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Rise of the Dark Angel	By : isabel88 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 61368 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 12
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does, as such, I am NOT making any money off of this....

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
- 18
Title: Rise of the Dark Angel

Author: Izzyb09

Beta Reader/Co-Author: Tonks-is-cool.

Chapter: 17: Mission One Completed

Settings: AU after OOTP: It's canon up to the beginning of the battle at the DOM when they are in the veil room, after that, it's AU and mine and Tonks.

Pairings: HP/DM; LV/SS; LM/RL; NL (CL)/LL; RL/BL

Warnings: This story will contain mentions of Violence, Child Abuse, Adult Language, Alcohol Use, Slash/Het Sexual situations and Death. Please discontinue reading if such scenes or themes are offensive to you.

A/N: here is the new chapter. Hope you guys like it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing…if I did, Ginny would have died in the CoS, Dumbledore would have choked on his lemon drops and Harry would have stood up for himself against Molly and Dumbledore.

Disclaimer 2: this story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

“Talking”

“Talking via mirrors”

'Thinking'

|Hedwig’s mental speak|

<Sesshomaru’s/Fawkes’ mental speak>

Harry’s mental speak

Letter or commentary/introduction and flashback

{Parssseltongue}

~…~ indicates scene change

O.P.D.: Saturday 17^th September, ’11

Last time on RDA;

When he was done, he put away his cauldron and bent down to grab his book-bag. He stood up and saw Draco and Blaise with their bags over their shoulders, ready to leave as well.

Smiling, he went to them and the three made their way out of the classroom. The second they got to the door, Snape’s voice stopped them.

“Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy,” Snape said, “Remember your detention is tomorrow night. I will see you then. Do not be late.”

“Yes sir.” Echoed Draco and Harry before the three boys left.

“Back to work!” Snape growled at the rest of the students.

After Potions, Harry was making his way to the Headmaster’s office, his stomach churning in anticipation. He really didn’t want to go to this meeting, but he knew he had to. One, not only to start the plan that he and Voldemort had come up with, but to also let the man know he was through being his puppet without antagonizing him and revealing too much.

He got to the Gargoyle guarding the entrance and muttered the password, stepping through the moment it moved away. He walked up the revolving spiral steps, taking them two at a time. When he got to the top, he made sure his Occlumency shields were tight with a few flitting and irrelevant memories at the front. Satisfied, he knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Dumbledore’s voice sounded and he opened the door and stepped inside.

As he stepped into the office, he saw Dumbledore standing in front of one of the book cases with his back towards the door, studying a slim, dark book.

“Good afternoon sir,” Harry greeted politely. “You wanted to see me Headmaster?”

“Harry, how delightful to see you!” Albus turned around after stuffing the book back between the numerous volumes, his blue eyes twinkled merrily as he moved to his desk. “Have a seat. Would you like a cup of tea? Sherbet Lemon?” he asked, while conjuring a tray complete with steaming teapot, two cups, sugar bowl and cream pitcher with a lazy wave of his wand.

Harry moved to sit and looked at the man that had essentially ruined his life. “No thank you sir. What did you want to talk about?”

“I was hoping to speak to you about your summer and how you spent it,” Albus started, “I was quite worried about your safety. Where did you go? What did you do? How is it that no one could reach you?”

Harry looked away briefly; to the Headmaster, it would’ve looked like shame, but it wasn’t that; he was just hiding the glee that would be in his eyes. Dumbledore was reacting exactly as he had told Voldemort he would.

“My family decided at the beginning of the summer that they were going to go on a trip to visit Aunt Marge,” Harry said as he turned back to look at the man, making sure that he wasn’t looking directly into the twinkling blue eyes. “Uncle Vernon didn’t want to leave me alone, so I was forced to go with them. On our way, Uncle Vernon and I got into a fight and I became angry, so I left them. After that, I caught the bus, and headed to Grimmauld Place. I just wanted to be by myself.”

Dumbledore looked at him over his half-mooned spectacles, trying to determine if he was lying. Satisfied that Harry was telling the truth, he continued with his questions. “Why did you not contact your friends? I’m sure the Weasleys or Ms. Granger would’ve have been happy to be there for you.”

“I would’ve,” Harry started, “except that, by that time, both Weasley and Granger had written notes saying that our friendship was over and I didn’t say anything to you because...well...because I was still more than a bit angry at you Professor.”

“Harry,” Albus injected a placating yet slight disappointing and still cajoling tone to his voice. “You know that your friends were scared after the events at the Department of Mysteries. I would imagine that seeing someone die, especially one that they knew, in front of them and then on top of that, to have just gotten through a battle with Voldemort’s Death Eaters, they were undeniably shaken.”

Harry mentally sneered at the man’s words. He knew what the Old Fool was trying to do and it made him laugh. But he was careful not to let any of his true thoughts show on his face, in his eyes or in his voice. “I know all of that Professor, but I was upset too. I needed my friends and they left me.”

“Is that why you are acting so cold towards them now?” Albus leaned slightly back in his chair. “Why you shun them?”

‘So now we get closer to the point of this meeting,’ Harry scoffed mentally. “Partially.”

“And what is the other part?” Albus asked, he was wondering just how much damage control he would have to do because of the hurried actions of his two pawns.

“I know sir,” this time Harry looked directly at the man. “I know about the will reading.”

Albus nodded; he had already known that from the reports he had gotten from the Weasley family a few weeks ago after they had ran into the twins and saw their changed appearance. “I suspect Fred and George told you what had happened.”

“Not only them,” Harry continued, “but the Goblins did as well; I know who was there and who inherited what.” He glared at the man. “Why didn’t you tell me about my Godfather’s will? Didn’t you think I had a right to know? To be there?”

“Harry,” Albus leaned forward, “I didn’t tell you because I thought it would’ve been too dangerous. The public had just acknowledged that Voldemort really was back and I was afraid that they would bombarded you had they have seen you in Diagon Alley at any time.”

“So you were trying to protect me?” Harry placed a questioning look on his face though inside he was glaring spitefully at the man. “Then why didn’t you just tell me, instead of keeping that from me? I was angry when Fred and George contacted me and told me. I was blindsided and a little hurt.”

“Is that why you allowed them both to become Potters?” Albus asked. He knew that there was more going on, and he needed to know just how much knowledge the teen had before he did any manoeuvring.

“They asked,” Harry leaned back in his chair. “They were angry that no one told me about the reading and when they saw how Ronald had reacted when he got nothing, as well as their parents, they said that I needed true friends and that was the only way to prove they were serious.”

Albus became quiet for a while as he thought over what was said. He was thankful that the teens didn’t seem to tell Harry about the wedding plans for him and the youngest Weasley. After what he had witnessed last night however, he knew that those plans would no longer be needed. And that brought him to his next point.

“Harry, I am concerned about your relationship with Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Longbottom,” Albus started, “Just how is it you came to befriend the young Malfoy, and what happened to Mr. Longbottom? I confess I was greatly disturbed yesterday evening when he declared himself as Cory LeStrange instead on Neville Longbottom.”

Harry looked down at his lap, biting his lip to stop the smile from trying to break through. The Old Fool was just as predictable as he had thought. Regaining his composure, he looked up. “Well, like I said earlier, after I left my family, I made my way to Grimmauld Place. Fred and George had told me about Draco inheriting it, but I didn’t care. I just wanted a place to go; I couldn’t go back to Surrey and I couldn’t go to the Weasleys either, so Grimmauld Place it was.

“After staying there for about two days, I ran into Draco. We shouted and tried to hex each other, but then, we stopped. I told him I’d stay out his way if he stayed out of mine. I still hadn’t grieved for Sirius as yet and being in that house made me do so. One day, Draco came over and heard me. He was his usual self, arrogant and mocking me, but, I realized though that there was something different; he actually seemed astonished and concerned as to why I was there and not with the Weasleys. At first, I didn’t want to talk to him, as we were still enemies, but eventually, I did.”

He stopped and took a couple of calming breaths before continuing. “Slowly but surely, we started talking and we eventually realized that we really didn’t hate each other and that we had a few things in common. It was hard, but we managed to put our animosity behind as after we came to the realization that a war was coming and we had no time for petty school rivalries when we could be concentrating on surviving.”

“So you spent you entire summer at Grimmauld Place?” Albus asked; he was going over the information he was getting about Draco and a thought was taking hold, two of them actually, but as to which one would fully take root, he was waiting until the end of this meeting to make that conclusion.

