There was something different about Hermione, but he couldn't put his finger on it. They had just gotten back to the common room after dinner, and he hadn't noticed in the cacophony of the Great Hall, but…
"Hermione. I promise that I mean this in the nicest way possible. But what the hell is that?"
"What's what?"
Hermione was very bad at lying.
"The… erm… smidgen of powdered, um… What did you call it? Godly thrift store donations? Around your neck?"
"Oh. Yes. Right. That. I should have known that you could sense it."
She pulled him over to their normal armchairs by the fire and put up a bubble of condensed magic around them.
"It's a Time Turner. Professor McGonagall gave it to me so that I could take all of my electives."
Harry stared at her. So, this is what it felt like from the other side of the table. Huh.
"You… McGonagall gave you the ability to go back in time… in order to attend more classes?"
"Well yes, I really did want to take all of them, but the schedules were conflicting."
Harry stared some more. He definitely wasn't liking being on this side of the bonkers, reality-shattering revelations.
"And the solution to this unfortunate scheduling issue was… time travel?"
"Apparently there was already precedent, the standard forms were available from the ministry." Hermione at least had the decency to look embarrassed about it.
"That's the most insane thing that I have ever heard, and I routinely eat ancient artifacts."
"Twice does not make a routine. Well, you don't have to like it, and no I won't let you use, or eat, the Time Turner."
"From what I can sense, the fragment in the hourglass has long since been mastered, ground up into powder, experimented on and corrupted. It is definitely not safe for consumption. And I certainly don't want to use it, knowing my luck I'd end up destroying my own soul by deleting myself out of existence or something." Harry closed his eyes and leaned back into the familiar, comfy armchair.
"I'm glad that you can be sensible about this. I'm going to use this incredibly powerful and concerning artifact that may or may not break my understanding of causation and relativity to go to all of my classes, and then I'm going to give it back."
"I'm so glad that we're on the same page."
…
Harry skimmed over his new schedule for the year while Hermione made her coffee. He was mildly interested in some of the new courses, as well as excited to spend some extra time with Hagrid. He was a bit concerned about Hagrid teaching, but hopefully there wouldn't be any truly terrible disasters. Harry hadn't really looked at the sign-up sheet too hard last year, just signing up for Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, and Care of Magical Creatures to get the most time with Hermione. He hadn't known that signing up for all of them was an option, and probably wouldn't have anyway.
He wasn't crazy like that.
"Why didn't you consider divination? Given your whole connection to it and everything," Hermione asked as she sipped her coffee.
"Exactly because of that, honestly. Knowing the future cannot change it, because the knowing of it is part of the path that will lead to it. No matter how many times you go around the circle, knowing the future does not allow you to circumvent Fate. Only power allows you to be the master of your destiny, and I don't think I'll find it staring into a crystal ball."
"But it's still interesting!" Hermione insisted.
"Sure, if doing the mental equivalent of running in an existential hamster wheel is your jam."
"You're impossible."
"Not according to Fate!"
"Shut up, sir Pocket-Knife-of-the-Castle."
…
As they made their way down to Hagrid's hut for their first Care of Magical Creatures lesson, Harry already had a vague sense of approaching doom. It may have been the Dementors, but it was probably the entirely too excited look on Hagrid's face.
After explaining how to open their murderous textbooks, Hagrid cheerfully led them through the forest to a fenced in paddock. Harry determinedly ignored Malfoy, even though he could hear his snide voice wafting over the group like a whiff of soured milk. Harry was going to do his absolute best to avoid the poisonous blond this year. He had indulged in his rivalry a bit too much last year, and Hermione was right that it was getting to him. He had allowed Malfoy to occupy far too much of his time and attention.
Hagrid disappeared for a moment and then returned, leading some of the more interesting creatures that Harry had seen. They were the size of horses, with the heads, wings and front talons of an eagle, but the hind quarters of a horse. Their souls rang of open sky and glorious combat to Harry's magic, and he knew that these were proud and independent beasts.
