Chapter 7: Rituals of Power

He woke up in a cold sweat. Disoriented and uncomfortable, Barty Crouch stood up from the chair he must have fallen asleep in and tried to remember what had happened.

' I was talking with Lucius about something or another.' His memory started to get fuzzy, he remembered grabbing a bite to eat with Dirk Creswell sometime later…

He was slightly nauseous and had a headache, he smiled. 'I must have gone out for drinks with Dirk!' Crouch told himself.

He took out his wand and with a flick of his wrist, the parchment and ink covering his desk disappeared.

With a smile he called out; "Winky!"

The elf appeared in front of him a second later, looking at him with some trepidation. 'That's odd.' He thought to himself.

"Winky could you please bring me a hangover potion?" He asked, kindly.

"Yes, master Barty, sir." The elf responded with some trepidation, disappearing, and reappearing a second later with a phial of dark green potion.

Downing it with a grimace, Barty allowed the smile to return to his face. It was nice of Dirk to take him out. Afterall, it had been a rough month, his wife had passed away a year ago and he hadn't been handling the anniversary well.

Looking at the time, he smiled again as he began to get ready for work, happy to have something to do to take his mind off her memory.

" Flagram!" He shouted.

A large whip of fire appeared at the end of his holly wand.

"Great work Harry!" His opponent complimented him from 25 feet away. He smiled as he willed the flame to dispense of Tonks' small brown bear.

"Aquapilatum, pref-" Harry had to dive out of the way of a bone-breaker before he could finish his piercing curse.

"Great work with the ball of water, Harry!" Tonks encouraged from across the pitch, silently sending an array of stunners at him.

Harry dodged, firing back with some stunners of his own.

"But you can't cast that first spell quick enough to leave yourself with enough time to keep up the pressure!"

As an example, Tonks sent several piercing curses and bone-breakers his way, emphasizing the wand movements and verbalizing the spells for his benefit.

He dodged, deftly. Returning fire with a smokescreen and several bone-breakers of his own.

"Nice try, little eagle!" His opponent taunted, dispelling the thick cloud of dark smoke. "But you're no match for me!"

An orange spell hit him then, and in an instance he felt his arms and legs begin to shorten in length, his body soon followed.

Harry tried to gasp, but it came out as a snort. From the corner he heard his godfather laugh.

The pink-haired girl walking his way conjured a big, blue ribbon; a devious smile on her face she closed the difference between the two, before sticking it to his chest.

He heard Sirius laugh and saw the mirth dancing in his grey eyes from beside his dueling teacher.

Sirius examined Harry carefully before turning to his niece. "Great work on the snout, Tonks." Sirius smiled, turning to his transfigured godson.

"Best in show!" The pair laughed.

"You make a cute pig." The 19-year-old cooed.

Sirius laughed again, snapping a picture of the pair before Tonks undid the transfiguration.

"Dammit, Tonks!" He huffed. "Are you going to do something like that every time?"

From the corner of his eye, he saw his godfather holding the newly developed picture of Tonks and pig-Harry; with a flick of his wand the picture was framed and stuck to the wall next to the others.

The older girl smirked. "Yes." She replied, turning to her uncle. "It's in my contract."

He groaned. It was the first Sunday in July, and between tutoring sessions with Filius on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; and Septima Vector on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Harry had been busy every weekday. When Harry had mentioned to Sirius how much he loved learning, he had been quick to show Harry Grimmauld Place's library, he had also hired his cousin Nymphadora to be his dueling instructor.

Nymphadora, he learned, was Nymphadora Tonks, former all-European school dueling champion, and current top-20 dueler on the professional circuit.

Tonks, Harry had quickly learned, was an incredible teacher.

"Harry." The witch called out in curiosity from across from him. "Where did you learn that style?"

Harry thought about what he now knew was his pretty distinctive dueling style and answered. "My friend had given me a book by Ophelia Greengrass, I found it there." Despite the reputation surrounding Ophelia Greengrass's legacy, he had learned to trust his godfather and Tonks.

She nodded her head thoughtfully, but it was Sirius who spoke up.

"Did you get it from your little rival girlfriend?"

Harry scowled. "Daphne is not my girlfriend. She's more like my rival."

Sirius and Tonks shared a knowing smirk. The pair had been on them ever since Greengrass had literally ran into him last weekend in Whispering Alley.

"You could do worse, Harry." Sirius spoke up.

Harry flushed but answered the original question. "Terry Boot gave me 'Fighting to Win' in my first year."

Tonks looked past him thoughtfully. "That's a damn good book." She responded. "We'll spend the rest of the summer making sure you're able to give Daphne a proper spanking next year."

He flushed again, stalking past the two and towards his room. It was almost time for him to return to the Dursleys, and he wanted to spend the rest of his time away from them in silence.

At the northeastern end of Diagon Alley sat magical Britain's second largest library. The building was modeled after the Temple of Apollo Epicurius.

Walking past a pair of pillars and into the library, he quickly made his way past the entrance desk before hanging a left, jogging up a stairway and into a private room.

"You're late." Septima Vector said, shooting him a teasing smile.

"Sorry!" Harry replied with a slight blush. "I was meeting Terry Boot for lunch and lost track of time."

She the pretty brunette offered him a warm smile. "No problem, Harry. Let's begin, we have a lot to cover."

He opened his bag, removing his carving tools, some parchment, a block of marble, and a few quills.

"Let me see your Ruiz framework." She asked him firmly, pointing at his marble block.

Harry offered her a smile, and slowly began to carve the requested runes into the marble.

The professor sat down and began to observe his work.

"Hmm…" she offered an hour later. "The bottom right corner of your ' Geirs' Rune needs to just touch the tip of your 'Munay' Rune, or you'll get sub-par results."

He nodded. "Should I try and power it?" He asked, removing his wand hesitantly.

Septima seemed to think for a second, before offering him a bright smile. "If you're ready."

Harry returned her smile, before shutting his eyes and reaching out for his magic.

Powering a set of runes didn't require a spell, instead it required an intimate relationship with one's magic.

