Categories > Books > Harry Potter > Harry Potter and the Betrayal of the Phoenix
Chapter 2: First Year
Harry's first year at Hogwarts; meets Hermione; and starts to make some plans.
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First Year Harry Potter and the Betrayal of the //Phoenix
By Red Jacobson
Chapter Two: First Year
DISCLAIMER: None of the Characters you recognize belong to me. If they did, I would certainly be making a lot more money than I am right now. So please don't sue me; I'm poor. sigh
DEDICATION: This story is dedicated to Chaz (Old Wolf) Hager and Jason W. Thompson, for extreme story assistance. Thanks guys, this story wouldn't work as well as it does (if it even works, which I'll leave to my gentle readers GRIN) without your help.
AUTHORS NOTE: The title of this story is courtesy of Bad Voodoo X, but the content is strictly my responsibility. This story is un-beta'd, and it quite possibly will not end up in the Library of Congress as one of the Great Works of American Literature, but, so what? I write for fun.
AUTHORS WARNING: I write stories intended for an adult audience, which means that the characters will be taking their clothes off and doing nasty things that our current President and Congress would not approve of. The characters won't be getting naked in this chapter; they are only 11 after all.
In other words; DANGER: SMUT ALERT!!!! If you feel that your immortal soul would be imperiled if you read graphic descriptions of teenagers having sex, then move along, this story isn't for you! The rest of you, enjoy!
FEEDBACK: Has anybody ever said no? But, please, if you have criticism, please be as specific as you can so I can address the situation in the story if needed.
Platform 9 and ¾ Kings Cross Station
Harry and Ron were jostling each other as they loaded their trunks onto the luggage cart. Hedwig hooted indignantly from her perch on top of Harry's trunk. Molly was distracted trying to keep up with the twins, as well as making sure the Percy had every thing he needed for the year. 'Of course she'd be fussing over Mr. Perfect Percy' Harry thought, 'he's such a momma's boy; he needs her permission to take a dump! Hey, that's funny; have to tell that one to Ron later, he'll laugh!'
They found an empty compartment and stored their trunks, and waited for the train to begin the journey to Hogwarts. After using one of Arthur's' wands that had the tracking charm removed, they cast silencing and 'notice me not' charms over the compartment. Once that was done, they both spent the first part of the journey the same way that the elder Weasleys had, shoring up their mental shields, so the Sorting Hat would sort them into Gryffindor. If they were sorted into Slytherin, people might be on their guard more than necessary, which would make it difficult to learn what they wanted to know.
After 15 minutes of meditation; they both opened their eyes and grinned at each other. Unlocking the door and removing the "notice me not" charms, they passed the time playing a game of Exploding Snap, until they were interrupted by a girl with bushy hair looking for a toad.
Harry looked up and said, "Let me guess, Trevor is missing again?" he grinned.
The girl looked surprised, "That's right, it's Trevor. Do you know Neville?"
"Sure, known him for a couple of years. Hey Nev!"
"Hey Harry, have you seen Trevor? He got away from me when I opened the door to get some snack cakes." The pudgy boy said, worry on his face.
"I haven't seen him, but I'll be glad to help you look. I'm tired of getting beaten by Ron anyway." Harry said as he got up from the seat.
"Thanks a lot! Oh, Harry, this is Hermione Granger, Hermione, this is Harry Potter." At the sound of his name, Hermione's eyes widened, and Neville quickly added, "Yes, he is THAT Harry Potter, but he doesn't like to talk about it. Not that I blame him, after what happened to my parents."
"Oh, well, it's nice to meet you Harry. Shall we go find Trevor? It's going to be time to get changed into our robes soon, and there are still things I want to go over in my books before we get there....."
Harry glanced at Neville, who gave a helpless shrug as they followed her up the aisle, she was still talking a mile a minute, but they didn't even try to keep up with her train of thought.
It didn't take long before they found Trevor, he had landed on the snack cart, and had burrowed his way down among the Chocolate Frogs, what he thought he was doing there is a mystery for the ages.
After re-uniting Neville and his toad, Harry invited Hermione to join him and Ron in his compartment for the rest of the ride. She accepted, saying she had a lot of questions about the magical world, and maybe he could answer them. At his look, she told him that she was the first witch in her family, that her parents were dentists, a career that is greatly needed in the United Kingdom. Harry chuckled in agreement, remembering the nasty green color that seemed to permanently reside in Uncle Vernon's teeth.
Stepping into the compartment, he introduced Hermione to Ron, who grunted in acknowledgement, and the two of them sat down and Harry tried to answer questions she had about the magical world. Unfortunately, the conversation was temporarily interrupted by the compartment door opening and Draco Malfoy stood there, flanked by his two apes. Harry tried to ignore the interruption, but Malfoy managed to irritate him by making a comment about how 'I couldn't believe my ears when they told me the 'Famous Harry Potter' was so bad off that he had to live with paupers!' Harry had had enough, after losing his original family; he wasn't going to let anybody, least of all this arrogant prick, talk down about his new family. "You know, Draco, I'm glad you were finally able to get that nasty mud out of your robes, I guess all that Malfoy money is good for something after all." Malfoy glared at him and left, trailed by his goons.
After getting rid of Malfoy the subject returned to the school itself, and the different houses. Hermione asked them if they knew what house they wanted to be sorted into, and Harry said that they wanted to be sorted into Gryffindor, since that is where all their brothers went, as well as Harry's parents.
"I would love to be in Gryffindor, what I've read says that the primary traits Gryffindors' share is bravery and a hatred for injustice, and there is a lot of injustice in the Wizarding world, just look at how they treat the non-purebloods! It's scandalous!"
Ron basically tuned her rant out at this point, but Harry sat and listened, occasionally asking questions about her opinions of Magical Society. She started talking about how there was so much prejudice about bloodlines, that it is hurting society as a whole, and how she was inspired by Dr Martin Luther King's vision of non-violent change. Of course, she continued, there are other options if non-violence doesn't work.
Harry was intrigued by her attitude, and asked what she would do if she had to use other options. She looked sad for a minute, saying that she hoped it would never come to that, but, the Magical World needed to change, otherwise it would stagnate, and die out.
"It reminds me of something I read in a book my cousin Alexander in California sent me, it's about the Vietnam War, one of the commanders said that they were willing to destroy a village to save it from the insurgents. It didn't make much sense to me at the time, but, looking back, it does. If the only way to cure the Wizarding World of its prejudice and bigotry is to burn it to the ground, then let the razing begin!" Her eyes seemed to lose focus as she was talking, until she shook herself, and looked at her watch, "Oh, I've got to go, I need to get changed into my school robes, I'll see you inside Harry; it was nice talking to you!" She said as she hurried out of the compartment.
Ron quickly locked the doors and put silencing charms in place, before turning to his brother. "Damn Harry! What did you do to her? I don't even think she realized what she was saying towards the end there!"
"She didn't, once I got her talking about other options, I was using one of the spells Fred taught me to make her speak whatever was on her mind. She was mildly hypnotized, and will have no memory of the last part of the conversation."
"Okay, that explains how, now, how about you tell me why you invited little miss know it all in here anyway? I mean, you don't fancy her, do you? Oooh! I'll bet that's it! Ickle Harrikins has got a girlfriend!"
"Oh, get stuffed! If you remember what Dad taught us last year, about sensing a person's magical strength? I took a look at Hermione when she first came in; and, that girl, Muggleborn or not, has a tremendous amount of power, and, even better, she has an even bigger grudge against society. Combine the two, and throw in her obvious intelligence, and we have either a formidable ally, or the worst enemy we could imagine. I'd prefer her as an ally Honestly; we're going to have enough problems when the time comes without asking for more. And, besides, the time is going to come when "The Boy Who Lived" is going to require a public girlfriend, and it only makes sense that she be Muggleborn, considering Voldemort's mania about purity of the blood. And," he smirked, "if what Percy says about that Ravenclaw are true about smart girls in general, they are absolutely wild in bed!"
Ron looked at Harry in disbelief, "Percy? Having sex? Ugh!" Then the two of them started laughing until tears welled up in their eyes.
Eventually they calmed down, and Ron said, "What you said just now reminds me; it probably wouldn't be a good idea to be spouting off Voldemort's name in front of everybody. Remember, most wizards and witches can't bring themselves to say it. I know we've all gotten in the habit of using his name at the Burrow, but, it might be best to keep that to ourselves."
"Yeah, you're right. It's back to 'you know who' when anybody can hear us. What a pain!"
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The rest of the trip passed quietly, and soon enough, they found themselves in the Great Hall of Hogwarts watching as Professor McGonagall placed the battered hat on Abbott, Hannah, sorting her into Hufflepuff. Harry grinned at Hermione's pleasure in being sorted into Gryffindor, and soon enough his name was called. Harry paused for a second or two to ensure his shields were in place, and moved up to sit on the stool.
As soon as the hat was placed on his head, he heard a voice in his ear; "Harry Potter, very interesting, not what I was expecting at all, you have your parents strength, I see, but, something else, as well, a burning ambition, you would do well in either Slytherin or Gryffindor, but, I can see you want to be with your family, and, Miss Granger? Oh Well, make it 'Gryffindor!"
The hat shouted the last word, and the Gryffindor table erupted in cheers, as Harry climbed off the stool and moved to where Hermione had cleared a spot for him. He did the same for Ron a few minutes later when the redhead was sorted.
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Meanwhile, In Muggle London
Arthur was sitting at his desk going over reports from various agents the Hellfire Club had throughout Europe, when his eyes widened at a report from Romania. Buzzing Tessa, he asked her if this had been confirmed. She took the report and said that they were still working on getting confirmation, but, if true, it would be disastrous.
