Chapter 36: Style, Spurned & Seeking

"So how does it feel to know you're going to be a free man?" Harry asked, a huge grin splitting his face. It was so marvelous to know his godfather was finally going to be free!

"Amazing!" Sirius was almost luminescent, he was aglow with joy and bursting with energy.

Harry watched, amused, as his godfather was running around, hugging Harry, hugging Remus, and almost blundering into the furniture, repeatedly.

"Free! I'm going to be free! After all these years!"

Harry just laughed and shook his head at Sirius' antics, the man was significantly older than him, physically speaking, but mentally… Harry might have a slight edge. Either that or Remus may have sucked out part of his friends maturity and added it onto his own overly developed store.

Harry delved his hand deep into his pocket and his fingers found the hard scales he sought. What was visiting Sirius & Remus without setting Cuddles loose on them?

Harry channelled a little magic into her as he pulled her out of his pocket, making her as large as Fawkes.

"Did you have to bring her?" Sirius immediately whined upon seeing Cuddles.

Harry smirked and used his wand to conjure an elevated rocky plateau, much like a small side table, and put a heating charm on it, just as Cuddles prefered. The little dragon gave a screech of delight and wrapped herself in a ball, snuggling into the warm rock face.

"She doesn't always attack," Harry chuckled as Sirius stayed in a defensive posture, prepared and ready for the dragon to chase him as usual, "Most of the time she just lazes around." Harry was amused when Cuddles let out a snort of fire out of her nostrils, though her eyelids remained shut.

"That's good to know." Remus commented, a content smile on his face as he sat down.

"So, did you come just to tell me the good news? I thought you might have just sent Hedwig along for that, seeing as it isn't happening officially quite yet." Sirius asked while mirroring Remus' earlier movement, sitting himself down, inviting Harry to as well, with a gesture of his hands.

Harry took the armchair right beside Cuddles and drifted his hand over to rest on his familiar, he gently ran his fingers up and down her body, both of them enjoying the familiar affection. He ran his other hand through his hair and slowly sighed, they'd picked up on that right away. It was true though, he generally visited only when there was something worth showing up in-person for.

"I wanted to talk to you about what is going on in my life, ask for some advice and see if you would join my group of advisors." He decided to just be up front with them, "My parents obviously trusted your opinions and I would like to rely on them as well, if you'd allow me to." Harry said, even if he'd kind of laid it on a bit thick. While it was true he valued their opinion, it was to a lesser degree than he'd said. Neither of them were paragons of successful decision making, Sirius rashly landing himself in Azkaban and Remus hiding himself away, lost in his self recriminations.

Remus nodded slowly, "That's good…" He was saying it was good but Harry could see he felt conflicted by it for some reason.

"What's been going on kiddo?" Sirius asked, his earlier jubilance dissipating as things got more serious.

"Lots." Harry said before giving a self deprecating laugh, a sardonic smile sporting on his face as he leaned back, slumping slightly in the chair, one hand never ceasing to pet Cuddles.

"I don't even know where to start but I can give you some idea, especially for you Sirius, as a Son of House Black." Harry had a mischievous look to him when he claimed Sirius as a part of the Black family, he knew how much he hated his upbringing in this home.

"Cyrus Greengrass, as you are well aware, is the Steward of House Black and has returned to the duties Arcturus Black had set him, while also holding the proxy of House Black for the Wizengamot." It wouldn't surprise him if they had already guessed the parts of this that they didn't know but he wanted it to be clear.

"We had thought so," Remus stated, his flat voice not giving away their thoughts on the matter, "and Horace Slughorn as the Potter proxy, presumably an advisor as well." It was impossible to mistake the disdain in his voice. Harry was already well aware neither man would enjoy working with Horace, he doubted they had any love lost for Cyrus either.

"He is," Harry affirmed, not caring about the matching scowls the two older men reacted with, "he is also my main political advisor, though with Patrice Delacour joining, I'm sure he'll contribute on the political side too." Harry knew throwing in the Delacour name would ebb some of the loathing they had for Horace, no doubt Dumbledore had told them about his association with the two men, as the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, he was privy to far more info than they would be.

"Greengrass, Slughorn and Patrice are your advisors?" Sirius asked, hurt flashing in his eyes.

Harry nodded. "With you as a person of interest, any official association we had could come back to bite us. Imagine if you had been captured and interrogated before they gave you the kiss…" Harry let the idea sink in, it would have been a political nightmare and possibly skewered the sum total of public goodwill he had accumulated. "With proper legal representation you were always going to get out and now that we know it is this week, here I am, asking." Harry wasn't going to let them guilt trip him in any sort of way..

"Fair point," Sirius acceded, "but still, Sluggy and Greengrass? You could have come here anytime and asked us for advice."

"Do you not trust us, Harry?" Remus asked quietly, his dull eyes finding Harry's part way through his question.

That was the crux of it, wasn't it? If he was being honest with himself, he would say he trusted his chosen three more than the two of them. What had they done that would show them to be so successful?

Sirius hadn't amounted to anything special, even before his rash actions led to his unjust incarceration. He'd admitted to living off his Uncle Alphard's inheritance and joining Dumbledore's vigilante organization right out of Hogwarts. The most successful accomplishment of Remus career, that Harry was aware of, was his stint as the DADA professor at Hogwarts. Both of their experiences with Dumbledore's Order would be beneficial, with all of his advisors lacking actual experience in the last war, even if they had been losing quite badly.

"Are either of you experts in finance? Have either of you had extensive experience in politics and know all the major players, hidden allegiances, and if they have skeletons in their closet?" Harry knew he couldn't be blunt with his true thoughts here. Instead, he riposted their guilt trip by pointing out their lack of qualifications.

"No, but there is a lot more than just money and politics, Harry. You need good role models and people that will guide you in a good direction, especially with You-Know-Who still out there." Remus calmly responded.

"There is," Harry agreed, "and I've been coming here and talking to you guys, others too."

