Unveiling Destiny: Harry Potter and the Triwizard Revelation

Fawkes was an amazing creature. Harry already knew this, phoenixes were magically potent and had incredible abilities. But it wasn't those that he was dwelling on. Fawkes and Cuddles had been playing around, with Cuddles chasing after Fawkes, and the second he got to the Chamber, he'd recognized the mood Harry was in, not a good one.

He wanted to rage and blast statues. The fucking sanctimonous arsehole Dumbledore tried comparing him to Riddle! The man who murdered his parents and tried to kill him as a baby! A person so feared for his despicable actions that a whole society is afraid to say his name.

And Dumbledore had the gall to say Harry was like him?

It really had upset him. He'd lost his cool and couldn't be in the same room with that old codger! Harry had thrown on his actual invisibility cloak and quickly descended to the place he felt was his place of solace and solitude.

Fawkes' song was a balm to his soul.

The magical tune calmed him, levelled out his emotions. It felt like the sun breaking through on a cold cloudy day, the warmth and brightness finding a way to get through the cold and dreary day.

He'd needed to stop reacting and start thinking.

Cuddles landing on him and snuggling up against his cheek affectionately was appreciated too. His familiar understood what he was feeling. It was interesting that he and Fawkes got on so well. The bird would always be special to him, it was here, in this room, that he'd saved Hary's life. You don't forget that.

Harry waved them off, hoping they'd return to their games. He enjoyed watching them and could use the distraction while everything percolated in his mind.

Fawkes flashed away, flaming to the far side of the cavern. Cuddles was already pursuing, merrily screeching her war calls. Fawkes dipped and dived, gracefully flying through the air, banking around pillars and using statues to hold off Cuddle's pursuit. With the dragon being much smaller she couldn't keep up but Fawkes enjoyed teasing the smaller being.

A smile crept across Harry's face. He leaned back, his two palms behind him, holding up his upper body. It was mesmerizing to watch. He couldn't help but wonder who else had ever seen anything like this, a phoenix playing tag with a dragon.

What was he going to do with himself? He hadn't eaten, which had been the plan for going up into Hogwarts in the first place. He could easily have Dobby sort that out but he was yearning to get out. If he stayed here he'd go back to blasting things with magic. He didn't want to stew in his anger, to brood.

His mind supplied to possibilities, visiting Natalia or going to talk with Sirius and Remus. He could go and talk with Fleur, if she was available, but the Delacour family didn't think too highly of Dumbledore. They had a grudging respect for him, for defeating Grindelwald, but he didn't actively tried to help Europe deal with the man in the same way Harry's own grandfather had been.

Slughorn might be a good option but he was also the same person who told Voldemort about horcruxes. His moral compass was not one Harry wished to emulate. Cyrus could be an option but he was busy sorting out Daphne's tracer ring. How had that even happened? Did the Chamber of Secrets strip it off? Does it protect its location from being tracked?

Harry shook his head and focused back on the aerial maneuvering of Fawkes and Cuddles. His little familiar was getting frustrated and shooting plumes of fire at the phoenix. It didn't deter Fawkes though, if anything, it made the majestic bird more daring, dodging the dragonfire or flashing away just as it reached him. The amused trills made it clear he was enjoying it.

Who did that leave Harry to talk with? The Weasley family was famously loyal to Dumbledore, Hermione was apparently gone… How had that even happened? He would need to find that out.

That really just left visiting Natalia, not that he would ask for their opinion on Dumbledore's words, or visiting with Sirius and Remus, if they were available. Given Sirius' status as a fugitive, he probably was home.

Before he left, he'd get Dobby to fetch some food and enjoy the show, it was brightening his spirits.

If there was one thing which could brighten his day, it would be messing with Sirius. With his cloak he thought he'd be capable of some shenanigans. That had led to Harry apparating, under his cloak, to his godfather's home and sneaking into the home, as quietly as he could.

He didn't really have a solid plan in place, no pranking materials with him, but he was good at making plans on the fly.

Huh, on the fly.

With a plan in mind, he withdrew Cuddles from his bag and set her down. Enlarging her, slowly, until she was far too large for the room.

Harry grins, pleased with his idea. He'd cast the human detection charm, wordlessly and without wand motion and is chuffed to see the results, two humans are upstairs.

"Oi, godfather, is this how you treat your favorite godson?!" He yelled up the stairs in mock outrate, a minor amplification charm enhancing the decibel level of his voice, ensuring the mutt and wolf should be able to hear him.

Harry quickly throws out two charms, one to deaden the scent coming out of the room, knowing Padfoot and Moony have an excellent sense of smell, and another to deaden any noise coming out of the room, Harry would have to step into the stairway to be heard now.

"Harry? Is that you?" Sirius calls back down, surprise noticeable in his voice.

"Yeah. I'll be in the kitchen." He tries to keep the excitement out of his voice, belaying any suspicion.

Harry quickly darts back around the corner and conjures a large glass barrier. His wand is flicking here and there, a mile a minute. Each flick is another flame proof charm. He doesn't want to burn the home down, afterall.

Harry heard the steps down the stairs, they were up on the third floor, or higher. They descended into the final set of stairs and Harry hid around the corner, ready to give the mental command to Cuddles.

The second Harry caught sight of movement, he gave the command 'burn them'.

Cuddles' large maw opened, a deep breath was sucked in, slitted eyes focused on the target and the whole room was bathed in the light of the dragon's fire.

Harry opened his eyes, having shut them due to the brightness of the flames, and saw a cowering Sirius and Remus. Both had their wands drawn and were in the fetal position, their heads down.

