Before Harry could react any further the great doors opened and the first years were marched in and he begrudgingly agreed to deal with Peeves later. As the sorting started Harry noticed that over on the Gryffindor table Ron and Neville seemed to be in a debate with Sir Nicholas, although he couldn't make out what they were saying.
Eventually the sorting ended and Dumbledore stood grandly "I have only two words to say to you all… Tuck in!"
"Here here!" Ron said loudly, drawing giggles from some of the students.
As they loaded up their plates Harry was disturbed by his magic giving a slight twitch and the air around him cooling. Focusing on the feeling, he turned to the empty seat beside him, to find the ghost of Helena Ravenclaw floating quietly.
"Good evening my lady." Harry greeted her quietly.
"My lord." She replied, dipping her head demurely "The ghost council wishes for you to attend our meeting tonight. Peeves has been causing problems, especially amongst the House Elves but the baron is reluctant to intervene on their behalf."
"I'll meet you all here an hour after the feast ends, we can talk then." Harry decided.
"Of course." Helena agreed, dipping her head once again before fading into nothingness. Now that she was gone, Harry could see the fifth year prefect in front of him silently staring, clearly stunned. Raising his eyebrows at the boy, Harry turned back to his meal before it could grow cold.
"What was that about?" Tonks asked curiously
"Oh, after the ghosts found out my mithril affects them, they've started seeing me as some sort of lord. It's quite annoying actually, since they often bring mundane matters to my attention, but occasionally they bring up something important." Harry explained
"Mad." Tonks muttered, shaking her head and returning to her own meal.
Once the feast was over, Dumbledore got to his feet, signalling for everyone to quieten down and listen.
"So, now that we are all fed and watered, I must once more ask for your attention." he began, before going on about the latest additions to Filch's prohibited items list. From the twitching of Dumbledore's mouth, it was clear he found the situation quite amusing. "As ever, I would like to remind you all that the forest on the grounds is out of bounds to students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to all below third year…"
"It is also my painful duty to inform you that the inter-house Quidditch cup will not take place this year." At once the hall exploded with varying degrees of complaints. Some, like the Weasley twins, seemed too shocked to talk at all, while others like Malfoy were loudly complaining to those around them. "This is due to an event that will begin in October and will continue throughout the school year, taking up most of the teachers time and energy."
As Dumbledore talked, Harry noticed the candles were slowly losing their light, while the large braziers along the edge of the hall dimmed. "But, I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely! I have great pleasure in announcing, that this year at Hogwarts-" Almost as if he had timed it, there was a deafening roar of thunder as the doors to the great hall banged open.
The only light left was the occasional flash of lightning and the few candles still lit were both hovering over the teacher's table or sat upon Dumbledore's podium. Despite this, Harry easily recognised the distinct form of Mad-Eye Moody. Several students audibly gasped when another fork of lightning temporarily illuminated his ruined face, magical eye whizzing around constantly before his features were once again hidden in shadow. In complete silence, he started walking down the length of the hall, fake leg 'clunking' every other step.
Seeing the shocked looks on his classmates, Harry felt a pang of pity for the auror. He knew what it felt like for everyone to stare at you, especially when the school believed he had been the heir of Slytherin. Upon reaching Dumbledore, the two shook hands as Dumbledore leaned forward to mutter a question to Moody. Upon receiving an equally muffled response the man directed Moody into the empty chair on his right hand side.
Even in Hogwarts, Moody still took the time to carefully inspect his meal, magical eye giving everything a careful glance. Having found the sausages safe, he reached into his overcoat and pulled out a set of gold plated cutlery. From a distance they could've been mistaken for solid gold, although Harry knew differently.
Having made the cutlery himself, he knew that they contained a mithril core, which would grow noticeably warm if they came into contact with anything poisonous. They would also magically return to Moody's pocket should they get too far away from him, although Harry knew the man kept a careful eye over them regardless. The gold coating restricted how useful the mithril could've been, but they gave the cutlery a huge resistance to foreign magic.
"May I introduce the new defence against the dark arts teacher- Professor Moody." Dumbledore announced cheerfully, as if he was unaware of the current mood within the hall. Only three people bothered to clap; Dumbledore, Hagrid and Tonks, who whooped loudly. She seemed immune to the numerous stares the student body was now sending her way, even Dumbledore's twinkling eyes didn't faze her.
