Though he was not exactly happy that this meeting was happening under circumstances that were, to say the least, somewhat troubling, Dumbledore nevertheless experienced no difficulty in offering his currently scowling guest a tray of candy.

"Lemon drop, Harry?"

Sadly of course, like countless others before him, the young Hufflepuff merely cast a brief look of disgust at the candy-filled bowl before shaking his head.

"No thanks, Headmaster. I prefer my candy to be sweet rather than sour."

Nodding his head to show that he understood Harry's reasoning, though he suspected that the refusal stemmed from some misguided belief that he had laced the muggle treat with some sort of potion, a rumor that continued to persist long after the imprisonment of its originator, Dumbledore decided to treat the answer as genuine before moving to a less pleasant topic.

"Well, that is to be expected considering your years, and the fact that Lemon Drops, like most sour things, are somewhat of an acquired taste. But while it is enjoyable to be discussing different types of sweets with you Harry, we need to address a more serious topic. You are aware of course that unless you have received permission from either myself or your Head of House, you are to remain on school grounds at all times?"

Receiving a slight shrug from the silently brooding boy, Dumbledore continued as if he had received a verbal answer.

"This is to ensure your safety. While you are attending Hogwarts, it is the responsibility of every staff member to look after your well-being. But we can only do so while you follow the rules. And while I am reluctant to invade your privacy, I'm afraid I am going to have to ask where you were during the past weekend?"

The answer he received would have done his father proud. Though it would have sent his mother into one of her legendary displays of anger.

"Around."

Sighing as he moved his spectacles, Dumbledore managed to keep his tone gentle as he tried to gain a more detailed answer.

"Care to be more specific Harry? Once it became clear that you were not in the castle, I can assure you that your friends were quite worried."

And while this managed to encourage Harry to give more than a one-worded answer, it was still insufficient enough to make him more cooperative.

"And how…I mean why did they think I left the castle? It's a big place. Easy enough for an eleven-year-old kid to explore without having anyone run into him."

Gazing at the difficult preteen with a look that he had once used on another troubled teenager, whose concern about the potential closing of Hogwarts had probably been one of the few times he had ever seen looks of genuine fear cross his features, Dumbledore's voice was as gentle as it was firm when he asked his question.

"Is that what you were doing Harry? Exploring the school?"

Resisting the urge to peer into his mind, for unlike Severus he would not abuse his authority unless he had no other choice, the aged Headmaster released a light sigh of relief as Harry shook his head.

Though his troubled frown returned when Harry gave a more verbal reply to his question.

"I just wanted to spend some time with my parents."

Understanding the boy's need for closure, and feeling just a tad bit guilty since it had been some time since he had last visited Godric's Hollow, Dumbledore nevertheless gently chided the last living Potter.

"I understand. However, I don't think they would wish for you to risk your life just so you can visit them. Perhaps over the Christmas break, I can accompany you to visit their memorial. But until that time you must stay in school where it's safe."

For a moment he thought he had managed to make a breakthrough.

But that moment quickly passed as Harry looked at him with a less than pleasant expression.

"What are you talking about? My parents are alive."

Sensing that the young Hufflepuff was talking about whoever it was that adopted him, and willing to use this opportunity to discover more about Harry's life since his unfortunate stay with the Dursleys, Dumbledore carefully moved forward with his questioning.

"Indeed? So you were with them this weekend?"

Receiving a single nod from the now guarded-looking boy, the aged wizard continued with his plan.

"Then perhaps it would be best to have a meeting with them in order to inform them of our school's policies. Though if the continued feelings of homesickness continue, I suppose something could be arranged. But first, I would have to meet them in order to ensure that they are…suitable for this sort of understanding."

Unfortunately, Harry was less than accepting of this plan.

But what was truly troubling was the manner in which he replied to this 'suggestion'.

"Sadly, mom and dad can't really come here since their job has them travelling a lot. However, if you want, I could have my magic teacher come in their stead?"

Fighting down his rising panic at this information, for it was now confirmed that Harry had indeed received magical training before his arrival, Dumbledore carefully asked a clarifying question.

"I suppose that would be acceptable if your parents are currently unavailable. Provided of course they give their approval of such a solution."

Receiving a hesitant nod from the green-eyed boy, Dumbledore shot him a grandfatherly smile as he gestured towards the door.

