Exams and Frustrations

Harry hurried back to the Gryffindor common room with his heart pounding in his chest and a stupid grin on his face. He had just pulled off one of the riskiest deceptions yet—fooling Dumbledore himself. Although the thought did send a pang of guilt to his chest, he knew that it was not something bad. He had only done so because he didn't want to explain about how he knew about the Horcruxes and everything. And Praesidius would understand. At least, he hoped she would.

His original plan had been much simpler—he could have easily told Dumbledore how the scar was a Horcrux and from there he could have given Dumbledore the information of the Horcruxes. But that would have left Dumbledore to his own devices and he would keep information to himself, which would not have helped Harry at all. So having a god give directions would definitely help with that. Specially when it concerns on Voldemort and safety of the world. 

As Harry entered the Gryffindor common room, the continous chatter of students greeted him. He entered slowly making sure to keep his face neutral which was quite hard since the thrill of fooling Dumbledore was not yet out of his body. 

Just as he entered, he came face to face with Ron and Hermione, both of them clearly waiting for him. 

"Harry!" Hermione jumped up, her voice hushed. "What happened in Dumbledore's office? Why did you feel like going—?"

"I... don't really remember," Harry cut her off, rubbing his temple to play up the headache. "When I got there, Dumbledore just told me to rest. Said I looked pale or something. Then I got this stinging headead, and I just came back.." He did his best to sound confused and casual. 

Hermione frowned, clearly unconvinced, but before she could ask anything further, Ron thrust Harry's pouch into his hands. 

"Mate," Ron whispered. "I've been going made trying to keep still with this thing. You have no idea how valuable—" 

"What do we do now?" Hermione asked, her voice barely above a whisper, glancing around nervously as if someone might overhear them.

Harry chuckled as he looked at the pouch. It was indeed something that would keep Ron and Hermione on their toes. He smiled and carefully pocketed the pouch and before he could say anything, his stomach rumbled. He froze for a moment before giving them a sheepish grin. "Honestly, I'm starving. Can we figure this out over food?

Ron blinked, caught off guard by the shift, but Hermione just let out a small sigh, shaking her head with a smile. "Fine, Harry. But we need to talk. Where do you want to eat?"

Harry thought for a while. He didn't want to go to the kitchen but he also didn't want to go back home. Where could he get something to eat then? Diagon Alley was too bothersome and he didn't want to go there right now. Hogsmeade was no good either. After his terrific performance in Dumbledore's office, he wouldn't be too surprised to find either Dumbledore or Snape at the Three Broomstick. 

Harry's mind raced as he weighed his options. The only option that came up was Moonstone Dunvegan. Although Harry didn't want to take Ron and Hermione there cause if he did, he would lose this one place where no one would think to find him. He just wasn't ready to share this place with Ron and Hermione yet.

"I'll think I'll just head home later," Harry said as he pocketed the pouch. "I'll eat there. But we need to talk about the Stone first."

Hermione's looked confused. "That's great but I thought you didn't want to go home..."

Harry shrugged. "I didn't want to. But I'm missing mom's cooking a bit."

Ron, who was now used to Harry's strange decisions ,nodded. "Alright, but what about—"

"Wait." Harry snapped his fingers to cast a spell that wouldn't let others hear them. "Now no one can eavesdrop. They'll hear us talking, but nothing we will say will make sense."

Hermione crossed her arms. "So, what's the plan then?"

Harry hesitated for a while before he decided. "I'm going to use the Stone."

Both Ron and Hermione stared at him in disbelief, their eyes wide. Hermioner reacted first. "What? You want to use the Stone? But I thought—"

"I thought you grabbed it to stop Voldemort from using it, not for yourself," Ron finished, looking equally bewildered. 

"I did." Harry replied calmly. "But I'm not planning to use it the way Voldemort would."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, stil skeptical. "Then why?"

Harry took a deep breath. He had not thought about it before he got the stone, but now that he had it, he could proceed with one of his earlier plans. "Not for immortality," he explained. "I don't want to live forever. I need it for gold."

"Gold?" Ron repeated, blinking. "Mate, you're one of the richest wizards in the country! What could you possibly need more gold for?"

"Yeah, Harry, why?" Hermione asked in concern. 

