Chapter 12: Back to Hogwarts

Never had Harry been more relieved than when he heard that the mysterious event-The Triwizard Tournament-would be restricted to those of age in the Wizarding World. He and Ginny shared a collective sigh of relief and grinned at each other. Ron was too irritated with the fact that he couldn't enter his name, and Hermione was eyeing Harry and Ginny most peculiarly. Ever since the World Cup, Hermione had been oddly quiet. She'd made sure to check on Harry when he'd been sick and had been perfectly friendly towards him in Diagon Alley. But Harry felt like she was still acting out of sorts. He'd meant to ask her about it, but so far, he hadn't gotten the chance. He wasn't about to ask her in front of all their friends in case it was something she didn't want to share.

The train ride to Hogwarts was rather uneventful. And that was what made it so strange. Malfoy hadn't made his yearly visit, and there were no flying cars or dementors. For once, Harry was put off by the lack of spectacle.

Upon arriving at Hogwarts, the sight of the same defense teacher as the year before was quite the shock. For as long as anyone could remember, that particular position always delivered a new face with each passing school year. Only Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and the twins seemed unphased by this, though they'd spent quite a bit of time together over the summer.

'What would you do if you got chosen Harry?' said Ron, completely missing the dirty look Ginny threw him.

Harry thought for a moment. Humming to placate Ron and indicating that he was thinking over his options. Honestly, what would he do? Eternal glory… well he already had that. And if the public ever caught wind of the fact that Harry was the only one who could defeat Voldemort, he'd receive even more… But the thought of accomplishing something under his own merits was appealing. 'I'd probably beat the shit out of the competition.' He grinned and slapped Ron on the shoulder.

'But you aren't going to enter, are you Harry?' Hermione asked, tentatively.

'Well, no. If I was seventeen, I'd consider it.'

'Really?' she asked incredulously. 'That doesn't seem like something you'd do.' Ron seemed to find this strange as well. He gave Harry an odd look before starting up another conversation on what he'd do with the money. The twins joined in and went in depth over what they'd do with a thousand galleons prize money. Harry couldn't help but find that Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was not only an exceptional name, but a great concept. He'd have to talk to Sirius about maybe funding them once they were out of school.

'What would you get, Harry?' Ron again directed a question towards him.

'I'd give the money to Fred and George.' he replied simply. Truthfully, he didn't understand where Ron was coming from. The Malfoy vault which now belonged to the Weasleys was so full it could fund each kid until their death and then some. Maybe Ron liked the appeal of having earned money on his own, much how Harry appreciated his own achievements.

'Really? Do you really mean that Harry?' asked George, seriously.

Harry nodded. 'Yeah. I would. It's a great idea you've got. If you ever need money for it just ask.'

Ron shook his head. 'Nah, we aren't some charity. Plus, you've already given us the Malfoy vault.'

Harry laughed. 'No, Malfoy gave you his own vault. Big difference. One I find great pleasure in.'

Fred and George scowled. 'We asked mum if we could use any of the money we'd gotten to fund our joke shop, but she said never in a million years. She doesn't think it would work. Think's it's a stupid idea.'

'Mum's barking.' said Ginny matter-of-factly. 'She lacks vision.'

The group laughed all the way up to the common room where an enormous group of people were gathered, talking about the tournament and all the things they were looking forward to this year. Harry, for his part, was disappointed in the lack of a Quidditch season. He didn't last long in the common room before turning in for bed.

The next day dawned stormy for the third day in a row. Harry didn't mind, seeing as he didn't have Herbology nor care of magical creatures. Instead, he had four classes that he was most looking forward to.

Potions, Runes, Arithmancy with the third years and Transfiguration.

All summer Harry had been practicing Potions and Transfiguration. Truly mastering and understanding how potions ingredients work and how to cheat the instructions. He'd learned different ways to brew certain curricular potions, and he'd been brewing one of the most complex and easily messed up potions all summer. The Wolfsbane. Suffice it to say, he was looking forward to Snape and McGonagall's reactions.

What was somewhat shocking but not unwelcome, was the fact that pretty much no one was looking at him. Hermione had told him that it was because he was nearly unrecognizable with his near-shoulder-length hair, sharp features and toned body. Not to mention his lack of glasses, and the growth spurt, which put him slightly above Ron. For once, no one knew who he was. He was dreading the first call for attendance in his classes. Then everyone would know that the tall, black haired young man was in fact, Harry Potter. Ginny teased him about the extra mystery which would spark due to his sudden change. Harry glared at her, thinking that Ginny's sentence would only spur Hermione on her quest for answers. The Nutritional potions excuse could only go so far.