Arthur told her that getting confirmation of this information was priority one, and he was to be informed the minute that the information was available. In the meantime, there were some people he had to make aware of it.
Writing a quick note to Percy, he added a special phrase at the end that told him to beware of Professor Quirrell, and to pass the information on to Ron and Harry.
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The next morning, Percy was surprised to receive an owl at breakfast, and was even more surprised when he saw that it was from his father. Quickly scanning the note, he pulled his brothers and Harry aside, and told them what his father had found. Harry commented that it might explain the weird twinge he felt in his scar during dinner the previous night. He had thought it might be Snape's doing.
Percy said, "Speaking of Professor Snape, watch yourself around him, Harry, rumor has it that there was seriously bad blood between he and your father when they were students here. I doubt he would be any less inclined to punish you for being your father's son, than he would be if your father was still alive."
"Wonderful!" Harry groaned, "Half the world loves me for something I don't remember, and now I get this git hating me for something my father did! This is gonna make life so much easier!"
"Just watch yourself, little brother," George said, in uncharacteristic seriousness, "he will cause problems just because you are Gryffindor, and add to that, your last name, he's gonna try and make your life hell!"
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After the first Potions Class
"I can't fucking believe it!" Harry cursed, "I answered the questions he asked me, and they were the correct answers, and the git took 20 points for showing off! Not to mention poor Neville, I can't believe Snape abused him like that. Well, if he wants an enemy, I'll be happy to go along."
"Be careful Harry, you don't want to draw too much attention to us." Ron cautioned.
"Oh, he'll know it's me, but will never be able to prove it. Especially since I'll get Hermione to help with the details. You saw how she was fuming at his attitude today; he acted like she couldn't possibly know anything since she was Muggleborn. I hadn't seen steam come out of someone's ears like that since Fred and George got into the Firewhiskey. Now, the first thing I need to do is get in touch with one of the castle house elves, then Hermione and I will start making his life hell!"
"Damn Harry! That's one evil grin!" Ron chuckled, nervously, "Remind me never to piss you off!"
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The nature of the prank was the cause of a great deal of discussion and planning between Harry and Hermione, with assistance from all the Weasleys, including Percy, who, to Hermione's surprise, was no where near the stuck up prig he appeared to outsiders. At first, Harry wanted to do something much more painful and permanent to Snape, but allowed Hermione to convince him to start with something non-violent and relatively harmless. He did stand his ground about making it embarrassing, which Hermione went along with. He also reserved the right to escalate things if Snape still persisted in his unacceptable behavior.
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The next few weeks were a joy to behold for the members of Gryffindor house, as well as for Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Already gaunt, the Potions Professor became almost skeletal as he was only able to eat a few bites of his meal before being hit with the effects of a powerful laxative. Harry and Hermione both wondered how long it would take before Snape realized the problem was in his coffee and pumpkin juice, not in the food he examined so suspiciously.
The Gryffindors took great pleasure in noisily enjoying their meals, while looking directly at the greasy haired professor. Soon the other houses joined in, which caused Harry and Hermione to grin quietly at each other. Even Gryffindor's Quidditch win, with Harry as their Seeker, couldn't equal the joy they felt in watching their nemesis slowly fading away.
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Finally, a couple of weeks before Halloween, Harry figured that enough was enough, and had a house-elf pop a piece of parchment in front of Snape at breakfast. Snape glared suspiciously at the blank page, and then went even paler than usual as printing appeared;
/Mssrs Mooney, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs;/
/Marauders, Ltd/
/Purveyors of Mischief and Amusement to the Wizarding World/
/ /
/Are Proud to Present:/
/The solution to your problem, you greasy haired git!/
/ /
/Mister Prongs sends his greetings, and observes that it's not surprising Hooknose hasn't figured it out yet/
/ /
/Mister Padfoot adds that he never did think that Snape was too bright/
/ /
/Mister Wormtail says; but it isn't really his fault that his mother was a Blast-Ended Skrewt, and never taught him the rudiments of personal Hygiene./
/ /
/And/
/ /
/Mister Moony says that the solution is simple, Greasy! Wash yourself and your plate and mug, and your problem will pass, or, if it doesn't, at least you'll smell better and stop offending the civilized people who are forced to associate with you./
/ /
Harry and the others worked very hard to keep the grins off their faces as Snape read the note. They could tell by the different shades of red he turned which part of the note he had reached. It had taken Percy and the twins several days of work to figure out the charms that the original Marauders had used on the Map that Fred and George found in their first year, and another couple of days to duplicate them to send in the note.
Professor Dumbledore turned to his Potions Professor when he heard Snape's strangled curse. "What is it Severus?"
Snape didn't reply, just handed the parchment to the Headmaster. Meanwhile, the whole hall had gone silent when they realized something different was happening. That is why those who were close enough to the head table saw Dumbledore's eyes widen in surprise, and heard him murmur, 'It's impossible! They've been gone for years." Then he raised his head and looked directly at Harry and the others. Turning solicitously to Professor Snape, he spoke quietly to him. No one could make out exactly what he said, but Snape didn't look happy as he nodded and left the table. Most of the students turned to watch Snape leave, but Harry was watching Dumbledore, and almost dropped his drink when the venerable Headmaster winked at him!
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Later that day, as they were leaving Transfiguration; Professor McGonagall stopped Harry and Hermione and said that the Headmaster wanted to see them. She refused to answer any questions, and soon they were at the office.
When they were seated, and Professor McGonagall had left, Professor Dumbledore looked at them over his glasses. He was silent for several moments, before finally grinning at them. "Congratulations you two, it's been a long time, possibly since the era of the original Marauders, that I've seen a professor pranked quite so successfully. Now, that being said," He added seriously, "it might be a good idea to let Mssrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs go back into retirement. I say this because there are several professors still teaching here who remember the original Marauders, and, more importantly, know who they really are. These are the people who would likely wonder how it was that two men, both dead for 10 years, and one who is sitting in Azkaban Prison managed to send a note to Professor Snape."
At Harry's confused expression, he said "Ah, so you don't know who the Marauders are? I'm not going to tell you all their names, I'll leave you to figure that out, but, Prongs was your own father, Mister Potter. And, from what I remember, he and the others would have definitely approved of the prank you pulled."
Turning to Hermione, he smiled gently at her, and said, "As for you Miss Granger, I'm pleased to see you involving yourself with the other students, and I'm assuming that the powdered Ex-Lax was your idea?" When she looked up, surprised, he chuckled, "I figured out what had happened after a couple of days, but I wasn't certain who among your house was responsible. Honestly, I'd thought it was one of the older years; it's not often that first years display such initiative and imagination. Now, officially of course, the Headmaster of Hogwarts can not be seen to condone pranking, so, the 50 points I am awarding to Gryffindor is for the two of you assisting me on a research project on Inter[CMC1] -House teamwork. Well, that is the official reason, and I believe I shall stick to that story. I will give you each a note for Professor Flitwick who I believe is your instructor this period, and I also hope you remember what I said. If you must sign your work, make your own names something to emulate by the future students."
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Harry was quieter than usual on the walk to the Charms classroom, and when Hermione tried to get him to talk; she saw that his eyes were glistening with tears. Shocked, she asked him what was wrong, if it was that he had been found out by the Headmaster, at least he didn't seem angry. Harry shook his head, and said;
"That's not it at all, Hermione. It's just that, I realized when he made that comment about my Dad, it's the first real bit of information I've ever learned about him. You grew up with your parents, so I don't think you understand what it means to have no idea what your parents are like." The last words were choked out as Harry, despite all his training, broke down sobbing.
Hermione pulled her friend into a hug as he cried against her. She didn't know what to say, so she just held him. After a minute or so, he calmed down and pulled away, wiping his eyes. "Thanks," he said quietly, "Please don't say anything about this to anybody, I'd never hear the end of it."
"I'll keep quiet, Harry, don't worry. But, I've got an idea. From what Professor Dumbledore said, at least one of your father's friends is still alive and free. It shouldn't take much searching to find out who his friends were, and track them down. I mean, if anybody could tell you about your parents, it would be one of his best friends, right? So, let's go to the library after supper and start looking."
Harry smiled at her with something close to hope in his expression, and pulled her into another hug.
Of course, such a tender moment couldn't last, and a drawling voice caused them to leap apart, "Oh, how the mighty have fallen! Honestly Potty, it's bad enough you live with the paupers, but to degrade yourself with a mudblood? It's disgusting!"
"That's it, Malfoy! I've had all I'm going to take from you!" Harry snarled, pulling his wand.
"What are you going to do with that Potty? You're a goody goody Gryffindor, and I don't think that Wingardium Leviosa is gonna do much against me." Malfoy sneered.
"Actually Malfoy, I want to show you something that my little sister taught me. It's a little thing she calls the 'Bat Bogey Hex' I think you'll enjoy it, but, if not, I know that we will." He finished as he muttered the command and watched Draco run away, trying to get away from the bats that were coming out of his nose.
Naturally, no good deed goes unpunished, and Professor Snape, looking freshly washed, came into the corridor just in time to see one of his students run away screaming. Looking around, his face lit up as he saw the son of his nemesis. "Potter! What are you doing? Put that wand away! It's bad enough that you show off in class, but, assaulting students in the halls? That will be 50 points from Gryffindor, and you will be joining me in detention every night this week. Perhaps cleaning cauldrons will break your habit of breaking the rules, probably not, but, at least you won't have the time to spend with your muggle-born girlfriend!" He ended with a look of disgust as he walked away.
