Chapter 11

Harry sat on his bed in Ravenclaw Tower contemplating on what to do. He had just returned from a Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. It was during the match when suddenly the clouds darkened and lightning flashed. Harry heard Aquila speak in his mind, warning him about danger and a possible threat to his life. During the match, both bludgers suddenly sped away from the players and came directly for Harry. Harry dived out of the way, but the bludgers were relentless. It came back and hit his right leg that was probably meant for his groin. He moved out of the way of another which was about to impact his chest. He took his wand out and blasted the incoming bludger. But he wasn't fast enough to hit the other one as it broke his left arm, just as the teachers blasted it to smoke. As he tried to get up, with a broken hand and leg, he saw a small smile on Quirrell's face. He had wanted to investigate Quirrell's strange behaviour, but now he didn't care. He wanted that man dead. Clearly, it was him who had let the troll in on Halloween.

It was midnight when Harry donned his invisibility cloak and flew out of the tower in his eagle form. It was really amazing what his invisibility cloak could do. He could transform into his animagus form and the cloak would shrink and cling to his body without falling off. He flew to the second floor, where he knew was the Defence classroom. He transformed back and stood behind a pillar as he watched Quirrell approach his classroom. He flicked the fingers of his left hand and his Ebony and Thunderbird feather wand sailed out of his holster and into his waiting hand. Wizarding Law stated that a witch or wizard could only have one wand and the said wand had to be registered with the Ministry of Magic. Registered wand makers like Ollivander would never sell him a second wand unless the first was broken. But he needed a wand to do his dirty work, something which could not be traced back to him, even remotely, and this wand was perfect for that as Aquila had graciously given him a feather for the wand core.

He pointed his wand at Quirrell and mentally said "Imperio". He could feel the control slip to him. He instructed the man on what to do and followed him. Quirrell walked to the restricted area on the third floor and opened the door. Harry had followed Hagrid once and had come across the half-giant feeding the giant Cerberus. He had also figured out that there was a giant Devil's snare just under the trap door. Just as he had predicted, the dog ripped Quirrell's legs apart just as he was about to jump. The man screamed and fell head first into the death trap below. Harry closed his eyes and extended his senses and could sense the man's life slipping away as he was being strangled by the plant. Harry smiled grimly, transformed into an eagle and went back to his room by flying into the window. Quirrell was dead and if he was right, so were the attempts on his life. He could finally enjoy his first year in peace.

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During the next month and a half, Harry extensively trained for the Duelling Championship in the Room of Requirement. He had also started working on slowly unravelling Voldemort's memories. But otherwise, everything was the same as ever. He was still the first in class, much to Hermione Granger's displeasure; Albus Dumbledore was leaving him alone, which made Harry quite paranoid and was still communicating with Sirius.

On the nineteenth of December, Harry got another mirror call from Sirius. "I just received a letter from Moony. He said that he would like to meet us during the Yule holidays. What do you think?" he asked.

"Tell him to meet us on the 29th. I have a few questions I need to ask him" said Harry in a cold tone. He had been very pissed off when he found out about Remus Lupin's existence. He had been pissed off with Sirius too for putting revenge ahead of his responsibilities to baby Harry, but he had time to come to terms with it and had forgiven his godfather. Not that the other man knew that of course, as Harry had decided that Sirius had suffered enough. But he definitely wasn't going to be cutting any slack for Lupin. Any relationship between them would be decided based on the answers the man gave.

"So, what's going on between you and Aunt Amy? Are you going to tell me or do I have to guess?" asked Harry grinning, changing the topic.

"You scamp. Nothing for now, though. Amelia and I had been dating for almost two years before I was sent to Azkaban. Ten years is a long time Harry and both of us have changed. I know I have. I doubt I ever would have accepted the Black Lordship before. And I definitely have become more cynical and paranoid. So, we have decided to wait and see. We still have feelings for each other, and if it works out, good. If it doesn't, well we just have to get over it and move on" he said softly.

Harry sighed. "Speaking of love lives, there is something I have to tell you. Several months back, I found out there was an unbreakable marriage contract between House Potter and House Greengrass. I have to get married to Heiress Daphne Greengrass. What do you think?"

Sirius took almost a minute to recover from his shock. "Well, at least it isn't someone bad. The Greengrass family has been notoriously neutral for years, and from what I have heard, Lord Cyrus Greengrass seems to be a good man. Good luck kiddo, I'm always here to give you some pointers" he said with a grin.

