Chapter 1

Author's Note - Prelude: The inspiration for this story came from a scene in a story I can't remember the title of and the initial premise of "Harry Potter and the Unforgiveable Tournament" by questionablequotation. I decided to go a different route with this story. Harry won't be using an Unforgivable to solve the Trials/Events/Tasks of the Tournament.

The room fell silent, and Professor Moody slowly pivoted on his one good leg, leaning forward and bracing himself on his walking stick. "What was that?"

"You said that the Unforgiveables are an immediate life sentence. Is that only on people or is that on any living being?"

Moody eyed Harry for along moment, then shrugged, turning back to the board as he finished writing notes with a bespelled chalk. "Humans and sentient beings, the law is enforced. For example, you can't walk into Gringotts and use the Imperius on a goblin. I wouldn't recommend that anyway, if you're caught, you won't face Ministry justice. They'll cut your head off."

The grizzled man chuckled to himself at his own morbid version of a joke. "There is some leeway on non-sentient animals..." He turned back. "Thinking of using some of this in the Tournament, Potter?"

Harry opened his mouth but was not able to respond before the bell rang. He packed his notes into his bag and tried to ignore the hostile stares. The general disgust people had had with him since the selection had started to fade, but he wondered if he hadn't made a mistake in drawing attention to himself.

He waited until the room cleared, then slowly made his way out into the hallway, eying both directions carefully. The hallway was clear, so he stepped out, walking along the stone wall to give him a more limited field to defend. Some dark humor in him mused that the students' hatred of him was good practice for the Tournament.

His next class was marked with more of the same, wary glances and empty desks all around him. People would only sit with him in Potions now, though an empty table at the back was progressively getting cleaned and set up by various people finding and ordering parts to allow that person freedom from the pariah. Harry was growing more and more comfortable with the idea and thought about taking that table himself.

He was distracted in his Transfiguration period, now sitting in the back row, when the professor stopped by his desk. "Please see me after class, Potter." The cold tone made him shiver and he nodded, not responding aloud. She was already walking away anyway.

As the class departed, sneering openly at him or pretending he did not exist, Harry lifted his bag and walked forward, approaching her desk. "Yes, Professor?"

"Sit down." She drew her wand and waved it at the door, closing it. He sat and waited, watching her carefully as she sat, eying him like an oddity in the zoo. "I have heard a very disturbing rumor. Did you really ask about using the Unforgiveables?"

"I just wanted to understand the law better…."

"So, you did." She rose and paced behind her desk. "I have a dozen students asking for you to be removed from the House, but the accusation seemed so outlandish…" She stopped and leaned forward over the desk. "Do you have any idea what those spells represent to us? To our culture? To our way of life?"

"I…" His protest that he'd lost loved ones to them went incomplete as she continued, volume rising.

"Only the darkest of the dark use them willingly, Potter. You want to use them on animals? Don't the muggles talk about things that multiple murderers do? Do we need to take Hedwig from you for her safety?"

Harry's mouth slammed shut and he rocked back at the accusation. Finally, he softly spoke into the room. "I would never…"

"To think, your parents gave their lives to protect you. I can only imagine how they would feel. They were my friends, Potter. You're a disgrace to their memory. Get out of my sight before I just give you detention with Filch for the rest of the year…if I can't find a way to have you expelled and banished."

Harry sat for just a moment, then rose with his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. He walked to the door and paused at the door frame. "I thought it might be on the exam. I just didn't understand what he meant." With that, he slipped into the hall and slung his Invisibility Cloak over him, moving silently down the corridor. Some part of him took note of the footfalls running from the door, but he was beyond caring now.

Behind him, he heard her call his name, but he kept going. If she didn't address him directly, she could not give him the threatened detentions. She had to say the words to his face, he was almost certain. He certainly wasn't going to ask anyone.

"I told you."

"Yes, Ron, you told me." Hermione was staring at her textbook carefully, making notes of some items that she wanted to go over again. Exams were coming at the end of term, and she wanted to maintain her scores. She was getting tired of the red head, though. Why am I friends with him?

"Just said it. Can I use Unforgiveables against animals?" The tirade continued. Despite agreeing with him on many points, most of the Gryffindors were shying away from him. Privately, Hermione wanted to argue. He didn't actually say that, but I doubt you were thinking of anything but food and that blonde French witch you were drooling over.

Soon, the room fell completely silent as Potter entered and she glanced up. He was moving swiftly and not looking at anyone. For a moment, she considered that he wasn't talking to anyone, then looked around. No one was speaking to him. All eyed him with either disdain or, in the case of some of the first and second years, a little fear.

His presence was brief, though. After a moment, he was up the stairs to the dorm. She lifted her book again and considered it for a moment. She'd been a bit distant. Maybe he didn't put his name in that goblet. She wasn't sure if it mattered anymore. She'd turned her back on him and they weren't speaking anymore.

He turned his back on me for weeks over that broom. The thought had sprung up unbidden, not that it was an unusual thought lately. She'd first had it the night his name had come out of the Goblet. It's true though. Here we go again, he's done something stupid, and we have to deal with the consequences. It was odd that her first friend had fallen to the wayside so easily, but she'd made her own place here. Maybe I grew up and outgrew him. I certainly have outgrown Ron.

As though summoning the loud red head, she could suddenly hear him go again. "The great hero of Gryffindor graces our presence. What does Dark Lord Potter want of his minions?" There was actually some laughter, but she noted that no one else spoke.

Hermione watched as Harry simply walked by, impassive look on his face, exiting the tower at a steady pace. For a moment, she felt guilty about the jeers that were headed his way. It's like I was in school, used to it and ignoring it. She looked back to her book but couldn't focus on the text.

Author's Note: I've noticed that I tend to write stories where Harry is either isolated by circumstance or choice. I really think that you have to sometimes step back and reflect on your life without other distractions. Just don't spend too long there.

A few notes to avoid some of the things I saw in reviews. I will not be bashing Dumbledore. Like many people, I simply place him in the category of not omniscient. The others…I'll be kind and say that they're even further from omniscient.

I'll also not bash Ginny. That was specifically brought up. She's not really a big part of this story. Some others will be less well treated, but I don't intend to really hammer anyone like I did in the last story. Think of this less angry Harry and more resigned Harry.

Also, the scene I referred to from the story whose title escaped me was the conversation with McGonagall. In that piece, she also called him a disgrace and was called to task for it later. If anyone knows which one it is, I'll gladly credit the inspiration.