… - …

Chapter Two

Third Year Begins

Saturday July 31, 1993

Harry received two gifts from Ragnok and Barchoke for his birthday. Harry opened his first gift with Barchoke's help. It was an acromantula silk hand drawn replica of the mosaic that he'd seen in the Chamber of Secrets depicting the battle of the invaders where the quidditch pitch currently resided.

The silk was about the size and dimension of the interior doors at the Tonks house, Ragnok showed him a sheet pointing out notable people. He said, "Here are Salazar and Godric fighting the enemy side-by-side. There are Helga and Rowena doing the same." He pointed to another part of the masterpiece. Harry, Chiptooth, Barchoke and Ragnok had been added into the artwork. They were off to the side, but easily recognizable.

Harry remarked, "It's awesome! Thank you both."

Barchoke pointed out, "It can be hung on a wall as it is, or mounted on a board and framed. We had two other copies made. One was hung right outside of Ragnok's office. The other will alternate between being displayed in our Hall of History and the Bank Lobby."

"Thank you both. I love it."

Ragnok said, "Our other gift is fitting, given the first. It is a magical recurve bow and arrow set that can be shrunk and comes with a Mokeskin carrying case. The Mokeskin carrying case comes with a chain, so it can be hung around your neck invisibly, or carried in a pocket." It was about the size of a men's billfold.

Barchoke instructed Harry to reach in the bag and pull out the bow and an arrow. They looked like cute toys for a moment until they expanded to full size.

Ragnok said, "One of our Bowmasters will give you introductory lessons for three days of your choosing in August. He will get you off to an excellent start."

Harry replied, "Brilliant! Thank you both. That's great."

Barchoke mentioned, "You can use the Chamber for an uninterrupted place to practice at different distances. Ordinary training bows are inexpensive. After you've practiced up a bit, perhaps some of your classmates would be interested in forming an archery club. It is an excellent skill to have; one that young witches could easily participate in. It has more practical uses as well. If you look carefully at your artwork, you'll notice that the archers are farther away from the attackers than most wizards can cast with their wands. A defender who can fire from a longer distance than the attackers will almost always prevail; even against a superior sized force."

Harry replied, "It's perfect. The archery club idea is too."

Ragnok pointed out, "If you start an archery club, get yourself a practice bow identical to the others; keep your Bowmaster set a secret."

Harry asked, "Do you know when the attack depicted in the mosaic took place?"

"By our records, in the year 1062, a group of 500 invaders were surrounded and killed by a group of just 75 defenders and the basilisk. It was just developing the ability to kill on sight with a direct gaze and was probably used to finish off the wounded rather than directly kill the standing invaders."

He added, "It isn't uncommon for an agile bowman with the ability to hide or make themselves hard to see to defeat a group of twenty or more. It is a skill well worth developing."

Harry replied, "I believe it. Thank you again."

… - …

The week before class was to start, Harry had the final two procedures performed by Windsong. There were two bindings on his magic. One was documented as having been placed by a St. Mungo's Healer shortly before Harry's first birthday. It was a 25% bind; a common practice requested by parents of the day. The other bind - also 25% had illegally been placed by Dumbledore when Harry was two. It was illegal because Dumbledore wasn't a licensed Healer who would have known to look for previous bonds and if found, not place a second binding. Neither binding should have been in place longer than five years to allow for unimpeded growth.

She said, "This will hurt. Try to remain as still as possible."

She was right. It was as painful as anything that he'd ever experienced but was over within a minute.

… - …

Three days later, Harry was feeling better and Windsong was available to remove the leech. Harry entered the bank with the three Tonks in tow for support. When she said, "This will truly hurt," Harry knew better than to take the words of the orange haired Healer lightly.

Andromeda had been allowed to stay on the promise that she wouldn't interfere. She used her allotted one question up early in the procedure when she asked, "How long will it take?"

"Thirty minutes."

Five minutes into the procedure, Harry was ready to joke with Windsong. The pain was far less than when she'd removed the two bindings. Suddenly it was as if she were a dentist who'd decided to slowly drill into a perfectly healthy tooth without the benefit of Novocain – except that the pain was centered in his forehead.

Ironically, Harry had continuously been practicing countdowns of each minute to pass the time. When the excruciating pain began, he switched to ten-second countdowns, 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-0. At the conclusion of each block of time, he began another, to pass the time.

Suddenly, it felt like the pain had doubled again. 5-4-3-2-1-0. It felt like the second intervals had lengthened to minutes. Holding his breath didn't help. Breathing didn't seem to help either. Thinking of his toes didn't help. Thinking of the sensation that he felt when he hugged a squishier Hermione – that helped. Hermione… 5-4-3-2-1-0. Those wonderful eyes… Those…

"Mr. Potter."

He blinked several times.

Then vomited everything that he'd ever eaten.

This seemed to please Windsong as she flicked her small finger twice to clean the mess. "Breathe deeply several times."

He did and realized that wiggling his toes wasn't excruciating. He wiggled his fingers. He scrunched his eyebrows; nothing hurt.

"Can you touch your nose?"