Lucky for him, honestly. He could feel the Mark of Sacrifice trying to worm its way into them, but there wasn't a hint of Dark for it to latch onto. They were too proud to be subverted.
"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid called over the class. "Beautiful, aren' they?"
Hagrid briefly explained the hippogriff's temperament and the need to bow before approaching them. Harry could definitely see why.
"Right! Who wants ter go first?" Hagrid asked.
Harry sighed. Everyone else, save for Hermione, was made of soft, squishy meat and would probably cause issues for Hagrid if the beasts slashed open their guts. Harry raised his voice. "I'll give it a go!" he said, trying to put the right amount of false enthusiasm into his voice.
"Good man, Harry!" Hagrid said as Harry hopped the fence into the enclosure.
"Harry, this is Buckbeak. Now, as yeh approach, keep eye contact and try not ter blink too much. Once you get a bit closer, bow and wait to see if he bows back."
Harry nodded, also reaching out with his magic to try and brush against the beast's soul with soothing, complimentary waves. Harry tried to push through that he was impressed with the hippogriff, he appreciated its strength, he too longed to soar free in the open sky and to crush his enemies under his talons. Harry kept his eyes focused on the creature and bowed, respectful and solemn.
Buckbeak bowed back, a feeling of kinship radiating from the beast's great soul as Harry allowed his own to mingle with the beast's power. It certainly wasn't the same as Hedwig, but he could feel some of the hippogriff's feelings and instincts under the brilliant light of its powerful spark. He approached and stroked Buckbeak's feathers like Hedwig enjoyed.
"Well done, Harry! I reckon he might let yeh ride him now!"
Oh, hell yes.
Harry grinned widely. He saw Hermione roll her eyes out of the corner of his vision and chuckled to himself as he leapt onto Buckbeak's back, filling the connection between their souls with thoughts of glorious flight, freedom, and rushing wind beneath their great silver wings as they conquered the heavens. With a triumphant screech, the hippogriff reared and Harry whooped with excitement as the beast charged forward and took to the sky with a beat of wide, powerful wings.
This. Was. Awesome!
Harry gripped the hippogriff's feathers as they accelerated, huge sweeps of the beast's wings taking them higher and higher. His connection with Buckbeak deepened and they angled their wings to glide before diving, folding their great wings just right to catch the slipstream as they picked up speed. Their muscles ached with glorious tension as they flared their feathers and pulled up from the dive, looping and spiraling over the forest. They were made for the sky, made to ride the winds and claim dominion over all the land.
Harry blinked and returned to himself as he remembered the class of students below. As much as he wanted to fly for the rest of the class, he was probably already setting a bad example. With a nudge of his thoughts, Buckbeak returned to the clearing and landed heavily with a disgruntled snort.
"I'll come fly with you more later, friend." Harry said as the rest of the class cheered and he stroked the beast's feathers. Buckbeak gave an appreciative shake of his huge head while Harry hopped off of his back.
Emboldened by Harry's success, the rest of the class now approached the hippogriffs. Harry hung back and looked around, keeping one eye on Hermione as she bowed and scratched her hippogriff under the beak. She looked a bit nervous, but the power coursing under her skin removed most of the risk involved.
Unfortunately, Malfoy wasn't so lucky.
"You aren't dangerous at all, are you, you great, ugly brute?"
Dammit Draco.
Harry was very tempted to let the blond's guts get ripped out by Buckbeak, but he could already see the problems that Lucius would cause if his son was disemboweled on the first day of class. Harry sighed to himself. He had to follow his 'what would Hermione do?' policy, but he didn't have to like it.
With a twist of his power, he yanked Draco back while sending an approximate command to stand down to Buckbeak. The communication certainly wasn't perfect, but he was able to send the general idea that Malfoy was nothing, a pathetic bug that wasn't worth stepping on. The feeling came naturally to him.
The hippogriff's claws still missed Malfoy by inches. Luckily, Draco seemed too intent on scrabbling away from the creature to really think about what happened.
