My life - An adventure

Disclaimer: All Harry Potter works belong to J.K. Rowling.

AN: This story is an idea I got from "Harry Potter and the Memories of Old" by Snowy123. Some of spells are from the story "Harry Potter and the Unlocked Knowledge" by kmfrank.

Chapter 08

As I stand there stunned, a door materializes in front of me where the symbol should be. It opens on its own accord and I step inside still in shock.

The door closes behind me and I find myself in a small rectangular room with a sarcophagus covered in runes. I approach it cautiously and stare at it in wonder. I can feel the power radiating from it.

"Do not go closer lad. You will not like the result."

I turn around slowly to see the Portrait of Slytherin above the door. He's a regal looking man with grey beard and blue eyes. I stare at it for a few moments, before I realize my manners or the lack of it.

I bow respectfully to him. "Lord Slytherin."

And he nods. "And you are Harry James Potter."

"I am sir."

"What year is it lad?"

"The year 1994 sir."

He raises his eyebrows in surprise. "Indeed! 653 years since the last headmaster visited me. How has that come to pass?" He asks more to himself.

I remain silent until he focuses back on me. "The guardian says true. You have Slytherin magic within you. But you are not of my kin. Hmmm… Ah!..." He suddenly frowns at me.

"It's a sad day one finds their only remaining descendent has become a monstrosity."

How did he know that? I check my mind shields and they are fine.

"Do not worry lad. Hogwarts relayed about your past and what happened in the chamber. I am glad you killed my Basilisk. It was always meant to be a protector, a last defense, but was corrupted by this Tom Riddle."

Silence reigns, which I break with a question.

"Forgive me Lord Slytherin… But what is this chamber? I believe it's more than a mausoleum…"

"It is. The four of us created a chamber each where we can rest till ever. Our magic was released into the castle on our death to provide it with a minor sentience, which has been augmented over the years. The hat you know of, as the sorting hat is a prime example of this sentience. This chamber is meant to provide guidance to the headmaster or headmistress of the time. But it seems, the last headmaster who visited me met with an accident and as such didn't pass the secret on to his successor."

I nod and glance at the sarcophagus. I try to read some of the runes and their purpose. I understand a few, some I don't.

I turn to face the founder. "Is this one of the primary ward stones?"

He smiles at that. "It is. Along with the other three stones, it provides Hogwarts with numerous wards. The headmaster to a minor extent can control the wards. But the majority of the control lies with the ward stones and we, the founders as you call us now, are the only ones who can change them."

As I absorb this new information – "It's curious that a thirteen year old can understand such complex runic schemes and wield nature magic."

"I do what I can, Lord Slytherin. But may I ask why you readily parted this information with me?"

"You have proved yourself worthy of such information, Harry James Potter. You have protected this school twice from my own descendent. You, who has wielded Godric's sword have earned my respect as well as the other founders."

"Thanks you sir. But is it not true that you and Lord Gryffindor were enemies?"

"We had our differences, but we were never enemies. I left the school in search of knowledge and returned soon after Godric's passing." He sighs in sadness.

"Times have passed and my views have been corrupted. But enough." Here he straightens and looks down at me. "Please tell the headmaster of our wish to converse with him."

Hmmm… That could be a problem. Seeing my hesitation – "Will that be a problem Harry James Potter?"

"Call me Harry, Lord Slytherin. And will it be alright if I let him know in 4 days time?"

He stares at me with such intensity that I want to avert my eyes, but do not. He finally nods. "Very well. So be it."

I thank him and turn to leave, when I think of something. I turn back to face him. "Sir, as a speaker of parseltongue, I wish to learn parselmagic. Would you be willing to teach me?"

"I am honor bound to teach you what ever I can, Harry. It shall be done. Though know this. The portrait cannot be moved from this room and as such the learning can only be limited to what can happen in here."

"I appreciate it sir. Will it be possible for me to converse with the other founders?"

He smirks at me. "Thirsty for knowledge are you?"

As I smile, he closes his eyes in concentration. He opens them and nods to me. "State your name to the other guardians and you shall be granted access. Please tell the headmaster to visit Lady Ravenclaw foremost. For him to gain access he needs to state his name and title while facing the guardian."

I convey my thanks again and leave the chamber. I visit the other founders to pay my respects and again ask if they can teach me what they can. I will learn from Lady Rowena, enchanting, from Lady Helga, potions and nature magic and finally from Lord Godric, to wield magic as a weapon.

I leave the guardian chamber, a little overwhelmed to be honest. I need to make sure Pettigrew is safe and get some sleep. Tomorrow I will implement the second step to get Sirius free.

It's 8 in the morning. I walk along road leading to Hogsmead. It is unusually busy for a non-hogsmead weekend. I have a smile on my lips, though none can see it. I'm disillusioned and have a silencing charm on me. It's the day after the Quidditch match.

We won the tiebreaker yesterday. Our strategy worked splendidly. The plan was simple. I was to play seeker and an interceptor. When I am intercepting the quaffle throw or their chaser formations, the keeper will keep a lookout on the other team's seeker. A risky play, but it was needed. Transylvania's chasers were the best in the league, followed by the Irish. Our chasers rank 5th in the number of goals, passes and intercepts.

The only thing that matters is that it worked. We won 670 to 350. I played more of an interceptor than a seeker until we had a clear 160 points lead. I had to block the Transylvanian seeker a couple of times until he lost the snitch. At the end I caught the snitch and it was a perfect victory for the English taking us into the Quarters where we play Peru in March. The winner of that match will play the winner between Uganda and Ireland in the semifinal in May.

