Unforeseen Trials (Completed)

He awoke groggily in confusion. 'Where the hell am I?' He thought, rubbing his eyes.

"Finally awake, Potter?" A familiar, somewhat stern voice called out from somewhere his left.

Harry turned towards the noise and opened his eyes; "Daphne? Where am I?" The blonde girl rolled her eyes, you're in the infirmary, Potter. You've been here for a few hours.

Hazy memories, and a woman's voice flooded his mind. 'What the hell happened?'

"And you came to see me?" He said with some hesitance.

The Slytherin rolled her green eyes. "Of course not, Potter." She said, motioning to a curtain drawn around another bed. "I'm here to see Lily."

Harry shot up in his bed, the memory of what had happened that afternoon suddenly fresh in his mind. "Is she okay?" He asked in a panic.

A tear fell down her cheek, and for the first time he noticed that Daphne had been crying.

"She will be." She said with a relieved smile. "She wasn't kissed, but the healers still want to keep her for observation."

"Daphne." She turned to look at him, he idly noticed how she forgot to frown at his use of her name. "What were those things?"

She let out a soft sigh. "You are the dumbest genius I've ever met, Potter."

He offered her a perplexed look.

"Dementors. They make you relive your worst memories. They're the guards of Azkaban."

Harry shivered involuntarily. 'Sirius was subjected to them for ten years?'

They sat in silence for a moment.

"What did you hear?" He turned to face the girl, taking a moment to stare at her high-arching cheekbones and sharp chin. Daphne Greengrass had a beautiful face, he admitted to himself.

She must've noticed him staring, and she offered him a nearly imperceptible, brief smile.

He thought back to her question, and in a second his demeanor changed.

"I.. I'm not sure, I heard screaming, and a lady talking." She didn't need to know that he thought he heard his mother pleading with Voldemort.

Daphne nodded. "What happened?"

He thought back. "Blaise had gone off to find Susan Bones, so Lily and I went to Zonko's."

"Then what?" Greengrass said, urging him to continue.

"Then we left the store, we were heading back towards the 'Three Broomsticks' when our warming charm failed, and Lily passed out."

Daphne looked at him, biting her lower lip as though she had a question to ask, but didn't know if she should.

"Don't get shy now, Greengrass. Spit it out."

The girl offered him a slight glare. "I heard Healer Adams telling Madam Pomfrey she was nearly kissed. Did you see the dementor lower its hood?"

He frowned. "What do you mean by kissed?"

She offered him an impatient huff. "A dementor's kiss steals your soul." She said, as though casually brushing aside the topic.

Deciding to circle back to that point later, he thought back on his afternoon.

"Yes. It had its hood lowered and a silver… thing chased it off."

Daphne looked interested. "What did the thing look like?"

He shivered again. "Empty eye sockets, charcoal gray face, lip-less, toothless smile."

She nodded again in thought. "Did you notice anything when Lily was about to get kissed?"

He thought back to that moment; "yeah." Harry stopped to collect his thoughts. "It looked like a black mist was rising out of Lily."

Daphne had both a horrified and curious look on her face.

They sat in silence for a few minutes longer.

"What do you think of my friend, Harry?" She asked softly.

Not letting the shock appear on his face at her use of his first name; he thought for a second.

"Lily, and Terry, are my best friends." He replied, honestly. "They're the only two who have always stood by me."

She nodded in understanding. "Growing up she was the only friend I had."

Harry frowned, but she answered his unasked question.

"I didn't like many of the kids in my families social circle, and most of them used to call me names and make fun of me;" Daphne looked at him briefly and pointed at herself for a second. "Before I grew I used to be bigger."

Daphne was staring intently at Lily's bed now, and he thought he saw another tear run down her face.

"Who used to make fun of you?" He blurted out without thinking.

She glared at him, red in the face. "None of your business, Potter!"

He withdrew for a second before pressing forward.

"I'm not judging." He said, nervously. "I wasn't exactly popular growing up."

Daphne gave him a long look, and he felt as though she was judging him.

After a second she turned towards him and offered Harry a knowing look.

"Is that why you are the way you are?" She asked.

Harry gave her question a quick thought; "partially." He answered honestly, turning to her.

"Is that why you are the way you are?"

She smiled at him for a second; "partially." She said, grabbing her bag and leaving the room.

"Goodnight, Potter."

A second later he heard the door shut.

"Goodnight, Daphne."

Sirius pulled on the uncomfortable black robes with a touch of apprehension - it wasn't often that the full Wizengamot was called into session on a Saturday evening.

Rarer still was being called into a session without having the slightest inkling of what the meeting may be about.

The whole situation had him nervous.

Exiting his personal chamber at the Ministry, he frowned. He did not like having to spend time associating with a ministry that threw him in prison and forgot about him.

Still, it was his duty, and he would see to it regardless of whether he wanted to or not.

Walking into the circular chamber he thought for a long second; where you chose to sit in the ancient chamber often gave your peers a hint as to your political leanings.

To the far right sat the Flint, Macnair, Malfoy, and Nott families. Closer towards the center-right he saw Edmund Boot conversing lightly with Jacob Abbott, who had traveled to Boot from his seat closer towards the center-left.

Finally, on the far left sat Albus Dumbledore, Elphias Doge, and Augusta Longbottom.

Taking his seat in the dead-center, Sirius barely had time to greet Elizabeth Fawley before attention was called to the front of the room, where Albus Dumbledore had made his was from the far-left side of the spectrum.

Sirius noticed the old man's eyes lacked their usual sense of wonder.

The familiar apprehension returned as his mind immediately thought the worst.

"Good evening, everybody." The Chief Warlock said to a now quitting chamber.

"I wish we were brought together under better circumstances, but tonight, tragedy has struck Hogsmeade."

His face went white. 'Harry.'

It took an agonizing moment for Dumbledore to regain control of the room. "This evening, as students attended Hogsmeade, the village came under attack by a half-dozen dementors."

"Were any children kissed?" Someone asked from the left of the balcony.

Dumbledore's face sunk. "Megan Jones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and Fay Dunbar all lost their souls."

Fury came across his features, and around the room he could tell he wasn't the only one, nearly the entire body was yelling angrily at the headmaster.

