In the lead up to September, Harry nearly worked himself to the bone with his training. All through the remainder of the holiday, he trained and even tinkered around with several of his arrows. Lou Ellen had written to him a few days ago with tips to enchant his arrows with different spells. He was still smarting from Luke's betrayal and wanted to get his revenge. It was only through the combined effort of Mackenzie and Katie, that he managed to ease off in the last week of August.

Finally, on September 1st, Harry, Katie and Mackenzie left one of the Hunter safehouses and made their way to King's Cross Station. They managed to reach, with a good half an hour to spare. As they wheeled their trolleys, Harry and Katie finally stopped between platforms nine and ten. He pointed to the familiar column, "You see that pillar 'Kenzie? All you have to do is walk or run straight through it. Running's only an option if you're feeling a tad nervous."

She nodded, took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. Then she charged towards the pillar and promptly phased through. Soon, Harry and Katie charged after her with their own luggage trolleys and entered through the portal. Upon passing through, they found themselves at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

Just then, Harry spotted Neville a few meters ahead of him and called out, "Hey Neville!"

The other boy turned and grinned, "Harry! Good to see you! How was your holiday? Oh, hey Katie."

She replied, "It was alright, Neville. How about you?"

"All good!"

The older girl nodded, "Cool, I'll catch up with you guys later. I'm off to find Angelina and Alicia. Oh, and Harry? Remember what we talked about last year. If you lot are up to any shenanigans, let me know first, so that I can at least be there to have your backs or cover for you."

Then, she boarded the train. After a few minutes of waiting, Harry, Neville and Mackenzie saw the barrier shimmer. Then, Hermione emerged from the barrier with her luggage. She spotted them and raced over with a big smile and hugged the three.

Some more time passed, and there was no sign of Ron or the other Weasleys. Hermione tapped them on the shoulders, "We need to board. We can't wait for them forever. We'll save a seat for Ron."

Together, they all boarded the Hogwarts express. Just as they were about to enter an empty compartment, Harry turned to his cousin, "Hey 'Kenzie, do you want to hang out with us or find some people in your own age group? I'm not going to force you to be with us and act like an overprotective big brother. I already have enough of that from the other Hunters."

She thought about it for a second, "I-I want to make some new friends."

He smiled and offered a hand, "Alright, come on kiddo."

Mackenzie grasped it and they headed off. Soon, Harry spotted Penny Haywood acting all mother hen with another girl who he assumed was her sister, "Hey Penny."

The blue-eyed blonde spotted him and flashed a dazzling smile, "Hey Harry! Who's this?"

"This is my cousin, Mackenzie Dursley. I'm assuming that your companion is your sister?"

"Yeah, this is Beatrice. She's starting her First Year as well."

"Great! Why don't we leave the two of them to be acquainted? I thought I saw Lavender somewhere and she was looking for you."

Beatrice shot him a grateful look, but Penny didn't notice. The Hufflepuff frowned, "Are you sure, Harry? I mean, I don't want to leave Beatrice…"

Harry cut her off, "Relax mate, she'll be fine. I trust Mackenzie. No need to go all mother hen."

He eventually dragged her away and brought her to Lavender and Parvati's compartment, nicknamed the Gossip Compartment. Finally, he returned to his own compartment with Neville and Hermione. He was just in time to see the five familiar redheads burst through the barrier with five minutes to spare. Harry waved frantically through the window and eventually got Ron's attention. A minute later, Ron tumbled into their compartment, nearly tripping over his suitcase. Laughing, he helped his friend up and plonked him on the seat next to him.

Ron wheezed, "Bloody hell! I thought we would never make it! Had to turn back a few times because George forgot his Filibuster fireworks, then Fred forgot his broomstick and then Ginny forgot some stupid book of hers."

Finally, they were off and the Express was happily chugging along. An hour into the journey, Hermione noticed Harry brooding a little. She asked, "Hey Harry I noticed that the weather's alright now. Care to tell us?"

