I am somewhat disappointed with the lack of reaction to the previous chapter, and am still very curious to know what the general reception of it, and by extension this chapter, was. I counted a single review on the last two weeks since I posted, and that rather hurt. while I do know that there are plenty of you out there faithfully reading, hearing a kind word now and then is still very much appreciated.

That said, I am happy to inform you that I have commenced the rough draft of ANP7, Light of the West, and from the looks of where it is leading to, it will be quite exciting from the word go. but enough of that, we have a delightful chapter right here and now for your reading pleasure. Please Review, and as always, enjoy!

Chapter Four

The Fortification of Hogwarts

The rest of the summer seemed to fly by uneventfully to Harry. He seemed to constantly be pulled back into thinking about the battle in Cornwall, and all the events that had occurred leading up to it. He understood, from both logical conclusion and directly asking Faykan, how they had learned so fast of the attack to be able to prevent the majority of the city from being destroyed. They were all very grateful of Faykan's Crebain and their continued vigil over all of Britain, constantly watching for the movement of Voldemort's forces.

But there were still several things that Harry didn't fully understand. Chief among these was what had happened to Faykan when Draco was struck my Bellatrix. The magnitude of magic that had poured from his best friend startled Harry to no end. He knew that the others were thinking along the same lines, but were less capable of asking and expecting an honest answer from the very private wizard.

The next biggest thing, which tied in strongly the Harry chief question, was how eager Faykan had seemed to be to engage Voldemort's forces head on like they had, and built a strategy around a frontal assault instead of focusing on saving lives.

Harry hoped that he would have time to speak to Faykan about these things while they, Draco, Ron and Hermione went to Diagon Alley to collect their supplies for their sixth year at Hogwarts. Dumbledore and the Minister, Rufus Scrimgeour, had offered each in turn protection during this outing, but Fay had denied both, stating that they had more than enough measures in place should Death Eaters attempt to take them in the wizarding marketplace.

Despite this, Mrs. Weasley still had had many concerns regarding Ron being away from her direct supervision, but Fay had argued that wherever her children were they were still in danger from Voldemort, and at least here, surrounded by his friends, he was just as protected as he would have been by family. In the end, Mrs. Weasley had backed down, grudgingly, and allowed Ron to accompany the rest and meet the rest of the Weasleys in Diagon.

The dingy muggle street outside the Leaky Cauldron was the same as it always was, and no one noticed the group of five teenagers entering the pub. Even when they entered the eerily empty tavern, they passed unnoticed. Tom, the landlord, did glance at them, but quickly returned to wiping glasses, knowing instinctively that they were merely passing through to the alley behind.

Diagon Alley had changed. The colorful, glittering window displays of spellbooks, potion ingredients, and cauldrons were lost to view, hidden behind the large Ministry of Magic posters that had been pasted over them. Most of these somber purple posters carried blown-up versions of the security advice on the Ministry pamphlets that had been sent out over the summer, according to Ron and Hermione, but others bore moving black-and-white photographs of Death Eaters known to be on the loose. Bellatrix Lestrange was sneering from the front of the nearest apothecary. A few windows were boarded up, including those of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. On the other hand, a number of shabby-looking stalls had sprung up along the street. These seemed to be full of fake protective amulets, charms and other merchandise that the seedy looking wizards were selling.

They were set to meet Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, along with Ginny at Fred and George's shop around two in the afternoon, and as it was only about noon now, they decided to go collect their gold from Gringotts and get started on their purchases for Hogwarts.

Entering the bank, Harry had to pause, the amount of people there were crammed inside the building was shocking. It seemed that hundreds of people were checking on the status of their vaults, and quite a few people were simply withdrawing all their money before leaving with the sharp cracks of apparition.

Luckily, the goblin that Faykan approached beckoned to their group, leading them immediately to a back office, stating that Gornuk would deal with their business directly. The representative of the Goblin Nation smile toothily as they entered, giving Faykan and Draco small bows in turn, before motioning for them all to sit. "Well, you all picked a fine busy day to show up in Diagon." He said in what qualified for cheerful among Goblins.

