A/N: Lol, so, as I was writing this, I kept getting all these emails (I use gmail, and have a chrome app that tell me how many unread emails I have), and I was like, what? Then I saw fanfiction in the updates tab, and I was like, "Ooh! Story updates?" and then I saw it was reviews, and was just like, "Awwwww." Also, thanks to and TinyTauren for pointing out a couple of mistakes of mine.

I'm sorry for this taking too long. Shit happens. Also, if you guys can't tell by the end of this chapter, I had trouble deciding on where to take this story, and so things may get a little twisted. There are quite a few stories that I have read that went like that (cough cough, Cadmean Victory). If you don't like where I am taking it, sorry. I now understand the struggle. But, I am still persevering. I still enjoy this story. Sometimes, I just spend some time writing my other two stories (I probably won't publish those until they are finished are close to it).

Oh, I guess I forgot to mention this, so I will just be updating the chapter. I changed my screen name, as most people don't know I write, so used one of my backups. That's why it changed, if you noticed.

Harry couldn't have predicted the aftermath of having two of the champions date if he tried. He didn't, because he didn't expect it in the slightest. Well, that may be stretching the truth a little bit, as he should have realized his own feelings towards the French witch.

Karkaroff was, of course, furious. He had been mad when Harry had been chosen as the second Hogwarts champion, but now, he felt that with two of the champions dating, it left his own champion all alone.

"Hogwarts' two champions are already probably working together!"

"Those are baseless claims and you know it. There has been no evidence whatsoever to suggest that the two of us have been working together."

"At the very least, Durmstrang will be singled out, because one of the Hogwarts champions and the Beaubaxtons champion are dating, they will doubtlessly work together to make the Third Task easier."

"And why on earth would he do that?" Fleur interjected. "Only one person gets to be the Triwizard Champion. It would actually be idiotic, because it would just cause rifts to open between us."

"I mean, what did you expect with him?" Harry asked.

"And just what is that supposed to mean, half-blood?"

"I guess you should kneel and kiss my feet then, just as you did another half-blood. Your left arm is a testament to what you did."

Karkaroff drew his wand, but Harry was faster. He knew he had been provoking him, but he didn't care. He didn't want to have to deal with this. He rushed Karkaroff and had a blade made of ice at his throat. Blue eyes stared into blue.

"I'm begging you, please. Just give me a reason. One less of you to be on this earth."

Karkaroff swallowed nervously, his adam's apple brushing against the tip.

"Igor," Dumbledore interjected. "Put the wand away."

He reluctantly put the wand away, and Harry backed off.

"What did I expect?"

"Son, stop it."

Fleur immediately backed off.

A line of ice flew across the ground and froze James Potter's feet to the ground.

"Harry!"

Lily came over.

Before Bozo could even think about taking a picture, Harry threw his blade of ice at the camera.

"If you're here, where did Rita go off to?"

Bozo only looked at Hermione in panic, but then realized his mistake and looked at the ground.

Harry narrowed his eyes, taking long strides towards the girl. Krum moved to defend her, but Harry pushed him aside with promises that he wouldn't hurt her.

There. He saw a glint of light. As he searched for the source, he saw that it was a small bug. A beetle to be precise. He quickly conjured a jar and spelled it to be unbreakable before stuffing the beetle inside and sealing it. 'I'll deal with her later.'

"What do you want, Lily, James?"

"We just want to talk. And there is no reason to disrespect the Highmaster."

"No reason? Coming from you, I don't even know what to say."

"Lily, James, perhaps we should take this to my office?"

"Fine. Harry?"

Harry looked between Fleur, his friends, and his enemies. He decided to follow them, for now. He went over to Fleur and whispered in her ear, "Meet me by the room at seven."

He then made to leave with Dumbledore, Lily, and James.

When they finally got to the office, Harry wasn't sure what was going to happen. Honestly, he saw this coming for a while. Ever since his last conversation with Dumbledore, and to an extent, earlier than that, when Lily saw his Hogwarts letter.

Dumbledore wanted Thomas to come up as well, so here they were. Harry sat on the left side, while the other three sat on the right with Dumbledore at his desk.

"Now, let's all be civil here and talk about this like grown-ups."

"Grown-ups? You're in the presence of a 5 year old man-child."