As Ron, Hermione and Harry made their way down to the dungeons, splitting off from Ginny, who was heading off to Charms, Harry silently wondered where the hell Malfoy was. He'd never gone this long without showing his face, and Harry was sure that Draco would have taken his first opportunity to threaten Harry after his role in getting his father imprisoned. Yet there he was, standing alone, waiting for Snape to open the door to the fourth years' first potions class of the term.

Snape eventually beckoned everyone in and slammed the door. He began in his monotone drawl and warned them that this year they'd begin to prepare for their O.W.L examinations. Which would take place the following school year. He used his wand to draw the instructions for a Wit-Sharpening potion on the board and, as per usual, gave no insight onto how to interpret the instructions, and simply began meandering around the classroom.

Harry asked his mother to block out his sense of hearing for everything except Snape and the sound of the potion. She began to filter the sounds for him so he could concentrate. Wit-Sharpening potions were rather simple. The instructions on the board were as vague as ever.

Mix in Ginger Root until lime green.

Mix Armadillo bile until blue.

Mix Ground Scarab Beetles until red.

Remix Armadillo Bile until red liquid is yellow. (Not dark green)

Remix Ginger Roots until brew is lime green.

Mix Armadillo Bile until the potion is purple.

'A colour-based potion. Snape you git, it's down to the smell.' Harry thought, angrily.

Not only was the colour advice incredibly generic but it simply wasn't the fastest way to brew the potion. On top of that, he hadn't given any information on what heat to set your cauldron at, nor how much water to start with. Harry quickly scanned through his potions textbook and read his handwritten notes he'd accumulated over the summer. He had almost forgotten that his mother had found a shortcut around the time it takes to brew the potion. This was a double period. Snape probably thought that everyone would need the textbook's required time of an hour and a half. Harry was about to do it in thirty minutes.

Quickly, he began to acquire the required materials. This modification was N.E.W.T level. Surely he'd receive extra points. Many of the ingredients were completely different from those which he'd displayed on the board. In ten minutes, the potion was already a soft yellow. That was the fourth step in Snape's masterful instructions. Holding back a scoff, Harry continued to brew his potion.

Once the first half hour of class was up, Harry bottled his potion and labeled it with his name. He vanished the contents of his cauldron and put out the flames that hung underneath. He shrunk his cauldron down to store it back in his bag. He used a variety of housekeeping spells to clean his workspace and stored his spare ingredients back in his bag. Then, he walked to the front of the class and looked for a space to leave his potion for Snape to mark. Seeing as there was still an hour left in class, Snape hadn't seen the need to leave the collection tray out. Little did Harry know, he was garnering a lot of unnecessary attention.

'Potter. What do you think you are doing?' sneered Snape from the back of the classroom where he was attempting (and failing) to fix Goyle's cauldron.

Nearly every pair of eyes in the classroom widened in recognition over this boy being Harry Potter. Quiet mutterings broke out as Snape told them to shut it. 'Oh, sorry, Professor it's just that I've finished my potion and I was wondering where I could leave it for you to collect.'

Snape's eyes narrowed. 'This particular brew takes one hour thirty minutes. It needs to simmer for at least ten minutes, and it must be collected in a reinforced vial.' he smiled a cruel smile and pointed to the vial in Harry's hand. 'That is a regular potion vial. It shouldn't be long now until the acidity of the potion burns through the glass.'

Harry cocked his head to the side in mock confusion. 'Oh, this is so much fun.' 'Well, actually that's not always true, Professor.' Harry spoke in a calm voice; it wasn't rude or condescending. 'A wit-sharpening potion is not nullified by the addition of sugars. If you add sugar to the potion, the acidity decreases. It is unknown why, but the potion should no longer affect my vial.' Snape's eyebrows shot up, but he remained somewhat unphased. 'As for the time it took, well, I'm sure you know that the first three steps can be skipped rather easily with a different choice of ingredients. The amount of water can also shorten the brewing speed, though I'd require a larger cauldron for that.' Harry paused and frowned slightly. 'The tricky thing is is the timing of placing the ingredients. See, you chose to teach us this way…' he indicated the blackboard. 'Because it relied on the perception of a change of colour. The way I brewed it relies on smell and auditory queues. This way, you need to get the timing just right. It's unpredictable and you only have a couple of seconds warning each time. But if you're paying attention, it is possible. I understand why you wanted to teach us this way, Professor, but I figured I might as well try the harder way.'

Snape seemed well and truly impressed with Harry's little performance. His eyes were surprised, his mouth was fighting a smile, but those were minute impressions. The class was staring in shock at Harry, who was known for being incredibly average in school. 'Tell me, Mr. Potter, have you brewed this potion before?'

Harry shook his head. 'No sir, only applied the theory from certain other potions to this one. It's part of the same class as many other mind-related potions and I figured that I could make use of the same tricks.'

