I'm back. To be honest I got a bit down when Just Add Water sort of flopped and ended up working on something new. (Always a bit sad when something isn't as good as you think it is.) Anyway, enjoy a new chapter!

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The Blood of Serpents

Chapter 6: Setting Sail for Distant Shores

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When he woke up the next morning, Harry was glad he'd taken the time to shower and apply Dittany before heading to bed. His muscles were still stiff from the electric shocks but the Dittany had done wonders on his burns. After drinking some water Harry took a few moments to stretch his body out; he felt better after, even though he'd discovered quite a few bruises he'd missed the night before. As he stepped into the common room where Hermione was waiting for him, he was obviously stiff and sore. She noticed immediately, of course. "What happened to you Harry? McGonagall said you missed your detention last night."

Harry glanced meaningfully around at all of the students, including the roommates that had ratted him out for being out of bed and replied. "I was practicing a tricky spell and injured myself. Nothing too bad, but I'm still pretty stiff."

Seamus, one of the boys Harry knew had informed McGonagall that he was out of bed, spoke up with a sneer. Harry figured he could have been a friend, but since his name had come out of the Goblet he'd pushed himself to learn as much practical magic as he could. And Harry's efforts had borne fruit; with the way he'd obviously eclipsed his peers in practical spellwork, Seamus was one of the students who'd become jealous of the results of Harry's hard work; instead of putting in effort of his own, it was easier to denigrate Harry. "What have you been learning now Potter? A new way to polish your broom?"

After a moment where considered the insult, Harry decided that he really didn't care what anyone in the room thought. Instead of saying anything further, Harry drew his wand (thankfully Angelina had made sure he was carrying his trusty holly and phoenix feather wand when he left) and spoke an incantation. "Fulgur Flagellum!"

At his command, a long whip of lightning shot from the tip of his wand, barely missing the students in the common room. Harry allowed the whip to sizzle against the stone floor for a moment, then dismissed the spell. He bit back the urge to laugh at the way everyone's hair was standing up and explained the spell instead. "That was the Lightning Whip spell, and it took me a few tries to realize that the whip doesn't move the way you'd expect; it's mostly your intent that decides where it strikes and how it bends." Harry slipped his wand into the holster Winky had sewn into the sleeve of his robes and rubbed at a sore spot on his shoulder. "If anyone wants to learn it, find a room with bare stone and practice alone, it's easy to hurt someone."

Ron spoke up, more aggression than usual in his tone. "Elemental Magic?! What, Potter, do you think you're the next Dumbledore or something?"

Inside his head, Harry sighed. After the first task Ron had tried to patch their friendship up but it hadn't gone well. His once-best mate couldn't bring himself to actually apologize, and when they started to hang out again, the red-head had expected Harry to turn back into the slacker who played chess with him instead of studying. But Harry had rediscovered his joy of learning magic and he refused to go back to the person he was. Sure, he and Ron were friendly and he was pretty sure that Ron hadn't been the one to expose him for sleeping outside the dorm the other night, but they simply had no common interests anymore. That left their friendship shallow, at best. Now it seemed Ron's jealousy was rearing its ugly head again. "Drop it Ron. I'm in a deadly tournament against my will, I'm learning everything I can."

With that Harry left the common room and headed to breakfast before tempers could flare further. Hermione was just behind him, and when he slowed down as he chose a longer and less-used path to the Great Hall, she stepped up next to him. "It was almost like Seamus and Ron were trying to pick a fight with you. I don't know why, but everyone is on edge today."

Harry shrugged as they started down a dusty staircase in a secret passage. "Who knows what's going on." He paused for a moment, then continued. "Today might be a good day to eat in the kitchens if the house elves don't mind."

Hermione started to say something about her opinions on house elves, but Harry cut her off. "Maybe you could talk to them, if they're okay with it. You might learn something."

Hermione gave him a look, but agreed that talking to the people she wanted to help might be a good thing. A few minutes later Harry guided them through one of the secret passages to save time and a few moments later he was tickling the painting of a pear and leading Hermione into the kitchen. Suffice it to say, the elves were happy to accommodate them, providing them with a helping of food being served above. Harry smiled at the elf's reactions to simple manners as they cheerfully went about their business. The nearest few chatted with Hermione as they cleaned the kitchen after breakfast and began preparing lunch. As they were getting ready to leave, Hermione looked around and spoke. "Where are Dobby and Winky? Usually Dobby would be the first to greet you."

Harry spoke up quickly, before the elves could reply. "I talked to them a while back, right now they're in the Come and Go Room. It's… sort of the school's lost and found, but no one's cleaned it out in hundreds of years. Dobby and Winky are sorting and organizing it, you wouldn't believe the books they've found."

Hermione looked at Harry. "Is Winky…"

"She's doing much better, almost doesn't look like the same elf. It turns out she needed something to do, sitting around drinking was killing her. I'm heading up there after class if you want to come. The Room is private, it's a good place to talk."

Understanding his meaning, Hermione nodded. "I'm glad Winky is doing better; and a nice quiet place sounds wonderful."

Harry nodded with a smile on his face. "And the chance to see a bunch of lost books doesn't hurt either, does it?"