"Thank you, Nyphadora." Dumbledore replied cheerfully. Beside him, Moody was indifferent to the silence as he reached into his coat once again and withdrew his mithril hip flask. Clearing his throat, Dumbledore once again drew the students back to him.
"As I was saying. We are to have the honour of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event which has not been held for over a century! It is my very great pleasure, to inform you that the Triwizard tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year!" Harry was impressed about how well the headmaster kept his own opinions out of his speech.
"You're joking!" One of the Weasley twins exclaimed, breaking the tension filling the hall and making several people laugh, including Dumbledore.
"I am not joking Mr. Weasley! Although, now you mention it, over the summer I did hear an excellent joke about a troll, a hag and a leprechaun who all walk into a bar-" Dumbledore began, only to be cut off by Mcgonagall coughing pointedly. "But perhaps that is not the time."
"When did he have the time to hear a joke? He was at home most of the time." Harry quietly wondered, only to turn and find Tonks trying not to laugh and avoiding eye contact. "You're a bad influence on him, Tonks." Harry muttered, poking her in the side where he knew she was ticklish.
"Where was I? Oh yes, the Triwizard tournament! Well, some of you will not know what this tournament involves, so I hope those that do know won't mind if I give a short explanation… and allow their attention to wander freely." Seeing as Dumbledore seemed to be roughly repeating the same explanation he had told Harry, he let the words wash over him.
"- And a thousand galleons personal prize money."
"I'm going for it!" The second Weasley twin hissed down his table, which easily carried over to the Ravenclaws. Despite being the most vocal, he was hardly alone in his sentiment, as whispers broke out over every table.
Dumbledore continued his speech, getting progressively louder in order to be heard over the muttering students. When he mentioned the age limit, Harry thought the Gryffindors were going to riot. "The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving in October and remaining with us for the greater part of this year. I know that you will all extend every courtesy to our foreign guests while they are with us, and will give your wholehearted support to the Hogwarts champion when he or she is selected."
Suddenly, it occurred to him that Fleur had said she would be at Hogwarts for the year when they had danced at the world cup, now he knew why. He had only sent one letter to Fleur after the match, saying that he was okay and hoping that she had gotten out okay. Her reply had confirmed that she and her family had gotten out, but that her grandmother was in a bad way.
After Dumbledore dismissed the students, Harry remained seated as he waited for the crowds to clear. Over on the Gryffindor table the Weasley twins were holding court, clearly angry about the age limit.
"I need to talk to Dumbledore quick." Harry told Luna and Tonks, before he stood up and made his way up to the teachers table.
"Ah, Harry! What can we do for you?" Dumbledore asked upon spotting him.
"The ghosts wanted to hold a meeting here in an hour and wanted me to attend, so I wanted to ask permission to use the hall."
"I see no problem with that, so long as you don't stay up too late, you wouldn't want to miss your lessons… I believe Argus will be here cleaning by then, but I'm sure he won't disturb you."
Knowing that the house elves were able to clean the hall with a snap of their fingers, Harry couldn't help thinking Dumbledore actually wanted Filch there as a spy.
"I'm sure the ghosts won't mind." Harry replied blithely.
Seeing as he was done, Harry turned to go before McGonagall called out to him "Potter, you have transfiguration first thing tomorrow… We'll be covering the basics of animate to in-animate and then in-animate to animate. I know you read ahead, so as long as you already know this I'll let you skip it due to exceptional events."
Concentrating vividly, Harry tapped his wand against McGonagall's copper goblet, turning it into a small crow. The bird's feathers had a slight copper tint, but other than that it was perfect. Giving a soft caw, the crow spread its wings and flew up into the rafters.
"Consider yourself excused from tomorrow's lesson." McGonagall told him proudly, watching as the crow settled on a beam and began preening itself. "Oh, and you can tell Ms. Tonks to go into the side chamber as I can activate the floo there."
After saying farewell to Tonks, who would begin preparing for her belated Auror exams, he and Luna made their way up to the Ravenclaw common room. He quickly went up to his dormitory and dumped his stuff down, before making his way back down and set off for the great hall.
Someone, presumably Dumbledore, had moved the house tables to the side of the hall. Even though he was early a few ghosts were already loitering within the hall, as well as Filch who was carefully monitoring several animated brooms. Mrs. Noris watching the brooms cautiously from on top of the tables, her tail swishing back and forth patiently.
"Good evening Mr. Filch."
