Thank you, all of you who have read this story so far and to everyone who took that extra time to review! Thank you Karekid2006, HappyReader1, gowvan

Harry Potter and the Trip to the Past

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Chapter – 7

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Snape was standing at the front of the classroom and sneering at everyone and his sneer became more pronounced when he saw the Gryffindors. He started by taking register and he stopped when he came to Harry's name. He looked up and glared at Harry, "Harry Potter." he said softly, his black eyes glittering, "Our new celebrity."

Harry simply looked at him with wide eyes and he willed himself to blush. He was rewarded by the famous Snape sneer before Snape continued with the register.

After register Snape gave his now very famous speech and after ending it with a 'if you aren't a big bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach' he turned to Harry, his eyes gleaming with dislike.

"Potter," he barked, "What will I get if I add the powered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Harry stood up before he started answering.

"Please sir; they will together make a sleeping draught so powerful it is called the Draught of Living Death. The potion can put one to sleep for as long as you would want. They will have no heart beat and nor will they be able to breathe. It will be as if they are truly dead but they are not. To wake them you have to give them the antidote. That is all I know about this potion sir."

Snape simply stared at the deferential Boy-Who-Lived. How many sirs' had Potter used in that small explanation? Snape blinked once and continued. "A bezoar Potter?"

"It is a small round stone removed from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons sir." Harry replied promptly and if Snape could have he would have gaped at the Boy-Who-Lived. As Snape did not do gaping, he simply stared at the potions savvy and very reverent and unbelievably respectful Harry Potter. He was so shocked he did not ask the third question and turned away to the blackboard and flicked his wand at it saying harshly to the rest of the class, "Well why aren't you all writing it down?"

At once, everyone sprung into action and the sound of parchment and quills being removed and a lot of quills scratching on parchment could be heard. Snape had, in the meantime flicked his wand at the board and the method of preparing a simple potion to cure boils same as Harry's last time appeared.

"Read this very simple instruction carefully on the board and prepare a potion to cure boils. Get down to it." Snape said sharply and all of them hurried to set their cauldrons. Point to me, Harry thought laughing to himself, setting his cauldron and also simultaneously helping Neville set up his, explaining about the potion all the time, conspicuously looking at the instructions on the board all the time.

Both of them had managed to complete their potions properly and carefully and awkwardly poured his potion into a vial and poured some of Neville's potion into a vial for him and tightly closed it when he felt the tendrils of Legilimency. So Snape had been unable to resist. Well Harry was prepared and went about his work, writing his name on the vial.

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Snape had not been able to resist. Harry Potter was extremely confident. Not even his father or Black had been like this. And he was almost grovelling to Snape. That alone was wrong on so many counts that Snape was actually alarmed and worried. Potter had spent a whole month with the bloody dog and werewolf and he was still so respectful without a sneer, a smirk or a sarcastic comment, the moment he saw Snape? That was just not possible. On top of that was his almost perfect knowledge of potions. He wondered how Potter had fared in Transfiguration, the class they had before this. Even Lily had no clue of potions and had developed a love for the subject only because of him.

Snape's lips twisted bitterly and his eyes turned inward as he thought of her. He remembered teaching Lily potions from the moment he had told her she was a witch and had made her love the subject like himself. She became as proficient as he in the exact art of potion making.

He narrowed his eyes and looked at Harry who was pouring a perfect potion into his vial, brewed effortlessly and what was more had made sure the foolish Longbottom boy got his correct as well. Snape knew about Neville and about how late he had shown magic and was expecting him to be a walking disaster and it was almost as if Potter would know about it because he had gone out of his way to help Longbottom.

He wondered what they had been discussing in the Great Hall in the morning and then his thoughts went to the scene outside the potions class with Malfoy. That was very mature and Potter had nipped what would have turned into a major fight and on top of that had bewildered the Slytherin. That was not so easily done especially with Malfoy and Snape was intrigued. Black and Lupin would have done their best to vilify Slytherin House and also Snape, Malfoy and anyone they knew would be in first year this year with Potter. Then why had Potter acted so friendly with Malfoy. It was as if he wanted to avoid confrontations and become friends.

