Chapter 15: The Last Term

"Harry, my boy, have a seat" Dumbledore warmly said as Harry walked into his office, "I trust the holidays treated you well?"

"Yes, sir".

Harry had been nervous about this meeting since he had returned to Hogwarts. What Lucius had said about it hadn't calmed him either. He'd been snappy the whole morning and had to run straight after Herbology to tell Professor Flitwick that he wouldn't be at Charms that day. The diminutive part goblin had frowned slightly but had nodded with a smile when Harry told him he had an appointment with the headmaster. By the time Harry arrived at Dumbledore's office, he was out of breath and had a stitch in his side. He had to pause for a few moments by the door, leaning against the wall and panting before he felt able to face the headmaster. All in all, Harry wasn't exactly in the best space of mind for a cordial meeting with a man he quite wanted to punch.

"I'm sure you had plenty of time to study?" Dumbledore said.

"Yes, Sir"

"Harry," Dumbledore said, sighing, "I have a lot I need to tell you"

' Of course, he does. Probably about how he had my interests at heart when he dropped me on a doorstep'

"You have experienced an inordinate amount of pain and terror in your life"

' Really? I never knew that'

"It has been due to my actions that you have experienced this"

' I know that'

"I know, Harry, that there is nothing I can say or do that will make you trust me. In fact, to be honest I do not deserve your trust"

' Ok, that was surprisingly honest'

"I made decisions that at the time seemed to be the wisest and most sensible courses of action. I could give excuses, but Harry, what it all boils down to is that I was tired. I was exhausted from leading a war. I was depressed due to the losses we had all suffered. And I was tired of such extreme responsibility. I chose the easy way out, Harry. I dropped you off at your relatives in the middle of the night, hoping that for them to find a baby on their doorstep would be a great push for them to take you in"

Harry was startled to see tears beginning to well up.

"What kind of people, I said to myself, would be able to cast aside a child left for their care?" Dumbledore looked positively ancient now, his face lined and haggard.

"And so, Harry, I let the matter rest. It was taken care of. You would be raised by family, loved and cared for. Even when I found you had been taken to an orphanage I consoled myself. I knew all too well how bad those places could be for a young wizard, but I simply let the matter slide. I told myself you would be well, that even though you may not be loved, you would at least be cared for"

Dumbledore took a deep breath, shuddering as he inhaled.

"I was wrong. No-one other than you could know the extent of what you have suffered, but I understand it was horrific"

' You could definitely say that'

"But, I will not allow the horrors you have suffered to continue. I wish to offer you something which has never been allowed to a student here for over five hundred years. Perhaps it should have been, but for good or ill it was not. If you wish, Harry, I will fight for you to be legally remanded as a ward of Hogwarts"

' What?'

"What does that mean, sir?"

Dumbledore looked at Harry seriously, eyes shining with unspent tears.

"It would mean, that for all legal purposes you would be adopted by Hogwarts. As Headmaster, I would be your legal guardian, but that role may be taken by Professor Snape. It would mean, that you would be permitted to remain in the castle over the summer break. You would not have to go to the orphanage, except perhaps to fetch any possessions of yours that remain there"

Harry's jaw dropped. The first thoughts that entered his head were excited ones. Thoughts of spending days at a time in the library, of wondering the castle as he pleased and discovering its secrets. Thoughts of speaking to portraits and learning of magical history from those who lived through it.

But then he remembered long days spent in the orphanage, reading on his bed. He remembered what it had been like once he made friends, and how they stopped him from being alone all day. He thought of going down to the common room at almost any time to find a game of chess or exploding snap and wondered what it would be like to see that room of life and joy empty. He couldn't choose that. Not even for something as incredibly exciting and awesome as having Hogwarts to himself. What would be with the Malfoy's invitation? Who would be there to pull him away from the library, and force him to go flying? No one. He would be alone. And Dumbledore would be in charge of him.