Harry hesitated for a moment before he decided to finally reveal it. "Because of the Moonsbane Elixir."

Both Ron and Hermione stared at him blankly. "The what?" Ron asked. 

Harry sighed, he really didn't want to say it but he had no choice anymore. "The Moonsbane Elixir is something I created. Remember I told you about my potions project? This was it. It's a more advanced version of the Wolfsbane Potion. It allows werewolves to retain full control of their human mind when they transform, making them completely harmless during the full moon."

Hermione and Ron's jaw dropped. "You... you created something like that?" Hermione stammered stunned. 

"Yeah," Harry said. "It also gives some protection against silver. The downside of the potion is that the ingredients are quite expensive."

Ron and Hermione looked at him stunned. They knew that it was Harry and they should now be used to it, but you can't help but be amazed when you hear things like that. 

Hermione gasped as she figured out what Harry was trying to do. "You are trying to create a program where this potion is free or as cheap as possible for those who need it..."

Harry nodded. "Exactly. If I charge full price of the potion then it would cost at least 2 Galleons. And we know that werewolves don't have that because no one wants to employ them. That's why I need gold. A lot of it. The Stone can help with that."

Ron scratched his neck, still wrapping his mind around the idea. "So, you're going to use the Stone... to make gold? And then use that gold to help werewolves?"

"That's the plan," Harry said with a grin. "I want to set up a fund so any werewolf can get the potion. No matter who they are, where they come from, or how much money they have."

Both Ron and Hermione looked at Harry in admiration. They couldn't help but be amazed at him. Any other person would have set the price to the maximum so that they could profit from it, but Harry didn't. He thought of those who couldn't afford it over his profit. 

"It's... an incredible idea, harry. But you're sure this is the right way to go about it? Won't people—" Hermione began. 

"Won't people doubt you about this potion that appears out of nowhere? Also the increased amount of gold appearing could lead the economy to crash." Ron finished.

"I don't need to worry about that." Harry reassured them. "I will be sitting for my Potion Mastery exam soon. And as for the gold, I'll keep it discreet. Just enough to fund the project, nothing more. I'm aware of the consequences of overusing the Stone. I don't want to crash the wizarding economy, trust me."

Ron and Hermione stared at Harry, wide-eyed and completely speechless. Ron was the first to break the silence. "You're eleven, mate."

"Yeah," Hermione echoed, her voice soft, as though she was still trying to process everything. "You're eleven, and you're already created a potion that... that could change the entire wizarding world? And all this..." she couldn't help but admire him. 

Harry shrugged. "I can so I did." 

Ron and Hermione couldn't help but admire Harry. Unlike any other person who would have priortise their own profit from creating this kind of potion, Harry didn't. He thought of all those people who couldn't afford the potion and wanted to make sure that everyone could. 

 Hermione was staring at Harry, her eyes filled with awe. "Harry, most people in your position would've tried to make money out of it... They would've seen an opportunity to get rich. But you're... you're thinking about those who can't afford it? About people no one else cares about? It's... it's extraordinary."

Ron who was equally in awe seemed to be confused. He had seen Harry's dark side and now this... All this time he had known Harry, he still couldn't figure out what he was thinking or what kind of person he was. Was he good or was he bad?

"You're talking about using the Sorcerer's Stone to fund a project for people who've been shunned by society. You could have used it to make yourself rich, famous even... but you're thinking about them." Ron said, his voice showing the admiration he felt towards Harry.

Harry smiled. "Yes, I could have made a lot of money for myself, but what good will it do me? Our society is not progressing forward so what good will a lot of money do for me?"

"And why should I not help the werewolves when I can? Isn't it our fault they are shunned? Yes they turn into a large monster during the full moon, but I can still think of many ways to help them even without the help of Moonsbane Elixir or Wolfsbane Potion." Harry continued. 

Hermione looked at Harry, a mixture of pride and disbelief in her eyes. "You're going to change everything, Harry. And I don't think you even realize how big this is."

Ron let out a slow breath. "This... this is mad. Brilliant, but mad. You're eleven, for Merlin's sake! And you're already doing things even fully grown wizards couldn't dream of doing."