“No,” Harry shook his head. “As much as I wanted to, I knew I couldn’t stay there because if I did, I’d be too overwhelmed by memories of Sirius. Like I said, I had gotten a letter from the Goblins, but since Fred and George had already told me what had happened at the will reading, I didn’t bother reading it. But I had remembered it, so I read it and I went to meet with them. That’s when they told me about properties belonging to the Potter family, and so I stayed at one of them.” Harry made his eyes look pain-filled. “Headmaster, why didn’t you tell me about them? I’m so disappointed and hurt. You knew my dad, first as a student, then later as an Auror and Order member. I suppose you also knew my grandparents, at least a bit? They did attend Hogwarts, didn’t they? Surely you learned over the years where my dad’s parents—my grandparents—lived, if not the exact address, then at least the fact that they didn’t live in some shack, or in the small cottage in Godric’s Hollow where my parents hid, but a large house somewhere else? I mean, they were pure-bloods after all.”

Albus frowned slightly. He was upset that not only had the Weasley—no, Potter—twins told Harry about the will, but so had the Goblins. It would also explain Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley’s lack of progress with Harry. Those chains of events had thrown his plans off course, but...he was confident he could regain his course or chart a new one. He smiled. It was nothing too serious that couldn’t be fixed. Harry was now back at Hogwarts and would be back under his thumb soon enough. He would have to something about the Potter properties. Damnit, he had hoped to keep the boy from discovering Potter Manor, as that was most likely the place where he had spent the summer; an old family manor behind strong wards, under Fidelius and unplottable.

Albus sighed mentally. Some of his questions about the young Mr. Malfoy had been placated, but he was still troubled by Harry’s friendship with Corvus LeStrange. He had no idea how the teen was able to look the way he did as he was confident and certain that his memory blocks couldn’t be broken. ‘So then, just how is it, the young man was able to regain his true appearance? Something like that would only happen if the LeStranges accepted him as their son.’

He had no idea that neither Bellatrix nor Rodolphus had needed to re-accept Cory as their son as Hedwig’s magic had removed all traces of the block, allowing Cory to look like his true family. The only thing was, with them recognizing him as their son meant he could access the LeStrange Family Vault.

“Harry,” Albus began, “I am sorry. I did know your Potter grandparents from school, but not very well. They died from old age before James and Lily had you. Your parents were so very sad, that your grandparents never experienced the joy of holding their grandson, of seeing you grow up. I didn’t want to remind you of these grandparents you never knew. I had planned on advising you to speak to the goblins about the Potter family inheritance next summer, when you came of age. You carry so many responsibilities already. I am sorry; I only wanted you to enjoy your time at Hogwarts without further burdens.”

Harry made a grimace and looked out the window.

“Now, I must ask again, what happened to Mr. Longbottom? How is it this change occurred and that you are now friends with Corvus LeStrange?” Albus asked, one of his two earlier thoughts coming back stronger. “It appears as if his parents are two of Voldemort’s most loyal Death Eaters.”

Harry looked away briefly, giving the assumption he was ashamed and nervous. “It was during one of the days I was at Grimmauld Place. I got a letter from Cory, who at the time I thought of as Neville. He sounded so scared and terrified. He said he needed to talk to me as I was the only one he knew he could trust. So, I went to meet him. I admit when I first saw his new appearance, I was thrown off-guard and all I could see was Bellatrix’s face. But then, I realized that despite his new looks, he was still Neville to me; the guy that risked his life to help me fight for my Godfather, and I knew I couldn’t turn him away.

“So, I took him with me to my family house I was staying at and he wrote a letter to his grandmother telling her he was going to spend the summer with me. It was a bit hard at first, but eventually, I forgot about how he looked or who he belonged to. All I saw was my friend for the last five years.” Harry finished.

“That was very noble of you Harry. Did he say how he came to look like the LeStranges?” Albus asked. He was satisfied to note that his thought of Harry turning dark could be discarded. His own words just now told that he was still the Gryffindor boy with the Hero-Complex. It was perfect in Albus’ eyes.

“No, not really,” Harry shook his head, “he just said that he was at Gringotts and he was stopped by a Goblin, or something like that. I didn’t really pay much attention.”

“I commend you for what you did,” Albus injected as much disapproval and disappointment into his tone as he could without sounding too fake, “However, you should’ve come to me when Mr. LeStrange sent the note.”

“I know sir,” Harry ducked his head, “but at the time, I was still angry with you. My impulse was to send him away, but then I remembered the last time I was impulsive, Sirius paid for it. And sir, you’ve always told me I should trust my instincts and my instincts told me that neither boy was a threat to me.”

“I understand what you are saying Harry,” Albus tried another angle, hiding his frustration at the teen’s words. “However, my one concern is, did you not suspect that it could have been a set up by their parents or Voldemort?”

“It never crossed my mind,” Harry answered. And it was true. How could it when by that time, he was already on good terms with both Lucius and the elder LeStranges? “Professor, I know that you’re worried, but you honestly don’t have to be. We never talked about our parents because we came to the agreement that we can’t really judge each other based on what our parents had done. We had an opportunity to get to know each other without all the House rivalries and other students’ influences and we took it.

“I learned that the reason Draco is so good at potions is because when he was younger, he would spend most of his time with Professor Snape in his labs. I learned that Nev-Cory, loves plants because to him they were as precious and fragile as he was. He loved caring for them. And they learned that I blame myself for a lot of things and that it’s not Quidditch I love, but the flying and the freedom it brings me.”

Albus was quiet as he looked at the young teen in front of him. He was a little disturbed by the confidence he could feel emanating from him, but deep down, a tiny part of him was proud of the way Harry had took control. His thoughts moved to the Malfoy heir and the LeStrange son, and a thought came to him. ‘Yes...this could be perfect. I need Granger and Weasley back with Potter though. They are needed to keep an eye on him and to push him in the right direction.’ His brows furrowed. ‘There is still something that needs to be addressed.’

“Harry,” Albus looked up and at the teen. “How come your animosity towards Lord Malfoy and Professor Snape has shifted as well?”

“What do you mean sir?” Harry asked, knowing full well what the man was asking. He knew that portraits around the school, especially those near and in the classrooms, would report of the camaraderie between he and the two professors and he had already had an answer in mind.

“I would think that Lucius Malfoy would abhor his son being close friends with you,” Albus started, “considering certain past situations. I must say I am very worried for your safety, as I would have thought that he would seize the first chance he got to hurt you, or to capture you and deliver you to Voldemort. And I had always suspected that you and Severus would never reach to a point as to where you are now.”

“Over the summer,” Harry explained, “I thought about everything that has happened to me here and I came to a conclusion. You were right sir; I had been treating Professor Snape unfairly all these years, when despite his past with my father and Godfather, he still tried to protect me. He and I might not become really close,” Yeah right, “but, as grudgingly as it is, I’ve come to respect him.”

Harry shifted in his seat, crossing one leg over the other. “And because of that respect, my attitude towards Potions changed as well. Of course, the twins did have a part in regards to that.”

“What do you mean?” Albus asked, “How did they help?”

“Well,” Harry explained, “everything that they’ve accomplished with their shop, it’s bloody amazing. Their success in creating ingenious products comes from combining their inspiration and imagination with advanced knowledge in Charms, Transfiguration, Runes, Arithmancy and Potions. The twins hounded me to quit whining about Potions and to actually make an effort.

“So I did. I thoroughly revised and reread all the material of the past five years during the summer. Now, I understand the basics of Potion making even better and I’m confident I won’t make so many stupid mistakes anymore like I used to.”

Harry smiled, concluding his explanations about the Potion’s Master with a wink. “Of course, Professor Snape wasn’t exactly happy to see me in his Advanced class, but he did gave me the chance to prove myself and he managed to refrain from baiting or mocking me like he often did in the past. Today, class went really well. We had to make a Stomach Soothing Unction, something necessary and useful for the Hospital wing.” He grinned, “of course it also helps that now that I’m with Draco, the Slytherins don’t try to throw random ingredients in my cauldron anymore.

“As for Mr. Malfoy,” he paused as he thought on how to word his thoughts. “Despite what happened in the past, because of my relationship with Draco, I decided to at least be civil and cordial with him. From what little I learned from Draco, his father is very protective of him and if he believes something will endanger his son, he will not do anything to allow that to happen. And believe it or not, Mr. Malfoy wants his son to be happy, so he really made an effort to treat me different compared to how he used to. I don’t know what he told Voldemort, or how he managed to distance himself from the madman—we avoided that topic—but I never felt threatened by him. Of course I was always careful and I watched him closely, ready to defend myself should he suddenly change his mind and turn on me.”