Harry put his hand on Hermione's shoulder, stopping her from grabbing her wand to defend herself. "Don't Hermione, he's not worth it. He won't change, and it's best to just let it go, for now. We won't be students forever, after all."
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Later that night, he pulled Ron aside and, after casting a privacy charm around his bed, said, "Don't bother with any more pranks on Snape, he's not going to change. I saw his arm during detention tonight, and he's got the Dark Mark! I am not going to allow a marked Death Eater to live, not when I can do something about it. It was people like him that supported the fucker who killed my parents, and stuck me with my relatives! If killing scum like him will prevent another Dark Lord arising, and turning more kids into orphans, then it's 'bye-bye scum!' And, if Voldemort manages to come back, I'm going to make it my business to make him pay for what he had done! For my parents, and every other kid he orphaned, I will send him straight to hell!"
"I think you need to talk to Dad before you do anything like that Harry, if it's too obvious, he won't be able to help you out, 'Boy Who Lived' or not."
"Don't worry, I've already got an idea, and it won't be obvious at all, in fact, it's something that I read about in one of the muggle books your dad had at the Burrow. I just need one thing to make it happen, and I can get that over the winter break."
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Later that week, Harry was coming back from his last detention with the not so greasy haired git, he happened to look out a window that had a view of Hagrid's hut. In the moonlight, he saw Hagrid moving around behind his hut, but couldn't make out exactly what he was doing, it seemed like he was digging a hole for some reason. Shrugging, Harry went back to the tower to get some sleep.
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The Saturday morning before Halloween, Harry and Hermione sat down at breakfast, and Harry was amused at how his friend was practically bouncing in her seat from excitement. "I think I've found your father's friend, Harry! I did a lot of checking in the library while you were busy with the bigot, and your father was close friends with 3 other boys, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin. Remus is still alive, and he's living in Hogsmeade, so we could send him a note with Hedwig, maybe he'll be willing to meet you." Hermione paused then, "I also found out something about Sirius and Peter. I'm not sure how you are going to take this, so, I'll just tell you what information is available. It seems that Sirius Black is in Azkaban Prison, sentenced for murdering Peter Pettigrew and 12 muggles on a street corner. They still aren't sure exactly what curse he used, but it must have been extremely powerful, it completely destroyed Peter's body, the only part of him they found was one of his fingers. It is believed that Sirius was something called a 'Secret Keeper' for your parents, and it's also believed he betrayed them to Voldemort."
"Okay, it's good to know about Remus, but, why do you say 'it's believed', didn't the truth come out at his trial? I'd like to know how someone who was a close friend of my parents could betray them to death like that!"
"That's just it, Harry, Sirius Black never got a trial, he was arrested and carted off to Azkaban without one. According to a newspaper article, the spokesman for Millicent Bagnold, who was Minister of Magic at the time, made a statement that, because of the state of emergency the Magical World was in; Death Eaters such as Sirius Black fell into the category of criminals that weren't entitled to a trial. Apparently, someone tried to question the Minister about why Sirius was quoted as yelling at Pettigrew, accusing him of betraying the Potters, but the Minister didn't answer, her spokesman said that Black was obviously deranged."
"Okay, so that is something to look into when we get a chance. Don't give me that look Hermione, if he is guilty, he is where he belongs, and, if he is innocent, he's been there for 10 years now, what is another couple of months? We need to get help to find out if he has been unjustly treated, because, even with my notoriety, there isn't a lot I can do as an 11 year old. First thing we need to do is get in touch with Remus Lupin, and find out what he can tell us. Besides, I really want to get to know my parents, and he's a link to them. We can investigate Sirius' innocence or guilt after that."
__________________
It only took a few minutes for Harry to draft a note to Remus, and send it off with Hedwig. The next day, Harry got a response, Remus was eager to meet him, and could be at Hogwarts next Saturday after breakfast, if Harry wanted to get together.
It was a very excited Harry that went through his classes that week. Even Snape's abuse couldn't bring him down for long. Besides, he had the Halloween feast to look forward to, Fred and George had told he and Ron all about the great treats they had last year, and Harry's mouth was practically watering at the thought.
But first, he and Hermione had homework to get done; he didn't want to have any distractions while he was meeting with Remus.
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"Come on, Hermione, it's getting late, and I really don't want to miss the feast!"
"I'm coming Harry, just let me get my books put away. Honestly, you'd think they were going to run out of food if you don't get there at the beginning."
"Hey, it's possible, have you seen the way that Ron eats? He could have everything gone if we get there late."
As the two of them hurried down the corridor, Harry felt something hit him in the back. Turning around, he saw Peeves the poltergeist floating after them, carrying a bunch of rocks. Grabbing Hermione's hand, he started running, trying to get away from the pest.
Peeves chased them for several minutes, through corridors and up and down staircases, before finally getting bored with the game, and drifting off. Looking around, Harry said, "Do you have any idea where we are? I got lost several turns ago."
"I think we're somewhere on the third floor, but I'm not sure. Wait, did you hear that?" Hermione hissed.
Harry listened, and he heard the same thing, the sound of a voice, and a deep guttural grunting in response. The sound seemed to come from a door further down the hall that was slightly ajar. Pulling Hermione back into the shadows, he watched carefully as the door began to open.
Hermione gasped as they saw Professor Quirrell, after looking up and down the corridor quickly, lead a troll out into the hall and into a room across the way. "Hermione, go get help, I'll try and hold them back here." Harry whispered urgently.
"No, Harry, it's too dangerous, let's both go!" "No, I need you to bring back some teachers, they have to see Quirrell with the Troll, and otherwise they won't know he was the one to bring it in. They won't believe me without seeing it with their own eyes."
Hermione nodded, and moved quickly off down the hall. It only took a couple of minutes for her to get her bearings, and she quickly moved down toward the great hall. It was fortunate that the first professors she encountered were McGonagall and Flitwick, and she was able to convince them of what she had seen. They pulled their wands and hurried up to the corridor, Hermione following along, and hoping that they wouldn't be too late to save a young boy's life.
They heard the growls and shouting as they hurried down the corridor. Moving to the door where they heard the noises, they raised their shields and pushed the door open. The experienced teachers stopped in shock at what they saw. A troll was pushed against the ceiling, and Harry was ducking curses from behind some battered desks, and their fellow teacher, Professor Quirrell, who always struck them as harmless, was snarling as he cast curse after curse at Harry.
Professor Flitwick was the first to recover, and he quickly sent a Reductor curse at the troll, killing it instantly, and Minerva shot a disarming hex at Quirrell. Quirrell's wand flew into her hand, and she turned to see how Harry was doing. That was almost a fatal mistake on her part. As she turned her back on Quirrell, he rushed at her and shoved her out of the way, Hermione screamed as the crazed professor leapt at Harry. Harry blinked and raised his wand, the wand pushed against Quirrell's chest, and Harry cast the 'Wingardium Leviosa' floating spell, hoping to push his attacker away. It had a much more severe effect, though. The spell hit Quirrell's heart, and, because of the energy behind hit, ripped the heart away from the arteries and veins, and he had a massive heart attack, dieing almost instantly.
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Needless to say, Harry and Hermione missed the Halloween feast. Harry, because he was being treated in the Hospital Wing and Hermione because she refused to leave his side. His brothers tried to get in to see him, but Madame Pomphrey refused to allow them entrance. Professor Dumbledore had the house elves bring them a bunch of treats as a consolation for missing the feast. They nibbled while he questioned them all, Professors included, as to what had happened, and why they were in the corridor at all.
After the questioning was done, Harry asked the Headmaster if he knew what Professor Quirrell was doing in the corridor. Professor Dumbledore answered, "Actually, Mister Potter, I've got a very good idea what Quirinus was doing. I had something being guarded there, something that his master wanted very desperately. I unfortunately was not aware of his current allegiance; he had served as an exceptionally fine instructor for several years. Well, at any rate, the item he wanted to get has been secured elsewhere."
"When you say Professor Quirrell's master, you mean Voldemort don't you?"
Nurse Pomphrey gasped at the sound of the name and Harry gave her a disgusted look. "It's just a name, for crying out loud! Why are people so afraid of a name? I don't get it!"
Dumbledore looked at him sharply when he heard the first year student speaking a name that many adults were afraid to use. "Yes, Mister Potter, I was referring to Voldemort, and, I'm pleased you can say his name, not many witches and wizards are able to do so. It only increases Voldemorts legend if people are afraid to say his name."
Harry realized he may have slipped up, and slammed his shields into place as the Headmaster stared at him, his eyes twinkling madly. Thinking quickly, Harry said, "After seeing what I saw earlier tonight, there really isn't anything to be afraid of about a name. He's just another wizard, granted, he's powerful, but he's not a god or a demon, just a man. Although, I do wonder, what kind of parent would name their child Voldemort anyway?"
The old wizard considered this for a few seconds, before nodding and turning away. As he rose to leave, Dumbledore said;
"I believe you are correct about not fearing his name, Mister Potter, and, he named himself after he left Hogwarts. Anyway, I believe it's time for you to rest for a while, those spells took a lot out of you, I'm told. I am impressed with the power you put into the floating spell, there is obviously a big difference between floating a feather, and a 30 stone beast like that troll. And I have to tell you, that, even though I'm sure you feel some measure of guilt for Quirrell's death, you shouldn't. He would have killed you without a second thought, and your actions saved your life, and doubtless many others that would have been lost had he succeeded in his mission."
