Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Waking up feeling refreshed and energized at 7:00 am, Harry decided to skip his morning shower until after his workout and breakfast. Seeing Hedwig with her head tucked under her wing, he gently woke her up by stroking her breast feathers. "Good morning, girl. Would you like to join me on my run?" Harry asked his most loyal companion, "I thought you would enjoy being able to spread your wings." Hooting softly in agreement so as not to wake anyone, Hedwig flew down and settled on Harry's shoulder once he was properly dressed for his daily workout.

Whistling cheerfully once he made it to the quiet halls, Harry leisurely made his way outside to the bank of the Black Lake before beginning his stretches. "I thought you could fly next to me and help set a decent pace for me, as I know you can probably fly faster than I can run, around the perimeter of the Black Lake," Harry explained to his overly intelligent owl after he completed his stretching. Without waiting for Harry to be completely ready, Hedwig soared off, forcing Harry to sprint to catch up to her.

Fortunately, all the running and exercise Harry performed over the summer left him in great shape to catch up to his owl in no time without breathing heavily. Slowing her pace slightly to a more comfortable speed, Hedwig led Harry around the lake for several laps before he had to stop to catch his breath.

"Thanks, girl. You really know how to work someone hard. That was probably my best pace and length of run. You can head back to the Owlery. I just need to finish up some strength training before heading to breakfast."

Nipping his ear affectionately, Hedwig took off for the Owlery, happy to be able to help her boy get stronger and faster. After Hedwig's departure, Harry began to mechanically crank out his pushups, sit-ups, birpies, squats, and planks. He could now easily perform 100 of each exercise before feeling the strain on his muscles. Satisfied with his workout, Harry set off for the Great Hall to fill up on some breakfast. Realizing it was only 8:30 am and that most people were probably still asleep, Harry was prepared to eat breakfast in an empty Great Hall.

Surprisingly, most of the professors were up and eating at the staff table by the time Harry arrived. Blushing once he noticed all the attention was on him, Harry quickly made his way to the Gryffindor table and waited as plates upon plates of food appeared before him. Filling his plate with hash browns, sausage, bacon, eggs, and some toast, he ravenously ate his meal replenishing his energy from his workout.

All the staff stared at the lone student in wonder as he gulped down his entire meal. All were surprised to see the Boy-Who-Lived up so early in the morning on a Saturday. The rest of the emotions felt by the different professors, however, were all over the charts. Snape was angered by the apparent lack of manners of his nemesis' son. Umbridge just glared in hatred at the boy who was trying to ruin her beloved Minister. Flitwick and Sprout were both excited to see some more initiative in their student in his desire to be up and going so early in the morning. Dumbledore twinkled his eyes in the direction of Harry and was hopeful the boy was no longer feeling depressed after witnessing his classmate's death. Most of the other staff who didn't know Harry all that well were just shocked that a student ignored the chance of having a lie in.

Professor McGonagall's reaction, however, was completely different from her colleagues'. The conversation Harry had with his owl the previous night she had witnessed kept replaying through her mind. You truly are the closest thing I have to a mother. Sadness enveloped her features as she sat there thinking about how truly alone the boy must feel if his owl was the one he went to for comfort and support. Sighing, she realized that although she wanted to, she wouldn't be able to reach out to one of her favorite students. How could she, when over the past four years she barely talked to the boy she thought of as family outside of school and Transfiguration.

Unaware of the mixed reactions his early breakfast was creating in his teachers, Harry continued to devour his breakfast. Finishing rather quickly, Harry walked out of the Great Hall without once glancing back at the staff table in his hurry to continue his training. He wandered the halls looking for a suitable place to practice new spells and dueling.

Eventually finding an abandoned classroom with enough space for Harry to easily move around and practice his magic, Harry began to set up a dueling space. He conjured several dueling dummies that when activated would start firing curses at Harry, allowing him to set up several mock duels against multiple opponents at once, it's not as if the Death Eaters will fight fair after all. After setting up 5 dummies, Harry began dueling against his animated opponents. He was very successful against 4 after his month of intense training and was only slightly struggling against the additional dummy.

Dodging spell after spell or occasionally using transfiguration to block the dummies' spells, as a protego will only work against lower-level jinxes, Harry easily managed to avoid most of the curses. He jumped, ducked, and rolled away from each Stinging Hex sent his way. This drill was purely for defensive strategy and to avoid depending on his shields when dodging worked 100% of the time as long as he avoided the spells.