Sirius took a glance towards Minister Fudge, who was talking to an ugly, toad-like woman quietly.

' How the hell did dementors find Hogsmeade?" He thought to himself.

But before he could verbalize his outrage, Amos Diggory had asked exactly that.

Echoes of agreement from both sides of the aisle remained silent, waiting to hear a satisfactory answer from the headmaster, and the Ministry of Magic.

Dumbledore was the first to answer. "It is an issue we are looking into right now, Amos. Like you, I was under the impression that the Ministry had the dementor population under control."

The attention focused to Minister Fudge, who was looking oddly composed for the situation he found himself in.

"To the best of my knowledge, the dementors are under Ministry control; but clearly Bellatrix Lestrange was able to win a few of them to her cause."

Some members of the chamber whispered worriedly at the proclamation. Surprisingly, it was Jebediah Parkinson who spoke up.

"Minister Fudge, last month when the Wizengamot inspected Azkaban you personally assured me that the dementors were only a threat to the inmates at Azkaban."

The minister began to look a bit flustered. 'Is that their angle?' He thought in shock. 'Are the purists pushing out Fudge?'

He examined that section of the body and then attempted to catch Dumbledore's eyes.

Giving up on that idea, Sirius began to do some mental math; 'at least one election every five years, there has to be one in the next 90 days.' He realized.

The anger in the chamber was palpable, but his eyes were focused on a head of long, blonde hair glancing towards a stringy looking brunette.

It wasn't a shock when a second later Elizabeth Fawley called for an election to take place that spring, nor was it a shock when Cornelius Fudge and Amos Diggory accepted nominations right then and there.

As the room began to calm down, Lucius Malfoy stood for the first time.

"I would like to nominate Lord Octavius Nott to run for Minister of Magic."

' Now there's a surprise.' He thought to himself. 'I always thought Lucy would be the one to run for office.'

Nott accepted.

Before the meeting could be adjourned, Jebediah Parkinson stood up. "In light of today's tragedy, I think I speak for everyone in this chamber when I say enough is enough."

There was a murmur of agreement, though what they were agreeing to, nobody knew.

"Albus," Jebediah Parkinson addressed the man as if they were old friends; "everyone appreciates what you have done for the wizarding world. But after today's tragedy, it is apparent that you cannot be both Chief Warlock and Headmaster."

There was some uproar in the chamber, but not as much as he had expected.

' Malfoy. They're going to nominate Malfoy as Chief Warlock.' He realized.

In the front of the room, he saw Dumbledore catch Doge's eye. 'Apparently Albus has figured it out as well.'

He couldn't allow a far-left Dumbledore disciple like Elphias Doge run against Malfoy; the man wouldn't stand a chance.

' I need someone more moderate, someone that would be acceptable to the Death Eaters and Dumbledore.'

He took a glance around the room before a smile graced his face.

Before either Dumbledore or Parkinson could make a nomination, he was on his feet.

"The House of Black would like to nominate Lord Edmund Boot to the position of Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot." Sirius stated in his most pompous tone. 'That would make even Cygnus proud.'

The chamber quieted, and he saw Dumbledore glaring at him dangerously, Sirius replied with a smirk of his own.

The body debated for nearly an hour before Edmund Boot was voted to replace Albus Dumbledore as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot.

Boot was neither a Death Eater nor a supporter of Dumbledore. His family supplied potions to the ministry, but also to Hogwarts and many individual family's as well. He was smart, driven, and now his family would be given an opportunity to prove itself.

' And his son is best friends with Harry.' He thought with a smirk.

It had taken nearly two weeks, but Harry and Daphne had finally gotten to the point where they could finally attempt the first practical portion of their runes project.

"Where are we going?" The witch next to him asked for the third time.

"An unused part of the castle." Was his quick reply. From next to him he could tell that Greengrass was becoming annoyed, and he smirked inwardly.

He was taking her to the classroom next to where Dumbledore had taught transfiguration.

A few minutes later the pair entered a dark, dusty room filled with broken desks and chairs.

His partner took a few minutes to inspect the room.

"This is perfect!" She said excitedly. "I'll take the back two corners, you start on the corners closest to the door."

He gave her a nod and headed towards the front left corner.

Their project was simple, but time consuming. The pair had settled on carving runes into a specific area and then enchanting them.

Charms such as unbreakable charms, ever clean charms, and expansion charms were commonly woven into the rune structure of many magical rooms and flats. The rune scheme was designed so that those who have a basic understanding of both enchantments and runes

can apply them themselves, with practice.

He took a break between corners to wait for Daphne.

The Slytherin which was a meticulous perfectionist, he had learned.

Thirty seconds later the girl silently headed over to his corner, inspecting his work as he did the same to hers. The pair - or rather Daphne - decided the most efficient way to work was to check each other's work for mistakes, then provide feedback.

Personally, he thought it was a waste of time. His work was perfect.

But hers wasn't. "Your permanence rune is too small."

Daphne was next to him a moment later, observing her work.

"You're right." She replied a few moments later, removing her carving knife and erasing the rune to start anew.

Daphne may be proud, and stubborn; but to his pleasant surprise, she was more than to admit when she had mistaken.

An hour later they were almost ready to begin powering the runes.

"Hold on a second!" He called out.

Daphne paused and gave him a questioning look. He smiled sheepishly at her, removing a camera from his bag, and waving it towards her, the blonde offered him a small smile as he began to document the before and after look of the room.

Another minute later and the pair stood at opposite ends of the classroom.

"On the count of three." She spoke.

"One."

Harry took a deep breath and shut his eyes.

"Two."

He placed his wand on the runes.

"Three."

He let his magic loose, maintaining his focus on the light, yellow glow in front of him.

Several seconds later the room was filled with a building yellow glow; he smiled knowing they were almost done.

A second later the light exploded, and the room went dark; he felt woozy as he worked to regain his balance.

"Lumos." He cast softly. In front of him he could see Daphne still sitting on the ground, head in her hands.

"Are you okay?" He said with a small amount of concern.

Greengrass frowned. "I'm fine, Harry. Just help me up."

He smiled and felt her soft hand grip his. He let her hand linger in his grip for a few seconds before Daphne pulled away.

Looking around the now clean room, the girl smiled. "It looks like we were successful."