He touched his nose. Somehow he resisted the urge to touch his forehead when Windsong said, "Your forehead will be tender for a few more minutes. Perhaps you'd rather hold your hands together and think of your friend Hermione for a few minutes. Keep taking deep breaths; as deep as you can."

… - …

In the other room, Healer Maysong was examining the leech. She verified that it was from the same being as the one found in the cup. She placed a spoonful of acid on it until it sizzled, emitted a misty scream and it was gone.

… - …

For Harry, the room seemed lighter, brighter; a happier place than when he walked into it. Either that, or all of the deep breaths were making him lightheaded.

Windsong said, "Please raise both arms and wiggle your hands."

He did and the movement felt good. Andromeda came into view. He smiled and said, "Hi Andy."

She wiped a tear of joy from her face and asked, "Are you OK?"

He took another deep breath, replied, "Fine," and meant it. A few minutes later, he was sitting up.

Windsong poked him a few times and seemed to like what she saw. She stared at his forehead a long moment and said, "You may go, Mr. Potter."

"Thank you. Thank you, Healer Windsong."

She said, "The leech is gone. I expect that you will feel better tomorrow than you ever have."

"Thank you again."

"Chiptooth is in the hallway, waiting for you."

Andromeda was standing in the hallway by Chiptooth. Harry said, "I'm glad to see you."

He nodded and said, "Walt will give you tomorrow off but he expects to see you at ten am the day after."

"I'll be there.

… - …

Walt – an admittedly unusual name for a goblin, was as pleasant as any Range Master. His first words were, "You're late."

Harry didn't apologize. Instead, he stated, "Windsong does not like to be rushed."

Walt admitted, "There is truth to your words. Let us begin."

He conjured six rats and simply said, "Get them."

Harry opened his bag, transfigured a dozen arrows, notched his first and let it fly. It hit its mark. He quickly notched another arrow and missed. He missed the next time too. He notched another and hit a rat, then another before the other three disappeared.

Walt admonished, "Missing two in a row isn't as good as hitting one slowly. I want you to practice every day. Your arrows weren't all the same but at least they were recognizable as arrows. You're a bit bigger than the first time that you were here; you look to be a bit stronger too.

"Practice hitting your target; distance and speed will come, slowly. Don't bother with those big bullseye targets; they're for show. You've no shortage of arrows. You've no shortage of conjured rats.

"Practice not being noticed. The rats won't be holding still if they know that you're after them. Larger targets won't hold still either. Come back and see me in December. That forest is full of spiders. They'll eat you if you let them catch you. I expect to see a few memory cubes."

Harry gave a polite bow and replied, "You will. Thank you."

… - …

When Harry had first examined his bow almost a month earlier, he had come to realize that only 12 of the 36 arrows that had come with the bow were to be used for target practice. The others were samples for transfiguration and eventually conjuring practice. They had slightly different lengths, head styles, weights, or thicknesses.

Walt had spent a brief hour showing him the different styles but at the time the nuances were moot. He needed to be able to transfigure identical arrows – quickly.

The first arrow that he ever let fly in a level pull went 50 feet before striking the ground. Now his arrows would fly nearly 100 feet and he could usually hit rats at 25 feet. Throughout the lessons, Walt kept repeating, "AFF – accurate, farther, faster. He'd told Harry, "Send me a memory cube each week. I'll send you one back with suggestions."

… - …

Tuesday August 31

The day before the train left, Harry asked one more time for lessons on apparition, Andromeda felt conflicted. It was the only thing that Harry had actually asked for. Beyond that, he had a legitimate reason for the request and was the Head of the house that she and Nym hoped to be asked to rejoin. On the flip side, she felt that he was still too young.

She compromised.

She gave him three books on occlumancy – Meditation, Building an Organized Mind, and Shield Your Mind from Intruders. She said, "Read these in this order and practice the exercises in each for a month before starting the next one. If you've done that, I'll be able to teach you apparition. If you're as successful at it as I anticipate that you'll be, I'll sign as your sponsor for an Under-17 Test. If you pass, you'll be licensed for Single Apparition.

"In return, you'll have no direct contact with Headmaster Dumbledore before the Will reading. If he initiates it, notify Ted through the Steward's ring. Advise McGonagall the morning of the Will reading that you'll be attending and need to be there by noon. Use your portkey watch as a last resort. Ask to use Pomfrey's floo. Refuse if Dumbledore ties any conditions what-so-ever. Avoid any contact with Draco prior to the Will reading, meaning lock the cabin door on the train."

"OK."

"If Dumbledore interferes with your class schedule, notify Ted. He'll try to get you into Divination. Refuse. Offer a compromise that you'll read the book. He doesn't know that you're aware of the prophecy. He'll probably point his attack dog in your direction. After Saturday, it won't matter.

Harry was tempted to ask, What about Ron? but let the idea drop. He had no interest in resuming a friendship with him and she had no motive to influence him on the matter.

She said, "Let's go visit Barchoke."

… - …

Chiptooth met them in the lobby. Harry had come to enjoy meeting with the affable, young goblin. He was very proud of his burnt orange runner uniform. He greeted them, saying "Greetings Lord Black," quietly enough so only Harry and Andromeda could hear. "Barchoke is expecting you."

