And here's the thirty ninth chapter of "A Year Too Soon"! Enjoy!
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Lord of Sorcery, maybe? I'm not sure whether I even want to deal with that.
nkh1, yes, Pettigrew will find Crouch Jr. and free him - he did all of the heavy work in the books anyway as Voldemort's homunculus body was too weak physically and Magically to really do anything other than thinking.
Jostanos, Dumbledore would hand the diadem over to the Unspeakable in the morning following the events of that paragraph. I think I stated as much there.
Luiz4200, there will also be a somewhat different plan for resurrecting Voldemort as it will be made without the said Dark Lord's input.
et-reader97, I'll think about that, though at this time if it happens, it will be NEWT-level students who get to work on those runes and not fourth-years like Harry and the twins or third-years like Daphne, Tracey and Blaise.
, well if you have any other suggestions for how I could deal with Harry's horcrux without having him walk into an Avada Kedavra or make out with a dementor, I'm all ears. And as far as I know, there is no such limit on what can be made into a horcrux.
BMS, he doesn't.
Majerus, the idea behind my version of Rowena's diadem is that only something that possesses it's own intelligence can create knowledge, and the diadem in this story isn't one such object. Instead, I gave it a set of powers that make it look like the wearer gains knowledge out of thin air - in reality, they are just made into much better thinker and can deduce things faster and more accurately.
* AN: As always, great thanks to my friend Skelekitty for his help in polishing this chapter.
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"
"parseltongue"
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A Year Too Soon
Chapter XXXIX: Third Year Ends
The end of the year exams were finally over and while most of the results haven't been announced yet, Harry was positive that he did well in every class. Even History of Magic, which still was his weakest subject. He certainly had studied hard enough for all those tests to earn more than just a passing grade. And he was quite sure that his girlfriends too would get good marks on their exams.
Anyhow, with the exams finally behind them, the trio was now free to explore their new relationship a little. In the afternoons, they'd seclude themselves either in Harry's hideout - an unused classroom he had appropriated back in the first year - or somewhere on the castle's vast ground and… It was still mostly just kissing and touching, but, Merlin, it was enjoyable!
Today, though, their 'plans' were foiled by Dumbledore's summons that Harry had received during the lunch. And as much as he would prefer the company of Flora and Hestia to that of the Headmaster, Harry had no option but to answer the summon and see what the old man wanted from him.
"You wanted to see me, Headmaster?" Harry 'greeted' as he stepped into the man's office.
"Yes. Please come in, Mr. Potter." Dumbledore said, inviting him to take a seat. "Lemon drop?" He offered then. The Potter heir shook his head.
"No, Sir. Thank you."
"Alright then." The Headmaster continued. "There is a couple of reasons why I wanted to speak to you today but, first of all, I'd like to thank you." Upon seeing a surprise on Harry's face, he elaborated: "While I still maintain that your decision to hire Curse-Breakers to deal with the horcrux in your scar without consulting anyone was a bit hasty and reckless, the fact that you did so allowed us to learn that it is possible to safely move a horcrux from its old contained and into a new one. With this knowledge, my colleagues from the Ministry and I were able to cleanse a priceless historical artifact from the dark taint of the Dark Lord's horcrux without damaging it. So, thank you, Mr. Potter, Hogwarts - no, the entirety of Magical Britain - is in your debt."
"Ah… Thank you, Sir." Harry replied. There was a rather long pause, before he dared to ask: "What artifact did the Dark Lord use?"
"Before I tell you - and you deserve to know this - I'd like you to promise me that you will not tell anyone about this for the time being. We do not want to alert the Dark Lord, however weak he might be at this time, to the fact that we've managed to locate one of his horcruxes, or even that we're searching for them." The younger wizard nodded.
"I promise, Sir." He said.
"It was the lost diadem of Lady Ravenclaw." Dumbledore told him. "Found in this very castle, actually. It will be stored in a secure location for now, but I promise that one day it - and any other artifacts of the Founders - will be proudly displayed within Hogwarts' halls."
"The diadem was the third horcrux that was destroyed, right?" Harry asked then.
"Indeed." The old warlock confirmed. "But, I'm afraid, this is not the end of the Dark Lord yet. I have the reasons to believe that there still are three, maybe four, horcruxes waiting to be found and destroyed." Noticing Harry's horrified face, he quickly added: "Luckily I have a number of possible leads to places where his soul anchors might be hidden and I will investigate thoroughly over the summer." The younger wizard nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. The idea of an immortal Dark Lord was terrifying.