"Harry."

"That's Mr. Potter to you, Headmaster. Nevertheless, he sat back down.

"We were wondering," Lily started, "where you were during the winter holidays?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but-"

"Now see here Harry! It is our business. You're our son." James at this point stood up. Apparently, he hadn't gotten the memo, because Thomas flinched and tried to hide a little bit.

"I am not your son! I haven't been your son for 13 years! You don't even know who raised me."

"I do. The elves did."

"You know, I would be surprised that you know that, but…. Mipsy." Mipsy popped in the office. "Did James order you to tell him you raised me?"

"Yes, Master Harry. Ooo, if Master Charlus and Mistress Dorea could only be seeings Master James now." She had a disapproving look on her face.

"Mipsy, I order you to leave."

Lily was crying at this point.

"Like I was saying, I was at the Longbottom's."

"Them? Why were you there?"

"Because in case you haven't forgotten, the Longbottoms and Potters have held an alliance of mutual aid for centuries. Has that been so easy for you to forget with Frank and Alice in the hospital?! Neville is your godson! When was the last time you visited them? Or even paid your respects to Dame Longbottom? The last time I remember was 6 years ago. Potters and Longbottoms are brothers in arms."

"I know what we are! I haven't forgotten!"

"Well it sure seems like you have!"

The two of them glared at each other. Harry always disliked James the most. Boisterous, headstrong, and careless. James was everything Harry never wanted to be, especially since, according to the elves, most of Thomas's bad behavior came from him. He seemed to only remember things that benefitted him.

"Harry. I know what we did was wrong. But please, honey. I want to try to fix that. I want us to be family again. Please."

"It's too late for that Lily. Maybe if you were six years earlier, and even then, I don't know. Do you know what it is like, growing up and seeing you paying attention to Thomas, and not me? I was caring for myself by the time I was six." Harry silently apologized to Neville. It seems like reconciling his family wasn't going to happen.

"We had to take care of Thomas. His needs came first. The Dark Lord's followers were after us. You know what happened Frank and Alice."

"James!" Lily and Dumbledore both admonished him.

"You care about them that much? That's funny, seeing as I've never seen you visiting them. And he needed more care? Sure, I would have accepted that, if you guys even had acknowledged my existence. The first time I got my Hogwarts's letter, when I went to Diagon Alley and Kings Cross, you weren't there for any of it. The worst part is that you can't accept any of that!"

"Harry…" Dumbledore started.

"Again, Mr. Potter. And don't even get me started on you. I don't think you even remembered I existed until McGonagall called a Potter during the Sorting, but the name preceding it was Harry and not Thomas."

Harry decided to at least consider Neville's words. He turned towards Thomas. "Thomas. We may never be able to be brothers again. You were just a product of your environment, and honestly, I'm glad I wasn't. I wouldn't want to end up like him."

Thomas seemed a little indignant, but conceded that maybe Harry had a point.

"We might become friends, and that might be the most we will ever be, but even that's a maybe. That's all I'm willing to promise."

Thomas nodded.

"That's all that I have to say."

"Wait!" Dumbledore's shout stopped him.

"What do you want, Headmaster?"

"Have you given it any more thought? Will you help us?"

Harry just sneered. "No. I won't be a tool or a weapon for you to use. I won't be a pawn on the chessboard. I'm going to be my own player."

Harry walked away.

"You know Rita, did you know that the list of registered animagi is available to the public? Imagine my surprise when I learn that your name isn't on it!"

The beetle seemed to try to scuttle backwards, but there was nowhere to go.

"So, here's the deal. You don't write about me, and I keep your little secret. But, if there is ever a hint that you were involved in an article, that your toxicity has affected me, then I'll make the ministry the last thing you want to worry about."

If a beetle could look scared, then it did.

"Oh, that extends to all of my friends here as well."

Harry had decided to gather everyone in an unused classroom. They had already taken care of wards by the time he had gotten there. All of them were from pureblood houses, they knew the precautions to take.

Harry opened the jar, and the beetle instantly flew out, heading towards the door and flying away.

"So now that the pest has been taken care of, try not to bother her too much. Daphne, I suppose you can use that for blackmail against her if needed.

Daphne smiled. He knew exactly what she was thinking.

"So, anything to ask?"