They reviewed the expected business and decisions for the Will Reading scheduled for the following Saturday. Before they left, Barchoke asked, "How else can I help you?"

Harry replied, "I'd like to learn how to set my watch."

"Very good. The first nob – the one closest to the 12 is for the watch. Pull it out and adjust it as you desire." Andromeda took notes while Barchoke spoke.

"The portkey works on a set of coordinates. Every five meters, there's a different coordinate. To identify the coordinate where you currently are, pull the middle knob and push it twice – out in, out in. Then use the third knob and speak a label, such as lobby, or Hagrid's hut. It holds up to five coordinates at a time. You can carefully write them down and re-enter them using the fourth knob. Come back if you need to find a coordinate of a place you haven't been. The Artificers are working on several enhancements. They should be ready next July."

Finally he reminded Harry, "When you return to the castle after next Saturday, call for all of the loaned Black items and do the same for the loaned Potter items. Put them in your trunk and set the security level to high. Your calls will not take anything that had truly been gifted. I recommend doing it while standing in the Great Hall when there are many people, including Director Bones' niece present, so there is no ambiguity regarding your words.

"When Dumbledore protests, remind him that the list has been documented and will appear in the newspaper the next day. You may choose to gift, or reloan some of the items; either out of generosity, or in exchange for a boon. Lastly, as Gringotts designated representative, I ask you to call for all goblin loaned items. Please list what you find and who protests. Should you find the item, levitate it into your trunk and portkey here immediately."

Harry replied, "I understand. Thank you."

… - ...

On the morning of September first, Harry and Andy met the Grangers at the coffee shop across the street from the train platforms. Harry asked, "Who would you like to sit with?"

Hermione replied, "Aside from you, how about Susan and Hannah?" He agreed, Draco would be less likely to be confrontive with Susan watching. She hugged her parents goodbye. Harry wished that he'd visited their home over the summer, so he could have recorded the coordinates. He promised himself that he'd fix that over the Christmas Holidays.

They walked through the wall. Harry squeezed Andy's hand goodbye and they boarded the train, Susan and Hannah were alone in a compartment in the middle of the train. Hermione asked, "May we sit here?"

Susan smiled brightly and replied, "Please come in." She glanced at Harry – a very different Harry. He'd put on two stone of muscle and four inches in height; looking far more like a finishing third year than a rising second year student. His eyes; the three girls loved looking at his eyes.

Hannah asked, "What happened to your glasses?"

Harry smiled, and replied, "To my knowledge, nothing. I had my eyes repaired over the summer."

The two girls looked at Hermione, gave a highly suggestive look and laughed. Hufflepuffs didn't poach boyfriends.

Hannah said, "I was sorry to hear about your aunt and uncle."

Harry, who'd been coached in his response, replied, "Thank you. They weren't nice people. I feel bad for the innocent bystanders who were killed or injured, or had their homes wrecked."

Susan asked, "Were you hurt?"

Harry smiled and replied, "It must be frustrating living with your aunt sometimes. I spent almost the entire summer staying at the Leaky Cauldron. Your aunt is quite nice to talk with."

Susan nodded and replied, "She never blabs about work stuff. I didn't know that she'd spoken with you."

Dean and Ernie asked if they could come in and were invited to sit down and were asked about their summer holiday. Dean replied, "I took a drawing class over the summer. It was great."

Ernie said, "I helped my dad at his construction business. How about you four?"

Hannah was telling them about a trip that Susan and her had gone on with her parents when Ron opened the door, only to see that there was no room. Harry said, "Words have meaning, Ron. Would you prefer to be thought of as a liar, or proven to be one?" There was a certain finality in his words.

Ron stammered a moment, then closed the door to go find Seamus.

Susan asked, "What was that about?"

Dean replied, "The Chamber of Secrets. The way Ron was telling it, Merlin himself would have taken a back seat to his actions. I take it that none of his tale was true?"

Harry replied, "It happened, at least the part I heard him talking about; he simply had zero involvement.

"Actually, after one, or three more visitors barge in, I'll show you what happened."

As if on cue, Draco, flanked by Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum barged in. He began, "Hello Scarhead. Too bad about your dog. I thought mudbloods ate hot dogs. I'll be taking over the Black Family next Saturday; you'll still be an orphan. What? Nothing to say?"

Harry replied, "To you? No. A proper gentleman would have greeted the ladies first and asked permission to speak."

"Why you..."

"Am I wrong?"

"When my father hears about this, you'll..."

"Please close the door on the way out. Have a good first week."

As Draco couldn't think of another insult and had already played his hand, he turned around and left.

Dean asked, "Does he embarrass himself like that every year?"

Harry nodded and speculated, "I honestly don't think he can help himself; it's his nature to act like that. Too privileged, too early in life, I guess. He hasn't done anything on his own."

Ernie asked, "What did he mean, take over the Black family? He's a Malfoy."

Hermione was going to answer. Harry squeezed her hand slightly. Instead, Susan answered, saying, "Mrs. Malfoy was born Narcissa Black. She has two sisters, Andromeda and Bellatrix. Andromeda married a nice man, Ted Tonks. She's a Healer at St. Mungo's. Her other sister, Bellatrix married Rodolphus Lestrange. Bellatrix and the two Lestrange brothers, Rodolphus and Rabastan are complete sociopaths; they kill and torture for the fun of it. The Lestranges were three of the people who tortured Neville's parents into insanity."

