Harry Potter 1. Chapter I: Realization

**A/N:** _First of all, I would like to say that since I do not in any form speak the French or Bulgarian languages, that I refuse to use an online translator and hope the sentences come out correctly. As a speaker of five other languages besides my native one, but not these two; I feel it is highly insulting to write something in another language only to discover the wording structure and context is all wrong._

_So, for this matter, Fleur and her family will be using English out of courtesy for Harry as will Vikto Krum at various points when he in the story, and beside I never decided to learn French or Bulgarian as one of the five languages I know besides English. I do hope the readers understand and I apologize for this, even if it is not my fault I do not speak this language._

_Secondly, this will be a very long work. Covering from fourth year to the end of the series in the books. Not all of this will be completely canon, so if things are different, you have been warned. More so since it will be different in the very beginning too, as in this chapter. it will also be rated as M for Mature readers from the start. The beginning is not that bad, and it mostly later on, but I am exercising caution in case I have to adapt my plot set-up somehow._

**Summary:** _What if losing a new life with Sirius before fourth year made Harry realize he was no more than a tool for Dumbledore and his war? What if everything he thought he knew of his family was a lie? The tool finally becomes the puppet master and takes control of his own life while he follows destiny to see where it would lead him; that's what happens. _

**Pairings:**_ Harry Potter/ Fleur Delacour, Ron/Hermione, Neville/Luna, Draco/Ginny_

_**Following Destiny**_

_**Chapter I: Realization**_

Harry had been back at Number Four Privet Drive for the summer after this third year at Hogwarts for nearly a week now. The young wizard had seen many changes in this time he had been there and some of the changes he had created by himself out of necessity for survival.

Harry had gotten his relatives to acknowledge him finally. They did not have to accept him, but to at least acknowledge he existed and to treat him as a human being. It was the first time in remembrance Harry had been allowed to eat as normal being there and to do other family things with them as long as he didn't annoy them too much.

Harry had also begun to review all his previous work from the last three years. He realized that the dark lord and his followers wanted him for some reason. Why, it was anyone's guess; but they did and Harry needed to stop playing dumb. His parent's friend had sold them out in a grab for power, so he knew the dark lord would be back to get him if the headmaster was right and he truly was not as dead as they liked to believe.

Harry had reason to believe it was true and that it would be sooner rather than later due to the obviously vivid and odd dreams he had been receiving lately. However, he had kept them to himself as so not to cause panic to anyone and because he was not sure any longer if the headmaster truly looked out for his well-being as Harry Potter and his student, rather than a tool for the war that might come.

Tonight though he was resting from his studying as it was his birthday and he had over done it the last few days. It was nearing midnight and the hour of his birth approached. Harry was waiting for the owls of his friends.

The owls had come and flown in gently. He recognized most of them, but two of them he did not. Harry shrugged and figured they would not be harmful if he had touched them and wasn't harmed in some way unless he had to open it first.

Harry's magic had grown quite stronger due to the studying he had done, and while he could not practice his spells at home; he could just tell somehow it had. He was done playing dumb and being Albus's pawn for the war. He would settle it his way now as he ought to.

Harry sat on the bed and opened Ron's present first.

_**Hey mate,**_

_**Hope those relatives of yours have been treating you okay. Happy birthday, Harry. I'm sorry things didn't work out as they should have with Padfoot, but don't worry; it'll be better soon enough I'm sure.**_

_**Anyways, I got you a set of your favorite chocolate when we had to go to town for something at Gringotts earlier in the summer. Mum said you should eat more and has also sent you some meat pies and bread loaves in the larger packages from her and Dad.**_

_**Oh yeah, and Dad got tickets to the Quidditch World Cup this year from work. One for all of us and you and Hermione. Mum already asked the headmaster for permission to take you and he said you could go as well, so we'll be there to pick you up next week around noon.**_

_**Cheers.**_

_**Ron**_

Harry smiled at this. It was great to go to something like this after last year's horrible ending. He then opened a bit of chocolate as he unfolded Hermione's letter.

_**Dear Harry,**_

_**Happy Birthday! I hope your summer hasn't been too bad and that the Dursley's are being tolerable. That owl is my new one, and her name is Athena, just so you know. I think Pig has a crush on her, but she doesn't seem to care for it much. **_

_**Did you already read Ron's letter? What am I saying, of course you have? Probably to get Pig to settle down and quit annoying Hedwig by zooming all over your bedroom…**_

_**I sent you several books that you seemed interested in last year when we snuck to Hogsmeade that one time, but then Ron dragged you off to the candy store and Malfoy caught you and so you had to make a break for the castle. I hope you enjoy them, as I know you planned to study harder this summer and relearn the materials we have covered so far. Good for you! I also know that the teachers would likely never approve of you reading them, so I figured if you wanted them…you'd need to get them yourself or have someone send them to you. So, I saved you the trouble. Know that if the dark lord truly isn't as dead as we think and I happen to agree with you due to the nature of the dreams you had; then I approve of your actions for whatever they are worth.**_

_**I also would like to say that I am honored you trusted me with the knowledge of the dreams and no one else. I am unsure why you did not wish to tell the headmaster, but I am sure you will tell us why once we see you again.**_

_**Anyways, I am ecstatic to see you again for the World Cup and the rest of the summer. Mine's been normal enough even if I was traveling and spent most of it in Greece with my parents. I hope you won't encounter too much trouble from your relatives about leaving early. Honestly, I think they'll be glad…they really should grow up and start treating you better.**_

_**Sorry about that, but they just make me so mad.**_

_**Well, anyways, I'll see you soon and hang in there.**_

_**Love your friend and sister without blood,**_

_**Hermione**_

Harry had to chuckle now. You could always tell the difference in the letters between his friends not only because of the handwriting on them. Ron's missive was so casual and open, whereas Hermione's was more proper and educated sounding. Ginny's letters, if she wrote at all, were often a mix of the two. He didn't mind, it was just funny to him, but that's how they were.

He decided to write them back right.

_**Ron and Hermione,**_

_**I am sure both of you are at Ron's place by now, so I guessed two letters to the same home was a waste of parchment. Thank you for the gifts, the chocolate taste especially good right now and the third book in the stack of five is wonderful, Hermione. They're great gifts trulyand I appreciate them both with much gratitude. Tell your mum and dad thanks as well for the bread and meat pies, as I absolutely adore your mum's cooking. Honestly, no better cooking than a mom's, right? **_

_**I will tell you what you wish to know when I see you, so hold onto those invisible horses I know you have. Too anxious and anticipatory for your own good Hermione Jane Granger...Ron, please make sure she rests and does not over-fry her brain too much in my absence. I do wish to be able to talk to her in a educated way when I see you next and that would defeat the purpose of trying to.**_

_**The Dursley's and I have come to an understanding of sorts. They have been better this summer by leaps and bounds honestly, and I am sure you are glad to hear this from me. The World Cup sounds great and I am excited already. But then again, with how much I love flying and Quidditch; that's no surprise, I'm sure.**_

_**When I see both of you again, I do need to talk to you both about something important. Please don't mention it to your parents Ron or to the Headmaster. I know this is odd from me, but trust me; it will make sense after I see you.**_

_**Your friend,**_

_**Harry**_

Harry sent Pig off again with the note and then looked to the one owl that might belong to another friend. He was cautious as he wasn't certain, and he did not want to be caught in a trap of some kind. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Ginny's name at the bottom and smiled before he read the letter.

_**Hi Harry,**_

_**Happy Birthday! I hope it has been a good one. I sent you a blank journal to write in…I know what your thinking and don't give me that look I know is on your face right now, but no…it's not cursed this time; I had dad check it just in case. I just…I know you are under a lot of pressure and felt you needed something besides Ron and Hermione to confide in.**_

_**Perhaps writing things down will allow you to look back at them with more clarity and realize where things could be changed to avoid future mistakes. I do care about you as friend Harry, and want you to be happy.**_

_**On another note, I need to tell you something. You're the only one who I can confide in about this as we did experience the chamber incident together and if any of my family knew…they'd freak. Literally, as I'm sure Hermione would considering the scenario I'm about to drop onto you.**_

_**You do know Lucius Malfoy placed the diary in my cauldron in my first year. Well, it seems his son had no idea of it when he was there, and was quite irritated by it when I had told him. Draco and I are secretly friends and he has wanted to be your friend, but he doesn't really have any true ones besides me, so he doesn't exactly know how to go about making them.**_

_**But the real shocker here is…Draco likes me Harry, as in that he wants to court me and become betrothed when old enough. His father is a concern because of him being a dark lord supporter and being able to evade capture so easily, so he has hidden the fact from him. Draco doesn't know how to express himself well and so he usually acts in anger or jealousy.**_

_**He did to you because you refused his friendship, and then you seemed to be close to me as well.**_

_**I know you might say this is dangerous, but Draco and I have been having secret correspondence for some time now and he has never tried to hurt me in any way. He says he wants away from his father's evil, but he doesn't know how to obtain it. To be honest, even though I had a crush on you; I also felt drawn in some way to Draco. I think we might be soul-mates, but I'm not sure about that as they are rare nowadays.**_

_**I want you to talk to me at my house in private when you get here about this more. I do not feel safe revealing so much in a letter.**_

_**Your friend forever and honorary baby sister,**_

_**Ginny**_

Harry was staring at the letter in shock. Draco still wanted his friendship and he had become so mean because he thought he refused it and was interested in Ginny all this time because he thought they were close to the other? He could kind of understand after the whole chamber fiasco and how Ginny followed him around silently with a flushed face. This discovery was striking to say the least though. If the worlds were true, and Draco admitted them to him; Harry would vouch for him and get him away from his crazy family somehow. But he had to be sure, as he didn't want Ginny getting hurt by him and the two families were in a blood feud and Harry definitely did not wish to make it worse than it was. If the two were soul-mates and not allowed to be together…it would destroy them and he wanted his honorary baby sister around for as long as he was allowed to keep her. He also wanted his little sister to be happy, but this was rather shocking.

_**Ginny,**_

_**Thanks for the thoughtful gift. I assure you that I didn't think it was another cursed diary and I appreciate the thought. I will make the best attempt I am able to start using it. I feel this new term will be a royal pain for me, but I don't understand why yet.**_

_**About our other topic, if what you say is true; I would be willing to speak to the third party alone without Ron and Hermione there once we return to the castle and found some privacy for the discussion. If he admits what you said was true and he has no intention of harming you, your family, Hermione or I; I will see about getting him away from his crazy family and vouch for him to my friends.**_

_**I also expect no more rude comments from him as well and he will not desire to follow a soon-to-possibly return madman. Don't tell anyone I told you of this matter and carefully tell him to keep close watch on his father for odd behaviors or other useful things. If he is earnest in his desire for you, he should know that being light-sided would be a must to keep you. **_

_**If he has his ears to the ground and watches for me, I have even more reasons to accept him as does your family and our side. I cannot win a war on my own. My dreams have been oddly weird in a freaky way, and I don't like it. They lead me to believe he is looking for a full revival and has found it, but it is not completed yet.**_

_**He needs something he does not have, and whatever it is; it cannot be good.**_

_**He will have my friendship if he cooperates to these conditions, but tell him that if he breaks his word; the protection will be revoked and he will be watching his back for all eternity because he hurt my baby sister and broke my trust. I don't trust as easily as he believes, and if he should break it; he will never regain it ever again. Soul-mates or not.**_

_**Harry**_

Harry coded the letter carefully, as he knew Ginny wnated this secret of hers to remain this way for now and then he sent it off with the owl that had delivered it as he had sent Pig back with the letter to Ron and Hermione before. Harry eyed the last two suspiciously. He had no idea who they were from and did not wish to open them exactly.

One looked like it had official documents on it, but was not sure why anyone would be sending him something of that nature. So, he decided to brave the notice for whatever it was and open it.

_**Dear Mr. H. J. Potter,**_

_**The Goblins of Gringotts Bank in the London Branch have written to you on a note of dire importance. It seems we have been in grave error in regards to you and your funds as well as several other areas of your family history and past, and so we seek to see here as soon as possible to correct this error as best as we can due to the circumstances as they are.**_

_**Do not inform your headmaster of the meeting, as he will likely try to stop it, and do not let anyone else know of it. **__**The sensitive information will be detailed to you first as is proper. Whomever you entrust it to after that…make sure you would give it to them as if you handed them your life into your hands.**_

_**Ragnok Boodclaw  
Director of Gringotts Bank, London Branch**_

Harry's eyes narrowed at this. This seemed legitimate and Goblins rarely ever make errors to their clients, so whatever it was that had gone wrong must be bad. However, why would the headmaster stop him from seeing them?

Harry's eyes narrowed further; it must have something to do with why Albus danced around several questions in regards to his past. He had asked him numerous times now of it and why the dark lord was after him, but the old man had simply refused by giving him more puzzle's to solve.

Harry then took the last letter to read. Which had really been two rolled together with a gift. Harry took the first one to read.

_**Prongslet,**_

_**Happy birthday and best wishes to my only and best godson. I hope you have had a day worthwhile and remember a birthday is only once a year, so to enjoy them as much as you can while you're still young.**_

_**I sent you some broom servicing materials in a kit from the Quidditch shop in Diagon Alley. Remus bought it with money I gave to him from me, so I guess it's really from us both. Moony says he misses you and to say happy birthday too.**_

_**I'm not supposed to tell you this, but I feel I must as it seems the Death Eaters are more active now because of it. My animagus form is useful for something…**_

_**Hogwarts will not have Quidditch this year in order to have a Ministry held competition known as the Triwizard Tournament. In old days, it was discontinued due to how dangerous it was for students and because of how many of them died during it. Supposedly, they've remade the tournament so it's safer for students and from whatever I heard...only seventh years are supposed to be able be able to enter, but I felt you needed to know in case something should happen as I did happen across Lucius Malfoy and he was wearing a sinister smirk after the tournament was mentioned once or twice as he passed some conversations. I hope you exercise caution as I do worry for you, pup.**_

_**I think they plan to use it as trap of some kind, so take care.**_

_**Other than this, I hope you enjoy the World Cup with your friends and I hope to see you soon.**_

_**Snuffles**_

_**P.S. Padfoot might have been recognizable to anyone who knew of the Marauder in school, besides Peter as we did have some notoriety there, and so this is the new code name. Use it when writing me.**_

Harry smiled brightly and was happy to have such wonderful gifts from his friends and family as he unrolled the last letter. Though he did have to laugh at the choice of code names; and he would be teasing his godfather over when he saw him next. The letter he was holding now; it was from the Headmaster.

_**Harry my boy,**_

Harry rolled his eyes at this and snorted softly in amusement.

_**Happy birthday and I hope you are well. I am sure your friends have informed you of your upcoming traveling plans, so I don't think I need to lecture you more on safety than I have in past.**_

_**I merely wish to write you in case the goblins of the bank wrote you. I am sure they have the best intentions of wanting to speak to you over certain new matters, but I fear I must discourage it for now. It would not help anything at the moment, so please ignore the missive for the time being.**_

_**I have enclosed your supply list here as well, since after the World Cup, there would be limited amounts of time to gather things for the new term. The Weasley family will be taking you to gather them with their own children.**_

_**Again, happy birthday and best of luck in the new term.**_

_**Sincerely,**_

_**Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.**_

Once more Harry's ever growing suspicions were rising that the headmaster knew something and did not wish to share it. He quickly unattached his supply list before shredding the letter in frustration.

He then grabbed parchment, ink, and quill for a letter that would soon change a lot of things.

_**Ragnok Bloodclaw,**_

_**I am very appreciative that you wrote me of these concerns instead of the headmaster, as I have been finding of late that I am becoming more and more suspicious of his motives in regards to me and the war against a certain dark lord should he ever be fully revived once more. I am also rather concerned by them if the director of Gringotts has decided to personally mail me about it. The errors must be something large, if you are involved in them now.**_

_**I would like to meet you in person to address these issues, but unfortunately, I feel I may not be able to until after the World Cup is over and I have my annual supply gathering hunt in Diagon Alley for the year. Albus has me watched in the summer and I am unsure of exactly how well to know if there was a chance to evade the watchers except for one event.**_

_**I do know I can see you earlier if you have room in your schedule for later today around three pm. The watchers change then and usually the man they send is drunk beyond coherent measure. He probably couldn't tell me from his own wand and this works to my favor and yours in this situation we find ourselves in.**_

_**If this is acceptable, please answer as fast as possible.**_

_**Harry J. Potter**_

"Hedwig, I need you to deliver this to the director of Gringotts Bank in Diagon Alley. Do not let anyone else intercept this letter, even if the headmaster himself tries to. It is highly important and I cannot afford for it to be taken from its intended receiver." Harry said to her softly

Hedwig's eyes seemed to understand his words as she hooted her response of acceptance to the task and allowed Harry to attach the letter to her.

"Fly swiftly and safely, girl."

Hedwig nodded and disappeared into the night. Harry laid down and it was now two-thirty in the morning. He decided to sleep for a few hours if he had to convince his uncle to take him to London soon, as that would be painful.


	2. Chapter II: Gringotts Bank

**A/N: I am warning all the readers now that this story is going to speed up quite a bit after this point. It might feel a bit rushed, so all I ask is you give the story a chance and to be patient. There are also going to be many changes after this point that are either not there and adjusted to fit my plot or they are coming into play earlier than normal because it also suits the way I have set things up. If you don't like this; I apologize, but it is how it is. **

**Chapter II:** Gringotts Bank

When Harry woke from barely four or perhaps five hours of sleep, Hedwig had returned and had a note from Ragnok agreeing to the timeslot he had asked of. With a grin to his face, he decided he had better face the music if he wanted to catch his uncle before he left for work later this afternoon and he forgot about it due to being busy with chores.

Harry hastily washed up and dressed before he practically bounced down the stairs that morning. His relatives had stared and thought he was in an unusually good mood today, even if they had not acknowledged that it was still his birthday.

"Uncle Vernon, I have something to ask you." Harry said finally

His uncle raised his eyes over the top of his newspaper and grunted in compliance before returning to the news.

"I need you to take me to London as you head to work. I can get back to the house myself, but I have something I need to take care of in regards to my parent's estate and the bank director of our community has asked to see me today at three pm. It would look less suspicious if you dropped me off there than to be entering alone."

"I know you head into work late today, so I wondering if you might drop me off along the way." Harry asked as casually as he could.

He smirked inwardly at his choices of words since he knew the mention of an estate would fire some alarm bells off in their skulls. Vernon and Petunia eyed each other in silence, as they did not know what to think of this. They had no idea Harry was left anything from his parents, let alone a whole estate and some large amounts of money.

"Harry, how do you know that this estate is even real? As far as we know, your parents had nothing left after that dark lord person killed them and then the house was found in ruins as if they had burned it to the ground?" Petunia asked hesitantly

Harry smiled benignly behind a mask of pure joy from their shock over this, "Oh, you mean Godric's Hollow? That's just where they lived after they married and it was where I was born. My father is from what you would consider an 'old money' line in our world, so he was quite wealthy and most of the estate that is left is the assets frozen in custody for me later in time and the properties are warded off until then as well."

"Why have we never been notified of this?" Vernon asked him

Harry sighed, "I cannot answer that fully, as I'm not positive. However, part of it is at least that our money is guarded by goblins and they take clientele confidentiality to a whole new level. I suspect since you were muggles, they considered it useless for you to know. Then, there was the fact that I wasn't sure until more recently that anything had been left. I made a few inquiries and found there was, but the trouble was not letting anyone else in my world know if they did not need to."

"On another level, I only found out about it fully last night, and this is why the meeting is happening now. Even if I had any idea of it before, I still likely would not have told you after having been treated the way I have been. I probably would have kept it a secret, as I would have been afraid you'd try and steal it from me; not that I think the goblins would let you as they certainly would not have." Harry told them

Vernon and Petunia were unsure how to interpret this. If what their nephew said was true, he had notoriety in his world and came from a money lined family that Lily had eventually married into. Petunia knew she loved James with her whole being, and so she never would accuse her deceased sister of being a gold-digger, but Lily had always seemed to find a way to manage and Petunia had often resented that about her.

Harry cleared his throat and they looked at him.

"I will return here for one more night after this meeting, and then the next morning I likely will be gone from here. It is plausible that you will likely never see or hear from me ever again unless the world I know is thrown into renewed war with the Lord Voldemort, and yes; it is possible for this to happen. I would like to take this opportunity to say some things."

Harry stood, "Aunt Petunia, I know my being a wizard as much as my mother was and still is painful for you. You were jealous of her abilities and ones you could not share in experiences with her. You tried to push her away by pretending to hate her and me and anything else magical because the hurt was very bad. Then my mother stayed in a world that caused you to lose her and be saddled with me...I know it is not easy to accept, but thank you for not just getting rid of me when you found me."

"My mother was upset over this behavior you showed and exhibited to her, but she also had understood and eventually she forgave you even if you never spoke to her of it. I learned of this through one of my parents surviving friends last year. If roles had been reversed, I am sure Dudley would have been welcomed openly into her home and into her heart as much as I would be for being her son."

"I was left here for a reason, a reason you don't fully understand. The dark master may have been defeated once by me, but his followers still searched for me and wanted to kill me for eliminating their master. You could have shipped me to the nearest orphanage, but they would have eventually found me. If they had, I likely would be dead now. This house has been my shelter from them because it is the place where my mother's blood dwells, and because her sacrifice of her life for mine is remembered here." Harry told them

Petunia seemed sad at this and he could see some level of regret in her eyes.

"Uncle Vernon, I do not like or accept how you and Petunia have treated me over the last fourteen years. It was inhumane and if anyone of authority in our world ever found out; you'd all be in very serious trouble. I will not breathe a word of what has happened unless you give me more of a reason to, but I expect you will not. Know that if I had become angrier and more bitter, I could have killed all of you with just a breath of air and and a rush of intense emotional turmoil. You are quite lucky that it is not in my nature to be this way intentionally."

"The dark lord came after me as an infant. He took away my parents and left me a wizarding celebrity to our world for something I can barely remember. I do not understand why he wants me dead so badly; I just know that he does and I get the feeling I may be the only one who can stop him now for good. I'm not sure how I know this, but it just seems logical to me."

"Should you abuse me more, our world would retaliate and it would not be pleasant. I do not want whatever bad family issues we have to become public news as my life is already hounded by reporters in wizarding Britain as is." Harry told them evenly

Petunia and Vernon were quiet at this, while Dudley seemed too shocked to even say anything at all.

"You have done all you could to insult my way of life, my family and our culture while I have lived under your roof. You have done everything in your power to belittle me and make sure that when I was here that I was sullen and downtrodden as was possible. You thought you could 'squish' the magic out of me, and the ironic part of this is; I am possibly one of the most power magical children alive right now and so the attempts would become futile. Magic cannot be removed from us unless by invoking other magical rituals to remove it. It is a part of us and we are born with the gift, just as Dudley is gifted at boxing and sports."

"Had you treated me properly and when this news came about, I might have considered leaving you a small parting gift as my way of showing my appreciation that you have taken me in for all these years and have protected me from the dark lord and his followers. I cannot do this however, because the way you have treated me is despicable." Harry told them in an even tone

"Yes, you housed me here for fourteen years and sheltered me from those who would have killed me. Yes, you clothed me and fed me, but you also did this with a neglectful attitude. You both never tried to become like secondary parents to me because of your hatred for my people, but the truth is; if it were not for my people, your own would have been wiped out by dark wizards of all kinds through the many ages we have existed." Harry said

"Now, I will be packing my things in preparation for tomorrow. If you have need of me, just call."

He walked off and left the stunned family sitting at the kitchen table to think on whatever he said.

* * *

It was around lunch time when Harry was called to the living room by his aunt. He had no idea what to expect, but he hoped his words had reached them somewhat. Dark times were closing in; he could feel it and he wanted to think his family were smart enough to stay safe and remain unnoticed. When he entered the room it was quiet and tension was running high already.

"You wanted me?" he said swiftly

Petunia nodded and gestured for him sit and he did so hesitantly.

"Harry, we have thought over what you said and we do not begrudge your actions. We have wronged you in more ways than we knew, and now I feel as though I have done something that might never be able to be forgiven." She said slowly

"Yes, I was jealous of my sister. More than I cared to admit to myself or anyone else who knew of her and her abilities. Or even than I had let anyone else know of. This jealousy ate at me and I became hateful and bitter. When I found you on our doorstep in a blanket that was surprisingly warm for November, and with a letter telling me my sister and her husband were dead, I had no idea what to think."

"I was angry she gave me and our family up for a world we would never know, and then only to end up being killed by it. I lost my baby sister to something I could not fathom and so my hatred grew worse. Having you here, and seeing my sister's eyes looking back me when I glanced at you, and knowing you were just as she was; it hurt more than I could say."

"It is a paltry excuse for my actions and I do not expect you to forgive me or our family. I also do not expect you to give us anything as that would be something I would then have to refuse for what we've done. Just know that even though we have our differences, we do not wish to see you die. We neglected you in the worst ways, and to think you could have killed us this whole time makes things worse. To know you did not no matter how angry you were...I cannot understand the decision somewhat. Our neglect could have killed you if we had let it go too far, and so I know this something you had to have realized by now."

Harry was quiet and he had heard this conversation as if he had held his breath waiting his whole life for it now. He nodded to them and acknowledged he had heard the words spoken. The rest of the afternoon meal was tense and and silent. It was as if the world was waiting for an eruption of massive proportions to go off in the home.

Vernon and Harry ate quickly as they could and then headed to the car. Harry had placed his money bag in his pocket before coming down; he assumed it might be some time and he might not have time to go and retrieve it after that. It was quiet and tense during the drive to London. Harry felt as if his uncle had wanted to say something, but he just did not know how to express it.

It took at least an hour's drive to reach London the muggle way versus the knight bus, so Harry had his uncle drop him off outside a store on the opposite side of the road from where the Leaky Cauldron was. He then waited to cross the road and then disappeared into the building. He remained in the shadows of the entry hall and pulled his invisibility cloak form the duffel bag Dudley had loaned him when he had asked to borrow it. He hid the bag underneath the entryway bench before slipping on the cloak and making his way to the back courtyard.

Once he reached the back wall, he used his wand to tap the bricks in the correct pattern and waited as they shifted to open the way to Diagon Alley. He saw that he was still fairly early as he had at least an hour before the meeting.

So, Harry decided to try and look more presentable. He went to Madame Malkin's, who was beside herself when he requested some robes of her that were custom to him. She had argued over the colors briefly before deciding Harry was right. Jewel tones worked best for him, except in yellows and browns. So he had ordered a new wardrobe to be done by her with charms that allowed him to keep using them as he grew more. She told him as soon as he knew the new address of his living arrangements to let her know, so she could send the order to him directly.

He had also had a dark blue robe done for the day and was wearing it out as he finished. He wanted to change his looks abit more, but instead he realized what time it was and immediately headed to Gringotts now as so not to be late. Clothes shopping was fun, but time-consuming and exhausting.

* * *

Upon his entrance to the bank, he saw that it was surprisingly busy today and that many people were scurrying around and that they weren't even noticing he was there. Harry was surprised, but pleased for this occurrence, as he certainly did not wish the headmaster to know yet that he was here because he did know that the old man would eventually know he had come here against his wishes.

When he reached the front teller goblin, he cleared his throat respectfully to it. The goblin seemed impressed by him, but not overtly so.

"I have an appointment at three today with Director Ragnok. I am sure you must know the delicate nature of the discussions." Harry said carefully

The goblin appeared to ponder him a moment before a flash of renewed respect appeared in its gaze.

"Indeed. I was informed of the seriousness of the issues you have as one of our most valued clientele. If you'd please present your vault key to me to assure us of your identity, we will inform him of your arrival at once." The teller told him

Harry handed over the key for inspection. The teller scrutinized it carefully before nodding in acceptance and returned the key to its owner.

"You will be notified when he is to see you. If you'd wait over there, he should be here momentarily." The teller said and then eyed him carefully.

"And Mr. Potter…" He whispered softly

Harry turned to him with a brow raised in question.

The goblin smirked at him, "Congratulations."

Harry was shocked and perplexed by this answer. He wanted to inquire what the hell that was about, but shook his head and figured he would find out soon enough. Harry waited about five or so minutes before a goblin he recognized came to greet him and to show him the way to the director's office. Once they were away from the outside of the main area, Harry smiled.

"How are you today, Griphook?" he asked gently

The goblin known as Griphook stopped cold in his stride at this.

"You remember me from three years ago, Mr. Potter?" He asked

Harry seemed confused, "Of course I do, you were the first goblin I have ever seen and or met, plus you happened to give me one of the most fantastic cart rides to my vault ever, even if Hagrid seemed less than enthusiastic as you and I did."

Griphook appeared startled and Harry was now more perplexed, "Is something wrong? Have I offended you in some way?" he asked him

The goblin shook his head, "No, I am just startled by this is all. Many wizards and witches today care little to know of our names or even remember us until they have banking needs. They have forgotten the old ties we used to have long ago and my people are less than forgiving because of this. They forget that we hold all their gold and assets and should we revolt; your people would be in quite a state of chaos."

"You are one of very few whom I have met that is worth the attention of mentioning properly or even speaking to with equal respect to any other goblin here. I can see why Ragnok regards you as highly as he does and the way he has regarded your family's clan for centuries now."

Harry nodded silently and did so with a bright smile as they continued on in light chatter now. Harry was most curious of all things he was learning now, but held his tongue until he met with Ragnok...though, it was very difficult to contain. Harry and Griphook walked on as if they were old friends, and anyone who saw it would have been baffled or thought Harry was crazy.

When they reached the office, Griphook knocked politely and waited for a response. Once it had been given, he opened the door and Harry followed him inside. Ragnok seemed to notice Harry chose to follow behind his associate instead of pushing past him like most would have by now as did Griphook, which made the two consider him more worthy than the young lord likely knew.

"Director, Mr. Potter is here to see you and now that he has arrived to your office in good hands, I shall leave you to discuss the issues with him." Griphook said respectfully with a small nod

Ragnok inclined his head to this and the younger associate left as Harry stood waiting to be addressed. Ragnok was curious over his behavior as most wizards thought themselves superior to all others. Or at least they believed themselves to be superior to all other magical races and above being respectful and courteous to those they considered inferior without a reason.

"Please Mr. Potter, have a seat." Ragnok gestured gruffly

Harry nodded and sat down before him and watched curiously as Ragnok appeared to be sizing him up with his eyes.

"I understand you have questions, but today will be a long and quite overdue discussion I'm afraid. So, if you could try to hold those questions until everything else has been done, I would be most appreciative." He asked of the young man before him with a calculative gaze

Harry smiled gently and nodded, "I will try my best."

Ragnok nodded and sighed, "I'm afraid the nature of news I have is not pleasant and some of it is my own establishment's fault. I ask you listen and reserve your judgments until the end on what you think is the right way to handle this."

"Harry, after your mother and father died; there were many people who sought to claim you as their child by blood adoption. Death Eater families most prominently as you had vanquished their master, and so for them to take you and then kill you; it meant your death was justice for them. As you know, Albus Dumbledore placed you with your aunt's family for protection. I never questioned his actions, as they were the only blood relatives you had left until a few years ago. When you first came to the bank more specifically. You looked sickly thin and quite timid in demeanor among the crowds here who wanted to shower you with their attentions of all kinds. Not as I expected you to be, frankly." Ragnok said

"I had become concerned for you as those protections seemed not to shelter from your relatives abuse as they should have done. As much as they should have if death eaters managed to break the wards. So, I went digging for answers and what I found was not easy to digest and I don't think you are going to like what I tell you." Ragnok told him

Harry was curious of this now. He had known for some time that something was off about the way things were.

"James and Lily are your biological parents, but Lily; her past is clouded more than we thought it had been. Headmaster Dumbledore made sure we were unaware of it as he is the reason it was kept so secretive from us here, and I'm betting he told you to not see me today prior to you deciding to come anyhow." He asked

Harry's eyes narrowed at this news.

"Yes, he told me the news would not benefit me right now and just make things worse if I knew them, so to wait until a more appropriate time." He said

Ragnok grunted in acknowledgement, "It would only benefit you and he knows that, and it would make it harder on him and this is why he does not wish you to know."

"Harry, your father James was pureblood and you likely knew this already. However, you may not be aware that he comes from one of wizarding Britain's oldest bloodlines left that are originally from here and it is one of the wealthiest lines here too. Even the Malfoy family is not originally from Britain. They came here from France in the early 1200's when our society there was being persecuted."

"The Potter family is also quite influential here in a number of ways. You should have been raised to know all this from the time you could understand it in basic terms, but I am guessing no one told you and those who did know were either hesitant to tell you or were made to keep quiet in some manner. The Potter Family tree of yours contains ancestors that include Godric Gryffindor, Merlin, and the fabled Peverell blood through Ignotus Peverell and one of three brothers said to hold a deathly hallow before his demise."

Harry was shocked and his eyes were quite wide by now.

"However, we all believed your mother was muggle-born and did not care to test it even if she did look nothing like the rest of her family when they had visited her the first time. While on the other hand, she did resemble a daughter from a deceased pureblood line we thought had become stagnant for good. Our biggest oversight ever to be made yet."

Harry's eyes narrowed, "My mother was pureblood then?" he asked

Ragnok eyed him, "I cannot say yet, as we need to do a test and your blood is required for it."

Harry took a deep breath and tried to calm the frazzled nerves in him and quell his continued rage at the man he once would have considered his mentor and a secondary grandfather to him and his family.

"Alright, how does this work?" He said after a moment

Ragnok pulled a knife and vial of water from his desk, "This vial contains a special kind of water used for heritage checks. Normally these are used only in special cases that we deem worthy enough to approach. In your case, we feel we must do it as we owe your parents the truth and you the truth. They had become like allies to us during the first war with the one called Lord Voldemort and were the only clan of wizards we considered like this in centuries." Ragnok told him sincerely

"Many of us here remember that fateful night the bank was nearly destroyed. James was an Auror on watch that night and he shielded many of us as those who chose to fight did so. Lily came in like a blur later on, but she healed and calmed those who wondered if Gringotts would survive the war. Her presence there made many of us feel as though the ties between the goblin nation and the wizards of human lands could be mended if only more would try." Ragnok told him, "This was before you were born and shortly after both of the graduated."

Harry nodded and was interested to see how well Ragnok knew his family. He seemed to know a lot, so perhaps there was much he could learn from him if the goblin allowed it.

"All I need you to do is use this knife to gently cut the tip of your finger and place three drops of blood in the vial. If the water turns red, then my assumptions were wrong and I will apologize for interrupting your summer. If it turns blue though, I will have more to tell you and a lot of it."

Harry nodded and grasped the knife. He was hesitant for a second and then reined his courage as he gently cut his finger. Ragnok opened the special container and handed it to Harry as he let three drops slide down the glass tube and then he passed it back to Ragnok and the goblin used a healing spell of his own kind to seal and mend the cut.

The answers were clear and instantaneous. The water turned a bright sapphire blue and Ragnok nodded his head in confirmation.

"I thought as much." He said clearly

"Ragnok, I am not sure if you know...but, I have felt for some time that Albus kept things from me for reasons he never wanted to tell. Now, I know it is true, but if what I think your going to say is correct; I have a feeling me and Albus will be at odds for some time." Harry said

Ragnok stared at him in indifference. The boy already had suspicions of his former mentor and was able to use magical energy to tell different emotions or such in the air? That proved the bloodline in and of itself.

The goblin just nodded and began again, "Harry your mother was and likely still is pureblood even now, though few knew of this. Dumbledore was negotiating with her family's clan for aid in the first war. It had seemed likely for success with good results, and next we knew; her family was eradicated. There had seemed to be no sign that anyone had survived the manner of attack. We do know for certain now that Albus hired people to eliminate them, but without your blood we could never officially prove it." He said

Harry was starting to feel as though there was more to this, "Why would he eliminate them, especially if he was trying to negotiate an alliance?" He asked, "Don't get me wrong, I have had my doubts of late that he has been honest with me like I told you previously and this proves he hasn't been, but it does not make sense to me that he would just kill them all if the alliance failed?"

Ragnok eyed him, "Did you know Albus did not approve of James marrying Lily?"

Harry was flummoxed, "Why?"

"Because she was part of a clan that had dark elven blood in it, and this made her a lot more powerful than she let on. Most believed she was muggle-born, so her intuitiveness of the arcane and her above average powers were odd to most people. Humans considered very gifted at magic, while some just scoffed at it. Dark elves have magic that most human wizards could only dream of obtaining, and it is why he was against it from the start. He knew if James married her, that when they had a child; the infant would be more powerful at its birth than he was after sixty years of living and training."

Harry was too shocked at this. He sat slumped in his chair and did not know how to respond.

"Not only this, but the clan she was from specifically is considered royalty and so the magic you have is quite potent and natural. You wouldn't even notice its [presence or signs unless you had any idea of what to look for." Ragnok told him

"I see." Harry said, "So, what can we do about this situation?" He asked, "I don't feel as though trusting the headmaster is a good idea for me any longer, but he still will watch me and ensure that I am his pawn for the war that is to come again and restart. So, how do I break away from this mold he thinks I have and become my own person again." He asked

"Harry, has Albus ever told you why the dark lord went after you as a child?" Ragnok asked softly

Harry stared at him now, "No. I have constantly asked him to tell me after every year that I barely escape from with a brush near death. He still chooses not to tell me though. He told me he did not wish to burden me more with the detail, but now...I honestly do wonder."

Ragnok pinched the bridge of his nose, "I have a feeling you will need training for what is to come, and he is preparing not to give it to you for reasons you don't understand. I will correct this, and I will not allow him to let James and Lily watch their only son from the world beyond the living realm fall victim to his lies any longer."

"Harry, the dark lord came after you because prior to your birth a seer had predicted that you were the only one who could defeat him and vice versa. I do not know the exact wording of the prophecy, but the Ministry should let you hear it as they have a copy of it. I suggest doing this inquiry discretely though, as many death eaters would kill to know the contents since I am aware they only know part of it."

Harry nodded as he slumped in sadness, "I had almost suspected as much. My dreams of late have become more clear and they all almost always involve seeing his plans and what he is up to. I have some connection to him because of that backfired curse, and so I had felt fro some time this summer him trying to come back. He gains more strength even now and it will not be long before war comes again"

Ragnok was still at this and frozen by these words. To hear them was bad enough, but to see the honesty and sincerity in the young lord's eyes was worse because now Ragnok had no doubt war would come again as he said.

" Harry, I cannot know how you feel and I know this must be hard for you to acknowledge. However, I believe firmly that Albus is preparing you to be a sacrificial scapegoat against the dark lord due to this prophecy that was made. Believing that if you fall to him, that he then could be the one to kill him and achieve more glory and power as he did to Gellert Grindelwald with Tom Riddle, or tried to. The elderly headmaster fails to realize that if you fall in defeat to the dark lord Voldemort, then our world becomes his supremely and our community will be destroyed for good in a matter of years."

"Tom Riddle was a very smart boy though I never knew him personally. He was also so very dark inside already by his upbringing before ever entering our world again. I do not know the details, but I know the dark lord has a vendetta against Albus for some of his upbringing. Goblins just sense these things." Ragnok told him, "When Albus defeated Gellert; he had not realized he had turned his star student from him. It was much too late at this point, so Albus tried to defeat Tom in his early stages, but it became futile too fast."

"Then the prophecy came out, and he intended to mold you to his side and do what he wanted without giving you the true means to survive the confrontation as he had once before with Tom in his infernal battle with Gellert Grindlewald. Gellert was also Albus's lover for many years until he felt he could no longer stop him from his quest for power. Gellert murdered Albus and Aberforth's younger sister Ariana, and this set into motion the war that came from it."

Harry stood now; his back tense as he paced slowly over the carpet before the fireplace.

"I am beginning to see his machinations for whatever they may be. I want to become my own person again and to live freely without his meddling and his interference. Is there anything we can do?" Harry said sincerely

Ragnok nodded, "I had intended to have you emancipated to the community. This means you are fourteen, but would be considered an adult wizard to everyone around you. You will be able to use magic any time and Albus will no longer be able to make important decisions for you without your consent."

Harry nodded, "How long will this take to do?"

Ragnok eyed him, "I think if you return tomorrow around noon the paperwork will be ready. I still have much to discuss with you, but the afternoon grows late and I have things I need to do as I am sure you do as well."

Harry agreed with a silent nod.

"Then I shall see you again tomorrow at noon." Ragnok said

Harry left the bank and swift used his cloak to conceal himself. He had much to consider and so he grabbed the duffel bag carefully on his way out and flagged the knight bus to return to Privet Drive for the last time.


	3. Chapter III: Learning

**Chapter III:**Learning

Harry spent the day after his birthday and initial trip to Gringotts Bank along with the next two weeks after it going to and from the bank invisibly to the rest of the community. He had been secretly meeting with Ragnok for lessons on things in his world that he needed to know of. Things Harry was certain Albus never planned to teach him and Ragnok said he owed James and Lily this much, but as far Harry knew; these lesson were valuable and he was glad to have them no matter why the goblins decided to teach him.

Among the most important ones, Harry had learned of what is it was that made pureblood witches and wizards so angry at Albus and why they believed Voldemort could help them in their elitist goals. Albus had made their world vulnerable to muggle invasion by accepting too many muggle-borns to the school over time.

While some were needed to keep the blood ties level and stable for strong magical growth, the elderly headmaster had gone too far and his allowance of them sharing their discoveries in their homes during the summer holidays made them exposed to those who didn't need to know. Among other things, purebloods had given much of their old cultures up due to pressures of muggle-born sympathizers throughout the centuries. Samhein had become Halloween and so forth, and now as Harry saw it; it wasn't right for them to have to give up and change just because some found it uncomfortable. They didn't have to like or accept them as traditions, but they could at least acknowledge them as their culture without feeling they had to change it.

Over the last week he had been taught the pureblood ways. Their culture was grained into him as it should be and their traditions were taught so he could blend in with either culture and not feel out of place. While he did not agree with all of them, and he did not believe Voldemort's methods were the best for achieving this so called peace and progress; he could see why things had to change.

Harry had moved out of Number Four as planned and went to a small home just outside London that had belonged to his grandmother Dorea Black-Potter. She came here when she wanted a break from the manor. It was warded heavily and made unplottable, so Harry had no trouble moving there. He had learned much of his family history from here, whether by the paintings of various ancestors along the halls or in several rooms, or by sitting in the library with a multitude of books.

