The sound of ringing metal interspersed with the occasional thud echoed through their tower quarters. Sweat dripped from Hermione's brow, the tiny sphere of water tracked down her forehead, then fell through the air to land with a splash on her hand. Breathing heavily, she continued to assault the enchanted wooden training dummy before her. Neville was elsewhere, so she was without a sparring partner. Part of her was glad he was gone, she wanted to prove to herself that she could this all on her own. It was the second time as many days that classes had been canceled because of her and her friends. Recalling the Potions lesson, Hermione couldn't help but shiver. Harry was frightening in that fight, as devoid of emotion as a statue, a ruthless killing machine. She knew that if she was to ever fight beside him and Neville, she would have to reach that level of skill. But what scared her even more was Snape. While Harry had been fast, Snape had been faster. True, Snape wasn't lugging around a ten-pound hunk of silver, but he had blocked every one of Harry's attacks with cruel efficiency. And then, once Harry had broken through his shield, he had dropped Harry to his knees with a single look. At that point Hermione had run for McGonagall, but she couldn't shake the feeling that Snape had been holding back the whole time. Harry too, for that matter.

In the brief moment of her reminiscing, the dummy swung its sword and managed to disarm her. The sword fell to the ground with a clatter. Hermione stood there for a moment, panting. Her muscles ached, and this early morning workout schedule had left her short on sleep. Drawing in a deep breath, she bent down, picked up her sword, and attacked the dummy again.

-oO0o0Oo-

Neville stood there, panting. Unable to sleep, he had crept out of bed early, and headed downstairs. He had been planning to practice his Transfiguration, but then he had noticed the brooms Hogwarts had provided. Asking for a few embellishments to the new floor, Hogwarts had delivered, creating a wide open area covered in padding, with airborne platforms and obstacles. The Potions lesson was the second time that Harry had been helping him. He knew he hadn't messed up the potion recipe, but suddenly his potion had begun acting strangely. Had he been sabotaged? Either way, the least he could do to repay Harry would be to start helping himself, and that began with getting over his fear of heights. Grasping his broom handle once again, he launched upwards.

-oO0o0Oo-

Harry had awakened once again in the Hospital Wing, which was rapidly becoming way too familiar. The last thing he had remembered before passing out once again was McGonagall bending over him as he lay on the classroom floor. Now that he thought about it, how had Snape been able to fell him with a single gaze? Those horrible memories that Snape had brought to the surface flashed in front of his eyes once again. Of being hurt and rejected, of the overwhelming sense of grief, anger, and helplessness as he watched his mother die. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see that blinding flash of green. Cold, angry, murderous purpose welled up inside him. Even if it cost him his life, he would kill Voldemort and avenge his parents.

The door to the hospital wing swung open, and in stepped McGonagall, closely followed by Madam Pomfrey.

"Poppy, for goodness sake, I'm a teacher, and his "Head of House", so to speak," McGonagall said exasperatedly. Clearly Pomfrey was not happy about this visit. "I'm not going to hurt him." Harry smiled inwardly. Pomfrey grumbled, but acquiesced, leaving him and McGonagall alone.

"Are you all right?" she asked, coming to his bedside. Harry could hear the genuine concern in her voice.

"Yes," he said, automatically. She looked at him sternly. "Well, not really."

"Tell me what happened." So he did, recounting everything, how Snape had quizzed him at the beginning of class, how everything had been going well until Neville's potion started acting up, how Snape had thrown Neville out, and finally his duel with Snape. He even told her about seeing his mother die. As he finished recounting the story, he could see unshed tears in McGonagall's eyes.

"Oh, Harry," she said softly, then she bent down and gave him a long hug. Wrapped by her arms, the sorrow that he had been carrying seemed to melt away. Then McGonagall withdrew and started pacing angrily.

"That Severus! Bloody hell, using Legilimency on one of his own students! What was he thinking, trying to kick you two out!" Harry interrupted her tirade.

"What is Legilimency?" He asked, curiously,

"A form of a mental attack, the user locks eyes with their victim and invades their mind, doing what they please," as McGonagall explained, she seemed to get even more furious. "It can be used to stir up horrible memories, or turning a victim's own mind against them, planting false information, even. For these reasons it is highly dangerous and borderline illegal. To think he used it on you! Perhaps I can arrange for Occlumency for you three so that you will be able to defend yourselves if this is ever to happen again."

"Why does Snape hate me so much?" Harry said, quietly. McGonagall looked at him sympathetically.

"He and your father were classmates," she said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, "And they never got along well. Perhaps when he looks at you, he sees your father."

They sat in silence for a moment, enjoying each others company. McGonagall suddenly stood up straight.

"Oh! I almost forgot," she said turning to him, "Dumbledore has summoned you and your friends to his office. Immediately."