"You have…" Sirius started out, his voice betraying that he didn't completely agree with what he was saying, "but we don't know much of what's been going on with you."

Harry arched his eyebrow, not in challenge that the statement was patently incorrect, more so he could get a response on what they knew about, or, perhaps, more accurately, what Dumbledore knew about.

"We don't know who your tutor is, we've heard you are engaging in marriage contract negotiations with the Delacours, possibly the Pavlov family, you've been doing rituals, you've got something going on with the ministry and who knows what else?" Sirius threw his hands up in frustration.

Harry remained calm and worked through the list in his head before he responded at all. "I don't discuss the identity of my tutor without an Unbreakable Vow. That's just non-negotiable." He didn't care if anyone didn't like it, that secret was never getting out. He already saw what just being outed as a Parseltongue had caused for his public perception.

"I can't comment on any kind of contract negotiations, you should know there are always non-disclosure agreements in them. I can only comment again, if you have an Unbreakable Vow to not share my secrets without my permission, that's an example of one such clause that would allow me to discuss it with others in a standard agreement for marriage negotiations."

Harry expected they'd be able to pick up what he was saying between the lines. If they were smart they'd see this as his admittance he's involved in some kind of marriage contract negotiations.

"As for the ministry, I've really got nothing going on. I've played a part in getting an incompetent minister ousted but there's nothing else there."

"Harry, people don't just make Unbreakable Vows, we've been over this." Remus said, vehement at the very idea of it.

Harry shrugged. "I'm offering the opportunity to join in, but the vow is non negotiable." He used his free hand to pull out a scrap of parchment that had a copy of the vow. It was similar to what Cyrus and Horace had sworn but Ackerly had improved upon it.

"This is rather restrictive. Loyalty and keeping secrets, voluntarily and involuntarily?" Remus frowned and spoke with disapproval.

"This is really necessary?" Sirius asked, he didn't like it either but he wasn't immediately rejecting it either.

"I wouldn't ask for it if it wasn't." Was his simple reply. It wasn't on him now. It was their choice now.

"Not even during the war was this required…" Remus brought up softly. "Dumbledore didn't use it versus Grindelwald nor against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

Harry rolled his eyes, they'd been over this ad nauseum. "I don't bloody well care what fucking Dumbledore did," Harry snapped, sneering the name, "I'm not losing anyone in my group to despicable traitors like Pettigrew."

Nothing was said in immediate response to Harry's words. Neither man was pleased and bringing up the issue that Harry was never going to budge on wasn't helping things. In the end, Harry decided to try a guilt tactic of his own, see if he could break the stalemate in their positions, he doubted it would be effective, but maybe it would be, for Sirius at the very least.

"Patrice, Apolline and Fleur Delacour, allies of House Potter, all had no problem with it. They obviously trusted that my asking for an Unbreakable Vow was necessary." Harry was quiet as he thought about adding one final shot at Sirius, a final enticement that might bring him to Harry's side. He wanted to say it, he wanted to bring it up but he couldn't let the knowledge become public, he couldn't risk Remus telling Dumbledore and then Dumbledore making inquiries, no matter how discreet he may be.

Harry wasn't happy to use Regulus Black as a bargaining chip here, that he would swear and understand the importance, that he'd be more than willing, an advocate even, of the vow to protect the information. He gave his life to steal just one of Voldemort' horcruxes afterall. If he got Sirius on his own he could bring it up.

"None of them had to get involved. But, they wanted to, they are putting their family in the line of fire just to support mine, me." Let them feel the full effects of a guilt trip. If they were going to use that kind of garbage on him then he'd hit them right back in the feels.

He almost smirked when he saw Remus and Sirius shift uncomfortably in their seats, their eyes meeting and neither immediately having a good answer to that. Harry watched the two of them, scrutinizing for anything he could glean.

"It's just backwards, Harry. It's frustrating," Sirius spoke up again after his eye conversation was done with Remus. "We are supposed to be protecting you, guiding you and not be swearing to keep your secrets, not swearing allegiance to you. It just feels wrong."

Harry could see the emotion in Sirius' eyes. "I've given you guys the option. Take it or don't. You know the terms." Harry summoned the piece of parchment back to him and quickly lit it on fire. Sadly it wasn't dragon fire, the type of fire he'd been working on being able to conjure on his own without success.

He expected they wouldn't join, he hoped Sirius would but he actually wondered just how with it Sirius was. He spent a decade in Azkaban and didn't appear to be a well adjusted adult. Harry thought his mind was affected far more than his malnourished and thin body.

'Talk it over with Dumbledore, see if he'll let you.' He wanted to say it, Harry wanted to bait them. He was sour over them siding with the same leader that failed in the last war. The same one that left Sirius to rot and did nothing for werewolf rights. Given his age, Harry could understand it, to some degree, and this led to it being disappointment, not anger, that his father's friends weren't fully on board with his plans.

But a scathing remark like that wouldn't be productive. At some point things may well get ugly between them but he didn't need to be the cause of that, not now at least.

"Anything interesting we can talk about?" Sirius asked, and the sudden change in his demeanor, to mischievous humor, wasn't going to bode well for him, Harry thought. "Any girls on the go? A French flower, or the lovely Minister's niece, Bones women were always so shapely?" He squeezed the air in front of his chest while wiggling his eyebrows. Harry's eyebrows shot toward his hairline in surprise, not expecting Sirius to be commenting on physical attributes of his yearmates.

"I thought he would go for a quidditch girl," Remus began, quickly picking up after Sirius, "Katie Bell is just a year older and quite comely." He teased the youngest man in the room, though Harry thought it was a rather clumsy attempt.

"Comely? Really? You go with that?" Harry questioned the word choice. "Not fit brunette with a shapely arse?"

Sirius guffawed and then immediately began laughing, looking at his choked up and red faced friend, the massive unprentant grin on Harry's face didn't help matters.

"I was her professor!" Remus squaked indignantly, his wand blurring into his hands and a stinging hex hitting Sirius with a stinging hex while the man was too busy laughing to have seen it coming.