Albus’ eyebrows shot upwards. “Harry, that is-well, astonishing. It sounds as if you met Mr. Malfoy over the summer. And he didn’t try anything? After all, he tried to kill you only a few months ago at the Ministry.”

Harry shook his head vehemently. “No sir, you’re harbouring under a misconception. Down in the Department of Mysteries, Malfoy was the sanest of the lot. He wanted the prophesy orb, but he wasn’t trying to really kill me. On the contrary, he held back Bellatrix and the others from attacking me. He tried to calm everybody down while at the same time arguing with me, trying to persuade me to give up the prophesy orb.”

Albus looked at him, astonished and contemplative. “Hmm, that is interesting. But, Harry, you can’t be sure of his, of their motives. Are you absolutely certain that young Mr. Malfoy is no Death Eater? Did you see his left arm?”

Harry laughed outright. “Believe me when I tell you Headmaster, Draco isn’t a Death Eater. His skin is clear white, no Dark Mark anywhere.”

“And how do you know that exactly?” Albus questioned. “Did he bare his arm to you?”

Harry bit his lip and looked away, a slight flush on his cheeks, before he turned back to look at the Headmaster, grinning. “He didn’t have to. Let’s just say professor, I spent enough time getting acquainted with Draco’s body to know for certain that he doesn’t bear the Dark Mark.”

Albus nodded, smiling and eyes twinkling at the young wizard, “Very well. Now, what about the rest of your summer?”

“Well, Draco and I met a few times over the summer,” Harry replied, “we of course visited each other, or else we wouldn’t have become close. We practiced duelling, which was a lot of fun and also good training for us. His father was cold towards me, no surprise, but then he got used to me and well, despite past grievances, the man is an excellent dueller and teacher. Which is why I’m glad that he’s our Defence professor; he’s the most competent one we’ve had ever since Professor Lupin and—even though he was really a Death Eater in disguise—Professor Moody.

“I respect him, but at the same time, I know very well that he’s a dangerous opponent. He duelled us a few times, to see what level we were truly at, a part and above OWLs, to evaluate us, for his lessons plans. While we fought, he could’ve tried to really injure or kill me, but he never went that far.”

Albus frowned. “Harry, did you visit Malfoy Manor, or did he always visit you?”

Harry nodded to the first and shook his head at the second.

“Harry!” Albus was well and truly shocked. “That was an enormous risk. What if Voldemort had been waiting for there you? You could have walked blindly into an ambush!”

“Do you think I’m stupid Headmaster?!” Harry snapped back, his green eyes darkening in anger. His magic reacted and the room started to feel pressurized with the rising flow. “Nothing happened. I was invited and welcomed as a guest into their Manor, so by accordance to the ancient tradition of hospitality, I was perfectly safe.”

Albus was reminded of last May when his office had been destroyed and strived to prevent such a thing from happening again. “Calm down, my boy. I did not mean to call you stupid. I was just concerned.”

“I understand sir,” Harry took a few deep breaths, reining his magic back in. When he was sure his magic was back under control, he continued. “You have to realize the advantage of dealing with pure-bloods of a noble house, especially the ones as steeped into tradition as the Malfoys are. Sure Lord Malfoy is sly and cunning, but he wouldn’t break such a vow.” He paused. “Did you and the Order think that Voldemort was hiding at the Malfoys?”

“It is a possibility, yes. Did you see anything suspicious during your visit?” Albus asked eagerly, even as he stored what Harry had told him in the back of his mind. The boy had learned about magical tradition and pure-blood customs. ‘Just how much did he learn? Damn the Goblins, Malfoys and Potters to hell!’

“No, nothing,” Harry shook his head determinedly. “The only one I saw, besides Draco and his father, were a house elf and a pair of white peacocks on the lawn. I can’t imagine Voldemort picking for worms as a peacock animagus to spy on me. Sir, don’t you think I would’ve noticed if an ugly, deranged, murderous, snake-faced megalomaniac had been hiding behind a hedge, ready to attack me? As you can see, I’m unharmed. Draco is now my boyfriend and Mr. Malfoy acted coldly polite.”

Albus became quiet as he pondered on Harry’s words. Unknowing to Harry—or so Albus thought—he was providing him with a way to get to Lucius.

“Was that all you need Professor?” Harry spoke up, breaking the man out of his thoughts.

“One last thing Harry,” Albus smiled, his blue eyes twinkling, “your friendship with Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley. They have been by your side for the past five years, will you really allow their words over the summer to destroy such a standing and strong friendship? There was no reason to attack either one.”

Harry desperately fought the urge to glare at the man or to start shouting. He knew the man was manipulative, but he still couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Did Dumbledore really think he was so naive that he would just up and forgive Weasley and Granger just because he said some words? Well, he was in for a rude awakening.

“You should forgive them,” Albus continued, subtly casting a Compulsion Charm to force Harry to do what he wanted. “You will need your friends and I’m sure they are sorry for how they reacted and once apologies are made, you three can put this behind you.”

Harry had been on high alert all the time and stiffened when he felt the Compulsion Charm. Voldemort’s suspicion was confirmed, well, he Harry was not surprised, sad as it was. He could feel the magic telling him to comply with the Headmaster’s wishes and he cleared his mind and threw it off. He looked at Dumbledore, with strong and determined eyes. “I’d appreciate it Headmaster, if you wouldn’t use that Charm on me.”

Albus stared at the teen for a few minutes in shocked silence. “What?”

“The Compulsion Charm,” Harry sat up straighter, “please don’t use it again. I will never be friends with Weasley and Granger again, not after everything they’ve done.” He looked away, placing a look of betrayal and hurt on his face; the former wasn’t faked. “In her letter, when Granger decided I was too dangerous to be her friend anymore, she told me that it was my fault that Sirius was dead and that if I could get my own Godfather killed, then what would happen to her and that what happened in the Department of Mysteries only proved her point.” Of course those weren’t the words Granger had used, but Albus didn’t need to know that.

“I won’t forgive either one of them for that,” Harry finished and looked back at the man. “And that’s why I won’t be friends with them again.”

‘What happened to him? How has he changed so much? How do I regain him under my control if he can tell he’s under a charm?’ he silently cursed the Weasleys and Hermione for being so quick and foolish into letting the boy go. Something bothered him.

“How did you know I was using a Charm on you?” Albus asked. “That Charm specifically?”

“When Voldemort regained his body,” Harry’s eyes took on a glassy look as if he was looking off into the distance. “He tried to use Imperius on me; he used it over and over to get me to bow to him when I kept refusing. At the Ministry, back in May, he tried to possess and control me again. He lured me to the Ministry with a vision and Sirius paid with his life. Because of all that, I studied Defence against the Dark Arts and Occlumency; especially mind controlling charms and curses over the summer in the Black and Potter libraries. Now, I can tell when someone is using a similar Charm on me.” He paused, “what you did didn’t feel as vicious and heavy as Voldemort’s Imperius, but still, I noticed something was wrong. That wasn’t very nice Headmaster...at all.” Harry glared in righteous indignation.

Placing his grandfatherly look on his face, Albus smiled sheepishly, though inside he was more than a little concerned. “My boy, I merely thought I was helping you.”

“I understand sir,” Harry nodded, snorting mentally, “but, please don’t. It...it brings back bad memories.”

“Very well,” Albus nodded. His gaze travelled over Harry’s body and he once again took in the changes; the tanned face, glittering, vibrant green eyes and glossy, black hair. The boy looked taller and much healthier compared to before the summer holidays. However, the most obvious was the lack of glasses. He needed to know what caused those changes, so he adopted a friendly manner to try and wheedle the information out.

“Harry, you do look good my boy, the summer has definitely treated you well. May I ask why and how you managed to get your sight corrected?”

Harry had expected this question and prepared a fitting story to explain his better vision without divulging the real cause, so he replied smoothly, “Well, it was the best summer of my life. I had company, I wasn't locked in, I worked out and learned a lot.” He smiled softly as images of spending time with Draco and the others flashed through his mind. Shaking his head, he re-focused on the Headmaster. “As for my sight being corrected, the thing is Headmaster, after the events at the Ministry of Magic I figured I couldn’t afford to have this specific weakness any longer. The only thing a Death Eater or Voldemort has to do to defeat me is to summon my glasses! So, I did some inquiries that led me to—let’s say a special apothecary, where I acquired the Sanomyopia potion. It was very expensive and had nasty side effects; my eyes were blind for an hour and hurt for a day, but it worked brilliantly as afterwards, I could see everything clearly.”