After 30 minutes of this exercise, Harry sat on the ground and took a breather as he prepared himself for fighting back against the dummies in the next round. He used this drill to increase his firing speed, accuracy, and spell repertoire. Instead of just using simple stunning or disarming spells, Harry used more powerful and harmful curses he learned through his various readings. His new favorites including the Bone-Crushing Curse (Contundito Ossium), the Blasting Curse (Reducto), and the Cutting Curse (Diffindo). All three could cause lasting harm against his enemies. This war was not a game, if he wanted to survive past his seventh-year, Harry would need to hurt his enemies and take them out of a fight quickly. Disarming spells could only do so much.

Not noticing the door to the classroom opening, Harry set the 5 dummies to Advanced Attack mode to truly test his abilities. He took his position and activated all 5 dummies. Seeming to work together, the 5 tried to corner Harry, but his speed and foresight prevented them from succeeding. He shot spell after spell at the dummies landing more often than missing. All his spells were silent in casting as he realized that speaking the incantation out loud did nothing to increase his power. Instead it just gave away what spell he was using allowing his opponent to throw up an appropriate shield.

Harry continued to dodge most of the spells thrown his way. During the 30-minute duel, the dummies only once succeeded in disarming Harry, but a quick wandless summoning charm brought it back into his possession without even breaking stride. Harry quickly finished the duel by banishing all 5 dummies into the wall at once effectively "knocking them out," or at least he would have if they were real people. Harry then vanished his opponents silently and turned to walk out of the classroom.

After vanishing the dummies, Harry left the room intending on showering as he really was very sweaty. Hearing someone clear their throat before leaving the classroom, Harry spun around in shock that his Charms professor had been watching him.

"Very good, Mr. Potter. I couldn't have done much better myself. Now, when did you start training to be a dueling master," asked Professor Flitwick.

"Well, Professor, I only really started very recently. You see, even if Voldemort isn't truly back, which he is, plenty of his followers are still out there and they're out for my blood. Over the summer I realized I need to be able to defend myself and just coasting through school wasn't going to cut it anymore," explained Harry, "However, I only know so much about dueling and only know so many spells. Nevertheless, I'm trying and well, that's all I can really do."

Stunned by his student's reasonings, Filius Flitwick was determined to help this poor boy as much as he could. "Mr. Potter," he began, "I am considered a pretty fine duelist myself. If you are willing, I'd be glad to help in your training and technique. You'll find dueling one master is completely different than dueling dummies."

Shocked to silence, Harry could only nod in agreement with his professor's proposition. He was extremely pleased that a Dueling Champion like Flitwick was offering to tutor him. 'Maybe now, I'll actually have a chance against those bastards,' he thought. After what seemed like forever, Harry was finally able to express his thanks to the tiny professor.

"Nonsense, Mr. Potter. I'm delighted to help you in your venture. And between us, I wouldn't be so sure that you'll only have ex-Death Eaters to worry about."

Touched by his professor's obvious support and belief in him, Harry planned to meet with Flitwick every Wednesday night after dinner for his sessions. The two then got to talking about the best ways to avoid spells, both agreed that dodging was the way to go, and other tactics for dueling.

Noticing that he only had 30 minutes until lunch began, Harry expressed his gratitude once again to his professor and hurried to go take his shower. Finishing his shower in 15 minutes, Harry quickly got dressed and headed down to the Great Hall for lunch.

Seeing Luna sitting alone at the Ravenclaw table and noticing Neville had yet to arrive, Harry immediately changed course from the Gryffindor table to sit with his friend. "Hey Luna," Harry greeted with a grin, "mind if I join you?"

"Not at all kind sir, please," Luna responded with a giggle. Together, the two friends began to enjoy their lunch as they waited for Neville to join them. A few minutes later, Neville saw Harry sitting with Luna and immediately sat across from the pair.

"Hey guys!" He greeted cheerfully. "Harry, where were you this morning? I didn't see you at breakfast or around afterwards."

"Oh, sorry Neville. I woke up early to work out and train. I got into the habit over the summer and decided to continue it. I ate breakfast pretty early, only some of the professors were here." Satisfied with his explanation, Neville quickly dove into the wonderful lunch prepared settling his hunger.