His emancipation had allowed him a new freedom he had never known, and allowed him to see his world with new clarity as his knowledge of things he had never thought to learn became very much clearer than they had in past. It made much more aware of how he had formerly acted, and it made him feel foolish and stupid to some degree.

He had changed a lot. His ways of speech had changed somewhat and his way of dressing was definitely noticeable. He had lengthened his hair some so it was not unruly and he had his vision corrected magically at the request of Ragnok so he no longer relied on his glasses if he should find himself in a fight.

The young lord had learned of his responsibilities to the Ministry and Wizengamot, along with whatever the goblins could tell him of his mother's clan and culture. Harry had consented to see if Albus placed magical seals over portions of his magic, and none were surprised to find he had. Ragnok had wanted to kill Albus for it, but Harry stopped him as it wouldn't have brought anything good.

Instead Ragnok, Griphook and several other goblins removed the seals and helped him retrain his magical core to be useable. This had brought about the changes in his appearance a bit and his stronger magical aura. Ragnok had been very proud to see Harry adapt to these changes so well and as easily as he had done, though he would never admit it to anyone aloud. The other things that were noticeable now came after his emancipation had been finalized.

His mother's dark elven blood manifested quickly after the restraints on his magic had been freed. Harry had grown slight taller, but still somewhat short. Ragnok figured he would grow more as he was only fourteen and so his magic didn't want to overdo it.

His eyes held a sparkle to them that glittered like the most expensive emeralds. However, if he was angry, they darkened quite a lot and magic swirled in them. His ears had become pointed as was typical for any race of elves and while signs of abuse were there in his figure still somewhat; his magic had made it quite hard to tell now.

Overall, Harry appeared to be the son of a wealthy pureblood family who was highly educated. He held his new position with grace even if at times he wished he could have said, 'To hell with them all' as Ragnok had heard once or twice when he was complaining to him. Harry's vaults had been secured from Albus and those who would wish to use him for his wealth. Griphook had been promoted to be his account manager since Ragnok had too much already, and Harry had not trusted another goblin besides him. He had also found out he was one of the wealthiest orphans as he had said to his relatives; he just had not realized how much so.

It was now then end of the two very tiring but fulfilling weeks, and Harry's study session of wizarding politics with Ragnok and Griphook was closing for the day. Harry had been given a special bank card for immediate withdrawals if needed.

Harry had used this to secretly venture into Knockturn Alley to purchase some books on theories behind dark magic and basic dark arts. He figured he was not going to defeat Riddle with tickling hexes and stunning spells, so he had better become more acquainted with materials the dark lord had years of experience in.

Ragnok and Harry had just reach the main hall talking to the other when he heard the sound of laughter and that it seemed familiar to him, but also something he had not heard dfor some time. It sounded like music to his ears, and he looked up and around the room for the owner of the wonderful laugh he had heard. On the other side of the room, a girl who had to be at least seventeen stood there laughing.

Harry scrunched his eyebrows in confusion; she seemed familiar and as he got more of a glimpse to her face, his eyes popped in shock.

_:Flashback:_

_Harry had been running from Dudley on the school grounds. He and his friends had wanted too beat him up again and Harry wanted to deprive them of the opportunity. Harry jumped behind the trash cans with his eyes closed as he thought he was being silent enough._

_When he opened them, he realized he had somehow gotten on the roof of the school. When his principal found him; he was not happy and Harry knew he was in big trouble when he got home._

_Harry had been yelled at and not let out of his cupboard for three days for this. His uncle claimed he had come down with a nasty cold and was resting. 'Yeah right,' Harry had thought as he sat in the dark._

_When he was finally let out, it was Saturday and Harry was quickly put to work. When he was done, he decided to walk to the park. He spent time there thinking things over and to clear himself of the horrible emotions that ran through him._

_He had not expected to run into anyone though, so his collision into a strange girl of several years older than him was odd._

_He stood and held out his hand to her, "I'm sorry, I was thinking and didn't see you there? Are you alright?" He asked her softly_

_The girl was quite beautiful with porcelain skin and hair that was so pale it looked like silvery threads of light. She wore a cute pink and white shirt with a grey skirt and had nice shoes on._

_She seemed hesitant to accept his help, but then did so anyways._

"_It's okay, I wasn't paying attention to wherever I was running off to either. My father made me so mad and I ran away from home again to escape the tension in the house." She said, _"_I'm Fleur Delacour, and you are?" She asked_

"_Harry Potter." He said easily_

_Her eyes widened in shock for a moment and then relaxed as she smiled at him. She sat next to a beautiful oak tree and gestured for him to join her there. They talked for some time and then she sighed and said she had to go. This was the first of many meetings until she had said she was moving away and would not be back for some time. He nodded his head in sadness and let her go, even if he had not wanted to lose his only friend._

_:End Flashback:_

Ragnok noticed Harry had quit listening to him and was staring at a girl. He smirked, 'Oh, if I had a camera right now' he thought to himself

Harry then shook his head out of his thoughts and walked over to her, "Fleur, is that really you there after all this time?" Harry asked her softly

Fleur Delacour was startled when her name was said and turned to whomever it was appearing to threaten to tell them off when she recognized who it was with startled eyes.

"Harry, my you've grown since we last saw the other as kids. It suits you." She said with a smile as her father and mother stared at their eldest daughter in surprise and watched the interactions closely.

Fleur did not have too many friends due to her nature as a veela, and those she did have; her parents monitored carefully, so this new person...who was also a male, was very surprising and the cause of suspicion to them. Fleur also had a nasty temper and vicious tongue when she wanted, and that tended to keep others away that she did not want near her quite effectively.

"I have had a good time these last few years, no thanks to my relatives for sure. I'm finally free of them and my life is my own now. Though with the dark lord and the possibility of his return, I doubt I will be totally free until he is gone." Harry nodded

Fleur was now scowling immensely, "I'm glad you are free of those horrible people. They had no right to treat you that way as their nephew."

Harry smiled now at her protectiveness, "I know, but it is in the past and I believe they have come around some in the last few years. A bit late, but better late than never at all, huh?"

Fleur scowled, "I suppose so, but that aunt of yours could have easily been a evil dark witch for how she acted to her own blood. It made mine boil whenever I thought of it."

Fleur's mother decided to interrupted now, "Fleur darling, as much as I think it is nice you found a friend; who is this gentleman and how do you two apparently know the other?" She asked her daughter rather impatiently

Fleur flushed and rolled her eyes at her mother and Harry thought it made her look even more beautiful, "Oh sorry. Mother, Father, this is Harry Potter. I am certain you know who he is."

Her parents were too shocked to say anything now that would sound intelligible.

"A pleasure to meet you both Mister and Missus Delacour, though I wish it was under a better circumstance." Harry smiled and nodded apologetically

"If you are not busy, I have a home near here and we can go there to relax and have dinner. I'm sure we can explain this odd scenario there in more comfort and privacy." He said

Ragnok took this as Harry had totally forgotten he was there, and smiled as he disappeared back to his office without another word said. Her parents looked to the other before nodding in agreement as they followed an animated and happily chatting Fleur and a smiling, but respectful Harry Potter out of Diagon Alley and to his home.

* * *

Upon entrance to the house after a good ten minute walk, a house-elf appeared there to greet them and welcome her master back to the house.

"Good evening, master Potter. I hope you is had a good day?" The elf asked him

Harry smiled, "Yes thank Aria, I had good time. I have brought some guests home with me, and one who is an old friend. I would appreciate dinner for us all in about an hour within the informal dining are for comfort." He asked

Aria looked to the guests and then gasped, "Master Potter brought home a girl…does this mean you are having a girlfriend without me knowing?" She teased him

Harry and Fleur both flushed red as cherry while Harry stammered and tried to speak as Fleur was so quiet now she might've been a ghost. Her parents were full of laughter in their eyes at their embarrassment.

Aria smiled, "I was just teasing Master Harry. Aria is knowing you have no girlfriend, but this old elf likes to tease you as it provide good entertainment for me." She said as she disappeared

Harry coughed loudly to clear his embarrassment, "I apologize, I had not expected that. Now if you will follow me, I believe a discussion is in order."

Harry walked off towards the right with Fleur who was still bright red on her face and parents who seemed to be laughing at them both behind their blank expressions.

Then den of the home was cozy and luxurious, but not overtly overdone. It spoke of pureblood heritage and Harry was glad to be away from Number Four. The informal dining area was just off to the left around the next corner, so it would be close by if they decided to stay for the meal.

"Can I offer all of you some tea?" He asked them

They nodded and Aria popped in as if she knew and left a tea tray there. Much to Harry's exasperation and amusement to her antics.

" I feel I must apologize for my house elf and her antics. Aria has missed me much after the death of both my parents and grandparents, and so she feels she is trying to make up for lost time. She does tend to be overly enthusiastic and exuberant though." Harry said, "After my parents were murdered, I was sent to my muggle relatives to live with them and it has been a hard road for me until more recently and I was able to return fully here."

The Delacour parents were silent and knew not how to approach the boy who their daughter seemed to know. Fleur sat beside him and offered her silent comfort. She was his silent confident he had told no one of as most likely would never have believed him.

"My muggle relatives are not truly my relatives at all I have come to find. Gringotts wanted to speak with me and Albus Dumbledore warned me not to go. I have had my doubts in his sincerity to caring for my well-being of late, and so being the rebellious teenager I felt like I needed to be; I went anyways without his approval or care."

"The discussion change my whole outlook on my role here wizarding Britain." Harry said, "But I suppose you wish to know how I even met your daughter?" He asked them

They nodded and were curious of this boy now more than before. They would have thought he blindly followed Albus's every wish to the letter, but apparently not.

"I was seven and she was ten when we first met the other. I had been punished for something I had not done intentionally and caused by accidental magic. Those relatives loathed me and hated anything to do with magic, so for me to actually use accidental magic; it was considered a crime for me to do it. Even if accidental magic is just that and truly cannot be controlled. When I was let outside again after doing my chores…I came to the park near our house that I normally wandered in to escape the presence of my infuriating family." Harry said with hesitance

"Fleur said she had run away because her dad had made her angry again. She was there at the park too, and we literally collided into the other as we were both lost in thought and had not paid any attention or mind to where we were going to." Harry smiled, "She and I talked for some time, and then we left as we knew we couldn't stay there and hide forever. But we kept secretly meeting and she and I became friends over time until she told me she was moving and I knew I would not see her again for some time. We kept the others secrets, fears, hopes, and dreams as children. We played together as children did as much as we could without being spotted, and we maintained each other as confidants to the other."

Harry scowled darkly, "Those who were considered my relatives were not kind to me. Fleur noticed that after several meetings and I tried to hide it as best as I was able. Unfortunately for me, she was too clever and I eventually told her what was going on at my home. Every few weeks she would have to heal me with her family magic because I was beaten for doing accidental magic. Magic that had been forced out of me to try and survive them. Those relations of mine did not accept me, nor did they accept anything to do with magic or my world." Harry told them

"Fleur was there for me when no one else was." He said softly, "My own magic would have healed me, but it was taxing my body, and with how they used me like an overworked house-elf; I was slowly beginning to think they'd kill me."

Fleur parents gasped at this. It was an outrage.

Fleur's mother then stood and enveloped the boy in a hug as he stiffened at the sudden contact before he relaxed. Her father had no idea what to say to this outrage and so he remained silent and did not move to give him a hug as his wife so generously had. Dinner was then announced and they ate over light topics until Fleur could not contain her excitement any longer.

"Harry, I will be at Hogwarts this year." She said slyly

Harry eyed her warily and then smirked at her, "For the Triwizard Tournament then?"

They looked at him suspiciously.

"I was told of it because the minister was afraid the rogue Death Eater might try something. They haven't yet outwardly struck anyone, but they have been much more active of late and he was concerned for me. He wanted me to be on guard." Harry told them

They nodded in acceptance.

"He was mainly concerned as I have been having some odd dreams in relation to the dark lord and his current activities. The scar he marked me with as an infant allows this to occur. I'm not sure why, but I do believe it is a sign for me to be cautious and is a warning. I feel I should warn you. Fleur, you are a great friend and I look forward to seeing you at my school, however, I do not trust Albus anymore. He had my mother's clan killed and got away with it. He intends to sacrifice me to the dark lord to steal the glory, and I have had enough." He told them

"I have royal dark elven blood from my mother's side and I know that if Albus believes Fleur is something to me other than a visitor to his school; he would use it against me for his agenda. When you arrive, you will have to appear as though we don't know the other to safeguard our friendship until a time where we can be more open about it." Harry told her

Fleur and her parents were shocked a moment, "Your mother was related to the Blood Mist Clan?" Fleur's father said with an edge

Harry nodded, "Yes, but I have no intention of reviving it as I have too much else to accomplish. I respect the culture I come from, but I cannot hope to revive it alone and I don't even know if any other dark elf clans would want to merge to do such a thing. They wouldn't know me and so my being royalty would make them jealous or any number of other things. I do not need that currently."

Fleur's father stood and paced now as Harry watched him warily. The elder man then sighed, "I apologize, but this news has hit me hard. My family was good friends and allies of theirs. My younger sister even married into the clan and when we heard it had been annihilated; we assumed it had been the dark lord who had done this to avoid confronting their powers later on."

Harry's face expressed its sorrow, "I am sorry, I did not know."

"Please Harry; call me Richard, as I feel we will be seeing a lot more of the other in future." He said with a slight nod and bow to him

Fleur's mother stood, "I am Jeanette Delacour, and it is a positive delight to meet you." She smiled and bowed

Fleur watched and her eyes with wide with disbelief. Her father had acknowledged Harry's power and authority. Something he rarely did for anyone.

"Our younger daughter Gabrielle is at home with friends." Jeanette told him

Harry nodded silently; still uncomfortable with them bowing to him.

Fleur then turned to him and whispered something into his ear as his eyes widened and then narrowed before hardening and then resumed normal contentment.

Harry smiled, "I am both pleased you think knowing me will be a good thing, and I hope we will continue to be friends. I will honor the alliance of my clan to yours if you will allow it?" he asked them

Richard and Jeanette smiled and nodded, "It would be of great pleasure, and I glad to know that Azurien and Linarielle's grandchild has become such a good man." Richard said, "I think the next we meet, you will be surprised."

"I have had a good time meeting you and it was wonderful to see you again, Fleur. I will see you at school when you arrive, but remember what we talked of. I don't want you hurt because of me and a crazy old man's schemes for power."

They all nodded as they apparated away and Harry felt happiness in him that he had not felt in a very long time.


	4. Chapter III Pt II: The Minister of Magic

**Chapter III Part II:** _The Minister of Magic_

Harry considered himself quite lucky the last few days. Ron had owled him and told him they would be picking him up a week later than planned due to some family issues going on and because he had realized it was a week earlier than he had thought when he owled Harry's birthday gifts and mail. This had allowed Harry to train with Ragnok some more and fine tune his senses more acutely, reconnect with Fleur and to meet her family, and to get his new house ready for next summer when he came back from this term as he refused to return to Privet Drive for too long.

Harry had changed the way he dressed and seemed more confident now than he had felt in his entire life. Sometimes Harry thought he needed someone to smack him upside his head to be sure these changes were real. He had not ever expected things to turn out this way, so he was still nervous and unsure if they'd last. He honestly didn't expect them to, so he was enjoying while they were around.

His heightened sense were almost always a constant source of both security for him and overwhelming angst. He also noted he was able to 'sense' the flow of different types of magical energy. He had questioned Ragnok on it, and the elder goblin had told him that the ability was normal for his clan. All higher level elves were able to sense some magical energy; however Harry's clan being the Blood Mist clan and him being royalty...it made for serious entertainment to the goblins some days. Harry sensed all the types of energy and had to learn how to block out certain ones to focus solely on another. He learned how to garner information from negative and positive energies with his hearing and smell. The skills weren't perfect by far, but Harry knew with time and practice he would master them

Ragnok had however, mentioned that Harry's sensory ability was much stronger than the last few generations or so. The goblin seemed to think Harry had a keen understanding of how freely magic should be, but had been uneducated in wizard customs so he had known of why he knew these things. Harry, who had come to trust Ragnok and Griphook as his two friends, in turn had told him that he always felt a special connection to Hogwarts and felt her sentience. Ragnok had seemed stunned and asked if the castle had 'spoken' to him, but he shook his head. The goblin knew it would not be for long until the castle did speak to him though since the young master's power had grown quite a lot over this summer.

They had parted on amiable terms that day with much to consider.

Tomorrow Ron was supposed to pick him up at his 'relatives' house, so Harry had to do his final mission he set for himself this summer. He warned Aria that he would not be back after this until next summer due to complications with the headmaster. She was tasked to find another elf to help her manage the house and keep it maintained.

Meanwhile, Harry was on the Knight Bus heading towards the Ministry of Magic. He had no idea if he would even be heard, but he had to at least try. The bus was not crowded today, and Harry hoped it stayed this way.

When he finally left the damnable vehicle, Harry realized he had never been to the Ministry before and was unsure how to get there.

"Aria." He called softly in resignation

The elf popped before him.

"Master Harry?" She questioned with curiously

"I have not ever been to the Ministry before and do not know to 'find' it exactly." He asked her

Aria rolled her eyes at him as he tried not to sigh in irritation at his lack of knowledge. Aria looked around momentarily as they were in an alleyway.

"We're not far. Just go across this street and then down the one on the left. There is an old alley there with an aging telephone box. This box will take you to the Ministry after you state your name and why you want to be there." Aria said, "Or, I could have apparated you to the front desk of the building if you had not rushed out so hastily?"

Harry eyed her, "Why did you not mention this before I left?"

She smiled, "You did not let me have the chance."

Harry realized she was right and then nodded as his elf then popped out of sight with him and showed up before the desk in entry way. There was a guard there who had eyed them with wariness and Aria told him he had to submit his wand for checking and to tell him why he was there. She then vanished and disappeared.

Harry stood confidently now and strolled over to the desk where the guard stood watch.

"Your name?" He asked in a bored tone

"Lord Harry James Potter." He said with an inward smirk

The guard froze momentarily in shock, but then nodded.

"Reason for your visit?" He said

"I don't have an appointment, but I have rather dire need to speak with Minister Fudge. The topics are of a delicate nature and I am sure he would want to know of them." Harry said calmly, "I also understand he is busy and without an appointment my chances are slim, but if he wants to risk war then he will find time to see me."

The guard eyed him momentarily and nodded, "I'll see what I can do for you, Lord Potter. However, I am unsure if he will acknowledge what you said."

Harry nodded respectfully, "I know that, but unless he wants war with goblins and dark elves; he will want to speak with me promptly."

The guard paled now at the notion of war and to have to do some battle with veteran goblins and shadow-using dark elves with high level magic abilities too. This news must be bad if both factions were angry at their wizard counterparts. This especially bad as the Death Eater activity had increased threefold in the last several weeks. The auror who was on duty at the desk post stood and left as he passed a message softly to another guard who eyed him oddly and then left with the message for the minister.

Harry waited there for about ten minutes when a young man appeared before him and beckoned him.

"Lord Potter, it is a pleasure to meet you at last. My name is Charles Wells and I am one of the Minister's advisors and councilmen. He has agreed to see you as this news has greatly startled him and he also does not wish more war on ourselves than there already is at current."

Harry nodded silently and followed the man to wherever the Minister's office was and specifically mapped out the building with his keen eyes as they traveled to file away for later use. The walk was short because after a small distance in the building, they came to an atrium; or a foyer there, and then took a lift of some kind to where the office was on the third floor.

The advisor named Wells left him outside the door to knock as the secretary smiled flirtatiously at him. He wanted to roll his eyes at her and remark that her behavior was atrocious for office professionalism. She had to be Fleur's age or a couple years older, but her behavior was most unwanted and definitely not appropriate in her job with the ways she was trying to coerce him to her with her smile, eye batting and subtle body language.

The Minister was quick to allow him inside the room and offer him a seat, so Harry did not have to deal with her for too long. Harry sat down easily and then smiled in a relaxed way as his eyes had closed in contentment while tea was being sent for and the Minister was observing him closely.

Cornelius Fudge had never truly known much of this boy, and to be honest; he was shocked Albus even allowed him to come here today.

"Good afternoon Lord Potter, while I am surprised to see you here; it's a great honor to have you as well." Cornelius said

Harry nodded, "Minister Fudge, I know you are a busy man but I think you need to hear what I have to say. This conversation and what you decide to do after it will depend on if war is to be started or not."

Cornelius nodded slowly, "I understand that things are quite bad if Albus has you out here delivering his missives considering the dark activity I've been trying to deal with and eliminate these last few weeks?"

Harry smirked now, " Minister, Headmaster Dumbledore has no idea I am here for this visit and I personally would rather keep it that way. I wouldn't trust him anymore with my life than as far as I could throw him."

Fudge was shocked now, "Eh, why not?"

Harry sipped his tea that had been delivered, "Minister Fudge, my family considered Albus a dear friend at one time, but he is also a man who is considered a hero to our community in many ways. He seems wise and very knowledgeable on an array of things, but he is still one man. A single man who appears to most as though he is god-like and untouchable, but…truly he is not invincible and can make mistakes. Some mistakes that can never be corrected or forgiven" Harry said coldly

Fudge just nodded, but he was unsure of how to respond to this.

"The goblins at Gringotts bank are in a very deep frenzy with him and his actions against them through me. It deals in matters to do with me and my family personally. The goblin nation considers my clan the only one among human society and the wizarding community as a whole as its ally."

"It was recently discovered that my mother was actually pureblood to a line thought to be dead for several years now. The goblins considered their error in this to be a grave matter, and I for one; well, I was surprised to say the least." Harry said easily as Fudge seemed interested in his tale now

"I went to Gringotts two weeks ago. It was there my heritage was found out and proven to be true. I am pureblood, and the sad thing is; that the headmaster knew all along since it was he who hired the mercenaries to massacre my family. My mother was stolen by him, and then placed in a muggle home to be reared."

Fudge seemed concerned now of these things, "Why would he do something like this? And how did he manage to cover it up for so long?"

Harry sighed, "He did it because I have royal dark elven blood in my veins. My mother was the only child and the princess of the Blood Mist Clan. Albus was trying to gain their alliance during the first war against Voldemort. Things appeared to be going well, but then out of nowhere the clan was all dead and there seemed to have been no survivors."

Fudge contemplated these words carefully, "So you are the leader of the dark elven people then?"

"I should be in time once I start to enquire about the state of affairs. However for now, I also have more bad news that is far more pressing."

"How so?" The Minister asked

"Albus's actions do have meaning, but on a much larger scale. He believes the prophecy foretold of me and dark lord is stretchable. That he can mold me to be war weapon he wants. but also to not train me in the things I need to know well enough to survive the war that eventually will come. He will sacrifice me to the dark lord so he then could try to beat him and take the power he and I hold together as his own power Such a feat would mean he was literally the most powerful wizard ever to walk earth. Perhaps even more so than Merlin, our wizarding community founder." Harry said as Fudge paled and seemed distressed by these words

" Cornelius, please calm down." Harry said chidingly as the Minister did as was asked after a moments pause, "There is a flaw to his plans however, as Albus doesn't realize that if I die against the dark lord and I do not survive to heal the wounds I get; then no one else will be able to ever conquer him and Riddle becomes immortal. He could not die, and Albus would never be able to defeat him if I fall. The wizarding world as we know it now will become under his supreme rule and its people subjugated to terrible things no man should see. Things I have already have endured from this man and protected all of you from having to see and feel. Thus, if he became the supreme power her, our community we cherish as a magical culture...it will eventually be annihilated because he hates it so for what it has done to him."

Fudge paled, "But the dark lord had not been seen for fourteen years since you defeated him?"

Harry scowled now and gripped his tea cup tighter in his hand as Fudge noticed the boy's tense body.

"To most people he hasn't been seen in those years, but I saw him twice before now while in my first and second year at school. In my first year, he was possessing professor Quirrel undetected by the staff. Professor Snape suspected it, but could never prove it. I encountered him trying to steal the Philosopher's stone and was forced to stop him. Then in a second year, a fifty-year old legend was once more terrorizing students. Hagrid was falsely accused of killing Myrtle. Riddle framed him when he found out about his acromantula. To save himself and the school closing...he stopped attacking students with muggle blood and framed Hagrid for the killing."

"I discovered the truth when Ginny Weasley came into contact somehow with a diary of his and it possessed her. It forced her to open the chamber and release the basilisk inside it. I killed the basilisk at twelve and saved Ginny's life from being stolen by Riddle. Tom has not been in public, but he is definitely still out there and currently he is trying to regain physical form as we speak, and it is working. He has grown stronger of late. The connection between us is felt and my dreams are much clearer than of the last several months."

Cornelius was silent and knew not how to respond.

"What can I do about this? I am a mere man like anyone else. Yes, my position has power, but only if the people believe in me and they far from do that?" he asked

Harry eyed him, "I am willing to help you in this, provided you speak of nothing that we talk of to anyone who does not need to know. This situation is highly dangerous for me and our community we wish to protect."

"I have information you want. Information on both the death eaters and their lord's activities during recent weeks, and also the strangled relationship of the goblin nation and the kingdom of the dark elves to the human wizards here within the ministry under your guidance and supervision…" Harry said softly, "However, I will not just give it to you because I am not sure I yet trust you to handle it the proper way I would." Harry said evenly

"I want this to be a working relationship between us and mutual parties for a common goal to be achieved, and for this to work…you need to starting cracking down on some things harder than before. I would speak later on this as it is a rather involved topic. If I should give you my support and information, you are going to need to start making decisions that impact our world for yourself. You can take advice from others, but ultimately you must decide what is best. If this proves to work, I will support your efforts." Harry said

"I have notoriety that can be used to influence the public opinion quite easily. Due to my celebrity status here, I do hold a lot of sway to the people you govern. I have never wanted this fame nor did I ever think I would have to use it like this; but things must change so we can survive." Harry told him, "I also do have a request though."

Cornelius's respect and admiration for this young lord soared more than it had ever done before. A lot of what he said made sense and so Cornelius knew this opportunity was a once in a lifetime one.

"I will do as you ask and consider you like an official advisor to me without the paperwork having to be done to make it truly official. What is your request?"

"I want to go to the department of mysteries to hear the full prophecy." Harry asked him

Cornelius eyed him now warily, "Why do need to do so?"

Harry seemed to like that he had been questioned on this, "I have reason to believe the dark lord will return before the end of this school year and I want to know what it says so that I have time to process it."

"Why do you believe he will be back so soon?" The minister asked concerned

Harry sighed, "The death eaters have planned something involving me and using the tournament at the school this year to help their master regain his form somehow. My dreams have led me to this point. I am no seer exactly, but I do know that the connection might be the cause of these dreams."

Fudge paled, "Should I have the tournament cancelled?"

Harry shook his head, "No, as it would be too suspicious to do so now. I will manage, I am sure."

"I thought I should tell you. Bertha Jorkins is dead. She has been missing for months and no one had any leads. I dreamed of a forest in Albania and she had been drinking in a tavern there with some friends while on vacation. Death eaters caught her and interrogated her before killing her. Her body is likely there still if the wild animals have not eaten it."

Fudge paled now even more, "So, these dreams are that clear all the time? How long have they been this way and how long have you endured this?"

Harry looked to the wall by the fire, "I have had dreams like this since my infantile years, though they were more like memories turned into nightmares. The earliest one was when the dark lord attacked the Hollow. My mother was guarding me in my cradle and begging him to kill her but to spare me. He just laughed at her coldly and told her to stand aside. When she did not, he killed her and there was this flash of sickly green light amid high and cold sounding laughter."

Fudge looked ill now.

"Cornelius, do not trust Lucius Malfoy with any sensitive information. He may have pleaded the Imperius Curse to save himself from Azkaban, but I also know that he is truly a death eater. I cannot tell you yet how I know, but in time I will. You can listen to him and use any money he offers you as you see fit to do so; just do not trust him with anything of importance and do not give him any information that is considered valuable. Especially information with my name to pique his interest. It will go straight to another supporter of Voldemort who will inform him of it."

The minister nodded shakily to this.

"I am sorry to have brought you so much troubling news, but I do look forward to working alongside of you. I will be at Ron Weasley's home come tomorrow and stay there for the World Cup event which I will be attending with them. I will also be there until school resumes if you need to send me a message discreetly." Harry stood as did the minister, "I am sure you have thousands of questions for me from some of the things I've told you, but they will have to wait till next time."

Cornelius nodded respectfully, "Harry, I feel I owe you a debt of immense gratitude. These revelations will help me become a better minister and in time I hope to see you take your seat among the Wizengamot. I heard you had been emancipated by the goblins though I was not certain why until now, so it is a possibility if you want to be a part of it now."

Harry smiled, "Not right now. Perhaps I will consider the option in a few years when I have a bit more worldly experience and have graduated from school. Just as a favor, do not let anyone use my vote for me."

Cornelius nodded, " Very well. Votes will not be used on your behalf any longer, though Albus has been maintaining your seat. Removing him will be hard to do without suspicion, but it can be achieved as I'm sure he thinks you have no idea of the seat itself. Well, the place of power is there when you are ready to tackle it. If you have a chance to sneak from the Weasley home to come here; I can arrange something for you to hear the prophecy then. If not, then come next summer regardless of the changes in world affairs here unless you think you are to endangered."

Harry nodded as they shook hands and then he left the office feeling as though he had actually accomplished something good today.


	5. Chapter IV: Quidditch World Cup

**A/N: **This is the first of three or four big time skips for the timing of books four and five. I understand that these might take away from the story somewhat, but I do intend to iron out the missing pieces from before them that are mentioned at a later time in the work when relevant.

**Chapter IV: **_Quidditch World Cup_

Harry had been at the Weasley residence for about two weeks now and he had received no opportunity to sneak to the Ministry nor had he received any messages from the Minister. Fleur had assured him it would end up okay, and his friends would support the new him. If they did not, then they were not truly his friends and he was better off without them.

She had been right, of course. Ron and Hermione had taken some time to get used to the new him, but they adapted fairly well though it was still quite odd to see him act so formally or speak so traditionally at times.

Harry's new views on their situation had made things tense at times, but when he explained more in-depth of the topics with neutral tones, they had agreed with his side more or less. Hermione even admitted she knew that witches and wizards like her had cause a lot of unfair changes in their world from what she read and so some of the more traditional pureblood families had every right to be angry at them for it. However to go to the lengths of trying to kill them all was unjust and not logical; Harry agreed easily to this too as he knew it was not practical to try and annihilate them all to achieve the goal.

His two best friends had been in shock after Harry told them what had happened over the summer and the revelations he had about his past. Ron was astonished and had been sdort-of jealous at first, until he realized Harry had not ever asked for any of this so it was unfair to treat him this way when he would gladly give it all up to be normal as he or Hermione were. Hermione was pale whilst muttering about crazy, power-hungry idiots and promising to help in whatever way she could.

They all decided as a group that for now they would keep it to themselves until they found an opportunity to explain it to the rest of the family that was more secure than now. Ron was sure they would side with him after he did because Albus had used his family as much as he had Harry's family, but on another level.

Harry wasn't so sure, as Molly had been trying vaguely to set him up with Ginny for the last few days. Something that neither he or her daughter wanted, and were trying to ignore the fact Molly seemed blind to it and also to go about their lives as if she was not playing imaginary match-maker between them.

Harry's chat with Ginny had been tense with Molly's subtle match-making games going on, but overall Harry got the impression that Draco truly wanted to change his ways and so he had a similar conversation with Ginny as he had with her brother and Hermione. Ginny's outrage and furious face told him she was trustworthy with his secrets, and she told him that if he ever needed help from her to just ask. He had saved her life once, and so she owed it to him to help him however she could.

Harry warned her not write any of what he said in a letter to Draco as it was too dangerous. He would talk to him at school, and if he approved of him then, he would be informed of the changes then. Provided he was willing to keep them a secret.

* * *

So, it was a bright and warm morning that every teenager in the house was being woke up before the crack of dawn and pushed to dress in warm but light clothes. With mumbled grumblings they did so, and were then handed a snack bag by Missus Weasley as she smiled and watched them brave the hillside.

"Dad, how much farther are we going to have to walk for this checkpoint? My legs are cramping and I am barely awake? I might get lost if I stop walking and then I'd miss the port-key…" Ginny complained loudly

Arthur smiled benignly at his youngest child and only daughter, "We are almost there, Ginny."

Within moments, the large crowd of early morning walkers' had come to the top of the hill and they were also met by two other wizards who were awaiting the port-key from there too. Harry recognized one as a seventh year Hufflepuff he played Quidditch against. Cedric Diggory, if he remembered correctly.

"Cedric, how are you?" Harry asked with a smile

Cedric looked at him in confusion for a moment before he smiled, "Harry, it's good to see you. I had no idea you would here with the Weasleys." He said

"I was invited by them, as this is a once in a life-time chance, you know?" Harry raised his eyebrows

Cedric laughed, "Yeah I know what you mean. Dad, this is Harry Potter, and he plays Quidditch for Gryffindor at Hogwarts. I managed to beat him once, and let me tell you, he has never lost one game since then. Though the game was rigged, and we had to rule it as irrelevant. I think Harry would have won if it had not ended the way it had." Cedric said easily

Amos looked at Harry in curiosity and amazement, "I am Amos Diggory. It is a pleasure to meet you Harry."

Harry nodded and smiled as the Weasley family and Hermione noticed how easily he had changed so much this summer. Though she doubted the changes were anything but easy for him. He likely doubted himself still and was at times uncomfortable in his new skin he was wearing before them all.

"The port-key will go off momentarily, so gather around her everyone." Arthur called.

The group all huddled together and touched the boot designed to take them to the World Cup. In a moment, Harry felt a tug on his navel that was odd and the sensation of falling. When the world reappeared, he ungracefully landed in a heap on top of Hermione and Ron.

The others just laughed at this as his face flushed in embarrassment. He muttered his apologies as Cedric just grinned at him.

"I used to be that way when we had to travel by port-key a lot. My dad's job at the Ministry required a lot of travelling and when I was younger, I'd join him. People thought it was cute that this little kid landed himself in a nice, adorable little heap and then proceeded to try and ease my pain by cooing at me. I detested it and one time I set the travel agent's hair on fire because she was so bad." Cedric told him with a smile

Amos smiled, "I remember that one. I also remember how your mother ended up with icicles in her hair when she tried the same thing. It was most amusing as she pouted and then walked off."

Cedric made a face, "Aww Dad, not now…"

Harry smiled, "It's alright Cedric. I think it's nice to hear these things since I don't have any parents to share such stories with." He said sadly

Amos looked him with sad eyes, "James would be proud of you, as would Lily, if they were here. You were their light in the world and now you are the light that will one day save us all. They believed you could, and to see you now; I think they are right."

Harry eyed him warily as he turned away now.

"Well, I think I better meet the rest as Arthur seems to have gained his entry pass. It was nice meeting you Mr. Diggory, and it was a pleasure to see you Cedric." Harry walked off stiffly

Amos seemed confused and wondered if he said something that upset him, as Cedric laid a hand to his shoulder.

"Dad, Harry doesn't like to be reminded of his past so much. He would rather it have been different and he would have preferred to have his parents here with him. He knows he cannot change it, but he barely remembers them and feels he has to do something to live up to the expectations they set for him when they gave their lives for his. I think they're being unfair in a way we don't understand yet, but my opinion barely matters." Cedric said softly

Amos nodded, "I see. I guess that's why he seemed uncomfortable as he left."

* * *

Harry returned to the spot the Weasley family had for their camp and smiled in true amusement as he watched Arthur stumble around trying to put the tent together the muggle way. Harry carefully walked over to the tent and looked to see if anyone was watching him. No one. Harry discreetly waved a hand and the tent then found itself put together while Arthur's back was turned.

Hermione glared at him, "I know what you just did, and while I disapprove Harry James Potter, I know we would be out in the cold tonight if this continued on. So, I won't say anything about it. Arthur returned and was stunned at the finished tent."

"Hermione, how did you finish so quickly?" he asked her

"Harry and I grew up in the muggle world, and while Harry hasn't been camping before, he does know how this stuff works. He and I were quite efficient since we don't want to sleep out in the cold tonight." She said with a shrug

Arthur smiled at them, "Well thank you both then, as it saved us some trouble."

* * *

The rest of the morning was used to get to know the surrounding areas and how to find their way back to the camp. Then after a hearty lunch Harry, Ron and Ginny along with the twins wondered if there was a place that the Ministry had designed for the guests to use as flying space or general small Quidditch competitions in spirit of the World Cup.

They managed to find someone who would have known, as it turned out the Ministry had. Harry and his friends, excluding Hermione who did not fly, gathered others they knew and went there for a friendly game.

The area had standard brooms for use, and Harry almost wished he had thought to bring his Firebolt with him.

About half-way through their game some strangers came in and someone had muttered something to another person as they had pointed to Harry with an eye of appreciation to his skills as seeker. The game continued as they watched in curiosity. The group however, was stunned when Harry pulled off the Wronski Feint so easily and caught the snitch.

Harry landed with a bright smile as his team then picked him up and tossed him up and down in the air while he laughed at them. The other team smiled too and no hard feelings were there between the two teams.

Three of the guests then carefully approached the group and Ron turned to them before he froze in astonishment.

"C-Can I help you?" he asked hesitantly

"We would like to know who the seeker was that won your game a few minutes ago?" One asked

"Oh, that was my best mate Harry Potter. He's been on the Gryffindor House team since first year at Hogwarts. Technically, first years are not allowed to be on the teams, but he has natural talent as a seeker and is now considered the youngest seeker in a century for one of our house teams at Hogwarts." Ron grinned at them all

Harry strode over and rolled his eyes at his friend though his face was smiling gently, "A bit much for the bragging, huh?"

Ron laughed at him and clapped his back as he walked over to his sister and brothers as he told them who Harry was with even if he had no idea.

Harry turned to them, "I apologize for Ron's bragging, but what he says is true though I still think I got on the team by sheer dumb luck." Harry smiled, "Now, I am Harry Potter as you probably already know. May I ask who you are? Though some of you do seem familiar for some reason?" He said

The one in the middle smiled and arrogantly stepped forward, "I am Viktor Krum, Bulgaria's seeker for the Cup and these are my two teammates. I was watching you from a distance and decided to see you up closer. I am rather impressed with your seeker skills. AWronski Feint for someone so young? Impressive." He said easily

Harry's eyes popped wide.

"I see. I am happy to know my talents are being appreciated by people who understand them. However is there something you wanted?" He asked hesitantly with a smile

Viktor eyed him with a respectful glance, "You are quite observant. Yes, I do want something. I want to challenge you to a Seeker's duel here and now." He said confidently

Harry's body froze now in shock.

"Unless you think you cannot beat me?" Viktor challenged him

This reminded him eerily of Malfoy at the dueling club in second year except on friendlier terms.

"I think you'll be surprised to find that I have decided to accept your challenge, Viktor." Harry said with a smirk, "What are the rules for this duel of ours?"

"It will just be you and I on the grounds. I have a special snitch with me designed for seeker practice and sometimes seeker duels of this nature. Anything goes while flying except we cannot try to kill the other or permanently harm the other so they can no longer play. Time is limitless and the game goes on until either of us catch the snitch or one of us can no longer play in the duel. If the game last longer the twenty-four hours, a rest period will be instated for us both for one hour at every four hours if needed. Though I doubt it will take that long." He said confidently

Harry considered the rules and nodded, "Very well, I agree to the terms of the duel. However, I ask for one hour to recover a bit from the last game. If you want to see me at my best?" He asked

Viktor smiled now, "Of course."

Harry nodded and then walked over to Ron and told him what had happened. Ron's face had been priceless and the twins looked as if they didn't know who bet on if they started a betting pool. Their amazing teammate for the last three years or a legendary star.

* * *

Word had quickly spread through the campsites and many people turned up to see the seeker's duel. Amos Diggory and his son along with Arthur Weasley among the masses of the many other people there for the Quidditch World Cup.

Viktor seemed confident he would win easily over Harry, but the Gryffindor knew his arrogance would be his defeat in the game against him if he wasn't smart about it. Something reminded him of Malfoy when he saw this arrogance, and while Viktor was friendly enough; it did set him on edge a bit.

Viktor's teammate had leant Harry his Cup standard broom as Viktor had the same, and felt Harry would appreciate the gesture, but when Harry smirked and refused it; the other guy had to wonder if Harry was crazy or not.

When Harry entered the quidditch arena with the standard broom, Viktor smirked to himself thinking this would be easier than he thought.

It was not until the game began, however, that Viktor realized Harry was truly a natural and it might be harder than he had anticipated even if he was flying on a substandard broom compared to his own. Harry made it seems as if the two were equal when he was flying and showed his skills.

Out of the four days left to the world cup, they had been playing for two of them now and the crowd was quite anxious to know who would triumph. Among the many watchers', Harry noticed Draco Malfoy was here too and his gaze lingered on his for a moment. Draco caught his gaze and he smirked at him with a knowing victorious smirk as he carefully gave him thumbs up. Malfoy showing him his support of him made things clear in some of his intentions, even if they could not be done as openly as he would have liked. Draco clearly thought Harry was the better seeker here, and knew he would win so his silent support was welcome.

Harry then refocused his attention to the pitch and grinned at this as he then flew better than he had in some time before and Viktor began to wonder if his idea was going to bite him in the ass. Viktor meanwhile, he had not thought the boy was going to be this good. He was as good as he was if not better, and could easily become someone to practice against with a challenge in the near future.

Soon enough Harry saw the snitch again and shifted his eyes carefully to Viktor who was looking in the opposite direction before he shot off after the golden ball. Viktor, hearing a gasp from the crowd, darted after Harry easily catching up.

The two were neck and neck for some time and Harry thought it was now time to show his arrogant contender that he was superior. Viktor should have expected it, but he was starting to tire and so when Harry began the Wronski Feint; his teammates shook their heads as he fell for it.

Harry successfully pulled off the maneuver and then grasped at the gold ball before it slid into his hands. The crowd was silent and then cheers erupted in a chaotic amount of noise.

Harry was smiling wide as Viktor landed next to him with a smile as well.

"You are as good as the rumors claim. I cannot believe I lost, but I did and it was a great honor to play against you. Knowing you have never played on a professional level makes this feat even more special for both of us together, as you have real talent. I hope we can hone our skills together sometime, as I could use a challenge like this more often." Viktor said

Harry smiled, "I would be honored to help you train, but I hope you learned your lesson whilst playing against me these last two days. Overconfidence is a definite way to be led to defeat. I did not seem like a threat and did not appear to be able to beat you. So, you felt safe and this would be easy."