Dumbledore pursed his lips and looked reproachful at Harry. “That was very risky, my boy. I've heard of this potion, it is a dark variant of the Oculus potion. You went to Knockturn Alley to get it, did you not? A very dangerous thing to do; you could have been attacked and kidnapped by Death Eaters! Or you could have been poisoned or attacked while you were recovering! A foolish risk—

Harry jumped up, shaking his head and glaring at Dumbledore. He spoke loudly to cut off Dumbledore’s scolding, putting on a good show of righteous anger. “No, it most certainly was not! I wasn’t in any danger. I knew going there was a risk, which is why I knew not to take the potion until I was in a safe place. So after I acquired it, I went directly back to the Potter property. Like you said, it was a very dangerous risk, but it was worth it because now I don’t need glasses anymore and they won’t hinder me in a fight.

“You know I have to use any advantage I can get to fight Voldemort, I didn’t care if the potion was labelled dark or illegal by the Ministry because of two extra ingredients—the eyes of a Golden Sniget and an ounce of Unicorn blood—do you think I care about such an inconsequential detail if it means I can finally see the world without blurs and cannot be defeated simply because an enemy summons or destroys my glasses? What’s more important, my life and health or some ruddy bird’s life? You want me to win, don’t you Headmaster?”

Albus raised his hands to placate the boy. “Yes, of course Harry I want you to win.” But even as he spoke those words, his thoughts were a different manner. ‘Damn! He is getting too independent. Last year Harry never would have visited Knockturn Alley by himself. The boy didn’t know such a potion even existed.’

At that point, Fawkes woke up. The phoenix shook itself off and looked over. When he saw Harry, he started trilling.

<Hello Harry>

Harry turned to the phoenix and his body relaxed into his seat the moment the phoenix started trilling. Through his bond with Hedwig, a phoenix’s trilling always relaxed him.

“Hi Fawkes,” Harry turned to the phoenix. “How are you doing?”

<I’m not as good as I should be>

“What do you mean?” Harry’s brows furrowed as he looked at the bird.

“Harry,” Albus looked from the phoenix to Harry. “You can understand Fawkes?”

“Yes sir,” Harry nodded. “I could ever since first year. He always calms me down.”

<Be careful of him Harry> Fawkes trilled softly. <He cannot understand me, so don’t worry. He is playing a very dangerous game and is intending of using you as a pawn.>

Harry shook his head and wished that he could speak to Fawkes using the same mental connection he had with Hedwig. From what the phoenix had said, Fawkes knew of Dumbledore’s plans.

“Anything new happening lately?” Harry smiled at Fawkes, not wanting to alert Dumbledore to something being wrong.

<His plans regarding the Weasleys have failed, but he is persistent. He had intended, still does, for you to die in a battle with Voldemort and if you don’t, he’d convince the public that you’re dangerous by telling them you have Voldemort’s soul inside of you>

“Really,” Harry grinned though inside he was seething. Dumbledore knew all along about a piece of Voldemort’s soul being in him and he never told him. “Fawkes, you old bird, you don’t have to worry. I’m ok. Sure, my summer started off bad because I lost Sirius, but it got better. I wouldn’t worry about that.”

<Harry, did you know of the soul piece?> Fawkes straightened and trilled a little louder, his head cocking to the side. From what he was hearing, the young man knew of Dumbledore’s plans and had done something to prevent them from working.

“My summer was a life changer,” Harry explained, “but everything is fine...it’s more than fine. Can I ask you something?”

Fawkes nodded and trilled in agreement.

“I’ve always wondered,” Harry spoke slowly, trying to figure out how to ask what he wanted without tipping Dumbledore off. “Is it hard? Being a phoenix and being bonded to someone. Ok, I don’t know much about phoenixes, but, is there ever a case of them being bonded to someone who’s not their true master? I mean, like how you’re Dumbledore’s phoenix, can anyone make you bond with them...someone other than Dumbledore?”

Albus looked intrigued at the communication between Harry and Fawkes. Though he couldn’t understand a word that was being said, the fact that Fawkes’ trilling had calmed Harry instead of making him feel bad, helped assuage any doubts he’d been getting. He had no idea how wrong he was.

Fawkes on the other hand, read through the lines and picked up on what Harry was indirectly asking. Shaking out his feathers, he trilled in response. <Yes there has been a case. You are correct in your question young one. Albus is not my true master, I was bonded to him many years ago just after one of my burnings. Because I was so young, I could not defend myself. However, do not worry little one. I have found my true master>

“Wow,” Harry’s shock widened eyes were actually true; though he had suspected that bonding between Dumbledore and Fawkes wasn’t true, as they didn’t act the way he and Hedwig did, he never expected to have confirmation. “I didn’t think it was even possible. I mean, that’s kinda messed up. It’s good you’ve found your true master.”

Albus cleared his throat.

“Oh sorry sir,” Harry turned back to the man in front of him. “I didn’t mean to ignore you. It’s just, I’ve always been fascinated by Fawkes.”

“It’s quite alright my boy,” Albus nodded, already wondering how he could use this new development to further regain control.

“About Cory and Draco,” Harry started, “You really don’t have to worry. They really helped me with Sirius’ death.”

“Hmm,” Albus looked at him over his half-moon glasses. “Do you fully believe they are sincere, that you can get them to join your side, despite their parents’ status?”

Harry smiled. “Don’t worry professor them being on my side won’t be a problem.”

“Then I suppose,” Albus smiled, “it would not be such a bad idea for the friendships to progress. If you are sure...”

“Professor,” Harry said, “If I didn’t believe they were really on my side, I wouldn’t have befriended them so easily. I want the madman that killed my parents to pay.”

Albus felt victory rush through him.

“Professor,” Harry continued before the man could speak. “I know you might say I’m too young, but I don’t think so. I already know of the prophecy and I’ve already lost my parents and Sirius because of him. I don’t want to lose anyone else. I spent this summer thinking a lot and I think if I’m going to defeat the so called Dark Lord, then I need to start training. I need to start learning how to properly defend myself.” He scowled slightly at the Headmaster. “I need to learn how to fight him sir.”

Albus was quiet for a few seconds as he thought things over. ‘This is perfect. Not only have I ensured he’s still my pawn, but he may have also brought over two children of Tom’s most dangerous Death Eaters. I do not know how Cory was able to break the memory bonds, but it is irrelevant. I can train him without actually training him as I have no intention of him surviving the battle. Perfect.’ “Very well Harry. You are correct I suppose. I fear I was trying, again, to give you the chance to enjoy your young years.”

‘Sure you did, you old fool.’ “I understand sir,” Harry nodded, “but the truth of the matter is, my childhood and my chance to enjoy myself as a teen was stolen the moment my parents were killed. I was never fully a child sir and he made sure of that. He needs to be stopped.”

“I agree,” Albus nodded in agreement, trying to stop the satisfied smirk from coming through. “I will start training lessons. Our first meeting to do so will be this Saturday after dinner.”

“Thank you sir,” Harry’s smile was big. “I promise I will put my all into these training sessions.”

“I have no doubt my boy,” Albus smiled, “now, off you go. Dinner is almost over and you must be famished.”

“Yes sir,” Harry grinned and stood up. “One more thing sir.”

“What is it?” Albus asked.

“Do you think,” Harry trailed off and cleared his throat before straightening up a bit, “do you think it’ll it be ok for me to join the Order? I think I deserve to know what is going on if I’m going to be able to defeat Him. And, if I know what’s going on, then I’ll be able to think more clearly instead of rushing into things.” He paused, “I need to know about whatever information the Order may have on him. It’s because of the lack of information and communication why Sirius is gone. If I had known about the prophecy and that Voldemort was after it, and that Snape somehow could contact you and check up on Sirius, I wouldn’t have broken into Umbridge’s office and I wouldn’t have rushed to the Ministry afterwards and Sirius...Sirius would still be here. I can’t allow something like that to happen again.”

Albus was quiet for a moment before he nodded. “I do believe you are once again correct my boy. The next meeting the Order has, I shall take you with me.”

“Thank you sir,” Harry smiled. “For everything.”

“Think nothing of it,” Albus waved his words away. “Now, you’d best be on your way.”

Harry nodded before he walked over to Fawkes and rubbed the phoenix on his breast. “I’ll talk to you later Fawkes.” He turned to Dumbledore. “That is, if you don’t mind sir. It’s surprisingly fascinating to learn about phoenixes and their bonds with witches and wizards from a phoenix itself.”

“Not at all,” Albus waved his hand and smiled. “You can speak to Fawkes at any time.” He wasn’t worried as he knew that due to the bond he had with Fawkes, the phoenix couldn’t reveal anything that was said to him or in front of him.

“Thank you sir,” Harry smiled and then turned to leave. “I’ll see you Saturday.”

