Another Kind of Magic Part 2

by naughtypixie

Summary

Harry Strange goes to Hogwarts.

Hogwarts might be a little in shock.

Notes

This is a sequel to Another Kind of Magic Part 1, it won't make a lot of sense without it.

Mostly unbeta-ed. What beta I had was provided by the amazing Leyte.

** This fic was written by popular demand. Originally Another Kind of Magic wasn't supposed to have a sequel but too many of you wanted this so... here it is! Enjoy!

England is downright sweltering compared to Kamar-Taj, but it smells exactly the same as he remembers.

His Master insists they visit the Goblins before Harry is off to Hogwarts, and as much as Harry wants to whine that Banking isn't 'fun', as his Master suggests, he is also really curious about the intricacies of the Wizarding financial system. Kamar-Taj doesn't really do money.

Also, Goblins are just cool.

Despite his Master using the Eye of Agamotto and the Time Stone to show him all those possible futures, and despite him protecting Harry's mind by tightly gripping his hand and keeping him in Strange's own time-bubble so he doesn't go literally insane, and despite him now knowing every single (possible) face in Hogwarts he could meet – having seen most of the possible realities of his future in regards to defeating Voldie – which is now done and over with, thank Agamotto – he is still feels like it's more a movie he watched than things he experienced himself.

Master actually accompanies him, a kindness Harry is confused by until he realizes how they were doing this, and then it makes a lot more sense.

Namely, his Master announces their presence by opening a portal, directly into King Warwick's private office.

Harry wants to facepalm, but he is also honestly kind of used to his Master being like this, so he doesn't bother. Instead, he plasters on a nice, benign smile, and tries to look non-threatening to the natives.

Because Goblins.

King Warwick is seated at his ridiculously large desk, but within a moment, he is holding a wicked looking axe while alarms sound across Gringotts bank.

At least they aren't stepping through yet.

Then his Master opens his mouth, and Harry instinctively sucks in a breath.

"Hello your Majesty! I apologize for disturbing you without an appointment, but that is why we are 'calling' today." His Master has the gall to say, from the other side of the portal. As if that is somehow less disturbing.

"We – that is, myself and my apprentice, Harry Potter, are wondering if you might have some time to see us today? Your bank has been sending my apprentice letters, and after the debacle we had with the letter's last time, also pertaining to my apprentice I might add, I thought coming to you directly this time might save everyone some… unnecessary frustrations." His Master gives King Warwick his most winning smile, and Harry wants to facepalm again.

"Sorcerer." King Warwick says, sounding long-suffering. It is amazing how many people sound long-suffering when dealing with his Master. "Would it be too much for you to send an owl like a normal person?"

"From Nepal? I dare say the poor thing would die of exhaustion before it can make it to you." Strange tells him, scoffing lightly. "This is a long-distance call, you might say. So, when would it be a good time for us to portal over?"

King Warwick blinks at him, but doesn't ask him how he has once again, bypassed all of Gringotts security. Or how he is calling from Nepal. He is, in fact, wearing a frustrated yet still impressed look.

It looks a lot like the look Master Wong wears when dealing with Master.

Strange has this effect on people.

"…you might as well come now." The old king says while shaking his head. He turns towards the door, and says in raspy Gobbledegook, "It's alright. It's the blaster sorcerer, and he brought Mr. Potter with him. Go call Griphook over and tell him to bring the heir rings."

Strange and Harry step through, and Harry can't help ask, "Wait, heir rings? As in, plural rings?"

The King's head swivels towards him, "You speak Gobbledegook." It's a statement.

"Yes. Master insisted I learn it as an 'important international commerce language'." Harry tells him, while glancing at his Master, then admits, "My accent isn't great though, since I didn't have anyone to practice with and Master Wong learned from a female Goblin so his grammar is weird."

The King laughs.

He is amused and letting them see it.

Harry wonders if all Goblins are this easy-going or if the King is just used to dealing with his Master, and considers Harry the lesser, saner, threat.

This does tend to happen a lot.

They are directed to sit, and the King turns to Strange, "Would you consider accepting a contract with Gringotts to improve our security? Our alarm do not respond to your surprise …visits, as they should. I had to press the alarm-ward, same as last time."

Harry had suggested they tell the Goblins that they broke-in and stole Voldie's soul-shard from Bellatrix's Vault, but his Master had vetoed it. Even Master Wong said it was the right thing to do, but a bad idea since the Goblins take thievery – however necessary – very seriously and are rather unforgiving about it.

Instead, his Master has chosen a different method.

"Material wealth takes away from the Spiritual wealth, for my kind," Strange tells the Goblin King with a shrug.

Harry looks at his Master from under his lashes, because it's not often his Master quotes Master Wong.

"However, I will make you a deal." Strange says with a smile.

Sensing an opportunity, the King's eyes glitter, "Yes? What are your terms?"

"I will add to your wards, so that only a select few who have this ability could even come in, and they will trigger an alarm when they do. No one who has a tainted or incomplete soul will be able to enter at all. That includes those baring any future Dark Marks." Strange is careful with his words, but Harry can tell he wants the King to agree.

When the King understandably looks skeptical, His Master continues.

"I owe Gringotts a debt. No, I will not tell you what it is or when this happened, but I am inclined to assist you, because while you are not aware of said debt, it has still been incurred, and although it benefits Gringotts on several levels that I owe this, I still wish to repay it as much as possible."

The King actually shows his teeth at that. Harry knows that a Goblin hates nothing more than knowing there is an advantage to be exploited and not having the information to actually exploit said advantage. The books were really clear on this.

The King looks at his Master intently. "You will not need access to our ward stone?"

Strange shakes his head pleasantly. "Only the ground outside your bank."

"And we will owe you nothing for this?" The King asks suspiciously.

Harry can't blame him; it is hard to trust altruism after all.

"It is a favor owed, and as such, you will owe nothing, save the forgiveness of the incursion of said favor in the first place. Despite being ignorant of it, yes." Strange tells him, and Harry can practically see the King bristle in frustration.

Harry can totally sympathize. He felt the same when he was first kidnapped.

"…very well."

Harry can actually hear him mutter 'bloody sorcerers' under his breath in Gobbledegook.

"Now then, about the letters you have been sending my apprentice?"

In the end, Harry is the confused owner of the Potter, Black, Perevell, Pendragon and Slytherin vaults. Since none of those Houses have Lords, he is the Lord-apparent, skipping right over Heir, which apparently comes with voting right for the Wizengamot. He is urged to find Heirs as soon as possible, least he dies suddenly and the Ancient and Most Noble Houses are lost.

Harry finds that somewhat morbid, despite his Master's sudden and strange coughing fit, but agrees to do so.

He is also told that 13 Noble Houses out of 46 have sworn fealty to him – him personally, not his various Houses – after he defeated Voldie. (The first time he did that, since no one else knows about the second time.) Another 22 have signed lifelong no-wands treaties, with no conditions. Also, to him. And close to all the Light-aligned houses have signed bare-wands-in-his-defense treaties. This is not counting how many families have died out – by Volide's hands – and left their entire family vaults to him.

Harry is more than a little overwhelmed, and its more wealth than he can spend in a dozen lifetimes. He is informed that he is now the richest individual in the Wizarding World. He immediately takes two of the apparently-smaller money-rich vaults and liquidates them for funding for Kamar-Taj. While the temple doesn't especially care about finances, Harry knows that Master Wong does fret about electricity bills and clothing for the apprentices regularly. This way he won't have to worry any more.

In fact, he makes a note to find a way to donate most of this money back into the wizarding community somehow. He will have to keep an eye on possible projects and the like. Maybe when he starts school and takes his Wizengamot seat. Surely there are worthwhile projects to donate to and invest in after a war, especially a war focused on bigotry.

Harry makes a mental note to donate towards education first. Bigotry cannot survive education usually.

Strange glances at him, and suggests they get a summary sent to them. There will be too many items and vaults for them to go see one by one after all. Harry looks relived but then remembers Master Wong, and quickly turns to the Goblin King.

"Would it be possible to transfer all of the books from every vault I have access to into a separate vault please? I would like to bring them back with me this time."

The Goblin King looks surprised and asks, "All of them? There are hundreds of thousands of volumes, and some are extremely rare. Will they be safe outside of Gringotts?"

"Otherwise, I will have to keep popping over using portals and I think you don't really approve of that…" Harry let his words trail off, and the Warwick snarls a little in displeasure. "Yes, see, that's why. Don't worry though, I will keep them in the Sanctum Sanctorum. Master gave me a key so they should be safe enough."

Warwick's eyes widen, and he glances quickly at Strange.

Strange offers his own bland smile, and nods, offering, "He will be my successor one day, may as well."

Harry wants to smack him, because while that information isn't confidential, per se, it is also significant for someone like the Goblins, who unlike wizards, do know what and who the Sorcerer Supreme is.

King Warwick gives Harry a shrewd look, but Harry determined to not deal with this until he is good and ready, which will likely be never, so instead he turns to his Master and says, "Actually, it would be a good idea to consolidate all the other items also, especially the cursed and dark variety. We could keep them in the room with all the other artifacts? Master Wong would likely want to study them; you know how he is."

Warwick is listening very carefully, and is clearly recognizing an eccentric client who is none-the-less extremely rich, and best of all, does not seem to care about galleons despite having enough to buy Scotland.

"Consolidation of vault items takes half an hour. Do you wish to wait?"

Harry looks at Strange, and Strange shakes his head, "Let me go cast those wards now, while we wait."

King Warwick looks surprised that Strange is willing to cast them so soon, without holding on to his bargaining chip, but quickly agrees.

Harry is sure they look a little strange when they step outside – Strange, Harry, King Warwick and an entire entourage of curse-breakers and guard Goblins – but strange (heh) things are common in the wizarding world, so no one pays them too much mind.

Strange and Harry stand in front of the bank, and Strange looks at him.

"You ready? We will be doing a Malori Mandala, the 5th warding one in your book from last year. Do you remember enough of it?"

'Yeah, I make sure to study all the Mandalas while I'm asleep, and Astral-ing, because I won't remember them all, otherwise. Too fiddly." Harry tells him sheepishly.

"Smart. I did the same, when I was learning them. Alright, we cast it together, then I will let go and you will hold it on your own while I carve the anchors in the ground so it stays permanently. Ready?"

Despite not being loud, both his and Strange's cloaks and clothes – which Harry learned were considered extremely old fashioned and traditional. So much so that no one wore them like that anymore, and they were now considered pilgrim robes if anyone asks - probably attracts too much attention, because a small but curious crowd is forming around them.

The Goblin guards kept everyone back thankfully.

Strange and Harry start their Mandala casting. Both clapped their hands in unison, and when they opened their hands, a bright orange square appears. Harry can hear sharp indrawn breaths behind him. No surprise there, they aren't using a wand after all.

The next sequence is faster. Harry turns his hands left, and a circle pops into existence outside the square, following his mental order. Then comes the triangle, octagon, Sanskrit runes of protection, then warding for evil, then invasion, then alarm –

By the time they are done, they are holding two identical, and painfully complex Mandalas. Bright orange disks shimmering with power, suspended in midair in front of them.

They merge them together, then both slam the Mandalas down in unison.

A huge bright orange dome shoots up from the ground and envelopes the whole of Gringotts Bank. The giant Mandala symbol which was in front of their hands before, is now floating above the bank like a giant complex lid.

The crowed Uuu's and Aaa's behind Harry, and with a nod, Strange let's go of his side, stepping forward to start to carve the Sanskrit keystone-words into the dome surface.

Harry puts his weight on his back leg, and using some of his magic, holds the dome while Strange works.

It's a drain on him, but not a huge one ultimately. Strange has him doing much more complex magics while Master Wong isn't around to scold them both at night anyway.

Harry sucks at Sanskrit still. He can finally read it fine now, but he isn't gifted in either art or calligraphy despite Master Wong's weekly practice lessons, so his Mandala drawings always look a little shaky. Strange would have had to draw on Eldritch magic to keep a dome this size up, and pay a price for it, while Harry's magical core finds this a pleasant exercise.

Strange quickly carves the words into the dome itself, and within 5 minutes, he has completed the entire circumference. Then they both cast the setting sequence, and it is done as orange power shimmers up the dome, and disappears.

Harry really likes casting things with his Master. Strange is stupidly knowledgeable, which actually explains his cavalier attitude half the time. It was clear within a few weeks of knowing him that Strange trusts his own intellect to get him out of most binds he finds himself in. Harry always learns something new from him though, even when the lesson is, 'don't do that unless you are the Sorcerer Supreme.'

Harry on the other hand, is still learning, but he does have this excessively large magical core, and sometimes it gets … grumpy if he isn't allowed to vent it from time to time on large castings.

Master Wong's poor teacup often pays the price of that grump.

Harry makes a mental note to buy him a stainless steel one for Losar.

It takes them more than an hour to extricate themselves from the less-than-gentle clutches of the Goblins, and for Harry to open a big enough portal to shove all those books through to Master Wong's eagerly-waiting, grabby librarian-hands. Master Wong promises him those books will still be Harry's, and that he will send anyone who dogears them to a hell dimension. Harry is only a little sure he is joking.

Master Wong takes books very seriously.

He also manages to size all his Heir rings to his own size, but feels more than a little like a drug cartel lord wearing them all. His Master assures him they all look very fetching but his Master also wears the gaudy Eye of Agamotto around his neck at all times proudly so Harry thinks he might not be the best judge.

Thankfully, the rings can be turned invisible, so Harry doesn't worry too much about looking like a mob boss.

Instead of going right back, after the fiasco at Gringotts is finally completed, Harry makes Strange take him to the bookstore, and they spend a few hours copying books for Master Wong, and Harry himself.

Harry, on a whim, buys:

- Wizarding Customs for the Modern Magical;

- Prominent Families of the 20th Century;

- Blood Purity: A history in reflection;

- Do's and Don't for Muggles - an Introduction to the Wizarding World;

- Best Curses and Jinx's for Hogwarts.

He makes sure to make a copy, for himself and Master Wong, and writing a quick note inside the first book, with a simple "I thought these would be helpful to you. Hope to see you on the train, best, HP." With that done, he opens a portal and leaves them on Hermione Grangers bed.

Technically, it's breaking some of his Master's rules, but since his Master is leaning over him while he writes the note, Harry isn't too worried.

They also take the time to buy a bottomless lightweight satchel; all the potions' things he will need as well as a number of standard-use potions for emergencies; a broom – because Harry wants to be able to fly and Cloak still refuses to leave Strange and become his cloak; a pile of other things which were on his list like a telescope, gardening gloves and the like. Harry seriously debates not following the dress code, because what are they going to do? Kick him out of Hogwarts for it? But he finally agrees with his Master that he will definitely draw too much attention to himself if he does that, so he somewhat bad-naturedly stands still for Madam Malkin's to measure him and provide him with the standard set of robes.

He almost goes inside Magical Menagerie because a beautiful white owl catches his eye, but Strange reminds him that Nagini will be royally pissed if he gets another pet and doesn't bring her to Hogwarts. An owl might also not appreciate having to fly from Nepal to England to deliver letters.

Thinking of Nagini, Harry muses that she has definitely proven to be an interesting companion so far.

She has accepted that she now has a new name and another wizard readily enough, which surprised everyone at Kamar-Taj, except how she also refused to give up her old name, so Nagini is now Miss Nagini Peace, or Miss Peace when Harry is teasing her.

She confessed, after some prodding, that Voldie hasn't been the same wizard she knew as a hatchling for some time now, and sounding progressively angrier, told Harry that she had told her wizard not to split his soul any more, but he hadn't listened to her. She hissed angrily that he had pretty much stopped taking her advice entirely. Trying to force the issue, only ended Nagini with a piece of Voldie's soul inside her, 'to keep her company', except she hated the feel of it inside her. It made her constantly angry, and she sullenly admitted that she feels better now that it's been removed.

Nagini really isn't a bad sort, Harry muses, it is just that Volide's soul shard had been messing with her nature for so long, that she got to be a little more blood-thirsty than most snakes would normally be.

After several weeks of no-more-Voldie, she admits to feeling much more like herself, and even sounds eager to go back to Hogwarts. Apparently, she was hatched in the Forbidden Forest, and was looking forward to seeing if any of her siblings had survived.

Harry reminded her of the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets which he will definitely need to befriend and convince not to go on a killing spree, and Nagini informed him, hauntingly, that befriending her was fine, but Harry was now her wizard, and she would not share their bed with another snake.

Remembering that conversation, Harry decides that no, he really didn't need another pet at this time.

His Master – Sorcerer Sweet-Tooth Supreme – insisted they stop for ice-cream at Florean Fortescue before going back.

All in all, his day doesn't turn out as painful as he feared.

Harry and Strange came out of the portal rather earlier than the time required for boarding the train, but Harry doesn't mind. Some people are already there, milling about and Harry marvels at the various outfits' wizards wear as a general norm.

His own clothing is still those from Kamar-Taj, as he decided they are close enough to wizarding clothes to be okay, and he can change later. He honestly couldn't care less, so long as they fit, plus having worn them for 5 years he is more used to them now than even mundane clothes.

His Master has gifted him a minor-artifact cloak, in black, which he calls the Cloak of Shadows, and which reflects most minor hexes and jinxes from his person, as well as hides him in shadows when he puts the hood on. Strange feels showing the Invisibility Cloak in public is a Bad Idea, and made him leave it at Kamar-Taj, in his room, pointing out he can get at it any time he wants it anyway. Harry thinks his Master just doesn't want Dumbledore to ask where he got it from, but it's not that big a deal really. They had agreed that Harry shouldn't tell the wizards about Kamar-Taj unless he really trusts them, and considering how many realities Harry watched Dumbledore manipulate his life, he is very far from someone Harry will ever trust.

His Master is looking around in interest at the train, but otherwise no one seemed to have noticed them stepping out of their portal.

"I still don't know why I couldn't just show up during the sorting. It seems like a waste of time to take the train and all." They've had this talk of course, but Harry can't help gripe a little.

"If you aren't on the train, they will wonder how you made it there, and then they might realize you aren't with your relatives any more. While there isn't anything Dumbledore can do to change your custody now that the Goblins have registered your transfer of guardianship officially, it is still something I would rather we put off for as long as possible. Also, Wong tells me children require regular socialization with peers their own age, and while you did make some friends at Kamar-Taj and Kun Lun, I think he might be right that you are hanging out with too many adults."

"Not sure you count as an adult." Harry mutters under his breath, but smiles winningly at his Master when he glares at Harry, clearly having heard him.

Harry can see some kids floating their trunks and saying goodbye to their parents. Harry doesn't have a trunk, since he has his ring and his satchel, and the clothes he is wearing. He doesn't really need anything else, since he can get to all his clothes and things using his ring. He'll probably get questions about it eventually from his dorm mates, but honestly between his ring, and the key to the Sanctum around his neck together with the Death Stone… well, he's pretty set.

The Death Stone had been a bit of a surprise mostly because his Master is an arsehole who failed to tell him what it was, before it bound itself to him. While it's been rather nice to be able to chat with his parents whenever he wants to, the first time it happened Harry nearly had a heart attack and Mom Wong had another yelling fit at Dad Strange. Lily and James themselves had been overjoyed to see their son, while also very surprised that he was living in Nepal, and in the care of the Sorcerer Supreme. Apparently, the dead was a lot more aware who the Sorcerer Supreme was then the entirety of the Wizarding World. They were however suitably horrified that before Strange found him, he was living at the Dursley's, in a cupboard, under the stairs.

Harry had been a little afraid his mom Lily was going to forcibly reincarnate herself just so she could personally murder Dumbledore with her own bare hands, but thankfully that hasn't happened. Yet.

The woman killed a Dark Lord single handedly. Harry wouldn't put it past her to kill a Light Lord too.

They had both assured him that while it isn't pleasant to be summoned, they were more than happy to come see Harry whenever he wanted to speak to them. Both Lily and James had thanked Strange profusely, and gave their tacit permission to summon them if Dumbledore tires to take Harry away from Strange. If that ever become necessary, they would pretend that Strange summoned them using his sorcerer abilities in order to keep the Death Stone a secret. Strange assured them, and Harry himself, that Dumbledore did not have either the authority, nor the power, to touch Harry anymore, and Harry believes him.

Still. It is smart to have backup plans, like Master Wong always says.

"I'll see you tonight after you go to sleep, just remember to open a portal before you pass out. I don't think you want your spirit trying to make the trek from England to Nepal in one night." His Master is as loving as always, but Harry still kind of wants to hug him.

Learning to keep a portal open while asleep had been a serious challenge for Harry. It wasn't so much that it was a drain on his magic, it really wasn't, but he struggled to concentrate on both sleeping and actively using magic and also astral projecting at the same time.

Master Wong, when he learned what they were doing, had asked, in a very dry tone, why Strange couldn't just open the return portal for Harry every night. But Strange had insisted Harry should be self-sufficient, in case he and Wong were both called away urgently, and that had been that.

"I was thinking, I used Astral to learn all my books for class already – well, no, I learned the words. Some of the theory is still completely illogical. – I assume that it will make sense later, the same way some of the books in Kamar-Taj did, but are you sure I need to learn the appendix of the Book of Fire as well?"

"Well, I wasn't going to give you the Blu'dakorr, and yes because what is appendix 4564?"

And that was totally his Master's teaching voice. Harry internally sighed and then tries to remember. It really helps that Astral learning means you get an eidetic memory of the things you read, but if you then didn't think about the things you memorized, it is still a waste of memorizing.

"uhh, Valakanakis's Astral Form Mortal Communication Projection – ohh. Right. Okay yeah, I see why that can come in handy." Harry tells him sheepishly.

"Yes, Oh." Strange says mildly, tone dripping sarcasm.

Considering that part of the appendix teaches one how to communicate with corporeal beings while in astral form, Harry figures that yeah, he should probably learn that. Before his dorm mates discover his soulless body asleep in bed, fail to wake him, and freak out while he is elsewhere.

"Yeah alright, thank you oh great Master-Doctor Strange, I will study that tonight." Harry tells him with his most earnest expression.

"Don't call me that. And come see me before you start! Oh, never mind, go get on the train before I decide you need some training in humility and listening to your Master."

His Master had once told him that the Ancient One had him scrubbing the floor tiles with a brush when he first arrived, to teach him humility and while he never made Harry do any of that, he always threatened it whenever Harry called him Master-Doctor.

Before his Master can react, Harry darts in and gives him a brief but fierce hug, letting go before Strange could say more than 'Uff', and taking off at a run. He turns around before he gets into the train, and waves at his Master, feeling oddly reluctant to leave him there.

But that's silly. He will see his Master tonight at the latest.

His Master waves back, a wry expression on his face, and then opens a portal and is gone.

Harry checks again that his Sling ring is securely on his fingers, still with the permanent sticking charm he put on it by accident-no-not-really. Master Wong had been cross with him, but ultimately not overly so. Mom Wong did want Harry to never lose it or have it taken away after all. He even gave Harry a spare ring, just in case.

Assuring himself that both the Sling and the other five Lordships were on his fingers safe and secure, he boards the train and starts looking for an empty compartment. He has a plan on how he wants today to go, since he already has to be here, but it isn't set in stone. Now that Voldie is very much not on this plane of existence any more, and his own scar is gone, he feels a lot more relaxed than he thinks he otherwise would be.

He finds a compartment, and settles in with a book to wait.

Surprisingly, Neville is the first person to find him. The timid boy pokes his head in tentatively, but seeing only Harry in the compartment, he relaxes marginally, and asks, "Um, Hi. May I join you please? The other compartments are filling up…" his voice trails off uncertainly, but Harry gives him a smile, and offers, "Sure! It would nice to share the trip with someone my own age."

That is clearly the right thing to say, because Neville relaxes even more, and comes in, his trunk following behind him. He is holding a toad in his other hand, and Harry has a moment to wonder why Neville didn't put him in a carrier or something, but resists asking.

"I'm Neville. Longbottom. I mean, my name is Neville Longbottom. Of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Longbottom." Neville is clearly a lot more nervous than Harry realizes, because he then thrust the toad at Harry's face a little, and says, "This is Trevor, my toad."

Harry wants to laugh a little, but doesn't, knowing that would send the absolute worst impression, "Hi Neville, and that's a really cool-looking toad. You must be really good at herbology to have him as your familiar. I'm Harry by the way."

Neville actually smiles at him a little, looking surprised, "Really? I never realized there was a connection. My uncle Algie gave him to me. He's always trying to run away though."

"Well, maybe he is shy and there are a lot of people here. Probably more than he's ever seen. He might be able to relax more if you put him into a carrier? Just till he gets used to being surrounded anyway. Amphibians are supposed to be rather shy around humans after all." Harry tells him, trying to prevent Neville from losing his toad, which happens in pretty much every single version of the timelines he had seen.

"Oh, I didn't consider that. Maybe you are right. I packed the carrier but… do you mind holding him for a bit while I look for it in my trunk?"

"Sure." Harry's never touched a toad in his life. His aunt used to say you would get warts if you touched one, but he is pretty sure that was just a scare tactic she used so Dudley wouldn't demand they get one.

The toad seems pretty chill to Harry, but Harry casts a wordless calming charm on Trevor anyway. He is so glad he learned the sorcerer branch of magic first, before the wizardkind one, since having to use a wand, is going to be such a pain.

His wand had been a bit of an adventure in and of itself. Namely, they were unable to find a good fit for Harry at Ollivanders, which according to the old man, has never happened before. The old man had even brough out a dusty old box, with a wand that had a phoenix feather core, and while Harry did feel a little warmth when he touched it, it wasn't a great match.

They end up getting his wand from a custom-order shop in New York. For some reason, Strange had choked and laughed for ages after Harry is finally shown his wand. Harry personally doesn't think his wand looks that odd. Sure, it is made from elder wood, which is rather rare, and it is 15 inches, rather long and pointy-er than most wands today with a Thestral tail-hair core. It has strange knobs all down its length in various sizes, but otherwise, it isn't very remarkable.

Harry has no idea what made his Master laugh so hard but considering this isn't an uncommon occurrence with a man who habitually viewed potential timelines, Harry didn't pay it much mind.

Neville has finally dug out Trevor's carrier and stuffed him in there. Harry makes a mental note to tell Nagini not to eat Trevor. He actually wants Neville as a friend and that would not go over well.

Harry had taken time to figure out who he wants to be friends with this time, and why.

He had realized after viewing many timelines that, while Gryffindor may have been a good fit for cupboard-Harry, it was definitely not a good fit for Adopted-by-Strange-Harry.

Harry is determined that this time, he will be proactive in his approaches, rather than reactive, like his many-many-many counterparts often were.

"That's odd." Neville says.

"What is?"

"He isn't struggling." Neville actually pokes Trevor a little through the slats of his carrier.

"Maybe he's all tired out, what with the loud noises at the station. He probably needs a nap or something."

"Yeah, maybe you're right." Neville says, a little skeptically but since Trevor looks totally zoned out thanks to Harry's calming charm, he leaves him be.

Just then, their compartment door opens, and the glorious bushy hair Harry has been hoping to see pokes her head in.

"Hello, might I join you? The other compartments are almost full." Hermione Granger asks them, tone just as bossy as you please.

Harry grins at her, "Please do. I was hoping you would arrive before the train started moving."

Hermione and Neville both blink at his odd word-choice, but Hermione does walk in, dragging her trunk all the way. It is no doubt full of books, and the featherlight charm on her standard trunk is probably already struggling.

"Let me help you with that." Harry offers. He waits for her to nod her agreement, and waves his hand, opening a portal that swallows her trunk and deposits it above their seats.

Both Hermione and Neville gape at him, but unsurprisingly Hermione recovers first.

"How did you do that?" Her tone is a cross between demanding and painfully curious, "I didn't even see your wand!"

Harry can't help grin at her again, "That's because I didn't use my wand. It's a… family magic if you will. I'm Harry by the way, and this is Neville Longbottom." His smile might be getting a bit wide, but he can't help himself. These are going to be his first real close friends! "You are Hermione Granger. I've been looking forward to meeting you."

They are gaping at him again. This is going to become dangerously addictive if he isn't careful.

"How – could you possibly know that?" She half asks, half demands.

"I am a Seer." Harry tells her.

At first, he wasn't sure his Master's idea would work, but since even Mom Wong said there was no way Harry would be able to hide his knowledge of Hogwarts and the people in it after seeing 4000 plus timelines and possibilities, claiming to be a Seer was the safest thing to do, since there was no convenient way to check if one was a Seer or not, after all.

"Are you really? I have never met one! Of course, I didn't know I was a witch until I got my letter, it was ever such a surprise!" Hermione having only minimal knowledge of the wizarding world is willing to take him at his word, but Neville is looking at him with an odd expression, so Harry decides to clue him in a little.

"I kind of knew I was going to meet you, Neville, and you Hermione. I already know we are going to be great friends. There is one more who will be joining us when the train starts to move but he is currently busy catching up with his other friends."

This time, both of them stare at him. Hermione looks both skeptical and hopeful while Neville looks hopeful but skeptical. Harry wants to laugh at both of them, but refrains. Just.

Neville surprises him by asking tentatively, "Is that why you suggested I put Trevor in his carrier?"

"Yup! He really doesn't like crowds and you will end up losing him a few times today if you didn't, sorry mate."

Hermione is watching them both, and glances at the carrier above their seats. Her brain is clearly on overdrive, because she immediately starts asking, "Is divination a common magic among wizards and witches? Are your parents' Seers too? It wasn't mentioned in any of the books I got, or mysteriously received."

"I actually don't know but my mom might have been one. My parents died when I was a baby, but I will ask her next time I see her." Harry tells them, somewhat distracted trying to remember if the Potter line ever had a Seer in it. He really did need to ask them at some point.

They both stare a little at him, but Hermione recovers first, "Oh I am so sorry. I hadn't realized."

"Oh, don't worry about it. Next year, there will be another Seer coming to school. She is a true Seer mind, but because of this, some people have a hard time talking to her, as they think everything she says is nonsense but actually, she just sees things in their truest form, which the rest of us don't." Thinking of Luna always makes him smile a little, "You will like her, Neville. She is really kind and pretty, like a little moon-goddess." And one day, she will be your wife. He doesn't say.