Here, Neville spoke up. "What did they ask?"

"They wanted to get to know me again. Thomas, well, he has maybe changed. So I told him I might approach him. No promises though."

Susan and Hannah didn't know what to think about that. On the one hand, Harry as giving him a chance. On the other, they remembered how snootily Thomas had acted towards the two of them.

"I don't think you should even give him a thought. Did he give you one?" Susan muttered. She believed in justice and karma, being Amelia's niece and all.

"Well, the way he turned out was more of the fault of James and Lily, so I won't blame him too much."

Neville nodded. Lily was his godmother as well, even though his grandmother took care of him. He figured that that was good enough for now.

Daphne was the first to break the ice.

"So, you and the French Champion…"

"Yea, it just happened."

"It just happened? Things like that don't just happen!" Hannah was yelling.

"I didn't expect it, nor did I pursue it. Things just happened, we connected."

Hannah didn't seem satisfied by this answer, but Susan put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. Hannah was always the more outspoken one.

"And you like her Harry?" Susan asked.

"Yes, I do. It took a while to realize, but I do."

Susan nodded, like that was good enough for her.

"Does this effect either of us?" Daphne asked, pointing to her and Neville.

"No, our plans are still on track. If anything, everything that has happened has helped. People learning about my abilities, and then my alliance with you, has helped to solidify our power block."

Daphne nodded. The Slytherin cold civil war had ended. Daphne's power block had consisted of Adrian Pucey, Rachel Haverford, Tracey Davis, Blaise Zabini, and a few other key Slytherin players. They were the true Slytherins, using everything for their end goal. Malfoy's block consisted of people under his father's payroll, along with others such as Flint who believed in the Dark Lord's agenda. Eventually, a vote was taken in a House Assembly. Slytherin was the only house where House Assemblies were regularly called, and it was also the only House that had an unofficial leader, who was now Daphne.

"Your plans?" Hannah asked.

"I didn't want to tell you, but some things changed. Mainly, my participation in this Tournament. So, I decided that now, when all of us would meet, would be a good time. I originally didn't want to tell you because we had been friends, not allies."

"Don't worry, we can be both. And I'm sure that Greengrass and Longbottom can be both as well," Susan said. Daphne gave a noncommittal shrug, while Neville smirked.

Harry turned to address Susan.

"Susan, as last of your line, you will come into your ancestral seat when you turn 17, correct?"

Susan nodded.

"And Hannah, your father holds the Abbot seat until such a time that it passes to you, correct?"

"Yea, so what?"

"Well, as you know I'm Potter heir, just as Susan and Neville are the Bones and Longbottom heirs. While Daphne and Hannah are also their house's heirs, their houses still have Lords. But, that is of little consequence because Daphne, who has been making connections for most of her life, is at the very least, set to sit on the Wizengamot in proxy of her father. Which means, between just us four, we have five guaranteed seats in the Wizengamot. Six if we count Hannah's father's, and more if we count those of our allies."

"Five? But, as heir, you can't take your seat due to your father" Daphne said. Susan and Hannah were confused at the discrepancy in math, and were somewhat relieved that Daphne and Neville were out of the loop as well.

"I thought this would be a good time to bring this up as well. You see, over the summer, I learned something quite intriguing. Did you know that there is a house called Peverell? It is old, older than even the houses of the Founders, of which only Slytherin and Hufflepuff have living direct heirs. And, an only daughter married into the Potter main line. Also, since I was the first born of the Potters, my godfather was, naturally, Sirius Black, James's best friend. I was then made Sirius's heir, until such a time he had an heir, which still hasn't happened and from what I've heard, won't. And according to the bylaws, as I have not been specifically excluded from taking the seat, and the current Lord has not sat his seat in over 5 years due to being at odds with his family…"

"That means that you will be able to take the seat as heir," Daphne finished for him, her eyes wide.

"Exactly. And, I'll also be able to claim the Peverell seat. And, there is something else. The Gryffindor line."

"How the hell did you manage to obtain that? As far as we are aware, there is no heir of Gryffindor.

"It happened during the whole Chamber fiasco. Apparently, there are many heirs of Gryffindor. In fact, I believe Neville is also an heir, which may explain our family's close relationship. But, finding and wielding Gryffindor's sword is what determines who becomes head."

