A/N: And now it has been updated on 07/23/2016
Chapter Four: Return to Hogwarts
"Mr. Weasley, can I ask for some advice?" Harry drew Mr. Weasley aside, once they returned to the Burrow.
"Of course, Harry." Mr. Weasley gave him a cheery smile, clapping his hand down on Harry's shoulder.
"In private, if you don't mind."
Mr. Weasley lead Harry up to his study, closing and locking the door, the act erecting a number of privacy wards. "What's wrong, Harry?"
"I just got some worrying news today." Concentrating his magic, he felt the rings become visible again, before showing them to Mr. Weasley, who whistled low.
"You are concerned because you are the Heir of one house, and the possible future Head of two?" Mr. Weasley asked.
"Somewhat. I just don't know what I'm supposed to do. And I thought you might be able to help me."
Mr. Weasley smiled. "I take it that you don't want me to tell anyone else." Harry smiled back, his shoulders losing a bit of their tension.
"Thank you."
"Of course, Harry." Standing up, Mr. Weasley went to a nearby bookshelf, grabbed four books and gave them to Harry. "I would suggest reading those." Harry moved through the pile seeing 'Wizarding Etiquette for New Lords', 'Understanding Wizarding Law and Making it Work for You', 'Runes of Lords', and 'Traditions of the Now and Bygone'.
"My father gave these to me to help me to help me figure out what I needed to do I order to be a 'proper' Lord."
"I thought that Lords lived in finery and all that posh nonsense."
"Well," Mr. Weasley admitted sheepishly, "we used to live in 'all that posh nonsense'. Then my grandfather gambled almost all of the family savings away."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Thank you for your help, Mr. Weasley."
"It's no problem, Heir Potter."
"Good night, Lord Weasley."
"You can call me Arthur, you know."
"Just as you can call me Harry." He replied, hearing Mr. Weasley laughing a little as he made his way up to Ron's room.
*'*_ _*'*
The next week found Harry reading his school books, or finishing the last of his summer work, before the school year started up again. Hermione encouraged this, while Ron seemed to be put out by it, wanting to play Quidditch with Harry instead.
"If you don't practice, there's no guarantee that you'll make the team. C'mon, mate, just a few rounds." He tried pleading, to no avail.
September 1st was approaching faster than any of them had anticipated. But everyone was thankful that they had finished their school shopping early.
August 31st dawned with a clear sky and very comfortable temperatures. Waking a little after Ron, Harry trudged downstairs. After a quick breakfast, they all gathered their school supplies and pets, before taking the Floo Network to the Leaky Cauldron. Dressed in non-magical clothes as opposed to their normal cloaks, they had planned to make the 40 minute walk across London. Mr. Weasley shrunk all their luggage, putting it in a pack that he was carrying. The walk over took about an hour, making the family thankful that they had begun at 10:30, as opposed to 11 o'clock. Taking off the pack, everyone took their trunks and pets, boarding the train posthaste.
Quickly finding an empty compartment, the Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down to consider the coming year. The adults had kept mentioning something big happening at Hogwarts this year, but they wouldn't say anymore than that.
The trio had a very uneventful train ride, only broken by Neville joining them and Malfoy attempting to harass them. He could only try because as soon as he came to a stop in front of their compartment, Hermione had put a locking ward on the door.
They all got a good laugh of him first trying to open the door regularly, then trying to magically open it. He eventually left in a huff, Crabbe and Goyle following along behind him.
"You'd think he would learn at some point." Hermione smirked, having foiled Malfoy's almost desperate attempts to bother the group.
"Not everyone is as intellectually gifted as you, Hermione." Neville clapped his hands over his mouth while Hermione just smiled at him. Ron, however, seemed to get a rather dark expression for half a second. It was there and gone so fast Harry was almost sure that it hadn't been there to begin with.
Several hours later, the conductor's voice rang out in their compartment, letting them know of their impending arrival. Thirty minutes after that, they all heard and felt the train slowing to a stop, followed by the conductor's voice again, telling them to leave their trunks and pets, that they would be up in their dorms when they got there.
Leaving the train, Harry heard Hagrid's yell of "Firs' years! Firs' years, over 'ere!" and waved toward the half-giant as they passed him. The carriages pulled them up to the school and they were able to find good seats at their house table.
After another twenty minutes, Professor McGonagall came into the hall making her way to Dumbledore, who gave her a scroll that Harry could only imagine had all the names of the first years. Returning to the back of the hall, she guided the newest batch of first years in, ready to be sorted.
About ten of them shrieked when the Sorting Hat opened a tear on the front and began singing:
"A thousand years or more ago,
When I was newly sewn,
There lived four wizards of renown,
Whose names are still well known:
Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,
Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,
Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,
Shrewd Slytherin, from fen.
