10 Chapter 10

Harry was eating breakfast in the Hogwarts kitchens. He didn't want to be in the Great Hall when the Daily Prophet arrived. Toby popped in and delivered the paper to him. He smiled when he saw the headlines.

SEVERUS SNAPE SENTENCED TO LIFE IN AZKABAN!

Found guilty of Legilimency and facilitated in the murder of the Late Lord and Lady Potter and in the permanent incapacitation of Lord and Lady Longbottom

SIRIUS BLACK INNOCENT!

The soon-to-be Lord Black was finally given a trial; compensated 2 million galleons for illegal incarceration after being found innocent

PETER PETTIGREW ALIVE AND BEHIND IT ALL!

Death Eater and Secret Keeper of Potter Cottage is an Illegal animagus and was hiding as a rat for almost 10 years in a wizarding home; was found as student's pet at Hogwarts

BOY WHO LIVED ABUSED AND ALMOST MURDERED BY MUGGLE RELATIVES!

Hadrian Potter beaten, starved, overworked; forced to live in a cupboard; Stabbed with a knife by his uncle at the age of seven

ALBUS DUMBLEDORE IMPEACHED FROM OFFICE AS CHIEF WARLOCK AND AS REPRESENTATIVE IN THE ICW DUE TO NEGLIGENCE AND CORRUPTION

Newly unsealed Potter Will proved that Dumbledore knew all along about Sirius Black's innocence and Hadrian Potter's magic hating muggle relatives

BARTY CROUCH, MILLICENT BAGNOLD AND ALBUS DUMBLEDORE TO BE QUESTIONED IN REGARDS TO SIRIUS BLACK NOT HAVING A TRIAL

EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT THE BOY WHO LIVED A LIE?

All the supposed facts about the boy, including his appearance, seems to be false

THE DARK LORD SPECIFICALLY TARGETTED HARRY POTTER AND NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM

Why were the two babies a threat?

AMELIA BONES PRAISED FOR QUICK ACTION

MUGGLE GUARDIANS OF HARRY POTTER TO BE ARRESTED AND TRIED IN FRONT OF THE WIZENGAMOT DURING NEXT SESSION

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The entire county was shocked to death. They couldn't believe their eyes. At Hogwarts, in the headmaster's office, Albus Dumbledore threw his paper down in disgust. He had been clearly outmaneuvered. But how did this happen so fast? If Severus had not been arrested, he could have smoothened things over. But that was doubtful, he mused darkly. Peter Pettigrew. That man's appearance took him completely by surprise. If he had known that the man was right under his nose, he would have gotten rid of the main evidence that could have exonerated Sirius Black. But how had Harry found Pettigrew so quickly? He had forgotten to ask that question during the trial and was now cursing himself. He also should have asked how the boy developed such advanced Occlumency.

He couldn't even attempt to gain guardianship of the boy, as he was emancipated. Not the first time he had cursed the Potter family charter. Those blasted rules had not allowed him to create a marriage contract between Harry and young Ginny Weasley. And now, it had helped the boy to become Lord Potter too early. He had never expected Madam Marchbanks to call for a vote to remove him as Chief Warlock immediately. The dark and grey families had taken it to their advantage and ousted him. And now poor Severus was in Azkaban too. Why didn't they realise that everything he did was for the Greater Good?

He would not fail. He was Albus Dumbledore. After some time, they would come crawling back to him to take back his post. Besides, it wasn't like they had the power to remove him from Hogwarts, his real power base. He would stay in the shadows for now and observe Harry Potter. At the first available opportunity, he would strike.

HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP

During the day, the rest of the students kept staring at Harry Potter, and to a lesser extent Neville Longbottom. And both of them were quite uncomfortable with the attention. Harry, who was used to being alone all the time, was quite agitated. Neville was terrified that he had been You Know Who's target. By the end of the day, Harry pulled the other boy aside.

"It's an honour to finally speak to you, Heir Longbottom" he said in a formal voice.

Neville, having been trained very well by his grandmother, said shyly "It's an honour to meet you as well, Lord Potter. What can I do for you?"

Harry smiled. "Please call me Harry. After all, we're god brothers. As far as I'm aware, my mother was your godmother, and your mother is my godmother. We don't need to be formal with each other."

"Then please call me N-Neville" he stammered.

