A/N: I tried to give you guys a more 'meatier' chapter since I'm horrible with updates. Sorry if there are a few minor mistakes- I have no beta. Things are definitely heating up in the story now! Make sure you review, follow and favourite :).

Carry on my Wayward Wizard C4:

Severus was more than surprised to hear his rival's son ask him to be his mentor. He judged the boy too quickly, and today's earlier demonstration proved that. He was more Lily's son than James'. His former love would not forgive him for rejecting Harry's plea, and that alone was reason to comply.

"After seeing your performance in your OWLs, one would think that you would be under the impression that you could defeat the Dark Lord by just being an exceptional student, but I see that you're wiser than that, Potter."

Severus looked at Harry, now squirming due to the slight delay from the professor concerning his request. He couldn't help but smirk at the boy. He never thought he'd have a Potter squirm before him, but the fun was over.

"I'll tutor you. I have no desire to see you die, Potter."

Harry released the breath he didn't know he held, and beamed at the potions master.

"Thank you so much, Professor Snape. You will not regret this."

"I will draw you up a timetable once your OWLs arrive, that way we can work around your school schedule." He paused. "I warn you, Potter; I am not going to coddle you like Albus would if he got his hands on you. No, I'll work you to the point of exhaustion if it will help you survive the Dark Lord."

This was why Harry came to Snape. Dumbledore would give him half truths and try to protect his "innocence" whilst Snape could see there was no innocence to protect and would want him to defeat and survive Voldemort.

"I do have a condition though, Mr Potter."

Harry's smile faltered. He knew his professor wouldn't ask anything untoward of him, but he'd hoped that there would not be potential deal-breakers. He nodded for Severus to go on.

"I have no doubt that with all your cunning and skill, you'll be placed in Slytherin. With that being said, I wish for you to befriend my godson, Draco Malfoy."

The look on the professor's face told Harry all he needed to know about the Malfoy scion. He wasn't someone you'd want to be friends with willingly. During his research of the first war, the name "Malfoy" came up more than enough times. Harry saw through the patriarch's lie of being under the imperius and thought of him as being even worse than Voldemort's followers in Azkaban. Why commit yourself to something you're willing to deny when things get a little rough?

"I may not know Malfoy myself, but I have heard of his father's exploits. Why do you believe the son of a death eater would even accept my hand in friendship?" Harry asked inquisitively.

"Because the son is not the father, Mr Potter. I thought you would know that better than anyone, otherwise you wouldn't have come to me for extra lessons." He paused with a sigh. "Draco is a talented boy, but he is heavily influenced by his father. He obeys his father in hopes of impressing him and doing right by the 'Malfoy' name. He is quite frankly, lost."

"So you want me to hold his hand and be his spirit guide or something? I have a war to fight, I don't think I have the time to play mother to a bratty, aristocratic kid- no offence."

Snape's hand gently clenched the chair by his desk, shaking with visible anger.

"Merlin, you really are James Potter's son, aren't you? Only concerned about yourself and can only see what's right in front of you. My godson plays a vital role in this war, and I want him to walk away from it without a taint on his soul!"

Harry flinched, not expecting that response from the potions master. He knew he was being selfish, but he honestly did not think him befriending a Malfoy would be a major priority. He could see that Snape cared greatly about Draco, but there was clearly more to this than familial love.

"I apologise, sir. I should trust your judgement in these matters, and clearly there is more to the situation than I first realised."

Professor Snape's form became less tense as Harry issued his apology. He knew the boy meant no harm.

"I accept your apology, Mr Potter."

"Thank you, sir."

Severus cleared his throat and lowered his tone.

"I'm sure with all your reading, you know of my role as a spy for Dumbledore, yes?" Harry nodded. "Through that role, I've learnt that the Dark Lord wants Draco to perform a special task this year at Hogwarts. A task that I'm to help him with."

Now Harry understood why his mentor reacted the way he did. Draco had been given a task from Voldemort himself. Getting close to Draco could make it easier for Harry to stop Voldemort's plan and even gain some intel.

Snape continued.

"What my godson doesn't know, is that the Dark Lord expects him to fail in this task. You see, Lucius recently lost favour with the Dark Lord after taking a group of death eaters to raid the Weasley family home without his permission. Some of his best death eaters were taken to Azkaban because of Lucius' petty feud, so now the Dark Lord's wrath has been directed towards Draco to punish his father."

This is why Harry needed Snape's guidance. No matter how many books he read about Voldemort and the war, he would never learn about how he truly operates. Only someone like Snape could teach him. He had already learnt that Voldemort thinks his punishments through and wasn't the mindless being he had read about. No, this man was not only evil, but intelligent too. Harry would need more than a few blades to take him out.

"So what does he want Draco, or shall I say you to do?" Harry questioned.

