Soldier

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Reviews are welcomed, flames are not.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Chapter 21: Up the Hill

For the detention in his next Charms Class, Harry knew exactly what he would do. He had been thinking of what would work that wouldn't seem like 'acting' in Charms, one of his favorite classes; it had come to him during breakfast just before said class. The problem was he hated to insult one of his favorite professors at Hogwarts.

Since he had been bored from day one in all of his classes, Harry decided the best thing he could do was to fall asleep, or at least pretend to. He had almost done it in several of his other classes already.

As he listened to Professor Flitwick's lecture he gave a quick yawn and let his eyes drift closed. Hermione, who was sitting beside him, gave him a hard nudge, but he ignored her.

He scowled at her and moved away from her prodding elbow, wishing she'd mind her own business. He closed his eyes again and went back to 'sleep'.

"Mr. Potter!" came professor Flitwick's brusque voice in his ear, interrupting a nice daydream involving a naked Yoruichi and some catnip.

He had witnessed that lady's nudity on several occasions and Harry knew she would probably smirk at the thought of being featured in a teenage boy's daydream.

He opened one eye and sighed. "Yes, Professor?"

"Am I boring you?" Prof. Flitwick asked tartly as he came to stand in front of the teen.

"As a matter of fact, yes," Harry said, stretching lazily. "And it's Lord Potter, Professor."

"I see, well then, detention Lord Potter," the professor informed him tartly. "Maybe that'll wake you up."

"Very well sir. Can I go back to sleep, now?"

"Harry!" Hermione hissed in shock.

"I can handle this, thank you Miss Granger," the usually jovial Charms' professor snapped. "Now then. . . "

Harry wasn't sure why Professor Flitwick had asked him to get this detention, but he would give the man the benefit of the doubt.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The rest of the day went as all previous ones had lately. Harry ignored everyone's attempts, once again, to get under his skin. He also ignored Umbridge's glares of hatred when they passed in the hall.

As long as DADA did not have an accredited professor, there was no way he was going to subject himself to her abuse of power and her mockery of a class.

When he knocked on Professor Flitwick's office door after dinner, Harry was ready to kill someone. He was getting sick and tired of everyone trying to tell him who he should be. At this rate he wondered if he was even going to last the year.

"Come in Lord Potter, have a seat. Tea?"

Harry sat in the offered chair and gave a nod. "Yes, thank you professor."

"I can't remember the last time someone went to sleep in my class, Lord Potter. I found it quite disturbing," the diminutive professor chuckled.

Harry smiled and gave a slight nod. "I'm sorry sir, but I couldn't think of anything better. As I've been wanting to sleep in several of my classes lately anyway, it seemed rather appropriate."

The professor passed over a cup of tea and came to the point of their clandestine meeting. "Which is the reason why I asked you to come. I get the impression that you are very frustrated here at Hogwarts, as if we are not challenging you enough?"

After making his own tea Flitwick continued, leaning back in his chair with cup in hand. "Over the years, I have been disheartened at how you were wasting your time here. Until this year when I finally realized that it was Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger that were holding you back. Am I correct?"

"Partly," Harry sighed as he too leaned back into his over-stuffed chair.

"When I was growing up with my mother's sister and her family, I was punished for doing better than my fat, lazy cousin in school.

"By the time I realized that my relatives didn't care about my grades here at Hogwarts, it was almost too late. I also realized Ron Weasley didn't want me to make him look bad by doing well, and Hermione Granger didn't want me to best her. So I allowed myself to be handicapped in the name of friendship."

"And no one noticed, not even me," the professor sighed. "We all saw what we wanted to see, just as your cousin said. You have my apologies, Lord Potter."

Harry gave a salute with his tea cup. "Apology accepted, sir, if you accept mine for being disrespectful in class. I've always liked charms." Setting his empty cup down, he asked, "And now, Professor, I am sure you didn't call this meeting without some reason?"

Professor Flitwick took a sip of his tea before setting it down to look Harry in the eye. "Every so often a student comes through Hogwarts that finds that the classes aren't a challenge. This year, it looks like it is you, Lord Potter. Am I correct?"

"You are. I have been using past OWL requirements as study guides and find them quite helpful and easy," Harry acknowledged.

"There is a little known rule that I am sure you are very much aware of. As you know, in the Charter it says, as long as you can get a head of house to sponsor you, you can take your OWLS early. Would you be interested?" Flitwick watched his young guest carefully.

"You are not my head of house and I don't see Professor McGonagall doing anything against the headmaster's wishes. He wants me where he can control me," Harry acknowledged staring down at his teacup.

"The charter says 'a Head of House,' not necessarily your own Head. I am, after all, Head of House for the Ravenclaws, and I am willing to sponsor you. If you are willing to have me do so?"

Harry looked up with hope in his eyes. "When would I take them?"

"The earliest would be Christmas. Do you think you would be ready, Lord Potter?"

"I can be, Professor," he assured the Charms professor.

"Good. Come to my office after dinner, at least two to three times a week. I will instruct you then, and test your progress," Flitwick offered.

"I know you are studying somewhere in the castle, as well as doing combat training." Filius continued, "I also know that you refuse to attend Madam Umbridge's class. Since it is a core class may I inquire why?"

With a rueful snort Harry explained his reasons. "She is not qualified to teach it under the mandates set forth by the charter sir, and I refuse to waste my time. It is also a little known fact that forcing me to participate in the Tournament last year granted me a Newt in DADA."

"I see." Flitwick replied with a raised brow. "I'm told that Miss Granger is also trying to form an independent DADA study group?"

"If she is, I want nothing to do with it," Harry retorted with a sneer.

"A very shallow remark, Lord Potter. I thought the two of you were friends?"