"What else can you tell us?" Hermione asks him, excited at the prospect of knowledge from the future. "Can you tell us how the sorting is done?"

Even Neville looks interested. Clearly his Gran hasn't told him much.

"Sure. You put on a magical hat that looks through your mind, and sorts you based on both your main traits, and your own personal desire." He doesn't think this is some great secret and sees no harm in telling them.

"D-Do you know what houses we will be in?" Neville asks him, looking terrified of his answer.

Harry laughs, he can't help it. "Don't worry Neville, you will be in Gryffindor, like your parents. The Hat debated another house, but you just have to be firm with it, and tell it you know you belong in Gryffindor and it will put you there." Neville looks both incredibly relieved and very skeptical. "Trust me. You will be in Gryffindor. You might not be as loud or as brash as most of your house, but when it comes to courage, you have it in spades."

Neville blushes a deep shade of red, but while he still looks rather disbelieving, he also looks really happy and hopeful.

"What about me?" Hermione is practically bouncing in her eagerness. "I want to be in Gryffindor too."

"Ah. You could be. But you won't be, for one very good reason." Harry tells her with a conspirator smile.

Hermione's face falls, but still, her curiosity wins out, "Why is that?"

Harry is grinning because he can't help himself. He planned this, and he is rather proud of it. "Because Ravenclaw house has its own library, with thousands of rare books available nowhere else, which are only accessible to students in the Ravenclaw tower and cannot be taken out of the house."

Hermione's face goes from crestfallen to elated just that fast. "That is a really good reason!"

Harry laughs, "Yeah, I know. You would fit both houses very well, but… who can pass up Ravenclaw's horde, am I right?"

"Does that mean you will be in Ravenclaw too?" Neville asks him, looking between them.

"No. I thought about it, it was really tempting, believe me! But in the end –"

Before he can finish however, the compartment door slides open, and a blond head looks into their compartment.

"Ah! Malfoy, come join us. We were just discussing which houses we will be in."

Neville jerks a little opposite of him, but Harry's focus is on the blond, who looks both confused, and arrogant at the same time. No doubt because someone recognized him without him needing to introduce himself.

Before he can say anything, Harry tells him, "Close the door behind you and lock it, will you? I don't think we went the next bunch of people coming in."

Draco closes his mouth first, but does as he is asked, probably because he is too surprised to do anything else.

"Hello. I am Hermione Granger; this here is Neville Longbottom. Harry here is a Seer, you see, so he likely saved us some trouble by telling you to lock the door. He said he's been expecting you. And both of us! Isn't that amazing?" Hermione, ever eager to share information she just learned tells the blond, who looks at her like she is a particularly interesting animal he has never encountered, but his focus is drawn back to Harry almost immediately.

"A Seer? Those are rather rare, even among the Sacred Twenty-Eight. Which House are you from?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you? I am an Evans and a Potter. Harry Potter."

The ensuing cacophony is rather impressive, since there are only four of them in the compartment.

Draco practically drops into a seat next to him, while Hermione and Neville both exclaim, "What?! You didn't tell us you are Harry Potter!" and "I read all about you!"

Predictably, all three sets of eyes go to his forehead, and all three look confused when they don't see the lightning-bolt scar he is famous for.

"Ah, sorry about that. Must have slipped my mind. The scar is gone by the way. It used to be there, but after we killed Voldie for the second time it disappeared. Same as the Dark Mark on his followers' arm." Harry glances very briefly at Draco, never letting his smile slip, and he sees the blond tense but neither Hermione nor Neville notice.

"So, all those stories about you are true?" Hermione can't seem to help herself.

"No. Absolutely not. None of those authors have ever met me, and no one in the wizarding world really knows where I've been these past 11 years. Originally Dumbledore left me at my mundane aunt and uncle's place, something my parents really didn't want to happen, but I left there some time ago and went overseas for training."

There is a stunned silence, then Draco says, "So some of the stories are true. The books say you were training in secret to defeat the Dark Lord when he rises again."

"Yeah, about that. I am training, but not because Voldie will rise again. He won't. He is very dead this time, believe me. It took a lot to kill the bastard but we did it last year. Which reminds me…" Harry digs through his pockets for a moment, his new cloak seems to have a million of them for some reason and finds what he is looking for.

"Can you send this to your father Draco? I think he will want to know some of this."

Harry had debated giving this to Draco later when they were in their dorms but decided there really shouldn't be all that many secrets between them, so he may as well start this relationship with minimal hiding.

"You… wrote a letter to Lord Malfoy?" Neville asks him in surprise, voice surprisingly not trembling.

"Yeah, I took something of his, in exchange for something, and I thought he might want to know." He tells Neville cheerfully, despite the other boy looking rather pale at that news.

Draco is holding the letter, but also looking at him oddly. "I am pretty sure I have never met you in my life until today."

"Yeah no, you haven't. But well, Seer."

Having that as an excuse is going to be a lot of fun, Harry can already tell.

Draco studies him for a moment, and then slips the letter into his robe, "I will make sure he gets it this evening, Heir Potter."

"Ah, actually, I am Lord-Apparent Potter, but please call me Harry. Or Hadrian if you must be formal in some way. Where I grew up doesn't stand much on ceremony, and I have more than one Lordship. It's a bit of a mouthful when you try saying the full title so I'd rather we just didn't, if it's all the same?"

He gives Draco his best pleading look, and Malfoy actually looks amused for a moment.

"Understandable." The non-committal bastard says. "You said you were discussing houses before I came in?"

Hermione seems to remember her excitement at that, and practically bounces in her seat. "Harry can predict what houses we will be in! He said Neville will be in Gryffindor like his parents and I will be in Ravenclaw! He was about to tell us what house he will be in when you came in."

"Is that so? Does that mean you know what house I will be in also?" Draco asks him, looking more and more amused. Hearing that Hermione will be in Ravenclaw seems to have damped some of the reflexive sneer he would normally wear towards someone like her.

"I do. You and I will both be in Slytherin. You, because pretty much all Malfoys are in Slytherin, and I because I am Salazar's heir, apparently."

Draco has started to preen, but then his, Hermione's and Neville's jaw all drop.

Harry admits, even just to himself, that apparently the way to get all his new friends to get along at all times, was just to constantly drop shocking information on them.

"Y-You're the – Heir of Slytherin?!" Neville looks like he is debating leaping out of the train window suddenly.

"That's impossible. The Heir of Slytherin is… the Dark Lord." Harry makes the 'go on' gesture at Draco, because he knows the blond has put it together, "Whom you defeated. You are the Heir through conquest? The Goblins confirmed this?"

"Yup" Harry's p has a lot of little brothers with it. He can't help himself; he is loving this a little too much.

He waves his hand, and the various Heir rings all show up on his right hand.

Draco's and Neville's eyes go completely wide, and Hermione just looks like she is quickly putting it together but she still asks, "Why do you look so surprised?" She asks them, looking between Neville and Draco.

"You. Have five Heir rings." It's a statement. Draco doesn't seem capable of making it a question.

Neville is just gaping, but he turns to Hermione, and tries to answer. "Most of the time, a wizard or witch might – if they are the oldest – have a Heir ring, if they are from a Noble house. The rings on Harry's fingers are all –"

"From Ancient and Most Noble Houses. Slytherin is even older than the Sacred Twenty-Eight. Is that the Pendragon ring?!" Draco's voice actually goes up an octave but he doesn't seem to notice.

"Their house went extinct in the last war." Neville tells Hermione.

"Yeah, they bequeath it to the 'Person who defeats the next Dark Lord. I was rather surprised too. I have a pile of other vaults that I was given for the same reason but I am Lord of these five automatically since none of the Lords and descendants are alive anymore."

Draco, Neville and Hermione stare at the rings on his hands in something like horrified awe. Then Draco asks, "Why are you wearing all of them on your right hand?"

"Because my left is needed for something more important than Lordship rings." Harry tells him cheekily.

Draco looks like he can't imagine what could be more important than Lordship rings, but Harry choses to distract him in that moment. It is a gamble, to tell them this much, but he needs to bind them to him as soon as possible, and he thinks he knows just how to do this.

"See, I knew I was going to meet all three of you today, since we are going to be best friends for the rest of our lives. I don't see much point in hiding things from you three, even if all of you only just met me today. Neville here will be a Gryffindor. He is one of the bravest and most loyal friends a bloke can have, not to mention a phenomenal herbologist. Hermione is a muggleborn; she is also the smartest witch of our generation, and while she doesn't have the background in wizarding culture that we do, she is always starving for knowledge. She is also unbearably kind, intimidatingly clever and cunning when she sets her mind to it. Draco here, like Neville, is from a Sacred Twenty-Eight family, but he too, given the chance, is a loyal, talented and trustworthy friend. I have seen the future. Many futures actually, and this friendship we are going to build between us, which will be founded on mutual respect and loyalty, will ensure that our futures – all our futures, will be very bright and lead to fantastic things."

His speech is a touch cheesy, okay, very cheesy, but both Neville and Hermione look really moved by it. Draco looks like he both wants to believe him, and doesn't. Likely because of the mention of Hermione's muggleborn status.

Harry needs to nip this in the bud, immediately, so he turns to Draco.

"I know what you have been taught. And you" He looks at Neville to include him, "But it is a new age now. There is no more Dark Lord. There are no more Death Eaters. That chapter of our history is over and will never be resurrected again. The war has done a lot of damage on both sides, but the only way to move forward, so we can all have a better future, is to do things differently this time around." He knows it's not enough, because both boys look really unconvinced.

"Draco, did you know that mundanes – people you call muggles – can learn to do magic? It's true. There is a school, which teaches the Mystical Arts to muggles. They don't have magical cores like us, but they can still apparate, summon, transmute, use charms, wards, runes and the like. They don't use wands, but they still have a magical focus, they still channel magic and they still do everything we can do, and more. Does that surprise you? I've seen it with my own eyes and swear to you on the Honor of House Potter and Slytherin that it's true."

Harry admits, if only to himself, that he is cheating outrageously. Because swearing on the honor of houses he doesn't care about is rather cheating, but he knows Draco and Neville will take that seriously.

Draco seems completely shocked, while Neville just looked like Harry told him muggles could fly.

Heh.

"Hermione here, has only known she was a witch for less than a year, but already, if given the opportunity, she can cast most of the charms in our first year book. She hasn't tried it yet, but here… Hermione, can you please levitate… let me see." Harry pulls out a piece of parchment and puts it on the table between them, "this paper. The spell was on the second chapter."

Hermione looks like he put her on the spot, and he did, but she pulls out her wand gamely, and does a perfect swish-and-flick, saying rather firmly, "Wingardium Leviosa!" and as predicted, the paper floats up as she directs it with her wand.

"Hermione has never performed that spell. She couldn't have, since muggleborns aren't allowed to do magic outside of school." He tells both boys. Neville looks amazed, while Draco tries hard to not look impressed also.

"Wait, so other wizards and witches can do magic outside of school? That's not fair!" Predictably, while she is flushing with pride, she also latches on to the tidbit of knowledge Harry throws at her.

"No, it isn't. But the Wizarding World has a lot of biases, prejudices and rules which are designed to not be fair. If you like, I can take the trace off your wand, that way the Ministry won't know if you do magic, just make sure to not do it in front of other mundanes, or you'll get in trouble."

Hermione, looks horribly torn between wanting equal rights, and not wanting to break any laws. In the end, her need to have equality wins out, and she hands him her wand, nodding firmly.

Harry takes her wand, and casts a dispelling ward around her wand. The same ward his Master cast on his own wand. There is a flash were her wand glows for a moment and then it's gone, and he hands it back to her.

"The trace is removed." He looks at the other two boys, and rises an eyebrow.

Draco hesitate for only a moment, but does reluctantly hand over his wand. He watches what Harry is doing carefully, but since the ward is in ancient Sanskrit, he doesn't have a hope in hell identifying the spell Harry uses.

"Your wand is your father's, Neville, so the trace has been removed when your father graduated. Your Gran isn't doing you a favor asking you to use that wand though, because most of your magic won't be able to be channeled through it. I can't change that, yet. But maybe later in the year we can figure something out? Just expect to struggle some when you cast for this year, and know it has nothing to do with your own magical prowess and everything to do with using a wand that isn't the correct fit for you, okay?" Hopefully that will stop Neville from thinking he is a squib, the way his Gran always called him one. "You probably manifested accidental magic when you were very young, but it was likely in the gardens when you were playing with plants and your Gran and uncle never noticed. That's on them, not you."

Neville looks like he might cry. Draco notices and gives him an involuntary sympathetic look. All Heirs fear their family thinking them squibs after all.

They fall silent then, all of them processing the huge amount of information they had just learned.

"I know it's hard to believe everything I am saying, but you don't have to. You just have to give each other a chance, and watch and see." He offers them a small shrug, as if to say, 'I can wait.'

Draco immediately sits a little straighter, but it's Hermione who speaks up.

"Harry Potter. You are HP!" She practically shouts, startling Draco and Neville a little, and Harry has to grin at her.

"Figured it out, did you? Where they helpful?" Harry asks her, a tad cheekily.

"Yes! Incredibly! I made my parents go back and we bought another 20 books so I could study more."

When Draco and Neville look confused, Hermione elaborates, "I got my letter, and we wrote to Professor McGonagall, and we went to Diagon Ally, of course. I thought I bought every book I needed to understand what I was getting into, but a few days later, I found a stack of books on my bed and a note inside that said these would be helpful, and it was signed HP! How did you magic them onto my bed? You didn't even know where I lived or who I was!"

"Seer, remember? And the same way I put your trunk up."

Hermione looks like she wants to pry his brain open to learn how it was done, and this time Draco surprises all of them by laughing, "Now I see the Ravenclaw in her."

"Right? She's perfect for that house." Harry grins at him and Draco grins back, almost reflexively.

Just then, someone pauses outside their door. They can see the shadow, but they don't knock and the shadow moves away.

"I might have put a notice-me-not on our door." He tells them sheepishly, "so we will probably have to hunt down the trolly matron."

That breaks the last of the tension, and Draco and Hermione both make protesting and questioning noises, "Otherwise we would be visited by everyone looking for Harry Potter." That stops the protesting quickly.

"The sorting will 'out' me anyway, but I really wanted this time for us to get to know each other. Our fates are intertwined, and we are people who, all of us, left to our own devices, would not seek out each other's friendships, but I have learned to never underestimate how the fates work." He tells them, possibly a touch grimy, since he is remembering those 4000 plus realities.

Draco and Neville are a little wide-eyed. Harry knows that Draco would never chose either Hermione or Neville for best friends, and while Neville and Hermione might have been friends, it would not have been an equal friendship. Draco and Neville are from opposing houses, and their friendship is nearly as unlikely as Draco and Hermione's. But Harry also knows, that wizards trust in their Seers, and if a Seer tells you that you should do something, no sane wizard would say no, even if they didn't understand why they needed to do it.

That was why Voldie had lost his shit when that prophecy was given, and why his followers never questioned his desire to murder a toddler. One did not ignore Seer prophecies without dire consequences.

Harry knows that Draco will be writing a long and detailed letter to Lord and Lady Malfoy tonight. A Seer has given their son a prophecy, and warnings. A Seer has given advice and promises of prosperity and power. No Malfoy would ignore that, even if it meant socializing with people they normally would never dream of socializing with.

Harry knows that one Hermione Granger will be getting a great deal of scrutiny not only from the Malfoy's, and most likely all Slytherin purebloods who hear about today, but also the Longbottom's Dowager.

She will likely not notice said scrutiny for some years to come, but…

Harry idly wonders if Neville has caught his hint about Luna, or if he will only realize what Harry meant later.

Since they've been talking for some time now, Harry notices that he is rather hungry. Looking at his new friends, he asks, "So, anyone else brought anything to eat? If not, I have some fish & chips from this little deli in London if anyone's interested? I brought enough for all of us."

Draco is the only one who makes a bit of a face, but his face clears very quickly after he takes a bite of the containers under preservation charms Master Wong gave him. He also brings out a pile of cut up fruit and veggie sticks, and for the next half hour, everyone is too busy eating to talk much.

"So, Harry," it seems that predicting a blokes future makes even people like Draco accept that you are now on first name basis, "Is it always this…" he waves a hand, indicating all three of them, "intense around you? What do you do for fun?"

Harry blinks at him, and Draco smirks, please that he caught a Seer off guard evidently.

"Honestly, you guys are kind of my first friends my own age. I mean, sure, Hari and Laxmi were great, but they were older than me, and for the first few years, we didn't really speak the same language. Afterwards, while I learned how to speak their language, I learned it mostly from books and such, so there wasn't really much… uh, opportunity? I guess we spar sometimes for fun? My Master also takes me dimension hoping sometimes but I wouldn't exactly describe it as fun per se. More… ah, harrowing?" Harry blushes a little, because okay, yes maybe he had no clue how to have fun. The Dursley's never let him have any, and Strange and Master Wong spend a great deal of time studying.

"I sometimes play computer games but the internet connection where we are kind of sucks, and it's more fun to fight real monsters than imaginary ones, you know?"

His new friends stare at him.

Harry fidgets a little.

"…are you sure you won't be in Gryffindor?" Draco asks him, clearly only half joking.

"I was about to ask the exact same thing." Hermione adds, nodding at Draco as if he said the most sensible thing.

Neville looks like he wants to nod in agreement also.

"Look! Where I live, it's remote and my Master takes my studying very seriously. Sure, there are a few cinemas where we live but… oh shut up, the lot of you." Harry grumbles at them.

All three of them grin at him, and Draco says, voice teasing, "I think we just found the Seer's weakness."

Hermione and Neville are smiling and nodding their agreement, and Harry metaphorically throws up his hands.

He's like to see them try and be normal around someone like Strange.

They stay in their compartment for the entire ride, simply chatting and getting to know each other. They really are all very different people and Harry knows it will take work for them all to learn to be friends, but he is hopeful. He's liked every single timeline where they were all friends, no matter how they become that way, so he is pretty determined.

When it finally gets dark and it becomes obvious they will be arriving soon, they all go and change into their Hogwarts uniforms.

Harry feels incredibly uncomfortable in his new uniform. He keeps his own cloak, because it looks exactly like the uniform cloak, but otherwise, his oxfords are too tight on his feet, and not nearly as soft as his monk slippers or his winter boots. His shirt feels too thin, and his pants are scratchy compared to his usual clothes, and he hates them.

He makes a mental note to ask Master Wong how to change the material as soon as possible, even if it means he will have to regularly cast ironing spells on his clothes.

Or maybe just disillusionment charms so he can wear his normal clothes.

Knowing that they will be in boats which seat four, he tells them to stick together when they get off the train, and drags them all towards Hagrid, who stands out even among hundreds of other students due to his height. He tells them quietly, that Hagrid is the Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts, and that he is an expert in dangerous beasts, as well as unparalleled in his knowledge of the Forbidden Forest. To Draco, he also mutters, that Hagrid is Dumbledore's man, but can't keep a secret to save his life, to which predictably, Draco's eyes light up.

They all load into the boats, and Harry notices that Neville and Draco are starting to understand what having a Seer friend means for their future. All three of his new friends are a lot more relaxed, since they believe Harry when he tells them what house they will be in and how the sorting works, so they all simply enjoy it when Hogwarts comes into view.

Hermione is vibrating from excitement, but Harry notices that she also isn't looking very tense, nor is she spamming them with facts from Hogwarts: A History. At one point, she says to them, somewhat wistfully, "Can you imagine how amazing the Founders must have been, to be able to build something this beautiful and magical? I so wish we could go back in time, even for just one day, to see it as it's being built. The books all say that most of the magic which built Hogwarts have been lost."

Draco looks at her in surprise, and Harry can see he agrees with her, and this surprises him.

Harry is somewhat less impressed. Kamar-Taj is bigger, and shinier, if less - inherently - magical. Hogwarts will always be amazing, but after seeing 4000 plus timelines of her, including her as rubble, he is somewhat desensitized.

They duck as they enter a docking area, and Harry helps Hermione out of the boat. Draco also offers her a hand, and she gives him a brilliant smile, and a quiet, "such a gentleman."

Draco looks both like he wants to preen again, and like he doesn't know if he should be helping a muggleborn out in any way. His Slytherin friends give him a few looks, but a glare from him has them looking away.

Baby steps, Harry reminds himself.

Just as in the other realities, they are ushered up the stairs and told to tidy themselves up by a stern looking McGonagall. Harry surreptitiously waves his hand around his little group, and all their clothes straighten themselves. Neville jumps a little, and even Draco looks startled, but both boys grin at him. Hermione just looks like she wants to quiz him on how he did that.

They are ushered into the Great Hall, and all of his fellow students stare at the ceiling. Harry had seen it all before, so instead he looks at the teacher's table, wondering if Quirrell would still be there. He isn't, and in his place, sitting next to Snape, is a thin looking witch with long dark hair. Harry doesn't recognize her from any of this 4000 plus visions and that makes him a break out in goose flesh.

He makes a note to ask his Master about her.

A boy two rows in front of Harry asks if anyone knows how the sorting is done, and a ginger-haired boy whom Harry, with a jolt, realizes is Ronald Weasley tells him that his brothers told him they have to fight a troll.

Draco snickers but quietly enough that Ron doesn't hear him, and all three of his friend's exchange conspirator smiles. Harry is glad. Draco isn't showing off by being a jerk, Hermione isn't babbling and Neville isn't trying not to faint. This is already progress, and they are bonding on top of that.

Harry honestly has minimal experience with building friendships, but he did watch all those possibilities, and he'd like to think he picked up a few things just from that alone.

Harry can tell that the other students are still looking for Harry Potter, but they are mostly looking for him via his scar. Harry nowadays wears his hair the way Strange does, mostly because Master Wong seems to know only two haircuts, the Strange cut, or Shaving-to-two-inches which he, himself, prefers.

Harry, not being an idiot, naturally chose the Strange cut.

But this means his forehead is on display for everyone to see, and thus, overlook.

Harry once again sends thanks to Agamotto and his Master for Voldie being gone forever, so Harry can actually have a life in the Wizarding World.

The sorting starts, and he joins his new friends in a game where they try to guess where someone will go, and Harry confirms or denies it before the Hat yells out what house they are in.

None of them are very good at it, except Harry of course, but it's all in good fun. Harry now knows his friends believe him because none of them look even a little nervous anymore. However, when Neville is finally called, Harry reminds him quietly, "Everyone has multiple options, just remember, tell it firmly where you belong, and it will put you there."

Neville swallows, but nods determinedly. He marches up to the stool and puts the hat on his head, with a little force. In almost every universe, Neville is a hat-stall, but not this time. Within a few moments, the Hat yellows out, "Gryffindor!" and Neville takes off the hat, smiling brilliantly, towards their little group. Hermione gives him a wide smile, and even Draco gives him a nod.

Neville goes and sits himself next to Seamus, and Harry wonders for a moment if things will be different for Neville this time round.

Then it's Hermione's turn, she gives them both a smile and a nod, and sits herself on the stool. This time, the Hat is even quicker, and shouts "Ravenclaw!" within only a few heartbeats.

Harry hears Draco mutter, "two out of four." And smiles to himself. Trust a Slytherin to take nothing on faith.

"See you in Slytherin" Harry tells him, and Draco shoots him a smirk before he walks up to the stool.

This time, the Hat barely touches his blond head before it shouts "Slytherin!" and Draco's smirk just gets wider. He shoots Harry a look that says, 'your turn.'

When Harry's name is finally called, everyone is looking around, trying to identify him, before he says, "excuse me," and the student's part for him like the Red Sea.

He can hear them, since most aren't trying to keep their voice down, and there are a lot of "Is that him?", "Where was he? I didn't see him on the train.", "He is taller than I thought he would be!"

But then he makes it to the stool, and he gives McGonagall a friendly smile, before putting the hat on his own head.

"Hmm, difficult. Very –"

"Not really. I am the Heir of Slytherin. I belong there. Put me in Slytherin, please."

"You are sure?"

"Yes. Please."

"Alright then, better be –" and outside his head, it shouts "Slytherin!"

Harry takes off the hat, after a quick Thank you, and as expected, the Great Hall is stunned into silence, then Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom all stand up and starts clapping, and as if that was a trigger, because Slytherin House absolutely explodes into shouts and applause.

Harry risks a glance towards Snape, and just as expected, the man looks completely shocked dumb.

Harry is aware that he looks nothing at all like his father now. He doesn't wear glasses and his hair isn't so much of a mess when it's cut as short as Strange keeps his. If anything, he looks like a distant cousin of Lily's with black hair instead of red. He hopes it will be enough, but he really doubts it. Snape has been working himself up for a Potter Spawn for the entire summer, and Harry is looking forward to not giving him that.

He gives the man a small smile, making sure it's polite, and walks calmly to the Slytherin table, where he sits next to Draco.

"Four out of four Potter." Draco tells him.

"As if you had any doubts." Harry shoots back, knowing the blond definitely had doubts.

"Never." Draco lies easily, and gives him an honest smile. Harry suspects Draco won't be doubting him any time soon again.

He looks around, and sees Hermione wave at him smiling, and Neville also gives him a wide smile.

When Zabini joins him next to Nott, Harry thinks this is going to be a really fun year.

Harry gets to 'officially' meet everyone, and while Parkinson looks like she is thinking of making a snide comment, Harry beats her to it, by saying, "Ah, you must be Miss Parkinson, Draco spoke highly of you during out shared train ride. He said you have impeccable fashion sense, and I see he was not wrong."

Pansy looks completely floored and her head nearly swivels so fast towards Draco that Harry wonders how she doesn't crank her neck.

Draco smiles charmingly, and says loftily, "It is only the truth, my dear." While kicking Harry under the table, hard.

Harry gives her his own charming smile, the one that gets him extra Peda's from Master Wong, and Pansy practically blushes.

Zabini looks like he wants to laugh, but instead, changes the subject by asking Harry how he likes Hogwarts so far.

"It's a beautiful castle. You can really tell the founders were amazing magicals to be able to create her." He offers, knowing the proud purebloods will hear it as a compliment and take it as personal flattery coming from him.

Nott asks if it was a surprise to find himself in Slytherin, and Harry would be deaf mute and blind if he doesn't notice that almost the entire House Slytherin is paying attention to his answer, but before he can say anything, Draco answers for him. "Potter here knew he was destined for Slytherin. He told our entire train compartment which houses all of us would be in, and he hasn't been wrong once."

Privately, Harry wonders when Draco will spring the knowledge that Harry is a Seer, and the Heir to Slytherin to boot, but decides to let him have his fun.

"That's right. I've known for ages that I would be in Slytherin. It was rather obvious really." Harry tells Nott, and watches the boys' eyes widen in surprise.

They had all expected him to be shocked and dismayed it seems, to not be in Gryffindor like his parents.

"We thought you would be in Gryffindor for sure." Pansy tells him, rather obviously.

"Like my parents you mean?" Harry asks her innocently, "Yeah, I probably could have been. But it's not a good fit for me. Don't get me wrong, there are worthwhile Gryffindors out there, like Heir Longbottom for example, but I prefer the house of the cunning. After all, I didn't grow up with those Gryffindor parents, did I?"

Pansy looks a little abashed to have brought his parents up, even inadvertently, but he doesn't let her feel bad for more than a moment, "Some things, my dear Miss Parkinson, are simply… fated to be."

Draco coughs a little to hide his laugh, surprisingly successfully, he must have had a lot of practice with that, Harry muses.

"What about yourself, Heir Zabini? The Contessa will no doubt be very proud that you were sorted into the house of the snakes."

Zabini looks surprised to be addressed, but a charming smile is immediately splitting his face. "Si, the Contessa will indeed be pleased, though I doubt she expected anything else from her son."

"True, that." Harry acknowledges. After all, Zabini has never once sorted anywhere else but Slytherin in all the permutations of reality Harry saw. Even Malfoys has sorted Ravenclaw a few times, and even Hufflepuff once, much to their ancestor's horror.

"Heir Nott also, your father will no doubt be sending his congratulations by the morning." Harry knows that showing his knowledge of his classmate's family members is a bit of a sneaky tactic, especially since he does, in fact, know all of the Death Eaters from watching that many lives on fast forward, but since he did sort Slytherin, he may as well act like one.

"Yes." It's not a surprise that Nott doesn't want to talk to Harry Potter about his Death Eater father, but since Voldie is gone, even Nott Senior should be able to loosen up a bit.

Maybe.

Oh, who is he kidding? Just because Voldie is gone, doesn't mean these people stopped being Death Eaters.

Harry sighs. He has a lot of work ahead of him it seems.

After dinner, they are escorted down to the dungeon common rooms, and after the password has been shared around, they all wait for Snape to come and make his speech.

Snape is as dramatic as Harry remembers him from all the many realities. Harry can admit to himself that Snape has an intimidating voice and demeanor, and Harry can see how, at 11 years old, Snape would have seemed very imposing indeed.

Thankfully, Harry's Master is a lot more terrifying, while completely destroying the visual intimidating factor thanks to his gangster talisman and monk fashion-sense.

Snape's gaze lands on Harry a few times, but Harry just looks back at him calmly. A few older Slytherins throw him looks, when Snape dismisses everyone but calls out "Potter, with me." Before stepping back through the portrait.

He leads Harry to his office, and after ordering him into a chair in front of his desk, he whirls dramatically back to not-quite-glare at him, intimidatingly.

Harry, having somewhat expected it, surprises Snape by smiling at him, and says before the Professor can so much as make a scathing sound, "Hello Professor. Thank you for giving us an opportunity to speak privately."

Snape expression sours just that fast, and it looks like he wants to say something, but Harry doesn't give him a chance, "I have something for you, from my mother." That shuts the professor up quickly.

"But before I give it to you, I just want you to know that I am very pleased to be joining Slytherin. My parents, I believe, and you will see why for yourself shortly, are also pleased that I am here, and will be in your house, under your care." Harry pauses only long enough to catch a breath, before he soldiers on. It is imperative he doesn't allow Snape to say anything to him before he speaks to his mom.

