The next few days flew by almost as fast as an owl on the hunt. Hermione and Daphne trained with Harry as much as they could, while not as fit like Harry they had to take more breaks, which they used to get to know their AI better and admiring how disciplined Harry was even with his homework that needed to be finished.
Harry was once more shown that he had a long way to go with his training, as Geralt had beaten him once more in their sword fighting sparring to no one's surprise. But he was getting better, Geralt had to use his magical shield more than once as Harry got behind him.
When they were shooting, Harry finally got to shoot an assault rifle as John showed him where all the not so obvious differences were to a pistol. As the trigger was heavier and the bullets are faster, Harry had to concentrate to keep the sights on target, even if he had the bipod from the rifle extended. So, Harry trained as much as he could with the rifle. As for the model, according to John it was a SIG-550, a Swiss military rifle they used for sports when they shoot on a target 300 meters away without any scopes. When Harry asked John why he could not have an M5B like the UNSC use, John told him that the difference in power of the cartridge as well the missing bipod did make it difficult for a beginner to use it safely. Harry accepted this fact and before he knew it, they were on their way back to school inside the Hogwarts express, meeting with Parvati and Lavender in one of the compartments.
"Wow, that sounds like you all had a good time. And you two even got an AI from it, I am jealous." Lavender was looking at the projected avatar of Luke, as he got the permission from Callie to show himself. At this comment from her, Harry hit his forehead with his palm as he stood up and searched for something inside his trunk. Hermione was just a bit red in her face of shame for forgetting it and Daphne giggled.
Lavender and Parvati looked at them with a puzzled look on their faces. After a while, Harry came back down and gave them both a small package each, with his belated Christmas wishes as they were not finished by then. Lavender eagerly opened hers, letting a small rectangular device fall on her lap. She also soon found the necklace just like Hermione and Daphne now had on themselves, asking Harry if he could help her putting it on.
Parvati was a bit more methodical in opening her gift, taking the necklace out first and appreciated it. She then asked Luke, as her AI was not activated yet, if she could wear the pendant like an earring as it would suit her style more. At his confirmation that it still would function, she took it of the chain and asked Daphne if she could help her putting it on an already present earring. Daphne did just that, as the device for Lavender began to glow. As the projector began its work, it soon showed a small girl with locks and a light dress swirling around her legs and bare feet. As she was bouncing up and down it was clear that this AI was just as lighthearted as Lavender. As it looked around, it soon did find Luke and waved her hand to greet him, sporting a warm smile on her face.
"Hello, nice to meet you all. My name is Sandy and I hope we get along well." She turned to everyone inside the compartment, still showing her smile to everyone. She was soon accompanied by another AI coming from her newly activated projector. This new AI looked almost the same as Parvati, having her exotic looks together with long hair and a smug smile on her face. Sandy then did something that the others were not expecting and jumped between the devices to look at the new one, who introduced herself as Maria. She looked at Sandy a bit wary but did not push her away from her.
Daphne and Harry then did take their own matrixes out so the AIs could talk with each other in sight of their respective owner. While Callie did just stand there, Luke and Sissi were talking with the other two, as Sandy just jumped form one device to another. Callie was surprised as she materialized right beside her, looking over her sensor readings as Callie watched out if another student would come to their compartment.
Sandy frowned and looked up, telling her that she should relax as the next student is likely on a completely different carriage as they were. Callie looked at her like an older sister would do with an annoying know-it-all smaller sibling and told her that right in the next compartment was another student sleeping. Sandy blushed a little and looked once more at the readings, assuring herself that she just looked for someone moving on the train. It was at this moment when every AI got an alarm from their sensors that a student was looking in every compartment and would be soon arrive at their door. So, all deactivated their projector at the same time while the children hid them under their robes just in case.
After a short time, the door was opened and Malfoy was sneering into their compartment, showing off his new robes it seemed, with Crabbe and Goyle right behind him. Both boys tried to look menacing, but Harry and the others just ignored them and looked straight at Malfoy. "Malfoy, is there something I can help you with?" Harry's tone was courteous, but you could see in his eyes that he was not happy for Malfoy to show up without an invitation. Malfoy kept his sneering face, looking over all the occupants that shared this compartment.
