Disclaimer: I don't own anything that I've written. Yep, that's right, I own not even one iota of the below work.
Summary: Harry became disenchanted with Dumbledore, so he works toward enlightenment, and this has several effects on the wizard, but what effects will it have on the world around him.
Authour Note: Alright this chapter we have a few changes that will have a few ripples in the original story-line. Namely, the younger Creevey going into Slytherin. A big thing for this chapter is Harry strengthening his negative feelings for our dear Headmaster. Chapter One we got Harry realizing how the man was likely in a position to help free Sirius, but deciding not to, and today we get Harry realizing a bit of the potential child grooming the man does, as well as a lot of the over-dramatization.
Shipping pole has Luna in the lead, with Tonks in second, and Tom, Bella, George, and the Twins tied up for third. I've got to say, there is a surprising force behind the Luna ship. On my profile note about this ship I said something I think needs restating. No matter what, the winning pairing will be in my story, but that does NOT necessarily mean that I will make it the end-game. If a pairing is picked that I greatly dislike, I would lose determination to write this fic. So, they might get together for a year or so, then break up. It is all dependent on the choices - but I WILL respect the poll and your thoughts.
Chapter Three: Strengthening of Abhorrence
...
After all the students made their mad dash for the schools wondrous torch-lit entrance hall, Hermione took out her wand and clicked it over the circle of friends with a muttered word. Of course, the start of the school year wouldn't be complete without a prank from the resident poltergeist, and Peeve's seemed to have no reason not to perform his annual ritual, as he started to drop icy cold, multi-coloured balloons on the passersby.
Harry and his friends made a suitable effort attempt to sneak past the ghost and into the Great Hall, consequently missing an angered Professour McGonagall scolding the immature being.
The trio split from Neville and fondly gazed upon the decorated dining hall. Golden plates and goblets, hundreds of candles, and four long tables full to the brim of relaxed and socializing students. Harry took to his seat and his friends followed the action. Harry could feel heavy set gazes upon him, but with all the practice he had in that particular field, he ignored it. It was actually a comfort, that this time they were looking at Harry for something he actually purposely did – The change that he made in himself – Rather than something that his parents had done, or something that he had no control over.
It was a feeling that he would savour, for it was unlikely to last long considering his fame.
"Hi there, Harry!" Colin Creevey spoke in his usual excitable tone.
The red-eyed boy knew that the third-year considered Harry with a form of hero worship, which before the summer the Potter would have shied away from. Now, the boy-who-lived wasn't that person, and instead turned toward Colin with a sort of mock-smile, almost a smirk, "Hello Colin, did you need something?"
"Harry, guess what? Guess what, Harry?! My brother's starting! My brother Dennis!"
Harry committed the information to memory. Not because he particularly cared whether or not Dennis Creevey was being sorted this year, but because he planned to start launching a sort of 'test' for his potential future plans. The Potter knew he wasn't ready for the big legs yet in the information business – Getting Sirius Black acquitted would take time. That didn't mean that Harry couldn't get better at gathering and using information well still at Hogwarts. By the end of the year, Harry had promised himself to having some sort of info-brokering business going on inside of his school, or at the least, the raven haired boy would hoard all the information for himself. As was human nature, despite all things.
"That's excellent Colin, anything else that you want to tell me?" Harry mentioned, trying to keep his continence as pleasant as possible.
He ignored the surprised looks that he was getting from his friends for his new pendent for social interaction.
"He's just as excited as I was!" Exclaimed the, perhaps equally excited, Colin Creevey, "I just hope he's in Gryffindor! Cross your fingers for that one."
"I'm sure no matter what house your brother gets into, it will be the one that will benefit him the most." Harry casually suggested, watching Colin for a reaction. It would be interesting to see if such an innocent seeming person had any obvious bias, the Wizarding World at large seemed to, but individuals were much more interesting.
As predicted, the Creevey flinched slightly at the suggestion.
"Well... I just hope that he comes to Gryffindor with me." Colin stated, much more firmly than before, and his excitable nature seeming to actually calm some. This, all from the subtle indication that Harry made toward his brother going into a different house. Not even Slytherin, just a different house in general. Perhaps Harry was getting a bit ahead of himself, after all, it could just be that Colin wanted his brother to simply be with him.