He sighed, "Remember I mentioned that someone stole Zeus' Lightning Bolt. A lot of suspicion fell on Poseidon, because it recently transpired that he sired a son. Ron, Hermione, you two met him, Percy Jackson. So, Jackson, Annabeth, myself and a satyr friend of ours, Grover, went on a quest to clear Jackson's name. Jackson suspected Hades, King of the Underworld. To be honest, I had my doubts but I tagged along. We had to go to the Underworld"

Hermione shrieked, "You did what!?"

Harry quickly clarified, "I didn't die! We came close though. But anyway, we pretty much confirmed my suspicion that Hades was not the thief. That was because his Helm of Darkness was also stolen."

Ron tilted his head in confusion, "Helm of Darkness?"

"It's basically a helmet that turns him invisible."

Neville blurted, "Whoa! That's like the Invisibility Cloak from the Tale of the Three Brothers."

Harry sheepishly chuckled, "Yeah, that part's a true story. 'Death' was actually Thanatos, the God of Peaceful Death. The Invisibility Cloak was actually a piece of cloth cut from Hades' own robes. When he found out, Thanatos spent-"

Hermione interrupted, "A century in Tartarus. I remember that when we visited Olympus."

"Right, anyway. The real culprit was Ares, the God of War. Bloody hell! You won't believe this! Jackson fought him in a sword fight and actually defeated him! Eventually, Jackson and I returned the Lightning Bolt and the Helm of Darkness."

Then Harry's face morphed into a scowl, "Then we found out that Luke, a bloke who I thought of as a brother, was the real thief and framed Jackson. Look… I don't want to talk about it any further."

Ron gave Harry a sympathetic squeeze of the shoulder, "We're not going to force you mate. Also, whatever happens, we won't betray you."

Sometime later, Katie poked her head in the doorway. She asked, "Can I come in for a sec?"

The four shrugged and she settled in next to Harry and wrapped an arm around him. Katie spoke up, "Harry, I thought I'd let you know, people have begun to notice how close the two of us are. Now I know that you three know the truth behind Harry's and my bond. But you know how strong the Hogwarts rumour mill is, right? So, we're going to let them think that Harry and I are dating."

Harry glanced at her, "Are you sure you're okay with this, Katie? Let's make it clear, I'm not kissing you because it'll be too awkward for me to kiss someone who I consider my sister."

She laughed, "Ew! No! We're not going that far, silly! I'm perfectly fine with us sitting close or holding hands."

Hermione nodded, "Don't worry, we get it, Katie."

Hours later, they finally reached the station and they all disembarked. They made their way through a muddy path before they saw several stagecoaches waiting for them. Harry froze when he saw what was pulling the coaches, "W-what are those things pulling the coaches?"

Ron was confused and said, "Nothing, Harry… You must be seeing things."

A voice interrupted them, "I see them too, those are thestrals. Only those who have seen someone die can see thestrals."

They turned to see a grim-faced Pansy Parkinson standing a few feet away from them. Ron swallowed his dislike for Slytherins and choked out, "How do you see them?-"

Hermione elbowed him, "Ron! That's rude! You don't ask someone if they've seen another person die!"

Pansy shot a brief look at Harry before simply saying, "It's a long story."

Finally, the four Gryffindors were seated at the table and waiting for the Sorting Ceremony. His eyes idly wandered to the head table and noted a couple of newcomers. He saw a man with extravagantly fancy robes, wavy blonde hair, and flashy white teeth. Harry recognised him as Gilderoy Lockhart, having seen his face plastered on the back of every one of his books. Then he did a double-take when he saw the other figure on the far end of the table. The demigod thought to himself, 'Well… This year just got very interesting.'

Ron nudged him, "Oi, who's that lady with that animal curled around her feet? She a new teacher?"

Harry was saved from answering by the sound of the doors of the Great Hall opening. McGonagall briskly walked in, followed by a gaggle of nervous First-Years. Harry recognised Mackenzie straightway, and next to her was Ginny, with Beatrice Haywood behind them.

