I do not own Harry Potter, only any OC that may or may not appear, in my stories.

Hello guys, Badger here. Back again. New chapter for another story. After being on an impromptu hiatus for a couple months, due to University, I'm slowly but surely getting back into writing new chapters for my stories. With plans for three more stories, which I hope to publish the first chapters of soon. If you wish to know more details of these stories, or have a story idea you would like to request, feel free to PM me.

Anyway. I'm glad to be updating this story in particular. Even though it's only got three chapters, including this one, and the audience for this story isn't high, currently, this story is one of those that diverges massively from HP's canon and I can't wait for some of the big twists that will happen in this story. But that is all for now, read on, enjoy and I will see you at the end.

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Chapter 3

Nothing To Fear, And A Small History Lesson

A seven-year-old, Harry Potter was wandering around the many corridors of Hogwarts Castle. He was starting to panic slightly, as he was almost certain that he was completely lost. As it was the end of term and the students went home for the holidays, Harry thought it was safe to go for a walk around the castle and explore a little bit more. However, his mind must've been elsewhere, as he found himself in a part of the castle, he wasn't familiar with and now, he was completely lost. Every corridor Harry went down, looked like all the other corridors. He was starting to get scared, as he frantic made his way down another corridor, looking around wildly, to find something he recognised. He just wanted to go back to his room. Tears started to fall down his face, as he became more and more frantic.

"Harry, are you okay?" A familiar voice called out, behind him

Harry quickly turned around, to see Professor McGonagall making her way towards him. The Transfiguration Professor had a look of concern on her face, noting the tears running down his cheeks. Upon seeing McGonagall, Harry quickly ran to her and immediately wrapped his arms around her legs, hugging her tightly, feeling happy and relieved to see her. Seeing the son of her two favourite Hogwarts students, and a young boy she has loved, as if he was part one of her own for the past few years, cry into her robes, made McGonagall's heart melt. Kneeling down slowly, McGonagall carefully picked him up, holding him close to her, as she hugged him tenderly, his tears beginning to stop.

"It's okay Harry, you're okay now…" She said, soothingly "How come you're all the way, up here?"

"I…I was exploring…" Harry sniffed, wiping his eyes "And I…got lost…"

"Well I'm here now, you're safe" McGonagall said gently, before she came up with an idea "How about I take you back to my classroom and I'll transfigure some different animals for you?"

McGonagall couldn't help but smile, at the excited look that appeared on Harry's face. The young boy loved animals and he always enjoyed seeing McGonagall and the other Hogwarts Professors performing magic, so McGonagall would always combine the two, and transfigure different animals, for Harry's entertainment. Holding Harry, gently, in her arms, McGonagall held him close, as they made their way out of the never-ending corridors and towards the Transfiguration classroom.

…

Harry rubbed his eyes, as he was woken up by the soft call of birds, outside his window, much to his annoyance. Sitting up, it took a few seconds for Harry to remember that he was inside his new bedroom. The Ravenclaw Prefects weren't that happy that Harry was living separately from the rest of Ravenclaw House. That was, until Professor Flitwick had explained things to them, though not everything. As Harry started dressed, he smiled softly, from his dream. McGonagall had always been stern, but gentle with him, as he was growing up. Whilst he got on well with the other female professors, like Professor Sprout, Vector and, to some extent, even Trelawney, he only felt a connection with McGonagall. If Dumbledore has been his father figure, over the last ten years, then he felt like it was safe to say McGonagall was his mother figure. After getting dressed into a fresh pair of Ravenclaw robes, Harry left his room, the door closing behind him, as he made his way down to the Great Hall. As it was still early in the morning, the Great Hall was mainly empty, with most students still asleep in their dorms. Most of the students that were awake in the Great Hall, were Ravenclaws, not helping trying to debunk the stereotype Ravenclaw House is known for. Rolling his eyes slightly, Harry took a seat at the Ravenclaw table, piling some bacon, eggs and plenty of hash browns on his plate, before digging in. It wasn't long until the Weasley Twins, Fred and George, sat down opposite him, after seeing him enter the Great Hall.

"Good morning, Harry" Fred greeted, with a bright smile on his face, as he tipped an imaginary fedora

"We're surprised to see you up" George continued "It's still pretty early"

"I've always been an early riser" Harry shrugged in response "Besides why are you two up, so early?"

