Apologies for the delay in posting. Had rescheduled my half day off to Monday instead of Wednesday because of some family outing. Was only able to finish the chapter now.

Finally, it was time for the very first mandatory Mortal Studies class. Unlike other classes, which fielded two houses, this class had all four houses together. As they took their places, Hermione mused, "I wonder what Professor Daly will cover in this class. I can't wait to read her books!"

Meanwhile, Harry admitted, "Also, I'm curious about why she's come to teach us. I know from Annabeth that sometimes Athena would often come to the mortal world for guest lectures. But why did Lady Hecate come all of a sudden?"

Eventually, all other Second-Years began trickling in. This also included a surly-looking Draco Malfoy, who was whining, "I still don't get why we're taking this useless class. Those Muggles are nothing but simpletons!"

Harry stopped Hermione from retorting and whispered, "Let him be. He's in for a rude shock when the class actually begins."

Two minutes later, Lady Hecate walked in, and the class instantly paid attention. Ron could instantly tell that she was a goddess because she oozed magical power. Additionally, he and Hermione had been in the presence of all the gods and felt their aura. Admittedly, hers was less powerful, but from what Harry had told them, Hecate was a minor goddess, and there was only one of her.

The goddess pulled out her wand, acacia with the tail hair of a polecat. With a casual wave, she magicked two piles of book stacked on the table. She explained, "Students, take a book from each pile. Today, we will be comparing the previous text and my own book."

Harry, Ron, Neville and Hermione dutifully picked up a copy of 'Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles' and 'A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding Mortals', respectively. Hecate talked about the first book and topics it covered, like Radio, plumbing, light bulbs, rotary phones, rubber ducks, transport, hairspray, toasters, roller skates and cars.

Harry could just about see the disgusted look on her face as she read about each topic and how the book mentioned that they were the latest inventions of muggles. When she finished, she slammed the book shut and thundered, "Absolute tripe! This is worse than I thought."

She spun on her heel and wrote down several words on the blackboard. Hecate wrote, Everyday Life, Politics, Business, Sports, Finance, Foreign Affairs, History, Geography, Science, Mathematics, Technology, Medicine and Entertainment. Then, Hecate conjured up a magical projector and began teaching. The first thing she spoke about was about the home life of mortals. According to her, wizarding and non-magical households were almost the same, except for the magic aspect. She talked about everyday appliances like stoves, vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, washing machines and more.

Then she spoke about mobile phones, something that really confused the likes of Ron and several Purebloods. Hecate explained that telephones were still in use, but in 1984, mobile phones were invented. This gave people the power to walk anywhere and communicate with anyone without being restricted to the length of a rotary phone's cord. Next, she spoke about the British Parliament and even the Monarchy. In terms of business, she briefly explained about investing in as simple terms as possible.

In the sports section, she explained that while the wizarding world only had Quidditch, Quodpot and broomstick racing, the mortal world was more diverse. There was cricket, football, tennis, rugby, motor racing, baseball, American football, basketball, and so many varieties of sports. Before she could get to History, the bell rang, and there was an audible groan of disappointment. Hecate smiled, "Not to worry, students. We can pick this up next time."

After the class dispersed, Harry stayed behind, with his three friends hanging out by the entrance. Professor Daly glanced at him, "Mr. Potter? Anything you'd like to share?"

He approached her, "Forgive my forwardness, but I think we can drop the pretences, Lady Hecate."

She paused, "Ahh… Well, I wasn't particularly inspired when I came up with my alias. Anyway, I am guessing that you wish to know why I chose to come and teach, all of a sudden?"

"Yes, My Lady. I was a little curious."

She steepled her fingers together and looked him in the eye, "It is largely to do with the events that transpired last month. Lord Zeus may be content with ignoring it, but I am not. The other Titans are slowly beginning to rise, and monsters are stirring. A few demigods have also begun to join their side, as you know. I even heard whispers that some agents of the Titan Lord have begun to approach the minor gods. In all honesty, I wish to stay neutral, because this is not my fight. This might also sound cowardly, but in times like these, some agents will be forceful, so I am essentially hiding. Of course, at the same time, I wish to prepare the wizarding world, should this community be inadvertently dragged into the conflict. For that, I need your help, Mr. Potter."

