Chapter 7: An unexpected wrinkle

On the morning of September 1st, a short and slightly plump, red-headed woman with brown eyes was waiting at the muggle train station with her five children. Of Molly's five children with her, Percy, who was the oldest, had been made Prefect and was about to enter his fifth year. For being made a Prefect, she and Arthur gave him a screech owl—he named Hermes and received some new robes. The twins were named Fred and George; they were primarily jokers and pranksters, always looking to have a little fun. Molly only wished they'd focus more on their academics rather than playing around so much. Her youngest son was Ronald Weasley, or Ron for short; he would be entering his first year at Hogwarts and was eager to meet the Potter heir. The last time she saw him was when he was a small child accompanied by Lord Potter and Lord Black. Those two may have been in their advanced years, but they still terrified her to no end.

When she saw them in Diagon Alley all those years ago, she tried to approach them on Dumbledore's orders and was shocked to see they were heading into Knockturn Alley with Harry. Playing the part of a concerned mother, she pretended she cared for the boy's safety and asked his guardians if they'd be interested in coming to the Burrow. This would be a great way for him to get acquainted with her family, more notably Ron, and introduce him to her daughter. But Lord Potter had declined her invitations, and she apparated home to floo call Albus.

Once he was notified, she told her husband when he got home from work and their children, who she ran into that day. Ginevra Weasley, or simply Ginny, was ecstatic that she was able to meet the wizarding world's savior. From a young age, she had heard stories about him, his adventures, and that he came from a very wealthy family. Every night she would beg her father to read her Harry Potter stories until she fell asleep. The young red-headed was most eager to meet him today since he would be in the same year as her brother Ron. The books and stories she read about him were one thing, but actually, being able to see him in person was something else. Molly could tell her daughter was anxious, and so was she; she had them leave the Burrow early so they could find the Potters.

"This place is packed with Muggles, of course—" Molly said a bit too loudly, trying to search for the Potters. Her boys were each pushing a trunk that contained what they would need for school. They had been waiting for over an hour until she eventually got tired of waiting and escorted her family along to their destination, figuring that Lord Potter had already dropped young Harry onto the train.

"Now, what's that platform number?" Ron asked.

"Nine and three-quarters!" piped Ginny, as she held her mum's hand, "Mum, can't I go. . . "

"You're not old enough, Ginny. Now be quiet," Molly said as they arrived at the enchanted wall. "All right, Percy, you go first."

Percy, the current oldest with the lot, nodded and marched toward platforms nine and ten. Just as he reached the dividing barrier between the two platforms, a large crowd of tourists came swarming in front of him, and by the time the last backpack had cleared away, the boy had vanished.

"Fred, you next," Molly said.

"I'm not Fred. I'm George," said the boy. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?"

Molly groaned as she found it hard to tell the twins apart most of the time. "Sorry, George, dear."

"Only joking, I am Fred," said the boy, and off he went while ignoring the disapproving look at his mother. His twin called after him to hurry up, and just as the first disappeared through the wall, so did the other.

This was soon followed by Ron and then Ginny with her mother. After crossing over, they saw a scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with wizards, witches, and muggle parents dropping their children off. A sign overhead said Hogwarts' Express, eleven o'clock. Molly had craned her neck to search for any signs of the Potters or Lord Black to see if they were already there. The smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted at one another disgruntledly over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks. All of this made it difficult to locate the people she had been searching for.

She made sure that her children, except for Ginny, boarded the train and watched as it departed on its way to Hogwarts. The two remaining Weasleys stayed for twenty or so minutes until the platform was mostly dissolved of people, save for a small few. None of which were of any concern to a fuming Molly who didn't catch a glimpse of the Potters or Blacks. Grabbing her daughter's hand, she apparated home, opened the door, and stepped inside. She sent Ginny to her room while she grabbed a pinch of floo powder and threw it into the fireplace.

When the green flames appeared, Molly said, "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Headmaster's office."

A minute later, Albus Dumbledore's face appeared in the green fire. "Good morning, Molly. To what do I owe the nature of this call?" Albus's tone of voice was that of a whimsical grandfather's.

"Professor Dumbledore, there's something you should know," a small edge embedded in her voice caused a small frown to cross the old wizard's face. "I went to the train station to search for any signs of the Potters or Blacks but didn't see any sign of them."

