A/N - Well NanoWrimo is over, and yes I did make my 50,000 word target. So I was a first time winner this year. Not sure that I need or want to do that again, but the experience was good. Now the story just needs a lot of editing and tidying up. And I want to finish this story first. So on with HIPS! And thank you for being patient!

The next morning, which was the first full day of school, a prefect knocked on the door at 7 AM to rouse the kids out of bed.

"Rise and shine, firsties. Time to get up, shower, dressed, and head down for breakfast. Classes start at 8.30 and you still have to get your schedules and find your classrooms. Up, Up, Up!"

The prefect finally left and moved on to the next room. Henry could hear him banging on the door and repeating those same words to the occupants of the next room.

Henry stretched as he sat up. He could see his roommates also waking up as well.

"Good morning, Archer, Lilith. Did you guys sleep well?" Henry asked. He was not normally so polite in the mornings, but this was a new experience, including sharing a bedroom with a girl, so he decided that it would be best to start out being polite.

"I slept great. Now I gotta go. Excuse me." Lilith replied as she disappeared off to the bathrooms.

Henry looked at Archer.

"I slept very well, thanks Henry." Archer replied as he too got out of bed and started getting his clothes together. "I'm next after Lilith." he claimed the bath room next.

Lilith rushed back into the bedroom and behind the makeshift screen that had been set up for her to get dressed behind. Archer disappeared for his morning shower. Henry could only sit and wait.

By 7.30 all three students were dressed, with their bags packed and getting hungry. They all exited their room and marched down to the common room. Since they did not know which classes they would have, they had packed all of their books into their bags along with paper and pens.

Since Henry and Archer were so used to using pen and paper for taking notes, and using quills and parchment only for their final essays, they chose to continue doing this. Lilith was intrigued when she discovered this, since she had no experience of using a mundane pen.

Down in the common room, a prefect herded 7 of the first years out of the common room and off to the Great Hall, while the rest were still being waited on. The symbol for the Hufflepuffs was a badger and since badgers like to live underground, their common room was one floor below the great hall, but not as low down as the Slytherins and their dungeons. Consequently there were not too many steps to climb before they arrived back at the main entrance near the outer doors and the Great Hall. The firsties crossed the large entrance foyer and were herded into the Great Hall and told to sit down at their table.

Breakfast time was when the owls arrived with mail and the daily prophet newspapers for those who held subscriptions. Today being the 2nd of September would be the day of Harry Potters last hurrah in the magical world. Henry was looking forward to the reaction.

The owls arrived towards the end of breakfast, and while he and Neville did not have a subscription, Lilith did, so it was easy enough to gather around to read. The letter was on the front page. The buzz and loud noise that arose after students had read it was quite shocking.

Henry looked at the staff table. Dumbledore had gone quite pale and then left the table.

The letter ran thus.

Sept 2, 1991

Dear Wizarding World,

My name is Harry James Potter.

I bet you are all wondering why I did not show up at the sorting ceremony at Hogwarts last night?

Well, this letter is to advise you that I will NOT be enrolling at Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft at all.

I was really looking forward to joining the wizarding world too. Sadly that will never happen. Do you want to know why?

On one of my early visits to the Wizarding world, I discovered that there exists a rather large number of books that have been written about me and some of them were claiming to be my official biography. All of these books are WRONG! Not only are their facts wrong, they have not paid for the use of my name, title and image, and even worse, they have not asked me for permission to use my name, title and image.

Noone has once ever asked ME about what happened that night? Why has no-one even bothered to interview me to find out the true facts of what happened on October 31st 1981? None of you were in that house on the night my parents were killed, and I don't remember any details, therefore none of you have a clue as to what exactly happened. Everything you write is merely speculation. You have no facts, no evidence and NO memories. So what gives you the right to be making up lies about me and then selling those lies as facts? NONE whatsoever.

In the mundane world, it is common courtesy to pay for the privilege of using a famous persons name, title or image for books, newspaper articles, interviews, endorsements, advertisements, writing letters, etc etc. It doesn't matter why you want to use my name, title or image. Since I am clearly a famous person, you MUST pay me for the privilege of using my name, my titles and my image. And please note that I (and my lawyer) do have the right to say NO to any and all requests.

I hereby vow on my magic that I, Harry James Potter, give myself permission to use my name and title in this letter, so mote it be.

And now I discover that you call me your Saviour and the Boy Who Lived and the Chosen One! WTF? I am NOT anyone's Chosen one. I am not anyones Saviour. I am certainly not anyones PUPPET!. Why do you insist on worshipping me? That is just disgusting. You act as if I am your god and that you expect me to rescue you - again.

