Just a quick heads up- I made an edit to the last chapter that included Dumbledore giving Harry his cloak back, so yeah, he has that.
Also, for simplicity, I've decided to move the timeline up 10 years. Book 1 now takes place in 2001, not 1991.
Also, thanks for the encouragement, Hollow Phantom Drewits, GaleAeras. I appreciated it. And fear not Gale- I shall not abandon my story just because of its unpopularity. I write stories because it's fun, not for recognition. Recognition is just really nice.
And Darkth Shadow, thank you for being such a loyal reader. It's guys like you, Six Samurai of Dragon Order, and Tylermech that make writing fun- people who enjoy my story as much as I do.
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The next morning saw Harry come in from the Forbidden Forest at about five thirty AM. He pricked his finger on the specially made bloodlock on his trunk (a normal bloodlock wouldn't register him at all, as he didn't have enough blood), and stowed his shotgun, then went to the shower. He didn't really need to shower, but it felt nice. Also, it would be good to get the acromantula blood off him. Yeah, that would be wise.
He took a while bathing, so by the time he was done, a few other students were in the common room. Hermione was sitting in an armchair by the fire with a large book on her lap, which he expected was the norm for her. A pair of sixth years was making out in a corner where Hermione couldn't see them. Lastly, a pair of red-headed twins was whispering to each other and arguing over a piece of parchment at one of the tables. Harry made his way to them.
"Gred and Feorge Weasely?" he asked politely.
The twins looked up.
"What? Can't you see we're busy?" One of them asked.
"You have something that belongs to me. I'd like it back now."
"And what might that be, oh Lord Potter?" asked twin number Two.
"The Marauder's Map. Moony said he suspected you two might have found it." Harry answered, scowling now.
Instantly, the twins' faces changed from looks of annoyance to ones of shock.
"You know the Marauders?" asked Two.
"I know Moony and Padfoot, yes, and Prongs was my father."
"What about Wormtail?" One asked eagerly.
"We don't talk about him anymore. Suffice to say that he betrayed the Marauders, and is no longer with us."
The twins nodded. "We understand. But we can't just give you the Map, just because you're Prongs' kid. It's ours, now. But we'll be leaving at the end of the year, and won't have any use for it then. We'll give it to you then," explained One.
"No good. What if we come to a deal? I understand that the two of you are attempting to raise money for a joke shop?"
"Yes..." said Two eagerly.
"Well, in exchange for the map and for being made a full partner, I will fund your joke shop, provide limited access to an invisibility cloak when you have need of it for pranks, and introduce you to Moony and Padfoot. In fact, I should be able to arrange a meeting with Padfoot by the end of the week."
The twins glanced at each other, then back at Harry. "Deal!" they said together, grinning.
"Brother mine, it looks like things are finally looking up for us," said Two.
"Indeed it does," said One as he pulled the map out of his robes and handed it to Harry. "To be honest, we don't really need it all that much. We know the passages by heart. It's really the tracker that we use now."
"I understand. Speaking of which," Harry took a quick glance at the map, then whipped his wand out at the twins. "Notarus. That's from Moony. He says this will make sure the teachers give detention to the right twin from now on."
Fred and George looked at Harry, then at each other, then, with horror, at the large, flashing red label hovering above each of their heads.
"You can't do this to us, Harry!" complained Fred.
"It's criminal!" added George.
Harry chuckled as he walked away, ignoring their protests, and went to get his things from his dormitory. He still had a good two and a half hours to kill, and he figured a quick refresher was in order.
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"Mister Potter. Our new... celebrity," Snape sneered as he reached Harry's name on the roll.
"I'd like to stop right there, Professor Snape," Harry objected. "Frankly, I hate being famous, not that you'd believe it, and I reallyhate getting special treatment because of it. But what I really, really, really hate is immature pricks who can't get over the fact that a dead man humiliated him thirty years ago, and decide to take it out on the guy's son. So, Professor, if you insist on treating me poorly just because my father made you look like a dumbass in school, I will demand satisfaction. Is that understood?"