He nodded and thumped his chest, "You can count on me, Lady Hecate. For the record, I do not think that your actions were cowardly."

The rest of the day went by and Harry went about the day very robotically. A few weeks in, he was steadily in a routine.

One night though, just before he could crash into his bed, Oliver Wood poked his head into the Second-Year dorm room. He called out, "Hey Potter! We have Quidditch practice tomorrow at 5 in the morning. Don't be late. That Quidditch Cup's not going anywhere this year, not on my watch."

An exhausted and pyjama-clad Harry shot him a weak thumbs up and mashed his head into his pillow, succumbing to his slumber. Sure enough, at five o'clock, Wood was there shaking him awake. The older boy was rambling, "Come on Potter. We need to get a head start to defend our crown! None of the other teams have begun practicing yet, so we need to be the first ones out of the blocks."

Finally, he was fully dressed in his Quidditch robes, wearing his rings and wand holster. He padded silently down the stairs and snuck out, before making his way to the changing rooms where the rest of the team was gathered, and they were just as exhausted. The twins were bleary-eyed, Alicia was nodding off, while Angelina and Katie were stifling yawns.

Wood immediately launched into a long-winded explanation about Quidditch tactics. Minutes passed and Harry's ADHD was going ballistic. Angelina and Alicia were already dozing off on the twins' shoulders. Meanwhile, Katie was helping distract Harry and keeping his ADHD in check.

Finally, at around 6 o'clock, the team finally flew out on their brooms. As he practiced some moves, he spotted Ron, Neville and Hermione in the stands. He flew over and hovered close to them, "Hey guys! You're right on time! We just started!"

Ron was incredulous, "You just started?! You were up at bloody 5AM!"

Harry shot his captain a nasty look, "Blame Oliver. He took flipping forever to explain the tactics and everyone was too sleepy to even pay attention. Give me Murphy McNully any day."

Just then, he heard an odd clicking sound and spotted Colin Creevey in one of the highest seats, frantically taking photographs. Fred flew over, "Oi Harrykins! Who's that bloke with the camera?"

"Colin Creevey, he's a Firstie."

Oliver flew over, "What's going on? Is he a Slytherin spy? Have they tasked him to take photos of our tactics?"

Harry shook his head, "Nah, he's in our house and he's just a mite excitable. Since he's a Muggle-born, this is all new and exciting for him. Besides, the Slytherins don't need a spy, cause I see them approaching the stadium. We better wrap this up quickly."

Wood was incensed, "Unbelievable! I booked the field for today! Come on! Let's straighten this it."

The team quickly wrapped up and landed, just as the Slytherins entered the stadium. Wood hollered, "What's going on? This is our practice time! You lot can wait!"

An unusually grumpy Marcus Flint aggressively tossed him a note and replied, "Got a specially signed note from Professor Snape. Read it yourself!"

Wood read out, "'I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field, owing to the need to train their new seeker and captain.' Wait… Who's the new Seeker and new Captain?"

Flint and five other boys shifted, and a seventh, smaller boy emerged, with a cocky smirk all over his pale pointy face. It was none other than Draco Malfoy, who drawled, "You're looking at the Seeker, Captain, and soon-to-be Quidditch Cup champion, peasant."

Fred noted, "Aren't you Lucius Malfoy's son?"

Harry noted that Crabbe and Goyle were beaters, replacing Lucian Bole and Erika Rath, "And where's Rath and Bole? They're Third-Years, aren't they?"

Malfoy sneered, "My team, my rules. Where they are, is none of your business! Also, funny you should mention my father…"

The seven Slytherins held out seven highly polished brooms, brand new handles and seven sets of fine gold lettering, spelling, 'Nimbus Two Thousand and One'. Malfoy bragged, "The very latest model! Only came out last month and I believe it outstrips the old Two Thousand series. Oh it gets better! It sweeps the board with the old Cleansweeps!"