Harry placed his left hand on Cuddles and shrunk her down to normal size.

Cuddles had fired into conjured glass, glass he had become exceedingly good at conjuring. It wasn't regular ones, it was what Harry had been using to protect himself during experiments with Dragon Fire. Normal glass had to be charmed multiple times to enable it to resist the heat. He'd shot a couple extra ones, not wanting to risk the lives of his father's best friends.

He saw them both and began to laugh, loud and long.

When he could find a chance to spell cast, not easily, he began vanishing the glass he'd used to protect himself, but not the glass keeping the two marauders away.

"You always kills us!" Sirius exclaimed, still shell-shocked from coming around a corner and almost being burnt to death.

Harry laughed, in reality, Cuddles had just shot one torrent of flame, if she actually had tried to light up the room, as she did in the forest, the whole house would be burning in very short order.

Harry just laughed some more, giddy that he managed to scare the stuffing out of both of them.

Remus stood up and brushed himself off, looking a little shaken still. "I don't think we've been scared this bad since Lily was pregnant. Her temper, pregnancy hormones and a wand…" He shuddered at the memory.

Sirius was now standing and glaring at his godson. "You know this means payback right."

Harry smiled and slowly turned his gaze onto Cuddles, the little dragon was happily resting on his shoulder, tail falling behind his neck.

Harry brandished his wand, once more, and removed the final alterations to the room, allowing them to be able to step further into the room.

Sirius moved forward and gave his godson a hearty hug. Remus quickly followed up with a hug of his own, after Sirius released him.

"What brings you here to visit little ol' us?" Sirius asked, grinning. "There aren't beautiful birds to win over here."

Harry groaned, of course Sirius was going to bring up his complicated situation with Natalia and Fleur.

Remus, thankfully, moved the conversation away, right away. "So what brings you here, Harry. Shouldn't you be at Hogwarts or studying with your mysterious tutor?" Given the wording of the question one might have thought it was a recriminating question, but it wasn't. Remus was simply genuinely curious as to why Harry was here. He normally visited in the evenings, not during the day.

"We're gonna get right into it right away?" Harry wrinkled his nose.

"Is something wrong? We know all about the task." Sirius said, a look of concern being levelled at Harry.

"No? Yes? I don't know." Harry was pulling his hair, his fist clenched against his scalp, as he finished talking.

"Maybe start with what's bothering you?" Remus suggested gently.

Sirius ushered them all into the informal sitting area. Harry slumped into a chair and thought about what he was going to say.

Sirius was looking at him with unveiled worry, most times Harry came over, he was in a great mood, this was abnormal. Remus was quiet in his chair, looking on, letting Hary start things.

When Harry didn't open up, the two men had remained quiet and had given him the opportunity, Sirius inquired.

"Was it the Second Task? We've read the papers and have heard, from Dumbledore, all about it."

Harry scowled at the mention of the venerable old wizard. That was the last thing he needed, two people that should be firmly on his side subverted by the machinations of the bearded bastard.

"Yes, partly." Harry said. He was thinking through how he wanted to approach it.

"Which parts?" Remus asked when Harry didn't continue.

"All of it." Harry laughed, not humorous though, it was darker and self depreciative.

"There was another Death Eater in the castle, teaching students and doing only Merlin knows what else! Then they decided, insisted even, on using hostages! Why couldn't they have just used mannequins, or made us retrieve something else?" Harry's voice was rising, he could feel a surge of anger within him at how ridiculous their decisions were. Even if Dumbledore was right, even if the acromantula wouldn't have attacked, if he hadn't killed Aragog, the entire situation could, and should, have been avoided.

"Wasn't the thing forced upon them by an imperiused Barty Crouch, the former Death Eater Karkaroff and Bagman's betting?" Remus asked, giving an idea of how much Dumbledore had shared with the two.

Harry snorted. "Sure, but you're telling me that going into the Black Lake to rescue hostages who would be held underwater was a much better idea? Why did they even need to endanger anyone else by having hostages for the task?" There were several problems with the Tournament Organizing Committee but they should have stopped anything like this from happening, his interference or no.

"It's tradition. One task always has hostages being rescued." Sirius interjected before Remus could respond, drawing the eyes of Harry to him.

"Tradition? Really? That's the excuse? Should we return to raiding Africa to get black slaves? Re-enact the Crusades. May as well revive Witch Burnings and Muggle Hunts while we are at it. Maybe I'll go see if Bloodfang wants to incite another Goblin Rebellion, you know, for traditions sake." Harry was scathing in his rejoinder. It was a bit rich coming from Sirius of all people, the man who turned away from his family, not that it was necessarily the wrong decision.

Sirius raised his hands, palms out, "Calm Harry, calm. I'm just telling you why they kept hostages as a part, not that I agree with it."

Harry nodded and took a deep breath. He counted, un, deux, trois, and let himself settle. He was still worked up from earlier and he could feel he was quick to snap and lose his temper.

"My point still stands," he said, after he'd found his equilibrium, "it was unnecessary and shouldn't have been planned in the first place. Using Acromantula was a terrible idea as well." Harry wasn't going to ever agree that the planning of this tournament had been remotely competently planned.

"Hagrid isn't doing too good, so we hear, we haven't seen him." Remus said quietly. "Aragog was his first pet. He'd given Hagrid his word they wouldn't kill anyone, that they'd protect the hostages." Remus spoke in a low register and Harry didn't hear any recrimination in his tone, though he could feel it building to that.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Harry replied, actually feeling what he'd said. Hagrid was a good bloke. Misguided in his understanding of how dangerous magical creatures were to persons other than him… He was his savior from the Dursleys and, for that, he'd be grateful forever to Hagrid, for the rescue.