"Now you know appearances are deceiving even on the quidditch pitch and that a broom is only as good as the person who controls it. It doesn't matter if the broom is top of the line or not for people like us who have natural talents for flying." Harry told him

Viktor nodded, "Indeed, I have learned a valuable lesson today. I hope Ireland's seeker was here to watch this. If not, he's missed a good seeker's duel."

Harry watched his new friend walk off with his shoulders standing back tall and proud though he was put out he lost. His friends were smiling and whispering their excitement to him over beating 'the legendary Bulgarian seeker' and wondered if he would be willing to share Quidditch tips with them all.

Out of the corner of Harry's eyes, he saw Draco who smiled briefly at him then made a gesture of warning to meet him later with no one else. Harry's eyes narrowed, but he nodded carefully and decided to celebrate his victory for now and enjoy it.


	6. Chapter IV Pt II: World Cup Continued

**Chapter IV Pt II:**_ Quidditch World Cup Continued_

Harry's victory over Viktor Krum had set off some surprising news around the campsites. Cedric and Amos came to see them after the match for some celebratory remarks, and Cedric told him with a smile that he now 'knew' exactly why he was allowed to join his house's team in his first year and that he totally believed his victory during that stormy game had been rigged for sure.

Amos congratulated him warmly and asked him to help his son become that good at quidditch. Harry had laughed at Cedric's indignation over that and so he then told Amos that if Cedric wanted some training advice, he would give it, but he was not going to give away all his secrets as that would make his job as a seeker much more difficult if everyone knew how to counter-act his moves. Not that all of them would be brave enough to try to do his moves to begin with...

Everyone had laughed at this since Harry had been sarcastically retorting the comment in good fun and jest as he went about celebrating his accomplishment with his friends and Viktor who had brought them all Butterbeer to have for the occassion. It seemed that Butterbeer, while originally made in Britain, was now an international drink for the wizarding community.

Around dinner time Viktor had left and things were kind of settling down. Harry said he needed to go for a walk and he wanted to be alone for a while. Hermione cracked at him that just wanted to let the air out of his head before it blew up too largely and his ego became too large to fit his skull.

Harry smirked to her and told her sarcastically in retort that if he truly had that much of an ego, then he would be just like Malfoy and neither of them would want to be anywhere near him. Ron and Hermione flushed red with embarrassment and amusement as they all laughed raucously to this and he strode off with a confident stride. This, however, promoted more uproarious laughter though as he left the tent.

* * *

Harry reached the edge of the park in ease and with a smile on his face while he appeared to be walking and waiting for someone or perhaps something. There were trees here to cover him somewhat and so Draco and he agreed to meet here very carefully without notice. Within moments, the blonde came forward and he appeared to be quite pale as well.

"Draco." Harry said politely as he inclined his head as sign of respect to him

It was the first time Harry had ever acknowledged his presence in something other than pure hatred, and Draco inclined back to prove his sincerity to this agreement he wanted.

"Potter, congratulations earlier. You did Hogwarts house teams and yourself proud. I knew you could beat him." Draco nodded solemnly, "But I came to warn you out of respect for you and my my relationship to Ginny tonight."

Harry's eyebrows rose to this.

"You are going to need to be more specific about this, though I am gathering the warning you have has to do with the death eater families that are currerntly here for the cup event?" He said as nonchalantly as possible while keeping his voice low down to keep from being overheard. He had placed a silencing charm around them, but even that was no guarantee if they were spotted together tonight.

Draco winced, "Yes. After the Cup is over, there is going to be a revel of sorts that was planned by someone in the Inner Circle. I do not know how they plan to do this or to pull it off, but please; protect Ginny from them all during this time. The revels have been known to have organized rape of women in them and I don't want her to be alone when it starts. Granger, sorry...Hermione, should not be alone tonight either. I am trying to change, but it will take time to consider them by their names after being raised to hate them for so long. Ginny is the only exception after she saved my soul last year." Draco asked him sincerely as his eyes averted distantly for a short period of time

Harry watched him and his eyes seemed to calculate his every word. Draco was not used to version of the Harry Potter he could see now to the one he thought he had known before this, and so he shifted uneasily as his eyes wandered over him.

"I understand and do not expect a full circle of change in you overnight, Draco. However I fear I must ask one other thing. Do you know anything else currently of their plans outside this one? Anything that could be important other than the revel planned for after the cup and the partying festivities?" He asked him

Draco was shifting uneasily and his eyes darted around to see if anyone was watching him before he turned to Harry again, "I cannot say for certain as I am not privy to all the information that has gone on at my home where the lord has made his base of operations besides one other place, but I do know that they plan to do something at the school this year. It is supposed to help their 'master' find a new body somehow and it has something to do with some big event that is supposed to take place there."

Harry sighed in weariness, "It is as I thought then. I knew the dark lord was up to something of this nature as soon as the dreams I was having turned to such clarity so fast, and I have had no doubt of late that he was planning to return as it was foretold; but this is much sooner than I had wanted to believe even if I am not really surprised by it all. He loathes my very existence, and believes it is a crime for me to even be alive because I am an obstacle to his attainment to full power again. He would see me dead if he could, even though my only crime to him is surviving and living..."

Draco stared at him, "Y-you knew?" he asked hesitantly

Harry eyed him warily, "We don't have time now for me to explain it. At the school, we will talk then when I figure out a way for us to do so safely. A lot of the information I share with you will depend how far you are willing to go to keep the secrets I hold for this agreeent and how much I trust you to keep them, so think about this carefully Draco. I am a very secretive person, and have many shadows surrounding me. People think I trust too easily,and that could not be further from the truth. For now, I am assured you want this change so you have my support as arranged unless you do something that warrants me to revoke it. I need to go before a search party comes to look for me here, but Draco…" Harry said as the blonde turned to him

"Do not go near your father close enough to where he can sense these changes in your body language unless you absolutely have to and be cautious of how you speak to him. I don't know how I know this, but I feel as if I know that he is aware that the dark lord is returning and has for some time already. If you have a way to protect your secrets from him, do it at all costs but also be careful enough to remain out of his suspicions to him."

Draco nodded silently and they parted.

* * *

On the day of the match, Harry took Ron and Hermione away from the tent to tell them what he found out and when they questioned him of it; he merely told them that his dreams were getting quite vivid and he was concerned somewhat by the clarity of them, so he was warning them to be cautious. He also forewarned Ginny, but in a slightly different way, so she knew Draco had told him of what was to be happening but he had not told anyone else and did not use his name as he did this to prove his secrecy to her.

The group held an air of restlessness about them for a while. Arthur just thought it was because of having to wait so long before the game could be held. Ministry security had been real tight this year to make it happen.

Prior to Harry's match with Viktor Krum, the group had bought several souvenirs and happily enjoyed the freedom of the event and feeling like some normal teens for once. Harry even treated his friends to a gift from him too, though he told them to not expect gifts on their birthdays whilst joking with them. Afterwards, Harry had been approached by all manner of people to the point of being overwhelmed by the crowd that came to him and Arthur had had to step up in defense of him and tell them to stop suffocating him and allow him some space.

Harry was almost positive the headmaster would be aware of his match and find out about it before he ever reached the school this year.

* * *

As evening drew closer and anticipation was getting larger, the group had a restless feeling that was growing much larger than most others. Ginny had heeded Draco's warning about the beginning of the old revels that were to start tonight and decided to stay close to Harry, Ron, and Hermione for the evening while the twins were pretty much kept out of the loop for now and were their usual selves. Harry figured they were safe enough without needing to forewarn them yet of all these things.

Dinner was a light affair with easy topics when torches lit outside on the pathways through the woods. This signaled the game was about to begin and everyone needed to finds their seats. Harry and his friends had it easier than most. He had been surprised to find they were going to be seated in the top-box for the match. The appearance of Percy and his boss that day had set a feeling of foreboding in him that he was unable to explain and did not wish to examine too closely. Percy's body language had felt mechanical and not of his own mind in some form, but he had not wish to directly point it out as Arthur wouild likely starting questioning his son then and there if he knew what Harry felt.

He did not wish to start a fight he could not finish currently, so he had refrained from speaking of what he thought was going on.

Then again, the twins betting on the game with Ludo Bagman also sent a sense of ill over him. However, this sense of ill was quite different than the other one was. It was less dangerous feeling than it was a feeling of anger towards the former quidditch player. Harry honestly thought Ludo Bagman was insane and his bet was off. He did however, agree with the twins bet.

Ireland was a good team, but their seeker was not as gifted a Viktor was. He had watched one of their practices when invited after hearing Harry beat Viktor in a seeker's duel. He had been escorted to the place they resided at by his friends and they stayed fort he practice match yesterday afternoon. Harry tried to give tips to the seeker, but their seeker was more arrogant than Malfoy and Krum combined. Something Harry honestly had not thought was even possible whilst Ron remained quiet and Hermione looked as though she swallowed a bag of raw lemons at times over Ireland's demeanor to her friend.

So the twins had bet that Ireland would win the match due to sheer points alone from the chasers, but that Viktor Krum of Bulgaria would catch the snitch. Krum's teammates were good, but Ireland definitely had better chasers, sadly.

Ludo Bagman thought otherwise apparently, however, and he had insisted Ireland's seeker would catch the snitch and so he has easily made the bet Harry was sure he was going to regret making soon enough.

After arriving at the top-box, all of them found seats in the front together and then the Malfoy family had entered the area as well. Lucius seemed to want to say something to Arthur, until his gaze caught sight of the new Harry Potter and one look at the new version of him made him think otherwise as his surprise was clear through his eyes.

Though his face gave nothing away and his expression was nearly blank. Harry was beginning to realize his emancipation had made his magic more free in nature, and so he likely sensed things in energy that others did not because of his clan's gift and the free movement of his magic. His senses had sharpened some too, though Ragnok had said they would become even sharper as he neared his full inheritance at seventeen.

He turned to Harry with what most would consider a courteous and polite manner as Arthur seemed surprised the Malfoy patriarch had backed out of his words so easily after seeing Harry. His friends and surrogate family were closely watching the exchange between them without seeming to be too obtrusive.

"Congratulations Mr. Potter for you defeat of a certain Bulgarian seeker that is playing tonight. I heard from my son that the match lasted two days before you won. A most wonderful accomplishment for someone who is so gifted in flying, but yet is as young a seeker such as yourself is." He said briskly with a halfhearted smirk towards him

Harry seemed to acknowledge the words he spoke though hesitantly and with caution, "Thank you Mr. Malfoy. I think it was a great honor to play someone of such skill and I am surprised to hear that Draco even bothered to come to such a spectacle. He and I are not known to be friends, so that surprises me somewhat. I personally had not thought to win the match, but I did and I am proud of the accomplishment as I believe that I should be. Though too much pride over this could be a bad thing as well, so I have distanced myself from letting it drive me too far."

Harry's new mannerisms had thrown the elder blonde off momentarily before he nodded in recognition silently.

Harry turned to the woman by him and bowed his head in respect to her as he greeted her as politely as possible, "You must be Mrs. Narcissa Malfoy, then? A pleasure to meet you, though I wish it was under other circumstances than the one we have right now. I do note that you seem shocked at my addressing you personally, and I am sure you did not expect it."

Harry's tone had taken a dry sound to it as he smiled sadly now and her lips threatened to burst into a smile at this.

"However, I would like to remind all of you that I am Dorea Black's grandson and so technically, I am related to all of you in some manner though I know you do not consider me family in any stretch of the word." He said calmly

The others watched the interactions carefully and wondered what Harry was thinking by announcing this out in the open. He seemed to be polite to them for show, but was that all? He also seemed as if he had done a lot of this before and they did not know why. Draco's eyes seemed to widened at the realization Harry was related to him in blood once or perhaps twice removed. He had not known this before, and had to steel his features to contain his shock over it.

Narcissa for her part was relatively shocked as he said this as well though her reactions were much more heavily guarded than her son's had been to him at first. She had not expected him to be so polite to them considering their differing views on the war currently, but they were in public and had images for the world to see, so she supposed it was normal. Lucius had not reacted at all and he had eyed him warily now. The elder man wondered what the brat was up to as he sat stiffly in silence and observed the boy his mastered desired to kill with calculating eyes. Draco had then made a nice show of sneering and glaring at them as Harry had expected him to, and the blonde even gave one or two snide comments before being reprimanded by his mother and was forced to shut up out of politeness for the event.

Others beside them in the area were a few other Ministry employees such as Ludo Bagman who was the chosen commentator to the match. The Bulgarian Minister of Magic and Cornelius Fudge, who both had nodded their heads to Harry in respect and he smiled and inclined back as Lucius's eyes narrowed to this some. How did the boy know the Minister of Magic?

Lucius wasn't sure what to make of the boy he was seeing before him. From Draco's last report, Potter had been sickly looking and as if he was going be blown away by the next breeze that wafted by them all. Now the boy appeared perfectly healthy, and he held some kind of unknown power if his aura said anything, plus he exuded a natural and genuinely honest charisma to everyone there. Even among his personal enemies. Something had happened to him from the time he left the school until now, and he was not sure what but whatever had occurred had made the brat much more dangerous to his master than he had been previously.

The boy's ears were sharp like an elf's and his eye color would have signified he was dark elven descent and of royal blood if Lucius wasn't so sure his mother was a filthy mud-blood and deserved to be buried in the ground with her blood traitor husband. However, his mind was unnerved as he watched the boy more and more before the pre-match events began. Was it possible they had been lied to and his mother was something other than what was shown to them all? Had they assumed her as a something she was not before garnering the true details?

This would require some quiet research and snooping around for the facts once he returned to work.

* * *

The match's introduction had been stunning to say the least with the first glimpse of true veela and leprechauns to the visiting spectators. Harry had been amused by the veela, and their allure did not affect him as directly as it had his friend and Ron's brothers. Having Fleur as a friend made his tolerance to the veela allure and charms much easier to ignore than expected.

Harry had noted Lucius seemed intrigued as to how Harry seemed to resist the pull of the allure since was unmarried, and so for show's sake; he had then decided to allow himself to somewhat seem interested in a few of them for a moment as one or two veela seemed to catch his eyes more strongly than the others did.

He refused however, to react as Ron and the twins had and be hanging themselves over the edge of the top-box balcony and to feel like he had drifted to the moon. This act seemed to satisfy the elder blonde somewhat, and Harry hid an inward smirk. If only he knew…

Dark elves were also notorious for their magical surges between the ages of fourteen to seventeen. These surges could start at any age in this time-frame and were in nature, sexual. It had something to do with the way their powers matured and so they also made the dark elf in question seek someone compatible to relieve the magical duress from their body through intercourse. Typically, you would consider this mate hunting in some form outside of the general mating season…but if the one was not their mate, it was a close friend to the dark elf who understood the needs of their friend and was also willing to help them and then let them go.

Perhaps this is why it was also said dark elves were less likely to fall for the veela as mate due to their allure. Veela allures attracted men and women who were either virgins still or those who had engaged but remained unattached. Veela were the closest creature relative to the Incubus and Succubus as you could get besides being a Vanteera, but Vanteera were extinct now. Dark elves who were unattached could be attracted to the allure sure, but usually were not as strongly pulled to it as others.

This was because while Veela were considered dark creatures by the Ministry of Magic in Great Britain; their very genetic make-up was light-sided until you threatened their mates and families. They were gifted healers, as Harry had first hand knowledge of when Fleur had healed him as a child from his uncle's beatings, and they also fought fiercely to death only to protect their mates and children if any. They were avery tight-knit group as a community and offensively, they tended to use claws and light magic with fire elemental magic. It ranged some and sometimes their were others who had different elements, but was overall the same in many forms. Rarely ever was there a veela strong enough to wield light magic and dark magic together.

The veela though; they radiated light in their auras and very few dark elves could withstand the assault of light on their own aura to mesh their shadowed one to theirs. Harry was sure that it had been mostly royalty who had ever managed it with a few odd cases outside his mother's clan or other clans. Fleur's father had been sending him thing to read to help him understand his heritage better as a way to avenge his sister and honor the alliance to Harry's clan many centuries ago after a long war. A bloodbath war of many hurts.

After the intro and pre-match show, the game was then easily put underway. Harry had to admit that Professional Quidditch did seem quite fun, but he knew he would never be able to pursue it unless Voldemort was gone before he graduated Hogwarts, and he doubted that would happen. Flying was also more of a hobby than something he could see himself doing as career.

Interestingly enough, Harry had kept watch on Ludo Bagman somewhat too. He inwardly smirked as the old and retired former player watched as the twins bet predictions were coming to reality before his eyes. Harry shared a grin with the twins as they smirked to him and nodded.

Draco was curiously interested in all these motions, but sadly he was unable to ask of them.

The chaotic cheering done when Ireland won, even though Viktor had caught the snitch, had grated on Harry nerves some and had made his new ears quite sore. Ludo had a very pale face at the victory and Harry seemed to think the unlucky one was going to try to not give the money he promised over to his intended recipients.

Harry was then led quickly from the top-box with the rest in squished halls out of the stadium and back through the woods to their campsite. The partying had last for a few hours, but by one in the morning all was quiet. Whether everyone was asleep or not was anyone's guess. However, Harry knew the moment the revels had started. He was woken up by screaming outside the tent and smelled smoke, which indicated they were burning tents down among other activities. Arthur had rushed in and told them to dress and meet the girls before heading directly into the forest while staying together and lying low to avoid being spotted.

Arthur was surprised when none of them had asked what was happening besides the twins, but he figured they were too traumatized and shocked to question things right now.

They did as was asked and Ginny stayed particularly close to her brother and Harry, while Hermione stayed close to Harry's other side and Ron was keeping guard in front of them. Harry's new ears had covered their backs.

* * *

It was half-way through the walk in the woods for good cover that they came across Draco Malfoy once more and words were shared between him and Ron as usual. Harry knew it was for show, but could not say so currently. He reached for his pocket and realized his wand had fallen out of it.

"Hermione?" Harry said in slight panic now

She turned to him, "Yes?"

"My wand is missing from my pocket. I think in the rush for cover it fell out and is now somewhere in these woods lying on the ground in the dark… Wandless magic would be my only defense and I cannot give it away yet."

Hermione paled, "Not good. We need to carefully backtrack to find it."

The four then tried in vain to find the wand as they carefully crept around the woods in the opposite direction as before, and it was not until Harry tripped over something oddly shaped that it was found.

"Hermione, that's a house-elf that has been stunned. Why would it have picked up my wand?" he asked her

"Who knows? Let's just get it and vacate here before someone else comes along and thinks we stunned her." Hermione whispered

The three nodded. Harry took his wand from the house elf's grasp and then the four of them left quickly as they knew that not even five minutes from their leaving; the elf had been found and given clothes for disobeying her orders to remain at her designated tent. One of the men seemed angry over something, and the cold sweat on Harry's neck told him it had to do with why his wand wasn't found with the elf or why he wasn't there trying to figure it out as the strange person thought he was supposed to be."

Harry felt bad that the elf had served her family faithfully and was framed for the incident somehow, but there was little he could do for her. Hermione was outraged once more over the seeming abuse of the house elves, and Harry told her to calm down. While he did not condone this kind of treatment for his smaller brethren...it would take a lot of time before changes could come. Purebloods have treated them inhumanely for centuries now, and so it would be a long time to remove all the abuse they have suffered willingly or not.

Hermione's tears cascaded down her face at his words, and she knew her thoughts on this was likely irrational as their were many things of pureblood society she still did not understand or agree with. Being muggle-raised she never understood why house-elves stayed with their masters as their slaves if they were treated so badly when all they did was serve them faithfully. Harry had finally told her why while at the Burrow before the Cup. Most house elves were treated decently today, but they stayed because their magic was tied to the family line itself and not just the master or mistress of the house.

House-elves thrived as helpers to witches and wizards by doing tasks their masters could not be bothered to do. A master or mistress might have elves bound just to them for personal use, but overall, the bond was still to the whole clan. They did things at times they may not have wanted or agreed with, but they did anyways to ensure their survival and the belief it was not their places to interfere in their master or mistress's affairs. It often led to death for them. Being given clothes and cut from the family they served cut their magic in half and brought shame on the elf in question.

It was like being sentenced to life inside Azkaban to them and ultimately, their life-span was being cut short. Their magic was tied to the household they served; and should the line die out, the elves decided to go with their master or mistress versus trying to find a new home to adapt to as their magic struggled to fit in a new environment that way.

Harry had also told her Dobby was one of very few house-elves that wanted freedom at the expense of a shortened life. He was an oddity and unique. Having a dark family like the Malfoy's as his masters ensured his time was shortened further since he never knew if he was to punished again or not. Whether by Lucius, Narcissa, Draco or even the Dark Lord if he was there. Possibly even extended family such Bellatrix and Rodulphus Lestrange or his brother Rabastan. Freedom to him was freedom from total hurt physically at the expense of his shortened life.

They sat on the ground now waiting as Ginny was curled next to her brother and Harry in-between them, and Hermione was softly crying into Harry's shoulder over the ordeal now that they were out of harm's path. Hermione understood the injustice, and knew her friend was right when he had said it take a long time to change it; but in her heart it was still cruel and made very upset.

Harry didn't know How Hermione was going to react in the next few years when war began and he was forced to train in darker magic to survive. Forced to know when to stun someone for capture and interrogation versus killing them to save himself. Hermione did not want a lot of death, and she certainly did not wish to kill anyone, even if they were death eaters. Harry was unsure this was a wish that could be fulfilled.

* * *

When Arthur finally found them, he was relieved they had not been hurt at all and asked if they had any trouble. They admitted they had a moment of panic when Harry lost his wand in the rush of people, but told Mr. Weasley they did find his wand and so there was nothing to worry over. They were all tired and drained as they reached the tent again and drifted off for a few more hours before they had to leave.

When they all reached the Burrow early that afternoon, Molly Weasley was sitting on the front porch of her home. She had a tear-stained face and held a newspaper tightly in her grasp. She had been beside herself with worry for her family, Harry and Hermione after seeing the dark headlines in the morning's paper. She said she was likely to never allow her children to go to another World Cup ever again until the dark lord was defeated for good and the meacing times of late were finally over with.

The next two weeks had flown by and the trip to Diagon Alley had been busy and rushed. Harry had taken care of some business with Ragnok while there in secret and had told him to inform his elves to maintain the house until after school was out when he would return.

Hermione had practically berated Ron about leaving his summer assignments to be done so late, and forced him to stay up with her so he could finish them and she could look over them. She had been surprised to find Harry had done all of his homework already and so he was able to watch his friend suffer in silence as he relaxed with a smirk in his direction every so often and then Ron would give him a withering glare. Hermione had checked his work over as well and said it was well done, and definitely more than adequate.

Harry believed she was more impressed by it and had also decide to adjust her own somewhat by having read over his, but refrained from saying so because she was so surprised. Honestly, did those two truly think he never read anything at all?

So, with the stressful last two weeks and the slightly traumatizing events at the World Cup; the trio of friends plus Ginny found themselves to be somewhat relieved to be on the train headed for school.

Harry seemed the least relaxed of them all, which was odd at best to the group and they wondered why, but they knew better than to pry at him for details. He'd just clam up if asked and then he'd hold his feelings inside longer if they did that. They had to wonder what he was thinking of but instead they settled down for several games of exploding snap as they journeyed to the school.


	7. Chapter V: Welcoming Feast

**Chapter V:**_ Welcoming Feast_

Meanwhile, as the school's train was in transition to the old castle; far away from there in a small town with a big white manor home, a malign presence was occupying the house in its derelict form as he conversed with two strange people to the townspeople itself. No one from there came near the home any longer after the mysterious death of the old groundskeeper and the village boys didn't dare try to prank the home either. There was just this evil feeling in the air around the house now that hadn't been there before.

The villagers surely gossiped of the happenings surrounding the state and wondered how it had turned so bad, but they still never ventured here anymore, and considered the place dangerous. The old groundskeeper had been disposed of by the autopsy people who had found his body in the garden two mornings after his death by one of the boys who was particularly mean in his pranks to the old man, so the skeletally thin man in a winged back chair before the fire was content for now that his plans were well in hand.

"Wormtail, Nagini needs fed soon." A cold voice hissed to no one in particular yet

A small man appeared and seemed shaking slightly in fear, "Of course master, I shall attend to her now."

Wormtail left and one other man remained in the room with the man who had the cold voice spoke, "I trust everything is in working order for what is to come?"

The man nodded, "Yes milord. All the preparations are ready and we will be able to do as we wish this time. I have successfully managed to circumvent the wards on the item you told me of and so the boy will be forced to come to us as we expect when the timing is just right."

The thin man nodded slightly in contentment, "Good."

"Master, I do have another report for you though. A rather interesting one at that about the Potter boy's changes over the summer holidays. It's from Lucius, who saw him briefly at the World Cup but was unable to get too close due to his surprisingly large entourage."

"Go ahead." He hissed in contentment

"Lucius as you know was recently a part of the revels at the World Cup, so he saw a lot of things while there even though he had opted out of the actual festivities. However, there are two things that stand out above all else."

"Firstly, Harry Potter had been there, as I said before, in the accompaniment of his friends and a lot of others as well. Some were more notorious than others, as it seems Potter has now met the Minister of Magic and made friends with Viktor Krum of Durmstrang. Krum was also the international seeker for Bulgaria at the Cup. However the boy himself…he has changed a great deal from last we saw of him."

"Viktor Krum challenged Potter to a seeker's duel. There were rules of some kind, but very few and the game as I heard had been quite dangerous though not as much as it could have been. I know that they could not kill the other or permanently injure the other into a crippled mess, but other than that; Lucius states the duel was legal and anything else had been fair game. Lucius had not attended the match though I believe his son Draco had out of curiosity, but Lucius mostly found out the details by overhearing others talk of the event and some of them from his son's friends who had also attended. I am unsure if Draco shared his insight with his father or not as the letter is not clear in this aspect."

The man noticed his master was listening now with utmost interest and curiosity.

"There were still four days until the match in the stadium. Their duel lasted two of those four days and Harry emerged victorious over Krum, who is considered a legend and is definitely a professional."

His master inclined to show he had understood the implication made there.

"The other news of the boy is a bit more fascinating, I must say. Lucius said Draco told him that Potter had looked sickly and very thin when he left the school last. Now Lucius writes and says Potter seemed perfectly healthy and even fit for his age in a few short months. He also says the boy radiates a new form of power he had not shown before and appears to have changed his mannerisms quite a lot."

"He tells of how the boy was openly was polite to them in public even though he knew they were his enemies and did not state that out loud as he had expected. That the boy held himself as any other pure-blood child of his age would and he had also acknowledged Dorea's blood in him, thereby admitting his distant relations to Narcissa and Draco familially. The boy did also, however, tell them he knew that they did not consider him family even if he did share their blood somewhat distantly."

"Curious…" The cold voice said, "Anything else?"

"Yes. Lucius also thinks the boy might be pure-blood after all and that we have been deceived for many years by Albus." The man said hesitantly

The very thin man froze at this, "Why would Lucius think that?" His master hissed in displeasure

"Because Potter's ears were pointed now as if he were of dark elven blood or high elven blood. His eyes also swirled with magic in them and when the veela were used in the intro to the World Cup, Potter had not reacted like a fool to their allure as would have been normal for all other teenage boys without elven blood among them. That would also be a typical reaction for someone raised as a muggle even though he was a wizard and was not aware of it until he came to the school, and I'm assured by Lucius that in Potter's case; it was true as his relatives, who may not truly be blood-related, hate his magic in their home and so he was ignorant to the world he saved until he came back to us." He told him quickly

"I see your point. But how does Lucius believe the boy is pure-blood? There are few clan deceased in the last few years of the previous war to pick from and even fewer with elven blood of any distinction." He asked

"Lucius has a theory and he believes that Harry may be the royal heir to a certain dark elf clan Albus annihilated and then blamed us for it. Lily looked nothing like her muggle parents from what I remember in watching them once for you, and so it begs the question that if Albus's negotiations during the first war failed to the Blood Mist Clan; would he kill them all and spare a child to have it raised outside of what it knew as home? To take this child and to mold them as he wanted it to act and to have the child continually be left unaware of their own true past and position in our society?"

The thin man considered the idea momentarily and it did sound extraordinarily like Albus to do something of this nature.

"It think Lucius is right and Harry is what is he is now." His master agreed

"I offer you advice to consider some caution towards the boy, milord. Your defeat to him as an infant was unexpected and since we do not know the full contents of the prophecy regarding the two of you; it would be foolish to act rashly at him after this news. Lucius said he felt power from the boy, and so we do not know what he is capable of now nor do we know how far his intellect has expanded in such a short space of time."

"What remains the same is that no matter what has occurred to promote this change in him; he is still your enemy and he always will be. He will not join you nor will he allow himself to be forced in the servitude. He would rather die trying to escape it or to defeat you than to submit and so I advise caution when dealing with him if we are still to truly use the plan we have formed. He will still be against you and this will not change."

The thin man was quiet now and the room was colder in temperature, as the magic in there had seemingly evaporated into nothing.

"I will think over all this, but even if we do exercise caution, the brat is still needed to help me regain what I lost fourteen years ago since the ones we tested on who were similar in appearance, age group, and what we had thought was his power level then failed to produce the desired results. Now we understand why as well."

**_:Scene Change:_**

The train landed in the station just as the faraway conversation ended and Harry felt a tingling sensation go down his spine. One that did not feel good, and this made him more wary of his environs than normal. He was excited to see Fleur though, but he had no clue when the other schools were arriving here.

The Great Hall was as beautiful as ever and the castle welcomed its students there with open arms. Harry felt the sentience of her warmth and basked in her glow as he felt revitalized as soon as he walked into the room and smiled fully for the first time in weeks. The castle's spirit seemed to calm him somewhat and Ron along with Hermione and Ginny smiled as their powerful friend seemed to finally relax by knowing he was back where he belonged again.

Albus watched Harry and his friends and noticed the changes in the boy. He had told him not to go to the bank, but it appears he had not listened to him and found a way to avoid the watchers as well. This was not good as there was no way to tell how much the goblins knew of his past schemes and told to the boy.

He had noticed the more elven appearance, so he hoped it was just a glamour release and the goblins did not know of his assassination of Harry's mother's clan. He would need to speak to him and soon to see what Harry would be willing to tell him and how far he would go in his release of secrets.

Severus eyed the hall with general disdain as he did every year, but something was off now. Where was the Potter child and his normally unruly mop of hair that the professor had hated so much? Severus had not seen it and the boy who had been with his usual friends looked nothing like Potter, so where was the blasted trouble-maker.

He watched the friends he normally walked with and was startled slightly when Hermione had addressed this new boy as 'Harry'? Surely, this boy was not the one he had been looking for? This would need watching more closely.

The sorting was rather uneventful, and the hat gave its usual diatribe of needing house unity again before the meal in the hall began. It was a relaxed and enjoyable affair as the students shared their summer stories and laughs amidst all their housemates and friends. Even Harry was joining them this time in stories of his summer, though carefully edited so as not arouse suspicions from the staff. This was done until Albus stood before the whole hall and it quieted as the headmaster waited to address them.

"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. For those who are just joining us, I hope you find the school to be your home away from home for the next seven years and for all of you to make many wonderful new memories here. For those who are coming back to us again, welcome and study hard."

"I have a few announcements, first being that the Forbidden Forest at the edges of the grounds is off-limits to all students here. Even if some of them have disregarded this previously, the Forest Forest is 'forbidden' for realistic reasons that its name suggests."

Harry and his friends looked to the other and shnared smirks and secret smiles at the Gryffindor table while Draco noted Potter definitely had changed over the summer and seemed free to be his true self now as he was meant to. He could not wait to know the boy he is now versus the one he had seen the last three years.

"Secondly, Argus Filch our caretaker has added a number of items to his listing of forbidden items to be used within the school halls. I also remind our students that no magic is to be used in-between classes in the corridors."

"Lastly, there will be no Quidditch at all this year." He said

The hall then erupted into noise.

"Quiet down now, I know this is a shock, but we have a good reason for this." Albus said as the students seemed to listen now.

"This year our school has been chosen to hold the Triwizard Tournament." He said as whispers grew around the hall, "It has been redone by the Ministry of Magic in several departments along with myself and some others so it is much safer than in ages past. However, we are instating an age line to those who are legible to compete and the tournament will still be dangerous to the champions. It just will not be life-threatening to them any longer as it was before."

Albus waved a hand and Hagrid came out holding a chest that had magical flames in it.

"This is the Goblet of Fire, a relic to the tournament and used to decide the champion who will sponsor our school and be competing alongside two others in the tournament. The schools of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving here in three days. On Halloween, all the students of the age of seventeen who have entered their name on a slip of paper and placed it in the goblet before the feast that night and after the arrival of our foreign friends; they will be acknowledged as potential contenders to compete. Then, at the end of our Halloween feast, the goblet will give three names from the papers entered into it; one from each school and those three students will be our champions for the tournament." Albus said

"The age line is a piece of powerful magic, and so those who are not of age but are close to it; I advise not trying to tamper with it." He said as the Weasley twins outburst had become much louder since the age line was revealed

"For now, I suggest heading to bed and preparing for lessons tomorrow." He dismissed them

The hall was loud with rumors and whispers of the new and exciting tournament to be held as they all walked to the dorms. Harry felt that tingling again that made him nervous and alert, but ignored it mostly in favor of enjoying his friend's excitement even if he remained vigilant.

Albus watched Harry's expressions carefully and winced. The boy seemed to sense something of ill though he hid it quite well. He would definitely need to see him soon.


	8. Chapter VI: Arrival

**Chapter VI:** _Arrival_

The next three days had been hard on the student body as they were eagerly waiting to see how the students of the schools of Beauxbatons and Durstrang would arrive here, and what they would be like and how different the customs were from there to here. Hermione was eager to learn how the schools differed from the other and to learn all she could the cultures of the two. Whereas Ron only cared whether or not the two had any good people for mixed school Quidditch matches when the pitch was free from use due to the tournament.

Harry had shaken his head as heard all of this and hoped Fleur had remembered his warnings to her before she left in her excitement to be near him this year. Which reminded Harry; Fleur was seventeen now, and technically eligible to compete. He wondered if she wanted to and if he could persuade her against the idea?

Harry doubted it and knew how stubborn Fleur was once she decided on something she really wanted to do. Harry cared for Fleur greatly, and he did not wish for her to be hurt…but, at the same time, he could not keep her from competing if she truly wanted to.

The schools were due to arrive tonight, as it was, and before dinner and so all anyone wanted was for the day to move by a bit faster. Harry wasn't as eager for this as some, but he did agree and wish the day was going a bit faster. Potions had been hell this morning as Professor Snape seemed to have a new hobby of watching Harry more closely than usual for some reason. It had made him feel weird and so he tried not to antagonize the normally dour man more than normal.

However, Harry knew something was up with him and he wasn't sure what it was. That made him feel out of it and he hoped the feeling would go away soon. Unfortunately, due to his heightened senses and revision over the summer, Harry was much better in potions than before and his professor happened to notice this as well. That might be the reason for his attention now that Harry thought about it.

Surprisingly, Harry had half expected to be summoned to the headmaster's office by now for his 'how are you' speech and the 'please don't do anything too dangerous this year' lecture, but Harry guessed that with the arrival of two extra sets of students; the headmaster was quite busy preparing and had pretty much either forgotten about it, which was the best option, or he simply was delaying it.

So as Harry sat amidst his Charms class, he was enjoying the peace for once, and he was actually allowing himself to enjoy classes as much as any normal teen-aged boy did when they went to school.

* * *

"Harry come on, we're going to be late." Ron said impatiently

Harry rolled his eyes, "I'm coming mate. Merlin, you'd think you had a long-distance girlfriend who was in town or something with the way you act."

Ron paled and then flushed as he stammered in disbelief.

"I-I don't have a girlfriend, Harry." Ron stuttered out with red embarrassment all over his face

"I know, I was just messing with you." Harry smirked at him as Ron nodded in relief and then shoved him lightly in mock indignation before they both laughed as they left their common room

"Hermione went ahead of us, so we should go." Ron said to him

The two managed to find Hermione near the front, but still partially covered. The Headmaster stood in the front and McGonagall was beside him.

"I think Beauxbatons will be here momentarily." The headmaster said cheerily

And no sooner had the words left his mouth, the rushing sound of large wings hit Harry's ears as he looked up to the sky and smiled at the large flying horses and enchanting carriage they pulled. The carriages were a grand sight to see indeed. Fleur was in one of them and he hope she remembered his words.

The horses landed with loud thuds and the ground found itself slightly shaking under duress, but not quite an earthquake material. Dumbledore stepped forward and then a woman emerged from the first carriage. She was at least as tall as Hagrid, and easily recognizable as another half-giant only definitely female.

"Madame Maxime, you are as beautiful as the last time I saw you. That was also quite some time ago. I hope you are faring well these days?" He asked her

The half-giant woman smiled gently and nodded, "Dumbledore, it is quite an honor to have you and your school host us for this year. I hope we will have a splendid competition to see." She said socially

"I am sure we will." He agreed, "Your students will stay in the Ravenclaw dorms and have classes with them. The older students might need the schedules adjusted some for our castle, so I trust you have them with you?" He asked

She nodded, "Indeed I do have them. We will go inside as it has been a long flight from France and we are tired as it is."

The students were allowed entry to the castle though most decided to stay and wait to see the Durmstrang entry to the castle as well. It had not taken long.

Harry turned his head to the black lake when he heard the water start shifting before anyone else had and then heard yells of 'the lake!' and all heads were turning in its direction. Out of the underside of the lake, a large ship emerged from the water and was quickly docked to a special tree around the edges. Then the students of Durmstrang were seen coming above onto the deck and then filing off and onto the grounds.

"Igor, it is nice to see you once more and definitely under better times than last I saw you." Albus said congenially though Harry thought it sounded forced

Igor looked to the headmaster in mild indifference before he sighed, "I suppose it is. However, I cannot say that I am pleased that I must be here for such a frivolous event."

"Well it is only this year, and so you will have to try and enjoy it as much as possible." Albus told him clearly, "Your students will be with the Slytherin Dorms and have their classes as well with them, so I know you brought their schedules to be adjusted if needed?"

Igor huffed in annoyance to this, "Of course I did. I am not a headmaster for nothing, you know?"

Albus just nodded in mock cheer as he led everyone into the castle, before there was a loud squeal.

"Look, it's Viktor Krum from the Bulgarian international team." A girl said loudly

Albus and Igor had shook their heads and Igor sighed, "I swear that boy is going to drive me batty with his Quidditch fame and girls following him around like lost puppy dogs." Igor complained

Viktor tried to look as if he had not just been insulted, but failed so Harry who had seen him decided to get this attention off of him in a slightly different way.

"Viktor. Viktor. " Harry called loudly as he was trying to get through the crowd

The seeker heard his name and then saw Harry making his way through the en-masse of people.

"Harry, how are you doing?" He said in greeting congenially

Harry smiled, "Oh you know, bored with all the excitement?"

Viktor snorted to that and then smiled now too, "Yes, I can imagine it with your school playing host to us and Beauxbatons that the drama has been like overkill."

Harry groaned, "You have no idea. Never mind, I'm sure you do but in a different manner because of Quidditch."

The school population in general was rather shocked at Harry's friendliness to the seeker and vice versa. Though many had heard Harry had beat him in a seeker's duel just prior to his match against Ireland.

"No hard feeling over our match, I hope?" Harry asked him as everyone listened in rapt fascination.

Including their headmasters, who were cautiously eavesdropping on the two even though both were aware of it and ignored it for now…

Viktor scowled now, "No, you won fair and square. I was too arrogant and overconfident of my abilities. I paid the price by losing and by relearning a valuable lesson I had long forgotten due to my skills being brought to fame too quickly in Bulgaria."

Harry nodded, "Well, as long as you heed the lesson; then I think you'll be fine."

Viktor smirked now and Harry knew what that meant and smirked back with some subtlety.

"Fine then. Am I enough of a challenge to you to ask for a friendly rematch, I hope?" He said in a purely saccharine tone

Harry tilted his head from side to side in consideration before he nodded, "Very well. I suppose losing once was not enough to teach you your lesson. Another seeker's duel it is."

The students were whispering loudly about this now and were excited to see the international legend play against Hogwarts's own Quidditch prodigy.

They part ways as they entered the hall for dinner and Harry discreetly searched for Fleur's person at the Ravenclaw table. He found it and she saw him glance at her discreetly. She gave him a very disguised wink before her snobbish mask was resumed and Harry shook his head. He had never needed to worry about her.

Albus and Igor were lost for words at the moment, "I see you have your own share of work here as well with famous student, Albus. The boy who defeated the dark lord is here studying now, is he? I hadn't thought he knew anyone outside of Hogwarts?" Igor asked curiously

"You don't follow Quidditch much, Igor. Harry and Viktor played a seeker's duel four days before Viktor's match against Ireland. It lasted two whole days before Harry won. I think they became very quick friends through this and their passion for the sport." Albus said dryly with a cheerful grin

Igor was rather stunned by this, "The boy is truly that good? Viktor is like a living quidditch legend in Bulgaria I admit, but he has very few who could beat him in a seeker's duel."

Albus smiled now, "Harry is our youngest seeker allowed to play on a house team in a full century. He was put on the team in his first year here and no one has ever regretted it. He has lost one match in his entire time here, and he lost it because the match had been rigged. I believe if those atrocious pranks had not been done or if the storm they played in had been slightly better; Harry would've easily won."

Igor seemed impressed and replied drolly, "A Boy Wonder then. I suppose we'll have our hands full. Hopefully Olympe doesn't have a student like that, or we're in for some major headaches."

Albus was too polite to agree out loud to these sentiments, but he did nod his head to the statement as he hoped it was true enough.

* * *

Dinner that night was a very lavish affair in the great hall. There were all the normal foods the Hogwarts population expected, but also some others from where the foreign students were from. Hermione had coaxed both Harry and Ron into trying some of that French fish soup she had once before. Harry thought it was okay, but Ron had not.

Harry thought it had more to do with how things smelled that attracted him to the foreign foods he sampled than anything else. His sensitive nose had not liked some of the scents, but had really enjoyed others.

