Harry Potter and The Winter Court Chapter 6

Dumbledore was still on the sick side of a fast track recovery. His whole body was aching from the lack of recreational chemicals that he had been absorbing, in several ways, for years. Unfortunately he could not afford the luxury of rest right now. His deputy had been explaining a series of weird, even by his standards, occurrences.

The Headmaster finally got tired of her voice and interrupted, "I get the picture Minerva. Now tell me what you think is going on."

"Would I have gone this far if I had the foggiest idea what was happening, Albus?" The rather irate witch snapped.

"I have a few ideas." Dumbledore said while stroking his beard, "It reminds me of the ancient legends, and some articles I read in my youth."

"Articles? You mean some muggle publications?" McGonagall asked.

"Yes. A young man living in the colonies. I never met him myself, but several of his ideas on the Dreamlands were... Disturbing." The powerful wizard's hesitation worried the Deputy Headmistress.

"But the Dreamlands are only a myth. Something that used to be used to get young wizards to charge into battle, without them worrying about death as much. Merlin himself said that he never found any evidence, aside from a few clairvoyants that muttered gibberish most of the time."

"How else would you explain the young Mr. Potter's abilities? Or his interesting potions talent?." Albus had that far away look that always bothered her, "I believe that there are many answers that may be found in the old legends. I shall have to look into it."

"Albus, what are we going to do about this whole business with Black? Harry has apparently already contacted the DMLE. He may try to contact the man, and Sirius was always dangerous, even without a wand." Minerva looked riled by this whole thing.

Albus decided to take pity on her and reveal a secret he had kept for a long time. "Mr. Black would do nothing to harm Harry. He is a good and decent man who has suffered long for a crime he did not commit and was never tried for."

"But he was working for You-Know-Who. He betrayed Harry once, why wouldn't he do it again?"

"He was not the Potter's secret keeper, Minerva. That was Peter." Dumbledore sounded tired.

McGonagall gasped, "Why Albus? Why did you let him suffer for carrying out the justice the Aurors would have given the traitor?"

"Because I had no evidence to contradict the official assumption." Albus shook his head, "Life may have been different for our young Mr. Potter if I could have proved his innocence. But that is not something we can change now. We must try to assist Harry in any way we can, and I have an old friend I need to consult with."

He stood and smiled at his friend and confidant, "Thank you Minerva, and as little as it is worth, I am sorry. Hopefully I can make it up to all of you in the coming days."

xxxXXXxxx

A week after the incidents of Halloween, Harry came to find his best friend in the Common Room. They had spoken often in the past week, helping her to come to terms with what had happened. With time she had started to understand her friend much better. Now he felt it was time to begin the search for his parent's betrayer.

"Hey Hermione." He waved nonchalantly as he slipped into the chair across from her. "You got a minute?"

She cast a lidded glance over her book, wondering what kind of trouble he was about to get her into. "Is this going to get us in trouble?"

"Most of it, no. But there are a few parts that could get dicey if we get caught." He smiled as she rolled her eyes. "First we have to reproduce something my father made while he was in school."

"And that would be?" Despite herself, Hermione was becoming interested in the upcoming task.

"They called it the Marauder's Map. It showed a map of the school and all of its occupants."

"Sounds like a tricky bit of charm work. Are you sure we can do this?"

"We have all the information he can give us on it, so I don't see a problem there. The really complicated part is going to be making some specific modifications so we can find track Wormtail."

"I can see needing a wider area, as well as finding a person under animagus. It might also be useful to give a filter for some other effects too." Hermione was already writing down a list of things they would need to add to the Marauder's Map Mk. 2 to make it the most useful tool they could have.

"All in good time. But that's where things can get a little dicey. I figured we could start with making an initial prototype that can detect polyjuiced individuals. This way we can figure out how to add things to it without destabilizing the spell matrix. I also know a few ways to use runes that will help with this."

