Chapter Three

"I thought you said you were going to do all seven years like normal?" asked Hermione after she heard from Harry about his encounter with Snape and the fall out. "You tested out of both Potions and History of Magic? And you didn't miss a single question or make a mistake?" she asked incredulously as they talked in the library.

"Nope."

"Can you please explain to me why you decided to test out then?" she asked him.

"I was seriously beginning to doubt they were going to believe me, that I could pass the exams, and then I was afraid they wouldn't even let me try," he said in an exasperated tone. "So," he said slowing down that word, "I decided to reveal enough to get my way. In the end, revealing some of that to them was a good idea. I can now use the extra time to work on my project," he explained.

"What is your project about?" she asked curiously.

"Sorry, Hermione, but like I told the professors that has to remain private for now. They wouldn't understand much of it anyway even if I tried to explain it to them. One of the reasons it's private is because I plan on starting a company based on the project once I'm an adult and can sign contracts."

"Oh, I get it. It's tied to your degree in AI isn't it? Wow! You're so smart, Harry! I always thought I was smart but not when compared to you. Not at all," she said almost sounding defeated.

"You are definitely smart Hermione. Don't get discouraged on me now," he scolded her. "Most people are not as smart as you. Average people have IQs in the normal range, usually 85 to 115. Your IQ is a good bit higher than theirs putting you above the norm. On the other hand, my level IQ is practically unheard of because there have only been a handful of people in the history of the world who have even come close to my range.

"I say range because people's IQs can change over time, usually getting higher as they age but that in no way guarantees anything. People with average IQs can sometimes accomplish more than someone who is a genius simply because they are more driven and have highly educated themselves in a particular area. As they say, 'Knowledge is power!'

"And, from what I've seen of you, Hermione, you are extremely driven to do your very best. I'm very impressed with that. You will go very far with that work ethic."

"Thank you, Harry! That really means a lot."

As Harry walked into his basement lab, he surveyed his setup in the large, expanded space. It was very much setup like a lab with bright lighting and counters throughout the area. There were computers stationed on nearly every surface with massive screens for monitors. Metal parts in an assortment of sizes were in different bins in one area of the room.

A massive screen on one wall showed what a camera was picking up in the middle of the lab.

Yes, and there was something very different going on in the middle of that lab. For suspended and connected to a large metal stand that had wires and electronics coming out of it and going into the floor, was Harry's work in progress. His project. It was starting to take shape after a few months had passed while at Hogwarts.

He had spent the majority of his time in the early stages of the project just writing code. He had to work out the programming to make sure it was going to work at all. Once he proved with the code that it would work, he set out to build the AI.

It was getting close to Christmas and he realized testing out of two classes had turned out to be very strategic. It relieved his boredom with those classes and gave him the needed extra time to devote to his project. Harry was not fond of fame so originally wanted to keep his massive intelligence under wraps.

Of course, people were talking about him even more as if he wasn't human now that word had spread, but they were already focused on him since he arrived due to his getting rid of Voldemort. It wasn't that much more to deal with, all in all. Just a little bit irritating at all the staring and whispers. He saw enough of that in college.

If you looked closely at his project, there was definitely a metal humanoid shape taking form.

No doubt, it was a monumental amount of work. Not only was he writing all the code, but he was also building the droid, the AI, that would run the code. He often missed a good bit of sleep working on one or the other.

He made sure to go over his code with great diligence each time after he wrote it, usually on his iPad. There was no room for mistakes with this kind of project. The AI droid he was making needed to be completely subservient to Harry. While it would be allowed to think for itself, he was making sure it would never decide to go rogue against humans unless Harry directed it to do so, of course. He needed complete obedience and his code was written to insure that.

The droid would be much faster and stronger than any human and have abilities beyond humans, so obedience was key. To prevent a problem, there was secret code written in a very complicated program language Harry invented himself. Harry was also the only person with knowledge of this language since he had never shared it with anyone. He had the code hidden and inaccessible to everyone but himself. That way no one could reprogram or override any of the programming in his droid.