Snape's eyes narrowed in seeming concentration. Harry saw Snape's black eyes grow unfocused and Harry realized that his mother must have trapped Snape in her mind. He was looking forward to hearing about this.

Severus Snape was rarely impressed by his student. The fact that a fourth year, the Potter brat no less, had just displayed an exemplary display of knowledge over the intricacies of potion making was impressive, but Severus wanted answers. And answers he'd receive. Reaching out with his mind, he found Potter's and focused on penetrating his shields. He was shocked to find an incredibly strong defense. Then, he felt like he was being pulled through a vacuum as he landed in a black abyss. He got to his feet and realized that his mental attack must have been trapped by Potter's. 'But how? This is a near impossible feat of legilimency and occlumency being used together at the same time!'

'Hello, Severus.' Snape whirled around at the voice of a woman. His eyes landed on an impossibility. No matter how desperately he'd wished for this moment to be true, he knew it could not be.

'This is a sick joke.' he replied. His voice was raw with emotion, though he did not notice it. The mask Severus Snape had hidden behind for over twenty years, crashed down to the floor with a resounding clatter. He could not act indifferent to her. He never could.

'I assure you it is not.' Lily Potter replied coolly. 'Long time no see, Sev. I must admit that once I arrived here, I was shocked to learn that you were teaching. I always thought you'd be great out in the world, making fresh discoveries and further developing the world of… How'd you put it? The subtle art of potion making?'

Severus continued to gape at her. How had Potter created a false Lily, one who acted and sounded so much like the real thing. A thing Potter would never have gotten to meet.

Because of him.

'Is this remorse, Severus?'

Severus's eyes widened. Could she hear his thoughts? Lily's lips curved into a twisted smile. 'Yes, Sev, I can hear every thought going through your head at the moment.' She eyed her fingernails appreciatively, as though Snape's presence here was irrelevant. 'I am the real Lily Potter, not something my son created on his own.'

Severus stammered for a moment before collecting his thoughts and asking the question he needed answered. 'How.'

Lily waved her hand and the scene changed. It was a playground. A playground Snape recognized without hesitation. Spinner's End. The sun was out, and the distant sounds of birds chirping could be heard. The smell of the industrial sector was heavy in the air, but otherwise it was just as Severus remembered. It felt like home. The wind blew through his long hair, and he closed his eyes, letting the memories wash over him.

'You are well aware of my son's condition?'

Snape nodded. 'Yes.'

'Yet you do not know much of how a werewolf's magic functions, do you.'

'No one does. Most werewolves don't seem to know.' he replied.

'I'm going to tell you a story, Severus. So, listen close. My son was taken to my sister, the very woman who we both know despised me, and everything I lived for. She mistreated, abused, and nearly destroyed my son up until he turned 11. What did you do? You sat on the sidelines. You let it happen. Even though, despite all of our arguments, despite where we ended up in that first war, you knew that Petunia would harm my child.' Snape wanted to tell her, say that he had switched sides for her, that he would always protect the boy. But he didn't. Because she was right.

'There it is.' she was practically jeering. 'Looks like you've realized what you've done. I was most surprised when I brought you here, into my mind, to discover that you agreed with Dumbledore to always protect my son. Because you love me. Is that it?'

Severus just stared into her eyes. He had no defense. He'd never expected to have to face her again. He only knew that his actions were more so for his own-

'For your own conscience. Yes. Protecting my son, eh? So, belittling him, tormenting him, lying to him. All of that is acceptable because you swore to Dumbledore that you'd do anything to protect "Lily Potter's Son". It's interesting, how if you'd take a moment to pay any attention to Harry, you'd realize that he despises bullies, he had an excellent sense of right and wrong. He's got a good head on his shoulders, even though he was taught to hide it at a very young age. You'd notice that he's resourceful, and incredibly creative. You'd notice that he's a bit of a brat sometimes, he's cunning and ambitious and he's kind. He's so incredibly kind, and yet here you stand, for the fourth year running, wishing to do nothing more than to insult him.'

Severus couldn't hold eye contact any longer. He looked down at his toes. He felt like a child who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. 'You disgust me, Severus.'