So he peeped. And he was shocked. There was nothing on the surface except his intention to write neatly on the vial. Either Potter was a fantastic natural Occlumens or he really was that empty and Snape would not believe Potter to be empty. He could not go further in without alerting and hurting Potter and letting him know that something was happening inside his head. Well he decided to wait and watch. Snape knew he was after all was very good at that.

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Harry knew he would be watched after Snape saw his very empty mind and grinned to himself. He acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary and walked up to Snape and handed over his vial and waited for Neville to hand over his. Harry was alert to catch the vial if Neville let it slip from his visibly shaking hand.

However Neville managed to hand over the vial and both of them left the classroom, Neville visibly relieved. "Merlin Harry! You saved my life." Neville gasped the moment they were out of that class. Hermione had joined them and Harry casually brushed it away. "I know if our positions had been reversed you would have done the same for me Nev, so no big deal there."

Ron, Dean and Seamus came out visibly wiping their faces and shaking their heads. "What a class." Seamus said feeling fully drained.

"At least we did not lose any points. Fred was saying yesterday that Snape always takes points off us, and it really would have been awful to lose points on our very first day. I was so scared that he would yell at us and take away points from us." Harry told them and all of them shuddered and agreed. They too had heard Fred yesterday. It would have made a bad impression to have points taken away on their very first day and during their very first potions class.

They walked up to the Great Hall making small talk. That set the tone for the first year Gryffindors and they attended all classes and held themselves admirably. Quirrell was a joke as he was last time and they learned nothing from him in his class.

Harry became firm friends with Hermione and Neville and both of them were fast losing their shyness. Ron, Seamus and Dean, Parvati and Lavender were friendly but nothing more. Ron had got into enough fights with Malfoy and the other Slytherins and had everything from points being taken away from him to being placed in detention at least two days a week. It did not seem to deter him and Harry watching from a distance, was gladder than ever that he had chosen as he did.

Snape was watching him silently and Harry acted as if he was not aware and worked very hard. While the practical came to him without effort, even without thought the correct way of expressing the theory still had to be learnt and sometimes Harry found it excruciatingly boring. But he endured and always made sure he would be prepared for class.

For Hermione it was a novel situation where someone else was better than her and could effortlessly get everything at one go. She could not even say he was from a wizarding family because Harry had lived like a muggle and until he received his Hogwarts letter he did not know he was magical just like her. He had just one month of practising magic that she did not have and he topped every time in every class.

She studied hard and so did Neville. They had their first flying lessons two weeks after start of term and Ron got into a fight with Malfoy as usual and throwing curses at each other, both of them took shakily to the air when Madam Hooch had gone with Neville to the hospital wing. Neville had replayed his injury of bucking on his broom and falling down. Harry did not hesitate and also soared up into the air to separate Malfoy and Ron who were throwing what hexes they knew at each other and Malfoy knew far more than Ron.

He got Ron with a spell that made painful boils sprout all over Ron's face. Ron removed his hands to cover his face with a howl of pain and was about to lose balance and fall down, when Harry caught on to Ron. Harry held Ron who was now whimpering in pain and dived. Harry had one hand on his broom and with one hand somehow held on to Ron until they were only a few feet from the ground.

Harry pulled up his broom sharply, slowing it down and removing his hand from his broom, held on to Ron tightly with both hands and jerked him off his broom and held on to him. Harry could not stop his broom before he hit the ground because he was now holding on to Ron as well. About a foot or two from the ground Harry let go off Ron and rolled on to the ground, letting his boom crash. Ron's broom had already crashed to the ground when Harry pulled Ron off it.

Harry stood up shakily and dusted himself off and Hermione, who had run to them along with Neville and the other Gryffindors, pointed her wand at Ron, who had fallen to the ground and was now whimpering in pain clutching his face, shouted a counter spell and vanished the boils in a minute.

That was when McGonagall had come and dragged Harry away and made him Gryffindor's new seeker. Harry was very thoughtful for the next few days. Some events had changed but some events still happened only differently. He must be careful from his fourth year because that was when the deaths started happening, starting with Cedric.