But today… Today I hope will see Sirius a free man. As I approach the Three Broomsticks, it gets busier. In fact the street is packed. Mostly with reporters and camera crew. But there are quite a few Aurors in there. I also spot a few disillusioned men standing near isolated corners. I approach the closest one and hit him with a full body bind. I levitate him around a corner and remove his disillusionment to see a man in his late twenties. I don't recognize him. I lift the right sleeve to see no dark mark. I do not know what his business here is, but I don't like it. I write a note on a conjured parchment for the Aurors to check for disillusioned people and leave it on the wizard. I shoot red sparks and move near the crowd.

Seeing the sparks the Aurors approach the spot and shout in surprise at the seeing the man. As soon as the other disillusioned men see what's happening, they apparate away.

I slowly walk toward the small platform I raised last night. I glance around to see a lot of antsy looking ministry staff. I smirk as I see someone reading today's Daily Prophet. The headlines scream "Potter Tells All – Will reveal real traitor Peter Pettigrew tomorrow at Hogsmead".

After the match yesterday, I went missing for a couple of hours. I met with Rita Skeeter, a rather controversial reporter and the editor of Daily Prophet. I gave them a brief exclusive interview with the condition that the article remains a secret until it came out in the paper in the morning edition.

In addition I also hired an attorney who worked with the Potter family in the past to represent Sirius and myself. He sent out requests to Madame Bones, Dumbledore, and Snape to be at the press conference today. I see Amelia Bones and quite a few other people I didn't invite but expected such as Minister Fudge and cronies. I don't see Crouch anywhere. I guess he might have expected something's up and decided not to show up.

I look at my watch to see there's another 10 minutes to go. I look toward the school to see Dumbledore, Minerva, Remus and Snape ambling toward us. I approach my attorney who is waiting nearby and tap on the shoulder to let him know that I am here. He nods slightly at that. I remove my disillusionment when everyone is focused on Dumbledore and the 3 professors expecting me to be with them.

I climb on to the platform and seeing me the crowd goes berserk. The reporters shout their questions from anything between Sirius, Pettigrew, Quidditch and my supposed love life.

The minister tries to interfere. "POTTER. You do not have the right to conduct any kind of legal proceedings. As the minister of magic I demand you to handover any evidence you have against Black, including Pettigrew. I can have you thrown in Azkaban."

I raise my eyebrow at him and smile jovially at him. "Thank you for reminding us who you are minister and of your utter lack in knowledge of our laws, which you were elected to govern. As for what rights I have, my attorney Richard Simmright will let you know of them."

Richard steps up on to the stage and faces the public. "Thank you Mister Potter. Minister, according to the laws established in the year 1779, Harry James Potter as the heir to the Ancient and Noble house of Potter can request a public trial of anyone who he strongly believes has harmed his family. If he believes that the ministry cannot provide him justice, he can select two members from either the ministry or the Wizgamont to give him justice. We have selected Madame Bones, head of the DMLE and the Chief Mugwump Albus Dumbledore."

Fudge goes red in his face. "But… But I am the minister of magic."

My Attorney's lips quirk upwards. "Duly noted minister."

Dumbledore, Bones, couple of Aurors and a court scribe step on to the platform. One of the Aurors is the big black man I saw while I was meddling with the ministry wards. I glance at Dumbledore to see him looking on at the proceedings serenely. I meet Remus' eyes and wink at him.

Madame Bones raises a pertinent issue. "And is your client willing to pay the substantial fine, if his case is proved to be false?"

Richard nods. "He is."

If this turns out to be a false case, I will owe the ministry 200,000 galleons. A significant amount, which is one of the reasons why this law is not evoked as frequently.

Bones nods. "Please continue."

Richard continues. "Thank you. Our case is simple. Mister Potter believes that Mister Black who is accused of being the Potter's secret keeper and of killing Peter Pettigrew is innocent. He believes that Peter Pettigrew to be the real traitor and to be the one who blew up the street, staging his own death and killing 12 unsuspecting muggles.

Madame Bones raises her eyebrows at this. "Do you have proof to support this statement?"

"Thank you Madame Bones. We indeed have proof."

He nods to me, where on I remove the box from my pocket and give it to Richard. He opens the box and removes the transfigured rat from the box. He puts the rat on the floor and reverses the transfiguration. The crowd grasps as Peter becomes visible.

As Richard enervates him, a blasting curse heads toward Peter from within the crowd. I expected something like this to happen.

"Absolvo" I shout raising my strongest shield yet. The curse gets absolved into the shield and panic ensues.

Dumbledore issues a loud BANG. "SILENCE" he shouts.

Amelia takes charge. "Aurors, control the crowd and shield the platform."

As the Aurors take charge, I smirk at the glowering Fudge.

Amelia body binds Peter to a chair. "Mr. Simmright, how can you be sure this is Peter Pettigrew?"

"We have asked Albus Dumbledore and Professor Snape here to confirm his as such. Mr. Dumbledore was the headmaster during Pettigrew's time at Hogwarts and Mr. Snape was in the same year. We believe that they can identify him."

Madame Bones turn to face Dumbledore and he nods while staring at Peter. "It is him."

She turns to face Snape. I do the same to see him glowering at Peter with utter hatred, which surprised me. If any, I thought he would be glowering at me for putting him on the spot. He slowly nods. "It is Peter Pettigrew."

Madame Bones takes a huge breath and turns to face us. "Is it your and your clients prerogative to seek the truth through the use of Veritaserum?"