"I had a different childhood than you probably figured I did. I was first raised by my mom's sister, who hated what I was, and by extension, me. Then I was sent to boarding school overseas, and met my Master – teacher, that is. With his help, I managed to get rid of Voldie for the second time, permanently, this time. We made sure. This is also why your Dark Mark is gone. He won't be coming back again." Harry knows it's too much. But he isn't done yet. Snape's expression seems completely frozen however, and getting paler.

"Yes, I know about the Dark Mark, and about what happened between you and my mom. And what happened between you and my dad, and Black, and Lupin even. I also know you told Voldie about the prophecy. The thing is, Professor, I am a Seer. That kind of thing is hard to keep from a Seer, whether we want to see it or not sometimes. But yeah, I just thought you should know, I guess. Before you say anything, it is imperative I give you what I spoke about earlier. My Master helped me put the summoning into this bracelet, so you can speak to her."

Saying that, Harry pretended to activate the bracelet, while actually activating the Death Stone, and calling his mom, like they agreed.

Snape's gasp is not a surprise. His teacher physically stumbling back as if he had been hit, that is a bit of a surprise, but Snape had always been a drama queen so…

Snape had gone completely ashen in the face, and croaks out "Lily?" disbelievingly, one hand subconsciously extended towards his mother's ghost.

"Hi Sev. Been a while." His mother says.

Before they can get into it, Harry quickly says, "My Master is very powerful. Mom said she had some stuff she wanted to talk to you about, especially since we knew I would be in your house. I will leave you guys to talk then." Saying that, Harry got the hell out of there.

He has a feeling this is one emotional catch up he decidedly does not want to stay to hear.

His dad has expressed similar feelings, so Harry knows at least Potters had some brains. He wonders if his dad will apologize, but somehow, he doubts his dad will ever agree to appear in front of Snape.

He pauses in front of the Slytherin house door, realizing last minute that while the password has been shared around, it was in Latin and Harry wasn't really been paying that much attention.

Shrugging, he makes a portal, and steps through –

- to the sight of his new house mates all staring at him.

The common room had been full when he had left with Snape, and it seems there are even more people in the common room now.

Harry wants to facepalm, because he is in Slytherin not bloody Gryffindor, of course they would notice a portal opening in their common room.

Mentally kicking himself again for good measure, he plasters on a smile, and says, "Did I miss anything?"

He didn't exactly plan to keep the portals a secret from his House, since that would be exhausting, but he also hasn't planned to just advertise his ability on the first day to his entire house.

Draco, who had clearly been waiting for him, and who only looks a little wide-eyed, gets up and walks towards him, proving he has balls when he needs them, "Not much, just waited on you so we could assign dorm mates."

"Nice of you." Harry grins, cheerfully ignoring the entire room full of blatant stares, and follows Draco up the stairs leading to the dorms.

Harry, as expected, ends up sharing a dorm with Draco, Zabini and Nott. He isn't too disappointed.

His mom must have ripped Snape a new one, or they came to some kind of understanding, because the smirk on her face screams satisfaction, and Harry makes a mental note to never piss off a Gryffindor with his mom's temperament.

He studies the whole evening in his bedroom in Kamar-Taj, with his Hogwarts bed curtains tightly spelled shut and a ward to notify him if anyone tries to open them. It's a relief being back home. Hogwarts is more fun than he thought, but he prefers being back home, among his own things, and his Master trying to sneak forbidden knowledge past Master Wong, while he is in Astral, studying.

It's familiar and comforting, and Harry goes back in the morning feeling refreshed.

Nagini joins him this time, claiming Hogwarts is warmer than Kamar-Taj. An important fact for a snake.

He is up earlier than all of his dorm mates, since, well, monk-hours. But he takes the time to wander down to the library, after Nagini takes off for the forest, and start the process of systematically copying books using a Mongolian copy-spell.

It used to be used on sheep, and horses, but works on books just as well.

It was one of the first spells Master Wong taught him, besides the sling portals.

Priorities.

He is a little surprised that it works, but it seems Hogwarts books are only spelled against copy from wizarding spells, not sorcerer magics.

By the time 8 comes around, Harry makes his way to the Great Hall, and slides into a conveniently empty spot next to Draco.

Who grunts at him.

Harry glances at him to check, and yeah Draco is not awake at all.

"Where were you?" Draco asks, eyes not entirely open, though his clothes look immaculate.

Zabini looks to be on auto pilot too, stirring his tea like a meditation, but Nott looks wide awake. They are, however, all properly dressed.

Harry glances back at Draco, and pours himself some tea also. He already had some chiya before he left Kamar-Taj that morning, knowing he won't be able to get any in England. He still adds liberal sugar and milk however, missing the cardamom and cinnamon. Kamar-Taj is four and a half hours ahead of Hogwarts, but Master Wong always makes sure he has extra chiya when he needs it.

"Went to the library." Harry tells him, refusing any other food. Back home, meals are two times a day, plus chiya in the morning, and he's gotten used to it after so many years.

Draco pushes his eggs around, but Harry still watches in amusement as he cuts them up perfectly neatly and systematically chews every bite.

Narcissa Malfoy must be a formidable woman.

"Why? We haven't even started out classes yet." Draco actually bothers to open his eyes, apparently just wide enough to send him a mock glare.

"Wanted to look something up." Harry tells him cheerfully, and looks around to see if he can spot Hermione or Neville.

Hermione is at the Ravenclaw table, so far sitting alone, a book open in front of her. She is stirring her tea, but her eyes are glued to the page.

Draco looks up to see what he is looking at, and seeing Hermione, surprisingly doesn't say anything.

That can only mean one thing.

"Your father wrote back?" Harry asks.

Draco pauses in his chewing, then deliberately swallows, and say, "Yes. He had a lot to say. Your letter came as a surprise."

"I bet." Harry tells him honestly.

Harry had written Lucius a letter, with the help of his Master, explaining that he had taken the diary Voldie had left with Lucius. In turn, he informed the blond Death Eater, that Voldie was now dead, permanently. As proven by Lucius's suddenly-missing Dark Mark.

Harry also informed him that he was a Seer, and that his son was going to be Harry's best friend, together with a muggleborn genius witch and the Longbottom Heir.

Strange being himself, suggested they warn him of the consequences of disagreeing with this plan, so Harry reluctantly added, that as a Seer, it is his advice that Lucius encourage this to happen, for the prosperity of them all.

He had deliberately sealed the letter with blood magic, spelled to only open for Lucius, and the content visible only to Lucius.

In England, all blood magic is illegal, except for the blood magic performed by Goblins.

Harry thinks it all very silly, honestly.

Master Wong agrees with him that some laws are a bit on the unnecessary side, but he also says things like, "To each their own Harry." So, Harry just chalks it up to mean, obey it as much as you can and don't get caught when you don't.

But to Lucius, it is a very loud statement.

"Father thinks it's a good idea, what you proposed. He said… it is a different time now, and for me to keep an open mind." Draco tells him. While clearly asking 'what the hell did you say to my father Potter?!'

"You father, likes to be a winner." Harry tells him, by way of answering, and smart Slytherin that he is, he gets it.

Nott is watching them while chewing his toast, but doesn't say anything.

Harry is extremely sure Zabini is too, but his tea-meditation doesn't so much as stutter.

Harry eyes it with interests.

Just then, Snape makes it down the from the Head table, and Harry has a moment to observe the man. He looks like he hasn't slept, and like he has been crying. But paradoxically, he looks more at peace than he did last night.

When he reaches Harry, Harry just offers a "Good morning, Professor." And looks steadily at him.

Snape glances at him, but hands out the schedule to everyone first. Then he looks at Harry. Harry thinks to asks, "Did it help?"

Snape studies him for a moment, then says, "It did." And walks away.

Harry hides a smile into his tea, and turns his attention to his schedule, pointedly ignoring his dormmate's curiosity.

They end up with Herbology as the first class of the year, to Harry's mild surprise. In the other worlds, more often than not, it was potions.

But it is still with Gryffindor.

Harry and Draco immediately go over to Neville, and sit one to his left and one to his right without a word.

Neville startles a little, but smiles at both of them in relief.

Clearly, he had still had some doubts after he was sorted if they would really be able to remain friends.

"Morning Neville." Harry says, and watches Draco change what he was about to call Neville to "Morning Neville" echoing Harry, instead of calling him Longbottom like he probably thought of doing.

"M-morning. Harry." Minute pause, "Draco."

Harry wants to pat him on the back, but instead asks, "Any idea what Professor Sprout will start with?"

Neville seems glad to have a herbology related question to focus on, and says, "Probably something easy. Being the first class and all."

Just then, the rest of the Gryffindors arrive, Slytherins right behind them. Everyone kind of – pauses, when they see Harry and Draco bracketing Neville. Harry can see Ron Weasley thinking of coming forward, but since Neville turns to ask Harry something, and is clearly not in distress, everyone just throws them weird looks and settles around, still more or less with their own houses.

Before anyone can really start anything however, Professor Sprout enters. She is still as dumpy as Harry remembers her in his world-jumping, and just as matronly.

"Right. Welcome first years to your first ever Herbology class. I am Professor Sprout, and I will be teaching you this understated magic for the next 7 years. I hope you all have your dragon hide gloves? Yes good. Today we will be learning about Dittany –"

On their way from Herbology, they split up in front of the Great Hall since Neville has Charms while Harry and Draco have Transfigurations.

Considering their Trans class was half way down the castle, they start walking a little faster, and Harry is just debating running, when he hears Dumbledore speaking to someone around the corner, coming towards them also. Grinning to himself, hand clutching his wand a little, he surprises Draco by suddenly breaking into a fast run.

Draco, still rather dozy from not being totally awake, finds himself suddenly standing alone, and issues a "Hey!", but Harry can't wait for him if this is going to work.

As expected, he crashes into Dumbledore at full speed. They both go flying arse over tea kettle, and fall to the floor. Both their wands cluttering to the floor loudly.

Harry, having aimed for just that, and by virtue of being younger, picks himself up first, and grabs both their wands, and runs over to where Dumbledore had fallen.

"Oh, I am so sorry Professor! I totally didn't see you there! Are you okay?!" Harry makes himself sound worried and embarrassed, and while helping Dumbledore up, thrusts the fallen, shorter wand into Dumbledore's hand while helping him up with the other.

"Quite alright my boy, quite alright." Dumbledore mutters at him while dusting himself off, he pockets the wand in order to pick up his hat which had also gone flying.

"I am soooo sorry! Oh no, Draco! We are late! Sorry Professor! We have to run! Sorry again!" and with that, Harry grabs a gaping Draco by the wrist and tugs him along at speed down the corridor.

"You… did that on purpose." Draco tells him, surprisingly shrewdly.

"Yup." Harry tells him grinning. His hand clutches the wand he had just picked up, only an inch longer than his and only he sees it flash brightly for a moment, before he pockets it. "Don't ask. I can only tell you, a very smart magical told me to do it, so I did."

Harry can see Draco wanting to ask anyway, but just then they reach the Transfigurations classroom and Harry cuts him off before he can say anything else with, "Hi Professor!" to the cat sitting on the table, which stares at him unblinkingly, and shoves Draco into a seat. However, a moment later, he shoves Draco over a little again, leaving room for Hermione whom he spots entering the classroom, and waves her over.

She looks a little surprised, but very pleased that they saved her a seat, and slides in next to Harry.

"I didn't realize we shared this class." She tells them, pulling out a stack of books. She looks…good. Not as dejected as Harry remembers seeing her in Strange's visions.

"Yeah, and we just had Herbology with Neville. He is amazing at it." Harry tells her, but Draco cuts him off with, "Hi…Hermione. Harry why did you say Hi Professor?"

The pause is so small, Hermione doesn't notice, but Harry does, and he sends Draco his you-are-amazing smiles, which makes Draco flush a little red, but smile back seemingly reflexively. Harry had noticed that Draco often can't resist smiling back if Harry smiles at him first.

He lowers his voice a little, since the rest of the Ravenclaws arrive just then, and tells them quietly, "Because that cat is Professor McGonagall. She is an animagus."

Draco and Hermione look at each other, then, nearly at the same time, turn their heads to look at the grey tabby sitting on the Professor's desk.

They both duck their heads back down, and Draco hisses, "You're kidding!" just as all their classmates file in.

Hermione doesn't say anything, but she glances at Draco, and nods her agreement.

"Nope" Harry tells them cheerfully.

Just then, the tabby jumps down and transforms into the professor, and Draco and Hermione only stare for a second, then Draco says, just as quietly, "Right, from now on, you are sharing everything."

Hermione looks at Draco again, and nods rather vehemently.

Harry had a brief moment to wonder if maybe this is the best way to have Draco and Hermione bond, their outrage at not knowing everything immediately and through their mutual Harry-frustrations.

It's definitely worth a shot.

"Quiet down class. Today you will start learning one of the hardest magics there is –"

As he listened, Harry marveled at how many things were just a little different from the realities Strange had shown him. For one, they shared Transfigurations with Ravenclaw, not Gryffindor, and the seating is three-at-a-table, not two.

Harry hopes that not too many other things will be different.

When he is on his way to lunch with Draco and Hermione, as they are walking down a rather empty corridor, a portal suddenly opens to Harry's right.

Draco and Hermione freeze, but Harry just grins and walks over to it.

As expected, his Master is on the other side, and doesn't waste the energy with pleasantries.

"That was fast." Strange tells him, eyes staring intensely at Harry's new wand.

"I saw an opportunity, plus you did say I should." Harry grins at him, unrepentant.

"Well, at least I know that when I die one day, my replacement is secured." Strange tells him, and Harry kind of wants to smack him on the head with one of Master Wong's thickest tomes.

"But since that will be very, very long time from now, I don't think I need to worry." Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on where you are standing, Harry says this while he is fingering the Death Stone and his other hand is holding the wand he just pocketed, right next to his invisibility cloak, which he brought with him despite his Master's objection, and he more feels-than-sees a flash of light around them as he says it.

Strange blinks at him through the portal, and gets a very pinched look, feeling Harry's magic settle around him. Behind him, Harry can hear Master Wong breying laughter suddenly, "How many times have I told you not to use magic when you make proclamations like that?" His Master asks mildly.

"Oops" Harry tells him, a little sheepishly but mostly not, because he really does want his Master around for a good, long time.

Now, the Hallows will insure it.

"My own fault for being impatient, I suppose." Strange tells him, voice so wry it could shave stone.

Harry just gives him his shit-eating grin, before his Master closes the portal.

When he turns around, Draco and Hermione are staring at him, mouth open.

"Don't mind him, he does that sometimes." Harry tells them, while dragging them both, one by each arm down the hallway.

"Who was that?" Hermione asks before Draco can.

"That was my Master. Doctor Strange, also known as the Sorcerer Supreme of this reality. But do me a favor, and don't tell that to anyone not-Neville okay? Especially never tell that to Dumbledore." Harry is just glad there are no portraits in this section of the castle.

"Professor Dumbledore, Harry." Hermione corrects him, but Harry can't really take that, so he stops walking, and looking around, spotting an empty classroom before shoving them both in and locking the door with a wave of his hand.

"Okay, no. Hermione, I have a bunch of things to tell you, and I am afraid you won't like them one bit. It's about Dumbledore and why I will rarely ever address him as professor." He tells her, then proceeds to explain to both her and Draco all the ways Dumbledore has manipulated his childhood and the 'many visions' of him Harry had 'as a young boy'. He even tells them about Dumbledore leaving him on the Dursley's doorsteps with only a note, in mid-winter, and living years inside a cupboard.

Hermione, to her credit, listens attentively, while Draco first looks shocked, then angry.

"That… is awful. I thought he was a hero!" Hermione exclaims after Harry is done telling her all the various ways Dumbledore had very nearly messed up his life.

"He was. But he is also a man, who, over time, has clearly started to justify his own manipulations as 'necessary' and 'for the greater good'. I don't think he can even see it any more. Thankfully, my Master and I killed Voldie, so my life shouldn't be as messed up as he had planned it." Thinking he should maybe drive it home, he tells her quietly, "In quite a few of my visions, which as I said, were possible futures, he arranges for me to die, for that 'greater good' he is so fond of."

Hermione, predictably, gasps, and says, "Oh, Harry." And hugs him.

Draco looks somewhat homicidal and like he wants to join Hermione is hugging Harry.

These two had grown surprisingly attached to him in a short amount of time, and Harry pats himself on the back again for arranging that meet-up on the train.

"It's alright. One of the perks of being a Seer and having my Master as master, is that I can avoid all the nasty things which were going to happen, and move things down the way they should happen, which benefits everyone the most." Harry tells her, while patting her wild hair down a little. "I am just lucky my Master found me when he did, otherwise life would look a lot different for me now."

Admitting that is hard, but not as hard as watching the horror-show that should have been his life when his Master showed him. Even Master Wong had looked like he would dearly like to send Dumbledore into one of the nastier Hell Spheres.

"But this is why I can't pretend with him. I don't… want to. He isn't relevant to me anymore, and things are all different now. I will make sure of it." Harry tells them both. Vows it really. "Do me a favor and tell Neville when you see him? You should have class with him before we do."

"I will Harry." Hermione promises, and gives him another hug, just because, apparently.

Harry looks at Draco over Hermione's hair, and Draco looks… determined. Pissed, but definitely determined. Harry thinks Lucius might end up getting a long letter tonight, and debates asking Draco to keep it to himself, but in the last minute, decides against it.

The Malfoy's could actually be useful, and while Lucius isn't his favorite person in the world, on nearly 50% of the realities he saw, Lucius changes his allegiance from Voldie to Harry in the last minute, thereby proving his last name was well earned. Quite a few victories happen because of him actually.

Harry will have to put some thoughts into how he can…rehabilitate one Lucius Malfoy. The alternate realities told him it was possible but Harry has no idea how to even start.

Maybe his Master will have some ideas.

"Let's go. All this talk about crazy despots has made me seriously hungry."

Both Hermione and Draco give him nearly identical and now-familiar You-are-crazy-Potter look, but gamely follow him to lunch.

Neville, is apparently even more pissed than Draco or Hermione, something Harry learns from Hermione in the afternoon when they share Potions. His actually exhibits accidental magic and turns a table, by accident, into a small tree, right there in the abandoned classroom Hermione dragged him to in order to tell him what Harry told her.

They run into each other before the potions classroom and Harry is surprised again that instead of Gryffindors, he shares Potions with Ravenclaws instead.

Zabini surprises everyone, by simply scooting over, and inviting Hermione to be his partner, on the Slytherin side of the room, since this time, they do have two-a-table.

Hermione only hesitates a moment, before joining them. Harry and Draco are in the front row, while Hermione sits behind Harry and Zabini sits behind Draco.

Snape pauses for only a beat when he sees the blue-and-bronze tie among his green-and-silver Slytherins, but blue has always been less antagonistic to Snape's equilibrium than red, so he doesn't say anything, just starts the roll call.

When he reaches Harry, he doesn't say anything besides calling his name, but he does quiz Harry just like in most of the other realities. This time, Harry is ready for him, and manages to answer all the questions correctly, and with minimal cheek. Hermione still sticks her hand up, but not as aggressively as would have been her norm. Zabini, next to her, also raises his hand. While Snape doesn't call on them, he does seem to be less grumpy for the rest of the class, and at no point does anyone earn his ire, much to Harry's surprise.

They brew a boil-cure potion, and while Harry will never be great at potions, he only starts to make a mistake due to a moment's inattention, and both Draco and Hermione stop him. Snape sees it, but since Harry takes careful notes on his mistake, he actually doesn't call Harry out for it.

He even leaves Hermione alone, much to Harry's surprise.

What the hell did his mom say to Snape?

He doesn't actually want to know, but if this is the result, he is more than happy with it.

He waits till the class empties, packing his stuff slowly, and asks Hermione and Draco to wait for him outside. When he is sure everyone is out, he walks to the front. Snape looks up at him, and says, "Mr. Potter?"

Harry can read a novel worth of be-careful-what-you-say-to-me's and what-now's, but instead, as he hands over his vial, he offers, "Mom said to tell you, if you ever want to chat with her again, if there was…more talking that wasn't done, to just let me know and I can use the talisman my Master gave me to call her."

The expression on Snape's faces goes through a few permutations, but finally he settles on a neutral, "Noted, Mr. Potter."

As he turns to go, he thinks to add, "I don't… ask her what you guys talk about. It's private and between you two. Just so you know." He doesn't give Snape a chance to say anything, before he is walking out. The good professor has enough on his mind already.

Unsurprisingly, Draco and Hermione are waiting for him. Surprisingly, so is Zabini.

Harry sends Draco a questioning look, but Draco just shrugs, and they walk to their next class.

In a number of realities, Zabini is strategically useful and a staunch middle-ground ally. Since Voldie is no longer an issue, Harry debates the merit of befriending Zabini. In all but one of the realities, the Zabini's were not zealots, and in the one they were, they were Pegan zealots, not purists, so it should be safe enough.

"Is the Contessa having any issues with the sudden migration of werewolves though your lands?" Harry thinks to ask him.

Zabini, glances at him sharply, "How do you – Seer, never mind. No, not really. The Contessa has protocols set up for this kind of event, and Creature Laws in our country are a lot more lenient compared to the United Kingdom.

Harry nods, but that reminds him, "The laws here are incredibly backwards. Oh hey, the Contessa wouldn't happen to know any seriously aggressive Creature Rights groups who are short of funding, would she? Here in the UK, I mean. I have been thinking of supporting a number of charities and I think that's one of the ones I want to donate to."

Draco wrinkles his nose, "Why creature rights though?"

Unsurprisingly, Hermione speaks up, "I think that's a splendid idea. Equality seems to be a real issue here."

"Right? I read up about some of them, and never mind werewolves, even Goblins are treated abysmally. It's really… backwards. It's just inviting another war our way." Harry tells them, thinking of how many dark creatures habitually joined Voldie before because they had no other options.

Zabini peers at him, "Is that a prophecy from a Seer or just you speculating?"

Harry shrugs a little, "Both really. You would not believe how many dark creatures followed Voldie in my various alternate visions, simply because they wanted to survive and no one gave them another option. I think I would like to find a large Island somewhere, or a forest, and possibly donate it to various groups of dark creatures so they have somewhere to set up their own world and lives." Harry mused, thinking of the Island he inherited. Surely with the ridiculous amount of money he had, buying a couple of mid-size islands should be possible…

"Oh, that is a brilliant idea, Harry! I will absolutely help out! Maybe help you do some research on it if you like?" Hermione sounds more excited than Harry's seen her so far, and he belated remembered Hermione has a soft spot for all downtrodden creatures.

"I'd appreciate that Hermione. I think it's time I got in touch with some lawyers, see how to go about setting it all up…" he trailed off, thinking. There were huge swaths of the Gobi which were uninhabited but had a native four-antler magical deer-goat thing which often reached overpopulation with little to no warning. Quite a few dark creatures would be –

"Yes, but why?" Draco asked, a touch of a whine in his voice.

"Because, inequality breeds resentment, which eventually breeds war. And I don't know about you, but I don't fancy having to kill a Dark Lord every decade or so, do you?" Harry tells him logically.

Zabini has gone completely quiet, but then says, "He has a point. The only reason we have this influx, which is akin to mass-migration, is because UK's creature laws just became even more unreasonable, so they are all fleeing." Then, after another glance in Harry's direction, "You are not what I expected you to be, Potter."

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Harry tells him, somewhat sympathetically.

Later, in Binn's History class, he pens King Warwick a polite letter, asking if the Goblins could maybe help him research some uninhabited islands with fresh water for sale, or any other reserve which could be turned into a creature reserve, complete with some infrastructure, in case other wizardkind wanted to live there too.

Draco still shoots him weird looks, but Neville, who is sitting next to him, thinks it is a brilliant idea, and offers to speak to his Gran about it also. Apparently prior to the incident with Neville's parents, the Dowager used to have a soft spot for Creatures, as one of her childhood friends was turned into a Vampire, as she had contracted Dragon Pox and there had been no cure. Apparently, the girl's parents' thought being a Vampire was better than being a Werewolf, and had given her to a coven so she could live.

Harry also adds in the letter, that if King Warwick knew a good lawyer who also held a seat at the Wizengamot, that would be of great help also.

On a different paper, he starts a list:

- Dolores Umbridge

- Barty Crouch Jr.

- Cornelius Fudge

- Fenrir Greyback

- Bellatrix Lestrange

- Rodolphus Lestrange

- Rabastan Lestrange

- Dementors

- Walden Macnair

- Rufus Scrimgeour

- Pius Thicknesse : Anti-imperius amulet?

- Rita Skeeter : bug spray?

Draco, ever the nosy Slytherin, glances at it, and asks, "What are those?"

Harry notices Zabini and Neville both paying attention and stealing glances, but says anyway, "Upcoming problems I have to find a solution for." Because you never know what a group of creative children can come up with.

Draco is quiet for a minute, studying the list. "Should I even bother asking why those names?"

Harry gives him a grim look, but obligingly says, "Dolores is a bigoted toad, who would have been an excellent Voldie follower, save for how stupid she is. She needs to be removed from the ministry, as soon as possible; Barty is as insane as your cousin, and a die-hard Voldie follower. He will try to cause some trouble in a few years, but likely sometime next year or next-next year, his mother will take his place in Azkaban, and that will unfortunately cost Crouch Senior his life; Fudge is a moron who should never ever be allowed to become Minister; Scrimgeour is a hard-liner against dark arts, and he will also cause havoc by being too hard-lined. Shaklebolt will be a far better moderate, and considerably more reasonable towards both the Light and Dark aligned families, at least till our dear Hermione replaces him –"

The sharp indrawn breath from all three of his friends makes Harry look up, and then he dearly wishes to slap himself because… he completely said that out loud, didn't he.

"Er, don't tell her that. She isn't ready to hear it. But seriously, so many things get fixed, for both Dark and Light and Creature sides once she takes over in the future."

Neville is completely wide-eyed. Zabini is looking at him like he badly wants to kidnap him back to Italy. Draco… Draco's expression is going from shocked to outraged to confused to resigned in the span of seconds, but then he just squares his shoulders, and nods.

Harry looks at all three of them, "Please don't tell her. She needs time to work up a temper for it."

All three of his friend's blink at him, but the two Slytherins switch to looking speculative, while Neville just continues to stare.

Harry coughs a little, awkwardly, and then valiantly continues, "Right. Fenrir… needs to die. There is no saving that man."

All his friends are staring at him again.

Maybe he shouldn't be so blood thirsty around 11-year-old?

"No, really. He likes to savage children. My father's close friend was turned into a werewolf when he was a kid because of Fenrir, and he makes it a habit to do this. Usually after he brutally disfigures them, if they survive the initial attack, they are then beholden to him as their sire. That man… is sick."

Neville swallows, but while his eyes are still wide, he actually nods. How anyone ever doubted Neville was a Gryffindor is beyond Harry.

Draco doesn't say anything, but his mouth is set in a firm tight line. "What about the rest?"

"The Lestrange's are, to a one, completely crazy by now. With no Voldie to break them out of Azkaban… they might die there, or they might break out again. Hard to say. The dementors are a much bigger problem frankly, but I do actually have a solution for them, since they aren't even from our sphere but were brought here eons ago from a Dark Sphere. I think if anyone asked them, they would be more than happy to go back to where they came from honestly."

There is a bit of a pause, then Zabini turns to Neville and Draco, "Is he always like this?"

The other two boys look resigned, but nod in unison.

"Right. I am hanging out with you lot from now on." Zabini states.

Harry looks at him, but Zabini is back to wearing his placid small smile he always wears when anyone looks his way. But because Zabini is a Slytherin, he adds, "Besides, the Contessa can help."

Harry makes a mental note to bug his Master to look into Zabini, if he isn't already watching this conversation. Which is likely because both Master Wong and Strange are amazingly nosy magicals.

"MacNair is a sadistic ass, and he will likely get in the way of Creature Rights bills when I try to pass them in the Wizengamot. Thicknesse is a decent bloke, but too weak-willed sadly. In the other realities, Voldie has him under Imperius while he was Minister. But frankly, I am not sure he would have been any kind of Minister anyway. He is too much of a yes-man. Rita… her secret animagus form is a beetle and I would rather just not suffer through her slanderous articles about me." Harry says, making a face.

"…she is a beetle?!" Draco hisses, and Harry has to nod, saying, "I know, right? Imagine how useful that would have been if she was a spy. Instead, she uses it to spy on normal people so she can write wildly exaggerated articles about them, to sell more papers."

"The Contessa will be very interested in this information. Thank you, Potter." Zabini says, perfectly seriously.

"Don't mention it." Harry says, mouth quirking.

Under the table, he opens a small portal, and puts the letter on the King's desk, wincing when he hears the alarms go off, and a shout of "Sorcerer!" from somewhere in the office.

"Sorry!" Harry tells the portal, before quickly collapsing it. He had completely forgotten that they upgraded Gringotts alarms. But really what was he supposed to do? It's not like he has an owl.

Draco stared at him, slack-jawed, "Did you just – was that Gringotts?!" he hisses at Harry, grabbing his robe sleeve.

Harry winces, and sheepishly admits, "Yeah. King Warwick's not gonna be too happy with me I think, but I don't have an owl so…"

His friends and Zabini stare at him.

"You know the school has communal owls anyone can use…?" It almost isn't a question, but Neville, bless him, is trying.

"Are there? I didn't know!" Harry tells him.

"You. Didn't know. You." Draco all but accuses.

"Well, I am not a god! I don't know the things I don't pay attention to! Do you know what your house elves ate today? No. You don't. Because you don't pay attention to that." Harry feels completely vindicated, because the last thing he wants is for them to think he is all-knowing.

"Right. Okay. I can sort of – no, no, I can't. How do you not know we have an entire owlery worth of owls at Hogwarts?" Draco tells him, completely incredulous. "Also, House elves don't eat, Potter! They live on ambient magics!"

"Do they really? Huh. I hadn't known that." Harry admits.

Draco stares at him.

"Well, I didn't! We don't have house elves where I live." Harry tells him, and starts packing up his stuff because the bell had just gone off.