They both stared at Harry, not just as a friend or even as a peer anymore, but with a kind of quiet, almost ungodly admiration. Sometimes Harry said things that no other 11 year old even dreamt about. This made them doubt if he is even eleven years old in the first place. Unknown to them, Harry had not just done that out of good will, this in a way increased his influence since this project is bound to resonate with everyone. In this way, he can get majority of the werewolves on his side if not all. 

Harry smiled at both Ron and Hermione. "I think I'm going to head up to the dormitory now," he said as he stood up. Both Ron and Hermione understood that Harry was going to Apparate back to his home from the dormitory. 

"Alright, mate. Goodnight." Ron said. Hermione simply nodded, still looking a bit dazed by the discussion.

Harry headed up the stairs to the boy's dormitory. Once inside the dormitory, he quickly cast a silencing charm on his bed. He then carefully arranged the pillows on his bed to create the illusion that he was sleeping, then with a flick of his wrist, the sheets draped themselves over the form he'd created, giving the appearance of a peacefully slumbering Harry. 

"Perfect," he whispered to himself. 

Satisfied, Harry quickly looked around to see if there was anyone entering the dormitory. Seeing no one, Harry quickly Disapparated to his bedroom in Moonstone Dunvegan.

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Weeks passes by quickly, and before Harry knew it, the final exams were approaching. Once afternoon at lunch, Professor McGonagall handed out the exam timetables to the Gryffindors. Harry had been home at that time, Ron had handed him his in the evening when they met. 

"Finals are here." Ron said nervously as he handed out Harry's timetable to him. 

Harry looked at his schedule:

Monday: Charms (Practical) – 9:00 AM

Tuesday: Transfiguration (Practical) – 10:30 AM

Wednesday: Herbology (Practical) – 11:00 AM

Thursday: Defense Against the Dark Arts (Theory & Practical) – 2:00 PM

Friday: Potions (Practical) – 9:00 AM

Monday (next week): Astronomy (Theory) – 9:30 AM

Tuesday: History of Magic (Theory) – 9:30 AM

As soon as the timetables were handed out, the entire student body seemed to go into study overdrive. Books and notes were everywhere, and the Gryffindor common room was no exception. Every evening, when Harry arrived from Quidditch practice, he found most of the students buried in textbooks, their heads bent low over parchments. He couldn't help but sigh when he saw that. They should have studied all year round rather than storing everything away for when the exams came up. 

Ron and Hermione, despite having completed everything, were often hunched over their notes. Although Harry doubted it would do them any good because of how stressed they were. 

As for him, well... exams were not really something that needed his concern. And just in case his explanations didn't please the Professors(which hadn't happened even once), he had scanned every single course book to his mind, so he could just write it directly out of the textbook. So he just spent his days fine tuning his plans and coming up with new ones. 

The exams were still two weeks away and Harry was now getting bored. There was nothing else going on that could entertain him. Everyone was just studying and preparing for the exams. Now that Harry thohght about it, he hadn't even seen Fred and George outside of practice. 

Soon enough, exam week arrived, and the atmostphere at Hogwarts became even more intense. The first exam on their schedule was Charms, and everyone was nervous as Professor Flitwick led them into the exam room. The small professor, perched on a stack of books, gave them all instructions with a smile—each student was to make a pineapple tap-dance across the table. 

One by one, the students stepped forward as their names were called. Some managed to get their pineapple to shuffle awkwardly, while others couldn't even get them to twitch. Harry watched trying to keep his boredom out of his face. When it was finally his turn, he stepped forward, already knowing what he would do. A mere tap dance was far too simple. 

With a small snap of his fingers, the pineapple starting tap-dancing along with a jaunty tune in perfect rhythm, that it was singing itself. This caused the entire class to murmur in awe, and Flitwick, clearly thrilled, clapped enthusiastically. In his excitement, the tiny professor nearly toppled off his stack of books, saved only by grabbing the edge of the desk just in time. 

"Extraordinary, Mr. Potter!" Flitwick beamed with an excited voice. "Absolutely marvelous!"

While everyone was impressed by Harry's performance, Harry himself felt underwhelmed and borderline disgusted. The task was so elementary, and yet this was what Hogwarts deemed an exam? Making a fruit dance across a table... It's a joke in bad taste, considering the vast potential of magic. No wonder, he thought, the magical world hadn't progressed further in centuries. How will it when even the education gave you the goal to be mediocre at best. With this kind of curriculum, how could anyone expect young witches and wizards to innovate or push the boundaries of magic?