“Good night my boy,” Albus waved him away. “Enjoy your dinner.”

“I will sir,” Harry smiled, “Have a good night.” He walked out the office and when the door closed behind him, his smile became a smug smirk and his eyes gleamed with dark satisfaction. His Lord’s plan was now in action. Soon he, and subsequently Voldemort as well, would know where Albus stood in knowing about the rest of the Horcruxes and they would be one step closer to permanently removing the man. He couldn’t wait.

~...~

At dinner, Harry listened quietly to the talk at the table about the first day of classes. He looked up and his green eyes caught on to grey ones; seeing the concern in his boyfriend’s eyes, he smiled to let him know everything was ok and that he would talk to him when they got a chance. The blond nodded and Harry turned back to his musings.

He was feeling a bit off after his meeting with Dumbledore. Sure, when he had entered the office, he had been a bit nervous but mostly confident. A part of him however, had still been worried that the Old Coot wouldn’t buy what he was telling him and that he’d figure everything. It was a legitimate worry as the man didn’t get to the position he was in today by being stupid.

He knew Dumbledore had been suspicious of him throughout the meeting; especially when he told him about Cory, and then with the potion he had gotten from Knockturn Alley. He had seen that his words had reassured him, but that there was still some doubt. It wasn’t until Fawkes had woken up and the two had started talking did he saw the Headmaster completely relaxed and he had sense the victory that the man had felt and knew he had finally convinced him he was still on his side and that despite his relationship to both Draco and Cory, he had no intention of joining Voldemort. He really did have Fawkes to thank for that because he had realized that Dumbledore hadn’t relaxed completely until the phoenix had woken up.

Speaking of Fawkes; what the bird had told him had seriously shocked him. It’s not that he hadn’t already suspected, but it was one thing to have suspicions and quite another to have those suspicions proven correct. But despite the victory he had gained in Dumbledore’s office, he still had to be careful. He was walking a fine line and he really didn’t want to be found out, especially not now. Too much was at stake.

Now that the meeting with Dumbledore was out of the way, he had to get to the Room of Requirement so that he could search for the Diadem that belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw. He knew that Voldemort was waiting—almost impatiently—for it or any information about it. It was one task he definitely had no intention of failing. He just had to figure out when would be the perfect time to do so.

He turned back to his dinner and finished it as quick as he could without drawing suspicion.

“Mr. Potter?” His Head of House’s voice drew his attention and he turned to look at her.

“Yes professor?” Harry wiped his mouth on a napkin and inquired politely. “Was there something you needed?”

“I would like to talk to you about Quidditch,” Minerva looked down at her student.

“Professor,” Harry spoke up, “would it be alright if we spoke in your office instead of here? It’s less noisy and distracting that way.”

Minerva looked at him before nodding. “Very well then; the moment dinner is over, I would like to see you in my office.”

“Yes ma’am,” Harry nodded and when she walked away, he turned back to finish his dinner.

Cory glanced at his friend a few times, his concern and support showing through in a subtle manner. He was curious as to what happened, but he had no intention of pestering him like Granger would’ve done.

“Is everything ok Harry?” Cory asked finally.

Harry turned to him and gave a reassuring smile. “Yeah...everything’s good. There’s something I’ve got to do and I’m just wondering how to do it.”

“Hi guys,” Luna’s voice interrupted them.

“Hey Luna,” Cory greeted and he shifted down a bit so that the blonde could sit between he and Harry.

“What’s up Luna-girl?” Harry asked.

“Nothing much,” Luna smiled. She looked around the Hall before looking back at Harry. “It’s a perfect night for a walk. The corridors won’t be so bad, so you can think more clearly on hidden things. Just be careful of creatures and their masters; they are quite troublesome.”

Harry’s brows furrowed for a few seconds before he smiled. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to Luna’s cheek. When he pulled back, he grinned at her. “I ever tell you how much I love your brain, sister dear?”

“Always,” Luna laughed. “Just remember that the mouth can’t say anything if the eyes cannot see.”

Harry laughed before he stood up, as did other students around the hall as dinner was over. “I’ll see you guys later.”

“Bye Harry,” Cory said.

“Bye,” Luna smiled and then she called out before he got too far. “Oh and Harry?”

“Yeah?” Harry turned back to look at the blonde.

“I know how much you love flying,” Luna said as she grabbed an apple and bit into it, “and I know that it’s not necessarily the game but rather the freedom that you love. With that said, I think it would be better for you—and those you are connected to—to have the lioness delegate the task to someone else.”

Harry cocked his head to the side, allowing her message to sink through his mind. His brain ran through it and sorted it within minutes. “Ok...do you have someone in mind?”

Luna smiled and looked away before she reached down and grabbed Cory’s hands, playing with his fingers. “Do you know what I loved the most about our time in London?”

“What’s that?” Cory asked.

“Big Ben,” Luna giggled. “Every time I heard it, it reminded me of bells.”

Harry laughed, drawing looks from students, as he jogged back over to the blonde. He bent down and pulled her into a hug before pulling back and kissing her cheek. “You’re such a delight Luna.”

He tapped Cory on the shoulder and then he hurried out the Great Hall, heading towards McGonagall’s office.

~...~

Harry knocked on the door to McGonagall’s private office and waited until he was told to enter before he opened the door and walked in.

“Hello professor,” Harry greeted politely when he saw his Head of House sitting behind her desk.

“Good evening Mr. Potter,” Minerva nodded to the chair in front of her desk. “Please, have a seat.”

“Thank you ma’am,” Harry said as he sat down.

“Now,” Minerva looked at her student. “About Quidditch; the ban that Madam Umbridge had placed on you is no longer in effect and as such, you are cleared to play. Due to your skill, your leadership abilities, I am offering the position of Quidditch captain to you.”

Harry looked at his Head of House with a smile. “Thank you so much professor.” He paused and ran a hand through his hair before he continued. “But, I think I’m going to say no to the captain position.”

McGonagall was shocked. “Why ever would you do such a thing Mr. Potter?”

“Well professor,” Harry shifted a bit in his seat. “I really would like to be captain, but the thing of it is, I really can’t. After everything that happened last May, losing...losing Sirius, showed me that I need to start focusing on what’s important and to stop fooling around so much. I decided to buckle down this year in my education, study more and pay more attention in class, and if I’m Quidditch captain, then I won’t be able to do so. I’m not quitting the team, I just won’t be captain.”

Minerva was quiet for a few minutes. “I suppose from the way you are speaking, there’s someone you have in to be Quidditch captain?”

“Yes professor,” Harry nodded. “Katie Bell. She’s been on the team longer than me, and she’s more knowledgeable about Quidditch than I am. I have no doubt that Katie would make an excellent team captain.”

“Very well Mr. Potter,” Minerva nodded. “I shall take your words into consideration. I too believe Katie is an excellent choice and I admit if you hadn’t been on the team, the offer would’ve gone to her first.”

“Thank you professor,” Harry grinned. “I really do think Katie’s gonna do a good job. Was that all you needed to see me for professor?”

“It was,” Minerva nodded, “however, now that you are here, there was something else I wanted to speak to you about.”

“If I may be so bold to interrupt,” Harry spoke up, “I think you’re talking about my friendship with Draco, Cory and the lack of friendship between me, Granger and Weasley.”

Minerva nodded. “Would you be so kind as to help me understand exactly what transpired between you and these students? I must say it was quite a shock to not only see you alongside Mr. Malfoy and Mr. LeStrange, but to also hear that your friendship with Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley was no longer there. And, on top of that, the whole affair with Mr. Longbottom turning into a LeStrange, which, to be honest Mr. Potter, I do not know what to think anymore.”

Sighing, but smiling internally, Harry repeated the story he told to the Headmaster. When he was done, his Head was staring at him in silence.

Minerva looked at her lion in silent awe. She had known from his letter over the summer that he was determined to do better and from what she had heard from him this morning when she had handed him his schedule had told her that he was truly sincere, but listening to him now, told her that he had already changed. He seemed more focused, more studious than he was the last five years. She had been shocked and worried when she had learned of what had transpired in the common room between him, Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley. She had heard the rumours of course, but she had known not to take anything at face value as students sometimes exaggerated, but from what Harry had just revealed, those rumours were in fact true. The rumours fit what the paintings on the wall of the common room had reported to her as the Head of Gryffindor.