"Indeed, I suppose that all the people removing their gold must not be very well received by Gringotts." Faykan said, receiving a grim nod from the goblin. "But we have no such intentions, merely small withdrawals for spending money today." Gornuk nodded, and motioned for them to follow as he led them to the back area of the bank where the carts into the depths of the caves below lay.

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Their pockets bulging with gold, even Ron's courtesy of Harry, Faykan and Draco himself, the five sixth year students returned to the main street of Diagon alley.

Draco had not thought that he would have been able to withdraw any gold, being barred from the Malfoy vaults and the Black ones being owned by Harry, but the Goblins surprised him, leading their group all the way to the very bottom of the bank, down to the oldest of the oldest vaults, declaring him the inheritor of the Telcontar vault. Upon its opening, to Draco's touch no less, they had all been stunned with the amount of gold that lay within. Draco hadn't seen that amount of sheer wealth in his life, despite growing up in a well off family as he had.

The ancient treasures were also a point of interest in the massive vault, numerous suits of armor and weapons, shining shields with the symbols of Arnor and Gondor, even the massive banner of the Reunited Kingdom, which dated back to the time of Elessar himself. Sadly, they did not have the means to transport any of the items today, and so Draco had simply piled a small money pouch full of gold and they departed to meet up with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, who had been released from St. Mungos after her frightful injury during the recent battle.

They still had some time before they were to meet them, however, and the group of five made their way slowly from shop to shop, purchasing their robes, books and potion supplies that they would need for the next year.

It was very strange for Draco to not be here without his parents, and he did feel somewhat saddened again by the loss of his families unity, but as if knowing exactly what he was thinking, Faykan appeared at his side, a friendly arm around Draco's shoulder and a reassuring squeeze of the arm before steering their group to Quality Quidditch supplies, much to Ron, Draco and Harry's delight.

Finally, the appointed time had arrived, and the group of students moved down the alley toward the only shop that seemed to be having any great success recently. The Weasley twins' shop was borderline an eyesore, hitting the eye like a firework display. Other passersby were looking back over their shoulders at the windows, and a few rather stunned-looking people had actually come to a halt, transfixed.

And outside the shop stood the rest of Weasley family, speaking with Fred or George out front. They waved as the group of five approached, and Mrs. Weasley in specific gave Draco a bone crushing hug, crying slightly as she murmured her deepest thanks for saving her life. The other Weasleys present, with the exception of Ron, expressed their own gratitude with various pats on the back, or in the twins case, a large box of their store's merchandise.

Finally getting past the sentimentality, Fred and George lead the group inside the joke shop, and gave Harry, Faykan and Draco a guided tour as the others milled about, examining things at their leisure. Draco was most impressed with their more 'Sirius' line of products, as they called them, in remembrance of the fallen Marauder. Even Harry had a hard time not laughing at the sweet irony of his godfather's legacy that the twins had bestowed on him.

A half hour later, Draco, Harry, Faykan, Ron and Hermione were looking around the busy front end of the shop, when they saw Theodore Nott stroll past the shop, looking rather suspicious as he walked down the deserted street.

"Wonder where he's off to," Ron said icily, hand twitching toward the pocket of his cloak where the spear Aiglos was hidden.

"Should we follow him?" Draco asked, looking between Harry and Fay.

Faykan nodded to Harry to make the decision, and after a moment, Harry pulled his invisibility cloak out of his pocket.

"That'll only hide three of you," Faykan said, taking his wand out as well, "I'll disillusion myself and Draco, and well follow him together." With a sharp rap on the head, and the sticky feeling of cold dripping down his back, Faykan turned himself and Draco into human chameleons as Harry threw the cloak around himself Ron and Hermione.

"Come on," Said the voice of Harry, and slowly, dodging through the crowded store, Draco set off after Nott, hoping that the others were nearby, as he was blind to them as well.

