Clash with Authority

Harry's POV

"Mr. Potter," came the voice of the person Harry wanted to talk to least, "you left the school grounds today. May I ask why?" Dumbledore said, looking over his glasses as if greatly disappointed. Which he was in fact was. Ever since Harry returned from his week-long absence, he had defied him at every turn. Now, with this restraining order, Albus just didn't know what to think.

"None of your business," our hero snarled as he turned to face the old man. At least he wasn't being familiar with him this time. "You aren't supposed to be near me, Dumbledore," he reminded the Headmaster.

"If it has to do with school business, then yes I can question you," Albus stated firmly. He had made sure that little clause was added to the restraining order. It had been a great debate with the Wizengamot, the school board, and Harry's lawyer, but in the end they saw it his way, as they always do. Well, mostly. He had tried to get the whole thing squashed, but Waters was adamant that the now adult, and wasn't that a surprise, did not want anything to do with the Headmaster, and if Dumbledore wanted the young man to stay at Hogwarts, then he would comply. Since the boy did need to be here, he conceded to the demands.

"Yeah, I did note how you snuck that part in," Harry stated with a glare, remembering the rant in the lawyer's letter. He had been in such a hurry at the time that he just skimmed the missive. Now, he was going to have to read it again to see just how far that went. "Don't think I don't know your game, old man. You are just trying to find a way to keep an eye on me."

"It was the only way that you would be able to stay in the castle," Dumbledore stated, rubbing his beard. "You cannot expect to remain at Hogwarts and have me not inquire about your whereabouts. It is against school policy for you to wander away from the castle without informing anyone. Even if you are of age," he added questioningly, as if Harry would tell him how he knew that.

"Great, I'll just be going then," the teen said, making as if to get up. Only to have his friends protest. He turned to them and winked. He knew the old man wouldn't let him leave.

"That is not at all what I meant, young man," the Headmaster sighed, pinching his long nose. "I am merely stating that you should have told someone that you were going. Now once again, why did you leave? You know there are Dark forces that want to kill you." He really wanted him to stay here where he, Albus Dumbledore, could protect him. Why couldn't this unruly teen understand that? Perhaps, he should have let it alone, but he really didn't want Harry wondering around without escort.

Harry smirked at his friends in an 'I told ya so' way, and then turned back to the old man. "I was getting study material," he said calmly, which was ninety-one percent true. "You said I could self-study, and I am. It's not my fault that what I wanted to learn wasn't in your library. Now that I'm of age, I have rights, and one of those rights is to go off campus," he pointed out.

"Yet, you still need to notify the staff. In addition, there is nothing on the curriculum that is not in the library. Consequently, you are studying outside of what we teach in Hogwarts. May I see what you acquired? I need to be sure that it is safe. There are many tomes that are forbidden in the school, or that need to be put aside until one is older," the Headmaster stated, wondering what the child could possibly be learning. He did hope that Harry wasn't turning Greyer than he already was. He brushed off the rest as unimportant, since he, as the headmaster, still had complete control of the school.

"Sure, but don't think for a second that you can 'put it aside'. This is my personal book," Harry said, and pulled Gryffindor's book out and held it out to man, making sure it had a Return Charm on it. If the Headmaster decided to walk away with it, or add any charms to it, it would reappear back in his TARDIS pocket. Harry wasn't taking any chances. He didn't trust this man, or any of the adults he met, bar Sirius and even he was still a maybe.

"This is a priceless manuscript, how did you obtain it?" Albus asked as he turned the book over in his hands, studying it intently. This was a lost piece of knowledge, and he wondered if Harry would let him read it. It was very doubtful at this moment, but he'd ask another time. For he was sure the boy would one day forgive him.

"Not your business," Harry repeated, holding his hand out in an unspoken command.

"Very well," the old man sighed as he handed the book back with a grandfather like smile. "Learn from it well. Furthermore, do try to let us know if you are going to leave the grounds," he said as he turned to go back to the Staff Table.

"Yeah, right," the teen scoffed as he turned back to his friends. Luna nodded, knowing that her friend would go where he will. Neville shrugged, it wasn't his business, and Hermione…

"Harry," the bossy girl started only to stop and flinch when she was met with three piercing glares.

"No, just no, Hermione, don't start with me," Harry bit out with a slash of his hand. He really didn't want to get into it with her. She knew how much he loathed the old goat and the reasons why. He didn't understand why she was so hung up on authority. It had to be something with her upbringing. Perhaps, she'd start to see that adults weren't the last word in everything. They made mistakes, and the Headmaster thought he controlled everyone, that was abuse of power, and the amnesiac hoped she learned that soon.

"I was going to ask if I could read it," the bushy-haired witch huffed, not completely lying. Not that any of the other three teen believed her, but they let it go. As long as she wasn't scolding anyone.

"Like the old man said, it's a priceless artifact. So, sorry, but, no, it's not leaving my possession," our hero stated, putting the book back in his TARDIS pocket.

"You can trust me. I've never damaged a book in my life," she all but begged. She really hoped that he would start treating her like he did the others, while he didn't leave her out, he still held back with her.

"I'm sorry, but I'll see if I can make a temporary copy of it for you," he compromised. He'd make one that couldn't be copied and would disappear in a few days. She would be able to take notes, but that was all. It wasn't that he didn't trust her with the book. He knew she would not abuse it, but he really felt that she still hadn't proven herself either. Sure she'd kept his secrets so far, but nothing had challenged her yet. As it was she was walking a thin line with all her reprimanding and such. Then again, she had been by his side since the beginning, so had Luna.

Maybe, he was playing unfair favorites among his friends. After all, Neville hadn't really proven himself either and he had Merlin's book. However, the shy boy didn't harass him whenever he did anything. He didn't ask questions, and he had stuck up for Harry whenever he could, but so did Hermione. The dark-haired teen knew that he'd let Luna borrow any book in a heartbeat, but she just radiated trust and peace. He was going to have to put this in the databank and look harder at his actions.

"Can you tell me more about it?" she asked, eager to know.

He shrugged, not seeing the harm. "It's a book written by Godric Gryffindor. It's mostly about wandless magic and the pitfalls of messing with spells," he said, scooping up some of the roast beef and potatoes from the platters that just appeared.

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