Harry mentally frowned. It looked like Neville had self-confidence issues. Of course, Harry had those too, he just didn't show it. Being told that you're worthless and a waste of space for the majority of your early childhood does tend to affect you. He decided to do his best to improve Neville's confidence.

"Susan told me you're very good at Herbology. Do you work with plants a lot?" he asked. It was true. He had already befriended Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott just that morning. Neville's face lit up. Harry smiled internally. They started walking to the library while chatting with each other.

After dinner, Harry was on his way to the library again when he heard a voice. "Potter" Harry turned and came face to face with Daphne Greengrass. He gave her a smile and said "Hello Daphne. You can call me Harry if you would like."

She gave him a brief smile and replied "I wanted to thank you. Ever since that incident in the greenhouses, Draco Malfoy has been avoiding me. He had been harassing me about a betrothal contract for months now. And, I was wondering, if you wanted to be my friend" she said softly.

Harry kept a blank face and stared at her. "If you want to be my friend solely because you feel sorry for me after reading about the horrors of my past, then I don't think it's a good idea" he said carefully.

"It's not because I feel sorry for you. But I can understand your reasoning behind it. You don't want pity. But I do want us to be friends and get to know each other. What do you say?" she asked.

Harry knew that Daphne did not know about the Potter-Greengrass marriage contract. And he knew that Cyrus Greengrass was not going to be informing her anytime soon. It just wasn't something you would put down in a letter. So a friendship would probably help them form a lasting relationship. Or at least he hoped. "Friends" he said, shaking her hand.

HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP

The next two months seemed to fly by. A man named Horace Slughorn was teaching Potions. Sirius was still in St Mungo's. While his animagus form was helped him preserve the most of his sanity, he was still in a very bad shape, physically and psychologically. So the healing process was going slowly. But Amelia had purchased two-way mirrors and given each to Sirius and Harry so that they could communicate. Harry was fascinated by it. He wrote a letter to Lord Rangok to see if they could invest in the company and build on the magical device. Godfather and godson spoke to each other frequently. While Sirius still felt guilty, he slowly came to understand that he really had been manipulated. Harry was very happy that Sirius was recovering. He told his godfather about his perfect memory due to Occlumancy, about how he remembered Sirius from when he was a baby and hence could not believe that he could have betrayed them, about finding Peter using the Marauder's Map, contacting Andromeda Tonks and Amelia Bones and setting up the big trial to free him.

He did not mention everything of course. Harry still had major trust issues. And there was no way he would spill his secrets, even if it was his godfather. In classes, Harry was the best in his year. The teachers couldn't help but praise him for his talent. Ravenclaw was racking up points because of him.

Harry woke up on Halloween feeling depressed. Today was the tenth anniversary of his parents' murder. But he tried to not let it affect him. The day went on and the last class was Charms. Professor Flitwick was teaching them the levitation charm.

"Now use the wand movement we have been practicing. The swish and flick. Now the incantation, Wengardium Leviosa" he said.

Harry as usual was able to get it on the first try getting another twenty points for Ravenclaw. Professor Flitwick saw Neville struggling. But it didn't seem right, as his movements were practically flawless. "Mr Longbottom can I see your wand?" he asked.

Neville nodded morosely and handed his wand to the half-goblin. When he looked at it, it seemed quite old. He pointed the wand at the feather and said, "Wingardium Leviosa"

The feather moved, but with difficulty. "Mr Longbottom, you have a mismatched wand. That's why your wand work isn't good. I'll inform your grandmother and Head of House about this. We shall be going to Diagon Ally next weekend to get you a new wand. Really, coming to Hogwarts without a wand that fits you! " he said and shook his head.

Before he could say anything else, Ron Weasley's feather exploded, while Hermione Granger was telling him what he did wrong in that condescending way of hers. Harry shook his head. The boy had been following him, trying to be his friend for the past two months, probably on the orders of Dumbledore. It was really becoming annoying. Granger, on the other hand, threw him filthy looks every time he did better than her. He really couldn't understand her. She seemed determined to beat him at everything, and that bossy attitude of hers when she spoke to others alienated her from the rest of her peers. She also seemed to worship the very ground Albus Dumbledore walked on as if he were Merlin himself. She kept telling anyone who would listen how the Daily Prophet must be lying, and that there was no way Dumbledore could do something like that. That was the reason Harry kept his distance from her. He had seen kids like her in primary school. They loved to impress the teachers and thought they knew it all, and believed everything people in authority told them. Harry was the exact opposite in that he didn't trust people in authority, with very few exceptions. After all, what had adults ever done for him?