To think that Hermione Granger, the student who had been the boy’s champion since she had lied for him, him and Mr. Weasley, after the Troll incident in their first year could and would say something as callous as to blame him for his godfather’s death was shocking. Truth be told, what he said about Mr. Weasley hadn’t really shocked her. She of course had thought that the two boys were close, but after fourth year when Mr. Potter’s name had come from the Goblet and Mr. Weasley subsequent jealousy, she had started doubting the red head’s friendship, especially when it seemed he was more about fooling around rather than studying and the fact that most of the fights with Mr. Malfoy had either been started by him or they were continued, especially in instances when it looked as if Harry himself wasn’t in the mood to be in a fight.

Hearing about Corvus shocked her; she had had no idea that Neville Longbottom was actually Corvus LeStrange and she couldn’t help but to wonder if the Lady Longbottom knew that her grandson wasn’t really her grandson? But despite all of that, she couldn’t help but to feel proud of her lion. Someone else would not have reacted the way he did and still choose to remain close to the son of two Death Eaters and start a relationship with another, but he had done so. He had put aside whatever prejudices he had against the parents to befriend their offspring. He truly had a heart of gold and Minerva felt lucky to know him and to see the young man he was becoming and she knew that James, Lily and even Sirius would be proud of him. She had initially thought of course that the new relationships and losing his old ones would be harmful to him, but, it was looking as if the dissolution of his friendship with Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger was a good thing for now. Of course she would keep her eye on him and to see if things progressed for the better, but for now, she was content to leave it as is.

“Mr. Potter,” Minerva spoke at long last. “You have surprised me. I am very much pleased with the new you and your new outlook on life. Of course I am sad that it took the death of your beloved godfather to bring about such a change, but through all that, I am pleased that something good has come of it.”

“I’m glad you think so ma’am,” Harry replied politely.

“You truly are serious about being more studious and focused this year onwards, aren’t you?” Minerva asked.

“Yes I am,” Harry nodded.

“Very well,” Minerva said. “That was all I needed Mr. Potter. You may return to the common room.”

Harry smiled at his Head before he got up from the seat and headed to the door.

“Mr. Potter?” Minerva called out, stopping him just as he opened the door.

He turned to look at her. “Yes professor?”

“I am very much looking forward to seeing this side of you continue throughout the year,” Minerva said, “especially in my classroom.”

Harry gave a slight start as he saw a smile on his normally strict professor’s face; it was small, but it was there.

“So am I, professor,” Harry replied with a smile of his own, “so am I.”

~...~

In Gryffindor Tower, Ron and Hermione were sitting in the common room in front of the fireplace. Hermione’s thoughts were on the potions class and dinner, while Ron was just watching his girlfriend.

“What is it?” he asked, drawing her attention. “Did something happen in potions?”

“Harry was there,” Hermione said after a moment of silence, shocking Ron. She smiled ruefully. “It shocked me too. I don’t know how he got in, but he was there.” She sighed. “When I saw him, I had thought that it was a chance for us to work things out. We know that you and he suck at potions and I thought that I would help him and show him that he needed us, or at least me.”

“So what happened?” Ron asked, “Did it work?”

“He didn’t need my help,” Hermione said. “I tried to help him but he just blew me off. He ended up making the potion on his own.”

“What?” Ron was beyond shocked. He knew that his former friend’s skill in potions was absolute shit, so he couldn’t understand why Potter would blow Hermione off when he knew she was better than him. “And Snape allowed that? He failed I take it?”

Hermione’s brows furrowed even as she shook her head. “Yes, Professor Snape allowed him to do it and no, that’s just it Ron, he didn’t fail. He managed to do the potions correctly and finished before me.”

Ron’s mouth fell open in shock. The thought that not only had Potter managed to make a potion, but he had made it correctly and had finished it before Hermione and all without her help threw him for a loop.

“I was shocked too,” Hermione smiled briefly when she saw the look on his face. “It just makes wonder, just what did Harry do over the summer? He’s so different now.”

“Who’s different now?” Ginny asked as she walked over to them, having heard the question.

“Harry is,” Hermione replied. “He was in Advanced Potions with me and he managed to brew his potion correctly.”

“But I thought he sucked at potions?” Ginny looked between the two of them.

“Not anymore,” Hermione shook her head. “I don’t even know how he even made it into the class. I don’t think he got the right grade needed for it.”

“Maybe Dumbledore had something to do with it,” Ron suggested. “Maybe he thought if Harry was in the class with you, it’d make things easier to get him to apologize to us and be our friend again.”

“Yes well, after today’s class, that will not be happening,” Hermione looked into the fire. It was only the second day of school, first day of classes and already her mind was a jumbled mess. “Harry’s really changed. I mean, not only does he look different, but he acts different as well. I mean, I didn’t even know that he was gay and now, he’s dating Malfoy of all people.” She paused, her brows furrowed. “Though, if you remember last year and how he acted after his first kiss with Cho and then their disastrous Valentine’s date, it makes sense. I should’ve seen it before that he wasn’t very much attracted to girls.”

“I just wish there was a way to get Harry away from Malfoy,” Ginny scowled. “Harry and I belong together. I’ve been in love with him for as long as I can remember and he should be with me.” She brightened up, “maybe mum may know what to do.” With that, she got up from her seat and headed to the girls dormitories to write a note to her mother.

The sounds from the other Gryffindor students entering the common room stopped them from continuing their conversation. Hermione went and grabbed her books to get started on her homework assignments. It wasn’t until later, when she saw Harry enter the common room, did she realize that she hadn’t told Ron about the potions book that Harry had and that she had no intention of telling him.

~...~

As Harry headed back to Gryffindor Tower, his mind wasn’t focused on his meeting with his Head, but rather on his mission from Voldemort. Luna’s coded message replayed in his mind and he couldn’t help but to smile. Stopping briefly, he pulled his wand out and quickly cast Tempus. Seeing he still had time before curfew, he quickened his pace and hurried to Gryffindor Tower.

Entering the common room, he was vaguely aware of the other students, especially Granger sitting over near the fireplace. Ignoring them, he hurried up the stairs to the boys’ dorm. When he got there, he saw Cory sitting on his bed.

“Hey Harry,” Cory greeted his friend, “how was the meeting?”

“It was good,” Harry said as he went to his trunk. “She asked about you and Draco and then we talked about Quidditch and the two traitors.”

“How’d she take it?” Cory asked as he got up and moved to where Harry was.

“She was ok,” Harry said and then he grinned when he pulled out his map and cloak. Shrinking them, he put them in his pocket. “I’m gonna take Luna’s advice. If anyone asks, and by anyone I mean Granger and Weasley, I went for a walk. I’ll be back before curfew.”

Cory cocked his head to the side, knowing that Harry was up to something, but he just smiled and nodded. “Alright, just be careful on your walk.”

“Always,” Harry grinned and he left the dorm room, going back down the stairs and out the portrait door.

~...~

After he had left the common room, he had found a secluded spot and had pulled the Cloak from his pocket, resized it and threw it over him before he continued on his way. Making his way carefully through the halls, Harry arrived on the seventh floor without any problems. He quickly headed down the hall and stopped in front of the hidden entrance opposite the tapestry depicting the attempt of Barnarbas the Barmy to teach trolls ballet.

He started pacing and he concentrated on the words Voldemort had told him. ‘I need to hide my precious heirloom. I need a safe place to store my heirloom,’ he thought to himself. Soon enough, after pacing three times up and down the hallway, a door appeared. Smiling, he opened the door and slipped in, allowing the door to close behind him as he concentrated on the urgent wish to not be found by anybody during the next hour.

Looking around inside, he was stunned. The room was vast, very high and wide, like a cathedral and filled with countless objects. Old furniture was stacked to mountains. He walked slowly through the free spaces, looking right and left, taking it all in.

He saw many things that somebody, maybe house elves or other students had hidden in the room, including broken and damaged furniture, perhaps hidden to hide mishandled magic. An enormous stuffed troll stood like a sentinel amongst the chaos, a stark contrast to an elegant, large black wooden cabinet, which he recognized as the Vanishing Cabinet in which Montague had got lost the previous year.

Upon, besides and below the furniture, smaller items were stacked without any order or system. He noticed some weapons, like several rusting swords and a heavy, bloodstained axe, thousands of books—probably banned, graffiti, or stolen—chipped bottles of congealed potions and corked bottles whose contents still shimmered evilly, hats, jewels, and cloaks, broken pieces of large shells, maybe dragon eggshells, a chipped old bust of an ugly warlock and flying catapults and a Fanged Frisbee! Fred and George would love this place!

He tried to find something familiar, a magical signature that called to him, but the room was huge, enormous. He didn’t have the time to search through every nook and cranny. So, he drew his wand and carefully placed it on the flat of his palm and spoke.

“Point me Ravenclaw’s diadem.”