"I-I. Thank you sir, but"

"But none of your friends would be here," Dumbledore said with a sigh. "That is one of the reasons Hogwarts stopped accepting wards. There were too few, and it was felt it would be unhealthy for the students to be living here alone. No doubt, you have already received invitations for the summer"

"Uh. Yes, sir"

"Please know Harry, that Hogwarts will always have room for you"

"Thank you, sir"

Harry didn't show it, but he was beginning to itch to get out of that damnable office. He just wanted Dumbledore to finish already so he could go somewhere and think. Once again, Harry was finding himself unsure of how he felt about Albus Dumbledore.

"I hear you are very interested in magical theory, Harry"

' Ok, I have no idea where this conversation is going anymore'

"Yes, sir. I plan to take the class in my third year if I can"

"Excellent, excellent. It's an important part of your education, one which is unfortunately not very well studied. If you have any questions or thoughts that I may be able to help with, please, do not hesitate to ask me"

"Thank you, sir, but Professor Snape and Professor Quirrell have been helping me a lot with that"

Harry thought Dumbledore frowned, but it was gone a millisecond later.

' Must've been a trick of the light' he thought, suddenly feeling very unsure of himself.

"Lovely. Well, anything I can do to help you, Harry, I promise I will"

"Thank you, sir". Harry felt sure that he had basically said variations of the same sentence this entire meeting, and was starting to feel a bit self-conscious. Dumbledore stood up, and Harry followed his lead.

"If you hurry, you might make your next class. Potions, I believe?"

"Yes, sir"

"And remember Harry, please come to me if you need anything at all"

Harry left the headmasters office with his mind in turmoil. He had spent the last few months feeling rage and hatred for Dumbledore, ever since he had spoken to Hagrid. Now, he was left confused. The rage was still there, simmering under the surface, but it seemed like Dumbledore just wanted to try to make things right.

' Do I even want that? A relationship with him? He could teach me a lot'

The thought of spending more time than he absolutely had to in the old Wizard's presence made Harry's head burn.

' No, I don't want that. I just want him to not make my life any worse than he already has'

' You could always just kill him. Like you did to Mr. Roberts. Remember that Harry? What you made him do? Because you were just a dirty little-'

Harry decided to bunk Potions. Professor Snape wouldn't be too upset, not once Harry told him that his meeting with the Headmaster made unable to think clearly.

' Anyways, I don't need Dumbledore's teaching. The other teachers have been good enough, and Snape and Quirrell are always happy to help'

The school was starting to get excited about the Quidditch Cup finals. Slytherin vs Gryffindor was always a fiery match, due to their intense rivalry, but this time the cup lay in the balance. Even more than that, the team which won the Quidditch cup would probably win the house cup as well. Slytherin and Gryffindor were within twenty points of each other on any given day, and the seventy-five points given for winning the Quidditch cup would ensure that whoever got it would definitely win, no matter how well the other houses did in classes. Harry privately thought it was a bit dumb, that the Quidditch cup gave house points, but he definitely wasn't going to complain. After all, the Slytherin team was far better than the Gryffindor one. Due to all the excitement, and the tensions it raised, the team started traveling in pairs and threesomes. It proved to be a good idea when someone cursed Terence Higgs, the seeker. It couldn't even definitely have been a Gryffindor, because apparently, if Slytherin lost by sixty points or more, Ravenclaw could win the cup. It didn't really matter much, Madam Pomfrey was able to remove the bushy eyebrows almost immediately, and their seeker could see again.

"When we win, the party is going to be amazing," Blaise said.

"You're feeling very confident, Blaise" Tracey responded. The girl had opened up a lot over the last few months, and would now voluntarily join in conversations.

"Of course I am. The Gryffindor beaters and keeper can match ours, but that's about it. We have better chasers and a better Seeker. We've practically already won"

Along with the Quidditch finals, exams were drawing near. All the teachers seemed to delight in taunting the students, telling them how if they fail they would not be able to go into the second year. Harry started getting a little nervous, but his fears were nothing compared to those of all the others who hadn't been putting in work throughout the year like he had.