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING? YOU CAN'T SIT THERE!" A loud voice cried. Looking up, Harry saw Ron Weasley fuming in anger.

"As a matter of fact, Weasley, students from any house can sit at any table except during formal events like the Welcoming or Leaving Feasts. So, Neville and I can sit here," responded Harry calmly before returning his attention to his lunch.

"But Harry, I'm your best mate! Don't you want to sit with me at the best table," whined Ron.

Harry looked at his former friend in complete shock. 'What? He's still calling himself my best mate after that letter he threw at me last night?' "I'm sorry Weasley, but how can you call me your best mate after what you said to me last night in your letter. Besides I don't associate with bullies. Now leave, I'm enjoying lunch with my new friends."

"Ah, Harry! You know I was just joking, right? I was just angry that you didn't sit with me on the train, is all. And it's not considered bullying when people deserve it," scoffed the brainless idiot.

Choosing to ignore the imbecile, Harry continued to eat until his other former best friend dragged the red-head away leaving Harry to eat in peace. "Phew, glad I avoided that confrontation, am I right?" Laughed the raven-haired teen. The three friends continued their conversation about what they were expecting from their classes this year, when a stray thought crossed Harry's mind. "Excuse me guys, I need to do something real quick."

Harry quickly made his way towards the staff table. Ignoring the curious, and some hostile, stares, Harry addressed Professor McGonagall, "Excuse me Professor. May I speak with you in your office after lunch?" Seeing that she was rising to leave, he swiftly stopped. "Oh no, Professor! Finish your lunch. It's not a pressing matter, just something I forgot to mention last night." Sitting back down, McGonagall agreed to meet Harry immediately following lunch.

Satisfied, Harry started heading back to the Ravenclaw when he heard hem hem. He slowly turned around to see a giant pink toad smiling sweetly at him. "Mr. Potter, upon your return, please gather Mr. Longbottom and return to your proper table," the toad croaked loudly.

Seeing Ron smirking out of the corner of his eye, Harry rolled his eyes in exasperation. "As I just mentioned to Prefect Weasley, ma'am, any student from any house may choose to eat at any table they desire so long as it is not during the Welcoming or Leaving Feast as well as special events."

"Lies, Potter, lies," came the reply oozing with false sweetness, "I'm afraid that that rule has recently been changed. Students must sit at their house tables."

"Actually, Dolores," began the headmaster, his eyes twinkling in amusement, "That is not true. That rule has not been changed. It was, after all, the Founders' wish for students to inter mingle despite their house affiliation. I'm afraid it is quite impossible to change one of the rules in the original Hogwarts Charter. You may return to where you were sitting Mr. Potter."

Inclining his head in gratitude towards his headmaster, despite his feelings over his treatment over the summer, Harry returned to his seat and enjoyed the rest of his lunch with his friends, ignoring the glares from a certain red-head and bushy brunette.

Seeing his professor rise from her seat 15 minutes later, Harry told his friends he would meet up with them later and followed Professor McGonagall from the hall. Catching up to her quickly, Harry inquired as to how her summer went.

"I kept busy. I can't really say more about it, however." Came the brisk reply. "And yours?"

"I kept busy. But that's all I'm willing to say, professor," was Harry's retaliation. "After all, I can't go revealing all my secrets to the world, can I? However, you will get a slight glimpse of what I was up to once we reach your office."

Walking the rest of the way in silence, Harry considered the best way to approach this. He needed to persuade his professor that he was ready for what he wanted, but he wasn't sure how to go about it. 'Whatever, I'll just wing it!' He thought.

Once arriving, professor and student quickly sat in their appropriate seats and McGonagall waited for her student to start the conversation.

"How do I start," began Harry, "well, I guess the first thing would be to say I'm tired of having my death being predicted every time I walk into my Divination classroom."

"Mr. Po-"

"Yes, I'm aware I need at least 2 electives in addition to the main subjects. However, I am confident I would be able to test into fifth-year Ancient Runes and possibly fifth-year Arithmancy, but more likely fourth-year. Arithmancy just doesn't come as naturally to me as Ancient Runes. I studied the two subjects intensively over the summer as I am done wasting my time here. I have a mad man after me, I need to take my education more seriously. Care of Magical Creatures is still useful as I'm sure Voldemort will attempt to send dangerous beasts after me, so I'll keep that one on my schedule, but I would really like to swap Divination for either Ancient Runes or Arithmancy or both really. Please, professor? I'll take any tests Professors Babbling and Vector deem necessary," he pleaded.