"The memory showed you killed Aragog, Harry. The spell was fired before any action had taken place against you." And there it was. The poisoned words of Albus Dumbledore being repeated by a man who should be his pseudo uncle.

Harry shook his head, he'd known they'd get to discussing what was said but he hoped to bring it up, to frame the conversation, not have to battle the preconceptions that Dumbledore had already implanted in their minds.

"Does the memory tell you what was said? Does it tell you the full context, about our previous confrontation? Does it mention the riddle that was used to give us a hint of what we'd be doing for the task?" Harry knew it probably didn't, well, he wasn't sure about the conversation though.

"We don't know, Albus didn't tell us." Sirius didn't hesitate to reply.

"Well then, let me enlighten you to what he withhold from you." Harry sneered. "That Arargog tried to have his sons and daughters feast on Ron and I. He only talked to us because we were a friend of Hagrid's, the protection didn't extend to leaving. Secondly, the bastard spider mocked me, and told us he wouldn't harm the hostages, that was all he'd agreed to. He was looking forward to getting me this time, my friends too. He dropped the Ford Angelina, the one that had saved Ron and I in second year, blocking our escape." Harry took a breath, he was speaking so fast he wasn't breathing between words or thoughts.

"Thirdly, the hint inferred they'd die if we didn't save them. Oath or no oath, none of us wanted to take chances with them. That's not even getting into how the hostages were not moving and probably already paralyzed."

"What do you mean by the last point?" Remus asked, he looked to be actively considering Harry's points.

"Look, the way I heard it, the judges didn't all collapse at once. There was time between the first and the last one. Secondly, testimony said they collapsed before smoke was visible. Dumbledore claimed Cedric's actions caused them to be injected with venom. All four of them dropped at once." He imitated the dropping motion and slapped his hand on the armrest, making a loud noise.

"All of them would have been punished at the same time if Dumbledore was right." Harry used the logical reasoning to dispel Dumbledore's.

Harry could see Sirius was nodding, Harry hoped he'd dispelled Dumbledore's ideas in his mind, by breaking down one of his arguments.

"That may be the case…." Remus started slowly, his tone indicating it was a plausible theory, "sometimes poisons affect different people at different times… The time discrepancy could be caused by that…"

Harry arched his eyebrow, he was more than skeptical of that explanation. Even with age differences, from Gabrielle to Mrs Krum, he didn't think it should have been so varied.

"At the end of the day, this is a pretty simple concept. If they put me into a position where there are people's lives at risk, where there are predators known for eating wizards, don't be so fucking surprised when I take the initiative to make sure me or mine doesn't die!" If Cuddles wasn't in his lap he would have stood up when he snapped back at them.

This wasn't a very complicated situation. Dumbledore could claim and tell the others that Harry's pre-emptive strike set off the whole thing, they could try and posture it so Harry was the aggressor that lit the fuse, but it was far simpler than that, in Harry's mind. Don't put him in life endangering situations and he'd never have to be an aggressor.

Things went a bit awkward. Remus appeared abashed but also was not convinced Dumbledore's assertions were incorrect. Sirius was glancing back and forth, between the two of them, and seemed uneasy.

"Was that all that bothered you about the task?" Sirius said, Harry wondered if he was trying to move things along before they got even more testy.

"Yes," Harry sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I almost died, twice." He hoped that shook them, that this wasn't a boy being aggressive and falling into a path of darkness. This was Harry Potter fighting for his life, time after time. "Without Dragonhide armor I'd be dead."

"H- how?" Sirius was shaken by his blunt statement.

Harry shrugged, he'd come to terms with this by now. "Twice I was hit by an acromantula in the back, I didn't even see it coming. I had four broken ribs, three cracked ones, a punctured lung, a cracked sternum, internal bruising and other various injuries too. If there was enough force for that, imagine if I hadn't had the armor on."

It didn't take any real imagination to understand that the pincers would have ripped through his flesh and delivered a killing blow.

"But the other champions had said you were incredible, that you'd held a whole side on your own and even helped them." Sirius was pale as he tried to reconcile the media report with Harry's tale.

"That doesn't matter. It was nice to get some positive public press but it was real. I almost died, at Hogwarts, again. We were surrounded, all I had was a piercing spell. I had no way to kill multiple spiders at once, no way to take away their number's advantage. I need to fix this. I need to learn battle spells. So the next time I get into that situation, spiders won't get close enough to hit me." He tried to convey how earnest he felt about this. He sure as shit wasn't bring up that Cyrus and Horace want him to learn to fight against Voldemort.

Remus was frowning as he thought, before commenting on what Harry had said. "When would you ever be in a circumstance like that again? Why would you need something like that in the future?"

"No idea. I just know to expect shit like that to happen to me." Harry resisted from snapping back. He could hear exactly what wasn't said. Remus didn't say that he shouldn't learn those kinds of spells explicitly. "I'd never expect and eleven year old to handle the Philosopher's Stone, meet Voldemort and kill a professor in self-defence. I didn't expect to have to kill a basilisk with Godric Gryffindor's sword, nor meet the h-… memory of sixteen year old Tom Riddle."

Harry hoped they didn't pick up on the fact he almost said the word horcrux. He'd not pronounced any of the other syllables and would never tell another soul about it with an unbreakable vow in place first.