Harry ignored the taunting, though Wood was growling a little. Then both groups spotted Ron, Neville and Hermione rushing towards them. Ron hollered, "Oi! What's Malfoy doing here?"

Malfoy smugly said, "Watch it Weasley… You're looking at the new Slytherin Seeker and Captain! Everyone's just admiring the brooms my father bought our team. Might as well raffle off those old Cleansweep Fives. Maybe a museum would bid for them, if you're lucky."

Harry subtly took off his rings and began preparing for the inevitable fight. Hermione primly shot back at Malfoy, "At least no one in the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in. They got in on pure talent!"

Malfoy's smug grin was wiped and he sneered at her, "I don't recall asking for your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood."

That response triggered a huge uproar, and Harry used the din to chant, Mutatio! This transformed his rings into his bow and quiver full of enhanced arrows.

The twins nearly lunged at Malfoy, Alicia shrieked, "How dare you!". Ron pulled out his wand, but Harry was faster. The next thing anyone knew, there was a *POW* and Malfoy was sent flying a couple of feet, clutching a smarting nose. Something clattered on the ground a few feet away and Angelina blurted, "I-Is that a boxing glove arrow?"

They turned to Harry, who was clutching a drawn bow, and had another boxing glove arrow ready to fly. He snarled at Malfoy, "Don't. You. Ever. Say. That. Word. Ever. Again. You racist piece of vroma!"

He then looked at the others staring at him in surprise. Harry asked, "What? I'm a fan of Green Arrow."

Katie quickly summoned the fallen arrow back, with her wand. She clicked a small knot on the shaft and the glove folded in on itself, turning back into a regular arrow, and she stuffed it back in Harry's quiver. The demigod relaxed his stance and put his remaining arrow back. With a Finite Incantatem he turned the weapons back into rings and slipped them back on again. He wrapped an arm around a sobbing Hermione and began to lead her away. He called after the other Gryffindors, "Come on guys, we're done here! They can have the pitch if they want it."

The large group stumbled back to the castle. Along the way, they came across a fuming Erika Rath, who walked up to them. Obviously, they were a bit wary, but Harry manned up and asked, "Rath… Can we help you with something?"

Ron was about to angrily warn him against talking to the Snakes, but a glare from Harry's green and silver eyes silenced him. She coolly replied, "I take it you met the team? Good… I want you all to crush them. When Malfoy bumped me off, he declared that no girls were going to sully HIS team."

Wood and the team were taken aback. Alicia queried, "You do realise that you are going against your own house, right?"

Rath snapped, "I don't give a shite. Flint was furious when Malfoy forcefully usurped him as captain. Then he dumped Bole and I off the team and replaced us with his bookends. I want you all to make him eat humble pie. That'll teach him to drop me. You know, as well as I do, that I was easily the best player in the team last year. Unfortunately, Malfoy has a lot of power in the Slytherin Common Room. I want him utterly humiliated."

With that, she walked away and the stunned Gryffindors returned to the Common Room. By then, many others were up and about. Lavender spotted them, "Hey, is everything okay? Why is she crying?"

Harry growled, "Had an encounter with the Slytherin Quidditch team while we were practicing. Malfoy's the new Seeker and the captain. Turns out, he bought his way in by gifting the team Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones. Hermione told him that none of us bought our way in and got in on pure talent. The wanker called her a Mudblood."

The whole Common Room gasped and was in an uproar. Lavender and Parvati wrapped the distraught girl in hugs and let her cry. Harry suddenly had a thought and called out to Wood.

The team gathered in a small corner for a small meeting. George growled, "We're going to batter them. We're doing this for Hermione. No one calls her that and gets away with it. Good shot by the way, Harry."