Sighing, McGonagall stated, "The decision is not up to me, Potter. Professors Babbling or Vector need to approve your admission to their classes. I'll contact them today. You'll most likely have to take both the end of third-year and fourth-year exams for both courses. I'll try to make it so you can take them all tomorrow."

"Thanks, professor! I really appreciate it," said Harry excitedly, "I'll do whatever it takes to leave Trelawney and her tea leaves behind!"

With this proclamation, McGonagall's lips twitched as she fought a smile. It would be very unprofessional to laugh at her colleagues after all. "Is there anything else I can do for you, Potter, while you're here?"

"Um…" thought the boy, "Actually, professor, there is something else I would like to accomplish this year, but I totally understand if you disagree…"

"What is it, Potter?" Asked McGonagall curiously.

"Couldyouteachmetobeananimagus?" Blurted out Harry.

"Excuse me?"

"Could you teach me to be an animagus?" Restated Harry. Seeing her begin to reject his request, he quickly interrupted her. "Please, professor? It could be a real asset to me if something unmentionable happens? We both know Voldemort," ignoring his professor's flinch Harry continued, "wants to kill or capture me! I need as many options as possible to avoid that possibility! I promise I would never abuse the ability! I swear!"

"I'm not saying no, Potter," at this his face brightened, "but, I'm not saying yes, yet either. I will need to see how you juggle the heavier weight of OWL classes. Your class load will increase significantly. And with Quidditch and your potential new classes, I'm nervous it might be too much at one time. I'll give you my final answer in a few weeks. Alright?"

Seeing the validity of her statements even though he was confident he would be able to handle everything fine, he agreed with her proposition. "Thanks, professor. I really appreciate this. Also, would you mind joining Professor Flitwick and I occasionally for my dueling training? I want to be able to incorporate Transfiguration into my dueling. I read a book over the summer that really emphasized the possibilities, but I'm not sure how to properly utilize it."

"Dueling training? Mr. Potter, are you sure you aren't taking too much on? And when, pray tell, did you and Professor Flitwick decide to train?" Questioned McGonagall, her voice rising with each question in slight anger at her student's ignorance at how much he was tackling. Although, part of her was proud in how he is focusing more on his studies as well as impressed by his desire to use Battle Transfiguration as not many utilized that strategy.

"Oh, he saw me practicing my dueling against a few dueling dummies this morning and he was impressed by what he saw I guess. He did say, though, that dueling against another person, especially a dueling master like him, was significantly harder than dueling even 5 dummies at once. And professor? I don't think I'm taking too much on. Everything I'm doing will help me survive a battle against Voldemort and his Death Munchers. We both know he isn't going to rest until one of us is 6 feet underground. I'd prefer it, if it were him and not myself. I hope you feel the same, professor," with this short monologue, Harry's emerald eyes burned with a determined fire and his voice was harder than steel. The determination and sincerity she saw in his eyes stunned her. Never had she seen Harry this serious about anything before. With a shaky nod, McGonagall tried to convey her understanding of Harry's predicament and her agreement to help him in any way she could.

Seeing McGonagall's hesitant agreement, Harry grinned and thanked her and told her he would stop by her office tomorrow after he finished breakfast to see if he could take the Ancient Runes and Arithmancy exams. Harry started towards the library to help refresh his mind about the theories, alphabets, and techniques he learned over the last month of his summer to prepare for his potential entry exams. He found a table in a secluded back corner of the library and hunkered down. Two hours had passed before Harry heard any other student in the library.

"Honestly, Ronald! Who cares about Harry? Once he realizes how much he needs us to get through school, he'll come crawling back to us. It's not as if he can pass any of his classes without my help! And he'll need you to distract him from the stress of it all! I just want to take the time that he is ignoring us and make use of it. When was the last time the two of us had any free time alone?"

"Ah, Herms! You know I just want to pull you into a broom cupboard and ravish you!" At this Harry gagged. "All you want to do though is study. We're in the library and school hasn't even started yet!"