"I see that your taste did not change, Potter. You still surround yourself with such losers, if they would at least look good. And Greengrass, did your father not tell you that being friendly with those beneath us will not result in favorable situations. I thought after you were sorted into Slytherin your pride would let you stay away from any Gryffindors, yet here you are, in company of Gryffindors." Before Malfoy could say more, Daphne had stood up and walked over to the door.
Malfoy smiled, thinking that he finally got through to her, as the door was closed right in front of his face and locked, a smiling Daphne waving her hand as she pulled the blinds down.
"Oh, how I hate his behavior. If I would not know that his mother tried everything she could, raising him at least somehow decent, but his father had much more influence on him it seemed. And they always did flaunt their money around like they owned the world." Daphne sat back down, huffing and crossing her arms over her chest.
Harry laughed as he saw the face Malfoy made after the door almost hit his nose. Callie recorded it too and sent it to the other AIs in the room, for showing it the girls if they needed something funny to look at.
As this was happening, Dumbledore arrived in Kear Mohen, using his magic to appear as he did already so many years ago. He walked into the great hall after he greeted Yennefer and walked over to Borch, who was sitting at the table talking with Geralt. Dumbledore was fascinated that this man was a dragon who could change his appearance and still had his personality, as he greeted the man he was asked to speak with.
"Hello Mr. Borch, my name is Albus Dumbledore. You know, if you wanted to talk with me, you could have visited me back in Hogwarts. So, if you don't mind me asking, why did you want to speak with me here?" Dumbledore conjured a comfortable cushioned chair for himself, offering one to Borch too as it would be comfier sit inside one.
The other man declined, as he just wanted to talk with him about the future conflict and what was wrong with Harry. Albus listened carefully, getting the idea that the dragon wanted to see Harry first to see if he should intervene. Dumbledore was glad that Borch did, as he finally got the confirmation on his suspicions involving Harry and his scar.
"So, it is a Horcrux, an Item so dark it was forbidden even by the darkest magical beings. Do we have the means to remove it without hurting the boy?" Dumbledore frowned.
Geralt had been listening, as Yen was searching for answers.
"It was never reported that a part of a soul was sealed in a living being, so we are in unknown waters. But I can think of multiple way's that could work, for one we could investigate injecting the part of his body where Voldemort has put part of the soul to survive with Basilisk venom, but that is dangerous in many ways. If we do not hit the exact position, it could kill Harry in seconds. Of course, I have a phoenix as a familiar, so we would have the antivenom ready with his tears. As for the other way, we could try to change his body and exorcise the second soul out of him and banish it where it belongs." Dumbledore was saying his thoughts aloud for the others to think about it.
Borch was standing by the window, looking over the land.
"There is a possibility in both solution's that he would die, as his body is not strong enough yet for any of those to work without complications. The poison would be too dangerous on its own, even if we have the tears of a phoenix already at hand. I know out of experience that only a Witcher could survive long enough to administer it, so we can rule that one out. As for changing him into one, he is still too young for the trials, even if we would still do them. Doctor Halsey, how much does these augmentations you did for the Spartans change him?"
Yen was looking to the elderly woman sitting at the table, with her hands folded under her chin and the elbows propped on it. Catherine hummed and leaned back, telling them it would not be enough to change him from the ground up and forcing the Horcrux out of him, in the worst case it would just make the vessel stronger.
"There is another way, one that was long forgotten by your kind." Borch turned back around, seeing that every human was now looking at him. "Dragon blood. It would make him strong enough to survive anything we would do to his body, while we destroy the Horcrux. As for the downside to it, it could change his character in an unpredictable way, he could become greedy for more of the power or so evil, that we would wish to have Voldemort back. But he could also become even more noble, trying to save everyone he cares about with everything he has at his disposal. To make sure that whatever we do would result favorably for Harry, I must come to the school, Headmaster and get to know him better and searching for any darkness in his heart that would corrupt him when we try it that way. As far I know him, it would not change much but he is still too young to be certain." Borch was now looking at multiple flabbergasted expressions from the people before him, with the exception being Catherine, who had a calculating look in her eyes.