Harry's number one future goal was to build a droid to take on Voldemort for him. It would be a while before he was powerful enough to build the model he was working toward since it would be a combination of AI programming and magic. Also, with that model he would have what he needed to build his future company around it. He planned to provide AI droids to cities to work as law enforcement or handle the more dangerous jobs that may possibly cost a human life. He may even consider military applications but would be very wary of that and governments wanting to go too far with his invention.

The plan was to make his AIs practically indestructible so magic could not hurt them, nor regular weapons shooting bullets, or even explosions. He was a long way off from that though. For now, he was creating a simpler version to test his code and work out any bugs with how it behaved.

During the Christmas vacation time, Harry stayed at Hogwarts between semesters to work exclusively on his project while no classes were going on. He made great progress with no interruptions. All of his dorm mates went home for Christmas so he didn't have to worry about any interruptions.

Well, that's not completely true. The headmaster came up to his dorm once and knocked on the side of his trunk to get Harry's attention. Harry stopped his work to see who was knocking. When he exited his trunk and shut it behind him to secure it, he saw the headmaster standing there.

"Harry, you missed several meals lately so I was getting worried about you. There are only a few of us in the castle over the break so it's very noticeable when you are missing."

"Hello, Headmaster."

"Aren't you getting hungry?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, I am a bit hungry because I've been very involved in my work and it's been a few hours since I last ate. Have no fear though. I have food and a kitchen in my trunk and I can eat even when I miss a meal in the Great Hall."

"I see. Then, would this be a good time for a tour of this trunk of yours?" he asked hopefully. "I'm just curious about it."

"Sorry, but no this is a bad time and likely will be a bad time for a while yet."

"That's disappointing," Dumbledore told him.

"I'm heavily into my project right now with no classes or dorm mates interrupting me. Tell you what I'll do though. I'll take a break for dinner tonight and join you guys for that meal. I think I could use some time away from my project for a little bit anyway, just to think about something else for a short while."

"Good! Then we will see you for dinner, Harry," he told him then left.

"But then, I'll have to get right back at it after I eat," he said to himself as he returned to his trunk.

Toward the end of the Christmas break, especially after great progress on his project, Harry took a few days before the new semester started so he could visit his account manager at Gringotts and go over which Potter house he could use after first year was over. He would need the portkeys to the different properties so he could decide on which one would be best to use.

While he could go back to the Dursleys, he decided to give them a break and not return there to live. They really had no idea how to deal with him so they ended up treating him poorly. Of course, Harry had plenty of money in both the magical and non-magical worlds so he made sure he was fed and clothed properly with no help from them.

No sense in going back there and being uncomfortable around the people you share a house with, especially since the Potters had plenty of properties he could use. It wasn't like he needed some adult to take care of him. He was plenty smart enough to take care of himself.

When he was ready to go to Gringotts, Harry dressed warmly due to the cold weather and left the castle, heading for the gates so he could get past the wards and leave.

Dumbledore was in his office and happened to look out the window and saw Harry just about to walk through the Hogwarts gates. A few feet more and he would be out of the wards that protect him. Dumbledore, being the headmaster with special privileges, apparated to outside the gates to stop Harry.

Harry was just about ready to go when he spotted the headmaster popping into existence in front of him. He stopped and stared up at the tall wizard wondering what he wanted.

"Harry, why are you leaving the school and safety of the wards?" he asked exasperated with the eleven year old. "The wards protect you while you are here. Where were you planning to go by yourself?"

"Not that it's any of your business, Headmaster, since my business is my own, but I have an appointment with my account manager at Gringotts."

Dumbledore stopped and calmed down a bit before continuing, remembering Harry was a different eleven year old. "I'm sorry if it sounded like I was interested in your personal bank business, Harry. That was not my intention," he apologized. "It's just that it's understood that students at Hogwarts need permission from their head of house, the deputy head, or the headmaster, before leaving the school on their own," he explained.

