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Ch. 4: Weasley the Weasel

Harry was on his way to the Great Hall when he literally almost ran into a group of Gryffindors. As he stopped to let them pass, he heard a scathing voice from across the hall.

“What’s wrong, Potter? Where’s your little gang? I thought you’d be too afraid to walk around without them.” Weasley said, and the rest of the small group of Gryffindors stopped and waited for his reply. Harry, however, wouldn’t grace them with a response. He walked past Weasley and into the Great Hall, ignoring the stares and whispers he usually got, along with anyone else who might have tried to associate with him. He sat by himself at the end of the Slytherin table, setting his bag down by his feet calmly as he waited for dinner to start. As the Great Hall filled up, he looked straight ahead, not caring who arrived or where they sat. He calmly waited for about twenty minutes, and in that time the Hall had filled greatly and the level of noise had increased every five minutes with each small group that arrived together. When the food finally appeared, he loaded his plate and ate as fast as he could without choking or looking like a slob.

When he was done, he picked up his bag and hurried back out of the Great Hall, ignoring everyone as he made his way back to the library. His anger had calmed down considerably, but he still wouldn’t talk to Draco. He wouldn’t talk to anyone unless Hermione felt like talking. He made his way down the corridors, ignoring everyone he passed until he reached the library. Once there, he sat down and read, ignoring the rest of the world until Madam Pince tapped him on the shoulder and told him it was fifteen minutes until curfew and the library was closing. He supposed she was probably nice to him because he always respected the books and he never talked much in the library. He thanked her and gathered his things, putting them in his bag and making his way out of the library and back to his common room, though he was loath to see Draco again so soon.

As he made his way toward the dungeons, ignoring anyone who came close to him, he suddenly found himself against a stone wall with a wand pressed to his throat.

“Potter! You think you’re too good to talk to me?! What’s your problem? Are you too famous to associate with normal people? Huh?” Weasley taunted, holding him against the wall while two other Gryffindors, Finnigan and Thomas if he remembered correctly, stood back looking satisfied with themselves.

“Look, Weasley. I don’t even want my fame, for one. Why the bloody hell would I want to be famous for my parents dying? The fact is, I don’t feel like talking to you because you’re a bloody prat and a Gryffindor to boot. I’ve never done anything to you, so why do you feel the need to mess with me?” Harry asked bitingly, not feeling threatened in the least by the idiot holding him against the wall.

“Well, for one, you’re a bloody Slytherin, and that’s reason enough. Aren’t you supposed to be the savior of the wizarding world? Why the hell are you a Slytherin if you really are the boy-who-lived?” Weasley asked, glaring at Harry.

“First of all, Weasley, being the boy who lived has nothing to do with House placement. I’m in Slytherin because I have many more Slytherin qualities than any other House and I told the hat I wanted to be placed in Slytherin. The hat considered me for both Ravenclaw and Slytherin and I made my choice. Frankly, I don’t see how being the boy-who-lived affects any of this. Slytherins are not all evil, contrary to what some people may believe. Just because we are in the same House that the Dark Lord was in, does not mean we are, nor do we want to be like him. The reason I failed to answer you earlier was not because I think I am better than anyone. I refuse to let someone bait me into fighting, and you are no different. You were just trying to start something with me Weasley, and I want to be left alone.” Harry said, returning his glare.

He almost thought that Weasley was at a loss for words, but it seemed that the redhead wouldn’t be deterred.

“You know, Potter. It should seem like since you’re the great hero of light, you should be in Gryffindor. Why are you in the opposing House if you’re supposed to be a hero?” Weasley asked, sniffing with disdain at the thought of being any nearer to a Slytherin than he needed to be.

“Because I have little to no Gryffindor qualities, I suppose. I had no desire to be in any specific house, and since a friend of mine happened to go to Slytherin, and it appeared that I did have some influence over what the hat chose, I asked to be placed in Slytherin as well. The fact is, as Slytherins, we stick together. We have our priorities in order and we work for what we get. We don’t expect people to give us anything, because we know they won’t. Seeing how others treat us, and knowing even a little of what my Housemates or their parents have been through, I don’t blame them for supporting Voldemort.” Harry said softly, and the three Gryffindors flinched. Harry continued speaking as if he didn’t notice.

“What he could offer…power, protection, and freedom. Anyone in a horrible situation they had no control over would want what he offered. I hate him for killing my parents, don’t get me wrong, and I would never support what he did. I only mean that for some of his supporters, I think it was their only option left at that point. Some people couldn’t help it.” Harry said softly, not looking at the Gryffindors.

“What, so you think it’s okay, what they did?! They killed innocent people, Potter! Or have you forgotten!” Weasley snarled, his glare renewed as he got over the shock of what Harry had said. Harry felt something stir in him along the lines of a deep rage that immediately started to spiral out of control within him. His face twisted with it, and with this rage filling his voice and spiraling around him in magic energies, he spoke.

“You know nothing of which you speak, Weasley. I had to watch a mad man kill my parents. I had to sit, as a helpless, innocent child, as he turned his wand on me. Do not think for a second that had I had a choice, I would have survived. Do you think I wanted to live all these years knowing my parents were dead? Not even knowing how they died. Just the fact that they weren’t there and never would be. It’s mortal agony, Weasley. Something I’m sure you would know nothing about. Don’t speak to me about what they have done. I have heard the stories and I can assure you, that given the chance to confront the killer, I would be capable of much worse, and I would be far too willing to do it. I have the power and I have the will. The only thing missing from this pretty little scenario is the Dark Lord, and he will get his when he returns.” Harry said in a deadly hiss, his rage spilling from him like water from a broken main.

The three Gryffindors were stricken, and Weasley’s wand was no longer pressed to his throat. Harry shoved him away, still seething, and pointed his wand at his face.

“I suggest you three leave and let me be on my way. I do not know what I am capable of at the moment, but I can assure you I am only too willing to find out. Test me, Weasley. I dare you.” Harry said in a dangerously low voice, and without argument, the three Gryffindors left, much to Harry’s surprise. He must have been more intimidating than he thought. He tried to calm his rage, but found that it kept spilling from him, combined with his magic energy, and creating a palpable sense of anger around him. He couldn’t calm it, and so he put his wand away. He wasn’t going to be docked points or given detention if he got angry enough to hex anyone he might come across in the corridors.

With a sigh and a snort, he started to make his way back to his common room, hoping to calm himself before he got there, lest he snap on one of his Housemates and do something he would regret. Unbeknownst to him, a man in the corner had watched the whole confrontation, only waiting to step in if things looked like they were going to get violent. He was more shaken than he had been in ten years. Who knew that Potter had that kind of raw power, let alone that mentality. It was uncomfortably dark and out of character for the whelp, and he needed to report it, if only to prevent an inevitable disaster. It would not do to have the ‘Hero of Light’ as Weasley had so ignorantly called him, become just the opposite of that. The way he spoke, though. It was as if he knew what that helplessness felt like, as if he had experienced it himself. He sighed. Of course the whelp didn’t know. He was the savior of the wizarding world, and the epitome of light. He couldn’t know what it felt like to be so trapped. It was ridiculous, in fact. The man shook his head.

He was thinking too much. He just needed to report this incident and be done with it. He couldn’t afford to try to curb this disaster on his own. He needed help, of the most powerful variety, and he would surely have it. With a sigh, he stalked off down the corridor, going to do what he knew he must.

****

When Harry got back to the common room, he whispered the password to the stone wall and nothing happened.

‘Bloody fantastic. Must’ve changed today.’ Harry thought, settling himself outside the common room in case anyone decided to open it and sneak out, which they most likely would eventually. He sighed and started to breathe deeply, but he couldn’t seem to calm himself. His rage was ever present, and it wouldn’t abate. He tried for three hours before someone finally opened the door and he quickly got up to ask them the password and get into the common room. It was one of the older years that Harry didn’t recognize. The teen was startled to see him, but he gave him the password anyway and let him into the common room. The password this time was ‘Pure Blood’. Harry smiled at that. He should’ve guessed. A lot of the Slytherins really were alike. He decided to sit in one of the chairs rather than going up to bed, and for a long time, he just stared at the fireplace.