"Pointers on what?" asked Harry innocently. Sirius grinned and after making sure Harry would not deactivate the mirror, proceeded to give the young boy The Talk, and in Harry's opinion, the most embarrassing conversation of his life.

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Two days later, Harry, Daphne, Tracy, Neville, Susan and Hannah found themselves sitting in a compartment in the Hogwarts Express, having fun. Of course, all good things must come to an end as suddenly, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger barged into the compartment. As unlikely as it was, those two started hanging out with each other after the troll incident and had managed to annoy Harry more than usual.

Ron spoke up, "Harry mate, what are you doing with a bunch of filthy snakes? Come join us, we can play a game of chess."

Harry groaned. He was so not in the mood for this. "Weasley, those filthy snakes you refer to are my friends. And I'm not interested in playing chess with you. As you can see, I'm reading. I prefer not to talk" he said, hoping Weasley would get the hint. Unfortunately, he didn't.

"You always read, mate, why don't we discuss Quidditch? I follow Chudley Cannons, you should too" he said. Harry's eye twitched, but he didn't say anything and returned to his book.

"What book are you reading Harry? I don't recognise it. I've finished all the first year books of course. I was ever so pleased when I found out I was a witch and that I was selected for Hogwarts. No one in my family is magical. I don't remember any teacher authorising you to read that book. You shouldn't be reading books that haven't been prescribed you know. They could be dangerous. You should give it to Professor McGonagall so that she can check if it's appropriate for you. Is that how you do so well in class? Getting extra help is cheating!" she exclaimed. She had said it all, so fast that her face was now pink.

Daphne was getting annoyed as well. She may not be the top of the year like Harry, but she was no slouch, being the top Slytherin in her year. So she replied in a cold voice, "Granger it is none of your business what book he reads. And he doesn't need anyone's permission to read a book, as the book belongs to him. No one has the right to take it away from him unless it explicitly harms another person. And he does well in class because he's smart, not because he gets extra help, and don't you dare call him a cheat. Have you so soon forgotten the incident with the troll?" she asked with venom in her voice. Daphne already had a reputation for herself. Like Harry, she too wore a cold, expressionless mask almost all the time. Her tone and sarcasm were enough to drive away people who tried to get smart with her. For those who persisted, a few ice spells to the groin taught them the lesson, so most people learned to stay the hell away from her.

"You're quite rude you know?" asked Hermoine. Daphne's eye twitched. Before she could take out her wand, she felt Harry take her hand and give it a soft squeeze. She calmed down a bit.

"Miss Granger, you were the one who barged into our compartment and started insulting us by calling us filthy snakes and cheats. Are you sure you want to talk about being rude?" asked Daphne.

That's when Ron decided to open his mouth. "But we didn't say anything wrong! All Slytherins are evil! Everybody knows that!" he shouted.

The air in the compartment suddenly went cold. Harry turned to him with his wand raised and said, "Leave before you get cursed. I'm sure you know what I'm capable of. You were there when I took care of the troll. Care for an encore?"

Ron went pale and left hastily. Hermione sniffed and said "You shouldn't threaten a student. I'll be reporting this to Professor McGonagall when we get back". She then left the compartment.

"Those two are the most annoying twats I have ever seen" exclaimed Tracy.

"I don't understand what their problem is. Weasley follows you around like a lost puppy and Granger can't take a hint that you're not interested in her little competition. Have you observed the fact that she spends even more time in the library now that before?" asked Susan. Harry shrugged. He really didn't care. If those two persisted, a few embarrassing hexes should make them go away.

Once they reached Kings Cross station, they got down to meet the people waiting for them. Harry had told Sirius that he wanted to go to Potter Castle for a couple of days and then he would join him for the rest of the holidays. After a goodbye to each other, Harry was about to use his portkey to go home when he was suddenly grabbed in a hug. Being grabbed like that did not bring back pleasant memories for him and he cast a wandless banishing charm on the person and flicked his wand to his hand. What he saw was who he guessed to be Molly Weasley being helped up by her children. Her face was as red as her hair at bring pushed down in public, but she smiled and looked at Harry and said, "It's so good to finally meet you Harry dear. Ron has told me so much about you in his letters. How was the first term? Did you enjoy your experience at Hogwarts? I don't think a young boy like you should be spending Christmas alone; so come along. You can come with us to the Burrow. You and Ron can share a room. Ginny is so eager to meet you, isn't that right dear? Come along Harry" she said and grabbed his hand.