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Hermione was uneasy about following Theodore Nott, but it was rather suspicious, him being at Diagon all alone, especially these days. He could very easily be up to something, but Hermione felt that Harry and Faykan were just as likely overreacting. But it looked more likely they were right as Nott ducked to the left into Knockturn alley, and the trio followed quickly behind, the cloak flapping around their ankles. It was a lot more crowded under the cloak than when they were first years. Hermione pointed this out, but it didn't seem to matter, as the Dark Art side street was just as void as Diagon itself was. As long as they were silent they wouldn't be noticed.

Finally, Nott ducked into a store name Borgin and Burkes. They could see him approach the counter through the glass storefront, looking past the eerie cases of skulls and old books. An older man, Mr. Borgin or Mr. Burke Hermione guessed, stood chatting with the boy, but they couldn't hear what was being said.

"I've got this…" Draco's voice said to their right. All of a sudden, a pure white ferret appeared on the ground, scurrying through a gap in the wooden storefront and inside.

They watched for several minutes, until Nott turned back and left, smirking. Draco reappeared outside the store soon after, and they left, wanting to get as far from the creepy dark artifact store as possible before speaking.

"So Draco," Harry said when they had returned to the front of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, "What was Nott saying?"

"He was looking to buy something," Draco said simply, "I think it may be been a lot of the same thing, and they were really expensive, Borgin was trying to talk Nott out of it, but Nott insisted. He showed Borgin something, but I was too low to the ground to see what, and he also mentioned Fenrir Greyback."

"Who?" Harry said.

"He's a werewolf, and a nasty one at that," Faykan said before urging Draco to continue.

"That's really all I heard… Borgin agreed to sell whatever they were talking about after that, and Nott wanted him to mail them to him instead of give them to him right away. Then he left."

"Wonder what he wanted so bad he had to threaten Mr. Borgin over it?" Hermione wondered out loud.

They spent the rest of the summer holiday at the Burrow, which made Mrs. Weasley very relieved to have them all under her gaze. Bill and was pleased to meet Harry and Faykan for the first time, even if he only thought he met the quiet and mysterious Will Stanton, whom Hermione found Fleur comment that the strange boy was 'rather 'andsome and witty.'

Ginny was also really happy to spend time in Draco's company, Hermione noticed. After having broken up with Michael Corner rather badly, it was nice to see the youngest member of the red headed clan continuing to pursue her dream of being with the blond ex-aristocrat, even if technically she was with Dean Tomas at the moment.

All too soon, though, September the first arrived, and the five close friends found themselves bidding the burrow farewell as they took the Ministry provided cars to King's Cross to catch the Hogwarts Express back to the safety of the castle.

Unfortunately, Hermione and Ron couldn't stay with Draco, Faykan and Harry, as they had Prefect duties to attend to, so they departed to start patrolling the corridors, promising to rejoin their friends when the train arrived in Hogsmead.

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Harry was glad when Hermione and Ron returned, as the conversation had really not gone anywhere with Neville and Luna present. They had barely sat down, however, when a breathless third year girl stepped in.

"I'm supposed to deliver these to Neville Longbottom, Will Stanton, and Harry P-Potter…" she faltered, eyeing Harry and turning scarlet. Faykan sighed and snatched the pieces of parchment from her, mumbling thanks as she left, bumping into the wall before exiting the compartment.

"What is it?" Draco asked casually, as Faykan passed the papers to Neville and Harry. Unrolling his, Harry raised his eyebrows in confusion. "Their invitations," he said.

Harry,

I would be delighted if you would join me for a bite of lunch in compartment C.

Sincerely, Horace Slughorn

"But what does he want me for?" Neville asked concernedly.

"Why wouldn't he want to see you?" Faykan said congenially, nudging Neville in the arm, "you're a young influential pureblood. Me on the other hand…" he broke off, but Harry could see that he was just playing the part of Will Stanton, not a special person to say the least, except for being a Potions prodigy, apprenticed to none other than Severus Snape, youngest Potions Master in nearly three hundred years.