Her smile turned into a frown as she looked at the still broken furniture.

"We can work on the repairing enchantment next time."

Harry offered her a nod, eager to get to his bed.

The pair walked in a comfortable silence back towards the main part of the castle.

"Harry…" his partner started; he couldn't help but notice the nervous tinge in her voice.

He turned to look at her. "Yes Daphne?"

When she didn't scold him for using her first name, he smiled again. 'Progress.' He thought to himself.

"I'm going to study with you." There was no question in her voice, just a statement of fact.

He nodded her way. "You're more than welcome to study with Lily, Terry, and myself."

She let out a frustrated groan. "Not with those idiots."

At his raised eyebrow, she quickly elaborated.

"I love Lily, and Boot definitely has his uses, but I want to duel with you."

He kept the surprise from his face. "You want to duel, with me?"

She nodded eagerly. "You're one of the few people in this school who challenge me. Dueling is more fun when it's a challenge."

He nodded in agreement. "How about Sunday afternoons?"

She smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

Albus stepped out of the floo and into Sirius's study at Grimmauld Place.

"Good evening, Sirius."

"Albus." The man responded. "Can I offer you a drink?"

He declined. "I'm sure you're wondering what I'm doing here?"

The other man nodded. "Your letter was unusually vague."

The headmaster looked at the man in front of him for a second, reaching out lightly with legilimency, only to be met with meager occlumency shields.

Sirius narrowed his eyes; "I'd appreciate it if you stayed out of my mind, Dumbledore."

"You've been practicing your occlumency." He nodded approvingly.

"I've been getting reacquainted with the subject." The other man admitted.

"Septima has been helping you, I presume?"

Black sighed; "why am I not surprised?" He started, before answering his question. "Yes, Septima has been a great help."

"And how is your relationship with Ms. Vector going?" Albus asked, he was genuinely curious. The woman had obviously had a positive effect on the man's recovery.

"Why are you here, Albus?" Sirius asked, returning to the original question.

He sighed; some people couldn't appreciate small talk. "I'm sure you remember our talk from this summer, about your brother?"

Sirius frowned. "Yes. You were trying to convince me that he betrayed his master."

Albus just nodded, ignoring the venom in the younger man's voice. "Regulus did eventually betray Voldemort."

Sirius sat in silence. "Do you have proof?"

Albus removed the letter he had retrieved from a cave near Tom Riddle's orphanage and handed it to Sirius.

They sat in silence for a few moments.

"And you're sure this is Regulus Arcturus Black?" He asked with uncertainty.

Dumbledore looked him in the eyes; "no. I'm not. But your brother is the most likely candidate, and I'd like to start my search here."

"And what exactly are you looking for?" Sirius asked.

Dumbledore scratched his long, grey, beard in thought. "A locket that used to belong to the Slytherin family, I believe it contains a piece of Voldemort's soul."

A look of disgust crossed Sirius's face.

"Kreacher!" Black yelled, his elf appearing a second later.

"Yes, Master Black?"

The headmaster swore the elf was forcing respect into its tone.

"Did you ever see Master Regulus with a locket?"

Tears welled up in the elf's wide eyes, and he smiled.

"Master Regulus did not show Kreacher a locket." 'That wasn't the question.' He thought to himself.

He decided to interrupt. "Kreacher." He started softly. "Regulus was a great man." The elf's big ears perked up at his praise of its former master. "He was killed because of that locket; I wish to destroy it."

A determined look crossed the elf's face; "if Master Regulus had evil locket. Kreacher will find it."

The elf disappeared a moment later, and the two men sat in silence.

"Why did you nominate Edmund Boot to replace me, Sirius?" The question had bothered him for the last several weeks.

Sirius ran a hand through his black hair. 'I wonder if he realizes how much he looks like James when he does that?' Albus thought sadly to himself.

"You were going to nominate Doge." Sirius said with a shrug.

Albus was confused; "I was." He replied.

"Doge would never have beat Lucius. If someone to the right of Boot were to run, they'd look like an extremist." Sirius explained logically.

He frowned. "Sirius…" He started in a disappointed tone. "When did you lose your faith in me?"

As soon as the words left his lips, Albus knew he had made a mistake.

Sirius's nostrils flared, and his eyes narrowed; he didn't shout, but his voice carried throughout the study.

"I lost faith in you when you left me to rot in Azkaban."

His response was predictable but didn't sting any less.

He was interrupted from having to respond by the return of Kreacher.

"You will find evil locket in Master Regulus's desk drawer." The elf said with a shiver.

Deciding to ignore Sirus's response; he asked Kreacher to lead him to Regulus's room and left a fuming Sirius in silence.

"Have a great holiday class! I'll see you all after break."

She sighed as her third-year runes class excitedly made their way towards the door.

' Finally.' She thought to herself, rubbing her temples lightly with her fingertips.

The end of term was always a stressful time of year, and Septima Vector was looking forward to some well-earned time off.

"Professor Vector?" Her thoughts were interrupted by the young Ravenclaw in front of her.

"What can I do for you, Harry?" Septima offered with a bright smile.

The boy looked slightly uncomfortable, she noticed.

"Sirius told me you were helping him with occlumency, I was wondering if you would be willing to help me as well?"

She flashed him a genuine smile. "Of course! If you're still feeling up to it after the ritual tomorrow, then we can practice then, if not we can start on Christmas Eve."

Harry thought for a second. "Will I feel up to it after the 'Ritual of Gabriel?'" He asked.

Septima offered him another smile. "Yes, this ritual is much less taxing."

Harry nodded his head slightly, and she allowed some hesitation to creep into her voice.

"Have you considered any other rituals?"

Her student looked at her questioningly; "not really."

"You should." She stated. "Sirius says that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named isn't really gone, I'd like to know you did everything in your power to protect yourself, should you become a target."

Harry looked unconvinced but said nothing.

"Just think about it, Harry. I'd be there to help you." She offered him another dazzling smile, and the child blushed slightly before telling her he'd think about it and heading towards the door.

Once Harry left the room, Septima entered her office only to be greeted by a familiar tawny owl sitting in the windowsill.

Instantly feeling a little better, she grabbed the letter from the owl, and began to read, an ever-growing smile gracing her lips.