"Where the hell do you live? Australia?" Draco's not-exactly-quiet mutters follow him out of the class, and Harry sees Neville pat-pat Draco on the shoulder, commiserating. Draco shoots Neville a this-is-what-I-put-up-with, and Neville just nods sadly, turning to go to his next class.

Zabini watches them, a smirk on his face, and Harry thinks maybe sorting Slytherin was a mistake. He is sure Ravenclaw aren't this judge-y.

He gets a reply from King Warwick by the evening, which is amazingly efficient, if he ignores the fact that the King is likely motivated by his desire to not have a portal open in his office again, any time soon.

Harry personally thinks the King is a little optimistic, but everyone needs something to believe in.

It turns out, the King does in fact, know lawyers. His list of recommendations is surprisingly long. Harry wasn't aware that lawyers have sub-divisions, but the King is quite clear that for activism, there is a gentleman by the name of Flint Ragemouth; for real estate purchasing, he recommends Ramona Leafy; for business investment and acquisitions he suggested Timothy Ruthlessbe; and for media and public scandals he insists Mindy Tattler is the best.

The King had apparently also taken the liberty to contact both Mr. Ragemouth and Mrs. Leafy, and has already heard back from both. King Warwick assures him that he has only informed the two lawyers that a high-ranking client wishes to potentially engage their serves and has gotten their 'Interested please proceed with the introduction' replies.

King Warwick however confirms that Gringotts will be 'pleased' to assist with the land evaluations, together with his lawyer, and provide suitable contractors if he wishes to build a village or something similar.

Harry understands from what Warwick isn't saying, that usually Gringotts would agree to a finance installment plan for such a large project but it isn't exactly like Harry needs it, so he won't bother offering it.

Folding his letter up carefully, he decides he would go pen a letter to Mrs. Leafy right away. Maybe Draco or Zabini know how one has to word such letters?

May as well use all this Slytherin knowledge, right?

Mrs. Leafy is delighted to receive his correspondence, and suggests they meet in Diagon. Harry is pretty sure she has no idea who he is, or that he is 11 physically, otherwise she wouldn't have suggested they meet at the Leaky, but it isn't like Harry can't get away after all.

He agrees to the meeting, and suggests Friday after classes, so no one will miss him. Now he just has to make sure he won't get a detention.

Neville and Hermione sound completely scandalized when he tells them him plan. Draco still looks like he has no idea why Harry is bothering, but offers to go with him, for moral support. Zabini offers the same, but his motivations seemed more to be about simply being nosy than anything else.

Harry politely declines an escort, explaining it would be easier for him to not be noticed if he is alone, but promises them he would be careful (Hermione), and come back as fast as he can (Neville) and yes that he will bring them all butterbeers (Draco and Zabini, whom he supposes he really should start calling Blaise or something.)

That decided, he sits down to pen letters to the other three lawyers, and then to call his Master and Master Wong.

An hour later, while shaking out his poor cramping hand, he muses that this is still somehow easier than dealing with obstacle courses or murdering professors.

That makes him pause, and then sigh.

He has completely forgotten about Fluffy.

Between classes, his correspondences with his army of lawyers and Gringotts, he is somehow completely taken by surprise when one morning, he received not one but five Wizengamot letters.

It seems that the letters are automatically sent out by magic to all Wizengamot members when they needed to vote on minor issues, and the letters both served as a notice, but also as a sort of ballot. All Harry has to do is read through the list of proposals being put forward and tap his wand at the Yes or No options. Once done, the letter automatically curls up and reseals, popping away by itself, back to the government, Harry assumes.

Idly, Harry wonders why Britain still uses owls if they clearly have the magic to make letters apparate by themselves, but maybe it is a difficult spell? Or likely, just tradition.

Reading through the proposals, Harry thinks some of the proposals being put forward are interesting, and some are just downright horrid.

Umbridge, representing Fudge no doubt – who seems to have gotten himself into the office of Minister a few years earlier than Harry remembers – has again tried to vote for creature sterilization. As well as registration.

Harry privately thought that if anyone tries to do that to the Goblins, they would have another war immediately, and gleefully votes No for anything the horrible woman puts forward.

He also thinks there should be a limit to how many proposals the government is allowed to put forward in one session, and makes a mental note to ask his Lawyer Army, as Zabini called them, to look into it.

In addition, he also makes a mental note to ask Mr. Ruthlessbe to acquire majority shares at the Daily Prophet, quietly and quickly. Harry has learned his lesson in ignoring the media. Both Draco and Blaise think this only prudent, while Hermione seems to be wrestling with the idea of Free Press. Harry quickly assures her he fully plans on hiring only legitimate reporters, but he does plan to ban Quick Quote Quills for all Daily Prophet journalists as well as slanderous and baseless articles which are not fact-checked.

This gets him a beaming Hermione Hug – something he is fast getting completely addicted to, and even Neville looks a little proudly at him afterwards.

Personally, Harry thinks their friendship is coming along swimmingly, even with the sometimes-addition of Blaise Zabini, despite the fact that Draco and Hermione sometimes get into heated ethical arguments and Neville still occasionally hesitates to tell Draco off when he is being a prat.

While drafting yet another letter to yet another lawyer, Harry muses that what they need is an adventure to bind them all together…

… and he knows just the thing.

"M-m-m-monster!" Neville stammers next to him.

Hermione and Draco have gone completely white in the face and are both plastered against the door in fright, looking comically identical.

"Fluffy!" Harry says happily, and walked forward towards the giant three-headed dog.

The dog, hearing its name, pauses in its growling, to look at Harry quizzically, as if to say, 'Do I know you?'

Harry, having already met this dog about a few thousand times in his time with the Eye, walks forward and offers his hand for it to sniff.

Neville makes a strangled noise behind him, but Harry ignores him.

A dog is a dog. If you give it your hand to sniff, it will.

Unsurprisingly, that is exactly what Fluffy does. He leans all three of his heads to sniff Harry, all over.

Harry, having been to several Hell Spheres with Strange by now, knows that he will smell like Fluffy's primordial home to the dog, laughs a little, and puts his hand on the nose of the middle head.

This time it is Draco that makes a whimpering noise.

Fluffy having thoroughly smelled Harry, and likely having picked up the Hell Sphere scent, gives him great big tongue kisses all over his body with all three heads.

Within minutes, Harry's whole face is wet, as are most of his clothes, and he is giggling at the giant dog.

"What have they done to you boy? I bet you haven't even been able to go out running, have you?"

Fluffy whines at him, as if to say, Yeah! I Haven't!

"Does Hagrid at least bring you your favorite roast pheasants? Or are you living on Elf-provided raw beef, hm?" Harry can't help petting him some more, while Fluffy obligingly lays down with all three of his heads on the floor, whining softly and dejectedly.

That will never do.

"Here." Harry tells him, and opens a portal to the Forbidden Forest, "You can go run around for a bit and hunt some stuff down, just leave any students alone if you find them yeah? It's not okay to keep you cooped up in here all the time. Oh, and stay away from the acromantulas, they are vicious this time of year. I will come get you in an hour, okay big boy?"

Fluffy is clearly ecstatic, and with a whispered incantation from Harry, his chains release him.

His friends behind him make some protesting noises, but Harry ignores them again. Making such a large portal to fit Fluffy isn't easy, but he manages, and within moments, Fluffy is letting out ecstatic barks as he bounds around on the other side of the portal, straight into the thick trees of the Forbidden Forest.

"I'll get Hagrid to get you some pheasants when you get back!" He shouts at the dog, more for incentive for it to actually come back later than anything else, and Fluffy barks his happy assent as he dashes away.

Harry closes the portal, satisfied that Fluffy will be okay in the forest and turns towards his friends.

Who gape at him.

"What?" Harry asks them, perplexed.

"How you avoided Gryffindor, is anyone's guess." Draco who seems to have recovered first, tells him.

Neville and Hermione still can't do more than stare wide-eyed but they both nod in agreement.

"Seriously, what was that?!" Draco's voice is a little high pitched, but his face is a mask of outrage and bewilderment.

"What? Fluffy? He is Hagrid's Cerberus." Harry tells them, somewhat distractedly, still thinking how he was going to get the pheasants. Fluffy generally needs a few hundred of them. "He hasn't been allowed to run at all, and that's just – not okay, you know? Yeah, he is a little scary-looking, but he is still a dog. He needs daily exercise." He pauses to think about it for a second. "Granted, he is a dog from a Hell Sphere, but still a dog."

There is a pause of silence, then Hermione squeaks out, "Hell Sphere?!"

"Yeah, some wizard from long ago brought him to our sphere, because while the climate isn't exactly the same, Cerberus can at least eat our food, plus they are literally the best guard dogs on the spheres, so I guess it made sense during a time when there were less mundanes around, but these days there are very few of them because –" He points to where Fluffy had been sitting, "they get a bit big. But I suppose it's no different than dealing with dragons and their lot." He tells them a little dismissively, now mostly focusing on the trap door Fluffy had been sitting on.

"Cerberus love music, and they love the scent of their home sphere and they have an absolute weakness for pheasant, though you need several hundred to feed them for one meal since they are a bit small for a dog that size." He tells them, remembering Master Wong going on about the irresponsible nature of wizards and aliens who kidnap species from other spheres and then don't do right by them.

"So, you… smell like a hell sphere to him? Why do you smell like hell sphere to him?" Trust a Malfoy to fixate on that.

"Well, my Master took me to several just so I know how to get there, and more importantly, get out of there. But we didn't stay long since it's, ah, less then welcoming. Anyway, did you notice the trap door Fluffy was guarding?" He asks his friends, and they all blink at him, and look at the trap door in question.

"How did you know –" Neville starts to say, and since Harry doesn't want to talk about that, he offers, "Seer, remember?"

Draco and Hermione both give him incredulous looks and Harry wants to laugh how similar they are acting for two people who usually don't like each other all that much.

"Now, we could jump down this nice, dark, deep trap door, or –"

"I vote we go with 'or'." Neville says, almost immediately, proving that not all Gryffindors are foolhardy idiots.

"Right you are." Harry uses his Sling ring to open a portal, then points it down, slowly.

They can see that the inside of the portal is pitch black, until the portal hits a green mass, which immediately tries to go through the portal to reach them.

"Neville, can you please?" Harry says, without stopping the portal from continuing to sink downwards, past the plant,

Neville, the herbology genius that he is, immediately casts a strong lumos, and the plant retreats.

"Devil's snare. Hates the light." Hermione says, to no one apparently, eyes wide.

Draco glances at her, but looks back at the portal almost immediately.

Harry's portal reaches the floor, so Harry twists his hand up, and the portal rights itself. Now it can go down the corridor, all while they safely sit in Fluffy's room, out of harms way.

Harry's portal reaches a room with tons of flying keys, and Harry doesn't bother looking too closely, instead he pushes his portal further past the door which is clearly locked but can't so much as slow Harry down, and on the other side, is a giant chess set.

He pauses then, because what in all the hell-spheres is that? He remembers, vaguely, that in some of the possible-realities, Ron was the one who solved this one but he can't remember why or how any more.

He doesn't think that chess-set is guarding anything so much as slowing them down.

He lifts the portal and floats it above the chess-set, since they can't very well fly. Some of the pieces with swords in their hands try to get at it, but they aren't tall enough and Harry's portal goes right above them to the other side of the locked door.

They can immediately smell the stench, and Harry hastily changes the form of the portal to not let anything in.

The troll looks at the shiny portal, and cocks his head the way Fluffy does, but doesn't try to stop it from slowly making its way across the room and through yet another locked door.

This time, Harry can feel some kind of magic snap behind his portal where the door was, but since the room only has a bunch of potions vials, he doesn't bother checking what it was. The door in front of him is on fire with some kind of black flame.

Harry considers it, but instead of trying to go through it, he dismisses the original portal and opens one on the other side of the black flame, now that he can gauge the distance, that's the easy part.

The last room, where the mirror is kept is empty this time. No freaky teacher, since Voldie is dead already.

"Wait here just one sec, I'll be right back. Oh, and try not to look at the mirror, it will just mess with you since it's not real." Before his friends can protest, he steps through his own portal but keeps it open so his friends don't panic.

The mirror is the same as in the many reality possibilities he saw with his Master. Though this time, it shows him his Master, Master Wong, his parents and friends all hanging out together.

He smiles at it, and his mirror-self smiles back and points to his pocket. Harry feels the weight of the stone in his pocket suddenly and knows his job here is done. With one last glance at the mirror, he turns around and steps back through his portal, mission completed.

"What was that? I saw my parents and Gran and –" Neville cuts himself off so fast, Harry thinks he can hear his teeth click shut.

"Mirror of Erised. Shows you your greatest desire but the thing is cursed since it's like drowning in a fantasy. I'm sorry, it's not real." He tells Neville a little apologetically, and makes a mental note to look into Neville's parent's illness. Maybe his Master could help?

"What did you do?" Draco, ever the Slytherin, asks him.

"Got this." Harry pulls out the red stone and shows it to them.

"What is it?" Hermione looks like she wants to touch it, but doesn't.

"The Philosopher Stone." Harry tells them cheerfully.

The stone gets sent to his Master, because it's probably safer there than with Dumbledore. Plus, if his master had wanted immortality, he could have easily collected the Hallows, rather than making Harry their master, so Harry isn't too worried. He does have a moment of worry about Master Wong using it, but honestly if he did, it would only be so he could read more books so still not much to worry about.

Draco laments for days what a waste not using such a powerful stone is, while Zabini just wonders aloud if it could be made into a youth-face-cream for his mom.

Master Wong gives both boys odd looks, through the portal, but doesn't actually admonish them any. He is in the Sanctum today, and Harry can just see the enormous stack of books sitting on the library table, blocking his view from all the rows upon rows of bookshelves behind Master Wong.

Harry figures Master Wong is slowly but surely making his way through Harry's vault library, and makes a mental note to join him some night when he is Astral Projecting since likely there is useful information there Harry should probably know.

His Master joins Master Wong shortly, confirming Harry's suspicions that they are both being book-nerds. He would make fun, but he kind of wishes he could join them.

Harry knows Hermione does too. Maybe he could suggest it to her for the summer hols?

He wonders if his Master would murder him if he brought all his friends over for the summer.

Unsurprisingly, Dumbledore calls him to his office after the stone disappears.

"Oh, didn't I tell you Headmaster? Voldie is dead. Permanently, this time. My Master and I took care of it last year. I thought Snape's Dark Mark disappearing would have been clue enough, but evidently not." Harry tells him, helpfully.

Dumbledore actually looks surprised for a moment. Then gives him his benign grandfather smile, "There are things you and your… master – is it wise to call any man that really? – Might not be aware of. Voldemort is quite crafty." His eyes flicker to where Harry's scar used to be, then frowns. Harry actually has to stop himself from rolling his eyes.

"Yes, we are aware of the horcrux's, including the one that was in my scar. As I said, we took care of it. Voldie's soul is whole once again and has been forcefully ascended into the afterlife. Believe me when I say, he isn't coming back."

This time Dumbledore actually looks speechless and Harry savors it. His Master will want to see it later.

"I thought the Dark Mark on Professor Snape's arm would have clued you in but, figures you would still be wondering." Harry tells him helpfully.

"How did you know –" Dumbledore can't seem to help himself, it seems. Good thing he wasn't the spy, with this level of impulse control.

"Seer, remember?" This was fast becoming Harry's favorite excuse for everything.

"The Potters have no history of –" Dumbledore starts to say, but Harry is losing patience with him. He is hungry and he wants to go to dinner already, and Dumbledore is just being stubborn now.

"And yet, here we are. Also, I had two parents you know. Just because James didn't have the gift, doesn't mean Lily didn't have it in her bloodline. Or it is so hard to imagine that muggleborns could produce exceptional magicals also?" Harry can't help ask, a little sharply. Because for all his lauded muggle loving, Dumbledore still has the prejudice so prevalent to Wizardkind it seems.

"No, of course not. Perhaps you are correct my boy." Dumbledore has the good grace to at least look slightly chastised, "However, Voldemort might still be –"

"No."

"But –"

"No. He is dead. I watched his soul ascend myself. You can't reconstruct a soul if a piece is missing. Trust me, they were all there. He is gone. The Dark Marks are gone. It is done, else my Master never would have allowed me to step one foot into this school."

Dumbledore stares at him, and Harry can feel him probing his mind, but the joke is on him, since Harry has both mastered occlumency and has about twelve different wards on his person preventing anything from messing with his mind. A standard precaution for all disciples of Kamar-Taj.

"But how did you accomplish this? Your scar especially. It was my understanding that living horcrux's have to die in order for the soul shard to be destroyed." Dumbledore sounds like he is trying to be delicate, but his curiosity is somewhat ruining the effect.

"That just shows you don't know everything, doesn't it?" Harry scoffs at him. "Does that mean you had planned for me to be killed? Because I have to tell you, I am glad my Master is more educated than you. I should also point out that where I come from, sacrificing children for the 'greater good' is the first signs of corruption and chaos magic influence." Harry informs him, feeling quite miffed that this old man had planned to have Harry killed.

Dumbledore splutters for a moment, and starts to deny that, but Harry is done listening to him. He wants dinner.

"You should maybe consider retiring." Harry tells him bluntly. "Your whole thing was defeating Voldie, right? Especially since you helped create him by not listening to Tom when he told you he was being abused in the orphanage. Well, he is definitely dead now. Your job is done. It would probably do you good to get away from war-thinking, it has clearly done you no good at all. If you continue, you will go the same way as Voldie. Already you consider sacrificing kids to be an acceptable cost, and I can tell you, sane and good people don't think this way." Harry gets up to go. He knows he is being somewhat rude, but considering the many alternative universes where this man was responsible for Harry's suffering, and he suspects, is in part responsible for him being an orphan also, he really can't bring himself to be any friendlier.

"I have told you what you need to know. Now, I am hungry, so I will bid you farewell." He deliberately opens a portal right in front of Dumbledore, knowing he can see the great hall on the other side of the portal and knowing full well it will freak the old man out since no one is supposed to be able to apparate within Hogwarts, but the jokes on him since Harry isn't apparating. "Ta, Headmaster."

As soon as he walks through, he collapses the portal least the Headmaster decides to follow him.

If he still doesn't stop, Harry won't ask his Master. He will get Mom Wong to deal with him. That will teach the old bastard.

And if all else fails, he will call his mom Lily.

His lawyers manage to acquire not one, but three separate habitable magical Islands. It seems that at one point, there had been a lot more wizardfolk, but the combination of war and muggle crusades had decimated numbers over the millennia.

He has Mr. Ragemouth reach out to various Creature communities, and tells them an eccentric lover of Creatures has been incensed with the laws being proposed at the Wizengamot recently, and has decided to 'donate' these safe spaces to any Creatures, Light or Dark which wanted away from British Wizarding control. He informed them that the islands had been purchased in full, as such, the various governments he had purchased them from no longer had jurisdiction over them. Harry has forked out a small fortune for it, but he considers it well worth the investment. They have all been warded to repel muggles as well as wizards who wished them harm (His Master and Master Wong have personally cast the wards for intent), and a number of small villages with all services were being built as they spoke. He invites them to send representatives to view the Islands, and see if they have any suggestions how it could be made more creature-friendly. Then, if they need them, any and all creatures are welcomes to move there. They would be responsible for their own governance, and have to be self-sustaining, but that wasn't hard with drinking water, food supply and raw magic still in the soil.

While Harry have been advised by a stern Master Wong that relocating the four-antler deer-goats was not a good idea – something to do with Australia and apples? Harry didn't really understand but understood that one probably couldn't introduce species who weren't native without unfortunate things happening.

Instead, Master Wong suggested a magical rabbit-kangaroo species, which were native to other sphere's Islands – the same three Harry purchased actually, as well as a few mainland's. This species apparently got wiped out on Harry's sphere due to an overpopulation of dragons of all things during ancient times, but Master Wong was almost confident that they would not cause a ripple effect on the ecosystem.

Plus, they were apparently delicious to most magicals, and bred like…well, rabbits.

Perfect for a colony of Werewolves or hags. Or Veela for that matter.

At first there is a great deal of cynicism, small wonder when wizards have been so unkind to them before, but his lawyer isn't paid the big bucks for nothing, and offers to personally vouch for their safety, on his magic, during the inspection.

It's slow going, but his lawyers say the numbers of inquiries are steadily increasing as word spreads.

Harry gives it some thought, and pens a letter to Miss Tattler.

By lunchtime, Harry receives a somewhat politely irate letter from Mr. Ragemouth, thanking him for making his job easier, but won't he perhaps consider warning him next time in advance, if he was going to do something like that again? Thankyoukindly.

Harry grimaced a little, and discretely folded the newspaper he was still reading since the morning, while he eats his lunch.

The headlines scream:

FREEDOM AND EQUALITY

DESPITE GOVERNMENT OPPRESSION, CREATURES GAIN SOVERN LANDS THANKS TO CHARITY!

A large picture of celebrating Creatures throwing confetti into the air greets him below the headlines. Harry has not one blessed clue where Miss Tattler could have gotten such a picture, but it looks… happy. Hopeful.

The article is spicy, as his Master would say, simultaneously calling out bigotry and praising the 'anonymous donor's' his good sense in doing the right thing.

It makes it clear that if the Ministry isn't willing to be inclusive, there are those places in the world, that are, and if the Ministry isn't careful, it will 'lose all its raw magical talents in this fashion'. If that isn't bad enough, the article then suggests that 'wasn't the former Dark Lord Voldemort's entire reign of terror based on the backs of dissatisfaction due to inequality?

Harry nearly chokes on his too-sweet pumpkin juice because the article basically implies that the Ministry is deliberately breeding the grounds for another Dark Lord.

Which, admittedly, they are.

But Harry didn't expect Ms. Tattler to come out and say it so bluntly.

It's also hilarious that she basically said pureblood Death Eaters wanted equality, which in fact it was the exact opposite.

Hermione has rushed over to both Harry and Draco, practically squealing in delight over the article, and praising how very Slytherin and cunning it is. Harry couldn't help smile at her enthusiasm, and even Draco grins at her eagerness to pick it apart for all the subtle messages, muttering that they will make a Slytherin out of her yet.

Pansy, who has been sitting opposite of them, huffs, and when Harry and Draco both shoot her a look, she looks back at them mulishly, and puts her fork down.

"If she is to be around us, then, I insist on making her presentable. I have been waiting for you boys to do something by now, but none of you have. Even you Harry, and I have to say, I am disappointed, if not, entirely, surprised."

Saying that, Pansy gets up, ignoring Hermione's indignant squawk at her comment, marches around the table, and to everyone's surprise, grabs Hermione by the hand, and starts to drag her out of the Great Hall.

"Alright Granger, it has become painfully clear to me, that while you have excellent taste to hang out with us Slytherins, you friends unfortunately are a bunch of dunderhead boys. As such, I don't blame you, since no one has seen fit to show you the feminine side of the wizarding world, but honestly, we have got to do something with that bush you call hair! It was fine when you were a muggle, but you are with us now! Listen, have you ever heard of Sleekeazy and Silkfall? I have to tell you –"

Harry, Draco and Blaise stare, as Hermione flails a little, while being unceremonious dragged away by a determined Pansy.

When they can no longer hear them, Neville, who has just come over, asks, "…should someone go after them, do you think?"

Blaise shakes his head first, then Draco. "No, she will be fine. Molested to an inch of her life, but fine. Pansy did the same to me when we were 4. My hair has never stopped being silky since." Draco shudders a little, clearly at the memory.

With that, Harry shrugs, and everyone goes back to their food.

Hermione is, indeed, fine, except how Harry almost doesn't recognize her, despite having memories of her in various alternate realities attending the Yule Ball all dolled up. Whatever Pansy and the horde of Slytherin's girls did to her, her hair now cascades down like a brown waterfall, perfectly pin-straight and luxurious.

Hermione herself looks a little embarrassed, but considering how all the boys in both Ravenclaw and Slytherin stare at her, she also looks more than a little pleased.

Pansy just looks smug.

Whatever happened after Pansy had dragged her away, has clearly initiated some kind of female bonding ritual between Hermione and the Slytherin females, because suddenly, Hermione has a permanent seat among the Slytherin table's first year female contingent.

Draco gives Pansy a quizzical look, when Hermione is out of hearing range, but Pansy just gives him a face-shrug – something all Slytherin females seem to know how to do – and says, "Potter has clearly decided to adopt her, and somehow, so have you." Despite your father, goes unsaid, but everyone hears it loud and clear just the same. "Also, Zabini told me what Potter said. So, it's practically a civic duty! Investment for the future and all that. Someone needed to consider her public image, if you lot weren't going to." And with that, she flounces off.

Harry stares at Pansy's back in awe.

In the various alternate versions of his life, only in a very few of them did she ever become an ally, and even rarer, a friend.

He adds it to the list for his master, with an internal sigh.

This reality just has to be the special one.

Because of course it does.

"Harry," Hermione asks, trudging down the dirt path towards Hagrid's hut, "Why exactly do we need to go into the Forbidden Forest? Isn't it, you know, forbidden?"

"I would like to know, as well." Draco says, somewhat bad naturedly, "What could you possibly need inside the woods of all places? Wouldn't you rather be in the common room where there is a fire or I don't know, even the library? Less chance of something trying to eat us, as an example. What if there are monsters in there? Werewolves and such!"

Neville shoots Draco a fearful look, but he doesn't slow down, proving yet-again, that he is very much a Gryffindor.

"Nah, it's not the full moon. You only really have to worry about werewolves when there is a full moon. We are going in there to meet something much worse than mere werewolves." Harry happily tells them, thinking he finally found a solution to his little problem.

All three of his friends stop dead behind him, and Harry actually has to turn around and make come-on gestures at them to get them moving again.

"Besides, it's not forbidden if you have a member of staff with you, and Hagrid knows every creature in there." Then he has to reconsider that because Hagrid definitely didn't know Nagini was in there with her hundreds of relatives. "Mostly."

"I hate it when he says that." Neville mutters, and Hermione and Draco nod almost as one, surprisingly united in this.

Harry gives them his but-it-will-be-fun look.

It doesn't exactly work as desired, since his friends all give him highly dubious looks.

…come to think of it, he learned that look from his Master, and Harry rarely ever believed him either.

"No, really, Hagrid raised it, so it won't attack us. We'll be perfectly safe. Besides, it's a business opportunity! You like those, don't you, Draco?"

"My father likes those. I don't see you inviting him to the Forbidden Fores – wait, you know what? You're right. Don't invite my father to the Forbidden Forest. Merlin knows what would happen if you did."

Hermione glances at Draco and gives him a sympathetic grimace, having heard some of the history so far. Draco just looks resigned.

"What kind of business opportunity?" Neville asks, somewhat hesitantly.

"Well, two kinds really. Both really lucrative, if we do this right. It will make us lots of galleons, but more importantly, we'll also help to keep Hogwart's population safe."

This time, Hermione alone stops walking.

"What do you mean? Isn't Hogwarts safe?! I thought there were… wards, and protections!"

"Weeeell, the Hogwarts Headmasters have been getting somewhat lax in renewing the wards over the last few hundred years since the Witch Burnings stopped, so… somewhat? Ish?" Harry says over his shoulder, making a so-so gesture with his hand.

"Unbelievable. My father always said Dumbledore was incompetent as a Headmaster. But after hearing everything – from you no less – I am starting to think he was righter then he realized."

Surprisingly, Neville nodded, looking downright angry.

"Eh. It's nothing we can't handle. Oh, here we are." Harry says, and knocks on Hagrid's door.

Hagrid is understandably mystified why Harry wants to go visit his baby pet-monster, but readily agrees to take them to the Forest.

He assures them that since his baby was raised by him, none of his children will attack them either, because they were highly loyal to their leader and sire.

This had the effect of calming both Neville and Hermione down, but Draco still looked incredibly skeptical, until Harry reminds them all that he can just open a portal and they would be back to safety immediately. Only then did Draco agree to put one toe into the Forest.

Neville actually gives him a grateful look, since as a Gryffindor, he isn't going to back down, but he is very happy to have a Slytherin voice his own concerns, without sounding like a coward himself.

It takes them a solid hour of walking before the woods start to get darker and more oppressive, but Harry is in high spirits, planning out what he is going to say, so he doesn't pay it much attention. It isn't till Hermione tugged on his sleeve, and he turns around, that he realizes his friends are looking a little… peaky around the eyes, and that very little sun is penetrating the thick canopy now.

To reassure them, Harry has Hagrid pause, and he spends a few minutes putting a warded dome around their entire group. He lets them know that things from the outside couldn't penetrate, and they feel marginally safer.

He grimaced a little, already feeling mom-Wong's disapproving eyebrow. He always gets that eyebrow when Harry is emulating his Master more than Master Wong, and Harry reminds himself, that yes mom-Wong does actually have a point about that, since his Master is a bit of a maverick more often than not, and Harry likely shouldn't follow in his example. At least not when he has 11 year olds with him anyway.

The dome shines gold around them, and moves when they move, so long as they stay together, which goes a long way in reassuring his friends of their safety.

However, when the first webs across the tress start showing up, Neville gets a look on his face, and finally says, "Say Harry… what exact species is Hagrid's pet, anyway?"

"Oh, him and his wife Mosag, are totally displaced here in Britain. In a way, it's really unfair to them, since they originated from Borneo, but someone smuggled them into the UK, and thanks to Hagrid they survived the hatching process, but really, they aren't native to here at all."

"Yes, but what are they?" Hermione, ever impatient for information, asks a little more pointedly.

"Didn't I say? They are acromantulas." Harry tells then, looking around to see if he can see any of the children in the canopies. He knows they are there, but for the life of him, he can't see them at all.

"WHAT?!"

Oh, that was actually in unison. Draco and Neville have never been so in-sync before. Harry congratulates himself on this being a sign that their friendship is coming along swimmingly.

Unfortunately, when they shouted, they also stopped in their tracks. Hermione, having been walking next to Draco, also stops but Harry and Hagrid practically run into the edges of the dome because they don't realize the other three have stopped walking.

"How'dya know about Mosag, Harry?" Hagrid asks, while hosting his crossbow a little higher on his shoulder, "That was a secret, that was. Not even Professor Dumbledore knows I got him a wif – I shouldn't have told you that."