Neville was in shock.

"So, we have the Potter name, and seeing as we will be allied with the Longbottoms, known longtime friend and ally of the Potters… well, we won't lose as many votes as expected due to me not being the Lord. Then, add in the fact that we'll have the Black name, then the Peverell's, Bones's, Abbott's and Greengrass's as well…. Well, we have ourselves a political coalition. The Blacks used to be the unofficial leader of the traditionalists, as the Malfoys are now and the Potters are for the "Light" side. Given all of this, we'll have some still loyal to the Black name, as well as the neutrals and some other assorted Slytherin houses thanks to Daphne and some of the "Light" thanks to the Bones and Potter names. By taking enough votes from both of the more extreme sides and adding them to the neutrals, we have levelled the playing field. In fact, we'll probably have more than leveled it."

"And just what do you plan to do with this? It won't matter any for another 3 years," Susan said, talking about the fact that most of them were still only 14.

"To address the latter concern, that's where you're wrong. The three of us, well, we've been thinking of this for a while. And so, we did research."

Daphne recited the relative passages. "'Any heir or heiress of a house of which there is no current Head, can be considered emancipated and eligible for Headship on their fifteenth birthday.' 'Any adult over the age of 17, or member of a house above the age of 11, can act as a proxy on the Wizengamot.' Of course, technically, the Head of House ring will accept anyone, with certain stipulations based on the houses."

"Like the Black House. While their motto is "Toujours Pur", the main requirement of the Headship has always been power, which Harry has in spades," Neville said.

"If you two want to help us, then we'll have 6 votes. And our names will be enough to gather allies."

"And once you have your… coalition, what is it you want to do?" Hannah asked.

"I want to do the same thing as I want to do to this upcoming war."

"Tip the scales?"

"No. Scales implies that there are three sides. I want to add a third player. I want to change Wizarding Britain."

"And just what do you mean by that, Harry?" Susan looked scared, maybe not by him, but by his words.

"For far too long, Wizarding Britain has been stuck. For most other wizarding communities, the war with Grindelwald wiped out so many of the blood purists and so many magical beings in general that in order to survive, people were forced to work together. Sure, some purists who survived may still feel the same way, but there are far less of them, and far more more-tolerant people both in power and in the general populace. They moved on.

But, Britain never had that chance. It stayed out of the war for the most part. All of our blood purists still existed, and those that fought in the first war with Voldemort—" here, everyone shivered—"either just went to Azkaban or bought their way out of jail."

"Our policies have too long been about who could buy who off from the other side, and who had the better numbers. The neutrals, like my family, have helped to curb that, but we're too small to make a big difference, and in the end, it comes down to who can offer us more," Daphne said, letting Harry take a small break from his rant.

Neville picked up after her. "But, what if the neutrals were bigger? What if they were even bigger than the other two sides? What would happen then?"

"The answer to that is tricky. If that happened, then the people with the most gold and willingness to spend it, i.e. Malfoy, would just bribe them, just like before." Daphne said

"That's where we come in," Harry said. "The neutrals are just that, neutral. They hold no allegiance to any one person, just like they don't to a side. They vote in their best interests, as it tends to be a mix of traditionalist and light politics. But, if we were a unified force, then we would be the main people deciding law. We could form temporary alliances with either side to get a bill passed. There wouldn't be people within us voting in self-interest, but rather voting for the interest of the team. I want to be the third player, to bring Wizarding Britain into a new age."

"You sound like Granger," Susan pointed out. "You make it sound as if we are this backwards country."

"I admit, we both thought he was crazy at first," Neville said.

"Granger is a fool, who thinks that everything in life can be solved with diplomacy and equality and wishes for the magical world to be a mirror copy of the muggle world. No, I merely wish for us to move on from that which keeps us back. The traditionalists just want to keep themselves and their own in power, using anything and everything they have to keep first generations and halfbloods disenfranchised. And then, the "light" wants us to embrace everything mundane, from their way of life to their culture, saying that we need to get with the times. But we are a separate culture. Yes, we need to bring equality to witches and wizards of all types, but we do not need to control other magicals. Just as they have their own counsel and laws, so should we. But, we must not treat them as if they are not equal, lest we be treated the same. We need to have reliable liaisons with them. The Wizengamot, at least for now, still needs to be hereditary. Why? Because all of us," Harry said, pointing to them "know what we are talking about. And then we get first generations like Granger spouting off about house elf rights, as if she knows everything. Through everything, every one of us has some way of seeing how backwards this society can be. We've either seen it, or been victim to it."