He felt a warmth run through his body as he began to gently push a small stream of magic through his wand and into the set of runes.

From next to him his tutor was watching the runes glow with a degree of intensity.

A half minute later the glow faded, and his teacher turned to him with another soft smile.

"Great work Harry! Let's make some changes to the runes, then we can move on to the next step in preparation."

A half an hour later Septima was happy with his progress. "Good work Harry!" She said warmly, before her expression turned grim. Reaching into her bag, she removed a dark-red quill with a sharp point.

"The reason rituals like the 'Dillinger Quartet' are looked down upon are not because of their positive results, but because of the pain inflicted upon those who attempt the process."

Harry nodded his head; he was aware that permanent rituals required a significant amount of blood to be sacrificed.

"This." She pointed at the quill in her hand. "Is a blood-quill." She handed Harry the quill at this point, and he began to observe the quill tentatively.

"Blood-quills are used in the preparation process; they prepare you for the pain that a permanent ritual requires. When writing with a blood quill, the cursed quill will use the writer's own blood as ink."

Harry gulped.

She gave him a firm look and continued. "If you don't think you can handle it, Potter, I won't judge you, many cannot, that's why most rituals are illegal."

' Strength requires sacrifice.' He reminded himself. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes, Septima."

She nodded, then continued. "For the rest of the time, I want you to draw the set of runes necessary for the ritual of Josephine."

Harry nodded, pulled out a piece of parchment, and began to write.

Pain. That's what he felt as he continued to draw slowly.

"You're almost done, Harry." Septima encouraged from the side. "Only three more runs and I can give you this pain potion." She said with a smile, pointing at the pink liquid next to her.

He grinded his teeth and got back to work.

Five minutes later his right hand was resting in a bath of murtlap; between that and the potion Septima had gave him, he was feeling pretty good.

"Not bad Harry." She said approvingly.

"But you stopped and started too much. With some practice you should be okay for this ritual, but if you ever want to move on to the 'Samsonov Groupings' than you need to improve your carving."

Harry grimaced. "What's the 'Samsonov Grouping?'"

Vector just offered him a pretty smile; "you're not there yet, Harry."

" Harry!" He heard a familiar voice yell.

He barely had time to react before a mess of long, black hair was enveloping him in a tight hug.

"It's good to see you too, Lily." Harry responded with a smile releasing her from the hug.

She blushed slightly. "Thank you so much for your help with charms and transfiguration! I've been placed on the advanced syllabus for both as well as astronomy. My parents were so pleased."

Harry smiled. It was a few days before his birthday, and the pair had agreed to spend the afternoon wandering Diagon Alley.

"How was Italy?" He questioned as he followed her lead towards the north end of the alley.

The Slytherin girl glance up at him prettily, flashing him another smile.

"It was great!" We spent a week in Florence before spending another week in Positano with Blaise and his mother."

"Does Blaise live in Italy?" He inquired.

She shook her head. "His mother is dating an Italian aristocrat; he spends his summers in Positano."

They chatted animatedly as they enjoyed the beautiful July day.

"Let's grab something to eat in the park!" His friend exclaimed excitedly, grabbing his hand, and pushing their way through a crowd of adults towards the large green fields of Memorial Park.

The pair continued to chat as they made their way down the cobblestone paths past various benches and tables.

Lily stopped suddenly. "You can buy me lunch from here." She said matter-of-factly stopping in front of a food cart near a field where some kids were playing a pickup game of quidditch.

"And why would I be buying you lunch?" He asked with a questioning look.

Blue eyes gave him a light glare. "Because Potter. A gentleman always pays." She said with a smug smile, slowly removing a package from her bag. "Besides, do you want your birthday gift or not?"

Harry smiled, paying for a pair of Hippogriff kabobs he handed her one. "Then lead the way, Ms. Moon."

Lily giggled, motioning to an unused table a few meters away.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, each enjoying the spicy cubes of meat.

"So, are you going to open my gift or not?"

He raised an eyebrow, picking up the simple package in front of him, he tore it open to reveal a thick, plain looking book.

' Healing for the Novice' the title read.

"Daphne said you don't know any healing spells." She gave him a strange look. "But she didn't say how she knew that…"

Harry smiled, deciding to give her a piece of the truth. "She saw a spell backfire on me when I was practicing alone one day." He grimaces slightly at the memory. "The yelled at me and cast a pain relief spell."

Lily just pointed at the book in front of him. "This should help."

He nodded. "Thank you."

The pair finished their food quietly, before Lily broke the silence.

"Come on, I want a carriage ride."

Besides being a large, outdoor park in the middle of magical London, Memorial Park was famous for having Abraxan carriages.

They hailed a coachman, and took a moment to admire the large, winged horses.

Stepping in, Harry helped Lily into the carriage before the Abraxan started slowly trotting along the cobblestone path.

Thirty seconds later and their carriage was flying 100 feet off the ground, providing them a magnificent view of the park and alley below them.

"Daphne told me you ran into her a few weeks ago near Flourish and Blotts." Lily started with a grin.

Harry groaned and rolled his eyes. "Is that what she told you?"

At her affirmative nod, he continued. " She literally ran into me."

Lily laughed softly. "My friends been interested in you since the duels." She gave him a soft smirk.

Harry just rolled his eyes; he knew why she was interested in her.

"She's just not used to losing." He replied.

The pair spent the rest of their time wandering the park, the entire time unaware of the rat following them from the surrounding grass.

Bellatrix sipped her coffee as she took a moment to watch the sunrise over the Black Sea.

She took a deep, calming breath as she watched the waves hit the beach. In the distance she could see several birds swooping down into the sea, grabbing a fish each, then flying off.

She treasured these peaceful few moments each morning.

She sat in silence for several more minutes before turning to the unopened post sitting in front of her.

' Lucius can wait.' She thought, setting the first letter aside.

Picking up the unsigned second letter, she began to read, an amused smile on her full lips. 'So, Potter is interested in some of the more questionable areas of magic, is he?'

Harry Potter was no real concern of hers, though she suspected the Dark Lord would want his movements monitored, and Pettigrew could only do so much.

