Harry Potter 1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: We all know how these work, I acknowledge that JKR, Warner Bros. and Scholastic own Harry Potter and all other characters and settings from cannon, and I get to write whatever I please and even add in characters of my own as long as I don't get any money. The no money sucks but there you go, at least I don't get lawyers knocking on my door. Addendum: If you recognize a name of a character from elsewhere it isn't mine.

Harry's Hero by Silverfawkes

Chapter 1

Harry awoke to birdsong from outside and the rumble of Sheba's purr from a top his chest. He rubbed her head and smiled as her deepened purr vibrated his chest. He wondered what time it was. Since his little "adventure" in India he found himself tiring absurdly easily and sleeping long hours. Winry assured him it was normal and that once his depleted core had recharged he'd be his normal energetic self. He reached up and scratched Sheba's ears. Then it occurred to him today they were going to the Diagon Alley, for his school robes and his "official" wand. He quickly got up and got moving there were only a couple more days before he was supposed to take the Hogwart's Express he really wanted to see the castle that was part of his birth right. He was supposed to meet his pen pals and his cousin Draco at the alley and bring them back later for lunch which meant there was lots to do. Harry laughed as Sheba followed him to the shower, she hadn't left his side from the moment he arrived at the house in England. He had just started to get dressed when he heard a knock on the door.

"Yes?"

Beth opened it slightly. "Good you're moving I know you're going to Diagon today, but be as quick as you can I've moved the midday meal to get to know everyone back an hour, because we've been invited to Balmoral Castle for a late supper."

"Wow, I've been in England less than forty-eight hours and I get to meet the Queen. I feel special."

"It's more than just the Royal family, kiddo. You're also going to be meeting key members of both the magical and mundane governments, they want to get a good look at you."

"Beth, did anyone ever tell you you like to push, or are you trying to pretend you're an evil stepmother?"

Beth laughed, then said, "Funny mister, we'll see you in the breakfast room. Ten minutes."

"Gotcha."

Two hours later Remus opened Diagon Alley for Harry's first view of the famous shopping area of Great Britain. Harry was escorted by Remus, George, and Walter. Also there were Narcissa and Draco Malfoy, Neville Longbottom, and Amelia and Susan Bones. The four kids talked excitedly as Harry shared the photos from the first part of his India trip. Susan and Draco chattered about how exciting getting their wands had been. Harry who had had the thrill of making his own wand smiled happily for his friends but then he noticed Neville didn't seem to share their joy he started the other two into a conversation on quidditch that he knew would keep them occupied and stepped back to talk to his shier, quieter friend. "No story about your own wand, Neville?"

"I'll be using my father's."

"Really? Your Gran, was okay with that?"

"She's been so busy with the restructure that Uncle Algie and Aunt Enid took me to do my shopping. Uncle Algie said as weak as my magic is to spend money on a new wand is a waste of galleons."

"Tell you what mate, I didn't get you anything for your birthday as I was a little busy with finals. You come with me and we'll see about getting you a wand that is yours."

Their first stop was Madam Malkin's, Harry really couldn't help himself he laughed. "Oh man, are you kidding me?"

"Sorry, Harry. That's the uniform." Susan said.

"Okay, but I gotta tell you Sue this really hurts. What are the odds the student body will stage a revolt and succeed in getting something modern brought it."

"With the fuddy duddy's on the Board of Governors, and I include my father in that group, and with Albus Dumbledore, as headmaster, perish the thought chap." Draco added before he dodged the corrective head slap his mother aimed at him.

Harry smirked change wasn't as far as Draco and the others might think. As Earl of Gryffindor Baronet of Hogsmeade, Harry would have the power to change things. While Harry was being fitted he asked, "I've got my schoolbooks but I want to know are there any books about Hogwarts?"

"Yes, Harry it's called _Hogwarts: A History_." Amelia Bones said with her smile apparent in her voice. "Perhaps Susan and I should go over to Flourish and Blotts and get you a copy while you're here."

"Really? That'd be fabulous."

"Take your time Amelia I intend to see that Harry is kitted out as befits his station," said Narcissa Malfoy.

Amelia got an even broader smile at Harry's hunted expression.

"Cousin Narcissa, can we discuss this before you start ordering robes that I probably won't wear?" Harry almost whined.

An hour later, Harry finally escaped to head to Olivander's with Neville. It hadn't been horrible at Madame Malkin's he'd bantered and talked quidditch with Neville and Draco as the robes were fitted. Harry had come to a couple conclusions about Draco, he was spoiled and he was a bit of a Pureblood bigot but he was smart and he was funny in a snarky sarcastic way. Given the vow between the house of Malfoy and the house of Black Harry understood it would be largely up to him to correct Draco when the boy strayed across the lines, and to bring him around to a more neutral way of thinking. The trick would be doing it in a way that didn't hurt the boy's pride. Harry sighed, he'd have his work cut out for him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Listen old man, I used to respect you. But that day has passed, so I'm going to tell you how things are going to be. Harry, isn't going to be your normal first year. He has had private tutors for the last couple years, he's going to be advanced and my advice is don't let him get bored or he'll get creative. He will have tutors coming in for private lessons probably one and a half hours after classes each day, and two hours on weekends."

"I can't allow strangers on Hogwarts grounds."

"The only reason I'm allowing Harry on your precious grounds is because it's Potter tradition, and it's his heritage. You will allow Harry's tutors to come or I will remove him and continue as we have been going, and I will use my influence to have you removed. After which point I will have Harry come to Hogwarts. Oh and I want James' cloak back, that too is Harry's heritage."

Sirius felt slightly bad that he was playing political hardball with Albus, but hell the old man had done his best to get Sirius killed. You couldn't get more hardball than that.

Albus was furious he could feel a vein in his temple throbbing. "Fine." He moved to a cabinet and removed the cloak he had hoped to claim as his own one day. He pulled it out.

Sirius took the cloak, just touching it brought back waves of memory. He examined it carefully most invisibility cloaks were made with demiguise hair James always claimed the Potter invisibility cloak was spun of magic itself. After several minutes he nodded, "Thank you."

"He's coming back, Sirius." Albus tried to reason with the younger man.

"I know he'll try."

"Then why weaken the light?"

"I'm not."

"What do you call destabilizing the whole of Great Britain's Ministry of Magic?"

"Cleaning house and making things better for everyone. Making magical Britain stronger from the inside."

"But to sweep everything away it weakens us all. You must understand we need the older houses to act as a stabilizing influence."

"And they will, but the plan is: we're doing away with their monopoly on power so they have to act as sane rational people, instead of thinking they can do whatever the hell they want. Instead of one house made up of those who have inherited their positions determining the laws there will be two modeled after British parliament one house made of the old families like a House of Lords, a second house made up of duly elected representatives. Jointly they will pick the Minister of Magic, who will have to satisfy the people he rules instead of basically holding the job until he chooses to step down or is removed for gross incompetence.. Beth figures the announcement will go up late November, with elections being held in April. The current issue is how to include all the currently disenfranchised magical population including werewolves, vampires, goblins, and muggleborns. There's also a fair amount of debate over the current laws in place to control them and also the laws that don't exist to protect them from persecution. Not to mention the ones in place to protect muggles, house elves, and other beings. There's a lot more wrong in magical Britain than just a dark lord that has been gone for almost ten years.

"I don't want my son growing up in the same world I did."

"So, Harry is your son now, is he?"

"No, he's my godson and business partner. Hopefully by the time Jamie and his sisters come to Hogwarts you're nothing but a memory old man."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

At Olivander's it was just Neville and Harry and the strange old wand maker after George and Walter checked the shop. Harry was amused as the old wand maker greeted both of them by name. Harry felt no remorse at pushing his shy friend forward to 'receive the full treatment' as he stepped back and used his magic to find his official school wand. He had just found the box that he believed held it when Olivander turned his attention to Harry.

"Now for you Mr. Potter."

Harry pulled the dusty box out and handed it to Olivander. "I think we should start with this one." He said with a smile. Out of respect for the man's age he bit back a chuckle at the way the man's eyebrows climbed into his hair.

Olivander opened the box and extended the handle to Harry. Harry calmly picked it up and was unsurprised by the fountain of red and gold sparkles from the end. Neville, who was still inwardly bubbling over his new wand, gave a little cheer.

** "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh very good. Well, well, well...how curious... how very curious.."**

** He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering. "Curious...curious..."**

Harry's curiousity got the better of him. **"Sorry," said Harry, "but what's curious?"**

** Mr. Olivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.**

** "I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather—just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother- why its brother gave you that scar."**

** Harry swallowed.**

** "Yes, thirteen and a half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember... I think we must expect great things from you Mr. Potter... After all He-Who-Must- Not-Be-Named did great things, terrible but great." **

Harry looked at the old, strange man for a moment before saying curtly. "You and I have a very different definition of great. Has anyone ever told you, you're more than a little creepy? Because I very much doubt if the families or anyone Tom Marvolo Riddle or his followers hurt, consider anything he did great. How much for the wands?"

Mr. Olivander got a shocked look. But he answered, "Fourteen galleons."

"Thank you," Harry paid him. "Good day."

As they left the shop, Harry tried to recapture his earlier chipper mood. To his surprise Neville placed his hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezed lightly. "Thank you, Harry." George and Walter resumed shadowing the boys.

"My pleasure, Neville."

"Thanks for what you said about You-know-who and his followers, too."

"Neville Longbottom I never want you to give him power by calling him that ridiculous name. He's Tom Riddle, the ridiculous, using a made up name to increase people's fears. Don't let him. You're braver than he is because you at least have the courage to go by your own name."

The other boy looked a Harry. "Do you mean that?"

"I said it didn't I, I'm not in the habit of saying things I don't mean. Come on let's head to Flourish & Blotts and get the others. I'm in the mood for ice cream."

George and Walter were left wondering what had happened in the wand shop.

That night when Harry returned to Grimmauld after meeting the Royals, He sat down to write Inarra Serra. He knew she would get a laugh about his new wand.

_ Ms Inarra, _

_ Thought I'd write and give you a laugh. Remember when, you told me that my juniper, ki-lin and pegasus wand was almost as light as a wand could get the only one that would be more so would be holly and phoenix feather. Guess what my official registered English wand is? A holly and phoenix feather! Is that a riot or what? _

_ Also what happens if brother wands are force to duel each other? _

_ Sirius has found Catherine Parker to continue my tutelage in magical theory. Isn't that great? Her partner, Jarrod Morran, is going to be teaching me elemental magic. Sirius had to put a lot of pressure on the Headmaster of Hogwarts for that to happen though. I can't wait. I start school in a week and I'm practically vibrating right now with excitement. Winry still has me on medical restriction for another two weeks though so I'm not supposed to do actual magic for that long, although I'm bending that a bit for my prank on Sirius. _

_ Oh that's right you probably didn't hear what happened when we went to India. Alexis, Rachel and I went with the school trip to India. We went to Bhangarah, anyway we ran into a evil wizard who intended to let a demon like sorceress loose on the world through human sacrifice. Well, the three of us couldn't exactly let that happen we took them on despite being out numbered. We saved the day but at a much higher cost than we were prepared to pay. Alexis died. Rachel got badly hurt she's on medical leave for three more months and I... well, I overextended my magic came fairly close to burning out my core, if I weren't an elemental wizard I would've. _

_I'll miss Rachel when I go away to school. She's taught me so much. Well, I need to go, I have to plan a prank on Sirius. The Queen knighted him; I don't want him to get a big head. You'd think it's great I'm using an arithmancy equation and a couple runes inscribed on a band aid. A little charge of power once I finish to activate it, and it will feed off Sirius' own magic for as long as it is in contact with his skin.  
_

_Sincerely, Harry Potter_

Finally the day came for Harry to leave for Hogwarts. Beth smirked as they gathered to see Harry off, because not only was it her and Sirius seeing Harry off it was Remus, her parents, the triplets, and the security team. It was funny how the other parents skirted around them: some trying to avoid them, others staring at them like they were celebrities. Sirius was drawing out this farewell to an absurd degree, trying to embarrass Harry. But Harry was calmly allowing it with only the twinkle in his eye declaring he knew what Sirius was up to. Beth was sure there was some grand prank on Sirius in the offing, otherwise Harry would have been on the train ten minutes ago.

She wasn't disappointed, as Sirius pulled Harry into another hug Harry stuck a band-aid on the back of Sirius' neck with Sirius none the wiser. Seconds after Harry was released from the hug. Sirius' robes morphed into the formal kilt and dinner jacket he'd worn the night the Queen knighted him and he began singing "Henry the Eighth I am" while his hair stood on end in liberty spikes. The shocked look on Sirius' face spoke volumes and Harry chose that moment to make his exit.

"Bye all, I'll see you at Christmas."

Only Jamie and his sisters said "Bye, Harry!" Everyone else was too busy laughing at Sirius to say anything at all.


	2. On the Hogwarts Express

Disclaimer: We all know how these work, I acknowledge that J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. and Scholastic own Harry Potter and all other characters and settings from cannon, and I get to write whatever I please and even add in characters of my own as long as I don't get any money. The no money sucks but there you go, at least I don't get lawyers knocking on my door. Addendum: If you recognize a name of a character from elsewhere it isn't mine.

Harry's Hero by Silverfawkes

Chapter 2

Harry climbed aboard the Hogwarts express with a mile wide grin and a confident stride. It only took him a few minutes to find the compartment Susan, another girl, and Neville were sharing.

"Harry, come join us!" Susan called.

"I planned to. Can we make room for Draco too?"

Susan made a slight face, but nodded.

"Susan, I know Draco is a bit of a..." He searched for the correct British slang term, "prat, but he just needs a few friends and proper motivation to change his ways. It will be up to us as his friends to motivate him. If he steps too far over the line feel free to remind him where it is. Who is your friend?"

"Harry Potter, may I present my best friend, Hannah Abbott."

"Miss Abbott, a pleasure." Harry took her hand and brushed a light kiss across the knuckles. Inwardly he snickered. Britain's Magical Society lagged two thirds of a century behind America's and their manners reflected it. But since had Beth stressed that good manners smoothed the way and bad ones caused problems, he made sure to put his best foot forward. Moments later a knock came from the door and Draco was there.

"Harry, what was up with your godfather?" came from the blond haired boy. "My father was stunned speechless. If you were responsible, I should thank you for that. He was too surprised, to give me another lecture about who I should and shouldn't be friends with and how I should go on."

"Not much just a little prank, he was trying to embarrass me by drawing the goodbye out. I just turned the tables."

Susan, Hannah, and Neville darted to the window to see the spectacle Harry's prank had created. All of them sat back a moment later giggling. "What was that?"

"Morphing charm and a mild compulsion spell imbedded onto a band-aid, sorry a plaster, powered by his own magic. Once he takes the plaster off it ends. Beth saw me do it. She'll let him take his lumps for trying to embarrass me then she'll end it."

"That's really advanced stuff. I thought you were going to be a first year like us?" Hannah said.

There it was, the sticking point he and Sirius hadn't quite figured out a way around. " Yeah, um..."

"Yes, cousin do tell how you know so much magic. Or are the rumors of Black taking you away and teaching you dark magic true?"

Harry shot Draco a dirty look and the other boy just gave him an unrepentant smirk.

Susan and Neville both glared at the blond, Hannah looked nervously at Harry.

The train gave a little jerk and started to move. Harry made himself comfortable because he knew the next half an hour would wind up being critical to how he would be perceived at Hogwarts.

"You all know, how I survived the killing curse, well it left my magic...off, you know, strange and prone to being a problem. As a result, it became necessary for me to learn magic early. I've gotten loads of private tutoring. I'm actually probably closer to a fourth or fifth year in knowledge than a first. Charms, transfiguration, potions, defense I've gotten the basics in most every subject. Some like arithmancy I've liked enough that I might be higher than that.

"Sirius and I have almost always pranked one another. It was a way for us to connect and remember my dad. He tried to get the Headmaster to agree to let me take classes at my level but the old...man in his vast wisdom has decreed I should be treated as a first year. Supposed to strengthen my ties to my peers and all that rot. I'm just thankful I have a magical talent that's not taught at Hogwarts. It requires me to get private tutelage, so I'm guaranteed to learn something this year. Hopefully the rest of the professors will let me study ahead. If not, oh well, I'll just have to find ways to entertain myself won't I."

Neville looked at the smirk that was accompanied by twinkling eyes and was sure that if Harry entertained himself it would mean interesting times for those around him. He remembered all too clearly Ollivander's words about great things. "Harry, if you're advanced, will you be willing to help the rest of us?"

"Sure, Neville. Although I should probably warn you: I really like magical theory. I tend to get into breaking down magic and really tearing into the why and how it works. Sirius says I'm obsessed with it, the way my mum was. That's why I'm looking forward to my tutors. Miss Parker is going to be teaching me advanced magical theory and and Jarrod Moran will be teaching me elemental magic."

"That's all well and good Harry, but what if we're in different houses?" Draco drawled. "After all there hasn't been a Malfoy not sorted into Slytherin in three hundred fifty years and Potters are historically Gryffindors."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Susan blinked at him.

Hannah sat there with her mouth hanging open.

Neville looked uncomfortable.

Harry could tell he'd pulled a major faux pas based on the silence and shocked looks on his companions faces. Even Draco, who loved to present a polished, suave, and vaguely cynical air that he copied from his father, was wearing a startled look.

"Okay, obviously there's something I'm missing here. Could one of you take pity on a poor mostly foreign and mostly muggle raised boy and explain?"

Finally Susan said, "Harry, didn't you read any of _Hogwarts: A History_ yet?"

"Um, no. I had the dinner at Balmoral Castle after shopping, then I spent most my time with the triplets cause I won't see them again until Christmas. Then there was a **long** meeting at Gringotts. Also, I have been really tired lately..." He sighed. He knew not reading that book during the last couple of days was going to come back and bite him on the butt.

"Okay," Susan said. "You know how Hogwarts was founded right?"

"Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin got together and founded the school. Ushering in a new age for those of us able to use magic."

"Yes. They worked together for years and each year each of them would choose students they would teach their secrets to, based off what motivated the students."

"Okay."

Draco impatient with Susan's methodical explanation said, "Well, even today students are sorted into houses. The houses don't mix much. They're more like rivals. Especially Slytherin."

"Okay, but you do kind of realize, that sounds pretty stupid. Like it's trying to find ways of dividing us instead of helping us to see how we're alike and helping us to bridge our differences." That comment garnered Harry shocked looks. Harry rolled his eyes. "Okay, so how are we sorted into houses?"

"That's a secret. No one ever tells someone who hasn't been to Hogwarts how it is done." Hannah said.

Draco said, "While the exact means of the sorting are secret the qualities for each of the houses is not. Slytherin is famous for cunning and ambition."

"And dark wizards." Neville threw in, glaring at the blond.

Harry saw a battle between his cousin and his friend about to erupt and was quick to jump in as a peacemaker. "I can see how that could be." Harry ignored Draco's betrayed look for a moment, knowing what he planned to say would make it go away. "But I don't think that that House alone would have evil wizards. After all my parents were betrayed by a fellow Gryffindor. The percentage might be higher coming out of Slytherin due to the ambition to rule the world definitely being ambitious. But what about all those whose ambition is merely to be the best in their chosen field? And if, heaven forbid there was a war, who would you rather have as your general someone who is bold and recklessly throws their troops into battle or someone cunning who tries to save as much life as possible?" He paused for a second to let that sink in, then started again. "So I know from Sirius that Gryffindor is supposed to be brave, noble and bold. What about Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff?" Even though he knew Hufflepuffs were expected to be friendly and good natured.

Draco snorted. "Bookworms and Duffers."

Susan and Hannah both took affront at this summation. "Malfoy, take that back," they said in unison. Since both their families were dominated by members of Hufflepuff.

Draco saw the frown being leveled at him by his cousin and figured he'd stepped over the line. His father had been quite clear a few days ago, "Draco, we are now effectively vassals of the house of Black. And while I was raised to be, think and do certain things, those ways are going by the wayside. A new order, if you will, is being born. In the interest of our family, it is vital that you do not do as I was trained by my father and grandfather to do, and sadly as up until now, I have trained you to do. It is vital that you learn to follow the new ways. Ways that I am struggling to learn myself, therefore, I cannot teach them to you."

"But how am I to learn them, Father?"

"Look to your cousin." Lucius Malfoy gulped, shuddering a bit as he said his next words. "Look to Harry Potter, let him be your example."

It was quite clear his cousin was expecting him to apologize, so he did. "You're right, I shouldn't have said that. It was rude and I'm sorry. But you have to admit that is the general perception."

Both girls were mollified by his apology. Harry who had stiffened at his rudeness once again relaxed.

Susan unbent enough to say, " I suppose you're right. Hufflepuff is the House that values justice, loyalty, hard work and acceptance."

"All good qualities if applied to proper goals and with trust given to trustworthy people." Harry said.

"What do you mean by that?" Hannah asked.