"He wants Draco to fix a vanishing cabinet on the seventh floor. In doing this, the death eaters will then have access to Hogwarts via the vanishing cabinet in Borgin & Burkes."

"Wow, that's an incredibly thought out plan. I have no idea why people get the impression that the Dark Lord is a mindless monster. He's more of an evil genius." Harry marvelled.

He may hate Voldemort and want to put him six feet under, but he could objectively say that the man was a genius. This only made his job harder though. He was used to putting down mindless beasts, things he was smarter than. He had never faced something this difficult.

"Yes, that is the allure of the Dark Lord. His genius and charisma was how he gained his initial followers. I was drawn in by his genius and his oneness with the dark arts. It was almost as if he was dark magic personified. It was beautiful. However, I soon became disgusted with the atrocities he made us commit and his psychopathic nature, with the premeditated attack on your mother being the last straw. I realised that he was not the dark arts, he is only a mad, evil, brilliant man."

The way Snape described Voldemort's affinity for magic scared Harry. He seemed like he was natural prodigy, whilst Harry worked hard to become a brilliant wizard. It didn't come naturally to him and he did not have the experience that he has either. He knew the only way he could hope to defeat him was to combine his magic with his physical skills and get a lot of help.

"So he only wants Draco to fix the cabinet, and for you to make sure that he succeeds?"

"No, that's the easy part." Snape took a deep breath. "He wants Draco to kill the headmaster."

Harry opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish in realisation of the true extent of Voldemort's scheming.

"But he knows Draco won't succeed right? That's what he's counting on so he can punish him for his father's sins." Snape nodded. "So if Draco cannot kill Dumbledore, does that mean that you are to do his job for him?"

"Yes. A few death eaters have made it known to the Dark Lord that they don't think I should be trusted, so what better way of making sure that I'm loyal than murdering the man who gave me a second chance at life? I want this plan to fail, hence why I want you to show Draco that there's more to life than pleasing his father."

"I understand that, but what about Dumbledore. Voldemort wants him dead by yours or Draco's hand, how are we to prevent that from happening?"

The professor let out an audible sigh.

"We don't." He simply said.

"What do you mean?! I'm not a big Dumbledore supporter myself, but he is the only reason why Voldemort hasn't come to Hogwarts. We can't just let him die!"

"Don't you think I know this, boy! This is not my decision. Albus knows and he is ready and willing to sacrifice himself to save Draco from becoming a murderer, and me from whatever torture the Dark Lord will gift me with after finding out the extent of my betrayal. Now he seems even more willing to do this because of your arrival. You've given him hope that the Dark Lord can be beaten, and he believes his death will not be in vain."

Harry's respect for the ageing headmaster grew and preventing his death was on his to do list along with befriending Draco Malfoy.

Seeing how distressed Snape was at the prospect of the headmaster dying solidified Harry's resolve.

"We have a year, Professor. We'll find a way to save Dumbledore, Draco and yourself. I give you my word." Harry said with unwavering confidence.

The professor nodded, feeling strangely comforted by the boy's words.

"Then let's get to work."

They continued to talk about the forthcoming year, and their respective pasts well into the night, fuelled by coffee made by the Hogwarts elves.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harry awoke abruptly to the sound of Vic's voice.

"Hey there, kiddo. Looks like you had a late night. Your professor told me that you fell asleep in his quarters, and he apparated you back here for me."

Harry vaguely remembered the sensation of feeling like he was being pushed through a tube. And then the rest of the night promptly came back to him as well. The war, Draco, the cabinet and Dumbledore. He exhaled loudly.

"What's going on, Harry? I'm worried about you."

"I may have to get more involved in this world than I intended to, Vic. There's a lot going on that can't be ignored, and the only way to eliminate Voldemort is to thoroughly know what I'm dealing with. I thought I could just waltz in and get a brief "how to" lesson and be ready to defeat this guy, but I can't. He's a force to be reckoned with."

"Well I'll be at your side every step of the way, Harry."

This isn't what Harry wanted to hear. After learning about how Voldemort is punishing Lucius by using Draco, he wanted Vic as far away from the magical world as possible. He would never forgive himself if Vic was caught up in all this mess and got hurt somehow.

"I don't think you understand me. This war, these people- they're out of our league. You won't be able to help me, Vic- you'll only hinder me. These people will use you to get to me, so you can't be around. They can't know of your identity for my sake and your own. I need you alive."

"You can't expect me to just sit back and watch you fight in a war by yourself?! You are like a son to me, I can't just do nothing, Harry."

He knew it would be difficult for Vic to cope with, but he had also hoped that Vic would be understanding of everything.

"I need you to do this for me. I will not see you get hurt because of me and I will not be used by someone else because they've managed to get to you. And I won't be fighting this war by myself, I've been making allies and drawing up plans. If you have any faith in your skills as a father and hunter, then trust in me- please." Harry begged.