Burning the first letter, she turned to Lucius's elegant cursive.

A genuine smile crossed her sharp features. If Lucius's letter was to be believed, she would soon be completing her stay in Bulgaria.

Glancing around the small villa, she couldn't help but feel a sense of glee at the thought of finally returning to Britain.

' Maybe I'll grab Rodolphus, and we can burn this village to the ground?' She thought in delight.

Finally, she turned to the last letter, and paused.

' Dear Bella….' It read in an exceptionally neat, ostentatious, handwriting.

She would recognize that handwriting anywhere.

She finished the letter with a shiver of pleasure, she always was a morning person.

' Tempus.' He whispered.

' July 31st, 8:23 AM'

He smiled. In a few hours he would be undergoing the Ritual of Josephine with Septima and Sirius.

All things considered; he was ready. While he had spent the last few weeks practicing writing the necessary rituals with a blood quill, the ritual itself would be far more taxing.

The ritual itself was simple to carve, and power; but to make the ritual permanent, he needed to draw a liter of blood without resorting to blood replenishing potions.

It would be worth it, though. He needed any advantage he could get if he was going to face Voldemort someday.

The Ritual of Josephine, and the four rituals known as the 'Dillinger Quartet,' were meant to be undertaken on a witch or wizards 13th birthday, the winter equinox after your 13th birthday, your 15th birthday, and the winter equinox after your 15th birthday.

The four rituals were meant to help a young witch or wizard grow to their full magical potential. When you're young, your magic is chaotic until you gain enough experience to control it.

The rituals of Josephine and Alexander would work to balance his magic, while the rituals of Gabriel and Rutledge would help his overall health.

Sitting down at his large, mahogany desk in his room at Grimmauld Place; he noticed an unfamiliar, large, black owl pecking at his window.

Curious, he made his way to the window, allowing him to hop in.

Grabbing the letter, and a small package, he began to read the unfamiliar handwriting.

' Potter -

Lily tells me you're undertaking the Ritual of Josephine today. Good, I need competent competition next year. Since that idiot Boot already gave you one of her books, I thought I'd send you her next book.

Don't forget our deal,

Daphne Greengrass

' That was unexpected.' He thought to himself, tearing open the small package. He smiled at the book inside.

' Achieving Results by Ophelia Greengrass'

Checking the time again, he sat back down at his desk and began to read.

He was nervous, Sirius Black could admit that to himself.

It was his first birthday with his godson since his incarceration, and he was spending it preparing for a somewhat dangerous ritual.

Still, he knew it had to be done. James and Lily had had a row about it shortly after Harry was born. Lily thought the ritual was unnecessary; and while James and he had both undertaken the rituals themselves, they had both hoped that Harry would be brought up in a time of peace.

The prophecy had dimmed those hopes.

Pushing aside his doubts, he smiled at the handsome young man in front of him and marveled at the changes they had both undertaken since the last time they had met.

While Harry had been several centimeters shorter, scrawny, and had worn his hair slightly longer; his godson had been far more guarded around him.

Now, however, he wore his hair much shorter, exposing his dull scar to the world - a sign of his growing confidence. His eyes shined emerald with life, and an underlying power.

Tonks had informed him that Harry had real potential.

For his part months of therapy and nutrient potions had returned him to a passable shell of his former self; while the psychological issues would never truly go away, they had become more manageable.

' At least I still cut a dashing figure.' He thought to himself.

"She should be here any second, Sirius! I think you'll really like her!"

He smiled at his godson's exuberance, deciding to tease him a bit.

"Do your girlfriends know your heart belongs to an older woman?" He teased.

Harry blushed. "I don't have a girlfriend Sirius."

He was about to retort when the flames in his study turned green, and an athletic leg stepped out.

Another leg, and a slender torso followed. He let his eyes linger on her chest for half a second before meeting her hazel eyes.

"… and this is my godfather, Sirius Black." His godson finished.

The brunette must have seen him looking, and gave him a deep curtsy, displaying a small amount of cleavage before extending a hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Black." 'Is she flirting with me?'

He smiled before dipping his head, allowing his lips to briefly brush against her knuckles.

"The pleasure is mine, Master Vector." He finished, flashing her his most dashing smile.

Septima turned her attention back to Harry, offering him a bright smile.

"Happy birthday, Harry." She said, offering him a small package.

Harry turned to him, seeking approval.

He gave him a slight nod in affirmation, as Harry began to unwrap the package.

"That's a standard warding stone." Septima began, as the birthday boy gave her an awed filled smile.

"You can carve into it using your standard silver carving knives. Carve the necessary wards into the stone, and when finished power the ward. If cast properly, the ward will glow blue, if cast improperly, it will glow red. Tap the stone a second time and the ward disappear."

She then handed him a book. "I think you'll find this book interesting, as well."

Harry took it from her, flipping through the table of contents. "I'm not sure I can do these." He said, clearly disappointed.

Septima offered him a comforting smile. 'She's really good with him.' He thought.

"I have every confidence in you, Harry. You're the brightest wizard of your generation."

Harry blushed and thanked her again.

Sirius turned to Septima. "Thank you for the wonderful gifts, Septima. Shall we go to the ritual room?"

The Black family ritual chamber sat adjacent to the family's dueling room.

' Cygnus really knew how to set the mood.' He thought, glancing around the circular stone chamber.

7 torches aligned the stone chamber, to the far left sat a collection of ritualistic knives, and other materials, while an enchanted, salt circle sat directly at the center of the room.

"Do we require anything special?" He asked, trying to keep the slight tremble out of his voice. 'I can't let Harry see me nervous.'

Septima must have caught the anxiety in his voice, and put a soft hand on his, offering him a reassuring smile.

"Everything will be fine, Sirius. I promise."

She squeezed his arm again, before turning to Harry, turning deadly serious in a flash.

"Alright, Harry. What's the first step?"

Harry offered her a determined nod, tapping his left wrist with his wand, and casting a spell to improve blood flow.

Septima nodded approvingly, before handing him a dangerous looking mythril dagger from the collection.