Harry kept on going, trying to deflect from the almost horrendous slip of his tongue. "I couldn't have imagined I'd meet an escaped convict from Azkaban, who had apparently escaped to kill me, nor almost had my soul sucked out, multiple times, by dementors. Can you really colour me surprised when another Death Eater is captured operating at Hogwarts and I'm thrust into a tournament where they tried to force us to combat a dragon? A fucking dragon. A XXXXX magical beast as the first task."

Harry had to stop for a second and pause here. Having a miniature dragon, he truly was beginning to understand just how deadly a dragon was.

"That prank I played on you two, the fire that Cuddles used, that was her using her weakest flames. The charmed glass is a specialty of mine now. If she actually tried to burn something, you'd not have a home. It's Dragon Fire. The closest thing there is to it is Fiendfyre, demonic fire. It breaks down magical enchantments. Their hide reflects magic. Teams of trained dragon handlers, people that score highly on their NEWTs and then take years of apprenticeship handle them." Harry was leaning forward, not enough to entrap Cuddles, who was still in his lap, enjoying Harry's ministrations, and his voice was heated.

"Dragons, as the first task, was the epitome of unsafe. I know. I have one."

Harry saw both men opening their mouth but he wanted to complete his earlier thought, on just how many life and death situations he had been in and insane it was for them to believe he shouldn't be rained in combat as soon as possible.

"Then the Second Task is sabotaged and they keep it going. I know there is a colony of acromantula in there and they had already tried to kill me once before. When they captured all the hostages and cut off my escape route, I acted. I did what I could to stay alive . If they were going to come for me, they'd pay dearly trying to do me in." Harry stared at both men, piercing them with his gaze.

"Tell me again, why would it be a bad idea to learn how to defend myself better? Why I shouldn't be proactive and do everything I can to learn how to protect myself?" He wanted to see what they said, because he had no idea what a single rational reason could be.

"Harry… it's not just that…" Sirius began before appearing to be lost for words, perhaps on how to articulate what he was thinking.

"We're concerned for many reasons and one of the reasons is your desire to learn magic that is dangerous, often considered dark." Remus said quietly. "Nobody is discounting what you have been through." He added, deflating some of Harry's ire.

"Do you know what Dumbledore said today? How he finally told me why I was raised in the cupboard and was never checked on me growing up… That Mrs Figg was damaged in the war and is not in long-term care at Saint Mungos. She was supposed to make sure I was being treated okay."

Harry looked between them and noticed neither were surprised. He frowned and looked at both inquisitively, sitting up a little straighter, so he was less slumped in his chair.

"We know. We checked upon her after hearing what they did to you." Sirius said, a flash of guilt crossing his face.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "What else has Dumbledore been saying about me, to you two?"

He didn't like the idea of Dumbledore poisoning his father's friends against him. Two people who should be on his side, full stop, no half measures. If there was Team Harry and Team Dumbledore, they should have their faces painted, be rocking all the gear and know every damn thing there is to know about Team Harry. No waffling, no cheering for the other side. They should be diehards and that was his expectation for them.

It didn't mean they'd never question him, his decisions, or agree with him. It meant they'd support him first and foremost, whether they agree or disagree. He'd not done anything horrible, no murdering, no attacking infants, no crusades on blood purity, that would give them a legitimate reason to not be driving the bus for Team Harry.

"We talk about you, how he's concerned about you." Remus said bluntly.

Harry could feel his indignation rising for a second time today, though there was no Fawkes here to croon this time. Cuddles had slid down into his lap and Harry was slowly running his fingers along her scales, just the way she loved it. His mechanic movements helped keep him under control.

"And what, pray tell, did he say to you that has him so concerned? You two haven't voiced much in the way of worries to me." Harry was deeply displeased with this. He'd come to talk to these two and now he'd have to overcome the perceptions that the headmaster gave them, if they'd even take his word over the supposedly venerable old man.

"We've kept quiet but there have been some things we've wanted to know too, Harry." Sirius said, eyeing his godson wearily.

Harry stared back, keeping his face impassive, waiting for them to just get on and say it.

"Harry, we don't even know who your tutor is. You've gone on dates with a girl from a family that yours wouldn't have approved of and, Dumbledore tells us, you are continuing to take advice from Horace Slughorn and Cyrus Greengrass." Sirius didn't look comfortable as Remus talked, outlining the concerns.

"Cyrus, and his ilk, kept out of the war, they protected their own interests and sat by while good people were murdered, Harry. Horace Slughorn, he was the Head of Slytherin when we were at Hogwarts, a snake of man if there ever was one. Always with the ear of anyone important and, again, taking no part in the war. Hiding, cowering, refusing to get involved. These are the people you turn to for advice?" Remus voiced his concern, much to Harry's resentment.

Harry shook his head. These two were poisoned against him already. Dumbledore was a real fucking arse to do this to him.

"How about this, Moony. You swear, right here, right now, an Unbreakable Oath to support me, to keep my secrets and work against Tom Riddle. To always give me advice that is for my benefit and to never betray me. Would you do that? Would you guarantee your advice and actions? Would you give a binding magical promise on pain of death? So that if you were captured you would die before they tried to force secrets out of you?"

"An Unbreakable Oath Harry? Nobody swears those. Especially not for supporting a person." Sirius said it with disgust. "The Order didn't even force that on its members in a time of war." He shook his head, disbelief coloring his tone.

"And that's how Peter fucking Pettigrew happened!" Harry snapped at them.

Neither man spoke up to defend against the assertion. Both had dark looks on their faces and Harry was sorry to have brought up the despicable traitor. He had to get his point across in a way so that they weren't hearing Dumbledore's words in their head when he talked. He had to throw a bucket of ice water on them, to shock their systems and get them to hear his words, not the headmasters.