"It is Madame Bones."

"Very well." She takes out the bottle of Veritaserum. "Let it be known that this potion has been tested and proven by DMLE to be genuine Veritaserum."

One of the Aurors wenches Peter's jaw open as he keeps pleading his innocence. He is fed 3 drops of the serum and his jaw is closed. His eyes lose their focus as he goes into the potion-induced trance.

Madame Bones starts the questioning.

"What is your name?"

"Peter Marcus Pettigrew." A gasp issues from the crowd.

"What year did you graduate from Hogwarts?"

"1978."

"Who was the Potter's secret keeper?"

"I was." Another gasp.

"Did you betray the secret to You-Know-Who?"

"Yes." Silence reigns.

Even Amelia Bones is flustered by this.

"Did you give this information willingly?"

"Yes."

"Are you a death eater?"

"Yes." And the crowd breaks into a chorus of noise.

Amelia raises her voice over the crowd and Dumbledore silences them with a wide area-silencing spell generally used in court rooms. "What happened the day after Halloween 1981, when you confronted Sirius Black?"

"I did not confront him. He confronted me. I shouted that he betrayed Lily and James, cut of my finger and blew up the street. I transformed into a rat and escaped in the sewers."

"What do you mean transformed into a rat?"

"I am a rat animagus."

"Is Sirius Black a death eater?"

"No."

And the questions stop at that. Remus who is standing by Snape at the front of the crowd lunges at Peter, but I come in between and stop him.

"How could you Peter? How could you?"

The serum is still in effect. He starts crying. "I was afraid, Remus. The dark lord was powerful. There was nothing to gain by standing against him."

I pull Remus away from the crying man. "Let him be, Remus. He will get what's coming to him."

He struggles but slumps down. "Oh god… Sirius."

I whisper into his ear and he brightens. He nods and steps away from the platform.

I turn around to see Peter being given the anti-serum and howled away by the Aurors.

I face Madame Bones. "So Madame, is Sirius Black going to get his pardon?"

"Rest assured Mister Potter, the ministry will announce his pardon today. What happened to him is atrocious. You wouldn't know where he is?"

I put on my best poker face. "Of course not Madame Bones. It is against the law to play host to a wanted criminal even if I think he is innocent."

She smirks at me knowingly and I smirk back.

"But… He knows that I believe him to be innocent. So I can reach him by owl."

"Good. Please ask him to drop by the ministry to collect his pardon tomorrow."

Richard steps in. "I will accompany Mister Black tomorrow after we see a public announcement in the Prophet. We will of course be suing the ministry for false imprisonment of my client."

Madame Bones nods and stares at me for a moment. "You are an interesting young man Potter. That's a powerful shield you created. Especially for a NEWT level spell."

"It never hurts to be ready Madame Bones."

She nods. "Yes, It never hurts."

We stare at each other. She nods one final time at myself, Dumbledore and Minerva and goes about her way.

As I step off the platform, the reporters surround me. I keep my wand in hand, just in case. Remus is close by, so is Minerva and Dumbledore.

I answer a few questions regarding Sirius and Quidditch. I tell them I need to do my homework and head for the school with the three Professors.

We enter Hogwarts' grounds. Minerva glances at me with a stern look. "Mr. Potter where were you this morning?"

I act innocent. "This morning, Professor?"

Her lips form a thin line. Not a good sign. "Yes. This morning. You were not in the common room and your friends didn't know where you were."

"Oh! OH! I was just, you know, roaming around."

"No I don't. Where exactly were you roaming around?"

"A good Wizard doesn't tell his secrets, professor."

Remus laughs at that and Dumbledore chuckles.

Minerva narrows her eyes. "Maybe I should give you detention for the rest of the school year for leaving grounds without permission?"

Dumbledore comes to the rescue. "Now, now Minerva lets not be hasty. He did have a good reason after all."

As Minerva starts to object he raises his hand. "But, he did leave the grounds without permission. So how about 50 points from Gryffindor and 3 days of detention with you and might I suggest Filius."

"Filius? How is he involved in this?"

"I will leave the explanations to Harry." He glances at me and I nod my head. I guess he is providing me with the opportune moment to show my talents in Transfiguration and Charms.

Minerva looks at me shrewdly and nods. "Fine."

Dumbledore claps his hands. "Splendid. Now Harry, how about we give Sirius the good news."

I laugh at that. Good old Albus. "Why not professor."

Minerva looks stunned. "What? He's in the castle?"

We reach the 7th floor corridor and gather around the portrait of Barnabass the Barmy. I glance at the three professors with a sly smile. "Professors… Are you ready to learn one of Hogwarts many secrets?"

They look curious, but Minerva looks a little irritated as well. "Get on with it Potter."

I nod and walk across the portrait three times thinking "I need a place for Sirius Black to safely hide and get better."

A door appears. I walk up to it and open it. "Welcome to the room of requirements."

We enter the room to find Padfoot waiting for us. I smile at him and give a thumbs up. He transforms back into his human form. He stares at me in wonder and closes his eyes saying a silent prayer. He walks up to me and gives me a rib-cracking hug.

"Thank you Harry. Thank you."

I pat him on the back. "Don't worry about it Sirius. Now stop being all mushy."

He laughs at that and takes in the other three people in the room.

"Headmaster."

Dumbledore smiles and nods. "Welcome back, Sirius. And may I be the first to apologies for not believing in you?"

"Apology accepted headmaster. It's water under the bridge anyways. Time to move on."