"Ow!" Sirius exclaimed, rubbing the spot he was hit, his dominant hand grabbing his wand and spells flew from it.

Harry couldn't help but laugh as he watched the two men break out into a miniature spell battle, their wands whizzing and whirling, prank spells, shields and hilarity ensuing.

"Children," Harry called out, "children, children! You know the rules! No spell fighting in the house! Shame! Shame on you!" Harry's wand slid into his hand even as both of his were on his hips and he was glaring at the two men, as if he was the parent and they the unruly teenage marauders they once were.

Without even glancing at each other they two of them began to fire spells at him in perfect synchronicity. Harry grinned, he was ready for this and leaped into action. His sudden springing to the left made both of the initial spells miss, the following two as well.

His wand had been busy and two spells had already left it, targeting a marauder with each slash, neither spell meant to actually incapacitate them. This was something he'd been working on with Flitwick, each motion of the wand was deceptive, he'd used two larger flashier spells, designed to attract their focus. The obvious spell on the downward jab and the upward slash slid in a silent transfiguration, mixing his spell selection and attack pattern, befuddling his opponents.

Harry neatly shielded two spells, dodged one with a half turn of his body and swatted another that Remus tried to tag him with when he dodged out of the first one. Harry's face split into a grin, this was over. The bottom of the couch shot out and swept the feet of both marauders and the couch suddenly opened up, the cushions shooting upward, opening a space for the two to be swallowed by the couch.

Harry laughed loudly but knew both men wouldn't be kept in there overlong. He didn't feel like getting into a prolonged duel of any sorts, they'd underestimated him, not knowing of his massively increased skill with spellcasting. With a silent command he called upon his trump card. Cuddles let her warm perch and flew to his outstretched hand.

He almost felt bad, using Cuddles was kind of cheating but he wasn't going to turn down an automatic win right now. He channelled magic into his familiar and allowed her to be the size of a pony, her gaping maw ready to terrify, or charcoal, them.

Harry felt the magic of the couch shift, no longer under his control and the two men were ejected from the couch, tumbling in a heap almost right into Cuddles' jaw.

"We done?" Harry asked, challenging them when Cuddles warm breath was puffing across their faces.

"You can't just use the bloody dragon everytime you want to win against us!" Sirius whined petulantly, he was beginning to climb back to his feet.

Harry flicked his wrist and his wand was stowed away, he sat down before responding to his godfather's complaint. "Well, when you get your own dragon we can talk about it, until then, all is fair in love and war."

" Love and war?" Sirius questioned, mischief flashing in his eyes, "Just the topic you've avoided. So, Harry," he leaned forward, salacious with his inquiry, "We know you've spent time with Fleur, Natalia and confirmed rumors reached us that you've spent much of your Hogwarts appearances in the company of the three chasers on your house team and with three yearmates in Hufflepuff. So, spill."

"Getting reports about me?" Harry questioned, scowling at the two men.

"Of course! You never tell us anything and we do want to know what you are up to, you attract trouble worse than we ever did!" Sirius retorted, and even though there was a seriousness to his inquiry, it was also facetious and sarcastic.

Not seeing the issue with talking about it, he didn't mind getting somewhat of an opinion on his traction with more than one girl at a time. "Fleur and I get along really well and our relationship deepened really quickly, probably the fault of the task where we almost died together." Harry said, his face pensive as he thought about that in more detail.

"You've gotten somewhere with her?" The hopeful tone was palpable and Harry didn't miss Remus' look of approval, of the three girls, no doubt the preferred choice would be Fleur, heiress of a Light sided family.

Harry shrugged, not wanting to give away how physical things had gotten. "Yeah, we just seem to click, and she helped me with some research and such. I really like her family and we just get along." He tried to feign nonchalance but Sirius wasn't having it.

"Moony, I know that face." He said, critically eyeing Harry. "That's not just a snogging face"

"James had that same look, when he was past first base, that faux innocent look with the slightest hint of a fond grin that he couldn't quite keep from showing through, no matter how hard he tried to deny it. You know the one I'm talking about, yeah?" Remus was smiling and lightly elbowed Sirius when he questioned if he agreed.

Sirius hummed in agreement, "But you saw the tug on the corners of his mouth that he couldn't pull down? I remember that…" Sirius gazed off in fond remembrance, "Prongs only had that after he and Lils were rather…" He tapped his chin with his finger in an exaggerated manner as he deliberately took time to come up with the right word, "… frisky ." Sirius had finally decided and waggled his eyebrows as he'd said it. "The first time I ever saw something like that was…"

Sirius trailed off and Remus picked up his train of thought, "You mean when he bolted out of the broom closet, racing to get away from McGonagall, and left her even though they were on first base?" Remus arched his eyebrow, seeking clarification from his friend?

"What? Who's on first?" Harry asked, perplexed by what they were talking about.

"No, I think it was second base, I mean, he couldn't stop staring the next day, didn't wash his hands for a couple days too." Sirius smiled, with his head tilted to the right, his hand rubbing his chin in thought.

"What's on second?" Harry questioned, starting to get annoyed at not understanding what is going on and why second base would require his dad to not wash your hands for a couple days.

"Didn't he get to third with her?" Remus asked, his eyes squinting as he struggled to recall something from his past.

"No…" Sirius disagreed slowly, "you're thinking of Becky," he trailed off vocally but was making obscene gestures with his hands.

"Oh Merlin, who's on first, what's on second and I don't care on third, I don't want to hear anything more about my dad and his dating life, before, or with mum!" Harry said, half outraged and half disgusted by what the two men were casually discussing in front of him.

"Right!" Sirius clapped his hands together, "We should be talking about your dating life, not Prongs'," he stated gleefully, rubbing his hands together, a manic look in his eye.

"If you two can be serious for a second I will tell you about it." He almost groaned audibly when he saw Sirius' mouth opening. Thankfully, Remus knew what terrible joke was coming and elbowed him before the words could escape his lips.