"Well, best not keep him waiting," Harry said gloomily, standing and opening the compartment door. Faykan and Neville followed as he bade farewell to Ron, Hermione and Draco and together they slipped out into the corridor. Squeezing around the many students that were avidly awaiting the lunch trolley, Harry tried to ignore all the staring eyes, which seemed to have increased in intensity even since he had last walked down the train. Every now and then, students would hurtle out of their compartments to get a better look at him.

But there were some who waved, like Ravenclaw Cho Chang, who was a member of the D.A., and all three Gryffindor boys returned the wave before continuing on. Harry was pleased to see that her old girlfriend, Marietta Edgecombe, who had ratted out the D.A. the previous year, was nowhere to be seen. Apparently they had parted ways after the event.

When they reached compartment C, they saw at once that they were not Slughorn's only invitees, although judging by the enthusiasm of Slughorn's welcome, Harry was the most warmly anticipated.

"Harry, m'boy!" said Slughorn, jumping up at the sight of him so that his great velvet covered belly seemed to fill all the remaining space in the compartment. His shiny bald head and great silvery mustache gleamed as brightly in the sunlight as the golden buttons on his waistcoat. "Good to see you, good to see you! And you must be Mr. Longbottom! And Mr. Stanton, good to see you all, sit down please!"

Neville and Faykan nodded. At a gesture from Slughorn, they all sat down other in the only remaining empty seats, which were nearest the door, Harry sitting next to Faykan and across from Neville. Harry glanced around at their fellow guests. He recognized Blaise Zabini from their year and a fellow Advanced D.A. member, who nodded sneakily at them; there were also two seventh-year boys Harry did not know and, squashed in the corner beside Slughorn and looking as though she was not entirely sure how she had got there, Ginny.

Slughorn went around the compartment, introducing all the occupants, starting at Blaise and working his way around. The only other two in the compartment were students Harry had never had any contact with, Cormac McLaggen and Marcus Belby.

"Well now, this is most pleasant," said Slughorn cozily, "a chance to get to know you all a little better. Here, take a napkin. I've packed my own lunch; the trolley, as I remember it, is heavy on licorice wands, and a poor old man's digestive system isn't quite up to such things... Pheasant, Belby?"

Belby started and accepted what looked like half a cold pheasant.

"I was just telling young Marcus here that I had the pleasure of teaching his Uncle Damocles," Slughorn told Harry and Neville, now passing around a basket of rolls. "Outstanding wizard, outstanding, and his Order of Merlin most well-deserved. Do you see much of your uncle, Marcus?"

Unfortunately, Belby had just taken a large mouthful of pheasant; in his haste to answer Slughorn he swallowed too fast, turned purple, and began to choke.

"Anapneo," said Slughorn calmly, pointing his wand at Belby, whose airway seemed to clear at once.

"Not... not much of him, no," gasped Belby, his eyes streaming.

"Well, of course, I daresay he's busy," said Slughorn, looking questioningly at Belby. "I doubt he invented the Wolfsbane Potion without considerable hard work!"

"I suppose..." said Belby, who seemed afraid to take another bite of pheasant until he was sure that Slughorn had finished with him. "Err... he and my dad don't get on very well, you see, so I don't really know much about..."

His voice tailed away as Slughorn gave him a cold smile and turned to McLaggen instead.

"Now, you, Cormac," said Slughorn, "I happen to know you see a lot of your Uncle Tiberius, because he has a rather splendid picture of the two of you hunting nogtails in, I think, Norfolk?"

"Oh, yeah, that was fun, that was," said McLaggen. "We went with Bertie Higgs and Rufus Scrimgeour; this was before he became Minister, obviously…"

"Ah, you know Bertie and Rufus too?" beamed Slughorn, now offering around a small tray of pies; somehow, Belby was missed out. "Now tell me..."

It was as Harry had suspected. Everyone here seemed to have been invited because they were connected to somebody well-known or influential… everyone except Ginny and Fay, as far as Slughorn knew. Zabini, who was interrogated after McLaggen, revealed to the group that he had a famously beautiful witch for a mother, but he and Faykan already knew about Mrs. Zabini, having met her earlier during the summer.