"Excellent and call me Albus."

Sirius glances at Minerva and gives her a cheeky smile. "You haven't aged a bit in the last decade professor."

Minerva smiles at that. "You were always the charmer, Sirius. If you were still in school, I would give you points for such an excellent demonstration of being an Animagus."

"Maybe you can give it to Harry? He did after all…" At this I stamp on Sirius foot.

"Ow! What was that for?"

I glare at him and he shuffles his feat, nervous.

Minerva of course doesn't leave it at that. "He did what Sirius?"

He looks at me nervously. "Nothing really. I was just saying he after all brought you here."

She purses her lips. "Mr. Black you tell me right now or I will give you a detention for a week."

Sirius looks confused at that. "Huh? I did pass out right?" He asks looking at Remus, who smiles and nods.

He breathes out on relief. "Oh good. For a moment I thought I was still in school."

Remus moves across to stand in front on Sirius. "Padfoot."

Sirius smiles back. "Moony."

And they hug each other as 2 brother reunited.

I silently move toward the door followed by Albus and Minerva leaving Sirius and Remus to reacquaint with each other.

As I close the door, Dumbledore comments. "Interesting room, Harry. I think I came across it once and it was filled with chamber pots."

"You walk across the portrait 3 times thinking what kind of room you want and it becomes that room. Quite a piece of magic."

We stare at the door for a few moments. "Potter meet me after Dinner tonight for your detention."

I agree and Minerva leaves us.

I stare at Albus as he stares at the door.

"So Professor… Would you like to learn another of Hogwarts' secrets?"

He laughs at that and peers down at me through his half moon glasses. "You seem to be carrying a lot of secrets these days, Harry?"

I smirk at him. "Oh, I do. But this one is not my secret. I am just a messenger."

He looks curious. "You got me intrigued."

"Then, shall we proceed?"

He nods and we march down to the third floor. I walk through the illusion wall and take the passage down to the circular room closely followed by Albus.

He looks at the four symbols in wonder. "Such power I can sense in this room… What is this place, Harry?"

I wave my hand across the room as if introducing him, which in a way I am. "Welcome, professor, to the final resting place of Salazar Slytherin, Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Huffelpuff."

I left Albus to chat with the founders and head toward the common room. I feel light headed as the adrenaline over the last 2 hours comes crashing down. Sirius is free. My godfather is free. I smile at that thought. I have family who doesn't hate my very existence.

I enter to see the common room empty except for a few people. I spy Ron and Hermione sitting near the fireplace in a serious discussion. I fall into place beside them.

"Hey guys."

Ron scowls at me and Hermione purses her lips. Huh!

"What's up?"

"Where were you this morning, mate?"

I shrug. "Around."

His scowl deepens. "You are keeping secrets from us, Harry."

I scowl back. "You mean today's news?"

Hermione pitches in. "That and more, Harry. All of a sudden you know so much more about magic. You continuously beat me in class in EVERY subject we take together. You are playing for England. You were very good at Quidditch before. But now, it's like you are not afraid. You are more confident."

She takes a breather. "Something happened to you over the summer. I thought you might be a polyjuiced imposter. But you aren't as you spent many double periods without drinking anything."

I nod at her observation. "You are right. I do have secrets and something did happen."

They smile at me in triumph as if they won a competition. As Hermione opens her mouth I raise my hand to stop her. I quickly raise a privacy ward. "But that doesn't mean I am going to share them with you lot."

Ron turns red in anger and scowls darkly at me. "We are your friends mate."

I smile at them lovingly. "You are. The best of friends one could hope for. Friends who were willing to face death together."

Ron smiles at that and Hermione's stares at me misty eyed. I slowly lose my smile and stare seriously at them.

"But that doesn't mean I will share every last secret of mine with you guys. And I expect the same from you.

I add softly. "Some secrets are not meant to be shared. Not when they mean life and death."

They open their mouth to argue. "Will you really share your deepest darkest secrets with me? Are either of you ready to do that?"

They close their mouths as they think about it. Ron looks back seriously and nods. Hermione does the same, even if reluctantly.

I smile at them. "That said there are a few things I do want to share with you."

I smirk at Ron. "So Ron, I saw Scabbers the other day…" He brightens at that.

As I continue my story, his look turns to that of horror. "I let him sleep in my bed." He really looks green. I hit him with a calming charm and he relaxes a bit.

They both share in my happiness. Ron pats my back and Hermione gives me a hug. At that moment I decided to share a couple of things with them. Not about the founders room. I cannot share that without permission from them and I don't think my friends are ready to learn anything beyond what I can teach them at this point. But I have a few more secrets to share…

"And you were right, Hermione. Something did happen to me. But not this summer. It happened in the chamber."

They both look intrigued. "I cannot tell you what though. Not until you are half way decent at Occlumency."

Hermione puts on her thinking cap and Ron looks lost. "What's that mate?"

"Hermione?"

She looks flustered. Probably the first time she didn't know a perfect answer. "Is that something to do with mind, Harry?"

I nod. "Yes. It's a nearly forgotten art of protecting one's mind against external influences. Very few actually know about it and only a handful even practice it. And among those, hardly anyone ever takes the time to master it. It takes years of focus and concentration to achieve that level. If you guys want to know my secrets, you need to achieve at least an acceptable level in it."

Ron looks astonished and slightly scared. "You… You mean there are people who can read my mind."

I nod. "Both Snape and Dumbledore can. It's called Leglimency."

"Bloody hell."

