Chapter 182 - 3

Harry awoke early the next morning having slept much more peacefully than he had the previous night, resulting in him being well rested and ready to face the day.

He dressed in his workout clothes, reveling in the fact that he was with his family, something he had not expected to happen so soon nor in the position that he found himself in. As everyone in the Potter household knew, the situation would take some getting used to for them all but Harry was very content with the way things had gone so far and only hoped that he would get the chance to know his family and remain a welcome member of it, no matter what else it was he had to deal with. With his family with him he was confident that there was nothing that he could not handle.

He made his way through the expansive house and exited through the front door, noting that the land that the home was situated on was more than sufficient for him to complete his morning run. He took a deep breath of the thick and refreshing air before setting off around the outskirts of the property simply enjoying the mild morning and the rising sun in the distance.

He found that the grounds of Potter Manor were beautiful, well kept and a perfect place for this part of his morning routine, noticing that the property was very isolated and largely surrounded by woodlands, a far cry from the urban living he had experienced throughout his life thus far. The Potter's clearly liked their privacy, something that Harry could certainly appreciate.

The wildlife seemed to share his opinion of the property as he could hear the calls of several different animals, both of the muggle and magical variety, though the only thing he did see were a few Thestral's milling around within the shallows of a distant tree line that disappeared within the thicker confines of the forest as he neared them.

He finished his run and completed the rest of his exercises before entering the house once again to fetch some water from the kitchen. It was still early and he had no idea what time the rest of the occupants would wake so he opted to wait for them before having his breakfast and decided that he would pass the time by reading, not wanting to rouse anyone prematurely with his spell work.

He entered the kitchen and noticed that he in fact was not the only person awake. Sirius was sat at the kitchen table, clutching a mug of hot chocolate with a contemplative expression on his face.

"Hey Sirius" Harry greeted the boy.

Sirius jumped at the unexpected intrusion and breathed a sigh of relief when he caught sight of Harry.

"Hey Harry" he greeted the teen with a shake of his head.

"Are you always up this early?" Harry questioned with a frown, noting that it was barely 6am.

Sirius shook his head in the negative.

"I couldn't really sleep" he admitted hesitantly. "I'm just trying to decide what I should do" he added with a shrug.

"About what?" Harry asked as he poured himself a glass of water.

Sirius sighed.

"Everything I guess" he said quietly.

"Such as?" Harry asked further with a frown.

"I feel like I'm in the way now" the boy answered simply, hanging his head.

"What do you mean?" Harry returned.

Sirius looked at him speculatively and sighed again.

"It's just that you obviously haven't spent much time with James and your parents over the years and it just feels like me being here now isn't right" he began sadly. "I don't hold that against you, this is your family I just don't want to be in the way of you all catching up" he finished with a deep swallow.

Harry sighed and shook his head at the boy.

"That's complete bollocks" he stated simply.

Sirius's head snapped up and he looked at Harry curiously.

"From what I've heard you are just as much a member of this family as I am" Harry continued. "You might be even more so" he added. "You're right, I haven't spent much time with them but the last thing you are is in the way" he said firmly.

He sighed again before continuing.

"I don't know much about your home life but given the fact that you've spent a lot of time here over the years, I'm guessing it's not good" he deduced. "I don't want anything for anyone to change in this house and that includes you" he explained sincerely. "I don't want to come between you and James in anyway, yes, he is my brother, but from what I know, you're just as much a brother to him and I don't want you to think that has to change in any way, hell I'd like to get to know you better too, you seem like a decent guy" he concluded genuinely.

"You really mean that?" Sirius questioned hopefully.

Harry nodded.

"It doesn't take the same blood to be family Sirius and as far as I'm concerned, you will always be welcome here, so don't ever think you're in the way because you belong here just as much as me" he finished honestly.

Sirius smiled and let out a deep breath of relief.

"I'd like to get to know you too Harry" he responded. "And thank you, being here means everything to me, I can't go back there" he explained with a shake of his head.

"You don't have to" Harry pointed out flatly.

Unknown to the pair the conversation they had shared was heard by Dorea who was now smiling at the duo from just outside the kitchen.

"Good morning you two" she greeted them as she entered the room. "And why are you up so early?" she questioned.

"I'm pretty sure Sirius was coming up with a way to get James back for the prank yesterday" Harry answered. "And I went for a run" he shrugged.

"Where did you run?" Dorea asked urgently.

"Just around the grounds" Harry answered with a frown.

Dorea's eyes went wide.

"Oh, I'm sorry Harry, we should have told you not to go out there before sunrise, there are sometimes some unfriendly creatures closer to the house" she explained apologetically.

"You mean the Thestral's? Harry asked curiously.

"You saw them?" Dorea questioned worriedly. "Are you ok?"

Harry shook his head.

"Thestrals are only dangerous if you provoke them" he replied. "I've ridden one before" he added casually.

Dorea shook her head at the boy but didn't question him further on the matter. From the very little that Charlus had shared with her she knew that riding a Thestral was a very small thing.

"What's wrong with you?" Harry asked Sirius, noting that the boy was pouting slightly while staring into his cup.

"My hot chocolate is cold" he huffed.

"Are you not a wizard?" Harry chuckled.

"Aunt Dorea took my wand" Sirius muttered unhappily.

"And why did I take your wand Sirius?" Dorea cut in with a raised eyebrow.

"Because I hexed James after he hexed me" Sirius grumbled.

"And what did you learn?" she asked expectantly.

"That muggle wedgies should not be given magically" Sirius sighed, although the smirk he wore contradicted his opinion on the matter.

"And that grin is why I still have your wand" Dorea pointed out.

Sirius pouted again.

"Can you at least warm up my drink" he pleaded as both James and Charlus entered the kitchen.

"No" Dorea answered simply and took a sip of tea.

Sirius looked affronted by the very though of drinking cold hot chocolate and looked towards Harry pleadingly.

"Alright" Harry chuckled as he picked up Sirius's mug and warmed the contents before passing it back to the boy.

Sirius just stared at him incredulously.

"What?" Harry questioned.

"You just did wandless magic" Sirius stated disbelievingly. "Can you teach me?" he asked excitedly.

"I can try" Harry agreed. "But there are very few people capable of doing it and it's very limited to certain spells" he warned.

Sirius nodded enthusiastically.

"He's going to teach me how to do a patronus" James cut in eagerly.

"You can do that?" Dorea questioned with raised eyebrows.

Harry just nodded.

"I want to learn that too" Sirius piped up.

Harry just shook his head and chuckled again.

"I'll teach you too" he conceded. "But again it takes a lot of power to be able to do it" he explained.

"Can I see?" Sirius asked keenly.

Harry shared a look with James who nodded his consent. Harry didn't want to give away the boy's secret to his parents, he was sure they would not be happy to learn that he had been dabbling in potentially dangerous magic.

He flicked his wand into his hand and released his stag, that cantered around the room looking for any signs of danger.

"Prongs" Sirius whispered, his eyes wide in awe.

His statement fortunately went unnoticed by the two older Potter's as they too were enraptured by the ethereal creature bounding audibly around the room, bathing it in warmth and a bright white light.

After a few moments Harry ended the spell and Sirius stared at him and shook his head.

"You have to teach me that" he all but demanded.

"I will when we get to school and you have your wand back" Harry agreed with a smirk.

Sirius huffed at the reminder that he did not have his wand.

"What is in your wand Harry?" Charlus broke in. "You said you outgrew your old one" he reminded the teen.

"I did" Harry sighed. "I had to have this made for me" he explained. "It's ebony and purple heart fused together with amethyst" he said, indicating the wand in his hand.

"And the core?" Charlus inquired further.

"Thestral hair and Ukrainian Ironbelly heartstring" Harry answered.

Charlus let out a low whistle.

"I've never heard of Thestral hair in a wand" he mused. "Nor Ukrainian IronBelly for that matter" he added with a shake of his head.

"Aren't they extinct?" Dorea asked with a frown.

Harry nodded.

"You can still get the parts though if you know where to go" he shrugged.

Dore just shook her head.

"So what are you boy's planning today?" she questioned with a slight suspicious tone to her voice.

"Quidditch" James answered immediately. "I want to see how good Harry is on a broom and see if he takes after his talented older brother" he elaborated with a grin.

"Do be careful" Dorea implored. "Your father and I will be going to the alley today to collect your school things" she informed them.

"Can't we go?" James asked with a frown.

"Harry is going to draw a lot of attention to us James" Charlus pointed out. "We'd rather wait until you are back at school before we have to deal with it all" he explained.

"It's ok" Harry cut in. "You can all go, I still need to do my spell work" he offered, happy that he could have a chance to do it alone.

"Are you sure?" Dorea queried. "We do need to get James fitted for new robes?" she mused aloud.

"It's fine" Harry assured her. "I've got everything I need except for my books" he added genuinely.

"Ok" Dorea reluctantly agreed. "We won't be too long, go and get yourselves ready" she instructed both James and Sirius.

The two left the table to prepare for their trip and Dorea turned to Harry.

"There is a training room in the basement you can use for your running and whatever else you need" she informed him reluctantly, not enjoying the fact that the boy was pushing himself the way he was.