When he finally dozed off, he only got a few hours of sleep before he was disturbed in the common room. By the time he woke up his rage had mercifully dissipated, and he was able to hurry up to the dorm and grab his things for his shower, much to the surprised looks of his dorm mates. He spoke to no one and ignored them if they did speak to him as he gathered his clothes and bag and hurried down to the shower. This time, since he hadn’t woken up earlier, he had to shower with some of the other Slytherins but he hurried through it and got dressed, still ignoring those around him. It was still about an hour before breakfast so he decided to take refuge in the library once again. As he walked, he noticed in particular that Gryffindors were giving him a wide berth, and that had almost made him smile. So, despite his stature, he could be intimidating if he put a little power and rage behind it.

He studied in the library until five minutes before breakfast, and then he made his way to the Great Hall. As he walked down the corridors, he saw Draco but he ignored him and walked past him, stalking through a group of Gryffindors and enjoying the fact that they scattered as soon as they saw it was him. They all but ran into the Great Hall, and as Harry made his way to the Slytherin table, he felt more than a few stares on his back. With a smirk, he sat down and waited for the food to show up. To his surprise, Draco, Blaise, Vince, and Greg sat around him, and Draco started to speak.

“Potter, do you mind telling me why all the Gryffindors are scared of you? It’s hilarious, mind you, but why are they terrified to be in the same corridor as you?” Draco asked, the amusement and curiosity evident in his voice. Harry decided to humor them with at least a grain of the truth.

“They’ve just learned their place, that’s all. They’re finally showing me the respect I deserve.” Harry said, and the rest of the Slytherins just stared at him.

“But, what did you actually do?” Blaise asked before anyone else could. At this, Harry smiled, and it was one which did not fit his face at all.

“It’s a secret.” He said, and he wouldn’t answer any more questions. Not that they asked many more. They were all weirded out by his behavior. He ate breakfast quickly, ignoring the glances of his year mates, and when he was done, he grabbed his bag and headed for the library again with a smirk that was so unlike himself on his face, glaring at a few Gryffindors who dared pass him and chuckling as they jumped away from him and walked quickly in the other direction. He didn’t notice the stares of the teachers as he passed out of the Great Hall, because he hadn’t looked up at the staff table once. He never had any reason to. He made his way to the library, and as he sat there and finished his potions book, starting on another class book, he wondered idly what kind of spells he could get out of the books in the restricted section.

He would have to think of a way to get access to it. He knew you needed a teacher’s note to take a book out, so he would have to contemplate which teacher to ask. Of course, if they saw the titles of any books he might want to take out, he was willing to bet they wouldn’t let him take them out, let alone read them. Of course they didn’t want first years learning advanced spells, let alone curses. He just wanted to make sure he was ready the next time Weasley confronted him, because he knew there would be a next time. He wanted his pick of curses so he could enjoy the effect at least for a little while before he was caught by a teacher. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he started as the same group who accosted him at breakfast came to sit at his table in the library.

“Look, Potter. Just tell me what you did. You can’t ignore me forever. I’m a Malfoy and I always get what I want. You need to learn some respect or else.” Draco said with confidence, gesturing at Vince and Greg. The rage started to build inside him once again, and he stood up, though he carefully kept it from his face this time. That did not, however, keep it from entering his voice, nor did he try to stop it as he started to speak, his rage spiraling around him with his magic once again.

“You have no idea what I’m capable of, Malfoy. Do not threaten me. You will regret it. Maybe it’s you that needs to learn respect, or are you incapable of feeling respect for a lowly half-blood? If that’s the case, I can always teach you.” Harry said in a deadly hiss, pulling out his wand though he pointed it and no one.

“Y-yeah right Potter. You don’t even know any curses yet.” Draco said, but he sounded unsure of himself, his voice quivering a bit.

“Aw, did I scare the little pureblood? Do you really want to know what I did? Do you really want to know what happened?” Harry purred, and smiled at the timid nod the blonde gave him. “All I did was this. This is my anger, mixing with my power. Gryffindors are so easy to scare.” Harry told him with a smirk, and the look on Draco’s face was priceless as he tried to act like he wasn’t scared out of his wits. He forced a laugh and spoke.

“Ha, nice Potter. I bet they went running, didn’t they?” He asked, with a forced smirk.

“After I threatened them a bit.” Harry said with a smile, fingering his wand lovingly for the affect.

“Damn Potter. People are going to be saying you’re the next Dark Lord once this spreads.” Blaise said, looking impressed. Harry just smiled. That comment would have pissed him off yesterday, but today, for some reason, he liked the sound of it. He didn’t know what was getting into him.

“Good. Maybe they’ll stay out of my way then, like good little boys and girls.” He purred, enjoying the effect he was having on his peers. He was going to speak again but a voice rang across the library.

“Potter! Come, now!” Professor Snape said, and he looked almost livid. Feeling not at all intimidated, he picked up his bag and spoke in a mocking voice.

“Coming professor.” And with that he smirked at the other boys looks. They clearly thought he had a death wish. As he got into the corridor, he looked up at his professor and spoke with a smirk. “Now, what is it you wanted from me, sir?” he asked politely, though still wearing the smirk.

“Follow me.” Professor Snape said, sweeping away across the corridor. Harry followed at a lazy pace, but soon he had to jog to keep up. He didn’t know where they were going, and he didn’t really care. By this time, his power and his rage were dissipating once again, and far more quickly than they had last time. He was once again detached from the world, so to speak. He still remembered the pleasure he had felt earlier at the idea that people were scared of him, and it made him shiver. Was he really thinking like that? Why? He had acted totally unlike himself all day so far, and he felt himself sliding in and out of that persona as he walked down the corridor, and it was staring to make him inexplicably dizzy. He stopped walking as it became too much for him and sagged against the stone wall.

A few seconds later, after Professor Snape must have realized that his footsteps were the only pair, Harry saw him dimly out of the corner of his eye as he stalked back towards him.

“Potter, quit stalling! We are going to see the headmaster!” He said, pulling Harry roughly away from the wall. Harry tried to hold his own weight as the Professor released his robes. He really did! But, to no avail as he sank to his knees on the cold stone. “For the love of Merlin, Potter! Get up or you will serve detention every night for the rest of the year!” Professor Snape snarled, looking down at Harry with dislike. Harry tried to get up, but he failed again, and he whispered his apology.

“Sorry Professor.” Harry said, not looking at the man.

“You will be, Potter! Get up!” Professor Snape snarled again, dragging him up by the back of his robes and choking him with them. Harry was forced to support himself against the wall to quit himself from choking as his head continued to spin. Harry started to make his way along the wall in the direction the professor had been going and he heard the professor question him as he kept up easily beside him. “What is wrong with you Potter? Why are you acting like that?” the professor asked, and Harry almost ignored him but he thought better of it.

“M’ head’s spinning professor. Can’t see straight.” Harry said, covering his mouth as he felt like he was going to puke. He heard the professor sigh beside him.

“Very well, we will go to the hospital wing first Potter, but don’t think you’re getting out of seeing the headmaster.” The professor said, taking hold of Harry’s robes again, though this time he was more careful not to choke the boy with them, and leading him to the infirmary. When Harry got there he was immediately led to the closest bed. Harry was left to his own devices for a moment while the professor went to fetch the medi-witch, though he needn’t have tried as she came out before he reached the door. She had set alarms on her wards that went off whenever someone entered the infirmary. She looked surprised to see the dour Potions Master there.

“Why, Severus, whatever brings you here? Are you unwell?” She frowned, looking him over.

“I am not here for myself, Poppy. I was leading Mr. Potter here to the Headmaster’s office when he was suddenly unable to walk correctly. I asked him what was wrong and he told me that his head was spinning and he was unable to see straight. I thought it prudent to bring him into your care before releasing him to the Headmaster’s mercies.” Severus said, grimacing at the unpleasant conversation that was sure to take place between the two. Poppy smiled sympathetically.

“I’ll just do a few diagnostic spells on the lad.” She said, making her way over to Harry. She waved her wand more than a few times as she interwove every diagnostic spell she knew, and she was disturbed, to say the least. “Severus…what has happened to this boy?” she asked, wondering what had happened to cause this severe reaction with his magic.

“I don’t know what you mean, Poppy. If you would so kindly explain.” Severus said, his lip curling. Surely it couldn’t be that bad. Harry Potter was surely thoroughly protected, so nothing extreme could have happened to him.

“His magical core is…odd. I don’t know how else to describe it. It’s off, somehow. It’s like he’s been releasing magic in uncontrolled amounts for at least a week now. Something of the same sort happens when children use accidental magic, but never this severe.” She said, worrying as she looked over the first year.