The tables were full of laughter as many strange faces were made in trying new delicacies. Harry also noticed many of the boys around the school had slightly been caught in Fleur's allure as a veela. The looks towards her made something in him boil, and he did not understand it but he knew he did not like it.

He tried to ignore the feeling of shouting at his housemates for staring, as he knew he'd draw unnecessary attention to himself for that; but, it did not make him happier to ignore it. He wanted to punch Roger Davies in the gut when he had the gall to approach Fleur and ask her out immediately and then try to smack in bottom in the process.

Fleur had just blinked and then scowled and told him to politely 'piss off' in her way as she smacked him for groping her. Harry had smiled at that and returned to his meal feeling as though he had been saved the job of knocking Rodger's light's out for hurting his friend that way on her first night there.

By the time they were returning to the dorms, Harry knew he needed to speak to Fleur. He just did not know how to get her alone with him for that without it seeming odd or to cause unsavory rumors. He hoped an idea came to him soon


	9. Chapter VII: School Life

**Chapter VII:** _School Life_

Harry had always thought his life as a student was odd and strange for sure due to his fate with the dark lord on his shoulders and the way the words impending doom seemed to follow him around like a lost puppy from behind. Now it was even more complicated than it had been before since Viktor and he began to hang out during the weekends as friends. Since his friendship to Viktor Krum had been noted by nearly all the Hogwarts female population since his arrival there; he became a walking target of choice for the many inquiries about him and his life outside Quidditch.

What sort of girl is he into?

Do you think he'll go out with me if I ask him to?

Do you know what kind of gifts he likes?

Harry felt like beating his head with his textbooks now and hiding in the dorms at times to avoid what seemed to be the renewal of the Spanish Inquisition, except it involved questions and answers versus fighting and war. All he had tried to do was make sure Viktor didn't feel too out of place here at the school since he was as famous as he seemed to be at times, and Harry knew all too well how overwhelming it could feel to be isolated and alone even when surrounded by others. Now even that seemed to have backfired for now.

Ron had seemed exasperated by the behavior after the last week of it, and was now actively pushing people away from his friend if they dared to question him in the hallways between classes. Hermione was now thinking she might just hex the next poor girl who dared approach Harry with inane questions like those. Slytherin students seemed to resent Harry's friendship to the star who resided in their dorms, even if they said nothing of it. Draco, however, unofficially approved of it while he did not act as though he did around his housemates.

Harry just hoped Hermione didn't hex them too much…though the thought of his very serious friend actually losing her cool control and hexing someone was a very amusing thought. Something both Ron and he decided would be a spectacle that they both would love to see if it happened and wanted front row seats to the show. Hermione had then become exasperated with them both, hit them on the head with her Arithmancy book in reprimand to the joke, and then huffed in annoyance before she proceeded to ignore them for the rest of the day.

His friendship with Viktor had turned out be valuable though among other things even if it had been a tough week for him. He had learned that Igor Karkaroff, their headmaster, was a former death eater who was released after he gave a whole lot of names over to the British Ministry of Magic at the end of the first war when the dark lord had been defeated. He was considered a traitor among the ranks now and if the lord had risen again; he would likely be hunted and killed for his treachery.

Of course, such conversations were done privately as possible as the two practiced flying together and took leisurely breaks during the weekends. Harry was studying harder now, and finishing his work earlier so he could enjoy his time flying considering the very limited amount of the pitch students were allowed to have because of the preparations for the first task after the champions were chosen in a few more weeks.

Their rematch was not going to happen till near the end of the school year after the tournament was over with though.

Harry had also learned that even though the dark lord and his faction had far reaching hold on some of the Durmstrang students through their families; most of the students were neutral and favored staying that way. The rumors of Viktor's school being the 'dark' school were really unfounded to some levels, though he did admit they were taught the theory behind the dark arts and how to recognize dark magic in early years, and then some of the still but barely legal arts as they got into their upper years.

So, it was on a beautiful Saturday morning that Harry had to post-pone flying to go and see the headmaster for his delayed conservation. He was aggravated by this, but said little and told Hermione to warn Viktor he would not be able to come that day if he came to retrieve him.

Harry said the password and as the gargoyle moved aside, he slowly trudged the stairs even though he didn't have to exactly.

* * *

Albus admitted the boy into his office and noticed that he seemed rather forlorn this morning for some reason. Albus had to wonder why though?

"Good morning Harry, how are you?" He said easily

Harry rolled his eyes, "Fine I guess, just rather be flying at the moment since we have little time left to use it."

Albus nodded, 'So, flying was what the problem was.' He thought to himself

"You and I have not talked as I have been fairly busy of late. I feel as though I have neglected some other duties for this. I apologize, and now; how was your summer vacation?" He asked

Harry seemed wary now and hesitant which Albus frowned at some.

"It was tolerable, I guess. My relatives were more bearable this year or at least what could be considered bearable when concerning them and the way they hate my existence. I think it was because they had a lot on their minds and pretty much ignored me for the most part or maybe it was something else, I don't know." Harry sighed as he hid an internal smirk from his former mentor, "I reviewed my texts from the last three years and now have a better grasp on things that seemed impossible before. I seemed to be able to read and comprehend faster than I remember being able to, but perhaps that was just me feeling like I needed to do this and so it seemed easier. Oh, and I received a letter from Gringotts too asking for me to visit them. You knew they would send it somehow and also directly told me not to go there alone and unguarded, but honestly; I felt that I had to, so I'm sorry I did not listen." Harry said as he played the headmaster expertly and did not feel sorry for those actions at all

Albus seemed not to pick up on double identity of his student and nodded outwardly though inside his teeth were grinding together in anxiety, "I'm glad your family was more tolerant of you this time around. I also know that you went to Gringotts even though I told you not to do so directly. Kingsley saw you there, and while he reported it to me, I did not have him tail you because I felt that it was not needed if you got there unharmed to begin with. While I cannot say that I approve of what you have done, it can no longer be changed so I have let it go."

Harry nodded to him while inside his eyes were rolling at the old man. He snorted mentally, 'As if I care if you approve or are disappointed in me. Though Fudge might need to be warned if his aurors are also being led around by Albus like dogs on leashes.'

"I merely wish to inquire as to what they had to say at the bank? My curiosity is piqued by this as much as I am sure yours was to begin with, and I just wish to know if they said anything to you of importance? Something you feel that you might need to share for guidance, or such?" He asked politely as he waited expectantly of the boy in anticipation

Harry wanted to snort and say, 'As if you already didn't know?' to him, but he refrained to keep his secrets a part of him for now.

Instead, he appeared to be confused for a few seconds to play into his hands without really playing, "Oh well it was a rather interesting meeting, sir. For one, I found out I am pure-blood instead of half-blood as we thought. I had not really understood the seriousness of the issue, as the goblins appeared to think this error was a grave one, and until they explained that in more details I didn't agree. I do think it is an unfortunate event now, and that it needs rectified; but anything else beyond it...I'm not sure." Harry said cautiously as Albus watched him fidget in his chair

"Two, the goblins said I also have dark elven blood in me and that's why my ears are pointed now and my powers are growing more rapidly now as my senses are being heightened too. This is part of why they believe the error is so bad to begin with. Three, they also think the blood is also a royal line, but are unsure as to which one of yet. I don't know what to think, really." Harry told him with a big and convincing shrug of his shoulders as he refused lemon drops Albus held to him

The headmaster appeared to take in what he said and then smiled gently. Albus was relieved to learn the goblins had yet to discover what royal line Harry was from; for if they had discovered it, war between the goblins and wizards was the most likely outcome and with death eater activity so high; it was not a good thought to have at this current time.

"Well, I am rather amazed by these findings I must say. That must have meant Lily was either adopted into a family for protection for some reasoning, or she had been kidnapped by someone and placed there for some purpose that may not or may have come to pass. I cannot say why anyone would want to do that though, but the evidence they did is right before me."

"You do have pointed ears now, and you magical strength seems much larger than it did at the end of last term. I think this is a good thing." He told Harry

Harry just smiled slightly and nodded as he reined in the urge to yell at the old man and tell him what he really thought of him, "I don't intend to glamour my appearance Headmaster, as I feel I would be then trying to hide a part of myself. I know it is a risk as I get a few years older…but, I think my magic will respond better if I don't try to hide it so much now."

Albus nodded to him at this and did not try to speak his thoughts on this decision. The headmaster then sighed heavily, "I am afraid I have to ask this out of necessity now Harry, though I wish I did not have to."

Harry eyed him curiously as his mind guarded his wariness now.

"Have you sensed anything lately? Something that you couldn't really explain directly but more or less felt in the areas around you?" Albus asked him now more seriously, "I suppose the goblins told you that you would be able to pick up on different energy types as a dark elf of royal lineage. We'll just need to see which ones you are more attune to later on."

Harry considered answering this or not. Technically, if he warned the headmaster slightly of the dark lord's plans he had seen in his dreams; then not much was changed overall to his plans past this mark. However, he was nervous about letting him know too much of how he could sense any energy type, as it might give him away and Harry wanted to avoid this at all costs if necessary.

"Headmaster, I have had some weird dreams during the summer. I think they were connected to the dark lord's plans, but I wasn't too sure until mid-way through summer." Harry told him with a pause and caution, "It was then they started to have much better clarity than they had before. I am unsure as to why it would happen now, but I suppose I should not complain."

Albus seemed to sit up straighter now and become more serious.

"Would you please tell me of it, if it is not too much trouble?"

Harry sighed, " I suppose its not. The first dream didn't make much sense until the end of it. I was seeing through an older man's eyes and he lived on the grounds to a seemingly deserted and derelict manor home. It was deteriorated from many years of disuse and foliage overgrowth in certain areas and the house itself was white in color, or at least it was at one time." Harry said

Albus seemed interested in this.

"I think the man's first name was Frank and I do know he was a muggle as I could not sense a magical core in him when I saw things through his eyes. He tended the manor grounds even though no one supposedly lived there any longer. Though in the areas with more dense foliage, he tended to avoid to keep from being hurt. I remember that he had woken to heat water to put in a hot water bottle for a sore back when he noticed a fire in the house."

"He believed that the village kids who played pranks on him had set the house to fire because they knew the house meant something to him. He then went to investigate. Once inside, he had managed to come across Peter and the dark lord in conversation about something I don't remember. He heard them planning to kill someone and figured he had best tell the police." Harry said

"He would have left and gotten away with it, but then Nagini slithered past him and told her master he was there and so Peter beckoned him inside the room. Frank was questioned, and then he yelled at Tom for breaking and entering the home. When he turned to leave, he was killed."

"That was the first dream." Harry said

Albus nodded, "Interesting. How many different dreams did you have this summer, Harry?"

Harry thought back, "Four, I think. I also think in some they are also connected except for one of them."

Albus seemed surprised at this.

"Would you mind telling me the rest of them?"

Harry sighed, "I suppose not. The next one, I appeared to be viewing from a woman's face and I was in a forest that is far from here. She was a Ministry worker, as she had a badge on her from our Ministry. I don't remember what department she was in, but I know someone had gotten her drunk and so she was quite talkative that night. She told the person across from her that the World Cup was to be in London this year and of the Tournament at our school."

Albus paled now, "Do you know who she spoke to?"

Harry shook his head, "I didn't see their face, as he was wearing a cloak with the hood up over his face and she was too drunk to mention he was being rude by keeping it on. I do recognize the voice though. It was an undercover Augustus Rookwood. I think he is one of the former Death Eaters who was released because he pleaded the Imperious."

Albus nodded, "Yes he did, and now he works in the Department of Mysteries within the Ministry. A lot of secret information is kept there, and now we know how he has obtained this knowledge."

"Okay, well the third dream was odd and the one I do not believe is connected to the others. I was pretty much projected into an area of the Ministry I was probably not supposed to see ever in my life. There was a room that had a case of time-turners in it, but I just walked past it into the next one. Something was calling me, I think. There was a long and dark hall way with dim lighting. I went down it and opened the door to a room with lots and lots of shelves. I thought they were bookshelves at first, and it was some kind of secret library until I noticed all these glass orbs on them."

Harry noticed the headmaster was quite pale now. He internally smirked in satisfaction at this.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, are you alright? You look kind of pale now for some reason?" He asked curiously on the outside with a sense of sadistic satisfaction internally coursing through him.

Even if he knew why the headmaster was so disturbed by these vivid dreams of his, his satisfaction was rewarded more by his distress.

The headmaster then shook his head, "I'm fine. Just shocked at the visual clarity you have of your dreams now. It is a gift I think you should keep with you and to harness as best you can."

Harry just nodded, "Well, in any case, I never found out what was so special about these glass orbs there. I did note that I felt a strange energy calling me to somewhere in the room, but I was woken before I could follow it."

The headmaster's brain was doing cartwheels at this. The boy was getting far too close to one of his most heavily guarded secrets he had kept from him all these years. This was not good at all. Perhaps it was time to introduce him to Occlumency to block some other dreams as well. He'd think it over some first. If Harry was proficient enough at it, he might even teach him basic Legilimency, but he'd have to wait and see.

"The last dream; it was a plan of the dark lord's for the near future and connected to the first and second ones I told you of. I think they intend to use the tournament as a part of it somehow and also to drag me into this plot some way, but exactly how; I am unsure. I do know that in some form or another that this plan will lead to the revival of the dark lord to a physical body though."

"I heard enough to know he had been experimenting on other teenage wizard boys who looked like me, were around my age, and seemed to be somewhat near the power they expected me to have. I also know they resulted in failure due to my new conditions, so I am sure he needs me specifically for whatever he wants to do and he intends to have it." Harry said hesitantly

Albus looked at him seriously now, "How do you know this?"

Harry looked to the ground and his body seemed tense.

"The form Voldemort is in now; he is not happy with it at all, and Peter has been attending him while he is preparing this plan. I feel the energy of our connection growing stronger each day little by little. It is a foreboding feeling and an ominous one as well. This combined for the fact there was a third party in the dream I had not recognized at all nor could recognize by voice when appearances failed to register too. Voldemort himself inquired if his preparations were going well with whatever they were doing and the man had said yes."

"The mystery man also revealed that Lucius Malfoy had reported to him in a letter of my new appearance, mannerisms, and magical conditions. Voldemort had been intrigued by them to say the least, and then he also said he now understood why the experiments failed. He didn't elaborate further to his followers there and kept his own council after this, but I think it was because I am a dark elf now and those boys were human wizards that went to other schools or were being taught at home."

"Voldemort had easily agreed with Lucius's opinion that I was pure-blood by heritage now. How they know this, I do not yet know, but if anything is certain at all now; it is that Lucius Malfoy will find out because he knows how to circumvent protections with persuasive words and knowing the correct people to manipulate into doing it. Then, his lord will ultimately find out as well."

"He was at the World Cup with his family. I do not know if he was a part of the activities that went on that night though I am guessing not in order to remain active at the Ministry because Tom values his persuasion skill more than he does Lucius's combat ones at the present moment. I do know he was keenly watching me after our brief conversation that was kept civil due to public appearances inside the top-box before the match began." Harry told him

Albus was quite pale now and he did a appear disturbed by these revelations through this student of his that he wanted to mold to his war weapon and had been doing so for since he had arrived here. He appeared disturbed more so than he should have been by this news. Sure, he believed Harry had not been so intricately linked to the prophecy foretold of him as this, but now he knew not what to believe if the hall of prophecy was in his dreams without Tom trying to lead him there, and the orb that told his destiny stored there was calling him to come there to hear the true prophecy. The boy's own dreams saw into the mind of others connected to the dark lord and his plans, as well as leading him to the Hall of Prophecy?

Was it just coincidence or was Harry truly their only hope to save this world as he had doubted? He had no idea, but he knew to tread very carefully now and warn the other heads of this as subtle as possible with slight changes to the wording when called a staff meeting next month. He also prepared to secretly watch Harry more than he had before, as the boy may be more powerful than he had let on and could be hiding things from him now.

"Harry, before you go and enjoy the rest of your weekend, I want you to be very careful now. If Tom decides to use the tournament in some fashion…it might mean he is trying to draw you into something from it as well like you said he would. I don't know truly how he could do this or why he would plan on using the tournament at all for this reason except he know you are here for school and it is the easiest place now to be close to you for his plan to work, but still…I want you to be cautious and remain alert to anything he might try." Albus told him seriously

"Also, these dreams you have are both very clear and very real. Powerful things come from the dreams of people, wizards or muggles alike, and I want you to exercise both caution and curiosity as you dream. I don't believe you are a seer, but these dreams are more of a manifestation to the connection Tom made to you thirteen years ago when he attacked your family and you survived the assault. They are visions of things to come in relation strictly to him and your destiny. If anything bad is to happen; I need to know immediately." Albus told him in a serious tone once more

Harry nodded as he tensed in body language and then turned to leave as fast as he could manage without seeming rude and cause suspicion.

* * *

Harry made a beeline for where he knew Fleur was going to be right now. He had something he needed to tell her and it could no longer wait.

The veela friend of his was sequestered among the many books in the library and had two friends with her studying. Harry was now hesitant to interrupt and cause rumors about anything, but this was quite important. He carefully approached her and cleared his throat. The three seemed surprised to see the Harry Potter before them and Fleur's eyes flashed the surprise to him.

"Are one of you a Miss Fleur Delacour?" Harry asked them courteously

Fleur smiled and resumed her mask over her surprise, "I am indeed Fleur Delacour. Is there something that the great Harry Potter needs from little me?" She teased

Harry's faced flushed bright red to this and the girls giggled at his expense.

"Miss Delacour, I was told to escort you to meet one of the professors for a serious discussion. I do not know what this is about, but he said you need to come right now and it cannot wait?" Harry told her in a certain tone

Fleur knew this was his way of telling her he needed to talk to her specifically, that it was important, and she should come now before they were overheard and followed.

Fleur's eyes pretended to widen, "Is it my parents? My sister Gabby? Has something happened? Are they alright?" She asked in a sad and almost crying tone

Harry lowered his gaze, "I don't know what's happened Miss Delacour, but I was told to come find you since I happened to pass the professor who wanted to see you and they didn't seem to know where you were."

She nodded to this and hastily packed her books before she told Harry to take her to the professor right away.

* * *

Once they were out of the library and away from most people's gazes, Harry smiled at her as they entered an unused classroom and Fleur locked the door and silenced the room to keep their words private and between them.

"That was well done. I had not expected you to be such an actress Fleur, but then again; being a veela has its disadvantages, so I know you do have act somewhat to protect yourself." He said lightly

Fleur nodded, "Yes, I do have to do that occasionally. But you needed to talk to me?"

Harry sighed, "I wondered since you are eligible to do so, if you had considered entering the tournament or not?"

Fleur seemed confused, "I have decided to try. Why?"

Harry cringed, "The tournament is going to be in line of a scheme to the dark lord and his followers to try and to something to me that benefits them. They are likely looking to draw me into this somehow for something, but I wanted to warn if you decided to enter to extra prepare you and tell you to try and study defense more than you would have before. I know that if you had decided to enter already; there was little I could say to dissuade you from it. So a warning to be extra careful if you are chosen as the champion for Beauxbatons."

Fleur looked to his eyes and noted the truth and the sincerity in them. Her heart was beating rapidly and her mind was miles away. He truly cared about her? She had made his life easier sometimes when at his summer residence by healing him. It was she who informed he was truly a wizard, but had neglected to tell him he was famous as she thought he would never believe her anyhow. But to think he cared about her enough to warn of the potential dangers…it was heart-warming, to say the least.

"Oh, and once all the champions are chosen and the first task has been done; we will be informed of a Yule Ball for the tournament. Apparently, it is tradition for the tournament to hold it and the headmaster thought it would be fun to continue the tradition. I mention this mainly because my best mate is going to dare me to ask you to go with me." Harry smirked and then smiled

Fleur gave a light smile and small laugh to this as she relaxed for the first time in ages while in the castle as her blue eyes dazzled and sparkled in contentment.

"I'm not saying you have to agree to go with me…I just thought you would find it odd my friend would dare me to do something like that then expect me to chicken out. He should know better…" Harry sighed in exasperation

Fleur smirked at him now, "Well Harry, if I do not find anyone else suitable to go with to this dance; you just might end up going with me to it. I know that at least half of the boys in the Ravenclaw dorms have already asked me to go out on a date with them. I said no, but mainly because most of them are so annoying to me. It would also give you a good reason to spend time with me if I said yes now that I think of it."

"However, that Roger Davies has to be the worst of them though." Fleur told him, "He has already inappropriately tried to grope me twice and I slapped him once and now I've hexed him for it. I would like to think he learned his lesson, but something says he has not and that he's determined to have a date with me." She told him annoyed

Harry was irritated and angry to hear Fleur had been treated so disrespectfully among her foreign peers.

"Be careful around him Fleur and tell your friends too. Roger has a ladies man reputation though he hides it quite well, and I do not want you to be hurt by him either." Harry warned her as she nodded firmly

"You know Harry," Fleur said, "This is the first time since I arrived that I have been able to fully relax in the castle. You just make feel safe and comfortable. I know we are friends and you'd never hurt me intentionally, but something about you makes me feel as if I could give you my life and you'd fight to keep it with you and close to you rather than to give it away or just toss it aside when you no longer needed it there."

"There are few people I can trust enough to talk to openly here, and I do consider you one of them. If we could so without hiding our friendship, it would be easier. However, I know the risks and I do not wish to place you in more danger than you already are." She said softly, "Especially now that the dark lord and his minions are plotting against you once again."

"I don't want to think about whatever the dark lord's plans for you are. It makes me ache in sadness because I know that it will not be pleasant if he gets his wishes. If you died from it, there would be a piece of me missing for the rest of my life that I could never hope to replace." Fleur's eyes began to sparkle with tears

"I saw how bad your relatives hurt you as a child. How they hurt you both physically and emotionally as a child when I was still considered a child too. I healed you, comforted you, and was your only friend outside this school in another world we don't understand as much as muggles don't understand ours. If you died…I think I would feel sad for the rest of my life." She told him, "They might treat you better now, but it is still far from what family is supposed to be like I assume?" Her tears falling in cascades now

Harry was quiet now and unsure what he could do or say to ease her sadness and discomfort now.

"Fleur, yes my home situation is still far from ideal, but I have also survived him three times now. I cannot say it was easy or that I look forward to encountering him again; that would be a lie because I know I would be in a lot of pain and have injury when I came back to where I needed to be. What I do know is that you should not worry so much for me, and to cry like this for me won't help the sad feelings you have to go away. It would ease the pain and release the poison inside you over the feelings, but it would also allow you to feel more in the long run as I will be in danger from them for sometime after this...you'd just continue crying over me and I don't wish to see you this way." Harry told her gently as he gave her a hug

"I have an idea though." He said with a small smile and smirk

Fleur eyed him curiously, as her tears slowly stopped and she wanly smiled at him.

"You know that on Saturday mornings Viktor Krum and I practice together or just fly to avoid the school masses of inquiries?" He asked her

She nodded in recognition, "I knew you were friends with him, but I didn't know that you were that close."

"That happens when I happen to beat a Quidditch legend at his own game two days before his world cup match." Harry smiled

Fleur smiled, "I heard about that. Did you really beat him?"

Harry nodded as she squealed happily now and then gave him a large hug from nowhere. Harry tensed slightly and then relaxed after the initial onslaught was over.

"Anyways," Harry said as he tried to hide his embarrassment, "If we are to have formal ball, then I am assuming that dancing would obvious. I do not know anything about this, and as a new pure-blood; I think I should learn to eliminate embarrassing myself publicly." He said with mock seriousness

Fleur smirked at him, "So you want to meet somewhere in secret, and then I am going to teach you how to dance. This is done to also give us cover and spend more time together?" She asked

Harry eyed her warily now, "Why are you looking at me like that? I meant nothing untoward by it. For Merlin's sake, it was a suggestion, but if you don't want to just say so." Harry said sadly now

Fleur sobered quickly, "I never thought you meant anything by it, I was merely teasing you Harry. I would be delighted to help you learn if you want to?" She asked quickly

Harry smiled now, "Great, so we can start next week and early to give us extra time. If anyone asks, you have to make something up because the rest of the school isn't supposed to know now."

"Where are we going to meet?" Fleur asked

Harry smirked now, "Somewhere that is one of the most amazing places in the whole entire castle. A magnificent place that only I have set foot in besides a few select others here, and a place I think most don't believe exist except for legends."

Fleur seemed excited now, "Where?"

"If I told you where it was…that would totally ruin my surprise for you and I don't want to do that either." He said

Fleur pouted and Harry steeled himself against giving into that as he had many a time before. She often used that to get information he had been hesitant to share with her out of him as a child after he had been badly hurt and she had needed to heal extensive injuries.

"Aww Harry, please?" She begged as she batted her eyes at him in a semi-flirtatious way that had him laughing inside

Harry shook his head as he tried not to laugh at her, "Nope, not this time Fleur, sorry."

She continued to pout and he rolled his eyes.

"I am going to lead you back to the Ravenclaw dormitory now, and whatever you decide to tell your friends is up to you. If there are other people involved, I'd warn them afterwards so they know how to respond."

Harry then led her back to the main school halls after they had appeared to leave Flitwick's office. They had not entered it without permission, but no one needed to know that yet. After they parted ways, Harry was trying to figure out how to get time to speak to Draco as he had promised.

It was really a conundrum of a dilemma, as they were not friends and had no business being seen together for any reasoning except school related projects, and there had not been any assigned as of yet.

He was sure he'd figure something out sooner or later.


	10. Chapter VIII: New Frindships that Endure

**Chapter VIII:**_ New Friendships that Endure_

Harry continued to rise early on Saturdays to go off to who knows where. Ron and Hermione were starting to think that perhaps Harry had let himself live a little and found a girlfriend. They were happy for him whatever the reason since he seemed to always come back in a good mood. After his 'secret morning excursions', Harry studied and did his homework some before heading to the pitch to meet Viktor for flying.

The rest of his work would then be done either after lunch or dinner depending on what mood he seemed to have during the rest of the day.

Harry had also seemed quite surprised to find that Viktor was interested in Hermione since she seemed not to care if he was famous or not and also seemed like she was a nice enough girl to know despite what pure-bloods thought of muggle-born students, but he had not approached her due to the fact she was so close to him and Viktor had thought they were together due to how close they seemed to be.

Harry assured him that Hermione was his best friend and more like the older sister he didn't have. Their closeness was real, but not in the romantic couple kind of way.

Harry also knew that Ron really liked Hermione, so he was hoping if things did not work out between the two; it would push Ron into finally asking her out as he was going to be quite jealous for now because Viktor intended to take Hermione to the Yule Ball. Albus had announced it early it seemed, and while many were not yet looking for dates, Harry knew Viktor well enough now to know he wanted to date Hermione if she would allow it.

If things lasted though in their relationship to the other, Harry would just tell him he had waited too long and so she moved on and he lost his many chances to be with her. That's just how life was at times, and we all had to accept it one way or another.

Halloween and the announcement of the champions was a mere week away now. Harry had become silent as Halloween drew closer and closer. Many knew the reason for it at Hogwarts, but were too afraid to try and comfort him.

Fleur had noticed his failing attention during their ballroom lessons and Viktor had commented on how Harry was becoming 'sloppy' in his maneuvers. Ron had felt the distance growing between them and he and Hermione were slightly worried for him.

So, it was now the Saturday before Halloween. Harry was going to meet Fleur for his ballroom lessons, but this time was a bit different. He had asked Viktor to meet him there so he could talk with him, but he had not told him Fleur would be there either.

When he arrived outside the 'haunted' bathroom, Viktor eyed him questioningly.

"Viktor, I value your friendship, so this conversation is going to show you how much I trust you." Harry told him, "Follow me."

Harry entered the bathroom and walked over to the familiar sink with carved serpents to it. Harry had found a way to allow Fleur to access it without the need for parseltongue, so she was likely already there preparing for the lesson.

He stared at the sink and then eyed the older teen from the corner of his eyes.

"Open." He hissed in the familiar tongue

Viktor stared at Harry as the sink opened to reveal a long tunneled pipe.

"Stairs." He hissed and radiated a bit of magic

The tunnel then magically made a rotating staircase as he them began to walk down them and Viktor followed mechanically behind him while dealing with his shock. He followed Harry all the way to a opened large door carved in serpents.

"Viktor, welcome to the foyer chamber of Salazar Slytherin's legendary hidden rooms. The Chamber of Secrets." Harry smiled

Viktor was in awe of the place and then noticed the basilisk corpse.

"Who killed that thing?" He asked him

Harry smirked, "I did when I was twelve. It was petrifying students and the school was verging on closing. Hermione figured out what was attacking the school and Ron and I went to our defense professor for help."

"Lord Voldemort had possessed my friend's younger sister through his old school diary and it was draining her life force away. He set the basilisk on me to give himself some time, and Fawkes…the headmaster's phoenix burst in and blinded it as it dropped the sorting hat at me which then gave me the sword of Godric Gryffindor and I used it to kill it by impaling the blade into its brain."

Viktor shook his head, "You my friend love danger too much."

Harry scowled, "I don't love danger… it just seems to follow me everywhere."

Viktor snorted at that

"Anyways, initially I never got the chance to explore here, so I came back later and discovered some other things."

Harry walked over to the great stone face of Salazar, "Speak to me Salazar Slytherin, Greatest of the Hogwarts Four." Harry hissed loudly

The stone face's mouth opened and Viktor came to stand by him in awe once more. Then as if on cue, stone stairs came from the mouth and they climbed.

Once inside, Viktor realized that this must have been where Salazar hid when his friends refused to be so selective of their students and he felt overwhelmed. Fleur having heard the entry open had stepped out into the hall to berate him for being late until she saw he had company and Viktor noticed her too.

"I have brought you here Viktor because Fleur is here to meet with me but I needed to speak with you both. It is very important." Harry said tiredly

Fleur noticed his eyes seemed haunted and she tried not to feel hurt by his emotions, but she was wary of what this discussion would mean.

"Come, this will take some time and I wish to be comfortable." Harry said as he led them to a new part of the rooms within the statue."

Once they entered a sitting area, a portrait on the wall hissed at them.

"Young speaker, you return? It has been some time since you were last here. Two years I think?" He hissed

Harry smiled, "Indeed Salazar, two years have past by us now. I am fourteen now, emancipated and free to live my life by my decisions. Your heir however is rising once more, and when he does; this world is in grave danger again. I will need to stop him and exercise caution doing so."

Salazar seemed sorrowful, "I am sorry he is such a trouble to our world Harry. I never wished to eliminate muggle-born students completely; just be more selective of the ones we allow entrance to the school. Those who proved beneficial and powerful enough to stay in the world we live in and not endanger it by returning to their original world."

Harry nodded, "I know."

Fleur cut in, "Harry, it's rude to talk in a language no one else can talk back with."

Harry then appeared apologetic, "Oops, sorry guys! This is Salazar Slytherin, one of our school's founders and at his day and age, the resident potions master and dark arts expert." Harry told them as he hissed a comment to Salazar

"It is a great pleasure to meet the friends of the young speaker. I am honored he remembers me and still visits. It does get dreadfully lonely down here now without Lucretia for company."

"Lucretia?" They asked

Salazar rolled his eyes, "My pet basilisk Harry was forced to kill two years ago."

"That thing was your pet?" Viktor said warily

"Parselmouth, remember. I was born as such, so my connection to serpents of any kinds was naturally strong. I could have controlled her two years ago had my portrait frame allowed me to move and manipulate one of the statues in the foyer. Sadly my heir took care of that and I was motionless."

"Heir?" Fleur said

"Thomas Marvolo Riddle is his name that he was given when he was born, but most of the world now knows him simply as the Dark Lord Voldemort. An occurrence that greatly saddens and pains me each day." Salazar said among twin gasps as Harry remained quiet

"Godric sends his regards Salazar and Rowena's portrait said the castle is soon going to acknowledge me as the true master of the school." Harry told him

Salazar nodded, "About time. It has been a long time coming."

Harry nodded.

"Fleur, Viktor…please sit down. I know you are confused, but I have some less than ideal news to share with you."

They did as asked and then some tea was summoned wandlessly by Harry. His friends were shocked by this display, not having realized how powerful he was all this time.

"I had another vision or at least I believe that is what it is. Fleur, you will be the champion for Beauxbatons as Viktor will be for Durmstrang. Cedric Diggory will be ours, but I will be chosen against the rules of the tournament as a second champion because of the plot against me." Harry told them

"I know both of your schools heads will feel as if we rigged the tournament to give us better odds, so I hope you understand that this warning is also to let you know we did no such things. After the tournament is over, you may tell your heads of the events…so long as you know them well enough to keep them from revealing the information and they will choose to be discreet about it."

"I also warn you of this now since there is no telling what the dark lord will be capable of doing now that he is assured of my involvement with this big event. I will be speaking to Cedric elsewhere later if I feel he is able to keep the secrets."

Harry looked to the fire, "The war between me and the dark lord is not something I wish to directly involve anyone I care about into if I do not have to. He is Salazar's Heir and I am Godric's Heir. I am bound by fate and prophecy to end this war of persistent turmoil that has been engulfing our community for decades, but also ending a war that has been ongoing for nearly a thousand years."

Fleur and Viktor seemed solemn at this and were unsure how to respond.

"Harry, I can't talk for Viktor as I do not know him as you do…but you are my friend. I would gladly give my life so you could live if it meant the war we wage ends in time and the darkness the man brings comes to an end for good. I hurt when you are hurting, and the veela in me rattles its cage to let loose when someone threatens you. I have felt a strong bond between us since we were kids, but now…if I lose you…my world ends with the rest of everyone else's world." Fleur's eyes teared

"I cannot sit by and let you do this alone. For once in your life, please be selfish and think about what you are saying to us all. You don't have hide our friendship any longer and you don't have to pretend any longer. It is too big a burden for both of us. I can take care of myself, but to see you this way; it hurts me inside." She cried, "You can protect those you care for, but it is time to show the world why you were chosen to defeat him. Your headmaster may want something he cannot have, but it is he who lives with denial."

"It is not your fault you were born to powers he covets but cannot gain. Show them why you are who you are and allow yourself to live freely from this cage you willingly stuff yourself in to. Even Ron and Hermione would agree to this, and if they did not; I would want to beat them senseless as I see clearly how you try to restrain your magic and how it slowly damaging you when you don't see it."

Harry's face was sad and his verdant eyes held tears as he watched Fleur break down and her feelings were laid at his feet. Her porcelain cheeks stained with salty wetness as her usually sparkling sapphire eyes were now dark and full of sadness.

Viktor the stepped forward to them cautiously. Knowing Fleur was a veela now through her outburst and that she had basically admitted Harry was her mate without using those words was enlightening on why they had been hiding their relationship. Albus would not have liked it, and probably would have tried to force Harry away from her.

"I agree. It is time for the world to change its ways. We have hidden behind you as figure to fix our problems for too long. We need to work together to end this. Become the person we know you can be, Harry. There is no one who could deny you the right and there is no one who should either. They might resent you for it and your other friends might not like it at first. But if they cannot accept it; they are not true friends and are more shallow than I have believed them to be all this time." Viktor told him

Harry stood there quietly and his mind in turmoil. How had he become so close to these two so fast that they read him so easily and comforted him with just what he needed to hear from them both.

Salazar spoke softly, "Harry, you are Godric's heir by blood. Destined for greatness beyond the prophecy made of you, and it was made long before you were born. Accept this knowledge with wisdom and know you are not alone in this battle. These two stand before you and offer their support as many other will. You may end the war, but remember that Tom was killing people long before he targeted you. This is all their war too as much as it is yours though your clan has suffered the most because both sides of it are gone completely from you."

Harry heard Salazar and acknowledged it. It was true after all, though he often before had a hard time reconciling it inside him.

"Fleur, Viktor, please stand back right now." Salazar said suddenly when Harry's powers began to whip up and go haywire

The two looked unsure of what had changed so fast in him

"Harry, control the energy and feel it. Take it as your own and allows them to guide you." Salazar called to him

Harry heard him as his body stayed frozen and his eyes closed. He was glowing white and the magic power around the room was immense. Harsh winds were being run in the room and his body then was lifted into the air and the white glow turned to a pale golden color.

"Albus Dumbledore, you conniving bastard. You dared to do this to the child of an ancient." Salazar yelled to no one, "Mark my words Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter is no longer yours to control if I have my way. Godric, Rowena, Helga…I need your presences now!"

The room then filled with peaceful energies that Fleur and Viktor felt but could not see.

"Godric, the old man has done the Rite of Magical Containment on you heir. His magic has been freed from his seals, but the rite…it will kill him if we don't do something right now." Salazar said hastily

"I can feel it Salazar, and I thank you for looking over him even if we ended on bad terms." A voice was heard

"We will use the last of our energy together to break the rite, but he will be inheriting a bit of us all because our energies will be absorbed into his core. You will need to explain this to him and prepare him Salazar. He has a hard road set ahead of him." Godric said to his friend

"I will honor you my friend, and I am sorry thing could not have been different." Salazar sad with sorrow

Then the energy in the room became dangerous to those there. Fleur and Viktor had stabilized themselves against a wall and watched in awe as the unknown power fought the energy surrounding Harry's body that had created the wind barriers

"He's strong Godric, you should be proud of him." Helga laughed and Rowena giggled at their friend

"He is and I feel honored to give the last of me to someone so worthy of the gift." He agreed

With a flash of white, the strange energies had all but vanished and where Harry had floated before; he was now lying limp on the ground and silent while his breath was uneven and shallowly going in and out. Fleur fearing the worst rushed over to him and was about to try and heal him.

"Don't touch him young lady, his raw power could melt your skin right now." Salazar told her, "He's not dead or comatose, just adjusting to the influx of the founders powers he absorbed from their energies you felt. Taking in the power of three remaining spiritual founders of the school would tax anyone as we were not weak."

Fleur's hand dropped as tears flowed, "What is the rite of containment and why would anyone do this to him?"

Salazar turned to her, "You could hear them, then?"

Fleur hesitantly nodded, "I heard some of it. Not all of it, as my bond to the spirits is nowhere as powerful as Harry's is, but I heard enough to know he is a child of the ancients and someone else knows and wants to control him even though they should not be able to."

"I would like to know as well." Harry groaned, "And to what in the pit of nine hells happened to me?" He groused

Fleur turned and smiled, "You'll be fine, Harry. Salazar can explain."

"Harry, when you closed your eyes after your friends gave their support to you…your mind and body accepted its fate to live freely, even if you didn't recognize the sensation and so your magic tried to fully release itself to show just how powerful you are because you are going to quit hiding."

Harry eyed him, "But I'm guessing something went wrong?"

Salazar nodded gravely, "Indeed. Albus placed the Rite of Magical Containment on you as an infant and it had grown with you all these years. That's really bad for anyone to begin with, but for you…it could have meant your death."

"What did id do to me?" He asked now as he sat up slowly and Fleur helped heal the wind burns he had now that she could touch his skin without her melting from the sizzling raw power. Viktor just sat beside him to support his frame from toppling over.

"Magic is meant to freely move about in the environment, and a witches or a wizarrd's core of energy merely exists in them to manipulate it. You are a child of an ancient blood as the races of elves have existed long before humans have, and thus your power is stronger than many we know today."

"The rite was suppressing the full use of this energy and so when it tried to release…the rite automatically tried to suppress it, but your body fought it and the spell was being overpowered."

"It could have killed you." Salazar told him

Harry was quiet for a moment, "Then why I am still here? Not that I'm not happy to be, I just feel as though perhaps I should not be when I am?"

Salazar smiled appraisingly, "You're right, as in the normal course of events; you would have remained dead. However, you are Godric's heir and are here at Hogwarts; the school he designed with me and Rowena and Helga."

"I called upon their spirits to lend you aid, but at a cost." Salazar said sadly

Harry eyed him, "They broke the spell, but in doings so, they gave up the last of their spirit energy to heal me. They will no longer be here to guard the castle from danger as they did before, and it now my job to do it even if no one else is aware of why I am doing it."

Salazar nodded, "Yes, but your body absorbed the last of their powers in the energy they had to give you. You have three founders power now inside of you. Mastering them all will not be easy for you the next three years."

Harry groaned, "Of all the things that have happened to me…"

"I will train you over the next three years to use these abilities, so be ready to begin after Yule." Salazar told him

Harry nodded, "Which founder's abilities do you think we should start with?"

Salazar eyed him, "I will have to test you first to see what you are capable of in each of their areas of expertise. Once I have a solid foundation, I will let you know."

Harry nodded as he turned to his two friends, "I apologize for that. I did not intend for this to happen nor for either of you to witness it or be endangered from it. However, I think we should head back or else we will be missed. There is also something I need to do."

"But before we go back to the surface world up there, I just want to thank you for being there for me when I felt so alone. Ron and Hermione understand how difficult is for me, but they are never sure how to help me. Halloween is the hardest day of the year for me. I lost my parents that day, and I still hear my parents screaming and pleading for my life to him at times. I know I have been out of it, but I am sure you understand now." He said, "Fleur, we will no longer hide our friendship; you may speak to me whenever you want…but, if you want to play along with my friend's joke still…I won't mind?" Harry smirked as she smiled to him and nodded while Viktor was confused

They nodded and all headed back to the main school area. Viktor went first after assuring them no one was in the hallway. He quickly vanished and then Harry left the bathroom just as quick, whilst Fleur smiled at those two and shook her head and left at a more sedate pace since it was a girls' bathroom and it would not have seemed odd for her to leave there.


	11. Chapter IX: Revolution Of Change Begins

**Chapter IX:**_ Revolution of Change Begins_

As Harry walked along the corridors, his new power level surging through him, people stopped and stared at him but he felt as if he knew that would happen and just nodded and smiled to them as he continued on. Slytherin students stared and gave him wide berth now as they tried to figure out what happened to him and made way for the dorm to stay out of his line of sight.

Harry's mind was clear for the first time in his school life to things he had never wanted to admit before. He knew his friends would support him, but he hoped they did not resent his decision. He hoped they would remain by him and help him through this.

As he reached the common room, he smiled to the Fat Lady and she curtsied before him as if she knew what had transpired to the boy she considered her favorite student in her house despite his mischief. So like Lord Gryffindor was he now that it was hard for the castle to keep him at arms length. Hogwarts no longer had to and soon she would speak to her new master.

"Welcome back, Lord Potter." She smiles, "The castle is happy to see you return to your full health at last and will speak to your heart and soul soon enough. I am glad to have able see these change progress and I am honored to have hosted you in the house for these four years. You are much like Godric was at one time, and I consider you one of my favorite students to have graced these halls."