Heavy snow crashed against the windows of the Hogwarts Express as it headed towards London.

"Are you doing the Ritual of Gabriel tonight?" Terry asked from across from him.

The compartment was empty besides the pair of them. The normally noisy train was almost eerily quiet, still in mourning over the attack almost two months prior.

In Ravenclaw, Michael Corner, had been mourning the loss of Megan Jones.

The subdued nature of the journey, combined with his successful casting of the privacy ward 'Certior Fieri Proximitas' provided the boys with a sense of privacy, and Harry a sense of accomplishment.

"Yes." Was his response. To the best of his knowledge, Septima and Sirius were preparing for it right now.

The 'Ritual of Gabriel' was less physically taxing then its counterpart and would ensure he stayed properly nourished. While the ritual provided no visible changes to his body, it did mean he was less likely to suffer from minor illnesses.

"You're not doing it, are you?" Harry asked conversationally, knowing his friend hadn't completed the 'Ritual of Josephine.'

"Josephine is a prerequisite." Was Terry's predictable response.

The pair fell into a compatible silence as he turned his attention to his introductory book on conjuration.

"Harry." Terry spoke up some time later.

"Yes." He responded, not looking up from his book.

"Why did you drag out your duel with Malfoy?"

Shortly after Halloween the first matchups of the year were announced. With each house fielding three duelers each for third, fourth, and fifth years, it meant that he had to wait until the end of the year to take his revenge on Daphne.

"He used to make fun of Daphne, now he keeps asking her to Hogsmeade." He frowned; Draco Malfoy had stated to become a pest. "He also shoots me glares in the halls."

Terry nodded. "I've heard he's jealous of you."

Harry just grunted. Despite his training with Daniel Avery, Draco Malfoy couldn't stand a chance in the pits against him, Greengrass wouldn't like that.

"Are you excited to face off against Diggory and Johnson?"

His matches in February were brutal as he faced off against the two best duelers in their grouping, and the only two students in the school who both dueled and played quidditch.

"Yes, although I wish they would have split them up."

Terry nodded in sympathy.

"Do you have any plans for the holiday?" He asked the lanky brunette.

Boot groaned. "I have several holiday party's my father is making me attend."

"How does he like his new role?" Harry asked in curiosity. The Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot was essentially second in command should anything happen to the Minister.

A grin stretched across his face. "It's going great! He says if he plays his cards right, it will elevate our status and wealth!"

If he had noticed one thing about this small community, it was that giving a family the opportunity to break into the upper echelon of society was the best way to earn an invaluable ally. After seeing Terry's reaction to his father's new prestige, it seemed that Sirius had all but confirmed that theory.

"Will you be at Longbottom's party, on Boxing Day?" Harry asked. 'It would be good to have a friendly face there.' He knew from Lily that her family hadn't been invited.

Terry nodded in affirmation. "Of course, how about you?"

He gave his friend a smile. "Of course."

They spent the next hour in silence, as Harry practiced the wand movements necessary for the various conjurations he read, adding notes to his journal as he went.

"Who does your father think will win the election?"

Terry gave him an odd look. "Since when do you care about politics?"

He frowned; "I do care; just not as much as you."

"He thinks Octavius Nott will win the election." Terry answered.

Harry nodded. Sirius had come to the same conclusion. Nott was a great nominee, according to his godfather. He was smart, successful, and from a good family; and while his name may have been implemented as a Voldemort supporter, nobody in his family wore the dark mark, or openly supported his cause.

"What would that mean?"

Terry shrugged. "Nothing, unless you truly think Voldemort is coming back."

Harry growled in anger, they'd had this talk before; but until there was proof, Terry was skeptical of Harry's claim that Voldemort wasn't dead.

"You know I do, Boot."

Terry ignored the use of his surname.

"Well, if you think the Dark Lord is anything less-than-dead, then it would mean that another person who was allegedly close to the Dark Lord has a significant degree of power."

Harry was confused. "Another?"

Boot nodded; "well there's Professor's Nott and Snape, Snape was actually a Death Eater at one point in time."

Harry's eye's widened, but Boot continued.

"Then there's Daniel Avery; he is 'security' at Hogwarts, but his father and grandfather both broke out of Azkaban a few years ago and were in the Dark Lord's inner circle."

"How do you know all of this?" Harry asked in shock.

"Every family has their secrets Harry. One of ours is we know everyone else's secrets."

It took him less than a day to recover from the ritual, and by Christmas Eve Harry felt better than he could remember.

"Harry!" He heard his godfather yell from down the hall. "Join me in the kitchen!"

Curious to see what Sirius had so excited, he threw on a maroon cardigan and headed towards the kitchen.

As he approached, he could hear two voices getting progressively louder; the first, the familiar excited delivery of his godfather; the second unfamiliar, the man almost seemed to growl as he laughed.

Stepping into the kitchen he was greeted by the smiling face of Sirius, and a sickly-looking brunette man in shabby robes.

"Harry!" the dog animagus addressed him as he made his way towards the oval table. "I'd like you to meet Remus Lupin."

With the slightest bit of trepidation, the older man reached out with his hand.

After introductions Remus took a second to eye him. "Sirius told me about your runes project; how's it coming along?"

He smiled. "Daphne and I have completed and charged the necessary runes to keep the room clean, and we just finished transfiguring all the broken furniture and imbibing them with unbreakable charms."

Remus looked impressed, but Sirius just stared at him blankly. "Tell Moony about what's next."

Harry smiled. They had just finished the theory on how they were going to lock the door using a password and hoped to have that done by March.

"The old classroom has been quite the project." He started. "We've spent hours cleaning, repairing, and designing the room, right now anyone can just walk in. We're going to protect it with a password."

Lupin rubbed his chin in thought. "Are you going to hide it with a portrait?"

Harry smiled; "Daphne said she's going to bring back a frame from home when we return from holiday."

"We also hope to include some proximity runes, and maybe even a ward."

"I wonder if the Marauder's Map would recognize the room." Lupin thought out loud.

Harry offered him a dumb look. "What?" He said, perplexed.

"The Marauder's Map? Sirius hasn't told you about our old school group?"

His godfather looked ashamed. "I had honestly forgot."