"We are between semesters, Headmaster, therefore school is not currently in session. Had I seen Professor Flitwick I would have told him my plans in passing so in case he was looking for me he would know I was out, but I believe he is the one that is out."

"Yes, he has taken a few days," Dumbledore agreed.

"That was my understanding too so I then had no need to share my plans with him. Really, Headmaster, have you not figured out yet that I am both mentally and emotionally at the level of an adult, a really intelligent adult? Now, I need to go so I'm not late for my appointment."

"Let me ask you this first, Harry. How did you plan on getting there? Did the bank send you a portkey?" he asked curiously.

"No, I didn't need one. I'm simply going to apparate. Bye!"

With that, Harry disapparated immediately and was gone in a blink of an eye. No sound was made either as he disappeared.

Dumbledore stood there dumbfounded for a moment. He always felt like he was behind the eight ball whenever he had to speak with Harry Potter. The fact that he just apparated silently at age eleven all the way to Diagon Alley was beyond belief.

The boy was full of surprises.

After Harry met with Kurlig, his Gringotts account manager, they took a trip to the Potter Family Vault deep in the bowels of Gringotts. It was a very long cart ride.

In the vault, Harry found the portkeys he needed to the different homes he could choose from. He already decided against Godric's Hollow since it was too well known. He left that portkey there and didn't bother with it.

He doubted he was ready to relive the events that took place where Voldemort killed his parents. His memories were very vivid of them despite his young age at the time. He missed them a great deal. He also missed his godfather. Sirius was an auror that was killed on the job by his insane cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange.

Leaving Gringotts with the portkeys in his pocket, Harry apparated to Number 4 Privet Drive, Surrey and spoke to his Aunt. Vernon was back at work after the holidays.

"What are you doing here?" his Aunt Petunia asked him brusquely when he walked into the house.

"I came to inform you that I've decided to live elsewhere," Harry told her remaining calm, despite her attitude. "I thought I at least could do that so you and Uncle Vernon do not waste your time coming to pick me up from King's Cross in June."

"What about that headmaster of yours? What does he think about this?" she asked without thanking him for his thoughtfulness.

"What business is it of his?" he asked wondering why she would ask that.

"He's the one who placed you here and setup some wards to keep us safe. He said 'as long as you called this place home then the blood wards would protect us from those evil wizards,' or something like that."

"So you guys in all your wisdom made sure I wasn't happy to live here?" he asked her incredulously. "How does that make any sense?" his exasperation evident.

"We didn't want you here," she told him with disgust.

"Well, you're getting your wish. I won't be back. I guess the blood wards will fail if what the headmaster said is true. Of course, I won't be here so it won't be my problem."

"What should I tell him if he shows up?"

"Tell him the truth, of course. There's no need to lie. Since I don't need an adult to take care of me, then I decided I could live elsewhere instead of being miserable in this house with you guys and your treatment of me."

"Are you going to tell him where you'll be living?" she asked not denying how they treat him.

"Why should I? He's my headmaster. Where I live when not at Hogwarts is none of his business. That's my personal business and no one else's."

"Well, good riddance," she told him.

"Right," he responded then let out a sigh. "I love you too, Aunt Petunia," he told her sadly, then disapparated right in front of her.

Petunia was shocked when he just disappeared without a sound. Then she thought about what he said before he left. Why would he say such a thing? Why?

She went to the dining room and sat down slowly at the table. Soon a tear was running down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly and told herself, "Just stop it!"

Harry only apparated into his room upstairs. He looked around quietly but was sure he had grabbed everything before going to Hogwarts. The room was even back to normal with no expansion on it. All had been moved into his special trunk. Satisfied, he took out a portkey and activated it.