Harry grabbed it without hesitation and slashed his wrist. Sirius grimaced, but Harry sat looking determined as he collected his blood in a basin.

"How are you feeling, Harry?" He heard Septima say soothingly from besides him.

The basin was about half full, and Harry's voice sounded weak, but determined.

"I'm doing fine, Septima." She just nodded.

Finishing the blood collection, Harry looked pale as he began to draw the necessary runes.

Septima entwined her fingers in his, giving his hand another squeeze.

15 minutes later, his godson swayed slightly as he stood up and sealed his wound with his wand.

He watched as Harry took a deep breath, took a knee, and shut his eyes, placing his wand on the activation rune.

Harry swayed from blood loss as he spent the next several minutes powering magic into the runes.

Time seemed to stand still as the runes shimmered in a bright, blood red. Sirius held his breath knowing that the ritual was almost complete.

Suddenly the room flashed red, and the candles went dark. From next to him Septima re-lit one of the torches.

"Would you mind gathering him, Sirius?" She said softly.

Complying, Sirius gathered his godson and brought him to his room.

"Do you think he was successful?" He asked the brunette witch across from him.

"Ummhmm" she grunted cutely. "His runes were precise, and he was powering them for quite a while. I think Harry did a magnificent job."

He smiled at her. "Thank you so much, for all your help with Harry this summer."

She returned his smile. "He's an inspiring student." She said, gathering her things.

He walked her to the floo as they made some small talk.

' What the hell.' He thought on a whim as Septima gathered a handful of floo powder.

"Septima, if you're not busy, I'd love to grab a drink Monday night?" 'Why the hell am I so nervous?' He thought. It's not as if he had never asked a witch out before.

She smiled at him prettily, allowing a blush to cross her face. "I'll see you at 7 at the Wandering Goat."

He felt his nerves disappear. "It's a date."

Hedwig gave him a soft nip as he attached the letter to her leg. "Would you mind taking this to Terry, girl?"

His owl replied with a soft ' hoot' and took off into the sunset surrounding Grimmauld Place.

He smiled as he thought about the progress he had made since he completed the ritual a few weeks ago.

While the ritual hadn't turned him into some sort of God, it had allowed him to see more success in his current projects.

He smiled as he thought about the flinging hex he had successfully placed upon the quaffle he had found.

Exiting the small owlery, Harry made his way down the rickety, winding steps towards the main area of the home.

" Sirius, all I'm asking is that you allow me a look around…" The familiar voice echoed through the hallway.

' What's Dumbledore doing here?' He thought to himself.

" You haven't told me why, Albus." Was his godfathers untrusting response.

He heard his headmaster sigh. "It has to do with Regulus.."

' Who the hell is Regulus?' He thought to himself.

" What do you want with that traitor?!" He didn't need the echo of the walls to hear that one, as he slipped closer to the source of the voices.

Placing himself right behind an empty portrait, Harry noticed a shimmering where he knew the portraits eyes to be and placed himself there.

He took stock of the room. Looking out across Sirius's office, he could see his godfather pacing the room as the headmaster stared at him calmly.

" I have reason to believe that Regulus wasn't as loyal to Voldemort as we were led to believe."

At this Sirius paused, giving the old headmaster a calculating look before letting out some harsh laughter.

" You believe my brother, a proven Death Eater, wasn't loyal to Voldemort, yet you let me sit in Azkaban for ten years?" His godfather screamed.

Dumbledore looked away in shame but continued.

" If I am right, then your brother has done more to protect Harry than any other."

At this the black-haired man paused.

" Explain." He heard Sirius say firmly.

The voices started to fade away as the pair left the study and headed out into the hall.

' What the hell was that about?' He wondered, making his way back towards his room.

Her mind was in Athens, as she dodged Harry's concussion hex, returning fire with a swarm of bees.

"Nice use of a fire charm, Harry!" She encouraged.

A week from tomorrow she would be fighting in her first Battle, and instead of training, she was teaching a third year.

' Gotta pay the bills somehow.' She thought.

At that moment she was forced to shield Harry's wide-area stunner.

Her shield held up against his follow up as well.

' He's gotten better.' She thought. 'He definitely couldn't have cast that stunner a month ago.'

Returning fire with a couple moderate level jinxes, she observed Harry's familiar form.

The boy was light on his feet as he danced around the circle, mixing in shields only when necessary and returning fire relentlessly.

Ophelia Greengrass's influence was obvious.

The style was difficult to maintain; it required a certain degree of stamina, power, knowledge, and athleticism to constantly dodge and attack. The weaker ones preferred to shield and counter, trying to outlast their opponent. It made for a boring fight.

" Cannoventus, ardere sagitto, fulminus!" Her opponent shouted.

She smiled. 'Harry Potter can duel with anyone in the world.' She thought. 'For one exchange.'

She smiled, incinerating the incoming arrows, and dodging the purple lightning bolt. 'Still, an impressive combination.' She added silently.

"Try and incorporate some transfiguration!" She yelled, sending some minor jinxes his way.

Harry nodded, transfiguring some debris into a small wolf, sending it her way.

"Good work, Harry!" She yelled, hitting the thing with a cutting curse to the neck.

They exchanged spells for a minute more before Tonks decided to have her fun.

Catching Sirius out of the corner of her eye, she smiled as an idea formed in her head.

With quick wand movements, and a silent incantation, a jet of light burst through Harry's shield, hitting him in the chest.

Sirius was laughing at her transfiguration, a large grin on his face.

Quickly, her cousin transformed into a shaggy, black dog, matching his transfigured godson perfectly.

The man-child quickly ran over to his godson who was desperately trying to find his coordination.

Grabbing the camera from the ground next to her, she transfigured a stand, and set the timer on her camera before joining the two dogs for a picture.

"Professor McGonagall." He said, trying to keep the shock out of his voice.

Filius chose that moment to appear from around the corner.

"Harry! You're here! I have a surprise for you!"

He just raised an eyebrow and gestured at his transfiguration professor; "I think I figured it out, professor."

He just smiled. "Don't be silly, Harry! Minerva is only part of the surprise." The small man was shaking in excitement.