Lupin shrugged but continued. "Your father, myself, Sirius, and Pettigrew." Were all best friends in school, we called ourselves the Marauders, and gave each other nicknames. James was Prongs, Sirius was Padfoot, I was Moony, and then there was Scabbers."

"I don't get it." Harry deadpanned.

Lupin looked at him as if he were slow, then turned towards Sirius; "I thought you said he was smart?"

His godfather grinned; "book smart." He said, turning to Harry; "we were best friends with nicknames based on our animagus forms. I was Padfoot, because I was a dog; your father was Prongs because he was a stag; Peter was a Scabbers because he's a rat, and Remus is Moony because he's a Werewolf."

Harry almost spats up his butterbeer at the last bit but kept his composure and settled for nodding his head.

"And what's the Marauder's Map?"

Some unseen tension seemed to leave the room; and a smile came over Remus's face. "It's the marauders greatest creation."

Several hours later found the trio; plus, Septima and the Tonks family; enjoying a glass of wine in the living room by the Christmas tree.

"And you're sure I can try some wine?" Sirius gave Septima a look, and the brunette witch threw her hands up on the air.

"Don't give me that look, he's your godson!"

"I've always found encouragement from a beautiful witch to be really influential." Sirius said, wrapping his arms around the young warding professor.

She laughed; "he's my student!" She admonished, grabbing the front of Sirius's robes, and planting a kiss on his lips.

Harry sighed before promptly drinking half of his glass, grimacing at the bitter taste.

"You see!" Sirius pointed out; it's working."

Septima rolled her eyes, and Tonks spoke up.

"How's your friend doing, Harry? You wrote that she had almost been kissed by a dementor?"

The room got eerily quiet, and Harry scowled slightly.

"Lily's doing much better." He frowned; in truth she had become more paranoid in the last two months.

Septima cut in; "it's been a very difficult couple of months at school." She acknowledged.

Changing the subject; Septima changed the subject. "I've been very impressed by the progress you and Daphne have made, Harry. Are you still planning on adding some wards in by the end of the year?"

Harry smiled. "I am. Would you mind helping me when I'm ready."

The beautiful professor offered him a soft smile. "Of course."

The study was her favorite room in the entire house; with large windows overlooking the rolling hills that made up their property, Daphne loved nothing more than to curl up in her father's comfortable leather chair with a book.

"Open this one next, Daph!" Astoria yelled excitedly.

The frail brunette shoved a sloppily wrapped present into her arms, much to her chagrin, and her mother's amusement.

Personality wise, the Greengrass girls couldn't be more different. While Astoria was warm and friendly - like their mother - Daphne was more aloof and calculating, taking after their father.

She offered her sister a soft smile as she opened the gift to reveal a golden locket with a picture of them both inside.

"Thank you, Astoria." She said offering her a gentle smile.

Christmas was one of the few times of the year the Greengrass family spent the entire day as a family, enjoying a large breakfast before opening family gifts in the study.

While she loved the family time, she was eager to get the whole ordeal over with so she could return to the library - it was her first time having complete access to it since she turned fourteen in October.

Forty-five minutes later Daphne sighed in delight as she looked entered the library.

Her family wasn't traditionally wealthy, like the Malfoy's or the Nott's, but her family's library was more than adequate.

Making her way past several bookshelves, she entered a side chamber to her right, taking in several rows of crystal vials filled with secrets.

Her father had been generous in allowing her access to specific memories in this room, but unfettered access came with age.

Picking up a memory at random she walked over to the pensieve before jumping in.

She was in her family's garden.

" What's the matter, dear?" She heard a familiar, firm voice say as she rounded the corner, although she had never met her aunt, she would recognize that voice anywhere.

A younger, attractive dark-haired witch sat across from her, and her blood began to boil. Bellatrix Lestrange wore an uncharacteristically worried look on her face.

" The Dark Lord has entrusted me with a possession." Daphne got as close as she could to Ophelia, and peered in, not wanting to miss a word of the seemingly important conversation unfolding in front of her.

" And what is this possession?" Ophelia responded; the slightest tinge of curiosity evident in her voice.

" A cup." Her great aunt raised an eyebrow, an annoyed look on her face.

Sensing the looming danger, Lestrange rushed to finish her explanation. "More specifically, something called a 'horcrux.'"

Ophelia's grey eyes shot up at the mention of the foreign word.

" Are you sure?" Ophelia questioned; a look of disgust evident on her features.

" Yes. I don't know what to do with it?" The younger woman admitted.

" Lock it away and speak of it to nobody, Black." Her aunt responded, sternly.

" I can't believe Riddle would go to such extremes."

Riddle.

That name reminded her of Harry's room. 'Wasn't the founder of that room a 'Tom Riddle?' She thought to herself, remembering how she had seen the name in one of her aunt's diaries.

Withdrawing from the ending memory, she shivered slightly in pleasure; if she was right she may have just discovered a memory worth killing for.

His father tugged slightly at his navy-blue dress robes. "This way, Terry." Edmund Boot said, dragging him towards the hosts of the party.

"Augusta!" His father cried out, greeting the surly, elderly woman with a deep bow.

"Lord Boot." Augusta curtsied slightly in return. "I'm glad you could make it, although I was hoping to speak to Melissa as well."

His father smiled. "You know her, can't drag her away from the cauldron." They all chuckled lightly.

"You remember my son, Terry." The Longbottom matriarch gave him something resembling a smile.

"Of course, Edmund. Your son and Neville are in the same year at Hogwarts."

The adults continued their conversation while he turned to Neville for the first time.

"Having a good holiday, Neville?"

The chubby boy gave him a smile; surprise, happiness, and an image of a strange plant assaulted Terry's mind as he took in the Gryffindors response.

"And this 'shrivel fig,' what are its uses?" He asked, already aware of the many uses of a shrivel fig.

"The plant has many medicinal properties!" The other boy started excitedly.

Tuning him out Terry searched the boys surface thoughts.

To his surprise, he wasn't the only one with a wandering eye; while animatedly explaining the shrivel fig, Neville was simultaneously eyeing Jacob Abbott and his daughter Hannah talking with the Bones'.

A few minutes later the conversations wrapped up; with a quick 'muffliato' his father turned to him.

