Chapter 13

Magic perhaps

Helltanz's notes: Don't thing much needs to be said... no wait sadly there is. This is fanfiction, this is fanfiction with a plot, but it is fanfiction. Why am I having to bring this up? Certain Fan dumb elements, you people know who you are, seem to have forgotten this. If you don't know what Fan Dumb is go look it up on Tv Tropes. I will write my story along my plot lines, and diverge from canon, this is an AU.

This being said I actually have a plot besides the usual rehash of Book 1, in fact from a story telling perspective book one's "main plot" is not all that imporant to this story. So anyway now that has had to have been said this is chapter 13 I actually get to write interesting scenes that moves the plot along huzzah introduction is done.

Disclaimer: come on you should know the drill by now

-Chapter begin -

True to his word, obviously, Harry skipped out on the get together arranged for First Years. It wasn't something people didn't miss, especially Snape who had made sure to take attendance of everyone present. Dumbledore, McGonnagal, and Flitwick also noticed though were distinctly less vocal about those not present. So by the time Monday had rolled around the school was already in a buzz, but that really wasn't the issue right now.

Geez, skip one little school function and its off to the headmaster's office first thing monday morning, what a... the curse was cut short as the gargoyle lept aside. That would take some getting used to. "If you would like Mr. Potter I can have Madame Pomfrey fetch you some salve for the burn,"
Harry jerked the bandaged hand, "Its fine, I won't need it." The acid had actually eaten through his gloves, which in itself was impressive in hindsight given the magic saturating the gloves, but it had also been painful. Of course that was to be expected, it wasn't the first time.

"If you are quite certain on that Mr. Potter," A voice boomed from the top of the stairs perhaps we should proceed," Dumbledore commented, "Thank you Minerva, I think that should be all. Come along Harry we've much to discuss and I dare say we wouldn't want you to miss out on your first class of the day,"

Dumbledore's office was bizare, and this was by Harry's standards whose work room was a pigsty of scattered parts, papers, random books, pens, and other doodads. Of doodads, and strange trinkets Headmaster Albus Dumbledore's office abounded. Of course to be honest Dumbledore's office was also very nice in all its oddities.

"I do not know this one Albus, and I should know all within Hogwarts walls, tis what the Founders crafted me for." A hat cried from the shelf, even as the wizards, and witches in the portraits flitted about clamoring.

Albus frowned, and sighed, "There there everyone, calm down, settle, settle." He requested calmly, "There we go, thank you. Have a seat if you will Mr. Potter," The old headmaster beckoned calmly walking behind his desk. "Yes well I understandably had wanted to wait a bit before having this concersation, but given things I think it'd be best to go ahead and tell you. You see some years ago professor Trelawny-"

Harry couldn't help himself, the professor's whole long winded method of getting to the point just made him want answers more. "Who?"

"ah right," Dumbledore remarked. "Professor Trelawny is our own divination teacher here at Hogwarts, as I was saying some years ago she made a prophecy," Because right the Centaurs weren't bad enough about trying to predict the future Harry thought, "As you know Voldemort attack your parents' home in Godric's hollow, it was because Voldemort learned of a prophecy that you would be the one to defeat him?"
Harry looked confused, and to be absolutely fair no amount of a maturity, supernatural power, or attitude makes one quite up for comprehending the events surounding one's partents death when one is only eleven. "I don't follow, if Voldemort believed the prophecy that I'd kill him, why'd he go?" Sure it was cliche for the Dark Lords to go but really wouldn't sending someone else make more sense, "if the Death Eaters were even stronger when he was alive shouldn't he have just sent them?"
"Ah you see Harry you have the ability to trust others," Dumbledore remarked nodding, "but you see Voldemort doesn't," Once again using the present tense, "the truth of course is Voldemort couldn't trust his Death Eaters, nor did he expect they would succeed," big surprise that was, "So he decided to go himself, your parents' put up an admirable fight, but alas Voldemort proved too strong for them to overcome."

"Still Voldemort died,"
"Voldemort was defeated, yes, but I digress," Dumbledore continued on, "You must understand Harry after Voldemort's fall we had a few scant years of peace, and we'd started rebuilding, but then then the Death Eaters attacked, but it wasn't like anything during Voldemort's time. The Death Eaters are fractured you see, divided off into their own little camps, vying for influence, and the ministry just doesn't have the ability to, or the willpower for that matter to do something about it."

Well that was always good news to hear wasn't it. "So what then?"

