A/N: Hello again everyone! Just a few things before the chapter itself. First of all, I've updated the summary of this story, so I hope this makes it clear that this is a canon divergent story. Moving on, I'd like to clarify that I am not from Britain, so I am not familiar at all with their system of education. To what I've been able to gather online, it seems that there are three terms in Hogwarts per school year (September – December, January – March/April, April – June). Admittedly, I overlooked this bit of information when I first wrote this chapter, so please forgive me of there were some phrases or sentences that I was not able to remove/fix. Also, I would like to clarify that there are some parts of this chapter that I wrote based on my own school experiences, so if that does not conform with the practices in British schools, then again, please bear with me. Thank you for your consideration.
Review Responses:
Joeking18: Thank you for taking the time to read and review! I will do my best to finish this story since I already have ideas for the latter chapters, and even the ending. Also, to answer your question, no this story will not go up to 7th year. You will soon find out why, so please just stay tuned I hope you enjoy this next chapter!
aidansidhe: Thank you for taking the time to read and review! I apologize for that oversight! I meant Patil twins hehe. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!
Skjolty: Thank you for taking the time to read and review! I do agree that the story arc where Harry trains and suddenly becomes OP is quite common. And yes, that is not how training works at all. At this point, I would like to suggest that you stop reading this review response and read the actual chapter first before proceeding to the remainder of this reply. I promise you, that no, I do not plan to make Harry an overpowered character. This chapter may suggest otherwise, but I guarantee you, that is not my intention. The previous chapters actually already addressed this in a few ways, hehe. Also, no, I sadly do not have anyone editing my stories. I'd actually love to have someone read my chapters before posting them, but I've never really met anyone in this site to actually do that for me. Thank you so much for the kind words! And I apologize for that oversight; as you may have already noticed, I dislike using the same words over and over again, so I try to use synonyms at times instead. I hope you enjoy this next one!
ranchod das chanchad: Thank you for taking the time to read and review! And thank you for the kind words! I hope you enjoy this next chapter!
"Take five. Catch your breath for a bit" Remus declared while relaxing his stance.
Harry nodded as he gasped silently for air. He shakily exited his dueling stance and resisted the urge to collapse on the floor.
It was his third day of training with Remus and Tonks. They settled his schedule as follows: he has Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with Remus—for advanced dueling spells and charms, and he has Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays (morning) with Tonks—for physical conditioning and endurance. Unlike his first day where both Remus and Tonks were present, only one of his 'instructors' would be present with him depending on his schedule for the day.
The raven-haired boy did everything in his power to withstand the burning sensation ripping through his lungs. Since it was for his own good, he asked his two mentors to not hold back on him (not even by a bit) starting his second day. And boy, did they not hold back on him. Tonks made him run ten miles (on a time limit), do various exercises (push-ups, sit-ups, et cetera), lift small, but heavy objects repeatedly, and run an extra two miles at the end of his session with her. Remus used different combinations of dueling spells to test his shielding charm, and nine and a half times out of ten, he would either send Harry flying across the room or have him completely stunned. His training sessions would usually start at half past four in the afternoon and end at a quarter before nine in the evening.
It was absolutely hell for him. He thought his stamina was already decent enough from his five-mile, late afternoon runs when he prepared for the First Task.
He could not have been more wrong.
"Are you sure you want to continue, Harry?" Remus asked with an amused smile.
Harry glared at his former professor "Don't patronize me. I'm not used to this much activity…yet"
Remus chuckled, causing Harry's glare to turn borderline murderous "You asked us to not hold back on you, so we won't. Don't worry though; you're doing well for a fourth year. Even most Ministry workers have trouble with casting a decent shielding charm"
"I mean, it's not like most Ministry workers have a powerful dark wizard out to kill them" Harry replied dryly "I have to train harder than I can ever imagine. I don't have a choice" he added sadly.
Remus' smile disappeared as he sighed "I know. But that doesn't mean you should run yourself into the ground with your training. We have time, Harry. If you push yourself too hard too early, it'll hurt you more in the long run" the older man gently remarked.
Harry wanted to insist that there was no time, that Voldemort was on the move, but he knew Remus was right. "Sorry. This year…hasn't been easy for me…" Harry stammered weakly.
His instructor walked up to him and rested a comforting hand on his shoulder "It's alright. Padfoot told me as much" Remus paused for a moment before continuing hesitantly "Do you want to talk about it?"
Remus Lupin was by far Harry's favorite DADA professor in his time so far at Hogwarts. However, he never really had a close enough personal relationship with his old professor for him to actually open up about certain things in his life. While he knew Sirius (and most likely his own parents) trusted Remus with his life, Harry himself hasn't been as trusting of his instructor as he probably should have been. Sirius did tell him that both Remus and Tonks could be trusted just as much as he could.