After class, he returned to his room. Just as he passed the large window, he heard a rumble of thunder, an eagle's cry, a flash of lightning spread across the horizon and it started raining. Harry's eyes went wide. He knew what this signal meant. He transformed into his golden eagle form and flew off Ravenclaw tower. He concentrated on the bond he had with his familiar and few in that direction. Fifteen minutes of fast flying later, he was joined by a large thunderbird.

"Aquila what is it?" he asked his friend.

The bird replied telepathically "I sense danger little one. There is a plot by someone that will put your life and those around you in danger. Be careful Harry. I'll be around, just in case you need my help."

"Thanks for the warning, my friend. I will be careful, I promise" he said reassuring his best friend.

They spent the next few hours flying with each other as Harry filled the thunderbird on what had happened in the last two months. After that, he returned to his room via the open window and transformed. He cast a drying charm on himself and headed to the Great Hall. Dinner was proceeding normally. The storm caused by Aquila was still present as rain lashed against the windows. Everyone except Harry was laughing and enjoying themselves. But he was busy observing what was going on. An hour into the feast, Quirrell burst into the hall. "TROLL IN THE DUNGEON! TROLL IN THE DUNGEON! Thought you ought to know" he said and fainted right there.

The students started screaming. Dumbledore shot off a blast from his wand. The hall quietened. "Prefects, escort the students to their dormitories. Teachers will follow me to the Dungeons" he said in a calm voice.

"But isn't the Slytherin Common Room in the dungeons? And what if we run into the troll while on the way to our dormitories?" asked Harry loudly. Everyone turned to look at him, but he didn't care. Aquila had warned him, and he wasn't going to risk the lives of the entire student body just because of Dumbledore's stupidity. Some of the Slytherin students looked at him with grateful expressions on their faces.

"Quite right Mr Potter. All the students will remain in the Great Hall. Don't you agree Albus?" asked McGonagall.

Dumbledore looked miffed at being rebuked by a first year in front of the whole school but didn't voice it out loud. Just as the teachers were about to leave, another student spoke up.

"Professor McGonagall, Hermione Granger isn't here. She's in the second-floor bathroom because, ahm" said Parvati Patil, looking at Ron Weasley. McGonagall's lips thinned, as she figured it out. Weasley had probably insulted Granger. "Thank you for the warning, Miss Patil. I, along with a few teachers will find her and bring her here. The rest of you, do not leave the Great Hall" she said and all the teachers left. After a minute, Quirrell woke up and left the hall as well.

Harry's heart was hammering. Had they avoided the danger? The students were all strangely silent. Five minutes had passed, and suddenly, they heard a loud grunt and a bang on the door. A dent formed on the door of the Great Hall. People started screaming. Harry flicked his wand to his hand. It looked like Aquila was right. He got up and faced the door. Damn the incompetent staff! There were none present to protect the students. There was another bang. "Everybody get away from the door" shouted Harry. The students at the end of the hall scrambled and moved to the side of the hall. With another bang, the door burst open, revealing a twelve foot Mountain Troll. People started screaming. Harry immediately acted. If he couldn't stop it, maybe he could slow it down.

"Aguamenti" he shouted pointing his wand at the Troll's feet. The water jet streamed and hit its mark.

"Glacius" he said pointing his wand there again. A blast of freezing cold air impacted the troll's feet, freezing it to ice. The troll's feet were stuck. But unfortunately, his hands were still free.

The stroll snarled, took his club and broke one end of the Ravenclaw table. People were crying now and tried to get away. Harry was angry now. Was he the only one willing to face it head on?

"Sonorous. Whoever can perform the Blasting curse, target his head and chest and fire on my mark. Ready? NOW!" he shouted.

A dozen sixth and seventh-year students pointed their wands at the troll and together with Harry, shouted "CONFRINGO!" Several jets of orange light impacted the troll. The troll shrieked in pain as they tore through its flesh. But it was not done. It broke free of its icy confines and was about to pound a few students to death when Harry pointed his wand at the students and shouted "Protego". He pointed his wand at the troll's club and said "REDUCTO!" The club shattered into pieces, but Harry's shield protected the students from harm.