The scene changed again, this time they were standing near the White Cliffs of Dover. The smell of the sea and the sound of the waves could be heard. 'I believe this is where we last met face to face. Regulus had gone missing, and you were sent to find him. The trail ran cold here, didn't it? Me, James and Remus had been following you for days, but we didn't know who you were.' Severus didn't want to hear the rest of this story, but he knew she wouldn't grant him such reprieve. 'I remember being so shocked to see your face when the mask flew off. I didn't even know what to do. Do you remember what happened, Severus?' he nodded. 'That's right. We all stopped firing. James put his arm over Remus to stop him from hexing you. James, Sev. James stopped us from killing you. Do you want to know why he did that? Did you ever ask yourself?' In truth, Severus had asked that question to himself many times directly after the fact. But he had always refused to acknowledge the fact that he now owed James fucking Potter his life twice. 'He stopped firing for me, Sev. Because he knew that no matter how much you hurt me, no matter how long we'd been apart, that I still cared about you. That I still wished that you could have climbed out of that hole you dug for yourself. Because some nights, James would help me discuss ways to reach out to you, to maybe sway you into switching sides.'

Severus's jaw dropped. Potter would never do such a thing. Never. He hated him. It was a mutual hatred. There would be no reason to act in such a way. Did Potter feel badly for the way he'd treated him? Or was this another ridiculous way to impress Evans.

'Wow, you truly are pathetic you know that?' Severus's eyes snapped up to Lily's once more. He'd forgotten that she could hear his thoughts. She stared at him in disbelief, shaking her head slightly. 'Do you want to know why he cared about you switching sides as much as I did? Yes, he probably felt sorry for what he'd done to you and the way he'd treated you. And yes, he likely did it for me, but you know what Sev? He let go a of a ridiculous childhood rivalry, in the middle of a fucking war in which you were a legitimate enemy, because it was the right thing to do. Not the easy thing. The right thing.'

'What you truly do not seem to be able to comprehend is the fact that James did all of that for me. Not to impress me or to get me further into his pocket, but because he truly cared about me Sev. He loved me. So, when you say that you love me, I just can't help but think of every single time that you hurt my feelings, that you called me a mudblood, that you continued to ignore my warnings and deny my friendship to grant yourself a spot in Voldemort's inner circle.'

'I think about all the times after school where you nearly killed me, whether you were aware it was me or not. I think of all the times that you hid from me, insulted me, but do you know what memory comes straight to the forefront of my mind when you think you love me?'

She gestured to the land above the cliffs. 'I think of this day. When James said, 'Hold your fire!'.' The voice of James Potter could be heard on the wind like a distant echo. Snape could remember it so clearly. 'And what did you do?' 'sectumsempra!' drifted through the air as the memory solidified at the forefront of his mind. He closed his eyes in shame. 'That's right. You tried to kill the man I love. I find it so incredibly ironic that you actually thought he'd used a love potion on me. James cared for me, he cherished me. He believed in me. He supported me. What did you do? You did not love me. You sat on the sidelines like a bloody coward and watched your little friends torture me, kill my friends, kill my family. Believe me when I say this, Severus Snape, you are nothing to me. You haven't been ever since I came to live here in Harry's body.'

Snape closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair in a most James Potter way. 'How can I make things better.' He found himself saying.

'Don't think you can ever redeem yourself. But I'll give you a quick list. What my son just did in your class is honestly fantastic. I'm proud of him, and any reasonable teacher would be too. And before you ask, no, I didn't help him with that. In fact, he discovered the universal cheats to Mind-altering potions all on his own during the summer. He spent weeks reading and practicing and speculating on a multitude of subjects so he could excel this year. I've helped him, yes, but at school he's asked me to stay away and let him learn things himself. So don't you dare even think that he's a cheat.'

Truthfully, the thought hadn't crossed Snape's mind yet. But she was right in assuming that it would have. After a lengthy pause, and another shift in environment, this time settling on a tree by the Black Lake, she continued.

'You will honour house points to every house equally. You will grade fairly. You will not raise them to be little blood-purist Death Eaters either. You will actually teach. You are a truly amazing Potion's Master. And you were a great tutor in school. I know you have the abilities to become a fantastic teacher. You don't need to be charismatic or funny, you just need to be a good teacher.'

Snape nodded his understanding and she began to walk away from him. He longed to apologize, to say that he regretted his actions, for he truly did, but the magnitude of his mistakes was so incredibly heavy that no matter how many apologies he blurted out to her, nothing would be enough.

'I'm glad you recognize that fact, Severus.' she paused and turned to face him again. 'Oh, and if you're going to protect my son… do better.' Then, Severus felt his mind being pushed back into his own head, he staggered slightly but righted himself quickly. He was looking into Harry Potter's eyes. So much like his mother's.

He couldn't help but see the boy in a different light. His hair was longer, and while he looked just like his father had when he was fifteen or sixteen, he did not give off the same energy in the slightest. He nearly sighed in defeat. 'Twenty points to Gryffindor, for a most excellent display of understanding for the complexity of Mind-Altering Potions.' He turned around and continued to attempt to teach Goyle how to fix his abysmal potion.