"Huh? Oh, good evening lad." Filch replied grumpily.
Harry frowned at the reply "Did I do something to upset you?"
"Huh? Oh, no! Nah, your grand lad. It's Peeves, he's been causing problems all summer."
"What's he been doing?"
"All sorts, he dropped a very rare and valuable vanishing cabinet out of a second floor window, lined up the suits of armour on the grand staircase and knocked them over like dominos… even painted the entire Quidditch pitch bright pink."
"He was apparently throwing water balloons in the entrance hall when the students came in, then threw one with a rock in it at Luna…"
"That poltergeist also almost got the opening feast delayed for the first time in over two centuries." Somebody added from behind them. Turning, Harry recognised the ghost as Patrick Delaney-Podmore, the leader of the Headless Hunt.
"Quite, hence why we called for Lord Potter to attend this meeting." Nicholas said stiffly, floating up through the floor. During their conversation, the hall had filled with ghosts. Harry was fairly sure at least half the ghosts in the hall didn't even live near Hogwarts, but he guessed the ghost council meetings gave the ghosts a distraction from being dead.
With how many ghosts had gathered, the temperature within the hall had plummeted. Even Professor Binns had been dragged along, although given his expression his willingness to attend was up for debate. Seeing as Sir Nicholas looked ready to begin, Harry conjured chairs for both himself and Filch, then sat back to watch the show.
"As I believe we are all here, with the lord's permission I call this meeting to order." Nicholas announced pompously, banging a transparent gavel noiselessly. "What is the first item on the agenda?"
Scoffing, Patrick pushed his way to the front "You wrote the bloody thing Nick, you know fully well that the blighter known as Peeves is the whole reason we are here!"
"Sir Patrick has the floor." Nicholas proclaimed reluctantly.
"Peeves the poltergeist has terrorised this school since its inception. For too long we have been content to sit back and let him bask in his mischief, such that he now feels like he can spit in our faces and not get punished!" Patrick called passionately, his voice easily echoing throughout the hall.
"Live and let live I say! Peeves has gone so long without provoking our attention, he deserves another chance!" Friar Becker, more commonly known as the Fat Friar, argued.
"Poppycock! He has been given far too many 'second chances'! I say we banish him!" Another ghost retorted angrily, Harry recognised him as the ghost who haunted the guard room. "Do you know the damage he cast upon my precious armour! That armour saw me through many a battle, even in death she serves me well and protects this school, but now she's dented and scratched!"
"Enough." The bloody baron drawled, easily silencing the outbreak of bickering. "I agree that Peeves has been acting erratically, but I hardly see that as justification to send him to oblivion." A shiver spread through the ghosts upon the final word, which caused the atmospheric magic within the room to ripple.
"What does he mean?" Filch muttered, leaning towards Harry.
"Well, ghosts can't die, even when exorcised. The closest thing they have to what we would consider death is being sent to oblivion, but it isn't the same. When a living creature dies their soul leaves the body, often carried by their magic. Ghosts form when that magic panics and tries to tether their soul to the earth, but without a physical body to inhabit they become like this." Harry indicated the ghosts around them
"Well, when a ghost, or similar like Peeves, gets sent to oblivion, it means their soul and magic get forcefully separated. But a ghost's soul doesn't… actually it can't go anywhere, it just decays into nothingness. By choosing to stay as a ghost, you give up the option to experience whatever comes after death."
"Ghosts, scared of dying?"
"Sort of, but it's worse for them. There are ways to call back the soul of a dead witch or wizard, even if it's only a fraction of that soul, such as priori incantatem or necromancy. When a ghost 'dies', they can never be recalled. They are gone completely."
"Let us not forget it is not up to us if we send Peeves to oblivion." Helena pointed out, drawing their attention back to the now silenced argument.
"Which is why we brought Lord Potter here! He can banish Peeves when we decide he's guilty." The guardroom ghost replied arrogantly.
Seeing this as his cue, Harry stood abruptly as he snapped the gauntlet over his hand. At his rise, several ghosts backed away with something akin to fear.
"How funny, it almost sounded like you assumed I am here to simply cater to your whims." Harry said calmly, inwardly enjoying the terror radiating off the guardroom ghost.
"Of… of course not my lord… I misspoke." The ghost replied timidly, refusing to make eye contact.
"See that it doesn't happen again. Tell me, what's your name?"