' It's actually pretty cool' Harry thought, as he was helping Pansy with her charms revision. ' People asking me for help'. What was also great about it, was that besides the rest of his year liking him much more and being grateful for all his help, it was actually serving as a great revision for him. He wasn't the only one helping others out, Theo and Draco were often being asked Potions questions, and Transfiguration stuff would be directed to Tracey. It did get a bit exhausting after a while. Fortunately, they found ways of dealing with that.

"We should charge for it" Tracey had said when they were all hiding from the other first-years "Five knuts a question. Rake it all in"

"We could do that. Or, we could just do it for free, and have them all owe us favors" Draco said, seeming to give it very little thought.

"Honestly, I wouldn't even mind if it just wasn't all the time. Every time I try to relax, someone is coming to ask me about it. I swear, if I have to explain what Billywig parts are good for potions one more time, I'll rip my hair out"

"That's probably Draco's fault. He sends them over to you when he wants a break" Tracey said.

"At least they're only asking you guys questions on one subject! I have to go from defense to herbology to charms"

"Well, Harry, that should teach you not to be top of the class in everything"

"Think we've left them long enough?" Draco asked.

"Yeah. Maybe we'll be lucky enough and find that they just asked a second or third year"

The day before the big Quidditch game, Harry found himself to be in the center of the spotlight. He had been leaving the Great Hall after lunch, along with the large press of students. As he was walking towards the doors to head to Herbology, he heard two voices arguing with one another.

"$ And I'm telling you, for three hundred years you've been coiled on me. Enough is enough $"

" $You're coiled on me you idiot! You rat, you blame me?$"

Looking for the source of the voices, Harry finally located them as coming from a portrait of two snakes, with their tails wound around one another. He stared at it for a second or two, trying to work out where one snake ended and the other began, and then simply addressed the Serpents, who were by now trying to bite each other, ducking and weaving from the incoming fangs.

"$ Excuse me $"

The two snakes stopped their squabbling and looked at Harry.

"$ What do you want, hatchling?$"

" $ He probably wants to tell you that I'm right, and you should uncoil yourself from me already $"

" $ Why you little-$" The first snake struck, and narrowly missed the other one's eyes. Harry practically had to shout for them to hear him over their spitting.

"$ STOP! You're both coiled around each other! I can't even tell whose tail is who's $"

The snakes both stopped and looked directly at Harry. It was at this point, that Harry realized that where before there was the loud bustle of the students around him, now there was a great hush. He turned to see about twenty people staring at him. He noticed Weasley first, even though he was near the back. His freckles and red hair stood out against his pale skin. Draco, still standing next to Harry looked like he had been winded. He was paler than usual, but his eyes were bright. He was the first to recover, and he grabbed Harry by the arm and pulled him away from everyone. As they were leaving, Harry heard the entrance hall breaking out in muttered conversation.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Draco demanded, face flushing.

"Tell you what?"

' Seriously, what the fuck is going on?'

"That you're a Parselmouth! How could you not tell me?"

"A Parselmouth? I'm not a Parselmouth. What the hell are you talking about, Draco?"

' Am I? Wouldn't I know?'

Draco just gaped at him. He spluttered, trying to speak, and eventually managed. "Harry, you just spoke to two snakes in front of everyone! Of course, you're a bloody Parselmouth!"

Harry had to laugh. This was just too ridiculous.

"Draco, they're in a damned portrait! There's a picture of a unicorn on the fourth floor that I've spoken to a few times. Does that make me a-a-Equestrimouth?"

"Harry," Draco said weakly, shaking his head, "Everyone's spoken to that Unicorn. But no-one's spoken to those snakes. We could just hear them hissing. They weren't speaking English."

