Time passed as it always does. Harry continued his own reading with each day that passed. He continued to secretly participate in the Runes class, and otherwise continued to be a good student. As the first week of November came and went, Sunday arrived with Harry moving to sit at the table for breakfast.

With the pranks from whom everyone in Slytherin thought were the Weasley Twins, Harry had decided to begin work on his own research. Ron hadn't wanted to help; when asked he hadn't given too much information about the other Gryffindors, let alone his brothers. In fact, Harry barely saw the boy except during classes. He seemed to give Harry a wide berth unless Harry actively asked him to join the group.

Harry ate quietly then heard the hooting of the morning owls as they swooped down with the mail for the day. Harry could see a few people's copies of the Daily Prophet, a newspaper that he had seen a few times among the Slytherins. As Draco accepted a paper from the leg of a large owl, he scanned over the headline, "Uh oh."

"What is it, Draco?" Harry asked curiously. He suddenly became aware of several eyes directly on him.

Draco leaned over, showing off the newspaper and the moving pictures on the front page. "Take a look, Potter."

Harry reached over and took the paper, before looking at the front page.

Boy-Who-Lived becomes Boy-Who-Saved! Troll loose at Hogwarts!

Harry was privately surprised it had taken this long to get news in the paper, as he saw the picture above the article. The scene of him standing there, covered in blood and standing with Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle. Behind them, Hermione stood with her wand out, looking at the group. Harry had to admit that it was a good picture. "How'd they get that picture? There weren't any reporters in the group we saw."

"Supposedly there's a way to get pictures from memories. It's extremely expensive though, so they normally refrain from using them. All it would've taken was one of those Ministry wizards sharing their memory with the paper." Draco explained, giving an arrogant sniff. The blonde-haired boy personally thought he looked pretty good in that picture.

Harry was surprised about that, unsure if he agreed with the practice or not. Instead of speaking about it, however, he turned back to the paper and began reading it over.

In a surprising turn of events at Hogwarts during Halloween night, a Stone Troll managed to breach the castle's wards. Caught between the beast and a dead end, young Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle, and Vincent Crabbe heroically risked their lives to protect a young Muggle-born, Hermione Granger, from the jaws of the monstrous beast.

Thanks to the boys' heroism, the girl was saved, and the beast slain in the school's bathroom. Its body was quickly claimed for the boys by the school's Potions Master, Professor Severus Snape, who ensured that no one else could lay claim to the valuable magical corpse.

It remains to be seen how the ancient and powerful wards of Hogwarts were breached by something like a Stone Troll. However, the brave Department of Magical Creatures Director, Barnabus Sprout, provided an interview about the situation.

"I was summoned to Hogwarts on the evening of Halloween and was informed that a Class-Four Magical beast was within the castle. Quickly gathering my on-duty staff, we floo'd immediately to the castle, where Professor Dumbledore was awaiting us."

"By the time we reached the bathroom, having heard the sound of battle echoing down the hall, we found the creature slain and the students unharmed. It is truly a blessing that such talented individuals as Heirs Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Potter were present, as the poor Muggle-born was completely out of her wits. I had even heard her mention that she had gone to look for the Troll!"

Of course, dear readers, that raises many more questions. Why was a Muggle-born girl allowed to be out alone during such a dangerous situation? How did the wards, which are purported as the most powerful wards in the country—second only to those of the Ministry—fail? How did young Heir Potter take down such a beast? Did he use the Dark Arts? Are we facing the rise of another Dark Lord? And most troubling of all, did what happened to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named occur again, this time with the Troll?"

All questions for the future, dear readers, and we hope to keep you informed as we tirelessly work to uncover the answers.

Article by Rita Skeeter

Harry tossed the paper down in frustration. "Of course I didn't use any Dark Arts! I'm eleven—I don't even know any Dark spells!" His voice was loud enough that he was nearly shouting. Meanwhile, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hermione being accosted by other Ravenclaws. Thanks to his enhanced hearing, he caught a few of their words. "Idiot." "Stupid bint". A soft growl escaped his throat, unbidden.

"I'm sure that it'll be fine, Potter. Surely no one thinks you used Dark Arts as an 11 year old." Draco scoffed. "What, did you cast the killing curse at both the Dark Lord and the Troll, or something?"

