Chapter 2

Harry woke up from his best sleep of the summer, his mind for once not keeping him up with the usual nightmares. Grabbing his glasses from the table beside him he moved into a sitting position, observing the room around him. It was plainly decorated, with two chairs next to his bed, blank walls, and another empty bed on the other side of the room. Getting up from the bed, he swore loudly as pain shot up his leg, causing him to sit back down.

The door to his right opened and in a second he was throttled by a mass of bushy hair choking the life out of him.

"Hermione…need…to… breathe" Harry rasped.

"Sorry, Harry" she exclaimed jumping back, watching him critically. He looked to see the rest of the Weasleys standing there except for Bill, Percy and Charlie. They were all staring at him, as if he was about to break, making him uncomfortable.

"What happened to me, after those guys?" Harry asked, looking to Mr Weasley specifically.

"Well Harry, after you blacked out we took care of the girls who were there. You were bleeding too profusely to heal there, so I apparated you here to St Mungo's. At Harry's quizzical look he continued, "St Mungos is our Wizarding hospital."

"Who were those guys?" Harry asked questioningly.

"Death Eaters" Mr Weasley responded, his voice laced with venom as he spoke the words. "They were You-Know-Who's devoted followers during the first war. They are vile people, torturing for fun, murdering without a second thought, and treating muggles like scum.

"So what were they doing there? I mean Voldemort…" ignoring everyone's gasps as he continued "isn't around, so why did they come?"

"One can only guess Harry. Maybe they were trying to relive the past, trying to show the population that they are still at large and powerful. However, what it has shown is that their prowess with their wands hasn't declined in the least. Not even one death eater was caught" the last sentence coming out painfully from his mouth. "Anyway" he continued, stopping Harry's questions. "I need to go check with the healers about taking you home" he finished with a smile, taking the twins and his wife along, leaving Harry with his best friends.

Hermione and Ron looked at him awkwardly, not knowing how to continue. Fortunately for Harry, he still had questions to ask, and Hermione was just the person for the job.

"Hermione, that girl I helped, who is she?" he inquired.

"Oh her, she's Daphne Greengrass, she's a Slytherin in our year" she replied.

"Merlin! You injured yourself just to save a snake" Ron interrupted looking aghast at the very idea.

Ignoring his friend's outburst he continued. "What can you tell me about her?" he asked trying not to look too interested.

Hermione looked at her friend suspiciously for a second before replying. "Well, I don't know a lot about her since we've never spoken. But I do know that she's incredibly intelligent. Almost top in our year before me" she stated proudly. "However, she always beats me when it comes to runes and potions, and in DADA, it's you first, then her, and me third."

"How do you even know this?" asked a dumbfounded Ron.

"Because unlike you Ronald, I pay attention. If you did too, you'd know at the end of the year, our professors put out our rankings by subject" Hermione replied haughtily. "Which is how I know that Harry and Daphen are top in defence."

Looking like she swallowed a rock, Harry didn't press on, not wanting to further upset his friend for not being first in every subject. However, he was pleasantly surprised to find out he was top in defence for the year.

"I still can't believe you risked your life just to save some slimy Slytherins" Ron responded again, looking incredibly disturbed at the situation.

"I didn't know they were Slytherins when I ran to help them. What I did know was that those men were going to do unspeakable acts to those girls, and no one deserves that" he shot back. He didn't want to mention that he knew they were in Slytherin, knowing that would set Ron off again. "Anyway, I've never seen Greengrass hang out with Malfoy and his group of idiots, so she can't be that bad" he finished off, not knowing why he was defending the girl.

Ron opened his mouth to retort, but Mrs Weasley poked her head into the room at that moment. "Harry dear, you have a visitor"

The visitor walked in, his grey beard coming to his belt, adorning bright purple robes with green swirls.

"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry looked at the man who walked through the door. "What are you doing here?" surprise etched on his face.

"I came here to discuss a few things with you, Harry. Ms Granger and Mr Weasley, would you mind giving us a few minutes. Ron looked annoyed again that he wasn't part of the conversation; however, Hermione grabbed his arm and escorted him out. Even she seemed irritated that the headmaster didn't want them there.