While Harry preferred to keep things about himself to himself as much as possible, he realized that it wouldn't hurt to let Remus in on some of his personal experiences so far in the current school year.
"Sure. But can we do it after? Don't we still have an hour or so to go?" Harry asked.
The part-werewolf smiled warmly at him "Alright. But I'll let you off a little early today. Fifteen minutes perhaps? That should be enough time for us to chat a bit, unless you want more time?" Harry simply shook his head no "That's settled, then" Remus' expression suddenly turned slightly more serious as his smile vanished and his eyes narrowed a tad "Break's over. Let's get back to work!"
The two continued their session for another forty-five minutes. Harry started showing more signs of improvement as he was able to successfully deflect his instructors' combination of spells several times. The boy however, couldn't help but think that maybe his former professor decided to go a little easier on him during the home stretch—they were supposed to have a chat afterwards after all, so Remus most likely made sure not to beat up on him too much so that he could still talk.
After their session ended, they sat on the floor near a corner of the room. This time it was Harry who initiated the conversation.
"You let up on me back there, didn't you?" Harry asked with narrowed eyes.
His instructor chuckled and shot him an amused look "What makes you think so?"
Harry rolled his eyes "Oh please. I could barely deflect your spells before you let me take my break. Then afterwards I just suddenly became considerably better at it?"
Remus shook his head, not bothering to hide his still-growing amusement "Or maybe you really did get better. Don't be so hard on yourself"
Harry just shrugged dismissively. Remus' amusement slowly turned into amazement. He never realized that the boy could be so…meticulous. No matter how many times he told him that he was getting better, the boy would simply brush him off and try even harder.
"So, how much did Sirius tell you already?" Harry asked, breaking Remus out of his stupor.
"He told us about how you were selected as a Tri-Wizard Champion, how you did in the First Task, and how you were present during the Death Eater attack at the night of the Quidditch World Cup" Remus recited with his forehead creased in thought.
"How detailed were his stories?"
"Not a whole lot. Like I said, he only told us what we needed to know to consider training you"
Harry sighed "We're going to need more than fifteen minutes for this, then"
Harry then proceeded to recount the events of the current school year up to the present moment to his instructor. He detailed each experience of his that he found notable in one or more ways. He eventually came to the subject of how his peers had treated him after he was named the second Hogwarts Champion.
Remus did his best to not pity his once favorite student. He listened sadly as Harry told him of how no one, except his best friend Hermione and his housemate Neville, believed that he didn't put his name in the Goblet of Fire. Everyone called him a liar, a cheat, an attention-seeking brat, and other names that made Remus clench his fists in anger.
"I'm…I'm sorry to hear that, Harry" Remus told him sincerely.
Harry shook his head dismissively "Don't be. I'm over it. None of them know me anyways"
It was then something clicked inside Remus' head. "Wait, you said only Hermione and Neville took your side?" Harry nodded "Then…" Remus trailed, eyeing Harry carefully for his reaction "…what about Ron?"
Harry chuckled humorlessly, which did not escape Remus' notice "He didn't believe me either. He was one of the more…vocal hecklers I had, especially inside the Gryffindor common room. He's already apologized though, and I've already forgiven him"
"I see. It seems you inherited more from your mother than her eyes" Remus remarked with a wistful smile. Harry's interest piqued at the mention of his mother. Seeing the questioning and curious look on the boy's face, Remus continued "Your mother was very forgiving. Almost to a fault, to be honest. She ended up with your father, after all"
Harry couldn't stop the smile that spilled on his lips even if he wanted to "Really? What's that all about?"
"Well Harry, believe it or not, your mother actually hated your father up until our sixth year. Your father was…" Remus chuckled "…quite a brat back in the days"
Harry's face twisted in confusion. His father? A brat? He wanted to pry further, but remembered that it was he who was doing the talking, and he still had to get to the succeeding parts of his recollection. "I see. Well, like I said, I've forgiven Ron—that doesn't mean I've forgotten about what he did. And to be honest, I'm not sure if I ever will…"
Remus frowned "We all make mistakes, Harry. Even the best of people do"
Harry nodded "I know that. I just didn't expect him to do what he did. But like I said, I've forgiven him. And I'm trying to act normal around him. It's just taking me some time…" While Harry had already accepted Ron's apology, it was more than obvious that it would take a bit more time before things concerning their friendship go back to the way they were before the Goblet incident. Sure, they were already able to hold a decent conversation with just the two of them, but Harry still couldn't quite say that he was truly comfortable around the redhead. They would talk about quidditch and play chess (usually at night since Harry was busy during the day), but Harry had not once even bothered to try and talk about anything remotely personal to him. In short, he and Ron were…cordial…at best.