The wand wiggled around feebly, turning this way and that, so Harry tried something else. “Point me Tom Riddle’s diadem Horcrux.”

The wand spun around a few times until it settled in one direction. Smiling slightly, he took off in that direction, navigating the obstacles of upturned chairs and rolled up carpets in his path, until he stood in front of a large cupboard. To the side stood a crate, on top of which rested the chipped bust of an ugly old warlock. On top of the cupboard lay several items.

Carefully, he sifted through the pile and there, under a dusty old wig, he found it; an old, tarnished tiara. It didn’t look like anything valuable; if Voldemort hadn’t described it, then he doubted he would’ve found it as it was something he wouldn’t have looked twice at. He put his hand into his pocket, retrieving a handkerchief before he gingerly picked up Ravenclaw’s lost diadem. He turned it around so that he could read the inscription.

“This is it,” he whispered as he looked at it. Even though it wasn’t as strong as when he had held Slytherin’s locket, he could still feel the faint thrum of the familiar dark magic coming off of it.

Filled with immense satisfaction that he had found his Lord’s Horcrux, he couldn’t stop the wide grin that took over his face. Wrapping the diadem gingerly in the handkerchief, he carefully placed it on a stack of boxes. Next, he pointed his wand at a book and transfigured into a small dagger, before picking it up and pricking his finger. Allowing the blood to drip over the covered diadem, seeping into the cloth, he pointed his wand at it and started speaking in Parseltongue, saying the incantation that Voldemort had taught him. It was a simple Dark Arts ritual, using his willingly given blood and combined with the Parseltongue charm, it hid the Horcrux diadem from view and detection. Neutral spells like Finite Incantatem or Specialis Revelo would have no effect.

He watched as the small package glowed before it disappeared from view. Smiling, he looked around before he turned back to the dagger and transfigured it once more into a box; this time, the spell was said in Parseltongue, ensuring that it would hold longer. Carefully grabbing the diadem, he placed it inside the box, closed and locked it with a locking charm—that was said in Parseltongue—before he repeated the procedure on the box.

His task complete, he headed to the entrance of the room and stopped when he got to the door. Pulling the map from his pocket, he opened it up and tapped his wand against the parchment. He spoke the incantation to activate and looked it over with caution, noting where everyone was. Satisfied that no one was in his vicinity, he cancelled the map, folded and replaced it to his pocket before throwing the cloak over him and then opening the door.

Stepping outside, he took a quick look around before he took off down the hall. As he walked, he called out to Hedwig.

Hedwig?

|Yes?|

Where are you?

|I am at Hogwarts. I am using my owl form to patrol the school and the town.|

Oh...found anything unusual?

|I tested the Hogwarts wards and I found that my presence is ignored by them. They deem me harmless allowing to me flash in and out using my true form. I suspect it is because you have been a part of this school for over five years now and you have expelled much magic so the wards are familiar with your magical essence. And as such, because I am connected to you, and because I am a phoenix, they are familiar to my magic as well.|

Really? Harry almost stopped in shock from what his phoenix told him. What else have you found out?

|There are a few Aurors stationed in Hogsmeade, some werewolves in the forest. There aren’t any new buildings in the town.|

Do you know who the Aurors are?

|That girl, Nymphadora Tonks is one, another is Auror Dawlish, Auror Proudfoot and Auror Savage. They patrol the borders between Hogwarts and Hogsmeade and Hogsmeade itself.|

Hmmm...I’ll have to let Marvolo know. Speaking of, there is a package I need you to deliver to him. Come to the boys’ dorm in your owl form. I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes.

|Very well|

See you then girl| he heard trilling in his mind and he couldn’t help but to smile. To his delight, he saw that he was nearing the stairs that would lead directly to Gryffindor Tower. He hurried his pace and soon enough, he was going down those set of stairs, and then up another set. He saw that some students were still out and he carefully avoided them. Stopping in a dark alcove a distance away, he took off the cloak, shrunk it and placed it in his pocket. Keeping a tight hold on the box, he looked around and then stepped out of the alcove.

Relaxing his body and forcing away any and all tension, he casually made his way to his dorm, smiling at and answering the calls of the other students. After saying the password, he entered the common room, noting that some students were still sitting around. He waved at those that called his name and jogged up the stairs to the boys’ dorm. Upon entering, he saw Cory playing with Sesshomaru and Kilala.

“Hey,” Harry greeted his friend as he walked over to his bed. He placed the box on the pillow and moved to his trunk to grab his notebook and a pen.

“Hey,” Cory smiled, “did you have a good walk?”

“Yes I did,” Harry grinned as he sat down on his bed.

He looked up when he heard a hoot and saw Hedwig hovering outside his window. “Cory, could you—

“No problem,” Cory got up and opened the window, allowing the owl to fly in. She flew to Harry, brushing her wing against his cheek before she settled next to him on the bed. Harry felt for the box, picked it up and had Hedwig grip it tightly. “The box you feel is for our mutual friend.”

Hedwig hooted and bent forward to nip his fingers.

Laughing softly, Harry opened the book and quickly wrote a message to Voldemort. He stopped, concentrated and then scanned his wand over the paper, muttering in Parseltongue as he did so. When he was done, the paper glowed for a second and the message that he wrote was hidden. What now showed was;

Hey Gred 'n' Forge,

How are you?

It’s so nice to be back to Hogwarts! First day of classes was interesting and fun.

Our new DADA teacher is truly Lucius Malfoy. Finally a competent teacher that knows what he's talking about! Cool lesson, he demands Constant Vigilance! Shocked half of the class out of their complacency when he stood Disillusioned on the stairs to his office, then came down and cast a stunner out of the blue! I got my shield up in time, of course. You can guess who was taken by surprised, no?

Had a blast duelling with Draco as a demonstration at the end, and afterwards *wink* I wish his dad hadn't disturbed us...

Know what? I did quite well in the first potions lesson. Snape didn't scoff and snarl as usual, instead he said: "Commendable, Potter!" Wow, he must have been really impressed.

You two can be proud! All that reading and practicing over the summer truly paid off. Thank you for bugging me to learn potions, now it’s fun and so easy, like talking snake.

Bye the way, I still can't believe back in second year, a simple 'Open' in Parseltongue accessed the entire chamber.

The only drawback here at Hogwarts is that stupid prat of your ex-brother, Ronald, and Granger. I had really hoped to find something, anything in them to repair our friendship, but it seems hopeless. That sucks. You know, illusions aren’t always what they appear to be and now, looking at them, it’s like they removed the Disillusion Charm and I can now see them for them for what they are.

Have a good week, sell tons of pranks,

until next time!

H.

He was just in time too as Ron, Seamus and Dean came in the room, talking loudly.

“Hey Harry,” Seamus grinned. “Had a nice walk?”

Harry looked over at Cory and grinned at his friend, conveying his thanks. “Yeah, I did. It felt good walking through the school without so many students around.”

Ron, too curious for his own good, and acting on his stupidity in forgetting all the previous warnings from Harry, sauntered over to the teen’s bed. “Who you writing to?”

He looked down and saw the twins’ names at the top of the paper, which was the start of the letter. He caught a few words like Hogwarts, DADA, Constant Vigilance, Malfoy, Draco, Snape and proud, before Harry grabbed the note up and folded it.

Harry ignored Ron and placed the folded letter in Hedwig’s beak. “You know who to go to. Just be careful.” Wait until you’re a safe distance away, before you turn back into your natural form and then flash to Marvolo.

|I will| Hedwig hooted and blinked her amber eyes before taking off and going through the window. When she was gone, Harry got up from the bed, grabbed his note book and pen and placed them back in his trunk before he turned to the room. He leaned against his trunk and crossed his arms.

His gaze locked on to Ron’s and he glared at the redhead. “I thought I told you that I wanted nothing to do with you? That includes you staying away from me and nothing I do is of any concern of yours.” He scoffed at him. “However, I will choose to satisfy your curiosity this time. I was writing the twins. I mean, I am allowed to have friends and I’m sure you know that the twins and I were in contact over the summer. Just because I’m in school now, doesn’t mean that contact is going to stop.”

Ron’s eyes narrowed in anger, jealousy and hatred. “Of course, you’ve already turned the twins against us. You made them disown themselves. Mum’s all torn up about it. It’s your fault Potter. You—

“Ron, bugger off. I’m tired of dealing with you,” Harry sneered at him before he moved to his bed.

Seamus, who had watched the exchange, got up from his bed and walked over to Ron. He looked over the redhead, a curious look on his face.

“What the bloody hell are you doing?” Ron snapped at him.