' No way. This has to be some sort of joke'

"Draco, I think I would know if I was a Parselmouth. And I'm sure I would know if I started speaking a different language"

Draco goggled at him. "You really mean it, don't you? You think we're pranking you?"

Harry thought of the crowd that had been staring at him.

"Well, not really, but maybe there's an enchantment on that painting or something?"

"Then why could none of us understand it?"

' No freaking way'

"I-I don't know"

"You're a Parselmouth, Harry," Draco said, excitement shining on his face now. "This is so cool. Of course, you were put in Slytherin, how could a Parselmouth be put anywhere else?"

"But, my family has always been Gryffindor. Isn't being a Parselmouth an inherited thing?"

Draco frowned. "Who knows? But it's really rare, that's for sure"

Becoming known as a Parselmouth made Harry the center of attention. People would mutter and point at him when he walked through the Castle. Even within Slytherin, he was a focus. When he went back to the Common Room after supper, Peter Langton, a burly fourth year had confronted Harry. The older boy conjured a snake, and Harry was forced to tell it to do all sorts of things before Peter vanished it. In Slytherin, it was ok. Harry was given a sort of begrudging respect. Outside though, people had taken to hissing at him as he walked the corridors. The Weasley twins cast some spell on him that made it look like he had crazy, elongated teeth. He hadn't even known until he walked past a mirror. It seemed like everyone in Hogwarts found out overnight. Harry would have felt quite alone, if not for his friends. Draco seemed to take great pleasure in being best friends with a Parselmouth. After assuring Harry that there was a book on talking to animals at the Malfoy's house, and he was sure there would be stuff on Parselmouths in that, he had taken to peppering Harry with questions about it, which was actually starting to get on his nerves.

"No, Draco, I don't think I can teach you to speak it. Hell, I didn't even know I was speaking it. Can we just leave it, please? At least until I've learned more about it?"

"Fine, Harry. But you need to get yourself a pet snake. Think of how awesome that could be!"

Draco's enthusiasm wasn't everyone's reaction, even in Slytherin. Blaise simply acted as if nothing had happened, and Theo and the girls seemed to be a bit wary of Harry, even though they all said how great it was.

' Fantastic. Now the people in my own house think I'm a dark wizard, just because I can talk to snakes, like the Dark Lord'

But life at Hogwarts went on as normal, revelations about Harry or not. The Quidditch game was incredible. It was simply the quickest thing Harry had ever seen. It was over in under three minutes, with Slytherin crushing Gryffindor in a whopping 160 points to zero. As Blaise had predicted, the party in the common room was wild. Someone had smuggled in some firewhiskey, and soon a lot of the older grades were rather drunk. Harry had a little sip, a fifth year had given him a cup with a slurred "Shomething to drink for the shnaketalker". It burned his throat and made him feel quite lightheaded. He gave it to Theo instead, who ended the night curled over the toilet.

The exams began, and Harry felt good about them. His studying throughout the year had really paid off. He felt like he was simply breezing through them, and was quite surprised when they finished so soon.

And before he knew it, the year's end was almost upon them. They had plenty of free time, and Harry spent it trying to learn that spell Peter had used. He wanted to test out his Parselmouth abilities.

The next thing he knew, Harry was packing his trunk and getting ready for the end of year feast that night. He had gotten his exam results back and had predictably enough done well. He's gotten either Outstanding or Exceeds Expectations in everything except Herbology. He's gotten an Acceptable in that, but he'd thought that was coming. After all, he had kind of screwed up in the practical. It was when he went down into the common room after he finished packing his trunk that he heard something that quite upset him.

"Well, I wonder who will be teaching Defence next year"

"Why?" Harry said, interrupting the third year who was talking. Steven something or other, "What's wrong with Quirrell?"

Steven looked at Harry with a kind of disdain for a second, then his face changed into a semi-respectful look. It was an expression Harry had gotten used to seeing on the faces of older Slytherin sever since he had spoken Parseltongue. The look translated into something like 'we respect you for your gifts, but you're still just a first-year'.