Dean asked, "What's a secret keeper? Ma and I were at Gringotts. They had your parent's Will posted. I didn't know that magical people did that."

Susan said, "Professor Dumbledore wanted it kept secret for some reason. Auntie's name was on the list to take you in. She'd have been happy to."

Harry replied, "That makes three legal issues over his head. He had no legal say in my placement. He knew that Sirius Black had nothing to do with the death of my parents and he had no legal standing in the sealing of my parents' Wills. Outside of that, what class is everyone signed up for?"

Susan replied, "Runes and Creatures."

Hannah, Dean, Ernie and Harry replied, "Same."

Hermione said, "Runes, Creatures and Arithmancy." She and her mother had listened to Andromeda.

The remainder of the trip was both pleasant as well as uneventful. No one remembered to bring up the Chamber of Secrets.

… - …

As the train was stopping in Hogsmeade Station, Barchoke went to Ragnok with news. The ring in Little Hangleton which was discovered the night before had been safely delivered to the Curse Breaker. Ragnok pointed out that soaking it in Basilisk venom would certainly remove the curse with minimal risk to the security force. He asked of Barchoke, "What of the others?"

Barchoke replied, "One is in London. Another is either in, or under the castle, or the nearby forest.

Ragnok observed, "Given that the first one was made when Riddle was a teen, I'd speculate that it is in the castle. I believe that the Centaurs would have noticed something so foul, if it were in the forest."

Barchoke asked, "Should we give Potter the sensing device?"

"No. He has his assigned task. I'll contact Mr. Wick."

… - …

At the welcoming feast, Harry was asking Neville about his classes when he happened to glance at Snape and made eye contact for perhaps five seconds. His hidden ring immediately heated up as Snape collapsed in his chair as if he were a marionette with its strings cut. Dumbledore had been talking with Hagrid about his upcoming class and hadn't seen the exchange. He had started the year short one teacher, as Remus Lupin declined his offer after Sirius' death. Now it appeared that he'd be teaching potions as well.

As such, the old professor missed making contact with Harry as the students exited the Great Hall to go to their common rooms.

… - …

Thursday Sept 2, 1993

The next morning, Harry woke up early, found an unused classroom and transfigured a pull-up bar. Fifteen minutes later, he was drenched in sweat. He appreciated the time that Walt had spent with him and wouldn't let his work, or Windsong's go to waste.

McGonagall passed out the class schedules. It had his selected classes with two exceptions. Runes was notated with Suggested Drop and Divination was written in with Suggested Addition.

Harry walked up to her and declared, "I decline the suggestions but thank you."

McGonagall nodded. The ridiculous changes hadn't been her idea.

Transfiguration that morning was easy; simple in fact. His focus had improved and he had an easy time with the visualization.

Lunch was interesting. The fourth years reported that Dumbledore was a far better potions teacher than Snape. As Defense had been canceled for the afternoon, Harry went outside and practiced transfiguring arrows. He took a break at 20 and examined his work. Individually they were of better quality than two weeks ago, yet they weren't perfectly consistent. He returned them to stick matches and started again. Satisfied with the result, he undid the transfigurations and walked into the forest.

Hagrid, saw him and asked, "What's ya doing, Harry?"

He replied, "I'm trying to catch a rabbit to improve my quidditch."

Hagrid accepted his not entirely truthful explanation and said, "There's usually some over by the trees. I gotta get back to work. Nice to see you, Harry."

"You too, Hagrid."

Harry had no reason to actually catch a rabbit but he was practicing stealth in the forest; moving about without making much noise or disturbing branches was a good first step.

… - …

The next day was about the same. He had charms in the morning and Hagrid's class in the afternoon. Sure enough, he brought out the hippogriffs. Fortunately, Malfoy was visiting his Godfather at St. Mungo's and the lesson went well. Hannah was the first to go for a ride. By the end of class, Susan, Harry, Dean and Ernie had all gone for short rides. Hagrid's class was instantly gaining a popular reputation.

… - …

Saturday September 4

Saturday morning, Harry went down to the Chamber of Secrets. He marked off the distance in ten foot increments for his level flight tests. As gravity was constant, the gains that he'd seen in distance were caused by the magical bow strengthening itself; resulting in higher velocities.

At 10 he went up to McGonagall and said, "I'll be attending Sirius Black's Will Reading today at noon. I'd like to take the floo from Madam Pomfrey's office at 11. I expect to be back by dinnertime."

She said, "I'll inform the headmaster, if I see him. Please tell Madam Pomfrey that you have my permission." She had no intention in searching him out and went back to her quarters.

Harry went back to the dormitories. Hermione hugged him and said, "Good luck."

He hugged her back and said, "Thanks. I'll be back about dinnertime. He walked into the Hospital Wing and announced, "Hi, Madam Pomfrey. Professor McGonagall gave me permission to use the floo to go to Gringotts for a Will Reading for my Godfather, Sirius Black. I expect to be back in time for dinner at 6:30."