Harry still felt a sense of amazement when he saw Cedric. Every time he saw the Hufflepuff a small prayer would escape his lips and Harry hoped this time around he would live a long life like just like he hoped for many others, them being Sirius, Remus, Snape, Dumbledore, Tonks, Mad-Eye, Fred and Hedwig and so many others who had died needlessly the last time.

Harry was very normal to Malfoy. McGonagall had seen the fight between Malfoy and Ron and had punished both of them. Malfoy had acted edgy the next time he had seen Harry, but Harry had only scowled at him and shook his fist very seriously at a mildly alarmed Malfoy and then had grinned. Malfoy had rolled his eyes and then they went to playing word games with each other.

The first time Malfoy had insulted Hermione, calling her a mudblood while they were arguing about something, Harry and Hermione had stared at him, with Hermione not knowing what the word meant and Harry pretending he did not know, though he felt like punching Malfoy on his snooty nose. Neville had done that, with his fists because he was no where near Malfoy's range in wand fighting.

Harry had acted shocked and in the silence Snape had borne down on them, asking them harshly what had happened. Neville had kept quiet and Malfoy after a slightly scared look at Harry had looked down. Snape had punished the three Gryffindors by taking ten points each for fighting with a Slytherin and had billowed away.

"What does that word mean?" Harry had asked softly, a hint of warning in his voice, a tone that all the three of them learned never to provoke.

Malfoy looked defiant when he had explained just what the word had meant. "So you are also calling my mother who was a muggleborn the same name?" Harry had asked glaring at him his voice very soft. Malfoy knew that in a minute Harry would start yelling and then he was frightening, his power leaking out of him.

They had argued a few times and rarely did Harry become angry, but when he did he was rather frightening and most of them who saw that anger the first time were invariably careful the next time.

Now Malfoy did not answer and after about two minutes of simply staring him down, "May I request you to never utter that word?" he had asked, holding out his hand for Malfoy to shake. The implication was very obvious. Harry meant that if Malfoy would utter mudblood, Harry would fight him, because his mother was a muggleborn. Malfoy was enjoying his well, not friendship, but something like that relationship with Harry and he did not want to stop being whatever he was with Harry. So he swallowed his pride and nodded once and shook Harry's hand.

"Thank you." Harry had told him making Malfoy feel that he had granted Harry a favour, which is what Harry had wanted and Malfoy had walked away feeling he had not lost anything much. Hermione healed Neville's bruise and all of them went to their common room. But from then on Malfoy and his friends never called Hermione or anyone mudblood, at least when Harry was anywhere around.

It was now just a week before Halloween and Harry was sure Quirrell would bring in the troll somehow into Hogwarts. He would have to make sure this time Hermione would not be anywhere near the girls' bathroom or indeed anybody else. Now that Hermione was not so bossy and she had someone studying far better than her, she was just a slightly studious girl, helping Neville in most of his subjects.

Before Quirrell brought the troll into the School Harry wanted to accomplish one more thing. He wanted to remove the Ravenclaw horcrux from the Room of Requirement and keep it safely with him. He decided to remove the horcrux that night a week before Halloween. That would take his collection of horcruxes to three Harry thought with satisfaction.

That night Harry waited for everyone to sleep and at midnight, he spelled his curtains with a repelling charm, made himself invisible first and took his trunk, shrunk it and placed it into his pocket. Harry then changed into his Phoenix form still invisible and flashed to the seventh floor. He changed back still invisible and walked three times thinking hard of a place to hide his book.

On his third walk a door appeared and Harry went inside and heaved a sigh of relief. It was the same room. Harry walked swiftly until he came to diadem; it was still there and Harry silently levitated it from afar and placed it into his trunk. He shrunk it wishing that he could destroy the three damned horcruxes safely right now and then shrieked when the room turned into a dungeon with a three shallow basins placed at a distance from each other and filled with what looked like snake venom.

Harry just sat there for some time before he realized what had happened. The Room of Requirement had granted his earnest wish and desire to destroy the horcruxes. This was beyond perfect Harry thought, truly elated and he suspected that the stuff in the basin was basilisk venom. Harry withdrew his wand and cast many warding spells at the door and mentally asked the Room to tell him the method and also requested the destruction of the horcrux not be heard outside. The writing started forming on the wall opposite the door.