"I am Captain Gilebertus Cadogan, my lord, grand protector of Hogwarts! In my life, I led the glorious knights of Hogwarts." The ghost replied proudly, puffing up his chest.
"I see, now get out of my sight."
Gulping, Cadogan started backing away, soon disappearing within the audience of ghosts.
"Now, it seems to me like you are simply reiterating the same arguments. However, my time is precious and I don't have time for this. So, you will divide into two groups, those that believe Peeves should be punished and those that believe he should be forgiven. You will then choose a spokesperson who will present a summary of your group's reasons. Myself, the baron and Sir Nicholas will then decide based on what we are presented."
It took a while for the ghosts to organise, but they were unwilling to anger Harry. After defeating the dementors, they were under the impression he could destroy them all at a moment's notice.
"My lord, my group has finished discussion and has elected myself as spokesperson for the forgive and forget party." Friar Becker eventually said as he split off from his group.
"Then speak, sway us with your words." Nicholas commanded.
"My lord, while Peeves may enjoy playing practical jokes, we understand he has been testing us. We believe that if we give him one final chance he will see the error of his ways, should he break this trust he will of course be punished."
At the friar's words the other party started arguing angrily, yelling over each other and making a deafening cacophony of echoing sound. That was until Harry held his gauntleted fist in the air and made a fist, at once every ghost shut up and eyed the gauntlet warily.
"And how are you planning on conveying to Peeves that he is on his last chance?"
"My… my lord?"
"Well, if you don't tell him he is on his last chance, then how is he supposed to know he has been judged? I don't see him here, so unless one of you goes to him and tells him surely he will just assume he has gotten away with his crimes without punishment?"
"We have never felt the need to do so in the past!… My lord." The friar retorted angrily, only to remember who he was talking to.
"And Peeves acts as if he has never been punished before. Quite a correlation I think you will agree. Now, what of the other party?"
"My lord I, Perseus Black, have been chosen to represent the banishment party. This past summer alone, Peeves has caused extensive property damage. His crimes include; Damaging a company of armour and statues, compromising the school's security. Graffiting the historic and sacred Quidditch pitch. Near irreparable damage to a vanishing cabinet, which was once Hogwarts primary evacuation option. Polluting several classrooms with enough dung bombs to poison several Hogwarts Elves, then releasing even more dung bombs within the kitchens when we refused to bend to his demands.
"For these crimes, along with a host of prior crimes, we demand nothing less than complete banishment! He must never be allowed to corrupt our hallowed halls again, never again can he be allowed to endanger the living, nor can he be permitted to risk the school's security!"
Cheers broke out from the banishment party, who clearly assumed they had won the debate given the jeers they sent to the opposite party. That was until the baron turned his gaze upon them and silenced them.
"What my fellow… esteemed spectres have not considered is that we cannot banish Peeves. Upon the creation of this great school, the founders feared threats of a paranormal persuasion. Their answer was to summon and contain a lower level spirit, then use it to detect and prevent threats that are far stronger. If we were to remove Peeves from the castle, then any malevolent spirit would be free to haunt the castle and do far more than simple property damage." The baron explained
"Do other magical buildings have similar protections? I have never heard of the ministry having a poltergeist." Harry asked
"The ministry has defences to discourage spirits. The ministry is also the base for professional spirit chasers and exorcists… so they don't really need an active prevention method." Myrtle said as she floated above the banishment group
"I see. But, just because we can't banish him doesn't mean Peeves can't be punished, right?"
"Of course. As long as Peeves remains within the grounds of Hogwarts and can exercise his powers." Helena confirmed. "My mother made sure of this when he was bound.
"Well then, let us bring him forth for his punishment." Harry said, holding up his hand and concentrating on Peeves. After considerable effort, Harry was able to pinpoint the poltergeist's location to the trophy room. Locking onto his signature, he began pulling Peeves towards him. After several seconds had passed with no visible reaction the ghosts started to shift nervously, until a great banging started to grow louder.
Eventually Peeves flew into the hall feet first, desperately trying to swim away without success. A slight twist of his wrist had Peeves spin around so that his throat landed within Harry's grip. The moment he had a hold of the poltergeist Harry formed a band of mithril around his neck before dropping him to the floor.
Immediately Peeves tried to phase through the floor, only for his new collar to block his escape, not to be defeated, Peeves turned and tried to fly through the still open doors. His attempt failed when his collar suddenly jerked backwards when it reached the end of its metaphysical tether.