"Are you sure?" Albus's frown deepened. "Perhaps they arrived early as the Potters and Blacks are members of the Ancient Houses and hold onto the old traditions. Maybe they arrived early to drop Harry off."

"I doubt that, Albus," Molly shook her head. "I was there for an hour and a half looking everywhere on the muggle side, then crossing over to where the other occupants were. There was no sign of them. After the train left, I even waited for a while and saw no hint of the Potters or Blacks." Her voice held a considerable amount of anger and disdain. "The only things I can think of are that either they were under a disillusionment charm, and Harry boarded without anyone realizing it, or he didn't board it, period."

"Those are two very distinct possibilities, as I cannot imagine either Charlus or Arcturus forbidding young Harry from attending Hogwarts." No matter how angry the two might be at him, young Harry was due to come to Hogwarts this year. Did the former decide to homeschool the boy or send him to a different institution? No, that couldn't be. Albus thought to himself for a couple of minutes before responding. "It is probable that Harry is on the Hogwarts Express and has already met your family—young Ronald, I imagine, has likely already befriended him. We will just have to wait until they arrive at the sorting ceremony. If anything happens, I'll let you know."

"Thank you, Albus," his face vanished, and Molly went to sit on the couch. She then began to ponder what her life would be like in the future. Her youngest son would become best friends with Harry Potter while they were at school, and he would make sure to keep him away from any of the urchins who would be sorted into the snake pit, declaring them and anyone associated with them as Dark Witches or Wizards. As well as the other female students who will undoubtedly show interest in him. Over the summer, he would be allowed to come over so she could smother him and have him get close to her daughter.

By the time they're old enough, Harry will propose to Ginny, and she will become Lady Potter. Oh, that had a good ring to it: Ginevra Molly Potter nee Weasley. Lady of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter. That sent butterflies in her stomach, and she giggled as that union would set her family for life. She would have access to millions of galleons, if not hundreds of millions, and could use the House of Potter's political influence however she wished. Molly only hoped her son Ron wouldn't screw it up.

At Hogwarts, Albus was sat in his chair behind his desk contemplating the conversation he just had with Molly. What she said about not seeing young Harry, Charlus, or any of the Blacks at King's Cross concerned him greatly. It was imperative that Harry attend school at Hogwarts so he could mold him into his weapon and become his Champion of the Light. He had everything planned; have the boy sorted into Gryffindor, befriend Ronald Weasley so the boy could steer him down his chosen path, and test his current abilities. Hagrid had just returned from his trip to Gringotts to collect the Philosopher's Stone. The Flamels would be easy to convince as having the stone within the castle would be the best as it would be well protected under his care. Though it was only one of the few instruments, he needed for his plans for the year. He, of course, knew that Tom was within the castle as he attached himself to the back of Quirinus's head.

The man had just returned from his trip to Albania wearing a purple turban and was stuttering like a fool. Albus knew it was fake as no one stutters that much. That and he sensed Tom's magical signature on him. Already his secret contacts have delivered the Mirror of Erised. The mirror may be a dark and dangerous artifact because of its ability to show a person their deepest desires in exchange for draining away their magic until they are either a squib or dead. Most have gone insane for staring at it too long, which is why they were supposed to have been destroyed. Luckily, not all of them were destroyed; however, they were extremely rare, expensive, and hard to come by. Already, he had told a couple of the professors that the school will be housing the stone and mirror and instructed them to have special enchantments ready for security. Knowing how gifted and skilled they are in their respective fields; he would need to make some alterations to make them as easy as possible while simultaneously making them a challenge. He wanted to test the boy's mettle.

Yes, he knew what he was doing, as hundreds of students would be put in danger, but it was necessary for the greater good that his Champion be tested. His long-term plans needed to come to fruition. That was essential. Thinking back to the previous year, he attempted to get some information out of Nymphadora Tonks, but her mother, Andromeda, somehow caught wind of her frequent trips to his office and wasted no time in demanding answers. She then forbade him from having any further communications with her unless it pertained to her schooling and academics. That had not been a good conversation, as he had been left with a splitting headache and a warning that if he continued to persist, then the House of Black would file charges against him. As much as he wanted to call her out on her bluff since she had been disowned for marrying a muggleborn, he thought at best not to test his luck.