On an unspoken agreement the two teens started splitting the task between them. They stayed like this for hours, making some of the other ravenclaws wonder what the pair could be working on like that. Then the curious students would remember something else and run off to get it done, leaving Harry and Hermione to their work.

xxxXXXxxx

Following Halloween, one of the things that Harry started doing was to wonder the school at night. Fortunately for him there was a profound lack of corridor patrols at this late hour. He theorized that this was due to most teachers being in bed, and the few that were alert were focusing on the more popular areas of the school. Such as the potions classroom, where they could perhaps nick a few ingredients for simple but illicit brews. Or the kitchens, where many people would go for a late night snack.

But out in the far reaches of the castle, where classes were not taught, there was almost no one looking for wayward charges. There might be the occasional ghost floating down the hall, usually deep in thought, but they just kept going. He had explored three of the disused classrooms, finding the occasional scrap of parchment with a teacher's note on it. Nothing terrible useful, but you never knew when a minor tidbit of advice would come in handy.

Tonight he was checking out another one that had an odd magical artifact in it. He could clearly see the swirling pattern of contained runic power through even the walls. He had also found something else of interest while exploring like this. Very specific runic symbols, those he had learned deep in the dreamlands, were carved at strategic points around these parts of the school. As he found them he calculated the overall breath of the ritual circle that they would encompass. Most of the school was in fact within this array, which appeared to be crafted by his nemesis.

If Voldemort was in the school, it meant that he was hiding inside someone. Harry couldn't understand what would convince someone to allow that vile creature access to their body, but figured everyone had their price. The raven haired boy had smiled, "So you plan to use the school, and the souls of everyone in it, to power the summoning circle? We'll just see about that." He had recorded the runes and began piecing the information together. He would have to work on the right way to modify them later, but that would require at least ninety percent of the array being known. This is what led him to this runic patterns suggested a very powerful magical focus, possibly a power source for the array. It didn't quite fit the equation he had already found, but you never knew.

Entering the room Harry found two magical sources. One from the object and another from the headmaster sitting in the corner under an invisibility spell. Whatever the old man was doing, Harry would let him believe he went unnoticed. Turning to the object Harry understood why the thing was so powerful. Etched around the frame was the most intricate rune work he had ever seen. The runes were so expertly formed and arranged as to make one wonder at the sanity of the creator. The script seemed to loop back on itself, over and over again. This was the feature causing the energy from the environment to collect and pool inside the item.

He became aware of a pattern emerging within the intricate rune work. Reaching out he drew a pattern in the air that connected all the symbols. Satisfied with the arrangement he drew his wand.

Dumbledore was unsure what Harry was doing, but he felt the young man's motions had a purpose. What was most surprising was that the child was not enraptured by the Mirror of Erised as so many others were. When Harry drew his wand the elderly wizard was tempted to intervene, rather than risk damage to the centerpiece of his trap. The raven haired boy pressed the tip of his wand into his finger, not even bothering to whisper a spell. When he took it away a large drop of blood welled forth quickly.

The young mage reached out and began touching runes, the exact same ones that he had traced just a moment before. He worked his way around the frame, leaving a string of glowing blue spots in his wake. All the wild reports that had inundated the old man over the last few days became completely possible as he watched this boy create a runic array from a preexisting set. While not absolutely impossible, it took a very talented master, someone with around a century in the practice, to do what this boy of eleven was doing.

When Harry touched the thirty-first rune the entire array flared a brilliant cerulean, drawing power from the mirror. Though Dumbledore could not see, an image resolved in the reflective surface. Harry spoke to his parents, "Hey Mom, Dad. Sorry to surprise you like this, but I found this really cool mirror that's supposed to show you your heart's deepest desire. I manipulated the energy temporarily to create a semi-stable portal."

The voice from the Mirror of Erised echoed around the room, startling the old man sitting in the corner, "It's okay honey. What can we do for you?"

"Do you remember that thing Aunt Skuld made for me? I could use it." Harry answered his mother.

"How bad is it son?" James Potter asked as his wife ran off.