"Voldemort isn't dead Harry, and I think even now he is trying to find a way to return to his corporeal body," He remarked, and Harry blanched, dying was a painful thing, coming out of it alive was worse, "You see you seem mature enough to handle the truth Harry, Voldemort had been delving into dark magic for years, he probably started even before he left Hogwarts, of course I am ashamed to say in those dark days many young people, and not so young delved into such magic for protection, so nothing was done about it. After, after the war of course it was thought that no harm no foul, after all knowledge itself isn't evil. Its just something you should know Harry, Voldemort isn't dead, and certainly you should be very wary of the Death Eaters of course as well. Here within Hogwarts though there should be little concern about the Death Eaters, I know that you voiced such concerns before start of term, and after, but I'm quite confident at present the Death Eaters would be unwilling, and unable to press an attack against the castle. Of course Hogsmeade, the neighboring village may not be quite as safe, so I must urge you not to go about,"

Harry nodded blankly, as of yet he'd had no inclination to visit the wizarding village anyway. Still this discussion was hardly what he'd been expecting when McGonnagal had brought him up here. "So what then exactly? Prophecy is still fufilled, he attacked me he died, he's defeated even if he's still alive afterwards he still lost, and the terms are fuffilled."
"That may indeed be one way to look at it, a very logical way, but with prophecy its a very finicky and pecuilar branch of magic, and of course more to the point Harry Voldemort may not see it that way." Dumbledore continued reaching for something behind his desk. What he produced was a collection of newspaper clippings, "As I said its quite likely Voldemort got his first taste of dark magic when he was just starting off here at Hogwarts, which he attended during my tenure as the transfiguration professor." Harry could only surmarize it was a graduation photo

"Tell me I'm not related to this guy."
"Not to my knowledge, well no more than any links to most other major wizarding families," That didn't help the feeling in Harry's gut, "As I was going to say Harry this was Voldemort's graduation photo, brilliant student in nearly everything he studied. During the time though Grindelwald, and his Nazi allies were running amok on the continent, and truthfully here at Hogwarts we didn't have the ability to focus on dark arts being practices, much as I wanted to. Now Harry I want to understand the Dark Arts are a grim and terrible power, and a shortcut not worth it in the long run for all the damage they do."

-scene break-

"So what did Dumbledore want, Harry?" Fred, or was it George, asked after he had made his way back up to Gryfindor tower.

Harry was already rifling through his bag for his book, "Voldemort went to school here back in the day, yeah that was interesting." He made a habit to ignore the flinching at the name, it was stupid, and for the record y interesting he meant positively boring, "and he was there the same time as Hagrid, thats useful information. Still just boring stuff.

"So what are you going to do?" Fred asked,

George shrugged, "Yeah we nicked yah some breakfast too while you were up in the office,"

Harry was hungry... "Don't you have class?"
"Ah well you see funny story that," Fred remarked,

"Yeah real funny story," George continued, "You see the room apparently is apparently infested," He went on before breaking into laughter, "poor old Quirrel almost feel bad for him."

"Almost,"

Harry looked up from his pen, and book, "Infested with what?"

"Well you see Harry we found these spiders all about in the forest,"
"Really odd they were," George picked up for his brother, "So eh, we levitated the lot of them up in to a box we enchanted and stowed them somewhere for a boring day."
"And what do you happen to know today just happened to be boring." Fred commented,

Harry really didn't like were this was going... "what kind of spiders?"
Fred and George shrugged, "big ones, I mean really big, like the small ones were Lee's tarantula's size and got bigger from there they did. So how was missing out on potions, bet that was a relief?"
"You said you deposited in quirell's room right."
"Sure did, shook them up for good measure," George shrugged," Gently of course didn't want to squish any of them while we did the shaking."

Giant spiders, giant most likely magical spiders, Harry's forehead smacked into his palm. "Lets go."

"Wait were we going?"
"We're going to kill magical spiders," Harry responded, "I have Quirell's defense against the dark arts class at one," and despite how nice it would be to have the day free there was always the possibility that...

Fire was mankind's dearest friend, and could be man's most bitter enemy. George wisely took a step away as the sparks in the fireplace started to grow. "So uh right, whats the plan?"
"Hope the magic spiders don't infest the rest of the castle,"

"Where are you guys going?" Katie asked dropping bag beside the couch as they were standing up...

Upon arriving though it took all Harry's self control not to just blast everything.

"I swear Harry there weren't this many before, promise mate," Fred remarked gobsmacked, "There was no way there was this many.

Harry flicked a hand the wave of fire rippling out.

"Harry that fire thing how do we do it?" George asked as more the spiders approached, "They're coming,"

For once in the school year Quirrel wasn't a completely useless teach and gave his wand a sweeping hearty wave sending the spiders back... now if only he could stop stammering, and telling everyone to take care, and how poisonous acromantulas were, whatever those were, besides giant poisonous spiders.

There was a roaring cacophony of searing heat, and burning air, and Harry dove to the side as the torrent of uncontrolled fire seared the classroom, "Bloody Hell!"
Katie dropped to her knees drained, her wand falling loosely. Of all the times to manage something like that, and then be drained afterward. It was the wand that had focused much of the energy needed for that, but Harry had no way of knowing that, he still hadn't gotten a wand.
"Uh Harry,"
"Mr. Potter I," Quirrel wasn't stammering, which was actually the weird part, well barely stammering, "I appreciate the help but you and your friends should step back, this might get a little mess- messy."