Resigning himself, he leaned back in his chair and intertwined his fingers, "soon, everything I have been planning will begin. I'm sorry, my boy, but you are vital to my plans. This is for the entire Wizarding World."

(0^0)

Later in the evening, the Hogwarts Express finally arrived at the station in Hogsmeade, and Hagrid escorted the incoming first years to the boats. The kids marveled at where they would spend their next seven years of education. After a short boat ride, they were escorted to the castle's main entrance, where the very stern Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress, Head of the Gryffindor house, and Transfigurations professor awaited. She was a strict but fair woman who took her job as an educator very seriously. Her eyes held a small glint as Hagrid approached.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here," offering him a nod and a thankful smile. She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was enormous, the stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.

All of the new students followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Some could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right–the rest of the school must already be here–but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because your house will be like your family in Hogwarts while you are here. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend your free time in your house common room."

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history, and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as possible while waiting," she finished her explanation and told them to be patient before heading inside.

Entering the Great Hall, she saw that the second through seventh years were already seated at their house tables, the professors and staff members at the Head table, and the sorting hat on top of the stool courtesy of the school's caretaker Argus. "The first years are ready to be sorted, Headmaster. Shall I bring them in?"

"Yes, please do, Professor McGonagall?" Albus said from his seat in the middle of the Head table. He had waited years for this moment to happen, and now the time was finally right. He watched as Minerva brought the students in and had them gather around before the stool.

Once all of the students were in front, the hat gave its customary greeting in the form of a song that lasted a couple of minutes where it explained the traits of each house. The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.

An aggravated Ron grumbled incoherently. The young Weasley boy was annoyed for two reasons. The first being that his brother Fred had told him that he would have to wrestle a troll to get sorted, and he mentally swore that he was going to kill the git. Then the final reason what he failed to locate Harry Potter on the train ride over. Where was that git Potter? His mum was going to be furious when she found out. How was he supposed to do his job; in pretending to be the spoiled git's best friend and later get a hold of some of the Potter family wealth? Hopefully, Dumbledore would have some answers.

Minerva, who had picked up the hat from the stool, started reading from a long scroll with all the new student's names. She started by calling the first person on the list: "Abbott, Hannah."

A pink-faced girl with pigtails shakingly went up to sit on the stool, facing her soon-to-be classmates. The professor lowered the hat on her head for the sorting, and a few seconds later, the hat shouted Hufflepuff. The Hufflepuffs cheered for their newest member as the girl urgently went to go to the table. Next was Susan Bones. She was quickly sorted into Hufflepuff, just like her parents and aunt before her.

Albus, who had been sitting in his chair, was carefully scanning the new students looking for a green-eyed, raven-haired boy with glasses. The proceedings continued with the sorting hat placing student after student in different houses. When Minerva finally got to the P's, he discreetly leaned forward, waiting for Harry's name to be called. After Ms. Perks was sorted into Gryffindor, Minerva called the next person: "Rivers, Oliver." Albus instantly became alert as to why Minerva hadn't called Harry's name. Something was wrong, and he did not like it.

Over on the far right sitting next to Professor Quirrell, was a grinning Severus. He'd been discreetly watching Albus from his seat and was not fooled by his faux smile, nor did he miss the split-second frown that appeared on his face. Severus knew what the old fool was thinking. Harry Potter was not among the new first years. Silently laughing as he had a feeling Dumbledore was screaming on the inside and mentally cursing, wondering where the boy could be. This was a small victory and of not a little payback for all the crap the man had done and forced him to endure.

At the end of the feast, Albus gave his customary welcome speech and had the fifth-year Prefects escort the students to common rooms. While they were doing that, he asked for Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Hagrid to join him in his office. He also had the former bring the book of admittance and the large parchment with the list of names.

Standing against the wall was an expressionless Severus Snape, who was internally smiling as Albus paced angrily around the center of the office whilst they waited for Minerva. Hagrid stood against the table in the middle of the room with a confused expression. "Professor Dumbledore, sir, there must be a rational explanation why young Harry is not here," the half-giant surmised.

