Control

by Fatpunk

What if Harry Potter knew what he was when he was young? What if he went to hogwarts with his eyes wide open? my first fic so reviews would be great

8. Christmas and Quidditch

Control

By Fatpunk

Chapter 8

Christmas & Quidditch

The next morning Harry rose slightly earlier to ensure he had time to complete his training and still catch up with the girls. As Harry moved through the repetitive motions associated with the martial art forms he considered the problems he was now faced. It was obvious that trolls were to stupid to enter the castle alone and the wards prevented them from entering the castle without request, this meant that someone let them in. Was it for a class? For their own amusement? Or was there something more sinister about the situation? Add to that the Cerberus on the third floor was guarding something the situation kept looking worse. Harry remembered some mutterings about someone breaking into Gringotts but didn't know the details, he'd have to get hold of Ranghok and find out.

Last night also brought up the problem of security and Harry's secrets. Snape had just proved that he couldn't be trusted and Dumbledore was questionable, both weren't concerned with an individual's privacy if it fitted their needs. Harry was only pleased the at least Dumbledore's needs asked for more discrete methods than barging into someone's mind unannounced. The girls knew a lot of Harry's secrets now and needed to find some way to protect themselves and Harry from interfering teachers. McGonagall was somewhat of an unknown quantity for Harry, she seemed genuinely surprised that Snape would be allowed to attack someone's mind but was so close to the Headmaster her loyalty was unquestionable. It would take some time but having someone like McGonagall on his side would be a great way to keep out of trouble and get more information about what was happening in the school. She would also know at least some Occlumency skills if only to keep her mind organised.

As Harry pondered these problems he drew his training to a close. He had to meet with the girls soon and he still needed a shower. He ran to the clubroom and sent a charmed paper dart message to Hermione that he would meet her here and dashed off to the bathroom. The entire room oozed of opulence but Harry resisted the urge to indulge, he had very little time and it was running out. He showered quickly and put on some of the clothes provided in the room giving little thought to how his exact size was catered for, the clothes fit so well he wondered if they were tailor made.

At about 6:55 the girls arrived and Harry took a seat on one of the comfortable chairs in front of the fire, Hermione and Daphne sitting opposite him watching each other waiting for the conversation to begin.

"Well Daph, Mione" Harry began "where do you want to begin?"

The girls looked at each other and then Harry, it seemed they had talked on the way to the clubhouse while Harry was in the shower. "Let's start at breakfast and go from there" suggested Hermione.

"Yeah, what's with reading the Quidditch results, 'The Art of War' and that transfiguration book?" asked Daphne

"Okay, Sun Tzu talks about rather than destroying an opposing army you try to capture them get them to work with you, break their resistance." The girls nodded showing their understanding, so Harry continued "to do that you get into their heads, make them think the fight is not worth it, convert them to your own ideals, that's where the Quidditch results come in, guys can get very attached to their sports teams and heroes, I'm going to attack their teams, Ron is a Cannons fan, he's got their paraphernalia all through his trunk. Fred and George I'm not sure about but I don't think it's the Cannons, Malfoy probably support the team his father owns but their not doing to well at the moment so he'll be keeping that a bit quiet. Now I'm trying to work out how to transfigure something to play with their psyche and that's where the Transfiguration book comes in"

Hermione thought for a second and agreed "Cool, I can follow that maybe we can all help with this project, I could ask the Gryffindor chasers if they know what the Twins favourite team is and see how we can work it."

"If I remember right," Daphne began "the Malfoy's have a part ownership in the Ballycastle Bats, they brought into the team a few generations ago cause they one of the Malfoy patriarchs wanted their son on a team and wouldn't wear anything but black"

"Makes sense, Malfoy's always felt that if they couldn't get something honestly they would get it dishonestly, if some of the histories I've read they used to be a lot better at it, they've been getting lazier as the years have gone by and it has also cost them a lot of their family fortune."

"Now we get to the important part of the discussion," said Hermione "what was going on last night? After you saved me why didn't you tell the teachers what happened? Why did we have to keep our eyes off the teachers? And how could the Snape be in your mind? Can a person read another's mind or something?"

"Damn, you've got a lot of questions there! Let's start at the top. Snape has proven beyond doubt that he can't get past his prejudices, namely me. His refusal to accept me as anything other than James Potter re-incarnate and treating me as a hated nemesis from his school days shows he can not think beyond my looks and couldn't keep a secret unless it served his purpose."

"That's pretty harsh isn't it Harry? You hardly know the guy" Daphne insisted "from what I hear he was a spy for Dumbledore during the first war of you-know-who."

"Daph, that just further proves my point. Snape has his own interests at heart. As a spy for Dumbledore he could just as easily be a spy for Voldemort, (I'd prefer if you used his name, by the way, but we'll worry about that later) the case brought against he was as an inner circle of the Death Eaters, Voldemort knew Snape word with Dumbledore and probably expected information travelling in his direction as well. I don't know which side he was really working for, maybe he wasn't working for any side in particular and was working both sides, give each side enough to keep him around but not enough to declare his loyalties one way or the other. Suffice to say I don't trust him, and he really does hate me"

"But really Harry, if Dumbledore trusts him surely he was on the light's side?" insisted Hermione.

"Dumbledore trusts Snape for his own reasons, Mione, I need to have a reason to trust him my self, you can't trust everyone else's judgement sometimes you've got to make you own call. Besides which he's already tried to invade my mind twice and that's for the smallest of reasons, and never first does he ask, he goes straight to attacking your mind."

"If you don't trust Dumbledore's judgement on Snape, do you really trust Dumbledore?" asked Daphne.

Harry though for a moment, remembering what his parents said his first letter when he left the Dursley's, that prophecy involved him somehow and Dumbledore had never attempted to explain it, it was the reason his parent's died. Finally, after seeing the anxious looks on the girls' faces, Harry sighed and explained "I don't know if I do before I was born there was some prophecy made and Dumbledore heard it, that prophecy was the reason my parents died and he hasn't explained why my parents had to die for it. If the prophecy isn't about me I don't need the details of it, but I would like to know why my parents died. If it is about me I deserve to know so I can be prepared for what ever may come. If he's keeping that sort of information from me, things I should be allowed to know, what else is he keeping from me?"