Harry always enjoyed the Twins' company. They cheerful nature always kept the mood lighthearted and they always knew how to break the tension, if there was any. Harry didn't remember when, exactly, he actually met the Twins and started talking to them, though he believed that, most likely, he met them shortly after being introduced to Ginny.

Fred and George looked at one another, for a few seconds, as if they were having a silent conversation, before looking around to make sure that no one was eavesdropping. Happy to see that no one seemed to be listening in on their conversation, George removed a leather notebook from his robe pocket. Opening it, they presented the content within the pages to Harry, both of them sporting the same, large, mischievous grin, that Harry was all too familiar by this point. A grin that always left a shiver down his spine, as the Twins were very unpredictable, at times.

"Planning" They said in unison "We've come up with a bunch of ideas"

"Decoy Detonators, to cause a distraction" Fred said

"Canary Creams, that turn the eater into a canary" George added

"Fever Fudge, to give the consumer a high fever"

"Puking Pastilles, self-explanatory"

"Instant Darkness Powder, to make a quick and dramatic escape"

"And so much more" They finished in unison, with a big toothy grin

"Where, in the name of Merlin, do you two get the ideas for such things?" Harry asked, rolling his eyes, amused

"Great witches and wizards never tell their secrets Harry" Fred replied

"If that was true, then we won't have spell books, or a school for that matter" Harry said dryly, turning back to his breakfast

The Twins looked at one another, after that comment. Both of them had a surprised look on their face, looking as if Harry had told them about a world changing discovery. After a few moments, both of them chuckled, shaking their heads, in amusement.

"Well he's got us there Fred" George spoke up

"It seems he does brother of mine" Fred replied

Soon, the rest of the school began to arrive for the breakfast and the Great Hall became abuzz with conversation and laughter. As soon as the rest of their friend group arrived, they immediately made their way over to where Harry and the Twins were sitting, much to the surprise of nearby students, as they weren't aware they all knew each other, let alone the history between them. During breakfast, Professor Flitwick made his way down the Ravenclaw table, to hand out timetables to the Ravenclaw students. After handing Harry his timetable, he remained where he was, for a moment, to have a quick word with the boy.

"Mr Potter" Flitwick said "Professor Dumbledore, has asked for me to tell you that, he would like to see you in his office, after your lessons, today"

"May I ask why sir?" Harry asked

"I'm afraid I don't know, he wouldn't tell me, I was merely asked, to give you his summons" Flitwick replied, giving Harry a discreet wink, which caused Harry so smile, as he gave the Charms Professor a small nod

"So, what do you all have for your first lessons?" Fred asked

"Me, Harry, Aila and Susan have Transfiguration" Michael said, looking through his timetable

"You're lucky" Astoria spoke up, scoffing slightly "Slytherins and Gryffindors have History of Magic, first thing, this morning"

"Oh great" James said, sarcastically, whilst Neville and Ginny groaned, in annoyance "It's not like I have books about magic at home I can learn from instead"

"Believe me, it's worse then you think" Fred said "If Binns is still teaching the subject, then expect many to fall asleep…just be glad you get to drop the subject when you choose your electives for Third Year"

At that moment, Professor Dumbledore entered the Great Hall, acccompanied by the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, and a few Aurors. The presence of the Minister of Magic immediately drew people's attention, as Fudge made his way to the podium, in front of the whole school, taking a moment to look around the Great Hall, before he began to speak.

"Good morning, students of Hogwarts, I do apologise for interrupting your breakfast" Fudge said "Now, I would like to take a moment to say how happy the Ministry is, to see Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, safe and sound, as he starts his First Year, at Hogwarts…however, whilst this is a glorious moment, it does bring up news, that I would like to address to you all this morning…as I'm sure everyone here knows, the criminal Peter Pettigrew is still in hiding, after betraying the Potters to You-Know-Who and joining the Dark Lords ranks as a Death Eater…with Harry Potter now starting Hogwarts, it's possible Pettigrew may crawl out of whatever hiding spot he's in, but I would like to be the first to tell you all, you have nothing to fear…the Ministry is doing all they can to track down Pettigrew and once he's captured, he will face justice for his crimes…so don't be afraid, you are all safe here…thank you…"

Harry couldn't help but roll his eyes, in mild amusement as Fudge ended his announcement. Whilst the man had a rocky start after becoming Minister of Magic, he has proven to be one of the more competent Ministers the Ministry has had in a while. However, despite that competence, the man also had a thing for dramatics, which Harry couldn't help but find amusing. However, the Ministers announcement did leave a bad taste in Harry's mouth, upon mentioning the one name Harry hated more the Voldemort's.