"What have you learned tonight?"

Terry smiled. "Ernie Macmillan has a crush on Michael Corner and is really confused about the whole situation. Jacob Abbott is torn between Fudge and Diggory for Minister of Magic; and Neville Longbottom has a crush on Hannah Abbott." Terry surmised.

His father nodded in approval. "I would like you to introduce me to Mr. Potter."

Terry nodded slightly, taking a brief glance around the room.

Eyeing Harry's dark emerald dress robes speaking with Dipesh Patil, he started walking confidently in that direction, his father at his heels.

The pair waited politely for Harry and his godfather to wrap up their conversation with the Indian Ambassador before making their approach.

"Harry!" he smiled, greeting his friend with a firm handshake.

The shorter boy returned his smile. "I'd like to introduce you to my father, Edmund."

His friend turned to his father, offering a polite bow; "Chief Warlock, it's a pleasure to formally meet you, and congratulations on your appointment."

' He's gotten better.' Terry thought to himself, remembering the disaster that was an eleven-year-old Harry Potter.

"The pleasure is mine, Heir Potter, my son talks about you often."

Terry saw his friend grimace at the formal title, but he regained his composure.

"Let me introduce you to my godfather, Lord Sirius Black."

The tall, pale man didn't offer his father a bow, instead offering him his hand.

Instead of taking offense, his father shook his hand firmly.

"Lord Black, thank you for nominating me to my current post, I am most grateful."

Black smiled. "You were more than qualified for the position, Edmund. I only nominated you, you have to do the work."

"But why did you nominate me, Sirius?" His father asked in exasperation.

Harry's godfather just smiled; "I have my reasons."

"Get anything interesting for Christmas? Thanks for the book on finance, by the way, I've never read a book on muggle methods before."

His friend smiled. "Thanks for the interesting book on rituals."

Terry smiled. "I saw it and immediately thought of you!" He laughed.

"Well thank you. Besides that, I got several other books, candy, an interesting dagger from Daphne, a book on poison antidotes from Lily, and a broom from Sirius - apparently I spend too much time on the ground."

"A book on antidotes?" He asked in confusion.

Harry laughed. "Daphne has a newfound obsession with poisons, apparently Lily is worried about my health."

Terry just laughed.

"Are you excited for the second duels?" He asked.

As Harry began to answer his question, Terry took a deep breath, and with the slightest bit of hesitation, he touched Harry's mind.

His friends smile immediately turned deadly, and Terry knew he had fucked up.

"What was that Terry." The tone was so severe that it had caught Blacks attention.

He was caught, and he knew it. 'I can still salvage this.'

"You've gotten much better at occlumency." He said with approval.

In front of him, he caught his dad's disappointment.

Harry was apoplectic; " why were you attempting to use legilimency on me, Boot?"

He winced. "I - I'm sorry Harry. It won't happen again!" He pleaded.

"No, it won't." Was Harry's cold response.

"I could have your son brought up on charges, Chief Warlock." Sirius Black said, the threat evident in his voice.

His father scowled at him. 'I'll have to take this.' He thought.

"Yes, yes you could." His father agreed, harshly.

"Terry, we're leaving. We'll talk more about this when we get home." Rage ran across Edmund Boots face - whether it was directed at him for getting caught, or at him for potentially costing them an ally he couldn't tell.

With that the Boots uttered a quick apology, leaving two enraged, powerful men in their wake.

The dueling pit used for the third through fifth years duels came with a much larger student section, she thought to herself as she chatted mindlessly with Blaise, waiting for Harry's duel with Diggory to begin.

Lily yawned in exhaustion; from next to her Blaise gave her a concerned look.

"You need to get some sleep, Lily."

She frowned. She was well-aware of the bags under her eyes; but sleep brought nightmares, and if she had to see her brother die in front of her one more time…

"I know, I know." She shrugged off I'll grab some dreamless sleep from the infirmary after the duels.

Blaise nodded in approval, and she smiled at his concern.

In the pit, Harry and Cedric Diggory bowed to each other.

"I wonder how Potter will respond to a loss?" Blaise pondered.

Lily frowned. Not a half hour earlier Harry had suffered his first loss of the year to Angelina Johnson. 'Daphne beat her.' She thought with a smile, knowing her friend would be gloating in the common room later. Fortunately, Harry had an opportunity to redeem himself against the undefeated Hufflepuff.

The duel started with gusto as Harry immediately seized the advantage.

Diggory was unbothered by being put on the defensive; preferring to counter where he could rather than face the talented Ravenclaw head on.

"That's an impressive bit of transfiguration." Blaise said approvingly as Harry sent a group of rocks speeding at Diggory.

Diggory shielded with a brick wall, sending several piercing curses Harry's way.

Diggory wasn't the most powerful wizard, but he was smart, and he was accurate - winning most of his duels by anticipating the movements of his opponents.

Harry dodged the first two piercing curses, before taking one to the leg.

Lily grimaced for her friend. She had no idea what would have happened to her if Harry hadn't been with her in Hogsmeade that day.

' I wonder what he heard?' She thought to herself as she watched her friend hit Diggory in the chest with a bonebreaker.

His movement hindered; Harry had been forced into a more defensive position.

From the dueler's section, she saw her friends' green eyes watching Harry with interest as a ball of fire leapt from his holly wand.

Diggory countered with a dome of water before sending some transfigured dogs Harry's way.

Harry killed the dogs with some cutters, returning fire with a familiar ball of water, which the black-haired boy froze mid-air.

The spell burst through Diggory's shield, forcing him to the edge of the circle.

Seizing the advantage, Harry followed up with a barrage of spells, catching Diggory with a banishing charm, forcing him backward and out of the circle.

"Potter wins!" She heard the referee cry out over the applause of the crowd.

Blaise turned to her. "Come on Lily, you've had your fun. Let's get you to the infirmary." He said, wrapping his arm around her waist and leading her to the exit.

The student lounge was busy for a Thursday night, he noticed as he took a seat in a corner near the fireplace.

Terry had found that this seat gave him a perfect view of the entire room, allowing him to easily observe the other students.