“Only for two days.” Harry muttered, not being able to focus on the witch or wizard in front of him. That drew a sharp gasp from Poppy.

“How do you know this, Mr. Potter? Explain, if you don’t mind.” Poppy asked not unkindly, giving Severus a look that said “You had better listen and listen good.”

“It’s…hard…I feel like…” he blinked, shaking his head as he felt his other persona slide over his consciensess.

“Mr. Potter?” Poppy asked, trying to get his attention.

“Yes, Ma’am?” Harry asked, a smile lighting his face.

“We were just asking you about what happened to you. Are you quite well?” She asked, looking at him, concerned. At this, Harry’s smile widened.

“I’m fine. Nothing bad happened. I was just feeling a little off today. I think I can walk fine now.” He said, wanting nothing more than to be rid of the hospital wing. He didn’t need to be there, and he wanted to meet with the headmaster. It certainly would be an interesting meeting. He knew he had seen fear in the headmaster’s eyes, and now he knew why.

“That’s good then. Before I release you, Mr. Potter, have you been trying to do any wandless magic of any sort? It is severly trying on the magical core and can leave it damaged. If you are doing magic, Mr. Potter, I suggest you use a wand.” Poppy said severely and it would have intimidated any other student his age. However, he faked looking ashamed to hide his small smirk.

“I’m sorry ma’am. It really was an accident. Three Gryffindors cornered me last night on my way back from the library and I may have given them a bit of a scare. It was an accident though. I’m sorry.” He said, his face still down as his smirk widened.

“They weren’t hurt, were they?” she asked, concerned.

“Oh, no ma’am. It didn’t lash out. It just happened because they made me angry, and it scared them into leaving, so none of us really did anything. I believe we all even made it back to our common rooms before curfew.” Harry said, smiling sweetly at her. He would have her in his pocket in no time. He found that fear and charm in equal measure could control anyone. The medi-witch looked critically at him for a moment.

“Very well, Mr. Potter. Try not to let something like this happen again. You could damage your magical core irreparably. It does repair itself over time for minor damage, such as accidental magic in children, but if you persist it will break you. I suggest you keep your wand on you to discharge your magical build up if that happens to you again. Cast a water charm, or something equally harmless.” She said, before handing him a headache potion anyway. “Drink up, Mr. Potter, and you can go.” She said, and she was surprised when he actually sniffed it first and peered into the bottle before downing it.

“Can I go now, ma’am? I guess I have to meet with the headmaster for some reason.” He said innocently, though he guessed it was about the Gryffindors’ behavior.

“You may. Stay with Professor Snape and don’t go getting into any trouble now, you hear?” She said, making her way back to the office as Harry followed Professor Snape out of the hospital wing, glad to finally be rid of the place. He resisted the desire to point out that it had been a waste of time. He had felt a bit dizzy earlier, but as that visit had proved, all he had needed was a bit of a sit down to come to his right mind again.

“Mr. Potter.” The professor said from in front of him as they walked. “Mind telling me what that was about?”

“I think I just needed a bit of a sit down Professor. I’m sorry for the bother.” Harry said, though he was anything but. He sensed something darker about this man, like himself, but the man was saying nothing so he wouldn’t either. As they made their way through Hogwarts to the Headmaster’s office, Harry noted that though he had never been through this part of Hogwarts, he was finding the place oddly familiar. He shook his head. It was just a bit of déjà vu, most likely. He found an almost startling urge to laugh as they stopped in front of a gargoyle and the Professor named off a muggle sweet. He squashed it almost immediately as the stone creature leapt aside and let them through a stone door that led to a set of stone steps that looked much like an escalator as they revolved up.

‘Hmm, so this is how to get to the Headmaster’s office. I’ll have to keep that in mind.’ Harry thought as he and the Professor stepped on to the ascending stairs. As they reached the top, a voice told them to come in before they even deigned knock. They both went into the rather round office, and though the many silvery and spinning objects around the office might have caught the attention of anyone else his age, he was here with a purpose. He wanted first, to figure out how much the Headmaster knew about his current situation, whether or not he was on his side, and study how the man interacted with him so he could deem how the man could be useful to him in the future. The man seemed powerful, so he could indeed be a most useful ally. He would pretend to be the innocent student for a little while and see where it got him. As he sat down beside his professor in front of the man, he made sure his face was blank and questioning.

“Harry, good evening. Lemon drop?” Dumbledore asked, offering him a bowl full of muggle sweets. There was no telling what the man might have put in them.

“No thank you, Professor. But if you could tell me, why am I here sir?” Harry asked, feigning ignorance.

“Ah, right to business. A shame, but it is a quality worthy of your house.” Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling.

“Sir?” he was trying to keep himself from showing annoyance. It was best to play along if he wanted this to go quickly.

“Nothing, Harry. Not a thing. Now, you are here because something was brought to my attention today. Something involving you, if I am not mistaken.” Dumbledore said, fixing him with a piercing gaze.

‘Ah, trying to find out what I know before you divulge your own information. It would be clever, were I the typical stupid eleven year old. Best to play dumb.’ Harry thought, feeling that he had already gotten a feel on the man’s style. He was trying to be manipulative, but he would not match up to a Slytherin.

“Are you referring to how the Gryffindors are acting toward me, sir?” Harry asked, though he knew perfectly well that the man was.

“Yes, Harry, and it concerns me. What have you done to scare the house of lions so?” Dumbledore asked, and Harry almost snorted. The man was almost too thick. He was insinuating that he had thought they were braver than that. It was best to make his reply as plain as possible.

“It was an accident sir, honest.” Harry said, feigning a frown. Baiting the man was the best option at the moment, and the easiest way to make put a spin on it from his point of view. He knew the old man would want to know more.

“Pray tell, what was an accident, dear boy?” the headmaster asked, his eyes still twinkling.

“Well…” Harry said, pretending to be nervous before launching into the same version of events that he had told the medi-witch. “Three Gryffindors cornered me yesterday, sir. I was on my way back to my common room from the library and they accosted me. I think I may have scared them a bit. My magic lashed out. I’m sorry. They just made me a little mad. They weren’t hurt though. They just ran away. I think they’ve been avoiding me because of that, sir.” He finished, pretending to look guilty.

“That’s quite alright, dear boy. Quite alright. But I must ask…is there anything you wish to tell me, Harry?” the old man asked, and Harry made himself look confused though he was quickly becoming annoyed with this old man.

‘Someone saw it. He knows what I said and he’s waiting for me to come forward with it or hold it back. He has a plan either way. I’ll be damned if I let myself become his pawn.’ Harry thought, nearly snarling. He would say something to unsettle the man, if nothing else.

“Yes, sir…actually…” Harry started, baiting the man again. He saw a look of surprise cross the old features before it was quickly hidden behind that annoying grandfatherly smile again.

“Continue, Harry.” Dumbledore said, and he could see that the man was positively anxious to hear what he would say next.

“Well sir, quite frankly, I’m glad they’re afraid of me. If people are afraid of me, at least they’ll leave me alone, right?” Harry asked, and he saw a different emotion flash in the headmaster’s eyes.

“Harry, there are more effective ways of keeping others away from you than instilling fear, but why ever would you want to be left alone, dear boy?” The headmaster asked, allowing himself a frown. Harry could tell it was genuine, and the older wizard did not like the way this conversation was going at all.

“Well sir, the thing is, people are always around me. I’m tired of people swarming me and asking me the same tactless questions. They always ask me what happened that night, and do I miss my parents, and how I did it, sir. I don’t get how they think I would remember anything about it. I was one year old. Quite frankly, I don’t get it. People say I’m the boy-who-lived, but what does that actually mean? I survived a murder attempt by a manic that had killed my parents minutes before. Why would anyone think I could be proud of that? I don’t see how I could have done it. I was just a baby. There’s no way I could have defeated the Dark Lord on my own. It’s preposterous” Harry said, slipping at the tongue a bit at the end and silently scolding himself for it.

He felt his other persona trying to slide over his consciousness, and he could not allow that in front of this man. His other consciousness was begging to suppress his emotions like he always did, but he couldn’t allow that. Not when his rage, inexplicable as it was, had made him so powerful, and especially not here in front of this man. He would not abide being weak again. He looked at the man, and he seemed to be contemplating.