"You should be able to use any spell you want, just no Fiendfyre" Charlus warned.

"Fiendfyre?" Dorea whimpered.

"Come one love, let's get ready ourselves" Charlus suggested, leading his wife from the room.

Harry shook his head amusedly.

He understood why Dorea would be worried, but he knew he had no choice but to prepare as much as he could for what was coming.

After the other Potter's and Sirius left, Harry made his way to the basement and smiled at what he saw. It had everything he would need to keep pushing himself and he would push himself as far as he needed to go to get the job done.

(BREAK)

It was a few hours later that the Potter's and Sirius returned from their shopping excursion having retrieved everything that the boys would be needing for the upcoming school year.

"Harry, we're back" Dorea called as the group entered the kitchen. "Harry?" she called again louder when she got no response.

"He'll still be in the basement" Charlus interjected.

"It's been 3 hours" Dorea balked.

"We'll get him" James offered, gesturing between himself and Sirius.

"No, put your things away" She instructed. "I'll get him" she sighed, exiting the kitchen.

She entered the basement only to be stopped in her tracks by what she saw.

Harry was shirtless, expertly wielding a flame whip and gouging lumps out of a training dummy with clearly practiced precision.

She watched in a mixture of awe and horror as he ended the spell, sent a severing charm towards the dummy, quickly conjured a dagger and disappeared completely silently. He appeared behind another dummy and rammed the dagger through the back of its skull just as the severing charm cleaved the other in two.

The way in which he cast the magic left her simply dumfounded but it was the look on his face while doing so that left her horrorstruck.

It was a look of pure, unadulterated rage, his features twisted into an expression of hate with nothing short of murderous and malicious intent. His eyes glowed an eerie bright green; an emerald fire that sent a shiver down her spine.

When Harry caught sight of the woman his look softened back to the calm and warmth that she associated with him.

"I'm sorry" Harry spoke. "Do you need me for something?" he asked as he approached the woman.

Dorea swallowed.

"We are going to have lunch, I thought you'd like to join us before James and Sirius drag you off to fly" She explained.

"Thank you" Harry said gratefully with a soft smile as he turned to put his t–shirt back on.

Dorea's eyes widened as she noticed the sheer amount of scars the boy had.

"Where on Earth did all those come from" She questioned, pointing a shaky finger at the marred flesh.

"Let's just say the relatives that raised me weren't particularly keen on magic" Harry responded, not wanting to regale anything specific about being raised by the Dursley's.

Dorea nodded sadly.

"And that one?" she asked pointing to his right arm where the scar was thick and very deep.

Harry sighed.

He didn't want to go into details about it but he wouldn't lie to the woman, he had already promised himself that he wouldn't after all.

"A basilisk" he answered quietly.

"When did you come across a basilisk" she asked weakly, running a finger over the scar.

"When I was twelve, I killed it with a sword" he explained.

Dorea shook her head.

She could see that he was telling the truth and it pained her to know that the boy had endured so much in his life.

"Can you keep a secret?" Harry asked with a grin.

"That depends what it is" Dorea returned through narrowed eyes.

Harry just smirked and flicked his wand, summoning a large cobra.

"Which sssstupid human isss ssssummoning me from my dinner?" the snake hissed angrily, rearing up menacingly and opening it's hood in displeasure.

"I apologissssse my friend, I will feed you whatever you want I jusssst wanted you to meet my grandmother" Harry replied apologetically.

Dorea's mouth dropped in shock and she swelled internally at the pride she felt.

"You will feed me a juicccy rabbit or I will bite you" the cobra threatened seriously.

"Be niccce and ssssay hello and I will ssssend you back with two rabbitsssss" Harry promised.

The snake looked at him calculatingly before relaxing, becoming placid and compliant.

"You have a deal sssspeaker, but do not try and trick me" the snake agreed cautiously.

Harry held his hand out and the cobra slithered up his arm and rested on his shoulder, staring at Dorea when he was comfortable.

"You can touch him, he won't bite" Harry assured her.

Dorea tentatively reached out a hand and stroked the creature, still marveling at the ability of the boy.

"You're a parselmouth" She stated flatly.

Harry just nodded and smiled.

"I think we can keep this our little secret" she agreed with a smile of her own. "Both James and Sirius are not particularly tolerant of anything considered dark" she sighed.

"They'll learn" Harry said soothingly while transfiguring the dagger he had conjured into a rabbit which the snake immediately struck down and devoured.

"Thank you ssssspeaker, but you promised two" the snake reminded Harry who chuckled.

He complied and transfigured another rabbit for the serpent.

"You know, you'll get fat if you keep eating like that" Harry deadpanned before vanishing the now glaring cobra.

Dorea sighed.

"You know, I wish you didn't feel like you had to do all of this" she said sadly.

"So do I" Harry whispered. "But I have to protect you all, no matter what and I will do whatever is necessary to do that" he declared firmly.

Dorea nodded.

"I know" she mumbled emotionally. "You're a good boy Harry, just please try to be careful" she pleaded as she pulled him into a hug.

Harry immediately stiffened, not being used to such affection.

"I'm sorry" Dorea stammered as she pulled away, noticing how tense the boy was.

Harry shook his head.

"No, I'm sorry, I'm just not used to it" he explained with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

He saw the look of anguish on her face and he sighed and pulled her into a hug as best he could.

"I guess I should get used to it though" he conceded and couldn't stop a smile forming on his lips as the woman returned the hug happily.

"You should" Dorea mumbled. "Now how about we get some food before Sirius eats it all" she suggested only half jokingly.

Harry chuckled and led the way into the kitchen where the other members of the house were eating.

"It's ok, he hasn't shoved it all down yet" Harry observed loudly as the pair entered the room.

"What do you mean?" Sirius questioned with a frown, his mouth full of food.

"How do you know I meant you?" Harry returned.

Sirius just shrugged and reached for the plate of chicken, which Harry wandlessly summoned away from the boy and offered it to Dorea.

"Oi" Sirius yelled, obviously affronted.

"We are going flying" Harry reminded him. "If you eat much more you'll spew" he warned.

Sirius just huffed and pouted.

"I always tell him that but he doesn't listen" James cut in. "He eats like a Niffler too" he pointed out.

"I do not" Sirius whined petulantly.

"Half of your food is on your top" James sighed, gesturing to the soiled garment.

"I have a healthy appetite" Sirius proclaimed.

"For a Hippogriff" Charlus piped up causing both James and Harry to snort amusedly.

Sirius shook his head.

"It's bad enough with two of you against me but three is just unfair" he sighed in mock sadness.

"Don't worry Sirius" Harry comforted the boy with a pat on the shoulder. "We still get to have some revenge on James for the prank he pulled on you yesterday" Harry pointed out.

Sirius's eyes lit up mischievously.

"What?" James questioned fearfully. "You were in on it too" he reminded the pair.

"It was your idea and you're supposed to be a good influence on me, you're older" Harry responded with a grin.

James looked towards his parent's who merely shrugged at his predicament.

"Thanks" he muttered sarcastically with a scowl.

"Maybe you deserve a taste of your own medicine" Dorea replied. "Now why don't you go flying and forget about your silly pranks" she suggested with a raised eyebrow.

James immediately shot to his feet and ran to fetch his broom.

"Come on Harry" Sirius encouraged " Let's see what you're made" he requested taking the boy by the arm and leading him from the room.

Charlus chuckled.

"They are in for a surprise" he stated gleefully.

"What do you mean?" Dorea asked.

"Come and watch, you'll see" Charlus answered with a smirk.

It was less than five minutes later that found the Potter's and Sirius on the grounds of the manor ready to take flight.

"I haven't flown this yet, just give me a minute to see how it is" Harry requested, gesturing to his brand new broom.

James and Sirius both shrugged and Harry kicked off from the ground for the first time in months.

He immediately felt comfortable on the broom and instinctively knew what it was capable of. It was no firebolt but it was very good considering it was a much more basic model.

"Ok, release the snitch" he instructed James who was holding the tiny ball in his hand.

He did and Harry counted to ten before he tore after it, pushing the broom to its very limits.

The other's watched on in sheer amazement as Harry pursued the snitch, never losing sight of it once.

They watched as he corkscrewed, rolled and climbed with ease, gasping as he became little more than a dark speck in the distance.

Harry was having the most fun he had had for a very long time and was not aware of anything other than the snitch, his attention focused solely on the glint of gold.

The snitch descended vertically at full speed and Harry followed it knowing that it was his and it would not allude him any longer.

He caught the ball and only just managed to pull up in time to avoid crashing, the tips of his toes skimming the grass below.

He grinned triumphantly as he turned to face the others, only to be caught off guard by three looks of shock and a smirking Charlus.

Dorea shook of her shock and it was replaced by a look of relief.

"Can you not do anything safely?" she questioned weakly. "You damn near gave me a heart attack" she chided, smacking him on the shoulder.

Harry could see she was going to go on a rant so he put a stop to it by pulling her into a hug.

"Sorry Mum" he said sincerely.

Dorea choked on her next words and just hugged the boy tightly not knowing what to say.