Harry's jaw literally dropped open, as did the rest of the class. Twenty points. TWENTY. For Gryffindor? That's unheard of. Scratch that. Points awarded to Gryffindor by Snape had never happened before. Harry turned back to the desk and saw a holder for his vial. Snape must have conjured it. He left his vial in the holder and turned around to walk back to his seat. Every eye was following him as he sat himself down at this seat and brought out his potions book again. Jotting down on the Wit-Sharpening potion page that those cheats do, in fact, function with this potion as well. Once he was done that he looked up into the narrowed eyes of Hermione Granger, and the pink ears of Ron Weasley. 'What?' he asked innocently.

Ron simply turned back to his cauldron, but Hermione decided to unload all her questions on Harry at once. 'How did you learn to do that? Can I see your potions book? Why are you writing in a textbook? Harry you really should have just brewed it correctly, I mean, honestly so much could have gone wrong! And why did you have to disrespect Professor Snape like that!' It was all said in a whisper, but to harry it was disorientating. One of the many downsides to having heightened senses was how overwhelming certain things could be. Especially when you weren't expecting it.

'Well, Hermione, I taught myself some stuff over the summer. As for why I'm writing in my potions book, well that's because I've been writing down my notes on the subject in there. Yes, you can see my potions book after class. I knew it was going to be brewed correctly because certain potions fit into different classes. They are sorted in these classes by shared characteristics. I figured this one would work the same way as others of its class. I was right.' Harry paused and thought back to the other things she'd said. 'As for disrespecting a Professor, I'm pretty sure me and you both attacked him at the end of last year.'

Hermione flushed. 'That- That was different.'

Harry rolled his eyes. 'Sure, Hermione.'

The rest of class would have been really boring had he not been able to help both Ron and Hermione with their potions. He got a strange sense of satisfaction at the fact that he could teach them both new things. Ron seemed to be paying attention to what he was saying, too, so maybe he'd start trying a little harder in school if his best mate was suddenly academically inclined. Hermione seemed rather irritated that Harry not only knew more about the subject but had seemed to master it. She couldn't for the life of her understand how Harry had suddenly become the most brilliant potion maker there was.

When the bell rang, Harry hoisted his already packed bag over his shoulder and waited for Ron and Hermione to come back. He kept taking quick glances at his watch before eventually calling over his shoulder that Ancient Runes was miles away, and he didn't want to be late to his first class. Ron and Hermione waved their goodbyes as Harry ran through the hallways. He waited patiently for the stairs to change in his favour and leapt ahead to the Runes classroom. Upon entering the classroom, he felt wards brush against his werewolf. 'Well, that's awkward.' He thought to himself. Clearly the wards were made to prevent dangerous creatures from entering. He waited patiently on the precipice of the classroom, trying to get the Professor's attention. Eventually, Professor Babbling came around the corner and saw Harry trying to get through the wards. Luckily, no students had arrived yet.

'Oh! Mr. Potter, my apologies. I hadn't thought to modify the wards.' Harry smiled gratefully as she drew runes in the air to leave Harry as an exception. He stumbled forward a bit as the wards released him into the classroom. He righted himself and looked around, taking in the sight.

The classroom had a roof painted in runes. It reminded Harry of the Atrium at the Ministry of Magic. In fact, he was sure that's what this room was meant to reference. Or perhaps it was the other way around. Each of the four walls carried a different enchantment. Harry was sure he could feel a sleeping spell embedded into the wall at the back of the class.

Professor Babbling chuckled lightly at the sight of Harry turning on the spot, clutching his books as he took in the room around him. Harry snapped his head down to her and smiled sheepishly. 'This is a cool classroom, Professor.'

'Aye, cool would put it lightly, Mr. Potter.' she smiled at him. The Professor was rather young. Older than snape, but compared to Sprout and McGonagall, not to mention Dumbledore, she was young. 'Every wall is warded. This course generally has a small class size, so at the end of each term the class is split into four groups. Each group has to come up with the most creative way to defend a surface. Each year it becomes more complex as the class's understanding of the subject grows.' She paused before turning to her desk. 'But you needn't worry about that yet, Potter. You've got months to learn.'

Harry decided right then and there that he liked Professor Babbling. He found a seat at a table near the middle of the room. It was shaped like a triangle. There was a circle in the center of it with a line through it. It looked sort of like an eye. He figured it must represent a rune. In fact, eyeing the other tables he noticed that each table was shaped like a rune. The triangular one in which Harry sat had three chairs. There were multiple other runic tables, and each had a differentiating number of chairs depending on the number of sides a table had.