"That is good to know, Sir." Harry said. "I wish you luck in your searches." He really did.
"Thank you, Mr. Potter." Dumbledore replied. "But enough about my summer plans, they aren't the reason why I asked you to come here." There was a brief pause, before he continued: "I know we've had this discussion twice in the past already, but it still has to be said that outside of Hogwarts, your aunt's house is the safest place for you and, for your own safety, Mr. Potter, and you should be spending as much of your summer holidays as you can there."
It took Harry a lot of willpower not to respond with 'Duly noted, Sir.', and the teen was sure that the Headmaster could clearly see his thoughts on this suggestion on his face.
"I'm only thinking about your safety here, Mr. Potter. The world is not a safe place even if the darkest times are, thankfully, behind us. And, as your Magical guardian, must do my best to ensure you have the best protections possible against those who would wish you harm." The Headmaster tried to reason.
"Alright, Sir." Harry replied, doing his best to keep his tone as neutral as possible.
"And one final thing before we return to our own businesses." Dumbledore continued. "You're turning thirteen this coming summer. This will not make you a full adult in the eyes of the Law, but it will still open to you a few doors that were closed previously." This made Harry wonder if the man knew of his plans to emancipate himself this summer.
"Indeed, Goblins say that there are Potter artifacts stored in their vaults that I will gain some access to once I'm old enough." He tried to divert Dumbledore's attention away from the main reason why he wanted his emancipation. "And I'm quite curious about the legacy the previous generations of Potters have left behind. I've also been told that the Potter manor is in dire need of repairs, and as the heir to the House I should see that it is restored to its former glory."
"Those are noble pursuits, Mr. Potter." The old warlock said with a nod, seemingly satisfied with what Harry said. "But I can't help but worry that your youthful impulsiveness and inexperience in Magic and the ways of the Magical World will lead to you getting hurt or being bound by an unfavorable contract you can't escape. It might be better if you wait until you're more mature and experienced before trying to navigate the more ruthless side of the Magical world on your own. Finding a trustworthy and knowledgeable adviser would be a good idea as well."
"I'll take that under consideration, Sir." Harry replied noncommittally.
"That is all I can ask of you, Mr. Potter." The Headmaster said. He then fell quiet for a few moments, before speaking again: "I believe that would be all that I wanted to talk about today. If there is nothing else, I shan't keep you away from your friends any longer." Harry, of course, had none and, after politely excusing himself, left the Headmaster's office.
~/ *** \~
The academic year ended with Slytherin winning the House Cup for the eighth year in a row, thus setting a new record. And while they were given polite applause by the rest of the school for this achievement, it was clear that the other three houses would rather one of them won the Cup for a change. Then, those thoughts were pushed aside as the feast began and everyone was too busy enjoying the delicious food prepared by Hogwarts' house elves.
And the next day, it was the start of the summer holidays.
After breakfast and some last-minute packing, the students rode the "horseless" carriages to Hogsmeade, where the Hogwarts Express was waiting for them. Having arrived at the platform among the first, Harry, Flora and Hestia got to pick a compartment for themselves and chose to settle in one near the middle of the train. They were soon joined by Daphne, Blaise and Tracey.
The topic of their conversation - at least in the beginning - was their plans for the summer holidays. They quickly got sidetracked, though, once Harry mentioned that he wanted to get a personal post owl. From there on, they spent quite some time talking about owls and everything related to them. Eventually, though, they went back to discussing their summer plans.
Just like the previous year, Blaise will be traveling abroad with his mother and likely won't be back to Great Britain until mid-August. Tracey's family too was planning to spend a couple of weeks in July on the Mediterranean beaches. Daphne and the twins were still interested in Harry's offer to show them non-Magical London, but other than that had no special plans for the holidays and would be spending their summer at their families' manors. They did, however, intend on having regular meet-ups with each other.
After some time, the topic of the conversation changed again, and the six friends found themselves trying to guess who will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts the next year and hoping that they would be a good teacher and not someone useless like Professor Lockhart had been for the first half of the year. They also talked a bit about Hagrid who will be taking over Care for Magical Creatures now that Professor Kettleburn retired.
The conversation then moved onto other random things and, after a while, died down. Daphne and Tracey continued discussing something quietly while Blaise decided to read a travel-advisory booklet his mother had owled him. As for Harry… Well, he was simply enjoying the quiet comfort of Flora and Hestia snuggling against him.
The train was still at least an hour away from London when Flora and Hestia decided that they wanted some 'Harry time' while they still had a chance. And after asking Daphne, Tracey and Blaise to save their seats for them, the twins practically dragged their boyfriend out of the compartment.