"No." Harry commanded, as if he was a domineering alpha talking to a pet.

Sirius pouted and let out a whine. "Fine." He groused, his arms folding across his chest, his bottom lip still protruded.

"Well, to be blunt, I'm kind of dating Fleur and Natalia, Daphne seems interested too."

Sirius had smiled at the first one, a large grin, his eyes had widened at the second name and they damn near popped out of his head when Harry mentioned the third. "Th- th- three… at once…?" Sirius was in awe of his godson.

Remus, on the other hand, was far less approving, "Do they know you are with the other girls as well?" He asked, a little of his disdain leaking into his question.

"Yes.. mostly." Harry added the last qualifier. He and Fleur had never talked directly that he wasn't seeing or talking to Natalia anymore, in fact they hadn't defined anything at all that way. They both felt strongly for each other and had kind of just gone along with that.

"Mostly?" Remus questioned with disapproval. "That doesn't sound very sure." He commented, awaiting Harry to explain

Harry shrugged. "It's complicated and I can't actually explain everything to you two."

"You're in marital negotiations with more than one family?" Remus asked, trying to get some kind of information.

"No… not really." He admitted in reply.

"I can fulfill an outstanding contract with Daphne, if I so choose," Harry assumed Sirius was aware, as the former heir to the Black family, "and I had declined the original contract the Pavlov family had offered."

"So you are getting physical with Fleur, still seeing Natalia and thinking about Daphne?" Remus summarized.

Harry gave a curt nod.

"Wow! Even I never got more than two at once! Fourteen and three at once…" He whistled in appreciation, lauding it as quite the accomplishment. "And here we were, all worried you'd need the Marauders' Guide to women." He shook his head, a large grin splitting his face, "Lils might kill you but Prongs would be an insufferable braggart over his son, the ladies man."

"Are you sure it's a good avenue to pursue?" Remus said, ignoring the jubilant man beside him.

"Not particularly, no." Harry admitted honestly while he went back to petting Cuddles who had decided to sink into his lap, after being shrunken down.

"Then why do it?" Remus followed up, right away, sounding perplexed.

"Don't say it was Sluggy's idea." Sirius threw in before Harry could get around to formulating a reply.

"No," Harry laughed, "he recommended five, not three."

"Five!" Sirius exclaimed. Harry wasn't sure if he was horrified, or envious of the idea.

Remus was far more calm and more interested in the logical, as his question revolved around it, "Why so many? To replenish the family numbers as quickly as possible and build a political power bloc?"

"Sure, that was the thinking." It was a plan Harry had refused to go down, at least for now. It wouldn't be secret if he started announcing betrothals and he doubted even the negotiations would be quiet, if they came to fruition.

"Are you starting with three then?"

"Who knows what the future holds," Harry shrugged, "I thought I was going to be watching a tournament this year and attending Hogwarts." It was becoming quite fun to not fully answer questions, he could see the short answers were annoying Remus. Harry didn't want to explain his actual plan, he wanted to keep Dumbledore away from it.

"Threesome," Sirius said, pointing out his middle finger, "foursome," he moved onto his ring finger, "fivesome?… Quadsome quintisome?… No, that doesn't sound right. Foursome then orgy?" He seemed to shake himself out of his mutterings and he looked to Remus.

"Does five girls become an orgy? Or do you just call it a harem?" He frowned in question, not having paid attention to what was being said.

"It'd be an orgy if there are three or more women having sex with him at the same time, a harem when he's married to three or more women." Remus answered in a way that was highly reminiscent of him responding to questions when he was a DADA professor.

Harry started cackling, the deadpanned response from Remus was too much for him. His cackling quickly gave away to full blown belly laughter. If he kept it up for too long he'd be wiping tears from his eyes.

Remus coughed, while Harry was laughing, and Sirius was being sheepish.

"What? You dream about two, maybe three, girls at once. What bloke thinks he might be with more than three at once? Prongs and I joked about two and three, but four and five? Nope, no way."

Sirius' comment didn't help Harry at all, it intensified his fit of laughter.

"What, it's true," he said to Remus, who was facepalming and muttering unintelligibly into his hand.

Harry just threw his head back and laughed more, how things degraded to this, he wouldn't be able to figure it out at all.

It was great hanging out with Sirius and Remus, they were always good for a laugh, but in the back of his head he knew what their failure to swear the Unbreakable Vow meant. He was putting together a council and they weren't willing to do what was necessary to join in. He could love them like crazy uncles but he couldn't wait around forever. Things were happening and he couldn't keep waiting on them. If they were willing later, Harry could consider it then. For now though, it was time to move on without them, he'd given them multiple opportunities and they hadn't taken them.

Harry would enjoy the time he spent with them, and how could he not with how egregiously entertaining they were, but he could no longer stall his plans, hoping they'd join him.

"I'd like a favor from you." Harry said after shutting the runes text he had been working through in the Chamber.

"A favor? From little ol' me?" Daphne asked, a teasing lilt to her voice, as she looked up from the book she was reading, another ritual book.

"Yes. One that will be a good bit of work and something I can't do without drawing attention right now." Harry said. If he didn't have her attention before he sure had it now.

"And what do I get for doing this 'good bit of work' for you, hmm?" She raised her delicate eyebrow, though Harry could see there was some humor in her eyes as well, even with her crossing her sculpted legs. Damn his eyes for following them, she was totally doing this on purpose, dressed in a skirt with smooth bare legs today. He didn't want to think about how it was hiked up a bit while she was sitting in the chair.

Harry tore his eyes away before responding, "What would you want?" He questioned, hoping she wouldn't ask for something he wasn't willing to give.

"Let's hear the task first." She said, either buying time to rack her brain for something or to find out how much leverage she was working with. Harry assumed it was the latter.

"You may wish to do it for its own reward." Harry told her. If someone asked him to do this he'd do it without recompense.

"Oh?" She questioned, her eyes narrowing and he could tell her full attention was on him, she was highly intrigued now.