"After our work this summer, Harry. I have decided it would be a waste of time to send you to fourth year charms."

Harry stared at him in shock. "What happened to not want to overwhelm me, professor?" He asked, curiously.

Filius waved him off. "After talking with Septima, I don't think you will have an issue keeping up." He spoke. "Minerva is here to test you on the fourth-year curriculum for her subject, as well."

It was Harry's turn to smile. "That would be great, professor."

Professor McGonagall offered him a small smile. "Let's begin, shall we, Mr. Potter?"

"Come on Harry! I don't want to be late!" Sirius proclaimed excitedly as they walked the sun kissed streets of Athens.

"We have plenty of time, Sirius." He responded.

The last week had been the best of Harry's life. He and Sirius had spent an entire week doing nothing but lounging in the sun.

His godfather grumbled but didn't slow down.

They were heading towards Tonks first Battle on the professional circuit.

"What are the rules of this battle, Sirius?"

The animagus smiled. "It's a winner-take-all, king-of-the-hill style battle. Four quadrants, four duelers per quadrant. Last person standing in each quadrant faces off against the other winner's, the winner takes the pot."

Harry nodded. He was excited to see a battle; unlike traditional duels, battles involved multiple opponents and no circle to stand in, making them far less restrictive than a traditional duel.

Handing the usher their tickets, the pair walked into a large hall, viewing monitors were surrounded by seating.

"Sirius!" A striking, middle-aged woman with long, black hair called out, offering his godfather a warm smile.

' Must be Andromeda.' He thought to himself.

"Andromeda! Ted!" His godfather yelled back in excitement, enveloping both in a brief hug. "This is my godson Harry."

Ted offered him his hand. "Ted Tonks, it's a pleasure to meet you, Harry."

He took the proffered hand; "Likewise, sir."

Sirius smiled at him in pride at his manners. He and Tonks had spent the last month and a half teaching him basic etiquette.

"You look just like your father!" The middle-aged witch proclaimed with a warm smile, enveloping him in a brief hug. "I'm Andromeda Tonks. Nymphadora has told me so much about you!"

Harry blushed slightly. "Thank you, ma'am."

They turned to the duels beginning in front of them for a few minutes before he broke the silence.

"Thank you, Andromeda." He said with more confidence than he felt.

At her questioning look he elaborated; "for representing Sirius."

She smiled. "Family looks out for each other, Harry."

' That's not exactly true though, is it?' He thought, remembering how she hadn't even investigated his case until Sirius had reached out to her.

"Of course, they do." He offered her a fake smile, hiding his dismay.

If she caught his insincerity, she didn't let it show.

"My daughter tells me you have a knack for enchantment." Andromeda asked, conversationally.

"I haven't technically cast an enchantment, yet." That took a level of permanence, most considered an enchantment to be properly cast after a year or more. "But by the end of the year, it should be official."

Ted broke into the conversation at that point. "What enchantments are you working on?"

"Filius had me enchant a wooden block to glow. I've also dabbled with enchanting a knife to remain sharp, and a spoon to resist water." 'And a bludger to follow a particular player, and a quill to cause anyone to touch it a mild amount of pain.'

"I'm hoping to start on rune-based enchantments when school starts." Harry finished.

Ted looked impressed. "That's OWL level work, I believe."

Sirius beamed in pride. "It is."

Harry watched as the battle prepared to start.

Tonks was fighting in quadrant two; along with another witch and two wizards.

"Do we know anything about the competition?" Sirius asked.

"Nymphadora is seeded number two in her quadrant." Andromeda said, then pointed to a dark-haired man. "Luca Benitez is the quadrants top seed."

The battle started in gusto a moment later. Tonks started by using the stone embankments to her advantage, blasting it apart and banishing a large amount of stone towards the man in front of him.

The red-haired man shielded, before dodging to the left of Tonk's next wave of spells.

To the left of Tonks, Benitez had quickly dispatched of his opponent, and had turned his attention towards Tonks, hitting her in the side with a bone-breaker.

Tonks appeared to yell as her hair shifted from blue to a dark red.

His instructor cast a quick disillusionment charm on herself, disappearing.

From under her disillusionment charm, Tonks cursed herself. 'You've gotta show better awareness, Nymphadora!' She chastised herself.

' What to do, what to do.' She smiled as she noticed Smith and Benitez dodging. 'Idiot must have given him time to start casting.' She thought to herself.

Casting a silencing charm in herself, she ignored the roar of the crowd as she made her way towards Benitez.

As she made her approach towards Benitez, she was forced to dodge a stray spell, dispelling her disillusionment charm as she did so.

Benitez's eyes widened in shock as she started firing relentlessly at the older man, forcing him to defend on two fronts.

One of her cutters broke through the Italians shield, slashing him in the leg.

Dark-red blood oozed out of the wound as he yelled out in pain.

' Glacius Duo' Tonks cast silently.

The blue and white spell jumped out of her wand, enveloping him in a block of ice.

Turning her attention to Smith, she smiled. 'He's tired.'

Tonks launched into her most violent spell combinations, hoping to end this quickly.

Bone-breakers, blood-boilers, and violent, black fireballs all made their way towards Smith.

He dodged the first two with ease but was hit with the cursed fire.

Smith let out a horrendous cry, and she quickly ended the spell as healers rushed into her quadrant.

"Damn!" He said excitedly, turning to his godson. "Did you see that, Harry!"

"Yes, Sirius." His godson said, rolling his eyes.

"Be quiet, Sirius! They're about to start!" Andi admonished. He cowered slightly; his cousin had always been a kind, but vicious woman. 'Not unlike her older sister.' He frowned.

"Yes, Andi."

He replied quickly.

The duel was underway quickly, as Tonks was taking on a dark-skinned witch who was impressively battling with only elemental spells.

He watched intently for a moment when a woman from near the exit caught his attention. While she didn't stand out, he would recognize that face anywhere.

' Bellatrix.' He thought, alarm bells going off in his head.

Silently, he snuck away from the group and cast a disillusionment charm on himself, hoping that his eyes were playing tricks on him.