"Now, get some rest, Harry, you have a big day ahead of you tomorrow" Albus smiled gently at him as he left the room.
_________________
Dumbledore's Office
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, and multiple other titles, sat at his desk, sucking on a lemon drop as he watched the penseive memory of his conversation with Harry Potter.
'I wonder, are the shields he displayed natural, or a remnant of the attack as an infant? He didn't seem aware that I was probing him, but, there were shields there none the less. I could still see his surface thoughts, and there really wasn't much surprise there, although I wonder if Miss Granger is aware of the nature of his feelings for her. Probably, she is a very observant young lady. Oh well, this is a mystery that I won't solve in an evening, and I do need to get at least a few hours of sleep before Cornelius shows up in the morning demanding an explanation.'
Stretching, he put the penseive away and turned out the lights in his office.
_____________
The next couple of months were busy ones for Harry and the others, between class work and Quidditch, and weekly visits with Remus, who, after the awkward initial meeting, loosened up quite a bit, telling Harry several stories about his parents, as well as about the other members of the Marauders. Remus even told him the origins of their Marauder names. There was a noticeable sadness when Remus talked about his former brothers, and, any time that Harry tried to move the conversation to Sirius, he changed the subject. Remus, did however, prove Professor Dumbledore right, he howled with laughter at the prank they pulled on Snape, saying that James would have loved it, considering how much he and Sirius hated Snivilus.
After the first couple of weeks, Hermione and Ron joined Harry for the visits, Hermione because she wanted to get to know a friend of Harry's'; and Ron because he was gathering information, wanting to gain an impression of the man, and see if he would be a potential threat or an ally in the future. Ron was getting slightly concerned because his brother was letting his shields down more and more around other people. However, it didn't seem to be causing any problems yet, so he took a 'wait and see' attitude.
__________________
Over Winter break, Harry got together with Arthur, and explained the situation with Snape. He also told him about the fact that the Headmaster had tried to probe him. Arthur was very concerned, but Harry assured him that his shields held, and the only thing Dumbledore saw was a dirty thought about his friend Hermione. Relieved, Arthur teased him about having a girlfriend already. The conversation turned serious again when the two of them went over Harry's plan for Snape. At first he was concerned that Harry not get caught, but, after the plan was finalized, and especially hearing Harry's reasoning behind the need for the death, he gave his blessing. Arthur also agreed to get the items that Harry needed before they went back to school.
The holiday went very pleasantly for everyone, except for a couple of odd items. One very good, and the other was neither good or bad, it was just odd. When Harry came downstairs on Christmas morning, he found a box that had his name on it, from Remus. After Arthur cast several detection spells on it, he gave Harry the okay to open it. Inside was an Invisibility Cloak, with a note on top.
"Harry, this belonged to your father, and I think he'd enjoy seeing you (or rather, not seeing you) have it. Happy Holidays, Remus"
The other odd item occurred later that day, Harry was helping Ron bring his gifts up to his room, and he happened to look over at Scabbers. The rat was chewing on his front paw, and Harry noticed that the rat was missing a toe. He didn't say anything, wanting to get more information first. The first thing he wanted to do when he got back to school, was find out how long a normal rat is expected to live, because the rat had been there for as long as he could remember, first as Percy's rat, and now as Ron's.
__________________
It didn't take Harry much research to determine that Ron's rat had outlived its normal lifespan by about 8 years at this point, which, combined with the missing toe, was pointing him more and more to the idea that something was not right about Sirius's imprisonment. He decided not to discuss his suspicions with Hermione yet, because her conscience would make her want to do something immediately, and Harry didn't see any real need for urgency.
____________________
The school year was winding down, with all the students studying for their exams, especially since Professor Dumbledore had taken over teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, he had promised that the exam would be strenuous. Harry wasn't that concerned about most of his classes, he and Hermione had spent quite a lot of time studying in the library. Ron still teased him about having a girl friend, but not as much since he had noticed that Susan Bones, a pretty Hufflepuff in their year had started smiling at him.
___________________
The final potions class of the year was going, and Harry was working feverishly on the Pepper-Up Potion, successful completion of which was 40 percent of his grade for the year. He had just added the final ingredients, and gave the correct counterclockwise stir the required four times, when the room was jolted by the sound of an explosion.
Whirling around in his seat, Harry and the rest of the class saw what was unfortunately a typical sight. Professor Snape was standing over Neville Longbottom, verbally abusing and tormenting the boy. This time seemed to be worse than usual however, as Neville was holding his hands over his face and Harry could see blood dripping through his fingers.
Snape wasn't paying any attention to the condition of his victim; he was too busy enjoying the sound of his voice as he heaped buckets of steaming sarcasm on the hopelessly clumsy Gryffindor. It wasn't until he heard the sound of the lummox's head hitting the desk that he looked down and saw the blood. Shaking his head at the mess, he pointed at Potter and Granger; who had both finished their potions, correctly he was surprised to see, and had them escort Longbottom to the nurse.
__________
Hermione was torn between worry over her friend, and fury at Snape's callous disregard for anyone and anything that wasn't a Slytherin.
"You know that if it had been Malfoy or one of his goons, he would have never been yelling at him like that, and, if one of them developed so much as a fucking hangnail in his class, he would have sent someone to fetch Madame Pomphrey right away! I swear Harry, I know I told Professor McGonagall that I'd try to change things peacefully first, but I'm very quickly losing my patience. It's not only Snape; it's the attitude of a lot of the students and professors as well. It's obvious to them, that since I can't trace my bloodline back to Merlin and Circe, I'm not worthy of calling myself a witch! I may as well be a trained monkey in the zoo, for that's all they see me as, a damned curiosity!"
"Hermione, trust me, I agree with you, and, when the time is right, I will be right beside you doing what needs to be done. Our beloved Potions Instructor may have forgotten, but, there are consequences to his actions. But, for right now, let's get Neville to the nurse so we can be sure he isn't going to loose an eye. He really is badly burned all over his face."
________________
It was a close thing, but Neville didn't lose his sight; he did get a bit of scarring on his face, and he spent the last few days of school drawn into himself, snarling at anybody that came near him. The only thing that made him smile was when Harry leaned over to him as they were leaving for the return trip back, and whispered, "Don't worry, Nev, I'm going to make him pay! He won't be here next year!"
After boarding the train, Harry loaded all his stuff into the compartment he, Hermione, and Ron were sharing, and went to find a private spot to put his plan into effect. Hermione saw him grab a syringe and his invisibility cloak and asked him what he was doing.
"It's best you don't know, Hermione, but, there are certain things I will not allow to go on, and I told you that certain actions have consequences. I'm providing the consequences."
Her eyes widened as she listened to what he said, "Okay Harry, I understand, just be careful, okay? He's not worth getting into more trouble for."
"I'm always careful, and I've planned this out to the best of my abilities. I'll see you soon." He put the invisibility cloak on; touched his wand to the portkey, and Hermione and Ron could tell by the way the air moved that he was gone.
_______________
Meanwhile, Severus Snape's Private Quarters
Snape stalked into his quarters, tossing his robe on a chair, and grabbed a bottle of Firewhiskey off the shelf. "The nerve of the old man!" he grumbled, "Questioning my professionalism, as if I'd deliberately let any harm come to one of these mewling brats in my care! The very idea is laughable. Just because Longbottom is a drama queen, the little pouf, and can't handle constructive criticism, is no reason to impugn my professional reputation."
He set the glass down and was reaching for the bottle for a refill when he heard the sound of several silencing charms going up.
"Who's there?" He demanded, his words slightly slurred.
"Petrificus Totalus" Came a voice from nowhere. Snape couldn't move on his own, and started to fall over, but was stopped from falling when the same voice spoke again; "Mobilicorpus" and he felt himself being laid out on his bed. He heard the sound of cloth being pulled, and the face of his worst enemy floated before him.
"You know, Severus, a true Slytherin would have found out the abilities and, most important, the capabilities, of someone before he made an enemy of them. But then, with your bullheaded refusal to let facts change your dearly held prejudices, you are more of a Gryffindor than a Slytherin. I bet that when you imagined how you'd die, you never thought that it would be at the hands of an 11 year old boy, who you abused and belittled for the entire year. Well, imagined or not, your death is here, in the form of a bubble of air. Now, an air bubble is ordinarily quite harmless, but, when placed in the human bloodstream, it causes a massive heart attack. So, goodbye Severus, enjoy your eternity in Hell, I'm sure I'll see you there eventually!" Snape felt a prick at his ankle and then felt sensation returning to his limbs as the spell was released. "Potter!" he gasped as the bubble hit his heart and the disruption caused it to stop, permanently.
Harry stood impassively watching as his victim finally died. Checking around, he made sure the door was locked, removed the silencing charms and activated the portkey back to the Express. He was very relieved that the magic worked properly, he was concerned that he wouldn't be brought back to the right compartment, especially since the train was moving at a high speed.
When he popped back into the compartment, Hermione and Ron both looked up from the game of chess with questioning looks on their faces. When Harry nodded, Hermione was the first to react; "Good! He was a monster, and he won't hurt anybody else any more."
Ron added, "It had to be done, Harry, and I'm glad you were able to take care of it. Nobody saw you, did they?"
"The only person who could have seen me was Snape, and he isn't telling anyone. Now, has the snack cart been by yet, I'm hungry!"
End Year One
AUTHORS END NOTE: For those that were wondering what Hagrid was doing, he was burying the dragon egg he got in the bar. For whatever reason, possibly being overcooked, the egg didn't hatch. I couldn't think of a decent story reason for the trio (which really isn't at this point in the story) to visit Hagrid, since he and Harry didn't have the close relationship they did in canon.
