and I quote "you shall not pass!"

After potkeying to the cottage Harry explained the situation to Sirius and his grandparents, after some discussion it was decided that they would only come for the tasks themselves and in disguise as they didn't trust the british ministry or Dumblebumble, and they could more easily be able to access resources if they didn't have to go through the red tape the ministry would put them through if they were to stay any length of time in the country, they would start to investigate what the tasks could be while Harry practiced his spells and his magic.

Harry began to explore Hogwarts due to having a lot of time on his hands after all the tasks would be at the end of November, February and June, so he had a lot of time. So far the castle was a disappointment, whereas Beauxbatons was an older looking castle on the outside the interior was close to modern mundane school building although lit by magic the walls were neat and smooth and well insulated, Hogwarts was drafty, damp, cold and shabby looking, it was impressive from the outside but up close not so much, like the academy the castle was overflowing with magic, but Beauxabtons was a fountain whereas Hogwarts was a leaky bucket, he headed to the first class of the day to observe, hopefully the standard of education was higher than the accommodation.

As he approached the classroom he tapped his head and vanished from sight, he thought his armor would probably be a distraction, Charms and Transfiguration were passable classes although the teachers were young they seemed to be making decent progress the lessons were a little stale but nothing too bad, care of magical creatures was one he had not started yet but it seemed quite interesting as the teacher a Professor Kettleburn taught about grindylows and how to fight them off, it was history of magic where the first problem arose.

Harry was slightly interested to see how a ghost would teach, would it differ from a living teacher in any way? how would he mark homework? or hand out tests? as he entered the classroom behind the students he spotted the ghost, a Professor Binns, floating in the middle of the room, he gave no reaction to the class at all he just floated there, Harry noticed some students changing their books into pillows and was puzzled until the ghost starts monologuing, it wasn't a lecture or a discussion the ghost just started giving an inaccurate account of several goblin wars, even the resident bookworm girl with large hair seemed almost catatonic, glancing over her shoulder he noticed she had already written down everything the ghost was saying and was going to say did this Binns simply repeat himself over and over?!

Harry waited after the sleepy class exited and attempted to speak to Binns but the ghost was utterly unaware of him, it didn't take long for Harry to get up close and look over the spirit closely. Normal ghosts were sort of alive but without a physical body, they could react and respond like any live person. Professor Binns was unresponsive and apparently repeated the same pattern over and over, he was obviously a ghost but unlike the others he was unaware and unresponsive. It was then the next class walked in and took their places and Binns repeated himself again, no change even when a late student came in making a lot of noise. Harry moved to the back of the class, took out his key, and summoned a book from his vault. The book was about types of spirits and how to identify them, he finally identified that Binns was not a ghost after he realized binns didn't leat a mist trail, Binns was a bound spirit. How no one had worked out Binns plight was beyond Harry, but the poor ghost had been locked into a cycle for a long time. It took Harry only an hour but he managed to track down one of the resident ghosts and asked for them all to come to the History of magic classroom as soon as they could.

"Hello Mr Potter," said the ghost of what looked to be a Friar, "why have you asked us to come?"

Harry pointed at Binns who was still floating there, "He needs our help, Cuthbert Binns is a bound spirit and has been trapped here long enough,"

To the shock of the other spirits the ghost known as the bloody baron came forward, "you have proof of this?" Harry held up the text for the ghost to read, "If this tome is correct then a grave injustice has been committed, and must be righted!"

Harry turns a few pages and describes a ritual that he and the ghosts can perform they all agree. A circle of ghosts forms around Binns each of the projecting their mist towards him, as he is enveloped by the mist harry speaks, "Cuthbert Binns Professor of History of Magic, I state to you that you are dead, your life ended long ago and you have been bound here against your will, receive the aid offered and depart your prison!"

Binns eyes focus as awareness came to him, and much to the surprise of everyone a pair of shadowy hands appear on his shoulders and turn him to face the shadow that has appeared,

Binns whispers, "yes, please, I am so tired," and the shadow glances at Harry and nods before leading Binns into nothingness, the other ghosts simply hang in the air asleep.

After freeing Binns Harry headed to the next class, Divination, he was quite looking forward to this class as the teacher was the granddaughter of Cassandra Trelawney who was a true seer and Harry had heard that Sybill was also gifted with sight, it started off as a normal class covering various methods of divining but as time crept past it became more and more obvious that far from inheriting her grandmother's abilities Sybill couldn't see much in the room let alone the future, when she started predicting the terrible deaths of various students in gruesome and gory ways Harry sagged and began letting his mind wander, it was then he noticed her, a young looking girl with pale silver eyes thing blonde hair and white skin, and she was staring directly at him when he cocked his head she smiled and looked back at the teacher. As the class filed out and he split off she actually followed him even though he was still disillusioned and as he slowed she spoke,

"Hello Harry Potter, or do you prefer Hardrian Evans? I'm Luna Lovegood," Harry opened his mouth, "no I can't see you," he tried again, "you forgot to silence yourself, I am very good at listening," Harry just blinked in confusion "It's ok to be confused I quite enjoy it, soon things will happen and reality will be reveled to you just don't forget to deal with pomp and circumstance before you deal with the important stuff," and with that she smiled and skipped off leaving him confused but he will definitely not forget this conversation.