Ignoring his friends' antics, he looked up at the headmaster, his customary twinkle in place, as he conjured a chintzy-looking chair and sat down.

"What do you want to talk about sir?" Harry asked.

"We have much to discuss, mainly the current events and what they implicate. But first would you explain what happened yesterday, Arthur gave me the brief story, but I was hoping you could tell me in detail" Dumbledore requested.

Harry went on to tell him the story, he added as much as he could remember, telling him the spells he used, what the men said and the sighting of the mark. Dumbledore stayed quiet through the story, listening intently until Harry finished.

"Harry, you fought valiantly once again, even saving your classmates from grievous harm, yet you don't look happy with the turn of events" Dumbledore looked at him, his blue eyes piercing his.

Harry shifted in his seat, looking down at his hands as he spoke "They overpowered me in the end. If it wasn't for that mark appearing in the sky, I would have been dead by now, and who knows what would have happened to those girls. I don't see it as a victory; I see it as myself getting lucky" he finished, his voice showing his defeat.

"No Harry" Dumbledore replied, his voice firm. "I could not have expected any more from you", Harry looked up surprised, as Dumbledore continued. "I'm sure you've been informed those men were death eaters. Harry do you know how Voldemort chose his death eaters?"

"No sir"

"His death eaters are personally chosen by him, the people he finds to be the most powerful wizards, those who he trusted. He had hundreds; maybe thousands of followers in the first war, but only a handful of them are marked as his death eaters, and are part of his coveted inner circle. Therefore, Harry for you, a boy still shy of his fourteenth birthday able to best two of them, shows how remarkable you are! They have years ahead of you in knowledge and training, yet you still came out on top. You should not feel ashamed of yourself."

To say Harry was shocked would be an understatement; he stayed quiet for a few moments before responding. "Thank you, sir."

Dumbledore merely chuckled, before he continued. "However, this talk does allow me to broach the real reason I'm here. In your story Harry, what did the man do when he saw the mark appear in the sky?"

"He looked really scared, then apparated away with his two friends"

"Exactly. That's what we need to talk about." Dumbledore explained.

"The mark sir?" Harry responded, looking confused. "Aren't the appearance of the death eaters and the mark linked. Didn't they set it off?"

"Ahh that is what many think Harry, but as you told me, the man ran away from the mark when it appeared in the sky. The mark is Voldemort's signature in a way. Back when he was in power, the mark was set over places where he and his followers had murdered someone." At this Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Dumbledore pressed on. "Now when you defeated him in Godric's Hollow almost thirteen years ago, as you know many of his followers 'renounced' their old ways, saying they were under the control of Voldemort so they wouldn't be thrown into Azkaban" Dumbledore finished.

"So what are you trying to say, sir?"

"Well, once Voldemort was gone most of his former death eaters settled down into jobs, and tried to continue on with their lives as if nothing happened. No one went to search to see if he was alive and help him back into power. So you can see why they were so fearful of the mark is because if he is back, they would be in immense trouble with him, for never seeking out their master."

"So what you're saying sir, is that Voldemort is coming back?" Harry said.

"Yes, Harry. I do not know when or even how, but you out of all people should know that. He has already made two attempts, and he does not give up easily." Dumbledore finished ominously.

"Sir, I do think Voldemort will be coming back quite soon." At Dumbledore's raised eyebrow, Harry proceeded to explain his dream about Voldemort and his followers. "- and they kept mentioning some plan they had in place."

Dumbledore rose from his seat as Harry told his story, pacing near the bed. "And you do not remember this followers' name."

"No, sir. So what do you think my dream means?"

"I have a lot of ideas, but nothing conclusive Harry. But it does prove a strong point that Voldemort will be trying to come back soon. Very well Harry, this only provides a stronger argument for why I had to see you today." At Harry's confused glance Dumbledore continued. "Your death eater incidence, while it showed me you're much better than your peers when it comes to combat, you still need to train to be better."

"For Voldemort," Harry asked, knowing the answer.

"Yes, Harry. Voldemort has years more experience than you in combat. His knowledge of magic is unmatched, even by me in many accounts. He has diversified his knowledge in many branches of magic, making him a very formidable opponent."

"I have to train to beat him," Harry spoke, talking mostly to himself.