Peter Pettigrew.

The man who was a friend of his parents. The man who took the cowards way out and joined Voldemort, ratting out the location of where his parents were hiding. If Harry ever came face to face with Pettigrew, he would love to give the coward a personal message about what Harry thinks about him. Like the coward that he was, after Voldemorts body was destroyed, Pettigrew ran away, hiding away somewhere, disappearing from the public eye entirely, despite many attempts to find him. Pettigrew wasn't the only one who disappeared either. When Dumbledore told Harry everything about what happened to his parents, he also told him about his Godfather, Sirius Black and his, nonbiological, Uncle, Remus Lupin. According to Dumbledore, the two had also seemingly disappeared, vanishing into thin air, around the same time as Pettigrew and, thus far, any and all attempts to find them had failed. Most believed the two, to be dead, but Dumbledore didn't think so. And neither did Harry. Harry hoped that, one day, Dumbledore will find the two and they can be part of Harry's life again.

After telling Harry where they've been all this time, of course.

…

After breakfast, and the Ministers announcement, Harry walked into the Transfiguration classroom, alongside Michael, Susan and Aila. As they were fairly early, the classroom was empty, besides a small cat that sat, incredibly still, on the desk. As they sat down at some desks on the front, Harry mouthed 'hello professor', causing the cat to slightly bow down, as if nodding to him and almost seemed to smile at him. As they sat at their desks, Harry couldn't help but look around the room. He had always enjoyed being in here. There was always a strange, yet calming aura that seemed to fill the air. It was almost soothing in a way:

…

Harry was ten years old. He was sat inside the Transfiguration classroom, a book on Transfiguration in his hands, watching McGonagall turn animals into inanimate objects. They were the only ones in the room, as McGonagall had a free period where she wasn't teaching, so Harry was safe from being seen for the time being. Harry watched with fascination, as McGonagall waved her wand over the parrot, turning it into an elegant wine glass. No matter how many times Harry saw it, it always amazed him. Each and every time. Harry looked down at the book in his hands, looking at all the text and sketches, before looking back up to see McGonagall turn another animal into a bronze goblet, effortlessly.

"It seems so much more complicated in the book" Harry commented, looking back at the text, looking at all the big words that were written

"Trust me Harry, it may seem easy, but it can be just as complicated as the written text" McGonagall smiled gently "For me, it is simple and easy to grasp, as I have had years of practice and experience, but for a student, such a subject could take years, possibly even decades to master"

"My dad was great at Transfiguration" Harry said softly, before looking back up at her "Do you think I will be as good as he was?"

McGonagall smiled softly, at the look on Harry's face. James Potter was extraordinary at Transfiguration. McGonagall considered him to be a master at the subject and she often took great delight in saying so. After he graduated, James had considered taking a Masters in Transfiguration and McGonagall told him she would take him as an Apprentice if he chose to do so. Of course, he died before he could. McGonagall placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, as she crouched down, so they were eye to eye.

"I think you will be great" She said, reassuringly "I have no doubts, but remember, it's okay to not be great at some things, everyone is different, however, sometimes we're tested ,not to show our weaknesses, but to discover our strengths"

Harry couldn't help but smile up at her, before looking back down at the text book, reading through the passages, imagining himself preforming the spells.

…

"Harry!" Michael said, shaking him violently

Harry jumped slightly, shaking his head to get rid of the cobwebs. He didn't realise he had zoned out, reminiscing about his times in the Transfiguration Classroom. He pinched the bridge of his nose, before looking to Michael, who was looking at him a little worried, whilst the rest of the students started making their way into the classroom.