Snape growled at Harry, then looked him in the eyes. An instant later, Snape was on the ground clutching his stomach, staring at the gun in Harry's hand. The shocked students stared from one to the other, before Pansy Parkinson screamed.
"And if you ever cast the legilimens curse on a student without his or her permission again, I will shoot to kill. Understood, professor?" Harry didn't mention it, but the only reason Snape had survived this encounter at all was because Harry intended for him to. The Model 500 Harry normally carried would have blown a hole straight through Snape's stomach, rather than the flesh-wound the .22 had caused.
"MURDER!" Parkinson cried. "Potter murdered a professor!"
"Be quiet, you idiot girl! Get Madam Pomfrey, and tell her to bring the aurors! You will regret this, Potter," the man growled through his pain. "I will see you in Azkaban for assault and attempted murder!"
"Bring it on, Snivellus." Harry sneered as Snape crawled to his feet. The supposedly-ex-Death-Eater pointed his wand at the wound in his stomach, and the bullet came flying out. A quick wave, and the bleeding ceased and most of the damage healed.
Harry turned to sit down, and for the first time, noticed that the entire class was pointing their wands at him.
Harry sighed and raised his hands. Even if he'd wanted to, he couldn't have fought his way past this many students. And he didn't want to- he'd carefully waited for Snape to cast the Legilimens curse on him before acting for a reason.
"Put the gun down, Potter," Hermione said carefully.
Harry nodded and bent down slowly, placing the pistol on the ground. He then flicked his right wrist, causing his wand to slide into his hand, which he placed next to the pistol before standing again and leaning against his desk.
"There, I'm unarmed," he said, carefully not mentioning the knife he had on his leg, or the wand which was surgically implanted between the bones in his left forearm. His other weapons, he had left in his trunk, knowing he was likely to be arrested today, and that carrying a small arsenal on him would not be wise."You can lower your wands now."
A few students did so, but most of them just glared at him until the door burst open.
Now, what's this nonsense about Potter killing... Severus!" said Madam Pomfrey, followed by Parkinson's "There he is, sir! And there's the thing he killed Professor Snape with, too!"
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Harry sat down nonchalantly, ignoring the chains that bound him to the courtroom chair.
"You are Harry James Potter, son of James Potter and Lily Evans Potter, correct?" asked Madam Bones. It had been decided that she would preside over Harry's trial instead of Dumbledore, due to the fact that Dumbledore and Harry were already acquainted.
"That is correct, yes."
"You stand accused for the assault and attempted murder of Severus Snape on September 2 of this year. How do you plead?"
Snape, now fully healed, sneered nastily at Harry.
"Not guilty, your honor. My actions were fully in self defense. I would like to counter charge Severus Snape with assault on a minor, assault on the head of an Ancient and Noble House, and illegal use of the legilimens curse. When Professor Snape assaulted me, I had a recording disc on me which should be able to attest to this fact. It was in my pocket when I was arrested, so it should be in the DM LE's possession."
Madam Bones searched through the pile of parchments on her podium, and withdrew one of them to examine.
"Yes, it is currently stored in the evidence room. Auror Dawlish will go to retrieve it so that the court may view the events in question."
One of the aurors silently left the courtroom, only to return a few minutes later with a small, gray disc in his hands, which he presented to Madam Bones.
Madam Bones examined the disc, then waved her wand over it, causing it to glow blue, then a series of numbers appeared above it.
"Examination reveals that the recording disc in question has not been tampered with or damaged, that it is in working order, and that it of a model which is capable of detecting advanced magic such as the Legilimens curse. Is there any objection from the court to using this device as evidence?"
There was some muttering, and Snape looked noticeably paler, then a woman in a hideous pink suit stood up.
"Hem, hem. If I may ask, why did Mister Potter have this particular device on him at the time? It is not common for ordinary citizens to carry recording discs on them at all, much less such a sophisticated one as to be able to detect advanced spellwork. Combined with the eyewitness accounts of Mister Potter insulting and threatening Professor Snape, it almost seems as if Mister Potter intended to goad the good professor into attacking him. And is it normal for students at Hogwarts to carry weapons? Surely not. If so, the law must be adjusted."
