The weather was bad as they all climbed into the Thestral drawn carriages, but luckily it wasn't raining badly. Once they reached the castle, they entered the Great Hall and sat at their respective house tables. Soon, Professor McGonagall entered with the first years. The Sorting Hat sang the song as usual and the sorting went underway until –
"Greengrass, Astoria" said McGonagall.
Astoria nervously walked up to the stool. After a few seconds, the hat shouted "Slytherin!"
Harry smiled. Daphne definitely could take care of her sister better than he could, so it was good that Astoria had been sorted into Slytherin.
Once the sorting was done, Dumbledore stood up and said "Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts. Now, before we dig into our magnificent feast, let us welcome Remus Lupin, our new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher. Good luck, Professor"
There was a bit of applause, but more were curious about the man. He was wearing decent robes, but his face and neck had scars. Scars were very rare in the magical world, so naturally, many were curious as to what could have caused it.
Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued. "As many of you are aware, especially after the search of the Hogwarts Express, the school is currently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business. I would like to warn each and every one of you not leave the school without permission. It is not in their nature to understand pleading or excuses. Therefore I must ask the Head boy, girl and the prefects to ensure that no student runs afoul with the dementors."
"Now, I'm also happy to announce the appointment of another member to our staff. Please welcome our new Care of Magical Creatures teacher, our very own Rubeus Hagrid!" announced Dumbledore. Harry looked at Daphne, their expressions mirrored. While Hagrid was a nice guy, was he qualified to teach them? Knowing the subject and teaching it were two separate things. Besides, who would recommend someone to purchase a biting book? When Harry had purchased it, he didn't understand the reason behind it, until he scanned the book. He then showed the shopkeeper the way to stroke the spine to calm the book down. The shopkeeper had given the book to Harry for free in gratitude.
After the applause stopped, Dumbledore said, "Let the feast begin."
The feast was wonderful, and Harry saw most of the first years helping themselves to more chocolate. He smirked; Dumbledore had not even bothered to tell the students that bit of information. He would have to go down to the kitchens later to talk to the elves. Clearly, they needed more chocolate on an everyday basis if they were going to survive the dementors.
After the feast, he went to Ravenclaw tower, while talking to his housemates. Harry could see that many of them were happy that he had not held a grudge because of the debacle last year. After chatting for more than an hour, he finally went to his room. He locked the door and cast an expansion charm around the room along with several security wards. He then changed the colour of the wallpaper to red and silver and stuck the picture of his family on the wall. On the other wall, he put up the big E-Mirror he had bought just for keeping it in his room. Harry was surprised how well the mirrors had been accepted by the public, but he wasn't going to complain. Serena had employed several people (with the standard secrecy oaths of course; she didn't want anyone to use her knowledge and steal her work) and this had helped with the rising demand since the branches in Paris, Berlin and New York City were to open in a month.
Harry changed his clothes and went to bed. He wondered what was in store this year.
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The next morning, after a rigorous workout (he had cajoled Daphne to join him for his morning workouts) and a bath, Harry entered the Great Hall for breakfast. He sat at the Ravenclaw table and began helping himself to food when Professor Flitwick interrupted him.
"Here is your schedule, Mr Potter" the small Professor said. "Also, the Headmaster has asked me to tell you that he wants to meet you as soon as possible."
"Already?" asked Harry. "I was expecting it to be later this afternoon or tomorrow, not this morning."
"Indeed" said an amused Professor Flitwick. "Shall we?"
The pair walked to the seventh floor and gave the password to the gargoyle. They knocked on the door and when they heard a 'Come in', they entered.
Harry looked at Dumbledore with his eyebrows raised. He smiled at Fawkes and greeted the phoenix who trilled in response. He sat down opposite to the headmaster and said, "Good morning Headmaster. I must say I'm surprised that you've scheduled our meeting this soon. I was expecting it to be this evening."