"That's understandable" Remus said with a nod "I'd say just take your time then. With all that's been going on with you so far this year, it'd be best if you do so"
"That's for bloody sure…" Harry muttered lowly.
"I'm happy to hear that Hermione supported you all the way though" Remus decided to change the subject as it was clear Harry wasn't too thrilled to be talking about his (still?) best mate.
At the mention of his brunette best friend, Harry's lips curved into a small, fond smile "She's…a really good friend" Harry paused for a moment "She immediately knew that I didn't put my name in the Goblet. She encouraged me and supported me in whatever way she could. Even when we had a bit of a row, she apologized as soon as she could"
Remus was more than relieved at Harry's words. It was great to hear that the boy had at least one person in school who really had his back no matter what happened "That's great. She truly is your best friend"
Harry's smile widened as he nodded "Mm. I'm grateful that she is"
Remus glanced at his wristwatch and realized it was already fifteen past nine in the evening—thirty minutes past the time Harry was usually dismissed "I'm afraid we'll have to cut this short, Harry. It's already 9:15 in the evening. Let's continue our talk next time" Remus said as he stood up.
Harry followed and got on his feet "Alright. Thanks for the talk, Remus. I really appreciate it" Harry thanked sincerely.
"Of course, Harry. It's no problem" Remus acknowledged with a smile. The older man's eyes suddenly brightened in recognition "Oh! Before I forget, may I ask what subjects you're taking this term?"
Harry raised an eyebrow before staring at the ceiling in thought "Let's see…DADA, Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, History of Magic, and Divination" Harry recited "Why do you ask?"
Remus' face scrunched up in thought "Hmm, I see. Well, Harry, as I mentioned two days ago when we held our first session, I'll be teaching you more advanced spells as we progress with your training" Harry nodded in acknowledgement "You might find learning some of the spells I plan to teach you much easier if you take certain subjects alongside your training. Since it's almost the end of first term, may I offer a few suggestions?"
Harry didn't quite understand what Remus was getting at, but agreed nonetheless "Of course"
"There are two subjects in your current situation that I think will help you tremendously should you decide to take them. One is Arithmancy. Arithmancy is somewhat like number-driven Divination, where future events are predicted using the magical property of numbers. This is very useful for you, Harry, as having a solid understanding of Arithmancy will help you estimate, for example, the potential effectiveness of a given spell, which will in effect allow you to minimize the risk of failure and/or injury in the context of spellcasting. I cannot stress enough how useful that will be, especially in combat" Remus stated that last sentence emphatically "The second is Ancient Runes. Ancient Runes will help you to understand the prerequisites of more advanced spells more clearly. There are some spells, like the Patronus for example, that require you to be in a certain disposition for you to be able to cast them effectively. Learning how to cast a spell will allow you to simply do so. But learning the background of a spell as well will allow you to utilize that spell to its maximum capabilities. I will give you a copy of the spell book I use as reference as we progress—but it's written in runic scripts. Also, it doesn't hurt to know how to translate runes—you'll never know when the need for it will arise. Both of those subjects are usually taken starting third year. But with some extra studying, you should be able to catch up"
Minutes of silence passed between the two. Harry digested his instructors' words, while the latter simply waited for a reaction.
"As much as I appreciate your faith in me, may I ask: how sure are you that I'm not just going to flunk those classes if I decide to take them at this point?" Harry deadpanned.
Remus smiled at him "In my year of teaching you, Harry, I can say that you're a person who learns best during a time of need" Harry looked at him questioningly, silently asking him to continue "You learned the Patronus charm after experiencing firsthand how dangerous the Dementors are. You learned the summoning charm on your own when Mad-Eye suggested it for the First Task. And now you're leaning the shielding charm, a by no means basic spell, as you know it'll be a very useful spell for you for the rest of the tournament"
It didn't take long for Harry to realize that his former professor was right. He seemed to learn best when something was at risk—particularly his own life. And this time, his life is definitely at risk because he knows Voldemort is coming for him. Harry grew anxious at the thought.
Voldemort was after him. He had to do everything he could to prepare himself.
Harry gulped and nodded "I'll think about it. The class transfer and withdrawal period for our second term already began yesterday. I can finalize everything by next week latest"
"That's all I ask of you, Harry" Remus finished with a nod of his own.
A thought suddenly struck Harry "Hang on though, do I really need to take Ancient Runes as a class? Can't I just use a dictionary, or even ask someone else to help me with the translations I'll be needing for the spell book?" The boy remembered that his best friend took and was still taking Ancient Runes to this day. He smiled to himself; how could he forget when she almost bit Ron's head off last year for speaking a word within her hearing range while she was studying for her Ancient Runes exam. "I can ask Hermione if she's up to it"
"Of course, you certainly may. As a matter of fact, I think you actually should. I'm sure she'd be more than willing to help you. But I suggested that you take the class itself because as brilliant as Hermione is, she won't always be around to help you. Unless you've somehow found a way to make her magically appear by your side at any given moment, I believe it'd be good for you to know how runes are interpreted in general. Plus, there are semantics, such as rune sequences and the like, that would be very useful for you to learn on your own" Remus answered.