"Well, if someone with those qualities was using those traits to advance the cause of say, someone like Voldemort, wouldn't that be a bad thing?" Harry ignored the way Hannah and Neville jumped and Draco and Susan both shuddered when he said the name. "Actually, I think that's true of all the houses. Take Ravenclaw, there is not a thing wrong with being smart or liking books. I'm quite fond of them myself. Knowledge is a good thing, but if taken to extremes you get information constipation, to much thinking and no action. When you focus on gaining knowledge to the exclusion of doing something useful and good with it, you become useless to yourself and others. Hufflepuff, having people who can work steadily through the ups and downs and accept others as they are, is sometimes critical in times of trouble. Making them an asset. Gryffindor courage and boldness have their place. Sometimes it's critical so that someone goes forward to make things happen, but it needs to be balanced by knowledge, cunning and hard work. I'd be willing to bet the founders found the same."

The other four children were astonished they had never before looked at it that way. They had all been raised in homes that stressed the values of the House of their parents.

"But what about muggleborns? What about how Slytherin and Gryffindor fought and parted company over muggleborns?" Draco burst out.

"Muggleborns have the same abilities as the rest of us. They deserve to be trained just like the rest of us." Harry was quiet for a moment. He and Beth had discussed the history of magic many times in the evenings; she had helped him learn most of what he hoped to impart to his peers. "Draco, what happens if someone with magic doesn't get trained? They continue to do accidental magic right? Does that bring attention to them?"

Draco nodded.

"What's the biggest law governing magical society?"

"Statute of Secrecy." Susan answered.

"So having someone untrained but doing magic accidentally brings attention to the magical community does it not? That is why the muggleborns must be trained."

"Because they live in this community and are required to live by the laws governing it and pay taxes shouldn't they out of fairness have some say in how it is run and how much they have to pay?"

Draco thought about that for a moment, his mother had suggested that he try to put himself in another's shoes before saying the things he had grown up saying because his father said them. He thought for a second about how he would feel if he were told he had to pay taxes and live by laws he had no say in. Suddenly he felt a lot less sure of himself and the position his family had taken for years.

"Back in the founders era, magical and muggle weren't separate. Because of the prevalence of the Catholic Church being magical was dangerous, witch burnings and what not. Superstition was rife. Also think about muggles in that era, sanitation was nearly non-existent, literacy? Only the elite were literate. Magical society even back then understood sanitation and most if not all people were literate. So how were muggleborn in that era perceived? Dirty and ignorant. Salazar Slytherin preferring students he didn't have to teach things like reading writing and arithmetic to, given he valued ambition and cunning; it's not at all surprising. Also knowing that each of those muggleborn students had relatives that might decide to come and kill and burn the "witches" his stance was supremely logical. Even today there the muggles who are superstitious and if they knew of the magical world would either try to kill us or lock us in a cage and 'study' us.

"Not that all muggles are that way. Many are very intelligent and kind. The things they've invented to do things we do with magic are amazing. Some of them are even better than what we have, like telephones instead of floo. Admittedly phones can only be used to talk to people, not to travel but they beat speaking through a floo all to finders. And music and movies, and well the list goes on. Electron microscopes to see germs and chromosomes, I got to tell you some of it is simply amazing. They have even managed to visit the moon.

"Nowadays most muggles understand sanitation and most are literate so Salazar Slytherin's main objections are mostly invalidated. We know very little about the founders, for all we know maybe the muggles of that era enacted some personal tragedy on him that pushed Salazar from dislike to outright hate." Harry paused giving his friends time to digest all he'd said.

They sat quietly for several minutes just thinking.

Then Susan spoke, "I think we should try and change things. I vote that we all vow to do our best to support each other regardless of the House we get sorted into. It will be hard. Students in older years will doubtlessly put us down and we may even have to stand up against teachers. Harry raised very good points. With our country is on the verge of making massive changes, I think if we want to grow up and be the leaders of this new Magical Britain we should start now. We need to share what we've learned today with others and-"

"There he is! That's the lad who was with him!"

"You, my lad, where did you find the prank you pulled on your dad?"

The two identical redheads were looking at Harry with matching expressions of curiosity, mischievousness, and glee.

Harry couldn't help it he smiled. "He's not my dad, he's my godfather. As to the prank, that was my own work. You are?"

"Fred and-"

"George, also known as Gred-"

"and Forge, Weasley at your service."

Harry could see that the two boys were obviously from a poor family. He could also see his cousin gearing up to make some sort of scathing remark. Which would doubtlessly be unfortunate, given that apparently these two older boys were of the trickster mindset. For Draco's own protection Harry, who had defensively drawn his wand on the unexpected entry to the compartment, cast a whispered "_Langlock" _at Draco before addressing the twins. "Misters Weasley a pleasure. Why so interested in my prank on my godfather?"

"WE love pranks, and we hadn't seen that one before."

"It's our dream you see-"

"to one day own a joke shop that is more successful than Zonko's-"  
"and creativity like yours-"

"should be recruited!"

Harry chuckled. These two were funny. "I see...I'll have to get back to you on that."

"Jolly good, but before we go-"

"could we possibly have the name of such a brilliant prankster?"

"Sure, Harry Potter."

Harry, who had grown up away from the UK had forgotten the way most magicals here reacted to his name. Unknown to him, Neville and Susan had warned Hannah so she wouldn't react, but the Weasley twins had no such warning. So Harry was taken aback by their reaction.

"You! You're The-Boy-Who-Lived!"

"But we'd heard you got kidnapped by Sirius Black and were being raised to be the next Dark Lord!"

"Go on then, show us some of your dark magic!"

Harry raised an eyebrow, "Sorry fellas, no dark magic here. Magic in abundance, but if I ever tried dark magic Sirius and Beth would have my hide. Not to mention, my wand would probably rebel."

"Oh well, it was worth hoping. Come on Fred, Lee wanted to tell us about a way he'd found to exit the castle..." They left and Harry cancelled the spell on Draco.

Draco who had recognized the spell was furious. "Why for the love of Merlin did you do that to me!" he yelled at Harry. "Those boys were Weasleys! My father says they are stupid and have more children than can afford and they're blood traitors! They aren't the kind of riffraff proper wizards should associate with! Asking to see dark magic!"

"Draco-" Harry tried a quiet voice.

"There are two kinds of wizards, and you have to be careful what kind you associate with-"

"DRACO!" Harry's shout broke Draco's rant.

"First off, it doesn't matter who those boys were you were about to be rude and I stopped you. If you continue I will do it again. Second of all, wasn't you who at the station joked about me and dark magic? Finally Draco we-" Harry paused the other three in the compartment didn't need to be privy to the correction he intended to give Draco. "we will finish this a little later in private. But for now, if you have nothing nice to say, perhaps you should say nothing at all."

Draco got an enormous scowl, but said nothing. Knowing from his father's directions he was supposed to listen and to a degree obey the other boy.

Harry turned back to Susan, "You were saying before the interruption..."

"I...ahh"

"If we are going to be the next leaders of Magical Britain..." Harry tried to help her find her train of thought.

"Oh yes, it just that when you put Salazar Slytherin's feelings in context of the time he lived in, all of a sudden he makes so much more sense. All the fear that roughly a quarter of the populations is dark because they were in Slytherin seems so much more irrational. I was just thinking if we, the five of us, support one another regardless of house or blood status and maybe search out others who are more interested in peace and finding common ground than in maintaining the old prejudices maybe we could change things by challenging old beliefs. We could change Hogwarts and make the world better by helping everyone understand one another better."

Harry smiled at Susan. "Brava." He said firmly.

"Susan, I'm sure you're a shoo in for Hufflepuff." Draco said. It was closely followed by and "Ouch!" as Neville smacked the back of his head. "But it's true, Slytherins are never going to go for that hearts and flowers drivel." he protested.

"Of course not, " Harry agreed. "So tell us Draco how would you sell it to the Slytherins?"

Draco fell back shocked. "What?"

"How would you go about influencing the Slytherins into finding common ground with the other houses?"

"I don't know, I never thought about it."

"Maybe you should. The Malfoys have a old and powerful name and they're now tied to two even wealthier and more influential families. How will you act so build on that prestige and reputation? Will you act as those in the past have? Acting from fear. Or will you show the cunning Slytherin is famous for and build towards the new, more egalitarian era we live in, thereby maintaining your family's position in our society."

Neville broke in."You have a point Sue, and Harry, you make a compelling argument, but I'm too young to think long on politics. So what does everyone say to a round of exploding snap?"

"Oh yes! Let's!" Hannah chimed in. "Just because you three, love politics doesn't mean the rest of us do!"

Harry, Susan, and Draco all knew and accepted that their interest in politics made them different, so they allowed themselves to be pulled back into the realm of normal eleven year old pursuits.

Later when the snack trolley came by Neville's toad, Trevor, attempted to make a break for freedom. Harry didn't hesitate to summon him back, much to his friend's relief. Their trip to Hogwarts passed uneventfully for the most part, and it was only when Susan noticed the sun was setting that they all made to change into their robes. The boys stepping into the walkway while the girls used the compartment first then the girls returned the favor.

They filed off the train and gathered around one of the largest men Harry had ever seen. Then they were led down a dark path towards the lake where boats awaited them. Harry who out of habit had made a head count of the first years, hear the instruction no more than four to a boat and realized this would be a good time to get that private world with his cousin. He helped Susan, and Hannah into a boat where a brown bushy-haired girl sat, then encouraged Neville to join them. Then he pulled Draco to a boat at the back of the queue.

"Time for us to finish our discussion from earlier, cousin." Harry said quietly.

Draco frowned but climbed into the boat.

Harry cast a privacy charm around their boat. "First of all what were you going to say about those redheads."

"Just that they're Weasleys. They're poor, and a disgrace to the name of wizards."

"Why?"

"I don't know, but my father says so."

"Draco, I can believe your father said that. But, is it possible that he was being prejudiced when he said it, or that he was spouting something his father had said? Have the Weasleys ever done or said anything to you?"

"No, the Weasleys have never done anything to me...and I suppose it's possible. The Weasleys are traditionally a light family and the Malfoys are generally considered dark."

"Okay. The Weasleys are undoubtably poor. That is a fault of the parents because, are the children in control of how many children their parents have or how much money their family has?"

"No."

"Therefore, is it polite or is it rude to rub their family's lack of funds in the faces of those children?"

"Rude."

"Precisely, Draco, I don't expect you to be perfect. But I do expect you to be the politically savvy boy I know you can be. Don't insult people because of who their family is. I'm sure they'll give you plenty of things to insult them about in their own actions. But I want to leave you with some food for thought. When you insult someone how will they feel about you? And does insulting someone make them more likely to be a friend or an enemy? Which do you need more of in life, friends or enemies?"

Despite the darkness Harry could see Draco's pale face well enough to know he was thinking about it. He figured that would be enough to start Draco on a different path at least for tonight, and he dropped the privacy spell.

"Harry, how come you understand all this?"

"Draco, how much time have you spent around Beth?"

"A couple of evenings," he said.

"Beth is a diplomat. I may have spent most my time living at school but Beth always pointed these things out to me and to Sirius since she became part of our lives. Manners, thinking from a seek first to understand then be understood viewpoint, find common ground, then of course there was all the conflict resolution training I got at Stuart-Cavanaugh. Sirius was very brash for a lot of years but because of what happened he learned how to solve conflicts with something besides the point of his wand. He's told me stories of his time here and he admits he was a git towards those in Slytherin.

"Hogwarts is meant to be a school a place of learning. But it's hard to learn when you're afraid because you don't feel safe, unless you're learning defense but even then it's not an optimal learning environment.

"Because of what I've inherited I'll eventually have lots of say in the school but I want to make it a better place while I'm here, better than it was when Sirius was here. To do that I need help and right now I have several factors working against me; first centuries of tradition and decades of prejudice between the Houses, second the blasted rumors and fears because Sirius took me and raised me abroad. Yes, he's been cleared and the fact he's the Duc deSable has helped, but there's still that suspicion because he's a Black. I actually hope to be sorted into Hufflepuff because it will be the least intimidating House."

Draco snorted. "Potters, like Weasleys, are almost always Gryffindors. But I suppose you could, maybe, after all you seem to share Susan's rosy colored vision for the future."

Harry snorted with amusement.

"I'll help, some of it because I've been told to by my father. And some, because you raised a valid point on the train. If I want to maintain my family's position I'll have to be able to function in our new society, sticking strictly to the old ways won't make that happen. I'll try to keep in mind what you've said, but I'm still a Slytherin and I will act like it."

"As long as you do so from a thinking standpoint, which means thinking before speaking and not spouting blind prejudice. Thinking not only of the past and its traditions but also of the future, and the fact that our society is moving towards a more inclusive one, fine."

"I'll do my best, but I'm human. I didn't grow up with that sort of thinking."

"I know, besides wasn't you who said the Malfoys are practically perfect. Just give it the Malfoy best, I'm sure you'll adjust to the new ways in very little time."

About this time they were approaching the cliff wall below the castle, they would call home for the majority of the next seven years, Draco looked at Harry for one more minute. The said one last thing, "Thank you for not saying all this when the others were there."

"No problem," Harry returned. Then they were climbing out of their boat.


	3. First week

Disclaimer: We all know how these work, I acknowledge that J K Rowling, Warner Bros. and Scholastic own Harry Potter and all other characters and settings from cannon, and I get to write whatever I please and even add in characters of my own as long as I don't get any money. The no money sucks but there you go, at least I don't get lawyers knocking on my door. Addendum: If you recognize a name of a character from elsewhere it isn't mine.

Bold indicates material taken directly from the book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone American Edition.

Harry's Hero by Silverfawkes

Chapter 3

Harry gave Minerva McGonagall a warm smile as she gave the first years her welcome to Hogwarts speech. He eyed his year mates almost all of them looked worried. Which Harry wanted to laugh at, all of them had obviously been sheltered. They didn't understand that joining a school wasn't something to worry about. Dying, facing wizards intent on destroying the world, coping with losing those you cared about, these were things to worry about. Harry was sure that the sorting wasn't something to worry about. But then again most of these children had never had to face anything remotely like what Harry had had to in his brief time on earth which he supposed was as it should be.

But that realization also made Harry feel old, he knew chronologically he was a year and eight months older but he felt almost like an adult in comparison. But he wouldn't trade the choices he'd made the last few years, they had made him into who he was. Harry was as startled by the school ghosts as any of his peers, but suddenly Harry had the feeling that despite everything coming to Hogwarts was going to be a grand adventure and that he was going to enjoy this.

He listened as the sorting hat sang its song and smiled as it sorted Hannah into Hufflepuff. He cheered knowing she had been hoping for that house. Next Susan was called.

Susan gingerly sat on the stool and pulled her braid as the Hat judged her.

_ "What is this? Hmm, ordinarily I would place you in Hufflepuff because you have a vast loyalty to your friends, but you seem to have developed a crusader streak child. You are more loyal to the changes you wish to see in our world than you are to a single person. A recent development, I see...Due to Harry...I will get to meet him you say, how interesting...Ambition too, hmm, Slytherin is a possibility..."_

Susan shuddered at the hat mentioning that possibility but she supposed her goals of changing the divisions in the school qualified as ambitious.

_"Where do you want to be child?"_

_ "_Put me where I can do the most good." She thought to the Hat.

_" Hmm, I guess it will be-GRYFFINDOR-The lions have been lacking in hard work and loyalty the last decade or so."_

Susan removed the hat with a bit of a gulp, she had honestly expected to be in Hufflepuff alongside Hannah and Harry, if Harry had his way. She looked to Hannah.

Hannah shrugged as she smiled at Susan in reassurance while cheering for the new lion , they were still best friends. .

Children continued to be sorted when the hat got to Neville it again took more than a few minutes.

Neville was shaking as he approached the Hat.

_"Why so frightened, boy?"_

"I don't have much magic. I'm not sure I should be here."

_"But you are here, despite your fear. Where do you think you should be?"_

"Hufflepuff, I know how to work hard but I'm not much good, I am afraid of lots of things."

_"Courage isn't just fearlessly charging into dangerous situations. Sometimes courage is being __afraid and going forward anyway because it's the right thing to do. I think young one you will find your heart and courage in- GRYFFINDOR!"_

Draco all his life had been told Malfoys were Slytherins. But until the last few months when he'd been around the Duke and Duchess, he'd been told purebloods were superior too. He was no longer as certain of that as he had once been. As he had stood awaiting his turn at the Hat his assurance in the rightness of what he'd been told most of his life was shaken. Harry had told him to think not just of tradition but also of the future. Was he truly sure that Slytherin was the best place for himself. Could he live up to the reputation for cunning the House of Slytherin was famous for? His parents sometimes got frustrated with him when he acted without thought and had told him he was acting like a Gryffindor. But he wanted to be a man of influence and power which he believed made him a Slytherin. Which was he, a snake or a lion? Finally his name was called and he went forward. Draco felt an almost overwhelming relief as the Hat barely touched his head before shouting out "SLYTHERIN!"

As he removed the hat he looked to Harry who like Hannah, Susan and Neville cheered for him. He was reassured by Harry's expression. Harry, even if he ended up a lion, would maintain the relationship they had been building. His father would be very pleased. He took a seat at the Slytherin table.

When Harry's name was finally called, he moved forward with confidence; ignoring the sudden spate of conversations and the stares. "Hufflepuff," he thought with all his concentration as the Hat slipped over his head.

The sudden spate of laughter in his head startled his concentration.

_"You! A Hufflepuff, Bwah-hah-hah-hee-hee-hah-hah-hee-hee-hee!That's funny! Tee-hee-hee."_

"But-"

_"Oh I can see it all and that is very astute of you, and you are rather more mature than most that I sort. But I decide not you, youngster. Let's see... I can see how you thought you could fit in as a badger, you are no stranger to hard work for certain and loyal to those who return it, but you would terrify most of them. You are more determined and reckless than any badger. Rowena would have liked to claim you as well, your high intelligence speaks well of you. But you believe in applying your knowledge, not knowledge for knowledge's sake the current crop of Ravenclaws would be appalled. Salazar would like your cunning but you lack personal ambition, you merely wish to do that which you perceive as best for the common good but with a more all inclusive and broader parameters than is allowed at the present time. You are like your godfather in that, you know. Hmm where to put you...Of course. Although you have buried it in friendship, loyalty, intelligence and cunning in your heart you truly carry the courage and plow forward mentality that makes an earl of _-GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry ruefully pulled the Sorting Hat from his head. He looked at Professor McGonagall. She gave him a smile and a gentle nudge towards his table. Harry smiled as he joined Neville and Susan. They introduced him to Hermione Granger the brunette that they had ridden across the lake with. The twins from the train cheerfully waved in his direction. Harry made a point of reminding himself of his year and house mates names while ignoring the exuberant response his sorting had caused. The girls were Susan, Lavender Brown, Hermione Granger, and Parvati Patil. The The boys were Seamus Finnegan, Neville Longbottom, himself, and they were now being joined by Dean Thomas. As the last two boys were sorted they were joined by Ronald Weasley, who was obviously a younger sibling to the twins from the train.

The Feast started and Harry cheerfully tucked into the dinner after a discreet wave of his wand under the table assured him his food and dishes hadn't been tampered with. During supper he noticed that one of the Professors was glaring at him. The hook nose and greasy hair gave away that it was Snape, childhood nemesis of the marauders.

Sirius had warned Harry as soon as he'd heard Snape was the potions master at Hogwarts, "He was a greasy git, and we hated him, but he's powerful, smart, and not someone to cross. I wronged him more than an apology can really make up for, so odds are he won't treat you well. Try to stay respectful. Maybe he'll give you a chance because you're Lilly's kid, but if not let me know I could always pull you from his class and get you a tutor for potions too. One last thing Moony told me that while Snape had been a Death Eater he was also apparently a spy, for the light side."

Harry's response had been, "So he'll probably hate me, got it." It appeared that Harry had nailed the Professor's reaction to him on the head.

As supper came to an end, the Headmaster rose to his feet and began his remarks. "**Ahem- just ****a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." **

** Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins. **

** "I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all no magic should be used between class in the corridors.**"

Harry spotted an immediate loophole in that instruction. Between classes no magic in the corridors but what about the mornings before classes began and after classes in the afternoons and evenings.

** "Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their House team should contact Madame Hooch. **

Harry half wanted to pout because first years weren't allowed brooms and he wouldn't get to try out. He knew he would miss flying the most this first year.

** "And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to everyone who doesn't wish to die a very painful death."**

Harry was instantly alarmed. He didn't know what Dumbledore was doing making an announcement like that, but whatever the old man was up to, he had no business doing it in a school where he was supposed to be responsible for the safety of the children. If he had needed confirmation of Riza's diagnosis of Dumbledore being a sociopath he'd just gotten it. He wondered what the man was up to. Announcements like that were a call to mischief by those so inclined. He wondered how long it would be before the Weasley twins went to check it out.

**"And now, before we go to bed , let us sing the school song!" **

Harry winced, there was no way he would sing. **Harry noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed.**

** Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself snakelike into words.**

** "Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "And off we go!"**

Harry was...appalled and horrified were to two words that came to mind, but neither adequately conveyed Harry's feelings at that moment.

**Everyone finished the song at different times. At last only the Weasley twins were left singing to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines and when they finished he was one of those who clapped the loudest.**

** "Ah, music," he said wiping his eyes. "A magic-"**

Harry stood up "Headmaster, if you call that cacophony of amalgamous sound music, you need to see a healer post haste. Music has melody, and harmony, and rhythm. It is pleasing to the ear. That was just noise and I pray that I never hear something that appalling ever, ever again."