"Well, then that's that I suppose. Now for your punishment. I think thirty points from Hufflepuff, both for your departure and your unwarranted assault on Mr. Filch, and a week's detention with your head of house will be sufficient."

Receiving yet another nod at this announcement, Dumbledore couldn't help but make one last appeal to the departing Potter.

"And Harry. Should you ever need help, my door is always open to you."

While lacking the same charming aura as Tom Riddle's, the look he received nevertheless had the same degree of insincerity that had been worn by his former student as he nodded his head in acceptance.

Allowing his mind to wander as soon as he was once again alone in his office, his beloved familiar was off enjoying the brisk night air, the aged headmaster was both troubled, and yet hopeful at what he discovered.

While it was clear that the youngest Potter still harbored an unfortunate need to protect his secrets, secrets that might very well be harmful to both himself and those around him, it was clear that he still possessed an ability that, if properly nurtured, would allow him to avoid following in the same footsteps as Tom.

Though whether his new family was worthy of Harry's love, and not simply using him for some nefarious purpose was still the question.

Especially since he could tell that that the youngest Potter was under a glamor of some sort.

He was uncertain as to the reason behind the need to conceal his true appearance, but for the moment that mystery would remain unsolved until he met with the boy's magic teacher.

Depending on the outcome of that particular conversation, it might be prudent to make one of the numerous rumors surrounding Harry's disappearance from Magical Britain into a reality.

…..

Having spent the past twenty minutes ensuring that no one was following him as he made his way back to the Hufflepuff Common Room, be they human, ghost, painting, or the pillowcase-wearing servants, Harry quickly ducked into the nearest empty classroom before setting up the necessary privacy wards.

For while he was certain that he wasn't the only one with the means to have real-time conversations with their family, that didn't mean he wanted other people knowing about his preferred method.

Double-checking his rune work to ensure that he would have ample warning in case someone got within hearing distance, Harry quickly drew a two-way scrying circle with his wand and waited for Stolas to activate his end.

Luckily he didn't have to wait very long.

"Harry! This is a bit of a surprise. If you're are calling to speak with Octavia, I'm afraid that she and her mother are currently preoccupied with…"

"Sorry Master Stolas, but I actually need to speak to you. I…I fucked up."

Grateful that the owl Demon was one of the few adults he knew who would wait for a more detailed explanation before getting hysterical, at least when it had nothing to do with his daughter or Blitzo, Harry fought back a shiver as Stolas narrowed his eyes at him.

"Is that so? I trust that the nature of this…fuck up has nothing to do with the little 'talk' Blitzy and myself encouraged your father to have with you?"

Though his reply was respectful, there was no mistaking the anger in the eleven-year-old's voice as he realized what his teacher was getting at.

"It has nothing to do with…that. I just…accidentally informed my principal that I have a magic teacher. And that he wants to meet you."

As soon as the topic moved away from anything related to sex, Stolas's attitude returned to its usual jovial self.

"Oh is that all? Well then, so long as you haven't revealed the 'true nature' of your charming little family, everything should be alright. Does he have a date in mind? Or will I have to contact him myself?"

Shocked by how easily Stolas accepted the situation, though he knew that he would be less than pleased if he had revealed to the headmaster that Hell was a very real place, Harry quickly recovered as he shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't really know. I know he said he first wanted my parent's approval for you to act in their stead. So…maybe in a week or two?"

His suggestion earning a considering hum from the gray-feathered Demon, Harry sighed in relief when Stolas nodded his head.

"That would work. Now was there anything else I can do for you, Harry? Or was that everything?"

Shaking his head, Harry moved to cut the magical connection that allowed him to speak with his avian mentor.

Only to be halted by a gesture from his magic teacher.

"Actually there was something I just wanted to clarify with you. Was planning to ask this the next time you're back in Hell, but considering your trips home might be temporarily put on hold for the near future, might as well get this out of the way now. Tell me….what exactly did your father tell you about romantic relationships?"

Flinching as he was once again subject to the narrowed gaze of the owl Demon, Harry briefly summarized what his dad had told him.

"Uhhh…always wear a rubber and make sure there is consent."

Though his answer earned him a nod, the disguised dragon Demon could tell that Stolas wasn't completely satisfied with his answer.

"Hmmm. You have the basics down. And I am pleased to see that the issue of obtaining consent was mentioned in your 'talk'. But what about doing THAT with people you have already established a relationship with? I trust your father saw fit to tell you that you should ONLY have…relations with your friends if such an arrangement is to be long term?"