‘Good. I think I have him convinced. Even if one of his little spies heard my tirade yesterday, it will fit nicely with this, I think. It’s understandable that a child in my position would be so angry, and would want to avenge his parents. I think I’ve done well. The only thing I need to worry about now is the threat I made to the Gryffindors. I’ll have to tread carefully for awhile. At least until I find out who the spy is and stage some misleading conversations and comments in front of him.’ Harry thought, wanting nothing more than to be rid of the old man’s presence now that he knew what he needed to know. Finally, after a few long minutes, the old man spoke again.

“Very well, Harry. I can see why you would like to be left alone, but try to control your magic a bit better in the future, if you please. I will try to impart on the heads of Houses to discourage rumors, at the least. That might make it a bit easier for you.” Dumbledore said, though Harry could tell the man was at least a little shaken up. Harry almost smiled, but he controlled himself. He would rather not be indebted to this man, but it would help him ignore others a bit better if they were a bit more subdued. He was sure that the rumors of him being the next Dark Lord had already spread, so he had no problem with the subjugation of rumors now. People would steer clear of him for awhile, if for no other reason than to avoid his wrath. His only problem was who was going to partner with him in the partner required classes once Monday came around. He was sure Hermione would partner with him in Potions at least, and maybe in Herbology, but he didn’t know if Gryffindor would be there for every partnered lesson. Maybe he would have to make up with Draco just for the sake of his grades. Finally, after waiting a bit while lost in his thoughts, he answered.

“Yes sir, I will try, and thank you.” Harry said, and after they were dismissed by the headmaster, Professor Snape led him back down the stairs and into the corridor. Once they were there, he dismissed Harry. Holding back a smirk, he made his way to the library. That had gone almost exactly as he had wanted it to. Albeit, he would have to be more careful now that he knew he was being watched, but more than that, he had a strong inkling of whom to be more careful around. His professor, though there was something undeniably dark about him, respected the headmaster, so he would most definitely have to tread carefully around him. He might even have been the one that watched his little confrontation with Weasley, so he had heard his threat. He could have fun with this, but he knew he had to be careful in his little game with the headmaster.

He could very well lose, and that would leave him not only humiliated, but much worse off for the wear. He couldn’t say how just yet, but he knew the headmaster could make his life very difficult. Even send him back to the Dursleys. But he’d be damned if he was going to be the good little boy that he used to be, especially when he had to go back for the summer holidays. Things were most definitely going to change, and if the Dursleys tried any of their old business about not feeding him he was going to have more than a little to say about it, especially once he learned a few choice curses. Maybe he would make up with Draco just to learn a few, if nothing else. It wasn’t like he couldn’t act the part, and now that he was supposedly so unpredictable, he didn’t think they would question him too much if he did. He certainly had the right mentality, so most of it wouldn’t be an act. The only thing he really didn’t want to do was alienate Hermione, but it might be necessary for what he needed.

He needed allies, not friends, and with most of the Slytherins’ parents being who they are, they must have taught their children a fair bit of magic even before coming to Hogwarts. Then again, he had his pride. If they wanted to be around him again, they could come and seek him out again. They could beg forgiveness, and he, being the merciful boy he was, would grant it. He almost smiled at that, and then he realized what he was thinking and was almost appalled. What was getting into him? He supposed that he just needed to clear his mind and relax for a while, but where could he do that? He decided that rather than the library, he would go relax on the grounds for a little while. No one would expect to find him out there. He changed direction and tried not to be seen by anyone, but with his luck, Weasley spotted him and made a beeline for him, along with his two older twin brothers this time.

Harry really didn’t feel like dealing with them at the moment, and he had to be careful, but the fact was, he really couldn’t avoid it and Weasley seemed intent upon being a thorn in his side. He sighed and leaned against the wall, waiting for Weasley to make his way toward him. He decided to make a comment before Weasley could open his mouth.

“Awww, the little weasel was scared so he brought his big brothers this time. What ever happened to just avoiding me? I liked it better that way.” Harry said bitingly, glaring at Weasley. Intent on making an ass of himself, Weasley pulled his wand on Harry and pointed it at him. Harry did nothing but sneer when Weasley replied.

“You just surprised me last time, Potter. It won’t happen again.” Weasley said, though he didn’t even start an incantation.

“Ha. What happened to the rumor that I’m supposed to be the next Dark Lord? Or is that why you came? You want my fame so badly that you figure if you can take me out everyone will love you for it? After all, I’m supposed to be a Dark Lord in training, right? What would that make you? The weasel-who-lived?” Harry sneered, smirking at the reaction he got from the redhead. His ears turned red and he started sputtering, and as he was trying to start an incantation, Harry’s wand was out so fast that neither of the three redheads saw it until it was pointed at Weasley’s face. The twins had their wands trained on him in the next two seconds, and the fun didn’t stop there. Both Draco and his group, the Slytherin firsties, and Hermione Granger along with some other Gryffindor girl Harry didn’t know was coming down the hall, and Hermione, seeing the trouble Harry was in, rushed to his aid.

Harry hadn’t noticed the Slytherins, who were watching with interest what would happen, though they too had their wands out and pointed at all the Gryffindors.

“Leave him alone!” Hermione said, attempting to step in between Weasley and Harry.

“Don’t make me hex you, Granger.” Weasley warned, though his wand never left Harry’s face. Harry looked at her and before he knew what came out of his mouth, he spoke.

“Like I need your help, Mudblood. Go crawl back into your nest in the library!” he hissed, realizing too late what he said. Hermione was dumbstruck, but Weasley looked furious.

“How dare you call her that! I’ll hex your bloody tongue off!” Weasley roared, but before he could do a single thing, Harry uttered a curse that he had never heard of and Weasley was flying backwards with his brothers. They were all just knocked out, but Hermione was furious.

“So, what everyone’s been saying is true then? I thought I knew you, Harry! I thought we were friends!” Hermione said, close to tears.

“I don’t need friends, Granger. Especially not ones with dirty blood. Like I said, go crawl back in your nest.” Harry hissed, forcing himself to sound disdainful when he was raging inside. Begging himself to take back what he said. But he couldn’t. He already knew that he needed allies and not friends, and she would only hold him back.

“I hate you!” She said, the tears finally spilling down her cheeks as she ran past the Slytherins who Harry had just noticed in a numb sort of way. The Slytherins all looked impressed, occasionally glancing down at the tree unconscious Weasleys. Almost like someone had called her, which Harry didn’t doubt, Professor McGonagall showed up and demanded an explanation. Before any of the other Slytherins spoke up, Harry did.

“Professor! I’m sorry! I know we aren’t supposed to use magic in the corridors, but it was self-defense! Weasley and his brothers tried to attack me when I was just trying to go outside! I hadn’t even said a word to them!” Harry said, which was a lie.

“Well, be that as it may, you were the only one who used magic, from what I can see. You could have called for a teacher, Mr. Potter. Instead, you chose violence. I’m very disappointed in you. Twenty points from Slytherin for attacking another student.” She said, and she started to levitate them away, presumably to the hospital wing. Harry wanted to say something else, but thought better of it. She hadn’t given him detention at least, but still. She didn’t take any points from her own house and they had instigated the fight. Harry was livid, and though his wand had itched so badly that he had to put his wand in his pocket, he would not curse a teacher. He couldn’t allow his anger to get the better of him in that instance. He would have had more time to think, but the Slytherins were all on him, both clapping him on the back for the excellent curse and calling McGonagall some horrible names once she was out of ear shot.

They asked him where he had learned the curse, which he now knew was the blasting curse from what they said, and they all just stared at him when he said he had never learned it. He didn’t remember even remember reading about it. Then, to break the odd silence, Draco clapped him on the back and said what all the rest of the Slytherin firsties were thinking.

“So, you finally decided to ditch that Mudblood! What made you change your mind, Harry?” Draco asked, grinning at Harry.

“So it’s Harry again?” Harry asked, though he was pleased he was back in the blonde’s good books.

“Yeah, but you didn’t answer my question. What made you change your mind?” Draco asked again, starting the group toward the common room so they wouldn’t be bothered. Harry snorted before he spoke.

“I’ve come to terms with the fact that she was beneath me. I can’t believe I spent so much time with a Mudblood. I feel dirty now. Want to help me burn my robes?” Harry asked with a sneer, gaining a laugh from the Slytherins. He was fighting against the urge to run after her, but as he thought about it, it was becoming less and less desirable. He was becoming numb again, but his new attitude wasn’t fading like it normally did.