'It's not like I need magic for Hermione to be around to help me. She always seems to be at the right place at the right time' Harry thought inwardly. Nevertheless, the boy hummed in acknowledgement "Point taken"
Harry then pondered how he was going to get through the rest of the school year alive. People hated him (albeit not as much as they did a week ago), Voldemort was after him, Dumbledore wasn't actively protecting him, he was being physically and magically tested everyday by his two new instructors, and he now had to consider taking two classes he opted to not take the previous year.
If Voldemort doesn't get to him first, he knew his workload would eventually kill him. At least it wasn't going to be as…cruel…he supposed.
It only took a night's worth of heart-wrenching night terrors for Harry to make his choice.
"May I ask what the reason for this rather sudden decision is, Mister Potter?" Minerva McGonagall asked the boy standing in front of her as she scrutinized him with narrowed eyes.
Harry resisted the urge to shift uncomfortably under his Head of House's gaze. Summoning all the courage he could muster, he met the older woman's gaze head on as he answered "I've given it some thought, Professor, and I realized that Arithmancy and Ancient Runes will be of far greater use to me than Divination. I do not mean to be disrespectful, but with the ongoing Tri-Wizard Tournament, I believe I may learn a thing or two in the subjects I wish to transfer to that may help me with the remaining tournament tasks" Technically, it wasn't a lie on Harry's part. Of course, the main reason as to why he was being trained in the first place was supposedly because of the tournament. In his conversations with Remus and Tonks, Harry realized that Sirius hadn't told them about his nightmares involving Voldemort and his lackeys. He was thankful for that, since Harry wanted to be able to decide who he'll tell his secrets to and when. But Harry knew that his godfather wanted him to be trained for more…dire reasons.
McGonagall simply eyed him as silence blanketed her office once again. Harry knew that his professor was trying to find out if he was lying or if he had an ulterior motive behind his seemingly sudden decision to switch classes.
"Mister Potter, while I do understand your sentiments, are you certain you want to push through with this? Arithmancy and Ancient Runes are not easy subjects by any means. Not to mention, you will need to catch up on one year and one term's worth of lessons since you did not take either subject last year" Minerva asked with a concerned look on her face. "I would also like to remind you that your current class standing in Divination is 'Outstanding'. Should you decide to withdraw, your end-of-term report will display a grade of 'Withdrawn' for that class, effectively nullifying your current grade"
"Yes, professor, I understand. I've deliberated enough. This is my decision" Harry answered with conviction. He hasn't given a lick about Divination since Professor Trelawney 'predicted' his death a year ago anyway.
A few more minutes of silence passed before Minerva finally nodded "Very well, Mister Potter. I hereby approve your transfer. Present these to your new professors—Professor Septima Vector for Arithmancy, and Professor Bathsheda Babbling for Ancient Runes—before the start of class to notify them of my approval and endorsement" Minerva slid two pieces of neatly folded parchment towards the front of her desk "Knowing those two, they will most likely allow you to attend class already even if the term is almost finished. I've also requested for them to make your final requirement for the term optional. Whether they actually do so or not, is up to them, however. Bear in mind as well, that they both may require you to take a special exam to make up for this term's lessons. You may speak to them regarding this"
Harry nodded gratefully "Thank you, Professor" he took the notes from her desk and pocketed them.
"Will that be all, Mister Potter?"
"Yes, Professor. I'll be on my way now. Thank you for your time and consideration" Harry gave a small bow and turned to leave.
He went to the Owlery to place an order for the textbooks he'd be needing for his new classes, then proceeded to the library to borrow copies of said textbooks for the time being. As he walked out of the library, he realized that he still had half an hour before the start of his next class, which funnily enough, was Arithmancy. As his Head of House advised him, he got to his designated classroom early and waited for his new professor to arrive. To his slight surprise, Professor Vector walked in the almost empty classroom (it was not empty because of him) fifteen minutes before the start of class. He walked up to her desk and handed her McGonagall's note while informing her of his decision to take up Arithmancy. His professor simply gave him a curt nod and welcomed him to her class. She also told him, quite sternly, that she does not grant exemptions from the final requirement of the term—no exceptions. She did note that the final requirement of the term for her class was going to be a take-home problem set that her students were supposed to accomplish over the Winter Break. Harry 'accepted her terms' before taking the seat nearest the door on the back-most row, waiting for class to start.