Neville's turn was next: This was a very uncomfortable ten minutes, for Neville's parents, well-known Aurors, had been tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange and a couple of Death Eater cronies. At the end of Neville's interview, Harry had the impression that Slughorn was reserving judgment on Neville, yet to see whether he had any of his parents' flair. Faykan also ended his conversation with a more reserved note, and it seemed that Slughorn hadn't a clue what to make on him.

Harry's examination seemed to drag on in comparison to the others, Slughorn trying to worm every little detail he could out of him, before meandering off on some wild anecdote. Harry could not wait to leave, but couldn't see how to do so politely. Finally the train emerged from yet another long misty stretch into a red sunset, and Slughorn looked around, blinking in the twilight.

"Good gracious, it's getting dark already! I didn't notice that they'd lit the lamps! You'd better go and change into your robes, all of you. McLaggen, you must drop by and borrow that book on nogtails. Harry, Will, Blaise … any time you're passing. Same goes for you, miss," he twinkled at Ginny. "Well, off you go, off you go!"

"I'm glad that's over," mutter Neville as they left the compartment, "Strange man, isn't he?" he, Faykan, and Harry all laughed as the returned to their compartment to change.

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Albus waited at the gates of Hogwarts, watching as the many carriages rolled past, pulled by Thestrals. Many of the students pressed their faces to the windows to see him as they rolled past, but only one carriage pulled off the path next to them.

Lord Alatar, Harry and their friends Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, and Draco emerged, the latter four looking confused, and the former with an expression of boredom.

"Hello Albus," he said with a pleasant sort of smirk. Albus recognized the reason immediately. Alatar was referring with a look alone of the last time they had met on these grounds, when he whisked Harry and Draco away by apparition. Frowning slightly at the voiceless jab, Albus waited in silence for the last of the carriages to roll by. "It's time Lord Alatar," he said after the last of the students were inside. The Istari nodded, and together they raised their wands to the opened gate.

With a great rushing wind, the gate slammed shut, seeming to become charged with the magical energy of the two powerful beings. Chanting the most powerful wards he could think of, Albus strove to keep up with the sheer magical power that Alatar provided for the wards, giving shape to the pure force. It was strenuous to say the least, like trying to direct a tidal wave. But at last, chanting the final incantation, together they sealed the most powerful wards Hogwarts had seen upon its grounds for centuries.

In a sudden flash, a brilliant orange phoenix flared over the gate, followed by a silvery blue Kitsune, and together the two creatures dashed around the perimeter of Hogwarts, glowing brightly in the night.

"It is finished," Alatar declared as the wards snapped fully into place, charging the air around them with vibrant power.

"Indeed," Albus confirmed, unable to speak much at the present moment from the massive amount of magical power needed to create such a warding. Albus figured that even Voldemort himself, with whatever power he had gained since his rebirth, would be hard pressed to penetrate the defenses they had now erected. But they wouldn't hold long, such was the nature of wards, and were too be used only in dire need.

Alatar himself raised his wand, swishing it in a complicated pattern, activated the runes that had been etched into the gate, commanding them to lower the wards they had just erected, but to remain alert for any command of their creators, Albus or Alatar, to reactivate and serve their design.

Catching his breath finally, Albus turned to the other three children, "Well," he said brightly, "Now that that's finish, lets head up to the feast."

The four students piled into their carriage, which set off again as the Thestral recommenced its journey to the castle, and Albus apparated, his status as Headmaster allowing him unrestricted access to the school.

Arriving in the side alcove beyond the staff table of the Great Hall, Albus entered, ignoring the loud tumult of the chattering students. Severus caught his eye, and Albus nodded, silently confirming that his task for defending the school this year was in place and ready.

Minutes later, after the last of the student had taken their seats; Minerva exited to collect the new First Years. Returning with the twin lines of eleven year olds, Albus settled himself for another blissful year of magical schooling, despite the times they were living in.

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Severus had been unexpectedly pleased with his reception during the announcement that he would be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. Naturally the Slytherins applauded, minus Theodore Nott and his cronies, but also had the majority of Gryffindor, as well as all those who had been in the Advanced D.A. group the previous year. Having taken their lead, the rest of the lesser D.A. members had joined in. The rest of the school had looked at their housemates with confusion; boarder lining distrust, at them supporting the supposed evilest teacher in Hogwarts.