"RON. Language. Do you know Occlumency, Harry?" asks Hermione.

I nod again. "I do. And I am decent at it. I can block out any passive leglimency effort. And I can block a direct attack from any mediocre wizard. But if say Dumbledore or even Snape were to attack me with their full strength, I would have to use my wand to protect myself."

I see where this is going. "I am an unusual case Hermione. To even get to this stage, you will need to be practicing for at least a few years. It seems that Parseltongue was not the only thing Voldemort passed on to me."

They nod in understanding. "I will give you both a book over the summer. Work on it. It will not only help you protect your mind, but also increase your focus. You will need it if you ever want to learn truly powerful magic."

I eye Hermione. "The kind of magic in Sirius' books."

After that Hermione goes back to her homework and I spend an hour or so playing chess and losing magnificently to Ron.

We have a peaceful lunch where the sole topic of conversation in the great hall is about Black and Pettigrew with more than a few glances in my direction. I look up at the head table to see neither Dumbledore nor Snape present. After lunch I tell my friends I am going for a walk. They ask if I want company and I tell them that it is one of those things I must do alone. They nod and go about their work.

I reach the room and requirements. I walk across it three times and open the door. I find Sirius and Remus laughing about and having lunch.

On seeing me, Remus walks around and hugs me. "Thank you, Harry."

I disengage myself from him. "Whatever for?"

"For helping free Sirius of course."

I roll my eyes and smile at him. "He's my godfather. Of course I would help him."

Remus ruffles my already messy hair. "Of course you would."

Sirius comes to stand beside me and puts his hand across my shoulder.

"Harry, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Okay…"

"Let's sit down first."

We settle down with Sirius sitting right in front of me. He looks me in the eye quite serious. I can't help myself.

"Why so serious, Sirius?"

He gawks at me for second and then bursts out laughing. Remus who's sitting beside me groans as if in pain. "Not that serious, Sirius joke, Harry."

"Well Remus… He is serious."

Even Remus cracks a smile at that.

Sirius sobers down. "All jokes aside, Harry… You know I am going to be officially free tomorrow?"

I nod. "I was there you know. Spit it out Sirius."

"I want you to come and live with me Harry."

I stare at him a little stunned. To be quite honest, I didn't expect that. I don't know why… But it does give this strange feeling inside me. For the first time since I was an year old, I… I have a family."

I get up and hug him.

"Thanks Sirius. I would love to live with you."

Then, I realize something and my enthusiasm fades. I release him and sit back down. Seeing Sirius, confused…

"There are blood wards on Privet drive Sirius. And they are very powerful. More powerful and secure than a fidelus protected house."

They cringe at that. On second thought, it probably wasn't a good comparison based on all our histories. Sirius looks depressed at that.

"But…" He looks up at me hopeful.

"But, I only need to stay there for a month if I am right. So the rest of the summer and during Christmas I can stay with you."

He brightens up instantly at that and does a jig around the room. After that, I spend a few hours listening about their exploits with my dad and a few stories about my mom.

We make plans to meet at the ministry tomorrow after my training. I will be accompanying Sirius to get his pardon and his new wand, as tomorrow's a Sunday.

As I get up to leave, Sirius stops me.

"You know, Harry… You never told me how you captured Peter… Can you please show me in the pensieve?"

I think about it. "Dumbledore is going to ask me the same, Sirius. How about I show you both at the same time?"

Sirius shrugs and nods, while Remus looks on perplexed.

"You captured Peter, Harry? I thought Sirius did and brought him to you."

Sirius barks a laugh. "No Moony. My dear godson is a fledging prodigy. He captured me with a rune scheme in our old common room and set me up here. He said he had a plan to capture Peter… But never told me how."

Remus looks intrigued. "A Rune scheme, Harry? If I remember right, building a complex rune scheme like that wouldn't be covered until your seventh year."

I smirk at him. "Doesn't mean I have to wait that long to learn it."

Sirius barks another laugh. "By godson, a Quidditch prodigy, a fledging transfiguration, charms and runes master…" He wipes a fake tear from his eye.

I blush a little at the praise. First time I got any from a family member. I guess it will take a little getting used to.

Remus looks stunned. "Transfiguration?"

I shrug. "If you want, you both can come to the detention tonight with Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick. Dumbledore wanted me to show them what I know."

They agree and I leave for dinner.

As I enter the great hall I see Albus sitting at the head table talking to Minerva. Our eyes meet and he gives me a nod. I don't see Snape anywhere.

After dinner, I went to Minerva's office accompanied by Remus and Sirius in his dog form. Until the news comes out tomorrow, there is nothing to be done about that. The staff knows about him, but not the students.

For the next two hours I showcase my knowledge and power in Transfiguration and Charms. From complex animations to conjuring live animals to powerful communications charms, I dazzle them with my prowess and knowledge. And to end the show, I create a stone golem. Unlike the snow golem, it will take more than a punch to destroy this.

I doubt I could have done such complex magic at the beginning of this year. How much ever knowledge I have, I simply didn't have the concentration and power needed. But now, after hours and hours of practice, my magic is strong, stronger than I expected it to be. I think it's because of two reasons. One, I did absorb a little bit of Voldemort's magic during the chamber incident. I never considered that until a few weeks back when I started practicing elemental and nature magic from those books.

Practically every spell needs immense power and concentration. They are somewhat like Fiendfyre in that, if you lose your concentration, they might just destroy you.

Practicing these high level spells not only increased my magical strength, but it also gave me more finesse and control when I do the lesser spells. I dare say I am as powerful as the 15-year-old Tom Riddle who created his first Horcrux.