Quickly nodding his head to convey that his father had in fact spent some time discussing the finer points of at with his friends, Harry could only sigh in relief as Stolas's expression quickly changed from stern to cheerful.

"Then apart from the occasional friendly reminder, we will not have to speak of this again. Though I suspect that Blitzy might be a tad more active with his reminders. However, that is for the future. So if there is nothing else you need to speak to me about, I suggest that you should go to bed. Growing Demons need their rest after all."

Frowning a little at the patronizing tone of his mentor, Harry nevertheless nodded his head in acceptance before he terminated the connection.

And while he would follow Stolas's advice to go to bed, there was still something he had to do before he turned in for the night.

Make a list of the potential assholes who snitched on him.

…..

Despite possessing both a level of intellect and maturity that was miles above that of her peers and perhaps even some of her seniors, there was still one question that continued to elude her despite her obvious talents.

Why didn't anyone like her?

She was always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone who struggled with their school work. Except perhaps those belonging to Slytherin House.

And she had proven time and again that despite being Muggleborn, her knowledge was just as great as any magically raised student. Maybe even greater since her background allowed her to point out obvious flaws in the 'system'.

And yet despite all her talents and efforts, she was at best grudgingly tolerated, and at worst outright ridiculed and ignored.

It didn't matter if she earned a constant stream of house points from all of their professors, with the sole exception being the heavily biased Potions Master whose…teaching style would have had him fired from any normal academic institution.

Hardly anyone, be they members of her own house or those that belonged to the house that had first been suggested by the Sorting Hat before it had picked up on her admiration for the Headmaster, wished to be her friend.

And the one boy who did, she highly doubted that he would still want to if their housemates decided to make his life miserable by remaining at her side. For even if he had been sorted into the House of the Brave, Neville appeared to lack anything resembling the quality of bravery.

Still despite these setbacks, she was largely content with how her first week at magical boarding school had gone.

With the sole exception of course being the boy who would have been the perfect academic companion for her if not for one major character flaw.

He was a no-good cheat.

She knew, thanks to eavesdropping on her parents' nighttime conversations, that famous people were often given special privileges that normal people didn't receive.

But Potter didn't just bend the rules. He broke them.

Instead of following the approved instructions they had been given to learn magic, the messy-haired Hufflepuff arrogantly believed that he could achieve the same results with his own methods. And what made matters worse was that he was right.

It wouldn't have mattered if he had put in as much effort as she did to properly understand their lessons. And if his attitude was more akin to Neville's, she wouldn't have overly minded if he slightly modified the official rules to help his progress.

But since he refused to share how he accomplished these feats and continued to flaunt the impossible blending Muggle technology with magic, Hermione could feel nothing but irritation as her professors showed clear favoritism for the cheating boy.

However, recently she had begun to suspect that his cheating was actually a result of delving into magic that was deemed by their professors to be far too advanced for their age.

Her books had only mentioned it briefly, serving as more of a warning about some of the dangers that came from dabbling in the Dark Arts, but it was possible that the boy who defeated You-Know-Who was practicing the same sort of magic in order to become as strong as the evil wizard that had once terrorized Britain.

And when she had overheard that the twin brothers of her rude and sports-obsessed year mate mutter something about failing to find any trace of the arrogant Badger after an entire weekend of searching, the bushy-haired Gryffindor felt it was her duty to inform Professor McGonagall that a student had gone missing.

She was certain that Potter would be less than pleased once he was punished for his rule-breaking. But she was confident that in the long run, he would come to realize that getting caught was the best thing that would ever happen to him.

Of course, it was more than likely that his schoolwork would suffer once he was forced to study using the 'approved' methods. But even if he resented the loss of being the smartest student in their year, understanding that there was a 'correct way' to learn magic would ensure that he didn't accidentally hurt himself.

The fact that this would cement her position as the smartest first-year student had nothing to do with it.

….

Though most of her attention was on the heaping pile of thinly sliced pork meat that her pet had grudgingly given her after she had made threatening gestures to his own substantial pile, the intelligent white-colored female could nevertheless easily follow the conversation that was happening right in front of her.

"So let me get this straight. While you are the only ones who knew I had gone…missing, you have no idea who ratted me out to the headmaster?"

While approving of the boy's skepticism, the currently gorging avian could nevertheless tell that these humans were being sincere.