[CMC1]Intra - means within the single House. Inter - means between the Houses
By Red Jacobson
Chapter Two: First Year
DISCLAIMER: None of the Characters you recognize belong to me. If they did, I would certainly be making a lot more money than I am right now. So please don't sue me; I'm poor. sigh
DEDICATION: This story is dedicated to Chaz (Old Wolf) Hager and Jason W. Thompson, for extreme story assistance. Thanks guys, this story wouldn't work as well as it does (if it even works, which I'll leave to my gentle readers GRIN) without your help.
AUTHORS NOTE: The title of this story is courtesy of Bad Voodoo X, but the content is strictly my responsibility. This story is un-beta'd, and it quite possibly will not end up in the Library of Congress as one of the Great Works of American Literature, but, so what? I write for fun.
AUTHORS WARNING: I write stories intended for an adult audience, which means that the characters will be taking their clothes off and doing nasty things that our current President and Congress would not approve of. The characters won't be getting naked in this chapter; they are only 11 after all.
In other words; DANGER: SMUT ALERT!!!! If you feel that your immortal soul would be imperiled if you read graphic descriptions of teenagers having sex, then move along, this story isn't for you! The rest of you, enjoy!
FEEDBACK: Has anybody ever said no? But, please, if you have criticism, please be as specific as you can so I can address the situation in the story if needed.
Platform 9 and ¾ Kings Cross Station
Harry and Ron were jostling each other as they loaded their trunks onto the luggage cart. Hedwig hooted indignantly from her perch on top of Harry's trunk. Molly was distracted trying to keep up with the twins, as well as making sure the Percy had every thing he needed for the year. 'Of course she'd be fussing over Mr. Perfect Percy' Harry thought, 'he's such a momma's boy; he needs her permission to take a dump! Hey, that's funny; have to tell that one to Ron later, he'll laugh!'
They found an empty compartment and stored their trunks, and waited for the train to begin the journey to Hogwarts. After using one of Arthur's' wands that had the tracking charm removed, they cast silencing and 'notice me not' charms over the compartment. Once that was done, they both spent the first part of the journey the same way that the elder Weasleys had, shoring up their mental shields, so the Sorting Hat would sort them into Gryffindor. If they were sorted into Slytherin, people might be on their guard more than necessary, which would make it difficult to learn what they wanted to know.
After 15 minutes of meditation; they both opened their eyes and grinned at each other. Unlocking the door and removing the "notice me not" charms, they passed the time playing a game of Exploding Snap, until they were interrupted by a girl with bushy hair looking for a toad.
Harry looked up and said, "Let me guess, Trevor is missing again?" he grinned.
The girl looked surprised, "That's right, it's Trevor. Do you know Neville?"
"Sure, known him for a couple of years. Hey Nev!"
"Hey Harry, have you seen Trevor? He got away from me when I opened the door to get some snack cakes." The pudgy boy said, worry on his face.
"I haven't seen him, but I'll be glad to help you look. I'm tired of getting beaten by Ron anyway." Harry said as he got up from the seat.
"Thanks a lot! Oh, Harry, this is Hermione Granger, Hermione, this is Harry Potter." At the sound of his name, Hermione's eyes widened, and Neville quickly added, "Yes, he is THAT Harry Potter, but he doesn't like to talk about it. Not that I blame him, after what happened to my parents."
"Oh, well, it's nice to meet you Harry. Shall we go find Trevor? It's going to be time to get changed into our robes soon, and there are still things I want to go over in my books before we get there....."
Harry glanced at Neville, who gave a helpless shrug as they followed her up the aisle, she was still talking a mile a minute, but they didn't even try to keep up with her train of thought.
It didn't take long before they found Trevor, he had landed on the snack cart, and had burrowed his way down among the Chocolate Frogs, what he thought he was doing there is a mystery for the ages.
After re-uniting Neville and his toad, Harry invited Hermione to join him and Ron in his compartment for the rest of the ride. She accepted, saying she had a lot of questions about the magical world, and maybe he could answer them. At his look, she told him that she was the first witch in her family, that her parents were dentists, a career that is greatly needed in the United Kingdom. Harry chuckled in agreement, remembering the nasty green color that seemed to permanently reside in Uncle Vernon's teeth.
Stepping into the compartment, he introduced Hermione to Ron, who grunted in acknowledgement, and the two of them sat down and Harry tried to answer questions she had about the magical world. Unfortunately, the conversation was temporarily interrupted by the compartment door opening and Draco Malfoy stood there, flanked by his two apes. Harry tried to ignore the interruption, but Malfoy managed to irritate him by making a comment about how 'I couldn't believe my ears when they told me the 'Famous Harry Potter' was so bad off that he had to live with paupers!' Harry had had enough, after losing his original family; he wasn't going to let anybody, least of all this arrogant prick, talk down about his new family. "You know, Draco, I'm glad you were finally able to get that nasty mud out of your robes, I guess all that Malfoy money is good for something after all." Malfoy glared at him and left, trailed by his goons.
After getting rid of Malfoy the subject returned to the school itself, and the different houses. Hermione asked them if they knew what house they wanted to be sorted into, and Harry said that they wanted to be sorted into Gryffindor, since that is where all their brothers went, as well as Harry's parents.
"I would love to be in Gryffindor, what I've read says that the primary traits Gryffindors' share is bravery and a hatred for injustice, and there is a lot of injustice in the Wizarding world, just look at how they treat the non-purebloods! It's scandalous!"
Ron basically tuned her rant out at this point, but Harry sat and listened, occasionally asking questions about her opinions of Magical Society. She started talking about how there was so much prejudice about bloodlines, that it is hurting society as a whole, and how she was inspired by Dr Martin Luther King's vision of non-violent change. Of course, she continued, there are other options if non-violence doesn't work.
Harry was intrigued by her attitude, and asked what she would do if she had to use other options. She looked sad for a minute, saying that she hoped it would never come to that, but, the Magical World needed to change, otherwise it would stagnate, and die out.
"It reminds me of something I read in a book my cousin Alexander in California sent me, it's about the Vietnam War, one of the commanders said that they were willing to destroy a village to save it from the insurgents. It didn't make much sense to me at the time, but, looking back, it does. If the only way to cure the Wizarding World of its prejudice and bigotry is to burn it to the ground, then let the razing begin!" Her eyes seemed to lose focus as she was talking, until she shook herself, and looked at her watch, "Oh, I've got to go, I need to get changed into my school robes, I'll see you inside Harry; it was nice talking to you!" She said as she hurried out of the compartment.
Ron quickly locked the doors and put silencing charms in place, before turning to his brother. "Damn Harry! What did you do to her? I don't even think she realized what she was saying towards the end there!"
"She didn't, once I got her talking about other options, I was using one of the spells Fred taught me to make her speak whatever was on her mind. She was mildly hypnotized, and will have no memory of the last part of the conversation."
"Okay, that explains how, now, how about you tell me why you invited little miss know it all in here anyway? I mean, you don't fancy her, do you? Oooh! I'll bet that's it! Ickle Harrikins has got a girlfriend!"
"Oh, get stuffed! If you remember what Dad taught us last year, about sensing a person's magical strength? I took a look at Hermione when she first came in; and, that girl, Muggleborn or not, has a tremendous amount of power, and, even better, she has an even bigger grudge against society. Combine the two, and throw in her obvious intelligence, and we have either a formidable ally, or the worst enemy we could imagine. I'd prefer her as an ally Honestly; we're going to have enough problems when the time comes without asking for more. And, besides, the time is going to come when "The Boy Who Lived" is going to require a public girlfriend, and it only makes sense that she be Muggleborn, considering Voldemort's mania about purity of the blood. And," he smirked, "if what Percy says about that Ravenclaw are true about smart girls in general, they are absolutely wild in bed!"
Ron looked at Harry in disbelief, "Percy? Having sex? Ugh!" Then the two of them started laughing until tears welled up in their eyes.
Eventually they calmed down, and Ron said, "What you said just now reminds me; it probably wouldn't be a good idea to be spouting off Voldemort's name in front of everybody. Remember, most wizards and witches can't bring themselves to say it. I know we've all gotten in the habit of using his name at the Burrow, but, it might be best to keep that to ourselves."
"Yeah, you're right. It's back to 'you know who' when anybody can hear us. What a pain!"
___________
The rest of the trip passed quietly, and soon enough, they found themselves in the Great Hall of Hogwarts watching as Professor McGonagall placed the battered hat on Abbott, Hannah, sorting her into Hufflepuff. Harry grinned at Hermione's pleasure in being sorted into Gryffindor, and soon enough his name was called. Harry paused for a second or two to ensure his shields were in place, and moved up to sit on the stool.
As soon as the hat was placed on his head, he heard a voice in his ear; "Harry Potter, very interesting, not what I was expecting at all, you have your parents strength, I see, but, something else, as well, a burning ambition, you would do well in either Slytherin or Gryffindor, but, I can see you want to be with your family, and, Miss Granger? Oh Well, make it 'Gryffindor!"
The hat shouted the last word, and the Gryffindor table erupted in cheers, as Harry climbed off the stool and moved to where Hermione had cleared a spot for him. He did the same for Ron a few minutes later when the redhead was sorted.
_____________
Meanwhile, In Muggle London
Arthur was sitting at his desk going over reports from various agents the Hellfire Club had throughout Europe, when his eyes widened at a report from Romania. Buzzing Tessa, he asked her if this had been confirmed. She took the report and said that they were still working on getting confirmation, but, if true, it would be disastrous.