Like last year, the deputy Headmistress took out a long roll of parchment and read out the names. He mostly paid attention whenever the kids were sorted into Gryffindor. Harry noticed a particularly hyperactive kid with a camera, called Colin Creevey, who was sorted into Gryffindor.

Later on, after a tense thirty seconds, Mackenzie Dursley also joined Colin in Gryffindor. Beatrice Haywood became a Hufflepuff, and he also observed an Astoria Greengrass being sorted into Slytherin. Then, girl called Luna Lovegood appeared to glide across the floor and was soon sorted into Ravenclaw. Ritchie Coote, Jimmy Peakes, Andrew Kirke and Jack Sloper were in Gryffindor, along with Demelza Robbins and Natalie McDonald. Finally, Ginny Weasley became the last Gryffindor.

Then, Dumbledore stood up and held his arms up for silence. He announced, "Welcome! To another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! Before the feast begins, I have some important announcements. Firstly, I would like to welcome Professor Lockhart as our new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor!"

That announcement was met with a loud cheer from nearly every witch. Then Dumbledore signalled for silence yet again, "Additionally, it is with deep regret that I must announce that Muggle Studies professor, Charity Burbage is taking a sabbatical from teaching. On the bright side, it gives me great pleasure to announce that professor Daly will be taking over her duties. Furthermore, she has mentioned that she has a big announcement. Professor Daly, if you please?"

The dark-haired woman at the end of the table gracefully stood up and pulled out her wand. She then wrote out her name in fire-letters, 'Cathee Daly'.

Harry muttered to himself, "Really? An anagram?"

Finally, she spoke and Harry could feel the power in her voice, "Hello students, my name is Cathee Daly. I will be your professor of Muggle Studies, or as I like to call it, Mortal Studies. I had met with professor Burbage some time ago and we began to talk about the non-magical world. Prior to this, I had been researching about the non-magical world for over four years. When I compared notes with Ms. Burbage, I found that her information was… woefully outdated. So I encouraged her to go on a fact-finding mission while I take her place for a while."

She paused for a few seconds and gauged everyone's reactions. Then she continued, "I am aware that my subject is available as an optional elective. However, it is my belief that the subject should be mandatory, so as to help preserve our community's anonymity. I firmly believe that all of our students should be made aware of the non-magical world to better maintain the Statute of Secrecy."

Suddenly, a loud obnoxious voice blurted, "What a load of tripe! The muggles are nothing but savages! What kind of progress would those simpletons have made, when we wizards are far superior to them! My father would never stand for this! He is in the Board of Governors! He will definitely hear about this and put a stop to this sham!"

Professor Daly's pitch black eyes focused on the source of disruption, a certain Draco Malfoy. She spoke, "And you are…"

He proudly declared, "Draco Malfoy, Slytherin house!"

Daly gave a slow nod, "Well Mr. Malfoy, this is your first warning. Any more disruptions or disrespect will result in points being deducted. And the same goes for the rest of you, one warning and then points deduction. As for your father… Well… let's just say, I can be very… persuasive. In fact, he and the Board approved of my request to make this subject mandatory. Not to worry though, I shall distribute the books whenever you all have your first lectures with me. Thank you for your patience."

After she sat down, there was a buzz in the Great Hall as everyone discussed the radical curriculum change. By then, the food had arrived and everyone was tucking in. Harry simply mumbled to himself as he ate, "Well… I did not see that coming."

Hermione speared a potato with her fork, "What do you mean, Harry? And what did you mean by 'an anagram'?"

The demigod glanced around him, but only Ron and Hermione were paying attention to him. He dipped a finger in some leftover gravy and wrote 'Cathee Daly' and then below the name, he wrote, 'Lady Hecate'.

Their jaws dropped, and Harry quickly wiped his plate before anyone could notice. Ron whispered, "Why would the Goddess of Magic herself be teaching Mug-Mortal Studies."

Harry shrugged, "Not a clue, mate. She must have a reason though. But she is right in saying that the Wizarding World has no idea how much the mortals have progressed."

Finally, the four houses split up to head to their respective dorms.

