Chapter 34: Third Year

(September 1, 1993)

 (General POV)

 *Train Whistle Blowing!*

 Inside their usual train compartment that Rowena had already charmed to fit their whole group, everyone but Salazar was gathered together and talking about everything that had been going on over the summer. "Where is Salazar?" Harry asked curiously as he looked over to Godric, who somehow always seemed to know far more than he should.

"He's on the train, just in a different compartment. He said, and I'm quoting here, 'If you or anyone else tries to disturb me before we get to Hogwarts, I'm going to cut off your manhood and feed it to goats while forcing you to watch.' With that little bit of knowledge, none of you are permitted to leave the compartment until we get to school." Godric explained, looking a little pale as he remembered Salazar's threat.

'I wonder what's going on with him?' Godric wondered, somewhat tempted to go find Salazar so he could spy on him and get to the bottom of this. However, once he remembered how serious Salazar looked when he threatened him, Godric thought better of it.

 "Salazar is kind of an introvert, isn't he?" Susan said, getting a few nods of agreement from everyone else. "Though he likes spending time with all of us, sometimes he just wants some alone time." Helga said, brushing off Salazar not being here as just Salazar needing some time to not have to deal with people.

Over the summer, with their birthdays, Harry's birthday, and Neville's, they had been around the others more than they had any right too, especially because they had been planning a bank robbery between it all.

"I don't mean to change the subject, but what did you guys put in the forms the headmaster sent us?" Hermione asked when there was a mull in the conversation. "You mean about the ACD's? All positive notes. I did request the ability to block certain numbers, but nothing too extreme." Godric said. "I didn't think of that. I only asked to maybe change the design slightly so we could call them something else." Susan admitted.

"Really? What design and name were you thinking of?" Hannah asked, clearly interested in this. Looking a little embarrassed, Susan nervously looked around the room to everyone before she cleared her throat and spoke, "Well… I was thinking that maybe they could be changed to something similar to a compact mirror, then we could call them 'Magic Mirrors'."

 The compartment was a bit silent for a minute before the smiles broke out on everyone's faces. "I really love that idea!" Hannah said, praising Susan for coming up with something like that. "I like it because it would make the muggles not look at the devices for a second if they ever came across them by accident." Godric said, not minding the change at all.

"My mum and I didn't come up with any changes like that, but we did suggest adding something to them so only the owner could access them. One of my mum's coworkers found hers when she was looking for something in her office. Mum was a little worried after that and didn't take it to work, so I could only talk to her when she and dad got home." Hermione said, saying something that the others also hadn't thought of.

"I suggested maybe putting something on the ACDs to make so you could find them if you accidentally lost them. I kept misplacing mine." Neville sheepishly admitted. "Oh, Neville. I'll have to teach you the summoning charm. It's quite easy." Helga said with a smile and a shake of her head. Neville didn't bother arguing with her, but was actually looking forward to learning the new spell that was actually quite useful.

 "Godric, could you please help me with our transfiguration homework? I read the books McGonagall assigned to us, but I didn't understand most of it." Hannah pleaded to Godric, who only shrugged his shoulders in acceptance. Nothing in the homework had been terribly difficult, though it was a little useless if he was being honest.

'I get that we're practicing turning objects into animals and animals into objects to better accustom our minds to changing things, but turning a teapot into a tortoise seems stupid. There are easier and better ways to do this.' Godric thought internally, wondering if he should do up his own course outline for Transfiguration and give it to McGonagall.

"Me too!" Susan begged hopefully. "Um… I could also use some help." Sally admitted without looking anywhere near Godric. For how much she mocked him for goofing off, it was always embarrassing to ask him for any sort of help.

 "We'll make a study group and study up on anything we're falling behind on." Godric said, agreeing to the whole thing. "I can help anyone if they need some help with potions. I am still working out the pressures and densities, but you can still pick my brain if you need some advice." Helga said, not opposed to the idea of a study group. "A study group sounds brilliant! What do you think, Harry?!" Hermione said, sounding a little too excited about the current topic.