Grateful for his friend, Harry shook his head as he watched several Professors trading the newspaper around the Head Table. Dumbledore appeared calm, while the other teachers wore a mix of expressions—some angry, some proud, others shocked.

"Something tells me this isn't the end of the matter, Draco…" Harry sighed gently, trying to return to his breakfast.

True to form, it wasn't even a day before the chaos began.

Sitting down the next day for breakfast, the owls flew in in a furor. Dozens shot right at Harry, as they dumped the letters and flew off. Nott, sitting across the table, set down his fork, an eyebrow raised. "Whoa, Potter, plenty of letters mailed to you, it seems. Getting some fans after the article in the Prophet?"

Harry sighed. "I knew it wasn't over." He moved to grab one of them, opening it slowly.

Dear Harry Potter:

Please don't allow your hate to take hold of you. There is light in everyone, and you can become a beacon for it if you simply try.

With care,

A friend

Harry snorted. "Oh great. Told you they'd be thinking I was Dark after that, Draco."

Draco leaned over and looked at the letter Harry held up, giving a derisive snort as his eyes scanned over it. "Well, it's better than an assassination attempt."

Harry immediately dropped the note as if it was on fire, flinching away from it as it fluttered on the ground. "What? How would they do that? Could they do something like that?!" Harry exclaimed, wiping his hands on his robes.

"Curses or charms on mail are a common method. That's why the wards of Hogwarts check all incoming mail for magical curses. It's pretty rare that one gets through." Nott quickly spoke up before Harry could panic further.

Harry was now looking at the letter he had dropped on the stone floor, half expecting it to explode at any second. "H-how can you even tell?!"

Draco shrugged nonchalantly. "I wouldn't know. Father's always handled the few letters I get myself, but I'm pretty sure it involves a spell."

He glanced across the room and called out sharply, "Hey, Pucey!" catching the prefect's attention with ease.

The Prefect got up, heading down to join the two. "Yes, Malfoy?" Pucey asked, standing next to the table.

Draco gestured to the letter on the floor and the stack of letters on the table. "Potter wants to know how to check his mail for tampering or curses."

"Ah. Judging by the size of that stack of mail, it'd be a good idea. The most basic spell for it is like this." Pucey took out his wand and swirled it in the air. Harry watched the magic dance about, then glisten over the tip. "Revelio!" The letters shone for a moment, then dimmed.

"See, Potter? Nothing. Thanks, Pucey!" Draco nodded to the older student, who nodded in return and went back to his seat.

Harry sighed and moved to open the next letter, and then opened another. Each one was either raging at him for turning dark, or simply commending him for his bravery. The compliments were nice, but he was worried about the ones who thought he had gone dark.

Almost as if he read Harry's mind, Draco smirked. "So prove them wrong, Potter. Show them you aren't Dark. Be the best possible Potter in the world! That's what I aim to do." Draco's nose scrunched up. "I mean, I aim to show people I'm the best Malfoy in the world, not a Potter."

Harry snorted, the sound quickly morphing into quiet snickers as he sifted through the stack of letters in front of him. One by one, he tossed the read parchments onto an ever-growing pile, barely glancing at some while lingering over others. It took him nearly an hour to make his way through the lot. Finally, holding up the last letter, he asked, "Do you think I should write back to any of these?"

"I doubt it. Most of those letters aren't really written with a reply in mind," Draco said, waving a hand dismissively. "Fan mail, however…" His voice trailed off, and a wince tugged at his features, as if recalling a particularly unpleasant memory.

"Fan mail?" Harry repeated, his eyebrows shooting up in amusement. "You get fan mail, Draco?"

"Yeah. Not me personally, but my Father is pretty big in the government. I always have people approaching me to try to convince him of stuff. Surely you have fan mail, Potter? You're the Boy-Who-Lived! Everyone in the Wizarding world knows of you."

Harry shook his head, a bit confused at the prospect. Fan mail? Him? He'd never gotten a letter in his life. Draco's eyebrow rose in curiosity as he shook his head. "That's pretty surprising, Potter. I know for a fact that people sent you letters and gifts. And you've had none at all? What about Gringotts statements?"