"How did you do that?" James asked with a whisper.

"Good genetics" Harry shrugged with a grin.

James smiled and shook his head knowingly.

"Merlin's balls, that was bloody amazing" Sirius proclaimed.

Harry just shrugged and dragged his hand through his hair.

"Are we having a game then?" he asked.

James nodded enthusiastically.

"Dad, are you in?" he questioned the man.

"It's been a while" Charlus mused. "Oh go on then" he conceded with a smile.

The four males spent the afternoon flying while Dorea watched and continuously shook her head and covered her eyes as they performed risky and flat out dangerous moves, but she was very pleased that things were going well considering that Harry had only been with them for less than two days, yet he was already fitting in nicely with the dynamic of the home.

(BREAK)

It was later on that very evening that the Potter parents were getting ready for bed with Dorea lost in her own thoughts. She let out a long sigh and shook her head from the conflicted emotions she was feeling.

"What is it love?" Charlus asked.

"Harry" Dorea replied simply. "What are we going to do about him?" she added worriedly.

"There's not much we can do Dor" Charlus returned unhappily. "I don't like it anymore than you do but it's the way it is" he explained.

"But he's just a boy Charlus" she tried desperately.

Charlus shook his head.

"He might be only sixteen but he is not a boy" he stated firmly. "I've seen everything in his head and he's never been a child, not really" he concluded darkly.

Dorea sighed again.

"But what can we do?" she asked almost pleadingly.

"We give him a home and we give him some much needed love" Charlus answered. "We can't stop him, but we can make it easier" he said in a placating manner.

Dorea nodded.

"I saw him training earlier and he's terrifying" she admitted in a whisper. "He has so much hate and anger in him" she added with a shudder.

"He does" Charlus agreed. "But it's understandable after everything he's been through".

"I don't even think I want to know" she mumbled. "The basilisk is enough".

"He told you about that?" Charlus asked with a smirk.

"Yeah and shared a secret with me about snakes" she replied warmly.

"I knew you'd like that" Charlus pointed out flatly. "Did he mention the dragon?" he questioned her amusedly.

"What bloody dragon?" She asked dangerously.

"I guess not" Charlus muttered. "How do you think I knew he was a damn good flier?" he added.

"He flew with a dragon?" she responded disbelievingly.

"Not by choice Charlus" grumbled.

"And why the hell would he have to fly with a dragon?" Dorea inquired.

"Well, I guess he didn't have to do it that way" Charlus mused mysteriously.

Seeing the impatient expression his wife wore he sighed.

"If you want to have an idea of how good the boy is, he won the Triwizard Tournament when he was fourteen" he explained.

"Does the boy have a death wish?" Dorea sighed.

"He didn't enter himself, he was forced into it" Charlus pointed out. "The details aren't important" he added dismissively. "Look Dor, Harry is going to do what he thinks he needs to, no matter what anyone says and if we try to stop him then it will only push him away" he concluded.

Dorea bit her bottom lip worriedly.

"I just don't want him to lose himself, he's a good boy Charlus, I can see it" she said confidently.

"He is" Charlus agreed. "But he has been trained by the best to be the way he is, that's why I think he and James and even Sirius are good for each other" he finished certainly.

Dorea nodded her agreement.

"He looked so happy when he was flying" she concluded with a smile.

"He was and James and Sirius seem to relax him, he actually smiles, properly smiles when they are together" he observed. "Harry needs to relax and the other two need to grow up a little, I'm hoping they will balance each other out" he explained.

"I hope so" Dorea whispered.

She hated the fact that Harry was shouldering so much responsibility but knew herself that he could not be stopped no matter how much she wanted to. She just hoped that Charlus was right and that they could just be there for him when he needed it.

Her husband was right about the dynamic of the trio; they did seem to balance each other out well, something she was pleased by. She just prayed that it would continue when they arrived at Hogwarts.

(BREAK)

The rest of the holidays passed in a similar fashion. Harry would train in the morning and then the trio would pass the rest of the day by flying and just spending time together, growing more and more close as the days passed.

The only thing of real note that occurred was when Harry received a short missive from Dumbledore requesting that he make his way to the castle with the first years for the sorting, much to the annoyance of Charlus.

Flashback

The family had just sat down to breakfast a few days before the start of term was due to begin when they were interrupted by the arrival of an owl that immediately flew to Harry and offered the boy it's leg.

Harry took the letter, read it and sighed.

"What is it?" Dorea asked.

"Dumbledore wants me to go with the first years across the lake when we get to Hogwarts" he explained.

"What bloody difference will that make?" Charlus questioned irritably. "He'd get to the castle just fine in the carriages" he pointed out.

"Maybe he just wants Harry to experience everything properly" Dorea cut in.

Charlus shook his head and turned to face Harry.

"If Dumbledore takes more of an interest in you beyond being your headmaster I want you to write to us immediately" he instructed firmly.

Harry just nodded his agreement.

He of course wanted Dumbledore as an ally but did not want the man attempting to control him in any way.

"Good" Charlus stated. "Because if he doesn't keep his crooked nose out of our family business so help me I will curse his wrinkled old arse" he vowed angrily.

"Charlus!" Dorea scolded.

"He's an interfering old git" Charlus retorted heatedly.

"Take a walk and calm down Charlus" Dorea instructed sternly.

Charlus sighed and nodded before exiting the kitchen, still grumbling about Dumbledore.

"Dad's not a fan of Dumbledore, he thinks he's a wankstain" James explained.

"James" Dorea growled warningly.

"Dad's words, not mine" James shrugged.

Dorea just shook her head.

End Flashback

The group found themselves on platform 9 ¾ fifteen minutes before the train would depart, James hidden under his invisibility cloak so that the trio could prank Remus and Peter, someone Harry that was not looking forward to meeting.

"Have you got everything" Dorea asked sadly.

"Yes mum" Harry replied with a smirk.

Dorea smiled and shook her head. Harry calling her that never failed to make her smile happily.

"I do wish you would come out of there James" Dorea sighed, looking to where she believed her son was.

"No" James answered petulantly.

Dorea shook her head again.

"What about you, have you got everything Sirius?" she questioned the boy with a raised eyebrow.

"Maybe" Sirius shrugged.

"I'll send anything I find" She responded. "Do try and behave, all of you" she said warningly.

"We will" Harry and Sirius answered in unison with matching mischievous grins.

"Can I have a quick word Harry?" Charlus cut in.

Harry nodded and stepped to the side with the man.

"Remember what I said about not holding things against people" he reminded the boy. "I know it's hard but please try, Peter is one of their best friends, maybe you can help him" Charlus implored. "It will makes things very difficult between you all if you're hostile towards him" he explained.

Harry nodded reluctantly.

"Ok" he conceded. "But if he steps out of line then he's fair game" Harry warned.

"Agreed" Charlus responded. "Just try and give the boy a chance, you have the opportunity to maybe help him, he's not as strong as the rest of you maybe having you around will be enough " he shrugged.

"Maybe" Harry agreed, though he definitely had his doubts.

"Good boy" Charlus praised and pulled the boy into a hug. "The house is going to be empty without you boy's there" he mused sadly.

"We will be home for Christmas" Harry reminded him.

Charlus smiled.

"It will be your first family Christmas, expect Dorea to go overboard" he warned.

Harry shook his head amusedly.

"Thank you for everything" he said sincerely.

"You're family Harry" Charlus returned casually. "And no matter how we look at it you are our son, that's how it feels to both myself and Dorea" he explained. "She insists she is too young to be a grandmother" he added with a whisper.

Harry laughed.

"It's a good thing that I don't see it that way then" he chuckled.

The duo returned to the other group and Dorea shot Charlus a questioning look.

"Father son talk" Charlus shrugged.

Dorea nodded and smiled.

"You'd best get on the train then" she instructed sadly.

Harry pulled her into a hug.

"We'll write" he promised. "And you will see us at Christmas" he reminded her.

"I know" she sighed. "I'll miss you all" she added sincerely.

"What, even cleaning up after that slob?" Harry asked, pointing at Sirius.

"Oi" Sirius protested.

"Even that" Dorea agreed with a chuckle.

"Come on Sirius, lets get you on the train before you somehow make a mess on the platform" Harry declared, taking the boy by the arm who huffed grumpily.

"Bye boys" Dorea called after them.

Harry and Sirius waved as they entered the train to find an empty compartment.

They were around half way down the length of the train when a compartment door slid open and the occupant leaving walked straight into Harry and fell straight on to their backside.

Harry's breath hitched in his chest as he immediately recognised the long red hair of his mother.

He quickly shook himself from his shock and offered the girl his hand.

"Sorry about that" he said sincerely. "I didn't see you there" he added.

"It's ok" Lily replied taking the hand and pulling herself to her feet.

She caught sight of Harry and immediately pulled her hand away disgustedly and scowled at him.

"Like you didn't do it on purpose Potter" she growled irritably as she pushed her way past them.

"Excuse me, I don't think we've met" Harry returned confusedly.

Lily huffed.

"You're such an arse you know, just leave me alone" she demanded angrily.

Harry shot a look towards Sirius who just shrugged.