“I’m glad you finally came to your senses. We were about to intervene.” Draco said seriously, and Harry was surprised.

“Really?” Harry asked, in spite of himself. He couldn’t help it.

“Yeah. You were disgracing us all.” Draco said, shrugging.

“Wait…what were you planning to do?” Harry asked, suddenly curious.

“Hex you and bring you back to the common room, if we had to.” Draco said, smirking at Harry.

“Ha. What happened to the fear? I thought I was supposed to be the next Dark Lord. What happened?” Harry joked, pausing as they waited for the stone wall to melt away so they could get into the common room. Once they were in, Draco replied.

“We were bringing you to your senses. You would have thanked us…eventually.” Draco said, smirking.

“You know, I would have been pissed, but as I don’t know any decent curses yet I would have nothing to retaliate with.” Harry said as he took a seat by the fire. Draco plopped himself down in the chair next to Harry’s and the other three took the sofa.

“Well, according to you, you don’t know any curses yet.” Draco said slyly, smirking.

“Touché. You caught me. And I suppose you know some decent ones?” Harry asked, yawning and stretching.

“As a matter of fact, I do.” Draco said with a smile.

“We all do.” Blaise said, with an edge in his voice that said he didn’t like being left out of the conversation.

“Will you all teach me some then?” Harry asked, looking around at the other four Slytherins.

“What’s in it for us?” Draco and Blaise asked simultaneously, which resulted in laughter. When Harry finally sobered up, he answered.

“What do you want?” Harry asked with a smirk, leaning back lazily. Draco and Blaise both thought for a few minutes and Harry was silent while he waited for their answers. Draco answered first.

“I want one unspecified favor in the future for every curse I teach you.” Draco answered. Harry replied almost right away.

“I want to learn a lot if you know a bunch of curses, which I’m sure you do. Let’s make it a favor for every three.” Harry said, and Draco shook his head.

“No way. Two then, but not three.” Draco said, looking at Blaise for confirmation.

“That sounds good to me as well.” Blaise said, nodding. Harry sighed.

“How about this then. Three and I teach you all some charms and counter charms you may not know. I know you may not put much stock in them, but some charms can be dead useful if you know how to use them.” Harry said, waiting for the reply. Draco and Blaise talked for a few minutes out of the way, and they came to the conclusion that together, they had roughly twelve curses and counter curses they could teach him.

“We agree to the terms.” Draco said, and Harry nodded.

“Good. Let’s get to work then. Do either of you know anywhere we can practice?” Harry asked, and both shook their heads. Draco had a suggestion though.

“Why don’t we ask one of the older students if there’s any place like that.” Draco suggested, and the three agreed. Vince and Greg would most likely be learning too, but as Draco pointed out to Harry in a whisper, it might take them a little longer to learn the spells than he, Harry, and Blaise.

“Okay, but who would be trustworthy to ask?” Harry asked, and the other two stared at him.

“What I mean is, who wouldn’t go report it to Dumbledore right away? We can’t ask a prefect because they’re duty bound to tell him and I don’t want the old man to know what I’m doing.” Harry said casually, and Draco laughed.

“You’ve got a point. I’ll subtly ask around. I’ll even leave your name out of it. I’ll just ask if there’s a place around where we can practice jinxes without attracting attention. If I say anything about getting not getting caught, that’s what raises the alarm bells.” Draco said, and Harry agreed.

“Okay. Let’s go ask around. I want a few curses under my belt before any more Gryffindors try anything.” Harry said, and Draco spoke up right after he was done speaking.

“Yeah. We’ve been meaning to talk to you about that too. You need to quit walking around by yourself. You’re a Slytherin and the boy-who-lived, and that makes you more of a target than any of us. You need to be careful Harry. Other Houses won’t hesitate to hurt you, despite the fact that we’re supposed to be the bad ones and haven’t even done anything to provoke or start it. We are discriminated against more than any other House, so we need to look out for one another. You saw what McGonagall did earlier. She took points from us and not her own House for that stupid fight in the hallway, and we all saw that Weasley was ready to hex you. You were faster on the draw and you were the only one who got in trouble.” Draco said, looking at Harry seriously.

‘Now that I think about it, it was pretty stupid to walk around alone on my part. But I was fighting with them. I couldn’t exactly ask them to come with me. He’s right though. McGonagall was really unfair. I even wanted to hex her myself, but I’m not stupid enough to hex a teacher. I thought the head of Gryffindor was supposed to be fair, but I guess I was mistaken. I’ll have to be more careful in the future.’ Harry thought, and consented out loud.

“You have a point. I won’t walk around alone anymore. Now, let’s get going. I’m getting anxious to learn some of these curses already.” Harry said, and the others agreed. They still had three hours until dinner, so Harry was hoping they could at least find a place before then. As it turned out, when they split up into two groups, Harry and Blaise looking around themselves for a place, while Draco went with Vince and Greg to ask some older Slytherin students. It was only a little over an hour after they parted when Draco and the other two found Harry and Blaise as they were walking around and Draco told them the news. He pulled them into an empty classroom off the side of an abandoned corridor and began to speak.

“There’s a place an older student, who shall remain nameless, found in his fourth year. It’s a room on the third floor that disappears unless you really need it. Apparently if you walk past a certain stretch of wall three times and think of what you need, it turns into it. It’s the most advanced bit of magic I’ve ever heard of!” Draco said excitedly, and that got Harry to thinking.

‘That is indeed advanced magic. I think we should check this out today.’ He decided, and told the other students the last bit out loud. They all agreed and they went up to the third floor, carefully avoiding the forbidden corridor because they didn’t want detention, nor did they want to lose any more points. They finally made it to the specified stretch of wall, and holding up a hand to halt the group, Harry walked past it three times with the thought of what he needed in his head.

‘We need a place to practice magic. One we can’t be caught in. One the headmaster nor anyone who supports him will be able to breach while we are inside or near it.’ Harry thought three times, each time he passed the stretch. After the third pass, a door did indeed appear, and he and the others excitedly made their way inside. The room was magnificent. There were cushions all over the floor to practice stunning, chairs for relaxation after a spell took a lot out of you, dummies to practice on, and even shelves lined with books, though Harry realized to his disappointment that once he looked at them, were just basic spells. He needed advanced stuff, but it was fine for what they needed it for at the moment. He made sure the door was closed and he suggested that they start practicing some of his charms, since they were easier and faster to learn than curses, and they would learn curses tomorrow.

Everyone agreed, and so the first charm they started practicing was Stupefy. After Draco, Blaise, and Harry mastered it while practicing on Vince and Greg, he taught them the counter charm, which was Ennervate. Harry, having had no time or place to actually practice the charms he had read about, had to do them too. He only knew the wand movement as it was demonstrated in the book, and the incantation. It only took him a few tries to master both the charm and counter charm though, and the rest of the time was spent with Draco and Blaise finishing up and teaching Vince and Greg how to do it while Draco and Blaise were the practice people this time. They couldn’t use the dummies for stunners because it wouldn’t show any results as it was made for living flesh, and Harry was the teacher.

After they had all mastered the charms, they hurried down to dinner, having only ten minutes until it started and not wanting to be caught up on the third floor. Harry grinned as they hurried down the corridor as a group. This week was going to be fun, if nothing else. When they were done with dinner, the three decided to risk the third floor for a second time today to get more practice in and start learning a new spell. Harry once again halted them to make the room appear himself. He rethought what he needed over dinner and changed his request to the room a bit.

‘We need a place to practice advanced charms and curses. Charms and curses for first through seventh years. We need it to be inaccessible to Dumbledore or anyone who supports him while we are inside, and we need an alarm to tell us if anyone is in this corridor, and we need the door to be unable to open from the inside or outside until that person leaves.’ Harry thought three times, walking past the stretch of wall three times again. It was a bit long winded, but he needed the specifics so they couldn’t be caught. When the door opened, they rushed in again. The room was almost the same, but it was expanded. There were more book shelves and more advanced magic in them than before. Harry took down a few books, satisfied with what they contained, and they once again worked on charms for today. This time, he took one out of one of the books. The shield charm.