Harry himself mused, "I think Rath's right. I might have been imagining things, but Flint looked pretty mad on the pitch, and I suspect it's about losing the captaincy to Malfoy. I also have a feeling that we have a chance when we face them. Oliver, she's right, Rath was easily their best player last year. Bole was pretty alright, as well. I'm no Seer, but I have a strong feeling that Malfoy's decision is going to bite them in the arse. Let's make them really pay for it."

A few minutes later, the portrait opened and McGonagall entered. She looked around, before spotting him, "Mr. Potter. May I have a word, please?"

Harry followed her out of the portrait, to see Professor Snape waiting as well. McGonagall fixed him with a stern look, "Mr. Malfoy recently complained to his Head of House, saying that you viciously assaulted him in an unprovoked attack. Before I pass any judgement, Professor Snape and I wanted to know your version of events."

He nodded, "Professor, my friends and the Quidditch team were also witnesses for this incident. Also, may I know Malfoy's version of the confrontation?"

McGonagall called the team, as well as Ron and Neville. Hermione was still being consoled by her roommates. Snape spoke up, "According to Mr. Malfoy, he and the team arrived for practice earlier today. Then, you viciously assaulted him with a series of punches and broke his nose. The attack was completely unprovoked, according to him."

The Gryffindors looked mad at the barefaced lie, but Harry kept his cool. He said, "Professors, as per our testimony, yes there was a confrontation, but it was mostly verbal. Words were exchanged and Hermione Granger's parting shot was, 'At least no one on Gryffindor had to buy their way in. They got in on pure talent'. Then, Malfoy said, and I quote, 'I don't recall asking for your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood'."

At that, McGonagall was outraged, and even Snape looked like he had been force fed a handful of Dumbledore's Lemon Drops. Harry continued, "Our team reacted strongly to the slur. For my role in the confrontation, I confess that I transfigured a pair of rings on my person into a bow and quiver. Then I shot Mr. Malfoy in the face with just one boxing glove arrow. I think you will find that my fellow classmates will corroborate my story. I am also willing to submit a memory of the event, if a Pensieve is available."

Both Heads of House paused and looked at the other Gryffindors, and they nodded. Snape said, "It seems, Mr. Malfoy has conveniently omitted his role as instigator. He will be summarily taken to task. However, you still assaulted a student, Mr. Potter. I leave it in Minerva's hands to mete out any punishment. If I recall correctly Professor Daly has reported hearing that slur being carelessly flung around in the halls."

He turned to McGonagall, "I think it would be wise to take her up on her offer to cast a Taboo charm that detects whenever a student uses a foul slur like that. According to her, that charm will automatically name the offender publicly and deduct points from their house."

He turned and walked away, with his black robes billowing. After he left, McGonagall's stern look faded. She said, "In light of what happened, I applaud your restraint. That said, you will still have to face a detention and 10 points from Gryffindor for fighting. You will be serving detention with Professor Lockhart at eight o'clock sharp."

Harry groaned, "Fine… Let's get this over with."

As the day dragged on, the Gryffindor Second-Years acted as a single unit. When they walked to each class, they all closed ranks, surrounding Hermione. Things even got to a head when they reached the dungeons for Potions with Slytherin. Malfoy swaggered over to begin taunting, but soon found several wands aimed at him. For once, he decided to do the smart thing and backed off.

Finally, with five minutes to eight o'clock, Harry begrudgingly trudged to the DADA office. He knocked, and the door instantly flew open, revealing a beaming Lockhart. He cheerily said, "Ah, here's the little scalawag! Come in, Harry! Come in!"

Reluctantly, Harry entered the office and took in the sight. The walls were lit up by several candles and they all illuminated countless framed photographs of Lockhart himself. Some of them were even signed, while a whole pile lay on his desk. Harry secretly wondered if Narcissus had somehow torn himself away from his reflection and had a son with some lucky lady.

The professor gestured to the pile, "You can address the envelopes! This first one is to Gladys Gudgeon, bless her – a huge fan of mine. Now, this next one-"

Harry let him drone on and on, while he robotically worked. Suddenly, a raspy voice hissed, "Who dares awaken me! Come! Let me rip you… let me tear you… kill you!"