The Girls looked thoughtful before Hermione expressed that "well I have no reason to not trust Dumbledore so I'm going to stick to that"

"Fair enough, that is you choice. I just think you should ensure he reasons for asking anything of you are enough before you agree to it."

"I'll take that into consideration. Thanks Harry" she said with a smile.

"I have every reason to trust you Mione, you too Daph, I just don't know if I can trust the Dumbledore yet."

"Anyway," interrupted Daphne "if we don't carry on we'll never get anywhere before we have to be in class."

"Quite right, Daph, where were we? I didn't want the teachers to know cause I couldn't trust them, McGonagall I'm not sure about, she's fair and everything, but I'm not sure if she would keep a secret of mine if the Headmaster asked her directly, that's something I'll have to ponder later."

"She's our head of house, Harry if we can't go to her in confidence who can we trust in this school?" reasoned Hermione.

"I agree Mione, and that is definitely something I'm going to have to work out in time, but for now I'm not going to trust her completely, I trust her more than Dumbledore or Snape, but not completely, not yet. Now the other issue is that a skilled magician can read your mind, so to speak. A Legilimens can enter your mind a catch glimpses of your memories or hear echoes of your thoughts, the more organised your mind is the easier it is to understand, on the other hand the more organised your mind is the easier it is to keep someone out. With enough practice a Legilimens can extract the information from a person and find out what they are thinking or hiding. The easiest way to enter the mind is by catching a person's eye"

"Like the old saying the eyes are the window to the soul?" interrupted Hermione.

"Exactly Mione, now the Snape is a Legilimens, as shown by his trying to enter my mind. I expect that Dumbledore is also, that would be one of the ways that he always knows what's happening, also it would be very had to live as long as he has and keep his mind without organising it" Harry reasoned. "There is a formal protection from legilimency know as Occlumency it's a formal protection of the mind using organisation and protection. The most basic defence is to clear your mind, removing all bodily thoughts and ascending to a higher plane of existence. The problem with this form of defence is that you have to when you're being attacked and it lets the attacker know they have being caught." Harry paused to make sure the girls were following, which, being two of the smartest students in the school, they were. "That's the theory behind Occlumency, I myself haven't learnt any formal techniques of protection, however, as part of my martial arts training, I have learnt mediation and that is a good way to clear the mind. I think you should learn to meditate as well and use that as a way to protect yourself." Harry thought for a moment before adding "plus it will help you remember things and make studying easier, don't know why they don't teach the skill anyway" he mused.

Hermione looked thoughtful, while Daphne commented, smiling "you know I think you've given us more questions than answers, like where you learnt martial arts and how you know all this stuff"

Hermione agreed "Yeah, and aside from that we're going to be late for breakfast if we don't move soon, this conversation isn't over" she added poking Harry in the chest, smiling like a Cheshire cat.

The trio decided to return at the end of the day, after Harry's Quidditch training, and finish thinking about what the morning's conversation uncovered. Hoping for a quiet day, Harry invoked Murphy's Law and everything turned to custard.

First Transfiguration was so successful McGonagall requested a meeting with him before practice, and then in Potions he lost 20 points for correctly doing the potion and beginning the next even though he wasn't told to.

Lunch was quiet until Harry left for the next class and was accosted by Malfoy, "so the Mudblood and the blood traitors continue their escapades, found any trolls lately, outside your group I mean?"

"I continue to ask, Malfoy, do you have a reason for your position of superiority? And I remind you of the results of not thinking about this" Harry said.

"Father always taught me that pureblood's were more powerful, Potter, it is not my place to question him" Malfoy replied, proving his attention was only due to indoctrination by Malfoy Sr.

Harry smiled, finally getting somewhere in the battle with Malfoy, "while it was true in the early days of organised magic that two magical beings would produce a generally stronger magical being, that is no longer the case. Muggle genetics proves that two people with strong genetics will produce a child with strong genetics it doesn't always happen." Harry paused at this point, observing the emotions briefly flickering across Malfoy's face. "I could explain it further to you later if you would consent" Harry offered.

"Why should I believe anything a Muggle thinks when they are inferior to wizards and all other magical beings?" Malfoy sneered in reply; it was obvious to Harry, however, that the young Slytherin was considering the offer.

"Simply because, in general, muggles are more advanced than wizards." Harry stated, clearly upsetting Malfoy's bodyguards, Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy was only slightly disturbed by the idea though, mainly because the statement insulted everyone in the group, and all other magicians in the world, and he had learnt that Harry usually has proof of his statements and this one deserved some consideration.

"I will consent to this meeting, Potter. Tonight after dinner in the library." Receiving confirmation from Harry he turned and left, retreating to the dungeon common room for Slytherin House.

Hermione rounded on Harry before beginning to berate him for his actions "what are you thinking Harry, he's probably just trying to lure you into a trap or get you in trouble. Besides I can't believe you would allow him to insult me and you and Daphne without any repercussions! What were you thinking?"

"Mione," Harry replied quietly "that conversation was quiet possibly the most important conversation in trying to turn both Malfoy and may other Slytherins from the darker side of magic. The repercussion of agreeing to speak with me will be felt by Malfoy due to the reactions of many of the other Slytherins, he is taking a great risk. And it wont be a trap because he must listen to what I say and consider it, doesn't have to accept it, but he has to think about it, that was the result of our duel" replied Harry deflating all of Hermione's arguments.

Hermione huffed "I still don't like it and when did you come up with those nick names?"

Harry blinked at the change of subject "I suppose it just came naturally, we'll have to come up with better ones when you eventually learn to be animagus, it's a marauder tradition."

"And why would we be following a marauder tradition?" she queried.

"As the only child of a marauder it is my solemn duty to continue the efforts of the group to learn skills outside of that taught in school to impress all associated parties" Harry stated hand across his heart as if reciting a solemn vow.

"Oh dear Merlin, where on earth did you come up with that?" she asked, laughing under her breath.

Harry looked across at her and smiled "I think that is a conversation for a secure location, one which we will have to complete later"

The rest of the day was uneventful as Harry progressed though the rest of his classes. After his final class he progressed to McGonagall's office, tucked away at the back of the classroom. He gently knocked on the door and entered quietly.

"You wanted to see me professor?" he asked

"Yes Mr. Potter, have a seat" McGonagall offered, "Now, why are you deliberately underachieving in class?"

Harry blinked, looked at the teacher and blinked again "I'm sorry professor but I'm not sure I heard you right" he replied, stunned she would ask so bluntly.