"He's here. I've found evidence of a summoning array all over the school so far. If he makes his move soon that item would come in handy."

Lilly reappeared and held out what looked like a plastic blueprint case toward her son. Dumbledore was astonished to see a package push it's way out of the rippling surface of the mirror. Harry took the end that was offered to him and dragged it the rest of the way through.

"I love you guys." Harry said, "Hope to see you again soon."

With that the glowing runes faded, returning the Mirror of Erised back to it's former state. Harry stood there for a moment, head down and silent. Finally he spoke, "You know Headmaster, I really hated having to come back here."

"Why is that Harry?" Albus asked, not letting even a hint of his mounting surprise be heard.

"Because this is the only way I can see them now. I've built up too much power to go back, even if there was a true portal that I could use."

"To the Dreamlands?"

"So you've put that much together, have you?" Harry finally turned to look at the Headmaster, "Yes, sir, to the Dreamlands. I grew up there, under the loving care of my parents."

"Is that how you got all those injuries, under their care?"

"Watch it, old man. My parent spoke highly of you, so don't go insulting them. I got most of these learning to fly dragons. Falls and bumps, that kind of thing. Then there was my Aunt Skuld." Harry was shaking his head and smiling at the memories.

"Aunt? I seem to recall that your mother was the only one with a sister?"

Harry chuckled, "The three sisters, Vervandi, Skuld, and Urd, were my teachers for a time. I was young and that was the way they were introduced to me. I came to think of them as very close friends, despite the fact that Skuld would trounce me almost every day."

The Headmaster was alarmed by the news of one of his student's being beaten daily, "Why did she do that, Harry?"

"She was my first melee weapons instructor. Don't look so surprised. She was about my size at the time, but has centuries of experience." Harry rubbed his ribs on the right hand side. "And that little hammer of hers is a real bitch."

Dumbledore recognized the motion involved in remembering a cherished injury. There was no way to fake the little smile on his face as the memories of what he learned rushed through his head. Albus even found himself rubbing his leg just above the knee. "If I might ask, what did your other aunts teach you?"

Harry smiled, "Very good, old man, very good. But since it doesn't matter now anyway, my Aunt Vervandi taught me about runes, ancient, Egyptian, divine, a few with names that aren't even translatable into English. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to think in three different languages when you're nine."

"So that was just two years ago?" Dumbledore asked. The old man just assumed that there wouldn't be much time for other things after learning that.

"Yes and no." Harry replied, "Time doesn't always work the same on the other side. From my perspective that was five years ago. I spent about a year studying with them before I started learning from others."

The headmaster kicked up his estimations of Harry a few notches higher. If the boy had learned this much in a year, the prospect of him learning other things at the same pace was both frightening and reassuring. Dumbledore didn't like thinking of the child prodigy before him in terms of the prophecy, but having him so well trained made him think that Tom might be subdued more easily. Returning to the previous question, "What did your other aunt, Urd I believe it was, teach you?"

Harry chuckled, "You may not approve of it, sir, but she taught me how to drink, among other things."

Albus was suddenly furious at the statement, "Are you telling me that this woman got a nine year old drunk?"

"Calm down old man. You'll burst a blood vessel at your age." Harry said in a placating tone, "She was teaching me how to do alcohol magic. You see, she draws her energy directly from the drink. Over the years, she's managed to learn how a magic user can accomplish the same thing through magically manipulating their biochemistry."

"And she taught you these charms?"

"Yeah. As long as I stay conscious I can't get drunk unless I choose to. At the same time, I get a huge energy boost while my body metabolizes the alcohol into a magical catalyst. It can be fun, seeing your own father trying to out-drink both his son and a centuries old woman at the same time, and failing miserably." Harry could see the smile spreading on the Headmaster's features as he described James' antics.

"Is that all that she taught you, my boy?" The grinning Albus asked.

"Well..." Harry trailed off, continuing with a bit of a blush, "She also taught me how to kiss, for when I meet the right girl. She promised to teach me more after that, too, but I don't know what that will be."