"Where's the new DADA teacher?" asked Hermione, who was searching the head table for a new face.
The need for a new DADA teacher was created by another bias in the Wizarding World, one against Werewolves, as Professour Lupin, who had thus far been the best DADA teacher the school had in years, was fired for something he had no control over. Now another Professour would take his place, hopefully just as skilled and knowledgeable, but the most likely scenario was quite the opposite, considering the current numbers.
"Let's just get this over with, I'm so hungry I would eat just about anything." Ron groused, his leg bouncing impatiently.
Perhaps the Weasley finally bad some hidden power that Harry didn't know about, because as soon as those words left Ron's lips, the doors to the Great Hall burst open and a group of socked – Likely to be sick the next day – First years entered, following closely behind an strict looking McGonagall.
A thousand years or more ago,
When I was newly sewn,
There lived four wizards of renown,
Whose names are still well known:
Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,
Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,
Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,
Shrewd Slytherin, from fen.
They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,
They hatched a daring plan
To educate young sorcerers
Thus Hogwarts School began.
Now each of these four founders
Formed their own house, for each
Did value different virtues
In the ones they had to teach.
By Gryffindor, the bravest were
Prized far beyond the rest;
For Ravenclaw, the cleverest
Would always be the best;
For Hufflepuff, hard workers were
Most worthy of admission;
And power-hungry Slytherin
Loved those of great ambition.
While still alive they did divide
Their favorites from the throng,
Yet how to pick the worthy ones
When they were dead and gone?
'Twas Gryffindor who found the way,
He whipped me off his head
The founders put some brains in me
So I could choose instead!
Now slip me snug about your ears,
I've never yet been wrong,
I'll have a look inside your mind
And tell where you belong!
(Book Four: Chapter Twelve Pages 176-177)
Applause erupted after the hat finished it's little, or rather, long poem. It made Harry curious about that hat though. The Potter could remember the hat speaking to him, and if books were to be trusted, the hat came up with those poems that it spoke all on its own. Therefore it had its own intelligence, and it went into the heads of every new student each year. That made it a well of information – and Harry had a new found interest in such things that drove him.
Mentally he noted to himself to research more about that hat and it's abilities and history, perhaps to make something similar on his own.
The sorting continued, McGonagall reading names off a familiar looking scroll.
"Creevey, Dennis!"
An excited, but worried Colin Creevey watched his brother struggle up to the stool and have the ragged looking hat placed on his head. It took quite a bit, in fact, it was the longest sorting thus far, until finally the hat yelled out something that Harry hadn't been expecting, "SLYTHERIN!"
Harry found feel his eyebrows raise, when he'd talked to Colin about the sorting of his brother, he hadn't expected something like this. Siblings tended to have similar personalities, which is why they would come end up in the same house more often than not. One in Gryffindor and the other in Slytherin was quite the difference between them. A situation worth monitoring – If only to understand the way the bias of the Wizarding World would push the two apart.
Sortings were more interesting than Harry had predicted, he found feel himself filling with an excited energy, lips pulling up into a smirk at the observations he knew were to come. Never mind the possibilities of use the Slytherin Creevey would represent if used correctly...
The sorting went by rather uneventfully after that, and it wasn't long before Professour Dumbledore stood and allowed his magically empowered voice to spread across the entire Hall, "Tuck in."
Food appeared across all the tables – Harry found it particularly dramatic and overdone.
His research into Hogwarts rules and regulations had lead to the Potter realizing that house elves were used to make the food and do the dinners. This meant that Dumbledore had to have discussed with the elves the fact that they were to appear the food at a suitably dramatic moment.
Made this way, perhaps, to make the little children think about him in awe, after all he could conjure a whole feast! Then, those same children would grow up with that sense of awe in the man. It was a subtle form of child grooming that Harry doubted was likely to be recognized as true, even if he were to bring it up to other Professours. It did, however, solidify the now red-eyed boys opinion on Albus Dumbledore. Such a simple thing, but it was telling, no matter what his reasons behind it were.