"I have most of this year's work done already. Gramps made both Sirius and I read every book from cover to cover for this year, then he got me to grow all of the plants in the backyard so I could make potions out of them. Then he had me transfigure items into animals every time I wanted to go somewhere. Still, I wouldn't mind the study group, so long as it's not during Quidditch practice." Harry said, agreeing to the suggestion even though it didn't sound like he needed any help.

 "So, how is it with Miss Winslow living with you? It's not weird is it?" Rowena asked, looking a bit too excited at the change in topic.

"Actually, she's Lady Black now, not Winslow. Her and Sirius got married last week, and Gramps officially made him the next head of the house, though that's in name only. He still runs everything. And it's not that weird. She's very kind, and actually offered to help me with some potions I made. She and Aunt Andromeda get along really well too, but according to Sirius, they get along too well. I don't know what he meant by it." Harry answered, looking somewhat confused himself at the end of his explanation.

"Was it a big wedding?" Helga asked curiously.

"Not really. There were maybe a dozen people. It was quite nice, really. The Headmaster was even there. He escorted Miss Winslow down the aisle, but it was weird when he reached the altar. He whispered something to Sirius that only he could hear and for almost a whole minute after Sirius looked sick. Other than that, everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves." Harry said, again confused at the events that were going on around him that he didn't understand.

Those in the compartment who did understand shuddered slightly, and all three of them wished Sirius all the luck they could.

 It was about that time when the door swung open and the old lady pushing the trolley of sweets asked if any of them were interested in purchasing anything. Godric hoped to buy all of the cinnamon candies again, but to his annoyance someone else had already beaten him to it. 'Damn it. It had to be Salazar!' He cursed internally, a bit annoyed that he didn't have the spicy sweets to use to get his way anymore.

 ---------

Elsewhere on the train, Salazar and Luna were sitting together in their own little compartment eating a large variety of sweets as they discussed all of the strange creatures they hoped to see in their lives.

"The one I really, really want to see is the Crumple-horned Snorkack. My dad has been looking for proof of its existence since long before I was born. I hope to one day find a picture of it too so I have proof of it." Luna said in a dreamy sort of way that seemed to make Salazar smile.

"I can't say that I've ever heard of a Crumple-horned Snorkack, but the name is unique enough that it sounds like it would be an interesting creature." Salazar said simply, causing Luna's lips to curve upwards into a wide heart-melting smile.

Every time she had ever brought up the Crumple-horned Snorkack then people had made fun of her and ridiculed her for wanting to see something that didn't exist, however Salazar never mocked her for anything. On the contrary, he seemed genuinely interested in seeing the unseeable for himself, which just went to show how amazing he was in her eyes. 

 "Can I ask you something, Salazar?" Luna asked with a small smile. "You can ask me anything." Salazar said, waiting patiently for whatever the little blonde girl was going to ask. "Why aren't you sitting with your friends? You always sit with them during meals, but you're not sitting with them now." Luna asked.

His smile faltered for only an instant before he replied, "You're my friend too, Luna. I wanted to see you again and hear about your summer. Besides, sometimes I need a break from Godric and the others." At his last comment, Luna's smile faltered and she frowned slightly while looking away from him.

"Oh." Was all she said, and Salazar mentally panicked because he thought he might have said something rude. "Is everything alright?" He asked her, hoping to get her smile back.

"Well… you see its- I was hoping you wouldn't mind if I sat with you and your friends…? But if you don't want to sit with them then that's alright too." Luna said, sounding a little sad. "Wouldn't you rather sit with your friends?" Salazar asked curiously.

 Based on how he got interrogated by Godric and the others whenever he went anywhere, he was sure Luna's friends would wonder why she wasn't sitting with them if she came and hung out in their group. "You're my only friend." Luna responded simply, and instantly Salazar's breath caught in his throat. He hadn't known that, even after having written to her most of the summer.

'Come to think of it, none of her stories have ever involved anyone else in them.' Salazar realized. "I would be honored if you would come sit with us. I'm certain the others will be thrilled to have you join us." Salazar finally said, and at once Luna's smile returned in full force as she began to talk about some of the things she wanted to learn this year.

Salazar meanwhile was only slightly paying attention due to thinking about Godric and the others meeting Luna. He wasn't sure how they would react, not because of her personality, but because of her appearance. Godric, Helga, and Rowena had all met Delia in their past lives, and he had no doubt they would see exactly what he saw when he looked at Luna.