"You must Harry, but do not forget about your studies. As I said Voldemort's knowledge is in many branches of magic, mainly the dark arts, but he still has vast knowledge in other areas."

Harry knew he was right. He had to focus more on his studies, the past three years he had a lacklustre attitude towards work. He had followed Ron's example of only working at the last minute, and never putting real effort in. But he couldn't blame Ron for his work ethic; it was down to him now. "You're right sir. I will try harder in my studies."

"That's what I like to hear Harry. Now in the spirit of your training, I was wondering what you thought of your subject choice in Divination?" At Harry's facial expression, Dumbledore chuckled and continued. "Yes, that's what I thought too, after reading your files on it."

"I just would prefer if I didn't have to go a lesson, without Professor Trelawney predicting my death." Harry finished, eliciting another chuckle from Dumbledore.

"Well, I thought of a solution. As I explained, Lord Voldemort knows many different and obscure magic. I feel you would benefit from learning Ancient Runes. It teaches you all about wards and how to identify them, erect them, and break them down. It could be very helpful to you, and your training. So with your permission, I would switch you into the Ancient Runes class."

Harry didn't even have to think about it before he answered. "Yes, I will drop Divination; I found it pretty useless to me anyway. But professor, I have missed the entire third year, and I'll be quite far behind the rest of the class."

"Not to worry Harry. You still have a month before school commences, and I am sure Ms Granger would be glad to lend her notes, and I can expect them to be quite thorough on the subject." Dumbledore finished with a smile. "Do you have any other questions?"

"Just one more professor. Will you be helping me with my training, or will it just be me?"

"It will just be you. I believe that you will be your own best teacher Harry, just as I taught myself, and all other great wizards who've done it. However, I will ask you to demonstrate your abilities periodically throughout the year, to see your progress."

Harry was satisfied with that answer and gave a nod. "Thank you once again, professor."

"No worries whatsoever Harry," Dumbledore said as he stood up from his chair. "Oh I almost forgot!" he said turning around, he reached into his robe procuring three brown folders, dropping them on the table next to Harry's bed. "For motivation," he said with a wink as he walked through the doors.

Harry made sure he was alone before he opened the files. Almost dropping them in shock, he sat open-mouthed as he realised what they were. His parents' and Sirius' Hogwarts folders for their entire seven years. His father's and Sirius' were noticeably thicker than his mothers, and he laughed as he saw the incidents and the number of detentions they got.

He was pleased to see that each incident was done in detail of the pranks that each of them had done around the school, mostly on Snape. No wonder he hates my dad so much, he thought bitterly to himself. He also noticed that in his mother's seventh year, she started getting quite a few detentions, and by looking at his father's file, the detentions were usually with him. I guess that's when they started dating; not being able to control the smile on his face, for what was already becoming one of his prized possessions.

Finally, he found what Dumbledore must have been talking about. Even though they were always messing around, Sirius and his father's grades were unbelievable. They were both ranked in the top ten in their year, making him feel ashamed and angry about himself. Knowing, he was going to feel worse as he looked at his mother's results, he couldn't help still feel proud, that she as a Muggle-born witch was the top of her year. Harry knew he wasn't dumb, but he just didn't apply himself. He knew he had to train to his best this year, and make his parents proud of him.

I will get better… I have to.

It had been two weeks since Harry's talk with Dumbledore at St Mungo's, and true to his promise he was working as hard as he could. He was finding Ancient Runes fascinating with real aptitude in the subject, and with Hermione's help, he was progressing quickly through the third year context. He had asked Ron if he wanted to transition with him, only getting a scoff in a return answer. Things were still rough between the two friends, so Harry usually found himself in the company of the twins, immensely enjoying himself as they included him in their different prototypes. At the moment, he sat with the oldest Weasley who was explaining the intricacies of Latin runes.

"So you see while Gaelic were the first runes created by the British, they often had problems because they were not able to sustain too much power and often ended up exploding. Therefore, while they could power a rune that would produce light, they wouldn't be able to power a rune such as a cluster rune because it wouldn't be able to maintain such energy and explode."

"Whereas with the Latin runes they were built to sustain more energy and power from a wizard and can, therefore, last longer. That's why you can see the pattern is drawn this way in the rune circle." Bill explained.