He watched as a black ponytail bounced out of the main arena and into a hallway off to the side.

He heard a pair of familiar voices as he approached. Recognizing his cousin's voice immediately, he was struggling to place the other voice.

"Bella!" the familiar voice said, confirming his fears.

Risking a chance, he peeked his head around the corner, chancing a glance.

His eyes widened in shock as her recognized the second face immediately.

He was so shocked; he hadn't noticed the soft "obliviate" Whispered from the corner.

"That just sounds wildly irresponsible, Sirius." He said with a smile on his face.

Honestly learning how to apparate sounded like a great idea.

"So, is that a no?" His godfather seemed genuinely perplexed.

"I didn't say that." Harry responded quickly.

"Then why did you say it?" Sirius responded through a mouthful of eggs.

' He's teaching me manners?'

He shrugged. "It seems someone here had to be the adult."

Sirius shrugged. "You're good enough at occlumency now, you will be able to visualize where you want to go, the rest is just effort."

"Alright boy wonder, let's call it a day."

The two of them had spent the entire day working on his apparition. Once it had become apparent to the animagus that he had a knack for the subject, Sirius had designed an obstacle course throughout Grimmauld Place. Sirius had even spent some time throwing spells at him while he tried to apparate out of the way.

"Come with me to the study, Harry."

He frowned. 'I wonder what this is about?' Thinking about several cursed items currently sitting in his desk drawer.

Seeing the look on his face, Sirius quickly continued. "I just want to talk with you in the study for a bit. My family may not have got much right in raising me, but my parents always took school seriously, and I agree."

He relaxed.

Taking a butterbeer from Kreacher, they sat down next to the roaring fire. He took a moment to admire the various portraits, and hunting trophies, paying particular attention to the Griffins head hanging above the fireplace.

Settling in, he waited for Sirius to start.

"What are your classes, this year, Harry?"

He kept his face passive, fighting the urge to let his amusement show at the sudden display of maturity from his godfather.

"Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Potions, Herbology, Astronomy, Advanced Syllabus Defense Against the Dark Arts, Fifth Year Charms, and Fifth Year Transfiguration. I am also on the dueling team, sir."

' He already knows all of this.'

Sirius smiled. "Impressive, Harry. What do you expect your marks to be?"

"All 'Outstanding,' sir. As they always are. I also expect to get 'Outstanding's' on my OWLs in Charms and Transfiguration."

His godfather looked at him with pride.

Catching him off-guard, Sirius abruptly changed topics; "tell me about Hermione."

' What the hell?' He thought, unable to keep the shock from his face.

With a tremble in his voice, he responded. "Why do you want to know about her?"

"Because she was your first friend, Harry. And I had to find out everything I know about the girl from Albus. I'm worried you're not handling things properly."

Harry looked at him in anger. "The headmaster made me see a mind healer for the rest of first year." He snapped. "I saw one for as long as you have, and you're taking your seat on the damn Wizengamot next week."

"Dammit, Harry. This isn't about me." Sirius replied in exasperation. "I just want to know more about your first friend. You never talk about her!"

Hot tears started to roll down his cheeks. He didn't mention Hermione on purpose, he still felt guilty for his role in her death.

"Hermione was the first person I ever met who understood me. We were both outcasts."

His response was monotone, as if he were recalling one of the worst memories of his life.

"She was smart, and funny, and she pushed me to be my best. We were going to be on the advanced syllabus in charms and transfiguration together." He laughed humorlessly. She would be so jealous if she saw his progress.

"Do you still blame yourself?" His godfather asked gently.

They sat in silence by the fire as he thought.

"For a long time, I did, and a part of me still wants to." He trailed off for a second, but Sirius stayed silent. "I feel guilty because I know there was nothing I could do, at the time, if that makes sense."

Sirius nodded. "It does. I feel the same way about your parents."

He hadn't thought of that, and he smiled softly; just another thing the two of them had in common.

"All I can do is be the best, so that if it ever happens again, I'm ready."

Sirius stood up and gave him a hug.

"Good answer, kid." Then his godfather smiled. "I think it's time we duel."

He watched intently as Padma defeated Goldstein after a closely fought duel.

The dark-haired boy looked angry as he briefly shook the Indian girl's hand before beginning to stomp off.

"Good work you two!" Jerome Powell yelled. Motioning for the two third years to approach him, he continued. "We'll post the results in the common room in a few hours."

Harry let his attention wander as the rest of the tryouts began to wrap up. He was conflicted as to whether he really felt Goldstein deserved the final third year spot on the Ravenclaw dueling team.

Since term had begun last week, the boy had been oddly quiet, choosing to shoot him glares across the common room rather than directly antagonize him.

"Let's start with the third years." Powell started, calling the rest of the team's attention to himself.

"Obviously Harry and Padma are on the team." The everyone nodded in agreement at that. "But what do we think of Anthony Goldstein?"

"I think he would be an asset to our team." Edgecombe started. 'Here we go.' He thought to himself.

Marietta Edgecombe had become closer to his dorm mate over the last year, he was hardly surprised at his support.

From next to him Tyson Sommers, a fifth year, frowned. "Why should he be on the team? Do we really need his attitude?"

"What you call attitude I call passion!" Edgecombe replied, the slightest bit of venom in her voice.

"What do you think, Harry?" Powell asked as the team's attention shifted to him.

He thought of his reply for a second. "Goldstein's has an adequate knowledge of spells and has shown the ability to shield properly." He began. "But in my two years sharing a dorm with him, he has never shown the work ethic necessary to be an asset to this team. He's out of shape, and arrogant. He will be hard to coach."

Harry thought he had given a fair assessment of his year mate, but apparently Edgecombe disagreed.

"You just don't like him for personal reasons, Potter." She spat, a hint of venom in her voice.

Before he could respond she continued her defense.

"Anthony may not be perfect, but he's a third year. Being on the team will provide him with motivation and give him a real opportunity to improve."

The team discussed the issue for a little while longer before Powell called the issue for a vote.

"Alright, all-in favor of Anthony Goldstein joining the team?"

Harry looked around the room, counting the raised hands. He sighed in defeat. Anthony Goldstein was now his teammate.