So it was a tiny spring in his step that Severus prepared for his first lesson, ironically with Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students. He was more than ready to shock them to the core at his new approach to the subject of teaching, let alone his little announcement he had in store at the end of the period.

First students to arrive were, naturally, Harry Potter, Faykan Undol, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger. He nodded silently to each of them as they took the entire front row of desks, happily piling their supplies and waiting eagerly for the rest of the classmates. The rest of the Gryffindors filed in slowly, looking hesitantly in Severus' direction, with the exception of those who had gotten to know the brighter side of the potions Master's nature the previous year.

"Settle down," Severus said as the last of the students were seated and pulled out their things, "I wish to speak to you before we begin."

There was an immediate quiet. These students knew better than to interrupt him from speaking, and Severus took it as compliment to his methods of commanding respect.

"You have all had five different teachers so far in this subject, ranging from excellent to abysmal in their methods." Most had not caught the slight compliment that Severus had paid to Lupin, but none made any noise if they had caught it, "Given the confusion I am, however, pleased that so many student have been able to pass their O.W.L. in this subject regardless. I will be even more pleased when I see you all fly through the N.E.W.T. work that I will give to you, which will truly test your skills in this class."

Setting off around the parameter of the room, Severus felt every eye on him, "The Dark Arts…" he began slowly, "are many varied, ever-changing and eternal. Fighting against them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. What you face, is that which is unfixed, mutating, and ever present."

"Your defenses," he continued, louder and catching several students by surprise, "must therefore be just as flexible and inventive as the arts you seek to protect yourselves from."

Returning to the front of the room, Severus turned back to the class and gave them his most serious and business-like face, "We shall begin with relearning all your previous spells in this class, nonverbally. What are the advantages of nonverbal spells?"

To no surprise, Miss Granger, Harry, and Faykan all raised their hands. Severus waited however, several moments for any others to raise their hands but none did.

"Mr. Potter."

"Well, if you're not shouting out an incantation, your opponent won't know what spell your casting, sir." Harry replied.

"Correct, five points to Gryffindor." Severus said, shocking most of the class before continuing on, "being able to nonverbally cast gives you a split second advantage and an element of surprise over your opponent. However, not all wizards can do this, as it is a matter of concentration and mind power which some simply… lack…"

Severus then divided them all into pairs, purposely splitting Faykan, Harry, Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger among the rest of the students. Faykan he specifically set with Longbottom, as the boy still was heavily dependent on others for confidence.

Naturally Miss Granger was the first to succeed, her silent stinging hex hitting Mr. Finnegan hard in the chest. Severus awarded her twenty points, which put the rest of the class to a dead stop for several seconds. But they soon resumed their practices, and before the end of the lesson, nearly everyone had managed to cast a spell silently at least once.

Severus called their attention before the students filed out, "Before you all leave," he said, smirking slightly, "I wish to announce the recommencement of the Defence club known as Dumbledore's Army." Harry's eyes widened at the announcement, and wider still when there was excited muttering all around from the other students.

"The Headmaster," Severus continued, "has approved this club, and wishes to supervise it personally, with myself as an additional consultant. The leader, however, will be Harry Potter, and is available to the school at large. You will find the D.A. listed with all other clubs on your house notice board for sign up. That is all…"

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"Harry! Hey, Harry!"

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Faykan turned as Jack Sloper, one of the previous year's Gryffindor beaters, approached, carrying a roll of parchment.

"For you," he said, handing it to Harry, "Listen, I heard you're the new Captain. When're you holding trials?"

Harry was not thinking about Quidditch however, as he immediately recognized the thin, slanting handwriting of Professor Dumbledore on the parchment. Distractedly, he said, "I'm, uh… not sure yet. I'll let you know…" and with that he hurried off down the corridor, not listening to Sloper's response.