"My parent's plan had merit. Get a secret keeper nobody would expect, have you as a distraction, Sirius. What they failed to do, and it doesn't make me love nor think of them any less, is secure the only possible information leak that could lead an enemy to their location. If they'd had the rat, " he growled the word, "swear an Unbreakable Oath I might have been raised with them."

Harry allowed his words to sink in, to picture what their lives might have been like if they'd taken the steps necessary to protect important information.

"You were losing. You didn't know who you could trust. You knew there was a leak, I've heard you weren't even sure who you could trust. Order members were dropping, their families being wiped out. The Ministry was compromised and Riddle's forces were organized, well funded and battle hardened. Is that wrong? Have I been told incorrect information?" Harry wanted to hear it from them. He'd talked with his advisors about the war. He'd gotten information from the Delacours, as to what they knew, and now wanted to hear from two that were in the thick of it.

"I don't want to believe it was that bleak. But, you're not wrong on your points… maybe you're understating our side. We had good people… we were strong and capable, turning back raids, even when outnumbered. And their side had moles too, we had spies in their ranks."

Harry was honestly a little taken aback by his honesty. It was probably a fair opinion. He hadn't stated how they had highly capable wands, how Dumbledore hadn't been defeated even when Riddle ambushed him with his forces assisting. Horace had thought Dumbledore was too good to lose to Riddle but not strong enough to end him.

"Dumbledore's made mistakes. He screwed up my childhood, he's not been able to keep me from life threatening adventures every single year at Hogwarts. Under his leadership, your side was losing and we know Riddle is still around, trying to come back. What is he doing about it? He's not keeping me safe, he's not removing the enemies power, and I don't see him being proactive."

Harry held his hand up, he didn't want to hear a defense of the man. He wanted to complete his thought. It was time they understood his position and decide whether they were going to join him or not.

"You criticize Slughorn and Greengrass for staying out of the way. Well, I'll tell you I'm gathering allies. They are knee deep in it for the next one, they'd have to abandon their homeland to not get involved. I'm seeking out alliances and trying to come up with proactive measures."

Harry looked down and blinked, hard. He tore his gaze off the floor and his eyes were burning with passion now. "This is my life. I'm not letting others run it. I listen, I learn but I decide for me, and not based on what others might think of me. I'm going to stay alive. If I have to walk a darker path than I'd wish, I'll do it, to stay alive."

He loved his parent but he wouldn't become a martyr like them. He'd not become a symbol to rally around at his death, or one that removes the fight out of those who resist Riddle.

"I'll sacrifice, I'll train harder than anyone else because I won't be the last Potter." Harry was vehement on this, it was what drove him.

Harry stood outside of the familiar door. He still remembered the first time he'd entered into the classroom. Him and Ron running late, and wasn't that a little painful to remember, now that he and Ron weren't getting on, and then McGonagall transforming back from her animagus form. It was quite the feat of magic to his eleven year old self. Magic was wondrous and he was so, so very naive.

Harry thought he shouldn't feel so apprehensive and yet he was, his palms were sweaty as he went to enter the Transfiguration classroom and see McGonagall. Harry strode in, waiting a few minutes past the last class of the day. Harry steeled himself and entered.

If she was surprised to see him, McGonagall didn't make any sort of measurable response to his sudden presence. Here eyes caught sight of him entering and she didn't spare more than a cursory look until she had finished writing with her quill.

"Mister Potter." She greeted him, as stern as ever.

"Hello Professor." Harry responded politely as he strode between the desks.

"Albus mentioned I'd be likely to see you shortly. This soon however, I wouldn't have expected."

The last thing Harry wanted was to hear more about that man at present. He'd had enough talking to the man and then going over things with Remus and Sirius.

Harry mentally shook himself. He wasn't going to let his mind wander to that and get him distracted.

"Is there something I can help you with?"

Harry nodded, "It was suggested that there is quite a lot I can learn from professors who are world renowned in their fields. I'm pretty close to completing my NEWT Transfiguration material and hoped you'd be able to help me progress further." He wasn't saying anything she hadn't expected.

"Your abilities have grown by leaps and bounds if you've progressed this far. I saw the reports from your OWL examination and was surprised to see how well you did. Your father was very talented in my field and I wondered if you were either not applying yourself or if you were deliberately holding back. Tell me, which was it? You must have an aptitude for my field if you are capable of NEWT material at fourteen."

Harry noted that she had tea, it was hard not to when she began to drink it, her eyes never leaving him, searching him, for what, he had no clue.

"I believe the honest answer would be a bit of category A and B. I didn't fully apply myself at academics and I was happy with falling in between Ron and Hermione."

"Hmmm." McGonagall hummed, debating something Harry was not privy to, yet. "Any specific area you would hope to progress in?"

Harry sighed, this was probably going to be an issue but he would be straightforward with her. She'd seen him since he was eleven and, more than likely, could read him like a book, especially having taught for so long.

"Battle transfiguration. Things for duelling and combat."

"After the second task, I shouldn't be so surprised, though it is not a specialty of mine." She informed him.

"Oh, I see." Harry was a bit disappointed by it, he was hoping for some help here.

"That doesn't mean I'm incapable of teaching you, Mister Potter. I cannot hone those skills to a master's level, but I am capable of teaching you the basics."

Harry felt the blossoming of hope, that he'd learn further. He smiled, excited that he'd have another tutor. He was somewhat worried that magic had progressed much further than Salazar Slytherin could teach him. To reach the heights he would need to get to he'd need specialized training, or access to books that could assist him.