"Mr. Potter, thirty points from Gryffindor for your rude interruption!" Dumbledore snapped. "**Now, bedtime. Off you trot!"**

The Gryffindors scowled at Harry but later as they walked by the hourglasses that tracked school points, they were puzzled. There was a positive balance of ten rubies in the Gryffindor's hourglass. Unbeknownst to them even as the Headmaster had removed points many of the teachers had been giving points.

Harry was pretty big on accepting other people as they were, but Ronald Weasley was managing to rub Harry the wrong way. First was the boy's complete lack of anything resembling table manners, but compounding that was the way he spoke of the other houses and the prideful attitude about the superiority of magic over muggle, as was demonstrated by his reaction to Dean Thomas' football posters. It was almost pureblood nonsense minus the mention of blood. But for Harry the final straw came shortly after he took Harry to task for wishing Draco "goodnight"on their way past the Slytherin table.

"What were you talking to a slimy snake like Malfoy for?" the other boy demanded as soon as they had been shown to their room in Gryffindor Tower. His angry face making Harry believe the other boy was thinking of trying to hurt him.

Harry counted to ten, then twenty just to be sure he was in control when he answered. "He's my cousin. Are you one of those unthinking prejudiced bigots that think all Slytherins are evil?" The other boy was eight inches taller but scrawny. If he took this disagreement physical he would regret it, because Harry knew it wasn't your size so much as what you did with it.

"Yeah at least I'm smart enough to recognize evil when I see it, so keep your slimy self far away from me. Got it, Potter?"

"With pleasure, Weasley."

Harry levitated his trunk, despite Winry's strictures, over to where Seamus Finnegain was. "Seamus, do you mind switching? I don't think me and Weasley sharing the same twenty feet is a good plan."

"Sure thing. How are you...you know doin' tha' ?" He said pointing at the trunk.

"Levitation charm, want a hand with your trunk?"

"Please."

Harry noticed that Sheba, who was still riding on his shoulders, was taking a bit of an extraordinary interest in both Trevor and Ron Weasley's rat so he cast a compulsion charm on Sheba so she'd leave them alone. "Sorry girl they're off limits." Harry half wanted to not protect the rat, since they reminded him of his parents' betrayer but there was no point to making an enemy of his roommate, if he hadn't already.

He pulled out his cellphone and wandered close to the window on his side of the tower. He dialed for Sirius. It had barely rung when He heard." Black."

"Hey, Sirius."

"Kiddo! So what house?"

"Gryffindor, Sue and Neville too."

"Way to go! What happened to the plan of being a badger?"

"I think if the Hat were a person it would have died laughing."

"You know that's funny, I had the-"

"same reaction, I know. I just thought I'd tell you I got here safe and sound and Riza's right. The old fart is completely looney tunes."

"Stay as far from him as you can, unfortunately it'll take something pretty dire for us to get a competency hearing done."

"That might not be as far from now as you thought. Apparently he brought something dangerous into the school."

"Don't go near it but find out what you can and remember Minerva is an ally."

"Will do. Goodnight."

"Night night kiddo."

Harry was surprised when he got off the phone to see Dean Thonas staring at him. "What?"

"That''s a cell phone, but I was told electronics didn't work at Hogwarts."

"Most wouldn't. They would short circuit in the magical fields; this" he raised the phone in his hand, "is not your normal cell phone. DuSablePotter Industries makes magically adapted electronics. While not widely available in the UK yet, they do exist. Sirius plans to start marketing them here in six months. He figures by that point the restructure will be far enough along that he won't get strung up for his "sacrilege". Would you like to call your parents and let them know you got here safe and sound?"

"Could I? That would be great!"

"Sure." Harry extended the phone then turned his attention to settling in, ignoring the glare that was being sent at him by Ron Weasley.

An hour and a half later Harry was hailed a hero by his roommates when he silenced the curtains surrounding Ron Weasleys four poster as the boy snored so loud he was keeping everyone else awake.

The next morning they were handed their schedules at breakfast, and they headed off to Herbology. Harry was happy to discover that Herbology was to be very hands on, and a class he would learn things in.

Susan was happy because it was a class they had with the Hufflepuffs which meant she could spend time with Hannah.

Neville was happiest of all because he already knew how to handle himself in a greenhouse.

The remainder of Harry's classes that week didn't go nearly so Charms he was bored out of his skull, so he decided to try and recreate the Maurader's Map of his godfather's stories. In History of Magic he watched in dismay as most of his classmates fell asleep and he struggled not to join them. Astronomy threw his sleep cycles off . He was also dismayed that really all that was going to be taught was thirty to forty years behind what he'd learned in Astronomy club at S-C. He resolved to get Sirius to sponsor the addition of a planetarium to the castle, and to order some modern books for the professor as soon as possible. Transfiguration was boring like Charms was. Thankfully Professor McGonagall dumped a fourth year text in front of him. Defense was worse than a joke. Harry fought the urge to hex the teacher just to see if the man knew how to shield. Friday brought Potions class and the person who seemed to hate him, Professor Severus Snape.

After a slightly poetic but overly dramatic introduction to what potions were capable of, he changed his focus to Harry.**"Mr. Potter. Our new celebrity. Can you tell me what you would get if you added powdered asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"**

Harry stood respectfully as was required by most professors at S-C for a verbal quizzing. "Draught of Living Death, sir."

"I'm amazed you have just done more than your father ever did, you cracked a book before coming. **Can you tell me where you would find a beazoar?"**

"Just about any well stocked potions kit, or if you want to know where they come from, the stomach of a goat." Harry said ignoring the slur about his dad.

"Two points from Gryffindor for your cheek. **What is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane?**"

Harry frowned annoyed the Professor had taken points for a correct answer. He had to think for a moment before he remembered those were alternate names for acconite. Mai Reynolds had mentioned that it was called other things in different parts of the world, and that it was one of the more common ingredients in topical healing ointments. Harry didn't want to come across as a know-it-all so when he saw Hermione Granger's hand up he suggested, "Professor, it seems Miss Granger knows, why not ask her?"

"Five points for evading the question and detention with me tonight at seven, Potter. Sit down. **For your information they are the same plant also known as acconite.**"

Harry resisted the urge to say something rude. He resumed his seat.

The rest of class didn't get much better. Harry found Professor Snape's method of teaching Potions absolutely deplorable. Harry barely stopped Neville from adding the porcuepine quills at the wrong time and their potion was one of only three that would be acceptable turned in. Ron and Seamus had managed to melt their cauldron as had a couple of the Slytherins, Crabbe and Goyle Harry thought. Susan and Hermione had brewed an acceptable sample as did Draco and his partner Blaise Zabini but Harry couldn't understand why Snape hadn't gone over the procedure verbally before telling them to start and given a verbal warning about the one tricky step of the potion. He resolved he'd run a study session for his peers in Gryffindor tower if only to prevent a repeat of today. He really couldn't see how Hogwarts could claim to be the best magic school when a third to a half of its teachers were behind the times or just plain couldn't teach but maybe he was being over hasty in his judgements. There was also the aspect that while it was teaching magic, it wasn't teaching communication skills effectively, or conflict resolution, it wasn't even making sure its students would be capable of passing the GSCEs. Harry had been slightly appalled to discover that most of his magic raised roommates had little to no idea how to structure an essay, and fewer still understood math beyond add, subtract, multiply and divide. It really made Harry feel that Education reform had to be part of the national restructure or they would just wind up repeating history.

On the way out of the potions classroom, Harry touched Draco's shoulder. "Hey, cousin how's it going?"

Draco had been having a rough week. His family's social standing in their former circle had taken quite a hit when his father had sworn a fealty oath to the Duke. Many of his father's old connections had taken it poorly and had instructed their children to make difficulties for Draco. When Draco had applauded for Harry, it hadn't been taken well by many of his new housemates. Theo Nott, someone whom Draco had considered a friend when he was young, was now ganging up with Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson to pick on him. His belongings had been trashed, and he had bruises from some of the shoves they had given him.

Thank heaven for Blaise, Millicent, Daphne and Tracey. Their families had either been neutral or also had the foresight to see the winds of change sweeping Britain and had chosen adaptation as the best choice. The five had banded together and so far their House's elder students were mostly allowing it. Draco knew the best way to get in touch with the Duke was through Harry. He needed help to deal with the negative elements around him and the Duke had promised protection to his family, so he gave an honest answer, "Rough."

Harry's green eyes darkened with concern. "Meet me in the library in ten minutes, we'll discuss it."

"Can I make it twenty and bring others?" Draco had gotten the measure of his cousin and knew if asked the other boy would expand the cover of his protection to cover more than just Draco. Merlin knew his new friends needed protection as badly as he did.

Harry's green eyes glittered alarmingly for a second but his voice was gentle as he said, "Sure."

Fifteen minutes later Harry was in the library with Susan and Neville. "First week recap. Sue, do you want to start?"

"Well, I'm a little disappointed to be honest. History sucks rotten eggs, and defense strikes me as being a joke. Auntie isn't going to like it when I tell her. Lavender and Pavarti are shallow beyond reason, Hermione Granger is smart but stupid if that makes any sense."

Harry thought briefly about what he had observed in their classmate, "High intelligence but no wisdom or social skills to temper it?"

"Exactly. I almost wish Hannah were in Gryffindor with us."

"Neville?"

"I feel like I'm in over my head."

Neville was a prime example of the classic pureblood British magical education. He could read and write a complete sentence and do basic math but he lacked the reasoning and logic training Harry had gotten. He knew lots about plants and most of his knowledge came from first hand experience. But because magicals didn't study education theory per se Neville, who was from what Harry could tell a kinesthetic learner and a late bloomer, had been labeled as slow and magically weak and had been treated accordingly. His biggest problem was confidence. "Relax, Neville you'll get it. It will take hard work in the form of study and practice but you'll get it."

Hannah came in and joined them. "How was your week?"

Susan said, "Okay. Yours?"

"Okay. Harry, is this how you were taught magic before?"

"No. Was Potions for the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws as bad as it was for us?"

"If you mean here's a recipe, follow it and you dunderheads can't you do anything right, then yes."

"Okay, Susan this weekend I think we should organize a school wide study session for our year. The focus being study skills, potions and defense. We've gotten the first essays in Charms and Transfiguration both of which are all theory. But from what my roommates have done that I've seen essay writing isn't widely taught in the wizarding world."

"True. I lucked out Auntie sent me to a school in London rather than homeschool me as is typical. Hannah went there too because after her father died in the last war, her mum had to go to work. Auntie gave her the referral to Benton's. But we're the exception not the rule."

"So you're suggesting we ignore house lines, and have a first year study group." Hannah said.

"Can you think of a better way to break the house stereotypes before they've had a chance to set in?" Harry asked.

"How are we going to get people from all the houses?" Hannah asked.

"I'll write a notice and we can post it on all the house boards." Susan said.

"We'll post in Gryffindor, Draco can post in Slytherin, and you can in Hufflepuff. That just leaves Ravenclaw, and I bet if we ask Professor Flitwick he'd post it for us." Harry had felt there was a bit of a kindred spirit in the tiny Charms professor. "

"Hogwarts has house elves doesn't it?" Hannah said.

"I believe so." Susan said, most of her concentration on the notice she was writing.

"Well, I was thinking. Maybe we could get more people there if we offered some snacks."

"Great idea, Hannah." Harry paused for a moment thinking. He knew from Tom's memories the location of the kitchens and a perfect room for this. "after I talk with Draco I'll head down to the kitchens. So Sunday afternoon starting at one going until half past four for the study session. I know of a perfect room it's up on seventh opposite a tapestry of a wizard trying to teach trolls ballet. We should probably put something in to make it clear that house and blood prejudice needs to be checked at the door. It probably won't be very productive in terms of actual studying but it may be invaluable in terms of making ties between the houses."

"A study session for all the houses, good idea cousin." Draco's drawl came from behind them. Harry spun in his seat and saw Draco standing there with four other Slytherin students all of whom looked very undecided about being there. "Glad you think so." Harry waited impatiently for Draco to do the introductions knowing that was more proper than introducing himself, which was the American way of doing things.

"Blaise, Daphne, Tracey, Millicent, may I introduce my cousin Harry Potter. Harry this is Blaise Zabini, Millicent Bullstrode, Tracey Davis and Daphne Greengrass."

"Mr. Zabini, Miss Bullstrode, Miss Davis, Miss Greengrass."

"Mr. Potter." They intoned together after Harry had shaken or kissed their hands respectively.

Harry amused by the timing smiled as he said," Mr. Potter is too formal for me, raised abroad as I was. Please call me Harry." Then he waited patiently while Draco repeated the introductions for the rest of the group. Susan and Hannah already knew everyone but Millicent and Blaise.

Blaise had expected Draco to be exaggerating when he said his cousin would welcome them into the group. He had a cousin in fourth year who had been jumped by Gryffindors as Deatheater-wannabe-scum halfway through his first year merely for being in Slytherin. Never mind that their family was neutral in the last war. Slytherin house was a dangerous place these days. The general expectation of the other houses was if you were in Slytherin you were dark. Blaise knew it was his ambition to be the best Healer that had sorted him into the house of the snakes. He had all sorts of fears about this meeting with Potter since Draco had mentioned the possibility two days ago. If Potter, who had gotten rid of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, called you dark the odds of your survival among the other houses would be minimal. Since his return to Britain the speculation about him had been rampant in the papers. But since he was sorted into Gryffindor, the press had been exuberant in their hailing of him as a hero. A Gryffindor hero boded ill for the house of the snakes.

Draco swore his cousin wasn't like that, but Blaise was adopting a, 'we'll see' attitude. The last week had been rough on the Malfoy heir and the neutral Slytherins. Dark Slytherins had been swift to pressure the five young snakes to toe the House line. There had been threats placed in their papers telling them if they didn't agree they should say nothing or else. The dark Slytherins of their year had been swift to bully them. their belongings broken into, candy eaten, small damages made: dirt, small tears nothing irreparable but the clear implication that not following the party line would result in worse. For Draco it was worse, a picture of him and his parents had been ripped to shreds and stuck in an envelop marked traitor. He'd also had one dress robe torn to shreds, and he had been shoved as they walked through the halls. Being one of the smaller members of their year he was currently sporting some sizable bruises. Draco seemed convinced his cousin would do something.

Susan read through what she had written one more time then handed it to Neville to proof.

_ First Years, you are invited to an all house mixer and study session Sunday afternoon. Planned topics are study skills, defense and potions. There will be snacks and a chance to get to know your year mates only a couple things are required the desire to learn and a willingness to look beyond House and blood status. It will start at one and run till half five. Come for some or all of it and be welcome. It will be in the room opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy on the seventh floor. Anyone who doesn't drop prejudice at the door will be asked to leave._

After Neville proofed it, a thought occurred to him, "Guys do you think we ought to get permission?"

"Probably." Harry said. "Nev, how about you Susan and Hannah take it to the Deputy Headmistress. If she okays it ask her to duplicate the notices for all the houses. I need to talk with Draco for a moment."

"Sure thing, Harry." Susan said seeing the slight deer in headlights look Neville was wearing at the thought of seeking out McGonagall. "Come on, Neville."

After the other three left, Harry's face grew more serious and he gestured to the Slytherins to take a seat. "So what's up?"

Draco sudden felt like a whiney child, but he wasn't in the position of being able to use his father's name for protection. But he didn't want Harry to think him weak either. "It's the other Slytherins. The ones from Deatheater families-" his voice died away.

Millicent Bullstrode looked hard at the Boy-Who-Lived. She knew Blaise wouldn't say anything, Tracey might, and Daphne wouldn't say anything at all. Most people mistook her shyness as aloofness but the fact was if her cousin, Daphne, didn't know you she wouldn't talk. She and Millicent had known each other from the cradle and Millicent had long ago taken on the role of Daphne's protector.

Millicent spoke. "Things here in Britain have changed a ton in the last year. My family has been dark, my father served the Dark Lord. But he did it because that was the way the wind was blowing. The wind has changed and according to Draco here ,you and your godfather are shaping the future. I'm under orders from my father to move in your direction. What I want to know, is are you like Dumbledore, who if you're Slytherin, dark or not, he'll leave you flapping in a breeze if it suits his notion of the greater good, or do you honestly give a shit?"

Harry's lips twitched. He wished everyone was this plainspoken. "I give a shit. The Dark Lord took steps towards immortality and he intends to come back, but he screwed up. I and my godfather have been working to counter those steps. Dumbledore's ideas for the future are as messed up as he is. I thought I announced my opinion of him at the Sorting Feast. The future Sirius and I are working towards is more egalitarian, power evenly distributed between magicals. Blood doesn't matter to us, muggleborn or pureblood, human or non it doesn't matter. We want for magical society here in Britain to grow not stagnate, which is what it has done under Dumbledore. We live in the 1990's but under Dumbledore's idea of leadership, life in magical Britain is like life in the 1940's or earlier.

"I'm not House prejudiced. We all breathe, and if we get pricked, we bleed red blood. Has Draco told you what I said about Slytherin on the train?"

The Slytherins all nodded.

"There is room for all the houses in the society Sirius and I would like to see. I'm half surprised given that is the goal we're working toward that the hat didn't put me in Slytherin. The Hat said although I had cunning enough for Slytherin my lack of ambition on a personal level would be an affront to the members of that house."

The Slytherins all smirked.

"I told you. You're a Gryffindor,"Draco almost crowed. "but right now I... no we, need that Gryffindor streak of yours to give us some protection."

"Okay, what's happening?"

The Slytherins outlined the situation. Harry listened closely and then sat quietly for several minutes.

"Okay. Are you willing to dish out a little humiliation to the ones getting into your stuff?" At their nods he continued. "I think retaliation in stages. Do all of you know a basic locking charm or what about a blood based protection ward?"

They shook their heads. They said , "We've heard of them of course. But we have no clue how to do them."

"Right then, we'll start with that. Sort your stuff , sort by importance, irreplaceable stuff needs to be able to fit into something small I'll teach you a basic blood ward for that. Before you ask yes it's blood magic but it is one of the few blood magics that isn't illegal to use. Use it on a small box or if you're willing to spill enough of your own blood you might be able to seal a small trunk. You will be the only person able to open whatever you choose to seal." The rest of your stuff a locking charm will stop someone who's only trying a little. What I suggest ultimately is a locking charm with a prank to back it up. Something with a twenty four hour effect. That way you'll know who was behind it and can report that person to your Head of House. I can come up with a couple but they'll all take forty-eight hours or longer to prep for."

"That protects our stuff but what about us?" Blaise said.

"Draco falls into the protection of the House duSable. I'll notify Sirius when I get back to the dorm. He'll probably send some sort of protective amulet. I'm sorry and can't do that for all of you. What I can do, is teach you some self defense. I'm actually a fairly competent instructor for teaching physical defense. This may not mean anything to you, but I'm a black belt, in three disciplines of martial arts. Sirius also has me trained fairly far in defense magically already, something about as Harry Potter I have enemies." Harry's voice held a large note of self-mockery.."Meet me in the mornings an hour and a half before breakfast in that room on the seventh floor and I'll teach you some of what I know. It won't be easy. but I doubt you'll get a better offer.

Harry glanced at his watch, "I need to go talk to the elves in the kitchen, about Sunday but that can wait for a short time. I hope I'll see all of you there Sunday. Now for the blood ward." Harry pulled out a piece of parchment then he carefully drew out three separate runes, then he drew it again this time with the three runes atop one another. "This ward is pretty basic but it is one of the most effective out there. I want you to practice these runes. Then practice drawing them atop each other like I did here. While you practice, I'm going to go to the kitchens then I'll be back to teach you the rest."

After he left, Blaise looked at Draco. "I'm amazed. You said, but I didn't believe you."

"Harry looks at everyone and just sees people. He doesn't see House or blood status, he judges everyone based on the things they say and do. He knows enough stuff to put most Ravenclaws to shame but he's not one to trot out all he knows just to impress others. If anything he'd rather keep it to himself until it's needed. It's the only thing keeping him from being completely insufferable, he's such a goody two shoesand almost modest to a fault. One thing you should never do though, is call a muggleborn mudblood around him. My dad did and well the result wasn't pretty. His mum, who he credits with his survival of You-Know-Who's attack, was muggleborn and insulting them is in his mind insulting her. Although he had very good insight as to how that particular insult came about."

"How was that?" Tracey asked.

"I told you this two days ago. In Slytherin's era, muggles didn't understand sanitation very well and were mostly illiterate, Salazar Slytherin didn't like muggleborn because they had to learn those things before they could learn magic and given he liked ambition and cunning it wasn't a good fit. But enough talk, we should practice this."

"Right."

The five heads bent to their parchments.

Twenty minutes later Harry returned. "Okay. How's it going?"

They showed Harry their parchments.

"Good looks like all of you get it. Anyway to protect your boxes you draw the runes on each of the surfaces in your own blood. Then you bring up your magic and touch the runes to charge them." Harry felt frustrated when they looked at him with uncomprehending looks. He forced himself to remember that they hadn't had any of his training. He sighed, "Okay. I guess we should move to a class room for this, I doubt Madame Pince would like us doing it here."