It would be more than useful for all of them. As it turned out, it was harder than they thought, and not one of them mastered it by the time they left. Harry didn’t mind much though. They would be doing it all week after classes, and into next weekend, and even into the week after if need be. Even better than that, they still had all day tomorrow besides meals. They had all done their homework. Even Vince and Greg, albeit with help from the other three Slytherin firsties. They were both surprisingly proficient in DADA, and Draco smiled when he realized that. Charms were a bit harder on them, but offensive and defensive spells would be a bit easier for them. They all made it to their common room without being accosted, much to the disappointment of Harry. He wanted to stupefy a few Gryffindors on the way, but most of them were still avoiding him. As they all made quick plans to meet up again and went up to bed, Harry felt content for the first time in a long time. He was exhausted too, and he fell asleep seconds after he lay down.

The next day, the five got up together and after showering, they went to breakfast together. Draco joked about how small in stature Harry was on the walk to the Great Hall, never having been in the shower room with him at the same time before. Red faced, Harry told him that it wasn’t his fault. Draco jokingly asked whose fault it was, but Harry wouldn’t answer. He wouldn’t tell even his friends how much the muggles he lived with hated him, to the point where they would regularly starve him. He never really talked about it, unless you count what he had said to Draco on the train, which wasn’t much. After not answering him though, he noticed Draco looking at him more than he usually did during breakfast, but he thought nothing of it. While they were eating, Draco joked that he was too skinny and he needed to eat more. Harry just laughed along, but he added no more to his plate. He would eat his fill and no more.

He knew he wasn’t going to starve, so there was no point in gorging himself and making himself sick. After breakfast, they spent all day up on the third floor, and to their surprise, it took them until lunch time for them all to master the shield charm, and then after lunch, they moved on to curses. They learned four spells in all by the end of the day. The ones they learned were Levicorpus, which Draco commented was really funny when used, and Harry agreed, Liberacorpus, which was the counter spell for the prior, Incarcerous, which was a spell to bind someone with ropes, and Relashio, which could be used as the counter spell for Incarcerous, but could also be used to release someone from chains, ropes, the claws of a creature, and someone else’s grasp. There were plenty of uses for it, and they found more in the books they had.

Harry, meanwhile, found something that caught his interest that he decided to bring up before they left the room for the night. He had found out a bit about the three unforgivables, and he had even found out about Azkaban, the wizarding prison in Britain. He turned to Draco and Blaise and decided to ask his questions.

“Hey, what are the unforgiveable curses? I’ve read about them. I know there are three and I know that using any one of them gets you a lifetime ticket to Azkaban, but the book never says what the curses actually are or what they do. Do any of you know?” Harry asked, looking to all four of the boys now. They all looked a bit put off by the question, and Draco answered first.

“Well. The three curses are as follows. The Impirius curse, which allows you to control someone’s every action and thought. The Cruciatis curse, which causes unimaginable pain to whomever it is used on. It’s used for torture, mostly…well…that’s all it’s really useful for anyway. Then there’s the Killing curse. You can imagine what that does just by the name. It kills the victim instantly without leaving a mark. None of the three are blockable, but they can be dodged. The thing about the killing curse is, it’s usually not survivable if it hits. There was only one person who was known to have survived it, and no one knows how or why it happened. It’s some really dark magic, so it’s hard to see how he survived it without having some really powerful dark magic on his side in the first place.” Draco said, and Blaise and Draco shared a look.

“So…who was it?” Harry asked, looking between the two of them.

“Well, it was…you, mate.” Blaise said, and Harry was shocked, and for the first time, he couldn’t keep it from his face.

‘I survived a killing curse from the most powerful dark wizard of his time?! How?! Is this what I’m famous for?! Is this why they think I’ll be the next Dark Lord?’ Harry was starting to breathe more heavily, but before it could start into panic, he closed his eyes and tried to relax himself, breathing deeply and slowly.

“You okay, Harry?” Draco asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. Harry opened his eyes and nodded.

“Yeah. It was just a bit of a shock. So…that’s what I’m really famous for, isn’t it?” he asked, plopping down in one of the cushioned chairs. Draco and Blaise squirmed uncomfortably.

“In a way.” Draco said weakly, shrugging. Harry laughed and shook his head, and the two shared a concerned look.

“I almost can’t believe it. I’ve known the truth for only a few weeks now, and only one thought has crossed my mind about the whole thing.” Harry said, placing his head in his hands. He felt a hand on his back and one on his shoulder.

“And what’s that, Harry?” Draco asked gently, the concern in his voice. Harry shook his head.

“It isn’t important.” Harry said, standing up again. “Let’s just go back to the common room.” He continued, closing his eyes for a moment and letting his first persona slide over him to block out the pain and anything else he might feel. He opened them and took a deep breath before heading toward the door. The alarm hadn’t went off, but as he opened the door, he peered around the corridor anyway just to be sure. There was no one so they made their way back to the common room in silence, partly from not wanting to be caught, and partly from the mood that his stupid line of questioning had led to. One thing was for sure though. If nothing else, he wanted to learn the Impirius curse. It would be dead useful, especially in getting what he wanted. All he had to do was be covert about it.

Then he smiled as he thought about being able to use the Cruciatis curse on his relatives. He could certainly use that to teach them some respect. They wouldn’t dare mess with him again if he could do that. He would have to see if he could find the incantations and wand movements somewhere. Sure, they wouldn’t be in normal school books, because they were the unforgivables, but they might be in books in the restricted section. Hogwarts was, after all, over a thousand years old from what he heard. There had to still be some books, preserved by magic, that were there before the curses were banned. He didn’t know whether or not he could trust the Slytherins as far as the unforgivables went, so he might have to find them himself. He wasn’t going to practice on them, after all. He would only be able to learn the incantations and wand movements for now.

Not only that, but he had no way of knowing what kind of spells were set in place to alert someone if an unforgivable was used inside the castle, and who cast it, and he was not about to find out. In his musings, Harry suddenly had a bad feeling. He stopped walking and halted the other four with his hand silently. He had them all hide in an empty classroom off to the side, and just as they got inside and closed the door, they heard footsteps. Harry stood against the door, trying to hear whomever was outside it. He was the only one close enough to the door to hear, and on the other side, he heard a man muttering as he strode past, ignorant of the five students that were hiding in the classroom he was passing.

“I can’t master…I do not know how to get past Hagrid’s beast yet…” the man said, and that was all Harry heard before the man passed out of his range of hearing again. They waited for five whole minutes before Harry felt it was safe again, and they hurried back to the common room. When they got there, they all asked Harry what that was about at one time. Harry held a hand up.

“I heard a teacher coming and I didn’t know if we were out past curfew yet.” He answered distractedly, sitting down in a chair in front of the middle fireplace and staring into the flames as he thought. Hagrid had some kind of beast somewhere that someone was trying to get past. But why? And who was he calling master? He hadn’t heard another voice, let alone another set of footsteps. Who could he have been talking to? Maybe he was insane…

“Harry! Are you okay?” Draco asked, and Harry noticed he was standing in front of him.

“Yeah, why?” he asked, puzzled at the concerned look on the blonde’s pale face.

“Well, we called your name a few times. Professor Snape is just outside the common room. He needs to speak to you about something.” Draco said, and with a sigh, Harry stood up. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and let his other persona slide over him before he went toward the exit to deal with whatever he’s done now. He noticed, as he walked, that every time he let his persona, and therefore his attitude, change, they felt closer together each time. That was really the only way to describe it. It was like they were combining. With an annoyed shake of the head, he cleared his thoughts and pressed on the fake stone wall, causing it to melt away and reveal Professor Snape staring moodily at him from the outside.

“Potter.” He said with a sneer. “Come with me.”

Harry stepped out into the hallway and started to follow him, saying nothing to the man. Had it been his voice he heard earlier? He couldn’t tell. The man had been muttering, so he hadn’t been very loud in the first place. He suspected they were going to Dumbledore’s office again for some more inane conversation with the deceptively clever man, so he was surprised when they stayed in the dungeons and instead made their way toward Professor Snape’s office. When they got there, the professor opened the door with a whispered password and waved Harry in before him. As he got inside, there were animal parts floating in jars everywhere, and though it might have creeped him out if he were anyone else, he had learned to block his emotions for a reason. He just stood off to the side to await the professor. As soon as the man was in and the door was closed, Professor Snape stood in front of him, towering over him like the tall, dark, foreboding man he was.

“Potter. Do you mind telling me why three Gryffindors, a first year, and two third years, are in the hospital wing with severe concussions?” he asked, looking menacing. Harry just smiled up at him, showing the man he wasn’t that easy to intimidate.