Hermione flushed and Harry laughed as they headed to Charms to start their day. As the day progressed, both noticed a… tension in the castle. Students from all three schools were tense, full of nervous energy, and found themselves exceptionally eager for any type of spellcasting. There were even scuffles in the halls, but luckily Harry managed to avoid them. As the students filed into the Great Hall for lunch, Harry began to suspect that the tension was his fault, since it was probably caused by the primal magic leaking from the magical tree and the Loa he was hiding in the Room of Requirement. More than a few students could be seen pairing up and slinking away in search of a quiet corner, others were pacing the halls like jungle cats in search of prey. Even Hermione seemed affected, if her flush and the way she seemed uncomfortable in her own skin was any indication.

If Quetz'lun was right, Arcane magic has been… suppressing our vitality for a long time. It's probably affecting us so much now because we've never felt anything but Arcane magic. Just like magic in the environment affects wizards, we affect the magic in the environment every time we cast a spell. We take magic into ourselves and shape it as we use it, when our spells break down, that energy is released into the environment; the more wizards used Arcane spells, the more Arcane magic entered the environment. Even Sirius confirmed that her Nature spells use an entirely different kind of magic.

Harry was drug out of his thoughts as he entered the Great Hall and found a seat. Wow. The professors are oblivious as usual, but even I can tell the students are like a powder keg waiting for a spark.

Sitting down, he decided to eat quickly and get out before he got blamed for starting a riot. As he made his way through a sandwich made of the previous night's roast beef, he glanced up at the staff table and revised his previous thought. It's affecting the staff too. All of them are on edge, well, except for Dumbledore. Some of the staff seem to be flirting, but Snape just seems angry. I suppose ditching his detention last night pissed him off, not that I regret it. Hell, I'll be doing the same thing again tonight. Hmm. Tonight's the night, isn't it? I've collected, bought, or stolen everything I need. Sirius is copying books that we might be able to use, Dobby has been getting the former Malfoy yacht ready to launch, and Winky is setting up a vegetable garden in that expanded space Flitwick enchanted for me. His eyes glanced at the brunet witch next to him. I hope Hermione agrees to come with me, but she still has far too much trust in Dumbledore, and she has always defined herself by her grades and praise from her teachers. If she refuses, maybe I can convince her over the summer? Just invite her and her parents to spend the summer on a tropical beach where she can use magic all summer.

As he finished lunch, Harry was distracted from his plans for tonight and his mental list of things to pack by movement in his direction. Dammit. Malfoy did the exact same thing yesterday, but the school wasn't half as tense then. And he's got half of our year's Slytherin students with him. Usually he just brings Crabbe and Goyle, but he's got Parkinson, Nott, and Zabini with him too.

Harry drew his wand and braced himself, then whispered to Hermione. "Malfoy is coming, draw your wand and be ready to cast a shield. This might turn into a free for all."

His best friend panicked briefly, then dutifully drew her wand and cast a subtle shield spell around herself. Other students caught on, and quickly began casting protection spells, even following Harry's lead and casting shields to protect the younger students. Harry turned to look directly at Draco, who was spitting mad, then to the staff table. As usual, the Headmaster had noticed Draco approaching him and just watched instead of stepping in. Harry let out a long sigh: As Draco stalked forward, the room was falling silent and the tension was growing thicker. This is going to start a riot. Draco might be a horrible irritant, but he isn't completely stupid. I'm sure he's looked up the Reflective Shield and found a spell that can penetrate it, so I can't turn my back on him.

Giving up on the school staff actually doing their jobs, Harry focused his attention on Draco. Detention or no detention, he wasn't going to wake up in the Infirmary again. He cast an Amplifying Charm on himself, adding just enough volume to be heard clearly in the entire hall. "What do you want this time, Draco? Come to prove that you can't accomplish anything against me without the staff ignoring reality to take your side?"

Before Malfoy could respond, Professor McGonagall responded in a harsh tone. "Mr. Potter! Put your wand down now! You will have three nights of detention with me after you serve your punishment with Professor Snape; that comment was uncalled for."

Harry snorted. "I disagree, my comment was nothing but the truth. Yesterday Draco cursed me in the back and you gave me detention for it. I refuse to put my wand down until this little sniveling coward backs off. I'm tired of waking up in Hogwarts' Infirmary."

Normally Draco was more careful about acting out; striking against Harry in full view of the entire school was something he would generally avoid. But… the day before he had thrown a curse that should have broken Potter's nose without any consequences besides his trip to the Infirmary. So as McGonagall and Snape both began shouting, Malfoy added his own voice and raised his wand. "You and your mudblood bitch will get what you deserve, halfblood filth! Confringo!"

Even as Malfoy began casting his curse, Harry was responding. The Blasting Curse was one was familiar with, and fury rose up in Harry's chest as he remembered that Hermione's shield charms were still fairly weak. Luckily for everyone involved, Angelina had been paying attention from her place further down the table and she proved that she was a deft hand at the Disarming Charm as she relieved Malfoy of his wand before he could blast either of the students in front of him. Harry's strike came just a second after. "Fulgris!"