Before the troll could do any more damage, Harry decided to end it, damn the damage done to the Great Hall. "BOMBORDA MAXIMA" he shouted, pointing his wand to the troll. A jet of white light flew from his wand and impacted the troll's upper chest. The troll's head was blasted apart and the body itself flew backward and impacted the doorway and it lay there, dead.

Harry was breathing deeply. His hands and legs were shaking so badly that he collapsed on the floor. "Quietus" he whispered, pointing the wand at his throat. He had just returned the wand to his holster when he fainted due to magical exhaustion and knew no more.

HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP

"I can't believe something like this happened at Hogwarts. Such incidents never occurred when we were students here" said a male voice.

"I agree. How in Merlin's name did a troll get into the school?" asked a female voice.

"I have no idea. But the Prophet has been running wild theories. Once they got wind of the fact that the Boy Who Lived saved everyone by killing the troll, people once again started calling him a hero. Of course, Dumbledore managed to soothe things down and no one blamed him at all."

"Humph, just because we made him fall once, doesn't mean it can happen again."

Harry slowly opened his eyes. He blinked several times and found himself in the hospital wing. He got up to find Sirius Black and Amelia Bones standing and talking to each other softly. Sirius turned to look at him. "Harry, thank Merlin you're alright. You gave us quite a fright. From what we heard, you put up one hell of a fight, kiddo. How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Fine, I guess. What happened?" asked Harry.

Amelia spoke up. "You passed out due to magical exhaustion after killing the troll, which was very impressive by the way. I watched the memory of the incident provided by one of the seventh year students. To think a first-year student was able to kill a troll, was something astounding in itself. But to use spells which are taught to fifth and sixth years as an eleven-year-old is just amazing. I'm so very proud of you Harry" she said smiling.

"Thanks, Aunt Amy. And I know you're curious, so I'll answer anyway. I've been studying magic for the last four years. I used a stick to practice wand movements and so I was quite familiar with them. But I have to admit, I never expected to be drained this badly" he said putting his head down on the pillow. That was a lie of course. He had been using the wand of this great grandfather to practice. Fergus Potter had been an outstanding duellist, and had been an International Duelling Champion. It was after talking to his portrait that inspired Harry to train and take part in the Duelling championships.

"Good to know. Now, you've been here for almost a day; it's five in the evening now. What you should know is that no one yet knows how a troll got into the school. But you have impressed the hell out of everyone and the incident was also featured in the papers. So you've got yourself quite a bit of attention. Hopefully, Madam Pomfrey will release you tonight. If not, rest and you can attend classes from tomorrow. Okay?" she said kindly.

Harry nodded and mentally groaned. While he liked exposing Dumbledore's incompetence, he did not like the extra attention. Sirius and Amelia said goodbye and promised to see him soon and left. Madam Pomfrey came up to his bed and scanned him. After grudging acknowledging that he was fine, he left the hospital wing. Immediately he was surrounded by his friends. Daphne came up to him to give him a tender hug. He suddenly stiffened, and after a few seconds relaxed. He wasn't used to hugs. He usually associated physical contact with pain.

"Harry those were some advanced spells you used. Where did you learn all that?" Neville asked in wonder. He couldn't help but be in awe at what he had seen yesterday.

"I had learnt the spells and practiced the wand movements, Neville. But I never expected to use them on a troll. They're meant for duels, and using so much magic drained me. Was anyone injured?" he asked.

"A few had some cuts and many were in shock. But we're all fine, thanks to you" said Hannah.

"After you passed out, McGonagall came back with Granger. When she saw the dead troll, she was white as a sheet. She asked the Head Boy and Girl what happened and they told her what you had done. Let's just say that Ravenclaw gained a hundred points after that. But Granger looked like she had swallowed a lemon" said Tracy.

Harry chuckled and idly wondered what Dumbledore's reaction might have been. And he really wanted to find out who let the troll into the castle. Things weren't adding up. When they entered the Great Hall, all conversation stopped and all of them started at Harry. Then the clapping started. Everyone, including most of the Slytherins started applauding for the eleven your boy that saved them from injury and possibly death. Harry blushed as he was not used to being complimented; just the contrary in fact. He gave them a small smile and proceeded to the Ravenclaw table.