Arthur told her that getting confirmation of this information was priority one, and he was to be informed the minute that the information was available. In the meantime, there were some people he had to make aware of it.
Writing a quick note to Percy, he added a special phrase at the end that told him to beware of Professor Quirrell, and to pass the information on to Ron and Harry.
__________
The next morning, Percy was surprised to receive an owl at breakfast, and was even more surprised when he saw that it was from his father. Quickly scanning the note, he pulled his brothers and Harry aside, and told them what his father had found. Harry commented that it might explain the weird twinge he felt in his scar during dinner the previous night. He had thought it might be Snape's doing.
Percy said, "Speaking of Professor Snape, watch yourself around him, Harry, rumor has it that there was seriously bad blood between he and your father when they were students here. I doubt he would be any less inclined to punish you for being your father's son, than he would be if your father was still alive."
"Wonderful!" Harry groaned, "Half the world loves me for something I don't remember, and now I get this git hating me for something my father did! This is gonna make life so much easier!"
"Just watch yourself, little brother," George said, in uncharacteristic seriousness, "he will cause problems just because you are Gryffindor, and add to that, your last name, he's gonna try and make your life hell!"
_________
After the first Potions Class
"I can't fucking believe it!" Harry cursed, "I answered the questions he asked me, and they were the correct answers, and the git took 20 points for showing off! Not to mention poor Neville, I can't believe Snape abused him like that. Well, if he wants an enemy, I'll be happy to go along."
"Be careful Harry, you don't want to draw too much attention to us." Ron cautioned.
"Oh, he'll know it's me, but will never be able to prove it. Especially since I'll get Hermione to help with the details. You saw how she was fuming at his attitude today; he acted like she couldn't possibly know anything since she was Muggleborn. I hadn't seen steam come out of someone's ears like that since Fred and George got into the Firewhiskey. Now, the first thing I need to do is get in touch with one of the castle house elves, then Hermione and I will start making his life hell!"
"Damn Harry! That's one evil grin!" Ron chuckled, nervously, "Remind me never to piss you off!"
_______________
The nature of the prank was the cause of a great deal of discussion and planning between Harry and Hermione, with assistance from all the Weasleys, including Percy, who, to Hermione's surprise, was no where near the stuck up prig he appeared to outsiders. At first, Harry wanted to do something much more painful and permanent to Snape, but allowed Hermione to convince him to start with something non-violent and relatively harmless. He did stand his ground about making it embarrassing, which Hermione went along with. He also reserved the right to escalate things if Snape still persisted in his unacceptable behavior.
_______________
The next few weeks were a joy to behold for the members of Gryffindor house, as well as for Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Already gaunt, the Potions Professor became almost skeletal as he was only able to eat a few bites of his meal before being hit with the effects of a powerful laxative. Harry and Hermione both wondered how long it would take before Snape realized the problem was in his coffee and pumpkin juice, not in the food he examined so suspiciously.
The Gryffindors took great pleasure in noisily enjoying their meals, while looking directly at the greasy haired professor. Soon the other houses joined in, which caused Harry and Hermione to grin quietly at each other. Even Gryffindor's Quidditch win, with Harry as their Seeker, couldn't equal the joy they felt in watching their nemesis slowly fading away.
_________________
Finally, a couple of weeks before Halloween, Harry figured that enough was enough, and had a house-elf pop a piece of parchment in front of Snape at breakfast. Snape glared suspiciously at the blank page, and then went even paler than usual as printing appeared;
/Mssrs Mooney, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs;/
/Marauders, Ltd/
/Purveyors of Mischief and Amusement to the Wizarding World/
/ /
/Are Proud to Present:/
/The solution to your problem, you greasy haired git!/
/ /
/Mister Prongs sends his greetings, and observes that it's not surprising Hooknose hasn't figured it out yet/
/ /
/Mister Padfoot adds that he never did think that Snape was too bright/
/ /
/Mister Wormtail says; but it isn't really his fault that his mother was a Blast-Ended Skrewt, and never taught him the rudiments of personal Hygiene./
/ /
/And/
/ /
/Mister Moony says that the solution is simple, Greasy! Wash yourself and your plate and mug, and your problem will pass, or, if it doesn't, at least you'll smell better and stop offending the civilized people who are forced to associate with you./
/ /
Harry and the others worked very hard to keep the grins off their faces as Snape read the note. They could tell by the different shades of red he turned which part of the note he had reached. It had taken Percy and the twins several days of work to figure out the charms that the original Marauders had used on the Map that Fred and George found in their first year, and another couple of days to duplicate them to send in the note.
Professor Dumbledore turned to his Potions Professor when he heard Snape's strangled curse. "What is it Severus?"
Snape didn't reply, just handed the parchment to the Headmaster. Meanwhile, the whole hall had gone silent when they realized something different was happening. That is why those who were close enough to the head table saw Dumbledore's eyes widen in surprise, and heard him murmur, 'It's impossible! They've been gone for years." Then he raised his head and looked directly at Harry and the others. Turning solicitously to Professor Snape, he spoke quietly to him. No one could make out exactly what he said, but Snape didn't look happy as he nodded and left the table. Most of the students turned to watch Snape leave, but Harry was watching Dumbledore, and almost dropped his drink when the venerable Headmaster winked at him!
_________
Later that day, as they were leaving Transfiguration; Professor McGonagall stopped Harry and Hermione and said that the Headmaster wanted to see them. She refused to answer any questions, and soon they were at the office.
When they were seated, and Professor McGonagall had left, Professor Dumbledore looked at them over his glasses. He was silent for several moments, before finally grinning at them. "Congratulations you two, it's been a long time, possibly since the era of the original Marauders, that I've seen a professor pranked quite so successfully. Now, that being said," He added seriously, "it might be a good idea to let Mssrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs go back into retirement. I say this because there are several professors still teaching here who remember the original Marauders, and, more importantly, know who they really are. These are the people who would likely wonder how it was that two men, both dead for 10 years, and one who is sitting in Azkaban Prison managed to send a note to Professor Snape."
At Harry's confused expression, he said "Ah, so you don't know who the Marauders are? I'm not going to tell you all their names, I'll leave you to figure that out, but, Prongs was your own father, Mister Potter. And, from what I remember, he and the others would have definitely approved of the prank you pulled."
Turning to Hermione, he smiled gently at her, and said, "As for you Miss Granger, I'm pleased to see you involving yourself with the other students, and I'm assuming that the powdered Ex-Lax was your idea?" When she looked up, surprised, he chuckled, "I figured out what had happened after a couple of days, but I wasn't certain who among your house was responsible. Honestly, I'd thought it was one of the older years; it's not often that first years display such initiative and imagination. Now, officially of course, the Headmaster of Hogwarts can not be seen to condone pranking, so, the 50 points I am awarding to Gryffindor is for the two of you assisting me on a research project on Inter[CMC1] -House teamwork. Well, that is the official reason, and I believe I shall stick to that story. I will give you each a note for Professor Flitwick who I believe is your instructor this period, and I also hope you remember what I said. If you must sign your work, make your own names something to emulate by the future students."
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Harry was quieter than usual on the walk to the Charms classroom, and when Hermione tried to get him to talk; she saw that his eyes were glistening with tears. Shocked, she asked him what was wrong, if it was that he had been found out by the Headmaster, at least he didn't seem angry. Harry shook his head, and said;
"That's not it at all, Hermione. It's just that, I realized when he made that comment about my Dad, it's the first real bit of information I've ever learned about him. You grew up with your parents, so I don't think you understand what it means to have no idea what your parents are like." The last words were choked out as Harry, despite all his training, broke down sobbing.
Hermione pulled her friend into a hug as he cried against her. She didn't know what to say, so she just held him. After a minute or so, he calmed down and pulled away, wiping his eyes. "Thanks," he said quietly, "Please don't say anything about this to anybody, I'd never hear the end of it."
"I'll keep quiet, Harry, don't worry. But, I've got an idea. From what Professor Dumbledore said, at least one of your father's friends is still alive and free. It shouldn't take much searching to find out who his friends were, and track them down. I mean, if anybody could tell you about your parents, it would be one of his best friends, right? So, let's go to the library after supper and start looking."
Harry smiled at her with something close to hope in his expression, and pulled her into another hug.
Of course, such a tender moment couldn't last, and a drawling voice caused them to leap apart, "Oh, how the mighty have fallen! Honestly Potty, it's bad enough you live with the paupers, but to degrade yourself with a mudblood? It's disgusting!"
"That's it, Malfoy! I've had all I'm going to take from you!" Harry snarled, pulling his wand.
"What are you going to do with that Potty? You're a goody goody Gryffindor, and I don't think that Wingardium Leviosa is gonna do much against me." Malfoy sneered.
"Actually Malfoy, I want to show you something that my little sister taught me. It's a little thing she calls the 'Bat Bogey Hex' I think you'll enjoy it, but, if not, I know that we will." He finished as he muttered the command and watched Draco run away, trying to get away from the bats that were coming out of his nose.
Naturally, no good deed goes unpunished, and Professor Snape, looking freshly washed, came into the corridor just in time to see one of his students run away screaming. Looking around, his face lit up as he saw the son of his nemesis. "Potter! What are you doing? Put that wand away! It's bad enough that you show off in class, but, assaulting students in the halls? That will be 50 points from Gryffindor, and you will be joining me in detention every night this week. Perhaps cleaning cauldrons will break your habit of breaking the rules, probably not, but, at least you won't have the time to spend with your muggle-born girlfriend!" He ended with a look of disgust as he walked away.