"Mr. Potter, first you me transfigure the match into a pin and you replicate the magic immediately. From that lesson onwards you seem to deliberately wait for at least three other students to complete the magic before you even attempt it? Why are you deliberately underachieving?"

Harry looked at the professor considering his options. His natural legimency hinting the professor had his best interests at heart but his gut kept telling him McGonagall was too close to Professor Dumbledore, he needed some assurance that his secrets were safe. When all was considered he needed a magical agreement to ensure his security at least in the short term.

"Professor, what assurance do I have that this conversation will go no further than you and me?" he asked.

"You have my word, Mr Potter"

"I'm sorry Professor, no offence but I'm not sure that is enough, I don't know you that well. Would you swear on your magic not to reveal anything I tell you without my permission?"

"Is that really necessary Mr Potter? It seems a little extreme" McGonagall reasoned.

"I have a number of secrets that I don't want others to know, specifically the Headmaster, I don't really know what his motives are. Until then I can't trust him."

"The professor is a very wise man, surely you can trust him"

"He may be a wise man, but he is still and man prone to failings as anyone else. Unfortunately I seem to be his Achilles Heel when making decisions."

McGonagall placed her wand hand over her heart, "alright Mr Potter, I swear on my magic that I wont divulge your secrets without your permission, however, I reserve the right to share some secrets if lives are in danger" her hand glowed sealing the oath. "I would like to know why you distrust Professor Dumbledore so much."

"Professor, do you know where I was place after my parents died?"

McGonagall was taken back by the question, everyone knew where Harry went "of course Mr Potter, everyone knew where you were placed"

"Did you agree with the placement?"

McGonagall paused, "No, I had watched the family for an entire day, they didn't appear to be a suitable place for a wizard, they could hardly control their own son" she explained.

"Do you know why I was placed there?" Harry persisted

"Yes, the wards placed over the home were the strongest possible and easily established because of the blood relationship between you and your aunt. There was a lot of danger to you, Death Eaters were still at large, it was the best way to ensure your safety."

"Maybe, but why was I in danger? I was only a child, how could I threaten a fully trained wizard?"

The Professor refrained from answering while she considered the questions, she had asked Dumbledore the same question herself once in a while and never got a truly satisfactory answer.

"Why was my parents will ignored?" Harry queried he could never understand why wasn't placed with his godfather "They specifically said I should go to my godfather, Remus Lupin or Peter Pettigrew" Harry said spitting the last name out.

McGonagall was surprised with the venom that Harry spoke Pettigrew's name "why the dislike of Pettigrew, he is a hero he lost his life when he tried to apprehend Black."

"Pettigrew betrayed my parents" Harry spat, his control slipping and a light wind picking up in the office "if only the stayed with the obvious" he muttered to himself.

McGonagall was confused how could Harry not know that Black betrayed the Potter's, she knew she was missing something "Harry it was Black who betrayed the your parents, he was their secret keeper and he sold them out to you-know-who"

"Sirius? Work with Voldemort?" Harry laughed while McGonagall shuddered at the Dark Lord's name "what reason would Sirius have to work for Voldemort?"

"It is a question I often asked myself Harry, for many years I blamed myself for not showing him the right path, eventually I accepted that he finally succumbed to his upbringing"

"Professor, you could never find the reason that he went wrong because he never went wrong" Harry explained "Sirius was never my parents' secret keeper, he was meant to be and everyone expected him to be the secret keeper, but he convinced my father to switch at the last minute, classic wronski feint send the opposition the wrong way and give the team more time. What went wrong was the opposition never fell for the feint because Pettigrew went straight to the other side."

"How do you know this Harry? You were only a baby when your parents died" McGonagall asked.

Harry looked at the Professor over his glasses "my parents left a letter for me in my trunk, the magic in it allows them to update the letter so often, its an amazing piece of magic the runic structure is quiet complex" Harry commented. "It's a shame he killed all those muggles when he tracked down Pettigrew, he could have been forgiven otherwise."

McGonagall was shocked, not only did Harry posses a trans-dimensional trunk, an item previously believed impossible, but he also displayed a disappointment in someone he never knew, not for killing a supposed hero of the wizarding world, but for killing twelve nameless muggles. The dichotomy of that disappointment was not lost on the older woman.

"This raises a number of problems, not least of which is the impossible piece of magic you think you possess. However, none of this explains why you underachieve in class. Don't get me wrong I will be bringing this up at a later time."

"I suppose the reason I'm so cautious of Dumbledore is I don't know why he does things he does, I don't know what his motivation in reference to me, Professor did you know that before I was born a prophecy was made and that was why my parents went into hiding, I'm not sure what it said but I get the feeling that does involve me some how. What my parents knew was that a child would be born at the end of July with the power to defeat the "Dark Lord" it didn't say who the Dark Lord was but I assume it was Voldemort (McGonagall shuddered again causing Harry to raise his eyebrow), Dumbledore knows what the prophecy said but he hasn't told me what it said, or why my parents died" Harry began looking slightly down cast at the reason for his parents death, he quickly shook the nostalgia off "Professor do you believe a child could truly defeat a paranoid Dark Lord?" he asked.

"I wouldn't have believed it before but now, yes, you appeared to defeat you-know-who" she replied.

Harry smiled expecting the professor to follow that logic; most wizards accepted the obvious answer as a correct assessment. Most of the time that assumption held true, but with the most important details the less obvious solutions fill the gaps, it was one of the reasons that magical advances were so infrequent, a magician depends so much on their magic, they never try to find a better solution. "Professor," he said, slightly condescending "I may have beaten him temporarily but what is the likely hood he put something in place to survive an untimely death? From what I've read, Voldemort was nothing if not paranoid. His followers always covered their faces, he never let everyone know who else was involved so he couldn't be betrayed completely. He planned very well but he was human, that's why he was beaten, something I did or my parents did was unexpected you can't plan for the unexpected 'cause you don't know its going to happen. He's going to come one day, I need to be ready, even if the prophecy wasn't about me Voldemort will want revenge for losing to me once, if he comes for me I want to keep my record in tact." He finished with a smile

The Professor nodded appreciating the joke, although she didn't really understand his fears. "That still doesn't explain your exceptional skills and deliberate underachieving" she persisted.