As they ate, Harry absentmindedly listened to the ghost, Nearly Headless Nick, as he gave the latest castle gossip, "It's a miracle there was a feast at all tonight considering the trouble that Peeves set upon the kitchen today. Of course, the usual occurred, Peeves wanted to attend the feast and the Baron put him in his place. This didn't make the prankster happy, and he sought vengeance by wrecking the kitchen, absolutely terrified the house-elves, I don't think I've seen them like that in my entire existence!"
"No..." Hermione whispered in borderline horrour, "There are house-elves here? Here at Hogwarts?"
Harry could foresee her oncoming realization, considering her grief-struck look, however, he couldn't help but think it would close-minded of the girl. Perhaps he was underestimating his friend a bit though –
"I've not seen a single house-elf in my time here. They get paid though, right? Holidays, and sick leave, pensions, stuff like that?"
The ghost laughed at her, it wasn't a genuine laugh either, it was mocking and high-pitched, something the Gryffindor ghost had never done before, "Sick leave and pensions? House-elves don't want sick leave and pensions!"
"Oh my ... All this time, I've been enjoying the product of slave labour... Me?!" Hermione seemed borderline hysterical at the thought.
"Calm down." Harry spoke, rolling his eyes right to her face without a care for the dirty look that she sent him afterwards, "Don't put your Muggle World perspective on the Wizarding World society without research or understanding. I personally don't care much one way or the other, but you aren't thinking objectively. For all you know, the house-elves need to serve and complete orders to live. That might be their form of sustenance. You're being incredibly over-dramatic right now, and I expected better of you, to be perfectly honest."
Harry placed his chin on his hand and just stared Hermione down as he finished his little speech, practically daring her to say something about it.
She didn't – But she stubbornly refused to eat another bite.
Her raven haired friend found this stubbornness to be mindless and borderline stupid. Then again, his morals were probably a good deal looser than hers, which was probably were the problem lay. It was Harry's dislike of her current attitude that lead to his finding Ron's immature teasing a moment later so hilarious, "Treacle tart, spotted dick, and look! Chocolate cake!"
The stern look that their friend gave them afterwards was enough to shut Ron up, but certainly not enough to get Harry to stop his laughing.
"So!" Dumbledore interrupted, his eyes twinkling in a deceptively friendly manner, "As we all have full, happy stomachs, I must make an important announcement."
Usual reminders about the caretakers ever-expanding list of banned objects – Now containing over four hundred and thirty items, and the forest being out-of-bounds and dangerous for students. Then, the more interesting announcement started, "I also regret to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not be taking place this year."
Quidditch had been part of the mask, so it didn't have any real impact on Harry, as he'd been planning on quitting this year anyway, but the Potter did find it interesting. A direct correlation could be made with the event that Malfoy had mentioned before, as that would be happening at school if the current information gathered was correct. Surely enough, "This is due to an event starting up this year that will take place through the school year. So, I can now with immense pleasure announce that Hogwarts will be –-
Bang
The doors to the Great Hall opened and a intimidating sort of figure stepped out of the shadows. A scarred looking man, with a heavy demeanor that sent the new first years into shivers of fear. He made his way across the room in the deafening silence toward the unfazed Dumbledore.
"May I introduce our new DADA Professour, Alastor Moody." Dumbledore broke, shattering the mystery that had made the man seem ever more intimidating only a few moments ago.
Everyone just continued to stare at him, and the man seemed pretty much uncaring for the attention, ignoring it and pulling out a flask, which he took a large swig of. Harry absentmindedly assumed it must be some form of alcohol, otherwise it would have just been served in front of him, and he wouldn't have had to drink it from a flask in front of the student body.
"Now, as I was saying before, Hogwarts has the honour of hosting the Triwizard Tournament this year."
Fred Weasley seemed to notice the change to break the tense atmosphere, and went for it without pause, "You've got to be JOKING!"
Laughter erupted, even from some of the less high strung Professours gave a chuckle, and Dumbledore's eyes seemed to light up even farther somehow, "I'm certainly not joking, Mr. Weasley. The Triwizard Tournament is thus; established around seven hundred years ago between the European schools, which a single champion of each school represents the whole, and they complete three magical tasks. Eventually, the death toll grew too high for the continuation to be logical, and the tournament was discontinued."
