And here is the twelfth chapter!

* Review Response:
magitech, The Sinful, hopefully I can live up to your expectations; writing a not-insane-but-still-evil Voldemort is not an easy task.
Ranmaleopard, raw666, Wyrtha, Ariadne Venegas, JPElles, thank you for your reviews, folks!
city bookworm, yes, Harry is indeed near the top of his year. He isn't the top-ranked student, though.
FuZzvKiNgZz, yes, the potion he brew indeed just overcharges his natural growth. And, yes, it works. Just not fast enough for its effects to be really noticeable to the people who see Harry every day.

* AN: And this concludes Harry's first year at Hogwarts...

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own "Harry Potter" franchise. No profit is being made. Same goes for any books, video games, anime or manga I may or may not use for ideas.

"speaking"
'thinking'
written text

A Year Too Soon
Chapter XII: The End of the Year

It actually took Harry a while to realize that he now was something akin to the leader of his year. At any rate, he was well-respected and his word had quite a bit of weight with his classmates. And even by some of the older Slytherins as well. However, he saw little reason to exercise this influence of his as, despite the common misconception, his housemates weren't noticeably meaner than students from the other houses. Indeed, about the only thing Harry forced onto them was the ban on the word 'mudblood', its derivatives and similar racist slurs.

Officially, he did it because such crude language was unbecoming of the future pillars of the magical society. Unofficially… well, while no one dared to call him or his muggle-born mother any of those obscenities to his face, hearing such language used against others still hurt him on the inside since he knew that had the things been even a little different, he'd have been scorned for not having purely-magical blood flowing through his veins just like them.

Surprisingly enough, his move gained a lot of support. Not just from those with mixed parentage, but a number of pureblood children, some even from the supposedly dark families, also decided to throw their support behind the idea. Of course, not everyone agreed with this proposition, and these people didn't hesitate to make their opinions known, often going beyond just words when delivering their 'arguments' against Harry's initiative. In the end, though, they weren't numerous enough or loud enough to do anything and the change in the house's policy was enacted. No one, however, could've predicted just how much of an impact this deceptively-simple change would have...

Within a week, the Serpent's Den descended into great discord as those who refused to accept the 'new ways' tried their best to make everything as it was before while the supporters of the new policy fought tooth and nail to keep the house moving towards its betterment… At least everyone remembered the unwritten rules of Slytherin and kept this conflict behind closed doors - it wasn't hard to imagine just how much more troublesome this whole mess would have been, if the people from the other houses had been aware of this strife… Indeed, the Slytherins weren't exactly well-liked by the rest of the school and there were, no doubt, many who would capitalize on their moment of weakness to smite the 'Slimy Snakes'.

By the time this strife died down and the opposition of the 'new ways' finally accepted that they wouldn't be able to change things back to how they used to be, it was the beginning of May already and the end of the year examinations were near at hand. Passing these exams with good marks was very important as each individual's accomplishments mattered a lot in the Serpent's Den, so everyone was busy getting ready for the tests and whatever personal conflicts there were receded into the background.

~/ *** \~

Harry let out a tired sigh as he collapsed into his favorite armchair in the Slytherin common room. The exams were finally over for him! The tests had been quite tiring, but he managed to pass them all alright: History of Magic and Astronomy were the only subjects where he failed to achieve 'Outstanding'. Those were some pretty good results, seeing as he scored second best in Slytherin and sixth schoolwide. The Fates, however, seemed to have decided that it wasn't time for him to relax just yet...

"Mr. Potter." Professor Snape said as silently appeared next to him, seemingly materializing out of some shadow. "The Headmaster would like to speak with you."

"O-Of course." Harry replied, startled by the Potions Master's abrupt appearance as well as by the sudden and inexplicable summon. "I'll go there immediately." Receiving a curt nod from his head of the house, the young Potter pulled himself out of the armchair and headed towards the exit from the common room, accompanied by the man's fixed glare: professor Snape still was rather angry with him over the policy-change fiasco. Indeed, the discord in the Serpents' Den added a lot of unwanted work onto his plate, including separating the affrays and running the damage control. Really, Harry felt very sorry for the trouble his decision has caused, but he was too scared to approach professor Snape and tell him that…

"Come in, Harry, my boy." Dumbledore's voice reached him through the door. Letting out a sigh as he did his best to suppress his nervousness, the green-eyed Potter entered the headmaster's office.

"You wanted to see me, Sir?" He asked.

"Yes." The aged warlock replied with a nod. "Please have a seat; I need to discuss something very important with you." He said, while gesturing towards one of the chair sitting in front of his desk.

"What is that you wanted to discuss with me, Sir?" Harry asked as he seated himself.