"Yes, I hope so. The boy's parents would have wanted their son to be here," Albus continued to pace around the office until his Transfigurations professor walked in carrying a large brown ancient tome book and the role sheet. "Minerva, have you found anything?"

"I'm afraid not, Albus," Minerva shook her head. "I double-checked the roster before the feast began and after the students were sent off to their common rooms. Mr. Potter's name was not it," she placed the long scroll on Dumbledore's desk so he could see for himself and opened the book to the page she marked for the children scheduled to come in this year.

Quickly scanning through the page, Albus searched for Harry's name only to find that it had a gold line straight through it. This was not happening. This was not happening! A gold line only appears when a child supposed to attend Hogwarts is transferred to a different magical institution. "It would seem that young Harry is receiving his education at a different school."

"But how can this be, Albus?" A clearly shocked and devastated Hagrid exclaimed. "The boy has had his name down ever since he was born, and Hogwarts is the finest school in the world! This is an insult! It's a scandal!"

Severus sneered at the man's whining. The groundskeeper might have been an adult, but he had the mentality and emotions of a child. "Obviously, the boy's grandfather decided to send him somewhere else," coming into the conversation. "Lord Potter likely believes that Hogwarts is not good enough for his precious grandson. The little brat probably grew up like a pampered prince, spoiled rotten by the man like his arrogant swine of a father."

Minerva scowled at Severus. She wished he would let his anger at James go already. The man had been dead for ten years. However, he did make a point as Charlus would do something like—have Harry sent to another school. She knew he had a level of disdain towards Albus but never imagined he would go so far as to send his grandson to a different school to spite him. "Really, Severus, you are a grown man. Can't you let your anger at a dead man go?" She scoldingly replied.

"Don't get all high and mighty, Minerva, when you are just as guilty. So don't try to absolve yourself of any wrongdoings," he sneered at her.

"Wrongdoings? What did I do wrong?" She narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"Idiot woman. The number of pranks and bullying Potter and his friends did would have earned them suspension. . .if not expulsion on Black's part," Severus said in a cool voice that held a bit of thorns. "Instead, you and the Headmaster curved their punishments and gave them slaps on the wrist. Adding insult to injuries, you made one a Prefect and the other a Head Boy, and two of them were on the Quidditch team and should have been kicked off, but no, instead, you made a bully the Captain. When they should have kicked off the team. Furthermore, where were you when they were ganging up, hexing, and cursing others, including me, for fun?" Narrowing his eyes further at her with some cold fury laced in his black eyes, "you are a fuckin' hypocrite!"

Minerva stared at him in shock. Never in her life had she ever been called a hypocrite. Yes, she made mistakes and should have punished James and his friends more often, but the Headmaster had been adamant that she be lenient with them. "That's enough, Severus, Minerva," Albus came in, interrupting her train of thought. The old Warlock did not want to hear the two argue. "Severus, I again apologize and sympathize with what happened between you and the Marauders during your school days. I admit it was wrong of me not to give Sirius a more fitting punishment, but had I done so, then Remus, who was an innocent party in the matter, would have also been expelled and, if not killed, had no idea what his friend was planning. James admitted that he knew nothing about the thing either. Should Sirius had gotten more than two weeks of detention? Yes. That said, Remus hardly participated in any of the pranks or bullying his friend did."

"Then ask yourself this, Albus. Did he ever try stopping them?" He then raised a hand to prevent the man from responding, "don't answer because the answer is a big obvious. . . No! Lupin was just as guilty as his friends. Yet you had the gall to make them Prefect, Head Boy, and Quidditch Captain and let them strut around the castle like they owned the place. I admit my actions were not as righteous and often retaliated with just as much force, but at least I knew when enough was enough."

"We can argue what happened in the past another time, Severus. For now, we must shift our focus to more important matters," Albus said firmly. "I have to write to both Arcturus and Charlus and request a meeting with them about young Mr. Potter's attendance here."

"Are you sure that is the best idea?" Minerva asked after sending a withering glare at Severus, not that he faltered or cared. "Given their attitudes toward you, it makes me doubt they will be less than civil or accommodating—and to have Mr. Potter transferred from wherever school he might currently be attending will be stretching the boundaries, not to mention very difficult." She somewhat resigned herself as she would have liked nothing more but to be able to teach the boy. James and Lily were two of her favorite students, and she was sure their son inherited several of their great traits. "Do not get me wrong, as I would like nothing more than to have the boy in my class, but that is not for any of us to decide, as we are not his guardians."