Vic knew Harry had a point, but what kind of father would he be if he let Harry do this alone? For now, to avoid an argument he knew he had to concede.

"Okay, Harry. I won't get involved unless you ask me to."

"Thank you, Vic."

At that moment an owl flew through the window carrying an official Hogwarts letter.

Harry knew that it was most probably his OWL results since the beginning of term was very soon. Even though he was confident in his performance, he still remained nervous about the results.

He pried the letter from the owl's talons and opened up the letter.

ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS

Pass grades: Fail grades:

Outstanding (O) Poor (P)

Exceeds Expectations (E) Dreadful (D)

Acceptable (A) Troll (T)

HARRY JAMES POTTER HAS ACHIEVED:

Charms O

Defence Against the Dark Arts *OO

Herbology E

History of Magic O

Potions O

Transfiguration O

* The highest grade achieved for that year

Professor Griselda Marchbanks

Governor, Wizarding Examinations Authority

Harry passed the letter on to Vic, whilst he thought about his next move. Now he was officially a student at Hogwarts, no doubt Dumbledore was currently writing a letter to Harry to come in for his sorting. The situation became more real to him now, knowing that once the Hogwarts population knows that Harry Potter is alive and well, so will Voldemort.

"You did great, Harry! I'm proud of you, but you don't look so happy. What's up?"

"Things are going to change now. I won't be able to skate by life anonymously any more, and Voldemort will make a move. I think it's better if you stay at one of the safe houses for a while. I don't think anyone besides Snape and Dumbledore knows where we live, but we have to stay vigilant."

"Okay, Harry. I'll be staying at the house in Devon. I'll pack tonight and leave as soon as Dumbledore sorts you into your house."

Harry knew Vic wanted to say something else.

"What is it, Vic?"

"Will I be able to see you or even talk to you once this gets started?"

Harry already knew his answer, but he couldn't break it to his surrogate father.

"If I find a way that doesn't compromise your safety, then yes."

Vic knew what Harry really meant.

"I see."

The pair spent what was likely their last day together as normally as they could, both of them wanting to preserve the memory of the other.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harry walked into the headmaster's office glumly. His mind constantly wandering to thoughts about Vic.

"Harry, my boy. I wanted to congratulate you on your OWL results. I'm more than impressed at how your home schooling helped you achieve such brilliant marks."

"Thank you, professor Dumbledore." He replied glumly.

"Now then, let us proceed with the sorting. Severus, if you will." Motioning to the sorting hat.

Professor Snape picked up the hat from the shelf and gave it to Minerva, seeing as she usually oversees the sorting of the first years.

She gently placed the hat on Harry's head and stood back.

All four head's of houses were present, all wanting Harry Potter to be in their house.

Harry patiently waited for something to happen, when suddenly a voice appeared in his head.

The famous Harry Potter finally decides to grace us with his presence, eh?

Yes, I was a bit busy training myself to defeat the nutter you guys let run free.

Touche, Mr Potter. Now, where to put you...

You have the Gryffindor pride and bravery, you're not afraid to do what you must.

But your knowledge and love of books makes Ravenclaw a good fit for you.

Or maybe Hufflepuff? You show great loyalty to the one you call Vic.

Tell anyone about Vic, and I'll make sure a troll uses you during their next trip to the bathroom.

Oh, there it is. Your Slytherin side is showing, Mr Potter. You want to succeed no matter what and you're not afraid to threaten those who get in your way. How ambitious.

Looks like it will be...

SLYTHERIN!

The hat was removed from Harry's head and placed back on the shelf.

Dumbledore and three of the four head's of house looked slightly upset at the announcement, whilst Snape smirked at the news. He knew that Harry was aiming to get into Slytherin to get closer to Draco, and besides any other house would most probably be terrified by Harry. He is a demon hunter who has a vast collection of knives- that is a scary thought for most teenagers. The Slytherin's, however have had to witness atrocities and bloodshed first hand with the dark lord recruiting students.

"Then it's settled, Severus will show you to the Slytherin dormitories in the dungeons, and in two days time school will start. I wish you all the best, Harry and know that my door is always open. I hope that you will also treat Professor Snape with respect, as he is not only your tutor, but now your head of house."

"Thank you, headmaster. I will definitely make use of any help you can offer this year."

And with those words, he followed his head of house to his dorm, and unpacked his worldly goods.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"If this human manages to release Lucifer from his cage, it won't just be Armageddon, Uriah. I've seen how this mortal works. He is smart, evil, cunning and he has even extended his lifespan. I have no doubt that he has a plan to keep Lucifer in line if he does manage to free him. We cannot allow that to happen."

"Then how do we stop this corrupt wizard, Castiel? We can't just take his life."

"We find a champion and aide him to the best of our ability. Lucifer will not rise."