Madam Bones looked at Harry. "Could you address these issues, Mister Potter?"
"Certainly, Madam. I carry it on me as a contingency. In the light of Lord Voldemort's return, I am a prime target for attack. If such an event happens, I will be forced to defend myself. I would prefer to have evidence that I was attacked first. As for why I carry that particular model, that's simple- it's the best version there is, and I have the money to spare. Lastly, I am fully within my rights as a Head of an Ancient and Noble House to carry any weapon on me at practically any time. But perhaps Madam Umbridge is correct. Maybe it is time to reexamine the rights of a Head of an Ancient and Noble House."
There was quite a bit of murmuring at this last bit, and more than a few glares tossed at the now scowling Umbridge. The Head of House laws were stagnant and ancient. The fact that the laws were so archaic was where quite a few pureblood families drew their power from, and how many had stayed out of Azkaban after Voldemort's fall. Nobody wanted those laws to be reviewed- if they were then reasonable adjustments might be made, and the purebloods certainly didn't want that.
Madam Bones almost smiled at Harry's argument, then asked again. "Are there any other objections?"
Nobody objected this time, so Madom Bones tapped the disc with her wand. A gray, three dimensional image of the Potions classroom appeared above the disc, and Madam Bones waved her wand to enlarge the playback area. The Wizengamot watched in silence as the events in the Potions room unfolded. All could see a golden beam (the memory disc's assigned color for the normally invisible Legilimens curse), hit Harry after he threatened to challenge Snape to a duel, and could see Harry draw the gun and shoot Snape. Some muttered at the apparent power of the muggle weapon, but most dismissed it, arguing to themselves that the damage it had done had been relatively minor and easily healed.
When the recording ended, the Wizengamot turned to look at Harry, then at the ashen-faced Professor Snape.
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Harry whistled to himself as he walked easily through the Forbidden Forest, shotgun in hand, apparently unconcerned about the dangers around him. It had been a good couple of weeks. Sure, he'd been in jail for three days, and spent two more in court, but he'd managed to get Snape arrested, and the Acromantulas were already learning not to stray too far from their nests alone. And, despite his fears, his fellow students weren't treating him as a pariah for shooting their professor. In fact, once the story hit the news and it was clear that Harry was acting in self defense, most of them treated Harry as a hero for getting rid of the hated professor (who was now on trial, and would likely spend the rest of his days in Azkaban). Oh, sure, Hermione was acting as if he were a monster, and most of the Slytherins were out for blood, but Harry doubted the idiots would be a real threat, and who cared what Hermione thought?
Harry stopped and froze as he heard a twang, then ducked, allowing the arrow to soar overhead. He spun around and aimed his shotgun, then stopped. He was surrounded by three centaurs, bows drawn and aimed at him.
"What do you want in our forest, human?" asked a centaur with blonde hair and a palomino body asked angrily.
"I'm here to clear the forest of its darker creatures. I'm also here to provide you with a warning. Pretty soon you'll start seeing a lot of inferi in the woods. You've probably already spotted a few. I try to keep their population down, but it's hard. They tend to follow me, and I need to make sure they don't harm any of the students because I'm here. I mean the centaurs and good creatures of the forest no harm."
The centaur to Harry's back, one with black hair all over, drew his bow farther. "You are the source of the inferi that haunt our woods?"
Harry nodded. "I'm afraid so. They..." he stopped cold as the centaur let go of his bowstring. The arrow flew straight through the air, striking Harry in the center of his chest and sending him staggering forward.
"God, damn, that hurts! What was that for,you prick!" Harry growled as he turned around to face the threat, only to see another arrow coming for his head. He barely managed to dodge it, then dove to the side and took cover behind a tree, getting his shotgun ready to shoot as the first centaur began galloping towards him. To his surprise, however, the centaur soared straight past him and into the black haired bastard.
"Bane! We do not loose our arrows without cause!"
"That thing is the reason the inferi have crawled out of their holes! It is the cause of the attack on our herd! It is why the acromantulas grow restless! It is a monster itself! You defend it when we must kill it!"
