy bat could throw at him.

Gryffindor: First Year Schedule-Harry James Potter-Peverell

Monday:

9:00-10:30: Transfiguration-Classroom 1B(Ravenclaw)

10:45-11:30: Herbology-Greenhouse(Hufflepuff)

11:30-2:00: Lunch/Free Block

2:00-2:45: Charms-Classroom 2E(Ravenclaw)

3:00-3:45: Potions-Dungeons(Slytherin)

Tuesday:

9:00-10:30: Double Charms-Classroom 2E(Ravenclaw)

10:45-11:30: DADA-Classroom 3C(All houses)

11:45-1:15: Double Herbology-Greenhouse(Hufflepuff)

1:15-3:30: Lunch/Free Block

3:30-4:15: Astronomy-Tower(All houses)

Wednesday:

9:00-10:30: Double Transfiguration-Classroom 1B(Ravenclaw)

10:45-11:30: History of Magic-Classroom 4F(Hufflepuff)

11:30: Free for day

Thursday:

9:00-10:30: Double DADA-Classroom 3C(All houses)

10:45-11:40: Potions-Dungeons(Slytherin)

11:45-1:15: History of Magic-Classroom 4F(Hufflepuff)

Friday:

Free for day

7:45-8:30: Astronomy-Tower(All houses)

As soon as Harry walked into the Transfiguration classroom, he immediately saw McGonagall sitting in her cat form on the desk. While he loved the subject, and at times the teacher, at this point in his life there really wasn't anything he could learn from the classes at Hogwarts and he couldn't wait to finish his final class of the day. The only reason he was even there was to help Neville through the yearly life threatening scenarios that Dumbledore had in store for him.

After copying the notes on the board by which time the other students had arrived, Harry was thinking about the exercise schedule for tomorrow when Ron Weasley barged into the classroom with Dean Thomas at his side. They smiled when they saw that no teachers were in the class.

"We're lucky" Dean said to Ron "McGonagall would have killed us if we were late"

"I know" Ron nodded "can you imagine the look on her face if we were late?"

"You won't have to imagine for too long" Harry said, catching both boys attention.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked

"She's right there" Harry pointed to the cat on the desk.

"Are you mental?" Ron laughed "that's just a stupid cat"

Before more could be said the 'stupid cat' jumped off the desk and transformed into the stern Professor McGonagall. Ron's jaw dropped and Harry looked very smug.

"Ten points to Gryffindor for recognising I was an animagus Mr Potter" She said before turning to the other two "now may I ask why you were late?"

"We...woke up late" Ron admitted

"Well perhaps next time I can transform one of you into a pocket watch, that way at least one of you can be able to get here on time. Now find your seats and that will be five points from the two of you for being late. Now, how did you recognize me Mr. Potter?"

Harry replied, "Your name was on the Animagus registry and you were registered as a cat. You also had a circle shape around the cat's eyes which are your markings. Also no cat sits so stiffly like that. So it was obvious."

"Very good Mr Potter."

McGonagall stared at the gathered students, her intimidating stare enough to cow the most avid of rule breakers. Once she was certain she had everyone's attention, she began to same speech she reserved for all of her first years.

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn during your time at Hogwarts," she announced to the class. "Anyone caught messing around in my class will leave, and not come back. Be careful...you have all been warned."

With that she waved her wand wordlessly at her desk and turned it into a pig, before changing it back to her desk. Once her demonstration was complete McGonagall spent the next twenty minutes lecturing the class on the spell they were going to practice today. It was all Harry could do just to stay awake and not lose any points to the hard nosed teacher. Despite the fact that he could achieve his own Mastery in the subject, Harry wasn't about to upset the Scottish woman as long as he could help it.

By the time McGonagall passed the matches out to the entire class, Harry had already cast the Tempus spell a dozen times in his boredom. Apparently Neville shared his sentiments about the class, and he smiled when he saw his god-brother cast a Tempus of his own.

Neville arched his eyebrow at his fellow Gryffindor and with the correct wand motion he said the incantation Compositus Abeo, and the match turned into a perfect needle.

Harry shook his head at his friend's ability and took a moment to wonder if he would have been as skilled with Sirius raising him in the magical world. When he finally pulled himself away from his musings, Harry saw the bored look on his friend's face and decided he would try to make the final minutes of class enjoyable.

With Neville looking on, he turned his match into a needle, and added Gryffindor along it's edge.

Neville cocked his eyebrow at the accomplishment and countered by adding a Gryffindor to the needle's edge as well as turning the whole thing red. Within seconds the competitive juices began flowing through the two boys and they took turns trying to one up the other.

Unfortunately for the two of them, McGonagall had been watching the entire display in her cast form, and when she suddenly shifted right in front of them, they both slid their chairs back in surprise.

"Mr. Longbottom, Mr. Potter, that was an outstanding display of transfiguration. 10 points each to Gryffindor for successfully completing the task that was assigned, and another 10 each for the additions you each made to the needle. From now on I expect this level of work from the both of you."

When McGonagall turned around to head back to her desk, the two boys once again found themselves being stared at by their fellow classmates. Normally that would have been enough for Harry to curse himself senseless, but the looks he received from the Ravenclaw trio made him want to find a dark hole and hide inside of it.

The way Hermione and Daphne were appraising him, he could tell they would have a lot of questions to ask him. It was one thing to explain his theoretical knowledge with his Eidetic Memory, it was another to explain how good he was at the practical application. By the way Daphne and Hermione were staring at him, he wondered how he was going to explain why he was so good at magic. Alex already knew that he had tried all spells before coming to Hogwarts but this was beyond his practice.