A bolt of lightning leaped from Harry's wand to Draco's chest, and Harry regretted that he couldn't pause to enjoy literally tasering the piss out of the little bigot. With no wasted movement, the second his wand completed the first movement it continued into the next, a wide sweeping gesture as he slashed at the floor in front of the other Slytherins. "Tempesta!"

At Harry's shout, a strong blast of wind impacted the stone floor then rebounded at an angle with enough force to lift the five students and send them flying. As the students were in motion, he had the brief thought that order might be restored. Instead, one of the Slytherin sixth years cast a curse at him. Harry dodged before responding with a second bolt of lightning as the room fell into chaos. Like a brawl at a Football game, the rising tide of emotions and hormones had reached a breaking point and battle was joined. Harry shouted out one last time before he canceled the amplifying charm and threw himself into the brawl. "Protect the kids!"

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As curses sailed through the air and shields snapped into place, Albus Dumbledore looked over his school with shock written into his every feature. In all his years at Hogwarts nothing like this had ever happened; even during the height of the Blood War conflict was limited to skirmishes between students in the hallways. But now, before his eyes Hogwarts had descended into madness. In his shock, he froze for a moment. But despite the insanity before him Albus was a veteran of more than one magical war. It took a moment, but his mind sharpened to a razor-sharp focus and he started taking in relevant details. Several Durmstrang students were casting a dangerous dark flame curse, and a twitch of his wand disarmed them. One of the seventh-year Hufflepuffs was transfiguring grizzly bears and setting them loose, so he sent cobalt bolts of shimmering light from his wand, turning them back into plates. Albus did notice that Mr. Potter was dealing with a pair of bears rather handily by pelting their noses with small bolts of lightning.

The Headmaster was distracted from preventing the more dangerous spells from being cast when a few seats down, Severus Snape joined the fray. Albus grimaced as he realized that instead of helping to protect the students, Hogwarts' most vexing professor had thrown his signature curse at Mr. Potter. He almost dropped his wand in relief when Harry dodged, evading the deadly spell, though the curse bit deep into the ancient wooden table behind him. Albus' towering fury at Severus' actions was doused by fear as Harry's glacially cold emerald eyes focused on Severus and a flick of his wand sent a lightning whip at the Potions professor. More accurately, Harry's spell was arcing down from above; with only a little luck it would remove Severus' head. Albus rarely used lightning spells, when it came to the elements fire was his preferred choice, but he recognized the spell as one often employed by Gellert Grindelwald. Oh, it wasn't the same variation that Dark Lord had used; his once-companion had taken the base spell Harry was using and turned it into a dark curse, a curse that sacrificed much of its immediate lethality to inflict great amounts of pain. Harry was obviously using the original, and for a split second Albus couldn't imagine why he had taken the time to learn such a deadly spell. Oh. Between Alastor's words and the events of the first task he's convinced that someone wants him dead. I wish I could say that he's wrong, but there is undoubtedly someone out to harm him.

As Harry's spell sliced towards Snape, Dumbledore intervened. He knew, he knew that Harry would take this as a betrayal, that Albus had permitted Snape to strike first with a deadly curse but protected Severus from reprisal. Even so, he had to protect Harry from the consequences of killing a professor, hateful grudge or no hateful grudge. A slash of the Elder Wand and Harry's lightning whip dispersed, the static charge sweeping through the hall. And now the boy turns to look at me with hate in his eyes. I should have brought Severus to heel long ago, this has gone too far.

Deciding to end the chaos immediately, Albus flexed his magic in a way he hadn't since Voldemort fell and roared out a single word. "Enough!"

As he spoke, Albus channeled raw intent and more magic than he'd used in years through the Elder Wand. Suddenly everyone from the first years to the visiting Heads found themselves utterly unable to move and across the room spells fizzled out; even completed transfigurations reversed themselves. The silence that descended on the Great Hall was very loud. Taking a moment to send a Patronus to the infirmary to summon Madame Pomfrey, Albus looked around the hall briefly, betraying none of the strain he felt. I've fallen so far from my prime; in my thirties I could keep this up all day, now a few minutes is enough to exhaust me. Out loud, Albus spoke again. "Enough. The next student to cast a hostile spell will be in detention for the rest of term. Am I understood?"

The Great Hall echoed with a chorus of 'Yes Headmaster,' even from the most rebellious students. It was one thing to be told that Dumbledore was the only wizard Voldemort ever feared, it was quite another to feel the evidence for yourself. With that, Albus released his hold and spoke again. "Students, begin assisting the injured until Madame Pomfrey can see to them. The staff and I will be discussing how to deal with this event once all the injured are seen to. Afternoon classes will begin one hour later than usual."

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Harry let out a long breath when he could move again and sagged into the bench behind him. I expended a lot of magic. I didn't really cast many offensive spells, but keeping shield spells on the younger students was difficult. He'd barely sat down when Hermione started fussing over his left arm, which had been clipped and was bleeding sluggishly. Luckily it was only a simple cut; one of the Ravenclaw students had apparently spent a lot of time practicing the Bird-Summoning charm, learning to create hawks with very sharp talons. Looking around the hall, injuries were surprisingly light; despite how high tempers had been running the students had mostly kept to the less dangerous spells. Harry stood up, stretched his neck, and moved to the first injured student who needed healing. I'm nothing close to a trained healer, but I've picked up a few useful spells this year; Pomfrey can look them over later, but if nothing else I can stop the bleeding. I should anyway since this is my fault in the first place. Sure, Life and Nature magic will be a good thing in the long run, but they'll cause brawls like this until people adjust.