Harry shook his head again, making Draco exhale. "Hooo boy, Potter. The Goblins don't like being ignored. You are lucky they didn't try attacking you when you visited the Alley. Sounds like someone put a mail redirection ward where you live."

Harry frowned as he thought about it. "Then how did I get these letters?"

"You're at Hogwarts, of course." Draco stabbed a sausage with his fork, pointing it at Harry. "Whoever placed it on you obviously did it at your muggle guardian's home. Which is normally pretty illegal—Statute of Secrecy and all that."

Harry nodded in understanding, rubbing his chin as he responded, "Oh. I hope I don't get in trouble for that. How would I remove that?"

"Talk to the goblins. They run a business called Goblin Cursebreaking, and Gringotts can refer you. They hire a lot of wizards too, I wouldn't ever want a filthy Goblin messing with my family's wards."

Harry frowned a bit at the comment about Goblins but let it slide for now. He didn't want to get into an arguement with Draco this early. Still, it seemed he had more that he needed to do. Taking the papers, he stacked them up. "What do I do with all of them?"

Pucey leaned back in his seat, taking out his wand once more and gesturing at the papers, "You done with those, Potter?"

When Harry nodded, he flicked his wand, and suddenly they all disappeared.

"The implication of that is slightly terrifying," Harry whispered to himself as he saw the magic. It had forced the letters to suddenly vanish into what could only be described as a pitch-black, empty void.

"I told you guys, it's right around here!" Harry said, some time later. He was happy to spend some time with his friends; even Ron had actually joined for once. The small group was once more complete. Crabbe and Goyle kept their distance from the five as Harry guided them down the hall. "It's this weird alcove, and it has a riddle carved into it."

Harry rushed forward and around the corner, hearing Hermione shout. "Wait for us, Harry!"

The group hurried to chase after him. Ron stuck near the back, glaring at Crabbe and Goyle as they turned around where Harry soon lead them to the alcove. It was just as he remembered it, reaching up and pointing at the carved words. "Here's the riddle."

Ron moved forward, peering inside. "I don't see anything but chicken scratches, Potter. Why'd you waste our time and bring us out here? I would rather be playing Wizard's chess."

Draco was next to check, ducking under the lip of the alcove and moving to examine it. "I don't see anything either. Are you seeing things, Potter?" Draco gave a good-natured grin and poked Harry in the side.

"No, I'm telling the truth! It's right here!" Harry pointed and read from it once more.

"The treasure of green pervades my line
And only those with the gift of careful mind
Can solve the riddle three

The first is treasure beyond compare
Born in the moon, and made of air
It shines with majesty

The second is ancient, strong and old
But hidden far within the fold
Of your mother's skin and bone

The third is hardy, and will not die
And in the deepest mountains lie
Its bands of sapphire stone

Those of my kin who wish to claim
What is hidden, and its fame
Shall gift me these tended three."

Neville approached with a curious expression, his brow furrowed in interest. "Can I see, Harry?" he asked, his tone tinged with intrigue. Harry nodded and stepped aside, giving Neville a better view. Leaning closer, Neville examined the object carefully before speaking. "I see it. Clear as day."

Relief washed over Harry, and he exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. At least now he knew he wasn't imagining things.

Hermione frowned and started to play with her hair, thinking. "It sounds like a riddle, and these three depressions look like they are meant to hold something. Do you think this is some sort of secret of Hogwarts? Hogwarts: A History mentioned there're some mysterious things about the castle that no one has been able to solve."

Harry gave a shrug and looked at Ron and Draco, who both shrugged as well. Neville seemed to be examining the riddle, his hand tracing along the depressions. A few silent minutes passed, and Ron was the first to speak. "Can we go now? I wanted to head to lunch early, and then I promised Seamus I'd play him in a game of Wizard's Chess this evening."

Harry sighed. Ron seemed to be rather impatient, something that disappointed Harry a bit. Perhaps it was a mistake to bring them all. "Alright, guys. Let's go."