The old man almost burst out laughing at the darkening features of the boy before him that was discussing his first kiss. It was reassuring that Harry could still feel embarrassed, not all of his innocence gone yet. "I do hope you'll tell me who taught you how to do wandless magic one day, but I think it's time for bed. You must be tired Harry."

"Not hardly. Sleep is a little too overrated anyway." Harry smiled at the white bearded man sitting there trying to get a promise for more information. "As for that thinly veiled question, it's not wandless magic as you call it."

With that said, the raven haired boy left the room to continue his exploration.

xxxXXXxxx

It was the end of the second week of November before the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Madam Amelia Bones, was able to get away long enough to visit Hogwarts. Her job kept her busy, dealing with all the reports of petty crimes committed by a seemingly endless supply of such criminals and serious crimes committed by a handful of die-hards left over from the last war. As the stately woman made her way up the ancient steps she was reminded of her days at this prestigious academy. Life seemed so much simpler back then, when all she had to worry about was getting her OWLs.

With a sigh she pushed the giant front doors open to reveal the entrance hall. Standing a few feet past the opening was her old friend from her school days, "Hello Minerva, I wasn't expecting to be greeted at the door."

"A person of your position, Madam Director, should be shown proper respect." McGonagall replied.

"Cut that out. It wasn't that long ago I was one of your students, being chastised for being out after curfew." The head of the DMLE responded.

Smiling at her old friend, the deputy headmistress conceded, "Very well Amelia, but only when the students are not around. Are you here about the Potter matter?"

"Fortunately yes, and I need to speak with Dumbledore about that, before meeting with Mr. Potter." the director motioned for them to head for the headmaster's office.

"Do you know why he would suddenly take an interest in that murderer, Black?" McGonagall asked as they walked.

"You do know that his guilt was never proven. Without a trial we will most likely never know exactly what took place that night that lead to the death of one of his best friends."

"Why was that? Even the worst of The Dark Lord's followers received a trial."

"I was just an Auror back then, so I don't really know the details. It seems as though an agreement was reached between The Minister, The Head of The Wizengamot, and The DMLE head of the time. Whatever else happened, those three decided the fate of one man all on their own." Bones answered.

"I can't believe Albus would have allowed Sirius to rot in that hell we call a prison, especially with what he's told me." Minerva wasn't yet ready to betray the confidence of her boss and mentor, but the more she learned the less she liked him.

"I don't think he had much of a choice. Minister Bagnold and Director Crouch were both very bloodthirsty back in the day. Since Black was instantly labeled as a Death Eater when the Potters died, they most likely wanted his head. Dumbledore probably had to bargain just to keep Black alive, but without definitive proof there was no way to free him. If Sirius had gone to trial in that environment, it would have ended with him getting kissed." Amelia had caught the hint that the Wizengamot's head knew something he wasn't making public, but she respected the loyalty of her friend.

Reaching the guardian to the headmaster's office, a giant stone gargoyle, Minerva gave the password, lemon drop, and they rode the spiral stair to the next landing. The deputy headmistress knocked before entering, finding her employer sitting behind his desk with a serene look in his twinkling eyes.

"Albus, Director Bones to see you." She looked around and was pleased to see that all of his little silver widgets were still and silent. Apparently, the headmaster had regained use of that eye twinkle ability while sober.

"Ah, yes. Welcome back to Hogwarts, Director." Dumbledore came around his desk to shake the law enforcement officer's hand. "I do so appreciated you coming to see me about this situation."

"Headmaster," Bones replied, "It's nice to have an excuse to come back to my once home away from home. I have many fond memories of this warm old castle."

Albus motioned for them to sit as he resumed his place. "I am sorry that we could not have met in a more informal capacity, but I felt we should handle this as soon as possible."

"Indeed, Albus." The head of the DMLE answered as she pulled a suspiciously thin stack of parchment out of her bag. "I would like to have a few things clarified."

"Of course, Amelia. Please ask anything you like."