Susan, Neville and Hannah were just coming to find Harry as he and the Slytherins were leaving.

"Harry, Professor McGonagall said okay, she even gave us two points for Hufflepuff and Gryffindor for coming up with it!"

"Cool."

"Where are you going?" Neville asked.

"We're going to a classroom so I can teach these guys how to pull up their magic and I'm going to teach the most basic locking charm. Want to come?"

" You can teach that?" said Hannah.

"Yeah." Harry's expression got self-conscious for a moment.

Draco, who had seen Sirius correct Harry for using what he called language laziness, snickered as Harry blushed then self-corrected.

"I mean yes. It was one of the first bits of magic I learned, pulling up magic I mean."

"Let's go!" Neville said enthusiastically.

**A/N: I'm stopping there. This chapter is getting a little long, If I actually do Harry's lesson it will be fifteen pages or more. Now you know where he got sorted and some of the dynamics we're going to see in this story. Ron is probably going to be assuming Draco's role in canon that of annoying git of little importance. Hermione is not going to be a huge part of the group we will see her from time to time but she has her own hang-ups and insecurities that exist but are ignored in canon, I think those feelings will keep her from being as close to this Harry as she is to canon's Harry. Please review.  
**


	4. Detention with Snape

Disclaimer: We all know how these work, I acknowledge that J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. and Scholastic own Harry Potter and all other characters and settings from cannon, and I get to write whatever I please and even add in characters of my own as long as I don't get any money. The no money sucks but there you go, at least I don't get lawyers knocking on my door. Addendum: If you recognize a name of a character from elsewhere it isn't mine.

Harry's Hero by Silverfawkes

Chapter 4 Detention with Snape

Harry was grinning as he lead Neville, Susan, Draco and their friends into a class room not far from the library. He said loudly upon entry. "Hogwarts elf!"

"Yes, what is student sir needing?"

"Could you get us ten large cushions please?" The elf popped away.

Susan scandalized said, "Harry the students aren't supposed to summon the schools elves."

The elf popped back with a pile of thick cushions that looked like papasan chair cushions, exactly what Harry wanted. "Will this do Mr. Student Sir?"

"They're perfect, Thank you for the excellent service." Blushing at the praise the elf popped away.

What Harry knew that his fellow students didn't was as Earl of Gryffindor, Harry could actually command the elves of Hogwarts to a degree any of the Founders heirs could. He had no intention of explaining however so he merely said "Take a cushion and find a comfortable seat on the floor."

Draco gave him a are you mad look, but did as he was told.

"Okay, I know this seems a little weird to all of you but I'm going to guide you through a mediation that I started learning when I was three, when I was nine I learned how to hook into my magical core using it. Are you comfortable?" He waited until he got nods from all of them before starting. "Close your eyes take a deep breath, then blow it out, Get in the rhythm of breathing deeply in one, two, three, four. Hold it: one, two. Blow it out: one, two three four five." He repeated it seven times. "I hope you're all feeling relaxed. Keep breathing in that pattern now picture yourself, you have little dust motes of energy all around you those dust motes are magic but they are not your magic. Separate what is yours from that which is around you, it will be different. For me it is sound, mine resonates on a slightly different vibration. But yours could be different colors, or smells or texture, just find what is yours versus what is the universe's. Take your time and remember in one, two, three, four, hold one, two, out one, two, three, four, five..." Harry counted off enjoying that for him this was instinctive now, He watched his fellow students watching them for signs of reaching the desired state Daphne and Millicent took the longest.

"Now take the magic that is you and picture it like roots of a plant inching down through the mortar that holds the very rocks of the castle together down deep into the earth. Feel yourself connect to the energy that is the earth our home our mother." He smiled in delight at the gasps his classmates emitted as they did this. "That my friends is pure magic now pull the tendrils back, keep breathing."

Neville was frightened as well as energized by what he was feeling, "Harry I can't. I-I-"

Harry quickly tranced to see what the issue was, but was quicker still to offer reassurance. "Relax Neville keep breathing in one two three four hold one two, blow one two three four five." Something was different about Neville's connection. Harry needed to bring the others out so he could focus on Neville . "Neville relax and stay as you are enjoy the feel of the earth as it nourishes your magic. Harry waited patiently until Neville's magic resumed a steady thrum, before he turned his attention to the others. The others were relaxed and no longer grounded as Harry thought of it.

"NOW imagine those tendrils you sent in the earth, wrapping themselves in you: your groin, your guts, your solar plexus, your heart, your throat, your brow, the crown of your head. Imagine them wrapping and energizing you from head to toe. Now from the center of your being touch them back. Feel it well up like a spring feel it flow outward to your hands. Take your wands in hand and say _Lumos_." Harry smiled because all the wands even Neville's lit up. "Open your eyes."

Harry turned his attention once more to Neville. "Neville how do you feel?"

"Energized the best I've ever felt."

Harry thought hard about this. He eyed Neville's connection again then he noticed that it wasn't Neville extending into the earth as much as the earth reaching up to Neville it reminded Harry of his own ability to connect to magic in the air. "Neville has anyone ever checked to see if you're an elemental wizard?"

That snapped Neville from his trance in a hurry. Harry almost snorted it was so fast. Harry was even more amused to realize that even not in a trance the earth was continuing to feed Neville energy. Lady Augusta's fears about Neville being a squib were clearly unfounded. As an Earth elemental wizard Neville would be damn near undefeatable because once trained his ability to ground out attacks would make him hard to hit. He would also undoubtably excel in subjects related to earth magic including warding, herbology and potions. "Neville I think you'll be coming to my elemental lessons with me. We start Saturday afternoon."

"Harry that was awesome!" Draco said enthusiastically. "How come my dad never taught me that? Why aren't the teachers here teaching us that?"

"Draco-"

"What was that? Does that work for-"

Harry suddenly understood Inarra Serra's reaction to him that first lesson in Salem. He aimed his wand and said clearly "Langlock."

The other children snickered as Draco, now silenced, turned a brilliant scarlet.

"As one of my first teachers of magic said to me, in much the same circumstances, to learn it is necessary to listen as well as ask questions." Harry cancelled the spell. "This technique for calling up magic probably isn't something your father would know. Sirius learned it in Indonesia. It was a natural way to teach me because I had already learned eastern meditation as part of my martial arts.

"Hogwarts uses Waffling's Theory of Magic. Waffling is an exclusively European trained wizard. While he has a knack for explaining the drawing up of magic using a wand in an extremely easy way, he also subscribes to the belief that wandless magic is only possible for the most powerful of witches and wizards. Not all witches and wizards agree. Inarra Serra, my teacher, silenced me with a mere wave of the hand. Power wise she was less powerful than all the individual teachers we've had so far. But she had trained her focus, concentration and will to the point anything she could do with a wand she could do with a wave of her hand. And believe me, I've read way more theory than just Wafffling. I'm **still** trying to get my focus to the point I can do wandless.

"Now I promised you Slytherins a basic locking charm. The incantation is _obfirmo_ and the motion with your wand is just a twist like turning a key. Remember how it felt when you pushed your magic into your wand for the _lumos_ it's the same principle for the locking charm. Try it."

Harry watched them closely, he had to correct Blaise's overenthusiastic twist and Millicent had to be brought back through a meditation to get her magic to the surface but by dinner all of them were successful.

After dinner Harry headed down to the dungeons and Snape, he really wasn't looking forward to this but hopefully he and the professor could clear the air between them and next week's lesson would be better.

"So, Potter. I'm glad to see you know how to be prompt. No magic, clean that stack of cauldrons then we will discuss your conduct."

Harry looked at the cauldrons some weren't bad. Since the students were supposed to clean up after themselves, the cauldrons were the result of students carbonizing their potions or sheer laziness, and were clearly one of Professor Snape's preferred tasks for punishment. The twenty cauldrons were probably the worst of the lot. Harry just removed his robes so he was in his jeans and t-shirt .Sheba who had come with him curled up on a nearby counter and watched through half slitted eyes while Harry searched the cupboards for the proper cleaning supplies and dragon-hide gloves. Harry set briskly to work, Having carbonized a couple of potions while Walter was teaching him Harry knew the tricks. A couple of the cauldrons Harry put over flames to make the mess harden to the point of crumbling while he scrubbed the rest with lots of solvent and a wire brush. An hour and a half later he put the last ones he had cooked more into the scrub water. He used his forearm to wipe the sweat he'd worked up off.

When Harry finished the last cauldron he cleaned up the work area and put things back where he found them. He then approached Professor Snape. "Professor, I finished. I feel as if we got off on the wrong foot. I-"

"DO you really think I care at all about you, Potter?" He snarled with contempt. The Professors obsidian gaze locked with Harry's own emerald.

The contempt was easy to see, but then Harry felt one of the tripwires in his outer mental defenses go off. Harry got pissed, well there was more than one way to skin a cat. Harry deliberately led the Professor deeper into his projective mind scape to the defense Harry called the oubliette. There was very little Harry had taken from his work on the dark tower to use for himself; knowledge of runes, information about Hogwarts. But Tom's mastery of mind magics had been formidable and the oubliette had been the least dark but most impressive of the mental defenses Tom had created from Harry's perspective. Harry would have an agreement with Snape on his terms or Snape wouldn't leave because Harry had the home court advantage. Harry now had more than a few questions for the 'good' Professor. His detention was likely to run late despite his finishing his task early. Harry wouldn't be leaving until he got those answers. Thankfully the oubliette seemed to speed up time for the trapped.

Harry waited for fifteen minutes before going to the observation area of the oubliette.

Snape was scared he had no idea where he was. He had been strolling towards Potter's inner mind seeing things like parties with his friends, flying on a broom, innocuous memories with little depth or value proving to him just how shallow the boy undoubtably was. When out of nowhere he found himself in a room shaped as an octahedron. It just big enough for one person to pace three steps in any direction. There was enough light that he didn't worry about blindness but there was nothing,just the walls and himself. At first this didn't bother Snape, as a superb occlumens his mind was disciplined enough to occupy itself, or so he thought. He had no way of knowing how long he was there but it seemed as if he had been there for days and days and he couldn't draw upon his own memories to dispel the boredom. He couldn't hold a train of thought long enough to even recite the most basic first year, as time passed he forgot everything. He held it together for a while but eventually fear and boredom and not knowing got to him and he felt himself begin to cry. Suddenly he was no longer alone. A boy on the verge of manhood appeared beside him.

"Hello, how did you get here? He asked the boy.

"This is my home, how did you get here?"

"I don't remember."

"Would you like to?"

"Yes, please."

"Then touch this wall with me."

Harry guided Snape's metaphorical hand to the connection that would allow him complete access to the Professor's mind. It was unethical in one sense. But had the Professor not entered Harry's mind it wouldn't have been possible: therefore, it was the Professor's own unethical behavior that made it possible. Harry could live with his own guilt in this instance. The walls around them displayed Snapes memories and also his feelings about those memories. Harry sped through most of them, slowing for the ones that showed his mother as a child. Snape never seemed to notice the slow down as he seemed to enjoy the memories of Lily as much as Harry did. Harry developed a certain amount of sympathy for the professor as his child hood had sucked. When they reached Snape's Hogwarts years Harry again slowed the memories. Harry felt ashamed as he observed how his father and his godfather treated the young Severus, he knew with out a doubt that had he been around he would have doled out a few lessons to remind the marauders of the value of compassion. The falling out with Lily , the terrifying experience when Sirius sent him out to Moony, the disbelief when his worst rival saved him and the soul crushing disbelief when Dumbledore failed to punish the Gryffindor boys and instead blackmailed the young Slytherin into keeping Moony's secret. Then came Snape's making a deal with the devil as it were. Harry watched those memories dispassionately while Snape himself was reliving the gambit of emotions connected to the memories. Then came the prophecy, Snape's joy in giving it to Voldemort. Then his fear and despair when Bellatrix Le Strange named the Longbottoms and the Potters as expecting children at the time predicted. Snape's groveling plea to Dumbledore. Snape's pleas to Voldemort to spare his childhood friend and "love". Voldemort's response to Severus. It was only Harry's own occlumency and past experience in dealing with distasteful memories that kept him from getting sick as they passed through Snape's morass of feelings of anger, lust, love, possessiveness, revenge and disappointment. When in the end his pleas to Voldemort to spare Lily proved to be insufficient to save her, his guilt at having been the one to carry the partial prophecy to Voldemort. Dumbledore's blackmailing a grief stricken Severus into protecting Harry at any cost garnering an unbreakable vow to protect Harry until Harry was ready to fulfill the prophecy. Finally the last memories the ones that showed Harry's arrival at Hogwarts and the events of the last week. As the memories came to a close Snape pulled his hand from the wall and looked at the boy beside him with a mix of fear and loathing.

"Where are we?"

"In my mind. You are an excellent legilimens professor but I have had extremely through training in occlumency. I was aware of you almost from the moment you entered my mind. The oubliette is one of many defenses I have. It also has the benefit of allowing me to see the mind of the person attempting to see my mind."

"What happens now?

"I think I'm willing to say that we are even. You attempted to invade my mind, I invaded yours, although, actually, technically that not true since we never left my mind."

"You repulsive little-"

"Ah-ah-ah. No, Professor, I would be quite careful how you address me at this point. Technically you are still trespassing and I would be within my rights to leave you locked in the oubliette."

"Fine what do you want?"

"Mutual respect."

"As if I could ever respect a Potter!"

"You will find it is in your best interest to do so, Professor. There is a matter of a life debt between us. You owed James your life, that means you now owe me. There is the debt by how your actions resulted in the deaths of my parents, and there's the matter of your vow to Dumbledore."

"Why you little-"

"On a more personal note, or rather a personal observation, your life sucked as a kid, I understand what that can be like. But it is always in our power to choose our response to the lemons life hands us; by choosing our response we become responsible. Some choose to suck on the lemons they're handed and hold onto them until they are nothing but sour, bitter people, while others of us choose to temper those moments by focusing on the sweet things in life thereby making lemonade. Which are you?"

"What would a spoiled brat such as yourself know about loss or struggle or hardship? Let me out of here Potter."

"Fine, have it your way, but know this Professor I know everything about you. I know how you secretly hoped my father and I would die leaving my mother available for you. I know how you claim to love her. To you love equals ownership, an example you absorbed from your louse of a father no doubt. If you had gotten my mother how long would it have been before you started teaching her her place by knocking her around. Judging by your response to her aid fifth year my guess is not long.

"I am ashamed of how my father and his friends treated you in school. If it weren't for the fact I know Sirius regrets it, and the fact that my father let go of his rivalry with you long enough to do the right thing and save you from Remus I would be very troubled. You didn't deserve the way they treated you.

"This obsessive need of yours for revenge isn't healthy though. James Potter has been dead and buried for a decade now. Carrying out your grudge against him on me because I resemble him is just pathetic. Haven't you ever heard the best revenge is living well? You've accomplished lots, the youngest Potion Master in a century. Yet you still measure yourself by the yardstick of a dead schoolyard rival, it's pathetic.

"Shut up, Potter. You're too young to understand anything."

"Mutual respect Professor. You'll find it smoothes out lots of pathways. Continuing your animosity won't get you anything. If anything it will wind up costing you more. I'll leave you to think about it."

Snape almost broke again. He found a difference in his prison this time. He could think but only about Potter's words. Which was almost enough to drive one mad. The relief he felt when the boy re-entered was considerable.

"Are you ready to discuss terms, Professor?"

"Yes, yes anything just let me out of here."

"Okay, for starters I want a wizards oath from you to enforce this agreement. No digs, slurs or insults against me or my family, more specifically my father, godfather, and Uncle Remus. In your classroom and out, you will apply the school rules fairly and evenly to all students, no more taking points just because you feel like it. You will treat me and all the other students in your classroom with a modicum of courtesy, no degrading insults, however outside the classroom you may insult us to your hearts content but points and rules will still be evenly applied and removed from all the houses.

"Give me one reason why I should Potter."

"The alternative is staying here."

"Compelling reason. I dislike you Potter."

"That was obvious. For your information when you asked me that question today I didn't stand as a means of showing off and getting every eye on me. At my last school it was the practice to stand when being questioned verbally by the teachers. It was done for three reasons: one, it is easier to project your voice while standing, two, people scrutinize leaders, Stuart-Cavanaugh was all about training its students to become leaders, scrutiny is inevitable so the attitude was get used to it, and finally it was a sign of respect for the teachers. I was merely giving you respect, sir. Not that you've done anything to deserve it. If you prefer it, I happily won't do it again."

Severus Snape was taken aback. "What is there to stop me from getting you expelled the second I'm released?"

"Simple Professor, the last I knew it was illegal to legilimens someone without a court order, or a determination it is medically necessary. As a registered occlumens with training taken under George Takei. I am completely within my rights to keep you here until you understand the errors of your ways. International law guarantees that right. Given that I am a minor and you didn't have parental permission... that's what, a two year stint in low security at Azkaban? I very much doubt you wish to ever return there or is that a mistaken impression?"

"No. Very well, Potter. I, Severus Tobais Snape, swear on my magic that I will modify my behavior such that I treat the Houses equally in terms of points and rule enforcement from this time forward. I will refrain from insulting all my students while in my classroom and I will refrain altogether from insulting the family of Harry James Potter. Satisfied?

"Enough." Harry had one last lesson to deliver to the Potion Master/ spy. He allowed the walls of the oubliette to fall away leaving his normal mindscape rather than the projected one he'd used earlier. He was used to the sideways buildings and never feared falling but the one time he had shown George his normal mindscape the man had been very quick to retreat, he hadn't like the sensation that he could fall from a great height at any second.

Snape reacted predictably. He flung himself flat against one of the windows and tried to find a handhold. Harry grasped him by the collar . "This view of my minscape is just a brief glimpse to show you that I do know loss. My world was rocked sideways when Mum died. Time to go Professor Snape."

A small twist of his magic and Harry had himself and Snape back in the classroom. Harry glanced at his watch he had ten minutes until curfew. "Is there anything else professor?"

"Why? You had me at your mercy and I would have done anything, sworn anything. Why so little?"

"Just because you are a miserable, pathetic, human being that would take advantage of such a situation, doesn't mean I have to be. Goodnight, Professor."

It was only later in his quarters that it occurred to Snape that while Harry Potter hadn't taken advantage of him in a time of emotional distress, Dumbledore had. As he thought of all the years he had trusted Dumbledore despite what the man had done to him as a student and he wondered why he'd never noticed just how dark the Leader of the Light was.

**A/N: Okay I lied. this chapter wound up being much shorter than I thought it would be. Thanks for the reviews. To Snape lovers sorry this fic lends itself to a bitter, unhappy and vengeful Snape. Especially since from his perspective Harry has been completely spoiled. Harry has had a privileged upbringing but Sirius did a good job parenting him and not letting him be spoiled. To those that say Harry is a goody two shoes my response is yeah he kinda is he is stubbornly refusing to be anything else but don't worry he will eventually have to pay a price for it. As soon as I figure out what...**

"


	5. The First Weekend

Disclaimer: We all know how these work, I acknowledge that J. K. Rowling, Warner Bros. and Scholastic own Harry Potter and all other characters and settings from cannon, and I get to write whatever I please and even add in characters of my own as long as I don't get any money. The no money sucks but there you go, at least I don't get lawyers knocking on my door. If you recognize a name of a character from elsewhere it isn't mine.

Harry's Hero by Silverfawkes

Chapter 5 The First Weekend

Severus Snape wasn't seen that first weekend of Hogwarts' new term.

Minerva wondered why. She had hoped to get him to agree to divide the time watching the first years little experiment in inner House unity, but then again with his inclination for unfair point distribution perhaps it was just as well. She had taken the parchment written by the students and had cheerfully reproduced it adding decorative swirls in bright colors to the edges to draw attention to them. She was very hopeful that this idea would work. She wasn't familiar with the room they were using but she figured it must be one the marauders had found that Sirius had told Harry about. She looked forward to observing the students hoping that this would truly bridge the gaps between the houses.

Saturday Harry and Neville waited in the Entrance Hall for Jarrod Moran and Catherine Parker. Minerva McGongall was escorting them up from the gates of Hogwarts.

Jarrod was speaking to McGongall as they entered, "This is a very lovely setting to have a school in Professor McGonagall."

"I agree. Mr. Moran. Here are your students. Mr. Moran, Miss Parker. This is Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom."

"But I thought-" Jarrod began.

"Mr. Morran," Harry quickly stepped forward to shake the other wizard's hand, "I know you thought I would be your only student. But I found out yesterday that Neville here, is also an elemental wizard. I figured, what the heck... I don't mind sharing my lessons, and if it's a matter of money... I can take care of that too."

"Well, alright then. Harry this is Catherine Parker."

Harry quickly extended his hand, "Miss Parker I must say this is a genuine pleasure, I read your recent article in Magical Theorist Today and it was fascinating. But it raised a question for me..."

Jarrod looked at the stout boy standing next to him. "Neville is it?"

"Yes, sir."

"I'm curious why does Harry say you're an elemental wizard?"