They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,
They hatched a daring plan
To educate young sorcerers
Thus Hogwarts School began.
Now each of these four founders,
Formed their own house, for each
Did value different virtues
In the ones they teach.
By Gryffindor, the bravest were
Prized far beyond the rest;
For Ravenclaw, the cleverest
Would always be the best;
For Hufflepuff, hard workers were
Most worthy of admission;
And power-hungry Slytherin
Loved those of great ambition.
While still alive they did divide
Their favorites from the throng,
Yet how to pick the worthy ones
When they were dead and gone?
'Twas Gryffindor who found the way,
He whipped me off his head
The founders put some brains in me
So I could choose instead!
Now slip me snug about your ears,
I've never yet been wrong,
I'll have a look inside your mind
And tell you where you belong!"
The hall broke out into applause at the conclusion of the song. The sorting lasted another forty minutes, concluding with one final cry of "Hufflepuff!" for "Roberts, Meikala". Gryffindor came away with eight new students, Slytherin got nine, Hufflepuff got eight, and Ravenclaw got seven.
Dumbledore stood up at the front of the hall, "Another year, where we welcome back everyone who has been here before, and we graciously invite those who are new to join us all in learning. Tuck in." And with that, the feast began. An hour later, Harry felt stuffed to the point of tiredness, when Dumbledore took to his podium again.
"Before you are all sent off to the warm comfort of your beds, I have a few announcements to make." Harry turned to look at the Headmaster, when it hit him. He had been feeling rather indifferent to Dumbledore, as opposed to seeing him as the man he needed to turn to for help. Dumbledore might have been the one that had been feeding him the loyalty potions. Harry shook himself out of his reverie as Dumbledore began.
"Mr. Filch would like me to remind you all that there are still four hundred and thirty-seven items that are banned from use inside the school. The same list of can be viewed on his office door at any time. The forest we have on the edge of of our lawn is still very much forbidden, meaning no student," he said looking at the Gryffindors, "should go in there. The Interschool Quidditch Competition is also disbanded for this year." This opened the floodgates of complaints. All four captains leapt to their feet, yelling about sacrilege. Some players joined in, along with more than half of the rest of the students. It was several minutes before Dumbledore was able to quiet them enough to continue.
"Now for my biggest announcement. This year, Hogwarts will be the host school for the Quadriwizard Tournament!" Excited conversations broke out throughout the hall, and even Fred stood up, yelling, "You're joking!"
"I would not joke about a matter such as this, Mr. Weasley." Dumbledore said, with a hint of a chuckle. "Now, there will be three other schools that will be staying here for the duration of the tournament. There is the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, from France, the Durmstrang Institute, from Scandinavia, and the Salem Institute for the Magically Gifted, from the United States. They will be arriving at the end October and staying with us throughout the year. Therefore, I expect us all to show our guests the very best that Hogwarts has to offer. More information about the tournament will be made known to you when they have arrived. Now, off to bed. Chop chop!"
A couple hours later, Dumbledore stood by the giant doors that led to the grounds, which opened at 11:30 exactly, letting in a man, who walked with the slightest limp. "Welcome, my old friend." Dumbledore said, "Come. There is much I must discuss with you."
*'*_ _*'*
The next morning came rather quickly. Harry and Ron met with Hermione down at breakfast, where she was looking over her class schedule.
"It looks like we have Runes at the same time we did last year, Harry." Hermione said, handing Harry and Ron their own schedules.
"Why can't either of you join me in Divination?" Ron complained, sounding like a petulant child.
"Because I like the challenge and Harry can agree that the whole class is just a washout."
"But it's an easy O..." Ron tried, only for Harry and Hermione to shake their heads at him.
"Either way, we have Transfiguration first." Harry said, "Then after lunch, we have DADA." They went off to Transfiguration, where they began to go over the basic principles of animate to inanimate transfiguration. Afterwards, Harry and Hermione headed to the library to find some materials for their assignments.
Having stopped to skim a book that he had found, he suddenly felt someone tap his shoulder.
Looking around he came face to face with what happened to look like an angel.
Straight platinum-blonde hair framed a cute, slightly pointed face, complete with electric blue eyes that seemed both alive and dead at the same time. He wasn't sure how she was able to pull it off, but she was able to and it made her look gorgeous. But it was those features that also gave away her identity. "Greengrass?" He said politely, looking at her.
"You're in the way, Potter. Just standing there reading the book. Go find a table." And there was the iciness that had earned her the nickname, "Ice Queen." Hermione sometimes referred to her as "The Snow Queen", whoever that was. Something about Hans Christen Andersen. He had asked a few times, but she had simply told him to go find the book.