"Should I go, Albus?" Minerva inquired, starting to stand.

"Only if you wish Professor. I can't think of anything we may discuss that could impact your opinion of me." That damn twinkle was back as the old man communicated in undertones with his deputy.

"Very well." The transfiguration teacher sunk back into her seat.

"So, Amelia, what is it you would like to know?"

"Why was there no trial held for Black?" The Director began the questions.

"That was my decision actually. The evidence was overwhelming and public opinion was against him. I decided to send him to prison to avoid the director of the DMLE and the Minister from pushing for the kiss." The years seemed to show on Dumbledore's face as he admitted to sending a man to the living version of hell rather than let him be killed.

"Why not just let him be kissed, if he is the traitor and killer we were lead to believe?"

"Because he has never betrayed anyone. He was not the secret keeper for the potters, because we felt that he was too obvious a choice. It turns out that Peter was actually working for Tom, so we actually just handed them over without a fight. Then Sirius went after Pettigrew, despite his responsibilities to Harry. When Black found his target, the despicable weasel set off an overpowered blasting curse to cause a distraction."

"Now here's where it gets fuzzy. Either Peter killed himself, or he used some sort of technique to escape and leave Sirius to take the blame for the muggle deaths. Since all the pre-obliviation statements pointed toward Mr. Black committing the crime, the Minister and head of the DMLE were all ready to call for a punishment that the crime called for. But I knew that Sirius was innocent of the crime he was being judged on, as well as the one he was being charged with. Unfortunately, I couldn't just let him go without proof."

"So what do you think Mr. Potter has to add to the discussion?" Amelia asked.

"I have no idea." Dumbledore answered, "Given the discussions I've had with him, it could be anything. And no, I am not willing to mention more about those conversations. I think that you should speak to him and find out."

"Albus, you're okay with one of our student's being questioned by a member of the DMLE?" Minerva inquired.

"I can assure you, Minerva, that I won't be using veritaserum on him. I just want to know where he can help me, or I him as the case may be," She withdrew the letter Harry had written her and handed it to McGonagall, "to correct this travesty of justice and free his godfather."

After reading the short correspondence from one of the student's the deputy headmistress relented, "I can't say that I am completely happy about this, but if you don't have a problem with this Albus, I suppose it's alright."

xxxXXXxxx

Harry was still up to his old tricks, sneaking around the school after Hermione went to bed. Ever since his run in with the old man, the youth had started taking more chances. He was currently comparing an incomplete diagram of the summoning circle he had found, overlaid on a map of the school, to the actual location the next mark should be in. The transfiguration classroom was an unlikely place to find it, as it was such a high traffic place. Still it should right about there.

He bent down to find a flow of energy hidden under a shallow cover stone. Using a simple levitation spell, channeled through his wand to avoid lifting everything in the classroom, the stone rose and settled on a desk several feet away. Harry then filled in the information and turned to the cover stone.

The black haired mage then drew his blade and began flowing power through it, heating the blade quickly. He then went through the careful motions of carving a small circle into the underside of the piece of rock. Satisfied with his work, the young magic user replaced the cover. Turning to leave he was surprised to find the door opening to reveal a white bearded individual coming in.

The headmaster was followed by two others, McGonagall and Bones. The three of them spread out before the boy, each of them respecting him to different degrees and for different reasons. Albus had come to admire the child's skill at several arts, including some that he considered mythical. Minerva had seen his work in her class, as well as hearing about his proficiency with the other subjects, and could understand that he was no ordinary student. Bones had found the wording of his letter to be mature beyond what should have been possible for his age. The subtle hints contained therein had also interested her immensely.

The green-eyed young wizard took a seat and nodded his readiness to the old man. Albus smiled and began, "Mister Potter, under normal circumstances I would protest your being out of bed at this late hour. But you are, I believe, a special case, and not likely to listen to me anyway. Especially not after the way I heard you dressing down Professor Snape, which was also out of line."