"I am both gifted and cursed professor, I was born with a number of magical abilities, magic sight, sorcerer and mage skills and a number of others. The reason I can perform so well is I can see and understand the magic as its being cast, and replicate the results. I also trained some of my skills previous to the by following the books provided in my trunk. This, unfortunately, makes me a target of scorn and jealousy. My survival of Voldemort means any wannabe Dark Lords use me as a yard stick, much like everyone measures them selves to Dumbledore's skill. It's because of this that I want to keep some surprises, give me some advantage over my opponent."

McGonagall was surprised; she expected the problem to be a childish fear, something she could easily alleviate. The fear for his own safety was not expected and the Slytherin approach of hiding some abilities, most of her other Gryffindor's would have been bragging about their superior skills. This combination of attributes pleased the professor, it would provide both him and his friends in a more realistic view of the world, she always worried about her students biased views of the world would lead to some very hard lessons. It also justified Harry's trepidation of sharing his abilities with the Headmaster. Dumbledore often forgot that some people want a little privacy. Having lived so many years in the public eye as "the most powerful wizard in the world" and his numerous political interests had warped his views indicating everyone loved the lime light.

"Harry, what would it take to trust the Headmaster? I admit he doesn't always share his own secrets but I doubt he would hide information from you if you asked" she reasoned.

A small smile graced he corner of Harry's mouth. "Professor, that's not the point. If I have to ask for information how can I trust that he will tell me before I need to know? If I have to ask it's probably too late" he reasoned.

"If you can't trust the headmaster would you trust me?" she ventured.

"Can I trust you professor? How do I know you wont spread my secrets in my own best interests?" Harry queried "I will give you a chance though professor, you'll be my first port of call, so to speak. I ask you to try to defect any attention the other professors may have if you are able"

McGonagall was slightly taken back "are you asking me to forgo my professional ethics, Harry?"

"Hardly Professor," he said laughing slightly "if you forgo your own personal or professional ethics I'd likely trust you less. If you gave yourself away so easily how long before you give me away?"

"I see your point, what would you have me do?"

Harry thought for a second, "well, you could do things like passing off my underachieving as laziness. Defend the innocent until proven guilty, things like that" he suggested.

"I guess I could do that, but if I ever catch you or have proof of any rule breaking, I will not hesitate to punish you" she said sternly.

"I expect nothing less, however I would ask you not to trust the headmaster blindly, always ask for the why behind the what that he offers, he needs someone to keep his ego and morals in check."

The professor agreed to the watch mission agreeing with the philosophy behind the request. She dismissed Harry to ponder the situation she was now in. No longer she was placing her faith in wizard older and wiser than she was but in a child. Granted the conversation led her to believe this would be the leader of the magical world one day, be it as a figurehead or an official role. In the past her sensibilities always lead her to place her faith in age and wisdom, this time though her gut was telling her to trust the child that one would need the other some day. She was also questioning Dumbledore's wisdom in recent years. Ever since he placed Harry in the muggle home without any checks and constantly disregarding her suggestions and her fears but never giving her any good reasons for it.

His faith in Severus also caused her concern. Ever since his own time in school he had a fascination with the dark arts and often let them control his actions. He would retaliate aggressively often with no provocation. This was especially apparent with James Potter, Sirius Black and their friends. Granted it was a two way street they would provoke him as often as not, but she couldn't understand why he followed you-know-who in the first place or why he later turned spy. His time as a teacher hadn't improved her confidence. He would punisher her Gryffindor's for the smallest of infractions while giving the Slytherin's free reign to do what ever they want, the Ravenclaw's and Hufflepuff's got an easier ride but they were never treated fairly either. The headmaster knew all this, but would ignore his failings. Her faith in Dumbledore was shaken every time he ignored Snape's failings and put the children at risk. As a teacher that was the worst thing a professional could do.

After dinner Harry excused himself from the girls and said that he would meet them in the clubroom after the meeting. He made his way to the library, collected a basic arithmancy book and waited for Malfoy to arrive. He sat reading the book delving into the beings of spell creation and analysis. Ten minutes later Harry noticed Malfoy slip in and take a seat on the other side of the library, watching Harry across the room. Harry figured that at least he showed and he didn't waste his time showing up here.

Across the room Malfoy watched Harry examining his actions the small intricate mannerisms that could give him some clues later in the conversation. He watched for any hint of nervousness that he could exploit later in the conversation. He found none. The assumption was he hid the nerves well few people wouldn't be nervous when meeting an antagonistic and confrontational opponent. The had left Crabbe and Goyle back in the common room as they wouldn't understand the conversation and would be a hint of fear from his position, something he didn't want to give away.

He threw the book he was using to hide his examination on the shelf and began making his way across to where Harry was seated.

Harry closed his book just after Malfoy and looked across the room to address his adversary, rising slightly as his guest took his seat. He figured that he may as well keep the meeting as polite as possible for as long as possible.

They both sat watching the other for a moment before Malfoy broke the silence "so, what's this completely ridiculous idea that muggles are more advanced that wizards?"

"Why do you think wizards still use candles for their lighting requirements?" Harry asked trying to find what Draco may know already.

Draco tilted his head considering the proposition he had never before asked why use candles what other choice was there? "what else would we do go to sleep when the sunsets? What other choice do we have?"

Harry kept his face neutral so not to antagonise the other boy, "muggles use lights that provide significantly brighter more solid lighting than any torch. They have effectively harnessed the power of lightning."

Malfoy sat stunned to control the power of lightning? What power! Harry continued "granted they don't sit outside in a storm collecting the energy from a lightning bolt. They make their own electricity, that's the energy in lightning. That's not the only thing that the muggles do better than magicians. Their understanding of the world around them is so much greater than our own. Rather than just asking what? They ask how and why?"

"That may be but we are still a superior being we have power that a muggle can only dream about. A wizard can change the world around them" countered Malfoy.

"But have no clue what we are doing. A muggle biologist knows what makes a living being, how they survive, how to make them better. The field of muggle genetics is shows the understanding of how a being breeds. Which brings us to the idea that purebloods' are better than muggle born and half-blood wizards."

Malfoy scoffed slightly "the idea that a muggle would know what makes a wizard better is laughable. How could they know what makes a wizard strong if they've never meet a wizard?"