As Harry walked towards the back, he saw students looking at him with a gaze as if they were looking at an otherworldly being. He couldn't help but scoff, because he couldn't blame the students since the entire courses were flawed. No wonder everyone seemed to consider Dumbledore or any relatively smart wizard almost godlike. 

Harry took his seat, ignoring everyone's stare. He couldn't bring himself to care about the attention anymore. It was like watching children marvel at a firework—excited for a moment then going back to their mundane lives not caring about how it worked or if they could have created something similar or better. 

Harry made a mental note to go to Dumbledore and discuss it. Just complaining would not work, he didn't want to be another Dumbledore. He has the power to do something about it, so he will. 

"You're brilliant, mate!" Ron whispered as he sat down beside him after completing his task. He had successfully made the pineapple tap-dance across the table without much effort. Hermione followed after him and took a seat next to him. 

"That was incredible, Harry," she said cautiously. "But… you didn't seem happy about it."

Harry leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Happy?" he echoed, a trace of bitterness creeping into his voice. "We're making fruit tap-dance, Hermione. This is supposed to be magic, not party tricks for toddlers."

Both Ron and Hermione shut up at that. They knew where Harry was coming from, after all they were experiencing it first hand now. At the starting everything they were taught in the class seemed to be exciting and new. But as they progressed and their understanding of magic got better towards the end of the year, thanks to Harry's books, they started to get more and more bored in the classes handling the mundane tasks. 

Hermione frowned. "But it's more than that! It's about control, precision. Professor Flitwick was thrilled because—"

"Because he doesn't expect more from any of us," Harry interrupted, his tone growing sharper. "That's the problem. You think making fruit dance is the pinnacle of Charms work? What about creating new spells? What about actually using magic to push the limits of what we know?"

Ron looked confused. "Isn't that what Dumbledore does? And Flitwick—he's a dueling champion!"

"Yes," Harry said, his eyes narrowing, "and they're the only ones anyone talks about because everyone else is satisfied being second-rate. Just because Dumbledore is powerful doesn't mean the rest of the magical world should stop trying to reach that level."

Hermione's brow furrowed as she considered his words. "But Hogwarts has always taught like this…"

"And that's why nothing changes," Harry shot back. "If no one questions this system, we'll be stuck in the same place forever. Look around, Hermione—do you really think any of these students are going to change the world? Half of them are too busy learning how to follow instructions like sheep and the other half doesn't care because of their wealthy families."

Before Ron and Hermione could reply, the bell ran, signaling the end of their exams. Everyone streamed out of the classrooms relieved to be done with at least one of their exams. Harry grabbed Ron and Hermione by the arms and dragged them towards the lake, away from the bustling crowds. 

"We can sit by the lake, have a break from all this," Harry muttered as he dragged them off towards the lake. 

When they reached the edge of the lake, Harry raised his hand, conjuring a large picnic blanket. It spread out neatly over the grass, and Harry plopped down on one side. Ron and Hermione sat down on the other side as they looked at Harry. Harry sighed, staring out at the calm water. Sometimes he didn't like knowing everything, because the more he knew the farther he was going away from everyone. And he knew that the basis of his frustration was simply from that.

Hermione's lip parted as she was about to reprimand him for his demeaning behaviour towards the little charm from before. 

"I know what you're going to say, Hermione," Harry began before she could even open her mouth. "In what real-world scenario, other than entertaining a toddler, are you going to use that spell?"

Hermione fell silent, her mouth closing with an audible snap. She knew he had a point. She glanced at Ron who simply shrugged, knowing full well that Harry never said anything serious that was meaningless.

Harry leaned back on his elbows, feeling the cold wind on his face. After a moment of silence, Harry spoke again. 

"Don't either of you have questions?" he asked feeling that Ron and Hermione wanted to ask something but were holding back.

Ron and Hermione both shifted uncomfortably. Of course, they did. They'd both been wondering what was his limit. What Harry considered to be real magic now, considering he had mastered everything. 

"Yeah," Ron admitted. "I mean, it's obvious that you are leagues ahead of everyone, but what do you consider real magic to be?"