A loud noise drew his attention to Cho Chang, who a moment ago had been gossiping about Cedric Diggory with Edgecombe, was now sporting bright blue hair. A few feet away Fred and George Weasley were observing the situation with intense scrutiny, whispering quietly to one another, taking notes on merlin knows what.

From the corner of his eye, a solitary blonde figure in dark violet robes approached confidently, stopping in front of his chair.

"Good evening, Greengrass."

The girl gave him a look that he imagined was supposed to intimidate him; "Boot."

He sighed when she didn't continue. "What can I do for you?"

"Potter." The Slytherin responded. "I want information about Potter."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, I'm hardly the person to ask. We've hardly spoken in the last few months."

Daphne waved him off. "Lily tells me you're still showing up to his tutoring sessions; I'm sure you two will work it out."

He hoped. His father had been livid after his mistake; more importantly, he felt bad for violating Harry's trust. The last few months had been lonely.

"What do you want with Harry?" He asked suspiciously.

"None of your concern, Boot. Name your price."

He frowned. "No."

"No?" She repeated back to him.

"No. I will not give you information about my friend."

' She looks agitated.' He thought to himself.

"I can give you information on Slytherin?" She asked hopefully.

' She must be desperate.'

"I have my sources, I'll pass."

The pretty girl in front of him sighed in defeat, and he let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding; 14 or not, Daphne Greengrass was dangerous.

"I'm interested in him, that's all. He's smart, driven, and good-looking. I was hoping to learn more about him."

Terry smiled inwardly. 'Maybe that piece of information will get me back in Harry's good graces?'

It was obvious his friend harbored feelings for the Slytherin.

"You probably know more about him than I do, honestly."

She persisted. "We work on runes, duel, and occasionally ask each other for help. Rarely do we talk personal details. I just want to know how he's perceived in Ravenclaw, what he's working on, his interests; you know, basic stuff."

"So, you can manipulate him." He countered.

"No." She shook her head. "So, I can get to know him better. I like to be prepared."

He thought for a second before an idea came to him; he smiled cruelly.

"I heard one time that a blood malediction was placed on the Greengrass family, is that true?"

Fury briefly swept across Daphne's face, before a cold rage settled across her features.

Her reaction was all the proof he needed.

"Harry is an outcast within Ravenclaw." He said abruptly.

It was clear from her reaction that he had captured her interest.

"Why?"

He shrugged. "Jealousy, his general demeanor, the fact that he's not afraid to show off." He listed.

Daphne nodded. "What sort of things is he working on?"

He shrugged; "last time we talked, he was working on warding and conjuration, but that was at Christmas."

"I already knew that!" She snapped at him, causing him to recoil.

"Tell me something I don't know." Daphne demanded.

He thought for a second, rubbing his chin.

"Harry's godfather is dating professor Vector, she's teaching him occlumency."

She raised a well-manicured eyebrow at him. "Why does he need to learn occlumency?" She said, before quickly adding, pointing at him; "outside the obvious, of course."

He gave her a long look. "Harry claims that the Dark Lord isn't dead."

Terry expected more of a reaction from the girl, but she just gave a sharp nod of her head, then walked away.

"Hi Harry!" She said brightly.

The raven-haired boy gave her a strange look, and she blushed.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" He asked.

They were standing inside their room in early April, and she couldn't help but be proud at what they had accomplished since the start of the year.

Daphne glared at the boy. "I didn't realize I was such an emotionless husk." She deadpanned.

Harry blushed cutely, earning him a small smile.

"Besides. Professor Vector said the theory on our password protected door is perfect. We can carve the runes when necessary."

Harry offered her a bright smile. "That's great! She also went over some minor pain wards with me, so anyone who isn't authorized will feel a stinging hex until they leave."

She was impressed, she didn't think he would be able to start warding the room until next year, and she didn't think he would want to start with pain wards.

"Can you make them work."

He frowned and she noticed the way his forehead crinkled inwards when he was thinking intently.

"I think I can get them to work properly by the end of the year."

It was her turn to smile.

"You spend quite a bit of time after class working with Professor Vector, you don't have a crush on her, do you?" She teased, watching his reaction intently.

He blushed slightly, and she frowned.

"Septima is dating my godfather." He replied. "She helps me with certain subjects."

"Like what?" She asked.

She patiently let Harry think about his response.

"Runes, warding, and occlumency, primarily." He spoke

She nodded, throwing an impressed look on her face. 'Boot was right.'

They sat in silence at their ornately decorated desks for a few minutes.

"Daphne?" His soft voice interrupted her from her reading.

"Hmm?" Was her response.

"What's your history with Bellatrix Lestrange?"

Instead of getting mad like she would with most, she was pleasantly surprised to realize that she didn't mind Harry's prying.

But that topic was like an onion.

She weighed her options; and decided on telling him a part of the story.

"My Great Aunt Ophelia was a wonderful, powerful, independent woman." She started, trying to keep the admiration out of her voice.

"When she was younger she led Grindelwald's forces across continental Europe."

She paused there, waiting for the question, but it never came; she smiled again and continued.

"After Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald. Dumbledore and the International Confederation of Wizards cut a deal with Ophelia; she was to live the rest of her life at Greengrass 'Manor' here in Britain."

Harry paid rapt attention to her family history lesson, silently encouraging her to continue.

"Back in the 1940's, my family took a loan out from the Black family." She said with disgust.

"What does my godfather's family have to do with your aunt and Bellatrix?" 'He really is ignorant.' She had thought Lily had been exaggerating.

"Bellatrix Lestrange's maiden name is Black, pay attention."

She took a sip of water and continued. "The payment was due, in full by 1963. When my family couldn't pay; my grandfather worked out a deal with Cygnus Black; who had a prodigious daughter entering her second year who needed training. In exchange for forgiving the debt - my Aunt Ophelia agreed to mentor Bellatrix Black."

Harry stared at her in interest, and she could only imagine what was going through his mind - she resisted the desire to attempt legilimency on him, remembering what Boot had told her.

"What happened?" He asked.

' Bellatrix Black married into the Lestrange family.' She wanted to say.

"Ophelia learned something she shouldn't have, and the bitch took her down while my aunt had her back turned." She spat out in disgust.

' A partial truth is better than a lie.'

"So, what about you, tell me about growing up with muggles?" She spat out.