The gray-haired man's words may have been scathing, but his tone was almost one of amusement. "So, allow me to introduce Madam Bones, Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, whom you have been writing to."

"Madam Bones." Harry nodded.

"Mister Potter." Amelia replied with an equal nod. Her monocle was allowing her to spot all the items hidden strategically in his clothes. The wand in a gauntlet holster, short blade strapped to his hip, and several small notebooks she was unable to glean the contents of because of some sort of runic protection.

"Please, Director, call me Harry." He responded to her greeting, "And the blade is a family heirloom I carry for protection."

Blinking at the obvious semi-rebuttal, Bones smiled, "Sorry for prying. Just an old habit that's hard to break, from the war."

"Completely understandable Director. Now, what can I do for you?" Harry was enjoying putting the DMLE director of balance. It was the best way to even the field.

"Well, Harry, from your letter, you wanted to know why Sirius Black was currently in prison." He nodded, signaling her to continue. "The criminal Black was imprisoned for mass murder. He cast an overpowered blasting curse into the middle of a crowded muggle street. It resulted in a dozen fatalities, including one of his close friends, Peter Pettigrew."

"Pettigrew was no friend of Sirius's. He betrayed my parents, which explains why the numb skull decided to go off chasing him." He turned to the deputy headmistress, "Do you remember my godfather's time at school?"

"I don't think I shall ever forget it." She replied, a little testily.

"Did he ever suffer from extreme inaccuracy, missing his target by more than an inch?"

"Not to my knowledge." Minerva replied. "I remember one time when he managed to hit a moving target thirty yards away."

"So if he was facing a man, even across a street, he would not be likely to hit the center of the street?"

"I would agree with that assertion."

Harry turned back to the director, "What is the effect of the blasting curse on the human body?"

"It is a rather messy way of dismembering a person, causing an inordinate amount of bleeding. Death Eaters were rather fond of using that curse as a method of torture."

"So an overpowered blasting curse would most likely leave little physical evidence, much less a prisoner that could be interrogated. So why would he have used that curse if he knew he would be the prime suspect in my parent's betrayal?" Harry summed up the idiocy of the assumptions made in this case.

Madam Bones was quickly coming to terms with how intelligent this young man was. All his points were valid, and would have stood up in any wizarding court, even those just after the war. "I take it you have a theory about what happened."

Harry smiled, "I would suspect that Peter was the one that used the blasting curse, so that he could escape through the sewers in his animagus form, that of a rat."

"But Peter was not a registered animagus." McGonagall protested.

"He, and most of his friends, were unregistered animagus. The notable exception is Remus Lupin, who is a werewolf. Sirius was a grim, my father, James, was a stag, and Peter was a rat. This worked out perfectly during the full moon, as Pettigrew could disable the Whomping Willow, allowing them to access the tunnel located under it. This tunnel took them to the shrieking shack, where Remus was sequestered during the full moon. The two larger creatures could overpower the werewolf without having to worry about the dangers involved with interacting with a werewolf, since they are only aggressive toward humans in that state. The group would run all over the countryside, and the dark forest, creating several of the myths that surround this place." Harry was enjoying the looks of shock coming from his audience.

Albus lifted his wand and sent a thin wisp of silvery smoke out the window. A few moments later a reply arrived, with a single word, "Yes."

The old man sagged, "Remus just confirmed what Harry said. So it is possible the finger that received a hero's funeral was deliberately severed. Now we just have to find a rat, possibly literally, in order to prove Mr. Black's innocence."

"I don't think so Albus." Amelia countered. "Everything I've heard tonight would be more than enough to reopen the case, and the current make-up of the Wizengamot would would favor the release of a pureblood scion on the terms of lack of conclusive evidence."

"Madam Bones," Harry interrupted, "I would ask you to wait for me to possibly get you some, as you say, conclusive evidence."

"What new information could be introduced this long after the event?" Bones asked.