I am NOT a god. I am not a deity. I am just a human being exactly the same as you. If I cut myself, my blood is red - just like yours.

As to how I killed off the Dark Lord back in 1981. The fact is - I DID NOT KILL Lord Voldemort. My mother gave her life to protect her child. So if Voldemort ever does return, then my mother will not be available to kill him off again. I will not be available either.

You people got lucky once. Next time, you may not be so lucky to have someone else willing to sacrifice their life to save you all. Because it most certainly will not be me!

Anyway I strongly suggest that you begin making your own preparations and start training in order to learn how to defend yourselves.

So if Old Voldie should return, then you people will be on your own to stop him, stun him, kill him, whatever you need to do.

I will not be helping you in any way, shape or form.

In the meantime, DO NOT look for me. Forget about me. Forget that I ever existed. I was only in your world for 15 months. Be warned. If I see any wizards, witches or wands anywhere around me, I will be reporting them to the ICW immediately. I have a right to privacy and I intend to enforce those rights!

Every single time you wish to write or publish my name, my title or use my image, then you must contact my lawyer - Dempster Wiggleswade in Diagon Alley - and ask his permission and PAY for the privilege of using my name and/or image.

This is my one and only warning to the Wizarding World.

If you choose to ignore my words, then the consequences are on your heads, and you can only blame yourselves for your own misfortunes.

Goodbye

Harry James Potter.

PS if anyone has written to me or sent me anything through the OWL mail, during the last 10 years, well for the record, I never ever received anything. Someone has put mail wards on me and is therefore stealing MY mail. Now who would do a thing like that? Try asking Albus Too-Many-Names Dumbledore.

Dumbledore went pale and left the breakfast table to return to his office.

Breakfast went a little longer and was also rather louder than normal, as the name of Harry Potter was on everyone's lips.

Snape sneered as he watched the students. He was kind of half glad that the wretched boy would not be at Hogwarts to torment him, and he was half mad because now he was unable to keep an eye on her son like he had been forced to do when he vowed to stay on the light side for Headmaster Dumbledore.

Eventually Professor McGonagall had to stand up and tell all the staff members to hand out the schedules so that the students could get to class.

When the schedules were finally handed out, Henry and Archer discovered that their first class was Charms with the Ravenclaws.

The 5th year prefect showed the children how to get to the Charms classroom. Professor Flitwick was a little short man who had to stand on a pile of large books in order to see and be seen and heard. Henry thought that the professor might be part goblin. Since this was a wanded subject, this would be entirely new to all the firsties.

The first spell or charm they learned was turning a light on and off. Having the wand light up by speaking the word lumos was rather exciting. The various levels of lighting indicated just how powerful the witch or wizard was. When Henry and Archer both said Lumos at the same time, while imagining some light in their head, both their wands lit up with a very brilliant light. IT was so bright that everyone else had to shade or close their eyes.

"Nox, Black and Selwyn, say Nox to turn it off." Professor Flitwick advised them, as he hurried down to their desk to help them. But by the time he got to their desk, the boys had muttered Nox and their wand lights were off. The rest of the class were all blinking as their eyes recovered.

Flitwick was most impressed with the level of power that both boys were showing.

The next class was Herbology. Having already done three years of Herbology clases, and being familiar with most of the plants, Henry was quite frankly bored in this class. He hated having to go back to the beginning and start all over again. Archer however was in his element and he loved the class. He loved working with magical and non magical plants alike, no matter what level the class was. He could easily have sat his OWL Herbology exam already, if he had a mind to so do.

After lunch was History of Magic, where Henry discovered that the teacher, Cuthbert Binns, was a ghost. Apparently the man had died while teaching his class, at least a century earlier, and had simply stood up again as a ghost and continued to teach. He seldom spoke about anything more recent than the last Goblin wars of 1612 and 1752. Henry found this class to be quite boring, but the text book was very interesting. He had already read through it twice and was hoping to pick up some interesting new stories and anecdotes from the teacher to add to the details in the text book. Instead, the whole class just got a ghost who read the textbook in a monotone voice. Within minutes, Henry was bored again. He had already read the textbook twice. He was not surprised to watch several of his classmates put their heads onto their arms and take a snooze. He watched the know-it-all frown at everyone and pay attention to the ghost so that she could make some notes. Henry pulled out the St Georges year 4 history textbook and began reading that, while trying to tune out the boring monotone voice of Professor Binns.