Dumbledore did a double take, as he was not certain of what he heard from this mighty being before him. He thought about it, having already every position for his staff filled, but he told Borch that he would think of a solution, maybe he could transform into another animal that he could bring into the castle to watch over Harry in the meanwhile. Borch declined, as his forms were exhausting him more if he tried to become smaller as a human, risking him to change back suddenly. As they talked about other solutions, they heard a small hissing to Yennefer's feet as a small snake tried to climb up her leg.
"Oh, hello little Cindy, you want to come up?" Yen looked down and laid her hand under the snake's head, so it could climb onto it. Cindy nodded her head and was lifted on the table, now looking at Borch and hissing something, like she would talk. Borch was surprised at this revelation but took it with stride as he told her that he had his suspicion that Harry could talk with snakes and other higher reptiles. Because he hissed too, Dumbledore was alarmed as this ability was considered dark in his community, well knowing that not everyone who could talk to snake's was evil.
"Excuse me, Mr. Borch but what did you two talk about? I do not speak Parseltongue." Dumbledore was now looking at Borch with great interest, as he was once more fascinated by the other old man in the room. Cindy turned around and was now looking directly at Dumbledore, making him feel a bit uneasy. Borch told them that she offered herself to go to Harry and report to him, but Catherine could already do that thanks to Callie. Of course, Cindy was a bit disappointed, as she just wanted to visit her friend without scaring his other friends there. But Dumbledore had a solution, telling her that he could cast a glamour on her into the guise of a cat, leaving only Harry to see her as a snake, just like only Harry could see Callie through his glasses. How he got that information, he did not tell even as Catherine warned him that she could send someone to ask him not as nice as she was doing right now.
"He knows about almost everything inside the castle Catherine, maybe he picked up how Harry was looking at the same part in his glasses multiple times and deduced, as he had to give you permission to install everything for John in the castle, that Harry had an AI with him too." Borch surprised Dumbledore once more, now thinking how Borch had pulled that information out of his head. But he decided that this was a mystery for later as he turned the little snake into a small kitten. He picked her up and placed her inside his pocket inside his robes, as he said his goodbyes after finalizing the rest of their plan to remove the Horcrux. As Harry was still too young, even with the Dragon blood, they would wait until his fourth year if nothing bad would happen until then. As they also agreed that they would not tell Harry until it was time, Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts, arriving just as the students came into the Train station in Hogsmeade with the Express.
Harry and Hermione walked up the hill after they had left the carriages which transported them from the Station to the castle, as Lavender and Parvati caught up to them after they were separated in the tumult of students coming everything from the train. Malfoy was way ahead of them, as he bullied some other students into giving up the first carriage with Crabbe and Goyle pushing everyone already inside out. So, he stood once more proudly in the entrance way like he owned the place, as Dumbledore came down to the entrance to greet the students back once more for the next semester.
"Ah Harry, could you please come with me for a moment? We have something to talk about." Dumbledore told Harry, giving Malfoy the impression that Harry would be punished for disrespecting him and smiled. After a short walk, Dumbledore opened a door to an unused classroom and closed it behind Harry.
"Excuse me Professor, but did I do something wrong?" Harry was a bit afraid, as he never really talked with the headmaster until now, so he did not know what to expect. Dumbledore had his grandfatherly smile on his face and took a small package out of his robe.
"You did nothing wrong Harry, but I have here something that once belonged to your father and until now I had not the time to give it back to you. It is an invisibility cloak, because he had this item he was never caught if he decided to prank someone. Oh, the memories of him still causes me to smile on his antics sometimes. As it is rightfully yours, all I can ask is for you not to use it the same way please."