Harry nodded, "Thank you my dear lady. Chivalry." He told her kindly with a smile and she swung open to admit him

Harry stepped through the door. Immediately every head in the room felt his magic and turned to look to see who was so powerful. Whispers began running among them as he slowly walked to Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. His smile was radiant and his friends were aware something was different now.

"I need to speak to all of you quickly before the feast in several more hours." He told them

They nodded and carefully set aside their work as Harry led them to the dorm he and Ron shared.

Harry locked the door and silenced the room.

"Things are about to heat up for our school and the world outside of it. I can no longer hide my magic from the school or myself." Harry told them, "Nor do I want to any longer. I cannot deny my power or position in this world we are a part of even if I wish at times I might be able to."

Hermione and the others nodded as he continued, "I cannot help that I was born to power and some covet the power I have when they do not deserve it. I was destined to defeat the dark lord once and for all. He is Salazar's heir as I am Godric's heir, and our struggle has been ongoing for centuries since the beginning of the time this school was built and students walked these halls. The castle has known bloodshed between two of her four creators and now two of her creators descendants are still fighting the battle for control. The castle is crying for peace to us both, and no one but me sees it, feels it, or hears it the way I do. Her magic is resonates in me light a light the glimmers and dims in and out of sight. Tom may see it as I do, but he suffocates it and drowns it out because he is too far gone to care what the castle wants or needs anymore." Harry told them

Hermione and others gasped at this.

"It is time for me to show the world why I was chosen and why no one else can do the job foretold of besides me. You are my first and best friends, and I know I have been distant lately. This time of year is hard on me, and more so this time than others." Harry told them, "My mothers screams were deafening me and all I could do was listen. My father's fight was ringing in my ears and all I could do was try to ignore the sounds of a desperate man dying to save his family in vain."

" I will no longer be controlled. and Albus no longer is my mentor nor a friend. He used the rite of magical containment on me to try and stop my full power from releasing and I nearly died today earlier because of it and my powers being unsealed." Harry said as Ron and Hermione paled along with a very pale Ginny Weasley.

"Harry, how are you alive after that?" Ron asked him, "That rite is as old as our world is and pure-bloods would never use it anymore even if they were dark? Hermione, you would agree wouldn't you?"

Hermione nodded as she struggled not to break from the hurt she she felt by the betrayal of her headmaster to her friend. Ginny's tears were silently strolling her cheeks as she tried to keep her sobs inside.

" I am only alive because Hogwarts herself shielded me and the spiritual energies of the four founders blessed me. They used the last of their power to dissolve the rite and save me. I carry their power, hopes, and dreams with me now. The castle is my priority to protect if needed." Harry told them, "Viktor has agreed to help me keep an eye on things as has another while they are here and to watch things at home when they are to go back, but I hope you will do so with me as well."

"I will be thrust into the tournament for the purpose the dark lord needs me to fulfill for him. I cannot escape this fate and it is unfair to the rule of the tournament to be used as such, but I know I will survive it no matter that I should never have to have had to endure it to start with. I want you all to help me endure this and to see it through. I will be training my powers the founders gave me for the next three years to master them if I wish to survive the final battle. I cannot yet tell you how, just know I will do so when the time is right and is safe enough for you to know." He asked them

They all stood still as death and were pale beyond measure.

"I will protect you Harry and guard your secrets to my death if I must, and even if I don't survive the battles to come." Ginny said firmly as she stepped forward to embrace him in a friendly hug, "You risked your life to save mine even if you didn't have to. You now hold the world's safety on your shoulders alone and bear a burden no teen should have to have on them. I can at least agree to support and protect you if needed to lessen such a burden."

Hermione's eyes were sparkling as she stepped forward as well and joined the hug, "You were my first friend I ever had. In the muggle world, I was ostracized due to my love of learning and the children often made fun of me for it. It was much the same here until the first Halloween we spent here, and I will never forget that you convinced Ron to go with you to save me from that mountain troll. You are the brother I wish I had outside of this school. I would give my life for you if it means our world has its peace and freedom again." She said as she smiled in her tears

Ron was unsure what to say as he stepped forward and placed a hand to his best friend's shoulder in warmth, support, and comfort.

"Harry, I know I haven't always been a good friend to you. I have at times resented your wealth and fame when in the back of my head I knew you never wanted them. I cannot say how sorry I am now that I know what you will have to endure to achieve happiness for yourself. I cannot change all of me overnight, but I promise to try to be more considerate of these things in future. Know that if I have to be your shield to end the war that you say is to come; I would do it."

"You are my best mate and nothing changes this ever in my mind. My family supports you as their son like you were their blood to begin with. If any of them were to turn on you in any way, I will not hesitate to stop them even if it hurts me to have to do it." He told him seriously for once

Harry heard these words and smiled, "You don't know how much this means to me to hear it. I thought you would resent my decision. I am glad I was wrong in this thought. I have to see someone else currently, so please keep an eye on our house. My powers have been noted by them all, but I will tell them the truth soon, I promise. They deserve to know since I am here among them and they are living beside me." He said as they nodded

The locking and silencing charms fell as all of them came down and were in smiles though the house noted Hermione and Ginny had been crying at some point up there. The house had no idea what to make of this yet as Harry left the portrait again to go off alone somewhere. Parvati walked over to Hermione and asked her what was up and Hermione told her to spread word that Harry need to share some news with the house after the feast tonight. Parvati had nodded and did as she was told.

The house didn't know what was up, but figured they would soon.

* * *

Harry headed directly into the dungeons. His power flaring now around him, to give the students here a warning signal to those who dared to attack him from behind or at all. His mind was made up and he had to not only save Draco from his house and their scrutiny, but Slytherin house as a whole from itself before it was too late.

Severus had felt the power and had come to the hallway to see what was going on. Harry stood there before him seemingly calm.

"Professor Snape." Harry said, "I know you've been watching me more closely this year. it does not surprise, and I'm sure you're curious about my presence here now."

"Potter." He intoned without emotion

They stared at the other for a moment before both looked away.

"I need you to allow me in the Slytherin dorm and to call your house to a house meeting. It is quite important. Important enough to swear it on my blood as a child of the ancients." He said softly but deadly lethal

Severus's eyes widened slightly to this as he stood with his wand up at the boy. He was not sure what he planned to do and did not want him or his house endangered by the other.

"Very well, but please keep your wand at bay inside there to eliminate seeming as a threat. Your power radiation is off any of the charts I have seen." Severus told the boy

Harry shrugged and put his wand away, "Happens when you absorb the last energies to all four founders of the school. They broke a rite of containment on me, but used the last of their powers to do it."

Severus stopped walking now and stared at this boy, "Who would do such a rite on you in the first place?"

Harry eyed him, "Wait till we get to the common room for an answer."

Severus nodded and they walked in awkward silence.

When they had entered, the whole of Slytherin had stopped what they were doing and stared in tense silence. Draco noticed the new power increase and his jaw had threatened to drop before he smirked to himself in satisfaction and knew internally Potter would be the winner even if he did not seem like it right now.

"I need all Slytherin students in the common room at once. There is no room for argument on this." Severus told them firmly.

Someone went to the dorms on each side and gathered their housemates. When everyone settled there, they turned to their head of house in question of the demand.

"I will turn this meeting over to Potter, as he was the one who wished to speak to all of us. About what, I do not know." Severus told them

They all watched him warily as Harry just radiated calm and smiled, "I'm sure my willingness to be here surprises you, confuses you, and perhaps makes you all believe I am dumb. Honestly, you might be right, but I have come to speak to all of you. In regards to the war that is now beginning to restart again. I know that all of you know of that which I am talking of. If you don't, then you are either neutral, light, or don't care, or are too young to understand."

Harry walked among them now as many tensed to the sizzling raw power when he neared them, "You all know me as Harry Potter, son of James and Lily Potter. Defeater of the Dark Lord Voldemort at one year old, and only survivor to the Killing Curse known to our world today. Some of you hate me for this achievement, resent me for the power I have, and wish I died that night. You don't have to say it, and you never did have to because I already knew it when I first walked in here during my first year. The castle's sentience warns those she cares for." He said vaguely

"But how many of you truly claim to know how the dark lord operates his death eaters? How many of you claim to know his true ideals and his true goals? I am sure you have heard some of them from your parents, but how far do they go to keep you cemented in the mold you have been trained to adhere to?"

Harry shook his head, "I don't know the answer to this, and I know I never will because for each of you the manipulation level varies. What I do know is that what you believe and what you have been told is not what is really the truth."

"I had an interesting revelation this summer. My mother was pure-blood just like many of you. She was kidnapped after her family was murdered on another's orders. The orders annihilated her family and she was taken from all she knew as her home with changed memeories until much later. These were orders that did not come from the dark lord to kill them as well."

"I am the child of Lord Ignotus Peverell and then the first Lord Potter later on in time, and the heir of Gryffindor through my father's blood, and I am also the child of the ancients through my mother who was the heiress to the dark elven Blood Mist Clan before her death." He told them all, "My powers are now fully unsealed and free to roam as they should. Inheritance for me will hurt like the devil though." he said

"I have been kept in the dark by many for too long. Many are to blame, but none moreso than myself for not acxknowledging I was being manipulated at first. How do I know this for sure you all ask yourself. The answe is that Albus Dumbledore can no longer mentor me or be considered an ally or friend to me. It was he who sealed my powers as an infant and left me with my fake 'muggle' relatives. It was he who decided to place the Rite of Magical Containment on me as an infant. To prevent me from fully growing to my full power."

"Now you as how I am alive if the seals broke? I should be dead and yet here I stand before all of you. The answer is simple. I said Hogwarts cared for those she warns and knows is in danger. I am Godric's heir and a part of her immediate family, so it through her and the energies left by the founders here that I am alive. The energy that now is my own power." he said

Slytherin had long prided itself on their ability to be cunning and to never be able to know this wounded that pride.

Harry eyed them, "I may be the heir of Gryffindor in my blood lineage directly, but the sorting hat wanted to place me here in Slytherin house when I was a first year and all who waited for me watched on with their expectant eyes. Eyes that I had trouble understanding because I did not know then what I do now of my past. What does this tell all of you about me?" He asked

Blaise smirked, "That you are one powerful and sneaky lion to hide such things all this time."

Harry smirked now too and it unsettled them, "Perhaps, but that was not what I was looking for. I meant that houses do not necessarily define ones personality altogether."

"You know the truth of me now, and I happen to know the dark lord will be rising again very soon. I will be forced to face him in our age long struggle through blood lineage. He is the heir of Slytherin and I of Gryffindor. Our battle has been ongoing for a thousand plus years now, and Hogwarts herself wishes it was over. Her magic cries out for us to stop battling the other and to compromise, but for us; there is no room to compromise, just to end a very long war."

The room was dead silent now.

Draco was pale, "How do you know he is returning for sure?"

Harry was solemn, "He intends to drag me into the tournament that will start soon. The headmaster knows this, though he is quite left out of the loop on many other things I deem too dangerous to say to him because of what he has done to me. Betrayal run deep now, and I may never forgive his transgressions. The dark lord though, he will use the activity to get closer to me somehow as he knows I am here for school as well as he does that all of you are. I will survive his machinations, but even though I will yet live, he will still be back again and war will soon come to us again."

"You all have been led to believe he wants to purify our world. His true intentions are to utterly destroy it. Salazar himself agrees with my theory to this, as his portrait believes his heir has gone of the deep end in his mind and corrupted himself beyond recognition." Harry smirked as they all seemed incredulous to this statement

"His portrait is in the chamber of secrets, which were at one time also Salazar's personal living space and house to his pet Basilisk named Lucretia." He said dryly, "And yes it does truly exist in the school. No, you cannot access it. You have to be a parselmouth to do so." Harry half-lied to them

"Salazar told me he believed in being more selective of the students we take. History says that he meant only pure-bloods by these statements at different intervals throughout his life. He contradicts this by saying he has no problem with half-bloods and muggle-born students here. Just that he wished the ones they chose were more selective."

"Selective meaning those chosen were powerful enough to hold their own in this world and would not go back to where they came from too often and endanger us to the muggle world outside of our community." Harry told them as he snapped his fingers and Salazar's portrait was over fireplace again.

"Right, Salazar?" Harry asked him with a smirk and then a small smile

"Very, Lord Potter." Salazar agreed as the students turned and gasped to the sight of the portrait over the fire now.

"I only wish Godric had been more understanding of my issues with the set-up of the school in this regard and had listened to my concerns." He said softly, "He was my friend once and I never wished to have to hurt him as I did. We did create a safe haven for our kind from persecution here. I killed him to protect the blood of wizard-kind from exposure to those who would never understand us. I do not regret this decision, but I do miss my friend dearly and wish things had been different at times. Our problems have continued in our descendants to this day as both Tom and you are proof of. It is a struggle that began with us a thousand years before now, and one that will finally end with the two of you."

Harry nodded, "I will give Tom his peace as he deserves and as respectfully as I can manage for myself to do so. He did murder my family after all." Harry told him

Salazar scowled at him now, "I hope you burn him to dust for what he has done to you and your clan and then scatter his ashes in all corners of the planet after consecrating them so he has no way of returning again after this ever. He took my teachings that I cherished in my time am ong these hallowed halls, corrupted them to his ideals, and bent them to his will for his desires. He deserves nothing less than that."

The student gasped as Severus was too shocked to say anything by this meeting.

Harry scowled now at the portrait, "Salazar, please don't cause your house's student to all have a heart attack; I would never be able to explain it to the headmaster without getting into trouble and I know both of us wish to avoid him at all costs considering the earlier events of this afternoon when you had to help the energies break the containment rite and I almost died again."

Salazar just scowled and huffed in annoyance while Harry turned to them all and Severus was wondering exactly what Potter was up to by this meeting. Though he had a fairly good idea and approved of it even if he did say it out loud.

"You have now heard your founders own words on the matter, and as rude as they are. You all have a choice now to make. To follow blindly what each of your parents taught you in false teachings of the man in this portrait who founded your house's ideals because his heir decided to use them to benefit his goals for himself, or to become your own person and to stand up for what is right as Salazar will reteach your house what is that truly means to be Slytherin."

"Power is only for those who will use it. How they use it is determined by their intentions due to their goals and ideals they hold. Their intentions with the power they were granted is what makes them a good leader or a tyrannical dictator." Harry told them

"I will go now and leave you to your thoughts. Salazar can answer anything you ask of him about the situation brewing and of others you may wish to know, but if you want to know more than what he shares with all of you; you'll have to talk with me personally. Salazar has been 'instructed' not to influence your choices though I am sure he wishes to."

Slytherin house was left in a mass of confusion and chaos as Harry headed to find Cedric before the feast. He hoped what he did was enough to convince them of his words. If not, Salazar would see them straight he was sure. He would not influence them unless absolutely necessary though because Harry had wanted them to try and understand this for themselves first. Salazar respected that, even if he did totally agree to it yet.


	12. Chapter X: Friendly Warnings

**Chapter X:**_ Friendly Warnings_

Harry did not know where either the Ravenclaw of Hufflepuff dorms were located, but he figured this trail of energy he felt had something to do with one of his goals, so trusting his instincts as he always had; he followed it against the better judgment some would say.

Harry then walked in the halls for at least another ten minutes till he reached the fourth floor of the castle and stood before a painting of a lush field full of farms and mountainous scenery. He knew this had to be where Hufflepuff was, but was unsure how he was going to get inside without the aid of another student.

'_Greeting Lord Potter, I have waited a long time for you to arrive' a voice echoed, "You know me as the sentience of the castle and therefore may call me Hogwarts if you desire. Or you may even call me perhaps by another name, if you can find one more fitting than the one already in place.'_

'_You need within the Hufflepuff dorms and Ravenclaw dorms. As your right as master now of this building, I shall aid you in knowing its secrets further than what you already know of me and guide you in how to convince the students of the need for unity. Repeat these words, 'Open your warm arms to admit me, healer and life-giver Helga of Hogwarts. Let your mistress be acknowledged through me'' The castle said to him._

Harry had known Helga was the healer of her time, and smiled those words as the painting responded when he said them and stepped inside. The Hufflepuff common area had to be the most normal of them all. Cream walls with off-white carpet. Furniture in medium wood and plush chocolate toned leather.

The students stared as he entered alone and without one of their own . Harry was smiling even as he felt like he was breaking inside over what he had to do to them to make them understand. Cedric saw him and went over to him easily and spoke softly. His face had changed expressions several times now.

Cedric then turned, "Is everyone in Hufflepuff in the dorm?" He asked

Sally perks looked around, since she was now an assistant to Madame Pomphrey and knew her house well enough.

"We're only missing those in the dorms and Amy Whittle who is likely in the library or on her way here." She said

Cedric nodded, "Sally, can you please go and get her? This is very important and everyone needs to be here for this news."

A boy in the corner frowned, "What I'd rather knows is how Potter accessed our common area alone?"

Cedric glared, "Smith, he will explain it when everyone gets here. For now, plant your arrogant ass back in your seat before I make it burst into boils."

Zacharias paled directly at those words and sat down immediately. He knew he was no match for Diggory in a duel as his temper would never let him last and he was three years his senior.

The people in the dorms were quickly filing in and Sally returned with Amy just as fast.

Harry then stood before them, "I know you have questions, but the news I bring to you all is grave. It will first seem happy, but after that, not quite."

"Cedric will be the Hogwarts champion officially." He told them, "However, in light of your joy comes a darkness no one wants. The dark lord will be rising again this year and he is going to force me to be a second Hogwarts champion in the tournament to get near enough to me to utilize his plans."

The room stared in silence to these words and Cedric was silent as ever.

"If I had my way, I would never even be participating and Cedric would have his full experience alone. I am in no way trying to demean his skills or his abilities, but fate has pushed her hands again at me."

"I am sure you wish to know how I know this. I learned of it all because I have witnessed the plans being made through visions when I sleep at night. I am no seer, but the dark lord marked me as his equal long ago with this scar. The ligtning bolt scar is coneected to him mentally, and at times when he is very angry...flashes of what he does comes through to me. These dream manifestations are merely a warning to me of his plans and closeness to our destined fate."

"He is the heir of Slytherin and I am the heir of Gryffindor. I am directly blood related to my house's founder through my father, and our struggle has been happening for over a thousand years now. You don't have to believe me, so I offer you this demonstration as proof since it will also allow you to know how I am in here with no help." He said

Zacharias Smith snorted to these words and Harry turned to him quickly and glared, "This is not a game to me Smith. You can think that all you want, but until you know what it feels like to endure the dark lord's Cruciatus Curse on your body as you wake from sleep when he is over hundreds of miles away…you have no room to criticize me."

Zacharias paled quick in the rise of surging power and the threat behind those words and what they posed to the room.

"I survived a curse that no one else ever has, why, I cannot say; but know that Hogwarts's founders all have blessed me as a child of the ancients and heir to Godric Gryffindor, so if you want to strike me now be my guest… but, understand this one thing before you decide. If you do this, then I will strike back just as hard and twice as deadly at you and then you know I was was not joking around." He warned them

Smith paled some more but still held his disbelief in his gaze. Harry walked over to the fountain in the corner and turned.

"Where is Susan Bones?" he asked gently now

A girl with golden blonde hair in a simple plait and kind looking blue eyes with a hesitant smile stepped forward. Her blue eyes were also cautious and questioning.

"You are the niece of Amelia and Edgar Bones, correct? The second couple in your family alongside of your parents who were murdered in the first war? When they started defying Voldemort's first rise to power?" He asked directly

Susan was stunned he knew that and was frozen to her spot as she nodded.

"You aunt is an amazing auror and woman, you know. I had the pleasure of speaking to her this past month when I had to go to the Ministry one weekend for business involving some foreign affairs." He told her softly as she smiled lightly, "However, your aunt has a scar on her face that has never healed, correct?"

She nodded sadly, "She endured it from Rabastan Lestrange when she refused to give me over to them at two years old after the death of my parents. She doesn't know why they wanted me, but she protected me because I am the last link to her brother and his wife. The scar she has prevented her from running for the position of Minister of Magic years ago when Fudge was elected over the other opponents. It made her feel self-conscious I think, and so she decided not to run."

"I know she is at home, so summon her please?" He asked her

Susan and the common room was tense and silent as Susan went to the fireplace to fire-call her aunt. Zacharias knew Harry was not joking anymore if he was willing to draw Amelia into this, and now he knew not what to think. Amelia had stepped through the fire and Harry quickly gave her a run-down explanation of what had happened earlier without implicating Albus yet, as it was too soon and what he wanted to do now.

There was a silencing barrier over the discussion as he had wanted to give her some level of privacy among the gossips in the house.

Amelia had stared at him in awe though it hardly showed and her eyes were grateful even if she did not believe he could get rid of it. The most advanced healers in their world had not been able to, so how could he be able to do it?

Harry turned to his fellow classmates, "Amelia has consented for the demonstration. I was able to enter here because I am the only heir of the school left who is alive and sane. She, the Hogwarts castle sentience, speaks to me and tells me of her dreams, wishes, and desires."

"Earlier today, I was blessed by the school as the last heir to this castle. The energies and essences of the four founders were given to me in a rite as they broke a forbidden magic on me that was placed there as an infant shortly after the death of my parents. The founders' spirits and hopes flow through me to save our world. Even Salazar's were given willingly to me. Slytherin dorms are in chaos right now. I went there first as Gryffindor is their biggest enemy, and so I placed my faith in the castle to protect me and she did."

"Salazar's portrait is now re-teaching them his true ideals and soon we shall see a new side to those of their house we have not ever seen before."

Harry turned to the fountain and bowed his head respectfully, "Helga Hufflepuff, lady of the earth and healer of flesh, hear my plea in this hour of need. Flowing waters, life-giving waters, hear my call through the embodiment of the virtues of your former mistress." He called, "As Godric's heir, I ask you to help me and lend me your healing hands as you did to her so long ago."

The fountain then began to glow white as the students gasped and Harry smiled brightly. The sun made him seem angelic even though dark elves thrived better under the cover the night.

"With this glass, I ask the healing water to purify itself. Let the water be as it once was and now shall remain." Harry said as if in prayer

The water in the glass he had summoned and filled bubbled momentarily then stopped. He held the glass to Amelia and her shaking hands took it carefully. She elegantly took a small sip as she was directed before and then sat down of the floor of the room in a kneeling position and turned her face away from the students.

"The healing waters are in us all, but to use them, we must embrace the fact that this world must be shared by all. To give our kindness, loyalty and compassion as Helga always did for those around her without hesitance or resentment. Amelia, you were hurt by Salazar's heir during his first reign of terror and his deeds will be answered for when I defeat him in the future. As the heir of Godric, I ask the water to heal the physical hurt you have endured and allow those before me to see Helga's everlasting powers through me. Her compassion for humanity knew no bounds just as I am bound to save our humanity from complete shadow."

Slowly Amelia turned her faced up to the crowd and gasps were heard. Susan's tears were like signs of joy to her as her happiness was apparent.

"Auntie, the scar is gone. It's gone truly for good. Harry healed it, I can't believe it." She mumbled happily

Amelia placed her hands to her face and realized he had indeed healed it. Her smile was bright and eyes shining in tearful joy as she hugged her niece.

He turned to them, "You all criticize me and judge me when convenient, then you all expect me to want to save you as I am supposed to when things are bad even if you have done hurtful things to me. I am still a human with emotions and expected to be treated with dignity. I am the one who will defeat the dark lord. Master of this castle and blessed by its creators." He told them all, "The dark lord is coming back soon and you can choose to be neutral. No one will say a word of it, but that does not mean you are safe from his terror."

Cedric turned to him, "Harry, I think we all know you are powerful in your own right. Our house has witnessed a miracle today through you."

Harry smiled, "Helga's loyalty and compassion to her friends never wavers. She was the shield that kept fear at bay in the darkest of hours. She is the one who heals all without hesitance and judgment to those before her." He said

He then turned and left for Ravenclaw dorms as the energy led him there.

* * *

Harry entered the same way and met the calculating eyes of the students there as he had in Hufflepuff.

"Harry? How are you here without an escort?" Fleur asked him as she went to him and Rodger seemed jealous of her attention on him

"Fleur, please stand with them while I address the student body. I know for certain everyone is here." He asked her gently and she nodded

Harry smiled, "I will say this once, so listen well. The dark lord is rising once more and now is the time for unity among all the houses more than ever. I have spoken to Slytherin first as they were my biggest objective, and left a powerful former Slytherin friend to help them understand me and my position in my destiny to this community."

"Hufflepuff was next because many are neutral to the outside conflict. Nothing is wrong with that, but they are still in danger because of it. Many of them believe they are not, so I had to show them why they would be. Now I come to you. Rowena Ravenclaw's students, and in her seemingly unending wisdom. Knowing no limitations to knowledge and always pushing barriers of advancement that at times may not should have been pushed." He told them sagely

Michael Corner stepped forward, "I would like proof of these statements as sure as everyone else in here does."

Harry smiled, "Ever the astute answer for one of Rowena's students."

Fleur eyed him in wonder. His personality seemed to have adjusted miraculously in several hours after he had nearly died. Was this normal after such a rite has been dissolved if you survive the ordeal?

"Do any of you know what the Rite of Magical Containment is?" Harry asked as several people gasped and shuddered

Cho Chang came forward in hesitance, "It is a forbidden ritual that seals the magical power of a person inside them. The younger they are the more dangerous it is as they age. If released, the power of the rite tries to suppress the influx of power and if the body fights the suppression; the witch or wizard usually dies." She said, "However, if they survive the ordeal, their personality shifts drastically sometimes and their powers are much increased by the released seals."

Fleur's face remained stoic and scowled inside. That was helpful, but she did not need reminded of her friend's near accidental death so easily.

Harry nodded, "Yes. I nearly died this afternoon because the rite was placed on me as an infant. My magic decided to release and my body fought the suppression because I have a destiny to defeat the dark lord."

The room stared at him and Harry turned to his veela friend who was internally scowling, "Fleur, you were there when this happened. Tell them how it seemed from your eyes?" he asked her gently as Rodger watched her get tears and became more jealous than he supposed was realistic at their closeness to the other.

"Your eyes had closed and I remeber shouting at you to try ang wake you. Your body was magically lifted in the air as some very harsh winds came into the room from nowhere and I had to stabilize myself along a wall from being blown out a window." She said with discretion, "Your body twisted and turned in odd angles as you screamed in agony while your eyes remained closed."

Tears formed in her eyes, "You are my friend, and I wanted to help, but was powerless to help you. I then remember feeling four spiritual energies. One for Courage from Godric, one for Loyalty from Helga, one for Wisdom from Ravencaw, and finally one for Cunning from Salazar. The four energies were absorbed into you and they broke the rite of containment on you."

"The winds died slowly as your aura receded and your body landed on the floor in a puddle. Your breath was shallow and I thought you were dead or at least almost there. Your skin was very pale and it was crackling with raw magic. If I had touched it and tried to heal you any; my flesh would have melted off my bones I think."

"When you woke up finally, and I explained what had happened, you just nodded and accepted it as if it was normal." She said slowly

Harry was quiet as was the dorm, "Yes, that was your typical reaction if you survive the rite. I do not know who put it there or why they wanted to…but it did nearly cost me my life today." He said

"The founders shielded me and saved me more than because I have a destiny of greatness before me. It shielded me because I am Godric's heir through my father and the royal heir of a dark elf clan through my mother."

Corner snorted, "Your mother was muggle-born."

Harry smirked, "This summer Gringotts found out she was not muggle-born. She was the heiress of the Blood Mist clan and I am the legitimate heir to their throne should I want to be."

Corner and the others watched him carefully and observed all his movements with intense analytic gazes.

Harry walked to the large window and whistled. Momentarily, a large hawk had sat there and bowed low at Harry in respect of his place there."

"Greetings, heir of Godric and Child of Prophecy. Rowena sends her regards from beyond and wishes you victory soon to come. Helga reminds you to please always be fair in judgment no matter how hurt you are. Salazar say to always use your skills at most opportune time and Godric wishes you all the courage he has left to give you." The hawk told him with the enchantment placed on her

Harry smiled as the room stared, "Rowena is wisest before anyone else and her words comfort me, Nherielle. Thank you."

The hawk called Nherielle turned to the students and then seemed to assess them in her eyes, "What a very bright bunch. Rowena must be pleased. I am sad my mistress is not here to see them now."

Nherielle allowed Harry to stroke her for a moment and then she flew off.

"That was Nherielle, Rowena's magical hawk. She has the life more attuned to a phoenix than a hawk and her speech charm was Rowena's creation. Helga had a badger that was much larger than normal; it roams the forests still in protection of the school and only interferes if it feels it has to. Godric's Nundu is on the seventh floor and sleeping till I wake it up to stand by me once more. I will wake it, and it will stand by me. Salazar had a Basilisk, however, some of us remember my second year."

"Lucretia was being possessed by the dark lord to attack the schools muggle-born student population. I was forced to kill her to save myself and Ginny Weasley from her directly and the dark lord in the chamber." Harry said sadly

Ravenclaw students did not know for the first time ever what to think or to say. Fleur stepped towards him and offered him her hand and then a hug as he smiled to her slightly and she smiled back.

"Now, that you know the truth of what I said; here is the really bad news for all of you. The dark lord still is alive , he has always been. When I defeated him thirteen years before, he reverted to a spirit form to survive. Not as ghost, but a malign energy that possessed many animals and humans to survive."

"I will be forced to compete in the tournament as a second Hogwarts champion. I did not wish for this to happen, but the dark lord has plans that involve me and this tournament. I will survive the assault, but he will still be back after I get away with barely my life. It is now time for the house of wisdom to decide on their allegiance in the war to come."

"To a man who wants to destroys and take away everything we cherish, or to me and lend me your strength in knowledge to better help me defeat him." Harry asked, "War is not a game. People die in it, and I am no stranger to the battlefield of his kind."

"Choose wisely, or you are not going to be here in a few years from now. Whether killed by the war or not." He warned them all as he left for Gryffindor Tower


	13. Chapter XI: Gryffindors

**Chapter XI:**_ Gryffindors Protect their Own_

'_You did well in those three other houses, so let us hope your housemates will respond just as well when you drop the proverbial bomb on them today several times over.' Hogwarts told him sarcastically_

'_If you have a better idea, then please Hogwarts, do enlighten me?' Harry said in dripping acid voice as he mentally conversed with her_

'_Now, now, there is no reason to be touchy. I just think that seeing some creature they believe exists only inside of the fables they were told of as small children might be overkill.' She said_

'_Gryffindors need the shock for therapy or you'll never have a peaceful moment with them.' He told her dryly_

_Hogwarts just laughed at that and then went quiet._

'_Oh, the room is on the seventh floor right?' He asked_

"_Yes. On the right wall there is a large space where if you walk past it three times it will give you a space that meets the definition of your needs. It is often called the 'Come and Go Room'. Godric's chambers are on the opposite side behind the painting of a knight dueling with a chimaera.' She said_

Harry paused in his stride, _'I wish I knew of the room before so I could have talked to Malfoy in there privately'_

'_It was not meant to be that way. The houses must unite, or we are in serious trouble.' She told him, 'Tom is more powerful than he knows at current times. He has not realized that he has pretty much given what is left of his soul away after breaking seven pieces off of it. I will tell you more of this after you master more of your powers in a couple of years. But Harry, please know that pride demons are one of the most dangerous in hierarchy and are not a trifling thing, and that you will need to destroy his soul pieces and the demon in its physical form before he can be destroyed.'_

'_The demon itself could be a living breathing creature, another possessed being under dark magic, or for him; it could even also be another object that radiates malign magic and is hidden away somewhere without his knowledge. That is what makes them dangerous, as pride demons have no definite one form. They are more akin to a shape-shifter.'_

Harry nodded silently to these troubling thoughts as he now faced Godric's portrait and steeled off his resolve, "Knight Everlasting, let your courage protect you and allow your bravery to cradle those you protect." He said

The door melted away and Harry stepped into a dark room. It was large and cavernous, but there was no illumination yet even as he walked within the darkened space.

"It has been many centuries since an ancient walked these halls and in this space. I have been sleeping for a very long time, and only to wake up and find that once more that many years have passed since I last was aware. More than I care to think on." A voice growled threateningly, "Who are you and why do you invade my territory? how did you even get here?"

Harry stood still, his face firm in resolve, "I am Lord Harry James Potter. Descendant of Ignotus and Godric, and now master of this castle as blessed the spirits of the creators." He said calm but firm

The growls then lessened and sniffing was heard before a roar was heard, "Master Harry, I have waited many years for you." The Nundu approached him as the lights turned on.

The magical cat was larger than any predatory cat he'd ever seen even for his world. It was at least the size of a baby rhino with powerful claws, teeth, and breath of poison Harry could sense by being near it Harry also knew the breath was highly dangerous, but would in no way be harmful to him now.. The cat's eyes were golden and critical of his new master's form as they stared each other down.

The nundu seemed satisfied by the actions and then looked away as he came over to Harry. The magical beast purred soft in contentment as it rubbed it face to Harry's cheek letting him know he was safe here and not to worry. Harry easily petted it and scratched his ears softly as he smiled in rapt fascination of him and could not understand why they were feared by his people so much.

"They fear us because normally we are not able to be made into familiars to any magical people. The founders were powerful people and Godric was one of the strongest willed of them. He was a man among giants in his day." The cat told him, "They fear us mostly because in a normal fashion, people would die before they knew what happened if they came too close. Godric tested that boundary and was rewarded by my faithful service to his line as a familiar."

Harry nodded and understood of what he spoke, as he had often tested boundary lines of many things.

"I will be bringing a lot of my housemates here for a private discussion. None are threats to me, so please do not threaten them," he asked

"I am called Duilio, Master Harry. I will only hurt them if they dare to hurt you in my presence. However, I suspect they will all be too scared or shocked to do that." Duilio told him dryly, "I speak due to the same charm on Nherielle and Silvan. Lucretia has her own method. But I am able to tap into your thoughts as your familiar and speak to both you and the castle this way. It is a form of bond between us."

Harry nodded as he smiled sadly, "Lucretia is dead Duilio. The dark master possessed her and I was forced to slay her two years ago. Salazar has forgiven me for the act, but he is still sad for her loss as he should be. She was his only company until now."

"I see." He sad in sadness, "Lucretia, Queen of Serpents and long-time friend, may the earth's body cradle you, the air carry your spirit for us to remember you, the fires of chaos on earth slow and ease your pain and let your emotions still, and the waters of time allow your sleep to be eternal." Duilio said softly as Harry nodded respectfully as he rested his face into the fur that seemed dark as night sky for a few moments to catch up with his emotional side.

"I will return in moments, so please prepare for the influx of noise to come." Harry said as he finally calmed and appeared normal while left.

Duilio knew internally his words had reached Harry in a hard place. His master had hidden himself for so long and was now free to do as he wish, but at what cost to his emotional state. He was strong, no doubt, but even the strongest break at times.

How far would his new master allow himself to go before he sought help to overcome his past burdens and fears? Duilio did not know, but he hoped the boy did something to ease the pain he had inside or he risked becoming like the current dark master.

It might end up being many years from now…or maybe not, or even perhaps never at all; but Harry was too powerful to let him stew in his pain for too long.

* * *

The common room was a mess of chaos and flurrying movements. Harry looked to Hermione and she nodded in turn as she called to room to order and they realized Harry returned finally to speak with them all.

"I have some news for all you. Some you will not like or believe. But it is what it is and Gryffindors don't run from the truth, we face it head on regardless of consequences. First of all, you all know this even if it was never proven till now. I am destined to defeat the dark lord. Some say he has been gone for thirteen years now, but I am telling you otherwise." Harry said in caution

"The dark lord is regaining strength at this moment and he plans to utilize the tournament to finalize his comeback by dragging me into it somehow. I want all of you aware that this is not a joke nor is it a game." Harry said, "We will be entering war soon enough and I want all of us to prepare ourselves for the inevitable if the houses are going to remain divided as they are; though I don't think they will."

"You all want to know how I know these things and I suppose you'd like an answer. To answer this will be difficult to believe so bear in mind to keep your brains open to what I say and try not to jump off the imaginary cliff." He said

The others nodded and Harry continued, "For most of my life, I have believed my mother was muggle-born. This summer I found out she was pure-blood and a child of the ancients, as I am now." He said

"My ears are sharp now unlike most of yours, this is proof enough of my elven descent. However, while both my parents were pure-blood and semi-powerful; my lineage goes farther than I knew and reveals a lot of interesting secrets. I am currently the most powerful being on either side and the only magical one that I know of. "

Fred smiled and smirked, "Let me guess oh boy wonder, that you are related to Merlin?" he cracked

Harry smirked to him, "Not quite, but close. I am related to Ignotus Peverell and through him farther back Godric Gryffindor. Our house's founder." He said proudly

Many jaws dropped in the room and an awkward silence reigned.

Harry sighed solemnly, "My revelations came with a price though. I nearly died earlier today."

Ron, Hermione and Ginny stared at him. He had not mentioned that in such a way that made it seem so serious.

"Someone place the Rite of Magical Containment on me as an infant after the death of my parents before I was taken away from the ruins of my home. I do not know whom it was or why, but they definitely had intended for me to die because of it."

"It could have been a death eater before those who took me away came. They may have been too afraid to try and outright kill me again after I just eliminated their master for the first time. So, they tried to suppress my powers without others knowing of it. It also could be someone we should feel like we trust, but is not truly trustworthy; I don't have the answers." Harry said

Fred and George paled, "How are you here then?"

Harry eyed them all, "The dark lord is rising again, and I must defeat him. I am the heir of Godric and he is the heir of Salazar. Our battles have been fought for over a thousand years now between our descendants."

"When the castle realized I was in trouble, she called to the last of the energy held by all four of her creators. They gave that energy to me freely to break the forbidden rite, and I absorbed the powers. It's why I am here and why I am still alive."

"Even Salazar gave his energy freely as his spirit recognized Tom's insanity. His portrait is also down in the dungeons and is currently re-teaching our rivals what his true ideals are." Harry smirked, "I wish you to know that I am merely a Gryffindor by personal choice and decision. If the Sorting Hat had not done as I wanted in my first year here; I would be sleeping in the dungeons alongside of Draco Malfoy and his housemates. Personality is not everything when considered for placement into a house."

The room was silent.

"We have two hours before the feast, and I wish to show you all something very special to me now that I know of it and have accepted it as a part of me and my heritage. Please all of you follow me?" Harry asked

The whole house was curious and decided to go.

They walked down the hall from the dorm with silent curiosity and Harry stood and faced the painting, "Knight Everlasting, let your courage protect you and allow your bravery cradle those you protect." He said

They filed inside and then Parvati Patil screamed and pointed in shock as others turned and froze or screamed slightly. There lied Duilio on the rug before the fire sleeping peacefully and not disturbed by the noise at all

"Calm down everyone, as this is whom I wanted you all to meet when I brought you here." Harry said as he strode over to Duilio or rather; he had tried to.

Hermione grabbed him instantly, "Harry, that's a Nundu. It's a very dangerous creature."

Harry smiled and pulled away, "Correction. This is Duilio and he was Godric's familiar at one time. Now he is mine by birthright. He has slept on for hundreds of years waiting for me to come, and now he has woken and is my familiar."

"Master, you return?" The cat purred as it spoke and quiet gasps were heard

"Yes Duilio, I have come back and brought those I told you of." Harry said as he sat down and petted his fur gently.

Duilio was purring in relaxation and peace to the gentle strokes of his master's hands on his fur. Harry smiled as those of his classmates watched on in amazement and shock. The humungous cat was purring gently and seemed sdafe enough to him.

Ron and Hermione were wide-eyed to this. They then fought the fear in them and slowly approached the giant-sized Nundu that their friend was sitting next to with apparently no fear in him at all.

Duilio saw them come forward and watched them cautiously around his master. His claws tightened as they stopped and froze to that.

"Harry, please, get away from him. He makes me nervous to see you be so close to. I know you said he won't hurt you, but…He is still a Nundu and a very dangerous creature." Hermione said in wavering tone though she stood still firmly

Duilio snarled at that, "I will not hurt the one who I am to serve as destined for me in my life-time of service to the descendants of Godric Gryffindor. I would rather believe it is you who would hurt him if you forced him to leave me behind. Our familiar bond is strong now, and to break it would damage his core more than you know."

Harry stared at him, "Duilio please, that will not help them understand."

The Nundu then huffed and stood. The room held their breath as the very large cat then stretched before arrogantly walking out of the room towards the bed chambers.

Harry looked at them and glared, "He will not hurt me. He has armor and will be my guard later on in the final battle. He might even consider allowing me to mount on him."

"Of course I would." A roar sounded and startled them

Harry sighed in irritation, "I swear he's doing that on purpose. I told him specifically to not frighten all of you, so he decides to do the opposite because it's fun and he's been sleeping for a thousand years." Harry said dryly

"Well anyways, Duilio will not hurt you unless you hurt me, so do not try and antagonize that and you're safe."

Fred, George, and Angelina shook their heads.

"Harry, you really like the dangerous stuff for the adrenaline rush." George said, "I never thought I would ever come in to contact with a Nundu and then think 'I'm safe' because we're not supposed to think that."

Harry scowled as he remembered Viktor's words earlier in the day.

"Tomorrow, the houses will be united more than they ever have. Even Slytherin, so please, try to keep the peace between us all for my sake. We protect our own as I protect not only Gryffindor, but our world. Now it is time for the house to all protect the other as best as we are able to."

"Now, let's go get ready for dinner and have a good Halloween feast." He smiled

The cheers in the room were loud as Harry laughed and his housemates picked him up and carried him out on the hands and shoulders with happiness and fun resonating within the halls.

Duilio watched the scene and smiled to himself; his master was surrounded by those who would care for him even if he did not always acknowledge it. The cat laid down and rested more as sleeping for hundreds of years made one sore if they moved too fast.

Harry's belongings would be here when the feast was over. Duilio was not allowing him to stay in the dormitory any longer. Even if those around him seemed trustyworthy, his master was too important to risk his safety.

Duilio also smirked as he thought of this recent event. He could have shrunk his size, so he had not appeared so large. But, he had felt that making them believe he was smaller than he truly was at first glance was not a good thing.

The cat also knew his master would be shocked in the next few days when he was being carried around on him within the school. He did not trust the other houses to just conform to the idea of unity, and he would protect him at all costs to his life..