When his first Arithmancy class ended, Harry didn't bother to hide the smile on his face. Arithmancy was brilliant! Sure, Professor Vector was bloody scary, but the subject matter was definitely more interesting than he could've ever expected! Harry had always been fond of numbers during his years of muggle education. If it weren't for the fact that his aunt and uncle coerced him into doing horribly in his pre-Hogwarts studies (lest he face several days of punishment), he knew that mathematics would've been one of his stronger subjects. He was by no means a math wizard (no pun intended), but he never really found the subject to be difficult. And seeing how numbers could be applied in the wizarding world thrilled Harry greatly. Fortunately for him, their current topic in class was a standalone one, meaning he didn't need to know of any prior lessons to understand it as it was the final topic for the term. While he wasn't able to fully grasp everything, he wasn't completely lost either…or at least he hoped so.
As he packed his bag, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and saw his best friend with her eyebrows raised up to her forehead and her face scrunched up in confusion.
"Harry? What are you doing here?" she asked almost incredulously.
Harry stifled a chuckle and shot her a teasing smirk "I attended class, Hermione"
"Class?" she blurted out, her confusion reaching almost critical levels. Harry couldn't hold it anymore and burst out laughing. Hermione's expression suddenly turned murderous. She shot the laughing raven-haired boy a glare that would make even Dumbledore cower in fear "Harry James Potter, explain yourself this instant!" she screeched loud enough for only those in the back row of the class to hear. Those who heard the brunette hurriedly grabbed their things and left the room before Mount Granger exploded.
"I wasn't kidding! I was here for class" Harry stammered after his laughter subsided, though his smile remained.
Hermione examined him as if he were an uncannily difficult test question. Harry struggled to keep his laughter in, as he didn't really want to annoy his best friend. After a few moments, Hermione finally spoke "Since when?"
"Just today. I spoke to Professor McGonagall earlier this morning about transferring classes, and she approved"
Hermione narrowed her eyes further at him "Why not just wait until next term?"
The boy shrugged "No particular reason. I mean, I might as well start now since I'll probably need to take a comprehensive exam some time next term to make up for everything I've missed so far"
"Ah…right" Hermione nodded as her glare disappeared, much to Harry's relief "What made you decide to take Arithmancy, then?" she asked curiously.
"Oh, I just thought it'd be interesting" Harry tried to sound as nonchalant as possible in his reply. This caused his best friend's glare to return full force. Harry inwardly rolled his eyes "Fine. I thought it'd be useful for me, especially for the tournament"
The brunette's expression softened "I see. That's good, Harry. Did you have to drop any of your subjects in favor of Arithmancy though?" she asked, clearly steering away from the topic of the tournament.
"I dropped Divination for it" Harry answered.
Hermione grinned, clearly pleased with her best friend's decision "Brilliant! Arithmancy is infinitely more useful than Divination. More importantly, Arithmancy is actually worth your time"
Harry shook his head amusedly at her blatant disdain for Divination, but he had to agree "From just today's lesson, I think I actually agree with you on that now" The brunette beamed at him, which made him smile "Anyways, lunch?"
Hermione shook her head no "Maybe later. I had a heavy breakfast, so I'm still quite full"
"Same" Harry admitted. He didn't get to eat dinner the previous night, so he made up for it earlier during breakfast "Library, then?"
"Sure" the brunette replied with a nod.
The two exited their classroom and made their way to the library. In the middle of their walk, Harry suddenly remembered to ask her about his other new class.
"Oh, by the way," he started, causing Hermione to shift her gaze towards him "do you mind if I ask what tomorrow's lesson will be for Ancient Runes?"
Hermione raised an eyebrow suspiciously "Why do you ask?"
"So I can start catching up" Harry replied as if it were the most obvious fact in the universe.
Hermione came to an abrupt halt. Harry did the same and awaited the brunette's response. Another grin threatened to spread across the boy's lips as he watched, for the second time in the last few minutes, his best friend be swallowed up in confusion and disbelief. Maybe it was because she saw the corner of his lips tug upwards, but Hermione, after a few moments of just blankly staring at him with widened eyes, gave him a glare that was even fiercer than the one from earlier, if that was even possible.
"Okay, something's clearly up. Spill" she commanded with her trademark 'no non-sense' tone.
Harry remained calm "I decided to take Ancient Runes as an extra subject. They can help with understanding spell books, as you know"
"Yes, ancient and advanced spell books, to be more specific" Hermione narrowed her eyes in suspicion "Just exactly what kind of spells are you after?"
The boy shrugged "I don't know yet. I'm just trying to be prepared just in case" And it was the truth. Remus hadn't given him the spell book yet…so technically it wasn't a lie.