"Evans" he clarified. "She hates James but he loves her" he finished in a swooning tone. "Ouch" he yelped as James kicked him from under the cloak. "Come on" he sighed, rubbing the back of his leg.

The trio managed to find an empty compartment a little further on and took their seats to wait for the other two boys.

"How long do you think it will take for them to work it out?" James asked excitedly.

"About ten seconds if you don't shut up" Sirius retorted.

"They won't get here yet" James replied dismissively. "Remus and Peter's mum's dote on them ridiculously" he explained to Harry.

Harry nodded his understanding.

"Here they come" Sirius whispered a few moments later leaning casually against the wall of the compartment.

The door opened and Harry immediately recognized the two boys.

Remus looked as he ever did just much younger whereas Peter looked rather different, less rodent like.

'Maybe spending so long as a rat made him look more like one' he mused to himself.

"Your mum finished wiping your nose then Moony" Sirius stated questioningly as they entered.

"Oh shut up Padfoot" Remus grumbled, taking a seat opposite Harry.

"She actually did wipe his nose" Peter snickered.

Remus shot him a dirty look.

"At least my Mum didn't leave lipstick on my cheek" he pointed out with a smug grin.

Peter frowned and began attempting to remove the red gunk from his face, only managing to make it more pink than red.

"How's it going Prongs?" Remus questioned looking towards the boy for the first time and frowning.

"Can't complain" Harry shrugged casually.

"You look different" Remus returned, looking at him calculatingly.

"What do you mean?" Harry questioned irritably.

"You look more refined and less scruffy" Remus answered after a moment.

Harry just shook his head at the boy.

"You are different" Peter cut in, shaking his head.

"You don't have a scent" Remus exclaimed loudly, getting to his feet.

"I told you we shouldn't have used scent charms" Harry sighed.

"What do you mean?" Remus asked worriedly.

"It's you fault" James grumbled, removing the cloak and pointed at Sirius.

"All I said was he might smell the difference" Sirius pointed out.

"What the hell is going on" Remus questioned clearly shocked, looking between James and Harry.

"This is my brother Harry" James introduced the boy. "This is Remus and Peter" he added to the other boy.

"Brother?" Remus asked weakly. "You never mentioned a brother" he hissed, shooting a glance toward Harry.

"Even I didn't know about Harry until a couple of weeks ago" Sirius chimed in, attempting to placate the werewolf. "Family secret" he shrugged.

"Where the bloody hell has he been?" Remus questioned with a frown.

"Privately tutored" James replied dismissively.

"You're twins?" Peter piped up wide eyed.

"We are" James confirmed with a grin.

Remus just shook his head.

"You could've just introduced him" he growled irritably.

"You got off easy, believe me" Sirius muttered grumpily.

"I'm sorry" Remus sighed. "As he said, I'm Remus" he introduced himself and offered Harry his hand.

"It's nice to meet you Moony" Harry replied, taking the boy's hand and smiling warmly.

Remus's eyes went wide and a look of fear came over him.

"You know?" he asked weakly.

"We had to tell him" James interjected. "He would have worked it out straight away" he explained.

Remus swallowed deeply and began to shake.

"And it doesn't bother you?" he questioned Harry, looking down at the floor.

"Not at all" Harry answered sincerely. "Your secret is safe with me" he promised.

Remus breathed a sigh of relief and nodded gratefully.

"Thank you" he whispered emotionally.

"One of the greatest men I knew was a werewolf" Harry mused. "I learnt some of my most powerful magic from him" he added with a smile.

"Really?" Remus questioned.

"Really" Harry confirmed with a firm nod.

"I'm Peter" the other boy cut in, also offering Harry his hand.

Harry sighed inwardly, but remembered what Charlus had said.

"It's nice to meet you Peter" he replied shaking the boy's hand.

Peter smiled and nodded.

"So why are you here now?" Remus asked.

"Mum and Dad wanted me home because of the war" Harry shrugged.

"Why were you privately tutored?" Peter inquired.

"Because he's gifted" Sirius answered dismissively. "We have things to plan" he stated. "You have all year to grill him" he finished with a shake of his head.

Both Harry and James sighed inwardly with relief as the group settled in and spent the rest of the journey talking and planning some pranks they wanted to pull off over the year.

(BREAK)

The group departed the train after it had pulled in to Hogsmeade and Harry split away, reminding James and Sirius that he had to go with the first years.

"You better be in Gryffindor" Sirius grumbled. "I couldn't stand it if you were a snake, you would bring shame on us all" he warned with a smirk.

"I might ask the hat to put me in Slytherin just to piss you off" Harry replied casually. "Mum would love it" he shrugged.

Sirius looked affronted as James pulled him away, shaking his head at the boy.

With that Harry made his way towards the large silhouette that was Hagrid on the other end of the platform.

"'ello there 'arry" the half giant greeted him with a smile.

"Hey Hagrid" he responded happily.

"Professor Dumbledore tol' me yeh'd be 'ere, yeh got it worked ou' then?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I didn't tell you my real name, family secret and all" he explained.

"No worries" Hagrid said dismissively. "I understan' tha'" he added.

Harry just smiled and got into a boat by himself noting that it seemed much smaller than when he had used them in his first year, but then again the small children around him were tiny.

'I couldn't have been that small' he thought to himself with a shake of his head.

He immediately noticed that there was at the very least triple the amount of first years now compared to when he started, and the problem that Croaker had explained to him was immediately apparent.

He shook his head at the thought as the boats began to move across the surface of the lake.

Before he knew it the boat trip was complete and Hagrid was leading the large group up to the front doors of the castle, banging on them with his large fist once he had reached them.

The doors opened revealing a much younger looking Professor McGonagall who looked at the students calculatingly before nodding her head, seemingly pleased.

"Thank you Hagrid" she stated neutrally before ushering the students in.

She began speaking to them all and Harry immediately recognized the words as being exactly the same speech she gave to him on his first day of Hogwarts.

'She must have practiced that a lot' he mused internally.

His thoughts were interrupted as the stern witch descended on him.

"I assume that you are Mr. Potter" she addressed him, tight lipped.

"I am" Harry confirmed.

"You will wait in here to be called" She explained. "And I hope for the sake of the school that you are not like your brother, heaven knows one is bad enough" she sighed and led the rest of the students into the Great Hall to be sorted.

It was close to an hour later that the door opened once more and a younger but no less cantankerous Filch beckoned him into the room as Dumbledore was about to introduce him.

Harry immediately noticed that there was indeed considerably more students than he was used to seeing in the castle, a reminder of how devastating the war had been on the wizarding population.

"And finally we have one last student to sort who will be attending our sixth year classes" the headmaster informed the room. "He joins us from having been privately educated so please give a warm welcome to Harry Potter" he finished, gesturing for Harry to approach.

Immediately a large amount of whispering could be heard throughout the room as his name was announced causing Harry to shake his head as he made his way to the front of the hall.

'Just like first year' he sighed inwardly.

He took a seat on the stool and Professor McGonagall placed the hat on his head, stepping away after she did so.

"Hmm, how very interesting you are Mr. Potter" the hat began.

Harry shook his head.

"Is this the part that you tell me I would be great in Slytherin?" He asked.

"Oh no, no, the house of the snakes is not for you, you cannot lead the light from the darkness after all" the hat explained. "The darkness there is mostly irredeemable, but there are a few that can be saved, remember that Mr. Potter" it said seriously. "No, there is only one place to put you, though you do share the qualities of all houses, your courage is undeniable and most prominent as displayed by yourself on many occasions" it finished knowingly.

"So why the delay?" Harry questioned with a frown.

The hat chuckled.

"I haven't seen Albus look this nervous in years, it entertains me" the hat replied.

"So you like a good joke then" Harry mused. "How would you like to be a part of a prank?" he offered.

"I'm all ears, figuratively speaking" the hat returned gleefully.

(BREAK)

"What the hell is taking so long?" Sirius whispered furiously though it was clear he was nervous.

"Calm down Padfoot" James soothed, though it was clear that he was even more nervous than the other boy.

"Gryffindor!" the hat finally shouted, eliciting sighs of relief from both boy's as they joined in the cheering that had erupted around them.

"What took so long?" Sirius asked as Harry joined them at the table.

Harry smirked.

"I just got us an ally for number 73" Harry replied with a grin.

Sirius's eyes went wide at the revelation.

"The hat?" he asked disbelievingly.

"It's perfect" James declared having quickly figured out how it could be used.

"Good job Harry" Sirius praised.

It was then that the plates filled up with food and the boy's tucked into the feast hungrily.

Dumbledore stood again as the final vestiges of dessert had been cleared from the plates and smiled warmly at the students.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts" he greeted them, his eyes twinkling. "Firstly, the forbidden forest is out of bounds to all students" he sighed, shooting a glance directly where the sixth year Gryffindor boy's were sat. "Mr. Filch would of course like to remind you that there is to be no magic in the corridors and a revised list of prohibited items can be found stuck to his office door" he informed them.

"Yeah like anyone wants to go near there" Sirius scoffed.

"I would also like to welcome back Professor Mortlake, who has consented to return after a year away to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts" Dumbledore added.