Sure enough, classes did resume as promised. After class Harry slipped away from the crowds once more, but this time Hermione and Angelina followed him as he led them to an empty corridor and took three steps to the right, then one step back, then took a step to the left. A few seconds later a door formed in the wall directly ahead of them. Angelina spoke up as they stepped through. "Wait, I thought the entrance was on the second floor? Are there multiple entrances?"

Harry shook his head as he led them into a room that was apparently a perfect copy of the Ravenclaw common room, with slightly more interesting books on the shelves. "Nope. Welcome to the Come and Go Room, or as most people know it, the Room of Requirement. Let me tell you about the Room and the Marauder's Map…"

When he finished explaining, Hermione spoke up. "So you have someone watching the map, and they open the door when you make that odd movement?"

Harry nodded. Right now all three of them were seated on the couches around a low table, enjoying the relaxing tea that had appeared out of nowhere when they sat down. "It isn't like Dobby is watching the Map all the time, mostly after class lets out or when he knows I'm coming. I brought Sirius in here too, but he's probably asleep."

Harry was interrupted when Dobby popped into the room a few feet away from the table, carrying a tray of sandwiches. "Harry Potter's dogfather fell asleep at his worktable. I's be bringing leftovers from Great Hall, students made big mess and Hogwarts elves be saving what they can, they be's happy to give him much food with charms to keep fresh."

Harry nodded and reached out, taking the tray and setting it on the table as Dobby popped away and returned with glasses and a pitcher of water. "Thank you Dobby, is there anything you need from me?"

Dobby shook his head, ears bouncing around wildly. "No. Winky be waking up soon and I bes getting a nap, then we both be sorting the big room."

Harry chuckled. "Have fun. Just be sure to take care of yourself too."

Dobby nodded his head and disappeared with a snap of his fingers. Harry spoke up before Hermione could say anything. "The Room of Lost Things is where things that get misplaced in Hogwarts end up. Most of it is broken, worthless, or cursed, but there's a lot of neat things too. Sirius knows a few tricky spells to get around old copyright protection charms, so he's been making copies of all sorts of interesting books. In fact, if you look at the shelves…"

Hermione was obviously concerned that Harry was exploiting house elves for his own gain, but she was still intrigued by his redirection. Harry was glad he'd asked Dobby to arrange this meeting room when he brought Hermione in, the books were a good distraction. Angelina followed Hermione to the shelves and picked out a book of healing spells, and after a moment Harry shrugged and picked out a book on elemental magic, quickly flipping to the section on lightning spells. A few moments after he sat down Hermione joined them at the table, carrying a stack of books that included one written by Godric Gryffindor himself. Harry smirked as the room changed, the seating shifting into something more comfortable and providing a target directly across from him. Harry turned to look at Hermione's startled expression. "'Room of Requirement,' I need a safe target to try out new spells and we could all use more comfortable chairs."

As the three of them gradually sunk into their texts, Hermione turned to Angelina. "I didn't know you were interested in healing."

Angelina gave the other girl a kind smile. She knew why Harry was hesitant to tell her his plans, Hermione was far too stubborn and trusting in authority. Hermione had seen Snape's spell tear deep gouges into ancient enchanted wood when Harry dodged, but obviously did not approve when Harry responded in kind. Harry might be hopeful that his friend would join them in leaving Britain, but Angelina knew he was only fooling himself. "I always wanted to be a healer Hermione, but I'm functionally a muggleborn; no matter how much I studied or how good I was, I'd never get the Ministry's approval to practice medicine. Harry's offered to fund my training just to have a healer he can trust."

Hermione shook her head. "That's not true, the Headmaster…"

Angelina snorted, then replied in a serious tone. "Hermione, you have no idea how many doors have opened for you because of your friendship with Harry and Dumbledore's habit of collecting useful people. The truth is that most muggleborn either marry into a pureblood family or leave magical Britain behind after school because of how hard it is to get a decent job or advance." She shrugged. "That's the truth, but you won't understand until you see it for yourself. Just don't let yourself become one of Dumbledore's pawns until you see how the magical world really works."

Hermione huffed, but turned back to her book. Harry glanced between the two girls for a moment and went back to reading the instructions for a particularly difficult and draining spell. Conjuring creatures of living lightning might not be the most practical thing, but I bet it looks intimidating. I just have to figure out how to prevent people from dispelling it like Dumbledore did earlier. Hmm… Maybe some Nature magic woven in with the spell's Arcane? Quetz'lun did mention that her world's druids could summon storms…

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Afternoon faded into evening, and the three teens snacked on the food Dobby had brought in earlier. Eventually Harry rose and stretched when there was only half an hour until curfew. Looking at the target, he cast his spell one more time, producing a gryphon the size of a house cat that charged the target, attempted to savage it with tiny talons, then exploded into a burst of crackling static. Eyes fixed on the target, he started thinking aloud. "Shape's right, but the size and power aren't… I'm putting enough magic into the spell, but I must not be shaping it correctly."