'I don't care what they say.' Salazar concluded in his mind after a long internal debate. Luna already meant more to him than he expected, and he wasn't going to let anyone stand between her and him, not even Godric.

 -----------

 (Savrin POV) 

Savrin was sitting at his desk in his office while looking at the witch sitting across from him with a look that pretty much asked if the witch had half a brain.

"Let me see if I understand this. A third-year student wants to take every class, so your solution is to request a time altering device from the Ministry of Magic so she can repeatedly go back in time to attend classes? Never mind the dangers that come with messing with time, but you want to let a child who has never seen one of these devices simply have it? Minerva, am I overworking you or have you finally lost your mind?" Savrin asked his Deputy Headmistress, who looked taken aback at his words.

"I beg your pardon?" The witch asked aghast.

"I would not allow one of those cursed devices into these Hallowed halls, let alone give one to a student. The fact that you're even suggesting it concerns me." Savrin stated, not bothering to humor the witch on the matter any further.

"Now see here, Headmaster! Time Turners are perfectly safe if one follows the restrictions placed upon them by the Ministry! They are not cursed items!" McGonagall exclaimed, but Savrin was hearing none of it.

 "If you truly believe that, I pity you. Time-related magic is unstable, and serious breaches in the laws of time can result in catastrophic events that could very well see the end of a timeline. I've read about these devices, and though the fools at the Ministry believe you can travel safely back five hours without incurring time's wrath, that is untrue. You could travel back in time for one minute and the effects could be disastrous. To risk not only the child's life but the lives of everyone in the school and possibly the whole country just so a student can take extra classes is beyond stupid, and I'll hear no more of it." Savrin said, dismissing the woman who stood up from her chair with an indignant huff before she stormed out of the room.

 "You could have been a little nicer about that." Elysia said as she emerged from the wall behind him. "That was me being nice. Had I not been holding myself back, I would have killed her for even suggesting the idea to me." Savrin said, not the least bit interested in playing nice with his staff when they did something stupid.

"Please don't kill Minerva. She was only trying to help a student by suggesting the Time-Turner." Elysia said, but Savrin had already pushed the matter outside of his mind. On the contrary, he was already planning to come up with a way to get rid of all the Time-turners in the world, so no one would have the power to do something so monumentally stupid as messing with time.

He had seen first-hand the consequences of such an action, and in his mind it was better to let whatever horrid thing you were trying to erase happen a thousand times than try and go back in time. Time was fickle and had no mercy to those who tried to cheat it.

 --------

 (General POV)

 Upon arriving at Hogwarts, Godric left the others and headed towards the edge of the Black Lake where the giant squid was already waiting for him. Like usual he tossed out literal drums of shrimp for it to feed on, then spoke to it as if he were talking to any of his other friends, telling it stories of his summer.

He remained with the giant squid until there was only about ten or so minutes before the sorting ceremony, but just as he was about to leave he reached inside his bottomless bag and withdrew a large box. Opening it up, soft music began to play, at which point the squid seemed to freeze in place.

"It's enchanted to work under water. It's yours." Godric said to the large creature, who just continued to stare at the noise box. Grabbing one of it's tentacles, Godric showed it how to stop the music by closing the lid, then start it up by opening it back up again.

He had just turned his back to begin walking towards the school when he heard the music get muffled. Looking behind him, the box was gone, and so was the squid. 'At least he liked his present.' Godric thought with a smile.

 With little to no time at all left before the ceremony, Godric took off at a run towards the Great Hall. When he got to the large double doors, the group of first-years were already standing outside of it with McGonagall, and upon seeing him a scowl appeared on her face.

"Mr. Gryffindor! Do you have any idea what time it is?" She asked him, looking very displeased. "No idea, but I need to get in the Great Hall before I'm late. You can scold me later." Godric told the woman before he disappeared through the doors where upon entering he found every pair of eyes in the school on him.

He was about to go take his seat under the stares of his schoolmates, but then an idea came to him. Smiling slightly, he turned to the side so the door was to his right while the tables were to his left.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! It is my pleasure to welcome the new First-Years!" Godric shouted loudly for all to hear as he waved his wand at the door, then quickly pointed it towards the ceiling of the Great Hall.