"Ohh, now I get it! Thanks, Bill." Harry exclaimed grabbing his rune dictionary and making the additional notes.

As he copied the extra notes down, Ron walked broom in hand into the room. "Hey, Harry! Fred, George and I are planning a pickup game, and we need a fourth."

"Um, not right now Ron, this was the only free time Bill had to help me this week, and so I'll have to decline. Maybe later?" he spoke distractedly still copying the notes down.

"Come on Harry, you've only been studying since you came back. I swear you've studied more than Hermione in the last two weeks." Causing a huff and glare from said girl, reading on the couch.

"Take a break. Merlin, sometimes you're not even studying Ancient Runes, and just reading books from previous years. What's up with you?" He continued.

"Ron, Bill is helping me right now. I'm only halfway through the third year course, and I only have two weeks to go before school starts. I'll be done in around two hours. And why don't you ask Ginny to play with you, Hermione tells me she's a great chaser." He said finally looking up at the boy.

"Ginny! Please, fine never mind, I'll just do practice throws with the twins then." He glared at Harry one more time, before stalking off.

"Pardon me for my intrusion Harry, but what's exactly been going on between you and Ron recently. It seems like one of you is constantly mad at the other." Bill asked inquisitively.

"I'm not mad at Ron; it's just that he's been angry with me since the world cup. Then he got even more annoyed when he learnt that I dropped Divination, even though I offered him to change with me. Don't worry about it Bill, it's his problem to figure out, not mine." He finished with a sigh, as he went back to work.

September 1st arrived, and with it a frenzied rush around The Burrow as blurs of red-headed Weasley's ran around the house, trying to find stray socks and the usual collisions on the staircase. Harry and Hermione watched downstairs with avid amusement, as Ms Weasley juggled shouting at her children, while simultaneously ordering taxis to take them to Kings Cross.

They arrived with minutes to spare, and rushed through the barrier of 9 and ¾ as inconspicuously as possible, to not attract muggles. They said a round of quick goodbyes; Charlie and Bill still teasing the twins about what would be happening at Hogwarts this year as they finally boarded the scarlet engine. Declining the twins' request to sit with them and their friends, Harry joined Ron and Hermione in securing a compartment.

"So what do you think this special event is this year?" Ron asked quizzically. "Bill and Charlie kept telling me all summer that it'll be our best year" his voice laced with excitement.

"As long as it doesn't get in the way of our classes. Fourth year is really important you know. It's so close to our OWLs" Hermione replied while reading her arithmancy book.

"Blimey Hermione! We have two years till our exams and you're already panicking about them. Isn't she a nutter Harry?" Ron added.

"She's not a nutter Ron, but he does have a point, Hermione. You still have a chance to relax, school hasn't even started." Harry said, looking out the window as London blurred away.

Two carriages away, Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davies were having a heated discussion.

"You have to go and thank him. Merlin, Daphne, he saved you and Astoria's lives. The least you can do is thank him, and then maybe drag him to a broom closet where-"

"Enough Tracey", Daphne replied menacingly. "I will go apologise to him, but no I would never take the Gryffindor Golden boy to a broom closet, get your mind out the gutter."

"But it would be such a romantic story, he saves you, you guys start dating and make the most adorable bab-" but cut off as Daphne's hand covered her mouth.

"Please for the sake of humanity and your life; stop talking before I blast you out this window"

Before Tracey could remark, with what probably would have been another dirty reference, their door was opened to display Malfoy followed by Crabbe and Goyle.

"Ahh ladies, I was wondering where you had gone off to. Why aren't you sitting with me in my compartment, I'm sure it would be pleasurable for both of you." He spoke as he sat down, sitting nauseatingly close to Daphne.

"Well Draco, I'd rather not do that because unlike Pansy, I have some self-respect and I'm not impressed by anything you say or do," Daphne replied, her voice soft but her eyes glaring.

"Interesting you talk about self respect Greengrass when I hear Potter had to save you during the World Cup. Imagine how our house would take the fact that you were protected by him."

"I'm surprised you know that Draco" this time Tracey speaking up. "Is it because your daddy was hidden behind one of those masks?" she asked with mock innocence, causing Daphne to grin.