He grimaced and returned her look of disgust.

"They were the most miserable creatures on the planet…."

Severus Snape took a glance around the unfamiliar room, his usual sneer making its way across his face.

' Bellatrix, Lucius, and Pettigrew.' Severus looked at Pettigrew with a look of disgust.

"Good evening, everyone." Lucius' voice echoed throughout the room. "Thank you for joining me."

"Where are we Lucius?" Bellatrix snapped.

"A safe room on a Malfoy property."

The answer seemed to suffice, as Bellatrix took to examining each person in the room with varying degrees of suspicion.

"I'm glad you all could make it; what we have to discuss wouldn't be safe to send in post."

"Or with Severus in the room." Bellatrix snapped, shooting him a suspicious glare.

He returned her glare with a bored expression. "I am no more a traitor than you, Bella."

When nobody responded, Malfoy continued. "Our Lord should be ready to return to his body within the year."

At the proclamation Bellatrix's expression turned from mistrust to glee, while next to him Pettigrew tensed slightly.

"Bellatrix, will you be ready?" She offered Malfoy a cruel smile, causing him to shiver.

"Of course."

"What will you need of me?" He spoke up.

Lucius considered him for a moment. "For now? Nothing. Do you have an update for us?"

"Yes." He started. "Kingsley Shacklebolt will not be returning to Hogwarts next year, Dumbledore is pressuring Alastor Moody to take over the post."

His compatriots paled.

"That would not be good for us." Lucius said with a sense of dread.

Bellatrix scoffed. "Moody will not be the next Defense Professor at Hogwarts." She smiled. "I'm told my niece will likely replace Shacklebolt."

"And what would you know about Hogwarts, Bellatrix?" He sneered.

She smiled cruelly.

"You aren't the only eyes in the school, Sevvie." She cooed.

Lucius cut off his response.

"Pettigrew!"

The plump man shied away nervously at having attention on himself.

"Harry Potter spends most of his time with Daphne Greengrass, or Lily Moon."

Severus groaned. The boy's friendship with two of his snakes was a dark spot on his record.

"Not Boot?" Malfoy asked.

"No." Pettigrew responded. "They had some sort of falling out."

Bellatrix smiled but said nothing.

The meeting continued for the next several minutes, but one thing had become abundantly clear; Bellatrix Lestrange had a spy in Hogwarts.

The question now was what did he do about it?

"Nice work Harry!" He boomed, as a bought of silver mist erupted from the third years wand.

Kingsley smiled; the boys grasp of the Patronus Charm was incredible for his age.

His student just groaned in frustration. "Why can't I get it to work, professor?" Harry questioned.

He offered the boy a broad smile. "It takes lots of practice, many grown wizards cannot even produce the mist."

Harry just groaned. "Professor, do you think the next Defense professor will allow me to skip a year?"

Kingsley thought about it for a second; knowing likely Nymphadora would insist on it.

"Concentrate on your exams, for now, Harry."

The boy left his office a few seconds later.

"He's making great strides, isn't he Kingsley?"

The man turned to face the old Headmaster.

"He is very impressive, Albus."

He pushed back, hard at the intrusion as a mind that wasn't his own fought for control of his body.

Barty Crouch pushed with all his might against the foreign presence, as his head exploded in pain.

He screamed as he thrashed about the room, knocking a lamp off his nightstand.

The pain subsided instantly, and he felt pure bliss as his body moved of its own accord throughout the room.

Stopping in front of the mirror to examine himself; Barty Crouch's mind didn't even register the fact that a pair of unfamiliar red eyes were staring back at him.

"Winner, Slytherin!" The referee proclaimed loudly as the Slytherins roared in approval at her victory.

From their side, the Gryffindors booed as she dispatched of the previously undefeated Angelina Johnson.

She smiled in delight. Her victory meant that her upcoming duel with Harry would decide which one of the third years won their third through fifth year title.

Harry, she had to admit, however grudgingly, was a damn good duelist.

She shielded the wide-area stunner and returned fire with a combination of bone-breakers and exploding hexes, throwing in an entrail expelling curse for good measure.

Harry's green-eyes widened in shock, but he rolled out of the way.

"Fulminis!" Her opponent shouted, and Daphne dove out of the way from the dark, purple lightning.

As she dove she was hit in the shoulder by an arrow. She let out a cry of pain as she felt the blood start to seep through her emerald dueling robes.

Potter didn't let up, and she was immediately on her heels, dispatching of a wolf that was bounding towards her.

She sent an ice spear and a plethora of fireballs his way, catching him with the spear in the chest, impaling him.

Instead of giving up, Potter spit out some blood and sent a barrage of stunners her way.

Then things went black.

She hadn't spent much time in the dimly lit room this year, she thought to herself as she and Harry read silently.

"Tom Riddle was bloody brilliant." He said loudly.

Daphne struggled internally. 'Do I tell him who I think Tom Riddle became?'

Harry had the right to know who's books he was studying, who taught him how to curse objects and cast a heart-stopping curse.

But did she really want to take that advantage away from him? Would his finding out change him?

She bit her bottom lip, confused by the dilemma.

Making up her mind, Daphne said nothing and went back to reading.

The spy watched their target from underneath their invisibility cloak.

"I'll take a meade, Rosey." The spies target squeaked.

The barmaid complied and the spy made their way to the bathroom, removing the invisibility cloak and ordering their own meade a second later.

Subtly removing a vial from their robe, the spy poured the poison into their own drink.

Nervous for the next part, the spy looked around the room. Spotting the Weasley twins near the bar, the spy smiled, reaching out with a touch of legilimency, urging them to cause a scene.

A few seconds later, the boys jumped up on top of the bar, and started to sing a song, immediately drawing attention to themselves.

The spy smiled, quickly casting a switching spell on their glass, the spy saw the liquid in their own glass change with that of their targets.

The spy watched tensely for a few minutes as Filius Flitwick talked animatedly with Pomona Sprout.

The spy saw the charms professor take a small sip of meade and the reaction was immediate, and the spy allowed a small smile to cross their face.

The tiny creature started to desperately claw at his throat as blood started to seep from his pores.

Someone screamed in horror, and with all their attention on the dying charms professor, nobody noticed when the spy slipped out.