Giving a look at the purple orb, sickly looking purple orb Harry, Fred, and George didn't need telling twice. Quirrel flicked his wand sending the orb flying into the room, where it started pulling everything towards it. "Oh dear, you might wish to cover your ears." The professor squawked, slamming the door behind him.

Katie groaned, "uhg my head."

There was a massive tremor from the other side of the door, coupled with a thundercrash, and sickening splat, and then it was quiet.

"I'll call the house elves, get them to tidy this up eh, you children run," Quirrel remarked, "And uh thanks again, I suppose I should hand out house points... or maybe talk to Dumbledore about some kind of school award or something... yes that would be nice I think."

Harry took a step back, eying the door, "Right... come one," He grabbed Katie's sleeve,

"Wonder what Quirrel used,"

"Bloodly awesome it must have been." Fred agreed.

"Come one," Harry repeated, it was impressive what ever it'd been, "How'd you do that?" He asked,
"What do you mean I just wanted them to burn,"
"Then start doing it more often, and with more control over your magic."

"Its bloody impressive, though," George interjected,

"You did a nice job burning the whole room up." Fred agreed, "and we're going to get a plaque out of it. Percy will have a coniption fit when he hears about this,"
"Right he will."

And Percy's brothers were probably right, Fred and George getting a special service award from the school, and not him. It would definitely be something that Percy would spaz out about.

-scene break-

The last bit of the month though had been boring enough. Outside of Quirrel, and Snape's classes everything was normal. Hagrid had invited everyone down for tea, going so far as to apologize for the acromantulas. Harry wondered if the spiders were Hagrid's familiars but hadn't asked the half giant.

Katie had gotten a little better with fire, and it had sparked some competition off amongst the rest of them. Still she hadn't been able to recreate that fiery blaze, still there was definite improvement. Still classes had really canged much, and it seemed like things were settling down for the Halloween feast, the only who was up tight was Snape; who seemed hellbent on picking up the slack of everyone else who was actually loosening up.

Harry leaned against the tree, appreciative of his heavy bomber jacket's thick layers, it was cold, and wet, mostly from melted frost, and snow. They hadn't bothered waiting for Katie to get done with practice, even if most of them had shown up for the actual tryouts. That had been... interesting Harry supposed was the word. Harry had been more interested in what Flitwick had said about more precise control, something McGonagal had broached on as well. It was interesting way to tweak his spells. Transfiguration was steadily taking more and more effort but the tighter controls were interesting.

"Perhaps we should head to the feast"
Harry looked up from his stone work, "Practice should be done with I suppose," He grunted eyeing the decorated castle, "We might as well go ahead." It was thus they started walking towards the school.

"I've been meaning to bring it up Harry, we need to talk about Nott,"
Harry glanced up, this was really not what he wanted to be hearing, "What about him? Are him and Malfoy still going at it?" It'd been going on since not long after school started, and Daphne hadn't brought it up immediately, but it seemed the first years were all vying for influence. Ten years ago Voldemort had died, it was his year and everyone saw this as an important year, monumental. It'd even been in the paper this morning about the anniversary of Voldemort's fall, not everyone thought that was such a good idea. It was very likely that the Death Eaters would retaliate for the publication, or maybe they wouldn't who could say. The threat still loomed, but that wasn't the issue right now.

Draco as it seemed wasn't able to keep up with Nott's more rugged rabble rousing, and it was pissing him off to no end. There was also the fact most of Slytherin wanted no part in this, but the problematic issue was Nott, and Malfoy both were picking fights with the other houses. Admittedly in this Malfoy went after everyone, not that Nott's dispargements of Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw were much better. This was just the way this year here at Hogwarts was shaping out to be. Sure there were plenty of problems between the upper years, and the rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor had always been the worst of intra school problems, but this year was worse than how it had been, and even the teachers recognized that.

Still the school was all dressed up for the feast, and there was no denying it looked great. More interestingly there was food... and Harry was hungry, which was in point of fact the reason he was so willing to go to the feast as opposed to the kitchen. Dinner itself was honestly a lot like the opening feast, well up until Quirrel had burst into. They had been suposed to go back to the common room, but then Percy had found they were missing one, and that a quick trip to the bathroom with all the first years was better than getting the professors, because they were busy in the dungeons and such, besides what was the warm. That his brother was apparently responsible probably had a lot to do with it; Ron had gotten an earful for this, though that was probably because he had tried to sneak off first to right his mistake on his own. So thus here they were... right in front of the troll.

"So we throw fire at it, right? ... Right?"