Harry took a seat next to Neville on the Gryffindor side of the room, and the pair quickly took out their potions kits and some stationary they would need for notes. They waited patiently while the greasy haired teacher took roll, and Harry was quick to notice the man's eyes narrow at both their names. Knowing what was about to happen to Neville, Harry braced himself to help his god brother in any way that he could.

"You are all here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," Snape spoke loudly to the class. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect the majority of you to truly understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind and ensnaring the senses. If you are not a dunderhead I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even stopper death."

After a moment of silence, Snape suddenly yelled out, "Longbottom. What would I get if I added powdered root of Asphodel to an infusion of Wormwood?"

"You would get a powerful sleeping potion called the Draught of the Living Dead, Professor," Neville answered without any hesitation.

Harry could tell that Snape was surprised that Neville knew the answer, and he really couldn't blame the slimy git, because he was right there with them. He always knew Neville to be horrible with potions, but apparently the Boy-Who-Lived version did not share the same weakness.

"Correct, Mr. Longbottom. I guess anyone can get luck once. How about we try again. Where would you look if I told you to find me a Bezoar?"

"In the stomach of a goat, sir," Neville answered in a respectful manner.

"One more than, Mr. Longbottom. What is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane?"

"There isn't one, sir," Neville said confidently. "It's the same plant, and I believe it is also know as Aconite in the Muggle world."

Snape was furious that the Gryffindor knew all the answers, and he was about to ask him progressively harder questions, when he noticed the Potter brat begin to smirk. The son of his most hated enemy was finally in his classroom, and he thought it was the perfect time to get some revenge.

"You think something is funny, Mr. Potter? Perhaps you think you can ride on the coattails of the Boy-Who-Lived to pass this class? Just like your father, arrogant and stupid."

Harry heard the snickering coming from several of the Slytherins in the room and he easily ignored them. He didn't want to be at odds with the Potions Master in this world, but he would be damned before he let the bastard say anything bad about his father.

"Not at all, Professor Snape," he replied with the same arrogant drawl that Draco often used. "I don't need Neville to help me pass potions. I mean it's really just like cooking. I doubt it would be that hard."

When Snape turned the same purple as his uncle Vernon used to get, Harry was prepared for the questions he knew were sure to come.

"Tell me, Mr. Potter, what are the key ingredients of the Werewolf potion, Wolfsbane?"

Harry knew it was a 6th year question, but he'd been working with potion for so long, that it was almost insulting to be asked such a simple thing. "That's easy, Professor. The key ingredients of the potion are Moonstones and the hair of a Werewolf."

"What potion could you make with Lacewing flies, Bloomslang skin, and Fluxweed?"

"That would be the Polyjuice Potion, sir," Harry answered confidently.

"What is the common side effect of Pepperup potion?"

"It causes steam to come out of the drinker's ears."

By this point the entire class was shocked by the staring match Harry was having with Snape, and they could tell the Potions Master was about to lose his cool.

"10 points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know it all, and another 10 pts for cheating. You will serve a detention with me tonight and you will tell me how you are doing it."

Harry grinned at the near homicidal teacher and replied, "I will have to respectfully decline the detention, Professor. In a single sentence you accused me of being an insufferable know it all and then a cheater. It's not possible to do both, sir. Since you can't prove I was cheating, I will have to refuse your detention."

"You're just like your father, Potter, arrogant and insufferable. I know you're cheating and when I find out how, I'll have you expelled from the school."

"Thank you for the compliment, Professor," Harry replied with a smirk. "It's always been my dream to be like my father. It's good to know that you think I'm already there. Good luck finding out how I'm cheating, since knowing the answers really doesn't count. I tried to tell you sir. Potions is just like cooking. As long as you know the ingredients and the recipe, any dunderhead could teach it."

At this point Snape completely lost it and screamed, "WHAT THE HELL IS EVERYONE STARING AT? THE INSTRUCTIONS ARE ON THE BOARD. GET TO WORK."

With a flare of his robes the teacher returned to his desk and stared balefully at Harry and his partner. As time passed Snape paid careful attention to the potion Harry and Neville were working on and saw how seamlessly the pair worked together. He would never say it out loud, but he thought Neville was an adequate brewer and Harry a prodigy at the art. It sickened him to think the Potter brat got one over him, and he swore he would find a way to get his revenge.

By the time class was about to be over, Harry and Neville brewed a perfect Boil Cure Potion. They scooped up a small amount to put in two separate vials and labeled the vials properly for grading. Harry decided he would be the one to drop off the samples, so he could make sure to place an unbreakable Charm on each of the vials. From his prior experience with Snape, he knew the man wouldn't hesitate to "accidentally" drop the vials to give them both a failing grade on the potion.

Once he was done packing up his things, Harry followed his god brother out of the class. Unfortunately he was so caught up in congratulating himself for putting Snape in his place, Harry never noticed the looks of awe the other Gryffindors were sending his and Neville's way.

"What was all that about, Harry?," Neville asked, as the pair made their way to Herbology.

Harry shrugged his shoulders and answered, "When I thought I was a squib, I spent a lot of time working on classes that didn't require a wand. I kind of figured out that I'm a bit of a prodigy at Runes and Potions. As for the stuff with Snape, it's mostly because of a problem he and my dad had while they were at school. I had every intention of melting into the background in his class, but when he insulted my dad I wasn't about to hold back."