"Not a clue. I mean, I was going to tell Sprout if you didn't show up for breakfast today."

"And we were going to slip Minny an anonymous letter."

"But our dear head of house seemed to have picked up on your absence all by herself."

"Unless of course we were overheard in our planning Fred."

"That is a distinct possibility George. Though I am certain that we limited our scheming to the Gryffindor common room."

"Which probably means that there is a rat in the house of the lions."

Grateful for her kind's ability to rotate their necks, for she would have otherwise hurt herself in the attempt to keep track of which identical human was speaking, Hedwig casually snacked on another piece of bacon as the Twins responded to her pet's suspicions.

"Well, that was slightly uncalled for, young badger."

"Indeed Fred. The only rat in Gryffindor house is the useless lump that our younger brother calls a pet."

"Indeed brother mine. And while dear Ronniekins has been less than happy with your place in the badger's den."

"Your actions against the blonde ferret and that greasy-haired bat have earned you a certain amount of leeway."

"Oh, how thoughtful of him. But when I find whoever did it, there will be pain. Lots and lots of pain."

Softly hooting in agreement with the black-haired magic-user, for anyone who preferred to associate with rodents was less than deserving of respect, the snow-white Owl felt her amber eyes narrow as she watched one of the more distasteful humans in the castle make their way over to their section of the table.

Appetite now fully ruined since she didn't want to eat anything that had been spoiled by the mere presence of the ferret-like human, Hedwig was less than pleased when the first snarky comment was directed at her.

"I knew you weren't exactly raised in civilized company Potter, but I would have thought that even Muggles would know not to share their meals with filthy animals."

Puffing up in enraged indignation at this comment, for she prided herself on her ability to always look immaculate, even when enjoying the bounty that was her pet's breakfast, Hedwig was pleased to see that her mistress's future mate was also annoyed by this unwelcome interruption.

"Piss off Malfoy. I'm not in the mood."

Pleased but slightly exasperated since she knew he could do better.

As it was the rather crude dismissal only encouraged the blond.

"Really? Well, I suppose that's to be expected when one associates with blood traitors and filt.."

"Watch it cousin. Mommy and Daddy aren't here to protect you if you wanna pick a fight."

Thankful for the girl's interference, even if she would have preferred a more violent response, Hedwig tilted her head in confusion as the blond-haired ferret lost his cool.

"Your no cousin of mine half breed. You lost any right to call me family the night your whore of a mo…GRKK!"

Hooting in approval as she watched her charge deal with this annoyance, though she was uncertain if he had meant to increase his rival's chances of being the last of his family line, Hedwig decided that she had had enough entertainment for one day.

For even if she could have scoffed down another pound or two of bacon, her mistress had only ordered her to intervene when the boy's life was in danger.

Though she had to confess that the professor that was currently storming towards her section of the table had a slight touch of murder in his eye.

"POTTER! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!? 50 POINTS FROM HUFFLEPUFF AND DETENTION FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK!"

….

Though she wore a less than pleased frown as she continued to read the letter from Harry's principal, her annoyance had nothing to do with the fact that it was due to the actions of her son that had resulted in this summons in the first place.

Rather it was due to the fact that she was not only given undeniable proof that her baby boy was being bullied by some of his classmates and teachers, but also that this situation was enough to get her employer to insult her husband's parenting skills.

"Gotta say, Mills, If there was any doubt that the kid was Moxxie's son, this letter would have erased it completely. I mean, what kind of id.."

"Finish that sentence boss and I'll tell Stolas that it wasn't a feral Hellhound taking a crap in his wife's section of the garden."

Pleased to see her threat have the intended reaction from the older Imp, Millie quickly sported a more pleasant smile on her face as Loona decided to look up from her internet surfing to back her up.

"You're also one to talk Blitz. How many times have you whipped out a weapon while we're out in public?"

Flashing the amused-looking Hellhound a grateful smile, the female Imp was largely unsurprised that Blitzo refused to accept this rebuke.

"Okay first off, this is Hell. If you point a gun at somebody, it's not like there are any serious consequences."

"Unless of course, you do it to an Overlord, Prince, or a popular music artist when she's surrounded by her heavily armed entourage."

Her husband's observation, though accurate, nevertheless still earned him the response that had long since become one of Blitzo's numerous catchphrases.

"Shut up Moxxie. Nobody cares. What I was trying to say is that down here, hardly anyone bats an eye. But up there? Time and place guys. Time and place. You don't see me freely waving my weapon around before it's needed."