"Don't worry Hagrid, I am a Seer, remember? I told you the first week of school when we came to visit you." Harry assures the fretting half-giant.

"Oh, yeah, that's alright then. You did. I forgot that. Convenient for knowing all kinds of things, innit ?"

"Yes, you can say that." Harry tells him, and only then realizes that all noises in the forest have dropped off. It is suddenly deadly silent.

"Harry!" Neville says, a little loudly, and Harry remembers that they had shouted at him.

"Don't worry, Hagrid is his Sire, so they won't attack us. Acromantula silk and venom are highly prized, and they have been breeding since the 40s, so all their food supply should be dwindling by now. What I plan to offer them, they aren't likely to turn down." Harry assures them, somewhat distractedly because Hagrid looks a little shamefaced, as if that hasn't occurred to him.

As if his words have summoned the creature, from the deep, dark woods, they hear:

"Who comes into our layer? Is that you, Hagrid?"

The voice is both loud, and somewhat echoey. A touch ominous, but Harry figures if you are a 15-foot spider, you may as well sound like it.

Hm. Maybe he should have warned his fr—

Hermione screams. Neville makes a strangled sound and Draco just goes as white as a sheet.

Harry turns back, just as Hagrid replied, "Ay, it is me. I brought some friends of mine, who wanted to meet ya, so be nice now."

To himself, Harry can admit that 15 feet didn't sound so large until it is standing right in front of you, and you were only 5 feet yourself.

Aragog comes out, in all his hairy, dark, terrifying glory, and suddenly, all around them, thousands upon thousands of chittering sounds can be heard.

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry can see Hermione grabbing both Draco and Neville's arms in a death-grip. Neither boy looked even remotely interested in shaking her off, and instead scoot a little closer to her, as if to make smaller targets.

Right. Maybe he could have prepared them a little better.

Shaking his head at himself, he takes a step forward, so he is standing next to Hagrid, and at the edges of the dome.

"Hello Hagrid's friends. You smell… very nice." Aragog says, and the chittering in the trees intensifies.

Right.

"Hello, Patriarch Aragog, it is a pleasure to meet you. Matriarch Mosag isn't here?"

"She is protecting our new clutch of eggs. What do you want, little Wizard?" Aragog asks him, a little bit of a warning in his voice.

Before Harry can answer, Hagrid says, "Actually, I don't know. Harry here just insisted we come meet ya." Hagrid tells Aragog, and looks at Harry.

"I want to make a pact with you, Patriarch Aragog, and your entire clan. One pact, which will benefit both our clans, and which I am hoping will be so beneficial to you, and that your children would agree to the Pact also." Harry tells him honestly.

The giant spider looks at him, with his eight eyes, and Harry privately has a moment to be grateful that his Master exposed him to all kinds of hell spheres and horrors, otherwise he would be totally freaked out right now. He can see himself reflected in all of those eight eyes.

"A Pact? With Wizards?" Aragog asks, sounding rather skeptical. "All Wizards ever want to do is take our silks and our venom and burn us to death. We are not interested in that kind of one-sided Pact."

"Of course not!" Harry maybe sounds a little offended, thought he shouldn't, because Aragog is telling the truth. Wizard rarely ever respect other species enough to make equal bargains with them. "I want an equal trade with your Clan. I figured after so many years, you and your wife must have many strong children. I also figured, the Forbidden Forest is only so big, and your pray must be running out by now. You have new young on the way, and very soon you will have no choice but to try and hunt down humans who venture into this Forest. Am I right?"

Aragog watches him for a beat without saying anything, then nods a little, and says, "Yes, food has been dwindling over the last while. My mate is getting concerned. We lost children a few winters ago because of it."

Hagrid draws in a breath next to Harry. Harry had been right before, clearly this hasn't occurred to Hagrid before, when he released Aragog and Mosag to breed uncontrolled.

"See? That's what I figured. But since Hogwarts is a school full of children, Wizardkind will definitely come into the Forest and even burn it down if you attack their young. Like any parent would."

The chittering in the trees takes on a very ominous tone, and Hermione makes a whimpering sound behind him.

Right, hurry it up Potter, he thinks to himself.

"But! I have an idea! I want to provide you with all the food you can ever eat, and your kids can eat, and even their kids, for many generations, so that you never need to try and eat wizards, who will definitely kill you and your kids if you try it." Harry tells them, because Master Wong always says you can catch more bees with honey than with vinegar.

Aragog snaps his pincers once, and abruptly all sound in the Forest is cut off.

"You would be a friend to my kind, little Wizard? Feed my young? Provide meat?" Aragog asks him, leaning down so they are eye to many eyes.

"Yes. There is a species of rabbit-kangaroo, which breeds very fast, and would be very easy for you and your children to hunt down. They are delicious, and are not intelligent. You know how you really like the taste of humans? It's because your webs need glycine to have their elasticity, so any meat with an abundance of glycine tastes amazing to you, but this creature, which in another sphere is a called an Erdu, has the highest glycine content in its meat of any creature. I think it will taste much better to you than even humans do. Here, try one, tell me what you think."

Saying that, Harry opens a portal to one of the islands he has gifted the Creatures, and which he has been overpopulating with Erdu's for weeks now, and simply yanks one through by its large ears.

The creature, despite being a rabbit and kangaroo mix, is rather ugly, with its face rather squashed like a pug. It's the size of a large-ish dog, and has large almost donkey-like rabbit ears. It comes willingly enough, chewing on its favorite food, the humble marigold, looking amazingly unconcerned that it has just been forcibly relocated.

Harry, using the momentum of a portal, tosses the creature in front of Aragog. The giant spider hesitates for only a moment – likely studying its prey to make sure it does not have sharp claws or fangs, and then, lightning fast, Aragog spits a bit of web around the creature's large feet. The web wraps itself expertly around its ancles, and faster than Harry could blink, the Erdu is being fed into Aragog's pince-wide mouth.

It makes a 'Eeeh' sound, as its eaten, hardly even distressed, and then it's gone.

Draco makes a disgusted sound behind him, and Harry takes a second to glance at them. Neville looks positively green. Hermione is whiter than he has ever seen her, and Draco just looks like he would have ran if it didn't mean leaving the protective dome.

"It's good!" Aragog says, "Very good. You were right. This taste better than human. You say you have a lot of these?"

Harry smiles at the giant hairy monster, despite it having just admitted to knowing how a human tastes, and nods. "Yes. I do. And I want to trade you for them. A lot of them. Enough to feed everyone and even have extra. Their meat will make your silk stronger too, so your children will be able to hunt even better."

"What do you want in return, little Wizard?" the large arachnid asks him, suspiciously.

"My name is Harry by the way. Hagrid is not the only Wizard who wants to protect the magical creatures of our world. I want to trade the Erdu for your silk and your venom, but voluntarily given, not taken from you. We can agree on a fair exchange, but if we agree, you and all your kids will have to swear on magic itself that you will not hurt any of the rightful occupants of Hogwarts, such as its students and teachers. Do you think you can do that? I know your Clan will listen to you completely while you are alive, but once you die, I want our agreement to continue, with whomever takes over as Patriarch. What do you think?"

Aragog is silent for a while, then says, "Wait here." and he leaves into the darkness of the Forest.

"Harry! What are you doing?! You can't just introduce a non-native species –" Hermione starts to say, but Harry just smiles at her reassuringly and says, "Don't worry, they actually are native. Or well, they used to be, but Dragons also really liked them and wiped them out. They aren't invasive, except how they breed like rabbits, but because their preferred food is weeds like marigolds, crabgrass and pigweed, they actually help forests and native plants thrive by eating up all the stranglers."

"Oh! This is the species you told us about that you populated the Islands with? Huh. That's actually… really smart." She admits, grudgingly.

"Thank you." Harry tells her, still smiling.

Draco gives him a what-the-hell-Potter look, but just then, the sound of something large coming towards them is heard, and Aragog emerges from the murky trees.

"My mate also enjoyed the taste of your Erdu creature. She thinks it will feed many young. I agree with her. Very well, little Harry. My Clan will make a Pact with your Clan, that so long as you provide us with this meat, in sufficient quantities, we will not harm any of your young, or any from your stone-den. We will also give you a portion of our web silks, as well as venom in exchange. The meat you offer does not fight, and does not have sharp teeth and fangs. I think we will have much venom and silk to spare because of this."

"Great! I am so glad this can work for both of us." Harry beams at the creature, then suddenly hears his mom-Wong's voice in his head. "Just one thing, since you will now have enough meat for many children, I think this Forest won't be big enough for you very soon. Do you think you will be willing to move some of your future kids to an Island which I can fill with Erdu? I can maybe set up a permanent portal for you, which would only work for your species to go back and forth so when it gets crowded here your kids will have somewhere to expand to? The Island would only be for you and your kids, with no other humanoids on it… well, that and the Erdu of course."

"You would do this for us? Why?" Aragog asks, sounding a little disbelieving.

"Ah, well, see, my Master and I, our mission is kind of to protect all sentient creatures in this world, see. And I am a Seer. Do… you know what that means?"

The sudden sharp return of the chittering in the treetops and all around them is a little alarming, but it is Aragog who shakes his front legs a little that catches Harry's attention.

"Yes. The horse-humans have some of those. They always know how to evade our ambushes. They say they can see the future."

"Just so. I can as well. If no arrangement is made with you and your kids, one day very soon, some bad wizard would have come and set your Forest on fire, driving you out and forcing you to attack the, er, stone-den. The wizards there would have no choice but to kill you, and that will help no one. You and your kids, deserve to live, like all sentient species deserve to live. Plus, I really do think we can help each other be…stronger. We protect and help you now, and maybe one day, if our children are in danger, maybe you can help us too. That is of course not a must, but I figured, we could be… allies. Friends even."

Aragog is silent for a long while, then he says, "Only Hagrid has ever called us 'Friend'. You are the second to do this."

Hagrid makes a bit of a sniffing sound, and puts a giant hand around Harry, giving him a hug that makes his ribs creak.

Harry just smiles.

In the end, Harry opens another portal, and pours out a hundred plus Erdu into a clearing Aragog brings them to. He promises to bring a lot more, and gets Aragog to promise to always leave at least 50 of the creatures alive so they can reproduce. Considering they are constantly pregnant and have litters of hundreds, population really shouldn't be an issue. He shows Aragog what kind of weeds they love to eat, especially the marigolds and Aragog clicks his pincers twice. Suddenly, Hermione is screaming again because hundreds of spiders are surrounding them, but they don't attack. Instead, every spider dips one of its legs into the seed-sacks of the marigolds, and disappear soon after. Harry figures they will be sowing those seeds all over the forest and both the Erdu and the acromantulas will be happy with the results.

While this is all very touching, Harry is still not an idiot, and he makes Aragog give him some of his blood, and some of Mosag's blood too, and waves a spell using an old Chinese Pact spell, binding every acromantula who descends from either Aragog or Mosag to the Pact, as agreed. The final spell actually leaves him a little winded – he hadn't realized just how many thousands of children those two had, but he manages – and the deal is done.

Hagrid cries the entire way back in joy, while telling Harry he is a good sort, even if he is Slytherin. Draco looks a little mutinous, but he is still too wide-eyed to say anything. He, Hermione and Neville between them carry a huge length of spider silk in their hands. Amazingly it's not sticky, since Aragog told them that spiders can make many kinds of webs, some for trapping and some for nest-making and the like. Harry carries the large bottle of acromantula venom, since it's highly corrosive, but all in all, it is a very good day.

Harry wonders if Snape will be pleased with the vial he plans to gift him for Christmas.

Pansy will likely steal the silk anyway.

The following morning, the Prophet headlines read:

ACROMANTULA SANCTUARLY ESTABLISHED!

ACROMANTULA SILK AND VENOM TO BE HUMANELY DONATED BY THE PATRIACH OF THE COLONY, INSURING MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL TRADE FOR GENERATIONS!

Harry had considered being generous, but his lawyer had insisted they mention that an unchecked acromantula colony had established itself right next to Hogwarts, endangering children. The Headmaster had done nothing to ensure their safety so a 'Silent Benefactor – why yes, the same one who set up the Creature Sanctuaries! – had gotten themselves involved and struck an Unbreakable Pact with the colony to not only protect the school but also to supply wizardkind with their precious silks and venom. Harry had made sure the article did not speak about acromantulas like animals but like a unique people. He hopes that with many such repetitions of not-looking-down on different sentient species, the wizarding world will start to change their views.

It was a small hope, but media was a powerful tool for reeducation of public opinion.

The article even spoke about "Acromantula children starving to death, by the dozens, due to food supply shortage, which likely would have spelled disaster in a few short years as the poor individuals would be forced to attack Hogwarts, just to survive. Now, there was no more fear of that." And wasn't that wonderful?

Unsurprisingly, Dumbledore had to flee the Great Hall, due to the hundreds of howlers chasing him out, still screaming insults from irate parents.

Draco, seeing that, commented, "That alone was worth the permanent nightmares the trip to the Forest gave me."

Blaise just laughs.

Harry can't shake the notion that he has forgotten something.

Something important.

It bothers him for weeks, until he looks up one day, instinctively scanning the Gryffindor table for Neville, and eyes falling on Ronald Weasley instead.

Then he remembers, like a book-to-the-head.

That night, he opens a portal to the Gryffindor dormitory, and covered with his Cloak of Shadows, steps through.

Neville is waiting for him, eyes shining a little the dark from the reflection of his wand.

The other boy had been a little unsure when Harry had told them about Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew, but quickly agreed to Harry's plan, not wanting to have a Death Eater living in his dorm room. Even Draco looked more than a little sick at the news.

Holding the warded cage his master had given him, Harry and Neville sneak quietly to Ron's bed, and with a wave of his hand, both Ron and the rat Pettigrew who was sleeping on Ron's pillow, inches from him face, fall into a magically induced sleep.

Harry casts Petrificus on Pettigrew, just in case, and then levitates him into the warded cage, which prevents him from changing back or escaping.

Once that's done, Harry undoes the sleeping ward he had cast on Ron, and quietly both boys sneak back under the safety of Neville's bed curtains.

Suddenly, Harry is very glad King Warwick suggested he get a criminal defense lawyer as well. Mrs. Morphenia Bashington is a half-blood, formerly from Slytherin house, and has the kind of bloodthirsty smile which makes Harry wonder if she has Veela or werewolf in her bloodline. She eagerly receives the warded cage, through the portal Harry makes while still on Neveill's bed with the curtains tightly spelled shut, with a still-sleeping Pettigrew in it, and promises Harry she will return justice to the deceased Sirius Black, no matter what.

Harry had learned too late, that when he was still living with the Dursley's, some unknown asshole had let a Dementor into Sirius's cell, and the vile creature had sucked out his soul. It was completely unfair, since Harry has all those memories of living with Sirius in other potential futures, and he spends quite a while mourning those lost opportunities, but ultimately, there isn't much he can do about it. Dementors digested the souls they ate, and Sirius's soul was just… gone.

He makes a vow to check with his Master and Master Wong to see if there was any chance Sirius's soul could still be retrieved. Harry has learned from both his Master's and from the writings of the Ancient One, that souls are never really gone, even when Dementors are involved. They are just scattered as all their substance has been sucked out, and generally, no one is on hand to… well, gather the wisps together to reform the soul.

Harry makes a mental note to do that as soon as possible. Sirius's cell should still have the imprint of his soul somewhere.

Miss Tattler looks like Harry has given her a Yule and birthday gift all at once with the news of Pettigrew, and immediately sets about contacting the Prophet.

The next day, a scream is heard from the Gryffindor table, as an absolutely horrified Ronald Weasley stares at the photo of Scabbers – missing toe and all, helpfully circled with a red circle – right next to a photo of Pettigrew, looking more than a little worse-for-wear in large handcuffs, standing next to a pinched but determined Amelia Bones, head of the DMLE. Minister Fudge in contrast is mopping his head in the photo and ducking away every chance he can. Ron looks ready to faint, and Harry wonders if maybe he should have warned his former-not-this-time friend, but Neville seems to be comforting him. Instead, Harry sends an owl order to the Emporium, and buys Ron a large and rather strong barn owl as a replacement pet, signing the note with a "Hope he makes you feel better. Gryffindor Death Eaters are some of the worst, aren't they? Glad he will be getting what's coming to him."

Miss Tattler fires up the public about the injustice done to Sirius, with the rapid fire articles which come out over the next few days – stating plainly that no trial was given to the Heir of House Black – and that together with Poor Harry Potter's parent's Will, which names Pettigrew as the Secret Keeper, a fact Albus Dumbledore knew as he had been the person to cast the Fidelius and had never come forward to speak the truth when Sirius was arrested… and isn't it interesting that it was also Albus Dumbledore who sealed the Potter's Will at Gringotts, thereby making himself Harry Potter's temporary guardian, before he abandoned the young Hero at his magic-hating muggles doorsteps, in winter, with nothing but a letter and a thin blanket for baby Harry? "Why, dear public, do you suppose the Headmaster did that?" The article hissed.

Somehow, she even got ahold of a baby photo of Harry – Neville later told him she got it from his Gran of all people – where Sirius was holding him, while Remus tried to make Harry laugh.

The outcry this time, was immediate and somewhat violent.

Pettigrew is given a trial and Veritaserum, under which he confesses everything, including setting up Sirius. He is then given the Kiss.

An investigation, led by none other than Amelia Bones herself, and with the surprising support of Lucius Malfoy, is launched against Albus Dumbledore. He is taken in for questioning, much to his protests, and also given Veritaserum, under which he confesses his belief that Voldemort was not, in fact, dead – to which Fudge tries to throw out the reporters who have been allowed to witness the proceedings, but is overruled by Amelia and Lucius – and admitting that there has been a prophecy, where it is implied that Harry Potter would have to die to kill Voldemort again, and Albus has been 'preparing the poor boy for his fate.'

Neville later tells Harry that, while his Gran was completely outraged, it was Lucius Malfoy who was so furious that Amelia was forced to get Aurors to restrain him, lest he curse Dumbledore in the middle of the court room.

Albus was found guilty of kidnapping; child endangerment; premeditated slander towards an Heir of a Most Ancient and Noble House; Express Malicious Harm as well as Depraved Heart Towards a Minor and Heir of five Most Ancient and Noble Houses; Theft and Impersonation of Representation in the Wizengamot – since Dumbledore had been using the Potter seat to vote for years despite himself not being from a Noble house. However, he was also ruled as being clinically delusional and, thus, unable to fully take responsibility for his actions. He was instead stripped of all his titles and sent to St. Mungo's High Security Ward For The Insane to receive treatment.

Neville also tells him that Dumbledore whipped out his wand - a black knobby thing his Gran had said - and tried to put the entire Wizengamot to sleep. When his wand did not react to his spell, Dumbledore apparently looked confused, and then tried to call his Phoenix. But since Harry's lawyer had warned Amelia that this might happen, the room had been warded against Phoenix and House Elf entry, and Dumbledore was subdued, his wand snapped then and there.

Harry has a moment to feel a twinge that his former wand is no more, but fingering the Death Stick, he figures he still got the better end of the deal.

Considering all of this resulted in Hogwarts not having a Headmaster, Professor McGonagall was put in place as temporary Headmistress, and Professor Snape as her number two, much to the man's displeasure.

Later, the board of directors voted to keep McGonagall as permanent Headmistress.

Which turns out to be a good thing, because Professor McGonagall seems to have been unhappy with quite a few of Professor Dumbledore's decisions, and she and Snape set about undoing some of the damages made in the past years.

This is how Hogwarts gets to see its first Yule in 30 years, as well as how Samhain is reinstated instead of Halloween, much to Harry's happiness.

Additionally, thanks to the acromantula incident the papers advertised, Headmistress McGonagall is given additional funds that year to re-set all of Hogwarts's aging wards which much to all the professors horror, have been slowly failing, unbeknownst to anyone. Harry even overhears Professor Sprout say to Professor Babbling, "Why, something as large as a troll could have easily gotten in, let alone acromantulas! What had Albus been thinking?"

The other professor only shake their head, equally unhappy with the discoveries.

"What do you mean, you need to go to the Chamber of Secrets to befriend an ancient Basilisk?" Draco asks him, voice going up an octave in disbelief.

"Exactly that." Harry tells him cheerfully. "See, Slytherin had a pet basilisk before he left Hogwarts, and he left it as a last defense in case of muggle invasion. Now, he had meant to come back for it, but it clearly didn't happen for one reason or another. So, the poor thing's been stuck down there, by itself with no one to talk to till Voldie found her. Voldie used her to kill Myrtle, 50 years ago. Anyway, that's not important now. With Voldie gone, she has been left down there by herself again, and I just thought she might like someone to talk to. Plus, Miss Peace has been insisting we go and get it over with so she can tell her what's what."

There was a bit of silence in the room.

For a… bit.

Harry didn't think it was that hard to understand. He checked with Master and even Master Wong, and both agreed that it was probably best they relocate the basilisk, away from a school with children.

That just seems… logical to him?

And how does one relocate a giant death-ray the size of a house? Well, either portal or befriending, then portal, but really the poor thing has been in this castle for more than 900 years, and only killed one girl. Likely due to the fact that Tom told her to come out, and on her part, it had most likely been an accident.

That Tom used the poor girl's death to tear his soul to pieces really just shows that the man had gone around the bend even as a teen, to Harry at least.

Really, Tom gave all parselmouth a bad name. What would other snake-folk think of them after he manipulated a basilisk, a very sacred creature no less, like that? Harry bets Tom never even apologized.

His friends kept staring and blinking at him.

"So, guys, it's something I have to do, and it's a bit dangerous. Well, no, dangerous for you, but not so much for me. However, I don't really want to keep secrets from you lot so… here we are." Harry tries to move them along, because really, in other realities – oh wait, it was Ronald Weasley who went down with him. Gryffindor. Right.

Harry instinctively looks at Neville.

Neville's eyes widen, and he starts to shake his head no, seemingly reflexively.

"Oh, don't worry. I don't want you guys with me on this. I'm not crazy! I just want you to know what I am doing, and well, I was going to leave the portal open so you can see through. But don't worry, I will ward it so the screen reflects the gaze back at the snake. I will also be warding myself the same way."

"Why…" Hermione starts to say, then clearly grabs her courage and soldiers on, "are you the only one who can do this? Why can't you ask your Master? Isn't he extremely powerful?" She stops, take a breath and asks, "Also what's a basilisk?"

Neville answers her, "A snake. A very deadly one. Actually, THE deadliest one. It's gaze kills." His voice shakes a little, but he swallows and says, "Hermione is right, why you? Also, You're s-sure it's still a-alive?"

"It's alive, believe me." Harry tells him, a bit distracted wondering if Nagini will bite him if he takes her away from her hunt early. "and because I'm the only parselmouth besides Voldie."

This time the silence is a bit lengthier but surprisingly it's Blaise who breaks it, Harry had almost forgotten the other boy was there. "You – of course you are. Why didn't I think of that? The Contessa will have my head now."

"Why do you call her Contessa? Isn't she your mom?" Harry asks, because he's kind of wanted to know for ages.

"So not the time, Potter." Draco interrupts whatever Blaise was about to say. "Focus. Is that why there is a very large and venomous snake sometimes going in and out of our dorm? She is yours, isn't she? "

"Yes. Miss Nagini Peace. She's a sweetheart under all that grump, trust me."

Draco stills completely. Blaise glances at him in concern.

"Nagini. As in… the Dark Lord's snake, Nagini. That Nagini?" Draco asks, his voice a little strained.

"Well, she needed a home after I got that nasty bit of Voldie magic out of her. It was totally messing with her personality, and she was quite happy to have it gone, but she had been a kept pet, I wasn't going to just leave her in the wild's, you know? So, she came home with me. She's been pretty great ever since. Did you know she has family in the Forbidden Forest? Apparently Voldie found her here when she was a hatchling. She stopped aging after her put that gunk into her, drove her crazy too, but now that we removed it, and Voldie has been forcefully ascended, she's going to start aging normally again. Poor thing, she really was in a terrible state when we got to her."

Draco, Hermione and Neville just stare at him more. Blaise only looks morbidly curious.

Then Draco says, "You know what? Basilisk should be just fine for him. The idiot goes around adopting the Dark Lord's murderous pet, what's a Basilisk to that?"

Hermione glances at Draco, and seems ready to argue, but then thinks about it, and says instead, "You have a plan, then?"

Neville looks at her quickly as if he isn't sure she's seriously entertaining this, but Harry knows Hermione's guts better than Neville does.

"Yup! You guys will stay here, behind mirror wards so the Basilisk can't look at you. I will open a portal into the Chamber, just like how we did with the Philosopher Stone, and then, while behind mirror shields myself, I will speak to her in Parseltongue. Hopefully, she will come out with her inner eyelids closed. If not, we are protected, and I can always close the portal. Then open a bigger one, under the Basilisk and drop it in the Gobi desert or something. Plenty of food there and very few humans. Muggle or otherwise."

"That's… actually not a bad plan." Draco says, and Hermione reluctantly agrees.

"Alright! Oh, if any of you want to, you know, not be here, that's okay too. I'm pretty sure you would all be protected completely, but things happen sometimes so you know, perfectly understandable if someone wants to stand guard or something from across the room, as an example."

All four of them consider it. Harry can see them considering it. But all four decide they want to see this more than they fear the possibility of danger, however minor.

So, they all set up behind Harry, under yet another reflection ward dome, as well as individual mirror wards, which cause iridescent mirrors to fly around them, deflecting any direct sight from the portal. Harry puts one on himself last, and then opens a portal to Kamar-Taj.

Because he is 13, not stupid.

Whatever.

His Master seems to have been expecting him, because even Master Wong is here.

They both step through, much to his friend's surprise.

Introductions are hastily made, officially, since it's not like his Master and Master Wong don't know who his friends are. But his friends haven't actually officially met them, just seen Harry speak to them.

"All set?" His Master asks, one hand on the Eye.

"I think so. You'll have enough time to reverse it, if it goes south, so we should be fine." Then to his friends he says, "My Master will also add another layer of protection, just in case."

Master Wong doesn't even bother saying anything, just settles himself down next to a startled Neville, and casts his own mirror wards. His Master does the same.

Harry grins, seeing they are all ready, is about to open the portal but then in the last second remembers Nagini, and opens a portal to the Forbidden Forest instead, where he can feel her life force.

Nagini is just in the process of eating… is that Flitch's cat? Oh, he hopes not! It's definitely a – wait no, the feet are too wide. A baby Erdu? That's marginally better…

"We are about to go talk to the Basilisk, do you want to come or –" but he's not even finished talking before she is regurgitating up the – oh Agamotto that's gross. Why did she have to –

::What did you do that?:: Harry practically whines, in Parseltongue.

His friends all give a quiet indrawn breath, but no one says anything.

::It would have only slowed me down. No time to digest properly. I come now. :: saying this, she steps through the portal. Right into Harry's lap.

She's gotten heavier. She's clearly been hunting a lot.

Harry doesn't say anything however, even when Draco scoots a little further away from Nagini's tail.

Instead, he opens a portal to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

Before any of his friends can ask, he says, "This is the entrance." And looks for the correct sink. When he finds it, he glances at Nagini, and hisses, ::Open.::

The sink obligingly opens into the hole he remembers seeing in all those visions.

::Stairs. Lights:: He says again, and stairs materialize under the whole, slowly being lit by sconce he had only seen in a few of the visions.

He slowly descends the portal, as if going downwards, and their field of vision changes as they go deeper down.

It takes Harry a while to remember which way to go, but his Master is there to remind him, and together they figure it out fairly quickly.

Harry obligingly hisses to open the circular door into Slytherin's main chamber, and soon, their portal is looking at the giant stone statue of Slytherin.

Draco sounds a little emotional when he says, "Salazar Slytherin's chambers. My father will be so jealous."

"So, this chamber was hidden all this time? No one knew where it was?" Hermione asks, curious.

"Not that many Parselmouths. It's a unique gift from the Three Brother's line. Most of them have died out ages ago." Draco tells her, no trace of a sneer in his voice at all, and Harry has a moment to be happy for how far they've come. Maybe letting it slip that Hermione was going to be Minister in various visions hadn't been such a mistake. Slytherins respect power, after all.

"Alright, I will call her now. The statue should open. That's where her layer is." Saying this, he checked again that his Master and Master Wong were ready, and with another glance towards Nagini, he says, ::Slytherin's ancient Basilisk, I am another of his line. Can you come out, so that we may speak please? My name is Harry Potter.::

At first, nothing happens, but then suddenly Salazar's statue opens, and Harry catches himself holding his breath.

That… is a really big snake.

Thankfully her inner eyelids are closed.

It makes the snake look blind, even though Harry knows it can see through those special lids which are currently protecting them all.

:: Harry Potter. You are not the same wizard. His name was Tom Riddle. The last who spoke to me. It has not been so long that you could be his offspring. :: the huge snake says, voice raspy.

:: I am not. Tom Riddle is dead. He won't be coming back again.:: Harry tells her, trying not to gag at the idea of being Tom's kid. If his suspicions are right…

::Good. He was a bad egg. His nest was not secure and he went feral. Attacked his own. Nothing to do but put them down when they are like that.:: The Basilisk says.

:: He killed my Sire and Dame. He was very twisted. :: Harry tells her, and feels Nagini wrap her tail around him. :: He made Nagini –:: He lifted Nagini a little to show the Basilisk, :: He put something in her to make her as bad as him. I took it out, but she had trusted him, and is very angry because of it. ::

:: He was a bad egg.:: says the Basilisk, again, :: He used me to hurt one of the hatchlings I protect. I told him to go after he did that or I would open my eyes. He left after that. ::

:: I am sorry he used you. He used and hurt a lot of people. But he is gone now. I… killed him. But I wanted to come check on all the beings he had hurt, see if I can help.:: Harry tells her, then thinks to ask, :: Sorry but, what is your name, please?::

:: My Salazar called me Nathair. :: The giant snake tells him, sounding for the first time a little interested.