"Would an innocent man hide for ten years, especially when his supposed killer was safely locked away in prison?" The others look a little confused to start with, then The DMLE Director's eyes went wide. "Exactly, I think I can find Peter Pettigrew. Using a modified version of an artifact Peter helped make, I should be able to track him anywhere on the planet, even in his animagus form."

Amelia look thoughtful for a moment, weighing the possibilities of the situation, "I can't see where it would hurt to wait a little while, but I'm still going to have Black moved, quietly, to a facility other than Azkaban, maybe even the Ministry cells, just to get him away from those monsters."

"I would appreciated that Director." Harry waited a moment to make sure the discussion was over. "If there is nothing else, I really do have a lot of work to do still."

"Shouldn't you be headed to bed, since you have classes tomorrow?" Minerva asked, a little pointedly.

Albus grinned, "I don't think we will have to worry about young Harry's performance, especially considering that he does this every night."

The deputy headmistress was miffed at the exception to her cherished rules, but didn't argue with the man she respected even after his mistakes.

Harry then looked at the gray haired man, "Albus, would you be kind enough to tell Snape to back off. I've been nice, stopping anyone from getting hurt. But if he doesn't stop being a jack ass soon, I'll make sure he's in the next shield I throw up to protect the class."

With that, the raven haired boy left. His departure leaving three very stunned adults in his wake.

xxxXXXxxx

Apparently Dumbledore had spoken to the potions master about his behavior, because his attitude had seriously changed. He had gotten even more belligerent in his persecution of one Harry Potter. As the end of November approached, the green eyed mage decided he had put up with enough.

Hermione was just adding an ingredient she had been grinding into a fine powder when Severus came over to their table. The greasy haired professor leaned in close to whisper in this least favorite student's ear, "I'm not afraid of you Potter, no matter how popular you are with the headmaster."

"Professor, only a fool is fearless, especially when his death is standing next to him." Harry said as he continued to word diligently.

"My death?" Severus snorted, "Are you threatening me Potter?

"I'm warning you Snape, if you don't stop distracting me, I won't be able to stop every little disaster that happens in your class. Like the cauldron about to explode right beside you." Just as he said it, the potions apparatus shared by himself and Hermione boiled over. The frothing pink substance quickly filled the shield surrounding the cauldron and professor, engulfing the helpless man in some random substance.

Cold green eyes watched patiently until the pressure seemed to abate. He dropped the shield to reveal a very large mass of frazzled black hair, behind which were a pair of horrified eyes darted quickly around the room. With a somewhat higher pitch squeak than would have normally been present, the least favorite teacher in the school ran quickly from the room.

"I think that means the class is over everyone." A minor cheer accompanied the statement, along with the sounds of student's filing out the same door, careful of the pink goo footprints leading the way.

xxxXXXxxx

A smirk played across the headmasters face as he looked over his second least favorite employee. The black haired, middle aged woman, with features disturbingly close to those Severus Snape, was a rather disconcerting sight.

Snape was none too happy about the prospect, "I do not find this amusing Albus. I want that delinquent expelled immediately for what he has done to me." The high pitched whining voice of the potions master just increased the humor for the old man.

"I do believe that I warned you Severus. You should have heeded my words." The grin on his face lit up the room. His deputy and the director had to work hard not to match his facial expressions. "No, will you be resuming classes tomorrow?"

"I've been assaulted and disfigured, Albus. There is no way I can continue teaching in this condition."

"Very well." The headmaster sighed, "Minerva, if you will escort Severus to her quarters to collect her things. She will be allowed to return to the castle once she decides she can take up her duties again. I suppose I will have to find a temporary replacement until that happens."

The gray haired old man made his way from the room, trusting his orders would be carried out. Once back in his office, Dumbledore pulled out some parchment and a quill. He began writing the short missive, expecting more direct communication quickly. Tapping the rolled up letter with his wand, the material sealed itself shut. He then handed it to his pet phoenix, Fawks, and watched as the intelligent creature of the light disappeared in a flash of flame.