 At the same time as the doors opened, revealing a perplexed McGonagall and some frightened little first-years, fireworks were going off above everyone's heads, only they weren't exploding and disappearing, but rather they were showing scenes of racing on brooms, transfiguring items into animals, brewing potions, unicorns running through the air, dragons breathing fire, and so much more.

The whole room was mesmerized at the scenes playing out above their heads, and it was only when the final explosion went off at the front of the room showing a large hat that everyone recognized as being the sorting hat, that everyone began applauding. Godric took his seat under those applause, and in that moment he couldn't stop the grin from appearing on his face.

 McGonagall marched up to the front of the room with the still awestruck children in tow, and when she passed Godric she shot him a look that promised words later, though the slight upward turn of her lips said that she wasn't all that angry. When she got to the front of the room, everyone quieted down as they waited for what came next. The sorting hat resting upon the stool suddenly came alive and began its song. 

 Welcome, welcome, one and all.

The show is about to start.

I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat,

and it's time to play my part,

You may call me worn and ragged,

if that's all you truly see.

But listen close and I will tell

where you are supposed to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

where the bravest often dwell.

Perhaps it's loyal Hufflepuff,

where your heart will truly swell.

Or could it be wise Ravenclaw,

whose language you speak best.

Yet again, perhaps it's Slytherin,

that will help you top the rest.

Go ahead and try me on.

There is nothing left to fear.

I will find right where you belong

by looking between your ears.

Godric was the first to rise to his feet and begin clapping, which in turn spurred others on to do the same at which point the hat did a slight bow, which only caused Godric to grin like a madman. 'I'm so proud!' He thought, hoping Lector knew how he felt about it. With that, the sorting got underway.

 It didn't take too long for the students to be sorted, at which point the stool and the hat were carried away. Before the Headmaster could stand up to give his speech, someone else who had been standing to the side of the room out of sight beat him to it. Beside Godric, Harry facepalmed which meant whatever was about to happen was worth listening to, at least that's what Godric thought.

"Hello, everyone! I am Lord Sirius Black, head of the Ancient and Noble house of Black, and board member of the Governors who run this school! My lovely wife, Elise, is your current Potions teacher. You would all do well not to do anything that would upset her or else you'll have to deal with me!" Sirius stated as he looked out over the hall of students.

 Behind the man, the woman in question he was warning everyone against had turned a bright shade of crimson, though whether that was out of anger or embarrassment, no one could say. At least not until she marched over and grabbed the man by the ear and dragged him out of the hall through the side door.

"How he landed someone like her is beyond me." Godric said, getting a nod of agreement from Harry.

 The room erupted into giggles when Sirius was hauled out of the room, but it quickly died down when Savrin stepped up to the podium. Godric wasn't sure if everyone else got the feeling of death hanging over them when Savrin was in front of them, but for him, it almost felt as if a noose was wrapping around his neck. Whatever the reason, the room was deathly silent as Savrin gave the usual spiel about the Forbidden Forest being off limits, the Quidditch trials being in two weeks, and so on and so forth.

 "And Finally." Savrin said as he cleared his throat. "Before I dismiss you for the evening, I suppose it's time to address the matter of the House Cup. To the first-years who have just arrived, please wait until you get to your house common rooms before you ask one of the older students about our point system and the rewards that follow." Savrin said, then suddenly the House Cup appeared in the air above the Headmaster, just like last year.

"For the remainder of the school-year, the House Cup will reside in the Ravenclaw common room to remind each and every Ravenclaw of their victory the previous year. It is my hope that each of you will fight hard to earn this cup, and the merits that go along with it."

What followed was Savrin explaining the merits just like he did the previous year, and Godric could feel the envy of his housemates towards the Ravenclaws. 'Lets hope we can win the damn thing this year.' He thought, not holding out a lot of hope for such a miracle to occur, though he could dream.

 "Excuse me, Headmaster." A voice spoke up, drawing Godric out of his musings. "Oh, right. My apologies, students, but before you go, Professor Berrycloth has something he would like to say." Savrin said as he stepped back towards the golden throne that was his chair.