She handed him the jar of floo powder. He took a pinch and said, "Gringotts London."

Chiptooth saw him, nodded and Harry followed his friend to the conference room. Draco and family were already there, as was Nym. Draco's self control was at its usual minimal level and he blurted out, "What are you doing here, Scarhead?"

Harry simply replied, "I have a bit of business after the meeting." Lucius hadn't changed his posture or muzzled his son after his atrocious behavior but Narcissa looked concerned.

Barchoke was ready to start but as it was still one minute before noon, he kept the doors open. Precisely at 12, Dumbledore walked in and looked around the room as if he were presiding over his flock. He looked a bit surprised to see Lupin and genuinely surprised to see Harry. He was about to admonish him for being out of school without his permission when one of the guards closed the double doors and Barchoke announced, "Let us begin. Lucius Malfoy, you are not listed as a beneficiary. You may leave."

"I'm here to advise my son as he's elevated."

Barchoke replied, "Be careful in your assumptions. We'll start with the bequeathment section. To my cousin, Narcissa, if you prove that you never took the Dark Mark and take an oath to renounce him and his followers, you will receive your bequeathment of 500,000G.

"Draco Malfoy, I leave you 50,000G and a bit of advice. Change your path and you'll most likely live to see your seventeenth birthday."

He sputtered, "This is an outrage."

Lucius snapped, "Hold your tongue, boy."

"To my cousin, Andromeda, please accept 500,000G.

"To my cousin, Nymphadora, I bequeath 100,000G

"To my lifelong friend, Remus Lupin, I bequeath 100,000G and the larger property at St. Ebb.

"To Albus Dumbledore, I bequeath 100,000G."

Draco's mouth engaged again. "What about Potter? What about my Lordship?"

Barchoke replied, "As the primary beneficiary, Harry Potter received all titles, real property, family property and gold in the family vaults, as well as the entire contents of Sirius Black's personal vaults. That was handled several weeks ago in a separate meeting. All of the paperwork has already been filed.

"With respect to the Black Wizengamot seat, Lord Potter isn't old enough. Ted Tonks was selected to represent him both for the Black seat, as well as the Potter seat, which somehow has been occupied by Sturgis Podmore. It is time to sign your acceptance documents. They are on the tables behind you."

Barchoke observed, "As with so many instances in your life, Mr. Dumbledore, you acted without authority. The instance of the Potter seat was easy to rectify. Please sign the documents on the table behind you and the vault transfers will take place. You have six hours to sign them."

Ragnok was behind this carrot and stick approach. Each person's document was slightly different. At the core were the following statements.

I vow that I had no responsibility in Sirius Black's death.

I agree that the distribution of assets, titles, monies and properties was just.

I agree to support Harry Potter as Lord Black and will assist him when requested.

Remus Lupin's document had no additional clauses. He signed his and left.

Andromeda Tonks' document stated that if Harry was under 17, she would offer to provide him house space and if Harry offered to return her and Nymphadora back to the Black family, that she'd at least consider it. She signed and sat down by Harry.

To claim the money, Narcissa's document required that she go to the Goblin Head Healer for an exam, which would entail a search for the Dark Mark on her body. If it had been hidden, she was to expect that it would be found. She also had the option of signing and not claiming the money. Since the fairly recently renamed Malfoy Manor was, in fact, a Black property, she could expect to live there for the rest of her life. Though it was obvious that the use of the home would not be extended to Lucius or Draco in the event of her death. She sat down and contemplated her options.

Draco was unaware of the actual ownership of Malfoy Manor. He was also unaware that his father, in fact, made most of his money brokering and arranging votes within the Wizengamot. He was equally unaware of the ramification that his father had, for all intents and purposes, just been sacked from his job. Lastly, Draco was unaware that the primary source of the actual Malfoy family yearly income was, in fact, the Black allowance. If Narcissa and Lucius died today, Draco's total cash inheritance was unlikely to exceed the 50,000G that he'd recently scoffed at. His father had spent his personal fortune bribing his way out of prison, expecting that they'd inherit when Black died in prison, having never taken up the Lordship.

… - ...

If the Malfoy addendums were brutal, Dumbledore's were ten times worse. His stated;

Within 60 days of signing this, I will;

Resign from my Headmaster position at Hogwarts. I can apply and accept a teaching position that does not include Head of House, or Deputy Headmaster as title or job responsibilities.

Resign as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot.

If he believed that the Dark Lord Voldemort was still alive in any form, he'd spend his newly freed-up time personally searching for and attempting to bring him down until one of them were dead.

Initiate no contact, influence, or attempt at direction with Harry Potter, either directly or through agents.

Since Dumbledore had spent almost everything that he'd made in his three positions, along with as much as he could siphon from Harry's trust vault influencing others and buying garish robes, he was effectively living payday to payday. He made a total of 35,000G a year in his three positions. The recent fire had destroyed almost all of his personal property and Aberforth owned the family home. Like Narcissa, he was in a very hard place.

He began walking over to Harry when Barchoke warned, "Lord Black is not offering, nor seeking advice at this time. Please have a seat while you consider your individual decision."