	14. Chapter XII: Of Feasts and Champions

**Chapter XII:** _Of Feasts and Champions_

The Gryffindor Common Room was quite noisy now, and Harry was getting a serious headache due to his new sense of hearing. Duilio had pretty much either been accepted by his house or his classmates were too afraid still to go too close. The large creature had sauntered in when Harry was getting ready for dinner and mentally preparing himself for the scene they likely would be causing tonight.

The larger than life cat had laid a paw on his shoulder, and it glowed with a golden tone. Harry smiled then and thanked him. He had removed the on-coming headache somehow, but Harry wouldn't question it yet. Duilio also wore the armor Harry mentioned prior to now. Duilio said Harry would need him tonight, but he had not elaborated further than this to his master even when he had been questioned. The cat had not wanted to worry him further than his master already was over the evening's events. The silvery-blue metal of the armor was something known to Dark elves as 'the everlasting ore' and Harry knew that the armor would be here long after he was gone.

There was a back and belly plate piece that protected his main body from stray magic and was extremely hard to dent. Not as durable as goblin armor, but close enough considering the materials it was crafted from. Then there was the head protection that did not cover the whole face, but Harry knew Duilio was smart enough to likely never need it to cover his whole face either.

The leg guards were mainly for stability and accuracy in movement on a battlefield. They increased agility and made opponents think he was too fast to hit, which caused confusion for them and allowed him to attack first. His paws had metal cover over the claws up to the edges of the tip where the nail stuck out from the edges.

Harry was well aware that those claws could rip a man to shreds easily, and they could also poison one if he couldn't use the poison breath as he was more likely to in normal circumstances.

The house had given him awed looks with wide berth for roaming when he had entered. Harry was surprised the Headmaster had not sensed such a creature moving about inside the castle already. Duilio had snorted to that and told him the old bastard would never be able to sense him even if he tried as Nundu have an invisible signature, and unless you know they are there and where they are; you won't find them.

Harry thought that was convenient and handy in hindsight. Harry also smirked as Ron was trying in vain to correctly pronounce his familiar's name while Hermione was trying to coach him but had given up. Hermione had looked up the origin of the name and what it meant and the she had passed it around to the house. Most of them had it, but a few including Ron, struggled with Latin at times and how the structure of the language was set-up.

"Ron, seriously mate, the name is based in Latin so it cannot be that hard for you to get a hold of. Duilio, do-ill-ee-oh; honestly mate" Harry sighed exasperated

Duilio was indeed Latin and meant 'Ready to fight'. Harry thought the name was both fitting for the cat and his character for how he held himself around the housemates of his and ironic at the same time given his life's circumstances at present.

Ron gave him a half-glare before he huffed in feigned annoyance, "Just because some of us are not Latin experts like you now, even though we are wizards, does this mean it is easy for us to learn. Most of us don't know Latin at all before coming here, even among pure-bloods, unless you are in Slytherin and were tutored at home. Or like you, who just happens to have a major power release in your brain." Ron said dryly with sarcasm

Harry smirked, "Touche. See if I help you again."

Ron just laughed and shook his head as they finished getting ready for dinner.

* * *

The Great Hall looked as spectacular as ever for this Halloween feast. Hermione and Ron had gone ahead as Harry said Duilio was being overprotective of him again for some reasoning and he needed to calm him down before they tried to even think of going into the hall. They had nodded to this like mechanical robots and then left quickly.

No one wanted to annoy or irritate the cat if he was like that or in a bad mood. They hastily found their feet moving towards stairs. Harry had sighed in annoyance and amusement to their fear of the cat.

Harry felt for them somewhat; it was hard not to see how nervous they were when such creatures to them were extinct and yet…their best friend had a larger than life one for a familiar even if he could shrink his size down. Duilio had said he would shrink himself to a slightly over-sized panther tonight so Harry could mount him to keep him close enough for him to protect.

Harry thought this was more of an excuse for Duilio to stay closer than what he thought was necessary.

Nearly everyone was in the hall as they approached. Duilio had made Harry change into something akin to robed armor made by his mother's clan's ancestors in the dark elven kingdom when it was still above ground. They were not like anything he had ever seen.

They did make a striking sight he admitted to himself, but Harry was feeling overwhelmed by the cat's protective streak. He sighed, 'If I had been asleep for a thousand years waiting for a new master, don't you think the protective streak would be kind of logical' he asked himself mentally

Harry decided it was logical to think that in some form.

The hall doors had closed but as they approached; the doors slowly turned to admit them without having been touched at all. The hall had grown silent and gravely so as they entered and walked down the middle walkway between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw's tables. Albus Dumbledore paled somewhat as did the teachers.

"Good evening, sorry about my tardiness. Duilio here is a bit of an overprotective big brother right now." Harry said cheerily as the hall stared at the cat in different emotional stances

"Mr. Potter, where did that Nundu come from and how on earth did you get him here?" Albus asked him in a shaking tone

Harry smiled and feigned confusion momentarily, "Where else would he have been but already in the castle? He has been sleeping inside of Godric's chambers, and he woke when the castle acknowledged me as its last true heir. As I am his heir, Duilio is now my familiar and my responsibility to care for. He won't hurt anyone in here unless they try to hurt me first. I think he believes people try to attack me from nowhere at all hours of the day…hence our armored appearance despite I was not dressed as such about twenty minutes ago." He said dryly

The school as a whole then gave in and laughed at the hysterical scene. Duilio also then padded to the Gryffindor table, where he had lowered his body and let Harry sit down though with watchful eyes as he did so. The cat then laid down at his feet and appeared to sleep in front of the hall. His ears twitched every now and then, signaling he was still aware and listening to the activities of the room though.

Albus Dumbledore then stood warily as he eyed Harry and the feline monster he brought with him into the hall. This was not good for his plans concerning the boy at all if Harry could control it. He knew the beast was here in the school as he knew of the other two that were still alive. He even knew that the basilisk had not intentionally been dangerous to the school, but he also hated the beasts too for the significance to Harry's lineage. He was more powerful than he had given him credit for if he could control that Nundu as he seemed to.

"Well, now that the scene we just witnessed has passed and our initial shock is over with, I think we should now tuck in." He said lightly

Food of all kinds appeared and Harry eagerly dug in. His Gryffindor classmates had been eagerly waiting to know where the armor came from, and how come Duilio seemed smaller than before when they met him. Harry had laughed and explained it as the other houses appeared to try and not eavesdrop though they were hard pressed not to as was the staff.

Draco Malfoy sat at his house table and had never in his life seen such a bizarre thing ever. Potter could control a Nundu, and one that was supposedly Godric's before him? He shook his head in dismay.

His house was turned upside down earlier by him and Salazar, and now many of his dorm-mates were considering switching sides now that they knew truly how badly the dark lord warped his ideals and they were free to choose their own path as they had not been able to before in fear of being disowned and left helpless.

Given the fact Salazar also revealed his heir's true blood status…the house was in shambles trying to put together what was lost the last few decades. His eyes watched Potter with an appreciative smile that barely registered on his face. That Gryffindor classmate of his was utterly insane, but it was the good kind of craziness he had come to expect of him, and Draco knew he would not have had Harry be any other way than he was now.

They may not be friends currently and Draco knew his story of being friends with Ginny still needed explained, but given the rapid pace of changes he had set in motion; Draco knew his house was going to want to redeem itself in the school's eyes soon. Draco befriending him and setting aside old grudges would certainly go a long way in helping that. There was a reason he had opted to defect before he was marked, and soon enough, Draco would open to Harry about it to show his trustworthiness and how Ginny factored into this.

The Ravenclaw table was too shocked to move and too stunned to talk over the scene. Harry was truly Gryffindor's heir if he could control that cat from attacking them as Godric Gryffindor was the only one to ever have had a Nundu as a familiar, except for two or three of his descendant after that before Harry was born. Fleur steadily remained observant of the house she was placed in for duration of her stay and kept a critical eye on the opinions of the house as she watched them all.

Many of the students of Ravenclaw had not thought to believe Harry's ancestry on his father's side when he had spoken earlier to them. It had made her angry that they were so suspicious of him as Harry was never one to lie if it was so important for one to know. They had kept up this air of disbelief until someone proved it when they came from the library and had looked up his family tree and traced it. After that, many of them had turned to support him in silent knowledge that he had told them the truth.

Rodger Davies was one of few whom did not still think so as his jealousy over Harry's closeness to her was starting to raise an ugly head. Fleur didn't tell Harry this earlier, but she was afraid of Davies to some level. His jealousy was out of control, and she feared he might try something on her if she did not give in soon enough to him. That and several of the older boys there were a lot like him to her, and made her very uneasy.

Davies had tried to ask her to the Yule Ball again. She refused him and turned him away with a cold sneer. He tried groping her to get her attention on him. She either slapped him or hexed him; each time getting harder or more painful than the last. However, she was tiring of his insistence on her and he seemed to grow angrier at her refusals while more jealous the more she was near Harry.

Meanwhile at Hufflepuff, Cedric and his fellow classmates were all smiles to the display even if they had been shocked from it initially. Harry had done the impossible earlier, and now he had done it once more. His ancestry was proven in their eyes, and the Hufflepuffs were determined to now become more like the ones of Helga's days when she was there. To become sturdier and more resilient to the other houses if need be, but yet still remaining kind to everyone around them and loyal to their friends as Helga did before them all.

Zacharias Smith was too pale to say much, but Cedric could see the changes in his head. He had now been forced to believe the words Harry said in full finality. Cedric had never understood Smith's hatred of the boy at first, and he believed it had something to do with Hermione Granger and Harry's brother-sister like relationship. Smith liked her at one time, but Harry and Ron's protectiveness over her; it kept him from getting close. Harry's was much more vigilant to watch over his friends than Ron, as he had been hurt before in ways no one else could truly understand unless they had similar experiences. Not many could say that they did.

Harry's vigilance was obvious to all around him as he often was seen comforting her tears on his shoulders the last three years when Ron's words went too far and his compassion had been needed to help her on her feet again. Cedric remembered when he had busted Ron's jaw for the hurtful words he had spewed at Hermione one time. The three had not noticed him down the hall staring at the scene, but Sally Perks had said Ron's jaw may never fully correct the bone structure totally. Even with magical healing, and she also mentioned that Harry had not used any magic on him to do whatever he had done to break the bones either.

That was an impressive sight to imagine considering Harry had been twelve at the time. Harry was the shortest boy in his year and looked like he was about to be blown away by a breeze. For him to overpower Ron was definitely an achievement. Though, if Harry had shocked him and struck him from nowhere…then Cedric could see why Ron was hurt so bad, as the he wasn't the brightest candle at times or so he had been led to believe. Cedric tended to think it was true though, as Ron's temper was more like Zacharias's and was ignited too easily over small or stupid things.

However, Cedric knew Zacharias no longer desired to date Hermione anymore, though the resentment and hate had been like a poison in him that festered over time. Harry was no slouch with a wand either and everyone knew it. He would fight to the end to protect his friends and family even if he died for it. Smith was too much of a coward to do it and he would save himself before he dared to think to save anyone else. He would never win against Harry in a duel, even if he thought differently.

* * *

Half-way through dessert the Goblet of Fire had been brought into the room in front of the staff table by Argus Filch and Professor Moody. Duilio had been tense since before then and Harry felt his distress.

"Duilio, what's the matter?" Harry asked him

"Master, there is an evil presence here…I can feel it in the air." He said as he began to sniff around slightly, "One who deceives us all in this room. I think it is the one with the wooden leg and he is under a potion."

Harry nodded in acceptance, "I had figured so, but I did not wish to say at the time. His aura for an auror is much too tainted to be real."

"Be on guard this year then and remain aware." Duilio told him quietly

Harry nodded as the others now were staring again at his ability to speak human language. Harry rolled his eyes, "Rowena's work." Was all he said

The houses then resumed their candy-feasting activities and shared stories and laughs. Duilio felt uneasy tonight though.

Finally, the feast ended and the students were eager to hear the champions' names of whom would sponsor their schools. Some shifted slightly, knowing what they did, and mentally prepared to take on the onslaught. Albus, Madame Maxime, and Karkaroff stood with Minister Fudge with two on each side of the goblet.

"The goblet will now tell us who our competitors are." Albus said as the fire flared and a slip of paper appeared in it.

"The Beauxbatons Champion is Miss Fleur Delacour." He said with a light smile

Rounds of applause were heard as she stood proudly and walked to her headmistress as she gave her a hug and bowed before the room with a bright smile to all. She had moved quickly before Rodger could try to grab her butt in front of the room. She smiled to the hall and appeared happy to be where she was now and Rodger knew that girl was messing with him now. She was strong in her talents, and he wanted her to agree to be his girlfriend badly, but her continual refusals of him was aggravating and made him jealous to any male she was close too. She especially appeared close to Potter though, and Davies was well aware Potter was skilled enough to take down a seventh year if he wanted. He was dangerously powerful and not someone to double-cross.

Maybe if he asked him how to get closer to her; the boy would help him?

"The Durmstrang Champion is Viktor Krum." Albus said to the hall

A large round of cheers went off as the procession continued while Viktor shook hands will all the heads and the Minister before standing next to Fleur and looking totally opposite of her demeanor. Harry knew it was going be chaotic soon enough.

"The Hogwarts Champion will be Cedric Diggory." He said with a smile

Cedric stood with a nod and a seemingly forced smile as he went to Professor Sprout at the staff table and gave her a hug, then shook hands as Viktor had with all heads and the Minister before standing beside Fleur and Viktor with a determined look about him.

"Now that the goblet has sp—

Albus seemed surprised when it flared and as he looked on the paper; his face turned to ash very quickly

"Harry Potter, if you will please come forward." Albus asked the room steadily

Duilio had stood immediately as his master stood up mechanically and moved stiffly to walk up there. The others walked with him into the antechamber as he reached the staff table and Duilio stayed close to the door to guard it. Professor Moody had been snapped at for trying to enter the room near Harry, and the former auror had easily backed down from the cat.

* * *

Albus was pale as death now and knew something was wrong just as Harry had said before when he had questioned him weeks ago in his office.

Harry glared at his headmaster, "I warned you not to leave that thing in the open, did I not headmaster. I told you to be more cautious, and yet once more my life is going to hang in the balance of life and death because you don't listen to me when my life matters the most. I sometimes wonder if you'd rather let the dark lord kill me?" Harry yelled as his power crackled like he was made of an electric current

"I warned you that the dark lord was gaining strength and planned to draw me into the tournament. I told you to be more aware of who went to submit names and to remove the goblet during the night hours from the hall, but no; you do not ever listen to me when it matters. Now look at the disaster it has caused for the tournament and for me?" He yelled

The others in the room were pale now at these words and Harry apologized profusely.

"I am sorry you all must find out this way, but I never put my name in there. I knew he was regaining strength and trying to get near me once more for something. I warned my headmaster, but he has ignored me again. The goblet's a binding contract, so as much as I would rather back out; I am afraid I cannot even though I do not meet the age-line requirements." Harry told them

Madame Maxime regarded this boy with appreciative eyes, "There is truth and sincerity to your eyes that I do not see in many others. I do not think he would place himself in mortal peril if he wanted to do something risky for the fun of it. He could have just tried some stupid stunt if he wanted to do that or to illegally get drunk knowing that he was still a target. Karkaroff, what do you think of this mess?" She asked

The former death eater was pale and ashen himself to Harry's words from earlier. Professor Snape was just as pale as his eyes watched the boy carefully and regarded him with respect in some manner now that had not been there before.

"If the dark lord is truly coming back, then I agree he would not do something so stupid. Neither Potter nor Viktor are stupid enough to deliberately put themselves in his hands without a plan first or a good reason to try and fight him alone even if we don't think their reason is good enough. Potter knows the dark lord wants him dead better than we do at this point as he has survived his wrath several times now from what I have heard, so he is not dumb enough to just walk to his own funeral. How do you know he is coming back for sure, Potter?" he asked him cautiously

Harry tried to look like he felt that he was caught in some headlights, "I—I haven't shared this information with many, so please bear with me a moment." Harry sighed and closed his eyes momentarily, "I have a connection to him from where he marked me thirteen years ago in the form of the scar that has defined me. This connection is mental only, and in my dreams; I-I see what he plans when he is particularly over-emotional in some form. Be it anger or something else. I have felt his Cruciatus Curse on my skin as I've woken and my ears ring with a high-pitched and cold laughter." Harry shivered for real

"I cannot say for sure if what I think he wants is truly what he wants…but, I think he dragged me into the tournament because he needs a better body to contain his magic physically. He knows that at present; he can not touch my body without his disintegrating, so he plans to somehow remove that obstacle as well. I do not believe he intends to possess mine as it would not be productive to his agenda long-term, but I would not know how else he intends to achieve this goal unless some kind of dark rite is to happen at some point."

Harry shivered again and felt cold inside. That sort of pain did not quite leave memory so easily.

Harry sat down and tried to make his body frame look smaller as he curled into himself on the stone floor whilst Duilio had now burst into the room. He nuzzled his shoulder in comfort to his master's half-real and half-fake distress as the cat lifted him to his back for comfort and protection. Harry appeared uncomfortable with the scrutiny of those in the room as he petted the cat's fur to remain calm and to not focus on their pity he was sure to see from some of them for his dreams being so morbid. The room was deadly quiet and each person appeared paler than they had before.

The Minister cleared his throat shakily, "Albus, the boy is right. The contract is binding and he will have to compete. However, this scenario is dangerous to us all. What do you think of it?"

Fudge had also eyed Duilio warily as he softened some on Harry's form with the beast.

Albus finally sighed, "I do not believe Harry would tell us this if he was not certain of its truth. I readily admit that I have been informed of these dreams he spoke of earlier in the year, and I did not believe them to be so realistic then as I do right now, and so my actions towards them were lax in my opinions regarding these dreams. I do not intend to let them be that way again. However, he is underage but he was correct. The contract is binding and he has to compete regardless of whatever we wish we could do to pull him out. We cannot or he will forfeit his magic all together. A cost too great to even allow."

The adults nodded and sighed at this. The champions had all gathered around Harry in some form of group therapy almost. They reassured him he would do as best as he could and if he became into true danger; they were sure he would find a way out as he always did somehow. Harry had half-heartedly smiled to this, though his eyes were all Albus needed to see in order to know Harry was still unsure of that.

* * *

The great hall was silent as everyone from the other room filed in again.

Albus stood firmly though he looked every bit his age now and was pale still, "It has been determined that Mister Potter did not enter his name to the goblet of his own free will. Several tests were done and he was innocent to them all. Someone over the age line has put forth his name against his wishes and without his consent. Why is anyone's guess, but we are certain it has to do with the increase of death eater activity. Mr. Potter is a target still of the dark lord and his followers even now, and so his name being entered this way suggests that the dark lord is trying to get near him for some reason or another." Albus told them

"The heads of each school believe that Harry would not have put his name in of his own free will after questioning him directly. Both Madame Maxime and Igor Karkaroff have thoroughly questioned him, as I did. He was not trying to get into the tournament or to enter it in order to steal the achievements of someone else. He was just as surprised as anyone else to this. He knew the followers of the dark lord were to use the tournament against him in some manner, but he did not expect to be completely thrown into it as a fourth champion who must compete."

"However, even though he is three years underage to the other champions; he will still have to compete. The goblet has gone out and will not reignite until next time. The contract for the four of them is binding until a winner is decided or else he would lose all his magic if he decided to back out. A grave cost considering who he is and Mr. Potter readily knew the contract was binding, so he is aware of the imminent dangers he is about to experience."

"I ask all of the student body to please know that Harry has not tried to do something he was not supposed to. He was framed by a person inside of this castle and one person that we have no identity for them as of yet, so if any of you feel like he needs to be treated differently than before…he has the right to retaliate verbally in any way he wants as long as wands are not drawn and no one is hurt with actual wounds." Albus warned them

"Other than this, I wish all the champions luck in the days to come as they will be filled with danger from the tournament. They will not take exams this year due to the need to study for the tournament at every chance they have. The first task is to take will take place three weeks from today." Albus told them

"Also, there will be a Yule Ball as is tradition for the tournament. It provides a time of rest and relaxation for the champions in between the first and the second tasks. It will be held the week before winter holidays and originally only seventh years were to be invited to this formal event. However, given our unusual settings now; fourth years and up will be able to attend the ball. Anyone younger will have to be escorted by an older student if they are to be allowed to the occasion."

"Now, I believe we have had enough shocks and surprises this evening, so I bid all of you a good night."

The students stood around asa teachers made their way to talk privately. The students all whispered excitedly over the ball that was to come during the winter season. Ron and Hermione stepped over to him and gave him a hug in comfort for his dilemma, as Hermione cried for the unfairness of this and sobbed as she wondered when he would be able to be happy aloud softly. Harry embraced her as a younger brother would and he reassured her it was fine, and he had no intention of letting Tom do what he wanted.

Ron stood beside them silently and offered his support by just being htere with them as he was uncomfortable with all her crying. He did remember that the last time she cried like this; Harry had busted his jaw and Ron even mentally admitted that he had deserved it.

Viktor watched on this with sadness for her; knowing her friend was in a great deal of danger against his wishes. Zacharias had seen the movements and scowled as he turned to leave. Potter's days were numbered as far as he was concerned. He couldn't expect to defeat a man fifty or more years ahead of him in education experience. It was impossible in his mind.

Ron was looking at Fleur oddly and Harry saw it out of the corner of his eyes and smirked at this now. He knew what was about to happen as he continued to comfort Hermione's distress over his placement in the tournament.

"Harry?" Ron asked with a slightly devious tone

"Yes Ron?" Harry asked while seeming tired as Hermione finally stopped sobbing and was drying her eyes.

"I dare you to go ask the Delacour girl to the Yule Ball." He said firmly with a smirk knowing Harry would back out

Hermione's head snapped up in a glare now, "Ronald! That was uncalled for."

Harry seemed to think about it a moment, and then tiredly waved a hand which had Duilio put him on the floor as he straightened his robes and the ridiculous armor.

Hermione watched him wide-eyed as did Ron as he stepped before her and bowed politely. His friends moved closer to hear the conversation between them. Fleur knew what had happened as Harry approached and smirked. Rodger was about to get over himself.

Harry bowed and kissed her hand in greeting as was custom, "Miss Delacour, it is nice to see you again. I apologize for the bad news I had to bring you the other day." He said politely

Fleur nodded with a slight smile, "It is alright, as I had half expected it to come after I left home. My grandmother had been ill for some time now, and I knew she was not well when I left. But that does not mean I do not miss her terribly."

Harry nodded, "I know it doesn't, as I myself have lost too many for it not to hurt at times. Well, I express my condolences for your loss then and hope you feel better soon."

The difference here from what was said and what was true is that both Harry and Fleur knew her grandmother had died before Fleur was born and that she had died of an illness that was not curable; even by magical means yet. Her two closest friends were helping her keep their relationship as friends a secret. Most others did not know her well enough to know these details of her life. She had not lied outright to the room per se, just bent the truth some.

Fleur nodded, "So, what do you think of all this drama?"

Harry rolled his eyes, "I am half amused, and half nervous. I am highly amused that no one else seems to ever have these sorts of things happen to them though Duilio could have been less of a protective shield tonight and caused less of a scene too. Then I feel nervous in knowing my life is in danger again because some people in the higher offices of power disregard my warnings. It's is a conflicting feeling, to be utterly honest. How is Richard doing so far on his project?" he asked her with a hidden smirk to himself

Fleur smiled, "My father is doing well though he is quite frustrated with the French council. They are making it more difficult to do as you requested of him for the inquiry than what he believes is realistic. The Dark Elven Kingdom is actually very eager to meet with you through a representative to determine if you are the true heir, but the French council is not as eager to allow them in the border. I know you are the heir, but old wounds are hard to heal and France has seen its wars with them in the past when the forest elves and your brethren fought for power over some land about seventy or eighty years ago. They destroyed some very precious French wizarding landmarks and our government wanted to raid their caverns and annihilate them all then."

"They couldn't though due to the treaty that was signed at the end of the war and tensions have been strained since then with them and with the forest elves." Fleur told him

"I see. Perhaps then we should try to meet in an area of neutral grounds with a document of terms?" Harry said to her in suggestion

Fleur pondered that, "It might work if the terms are meant to be for both sides in equal measure. I will write my father and see what he thinks of the idea. I know he is eager to find out what happened to his sister after she married into your clan."

Harry sighed, "My clan has had its hardships, that's true. I hope for his sake that Sorsha died non-brutally. She married into my clan not knowing what would befall her so soon after that, so I hope she is in peace now."

Fleur nodded in a strained way. Ron and Hermione were not aware that Harry was even remotely sociable to Fleur before now, or that he had known her father, or that he was doing things with the Ministry of Magic in international areas. He must be very busy as the youngest lord now and feel overwhelmed all the time even if he hides it so well, and it was with no wonder why they had barely seen him these days.

They did not begrudge him of it either, as his life was his own and some of this he had no control over.

"So Fleur, has any handsome and intelligent Ravenclaw guy asked you out yet? Anyone of them catch your eyes, perhaps?" Harry smiled to her gently now and played the pure-blood lord he was to full view of the hall as they were slowly walking to the dorms.

Fleur snorted rather inelegantly to this and huffed in annoyance, "Oh plenty of them have tried to ask me out by now Harry, but I turned them all down. Too annoying for me to handle being with for a long period of time. You should know that."

Harry seemed curious, "Surely there's someone who is not as bad there as all the rest?"

Fleur gave him the evil eye as Harry felt like shuttering, "No, there's not; at least not for me. Not when one in particular continually tries to grope me and I have to either slap him or to jinx him to get him to stop. His jealousy and anger over our seeming closeness is out of control and I am hard pressed to keep myself from attacking him in self-defense as a veela to protect myself."

Harry stared at her with a hardening glance now while Rodger paled some as he slowly walked behind them a few paces, "They tried groping you inappropriately? Against your wishes in front of the others there?"

Fleur nodded sadly, "I did expect it though somewhat, as being a full-blood veela and all will likely encounter this problem. Dark elves like yourself don't have nearly as much trouble in that area as you don't have the allure to deal with. Must be nice."

Harry snorted now in disgust to that comment, "Yeah...right Fleur, it's so totally nice not to have the allure when our own mating mechanism is much more carnal and invasive to others if we don't find a mate the first time around . We might not have the allure you do as a veela…but we do have something I consider worse at times. The famed dark elven magical urges." Harry said sarcastically, "To literally be driven to seek sexual release in order to keep my magic from busting is not a thing I think I would consider valuable, Fleur."

"Especially since if I have no mate near me to go to; then I must ask a very good friend to help with the release and hope they won't expect more from me after that. Nice, yeah right." Harry snorted dryly

Fleur now seemed apologetic, "I am sorry Harry. I had not meant to upset you, but I just am stressed out right now. I know your urges could start anytime this year or next year. Realistically, I would hope they wait till you're sixteen as I'm sure you do. But seventeen is the year they are supposed to cut –off, so it is unlikely considering your power level at current times."

Harry rubbed his temples, "I know. I just feel like those things are against the very nature of being a creature who can think for themselves. Unfortunately, whenever they start, I won't get a choice to choose what I want to do in the scenario. I will have to find release or I go insane from need as my power blows up everywhere. For me, that's dangerous to those around me."

Fleur nodded sadly, "I know it is. I am rattling on you to make myself feel better, which is not right either?"

Harry shook his head in anger now, "That's not right? Fleur, the guys in Ravenclaw are practically molesting you at every chance they get and that behavior towards you is what is not right. I know you better than that, and I know that more than one of them are doing it even if some of them are more problematic than others." He hissed quietly, "I don't mind this conversation between us, as embarrassing as it is, because I know this is how my people deal with things at our ages and it is something we are not able to control. It does not bother me to talk of it, and I am glad you feel like you can talk to me about this."

"If I had my way, you would be removed from there and placed in separate rooms so you were safe. I protect Hermione as my sister in much the same manner because I do not wish to see her hurt by such an atrocious set of actions. It is not a man's place to force a woman to do whatever he wants in a relationship, and it works in reverse as well. However, children in our world are precious and our numbers are dwindling. To force any female to do something she doesn't want is not helping that."

Fleur's eyes watered some, "Harry please, I know it seems bad, but I do have my friends with me in there. I am not totally alone nor am I helpless. I would not have been chosen as Beauxbatons's champion if I was."

Harry sighed as he reigned his anger in and calmed himself with much force and nodded to her words, "Fleur, I know this is kind of sudden and all, but would you consider going to the Yule Ball with me?" Harry asked her gently

Fleur pretended to stare as his friends had open-mouth reactions to this. They had not thought he would ask her at all by this point and Rodger was glaring nails at his back for the question. He wasn't aware Potter knew her family so well either.

Harry sighed to her again, "You don't have to say yes yet or even at all if you do not wish to, but perhaps you might feel more comfortable going with me knowing I won't try to touch you inappropriately while in public or to force into something you don't wish to do. Being that we are both of creature inheritance, you know we will fit together anyhow and that is against both of our natures to force a true bond." Harry told her

Fleur stared to the ground a moment and then looked to him firmly to see if he was sincere. She knew he was, but his friends had no idea of their friendship and with Rodger behind them watching so closely; she could appear too eager to say yes.

"You know what Lord Potter, I think that I would very much like to go with you and be away from those who have disrespectfully treated me." She smiled shyly

Harry's face was bright with a glowing smile now, "Then we will go together."

Harry smiled as he bid her a goodnight and walked to his friends as they separated ways now in the hall. He smirked at Ron before sticking his tongue out at him. Ron stared at Harry incredulously and then started laughing at the insane night he had while shaking his head while Hermione was smiling bright for her friend's happiness. Rodger was scowling behind him as Fleur was excitedly running off to tell her friends what had happened just now as if she had been surprised by it.

Though it appeared to Hermione that Harry still kept a lot to himself now as he had before then. That was fine though. He didn't need to tell them everything about his life, and she would only pry from now on if she thought it was really important. She did have some questions though, and she did need to talk to him later about something.

She had her own secret after all. Who would have thought someone like Viktor Krum would ever be interested in a girl like her? Interested enough to also ask her to the Yule Ball?

Hermione was happy for Harry and herself. She hoped Ron could find some equal happiness as they seemed to have. Harry had known Viktor would ask her she guessed, as it was he who gave his blessing to allow him near her because Harry trusted him to take care of her and treat her decently. Hermione felt treasured in this way. She was no longer just a friend and a part of the group of three. She was a female friend and one who had two brothers not in blood looking out for her. Harry was like her shield when she was down and he forced her to get up and fight more even when she thought she was done and could no longer stand on her own. She was their sister and she was protected by them as much as she protected them.

Harry protected her like this only when he knew she was not able to verbally defend herself or to retaliate on her own. It was his way of acknowledging that while Hermione was a strong, independent and wonderful friend; that he cared for her too greatly to let someone hurt her. His fear of those he loved being stripped away from him as his parents had been during the first war had taken its toll. She knew in the days to come, he would have to struggle to know she was capable of protecting herself at times.

Hermione, however, would not ever have had Harry be any other way than himself as he was. he was a genuinely good person, and it showed in his actions and words most of the time. Sometimes too traditional to be considered literal. She wondered how much of what he had said was engrained to pure-blood social traditions versus personal views though?


	15. Chapter XIII: Moments of Clarity

_**A/N:** So, first I would like to say that I do not personally advocate violence as a means to an end to anything. Things that can be solved verbally without violence or word wars should be. So, in light of this, I also would like to remind the certain readers; who also will not be named here, that not all the events in the work follow the books as close cannon. In fact, pretty much of it has been changed or adjusted and leaving a bare minimum of cannon in this as of this point in time._

_Yes, Ron did make Hermione cry in her first year for being a know-it-all and seeming to be overwhelming in personality because he thought she was trying to prove she was better than all of them. Yes, he did go ballistic over Crookshanks trying to kill Scabbers, which is understandable as the rat was his pet at the time, and Hermione was sort-of overreacting to it. So the emotional side of this drama was intense._

_However, please do not assume that the broken jaw incident is related to this or the first event mentioned. It is not related to either of the situations mentioned before, and it will be explained much later on. It also explains Harry's overprotective streak to Hermione, Ginny, and Fleur as his closest female friends at this time._

**Chapter XIII:**_ Moments of Clarity_

Over the next two or three days, Harry had noticed the school had pretty much decided to remain neutral and silent to the selection of champions in the tournament, even if they felt it was still him trying to be in the limelight or it was unfair. Harry had in this short space, been surrounded by the three other champions in support along with his closest friends Ron and Hermione.

Ginny was around too, but her being a year younger than they were had made it somewhat difficult to communicate as her class schedule was different than theirs. Although, the trio's differing bunch of electives had also made this difficult to do.

The other houses had hyet to outright verbally attack him as they were warned by the headmaster he could retaliate, but Harry knew some were waiting to try. Surprisingly, it had been mostly the Ravenclaws that seemed to be the most angered. The Hufflepuffs were basically neutral and only voiced an opinion if necessary for now. The Slytherins had come off as odd to the other houses when they decided to merely watch the on-goings and see what happened after them.

The group had started to study all manner of things together either in the library or in the privacy of Harry's rooms now. The young lord had been surprised to find that all his belongings had been moved when he returned, but honestly; he wasn't surprised either. The castle definitely had a mind of its own now and was determined to protect him from Albus's manipulations along with whom he suspected placed his name in the goblet of fire somehow.

The headmaster, Albus Dumbledore in question, had been quite upset over the change of Harry's living space and had intended to have the castle move them back, but she had just locked them down further and when the headmaster came in front of a snarling Duilio for intruding into his new master's domain and violated its sanctuary space for him; he had quickly relinquished the idea of putting Harry back into the dorms after this though.

What seemed oddest of all happenings however, was that the champions all supported each other in their studying and theory lessons that were now both in class and outside of it in their leisure hours. It was still a competition to them all though. None of them knew what to expect for the first task and they did not share ideas on what it could be if they had any inside knowledge to it, nor did they all discuss their strategies to the other. The school watched Harry more closely than the others; waiting to see him breakdown underneath the weight placed on him.

Harry, however, thrived under the pressure and the school was rather amazed. He was always smiling wherever he went and seemed at ease even if he was not in subtle gestures of body language. Ron and Hermione had definitely noticed the changes in him now as they were spending more time with him and the other champions.

His pure-blood ancestry shined like a beacon through him as they watched more carefully, and his way with words and how he held himself now was far from what it was before. They felt they truly saw a boy turned into a man who could one day save them all, and smiled in the thought.

The one thing that had changed the most was that Harry and Viktor no longer were able to fly on the pitch each morning on Saturdays, and Harry and Fleur could not continue their lessons outside of Godric's rooms unless they wanted all manner of unsavory rumors being spread.

Fleur had told him she did not care what the school thought about it all, but Harry was less than agreeable yet after Rodger had tried to assault her in the hall two days ago. Everyone knew Harry and Fleur were going together to the ball at Yule now, and so it was without doubt they knew why Rodger was also in the hospital ward healing some nasty magically induced boils and blisters over his body.

Madame Pomfrey had merely shaken her head at the seventh year student in disapproval of his actions and wondered why he would try something like that if he knew Harry would find out about them to begin with. Harry was a special person to her even if he was also her most frequent patient. The boy had a heart of gold normally and also had a natural adaptness for healing in him. Poppy wanted to teach him more, but he had refused until the war was over. So his actions on Rodger were understandable when she learned what he had done.

Studying with three students that were three years ahead did have its advantages he found out quickly and had learned a lot of nasty and yet useful spells for all manner of scenarios. He learned things that he might not have otherwise until much later. He had even learned a small amount of human transfiguration from them ahead of time.

Without flying to help down tone their stress, Viktor and Harry had taken to dueling when their stress was high, and Harry had nearly beaten him once now. Cedric found he'd rather monitor the duels than fight in them against those two. Both Harry and Viktor tended to get quite creative in their castings and how they maneuvered them.

Fleur was also watching Harry closely. She was worried for him even when he seemed like nothing bothered him. Most of time Harry had appeared to be another immovable wall of resilience and confidence…but past that however, he was still fragile and nervous deep down underneath the mask he continually wore.

* * *

Harry finally managed to catch a break in his routine studying to find Draco and to speak with him. If things proved to be genuine, then perhaps he'd think on working with the Slytherins as a whole. The unified house neutrality had allowed them to approach each other in the halls now several times, but the incidents were short-lived and everyone knew they were far from being friends.

Harry had asked him to come to the seventh floor and Harry was also sure he had only ever been up here for classes, and did not likely visit up here often. The young lord was standing against a wall with Duilio perched beside him and purring contently as he stroked his fur absently while he waited and scratched his ears occasionally.

The blonde teen had seemed nervous in front of the cat, and Duilio regarded him as neutral so he just huffed and ignored him for now.

"Draco, I believe we have a discussion that is far overdue." Harry said

The Malfoy heir nodded, "Indeed. I think we need to get this done as much as you do. Shall we?" He gestured

Harry nodded and they walked side by side across the hall.

"Malfoy, these are Godric's rooms you are about to enter and they are my sanctuary when I am alone in there. I trust you not to spread around where they are or how to enter them." Harry said in an even tone

Draco nodded.

Harry said the phrase that admitted them, and Draco was instantly in awe of the rooms. Many of the rooms that the staff had did not have some of these features. A dueling room or personal library as large as the main room for instance.

They sat before the large white marble fireplace and Harry allowed himself to relax some as his eyes closed in contentment. The mask he wore came down very slightly at this, and Draco watched the changes in his expression with curiosity and wondered when Harry had become so good at hiding his feelings? Or had he always been that way and he had neglected to notice because of his rivalry?

Harry waved a hand silently and tea was on the coffee table with a plate of biscuits and scones, as Draco stared hard at the table.

"I am not as everyone believes Draco, in the fact that they think I am weaker than my competitors due to inexperience alone. Three years of knowledge short to those who compete with me is not enough to deter me though, and I do have the power core to back that sentiment with." Harry said lightly, "I suggest you try to avoid pissing me off in the future if we agree to truce."

Draco swallowed hard at this, "I never thought of you as weak; just more as either arrogant or blindly ignorant. You always seemed confident of your skills when they were needed the most even if you did not always look like you were as confident as you appeared."

Harry nodded solemnly to this, "I agree to that. There have been many times I was unsure of my abilities, but I knew I could not waver or my friends did too when they saw me start to fall. You want to join in the fight against the dark lord with me and mine, and for me to vouch for you to Ron's family so you can date Ginny officially when the news breaks. I need the truth of why you want this before I can truly begin to agree."

"Forgive me for saying so, but this line of actions is still rather suspicious to me. I need the truth of this matter before any real decisions are made on my part. I have tons to deal with besides the tournament as is. Being a young lord is not as easy as one thinks, and also dealing with foreign affairs to one's ancestral clan makes things more difficult." He sighed, "But if you tell me the honest truth of why you want this; then I will vouch for you and explain what you need to know and have missed so far. We will have a cease-fire in our rivalry and agree to a truce."

"I also believe the other houses will follow suit if this happens, but we shall see. Your housemates are still free to choose to not side with me or to look at the truce you may make and to not accept it for themselves as are the other houses. They can try to mend things for themselves if they wish, as I wish for as little secrecy among my friends who will be my comrades as possible in the near future." Harry told him, "In war, we must be able to communicate to the other or else our information is either misused or incorrect. This causes suspicion among us all and/or more unneeded casualties than what was expected."

Draco stared at the floor a moment, "I understand what you say and I do acknowledge them. I respect that descision as well and my housemates will likely try to mend things themselves, it is just how we are as pure-bloods. I also know my actions are hard to believe for you. I wouldn't trust them either if they were reversed and you wanted to be close to Pansy or Daphne out of the blue."

"My changes started to form after second year when summer started. I came home to find my mother pale as I ever had and looking worried beyond compare over something she would not tell me about lest I accidentally say something too loudly. My father was more demanding of me than usual during the summer month I was there. Demanding in the ways I was training in dark magic." He admitted freely to Harry

Harry eyed him now. There was no judgment in his eyes and he seemed to be listening and calculating the words before reacting to them. This bolstered Draco's confidence that perhaps a truce could be reached between them finally.

"At first, it was dark arts that were barely legal and it had stayed that way for my first two years of school. However, I had never intended to know how to cast the Imperious at thirteen or the Cruciatus at twelve before my thirteenth birthday. I was dragged from the dorms to meet my father for the lessons behind all the hysteria that year."

Draco sighed as he rubbed his temples to avoid a headache.

"I knew as August came from our third year of school that something big had occurred and that I was not privy to the details. It was then I decided to find out whatever it was and to see if I was endangered by it. That was the biggest mistake I made in my life so far." Draco said softly

"How so?" Harry asked as if he was playing therapist now

"The dark lord's current form was using our home as his second base of operations for his plans. Plans that he made personally and were already set into motion far longer than we realized and wanted to admit to ourselves. I felt fear as I heard his voice, and then when they discovered me eavesdropping on them…things changed me inside."

Harry watched as Draco shifted uncomfortably.

"I was thrown into the holding cells in our dungeons, and I was also left there with no food or water for days. I had begun starving and I was realizing that if the dark lord treated us all this way; that he must not value us as he says he does."

"I was interrogated by him through my father and aunt Bellatrix who had somehow either escaped or had been broken out from Azkaban personally before some of the other elites. My family is not sure how she has managed it and who helped her if anyone did. I was tortured by my father for him and Bellatrix had used me as a training dummy, and when they were done; I was barely alive." Draco said soft as a ghost in his pale complexion

Harry nodded as his eyes were now distant in remembrance, "I know that feeling from them all too well."

Draco noticed the distance and his body felt guilty in the fact he had supported this madness for so long.

"When some of the other death eaters were supposed to guard me and did not do as good of a job as was expected of them; I took the opportunity to escape. I knew how the cells operated and so escaping them was easy. Escaping the manor altogether was not."

"I was sore and my body wracked in pain from the Cruciatus exposure plus whatever other injuries were present. I was hungry, thirsty, and tired as I finally evaded notice and was able to leave. I heard that my father is furious with me even if he did not seem so at the World Cup. I was brought back to the home only to escape two more times after that one."

"I have no desire to be a man that kills people for pleasure. I once thought we were doing it because we were cleansing the bad blood, but I know that to be false now."

Harry nodded as he stayed a silent comfort to Draco in the way he seemed unmoved by the story and did not gaze at him in pity for his circumstances.