Daphne and Hannah nodded at the first, while Susan and Neville nodded to the second.

"So, my question is, are you in?"

Dumbledore mulled over the outcome of the meeting. He admitted that he could have handled everything about the situation better. His first thought should not have been about trying to get Thomas those same powers, whether it be through replication of the circumstances or other… more questionable ways. It was for naught anyway, and now he was down on a relationship with the other Potter child as well as a suitable chosen one.

The former was on many people. He should have realized that doing what he did would have pointed the spotlight in one direction. However, in his joy, both at the survival of the parents and of the two boys, he had forgotten himself. And in doing so, caused himself and other to forget a child.

He had wished that he had steered James and Lily better. James seemed to have forgotten what it was that made him grow up, the death of his parents. James was an exceptional duelist, almost a prodigy at transfiguration. Lily on the other hand seemed repentant. She was the main driving force of the two in the effort to reconnect with Harry.

He had realized the latter when seeing Harry. When it was put in front of him like this, it was extremely difficult to ignore. Thomas own behavior had been improving, but he took after his father. Cocky and a little arrogant, though this past year had done much to curb that. But, unlike his parents, he had neither exceptional skill in transfiguration or charms.

Neville had also been a potential, but he had never given much thought to the young boy after the attack on the Potters. He had been keeping a subtle eye on the Longbottom heir, and he was not what he expected when he arrived 3 years ago. He had expected the young heir to be cowed, shy; a wallflower, due to Augusta's own overbearing personality.

But, he was not. In fact, there was a lot that he had not expected, and it all seemed to revolve around the younger Potter.

'Wait. Is he even the younger? How do I not know? What if he isn't? What if he's the older one? That would change a lot in terms of a balance of potential power.'

Even besides the status of the other Potter, the events of the past year Dumbledore was forced more and more to consider a possibility. A possibility that he was wrong. A possibility that Harry, and not Thomas, was the Boy-Who-Lived.

Harry walked to the Room, exhausted. He was glad Daphne and Neville were there to help. Daphne in particular, Merlin she was a slippery one. In the end, Susan and Hannah decided to help them out, at least for now.

As he rounded the corner, he saw Fleur, and he smiled.

"Hey Fleur."

As she turned, her hair whipping around her, it struck him how beautiful she really was. It had never really occurred to him before, but now that they were—an item, a thing, whatever—it did. It was even more accentuated when she smiled, like now.

"Hello Harry," she said softly. "What's wrong?"

"Just the same old. I've told you before, what with my parents and all. I've told you about them, but…"

"It doesn't make it any easier, I know. If it did, I would have had an easy time. I've long accepted my heritage and who I am, but that doesn't mean there weren't times that I hated that others could only see that side of me, or wishing that I wasn't a Veela."

"Don't say that!" Harry yelled, taking Fleur by surprise. "You are perfect the way you are! You shouldn't degrade yourself just because of what others think!"

Fleur grinned, before speaking pointedly to Harry. "You should take your own advice. You shouldn't let Lily and James affect you so much. They are going to be there, but they've long ignored you. You can let them know how it feels."

"You're right."

"I know. That's is something you'll have to get used to. Us women are always right."

Harry just laughed.

Harry finally knew what he wanted, and the Room finally appeared.

As they entered, they were greeted with a forest clearing. At this point, Fleur instinctively switched back to French.

"Harry, what is this place?"

"This is close to my home. It's been my refuge. This has been where I would go to meditate, and where I really began to learn how to use my powers."

To demonstrate, he started to channel, his hair and eyes changing as they did so. He was slowly manipulating a small ice sculpture. Fleur giggled a bit as he did. Harry turned to her, an inquisitive look on his face as Fleur answered his unasked question.

"I was just thinking about the first time I saw you. When you saved me. I was so dizzy back then, I couldn't get a good look at you. But I had thought that you were like a twin of me, a strange guardian angel."

"I must admit, I was just at the right place at the right time."