Albus smiled. "That was my intention, Harry. But alas, things didn't go as planned. How were your holidays?"
"Very good, sir" replied Harry, his face neutral. "The assassination attempt was an irritant, but I took care of it."
"Hmm" replied Albus, looking at Harry under his half-moon spectacles. "I've noticed something disturbing, Harry" he said finally. "You seem to have signed up for Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes for your electives. While I'm sure Hagrid would be delighted to have you in his class, I don't think you should bother with the other two subjects, my boy. They are bothersome, and I think Divination would be a better course of action, don't you agree? I've taken the liberty to change your schedule for you. I'm sure you'll find it much better" he said in a grandfatherly voice, his eyes twinkling merrily at Harry.
Dumbledore expected Harry to rank and rave, and he had fully intended to put his foot down on this matter; Harry needed to know that prophecies were real if he were to accept the fate of his life. But what he did not expect, was the thirteen-year-old boy to burst out laughing.
Harry gasped out and got his laughter under control. "Those two subjects are bothersome?" asked Harry, chuckling. "Professor Dumbledore, have you checked the merit list and the student rankings of my year? I'm the top student. If I can't handle it, then I don't think others can too. Besides, who in their right mind would give up such an important and interesting subject such as Ancient Runes and take Divination of all things? Sorry Headmaster, I'm not insane."
"I'm afraid I must insist, my boy" said Dumbledore firmly. "This is for your own good."
Harry shook his head. "Oh my dear Albus, you seem to have lost your touch" said Harry, smirking at Dumbledore. "If you think this pitiful attempt at you trying to steer my life in the way you want it would work, then you're more self-deluded than I thought. Don't think I don't know why you want me to take Divination in the first place."
His smirk widened when he saw Albus pale. "I'm not an idiot, Albus. You'll have to up your game if you want to stay on the board. I think we're done here."
Harry got up, and just before leaving the office, he said "Oh Albus? Check. And pretty soon, it'll be Check Mate. I would pack your bags if I were you. We don't want you taking a long time to leave the castle once you're booted out, now do we? Good day Headmaster." With that, he walked out with a shocked Professor Flitwick in tow.
Harry smirked when he heard the angry yell coming from behind the door. Who did Dumbledore think he was?
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The first class was Arithmancy. Harry found himself seated next to Daphne as the students slowly filled in. It wasn't as full as the other electives, as Arithmancy was quite difficult, and very few people wanted to go into the field of spell crafting. But Harry found it fascinating; in a duel, he wanted to use spells that no one else knew about. That would give him an edge over his opponent, which then would be easier to bring him down. Daphne too was very interested as she wanted to be a professional spell crafter and enchantress. For that, she needed a thorough grounding in Charms, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes.
The teacher, Professor Vector came in and started lecturing them about the properties of various numbers, and particularly about how they could be used in magic. She explained that numbers were the basis of all spells, whichever language they may be. Arithmancy had evolved over time, and this was the version they could see today.
When the teacher started asking questions, Harry and Daphne sat back to watch the rest of the class as they didn't want to alienate the others with their advanced knowledge. Daphne too was now ahead of her peers, a fact that she was quite proud of, even though no one apart from she and Harry knew about it. Harry was also ahead, though not as much as he was in other subjects; he was more fascinated with Runes while Daphne concentrated on Arithmancy.
Of course, Hermione Granger didn't have a problem raising her hand and answering every question that the teacher asked. She kept shooting smug looks at Harry and Daphne, for which the pair rolled their eyes. Really, would the girl ever mature?
After Arithmancy, Harry headed for Transfiguration, which he had with the Gryffindors. The other crowd of students, who had Divination, came in with worried looks on their faces. When McGonagall transformed into a cat and back to demonstrate the Animagus transformation, no one reacted.
"Really, what has got into you all today?" said Professor McGonagall, turning back with a faint pop, and staring around at them all. "Not that it matters, but that's the first time my transformation's not got applause from a class."