"Ahh shit" James whispered.

"What?" Harry asked with a frown.

"Mortlake is a bastard and he hates us" Sirius cut in with a rueful shake of the head.

"We did spike his pumpkin juice with hair growing potion" Peter pointed out.

"Good times" Sirius sighed dreamily.

"Watch out for him, he probably already hates you" Remus warned as he stood, noticing that the hall was now starting to empty.

The group made their way up to the seventh floor and into the Gryffindor common room, taking the large comfortable chairs in the far corner.

"This is our area" James explained. "People know not to bother us here unless it is important" he added seriously.

Harry just nodded. He knew that the Marauder's had always been popular but he didn't realise it was to this extent.

"Ahh there's Frank" James cut in to his thoughts. "He'll want to meet you and we can get you a trial" he explained excitedly. "Oi, Frank" he called loudly getting the other boy's attention.

Harry immediately recognized Frank Longbottom as he approached them, he was very similar looking to Neville and Harry smiled at the thought of his old friend.

"Hey James, or is it Harry?" Frank greeted with an amused frown.

"Family secret" James shrugged.

"Understood" Frank replied knowingly, not questioning the issue further. "So you must be Harry" Frank stated, offering Harry his hand.

"I am" Harry confirmed shaking the offered limb.

"Frank Longbottom" Frank replied. "Head boy" he added with a smirk.

"Sell out" Sirius mumbled.

"I'd watch it Black, you'll find yourself scrubbing toilets without magic" Frank warned with a grin.

"You wouldn't" Sirius returned, horrified by the thought.

"Nah I wouldn't" Frank conceded. "But it would be funny" he added with a calculating look.

"Are you still captain this year?" James interjected impatiently.

"Yep, but we definitely need a new seeker" he sighed.

"We've got one" James returned triumphantly.

"Who?" Frank questioned.

James just pointed at Harry with a smug smile.

"Is he any good?" the other boy questioned.

"I shit you not Frank I watched him pull off a two hundred footer by the skin of his teeth, he's amazing" Sirius stated confidently.

Frank grinned.

"I'll see what you've got" he agreed. "We start next week" he informed them. "Now I better go and make sure the firsties aren't wetting themselves" he sighed.

"Catch ya later Frank" James called after him. "I told you we'd get you in" James pointed out gleefully to Harry.

Before he could reply, the group was interrupted by a gentle coughing and Harry turned to be faced by his mother once more along with another girl who was dark haired and fair skinned. Swallowing down the excitement he felt he cleared his throat before addressing her.

"Can I help you Miss?" he asked.

"You are Harry, right?" She questioned suspiciously.

"I am" he confirmed.

"Well, erm, I just wanted to apologise, for earlier on the train when we bumped into each other" she said shyly. "I thought you were that idiot" she added, glaring at James.

Harry smirked.

"It's ok" he assured the girl. "Don't worry".

Lily nodded.

"I just don't want you to think I'm a bitch" She explained. "Oh, I'm Lily by the way, Lily Evans" she introduced herself.

"It's nice to meet you Lily" Harry replied genuinely taking the girl's offered hand.

"You two have the same colour eyes" the other girl piped up.

"For Merlin sake McKinnon they're eyes, they don't come in that many colours" Sirius grumbled.

"Hello Sirius" the girl greeted him. "I see you're still sulking because I refused to go to Hogsmeade with you" she stated casually.

"I am not" Sirius huffed, folding his arms and throwing himself into his seat.

"You keep telling yourself that, but my offer is still there" the girl replied with a mocking smile. "If you can keep your wand from other cauldrons then I'll think about it" she explained.

"Marlene!" Lily choked.

"Is she always that crass?" Harry asked, clearly amused.

"Yep, that's why Sirius likes her" James interjected.

"I bloody well don't" Sirius denied vehemently.

"Yes you do" Marlene cut in knowingly. "Think about it Sirius" She finished with a wink and walked away, purposely exaggerating the swaying of her hips.

Sirius sunk back further in his chair and groaned irritably.

"I'd better go, but it was nice to meet you Harry" Lily said warmly.

"You too, I'm sure I'll see you around" Harry responded with a smile.

"Looks like you've got competition Prongs" Remus chuckled as Lily walked away.

"Unlikely" James bit back confidently.

"She already likes him more than she does you" Remus pointed out.

"Believe me, Harry is not a threat where Evans is concerned" James replied.

"How can you be so sure?" Remus questioned with a frown.

"Because I'm not into redheads" Harry interjected firmly.

Remus just shrugged.

"Maybe we should head up" Peter suggested. "Early start and all that" he reminded them.

The others agreed and it was only fifteen minutes later that Harry was in bed enjoying being back at Hogwarts, only this time he was getting to experience it with his Father and godfather, though his thoughts did wander to his previous dorm mates and he hoped that whatever it was that he left behind was much better than what he had left.

(BREAK)

Harry woke the next morning as early as he always did and collected his cloak and copy of the map before exiting the tower and began heading towards the room of requirement to complete his morning exercises and spell work.

As he thought it would the room provided him with an exact replica of the training room he had been using in Potter Manor and he gratefully completed his morning routine before heading back to the Gryffindor Tower to shower before he would have to leave for breakfast.

"Where have you been this early?" Remus asked.

"Harry gets up at the crack of dawn every day to train" Sirius explained with a distasteful shake of his head.

"What kind of training?" Remus asked further with a frown.

"We don't know" James cut in. "Mum doesn't let us in the room with him, says it's too dangerous" he shrugged.

Remus raised an eyebrow but didn't question the subject any further.

"What classes are you taking Harry?" Peter inquired curiously.

"Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Defense and creatures" Harry listed off.

"No Runes or Arithmancy?" Remus asked, clearly surprised.

"I study runes in my own time and can't stand Arithmancy, it's pointless unless you plan on being an enchanter" he shrugged. "You'll only find a bunch of nerds in Arithmancy" he added with a grin knowing full well that Remus took the subject.

"Oi, I study Arithmancy" the werewolf pointed out angrily.

"Really?" Harry asked in mock surprise. "I didn't think you could count to twenty one even if you were naked" he mumbled.

Sirius and James both roared in laughter while Peter stared confusedly.

"It's a penis joke Wormy" Remus explained irritably. "Hurry up and take a shower" he demanded, glaring at Harry.

Harry shook his head and went to take a shower, returning around fifteen minutes later so that the five of them could head to breakfast and get their timetables.

"Well you'll have at least two of us in all of your classes" Sirius informed Harry as they took their seats at the Gryffindor table.

Harry nodded and began piling his plate with scrambled eggs and brown toast.

"Wormy and Sirius do Creatures and all of us will be in the rest of them" James pointed out. "So you'll be fine" he shrugged.

"I didn't realise I needed to be baby sat" Harry sighed.

"It's safer" Peter piped up. "A lot of people here will just hate you" he added, shooting a glance at the Slytherin table.

Harry smirked.

"I don't doubt it" he returned knowingly. "They won't cause me any problems" he concluded darkly.

"You'll want to watch out for Snivellus, he will try to curse you to get at us" Sirius chimed in.

This time Harry chuckled.

"He can try, but he won't like the results" he deadpanned.

Before the conversation could go any further the group were interrupted by Professor McGonagall who handed them all their class schedules before sighing.

"Welcome to Gryffindor house Mr. Potter, please do not let these miscreants influence you too much" She implored. "Your grades are among the best I have seen, keep up your good work" She advised.

"Miscreants?" Sirius cut in with a mocking yelp. "You wound me Professor, I am a lovable rogue" he finished with a firm nod.

McGonagall rose and eyebrow at the boy but couldn't help the corner of her mouth twitching slightly.

"You are a reprobate, Black" She surmised. "The only thing lovable about you is that we will finally be rid of you in two short years, a day I cannot wait for" she finished with an uncharacteristic smirk.

"Ouch Professor, that really hurt" Sirius returned, clutching his chest dramatically.

"For Merlin sake, go to class" she commanded and walked away shaking her head.

"Come on, Charms with the Puffs first" Remus pointed out, ushering the rest of the group from the hall.

"I haven't finished yet" Sirius grumbled.

"Should have thought about that before you flirted with McGonagall" James broke in.

"I wasn't flirting" Sirius whined.

"McGonagall Sirius, really?" Marlene intruded with a raised eyebrow as she joined them with Lily and another girl who looked vaguely familiar to Harry.

"Will you bugger off McKinnon I'm not interested" the boy replied irritably.

"Oh, because I was thinking that I need to buy new underwear and wanted your opinion on what I should get, the girls are getting too big" she sighed, pushing out her bust towards the boy.

Sirius whimpered slightly and shook his head.

"Not interested" he denied simply, though his tone was not convincing.

"He's very interested" Harry chimed in. "Pull yourself together Sirius, you look as though you might actually drool" he whispered loudly.

"I'm not bloody interested" Sirius growled and stormed ahead.

Harry just chuckled and shook his head at the boy.

"Hey Harry" Lily greeted him. "Looking forward to your first classes?" she asked.

Harry nodded.

"It will be interesting to see how Hogwarts is" he replied. "What's your favourite class?" he questioned.