"Yeah something like that... I hate trolls." It took a bit less prompting, a seven lances of fire, six ientical ones from Harry, and one large wand focused one from Katie, even as Percy was shouting for everyone to back up.

Burned hair is not a particularly pleasant smell, burned troll hair is even worse as far as these things go. Truthfully it probably only pissed the troll off. The troll smashed through the stalls, and part of the wall, well more like plaster as opposed to actually breaking the stone itself.

"Its not working!" Ron added unnecessarily as the Troll roared mightily.

We should move is generally good advice, its also very useless advice when you're fighting a massive troll who's arms drag the ground in a bath room filled with stalls. Percy's jinx was actually well timed in that response, on the down side, it too also just pissed the beast off, though not it couldn't see. So now the troll was swinging wildly at everything in front of it.

Harry's orb of magic was the only thing that really ablated the blow from the club, which was principally because a meter thick sphere of hardened energy between the troll's club slowed it down considerably. It still had enough kinetic force to knock Harry, sphere still intact, through the stalls. He coughed pressing up through the debris from the stalls, "I'm going to burn you," which was the best threat he could manage with his limitted grasp of the only troll dialect he knew... ork was so much simpler. Still he had an idea, and he had all the incredients for the transfiguration. Wood shards transformed into iron and hurtled through the air, igniting and heating to white hot as they flew.

The transfiguration was eating through his magic reserves but even the trolls thick hide couldn't stop dozens of superheated iron shards, what remained was the smell of burned, charred, and outright ionized meet... and a very, very exhausted wizard. The pieces of a half dozen wooden stalls had been transfigured into pieces of metal, of iron in roughly the same shape as they had been in.

Harry dropped to the ground, and promptly vacated his stomach. He wasn't the only one, Percy Weasley and most the Gryfindorsfirst years were doing the same

"Harry,"

He pushed up, still woozy from the vomit, "I'm fine." His brushing the bleeding on his scalp pressing hair and torn skin down... and then the professors decided to show up.

-scene break-

Cleaning up afterwards well that had been unpleasant November first, "How's the arm," Bruised was an understatement. Crunching into the wall had been a pain even slowed by the magic sphere he used to cushion himself. "You should go see Pomfrey you should, anyway brought you something we got from our brother,"

"Figured you might like it," Fred continued, "Seems straight up your interests it does." A book on famed Magical artifacts of Europe, oh yes this was up his alley as it were. "So heard McGonnagal gave you points for whatever you did to the troll with Transfiguration. How'd that work out?"
"Sod that have you heard our great ponce of a brother, Percy won't stop moaning. Its hilarios it is, he's in such a mess. Don't think that he'll loose the prefect badge though." George remarked, conviently ignoring that that was precisely Snape's point. "Still we're all stuck here for the minute."
After the Troll Debacle all four houses, not just the House of the Lion, had been confined to their dorms. Something a lot of people weren't happy about after it was obvious the immediate crises was indeed over. Still at least they were having food brought up to them, but that was more making sure everyone was safely in one place while the professors' combed the school thoroughly for any other issues.

Given their confinement to their dorms the entire common room was abuzz, save some of the upper years, most were down here. "So do you think they'll be another one?"

"Another Troll, no they'll shut the school down for sure," Another Gryffindor interjected,

"So what if they're wrong?"
"I'm staying out of the next fight," Harry responded. His idea had worked, but it'd been ineffecient, and ill thought out. In short a stupid rash plan, as McGonnagal had been sure to make clear to him. Impromptu large scale transfiguration was apparently a bad idea; who would have guessed that. "The Centaurs have a point, Mars is bright, and as they so hopefully mentioned so to Pluto."

"Uhg Divination, still..." George grit his teeth, "Well guess we out to spruce up a bit then, do a bit more excerice with the old wand."
"What do you mean the old wand?" Fred jibed to his brother, "Dont be pulling that out here,"
The two bantered on for a few minutes, while Harry worked on his goblet of water, the taste of vomit was still there, still it was fading with a few dozen goblets of water. Such a foul aftertaste, still not a good sign for what was to come. Might even be worth another visit to the Centaurs.

-Chapter conclusion—

Helltanz's notes: Since its no longer the start of the chapter here is a break down of what this fic is outlined as:

Chapters 1-3 Harry (these are the one most in need of clean up)

Chapters 4-6 Summer up til the ride to hogwarts

Chapters 7-9 Train ride and Hogwarts arrival

Chapters 10-12 September, acclimating to Hogwarts

Chapter 13 October, troll fight and such

Chapter 14 November Quidditch, attacks, and repercussions

Chapter 15 Decemember, letters, letters and Dumbledore talking

Chapter 16 January, the Start of the new year,

Chapter 17 February

Chapter 18 March and "Mars is shining"

Chapter 19 April

Chapter 20 End of the year, final tests, where to go from here