Draco stood up, pointing his wand at Tracey, at the same time, Daphne pointing hers at Draco. "Put your wand down Draco and walk away. You may speak a tough game, but we both know I can best you" she spoke up threateningly.

Draco looked like he was going to argue, before putting his wand down and ushering Crabbe and Goyle out of the compartment, but looked back one more time-"You better watch out Greengrass, you and your half-blood friend there. You will learn to show me respect one day, or you'll find yourself in a world of trouble" his eyes glaring at the two girls, as he slammed the door behind him.

"That boy is such a creep. I can't believe he's still trying his objective of bedding every girl in Slytherin, thinking we'll just fawn over him." Tracey said disgust evident in her voice.

"You think that was bad. You haven't had to attend four summer balls, where his family was there, and I was forced to converse with him." Daphne added, shuddering at the memory.

"Yeah, that does sound infinitely worse. Sometimes there are benefits to not being a pureblood" eliciting a laugh from Daphne.

"I'm going to get something from the trolley lady Tracey. Do you want anything? My treat"

"My hero" she laughed. "Just some Pumpkin pasties if they have some"

Daphne walked out of her compartment. Not spotting the lady anywhere in her carriage she walked towards the end of the train, knowing that's where she started her rounds. When she got to the last carriage, she spotted her and a small line. Standing in line, her breath stopped as she recognised the patented messy hair of the boy who stood in front of her. Knowing this was her chance before anyone could recognise her, she cleared her throat loudly, getting his attention.

"Greengrass?" Harry asked surprised at this sudden encounter.

"Potter" she replied, her voice neutral. "I just wanted to um" the last bit stammering. Come on Daphne! Just thank the bloody boy so you can never talk to him again. "I just wanted to thank you, for your help that night."

Harry's eyes sparked in understanding. "Not a problem. Anyone would have done it, I was just there. I didn't even help much to be honest" he laughed. "Got a bit lucky there, didn't I?"

Daphne's eyebrows rose to this response. This definitely wasn't the Harry Potter that Draco explained him to be. She still remembered his stories in their common room where he would gather the whole house to explain how much of a show-off Potter was. Of course, he was a biased source on Potter, and a complete arsehole.

"Yeah, well you still helped me from an unfortunate fate" she trailed off, Harry knowing exactly the dire position she had been in.

Harry had finished off his purchase as their talk concluded. Pulling back the sleeves of his oversized shirt, he replied; "Well, I'll see you around Greengrass" waving as he walked away.

"See you," she said softly as he walked back into his compartment. Quickly finishing her purchases, she went back to Tracey.

"… then he said bye, and we were done. So you can finally stop harping about it."

"That's it" Tracey replied, her voice sounding let down. "There was no romantic moment, where you looked into each other's eyes and realised that fate is…"

"Oh Merlin, please shut up" but this time even she laughed at her friends' antics. "But I will tell you something else. The way he accepted my thanks, shows he's nothing like Draco's portrayed him to be all these years. The attention seeking or the storytelling parts. He was downright humble about it."

"Of course he isn't like that Daphne! Since when did you even listen to Draco's bullshit?. He hates Potter, obviously he's going to say that. But one thing's for true. Every year there's some wild conspiracy theory at the end of the year, and each time Potter has a major part in it. Yet we never know the true story" she concluded.

"You're right about that. Potter is a real enigma."

Hours later the train finally stopped at Hogsmeade station. Even though it was September, there was a torrent of rain, forcing students to quickly get onto the horseless carriages. In one of these carriages, sat Harry and his friends, a smile on his face as he viewed the picturesque castle in all its glory. Hermione cast warming charms on both of her friends as they walked into the great hall, awaiting the sorting ceremony.

"I wonder who our new defence professor will be now that Lupin's gone" Hermione inquired as the trio took a seat.

"Probably some old bloke, who doesn't know his wand from his ass," said Ron moodily as he stared into his empty plate.

"Ronald, will you have some patience! You already ate enough on the train, how is it possible you need more."

"My brain needs the nutrients" he replied with a whine

"If that was the case, you'd never need to eat." Hermione quipped causing Harry to laugh at Ron's death glare. "Ok now be quiet, the sorting has started." They watched quietly as twenty kids got put into their respective houses. Harry and Hermione clapping for any new Gryffindors, while Ron just kept murmuring about chicken pot pie.

