Manipulation of the Worst Kind

Hogwarts Library, (Nov. 21st)...

Five Ravenclaw first years sat around their table in the corner of the library.

"Can you believe the essay Professor Snape gave us?" Lisa Turpin complained. "Three feet on the dangers and uses of swelling solutions!"

"I know. All because that Hufflepuff spilled his Potion," Terry Boot said angrily. "I still need to do McGonagall's essay on Gamp's First Law of Elemental Transfiguration. I can't believe Snape gave us all that work."

"Not all of us," Su Li said smugly.

"Just because you were lucky enough to be paired with Potter during the first Potions class doesn't mean you are a decent brewer, Su," Mandy Brocklehurst said irritably.

"Yeah, does Potter even let you touch the cauldron? All I ever see is you chop stuff for him," Michael Corner mocked.

Su blushed. "It's not my fault! Potter doesn't follow the directions on the board. He knows some sort of trick to make the potion better, even Snape was impressed with our last potion."

"Don't you mean he was impressed with Potter," Michael said cuttingly. "I suppose I would be great in Potion's too if I didn't have any friends and spent all my time alone in the library."

"Michael, that's mean, don't say that," Lisa chided.

"Whatever, Turpin, you're the one who called him an antisocial loser last week," Terry said quickly.

"Well…it's not my fault he doesn't talk to anyone," Lisa said, defending her comment.

"Have you noticed that his brother doesn't even hang out with him? Nathan's always with Granger and Weasley," Mandy said as a smirk crossed her face. "Of course he's had to live with Harry for years, so you can't really blame Nathan for ignoring him."

"True. I bet Nathan can't stand Harry." Terry laughed. "Remember how he was so reluctant to talk to him after the troll thing? Harry practically had to drag Nathan out of the Great Hall."

As the Ravenclaw first years continued to make fun of their classmate, Harry had heard enough. He left his eavesdropping spot behind a nearby bookshelf, put the book he was reading into his bag, and slipped out of the library. Without really paying attention to where he was going, Harry found himself standing outside of Professor Quirrell's office. He'd spent a good deal of time with the Defense teacher, and he couldn't help but feel comfortable around him. Raising his hand, Harry knocked a few times on the door and waited.

A few moments passed before the door opened and Professor Quirrell stood in the doorway looking confused. "Mr. Potter? We don't have a lesson today, do we?"

"Uh, no, sir, I was actually just wondering if I could read in your office?" Harry asked, knowing he probably sounded pathetic.

"Alright," Quirrell said, stepping to the side and letting Harry enter the small office.

Harry quickly sat down in a very comfortable chair in the corner of the office next to a rattling box..

"Ignore the boggart, Harry. I just c-c-c-caught it and will be letting my third years have a go at it," Quirrell explained.

Nodding his head, Harry ignored the shaking trunk. Sirius had told him about a boggart that used to haunt the Black family estate in London. When Sirius and his brother were younger, his mother had refused to banish the creature because she felt being reminded of their greatest fear would help her children build character.

Taking out his book, Harry quietly began to read as Professor Quirrell sat behind his desk grading papers. After an hour of silence –broken occasionally by the shaking boggart locked in the trunk–Professor Quirrell put down his quill. "So, Harry, are you going to tell me what's bothering you?"

Harry reluctantly looked up from his book and shrugged. "Nothing, sir."

"Harry," Quirrell said, sounding insulted at the boldfaced lie.

"I just…" Harry said softly. "Well, sir, I've been excited about coming to Hogwarts my entire life. My dad told me and my brother all these great stories, and my mum would always say how much she loved it. My uncles said it was some of the most fun they ever had, and Professor Dumbledore, whenever he would come over, used to tell me about all the different ways my dad got in trouble. Everything everyone said just made it sound so wonderful."

Quirrell looked confused. "But?"

"I hate it here," Harry admitted sadly as a tear fell from his face. "I hate that I can't spend time with my brother as much anymore. I hate that everyone I meet is obsessed with asking questions about Nathan. I hate that everyone in Ravenclaw doesn't like me or thinks I'm some kind of genius who can't be approached. I thought I'd have friends, sir."

"Well, Harry, I think that the solution is obvious," Quirrell said calmly.

"What?" Harry asked, eagerly listening to his professor.

"Leave Hogwarts," Quirrell replied. "Hogwarts isn't the only school of magic in the world, Harry. Perhaps Beauxbatons or Durmstrang would suit you better. It would certainly get you out of the shadow of your brother."

While Harry's immediate reaction was to dismiss Quirrell's idea, the more he thought about it, the more appealing it sounded. While some people might initially bug him about Nathan, without his brother's presence they would eventually forget it and get to know him. But did he really want to leave Hogwarts?

"Beauxbatons is in the south of France on the Mediterranean," Quirrell continued, seemingly oblivious to Harry's concerns. "I've never been, but I've been told it's quite beautiful. Only a handful of people who don't go to Durmstrang know the school's location, but since it's required that the students all speak in German, the belief is that it is somewhere in Central Europe."