"Hey, I'm a he, not an it!" Harry objected. "And I can't help it if inferi follow me everywhere I go! I didn't even know they were already here! It normally takes a few weeks for the things to get to me after I move this far! And do you think I like being like this? Cause I sure as fuck don't. I can't eat, can't sleep, can't heal, and have to hide what I am or I'll be crucified! I can't even take a god damned shower around other people or they'll notice all the wounds that haven't healed! Do you wanna be turned into a fuckin' zombie?"
The third centaur, the one who hadn't spoken yet, stepped forward. "Be that as it may, your presence has caused many problems. The inferi that have been hidden in this forest are now active. They recently attacked our herd, killing many of us when our bows failed to slay the monsters. And your actions in killing the dark creatures of the forest have done more harm than good, it would seem. The acromantulas are angry at the killing of their kin. Many of them wish to attack the castle." Harry's eyes widened at this. "Indeed. Their leader, Aragog, holds them in line, but he cannot hold them for long. You must cease your attempts to 'cleanse' the forest, lest you upset the balance that has kept it from warring with Hogwarts."
"You as well, Ronan?" asked Bane. "You would converse with this monster as if it deserved anything more than death?"
"Tell me, Bane," interrupted the first centaur. "How would you kill this creature? You have seen already that our bows don't harm it," he gestured towards the arrow sticking out of Harry's chest.
"Still not an it," Harry said as Bane fell silent. "And I really am sorry about your herd, but you won't be able to do much to Inferi with bows. You'll need to be willing to use guns to kill the fuckers. Headshots will kill them with any weapon, but it's much easier to do that with a gun than with a bow."
"We will not deign to use human weapons, monster," said Bane angrily.
"Then you'll die," Harry argued. "You guys all need to get over this whole superiority complex bullshit anyway. Centaurs aren't any better than wizards, and wizards aren't better than muggles. What is it with magicals being so sure that they're superior to others?"
Bane looked like he was going to shoot Harry again, so he decided to change tactics.
"Look. Set up a meeting for me with the leaders of your herd. Since the attacks are my fault, it's my job to provide a way to defend yourselves. I'll show you what guns can do, and you'll make the decision to accept my help or not," he said before turning his attention to his wound. He considered the arrow carefully, then shrugged, drew his wand, and cast a severing charm to break the arrow, then pulled out the end that was sticking from his chest. "Could one of you guys get the end of this that's coming out of my back?" He asked the two friendly-ish-er centaurs. "I need to visit the acromantulas if I'm gonna stop them from attacking the castle, and it wouldn't do to show weakness. Oh, I'll also need directions to this Aragog's nest."
The three centaurs stared at him.
"You would go into a nest of acromantulas on your own?" Ronan asked.
"Unless you can find me a partner who's as invincible as I am, I think that's the best option. The worst the acromantulas can do is dismember me- they can't kill me. Anybody else, their life would be at risk." Harry explained. "And I've got to make sure that they don't attack the castle. If they do, hundreds of kids will be slaughtered."
The as yet unnamed centaur trotted over to Harry, then pulled the arrow out of the undead teen's back. "Aragog's nest is in the center of the acromantulas' den, about half an hour's walk that way," the centaur said, pointing. "When you reach the first of their webs, announce yourself plainly and state that you wish to speak to Aragog. If any of the beasts attack you, you must kill it quickly. To do otherwise would show weakness, and you would be devoured. As for your request to meet with the elders of our herd, meet us in this spot in three days time, and we will tell you if it has been granted."
"Thanks," Harry said as he left in the indicated direction. "I'll remember that."
The next night, Harry found himself facing an enormous spider web strung between two trees.
"I seek an audience with..." Harry was interrupted by a relatively small acromantula dropping out of the trees directly above him. Harry rolled out of the way, then turned and blasted into the creature's side with the magnum he had opted to use instead of his shotgun. The shotgun was great for killing most creatures, but against acromantulas, he needed the sheer firepower provided by a .50 caliber magnum. The spider hissed and lunged, but Harry was already moving. He quickly backpedalled, letting out three more shots with his gun as he did so. Two of the blasts caught the acromantula in the face, killing it instantly.