Archer had the same problem as Henry and he too was reading his Year 4 history textbook.

Lilith had never read any history before and she asked Henry what to do because the teacher was so boring.

"If you don't want to be like the others and have a nap, then I suggest that you read the textbook." Henry whispered back.

Lilith settled back in her chair and placed the textbook in front of her. Hermione frowned at both Henry and Lilith.

At the end of the lesson, the only person clearly still listening to Professor Binns, was one Hermione Granger.

After the class was released, Hermione caught up to Henry and demanded to know what book he had been reading in class, because it looked to her as if he was not reading the assigned year 1 history book."

Henry frowned. He had noticed that Hermione insisted to knowing what everyone was doing, and if they were close to breaking the rules, she was not above threatening to tell someone.

"Not that it is any of your concern but the ghost is as boring as hell, and I read that text book ages ago. I am currently reading a 4th year history textbook." Henry was not happy at having to explain himself to a fellow classmate, especially one he did not know very well.

"Well, we are not in Year 4 and our exams will not have any year 4 questions in it. The teachers set the books and the tests to our level of understanding and it would behoove you to follow their instructions." Hermione explained in a rather snooty and arrogant tone of voice.

"Is that an order or a suggestion?" Henry asked.

"A strong suggestion of course. " Hermione replied.

"Well thank you for your suggestion, and I will think about it." Henry replied, knowing full well that he would be ignoring anything that the bossy know-it-all had to say or suggest.

The last class of the day was Potions which was also with the Ravenclaws and Professor Snape in the dungeons. A perfect picked the students from their history class and asked them where they had to go next.

"Potions with Professor Snape and the Ravenclaws." Susan Bones announced. The prefect winced.

"Ouch. Well, best get the bad news out of the way. He is not a good teacher and that is all I will say. So if you are ready, I will take you down to the dungeons."

The children packed up their bags and joined the line forming up behind the prefect as he lead the Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaws back towards the Great Hall. But instead of entering the Great Hall, this time they took a different set of stairs on the opposite side of the entry foyer (from those that went down to the Hufflepuff dormitory) that were clearly going down to the dungeons.

Once down the bottom, they were marched through several twisting and turning tunnels to a room with the word Potions on the door. The children were all discussing the Harry Potter letter from the newspaper.

"Stay here and wait. Professor Snape never allows anyone in to the room before he gets there so you will have to be patient and wait. And for goodness sake, please be quiet while you wait. He will often take points off if you get too loud. You don't want to lose any points on the first day of school. Good luck." The prefect quickly disappeared back into the tunnels.

Soon after their arrival, the Potions master showed up. He had a frown on his pale face, dark greasy hair falling over his eyes and a black cloak that billowed out behind him. Not unlike Darth Vader - was the thought that drifted through Henry's mind.

The professor pushed open the door and growled at the kids to "Get inside, Hurry up. We don't have all day!"

Henry and Archer found a double desk in the middle of the room to sit at. Not too close to the front, and not too far from the back. They could still see the board and could hear the teacher just fine. The boys pulled out their paper and pens and got ready to take notes. Lilith sat at another desk behind them. She was eventually partnered up with Justin Finch-Fletchly, from Hufflepuff. The Ravenclaws stuck to their side of the room.

Professor Snape had stayed back by the door as the children scrambled to find a seat. and once they were settled down, he slammed the door shut behind him and stalked up the aisle between the desks.

Arriving at the podium, he turned around and launched into his annual welcome speech.

"There will be no foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in this class." he began. "As such, I don't expect any of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art that is potion-making. However, for those select few who possess the predisposition I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can show you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper in death - if you are not as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

The professor frowned as he watched one of these first year students doing something at his desk and not paying attention. The professor silently glided down the aisle, until he stood beside the miscreants' desk, while continuing to speak.

"Then again, maybe some of you have come to Hogwarts with abilities so formidable that you feel confident enough TO NOT PAY ATTENTION!"

Henry jumped. He was too busy writing down the professors words. He didn't see the professor move to stand beside him.

"Tell me, young man. What would I get if I added root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Henry frowned. That was not a first year question. It was not even a third year question. He shook his head and shrugged. With the teacher hovering over him this closely, Henry didn't trust his voice to not squeak or do something silly.

In the meantime, over on the Ravenclaw side of the room, Granger had raised her hand and was grunting like an excited child. "Ooh, Ooh, Ooh."