"Minerva, surely you jest, Charlus should have had Harry sent here," a teary-eyed Hagrid insisted. "The child belongs at this school."

"I agree—with Hagrid. I will write to them both in the morning," a tired Albus said dismissively.

Feeling the meeting was over, the two professors and gamekeeper left the office, and when the door closed and they were down the stairs, Albus started swearing at the top of his lungs. Charlus Potter had blindsided him in not allowing Harry to attend school under him. Under him! This was something he had not foreseen. He would write to the man explaining that it was imperative that Harry be transferred to Hogwarts. If that did not work, he would bring the subject up at the next wizengamot. Little did he know, Phineas was silently observing him and felt he knew what the current Headmaster was thinking. He would need to warn Arcturus that Albus had something up his sleeve.

(0^0)

A month and a week later, Arcturus and Charlus sat in their seats in the Wizengamot chamber, waiting for other Lords, Ladies, and Department heads to arrive. They knew what today's meeting would be about since Phineas Nigellus had warned Arcturus, who informed Charlus that Albus was incensed when he didn't see Harry at the sorting ceremony. Severus had also sent them a letter that the old meddling bastard had reached out to a few of his contacts in and out of Britain to find any information on the boy's whereabouts. The only thing was that he didn't know how many there were or if he hired any private investigators abroad but told them to be cautious. Still, though, the information was valuable as they had a couple of contingency plans ready. Dumbledore was not the only one who had allies and connections.

As soon as the others arrived to take their seats, Dumbledore addressed the members of the Wizengamot. "Good morning, and welcome to the 9th of October Wizengamot session. To begin, I would like to address a concern that has recently taken place."

"And what concern would that be, Dumbledore?" The recently elected portly Minister of Magic Cornelius Oswald Fudge asked. The man originally worked in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes before taking the position of Minister of Magic in 1990. A handful of the Lords and Department Heads had misgivings about his placement as Minister of Magic. The only reason why he obtained the position was because Crouch Sr. was forced to step down and become the Head of the Department of Magical Cooperations when his son was exposed as a Death Eater who participated in the torture of Aurors Alice and Frank Longbottom. Two other reasons were because Dumbledore said he didn't want it and because the Death Eaters who pleaded to being forced to Voldemort's bidding had funded his campaign before they were brought before the wizengamot.

Arcturus, Charlus, and a handful of others knew it was dragon's dung, not believing they were imperiused. To them, Fudge should never have been allowed to become Minister as he was too close to Malfoy and his lot. The man was easily influenced, not to mention power-hungry. However, that was for another time. Arcturus and Charlus looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes, giving subtle nods, saying be ready.

"It has come to my attention that a student who is supposed to be attending Hogwarts school did not show up at the sorting ceremony and is receiving their education elsewhere," Albus resumed, then added. "I am, of course, referring to the current Heir of the House of Potter."

That got the people talking as they couldn't imagine that the Boy-Who-Lived would not be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A few people looked at Lord Potter, who sat calmly in his chair without any emotions.

"This is an insult!" Lord Diggory shouted from his seat. "The boy is of British origin and should be attending the school of his homeland. It is the law that all magical children be given an education in the Wizarding World." Some of the Wizengamot members nodded in agreement.

Charlus had narrowed his eyes at the man. Amos Diggory was a firm member of the Light faction and one of Dumbledore's loyal followers. "I am well aware of what our sovereign land's law is regarding a child's education, Lord Diggory. It is the same in the International Confederation of Wizards, in which every magical child must be registered in a magically accredited school or receive an education until they reach majority."

"Then, if you know the law, then why isn't the boy from receiving an education?" The slightly overweight man demanded.

"Whoever said I was stopping him from receiving an education," Charlus retorted with a sly smile. "National and International law stipulates that all magical children born into the world have to receive an education. It doesn't specify where. And I can safely assure you that my grandson is receiving an education."