"Ronald, that's exactly why we're here! No one is around, not even Madam Pince! Now come here and snog me senseless!" At this comment, Harry began to hear moans and gasps coming from one row over. Throwing up a silencing charm so he could stop listening to this nightmare, he realized he was stuck here until his former friends were done. In order for him to exit the library, he would have to walk past the two, and for obvious reasons, he couldn't. Plus, he did not want to see whatever was happening.

Shuddering, Harry sat at his table trying to ignore what was happening mere meters from where he was. 'So that's why she's supporting Ron. They're dating!' Everything about Hermione's behavior finally made sense. The two of them probably got together over the summer and Hermione most likely doesn't want to ruin it by arguing with Ron. 'That's why she's letting him take the lead on everything! Oh, 'Mione. I would feel bad for you and try to help, if it wasn't for the fact that you thought I was an idiot,' thought Harry mournfully.

After some time, Harry removed the silencing charm to see if it was safe to leave. Relieved that the pair had apparently left, Harry packed up all his books and returned to Gryffindor's common room. Seeing Dean and Seamus, Harry walked over towards them.

"Hey Dean. Seamus. How were your guys' summers?"

"Alright, I suppose," replied Dean, "Better than Seamus' anyways." Harry quirked his eyebrow at Seamus after this comment.

"I almost didn't come back," he whispered. "My mum didn't want me to, you see."

"Why not?"

"Well, let's see. Because of you!" His voice quickly rising in volume. "It's because of all your stupid, crazy lies that You-Know-Who is back!"

Before this past August, Harry's temper may have gotten out of control and he probably would've shouted back at him. But, although Harry was still angry at the Ministry for printing their lies, he realized that the general wizarding populace, only had the Daily Prophet for their news source. Sure, there were other newspapers and magazines out there, but none as prominent at the Daily Prophet. Over the summer, Harry was able to properly angle his anger towards those that deserved it. Fudge and his cronies who were purposefully ignoring the signs that Voldemort was back, not the innocent public who placed their trust in those who were supposed to protect them.

"Seamus, I'm not going to begrudge you for what you believe. Am I disappointed? Yes. I'm disappointed that even after 4 years of sharing a dorm with me, you could think so little of me. But I understand why you do. I'm not going to hold it against and I hope we can continue on without letting this get between us," responded Harry. The common room went silent. Everyone was expecting Harry to blow up at anyone who disagreed with him. Ron and Hermione were fuming, they had hoped that after yelling at Seamus, they could swoop in and help Harry out as prefects. But then he had to go all diplomatic and not act out in anger.

Seamus sat there with his mouth hanging open, stunned. "Well, Harry, I can't say I'm your #1 fan, but I'm willing to put this aside so we can live without arguments. Sorry I yelled."

Chuckling, Harry assured Seamus he wasn't upset and continued his tour of the common room before noticing something odd.

"Where are all the first years?"

Silence.

"Guys, why aren't there any first years in here? Where are they?" Harry asked again, this time anger truly was burning in his eyes. He immediately turned to look at all the prefects – Ron, Hermione, Katie Bell, Cormac McLaggen, Alicia Spinnet, and Josh McDonald. "Where are they?" He growled out.

All six flinched at his ferocity. Katie was the one who responded. "We haven't seen them Harry. They never turned up for breakfast or lunch."

"Weren't two of you supposed to take them on a tour of the castle?"

"Ron and Hermione volunteered," Katie meekly answered.

Harry turned on his heel and stalked over to the two fifth-year prefects. "Well."

"They never showed up for the tour. We were going to take them at 11 am sharp," Hermione began, "so you can stop looking at us as if we are the worst people ever."

"Did it ever occur to you, that breakfast ends at 10? Obviously, they would want to eat before walking all over the castle! Why didn't you take them earlier?!" Harry questioned angrily staring down Ron and Hermione, daring them to lie to his face.

"Ah, Harry. Who wants a bunch of midgets eating breakfast with them! Besides, I wanted to sleep in a little bit. I'm sure they're fine. They probably got distracted by a secret passage or something," Ron stated without a care in the world.

"You two are the most self-centered people ever," Harry spit out before storming up the stairs towards his dorm. Quickly rummaging through his trunk, Harry pulled out the Maurader's Map to search for the, most likely, lost first-years. Finding Carly's name relatively quickly since she was with a large group of people, Harry saw that all of Gryffindor's new first-years were in the dungeons. Not knowing how they got there, but also not really caring, Harry rushed out of the tower to try and find the first-years before any Slytherins did.