Molly Weasley was told by Albus Dumbledore to make sure that Harry came to the Burrow for Christmas. This would also give her a chance to introduce the boy to Ginny. She thought that if her daughter could marry the boy, she could finally live in luxury and her family won't be the subject of scorn by the majority of wizarding Britain. If Harry wasn't interested in Ginny, well a love potion would clear that up. It was what she had done to her husband Arthur and look how well their marriage turned out! She was snapped out of her daydream when she felt a wand poking her. She turned to find a pissed off Harry Potter, pointing his wand at her.

"Mrs Weasley, I don't know what anyone has told you, but startling someone by hugging them before even being introduced is inappropriate. Some people might even consider it as an attack and retaliate. That being said, I don't know what your son has informed you but we're not friends. And I'm not about to take off to a house of strangers just because you say so. I already have a house, which is where I would be going. And how I spend my Yule holidays is none of your concern, as I'm not answerable to you. Now, good day" he said.

Molly Weasley's face turned purple. "Now see here young man, I'm a mother of seven and I won't be spoken to that way. You obviously need a motherly figure and-"

She was cut short when the temperature dropped. People around turned to look at the sight of the Boy Who Lived pointing his wand between the eyes of Molly Weasley. The people around could hear the cold tone of Harry Potter when he said, "I'm not your son Mrs Weasley. Don't think you can drag me to your house just because you demand it. And don't EVER think that I need a motherly figure in my life. No one can replace my mother. She was so bloody brilliant that she outsmarted Voldemort, figured out a way to stop the Avada Kedarva curse and sacrificed her life without hesitation so that she could save her son's life. You dare try to step into her shoes? I will never allow it". He touched his ring and portkeyed away. People were now staring at the Weasley matriarch with narrowed eyes while many started whispering. Molly Weasley turned red with anger and embarrassment and headed to the floo with her children.

Harry spent the rest of the evening flying with Aquila so that he could calm down. His thunderbird familiar always seemed to know what to say to get him to quench his anger. After having a long conversation with him, Harry entered the Castle and headed to his study. He had overheard Granger and Weasley a few days back and had to make sure that what he heard wasn't true. He took a piece of parchment and quill and wrote.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Mr and Mrs Flamel,

My name is Hadrian Potter, and I'm the great-great-grandson of William and Isabel Potter, who as you remember were your ex-students. I'm a first-year student at Hogwarts and I recently found that Albus Dumbledore might be hiding your Philosopher's stone in the school. I don't know if this is true, but I do know that there is a plot here because Headmaster Dumbledore announced publicly on the night of the opening feast that a certain corridor is out of bounds unless you want to die a most painful death.

There have been two attempts on my life in the few months I have been there and I'm sure people think that such an object may be present at Hogwarts. I just thought it might be prudent to inform you as I have no idea if you have your property or if it's with Dumbledore. I have spoken to the portraits of my ancestors and they had nothing but the best things to say about you.

It is for that reason that I decided to write this letter. I'm sorry to have bothered you if the trap set by Albus Dumbledore is a ruse, but if it isn't, I just wanted to inform you so that you can make any important decision soon. Such a device could be dangerous in the wrong hands, even in the hands of those who have portrayed themselves to be trusted.

Best Regards,

Lord Hadrian J Potter

Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He put the letter in an envelope and went to Hedwig. "This is going to be a long flight girl. And they probably have anti-mail wards too. Be careful, and in case you can't find them, come back. I can find some other way to deliver the letter to them" he said stroking her feathers. Hedwig hooted, nibbled his finger and took off into the night sky.

After seeing her disappear, he had a light dinner and proceeded to the dungeons. After passing through several doors where he had to say the password in parseltongue, he finally entered the place where the prisoners were kept. "Wakey wakey everyone. I'm back from school! Aren't you going to welcome me?" he asked in a fake cheerful voice.

The frail and broken looking bodies of Vernon, Petunia and Marge Dursley slowly woke up with a groan. They didn't know where they were, or how long they had been here. As they opened their eyes, they found Harry Potter before them. "YOU!" bellowed Vernon. "What the hell are you doing here freak? I thought you were dead for good! You should-AHHH!" Vernon suddenly found that the bones in his hand had exploded. The pain was terrible.