Take the horcrux and levitate it into the shallow basin that has basilisk venom in it. Stand behind the blue line drawn on the floor and you will not be hurt. No one else will hear of the destruction of the horcrux.

Harry looked down and saw the blue line running through the length of the Room of Requirement dividing the whole room into two unequal lengths. He crossed it and stepped into the smaller divide and enlarged his trunk and removed the diadem first. He levitated it carefully and placed it into the shallow basin that was on his left. For a second nothing happened and then there was an awful, agonizing scream as he horcrux burned and died. From the blue line on the floor a strong transparent shield had sprung up until the ceiling and nothing came near Harry. The whole exercise had taken five minutes.

Harry sweating with a combination of thrill and fear and immense satisfaction that one part of the psychopath had been destroyed, did not waste time and repeated his actions with the other two.

Fifteen minutes of holding his breath Harry had destroyed three of the horcruxes. He wondered as he shrunk his trunk about whether he could touch the ring, locket and the diadem, when there appeared a big bowl of some solution and words that told him to levitate the three objects and place them in the bowl. Harry did so and the pale pink solution turned a dark blue, removing all residue of dark magic and then vanished leaving only the three objects inside. The Room told Harry that the objects were safe now and Harry went cautiously near the bowl.

Harry used his one wand to levitate the diadem and asking the Room of Requirement for another empty bowl, placed the diadem not into the bowl but holding it over, used his other wand to cleanse the diadem in all ways he knew. Harry put that aside and repeated the same process with the ring and the locket and then held all of them in his hands.

He looked at them and then smiling tiredly to himself and placed them in his trunk, shrunk it and bowed to the Room thanking it fervently and changing into a Phoenix and flashed to his bed. Harry changed and enlarged his trunk and crashed on to his bed and slept the sleep of the tired and hard working.

The week before Halloween went by slowly and Harry was on a new high, destroying three horcruxes safely and securely made him exceptionally cheerful and happy, and everyone wondered what had made Harry so carefree and visibly happy.

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The first staff meeting after School began took place the day before Halloween, two months after start of the School year. All the professors had gathered together and gave their opinions about various issues and tackled various problems that had needed attention in the School. After discussing regular matters; all of them expressed their surprise about the performance of one Harry James Potter.

"He is amazing Albus. That is the word. He will surely be better than Lily in Charms." Squeaked the little professor Flitwick.

Pomona Sprout nodded. "While he is not the best in my class, he is one of the brighter students Albus."

Sinistra agreed with Pomona and McGonagall stared at Albus when he turned to her. "On the first day he turned his matchstick into a needle in about one second. Then he was helping Longbottom. I had not noticed his needle until I went close to his seat, intending to scold him. Then I saw the needle and surprised, gave him a bunch of matchsticks and asked him to transfigure them. I thought he would start one by one but he did not Albus. He did not separate them one by one, but waved his wand and transfigured the whole lot of them."

Dumbledore was surprised. That was truly unheard of. "His incantation was not loud, almost silent and now copying him, Longbottom, Granger, Thomas, Finnegan, Weasley, Malfoy and Zabini are also saying their spells very softly, almost non verbally, though they are not successful always. In fact I would say except for a few times, they have been forced to shout their spells. But I have never seen Potter say his spells in anything more than a whisper." She finished.

There was a silence after this. This kind of wand work was seen very rarely. "But I suppose it is to be expected after all. The boy has defeated the evil Lord." Flitwick said.

All of them were a little baffled; Dumbledore and Snape the most. A little while later all the professors started to leave and only Snape, McGonagall and Dumbledore were left.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled madly. "Come now, Severus. Tell me about Harry." Dumbledore said, thinking Snape would sprout off about the blasted son of James Potter.

Snape did not respond at once. He looked vacantly at the wall right in front of him, shocking McGonagall who had been readily waiting with a sarcastic remark to hit Snape with and Dumbledore, who was expecting to be amused.