The three of them finally managed to find an empty compartment two cars towards the tail-end of the train and wasted no time in claiming it. Once the door was Magically locked and soundproofed and the curtains on the windows were closed shut, Flora pushed Harry onto the seats and straddled him, before pulling him into a needy kiss. She then let out a low moan as his hands found their place on her ass. Next to them Hestia pouted in annoyance at not being able to go first but let her sister have her share of fun.
And as soon as Harry and Flora broke their kiss, Hestia pushed her twin off their boyfriend, causing her to fall onto the next seat with a surprised yelp, and claimed Harry's lap - and his lips - for herself.
The three teens continued kissing and groping each other until they felt the train starting to slow down. Reluctantly separating from each other, they did their best to straighten their clothes and, removing their spellwork from the door, headed back to their original compartment.
"Had some fun?" Tracey teased as Harry, Flora and Hestia finally returned. The lover trio blushed deep-red but didn't deny it, causing the dark-haired girl to develop a cheeky smirk. They were spared from further 'interrogation' for the moment by the conductor's announcement that Hogwarts Express was about to arrive at platform 9¾. A quick glance out of the window confirmed that the train was indeed moments away from its destination.
Then there was a small jolt and Hogwarts Express came to a complete stop. An instant later the corridor got filled with a rush of students who couldn't wait to get off the train.
"So…" Tracey continued, seeing as they were effectively stuck in the compartment until the rush outside died down a little. "How was it?" She asked the twins and Harry, making their blushes to return with full force. Daphne and Blaise, thankfully, weren't as interested in the details of the trio's love life, but they found the whole thing to be rather amusing and so were in no hurry to reign their feisty friend in.
"N-Not telling." Flora managed to squeeze out.
"C'mon." Tracey's plea, however, was met with silence and after maybe a dozen seconds she sighed in resignation. "Fine. Have it your way." She uttered with a clearly-fake umbrage in her voice.
After just a couple of minutes the less patient students managed to drop off the train, letting the group to finally leave their compartment without getting trampled over. And as they finally disembarked, Daphne quickly spotted her father in the crowd. The man appeared to be in a hurry and the Greengrass heiress very much doubted he'd give her much time to bid her friends farewell. Letting out a small sigh under her breath, she said:
"Looks like it's time for us to say goodbye. Please keep in touch and let's get together sometime soon."
"Of course." Harry promised, as did Flora and Hestia. Blaise, who would be out of contact for most of the summer, merely nodded in acknowledgment.
"Have a nice summer, everyone." Daphne bid farewell before she began dragging Tracey towards where her father was waiting for them.
"Bye!" Tracey called over the noisy crowd, waving her hand animatedly. Once they were gone, Blaise turned his attention to Harry and the twins.
"I'm getting home on my own this year, so… Goodbye?" He said.
"Goodbye." Harry returned as he shook the dark-skinned wizard's hand. "Have a nice vacation and bring some interesting stories."
"Certainly." Blaise promised. He then picked his trunk and headed for the public floo.
"Shall we go look for your grandmother?" Harry asked his girlfriends. The twins nodded and the three of them set off. Navigating through the dense crowd wasn't easy but after a couple of minutes they managed to find their way to the far end of the platform where there were fewer people.
"Flora, Hestia, there you are." Lady Carrow said, suddenly appearing next to them. "Congratulations on doing so well in your classes. You're making me proud."
"Good evening, Grandmother." The twins greeted, embarrassed a little by her praise. Harry greeted the witch as well:
"Lady Carrow." He said while giving her a small, polite bow.
"It's nice to see you again, Mr. Potter." The regent of the House Carrow greeted him back. "And I must thank you for all the help you're giving to my girls."
"It was my pleasure." Harry replied.
"I have no doubts about that." The witch said with a conspiratorial smile on her lip. "Congratulations on finally getting together, by the way." The three teens immediately blushed rose-red.
"Grandmother!" The twins cried out in indignation.
"Oh, don't worry your pretty heads, I approve." Madam Carrow added mirthfully. Nonetheless, Harry was sure that they'd be having a conversation in the near future. After being silent for a few moments the witch continued, addressing her granddaughters in a suddenly serious voice: "You should keep your new relationship a secret from you Aunt and Uncle, Flora, Hestia. They will find your choice of a beloved to be rather disagreeable." The twins nodded. "Anyhow." The woman continued. "A dinner to celebrate your return from Hogwarts is ready, so let us be on our way shortly."