The pair walked quietly for a little bit longer, until Harry felt the need to ask, "How'd you get so good at Potions, Nev?"

Neville smiled at his god brother and replied, "My gran couldn't get me a special exemption to get a wand until I was 9, but that didn't stop her from getting me classes on all the wandless subjects before then. I've actually been getting private tuitions in Potions since I was 7. My tutor told me he didn't think I had the flare or passion to become a Master, but he didn't doubt for a second that I was a more than passable brewer."

As he walked to the Charms class with Neville, Harry was happy that Herbology was done for the day. While he understood its importance for the ingredients it could provide for potions, the class itself was just as boring as he remembered in his old world.

The lunch break that followed the class led to Harry momentarily feeling like he was back in his old world again. Apparently the school was abuzz with the fact that he and Neville had answered all of Snape's questions and that Harry in particular had put the hated Professor in his place. The looks of adoration he received from his fellow Gryffindors was enough for Harry to get up and leave early for his Charms class.

When the pair finally arrived at Classroom 2E, they realized Flitwick hadn't arrived yet. Harry tried the door anyways, and when it turned out to be unlocked he shrugged his shoulders and made his way inside. The Gryffindor duo chose seats at the front of the class and then waited for the others to arrive.

Soon Harry began to feel bored with the wait. When he saw the stack of feathers sitting on Flitwick's desk, he had a brilliant idea. So far Neville had impressed him beyond his wildest expectations, and now he wanted to test his god-brother in Charms.

"Hey, Nev?"

"Yeah, Harry?"

"How do you feel about a friendly competition?"

Neville grinned at the question and realized what his god brother was thinking about. Normally he would have refused to compete against another first year, since he had an unfair advantage with his prior tuitions. But something told him Harry was just as knowledgable as he was and he wanted to see which of them was better.

"I'm open to it, mate. What do you have in mind?"

Harry grinned at his god brother and pointed to the large stack of feathers on the desk. "Let's see who has got more control with the levitation spell."

Once Neville agreed, both boys took out their wands and soon they had a dozen feathers each up in the air. The sheer self control his god-brother showed to pull off such a feat, made Harry proud of all the work his fellow Gryffindor must have put into learning magic the right way. If he was truly being honest with himself, Harry was more than ready to admit that Neville was head and shoulders better than him at being the Boy-Who-Lived.

When he saw Neville begin to tire, Harry knew the boy couldn't hold up the feathers for too much longer. He knew it was unfair to do it, because Neville was still growing into his power, but he couldn't resist moving his feathers deftly in a figure eight around the bunch his friend already had in the air.

The two boys were so enthralled by their competition, they didn't realize they had an audience, until they heard the sound of clapping coming from behind them. As soon as the pair turned around, they saw Professor Flitwick and over half of the class staring at the two of them in awe.

As soon as he saw the way the students were all looking at him and Neville, Harry wanted to bang his head against his desk in frustration. He never expected for his small test for Neville to be seen by anyone else and now he regretted challenging his god brother to the game. The last thing he needed was to become the center of attention again, and so far today he had failed miserably at that plan. Alex was smiling at him as she knew that Harry had practiced the spells during the summer while Daphne and Hermione were looking at the two in awe.

"Mr. Longbottom, Mr. Potter," the tiny Charms Professor called out excitedly. "That was absolutely fantastic use of the levitation spell. The both of you showed tremendous skill in keeping multiple objects a float at the same time. 20 points each to Gryffindor for displaying such skill. And another 10 points to Mr. Potter for the maneuver he made at the end."

Harry and Neville bowed their heads respectfully at the praise, and prayed the teacher would stop making them the center of attention. Flitwick realized how uncomfortable the pair was from the ogling they received from the rest of class, and he decided it was time to get to work.

The former duelling Champion climbed on top of the books behind his podium, and made the same speech Harry heard the first time he was in Charms class. Unfortunately the first class was little more than a Q&A session, and Harry knew they wouldn't start spell work for at least another week. Flitwick liked to hammer in theory before he let his students do any spells. By the time class finally came to an end, the Gryffindor duo was bored out of their mind.

The rest of the week flew by without any incident, and the Gryffindor duo couldn't have been happier by the lack of attention the received from everyone. In class Neville and Harry continued to outshine the rest of their fellow first years, but after a week of studying with the boys in Harry's suite, the Ravenclaw trio was slowly closing the gap.

When Friday finally arrived, Harry couldn't wait until the flying lessons started in the afternoon. It was only a few days since he last flew with his dad at Potter Manor, but Harry already missed the freedom of being in the air. Without Madam Hooch's approval students were not allowed to access the school brooms in the shed, and since Harry couldn't have a broom as a first year, he needed this class to get back in the air.

Harry's excitement over flying was suddenly put on hold, when he saw a large grey owl bearing the Gringotts seal glide down to the table. "Hey girl," he greeted the bird out loud. "You have a letter for me?"

The owl didn't seem to have any problems understanding him, because she stuck out her leg and allowed him to take the letter. Harry spent a few minutes petting the bird and allowing it to drink from his pumpkin juice, before turning his attention to the letter he received.

Dear Lord Peverell,

We have found six individuals who are ready to proceed with the first phase of the testing. As per your instructions they have all signed the magically binding contract you requested and the money they are to receive for participating in this trial has already been deposited into their accounts.

The potion has been brewed exactly to your specifications, and our healers are ready to monitor the vitals for the test subjects during the full moon later this month. Should this discovery turn out as you anticipated, I have already paid the records department to register this Potion under Marauder's Inc. through the ICW and several other countries. As per your request, Britain will not be informed of the findings.