All 4 adults look astounded at me. Some people might call me a cheat for using a short cut, which Voldemort's memories provided. But to tell the truth, I don't care. I think it's a just reward for carrying a piece of his sole for most of my life.

The silence is broken as Minerva collapses into her chair. "How can this be? For the first two years, you were for lack of a better word, an ordinary student, mister Potter. You improved a great deal in class this year… But… But this is ridiculous."

Filius looks very excited. "The spells you did, Harry… It's not just knowing the spell. Anyone who reads a book can get that. But the control and the ease with which you have done them is unheard of in a 13 year old."

I glance at Sirius and Remus to see their reactions. Sirius is smiling from ear to ear and is ready to do another jig, while Remus stares at me in shock. I turn back to face the professors.

"Thank you professors. All I can say is, since the chamber incident, it was like a dam has broken inside me. I feel free and yes powerful. I have a thirst for knowledge and so took it upon myself to learn all I can."

"What chamber?" asks Sirius.

They both nod at me distracted, lost in their thoughts.

"I will tell you later Sirius."

He pouts at me, but keeps on smiling. "James and Lily would be so proud of you."

I hope so as well.

Minerva clears her throat. "Thank you Mr. Potter for sharing your skills and knowledge with us."

I nod at her and she continues. "You clearly do not need the regular classes Hogwarts offers in Transfiguration and Charms. Do you intend to test out of them?"

"I rather not Professor."

"But why?"

"The less my enemies know about me, the better."

She purses her lips but nods her assent.

Filius continues to stare at me. "Minerva, I think Mr. Potter can benefit more from the special tutoring we can offer."

Seeing my confusion he elaborates. "Every year, a few professors select one or two exceptional seventh year students to tutor them in their respective fields. I, Mr. Potter was a dueling champion for a number of years in my youth. If you choose to accept my offer, I will teach you the different styles of dueling and how and when to use the different spells in your armor for the best results."

I smile at that. Voldemort spent many years learning different styles of dueling and he fought many great fighters, sometimes to the death, in underground dueling competitions. I would need to be proficient in this if I were to match him one day.

I bow to him respectfully. "Thank you professor. I really appreciate it."

He waves it off. "Think nothing of it, Mr. Potter. Every master's dream is to meet a worthy student to pass on their secrets."

I again thank him. I turn to see Minerva staring into the space. After a few seconds… "There is much to transfiguration we do not teach here, Potter. There are secrets, passed down from master to apprentice that are not shared. I have never offered this to a student and I am hesitant to do so even now. But you have such potential…"

She takes a deep breath. "I cannot offer you an official apprenticeship since my position as the deputy headmistress forbids me to do so. But if you accept to become my unofficial apprentice, I will teach you everything I know about Transfiguration."

I stare at her open mouthed for a second before I compose myself. I bow to her. "Thank you Professor. I accept."

Both the professor smile at me. I receive a slap on my back and see Sirius standing with a hand over my shoulder. "I don't know whether to be sad or happy for you Harry. Sad that you are becoming a book worm or happy that you will receive special tutoring from two of the best professors in Hogwarts."

At this both the professors blush a little. It's quite hilarious actually.

"How can we help you, Harry?" asks Remus.

I shrug. "Just be there for me guys."

And then I smile evilly. "And maybe both of you give me some dueling practice."

They both shudder in mock horror. Sirius shakes his head and holds me at arms length. "We will always be there for you, Harry. We haven't for most of our lives. But…"

I pat him on the hand. "I know, Sirius. I know."

I turn back to face the professors. "I have a request for both of you. I am still learning a lot by myself and I have Quidditch for 30 hours a week. Can we start the tutoring next year?"

They both think about it and Filius answers for both. "It's for the best I think. What do you say, Minerva?"

Minerva nods in acceptance.

I give them both an ear splitting smile. "Thank you. On that topic professors, is it okay if I skip my homework for rest of the year? As you said, I clearly don't need it and it will free up my time. Please?" I give them my best puppy dog eyes.

The three men in the room laugh and Minerva stares at me sternly. "You better win the world cup Mister Potter."

I swallow at that nervously.

The next day turns out to be bright and sunny. I leave for my Quidditch training around 8 in the morning after breakfast. The team members were excited about the news in the paper. The ministry publicly declared Sirius to be free. They corner me in the locker and ask me all about it and I tell them what I can.

The training going forward is going to be different. The coach decided to break the training day into sessions. My session as a seeker is to intercept the chaser plays while the beaters concentrate the bludgers solely on me. The reserve seeker will play the opposing seeker. Needless to say 2 hours into the session, I was dead on my feet.

Escaping the bludgers at every turn, intercepting the chaser plays using dives, rolls and my trademark broom surfing, all the while keeping an eye on the other seeker and for the snitch is not a child's play. I lost the snitch twice out of the 4 plays we played in the session. Better than I hoped. I'm perfecting a couple of new moves, which should be useful in the next few matches.

I have 6 weeks to improve my numbers for the quarters where we play Peru. They have a good seeker. But the best so far is Viktor Krum of Bulgaria. Quite literally a powerhouse of a seeker. The Bulgarian chasers have the worst record by far of all the 8 teams to enter the quarters. They won their matches solely on Viktor's seeking. I hope I get to play against him. To win against the best is the true prize. The true challenge.