Harry smiled "they don't need a wizard to know the principals of genetics. There is a blueprint for the making of a person held in a person's cells. DNA, that's the blueprint, can only be formed in a set arrangement and from that the probability of inherited strengths can be determined. Thing is that when you keep marrying and procreating with you cousins and blood relatives then you have problems and you inevitably start losing some of the skills that make a family strong." By this point Malfoy was looking rather confused "if two really athletic people have a child odds are their child will be athletic as well. Doesn't always happen but usually does. This translates to magical families, if a strong witch and a strong wizard have a child odd are good that the child will be strong. Thing is if you keep breeding with you blood relatives you start losing much of that strengths. That's what's happening in many pureblood families their losing the strengths that their families used to have. The Fudges were a magically strong family, but lately only their political connections are important to the family, Cornelius Fudge, the current minister, is barely stronger than a squib. All because they believe in the power of purebloods and refuse to marry outside those family lines."

"So what your saying is that purebloods will only continue to maintain their superiority by embracing new ideas and wizard kind needs to start asking the why questions to improve our knowledge of the world" Malfoy replied.

Harry frowned that wasn't how he expected his ideas to be interpreted "yes and no," he postured "yes magicians need to embrace new ideas and grow their knowledge but no purebloods are not better than anyone else, they have the same chance of greatness as any other person half blood, muggle born or muggle, everyone has the same chance at greatness."

"But that's not what you said. You said that purebloods have an advantage over other magic users because it is in their blood" Malfoy countered.

It was then that Harry realised he had one last chance to convince Malfoy of the equality of everyone. "The most powerful wizards of the last two centuries have been half blood and muggle born" Harry said "Albus Dumbledore and his brother and Tom Riddle all unmatched in their magical power and knowledge, Abeforth Dumbledore fell out of magical communities for probably the last fifty years while Albus lead the magical community."

"Who's this Tom Riddle? I've never heard of him" Malfoy asked.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle was a student at Hogwarts around fifty years ago, soon after school he changed his name and took a darker path, seeking power at all costs. Riddle became Lord Voldemort his ambition and hatred tainting all that he touched and controlled. It's a shame," Harry mused partly to himself "had his hatred not led him to seek control over everyone he could have been remembered as one of the most influential figures of modern magic"

Malfoy was stunned. Not only was the Dark Lord a Mudblood but his adaptation of Harry's ideas of seeking new knowledge and new bloodlines meant he was almost able to control the entire wizarding world. The possibilities this presented flashed across his eyes and Harry realised his mistake. His emphasis on knowledge showed that blood is insubstantial when determining magic and the two examples he used showed that with knowledge one can control the world.

"Thank you, Potter for this enlightening conversation. Now if you'll excuse me I believe I need to consider this further in my own time. Good night." And with that farewell Malfoy quickly rose and left. Leaving Harry no time to redirect the impression Harry had given.

Harry rose slowly and left the library in a daze. No longer was Malfoy concerned with inconsequential differences, Harry had given the Slytherin a way to achieve all his dreams whatever they might be through the pursuit of knowledge. The implications were staggering. It was likely Malfoy would no longer preach all his attributes for everyone to hear, Harry would need some way of gaining or divining that sort of knowledge. On top of that his friends may become targets of more subtle attacks and all the while Harry would likely be distracted by jealous, temperamental red heads, namely Ron Weasley.

Harry approached the clubroom and gave the password without thinking and fell onto one of the sofas in the room, oblivious to the other occupants. The girls had never seen Harry so distracted.

"Harry, what's the matter?" asked Daphne taking a seat next to him on the sofa while Hermione sat in the chair opposite.

Harry looked towards Daphne a glazed expression in his eyes as he replayed the conversation with Malfoy, trying to find what happened, where he went wrong. "I just had a conversation with Malfoy," he started slowly then stopped, continuing to replay the conversation in his mind.

The group sat in silence before Hermione urged "and?"
He looked towards the bushy haired brunette and tilted his head slightly "I may have created the next minister for magic and champion of the light, or the next Dark Lord to replace Voldemort" he said slowly ignoring the girls' shudders at Voldemort's name.

Daphne was perplexed, whatever she had expected Harry to say creating a dark lord wasn't on the list. "Harry, how could you have created a Dark Lord just by talking to Malfoy?"

Harry shook his head focusing on the conversation. "I just came away from trying to convince Malfoy that no-one's place in society can be determined by their genetics, only their knowledge and commitment should assign their place. To prove my point I told him that neither Dumbledore or Tom Riddle, later known as Voldemort, were both half-bloods and it was only their knowledge that determined their place. I was going to quantify that statement by saying that one used his knowledge for the betterment of wizard kind, while the other sort to destroy all of humanity, problem was that as soon as I gave the example he excused himself an left before I could say anything. I just don't know where I lost him" Harry explained.

"Maybe you never had him to start with?" Daphne theorized. "Whenever there was a pureblood gathering that he was at, he was always glorifying himself and bragging about his 'achievements', sounds to me he just twisted what you said to make it fit into his ideals"

Harry still looked slightly put out but agreed "well once we get this meditation started I can think on it further, maybe even with a clear mind"

Harry stood and lead the girls over to a clear mat on the floor. The three sat around in a circle and Harry began on his explanation. "Now mediation is occupying the front of your brain with some mundane task while the rest of your brain can think clearly about what ever you wish. The most basic task to concentrate on is your breathing, it requires no other tools and is highly regular and repetitive, when you practice enough you can start meditating while, exercising, repairing your
broom, studying or any number of other tasks. The complexity of the task is not important it's the repetition that's the key" Harry explained to the receptive girls, though Hermione was slightly put out by calling study mundane. "Later you can learn proper Occlumency to better order your mind, protect it from intrusion and harness your emotions and energies for better magic. Now I want you to close your eyes and focus solely on your breathing. Feel the air entering and exiting your body, and the rise and fall of your chest. Listen to the sound of your breath as it passes through your nose and mouth. Taste the flavours in the air, the water, the nectar and salts. Smell the fragrances wafting through the room, the musty smell of dust, the ageing books and sweet smells from roses outside. Allow all your senses to be focused solely on the action of breathing and experience the world around you."

The three friends sat, cross legged focusing all their beings on the action of breathing. For the next 10 minutes the room was silent till Harry brought himself out of the meditation. He slowly roused the girls watching their eyes flutter open a wide smile on each of their faces.

"Wow, I never knew there was so much involved with breathing," Hermione observed with a smile which both Harry and Daphne returned.