"You don't know?" Professor Snape spoke in a smarmy tone of voice. "Let's try again. Where would you look if I asked you to find a bezoar?"

Henry grinned. That one was easy. "In the stomach of a goat, sir. They are used to counteract most ingested poisons. "

Granger put her hand down. Professor Snape was silent. He was shocked at the confidence this boy displayed at answering the second question so easily when he could not answer the admittedly harder first question.

And yet one Claw was eager to show off her knowledge and a Puff clearly had not read the fifth year book, but was familiar with the first year book.

He tried again. "What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?" This one was a third year question.

Henry grinned again. Another easy question. " Nothing, sir. They are different names for the same plant, Also called Aconite, sir."

Snape tried one more question. This was for a NEWT level potion. "What is the most common potion that boomslang skin is used for?"

"Polyjuice Potion, sir." Henry grinned yet again. This one he had read about in one of his other potions books.

Snape was unimpressed. So the boy had answered three out of four questions correctly. Clearly the kid had done some reading. He decided it was time to stop and start the class properly.

"Only one of you knew the answers? Such a bunch of dunderheads that I have to teach." Snape muttered. "Well? Why aren't you writing all this down?" The kids got busy trying to remember the questions asked and the answers that had been given. Snape spoke up again. "About the first question I asked - the infusion of wormwood and root of asphodel - that gives you the Draught of Living Death.

Once the sound of quills scratching against parchment stopped, Snape aimed his wand at the board where the instructions for a potion were written up.

"Now I want you dunderheads all to try and make this Boil Cure Potion. Your ingredients are on those shelves. Go."

Henry and Archer looked at the board and read the instructions.

Add crushed snake fangs to your cauldron and stir.

Slice your Pungous Onions finely and place in cauldron, then heat the mixture.

Add dried nettles.

Add a dash of Flobberworm mucus and stir vigorously.

Add a sprinkle of powdered ginger root and stir vigorously again.

Add pickled Shrake spines.

Stir gently, so as not to overexcite the Shrake spines.

Add a glug of stewed horned slugs.

Add porcupine quills.

Finally, wave your wand over the cauldron to finish the potion.

The boys looked at each other in horror. These instructions for the Boil Cure potion on the board, were many years out of date. The old Book of Potions was no longer accepted in schools. Mainly because it had not been updated for forty years. While the necessary ingredients were all correct, there were some extra ingredients that were no longer required. There were also no stirring instructions, and no safety instructions for the Porcupine quills. And since this was a non wanded class, there was no need to wave your wand around. Professor Snape had already said there would be no silly wand waving in this class...

The correct instructions were in the updated version of Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger. The most recent edition was just 2 years old. Henry and Archer had made this cure a number of times because it was good for practice. They had the Magical Drafts book in their bags, so they both silently agreed to make the newer version.

Part 1

Add 6 snake fangs to the mortar.

Crush into a fine powder using the pestle.

Add 4 measures of the crushed fangs to the water in your cauldron.

Heat the mixture to 250 deg for 10 seconds, stirring 5 times clockwise

Leave to brew and return in 33-45 minutes.

Part 2

Add 4 horned slugs to your cauldron.

Take the cauldron off the fire before adding the next ingredient.

Add 2 porcupine quills to your cauldron.

Stir 5 times, anti-clockwise.

They easily fell into the partnership they had had for the last three years. Each knew exactly what he had to do. Henry set up the cauldron, poured in the water and began heating it up. His job was to make the potion. Archer went off to the shelves to find his ingredients. He would prepare all the ingredients.

Upon returning to his desk, Archer began by crushing the 6 snake fangs in his mortar using his pestle. Having added four measures of crushed snake fangs to the cauldron, Henry and Archer left the cauldron to brew for half an hour. They were sitting at their desks watching their cauldron, when he voice spoke up behind them.

"Merlin. What do you think you boys are doing? Sitting around doing nothing. You have a potion to complete." Came Snape's voice from behind them. Henry and Archer jumped. "Where are your flobberworms, your powdered ginger root, your shrake spines and the onions? Why are you not using those ingredients. They are listed on the board."

Henry turned around to find Snape glaring at them.

"The recipe you are using is an old one, Sir." Henry spoke calmly. "It is out of date, and can be considered dangerous. The onions are neutralised by the flobberworms and the ginger root is neutralized by the shrake pines. Since they cancel each other out, they are no longer required. And Sir, why are you using a recipe that calls for a wand when earlier today you said there would be no silly wand waving in this class? Also your recipe does not have any stirring instructions."