Angelina spoke up as she set her book down, looking to where Hermione was stretching a kink out of her own spine. "It's still impressive though: Elemental magic is tricky to get right, to say nothing of making it useful. You're pretty good at lightning, have you tried learning other types of elemental spells?"

Harry smiled and turned to her. "I can do some things with wind, but that isn't really surprising since some people think lightning, wind, and water should all count as the 'storm' element. I can't do anything with Earth, the magic just refuses to work. Water spells kind of work, but I haven't managed to keep them controlled, they just seem to slip through my fingers. I… I don't like the feel of elemental fire spells, but I can manage a few."

Hermione spoke up. "That kind of makes sense if 'storm' magic is a thing. Have you practiced much with water spells?"

He shook his head. "Not really, I've just dabbled with a few simple ones. Lightning just… calls to me." After a pause, Harry gestured to the stairways that, in the real Ravenclaw common room, led to the dormitories. "Well Hermione, I promised you answers to what I've been up to. We might as well get that out of the way."

The two girls followed Harry up the spiral staircase, and waited while he knocked on a door that was blocking the way. After a moment's pause, he opened it and led them inside to his workshop. It was just the way he'd left it, except for the absence of Quetz'lun: She was currently examining the Room of Lost Things, using her long experience to find useful magical objects. (Thanks to the long and dangerous life she'd lived, navigating cursed items was easy.) Sirius was asleep where he passed out, cheek stained by a puddle of ink on the desk where he'd been working; surrounded by inkwells and blank tomes, freshly transfigured. Harry whistled at the pile of completed books piled in neat stacks to Sirius' right, taking a moment to open one. After a brief glance proved the counterfeit was legible, Harry set it down and left Sirius behind, making his way to a couch that appeared next to his lab. (Judging by the pile of completed books, Sirius hadn't gotten much sleep, so he decided to let him rest.) Seeing Hermione's surprise at the very well-equipped potions lab, Harry shrugged. "Without sabotage or Snape goading me into making mistakes I'm actually fairly good at brewing potions. I just needed some pointers and practice."

Hermione followed Harry and Angelina to the couch, looking around what could only be described as a workshop. Suddenly, her eyes grew wide and she let out a sound like a cornered mouse when a shape rose from a bed in the corner. Harry chuckled as Hedwig stalked forward, gave Hermione a disdainful sniff, then dropped her head in his lap. As he lavished attention on his familiar, Hermione's brain rebooted as she took a closer look at the gryphon relishing in her human's attention. "Hedwig?!"

Harry chuckled and looked up. "I told you I'm decent at potions. And before you say anything, this was Hedwig's idea, not mine. I've always thought she was a very clever owl, but I didn't know how clever she was until she made me read a book on how to do… this."

Harry gestured to his first familiar as Hermione relaxed into the couch, her eyes sweeping the room. "I was wondering why you didn't seem very upset about her going missing. Wait, is that the Horned Serpent Hagrid lost? He was really in a lot of trouble over that."

"Her name is Saska and she made the choice to join me when I offered her the chance." He chuckled. "She has a sharp wit and a wicked sense of humor, if you could speak Parseltounge I'm sure you'd enjoy speaking with her as much as I do."

Hermione blinked as her righteous anger at Harry stealing an animal and embarrassing Hogwarts in the process warred with her surety that all sapient beings deserved freedom. After a moment she shrugged her doubts off and assumed Harry was treating the serpent well, since he was sharing a space with the XXXXX creature who could leave her terrarium at any time. Harry pulled her out of her thoughts when he started speaking again. "Hermione, I'm tired of all the crap I deal with at Hogwarts. First year we got sent out into the Forest to find the thing killing Unicorns, and Dumbledore set a dark wizard trap with useless defenses in a school. Second year had the staff refusing to tell the school that Parselmouths aren't inherently evil and being so sure I was behind everything they never bothered to find out what was going on."

Harry held up his hand, stalling Hermione's objections. "You're absolutely brilliant Hermione, but I refuse to believe a second year student is smarter than all of Hogwarts' staff put together. Then there's the fact that Fawkes showed up to help me, but he brought the sorting hat instead of a rooster, trained Aurors, or Dumbledore himself. Third year I almost got Kissed three damn times, then the Headmaster sent you and me out to rescue Sirius instead of doing it himself. We both know Sirius is innocent, but Dumbledore's done nothing to help him. And this year I was entered into the tournament against my will, someone sabotaged my dragon's chains, and no one cares."

Sirius' head jerked up at the sudden noise and he looked around the room. Harry paused, took a deep breath, and looked Hermione in the eyes. "This school is a fucking death trap, and I'm done with it. I talked to Sirius and he and a few others are going to tutor me, help me learn to defend myself and learn real magic, not the stuff they dumb down so even people like Crabbe and Goyle can manage. I want you to come with us, I've got a place to stay and a good plan to stay safe. Between Sirius, the other tutors, and all the books he's been making copies of, we'll learn magic faster than Hogwarts' classes teach and we'll be learning useful, practical spells instead of turning mice into snuffboxes or making pineapples dance."