Harry fed a new speedloader into his pistol and cocked it before speaking again. "I seek an audience with Aragog. I have business to discuss with him."
He waited patiently for several minutes, then called again. "I seek an audience with Aragog. I have business to discuss with him."
This time, a large acromantula crawled out of the tree cover.
"Why do you seek the webfather?" it asked int its hissing, growling voice, clicking its pincers with every word.
"I need to talk to him about the possibility of an attack on Hogwarts, and the recent killing of acromantulas in the forest." Harry replied.
The spider considered this for a moment, then responded. "I will tell him what you wish to speak of. If he accepts your desire for an audience, you will be granted safety within our nest for tonight. Otherwise, I suggest you run very quickly. It will make the hunt more interesting."
"Thank you," Harry said. "And the hunt would be quite deadly in this case," he added, gesturing at the corpse of the acromantula that had attacked him.
The spider looked at the corpse, then at Harry. It clicked its pincers once, then withdrew into the forest.
An hour later, a spider appeared (whether it was the same one or not, Harry couldn't tell).
"Aragog has granted your request for an audience," it hissed. "Follow me."
It turned around and moved quickly into the forest. Harry followed.
As they walked, Harry kept a close eye on the spiders around him. They were huge, many of them much larger than the ones he usually saw outside of the nest. They opened up in front of the spider he was following, who moved through them like an ancient prophet through an ocean, and closed up again quickly, forcing Harry to stay close behind his guide. After a few minutes, they came to the edge of the sea. The acromantulas abruptly stopped, forming a large circle of moving flesh around a larged domed web.
Outside this dome sat an enormous spider the size of a small elephant, its hair gray and its blind eyes a milky white.
"Why do you bring me a corpse, Logora? You said that you had a human who wishes to speak with me. I smell no human, only the stench of one long dead."
"If I may, Lord Aragog, that is because I am long dead. As far as I'm aware, I've been dead for fourteen years now. I'm under some kind of curse which causes me to live in this body instead of moving on to What Comes Next. The cure for that curse is one of the reasons I am at Hogwarts," Harry said.
"Ahhhh. Then you are one of the creatures that haunts the woods lately?" Aragog asked.
"Not quite, sir. I'm similar, but those monsters aren't intelligent. I am, to my knowledge, the only one of my kind. Unfortunately, the creatures which you speak of, called Inferi, tend to follow me from one place to another, and my presence excites them, causing them to grow aggressive. This leads to the reason for my presence here. In order to prevent the Inferi from harming others because of my presence, I spend the nights in the forest, hunting them. During my hunts, I am often attacked by acromantulas, who presumably think I am one of these monsters, and am forced to defend myself. Because of the ferocity of your kin, the fight ends in death more often than not. Since I am already dead, it invariably ends in the death of the acromantula who attacked me. I recently received word that your children grow angry due to the killings. I have come to call a truce between us. If your children will not attack myself or the castle, I will leave them unharmed. In the event of an attack on the castle, I will arm the wizards with weapons the likes of which you have never seen, which would be capable of destroying even the King of Serpents, and lead them on a hunt for every last one of your people."
"And why should I not just kill you now, and rid my children of the threat altogether?" Aragog asked.
"Because, sir, they would fail. I have no doubt that your people could easily kill me were I a normal human, even with my training and the special weapons I carry. However, I am not a human. I am, as you stated, already dead. I am immune to injury, and have no blood which you can poison. True, once you dismembered me I would pose little threat, but by that time I would have slain many of your kind. In addition, I did not come unprepared for such an attack. I have on me a device called a bomb, which, when activated, will kill everything in a large radius. It is enchanted to go off at a command word, which I will be able to speak even if my head is removed entirely from my body, due to the nature of my curse."
Aragog clicked his pincers as he considered this new development for a few minutes. Eventually, he spoke again.
"You say that you can kill the King of Serpents. Is this an idle boast?"