"The Chamber of Secrets is a place Salazar Slytherin built. I've read Salazar's writings and he references an impressive 'runic room' that Rowena Ravenclaw had done…" Harry could see Daphne nod along to that, so she was obviously somewhat aware. "I checked in the library and the room isn't really mentioned anywhere."

"It's not. The room was used while she was alive. The records tell us that after her daughter died and her diadem was stolen from it she hid the room, not allowing free access to it any longer."

"I see…" Harry said quietly. This might be a whole lot more challenging than he'd thought. Nevertheless, he wanted to give it a shot.

"I'd like you to find it." Harry told her, completely serious.

Daphne gave an exaggerated nod. "Oh sure. I'll just go right up out of here and find it within the hour. It's not like there has been countless hours spent searching for it over the centuries since." She responded, her voice drenched in sarcasm. "Were you going to give me one hour or two, milord?"

Harry dropped his head into his hand. This was really important. He could spend hours under his cloak trying to look but he was already overloaded. He'd considered asking Fleur but she was a foreign student and her searching for it would draw attention. Daphne was the only student in his close knit group now, she could search in a far less circumspect manner than anyone else.

"Did you want me to bring back her long lost diadem while I'm at it?" She asked with scathing sarcasm.

Harry threw up his hands and let some of his annoyance come through in his tone, "Look, I think Riddle could have found it and he might have hidden something really important there." Harry didn't think that Voldemort could actually get back into the Chamber if he tried. He wasn't certain of that but it was an educated guess. If Voldemort could have gotten in himself why wouldn't he have used the Basilisk to aid him to kill Dumbledore.

A snake that would kill with a glare, one that Dumbledore would have no knowledge of, would be beyond deadly. Dumbledore would come prepared for a duel with Riddle and die before he knew what happened, unless he fluked out and glimpsed a part of the snake, recognized it and then got away from it.

Honestly, he could have gotten Dumbledore to capitulate just by threatening to set the snake onto the students. He doubted the mad man would care if he killed the children of his followers, a monster like him would probably comment that they could always replace them.

It was the lack of utilizing the basilisk, or even just the Chamber as a resource, that led him to this belief. His horcrux was able to bring Ginny down but she couldn't get past the blood lock on the entry into Salazar's private domain, just the parseltongue locked entrance and doors.

Harry still wasn't certain how the Chamber operated as it did but he spent an awful amount of time dwelling on it. He even brought in Natalia partly to see how she would react. He didn't let her see that it was Hogwarts but she would be able to figure it out. It's not like the halls were perfectly silent, not the entire way into the chamber. Even once she was inside, there might be enough clues to put it together.

Harry wanted additional data points to consider and trusted that the Chamber would be able to protect its secret, it had done so for centuries.

"Look, I don't expect this will be easy, nor that it is even something you might be able to accomplish. I'll help when I can but I don't attend Hogwarts. It's not like I can search for it by myself so easily." Harry told her, his earlier annoyance gone but some frustration leaked out into his words, not at Daphne but about the situation in general.

"I'll search." Daphne said, her eyes meeting his, "I'll do my best but I want something for my time, even if it is a fruitless time."

Harry didn't respond, he'd let Daphne tell him what she wanted before he commented. He gestured with his hand for her to go on.

"I want to see you perform your rituals." She told him, some steel in her voice.

Huh, that wasn't what Harry would have guessed. He thought it might be more towards her angling for him to agree to the contract. Harry took a minute to think it over, his face not betraying any emotion as he considered the request.

He didn't have too many left and Harry wasn't sure if she would be able to view them, maybe the chamber wouldn't even let her…

"Alright… I can agree to that with some of my own terms," he replied after he'd come to a conclusion on her request.

"And they are?" She asked, not overly pleased with him countering but still giving her companion a chance to name them before she reacted fully.

"First of all I can't guarantee you'll be able to," Harry told her.

"Why not?" She grit out, annoyed with his response.

"Look, this place has a mind of its own. Your access to the books is rather limited and I can't guarantee it won't do something to block it." Harry explained his first term, thinking it was reasonable. He didn't want to agree and then admit he thought it may occur if she was prevented from seeing them, it felt like bargaining in bad faith.

It was Daphne that gestured for him to continue this time.

"Secondly, another vow that is more explicit to you not using anything of what you see to be communicated, reproduced, or recorded in any manner."

Daphne rolled her eyes. "I've already sworn that for the Chamber."

"Then swearing it again shouldn't be an issue." Harry replied with false cheer, he didn't think it was necessary but why not do it again, he'd make the wording specific to rituals, with Ackerly drawing it up.

"Fine." She agreed with his logic but didn't look pleased as she crossed her arms over her chest as her one leg lifted off the other.

"Third, you can't interfere in anyway." He quickly continued before Daphne could say anything, "Yes, yes, I know you know better than to mess with rituals, but I still want it a term you agree to."

Daphne huffed, "As if I'd dare." She said with childish indignity.

"Glad we agree then." Harry told her. "I'll have the vow ready before the next ritual."

She nodded, Daphne was already aware he was completing rituals on the 3rd and 7th days of the week. She spent as much time down here as their schedules and Harry allowed.

"Any ideas on where to start or any clues you can give me?" Daphne asked, a hopeful undertone in her voice.

Harry pursed his lips as he considered telling her about the Marauder's Map. He let out a heavy breath, it was obvious he should.

"Dobby" He called out and his elf appeared with a loud pop. "Can you get the map for me, please?"

Dobby didn't respond, he vanished and reappeared after just a moment with the map in hand. He quickly disappeared afterwards. Harry was glad he was busy assisting Kreacher so he didn't respond and break out in reverence for Harry.

"I'll let you use this when you are here with me. I use it and won't let you take it out of here without permission." Harry laid out his terms in a stern manner.

Daphne stood and made her way over to him, daintily balancing herself on the armrest of his char as she looked over his shoulder at the blank parchment in front of him.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good." Harry spoke the password. "This is an heirloom, one of the few possessions of my father's that have been left to me. Handle it with care."