"Yes it does." Snape sputtered. "It plainly says, Stir Vigorously." Snape was clearly upset as he jabbed his hand towards the board.

"But there are NO directions." Henry replied. "I'm sure you are aware that the direction one stirs in, clockwise or anti-clockwise, as well as the number of stirs in that direction, makes a huge difference between a successful potion and an explosion."

Granger's voice interrupted. "What do you mean by stirring direction? Does it really matter in what the direction we have to stir? And an explosion. Should we be allowed to make such a dangerous potion in our first year, sir?" she frowned. "I think this calls for safety goggles at the very least."

Granger had left her potion sitting on her desk, and moved over to where Henry and Archer were sitting, apparently intent on listening in to the conversation. Just then, Granger's cauldron boiled over and the cauldron cracked. The potion inside went everywhere, including all over her Ravenclaw partner, who immediately broke out in boils.

Henry waved a hand towards Grangers desk. "You see, Granger? She did not take the cauldron off the fire before she put the porcupine quills in. The instructions say nothing about that. And everyone who knows anything about potions, knows that you must take a cauldron off the fire before porcupine quills are added. And yet the instructions don't mention that at all. I find that rather interesting."

Snape could only growl as his attempt to show all the first years just how much of dunderheads they all were, had clearly failed. He vanished Grangers cauldron and the spilt mess, demanded that Granger take her partner to the infirmary, and told everyone to clean up. "If any of you have any decent looking potion. Pour it into a vial, label it with the name of the potion as well as your names and the date and then leave them on my desk. For homework, I want you to write two feet on the many uses of porcupine quills in potions and why they cannot be added to any potion while the cauldron is still on the fire. Due at your next lesson. Dismissed." Snape disappeared through the door to his private rooms.

Granger and her partner disappeared out the door to find their way to the infirmary.

The rest of the class immediately surrounded Henry and Archer and began asking questions.

"Wow, you really stood up to him.

"He's the bat of the dungeons, a really nasty man."

"They say he is a brilliant potions master, but has really shitty people skills."

"Why is he using such an old recipe. Can you teach us the new recipes? So we don't have any accidents?"

"OK, OK." Henry held up his hands to hold everyone off. "If you want to make updated potions, you guys need to get yourselves a copy of Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger. They have most of the same potions as the old textbook, but are more updated."

Someone asked, "Can we do a study group? At least for potions? I really suck at potions and he really makes me nervous with his looming over our shoulders all the time. You clearly seem to know what you are doing. I would love to be in a study group, if that's OK."

Henry glanced the room. Everyone was nodding.

"Well," he drawled. "Archer and I were not planning on a study group. Once you get yourselves the new book, I'm sure you will do fine on your own."

"Why won't you lead a study group?" someone asked.

"Because you need to be find the answers for yourselves and not be waiting for someone to hand them to you." Archer replied. The Ravenclaws agreed, and slowly everyone began to pack up their bags, bottle their potions and leave the classroom. Archer was not about to mention just how bored he and Henry would be if they had to cover all the lower years, yet again. These kids would just have to find the answers on their own.

On the way out the door of the potions classroom, Henry and Archer were accosted by Granger who had taken her potions partner to the infirmary. "You have got to show me that recipe you were using, Why was it different from what Professor Snape put on the board? You really should not have been using any other recipe other than what the professor gives us. That is cheating." Granger stopped to breathe and Henry spoke up.

"Why should we not be permitted to use a better and more improved and clearly a safer recipe?"

"I'm sure the teachers know what is best for us to learn." Granger replied.

"Well in this case, the teacher was wrong. Expecting us to use an old and outdated recipe was very dangerous. You should be using your brain - you must have one or you would not be in Ravenclaw. I would expect you as a Ravenclaw to use your brain and do some research - and make an attempt to find the updated recipe for yourself. Don't depend on the teachers. We never do anything that any teacher tells us. We check it out for ourselves. It would not be good to blindly follow anyone in authority like that.

"Thank goodness, noone else had explosions using that old recipe. We chose to use the more recent recipe because we are not slaves to the so-called authorities in this school. Professor Snape is nothing but a bully, and despite his reputation for being a genius potions master, he is clearly a very poor teacher! If you wish to continue following that piss poor teacher, in order to avoid cheating, that is your perogative. We will be asking for private tutors."

Hermione was shocked. "Language!" she demanded. "And what do you mean Private tutors? We have teachers here. I don't think anyone could ask for private tutors. It is not normal practice to ask for private tutors."

"You're mundane born, right?" Archer asked.