Many of them shifted in their seats until finally, Parvati Patil spoke up. "Ahm, Professor, we've just had our first Divination class and - "
Harry snorted. McGonagall too understood what had happened. "Of course. I should have realised. So, who's going to be dying this year?" she asked blandly.
Many of the students looked at her with incredulous expressions, until Neville finally raised a trembling hand. Harry looked at his friend with surprise.
"I see" said McGonagall. "Well, if you must know Longbottom, Sibyll Trelawney has predicted the death of one student a year since she arrived at this school. None of them has died yet. Seeing death omens is her favourite way of greeting a new class. Divination is one of the most imprecise branches of magic. I shall not conceal from you that I have very little patience with it. True Seers are very rare, and Professor Trelawney -"
She sighed and continued with her lecture. Once the class was done, Harry pulled Neville aside. "Why in Merlin's name would you take that subject?" asked Harry, his eyebrow raised.
"What? Divination?" asked Neville, confused.
"Yes" replied Harry. "It's completely useless unless you have the gift. It's not something that can be learnt. Why didn't you take Ancient Runes?"
When Neville stammered, Harry calmly spoke to him. "Neville, you're the future Lord Longbottom. You can't go around not knowing something as important as Runes. Screw Divination, go talk to McGonagall and change to Ancient Runes. It'll help you in the long run. If McGonagall objects, tell her to read the Hogwarts by-laws. You can change your electives in the first semester if you feel like you can't handle it. And listening to someone telling you that you're going to die isn't something anyone wants to hear. Besides, it's not like you can't handle being in Ancient Runes; you're one of the top ten students of our year."
Neville took a deep breath and nodded. He went back in the classroom. Just as Harry had suspected, McGonagall tried to deny the change possible, but after Neville pointed out that it was indeed within his rights to change his elective, she relented. His timetable was now Ancient Runes instead of Divination.
After lunch, they headed for Care of Magical Creatures. This was a class which consisted of Ravenclaws and Slytherins, though it was higher in number as compared to Arithmancy. Harry saw that Hagrid was waiting for them by his hut.
"C'mon, now, get a move on!" he called as the class approached. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!"
Harry and Daphne held hands as usual and followed. They reached the edge of the forest, where there was a clearing. Hagrid stopped and turned around.
"Everyone gather 'round the fence here!" he called. "That's it - make sure yeh can see - now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books -"
"How?" said the cold, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy.
"Eh?" said Hagrid.
"How do we open our books?" Malfoy repeated.
"Didn't the shopkeeper at Flourish and Blotts tell you?" asked Daphne, coolly. "Or were you too stupid to figure it out yourself? A simple magical analysis charm would have given you the answer, Malfoy. You're supposed to stroke the spine. As you can see, you're among the very few who haven't figured it out."
Draco flushed, as indeed, most of the class had opened their books without complaint, while he, Crabbe and Goyle were the only ones struggling with theirs.
"Good job" said Hagrid proudly. "Right then, let me introduce you to the magical creatures you would be studying today."
He strode away from them into the forest and out of sight.
"God, this place is going to the dogs," said Malfoy loudly. "That oaf teaching classes, my father'll have a fit when I tell him.
Just then Harry saw Hagrid bringing a dozen Hippogriffs near the students. He raised his eyebrows as he looked at Daphne, who mirrored his expression. Harry was familiar with Hippogriffs, considering that they were bred by a Potter held company and sold all over the world. He had interacted with the creatures many times and had grown to like them. The Hippogriffs sold by the Potters were among the best, which was the reason why they charged high prices. They were well trained and didn't attack people unless there was an attack. But he doubted these creatures here were trained that well if at all.
Hagrid explained about the Hippogriffs and finally asked if anyone wanted to try to befriend them. When no one volunteered, Harry stepped up.