Hermione examined him for a few more seconds before she backed off. She clearly wasn't fully convinced, but she knew her best friend was telling her everything that he was comfortable sharing. Besides, she wasn't going to complain if her best friend was starting to care more about school! Harry seemed to pick up on her thoughts, and couldn't help but be inwardly thankful that Hermione was his best friend.
"Okay then. I do have to warn you though," Hermione frowned worriedly "Arithmancy and Ancient Runes are not easy subjects on their own. But taking both at the same time, they're quite difficult. Also factor in that you didn't take either class last year, and that you're a midyear transferee this year for both"
He nodded "I'll do my best for both subjects then"
She smiled proudly at him "Good to hear! I can help you too, if you want?"
He returned her smile "Of course! I'll never turn down help from you, you know that" he teased. He then added sheepishly "I was actually just about to ask you if you could"
The brunette laughed "How predictable of you, Mister Potter. It looks like you'll have another reason to spend more time in the library!" she declared brightly.
Harry rolled his eyes but retained his smile "Indeed, I'm afraid" he shot back sarcastically. Hermione simply punched his arm playfully in response.
When they arrived in the library, they sat themselves down on 'Hermione's' table and began studying. Unfortunately for Harry, he didn't find Ancient Runes as interesting as he did Arithmancy. While Ancient Runes was fascinating enough in that it was about a different language, it wasn't as engaging as Harry would've preferred. Still though, they were able to make what Hermione considered 'acceptable progress' given that Harry was a midyear transferee and had no prior background on the subject whatsoever. She helped him understand enough to the point where he shouldn't be utterly clueless for tomorrow's lesson.
When they finished, Hermione saw her best friend do something that made her question if she were hallucinating (for the third time today)—Harry James Potter pulled out what she recognized to be their fourth year Potions book from his bag and started reading with a kind of focus she didn't know the boy possessed when it came to academics. She wanted to get his attention, to somehow confirm if what she was seeing was real, but she was unable to. She just watched in awe, with her mouth slightly ajar as Harry Potter vigorously studied Potions. She noticed that the boy had begun to read more on Potions since the beginning of the week. But this was the first time she had ever seen him so focused in his reading. The weirdest part was that it seemed as if he was actually enjoying himself—there was a small smile on his lips while he was reading. She wanted to think it was probably because of their upcoming practical exam for Potions next week (which was their final one for the term), but she couldn't help but feel that there was much more to it than that.
Just what in the bloody hell was happening?
"So, Robert, any significant developments?" Lux asked as he entered the room. The young man he spoke to looked up from his desk and shot him a malicious glare. Lux rolled his eyes "Okay, fine let me repeat that. So, Matkovic, any significant developments?"
"No, I'm afraid not" Matkovic replied in his heavy Russian accent "I've done all I can with this fragment. I cannot determine anything else of use to us"
"What have you got then?" Lux asked as he placed his hands on his hips.
Matkovic wet his lips before answering "I can verify that the wand this fragment came from was used to cast Dark Arts spells. But as to exactly what specific spells, I cannot say. The fragment is too small, and has been drained of its power for far too long to provide any more sufficient information"
"That's unfortunate" Lux remarked with a deep frown.
"Indeed. Furthermore, I believe I have determined the reason as to why this fragment broke off from the wand it was part of" Lux narrowed his eyes at those words "The said wand was used for a purpose that was against the its very nature"
"What do you mean?"
Matkovic clicked his tongue "As you know, it is widely believed that it is the wand that chooses who its master will be. And as you also may be aware of, that is partly true. When the wand chooses its master, it does so for a very specific, and personal purpose. Some wands choose a master who is naturally skilled in magic. Some wands choose a master who is kind. So on and so forth. This particular wand, chose its master because of his/her caring and loyal nature. It is a wand made out of cedar, after all. But then the person who used this wand at the time it broke, was very unlike its 'original' master"—that person was not caring, and either not loyal, or loyal for the wrong purpose"
Lux narrowed his eyes "Can you illustrate further?"
"Certainly. Let's suppose, as an example, that this wand originally chose its master because he/she is a good person—a good person who wishes to protect those around him/her. The wand would devote itself into serving its master for that very purpose. It will go to any length just to ensure its master would be able to protect others. But then the wand fell into the possession of another person—a person who is not 'good' in the same way; a person…who wished to do the opposite—to hurt, torture, or even murder others. The wand realized this, so it rebelled. It fought back. It resisted its last owner, as it knew that he/she was not the one it originally chose. This would explain why all the corpses you and Nagant found over the last few months still contained decipherable memory fragments as you both reported. The Obliviate spell they suffered was not as powerful as it should have been"
"If that's the case, then why was the last owner still able to use the wand to cast Dark Arts spells and such? Shouldn't the wand have been ineffective?"