With Harry's comment, the group headed down the hall, moving to return to the Great Hall. As they walked, they started to wander a bit as they chatted about different things. Gazing at the walls and ceiling, Harry could swear the castle's magic was shifting for a moment before the stairs trembled and shifted with them on it. The stone stairs moved and raised, and the group suddenly found themselves facing a hallway that Harry had only seen once before.

"The Third Floor Corridor!" Draco hissed, looking at the others. "This place is under renovation. I'd prefer not to get all dusty, thank you!"

Looking around, Ron took a step forward, then grinned and turned to the group. "Shouldn't we go see how far it's come? It could be pretty cool."

"Didn't you want to get to lunch early, Ron?" Hermione asked, pointing out the boy's comment from before.

Ron looked a bit sheepish, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, yeah, but there's time to check to see what work's been done. My dad says that magical construction is a really amazing type of art." Ron said as he gestured behind him. "He's done some work on our house before and it's wicked!"

The comment made Harry's foxlike curiosity surge to the forefront. "As long as it's fast. I doubt we'd get in trouble if we just looked, right?" Harry looked at the rest of the group, now grinning himself. The hallway didn't look like there was work being done, but perhaps magical construction was a little different than muggle. Harry remembered seeing Uncle Vernon paint Dudley's room before; it took a lot of drop cloths and it was pretty messy.

Neville peered around. "Are you sure that this is a good idea?"

Hermione was the next to speak, giving a large frown. "I don't think it is. If we get in the way or mess something up, we could get hurt, or worse, expelled! And it'd be all our fault, too. Professor Dumbledore said this area is off-limits for a reason."

Ron gawked at Hermione while Neville glanced pointedly at Harry, mouthing "Expelled is worse than getting hurt?" Harry shrugged in response, while Ron gave an exasperated sigh and headed down the hall.

"Ron!" Hermione all but shrieked.

Harry quickly clamped his hand over her mouth. "Hermione! If you don't want to get in trouble, then be quiet!"

Seeing an opportunity, Draco smirked and stepped forward. "Well, I just saw a suspicious Gryffindor heading down the hall. I don't know about you lot, but I feel like the noble thing to do would be to follow him to make sure he isn't hurt."

Harry snorted at Draco's guile, but all it did was make Hermione glare as Harry removed his hand from her mouth. "That's toeing the line, Malfoy. If we go down there, we could end up dead!"

"Don't I know it, Granger?" Draco smirked coyly and continued forward. With an exasperated sigh, Hermione threw her hands in the air and followed as well. Neville waited for Harry, looking at him as the others went down the hall.

Before they got too far, Harry whispered to Crabbe and Goyle, "Watch the hall. If anyone comes, knock over the armor and run." Harry gestured to one of the armor stands positioned nearby.

Crabbe and Goyle nodded in response, moving into a small alcove nearby to hide out of sight. Hurrying to catch up with the others, Harry saw his friends at a door at the end of the hall, fiddling with the handle. "What's going on?"

Ron grunted from the door, where he was trying to yank it open. "Bloody door's stuck."

Hermione rolled her eyes at the redhead's frantic yanking at the large hooped handle. "It could be locked, Ronald."

"Why would it be locked? The only thing being done here is bloody construction."

Hermione stamped her foot, crossing her arms "Ronald!"

"What? I know I'm right. Stop acting like my mum."

That started a bickering argument between the two. While the two exchanged curt words with each other, Harry took the opportunity to examine the door handle. The magic of the lock was apparent, but the energy was tight and controlled. The essence of the magic seemed a deep, dark gray color, and felt exceedingly powerful. He had seen that magic before, but he couldn't think of exactly where.

Harry's train of thought was derailed as Hermione huffed again and pushed Ronald aside, seeming to take exception from one of Ron's comments. "All you need to do is try a simple unlocking charm. Alohomora!"

Hermione flicked her wand at the door handle before Harry could stop her. There was a soft click as the lock opened, the magic dissipating and disappearing.

Ron's eyebrows rose in astonishment, turning to Hermione, "Blimey, Hermione. We haven't learned that spell yet."

Draco piped up. "I can do that too, you know! It's not that hard." Draco seemed to have taken the compliment as an insult.

Harry snickered, "Stop being jealous of the muggleborn, Draco."

"Bite me, Potter!" Draco retorted, making Neville laugh.