"Did you see that? The stupid beast attacked me!"
Hagrid rushed over to handle the situation, and Harry decided to let him deal with the blubbering blond now that there wasn't any risk of injury or death. Harry glanced back over at Hermione and saw her smiling happily back at him, and he knew that this time, at least, he had made the right call.
…
They filed into their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class of the year, and Harry was a bit anxious. He wasn't sure what to make of his father's former friend. So far, the professor had made no attempt to talk to him. It would be interesting to see how he taught the class, though.
Professor Lupin entered after everyone had already sat down. He wore patched, somewhat tattered robes and looked tired, bags drooping under his eyes and his face quite lined for someone as young as he apparently was. Nonetheless, his eyes were warm as he smiled kindly at the class.
"Good afternoon, everyone. Please pack all of your supplies into your bags, we will be having a practical lesson today. You will need only your wand."
Harry was definitely interested now. The class followed Professor Lupin as they made their way through the corridors. After a brief altercation with Peeves, they arrived at the staffroom. The only occupant was Snape, who glared at Lupin with unabashed loathing and left with a snide remark. Harry wondered if Snape also knew his father. That might explain a few things, if McGonagall's comment about him making easy enemies was to be believed.
After Snape left, Lupin turned to face the class. The wardrobe beside him wobbled ominously.
"What we have in here, everyone, is a Boggart."
Harry reached out with his magic and found the wayward piece of Dark within the cabinet. The Boggart seemed to be some kind of spirit, with a similar kind of hungry, rancid Dark to a Dementor, although much less in every way. He could feel it trying to taste their magic, get an idea for what scared them and how it could exploit it. This was going to be interesting. And potentially problematic.
Lupin finished his lecture and called on Neville to be the first to face the spirit.
"What would you say frightens you most in the whole world, Neville?"
Neville shot Harry a worried glance before answering, "I'm really not sure, professor."
Uh oh.
While Lupin walked through the process of imagining Augusta's signature outfit, Harry idly wondered if he was about to see himself wearing a dress and a stuffed vulture for a hat.
Neville braced himself before the wardrobe while the rest of the class backed away, and Lupin raised his wand.
"Ready? One, two, three!"
The wardrobe sprang open, and Harry immediately knew that this was a terrible idea.
He felt his Mark burn and react to the fragment of Dark within the spirit.
Harry watched as a mirror of his own face stepped out of the wardrobe.
The boggart's interpretation of Harry was definitely terrifying. His face twisted in a manic smile as his eyes and mark glowed with eldritch green light. His hair whipped in an invisible wind and a false, corrupted version of his power swirled around the spirit.
"Do you really think that you matter at all to me, Nev? You're just a convenient pet that I keep around for amusement. I'm sure that one day, I'll get bored and consume your soul. Isn't it nice, being alive at my convenience?"
This was definitely bad. Also, he should spend more time with Neville. Oops.
Neville stood frozen along with the rest of the class.
"But it's not my disapproval that you fear, is it Nev? You know what I am. You know what I could do if I decided that you pathetic mortals weren't worth my time anymore. You know what will happen if I ever lose my Ice Queen."
Both Neville and Harry paled further as the abomination continued.
"You are helpless against what I contain in my soul. You are nothing compared to me. You will be crushed underfoot as I ascend to the Pinnacle of Heaven!"
The spirit suddenly twisted and stared straight into Harry's eyes, its visage and body morphing until it formed the tall, skeletal form of Voldemort and its malevolent, raging red eyes burned into his own.
"Isn't that right, my Nemesis?"
With a roar and a blast of scorching emerald power, Harry lost control. Before he could stop himself, the Blade of the Castle pierced the scrap of Dark within the spirit and it let out a high, piercing laugh before it disappeared from existence.
Harry breathed heavily as he returned the sword to his soul, turning around to the shocked and terrified stares of the class, the horror on Lupin's face, and the tears running from Hermione's golden eyes.
Shit.
