Time seemed to fly by once Harry had made his second friend. While he and Ron had a very relaxed dynamic he had realized he tended to just give in to whatever Ron wanted to do since he really was just happy to have his first friend. Hermione balanced their dynamic, since she often would remind them to study and helped if they got stuck with something. In fact, when Ron was complaining about his brother's old wand one night while they going over the wand motions for a Transfiguration assignment he grumped that it just felt kinda hard. Neville at the next table over quietly chimed in as well, saying he used his dad's old wand and it just took some getting used to. That made Hermione frown at the boys as she remembered getting her own wand from Mister Ollivander.

"But..." Hermione had looked up with a furrowed brow as she concentrated. "Mister Ollivander said that the wand chooses the wizard! That means those wands might not work for you properly, if what I read about wands is true anyway. Maybe that's why you both have so much trouble with practical lessons?"

Harry started as he recalled that very same phrase as well. "Hang on, I remember that too! I went through half of the wands in the shop before I matched to mine." Ron's ears turned pink and he mumbled something about not being able to afford a new wand. Neville though looked almost fearful.

"Gran says it's an honor to use dad's wand." Neville was very quiet, and there was something in his eyes as he gripped that wand that Harry recognized with a start. Neville lived with his gran, but he rarely spoke about his parents. If he did it was usually just about the wand. Neville's wand was important to him. Harry had a sudden suspicion that that wand might be the only part of his father that Neville had. He knew if he had had his parent's wands before the start of term he may be in the same situation as Neville. Struggling but afraid to let go of his link to his father.

"Hermione? Can you help me with the incantation for this Charm?" Harry suddenly tried to draw Hermione away from the topic of wands, which got a relieved sigh out his other two classmates. When Hermione was looking down at their Charms text Harry shot Neville an understanding sort of smile. Neville looked surprised for a moment before he seemed to click it together in his head and nodded a bit sadly in return.

Harry knew that Ron's family was poor, and he had heard stories from Ron and his twin brothers whenever they were around about their mother's legendary temper. He thought he would happily pay for both of them to have their owns wands, because while timid Neville was actually a very kind and thoughtful boy and Ron may have a bit of that same temper but he also was a pretty loyal friend so far. Idly he wondered if wizards had some sort of owl post order form or a way for him to pay before they went? He didn't want to see his friends held back by something out of their control. He sighed to himself mentally and focused instead of Hermione as she helped him pronounced the spell he had asked for help with.

Hermione Granger was many things: studious, serious, eager to please authority figures, and most of all curious. About nearly everything, really. So when she ran into a wall trying to find anything on the subject of Life Debts in the Hogwarts library after a couple weeks of searching she eventually had turned to Madame Pince, who had frowned and informed the First Year that such topics were most likely in the Restricted Section due to their unusual nature. Sensing a defeat and dismissal, the bushy haired brunette didn't give up just yet. After talking to Harry about their detention and realizing that the stern Professor was actually a very kind hearted woman beyond just being their Head of House, Hermione's next stop was Professor McGonagall's office. She knocked a bit nervously, but she needn't have been concerned.

When the professor saw her she ushered Hermione inside with her stern expression, which seemed to soften as soon as the door closed behind her. "Miss Granger, what brings you to my office this afternoon?"

Hermione sat and fidgeted slightly as she tried to remember if the headmaster said anything about not telling anyone and realized he hadn't fairly quickly. Hermione had a very very good memory, after all. "Professor do you know anything about Life Debts?" She tried hard to keep her annoyance out of her voice. "I heard about them from Professor Dumbledore, but Madame Pince says the subject is in the Restricted Section."

The older woman peered thoughtfully down at Hermione as the girl looked on expectantly. "I am familiar with the concept, to a degree. There is not exactly a lot known of the older magics that predate the era of the Founders. Much was limited to the master and apprentice oral tradition or families passing down to their next generation. However the Life Debt is a rare form of magic tied to the incredibly powerful concept of noble sacrifice, so while rare they have been a few documented cases. I myself witnessed such a development in the previous war with You-Know-Who."