"You should speak with Professor Flitwick. He has always refused to pass on the skills he learned in the duelling circuit but it wouldn't hurt to ask him for pointers even if he wasn't willing to assist you." The elder witch told him.

"I will. Thank you for the advice." Harry was smiling at her.

"You are free until dinner I presume?" She asked, standing and drawing her wand.

"Yes." Harry said, his wand finding its way to his hand, mirroring her actions.

"Good. I will demand excellence and your full attention. If I will not have it then do not come. I have better ways to spend my time. I'll have your best when you come." She warned him sternly of her high expectations.

"You'll have it professor." He meant it. If she could impart knowledge that might help keep him alive in the future he would be the best student he could be. His rapid improvement was easily proof of his newly formed commitment to excellence.

"For combat there are generally two fields of magic. Conjuration, of items to either attack or defend. Secondly, changing the nature of an object, again offensively or defensively. Provide me an example of each." She commanded, giving him an early challenge.

"You could conjure a wall to shield yourself or a weapon to banish at an attacker. Secondly, one could defend from the banished weapon by changing it to something not harmful or changing the nature of an item near the attacker to bind them." Harry said, believing he was correct.

"Adequate." McGonagall commented.

Harry thought it was more than adequate but he wouldn't be voicing his dissenting opinion, that was for sure.

"Do you know why Albus Dumbledore is considered the greatest Transfiguration Master the world has ever seen?" The Transfiguration Mistress asked him.

"No." Harry knew he was powerful but hadn't realized he was considered as such.

"Did you know he won the Transfiguration focused duelling tournament at eighteen? That he remained undefeated until he retired from defending his title?"

Harry shook his head. He really had no idea. "Even now he would walk all over the recent crop of winners." She informed him.

"What makes him so special?" Harry wondered aloud.

McGonagall smiled thinly. "Conjure a stone tiger."

That was a challenge but he'd be able to do it. Harry kept silent and barely flicked his wand as he concentrated on what he wanted, willing one into existence with his magic.

McGonagall walked around hit, prodding it with her wand here and there.

"Good," she said after completing her inspection of the animal, "now animate it. Make it patrol along the exterior of the room."

Harry concentrated further. Animating a transfiguration was a mixture of transfiguration, modifying the stone tiger to allow movement, and charming it for animation. It was very difficult to do both concurrently, Harry had spent hours working on it, trying to perfect it into silent and motionless casting, or even just a negligent flick, or simple slash. Normally his practicing hadn't been on something quite this large and intricate. This request was pushing him to the very extent of his abilities.

Harry wanted to be sure he performed well, he wanted to impress McGonagall. This wasn't the minimal requirement for NEWT examinations, they'd not ask him to make something as large as a tiger, let alone mixing animation and charmswork.

Harry watched his tiger begin moving around the room, a sense of pride for accomplishing something that difficult.

"Very impressive." McGonagall remarked, the corners of her mouth upticking. "Now charm it to be unbreakable."

Harry did so and she shot a silent spell at it, the tiger continued as if it wasn't struck when the spell careened off of it.

"Good. Are you able to modify it further?" She asked, watching him carefully, as she was taking the long, demonstrative, way to answer his question.

"Perhaps. What would I modify it with?" Harry asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Deadening the effects of magic on it, using more intricate animations and commands for it." She gestured to the tiger that was now circling the room for the second time. "I shot a spell at it, an attempt to destroy it, and it didn't respond. Your charm is good, it is flawless, but, also, limited to walking around the room. A basic one, not one layered with multiple commands and behaviour." She had gone into full on lecture mode and Harry appreciated that she had. These would be valuable things to learn.

"Tell me, is the tiger around the largest you are capable of conjuring and animating?"

"Yes."

McGonagall twirled her wand and began conjuring tigers. Three stone tigers, all larger than his came to life, though they weren't patrolling. One was sitting on its rear end and scratching itself, another appeared to be cleaning itself, licking its front paws, and the third one had taken up an ambush position just inside the main doorway, it was crouched and ready to pounce.

"These three are all spelled to take less damage from magic, to not be destroyed by normal physical means, and have been given far more complicated animations than a basic one you've done. Notice how I did it?" She challenged him.

"Yes. Silently, with just a twirl of your wand." Harry said, slightly in awe of how difficult that must be.

She nodded. "Walk to the back of the classroom and turn to face me." She instructed him.

Harry was a little unsure of why she'd asked that. The transfiguration professor was supposed to be answering his question and he assumed this would be another physical demonstration before she answered.

Harry reached the back of the classroom and turned around.

"Conjure some arrows and send them at me." She told him.

Harry frowned and shrugged, he didn't really like the idea of sending arrows at her but he'd trust she knew what she was doing.

He conjured three arrows and banished them at her, in a single wand motion. The arrows would have appeared to have been conjured in flight for anyone that was watching.

Harry saw his conjurations streak at the professor, each coming at her from a slightly different vector, and she waved her wand in a wide arc, from right to left. With her motion, the wand turned the arrows into birds, three becoming six. Harry didn't recognize the type of bird but it was small and had a white underbelly. And they were heading toward him at an alarming rate.

Harry grinned as he understood this exercise. Harry focused on the birds and noticed they were clumped in two groups of three. He held out his wand and imposed his will on the two clusters of birds. He grabbed his wand forward and turned the birds into snakes, pushing them out of her control on the transfiguration, turning them back into larger arrows but sent them around in a sweeping motion, each going wide and vectoring back at the aged witch.

McGonagall's stern expression never faltered. With a single thrust of her wand, both arrows turned into larger birds and they flapped their wings as they flew at him. Halfway there, she duplicated them into four.