"Charms and Potions" she answered immediately.

"Lily's the best in our year at charms" the other girl added.

"Sorry, I'm not sure we've met, I'm Harry" he introduced himself to the girl who had light brown hair and was very petite.

"Oh, I'm Alice Prince" the girl informed him conversationally. "What are you best at?" she asked.

'Neville's mum' he realised.

"I got my best grades in Charms and Defense" Harry shrugged. "And got O's in everything else too, but potions is my least favourite" he explained with a grimace.

"So you got an O+ in charms?" Lily questioned excitedly.

"And Defense" Harry replied proudly.

"Wow, you must be good, I think Lily was the only one to get an O+ in charms here" Alice said certainly.

"Then you must have worked very hard for it" Harry observed knowingly.

"A little" Lily agreed shyly.

The group entered the classroom and Harry took a seat next to Sirius as the girls split off and sat away from them.

"Still sulking?" he inquired.

"I'm not sulking" Sirius growled. "You're supposed to stick up for me, not help that banshee" he added, shaking his head while glaring at Marlene.

"We both know that you would have done the same if you were in my position" Harry pointed out. "And it's so obvious that you like her, you can't stop looking at those blue eyes" he added with a smirk.

"She has brown eyes" Sirius retorted.

"My point exactly" Harry returned triumphantly.

The others laughed as Sirius turned red and began mumbling incoherently.

"Alright class, settle down" Professor Flitwick squeaked as he entered the room.

The diminutive man looked exactly as Harry remembered, down to the white hair that rested on top of his head, he clearly didn't age much over the years.

"Today we are going to recap the spells we learnt last year" Flitwick informed them. "I want you to start with the Aguamenti Charm and then we will go from there" he explained.

Sirius had already drawn his wand and was whispering the charm causing a small amount of water to leak from the end of his wand.

"It won't work if you're angry" Harry muttered to the boy.

Sirius growled and continued his efforts, though the results did not improve.

"Aguamenti" he hissed angrily causing a powerful jet of water to erupt from his wand and sending the unprepared boy flying from his seat.

"On my command Mr. Black" Flitwick sighed. "You fired prematurely" he pointed out.

"Probably not the first time" Peter muttered.

The rest of the group looked at the boy in shock before bursting into a fit of laughter. Clearly Peter did not make jokes often.

"Bloody hell Wormy" Sirius deadpanned. "I can't even be mad at you for that one, that was good" he conceded reluctantly.

"Alright, settle down" Flitwick chided with a shake of his head. "We will do it one at a time" he decided. "Miss Evans" he called.

Lily approached the front of the class and performed the spell perfectly on her first attempt as did most of the class. Eventually Flitwick called Harry and he approached nervously.

The spell was largely based on power, was physical in nature and he knew that even reigned in he was much more powerful than the rest of the class by a considerable amount.

"Do not worry Mr. Potter, I'm sure you will be fine" Flitwick soothed, sensing the boy's nervousness.

"Erm, Professor, you might want to get them to put shields up" he whispered warningly. "Even when I hold back it's quite powerful" he explained.

"I'm sure it will be ok Mr. Potter" Flitwick said comfortingly.

Harry nodded his head reluctantly and sighed before flicking his wand into his hand and releasing a large burst of water from the tip of his wand, soaking most of the people in the room including the professor as it rebounded violently off the wall he was aiming at.

The students stared at him in complete shock, even Flitwick was surprised.

"That was you holding back?" he choked while water dripped from him liberally.

"I'm sorry, I did warn you" Harry pointed out.

"I won't ask you to demonstrate full power" the professor responded seriously. "Did you do that silently?" he asked with a light frown.

"My tutors were insistent on it sir" Harry responded.

"Very impressive" the professor observed. "Take a seat Mr. Potter" he instructed.

"Bloody hell Harry, I thought Sirius was joking when he said you were gifted" Remus balked.

"Sorry" Harry replied and began drying them off with his wand.

"Yes, that is a very good idea Mr. Potter, we will learn the Drying Charm as the situation calls for it" Flitwick announced, giving Harry a speculative look.

The rest of the class passed reasonably quickly and soon enough Harry, along with Peter and Sirius were heading towards his first Care of Magical Creatures class of the year.

"How did you get so powerful?" Peter asked as the trio made their way out of the castle.

Harry shook his head.

"You are born with it" he shrugged. "But power doesn't mean much it only influences certain types of spells" he explained.

"What do you mean?" Peter questioned.

"Well anything that has a physical effect like a blasting curse will be more destructive than average but things that take finesse like intricate transfigurations aren't effected by the amount of power as much" he elaborated. "That's why I train so much, I have a tonne of power but everything else takes just as much work and I want to be the best wizard I can be" he finished with a hint of determination.

Peter nodded his understanding.

"But it is helpful during duels" Sirius broke in.

"That's the thing it is most useful for" Harry agreed. "But again you want to be equal in all aspects of fighting" he said knowingly. "You can be the most powerful wizard in the world but you can be beaten if your opponent is quicker at movement and faster with their wand that's why I work on all of it" he informed them.

"I want to see you duel" Sirius all but demanded.

"I don't duel" Harry returned seriously. "Dueling is a sport, I fight" he added firmly.

"What's the difference?" Peter inquired.

"Fighting has no rules, and you aim to win by any means necessary" Sirius whispered, his eyes wide.

"Exactly" Harry confirmed darkly as they reached the paddock are where the class would take place.

"Alright class, gather round" Professor Merrythought instructed.

He was a rather squat man, probably around sixty years of age and was covered in a variety of scars, even missing a few fingers.

The class that consisted of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students complied and the man continued.

"Today we will be studying a creature that most of you won't be able to see" he explained excitedly.

Harry smiled in recognition knowing immediately what it was they would be working with.

"Wait here and keep back" the professor told them firmly as he disappeared into a thicket of trees, emerging a few moments later leading a Thestral towards them.

The class looked at the squat man as though he had gone insane when he seemingly returned empty handed.

"How many of you can see this beautiful fellow?" Merrythought questioned jovially.

Out of all the students Harry was the only one to raise his hand.

"Ahh Mr. Potter, I do hope you are much more responsible than your brother" he stated flatly. "Would you care to explain the Thestral to the class?, If you can of course" he asked.

Harry sighed.

"Thestrals are considered dark creatures because you can only see them if you have witnessed death" he began. "But that is a load of crap" he added with a shake of his head.

The was a lot of murmuring amongst the students after the concept of death was mentioned.

"And what is your opinion on them?" Merrythought inquired interestedly.

"They are very gentle and intelligent creatures that are simply misunderstood because of their association with death, but you would not want to provoke one, it would probably be the last thing you do" he finished sincerely.

"My thoughts exactly" the professor replied with a smile. "You sound as though you have experience with them" he said questioningly.

"I do" Harry confirmed with a smile, remembering riding one of the creatures.

"What does it look like?" a blonde Ravenclaw girl asked.

"Ahh, of course" Merrythought exclaimed. "This is what one looks like for those of you that cannot see it" he explained, unrolling a large piece of parchment with a drawing of the beast etched into it.

"That's creepy" the girl surmised, shivering slightly.

"It's beautiful" Lily disagreed.

"Indeed" Merrythought concurred. "Probably one of the most misunderstood creatures in our world" he mused sadly. "They are truly wonderful and very loyal if they are respected" he finished warningly. "I want you to spend the rest of the class discussing the physical characteristics of it and what you think of them" he instructed.

"What do you think Wormy?" Sirius asked.

"I think it would eat me the first chance it got" he replied worriedly.

"So would Moony, but you still knock around with him" Sirius pointed out. "I won't even ask what you think" he added with a look towards Harry. "You like weird things" he concluded with a shake of his head.

"I have to hanging around with you" Harry returned smartly.

"Why can't you let me have the last word?" Sirius grumbled.

"I will if you ask out McKinnon" Harry countered.

"Will you bloody shut up about McKinnon" Sirius retorted heatedly.

"You should just do it Padfoot" Peter advised. "The sexual tension between you to is disgusting, I'm sure I can smell the hormones coming from you both" he finished with a cringe.

"Imagine how bad it must be for Moony, poor guy" Harry cut in.

Peter chuckled.

"I didn't think of that, see Padfoot, you're being a bad friend now" he chided mockingly.

"I swear I will curse the pair of you in a minute" Sirius growled irritably.

"Fine" Harry conceded. "But you should just do it" he suggested.

Sirius spent the rest of the class in silence, occasionally glaring at the two others.

Once the class had been dismissed the trio made their way to the Great Hall for lunch where they met with Remus and James.

"How was creatures?" Remus asked as he helped himself to some potatoes.

"Fine" Harry shrugged.

"Only because you didn't have to put up with you idiots" Sirius grumbled moodily.

"What did they do now Padfoot?" Remus sighed with a smirk.

"They won't shut up about McKinnon" he huffed irritably.

"We won't until you admit you like her" James chimed in.

"I do not bloody like her, I'm not like you with Evans, asking her out every five minutes" he pointed out.

"She'll cave eventually" James returned confidently.

"Not likely Potter" Lily called from further up the table.