Hermione nodded.

"Well we are both purebloods and we have been told since we were children that the Hogwarts charter does give students permission to have a private tutor in any subject, if you are unhappy with the official teacher for any reason. We are clearly unhappy with Snape and we refuse to be taught by him. Ergo, we will be invoking the Hogwarts charter."

"Who pays for the private tutor?' Hermione asked. She was hoping that the school would since it clearly provided substandard education.

"You have to find and pay for your own tutor. The school does nothing other than give you permission. They cannot really refuse since it is in the School charter."

Hermione was not happy. What with the huge fees her parents were already paying, she did not think they would agree to paying out more for a private tutor.

"So would you be willing to make it an open study group? she asked

"You mean inviting other students to learn from the tutors that WE have paid for?" asked Henry.

Hermione frowned. That had not occurred to her. But then she resolutely nodded.

"No, sorry. You're on your own. I can tell you to get a new textbook. The same one we told everyone else to get. Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger. Flourish and Blotts have plenty of them. It is much more updated than whatever Snape was using."

Hermione nodded and quietly moved off, heading back to the Ravenclaw tower and common room. She would have to do some thinking.

Since the potions class was the last class of the day, a Hufflepuff perfect eventually showed up to take the students back to the Hufflepuff common room. The news of Henry and Archers potions lesson soon made the rounds of the common room and they were all pleased that Snape had been shown up for the poor teacher that he was.

At dinner in the great hall, it was the Ravenclaws who spread the gossip of Henry and Archer showing up Snape as a bad professor.

Snape was complaining to Dumbledore about those two boys who were arrogant and needed to be either expelled for their arrogance or given a whole lot of points for daring to suggest that they knew better than their teacher.

"Were you aware that there was a safer recipe, Severus?" Dumbledore asked.

Snape reluctantly nodded.

"So why did you not use the safer recipe?"

"Because knowing that accidents would happen, I needed to impress on those dunderheads to follow the recipe exactly."

"But Professor Snape, you do agree that your recipe said nothing about taking the cauldron off the fire before adding the porcupine quills!" Professor Spout spoke up looking shocked. "So how could they not make any mistake when the recipe was wrong?"

"They would all have little explosions, just my way of impressing on them how dangerous potions is. But those 2 boys ruined my lesson by using the safer recipe. I demand that they be expelled for cheating. How did they know the newer version anyway. I don't teach that until 3rd year at least." Snape was beginning to work himself into a temper tantrum.

"They have been taught potions for a number of years now. They told me this, yesterday." Sprout intervened. "And since this is normal for most Pureblood families, we cannot punish them for knowing and using that knowledge to their advantage."

Dumbledore nodded. "Professor Sprout is correct Severus, my boy. So I'm afraid they will not be punished."

Snape deflated. He left the staff table soon after. He chose to take his dinner in his rooms.

In the meantime, Dumbledore was asking the remaining teachers if any of them had heard any rumours of where Harry Potter might be.

"You see, I was told this summer that the boy was dead. But that letter in the newspaper shows that clearly he is not. I also did not appreciate him mentioning my name in such a ruinous manner. I do have a reputation to maintain, you know."

All of the teachers were aware of Dumbledore's obsession with the Boy who Lived, so they said nothing, other than shaking their heads in response to the last question asked.

Dumbledore fumed, but could do nothing more until dinner had ended. Since the Boy who Lived was clearly not planning on attending the school, he had to make other plans with respect to the stone that was currently hidden safely within the school. And where was Potter hiding anyway, since he was so clearly still alive.

Speaking of which, Dumbledore wondered, where was the Longbottom boy? He too was not at Hogwarts either. He decided that perhaps it was time to call Augusta Longbottom and ask. Dumbledore was already forgetting that the grandson Neville had been disowned and replaced with Draco Malfoy Longbottom as the new heir.

After dinner Henry, Archer and Lilith all headed down to their Hufflepuff dormitory and got stuck into their homework. Especially that potions essay on porcupine quills. It took a few days for Lilith to get used to the concept and practise of homework, since she had been homeschooled, but the boys were happy to help her, since they had already been doing homework for the last 3 years. Homework would be also made easier by the surreptitious use of rewriting some of the old first year assignments and essays from St Georges if they were on the right subject. One might call this cheating, but Henry preferred to call it, recycling of old essays. After all, recyling was good for the environment!

Just before dropping off to sleep that night, Henry decided that his first day at Hogwarts had been both interesting and boring at the same time. He wondered what would happen next!