"Peeves, do you know why you are here?" Harry asked vindictively, mentally drawing in the tether to bring Peeves even closer.
"Peeves be knowing nothing! Peeves was simply redecorating the trophy room when he was rudely dragged here."
"You are here, because we have decided you have reached the end of the line, Peeves. This past summer you endangered students, terrorised the house elves and even tried to sabotage Hogwarts defences." The baron said dangerously, causing Peeves to visibly wilt.
"What happened to forgive and forget?" Peeves whined, turning to stare at the friar hopefully.
"What happened was you attacked my friend." Harry replied coldly, pulling Peeves even closer to emphasise his point.
"I was just having a bit of fun! It's hardly my fault if the students can't handle a bit of water!"
"I don't care for your excuses. The baron has explained that we cannot banish you currently, although when the wards are upgraded I will ensure that changes. However, that doesn't mean you cannot be punished." As Harry talked, Peeves began to grow deathly pale, clawing at his collar desperately.
"I, Harry Potter, hereby sentence you to become a nonentity. You will be forced into intangibility and then locked into that state. You will be unable to interact with both objects and students, as well as being unable to talk unless you are addressed first. Any final words?"
"You won't keep me trapped forever Potter! I will break free, then I will make your life hell! I will take your friends one by one, until it is just me and you and then I will rip your heart from your body." Peeves screamed frantically, lunging for Harry only to crash into an invisible shield charm.
With barely a glance, Harry remotely accessed Peeves collar and made it intangible, while also casting a constant silencing charm. As the collar changed, Peeves was forced to follow suit until he was practically invisible. With one final glare, Peeves dived down into the floor and out of sight.
"Well, unless there was anything else, I'm going to bed."
For the first time in over a year, Harry returned to the Ravenclaw dormitories instead of his own private room. Dumbledore had convinced him to give the boy's one final chance, to forgive them for assuming he was the heir of Slytherin from both their second and beginning of their third year.
With a sigh, he collapsed onto his old bed and fell asleep almost immediately, only to open his eyes back in Tom Riddle's mansion. Upon his arrival, Tom raised his head from the table in surprise, yawning softly.
"I wasn't expecting you to show up, I had assumed you found a way to block me out."
"Well, it's a good thing you stayed up and waited." Harry replied sarcastically, as he sat down in an armchair. "Peeves has been causing problems and the ghosts thought I could help them out, so we held a ghost court and discussed his crimes." Harry revealed, trying to earn some good will from the boy.
"Interesting, I didn't see Peeves all that much when I was a student, especially once I figured out the Cruciatus Curse worked on Poltergeists. But, I didn't bring you here to discuss Peeves. As a sign of good faith, and to prove I haven't gone back on our truce, I wanted to confirm that I wasn't behind the attack on the campsite."
"Well, that was obvious. To start with, I suspect you were asleep throughout the entire day, given how much magic you must've spent activating that ritual… Also, if you had the forces to attack the campsite then you wouldn't be trying to stay on my good side."
"Actually, I was only asleep for half the day… But you are right, I was in no condition to conduct a riot. However, my older self also wasn't behind the attack, meaning it must've been rogue Death Eaters, or people imitating Death Eaters."
"How do you know?" Harry asked curiously, leaning forward within his chair.
"When my older self experiences moments of strong emotion, I get to experience whatever happened to set him off. The day before the riots, he was killing some Muggle that got too nosy. He specifically said it would be too dangerous to attack the world cup. Your name got mentioned by the way."
"Unsurprising, Voldemort seems obsessed with me. They say anything interesting?"
"Very little, all things considered. He seems to be interested in kidnapping you, probably in several months' time. He is also trying to get an agent into Hogwarts, I suspect he will get them in via the Beauxbatons or Durmstrang congregations."
"I'll keep that in mind… but why are you telling me this? Surely it would be in your best interest for Voldemort to succeed?"
"Actually… I've come to realise that as far as Voldemort is concerned, I'm a liability to his plans. Regardless of if I use my powers for good or evil, if Voldemort learns I exist then he won't stop until he captures me."
"So, you need me to finish him off, so that you can replace him?"
"Except, I have no chance to replace him, unless you happen to kill each other in the battle. I am honest enough to admit that in a fight I won't be able to defeat you. The only reason I planned on going evil was to allow me to play both sides of the coin so that I could rule. I'm considering trying to run for Minister of Magic, but I'm certain Dumbledore would try and stop me."