He raced through the halls using any and all secret passages and shortcuts he could find to quickly get to the first-years. 10 minutes later, Harry found the first-years backed into a corner by none other than Draco Malfoy and his minions.

"Oi! Malfoy! Leave the kids alone," Harry yelled as he quickly raced towards the group, "They're only first-years!"

"Well, if it isn't ol' Scarhead to the rescue. Why should I? They are, after all, in snake territory," preened the blonde.

"Malfoy, it's their first day in the castle. They're lost. Would you want this to happen to Slytherin's new first-years? I don't think so. Please? Just let them go."

Surprised that Potter had actually said please, Malfoy agreed. "But, if they ever come down here again besides for Potions or detention, I won't hold back," he sneered. Malfoy turned and stalked away with his goons following him.

With a final glance towards the fifth-year Slytherins, Harry turned towards the frightened Gryffs. "Are you guys alright?" Satisfied by the nods he received from all 15 first-years, Harry sighed in relief. "Have you guys eaten at all today?" Seeing them all shake their heads, Harry motioned for them to follow him. "Well, I guess I can start your tour then. First things first, the kitchens!"

Harry led the, now, excited bunch of first-years to the kitchens and showed them which pear to tickle to gain entry. "Now, now that you know where this is and how to get here," Harry paused to sternly look at the group, "I fully expect you lot to take full advantage of it, but that doesn't mean you can skip meals, alright?"

"Yes, Harry!" Chorused the group. Satisfied, Harry opened the doors and began to usher them inside before being tackled by a 3-foot missile.

"Hello Dobby! How are you doing? Do you think you could get some snacks? They missed both breakfast and lunch. I know dinner is only a few hours away, but they haven't eaten all day," Harry asked his favorite house elf.

"Dobby is doing fine Harry Potter, sir! Dobby is excited to sees Harry Potter and his Firsties! Dobby and the other elves bes gettin' the foods soon Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby then whizzed off to inform the other elves of Harry's request.

"Now guys, I expect if you ever come down here, that you will respect the elves. They are very hardworking and accommodating, but that doesn't mean you can push them around, alright?" Seeing them all nod yet again, Harry allowed the new lions to eat their snack that the house elves were providing. Harry found Dobby and inquired after Winky.

"Winky is not doin' so well, Harry Potter, sir. Shes hasn'ts bonded with Hogywarts, sir. Hers magics is growin' weaker without a familys. Winky needs a familys, other'ise shes might be gone. All house elves do."

Processing this new information, Harry was startled. He didn't realize that without a family a house elf could die. "Dobby, where is Winky? Let me talk to her." Following Dobby into a back room, Harry noticed the strong scent of butterbeer. He saw Winky lying on the bed looking weak and pale. "Hi, Winky. How are you feeling?"

"Winky is a bad elf. Winky doesn't deserves to lives no more."

"Winky…would you like to be bonded to a new family?"

At this, Winky turned her head towards Harry with hope shining bright in her eyes. "Oh, yes sir! Winky would loves that!"

"Well, Winky, would you like to bond with me?" Dobby's face deflated immediately hearing that, however, Harry's entire focus was on the sick elf. "I don't need a whole lot done while I'm here at school. But according to Snoutclaw, I have numerous manors and properties that probably haven't been cleaned since my parents died. Would you like to help me?"

Winky nodded as enthusiastically as she could under the circumstances. Harry then grasped her hand and pushed his magic towards her. Immediately, Winky started to look healthier and stronger. "Oh, thanks you, Master Harry Potter! Winky thanks you!"

"Just Harry, Winky," chuckled the young wizard. "Now, first things first, I want you to lay off the butterbeer okay?" Seeing her nod, Harry continued, "Alright then. Can you go talk to Snoutclaw and ask him which Potter property would be the best for me to stay in next summer and then work on cleaning it? However, I want you to take your time and work no longer than 4 hours straight. I want at least 4 hours in between each shift for you to rest, eat, and sleep. Okay?"

"Yes, sirs, Master Harry!" With a pop, Winky disappeared. Harry then turned towards Dobby and noticed his sad face for the first time.

"What is it Dobby?"

"Dobby was hopin' he could be The Great Harry Potter's elf, sir. But now you have Winky and don't needs Dobby." Tears fell from Dobby's globe-like eyes.