"You see, my boy, the summer holidays are near at hand and so we need to talk over your plans for the summer..." Not giving the raven-haired youth a chance to insert even a single word, the headmaster continued: "Now, I know that I'll have no actual authority over you once the academic year is over, but I'd still like it if you spend at least a couple of week at your aunt's house." Upon hearing this request Harry made a wry face: he didn't want to return under the Dursleys' roof. Especially since he knew he totally could afford renting a room in the Leaky Cauldron or somewhere else in the magical world for the summer months.

"Why, Sir?" He asked, wanting to know, why Dumbledore wanted him to go back to #4, Privet Drive.

"Well… You see, Harry, not everyone in the magical world is a nice person. There exist those who would rather use their gift of Magic to hurt others. Back before you were born, many such individuals flocked under the banner of Dark Lord Voldemort. And, unfortunately, quite a few of them managed to escape justice after he fell on that fateful Halloween night… And now that you've returned to the magical world, they might try to seek you out and hurt you, either to avenge their fallen lord, or simply because they can." Dumbledore replied, sounding older as he actually was.

"But, Sir, how does this relate to me having to go back to the… Dursleys' house?" The young Potter asked, not quite following the headmaster's train of thoughts. Wouldn't he be safer somewhere in the magical world?

"You see, when you were placed into your aunt's care, some very powerful arcane wards were erected around that house. Those wards can keep anyone wishing you harm far away, but they aren't perpetual and need to be recharged yearly. That's why I would like you to spend a couple of weeks at your aunt's house - to recharge the wards. This way, you'll have a safe haven available to you, should you find yourself in the need of one."

"Very well, Sir, I'll think about this…" Harry said after a few moments of silence, mostly to get the headmaster off his back. He was more than a little skeptical about the man's claim that Privet Drive was the safest place for him to be at when away from Hogwarts. And, if the wards around his relatives' house indeed existed and were as powerful as advertised, shouldn't they have protected him when his cousin tried to push him down the stairs a couple of years ago? Or when his aunt almost hit him on his head with a hot frying pan? Or in any number of other situations that might have resulted in serious injury or even death for him?

"I hope you'll make a wise decision, my boy." Dumbledore replied, his tone making it quite clear which choice he wanted the green-eyed youth in front of him to make.

"Will this be all, Sir?" Harry asked then.

"If you have nothing else that you'd like to discuss with me, than I see no reason to keep you away from your friends, my boy." Dumbledore replied with that damn twinkling bright in his eyes… Shaking his head, Harry excused himself and left the man's office.

~/ *** \~

Aside from the summon by the headmaster, the final week of school passed without any notable events for Harry. Until the End-of-the-Year Feast, of course. The feast was something that he both looked forward to and dreaded. Former because, well, it was a glorious event, especially since Slytherins would also be celebrating their well-earned victory in the House Cup. And the latter, because it meant that the academic year was over and the time to vacate the welcoming halls of Hogwarts for the summer came.

And Harry most certainly wasn't happy about that; the castle was the closest place to home he knew, and he'd rather remain there. Alas, that wasn't an option and he had to either go back to his relatives for the summer or spend the holidays renting a room in some magical inn. And the headmaster made it quite clear which option he was supposed to choose. Harry didn't like it one bit, but there was so damn little he could do about it. Albus Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard and politician on the British Isles, you either complied with his request, or he made you comply... At very least, if he returned to Privet Drive willingly, he'd be free to spend his summer however he wanted once the wards protecting the house were recharged.

On the train ride back to London the young Potter found himself sharing a compartment with the Carrow twins as well as some second year Slytherin boy whose name kept eluding him. It was a pleasant ride as Flora and Hestia were some of the few the people he liked being around, yet Harry still felt a little unease as the dreadful moment when he met the Dursleys again loomed over him. His anxiety didn't go unnoticed by the girls, and they wanted to know whether he was alright or not. And since he didn't want to involve them in his personal problems, Harry lied, saying that everything was fine. And whether or not the twins believed him, they chose to respect his privacy and didn't pry any further.

While the journey from Hogsmeade to London was a long one, sooner or later it had to come to an end. And as the sun began to lean towards the horizon, the Hogwarts Express entered the London suburbs and started slowing down. Just a little bit more, and it'd arrive to platform 9¾… Harry felt another wave of anxiety wash over him at this thought. He really didn't want to return under the Dursleys' roof, not after he had experienced a different life at Hogwarts.

"-er?.. Harry?" Flora's hand gently placed on his shoulder brought him out of his somber thoughts.

"Ah. Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts…" Harry said, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "What were you saying again?" Hestia shook her head as she breathed out a soft sigh, while her twin spoke:

"Disappearing into your own little world while others are talking to you is quite impolite, Harry." She chastised him lightly. "Anyway, as I was saying, we should probably introduce you to our grandmother. In the letters she sent us over the year, she has expressed quite some interest in your character." This caught the green-eyed youth by surprise. The regent of the house Carrow wanted to meet him? And the twins actually thoughts it would be a good idea to hold this meeting today? At very least, based on what Flora and Hestia told him about their grandmother, she was a strict but fair lady. And, while she wasn't one of the Dark Lord's supporters… Well, she did support Voldemort's original agenda of preserving and promoting the traditions of Magical Britain, but she detested the methods the madman had used.