A Slytherin girl with sleek brown hair walked in with two friends, they took a seat at a four-seater table. Then, Harry sighed in relief, which was quickly followed by a muffle groan as Ginny walked in followed by Colin Creevey. 'Fuck fuck fuck fuck.' Harry tracked their progress across the room. Swallowing his pride, Harry stuck his arm up in the air and waved them over. Ginny smirked while Colin's face lit up and he waved back. Tripping over his own robes as he made his way to Harry's table.

They each sat on the other two faces of the triangular table. Harry was almost shocked at how long it was taking for Colin to start talking. In truth, Harry hadn't had much conversation with the third year. He had, however, been filled in on Colin's younger brother Dennis's life story during the opening feast. 'Hiya Harry! Say, Ginny told me I'd have a surprise in this class. And to think I thought it was the course material!' He laughed at his own joke and pulled out a muggle notebook. Harry silently cursed himself for using parchment and quill. Colin had made the smarter choice. 'So why are you here Harry? Did you fail runes last year?'

Ginny snickered while Harry scowled. 'No. I dropped divination for this course because… well Trelawney was getting on my nerves last term.'

Colin nodded in understanding as the class continued to fill up. 'Yeah, I heard about that. You know, from Ginny through Ron. So, you're starting the course with us then? That's brilliant Harry! Us three can be a group. Team Gryffindor! How's that sound Harry?'

Harry realized he'd been frowning too long so he smiled broadly. It most certainly came off as a grimace because Ginny shook her head to confirm that this was the wrong move. Harry shrugged and continued smiling anyway. 'Yeah, Colin. That sounds great.'

'You know I barely recognized you during the feast. You've changed so much! You're taller than Ron!' Colin continued to prattle on and on about whatever came to mind. Harry started blocking it out. His mother refused to filter Harry's senses, so Harry had to block him out the old fashioned way. Staring at his hands. Which were currently laying on the table. The lordship ring was shining in the light. 'Oh, wow Harry! Is that the Potter ring? That's brilliant! I read all about the trial in the paper. I can't believe you did all that!'

Harry looked up at Colin. 'Yeah. It was all an act really. The more confident I seem, the less chance there is for them to get under my skin. I just wanted Lucius in prison for what he did to Ginny.'

Colin nodded. 'And Sirius Black, of course. You wanted him free.'

Harry waved that aside, smiling a genuine smile for the first time since Colin showed up. 'Nah, I would've lived with that old mutt no matter what the law said. It's a good thing he can get out and work though. He was growing bored alone at home.'

Ginny cocked her head. 'Well, he wasn't completely alone. He had you and Elizabeth, and Remus.'

Harry snickered. 'Yeah. Sirius's boyfriend is Remus Lupin.'

Ginny and Harry both chuckled at that but Colin's eyes just grew wide again. 'You called Professor Lupin Remus! Do you know him well?' The question was directed towards Ginny.

Ginny nodded and smiled mischievously. Harry audibly groaned at whatever Ginny was about to say. 'Oh yes. I was over quite often at Potter manor. You see, Remus… Sorry, Professor Lupin is one of Harry's legal guardians now.'

Harry thought that Colin's eyes would have rolled out of his head considering how far they were bulging. Harry desperately wanted to change the subject. Hell, he'd take learning about Colin over talking about himself any day of the fucking week. Right now, he just wanted to sink into the floor.

Luckily, All the tables were filled with exactly three students per house, and Professor Babbling clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.

'Good morning class.' she said, giving a wide smile. 'You are all here for your first year of Ancient Runes. No matter what year you are a part of you are all welcome here.' Some curious faces turned to Harry who looked quite out of place. His appearance gave off the impression that Harry was held back nearly three years. He was comforted slightly by the fact that Ginny too, seemed a year or two older than she was. 'Ancient Runes is a complicated branch of magic. In many ways, it is but a language. Many ancient texts are written in runes, and the runes we study here are far from the completed list. In fact, there are many different… languages and dialects you could say. Hieroglyphics from Egypt are considered Ancient Runes, but we won't be studying those until your sixth and seventh years.'

She turned away from the class and began writing on the blackboard behind her, while still talking. 'You may notice that even though I am facing away from you, you can still hear me as though I am talking directly to you.' This was true. It sounded as though Professor Babbling was speaking directly into Harry's ear. 'This is due to the fact that once you entered through the classroom's entryway, a rune was embedded into your skin that will allow my voice to go directly to your ear.'

Everyone seemed stunned by this fact. Harry himself, who had studied runes all summer in his free time, had no idea. 'How many of you took notice of this? And I'll know if you're lying.'

Harry wouldn't have bothered looking around. He knew no one had. Until Colin's tentative hand raised into the air. Professor Babbling smiled and nodded approvingly. 'Yes, I noticed Mr. Creevey's reaction to the rune when he walked in. Tell me, does anyone know why certain people can sense wards, while others cannot?'