I leave the stadium and floo to the Leaky Cauldron in the evening to meet with Sirius. I am under and glamour to avoid the crowds and it turned out to be a good thing as the pub is packed. And paying a lot of attention to Sirius who along with Remus is at the bar.

I also see a familiar face nearby. It's Alastor Moody the Auror or Ex-Auror as it is. With a wooden leg, a magical eye and half his nose missing he's a gruesome sight. I bet he's a fierce fighter even with only half the assets. It took Voldemort over 15 minutes to subdue him in a head to head duel. Moody lost his eye to a bludgeoner and leg to fiendfyre on that fateful day. And Evan Rosier one of Voldemort's better fighters took his nose before Moody killed him.

His magical eye tracks me as soon I as I enter the pub. I guess he can see my glamour. I nod to him and he scowls at me. Dumbledore must have sent him to protect Sirius until he gets a wand. Good.

I take a step toward Sirius and Moody gets up to his feet and follows me with his wand ready. As I tap Sirius on the shoulder Moody walks up to me.

"Good glamour, Potter. CONSTANT VIGILLANCE."

Sirius smiles. "Ahh… Harry, I want you to meet a good friend, Alastor Moody, Ex-Auror."

"Good evening Mr. Moody."

"Aye, good evening lad. Call me Alastor or mad-eye."

I smile and answer. "And the same goes to you Alastor, call me Harry."

I remove my glamour and we floo to the ministry, where we were sent to Madame Bones' office under Auror escort. We meet with our lawyer and proceed to get Sirius his official release.

He surprised me by asking Madame Bones about taking over my official guardianship as my parents last will states.

The four of us step out of the office when we see two unwelcome faces. Lucius Malfoy and Cornelius Fudge.

Seeing us Lucius sneers.

Sirius shakes his head and moans. "The first two people I see after I get my freedom back… What have I ever done to deserve this?"

They approach us and Lucius glares at me and then at Sirius. "It seems Azkaban hasn't been bad for you Black."

Sirius glares back. "Unlike others, I knew I was innocent."

The minister fidgets around nervously.

Lucius shifts his focus to me. "Mr. Potter, we meet again. You have been making a name for yourself."

I smile mockingly. "Why Mr. Malfoy, I didn't know you cared."

He takes a step toward me and Sirius blocks him. Malfoy scowls and looks down at me. "Be careful Potter. English fans will be devastated if something unfortunate should happen to you."

I glare at him and release my magic, something, which comes with learning wandless magic. I whisper to him with a hint of menace and threat. "The whole world knows what happened last time someone tried to kill me. You should know your history better, Malfoy."

He scowls at me confused by what he sees in front of him. He didn't expect a 13 year old to be that powerful. He turns around and walks away with the minister shadowing him.

Moody BARKS a laugh. "You got more balls than most adults, Potter. But be careful boy. Malfoy is not someone to piss of lightly. CONSTANT VIGILLANCE."

I agree and we leave the ministry with Sirius and Remus in silent discussion behind him. We reach Ollivanders where he greets me with a smile. I am sure he made good use of the fangs I gave him. Sirius buys his wand and the four of us leave to Hogwarts.

That night, while having dinner with my friends, I got a note from the headmaster asking me to come to his office after dinner.

I step into the headmasters to see it empty except for Fawkes.

"Hey Fawkes." The phoenix trills in response as I pet him. I see a bookshelf and walk to it. They are mostly on wards and transfiguration.

"They are some of the best books on their subjects, Harry."

I turn to see Albus standing close by observing me. I nod to him. "Hello professor."

I turn back to face the bookshelf. "You wouldn't happen to have a book on the fidelius charm, would you?"

He smiles at that. "Maybe Harry… Maybe."

We sit at the table. "Can you teach that charm to me professor?"

He taps the table as he stares at me. "It's one of the most complex and intricate charms ever designed."

I agree. "I know professor. I have an idea I am working on that would require the workings of the fidelius."

He stares at me for a while. "I hope you are not experimenting by yourself Harry. That could be disastrous."

"I am still working on the theory part professor. But when it comes to applying the theory, I will do it under adult supervision."

He nods. "Is it something I can help with?"

I smile cheekily at him. "It's a surprise. One I think you will appreciate."

He nods and continues. "I must thank you, Harry for letting me know of the founder's request."

I shrug again. "I was just a messenger. You had a good conversation?"

He nods absentmindedly. "It was enlightening in the least. You see Harry, Hogwarts standard wards are powerful, but are not meant to protect in a war. Being more magically powerful than most, I took it upon myself to cast new wards and maintain them for the last two wars, against Grindelwald and Voldemort."

"You maintained the wards around Hogwarts?" God, how powerful is he?

Albus nods at that. "It was indeed very taxing. But it was not enough. Voldemort still found a way to enter the castle in your first year."

"And now?"

"Now, I tied my personal wards to the school ward stones and the founders will increase the strength of the original wards in the coming few days. And if there should come a time when Voldemort is amongst us again, the ward levels can be increased to suit the purpose. And they can be formidable."

I nod in appreciation. It makes sense too. To have powerful wards covering as big and public a place as Hogwarts at a continuous alert status is not recommended.

"Now coming back to the reason I called for this meeting, I must ask you Harry about how you came to know about the ward room and of Mr. Pettigrew."

"They are both linked. I went to find Peter and he was staying in that room. I explored and talked to Lord Slytherin who conveyed his message to you."

"And Peter, how did you know of him?"

"It's a long story Professor, which I promised Sirius and Remus that I will tell them as well. Do you think you can call them and I can show in a pensieve?"