-oO0o0Oo-

The passage let them out behind Dumbledore's desk, into a large tower office filled with countless machines and knickknacks. Hermione was sure that they had to have some use, but she didn't have any idea what. Dumbledore turned to greet them, his eyes serious behind his half-moon glasses.

"Please, sit," the headmaster said, gesturing to a trio of chairs he had just summoned. He continued once she and the boys had sat (and respectfully declined his offer of a lemon drop). "As I am sure you all are aware, your position is unprecedented in Hogwart's history, so you'll have to forgive some of my shortcomings." The professor's eyes were trained on Harry's. "That being said, it is my duty to support all of the students, and I want you to know that I will support your decisions, if they have basis in truth. Accept this as a token, it was once your father's." Dumbledore handed Harry what appeared to be an average cloak, but Hermione could tell that Harry appreciated it none the less. However, none of this showed when Harry spoke next.

"I thank you for your support," Harry replied, his voice cold, "But I'm not sure how much affect it has had. Under your watch, Neville and I were subjected to powerful Dark magic, and one of your own teachers invaded my mind, forcing me to relive the night my parents died."

"We are doing our best to find the source of the cursed object," Dumbledore said quickly, trying to reassure them, "And as for the other incident, I was told that you provoked him."

"That is not true!" Hermione said, standing up from her chair.

"Snape threw me out of class because I had messed up my potion," Neville said, "And then he threw Harry out as well for not helping me. Harry tried to stand up for us, and they ended up fighting." Dumbledore frowned.

"That wasn't what I was told," he said, "But I must check if this is true."

"Then ask Snape, or any one of the other students yourself," Harry said, "We'll wait for you to come back." Harry was clearly livid that his mind had been compromised under Dumbledore's watch.

"Perhaps you're right," the headmaster said. Hermione could tell that he wanted Harry to make peace with him. "I'll return shortly."

-oO0o0Oo-

As soon as the door shut behind Dumbledore, Harry stood up and grabbed the Sorting Hat off of a nearby shelf.

"Harry, what are you doing?" Neville exclaimed, surprised.

"Hogwarts gave me a mission," Harry replied, and then put the Hat on his head. An unfamiliar, powerful voice sounded through his head.

"You haven't received the prophecy," it said, mildly disapproving.

"I didn't expect to be here so soon," he replied, truthfully, "Although I am sure you already knew that."

"I know of everything within my walls," it said, "Including you, Harry James Potter."
"What do you know?" Harry asked, curious. Would he finally get answers to his questions.

"Your mother was the brightest witch of her age," it replied, "A master of potions, and, a daughter of Zeus." Harry was glad he was sitting down, otherwise he thought he would have fallen over. To finally have some relation to the place of his childhood was a dream come true. The voice continued, "In her final act of sacrifice, she not only gave you her protection, but some of her powers as well. Although you will never be as powerful as a true child of Zeus, you will have some control over the air and lightning, which will be amplified by your magical powers and wand. You also may find that animals of the air may befriend you. You must master these skills if you are to succeed in the fight against Voldemort." Harry's mind was teeming with information, but the voice didn't stop there. "There are centaurs in the Forbidden forest, seek out Firenze, he will help you with your training. You must also grow competent with all of your weapons, especially your wand and sword. The Sword of Gryffindor is forged by goblins, and as such, can absorb the magical properties of anything it touches. By touching your wand to your sword, you should from then on be able to cast spells with it. Also, inspect the cloak Dumbledore gave you closely, I would not suspect him of giving you anything trivial. He will expect something in return." Harry didn't know how he was going to keep track of all this information, but he had to know the answer to one more question.

"How can I defeat Voldemort?" he said.

"Voldemort is an accomplished dark wizard, as well as the son of Hades and the Prince of the Underworld. Death is a revolving door for him. Be on your guard, surround yourself with allies, and master all the skills that you can. Do so, and you can free the wizarding world of this evil." Harry sat in silence for a moment.

"Can I come back?" he asked.

"Don't worry, I will be here," the voice sounded almost amused, "Now, hear the prophecy, then tell your friends what you have learned. Warriors must trust each other."

"Thank you," Harry said, removing the hat and placing it back on the shelf. Hermione and Neville were looking at him with concerned faces.

"I have a lot to tell you," he said, turning to them, "But first, I need to hear a prophecy."

-oO0o0Oo-

The tower echoed with the professor's words.

When two worlds kept apart collide,

Returns an evil that had died.

And three will fight, and three will fall,

When Heroes wage a fateful brawl.

A dragon, lion, and eagle rise,

To ensure a snake of death's demise.

-oO0o0Oo-

AN:

All rights belong to the wonderful J. K. Rowling and Rick Riordan for the original stories.

Lots of new information!

Thanks for your reviews!