"The third and last time I escaped the manor was just before the new term started again. I was desperate to get away from there with my life. I accidentally managed to apparate from there despite the wards that should have prevented such actions. I was in the woods near the Weasley home, and lying there as if expecting to die because I was so hurt."

"Ginny had been walking the forest to look for a lost quidditch ball when she found me on the ground and barely conscious. At first, I-I think she wanted to sneer and walk away from me. I would have expected no less after all I have said and done to her family in blind ignorance to my family's true agenda."

"However, I think I said help to her and my voice was cracked. Her conscious got to her, or something. She then quickly returned to place the quidditch ball back since the goal had apparently won the game. She retrieved potions, salves, bandages and some food and water for me." Draco said

"I knew my father had been the one to use her last year and she was indifferent to me at first. I was never allowed into her home because of the suspicions that would have raised, but she did manage to get a spare blanket for me. I pretty much was using tree cover as shelter. I think the muggle term for it is 'camping', but I don't truly know."

"Over the time she spent healing me and re-bandaging me though, we learned that we were not so different in ideals. It was just how we achieved them that varied. She and I have a friendship that most would never understand. I want to ask her out, but I know her brothers would beat me to a pulp if I did not have someone to vouch for my switch."

"I have no intentions of joining the dark lord's crusade; not after what I have endured from my father and aunt Bella through him because I was curious. Technically, they should have just interrogated me then let me go, but if they did that I would still be watched heavily and if I even laid a toe out line; they probably would have killed me. Heir to my family or not, the risk of treachery was too great for them to ignore." Draco said

Harry was quiet as he stood and walked before the fireplace. He stared into the flames and then picked up a small glass bottle that was on the mantle. It held a fragment of bandage in it. The glass was charmed to never be able to break and the lid was sealed on it. The bandage fragment was one from the last time Fleur had healed him before she moved away. Harry had kept in a special box until Fleur gave him the bottle she had asked her parent to charm and to seal separately.

"Draco, I understand perfectly where you come from. I cannot say that I am totally sorry for what you endured, as we have been enemies for so long; but, I do know how you feel." Harry said softly

"The death eaters believe that I lived a life of luxuries and that I was fed from a silver spoon by my family. That is furthest from the true reality of my life." Harry told him

Draco watched as Harry walked uncomfortably around the area. Duilio came and tried to make him sit, but Harry refused to be pushed.

"I found out this summer that my mother was pure-blood." Harry told him, "She was kidnapped as a child and had her memories erased. Her clan was annihilated by someone I once thought I could trust."

"She was the heir of the Blood Mist Clan of Dark Elves, and now I am the heir." He said, "However, after the dark lord murdered my family; I was placed with muggles who were supposedly my mother's familial relations. They were not, and they also hated me and anything to do with our world."

"Magic was blasphemous to them. I was constantly beat for accidental magic bursts as a child. They starved me, beat me, and verbally abused me hoping it would get rid of the magic inside me." Harry said, "I also understand your situation with Ginny because I have a similar relationship with Fleur Delacour." Harry said

Draco eyed him warily as he held out the bottle to him, "This bottle contains the bloodstained fragment of a bandage. It is sealed in, but its significance is huge for me." Harry said

Draco eyed it and then looked at him.

"Why?"

"I met Fleur when I was seven and she was ten. She ran away when her father made her mad, and I had been punished again for an outburst. They finally forced me out of the house, and we literally collided into the other in a park not far from either of our homes." Harry said

"Fleur was the one who told me I was a wizard, as my relatives were determined I never find out. She was the one who healed me when they beat me instead of cared for me. She was the one who listened to my horrible home life when she did not have to and could have walked away from me."

Draco nodded, "And the bandage?"

"The bandage came from the last wounds she healed off of me before she was forced to move back to France with her family. She had cried that day and told me she was worried how I'd fare when she left. The bottle became my only reminder that she was the only friend I have ever had there."

Harry sighed, "My so-called family did everything they could to make the neighbors abhor me. I did not have friends my own age there, and my cousin and his group of gangster buddies tried to beat the shit out of me every chance they had." Harry told him

"When I learned of all the lies told to me at Gringotts this past summer; I knew I had to do something about them. I felt angry and betrayed."

"So the reason I seem so different is because I am that different now. Though sometimes you may still see parts of the old me, if you watch closely enough. The goblins trained me in Pure-blood traditions and things they seemed to think I needed to know. I can't say it was a waste, as it wasn't."

Draco nodded and seemed to comprehend how this was now possible.

"You mentioned you knew of the dark lord's plans at the world cup to me? How?" Draco asked as he relaxed more now and sat back

Harry sat and sighed, "I did not lie to you and the houses, Draco. The scar he gave me thirteen years ago binds his mind to my own somehow. When Tom is particularly angry or violent; I feel his wrath with his curses on my own skin as if he were next to me doing it. When I dream in sleep, his plans are shown to me if he is emotional in some shape then before succumbing to sleep."

"I had three interconnected dreams to his plans this summer from varying intervals, and that's how I knew what I did."

Draco nodded and seemed to understand.

"Then I guess all that is left is to decide where to go next?" he said uncertainly

Harry nodded, "I can vouch for you, but don't ask out Ginny directly as that would garner suspicion on both of us. Take time to try and connect to those you have not been able to do so with before to gain some trust among them."

"Gryffindors may be rash, hasty, and sometimes seem to be slightly insane; but we are far from too trusting of others. We do trust, but not as easily as it appears. I am the biggest advocate of this."

Draco nodded, "Well, you are half Gryffindor and half Slytherin in mindset, so that would be logical."

Harry smirked, "I would think so too, but my house seems otherwise informed to the matter. It is no wonder why I am considered the leader of the pack there over the seventh years. Even if I had not realized it before now as it is."

Draco smirked, "I know the feeling. I am the Slytherin Ice Prince after all."

"Touche." Harry smiled with sarcasm dripping at the word

Draco smiled now, "I think we will manage to get along just fine. I did truly wish to be your friend though in my first year. I was angry you rejected me and then I was jealous that you gave that hand to a Weasley. The blood feud was still long engrained then. It's ironic now, that all the jealousy I had has led me to want to date the only female daughter to the Weasley clan."

Harry nodded to this, "I can see how it would be. Me, I am just praying those famed dark elven urges we are known for don't start this year with all the chaos going on." Harry griped

Draco snorted at this, "Harry, even if they did, it's not like you could help it. While you would have to find a way to release the magic; you are still able to choose whom to go to. It's not random and you won't have a trance over you."

Harry mock sneered at him, "I knew that, but I still feel awkward and dirty over it. This is also a conversation I don't think I'd ever have in your presence."

Draco smirked at this, "Takes one to know one."

They just laughed at that and then discussed the terms of the truce before separating and going about the rest of their day.


	16. Interlude I: Salazar's Demands

**Interlude I**: _Salazar's Demands_

Harry and Fleur went down to the chamber to see what Salazar wanted. Duilio told him the portrait had been calling him, but Harry said he hadn't felt it so Duilio had to teach him how to recognize the signs.

The chamber's inner rooms were a secondary safe haven if his personal quarters became unsafe for him to use for any reason or violated in any ways so that he could no longer use them either. Salazar had said as the last true heir; he may do what he wanted in these rooms as he pleased and there was no one who could judge his actions of what he did here.

"Salazar, you've been calling to me, I hear?" Harry asked of him politely as Fleur sat down gracefully

"Indeed I have been trying to summon you here for some time. I wish to start training you earlier than expected. Duilio has noticed the man with the moving eye does not appear as he should. I am concerned this man is the one you has pushed you into the tournament."

Harry stood still, "I also assumed this as to be correct since his aura is off for someone who is technically light-sided and considered an elite auror; but if this man is the imposter, what would he gain by doing this though?"

"If he is a death eater in disguise, surely doing this is risky, as someone who knows the real him would catch the details sooner or later? And if he truly is of the dark lord's ranks, how is it we have not sensed the mark underneath the wards here yet?"

"If he is one who has been a spy or is unknown to us, I can see the way he has fooled us by changing appearances; however, the mark cannot be hidden by such easy means. Severus has already said as much even if he has no idea I was there at the time." Harry asked him seriously

Salazar looked at Harry with pride. His realization to his path had been opened, so therefore he was much more aware of how much danger he was in. In knowing all of this, he was taking everything in a little at a time and analyzing it before acting when he could. He was pushing down his instinct to just lash out and ultimately sparing himself and others much harm in doing it.

"I do not know why the wards have not sensed anything out the ordinary. If it is work done under potions that change one's signature or appearance, it is possible the wards see him as he is and do not sense the changes or the danger at all. Wards typically work better on spells and incantations versus potions, and the castle wards are no different here. Her semblance of mind does nothing to help her in this." Salazar said

Harry nodded, "I see. So this imposter is likely using a combination of potions and spells to be sure he is undetected."

"Yes, and that is why training early will give us an edge over him." Salazar said

Harry remained quiet and walked back and forth several times as Fleur hesitantly watched him. His body was tense and he seemed like he was unsure this was necessary yet.

"What would I learn underneath your tutelage since we are start so much earlier than previously planned out?" Harry asked

Salazar eyed him, "There are, as I said before, certain aspects of each founder's magic within you. I will test you eventually for these and train you to use them. After what you did for Amelia Bones, I already suspect you have Helga's gift for healing. Healing magic that hasn't been done in a very long time since the power of Britain's wizarding healers today are currently half powerful than what they once were."

"For now, I will be instructing you in dueling and higher level magic than what you are supposed to have knowledge of yet. This higher magical knowledge is very dangerous and valuable. These are things that could aid you within the tournament, and afterwards, in other nasty scenarios throughout your life if allowed to be so. I will also be teaching you some things that are considered today as Dark Magic."

Harry balked, "Do you want me to be expelled?"

Salazar glared, "Do you want to die to Tom Riddle?"

Harry eyed him warily, "What is that supposed to mean?"

Salazar sighed, "Do you really believe you could beat him with stunning spells, Harry? Or tickling charms and impediment jinxes?"

"Tom Riddle is the current foremost expert on all things dark magic, and I expected no less from someone who is my heir except he has lost himself to these arts when he should not have allowed them to control him and his mind. Tom has no qualms in using them against you or any of his enemies if it achieves him his goals. Do you really believe he would allow you to best him with such simplistic spells and enchantments?"

Harry stared at the floor now as his mind raced.

"All magic is a neutral energy to begin with. In the days old that I come from, magic was meant to serve our people and it was never meant to hinder us or to make us unable to progress. The formation of the first Ministry of magic hindered that when they began labeling certain spells as dark and forbid them. That is why the great war of old happened, and it burned the first Ministry to the ground."

"Merlin then stepped in and took control here. Things were peaceful and our land prospered, but there were those who still saw the damage some of ourt powers did as harmful. When Merlin died, the second founding of the Ministry occurred and this no one could stop it."

"As a dark elven prince, you are well aware of the old magic you possess and how the Ministry views it. It is more powerful than most in this world know and many would see you contained or even executed after the war to prevent you from seizing control and throwing off the balance in their own eyes. The dark lord will not stop just because he feels defeated. It is not logical to assume he would." Salazar told him

"We will have to work alongside the Ministry now if we wish and hope to survive in years to come should you defeat Tom Riddle." Salazar said softly to him, "Moreover, magic is made evil or good by the caster's hands and their intentions. I could use Wingardium Leviosa to levitate a baby bird back to its nest where it had fallen out of it as easily as I could levitate a human from the top of the Astronomy tower and hurl them to their deaths."

"Magical energy is not biased; it is always the caster who is at fault for its use due to intent." Salazar lectured him

"Spells that make people gain wounds may seem evil and dark, but have you ever wondered why such spells were created? When a wizard gains too much power; inherently their mind generally corrupts and they seek more power. This is what defines most magical overlords. Their environments at home and other factors do certainly equate into this path they take, but generally they do have opportunities to choose another way."

"It is in their willpower if they choose to do this or not."

"Tom Riddle is one of few who never feared his power, which is a foolhardy thing to do as a wizard to begin with, but he still never thought of another path once he had reached fifteen years old. He had been to greatly hurt by those outside the school to care for them and he was also too greatly snubbed by those in power here and their lack of concern for his well-being outside the school to want to go to them."

"You have great power and enough to destroy this school should you lose control. It is enough to know that you fear what should happen if you did. A wise person always considers the outcomes of his or her actions before they occur."

"You don't fear magic itself because it gave you back the life you were supposed to live, but you do fear your own power as it could overwhelm you. I will train you to harness this power, and it will take some time, but you will master it."

"Most dark arts were created to use as damage spells in self-defense of those who went corrupt in the old days. They had to find ways to defend themselves if they were attacked and stunning spells were not enough."

Harry nodded somberly as Fleur came to sit by him on the floor now where he had fallen.

"Harry, in the veela society, if someone harms a person's mate to be or harms a mated veela; the dominant mate has the right to kill the offender. It is the same amongst your kind. If someone were to harm that person who is connected to you for life and is the only one who would ever be allowed to share that life-time with you; wouldn't you do anything in your power to make sure they never hurt them again?" Fleur asked

Harry looked at her and saw they concern in her eyes. It was as if she questioned his very being in this moment and was looking for an answer.

Harry stood again from where he had fallen before, "You're both right. I have been living in naivety and denial. Tom would never allow me to win in such ways, and I know that. I would never allow another person to hurt my mate as Tom is trying to do to me. They are equivalent in punishment even if the circumstances are different."

"Salazar, I agree to train with you when I can. The tournament and classes take most of my priority right now, but I will find some way to see you for these lessons."

Salazar nodded, "It is time then."

Harry eyed him, "Time for what exactly?"

Salazar smiled, "You have realized your path and understand your destiny as the burden you must undertake. Your friends will help you bear the weight, but you know what you must do alone in this. It is time for the Hogwarts herself to recognize you."

Harry then stood very still as the castle in the chamber vibrated.

"I sense an energy that was not there before." Harry said in a cracked tone of panic

"Be calm Harry, it is just the castle's sentience waking from its long slumber." Salazar said

Harry waited and then a white flash was there and after it disappeared; a young girl was there in a simple soft blue dress with white lace around the neck.

"I am the sentience of Hogwarts Castle." She spoke, "You felt me several times in the last three years here, but you never knew why."

"I have been bound to slumber until now, and so you are now my master. I will do all can to you and the students here sheltered from harm. There are those inside who would wish otherwise. The man with the moving eye is one and even the headmaster is one for you to worry of Master Potter." She bowed courteously

Harry and Fleur stared at her with awe and did not utter a sound.

"A word of advice Master?" She said

Harry nodded no words came forth.

"You are the Lord of All Magic. Dark Elves have always been thus, so therefore as Godric's heir you are the owner of this castle and of my sentience. Albus Dumbledore murdered your clan, planned it within these wall, and now he wishes to use you for the war to come and then to either lock you away or kill you." She said without hesitation

"The magical balance is unsteady. You will work with the Ministry to restore it slowly. But magical power should not be labeled as it has been. Undo the wrongs that have been made and set the world back as it needs. Merlin foresaw a world of peace balanced by both black and white oriented magic, but all magic is gray until used by a caster. Be the caster who can hold the power of both in his hands and do what is right."

Harry stared, "I barely have enough control to do this tournament, now you ask I set our world back?"

She eyed him, "Tom Riddle is the least of your problems if you don't. There is a far greater evil here inside this castle if you wait too late to become who you are meant to be."

Harry's eyes shut in frustration as the sentience disappeared, "I will be here to give guidance to you should you call."

Fleur wrapped her arms around him comfortingly as he then tried to process the information he was given. Her heart broke more as she saw what he had to do just to live in peace, but she had resolved herself to be there for him no matter the cost to herself.

"Harry, why is you hesitate to be yourself as you are needed?" Fleur asked him

Harry raised his head and looked to her concerned eyes again and then lowered them, "I knew Albus was dangerous as this from the beginning. I knew he planned to eradicate me and my family so he had the power from our legacy. I wanted to not give him more reasons to suspect me of hiding my power, but it seems the more I hide the harder my magic pushes to be let out and my control slips."

Fleur's eyes widened, "Harry that is a bad thing to do when you are suppressing your magic like that. You could drive yourself mad by doing it this way. You need to be yourself now and allow them to know who you really are, or you will not last much longer."

Harry glared at her, "And if I do this, and the headmaster decides I'm dangerous; what are we going to do? The tournament is a contract and if he forces me out; I've just lost my power as a wizard?"

"He can't do that without Ministry approval and the Ministry would never let him." Salazar told him

Harry stared at him, "Why wouldn't they? They all either love me one minute or hate me the next?"

"Because despite their biased opinions on you; if you lost your magic for real, many would rebel because they know you defeated Tom all those years before. They believe you can do it again even if they have no idea you are going to have to. For Albus to destroy this chance makes him a societal enemy and he values his public reputation as much as his titles." Salazar told him

Harry nodded, "I will think on it then and in a few days I will come to give you answer. I agree to training, but not to revealing myself just yet. I need time to consider some things."

Salazar nodded, "Fleur dear, can you please help him back to Duilio at the base of the entrance. I think Harry is kind of out of it."

Fleur nodded and walked with Harry as she observed him heavily. He was out of it, and seemed to be considering the words spoken to him with great care. Duilio had immediately taken him from her as they resurfaced, and so she went to secretly speak to Ron, Hermione, Viktor and Cedric of what happened.

Later on Harry's friends had not spoken to him of what Fleur revealed to them all. Harry seemed worn out and his body literally shook under the duress of his glamour charms. At first he had not wanted to wear any, but soon realized he had changed to much for him not to and not have suspicions placed on him.

Hermione came and helped him study later after he had been helping pull Ron away from Malfoy when he seemed to want to approach Harry for some reason; though his mind was drifting a lot now and was barely paying attention to her lecture, not that she blamed him after what she learned today from Fleur of her friend's fate. Eventually she sent him to eat, bathe and rest as it was clear he wasn't getting anywhere.


	17. Chapter XIV Pt I: A Moment of Anger

**Chapter XIV Pt. I**: _A Moment of Anger and Decisions Made _

It was roughly two weeks until the tournament's first task, and the four champions by now had all been secretly pre-warned of the use of dragons in it. Harry had found out first when Hagrid had secretly written him to meet him at the edge of the forest at night with his cloak, and he had then also brought Fleur. They then warned both Viktor and Cedric carefully and separately while they all made sure the librarian didn't become suspicious over the use of books relating to dragons recently despite the knowledge of the tournament going on.

Currently, it was nine o' clock, and Harry was relaxing in the steaming bath. He had had a rough day today. Between Viktor pulverizing him in two separate duels and then him having to keep Ron from blowing his top when Draco approached them as they planned; yes his body and mind were taxed out for the day. All he wanted to do was drop in a deep sleep and stay that way tonight.

Duilio laid near the tub and was purring contently in sleep while the steam wafted about the room as if he didn't have a care in the world as to what was going on. Harry knew otherwise, but he also did not understand it in animal terms and frankly; he honestly did not think he wanted to most of the time.

Then there was loud banging on the door as Duilio sat up in fast action and snarled before realizing it was door and made low growling sounds in irritation. Didn't his master deserve a break? Harry cursed under his breath and stood as he then moved to dry off and robe himself.

Hermione was at the door apparently, as her aura gave her away due to her distress.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" Harry asked tiredly

Hermione's face winced, "It's not so much as to what's wrong than what has happened, Harry."

Harry stood still now and his body language said he was highly alert, "What's happened then?"

"Fleur was attacked by four people earlier tonight and altogether in the halls. They have no names yet as to who did this to her, and she refuses to speak to anyone of it except for you. The faculty members have been trying to get her to tell them something, but she has been refusing to tell them anything outright and turns them a deaf ear." She whispered

Harry's eyes razed in anger at this as he now was highly alert, "Where is she now?"

"She is still in the hospital ward as far as I know. She's asked for you several times now after refusing to talk and the professors are hesitant to allow you into this as your nature does seem to go overboard when she's concerned in some form, and so the headmaster came to me to get you since apparently Duilio doesn't like him either and has refused to allow him admittance to your new rooms." She smirked some before sobering

Harry smirked a bit to that and nodded as he too sobered from the off-side joke, "Let me redress and I'll be on my way as soon as I'm done."

Hermione nodded and left as Harry rushed to his room to dress again despite his sore body.

* * *

Ten minutes later, the doors to the hospital wards were blasted open in a pique of magical fury and energy. The aura around Harry was sizzling and his eyes betrayed his anger over this incident. The professors had never seen Harry this way, nor had they ever seen him exude this level of power. It was a new and almost fascinating aspect to the young man they knew.

"Mister Potter, there was no need to do that this way." Poppy reprimanded him

Harry glared at her and his verdant eyes were swirling angrily, "Where is Fleur, and is she alright?"

Poppy clucked her tongue at him, "Of course she is Harry; she is strong in her own right as you know, but you best calm down or you might upset her in your current state of mind as I don't think she intended to see you this way. Professors McGonagall, Snape and Flitwick are here if you need us for anything. The headmaster has been removed from here as he was being too invasive before and was not helping."

Harry's shoulders relaxed some as he breathed in and out to calm the tornado effect of energy on him.

"Where is she, Madame Pomfrey?" Harry asked again and this time much more calm to his professors surprise and relief

"She is near the back of the room on the left side." She told him

Harry nodded silently as he walked swiftly in this direction while the hospital matron watched on in smiles that Harry had finally found someone to be close to as young as he was. The Professors noticed his maturity in this instance and wondered how they had missed it before. Professor Snape internally knew he had gravely misjudged Harry through his first few years, but was hesitant to try and speak to him after all he had done to save his student in his house from themselves in the next few coming years.

* * *

Harry approached her bed quietly and his anger started to rise as he saw her injuries. She was pale, more so than she normally was, and she had lacerations all up and down her back and arms. They were no longer bleeding, but still raw and sore. Her left hand seemed to be re-growing, which meant it had been previously broken and her right hand was in a similar state; meaning her attacker had not wanted her to defend herself and took measures against it. Her breathing was stable, but faint.

There was bruising on her body and Harry sensed the traces of spell damage on her; meaning she had fought back and sustained injury from spell-casting. Her scent was over-toned with illness now and not the floral one he was used to smelling that eased his tension and calmed his rage. Jasmine and Camomile with hints of the first Spring rainfall and slight mist.

"Fleur, can you hear me right now? I came because they finally relented and sought to get me here." Harry whispered softly

Fleur nodded to his voice, but she did not open her eyes yet.

"I can hear you fine, Harry. I am glad you came once they sent for you. I knew you would come to hear me out." She said

"Who did this to you, Fleur?" He asked her gently, "Tell me who did this to you, and I swear to you they will get just as good as they gave to you if not more. Your father will likely blow his top if he finds out as well." He asked of her

The Professors in the background winced to this as they knew it was Harry's right to avenge her injuries since they knew Harry cared greatly for the older veela female. He acted like she was his mate, but they weren't certain of it. If Richard Delacour found out of this incident, there was definitely going to be hell to pay to fix it.

Fleur hesitated, "My father has no need to be involved as I know you know enough to carry out the correct measures. You also know as well as I do as to who did this to me Harry, but I think it is more important for you to be more controlled right now. Be the better person, and wait for me to recover somewhat. Then we can address the assault and act on the repercussions of it."

Harry shook his head, "Fleur, no, this has got to stop or it will only continue and it will get worse if they believe they can get away with it. I won't attack them without witnesses and the school teachers know of creature rights, so they will be abided by here. But, I need to know who all attacked you to do so. I will want to see if any of them were forced by Rodger to help him to do this."

Fleur sighed, "Just be careful when dealing with them, as I don't want a reverse situation of the one we have now. Rodger was the main offender, and he always has been, but there three others. A boy named Anthony Goldstein in Ravenclaw as well. I think he is in your year, and I think Rodger cornered him into it due to some blackmail he has on him."

"Then there was a Hufflepuff boy called Zacharias Smith, and I knew this due to the smell associated to him when I passed several times in the halls. And then there was a girl in Ravenclaw called Cho Chang, and think she was there because of her own issues with jealousy that I created. I think she liked Rodger, but he ignored her due to me and so she was jealous of me because I had his attention but turned it away and he continued to pursue instead of give up."

"Not an excuse that is good enough to warrant what she has helped do to me, but still." Fleur told him

Harry nodded, "I will think on what you said and then decide how to deal with this. Your father will only be told if I feel it is necessary to do so. As of this point in time, I do not think informing him would help anything, so I will not write him yet."

Fleur nodded and sighed, "I have been meaning to ask you something though, Harry." She said softly, "When exactly do dark elves know they are near their mate or more precisely, at what age do they begin to sense them and how do they sense them? Is it similar to a veela and you just smell a certain scent on them, or is it different?" Fleur asked him

Harry eyed her wonderingly at this, "Normally most dark elves will feel their mate by the age of ten if near them long enough to recognize the signs of a mate being close to them and the sensations that go with them as most are raised in small clans underground away from most societies any longer. Those few who are raised outside of a clan like me might not feel them until my age now or older depending on their environs and other factors; it's hard to say." He said

"In fact, being raised underground or on the surface has its advantages and disadvantages. A dark elf who is raised underground has no knowledge of the surface world usually and so if their mate is on the surface; a form of culture shock occurs as they try to adapt. The same is said in reverse. It is why many of my race die young. They cannot handle the change, so the mates are often fighting among themselves. Unable to live without the other, they end up killing each other out of mercy because neither will give in but neither can survive without their mate either." Harry told her gently and softly as his eyes betrayed their sadness

The professors had not realized Harry had known so much of his people already and wondered if perhaps the old wounds inflicted from wars past were a large factor in how wizards with creature inheritances lived in society outside the traditional ones. Dark elves mated for life and wizarding wars pushed them underground to live, so it was at least partially their fault Harry's people lived this way.

"As dark elves are usually sensitive to magical energies, we tend to feel our mates by sensing a certain connection in agreeing magical signatures to those around us. The sensations in the pull allow us to be at ease around this person and then we start to associate a certain scent to them. This scent tells us whether or not they are truly our mate. It can take a dark elf anywhere from days to months to figure it out if they are near constantly around them."

"In extreme cases, some dark elves have cases that have lasted years before figuring it out, but the needs of a mate drove them insane because they were apart too long and had no one to give in to the urges associated with our culture. Few of us last many years without a mate, and I am well-aware that I am no different than any other dark elf in this aspect after my urges should awaken." Harry told her as the professors seemed interested in how he had learned all this

"Why are you so interested in this now, Fleur?" He asked her cautiously

Fleur hesitated again, "Harry, there is no easy way to say this. I feel safe with you around me and when you aren't around I feel vulnerable and as if the walls surrounding me have been blasted apart. There is just this invisible protection there that I feel when I am near you, and when you leave it fades away and leaves me feeling bare and open to the whole world. I can relax when I am in your presence because you allow me to be myself while others don't do as such, so I must wear a mask and I am forced to guard myself behind a wall of emotional indifference. You accept me as I am and in return I do the same."

"Around you, these emotional walls are able to come down and allow me to show you who I am without the fear of judgment or rejection. I am allowed to show you the veela part of me that no one else wants to see because they are afraid of it or of what it can do if it loses control. You, in return, are allowed to show the parts of you that you hide away so well from everyone else due to who you are to them and what they have come to expect from you." She told him quietly

"Our lives have become so very hidden from those we considered friends and even family because of the new details in our lives. It's not something I like, but I do understand as you do that is was necessary."

"I thought our friendship as children, while quite accidental in how we managed to meet and how it formed, was also quite special. However, being older now and I guess some would say wiser, I feel as though our relationship has changed some with how things have been happening this year. Things changing in a good way for us both if one cared to notice them at all." She told him

"You know what I mean, don't you? You did feel it, didn't you?" She asked

The Professors watched the scene with carefully trained gazes now, while appearing not intrude too invasively as Harry sighed in dismay. The dark elf and veela across the room were well aware of their gazes and so they tried to ignore them.

The faculty also did not wish to anger them both and set them into anger modes. Harry alone was strong enough to eliminate them all if angered far enough. To have his potentially weakened veela mate go at them at the same time was a death wish.

Harry sat there beside her and his hands took hers into his own gently and carefully to cradle them without re-damaging the broken bones that had already mended, and allowed them to stay in the warmth and comfort they offered her as she seemed pleased by this action. His eyes were sparkling with tears as he was both happy and sad at this.

"Fleur, you are trying to tell me that we are mates, aren't you? I haven't sensed it the normal way for my clan or even as a dark elf, but I did sense it another way that is unique to me I guess. But you have felt this too?" He asked her, "That's why when I nearly broke down a few weeks ago and nearly lost control you told me I needed to remind the world why I was chosen to defeat he dark lord. It is why you also said you no longer cared what others thought of our relationship and it was time I started acting like the lord I was born as."

The Professors shivered to those words that were said in warmth to the veela from Harry, but those same words also sent chills down all their spines as they listened in.

Fleur nodded as her blue eyes finally opened, "Yes. I've been trying to get you to understand. The pressure on my end was nearly unbearable and I hoped you had noticed something, but you always appeared as if you did not. Your mask is near unbreakable and your magical control now is almost as good. Except in regards to me or those you care for when they are hurt or in danger."

Harry lowered his head in shame now, "No, I noticed it too. I just did not want to push you into something you might not have wanted. I was always feeling like I wanted to be near you since you arrived and I wanted to openly socialize as we could have, but we had appearances to keep that have allowed us some measure of safety here. Then we were forced to stay separate even when we did not have to, and I felt ill at ease but ignored my feelings."

"Fleur, being by me will not be easy. The dark lord will want to hunt you to either kill you to hurt me, or to capture you and use you against me. This is not something I take lightly, and I ask you to please consider this before you agree." Harry pleaded, "I also do not feel as though I have earned the right to have you if I cannot even protect you."

The Professors heard the desolation in his tone and knew the revival of the dark lord weighed heavily on Harry's mind now. To have a mate at his age, even if she was three years older, was still a lot to consider. They wanted him to be free to be happy, but with the war that loomed; the inevitable possibility of his death was higher than most would like to think of.

Professor Snape watched the scene with sadness and realized exactly how badly he had misjudged this boy. He had not known Harry knew of the burdens placed on him by their world, nor had he known the boy was as powerful as he seemed to be.

He felt as if he watching a similar scene he once witnessed between James and Lily so long ago just after they had been married, and his heart hurt to see Lily's son so worried and tired in this way. It was not something he should have to worry of, yet he did have to.

Fleur eyed him, "I knew all this already and had already made up my mind. The dark lord would have to go through me to get to you if he wants you dead. The veela in me will have it no other way. I would tear his flesh and bleed him with my claws before he ever would touch you again if I was allowed that courtesy." Fleur told him in a quiet hissing tone, "You know as well as I do that he would never allow me near enough to do that. I will not sit idly by and watch you tear yourself apart over him and do nothing."

"As for protection Harry; you have protected me even if you did not know it. Most of the boys would leave me alone if you were near as they knew of your closeness to me and to my family and they all did not wish to anger you. Your magical power both impressed them with the control you have and it also makes them fearful somewhat of what you will do if you lose control."

"It is the same as if it was me with my veela side, except they don't know of dark elven one of you. A few probably do, but they already accepted it. Most of the people around us see the changes, but they don't truly understand the truths behind them and what has caused them. Your previous explanations to the houses were only half of the whole arguments. If they did know the truth, they would all cower in fear more than they likely do already even if hidden in a mask." Fleur told him

The faculty present to these conversations wondered what was going on now. How did these drastic changes truly occur in this boy they knew and how did Fleur factor into this besides being his mate now apparently?

"I know the road ahead will be dangerous and probably very scary for both of us, but I will not let you walk away from me Harry. We have endured too much to do this to each other now. I healed the wounds your supposed relatives inflicted on you as a child, several times over, and you made me a more confident person because of that. I never felt I was good enough until I met you." Fleur told him

The Professors now all wondered on her words. Harry had been abused as a child, and they had not known? Professor Snape eyed the boy and knew better than the other two what he had likely endured if those claims were true. Albus's actions towards a certain current dark lord were not as hidden as he liked to believe.

Harry sat there and listened to her. His brain was running a thousand miles a minute trying to process it all and what to do about it. His awareness of the professors still being there was the least of his worries now though he did wish they would vanish and not be there currently.

"Fleur, after you recover from this; will you allow me to court you?" Harry asked her gently

The veela's eyes snapped wide in shock, but then a smile was on her face and tears of joy were expressed.

"I would like nothing more than that. Except maybe a kiss in the great hall that stuns it silent the whole mealtime so I can eat in peace." Fleur joked

Harry snorted at that and then smiled gently, "I don't think they'll remain silent the whole meal, but maybe a good five to ten seconds of stunned gazes would work. I have to go now, but I will be by after classes tomorrow and then we can review strategy for our tournament that you missed with Viktor, Cedric and I."

She nodded and faded to sleep as Harry's form walked out of sight while the three faculty members wondered what Potter was planning to do to her attackers besides likely publicly humiliating them all in front of the school.


	18. Chapter XIV Pt II: A Lord Is Born

**Previously:**

"_Fleur, after you recover from this; will you allow me to court you?" Harry asked her gently_

_The veela's eyes snapped wide in shock, but then a smile was on her face and tears of joy were expressed._

"_I would like nothing more than that. Except maybe a kiss in the great hall that stuns it silent the whole mealtime so I can eat in peace." Fleur joked_

_Harry snorted at that and then smiled gently, "I don't think they'll remain silent the whole meal, but maybe a good five to ten seconds of stunned gazes would work. I have to go now, but I will be by after classes tomorrow and then we can review strategy for our tournament that you missed with Viktor, Cedric and I."_

_She nodded and faded to sleep as Harry's form walked out of sight while the three faculty members wondered what Potter was planning to do to her attackers besides likely publicly humiliating them all in front of the school._

**Chapter XIV Pt II**: _A Lord Is Born_

The next morning in the Great hall was normal by most standards to the students, though the faculty seemed to be on edge and the foreign heads seemed mad about something or the other. Everything was fine until an angry Lord Harry James Potter strolls in with swirling magic and a Nundu familiar who seems to be at the edge of its sanity by trying to leash its master instead of the other way around.

Duilio seemed to be trying to calm Harry as he walked slowly into the hall with sizzling power about him. It was not working well, and the cat knew something was about to happen. What he couldn't say, but his master was very angry right now and that had a ill omen for the whomever the brunt of his anger lashed at.

"Professor, Students, and esteemed guests of Hogwarts Castle; I am sorry to have to interrupt our meal like this but I am afraid I must." Harry said in a bitterly arctic tone, "Last night Fleur Delacour was attacked and assaulted in the dark hours of the night within these walls. She will be able to compete still and is to recover fully by tomorrow afternoon." Harry told them

"However, as her date to the Yule Ball and also as her betrothed; I am giving her attackers one chance to come forward of their own free will." Harry said to the hall coldly

The students all froze as did the whole area. The houses had no idea who could've done something so stupid. Those who had attacked the girl were eerily silent and made no move to come forward; hoping to hell Potter had no idea who attacked her.

"No one?" Harry said with a sneer, "Sorry, but that won't do."

Harry then waved his palms and the House tables were gone; leaving student on their feet with a dueling platform in the middle of the room. The audience had collectively missed the wand-less magic and non-verbal magic he had done in shock to the vanishing tables. The headmaster looked as though he wanted to intervene, but he sighed and did not do so as he knew he could not by creature laws that protected both Fleur and Harry now.

"Rodger Davies, Anthony Goldstein, Cho Chang and Zacharias Smith, all of you come forward now." Harry commanded them

The students turned to them all and watched as their faces paled and stepped forward. All the houses seemed angry at them and no one spoke up for their house members. It was the first time in a very long while no one point fingers at another house in false allegations.

"Anthony, is it true Rodger blackmailed you in to helping him? Fleur believed you were forced to help him due to some kind of information Rodger had that made you give in?" Harry asked him softly but with an icy voice

Anthony nodded his head as it bowed to the ground in his show of respect to Harry and the young lord seemed to know he was telling the truth.

"You are free to join your housemates. You were there against your will, and therefore cannot be treated equal in the punishment these three are about to endure. It is not unlike anything they likely have ever faced in their lives." Harry said in a final way

Anthony hastily stepped away from them and retook his seat.

Harry's eyes then landed on Rodger who was the main offender here.

"Rodger, you have continually groped at Fleur since she arrived here inappropriately and without her consent. You tried twice to push her into a relationship she never wanted and to do things she would never have done consensually with you. You also have been rejected several times by her and yet you persist to pursue her even after she hexes you, jinxes you, or slaps you away from her." Harry told the hall

"Now you have attacked and assaulted that which is mine by right to protect, so you will know why I am to defeat the dark lord and why I am the only one who can do so. Step on the platform and draw your wand." Harry ordered him coldly

Rodger was paler than he had ever been, but he did not back down and his eyes held a determined gaze to them. This boy was three year younger than he was, so it should be easy to outright duel him and win against him. The headmaster had now been watching keenly to this display. Harry had outwardly acknowledged to the school he was the one who must defeat the dark lord and he was the only one capable of such a feat? He must have been hiding some things if he was willing now to demonstrate them now.

"Where's your wand Potter?" Rodger sneered at him

Harry's eyes glinted maliciously and his mouth curved to a smirk, "Who said I needed one to beat you?"

The staff and the headmaster were rather shocked by this statement, but they said nothing yet.

"Come off it Potter, you aren't that good?" Rodger sneered

Harry waved his hand and a stunning spell shot at him while Rodger barely dodged it in time to avoid it and the hall gasped to the sight of both wand-less magic and some that also done non-verbally.

Harry smirked. His training done with Salazar's portrait has been useful after all even though they had started much earlier than planned before.

"Vulnus Corpus." Harry shot at him and it hit

Rodger screeched in pain as the lacerations littered his body along his back, chest, arms. They were red and raw and began to bleed under duress of the pain weighting him now.

"How does it feel to be the one covered in those now, Rodger." Harry snarled as he dragged him up by his neck, "How does it feel to know you inflicted this much pain on the girl you wanted because she refused you?"

Rodger could not say anything under the intense pain and was beginning to regret attacking the girl if this was how he was going to be punished.

"Sicco Sanguis." Harry called and the hall watched in horror as blood drained quickly from the open wounds to the floor and more blood kept spilling at a very fast rate.

"How does feel to know that you did this to one you claimed to care for and yet then hurt her because she was not interested in you the way you were with her?" Harry slapped his face with his free hand

Bruising formed on one side of his face as Rodger now struggled to breath due to the blood clogging his throat.

"Diffringo Bracchium." Harry enchanted and Rodger's arms broke

"How does it feel to know you are as broken now as you made Fleur feel when you broke her hands and her body down?"

Rodger's eyes yielded under the fury of Harry's power and anger and Harry tossed him like a ragdoll to the floor.

"Get him to the infirmary before he bleeds to death. He needs immediate medical attention, not that he deserves it." Harry told Goldstein who moved promptly and was grateful Fleur had told him he was being blackmailed.

"Cho, it's your turn. Step up." Harry told her

Cho was pale and shaky now. Her legs were evident proof as she walked up the stairs and they nearly gave up on her.

"You know Cho, I used to like you somewhat, but now these actions have shown to me what your true colors would be like in a fight if you felt crossed by someone one way or another to any side. It's not a good symbolism of things to come either." Harry told her coldly

"Draw your wand or you are at my mercy and I will not be merciful. Rodger did not defend himself out of arrogance and because he believed I was an easy target due to our age gap, but you are not that dumb. I know you wanted Rodger, and I know he ignored you. You were jealous of Fleur because she had his attention but refused him. After several times, he never gave up so your jealousy grew because she kept refusing him and you were still continually ignored as he continued to chase after someone who would never have him." Harry told her and the whole hall to hear

"I admit I was jealous Harry, and I know what we did was wrong, but please? Does this punishment truly meet what we have done?" She asked him

Harry snarled at her and his glamour fell away. The hall watched in shock as the robes of the boy they knew changed into those of a young lord and his ears sharpened and his hair lengthened. His whole aura seemed to suffocate the hall with its pressure now and his eyes were angry as he looked at her

"Do you understand now, Cho? Do you realize the gravity of your actions against me and Fleur?" Harry asked her as power swirled about and flickered while the students and faculty watched in stunned awe and silence.

Cho merely shook her head to his words and he snorted.

"Of course you don't? Human wizards often believe they are superior to all magical races, but the truth is; we are all alike in many forms. Our laws may be different, but we all have some of the same shared ideals. However, in the eyes of both the veela and dark elven societies, all three of you would be dead already. I am showing you mercy currently because I am not in my ancestral home nor am I inside of Fleur's ancestral homeland. If I truly wanted to get my real revenge for hurting her the way you three have done, you would all be dead as that is the punishment you deserve for assaulting her as my betrothed when she has done nothing to warrant being attacked in such a manner."

Cho's face paled more drastically to this and she sunk to her knees in shame. Her tears overflowed and her mind was torn. Had she really allowed herself to become so angry and bitter for such trivial reasons? Reasons that blinded her to the truth of what could happen to her if she failed?

"You cry for your failure and wallow in self-pity. You disgust me, so get out of my sight and if you ever harm Fleur again; you will not like the consequences." Harry told her venomously

Cho's two friends hesitantly came forward and lifted her up before taking her away and out of sight.

"Zacharias, I believe this is the second time you have crossed me and my anger, is it not?" Harry said coldly

The Hufflepuff boy was scared shitless of the swirling magic in Harry and wondered if he even knew of the potency in it.

"You crossed me once when you tried to man-handle Hermione by taking her way from me in the halls during second year before she was petrified. You claimed I was a danger and she shouldn't socialize with me." Harry told them

"The irony is that I am the one who has sheltered the students of this school with my abilities and protected them all. Even if they threw hateful words at me, sneered at me, and hated me just for being a person."

The hall collectively shuddered and many eyes were now downcast to the floor.

"You liked Hermione then as well so part of it was selfishness that made you want to take her away from me and Ron as her friends, but you were also too cowardly to stand up for yourself against Ron and I as her best friends and to her as her own person. We protect our own, as all houses do, but I protect those closest to me further still for reasons you cannot possibly claim to understand." Harry snarled, "You hated me because you could not beat me and you could not get to Hermione then."

"Hermione Granger is the sister I have never had in everything but blood. I protect her as she protects me. You resented our closeness, and it made you bitter. Ron and his brothers are much the same, and together we are a formidable wall to break. You knew this and resented it until hatred poured into you."