"Indeed, but it doesn't make the event any less meaningful, or the actions any less brave."

Harry didn't know what to say, so kept silent.

"When I had told Papa what happened, I could have sword you were another Veela. But after Papa had examined my memory, he told me your hair was closer to white."

Fleur kept talking as she was brushing his hair out of his face.

"Amazing."

"What is?"

"I mean, you. You as a person, and as an elemental. I don't think anyone would have predicted an elemental being born in this century. But then there is you. You are so kind, caring, despite how you grew up."

"I grew up fine." Harry snapped somewhat defensively. He always appreciated the House Elves for what they did.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it. Despite knowing your parents cared more for your brother."

"You say I'm kind, but you don't know all about me."

"That is true. I know you hold some anger towards your parents, and I don't know everything there is about you, but I know enough."

Fleur leaned in, and soon they were kissing.

It wasn't a kiss of passion, and they quickly split apart, to just relax in each other's presence.

"What is your favorite part about this place?"

Harry had to think for a moment.

"I think," he started, speaking English without thinking, "that I love being able to look at the stars. Whenever I am here, I just lost in the stars. I just lost in the vastness of space. And just being surrounded my nature, it is calming."

"So what did your pa-, Lily and James want to talk to you about?" Fleur had to correct herself. She knew that Harry didn't like referring to them as his parents.

"They were mainly asking where I was during the Winter. As if they cared before. And Lily wanted to try to make up with me. I mainly ended up fighting with James. And the Headmaster asked me again to participate in the war."

"What war? Is this the civil war in that green house that you talked about at the Yule Ball?"

Harry chuckled a bit.

"No, that's over. Daphne, my date to the ball, you know her, right?" Fleur nodded, trying not to let herself feel jealous over the other witch. "Well, she won pretty handily. I've made my own presence known in Slytherin house, as has she. When it became known that I was an elemental and that I was already backing her, it was over. No, the war that Dumbledore is talking about is the second Blood War."

"The second? But the first one ended with the death of that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

"He will return. Tom will always find a way."

Fleur was stunned by the revelation, so much so that she didn't catch the use of Tom's real name. But, the way Harry was looking at her and the tone he used, she knew he had doubt.

"I'll have to tell my father about this."

"I hope that you do. I wasn't sure whether to bring it up during the Winter Holidays. But, Jean-Sebastian needs to be made aware. I know there aren't as many blood-purists in France as there used to be, but still."

Fleur nodded.

"Neither of know when it will start, but it has to be soon. It has been building towards that during the last few years. And it has all come to a head this year."

"What do you mean?"

"I just don't understand. In previous years, I've been involved in the events surrounding Thomas, occasionally saving him. But, this year, I was chosen for the Triwizard Tournament. Something is off, and I don't like not knowing what."

"There is nothing to do except to take what comes, as it comes. If you spend all your time worrying, then when the time has come, you won't be prepared."

"You're right. How have things been on your end?"

"Aimee is excited. None of the other students really have an opinion, although some of the nastier girls are saying that I'll just leave you." Fleur said the last part slightly apprehensively, worried about Harry's reaction.

"Don't worry. I know your allure isn't your fault." Fleur visibly relaxed at that

"Yes, well, that doesn't stop some of the others from talking. But, some of the others seem to be really glad."

"Why?"

"They think that with me taken, I won't try to 'steal' their boyfriends."

They both just laughed and shook their heads.

"Father has been, ambivalent. Pleased that I have found someone, but just like you, worried about the circumstances surrounding you."

"Let's stop talking about troubles and just relax."

Fleur readily agreed, leaning into Harry as they sat against a tree.

"Is there anything you want to see?" Harry asked.

Fleur thought for a moment, before deciding to give Harry a treat.

"I have one."

As she said that, the room started to shift. The magics surrounding the room always made this part confusing. The room seemed to simultaneously change, yet stay the same. Smaller changes like asking for a desk, or an addition to the room were easier to hide and made unnoticeable. But changing the whole room messed with the senses.

In the end, when the room finished, he was standing in a hall.

"Is this…"

"Yes, Beaubaxtons."

"Amazing."

Harry, for all his knowledge, had never been able to take a step inside Beaubaxtons. The one drawback of the tournament being held at Hogwarts instead of one of the other three. He took a look around.