For a moment, Harry wondered if it actually was the yearly assassination attempt – It did seem to be the path of least resistance. It was an idea that he'd previously discarded, but the situation seemed far more involved than the red-eyed boy had previously assumed. Suitable for the annual killing attempt – Despite previous thoughts.
"The heads of the schools Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will arrive with their possible contenders in October and the selection will take place at Halloween, the students to be chosen traditionally, using the Triwizard Cup. The contenders will bring glory to their school, and one thousand galleons of prize money."
A thousand galleons was an adorable amount compared to the mountains of gold that Harry had just moved from his old back about a month prior. Had Harry ever intended on putting his name in for consideration – Which he hadn't been – The small prize certainly wasn't enough to entice the reaction out of him.
"Although I'm sure several of you are eager to place your names," Dumbledore went on, ignoring the reverent whispering students across the hall were making, and looking almost knowingly at Harry, "However for the safety of the students all parties involved have agreed that only students who are of age in the Wizarding World will be able to put their name in for consideration."
Cries of outrage sparked, but Harry simply tried to hide his scowl. The old man had some pretty presumptuous thoughts about his precious boy-who-lived a moment ago, seeming to assume that Harry wanted in on the action. Perhaps he assumed that part of the child grooming he'd done on Harry would compel him forward? Moronic, Harry thought to himself, I surely wouldn't compete for the honour of this school, which can't even accurately protect the students that it houses.
"Considering lessons start tomorrow morning, I suggest that we all depart for our beds." Dumbledore finished, clapping his hands as if congratulating himself on the little speech – At least, that was what it seemed like to a still mildly annoyed Harry, who lifted his chin off its resting place on his hand and stood up, intending to go straight to bed. Tomorrow would be a busy day, especially considering the impending conversation he'd be having with his Head of House.
Weasley's seemed far more interested in sticking around and day-dreaming about money.
"We're seventeen in a matter of months, it's not far, and for that prize money as well." One of the twins spoke, looking uncharacteristically angered.
Now that Harry thought about it, the twins were usually far more happy-go-lucky than to be angered at anything, "If it gets me to bed sooner, I'll pay you the thousand galleons."
A thousand galleons came out to roughly ten-thousand dollars. Harry spent double that this summer for magical experiments, and despite his way to spend his money wisely, he almost considered just throwing the money at his friends if it got them to move their ass. Harry needed his beauty sleep, if he wanted to continue looking as good as he currently did.
It was an objective opinion too – He was incredibly handsome for his age, especially since he had tamed his hair and got fitted clothing.
Ron looked almost angered and jealous at the offer, but the twins – They seemed almost thoughtful. This, in turn, made Harry curious, but at the moment the young wizard was far too interested in getting to bed, so they started to make their way for the entrance hall and up the moving staircase to their common room. It didn't take them long to get there, dodging the trick steps with practiced precision, and slipping in behind someone that actually knew the password.
Hermione quickly went up to her dormitory, seeming too lost in thought to even say goodbye.
Harry went up to his own dormitory, followed by Ron and Neville, and the room was typical for this house. Four posted beds with crimson all around, trunks already deposited at the foot of the beds. Likely the product of house-elves, which Hermione would probably get a kick out of discovering soon enough.
As they got dressed, Ron spoke to Harry with almost careful deliberation, "If Fred and George discovered how to enter, you don't suppose you would... Do you?"
"I would avoid it like the plague. I have enough money and glory for a life time, and I certainly don't need to go earning it for this school." Harry answered truthfully, before climbing into bed and placing his phone next to him, checking to make sure the deception runes were active, and setting the alarm for tomorrow morning.
He was asleep a moment later, and even in his dreams, he was planning several ideas for his future and dreams. Scenarios of how he'd go about getting Sirius free, and a small smile formed on his lips at the reaction his godfather would have should it work, or a frown when it didn't.
But it would – Eventually, and no matter what it took, Sirius would be free, even if Harry needed to destroy Dumbledore first.
R&R
Alright guys, I really need to know coming up, do we want nice Snape or mean Snape? Either can fall into what I want for the story, let me know, okay?