Sirius, obviously groggy, spoke up as he sank into the couch next to Harry. "First lessons will be how to build a house with magic, then we'll go through all the charms and wards that make a house comfortable and safe." Once he was comfortable, Dobby briefly popped in and handed the man a steaming cup of coffee. "Bless you Dobby, you are so much better than my mother's crazy house elf."

Hermione's eyes moved between Harry and the rest of the room as thoughts ran through her head. After a moment she spoke up. "Harry, this is crazy. Hogwarts is the safest place in Britain!"

Harry snorted. "Hagrid told me that when he introduced me to the magical world; he's a damned liar. Hogwarts hasn't been safe for you or me. I'm tired of not being safe in the halls, of having a death eater in my dorm for years, and dealing with people who expect all kinds of things from me then get upset when I don't live up to impossible expectations. Magical Britain is a shithole. The Ministry is corrupt, the people are bigots, and there's so much more to magic than what they teach us."

Harry watched his friend, a sinking feeling in his gut. When she asked her next question, he knew, he knew, she'd already made up her mind to stay behind. "Where are you even planning to go?"

Harry spoke firmly with a sad tone in his voice. "If you're not coming with us, then you don't need to know."

Before Hermione could argue, Angelina spoke up. "Hermione, Harry is right. The Headmaster has done nothing but play games with his life, just like he's been playing games with Sirius' life. Dumbledore uses people, and hoards information; there is so much more to magic than what students are allowed to learn. The fact that he's still headmaster after all the things he's allowed to happen in this school is just more proof that Britain is corrupt. Like I told you before, you need to choose who you're loyal to. You need to make a choice. Unlike Dumbledore, Harry actually cares what happens to you, you're not just a pawn on a chessboard to him."

Hermione turned to Angelina with a snarl. "Was this all your idea? Did you convince Harry to leave?!"

Angelina just gave Hermione a sad smile. "No, he convinced me. Hermione, Britain is rotten and it isn't our responsibility to fix. Britain will never change until the people do, and Britain's population doesn't care enough about the corrupt Ministry or bigotry to do anything. Harry's just tired of people shitting on him and then expecting him to clean it up. Now you need to choose what you want, a comfortable life learning magic with Harry or to stay in this stuffy castle without your best friend."

Hermione turned back to Harry. "Harry, this is crazy, you can't just leave!"

Harry shrugged. "I don't see why not. Hermione, in the last few months I've learned more useful magic on my own than I ever did in class. I'm tired of Dumbledore toying with me, sending me into one danger after another. I'll come back for the Tournament tasks, but beyond that? To hell with Britain."

This time, Hermione just shook her head, and Harry continued. "Hermione, Britain will look down on you if you stay, to the people in power you will never be anything besides a muggleborn that doesn't know her place. Please, come with me." Hermione just shook her head, and Harry asked one last time. "Trust me? Please?"

Hermione spoke again. "No, Harry. We can't just leave. Let's go talk to the Professors, we can make this right. You're famous, if they think you want to leave they'll make things better."

Harry shook his head. "No, they've done nothing but walk all over me for years. I'm done." He let out a long sigh. "Are you sure you don't want to join me, Hermione?"

When instead of responding, Hermione started looking for an exit, no doubt to find a professor, Harry let out a long sigh. He'd really hoped she would have joined him, but he knew it wasn't likely. With an aching heart, he drew his wand, a motion copied by Sirius and Angelina. "I'll try to convince you to come with me when I return for the tasks, Hermione. I wish I could trust you not to immediately run to Dumbledore, but I know you too well. This is a vial of Dreamless Sleep potion, please drink it and Angelina will help you into bed."

Hermione faced Harry, defiance in every line of her face. "And if I refuse?"

Harry replied with steel in his tone. "Then we'll stun you and give you the potion anyway. I'm sorry, but by the time you wake up tomorrow morning, I'll be gone from Britain."

When Hermione drew her wand, Angelina hit her with a stunning spell. Then, she took the potion vial and administered it, a simple charm making sure Hermione didn't choke. Looking at his best friend Harry let out a long, disappointed sigh. "Is it wrong that I'm thinking about taking her with us anyway?"

Angelina turned to Harry. "You'd have to keep her restrained to keep her from running back here and telling Dumbledore everything."

Sirius cut in, now sitting nearby with clear eyes and a deeply tired face. "Better Harry's slave than Dumbledore's. The old man uses people, gets his fingers in them and pulls their strings. All he did for Remus was let him attend school, now there's nothing Moony won't do for Albus, he's even content to let the Headmaster do his thinking for him. Dumbledore sends you to live with abusive muggles, he's okay with it. He refuses to get me a trial, he's okay with it. He puts children in danger? Remus is okay with it."

Angelina took Harry's hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. "If you want to take Hermione with us, I won't argue. She doesn't have any idea what Britain is really like because Dumbledore and the Professors never warn muggleborn about the bigotry they'll face in the real world. She won't believe me or the other students either, because…"

Harry broke in. "She has too much faith in authority, she has faith in the Professors and her books."