Hermione could scarce believe her professor had seen the magic she was part of! She eagerly leaned forward, the question bubbling uncontrollably from inside her like a fountain. "But Professor, what happens? I don't feel any different, and there's been no change in Harry either from what I see in class."

Professor McGonagall gave Hermione a rare smile. "The instances I saw were like your own circumstance: a bond forged in conflict where some of the best people I knew would throw themselves into danger to save each other. The problem Miss Granger is that the debts were often repaid by the next battle or the one after. I never saw any long term effects of the magic myself. What I can tell you beyond that is purely academic based on the study done some time in the nineteenth century. The date escapes me, but I can try and find it. A Muggleborn much like yourself had been fascinated by the idea and spent years for their Ancient Magic Mastery thesis. It was quite well researched, but also full of speculation because the principals are so vague. The basics are that when a magical person saves another from mortal peril it creates a magical bond between those two magical people."

The Professor paused to let Hermione digest before continuing as she flicked her wand and a pot of tea appeared along with two cups and a saucer of cream with a bowl of sugar. "Help yourself, Miss Granger. I suspect this will be a discussion you will likely attack with the fervor of you classwork, so I believe we may be here for a while."

Hermione gratefully accepted the cup her Head of House poured for her, adding her milk and forgoing the sugar. Her parents would be ever so disappointed if she fell into sugary drinks and snacks! She looked up to McGonagall sipping her own tea before continuing. "The theory was that for as long as that debt existed, the two would maintain that magical link. It is harmless, as it is based on one of the strongest forms of ritualized ancient magic: selfless sacrifice. A Debt cannot be formed simply by saving someone for your own self-interest, as part of a duty - like an Auror rescuing a person in peril or one of us teachers stopping a threat to a student - as it is not sacrifice. Nor can it be formed between relatives as far as the research shows anyway."

Hermione raised her hand reflexively and her professor just gave a faint look of amusement in her eyes. "While your manners are quite appreciated Miss Granger, I cannot help but remind you we are not in class. You may ask questions freely."

Hermione flushed slightly as she slowly lowered her hand. "Why wouldn't it be formed between family members? Aren't they the most likely to rescue each other from danger?"

"And that is the exact reason why they don't. Magic, especially the ancient magics, are very mysterious in how they work. However once you understand the fundamental principle behind it you can usually reason out why some things are not possible." Professor McGonagall finished her tea and regarded Hermione for a moment. "What we are discussing is a magic that relies on noble sacrifice that has no expectation. Given that, can you see why at the least immediate family would not be possible to acquire Life Debts?"

Hermione frowned, but she really didn't understand. "I-I don't?"

"There is love and the expectation of support in family. I cannot blame you for not understanding." Professor McGonagall checked the clock then turned back to Hermione with a sigh. "I will see if I can summarize and simplify the report for yourself and Mister Potter. While we both agree that Mister Potter is unlikely to truly ever ask for the Debt to be activated, it is best to avoid confusion. Now," She stood, indicating the end of the conversation. "We have talked as long as I believe we should for now. Try not to obsess over this Miss Granger. When you are older you and I will surely enjoy many a conversation on the depth and breadth of ancient magic. For now, I expect your continued excellence in class."

Harry found it slightly easier to get along with his housemates after the broom incident. It helped that when Malfoy came slinking up to demand a duel, both Neville and Hermione laughed at him before either he or Ron could get worked up. The blonde had grown furious at the pair, trying to cut them down with words.

"Oh? So the squib and the muggle think they're so clever?" He drawled as Crabbe cracked his knuckles threateningly and Goyle growled low. The two enforcers stepped forward once and Harry's expression hardened as the pair stepped forward. His eyes flashed as he moved to stand between his friends and Malfoy's cronies, but at that moment Neville spoke softly, uncertainty in his voice from his lack of confidence.

"You're talking nonsense Malfoy..." Harry saw Neville flinch as the three turned their attention to him, and Harry felt a bit of pride in the pudgy wizard as Neville continued. "I-if you dueled Harry now you couldn't even manage to cast proper spells."