Harry frowned. "But I don't speak German or French."

"Are you a wizard, Potter?" Quirrell asked sarcastically. "A spell can easily be cast on you so that you absorb a language much quicker than normal. You could learn German or French within a week. Personally, I think you would fit in better at Durmstrang. The school structure of Durmstrang is much different than Hogwarts."

"Different how?" Harry asked. The only thing he knew about Durmstrang was that Sirius had mentioned his mother considered sending him there instead of Hogwarts, and that they supposedly taught the Dark Arts.

"Hogwarts, Harry, teaches a core set of classes to all its students for the first five years. The goal is to ensure that all students manage to achieve some level of competency with magic. It is very hard to fail out of Hogwarts. I believe the last student to have failed out was in the late 1890s," Quirrell commented. "Durmstrang, on the other hand, is a school designed to benefit the gifted and powerful. They would rather produce five truly talented wizards than train fifty wizards of average ability like Hogwarts does. Because Durmstrang is geared towards only the top percent of students, the classes are more demanding, and students even have the option of moving ahead in year levels. There are also very few tests, quizzes, papers, or essays."

"What?" Harry asked in confusion. "How do the teachers grade the students?"

"I don't mean to say there aren't any tests, there are a few. From what I understand, there are two easy ways to fail out of a class at Durmstrang. Students are given a list of spells or potions at the start of a term that they are expected to have mastered by the end of the year. Failure to demonstrate a command over the list can result in failing a class. The other, and much more likely, way to fail is during the student's end of the year project. Instead of final exams, each student is expected to demonstrate a final project for each of their classes. The project is supposed to demonstrate the student's competency over the magic taught in the class. If the instructor feels the student did not do a good job on the project, he has the option to make the student retake the class or fail him. Also, should you fail a class at Durmstrang, you are unable to advance in that specific course subject."

"But what if a teacher just doesn't like me?" Harry asked, horrified at the thought of being failed because a teacher didn't like him. "He could just say my project wasn't good enough or–"

"Harry, Durmstrang caters almost exclusively to purebloods. As such, there have been instances of feuds between the families of some students and some teachers. In the late 17th century, it became mandatory to have all teachers at Durmstrang swear an Unbreakable Vow upon being hired. The oath forces the professors to accurately judge the validity of a student's work." Quirrell said calmly.

"But I'm not a pureblood," Harry reminded his professor.

"Harry," Quirrell said condescendingly, "You are the oldest son, and thus the heir to the House of Potter, your blood is pure enough for Durmstrang."

"I--I'll think about it, sir," Harry said as he quickly stood up and left the room. Quirrell had given him a lot to think about, and he needed some time to figure out what he was going to do.

Inside Quirrell's office, Voldemort slowly removed himself from control of Quirrell's body, and he let the stuttering idiot retake command. As he rested in the back of Quirrell's head, the Dark Lord made his plans. The boy would go to Durmstrang. He would make sure of it!

While he had initially told Quirrell to give the Potter boy lessons to try to gain some intelligence about the Potter family, Voldemort eventually came to see the potential the boy had. Harry Potter was bright, had a yearning to prove himself, and was desperately looking for friendship. The result was that the boy was very pliable, and Voldemort had easily manipulated him into learning some basic dark magic. It was nothing dangerous or impressive, but it didn't have to be. Voldemort just needed to show young Harry Potter that practicing the Dark Arts wasn't a vile act. The boy's desire to learn would ensure that eventually he'd study more dangerous dark magic.

The opportunity to send Harry Potter to Durmstrang was also too good to pass up. If nothing else, it would drive a wedge between the boy and his family if the Potters refused to let him attend. If the mudblood and the blood-traitor did let Harry attend Durmstrang... well it would be a true test of the young man's commitment to becoming a great wizard. Durmstrang really was sink or swim for its students, but Voldemort was certain the boy could survive it.

While Harry Potter had ambition, there was a reason the boy was a Ravenclaw. More than anything else, Potter enjoyed learning and practicing magic. Voldemort had watched Potter improve dramatically from his first lesson, and Irma Pince had said in a staff meeting that the boy rarely left the library until it closed. Yes, Potter was a true Ravenclaw. If he went to Durmstrang, the boy would become firmly entrenched in the Dark Arts –if for no other reason than to pass his classes.

A light family like the Potters would never understand their son's need to learn the Dark Arts. They would misinterpret their son's desire to succeed academically, viewing it as him becoming a dark wizard. His family would turn on him eventually, and when they did, Voldemort would be there to offer the young man knowledge. Yes, knowing what he did about Harry Potter, Voldemort was certain that the boy would learn dark magic before failing at anything academically.

Slowly, a warped and twisted smirk appeared on the back of Professor Quirrell's head. The Dark Lord was pleased. Harry Potter would make a fine Death Eater someday.