No hands were raised. 'I thought not.' she said, smiling, nonetheless. 'That will be your project for the term.'

Harry furrowed his brow. 'What I mean by that, Mr. Potter,' Harry flushed, he hadn't realized his confusion had been so obvious. 'is that for the duration of this school year at Hogwarts, you are tasked with experimenting and learning runic languages to discover why certain people may react, and others will not so much as blink. You will identify characteristics that repeat throughout individuals and discover the meaning behind it all.'

The whole class looked thoughtful while Professor Babbling wrote the assignment on the board. 'That will take up most of your time, and each module will tie into this assignment. Therefore, it will be your only homework. Do not let this statement fool you, however. Your understanding of runes and the magic behind each one is incredibly important, and will fuel your comprehension of your project. I'd recommend completing this in groups, seeing as you'll have to do a lot of experimenting. Luckily, we are an equal number of students within each house, so the homework shouldn't be too difficult.'

Colin, Ginny and Harry all looked at each other in understanding. Harry was dreading having to spend time with Colin, but maybe he could convince the boy that Harry Potter wasn't some form of hero.

The class was spent as an introduction to runic languages. Harry and Ginny were both already well versed in this, seeing as Harry had practiced basic runic arrays over the summer, and Ginny had both the Diary and Bill. Harry had a strange sort of satisfaction at the fact that his mother had never taken Runes, and therefore was not a constant source of information to Harry. Everything he'd accomplish in this class was all his doing. He'd never gotten around to learning wards. More just basic shields or allowing muggle technology to function. He was proud of his minor accomplishments over the summer but being able to do the magic Bill had talked about at the World Cup was so incredibly enticing to Harry that for once in his life he took notes willingly.

When the bell rang, Harry, Colin and Ginny all packed their things back into their bags and made their way out of the classroom for lunch. 'That was BRILLIANT!' Colin cried. Harry chuckled along with Ginny. 'I mean, did you see that little array she showed us? Oh my god! That was so cool. And the whole thing with us being able to hear her as though she was speaking directly into our ear? Wicked!'

'I just hope the homework load really is just that one assignment. Like, I get that it really is a year-round project but it's better than an essay.' said Harry.

'And you said you wouldn't be lying about this term!' Ginny slapped Harry on the shoulder lightly. 'Right. Already complaining about homework.'

Colin laughed as Harry raised his hands in surrender. 'Alright Gin, you won't hear a word out of me.'

Colin continued to recap the class as if Ginny and Harry hadn't been there the whole time all the way down the lunch. Harry was about to go sit with Ron and Hermione as usual, but instead found himself sitting next to Ginny across from Colin. Harry could sense that the conversation was about to switch back to him, so he cast around desperately for a different topic. Trying valiantly to remember anything Colin had told him about, he settled on his father. 'Wait, Colin, your dad's a milkman, yeah? What about your mum?' Colin was stunned that Harry had remembered his father's occupation but quickly shook himself.

'Mum left a while back. She was mighty religious, see.' Harry nodded his understanding as he took a spoonful of soup into his mouth. 'She didn't like all the freaky stuff me'n'Dennis could do so she ran off. We struggle a bit, but Dad loves us so that's all that really matters. Plus, the second-hand shops for the Wizarding World are way better than the muggle ones.'

Harry nodded again. 'Yeah. They can repair a lot of the damage magically, so you don't get anything too ratty in the Wizarding World.'

Colin stared questioningly at Harry. For once it was not laced with awe. 'You know about second-hand stores?'

Harry slowly looked up from his bowl, confused. 'Until I got to Hogwarts, I didn't own anything that was actually mine. I lived with my cousin's hand-me-downs. I never had any money or anything. Even now that I have money, I don't really use it much. I mostly buy potion ingredients for Moony.' Harry replied so casually, so effortlessly, that it seemed to finally put a crack in the godlike idea Colin had in his head.

'You had second-hand clothes?'

'Yup. I still buy second-hand jeans and things. You don't really need those to be new. For the most part, I sort of forget I have money. I mean yeah, sometimes I see something I like but I'll rarely buy it.' Harry kept eating his soup while Colin frowned.

'I always assumed-' Ginny silenced him with a glare.

'A lot of people make assumptions of what Harry's like. I'd say almost all of them could be proven wrong.' she said, calmly.

Harry looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She had just defended him. Not only that, but she'd said the very thing Harry had wanted to tell Colin all morning. It was somewhat ironic that it was Ginny Weasley saying this, but upon further thought, no, it wasn't. Out of anyone, she could speak the most articulately on having learned the true Harry Potter. Maybe Colin would listen to her.