Daphne gasped when the map came to life and showed all the castle inhabitants. "This is real and accurate?" She asked breathlessly.

"Yes."

"May I?" She asked, her hand reaching toward the edge of the map. Harry pushed the map toward her and let her take hold of it. Her eyes roamed across the map, back and forth as she studied it. "This… this is amazing."

"I know." Harry replied simply. "I've not found any evidence of it on the map. I've studied it and can't find any clues. Maybe you can do better than I." He hoped she would.

"Stunner" Harry called out, dropping his right foot back a few inches, allowing his hip to follow his foot, and resulting in the spell narrowly missing his upper body.

As he half stepped back into a ready position, he felt another spell flying towards him. With his eyes still shut, he tried to predict its trajectory. It was coming for his head, just off his left ear, provided he bent his neck and pulled his head out of the way. "Leg locker." He called out the spell as it whizzed past his head.

He smirked as he felt two spells coming heading in two different directions, this was a more recent addition to his training with Flitwick. At first, they started with just trying to identify spells as a single exercise. A second exercise was dodging spells with a primary focus on economy of movement, the less he moved, the better. Over time he had grown into dodging spells with his eyes shut, learning to feel his surroundings. Flitwick had told him he shouldn't have to see a spell to dodge it. He needed to become attuned to magic around him, many traps were set up that were latent.

One of the first ways he'd demonstrated it was shooting water at him, having Harry dodge it, then as he went to land he'd charmed it into ice. The slippery surface made him slip, attempting to land on his feet, and he'd taken a hard tumble. The diminutive professor explained he should have been able to feel the build up of magic and counter it, by either neutralizing its effects or vanishing it entirely.

This had led to the next progression, dodging spells without sight. Harry had to concentrate on the magic coming at him and learn to dodge it by feeling alone. Once he had this mastered, it would be an incredible skill to have. Getting the drop on Harry Potter would no longer be possible. Learning this though… not so fun. Getting spells shot at you that you couldn't see meant he got hit a lot. Flitwick mostly used mild charms at first but now he was adding in things that were more costly.

Just after Harry had weaved around the two spells Flitwick called it off. "Good, good, Mister Potter." He praised, his joy in teaching was evident.

Harry smiled at the praise, he really felt he was learning quickly. The tutelage of Flitwick and McGonagall was doing wonders for his abilities with a wand. The hours he was sinking into their instruction were well spent. They sent him books from their personal collections for him to study and know. In many ways, this was like a condensed mastery program. Instead of spending horrendous amounts of time researching and writing papers, he was just learning and doing. It felt like he was auditing the course, getting as much out of it as he put into it, and Harry was doing everything asked of him and more.

"I'd like to show you the final progression on the skill I am teaching you," the professor said, drawing his wand and holding it in front of his body. The two of them were about fifteen feet away from each other now and Harry couldn't help the excitement and curiosity bubbling within him at hearing that.

"Do you need me to do something, sir?" Harry found the dichotomy of the lessons from his two former professors to be interesting. McGonagall had always been so proper and using her first name while working with her in his private instruction felt odd. Whereas the more laid back, in the classes he had attended previously, Flitwick had wanted to keep things on a professional level, he would have guessed the opposite.

"Fire spells at me, don't worry about the spell selection nor the speed at which you do so. In fact, it may be a better demonstration if you vary your selection and try and tag me as quickly as possible," he told him, though Harry didn't understand why that was a little bit funny, as the manner in which he explained what he wanted had some unhidden amusement.

Harry shrugged internally and prepared himself. "Ready, sir?"

"Go until I call for you to stop. Start anytime."

Harry nodded and decided he'd not go all out.

He began with his most trusty spell, the piercing hex. Aiming the first one just to the side of Flitwick, he didn't think it would hit, the man was a former duelling champion, but he didn't want to risk the first spell slipping through and him ending up killing a professor.

Harry watched as Flitwick pushed the tip of his wand toward the spell and when it came into contact with the wand Harry expected it would destroy the wand.

It didn't.

In fact Harry stopped casting as he was amazed at what happened to his spell. It was closing the distance on and just as it reached the professor it was gone. He'd heard about this but he'd never seen it. The casualness of the display was astounding.

"Tut tut. Just the one spell? Tired already?"

Harry heard his professors voice and he chuckled. The diminutive professor was playfully mocking him! Flitwick taunting him, squeaky voice and all!

"No, sir." He answered and decided holding back wasn't happening now.

Harry let his wand blur, he kept to his sole spell as he tried to use speed and precision to test the limits of his professor. The man was making it easy, he stood still and only moved his wand arm to position his wand to intercept and make his spells die off before reaching their target.

No matter how quickly Harry fired, each spell was being intercepted.

Well, if that was how it was going to be he'd up the ante again.

Harry let an inferno release from his wand, a stream of blazing heat left his wand and went on its way to burn his professor to a crisp. No dice, the fire was extinguished as it reached towards his professor.

Harry kept up his spellfire, mixing in all manners of charms, hexes and jinxes. He varied the spells leaving his wand, blasting curses, piercing hex, banishing charms. No matter what he tried nothing was getting through.

That wasn't going to do. He could see the grin on the smaller man's face mocking him. He was getting immense satisfaction from making Harry's attempts to maim and kill him futile.

Transfiguration was now entering into his spell repertoire. Conjuring small hard balls and banishing them. Transfiguring the desks and chairs on the that had been previously cleared to the outer walls into animals and various other things to attempt to catch his professor off guard.

Harry sent three successive blasting curses at the professor just as two of his attack dogs were reaching the professor. If this didn't make him dodge or sweat nothing in his spell selection would.

Harry watched as an almost colorless stream of magic shot out of his wand, intercepting the three blasing curses, nullifying them on contact, all of the magic dissipating harmlessly. One dog was already mid jump and with a single tap of his wand, on the dog's nose, it immediately returned to being a chair, the second one being tapped by the wand and returning it to the desk it had been before Harry had used magic on it.