The next day, the four of them headed for their first lesson of the day, Herbology. As they walked, they noticed Professor Sprout looking unusually surly. They suspected that part of it was because her arms were wrapped in bandages. Another reason, in Harry's mind, was that Gilderoy Lockhart was pestering her.

He beamed at the gathered students, "Oh, hello there! I've just been showing Professor Sprout the right way to doctor a Whomping Willow. Of course, don't go thinking that I'm better at Herbology than the good professor. It's just that I often come across several exotic plants on my travels."

The woman grumpily directed them to greenhouse three. Naturally, this piqued everyone's interest, as rumour had it that this greenhouse was known for housing interesting and dangerous plants. Just as Harry was about to enter, a hand seized him by the back of his robes. The boy spun around, ready to defend himself, only to see Lockhart's grinning visage in front of him.

He said, "Harry, Harry, Harry… I've wanted to meet you for some time. Can't believe that I missed you in Diagon Alley when I had my book signing. We would have made the front page."

All the while, Harry was squirming away and eventually wrenched himself away. He slipped into the greenhouse while Lockhart continued monologuing, not realising that he was talking to himself. A relieved Professor Sprout handed him a pair of earmuffs and he slotted in between his two friends.

The squat witch announced, "Today, we will be repotting Mandrakes. Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?"

Like clockwork, Hermione's hand shot up immediately. She recited verbatim, "Mandrake or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative. It is used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed, to their original state."

Sprout nodded in her direction, "Excellent, Ten points to Gryffindor. The Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes. However, it is also dangerous. Who can tell me why?"

Hermione's hand shot up again, but Harry beat her to the punch, and Sprout called on him, "It is believed that the cry of a fully mature Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it. However, juvenile Mandrake cries are less fatal, but they can still incapacitate a person."

She smiled, "Well done! Another 10 points to Gryffindor. Now, please put on your earmuffs and make sure that they are completely covered. I shall let you know when to remove them."

Harry complied, as did the rest of the class, which comprised of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. They watched as Sprout rolled up the sleeves of her robes, and approached a row of deep trays filled with several tufty little plants that were purple and green in colour. She then yanked it hard to reveal a small, muddy and ugly baby-like plant. There were leaves growing on top of its head and had pale green, mottled skin. The baby was also bawling away, and Harry was thanking his lucky stars that he wore his earmuffs.

The Herbology professor grabbed a large pot, dumped the baby plant in it and buried it in compost. The burial continued until only the tuft of leaves was visible. Finally, she removed her earmuffs, and the class copied her actions. Sprout lectured, "As our Mandrakes are only seedlings, as Mr. Potter said, their cries are less fatal. But they can incapacitate you for a while. Now, four to a tray and there are plenty of pots and compost. A word of warning though, stay clear of the Venomous Tentacula, it is currently teething."

With a mischievous grin, Harry muttered in Hermione's ear, "Can I make a hentai joke."

The unamused girl smacked him on the shoulder. A Hufflepuff boy next to Harry snickered slightly, "Good one, mate. Didn't know you were an anime fan. I'm Justin Finch-Fletchley."

Just then, Sprout divided everyone into groups of four. Harry found himself with Justin, Parvati Patil and Susan Bones. As they worked with their earmuffs on, Harry casually used sign language to reply to Justin's earlier question, "I like anime. First movie I ever watched was Akira."

To Harry's delight, Justin signed back, "Always wanted to watch it, but never really had the chance. Before I came to Hogwarts, my name was down for Eton. Some of my mates were trying to convince me to start watching."

Harry potted another Mandrake and signed back, "Did your mates also teach you sign language?"

He replied, "Nah, my granddad is deaf, so my family and I learned sign language to communicate with him. Anyway, that Lockhart fellow is something, isn't he? Awfully brave chap. You read his books? I'd have died of fear if I'd been cornered in a telephone booth by a werewolf. But he stayed cool, and Zap! – just fantastic!"

Harry signed, "I learned about it because I know someone in my foster family who is deaf. Also, about Lockhart, I did read his books, but some of the things weren't adding up. Bloke must have a lousy editor, because some of the dates and times of a few events are clashing. I mean, how can you be in two-three places at once?"