I have also spoken to Lord Ragnok in regards to the other business venture you inquired about, and he is most intrigued by the idea. He would like to meet with you in person to discuss the details, but he knows you are indisposed at the time. We here at Gringotts realize that you have just begun your education at Hogwarts, so Lord Ragnok would like to schedule this meeting over the summer. If this acceptable to you, or if you would like to schedule an earlier meeting, please inform me straight away.

In the mean time I have found several properties that meet the requirements you gave to me. Should any of these interest you, I can immediately begin the process of purchasing the property on your behalf. The muggle investments you asked us to make have already been done, and we picked up as many shares as we could in each of the companies you indicated. You now own 22% of Apple, 14% of Microsoft, 30% of Samsung, 9% of Chevron, 18% of Sony and 11% of Disney. Your full business report will be available to you on the last day of the month.

Finally, I have found a Goblin willing to teach the House Elves you purchased how to extract the gold from your mines. He charges slightly more than other Goblins who offer the same service, but Master Axegrip is the best at what he does. I highly recommend you choose him to do the training.

May you vaults forever overflow with gold,

Junior Account Manager Ripclaw

Harry turned his attention back to his lunch, until he saw Neville walk through the doors of the Great Hall. His god brother was once again surrounded by Ron, Seamus, and Dean, and Harry winced at the headache he knew Neville was probably having at the moment. Unfortunately the Gryffindor first years decided they were going to be the Boy-Who-Lived's best friends, and Neville was too polite to tell them he wasn't interested. Several time this week he already had to delay his god brother's stalkers, so Neville could have a chance for some peace and quiet in his room

When the group finally made it to the Gryffindor table, Harry grinned at the horrified expression on his god brother's face and said, "What are you lads up to, Nev? Trying to kill some time until flying lessons start this afternoon?"

Ron glowered at the Potter boy, somehow knowing he was about to take Neville away from the group. All week long he had been trying to become friends with the Boy-Who-Lived, but Harry freaking Potter managed to thwart him every time. It almost seemed like the two of them were attached at the hip, and if Ron didn't make some headway soon, he knew Dumbledore wouldn't hesitate to stop paying him to spy on Neville.

What's worse is that he couldn't even say Potter was a poor choice for company. The arrogant prat was top of the class in their year, rich, a Lord of an Ancient and Noble House and Heir to another. He was also betrothed to the daughter of House Black who was extremely beautiful and already shared a god brother relationship with Neville. It just wasn't fair. Stupid Potter already had everything he could want. The Boy-Who-Lived was supposed to be his friend. His ticket to a life of wealth and comfort. He was tired of living off his brother's hand me downs, and Dumbledore's offer gave him a chance at money from two different sources. All he needed to do was convince Neville to be his best friend. Then he could get his "best mate" to pay for everything, and hold on to the money he earned from Dumbledore.

Before Neville could answer the question, Ron sneered at Harry and said, "We're actually going to head up to the common room and play some chess with Neville. Don't you have some books or something to read?"

Harry was amused by the obvious hostility he could hear from the redhead's tone and wondered for the millionth time on why he had become friends with Weasley in his previous world.

"Now, now, now, Ronald," he replied with a smug smile. "It's much too nice a day to be cooped up in the Gryffindor common room. I think it's the perfect time to get a nice run in before flying lessons. What do you say boys...want to go for a jog around the Lake? Get that heart pumping and the blood flowing. I guarantee you'll feel more awake when you're done."

Since they already did their cardio in the morning, Neville immediately knew his god brother was giving him a chance to get away from the other Gryffindors. He played along and said, "That sounds like a great idea, Harry. I could do with some exercise, since we've been stuck in this castle all week long."

Ron winced at the idea of running around for fun, and by the looks on Seamus and Dean's faces, he knew they weren't thrilled by the suggestion either. As much as he wanted to spend time with the Boy-Who-Lived, Ron wasn't about to run around the Lake to do it. When he realized Potter had won this round, Ron decided he would just have to try harder during dinner.

"No thanks, Potter," he replied with a grimace. "Don't really fancy running around for no reason."

Once Seamus and Dean voiced the same sentiments, Neville happily watched the three of them leave the Great Hall. "Thanks a lot, Harry. You're a lifesaver. So what do you really want to do today?"

When he saw his god brother cock his left eyebrow and stare at him silently, Neville was instantly worried he would really want to work out again. "You weren't serious about the run, right mate?"

Harry let Neville stew a minute longer before he grinned and replied, "Nah. Don't worry, Nev. I'm not crazy enough to make you workout again today. I heard Wood scheduled a practice before our flying lessons, so I figure we can go and see what kind of team we'll have for this season."

As an avid fan of Quidditch, Neville was more than agreeable to the idea, and the two boys quickly made their way to the pitch. When they finally arrived the pair was surprised to see Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson were the only ones from the team that were present.

As the two boys made their way to the Gryffindor starting Chasers, Harry felt a rush of emotion at the thought of their death's in his old world. Both girls had died at the Battle of Hogwarts, while successfully defending the younger kids from the Death Eaters that managed to make it in the Castle. The girls fought ferociously with fellow Chaser Katie Bell by their side, and thanks to their efforts, not a single kid from the lower years was harmed that day.

The pain Harry felt at seeing the two girls was soon washed away by the realization that they were both alive in the here and now. As long as Harry did things the right way in this world, there wasn't any reason for the pair to be alive for a very long time.