Harry shook his head.

"You know, if you want her to go out with you, you need to show a little maturity" Harry whispered. "You need to be more serious about things" he added knowingly.

"I'm always telling him he should be more me" Sirius piped up with a grin.

Harry face palmed and shook his head.

"A name joke, really?" he sighed.

"He always does it" Remus explained. "He's the only one that thinks it's funny though" he said exasperatedly.

"It is funny" Sirius griped.

"Hurry up and finish, we have to get to defense next" Remus replied with a shake of his head.

The group finished their lunch and made their way to the fourth floor corridor where they would have their first lessons with the Slytherin students, a stupid idea in Harry's opinion knowing that this was the most dangerous class and there was certainly no love loss between the two houses.

Upon entering the classroom Harry caught his first glimpse of the people he knew would one day become prominent members of Voldemort's inner circle and most vicious Death Eaters.

All of them very much looked like younger, yet healthier versions of their older selves, particularly those who had ended up in Azkaban for the duration of the Dark Lord's absence.

Among the students was Avery, Rookwood, the LeStrange brothers and Severus Snape. The most noticeable to Harry however was Bellatrix and he had to exercise all of his restraint not to curse the girl sitting there.

She was certainly the one in which the differences were most apparent. For one, she actually looked healthy and her hair was not dead and lank as he remembered. She was very regal looking with very delicate features, her near black eyes shining in their youth with more than a hint of violet within them when they were caught by the light.

He grudgingly admitted that she was indeed a very beautiful witch, though the thought disgusted him to his very core.

Strangely to the teen, she was not sitting with the rest of the people he had always associated her with. She sat alone at the front of the class simply ignoring every one else in the room, something that Harry was very grateful of because he was not entirely sure that he could trust himself not to kill her if she provoked him in any way.

He shook his head and took a seat with James and the others at the back of the classroom but their entry had not gone unnoticed and Rudolphus, along with Snape and Rabastan, glared at the Gryffindor boys with loathing clear on their faces.

Harry, for the life of him, could not work out why Rudolphus was even here. He knew for a fact that the boy was two years older than his brother.

'Must have been held back' he deduced amusedly.

"Another blood traitor" Rudolphus said loudly and purposely, clearly wanting for the group to hear. "It's disgusting that you get to call yourselves pureblood's" he concluded disgustedly.

Harry quickly grabbed the back of James's robes to prevent him from attacking the boy knowing that was exactly what Rudolphus was waiting for.

"It talks" Harry returned with mock surprise. "And there was me expecting nothing more than a grunt" he sighed.

"You better watch it Potter, whatever one you are, I'll curse you" Rudolphus warned.

"How on Earth did you get sorted in to the house of cunning?" Harry questioned seriously. "You have the looks and the subtlety of a troll, not to mention the table manners apparently" he added with a shake of his head and a distasteful grimace at the boy's soiled robes.

He leaned a little closer before continuing.

"You now LeStrange, just because you have basted yourself in gravy it doesn't mean you are going to be spit roasted too, but judging by the arse kissing Snape and your brother give you, I'm sure they'd be happy to give it a go" he shrugged with a smirk.

The majority of the students were clearly trying to stifle their laughter but largely failing.

Rudolphus was clearly having to think about what Harry had said. He clearly knew that he had been insulted but he didn't quite know how.

Harry noticed this and decided to add insult to injury.

"Merlin Rudy, if you are the best that your father had to offer from his clearly lacking nutsack, then he must be as impotent as you are" he continued again with a shake of his head. "Shit, I bet even your Mother agrees with me that she should have swallowed the night you were conceived every time she sees what a buffoon she spewed from her loins" he finished mockingly.

The students in the room could not hide their laughter any longer and most of them burst into peels of it even Bellatrix's mouth twitched in amusement, though LeStrange's cohorts found no humour in the humiliation.

"I'll fucking kill you Potter" Rudolphus suddenly roared, shooting to his feet and trembling with unsuppressed rage.

The laughter stopped and Harry casually and discreetly slid his wand into his hand.

"I don't know Rudy" he deadpanned. "If your aim with your wand is anything like your aim with a spoon, I think it is every one else in the room that needs to worry" he pointed out.

Rudolphus growled angrily and was about to raise his wand when he was interrupted by the arrival of Professor Mortlake.

"Sit down LeStrange" he demanded. "You can kill Potter after class but you won't do it on my time" he added firmly. "For Merlin sake boy, you were a sixth year when I was here last, you should focus on actually completing school, not picking fights" he finished exasperatedly.

Rudolphus took his seat but continued to glare at Harry who gave him a subtle wink causing the boy to turn a shade of purple that Vernon Dursley would be envious of.

Mortlake gave the boy a final shake of his head before he took his place at the front of the class and Harry got his first real look at the man.

He was a tall and wiry man with very sharp icy blue eyes. His hair was dark grey and brushed backwards on his head and he was around his late forties to early fifties at most.

"Listen up" he commanded loudly in a no nonsense tone. "This year will be very busy and if you can't keep up then you are gone, no excuses" he announced seriously.

He began pacing back and forth at the front of class before he spoke again.

"Dumbledore has insisted that we go into more detail regarding dark creatures in class, though you should have already done this" he pointed out irritably. "So that means that we will be doing things a little differently and the work we would usually cover up until Christmas will be completed in your own time" he informed them.

There was a collective groan at that announcement and the man narrowed his eyes at the class.

"Now usually I would tell you to bloody well get on with it how you please but Dumbledore has had another genius idea" he continued sarcastically. "He has decided that we should be promoting inter house cooperation and that we as teachers, should at least give the chance for that to happen" he sighed.

A lot of the students shared disbelieving looks at this. They all knew that it was not a good idea and Harry immediately knew that Dumbledore had done this with him in mind.

"I think it's a stupid idea" Mortlake stated simply. "But that is not my call and there is also no guarantee that will happen with the way I have come up with" he explained. "We will get to that at the end of the class" he finished, clearly bothered by the subject. "First, we are going to go over the basics of what you should already about dark creatures" he announced. "You, Potter" he called.

"What, me?" James questioned.

"Not you, I already know you are an idiot" Mortlake growled. "The new one" he confirmed. "Apparently you are rather gifted in the subject, the only student to get an O+ OWL in three decades" he revealed casually. "Let us see what a private education can achieve" he decided sceptically.

Harry sighed inwardly knowing he was about to be quizzed by the man and waited for him to continue.

"What would you do if you encountered a vampire?" Mortlake questioned.

"Well vampire's now live in isolation since the hunting laws were passed in the early 1800's" Harry began. "If you were to encounter one in the modern day then they would likely be hunting illegally" he explained. "How you deal with that would depend on how many there are" he shrugged.

"Go on" Mortlake instructed.

"Well they are very quick so it is near impossible to hit them with a single shot spell so if there is one a flame whip would be enough to deter it, they do not like fire" he pointed out.

"And" the professor encouraged with a raised eyebrow.

"If there are more than one you need a very powerful and wide spread fire spell" he elaborated. "But the regenerative ability of them mean that they can walk through most flames and be healed within moments" he added knowingly.

"So what fire would you use to defeat a group of them?" Mortlake asked through narrowed eyes.

"Fiendfyre" Harry replied simply.

Most members of the class looked at him critically, some horrified that he would even suggest using the cursed fire.

Mortlake shook is head.

"Very, very few wizards can control Fiendfyre" he pointed out. "That would be both foolish and reckless if you are not capable".

Harry shrugged.

"What about Dementors?" Mortlake inquired.

"Well if you can't produce a good enough Patronus Charm then you should get out of there as quickly as possible, there is no other defense" Harry responded seriously.

"And what are the effects of the creatures?" Mortlake prompted.

"The first thing you notice is the cold, no matter how warm it is" Harry began again. "Then you will feel as though you will never be happy again as they begin to suck away every positive emotion you have and then the worst memories you have ever experienced will play over and over again in your mind" he concluded darkly.

"Doesn't matter if you know Occlumency" Snape cut in with a smirk.

Harry shook his head.

"You can be the best occlumens in the world, it makes no difference" Harry replied. "If you spend enough time in their presence, you will lose your mind and you will probably beg for them to kiss you, they are the foulest creatures in existence" he finished with a swallow.

The entire class were enraptured by the description that Harry had given of the beasts, even Mortlake was paying rapt attention and could not fault anything he said.

The man shook his head and looked calculatingly at him once more.

"What about Inferi?" he asked with a triumphant grin.

"What's an Inferi?" Lily asked curiously.

Harry sighed and thought back on what he had read about them when he came across the term in a newspaper article that Croaker had given him.

"Inferi are created by a form of Necromancy dating back to the early Ancient Egyptians, I believe it was Farooq that used them first in battle" he mused aloud.

He shook his head before continuing.

"They are basically animated corpses that are largely impervious to magic and will only be found in large groups, if the creator is smart" he surmised. "They can only really be defeated by fire or small groups can be destroyed if you have a powerful enough blasting curse to dismember them" he concluded thoughtfully.

Mortlake grudgingly nodded his agreement and shot a glance towards Remus before smirking.

"And what about werewolves" he asked, the smirk never leaving his face.