Harry put his hand on Hermione's shoulder, stopping her from grabbing her wand to defend herself. "Don't Hermione, he's not worth it. He won't change, and it's best to just let it go, for now. We won't be students forever, after all."
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Later that night, he pulled Ron aside and, after casting a privacy charm around his bed, said, "Don't bother with any more pranks on Snape, he's not going to change. I saw his arm during detention tonight, and he's got the Dark Mark! I am not going to allow a marked Death Eater to live, not when I can do something about it. It was people like him that supported the fucker who killed my parents, and stuck me with my relatives! If killing scum like him will prevent another Dark Lord arising, and turning more kids into orphans, then it's 'bye-bye scum!' And, if Voldemort manages to come back, I'm going to make it my business to make him pay for what he had done! For my parents, and every other kid he orphaned, I will send him straight to hell!"
"I think you need to talk to Dad before you do anything like that Harry, if it's too obvious, he won't be able to help you out, 'Boy Who Lived' or not."
"Don't worry, I've already got an idea, and it won't be obvious at all, in fact, it's something that I read about in one of the muggle books your dad had at the Burrow. I just need one thing to make it happen, and I can get that over the winter break."
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Later that week, Harry was coming back from his last detention with the not so greasy haired git, he happened to look out a window that had a view of Hagrid's hut. In the moonlight, he saw Hagrid moving around behind his hut, but couldn't make out exactly what he was doing, it seemed like he was digging a hole for some reason. Shrugging, Harry went back to the tower to get some sleep.
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The Saturday morning before Halloween, Harry and Hermione sat down at breakfast, and Harry was amused at how his friend was practically bouncing in her seat from excitement. "I think I've found your father's friend, Harry! I did a lot of checking in the library while you were busy with the bigot, and your father was close friends with 3 other boys, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin. Remus is still alive, and he's living in Hogsmeade, so we could send him a note with Hedwig, maybe he'll be willing to meet you." Hermione paused then, "I also found out something about Sirius and Peter. I'm not sure how you are going to take this, so, I'll just tell you what information is available. It seems that Sirius Black is in Azkaban Prison, sentenced for murdering Peter Pettigrew and 12 muggles on a street corner. They still aren't sure exactly what curse he used, but it must have been extremely powerful, it completely destroyed Peter's body, the only part of him they found was one of his fingers. It is believed that Sirius was something called a 'Secret Keeper' for your parents, and it's also believed he betrayed them to Voldemort."
"Okay, it's good to know about Remus, but, why do you say 'it's believed', didn't the truth come out at his trial? I'd like to know how someone who was a close friend of my parents could betray them to death like that!"
"That's just it, Harry, Sirius Black never got a trial, he was arrested and carted off to Azkaban without one. According to a newspaper article, the spokesman for Millicent Bagnold, who was Minister of Magic at the time, made a statement that, because of the state of emergency the Magical World was in; Death Eaters such as Sirius Black fell into the category of criminals that weren't entitled to a trial. Apparently, someone tried to question the Minister about why Sirius was quoted as yelling at Pettigrew, accusing him of betraying the Potters, but the Minister didn't answer, her spokesman said that Black was obviously deranged."
"Okay, so that is something to look into when we get a chance. Don't give me that look Hermione, if he is guilty, he is where he belongs, and, if he is innocent, he's been there for 10 years now, what is another couple of months? We need to get help to find out if he has been unjustly treated, because, even with my notoriety, there isn't a lot I can do as an 11 year old. First thing we need to do is get in touch with Remus Lupin, and find out what he can tell us. Besides, I really want to get to know my parents, and he's a link to them. We can investigate Sirius' innocence or guilt after that."
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It only took a few minutes for Harry to draft a note to Remus, and send it off with Hedwig. The next day, Harry got a response, Remus was eager to meet him, and could be at Hogwarts next Saturday after breakfast, if Harry wanted to get together.
It was a very excited Harry that went through his classes that week. Even Snape's abuse couldn't bring him down for long. Besides, he had the Halloween feast to look forward to, Fred and George had told he and Ron all about the great treats they had last year, and Harry's mouth was practically watering at the thought.
But first, he and Hermione had homework to get done; he didn't want to have any distractions while he was meeting with Remus.
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"Come on, Hermione, it's getting late, and I really don't want to miss the feast!"
"I'm coming Harry, just let me get my books put away. Honestly, you'd think they were going to run out of food if you don't get there at the beginning."
"Hey, it's possible, have you seen the way that Ron eats? He could have everything gone if we get there late."
As the two of them hurried down the corridor, Harry felt something hit him in the back. Turning around, he saw Peeves the poltergeist floating after them, carrying a bunch of rocks. Grabbing Hermione's hand, he started running, trying to get away from the pest.
Peeves chased them for several minutes, through corridors and up and down staircases, before finally getting bored with the game, and drifting off. Looking around, Harry said, "Do you have any idea where we are? I got lost several turns ago."
"I think we're somewhere on the third floor, but I'm not sure. Wait, did you hear that?" Hermione hissed.
Harry listened, and he heard the same thing, the sound of a voice, and a deep guttural grunting in response. The sound seemed to come from a door further down the hall that was slightly ajar. Pulling Hermione back into the shadows, he watched carefully as the door began to open.
Hermione gasped as they saw Professor Quirrell, after looking up and down the corridor quickly, lead a troll out into the hall and into a room across the way. "Hermione, go get help, I'll try and hold them back here." Harry whispered urgently.
"No, Harry, it's too dangerous, let's both go!" "No, I need you to bring back some teachers, they have to see Quirrell with the Troll, and otherwise they won't know he was the one to bring it in. They won't believe me without seeing it with their own eyes."
Hermione nodded, and moved quickly off down the hall. It only took a couple of minutes for her to get her bearings, and she quickly moved down toward the great hall. It was fortunate that the first professors she encountered were McGonagall and Flitwick, and she was able to convince them of what she had seen. They pulled their wands and hurried up to the corridor, Hermione following along, and hoping that they wouldn't be too late to save a young boy's life.
They heard the growls and shouting as they hurried down the corridor. Moving to the door where they heard the noises, they raised their shields and pushed the door open. The experienced teachers stopped in shock at what they saw. A troll was pushed against the ceiling, and Harry was ducking curses from behind some battered desks, and their fellow teacher, Professor Quirrell, who always struck them as harmless, was snarling as he cast curse after curse at Harry.
Professor Flitwick was the first to recover, and he quickly sent a Reductor curse at the troll, killing it instantly, and Minerva shot a disarming hex at Quirrell. Quirrell's wand flew into her hand, and she turned to see how Harry was doing. That was almost a fatal mistake on her part. As she turned her back on Quirrell, he rushed at her and shoved her out of the way, Hermione screamed as the crazed professor leapt at Harry. Harry blinked and raised his wand, the wand pushed against Quirrell's chest, and Harry cast the 'Wingardium Leviosa' floating spell, hoping to push his attacker away. It had a much more severe effect, though. The spell hit Quirrell's heart, and, because of the energy behind hit, ripped the heart away from the arteries and veins, and he had a massive heart attack, dieing almost instantly.
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Needless to say, Harry and Hermione missed the Halloween feast. Harry, because he was being treated in the Hospital Wing and Hermione because she refused to leave his side. His brothers tried to get in to see him, but Madame Pomphrey refused to allow them entrance. Professor Dumbledore had the house elves bring them a bunch of treats as a consolation for missing the feast. They nibbled while he questioned them all, Professors included, as to what had happened, and why they were in the corridor at all.
After the questioning was done, Harry asked the Headmaster if he knew what Professor Quirrell was doing in the corridor. Professor Dumbledore answered, "Actually, Mister Potter, I've got a very good idea what Quirinus was doing. I had something being guarded there, something that his master wanted very desperately. I unfortunately was not aware of his current allegiance; he had served as an exceptionally fine instructor for several years. Well, at any rate, the item he wanted to get has been secured elsewhere."
"When you say Professor Quirrell's master, you mean Voldemort don't you?"
Nurse Pomphrey gasped at the sound of the name and Harry gave her a disgusted look. "It's just a name, for crying out loud! Why are people so afraid of a name? I don't get it!"
Dumbledore looked at him sharply when he heard the first year student speaking a name that many adults were afraid to use. "Yes, Mister Potter, I was referring to Voldemort, and, I'm pleased you can say his name, not many witches and wizards are able to do so. It only increases Voldemorts legend if people are afraid to say his name."
Harry realized he may have slipped up, and slammed his shields into place as the Headmaster stared at him, his eyes twinkling madly. Thinking quickly, Harry said, "After seeing what I saw earlier tonight, there really isn't anything to be afraid of about a name. He's just another wizard, granted, he's powerful, but he's not a god or a demon, just a man. Although, I do wonder, what kind of parent would name their child Voldemort anyway?"
The old wizard considered this for a few seconds, before nodding and turning away. As he rose to leave, Dumbledore said;
"I believe you are correct about not fearing his name, Mister Potter, and, he named himself after he left Hogwarts. Anyway, I believe it's time for you to rest for a while, those spells took a lot out of you, I'm told. I am impressed with the power you put into the floating spell, there is obviously a big difference between floating a feather, and a 30 stone beast like that troll. And I have to tell you, that, even though I'm sure you feel some measure of guilt for Quirrell's death, you shouldn't. He would have killed you without a second thought, and your actions saved your life, and doubtless many others that would have been lost had he succeeded in his mission."
"Now, get some rest, Harry, you have a big day ahead of you tomorrow" Albus smiled gently at him as he left the room.