Harry nodded and took the package with many thanks and pressed it against his chest. Something from his father was a treasure he would never give away.
"Also, I visited Kear Mohen as you were on your way back to Hogwarts, as I thought it would be good for your foster parents to know how you were faring from an adults' point of view. And there I met someone special to you." Dumbledore now took a small snake out of a pocket, but Harry saw that it was his pet snake, Cindy. He smiled as it slithered into his hand and rubbed her head against his chest, happy to see him again.
Dumbledore explained that to others they will see a small kitten but to Harry Cindy appears as she always is. Dumbledore watched as the young boy caressed his snake and heard him hiss to it.
"Hey Cindy, sorry I did not come to you back home, but I thought that you were in hibernation during the winter, and I was afraid that I would scare Hermione and Daphne if I had talked to you."
Harry surprised Dumbledore once more that he could also speak parseltongue, something that Harry noticed was not normal it seemed. On his questioning look, Dumbledore explained that he could talk with his snake, but he should do that better in Privat or tell his friends what was going on. As the last known individual who could talk with snakes was the reason Harry did not grow up with his real parents.
Cindy felt the sadness from Harry, trying to cheer him up with more snuggles. Harry had to giggle shortly afterwards as her attempts led to climbing on his shoulders and pushing her head against his ears. Dumbledore apologized for causing this mood, as Harry told him that it did not matter. If Voldemort would really return, he knew he would be ready to fight him when the time was right. So, with Cindy on his shoulder, he walked out of the room and took the way up to the Gryffindor common room. On his way up, he talked with Cindy with his normal voice, as he knew that she would understand him regardless, even if some words did not translate well into parseltongue it seemed as she did ask him multiple time's what he meant. Callie also was talking to him, letting him know that John arrived in the castle and would train him once more this weekend, as Cortana told her.
"That is something I wanted to ask Callie; can I talk directly with John in the future? Or is this not possible because his neural link is not compatible with this kind of wireless transmission?"
"Well Harry, we tried but as the link between AI is more efficient except in a combat situation when everyone has their helmets on, it is easier this way. And because Cortana and I can talk almost directly with each other without losing any time to transmit the answers, he knows almost immediately what you said like you would tell him directly. It is also already like a walkie-talkie." Callie explained to him, causing Harry to relax as he now knew that every possibility was accounted for. As he passed a door, he heard a voice inside it, sounding afraid.
As he could not help himself, he turned to the door and asked Callie if she could amplify the sound so they would know what was going on.
"I'm sorry master, but this castle is big enough to hide such a small object almost forever without anyone finding it. I agree, it must be under the trapdoor that cerberus guards, but I didn't find any solution over the break to get him out of the way without alarming the headmaster that something was afoot. No, master, I'm doing whatever I can to get the Philosopher's stone for you, just give me more time. I will not disappoint you a second time as I did when I could not make Potter fall from his broom in his match."
Harry did not believe what he just heard and made Callie do a voice analysis, if they have met him already, she would find him quickly so Harry could tell Dumbledore and John what is going on. Callie saved the sample, telling him that she would take more from the others to pinpoint who it was. But she warned John that someone was inside the castle who was not friendly. Harry decided against entering the room, as the risk was too great for him to be hurt because they did not know how many were really inside the room itself.
As he arrived in the common room, he was almost assaulted by Ron, who asked him how his holiday was and if he got any presents. As Harry was elsewhere with his thoughts, he just answered generic, like yes, he had a good holiday and yes, he was happy with his presents. But he was surprised as Ron gave him another package, telling him that his mum made something for him as Ron had written her that they were in the same house. Harry was now looking at Ron: "Sorry Ron, but why did your mother make me a present? I never met her," Harry opened it, pulling out an emerald green sweater, obviously homemade.