Harry nodded and stood up. "Magic is something that allows us to break natural laws. It's a force that can do anything and everything provided someone can imagine it and have enough power to channel it."

"Look carefully," Harry said. "I'll show you a glimpse of the extent charms can go to."

His expression relaxed as Elythral materialised in his grip. He gently drew a circle with his wand and murmured, "Gravitaris Levis." 

Both Ron and Hermione looked at him excitedly, eager to see what Harry came up with. But to their confusion, nothing happened. The air remained still, the ground was unmoved. Ron blinked a couple of times before looking at Hermione with a confused expression. 

"Er... Harry?" Ron began, scratching the back of his head. "Did you—?"

Before he could finish, Harry smirked. Without a word he took a step forward—but instead of touching the ground, his foot rested on nothing but air. Hermione gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. 

"Wait...what?" Ron muttered, his jaw wide open as he watched Harry take another casual step into the air as if he was walking on a staircase. 

"Is this more impressive than making a pineapple tap-dance across a table?" Harry asked in an amused voice walking directly above the lake.

Ron sprang to his feet. "Bloody hell, you're walking on air!"

Hermione stood up as well, her eyes fixed on Harry who was walking above the lake. "This... this is..." she stammered, trying to find the right words. "This isn't possible! That's—levitation spells don't work like this..."

Harry smirked, "You're right—they don't," he said. "It's something I only figured out this past week. You see, all the time I was trying to find a way to fly without a broom or carpet, I kept focusing on levitation charms."

He flicked his wand again and popped back on ground. " I realized I was thinking about it wrong. Instead of trying to control levitation, what if I could just eliminate gravity itself? Stop trying to lift things up and just... remove the force pulling them down. Turns out, while it sounds complicated, it was much easier in comparison."

Ron shook his head in disbelief. "Easier?" he exclaimed. "Harry, you just broke gravity like it was nothing!"

Hermione was too shocked to say anything and could only stare at Harry in disbelief. 

Harry smiled, "As I said, anything and everything is possible with magic. But nobody ever tries to question it."

He sat down again, staring at the lake. His frustration seemed to have subdued a little but it was still there. He had to do something about it but he didn't know how he would tackle this problem. 

Ron and Hermione exchanged a quick glance before they too lowered themselves back to the blanket. After a moment of silence, Harry called out, "Tinsel!". 

With a quiet pop, Tinsel appeared neatly dressed in a small butler uniform having the crest of both Dursleys and Potters on it, and bowed to Harry.

"Master Harry, you called?"

"Yes, Tinsel," Harry said. "Could you bring us some food for a picnic? Something light."

Tinsel nodded and disappeared with another pop. Within minutes, he reappeared—this time with Lopy. Between them, they carried quite a spread of food which they set down on the blanket. Sandwiches, fruits, pies, tarts, drinks. The house elves had bought them quite the fare. 

"Here is you picnic, Master Harry" Lopy said, bowing before stepping back. 

"Thank you, Lopy. You guys can go back to what you were doing." Harry said with a smile. "Oh, can you tell mum, I'm missing her Treacle tart and would love to have some."

Both Loppy and Tinsel nodded and disppeared with another small pop. As the two house-elves disappeared, Harry picked up a sandwich and started to eat. 

Ron and Hermione too started to pickup food. Hermione who was still quite shocked only picked up an apple. "So, you said anything is possible with magic... Is there really no limit?"

Harry leaned back. "Not really. The only limits is ones imagination and curiosity." He said. "Magic itself—well it's boundless. Yes there are rules that claim that certain things are not possible, but that's limited to someone who doesn't have enough power to break apart those rules."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "But those rules are there for a reason, aren't they? To keep things balanced?"

Harry shrugged slightly, "Maybe. But balance is relative. For someone with enough power, what seems impossible to others is just another obstacle waiting to be overcome." He looked at them, a knowing glint in his eyes. "It's all about who's willing to question it."

Harry sighed, it would take a lot to change everyone's perspective, but he would have to do it. Otherwise the magical society will continue to stagnate further. With that thought, he solidified his plan of talking to Dumbledore about changing the Hogwarts curriculum after the exams. He will have to start somewhere, and that somewhere best be Hogwarts.