“I have no idea professor. Maybe they were getting into something they couldn’t handle.” Harry said with a smirk, earning a look of rage from the professor.

“You are aware, Mr. Potter, that magic is not allowed in the corridors even for a celebrity such as yourself, are you not?” the professor asked, sneering.

“Oh yes, professor. I know. The fact is, they threatened me first. I was just quicker on the draw.” Harry said, still smirking.

“You are also aware,” he continued as if he didn’t hear Harry, “that to use magic in the hallways can result in not only the loss of points, but a detention as well, Mr. Potter?”

“Yes sir, I am aware of this as well. We have already had points taken for it.” Harry said, losing his smirk as he remembered just how much he wanted to hex McGonagall. “And she didn’t take any points from her own house either.” Harry said, almost growling. The professor ignored the last part and addressed him again.

“Well, since it seems that you can’t seem to understand the message clearly enough, I should make it clearer. That is my job, after all, as a professor. You will have detention with me Wednesday night at 8 o clock, Mr. Potter, and if you are late, I can assure you I can make your life that much more difficult. If you do happen to be late, you will have a detention for every second you are not here after precisely 8 p.m. Is that understood?” Professor Snape asked, his lip curling unpleasantly. Taking a deep breath, Harry answered.

“Yes, sir. As you wish.” Harry said as politely as he could, his face a mask of calm to hide his once again growing rage. He wasn’t going to disagree with his head of house, but oh, some Gryffindors had some hell coming when he got the chance. He couldn’t hex a teacher without being found out, but he could hex her students well enough and stay anonymous, and he was going to learn some nasty ones from those books, if nothing else. “May I go now, sir?” Harry asked, looking up at his professor as he tried to control his facial features, his rage spilling out with his magic again.

“Unfortunately, I have to escort you back to your common room, Potter. You are out after curfew now.” The Professor said, and Harry’s magic spiked, though he controlled it so nothing would happen.

“Yes sir. May we go now?” Harry asked, trying to keep his breathing even though he wanted nothing more than to learn the Cruciatis curse right now and use it on a very deserving Gryffindor, namely McGonagall or Weasley.

“Let us be on our way.” The professor said, opening his office door and waving him out into the hallway. If Harry could have seen the professor’s face after he turned around, he would have seen the momentary look of fear that crossed his features before it was covered up again. Professor Snape could definitely feel the surge of power, and the rage behind it, and the sheer amount of it was astounding. How could an eleven year old boy hold so damned much in? And act calm about it, like he wasn’t pissed off enough to kill right now. Severus almost shuddered at that. This child was much too young to be experiencing what he was, let alone wielding that kind of raw power. And he was controlling it too! It wasn’t destroying anything, or making anything shake, or doing odd little things that accidental magic usually did. It was just writhing around him like so many snakes, waiting to strike. It was almost terrifying. What was this child?

“Professor?” Harry asked politely, his rage building. All he wanted to do was get to his common room so he could do some stupid little charm a few times to let all of his access magic go. He needed to release it before he did it on accident and damaged his magical core. He did not need that at the moment, especially if he was going to be practicing magic every day. Without a word, he started to make his way down the corridor, ignoring the man that fell into step behind him. He took deep, calming breaths, but it did not help him in the slightest. His rage, and therefore his magic, was getting harder and harder to control each second, and he almost laughed at the foolishness that he thought he would make it to the common room. Then, he almost released his rage as he saw a somewhat familiar tall figure walking toward him in midnight blue robes. “Headmaster.” Harry addressed politely, though he was almost bursting at the seams now, his magic become wild around him as he fought to control it.

“Harry.” He said pleasantly. “I thought we might talk for a moment before you retire to your bed. Is that acceptable?” Dumbledore asked, and his rage built more, and it was spreading, from just surrounding him, to all over the corridor, the tendrils writhing wildly. He still hadn’t lost control yet, surprisingly, but he was damn close as his magic inched toward the headmaster, itching to strangle him.

“Now is not the best time, sir. I am really tired. Can it not wait?” He asked, his voice wavering though he tried to keep it steady.

“I’m afraid not. Can you step into this abandoned classroom, please?” Dumbledore said, and Harry obliged him, fighting with himself every step of the way as he restrained his magic and forced it into the room. As he stepped in and stood in the center of the room, the magic tendrils creeping up the walls to the ceiling like vines. He was facing away from the two older wizards as they stepped in and could not see the concerned look the darker young man was giving the headmaster. With a deep breath, Harry finally turned back to look at the two older wizards.

“What is it that you wanted, sir?” Harry asked, his voice calm again though he was still seething.

“I wanted to ask you about your confrontation today, Harry. Are you quite alright, my boy?” Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling.

“I am fine sir. And with all due respect sir, could you not talk to Professor Snape about this? He has already asked me about it and I really am tired. I feel I am about to fall asleep on my feet.” Harry said with a smile, his magic convulsing.

“I cannot Harry. I must ask, why did you use such a curse on another student Harry? You could have really hurt someone.” Dumbledore said, frowning. Harry almost screamed at him in frustration. He grit his teeth, leaning back against the wall as he used all of his self control to keep his magic from lashing out at the headmaster, as it was now crawling toward him. In his rage, which only spiked higher, he didn’t filter what he said this time.

“Maybe I thought they deserved it, sir. They were in my way and I removed them. Is that a problem?” he hissed, glaring at the headmaster. The old wizard seemed taken aback by this, and Professor Snape actually took a step back. “And now, you are in my way, sir. Should I do the same?” Harry asked, scowling as he took a step toward the headmaster.

“Mr. Potter, mind your tongue!” Professor Snape snapped, though he looked anything but angry. If Harry didn’t know better, he would say the professor was scared. Harry smiled, though his rage was still as high as ever and still inching toward Dumbledore.

“How about you make me, Professor. Do you think you could? After all, I am only an eleven year old boy. Never mind the fact that I not only survived the killing curse, but vanquished the Dark Lord. Come on, professor. Curse me. I wonder if you could actually do anything. I’ll tell you what, professor. If you can make me scream, I won’t make you scream.” Harry said, his eyes gleaming red. Now, both of the older wizards were stunned into silence. “Nothing, Professor? Very well then.” He pointed his wand at the professor. “Cruci-“ he gripped his throat, suddenly cut off. He looked at the old man, who had his wand trained at him. His eyes flashed as his magic concentrated and slammed against the old man, knocking him into the stone wall and knocking him out. That, more than anything, seemed to bring Harry to his senses. He quickly went over to the window and opened it, shouting his spell, as the silencing spell was canceled with Dumbledore being knocked unconscious.

“Aguamenti!” he screamed, aiming his wand out the window and releasing a wide jet of water that resembled a fire hose. Slowly, his rage and magic soaked back into him to fuel the spell, and when it was gone, he collapsed to the ground. Breathing heavily, he looked at his Professor. “Professor…I…I’m so sorry. I…I can’t believe…I almost…” Harry’s hand flew to his mouth as he looked back down at his lap. He felt like he was going to be sick. He looked over as his Professor revived the headmaster with an Ennervate. As the headmaster blinked and sat up, Harry looked back down at his lap.

“Harry?” Came the old man’s voice from across the room. Harry kept his eyes to his lap.

“Headmaster…I’m so sorry! I lost control, sir! I…” Harry said, tearing up. “I’m sorry…” he whispered, his tears overflowing in his eyes.

‘Oh god…no! They’re going to send me to Azkaban! I can’t! I can’t go there! Why did I lose control?! Why couldn’t I just stop?! I could have just cast the charm in the first place, and I could have explained what Madam Pomfrey told me to do, and now I can’t! I can’t do anything…my life is over!’ Harry thought, his breathing getting more shallow and rapid until he was hyperventilating, huddled up by the window. He didn’t hear the two older wizards talking over his own breathing, and he most likely wouldn’t have anyway. He was quickly becoming lost to the world as his thoughts and his mood spiraled downward, faster and faster. He never felt the hand of the headmaster on his shoulder, nor did he notice the old man turning him to look him in the eyes. With a whisper from the old man, his mind was being torn apart and he screamed. It was the most horrible sound he had ever made.

Yet at the same time, it brought him back to his senses and he noticed that he was reliving some of his memories, and then he was viewing others that were not his. Memories of another life. Of another person. He felt something else. Someone else’s magic, and it was tearing through his mind.