After a night's sleep to clear his head from the utter madness wrapped in wondrous whimsy that was Luna Lovegood he attended herbology it was taught by a teacher he was familiar with, Mina had told him about Professor Sprout and the only reason she had not left was she loved her gardens too much to leave them and from his observations she was wasted at Hogwarts, he thought she would fit at Beauxbatons very well but wasn't arrogant enough to try to make her move, this was her home.

Arithmancy and Runes were of a high standard he had not expected, but his expectations were once again met when he went to potions.

Severus Snape was an experienced and highly competent Potions Master, but when it came to teaching the man was an incompetent buffoon, he pretty much wrote instructions on the board and then insult any student not in his own house, no safety instructions or equipment, no warning of what can happen if the mess up, nothing!

Harry was horrified when the snake house Slithing or something students began to throw ingredients into other students cauldrons, one melted, one overflowed and the last Harry had to banish it to a far corner where it exploded with such force it could have injured the student, and Snape blamed the victims!

Harry considered telling DumbleDork but rejected the idea because the old man would probably do nothing considering the class had gotten so bad already and also he didn't want to talk to the old goat, so he settled on carving a rune set into every cauldron that would repel anything thrown towards it, he then left instructions on how to repeat what he had done in each of the houses common rooms except the snakes, since it was a very low power rune set it could be written on paper and put next to the cauldron and the runes were very quick and easy even a first year could do it.

Finally after auditing the classes he decided to look for the kitchens as he wanted to check that the hogwarts elves were being treated well, it took him a few hours as he didn't want to cheat by calling an elf but finally he tickled that pear.

What he found inside wasn't a group of happy elves doing what they so loved to do, nor was it a group of frightened and abused elves, it was a somber mood where the elves diligently went about their work until one noticed him, the elf stopped in it's task and stared and soon others began to do the same until all but one were now silent the last one was apparently the head elf who looked around in confusion before spotting Harry, he quickly dashed up looking excited,

"W-Welcome kin of the creator, we is honored to have yous here, we mean no offence but please can creator kin help? they dying, we can do nothing as they will be banished if they leave the kitchen, please?"

Harry nodded and was brought to a secluded corner where five elves were led on beds, upon closer examination he realized it was four elves as the fifth had died, they were skin and bones and barely alive themselves, he turned to the head elf his face devoid of emotion,

"Explain"

"They's doing their duties, cleaning ,and preparing fires, they being picking up books and finding their bond severed, books contained socks, they warn us but they starving, can creator kin help?"

Harry turned to the elves and spoke in a clear voice, "I Harold James Evans order the four of you to bond with the magic of Hogwarts castle, you will perform your duties as before," at his command the elves rebonded with Hogwarts and began to relax as the magic flowed into them but Harry was not done yet, "I hereby alter the bond of all Hogwarts elves, only the headmaster and myself can now sever this bond, you are no longer compelled to follow any orders that would put yourselves or others at risk of harm, as I have spoken so mote it be!" as the bond altered to fit the words spoken by the highest authority for house elves he turned to the four, "who is responsible for this?"

Harry stood there for a while watching the group, it was after classes and before supper and this study group were pouring over notes, at the head of the group was a frizzy haired girl who seemed to enjoy correcting the others when the got something wrong, and would talk to them like they were idiots, she was defiantly intelligent but also arrogant and self righteous, he dropped the charm and became visible causing many of them to scurry away in alarm, she just stared at him in shock while he just stood there in full armor staring at her, after a few minutes he held out five books and dropped them before her followed by five single socks, he simply said "explain" and se went on a tirade about how enslaving the elves was wrong and they should be free and that wizards were abusing them ect. that the elves were brainwashed to think that this was making them happy, as she carried on the mundane borns looked confused but the half bloods and purebloods looked horrified, she then bragged that she had saved 5 so far,

"saved? is that what you think?" he glanced at one of the purebloods, "tell her,"

the girl nodded numbly, "Hermione, you didn't save those elves, they will die without a bond!" she quietly spoke in horror,

Frizzbrain as Harry had decided to call her shook her head, "that's just propaganda to keep them enslaved," she spouted arrogantly,

he snapped his fingers and the four stricken elves appeared being carried by four others, he glanced at them for permission and they nodded, he pulled something out of his pouch and dropped it in her lap, "oh look propaganda," he said venomously before walking out as she began to scream as she realised that in her lap was a dead elf, the first she had 'saved'.