Harry and Daphne had been at odds since their second year, when Professor Fake-hart had started up that Dueling club. Both he and Daphne had been among the top students in the club. She was incredibly skilled at it, having been champion for the two years it had been running, with Harry always at a close second. Not to mention the times she seemed to enjoy beating him during regular meetings.
It didn't help that Ron kept talking about how no one in Slytherin was good in any way, which Hermione tried to argue against his claims until he used it as a way to belittle her even further. Harry frowned as he made his way back to the study table. Ron was the first friend he had ever made at Hogwarts. But for all that he said about the Slytherins being biased and bigoted, he seemed to carry many of his own biases. He didn't know what he was going to do about that situation. It was all too much for him sometimes.
*'*_ _*'*
The beginning of classes went easily, and the trio were very eager to learn the identity of their newest DADA teacher. On the way into the class, Harry noticed a couple of Slytherins muttering to themselves, and taking bets on how long this professor would last.
As everyone took their seats, they were surprised to see a heavily scarred and disheveled man, who looked like he lost a fight with a hippogriff, come limping out of the professor's office.
"I am Alastor Moody. Ex-Auror. And now, your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." He told the class, who were completely silent. Harry was scared but also a little excited. Here was probably another good teacher. "I know that some teachers may think I'm mad, but I like to be ready for anything. You need to practice CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" He ended with a yell, a few students jumping in their seats. "As such, I'm going to show you what the three Unforgivable Curses look like." Every student with magical parents, and Hermione, went white as a sheet.
"Sir, isn't there a reason why they are Unforgivable?" She nervously raised her hand, asking her question in a shaky voice.
"Yes, the use of one of any of a these is a sentence in Azkaban. No pardons, no getting off. Any other stupid questions?" He asked, his magical eye whizzing in its socket. "Good." He said when no one raised their hand. "Now, who can give me one of them? Longbottom! What is one of the Unforgivables?"
Neville mumbled a reply. Moody looked grave. "Yes. The Cruciatus Curse." Going back to his desk he pulled out a small tarantula, which he then expanded to the size of his hand. Ron almost fled the classroom altogether. "Crucio!" Moody yelled. The spider immediately folded up, it's legs wriggling in pain, or so Harry thought. Neville's face was white and quickly turning green. Moody then stopped. "The torture curse. Designed to hurt you once and have a lasting effect. This is a rather favored spell by the Death Eaters." Neville kept staring at the spider, breathing heavily until Moody directed him back to his seat.
"Another one...Weasley!"
"Uh, t-the Imperius Curse." Ron whimpered, eyes still fixated on the spider.
"Yes, complete and total mental domination." Moody said, deathly quiet, but in the silence of the classroom, everyone heard him. Directing his wand to the tarantula again, Moody said, "Imperio!" The spider instantly straightened up, before doing a weird tap dance, before doing cartwheels around the desk. The ridiculous antics continued for five minutes and everyone was laughing by the end, except Ron.
"You think that's funny, do you?" Moody asked, as the class shut up instantly. "Many witches and wizards claimed that they only did bad things because they were under the influence of the Imperius Curse. And, the final curse?"
The whole class was silent until Daphne spoke up. "The Killing Curse."
"Yes...Avada Kedavra!" Moody yelled, jabbing his wand at the spider. A flash of green light left his wand and the spider keeled over, dead. "Instant death if it hits you, no counter, no blocking.
Only one person is known to have survived that curse. And he's sitting right in front of me." Moody said, standing over Harry's desk.
"Now, of all of them, the Imperius is the easiest to fight, but that does not mean that it is easy to fight. So, you're about to get some time under, for educational purposes."
One by one, he called everyone forward to try to fight off the curse. One by one, Harry watched many people fail. Neville did gymnastics that looked like they would be painful if he was in his normal mind. Draco tried to slither on the floor. Lavendar acted like a squirrel. Finally, Harry came face to face with Moody.
"Imperio!"
Harry instantly felt very relaxed, almost like he was floating on a cloud.
"Stand on your head." A voice said, reverberating inside his head, and Harry felt himself agreeing. He would do that if he could stay like this. Getting ready to attempt it, a niggling voice started to talk, 'It's kinda stupid to do that, don't you think?'
"Stand on your head."
'No, I don't think so.'
"Stand. On. Your. Head."
'Get. Out. Of. My! Head!'
Harry stumbled as the cloudlike sensation left him and he returned to the Defense class.
"Excellent, Potter! You fought it off. Good work. Next!"
Harry made his way back to his seat, stunned that he had been able to resist. Out of the entire class, only Harry, Hermione, and Daphne were able to actually fight off the full effects of the spell.