Ron reached up to the door handle, and grunted as he was yanking at it. "Bloody hell, the door's heavy as a troll, mate."

"If it's as heavy as the troll we fought, then we should open it together!" Harry said, grabbing the ring. Neville, Draco and Hermione each grabbed the large ring handle, and the group began to pull. The massive door creaked and slid open a small amount. Ron let go of the handle hurried to peek into the slight hole that was made.

What Ron saw gazing back at him was a pair of red eyes.

"BLOODY HELL!" Ron yelled, stumbling back and landing on the floor with a thud. A low, menacing snarl rumbled from the other side of the door, sending a shiver down Harry's spine.

His nose twitched as an acrid stench filled the air—a mix of something chemical and the unmistakable musk of a wild animal, like a dog or a wolf. The door creaked open slightly, forced by the pressure of a massive, black, wet nose that sniffed hungrily at the air. A guttural growl accompanied the intrusion, and Harry's eyes widened as he caught sight of razor-sharp teeth the size of kitchen knives glinting in the dim light. The beast strained against the door, pushing it open further, jaws snapping dangerously close to Ron.

"Close it! Close it! Close it! Close it!" Ron screamed in fright. He didn't have to say it again as the five children jumped at the door, trying to use their weight to try to slam it closed.

A sharp yelp echoed through the corridor as the massive nose was forcibly shoved back by the heavy door. The canine—or whatever it was—immediately retreated with a startled whine, disappearing into the room beyond. The door shut with a resounding thud, the sound reverberating through the air.

Harry winced, guilt flickering through him at the pained cry, but there was no time to dwell on it. They hurried to secure the door, pushing it firmly until the iron ring handle latched into place.

"Colloportus!" Draco hissed, flicking his wand with precision

The same air of magic that had been on the lock once more came into existence around the lock, but Harry could see portions of it that were different. Idly, he flicked his hand and felt his necklace heat up. He wished he could replace the parts that looked like Draco's magic with the magic he had seen before…

The magic shifted almost at his command. The necklace warmed at his neck and his magic pressed against the magic in the lock, shifting it to look indistinguishable from the dark gray magic he had seen before. Harry blinked. Had he done that without even trying?

A bit confused, he turned to his friends. They were sitting on the floor and gasping for breath.

Ron shuddered and exclaimed, "Bloody hell, what is that thing doing in a school?!"

"That's a Cerberus! I saw two more pairs of eyes behind the head that was trying to poke out"! Neville shouted.

"Those are class-four restricted beasts!" Draco was nearly in hysterics as he shouted back, "What's a Cerberus doing in the castle? Is this why a Troll got in?! We almost got eaten!"

"We aren't supposed to be here in the first place. Let's hurry and get out of here before we're seen!" Hermione added in, gesturing down the hall.

Harry sighed and rubbed his face, "For once, I agree with Hermione. I've had enough excitement for one day."

Draco, Ron, and Neville quickly agreed.

Hurrying down the hallway, Harry peered back at the odd door. He still felt guilty about slamming the door on the creature's nose, even if he knew he shouldn't feel bad about that. After all, it had tried to bite Ron! A quick reunion with Crabbe and Goyle later, the group made their way back to the Great Hall.

Harry gets his first taste of fame through the Daily Prophet. Unfortunately for him, this won't be the last time by a long shot. Harry's in for a rough time dealing with his fame. If only there was someone just as famous to teach him the ins and outs? But that's something for the future…

So the group stumbled across the third-floor corridor. Unlike in canon, Dumbledore made the corridor seem nothing unusual and boring, but fate seems to have other things in store. Or perhaps it isn't fate? Who knows.

We also get a reminder this is a full-blown AU here. What do you think the riddle and the three depressions mean?

The chapter was beta'd by Angie, Kaminton, and Levitress. If you're interested in joining them to help proofread the story, the more eyes and hands on it the less chance that I will mess up in the future. As we get into later books, continuity is the biggest thing I want to keep consistent, and the more betas I have the less chance I will mess something up!

I've reached 30k reads for this fic. Thanks for spending so much of your time reading this, guys. I hope this story is truly something that you will enjoy from beginning to end!

I do not own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does.