"Now you see Hermione with someone other than me, and while you don't like her that way anymore, you resent that I am not with her because of my closeness to her. You resent that I chose another over her, even if I already know who she is with and approve of." Harry's eyes smirked and smiled as Hermione's widened slightly while Ron stared between them and then began to quietly interrogate her.

"So, you agreed to help attack that which is mine protect out of bitter jealousy and resentment for your own failures in personality. Now, I will have the pleasure of making sure it doesn't happen ever again."

"You are about to have a traditional duel with yours truly, and if I lose, you will not endure the punishment I have set aside for you as a second-time offender against me. If I win, you will endure the punishment and your family will be made aware of what you have done. I don't think your parents are going to like that you have insulted a Lord twice over." Harry warned him

Zacharias nodded and was quite pale. He stepped up onto the platform and they bowed to the other. Zacharias struck first with a stunning spell that Harry the deflected back at him with a special shield.

The blonde moved out of the way quickly as he shot a leg-locker curse, and Harry merely yawned in boredom to his choices in spells as his hand waved again and the leg-locker was absorbed into what seemed to be the floor.

"Potter, don't just stand around and play with me." Zacharias called

Harry smirked, "You think this is playing for me?"

"This is a bare minimum of play for me and I would rather render your hide to the wall over there to amuse myself, but I think the hall would rather not look at your arrogant ass the rest of the year."

The hall was hard pressed to decide whether or not to be grossed out by images or laugh at Zacharias's unfortunate dilemma."

Harry smirked, "You want a real duel then, so be it. Allow me to introduce you to these then."

Harry summoned some twin swords and smirked, "These are like a wand and yet much more dangerous in hands that could misuse them. They are called Nimble and Nightmare, and are the twin swords favored by Godric after his personal broadsword and shield. Godric was a master of all weapons and I have learned several myself."

"Gemellus Dirigo Gladius." Harry called

The swords hummed with new life and magic and then fire erupted from them and they maintained the burn as he stood there.

"How will you combat these if you cannot touch them and how will you beat me if you cannot even begin to hope to reach me?" Harry snarled

Zacharias stared at them and then dropped to his knees with his hand surrendering in the air. Harry saw that and nodded as he put out the swords and vanished them from sight.

"You will be notified by owl when I have finished preparing the punishment in store for you. I will also be sending that letter I mentioned earlier."

Harry turned and addressed the hall, "Students, staff and other visitors…I am sad to say this display was not what I would want to use as a piece to inspire others with. However, I also do have some things I feel should be said."

"For many centuries the Ministry of Magic has labeled magic dark, light or neither. It is these definitions of magic in which society today yields by and teaches our students with. However, magic is not light, dark, or neutral by nature at all. It is just there, and we who pride ourselves as witches and wizards are the only ones who can use and manipulate this energy freely."

"Yes, some of the magic I did to Davies is considered dark, even though I am considered the light's foremost champion and scion of all virtues. My family is directly connected to some of the most notorious light and dark wizard of our community. I have power of both on my side, if I should ever need it. Tell me, do you think I could beat a dark lord with stunning spells or tickling charms?" Harry asked them

"Magic is only made evil and dark when we make it so in our intentions. If we plan to kill someone knowingly and do so, then the Avada Kedavra is dark to those around us. But if a healer asked a soldier beyond help if he wished to let go and they agreed…the healer performed it; does that make the spell just as evil?"

"The dark lord will not give me the chance to use simple means to beat him, and nor will death eaters sit around and not curse you all for protecting me. They don't care who they hurt, so long as I end up dead at the dark lord's hands one way or another. I have protected all of you several times over, so now it is time you all think about how you will react when war comes again because it will."

"It is time we of the light own up to the failures of the past war and rectify them now before he begins his raids on all of us again. Fleur's attack was grave and it angered me greatly, and yes, she is my betrothed truly…so if anyone does attack again, you know what waits you when I find out because I will find out."

"I will protect her, but I must also deal with a crazed psychopath, and I cannot do this with basic spell-work. It is time for us all greatly to consider for ourselves how we wish to act in the times to come because no one is guaranteed safety."

"You can glare at me for using such seemingly violent magic, but in the end of this, how does anything light kill someone? Sure I could use a Wingardium Leviosa to levitate him and drop him, but he would just apparate away." Harry asked them all as he stepped down and walked briskly out of the hall

The hall was in shock and the headmaster was the most. He had no idea where Harry had even learned that magic and now he was formally taking charge of the war he was supposed to be leading. Things looked bad for him now.

Classes had been cancelled for the day in light of the events that morning. Students of all houses were considering Harry's words more than they liked to admit as they tried to lighten up and relax.

Harry remained by Fleur in the hospital ward and kept her company in case Davies woke and tried something after just being healed.


	19. Interlude II: A Spy's Decision

**Interlude II****:** _A Spy's Decision_

Severus Snape was not a man who would be called sociable or even lightly amiable. He was in fact, quite the opposite of the words and tended to prefer solitude and silence above most other things in his life when allowed them. How he ended up teaching students at a school was a very long story he tended to want to forget, but he had been there now for over ten years.

He had seen many students come and go from the halls he had too once called his school. Some were gifted in certain areas and others he had often wondered why they even bothered to admit them. He had remained there and he watched over them as any other professor did but at a cost greater than many of the other faculty regularly acknowledged.

It was an acknowledgement on their part, but the truth was that he had a secret and one that had burdened him for most of his life that had landed him where he was today in part.

A secret that had; at certain times in his life, both pleased and disgusted him. It was a secret made out of a decision made from anger, hatred, and jealousy in his teenage years. One choice that he had made of his own accord and it was the same choice he now repented for each day.

It had been over ten years, and now his secret was about to become known to the body of the school if things kept moving the way they were. It was something he would have no control over if the war progressed as it was.

Harry Potter was now only fourteen years of age, but in one year of time; he had changed from what Severus knew to be as an arrogant, cocky, and mischievous teenager to something totally different and barely understood in his mind. The boy was powerful, more so than he had ever anticipated though it was expected if the boy was truly of the dark elves lost to the last war. On top of that, the boy had hidden his true powers and emotions from the staff and most of the student body for the better half of the first term already.

As a spy for nearly twenty years, to be able to hide this from him was remarkable.

Severus sighed, "I know what I feel is right to do in my mind, but I still feel it is not logical to do it."

"Then maybe I can set your mind at ease." A new voice entered

Severus's eyes darted to the frame over the fire and saw not the the scenery he was used to, but Salazar instead.

"Salazar." Severus said in respect

The portrait nodded, "Something troubles you, I can sense it, and I know you are feeling out of the loop and for someone as yourself; it is an uncomfortable one. Tell me what burdens you so?" Salazar asked

"You have spoken to Harry before now, correct?" Severus asked

"Indeed, I have spoken to him many times in the last few years after he revisited the chamber where he defeated my basilisk and discovered the chamber's inner rooms." He agreed

"Tell me Salazar, how has he changed so much in so little time?" Severus asked

Salazar glared, "Is that he changed from something you thought you knew or that he changed from something you want to admit never existed?"

Severus bowed his head in shame, "Both I suspect."

Salazar watched for untruth in his head of household and nodded silently, "Harry is the dark elven prince. Lily was stolen from them by Albus when she was nine years old. Her memories of those days were erased and she only learned of the grievous things done to her shortly before she died."

"Albus tried to gain an alliance with them. Negotiations had gone well until Albus tried to force them to agree with mental magic. Dark Elves have power beyond human wizardry by far and he knew that. When that failed he escaped their wrath and let the assassin he hired through another man rampage and do his dirty work for him as always."

Severus bowed his head again and his eyes were shut in fury.

"The goblins of Gringotts have long suspected Harry was the heir, and this past summer he was told to go to the bank. Albus tried to stop him so he could leash his power further, but Harry was anger already for things as they were and so he went anyways."

"They tested his blood there and it was proven as truth. The goblins trained him in what he needed to know for the time being. Now he has awakened his power further and I am training him in the chamber." Salazar said

"He knows of the prophecy and his destiny. He knows what is to come and he knows that he must survive or all is lost for us. Should he survive the death match with my heir in Tom Riddle; then the second path of his destiny unfolds. If he dies at Tom's hands, the second path never comes."

Severus eyed him, "You mean he hasn't known until this summer that has past us? He has mentioned several times now even if others have missed it?"

Salazar nodded, "The goblins knew of it, but he personally visited Minister Fudge this last summer and went to the Hall of Prophecy. He also warned the Minister of the war to come and to be wary of Lucius Malfoy."

Severus smirked, "I'm sure Lucius will just be rolling in his grave to know Potter bested him there when he finds out."

"I agree and I'd pay money to see his reaction." Salazar said, "Since Fudge tends to not be very subtle, though Harry did tell him he needed to wise up if he wanted his support any longer. The public trust him as their savior and he could in use that to aid Fudge if he cooperated."

"Sneaky. Harry seems to have a plan?" Severus asked

Salazar watched him cautiously, "I would tell you more, but I'm afraid if you want to know of it then first you must decide who is more dangerous to serve."

"Albus never told you as you'd never agree to be his spy if you knew. But even though I was asleep for many centuries; my portrait still collected information. Albus has long sought to be the only power in Britain though he hides it well."

"He will eventually be forced to battle Harry and if he wins; Harry will either be contained somehow or executed as a danger." Salazar said, "He had James and Lily go under the Fidelius for the same reasons only he hadn't known Pettigrew was in the dark lord's ranks, so the attack had been a surprise."

"Would you serve a man who left the one you wished to protect unguarded?" Salazar asked

Severus's fist clenched, "NO. I will never forgive him for this. Why would he do this?"

"Harry was seen as the one who brought back the ideals of old in the magical community and allowed us to prosper again by Merlin himself as our founding father. He is the Lord of All Magic now as the dark elves are by right in his clan and Hogwarts herself has blessed him as the last true heir."

"The four founder's essences all run in him. Helga and her healing powers that is un-rivaled anywhere else in the world. Rowena and her unlimited knowledge of spells, and her ability to create new ones."

"Godric and his mastery of weapons as Harry displayed in his fury of Fleur's attack plus the ability to infuse them with his powers and cause an unlimited amount of effects. With me, he has my personal Parseltongue and ability to use it as spells. He also has the power to master all dark arts should wish to."

"Harry is born of the Peverell blood in James and the Blood Mist clan in Lily. Albus knew using them was going to be risky and now his risk has not paid in him in full but instead backfired and is now breaking free of his hold and taking charge of his life. Harry is unlike anything this world knows and is why Merlin called him the Child of Ancient Promise."

Severus sat there in shock. The story of the Child of Ancient Promise was a mere legend told to children here in their world. If Harry was truly that child; things would definitely start to be better.

"As a favor to the world Severus," Salazar said

The man looked up at his former house's leader.

"As a favor to the world, ask yourself who is more important? Is one man's power greater if he achieves anything alone or is power given to freely by the trust of those around you that give you the strength you need you need to carry on and achieve success?"

"Harry was alone before he came here. He knew nothing of love, family, friendship. He knew only loneliness, sadness, and a longing in his heart to feel wanted and accepted by those who were around him. He has friends now, but even he doesn't tell them all he has told me or Fleur."

"You heard Fleur in the hospital ward?" Salazar

"She has saved his life five times over now from those who should have cared for him and cherished him even if he was not theirs. They met when he was seven and she was ten. Harry had already nearly died three times before she came into his life by accident. His powers healed him unconsciously, but they were draining out fast."

"His past is as dark as Tom's is on some levels and as yours is too in others. He was meant to be Slytherin, but he chose Gryffindor in fear of his own power and if he was here; how he would survive if he lost it because of how the house was so divided. He was never biased against it or the people of it. He knows just as many others from the other three houses join the dark lord, but slytherins are too proud and make it more noticeable because of their pride."

"You have said he was arrogant when he returned to a world he knew nothing of at first. He was ignorant of all our ways. You said he was mischievous when all he wanted was to be acknowledged and treated fairly as any other student. Albus has protected him many times now, but he did so to save his pawn and nothing more. Harry wanted Albus to treat him as he would anyone else."

"You have made your points now Salazar, so leave me to think." Severus said in a broken tone

"He will forgive you if are honest with him." Salazar told him, "After all, Lily did not forgive you just so you ended up having to beg her son for it."

Severus's head snapped up as Salazar left his frame and then shook his head. He knew what he had to do first if this was going to be a major decision.


	20. Chapter XV: Hogwarts's Path

**Chapter XV:** _Hogwarts Decides a Path to Follow_

It was the final week before the tournament's first task, and the students within the halls of Hogwarts had been shaken heavily the last week with its events and words. The sound of breaking bones and words of war still weighed heavily in the minds of many of the students who were old enough to know the meaning behind them. The younger ones who knew of the war were scared, but remained quiet in hopes nothing would happen or were watching everything more carefully than before. The professors each saw their own houses students' considering Harry's words in variation levels and knew the storm of change was about to rampage again within the school.

The headmaster had been eerily silent since Harry had handled Fleur's attackers in the manner he had done so. He had neither helped the ones who attacked her to gain some leverage against Harry; which would have ended badly if he had...nor had he expelled any of them for their actions against her. He had instead pretty much barricaded himself away with his thoughts and among many piles of books. He was evidently searching for something, but whatever it was; no one but he knew of it. Severus was the only one who saw him for who he was truly now and the Potions Master knew Albus was losing himself to darkness in his soul.

He muttered things out loud when thinking; sometimes not even realizing he was there even though he had been summoned. His paranoia of Harry's exceptional growth had unhinged him and Salazar's claims were laid out in the barest truth he had witnessed. It was time he did something about this. He was not going to sit around and wait to be called to spy again by the headmaster. After what he learned, there was no way he would hesitate to act now.

Today was the day he called the heads of the houses together along with Minister Fudge, Igor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime to convene the council of how Hogwarts was to proceed in the next few years as Harry was still a student here and under their protection while here. Harry was to be summoned with Fleur soon as well to take part in the coucil as they were going to play a large role in its proceedings.

* * *

The staff sat around a table within one of the many clean now, but previously unused classrooms and all were quiet. The other Heads and the Minister were also there and awaiting the start of the meeting.

"I have asked you all to be present for a serious discussion that will determine how the school is to move forward in warning of Harry's ever present warnings and due to the tournament he is now in because we were careless." Severus told them, "I am sure we are all unsteady at Harry's display last week, but it was his right as Fleur is his mate. It was confirmed when she stayed in the hospital wing and we then finally relented and summoned Harry for her to speak with."

"Their bond is unlike any I have seen since Lily and James left us, and I am sure many of you know what I mean. I may not ever have liked James Potter, but I never would have wished him dead at the hands of the dark lord."

"Harry is still going to be our student for three more years after this one, and it is our job to see to it that he remains safe and unharmed. A task we have dismally failed at in his younger years because we placed too much hope and faith in Albus to do what was right by him. Harry is stronger than we remember him previously, and now he bordering on a power level none of us can achieve." Severus told them

"I want everyone to be on the same page because we have a very heavy decision before us after this."

Just then knocking sounded and then Severus called for them to enter.

Harry and Fleur stepped into the room and the people their were struck in awe of the auras around the two and how beautiful they appeared to be together. They were both dressed differently than before. Gone were the school attire that was used normally and in its place were robes of the deepest emerald and most azure sapphire. Robes that were done in the finest of silks offered in human lands and tailored to their forms nicely. Harry's verdant eyes shone with wisdom unheard of in youth as his long black locks swayed naturally as he walked in hand with Fleur beside him into the room. His pointed ears were now visible without the glamour and his now sharp features gave him a more mature visage.

All the people there knew him as a new lord now if they had been doubtful before.

Fleur stood beside him, her back straight and head held proudly with ocean eyes that held a determined demeanor to them. Her platinum locks shined with otherworldly glows and gave her an image of sheer radiance. Her smile calmed the room and her graceful steps eased the tension surrounding the meeting area instantly. She would make for a fine mate and future Lady Potter should they survive the war to come.

"You requested our presences in such conditions why, Professor Snape?" Harry asked him in respect

Severus nodded, "Indeed, I requested you to dress as such to show the room of the status you both hold. There are many among the students who believe, and yet; they don't believe. The walk here was more for them to see than for us, as if they were given proof; we hope to eliminate future attacks on either of you."

Harry nodded as he and Fleur both sat down with the rest.

"What I am about to ask of you is not going to be easy for you both to want to explain to all of us here in the room, so please do not be angry with me or any of us. We merely wish to understand." Severus sighed

Harry looked to him and then the room and he too sighed, "You want to know of my life before my return here and as to how these changes occurred so rapidly? I have been expecting this inquiry for some time now. In fact, I half expected you to seek me out after I set Salazar's portrait on your common room. Technically that is suspicious enough to set off internal alarm bells for most."

Severus eyed him, "Then you must know what is to come in some form."

Harry glanced around wearily, "I know more than just some of what is to come. I know a great deal of it and a lot of it is bathed in tons of bloodshed though nothing of what I sense is certain yet and quite frankly I hope a lot of it is wrong. It is not happy things to give thoughts about nor are these things joyful to think on, but these images within my own dreams are what have led me to live how I have lived for most my life and how I came to be where I am currently before all of you now."

"Listening to the sounds of a crazed man with delusions of grandeur in a form of not even half of who he once was or what he could have done for our world. Listening to the screams of those he tortures while those in power here are too much of cowards to actively fight back as they should while letting their students who are years younger run off to fight the unknown."

"Also, instead of forming some plan to fight him with; they place their hopes on a boy who was raised ignorant of his true world and one who knew nothing of his destiny to come until mere months ago because of the meddling and manipulative man the boy once considered his mentor and his distrust after some serious events occurred."

Fleur tightened her hand to his, "Harry, please?" She tried

He glared at her, "They wish to understand now after I have endured thirteen years of abuse at the hands of those who should have raised me lovingly, and they never bothered before to deign to check on me as I grew up. Why do I care if they muddle about and kill themselves when they never bothered to check on me or even cared enough to see if I was alright once while they hid and remained comfy in their homes and safe-houses? Prophecy or not, a prophecy such as mine is can be fulfilled in numerous ways and I don't see why I should care about the world they live in if they never bothered to look out for me as a child." Harry sneered

"Sure, I live here too, but I am also a dark elven prince. I could leave this surface world and let them all destroy themselves as they ;left me to be destroyed. It would not be too hard to do." Harry glared as Fleur sighed and tried to relax him as her hands squeezed tighter on his

The heads of house lowered theirs in shame, "We believed Albus still had your best interests at heart then when he retrieved you from Godric's Hollow. Now that all this chaos has gone on; we are not so certain of what is the truth any longer." Minerva said, "I told the headmaster when he decided to go that route the day before he left you there…that it was a bad idea, that those people were the worst sort of them, and he still managed to reassure me even though it was against my moral ideals."

Flitwick nodded, "Yes, I too had agreed that leaving you there was not wise as your magic was far stronger for an infant than I had ever observed in most children when Hagrid came back here with you, as did Pomona and Poppy, after she looked you over. He still had you placed there without our fullest consent and only with vague reassurances that made us give in somehow. By the time we wanted to question him further about why he was so adamant on this, you were already out of reach for most of us to even come into contact with because of the wards there."

Harry sat there and his anger burned inside, "So you all agreed it wasn't wise and safe to leave me there, but when the man who hired the assassins who took out my mother's family reassured you I would be fine; you relented and gave in thus allowing me to suffer as I did?" Harry shook in rage

Minerva's eyes widened, "What are you talking of Mister Potter? The dark lord murdered your clan."

Harry raised his head and saw the confusion in their eyes and something snapped in him.

"You all have no idea of the man you have been serving, do you?" He whispered deadly to them as they paled, "You have no idea of things he does because you blindly believe he does good all the time with everything he does or tries to do."

Harry sighed, "Very well. Your world is about to crumble apart."

"My earliest memories of the Dursley household is crying in a dark cupboard and wanting comfort. I dreamed of a very sick-looking green light flashing in a small room and some high and cold merciless-toned laughter. I was scared and wanted to be held. All I received was a slap to my face and being told to be quiet or else I was not going to eat the next morning. Then I was left to more fear than before with no one to hold me and take it away."

"By the time I was five, I already knew I was odd in some form. Things just seemed to happen around me that no one else could explain. At barely two years of age, I was floating around the house trying to escape the hellhole because of my fear of being hit again. I learned early on accidental magic was considered taboo there and I had to find a way to control it if possible. You can't actually control it, but I did manage to suppress them at times though I don't remember how."

"I learned to speak, walk and do other things faster than my supposed cousin did. That earned me beatings too. I wasn't supposed to be smarter than Dudley was, so I was punished for things I should have been praised for. I was not allowed to eat unless I finished my chores. The lists they gave me daily were always too long and so I resorted to stealing food from the fridge to survive when I was old enough."

"Vernon nearly beat me to death three times before the age of five. My magic healed me, but that brought more beating so it could not keep up. They never needed a reason to beat me up; they just liked to because it kept me afraid of more if I acted up. At ten years old and shortly before I left for my first year here at Hogwarts, I learned Vernon had a past criminal record in child and teen pedophilia before he married Petunia."

"Luckily, I never had to endure anything sexually there as a child. This was likely due to his son being the same age as I was and he felt awkward about it at present, but I also believe as I got older that it was only a matter of time before he gave in to those repressed urges and actions due to my elven heritage and how I looked as I matured. I do not think they would be above condoning selling me to the highest bidder if they were allowed to do it for extra cash in their pockets, nor do I think would they have cared if they accidentally sold me to a death eater disguised as a person who was interested in buying me for pleasure. Vernon is a greedy bastard and Petunia is a nosy neighborhood socialite. They don't care about me or what happens to me, as long as the neighbors don't find out and Vernon's job is secure." Harry said in acidly sarcastic tone, "Their son Dudley is a bully to the younger kids in the street there and of late he had been disappearing at odd hours. I found out by following him once that he and his friends were illegally doing street drugs. His parents likely covered it up so he could stay at his premier private school."

The faces around the room were pale and shocked beyond words to how their savior had been allowed to be treated as a child after he had spared them the pain of on-going war and destruction.

"When I was left there, Albus left two notes on me and the second one was hidden within the first note. One note had explained the situation at present and as to why he left me there in the first place. The other told them to do with me in rearing as they pleased and not worry about a punishment as he would cover them. He did not expect me to find out the truth or to be caught as badly as he has by me."

Harry sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, "To make matters worse, this is not the full extent of what ALbus has to answer for against me and my family."

"He has stolen money from me and gave it to my relatives to use. Supposedly to buy me things and help care for me; I never received anything of this and more money was stolen to fund his Order with during the hunt of the free master-less death eaters."

Gasps were now heard among the table.

"Last summer, I began dreaming more so than normal and the dreams were in much more visual clarity than I was previously used to. Part of it was my dark elven blood becoming awake from its dormancy. I had three interconnected dreams of Lord Voldemort's plans in regards to the tournament that is now taking place here and with me involved into it. The dark master wants a full and usable body that contains his power better than the one he has now, but he cannot touch me physically or with magic on his body without disintegrating into dust right now. The event of my first year proved that." Harry said sourly

"I saw as he first took ten or twelve boys from his home town and used them in the ritual I believe he intends to use me for. The boys died because they were squibs and not nearly as powerful as I am to complete what he wants. Those boys would not have ever come to the school because of being born with too little magic to even be of notice by the enrollment book. I then watched as he garnered the information about the Triwizard Tournament from Bertha Jorkins, who worked for the Ministry of Magic. She was on holiday in Albania and quite drunk at the time, and he had her killed after she had served her purposes."

"Then I saw him discussing strategy with someone I didn't recognize. Also, a Muggle named Frank Bryce still lived on Tom's father's estate to maintain the grounds. He went to investigate the house when he believed the village boys set it on fire and disrupted the end of this meeting."

"Frank then learned of Tom and his plans to kill and was about to try and go report him to the local authorities, but his familiar Nagini crawled by and Frank was forced to face him from behind his chair after the snake told him that he was there eavesdropping on them all. He ultimately was killed as well."

Harry closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the chair in sad remembrance to those who died when they should not have had to. Fleur watched him in concern and the table did as well. This experience had to have taken a toll on him over the years. None of them were aware Harry had such a connection to Lord Voldemort in this much severity.

"It was at this point I was owled in the middle of the night by Gringotts Bank and they were asking me to visit them as soon as possible. I thought the message was odd, as it seemed hastily written and sent. The information they had was undeniably vital to receive from what I gathered in the missive and not seconds after receiving the letter; I got another from Albus warning me not to go and he would take care of it." Harry continued on as he opened his eyes and spoke to them all again

"My brain was razzled and confused due to the dreams and the lack of restful sleep, but I was already suspicious of why the headmaster would want to go in my stead. He has lied to me before, in order to protect me or so he said. It was of little surprise then that I went anyways and against his direct orders to stay at Privet Drive for the remainder of my time there."

"The goblins had me led to the back area and to an office area where I met my family's representing goblin. Gringotts Bank had suspicions about my mother being related to the Dark Elven Blood Mist clan, but after she died before they were able to message her...I was not old enough to do the genetics ritual till now to confirm their queries. They did some sort of blood test on me for proof of their suspicions. I think the blood test was one of the older ones too now that I think of it." Harry said in an off-hand manner

Harry eyed the room now coldly, "My mother was the heiress of the Blood Mist clan and now I am heir. They were all assassinated by mercenary wizards hired in secret by Albus when his negotiations went from good to sour with them during the first war. He stole my mother and wiped her memories of her heritage, and then placed her with the Evans family with warnings of her true identity and what would happen in a few years of time."

"The goblins told me the truth of his lies to me of my heritage. They trained me in what I needed to know at that current time, and now Albus fears for his agenda because I have learned of what he has done even if he has no idea as to the extent of what I know."

"I am now the owner of Hogwarts Castle as the last of all four founder's essences have been gifted to me and Salazar's portrait within the inner rooms of the Chamber of Secrets is training me to use and control these gifts. Most times we end up using a time-distortion spell so the sessions last much longer than they should seem. It is why I already know several weapons Godric used to use and I now have knowledge of some of old magic."

"I have been training like this for over three weeks now. It is in preparation of the tournament, but also of things after it."

Harry went silent as the staff around the room pondered what to do now.

"Harry, I called you and Fleur here because Salazar spoke to me personally some time ago. He asked me to consider who the real danger is. When looking at what is occurring, I see his point in this matter." Severus said, "Albus has barricaded himself to his office and only I have been summoned there of late. He rambles on things without sometimes remembering my presence and the things he speaks of have hardened my resolve to end his agenda if I must."

"But with Tom still alive, the staff and I need to know how to proceed. If we allow him to be tried and executed before Tom's fall; that could be very dangerous to the school and its students as you know."

Harry considered the words and leaned forward in his chair. His hand ran a line across his temple as if in deep thought while Fleur just watched for any sudden magical outbursts. Harry's aura had been fluctuating before and she did not wish to see him lose control here.

"Albus is definitely more of a danger to me than Tom now and it is true that Tom fears him more than me. It is like a cycle of power that has not caught up to the other end. Hogwarts responds to me now and she shares her wisdom with me. Hold on a moment." Harry said, "Hogwarts dear, I need to speak with you?"

A rush of energy was heard and then the girl from before appeared to the room and bowed her head in respect, "Master Potter, you called?"

Further Gasps were heard as Harry and Fleur ignored them and appeared as if everything about this was normal.

"Yes dear one, I did. I need your opinion on something of a delicate nature. Tom fears Albus's power currently, but not my own even though I know he has felt the substantial increase to mine. However, Albus has become unstable of late and the faculty of the school worry for the students under his guidance here. If we remove Albus from the picture, then Tom feels he has won the war already even though he hasn't defeated me. Would my power in you suffice to protect the school should he attack us here and I am forced to face him in a one-on-one battle?"

Hogwarts looked deeply to Harry and gauged his eyes with what seemed uncertainty behind a hard wall of indifference.

"Albus is definitely not steady in mind enough to lead anymore. Not the school, the Wizengamot, or the war as a whole...but to remove him now is fatal for the school and all the people inside of it. The tournament has barely begun and if you remove him; things will go chaotic very quickly. More than they are meant to." She intoned, "Albus, despite his instability, knows he cannot act during this tournament against you or any of the champions at all. There is too much risk on his end to be invested this way. His reputation is also on the line if something should happen."

"The spirits of the air seem restless, and so I suggest waiting two years at least before acting on this and see if things play out as they should. In two years, Albus will reveal a secret he has harbored for years to himself with Severus even though he has not meant to. I suggest watching him and monitoring his actions with care. He is dangerously powerful like you Master Potter, and like Tom Riddle, but his power comes from his own gain that went corrupt over time in his plight to eradicate darkness from the world completely. Tom's was the hatred in soul that fuels his power through malice and anger at the world that saved him as a person, but did not save him enough from himself."

"A world without light harbors too much shadow. Light allows shadows to form as always for an area of total dark has none, but it also balances out the amount of them in the world. Likewise, a world with too much light is corrupt and too carries too many beings who become something far from themselves through ideas of good that are also not so positive. The light is so bright that is breaks them, corrupts them, and make all the shadows become harbored within oneself. Then the corruption is like a shield; it protects them from what they want to see, but it still takes them farther from who they are and only lets one see things as they want to see it as." Hogwarts advised him

The faculty just stared as Harry closed his eyes and listened to her words before he nodded.

"I think you are correct. The timing is not optimal and the energy flow in the castle for this is not good either. We wait and watch him cautiously. I have confidence I could protect the castle should it be attacked, but I believe we are being too eager."

Severus eyed this boy who had changed so much in one short summer before his eyes.

Harry stood, "I think this is all for this meeting, correct?" Harry asked

Severus nodded to him silently.

"Minister Fudge, if I may have a moment of your time I would greatly appreciate it." Harry asked of him politely, "Professors Snape and McGonagall, I would also like it if you would both stay for this chat."

The two heads of house nodded and remained sitting as did the Minister while the other left. Harry waited until he was sure no one else was present before he sighed in frustration.

"Cornelius, have the French councilmen agreed to what Fleur and I have asked through her Father yet?" Harry asked him

Cornelius eyed him warily, "No, the council is still deadlocked in indecision. They are wary to let your people through to meet you. Considering the war that was waged the last time it is understandable, but your terms are reasonable. They are just scared."

Harry nodded, "If they do not agree soon, my people will not be responsible for what happens to the French countryside. I am their leader, and they have every right to see if I am who I say. The dark elves are not known for their patience and I cannot say I have much left myself." Harry said calmly though his tone was cold

Cornelius waved a hand at him, "Harry, please. The French Ministry of Magic are very scared of this occurrence. Your people lost their leaders in the war the last time. Your clan was thought to be annihilated, so no one took the throne. They fear you are merely waiting to allow them inside the border and then to try to usurp them. It is a war they cannot have that has them all so very frightened. Your and your people have powers most wizards will never have as do all magical races with many variations in these powers; but in this area, you are known for who you are and they don't want you to wage war on them. Your power is what scares them the most."

Harry looked at him defiantly now, "Then maybe they should tell me that to my face when they agree to meet with me and the dark elven representative on the neutral grounds I asked for. I have no desire to wage more war than I have to. I have a psychotic madman in the form of a dark lord to defeat, a headmaster bent on stealing my power and heritage to deal with and the French Ministry is concerned I want to usurp them? The French land does not interest me nor will it ever unless they provoke and discriminate my people further."

Cornelius saw the power behind his wild gaze and knew this boy was serious.

"I will try to convince them further, but as the Minister of Magic, I am merely able to do so much in this matter without seeming to favor one side to the other. It would not look good in international relations if I seemed to favor your side more than theirs without contemplating over all the facts and outcomes." Fudge told him

Harry sighed and leaned his head back with closed eyes as his breathing seemed to try and level out. Minerva and Severus watched curiously as to what was going on here.

"Has Lucius Malfoy spoken to you of late since I know he cannot have liked what I am doing? He does seem to love pushing his nose in my business after all even if it doesn't concern the dark lord, and considering his family tends to have veela genes to them every few generations or so; I wouldn't be surprised if he spoke to you and was against this measure? I bet he was willing to pay you a hefty amount of money if you forgot about it?" Harry asked calmly with a sarcastically dry tone

Severus and Minerva were now very curious to how much Harry was doing without their knowledge.

Fudge snorted to that, "He had the gall to barge into my office without an appointment and demand I stop the whole procedure."

Harry snorted now in amusement, "How utterly obvious of him. Lucius isn't stupid though, so remember what I told you. You can hear his opinions and then make decisions of your own. Keep him at arm's length at best and use the money he offers you of his own accord as you see fit without letting know what it is going to."

Fudge nodded, " I know, and I have already noticed some of his less than noble traits when he talks to people around me. He is quite subtle and slippery that one is. Have you ascertained whether his son is to follow him or not?"

Severus's head snapped at Harry then Fudge now.

"Easy Severus." Harry said firmly, " I have actually spoken to Draco and he is no threat to me or the light any longer. He willingly talked to me a week ago of his own accord and has stated that he has no desire to be one of the dark lord's puppets. It has to do with his imprisonment in his own home. I will say no more, as it is not my place."

"However, I do think a lot of things need changing about our world." Harry said, "Children being abused and imprisoned in their own homes? Not something I think is a good idea."

Fudge nodded, "Good. Draco was always sharp whenever I saw him with Lucius, and I knew he was intelligent so this is a good sign. I agree with the changes you are mentioning. As for the houses altogether, I cannot say if they will choose or not."

"The houses have been shown what I aspire to achieve and what the dark lord is truly doing to our world. When the time comes, each of the students will decide for themselves who is right in the end. If we force them to decide with our own opinions about all of this; we are no better than the other." Harry said

"Draco said that the Slytherin dorms are in mental chaos right now. Many of the students are still too shocked to truly decide a path. They have been raised one way for so long, they are afraid of any other paths that open to them. I offered them sanctuary in my own home should they decide to leave the dark and enter into the light-side's efforts." Harry said neutrally, "However, Draco also said that his classmates would need to decide for themselves if aiding me is in their best interest for themselves. Their pride as pure-bloods would have no other option in this."

Fudge nodded, "It will be interesting to see if the houses finally unite in full."

"I hope for our sake they do." Harry said, "In the meantime, I have a proposition you need to hear and I hope you will not try to take offense at this."

Fudge nodded as Severus wondered what the hell was going on for the fiftieth time it seemed while Minerva just sat back in her chair and hid a well-placed smirk. Her pride in her student was soaring even though she had no clue in hell what was going on at the moment other than Harry seemed to be doing a better job leading the Light than Albus had been doing recently.

"Cornelius, it has been many generations since the second founding of the Ministry of Magic. Merlin was against labeling magic as dark, light or otherwise. He founded the human wizarding realm in Britain and named my clan as the Beholders of Magic because he knew the greed among humans was too great to entrust it to any one clan of them. The human clans would just wage war against another until wiped out to seize it." Harry told him

"Magical races do not really actively seek out others titles unless they have a reason to. I do not know if any wars were fought amongst my own people for the title nor if other races have tried to seize it; but, most magical races remain neutral to wizard-kind because of their love of war and conflict."

"The Ministry today still labels magic as it always has and I fear what it has done to cripple us over the years. I do not wish to overthrow the Ministry to remove those labels and establish yet another Ministerial founding. That would take too much time, resources and effort on my part to want to do it."

"We have to remove those labels somehow and we need to be able to work together in this effort. My people have been called numerous things for freely advancing all levels of magic in all its many forms. Demon worshippers and Death Bringers are some of the mild names I have read of in the texts of history that I have. Wizards have suffered this to from Muggle society, so you should be able to understand this." Harry said to him gently

"Human wizards fear dark magic, but it was originally was designed to be used to protect yourself with if one went corrupt. A witch or wizard of any race who desired power but had no will to turn away from it once they obtained what they sought was considered corrupt. Left alone, the corrupt one sought further power and ultimately became a danger to others. Most neutral spells do not allow you time to escape a foe and to defend yourself at the same time. Dark magic does this and more." Harry told him wisely

Severus nodded, "I agree to Harry's words wholeheartedly. I may at one time served the dark lord willing and then unwilling, but his views have since changed from the time I served to now. I studied dark magic as a boy because my father was an abusive drunk who like to beat my mother and me when he was angry. My mother was fragile from a sickness with no cure and my father made her worse every time he hit her."

"I learned it to better protect me and my mother from him in his rages by being able to use dark arts."

Harry nodded at Severus in thanks as he turned to Fudge again, "I know the task of removing these labels is not going to be easy to do, and I know we will face opposition in this procedure…but it must be done or we risk our culture dying out. All magical races will begin to deteriorate and eventually die. Britain will be the first one to fall, but others outside of us will fall soon enough after us."

"I need you to summon a full Wizengamot meeting without Albus there. He may be the leader of such a faction currently, but he is now ineligible to lead it. Someone must step up to do the job. I offer myself if you wish, but I already have many burdens. Lord Malfoy will be eager to take this mantle as would any known death eater worker there who has a place within that system."

Fudge hummed and considered, "How is your energy training going?"

Harry eyed him, "Why do you ask?"

"I cannot be asking you to do this though I sorely want to. I ask because you have four seats in the government system we have that passes our laws, and if you were to be present and to show yourself to them in the open…things could drastically change the views there. It would be the first time they will see how you have changed and will be forced to acknowledge your voice."

"If you can also sense the taint of the mark, you can force them to reveal it there as we lock down the ward for those meetings after all are present. There is no disapparition or port-keys that can happen and floo is not available. You could other wards if you want to beforehand to add as extra measure of security." Fudge said

Harry nodded, "I see. Yes, I could sense the taint and I could oust them for it…but where will they go after that? Azkaban will never be the safest option so long as the dementors remain there. Even I have so much negotiation power with them as the Beholder of Magic and that power is very limited as is considering other things at this time."

Fudge considered this carefully, "Do you foresee the dementors rebelling or even leaving the prison?"

Harry snorted to that and nodded, "In time they will when the opportunity arises. They will do so because they side with whoever offers them the largest free feast of souls to satisfy their everlasting hunger. Tom Riddle doesn't care what they do, as long as he wins, so their decision is literally already stamped in. Numengard Prison is too far to transport so many people at one time, and not locally reliable enough to check on every time we need to." Harry said, "I also think Tom may have been there before to garner information on Albus several times with no luck from someone there. I feel as if I know who it is, but I am uncertain."

Fudge and the other two looked pale now as they considered those words.

"I suppose I could have them transported to the dungeons in the old Peverell Castle. The elves there would certainly love company." Harry said off-handed, "But how to get them there is the question since only I have the key to the wards, hmm?"

Fudge seemed interested now, "The Peverell Castle, it still stands?" He asked

Harry eyed him with a roll of exasperation, "Of course it does. I mean it was built by dwarves and goblins who are the elite in stone masonry and weapon forging in that time. Then the elves of both dark and light warded it with protections up the sky and still accumulating power through age. The incubi and succubae nation built the traps in the wards and those are still active as is, while the veela nation also put healing magic in for those who accidently came across it and had to be turned back among other things." Harry said sarcastically

"That is why I offered the Slytherins sanctuary from the war if they desired it. Even if those death eaters were imprisoned there, I would know if one escaped immediately and how to find them. The castle is so large though, and they'd never escape it alive due to the wards and its traps let alone chance running into someone else if they managed to get that far after escaping." Harry said

Fudge looked to Minerva and then to Severus in thought. It seemed the three of them had something in common mind.

"Harry, I think imprisoning them there would be ideal as Tom would not be able to locate them there at all." Severus said, "While I am sure the Minister does not fully trust me, I would like to say that Albus has taken me as his confidant now. I do not know what he plans to do yet, but the rest of the faculty here, myself included, will no longer side with him in this war he has inflicted on us."

"You will not be forced to return to Privet Drive any longer." Minerva said firmly, "That being said, the faculty have decide to train you individually in some of our special talents over the summer along with Salazar's training, if you desire. Any of your friends who wish to join can do so and Fleur is welcome to stay to learn too if she wants to."

Harry nodded, "I will let them know and consider the offer for now. Currently the Minister has a Wizengamot meeting to plan out and I have classes to attend and a tournament to deal with. Cornelius, please owl me the date of the meeting when it set."

Fudge nodded and bowed politely to Harry as he took his leave while Minerva then smiled at Harry and gave him a small hug and left. Severus seemed to want to say something though.

"Harry, if it is not too much trouble, I would like to speak with you after the first task. There are some things on my mind I feel you should know. At first I was hesitant about telling you, but Salazar talked to me and eased that worry."

Harry eyed him curiously, "Okay Professor Snape, after the first task I will try to find some time to speak to you. But as you can obviously see now, I am very busy as a person due to being a newly instated lord. I may have wait a bit after that to see you."

Severus nodded silently and then left as Harry turned to Fleur with a soft smile.

"You were very quiet in this meeting Fleur, and I am surprised you said so little in that room considering what we talked of to the meeting." Harry told her as they walked to Godric's rooms together and students in the halls stared at them

"Harry, I felt this meeting was something you needed to handle for yourself." She said, "I know my input would have been accepted and my outrages at them would have been duly heard, but if you rely on me too much; others will begin to doubt your decisions are yours alone and they may believe I am trying to coerce you in these decisions."

Harry nodded, "I can see how that would be problematic. Still, if you wished to say something, you could have interrupted us and then said what you had wanted to."

They reached Godric's rooms and Harry allowed her to enter first and then followed behind her.

"Thank you for agreeing to accompany me though." Harry said, "I think I might have blown up at them all if you hadn't been there early on."

Fleur nodded, "I will be with you no matter how far we are from the other now, Harry. Our bond is finally solidifying the first stage. The signature of your magic and mine are mixing and connecting nicely."

Harry smiled now, "I suppose so. I hope you can forgive me, but your first courting gift will not be here until after the first task is over with."

Fleur smiled, "It's fine, as those dragons are sure going to give us hell for whatever the task is they have them here for. I will however, expect you to present the gift properly when it does get here."

Harry smirked, "But of course. I would expect no less of you to do that, and since I already have an idea of how I planned it anyhow…I suppose you will just have to wait and see."

Fleur glared now, "You are a very bad tease."

Harry smiled, "I know."

He kissed her hand and then they sat together before the fire and studied their lesson they missed.

* * *

**A/N: I know I have not updated in some time. I apologize for it, but I have been very ill and unable to do much writing at present. I have not, however, abandoned this story or any of the others. I just need some time to get back on my feet is all.**

**Thx**


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