Harry focused on transfiguring them again, himself, but his attempts were being stymied. The birds were dodging and swirling in the air. She'd hardened them against magical change somehow. He could feel he had to overpower it but they were closing too quickly.

Harry had to admit defeat, in this game of transfiguration, and shielded against the incoming birds.

"Well done, Mister Potter, very well done." McGonagall said and motioned for him to come back to the front of the room, which Harry quickly did.

"I had you perform the two exercises to see how far you've come and to tell you how far you have to go to be at the Headmaster's level."

Harry had thought that and was paying close attention.

"The first exercise you did well on. You'd receive an Outstanding on your NEWT exam with a showing like that. You saw I created three of them, larger and did it with adding an unbreakable charm and four animation commands."

That was very impressive. Simultaneously casting a conjuration, transfiguring it to allow movements, charming it and animating it with four sets of behaviours. That was seven spells all at once, just using intent, willpower, creativity and magical power.

"The difference between us, in skill, is magnitudes easier than what Albus is capable of."

Harry blinked. Did he hear her correctly?

"When Albus won his first Transfiguration Tournament he was capable of creating a half dozen that were better protected, almost impossible to subvert control of, and he could do it repetitively. Not only that, he was able to turn anything sent against him back at his foes, better charmed and in multiples of what you sent at him."

At eighteen… That was just four years. Harry swallowed. To get to that level, in just this discipline was going to take hours upon hours of work, he didn't even want to think of how many hours it would take.

"He's only gotten better since then." She told him, candidly.

That comment sobered Harry. When Horace and Cyrus were telling him he had to become a magical titan, it meant being able to match up against Dumbledore and Riddle. It was easy to think. Seeing just how far he had to go to reach Albus Dumbledore at eighteen….

"In the last war, when he fought You-Know-Who, he could animate giant conjurations or statues. In a battlefield with debris, he'd create autonomous attackers that would overwhelm attacking forces with a few moments to cast without distraction. When given time to conjure massive golems, none could stand against him."

Harry was trying to imagine what that would look like, how one would even fight it.

"How big would the golem be?"

"Fifteen, maybe twenty feet. Strong, sturdy and indestructible to normal spells like blasting curses. It could walk through a salvo of regular spells and was often armed with giant clubs." Harry could see McGonagall was reminiscing, her eyes had a faraway look as she told him.

"Wouldn't that break the Statue of Secrecy?" He couldn't imagine that would be an easy cover up.

"No, he wouldn't use them in muggle areas. In Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley and all wizarding areas Dumbledore would create them, dominating the battlefield upon his arrival. And when he couldn't, he create legions of animals that would swarm the enemy positions, while conjuring and transfiguring defenses." There was some awe in her tone as she answered his query.

"How did Riddle fight that?"

McGonagall smiled thinly at him. "If you're talking about magical combat it's best to speak to the Headmaster or Professor Flitwick. I'm willing to meet you after class times for some tutoring. We'll work on the depth of your knowledge, on post-NEWT level transfiguration, and the skills we covered today."

"Thanks Professor. I'll make sure your time isn't wasted on me." Harry was very pleased. She'd learned directly from Dumbledore, she'd been an understudy of his in Transfiguration. Horace had told him he had to learn from McGonagall if Dumbledore wouldn't teach Harry himself.

Though there was no oath, this felt like another coup.

Harry made his way to the Great Hall. It had been a very long day and he had one more thing he wished to accomplish. Flitwick would be at dinner and he wanted to speak with him. Harry made his way into the hall and saw Fleur's silvery-blonde hair standing out amongst their peers.

Turning his eyes to the staff table he noticed Flitwick was absent. That was disappointing but he may turn up soon. It wasn't often the staff wasn't present for a meal but it did happen.

Harry made his way over and when Fleur saw him, she ensured there was a spot beside her, she patted the seat next to her, inviting Harry to sit beside her.

"'Arry!" She said, greeting him enthusiastically.

"Hey Fleur." He glanced at who was around her and saw it was Cho and Cedric.

"Hey Cho, Cedric."

The two house seekers exchanged pleasantries with Harry as he sat down and began selecting what food he wished to have for dinner.

"Are you all healed, Harry?"

Harry looked up at Cedric, who had asked him the question, "Yeah, just a bit of a long day today."

"Not fighting any new monsters today were ya?" Cedric grinned and asked back in reply.

Harry shook his head with a smile. "Monster maybe, not monsters." He shrugged. "It's mostly just politics, for now… I think." He didn't really want to get into it with them. They'd probably get outraged and he didn't need to deal with that.

"A deadlier foe, there is not." Cho chimed in with some wise sounding words.

Harry paused from his eating enough to give her a half-smile.

"But we need to run." Cedric said as he was standing. "We said we'd study with others in the library," he explained, "I'll see you around, Harry, Fleur." Cho rose with him and the two left after the others had said their polite

"How were the discussion yesterday, productive?" Fleur asked, her eyes betraying how interested she was.

"I didn't stay long and I haven't talked with Slughorn or Greengrass yet." Harry replied, trying not to think too greatly on it, he knew he'd let them know when they could.

"Papa told me it was progressing well, even after just one session." She was rather upbeat with how Patrice had perceived things, or wanted them to be perceived, the cynical part of Harry's mind supplied. "There is quite a lot of common ground."

Harry nodded, this was something that the Delacours wanted and both of his advisors liked the thought of tying the Delacour Heiress to him. There were issues to address but they'd talk and Harry was the one who held the hammer in the end.