"There is a lot that happens that a person misses because the rely so heavily on their sight take sight away and a whole new world opens up" Harry agreed. "That is the most basic form or meditation. There isn't much else that can be done but focus only on breathing, later you focus on you magic and manipulate it directly in your body or under do some other task. Anyway its getting late so we should get some sleep."

The trio left the room and dropped Daphne at the Ravenclaw common room before the Gryffindor pair took themselves for to bed for a peaceful rest, placing everything else that happened that day aside for another time.

In the light of the next day Harry realised that the day wasn't a complete loss, he had established a working relationship with McGonagall which he could use to get out of some tight situations and ensure that he wasn't unfairly targeted. He also realised that he would have to keep a close eye on Malfoy, surely there would be some recording spells he could set around the castle, much like muggle surveillance, besides which the whole 'spying game' would be good fun he'd just have to make sure he only set the spells in public places like the library on the corridors, public places where people meet and talk.

During the following days Harry spent a lot of time preparing for the first Quidditch match of the year. Oliver Wood, the team captain, had devised a plan where Harry didn't spend much time in the midst of the match running interference for the chasers but would focus solely on seeking throwing the occasional feint in here or there.

Finally the morning of the first match and Harry rose early as always he decided to forgo the daily training and save his energy for the match that afternoon. He was rather nervous, the plan of keeping their new seeker didn't quite work as Ron Weasley was complaining to anyone who'd listen about Harry being on the team. Wood ripped into the Weasley Twins for telling their brother, something they likely wouldn't repeat, their faith in their brother's abilities to keep a secret. The result of that was the Slytherin house members took every opportunity to intimidate Harry. They'd tell Harry they'd be ready to catch Harry when he fell from his broom or try to attack him magically or physically when he was in the halls between classes. Harry was lucky that every time he was attacked someone, another house mate or a teacher, would show up preventing the attack. In the end Wood issued a directive that Harry was never left alone between classes, something that all of Gryffindor, excepting Ron Weasley, took up with a vengeance.

So sitting at the Gryffindor table for breakfast with Hermione and Daphne, eating a small meal of cereal and toast, while the Weasley twins were their usual boisterous selves he prepared himself mentally for his first ever Quidditch game. He was slowly realising that this was the first time he could prove himself and justify everyone's high opinion of him. Finally Wood rose and called for the team to follow him to the pitch. Harry bid his farewell to the girls and watched as the Slytherin team rose on the opposite side of the hall.

They arrived at the pitch and listens to Woods mumblings ("nice hard pitch, good kick-off. A little cloud cover, good seeking conditions) and Harry wandered around getting a feel for the stadium on game day. Harry grabbed his broom and went for a few quick laps to warm up and get a feel for the wind as the stands started to fill with the early arrivals from the great hall.

Finally half an hour before game time, Wood called the team to the changing rooms for the pre game pep talk.

The teams walked onto the pitch, the roar of the crowds ringing in their ears. "Welcome to the first Quidditch match of the 1991 season" the commentator Lee Jordan called to the enraptured crowd. "The unchanged Slytherin team is lead out by their captain Montauge. The Gryffindor team, Led by Keeper Oliver Wood, has a single change in the new seeker Harry Potter!" the cry from the crowd grew to new heights as all houses, except Slytherin, were hoping for a Gryffindor victory. For the last few years the underhanded tactics and strong seeking in the Slytherin team has meant they had a strong grip on the Quidditch cup.

"Captains shake hands," ordered Madam Hooch releasing the Bludgers and the Snitch. "On my whistle" she announced while preparing to release the Quaffle. The high pitched scream started the match and Katie swooped in grabbing the Quaffle for the first play of the game. Harry quickly rose above the play and began scanning the area for the Snitch.

"Bell passes to Johnson back to Bell who drops it to Spinnet who shoots…She scores!" The cheers from the crowd were quickly followed by groans and cries of outrage as Alicia was fouled. "That disgusting foul by Montague gives Gryffindor a penalty shot quickly converted by the beautiful Alicia Spinnet"
"Lee, the game" McGonagall warned.

Harry searched the pitch for any sign of the Snitch or a glint of gold. As the Slytherin Seeker, Terence Higgs, passed behind Harry he quickly dropped his broom into a dive. Harry cut through the Slytherin chasers who were trying to set for an attack, and continued to plummet to the ground. The wind whistled through his ears as he pushed his broom to its limits.

"It looks like Potter's seen the Snitch and Higgs is right on his tale!" Lee cried to the crowded following the spectacular dive.

Harry continued to drop twenty feet to the ground, ten, five, one. Harry dragged the nose of the broom up pulling out of the dive inches from the ground. Higgs wasn't so lucky, following so close to Harry he didn't know the ground was so close. The sickening crack behind him and the groan of the Slytherin supporter told Harry the feint worked.

"It was a feint, a feint!" Lee screamed into his mike "Higgs fell for that spectacular feint by Potter and ploughed himself into the pitch. At the same time the Gryffindor chasers have scored four more goals bringing the score to sixty nil!"

Harry quickly rose back above the play trying to un-sight the Slytherin keeper on the way. Harry took his place above the game. Back on the ground Higgs was getting some emergency treatment from his team mates and being thrown back into the game slightly woozy.

Harry returned to doing lazy figure eights in search of the Snitch when his broom gave a random buck, nearly unseating him. Regaining his position the bucking became more insistent.

Over in the stands Hermione started tugging on Daphne's sleeve asking what was happened before "Daph look!" she said pointing across the stadium "Snape! He's jinxing the broom!"

The girls hurried away tearing around the pitch to break Snape's eye contact and stop the jinx.

Back on the broom Harry focused his eyes to see the magic around him. The glare from the castle and the wards broke Harry's concentration and he was thrown from the broom managing to hold on by one hand. He focused his eyes again but looking at the magic slower this time. There were two magic connections to his broom coming from the stands. Following the first back to its source Harry was surprised to see Snape muttering under his breath, the lack of aggression meant he was casting the counter curse, Harry started following the second magical connection to see…nothing. The magic had snapped and the bucking stopped. Harry hauled himself back onto the broom in time to see a glint of light reflected off the Snitch just above the ground. Harry pulled his broom into a steep dive plummeting to the earth once again he reached his hand out the Snitch inches away. A final thrust and his hand curled around the tiny magical ball. Harry looked forward to see the ground coming up at an alarming speed he was to close to pull out completely, especially with only one had. But try he did and very nearly succeeded causing only this toes to catch the ground and cause his to go spinning to a embarrassing but painless haut on his butt. Well nearly painless the slap on his ass from the ground certainly wasn't pleasant but given the options Harry was quite happy.