"Yes, grandmother." Flora and Hestia said before giving Harry a chaste goodbye kiss.
"Promise to send us an owl when you're back to the Magical world." Hestia asked.
"Of course." Harry promised.
Not ready to part ways just yet, Harry escorted his girlfriends and Lady Carrow to the public floo and kept their company while they stood in line. Once they finally disappeared into the emerald flames, Harry let out a quiet sigh. It was the time for him to go as well so shooting one last glance at the Hogwarts Express, he headed for the exit from the platform 9¾ leading into the non-Magical part of Kings Cross.
Harry silently thanked whatever deities that existed that his Uncle was in a relatively-good mood when the walrus-like man picked him up from Kings Cross. Perhaps he managed to sign a particularly-profitable contract or got promoted recently? Or maybe he simply had had a very good day? Either way, Uncle Vernon wasn't complaining about having to pick up his 'freaky' nephew and voiced his thoughts on whatever stupidity - in his not-so-humble opinion - the current government was up to instead.
It wasn't the most enjoyable topic for Harry to listen to, but he'd rather it was that than one of his Uncle's rants about how all Magic users were ungrateful 'freaks'.
Thanks to some rather tight traffic on the roads, the ride from Kings Cross to Little Whinging took a little over an hour, but before long the young wizard started seeing familiar sights of the neighborhood through the car's windows. Another couple of minutes later, and Uncle Vernon expertly parked in front of Number Four, Privet Drive.
The house looked just like Harry remembered it to be from the previous summer, down to the same light-blue curtains on the kitchen's windows. Indeed, the only change that he could spot were different flowers blooming on the flowerbeds.
"Stop wasting time and get your trunk into the house, boy." Vernon barked, pulling the green-eyed teen out of his thoughts. Letting out a small sigh, the green-eyed teen picked his trunk up and carried it into the house and then into his room. Which, thankfully, had been cleaned recently and while not as spotless as the rest of the house, didn't have everything buried under mountains of dust either. He'll need to thank Aunt Petunia for that, Harry decided, as he certainly wouldn't have enjoyed spending the entire evening on making the room livable again. Leaving his trunk there, he went back downstairs.
"Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia." He called. "There's something I would like to discuss with you."
"What is it, boy?" The Dursley patriarch grunted from the living room.
"Well..." Harry began. "I'm turning thirteen this summer, and in… the other world, this lets me petition for emancipation. If everything goes well - and it probably will - no one will be able to force me return here any longer and you won't have to deal with me anymore."
"So, you're going to live on your own?" His Aunt asked, sounding almost concerned for him.
"I should have enough to last me until I complete my education." Harry replied. "There might even be some that I'll be able to give you, as a token of appreciation for raising me. Converted into Pounds, of course." That was actually a lie - selling basilisk parts had earned him a lot of gold, probably enough to rebuild the Potter manor - but his relatives didn't need to know that
"Perhaps, there is actually something good in you, boy, unlike the rest of fr-... your people." Uncle Vernon said. Then, after a shout pause, he added: "Aunt Marge wanted to visit us late in July, and she will be bringing some of her dogs with her. You should probably move to wherever you'll be staying for the rest of the summer before she arrives." Harry nodded. His Uncle was unusually kind in warning him about Aunt Marge: that woman hated him with passion and had sicced her dogs at him in the past.
"Thank you for the warning, Uncle." He said. "But I don't think it'll be a problem as I plan to take myself off before then."
"Good." The Dursley patriarch replied, before returning his attention to the TV. Seeing that the conversation was over, Harry turned around and went back to his room. He needed to at least start unpacking his things before the night fell
~/ *** \~
Cornelius Fudge had a dreadful morning.
It all started when he nearly overslept and didn't have time for a proper breakfast before departing for his work. A single toast with jam and a cup of coffee wasn't even close to what he usually had in the morning. He didn't even get a chance to read his morning newspaper. How was he supposed to be a good Minister for Magic if he didn't know what was going on in his realm?
And he couldn't even entertain the thought of having a proper breakfast once he arrived at the Ministry: his work table was positively buried under a mountain of parchmentwork that needed to be done post-haste and couldn't be delegated to his undersecretary or other aides. Being the Minister for Magic was way more work than most people imagined. At least most documents needn't be signed with a Blood Quill, or he'd have a bleeding cut shaped like his signature right through his hand. Thank Merlin for small mercies.