Unrolling the Parchment, he Faykan, Hermione and Ron read:

'Dear Harry

I would like to start our private lessons this Saturday. Kindly come along to my office at 8 P.M. I hope you are enjoying your first day back at school.

Yours sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

P.S. I enjoy Acid Pops.'

"Acid Pops must be the password for his office, right?" Ron asked, and Faykan nodded in response. They didn't speak of the note again until they were safely in the Room of Requirement for their break period, when Hermione turned to Faykan.

"What do you think Dumbledore will want to talk about?" she asked, at which Faykan frowned.

"Not completely sure, he was rather secretive about it when we discussed if he could have these meetings, said he wanted to confirm his suspicions before involving Harry or myself first…"

Ron piped up, speculating on what Professor Dumbledore would teach them, powerful jinxes or the like, and Hermione countered with how those types were illegal and how it was more likely for Harry to be learning more advanced Defensive magic instead. As they argued, Harry started their Defense homework, and Faykan stared off into space, clearly pondering matters in his own way that Harry had become so familiar with over many years.

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Draco didn't see the Gryffindors again until their first N.E.W.T. double potions class that afternoon. He arrived in the corridor to Severus' old classroom just in time to see that there were only thirteen students progressing to the Potions N.E.W.T. including himself. Harry, Ron, Faykan and Hermione were talking to the Hufflepuff Macmillan, who Draco found rather pompous and annoying, but he joined them anyway.

Before the Gryffindors could fill him in on how their day had been, the dungeon door opened, and Professor Slughorn waved them inside. Draco noted immediately the overly enthusiastic welcome their new Potions Master gave to Harry, Faykan, and Blaise Zabini as they filed in.

Draco feared that Professor Slughorn would drastically change his godfather's classroom, but his somewhat childish fears were put to rest quickly when he saw the room completely unchanged. The only difference was the presence of potion fumes and vapour wafting from four large bubbling cauldrons.

Draco joined the four Gryffindors at one of the large tables, while Blaise went with the other three Slytherin sixth and seventh year students, and the remaining four Ravenclaws and one Hufflepuff to the last table. Draco recognized the potion on their table immediately: Amortentia, the powerful love potion.

The smells reminded Draco simultaneously of Turkish delight, the wood-like smell of a brookstick, and some flowery scent that Draco had a hard time placing. He found that he was breathing far slower than normal, and the potion seemed to be making him far more relaxed than he ought to be. Draco looked around the table. Ron and Hermione seemed to be feeling much the same way, while Faykan and Harry were mostly unaffected.

"Now then, now then, now then," said Slughorn, whose massive outline was quivering through the many shimmering vapors. "Scales out, everyone, and potion kits, and don't forget your copies of Advanced Potion Making." There was a short rustling as everyone pulled out their materials.

The stout Potions master then proceeded to showcase the three potions he had prepared for them, so they could have an idea what sort of potions they would be brewing. Hermione quickly identified that the clear, water-like one on the table with Blaise was Veritaserum, the truth potion. Draco was correct that the one on their table was Amortentia, and Harry pointed out that the final mud colored potion was Polyjuice Potion, which when announced as correct all the members of Draco's table smirked at each other, remembering their adventures in second year regarding that particular brew.

Slughorn was clearly impressed with their knowledge, with the way he kept smiling when he looked in their direction as he set out their task, and prize. Holding the tiny flask that was on the teacher's desk, he announced that it was Felix Felicis, also known as liquid luck. It was to be awarded to the student who produced the best draft of living death in the remaining class period.

Draco caught Faykan, Harry and Hermione's eyes. They were all set steely with determination. Ron's eyes widened, becoming completely aware of the friendly contest about to begin between his four friends, also knowing that he himself was outclassed in potions compared to the four of them.

"No holds barred?" Faykan asked smirking, and the others argued that he had to operate under a severe handicap so they actually had a chance to beat him, having all seen his prestigious ability to multitask through magic that none of them could hope to compete with. "Fine, fine, standard potioneering then…" he acquiesced, sulking slightly.

On the call from Slughorn of "Off you go…" they set off with a flourish.