The celebrations began immediately the chaser girls and Oliver led the march back to the common rooms while the Twins disappeared off somewhere. The girls dragged Harry to a seat in the corner of the Gryffindor common room while the party started to warm up around them.

"Harry your broom was being jinxed," Hermione whispered urgently "by Snape!"

Harry gave a small smile and could understand the misconception "Mione it wasn't Snape jinxing the broom"

"We both saw him Harry, he wouldn't break eye contact and was muttering under his breath" countered Daphne "he was jinxing your broom, but why?"

"I saw as well, Daph, but he wasn't jinxing the broom he was casting the counter jinx" Harry replied.

"How could you know?" asked Hermione.

"You both know I can see magic, yeah?" Harry questioned, and continued when they both nodded "well I checked the magic around the broom saw two connections back to the stands. I followed the first one back and it went to Snape but the was no malintent in the magic or on his mind" at the girls confused looks "I can tell these things its to do with strong mind magics"

"So who was casting the jinx then?" asked Daphne.

Harry sighed "I don't know, I started to follow the magic back and it broke"

The girls grimaced and looked at each other. "Sorry Harry that was us. We wanted to break Snape's eye contact and help you."

"Don't worry about it" Harry said while smiling "it could have been anyone jumping around in a crowded stadium. Besides I don't know if I could have held on any longer." The girls relaxed a bit and smiled realising they didn't hurt Harry's attempts to find the culprit "we'll worry about that some other time aye? Right now we have Weasley's to prank!"

"Alright" agreed Daphne.

"What are we going to do to them?" asked Hermione.

Harry face took on a malicious smirk "I reckon we try that transfiguration we were practicing."

Both girls faces lit up and nodded "I'll take Ron, Hermione you take the twin by Angelina, Harry you take the twin by Alicia" Daphne suggested.

The three friends agreed and Hermione planned the timing "we'll do it in five minutes everyone go where they can get a good shot and we'll meet back here"
The three split up heading to different corners of the common room where they could get a clear shot at their target.

After five minutes passed three spells were cast with time delays and they all slipped back to their corner of the common room to watch the show.

It started slowly with Katie giggling behind her hand followed by the other chaser girls. The laughing around that group spread till a new set of laughter started on the other side of the room, deeper and slightly boyish. Until finally…

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!"

The snapping of necks to find the source of the scream was almost audible if it weren't for the side splitting laughter surrounding the youngest Weasley male.

There in the middle of the common room Ron Weasley stood kitted in Slytherin house Quidditch robes. But that wasn't all the robes were designed for a member of the fairer sex and the young red headed male filled the kit like an 18 year old girl, chest and all

"Nice look Ron!" called Fred from the other side of the room while half bent laughing.

"Nice look Ron? Nice look Fred more like," quipped Katie. Slowly stopping his laughter Fred took stock of himself wearing the Canary yellow Quidditch kit of Hufflepuff with full make up and padded chest to fill out the female form.

"Great outfit brother!" coupled with George's laughter drew the attention to the final Weasley.

Fred burst out laughing "I could say the same brother!"

The final member of the Weasley family was also dressed in a girl's Quidditch outfit but this time it was Ravenclaw.

The two twins fell on each other laughing while the rest of the house was holding their sides with tears of mirth running down their cheeks. The only person present not laughing was Ron who getting over the shock of seeing himself and his twin brothers pranked tore out of the common room towards his bedroom.

The twins slowly wiping their eyes announced to the room "Ladies and gentle-type persons" began Fred.

"Clearly being in a prank war with an unknown opponent" continued George

"Puts us at a significant disadvantage"
"It therefore pains us to admit"

"That we have being somewhat outclassed"

At that announcement the entire class cheered as many had tried to get one over on the twins and failed

"However," George continued when the room quieten down "we would like to meet"
"And thank"

"Our opponents"

"And negotiate a truce"

"So that others"

"Namely Slytherins"

"Can share in the joy"

"Of public embarrassment"

"Thank you all for listening"
"And on with the celebrations" Fred announced raising his butter beer to the crowd.

As the evening wound down Hermione headed off to bed while Harry saw Daphne back to her room. They walked in silence for most of the trip with Harry stealing nervous glances across at his company.

"So what have you got planned for Christmas?" Harry asked trying to start get a feel for the situation.

"I'm probably going home with the family, you?" she replied.

"Haven't really decided, probably just go home, talk with some of the goblins at Gringotts bout some business matters" Harry replied shrugging his shoulders.

"What business matters?" she asked.

"Family investments, I can't really change much but I want to be aware of what's happening in the family portfolio. Plus I will give me something to do after school if nothing else takes my fancy."

Daphne looked somewhat surprised "already planning your future? Most kids would be happy to go to school and find a date to the Yule ball" she said with a smile.

"Unfortunately for me, I haven't got parents to look after the big picture for me," becoming slightly downcast.

"That's got to be a pretty depressing thought"
"Could be worse I suppose. At least my family was able to provide for me until I could do it my self."

"Well maybe," Daphne replied uncertainly.

"If it makes you feel better I'm sure I'll find time for finding a date to the Yule ball" Harry replied smiling causing Daphne to laugh. "In the words of a famous muggle song 'Always look on the bright side of life'."

"Too true Harry, too true"

By now the pair had arrived at the Ravenclaw dorm room entrance, the pair suddenly slightly uncomfortable.

"Well this is where I get off, goodnight Harry," she said before kissing Harry on the cheek, turning and entering her dorm.

Harry was slightly surprised he thought the slightly dark turn of the conversation had ruined the walk, but to still earn a kiss on the cheek left him slightly confused, though very happy.

The next day Harry and the girls meet with the twins and let the cat out of the bag so to speak. They made the twins promise not to spread the word even went so far as to offer to do some join pranking activities. The Twins decided they preferred to work alone but wouldn't be opposed to the occasional consultation job. The final weeks before Christmas went quietly. Classes went as normal the group planned a back to school prank, 'gotta get in first'.