"I'm going to talk, and you're going to listen, you too Marge. After all that you three have put me through, did you really think I would forget about you? You beat me up daily, you made me crawl around the house in pain, you whipped me, made your dog bite me and tear the flesh from my leg, hit me on the head with a frying pan, you placed red hot iron rods on my back and butt, made me sleep in a cupboard, starved me for weeks, insulted my parents while at the same time stole a quarter of a million pounds from them which was given for my care, lied to me, you stabbed me with the intention of killing me, and, well you get the picture. I wasn't about to let you live your lives without compensation, now was I?" he asked with a dark grin on his face.

"What are you blabbering about you freak? I knew you were like this, a criminal. It's all in the breeding; if there's something wrong with the bitch there's something wrong with the-AHHHHHH! MAKE IT STOP!" screamed Marge Dursley. The other two backed away due to fear. Bone after bone was being shattered in her body, causing almighty pain. Some of the broken bones impacted her nerves, causing her more pain. Finally, it stopped but the pain was still present. "Don't you ever call me a freak, muggle. You're the freak, not me. I'm a wizard, Marge. That means I can do magic. Oh yes, magic is real, and my parents were magical too, that's why your brother and sister-in-law hate me and my parents so much. You dare try to insult my parents?" he said, looking at the wide-eyed and whimpering form of the woman.

"And now, we have our dear Petunia, the harpy who spews her hate on a defenceless, innocent baby. You know something interesting? The Aurors, who are the wizarding equivalent of Scotland Yard and MI-5 had come to your house more than three months ago for your arrest. I had finally shown the British Wizarding world how their precious saviour grew up. And they were so angry that they ousted Albus Dumbledore from his Chief Warlock post and his International position. Good thing the vote was called in immediately. If they had delayed it, Dumbledore would have bribed and blackmailed the members of the Wizengamot to keep his posts. He's too powerful to be taken down that easily. Luckily he didn't have the time to do that. But he still retained his Wizengamot seat, thanks to his Order of Merlin. He made sure your case and his inquiry were forgotten. You would have probably been in a holding cell for a few months or a year and then let go. After all, if he tried to have you brought to court, his case would be opened as well, so it was beneficial to both of you! And it was also a subtle attempt to inform me that he had not lost all his power. But I wasn't about to have that, now was I?"

"So I asked my faithful house elves to bring you here. Really, my elves wanted to kill you immediately for what you did to me, as they adore me a lot. I have a very soft spot for house elves, seeing as I was treated worse than an abused elf for six years. But I decided to be patient. You have been here for more than three months, with very little food and water. But not to worry, I'm going to increase the fun here, as I'm sure you're all immensely bored. So shall we begin?" he asked, flicking his ebony and thunderbird wand to his hand, his green eyes glowing.

After half an hour of torture, the three Dursleys crumpled on the ground, shaking badly. Harry slowly left the room, but at the door, he paused and said, "Oh I forgot to mention that Dudley was beaten up by a pack of goons, to his death. His body was then tossed into the Thames. No one knows about it as his body wasn't found. The neighbours in Privet Drive think Vernon is a human trafficker and that he raped and murdered his nephew, and when the Police found out you all decided to run. No one's going to miss you. I'll see you in six months. Enjoy your stay in Potter Castle!" he said and left, just as he heard a scream of denial.

Harry quickly made his way to his room and collapsed in his bed and sobbed his heart out. He knew he had released the dark side in him today. Harry wasn't delusional to think he was light. He could kill when needed. That's why he had not felt very guilty about killing Quirrell. Sure, he felt bad, but the man had tried to get him killed twice. If not for his precious thunderbird familiar and his own skill, he probably would be dead. But the Dursleys were a different story. They were so bigoted that they still thought what they did was right. How many muggleborn children suffered the same fate as he did? At least in Wizarding Britan, the Ministry of Magic integrated the muggleborns. But in those countries which completely separated from their muggle counterparts like Magical United States, India, China and Russia, the muggleborns probably died in massive numbers due to the muggles, which was unacceptable. But considering the Salem Witch Trials, he could understand MACUSA's paranoia in keeping away from the muggles.

His crying increased when he mused if he was just like Voldemort. He had been working on unravelling his memories and he found himself acting more or less like him. He hiccupped and came to the conclusion that he wasn't like Voldemort. That man was crazy. Voldemort didn't mind destroying the entire magical world to sit on top of the food chain. He didn't care about anyone but himself. Harry wasn't like that. Harry cared about his magical counterparts a great deal. He had a vision for the future he hoped he could implement. He would strive to create a world worth living in. Harry deeply respected other magical creatures too. They would not be hunted like they were now or had been hunted before. He would provide a home for them as well. Yes, he would, he thought determinately as he slipped off into sleep.

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