"Yes, I know, but she told me that she hoped you could visit us over the summer. I told her how good you are in school, and she hoped that you could help me on my homework and my younger sister over her shyness to prepare for the next year. I mean, I don't think I would need it, but to be honest but my younger sister looks up to you like an idol, and we would be glad if you could just visit us for a day or two and talk with her so she would not be as nervous when she comes to Hogwarts next year. I know we have our brothers, but my sister, Ginny is her name by the way, is just a bit shy when it comes to strangers. And that is the reason why we wondered if you would visit us." Ron told him with just a bit nervousness in his voice, so Harry guessed that he hid something.
"Ah, alright I will think about it. As I know why the wizarding world sees me as the Boy-Who-Lived I can understand the position of your younger sister. I will tell you before this term ends if I come over to your place to talk with your family."
As Harry spoke to Ron, he saw that the redhead now had a small grin on his face. "No worries, mate, I told her that you'd think about it. Now, we have still some time, do you want to play some chess?"
In their room, Hermione and Parvati were putting their luggage back next to their bed, as Lavender came in and fell on her bed.
"Ah, how I missed this place. The beds are soooo soft. And how was your vacation Hermione?" Lavender sat back up, with the pillow in her arms. Her curious gaze was mirrored by Parvati, who stopped putting her robes into the wardrobe.
Hermione told them what happened, blushing when she got to the point where Daphne had figured her out. Lavender was laying back on her bed, a small smile on her lips. She was thinking of betting that these two getting to be a couple in the next years to come. She knew for a fact that the Weasley twins did have something of that sort, as they were smarter than they seemed to be.
Back in the common room, Harry was losing for the second time in their chess game with Ron, but he guessed he learned enough to win the next match. He told Callie to not help him, as this was for him, just like school. it would be too obvious if he would beat Ron in their first match when the redhead has obviously played this game much longer then he did. But he was also distracted by the vibration of his medallion, which he had put back around his neck when he arrived back in the castle. As he finally gathered the clues that it had something to do with Ron's pet, Scabbers the rat, he just thought that it was because this rat had to have some magical properties. He was, at least according to Ron and his brothers, more than 10 years old as in contrast to a normal garden rat who only got a lifespan from around 4 years at most. But Scabbers showed no power until now, so it had to be something small and passive.
As the third match began, it was soon apparent that Harry had learned his lesson and weaknesses from Ron, as he got him Checkmated in 5 turns. Ron was in awe on how fast he was defeated, prompting him to ask Harry if he played before and was just not used to his style before.
"Well, I played some chess when I was younger, but the muggle kind. I had to get used to the pieces moving for themselves when you tell them to. But you are good, my old strategy did not work until I found your weakness. You rely on your knights too much and forget the bishops and the queen to soon."
Ron understood where Harry was coming from and wanted another match, promising himself that he would get better.
As this was happening, John, Michael and Jerome all stood before Dumbledore in his office, with the old headmaster leaning forward in his chair and looking at the reports those three Spartans gave him.
"So, if I understand this correctly, Harry heard someone talking that he wanted the philosopher's stone that is presumed to be here, but he did not see who it was. Do we have any suspects? As far as the staff goes, I am sure that no one would dare to take it for themselves, as all of them participated in protecting it. Of course, I heard your advice Chief Wulf and told them not all the security measures I have taken, so only I know how many obstacles someone must go through to get to the stone. And even if, right now it is not even in there as I have taken the object out for a while because its owner needed it to get some elixir from it. I hope this answers your questions?" Dumbledore looked back up, revealing a small projector in his table hidden from view, which now had Cortana projected on it showing him what Harry recorded. It was a request he made to Doctor Halsey as she installed everything else inside the castle, so he could speak with John as he was the main security detail in the castle.
"Yes sir, it does. Now with our standing orders from command, Michael will search again for the whereabouts of the werewolf Fenrir Greyback, as Jerome will search for any clues about on the run Death Eaters. I take it that our informant in Azkaban is still viable?" John looked at Dumbledore, who nodded and then turned around the other two to dismiss them. As they left the room, Cortana's projection turned off as they made way for Snape, who was waiting outside the office just before they left.
"You wanted to speak with me, Headmaster?"