Harry's reverie was broken when he heard Angelina jokingly call out, "Well look it here, Alicia, it seems we're about to meet the Golden Lions of Gryffindor."

Neville and Harry looked at each other in surprise and mouthed the title silently to each other. Turning back to face the girls, Harry asked, "I'm sorry ladies, but the Golden Lions of Gryffindor? Why would you call us that?"

Angelina looked at the two first years and realized they really didn't have a clue about the nickname the rest of the House had given to them. Everyone was thrilled by the points they were bringing in from their classes, and after the manner in which they handled Snape, the pair was already famous throughout the lower years. When she thought about it, it made sense they weren't aware of the name, since both boys had their own quarters and so far only spent a limited amount of time in the Gryffindor common room.

"That's what everyone is calling you two," Angelina explained.

Harry and Neville blushed when they heard about the nickname, and the pair couldn't understand why their House mates would use it.

"Why in Merlin's name would anyone call us that?," Neville asked the amused girls.

"Come now, Mr. Boy-Who-Lived," Alicia joked with the first year. "Not only are the two of you at the top of your year, the pair of you have so far earned the most points in the House this year, and you're both the only first years to go toe to toe with Snape and not just come out alive, but you actually beat the slimy git. Whether you like it or not, you got most of the lower years worshipping you as minor deities."

The Gryffindor Chasers laughed at the simultaneous groans that erupted from the two first years. The two girls were definitely amused by their antics, and slightly pleased that the boys didn't let the praise go to their heads. From their own time at Hogwarts, the Chasers saw few people who got to be in the limelight and didn't get a big head from all of the attention.

Deciding the boys had been teased enough, Angelina asked, "So what can we do for the two of you today?"

"I heard Wood was holding a practice before the first year flying lessons, and we wanted to check out how the team looked," Harry replied. "But it seems you're down several players. Where is everyone?"

"The Weasley twins are serving detention with Flitwick right now, but they should be out soon," Alicia answered. "Wood's late cause he's going over the tryout schedule with McGonagall. We're going to need a Seeker and a Chaser this year, so he's kind of freaking out right now."

Harry nodded his head in understanding. From his own memories of Wood, he knew the Captain liked to book the Pitch for tryouts before the other Houses got a chance. He wasn't sure about the reason behind it, but he did know it was important to the Keeper. What surprised him was the team's need for another Chaser. That spot was supposed to go to Katie Bell. He hadn't seen the second year girl this week, but he assumed it was because he hadn't spent much time in the Gryffindor common room.

"That's got to be hard for Wood," Harry replied. "But I thought I heard someone say you already had three Chasers."

Alicia grimaced slightly before answering, "We did, but things didn't work out as planned. Last year we trained this girl named Katie Bell for the spot, but over the summer we learned she wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts. Her dad got offered a promotion at work, but their family had to move to the States for him to get it."

Harry was stunned to hear the news. He knew this world would have its own changes, but a part of him was sad he wouldn't be able to see Katie Bell again. Not only was she an outstanding Quidditch player, but after the Weasley twins, he was probably the closest to her on the team.

As she watched the two first years in front of her, Angelina suddenly had an idea. They still had plenty of time to kill before the rest of the team arrived, and she thought it would be fun to give the boys some early practice at flying.

"If you two aren't doing anything right now, how about we play a quick game until everyone else arrives? The boys left their kits here, so you have three brooms to choose from. I'm sure they won't mind you using them for a friendly game."

Harry was thrilled by the offer, but he wasn't sure if Neville would be as interested. Old Neville was afraid of flying, and he didn't know if the new one shared that fear. He was just about to ask his god brother if he wanted to play, but he stopped as soon as he saw the gleam in the brunette boy's hazel eyes. He'd seen that gleam several times this week, and he knew his god brother was already frothing at the mouth to play.

Curious about how good Neville was at Quidditch, Harry leaned towards him and whispered, "Are you any good, Nev? We don't have to play if you don't want to."

Neville brushed off his friend's concern and quickly replied, "I spent most of my time alone at the Manor, Harry. Whenever I got some free time to myself, I usually spent it flying on our private Pitch. I can hold my own in the air."

Once he received confirmation from his fellow Gryffindor, Harry couldn't wait to play. "Yeah, we'd love to play two on two against you girls."

Within a minute the two boys kitted themselves out with the Weasley twins' gear, grabbed their brooms and raced into the air to meet their opponents. As the taller of the male pair, Harry chose to defend against Angelina, leaving Neville to guard Alicia.

No sooner had the boys taken their positions, the female Gryffindors went on the attack. Harry marked Angelina closely and when he saw she was about to pass, he swooped in and intercepted the Quaffle. Without missing a beat he twirled around on his broom and hurled a pass to an open Neville.

If he wasn't one of the players in the game, Harry would have been cheering his god brother for the move he just completed. Rather than waste time trying to catch the pass he'd just thrown, Neville pulled off a Professional move called the Finbourgh Flick, and used his broomstick to hit the Quaffle into the goalpost. The two boys grinned smugly at the sight of the stunned looks that suddenly appeared on the faces of the two Chasers, and quickly moved back into position for the next round.

Once the girls got over their surprise at the play, Angelina and Alicia glared furiously at each other. They silently held a conversation through their eyes, and decided it was time for them to get more aggressive. Using a move called the Porskoff Ploy the two girls attacked the goal at the same time. Angelina took possession of the Quaffle and flew high, while Alicia moved below her and mirrored her movements. They practiced this move for hours over the summer and it took exact precision to pull off.