“Get out! Get out get out get out! Leave me alone!” he screamed mentally and physically at the same time, shoving the presence out of his mind with his magic. Finally he was blessedly alone again in his own head, and he had a terrible headache. Some of his memories felt…torn around the edges. Like they were ripped from their proper place, viewed, and thrown back, and not in the right place. Once again, he was living memories that weren’t his. A seaside and a huge cliff. A bunch of other children. He was climbing down the cliff with two of them. Suddenly, the memory was washed away by one of his own. Ripper, chasing him up the tree in the front yard. His Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, Dudley, and Aunt Marge laughing as the dog jumped and snapped at him. The memory changed again, and he was sitting in Hogwarts, and he was studying hard. He was waiting for the class to end so he could ask the headmaster once again if he could remain at Hogwarts when the school closed down over the summer.

He begged and begged, but he was denied. Headmaster Dippet just didn’t understand. They hated him at the orphanage. They all thought he was a freak. He didn’t belong there. He could do things they could never do. Things they could never imagine. Yet they still shunned him, and he hated them all. He would have left, but even if he did the muggle authorities would have brought him right back. One more year, he told himself. One more year, and he would be of age, and he would be able to leave this place forever. The memory changed again, and he was sitting in his cupboard. He was so hungry. So terribly hungry. The muggles kept him in here at their leisure. They only let him out to do chores, and to eat when he did them well enough, and then he was back in the darkness. He was alone, and he had nothing. The only friends he ever had were the spiders. He loved school. It was the only time he was out of his cupboard more than three hours a day.

The only bad thing was Dudley, but it wasn’t always bad because he could run away from him, and Dudley was never good at running. The memory changed again. He was in Diagon Alley, all alone. The first shop he went to was Ollivander’s. He had seen the wand that Professor Dumbledore had, and he had wanted one ever since. It was the key to what he really was. Proof that he wasn’t some weak muggle. He entered the shop, and he went through wand after wand, and none of them worked right. Then, suddenly, one did. It was beautiful. A light, almost peach colored thin stick of wood. Yew, 13 ½ inches, with a phoenix tail feather in the center. He was delighted. Finally, a wand that wanted him. He gave the man his money, leaving with a huge smile on his face. Now no one could oppose him. He was all powerful. He was the best! He went next to get his school books. He looked around the book shop as he entered. He wanted every book they had, but the school only gave him money for his school books, and then he would have enough for some his robes, parchment, quills, ink, and his potions ingredients.

He stayed at the book shop for a good hour just looking through every book he could before he bought his school books and left there as well. He walked down the street toward the apothecary, a smile on his face. He couldn’t wait to start potions. It was another type of magic, and every type of magic was amazing. It tied him to who he really was, just like his wand. The memory changed, and he was on the train, going to Hogwarts. He was sitting alone, when a blonde boy and two others came into the compartment. They started to talk and the blonde sat down, opposite him. He eventually introduced himself and they talked for awhile. The lunch cart came around and he and the blonde boy bought nearly the whole thing, and he watched in amazement as the cart refilled itself once the witch was paid.

The memory changed, and he was waiting in line to be sorted. Finally his name was called.

“Riddle, Tom!”

He walked up to the stool confidently. Finally, he was going to have a family. He put the hat on and it slipped down over his eyes. The hat’s voice sounded in his ear.

“Hmmmmm, an ambitious young lad, aren’t you. Cunning as well. Purity of blood matters much to you as well. This is no contest…SLYTHERIN!” Yelled the hat, and he took it off. He walked over to his table and his new family, smiling as though Christmas had come early this year. He was finally home.

Suddenly, he was shaking. No, he was being shaken. He blinked and looked up into blue piercing eyes.

“Professor? What’s wrong?” he asked, looking around to find a strange dark man, studying him like he had never seen anything like him before. “Where are we, Professor?” he asked, not recognizing the room. He had to play nice with the wizard. He had already said too much to him when the old man had come to tell him he was a wizard. He had been so excited when he found out, that he had spilled out his prized secrets. But never again.

“Do you not remember, dear boy?” Dumbledore asked, frowning.

‘Dear boy? What does he think he’s playing at. Is he trying to be nice to me in front of this other man. Speaking of which, who is that?’ he thought, looking over the dark man. He decided to speak up.

“No, Professor. I don’t believe I have ever been here before.” He said, shaking his head.

“What do you remember?” Dumbledore asked kindly. He was really getting tired of this. Ever polite, though, he answered.

“I remember leaving the Great Hall after dinner, and then walking back to the common room. Then, nothing…” he said faintly. How had he ended up here?

“Oh dear. Maybe I damaged your memories a bit when I used Legilimency. I do apologize dear boy, but it was necessary to bring you back to your senses.” Dumbledore said, frowning. Wait, when did the man’s hair go white. Was it not auburn before? Oh well, who was he to question the crazy antics of an insane Transfiguration teacher.

“Legilimency?” he asked, puzzled. He was sure he had read about it before, and Dumbledore said it had had something to do with his mind, and damaging it. He blanched. The man had damaged him.

“That’s right my dear boy, I apologize. You would not have heard of it yet.” Dumbledore said kindly, and then he looked at the dark man. “Severus, could you please escort him back to his common room? I have some urgent business to which I must attend.” Dumbledore said, and with that he swept out of the room. He looked at the dark man, and the dark man sneered.

“Come.” He said, leading the way out into the corridor. As he followed the man, his scathing voice floated behind him. “I suppose you think that your fame can get you out of anything, do you? This was a fluke, Potter, and you will still have detention with me. You will be lucky if you do not get expelled for your outburst tonight. You might even face charges and have your wand snapped.” The man said, but all he heard was expelled and wand snapped.

“But sir! I can’t get expelled! I can’t go back there in the middle of the year! They’re already glad to be rid of me for this long! What are they going to say if I go back there now?! And…my wand? Why would they snap my wand?! What did I do?!” he asked, stopping in the middle of the corridor. The man whipped around, coming so close to him he was towering over him.

“One, Potter, it is the beginning of the year, two don’t even play that I don’t remember game with me! You would be lucky if they didn’t put you in Azkaban for attempting to use and unforgivable on a teacher! Your wand and your relatives are the least of your worries right now, boy!” he hissed, his face in a snarl. His breath left his body and he shrunk down.

‘My wand…they can’t take my wand. I might even be expelled for something I don’t bloody well remember! And why the bloody hell would I try to use an unforgivable on a teacher! I always have better control on myself! I’ve even managed not to use the Cruciatis on all those damned annoying muggles at the orphanage! Why?! Why would I attack a teacher?! I can’t leave my home now! It’s who I am! I’ve already learned so much!’ he thought, clutching his wand in his hand. He looked down at it and frowned.

“Potter, pay attention!” the man spat, and he looked back up at him.

“Sir…do you know what happened to my wand?” he asked, causing the man to snatch the strange wand that felt yet so familiar out of his hand.

“This is your wand, Potter!” he spat, sneering down at him. “Or have you forgotten that as well?”

“Sir…why do you keep calling me Potter?” he asked. Was this a new Professor, and if so, he must not be good with names.

“Because Professors usually call students by their last names, Potter.” He sneered, handing back the strange wand that felt like his, but wasn’t.

“Sir, you must have me confused with someone else. My last name is Riddle.” He said, frowning up at the Professor as the man lost his sneer.

“Who told you that name?” he asked in a deadly hiss, and he backed a few steps away from the Professor.

“B-but sir…no one told me. That is my name.” Riddle said, frowning.

“This is not a game, Potter. I do not believe detention is going to be enough to get the message across this time. We’re going to see the headmaster. Follow me, or else.” The man said threateningly, and Riddle followed him. Maybe the headmaster could sort this all out. The man was malleable enough for him to convince him to let him stay at Hogwarts, if nothing else. Maybe he could sort out this new confused Professor as well. As they finally reached the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster’s office, the Professor hissed the name of a muggle sweet and Riddle wondered if the man had gone insane until the gargoyle jumped aside and the wall behind the thing moved aside to reveal a staircase that was spiraling upward. He and the Professor stepped onto the thing, and they quickly reached the top. Before the man could knock, an irritatingly familiar voice reached his ears.

“Enter.”

‘Oh, fantastic. The deputy headmaster is here. There’s no way I can manipulate Professor Dippet with him here. Well, here goes nothing.’ He thought, stepping into the office with the man.

Ch. End