"Are you okay there Harry?" Michael asked "You seemed to be spaced out there for a moment"

"Sorry, I was thinking about something" Harry replied, scratching the back of his neck

"Must've been something good" Michael shook his head, slightly amused "I've been calling your name for about five minutes"

Harry gave him a sheepish smile, as he turned to face the front of the class, as the last few students sat down in their seats. After a few moments, as soon as the final student sat down at their chosen desk, the cat jumped off of the desk, morphing into McGonagall, before her feet landed on the ground. Harry couldn't help but smile at everyone's surprised faces. He hoped he could learn to become an Animagus one day. McGonagall looked around the classroom, almost smiling at the students' reactions. She always enjoyed seeing peoples first reactions to her Animagus ability. With a wave of her wand, a bunch of match sticks appeared in front of each and every student, as she addressed the room.

"Transfiguration is one of the most complex aspects of magic" She said, in a stern tone, waving her wand at a blackboard, where a wand movement and incantation appeared in white chalk "An aspect of magic that can, possibly, take decades for even a skilled witch or wizard to master…even simple spells can have disastrous side effects should they go wrong…if you have read the textbooks for this year, you will know the spell you will be practicing today…a simple spell, every first year is taught for their first lesson, Par Acus, otherwise known as the match-to-needle spell…the wand movement is on the blackboard, behind me, House Points will be awarded to those who are able to turn their match into a needle"

As McGonagall made her way around the room, monitoring everyone, Harry removed his wand, feeling the same warmth of magic he felt inside Ollivander's. After practicing the wand movement, looking at the blackboard as he did so, he pointed the tip of his wand at the match, before uttering the incantation with the movements. He felt a strange tingling feeling spread through his body, as the match lifted itself, about an inch off of the table, and it seemed to be warping. Harry felt the wand vibrate slightly in his hand, so he narrowed his eyes, trying to picture a needle in his mind and watched, as the match slowly, but surely turned into a needle. It wasn't perfect, the tip was blunt and it seemed a bit wonky, but Harry was happy with the result.

"Well done Mr Potter, a good first attempt" McGonagall said, before turning the needle back into a match "Take 10 points to Ravenclaw and try again, practice makes perfect"

Harry smiled, as he turned back to his match. The rest of Transfiguration flew by and Harry and co soon found himself heading to their next lesson. Michael was complaining that McGonagall had given them an essay on their first day, causing Harry rolled his eyes, knowing that, despite the complaints, his fellow Ravenclaw would probably have the whole thing finished, by the end of lunch.

…

Dumbledore was sat at his desk. It was getting late, nearly reaching curfew, and he had a letter in his hands. An owl had delivered it not too long and he was currently reading through the contents. He couldn't help but smile at what he read. He looked up, when he heard a knock on the door and called for the person to enter, as he placed the letter in a draw.

"Ah, Harry" He smiled, gesturing to a chair, as Harry entered "I'm glad to see you remembered to come here"

"I always remember" Harry replied, as he sat down

"Of course, you do" Dumbledore said "So Harry, how was your first, official, day at Hogwarts?"

"It was incredible" Harry beamed "I mean, I know the professors here have taught me a few things before, but it felt great actually doing magic!"

"I'm glad" Dumbledore smiled, before he turned serious "Tell me Harry, how did your wand feel, when using it?"

"It felt…strange" Harry replied, a bit confused at the question "Whenever I hold it, it feels warm and comforting in my hand, and when using a spell, I feel like some strange tingle through my body…it's a nice feeling but, still strange"

"I thought so" Dumbledore nodded, making Harry raise an eyebrow "Tell me Harry, do you know the 'Tale of the Three Brothers'?"

Harry had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at that question. Of course he knew the Tale of the Three Brothers. It was his favourite fairy tale after all: Death being mad at three brothers for making it across his perilous river, used his cunning to trick them, by giving them whatever they desired. The oldest brother, asking for a wand, more powerful then any other. The second oldest brother, asking for a stone that can be used to communicate with the dead. The youngest brother, asking for a cloak, which he can use, to hide from his enemies, and Death itself. In the end, each brother met their end, through murder, suicide or, the in the case of the youngest brother, old age, greeting death as if he was an old friend, after spending decades, using the cloak to hide from Death himself.

Harry always felt like there was something poetic, within the story.