"The position is cursed. No one's lasted more than a year for like, twenty years or something. But anyway" the boy continued "I heard Snape saying something about how Quirrell was gonna go on another sabbatical"

"What? Why?"

"Who knows?. Maybe next year we'll have a teacher who isn't a stuttering mess. Although Quirrell is still better than last year's guy. I tell you, Professor Knocklet was-"

But Harry didn't find out what exactly Professor Knocklet was. He left the common room in a hurry, heading to Professor Quirrell's office.

"Sir, why do you have to go? You've taught me so much"

"Well Harry," Quirrell said, speaking without looking behind him as he packed his books, "I feel the need for a break from educating, and a chance to educate myself further"

Harry no-longer thought it odd that Quirrell didn't stutter when speaking to him. In fact, he didn't think about that fact at all.

"But who will take your place? It might be someone terrible"

' It might be someone who has no time to answer any of my questions either'

"Harry, I am sure whoever the headmaster chooses will do an admirable job"

"I'm not. I've heard there has been terrible teachers before"

"Even so, one must think about their own needs before the needs of others. I need to leave, for my own growth"

' Sounds like he's been reading Lucius' philosophy book'

"Harry, I expect great, great things from you. I assure you, we will meet again. Just remember, magic knows no good nor evil. Only power, and those with the strength to wield it"

Harry walked down to the feast with Draco and Blaise. Everyone else would be heading down on their own, once they had finished their own packing. In best tradition, they had all left their packing until the last minute. They walked into the Great Hall, and Harry couldn't help but smile at the decor. Everything was in the Slytherin colors, and there giant Slytherin banners hanging on the wall.

"Seventh year in a row," Draco said with a huge smile on his face. "Look at Snape's face, never seen him this happy before"

"At least in public" Harry commented. "He's shown us all a smile before"

"Yes, But we're Slytherins," Blaise said, "it's different for us"

They say at their usual seats and started eating. Unlike the other feasts they had, the food was already there. They didn't have to wait for any specific thing to happen before they could eat.

It didn't take long from when they sat until Dumbledore arrived. By then, everyone was at the feast and had started eating and talking and having fun. The Slytherin table was by far the most raucous, but everyone seemed to be having fun. When Dumbledore arrived, he walked straight to the podium, stretched out his arms in an enveloping gesture, and began to speak.

"Another year gone!" He said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully, your heads are all a little fuller than they were… you have the whole summer ahead to get

them nice and empty before next year starts…"

"Firstly, I would like to extend a farewell to Professor Quirinus Quirrell, who is leaving us for a year of sabbatical and self-education. We wish him only the best, and hope to see him again when he decides to return to the world of teaching"

There was a round of weak applause, although Harry did clap until his hands started to ache.

"Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two point, in third, Gryffindor, with three hundred and ninety-eight; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy- two."

There was general applause from the hall as a whole, but the Slytherin table let out an explosion of joyous noise. Draco was banging his goblet on the table, Daphne was whooping, and Harry just sat with an enormous grin on his face.

"Well done, Slytherin. Well done indeed"

And then they were off, on the train, heading back away from Hogwarts. Harry would be going with Lucius to the orphanage, where Lucius would Confund Mrs. Spruce into thinking that it's normal for Harry not to be there over the summer, and then it would be off to the Malfoy's.

"So Harry," Daphne asked, "how has your first year back home been?"

"Home?" Crabbe grunted, confuses as usual.

"She means in the world of magic," Draco said. "Right?"

"Of course"

Harry looked around, at a group of friends he had made. He looked at the people he felt comfortable with, people who did not think him a freak or a weirdo. He thought of the magic he had learned, and how Draco said that even though they weren't supposed to, they would be allowed to practice magic, supervised of course, in the Malfoy's home.

"It's been the best year of my life," he said with a smile.

And all in all, it had.