“Looking for the button,” Seamus replied as he looked over Ron once more.

“What button?” Dean asked, curious as to what Seamus was doing.

“The one to take Ron off of repeat,” Seamus said. Cory, Dean and Harry burst out laughing while Ron turned red with embarrassment and anger. “Seriously, he’s just saying and doing the same shit over and over, so he has to be on repeat. We need to take him off of it!”

The expression on Seamus’ face was so earnest that the three boys collapsed into laughter, clutching their stomachs, as they rolled on their bed.

“Seamus...I...love...you,” Harry panted out as he tried to get his breathing under control.

“Really?” Seamus ignored Ron and looked at Harry. “Does this mean I can tell Malfoy bugger off?”

“No,” Harry grinned at the Irish teen. “Draco’s there to stay.”

“Damn,” Seamus placed his hands on his hips and shook his head. Seconds later, he turned back to Ron. “Don’t worry Ron, we’ll find the button.” That sent the boys into another laughing fit.

“Piss off!” Ron glared at the four of them before he moved to his bed, harshly tugging the curtain into place, shielding him from them.

“Amazing,” Cory chuckled and sat down on his bed, shifting Kilala. “Time for sleep.”

“Night guys,” Dean and Seamus said as they went to their own beds, closing the curtains.

“Night,” Cory replied and he then he turned to Harry. “Everything ok?”

“More than ok,” Harry nodded. “Let’s get some sleep.”

“Alright,” Cory nodded, “night Harry.”

“Goodnight,” Harry replied and smiled when Cory closed his curtains. He changed out of his school clothes and into his pyjamas. Sesshomaru settled down just below Harry’s pillow, his golden eyes on his master.

<I trust you found what you were searching for?>

yes I did Harry glanced at his familiar as he went to his trunk and grabbed the mirror that Voldemort had given him. He moved to his bed, careful of Sesshomaru, and sat down, his back against the headboard. Waving his wand, he closed his curtains and cast a Silencing spell.

Marvolo will be pleased

<I’m glad> Sesshomaru got up and moved to snuggle against Harry’s side. <I would like to see Yasha tomorrow>

Alright Harry stroked the pup’s head. Go to sleep

~...~

In his private room in Malfoy Manor, Voldemort was sitting behind his desk, looking over some documents when a flash of fire drew his attention. He looked up and saw Hedwig flying towards him, a letter clutched in her beak.

“Hello little one,” Voldemort greeted the phoenix. He watched with curious eyes as she carefully settled on his desk, but was surprised when he saw that her talons were not directly touching the desk. “What do you have there?”

He reached out to touch her legs, but drew back in slight shock when she moved out of his reach. His shock turned to amusement when the phoenix glared at him before dipping her upper body forward, wanting him to take the letter.

“Alright,” Voldemort smile in amusement as he took the letter, pausing to rub her breast. He opened it and read it over. His red-brown eyes flashed in delight and he summoned his wand and tapped it against the letter, hissing as he did so.

Marvolo,

One of the tasks you assigned is completed. Your precious seems unharmed. Everything went well yesterday and today.

AD thoroughly grilled me, but it’s OK. I managed to convince him that my loyalty hasn’t changed, despite the fact that I am friends with Cory and dating Draco. LM is doing a splendid job. People are starting to think outside the box like planned, even the lions. Majority of students are pleased with the toad’s demise.

Talk to you at midnight?

Harry

“Very clever,” Voldemort mused, “disguising the letter in the event that it was either intercepted or prying eyes were around.”

He placed the letter on the desk and turned to Hedwig, waving his hand over around her talons while speaking in Parseltongue. A glow came out and it disappeared, leaving the box. He grabbed it from her and carefully placed it down in front of him.

He looked up at the phoenix on the desk. “You may return.”

Hedwig trilled before disappearing in a flash of fire.

Voldemort turned back to the box and his mind went over the letter and the hidden code that was in it and he hissed, {Open}

It unlocked and he lifted the lid, grabbed his wand and muttered the countercharm to the spell Harry performed in Parseltongue. The moment the charm was removed, he felt it; the familiar dark aura, the same one that emitted from his ring, his locket, Nagini and Harry when he was still his Horcrux.

He looked down at the diadem and couldn’t help the wave of emotion. The ring on his finger warmed as it searched and recognized the familiar magic of the other soul shred inside Ravenclaw’s diadem.

{Massster, isss everything alright?} Nagini woke and left her spot to coil around his shoulders. {I felt a presssenccce...one sssimilar to when Harry had hisss firssst misssion to retrieve your locket}

“Everything is fine,” Voldemort assured her. “Harry has managed to retrieve another of my Horcruxes from Hogwarts.” He lifted the diadem from the box and held it up for the snake to see. He felt immensely better knowing that his final Horcrux was back in his hands and completely safe. Other than the cup, which was still in the Bellatrix’s vault, and the diary that was destroyed, all his Horcruxes were together.

Grabbing his wand, he cast a quick Tempus. When he saw that it was just a few minutes from midnight, he summoned the mirror—the brother to the one he gave Harry—and tapped the glass, activating it.

“Harry Potter.”

~...~

Harry, who was relaxing on his bed, petting a sleeping Sesshomaru, jumped a bit when he felt the mirror vibrate. Picking it up, he heard his name and tapped it in response.

“Hello Marvolo,” Harry greeted when he saw the Dark Lord in the mirror. “I trust you were able to receive the package without trouble?”

“Yes I did,” Voldemort replied. “You have done an excellent job in retrieving it for me.”

“Thank you,” Harry grinned briefly before he sobered. “Hedwig told me she was patrolling the school and Hogsmeade.”

“Did she discover anything out of the ordinary?” Voldemort asked. “Anything that we should know?”

“She did,” Harry nodded and proceeded to relay what Hedwig had told him. When he was done, Voldemort had a thoughtful look on his face.

“It is nothing less than I suspected,” Voldemort said at last. “In your letter, you mentioned Dumbledore and how the students’ minds were opening up. Elaborate.”

Harry grinned and he told him in detail, everything that had happened since they came back to school. He concluded with his meeting with Dumbledore. “I admit, I was a little wary during the meeting. The man didn’t get to the position he was in today by being stupid, so I was of course concerned, but I thought like a Slytherin.”

“Yes you did,” Voldemort chuckled. His laughter died out as he reflected on something the teen had told him back in the beginning of summer. “Harry, do you remember when you told me that you had an idea as to why Dumbledore was not able to tap into his phoenix’s powers like you can do with Hedwig?”

“Yes,” Harry nodded, “I had thought about it and I had come to a conclusion, but I had no proof.”

“Until now,” Voldemort said.

“I know,” Harry blew off. “Having Fawkes confirm what I suspected...I know it shouldn’t shock me, but I still can’t believe he would do something like that. He forcefully bonded himself to a phoenix.”

“And I created Horcruxes,” Voldemort said dryly. “Despite that little fact, bonding forcefully to a phoenix is something even I would not do.”

Harry nodded, a yawn coming out. “I’m sorry.”

“You are forgiven,” Voldemort assured him, “it is late. Now, as to your mission, things are progressing very nicely. As for the training that the Old Fool has promised, do not be surprised, if the training is more mental than physical or magical. The man will do anything he can to not teach you anything that is actually useful in the war. I assure you, you will not learn any duelling, any new or advanced spells or anything else of that nature.”

“I suspected as much,” Harry agreed and tried to stop another yawn from coming through.

“Do not forget to inform Severus of your task,” Voldemort warned. “His skills and knowledge will be very useful to you.”

“Yes sir,” Harry nodded. “I’ll tell him when we go to the Chamber.”

“Very well,” Voldemort nodded. “You need to be in top form in the morning. Do not forget to select the person you are going to choose to be your double on Sunday.”

“I won’t,” Harry shook his head, “I already know who I’m going to choose, so I’ll let them know before the week is over.”

“Good,” Voldemort said. “You are dismissed.”

“Goodnight sir,” Harry replied and he sighed when the mirror glowed before going blank. Yawning, he quickly got up and opened his trunk, placing the mirror inside. He was about to close it when he remembered the map and cloak was still in his jeans’ pocket. Grabbing and unshrinking them, he placed them in the trunk and then closed and locked it with a Parsel spell.

Not even stifling the yawn that came out, he stumbled back to his bed, closing the curtains and cancelling the Silencing charm. Pulling Sesshomaru close to his body, he finally succumbed to the sleep that had been pulling at his body.

A/N 2: the end of chapter sixteen. So, now that you’ve read, review so we can know what you thought.

Much Love,

Kila & Tonks
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Rise of the Dark Angel