Angelina nodded and continued. "When I was six, my mom had a run of bad luck and went to Dumbledore for help getting a new job. He agreed to set her up with a comfortable job in the Ministry, but only if she taught Defense for a full year. The Defense curse has actually been pretty kind recently, two out of three survived, but it's usually more lethal. Harry, if you want to keep Hermione as your slave, she'd be better off than Dumbledore's pawn. She might even be happy, after you break through her damned pride."

Harry was quiet for a long moment as he watched his best friend sleeping on the couch. Eventually he shook his head, defeat in every line of his face. "I don't think I can do that. I'll keep an eye on her as best as I can and try to convince her, but I won't just… kidnap her unless her life's in danger or she's being drugged with potions."

Angelina gave Harry a sad smile and a hug before she got up and walked through the doorway the Room provided, levitating Hermione behind her. "I'll be right back."

Stepping into the Gryffindor girl's dormitory, Angelina brought Hermione into the fourth-year's room and slipped the girl under the blankets fully dressed. Turning to Lavender Brown, the last of Hermione's dorm-mates still awake, she whispered. "Hermione tried Harry's training regime; it took a lot out of her. Let her sleep in tomorrow morning if you can."

Lavender nodded. "We can do that, I'm usually the first one up and I'll let the others know. Shouldn't we make her a little more comfortable? I wouldn't ever sleep in a bra."

Angelina let out a quiet scoff. "Do you want to hear her bitch about being touched while she was asleep? No thank you."

Lavender nodded. "She's always been wound too tight. What she really needs is a boyfriend, I know her date with Krum didn't end well."

"I don't think anyone is good enough for her. I don't know who she's holding out for, but she just rejected Harry."

Lavender shook her head. "Poor boy. He's had it rough this year." Lavender let out a long yawn. "Well, goodnight Angelina. See you at breakfast?"

Angelina just nodded, then left the room and walked back into the Room of Requirement. There she found Quetz'lun with her arms and wings wrapped around Harry as she comforted him. Sirius was busy finishing up copying the last books, his skills from his time as a Marauder shining as he bypassed the charms designed to prevent exactly what he was doing. Angelina walked over to him and raised her wand, quickly loading the stack of completed books into a box. After a moment Harry rose and walked over to his workbench. Checking his list again, he opened the enchanted box from Azeroth and began loading it, carefully levitating the Scythe of Elune in first. Quetz'lun 'walked' over to the enchanted sapling and raised hands glowing with green light. At her touch, the sapling began to grow, stopping when it was about four feet high. As the Loa slid onto the couch, she let out a tired sigh. "That should ensure it survives transport. This body seems to need a lot of sleep, so I'm going to take a nap if no one wants my help."

Harry spoke up from where he was now collecting the notes and supplies he kept in the Room. "We should be good, Quetz'lun. Go ahead and get some rest, we're going to be busy for another hour or so. The elves are going a little crazy looting the Room of Lost Things."

The Loa chuckled. "I told them that even cursed items can be broken down to power wards, and Sirius enchanted a pile of old trunks. That will help when we arrive."

{-*=*-}

Two hours later, Angelina knocked quietly on her own door. While the apartment building a few streets off Diagon Alley wasn't the best place to have grown up, it had been home for as long as she could remember. Usually she wouldn't feel safe walking around this late at night, but Dobby and Winky had taken the portkey with her while Harry and Sirius finished packing and set up wards on Sennen Beach. She'd been to the beach on the southwestern tip of England before during the summer; when the weather was warm it was a popular destination but in February it would be deserted. A moment later the door opened and Evelyn Johnson welcomed her and the elves inside. As soon as the door closed, Angelina hugged her mom tight. After a moment the older Johnson spoke up. "Are you sure this is what you want? Britain's been home, flaws or not."

Angelina smiled at her mom. "I'm sure. This place wouldn't let me be a healer unless I sold my soul to Dumbledore or spread my legs for some pureblood asshole, and they're working you to death. To hell with Britain."

Evelyn hugged her daughter tightly. "Then let's pack up. You said you were bringing expanded trunks?"

Angelina reached into a pocket that was much larger inside than out and pulled a dozen shrunken trunks out. "Let's pack quickly, our ride is waiting on us."

With two witches and two house elves, the packing went quickly. "It's so strange to see the house so empty."

Evelyn gave her daughter a one-armed hug as she looked around the empty apartment. Everything was packed away, even the furniture. "It's nothing fancy, but it was home. I still say that any witch that can't make a cardboard box into a comfortable home doesn't deserve her wand."

Angelina replied as she looked around the empty house one last time. "We'll definitely need that kind of skill where we're going. Ready to leave? Portkeys aren't fun, but we're trying to be sneaky."

"I might be a poor witch, but even I've used a portkey before. Let's get going before the neighbors complain about the noise."