:: It's nice to meet you Nathair. I wanted to come by and see if I can help you in any way. You have been stuck here for a really long time. Do you have enough food? Do you wish to go somewhere were you can be free to roam and hunt? ::

The big snake hissed at him. It took Harry a moment to realize she was laughing. :: You are the first one in a long time to ask of my needs, little Wizard Harry. Maybe you are a good egg. I go hunting for fish when I am hungry, or in the Forest if I need to move more. Though, my den has been getting colder and colder over the years. The magic my Salazar cast has worn off. Perhaps you could recast it for me?::

Harry feels a chill run down his spine. The snake went into the lake. The lake had windows into the Slytherin dormitories.

:: When you say you go hunting fish…:: Here he paused, not entirely sure how to ask the question.

:: I do not go near the nest-den of the hatchlings, of course. They are far too young and would perish if I accidentally looked at them. I go hunting in the dark waters. Very far down. ::

::That's… good. :: Harry privately sent up a prayer that the giant Squid and Merfolk never got in Nathair's path. ::Yes I can recast that for you. But I can also offer you an alternative if you liked? I can open a portal for you, to a faraway desert. It is very hot there, and there is a very tasty four-antler deer-thing which lives there. Lots of food for you, if you wanted a change for a bit. There are very few people there, and wide-open spaces. You might enjoy it?::

The snake paused, as if thinking about it, and Harry heard an indrawn breath behind him but he didn't turn around to check who had made it.

:: Are you trying to get rid of me? :: Nathair asks, tone very steady.

:: No! Nothing of the sort, I promise. I just thought you might like the heat. If you are worried, I can come with you? To make sure the portal stays open? It's only if you want. I figured… you've been here a really long time, that's all. ::

Nathair sticks her tongue at him, as he is speaking. Harry wonders if she can scent the air for lies.

:: You would come with me?:: The snake asks, sounding like she is thinking about it.

:: Sure. I would need to make sure you liked it after all. If not, we can come straight back. :: Harry says, hoping that he meant it.

:: Maybe later, when I know you better. :: Nathair says, sounding like she genuinely is curious, but Tom really has lost him some trust with his stupidity.

:: Any time you like. I can leave a sigil in this cave if you like. If you want me to come, just touch the sigil, and I will know you want to see me, and will come as soon as I can. :: Harry does actually feel like Nathair isn't going to do him any harms, he just hopes his Master agrees.

:: Let me come over there and renew your warming wards. Are the stones still intact? :: Harry asks, standing up, and getting ready to walk through.

:: Yes, I think so. They did not crack, just lose power. It's been a few hundred years… :: She says, as she turns around, starting to head back to the statues mouth.

Harry is just about to step through, when his Master unceremoniously yanks him back by the expediency of yanking on his cloak. "Apprentice, what have we taught you about communicating with your Masters prior to taking action?:: Surprisingly, it is Master Wong who asks.

Harry can see Draco and Neville bristling on his behalf a little, but subtly waves them off.

"Um, that I should do so?" He admits, sheepishly.

"Very good. Now what did the giant death-snake say?" Master Doctor Strange is still the impatient Master that took him from Aunt Petunia's living room to Nepal in 3 steps.

Harry sighs, and quickly tells them everything that was said. Master Wong and his Master exchange a look, and without saying a word, his Master gets up to step through with him, while Master Wong takes over holding his portal open himself.

His friends look a little freaked out now that he is about to join the fifty-foot death-snake but he assures them that his Master can fix it if it goes south.

They look more than a little skeptical but ultimately don't try to stop him, so within a few steps they are on the other side.

:: Who is this then? He smells… different. :: Nathair asks, body still close to the opening of the mouth of the statue.

:: This is my… er, kind of like a Sire. He found me, and raised me till now. Taught me how to protect myself, things like that. Gave me a home, er, den. ::

:: Good. Sires that wish to raise anyone beside their own are rare. Hold on to him. :: She tells him, rather wisely.

:: I will, thank you. He is very important to me, and has always protected me. You are very big, so he is worried. That's why he came. You don't mind, do you? :: Harry asks, somewhat nervous now.

:: A Sire should protect his offspring from predators. He is correct to come and I do not mind. ::

Harry quickly translates for his Master, and for the everyone still on the other side of the portal.

:: Your den-mates are few, but they look well cared-for. :: Nathair observes.

:: Yeah, they are the best den-mates. :: Harry says, fondly. :: Show us the ward stones please? ::

:: This way. :: Nathair tells them, and goes into the mouth.

Seeing no other way, Harry shrugs, and him and Master go in also. It's surprisingly spacious in there, and very soft-looking moss and the like have grown all over the ground and walls, no doubt insulating the place from the worst of the lake-chill.

The ward stones – all three of them making the triangle – are indeed whole, just out of magic. Harry adjusts Nagini on his shoulders, as she has insisted on coming by simply wrapping herself around Harry and refusing to let go. She is quite heavy, but Harry had muscles from sword fighting, so he manages.

:: I will recast the wards now. :: Harry says, and turns to his Master. His Master being the genius he is, immediately gets it, and started supporting Harry through the casting.

Within moments, all three stones light up with a gentle white glow and the room gets considerably warmer.

Nathair hisses in pleasure, and shifts her body around a little, maybe to better fluff up the moss, Harry isn't sure.

:: Do you want a good scrub, by the way? You look like you've done alright, but maybe it would help to remove some of the dirt from inside your scales which itch? :: Harry asks, noticing the inner part of the scales looked a little grimy.

:: Oh would you? It's been making me want to shed early, just to get rid of it. The lake's waters aren't really clean enough anymore. :: Nathair says, immediately moving her body in his way for easier casting.

Harry marvels that she doesn't seem even a little afraid that he would harm her, but then remembers that Basilisk's are practically immune to harmful spells.

He lets his Master know what he is about to do, and then gathers his power. She is a large snake after all, and he wants to make sure he gets all of it.

:: Okay, hold still. :: then he releases his cleanings spell, and a cloud of dust and dirt fall away from Nathair. Her scales are shiny and dark now, and look much healthier.

:: You are a good egg. I feel much better now, thank you. What do you want in repayment? ::

Harry blinks at her, and says, :: Nothing. I just wanted to make you feel better. ::

But Nathair shakes her great head, :: My Salazar taught me, good deeds should have good repayments, only then is there equality. I'll be back. ::

She slitters away out of the mouth again, and not knowing what else to do, Harry and his Master follow her out, least his friends think she ate them or something.

He tells them all what she said and they wait. A few minutes later, she comes back, and drops a tooth the size of Harry's torso perilously close to Harry's foot. He jumps back in surprise, but then bends down to look at it.

It's one of her teeth, and Harry is just about to panic, thinking she sacrificed one of her eating fangs for him, when he remembers that most snakes shed and replaced their teeth all the time.

:: This tooth still has a lot of my venom inside it. Keep it in case you need to kill something hard to kill sometime. :: She tells him, sounding pleased.

:: Thank you. That is a wonderful gift. I will treasure it. :: Harry tells her honestly, because yeah sometimes there are hard to kill things, and his Master theorized that Basilisk venom might even be able to kill a god. They are known to be god-killers after all. One of the reasons they had such a high danger rating.

Harry then spends a little time vanishing the grime and dust from the chamber together with his Master, and after just a few minutes, the place already looks much better.

Smells better too. Harry has taken the liberty to vanish all the trillions of small bones littering the entire cave and its various hallways.

He also finds two of the snake's shed skins, and after making sure it is okay to take them, he sents them to the Sanctum. He is sure they would be useful in potions if nothing else.

After that is done, Harry casts the sigil on the wall next to a large stone table, where the Basilisk will never accidentally touch it, but can easily reach it if she so wishes, and tells her to call him if she ever wants to chat with someone, or if she wants to take him up on the desert hunting adventure.

She promises to do so, but tells him that recently there has been a very delicious new creature in the Forest that she has been enjoying as well.

Harry makes a mental note to triple the Erdu he has sent to the Forbidden Forest.

Well, they did have a massive over-population in Sphere 613. He would be doing them a public service by taking some.

They bid Nathair farewell, and Harry and his Master step back into their portal Master Wong is still keeping open.

After closing it, there is a beat, and everyone sort of lets out a breath, then Hermione starts giggling, and that starts Neville off, then Draco makes a snorting sound like he can't help himself while Blaise smiles, and the tensions breaks in the room.

His Master just looks at him, and Master Wong ruffles his hair a little, telling him to be good and that they will see him tonight.

After they are gone, his friends make him retell them every moment of every single thing Nathair said, and just as he is describing the sigil he cast, Draco says, "Wait, what did they mean they will see you tonight? Is that why you always go to bed early? You are going back to where they are every night? Merlin! How did I not realize this!"

Hermione looks like she wants to remind Harry of Hogwarts rules, but then somehow manages to resist. Maybe Harry has been a bad influence on her? She was so rule-abiding in most of the visions he saw. At least in first year anyway!

Maybe losing faith in Dumbledore early on affected her more than he realized.

Surprisingly it's Neville who says, "You're being careful when you do that right? I mean, I know you aren't supposed to be able to apparate inside Hogwarts but your portals seem to… work, even with the added security Headmistress McGonagall added… but your…family has a way to track you if you ever got lost, right?"

"Yes, they do. It was one of the first things my Master gave me when he brought me to Kamar-Taj actually." Harry tells him, smiling at the memory that seems so long ago now.

"Good. That's good." Neville relaxes, saying.

Harry muses that Neville is really a family-centric kind of bloke.

Which reminds him…

He has a witch to track down.

Harry thinks Neville looks a bit nervous, but he came, and that's what matters to Harry.

Considering Harry has been less than informative about why he needs Neville to meet him in an abandoned classroom at the start of the weekend, he thinks Neville is definitely a Gryffindor.

"Hey, Nev," He greets the boy with a cheerful wave.

Neville looks around, but seeing that there are no other Slytherins with Harry, he relaxes. They haven't been picking on him, but Neville is a cautious sort of bloke, "Hi Harry."

The boy walks in, and closes the door behind him. Harry waves his hand, and the sound of the door locking reverberates throughout the room.

Neville jumps a little, but he must have been exposed to Harry enough, because he doesn't tense up more. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yeah, listen Nev. I wasn't sure if I could do it before, until I could get in touch with her, but I just heard back, and she thinks she is pretty sure she could do it. So, I asked to see you because it's the weekend and no one will notice we are gone for some time if we do this, and I am pretty confident it will work, so I think we should." Harry tells him, excited that he can finally do something about one of the things that has been bothering him for some time.

Neville looks completely confused, and asks very tentatively, "Er, okay? What do you mean no one will notice if we are gone? Where are we going?" then after a second, "and who are you talking about?"

Harry is clearly spending too much time with Strange, because apparently being cryptic comes from knowing too many things that others don't and therefore forgetting to explain. So many things about his Master make so much more sense on hindsight.

Harry makes a mental note to never tell him that.

No one wants to encourage Strange. Master Wong might quit if he gets any stranger.

"Right, sorry. I am talking about the Scarlett Witch of course." Then he thinks about it, since Wanda really isn't a witch in the technical sense. "Well, her name is 'witch' but she is more like a sorceress really. But that's not the point." He dismisses the subject quickly because that's not important. "That's not important now."

He grabs Neville's hand; his other hand is already tracing a portal behind him.

"Neville, let's go save your parents."

"W-what?" Neville stemmers, and okay maybe Harry can see how Strange got to be so annoying, he could have explained it better. "Don't – Harry don't joke about stuff like that! I – " Neville is going red in the face, and looking progressively more pissed off by the second.

Harry makes a mental note to ask Master Wong for lessons on not sounding like his Master. He is clearly already on a slippery slope.

"Neville, buddy, my sathi, I would never lie about this. You know that. I've been wanting to do this for weeks, since I first arrived to Hogwarts, but Wanda – the Scarlett Witch, that is – was away in another dimension and she only got back yesterday. I really think she can help them. You said, and I am quoting here, that they are 'trapped in their minds', right?"

Neville still looks pissed, and red in the face but confusions is fast replacing it, he at least knows Harry well enough to know Harry wouldn't joke about parents. "Y-yes. They… Harry what is going on?"

"Okay, let me try to explain. Wanda is a chaos witch. Normally this would not be a good thing, but she was born with the affinity to chaos, which basically means she can wield it without going crazy herself." Harry considers this for a second because – " – much. She is one of the good guys." Wait no, that's not quite – "Usually. Anyway! Her specialty is mind magics, but especially the kind which drives people insane. Oh, don't look so horrified, she doesn't make good people lose their minds. She only uses her powers for good."

Harry considers this, then amends, "Usually. Either way, I told her about your parents and what happened to them, and she thinks she can – uh, actually I am not sure how she does what she does, but she thinks she can… snap them out of it? For lack of a better word. I've seen her do amazing thing, and I honestly think it's worth the try." Harry might be a little earnest. Sure, it would be great to fix Neville's parents, he's wanted to do it sooner, but it would also be really cool to see Wanda's magic again. She is crazy powerful, and even his Master reluctantly admits that he would rather avoid making an enemy of her.

Neville is completely wide-eyed, but proving the sorting hat really did know what it was about, he grabs Harry's hand, and says, "Let's go."

No further questions.

Harry grins at him, and opens a portal to St. Mungo's.

Proving that his Master is a nosy, nosy man, Wanda materializes in front of them not a minute after they arrive in a flash of red flame. She isn't in her Superhero outfit today, instead, she could easily pass for a muggle with her jeans and grey hoody.

She gives Harry a quick hug, which surprises him, but she smells nice and her magic tastes like chilis and cinnamon on Harry's tongue, like always.

"I have to stop leaving you alone so often clearly. Every time I look you are a head taller." She tells him warmly. Her red hair is braided in a side braid, and Harry wonders if his mum ever wore her hair like that.

"I agree. You should just move to Kamar-Taj. It would be easier for everyone." Harry tells her, only half-joking.

Wanda taps her finger on her lip, as if considering it, "It's a thought, but Master Wong will be most cross with me if I brought the Darkhold anywhere near Strange's Book of Vishanti. Apparently, Bad Things Happen when they are housed under the same roof." She tells him, mock sadly.

Wanda loathes the cold. Nothing short of the lure of the Great Library can get her to visit Kamar-Taj. Something to do with some trauma in her childhood, and then what she said registers to Harry and his eyes widen.

"Uhhhh, Auntie Wanda? Does Master, you know, knows, you have the Darkhold?" Harry asks her, with more than a little trepidation in his voice, but he really doesn't think he can be blamed for that!

"Oh, I am convinced that man is nosy enough to know everything that happens on this sphere. 616 is his baby after all. Don't worry, little dumpling, I promise I only use it for good." She tells him, blithely, and Harry makes a note to call Master Wong after they get back. Just in case.

Wanda is great but she did also take an entire town hostage because she was mourning her husband. Wait –

"How did you even get it?" Harry can't help ask, because it's not exactly something you find in a used bookstore.

"Agatha was such a darling, you know? After she tried to get into my head, I felt it was best that I hold on to it for her. She is a touch busy at the moment anyway, being a nice, mundane, suburban housewife. Maybe that will teach her not to go poking her magic in other people's lives." Wanda tells him lightly, ruffling his hair a little.

There is definitely a story there, and Harry promises himself he will get to the bottom of it. Or whine at his Master until Strange gets fed up and just tells him or shows him. But he has bigger things to worry about now.

"Auntie Wanda, this is Neville Longbottom, of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Longbottom." He introduces them, because he isn't a savage. Neville looks intimidated, but sticks his hand out just the same, and says, voice shaking only a little, "It is a pleasure to meet you."

Wanda practically coos at him, and that seems to relax Neville some.

They are standing right outside the door where Neville's parents are kept. Wanda looks at the door, and her eyes glow a little red.

"Little dumpling, I will need to not be disturbed." She tells him, and because his Master Wong trained him in manner, he immediately starts to cast a warding around the hallway, making sure to set it so no one can come in and disturb them.

Neville looks like he wants to stop her when she reaches to open the door, but she gives him a reassuring smile, and opens it anyways.

All three of them step in, and Harry can see Neville tense up when he sees his parent's hands stuck to their sides so they wouldn't hurt themselves.

The woman has long sandy hair, similar to Neville's, and a vacant expression on her gaunt face. The Man has slightly darker hair, and his expression is a lot more vacant then hers, drool making its way down his open mouth.

As soon as the door opens, they both lunge towards Wanda, their mouths giving off strange loud noises, as if they were mutes trying to shout.

Neville looks extremely distresses, his hands fisting into white fists by his side, but Wanda just places a hand on his shoulder reassuringly, and her eyes glow again.

"Hush now, my darlings. Hush. I am here to help." She tells them, but Harry thinks she is more telling their magic or their souls because her red aura surrounds her, and envelops them.

Within seconds, both Longbottom's are sitting quietly on their cot. As if their strings have been cut.

"What did you –" Neville, bless him, looks moments away from attacking Wanda in defense of his parents.

"Don't worry, Nev. Her magic is only calming them down. She is really good at mind magics. I can see what her magic is doing, and she is just communicating with their souls, to keep them calm." Harry assures his friend, and wonders again how he ended up being the reassuring one.

"Dumpling, you were right. They are buried deep, but I think I can still reach them." She tells Harry, her hands never pausing in her weaving of her red magic. Harry can feel Neville startle next to him, and Harry grabs the boy's hand and holds it. Neville squeezes hard enough that Harry wants to wince but he doesn't pull away.

"Whatever the hospital has been doing for them has helped them. It clearly stabilized their slip into insanity, and prevented it from getting worse. They can't climb out by themselves, you were right about that, but the cleansings and healings they have been getting has made it possible for me to get to them." Wanda tells them, eyes still glowing red.

Her magic drifts between Alice and Frank Longbottom, weaving in and out of their heads and torso's.

"Boys, this is going to take a couple of hours. Why don't you go sit near the back wall while I work, hm? Just make sure your wards keep everyone out for the next while."

Harry can see that Neville wants to argue, but having been exposed to Auntie Wanda for quite some time, Harry knows they will just be in the way, so he drags Neville away and transmutes two pebbles into armchairs. It's technically advanced magic, but he's had to do this particular spell so many times due to how often Master Wong and his Master can go on tangents seemingly at any given time, that it comes as second nature by now. He drags Neville into a discussion about their herbology homework, despite Neville glancing at his parents every few seconds, he still manages to answer all of Harry's questions.

An hour in, and a small portal opens in front of them. Neville tenses all over, but Harry waves him off once he sees his Master's face in the portal.

Strange is clearly at Kamar-Taj, because Harry can see the library shelves behind him.

"How is it going?" Strange asks him, as if he isn't spying on them with the Eye.

"It's going. She needs a little more time I thi –" Just then, Frank Longbottom lets out an ungodly shriek, and Neville bolts to his feet.

Harry had just enough presence of mind to grab his hand, when they all hear Wanda mutter, "Ah, there you are. None of that now." and Frank stops screaming so abruptly, the silence actually echoes a little.

"What was that?" Neville asks the room, his voice completely shaky and freaked out.

Surprisingly, Wanda answers them, "That was the pain he was trapped in. I have just isolated it. He will not be feeling that again, do not worry." Her power pulses, red filling the room, and Harry actually feels hungry because the scent of chili and cinnamon is so strong it's making his mouth salivate a little.

Strange can clearly smell it too, because he mutters something about getting them some Dal Bhat, and Harry tells him to get extra. Maybe the Longbottoms will want some too, after they are sane again.

Neville is looking at them like they have grown three heads, and Strange says, "What? Everyone has to eat." Before he closes the portal, presumably going to get them food.

Harry notices Frank is now slumped on the bed, but he isn't drooling anymore and his eyes are closed. He looks asleep, his chest rinsing and falling evenly.

Wanda seems to be entirely focused on Alice now. She is floating a little off the floor, and Harry thinks he might have to explain this to Neville, because Wizards and Witches usually can't fly without some kind of prop or aid, but Neville is entirely focused on his sleeping father.

At Harry's questioning look, Neville whispers, "He hasn't… I've never seen him sleep before. Usually, he just… slumps, and drools when he is…"

They both turn to Wanda when they hear her grunt, and Alice's body goes taunt. She looks like she wants to scream also, but then her features smooth out, and she sits, almost gently, on the bed, and curls up, going to sleep the same way Frank did.

Frank still looks a lot more stressed than Alice, but both of them already look better.

The hope in Neville's eyes when he looks at Harry, is something he won't soon forget.

"You mother, is going to be just fine. She will sleep for a bit, but when she wakes up, she should be herself again. Your father has gone deeper into himself, but as I said, I can still reach him. He isn't in pain any more but he is still not out of himself. I need to take a break, and eat something. Then I will work on him more. It's delicate work, and I want to be at my best when I do him." Wanda tells him, smiling a little. There is a sheen of sweat on her forehead, but she looks pleased.

Neville is clearly overcome because tears are streaming down his face just that fast, but he isn't making a sound. He just stares at Wanda, like she is his personal savior.

Harry supposes she is.

Wanda pats Neville's hair a little, "Oh little povitica, don't scrunch your face so. They will be alright. I promise. Come, come, wipe your face. Let's eat something, so when your parents wake, you will be strong and smiling to welcome them back, hm?"

She leads them back to the chairs, and Harry offers her his chair, and transmutes one for himself. It isn't wizard magic, but Kamar-Taj, so it's not as pretty as some of what McGonagall can do, but it's soft and comfortable. Master Wong made him practice it for hours after he accidentally did it the first time.

His Master's portal opens shortly after and passes them the Dal Bhat. Chicken for Harry and vegetarian for Wanda. He got Neville chicken too, but Harry thinks the other boy probably won't be able to taste it right now anyway.

They dig in, and Wanda compliments the food again, while his Master keeps the portal open and they chat amicably while they all eat. Even Strange. Ten minutes later, Master Wong pokes his head to say hello, and promptly yells at Strange for bringing food into the library.

"Does that mean you don't want yours?" Strange asks cheekily, and Master Wong just huffs at him, but makes grabby hands at the food and immediately starts to open the containers.

Neville is pushing his food around, but still manages to eat quite a bit of it. He is clearly a stress-eater.

Once they are done, and Harry unapologetically returns all the garbage back to Strange through the portal before his Master can protest and shuts it down, so Strange can't shove it back through again.

Because he would.

Harry knows him.

Wanda dusts her hands off on the chair, and goes back to work.

This time, she works on Frank, and Harry can see the strain on her. He wonders if he can send her some of his magic to help but he is afraid of disturbing her when she is in such a critical moment.

It takes her another hour, before Frank's face also evens out and he too curls up and goes to sleep next to his wife.

Wanda actually stumbles a little when she lands back on the ground, and Harry is there in a flash to help her. Neville is on her other side, not touching her but ready to catch her if she needs it.

Neville looks like he would happily take on Fluffy in a fight for her right now.

She waves them both off, and collapses into the chair she had been using before. Fanning her face, a little.

Now that it's safe, Harry puts one of his hands on her shoulder and pushes his magic into her gently. She glances at him, but allows it wryly.

Never let it be said that Gryffindors are all idiots because Neville figures out what he is doing, and begs Harry to show him how to do it too so he can contribute.

Wanda huffs a little, but doesn't stop Harry from showing him, and within moment, Neville is pouring his magic into her also.

"Slowly, Povitica, you don't want to drain yourself and worry your parents, do you? Harry here is a battery by himself. I don't need very much, I promise, it was just the concentration." She tells him gently.

Harry is amused, because his Master and Master Wong both call him a battery. Wanda shouldn't have heard them but she somehow knows it too.

Half an hour later, the Longbottoms start to stir.

Neville is holding his breath, but still rushes over to check on them.

His mother wakes first, and holding her head with her hand which is now free, she looks up, confused, her eyes landing on Neville, "Who -?" she asks, but her hand is already reaching for him, seemingly on instinct.

Neville grips her hand, tears streaming down his face and chokes out, "M-Mom?"

Alice's eyes go wide, and she looks around the room frantically. She sees Frank, and lets out a gasp, but Neville grips her hand tightly and she focuses back on him.

"I-it's okay mom. You are safe now. Dad is just – Dad is just sleeping. He will wake up soon." He tells her, trying to be reassuring, but Harry can tell Alice isn't reassured.

"I don't – we were at home. Augusta took Neville for the night and we were… sitting down to dinner when –" it's clear that's when she remembers, because she lets out a gasp, and Harry sees her hand clench Neville's.

Neville winces, but doesn't let go, trying to reassure her. "You – you were attacked, mom. You and dad. They – they hurt you, really badly. You've been – you haven't been yourself for… a really long time. But you are okay now."

Neville is trying so hard, poor guy, so Harry decides to add his own two cents.

"Mrs. Longbottom? Hi. I am Harry. Harry Potter. Lily and James's son? I don't know if you still remember me but… you have been, er, away inside your mind for a really long time. We only just managed to reverse the damage done to you today." Harry tries to think what else he would want to know in a moment like this, "and your husband too! He was hurt worse than you so he is taking a little longer to wake up, but he should be okay when he is awake. Neville here," Harry puts his hand on his friend's shoulder, "has been waiting a really long time to… talk to you. He has missed you both very much. A lot has happened while you were, um, not well. But Auntie Wanda," Harry points to her, since she is still sitting in the chair and hasn't moved much, "healed you. She is a bit tired now, but she will be okay too."

He tries to think what else to say, Alice just keeps staring at them, but her eyes keep going back to Neville.

"Neville? My… my little baby? How is this – how many years has it been?!"

She asks the question at Harry but she never looks away from Neville.

It is Neville who answers her however, he is still crying but he is also trying to smile, which is causing his face to scrunch up again, "It's been… a really long time Mom. 11 years, 4 months and 21 days."

Alice gasps, and then she is scooping Neville into her arms, and Neville breaks down completely, clutching her like he will never let her go.

Harry feels his own eyes misting a little, and he turns away from them and walks over to Wanda.

She is watching them with a strange look in her eyes, but when he walks over to her, she looks at him ruefully, "It is wonderful, isn't it? Hard for us, because ours will never come back, but still wonderful to see. You did a good thing today, little dumpling."

"You did the good thing. I just brought you all together." Harry tells her, whipping his eyes a little surreptitiously. She hugs him a little, while still sitting down, and they watch the mother and son clutch at each other.

Alice can't stop petting Neville's hair, and Neville can't stop saying 'Mom, mom' at her. Small wonder when she has not acknowledged him since he was a baby.

They finally calm down some, but just as Neville starts to explain, Frank Longbottom lets out a groan, and both Alice and Neville rush to him.

There is a lot of chaos that follows, and even more tears as Frank wakes and himself realizes how much time has passed.

Both of the Longbottom's look completely bewildered to have an 11-year-old son suddenly, but it is also painfully obvious that he is in fact, their son.

After they have had an hour to talk and cry and clutch at each other, Alice finally asks where they are.

"You are in St. Mungo's. You have been here since…the attack. Neville has been living with his grandma this whole time, but now that your minds are, er, okay again?" He looks at Auntie Wanda for confirmation, and sees her nod tiredly in confirmation, "Right, now that your minds are okay again, I guess I should call the healers to come in. Which reminds me, I should probably go and dismantle that –"

Saying this he wanders to the door, but before he can dismantle it, he glances at Wanda. "You want to stay for the one thousand and one questions that will follow or want a lift somewhere? I don't think you want to deal with the 'but how? But why?' Questions for the next two hours, do you?"

Wanda looks like she would rather have cocktails with Agatha and Stark rather than that, so Harry opens her a portal to Kamar-Taj, but one look from her, and he closes it, and opens another one, this time to her current house.

She smiles at him, and gives him a kiss on the cheek before she hauls herself out of the sofa.

Alice, Frank and Neville have noticed the commotion, and before the parents could react, Neville runs to Wanda and throws himself into her arms, clutching her as tightly as he had clutched his mother a moment ago.

"Thank you. I will never be able to repay you for what you did today. Please know that House Longbottom will forever owe the Scarlett Witch Wanda a life debt, and you will always be welcome in our home." He tells her, sincerity pouring off of him like a kind of white magic which immediately tries to bind his words.

Wanda dispels the magic before it can settle, with a wave of her red magic, and smiles down at him.

"It was my pleasure, Neville. I lost my parents when I was very young too, and it brings me joy to be able to return yours to you." She hugs him again, and with a pang, Harry wishes she could have her husband back so she could have kids of her own. Strange had told him when Wanda had lost her mind temporarily and enslaved an entire town, that she also conjured up two twin boys as her kids with Vision. Harry badly wishes they could have survived.

Maybe the Death Stone could help? Harry makes a mental note to ask his Master. Do machines have souls? Vision should have had one but… more research needed before he dares to give Wanda hope.

Once Neville releases her, she glances at Alice and Frank, smiles at them, and steps through Harry's portal, before they themselves can try and thank her also.

Now that she is gone, Harry debates what to do. He had snuck himself and Neville out of school, and technically no one knows about that. He would prefer to keep it that way, but the Longbottoms don't have their wands, except – that isn't strictly true, is it?

"Hey Neville," Harry smiles at him, feeling a touch mischievous, "Guess what?"

Neville, clearly too happy to care about Harry being a weirdo, asks good naturedly, still hold both his parents hands, "What?"

"You're finally gonna be able to get your own wand." Harry grins, and sees Neville's eyes widen as he obviously remembers that he still has his father's wand. He immediately pulls it out of his robes and gives it to Frank. Beaming the widest smile Harry has seen on him.

"Here, Dad. This is yours. Gran had me using it while you… couldn't."

Frank blinks at his son, but both him and Alice can clearly see that, yes, that is, in fact, his wand, "What was your Gran thinking? How could you use another wizard's wand? How did it even work for you?" the man asks his son, totally bewildered and more than a little dismayed.

Neville ducks his head, but smiling, tells him anyway, "Gran wanted to honor you. She wasn't… very impressed with me or my magical ability. Dad, I think what happened to you and mom, well, it really broke her. She hasn't been the same since, everyone says so." His smile isn't so wide any more but Harry thinks not even a dementor could wipe Neville's smile off today.

"Oh honey. We are so sorry. I am sure Augusta did her best, but we are okay now. Your witch friend said as much, right? We can be a family again, if you… want that?" Alice sounds a little unsure. Small surprise since she hasn't really met this version of her son.