Ron chimed in, his expression turning into a grin as he picked up the thread of Neville's idea. "He's got a point. The idea of a first year duel is just stupid. What, are you gonna shoot sparks or levitate small objects at each other?" Malfoy was paling, but he was clearly not enjoying being taken so lightly. With a jerk of his head the three Slytherins walked away from the hallway encounter. Of course, a slight laugh from the side drew the Gryffindors' attention.

A small group of Hufflepuffs was walking past, and they all were smiling at seeing the self appointed bully of Slytherin house being shut up. "Nicely done," a girl with dark red hair commented. "That git tends to puff himself up and tries to get others in trouble all the time. It's nice to see him reminded he is still like the rest of us first years."

"It was nothing really," Harry felt a bit nervous around so many of his peers, not sure what to make of it. Thankfully the Hufflepuffs seemed to be very mellow and friendly, just politely making some banter before moving off to their dormitory. Once they left he left out a breath, then turned to the others with him. He just missed the puzzled look Hermione had given him moments before. "I didn't realize Malfoy was bullying other houses too?"

Ron grumbled, but it was Neville who responded a bit timidly. "He has been going after everyone who he can get away with, but he seems to prefer coming after us Gryffindors." He shuffled his feet, then turned to head back to Gryffindor tower. "Come on, I think I have to finish up our homework."

Harry nodded absently, his expression thoughtful. He wasn't exactly a brilliant student, but he was in the upper third of their year by grades so not awful. He did not see Draco Malfoy hiding behind a suit of armor as they turned their backs. The scowl and frustration on his face did not bode well, especially as he glanced between the backs of two houses of students leaving.

Albus Dumbledore waited for the students to go to sleep before he and Amelia Bones moved through to the grand staircase. He looked at Amelia with a thoughtful smile as they reached the out of bounds third floor corridor. "May I trouble you to help an old man set some repelling wards up on the other end of the corridor there is some secret passageways that come through while I set a password for the moving staircase to render it incapable of accessing this corridor without it? Of course I will have to give the password to staff, but beyond that I will be ensuring there shall also be an age line across the boundary to prevent the students even walking past the threshold from this stairwell."

The Headmaster had spent many nights in floo calls and meetings with the Head of Magical Law the past few weeks. This was the first time they were both free to implement the safety measures agreed to by Ameilia and himself. Now the two began to properly remove any access for anyone under the age of the youngest professor, methodically checking each other's work.

Once both were satisfied it was incredibly close to impossible for a student to even find the corridor the witch and elderly wizard began the trek to the Headmaster's office so Amelia could return home for the evening. "I am pleased you took my suggestions seriously Albus." Amelia suddenly spoke up, glancing sideways at her companion for the moment. "I know many turn to you for advice, so it was a bit of a concern that you would find no value in taking it from anyone else."

Dumbledore merely chuckled. "That very belief has made it rather a lonely title: Greatest Wizard of the Century." His sparkling blue eyes met her gaze. "Nobody much wishes to talk out of reverence or nerves, so I found this entire arrangement to be rather uplifting. People so often forget that wisdom can only be gained by gathering others' opinions. Perspective and experience will combine for the best courses to be revealed, I find. If I only have my own perspective, I may find myself blinded by it."

Amelia, not for the first time, was surprised by the self-awareness that the aged wizard leading her up to his office seemed to possess. He had asked for her advice, taken it, and even added his own spin to combine their individual ideas. She would not have considered an Age Line, but having two at different points was quite thorough. Now they could not access the corridor even if someone accidentally uttered the password, and if some secret passageway lead past their enchantments the second one just before the door would prevent any access and discourage any adventurous sorts investigating.

On the whole, she had to admit her estimation of the Headmaster had gone up several notches. "I hope that we will continue to work together through the year to monitor the progress?"

"My dear Amelia, I wouldn't dream of losing your counsel or confidence." Dumbledore bowed politely to her as he pointed at his fireplace, causing a merry blaze to appear their, "I do so enjoy our discussions. Once this incident is finished and we can have a more in depth discussion I would love to run a few of my speculations by you for your opinions? If I am proven correct of course."

Holding a pinch of floo powder in her hand she turned and gave a curt nod to Dumbledore, still professional for now. "I look forward to that, Headmaster. Good evening."