Justin replied, "Probably the editor's fault for not cross-checking, I guess."

All along, Susan and Parvati were a little lost on the conversation. When the class ended, the two girls caught up to Harry. Susan asked, "Hey Harry, what was with all those wild gestures?"

He replied, "Sign language. Obviously, we can't exactly hear ourselves with the earmuffs on. So Finch-Fletchley and I were talking in sign language. His grandfather is deaf and one of my foster sisters is also deaf. So we learned to communicate in sign language. If you want, Justin and I can teach you."

She grinned, "That'll be great!"

Following a quick wash, the Gryffindors found themselves in Transfiguration class. Between the four friends, Ron struggled the most. Harry observed that his wand was more tattered than usual and had some Spellotape on it. Harry thanked his lucky stars that he used his time at camp to revise and teach Mackenzie. Obviously, Hermione had the easiest time and was Transfiguring beetles to buttons, as if she had been doing it her whole life. Neville was doing decently, now that he had his own wand.

Ron was cursing his wand under his breath, but Harry could hear him. He murmured, "Why don't you ask your folks to buy you another one. I think you told me once, that the wand was your brother Charlie's?"

Ron shuddered, "Hell no! I'll probably get a Howler from Mum blaming me for buggering up the wand."

At lunch time, Harry noticed Hermione consulting her schedule, "What's next?"

"Defence Against the Dark Arts", came the automatic reply.

Then he noticed something unusual about her schedule. Harry gazed at her with a teasing smirk on his face, "Umm… Hermione? Have you outlined all of Lockhart's lessons in little hearts?"

He sniggered as she snatched her schedule and stuffed it in her backpack, blushing beet red. As they crossed the courtyard, a mousy-haired boy, who Harry recognised as Colin Creevey scampered up to him. The boy had been awkwardly staring at him for a while, but Mackenzie was usually on hand to distract him. Now, he stood in front of the trio, shuffling nervously, "Hey, umm Harry. I-I'm Colin Creevey and I've seen you in the Common Room a few times because I'm a Gryffindor too and-"

Harry chuckled, "Whoa there motor mouth! Calm down! I'm not THAT scary, am I?"

He flushed a little and Harry placed an arm around his shoulder, "Come on, let's find somewhere a little private. These walls have ears."

He gently steered the Gryffindor away and inside the castle. Then he folded his arms and looked at the boy expectantly, "So… how can I help you?"

Colin stammered, "Do you… Do you think I could take a picture? I just want to prove that I met you. I mean I know all about how you survived when You-Know-Who tried to kill you and how you are celebrated for it!"

Slightly behind Harry, Ron and Hermione winced, knowing how much of a sore subject it was. Harry himself stiffened slightly and then sighed, "Colin… I'm going to be very frank with you. I normally don't like being reminded of the attack. Sure, I did manage to defeat him somehow. However, it also means that I grew up without my parents. So while the Wizarding world sees this as they day I stopped a mad man, I see it as the day I became an orphan. Look, I'll let you take a picture, but that's all, deal?"

The boy was no longer acting like an excited puppy, "Sorry, I never thought about it that way, Harry. Are you sure about the picture?"

Harry smiled and ruffled his hair, "Oh course! Think of it as a memento. I'm not signing it though. One celebrity is more than enough."

A delighted Colin snapped a picture and scurried away with a broad smile on his face.

Fifteen minutes later, they were in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. Harry took his seat near the back of the class and Ron slid in next to him and Hermione on the other side. The redhead quipped, "Man! That could have been a lot worse. I'm just glad Ginny got out of her fangirl phase. Otherwise, the two of them would have started a fan club."

Harry loosely began twirling his wand, "You know, Ron? The jackalope threat is still very much active."

He got the hint and paled, "Okay… shutting up now."

Hermione spoke up on his other side, "What is this thing with jackalopes, anyway?"

"Whenever mother comes across any disrespectful males, she would turn them into jackalopes. If those males ever harmed a girl, either physically or sexually, my sisters had free reign to hunt them down and kill them."