"I don't know. Potter seems to be an enigma, a puzzle I am unable to solve." He said. He looked at McGonagall. "His potions are perfect and he is well mannered, shockingly so. He had struck up a friendship of sorts with Malfoy and he has made Draco respect and like him. When Draco speaks to me, he curses Weasley but never talks about Potter unless I ask him directly and then he is very guarded in his comments. And until now he has not written a word to his parents about being friendly with Potter."

"How do you know that Severus?" McGonagall asked while Dumbledore was watching very interested in Snape's observations.

"Lucius asked me about Draco and he told me to tell Draco to act neutral towards Potter. I told him Draco was already doing so. On the first day I peeped into his mind." Both McGonagall and Dumbledore exclaimed angrily.

"Severus how could you?" asked Dumbledore.

"How dare you abuse a student's privacy like this?" shouted McGonagall.

"Minerva, I applied Legilimency only on the surface and I am allowed to do so in any suspicious circumstance. It is only the deep invasion of any mind that is illegal. What I am trying to say here is that there was no surface thoughts except what he was doing at the time, that was writing his name on an effortlessly brewed potion." Snape replied patiently and a little angrily. "You must realize it is suspicious, more so in fact, in the light of what you have been saying about his Transfiguration work. A boy who has been raised as a muggle and one who did not know he was a wizard until a month before starting Hogwarts has shown the work of a Master. I think I am justified."

Dumbledore was silent and McGonagall was shocked. What Snape was saying was very true. Harry was showing the work of a Master.

"Harry really had no other thoughts Severus?" Dumbledore asked him.

Snape nodded impatiently. "Yes Albus, you may peep and see. Potter at the time I peeped, was writing his name on the potion vial. And that is all there was in his mind. I could have delved deeper but at eleven years of age, your mind is only surface thoughts and they should reflect so much more and be a lot more jumbled."

There was silence after this and Dumbledore and McGonagall thought about what Snape was saying.

"He has spent one month with Black and Lupin. And coming here, Potter has taken Malfoy's hand in friendship and he was and is so respectful to me it is alarming Albus. He still is very friendly with Draco even after he hexed Weasley. Now Draco has even started talking to Granger and Longbottom in a civil manner. Slytherin House has no altercation of any sort with Potter and I find it difficult to believe that Black and Lupin would have taught Potter to treat all the Houses as equal." Snape finished very softly his black eyes very disturbed.

There was once again only silence after this and Dumbledore spoke a little while later.

"Is Harry showing spells that belong to say third year or even second year?" he asked contemplatively.

Both professors shook their head and Dumbledore was relieved. "So Harry is showing his Mastery only in what he has been taught so far. That Severus, Minerva is not so bad. But I really have no answers to what Severus has said and he has raised very valid points. I will invite Sirius and Remus for lunch at Yule to the castle. Harry too, will accompany them, I hope. We may be able to get an idea of what makes one Harry Potter tick then. Until then, please watch him closely." Dumbledore stood up and the other two stood up and all of them went to their rooms, none of them very happy about the state of affairs concerning one Harry Potter.

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The next day was Halloween and Harry woke up with his mind and senses on high alert. Events had a way of happening even though Harry had changed so much. That had been proved by Harry becoming Gryffindor seeker. Today if things were to go according to schedule was the day the troll would appear.

Harry was distracted all day and he kept as close a watch as he could on Quirrell, and McGonagall, Snape and Dumbledore kept an equally close watch on Harry. Harry would not have known this but unfortunately for Dumbledore, his curiosity got in the way of ethics and he decided to peep as well.

Harry had his Occlumency on every time he entered the Great Hall or any classroom. He was more alert in his potions class. That afternoon Harry was in the Great Hall having lunch with his friends when Dumbledore peeped into his mind. Harry knew right away that someone was peeping. He concentrated on his food, his mind only full of lessons of the previous day and as the presence lingered Harry could discern the presence to be that of the Headmaster's; so Dumbledore could not resist either. Harry continued eating and a few minutes later he felt the Legilimency stop. Harry knew then that Dumbledore as well as Snape and if these two were involved then most likely McGonagall too were keeping an eye on him.