{-*=*-}

On a bitterly cold beach, Harry nodded to Sirius. They'd been running late, and Angelina had arrived just after they warded the area; thanks to the freezing mist coming off the ocean all four of them were wrapped up tight in heavy cloaks. With nothing else to do, Sirius waved his wand and transfigured a raft. Harry and the others huddled on and the raft kicked out into the water; sticking charms were the only reason everyone managed to stay on board in the choppy waves. Harry reached into an expanded pocket and withdrew a large glass bottle containing a ship. Carefully remembering Dobby's instructions, Harry unscrewed the cap and peered inside. Sure enough, the tiny ship was floating in water inside. Harry spoke up. "We're going to get wet when this comes out, but luckily we can dry off once we're on board. Everyone hold on!"

With that Harry tipped the bottle, pouring the water and ship into the bay. When the ship slipped out of the bottle's neck, the expanded space warping to allow it out, the splash soaked all four of them. As the humans floundered, Harry found himself jealous of Quetz'lun and the elves who were warm and snug inside an expanded trunk. With some effort, Sirius managed to levitate their makeshift raft into the air and onto the deck. While it was dark out, with the light from the moon and stars Harry could see the basic shape of the ship. It was about 150 feet (about 50 meters) long, with two masts covered in rigging and sails. Sirius soon had them on the deck, and as soon as they landed the house elves arrived. Dobby concentrated and snapped his fingers, deploying the ship's sails and adjusting the rigging, before he raced to the wheel.

Assured their ship wasn't going to crash into the rocks, the humans allowed Winky to usher them below the deck, where the elf immediately began stripping their outer layers off. Before they knew it, the humans were sitting in dry robes, layered in warming charms, and sipping hot tea. Evelyn spoke up, her eyes glancing at Sirius. "So, to point out the obvious, that is Sirius Black sitting with us. Should I be worried?"

Harry replied, taking a long sip of tea and enjoying the warmth. "He's innocent. Dumbledore knows but has done nothing to get him a trial."

Evelyn nodded. "It was always hard to believe that you betrayed James, Sirius. I don't know if you remember me…"

Sirius looked at the woman closely for a moment. "You were a Hufflepuff a year or two younger at Hogwarts." He paused for a moment. "Rosier tried to corner you on the sixth floor during Yule one year, didn't he?"

Evelyn smiled. "He did corner me. I was distraught at losing my parents, if you hadn't cursed him he would have raped and obliviated me." She paused. "I never did thank you for that."

Sirius waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. The Marauders might have been obnoxious little shits, but we just did what everyone else should have done."

Evelyn replied in a soft tone. "Everyone was afraid to do much, even the Professors just kept their heads down. I was terrified that would happen again, or something worse. After you and your friends graduated Hogwarts got even more dangerous, I never went anywhere without a group of four or five." She paused for a moment, sipped her tea, then continued. "So Dumbledore is playing games with you?"

Sirius nodded. "He is, and not just with me. He's been playing games with my godson's life too."

After a moment, Evelyn rose and looked around. "This is a fancy ship, the enchantments are very well done. Is this a Black ship?"

Sirius raised his hand and waffled it. "It was, but it was part of my cousin's dowry when she married Malfoy. Harry talked his elf into stealing it after Malfoy unleashed a Basilisk in Hogwarts and tried to kill him."

That thought killed the mood and the conversation for a while. After a moment, Sirius rose as well. "Let me show you to a room, I still remember where things are. Uncle Alphard loved this ship, which is why my father gave it away."

Harry and Angelina rose as well, and Harry offered her his arm. Once the adults were out of earshot, Harry spoke up. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to, you know. I don't mind getting you your own room."

Angelina gave Harry a smile before she replied. "I agreed to be your concubine, Harry. I might as well get used to sleeping with you, though it's been a long day and I'm kind of tired tonight."

Harry replied. "It has been a long day. There will be plenty of time for fun tomorrow; right now, I'm ready for bed."

Soon, Harry was slipping under the covers in the ship's master bedroom with Quetz'lun and Angelina snuggled against him. Hedwig even joined them, draping herself across all three of them on top of the blankets. Despite Hermione's refusal to follow him, Harry felt nothing but relaxation and peace as he fell asleep to the gentle rocking of the ocean. Luckily for the group leaving Britain behind, Dobby had been responsible for piloting and maintaining this ship long before being freed. With a jacket layered with warming charms he was quite comfortable, even sailing away from the English coastline in February.

{-*=*-}

While Harry and the others succeeded in evading both the magical and mundane governments as they left Britain behind, their passage didn't go entirely unremarked. A bulky metal warship took notice and began to follow at a distance; content to wait until the sailing ship was out in the open sea and deep into international waters.

{-*=*-}

A/N: I'm back! Yeah, I got a bit down, but I never stopped writing. I never wanted to be one of those authors that keep starting new fics, but I just sort of follow my muse; it leads where it leads. I have a new fic under construction where Harry says 'screw it' and leaves Britain after fourth year, then comes back with a few new skills, a tan, and a kitsune girlfriend. 'Children of Prophecy' has its first arc completed and I'm working on narrowing the focus and getting the 'Japan' arc written out. I'm honestly not sure what to do with 'Just Add Water,' but I will probably end up posting the completed chapters and maybe finish it eventually. Dragon Concubine's next chapter is almost ready too. For some reason the adult scene has really been kicking my rear.

Anyway, please leave a review! Each one motivates me to keep writing, even when I'm down.