"Well, you see yesterday Harry guided myself and some other kids through what he called a guided meditation to teach us how to draw up our magic. Things went as he expected for everyone but me. When he had us...ground was what I think he called it. It felt weird and since then it's like I have this spring of magical energy inside me that I can't control.. I've done more accidental magic in the last twenty four hours than I did my whole life before I came to Hogwarts sir. It's kinda scary. Harry keeps telling me to ground but I-"

"Since that is what set this off you're afraid to. Relax. If a grounding exercise charged you up you are most likely an earth elemental. Which means you're lucky, earth elementals are the easiest to train. Water is next, then air, then fire."

"Which are you?"

"I'm a fire."

"And Miss Parker?"

"Catherine isn't an elemental, she is a magical theorist and spell crafter who works with me."

"No wonder Harry's trying to pick her brains."

"What makes you say that?" Jarrod asked with a smile.  
"Harry likes theory and crafting spells, he did an absolutely wicked prank on his godfather."

"Ah. So tell me Neville what do you know about elemental magic?"

"It exists."

"Oh. Let's catch up to those two, and then we can get started."

Harry was leading Miss Parker to the first floor classroom that had been assigned. Once in the class room. Jarrod said, "Harry, what do you know about elemental magic?"

"Well, elemental magic is magic that few wizards or witches can work mostly because most can't connect to the raw magic the elements earth, water, air, and fire produce. Life magic the magic most witches and wizards use feeds from elemental magic. An elemental mage can fuel his or her spells from their element. Fire elementals are the most strong they can pull from fires, the sun, even from the heat that people generate because they are pulling from the stored energy people get from food that was fed by the sun. It's also the reason they're the most feared they can literally drain their enemies to death without even an incantation. Air elementals are the next strongest. Once trained they can command the wind. They can create lightning by exciting the air molecules and generating a static charge. Water elementals can command water they can use it to act as a weapon or as a defense they also can change its state making a liquid a solid and vice versa. They can command it to go to its gaseous state but at that point their ability to control it fizzles out. Earth elementals have an endless supply of energy and the ability to ground out attacks, a trained earth elemental can take any attack and stop it by allowing the energy from the earth magic and grounding it so it never hits. Each type of elemental has affinities for specific types of magic: Earth for herbology, defense and potions, Water for potions and healing, Air and fire for charms and defense."

"Spoken like a true theorist." Miss Parker said.

"What element are you? Do you know?" Jarrod asked.

"I know I'm an air elemental. Under duress I've called lightning twice."

"Really?"

"Yeah- yes, a lot of my initial training was based in eastern magic and Native American as result the connection to the earth and nature is pretty much a given. Subconsciously I can access and control my elemental powers. My hope is that with your help I can take that control from subconscious to conscious, hopefully that will keep me from putting myself in a virtual coma when I use them.

"The exercise I led the others through was to call up their magic. Neville was a bit of an oops. The grounding portion set off his abilities. You can help him get it under control right?"

"Yes, I can help both of you. That was a very good summary that you gave. It sounds like you're a ways ahead of Neville."

"Well the credit or most of it goes to Inarra Serra in Salem, she taught me magical theory, and Yiska Walker. He-it's hard to explain. "

Catherine Parker smiled and said, "I see. So what do you think of Mandelbright's Law?"

Jarrod gave a fond smile to Miss Parker as she and Harry plunged into an in depth discussion of magical theory. Then he focused on Neville and started teaching him some of the base controls of elemental magic that Harry already seemed to know.

Sunday Harry quickly ate his lunch and headed to the magic room on the seventh floor. He planned to stretch the room of requirement to to the very limit of it's capacity for magic.. As he walked by the door he focused on the features he wanted the room to have, moments later when the door appeared he was swift to open it.

"This is cool." Harry exclaimed as he looked into the room. Harry had actually pictured a series of rooms. The first looked like a cross between a classroom, a common room, and a library. On the left there was an archway leading to an area that looked like a cross between the potions classroom and a modern chemistry lab complete with hoods and specific ventilation. On the right was an area that mentally he dubbed the theater that was filled with lots of soft comfortable places to lounge and a small raised stage. Opposite the entrance to the room was an archway leading to area that really made Harry smile It looked like a large multi-function health club with weights, cardio equipment, a mile running track, aerobics floor basket ball and squash courts and that was just the area Harry could see from the arch.

Harry went to the various freestanding chalkboards around the room He wrote out a tentative agenda so everyone would know what to expect. He wrote headings for various things like favorite subject in school, favorite sports, hobbies, favorite movies, favorite books, favorite sport teams, pets. He wrote his own answers as he went, Then he remembered the games that his cotillion classes had started with and decided to set up for one of them. He started thinking of a list of a dozen random questions like find someone in the room born the same month as you, and find someone who is left handed that would force everyone to interact with everyone else. He was astonished as he thought of such pages, they appeared on a table. "This is** so** cool." Sheba butted his ear. "What do you think, Sheba, is this room cool or what?"

Over the last week Harry had received lots of strange looks walking through the halls of Hogwarts. Sheba had been with him through most all his classes riding his shoulders, except potions where she didn't seem to like the smells given the way she had hissed then leaped from his shoulder when the dungeon door opened. Her enormous size of eighteen inches at the shoulder and twenty eight pounds and unusual markings set her apart from most the pets of the students and faculty. What was funnier was the caretaker's cat and her reaction to Sheba.

Mrs. Norris was a large cat and apparently she was used to ruling the school. She had thought to intimidate Sheba and hissed at her the first time she ran across Harry and Sheba.

Sheba was usually an easygoing sociable cat. She had been enough new places that she knew she wasn't supposed to fight with other animals when she saw them. However, when Mrs. Norris was hissing at her and growling at Harry, Sheba decided Mrs. Norris was an exception to the get along with rule. Sheba showed the jumping ability her serval grandparent was famous for. She leaped the twelve feet from Harry's shoulder and bowled Mrs. Norris over and to Mrs. Norris' surprise proceeded to attack her tooth and claw. It only took about a minute for Mrs. Norris to figure out that this other cat was bigger, stronger and scarier than she herself was, and to decide to beat a hasty retreat . Harry was quick to scold Sheba, and he called her back to her accustomed perch on his shoulders But from that moment, if Mrs. Norris saw Harry she would turn and go the other way.

Sheba butted him and drew him back to the here and now. Harry looked at the clock he had been too excited and hopeful about this afternoon, because there he was still a half hour away from when students would start arriving and he was already done with set up . He shrugged, oh well, he might as well use the time. He drew his shrunken cello case out of his pocket. Tapped it with his wand. Moments later he played a few scales making sure his cello was in tune then he started to play. Sheba curled up on a chair across from him and watched.

Half an hour later Harry's friends and many of their housemates were approaching the room where everyone is supposed to meet.

"What is that? Draco asked.

"It's coming from the room ." Ernie MacMillian said.

The first years all slowed and gathered quietly around the door. Neville reached out and slowly opened the door.

Harry had lost himself in playing J. S. Bach's cello suite no. 6. When he got to the gigue it so suited his mood and enthralled him that he didn't hear the door open. Nor with his eyes closed did he see the other children and a teacher quietly come in. Many of them while slightly enthralled by the music were even more amazed by the room itself.

As the piece came to an end Harry was startled by the applause of the other people including his Head of House. He blushed a little, as he stood and gave a small bow. "Thank you." He blushed even brighter for a moment before saying, "Um , guess I lost track of time. I'm glad you are all here. Um, as you can see by the agenda I think today should be mostly about getting to know each other, but I've included three twenty minute sessions where we can talk about actual study related stuff. I'm hoping the sessions will give us topics for future meetings. I thought we would start off by introducing ourselves and saying one thing about something we liked. I'm Harry Potter and I like to play cello." He blushed again.

Minerva McGonagall smiled and she said, "I'm Minerva McGonagall and today I'm the faculty monitor and I like that you students are reaching out to one another."

"I'm Draco Malfoy, and I love quidditch and I'm bummed that first years aren't allowed to play."

"I'm Kevin Entwhistle, I'm muggleborn and I have to say I hope this group can help me adjust to the magical world."

"I'm Susan Bones, I like politics and I hope Kevin that this group does help you."

The introductions continued around the room, Harry spent the time memorizing names and faces things went pretty much as expected until they got to Zacharias Smith of Hufflepuff.

"I'm Zacharias Smith, I like the idea of good grades and all, but who do you think you are to decide what we do here?" He glared at Harry.

Harry didn't get mad at the challenge . "Zacharias brings up a good point. My answer is today I planned the agenda because this was my idea, developed with help from a few friends. However just because I planned today doesn't mean that other people couldn't do it. I was going to cover this later but we can do it now. When my friends and I came up we this we wanted an all inclusive group that was designed to help everyone learn magic and make friends. I was going to suggest that we have a steering committee, two members from each house and one elected person from the over all membership to act as a tie breaker. The committee would need to meet together for twenty minutes or so outside the weekend study session to decide an agenda. I thought that next week people who want to be on the committee could step forward and then the week after that we could hold elections. The committee would get suggestions / questions from the membership as to topics students need help with and they could also help students with specific concerns that aren't addressed in the group by helping them find someone to tutor them. The overall elected person would also have the responsibility to act as secretary keeping track of past agendas, the agendas voted on by the committee and these sheets. Does that meet with everyone's approval?"

Harry picked up a set of parchments, he had imagined and the room provided on the fly, that asked questions about academic strengths and weaknesses . He was more grateful for the nature of the room than ever. Harry got the impression that Zacharias Smith was one of those people that like to showboat, and put others down but were darn near useless themselves. Another such person,Timothy Anderson Howell came to mind.

Minerva smiled. She was pleased when almost all the students nodded their heads in approval of Harry's ideas. That agreed upon the students resumed introductions. After that the students got their chance to interact and fill in the questions on the chalkboards and complete the sheets and the icebreaker game while they snacked on the goodies provided by the house elves.

Harry was talking with Ravenclaw Su Li , when Dean came over with Justin, Kevin and Hermione Granger. She was the first to speak "Dean Thomas says you have a phone that works off magic. But we were told there was no such thing."

"Well, it just goes to show change is a constant in the universe. I take it you all would like to borrow it for a while?

Justin got such an earnest look on his face Harry almost wanted to laugh. "My mum was worried when she was told there were no phones here. I know she'd feel loads better if I gave her a ring."

"Here just be sure I get it back before you leave." Harry handed them the cell phone and then continued to circulate.

When he got near Minerva she called him over. "This is interesting. Two thirds of your year from all the houses and everyone seems to be getting along. I don't see Ron Weasley, but I see every other Gryffindor boy."

"Yes, well Ron read the part about checking a prejudiced attitude at the door an decided to stay away because there would be Slytherins here."

Suddenly across the room , the words "What's it to you, you stupid mudblood." were heard.

Minerva and Harry both immediately moved to the area where Theodore Nott had just finished insulting Sally Anne Perks.

Harry stepped forward . "It appears Mr. Nott that the first skill you need to work on is reading comprehension. Because the invite clearly stated that those unable to check prejudiced attitudes at the door would be asked to leave. Consider your self invited to depart."

"Stupid Potter, think the fact you're famous would allow you to lord over us-" Theodore Nott was surprised when Potter reached out grabbed his arm twisted it behind him and using it and his collar steered him out the door.

"When I and my friends said bigots not invited we meant it. In a month's time if you can leave the attitude outside you can return, but for the next month you, Theodore Nott, are not welcome here."

Harry turned and returned to the room. Going to Sally-Anne first, he asked her, "Are you okay?"

"Yes I think so, but why was he so mean and what did he mean by calling me mudblood."

Harry looked at Susan, "Susan would you care to..."

Susan gave a summary of blood prejudice. Draco followed her speech with Harry's summary of how the slur had probably evolved and explained how many purebloods were raised in houses where such prejudice was common. Then between the three of them they gave what was basically a current events lesson with Harry ending it by explaining the current structure of the ministry and the proposed changes because he knew them best.

As they finished Minerva spoke , "Well done children, I think five points for Slytherin and ten for Gryffindor for such well done explanations. I would like to add: if any of you muggleborn ever get called that name while here, let one of us heads of House know. Such things are not tolerated. The person who does it gets detention and loses twenty-five points. I would appreciate those of you in Slytherin letting Mr. Nott know he will have detention. I will waive the point loss this once because he didn't know, but if it happens again..."

Harry looked at the clock and realized that his agenda would have to be tossed, as written because of the impromptu lesson. "Well shoot. So much for that plan. How many of you need help understanding potions?"

Most the hands in the room went up. Harry noticed that hands other than his own that didn't go up were Draco, Lisa Turpin, Hermione Granger, and Megan Jones. "I suggest that next week we cover potion questions a bit more thoroughly but for this week those of you in Slytherin contact Draco Malfoy, Ravenclaw Lisa Turpin, Hufflepuff Megan Jones, and Gryffindor either myself or Hermione Granger for help. I would recommend pre-reading the chapters before class that way anything unclear can be asked about. If you understand, fewer mistakes get made this goes for all your classes not just potions. Well it's gone half five so thanks for coming it's been great and I look forward to seeing you all next week." Harry moved to the door and made a point to bid each person goodbye by name. Susan, Draco, Neville, and Hannah stayed and helped Harry tidy the room.

"I think it went well." Hannah said.

"Overall I agree." Susan concurred.

"McGonagall certainly seemed pleased." Draco said. Mentally he was rejoicing that he'd kept a civil tongue the whole time even when he'd been talking to the muggleborns who were pretty clueless about life in the magical world. "Harry, some of the muggleborn commented they were surprised by such a modern room in Hogwarts. "

Harry grinned. "This room is a magic room. It can change, the limits exist here." He tapped his temple." Come on, I want to explore it a bit." A short time later the five friends were playing like otters in the swimming pool they found off the gymnasium in swimsuits provided by the room. They still had damp hair when they joined the rest of the students at dinner, much to the puzzlement of the castle's other occupants.


	6. The Capture of Peter Pettigrew

Disclaimer: We all know how these work, I acknowledge that J., Warner Bros. and Scholastic own Harry Potter and all other characters and settings from cannon, and I get to write whatever I please and even add in characters of my own as long as I don't get any money. The no money sucks but there you go, at least I don't get lawyers knocking on my door. Addendum: If you recognize a name of a character from elsewhere it isn't mine.

Harry's Hero by Silverfawkes

Chapter 6 The Capture of Peter Pettigrew

After the first week, Harry was delighted as his private tutors started showing up after normal classes were over. He and Catherine Parker agreed that his idea to recreate the Marauder's Map was an excellent idea for a project to have him learning more new magic. He called Remus and Sirius and together they wrote the list of spells they had used to create the original. Harry immediately set himself to researching and learning the new spells. He got done with his Hogwarts classes and then did the homework for his classes for about two hours. Then to his great delight the tutors Sirius hired arrived and he got two hours of lessons The thing he liked best about his lessons was that while he might have homework in the form of spell research or a project to prepare for he never had papers to write.

The first teacher to arrive was Winry after checking his magic levels (still a little low), Winry started teaching him first aid. The lessons weren't just a review of the muggle first aid he'd learned at S-C but also the introduction of some basic healing spells and spells meant to diagnose and stabilize a critical patient until a trained healer could arrive.

Walter arrived two days later and together they laughed about Snape's idea of teaching potions. Walter helped Harry outline a plan for the study group so Snape's shortfalls as a teacher could be addressed.

The next night George arrived, much to Harry's delight. They had a furious fencing duel in the room of requirement and George made sure that Harry was coping well with the stress of the constant being in the view of the public that came with being a celebrity. He gave Harry an outline of what to expect once Rachel was off medical leave. She would be coming to keep Harry's martial arts up and help him with his advanced transfiguration. Harry requested that those be done not in the evening but in the morning on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. George also informed Harry that that would be the total of his extra lessons at least until the start of next term. As long as his grades were good both with Hogwarts and his tutors he might get more tutors next term.

At the end of the second week Harry used his dad's cloak and slipped into the Slytherin dorm. Harry set up the pranks for the protection of the Slytherin first year's that were his friends belongings. All of them giggled when two days later a dozen Slytherins were sporting mouse noses, whiskers, and ears that for a week that Madame Pomfrey was unable to dispel. Snape while furious about the prank was even more furious to discover the reason for the prank and the "nosy" Slytherins ended up with detention all term.

Three weeks into term the older students of the school were puzzled and four weeks in they were positively dumbfounded. Professor Snape was generally hated by every house but his own; mostly due to the fact the man was unfairness personified in class and out. But for some reason he had ceased insulting his students in class. (Although outside of it he was as insulting as ever.) He was, however, giving out points (very rarely) and taking them away (frequently) with an even handedness that was actually in line with the school rules, and no one could figure out why.

Rodger Davies noticed however that during class Snape would gather up as if to pour his previously normal vitriol over a student but he would get a pained expression and would suddenly clam up.

The Slytherins were concerned over what had happened to their Head of House and were very concerned about how they would gain the House cup at this rate. A few of the more enterprising members of fifth and sixth years decided that there was no help for it, if they wanted the house cup they would have to earn it. They bullied the younger years to achieve that end, not that many of the first years required it.

By the end of September the majority of the first years who had participated had decided that the weekend study sessions were wonderful. They were helpful, informative and fun. Keeping one's mouth shut on insults about blood purity or house was a small price to pay when you got so much help. They were learning how to structure essays, how to reason their way through a homework problem, how to properly prepare potion ingredients, and how to resolve conflicts between them. Snacks were usually served late in the meeting just when hunger started to hit and while not a large amount it was usually just enough to tide one over until dinner in the Great Hall.

The study group guidance committee was made up of Susan Bones and Dean Thomas of Gryffindor, Draco Malfoy and Millicent Bullstrode of Slytherin, Hannah Abbott and Justin Finch-Fletchley of Hufflepuff and Lisa Turpin and Terry Boot of Ravenclaw. Although Zacharias Smith had run against him, Harry got the overall elected position. The group decided that Harry's position should hold for a year but that the committee members from the houses would be chosen at the beginning of each school term. The teachers took turns being faculty monitor but found their presence wasn't really needed. Harry's demonstration at the first meeting made it clear that the rules would be enforced and not by a teacher.

Harry thought he had completed the Marauder's Map version 2.0 as the third week of October came to an end. It was time to test and see if he had done it. He was in the mostly deserted common room, taking out his wand he touched the parchment and said, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." He smiled with delight as the map drew itself . His eyes sparkled as he observed the dots moving about . He smiled to see a purple unnamed dots that indicated the house elves . Humans were black. Familiars and pets were green. Next he decided to test the improvements. "Enlarge Hufflepuff ." The map showing the whole castle shrank and the section that centered on Hufflepuff enlarged. It was now easier to see the names the dots indicated. Names were appearing next to the pets now. "Enlarge Ravenclaw." Well that worked. "Enlarge the dungeons." Harry was very pleased to see that the spell that would fill in areas of the castle he had not been too was doing its job. If he had the map he would not get lost anywhere in the castle. Now to see if the upgraded spell that gave passwords would work, "Enlarge Headmaster's tower." He could see that Dumbledore was pacing around his office he tapped his wand on the symbol that marked the gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster's quarters. "Password" sure enough pumpkin pasties appeared. As he returned the map to the state where it showed the whole school, he noticed that the Room of Requirement didn't appear and the map didn't show the Chamber of Secrets either. He figure that Salazar had set secrecy spells on the chamber and that the Room's changing nature made it hard to map. He would have to find or create additional spells for those areas.  
Harry jumped when Fred and George Weasley seemingly came out of nowhere and almost pounced on him. "What is this?"

"It looks suspiciously like a map, a certain map that only you , I and Lee know about, twin of mine."

"But the parchment is too new."

Harry got a broad grin on his face. "You two got hold of the Marauder's Map from Filch's office didn't you."

Both red heads swiveled to look at him. "And what would an ickle firstie like you be knowing about that?" They asked in unison.

Harry answered by touching his wand to his own map and clearing it. "Mischief managed. I'd really like to see the original my father, godfather, and Uncle Remus worked on it. The rat had gotten two months of detention from Slughorn for throwing something into a Slytherin cauldron during class and causing an explosion, so he didn't have much input on it. He was also why they lost it to a much younger but still sour git, Filch, their fifth year."

"Your father was … A Marauder!"

"Yup."

"Fred, you know what this means-"

"We have a new best friend!"

Harry laughed.

Over the rest of the month Harry found himself splitting his time. He spent roughly a third of his free time with his year mates, about half involved in his independent studies, and the rest was spent with Fred and George Weasley. Harry found himself in the position of helping them with their pranks, but he also found himself in the position of having to at times act as a voice of reason because some of the pranks they came up with and proposed testing on the Slytherins were cruel. Harry found himself starching up like McGonagall and asking pointedly how they would feel if someone did that prank to them would they laugh, or get mad. Reluctantly the twins had agreed they would get mad.

Harry found it wildly amusing that he got on so well with Fred and George but he despised their two brothers Percy and Ron. Ron was just a prejudiced ignorant lout with no manners, annoying but easily ignored. Percy, well, Percy was the sort who hungered for power, and once he had it he lorded it over others but had no real plan for what to do with it and he had no real creativity. Harry fed Fred and George a steady stream of minor pranks to keep the prat humble. Percy was just bright enough to figure out the correlation between trying to boss Harry around and an increase of pranks on himself as result he had resolved to steer clear of Harry. If only Dumbledore had been as smart.