Finally, the Hogwarts feast had arrived and for many of the new Gryffindors, their first sight was Ron stuffing two chicken drumsticks into his mouth while piling potatoes on his plate.

"Charming Ronald, you really are a perfect gentleman" Hermione sighed, but still suppressing a grin.

Ron opened his mouth to reply, food spilling out when the doors of the Great Hall thundered open revealing a man. Well to Harry, half a man would have been the right world. He recognised his face from the newspapers, but couldn't place it, until Ron whispered his name.

Alastor Moody, or Mad-Eye as he come to be known walked down the length of the Great Hall, without saying a word, sat down, and started piling food onto his plate.

"Ahh, let me welcome our newest member of faculty, Professor Alastor Moody, and would everyone please show him a warm welcome", to which the Weasley twins clapped the loudest.

"Half the cells in Azkaban are filled because of him", George told Harry from across the table. "If he's teaching us, we're in for a real treat."

Harry looked at the grizzled ex-auror and knew this was a man not to be trifled with. But Harry knew that his defence classes would only be small compared to the real training he had to do, which reminded him to find places to practice. He hadn't told either of his friends his plan, because he knew they'd persistently ask questions about why he had to do it, and he couldn't tell them the real reason. Voldemort was his problem only.

The feast ended, and Dumbledore stood up, quieting the great hall at once. Harry didn't know how he did it, but Dumbledore had an aura that just made people listen to him, probably what made him a great leader and an even better headmaster. Damn, sometimes I wish I could do that.

"Well, here we are once again. Another school year commences and all the essentials that go with it. Many of you have the most important exams of your lives this year, and I wish you all the luck. However, let's not scare you already" making members of the audience laugh. "But this year will be different, many of you must have heard some rumours from friends or parents about what may be happening. This year Hogwarts will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament!"

Whispers broke out all over the school, as the implications of this year finally reached them. Harry looked to his friends, with Ron giving his full attention to Dumbledore, while Hermione whispered about safety and regulations to herself.

"Many of you must have heard about the tournament, and all the fame and glory that comes with such a prestigious event. There will be three contenders, from three different schools" causing another flurry of whispers to erupt.
"At the end of October, we will be joined by the magical schools of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Now I have someone here to explain the intracicies of the tournament: Mr Bartemius Crouch, head of the department for International Magical Cooperation."

A tall man, walked to the stand. He stood rigidly, his gray hair thinning, and his pencil moustache brushed. Harry had seen these men before, a stickler for rules, and one to never allow any leniency. "I'm sure many of you have heard of this tournament, but for the uneducated ones let me explain now. The tournament consists of three events to test the courage and daring of the participants, who will be picked by an unbiased third party." He pointed to a casket, which opened revealing the goblet of fire.
"This tournament isn't for the light-hearted or weak, let me warn you. Some know about the… bloody past of this tournament and so we have added restrictions."

The Great Hall was in pin drop silence, clinging on to every one of Crouch's words. "The first restriction which would be the age limit. Participants of only 17 years and older may comp-" His sentence remained incomplete as the hall erupted into pandemonium. Harry remained sat down while others in his house shouted, Ron, being highly vocal on the topic. This way his year would be uninterrupted with just his focus on training.

"SILENCE" Dumbledore thundered, his voice quieting everyone down. "Like Mr Crouch said this isn't for the light-hearted and he is right. Your magical knowledge must be at its height to even think about participating. I am not trying to deter anyone from entering, but you must know the severity of this tournament."
"Once entered, there is no turning back, as you have entered the highest possible magically binding contract, with the consequences of breaking them- loss of magic or death" his eyes piercing the audience.
"But enough with this, you shall learn more as October comes to an end. This year is also about unity, we must show other schools that each house in Hogwarts are unified as one. And so I plead many of you to break down these house barriers and have the chance to start new and exciting friendships."

At this Harry looked towards the Slytherin table, looking out for a blonde haired beauty, quickly looking away he smiled to himself. Unknown to himself, he missed the gaze she shot at him a few seconds prior. Maybe this year will be better.