When Hagrid started giving him instructions, Harry simply put his hand up to stop his instructions. He knew how to deal with them; he didn't need a distraction with these clearly untrained creatures. He slowly walked up to a grey hippogriff, while maintaining eye contact. After a couple of seconds, he bowed. The hippogriff looked at Harry for several seconds and bowed back.
"Well done, Harry!" said Hagrid, ecstatic. "Right - yeh can touch him! Pat his beak, go on!"
Without saying anything, Harry slowly approached the hippogriff. When he was near enough, he extended his hand and slowly petted the creature and stroked his feathers. "Hello to you, oh noble creature" he whispered to the hippogriff with a small smile.
"Professor Hagrid, what's his name?" asked Harry suddenly, after Hagrid had stopped praising Harry for his accomplishment.
"His name is Buckbeak" said Hagrid proudly.
"Well then Buckbeak" said Harry, stroking its feathers. "Want to go for a spin around the grounds?"
To everyone's immense surprise, the hippogriff lowered itself to the ground. Harry smiled and sat on its back. "Ready" he said to the creature.
Buckbeak stood up and expanded his wings, and soon, Harry was in the air. Harry really loved it when he was flying, and soon he found himself high above the lake. Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning and he heard an eagle's shriek. He grinned and jumped off from Buckbeak's back.
Just before Harry hit the water, he was grabbed by a golden coloured Thunderbird. Harry hugged Aquila from behind and said, "Missed you, buddy."
"Likewise, little one" replied Aquila.
Harry, Aquila and Buckbeak spent a few minutes flying over Hogwarts castle and grounds until Harry jumped again and landed on Buckbeak.
"Thanks for the ride, Aquila. See you in a week" said Harry telepathically.
"Bye Harry. See you soon" said the Thunderbird, as it disappeared again in a flash of lightning.
When Harry came back to the ground, there was thunderous applause from everyone. While they hadn't seen him riding on Aquila since he had been flying on the other side of the grounds, they were clearly impressed with him riding on the hippogriff. Harry knew that his peers knew of his thunderbird familiar, but he wasn't comfortable with letting them see his familiar yet. They just wouldn't understand the sibling relationship he shared with Aquila, and he knew he would lose his temper if anyone said anything about the massive thunderbird.
"Good work, Harry!" roared Hagrid as everyone except Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle cheered. "Okay, who else wants a go?"
Harry watched as Daphne petted one of the chestnut coloured hippogriffs, when he heard Malfoy insult Buckbeak. In a flash, Harry had his wand out, and just as Buckbeak raised his talons, he cast a silent shield charm between the creature and Malfoy. "Protego!"
He was successful, as Buckbeak's talons impacted the shield, while Malfoy was thrown back because of the power of the shield. While Hagrid pacified Buckbeak, Draco Malfoy was withering on the ground.
"I'm dying!" he yelled. "It's killed me"
Harry snorted. He went over and kicked Malfoy in the groin. Draco howled in pain, just as Harry said, "You're the biggest idiot I've ever seen, Malfoy. Insulting a hippogriff, and then acting as though it has injured you; Tsk tsk, such a disgrace has never fallen upon your family, has it? But then again, that is something to be said to a family that has no honour in the first place. Get up. You're embarrassing the rest of the Slytherins. Salazar would cry if he were to know that someone like you had been sorted into his beloved house".
The entire class was staring at the spectacle now, ignoring the hippogriffs. Only Daphne understood why Harry was so angry; if Harry hadn't accompanied his godfather that day, Sirius could very well have died because of the Malfoy family. And it was Draco who had threatened Harry at the end of last term in the first place.
Draco Malfoy was pink in the face with anger and embarrassment. He looked up to see the glowing green eyes of Hadrian Potter. His face paled when he saw the intense anger and loathing in those green eyes. Malfoy got up and made a hasty retreat back to the castle.
HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP
The news of what happened during the Care of Magical Creatures class was the talk of the Hogwarts rumour mill. Many of them openly snickered when they saw Draco, some even going so far as to pretend crying like a baby to annoy the blonde boy further.