"No, Lord Aragog. The tools I have can neutralize the threat of its deadly gaze. I am immune to its poison. My weapons can pierce even its thick hide, and can destroy it utterly."
"I will make you a deal, dead human. The King of Serpents lives underneath the castle. It sometimes strays to the woods and hunts my children. I will lead to to the entrance to its lair. If you slay it, I will grant you your truce."
Harry thought about this, then made a counter-proposal. "Under one condition. I will kill the King of Serpents. In return, you will offer to defend the centaurs from the dead monsters which now roam the woods. You will be at peace with them for as long as I am in the castle. During the summer months, while I am no longer in the castle and the inferi are calmer, you may treat them as you wish. In addition, should the followers of Lord Voldemort ever enter this forest, you will slaughter every last one of them."
Aragog let out a low gurgling sound, which was copied by many of the spider around him. Harry's hand strayed to his gun, thinking he'd offended the spiders and was about to be attacked, until he realized that they were laughing.
"You are a shrewd one, human. I accept your proposal, though the centaurs will reject any help from my kind. For many years, our peoples have been mortal enemies. They will not put aside their hatred for us so easily."
"Leave that to me. You need not defend them until I tell you whether or not they have accepted the offer. Whether they accept or not, I will return here in one week's time to slay the King of Serpents."
With that, Harry turned and left the clearing.
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"Never!" cried one of the centaurs, a black-haired giant who bore a vague resemblance to Bane. "We will not ally ourselves with such monsters!"
"It's either that or learn to use human weapons, in which case you'd be in my debt." Harry replied. "Or you could always let your foals die because you're too arrogant to accept help."
Some of the gathered elders glanced at each other at this.
"Then tell us of these human weapons which can slay even a basilisk. That way, there will be no need for peace with the acromantulas. In fact, with such mighty weapons, we could finally destroy the beasts once and for all!" said a chestnut-brown female centaur, whose naked breasts Harry was carefully not looking at. In fact, there were several female centaurs present, and if Harry had had any blood in his body, it would have been flowing to his groin.
"No," Harry said sternly. "If I provide you with weapons, you will give me your word of honor not to use them against the acromantulas unless they attack en-masse. I will not be responsible for a war between two peoples."
The female and the centaur who resembled Bane growled, but said nothing. Another male, this one with slightly gray hair, stepped forward.
"You must understand, human, what you ask us to do. Either we make peace with our ancient enemies, or we break our traditions and give up our very way of life. What would you feel, in such a situation?"
"To be honest, I don't know. My entire life has been more focused on staying alive. I don't have room for traditions or grudges. But here's my suggestion- accept the acromantulas' help. If you do, the fighting between yourselves will be gone for nine months out of the year, saving many of your younger and more brash centaurs from death. The acromantulas will likely remain unseen unless there is an inferi attack on your colony, and as such, you will only have to tolerate their presence if your lives are in danger, at which point you'll have bigger concerns than some ancient grudge. Your people will be free to continue living according to your traditions, and in a few years you'll be allowed to hate the acromantulas again."
The centaurs looked at Harry, then an ancient male with gray hair and a scarred face came forward. "You are wise beyond your years, bloodless one. Please give us some privacy to discuss your offer. In the meantime, you may rest outside my tent. One of my foals will guide you to it," the elder nodded at a young female who was hovering around the door.
"Thank you, sir. I hope you come to the right decision," Harry replied, then followed the centaur out of the tent.
It took three hours for the centaurs to come to an agreement. During that time, he heard quite a bit of shouting and yelling. There was even what sounded like a fist-fight at one point. Eventually, however, the same female that had led him to his resting place came to get him, and he was led back to the meeting tent.
"Human," said the ancient centaur, "we have decided to accept the offer of help from the acromantulas. As... distasteful as this decision is, it is better to have an unseemly ally for a few years than to give up our way of life entirely, as using human weapons would entail, or to lose the lives of our foals. However, we will be setting up a perimeter around our lands. If any acromantula enters this territory unbidden for any reason other than to slay an inferus, it will be killed. Is that acceptable?"
Harry nodded. "I believe so. I will inform Aragog that the deal has been accepted when I see him next."