The bell rang again, and the trio made their way up to Arithmancy. Professor Vector was far less inviting, though not unpleasant. The class itself was a sample definition of an introductory lesson. It felt like primary maths. Vector said that they wouldn't be incorporating magic into their equations until after Christmas. Both Harry and Ginny frowned at that. They'd hoped for a more involved, hands-on experience. Neither of them paid much attention. Colin took the role of Hermione. Frantically scribbling down everything being said. Harry and Ginny resorted to folding paper into what Harry called planes, but Ginny referred to as Aerios.

'No, Ginny they're air-planes.'

'AerioPlanes.'

Harry slapped a hand to his mouth and let it slide down the rest of his face. 'Sure, but why would you decide to abbreviate it to Aerios? I mean, muggles do call airplanes planes.'

Ginny raised her chin and glared at Harry. 'Maybe I just want to be different, Potter.'

'Uh huh.'

Class ended and Harry split off from his new third year friends to make his way to Transfiguration. He was early and found a seat around the middle of the class. Professor McGonagall strode in and faltered at the sight of Harry. 'Good afternoon, Mr. Potter. I trust you had a good summer?'

Harry turned and smiled at his Transfiguration professor. 'It was brilliant. Sirius is amazing. So is Remus, for that matter.'

McGonagall smiled warmly at Harry and was about to ask another question when students began filing in. Ron sat to Harry's left while Hermione sat to his right. They both seemed rather irritated, and Harry would have asked why, but remembering the Crookshanks Scabbers debate from the previous year, decided to drop it. 'How was Runes, Harry?'

Harry smiled. 'Really cool. Babbling is a great professor.'

Hermione began to go on and on over the professor's merits while discussing what she herself had done in her Runes class which took place during Harry's Arithmancy class. Finally, the class filled up, and McGonagall took the stage. She explained in a speech eerily similar to Snape's that she'd be preparing them for their O.W.L year a bit early. Harry was just itching for her to stop talking so he could pull out the Elder Wand and gauge a reaction. He had an urge to beat Hermione at it, and he felt like there was a good chance he'd need to be quick with it. The task for their first lesson was to transfigure a hedgehog into a pincushion. Harry pulled out his wand, performed the motion and spoke the incantation. As expected, the moment his wand touched the hedgehog, it transformed into a bright yellow pincushion. Professor McGonagall smiled and awarded Harry five points.

It had been a long time since Harry had tried in school. He'd been told never to be better than Dudley. (An extremely low bar.) And so, Harry had grown used to average. But there was something about earning something, and performing the way he knew he always could, that felt so incredibly satisfying. Hermione's glares, however, were not welcome. 'Alright Hermione?' Harry asked, as Ron frantically tried to perform the spell.

Hermione bit her lip. 'Well, I just want to know how you did that.'

Harry eyed her for a moment before launching into an explanation. 'I suppose it depends on the person. Ron, listen for a minute.' Ron turned towards Harry as he explained that what always worked for him was picturing the final result and letting the magic flow through his hand in into his wand. Ron and Hermione seemed confused as to what Harry meant by allowing his magic to flow, but they quickly figured out what he meant when Harry got them to really think about what they were feeling when they performed a spell. Ron and Hermione got it right on their first try, both earning five points each.

'Why didn't that work for you last year? Or the years before that?' Hermione asked.

Harry flushed a bit and rubbed the back of his neck. He didn't really want to explain to them why he never tried in school. It was a bit stupid, looking back. 'Never really tried, I suppose.'

He felt bad for lying to his friends. They still had no idea of his affliction, and he knew that eventually it would come to haunt him.

'There's no need to feel ashamed of what makes you comfortable, Harry. They don't need to know everything that happened at the Dursley's, you've confided in Sirius and Remus. As long as you're talking to someone.'

This was true. Harry had sat down and told Remus and Sirius the whole story. The scars on his back, the starvation, the cupboard. Everything. They had been furious, but Harry had shown quite a bit of emotion. Fully breaking down in Sirius's arms in the back garden of Potter Manor. He had then listened to Sirius's story. Of how his mother had ostracized him. How he'd been magically abused and tortured for something he couldn't control. How he'd eventually run to the Potters. Harry had grown incredibly attached to Sirius after that. Remus had been helpful too. How his mother had abandoned him and his father at a young age. How long he had questioned himself. How he still did. It was comforting, in a way, to be so close to people with such similar experiences.

When Harry went to bed that night, he felt an odd sense of relief. He was back at school; it was familiar yet different. Things would be different this year, that he was sure of. He was determined to excel in his studies and make Sirius and Remus proud. Potions and Transfiguration in particular he was compelled to come out on top in. His mother and father's favourite subjects.

Yeah, Harry wanted to dominate.