"Yes, it's my favourite fairy tale" Harry nodded "Why do you ask?"

"Because it's not just a fairy tale Harry" Dumbledore replied "I'm sure you remember the wand, a wand Death created for the first brother…a wand more powerful than any other, the Elder Wand…a long time ago, an old friend of mine, a friend who became an enemy, Gellert Grindelwald, managed to find the wand and, as you've probably read in stories and biographies, done terrible things and tried going to war against the Muggles…we fought and I was able to win the wand from him, however it didn't respond well to me, so I gave it Ollivander for safe keeping…it remained in his shop ever since…until you entered his store"

"Wait…are you saying my wands the…Elder Wand?" Harry asked "Why…why would it answer to me?"

"Remember what Ollivander said Harry?" Dumbledore replied "A wand like that can only be wielded by a powerful witch or wizard…or a witch or wizard who has the potential to become so…I imagine, the wand senses the potential in you, and can see you becoming a powerful wizard one day…like I can"

"Do you think I will be powerful enough to beat him?" Harry asked

Dumbledore knew who Harry was talking about. Voldemort. Dumbledore knew he could never hide the boys true destiny, or the prophecy from him, so, when Harry was old enough, the ancient Headmaster had told Harry everything, and how only Harry could be the one to destroy Voldemort for good, whenever he returned. Dumbledore couldn't lie to the boy, nor keep it a secret from him. Harry deserved to know.

"Yes Harry, I do" Dumbledore smiled gently "One day, when the time comes, I believe you will be powerful enough to defeat him…which brings me to what I also wanted to talk to you about…I'm sure you noticed that you have free periods on Tuesdays and Thursdays…well, during those periods, I want you trained in all aspects of magic, so you are ready for when that day arrives"

"Really?" Harry perked up "You'll be training me?"

"Yes, me and a few others will teach you, different aspects of magic" Dumbledore nodded "Training you, so you will become strong enough to fight Voldemort, when the time comes…just don't tell anyone about this, besides your friends, do you understand?"

"Yes, yes I do" Harry nodded eagerly

"Good" Dumbledore smiled "Now off you go, it's almost curfew"

Harry nodded and made his way to the exit. However, he stopped as he opened the door. He stood there for a few moments, before turning around to face Dumbledore, once more, a question bubbling in the back of his mind. A question he had to ask.

"Dad" He said, getting Dumbledore's attention once more "If what you said is true, about the Elder Wand…where is the Cloak of Invisibility and Resurrection Stone?"

"Ah, I believe I know the possible location of the Cloak, though I can't be sure until my sources are proven true, but as for the Stone, your guess is as good as mine" Dumbledore replied, before raising an eyebrow, giving Harry a look that was a mix of suspicion and curiosity "Why do you ask Harry?"

"No reason…was just curious" Harry said, before leaving the office

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes for a moment, before shaking his head, turning back to the papers, that were on his desk. He'd need to check up on the Third Floor soon and make sure the defences are being set. After the recent break in, at Gringotts confirmed Dumbledore's suspicions that Voldemort knew about the Philosopher's Stone, and was actively searching for it, it was only a matter of time, until Voldemort learnt that it now resides within the walls of Hogwarts. Dumbledore was glad he had the Stone transferred out of Gringotts when he did, otherwise it would possibly be within the Dark Lords possession by now. For now, though, all Dumbledore could do, was set up the necessary defences, for when Voldemort, inevitably learns of its location. And hopefully, Harry will stay away from it all.

At least until he was ready to fight.

…

And that is Chapter 3 finished, what did you guys think?

I hope you enjoyed it, after being on hiatus for several months, but I think this chapter is pretty good. Long to, stretching over 4000 words. That may not seem like a lot to some of you, but for me, writing 4000 words for a chapter is a lot, but recently, I've been trying to write longer chapters for my stories, as a way to continue improving my writing skill.

Anyway. This chapter was a lot of fun to write, and I hope you enjoyed reading it, as much as I enjoyed writing it. Again, if you have any questions, feel free to let me know in the reviews and if you have a story idea, you would like to request, feel free to let me know. I do take requests. But that is all for now. I hope you enjoyed and I hope to see you, next time, in whatever story I see you in.

Badger Out

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