Dumbledore called Harry to his office the same week Harry finished his map. He was disconcerted when instead of having to wait for Dumbledore to call him up. Harry entered the office as if he knew the passwords. "You called for me, Headmaster?"

"Yes, I..I wanted to make sure you were settling into Hogwarts alright. It must be very different here in Scotland than in the U.S."

Harry looked around the office noticing a plethora of shiny, sparkly, objects. Then he noticed a phoenix sitting on a perch. "Is that a phoenix?"

"Yes, that is Fawkes, my familiar. Remarkable creatures phoenixes-"

"Yes, they are, the way their tears can heal, the way they can lift heavy loads, simply amazing. I've never heard of one that color before though his feathers are such a vivid crimson and scarlet and there's so little gold on him."

"Yes, Harry, I, too find Fawkes to be a most beautiful bird. But I wanted to make sure that you were doing alright. With your outside lessons you seem to have a heavier course load than your peers, if it is too much I could insist that those outside lessons cease."

Harry inwardly smirked so that was the Headmaster's game. "No, if anything my load is lighter than in years past. Since all of what us firsties are learning magically speaking is stuff I learned a couple years ago the last thing I want to do is drop my private lessons it's the only place I'm being challenged right now. But thank you for your concern, Headmaster. As far as adjusting to here in Scotland, well it is the coldest place I've ever lived. But I've done enough traveling to know that people are people pretty much where ever you go, so being here isn't that much of an adjustment. Was there anything else, Headmaster?

Albus gave a small frown, this hadn't gone as he'd hoped. The boy had yet to meet his eyes even once, instead the boy's eyes darted from here to there. He'd expected the boy to want a lighter course load so he would have more time to play. Instead the boy claimed his workload was light.

"It has also been brought to my attention that you – shall we say- are not as discriminating perhaps, as you should be in choosing your friends."

Harry felt a flash of fury how dare this old fart tell him- He took a deep breath then another to regain complete control of his emotions. The Headmaster had without realizing it crossed one of Harry's lines and he would pay for it in humiliation. "I choose my own friends. If I choose poorly then I suffer the consequences as is proper. Life is about experiences, Headmaster, both good and bad. Choosing such things for another is likely to have- negative effects. Was there anything else?"

Dumbledore frowned. That was hardly the response he wanted from this brat. "No that will be all."

"Have a good afternoon then, Headmaster." Harry left the office and headed to a courtyard where he pulled out his phone and dialed Sirius.

"Black."

"Hi. I just got out of a meeting with the Headmaster."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing. Yet. But I don't appreciate someone trying to tell me who I can and cannot be friends with. I think I want to teach the goat a small lesson. "

"I'm game, what have you got in mind?"

"I'm thinking a quilted technicolor dream coat, well robe actually... I'll send the specific embroidery patterns and spells as soon as I work them out. Of course I can think of a few other things as well"

"You know I could almost find it in my heart to pity him. If he hadn't tried to kill me, I probably would. Your daddy would be proud. Need anything?"

"To know when you're coming so we can deal with the basilisk in the chamber. I've retrieved the diadem which just leaves the ring.

"Which we're currently scheduled to go after over the Christmas hols."

"Cool."

"How's flying class?"

"Boring. We have got to replace the brooms over half of them are in absolutely pathetic shape. Nev almost had an accident if Draco and I hadn't responded the way we did he might have been hurt. He was one of many who had trouble with rickety brooms."

"So, so far the list is?"

"Planetarium which will also be the most challenging because you'll have to adapt a projector and a computer to run it. Brooms. New history teacher, Binns can haunt his class room and we find another one if we can't convince the board to exorcise his ghost. The potions lab could stand the introduction of modern ventilation hoods, oh and a gym. This place desperately needs a honest to goodness gymnasium. I've glanced over the muggle studies texts in the library that's another place that desperately requires an update those texts are from pre nineteen forty. There no mention of computers or rockets or TV and it is from them magicals are supposed to learn how to blend in? I think not. And don't even get me started on the uniform.

"This place needs more options for activities. Students fight and or slip of to the broom cupboards because there's nothing to do and us teenagers have to put those hormones into use somewhere and there are not enough healthy outlets. I'd like to introduce football, heck, other sports, just something. I've been tempted to introduce the concept of pickup games for quidditch and quadpot, then there's all the other things. I mean they have gobstones club, why not chess, or a magical equivalent of boy and girl scouts, or a maybe even a choir, just something. Maybe we could start a monthly movie night, or a book club for those inclined to literature, The room on the seventh floor put together a decent gym but the room has so many more potential uses it can't be kept open as a gym. Oh and a common room not attached to a house so friends from different houses can get together without irritating the librarian or the house elves.

As far as the academic side If it were up to me I would try to create a standardized test to be sure base educational skills are in place before entrance to Hogwarts. Math through pre-algebra, English writing skills, first year Latin, PE, history both magical and non, civics, geography, basic biology, and basic chemistry. There is just so much necessary information and basic skills some of the purebloods don't have or perhaps I should say they don't have enough of , it's hard. The study group has been leaning heavily on getting the base skills of studying mechanics, essay writing into everyone. Oh another thing this place needs is more teachers. In the core classes, transfiguration, charms, potions, herbology the teachers may be leaders in their fields but most of them are behind the times on educational theory. I love Aunt Min, but she only seems to present the lessons in one learning style and she relies on repetition to teach the lesson rather than present it in different formats to cover other learning styles, which makes for a lot of repetition. Flitwick is the same. Jack broke it down to the simplest level and then allowed me to build from there.

"Yes, but kiddo you have to remember you have a distinct advantage over your peers. Your core is absurdly strong and has been stable for years. Most of your peers are just stabilizing and it would be easy for them to burn themselves out by trying to go too fast."

"I suppose so. But that doesn't excuse Snape. He may be the youngest Potion Master since Paraceleus but the man cannot teach. Sprout knows her stuff but she doesn't go into the biology of the plants at all just the uses and the mechanics of how to care for them and stay safe. There's other stuff I'd like to learn like native environment or this is how they reproduce or the actually botany of the plants we're learning. And don't even get me started on Defense. Charlie would either die laughing or bury himself from shame for merely having the title defense teacher in common with Quirrell."

"That bad?"

"I could probably take him out blind folded with one hand tied behind my back, he's so bad. All of them are overworked. Not one has enough time to give the struggling students one on one time and they are so busy teaching their subject they can't really support anything that would enrich the students experiences. Either that or they don't have the expertise to address the students that have real educational issues. The study group is helping, but I swear two kids are dyslexic and are struggling with reading let alone writing. Their magic maybe mature enough for them to be here, but them as students not hardly. I'm trying to see that they are getting paired with a tutors for every class but we're just kids and we're not really equipped to help them. I really wonder about how far the testing authority has dumbed stuff down so people pass and how Hogwarts can maintain its reputation.

"I met a couple of pranksters that idolize you and Remus. They are very creative but they need guidance and there's no one here willing to give them true guidance. Because the teachers are either too swamped with work or they're too disinterested in shaping the minds of the next generation, these two are getting in trouble and blowing off studying in their classes rather than having their energy redirected and focused.

"They have your old map ."

"What?"

"They swiped the old Marauder's map from Filch's office last year. I found out because they snuck up on me just after I finished testing mine; which works marvelously by the way."

"Good job, kiddo. Did you get the protected password thing you talked about to work?"

"Yes. Catherine gave me bonus points . I used it to annoy the goat, sailed into his office when he summoned me instead of letting him make me wait."

"I wish I could have seen his face. "

"Yes, well I wouldn't have minded seeing it better, but I didn't want to give him an opportunity to attempt to legilimens me. According to Snape he's quite strong and skilled. I'd rather keep our secrets if you please. His phoenix is wrong."

"What?"

"Remember the story Mai Reynolds' grandfather told about a dark phoenix?"

"Not really, most of us don't have encyclopedia's for memories."

"Thanks," Harry said sarcastically. "Anyway, I don't think the old man's phoenix is a 'light' one any longer."

"I should say I'm surprised but I'm not. Now what is this about Snivellous?"

"Sirius, no wonder the guy hates you, I thought you were more mature than that."

On the other end of the phone Sirius flushed with shame. "Yes, well, sorry about that, old habits."

"I suppose I forgive you. You guys really were cruel to him though, showing his underwear to the whole school. You setting him up to meet a werewolf. what were you thinking?"

"True. As far as thinking I wasn't, but how did you know? I never really told you."

"He tried to legiliemens me. I put him in the oubliette, his power and behavior has effectively been leashed. I found out a fair amount too."

"Oh." Sirius turned over the information in his mind. He wasn't happy that Snape had attempted to legilimens Harry. But he also knew enough about Harry's ability to occulude and the oubliette to know why Harry said Snape had been leashed. "Does he know what Albus brought into the school?"

"A philosopher stone."

"Crap. I have to think the old man has to be senile, nothing else fits. Be careful something like that could bring out all sorts of lunatics."

"I could kill Dumbledore for the way he's run this place into the ground. I really want to stir up the Foundation's board and ask them what the hell they were doing."

"Heard and understood, I'll see what I can do to start addressing these issues. Andie knows who's who among the Board of Governors. Lucius might as well."

"I've been thinking about the basilisk, I know Tom didn't bring food in for it. It was one reason that he was able to set it on his fellow students. I'm thinking of setting twenty five or so sheep loose in the chamber and leaving them as food let the creature eat, then see of it can be reasoned with rather than automatically killing it. I mean, if Slytherin brought it to the school, I very much doubt he wanted it there to kill students probably more to defend them from non-magicals."

"Don't know about that kiddo, in any event it sounds rather dangerous."

"Yes, but think about it. Think about what even a dram of venom is worth. Or shed skin. Or even its poop. Heck, I bet we could fund half the improvements right there alone. It could become a renewable funding source."

Sirius didn't have to think too hard. Harry was right. If they could control the basilisk it would be a fabulous way to fund the improvements at Hogwarts and renew the depleted scholarship fund. "All right I'll get you some sheep I'll have to spell them into some sort of stasis and shrink them."

"Fabulous."

"Well enjoy Halloween as much as you can, kiddo."

"I plan to. I'll be thinking of you."

"Call me if you need to."

"Will do."

Halloween wound up being a lot less fun than Harry imagined. In addition to missing the evening of remembrance that he and Sirius usually had, it seemed like half the school was running mad. In Charms Ron Weasley insulted Hermione Granger and she ran off in tears. Harry wasn't very fond of Hermione. She was smart but she did tend to lord the fact she knew a lot over others, and since she was so smart she tended to act like she should be in charge. She resented him, his laid back surfer boy attitude as she called it, and the fact he outdid her on the practical portion of every class. But her faults didn't justify what Weasley said. "Mr. Weasley, you are a disgrace to the house of lions." Harry snarled. "Whatever else Miss Granger is, first and foremost she is our housemate, our family here at school. As such, criticism should be delivered with thought and concern not the malice you just displayed. I can't help but wonder what your mother would have done if you said to your sister what you said to Hermione." Harry was pleased to see the other boy blush beet red, at least the boy had sense enough to be ashamed. Harry debated briefly trying to follow Hermione but suspected the girl would be more receptive to interaction after she had a chance to cry things out. As they were leaving the next class he cornered Susan. "Susie, any idea where Granger is? Weasley was an arse after charms. I think she went off to cry."

"I don't know. If she doesn't show for the feast, I'll tell McGonagall."

Harry nodded , he actually wanted some quiet of his own. Being around people who were ramped up about a day which he had traditionally spent quietly around his godfather listening to stories about his parents was irritating to him. "Susie, I think I'm going to give the feast a miss as well."

"Oh, but Harry-"

"Susan, it's the anniversary of the attack on me and my parents. Being around a bunch of people celebrating is the last thing I want to do."

Put in that context all Susan could do was nod. "Do you want company?" She asked thinking of how she felt around the anniversary of her parents death.

"Nyah, you go to the feast have fun. Maybe I'll track down Granger see if I can somehow knock some tact and common sense into her without crushing her. See if all my time hanging out with diplomats is worth anything."

Susan smiled. She had confidence in her friend. "Good luck. I'll McGonagall know."

Harry nodded and wandered away from his class mates. And was very shortly thereafter pounced on by the Weasley twins.

"So, Harry, we"

"couldn't help noticing how "

"Mrs. Norris avoids you."

"Whatever did you do to get that response?"

"Because normally she spies on us students, especially us, and"

"fetches Filch at the merest hint of rule breaking."

"She's scared of Sheba. She smells Sheba and runs the other way. Filch has threatened both me and Sheba because of it, sour git. Why they would hire someone like him to work at a school, I don't know."

"Can we borrow her?"

"We want to do a school wide prank and can't if Mrs. Norris comes near."

"If she'll go with you. I wouldn't mind. I have a harmless prank I want to do on Mrs. Norris and Filch, but I can't get close enough because of Sheba. What do you say, Sheba? Will you go with Fred and George?"

Sheba looked at Harry then left her perch and tentatively smelled Fred and George.

They gamely held out their hands After a couple of minutes Sheba rubbed against them.

"Go and see if she'll follow you." Harry instructed.

As they left Harry quickly pulled out his map to see where Mrs. Norris was, he found her near the trophy room. Harry quickly made his way there. Almost forgetting to use a scent cleaning charm and a silencing spell on himself for stealth. When he could see her he shot the prank charm he'd invented a year ago for Sirius at her. She jumped a little as it hit. Then he left. The prank would take two hours to take effect but Harry couldn't wait for the twins' reaction when it did.

He glanced at his watch the feast was about to begin. He activated his map to check on Hermione Granger. She wasn't in the great hall. Which meant,where was she? He'd check Gryffindor Tower first. "Gryffindor Enlarge." He was looking at the Tower scanning it when he saw the name Peter Pettigrew in his own dorm. Stunned he stared at it a few moments . How could that traitor get into Hogwarts? Then it occurred to him Ron Weasley's rat. He collected himself it had already been a couple of months it could probably wait until after he had found and spoke to Hermione Granger.

Since she wasn't in the tower he went back to the general map. As he did he decided he needed to add a search person feature that would allow him to find a specific person easily. It wasn't terribly hard to find her since almost all the castle's inhabitants were at the feast. He found her in a bathroom, and winced it figured it would be a bathroom. The last room he would ever want to go into. He jumped when Sheba nudged him. "Hey, girl. Fred and George finish their prank?"

She meowed at him.

"Let's go get Hermione." He said after she climbed back on his shoulders.

Down in the Great Hall Draco was enjoying the feast when Quirrell burst in announcing a troll was in the dungeons before fainting. He snorted. His father was right Dumbledore really was the worst thing that had happened to Hogwarts. Imagine a defense teacher who faints about a troll! Not that most the students were much better. Panicky sheeple that they were.

Dumbledore set off some purple fireworks then stated, "Prefects lead your houses back to your common rooms. Teachers-"

Draco saw some rather immediate flaws in that plan. Borrowing a page from his cousin's methods, he stood on one of the benches and shouted, "Are you barmy? Or are you just trying to get the Slytherin students killed! The students would be safer staying here in a group with all the prefects to safeguard us while you teachers go out and deal with the troll than we would be going through the halls with just our houses."

The other first years could see Draco's logic and immediately supported his words, and not just those in Slytherin but also those in the other three houses. They were shortly followed by many of the older students.

Dumbledore frowned for a moment at being questioned.

Severus Snape had frowned when Mr. Malfoy voiced his objection so rudely but even he could see the logic in the boy's words. "I believe, Headmaster, that would be the wiser course."

"Fine, prefects stay here and guard your fellow students."

Susan Bones mean while was making a beeline for her head of house. "Professor McGonagall!

Professor McGonagall! Professor!"

"Yes, what is it Miss Bones?"

"Harry and Hermione Granger aren't here! They don't know about the troll!"

"Where are they and why aren't they here?" The stern woman asked.

"Well, Harry doesn't like celebrating today- his parents you know. Hermione was upset by Ron Weasley earlier and no one has seen her since the end of Charms. Harry said before the feast that he would track her down and talk to her if she wasn't here. But I don't know where either of them are."

"Thank you, Miss Bones, I and the other teachers will deal with it." Minerva was nervous at the idea of two of her students being in danger. But hopefully they were together and Minerva had enough confidence in Harry's training under Sirius that she wasn't going to panic. As the teachers gathered to plan their search for the troll she mentioned the two students to the other teachers.

Harry looked at the door of the girl's bathroom with disfavor. Sighing because there was no other course that he could see he pushed it open and conjured a doorstop to hold it open. He cast a cushioning and warming charm at the floor of the doorway and sat down.

"Hermione."

"Go away!Leave me alone!"

Harry encouraged Sheba to hop off his shoulders. Once she had, she looked questioningly into his eyes. He met her eyes then looked at the closed stall. Sheba looked at it then at him then she reluctantly began to pad towards it. Harry tried again. "Hermione, I thought you were more sensible than to let an idiot like Ron Weasley affect you this way."

"Go away! You're a boy you're not supposed to enter a girl's loo."

"Technically I haven't. I've only pushed the door open."

Hermione scrubbed at the tears on her cheeks; why wouldn't he just go away. Hermione had always been an egghead. Her mother in addition to being a dentist was working on a Doctorate in Literature and her father was working on one in particle physics. She had never in her whole life fit in anywhere between her intelligence and her magic. She had had such high hopes about coming to Hogwarts but she found that things were no better here. If anything there was one thing that made things worse.

That thing was Harry Potter. It wasn't fair, Harry knew more about magic and did more magic than any of the other students in their year. In fact it seemed he was more like a fifth year. She couldn't even be a teachers pet here because he knew more than she did and if that were not bad enough he was popular. He had friends in every house and he had such a beautiful familiar. Even worse he knew about both worlds unlike so many of the so called purebloods of the magical world he could actually discuss intelligently literature, music, movies, and the technological advances of the muggle world. And now here he was being nice!

"I hate you!" She screeched.

"If I thought that was more than embarrassment talking, I would be hurt. Hermione, Ronald Weasley is a git with no manners and very little intelligence. I take that back. He's smarter than Crabbe or Goyle but he has no ability to apply his somewhat limited intelligence. So why are you here hiding instead of enjoying the Halloween feast?"

At that moment Sheba finished crawling under the door of the stall and started to rub against Hermione's legs.

Hermione squeaked she hadn't noticed the cat before. "I thought you said you didn't come in!"

"I didn't."

"But your cat!"

"As far as I know there is no regulation against a girl cat entering a girl's loo."

Hermione pushed the door of the stall open. Harry's cat rubbed against her shins again. She couldn't help herself her fingers absolutely itched to touch the cat's soft thick fur. She stroked the cat and was rewarded by a purr. "Why do you care?"

"Good question. Why do I care? Well, I care because I don't like bullies in any form and what Ron did and frequently does is bullying. I care because you're my housemate, we're supposed to look out for each other the way siblings are supposed to. I care because it's witches like you that will influence the future of the magical world. Do I think you're perfect? No, but then again who is? Besides perfection in addition to being overrated, is very much in the eye of the beholder. After all, different strokes for different folks, right?"

"I don't like you!"

"Why?"

That question stopped Hermione short. She thought for a moment, then answered. "You're too good at magic. You question those in authority over you. What you did at the Sorting Feast was appalling."

"Okay. I'm too good at magic, thanks for the compliment. I would point out technically I have had more training that any other first year. I suspect than if you had had as much training in magic as I have you would be as good or possibly even better.

"I question authority. Okay, guilty as charged. However Albert Einstein said, "Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth." and Buddha said, "Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it." I question authority because I oppose oppression I believe it is my right and my duty as a sentient being to do so.

"As to the Sorting Feast can you honestly tell me that having five hundred people singing the words to the school's song to more than a hundred different tunes had anything resembling a melody or harmony or even a decent rhythm. Thereby my definition of cacophony fits. If you're referring to my interaction with the Headmaster, there is a lot of history there that you don't know, deadly," here Harry smirked, "serious history. Tell me, when you did your researching of the magical world what was the most recent publishing date of a book you read? Were any of them printed in the last three years? If not then maybe you should do a little more research. Albus Dumbledore isn't as light as the older histories paint him."

Hermione scowled at him. She disliked the implication she had not been thorough in her research. "I still don't like you."

"Never said you had to. Maybe we can be friendly rivals. I could stand to have more of those. And you'd give me a good challenge."

"You're insane, Potter."

"That's been implied before. What I don't get is why a smart girl like you let a doofus like Ronald Weasley upset you. You were right he was wrong. You were trying to be nice. He was being an arse."

"I got upset because I thought Hogwarts would be different."

"What do you mean you thought Hogwarts would be different?"

"I thought that it wouldn't be like my last school. I thought that I would make friends and I'd be accepted."

"Hermione, people are people where ever you go. Most people don't like being made to feel stupid."

"I can't help it if they are stupid."

"Yes, but you don't have to rub their noses in it."

"I don't!"

"Really? What happens in class when the teacher asks a question? It seems to me that the first hand in the air **every time** belongs to ...gee Miss Hermione Granger. I know the answers too, but I usually wait and give others a chance. The goal of a school is to educate but how much education do others get when someone like you doesn't give others the chance to answer and yes, even make mistakes. They aren't so someone, for whom learning comes as natural as breathing, to have the opportunity to strut her stuff in a highly public manner.