Harry nearly jumped and looked around frantically. Lockhart continued yammering on without noticing anything amiss. Finally, Harry decided that his torture had gone on long enough. He called out, "Professor?"

Lockhart stopped, "What is it? Oh Great Scott! Look at the time! We've been here nearly four hours! Very well, you may go Harry. Remember though, us celebrities must always revel in the limelight."

Harry coolly shot back, "Actually sir, I've learned that there are two kinds of celebrities. Those like yourself, who work hard to be well-known. And those who try hard to not be recognised and prefer their privacy. I'd like to believe that I fall in the latter category."

Lockhart paused, "Fair enough, young Potter. However, there is nothing wrong with embracing your fame. Though be warned that fame is a fickle friend."

Harry got up and gave a small bow to the professor, "Thank you sir."

Then he bolted back to the Gryffindor Common Room. He met up with Ron, Hermione and Neville. The three gathered around him and he recounted the voice that he heard. Ron asked, "Lockhart didn't hear it?"

Harry shrugged, "Didn't ask. Bloke was too busy yammering about all the fans who wrote him those letters."

Hermione quipped, "Harry, hearing voices isn't a good sign."

However, Neville had a different take, "You think you heard some animal? From what you said, it was sleeping and was rudely woken up. Obviously it's going to be a little mad at being woken up."

Soon, they all split up to go to bed.

Before long, October arrived and brought with it a damp chill. Several students were rushed in to treat a spate of colds. Ginny Weasley looked particularly pale, and was strong-armed into taking some potions, by her older brother, Percy. The month passed quickly and it was soon Halloween. Once again, Harry woke up on that day, a little subdued. After half a day's worth of classes, in the evening, he was hanging out with Susan, Hannah and Justin in the Great Hall, when he heard a familiar voice call his name. He looked up and spotted Bianca and Nico di Angelo standing next to Dumbledore. Harry had been corresponding with the siblings every week, since Hogwarts began. He had managed to explain the concept of the Greek Gods and revealed that they were the children of Hades. Bianca was initially sceptical but later accepted it. Nico on the other hand went on an excited babble about Mythomagic.

Harry said a quick goodbye to the Hufflepuffs and jogged up to the two demigods, "Hey, what are you two doing here?"

Nico said, "Your uncle Sirius asked us to fetch you. Said that he was planning to make a tradition out of this. He and your uncle Remus are waiting outside the castle."

Just as they were leaving, Nearly Headless Nick came floating by. He stopped in front of the siblings and bowed, "My lord… my lady… I am Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington, the resident ghost of Gryffindor House. I must say, it is an honour to meet you two. Would you please do me the honour of attending my five hundredth Death Day party? I am sure that many of my fellow ghosts would love to meet the children of our lord."

The two smiled politely and Bianca said, "We would be delighted. If you wish, we could possibly take you to our father, one of these days. For now though, we're just taking Harry with us."

When Harry spotted Sirius and Remus, he observed that Sirius was decked in some smart-looking robes. He asked, "Hey uncle Sirius? What's with the new robes?"

He grinned, "Well… You're looking at a newly re-instated Auror! They are basically the wizarding policemen. I used to be one during the first war, but got stripped off it during my arrest and incarceration. Now, I re-applied and got re-instated into the force, last week. Now come on! Time's a-wasting!"

Once again, the three of them Apparated to Godric's Hollow and headed for the graveyard. Meanwhile, Nico and Bianca went with Sir Nicholas for his Death Day party. This time around, Harry spent nearly an hour over there. By the time they returned, it was night time and Sirius walked with Harry into the castle. He said, "Come on kiddo, let's just see if there's something left over from the feast."

However, their path was soon blocked by a crowd of students on the second floor. Sirius called over the din, "Here! What's going on?! Why have you blocked the path?"

That was when the crowd parted, to see Mrs. Norris hanging by her tail from the torch bracket. Nearby on the wall, there were foot-high words painted, reading, "THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE."