"If that is true, then where is he?" Elphias Doge was a Special Advisor to the Wizengamot and a close friend of Dumbledore. "Furthermore, what gives you the right to decide where the boy should receive an education?"

The smile on Charlus's face vanished, and it became serious. "You forget your speaking, Doge," Elphias went a little pale at the coldness of his voice. "I am the Lord and Head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter and my grandson's guardian. Where he is receiving an education is of no concern to you as the decision was made years ago!"

"I'm sorry to contradict you, Lord Potter, but I cannot recall a Wizengamot meeting in which it was decided that a child can attend another school outside the land of their birth," Lord Smith arrogantly replied.

"Were you not paying attention, Smith," Arcturus, who had enough, snapped in a cold voice that sent shivers down the man's spine and a couple of others. "The law states that a child has to receive an education, which is what my nephew is doing. The wizengamot has no say in where the child receives it, and Lord Potter and I have already made this decision long ago. You would be smart to reign in your arrogance and remember your place, or do you need a lesson in how not to meddle in the affairs of another's House? In which case, I'd be more than happy to teach you."

The man fervently shook his head and was now ghostly pale, as were several others, including members of the Light and Dark factions. Lord Black was one of the few individuals no one should ever cross. The House of Black did not take well to those who crossed or interfered in their family affairs. Lord Smith was scared out of his mind and looked moments away from yellowing and browning his trousers as he remembered what Lord Black did to Crouch Sr. and Bagnold after they tried to deny his grandson a trial. The absolute last thing he wanted to do was get on the man's bad side.

Dumbledore then quickly intervened. "Lord Potter, Lord Black, please, surely the two of you would not want to prevent young Harry from attending a school that your families have attended for years and have had his name down since the day he was born," Albus attempted to reason with them. "I know there is a level of animosity between us, but to deny James and Lily's only son from attending a first-rate school like Hogwarts is petty."

Charlus' brown eyes were set ablaze as he looked seconds away from jumping out of his seat, pulling out his wand, and cursing Dumbledore within an inch of his life. The magic pouring out of him made some of the others pale and want to get away from him. "You arrogant, self-righteous bastard," he roared. "Not everything is about you, and while we're on the subject here of my family. My son and daughter-in-law are dead because they chose to take the words of a meddling goat fucking swine named Albus to many names, Dumbledore. Do not for one minute think you knew them or what they would have wanted."

"James and Lily died to protect their only son from a murdering psychopathic bastard who you, the supposed Greatest Wizard of All Time, have failed to accomplish," he said in a mocking voice that made Dumbledore flush. "I find that very curious and wonder if you even tried to do something about him instead of hiding safely in your castle while several witches and wizards ended up dead." That had received a collection of glares; most were aimed at Dumbledore, while a few were aimed at him, and furious whispers were going around. "And now you have the audacity to assume you know what is best for my House. For my grandson! Since I know you are old, I will say this slowly and only once, so pay attention. If any harm comes to my grandson—any at all—I will do everything in my power to protect him and destroy the people who wish to use and or kill him. That includes you! Do not test me on this; I promise the consequences will be dire!"

No one dared to retort against his claim as they could tell he meant what he said. Albus even paled and, if not, was a bit shaken at the threat. Lord Potter was a fierce wizard of immense magical power and political influence. He might be a shade stronger than the man, but Albus no fool and had no desire to challenge him. His battles in the Great War against Gellert's army and Gellert himself were not lost as he brought down hundreds of his forces and dueled their leader himself. From what his former friend told him, Charlus had used highly dangerous spells that left him heavily injured and sometimes left him with nightmares. Horrible nightmares.

Albus then backed off and resumed the rest of the Wizengamot's session for the day. In the end, he left the Ministry and apparated back to the castle, where he appeared in his office. Controlling the magic, he made sure no one could enter or hear him as he let out a primal yell that would have been heard for everyone at the castle and at Hogsmeade could hear. It was rare for him to get angry, yet Lord Potter and Lord Black made his blood boil. They had sent Harry to a different school, refused to say where he was, and Lord Potter had threatened him. He would need to find some way to salvage this as his plans were slowly falling apart.