"Hermione, you are probably one of the most intelligent members of our class but aside from academics who are you as a person?

"All I know about you is you're Hermione Granger, student with the highest GPA. I'm smart and a good student, but I'm also a photographer, a musician, and an athlete. I'm involved in a multi-national corporation with my godfather and I like politics. When I'm of age I'll sit my seat on the Wizengamot and on the boards of various charitable foundations. I hope to marry and have a couple little Potters to chase after. I love learning and I've thought of becoming a teacher or a spell crafter. Not all of that has come easily I love music but I had to practice for years before I became any good.

"What about you? What can you say about yourself?"

Hermione felt taken aback . She had never done anything but pursue her studies. She stroked the cat that was still in front of her. Was she really such a one dimensional person as Potter described? Had she really only defined herself by her academic achievements? What did she want out of life? Had she really hurt the learning of other students by her attitude?

She was flabbergasted to realize in five minutes, that she had. She found herself asking why?

A few minutes more and she realized it was because it was easy for her and it felt safe. She tried to recall the last time she had tried something new that was not based in scholastic achievement and could only recall a dance class when she was five. She remembered how out of place she had felt comparing the other girls with their tidy buns to her own lion's mane that even when pulled back into a ponytail still almost seemed to have a life of its own. She remembered tripping when they were learning chasse the other girls laughing and her refusing to go back.

Harry had sat quietly waiting while Hermione reflected . She was stroking Sheba as she thought. Harry really hoped he had taken a correct tack in dealing with Hermione. If things worked the way he hoped she would loosen up some and be able to make some friends. If he was wrong well he'd lay long odds that Hermione would leave the magical world. They had sat their for what was approaching ten minutes when Harry suddenly smelled something funny. He was watching Sheba and Hermione when suddenly Sheba looked at something behind him and hissed. Harry suddenly had the urge to get away from where he was sitting and his instincts told him to go forward, NOT back. So Harry did a forward somersault into the girls bathroom. It was a good thing because as he finished his roll a large heavy club crashed into the spot where he was sitting a moment ago.

Hermione was startled out of her reverie as the cat she was petting hissed and Potter suddenly rolled into the girl's loo. She jumped as a club struck the floor . Then she screamed at the sight of a huge troll standing in the doorway.

Harry tried to banish the troll. While he knocked it back a bit, that didn't work so well. He and Hermione were still trapped in the bathroom. "_**Confundus**_!" Even as it escaped his mouth, Harry thought to himself "_You stupid idiot, it is already stupid what is making it dumber going to do." _The answer he found was not much. It swung its club into the wall holding sinks. The result was two broken sinks and water spraying every where. Hermione was damn near useless because she was screaming hysterically. What to cast?

" _**Wingardium leviosa**__!_"Harry lifted the heavy sinks and then banished them at the troll's head . Which proved to be at least somewhat effective. One of the sinks couldn't handle the second strike and shattered with one shard lodging in one of the trolls eyes. A third strike and the second sink smashed but the troll was still moving. Harry drew up as much power as he could and fired a "_**Reducto!**_" That seemed to have worked a bit. The troll roared in pain and took two steps back at least. Harry scooted over to Hermione and he really wished you could apparate on Hogwarts grounds. Sheba edged past the troll and looked at Harry as if to say aren't you coming. The troll came at them agin swinging his club from one side to the other Harry pulled Hermione below the swing and slapped her once hoping to startle her back to sense. He ignored the rain of splinters as the troll's club shattered the bathroom stalls. Since reducto had worked a bit at least, he sent a succession of them at the troll hoping to push it enough to the side to allow him to pull himself and Hermione out into the halls where hopefully they could outrun it.

Five seconds later, Harry was relieved when Aunt Min and Professors Snape and Quirrell appeared in the door. Snape was first through the door. He fired a"_**Sectumsempra**_" at the trolls neck. Harry who was closest was hit with a spray of troll blood. It gurgled out one last roar and collapsed.

"Am I glad to see you." Harry said.

"Mr. Potter. Miss Granger, in one piece I see."

"Yes. Not as tidy as I like to be, but given this is the first time I've ever fought I troll, and I haven't studied them before I think I did respectably. Professor, I don't suppose you have a calming draught on you. I believe Miss Granger could stand one."

Minerva's Scottish bur was obvious as she said "An' she's no' the only one."

Harry thought to himself that Aunt Min would probably prefer a wee dram of firewhiskey instead but said nothing.

"No, sorry." The dark haired man answered.

"And you, Harry, are you alright? "

"I think if Sirius were here he'd chap my arse for getting into this situation; then I'd spend an hour or two getting lectured on what I did right and wrong during the fight."

Professor Snape's, "Indeed , perhaps I should assign an essay to that effect. What school rules you broke and an analysis of the fight due at your next potions class."

Harry gave his Professor a respectful nod.

Minerva gave him a smile and said, "I think five points for Gryffindor for keeping yourselves alive . Please escort Miss Granger to the infirmary and have Poppy check you both over." She swiped a bit of blood off Harry's cheek, "I don't think you are quite as unscathed as you thought."

"Actually, I.. there's something I need you to help me with."

"And what would that be?" Snape snarled.

Harry paused. "I suppose it will keep. Come on, Hermione."

As soon as they were out of earshot of the Professors, Harry whipped out his phone.

"Black." Sirius' voice was slightly slurred. He'd obviously hoisted a few in remembrance of his friends that night.

"It's me Harry. I need Amelia Bones' number."

"Why for?"

"When you're sober Pads, not tonight."

"Yer right Remi and I probably have had a bit mush . Give me a minute. Amelia's number is 050-505-0555."

"Thanks, and be sure you stay put tonight."

"Righto kiddo."

Harry and Hermione were now at the door of the infirmary and Harry was debating going in at all. He wound up not getting a choice. Hermione pulled him in. "Professor McGonagall said we were both to come here."

"But-"

It was too late Poppy Pomfrey had spotted them. Her attention focused on Harry considering he was dotted with flecks of his own blood and was fairly splattered with troll blood as well it wasn't surprising. "What in the name of Merlin?"

"Hi Madam Pomfrey. I'm fine, but Hermione here has had a bit of a shock. I'm fine."

"I'll believe that when I run a diagnostic and not one minute before. Change into one of the gowns and sit there."

"But I'm fine."

"You have some blood on your face so do as you're told."

Reminding himself that Winry got worse the more you argued Harry took the gown went to the bathroom and cleaned up, exiting five minutes later wearing the dreaded hospital gown and his boxers.

The matron ran her diagnostic spells and Harry could have sworn a disappointed look crossed her face. Harry noticed that Hermione was tucked sound asleep into one of the infirmary beds.

Harry didn't say anything as Madame summoned a small porcelain shard out of the cut on his cheek, and removed six other splinters he had barely been aware that he had. He stayed quiet as she bathed them with a disinfecting and healing potion. But his cooperation drew the line when she set out three potions.

The first was a pain potion. Harry refused that on principle. He rated his pain as maybe a one and he never took pain potions for less than a three. The second was a nutrient potion. She'd probably set that one out because he hadn't had dinner. He'd rather have a tray of food brought. The final was a general sleeping potion. Harry wasn't staying. He handed the three potions back to her. "No, thank you."

"But-"

"Madam Pomfrey, I'm sure you have the best of intentions but I neither need nor want those potions. I want to go to my dorm. Unless you can give me a sound medical reason that would hold up under the scrutiny of a second opinion from my own healer that I would insist on, I would ask that I be excused to go back to my dorm."

"Fine."

"Thank you for your excellent help."

"You're as bad as Severus Snape."

"Thank you, I'll take that as a compliment." Harry threw a cleaning spell at his clothes then changed. As he exited the infirmary he again opened his phone this time dialing Amelia 's number.

Four rings later he heard, "Amelia Bones."

"Madame Bones, it's Harry Potter. I'm contacting you because Peter Pettigrew is here at Hogwarts in his animagus form."

"What?"

"Peter Pettigrew is here at Hogwarts in the first year boys dorm disguised as my roommates pet rat. I would appreciate you sending aurors or coming yourself to take him away before I give into the impulse to allow my cat to kill the bastard. I would recommend doing it quietly. He's a slippery bastard and it wouldn't do to let him get away. Preferably before the end of the feast so the dorm isn't rife with potential hostages."

"Ah- I'm on my way."

"When you get here I'll be in the kitchen."

Harry had just finished a helping of roast chicken, a sweet potato, greens in vinaigrette, broccoli, and three desserts apple cobbler, pumpkin custard, and his favorite treacle tart in the Hogwarts kitchen when an Tonks came in. She was dressed as an auror trainee.

"Tonks!"

"Harry. What is all this trouble you're stirring up here? Amelia sent me to collect you."

"I found Pettigrew, Amelia and the rest are here to capture him." They headed back to the main floor, where they met Amelia.

"The teachers will give us fifteen minutes before sending the students to the dorm. " She said as she exited the Great Hall. "Lead the way, Harry."

Harry set off at a jog. Leading the six people to Gryffindor tower . Harry pulled his wand out and used the silent activation feature he'd put on this version of the map. "Gryffindor enlarge."

"What's that? " one of the aurors asked .

"It's a map of the castle and it shows where people are in Hogwarts." They arrived in front of the Fat Lady's portrait. Harry gave the password and he lay the map out on the table so they could see it clearly. Harry enlarged the focus of the map agin so it was easy for the aurors to see the layout of the first year boys' dorm. "I would suggest we go in wands blazing stun him, then force him back human in front of witnesses."

"He'll be easier to transport as a rat."

"Probably but it will easier for him to slip away too. I hope I don't have to explain to any of you much I want justice for my parents."

"We'll get the job done Harry . I promise you. I made sure only to bring people with a personal stake in bringing Pettigrew to justice." Amelia gave Harry's shoulder a squeeze.

"Okay, this is your dog and pony show. I'll just stay here out of the way."

"Thanks, Harry ."

Ten minutes later Amelia and the other aurors were coming down the stairs with Peter secured in a cage.

"Is there anything else Harry before I go?"

"Do you mind explaining to Professor McGonagall so she can explain to Ron Weasley. I just know he's going to blame me..."


	7. WHAT?

Disclaimer: We all know how these work, I acknowledge that J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. and Scholastic own Harry Potter and all other characters and settings from cannon, and I get to write whatever I please and even add in characters of my own as long as I don't get any money. The no money sucks but there you go, at least I don't get lawyers knocking on my door. Addendum: If you recognize a name of a character from elsewhere it isn't mine.

A/N:"~parseltongue~"

Harry's Hero by Silverfawkes

Chapter 7 WHAT!

_Last time_

_"Is there anything else, Harry, before I go?"_

_ "Do you mind explaining to Professor McGonagall so she can explain to Ron Weasley. I just know he's going to blame me.._

"Oh, and tonight someone let a troll into the castle. Dumbledore has something dangerous in the third floor corridor, but he's warned the students not to go near it on pain of death at the opening feast."

"WHAT?"

Harry gave Amelia a gamin grin.

"Harry Potter, are you pulling my leg?"

"Wouldn't dream of it, at least not here and not now."

"What happened with the troll?"

"Well, Hermione Granger, who at present is sacked out in the infirmary, and I didn't attend tonight's feast. While we were talking in the girls' bathroom, we got attacked by a twelve foot troll. I really wish I'd fought things other than wizards the last few years. My usual tactics used against large stupid creatures suck. Anyway Professors Snape and McGonagall came along and killed it. As for the corridor I've been being a good student and doing as I'm told. I'm staying away from it. That's not to say I won't try to put the pieces together if they come my way but I'm not investigating. I have no desire to fall in with a certain someone's plots."

"Fine." Amelia grimaced. She really didn't need this atop the other things she was dealing with.

"I wonder who cursed you?" Harry said in an apparent non sequitur.

"What?"

"There's an ancient Chinese curse that goes may you live in interesting times, I wonder who cursed you with it?"

"Me? What about you?"

"I know who got me! I got it twice over, both of them powerful wizards, Riddle and the Headmaster. Given who cursed me, it's no surprise I'm a trouble magnet." Harry's emerald eyes danced, and his grin widened to that of a cheshire cat.

"Cheeky brat." Amelia looked him over from head to toe. She knew when Sirius found out about tonight he would grill her to make sure Harry was okay. "Well, I see no damage, so I'll be on my way."

"Amelia, thanks. It means a lot that you dropped everything and came." Harry's expression had shifted again to a serious one.

"I.. I can't say it's a pleasure because I wish it weren't necessary, but I know you won't abuse the privilege. Now, I'll head off and find your head of house, shall I?"

"Goodnight." Harry watched her leave and then headed up to his dorm to get ready for bed. He supposed that it was reasonable that he was tired, given the gamut of emotions he'd been through that evening.

Harry's prediction came true. Despite having things explained to him by the deputy headmistress, Ron blamed Harry for costing him his pet. Harry ignored the other boy for several days and prayed he'd be smart enough to realize he was outclassed if it came to a fight , but given the level of intelligence the other boy usually displayed he didn't count on it. Figuring an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, he set a couple of wards on his belongings and put a protective charm on Sheba. Then he went to speak to the twins, he needed to congratulate them on their huge prank anyway.

"Ah, Fred it's ickle Harrykins!"

"And what can we-"

"do for our fellow Prankster today?"  
"Well, first I wanted to congratulate you on your prank that made everyone who sat on the benches at breakfast in the Great Hall on the first quack like ducks for two minutes. Tres droll and definitely good fun."

"Like wise for your prank on Mrs. Norris-"

"watching her freak out because every step-"

"made her sound like she was farting,-"

"running through the halls trying to get away."

"But the sounds never stopping-"

"until she refused to move. Filch running-"

" to get help and when he gets back-"

"Nothing is wrong!"

"Hysterical!" they finished together.

"I thought so too. Second , I need information and I figure as his brothers you know him best. What will it take for me to bury the hatchet with Ron about the whole Pettigrew/Scabbers thing. I was thinking a gift certificate to Eeylop's or Magical Menagerie, but I'd also be willing to get one to Quality Quidditch seeing he's so quidditch obsessed."

George snickered, "Throwing galleons at the problem?"

"I've got them, think they'll work?"

Fred sighed, "Probably."

"How much? Do you think?" Harry asked. He didn't like Ron but if he did this he didn't want to be thought of as cheap either.

"Well, if it was me. I'd do a couple sickles, that gets a rat at the Menagerie." George said.

"Do more and, if I know Ronniekins, he'll either think you're trying to bribe him or trying to show off your money." Fred said.

"What would be his reaction if I got him a certificate for an owl at Eeylop's that was a couple sickles shy of what he needed for an owl? Would he have the gumption to save up to get an owl?"

"Maybe . It would be a toss up whether he sees it for what it is,"

"or if his pride takes it wrong."

"In either case, we think, Son of Prongs, your heart is in the right place."

"But it would-"

"likely raise fewer issues-"

"if you went with-"

"something to Quality Quidditch Supplies."

"Now if you'll excuse us we-

"have to get ready-"

"for the quidditch match."

Harry smiled and waved them off. He did feel bad for depriving Ron of his pet. It wasn't the other boy's fault that his inexpensive hand-me-down pet was really a corrupt wizard in disguise. He pulled out his phone and dialed Beth's number. She would be able to go to the alley and get the gift certificate.

The Gryffindor vs. Slytherin quidditch match lasted four hours and it was miserable for the Gryffindors to watch. The students of the first year study group mostly sat together so those that understood the game could explain it to the ones that didn't. Harry and Draco set a friendly wager of a sickle on the match. Halfway through Harry handed a sickle to Draco. It wasn't that the Gryffindor team was actually that bad, but the Slytherin seeker Higgs had turfed the Gryffindor seeker four times and the Slytherins played a very rough game. Harry really wished first years could bring brooms to school. He would have made twice the seeker that Roberts was making.

Harry looked around. He didn't know why, but he felt an itch. The kind of itch he associated with having a wizard who had ill intentions around, but with the crowd around him he had no way of knowing who it was. For all he knew there were several around. He hadn't realized how used he was to always knowing someone had his back until now when he was having to do without. He felt downright nervous in a crowd like this. He had practice ignoring it though; he'd been practicing at every meal in the Great Hall since arriving at Hogwarts.

Finally Higgs caught the snitch. "Next year, Draco, I bet the lions will win because I'll be out there."

Draco chuckled. "You and me, both. I spotted the snitch twice before Higgs."

"Only twice? I spotted it four times."

"Yeah, yeah, sure you did. Thanks for the sickle!"

"Grr, don't rub it in." That comment had all the first years laughing as they left the stands.

Amelia Bones didn't inform Sirius immediately that Pettigrew had been captured. She knew that the rat animagus was a trigger for the other wizard. Instead she informed him when the trial was going to take place. "Peter Pettigrew goes before the Wizengamot tomorrow."

"What? Why didn't you tell me he'd been captured? Where ? When?"

"Halloween, Hogwarts, Harry spotted him on the map. Not that I really know what the map is, anyway he called. I gathered a few aurors together and we went to Hogwarts. When we got there we captured Pettigrew. It was all very simple and straightforward."

"He was at Hogwarts? Is Harry alright?"

"He was fine, despite tangling with a troll earlier that evening."

"A TROLL?"

"Apparently. I'm still investigating, but Dumbledore is proving to be something of an obstacle."

"That stupid old idiot!"

"Harry assured me he's keeping his ears and eyes open, but his nose clean."

"That's good, I suppose."

"I'm meeting with the Hogwarts board of governors next week. I want to put more pressure on the old man. That he's brought something dangerous into the castle may give us just the grounds we need to oust him."

"I hope so."

"See you tomorrow?"

"Count on it." Sirius ended the call.

Sirius looked at his watch. Harry was probably still in class, and away from his phone. He dialed anyway, "Harry, it's Sirius. Call me when you get this." Then he reluctantly picked up the papers that were awaiting his attention. It was two hours later before his phone rang.

"Black."

"What's up?"

" Harry James Potter, explain to me, if you can, how you came to tangle with a troll on Halloween."

"Well someone let one into Hogwarts on Halloween. My money is on Quirrell, that guy is too pathetic otherwise. He has this whole ineffective vibe that has to be a cover-up, or he's too ineffective to live. Otherwise it might be Snape. He has the whole bad guy vibe too, but I kinda doubt it because he was the one to come and kill it."

"Why didn't you?"

"Stupid choice of tactics really. I mean I still can't believe I started with confundus." Harry shuddered. "Anyway, it was no big. I got a couple splinters and a cut, but I was fine. Had to get firm with the school matron, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. Snape made me write an essay evaluating my tactics. He may be a rotten Potions teacher but his comments on my tactics essay were spot-on, not even Charlie would complain. What I don't get is why he is teaching potions; he'd beat Quirrell hands down as defense teacher."

"Firm with the matron?"

"She wanted to give me a pain potion for one, a nutrient potion cause I hadn't had dinner yet, and a sleep potion. I had six splinters and a cut from a porcelain shard. I've had worse from training, I wasn't about to spend the night under her watchful eye. Heck I didn't even really extend myself that much magically. To be honest she kinda strikes me as a Nurse Ratched type."

"I should never have let you read that book."

"Too late now. How goes progress on getting critters for the basilisk?"

"They should get there in two days."

"Fabulous, I'll plan to go down to the chamber then.

"Harry, are you sure you don't want backup for that?"

"I'm sure. Don't worry, Pads. I intend to keep all aspects of this under my control. We all know my luck only kicks in if I'm reacting to someone else's long term plans."

"Yes, and that's what has me worried. You're in that castle with the old spider himself."

"Fair point. But his plans are centered around the thing on the third floor not the Chamber. I promise I'll be careful."

Two days later he loaned Sheba to the twins, and slipped of to the second floor girls bathroom. After using the map to make sure no one was there he moved directly to the sink that house the entrance, and hissed, "~open~", followed by a second hiss of "~stairs~". Once in the tunnel Harry pulled both his wands. He used his non-dominant hand and holly wand to cast _lumos_. Feeling really grossed out Harry used his juniper wand to clean the slime from the walls and the steps. He hissed, "~close~" behind himself since he had no desire to be followed. It took awhile but he finally reached the bottom of the stairs. He vanished the skeletal remains of rats and what not, cleaning things as he went to the Chamber. Halfway there he found an enormous shed Basilisk skin. He grinned. The value of this shed skin alone would help his plans to improve Hogwarts greatly.

When he got to the chamber door he hissed "~open~". He watched calmly as the the door opened and revealed a chamber that looked rather self-aggrandizing and smirked. Salazar Slytherin definitely had the ego he saw in many of the snakes here at Hogwarts. He had already reviewed the memories of how Tom had opened the statue and bound the basilisk. He intended to free the snake to resume its intended duties. But first he had to see the condition it was in. He put down the box he carried. And removed its lid. He reached in pulled out a bespelled sheep and placed it on the floor where it promptly resumed its normal size and started to wake from its daze. He pulled out several of the shrunken hay bales and as they hit the floor they too resumed their original size and weight. Harry realized the dozen or so hay bales would feed the sheep for quite awhile since they were the large bales like livestock farms used. Once all of them were out he got out the rest of the sheep which calmed the first quite a bit.