Admonished, Dumbledore sat down and reflected. He did believe that Riddle was still alive; he had for the last eleven years. Once presented with the evidence, it was obvious that Tom had made multiple horcurxes.

Harry's current advisors had played their admittedly very strong hand exceptionally well. Literally thousands of people had seen the Potter Wills that he'd blatantly neglected. Harry's placement, Sirius' incarceration, along with the fact that he'd never received a trial would be damning to his reputation. Those, along with the fact that one of the named people should have served as the Potter Trustee for both the Wizengamot Seat as well as conferring with Barchoke in the task of nurturing the Potter family fortune. By any objective measurement, Dumbledore's actions had been negligent to the extreme. He signed the document.

… - ...

Narcissa and Lucius quietly conferred. Lucius pointed out, "The Mark is hidden. The Enchanter guaranteed that no one could find it."

She replied, "These are the same goblins who invented wards and the Thief's Downfall. If I'm found to be bearing the Mark, Potter will toss Draco and me from the family. We'll lose our allowance, our home and most likely be tried by the Wizengamot."

He countered, "Should the Dark Lord ever return and we've signed a pledge supporting Potter..."

"It would be explained away as a decision that I was forced into, just like your Imperius canard. Aside from acting like a spoiled ponce and making idle threats, Draco has taken no direct action against Potter. He needs to stop acting like a gangster's son as it is. Even his good friends have grown tired of his, When my father hears this threats."

Finding it difficult to walk away from so much wealth, Lucius suggested, "Could we negotiate for a lower amount and skip the search?"

"With who? Barchoke is standing there hoping that Draco will throw a tantrum or draw his wand and one of the guards could justifiably behead the boy. Potter doubtless already made a Will of his own; you can be assured that we're not in it. You can't go whining to Fudge. Dumbledore signed his. We've two options, sign or leave and we've 30 minutes left to decide. You need to go out and get an honest job. I'm signing my piece. You'd do well to be a responsible father and encourage Draco to sign."

… - ...

Meanwhile, Draco was looking at the placement of the people in the room. If he got up, picked up his document, sat down in the corner and took out his wand without anyone noticing, he could probably kill Potter before anyone noticed. Fortunately, the words, "Come Draco," drew his attention. His father directed, "Sign your document and we'll be on our way."

Two documents were signed and the three Malfoys left the bank.

Finally, Harry got up, looked at each of the documents, noticed that Narcissa hadn't elected to be examined and commented, "She must have taken the Mark and no one from the ministry thought to look."

Barchoke added, "I suspect that a dozen of the spouses took the same action. Wait a week or two to see what Dumbledore does before entering the next phase."

"I will."

"Very good. You should go confer with the Tonks family for a bit then return to school. The snake arrived an hour ago. Well done, young warrior. I'll give your regards to Walt."

… - …

An hour earlier, the Ravenclaw quidditch team had been out practicing. Cho Chang had been widely scoffed at for making up a story that she saw a giant snake pop out of the forest, then disappear.

Ironically, it was a second year, Luna Lovegood who stuck up for her.

… - ...

The next Monday was unexpectedly quiet as the respective players were still contemplating their new roles amongst the changes.

In Slytherin, already diminished due to the realization that Professor Snape wouldn't be coming back, Draco simply commented, "It didn't work the way that my father expected."

Pansy was quiet. Her mother had told her to remain silent and avoid further contact with Draco. There would be no marriage to a rude teen who didn't hold a Wizengamot seat.

The next morning, after breakfast, Harry went back to the Chamber to verify that the outer entrance had closed itself and practiced his archery. His arrows now flew 125 feet in level flight. He was quite pleased with his progress.

Harry went to visit Hagrid. After tea had been served, Harry asked, "How big is the forest?"

The big man replied, "It's about four miles long and is bit more than two miles wide. We're on the southeast corner. Hogsmeade is on the southwest edge. So the carriage ride is a bit more than four miles."

Harry asked, "What's to the north?"

"The Centaurs live in the north central part of the forest; about the middle two miles. Most of the Thestrals and Hippogriffs are in the northeast mile. The Unicorns mostly stay in the southeast side unless they get scared; then they go hide in Aragog's section, the south central two miles. Does that make sense?"

"Yes. You explained it well. Thank you." After a minute, he asked, "Do you like your crossbow?"

Hagrid thought for a moment and replied, "It's real good for a first arrow; pretty slow on a second."

Harry asked, "How far will a bolt go on a level fly?"

Hagrid replied, "About 200 feet."

Even factoring in their difference in height, Harry was impressed. He said, "That's pretty far."

"Wanna try it?"

"Sure."

With a few practice attempts to get the angle right, he could hit a poster size target at 150 yards but pulling the bow back required that he use his feet. He guessed that a large, strong man like Hagrid could fire three bolts a minute.

They had a nice afternoon together.

… - …

After Transfiguration, Harry stayed behind and asked, "Professor, how long do most transfigurations last?"

The prim professor was pleased at Potter's recent interest in her subject. His work had visibly improved. She replied, "At your level, a week or two. For most adults, three or four weeks is average."

"What if I wanted to make something and I only wanted it to last for a few minutes?"