"It was, but only to a certain extent. As I mentioned, the last owner was unlike the original one. But it seems that the former had enough of a resemblance or similarity to the latter, that the wand was still able to function up to a certain capacity. The wand did not function to its full capabilities, but worked enough to allow the last owner to cast spells with it"
"Resemblance? What kind of resemblance?"
"There are several possibilities. One is that the original owner and the last owner of the wand were related by blood. Another is that both are for example, loyal individuals, except the loyalty of the last owner was not out of kindness or being caring; the kind of loyalty that is driven by something more…sinister…"
"This was much more complicated than I thought" Lux sighed "I thought the wand was simply defective and could not handle the spells its user was casting"
"That is actually correct. You mentioned that the memories of the last batch of corpses you found were much clearer than the others, right?" Lux nodded "I believe that has less to do with your rare proficiency in legelimency and more to do with the 'defect' of the wand, as you say. I assume that at that point, the wand was being more resistant to its last owner than it has ever been. The magical energy released by the wand upon activating the portkey that its last owner used, combined with the resistance of the wand, was enough to allow the wand to 'take control'—so it broke itself. Which leads me to another point—the wand where this fragment came from was stolen from its original owner. Either that or it was taken forcibly away from him/her. The wand would not have wanted to destroy itself otherwise"
Minutes of silence passed as Lux tried to digest everything Matkovic just told him. He broke the silence to ask his next question "Can you trace who the owner of the wand is then? Either the original one or the last one?"
Matkovic shook his head with a frown "No. Not specifically at least. There are hundreds of wizards and witches in Europe who own wands made of cedar. We can't just apprehend any cedar wand owner who has a history of using Dark Arts"
Lux ran a hand across his face in exasperation "So the trail goes cold…yet again"
"I wouldn't say that just yet. It's best to inform everyone of this first, before proceeding"
Lux eyed him suspiciously "You're not telling me something"
Matkovic grinned "How perceptive of you" he remarked dryly.
"Just tell me. I'll hear about it later anyways"
Matkovic rolled his eyes "Very well. I am inclined to believe that the suspect, the last owner of the wand, was a Death Eater"
Lux's eyes widened "A Death Eater? But why would a Death Eater kill fellow Death Eaters?"
"That I cannot answer. But as for why I believe the individual we are looking for is a Death Eater; the memories you and Nagant showed me, the ones of the corpses you two found—they suffered from curses and spells that are too dark in nature to be used by normal Dark Arts practitioners. As a matter of fact, the curses strongly remind me of the ones that Voldemort's more…ardent followers during the The Great Wizarding War used to frequently bestow upon their victims" Lux shot him a questioning to look, to which he responded with a chuckle "I should know. I'm from Durmstrang, remember? Voldemort's and Grindelwald's followers have a lot more in common than you think"
Lux bit his lower lip and pondered his thoughts.
Who was this Death Eater that killed his fellows?
And more importantly, why?
"What can I do for you, Minerva?" Dumbledore asked without looking up from the piece of parchment laid out across his desk.
"Albus, I am worried about Mister Potter" Minerva said with a frown.
"Oh?" Dumbledore replied almost uninterestingly, his gaze still trained on the parchment.
Minerva's frown deepened "He came to my office this morning and requested a transfer to two classes—Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, dropping Divination in the process"
"Ah, a rather wise decision if I do say so myself" Dumbledore simply mumbled absently.
Minerva glared at the headmaster for his reaction, or lack thereof "Perhaps it has escaped your knowledge, Albus, but Mister Potter has NEVER taken Arithmancy or Ancient Runes before. When I asked him why he would do such a thing, given that we are almost at the midway point of the term, he claimed it was to aid him in his preparation for the remainder of the tournament" Minerva couldn't conceal the anger and frustration in her tone "I've always been adamant about letting the boy compete, but now he's embracing being a part of this cursed tournament as if it were something he was always meant to do!"
"And yet, you approved of his transfer, did you not?"
"Of course, I did!" the woman spat out with a sneer "Why would I not allow him to equip himself better for whatever dangers lie ahead of him! It's the least I can do for the poor boy!" The Head of House Gryffindor exclaimed emphatically. She was guilty that she couldn't protect one of the bravest, and most talented Gryffindors she's ever had. From when an infant Harry was left in the care of the Dursleys, to him being forced to compete in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, Minerva had always wanted to do right by him at the very least. But in the end, it was Dumbledore's word that reigned.
A moment of silence passed before Dumbledore finally looked up from his desk. He met Minerva's steely gaze with a calm one "Which is precisely why I am letting him be, Minerva. I am well aware that Harry has begun a chain of rather unusual actions. I do not know exactly why yet, but I will soon enough"
"What do you mean?" the woman asked questioningly, her glare still firmly intact.