And they all started feeding on the hay. Sheep now dealt with Harry turned his attention to the statue of Salazar Slytherin. "~Speak to me Salazar, greatest of the Hogwarts four.~" As he spoke the ridiculous, grandiose password that Tom had created he winced. He really needed to change that one back to the original password of "~Speak to me Slytherin~", but first he needed to deal with the basilisk.

"~Who is there? ~"

Harry saw the tongue of what he knew would be a massive snake flicker from the mouth of the statue."~Great one, I am a speaker and I wish to converse with you. I have brought you a gift of ten sheep. All I ask in return is that you cover your deadly gaze.~"

The large tongue flicked again tasting the air. "~I shall grant your request.~"

Harry nearly cheered. As the great snake exited the statue, Harry couldn't help but wince. It was in incredibly poor shape. The scales were dull and it was very thin. He moved to the side and said, "~Great one, I will stand to the side with my eyes closed. Looking at you I can tell you need a good meal more than we need to talk. Eat first, then we will talk.~" He closed his eyes.

Three startled bleats later, Harry heard the giant snake slither over to where he suspected if he reached out he would be touching the massive snake.

"~You may open your eyes, speaker. I have once again covered my stare. I thank you for the meal it has been centuries since I have eaten so well.~"

"~The pleasure is mine, Great one.~"

"~You are not of my master's blood, yet you are a speaker?~"

"~Yes when I was a baby I was hit by a spell. It went wrong for the caster and it gave me the ability.~"

"~What spell?~"

"~A killing curse. My mother had used ancient magic to protect me and it would have killed the caster but for the fact he had made Horcruxes to stave of his own death.~"

"~A killing curse on a mere babe, he sounds like the misbegotten blight that my master's family devolved to.~"

"~Do you mean the last person to open this chamber?~"

"~Yes.~"

Harry got the impression the giant snake was both angry and ashamed. "~What happened?~"

"~He first came to the chamber when he was on the cusp of adulthood. He discovered my presence and he spoke gently to me, he brought me food. Not the way you have, but it was still more food than I'd had for a long while. He promised that he would repair the doorway that lets me hunt in the Forbidden Forest so I would not longer have to subsist on the vermin I can catch in the pipes and tunnels. He asked that I let him study in Salazar's library and I did.

"~It wasn't until later I realized he lied and that he wanted to use me to further his own agenda. He came and told me the castle was being attacked. Salazar forgive me, but I went up and I accidentally killed a student whom I was supposed to protect.

"~I banished him from these chambers. I have lived here alone and in shame ever since.~"

"~Do you have a name, Great one?~"

"~My first Master called me Shreedevi. It means goddess.~"

"~So Salazar brought you here to protect the school?~"

"~Yes, I once was free to patrol the forest and to protect the school. But the spells that tie my chambers to the school's wards have been damaged by the current headmaster, and the door that allows me out into the forest has been damaged by a rockslide two and a half centuries ago. Without the spells and without the door I have resigned myself to a slow lingering death. Not that I don't deserve such for failing to do my duty, and killing a student.~"

""~I suspect that was more Tom's doing than yours. I am Harry Potter, Earl of Gryffindor, and Great lady, I need your help.~"

"~One of the Lion's children?~"

"~As a matter of fact, yes. I am a fairly powerful wizard and I'll do what I can to make you comfortable before I leave today. As I do I'll explain what you can do to help me. You see the problems with the school are many and you can provide potion ingredients that are very valuable that will allow the currently limited budget to expand..."

A/N2: The book Harry referred to is One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: We all know how these work, I acknowledge that J. , Warner Bros. and Scholastic own Harry Potter and all other characters and settings from cannon, and I get to write whatever I please and even add in characters of my own as long as I don't get any money. The no money sucks but there you go, at least I don't get lawyers knocking on my door. Addendum: If you recognize a name of a character from elsewhere it isn't mine.

Harry's Hero by Silverfawkes

Chapter 8

As October turned to November Harry grew more bored in his classes and leaned more and more on his independent studies to keep himself happy. Socially he found himself connecting to older students more than his peers as older students investigated the school wide study group. He didn't leave his peers behind but he helped older students begin to build the same connections between each other that the first years had been building.

Most of the teachers were puzzled because the tensions that had existed for as long as they could remember between students of different houses were gradually fading. McGonagall, Flitwick and Sprout thought it was the most wonderful thing. Snape was too busy trying not to break his oath to pay attention to what was happening to the school as a whole. It was a week before November began when Severus Snape finally cracked and asked the Deputy Headmistress and the Headmaster to meet with him.

"Yes, Severus, what is it you need?" Minerva was concerned for her colleague. It hadn't escaped her that as term went on he had grown more distressed and his changes couldn't help but be noticed.

"I'm afraid I must give notice. I will finish out the year, but teaching has never been my first choice of career. You will have to find another Potion Master next year."

"Severus, how can you possibly consider leaving me in the lurch like this?" Albus said. "What if-?"

"Albus, this was always your plan, your way! Not once in all your planning did you ever consider the thoughts, feelings, or needs of your pawns in this chess match you have with the Dark Lord. I may believe the Dark Lord is still out there, I have promised to help bring him down, but I no longer trust that the path you want our world to tread is the correct one. I think you've lost it, old man. You have forced me here, under your thumb, to do your bidding all these years since I took the prophecy to Voldemort, unknowingly betraying my best friend. But I CANNOT do this anymore. I beg you let go before you destroy me, this school, and our world. I feel like I'm on the verge of being destroyed, I can't do this anymore. Please, let me go. Please, Albus. Be the good person I've always believed you to be not the ethically bankrupt person the press has painted you the last few years."

"And if he comes back, Severus?"

"If he comes back we can revisit this issue."

Minerva felt somewhat confused by the conversation between the two men. But she was also aware that Sirius and his allies were working to remove Dumbledore from the school anyway.

"Thank you for giving us so much notice, Severus. I will of course consult you with regards to your replacement, both as Potion Master and Head of Slytherin House." She thanked the Potion Master.

The prank Harry planned for Dumbledore would be epic. The old man wouldn't be able to resist the multicolor robe based off the costume from the Joseph and His Technicolor Dream-coat musical. Harry laughed. The coat, like Sirius' band-aid the day he left London, wouldn't radiate magic because it would be dependent on Dumbledore's magic. The spells were all being done as quilting stitches done in thread the same colors as the fabric they were being stitched onto. The trick was going to be how to turn it off. Since the coat would transform with him it had to have a separate turn off switch. Harry decided on a using a potion to turn it off, because it would be easier and less traceable for it to be delivered that way. He had thought Miss Parker would frown on his little project, but she liked the complexity of the spells required enough that she wasn't saying anything. Dumbles had tried twice more to corner Harry, but Minerva played the Head of House card and interfered before the old man got to the point. Harry learned via Fred and George that the students found the cerberus that was guarding the third floor corridor. Which meant the stone had many protections beyond the ones he'd seen in Severus Snape's mind, probably one from each major field of magic and the students were undoubtedly in danger courtesy of the Headmaster.

Harry did spend a few hours each week making sure that his first year friends were actually learning defense, and he was relieved to see Hermione relax a little and start to make some friends. Ron Weasley was still a pain in his backside every chance he got. Harry suspected that his own attitude only served to egg the other boy on. He and Dean Thomas had managed to organize pickup football matches in one of the larger courtyards on Saturdays two hours after lunch. Of course those games only happened on days when the weather wasn't horrible which now that winter had set in wasn't often.

Then came the morning that a large parcel carried by four owls arrived for Harry. Harry opened it wondering what Sirius has sent him. He opened it inside was a letter.

_Hey kiddo,_

_ Now that winter has set in, I imagine the pickup games are getting hard to do so here's my answer. ENJOY! Until we get Albus out we can't do the fitness center we talked about. I have lined up a goblin architect and one of the muggleborns' parents that is an architect to draw up plans for one. The construction workers will probably be a mixed team of house elves, goblins and wizards/witches. _

_ Business wise MCP network here in the UK goes up next month and I have acquired contracting rights with all the cell phone companies so they should work anywhere an ordinary cell phone does. There is now a contract with the British Ministry of Magic with Potter Black Industries for us to supply cell phones, computers and training to the workers at the ministry. Isn't that great?_

_I've also lined up a network for the distribution of basilisk venom. I've decided that for liability purposes we should probably treat it the way we do controlled substances in the muggle world. Malcom and Mai Reynolds are heading it up stateside, and are helping with the controls worldwide. We should be ready to start distribution in three months give or take a couple weeks. Will Shreedevi be ready by then? I'll ship you more sheep next week. We've contracted with the Longbottom Nurseries for the dung. I've put it just under the price for dragon dung at least for the first year or two. If it's as imbued with magic as we expect we will probably be able to raise the price to match if not exceed in a year or two._

_ As for your idea for creating a cross-cultural database when we do a census, it is slowly catching on. It helps the muggle PM and the royals like the idea. Beth thinks it's a very sound idea to build trust and increase a safely monitored interaction between the worlds. Even Lucius and Lady Longbottom favor it. We figure it will also help us to keep tabs on the raft of candidates that we'll be seeing form up starting next month. The first elections are going to be held in May, and candidates have to announce by January. _

_ The triplets keep asking how long 'til Harry comes back. They miss the weekends you used to spend playing with them something fierce. I miss seeing you too. I know we talk on the phone when things come up but it's not the same as seeing you in person I miss the hugs, and the way we bounce business ideas back and forth. I 'm trying to remember exactly how I started teaching you the business so I can do it with Jamie, but he doesn't have your attention span or your determination and work ethic and the girls aren't interested either. Oh well, maybe they'll be interested when they're older._

_ I'm very pleased with the reports of your progress from your tutors, and Rachel should start showing up next week. Jarrod and Miss Parker are both highly complimentary of your work with them. They've also complained to me about Dumbledore's attempts to either observe or stop their lessons with you. I think as a result Miss Parker is rather looking forward to the outcome of your prank. Be sure and get lots of pictures will you?_

_ In the meantime enjoy the movies._

_ Love, Padfoot_

Harry pushed the packing material away. When he saw the projector and DVD player he grinned. "Movie Nights here we come!" He thought. He looked up at the table where the teachers sat. He looked at his Head of House. He hoped to catch her eye. He would need a half day or more to get the projector and sound system up in place in the Great Hall. He really looked forward to introducing movies to the pureblood segment of the magical population. Hopefully the creativity his fellow students would see, would inspire their own creativity, and revive the currently stagnating magical population. He checked to see what movies Sirius had sent. He laughed when he saw "Sword and the Stone" and "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" He knew both movies would garner mass amusement in the magical crowd. "The Star Wars Trilogy", "War Games", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Chariots of Fire", "The Right Stuff", "Ghandi", "Dirty Dancing", "Top Gun" Harry's eyebrows rose at the last two. They were a touch racy in terms of sex, especially for first and second year students, but they would also raise awareness of what muggles were currently capable of and the more current muggle social viewpoint regarding sex. "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" while that one was a very funny movie Harry wasn't completely sure about showing it in a school full of teens. Then again it might raise awareness of how magical or muggle, teens were teens. He noticed the intended screen was shrunken in the bottom of the box . It was the only part of the configuration that could be. The electronics- while able to use magic for a power source, and tolerant of magical surroundings- were too delicate to take shrinking or weightless charms hence the four owls to bring it.

"What do you got there, Harry?" Fred Weasley asked.

"Movies!"

Several heads at the Gryffindor table snapped in his direction filled with expressions of disbelief. Harry couldn't help himself: he laughed. "Give me a hand, I need to get this stuff up to McGongall's office before class. I think I know what most of us will be doing Friday night."

Harry spent Friday afternoon systematically going through, assembling and mounting the screen, projector and sound system. McGonagall as Deputy Headmistress had given permission for the enterprise and was as curious as a cat about what Harry was doing. She wasn't the only one. Flitwick had also made a beeline for the Great Hall after his classes to observe. Harry was a little bothered by the audience, but went about properly enlarging the screen and mounting it in the Great Hall from one of the support beams above the teachers' table. Then came the finding the right place to mount the projector. Harry was glad he was a good flier because he had to concentrate not only on what the broom was doing he also had to work the various levitation charms to lift the various pieces of the mount and hover while he screwed them into place. Once he had the screen and projector in place he had to work even longer to figure out the speaker placement for the best sound and balance the speaker output with various charms. It was time for his private lessons before he was done.

Albus was scowling all through dinner that evening he really hadn't liked that he had been overruled by both his staff and the board of governors into allowing this "mooty" night. In his day students were encouraged to study. But instead tonight the Great Hall would be reconfigured and the student body would be watching something called "Star Wars". As if the children needed to be exposed to war between stars. If the student body liked it, nights like tonight would be happening every two weeks much to his displeasure.

At exactly seven forty five dinner disappeared.. The tables floated up and over the students to the back of the Hall and the first years enthusiastically moved the benches so they faced the teacher's table. Harry gleefully set the example by transfiguring the bench he moved into a row of comfortable seats. Many of the sixth and seventh years followed his example as did Professor McGonagall. Harry then summoned the screen down and locked it in place then went to the back of the hall where he had placed a cabinet to house the DVD player, the soundboard for the speakers, and the projector controls. He activated them, then raced back to his seat between Neville and Draco. Draco was practically bouncing in his seat, He couldn't wait to be able to discuss the movie with his fellow Slytherins.

To say that movie night was an eye-opening experience for the teachers and students of Hogwarts was to understate the case. In the week that followed discussions and debates raged through the school. What were muggles capable of? Harry found himself giving impromptu lectures about how movies were made. What were the ethics of magic use? When the discussions of the movie and the debate about magical ethics took precedence over the upcoming Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff quidditch match, Harry knew if there was ever a time to influence the future of the magical world it was then. So he asked Minerva if they could organize a formal discussion panel and ask the Minister of Magic, the Chief Witch of the Wizengamot, and head of DMLE if they could participate. He posted notices in all the common rooms asking for questions for the panel from the students. He asked Sue and Draco to help him moderate. Moving the British Magicals into the modern era really needed to start with the young, and he knew it.

Harry couldn't help but smile,things were going so well. Now if only his classes were going better. Perhaps he needed to think of some more pranks, light a figurative fire under a few of his professors.

Two days later Harry was slipping from the potions classroom. Getting past the wards Snape kept on his classroom had been very tricky. He had heard the seventh years were brewing Dreamless sleep today, and thought it was a perfect opportunity for a prank. Ordinarily pranking and brewing potions didn't go together, but these were seventh year students. Odds of a catastrophic reaction were very low, especially with a Potion Master like Snape. Harry had lightly coated the bottoms of all the cauldrons with a mixture of olive oil, billywig stingers, menthol, and eucalyptus. A tablespoon per cauldron when mixed with Dreamless sleep's first five ingredients would result in a vapor that would make the person inhaling it talk in a high squeaky voice for a day. The nice part was it took about an hour to take affect, and it didn't affect the dreamless sleep at all. Smiling he made his way back up to the Great Hall. Dinner that evening was punctuated by high squeaky voices of the handful of seventh years taking potions that made most everyone laugh while Professor Snape scowled at everyone and resisted all attempts at getting him to say anything. Harry and the rest of the Gryffindors still got the chance to snicker over the voice change; their next potions class took place before the effects wore off.

The next day, Harry cast an illusion of an acromantula behind Quirrell during defense class. He was careful to have it descend from the shadows up by the ceiling.. It worked better than he expected. Quirrell ran out of the room shrieking. Not only did he give Quirrell palpitations, he made Ron Weasley faint dead away. Harry gave himself away when instead of joining his classmates in the mass exodus he started snickering. Susan who was almost out the door stopped.

"You prat! You did that!?"

Harry lost it and started to really laugh. "Yup." he said as he dispelled the illusion.

Harry got a detention scouring the trophy room with Filch for that one, but he didn't really mind. It had been worth it, finding out Ron Weasley was afraid of spiders. Besides Sirius would be disappointed if he never got detention.

Rachel felt a little odd as she walked up to the castle in the predawn gloom. It had been most of three months since she had last seen Harry. She had still been in the hospital in India when he had his send off to Hogwarts although Remus had shared the pictures. Sirius had done a lot to support her as she recovered. He had encouraged her to take time off; siting the fact she had taken very little time off during Harry's pre-Hogwarts years. The fact was though, she missed her young protege. She missed their spars because he was one of the few that could really challenge her. What he lacked in strength he more than made up for in speed and originality. She figured for the next month or two she'd get more from their spars than he did.

She wondered how his animagus studies were progressing. She wondered if he was bored, if he was she pitied his teachers. Even at Stuart-Cavanaugh Harry had demonstrated he was a bit of a prankster, add a lack of stimulation and Harry might come up with ways to amuse himself that would leave the recipients wishing he was better occupied.

She was surprised when a house elf met her just inside the entrance doors. "If Miss bes following Hattie I'll bes taking you tos the Earl."

"Thank you, Hattie."

They went up the stairs. Seven floors worth then down a hall to a door across from a tapestry where there were trolls in tutus. "In the come go room Miss."

Rachel opened the door. The room looked exactly like the workout room at Sirius' place in Maryland.

Harry, who had been stretching, bounced to his feet and bounded the ten feet to the door to envelop Rachel in a hug. "It's so good to see you!"

"I missed you too, kiddo!"

"You're all better now?"

"Almost as good as new. I'm likely a little rusty, so go kinda easy on me."

"I will. I'm probably not in top form either kata are only good for so much. I'm mostly warmed up just need to finish stretching."

They did some team stretches. While they stretched, they talked about the animagus transformation.

An hour later they moved to the changing rooms on either side of the room, and changed into robes for the day. Harry had asked Rachel to stay for breakfast so he could introduce her to his friends.

At the Gryffindor table many of the older students were surprised by the good-looking adult witch, who cheerfully joined the first year students and they wondered who she was. Minerva knew that she worked for Sirius and had been one of Harry's tutors for a long time. Dumbledore took a bit of exception to her presence however.

"Who is that? He almost scowled looking at the Gryffindor table.

"Rachel Luttrell, she's one of Harry's tutors." Minerva answered. "Martial arts, I believe."

This brought a completely cross look to Dumbledore's face. "It's not right for that boy to have all these strangers brought into the castle. What if one of them was on Voldemort's side?"

Minerva frowned. "I am certain Sirius screens his employees vigorously."

The owls started to arrive. Dumbledore was surprised when amongst his mail was a box that once removed from the owl delivering it grew into a large one. He opened it. Inside was the most fabulous robe he had ever seen. It had all the colors of the rainbow and was quite simply breathtaking. He looked for a card. He found it. Happy belated birthday. He immediately checked to see if it was in some way trapped but all his spells came back negative. "Oh my." he said as he lifted it from the box. He conjured a mirror behind the teachers' table and pulling the robe from the box held it up so he could get an idea of what it would look like. It was quite simply the most splendid robe he had ever seen.

Down at the Gryffindor table Harry noted the arrival of the large box for the Headmaster. He gave Rachel a slight nudge and his eyes started to dance as Albus pulled the robe from the box. When the mirror was conjured, several other students around the Hall noticed the activity at the teachers' table as well. Harry sincerely hoped the robe would prove too hard for the Headmaster to resist, so he was delighted as he saw the Headmaster swirl his wand for a switching spell.

Headmaster Albus Dumbledore had a scant moment to admire himself in the new robe before to his great surprise he was transformed into a goat complete with a long white beard. "MAAA!" The startled bleat echoed through the Great Hall drawing the attention of everyone.

Between the beard and the half moon spectacles it was obvious what had happened. Many of the students who didn't particularly care for the Headmaster burst into guffaws, and they weren't the only ones, most of the teachers, even Snape, also started laughing.

Minerva bit her lip to keep from laughing, however she couldn't help but smile at the somewhat appropriate image that was now before her. "Old goat" was how she often thought of him when he was manipulating things but now he was, at least outwardly, a goat and it was all she could do to maintain her decorum. She was startled as several cameras flashed from around the hall. Perhaps it was time to call things back to order. "Yes, students, it is very funny. It's time for classes now. My first class, go to the library and revise switching spells while I assist the Headmaster." She wasn't sure which of the school's resident pranksters had gotten the Headmaster but she had a suspicion it was one of her lions.

Still laughing, Harry and his classmates headed to Herbology and Rachel was snickering as she exited the castle with them. Harry winked and said, "Show Sirius the memory of that, he'll get a kick out of it."

Rachel laughed, and nodded before heading to the Hogwarts gates.

Late that night Harry spelled his shoes with silencing charms pulled on his dad's cloak and slipped into the Great Hall. There he placed spells that would transfigure the clothes of anyone sitting there at 8:39 a.m. tomorrow, which would likely mean the entire school would be hit, since that was when the post owls delivered. Tomorrow he would give everyone a taste of modern uniforms and he intended to have a petition for students to sign stating which they preferred, the modern uniform or the traditional one.

He had an agenda and wasn't afraid to use pranks to his own advantage. He was going to wait a week before giving the Headmaster the potion that would change his magical signature long enough for him to shed the robe that was causing him to be a goat.


End file.

Harry Potter, Family