The next day, Harry had Defence against the Dark Arts with the Slytherins. He was quite curious what Lupin would be teaching them. The syllabus for the third years was a wide variety of dark creatures, so Harry wondered which they would start with. He and Daphne were softly talking when Lupin entered the classroom and told them to follow him to the staff room.
It was a curious class which headed to the staff room. There was an old wardrobe which was wobbling and banging off the wall. Harry immediately recognised what was inside it. Professor Lupin explained to them about a Boggart and decided to make the students face it. There were many things that seemed to frighten Harry's classmates – a snake, a spider, a ghost, a mummy, a crab, until –
Harry calmly went in front of the Boggart. He didn't know what would scare him the most, so he was quite curious. But he was no way prepared for what he saw in front of him.
Daphne Greengrass was lying on the floor, twitching, injured and covered in blood. Tom Riddle, looking exactly like he did a few months ago in the Chamber of Secrets looked at Harry and said in a deadly voice, "I only targeted her because of you. You'll find out now why you should fear Lord Voldemort, Harry."
Riddle pointed his wand at Daphne and said "Crucio!"
Many of them in class screamed, but just then, Harry pointed his wand at the Boggart and said in a calm, clear voice, "Riddikulus!"
The scene shifted, and suddenly, there was a man wearing green robes, sitting on a stool. In front of him was Tom Riddle, on both knees.
"Oh Tom, you've been a naughty boy" said Salazar Slytherin, in an amused voice. "You deserve to be punished, don't you think?"
Salazar then started spanking Riddle, while the younger boy cried like a baby, literally. The class was frozen in silence until Daphne snorted. Soon Harry started laughing, deep belly laughs. He again pointed his wand at the boggart and said "Riddikulus."
The boggart exploded into fine dust. "Very good, Mr Potter. You finished it off" said Lupin, but he wasn't laughing. The rest of the class too was staring at Harry.
"Thank you Professor" said Harry. Lupin recovered and gave the class homework and dismissed them. Once they were away from everyone, Daphne hugged Harry and asked "Are you okay?"
Harry bent down and kissed her. After a minute, they broke apart and he said, "While that may realley be what frightens me the most, it takes more than a Boggart to break me." Daphne smiled, and they headed to the kitchens.
Once Daphne tickled the pear, they entered. Immediately, there was pin drop silence, which surprised Harry and Daphne, as the elves liked them both and were usually very cheerful. An elderly elf came up to Harry and said, "Greetings, Lord Gryffindor. How we be help you?"
Harry's eyes went wide and Daphne looked at him with surprise. "How did you know?" asked Harry, regaining his composure.
"We be sensing you, My Lord" said the elf, looking at Harry with confusion, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Okay" replied Harry slowly. "But could you all not say that in front of anyone else, or not mention it to others, least of all our Headmaster?" he asked.
The elves all nodded and the head elf replied, "Our allegiance is to you, Lord Gryffindor. We be not informing Headmaster Whiskers".
Harry and Daphne couldn't help but snicker every time they heard that name the elves had coined for Dumbledore. "Okay, good" said Harry. "I came here to see if you're all fine, and to request you to send more chocolate every night. We don't want the students affected by the Dementors, do we? By the way, do they affect you? Is there anything we can do to help?
The elves swooned. "Master is kind!" said a young female elf.
"We be sending more chocolate, Master" replied another.
"We be eating chocolate too, Master. It helps keep bad demons effects away" said another.
"Good" said Daphne kindly. "If you have any problems, please come and inform us. Your happiness is important to us as well. Now, can you provide some lunch for us? We don't want to go to the Great Hall right now".
Once lunch was served, Harry put up a privacy ward around them and told Daphne about him being Lord Gryffindor and showed her the ring. She was fascinated by it, also a bit hurt that he had not told her, but Harry apologised. He had truly forgotten to mention it to her. So far, it looked like the year was going to turn out great.