From what he could see, whereas Hogwarts was a bastion against invaders, Beaubaxtons was created to be beautiful. Instead of a castle, there was a palace.

The main hall was a ballroom, with a setup similar to Hogwarts to allow many students to sit. But, instead of dreary stone walls, the walls were a brilliant white, decorated with paintings and having chandeliers hanging, providing plenty of light to the hall.

"This is our equivalent to the Great Hall. It is where most of the eating is done. As there are no houses in Beaubaxtons, seating is usually more based on who your friends are. This spot over here," Fleur said while pointing towards the end, "is where Aimee and I usually sit. Sometimes, our friend Lucas sits here as well."

"Amazing. Now I want even more to see the other magical schools. I've seen Ilvermorny, the North American school. Both the others are much more well -hidden."

"Oh? And what would you do once you've seen them all?"

"I have no idea," Harry said honestly, shrugging his shoulders.

It was a little while longer before either of them spoke, but Fleur broke the silence first.

"Harry?"

"Hrmm?"

"I was just wondering. Sitting at the Ravenclaw table, we've heard stories. I was just wondering if some of those stories were true."

"Like what?"

"We heard that something terrifying was happening 2 years ago. Students being petrified, along with a cat and a ghost. How does a ghost even become petrified? We heard that Thomas was the one to put a stop to it."

"That's partially correct."

When Harry didn't say anything further, Fleur huffed.

Harry just chuckled a little bit. "So that was true. The Chamber of Secrets had been opened. In fact, one of Thomas's and my friends had both been petrified. It all came to a head when someone was taken into the chamber."

Fleur gasped. "Merde. What happened?"

"Thomas and his friend Weasley, the redhead whose sister was the one taken, went down there. Naturally, I followed after them."

"Why?"

Harry just sighed. "He may not be family to me, but he is blood. I feel an obligation to him. And, the Wizarding World needs a symbol, which Thomas happily plays. I was there to ensure he stays that symbol. Not to mention the fact that I didn't expect him to be able to deal with it, and if he didn't and died, then I wouldn't be able to go to Hogwarts."

"Sure, totally reasonable. Go into a secret chamber and fight some monster that can petrify people so that you can go to school!"

"Like I said, it was a variety of reasons. I came across Weasley and a memory addled Professor. Weasley didn't know what hit him. I made my way into the Chamber proper to find Thomas knocked out, and, something standing above him."

"Something?"

"I wasn't sure what. It claimed to be a memory, but it couldn't have been that. It seemed like more. It was Voldemort, as he was 50 years ago, when he was 16. We fought and dueled. It had been the only time that I had been forced to use my elemental powers."

Harry left out the conversation that the two of them had. He felt that that was pretty private, at least for now?

"Interesting. So you won?"

"Yes, but with help. I ended up killing the beast, and then later destroying the memory. I ended up rendering the Basilisk and selling some parts, keeping some for myself."

"Wait. I remember that at the Weighing of the Wands that the old wandmaker, he said your wand has Basilisk fang and venom inside of it. That makes so much more sense. Is it-?"

"Yea, it's from those fangs."

"Who helped?"

"Well, it was Dumbledore's… phoenix…"

"Harry?"

Harry's mind was racing. Fleur bringing up the Weighing of the Wands reminded him of something. He had thought nothing of it, seeing as it was just his first wand. He had been paying more attention to the reactions to his second wand. But, looking back, Dumbledore hadn't suddenly started paying attention to him with the emergence of the second wand. Harry remembered now. Dumbledore had been staring at Harry from the get go, with no reason to other than the fact the he, instead of Thomas, was the one involved in strange events. But, it was the most attention given to him ever. In fact, if he had to guess, a lot of Dumbledore's focus was on his

"Wand." Harry looked down at his wand.

"It's curious that you should be destined for this wand. One wouldn't be faulted for thinking that, if anyone, it would go to your brother."

"Why is that, Mr. Ollivander?"

"The phoenix, whose tail feather resides in your wand, gave just one other feather. That feather, was used to make a wand of Yew, 13 inches. That wand belonged to the man who attacked your family, nearly 10 years ago."