"The key word is 'were' Professor," Harry replied coldly. "I've grown tired of her controlling, mother-hen attitude. She was a good friend, once. Whereas I believe I have matured, she hasn't. Hermione Granger needs to understand that her 'I am always right and you are wrong attitude' will not survive in either the adult Wizarding, or the Muggle World. She needs to grow up, and realize people in the real world will not tolerate her arrogant behavior for long."

"I used to think she was another Lily Potter, but your mother had more of a spark about her. She not only had the knowledge, she knew when to apply it." The professor noted the sad look crossing his young charge's face at the mention of his mother.

"I wouldn't know, sir. No one likes to talk to me about my parents. I know almost nothing about them."

"Wh. . .what? Surely. . . " Filius Flitwick stood, pushing back his chair. "No one? What about your aunt? Minerva? The headmaster?"

Harry scoffed bitterly. "All I know about my mother is she had red hair, green eyes and a fiery temper. I have, I am told, her eyes, and she was great at charms. That's it.

"My aunt's a bitter, hate-filled woman that told me once that my 'whore of a mother died in a drunken car accident and good riddance.' Her exact words. I stopped asking after that. I didn't even know what they looked like until Hagrid gave me an album of their pictures at the end of my first year."

"I see." Flitwick scrubbed his forehead. "I will do my utmost to correct that failing. However," the professor looked at his wall clock and sighed. "It is getting late. You may go, Lord Potter."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The next morning Filius Flitwick was a professor on a mission. He found Minerva at the head table along with Severus Snape and several others.

After a few minutes, the small professor spoke. "Minerva, why haven't you spoken to Lord Potter about his mother?"

"HUH? What are you on about Filius?" the Scotswoman gaped in surprise.

"Did you realize that Lord Potter knows almost nothing about his parents?" he asked watching the woman's face.

"I am sure his aunt told him about her," she dismissed her fellow colleague coolly.

"Besides, if you remember, Albus told us not to bother Mr. Potter with stories about his parents and to treat him like any other student." By now the others were listening in, just as he knew they would.

"Really? Well I questioned Lord Potter last night during his detention, and he told me that his aunt was a bitter, hate-filled woman. She told him, when he asked as a child, that his mother had been a 'whore that died in a drunken accident'!"

Severus Snape scowled. "We all know that Potter is an attention-seeking . . ."

"Finish that sentence, Snape and I'll demand satisfaction," Filius snapped angrily, turning back to Minerva. "It seems that Lord Potter is quite correct afterall. I fear we've given him little reason to stay in the Wizarding World."

There were gasps of surprise as well as a few knowing nods.

"I always was against leaving Harry with Lily's sister, Petunia, but Albus went on about safety and blood wards. . ."

"Wait," Snape stopped Minerva. "Albus left Potter with Lily's sister, Petunia Evans? I thought he left Potter with Lily's parents!"

"Good morning, everyone. I do hope the elves have some lemon scones this morning," came the headmaster's chipper voice.

"If you excuse me, I've lost my appetite," Filius said, standing abruptly.

"I as well," echoed Sprout and Minerva, both shooting the headmaster a nasty look.

Severus Snape glanced down at the Gryffindor table to see the bane of his existence and shuddered. "I have a potion on the simmer. I have to get back to it."

Albus watched his professors leave, confused with what just happened.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Dolores Umbridge was the last to arrive for breakfast. She'd spent last night at the Ministry, trying to drum up some support for a bill she was planning to introduce at the next Wizengamot meeting.

Many of the pure bloods were not happy with the fact that she wanted to strip the head of an Ancient and Noble House of his titles.

Her argument, that he was only a 15 year old boy, just didn't hold much weight. They were well aware that once she acquired such a power she would not stop with Lord Potter. . .and heaven help anyone else that went against her.

Like the unruly brat had said, when three premier schools, Albus Dumbledore and the head of a Ministry Department forced a minor to compete in a tournament meant for only adult students; they had, to all intents and purposes, declared him emancipated. There was nothing anyone could legally object to.

Then to, there were the ancient pure blood laws that stated the last of a line could claim their titles and place as Head of Family at age thirteen. Everything favored Potter's claim.

There was also the fact that Potter, defeating Fudge in public in an honor duel, drove home that the impudent child wasn't someone to mess with.

In the eyes of the pure-bloods, Fudge, if he wanted to save what was left of his career, had better grovel at Potter's feet, for all the good it would do. The pure-blood faction may forgive her dear Cornelius, but she was certain Potter never would.

Dolores was doing everything she could, along with her beloved Cornelius' benefactor Lucius Malfoy, to keep him in office, but it looked like it was a dying cause.

She spied Potter eating as she entered Hogwarts after another futile attempt to have her way and it was all she could do to not curse that impudent little bastard where he sat.

Potter stood and glanced at her with a cold, foreboding sneer before he turned and walked away.

"Potter," she said, causing the Great Hall to quiet. "20 points for skipping my class! Detention with me tonight!" She had to get him into detention, so she could give him the lesson he so richly deserved.

"Madam, I am meeting with Professor Flitwick tonight for detention," Potter said without looking back. "So I respectfully decline."

"Potter, get back here!" she screamed at the boy who had the nerve to walk out of the Great hall, leaving those who witnessed the scene to snicker and whisper. "Potter!"she screamed as the Great Doors closed behind him.

She turned to glare at the laughing students who immediately went quiet. She walked up to the head table, the idea of food suddenly turning her stomach.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

NaNoWr is here. Sadly, last year's stories were lost when GF's laptop harddrive fried not once but twice and all that work was lost. Here's hoping for this year and GF learning her lesson about backing of her files on thumbdrives.

Until Next Time. – GF and The Frau