Just as Harry moved in to intercept her, Angelina faked a shot at the goal and released the Quaffle directly below her. The move temporarily froze both Neville and Harry, but it gave Alicia enough time to catch the Quaffle and fire a shot through the goalpost. This time it was the girls' turn to celebrate, and they smiled when the saw the appreciative looks appear on the faces of their opponents.

For the next thirty minutes the two sides played tough nosed Quidditch and it was obvious that neither side was holding back anymore. The boys were obviously both better fliers than the girls, but the female Gryffs hung around with their experience and their superior ability to play with one another. By the time the game was slowly coming to a close, Alicia and Angelina scored 80 points with their chemistry and through plays they perfected during hours and hours of practice with their teammates. Meanwhile Neville and Harry played with reckless abandon and the skilled duo racked up a 110 points off numerous stunts, tricks and made up plays.

It was at this moment that Alicia fired a pass to Angelina and suddenly she felt the clasp on her bracelet break. In her haste to play the game she had completely forgotten to take off her grandmother's bracelet, and now she watched as it plummeted towards the Earth. She was just about to race down to pick it up, when she saw Harry's broom shoot out like an arrow after it.

As soon as Harry saw the sunlight reflect off the surface of the bracelet, his eyes zeroed in on the target, and his broom shot out in pursuit of the falling object. The wind whipped across his face as he hurtled frantically towards the ground, all the while ignoring the screams of protest he heard from the girls behind him.

When he saw the ground rapidly approaching in front of him, Harry reached out his hand and felt his fingers wrap around his chosen target. As soon as his prize was secure in his grasp, he pulled back viciously on the front of his broom, and his feet grazed the grass below him, as he barely managed to avoid hitting the ground.

Harry was just about to raise the fist that held the bracelet up in victory, when he suddenly heard McGonagall scream, "MR. POTTER, what do you think you are doing?"

As soon as he turned around Harry saw the stern Transfiguration teacher glaring at him, and behind her stood the Weasley twins and Oliver, all three with silly grins plastered across their face.

Before he could respond, Angelina and the others joined him on the ground and the female Gryffindor interjected on his behalf. "Alicia and I will take full responsibility for this Professor. We were just playing a safe and friendly game of two on two."

McGonagall had been standing there for the past ten minutes with the other members of her House team, and she knew the game she was just watching could be called many things, but safe wasn't one of them. The sheer skill and daring she saw from the first year boys made her simultaneously want to jump up with joy and give them both detentions for the next seven years. The last maneuver by Harry in particular was enough to shave off several hours of her life.

"I see," she replied sternly to the worried Chaser. "And what exactly was Mr. Potter hoping to accomplish with that dive?"

Harry grinned at the teacher and slowly opened his fist so she could see the bracelet that now rested on his palm. "This broke off of Alicia's wrist, ma'am, and when I saw it I raced after it."

Despite the anger she was feeling at the moment, at the sight of the bracelet in Harry's hand, Minerva McGonagall allowed the briefest of smiles to grace her lips. "You have inherited your father's skill on a broom Mr. Potter and and Mr. Longbottom. I would have placed you on the team if not for the rule about broomsticks."

Harry replied, "Ma'am, there is a loophole in that rule. What if I was using someone else's broom. The rule only states that students are not allowed their own broomsticks but they can use another's."

McGonagall thought about it for a while and replied, "It seems, Mr. Wood, that we have found you a new Seeker and a new Chaser."

When the Gryffindor team suddenly erupted into cheers around the two first years, Harry was thrilled to be back on the team and Neville was just thrilled to be on it.

When the Gryffindor team suddenly erupted into cheers around the two first years, Harry was thrilled to be back on the team and Neville was just thrilled to be on it.

The day after the first week of school ended, the Headmaster and the various Professors of Hogwarts met together in the now enlarged office of Albus Dumbledore, for their first meeting of the new school year.

"Now that we are all here, it's time to start the First Faculty Meeting of the year," Dumbledore announced to his staff. "I would like to hear each Professor's evaluation of the students under their purview, and then we can discuss any problem areas. We'll start with Professor McGonagall. How are your classes coming along, Minerva? Any problems with your Gryffindors?"

"I only have a slight problem, Albus and Professor Snape should also be made aware of this. In the three Transfiguration classes we've had this week, Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle have failed to bring their wands to two of them. Also, I've had to stop six fights in the hallway between Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Weasley, and on two of those occasions wands have been drawn by both parties. If I catch them one more time this month, I will recommend a one month term of detentions for the both of them."

Albus winced at the thought of the Malfoy heir receiving a month's worth of detentions, because he was sure both his Potions Master and Draco's father would demand leniency for whatever the boy had done. Rather than worry about suffering the wrath of the Scottish woman sitting across from him, Albus just prayed neither one of the boys was caught fighting again for the rest of the month. The last thing he needed was the headache only Lucius Malfoy's visits could give him.

"Very well, Minerva," he replied with a twinkle in his eyes. "Your recommendation has been noted. I think we all hope it doesn't come to anything so severe."

When Severus saw the Deputy Headmistress look in his direction, he bowed his head slightly to his former teacher and said, "I will make sure to remind all of my students to have their wands with them for class, Minerva."

"Thank you, Severus. I appreciate it."

"How about you Filius?," Dumbledore asked the diminutive Professor. "Do you have any students that are causing you any worry?"

"I have several students that I am quite happy with, Albus," Flitwick replied cautiously. "But I only know of one student that I am currently worried about. Unfortunately he's a Lion, so I haven't had too much contact with him."