Harry ended up landing at the gates of a castle in Wales, located in Snowdonia in the north. It was the seat of the Potters and the Peverells before them. It was also too big for just him so he decided to check it out thoroughly another time.

Reaching into his pocket and randomly pulling out another portkey, he activated it and landed in Nice, France, actually it was part of Old Nice, down near the water. The manor was hidden from the non-magicals. The house and area were simply gorgeous and he certainly wouldn't mind living in such a beautiful place, but once again it was too big for his eleven year old body to rattle around in. Besides, he would need to stay close to his home country where he was familiar with the places to go to purchase more supplies for his project when necessary.

Randomly, pulling out another portkey, off he went.

This time, he landed near Cardiff along the River Taff, but instead of northern Wales he was now in southern Wales. This house looked promising. It was a two story home with a nice large front and back garden. A fence around the property gave the place some privacy. It was also in a non-magical area which he liked so he could get away from the fame in the magical world.

Out of the three he had been to so far this was probably the least known in the magical world, especially since it was located in the non-magical world. In fact, from the information provided about the house, he doubted if anyone in the magical world was aware of it.

This made it even more promising.

Harry decided to go inside and check it out. He wanted to see if anything needed to be done to it to get it ready for the summer.

It was fully furnished but there were white sheets covering everything to keep the dust off. Harry started waving his wand to vanish as much of the dust he could, figuring to do more cleaning when he moved in. With magic it was a lot easier.

The house was plenty big for just him. It was considerably bigger than his relative's house. It had five bedrooms and four and a half baths. All bedrooms were upstairs. One bedroom was a rather large master he could use for himself. It had its own large ensuite bathroom.

The other four bedrooms, two on each side of the hall, had a bathroom on each side, between the two bedrooms and they shared the bathroom between them. That counted for three of the bathrooms upstairs. Downstairs was one full bathroom in the back of the house and one with just a toilet and a sink near the front of the house for guests, etc.

The kitchen was large with a small table for four near a bay window. The dining room had a rather large table for seating up to twelve. The house also included a den in addition to the sitting room. The den had a large flat-screen TV in it, with a Blu-ray player hooked up to it.

He decided it would do nicely.

Having figured out where he would be staying during the summer, Harry headed back to Hogwarts to put some final touches on his first AI droid. He had completed it before going house hunting. It was a very good feeling of accomplishment to have done that. It took a lot of work and careful planning.

Of course, he stopped in at meal time to eat with the few people at the castle and to make sure the headmaster saw he had safely returned. Although the headmaster seemed less chatty this time and preferred to observe more.

When the second semester started up again, Harry put his droid through the most important test so far. He sent the droid out as himself so it could go to all his non-wanded classes. Harry personally would have to go to his wanded classes since the droid had no magic.

The droid was the same height as Harry and its body was shaped like a young human male. All the metal it was made of was transfigured and shaped using Harry's magic. The metal covered the droid from head to toe. The face was completely made out of metal and molded to look like Harry's face.

But to make the droid look exactly like Harry, he had it dress in Harry's school clothes and robe. He then provided the strongest glamour charm he could muster so the droid walked and talked with Harry's face, hair, and body.

The vocal chords Harry created and programmed were capable of mimicking sounds and speech so the droid could already sound exactly like his creator.

All the knowledge the droid needed for going to school was uploaded into its memory banks. This included the knowledge so far in Harry's first year at Hogwarts. He only gave the droid what it would need to pick up in class where they left off the first semester. He wanted the droid to learn in class like everyone else and not have covered all the material for all years like Harry did.

This would serve as another test of its AI capabilities.

Harry also made sure the droid did not learn his programming knowledge to be on the safe side. That didn't mean the droid would never learn that skill but for now he left it off the table.

The droid had a camera function while in operation so Harry had it record all of its interactions with the students and staff. What the droid viewed would play out on the large screen in the lab. Harry could also talk to the droid remotely in case he needed to give it further instructions.