"You do that all the time sir!"

"Are you kidding me?"

"You kinda do."

Rolling her eyes as Blitzo ignored their attempts to once again point out his hypocrisy, Millie quickly found herself switching back into 'parent mode' as Loona pointed at the letter.

"So besides getting a little too trigger happy in a public place, what else does the letter say?"

Opening her mouth to answer the canine secretary, the black-haired Imp could only scowl as her boss decided to snatch away the letter and briefly summarize its contents in his usual way.

"Okay, let's see here. 'To the adoptive parents of Harry Potter', something something something about being a good student without being obnoxious about it. Troubling anti-social behavior, goes over the top when it comes to self-defence. And…oh shit!"

Feeling concerned as she watched Blitzo's demeanor change from bored to slight nervousness, though it was not enough to stifle the annoyance at the fact that the headmaster seemed to go the extra mile to highlight that she was not connected to her son by blood, Millie managed to keep her cool as her boss finished reading.

"Says here that he wants to meet you both too, as he puts it, discuss the kid's 'situation'. He says that he is perfectly happy to meet with the kid's magic tutor, aka Stolas, but only if you're unavailable to meet with him during the coming weeks."

As a mother, Millie already knew which answer she would give.

But unfortunately, this was one of the few times where her husband didn't have her back.

"I…actually think it's best if Stolas is the one to deal with this Millie."

Shooting a glare at her white-haired partner, who at least had the decency to look ashamed at his current inability to support his wife, Millie could only growl as Blitzo decided to weigh in.

"Gotta say I have to side with Moxx on this one Mills. He might not act like it most of the time, but Stolas does know how to be serious when the situation calls for it. And since the Kid's principal is basically the modern-day equivalent of Merlin, if shit goes down you want someone who can go toe to toe with this guy in a magic battle."

Acknowledging the point with a curt nod, even if it pained her to do so, Millie crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at the two male Imps.

"Alright, fine. But I want you to let your feathered boyfriend know that I want to go over our options BEFORE he meets with Harry's headmaster. Otherwise, I'm gonna take it out of both of your asses."

While her warning was enough to earn nods of acceptance from the two boys, Blitzo nevertheless had to ruin the seriousness of the moment by being the denying jerkass that he was.

"First off Millie, Stolas isn't my boyfriend. He's just a guy who is happy to exchange all sorts of perverted sexual favors for access to the book we need to get to the human world. And secondly, you might want to take it easy on Moxx's ass. I mean, I know you like pegging him, but keep up with the abuse and he won't be able to feel an arm much less a dildo."

While blushing in embarrassment at having one of her kinks discovered, not that she would admit it since she knew her husband would prefer to keep it between themselves, Moxxie did what he always did whenever their employer got a little too personal for his tastes.

Angrily call out Blitzo for his less than respectful behavior.

"I know I shouldn't really expect anything different at this point, but sir that is still INAPPROPRIATE!"

And as usual, Blitzo just made things worse.

"What? I think it's a good thing for your relationship. I mean sure after a while you're ass will be as loose as a pair of pregnancy pants on an anorexic teenager, but I'm sure with some surgery, you'll be as tight as a…"

"Finish that sentence Sir and your 'fuck buddy' will have a new hole to play with."

Though her boss didn't appear to be too concerned by her husband's threat, he at least seemed willing to change the topic.

"Alright alright. Sheesh. Just wanted to let you two know that I actually give a fuck about ensuring you to love birds continue to have a happy sex life. But enough about that. Thanks to the Kid's efforts, and Looney's hard work in ensuring we have a perfectly understandable ad campaign up and running, we finally have a client willing to pay us to take out a wizard."

Grinning at the thought of taking out one of the more nasty members of Britain's Magical Community, for it likely meant that there was one less threat to her son, Millie was momentarily caught off guard when instead of going through their magically conjured portal, Blitzo decided to do something that Moxxie had been trying to get him to do for years.

Making a viable plan.

"Ok everybody here's how this shit's going down. Our boys' in heavy lock-up, so we need to…"

"Waitwaitwaitwaitwait. What do you mean heavy lock-up sir?"

And of course, Blitzo was quite prepared to reply to this interruption.

Albeit in a manner that caught her off guard.