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Dumbledore's Office
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, and multiple other titles, sat at his desk, sucking on a lemon drop as he watched the penseive memory of his conversation with Harry Potter.
'I wonder, are the shields he displayed natural, or a remnant of the attack as an infant? He didn't seem aware that I was probing him, but, there were shields there none the less. I could still see his surface thoughts, and there really wasn't much surprise there, although I wonder if Miss Granger is aware of the nature of his feelings for her. Probably, she is a very observant young lady. Oh well, this is a mystery that I won't solve in an evening, and I do need to get at least a few hours of sleep before Cornelius shows up in the morning demanding an explanation.'
Stretching, he put the penseive away and turned out the lights in his office.
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The next couple of months were busy ones for Harry and the others, between class work and Quidditch, and weekly visits with Remus, who, after the awkward initial meeting, loosened up quite a bit, telling Harry several stories about his parents, as well as about the other members of the Marauders. Remus even told him the origins of their Marauder names. There was a noticeable sadness when Remus talked about his former brothers, and, any time that Harry tried to move the conversation to Sirius, he changed the subject. Remus, did however, prove Professor Dumbledore right, he howled with laughter at the prank they pulled on Snape, saying that James would have loved it, considering how much he and Sirius hated Snivilus.
After the first couple of weeks, Hermione and Ron joined Harry for the visits, Hermione because she wanted to get to know a friend of Harry's'; and Ron because he was gathering information, wanting to gain an impression of the man, and see if he would be a potential threat or an ally in the future. Ron was getting slightly concerned because his brother was letting his shields down more and more around other people. However, it didn't seem to be causing any problems yet, so he took a 'wait and see' attitude.
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Over Winter break, Harry got together with Arthur, and explained the situation with Snape. He also told him about the fact that the Headmaster had tried to probe him. Arthur was very concerned, but Harry assured him that his shields held, and the only thing Dumbledore saw was a dirty thought about his friend Hermione. Relieved, Arthur teased him about having a girlfriend already. The conversation turned serious again when the two of them went over Harry's plan for Snape. At first he was concerned that Harry not get caught, but, after the plan was finalized, and especially hearing Harry's reasoning behind the need for the death, he gave his blessing. Arthur also agreed to get the items that Harry needed before they went back to school.
The holiday went very pleasantly for everyone, except for a couple of odd items. One very good, and the other was neither good or bad, it was just odd. When Harry came downstairs on Christmas morning, he found a box that had his name on it, from Remus. After Arthur cast several detection spells on it, he gave Harry the okay to open it. Inside was an Invisibility Cloak, with a note on top.
"Harry, this belonged to your father, and I think he'd enjoy seeing you (or rather, not seeing you) have it. Happy Holidays, Remus"
The other odd item occurred later that day, Harry was helping Ron bring his gifts up to his room, and he happened to look over at Scabbers. The rat was chewing on his front paw, and Harry noticed that the rat was missing a toe. He didn't say anything, wanting to get more information first. The first thing he wanted to do when he got back to school, was find out how long a normal rat is expected to live, because the rat had been there for as long as he could remember, first as Percy's rat, and now as Ron's.
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It didn't take Harry much research to determine that Ron's rat had outlived its normal lifespan by about 8 years at this point, which, combined with the missing toe, was pointing him more and more to the idea that something was not right about Sirius's imprisonment. He decided not to discuss his suspicions with Hermione yet, because her conscience would make her want to do something immediately, and Harry didn't see any real need for urgency.
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The school year was winding down, with all the students studying for their exams, especially since Professor Dumbledore had taken over teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, he had promised that the exam would be strenuous. Harry wasn't that concerned about most of his classes, he and Hermione had spent quite a lot of time studying in the library. Ron still teased him about having a girl friend, but not as much since he had noticed that Susan Bones, a pretty Hufflepuff in their year had started smiling at him.
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The final potions class of the year was going, and Harry was working feverishly on the Pepper-Up Potion, successful completion of which was 40 percent of his grade for the year. He had just added the final ingredients, and gave the correct counterclockwise stir the required four times, when the room was jolted by the sound of an explosion.
Whirling around in his seat, Harry and the rest of the class saw what was unfortunately a typical sight. Professor Snape was standing over Neville Longbottom, verbally abusing and tormenting the boy. This time seemed to be worse than usual however, as Neville was holding his hands over his face and Harry could see blood dripping through his fingers.
Snape wasn't paying any attention to the condition of his victim; he was too busy enjoying the sound of his voice as he heaped buckets of steaming sarcasm on the hopelessly clumsy Gryffindor. It wasn't until he heard the sound of the lummox's head hitting the desk that he looked down and saw the blood. Shaking his head at the mess, he pointed at Potter and Granger; who had both finished their potions, correctly he was surprised to see, and had them escort Longbottom to the nurse.
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Hermione was torn between worry over her friend, and fury at Snape's callous disregard for anyone and anything that wasn't a Slytherin.
"You know that if it had been Malfoy or one of his goons, he would have never been yelling at him like that, and, if one of them developed so much as a fucking hangnail in his class, he would have sent someone to fetch Madame Pomphrey right away! I swear Harry, I know I told Professor McGonagall that I'd try to change things peacefully first, but I'm very quickly losing my patience. It's not only Snape; it's the attitude of a lot of the students and professors as well. It's obvious to them, that since I can't trace my bloodline back to Merlin and Circe, I'm not worthy of calling myself a witch! I may as well be a trained monkey in the zoo, for that's all they see me as, a damned curiosity!"
"Hermione, trust me, I agree with you, and, when the time is right, I will be right beside you doing what needs to be done. Our beloved Potions Instructor may have forgotten, but, there are consequences to his actions. But, for right now, let's get Neville to the nurse so we can be sure he isn't going to loose an eye. He really is badly burned all over his face."
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It was a close thing, but Neville didn't lose his sight; he did get a bit of scarring on his face, and he spent the last few days of school drawn into himself, snarling at anybody that came near him. The only thing that made him smile was when Harry leaned over to him as they were leaving for the return trip back, and whispered, "Don't worry, Nev, I'm going to make him pay! He won't be here next year!"
After boarding the train, Harry loaded all his stuff into the compartment he, Hermione, and Ron were sharing, and went to find a private spot to put his plan into effect. Hermione saw him grab a syringe and his invisibility cloak and asked him what he was doing.
"It's best you don't know, Hermione, but, there are certain things I will not allow to go on, and I told you that certain actions have consequences. I'm providing the consequences."
Her eyes widened as she listened to what he said, "Okay Harry, I understand, just be careful, okay? He's not worth getting into more trouble for."
"I'm always careful, and I've planned this out to the best of my abilities. I'll see you soon." He put the invisibility cloak on; touched his wand to the portkey, and Hermione and Ron could tell by the way the air moved that he was gone.
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Meanwhile, Severus Snape's Private Quarters
Snape stalked into his quarters, tossing his robe on a chair, and grabbed a bottle of Firewhiskey off the shelf. "The nerve of the old man!" he grumbled, "Questioning my professionalism, as if I'd deliberately let any harm come to one of these mewling brats in my care! The very idea is laughable. Just because Longbottom is a drama queen, the little pouf, and can't handle constructive criticism, is no reason to impugn my professional reputation."
He set the glass down and was reaching for the bottle for a refill when he heard the sound of several silencing charms going up.
"Who's there?" He demanded, his words slightly slurred.
"Petrificus Totalus" Came a voice from nowhere. Snape couldn't move on his own, and started to fall over, but was stopped from falling when the same voice spoke again; "Mobilicorpus" and he felt himself being laid out on his bed. He heard the sound of cloth being pulled, and the face of his worst enemy floated before him.
"You know, Severus, a true Slytherin would have found out the abilities and, most important, the capabilities, of someone before he made an enemy of them. But then, with your bullheaded refusal to let facts change your dearly held prejudices, you are more of a Gryffindor than a Slytherin. I bet that when you imagined how you'd die, you never thought that it would be at the hands of an 11 year old boy, who you abused and belittled for the entire year. Well, imagined or not, your death is here, in the form of a bubble of air. Now, an air bubble is ordinarily quite harmless, but, when placed in the human bloodstream, it causes a massive heart attack. So, goodbye Severus, enjoy your eternity in Hell, I'm sure I'll see you there eventually!" Snape felt a prick at his ankle and then felt sensation returning to his limbs as the spell was released. "Potter!" he gasped as the bubble hit his heart and the disruption caused it to stop, permanently.
Harry stood impassively watching as his victim finally died. Checking around, he made sure the door was locked, removed the silencing charms and activated the portkey back to the Express. He was very relieved that the magic worked properly, he was concerned that he wouldn't be brought back to the right compartment, especially since the train was moving at a high speed.
When he popped back into the compartment, Hermione and Ron both looked up from the game of chess with questioning looks on their faces. When Harry nodded, Hermione was the first to react; "Good! He was a monster, and he won't hurt anybody else any more."
Ron added, "It had to be done, Harry, and I'm glad you were able to take care of it. Nobody saw you, did they?"
"The only person who could have seen me was Snape, and he isn't telling anyone. Now, has the snack cart been by yet, I'm hungry!"
End Year One
AUTHORS END NOTE: For those that were wondering what Hagrid was doing, he was burying the dragon egg he got in the bar. For whatever reason, possibly being overcooked, the egg didn't hatch. I couldn't think of a decent story reason for the trio (which really isn't at this point in the story) to visit Hagrid, since he and Harry didn't have the close relationship they did in canon.
[CMC1]Intra - means within the single House. Inter - means between the Houses
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