The droid stayed in the trunk while Harry went to eat breakfast. He then excused himself a little early saying he had go back to the dorm room to get a book he forgot. He told his friends he would meet them in class.

Only it wasn't Harry who they met up with in class, it was the droid.

Harry wasn't shocked that the droid pulled it off but he was quite pleased at the way his programming was working. Although the droid had a little bit better posture than Harry, it acted and sounded just like Harry so no one was the wiser.

Harry watched the droid on the screen for the first two days but then decided he didn't need to worry about it any further. It was working just fine.

The only thing he had to watch for was someone telling his droid something that Harry needed to know himself so he taught his droid to know the difference. That way if it was something Harry needed to be aware of then the droid would share that with him and vice versa.

Of course the droid jumped ahead of the class anyway by reading ahead rather quickly. This was not a problem since Harry was in the same boat. This just made the droid more like Harry. The difference was that Harry no longer had to be bored in those classes. The droid took care of that.

He was still a bit bored in his wanded classes, but he realized he needed the socialization with the other students. He was spending far more time in his lab since he now went to even fewer classes than before. Getting out and spending time with others was actually good for him so he made sure to give it his best shot.

As the semester moved on and came to a close, Harry found he was ready for the break so he could get to work on getting his house in Cardiff in order and have that setup the way he wanted. He considered getting himself an elf to take care of the house cleaning and menial chores so he could concentrate more on his work, but decided to use his droid for some of that and possibly just get an elf later.

He had his droid remain in his expanded trunk, plugged into its stand as the remaining years of non-wanded classes was uploaded into its memory. It would then shut down after the download completed. Harry already tested the droid's ability to learn in class. That was not a problem as the droid continually jumped ahead on its own. He decided to just give the droid all that information for the remaining years of non-wanded classes at Hogwarts so it could concentrate on weightier matters after that.

The upload was going on as they travelled on the train back to King's Cross. Hermione sat in the compartment with him and they were joined by some of the friends they had both made over the year at school.

Michael Corner had become friendlier with Harry after he figured out he wasn't anti-social, just busy due to a project that no doubt required his amazing intellect. Neville Longbottom was friends with Hermione and it was well known at Hogwarts how good he was in Herbology. The boy appeared to be a prodigy in the subject.

Ron Weasley had a bit of an on again off again friendship with Hermione. They were friendly and okay together as long as they didn't start arguing with each other. Unfortunately, this happened quite often. Part of the problem was the difference in the work ethic between the two of them. Hermione was a bookworm always studying and wanting to learn more, while Ron was willing to slack off until the last minute. Basically, he lacked the drive Hermione had in regards to school work.

Nevertheless, he dropped by to say hello for a few minutes. Harry thought he was an okay bloke, even a bit funny at times, but he and Ron really had nothing in common for the two of them to be close friends. Harry had a difficult enough time as it was being friends with kids his age due to his intelligence and maturity level. He rarely had anything in common with most of them.

Even though it felt weird to him, he realized that sometimes it was good just to let loose and be a kid at times. He kept it to short periods though.

At King's Cross, Harry watched as his friends met with their parents getting hugs and kisses from them, so happy to see each other again. Harry thought how nice it would have been to have his parents waiting for him with hugs and kisses on his return.

He noticed Neville had to meet with his grandmother and not his parents. That made him think of Sirius and how he died trying to save Neville's parents, Frank and Alice, from Death Eaters led by Bellatrix. The aurors arrived a little too late and Sirius was killed fighting with them.

Harry shook his head to clear it. He didn't need to get all melancholy over the loss of his parents and his godfather in front of everyone. Quite a few eyes were on him due to his popularity.

Harry quickly walked over to the floo connections provided on the magical side of King's Cross and used the floo to go to the Leaky Cauldron. From there he went out the back door and stood before the wall that turns into an archway and entry to Diagon Alley. Instead of tapping on the bricks though, he apparated to his new home in Cardiff.