Dumbledore smiled "Since last Monday, Harry has been leaving the castle every afternoon after his classes. According to Alastor, he meets with either Remus Lupin or Nymphadora Tonks and Side-Along Apparates with them to somewhere. He then returns to the castle in the middle of dinner, seemingly exhausted. My guess is that the two are training him further, and I would not be surprised if they were the ones who suggested he take up his new classes. For that, I am certain Harry is in safe hands, hence I am not stopping him"
Minerva's glare slowly smoothened to a more composed expression "Have you spoken to either of them then? About the exact nature of what they are doing with Mister Potter?"
The old man shook his head "No. I see no reason to do so. Harry chose not to inform anyone of this. I'm sure he has his reasons. So, I will leave it at that"
The woman sighed "I am just worried for the boy's health. It is not difficult to see that the past few weeks have not been kind to him"
"I know. Believe me, Minerva, I know"
Hermione was becoming increasingly worried. Where in the world was Harry?
The brunette bit her lip and rested her arms on the table in front of her. The day had been almost disturbingly weird—even for her. Harry Potter, her best and closest friend—the boy who preferred to talk about Quidditch and to play Wizard's Chess despite being utterly horrible at it over reading a book—spent the entire day studying with her. And no, it wasn't the kind of studying that she was accustomed to seeing from Harry where the boy would try to read a few pages before losing focus for a minute or two for every five minutes. No, Harry Potter actually studied properly. He read his books meaningfully and made concise but clear notes along the way. His efforts were nowhere near hers (then again, whose is anyway?), but they were still very impressive. Especially when he studied Potions with such unwavering focus. On top of all that, there were also times when he stopped to ask her questions that actually made her think. She never knew that her best friend could be so…disciplined with his studies.
Which was why after they left the library for class, she decided she'd confront him about his uncharacteristic behavior later.
Except it was already past dinnertime and she still couldn't find him.
When classes ended, Harry went to the common room while she returned to the library. Then when dinner came along, she wasn't surprised to see that Harry wasn't in the Great Hall. He'd been avoiding the place since people kept gawking and whispering about him after his performance in the First Task. As a result, he preferred to have his meals in the Kitchens. She finished her dinner quickly (but still gracefully) and went down to the Kitchens to see if he was there. He was not. She asked Dobby, while resisting the urge to go on another tirade about elf rights, if he'd seen Harry around. Dobby then informed her that Harry hasn't eaten dinner at all the entire week and would instead eat more during breakfast the following day.
That was enough to more than alert the brunette. She knew that she absolutely had to talk to Harry today. All this time she thought he simply wanted to stay away from crowded places. But now, she got the feeling that something else was going on with him. And he was hiding it from her. She should've as figured much when he started studying like never before. Deciding on her next course of action, she went back up to the common room and sat on their table to await his return.
After what felt like years of waiting, she was interrupted from her thoughts when she heard someone enter the common room. She looked up to see who it was and was immediately relieved. There stood the very boy that she was looking for, but he was wincing and his shirt was…drenched?
The brunette shot up from her seat and briskly walked up to him.
"Harry! Are you okay? What happened to you?" she started questioning as she took a good look at the boy.
Harry tried to smile at her but it looked more like a grimace "Errands, as usual. From Professor Moody"
Hermione glared at him "We are going to talk. Now"
Harry gulped. A pissed Hermione was not one to be trifled with. He nodded "Sure, but may I shower first? I'm disgusting right now"
"Of course. I'll be at our table. Waiting" Hermione answered, her glare still in place.
It was going to be a long night for Harry.
A/N: That was the lengthiest chapter I've written so far. That one was around 7.5k words long, which is nuts even for someone like myself who enjoys writing detailed chapters. I just felt like if I shortened the chapter, then the succeeding ones would be a lot more difficult to follow.
Regarding the midyear withdrawal and transfer of classes that Harry did, this is what I mentioned in my first author note for the chapter about me using some of my real-life school experiences for writing this chapter. In my high school, we followed a quarterly system for every school year. We were allowed to switch classes at the end of the first and second quarters. This is because some students in our school become eligible to take advanced classes in the middle of the year when their grades for their prerequisite subjects are high enough. Due to this, teachers are very lenient with accepting transferees and approving withdrawals, especially in the second quarter of the school year.
Another thing: what was my logic behind having Harry take Arithmancy and Ancient Runes? I want to clarify that I did not do this just so I would have an excuse to write Harry/Hermione moments. At least not primarily. For one, I think Arithmancy is really underused in a lot of stories, at least in my experience. I was able to read up a bit on Arithmancy. I found out that it was used by Curse Breakers to help in their profession, and I thought that was really cool and useful. As for Ancient Runes, you'll just have to stay tuned to find out. But again, please do not worry. Harry may seem like he's about to turn into Merlin, but that is not what I'm trying to achieve here
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed that one. See you next time!