"Well, Dobby. Cleaning an entire manner by oneself is a large job. I bet Winky would appreciate some help." Dobby's face began to grow brighter and happier. "Would you like to bond with me Dobby?"

Dobby flung himself at Harry, wrapping himself around his legs. "Oh, yes, Harry Potter! Yes, Dobby would likes that a lot!" Harry then proceeded to bond with Dobby and sent him on his way with the same orders as Winky. Chuckling at the recent events, Harry went to go check on the first-years. Seeing that they were all finished eating, Harry motioned them to thank the house elves so they could continue their tour.

Immediately after leaving the kitchen, Harry felt a weight jump onto his back. "Carry me, Harry!" Came an excited giggle from an eleven-year old girl. Suppressing both a sigh and a grin, Harry diligently carried Carly piggy-back style while showing off the castle he viewed as home.

Harry made sure to show them a few of the shortcuts that would be beneficial to get to classes on time, however, he conveniently forgot to show all of them so they could discover them on their own. Along with the shortcuts, Harry took them to each of the classrooms, excluding the DADA room as he really didn't want to run into Umbridge right now.

They were about to pass McGonagall's office when the first-years suddenly stopped. Harry continued to walk ignoring the whispers from his charges. As he was about to turn around to get them to hurry up, he heard a shouted "CHARGE!" from behind him. Turning with a resigned sigh, Harry saw all fifteen first-years sprinting at him. Moments later, they all dog piled on top of Harry crushing him.

The weight of all the first-years on him, plus the laughter induced by their prank, left him breathless. "What in the world is going on here?!" Came a stern Scottish voice causing all giggles to halt.

"Evening, Professor McGonagall. I was just taking these miscreants out for a tour of Hogwarts castle before dinner," Harry's muffled voice explained. "Apparently they thought it would be amusing to tackle me in front of our Head of House's office. Not the smartest thing to do, but very Gryffindor, I'm so proud."

With that comment, the first-years' giggling resumed despite McGonagall's stern face. "Well if you all could get off Mr. Potter and stop this nonsense, we could all go down to the Great Hall for some dinner."

"Yeah, first one to the Great Hall can ask me any question and I promise to answer truthfully!" With that, all the first-years scrambled off him and started running. "Oh! And no running!" Harry chuckled as every single one of them groaned.

Harry and Professor McGonagall watched as the first-years rounded the corner and looked at each other. Grinning, Harry led the professor to a tapestry. "Wanna see who gets there first, Professor?" He cheekily asked.

"Do I even want to know how you knew this passage was here?" McGonagall sighed.

"Nope!" Came Harry's cheerful response as he pushed the tapestry to the side to allow McGonagall to enter. On their quick walk to the Great Hall, McGonagall informed Harry that both Babbling and Vector agreed to allow Harry to attempt to test into either the fourth or fifth-year class. If Harry was unable to test into either, they would allow him to join the third-years and take his OWL his seventh-year. Harry thanked his professor for her help while McGonagall wondered why Harry was the one taking the first-years on the tour and not one of the prefects.

'Ah,' she sighed, 'if only Albus accepted Harry as prefect. I really don't know why he didn't.' She continued to ponder this for the rest of their walk. Shortly, the two arrived at the Great Hall and waited for the first first-year to show up. About 10 minutes later they had their answer.

"Harry! Was I first?"

"Yes, Euan. You were," Harry assured the younger boy, amused with his enthusiasm. Inwardly, Euan Abercrombie was even more ecstatic than he was visibly showing. He had grown up in the Wizarding World and knew all about the pureblood traditions, even though he was a half-blood. Therefore, there was one specific thing about Harry's past that confused him. He was excited to get the answer to his question.

The other first-years soon arrived and quickly gathered around Harry, Euan, and Professor McGonagall, who had stayed as she was curious what Euan would ask. Pausing to bring more suspense to the situation Euan finally asked his question. "Harry, I know in the Wizarding World every child is given two godparents who are to take the child in if anything happens to the parents. A godfather and a godmother. I understand why your godfather didn't take you in, but what about your godmother? She should have taken you in as she took an oath to do so."

Harry's eyes widened and he was shocked speechless. Everyone was thinking this was because he didn't know he had a godmother, but he was actually shocked that this was the question asked. Out of everything, Euan had to ask this. And in front of McGonagall too! 'Well, shit,' thought Harry.