"Obviously you could reverse it at any time but what you're really asking about is conjuration. Essentially you're transfiguring air into the object of your choice. The more dissimilar the object is, the more magical energy you'll need to impress into the object and the faster it will degrade. Visualization is exceptionally important. You have enough raw power for it. Try it. Visualize the object that you have in mind and say, Conjurus."

Harry didn't want to make an arrow in front of her. He visualized one of the ceramic mugs that Tom used at the Leaky Cauldron. He asked, "What's the wand movement?"

She replied, "Just point your wand where you want the object to appear."

He focused again and said, "Conjurus."

A black mug appeared. McGonagall glanced at her watch.

To her surprise, two minutes later, the mug was still there. At nearly three minutes, the mug disappeared. She remarked, "That was an excellent effort, Mr. Potter. You'll find that the more familiar you are with an object, the longer it will last with the same amount of effort." She added, "Your transfigurations are much better this year."

Harry observed, "It's a lot easier for me now that I had my eyes fixed, and had that nasty scar removed." He didn't mention the magical bindings that had been removed.

He asked, "What about on the other end? What if I want a charm or transfigure an object to last a long time?"

She replied, "Those fall under enchanting. When you're a few years older, I'll be more than happy to show you the basics. Keep up the good work."

"I will. Thank you for the lesson. Please don't mention my getting my scar removed to anyone."

"I can't even see it now but I'll respect your wish."

"Thanks again."

… - …

Harry found Hermione in the Library. He asked, "What are you studying?"

"Arithmancy. It can be used in spell creation. It's quite..."

Just then, Ron walked by and said, "Guess what?" Trelawney predicted you were going to die."

As calmly as he could, Harry remarked, "I expect she's right. You will too."

Ron sputtered, "What?"

Harry said, "I wasn't aware that we were speaking. I'm pretty sure we won't be dying anytime soon. Relating to Trelawney, the what really isn't the question, so much as the when and how. Run along then."

The orange hair teen turned and walked away; his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

After he left, Harry said, "I want to show you something."

She put her books in her bag and followed him to an unused classroom. They sat down. He pointed his wand away from her and said, "Conjurus." A black mug appeared. He looked at his watch.

"That's amazing."

"Visualize something simple; a cup is fine." Get a clear picture in your mind. Point your wand and say, Conjurus."

She scrunched her eyes in concentration and said, "Conjurus." A green mug appeared.

Harry glanced at his watch. He beamed at her and said, "Brilliant." His black mug vanished after four minutes. Hers vanished at two.

She said, "Mine vanished at two minutes."

"That's not the point; you made something out of thin air. My first one didn't last very long either. Besides, if you made a few sheets of bog roll, how long does it really need to last?"

"Harry, that's gross."

"Maybe but that's not the point. You did something really cool. My first one only lasted a few seconds longer than yours. This was my fifth try."

Changing the subject, he asked, "I wanted to ask you something. Should we buy one of those new mobile phones?"

"No." She couldn't help but notice the disappointed look on his face. She rephrased her answer. "First, they're the size of a brick. I know you can afford one; that's not the point. The other issues are the limited areas where you could actually make or receive a call. They'll start putting up cell towers everywhere. Right now, they're putting up towers in huge cities like London. Even if we could get to Inverness, I doubt that we'd be able to place or receive a call this year. We'll wait a couple of years; the phones will be smaller and less expensive too."

He said, "I just thought it would be nice if you could call your parents on Saturdays."

She kissed his cheek and said, "That's sweet, Harry. Thanks. It will be nice when we're fifth years."

… - …

At Gringotts, Barchoke looked at the list of rendered basilisk parts. The list was far larger than he'd expected. He received the instructions back from Harry;` he was interested in the hide and venom.

Barchoke had requested the meat in trade for processing the huge animal, as well as the bones on a loan basis. He suggested that Harry sell the remainder, including any shed skins to the Salem Institute to minimize the opportunity for nefarious use within Britain.

Harry gave him the go-ahead.

… - …

Dumbledore was beyond mad when he saw the photo of the great snake in the Daily Prophet. The line in the paper from Ragnok, stating that Harry, as slayer of the beast, was the sole owner deflated his ire a bit. The other fact that he hadn't thought about the dead snake once since Ginny appeared in his office last June, deflated it a bit more. It was a life-long fault of his that he was negligent with other peoples' property.

The next day, Dumbledore asked Harry to remain after class.

Harry began, "Are we talking about class assignments? If not, I'll trade questions and answers with you. If you actually answer my questions, I'll actually answer yours. Go ahead."

Ignoring the borderline rude behavior, he asked, "Why did you leave the Dursleys?"

"In short, they asked me to. My turn, "Why didn't you ask a qualified person to remove the bit of Tom Riddle's soul from my head in 1981?"

He admitted, "I didn't know that it could be done."

"That was a really weak answer, Professor. Try again."

"I didn't want it widely known that Tom wasn't dead." Better.

Harry tried again, "Did you believe it was a horcrux?"

"Yes. What happened to your scar?"

Harry replied, "What should have happened in 1981. The Head Goblin Healer looked at it and offered to remove it. The leech was removed and the wound healed properly. My turn. You had the money to revive the students last year. Why didn't you take personal action and buy or trade for a mandrake plant?"