(0^0)

Weeks later, an eleven-year-old Harry Potter had grown and looked like a thirteen-year-old muggle boy. His hair was still unruly but was more tamed than his late father's. In his time at Merlin's Academy, he quickly established a reputation for himself as being something of a prodigy. What astounded the professors was that he could keep up with those older than him and the amount of hard work into accomplishing the tasks set for him.

Sitting in the Ancient Runes class with the fourth years, he, Jade, Sophie, and Jeremy were each working on how they could alter certain runes' matrixes. Jade and Sophie were on one side of the classroom, while the boys were on the other side. Jade, who always had an interest in Ancient Runes, felt like she was in her element as she was nearly done putting the finishing touches on the matrix she'd been working on. Carving the last symbol on the box, she decided to test her work by conjuring a wooden horse, placing it within the box, and sealing it with the lid. Then finally, she tapped the runes with her wand in a pattern to give the wooden object desired effect.

The symbols on the box glowed grey as the inside glowed white; removing the lid, she saw the wooden horse jumped out of the box and onto the table. It then started breakdancing on the table, making her smile in satisfaction as the matrix she inscribed had performed exactly as it was supposed to. She raised her hand when the horse hopped back into the box to get the teacher's attention.

The mid-forty-year-old woman saw the hand raised and walked over to see what her student wanted. "Yes, Ms. Huang. Do you need something?"

"No, ma'am. I just wanted to let you know I was done with my matrix," Jade responded. When her teacher raised an eyebrow, she explained, "the standard function of the matrix I chose to work on allows an inanimate object to move. However, the alterations I made to the runes will enable whatever inanimate object I put in the box to do what I want it to do." She removed the lid to show the wooden horse that was in the box. "For instance, if I want the horse to gallop through the air, I would need to tap these symbols," showing them to her and then tapping them with her wand.

Her professor watched as the symbols she tapped glowed along with the box, and when the lid was removed, the horse jumped out of the box and galloped through the air. She was vaguely impressed with the child's work, though she asked what other modifications she made to the matrix. Jade explained the alterations made to the matrix, saying that as long as the correct runic symbols were tapped in the correct order, whatever inanimate object that is currently inside the box would do. For example, if she wanted the horse to dance, have it pass a note, or fetch something from her room, then it would. All someone would have to do was tap the correct sequence.

The woman nodded in approval, "well, if you are done, then make sure to write your name on it and place it on one of the tables in the front," she said before turning around to see if anyone else was done or if they needed help.

Sophie playfully nudged her friend's arm and smiled. "Nice," she whispered. Jade gave a curt nod and wrote her name on the box before leaving her seat to put it on a table in the front.

About a few minutes later, Harry had finished and demonstrated his modifications to the matrix he had been working on to the professor.

". . .the original purpose of the matrix was to ensure that any private documents or anything considered precious stays locked up in a vault," he started. "Say, for instance, you want to store classified evidence in a safe and do not want anyone else to get their hands on it. So what do you do?"

She gave him a confused yet intrigued look. Smirkingly he replied, "you put a matrix on the place you wish to secure the information at. Formidable yes. But it has some obvious flaws. One, in particular, is if someone hires an individual that specializes in runes like a curse breaker or warder. They will be able to break in and retrieve whatever is inside, correct?"

She nodded her head.

"Well, because of the new modifications to the matrix, that will be next to impossible, as only the person who put the item inside can remove it." He raised a hand when she was about to speak so that he may continue, "another thing I added was that say if the person is being controlled or forced to remove whatever is inside, they will automatically be stunned, put in a full body bind, and trigger an alert that will inform whoever is in charge. The person has to take it willingly, with the right reasons for which it is needed, and without ulterior motives."

He then asked her to participate while demonstrating how the modified matrix works. After several minutes she found herself impressed with his work. "If I may ask, why did you choose this matrix? I trust you have a reason?"

"Protection, professor," Harry replied, then added. "Last week, I read in the paper about someone breaking into Sasha's Jewelry Store. Whoever it was made off with an entire shelf of expensive jewelry designs and managed to break into the safe hidden in the manager's office and steal over three hundred thousand dragots. Obviously, whoever it was, they were experts when it came to removing the protective runes and wards," he theorized.

Clicking her tongue, she gave an impressive whistle, "very creative," the professor commented. Morgan was a friend of Sasha's and knew her friend was furious the next morning when she discovered someone had stolen from her store. "I like it!" Turning on her heels, she walked away.