"For the new students just arriving this year, I am the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Berrycloth. With the Headmaster's permission and with approval from the Board of Governors, this year Hogwarts will start its very own Dueling Division. I have proposed dueling games with other schools across the world, and I have received word that two schools have accepted. Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in France, and Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in America." Professor Berrycloth had to pause due to the loud chattering that erupted around the room.

The silence only returned once the Headmaster snapped his fingers together, at which point everyone lost the ability to speak, thus they turned their attention back to the man standing at the front of the room.

 "As I was saying, the two schools have agreed to participate in our little competition. Due to O.W.Ls and N.E.W.Ts for fifth and seventh years, the duels will consist of those from third, fourth, and sixth years. Seven people will be selected from each year for each team, giving a grand total of twenty-one students in total, and it does not matter which house you are from. This Saturday, if you have any interest in such a thing then please meet in the Great Hall after lunch for more details. Thank you." Professor Berrycloth finished.

It was only after Savrin dismissed everyone for the night that they were able to speak once more, and the shouting and squeals from everyone was almost deafening. Not bothering to head back to his house, Godric grabbed Harry by the arm and dragged him to where he had last seen Salazar.

When he finally found his usually brooding friend, Godric wasn't surprised to see Salazar with a grin on his face, most likely thinking the same things as him. "With you, me, and Harry that makes three." Salazar said quickly, letting Godric know that they were in fact thinking the same thing.

"If we can convince Rowena and Helga, that'll be five. I bet I can trick Neville into joining too." Godric said excitedly, already planning out the team. "Harry should be able to convince Hermione, that should do it." Salazar agreed. "Now hold on! I never agreed to any of this! With Quidditch and our new classes, I don't think I'll have the time!" Harry stated, but Godric and Salazar ignored him.

"Rowena probably won't take much convincing, so I'll convince Neville, you convince Helga." Godric said, bringing Salazar up short. "Nope! You convince Helga, I'll take Neville! He seems far more gullible." Salazar said, not the least bit interested in trying to convince the little blonde woman to join up, mostly because he didn't have a lot of faith that he could do it.

"Alright fine, but you need to convince Neville first. That way I can use him to get Helga on board." Godric agreed, and the two of them high-fived before they went their separate ways, leaving a thoroughly confused Harry to stand there alone. 

 -------

 The next morning as everyone gathered in the Great Hall for breakfast, Godric and the others were gathered in their usual spot at the end of the Hufflepuff table when to their surprise and confusion, a little platinum haired girl walked over and sat down next to Salazar.

It took a minute for Godric to figure out why she looked so familiar, but after seeing her sitting next to Salazar, an image appeared in his mind with an older version of Salazar and an older version of the girl sitting together and laughing.

Snapping back to reality, Godric was about to ask if she was really who he thought he was, however Salazar's words stopped him in his tracks. "Everyone, this is Luna Lovegood. She is my friend, and I've invited her to sit with us from now on."

No one bothered to argue the matter, mostly because they didn't care, but also because Salazar was smiling as he introduced her, and that was rare for any of them to see. There was also the fact that he didn't give a shit if they had anything to say on the matter, but that was better left unsaid.

 Godric ate his meal in relative silence, or at least as quiet as he had ever been. He would often shoot the little girl confused glances whenever he thought she wasn't paying attention to him, but she had caught him staring more than once.

It had taken Salazar kicking him under the table for him to go back to normal, or at least as normal as he could be. When they finished eating, Godric tried to approach Salazar. "Hey, can we talk about her?" He asked, but Salazar ignored him as he walked down the hall to his next class.

 At lunch, Luna once more made an appearance with Salazar, and Godric decided that if Salazar wasn't going to talk about it, he would just drop the matter. Mostly because that was all he could do if Salazar wasn't going to talk to him about it, but if being around the carbon-copy of his dead wife made Salazar happy, then who was Godric to judge.

 -------

 For the next two days all anyone could talk about was the upcoming Dueling Division, and people were already trying to start their own groups, though with the division of houses in Hogwarts, most teams consisted of only certain house members.

There was an all Gryffindor team and an all Slytherin team in six year, and one of each house team in fourth year. Third year was the only year where there was a team with a diverse house group, and they were by far the most promising of the bunch.