"Good question Moxx. while a good deal more corrupt than its nonmagical counterpart, Magical Britain's legal system has a pretty big hard-on for punishing those stupid enough for being on the wrong side of the law. If you don't have the cash for bribes or your dick sucking skills are subpar, they send you to this island where you spend the rest of your decades or longer sentence being surrounded by sadistic soul suckers. Obviously, this tends to have a negative effect on a person's mental skills after a while. But luckily our client doesn't care if our target is cationic. They just want him dead."

Pouting a little since this would be a job that required more stealth than fighting skills, Millie decided to ask the relevant question.

"So who's the mark boss?"

And of course, Blitzo acted as he always did when it came time to act like a serious employer.

"I dunno. Some douchebag follower of the idiot who's responsible for your kid going all reptile instead of something more cuddly. The asshole's been in prison for 10 years now, so I think even if he is a former terrorist, he won't put up much of a fight."

Nodding her head to show her agreement with this logic, though she did have to wonder what Harry's Demon form would have been like if he hadn't briefly shared his body with the soul shard of a snake lover, Millie busied herself with preparing for their departure.

For even if this was a mission that required more stealth than firepower, she wanted to be prepared.

…..

While he could admit that he deserved some sort of punishment for his actions that morning, mostly because he had chosen to enact his revenge while there were plenty of witnesses, Harry nevertheless still felt that the punishment wasn't exactly equal to the crime.

"Pick up the pace Potter! Though I am sure you believe otherwise, I do have better things to do with my time than supervise your efforts."

Keeping his expression blank as he offered the barest of nods to the sneering Potions Master, though in truth he would have liked to point out that the man's favorite hobby seemed to be making children miserable, the young dragon Demon continued the distasteful task of cleaning up the Potion's room.

Of course, while the act of scrubbing cauldrons and rinsing phials was bad enough in its own tedious way, having to put up with Snape just made it unbearable.

"You know you managed to impress me, Potter. When your father first walked through these halls, it took him barely a month before he did something stupid enough to earn detention. But you? Your attention-seeking methods managed to actually surpass him. But then of course, he lacked the…popularity that you currently possess."

Fighting the urge to scoff, mostly because the greasy-haired bat was trying to piss him off by insulting a man who he couldn't give two shits about, Harry soon sported a small frown as the hooked nosed professor decided to get a little more personal.

"That being said, however, I suppose even the great James Potter would be ashamed of your actions today. Even if he would approve the use of violence towards your betters, your father at least would never sully himself with the use of a Muggle weapon. But then, his upbringing, while leaving him with an overinflated sense of self-entitlement, was much more civilized than what you had probably experienced during the course of the past dec…"

"Shut up."

Shooting a warning glare towards the now deadly still professor, Harry decided that it was now time to put some of the information he had gotten from Loona to good use.

However, to do so he would have to act like a certain equestrian enthusiast.

But if anyone deserved to be disrespected it was the man in front of him.

"What did you say you little br.."

"I said shut up sir. You're one to talk about acting civilized considering what you had to do to get accepted into the wizarding version of the KKK."

Catching the brief look of surprise before it disappeared beneath the usual sneering mask, Harry could only smirk as Snape tried to not only deny the accusation but admonish him for his lack of respect.

"I don't know what you're talking about Potter. However, I suggest that you watch your tone. Even if you are responsible for the defeat of the Dark Lord, his followers are not to be under.."

"Mary Macdonald."

Enjoying the look of panic that had come over Snape's face as he heard that particular name, Harry continued to practice an art that would have undoubtedly earned him a beating if he had still lived with the Dursleys.

However down in Hell, behaving like a creepy child was something many kids did for fun.

"Died fourteen years ago come next February. Cause of death was a killing curse in the back in order to prove that a certain fanboy that he was 'worthy' of helping out his ido.."

"Silence!"

Smirking at the mixed look of rage and fear that was currently being worn by the paler than normal Potions Master, and deciding that he had pushed as far as he could without giving the man a chance to reply to this rather…sensitive information, Harry ensured that both his wand and his second taser, the first one having been confiscated, were both ready to fly into his hand should Snape decide to get violent.

Unfortunately, Snape wasn't dumb enough to make him act in 'self defence'.

"I don't know where you found that information boy, but I assure you that…"

"That she only got killed after she had been tortured for having no magical ancestry? Or that the only reason why she got 'selected' was because she happened to be the best female friend of one Lily P…".

"GET OUT!"