This immediately annoyed Harry and he seethed inwardly as the man had clearly put him in the position on purpose so he decided to have a little fun with the man.

"Ahh, now that would depend again" he concluded.

"On what exactly?" Mortlake growled.

"Well if the werewolf in question had taken the Wolfsbane potion primarily" he revealed with a mocking nod.

"Very few know of that potion, how did you become aware of it?" Mortlake asked suspiciously.

"One of my tutors was a werewolf and told me about it" Harry lied smoothly.

Internally he scolded himself for the slip when he remembered that the potion was a few months away from being available to the public.

Mortlake just narrowed his eyes at the teen and gestured for him to continue.

"Well any responsible and conscientious sufferer of Lycanthropy will take steps to ensure that they are isolated and secure at the full moon" he began again. "If you come across a werewolf then it is very likely that they purposely placed themselves near to a populated area so they could kill or turn people" he added with a shake of his head. "In that case you need to be able to conjure silver, or have a silver dagger or sharp object handy" he explained. "But fighting a werewolf is not a good idea, they are very fast and very powerful" he pointed out. "Even if you manage to stab it, it will not die immediately unless you get it in the heart or brain" he elaborated. "It is best if you use the Disillusionment Charm coupled with Scent Concealing spells and run" he concluded.

"And just out of interest, what would you do if the filthy beast had taken the potion?" Mortlake questioned, again annoying the teen greatly.

Harry smiled.

"Well if I was outside and I encountered the fellow I'd probably conjure a ball and teach it to play fetch, all dogs like fetch" he deadpanned.

The Marauders and most of the class laughed at this, clearly amused by the thought of a werewolf chasing a ball.

Mortlake shook his head exasperatedly.

"And what if you came upon one in your home, surely you would not play fetch" he sighed.

"Oh no Professor, you couldn't allow the creature to be in your home" Harry answered seriously.

Mortlake smirked and nodded his agreement.

"They are rather smelly and I imagine have the tendency to urinate on things" Harry continued with a mocking shake of his head. "In that scenario, I would probably conjure a collar and lead and take the little bugger for a walk, we can't have him pissing on the furniture can we" he shrugged.

James, Sirius and Peter roared in laughter as did most of the class while Remus looked both shocked and slightly worried.

Mortlake shook his head.

"That will be ten points from Gryffindor" he growled. "And there was me thinking you may have some promise" he added exasperatedly.

Harry just shrugged; it was definitely worth it to him.

"Alright listen up while I explain how else you will be spending your time up until Christmas" Mortlake demanded as he made his way back to the front of the classroom.

The class fell silently and waited for the man to inform them on what they would be doing.

"You are going to be put into pairs and each lesson you will be given five curses each to research and write about away from class" he explained. "Your partners will be determined completely by random, I have written all of your names on a piece of parchment and they will be placed in this" he announced pointing to a chalice on his desk that very much resembled the Goblet of Fire, though it was much smaller. "The cup will fire out two names at a time and they will be the pair, there will be no changing of partners" he finished firmly.

He then placed all of the names into the cup and it glowed as a bright green flame erupted within.

"The first pair" he called as the cup spat out the first pieces of parchment. "Is Snape and Avery" he announced.

The boys in question were clearly happy with the pairing and shared a knowing smirk.

The tongue of flame expelled another two names and Mortlake cleared his throat before speaking.

"Pettigrew and Rookwood" he said simply.

Peter sighed and Rookwood shook his head irritably.

"Next we have the two LeStrange brother's" Mortlake spoke again after another two names had emerged.

The two brother's were clearly happy with the announcement.

"Next we have Potter and Black" he called.

James and Sirius immediately began hi-fiving but were cut off by Mortlake.

"Not you two morons" he growled. "Harry Potter…"

Sirius gave Harry a winning smile.

"And Bellatrix Black" Mortlake added causing all of the Marauders to give Harry a look of sympathy.

Bellatrix simply stared at the man as though he was insane and shook her head at him.

Harry swallowed deeply and had to fight the urge not to vomit or lose his temper at the revelation. Inside he was furious and it took every ounce of his occlumency skill to control himself.

He could barely tolerate Peter and now he had to work with the woman that had killed his godfather. Even though he was managing to control his rage his eyes were starting to glow eerily from the effort to suppress his magic.

"Watch your back Harry" Sirius whispered. "She will curse you the first chance she gets" he warned.

"I hope she does" Harry ground out.

"The next pair is Potter and Lupin" Mortlake cut in.

Both Remus and James breathed a sigh of relief.

"Next is Evans and Prince" Mortlake continued.

Both girls looked as relieved as Remus and James had been and shared a smile.

"Black and McKinnon" the professor announced after a moment.

"Oh you have to be joking" Sirius whined as Marlene winked at him amusedly.

"You can't fight fate Padfoot" Peter snickered.

"I swear I am going to curse you Wormtail, I've had enough" he grumbled.

The pairing off continued until each member of the class had someone to work with. Mortlake handed them all their first list of spells they needed to research and then dismissed them, much to Harry's relief.

After the class had been dismissed, he immediately left with the intent of heading to the room of requirement to release his anger.

He had barely gotten half way down the corridor when an angry voice cut him off.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going Potter" Rudolphus shouted breathily, clearly having run to catch him up.

Harry growled, flicked his wand into his hand and turned to face the boy with a gleeful grin.

Rudolphus clearly did not realise that Harry was already furious and continued to goad him.

"I told you I was going to kill you, you bastard" he roared as he drew his own wand.

The instant Harry saw him reach for his wand he fired a banishing charm towards the other boy with a simple flick of his own.

Before Rudolphus could even raise his wand he was sent careening down the corridor, past the classroom he had just exited and impacted against the wall heavily, leaving him in a heap on the ground.

Harry furiously stalked towards him intent on teaching the boy a lesson but was grabbed by James as he walked past the door of the classroom where the students had clearly been exiting as Rudolphus flew past them.

"Come on Harry, let's get you some air" James suggested gesturing for the rest of the group to help get him away from Rudolphus.

Harry swallowed deeply and nodded though all he wanted to do was rip the moron limb from limb.

The rest of the Slytherin's looked on in shock as Rudolphus had been banished down the hall so casually and had caught a glimpse of the look of fury Harry had adorned, some even swearing they could see his eyes glowing slightly.

The Marauders led Harry up to the Gryffindor common room and sat him in one of their usual seats to calm him down.

"What was that about?" James asked, knowing it was much more than it appeared to be.

"Later" Harry mumbled.

James nodded.

"Bellatrix said you have to meet her at the disused classroom on the third floor after dinner tomorrow" Peter piped up.

Harry nodded and again had to swallow deeply. He had no idea how he would do this without actually killing her.

The group sat in silence for some time, simply digesting the lessons of the day until Remus coughed nervously to break the quiet.

"Harry" he whispered quietly. "That potion you mentioned, what does it do?" he asked.

Harry put his thoughts of Bellatrix to the back of his mind for the sake of the werewolf, knowing that this was very important to him.

"It allows you to keep your mind during the transformations" he explained quietly. "You will still change but you will still be you up" he added tapping his head with a finger.

Remus nodded and headed up the staircase towards their dormitory, clearly deep in thought about the potion.

"That's given him some hope that they will find a cure eventually" Sirius spoke sincerely after a moment. "It means the world to him knowing that there are some still working on it" he concluded with a sad shake of his head.

"That reminds me, it's full moon the week after next" James whispered. "Do you have a form?" he asked Harry curiously.

Harry nodded, having been working on it since Croaker had told him he would be coming here.

"I can change everything apart from my head" he sighed exasperatedly.

"What's your form?" Sirius questioned curiously.

"You'll have to wait and see" Harry answered coyly.

"Is it bigger than me?" James cut in.

Harry nodded.

"Ok, Peter will help you with the head" Sirius decided. "His was the hardest to get but he did it before all of us so he's probably best" he shrugged.

Peter nodded his agreement.

"OK" Harry agreed reluctantly.

"Come on, let's get Remus and head to dinner" James suggested.

It was several hours later that found Harry in bed, not being able to sleep as his thoughts were on two people he had vowed to kill if given the chance.

Peter was much more different than he had expected and he may have even started to like the boy if he wasn't continuously reminded of what he had done to Harry throughout his life and now Harry would be having help from the traitor completing his animagus form.

Harry shook his head at the irony of the situation.

And of course there was now the fact that he had been paired with Bellatrix to complete school work, something that he had not been prepared to face at all and someone he thought he would be able to avoid for the foreseeable future. As far as he was concerned Bellatrix was one of those irredeemable people that the sorting hat had mentioned and he had no desire to be around her in any way, not at all confident that he could stop himself from killing her.

He sighed and decided that he would simply have to do his best for the time being and deal with it if it became a real problem, though he was a tiny bit curious to see how the girl was as a teenager before she became the completely insane lunatic he had become accustomed to seeing.

He sighed and punched his pillow into a more comfortable shape.

Whatever tomorrow would bring, he would just have to handle as best as he could. He would get the work done as soon as possible so that he could spend a minimal amount of time in her company.

He had no choice after all.