Harry wrote his name down on the box, put it on the table for grading, returned to his seat, and pulled out the Slytherin grimoire. He could say a lot about Salazar Slytherin, but the man obviously knew his stuff about magical orbs and gems. His notes were truly inspiring. Similar to how a wand and staff could channel a person's magic, orbs and gems could do the same; however, they had more power and could store and release more magic. He found this intriguing and started to think of the potential possibilities they could have. Entertainment, protections, communications. Hell, it could even be the start of a new branch of magic. The possibilities were endless.

By the end of class, only a handful of students were able to complete their modifications, "those of you who have yet to complete their assignments, I expect you to have them ready by next class and two rolls of parchment on the benefits of modifying a matrix. This is only for those who have yet to complete the assignment; everyone else gets no homework. Class dismissed."

There was a collection of groans from the people who had yet to complete their assignments when they left the classroom.

Feeling a bit stiff, Jeremy stretched his body as he and Harry walked out with Sophie and Jade in front of them. "Thank god we don't have that much homework this weekend and can finally go into the city."

"Don't you jinx us, mate," Harry chuckled. "Remember, we still have to attend Care of Magical Creatures with Professor Benson, and there's no telling what he has planned. It can either be theoretical or practical today."

This time Jeremy laughed as he agreed. In their last class with the old man, he sprung a surprise quiz on them out of nowhere. "That's for sure. Well, at least we can suffer through the period together," throwing an arm around his friend, who rolled his eyes in agreement.

"Let's just hope that today's lesson is a practical one and that we don't get much homework from the man." He had enough of writing for one day.

"One can only hope, boys," Sophie turned her head around and smiled at them. "We never know what our illustrious professor has in store for us. It might not be best to get your hopes up. Who knows, we may have to do yet another exam."

"Oh, please no," Jade through her head back and groaned like the others. "That's how I feel too."

They went to the animal sanctuary, where they met up with Andrew and Natalie; the latter was pacing back and forth, wondering if they would have another exam in the class today. Jade looked at her brother with a questioning look.

"She's worried we might have another exam to complete for the class today," he casually said.

"Of course, I'm worried, aren't you?" She exclaimed.

Harry took out a green jolly rancher from his pocket and gave it to her. "Here, try this. This'll make you feel better."

Natalie immediately snatched it from his hand, removed the wrapping paper, and popped it into her mouth. She sucked on it for a few seconds, then replied, "delicious," nodding in gratitude.

"Atta girl," he released a breath. "Time to face the music," opening the classroom door, they saw their professor walking out with his briefcase.

"Today's lesson will be a practical one, so everyone head to the back of the building where the stables are," Professor Benson said, much to the delight of the students.

Their lesson today was learning how to care for a hippogriff. The Academy had an entire flock of hippogriffs who were thankfully trained, as it wouldn't do if they were untrained, and a foolish student decided to get smart and accidentally insult one of them. Another good thing was that there was no homework afterward, which many of the students were grateful for.

A/N: I always wonder why Hagrid left Harry in the middle of King's Cross without giving him any clear instructions on how to reach the Hogwarts Express and why the first people he met were the Weasleys. Also, think about this here both in the book and film, Molly is speaking loudly about the train station being packed with muggles. She spoke like she was trying to advertise the existence of the Magical world. Furthermore, why were the Weasleys speaking so loudly about information that could potentially reveal the existence of the wizarding world?

Also, why were they (Molly) lingering in a muggle area for so long? She already knows how to get onto the platform, so why wait so long? That is not something someone with more than enough kids would do. So the question is: Did she really forget, or was she merely waiting for someone? My vote is the latter.

Here's the unexpected wrinkle. Dumbledore realizes that Harry never boarded the Hogwarts Express, nor was he present at the sorting ceremony. Much to his irritation, he sees that Harry did not arrive at Hogwarts as he expected. Try those as he might at the Wizengamot Charlus, and Arcturus pointed out that Harry doesn't have to be at Hogwarts to receive a magical education since he is receiving it elsewhere. That was a major blow to his plans, as he wanted his weapon where he could keep an eye on him.

Next Chapter: New Inventions and Proposal