Harry took his seat quietly, flashing a quick smile to Septima as he settled in for third year Ancient Runes.

"Welcome, class." The melodic voice of Septima Vector said.

"As we discussed last week, today you will be getting your year-long project."

While most of the class groaned, Harry just smiled - a year-long project sounded fun.

"The goal of the third-year class is to introduce the key concepts behind runes and explore how they are used in magic."

Despite the earlier grumbling from the class, professor Vector had a way of keeping everyone's attention.

"Runes are used in the creation of spells, as a way to tie wards or enchantments to a specific area and are a prominent ingredient of any ritual."

Harry could have sworn the young professor's hazel eyes glanced his way briefly at the mention of rituals.

"I have taken the liberty of pairing each of you with another classmate." She began.

Harry did groan at this point. 'A partner will just slow me down.' He thought to himself.

"As a team, you will pick a topic related to the usage of runes and hypothesize, keep a detailed record of, and demonstrate the usage of runes."

He grinned. 'This will be fun.' He thought, a million possibilities floating around in his head.

"If you need help finding a topic, I am more than happy to help." Vector finished with a soft smile.

"As for pairings; Draco Malfoy will be paired with Ernie Macmillan…"

Harry tuned her out till he heard his own name.

"Harry Potter will be paired with Daphne Greengrass."

He let out a sigh of relief at his good fortune. 'Being paired with Daphne was the best possible outcome.'

He briefly wondered if Sirius had mentioned his peculiar relationship with the blonde-haired girl to Septima.

Either way, it appeared things would work out for the best.

He was interrupted from his musings be a warm heat emitting from his pocket.

Dipping his right hand into his pocket, he felt an unfamiliar piece of parchment. 'A switching charms?' He thought to himself.

He marveled briefly at the simple ingenuity at the use of the spell and grabbed the note. Glancing at it, he noticed familiar, elegant handwriting; " Meet me at your room after dinner."

The letter was unsigned, but he knew who it was from.

Catching her eyes, her regal features gave him a slight nod.

Harry surveyed the area from beneath his invisibility cloak for any sign of Daphne.

The intimidating Slytherin had a knack of appearing out of nowhere, and by now he had started to get used to the girl just appearing.

' I really need to learn the disillusionment charm.' He thought to himself, adding it to his ever-growing list of things he needed to do.

He caught a shimmer a few meters from him and smiled, hissing at the portrait, and opening the door.

A second later the door was shut, and a pretty blonde was pushing a moving a strand of long hair from her forehead, to behind her ear.

"About time, Potter. I'd been standing there for five minutes."

Harry just smiled. "It's good to see you, Daphne, how was your dinner?" He said, ignoring her outburst.

She glared at him.

' She looks pretty when she glares.' A look of shock nearly crossed his face. 'Merlin. Are Terry and Sirius right? Do I have a crush on Daphne?'

He pushed the thought out of his mind.

"So, Greengrass. What are your thoughts on this project?"

She seemed to relax. "We should create a spell. It's the most difficult application of runes, and successfully creating a spell will be share to earn us full-marks."

He thought for a second, her idea had merit, but he wasn't sold. "Creating a spell would be fun," he started, "but I want to do something useful. Spells are time consuming for adults with years of experience. If we were to create a spell I would want to create something useful, and I'm not sure we can do that in a few months."

She frowned. But he didn't let her respond. "How about creating a ward scheme?" He said, his thoughts on the drawer to his left. "They're useful, challenging, and I have a practice ward stone we could practice on."

She looked unconvinced. "Wards are fun, but they don't really hold my interest." Daphne answered honestly. "Just like you aren't going to be motivated by spell creation, I'm not going to be motivated a ward scheme."

They sat in silence for a few moments before Daphne spoke up again.

"How are your enchantments coming?" She asked, a touch of curiosity in her voice.

' How the hell did she know I was working on enchantments?' An asked himself with some a brief sense of confusion. 'She's friends with Blaise and Lily, Potter; you know that.'

"Good." He said, pointing to a glowing block on a shelf. "That one will be official at Christmas. The rest have longer to go."

The athletically built girl walked over to his shelf and began to examine various objects. Without turning to him, she asked; "have you worked on curses, yet?"

Her tone was more question the accusation, and he relaxed slightly; "why?"

She turned to look at him; "It's a natural next step." She replied with a shrug. "I'm not judging."

"I've made a few attempts." He answered, hoping he sounded at least a little mysterious.

She offered him a genuine, bright smile. 'I've never seen that smile on her before.' He thought, before returning her smile with his own. 'It looks good on her.'

"How about we try some large area enchantments using runes?" Greengrass suggested.

He thought for a second. "We could expand this room, maybe make room for spell practice…" He trailed off.

She frowned. "No, not here. It has to be somewhere I can access as well."

His smile turned to a brief frown before an idea dawned on him. "I know just the place. I can show you this weekend if you'd like?"

She just nodded her head. Turning her attention to his messy desk.

Daphne quietly examined a familiar book on his desk, before raising a manicured eyebrow. "Boot teaching you occlumency, Harry?"

A look of bewilderment crossed his face; "what are you talking about?"

She seemed to think for a split-second, then responded; "I just assumed you would be working on it together, occlumency is learned best in conjunction with legilimency."

She turned back to his desk again, examining a few other things for a few seconds before her head snapped his way, a malicious grin on her face. "1001 Curses, Harry?" She smiled viciously. "I didn't know you were so interested in the Dark Arts?"

He felt a bead of sweat drip down his forehead, unsure how to answer.

Luckily, Daphne caught his indecision and smiled. "Personally, I've been fascinated more by poisons, lately."

He let out a sigh of relief and decided to change the subject.

"Would you mind teaching me the switching spell?"

She gave him the oddest look, and he continued.

"I never thought to learn it."

Daphne gave him a slightly amused look, before beginning her lecture.

"I wonder how they get the carriages to work without horses?"

He said to Lily as the horseless carriage made its way to Hogsmeade.