"An elemental? It must have been you to defeat my future self, and not your brother. Join me Harry, help me, and we can make them pay. We are the same, you and I. Both ignored, both forced to live in the shadows of others. But together, no one could stop us."

"I doubt that. I was found far away from where your robe was found."

"Ah, so that's why it took a week to try to talk to me. You had wanted to do exactly that. All for your Greater Good? And what if I had refused? Would you have forced me?"

Dumbledore at least had the shame to lower his head. He looked unsure about what he would do if the choice were there."

Dumbledore had never actually positively acknowledged him. What if it wasn't that? What if it was something else?

"I have to go."

"Go? Where?" Fleur asked, panic in her voice. Had she done something wrong?" Was Harry angry?

"It's not you Fleur. I need to talk to the Headmaster again."

Harry seemed like a man possessed. His strides purposeful and long as he made his way to the gargoyle.

"Move aside."

The gargoyle gave no indication of hearing him.

"Move aside, or I will blast you to pieces."

"That won't be necessary."

Dumbledore's voice echoed from the top, and the gargoyle started to move, revealing a staircase.

Harry was up the steps in a flash, appearing in the Headmaster's office.

"Harry, I didn't expect to see you so soon. Have you changed your-"

"How long have you known?" Harry didn't even bother to correct the use of his first name.

Harry's voice cut through whatever Dumbledore was about to say, his voice hard like steel. Dumbledore, while never managing to get on the good side of the other Potter, had never antagonized him either. This was the first time he had ever seen the boy so angry. The boy's eyes were practically glowing, and they were not the green Dumbledore had expected, but blue.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"How long have you known that I was the Boy Who Lived?"

"I told you Albus." Harry looked towards the portrait, the very same one that had been giving Dumbledore a look at their first talk. "I told you that he couldn't be deceived forever."

"You haven't answered me old man. How. Long?"

Dumbledore sighed. "I've had suspicions for quite a while now. What, may I ask, tipped you off?"

"Fleur."

Dumbledore looked surprised. "I don't believe I have ever taken Ms. Delacour into my confidence."

"It wasn't her directly. She was asking about some rumors, and one thing led to another, and we started talking about Fawkes. And my wands. From there, I made the connection."

"Yes, it is true, Fawkes is indeed the phoenix whose tail feather makes up your first wand's core."

"You knew."

"Yes, and no. I allowed Ollivander to come into possession of them on the condition that I be notified who bought them." However, he never told me the wood, and only told me that 'Mr. Potter bought the other wand.' He never told me which Mr. Potter. In fact, I had been wondering if my suspicion was wrong, listening to Thomas's accounts of the events of the first 3 years."

"But then you discovered that it was I who bought it, at the weighing of the wands. Add to the fact that I am an elemental... Why did you lie about trying to transfer my powers if by then, you at least had suspicions that I was the one who survived, and not Thomas?"

"I wasn't trying to transfer them, but merely trying to see if they could be replicated."

That was a lie. Harry had become good at telling lies from the truth. He was, after all, friends with a Slytherin.

"You were trying, despite the suspicions. But why? Why would you want to give Thomas, who is an average student at best... No, it was because he was an average student. You had the soldier, but you needed the weapon. I wasn't under your control, but Thomas was. That's why you waited so long. You were thinking of every angle. How to transfer the power and bar that, how to get me, the Boy Who Lived, on your side."

"Harry-"

"That's Mr. Potter to you, Headmaster."

"I am only trying to do my best to prepare for the war. The war that we both know is coming."

Harry raised an eyebrow.

"I know that you were present at both confrontations with Voldemort in the first and second year. And I know that you are the one to have cast the Patronus. Thomas's accounts of those events are just too sparse. I figured that there had to be someone else, and during the events of last year, I had managed to determine that you were out of bed when the Dementors were repelled. As such, I figured that you were behind Thomas emerging victorious the two years before that, as well."

"Ok, so what?"

In response, Dumbledore took out the Riddle's diary and put it on his desk.

"What is that, Headmaster? I mean, truly?"

"I believe I cannot tell you that. But, know for now that it is part of the reason that Voldemort survived past that Halloween 13 years ago."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "So, more than a mere memory, as he had claimed. Interesting."

Dumbledore put his hands on his desk, then looked up at Harry.

"So, Harry, can we work together to bring an end to this threat, once and for all?"