"Umm…well Euan, that situation is a little complicated. I do have a godmother, but due to circumstances, she was unable to take me in." Harry tried to explain without giving too much away. "I'm sorry, but that is as much as I can tell you at this moment."

Despite his lack of satisfaction at Harry's answer, Euan let it go and started to eat his dinner. McGonagall looked at Harry in confusion before taking her leave to eat her dinner. Harry left the first-years to eat dinner with Neville and Luna, forgetting about the sadness that had enveloped within him when Euan asked his question. Harry wanted nothing more than to tell McGonagall she was his godmother, but for her safety Harry had to refrain from revealing how much of Umbridge's plot he was aware of.

Harry was rather withdrawn during this meal thinking about Umbridge and how to outmaneuver her so he could finally have the family he wanted. He tried to contribute to the conversation with Luna and Neville, but both could tell something was wrong. The two friends exchanged a worried glance before Neville asked, "Harry, are you alright?"

Sighing Harry responded, "Not really Nev, but I will be." He finished his meal and quickly exited the Great Hall before either of them could ask any more questions. Harry immediately went to his dorm and prepared to sleep. His day had just been too long and tiring, he was not in the mood to deal with anyone at the moment. He quickly got into bed and went to sleep to prepare for his busy day again tomorrow.

Harry woke up the next morning feeling quite refreshed after yesterday's long day. He immediately began his workout and training. By lunchtime, Harry was showered and ready for the rest of the day. Harry had a pleasant lunch with Luna and Neville who both decided to not talk about last evening until Harry wanted to. After his lunch, Harry hurried to McGonagall's office to take his entry exams for Ancient Runes and Arithmancy.

"Now, Mr. Potter. Both Professors Babbling and Vector made one exam with a combination from topics of third and fourth-years curriculum. They will calculate a score for both years as well as an overall score. Are you ready?"

Harry nodded and started the Ancient Runes exam. He quickly breezed through the third-year curriculum and took a little more time on fourth-year as this was newer material for him. Nevertheless, he easily made it through that portion as well. After a 10-minute break, McGonagall placed the Arithmancy exam in front of him and he started this new topic. Arithmancy did not come to Harry as easily as Runes, but he still made short work of the third-year material. Fourth-year, however, was more of a struggle. He was unable to complete the entire exam before time was up, yet he was confident in what he had finished so he wasn't worried.

Harry thanked Professor McGonagall once again for her assistance in the matter and asked her to pass his thanks to Professors Babbling and Vector for the opportunity. Realizing it was time for dinner, Harry rushed to the Great Hall and joined his friends for the meal. His previous troubles with Umbridge and McGonagall were put on a back burner as there was nothing he could do presently to help his situation. Because of this he was able to enjoy dinner with his friends and learned more about the two. Luna and Neville were quickly becoming his best friends. Sure, all three were different, but it was their differences that actually made them closer. Each was interested in the other two's interests and was eager to learn about them. For example, Harry was rubbish at Herbology, but listening to Neville speak about the different plants at his greenhouses at home with such passion intrigued Harry and he couldn't wait to hear more about it.

While Harry was laughing away with Neville and Luna, he quickly checked on the first-years. 'Thank goodness they made it to dinner,' he thought, 'hopefully they are getting to know the castle after yesterday.' He dragged Neville and Luna with him to talk to the firsties and asked if they were ready for classes tomorrow.

"I can't wait!" Exclaimed Carly as she cuddled her way into Harry's side as she already viewed him as the older brother she always wished she had. "I'm so excited to learn all about magic!" Similar views were expressed by the rest of the younger students.

"Remember, if any of you have any questions, I'll be around, okay?" Harry reminded them.

"I think, Potter, you meant to say ask your prefects, as we are the ones with the authority here," sneered Ron as he and Hermione passed the group.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just trying to relieve some of your burden so you two could have more time to snog," came Harry's sarcastic reply. "Been to the library yet, Hermione? I bet it's a good time to start on some private projects."

Hermione's face turned completely red in embarrassment. Harry just smirked at her discomfort while his implication seemed to just go completely over Ron's head. Hermione quickly led her newly announced boyfriend from the hall. Laughing at their discomfort, Harry returned his attention to the first-years. He simply enjoyed spending time with the younger students for some reason. He never noticed the twin pairs of eyes staring at him questioningly.

A/N: Please read and review!

-HP4Ever21