"Alright." Harry said with a sigh of his own after a few long moments of silence. He might not know enough about wizarding etiquette yet to be sure that he could handle anything thrown his way in a fitting matter, but postponing this meeting would likely have a worse impact than any mistakes he might make today as it would look like he was running away at the first sign of hardship. A trait that wasn't respected either by wizards or by muggles…

"Don't worry. I'm sure grandmother will like you." Hestia tried to reassure him. Harry could only respond with a small sigh, as he hoped that his friend was right.

The crowd of parents waiting for their children on the platform 9¾ that greeted Harry as he disembarked from the Hogwarts Express was far worse than he expected, and he'd probably get lost in it were he on his own. Thankfully for him the twins seemed to have no problems with navigating through the thick crowd and they quickly found a way to a less packed part of the platform.

"Flora, Hestia!" An witch in strict dark-maroon robes and a matching pointy hat called. And while the girls greeted their grandmother, Harry studied regent of the house Carrow from a respectful distance of a few yards. She was a thin and not very tall woman with short-ish hair that just began graying - this actually caught Harry off-guard a little as he was expecting someone a bit more ...grandmotherly? Yes, he imagined her to be a lot more like a stereotypical granny, much like those pictured in the muggle children's books... His further thoughts on the matter were interrupted when Lady Carrow addressed to him: "And you must be Mr. Harry Potter, young man." He gave her a nod.

"Yes, ma'am." After a brief moment, the etiquette lessons the twins and Gemma tried to drill into his head clicked, and he hastily added: "It's an honor to meet you, Lady Carrow."

"Such a well-mannered young man..." The witch said. "Will grow into quite a looker too. No wonder my granddaughters are so smitten by you." Now, this was something that Harry had no idea how to react to, so he just stood there, gaping like an idiot. Flora and Hestia immediately tried to deny this accusation, but their exasperated denials that such attraction might ever exist didn't sound very convincing when they had those intense blushes on their faces. Thankfully for him, Lady Carrow decided that she had had enough of teasing him. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Potter. Alas, I'm afraid, we have to cut our chat short today. We do have arrangements that can't wait and, I'm positive, so do you." Pausing for a moment to take a breath, she then added: "I do hope, however, that we can have a proper conversation some time soon, Mr. Potter. I'll let you iron out the details with my girls."

"Of course, ma'am. It will be my pleasure." Harry replied.

"Oh, I have no doubts about that." Lady Carrow said with a small laugh. Then, turning her attention to her granddaughters, she said: "Flora, Hestia, let us be on our way. The dinner to celebrate your return from Hogwarts should be ready and waiting for you." Nodding, the twins waved him an enthusiastic goodbye as the three witches began walking towards the public floo… Waiting till they all disappeared in the flashes of emerald flames, Harry let out a sigh. It was the time for him to get reunited with his family as well, even if they were… well, the Dursleys. So, picking up his trunk, he headed for the gate that separated platform 9¾ from the rest of the Kings Cross.

Finally managing to separate himself from the perpetual chaos that filled the muggle side of the station, Harry sat down on his trunk and tried to catch his breath. It was official now: he hated crowded places! He didn't get a chance to rest properly as not a minute later his uncle found him.

"Why are you dallying here, boy?" The walrus-like man barked without even bothering to greet him. "Get your sorry ass in my car so that I can finally come back home."

"Happy to see you too, uncle Vernon." The young wizard snapped back. Mr. Dursley's face turning purple probably meant that he'd be in trouble once they returned to number Four, but right now he was a little beside himself and didn't care too much about that… After a few seconds of tense silence, Harry pushed himself off his trunk and shook the dust off his clothes. "Alright, lead the way." He said, letting out a soft sigh. Then, looking up, he saw that his uncle wasn't waddling his way back to his car and, instead, was staring at him. "Hmm?"

"Boy! W-What have they been feeding you w-with?" Now it was Harry's turn to stare.

"What are you talking about?" He asked back, trying to understand what has shocked his uncle so much. Did the man really expect him not to change at all over the past nine months or something? Not getting any distinct answer from his uncle, the young Potter walked up to a nearby shopwindow and used it as a substitute mirror. And he couldn't see anything out of order about himself. Yes, he as put on a couple of kilos during his time at Hogwarts and grew up a little, but, really, he looked like he supposed to be. Just like an average Hogwarts student who has just finished his first year of magical education…

It was then a realization hit Harry with the force a steam engine going full speed: it wasn't supposed to be like that! He was at least a year younger than everyone, after all. And, yet, he now looked just as old as his classmates… His potion has actually worked!

That's all, folks!
Read and review.