After an uncomfortable trip through the floo network and a long ride on a crowded elevator, Cornelius finally reached his office. Stepping inside, he was greeted by a memo marked as 'important' sitting on top of a thick document stack. Picking the note up, Fudge read it, and his already sour mood turned a hundred times worse. It was the time for the yearly inspection of the Azkaban prison. And he, as the Minister for Magic, had to spend his entire afternoon on that dreadful, dementor-infested island, making sure that law-abiding citizens could sleep peacefully at night, knowing that criminal scum was locked away as securely as ever.
By lunch time, Cornelius' mood had improved slightly as he did manage to make good progress in dealing with that damned parchmentwork. And he was about to have a proper meal! Damn, he was hungry. It all would've been even better if he could get out of inspecting Azkaban in the afternoon, but…
His lunch started well, with a big juicy steak, mashed potatoes and delicious pumpkin juice, and Fudge did his best to enjoy it - after all, he'll soon be in the company of dementors. Alas, when he was about to start on his dessert, one of his aides came, informing him in a fearful voice that Wizengamot wanted him to sign a bunch of documents before he departed from the Ministry later today. And the Minister, knowing that his duty was calling, cast a longing glance at his dessert and tea and headed back to his office, the still-unread newspaper clutched in his hands.
Cornelius did his best to hold back a swear so unbecoming of a man of his status when a portkey roughly deposited him and his entourage on a barren, dreary island that the Azkaban prison occupied. Even though it was summertime, this place was still cold - unnaturally so - and the Minister couldn't help but shiver slightly as he turned his attention to the warden and a pair of Aurors that were there to greet him. None of them looked really healthy, but that was to be expected from people who lived for weeks and months in close proximity with the dementors.
"Minister for Magic, Cornelius Oswald Fudge, here for yearly inspection of the Azkaban prison." Fudge announced himself.
"We've been waiting for you, Minister." The warden 'greeted' him. "Please follow me into the administrative block so that we can begin." Nodding, Cornelius followed the man through heavy, wrought-iron gates into the old stone fort that served as the prison.
The next hour was spent on various documents pertaining to running the Magical prison: budget, personnel rotations, results of routine security checks for the past year. There also were lists of new convicts, and those who have been released after their sentences have been served. And a list of criminals who died in the prison. After confirming that everything appeared to be in order, Cornelius was invited to inspect the prisoner cells. And he didn't feel like that could make his already rather bad day any worse, the Minister agreed.
Thus he found himself being guided through narrow corridors between prisoner cells, accompanied by the warden, a trio of Aurors he brought with him there, a pair of dementors and a single corporeal patronus to protect him from the foul Magics of these soul-sucking beasts.
Eventually, they came to a cage-like cell containing the infamous Sirius Black, the Dark Lord's right hand and the man who sold Potters to him. And for someone who had spent eleven years in this hellish prison, subjected to dementors daily, Black looked surprisingly …coherent, unlike many other Death Eaters housed on the same floor.
"Minister." The man rasped. His voice was rough and clearly not used in a long time, but it wasn't a voice of some mad lunatic. "Can… Can I have that newspaper? Please?" Black begged, referring to the copy of the 'Daily Prophet' Cornelius had for some unknown reason brought with him here.
"No." Fudge hissed. He was in a foul mood and he had no desire to do any 'charity' for the traitorous scum in front of him. Even if it was just a newspaper. One that he himself hasn't finished yet.
"Please, Minister." Sirius begged again.
"I said no." Fudge replied in an angry growl. He could also see that Black wasn't going to give up just yet and having no desire to deal with the Potters' betrayer he addressed the warden: "I've seen enough here. We're leaving." The man gave the dementors an order, and the group was on the move again.
Once the Minister and his escort disappeared behind a corner, Sirius Black swore under his breath. He really wanted that newspaper. Not because he hoped to learn something meaningful from it - he had been out of the loop for too long for that - but simply because he needed something to keep from losing himself to his inner animal after spending so much time in his animagus form.
Alas, that was not meant to be. And since he was sure the warden will send an extra-long dementor patrol his way as soon as the Minister was off the island, he changed back into a large, mangy black dog and curled in the far corner of his 'cage', getting ready to weather the flood of darkness and despair those foul demons spread wherever they went.
* AN2: Sirius' problem has a lot to do with him being in an environment where he is subjected to daily emotional torture AND very little that can stimulate his human mind happens while dementors are away. Peter Pettigrew suffers from losing himself to his inner animal as well, though to a much lesser degree as he is well fed, safe and he didn't spend past twelve years locked up in the same small prison cell.
* AN3: I'm going to take a break from this story so there will be no chapter next month.
That's all, folks!
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