"Why do you even want to rule? Seems to me like trying to run Magical Britain would be a huge pain. One moment the public loves you, the next they suddenly hate you because a newspaper told them to."
"Mainly I just want to be high enough that nobody can order me around." Tom admitted, before launching into his speech "As for dealing with the public, that's simple, I just wouldn't give them a choice. Take away control from the newspapers, control the Wizengamot and you can stay in power for a very long time. With your help, we could cement my rule for as long as I lived. Between the two of us nobody would be strong enough to tell us otherwise!"
"Well, considering your future self is leading a terrorist organisation bent on wiping out Muggles and Muggleborns, you know like my mother, I can't really see myself supporting you politically."
"I don't hate Muggleborns, I personally just feel like Muggles are unworthy of raising magicals. Whether Voldemort believes in blood supremacy is another matter, I just recognised it would be easier to control the Purebloods if I appeared to share their beliefs. Particularly when you keep in mind it is only the Purebloods who have a say in what laws get passed."
"So what, if you became the minister of magic you would take Muggleborns from their families and raise them within the magical world?" Harry asked slowly, finding himself considering the offer seriously.
"Essentially. You and I were both raised by Muggles, Muggles who took delight in abusing us while simultaneously fearing us for being better than them. Even the Muggles that aren't abusive can't give the child the support they need, which is why every year dozens of Muggleborns board the Hogwarts Express with absolutely no knowledge of magic.
"Imagine, if we took in the Muggleborns upon their birth, there would be no true Muggleborns, only trueborn and adopted. Every child that boarded the train for Hogwarts would already know about our world, maybe even have some experience using magic. Memory charms can ensure the parents won't notice, especially if we replace the Muggleborns with Squibs."
"Squibs can be modified to let them use magic." Harry argued. "In practice, you would either need to obliviate entire hospitals every time a Muggleborn was born, or work out a deal with their Government where they willingly hand over their citizens…"
"The details can be worked out later. Regardless, I won't be able to become Minister for at least ten years, assuming I can forge a valid identity within the year. I can't use the magical names I am legitimately related to, like the Gaunts, without drawing Voldemort's attention…"
"I still haven't decided I'm supporting you… but I am willing to make you a deal. I am going to assume you have the same immortality as Voldemort?"
"As far as I can tell… although given recent developments I'm not sure I trust my own immortality." Tom replied hesitantly, unwilling to reveal too much.
"Well, how about this, given that we are both immortal, there's no need to rush into anything. In six years, when I turn 20, I will be expected to become the new Lord Potter. When this happens I will need to know my way around our government, as well as how to make political allies and gain power. You are in the perfect position to learn everything I will need to learn."
"So, I spend the next six years refining my knowledge of the Wizengamot, then pass my knowledge onto you. Then when you reach 20 you help me with my goals?"
"I'll definitely read over your plan and consider it. By then I hope you will have more than a few vague bullet points ready. I will also be able to award you with a family title, which will give you the legitimacy you need."
"And, if Voldemort manages to kill you, I assume you won't write me into your will?" Tom pointed out.
"If Voldemort manages to kill me, I would imagine your ambitions would be the least of your worries."
"You may have a point… Fine, I can wait six years. Just for both our sakes, don't tell anyone we have an agreement. I doubt Dumbledore would be happy you are working with me, especially considering we are working against his precious Muggles."
"I'll stay silent for as long as I have no reason to speak out against you, prove I can trust you and I'll try and do more to help your image."
"Very well… By the way, Voldemort's servant was called Wormtail. They were also going to free a 'faithful servant', but I don't know who that could've been."
Things I think I need to explain:
- Moody: As of now, I want to formally say that despite Harry's mithril gifts, Moody could still have been impersonated. As readers you won't be told either way until later in the story when Harry figures it out, but I don't want you to just assume Moody can't be impersonated.
- Harry and the Ghosts: First and foremost Harry isn't turning evil, even if he enjoys making the ghosts scared. The reason he enjoys scaring them is a) it lets him show off his powers without the public becoming aware and b) they have been annoying him off screen for over a year, he likes to get his own back.
- Tom Riddle: Harry and Tom have extremely similar upbringings, which makes Harry more willing to listen. Also, in case it wasn't already obvious, Tom has the same visions Harry has in canon.