"I should have."

"Sir, that wasn't the question."

"I was pressured by the Board of Governors not to take action."

"That's not an answer to be proud of. Your turn."

"You mentioned the goblin healer. What else did you have done?"

"Seven broken bones regrown, potions to repair years of starvation, ten years of inoculations, two bindings on my magic released, eyesight repaired and the leech removed. That led me to believe that Madam Pomfrey was either not doing her job or was prevented from doing so. I'll save that question for her. My turn. Have you found any of Riddle's other horcruxes?"

"No. I haven't looked for them either." Again, not an answer to be proud of.

"Harry said, "Your turn."

"Why didn't you tell me that you were involving Gringotts relating to the basilisk?"

"I was certain that you'd interfere or attempt to claim it. I still believe that."

Dumbledore rationalized, "There are some highly valuable and dangerous items that shouldn't fall into the wrong hands."

"You're welcome to place a bid, or offer an opinion if you choose, but as I understand it, a single buyer is likely to purchase everything that's offered as one lot.

"My turn. Why do you place so much faith in a prophecy supposedly made by an alcoholic job applicant? I'm here for a job interview – swoon – out pops prophecy. Did I get the job? Only I can Vanquish him? Only he can Vanquish me. Vanquish – like locked up in Nurmengard? If I got hit by a dump truck, would I just bounce off? I'm not willing to test that theory. What about the Death Eaters? Aren't they the real problem? How many people did Riddle kill in the last decade? How many has Malfoy killed? Who's the solvable problem?"

Dumbledore had become increasingly concerned with each new question. He demanded, "How do you know these things? I must insist."

Harry calmly replied, "The same answer as getting the leech out of my head. It was my question. Why did you let the Death Eaters just walk away? If Riddle popped back tomorrow, almost his entire army is in place to take over."

"Everyone deserves an opportunity to reform."

"I'm told that the statistics point to the fact that in most cases, the bad guys choose to do more bad things once released. Professor, the Goblins laugh at you, saying you insist on fighting a war with police department tactics rather than army tactics.

Silence.

Finally Dumbledore replied, "To your many points Harry, the answer is, I've concluded that I don't have the fortitude to kill people when needed. I've placed hundreds of people, including your parents, in harms way and insisted that they not hurt the Death Eaters. In wars, Harry, ineffective generals are relieved of command. I'm truly sorry to say that no one thought to relieve me of mine."

Dumbledore added, "I have one last question, why did you recall the Black and Potter property in such a public place?" As suggested, Harry had summoned it while in the Great Hall at lunch time.

"It's not all about you, sir. I was expecting that far more property would appear from the Slytherin crew. Much of what did appear seems to have come from your office, the various libraries in the school and the potion office. I'll have to try the same thing sometime in the Wiltshire property."

"There are many items there that are not appropriate for someone your age."

"I wasn't asking your permission to retrieve my family property. I won't ask how much of it was borrowed after my parents' deaths."

Ignoring Harry's point, Dumbledore concluded, "That said, I do believe it's dinner time. I thank you for your candor and apologize that it took so long to find mine." They both were left with much to think about.

… - ...

In the common room that night, Harry ran into Oliver Wood, who began his discussion about having four 3-hour practices a week.

Harry felt that he had to push back. He admitted, "Oliver, I have at the very most, three hours a week of interest when it comes to quidditch. If that's enough, we're good. If not, we're still good. I respect the fact that you have aspirations to play professionally. I don't and I honestly doubt that anyone else on the team does either. Fred and George's sister, Ginny would love to practice with the team.

"Think about it; either way, I'll respect your choice. We all need to be true to ourselves." He walked up to his room.

The burly teen was speechless. He was certain that changing the number of practices a week from two to four was the best decision. If the truth be known, Harry was in favor of one. He'd rather transfigure or conjure and fly arrows than chase snitches.

… - …

A/Ns

Stolen Valor is one of my personal pet peeves. This Harry will be civil to, but will not forget Ron's actions.

Again, I apologize for removing Sirius so soon. He literally couldn't be in the tale for the story to work. He's one of my favorite characters. Ted and Andromeda need to be where they are for the Part One of the tale to play out.

I always wanted a Head of House ring to be enchanted strongly enough to actually be useful. The usual the ring warmed just moments before the 80 foot monster struck type seem worthless.

Thank you so very much for the kind reviews. I read every one, sometimes out loud to my dog, Hannah, who frequently sits in the chair next to me as I (attempt) to key an entire line with no errors. Then again, it could be the beef jerky. Sometimes, I e-mail them to my (now adult) daughter, who recommended that I look at this cool book, (Book One) so many years ago. As storytellers, I believe that we need to keep placing Her beloved characters in different settings and situations. I'm also a fan of developing identifiable O/Cs such as Ernie's mum, Greta.

... - ...

Summarizing the canon breaks so far - Harry has new guardians - Andromeda and Ted. He's been healed and the goblins are looking for the horcruxes. He's head of the Black family and during the Will reading, Dumbledore signed an agreement to step down from his three positions.

Thanks again.

… - ...