"Very well, let's move on to the last topic. Filius and Minerva conveyed their decision regards to providing you with tutoring beyond a standard Hogwarts education and I gave them my blessings."

"Thank you."

"Alastor mentioned about the altercation you had with Mr. Malfoy and wishes to accompany you during your Quidditch practices and matches."

I scowl. "I don't know about that professor…"

He raises his hand. "Personally I think it has a lot to do with his love for Quidditch. With him being retired it will also help in easing his boredom. Make no mistake Harry, he's a legend and you can learn many things from him. Not just about magic, but about life and what it's like to fight for it.

I give it a thought and finally agree. "Alright professor, since you insist."

"Marvelous. Let's go meet Sirius and Remus shall we? I assume you own a pensieve?

"I do."

"Then let us move."

We meet the Marauders in the ROR, where I show them how I captured Sirius, my resulting conversation and finally my fight with Peter.

We come out of the last memory, when Sirius picks up his wand in rage and strides toward the door. "I'm going to kill that rat."

I quickly get hold of him. "Get yourself together Sirius."

"How could you just let him go, Harry? He tried to kill you. He was the reason you lost your parents."

"Because I wanted you free."

He deflates at that statement and sits down morosely.

"How did you know Sirius was innocent Harry?"

I was prepared for this. "I learnt occlumency over the summer, which allowed me to view my memories even as a toddler. They are mostly fuzzy with random thoughts except for those times when I paid attention to what was happening around me. One of those memories is of Peter becoming the secret keeper when mom and dad put up the fidelius charm."

I glance at Dumbledore to see him staring at me. "You are wondering about the spell professor?"

"Indeed. A most interesting spell."

"It's from one of the black family books, which Sirius gave me for Christmas."

"A good spell, Harry and could be useful in certain situations. But if I might be blunt, that was the wrong situation. The spell had a long incantation and took a few seconds to achieve the goal. A more worthy opponent wouldn't have given you a chance to get out that spell."

I sigh. "I was practicing it for a while and it was the first thing that came to mind."

Albus smiles. "It was your first magical duel if a short one. You will get better with experience."

He looks at his watch. "It is getting late. I shall bid you good night gentlemen." He strides out of the room.

The months pass by and the end of term is here. Our last two games were excellent. 6 weeks of practice before the quarters and a further 6 weeks before the semis has improved my seeking skills phenomenally. Moody, who was at both the matches with Sirius and Remus, gave good unbiased feedback and tips during the training sessions.

The match against Peru was considerably easy, while the match against the Irish was one of our toughest, especially for the chasers. The Irish chasers are among the best and it took a huge team effort to not lag behind them. The Irish seeker was a legend. The keyword being was. He's past his prime and more fixed in his ways.

Now we play Bulgaria in the final. Our chasers are better than theirs, so it will come down to the snitch. Viktor Krum against Harry Potter. The winner takes the cup. Gives me adrenaline whenever I think about it.

As promised, Minerva and Filius didn't give me any homework. Remus agreed to do the same. This freed up a considerable amount of time for my personal training. I stopped working on Hogwarts materials about 2 months back. Since then it was mostly wandless, elemental and nature magics.

I can do a weak wandless banisher at this stage including a strong levitation and summoning. I have learnt quite a few elemental and nature spells. Nature spells as Albus pointed out are cool, but are not meant in a one-on-one duel. Elemental spells are more useful, like creating shields using air, animals made of fire, and resistant to most dispelling spells, creating storms, gales and hail. It all depends on your magical power. Where Albus and Voldemort can create storms powerful enough to blow a fully-grown giant, I can create one, which can probably stagger Hagrid a few feet.

The more I work my magic, the stronger it will be. And it is true. Compared to last year I have much more power. My magic flows better. My senses have improved, which also helps in Quidditch.

Gryffindor won the Quidditch cup and Oliver was ecstatic. He will be leaving the school with the cup under his belt. He has signed a contract to play for Puddlemere United. I did get quite a few offers myself, but respectfully declined everyone. Playing for the national team was a blast. But after that playing for league team, just doesn't give me the same kick. There are so many things to learn and to do.

Remus resigned from his position, as the DADA professor after it came out that he's a werewolf. It coincidentally happened right after Gryffindor won the Quidditch cup. I wonder who was responsible for that. Remus was not too upset with it as he was planning on quitting anyways. It seems he only agreed to take the job to protect me from Sirius.

Snape has agreed to give me the eye-correcting potion, midway into August, two weeks before the start of the new term. My friends are doing much better overall. Ginny of course is the best of them all followed by Hermione and surprisingly Luna. Ron and Neville are doing about the same with Ron lacking motivation and Neville lacking confidence.

Everyone is excited about the coming world cup. Most of the Gryffindor house will be there to cheer me on.

Since I agreed to stay at the Dursleys for a month, Albus gave me a permanent portkey, which will take me to the stadium everyday. After the month, I will be staying with the team until the final, after which I will be staying with Sirius. He cleaned up his family home at Grimmauld place and had it renovated in the last few months.

Pettigrew was kissed about two months back after an official trial and a couple of attempts to breakout from the ministry holding cell. But the biggest news is about Barty Crouch who has gone missing after his house burned down with a house elf inside. I talked to Albus about it and he thinks that something is amiss and I agree with him.

I sit in a compartment with my friends as the Hogwarts Express rolls away toward London. I smile as I think of the coming summer.

AN: And that's the end of third year. The fourth year and much more interesting year is ahead of us. Please review. Expect the next chapter in a week or two. Thanks.