Harry wants to tell her that of course they will be, but Neville is hugging and clutching her again and swearing he will never leave them again, and Harry realizes he doesn't have to say anything at all.

Harry ends up making a portal to the Longbottom Manor's floo parlor at the urging of Frank, and when Augusta sees them through the portal, she lets out a most undignified shriek.

It takes them a solid 8 minutes to calm the elderly matron down and assure her she isn't dreaming, isn't possessed, isn't in front of the Mirror of Erised, isn't having a prank played on her and isn't dead.

Why dead Harry doesn't know, but she is a bit of a strange lady so Harry doesn't question it.

When she finally understands what has happened, she rushes to the floo and throws in enough floo powder for 5 trips before yelling 'St. Mungo's' and disappearing in the green flame before Harry can tell her that she can just step through the portal.

Harry sighs, and closes the portal instead, and goes to dismantle the wards he had put up. He is sure all hell is about to break lose.

Speaking off…

"Er, Neville, I really hate to do this, but we kind of snuck out, and I need to get back before anyone realizes I kinda kidnapped you. Do you want to stay or come back with me? I am sure your Gran can come up with some excuse for why you were missing."

Neville, unsurprisingly, choses to stay, and another round of Thank you's and we owe you's follows, before Harry – after making sure he did, in fact, dismantle all the wards – can open yet another portal, this time to the same used classroom, and steps through, just as the door of the room opens and a frantic Dowager Longbottom rushes in.

Alone in the used classroom, Harry lets out another breath, this time of satisfaction and goes to make another portal, to regale his Master with the update.

Maybe he can score some Peda from Master Wong before he has to go back to the common room.

His Master is unsurprisingly pleased with him, and very interested to learn that Auntie Wanda has the Darkhold. Master Wong does indeed ply him with Peda, and tells him he has earned himself a lot of good Karma today and that he is proud of Harry.

Harry feels a little choked up at the approval. His parents are gone, but the two mother-hens he calls Master sure do make up for it. It's not the same, of course, but Harry is still happy this is his life.

By the time he gets back to the dorm, it's almost curfew, but between the Invisibility cloak which never leaves him anymore, despite what Master said, his cloak of Shadows, and his own portals, he had very little to worry about.

Draco asks him why he is so cheerful. He sounds a lot more wary than Harry thinks is warranted, but relaxes a bit when Harry tells him he was hanging out with Neville.

Neville seems to be 'harmless' in Draco's mind, which is funny, because for Draco, Hermione decidedly does not hold that same assessment.

It isn't that Draco still holds animosity towards her. In this reality, he never got a chance to build up any after all, and there seems to be a kind of mutual respect developing between them. It is more that Draco sometimes still has a knee-jerk reaction to her muggleborn status, which he then has to wrestle down, because as a Slytherin, who is best friends with a Seer, he knows Hermione will hold power one day, and that in itself is enough for him for 'forgive' many things, such as blood status. His father giving his tacit permission to befriend Hermione also went a long way in changing Draco's views. However, perhaps it is an echo of the other realities, but Draco for some reason always seems just a little wary of her. As if fearing she will one day punch him on the nose.

Hermione on the other hand, is completely oblivious to Draco's internal struggles, and thinks of Draco as a gentleman from a good family. Harry knows that eventually, Hermione will learn about the wizarding world's prejudice, but he is hoping that will come sometime after Draco has overcome his own brainwashing.

Harry is sure the news will be hitting the papers by the morning, so he discreetly writes a note to Hermione, opens a small portal and leaves it on her bed, giving her the gist of what happened.

Then, he calls Draco, and fills him in.

Draco stares at him for a bit.

"So, you just, what? Called one of your sorcerer friends and they… waived their wand and Neville's parents woke up?" Draco asks him, tone completely incredulous.

"No, of course not." Harry says, somewhat surprised the other boy thought it was that easy. Draco's expression said he thought Harry had been playing a strange joke on him, so Harry thought to add, "Auntie Wanda is a witch, not a sorcerer. And even with all the powers the Scarlet Witch has, it took her almost two whole hours to fix them completely!"

Draco gives him the Potter-you-nob look, "Two hours. Right. When all of St. Mungo's couldn't fix them for 11 years."

"Well, yeah, but Auntie Wanda's magic is unique. Plus, she did say that it was thanks to the healers at St. Mungo's that she could fix it so easily since they had managed to stop the Longbottoms slide to deeper madness. I don't really understand it all, of course, since Auntie Wanda's magic can't exactly be taught, and my Master and Master Wong said not to touch the Darkhold till I am older anyway, least it corrupts my soul or tries to possess me but –"

"Stop. Stop talking." Draco tells him, he even put up his left hand in a universal stop sign.

Harry obligingly stops.

"Do you ever say anything that isn't completely weird to everyone else around you? I'm curious." Draco asks him, eyes disbelieving.

Harry opened his mouth to say yes of course, but then closed it because didn't he ask his Master that when he first met him?

Oh no. Was he turning into his Master?

Harry makes a note to ask Master Wong how he survived relatively normally while having to be around his Master all the time.

"I used to." Harry tells him mournfully.

Draco just shakes his head at him, and goes to find Blaise to tell him the news.

"No Potter. This is where I draw the line. I have gone along when you dragged us to meet a 3 headed hell-dog, I have gone along when you stole a priceless artifact, I have gone along even to your insane plan to befriend acromantulas and even thousand-year-old basilisks, but I absolutely draw the line at going anywhere near Dementors." Draco tells him, hands on his hips and legs firmly planted apart. He looks like Hermione when she is particularly irate.

"I have to agree with Draco, Harry. This plan of yours, really leaves a lot to be desired. How do you plan to go there? Just open a portal to the inside of Azkaban? That seems terribly foolhardy even for you." Hermione says, primly, glancing at Draco and then back at Harry.

Even Neville, who has become Harry's number one fan since his parents have woken up, looks like he wants to call this stupid. That's how Harry knows this might be a mission to call his Master after all.

Plus, Master Wong already told him he isn't allowed to open portals to any hell-dimensions without one of them to supervise so he supposes that's fair enough.

"Alright, how about this? I wasn't really thinking of asking you guys to go, since just like Nathair, there is a certain amount of risk involved –"

It might say something about him that all three of his friends have disbelieving looks on their faces, and Harry hastily reevaluates what constitutes as risky from a normal person's perspective.

"— but I wanted you guys to know what I was doing. So how about I call my Master, and he can go with me, and Master Wong, if he isn't busy –"

-Just then a portal opens to his left and his Master and Master Wong step through, proving that they are both nosy stalkers who love Harry.

"— and he can scry for you, so you can watch what happens. Hi Master. Hi Master Wong. Good of you to eavesdrop." He tells them, a touch pointedly.

"It was a slow morning." Master Wong tells him, unrepentant, "Hello children, how have you all been since I last saw you, hm?"

"Very well, sir, thank you for asking. Neville here got his parents back and Harry managed to give Professor McGonagall a heart attack by 'sending off' Peeves to the afterlife, in the middle of the Great Hall during dinner. Though it might have been his promise that Professor Binns is next that really rattled her. Draco here has some concerns on Harry's sanity levels but we all assume he gets it from his father figure, and there isn't much to be done about it." She very carefully does not look at Doctor Strange when she says this.

Draco gives her a look like he is questioning her sanity levels, but then looks back at Master Wong and offers him a small head nod in acknowledgement. Draco still has no idea how to act around Master Wong, especially after he learned that Master Wong was technically a muggle, not even a muggle-born, and his magic was entirely learned, and not a byproduct of his birth.

And yes, his magic can kick Draco's pureblood ass, and Draco knows it.

"Draco is right, there is very little to be done about it." Master Wong tells her seriously.

"Hey!" Harry and his Master both say at the same time, then glance at each other.

"Right, so we are going to that Wizard's prison to find-and-piece-together your godfather's soul, and then to send off the Dementors. Anything else?" His Master asks, looking like he is ready to go now. Cloak doesn't help things by beckoning invitingly.

Harry tries not to feel jealous.

"Try not to get your souls sucked out?" Draco mutters, a little cheekily, but he isn't wrong.

His Master glances at Draco, but then, in his usually unhelpful ways says, "Noted. Though at least nothing there will try to eat us and take us back to their planet, so we should be alright."

"Jesus Agamotto and Cthulhu, that was one time! How was I supposed to know the frost beasts from Jotunheim had a thing for owls?! Or birds in general! Besides he calmed down enough when we fed him ice-cream, didn't he? No harm done, right?" Harry says, exasperated.

"What's a frost beast?" Hermione asks Master Wong, sounding like she, both wants and doesn't want to know, while Draco and Neville surreptitiously lean in to hear more, having learned that if they wait, she will always ask the question they want to know the answer to as well.

Master Wong must have pulled up an image of the creature because all three of his friends gasp in horror. Harry doesn't turn to look. It's vivid enough in his occasional nightmares anyway.

"Is – is it as big as it seems?" Hermione actually stammers a little.

"Gargantuan in size, and incredibly fast." Master Wong tells them, tone clinical, as if he is talking about a sculpture, "Also those horns are not decoration."

"No wonder he wasn't fazed. The Cerberus, hundreds of thousands of acromantulas and he doesn't even blinks, and of course the thousand-year-old basilisk. Not if he dealt with this all the time." Draco mutters, almost to himself

"I thought I just wasn't brave enough, if a Slytherin was braver than a Gryffindor then – but now… I think I am quite alright not being braver." Neville says, answering Draco.

"I think we all are, honestly." Hermione says.

"It's not like this all the time." Master Wong says, almost affronted, "Harry just… really likes joining Stephen on his missions. He insists that a padawan belongs by his Master's side."

Draco and Neville look confused, but Hermione says, "Oh now that you mention it, they totally are like that, aren't they? I thought it was more a father figure but…"

Master Wong mutters very quietly, "Bite your tongue. My sanity is only so flexible."

"Right. Of course." Hermione says, hiding a giggle while also looking contrite.

Harry had no idea how she does that.

His Master is looking at a piece of brick, thinking about something, more likely. He is facing away from them, and he is clearly elsewhere in that moment.

Harry shakes his head, and says, "Well, might as well be now. You are all here. Come on Master, let's go return some refugee's home."

His Master comes back to himself at those words and his whole face perks up. It's subtle, you have to be looking for it, but Harry's always looking for it.

"Yes, let's." Saying that, his Master starts the casting for the Higher protective dome, the same one he casts when they are dimension-hopping, or going to hell spheres or have to deal with any kind of psychic attacks or … when they viewed Harry's 4000 other lives.

His magic seeks out the power of the Time stone inside the gaudy amulet, and latches on, to create a beautiful shimmering green dome around the two of them.

His three friends start a little, Draco's eyes are huge, like he understands what he is seeing and is in awe. Maybe he does. Some purebloods should have records of the sorcerers and their magics, even as just legends.

"Wait, I read the dementors will make you relive your worst memories when you mentioned them last time, and can suck out your souls! How will you – is that dome enough?" Hermione couldn't help fret and Harry adored her for it, for the care she never hesitates to show him.

"Don't worry, Hermione. I promise, they want to go home. Here they are constantly starving." Harry gives her his best reassuring smile, and she relaxes, smiling back. Then frowns. Harry probably shouldn't have said he was going into a pack of starving creatures who are so terrifying they are used for incarceration punishments.

"Okay, as long as you are both sure. And you can always open the portal back here. Right. Good luck! We'll be watching." Hermione has clearly decided they can handle themselves just the same, since she sounds almost cheerful now.

With a glance to Draco who still looked a bit skeptical, but his reassurance to Hermione also helped to settle him somewhat. Neville looks more worried than either of them, and Harry wants to applauds him for retaining his good sense, but he gives Harry an encouraging smile before he can.

His Master opened the portal and they stepped through.

Right in front of the sturdy doors of Azkaban.

They Portal through, rather than disturb the wizards or wards. No one ever goes down as soon as they arrive, after all. Most want to get away from the dementors.

Harry figures without the dome he would too.

They descend further down, and when everything around them is pitch black, and absolutely terrifyingly creepy, his Master speaks into the void.

"I am Stephen Strange. Sorcerer Supreme of this world. I recently learned that you have been trapped on our world for a very long time. That a wizard brought you to our world by accident. However, once you arrived, you realized this world does not have enough of the kind of sustenance you need. You learned that some humans let off a little of what you need to survive –"

The dome behind Harry suddenly flashed brightly for a moment. Something just touched it. Trying to break through.

Harry wishes any creature luck which is trying to use force against an Infinity Stone.

"— none of that now. I am here to make you an offer. You don't have enough food here. Do you wish to go back? I have the means to send you back to your world if you want it."

The air around them seems to pause suddenly, and thicken.

We don't believe the word of a wizard!

Flinching a little, Harry thinks they must have collectively shouted the same thing at the same time. Are they telepathic as well?

"Of course, you don't. And who could blame you? But I am not a wizard." His Master tells them, a little smugly. "I am the Sorcerer Supreme of this world. I think you know what that means better than most of this world does."

The air pressure suddenly changes, and Harry surreptitiously takes a deeper breath. It feels thoughtful, this strange atmosphere Harry can't put his finger on. It seems the Dementors did indeed know the difference, and were considering it.

What do you want from us?

- and that was another psychic shout. Harry hopes this isn't going to become a trend because his head has started throbbing.

"Nothing. We want to send you back to your sphere. You are miserable here. There is neither enough food here, nor do you have a true home. You are as much prisoners on this rock as the wizards inside it are. We –" Here His Master glanced at him, indicating both of them, " – want to protect all sentient creatures. That includes you."

You wait here.

This time it is less a shout and more a gentler caress. If the caress is being done by a corpse in the middle of the night and is designed to make your skin crawl.

His Master glances at him, but nods.

The oppressiveness dissipates. A little. If Harry was less sensitive to magic, he'd never know it. He has no idea how long they wait, but his Master makes idle conversation about the magics they are covering this week in their night classes. They have been working on fire magics and the harder to control types of magic, as well as certain wards for trapping corrupted mammals and the like. Harry actually bothered to ask if those wards would work on werewolves, and his Master tells him they would, and would also work on vampires and any other creature who carried a dark taint of any sort.

Harry wonders aloud if a Basilisk is considered tainted or just very deadly, unfortunately it is then that the dementors come back, but hearing the word 'Basilisk' they collectively pause before moving forward, and Harry has to wonder if a Basilisk can kill something which is already inherently dead. He makes a note to ask his master later.

"Have you decided?" His Master has never much seen the point of small talk, and Harry privately despairs for his diplomatic skills. Master Wong is so much better at it.

We will let you take us home, Sorcerer. Only because you are The Supreme, are we trusting you.

His Master beams like a little kid, "Of course. I value to the trust of all of the creatures from the spheres. Are you ready to go now?"

There is a barely perceptible pause, and then:

Yes.

"Very well." Saying that, his Master looks at him, and Harry doesn't have enough time to wonder about anything anymore, because this is a portal to another sphere, and a Dark planet no less, so Harry starts layering protection on himself and his Master, while his Master starts drawing the sigil in the air which will anchor the door, least they lose the casting mid-spell.

"I think that's all." Harry tells him. His Master glances at him, and he is clearly seeing the layered spells because after a second of consideration, he nodded, and then started the casting. Harry immediately starts to support him in the same way he did at Gringotts.

This casting was both easier – as it is less finicky – and harder, because it requires quite a bit of magic to open a portal to a Dark-sphere.

Thankfully Harry can hold it while his Master stabilizes it.

Once done, Harry thinks to peer through it, and had to blink several times, because when he pictured a Dark-sphere, he assumed it would be like that first time he met Master Wong, and the Master chose to dry him off by opening a fire-and-brimstone world.

Instead, what he could see in the portal is just… black. Quiet, cold, and black.

"Er, is this the correct, you know, world?" Harry whispers quietly enough that only his Master can hear him. When his Master gave him the Really? Look, Harry thinks to elaborate, "It's just … not very fiery?"

His Master's Look gets pointer, then he mutters back, "Remind me to give you some books on the Yggdrasil, and its various planets. Yes, this is the correct portal, it opens to Svartalfheim. The dead world of the Dark Elves, also known as the home world of the Dementors. Trillions of lost souls for them to devour there, since the whole planet is dead."

"Er, is that…ethical?" Harry asks somewhat tentatively, cuz he doesn't want to offend anyone's culture or anything.

"Oh yes, the Dark Elves used to believe that the fastest and ironically, safest way, to reach their version of the Dark Universe – their afterlife if you will – was to be fed upon by a Dementor. They are a native species of this planet."

"But, isn't it, you know, dead?" Harry has to ask because he didn't really feel right condemning an entire people to starvation. Again.

"The denizens of Svartalfheim were all changed by the Aether after having it in their possession for millennia. The Aether in turn, feeds on life force, thereby spawning our modern-day Dementors. Sufficed to say, the one place in the multiverse the Dementors will never grow hungry, is Svartalfheim. Even the atmosphere of the place feeds them."

Just as his Master says this, the Dementors let out a shriek – Harry isn't sure, but he thinks it's one of joy? If joy could be ball-crawlingly terrifying that is, and one of their number's steps through.

All the other dementors crowd around the portal to watch.

The dementor – Harry will call him Bob – who is the scout, lets out an answering shriek, and whatever that sheik meant, sounds like good news to Harry because the shrieking around Harry intensified enough that his ears drums started to actually hurt.

You did not lie. We will go now. Goodbye Supreme, you have kept your word to The First Children. We will remember it.

Harry felt a trickle from his ears, and nose. His nose is bleeding, he thinks his ears might be too.

Thankfully nothing more is said, as dementor after dementor started to go through. Harry can hear happy shrieks on the other side of the portal, but thankfully whatever psychic influence they were exerting on him, has receded.

They keep the portal open for more than two hours. Harry feels a bit silly not realizing an entire sentient species must have at least a sustainable population… he just hasn't expected thousands upon thousands of them.

When there is only one left, his Master suddenly drops their protective shield, even though the creature has already turned away from them and is slowly gliding towards the portal, moments from stepping through. Harry is suddenly hit with a deep, bitter cold. His world narrows down to sadness and fear and suddenly Harry can hear a woman screaming "Not Harry! Please!" then a green light is coming at him and he is –

- his Master's hand grabs him before he would have toppled.

"Sorry for that, but I wanted you to know how they felt, so you could recognize it." His Master says, brow immediately starting to sweat from the strain of keeping the portal open.

"No, it's good. Good thinking." Harry manages to say, through his numb limps.

The last dementor seems to know instinctively what they are doing, and deliberately turned towards Harry, but doesn't move any closer, the portal stays firmly at its back. It feels like the creature is simply letting him feel it, then it does something, and the despair and hopelessness Harry is feeling intensifies so much, Harry had to gasp and clutch Strange's Cloak or he will fall over.

Thankfully, that seems to be the creature's parting 'gift' to them, because it steps through the portal, and abruptly that horrific feeling vanishes like it was never there.

Harry can see all the dementors hovering on the other side of the portal. The one at the front, tilts its head, almost as if saying good riddance, and then they all vanished from view.

His Master gratefully collapsed the portal, and then Harry had to catch him because his Master nearly falls over himself.

"I'm alright, just a bit tired." His Master says, and Harry isn't exactly sure why till he remembers his Master had to take over holding the portal when he almost blackout out, and his friends and Master Wong scrying and thinks to add:

"Yes, we are all right. That was just a lot. We're com –" That's when Harry hears shouts and realized oh crap they didn't tell anyone they were taking the prison guards away, did they?

His Master must have realized the same thing, because he hastily opened another portal, and shoved Harry through rather unceremoniously with a "Time to go, Padawan!"

Harry has time to think, yes maybe that's a good idea. They will have to come back for Sirius's soul after the prison settles down some.

His friends descend on him as soon as he is through. Hermione pats him down all over, seemingly checking for injuries. Draco and Neville both pull out a chocolate frog each and give it to Harry, who immediately gives one to his Master. He isn't sure why chocolate seems to be his friends go-to comfort food, but as he eats the frog, which is still wiggling in his mouth, he realizes he does actually feel better. The warmth is coming back into his body with each bite, and he makes a "huh" sound despite himself.

Draco looks like he knows exactly what Harry is thinking, but doesn't call him an idiot.

"Chocolate is the best cure for dementors." Draco says, instead, 'according to my father,' goes unsaid.

"Is it really?" Harry asks him, intrigued despite himself.

"We couldn't hear you; you know." Hermione tells him, still looking worried, "Master Wong said they were talking to you, but because it was in your heads, we couldn't hear it. I guess they agreed that they wanted to go home?" She half asks, half states.

"Something like that." He tells her, because his ears still feel off. "I think I'm bleeding." Harry says, realizing it's true.

"Just use episky on it, it should be fine." His Master tells him, waving it away in his typical 'I was there you are fine' way.

Master Wong grabs Strange by the wrist, and physically drags his Master back before he can walk off to Agamotto knows were.

"Healing first. Both of you." Having said that, he starts casting a healing-circle ward, right there. His friends hastily step away from the forming green wards under his and his Master's feet, since they are standing next to each other. Harry immediately feels better. His nose stops feeling itchy and his ears do too. He feels energized. Next to him, his Master huffs a breath but let's himself be healed as well. His Master looks visibly affected, his dark circles immediately lifting in front of their eyes. His stress lines lighten, and the magic he channels constantly within himself is now calm.

"Thank you, Master Wong," Harry tells him, with a small bow to let him know he means it.

His Master just nods at Master Wong, and mutters, "You spoil him."

"Only a little." Deadpans Master Wong, but then notices Draco staring at him with his mouth open and gives him an eyebrow.

"You're a muggle." Draco says, but in a tone that makes it clear he is simply confirming a fact.

"I was," Master Wong both acknowledges, and corrects.

"How – " But then Draco pauses, unsure how to ask,

"How can a muggle cast magic?" Master Wong asks mildly. His teaching voice, Harry realizes.

Draco hears it too, but reluctantly nods.

Master Wong looks at him, contemplating, then says, "The world is a lot bigger than the wizarding world; Even the muggle world is vast. By sheer size alone, it has all manner of people. Not all muggles are the same. You should keep a more open mind, and then it will not surprise you."

Draco looks both intrigued and affronted at once, but in the end settles with a firm, if unsure nod.

"You are a really weird one, aren't you?" His Master suddenly says, giving Draco an odd look, which in turn totally weirds Draco out, Harry can tell.

"Here I am, opening a portal to another planet, for hours, and a beginner's healing-circle is what you fixate on? Very odd boy."

And Harry has a moment to think, oh hey, he has a point –

- and then remembers Draco telling him that every time his Master casts anything except a portal, he is always casting it with Harry, clearly piggy-backing on Harry's magic.

Harry can't even deny that this is isn't true. Because it is.

But it's because his Master is lazy.

Not because he can't.

Draco gives Harry a 'see what I mean? Piggybacking!'

But Harry has to shake his head no, because seriously, his Master can kick some serious butt. Draco just hasn't seen it.

Draco gives him a disbelieving look, but his expression says so far Harry hasn't lied to him, so despite his disbelief, he will attempt to withhold judgement.

Harry smiles at him, and Draco gets that look he always gets when Harry is really smiling at him. It's a little amazed and a little fixated at the same time. Harry thinks he knows what it means. Will mean. Draco is still a kid.

Harry himself has only looked, a little, but having seen all the various realities from before… he can at least recognize the looks. His Master thought it was important he knew those looks. Apparently certain kinds of villains had a tendency to give it to his Master and he felt Harry needed to be prepared, when it was his time to deal with them.

Plus, Hari often gave Laxmi those looks as well.

"You are the Sorcerer Supreme. My father said that is an ancient and powerful title. Even if you were a muggle before, it is clear you aren't one any more. It is said the Sorcerer Supreme wields great artifacts which create powerful magics. Such as the talisman on your neck, I assume. But he is different. He doesn't. Do you?" Draco directs the question at Master Wong, but the Master just shakes his head, "I do not, no. I could, and sometimes do, use them for defense, but for day-to-day, my own magic is enough."

Draco gives Strange a look that clears says, see? This is why.

His Master thinks about it, but actually nods with a look that clearly says, 'yeah alright, I will give you that. Wong's impressive.'

Hermione says, out of nowhere, "Never underestimate a librarian."

Everyone looks at her, and she blushes a little. "Something my mother always says. Never underestimate a librarian. All they do all day long is read and learn."

Draco's eyes widen, and then he turns to look at Wong with a newfound respect.

Master Wong smiles at them with a look that implies there is still hope for them yet, and opens a portal.

Right into the library at Kamar-Taj.

It is always alright if Master Wong does it. Something his Master always whines about.

The two Master's step through and Harry has a moment to hear Beyonce before Master Wong closes the portal.

"Right. What's for dinner, do you think?" Harry asks, mind already moving on to the next thing.

He has a moment to see his friends shake their heads before he is unlocking the classroom and heading to the Great Hall.

Maybe the elves made that tasty rabbit strew he likes so much.

The following Thursday, Hermione suddenly sits down opposite of him at the breakfast table, together with a Neville she clearly dragged with her. Blaise doesn't even bother looking away from his tea-meditation before he is sliding over some so they can all fit.

Harry puts his spoon back down on his saucer and gives her his full attention.

"So, I was thinking last night." Hermione starts, and Neville immediately reaches for a slice of bacon. He is definitely a stress eater.

Draco on the other hand, looks like he is debating losing his appetite, depending on what words come out of Hermione's mouth next.

"You know how you said you wanted to do a number of charities to improve the situation in magical Britain? I was thinking last night, that you should consider investing in a pre-school for muggleborns." She tells him, face earnest and serious.

Harry blinks at her, and says, "Sure. Sounds like a good idea, and to be honest, I considered it before already. Just haven't gotten around to it yet. What made you think so, beside the obvious."

"It was something Draco said, actually." Hermione says, smiling a little at Draco.

Draco puts his fork down, ignoring the food still on it. He looks paradoxically tense.

"Out of all the things I didn't know when I joined the wizarding world, the thing Draco seemed to take the most exception of was that as muggleborns, who did not know the significance of the pagan holidays."

Draco looks surprised that she remembered his outburns, Harry has to admit, he himself has forgotten as it happened in the early weeks of their school year. Draco also looks confused that's she would care about his outburst or that she remembered it so well.

"Draco mentioned that muggleborns are looked down upon because we don't understand the history and traditions of the wizarding world, and he has a point. We should definitely include those classes as well as the significance of pagan holidays and their ritualistic symbols. It will not only help to continue a very important magical tradition, but it will also give the muggleborn children a sense of belonging to join these festivals which they learned about from a young age." Hermione says, excitedly.

Draco stares at her for a beat, and then says, very quietly so only Harry and Neville can hear, "I see it now. The future her."

"No kidding." says Neville, and Harry can only smile and assure Hermione that is a brilliant idea, and did she maybe have other ideas?

To which Hermione beams at him and pulls out a long scroll, and Harry can only laugh in delight and very little surprise.

His Lawyer Army is delighted to have another project to sink their teeth into, and Harry is assured again and again that this would be very little effort for them, and that if he wanted to implement any other revolutionary – that is to say, radicalchanges – they are ready willing and able to support him.

Harry is a little disturbed how eager they are, but then shrugs it off with the notion that as long as they use that, ah, zeal, in the right direction, it should be fine.

Harry makes them promise to vet the professors of the new school personally, in case certain bigoted sorts smuggled themselves in to abuse the students, and his Lawyers assure him it will be done.

When Professor McGonagall is consulted, since they will need the Hogwarts registry in order to find said muggleborns, she is completely charmed by the notion and admits that she had advised Dumbledore many times to propose it to the Board, but he always put her off, saying there were safety concerns involved.

The good professor with the lawyers and one very determined Hermione spend several weeks ironing things out, but the proposal, when it's submitted by one of the seats Harry holds at the Wizengamot, passes with very little opposition. Even the purebloods can see the benefit of educating the 'barbaric' muggleborns.

The school is named 'Granger Institute of Early Learning', to Hermione's pleased embarrassment and protests.

Harry insists, because he wants her to feel how good it is when she puts her mind into changing the world for the better, and succeeds.

Draco and Neville are 100% behind him on this, as is surprisingly, Pansy.

She somehow convinces Hermione that Wizarding Grooming and Fashion should be part of the curriculum, right alongside Etiquette, History and Ancient Pagan Magics and Holidays. Hermione even adds a home economics class, for magical household maintenance and the like after Harry tells her about his early childhood.

Pansy, when asked, presents Hermione with an entire 16-foot essay on why this class is incredibly important, but Harry thinks it is her comment to Hermione that had she had this class when she was much younger, she would have already had beautifully manageable hair and teeth by the time she had to attend any kind of school at all. Hermione is rather agreeable after that, much to Harry's amusement.

It takes Narcissa Malfoy getting involved to get it fully off the ground, but Harry thinks its because she is nominated by the purebloods to make sure that if they did have to educate muggleborns, she at least would not miss any of the important issues.

However, once the Dowager Longbottom hears about Narcissa's involvement, she insistes on getting involved as well. Apparently with the healing of her son and her daughter-in-law, the Dowager is once again filled with vigor and life, and needs somewhere to vent her… vigor.

Harry personally thinks the good Dowager could use a few sessions with a therapist, but Neville assures him that philanthropy has always been her go-to for healing.

Draco confirmes that most of the aristocracy doesn't really do mind healing. Hermione then commentes that aren't those people the ones who make all the policies and wouldn't that mean they are actually the ones most in need of such healing?

Draco and Neville agree with her, but both confirm that due to the risk of reputation damage, no one is willing to even entertain it unless the madness is painfully obvious. Sometimes not even then, Neville mutters darkly, clearly thinking of Belatrix Lestrange.

This all means that their school is up and running in practically record time.

Harry is glad because it means it's one less thing on his list he has to do before he can leave the Wizarding World to its own devices and focus on the Bigger Picture, as his Master calls it.

Which is rather fortunate because the following week he nearly has an impromptu anxiety attack when over lunch, Blaise slides into the seat opposite of him, and starts buttering his toast in a very pointed manner.