Harry continued to watch Quirrell the whole day and in fact he had set a mild trigger on the door of the DADA classroom and Quirrell's office so that he would know the moment the stuttering professor would leave the rooms. Harry was sitting in the common room when he felt the trigger for the office go off. A few minutes later Harry stretched yawing conspicuously and Hermione laughed.

"Feeling very tired Harry?"

"Hmm. May be I should sleep off the afternoon. I had a slightly restless night last night." Harry said stretching and yawning once again.

"You did look a bit off today. Kind of a bit high strung, compared to your attitude all of last week." Hermione told him, tilting her head to one side and looking at him.

"I know. I was feeling so happy all of last week and I really did not know why. Maybe I am kinda falling flat now after being so hyper all last week." Harry said laughing and everyone laughed with him.

Almost all the first years were there in the common room lazing around and spending their afternoon after a magnificent lunch, the second years had told them that dinner would be even better, and they were playing wizarding chess, exploding snap and in Hermione's case reading Hogwarts: A History one more time.

"Go and sleep Harry." Ron advised him. He was smiling and very happy because he was winning against a frustrated Seamus who was cursing Ron and his chess set making everyone laugh. This was his third straight loss and he was determined to win at least one game today.

Harry nodded yawing once again and stood up. "I think I'll take your advice Ron. I'll sleep off the afternoon and come down all ready for the Halloween feast tonight." Harry told them and laughing with the others and yawning Harry went to the dorm to sleep.

The moment he had the curtains around the bed, Harry spelled them to repel anyone to peep in. Harry placed another trigger charm on the curtains and the bed that he had left crumpled, so that if anyone did break the spells on the curtains for any reason whatever Harry would be alerted and he could flash into the bathrooms and come from there so that no one would be suspicious.

That completed, Harry removed his second wand from his trunk and cast the invisibility charm upon himself and transformed into his Phoenix form. He flashed to corridor near the DADA classroom. Transforming back Harry wasted no time except to stop for a minute and check if his invisibility spells had held and then placing his wand on his palm he whispered, "Point me Quirrell."

The wand pointed towards the Forbidden Forest and Harry removed the remaining trigger and transforming into a Phoenix once again, flashed to the edge of the Forbidden Forest just inside the School wards and waited.

Some time later an invisible Harry saw a very steady and confident Quirrell holding his wand high and leading a huge troll in the darkness straight into Hogwarts. Harry took out the second wand and held it in front of him and concentrated until he felt the magic flowing into his hands and wand and then, "Spellumin Breakostos." He hissed in Parseltongue breaking whatever the spell had been on the troll.

The troll had apparently been under the imperious. It blinked when the curse suddenly broke and swung his huge club at Quirrell. Harry reacted immediately and banished Quirrell who went and crashed into a tree and then casting a silencing charm on his shoes, ran forward.

The troll looked around but not able to see anyone lumbered swinging its huge arms threatening all around all the time walking towards the School. It would have passed Harry in a two steps, when Harry lifted both his wands and pointing one of them towards the troll's face and another towards its chest, hissed once again, "Reducto!"

The troll's face and chest were blown away and it fell flat on its half blown away face. Harry quickly made the troll invisible and enervated Quirrell. He woke up groaning and looking around cautiously. He could see no one. Harry waited to see what Quirrell would do when he heard Voldemort's voice.

"The troll has gone inside, you incompetent. Now go in and announce the troll during dinner." The incredibly cold voice hissed and Quirrell without a word started running towards the School to go to his office.

Harry cancelled the invisibility spell on the troll with a wave of his hand and using his wand, placed it under a non tracking spell that was password triggered, and removing all traces of his magical signature, changed into his Phoenix form, flashed to his bed, banished his second wand to his trunk, changed into his pyjamas and removing the repelling spells with a wave of his hand and slept.

He was woken up by Neville half an hour later. Harry wiped his eyes sleepily, "Time for dinner?"

"You have been asleep for hours. Come on." Neville laughed.

Harry was ready in five minutes and all of them went down talking and laughing for the Halloween feast.

End of Chapter – 7

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