Harry and the girls caught the train back to London where the girls were met by their parents but neither had time to stay and were only introduced in passing. Harry hid in a quiet alley way and activated his portkey to Camelot, sent Hedwig to Ranghok to arrange a meeting after Christmas and settled into for a quiet Christmas day.

Harry rose early on Christmas morning went through his usual training exercises and met the elves in the dining room before opening his Christmas presents. Harry had already sent his gifts to the girls and the twins before he left Hogwarts and it seemed the girls had the same idea. From Daphne he received an interactive notebook for recording his pranks all he had to do was cast the spell to insert a sentient response. From Hermione he received a book detailing the collected works of the greatest pranksters throughout history, including the pranks by other races. Harry's had sent a necklace to both the girls each with slightly different designs. The fine gold chains had a pendant of a Fox for Hermione and an Eagle for Daphne. Harry wasn't sure why by they seemed like a good fit both were highly intelligent but Hermione's preference for solid ground dictated an four legged animal over the freedom seeking winged animal for Daphne. Harry wondered soon after purchasing the necklaces if he may have received some subconscious signals through legimency as to what their Animagus forms were. Harry had also got himself a necklace of slightly heavier white gold with a Phoenix pendant. The store had placed a few cleaning and security spells on the jewellery as well as some simple mind protection spells to stop mind altering potions or spells, at least for a short time. When they got together at school there was a final spell they needed to put on the necklaces to allow each person to communicate through their animal pendants.

From the Elves Harry received some simple hand made gifts from each group, the stable hands and grounds keepers gave Harry a saddle that could be uses for any ride-able animal from a horse to a dragon (providing the animal would consent to be ridden). From the Herbology group he received a new set of protective equipment including robes, earmuffs, gloves and boots all made from the same Welsh Red which died in the area recently, the robes could also be used for potion making to protect from any explosions or mishaps. Finally from the housekeeping group he received a new set of dress robes for any formal function he may have to attend in the coming year. They were spelled to grow with him until he reached the end of school and could change colour at command, the basic design was simple a solid colour for most of the robe with inch thick trimmings detailed with either and animal or rune appropriate to the event he would be attending.

Harry also got the elves gifts for each group, a very rare plant for the green house, a new portrait of the castle for house keeping which would tell the elves of any major repairs needed, and a griffin egg for the groundskeepers to see if they could train the creature using some of the old Egyptian techniques from the library references. Each gift was under a stasis charm and could be released when the group was ready. Harry decided he would present his gift to Ranghok when he met with the goblin before New Year's Day.

The following morning Harry received a letter from Ranghok setting a meeting for the next day just after lunch. With nothing better to do Harry reviewed some of the documents in financial compartment of his trunk. The dizzying mess of numbers and asset documents confused Harry greatly but he was able to build an agenda for the meeting the following afternoon. He felt it best that he understood the main source of income for the family and what strategies the managers were taking to help grow the business. While Harry didn't need the money he realised that you never know what could change and if any part of the family business stagnates it could lead to takeovers and business failures, not a legacy he wanted to leave for any descendants he may have.

Harry woke the next morning, went through a refreshing set of exercises to get the blood flowing and awaken his mind. He spent the morning with the groundskeepers who were researching the Egyptian practices of Griffins rearing reading through books in the library, taking notes on his findings and writing up cross references that could be useful. He also checked his trunk to see if there were any books there only to find a note telling him to check one specific book 'The Power of Other Magical Species and How To Get Their Help' there was no author mention and the note was signed by G. Harry had no clue who G may have been but decided to worry about it later.

After getting an early lunch and dressing for the meeting Harry activated the key portkey around his neck and was transported to Ranghok's waiting room. Harry took a seat and started reading the daily prophet that was left on a coffee table in the room. Not five minutes had passed before Ranghok's secretary opened the door.

"You can go through when your ready Lord Potter, can I get you something to drink?"

Harry thought for a moment before "sure could I get a cup of tea? Thank you Mindy"

The goblin nodded and led Harry through the door before ducking away to get Harry his tea.

After about an hour of explaining the topics Harry brought up Harry finally asked "So how are things going at the bank?"

Ranghok's demeanour soured slightly "we still haven't caught the person who tried to break in at the end of summer. And it isn't helping that Dumbledore refuses to return the item to the vault. I suspect there is a reason other than security for moving it but it isn't helping our image at all!"

"What item was taken? I never heard about any break in" Harry commented.

"Well because nothing was taken we were able to keep it somewhat quiet but the vault was cleared out earlier that day. The Stone was removed on the orders of Dumbledore even though the Stone isn't his. The entire situation has me somewhat perplexed" Ranghok commented.

"I still don't understand what the problem is? The vault wasn't breached and nothing was taken and what stone are you talking about?" Harry asked

"I can't tell you any more detail about the Stone the only reason I've told you this much is your standing in the bank. More than anything this is a public relations nightmare. The person we suspect was at the bottom of the robbery attempt just doesn't fit due to circumstances, but were at a loss of who else could be involved" the goblin explained somewhat exasperated. "In any case I shouldn't comment any further on security issues until you at the very least learn Occlumency any other magics could be broke and that would be a nightmare. I'm sorry Harry but we can't discuss this any further and the only thing you can mention outside this room was that an attempted break in happened and the vault was emptied that day that is public knowledge everything else was said in confidence if you wish to repeat anything please confirm it from another source were having enough difficulties with security perceptions as it is," seeing Harry's agreement "Thank you. Now you should be leaving and I have some other meetings to attend to."

Harry left the meeting after that wondering if the room with the Cerberus was the new home of this Stone and just what the stone was there were some conversations Harry needed to have and he knew his new year would be busy.

A/N: Hey there all you faithful readers. After some reviews about Hermione's power being less than Malfoy's and my making him more interested in the pursuit of power I thought I should give Hermione a boost. It just didn't seem right that Malfoy should be stronger and possibly more knowledgeable so I made her stronger. So you don't need to go back and read an entire chapter for a paragraph of changes I made Hermione's power lever a washed out Forest green. As she grows and uses more of her power the Forest green will be less washed out.

Food for thought, I was reading a fic the other day and it mentioned Harry's OWL results. My question is what would happen if Harry predicted he would get a D for divination? If they gave him the OWL he would be wrong and should have failed but if he failed he would have been right and should have passed. What would the examiner do? 

Thanks to everyone who reviews I never thought so many people would read a review cheers all and peace out