Albus' eyebrows shot up at the news. His Charms Professor seldom involved himself in interhouse politics, so he always paid attention to any of his warnings or recommendations.

"Who has you concerned, Filius?"

"That would be Mr. Weasley, Albus."

"What has Mr. Weasley done to cause you to worry about him, old friend?," Albus asked, though he was silently cursing himself for telling the boy to befriend Neville. It was obvious the redhead didn't know the meaning of subtlety and it was now coming back to bite him in the arse.

"Several of my students have complained that Mr. Weasley has been stalking Mr. Longbottom all week. Normally I wouldn't pay attention to such rumors, but the other day I saw him waiting outside of Mr. Longbottom's suite and it struck me as being quite odd. I'm not sure how much truth there is behind the rumor, but I thought the faculty should be made aware of the situation."

When he saw several of his staff nod their heads in agreement, Albus once again wished he never talked the youngest Weasley boy into doing his bidding. Unfortunately not only did the boy fail to make friends with the Boy-Who-Lived, his actions were now drawing the wrong type of attention from his faculty. He would just have invite the boy for a chat some time soon, and show him the error of his ways.

"Thank you for drawing this to our attention, Filius. I'm sure he's just wanted to talk to the famous Boy-Who-Lived, but thankfully the teachers are now aware of any potential danger."

Hoping to move the conversation away from Ronald Weasley, Albus turned his attention to his Slytherin Head of House. The Snake pit had caused him headaches for several decades, and with the numerous children of known Death Eaters now present in the House, he needed to be wary of their intentions towards his weapon.

"How about you, Severus? Any problems with your Slytherins?"

"None to report, Headmaster," Snape answered in his silky voice. "We had a few pranks and some heated words, but they have all been dealt with internally."

As he stared into the Potion Master's eyes, Albus' blue orbs lost some of their twinkle. He knew the Snake pit was a dangerous place to live, and that many of the students lived under a web of deceit, betrayal and brute force. Unfortunately despite all of his efforts, he'd been unsuccessful in showing the Snakes the path to the Light. With so many prominent Pureblood families present in the House, he couldn't afford to let them die in another war. The quicker Voldemort was permanently taken care of, the quicker Magical Britain could become the world he envisioned.

"How about you, Pomona? Everything okay with your badgers?"

"Nothing really important to report, Albus," the Herbology Professor replied. "Just a few cases of homesickness, but my older Puffs are banding around those students already. They should be fine in another day or so."

With the mundane topics now taken care of, Albus decided it was time to find out about his prize. Neville Longbottom was the key to his victory over Voldemort, and he needed the boy to be as malleable as possible. He would be the martyr the Light would rally behind Albus to avenge, but first he needed to know how much damage that blasted woman had done to his plans.

Even now it still riled him that he'd read Augusta wrong all those years ago. When he told the broken woman the truth behind the prophecy, he expected her to wallow in the grief over her lost son and allow him to take guardianship over the Boy-Who-Lived. But that cunning bitch had deceived him. Instead of following his suggestion like she should have done, the damn woman asked for a few days to think about it, and then paid the Goblins to place a Fidelus over Longbottom Manor. It took him weeks to finally get in touch with her again and at that point she flat out refused to let him have access to her grandson.

"How about students that have set themselves apart from the others?," Albus asked, barely hiding the interest he had for one student in particular.

Minerva smiled as soon as she heard the question and immediately answered, "Two of my Lions have distinguished themselves quite well this week. Mr. Potter and Mr. Longbottom are significantly ahead of the rest of their peers in my class."

Albus wasn't thrilled by the mention of Neville's name, but he was surprised by the mention of Potter's. As the other boy named in the Prophecy, he had been a great disappointment to Albus. The boy turned out to a squib, and since he was busy dealing with his weapon, he didn't have time to check in on the brat. James and Lily had pestered him quite often to try to help their son, but he refused by his inaction. Months later heated words were exchanged between the three of them and he inadvertently lost two of his staunchest supporters within the Order.

When the damn boy showed up earlier in the week with the Peverell Lordship behind him, Albus instantly regretted breaking off ties with the Potters. In the end he didn't worry too much about the loss, since he assumed the boy was barely able to receive his Hogwarts letter. But if what Minerva said was true, then he needed to keep a watchful eye on the boy. Who knows if dark spells were used to give the boy his power, and he couldn't risk a presence like that influencing the Boy-Who-Lived.

At this point Flitwick interjected and said, "I agree with Minerva, Albus. Those two students are quite remarkable."

Albus had to hide his surprise at the mention of the Potter squib being called remarkable and to control his anger when he heard of Neville being described in the same manner. It wouldn't do for his plans to have a weapon that thought for itself, and if things continued as they were he would have to take drastic actions to gain control over the Boy-Who-Lived. For the Greater Good, Neville needed to learn as little as possible while he was here at Hogwarts. That's part of the reason he had gone out of his way to find less than capable teachers to fill the DADA position. A part of him was hoping Minerva was just building up two of her Lions, but that dream was shattered with Filius' agreement.

Now that his curiosity was peaked, Albus found himself asking what the Charms Professor was talking about. "How so, Filius?"

"On the first day of class, I walked in with several students and found Mr. Potter and Mr. Longbottom with a dozen feathers floating in the air around them. And that's a dozen feathers each, Albus. If that wasn't impressive enough, Mr. Potter showed a truly amazing level of skill and concentration when he moved his feathers in a figure eight around Mr. Longbottom's."