"That's enough." Flitwick intoned, not that Harry had kept up. He could feel drips of sweat working their way down his face. He'd been physically active and now had just expended a great deal of magical energy in his attacks as well.

"That is what made me into a dueling champion. It is my personal style," the Head of House Ravenclaw told him.

"It's really impressive." Harry told him sincerely. He wished he could watch himself attack his instructor, it would have been amazing to see.

"Thanks. It is something I hope to begin to teach you but I do have to question one thing."

Harry narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what he would ask but was unable to come up with something.

"Your spell selection is what I took note of." Harry was informed, causing him to frown. He knew his range of spells wasn't as great as he'd like. He didn't have any real game changers that could overwhelm a group, nothing like he'd seen the way Grindelwald created a deadly storm or how Dumbledore animated massive monstrosities that were almost impregnable.

"I know it's nothing special, sir. I'm trying to improve and vary it but I've been focused on completing the curriculum for NEWTs at the moment." He dipped his chin towards his chest as he hung his head, Harry didn't like disappointing his tutors.

"That's not it at all," the charms professor explained, "no, not at all, Mister Potter." Harry wasn't sure what to make of that. His limited selection was all that he could think of.

"It's that your spells were all of a specific nature." That confused Harry even more. He'd used fire, he'd sent streams of water, he'd transfigured creatures and he didn't think he'd been too reliant on a single nature of spells.

"I wondered if you would notice, and it appears not." There was no disappointment or reproach in his tone, which allayed Harry's worries to a little.

"Your spells are all of a lethal nature. If any of them had connected the would have had a strong possibility of death without immediate medical attention." Flitwick chuckled as the pupil pinked in his cheeks. "Not to worry though, I did tell you to throw everything you had at me." He kept his tone lighthearted and good natured.

"Sorry sir, I didn't mean to do that."

"Again, it's not a problem, more a curiosity. It tells me that whomever has been tutoring you is preparing you more for fighting, not duelling."

At first Harry was worried what the professor might glean but really it should have been obvious. His go-to spell was meant for dispatching his opponents, putting them down hard and fast. Salazar wasn't a proponent of playing with your foe or dragging things on, let others showboat and if they attempt to do it to you take advantage of their tactical misstep.

"Your improvement has been nothing short of astounding, I've spoken with Professor McGonagall and she is of the same opinion." Flitwick closed the distance and conjured two chairs that were facing each other. "I had expected you would require years of training before you could enter the circuit but you may be ready before the year is over."

Harry blinked and ran his hand through his hair. "The duelling circuit?" Harry understood that there was a duelling circuit but it had mostly been an abstract thing.

"Yes, though your spell selection would be entirely inappropriate. Duels are won by incapacitation, not death and critical injury." Flitwick said, with somewhat of a sigh. "Are you interested in competing in the circuit?"

"Perhaps, I'm really enjoying our lessons and the skills I've gained have more value than just duelling." Harry understated, really, just learning to sense the magic around him and to be able to dodge just by it was unbelievable. He was beginning to feel what Flitwick talked about as the duelling skills would transfer over to other areas, this would help him beyond just battle situations too. Just this morning, he was able to feel the runic clusters he powered up and get a sense that he was doing things correct, just because it felt correct.

"I didn't think you'd be able to neutralize spells, if I'm being honest. You're remarkably advanced, impossibly so, when it comes to sensing magic. Though I still do not expect you'd be able to be a successor to myself, I believe I can teach you to utilize parts of my style, a hybrid version to compliment your own natural talents." Harry understood this was a rather serious offer. Just using the word successor was more than ample evidence.

"What would that involve?" Harry asked carefully, buying time to consider the ramifications of what he'd just been asked as well as trying to ensure he understood the whole picture here.

"We'd accelerate your training. I'm aware you already do exercises, however, I'd need to monopolize more of your time. Four hours at minimum, six would be preferable, eight or more if you can swing it."

Harry dropped his head back, letting his eyes stare up at the roof. He took a couple deep breaths and considered it, really considered it. Entering the duelling circuit, after the tournament would give him something to do next year. He was going to be done Hogwarts' NEWT curriculum.

"This would begin after the tournament?" He questioned, being careful to not give away anything as of yet.

"It would." Flitwick gave a curt reply.

Harry nodded, "Do I have some time to consider this?"

"You do." The short reply left it unsaid that he did not have long to reply with a positive answer. Harry was willing to bet this entire teaching method was geared more towards testing if he was going to be the first possible student of the former duelling champion or whether he wouldn't make this offer.

"What kind of style would you think it would mesh well with for me?" Harry asked, changing subjects by circling back to the earlier point of adding it into wherever his natural talent laid.

"I'm not certain as of yet. We haven't explored the depths of your abilities enough for me to know for certain, not after your rapid growth."

"Did you think you had me pegged before this year?" Harry asked, the way he had avoided answering led Harry to believe this was the case.

"Not for sure, no." Flitwick said, rubbing his forefinger and thumb together in a slow deliberate motion. "I would have leaned towards power but it was too early to say if it would be viable against top tier talents, teenagers don't have their full magical capacity yet."

Harry quirked his head, "You don't think I'd be capable of using a power style?" From what he comprehended of the rituals, he should be swimming in magical capacity now.

Flitwick chuckled. "Capable, yes… but is it making the best of your innate talents? That I cannot be sure of quite yet, Mister Potter."

"Would Dumbledore be considered a transfiguration and Grindelwald charms for their primary styles?" Harry asked, edging forward in his seat in anticipation.

"Yes, as the overall branch of magic they preferred. Both generally used their specialty. Albus was known for animating defensive behemoths that would shield and tank every attack his opponents would throw at them. While they concentrated on the colossal constructs, he would disable the combatant. That was the gist of his standard strategy," the words were delivered flatly, Harry assumed this was business as usual when breaking down opponents strategies in duelling.