Ron muttered, "Bloody hell!"

Hermione sniffed, "Well… those pigs deserve it."

The rest of the class filed in and took their seats and Lockhart came in with a flourish. He calmly plucked Neville's copy of Travels with Trolls and held it open to show his winking portrait.

He pointed and winked as well, "Me! Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award. But I don't talk about that, much. After all, I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her."

Every girl, including Hermione, tittered, and Harry himself smirked. He was slowly amassing his arsenal to tease her with. Lockhart continued, "Well done for buying the complete set of my books. I thought we'd start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about. It's just to check if you have read them."

He handed out test papers and returned to the front of the class. Lockhart announced, "You have thirty minutes! Your time starts now!"

Harry looked down at his question paper and almost burst out laughing right there. He had a good look at the paper and committed it to memory. The demigod definitely planned to share the memory with Annabeth and have a good laugh.

Suddenly, a truly wicked idea came to his mind. He took up his quill and began writing his name and his answers in Ancient Greek. Eventually, half an hour ticked by and Lockhart collected the papers and rifled through them.

He frowned, "Tut, tut, tut. Hardly any of you remembered that my favourite colour is lilac. It's there in Year with the Yeti. Also in chapter twelve of Wanderings with Werewolves, my ideal birthday gift is harmony between all magic and non-magic people. Though I would be foolish to turn down a large bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhisky. Also, some one has written their name and the answers in gibberish. I can't make head or tail of it. However, Miss Hermione Granger knew that my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair-care products! Full marks! Where is Miss Granger?"

A giddy Hermione raised a trembling hand, "Excellent! Ten points to Gryffindor! Now - to business!"

He went to one corner of the classroom, where there was a covered cage. He carried it back gingerly and spoke, "Now, it is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizard-kind! You may find yourself facing your worst fears in this room. However, no harm will befall you while I am around!"

Having had a close encounter with Tartarus, he very much doubted Lockhart's words. Nevertheless, he leaned forward as Lockhart placed a hand on the cover.

With bated breath, everyone waited, until the DADA professor whipped off the cover with a flourish. He announced, "Behold! Freshly caught Cornish Pixies!"

Seamus left out a guffaw, but Harry slowly lowered his left arm and let his wand shoot out from its holster. He quickly transferred it to his right hand and prepared for the worst. Seamus then claimed that the electric blue, eight-inch tall pixies did not look dangerous. Harry muttered under his breath, "I though the same thing until a chihuahua turned into the fricking Chimera."

Lockhart loudly announced, "Right then! Let's see what you make of them!"

With that, he opened the cage and chaos ensued. All pixies scattered and began either harassing the students or trashing the classroom. As children ran helter-skelter, screaming, Lockhart hollered, "Come on now! Round them up! Round them up! They're only pixies!"

Then he rolled up his sleeved and bellowed, "Peskipiksi Pesternomi!"

Unfortunately, there was no effect at all, and it only resulted in a random pixie yanking his wand away and chucking it out of a window. Lockhart stood frozen for a few second and booked it out of the classroom. He hollered as he ran, "Can some of you take care of it, please!"

A few pixies tried to divebomb Harry, but he promptly tapped his holster with his wand and chanted, "Mutatio!"

On cue, his holster turned into a Celestial Bronze shield with the emblem of a crescent moon and bow and arrow crossing it. The pixies that went for him slammed into the shield and he batted them away. Harry hollered, "Ron! Hermione! Get behind me! Use your wands to snipe the pixies!"

The two stopped cowering and sprang into action. As he stunned a pixie, Ron roared, "Can you believe him! He just bailed out on us just like that!"

An exasperated Hermione snapped, "He didn't! He just wanted to give us some hands-on experience."

Harry groused, "Hands on!? Hermione, this bloke doesn't have a clue of what he's doing!"

He dropped his voice to a whisper, "I've seen children of Aphrodite who are more competent than him. And I'm not talking about Silena."

She continued to defend the man, "You've read his books! Look at all those amazing things he's done!"