Harry glances up at him, somewhat warily, because when his Master went looking, he found the Zabini's to be ruthlessly practical and generally somewhat militant in their approach to their methods of government. Overall not too concerning, except some of their methods were …

His Master never came right out and used the words 'Rule With An Iron Fist' but it was very much implied by the conflicted look on his face. His Master explained that while he didn't exactly approve of quasi-dictatorship, the Zabini's have historically-and-futuristically been fairly decent rulers, so he was inclined to say they were on the side of the good guys. Provisionally.

Which is great and all, but Harry cannot ignore how many times Contessa Zabini's opponents have mysteriously fallen ill with some rare but incurable disease just as they fully started to oppose her.

All of this means that Harry is now entirely focused on Blaise who clearly has something to say, and is also clearly waiting for Crabbe to finish his 4th slices of ham and go away.

Crabbe also seems to sense it, because rather than eating faster, he simply picks up his plate and goes to sit some 10 seats away, nudging disgruntled 2nd years out of his way while forcibly sitting down among them.

Blaise shoots Crabbe a Look, but Harry is too focused on the way he is methodically buttering every corner of his bread without looking at it at all.

"What?" Harry can't help asking because he isn't an idiot. Zabini is up to something.

"Your little problems on that list…" Blaise says and takes a big bite of his bread. Harry suddenly feels his hands go a little clammy.

"Yes?"

"They aren't a problem anymore." Zabini says, smiling like the cat that is literally eating the cream.

Butter.

Whatever.

Harry blinks a little at him, then asks, because he can't not, "What? All of them?"

Blaise seems to think about it, then shrugs with his face, "Most of them. The more problematic ones certainly."

The sensation of clamminess spreads from his hands to the rest of his body, and Harry must consider if this is actually what he wanted to happen when he allowed Zabini to see the list in the first place.

His Master probably did.

"Am I going to see details in the papers in a day or two of bodies mysteriously being discovered or would those people simply vanish?" then he amends, "have already vanished."

Blaise considers this, then wags his head a bit, "Fenrir had a run-in with the wolves he savaged, and their families which somehow – I am sure I don't know how – got their hands on some muggle weapons. Did you know muggles know how to make silver projectiles? Apparently, it's a generational skillset in some parts of the world, who knew?" Blaise tells him, while giving him a rather bloodthirsty smile, and Harry honestly can't help smiling back. His Master sometimes wears that smile and it never bodes well for those he is speaking about.

"And the others?"

"Rita recently went to do an interview with the Malfoys, but somehow disappeared. Lord Malfoy claims he has no idea where she could have gone to, as he only stepped away for a moment to visit the Aviary, in order to send off some sensitive documents on his vote for a ministry petition. He said the birds were all rather agitated that day, so maybe they were fighting over some nice morsel of food they found."

Harry can feel his face twist a little. For all that he disliked Rita, he hadn't exactly planned to feed her to Lord Malfoy's eagles. However, seems the Malfoys had a different opinion on the matter.

Thankfully Blaise continued without Harry needing to ask further.

"Lord McNair had an unfortunate encounter with a hippogriff, somehow insulting the creature and got kicked in the head by it in retaliation. Seems he suggested they should all be exterminated in the creature's hearing range, and it took exception. The Doctors at St Mungo's aren't sure what they can do for him, as his brain was severely damaged in the attack, and he is practically a vegetable now. The hippogriff in question – by the name of Buckbeak of all things – didn't stay around either but took off once the good Lord stopped twitching too much on the ground, and it hasn't been seen since. No doubt some muggles will find him, and think he walked out of one of their picturebooks or something."

"Couldn't have happened to a nicer person." Harry told him drily.

"I thought so too, even thought it doesn't seem like anyone arrange for this to happen. But us Romans, we believe in Karma." Blaise tells him, still smiling that disarmingly nice smile.

Harry makes a mental note to never trust that smile.

"And the rest?" Because Blaise is a Slytherin and the son of a ruler, and those sorts of people don't tend to leave lose ends.

"Some got transfers to other countries, some were "accidentally" executed when they tried to escape prison, some had accidents, some simply got a deep need to travel to the amazon and retire there. Who can say why people do things, mm?"

Harry stares at him, because yes this actually does solve a lot of his problems, but –

"Are you and your mom not afraid of Karma then?" Harry asks, now somewhat morbidly curious how this worked in Zabini's twisted little mind.

Zabini has the audacity to look surprised, "We? Why, we are only being the instruments of Fate, one might say. What Karma would punish that? If anything, Karma might consider us doing good deeds for the… Great Balance. After all, are we not in the grips of Fate's hands when a Seer makes prophecies, and we only follow the path laid for us?" The smile this time is pure honey and sweetness, and Harry actually has to work to not gape at the other boy because –

"Right." Harry tells him, weakly.

Because!

Blaise smiles gets a little dimplier, right before he takes a big bite of his bread.

"Just – don't start worshipping me or something, alright?" Harry asks him, a touch plaintively he will admit.

Blaise actually cocks his head to the side, as if considering Harry's words.

Harry knows better, but he is still holding his breath.

"The Carnelian Throne has long been a believer of The Great Balance, and we have always been sensitive to the Mortifer. Our Court Oracle says you walk in Its shadow. She also says not to be in your path while you are clearing it, and if possible, to assist you with your task as Magic and Death both will it."

Harry marvels at Blaise's ability to be horrifying without trying for anything of the kind.

Choosing to ignore – most – of that, he offers after a moment of just helplessly staring at the other boy, "So that means no to the worshipping, right?"

Blaise smiles at him again, and offers, "Somehow I always forget you weren't raised with us." And with that, he flounces off, still eating his bread.

Harry stares at him, and can't help yell, "That was not a no!"

"I think we should have better international relations." Draco tells him apropos to nothing the following Wednesday over tea in their common room.

Someone had let slip that Harry liked a different kind of tea from the one served in the main hall, so every afternoon after classes, Harry and his friends would find chiya served in their dorm room. It still wasn't quite right, as the elves clearly couldn't get their hands on actual Nepali tea, but the Darjeeling they substituted it with wasn't half bad. They didn't put nearly enough masala or cardamom for his liking, but they were trying, and it was the closes thing he could get so he wasn't complaining.

They even went out of their way to provide a pastry that looked like a donut married a Gwara mari, but they were still delicious and worked as dunkable material for his tea.

He wondered if immigrants felt this way all the time. Noticing the differences but accepting the bastardizations just to stave off homesickness.

"Okay. Why?" Harry asks, somewhat distracted by crunch of the sugar on his pastry.

"Because there are too many factions ready and willing to support another Dark Lord, especially in Durmstrang, and places like Romania and Germany." Blaise says, without so much as looking up from his charms book.

Draco shoots him a glare for interrupting, but also nods at Harry.

"Right." Harry says and pulls out a sheet of paper to draft a note to his lawyers, so they can set up more pre-schools in overseas countries.

While he is writing, he casually asks, not thinking much about what he is asking, "Is the Wizarding World seemingly incapable of not having a race-war every 30 years or so? Is this a thing with you people?"

"Us people? You are one of 'us people' Harry." Draco reminds him, but Harry mostly ignores him because yes he is, but also he really isn't.

"The issue is the muggles. There are too many of them, and they are all oblivious that we exist, so inevitably, they start encroaching on our ancestral lands and we have no other choice but to retreat further and put more regulations to keep the Secrecy. Which no one likes, and eventually someone uses it as an excuse to grab power." Blaise tells them, nose still in the charms book. It must be a fascinating chapter or this is information every wizarding child knows.

Harry glances up at him, and asks, "Yes, but why is no one else having this issue? It seems that it's mostly a British problem, or well, a Europe problem."

Blaise actually deems to look up from his book, but only for a moment, "Because America doesn't have nearly as many regulations as the UK, the Amazon has been made to look a lot smaller than it actually is so the Aztecs, Mayans and Incans all still have their ancestral lands, and the muggles aren't terribly interested in building on top of mountains. The Chinese have an unbreakable treaty with their muggles and India's mages which are called Yogi's, live among their muggles and have for thousands of years. Africa is big enough for everyone, and the Bedouin muggles are actually the custodians of the lands the Arab wizards live on."

Harry and Draco blink at him, nearly as one, while Pansy just huffs.

"Wait, the Chinese have a treaty with their muggles? Why can't we do that?" Harry asks after a moment of watching Pansy examine her nails.

"Because the magic for this binding was done thousands of years ago, and the details lost or kept secret so no one can try and break the treaty." Pansy tells him, surprising almost all of them.

Noticing them all staring at her, she huffs again, and says a touch waspishly, "What? I read. Besides, it's part of any Noble Lady's household training, in case we have visiting dignitaries."

Hermione who has somehow become an honorary Slytherin, and thus has been allowed into the common room as an exception, suddenly sits up, dislodging three books previously on her lap in her haste, "Are you saying China's muggles and Wizards know of one another? And India too?"

Everyone glances at her, but then Pansy nods seriously. "It is quite odd for the rest of us, imagine living with muggles? But that is just what they did ! Apparently, thousands of years ago, their magi were considered immortal celestials by their muggles, and rightfully revered. However, during an altercation between two waring wizarding factions – I forgot when since history class is rather boring no matter if it's Maman teaching it or Binns but anyway – they leveled 4 or 5 of the muggle's larger cities. This caused a huge outcry, and it was decided that in order to maintain order and prevent wars which would kill too many on both sides – though granted back then it was more one-sided since muggles didn't really have any weapons which could hurt wizards back then – a treaty was signed in blood, that any ruling body and its citizens from the muggle and wizards alike cannot harm each other, only help each other. Even inadvertently! Can you imagine? History books from Merlin's time say that it took hundreds of wizards to cast that spell, in order to cover the entire country. I am not sure I believe that but that's what we are taught." Pansy says all of this while twirling her hair around her finger. Harry would be amused but this is the exact same pose Pansy holds when she is sharing gossip which can make or break families.

Hermione's eyes are huge, and everyone present can tell she is barely restraining herself from leaping up and rushing to the library to learn more.

Millicent leans over and simply hands Hermione a book from her book bag. Harry can barely make out the title: Major Events Which Shaped The Wizarding World - 17th edition.

Hermione lets out an excited noise and practically snatches the book out of Millie's hand with a quick but grateful thank you.

Draco smirks a little, and mutters Ravenclaws, but no one pays him any mind.

Somehow Hermione's obsession with books became a thing Draco finds charming about her, which surprises Harry since the Draco in those other universes often made fun of Hermione for this exact trait.

"Anyway, the American Ministry apparently contacted the Chinese asking about this spell, but their request was turned down as it was considered Proprietary National Magics – China has this thing where they do not share how they use their magics with the rest of the world. It is even a crime to give foreigners any of their education materials! – but the Americans wanted to try anyway and got told no very quickly. Probably because they are Americans. So instead, they just blame everything on UUOs."

Hermione, nose already in the book, says, "UFO. Or Unidentified Flying Object, which basically just means aliens – other living sentient creatures or peoples from outer space."

Pansy doesn't even bother glancing up from her nails when she adds, "Right, that. Even though everyone, even the muggles know there is no such thing, but they seem ready enough to accept it enough to not have Wizard Burnings anyway."

"Actually." Harry starts to say, then stops. Because Aliens very much exist, and his Master even has to work with some of them regularly but he isn't sure he is supposed to advertise that.

Pansy and Hermione both look up as one, and blink at him. But surprisingly it's Pansy who says, "What, really? Aliens are real? But I heard they aren't even supposed to be human!"

"Well, no, they aren't." Then he pauses because there is Star Lord, but he doesn't really count as he is an immigrant anyway, same as Carol Denvers. "Most of them aren't. But some are. The Universe is a big place."

His friends stare at him, then almost as one, all the Slytherins go back to what they were doing, except for Draco, and Hermione who isn't a Slytherin and isn't used to shrugging everything off.

"You lead a very weird life, Potter." Draco tells him, as if Harry didn't already know this.

"I know." Harry tells him sympathetically, because if nothing else, he is used to it.

"But I was saying, we should find a way to break the stalemate. Because it will only get worse." Draco tells him seriously.

Harry considers him for a few minutes, and he must have done it for too long because Draco actually fidgets for a moment, before asking somewhat defensively, "What?"

"Nothing. I am just… surprised how on-board you are with all of this. Considering." Harry tells him honestly.

Draco actually huffs, something he must have picked up from Pansy because it's exactly like her huff, and informs him, "Malfoy's are decisive. Once we chose a path, we do everything in our power to see it through. I thought you knew this, Potter."

Ohhh he is back to being Pottered. That means Draco really is feeling defensive.

"Don't mind him Draco. We all know how dedicated you are to our Cause to make the Wizarding World a better place for everyone. This is probably another one of those what do house elves eat things for him."

Hermione, to Harry's great surprise, has been a staunch supporter of Draco ever since he helped her out of the boat on their first day at school, and has refused to listen to any gossip that said otherwise.

Pansy and Blaise both give her 'you poor innocent not-Slytherin' looks, something Harry has noted every Slytherin knows how to do. Hermione sees it, but her look just gets more pointed, and says, "Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't matter why he does something, it only matters that he does it. Draco is quite dedicated."

She gives him a fond, reassuring smile and Draco gives her a small quirked one in return, "Thank you Hermione. I am glad some people noticed."

Hermione gives him another smile and a nod, then turns to Harry, "Maybe Master Wong has some suggestions? He is in charge of your enormous library. You know, the one you promised I could visit this summer? Surely there is something in there that will help? I could help him research it in the summer if you like. Or before the summer."

Master Wong is another person who has earned Hermione's good opinion. Harry agrees with her, since Master Wong is awesome and could be Sorcerer Supreme himself if the circumstances were different.

"I'll ask." He promises, because maybe she has a point. She usually does.

Hermione beams at him and goes back to scouring Millicent's book, and Pansy changes the subject shortly after.

Harry doesn't remember to ask until a few weeks later when they are in the middle of potions, and his Master suddenly opens a portal in the classroom out of nowhere. Harry is just finishing decanting the last vial of shrinking solution when his Master's voice nearly makes him drop the ladle.

Or rather, the unusual stress in his Master's voice.

Strange is clearly fighting, while he holds the portal open, and shouts at him, "Padawan, terribly sorry to disturb you while you are at school but I need you. Bring the Death Stone. And Stick!"

Harry can see he is casting frantically, and the side of his head is bleeding a little. "Haste is appreciated!"

Harry scrambles out of his seat, just as he sees Snape walking towards him at a quick pace.

"Mr. Potter! What is the meaning of this?" Snape's voice actually sounds somewhat concerned, and he looks moments away from grabbing Harry, but Harry is too distracted. Something has actually managed to hurt his Master.

"I am coming! What is it?" Harry yells into the portal, because the noises coming out of the other side are loud.

"Shuma-Gorath! And he brought friends." His Master has breath to yell before a rather large purple tentacle grabs his by the waist and he is unceremoniously yanked away from the portal.

The portal stays open, so Harry isn't terribly worried yet.

"Mr. Potter!" Snape's ability to demand explanations with just his name is as impressive as always but Harry doesn't have time for him right now.

"Yes sir, sorry sir. Planetary invasion sir, gotta go! I'll be back – uh.. as soon as I can. Promise!" Then because they are fighting an enormous octopus of evil, he grabs the entire cauldron of shrinking solution, sans the 5 vials he just finished decanting, and with the other hand throws his bag at Draco, knowing the other boy would bring it back to their dorm.

He dodges Snape's surprisingly fast hands, and quickly steps through the portal.

He is greeted by chaos and a cursing Master, as well as a frantically casting-and-blasting legion of heroes. He even sees Iron man in the distance, before he turns towards where his Master is being held upside-down by the – yup that is a large pissed off inter-dimensional octopus alright.

He casts a quick severing hex at the arm of the thing, which drops his Master rather painfully to the ground before it is shrieking and turning towards Harry. Harry has a brief moment to wonder where Cloak is, before he sees another tentacle coming straight at him.

He hears a human scream from behind him – his Master hasn't collapsed the portal yet it seems – but he doesn't have time to worry about that now and instead throws a bit of the shrinking solution onto the tentacle trying to grab him.

The tentacle immediately turns into the size of a pasta noodle, and Harry has a moment to feel satisfied at he surprised look in the thing's single eye.

"That's nifty." says his Master who has managed to right himself and limp over to Harry while the octopus which is Shuma-Gorath stares at its tiny arm in horrified fascination.

"We were in potions when you called." Then because he can't not ask, "Where is Cloak?"

"Went to catch a falling civilian. Got more of that stuff?" his Master says while peering into the cauldron.

"Maybe? Did you close the portal to my classroom?" He asks while turning around and poking his head back into said portal which is clearly still active.

Snape looks ready to murder him, and his classmates are all wide-eyed, but Hermione is the quickest to react. She doesn't say anything, just grabs her cauldron and the ladle out of Blaise's hand and with a few quick steps, puts the heavy cauldron and perfectly textbook-bright-green solution into his waiting hand.

Harry can totally see why she becomes the best Prime Minister Magical Britain has ever had within two decades.

"Here you go Harry. Go kick its butt." She says, stepping back just as quickly.

Harry flashes her a grateful smile, and a rather apologetic one at a furious and worried Snape then turns back around.

Master Wong has joined them and also peers into the cauldron, immediately recognizing it for what it is. Harry is convinced he has memorized every single book in their library already.

"Good idea. But we will need a lot more than that. Someone made duplicates of Shuma, not sure if he did that or someone else but either way there are far too many of him. Them. Whatever. so now we are dealing with an if-doombots-were-all-Shuma situation." He still sets the cauldron down and opens a portal under it, which dumps the entire cauldron onto the closest large Shuma's head.

It shrieks for only a moment before the shrieks turn to tiny squeaks because it is now the size of a mouse. Master Wong immediately steps on it as if it is a particularly nasty cockroach.

It leaves a disgustingly bright green slime stain.

Harry does not envy whoever has to clean this up later.

"Got more?" Strange asks, just as Snape steps out of the portal. A dozen or so cauldron's levitating behind him.

"Potter, detention!" but his tone is one part furious, and two parts resigned so Harry isn't too worried. "Now go make good use of these. Maybe that will teach this class the importance of brewing a potion correctly." Saying that he deposits the cauldrons on the pavement and goes to stand by the portal, clearly ready to assist if he is needed despite his acerbic words.

Harry can just see all of his classmates crowding in front of the portal to get a better look.

His Master gets a gleeful expression, which hysterically matches Master Wong's and very soon, they are flinging cauldrons at the octopus-starfish which are Shuma-Gorath.

The ensuing shrieks-that-turn-to-squeaks are hysterical. But even more hilariously, Harry can hear Snape still lecturing.

"Patil, you didn't add enough minced daisy roots into your solution. Everyone take note how it is shrinking at a painfully slow rate? This is why it is important to mince not dice! 5 points from Ravenclaw!"

Harry has no idea how long the shrinking solution will last, but however long it is, it is enough time for his Master to help him open a large portal while holding the Death Stone and send the chihuahua-sized Shuma-Gorthas into the dark dimension where he belongs.

At one point, a bit of the solution splashes onto Iron man's boot and it shrinks to baby sized also, causing the poor man to practically fall out of the sky. Thankfully it shrinks his whole foot with it, so his armor doesn't cut a limb off. Master Wong thankfully opens a portal and catches him from certain death, and Snape just smirks and goes over to pour the antidote onto his leg while Tony Stark bitches about tech and magic not mixing while also asking for the recipe of the 'pretty green mini-me-juice' which Snape ignores.

It really only takes 15 minutes for the whole thing to be over, and Harry has a moment to almost feel let down.

Proving that he was raised by his Master, Strange echoes his thoughts when he says, "Well that was anticlimactic. Good job everyone. Extra cookies for the Wizards."

Snape gives him a withering glare and says something about taking his student back now, before grabbing Harry by the arm and somewhat rudely shoving him back through the portal before he sees his Master giving him a cheerful wave with a "Good job Padawan. Let's do it again sometimes." and closing the portal.

The entire potions class had been crowding around the portal to get a better look and now they are all staring at him.

Snape sighs a long-suffering sigh, and says, "Anyone who's solution worked as intended on the… creature gets full marks. I hope this has taught you how important it is to follow each step to the letter."

The class is clearly still somewhat shock-y because they all nod as one, and Snape has a moment to look surprised before he sighs again and says, "Get out of here. And remember to order another cauldron before the start of next class."

Harry has a moment to wince, and offers, "Er, I will pay for those. Hermione, could you help order them please?" since most were eaten by multitudes-of-Shuma before the creature realized what it was.

"Sure thing Harry." Hermione tells him cheerfully, while his classmates continue to gape.

Harry sighs and goes to take his bag back from Draco's slack hands.

Hopefully lunch will be more peaceful.

The following week, just as he has more or less forgotten about the interrupted potions class, Harry nearly runs right into Master Wong who is walking out of Professor Snape's office.

Harry has a moment to blink, and then blink again after Master Wong who has always been more sensible than his Master, informs him that Master Snape has kindly agreed to join Kamar-Taj as it's part-time potions Master to create all kinds of rather terrifying potions which will help them keep the world safe.

Harry has a moment to feel like an idiot because he has been thinking about how to save Snape from a life of teaching children and mediocrity now that Voldie was gone, and still fulfilling the man's need for danger and intrigue, and his desire for experimentation and scholarly pursuits. A part of him wants to hit himself over the head with one of Hermione's thicker tomes because of course Kamar-Taj could use a skilled Potions Master. Why didn't he think of that?

No one at Kamar would care that he was once a Death Eater, or that he wasn't a pureblood or any of that nonsense, and Snape would be ridiculously happy living near a library as grand as the one at Kamar-Taj. Not to mention that all of Kamar-Taj's disciples respected healers, pill makers and potioneers the most.

Snape has apparently agreed to try it out on a trial basis, during the school holidays. Sorcerers have different physiology than Wizards since they start off as muggles, and their bodies cannot absorb most potions until they cast their first spells and the metamorphosis in their body takes place, leaving trace residues of magic. Because they don't possess a magical core, the more magic they use, the more effectively potions start to work on them, as the body absorbs and changes with the magic which is absorbed into every cell in their bodies.

Harry isn't exactly sure how he feels about seeing his mom's old flame even during his holidays but shrugs it off. Snape hasn't been half bad since his talk with his mom, and treated Harry like any other Slytherin. Kamar-Taj is big and there is a place for everyone, after all. Plus, the good Potions Master would be on Harry's turf there, so it should be alright.

Harry just has to make sure Snape doesn't sweettalk Master Wong into giving him a Sling Ring.

Snape spots him before he can book it and drags him into his office. Then proceeds to stare at him silently for a solid 3 minutes, before asking very quietly, "Does your home life often include having to fight adult wars?"

Which causes Harry to have conflicting feelings of gratitude towards his professor who apparently does in fact care about him enough to ask, and having to explain the slightly quirky nature of being the Padawan of one Sorcerer Supreme.

Snape looks completely unconvinced, until Harry suggests that Snape will get the chance to check out Harry's 'living situation' for himself over the holidays, since he will be coming to Kamar-Taj, and only then does Snape finally dismiss him.

While walking back to the common room, Harry has a moment to muse that of all the issues he worried about with Snape, this was possibly the very last one that he expected to have to deal with.

His life is so weird.

Perhaps this thought was overheard by magic itself, because the following morning, a rather perky owl drops a letter right into his tea. Thankfully he catches it before more than a corner can get wet, and wonders who would be writing him, or how the letter managed to get past the Goblin re-direct system.

He finds out a moment later, when he checks the envelope and it clearly states, 'To Harry Potter's morning tea, Great Hall, Hogwarts.', shaking his head at the ingenuity which is non-the-less so straight forward that the whole of the wizarding world apparently never thought about it, he scans it using one of his Master's favorite spells for detecting cursed objects and is somewhat surprised that nothing shows up.

Carefully, he opens it, just to feel his mouth drop open.

The note is written is a nice and cheerful script and only says:

The nargels made you forget about the blond swindler.

-LL.

A tiny little radish sits behind the last L, and that is what makes Harry jump up and smack himself over the head.

He grabs a quill and quickly jots back:

You are absolutely correct. The nargels did make me forget. Thank you.

And quickly signs it. It takes a bit to get the owl to take the letter back as it seems terribly distracted, but he manages.

Blaise has actually looked up from his morning tea-meditation and is watching him a lot like a cat ready to pounce, and Harry has a moment to be tempted.

Really tempted.

The he sighs and goes to draft another letter to his Lawyer army.

They've had a few days' rest, he is sure they are downright bored by now.

Blaise continues to give him inquisitive looks for the next few days, mostly because the increase in his correspondence as his lawyers track down proof again the 'blond swindler', but Harry continues to resist, until Gilderoy's arrest is announced, on front page news no less, a week later.

Lockhart finally got his wish to be on the front page.

Too bad it would be for the last time.

His shiny teeth flash even while he struggles and resists arrest while the Aurors not-so-gently apprehend him.

Mindy is practically ecstatic about the information Harry has fed her, and hasn't restrained herself in the Prophet articles. Harry has a moment to feel a pang that he is now on first name basis with his media lawyer. She hasn't held back one bit and even got Amelia Bones involved.

Blaise gives him a Look, which says many, many, many, things in it, but the only thing he says instead is, "You missed one?"

And Harry can only nod and tell him slightly apologetically which, then makes him pause and wonder why he should be feeling sorry. Blaise has this effect on people. "Yeah. Luna reminded me."

At Blaise's raised eyebrow, Harry remembers that Blaise wasn't there in the compartment when Harry told Neville, Hermione and Draco about Luna.

"Another Seer. She will be coming to school next year. Ravenclaw." Harry tells him, a little distracted still by Front-page Gilderoy trying to make a run for it and then being stunned by a lazy flick of a wand from somewhere.

Blaise makes a sound, which forces Harry to look back at him, but the boy's face an odd expression, "How many of you are there? Seers."

Harry blinks at him, and replies, completely baffled, "I have no idea. I only know of Luna. Luna Lovegood."

Blaise's eyes widen, "Luny Lovegood is a true Seer?"

"Yeah, she is. She has a very clear sight but the way she interprets the information is unique, so a lot of people misunderstand her. She's a great girl really."

And maybe he shouldn't have said that because Blaise gets a contemplative look on his face and Harry wonders if he just gave Neville competition for his future wife.

He has a moment to panic and a weird twisting in his stomach before he shouts at Blaise's retreating back, "She is spoken for!" but Blaise has already turned the corner.

Well crap. He better ask his Master for another lookup.

Hopefully he hasn't just changed history.

He shudders at the thought of how powerful the Carnelian Thrown would get with the help of a Luna.

Before the exams are upon them, Harry decides to settle the issue of inheritance. He mostly does this by a long and drawn-out discussion with King Warwick about whom to make Heir of which Nobel House.

He makes Draco the Heir for House Black; Draco actually would have been the Heir by default if Sirius hadn't changed his will when Harry was born.

He makes Neville the Heir of House Potter. His parents had been best friend with Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom. It only makes sense.

Hermione, considering she will one day fight to be Minister, he makes the Heiress of House Pendragon. Both Draco and Neville agree with him once they find out. Hermione herself is extremely happy but Harry can tell she doesn't yet grasp the amount of power he has placed in her hands.

But that's the other thing about Hermione. She will, very soon.

House Slytherin is the hardest for Harry to decide, because it feels like he is in some way, entrusting a part of Hogwarts as well. But in the end, there is only one among them whose family has only ever sorted Slytherin.

Blaise is actually slack jawed for an entire count of 4 seconds before he is marching over and hugging Harry, while muttering fervently – something, in Italian. Harry has no idea what it is but a green magic settles around Harry a moment later, and a bond snaps into place.

Harry quickly pulls away to look at Blaise, but Blaise is strong when he wants to be, and he doesn't let Harry out of his arms.

"I claimed you as my brother. One whom I will always trust." Blaise tells him, smiling for the first time that Harry has seen him, sincerely, then kisses Harry on both cheeks.

Somewhat violently.

"Welcome to the Famiglia, Harry." Blaise says, still holding on to him, and smiling that ridiculously beautiful smile.

Harry only stares at him.

His exams are fairly easy, since he studies for them in Astral. But he is still rather relieved when they are over.

Hermione and Draco still set up a study schedule for their entire group and even Pansy joins them more often than not.

Ronald Weasley gets an automatic pass due to 'traumatic events outside of his control', which Harry thinks is probably not doing him any favors since according to Neville the other boy rarely studies. Hermione grumbles that if anyone should get a pass for shocking events which happened to them this year than it should be Neville but doesn't actually go to the teachers to suggest it.

They all manage to do fairly well, with Hermione and Draco neck to neck at first and second place respectively. Harry takes third, mostly because he doesn't want to be poisoned or glared at for the rest of his life.

Neville takes 6th place, which surprises him more than anyone else. Ever since he got his own wand, Neville's practical schoolwork has shot up in leaps and bounds. His parents are more than pleased and he privately tells them that his Da yelled at his Gran quite a lot for sabotaging him by not giving him his own wand.

The Dowager however was far too pleased that Neville was not a squib after all, and readily admitted she was in the wrong there. A first for the Dowager according to Neville.

His friends all opt out of taking the express and allow him to simply open portals in front of their homes. Even Blaise.

Harry has a moment to see an incredibly beautiful lady standing in a deep burgundy gown waiting for her son. Her hair is a dark chocolate and her skin is the same golden hue as Blaise, so Harry assumes this must be the Contessa herself.

She glances at him through the portal and smiles, nodding her head regally in greeting.

Harry, not knowing what else to do, smiles back and nods also, then quickly closes the portal.

Her beauty is a little breathtaking. Harry can completely see where Blaise gets his good looks from.

After he sends off Hermione who makes him promise no less than four times that he would come get her in 2 weeks for a visit, there is only Snape and himself left.

He grabs the strap of his bag, makes the portal, and glancing at the man, asks, "Shall we?"

But he is distracted by the smell coming through the portal, and doesn't notice his teacher's nod.

It is exactly the same as the first time he stepped through, but now, all he can thinks is, yes let's go home.

The End