When the tiny teacher finished his report, Albus didn't know what to feel. He hated that Neville already received so much training, but he was really worried about the level of power that Harry was demonstrating. The skill and magical ability required to do what Filius was describing, would take someone in their 6th or even 7th year at Hogwarts to accomplish. The fact the deed was done by a first year, made him extremely wary of the boy.

In the most grave voice he could manage, Albus said, "Perhaps we should keep an eye on Mr. Potter. Watch him for signs of any darkness. I personally checked him as a child and at the time he was completely unremarkable. I fear James and Lily may have turned to the Dark Arts to help their child regain his magic. Such things require a heavy sacrifice and leave their mark on all those that were involved."

Minerva rolled her eyes, and quite a few of the teachers snorted at the thought. James and Lily still kept in touch with several of them, and most were informed of what really happened.

"I don't think that will be necessary, Albus," Minerva explained to the headbastard. "I spoke to Lily right after everything happened, and Harry was misdiagnosed this entire time. He was never a squib, he just had a rare medical condition in which his magical core twisted upon itself. Under all standard scans, he would register as a squib. Luckily he found a solution with the help of the Goblins and I myself have seen the book he used to learn the procedure. I assure you there was no spellwork used to fix his problem. It was just an old meditation technique that allowed him access to his core. The only dangerous part of the entire procedure was, if it didn't work Mr. Potter would have lost his life."

Albus was stunned when several of his staff looked towards him and nodded their heads knowingly. Apparently his former students had informed several people, just not him. "Why wouldn't James and Lily tell me about this?," he asked in a fake hurt voice.

"Probably because you never tried to help them, Albus," Flitwick replied gently. "I'm sure you had your reasons, but we all know you had a falling out with the Potters years ago. People don't usually share good news with those they don't get along with."

Knowing it was a lost cause to push his staff in this current direction, Albus forced himself to smile and replied, "I see. It shames me that my failure caused such a rift to develop between the three of us, but alas there was nothing I could do at the time."

The meeting lasted for another ten minutes, before Albus finally decided he heard enough. By the time the other teachers left, only the headmaster and Severus were left in the office.

The meeting lasted for another ten minutes, before Albus finally decided he heard enough. By the time the other teachers left, only the headmaster and Severus were left in the office.

"We have a big problem, Severus," Albus informed his confidant. "That blasted woman has prepared Neville too well."

"Yes," Severus agreed. "All her moves have been well thought out, Headmaster. Even if something were to happen to her, by allowing Longbottom to claim his Lordship now, she has effectively blocked any chance you might have had to claim his guardianship."

"True, but we still must find a way to control him, my friend."

Severus thought about the statement and he knew the old coot was thinking about using potions to bind the boy's loyalty. Unfortunately that plan was incredibly risky now.

"I would advise against using potions, headmaster. Most Ancient and Noble Head of House rings have several safeguards installed to detect for potions. I've seen the boy wave his hand over every meal, so I'm confident Augusta has prepared him for such an occurrence. If you were caught trying to drug him, the brat and his grandmother won't hesitate to inform the DMLE about your actions."

Albus growled softly at the thought, but he knew his Potions Master was right. If the subtle way wouldn't work, then the heavy handed would have to do. "If the situation becomes dire enough, I will have to bind his loyalty through more direct methods."

"Be careful, Albus," Severus warned. "Even you won't escape the Dementor's kiss if you're caught attacking a Lord of an Ancient and Noble House."

The headmaster waved away the other man's concerns and replied, "I assure you, Severus, such a course would only be done as a last resort."

After a few moments, Albus asked about the second person that was on his mind. "Tell me what you think of Harry Potter, Severus."

"He's as arrogant as his father, but he is talented."

"What do you mean by that?," Albus asked curiously.

"He was paired with Longbottom during my Potions class and I watched the two of them carefully as they made their potion. It's obvious that Longbottom has had prior training before coming here, but at most he's an adequate brewer. The Potter boy is different though. He must get his intellect from Lily, because he's an absolute prodigy at the art. I watched him make several adjustments to the recipe that was provided for the class, and his potion came out perfect. I hate to admit it, but it was probably as good as one of my own."

As much as he trusted the rest of his staff, Albus relied on Severus to tell him everything about a given student. After hearing the man's positive assessment of his worst enemy's offspring, it seemed that the young Mr. Potter could prove to be a valuable piece in the future. With the Peverell Lordship at his disposal, and as powerful as he already was, Albus knew he needed to have the boy in his pocket soon.

"Perhaps it's time for me to recruit Mr. Potter. With the Weasley boy having failed to befriend Longbottom, Potter could provide the information we need to control the Boy-Who-Lived."

"And if he doesn't decide to join?," Severus asked expectantly.

Albus smiled at his young friend and replied, "Then accidents happen, Severus. As valuable a piece as he could be to me in the future, I would rather destroy him now then let him corrupt my weapon against Tom."

When he saw the headmaster dismiss him with a wave of his hand, Severus got up and walked out of the office. As he made his way back to his private room in the Dungeons, he truly hoped the Potter brat would decide not to follow Albus. Now that he no longer harbored foolish feelings for his mudblood mother, Severus planned to enjoy killing the boy as well as the rest of his family. All he needed to do was bid his time and he would soon get his revenge against all those who spurned him in the past.

AN : That's all for now. Hope you liked the chapter. Next chapter will be about the troll and Quidditch match. I may also add the Christmas part. I will be uploading my second fanfic tomorrow on Harry Potter + Avengers Crossover with Harry/Wanda pairing. Please read it and review on my mistakes.

Stay Safe. Stay Happy.

LightningLord139