A familiar voice crowed gleefully, "Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

Right on cue, a voice reverberated through the entire castle, "80 points from Slytherin! Reason: Draco Malfoy using a foul slur."

Just then, Argus Filch came storming over, "What's going on here? What's going on?"

His eyes fell on Mrs. Norris and fell back, clutching his face in horror. He wailed, "My cat! My cat! What happened to Mrs. Norris?"

Filch spotted Sirius, "You did something, didn't you?! You Marauders made my life a living hell, and you, Black! You were the worst one! Now you've gone and murdered my cat! I'll kill you! I'll-"

Sirius snapped back, "Filch! Remus and I only just got here with Harry! Also, I may have been a prankster, but I'm not so stupid and petty to go after your damn cat! Now stand back and let me investigate! This is Auror business now."

By then, Dumbledore arrived, with McGonagall and several other teachers in tow. They cleared the students away, but Sirius insisted that Harry stay with him. Ron, Hermione and Neville also stayed back because they were the first on the scene. Dumbledore spotted Sirius and noted his robes, "Sirius… What do you think?"

Lockhart cheerfully commented, "My office is nearest, Headmaster. Just pop upstairs and feel free to use it. It was definitely a curse that killed her. If I had to guess, it's the Transmogrifian Torture. I've seen it used many times, and I know the very counter curse that would have saved her-"

Sirius snapped, "Gilderoy, do you mind? I can't hear myself think! Besides, you're not an Auror. Now kindly leave us before I arrest you for interfering in an investigation."

Sirius then looked at Harry, who knelt down to inspect the cat. Harry examined it, placing two fingers on the cat's neck, feeling for a pulse. Then, he whispered to Sirius, "Definitely not a gorgon. Jackson killed Medusa, and last I heard, her sisters were dead. Also, I think Mrs. Norris is still alive. I checked her pulse and her heart's still beating."

Sirius took out his wand and waved it over the still cat's form. He wrote down something on a piece of parchment and frowned. Then he smiled and said aloud, "It's alright. She is alive, but only petrified."

Dumbledore nodded, "If I'm not mistaken, there is a potion that can revive her. Maybe we can pop into some Apothecaries-"

Sirius interrupted, "Yeah… About that, it's not exactly the season for Mandrakes, right now. As far as I'm aware, many of the Mandrakes are mostly babies."

Dumbledore stroked his beard in thought, "Very well then. I suppose we will have to wait until the Mandrakes mature."

Just then, Snape drawled, "What I'd like to know is, where was Potter? I did not see him at the feast."

Sirius glared at him, but prevented himself from snapping. He growled, "For the record, Severus. Harry was not in the castle at all. We were all in Godric's Hollow. So do 'excuse' him for not wanting to celebrate the day that a mad man murdered his parents."

Snape flinched very slightly, before composing himself. In the meantime, Sirius ignored him and took out a cotton swab. He approached the painted message and took a small sample of paint, before dropping it in a test tube. He nodded at Dumbledore, "I'll escort these Gryffindors back to their Common Room and get back to you with the analysis of this red paint."

As Sirius led the quartet back, he asked, "So I heard a loud voice deducting points from… Malfoy, was it? What was that all about? Not that I'm complaining. About time people were called out for using that word so brazenly and without consequence."

Hermione replied, "From what I was told, our Mortal Studies professor, Professor Daly, cast a charm declaring that slur, a taboo. Now anytime a student uses that word, points are deducted and the deductions increase with every usage of the word. As you can tell, the Slytherins used that word at least eight times. She also said that this resets at the end of the year."

Sirius grinned, "That's brilliant! This Professor Daly must be quite the clever one. Anyway, here we are, at Gryffindor tower!"

Neville asked, "How did you know where to go?"

He smirked, "I was a Gryffindor myself. I know I'm a Black, but I was the 'white sheep' of my family."

Sirius then bid farewell to the four students before leaving to collect Nico and Bianca from the Death Day party.