The black-haired witch gave him a dumbfounded look. "Honestly, Harry. For how brilliant you are in some areas, you're completely clueless in others." She finished with in an exasperated tone.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He responded.

She just rolled her eyes; "Thestrals guide the Hogwarts carriages, and they're hardly invisible."

Seeing him about to start, she cut him off. "They're only visible to those who have seen death." She finished.

Harry contemplated her for a second. "Can you see the thestrals."

The Slytherin which shook her head. "No, but I do read about creatures. They're useful for potions."

He just nodded in agreement, adding 'creatures' to his list of topics to research. 'Maybe I should add 'Hogwarts' to that list as well?'

They continued in silence for a few minutes longer as the tiny village began to come into vision.

"Where's Terry?" Lily asked. "I assumed he would be with you?"

"He's working on a potion, he said he may come later, but he wasn't sure. Where's Daphne?"

Lily smiled at his casual question. "She's spending the day with Astoria."

Stepping out of the carriage and into the cold, late October air, her caught his friend shiver slightly at the cold, and cast a warming charm on Lily.

She offered him a grateful smile, and he continued. "So, she's not working on some new poison?"

Lily laughed. "Not today."

Rounding the corner and stepping into 'Honeyduke's' the pair browsed the selection of sweets, grabbing a few here and there.

"Can she actually brew a poison?" He asked a few minutes later.

Picking up a pack of Sugar Quills, she responded without turning to him. "Daphne can do anything she puts her mind to."

The pair paid for their purchases and continued their shopping for a few more hours before it was time to meet Blaise for lunch at the Three Broomsticks.

He was starting to warm-up to the dark-skinned boy; Blaise was smart, logical, and had a decent sense of humor, once the boy started to warm up to you.

"Harry! Lily!" Zabini greeted from a table near the back, waving them over.

Sitting down, the Slytherin boy offered them both a butterbeer.

"Tough break, in herbology, Harry." He said sympathetically.

Ever since Hannah Abbott had been moved to fourth year herbology at the beginning of the year, he had been forced to pair with Oliver Rivers, who's partner Neville Longbottom, had also skipped third year.

Between the two of them, they might just make the worst herbology pairing in the year.

He smiled. "I'll get my grade up." He replied with more confidence than he felt.

The conversation quickly shifted to quidditch, as Lily and Blaise began ferociously debating the upcoming match between the Holyhead Harpies and the Falmouth Falcons.

"Valmai Morgan has talent, but she's too young! She hasn't had time to mesh with Matilda or Gooserag yet. I don't see them as being a threat to my Falcons." Blaise argued.

While Harry wasn't much of a quidditch player, he admired the coordination, teamwork, and athleticism the sport took; and after nearly two and a half years in the wizarding world, he had become a fan of the sport.

"Booth and Miller are absolute shit beaters, and while Evans was a great keeper, his fitness this year has slowed him down. That more than makes up for Morgan's inexperience." Lily countered.

The pair looked at him to break the stalemate.

He scratched his chin in thought, eyeing the Weasley twins as they flirted with Madam Rosmerta at the bar.

"Gwenog Jones is the best beater in England, she is more than capable of disrupting the Falcons chasers."

Lily smiled at Blaise triumphantly, but Harry gave Blaise a smirk and continued. "With that being said, Carrie Johnson is a liability at seeker. She hasn't been the same since she crashed last month against the Tornadoes."

It was Blaise's turn to smirk as Lily began to scowl. "I think that gives that advantage to Stone and the Falcons."

Blaise's smirk turned into a grin. "I knew you were smart, Potter!" He yelled.

The table laughed and changed the topic to less divisive topics, enjoying their lunch.

After lunch, Blaise excused himself and made his way towards Susan Bones and her group of friends. As Lily and Harry made their way back into the frigid late October air.

Seeing his friend shivering again, he reapplied their warming charms, earning him a grateful look.

"You'll have to teach me that one, Harry."

He caught her blue eyes and smiled. "Of course." Taking a moment to look around, he noticed a pair of redheads heading into a shop. "Should we check out Zonkos?"

"Sure." She agreed, casually.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Malfoy and Nott taking an unusual path back towards the castle. 'I wonder what that's about?' He thought to himself.

Zonko's was a kaleidoscope of color. He thought, as he entered the busy shop.

Bright pink and lime green walls were lined with shelves of various products, groups of students surrounding them, trying to find uses for the various products surrounding them.

"Harry!" He heard from behind him.

The pair turned around. "Fred, George." He nodded to each of them in kind, before turning to introduce Lily. "This is Lily Moon."

The girl eyed the pair in suspicion; "it's a pleasure to meet you both." His friend responded in an unconvincing manner.

The twins eyed each other briefly, before George spoke up. "You don't have to worry about us, little snake." The older boy replied mischievously. "We don't want to upset the mighty Harry Potter!"

Lily tried to stifle her laugh as they made small talk for the next few minutes.

Paying for their items, the two exited the shop and hung a left towards 'Gladrags.'

"How did you meet those two?" She asked in curiosity.

He was about to respond when his warming charm failed, and he started to shiver. From next to him he noticed Lily shivering as well. He was about to start reapplying the warming charms when a look of terror crossed his friends face.

' What is going on with her?' He thought.

It was a second later when he felt it. A sense of terror coursed through his body.

He heard a woman scream.

Glancing around he idly noticed that the wind had picked up, and frost had begun to form on the grass.

Next to him, Lily had begun to tremble uncontrollably.

' Not Harry! Please not Harry!'

He began to tremble in fear as he heard the vaguely familiar voice shout out in fear.

Desperately he began trying to clear his mind as a group of hooded figures began making their way down the streets of Hogsmeade.

All his focus was on clearing his mind as one of the figures approached a now unconscious Lily Moon.

Fear ran through his body as the figure lowered its hood, revealing a dark, gray, nose less face, with empty eye sockets and a wide mouth.

Harry tried to fire a spell at the creature, but nothing came out.

The creature lowered itself, inches away from Lily's face.

Harry was desperate now, but his occlumency was failing, and the voices returned.

' Avada Kedavra!' Was the last thing he heard before Harry Potter lost consciousness.