Godric and Salazar trapped Neville when he was by himself and pressured the boy into agreeing to join the team. Helga had been furious with them, and had only agreed to join because she couldn't convince Neville to back out, despite how much he wanted to.

Godric had proposed the idea of joining the team to Susan, Sally and Hannah, but all three girls instantly refused without giving him time to plead his case, so he didn't bother letting Neville out of his agreement.

Rowena agreed easily enough, and Hermione seemed rather excited, if only a little nervous. Still, her willingness to participate spurred Harry on, and he reluctantly agreed, much to Oliver Wood's dismay. The Quidditch Captain had gone straight to Professor Berrycloth and begged him to make so none of the dueling games would coincide with Quidditch, and the professor said he would do his best.

 When Saturday finally arrived, the Great Hall was packed full of students, most of whom were only there to learn more about the Dueling Division than to actually sign up for it. Berrycloth explained how there would be three competitions, one held in America, one in France, and the other in Britain.

Each competition would last a week, where crowds of people could come and gather to watch the whole thing. One the first day, the third years would duel, with each student having to duel at least two different people individually.

The second day, the fourth years would do the same thing, with the sixth years following suit on the third day. The fourth day would be a team battle, where the entire team would have to duel each of the other teams, meaning teamwork would be very important later.

Third years would go first, then on the fifth day the fourth years would take their turn, then the six years would go on day six. On the seventh day the points would be tallied up for that tournament. At the end of the third tournament, the school with the most points would win, and grand prizes would be awarded.

 It went without saying, but those who participated were exempt from classes for whatever week the tournament fell on, not to mention they were able to drop one of their required electives, meaning the Dueling Division counted as an elective, which only seemed to excite most students.

On top of the official dueling Competition, Professor Berrycloth said there would be a dueling division here at Hogwarts, meaning the students would be able to duel one another if they so wished. There were no teams, so anyone could go and challenge one another if they wanted, only there would be rules and it would be supervised by Professor Berrycloth personally

. On top of that, the duels would be held every Sunday at noon, meaning the whole week could be spent practicing or just not worrying that someone was going to randomly request a duel with you. There was also the rule that someone couldn't challenge a student in a lower year than them, but a student in a lower year could challenge an older student.

This would hopefully not allow students to bully others, only they didn't really count on one thing. This rule gave Godric the chance to bully any student who participated in dueling in any of the four year above him, and he had every intention of taking full advantage of that.

 The dueling competition worked out well for Hermione, simply because her plans for taking every class had fallen through, so now she was stuck doing only the ones she was allowed. With the dueling division counting as an elective, and her not being required to drop one of the two she had already previously signed up for, it was as if she was taking three electives, which for some reason made her super happy.

With having won the Quidditch Cup the previous year, Wood didn't see the need to push the team to the brink of exhaustion, though they still practiced like they had done previously. Surprisingly, Godric was including Katie Bell, the reserve Chaser into more of the practices, stating that if there came a time when he couldn't make it then it would be nice to have her there.

Wood didn't like it, but he agreed with it, and even went so far as to see if he could find a reserve Seeker in case Harry somehow couldn't make it to a game, though he was loath to even think about it.

 "Where are we going?" Hermione asked as she, Harry, and Neville trailed behind Godric along the seventh floor corridor. "We have four months to whip you all into shape, so there's no better time than the present." Godric said as they walked past the tapestry of the seven dancing trolls learning ballet, only to turn around and walk past it less than a minute later.

"Do you even know where you're going? We've walked past this place already?" Hermione said, but Godric ignored her as he turned around and watched as the doorway suddenly appeared before their very eyes. "How did that happen?" Neville asked, looking a little perplexed.

"It's a secret room in Hogwarts. Not many people know about it, and fewer still know how to activate it. Rowena Ravenclaw created this room when Hogwarts was first founded, and now we get to use it." Godric told them, getting excited reactions from everyone involved.

 Upon entering the room, they were all surprised to see wooden puppets lined up on a stage. In front of the puppets stood Salazar, looking far too happy as he waved his wand towards the puppets and bound them all together.

Turning to face them all, Salazar grinned a cruel sadistic grin before he shouted, "Alright maggots! Your first lesson begins now!"