Unaware of Harry's musings, Flitwick went on to explain Grindelwald. "Charms is a highly diverse branch of magic, as we well know." He chuckled lightly, as if it was somewhat humorous, and then continued his explanation, "Gellert Grindelwald's strategies were far more complex. He'd overpower opponents, he'd turn their own magic and strategies against them. He'd often humiliate or take down his opponent in such a fashion that he'd be proving he was not only more skilled with a wand but that his mind and tactics were superior as well."

He paused and frowned before adding another thought, "He wasn't satisfied with just winning, Grindelwald wanted to make it clear he was superior in every way, that he was beyond them. The duelling circuit is where he grew his legend and many feel it was the basis for his belief that he could conquer Magical Europe."

Harry could see how that would feed an ego. Being such a young champion and decimating your opponents in such a way that there was no doubt to your superiority. He could already see how Grindelwald and Voldemort would have gotten on. Riddle would spew out his line of power being all that matters and Grindelwald would agree. It would eventually lead to a blow out between the two of them, as neither of them would truly acknowledge that they are equals and, thus, would then battle for supremacy.

"Were there other people that utilized a power style, and what are the positive and negative aspects of the style?" Harry asked with unbridled curiosity jumping out of his words.

Flitwick chuckled, aging, this time at his enthusiasm. "The most glaring weakness of the style is that if you run into anyone that can match, or surpass, your power then you face a battle on skill and tactics, normally where those using the power style lack proficiency. Secondly, if the opposing duelist can defend themselves, expending less energy to do so, they can outlast them as nobody can blast magic intensive spells forever."

That was certainly true. Was power a shortcut for skill then? The derision in his tone suggested it was but it was slight, or maybe he was reading more into it than was there.

"The strengths of the style are really twofold. Overpowering opponents is normally fast. The person is either able to stand up to the barrage of power or they are not. Near the end of tournaments, where you only have the best left, that doesn't always hold true however," Flitwick's eyes went up and to the left, his chin mildly following the motion, as he gazed off in thought.

After a moment of silence, where the professor hadn't continued on to the second point, Harry spoke up, bringing his focus back to the conversation. "And the second benefit of the style, sir?"

"Right, yes." He said, blinking rapidly and getting a hold of himself, "Yes, the, benefit, and the reason many choose this path, is that power can overwhelm skill."

"How so?" Harry asked right away, even though he had an idea of how, Harry wanted to hear what the professor thought.

"After, or another time, if not tonight." The half goblin responded laughing softly as Harry's face didn't hide the disappointment he felt. "I thought you might want to hear about the most recent embodiment of the style, and whom it was that exemplified the epitome of the power style." Flitwick added with amusement, fully capturing Harry's attention and simultaneously washing away any displeasure he had for the delay.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you guessed the person, he used his power abominably and most do not dare to speak his name, even to this day," though he had started out in a playful tone, Flitwick ended speaking with disgust.

Harry flinched when he put two and two together. "I see…" he bit out. It wasn't the topic that brought this reaction. It was another comparison between him and Riddle. The person who was the epitome of the style Flitwick had expected him to be was the villain Harry despised greatly, above all others. Harry could feel the churning in his stomach, the contempt for himself welling up within him.

"Most don't like hearing about the greatness of a man that destroyed so much, so many lives." Flitwick said softly, after a time, his voice delicate as he knew he'd hit on a sensitive subject.

Harry just nodded slowly, not wanting to correct the man on what was bothering him so greatly.

"You-Know-Who was a terrifying foe. He could shield your best spells, your most powerful attacks, shrugging them off like that were nothing. A simple flick of his wand and the front of your home was a gaping hole." He paused, swallowed, and shut his eyes for two full seconds before he took another breath.

"Just imagine it. The monster you've heard about, one that had been responsible for wiping out whole family lines that had been around for centuries, he rips down your wards, the ones you spent piles of gold to have erected, to prevent exactly this, and you try and run, you try and gather up whatever, whoever, you can and leave. Only, you can't. There are wards, wards you can't break, preventing it."

Harry could well imagine the terror, the helplessness of the situation. He'd heard it, he'd seen it. James yelling at Lily to run, ' Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off -' . It hadn't been 'go, just in case I can't defeat him'. The thought never entered James Potter's head, it was always going to be futile.**

Harry's eyes were shut tight, he could hear it, the laughing. Riddle actually laughed, laughed at James Potter's, a man who had been Head Boy as well, attempt to stall him. Though he didn't see the green flash of the killing curse that took his father's life, he heard it, ' Avada Kedavra!'

"You know you can't get away. You know the only chance is to fight your way out. But how do you stand up to a monster? Do you brandish your wand and throw your best at him, knowing full well you're throwing a bucket of water at the tsunami that is just about to wipe away your family, your home, your history? Or do you cower, you try and hide away and hope, against all reason, that he'll not take your life, or that he may be more merciful because you accepted your fate was sealed?"

"That, that was power ." Flitwick said heavily with a low voice.

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was never in the circuits, his arsenal would have had him disqualified before the second spell. But there is no denying he would have blasted his way through the competition. Just like it was only Albus that could stand against him. It was only the most skilled wizard anyone alive had ever seen that could negate his power."

As horrifying as it was, it was equally impressive. Now that he thought about it, he realized nobody ever talked about how skilled he was. It was always how terrifying he was, how knowledgeable he was in the Dark Arts, never on the achievements nor advances within a magical field that he came up with.

"I told you I thought power could be your style because it's about harnessing it, not about precision. There is no doubt that you were always powerful amongst your peers. What was in doubt, was your technical skills and drive to explore the bounds of your own abilities. Albus Dumbledore wouldn't be who he is without countless hours of study. Your parents wouldn't have been the Head Boy and Head Girl with the level of effort you had shown before this year."

The words were cutting, harsh and entirely honest. Flitwick wasn't reprimanding him, nor was he showing disappointment, the charms professor was just telling it like it is.

"I know you are powerful, enough to make it a viable strategy for yourself. But, what I have seen, is that you can be more, more than just power." Flitwick's eyes didn't leave his, as brutally honest as his words had just been, these were equally so.