"There were some issues though…" She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Anything expected to derail them?" Harry asked, knowing that there were two issues that may cause large issues, their joint offspring, and inheritances. Keeping the option open to have more than a single wife was part of the inheritance issue. If Fleur became Fleur Delacour-Potter then he may have another wife give birth for the Black family. The idea of how they could live and work together still didn't work out in his head. His advisors insisted it was possible though.

"Care for a walk?" She asked rather than answering his question.

"Sure."

It didn't take long for the two of them to get outside and begin walking around the lake. Fleur had commandeered his arm and they walked until they'd reached a spot with nice natural privacy and a good place to look out at the lake. Even though it was still February, and thus cold, warming charms and a fell privacy spells made it a lovely spot to watch the sun fall in the sky, on this clear, cloudless day.

"You are quiet tonight. Something is bothering you, non?" Fleur looked at Harry with concern, her body cuddled up beside him, the fingers of their closest hands interlaced.

"It's Dumbledore." Harry said, not really wanting to rehash this topic again.

"I see…" She said quietly and dropped her head onto his shoulder. "'E spoke wiz Papa and me."

Harry's head jerked to the left, looking at her. "What?! About me?!" How many others would the man express his concerns about Harry too, he wondered.

"Oui," she confirmed, "'e was worried for you."

Harry dropped his chin to his chest. Was he really going to have to get into it a third time, to explain his actions?

"Do not fret, 'arry. I know your 'eart." Her soft finger reached under his chin and picked it up. "I told 'im, you were not going dark. You were doing what is necessary. A very good trait for a mate, non?" She giggled at his embarrassment.

"Papa agrees, and anyone who knows you would too."

Harry appreciated her words but didn't believe they were correct.

"Not everyone." Harry said, a little glum. He'd had another long day today and was just ready for it to end.

"Non?" She asked, confused by this. Harry felt she was cautiously asking him to elaborate but didn't want to be forceful. She was allowing him to change subjects if he wanted while showing interest that she genuinely cared and wanted to hear more, but only if he was willing.

"No…" He sighed, not sure what he should divulge. He let his mind consider it before responding.

"Sirius and Remus were best friends with my father. Remus, I didn't meet until he taught DADA in my third year. Sirius was absent until the end of that year due to unjustly being in prison." Harry sighed and ran his free hand through his hair, rubbing the back of his neck when it got there.

"I think Sirius gets it. He gets that I'm just trying to stay alive, that I'm not willing to follow the adults in my life blindly, just accepting their plans. I'm advised, I learn, I listen. But, at the end of the day, it's my life and I'm taking charge of it. I'm making the decisions and, while I appreciate their advice, I don't have to listen to them or have them agree with my decisions."

Fleur kept quiet, softly caressing up and down his arm with her free hand, her head still on Harry's shoulder.

"Sirius sees my actions for what they are. Remus doesn't. He's been infected by Dumbledore's viewpoint, that I'm overly aggressive and heading down the same path as the man who murdered my parents."

Harry's fists were clenched. That very thought made him so very angry.

Fleur brought the clenched fingers around her hand up to her mouth. She kissed the back of his hand slowly, tenderly. Soft lips descended down his arm and Harry couldn't help but enjoy the sensation. It was the antonym of what he had just been feeling.

When Fleur had kissed down to his elbow, and then back up again, she spoke softly. "I do not think 'e meant that."

Harry's eyebrows furrowed, his eyes narrowed and he looked at Fleur with confusion.

"I zink 'e was trying to choc you. 'E wanted to be so obtuse it would get your attention. 'Ow were your actions like Flight-From-Death? You defended us, you rescued hostages. You didn't set out to attack the acromantula colony. If they'd left you alone, they'd still be there."

Fleur had lifted her head off his shoulder and was looking at him intently.

"Dumbledore told us 'e is glad we are close. You need positive influences. 'E's worried you'd listen to Greengrass, Slughorn and Pavlov. 'E doesn't think you are a monster, or becoming one. I think 'e wanted to get your attention and shock you into realizing how you are changing." She grinned at him, "it was effective, non?"

That hadn't really occurred to him. His time with Remus and Sirius hadn't been all that fun. He'd gotten quite annoyed at having to defend himself and kind of laid it out there. They could believe him or not. He wasn't changing.

SIrius, Harry thought, had been coming around. He'd be on Team Harry as soon as Harry was named a captain, there was no other option. Remus though… he didn't have the same fervor as Sirius. He said the right things, in the end, but it didn't feel sincere.

Harry really had to talk with Sirius and see if he was willing to swear the oath. If he did, he could join Horace and Cyrus, as part of his advisors in the know. Though what he would get to know, Harry hadn't decided. He should learn about his brother, how he really died and felt at the end of the war. However, his cloak, the whole deal with Natalia, the Chamber of Secrets, the pending contract with the Greengrass family…. He didn't need to learn about all that.

"But enough of zis talk. You need your spirits lifted, something to make you 'appy, 'arry."

Harry blinked himself out of his thoughts, he felt Fleur moving beside him. She'd sat up and was pivoting on the hip closest to Harry. She pushed herself up onto her knees and moved one of them to the other side of Harry, straddling him, her body falling right above his waist.

"You English call it a distasteful word, snogging," she sniffed distastefully and wrinkled her nose, her eyes squeezing but not quite shutting, "we will not do zat. Instead, we will kiss as the French do."

Harry was on his butt, he'd been sitting but now he was slipping to a lying down position as Fleur descended upon him. Her hair falling onto him with her body sitting on him, falling to lie on him.

Harry was sure the day hadn't gone all that well but he'd live it again, if he could get to this ending again.