This left him to wait and chuckle at the fact that his pet project had finally gotten a lesson in humility.

xxxXXXxxx

Albus was enjoying a cup of tea, strong and dark, and a few lemon drops, the clean recipe from before his tinkering, in his office. The sun had long since set behind the beautiful mountain that were still barely visable through the window he was gazing out. It had been a long and interesting day, with more than a few pleasant surprises.

There was a knock at the door. 'And here comes another one now' Dumbledore thought, saying "Enter."

The door opened, revealing a familiar face that hadn't changed one bit since the last time he saw it. "Ah, Nicholas, looking as young as ever."

Flamel smiled at the standard nudge, "Of course, Albus. Glad to see you got that habit under control again."

"With a little help from Minerva." The headmaster offered his guest a chair, "Though I don't remember it ever getting that bad before."

"It didn't, but you didn't have quite as much on your plate back then. I told you politics and war would be the death of you. Learned that lesson during my third century." Nicholas criticized, enjoying the old banter.

"Yes you did. But to the matter at hand." Dumbledore took a sip of his tea.

"Teaching Potions." Flamel smiled, "How is Miss Snape doing by the teaching the only reason you decided to drag me out of retirement?"

"Not entirely. There is the matter of young Mr. Potter. He is a most interesting case."

"Interesting how, Albus?" Nicholas asked with a raised eyebrow, "A possible alchemist?"

"Not quite. He has an interesting oddity that makes it impossible for him to brew the correct potion in class, something to do with his time spent in the dreamlands." The gray haired old man casually dropped the last word bombshell and waited for the response.

"You've been hitting the Acid Drops too hard again, old friend. The dreamlands are a myth."

"Apparently not, older friend. I have a student that can do aura magic and he can manipulate runes in a way even I would have considered impossible. He turned the Mirror of Erised into a temporary portal, through which he received an object of immense power, though not magical."

"Are you trying to tell me that Harry Potter has received some sort of training in these Dreamlands?" He rubbed his chin, contemplating all the implications. "While I won't dismiss the opportunity out of hand, I will have to see some proof."

"I believe you will, Nicholas. Just wait until you have your first class with him. He is very knowledgeable about a wide variety of subjects, including potions, even though he may not be able to preform them all correctly. Do not be surprised if you get some interesting products out of his course work." Albus was enjoying getting to brag about one of his students, especially to a man he regarded as a mentor.

"You mean like Quicksilver, I've been reading his file. I don't think there's ever been a precedent for this kind of thing." Flamel was starting to catch the contagious smile Dumbledore was radiating.

"I don't think I've heard that tone out of you since a month before we decided to end our partnership. With a new situation to unravel, it will be just like old times.

xxxXXXxxx

The next morning at breakfast, Harry was not paying all that much attention. His body was still craving all sorts of things, from protein to pure carbs, to fuel its massively revved up metabolism. This left little actual concentration for the endless prattle of the headmaster while he made his announcements.

Just as he was about to load up his third plate a snippet of monologue caught his attention, "and due to the absence of Professor Snape we will be welcoming my old friend Nicholas Flamel to teach Potions. He is being joined by his wife, Perenelle, who will be assisting in the hospital wing for the duration of their stay."

As Dumbledore paused for a breath, a young voice broke the silence of the hall, "Hey Perenelle, good to see you again."

All heads turned to look at Harry Potter as he waved at the multi-century old woman who was looking dignified as she patiently waited for her husband's friend to finish. As recognition dawned on her, her lovely face splitting into a wide grin, she waved back saying, "Harry, you young pup. It's been too long."

Hermione looked at her best friend with an expression that demanded to know more. Harry held up a finger to her and said, "I'll have to see about getting hurt so we can catch up, later."

Then he leaded down and whispered in his friend's ear, "Dreamlands."

She nodded and resumed her meal, knowing that he would explain it all in time. Then Dumbledore resumed, "I see. I hope all of you will join me and Harry in welcoming our new faculty members. Now, if you would all please remember that the final sign-up for returning home for Christmas break is due today. Now please, enjoy your day."