Quickly obeying the screamed command, for years of watching Blitzo at work had taught him that it was never a good idea to further irritate a deranged person UNLESS they were securely bound, Harry waited until he was well away from the Potions classroom before pondering on his latest stunt.

Yes, it had been highly amusing to rile the man up, especially since he had failed to recognize the numerous witnesses who stated that Malfoy was to blame for the morning's 'incident'.

Yet the fact still remained that this latest scheme for revenge couldn't have been possible without relying on something that reminded him of his connection to Lily Potter.

He wasn't too surprised that her former best friend had been denied from passing through the Gates of St. Peter, for Stolas had told him that the most humans who died before their thirties, but after their preteen years, were too 'tainted' to ever to be welcomed into Heaven.

But considering the client had been willing to give Loona all the juicy details about Snape once she realized just who would be carrying out her revenge, Harry wasn't exactly surprised at her placement in Hell.

But it did give him a bit of a dilemma.

While he didn't really give a crap about why Snape had chosen the friend of his birth-giver to prove his worthiness to become a Death Eater, it did highlight the fact that perhaps he should finally look into those letters he had been getting ever since his first Extermination.

For while he burned or destroyed every one, he knew for a fact that copies of the angelic delivered letters existed.

The only problem was that he wasn't sure if he wanted to pay the inevitable price that the owner of said copies would charge him with.

He knew (or hoped) that he had done nothing to ensure that he was on the Devil's shit list, but his dad had taught him that sometimes the best way to survive in life was to avoid gaining the active attention of a more powerful being.

However, since he was already an active player on the board of whatever game Lucifer was playing against the forces of Heaven, it's not like he had too much to lose at this point.

And the only other option was contacting the Potters to ask for their help. And he would be doubly damned if he ever got that desperate for help.

….

Another chapter done :D

AND…the last one before I begin a certain arc that covers an episode that takes place in the rural regions of Hell. That's right everybody, it is now time for the Harvest Festival AND some scenes with Harry's adoptive grandparents lol

A lot of suggestions have been made about how to do this, some of them better than my own, but the point is its happening.

AND…will be using the latest episode, another awesome addition I must say, for another arc in the future.

Now, to briefly recap what has happened.

Dumbledore finally getting his meeting with Harry. Doesn't get all the answers he wants, but is hopeful for building a future relationship with the boy. As previously stated, going with the more misguided/remorseful can make mistake Dumbledore rather than the manipulative/for greater good headmaster that is a fan fic favorite.

Then of course the conversation between Stolas and Harry. Pretty straight forward. I think. Showing that Stolas has more less taken the same kind of role Lupin did in the series (i.e. Teacher, family friend) with the added addition of course of being a protective father.

And the Hermione segment. Since this is still pre troll, don't think it's too unbelievable that this is her mindset. However it is still my personal take on the Granger bashing that is also a popular thing in fanfics.

Hedwig's pov was…well I felt it was needed lol. Both of her views on her relationship with Harry, and her surroundings.

The scene with I.M.P….again straight forward. With enough detail given in the last bit to move the plot forward…BUT not to give any spoilers.

AND finally….Detention with Snape. First just gonna point out that Mary Macdonald IS a canon character, mentioned by Lily in Snape's memory. But also covers what I always though Death Easter initiation was like.

I.e. proving one's distaste for muggle influence in magical society by murdering either a Muggle, Muggleborn, or Blood Traitor as part of some sort of ceremony. This goes beyond the regularly used idea in fanfics that one has to be a willing to follow Voldemort in his crusade. One has to prove their devotion.

And considering Snape only switched sides when he learned Lily was going to be targeted, not for the other acts of violence, think its safe to say that he would choose one of the people who he believed to be responsible for causing his relationship with his love interest to fail.

And do not worry. Harry is NOT going to become the creepy demonically possessed child we see in horror films. He just plays that role to mess with people. Cause afterall, he has been living in Hell.

Anyways, that's enough for now.

Big thanks to both Darksycthe Drake for their help in editing this story. AND to Airsoftal01 for reviewing this story on YOU tube.

ANNNNDDDD this story has FINALLY made the cut for fanfic recommendations on the Helluvaboss Tv tropes page LMAO…it's at the bottom of the list :P.

Still aiming to have a page of it's own rather than just mentions in certain categories, but we are getting there.

Anyways, thank you everyone for your words of support/reviews.

Keep them coming. No flames though lol.

Til next time.